[General]The Return of CHARACTER CONCEPTS

[Shroom Man 777]

Why can't the person be bringing a grenade launcher for primarily fire support and suppression purposes? Why can't she be the one lugging the big grenade launcher in her squad?

[Siege]

For what possible reason could you want to waste a metahuman's talents on something as utterly mundane as 'carrying the big grenade launcher'? It's a job two or three ordinary guys can also do, and you're assigning it to your superstrong meta with the kinetic inversion abilities? Meta's are supposed to be extremely rare, remember. What was the number that was thrown out, one for every ten thousand ordinary people? Assuming they sign up at the same rate as ordinary people, that means you have one meta for every two infantry brigades.

And you're wasting that exceptionally scarce talent on platoon-level fire support?

Oh, and let's not forget that this particular set of abilities could very well be wholly unique in the entirety of Earth's metahuman population. So you could have three guys do the same job, or if you really needed mobile firepower you could assign a Stryker, a Bradley, a Humvee with a TOW launcher, a UCAV, an Apache gunship, an M1A2, a few SDI goons in powered armor, or Lord knows what else but noooo, you have to risk your uniquely talented, irreplaceable asset doing grunt legwork!

The longer I think about this the stupider it sounds.

[Magister Militum]

What could possibly make a ridiculously cumbersome hand-carried automatic grenade launcher (let a lone a bloody tank cannon) somehow the best weapon for an individual soldier to carry? How does that follow? 'Cause you know what, without some proper justification this is all just a load of wankery.

For Shroom's character, none whatsoever. For mine, well, in case you didn't look at the Project Sentinel article, I do mention that Valkyrie's role is that of support/shock trooper. She also happens to be a full-body cyborg with powered armor, allowing her massively increased strength, awareness, and the handy targeting, rangefinding, and radar abilities common in vehicles. Recoil and accuracy would not be an issue. Besides, I never suggested that she (that applies to both characters) go about killing individual soldiers. It would be well suited for suppression duties and such if the recoil and accuracy aren't an issue for Shroom's character. Of course, she's not a part of a six man special forces team like Valkyrie is, where cross training is a must and lack of support is common, so you probably could just have a bunch of guys take care of handling the grenade launcher. Actually, now that I think about it, a LMG would be just as effective if you're fighting a mass of infantry. Actually, now that I really think about it, yeah, it is kinda stupid on a certain level when you look at the context. I'm still going to keep it for Valkyrie just to piss you off, Siege.

(I think it's also hilarious how my opinion morphed in the course of one single post from 'definitely plausible' to 'maybe' to 'not very plausible at all'.)

Actually, Siege's point about this being a waste of her powers has brought up a good question: what could you do with kinetic absorption powers besides the obvious?

[Shroom Man 777]

Then what about semi-automatic grenade launchers, then? They ARE assigned to individual soldiers, ala the OICW, the Steyr AICW, the PAW-20 Neopup.

Certainly, won't metahuman soldiers be sporting some tricked out heavier-duty-than-usual gear that'll differentiate them from standard soldiers? Particularly if they're going to be in SF?

[Magister Militum]

Certainly, won't metahuman soldiers be sporting some tricked out heavier-duty-than-usual gear that'll differentiate them from standard soldiers? Particularly if they're going to be in SF?

That would depend on their abilities and duties, I would imagine. Someone whose job is to be a walking tank is definitely going to be carrying around some nasty things, but, then again, he may not even need to if he can melt tanks using his eye lasers or kill people a mile away with his psychic powers.

[Shroom Man 777]

How about a M2 machinegun that can double as a sniper rifle? Yes, I think this might be more sensible for my supposed superstrong KE-absorbent character to use! Think about it, a Ma-Deuce with a bigass sniper scope.

[Siege]

I'm still going to keep it for Valkyrie just to piss you off, Siege.

There are days I think half this 'verse exists to piss me off, so that's all right.

Actually, Siege's point about this being a waste of her powers has brought up a good question: what could you do with kinetic absorption powers besides the obvious?

For the given combination of kinetic absorption + superstrength what immediately came to mind was: combat engineer. She could make a supremely important division or corps-level engineering asset. Dispatch her by helicopter to wherever her services would be needed most, and once there she could clear minefields, lift tanks that have blown a thread and do pretty much all the things engineers do faster and better and without all the heavy gear that usually needs to be rolled in. Consider this: save two M1A2 tanks from being mission-killed and you'll have more firepower at your disposal than if you had her milling about with some stupid cannon on her back.

Then what about semi-automatic grenade launchers, then? They ARE assigned to individual soldiers, ala the OICW, the Steyr AICW, the PAW-20 Neopup.

None of those are comparable with a tripod-stabilized, crew-served, fully automatic grenade launcher like the XM307, which is effective up to 2,000 meters. Good luck getting that kind of reach out of an AICW... Which incidentally can hold only three grenades simultaneously, as opposed to 260 25mm grenades per minute for the XM307.

As for metahuman spec-ops teams... What are these guys going to be doing anyway? Because if I am General Al-Hussein of the Grand Legion of Arabia, and I notice there's metahumans running around blowing shit up on the front, I'm going to give weapons release authority for tactical nukes to take 'em out... Because if I'm General Al-Hussein I will consider metahumans a strategic weapon comparable with your average WMD, so their deployment justifies the use of overwhelming force in retaliation. Congratulations, you are now responsible for the atomization of several brigades worth of ordinary G.I. Joes!

[Shroom Man 777]

Good point. I mean, that IS a good argument regarding metahumans in the military and how their deployment might constitute escalation - and how some people might not even want to deploy them, due to political considerations and such and such. Like how Tricky Dick's putting of Doctor Shroomhattan in Vietnam made the Soviets make, what, a million nuclear warheads in Watchmen?

There are days I think half this 'verse exists to piss me off, so that's all right.

aw mang, you're breaking my balls!

[Czernobog]

A new character idea...

Lord Terminus

Origins:

Lord Terminus comes from the shadowed, sunless world of Stygius, ruled over by the powerful Necrolords, higher men from an earlier age, masters of arcane sciences and magics that they used to command armies of the living dead. The Deathlords, to whom Lord Terminus belongs, were their chief, most trusted lieutenants, overseeing the undying armies of abdead that warred with each other across the land for dominance. But Terminus had grander ideas than being a lackey of the Necrolords, and in a secret meeting, he and the other Deathlords hatched a plan - to cast down the Necrolords and the ziggurat temple-cities they had erected to worship themselves.

T'naar, Sha'goth, Z'zhall. Those were where the Necrolords' armies were broken, as their armies turned against them and their citizens rebelled. Terminus was then crowned King of Stygius, lord of its armies and commander of the Necrolords' arcane magitechnology. But the Necrolords had been cunning, and as a last act of spite they had cursed Stygius to a slow death, which was communicated to Terminus by the sages and scriveners that had been left alive. The Lords of Stygius convened, and the High Sage told them of the Necrolords' discovery - a planet where life yet flourished, protected by strange costumed heroes. Immediately Terminus hatched his plan, together with his advisers, fellow Lords Nihilus and Entropus

Invasion was impossible - the armies and heroes of this strange world were too difficult to defeat. But a machine could be built, that would rejuvenate Stygius, at a cost - the life of this other world. And some of this machine's components were beyond Stygius' capability, and could only be found on Earth.

So, Terminus decided on a plan - he would save his world, at the expense of the other. As for the components, he would create cults to steal them. His course set, Terminus has just recently put his plan into action...

Abilities and Equipment:

Lord Terminus is moderately superhuman, with high levels of regeneration and durability and moderate amounts of strength. But it is his access to the technomagic of the Necrolords that truly makes him a threat. His black, skull-embossed armour is made of flowing, self-repairing liquid metal, which can take one of Archwind's punches without being broken. Wings of flowing darkness on his back enable him to fly, and in his left gauntlet sits a device that can repulse or pull towards him anybody he wishes to. He can see clearly for many miles thanks to the eyepieces in his helmet.

His armour can also, for about ten seconds, make him completely intangible and thus invulnerable to all harm, although this drains his power reserves greatly. He wields a sword in his right hand that has a blade that is made of darkness, with alien stars and galaxies visible within, the blade itself being able to nigh-effortlessly cut through military-grade steel. He also has a modicum of necromantic talent, and can raise the dead with ease.

Appearance and Personality:

Lord Terminus is an average human male, with black hair and dark glowing eyes. He is tall and athletic, and is very intelligent, if a bit narrow-minded. Personality-wise, he is willing to do anything to preserve the existence of his people and their culture and civilisation, and is compassionate towards them, but is not compassionate or empathetic toward people he views as enemies or people not from Stygius. He is taciturn, and speaks little, but is willing to explain the reason he does what he does toward his enemies, in the hope that they understand.

Status:

Alive.

Relations with Earth's heroes:

None to speak of.

[Shroom Man 777]

Mm... what is the dark Lord Tenerebusminus' dark relations with your other similarly dark characters with darkly wings of darkness, with darkened sheathed darkswords of dark-sharpened darkblades from the dark Dis'Abyss'Dis darkworlds of perpetually dark darkdarkness?

Granted, it's clearly a revised version of your other freaky deaky concepts of Lord Erebus and has similarities to Darkness and so on and so forth - and maybe it's a slight improvement over Erebus, I will give you that. Though I wonder, how many dark (wing-sworded) necrodeathmurderkilldoomongerlordkings do you have planned? Didn't you write a bunch of similar revanchist villains who came from WW2 and ended up having similar laser-eyes and voice-powers (before I told you how identical Red Star and Rising Sun were and you ended up rewriting Red Star into a Winter Corps person)?

[Czernobog]

Mm... what is the dark Lord Tenerebusminus' dark relations with your other similarly dark characters with darkly wings of darkness, with darkened sheathed darkswords of dark-sharpened darkblades from the dark Dis'Abyss'Dis darkworlds of perpetually dark darkdarkness?

Granted, it's clearly a revised version of your other freaky deaky concepts of Lord Erebus and has similarities to Darkness and so on and so forth - and maybe it's a slight improvement over Erebus, I will give you that. Though I wonder, how many dark (wing-sworded) necrodeathmurderkilldoomongerlordkings do you have planned? Didn't you write a bunch of similar revanchist villains who came from WW2 and ended up having similar laser-eyes and voice-powers (before I told you how identical Red Star and Rising Sun were and you ended up rewriting Red Star into a Winter Corps person)?

I have no others planned.

[Shroom Man 777]

Your dark overlord characters are really the most ungood of the lot. I mean, they're all "I am an powerful evil ruler/king/general from another world/dark realm that is all dark and spikey, and now I am seeking to conquer/destroy/whatever Earth. Also I have dark wings, and a sword or something, and spikes." It's overused, tired, uninteresting and unexciting. Too much Advent Children, I say.

[Invictus]

You've been looking at Exalted, haven't you.

[Czernobog]

You've been looking at Exalted, haven't you.

Well, the names are similar...but that is where the similarities end.

[Czernobog]

Your dark overlord characters are really the most ungood of the lot. I mean, they're all "I am an powerful evil ruler/king/general from another world/dark realm that is all dark and spikey, and now I am seeking to conquer/destroy/whatever Earth. Also I have dark wings, and a sword or something, and spikes." It's overused, tired, uninteresting and unexciting. Too much Advent Children, I say.

Well, he just wants to save his people, and thinks of himself as good...he's not a generic evil overlord in that respect. He doesn't want to destroy Earth, per se - he has nothing against it's people, and has no grand plans of conquering/killing them or destroying their planet, it's just an unavoidable side effect of his goals - saving his people from certain annihilation. He's meant to be a look at a moral dilemma - do I save my people or ones I hardly know? That's what his character is all about.

[Siege]

Which is unbearably stupid, because if he just ditched the spiky armour of deathdoomskulls, combed his hair a bit, and asked nicely, chances are Quartermass, Andrews or Saint (well maybe not Saint) would simply help him along. Out of the goodness of their heart, because they're altruistic suckers for that sort of thing. Yet instead he goes and founds a bunch of underground cults. Cults! Of what, exactly? Bannerspikeskulling doom, no doubt. What kind of person could cults possibly attract that could help him save his dying world? Here's a clue: cults don't exactly tend to attract the sort of highly intelligent, independent minded, mentally stable individuals you'd probably need to rescue a planet in an alternate dimension. This must surely be the single dumbest way of achieving his goals Lord Terminal Boredom could possibly have settled for.

And ye gods, could you have made this guy any more retardedly clichéd? Latin name! Black hair! Glowing eyes! Magic gauntlet! Weird sword! Skull-embossed armour! "Wings of flowing darkness!" Good Lord, save me from the overwhelming cheese of it all. He even hails from a planet called--wait for it--Stygius!

styg·i·an also Styg·i·an (stj-n)
adj.
1.
a. Gloomy and dark.
b. Infernal; hellish.

For heaven's sake, if you'd laid it on more thickly the article would've collapsed into a black hole of sheer corniness.

Also and purely from a writer's perspective, if you've got nothing to say about his status than that he's "alive" (which we already know), and if he's got no relations with Earth's heroes, then what possible reason could you have for including those categories in the article?

I'm sorry, I really am--I'm genuinely trying to like your work, but I'm still going to have to rate this an F for effort and originality.

[Booted Vulture]

Kamin is my muse.

Obsidian Knight

Name: Erika Ericcson

Age: Late twenties.

Occupation: Archaeologist (a bad one though)

Origin: Erika Ericcson was just your average girl; 4’11, long and lose wavy brunette hair, and MSc in explorative archaeology. The kind of archaeology that consists of breaking into some handy deadguy’s extravagant tomb, dodge his ridiculously advanced, clock-work traps, spring loaded dart guns, bottomless pits and rolling boulders to nick all their stuff. Simple, right?

Wrong!

Because one day, at the centre of the tomb she was, dare a say it, raiding she came across the idol of a long forgotten civilisation. Surrounded by flame torches that never went out, until she removed the idol; a maroon translucent crystal the size of a man’s fist (indeed a lot larger than Erika’s) No sooner was in her grasp, than it was pitch black. But even then Erika was transfixed by the crystal heat because it had begun to glow. A second later it moved under its own accord, lunging out of her grasp and striking Erika clean in the breast, passing mysterious through her body, as though it wasn’t there until it reached the centre of her chest. This is when it became solid, this is when Erika screamed as her heart exploded as it was replaced by the crystal idol of forgotten times but even as she fell to the ground, the pitch black of the chamber became as light as midday to her, the crystal pulsed in her chest, sending not blood flowing through her veins but power. Unlimited Power!

Thus the Obsidian Knight was born.


Powers and Abilities:

The obsidian knight is powered from with in by the crystal of ages lost. Upon Erika’s mental commands she is able to envelop herself in solid shadows. These can be tight to her skin or from any armour or implement she can think of as long as they remain attacked to her. Usually the Knight fashions itself after classical forms of armour; with matching medieval style weaponry. These solid shadows can vary in hardness and durability depending on how much energy the knight wishes to apply to it. The obsidian knight is powered by the fervour in her crystal heart, she has no need of earthly substance such as food, water or even air.

All shadows are cast by light. The heart provides the light; Erika’s will provides the object that shapes them.

Weaknesses:
More shadows; means more light. The more shadows the Knight tries to produce; the more energy is emitted by the heart; in the form of hard radiation. Though the knight is impervious to the effects herself. This tends to make her unpopular when working in groups.

Current status:

Alive, and working for the highest bidder. The Obsidian Knight is not out to make friends, only money.

Additional ‘inspirations’ are The Song Of Ice And Fire, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, The Juggernaught (Bitch) The Green Lantern and of course The Emperor Palpatine.

[Shroom Man 777]

I split the Transingularity Earth discussion to this thread

Booted, your joke character is ridiculous. Though I think, with some slight changes, you could easily have your character work well as a non-joke character. Maybe have her raiding tombs and last crusading and battling, I don't know, some distinct team of bad guys - like a team of Skyhavenite archeological villains, the Grave Robbers or Sarcophagus Stealers or something. Or even the Theozoologists! And, yeah, maybe a NON shadow related power or something. But still, archeological flavor, archeological adventures, that kind of stuff? It could work.

Particularly if you kept the humorous tone in it!

[Siege]

Booted, your joke character is ridiculous. Though I think, with some slight changes, you could easily have your character work well as a non-joke character. Maybe have her raiding tombs and last crusading and battling, I don't know, some distinct team of bad guys - like a team of Skyhavenite archeological villains, the Grave Robbers or Sarcophagus Stealers or something.

The Tombstone Gang. They can be gunslinger-archaeologist-grave robbers!

[Shroom Man 777]

Perhaps with origins from the War of Southern Treason! They can be all steampunky Confederate-types, or something, like Ed Harris from National Treasure 2! Out for Confederate Gold, Lincoln's Secret Treasure, etcetera! But with more cowboy hats and revolvers!

[Siege]

Yes.

[Invictus]

Perhaps with origins from the War of Southern Treason! They can be all steampunky Confederate-types, or something, like Ed Harris from National Treasure 2! Out for Confederate Gold, Lincoln's Secret Treasure, etcetera! But with more cowboy hats and revolvers!

Though they will have to face the opprobrium of the Great Ghost Congress, the spiritual body that guards the sanctity of the graves in America, not to mention the various secret societies/Freemasons/Illuminati who buried those secrets from view in the first place!

[Shroom Man 777]

Oh right, we have a Tobias Tombstone planned up! Man!

[Shroom Man 777]

I have an excellent idea for a spikey dark lord who isn't actually spikey and might not be dark.

Once upon a time, there was a minstrel man who was exiled by his king, and in his long wanderings and travels he sees many of the dark places of the world (maybe bumping into Jurgen Baccara here and there or something) and generally encountering more than what he'd care to see. So, having enough of his fellow man, he flees, maybe to some faraway forgotten land that to this day is nigh impossible to find, or maybe he actually sailed the seas, braving storms until he found himself on strange shores - having crossed over to the Dreamlands, where no other man can find him. He's grown tired of our world and all the things in it, and longs solitude or something poetic like that.

In this faraway land, or in this place in the Dreamworld where the land is not a nightmarescape ruled by sleep terrors but is instead a vista of tranquility (where good dreams come from), our minstrel makes himself a lonesome ruler of the kingdom of alone.

But in his isolation he grows lonely, and longs for the company of people - yet he knows what kind of darkness is there in the hearts of men. So he comes back to the world he left and seeks those who are innocent, or who are somehow wronged, those deserving of better lots than what they were given in their lives. So he finds abused women, mistreated children who've never had a chance at childhood, and he whisks them away to his magical land. Not all at once, of course, little by little, maybe one or two at a time, there's no pressing need - it's not like he's trying to fill a quota, he's just trying to find companionship.

He takes them to his kingdom of alone and shows them the wonders he's made. The subjects he's made out of clay, things that serve him but are not really beings of their own right (more like golems, automatons, puppets and dolls). He shows them the wonderful new world that they are in, the dangers outside the gate of his kingdom, the adventure and treasures, etc. He grants those he takes with him whatever they want, fulfilling their wishes or some shtick like that, maybe giving them powers.

But they might not stay. It's not a real world, it's a never never land, and the Minstrel is only playing Peter Pan. He'll allow his companions to go home, but that won't stop him from looking for others to fill their gap - he's only trying to help people, after all, or at least that's how he sees it.

Or maybe he doesn't want them to go back? If we take a darker turn at this, he could end up brainwashing the little orphans and magic girls he takes with him, turning them into his toy soldiers if he's got darker, ulterior designs. What could they be? Hmm... perhaps to defend his kingdom from people, people from the old world who come looking for those who've been taken from them by the Minstrel King? Or... maybe... to defend his kingdom's treasure? A stranger version of Peter Pan and Captain Hook? Perhaps the magic the Minstrel uses to animate his kingdom is a powerful thing that others may want for their own purposes. If the Minstrel lives in the Dreamlands, then Captain Hook can be a Grey, a Traumlandergrau. With an eyepatch.

Then there can be a Cthulthoid with a ticking clock in its stomach.

But, this concept is very vague so far and I can still muse on and on about it, or shelve it, or I can get help.

The basic premise, however, is totally not Peter Pan. I was thinking a little bit about that when writing this, and when originating this concept with Ford (FROD), yeah. But that wasn't what I was really thinking.

I was really thinking about David Bowie.

[Vagrant Orpheus]

So, just been musing on the lack of Australian characters. Yes, I'm geo-centricising my focus to my own country. How terrible of me. Anyway, barebones thoughts incoming.

ASHES is the Australian Super Hero Enforcement Squad. An official arm of military/police/homeland security created as the 'brainchild' of an ambitious politician, the squad has a single hero from each state and territory. They do what all hero teams do, protect the region they oversee, but obviously in an official capacity they have to be a lot more conscious of how they act and the like. Anyway, brief rundowns of some concepts for the characters as follows:

Goldrush: The Victorian representative, Goldrush is a Greek (because turns out Melbourne has the highest percentage/concentration of Greek people outside of Greece) who happens to be a speedster in a snazzy gold outfit. Just a basic speedster, not some absurd level of speed or vibratory control because speedsters get ridiculously complex to use at higher levels.

Eyre: The South Australian representitive, Eyre is named after Lake Eyre, the astounding vanishing lake north of Adelaide. Pronounced as 'Air', both the name and the suggestion of vanishing work for the hero, who is effectively able to become a spirit, possessing flight, invisibility and intangibility, though each can operate independantly. Often mispronounced as 'Eerie', this still fits him thematically.

Tigerstripe: Tasmanian representive, he felt the name 'Thylacine' didn't have enough panache. The feralman of the group, with a degree of accelerated healing, he's the wilderness expert amongst wilderness experts, a survivalist of the highest order. Also the most concerned of the team with environmental destruction, Tigerstripe is the political activist. Presumably a knife expert as well. That's not a knife, this is a knife!

Burly Griffin: The representitive of the Australian Capital Territory, BG is a shapeshifter and the leader of the team. He's actually a beaurocrat working in the office of the politician who pushed ASHES through parliament, and is the true workings behind the success of the team, happy to work in the background as his boss takes the public glory and PR conferences. Chosen moniker based on the architect of the Australian capital, Sir Burley-Griffin.

Monsoon: The Queensland rep, of Asian descent, this woman is a weather manipulator but is otherwise human, so also operates with a supporting power armour. Alternatively, as it is the Sunshine State, some kind of sunlight-based powers and a different name, but weather manipulation + powersuit seems a bit more unique to me.

Digger: Representative of Western Australia, and indicative of both the mining operations there and the traditional Australian soldier, he's a weathered ex-SAS with the ability to burrow/tunnel through the ground at high speeds, with a significant degree of earth manipulation once he's underground, creating fissures, earthquakes and columns of rock, amongst other things. As a trained SAS troop he's the tactical field leader of the team.

New South Wales: No rep as yet. Only have it in my mind that this guy would be some kind of reformed villain. Sydney seems like a good place for one of those. Potentially either gay or homophobic as well, Sydney being the second gay capital of the world. Not really essential to the character, just an aside, like someone being Protestant or liking Miley Cyrus, to add a bit of something. Or, you know, something entirely not Sydney related.

Northern Territory: Token aboriginal character, but beyond that I have no idea. I want to avoid making his powers directly 'ethnic' so no sonic didgeridoo or dreamtime trance to summon extinct megafauna spirits. Would have used an Aboriginal woman called Cyclone Tracey, but already have a weather manipulator, so hey.

Villains would be suitably stereotypical but still interest, such as Iron Kelly, an anti-villain in a powersuit built inacavewithaboxofscraps in an industrial and older style... withaboxofscraps. Probably another one who is some corporate guy who secretly sells mined uranium to the blackmarket.