And now, just as you stand amazed by my latest spellcard, I shall get in a double strike!
Mnemosyne 'Nemo' Lethe
[spoiler]
Power Level 8
Another teenie.
AttributesStr: 14 (+2)
Dex: 14 (+2)
Con: 30 (+10)
Int: 14 (+2)
Wis: 14 (+2)
Cha: 14 (+2)
Points: 40Combat statsInitiative: +2 (2 Dex)
BAB: 0 (0 base, +8 Melee) ; Defense: 16 (10 +3 +2 dodge +1 feat)
Toughness: +10 (10 con); Fort: +13 (3); Ref: +2 (0) ; Will: +8 (6)
Points: 19FeatsAttack Focus (Melee) 8, Attractive 2, Dodge Focus 6, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 1, Fearless, Stunning Attack, Well-Informed
Points: 16SkillsBluff +7 or +15 (5 (+8 feat))
Diplomacy +7 or +15 (5 (+8 feat))
Gather Information +11
Intimidate +8 (10)
Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +6 (4)
Knowledge (Business) +6 (4)
Knowledge (Current Events) +4 (2)
Knowledge (History) +4 (2)
Language (Greek*, English) 1
Profession (Boatswoman) +6 (4)
Sense Motive +8 (6)
*Native language
Points: 12Complications and DrawbacksPrejudice/Reputation (The Freedom League understandably suspects she may be a snitch), Responsibility/Owned (Must answer to Hades and Persephone)
PowersUniversal HagglerComprehend (3) (6) (2/rk)
Extras: None
Flaws: None
Power Feats: None
Drawbacks: None
[spoiler]
Effect: Sensory
Action: None (passive)
Range: Personal
Area: N/A
Duration: Continuous
Saving Throw N/A
Obviously, not all spirits that come to the underworld speak English or even Greek, and you can't very well negotiate their passage if you can't overcome the language barrier. Thus, every infernal boatsman needs to be able to speak all kinds of odd and obscure languages, and talking to spirits is obviously a bonus too.
[/spoiler]
Stygian Touch (Array)Drain (8) (19) (2/rk)
Extras: None
Flaws: None
Power Feats: Incurable, Slow Fade (1 Minute)
Alternate Power 1
Drawbacks: None
[spoiler]
Effect: Alteration
Action: Standard
Range: Touch
Area: N/A
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw Fort DC 18
Nemo can weaken another's body or mind by touch. Already weak creatures might even be killed outright. This isn't an ability inherent to infernal ferrymen - normally they're just that, not reapers, and have no special capacity to kill people.
[/spoiler]
Kiss of Lethe
Mental Transform (8) (18) (2/rk)
Extras: Duration (Continuous) (+1)
Flaws: Range (Touch) (-1)
Power Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2
Drawbacks: None
[spoiler]
Effect: Alteration
Action: Standard
Range: Touch
Area: N/A
Duration: Continuous
Saving Throw Will DC 18
Infused with the waters of the underworld, in this case specifically her namesakes Lethe and Mnemosyne, Nemo can alter a target's memories at her whim. Despite the name, this doesn't have to be delivered with a kiss, but it's just that much classier that way. Also, despite the range, this power affects the soul or mind, not the body, so it can affect incorporeal targets by 'touching' their spirit.
[/spoiler]
Ferryman's PoleDevice (Easy to lose) (2) (6) (3/rk)
Extras: None
Flaws: None
Power Feats: None
Drawbacks: None
[spoiler]
Effect: General
Action: None
Range: Personal
Area: N/A
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw N/A
Useful for pushing your boat forward, fending off invasive dead people, and scratching your back, the trusty pole is to an infernal ferryman as the towel is to a galactic hitchhiker. It contains 10 pp worth of powers.
[/spoiler]
Smack
Damage (6) (10) (1/rk)
Extras: None
Flaws: None
Power Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Extended Reach 1, Mighty
Drawbacks: None
[spoiler]
Effect: Damage
Action: Standard
Range: Touch+5 ft.
Area: N/A
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw Tough DC 23
The pole is used to hit someone in the face, pure and simple. Due to its length it has longer reach, and it's built so as to be able to hit incorporeal creatures as well in order to keep ghosts at bay.
[/spoiler]
Head Above WaterImmunity (2) (2) (1/rk)
Extras: None
Flaws: None
Power Feats: None
Drawbacks: None
[spoiler]
Effect: Defense
Action: None
Range: Personal
Area: N/A
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw N/A
- Drowning
- Rare Descriptor: Memory Alteration
For an infernal ferryman, falling into the water isn't so much an occupational hazard as it's a part of daily life. Now, it would be pretty dumb if you fell into an infernal river and lost all your memories, and it would be even dumber to fall into the water drown, so to avoid looking like idiots on a daily basis (and having to re-recruit similarly often), the ferrymen are unable to drown and immune to any alteration of their memories.
[/spoiler]
Points: 33Total: 120 points.
Equipment
[spoiler]Boat:
[spoiler]Size: Large (1)
Str: 30 (2)
Toughness: +7
Defense: 9
Swimming 2 (2) - 5 mph
Total: 5 equipment points[/spoiler][/spoiler]
[/spoiler]
Imagine if there were more than one ferryman who carries souls across the Styx, Lethe, Acheron, and whatnot. Now let's say one of these ferrymen had a daughter. This daughter displays an above-average connection to the rivers the ferrymen cross - in fact, she is able to do things that other ferryman can only dream of. Now, in America, this would be cause for either fear or celebration, but metahumans aren't anywhere near unheard of. In the underworld, though? Hoo boy.
Of course Hades took an interest. He's been wanting to take over the world, and his very own metahuman, right there on his payroll command? It must've seemed like Christmas and Easter on the same day... or whatever it is that greek gods celebrate. Lethe herself was sent to Claremont Academy in order to train and control her powers - and possibly as a spy for Hades. Whether she wants to or not, the old man is technically her boss, so he can order her around. Daedalus, of course, distrusts her for exactly that reason. So far Lethe hasn't heard anything from Hades, though, so she's enjoying what basically feels like free time and soaking up information on the 'overworld' - not for anyone else, but for herself. Here's hoping the ploy backfires on Hades as she learns to love the outer world and all that idealistic nonsense.
In case you haven't guessed, this uses a fair bit of flavor from MnM's default setting Freedom City.
The original inspiration for this concept was Komachi from Touhou, but like with my Utsuho expy, I took some liberties and only ported the basic concept. Of course, I also took some liberties with the mythological source material, but I like to think there are more egregious violations of greek myth out there. In D&D, touching or imbibing the waters of Styx erases your memories - that was pretty much what started the whole idea. Next I thought that ferrymen have something to do with death. Drain effects often describe death effects in M&M, so that was an easy choice. Nemo will most definitely keep her memory-altering ability secret out of fear that others might realize the insane potential for insidious activity the power holds and either tempt her to abuse it or suspect her of doing so. The Immunities and Spirit Communication came easily enough. 30 Con and the related maxed Fort save are necessary to survive in the underworld. Finally, the pole and the boat double as fluff and fallback attack/utility, respectively. Attractive 2 is a nod to the character's origins, as Komachi is supposedly rather attractive (according to the Wiki, her name even means something like "belle of the village".
Gameplay-wise, Kiss of Lethe is amazing in terms of bullshit a creative player can pull. It also works well for RP in a holding back all the time/World of Cardboard way. As Nemo progresses, I would probably add some more alternate powers to represent the other rivers of the underworld - Acheron, Styx itself, and Cocytos.
Lastly, I was unsure on how to prize Immunity to Memory Alteration. In the end, I chose to say it's a Rare Descriptor, as Temporal Inertia is a 1-point Feature (UP, page 51) and is similar - at least, the closest effect I know of. Second opinions are welcome.