Powers: Abe is of both celestial and infernal heritage and has inherited powers from it. His celestial side gave him healing energies. By touching someone who is injured Abe can send forth energy from his body that can heal wounds, remove poisons and toxins, and help the wounded come back to a clear state of mind. From his infernal side he inherited the ability to shape shift, taking on the appearance of another person, including their clothes.
Skills: Abe is a skilled actor, being in theatrical productions since he was little. Because of this he can get into a role very fast, quickly picking up on the speech pattern and mannerisms of who he is impersonating. He has used these skills to infiltrate criminal organizations and get the information needed to take them down. He can also bullshit his way out of a lot of situations.
Weaknesses: There are several limitations to Abe’s powers. He must physically touch someone to heal them, the more severe the wound the more energy he must expend and the longer it takes to heal. He cannot reattach severed limbs or resurrect the dead. Abe can not use his healing powers on himself. With the shape shifting Abe can only shift into an appearance of similar height or weight as Abe. Also he has to have gotten a good look at someone’s face to replicate it properly, otherwise it comes off blurry and missing features. Use of either power tires Abe, who can actually fall ill if he expends too much healing energy. Besides his two powers, Abe is essentially human and can be wounded or killed in the same manner as other humans.
Day Job: Film student and part-time employee at a movie shop.
How did Arrowcaster find you?: Arrowcaster heard rumours of a shape shifter. While investigating it he discovered Abe and his undercover operation with a crime cartel.
BRIEF Bio: Abner was born to Heidi Willow, a young college student and soon to be single mother. He was told while growing up that his father was an older man that had a brief affair with Heidi, leaving the city before she learnt that she was pregnant. The young mother dropped out of college to care for Abner, working many shifts at various minimum wage workplaces. It was around the time that Abner was turning two that Heidi began seeing Deacon Shan, a friend of her family. Within a few months they got married, Heidi deciding to give Abner the Shan name as well. Deacon was a good father and supported Abner’s, or Abe as he began to be called, interest in the dramatic arts. He starred in various productions while in school, almost always getting the lead. Another major aspect of Abe’s life was movies, as he was a bit of a movie buff.
When Abe was ready to apply for college he shocked most who knew him because instead of pursuing acting he decided instead to go to film school. However that was all shaken up when he turned eighteen. As he was now an adult his secret heritage awoke in him. He became aware that his mother and biological father were playing host to a celestial being and an infernal being when he was conceived. This forbidden union produced a human with some of the power of both beings; the celestial healing and the infernal shape shifting. Abe decided to use his powers for good, figuring that he could be a hero.
How will your character be different one year later?: As Abe grows more into his powers he will be able to access more of his hybrid heritage. For the shape shifting that means a greater range of transformations, being able to play around more with height and build. The healing energy will increase, allowing him to heal faster and even make physical light barriers out of the energy. He will also have learnt more about the celestial and infernal beings whose power he shares.
Sample Post:
The still of the midnight air over the docks was disturbed violently by the sound of a Glock 19 firing repeatedly. Fleeing from the bursts of fury was Abe, though he was in the garb of the hero Paradox, his boots clattering against the ground, the wooden planks underneath him drooping from the force of his sprint. As he turned a corner past another empty stall, Abe cursed his one hiccup that had led to multiple men firing at him with the intent to kill.
For several weeks Abe had been posing as a new recruit in the Viper Cartel. Under a different face and an assumed name, Jack Hilton, Abe had positioned himself close to Mob Boss Angelo Gregor, all in an attempt to gather evidence of his crimes to anonymously hand over to the Mega City Police Department. That was all going fine and well until one of Angelo’s lieutenants had spotted Abe shape shifting near one of the cartel hangouts. Realizing he was a powered interloper, the lieutenant quickly alerted his associates. That was twenty minutes ago.
Abe swore profusely as his lungs burned from the near constant sprinting. He had been switching disguises every few minutes, but alas the mobsters were not thrown off the trail. It didn’t help that they were running around on the edge of the city at an ungodly hour of the night, meaning there weren’t a lot of people around.
Feeling completely maxed out, Abe ducked into a washroom connected to a burger stand. Abe dashed into the farthest stall and started to pray that he had lost the cartel members. After a few minutes Abe got up, having not heard anything in a while. He pressed his ear against the bathroom door, hoping that it was over. Instead, he heard the sirens of a police car. Apparently there were enough people in the area to have reported the gunfire. Abe shifted into the appearance of a homeless man as he opened the door, his hands up.
“Thank god officers,” Abe said with a slur, “These guys have just been shooting off.”
“OK sir, just stay there,” ordered one of the officers.
“Sure, sure, I’ll just sta- Oh shit!”
A bullet ripped through the officer’s shoulder, as two gangsters jumped out from a corner. He yelped as he fell down. The other officer whipped around only to get a fist to his face, blood gushing from his nose as he too collapsed. Abe immediately fell into flight or fight mode, charging the nearest gangster. Abe’s fist exploded toward the man, landing squarely in his throat. As he collapsed Abe turned to the other gangster, his other fist swinging at him.
The gang member raised his gun, only to be swatted by Abe. With a wild yell Abe raised his leg, striking the man in the reproductive organs. He too fell to the floor. With both assailants down Abe turned toward the wounded police officer. Crouching down, Abe placed his right hand on the man’s shoulder, golden energy spreading into it. As he did so the officer stopped groaning, his pain disappearing.
Once the wound fully healed Abe stood up and sighed. Then he heard the click off a gun with its safety off. Abe tensed up, as everything he ever wanted to do but hadn’t yet went through his mind. Eighteen years was not nearly enough for him.
The shot he had been anticipating finally went off as something whizzed past Abe’s head. A gasp of pain was audible as Abe heard the gun fall to the ground. Abe turned around to see an arrow lodged in the gangster’s hand. Seizing the opportunity, Abe let loose several savage punches, the final one smashing the gangster to the ground unconscious.
“That’s a mean right hook,” stated someone standing in shadow.
Abe turned to face him, fists at the ready.
“I’m not here to fight,” the man stepped into the streetlight, “Just to watch. The name’s Arrowcaster.”
It took a second but Abe realized who he was, “Oh man! You’re one of those old school heroes. A legend!”
Arrowcaster grinned, “I don’t know about old, but I’ll take the legend part.”
Abe shifted into his hero costume, “So how can I help you?”
I'll check anything new in the thread and answer pm's on my lunch break today at work if I've got time. Should have the OOC and IC up over the weekend...
I should mention to those who I've never RP'ed with.... I do *most* of my RP'ing Saturday through Monday, as I work long hours Tuesday through Friday. So if you don't hear from me one or two days in the middle of the week don't freak out on the group. Also, the updated approved characters/players list....
Probably only gonna accept 2 or 3 more players, not including Shard's twin played by @Bea. There seems to be a good bit of interest from both familiar and new faces... so get those sheets worked up and posted!
@Dead Cruiser Kinda need characters to be human, had plans for aliens sometime after the first arc.
I'm here for about another week. Gonna talk to my pal @Shard and try to get some details worked out. Thank you so much for keeping me in the loop and allowing me to still be a part of it :)
Fair Hand-to-hand combatant. While expert martial artists could probably beat him on technique, he tends to hold his own in most brawls.
Advanced Memory. Not a superhuman trait, but Zane's ability to recall memories is considered impressive and has lead to bouts of depression when he find himself unable to forget a particularly traumatizing experience. It has also served him a great deal in his education as he find himself quick to learn just about anything and can recall that information with great detail.
Has a particular knack for playing cards, Texas Hold 'Em being his game of choice.
Very computer savvy. He is no hacker, but is well versed in modern technology.
Powers
The Gargoyle: In Zane's every day life, he is as vulnerable as any other person around him. His strength and abilities are also comparable to people of his size and build. His superhuman abilities spring forth when he engages his other form, The Gargoyle, which he can do at will and for an indefinite amount of time, for reasons he is not quite sure of. All subsequent powers will be exclusive to his gargoyle form. As The Gargoyle, Zane has batlike wings, sharpened claws, vampiric looking fangs, small horns that protrude from his skull, a prehensile tail, and loss of color in his skin, giving him a grey tone overall. His eyes also emanate an emerald hue in this form.
Durability: As if he were made out of stone, The Gargoyle is incredibly durable. While bullets bring pain, they are not an automatic death sentence. Shooting him is like shooting a grizzly bear. Send enough bullets and eventually he'll go down, but he's going to put up a fight. Fire does not particularly bother him in terms of physical pain.
Regeneration: If Zane sustains a significant injury and then changes to The Gargoyle, the healing process of that injury will have advanced greatly due to the biological transformation. Injuries sustained as The Gargoyle will heal faster than a human, but only by half as long.
Strength: The Gargoyle is extremely strong, able to flip over a vehicle with some extended effort. Able to lift a vehicle over his head with quite a bit more effort, capping his strength potential.
Flight: The Gargoyle is able to utilize his wings to execute flight. His wings operate similarly to a birds, so his speed in the air is proportionately accurate to his size. His wings are strong enough that he can carry someone of equal size while in flight, but that would be it before it becomes too heavy to get airborne.
Night Vision: The Gargoyle can see perfectly in the dark and has also gifted Zane with slight night vision.
Weaknesses
Bright Lights:Since The Gargoyle came into his life, Zane's eyes were changed, becoming quite advanced in the dark and more vulnerable in the light. Because of this, Zane is nearly always wearing sunglasses. The Gargoyle will also become stunned for a moment if he has to suffer sudden brightness.
Human Form When Zane is just Zane, he's as vulnerable to any human's weaknesses as the next person.
Naivety: Zane does not know where his powers come from, nor does he understand how they work. While he can adeptly utilize them, he's barely tapped his full potential.
Water: Zane has a phobia of water, even before The Gargoyle became a part of his life. Incidentally, The Gargoyle loses a lot of his combat proficiency when submerged, making him very vulnerable to attacks.
How did Arrowcaster find you?
Rumors of The Gargoyle hunting criminals at night have begun to circulate in the local criminal circles. Most of them don't believe, but they pass along the bizarre tales nonetheless. Once Arrowcaster heard the stories, he decided to investigate it for himself.
Lo and behold, when Arrowcaster followed criminals in Zane's town, he soon found The Gargoyle striking them down.
Biography
Character Bio
Zane has been a college student, nearing his graduation. While he went to school during the day, he became an assistant worker at a church cemetery at night, helping the groundskeeper maintain the property, set the tombstones and perform other labor intensive tasks.
One night, while on the job, he felt like he heard a voice coming from one of the mausoleums. There were no names on the structure, just decorative stone carvings and a lone gargoyle sitting at its roof's peak. Hesitantly, Zane went inside to check it out. As he entered, he saw what appeared to be a silhouette of something inhuman. Before he could react, the living shadow sprung forth and everything went black.
Zane woke up at the hospital, the groundskeeper having reported the incident. Once they gave him a clean bill of health and an explanation of dehydration that led to fainting, Zane went back to his apartment ready to dismiss the whole ordeal as just a silly tale to tell at parties. That's when the change first came upon him. Suddenly and violently, Zane transformed into The Gargoyle.
Over the past few months, he's been learning to control it and to use it for good. He's mastered triggering the switch and flying, but he is far from fluent in all of his abilities.
One Year Later
After a year's worth of experience and training, he'll eventually uncover the fact that he can manipulate stone, using this new ability in a variety of different ways such as a means for constructing weapons and armor.
We'll go ahead and move forward with the roster we've got for now. I'll be finishing the opening post for the IC and OOC here in just a bit. @Shard has agreed to be my Co-GM so I need to finish some notes and get those PM'ed to him as well...
