Sacerdos

Agreed. Properly extra/flaw'ed Luck Control and Probability Control could also be used to simulate a super-inspiring person.

However, force of will comes from wisdom. Charisma is force of personality, from whence comes leadership. Therefore, one use of a high charisma would be to spur other people to overcome their limitations; hence Inspire, Leadership, etc.

Alicia chuckled. "Yeah, I do my share of 'splainin', too. It means a couple o' things, actually. Back when I was prize fighting, it was just Thunder. And Thunder was always the last one standing in the ring. So, Thunder. Standing." She took another swig of her nuclear fallout. "But it's also a pun. You know, 'Why's that guy lying in the corner over there?' 'We came to a Thunderstanding.' Or, 'He had a little Miss Thunderstanding. Pretty gangsta, huh?'" She smiled broadly and turned briefly to the bartender. "Hey there, hon! I'm a want another of these pretty soon." Thunder looked at Mr. Handsome and smiled. Raising her drink, she added, "Pleased t'meetcha." "No kidding, Discreet," Thunder replied, misunderstanding Jack's statement. "Lotsa folks here I don't recognize."

I'm late to the conversation here, but my two cents: We're fairly adult hereabouts, and all of our posts and rolls happen in public. So, I don't mind "double-dipping" so long as we're all clear that it falls into those things that garner a little more scrutiny than usual.

I'll be incommunicado most of this weekend. I'll be back sometime late Sunday afternoon, but I doubt I'll have much energy for posting (or anything else, for that matter).

If Thunder were awake (9:30-10 AM, she'd be getting up and watching morning TV), she'd be all over racing to the scene to help. She'd be a bit late to the party, though, as she can only move at the speed of motorcycle or kung fu semi-flight. ETA: 100th post! Woohoo! :)

Lessee... Thunderstanding is: * Dealing with family and foes in Thunder's Day * Giving martial arts lessons in The Delicate Art of Thunder * Attending the social event of the year in When It's Time to Party, We Party Hard * Playing in the world's most realistic fantasy LARP in The Days of High Adventure The Mariner is: * Awaiting approval

Returning the smile and holding up a tall, multi-colored drink by way of a greeting, Alicia replied, "Thunderstanding. Pleased t'meetcha. The Fens, huh? Southside and Lincoln are my usual beat." The tall heroine regarded her dark blue and red beverage. "They do make their drinks fancy on this side of the tracks. The bartender called this thing a nuclear fallout. Let's see if it lives up to its name." With that, she threw back a healthy gulp of the stuff. "Mmmmm. Orange-y. Not bad..." Turning back to Grim, Thunder asked, "Grimmel-kin, huh? Cool name. What's it mean?"

Okey-dokey. That works for me.

Oooooooh... Time to edit my post a little, then...

Alicia "Thunderstanding" Whiting leaped across a field of moving cars, using their roofs as stepping stones. The insane maneuver was made almost ridiculous by the slinky, candy red dress and stiletto heels that she wore. With an exhilarated whoop, the muscular heroine landed with an impossibly light step on the pavement outside Pyramid Plaza's Tower One. Smiling and waving at the paparazzi and gawkers gathered both in and outside the building, she made her way through the doors and headed toward the elevators. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator into the Plaza hotel's sixth floor lobby, the flashing lights of yet more paparazzi assaulted her. She grinned widely and and stopped every so often to make a few body builder's poses for the cameras as she sashayed toward the entrance to the party proper. "Here you go, hon," she said to the door guard as she fished her invitation out of the small clutch she carried. After pushing her way into the party room, Thunder loudly proclaimed to nobody in particular, "Whoo! Everybody's here!" Looking around, she added, "Now where's the bar?" and headed off in search of something tall and liquid.

Thunder smacking a distracted Erin in the head... and she rolls a 26.

Suddenly, Thunder's left mitt smacked Erin in the side of her head. "Keep your guard up and be aware of your surroundings," the older woman said firmly. She also started moving the targets slowly back and forth, up and down. There was little chance of Erin missing, but the game had obviously progressed to the next level.

Player’s Name: Sacerdos Power Level: 6 [90/92] Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: 2 Character’s Name: O Nautikos (The Mariner) Alternate Identity: Konstantin Vlahos Height: 5’ 9†Weight: 197 lbs. Hair: Black-green Eyes: Sky blue Description: Konstantin Vlahos, commonly known as the Mariner, is a man with an olive complexion and an Olympic swimmer’s physique. His shoulder length hair falls in extremely dark green ringlets about his rugged, sun-baked face. Beneath his aquiline nose, a curly beard and mustache covers his strong chin and hides his upper lip. He peers sharply at the world through eyes that are the exact color of a perfectly clear sky at noon. The aquatic hero’s heavily calloused hands and feet are webbed. The Mariner wears a pair of black jammers with green stripes running along the sides. Occasionally, he also wears a mantle of seaweed about his shoulders. On those rare occasions when he needs to be fully clothed, he adds a pair of flip-flops and a loose T-shirt, usually donated from a local surf shop. History: Old ways sometimes die hard. That is certainly true for the people of Gioura, a tiny island off the Greek coast. Ostensibly Orthodox, the inhabitants still cast offerings into the sea for Father Poseidon, lord of the oceans and provider of the bounty upon which the town depends. Konstantin Vlahos grew up on Gioura, and he took the old ways with him when he left to seek his fortune on the high seas. The open sea was his first and only love, and he spent his youth atop the world’s oceans, revering their lord in thought and deed. A month ago, that devotion was rewarded. Konstantin was serving aboard the freighter Aranui 3, a day out of Freedom City, when one of his fellow sailors made a serious error in judgment. Erik Janssen had a habit of poking through cargo in search of things he could use to make some fast cash in port. On this particular trip, he opened a cargo container that hid some unfortunate contraband. A dozen Foundry Myrmidons poured out of the metal box, each possessed by the spirit of one of the original Myrmidons. Those spirits had been summoned by a necromancer who was unwittingly working for Hades, and the Myrmidons were to serve as the opening gambit in a new ploy against Daedalus and the Freedom League. Freed early, the robots set about conquering their surroundings, putting the crew to the sword in the process. Terrified, Konstantin leapt overboard with a prayer on his lips. All prayers are heard, but this one chanced to pique Poseidon’s interest. Recognizing his brother’s hand in the destruction and bearing some affection for a seaman who still recognized his authority, he sent a host of sea nymphs to aid his worshipper and brought the matter to Zeus’ attention. Though the king of Olympos had decreed that the gods would remain aloof from the affairs of mortals, Hades’ latest indiscretion annoyed him enough to make a small exception. He granted Poseidon a champion to counter any further trespasses Hades’ minions might make against the sea god’s domain. For Konstantin, an already terrifying situation grew even worse. Diaphanous forms, barely visible in the green water, pulled him under the waves. He struggled in vain against them until his lungs felt as though they were on fire. Then one of the nymphs pressed her lips against his, blowing water into his lungs while others whispered calming words into his ears. In that moment Konstantin Vlahos became a creature of two worlds, the surface and the depths. The kiss left him in a state somewhere between waking and dreaming, and he only half-remembers the hours that followed. There was a long journey, ever downward into the sea, ending in a cave full of all of the riches ever lost to the depths. His patron, Poseidon the Earth-Shaker, sat upon a throne within the cave, and the god commanded him to protect the mortal realm against Hades’ evil. Konstantin agreed wholeheartedly, and there the vision ended. At least, Konstantin assumed it was a vision. Mortal men don’t set foot in the courts of the gods. Still, there was no doubting his newly webbed hands and feet, or his ability to breath water as easily as he did air. And, there was the dolphin, Poseidon’s animal, which followed him wherever he went--a dolphin whose name he somehow knew, and who talked to him without words. Calling himself O Nautikos in his native Greek, Konstantin has spent the last few weeks coming to grips with what he has become. He’s grown comfortable in the ocean that is his new home, but he is more than a little lost when it comes to being a superhero. He hasn’t a clue how to ferret out Hades’ minions, let alone any other bad men. But he has no doubt about what to do with them when he does find them. Personality & Motivation: Konstantin has led a rough life of hard labor, and that has made him a hard man. It has also made him extremely self-reliant with a rock-solid moral compass. He does not look to others for approval, and he doesn’t care about their disapproval. He simply does what’s right because it’s right. Beyond that, Konstantin was a highly religious man even before he had proof of the gods’ existence. Now, his only priority is his duty as Poseidon’s champion. He protects surface- and ocean-dwellers alike from evil, hoping to thwart the machinations of Hades in the process. Powers & Tactics: Poseidon granted Konstantin dominion over the waters and the beasts that dwell within them. However, lest his new champion fall prey to hubris, the god ensured that the Mariner’s power would grow slowly. Currently, he can create great volumes of water at will, wrapping it in a protective shell about himself and spraying it at his opponents like the stream from a fire hose. On land, he surfs, boardless, atop large waves that he conjures and directs. Konstantin has also become a creature of the sea. He can exist without discomfort at any depth, and the ocean itself propels him at great speeds when he so desires. The waters also inform him of anyone or anything moving about him, making him exceptionally hard to surprise while swimming. His muscles, too, have adapted to the pressures of the depths, and he can lift much more than his already impressive physique would imply. So far, his control over water creatures extends only to the psychic bond he shares with Aristo, his doplhin companion. In time, so long as Konstantin proves himself worthy of the burden, all sea life will come to recognize him as its master. Complications: Enemy: Hades and his minions. The god won’t dare to strike the Mariner down personally, but he would love for Poseidon’s pet to join his dreary domain long before the mortal becomes a thorn in his side. A Man of Honor: Konstantin lives by a code that he refuses to break. He will not cheat or steal. He fights openly and without deception. Lying disgusts him, and he simply won’t do it. He speaks truthfully or not at all. Devout: Prayer and sacrifice are part of every day of The Mariner’s life. He is open and unapologetic about his pagan rites and beliefs, a fact which definitely rubs the fanatics of other faiths the wrong way. As for Konstantin, he doesn’t have faith. He has certainty. Stats: 20pp Str: 14 (+2) Dex: 12 (+1) Con: 16 (+3) Int: 10 (+0) Wis: 16 (+3) Cha: 12 (+1) Combat: 12pp Attack: +2 (+6 w/ water cannon/punch/spray) Grapple: +6 Defense: +4 (+6 w/ Dodge Focus; +2 flat-footed) Knockback: -1 (-4 w/ Force Field) Initiative: +1 Saves: 5pp Toughness: +6 (+3 Con, +3 impervious force field) Fortitude: +4 (+3 Con, +1) Reflex: +4 (+1 Dex, +3) Will: +4 (+3 Wis, +1) Skills: 32r = 8pp Craft (mechanical) 4 (+4) Drive 4 (+5) Intimidate 4 (+5) Knowledge (popular culture) 2 (+2) Knowledge (streetwise) 4 (+4) Language (English) 1 Notice 3 (+6) Profession (sailor) 4 (+7) Swim 6 (+8) Feats: 5pp Dodge Focus 2 Environmental Adaptation (aquatic) Minion 2 Powers: 40pp Note: all powers include the magic and divine descriptors Blast 6 (water cannon, PF: Accurate 2) [14pp] AP: Stun 4 (water punch; Extra: Ranged [+1], PF: Accurate 2) [1pp] AP: Trip 6 (water spray; Extra: Knockback [+1], PF: Accurate 2) [1pp] Force Field 3 (water shroud; Extra: Impervious; PF: Selective; Drawback: Not impervious vs. electricity [-1pp]) [6pp] Immunity 3 (cold, drowning, pressure) [3pp] Swimming 6 (propelled by water; 100 mph) [6pp] AP: Flight 4 (surfing; 100 mph; Flaw: Platform [-1], Drawback: 25’ altitude or less [-1pp]) [1pp] Super-Senses 5 (communication link with Aristo, low-light vision, tremorsense; Flaw: Tremorsense only works underwater [-1]) [4pp] Super-Strength 2 (233 lbs lt, 700 lbs hvy) [4pp] Drawbacks: None DC Block: ATTACKS: --------- SAVE DC: -------- DAMAGE TYPE: Unarmed ---------- 17/Toughness --- Bruise (Staged) Blast --------------- 21/Toughness --- Bruise (Staged) Stun --------------- 14/Fortitude ---- Stun (Staged) Trip --------------- 16/Reflex -------- Trip Costs: Abilities (20) + Combat (12) + Saves (05) + Skills (08) + Feats (05) + Powers (40) - Drawbacks (00) = 90/92

Thunder nodded. "That's what practice is for. You start by abusing Mr. Man here, then you move on to moving targets when he's too easy. And, while you're doing that, we spar from time to time." Alicia walked off and retrieved a pair of hard leather target mitts from a shelf nearby, talking as she went. "And you'll learn to trust yourself as you realize that you can do this." Standing, mitts at the ready, "And don't go whining to me that this is hard, or that you can't do it. If it wasn't hard, everybody'd be doing it. And can't never did anything. Now, hit these target mitts. Punches or kicks, I don't care so long as you do it as fast and as light as you can."

Thunderstanding was obviously amused. "You won't have 'it' for a long time. Not until every punch lands exactly as hard as you want it to, every time, even under pressure. That's going to take hundreds, probably thousands, of punches." The muscular heroine pointed to a crumpled pile of canvas sitting in a nearby corner. "See that heavy bag? First kick I landed after I got my powers ripped that baby in half. Took me four hours a day of nothing but kicking practice for two weeks before I started to feel like I had any control again. And I've had years of training you haven't. So, back at Mister Man here." She smiled wrily. "He's out a nose, so move to his chin."

"Hang on," Thunderstanding said, lightly pushing Wander out of the way so that she could stand in front of the dummy. "What you want is something more like this." With that, the heroine threw four lightning fast punches. She left the last one extended, barely contacting the battered nose. The dummy hadn't so much as moved. "Give it another try." As she stepped out of the way, she added, "And don't worry if this is frustrating. You've obviously learned the hard way how to... well, how to kill. Now, you have to learn how to fight, and your instincts are gonna fight you the whole way. So, start out sloooooow." As she drew the word out, Thunder moved her fist in exaggerated slow motion toward the dummy's head. "'Kay?"

I don't think we really need any rolls for Wander abusing a punching dummy, unless you feel like throwing some randomness into the mix. *shrug*

For a long second, Thunder was nearly overcome with the urge to show the girl in front of her just whose house she was in. Alicia's drive to win, to crush her opposition, only grudgingly gave way to her responsibility to the student in front of her. To Wander, her new teacher seemed to stare at her with murder in her eyes for a short eternity. Then, the older woman smiled and dropped her fists. "No, you did exactly what you should've done. You're good--really good--and you caught me off guard." She smiled ruefully. "And, yeah, we need to learn you some control. You hit like a freight train." Thunder poked her thumb at one of the heavy steel practice dummies, her grin growing wider. "So, what I want you to do is give that guy fifty punches in the nose. Not the face. The nose. Just touch it with your knuckles, slowly at first, then faster as you get the hang of it."

Man, this separate IC and OOC thread thing sure takes some getting used to. I keep wanting to post, then include an OOC section at the bottom explaining things.

Thunder took a step back, cracking the concrete beneath her foot as she did so. "Oof!" She fought to avoid doubling over for a second before shaking it off. When she looked up, there was a tense fire in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

Well, then. That'll be a Toughness save for me at DC 25... Aaaand it's not Thunder's night. Stunned and bruised.

Yeah, yeah... I'm getting there! I'm not as fast as I used to be, ya know. Damn youngsters, always on your case... Get offa my lawn! :P

When Erin looked back from her glance at Mr. Archer, Thunderstanding was nowhere to be seen. The faintest of footfalls and the rustle of fabric triggered the zombie fighter's hard-won instincts, and Erin dropped low in time to see Thunder's foot stop just shy of where her head had been. "Well, there's nothing wrong with your reflexes," the older fighter noted appreciatively, dropping back into a typical MMA fighting stance.

Annnnd... A swing and a miss! (13 v. DC 20) What was that you said about the crappy dice roller? :P