Tira

Messed around with things for what is hopefully the last time, and added more for her history and personality. All I've got left is the description. I stuck with Ravenna - yeah, it sounds kind of cheesy, but I can't really think of her as anything else. Does everything look okay?

Thanks for letting me know! I changed the sheet around to reflect that.

Okay, thanks for the advice. I think I'll just drop the Absorption - she's got a lot going on already, and then raise the Shield up.

That's an editing mistake, sorry. I switched the Force Field out for the Shield, since I thought that was more defensive armor, but forgot to change her Toughness on the form. I'll make sure to fix that.

Yeah, I'm getting that - a lot of the mechanics seem the same at first glance, but are very different in practice. Plus, I didn't have the PP for it until I switched to an Array for most of her attacks.

The Abilities seem to be more or less the same as D&D, and I do see her as being a very mentally-focused character. But I'm used to magic-users having lousy Attack and pretty low defenses, which doesn't seem to be the case here. I'll definitely play with re-arranging her powers.

Actually, I found M&M through Hero Lab - I got it for the D&D and WoD options and then ended up checking out the M&M stuff.

Yeah, I was aware that the name was kind of cheesy sounding, but I thought it kind of fit, and a family of warlocks would probably a.) change their name to something that sounds appropriately "dark", and b.) give their daughter a name she could use when/if she became a supervillain. I can definitely come up with something more normal if you think it'll be a problem.

I'll admit that my superhero background isn't that deep - mostly either Teen Titans or the Outsiders, with the Bronze-Age Teen Titans being my favorite. I've also seen pretty much all the Marvel superhero movies that have been released in recent years, and caught a bit of the Teen Titans and Batman Beyond cartoons. I spend a lot of time on TVTropes, which, while I know that it's no substitute for, y'know, actual knowledge, means that I have plenty of general knowledge.

I'm not familiar with Doctor Strange (or Charmed), but nearly all her powers were inspired by Dr Archeville's Darkness/Shadow magic write-up, so I assumed that her magic would fit the standards here. I don't really have much frame of reference for her st ats, either; +5 isn't bad for a level 10 wizard in D&D. I'll definitely look into moving her powers to an array as well.

I don't really have any experience playing Mutants and Masterminds before, so I'd like it if someone could give me some opinions on my character. I do have Hero Lab, so all the math should be right. All the fluff is under construction, and I should have much more detail before I officially publish her. Also, if someone could explain the difference between "mystic" and "magic", that would really help.

Player Name: Tira

Character Name: Nightshade

Power Level: 10 (150/150PP)

Trade-Offs: None

Unspent Power Points: 0

Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30

In Brief: A prodigy of dark magic out to use her talents for good.

Alternate Identity: Rachael Sullivan, Ravenna Blackwood

Identity: Dubiously secret - she hasn't made it public, but there's very little difference between Ravenna and Nightshade

Birthplace: , MA

Occupation: College Student

Affiliations: (People and/or groups you work with)

Family: Melchior Blackwood (father), Erika Sullivan (mother, divorced), Lucifer Blackwood (grandfather)

Description:

Age: 19 (DoB: 12/12/1991)

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: Eurasian

Height: 5’ 6â€

Weight: 125 lbs.

Eyes: Purple

Hair: Black

Ravenna, or Rachael as she now goes by, tends to fade into the background. Her small, heart-shaped face is hidden by her rather choppy black hair, which is in sharp contrast to her pale skin. Her style of dress is simple and typical for a college student, with a preference for dark colors. She rarely speaks too loudly, and her voice has a slightly raspy quality to it.

As Nightshade, however, she appears far more imposing. Her costume is fairly simple - a dark purple leotard and shadowy grey cape. Long gloves and boots finish off the costume. It's not so much that she looks more intimidating as it is that she seems more confident. While she rarely raises her voice, she rarely has a problem being heard.

Power Descriptions:

All of Nightshade’s spells draw on the power of shadows. They are usually represented by movements in the shadows, that seem to darken and deepen as they move to her command. She generally does not use any incantations, directing her magic mainly through the use of hand motions.

History:

Despite claims to an extensive history, the Blackwood clan didn't actually exist until the mid-sixties, when Lucas Wood changed his name to Lucifer Blackwood and took up the study of black magic. He used his mystical power to start a career as a supervillain, and was responsible for the theft of several powerful artifacts, as well as the death of their owners. Unfortunately for the newly-renamed Lucifer, he soon plateaued. He was strong enough to pose a threat to the stronger heroes, but not enough to actually defeat them. He managed to avoid capture, but none of his more grandiose plans ever came to fruition. After a decade of unsuccessful plotting, he retired from active villainy, and began to focus on building a legacy, so that his descendants could achieve the success he never managed. His son, the unfortunately christened Melchior, wasn't particularly powerful either, but that changed with the birth of his granddaughter.

Ravenna (who only avoided being named Pandora or Thanata thanks to her mother's intervention) had the natural ability the rest of her family lacked, and they were determined to use it to their best advantage. Even as a child, she was trained in the Dark Arts, and when it came time for her to enter school, Lucifer decided that she was to be homeschooled. While Ravenna excelled at magic, she did not take to the family's indoctrination as well, out of contrariness as much as anything else. Perhaps she would have become the super-villain her family wanted her to be, if not for a major change when she was eight.

Erika, tired of the melodrama associated with the Blackwoods, got a divorce and moved from their small Massachusetts hometown to Freedom City. Lucifer was too old to run the mainstream "occult" shop the family maintained to make a living at this point, and Ravenna was sent to public school as no-one had the time to actually educate her. Ravenna struggled to fit in, due to both her quiet nature and the odd focus of her previous education, but for the first time she made friends. She also became a voracious reader, especially of fantasy books. Before long, Ravenna decided that she didn't want to conquer the world and be a bad guy like her family did - she wanted to be a hero.

After Ravenna completed seventh grade, Melchior decided that she was old enough to help out in the store. Ravenna was extremely unhappy to be pulled out of school, and began to quietly rebel against her family. She also started saving her money and planning how she was going to get away. By the time she was eighteen, she had enough for her goal - a one-way bus ticket to Freedom City. Erika wasn't exactly excited to have her daughter turn up after ten years, but she allowed Ravenna to move in. Ravenna legally changed her name, and despite her dubious school records, managed to be enrolled at FCU as an English major, where she tried to settle into a vaguely normal life. However, she still hadn't given up her dreams of heroism, and decided to use her magic for the opposite of its original intentions.

Personality & Motivation:

Ravenna is quiet, distant, and rather standoffish. Although she tries to be friendly, she frequently struggles with actually coming off that way. She tends to be very quiet in most situations, preferring to sit back and let the action happen around her. As Nightshade, she is more confident, as she feels as though she is really in her element. She is still quiet and tends to hang in the shadows, but she demonstrates a great deal of determination and inner strength. Although she is devoted to good, she sometimes takes a more pragmatic approach to things and focuses more on the ends than the means.

If you asked Nightshade why she became a hero, she would probably mention her family's past. She feels responsible both for their past actions and the path they intended her to take, and so tries to make up for it by using her powers for good. But on a deeper level, what she's really looking for, even more than forgiveness, is approval, not just for what she can do but for who she is.

Powers & Tactics:

Nightshade prefers to use stealth and strike from the shadows. Frequently she will blind or bind her opponents, making them easy targets for her Darkbolts. She tries to avoid using her Shadow Puppetry, especially in combat, but will if pushed, or if she needs a mole.

Complications:

Family Ties: Ravenna’s family is very interested in getting her back.

Prejudice: As a practitioner of dark magic and a member of a distinctively villainous family, some people are unlikely to trust her.

Abilities: 0 + 6 + 0 + 6 + 8 + 4 = 24PP

Strength: 10 (+0)

Dexterity: 16 (+3)

Constitution: 10 (+0)

Intelligence: 16 (+3)

Wisdom: 18 (+4)

Charisma: 14 (+2)

Combat: 12 + 20 = 32PP

Initiative: +3

Attack: +6 Melee, +10 Ranged

Grapple: +9

Defense: +10 (+10 Base), +5 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -2

Saving Throws: 5 + 3 + 5 = 13PP

Toughness: +10 (+10 Force Field, Impervious)

Fortitude: +5 (+0 Con, +5)

Reflex: +6 (+3 Dex, +3)

Will: +9 (+4 Wis, +5)

Skills: 24R = 6PP

Bluff 2 (+4)

Intimidate 6 (+8)

Knowledge(arcane lore) 8 (+11)

Sense Motive 2 (+6)

Stealth 6 (+9)

Feats: 9PP

Attack Focus: Ranged 4

Fascinate (Intimidate) 1

Hide in Plain Sight 1

Ritualist 1

Startle 1

Trance 1

Powers: 23 + 22 + 1 + 20 = 66PP

All powers have Darkness, Magic, and Mystic descriptors

Darkness Control 7 (Range: 100 ft., Radius: 500ft.Extras: Area (Cloud); Power Feats: Selective) [22 pp]

Force Field 10 (+10 Toughness Extras: Impervious) [20 PP]

Immunity 1 (Own Powers) [1pp]

Magic 10 (20PP Array Power Feats: Alternate Powers 3) [23PP]

• Base Power: Blast 10 (Range: 100 ft., DC 25 ) [20PP]
  
  Alternative Power: Mind Control 10 (DC 20; Power Feats: Mental Link; Drawbacks: Noticeable(Strings coming off shadow)) [21PP]
  
  Alternative Power: Snare 10 (Range: 100 ft., DC 20) [28PP]
  
  Alternative Power: Teleport 10 (1000 ft. as move action; Extras: Accurate; Flaws: Medium(Natural Shadows)) [28PP]

Drawbacks: 0PP

Abilities (24) + Combat (32) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (6) + Feats (9) + Powers (66) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

    

ATTACK            RANGE        SAVE                   EFFECT

Unarmed		     Touch		  DC15 Toughness (Staged)   Damage (Physical)

Blast 10       	Ranged	    DC25 Toughness            Damage (Physical)

Mind Control 10   Perception	DC20 Will                 Can control target's mind

Snare 10     	  Ranged 		DC20 Reflex (Staged)      Target is pinned