Epiphany Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 (edited) Rewind Power Level: 10 (150 PP) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: None In Brief: Time Loop Survivor who Time Loops for Great Justice! Theme: This Moment by Elevation Rhythm Alternate Identity: Naisha Sidhu Birthplace: Friday, December 21st, 2012 Residence: The Goodman Building, Midtown Freedom City Base of Operations: Worldwide Occupation: Scientist/Researcher Affiliations: The Atom Family / Atom Academy Family: It's complicated... Description: Apparent Age: Looks 20 (DoB: Theoretically September 7th 1992) Gender: Female Ethnicity: Punjabi Height: 1.674m (5'6") Weight: 60kg (132 lbs) Eyes: Green Hair: Naturally dark brown Naisha is a seemingly ordinary Punjabi woman who wears t-shirts and jeans, when she's not dressing up for the office. Although she looks 20, there's a perceptible control and precision to her every movement that no 20-year-old has, still new to a changing body. She's been exactly the way she is for an incalculable period, knows exactly how to step without misstepping, how to catch without fumbling. Her dark eyes show the weight of age, in that she no longer fears the reaction or response of others. Naisiae's voice has a typically Midwestern American accent, except when it amuses her to use one of the 20 other accents she's practiced, and her voice is a soft soprano. As Rewind, her 'costume' is a morphic molecule bodysuit that covers her neck to toe. It features the classic Atom Family design, a mostly form-fitting costume with a symbol of the atom on the left side of the chest and a distinctive black stripe on the left blocking out the left side and left arm in a light blue color. Her main uniform color is the standard blue of the Atom Academy. History: In 1979, the original/Silver Age Atom Family discovered the broken day of Friday, December 21st, 2012 while conducting experiments in Z-Space. For details, you can read the original Rewind character sheet in Google Docs. The Atom Family eventually left the looped town of Millscroft behind to continue their adventures in other dimensions and realities. One left a journal that made it into the loop and eventually 'awoke' one of the inhabitants to consciousness, thereby condemning her to untold ages of curiosity, boredom, panic and eventual madness. When the new Atom Family returned in the actual year of 2012, they found Naisha Sidhu and freed her. In the real world for the first time, Naisha asked to stay on in the Goodman Building for a time while she acclimatized herself to living where time actually worked. She discovered Millscroft was indeed a real town and there was a Naisha Sidhu living there. Disturbed beyond words, she never made contact. Instead, she became an employee of Atomic, Inc. and spent the next seven years working as a researcher, for the lifetimes she'd spent learning and practicing science had given her an enormous breadth of uncredentialed education. She happily indulged Dr. Atom's every scientific whim, as one of the gophers and 'hands' the scientist's AI used to continue wrapping up old research. A few years of study revealed she had some marked temporal abilities herself. Feeling a need to make a difference, Naisha started practicing what she could do and eventually joined the Atom Academy formally as a superhero. Her ability to survive death and rewind consequences were ideal traits for a team of explorers who kept finding danger. Now, she does what she can whenever the Atom Academy fields a team. Personality & Motivation: Naisha is fundamentally a decent person, motivated to help people and to do nice things when she has the chance. Her work ethic is extraordinary, owing to decades spent being the only source of motivation in her existence. She likes problems and puzzles, mysteries, and gathering data. Focusing on unknowns, variables, and 'things' means she can avoid focusing on her life. She's an accomplished actress and liar, a skill honed by more decades spent trying out every imaginable phrase to explain away why she'd done some crazy thing in front of witnesses back in Friday, December 21st, 2012. This gives her considerable ability in pretending to be a well-adjusted time loop survivor and she tries hard never to create doubt that this is the case. The truth is that Naisha still struggles with her existence. Consequence is meaningless to someone who just wakes up on Friday, December 21st, 2012, no worse for wear. She was raised Sikh, became a born-again Christian in her teens, and practiced every religion she could find at one time or another. She's reasonably sure there's a God after all, given all she's learned from the Atom Family in the past decade, but she's not sure she is anything God cares about. This world already has a Naisha Sidhu. What value is this strange refugee from a broken day? But people give her an excuse to pretend to be normal like them. Whenever possible, Naisha stays around or at least near other people. She's spent the last twelve years spent as a coworker, friend, lover, playmate, or even that girl-who-always-gets-coffee-and-chats-with-the-barista-every-Friday-at-7:52am. It's all to ensure she's real and she's real because others remember her. For better or worse, an eternity in Friday, December 21st, 2012 has destroyed Naisha's sense of object permanence. And she can't possibly let anyone know because talking about her mental health could lead to the possibility of institutionalization and if there's one thing she can't stand, it's the idea that she might be locked up somewhere again. So instead, she focuses on being a hero as a member of the Atom Academy. It's meaningful work with people, for people. Being kind and helping others was the only source of joy in her broken day that never wore out. Even if she helped someone for the 500th time, it was still the first time for them and seeing the genuine appreciation helped her still feel it too. And as long as she can focus on other people, Naisha can keep avoiding her need to deal with her own issues. Powers & Tactics: Spoiler Naisha's powers allow her to rewind time. On people, this can heal injuries (by resetting them back to before they took damage) or paralyze them (by looping them in the same split second of time). On objects, this allows her to repair recently broken items. On herself, she can 'unwind' damaging effects in the moment they occur, modeled by her Protection power. She can never rewind time further back than her last Reset (capped at 19.5 hours ago). Her Second Chance feat is themed as her rewinding a mistake and redoing it. Her Inspire feat is themed as her rewinding her allies, so they're armed with foreknowledge. Her Uncanny Dodge feat is themed as her rewinding a surprise, so it's no longer a surprise. As a Z-Space refugee from a broken day, Naisha herself Resets every night at exactly 1:36am CST (no matter what time zone she's physically in), causing her to disappear as if she never existed. At 6:06am CST, exactly 4 hours and 30 minutes later, she reappears in that exact same location. Each Reset reverses her physically to the exact state and condition she was in at 6:06am in Friday, December 21st, 2012. This makes her functionally immortal. If she's killed, however, her body disappears at 1:36am CST and she wakes up at 6:06am CST in Friday, December 21st, 2012 (and thus requiring her to use the equipment left behind by the Atom Family to exit into Z-Space and portal back to the Goodman Building). Aside from her Regeneration and Immunities to age, this also makes her immune to direct Temporal Manipulation including (especially) her memories. Naisha can always Rewind herself back into Friday, December 21st, 2012. Under no circumstances will she ever do so, unless she's been rendered entirely without volition, mind controlled, etc. Lastly, Naisha has spent incalculable subjective time within Friday, December 21st, 2012, conscious of the temporal loop and unable to escape it. Per her backstory, her efforts to escape the loop or experience every aspect of her cursed, trapped life have left her enormously capable. As such, her Iterative Experience power represents a multitude of lifetimes of learning. So much memory requires her to consciously 'switch gears' in her brain. These include: Dawn: Her 'physical' skill set and her default when she's on the job or outside and not talking to people. Zenith: Her social skills, what she uses when talking to, observing or dealing with people. Twilight: Her 'knowledge' base. She switches to it when she needs to look up information, typically using Quickness to Take 20 in a turn. Night: Her 'sneak and infiltration' skill set, which has some overlap with Dawn but includes skills she only uses when being 'sneaky'. Eclipse: Her all purpose mental skill set. This is her default when she's at work in the Goodman Building, conducting scientific experiments for Dr. Atom. Complications Spoiler Do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster?: Naisha's spent so much time in Friday, December 21st, 2012 that even slightly similar real-world encounters can trigger a PTSD-like flashback, both distracting her from what's happening around her and inducing flight or fight responses. Particular triggers include (but are not limited to) driving on a road that looks anything like an old midwestern town, old-fashioned diners, Victorian homes (especially if they're Bed and Breakfasts), people who look like people in Millscroft, people actually from Millscroft, dropped plates that break, cornfields, fireworks, parades and Rebecca Black's Friday (guess what she woke up to every morning?) as well as anything that arbitrarily reminds me of an opportunity to torment my original character. GMs are invited to get in on that action. Hey, Phil? Phil! Phil Connors?: In connection with the above Complication, under no circumstances will she go anywhere near the state of Ohio, much less her hometown of Millscroft. If she had no alternative to visiting Ohio, she'd likely be on edge and especially prone to panic attacks at any time given the rising frequency of her triggers (see above). He's gotta be stopped. And I have to stop him: In connection with the above Complication, Time Travelers are terrifying and very possibly the reason Friday, December 21st, 2012 exists in the first place. At a minimum, her fear and paranoia will make any interaction nontrivial and unlikely to be positive. She'll attempt to excuse herself and avoid them if at all possible. She'll Rewind herself as a last resort but fears doing so could draw their attention and result in them (intentionally or accidentally) erasing her from existence or trapping her back in the loop again. It's gonna be cold, grey and will last you the rest of your life: The most powerful fear that drives Naisha is the potential of being imprisoned, alone. She craves being around other people. She doesn't even like entering an empty room by herself. Even having restraints put on her, or being stuck and unable to move can induce a panic attack. Ultimately, Naisha will attempt to escape by withdrawing, running or even Rewinding herself out of the situation, even if doing so puts other people at risk. Actual capture will likely result in screams of terror, incoherent sobbing and eventual catatonia. This is the best day of my life: Nothing else made Naisha's endless days more meaningful than knowing exactly how to make someone happy. She's prone to doing nice things for people she knows but will go out of her way for strangers who are less likely to ask awkward questions or change how they act the next day. If she sees a way to make someone happy, she'll do so with no consideration of cost or consequence because... Okay, campers, rise and shine!: It's nontrivially difficult to remember that consequences exist, for yourself or others, after you've died as many times as Naisha has. She occasionally forgets to think potential consequences through, especially when she's under pressure or stress or when she sees an opportunity to do something nice for someone she doesn't know. While she might be able to Rewind death, she can't Rewind the law or public approval when her disassociated sense of reality gets her into trouble. It was the end of a very long day: Changing time zones changes when the Reset comes. For example, visiting London means she vanishes out of existence between 7:36am and doesn't reappear until 12:06pm. Needless to say, operating outside of the United States can get very awkward. Visiting other dimensions or going into space at FTL may make her Reset entirely unpredictable, at the GM's discretion. I can't Atom and Eve it: As both a member of the Atom Academy and an employee of Atomic, Inc., Naisha has responsibilities and ties to the organization. This can interrupt her schedule or provoke enemies of the Atoms to target her. Abilities: 0 + 2 + 2 + 6 + 4 + 6 = 20 Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 12 (+1) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16 PP Initiative: +1 Attack: +4 Defense: +4 Base, +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 flat-footed Grapple: +4 Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 7 + 7 + 6 = 20 PP Toughness: +10 (+1 Con, +9 Protection) Fortitude:+8 (+1 Con, +7 base) Reflex: +8 (+1 Dex, +7 base) Will: +8 (+2 Wis, +6 base)Second Chance Skills: 28 R = 7 PP Bluff 2 (+5)Second Chance Computers 2 (+5) Craft [Artistic] 4 (+7) Diplomacy 0 (+3)Second Chance Drive 2 (+3) Gather Information 1 (+4) Handle Animal 1 (+4) Intimidate 0 (+3)Second Chance Knowledge [Art] 3 (+6) Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy] 2 (+5) Language 1 (Native: English; Learned: Punjabi) Medicine 2 (+4) Notice 1 (+3) Perform [Singing] 2 (+5) Sense Motive 2 (+4) Stealth 1 (+2) Swim 2 (+2) Feats: 16 PP Beginner's Luck Dodge Focus 6 Improvised Tools Inspire 4 Inventor Jack-of-All-Trades Luck 2 Enhanced Feats Eidetic Memory Second Chance [Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Will Saves] 4 Uncanny Dodge [Sight, Sound, Smell] 3 Powers: 8 + 21 + 26 + 4 + 1 + 9 + 2 = 71 Enhanced Feats 8 (Eidetic Memory, Second Chance [Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Will Saves] 4, Uncanny Dodge [Sight, Sound, Smell] 3) {8 PP} (Descriptors: Temporal) Iterative Experience 3 (15PP Variable Power, Any Skill, Multiple Skills At Once; Extras: Duration [Continuous]) {21 PP} (Descriptors: Temporal, Thought) Dawn - Acrobatics +10, Climb, +5, Concentration +10, Drive +11, Escape Artist +4, Knowledge (Tactics) +7, Notice +11, Pilot +10, Ride +5, Stealth +12, Swim +3 Zenith - Bluff +9, Diplomacy +11, Gather Information +13, Handle Animal +2, Intimidation +2, Knowledge (Streetwise) +4, Language (Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Arabic, Korean, Russian) +7, Perform (Singing) +8, Perform (Keyboards) +7, Perform (Stringed Instruments) +8, Perform (Wind Instruments) +8, Sense Motive +9 Twilight - Knowledge (Art) +10, Knowledge (Behavioral Sciences) +9, Knowledge (Civics) +10, Knowledge (Earth Sciences) +8, Knowledge (History) +9, Knowledge (Life Sciences) +8, Knowledge (Physical Sciences) +10, Knowledge (Popular Culture) +8, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +8 Night - Acrobatics +10, Climb +5, Computers +6, Disable Device +10, Disguise +4, Knowledge (Technology) +12, Knowledge (Streetwise) +4, Notice +10, Escape Artist +4, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +10, Survival +5 Eclipse - Computers +6, Craft (Artistic) +10, Craft (Chemical) +8, Craft (Electronic) +12, Craft (Mechanical) +12, Craft (Structural) +5, Investigate +5, Medicine +10, Notice +10, Search +10 Rewind Array 11.5 (23 PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 3) {26 PP} (Descriptors: Temporal, Quantum Forces) Base Power: Teleport 9 (900 ft as a move action, 20,000 miles as a full action; Extras: Accurate; Flaws: Limited (to places she's physically been to no longer ago than her last Reset); Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Progression [Mass] 3) {23/23} Alternate Power: Healing 4 (Extras: Range [Perception +2], Restoration, Total; Feats: Stabilize, Persistent, Regrowth) {23/23} Alternate Power: Healing 5 (Extras: Affects Objects, Area [General Burst]; Feats: Stabilize, Persistent, Regrowth) (25 ft. radius) {23/23} Alternate Power: Paralyze 10 (Extras: Ranged; Flaws: Action [Full]; Feats: Accurate 3) {23/23} Immunity 3 (Aging, Disease, Poison) {3 PP} (Descriptors: Temporal) Feature 1 (Temporal Inertia) {1PP} (Descriptors: Temporal) Regeneration 2 (Resurrection 1/day; Flaws: Limited (Death makes her wake up the next day in Friday, December 21st, 2012, requiring her to transit back to the Goodman Building)) {1 PP} (Descriptors: Temporal) Protection 9 (Descriptors: Temporal) {9 PP} Quickness 4 (Perform tasks 25x faster (Take 20 only takes an action); Flaw: One Type (Mental Only) {2 PP} (Descriptors: Temporal, Thought) Totals Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (20) + Skills (7) + Feats (16) + Powers (71) = 150/150 PP Edited March 13 by Epiphany Changed Immune (Temporal Manipulation) to Feature (Temporal Inertia) Link to comment
Gizmo Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Very fun concept! We've had a proud history of temporal and dimensional refugees but a 'broken day' is a great angle. A few quick bits of accounting and formatting: Toughness: +10 (+1 Con, +9 Protection) Will: +8 (+2 Wis, +6 base)Second Chance Bluff 2 (+5)Second Chance Computers 2 (+5) Craft [Artistic] 4 (+7) Diplomacy 0 (+3)Second Chance Gather Information 1 (+4) Handle Animal 1 (+4) Intimidate 0 (+3)Second Chance Knowledge [Art] 3 (+6) Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy] 2 (+5) Medicine 2 (+4) Notice 1 (+3) Perform [Singing] 2 (+5) Sense Motive 2 (+4) Powers: 8 + 21 + 26 + 4 + 1 + 9 + 2 = 71 Eclipse - [...] Craft (Mechanical) +12, [...] Healing 4 (Extras: Range [Perception +2], Restoration, Total; Feats: Stabilize, Persistent, Regrowth) {23/23} Protection 9 (Descriptors: Temporal) {9PP} Aside for the save and skill bonuses this is mostly just quick changes for legibility, particularly for down the road when edits are requested. I appreciate the clarity in her Powers and Tactics section where you explain the internal logic of her abilities and how her Powers section is built to represent them! The main point I think is worth raising isn't a question of accounting but more about transparency. A Variable Power is definitely the way to model her 'iterative experience' instead of an Array given how inexpensive Skills are in the first place and I like the explanation of her switching mental 'gears'. That said, specifically because Skills are so cheap we're unlikely to ever approve that Variable Power increasing above 3 Ranks, as a matter of game balance between other skill-focused characters. I doubt that's a deal breaker for you, since any new/improved Skills learned in the 'real world' would exist outside the flavour of her lived experience in the 'broken day' anyway but it bears mentioning up front in case it changes how you want to approach things! Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns surrounding that and we'll get going on the approval process! Link to comment
Epiphany Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 Thank you for the detailed feedback! I've updated the sheet with the edits you recommended. Totally fine with not increasing the Variable Power. It does model her experience of looping for a subset of eternity and she'll never (voluntarily) do that again, so my intent going forward is to increase any skills in play outside of the Variable Power. Appreciate the desire to keep some parity with other skill-focused characters. I'm very open to any other feedback you have. Link to comment
Gizmo Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 The only other potential issue I'm seeing is Immunity 1 (Temporal Manipulation) {1PP}. What you probably want to swap that for one-for-one is Feature 1 (Temporal Inertia) {1PP} which has been established on other characters who aren't affected by changes to the local timeline, generally folks who are already from alternate timelines. Functionally this is a narrative contrivance rather than interacting directly with direct attacks or opposed checks. Alternatively, Immunity 5 (Temporal Effects) {5PP} would actually be immunity to Powers with the 'Temporal' Descriptor, which our House Rules places at Uncommon rarity. For example, someone with this Immunity would be unaffected by Rewind's own Paralyze power. Link to comment
Epiphany Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 2 hours ago, Gizmo said: The only other potential issue I'm seeing is Immunity 1 (Temporal Manipulation) {1PP}. What you probably want to swap that for one-for-one is Feature 1 (Temporal Inertia) {1PP} which has been established on other characters who aren't affected by changes to the local timeline, generally folks who are already from alternate timelines. Functionally this is a narrative contrivance rather than interacting directly with direct attacks or opposed checks. Alternatively, Immunity 5 (Temporal Effects) {5PP} would actually be immunity to Powers with the 'Temporal' Descriptor, which our House Rules places at Uncommon rarity. For example, someone with this Immunity would be unaffected by Rewind's own Paralyze power. Fascinating. If I save up the PP for it, can I upgrade that Feature 1 with 4 PP and turn it into Immunity 5 down the road? The latter is more my speed but there's no way I can afford it for the moment... Link to comment
Gizmo Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 I think there’s a good argument for the established benefits of Temporal Inertia being covered under immunity to Temporal Effects so paying the difference would be a totally reasonable upgrade edit down the line, sure! Link to comment
Epiphany Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 Awesome. I've added the Feature to my sheet above (and it from the Immunity power). Thanks for the tip! Link to comment
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