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Ariel & Caliban (PL12 NPCs, Tier 1)

trollthumper

By trollthumper
in Non-Player Characters

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trollthumper Advanced Member

trollthumper

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Power Level: PL12 each (182 points)

Trade-Offs:

Caliban -- -2 ATT/+2 DAM

Ariel -- +2 DEF/-2 TOU

In Brief: Former servants of an egotistical mage -- one disloyal and crude, the other obedient but a bit too compassionate for hir own good -- seeking out and passing "judgment" on practitioners.

Alternate Identities: Whatever is necessary for surveillance's sake.

Identity: Public

Birthplace: Caliban -- a desert island stranded from time by strange magics; Ariel -- the Plane of Air

Occupation: Bound servants turned mage hunters

Affiliations: None.

Family: Caliban -- Sycorax (mother, deceased), Setebos (father, lesser noble of Hell); Ariel -- the Aetherial Choir

Age: Caliban -- 445 (DoB: November 26, 1560 AD); Ariel -- eternal

Apparent Age: Caliban -- a very rough 35; Ariel -- whatever zhe wishes

Gender: Caliban -- Male; Ariel -- ...that depends

Ethnicity: Caliban -- North African/Demonic (features of the father emphasized); Ariel -- An ambiguously multi-ethnic mixture

Height: Caliban -- 5'10"; Ariel - 6'0"

Weight: Caliban -- 200 lbs.; Ariel - 180 lbs.

Eyes: Caliban -- Black; Ariel -- Blue

Hair: Caliban -- Bald; Ariel -- Golden

Description: When going amongst mortals, Caliban usually keeps himself covered -- either with a long trenchcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, or a heavy jacket and a hooded sweatshirt. Beneath his disguise, Caliban looks like a demonic miscarriage given life. He only bears traces of his mother's Tunisian heritage, such as the shape of his eyes and nose. The rest is gray the color and texture of stone, set at odd angles, with jagged teeth and recessed ears.

Ariel goes about in fineries that compliment hir form, be they men's business suits or women's evening gowns. Zhe often plays the androgynous card, leaning towards a female appearance but dressed in a men's suit tailored to emphasize hir assets.

Power Descriptions:

Caliban -- Mystical (Infernal Heritage)

Ariel -- Mystical (The Watchtower of Air)

History:

All Caliban knew as a child was the island. His mother, Sycorax, had fled for the time-lost land after being driven from Tunis for practicing the dark arts. He was his mother's pride and joy -- not for his accomplishments, but more for what he represented, the ultimate favor of her infernal patron, Setebos. Caliban's only other companion on the isle was Ariel, an air elemental his mother bound into a tree. Despite the bonds of servitude, Caliban was able to relate well to the elemental.

When Caliban turned thirteen, Setebos returned to the isle, to claim the tithe from Sycorax. Bidding her son farewell and best wishes, Sycorax proudly walked into Hell with her patron, leaving the young cambion alone on the isle. This soon changed, as the mage Prospero came to the isle with his daughter Miranda, exiled from Naples after being usurped from his duchy by his brother. Caliban presented himself to the two as an able servant, and was joined in their company by Ariel, who was freed from hir earthly prison by Prospero. Caliban took quickly to his position, and appreciated the company of Miranda, who attempted to teach him reading, writing, and theology. Caliban had another interest in Miranda, of course -- she was the only woman he had ever met, other than his mother, and just about his age. He broached the subject of courtship with her one day; when Miranda politely refused, Caliban lost himself in infernal fury and attempted to rape her. Prospero caught him before anything could happen, however, and bound him with a geas to both the isle and his service.

So things continued for years, until the day that Ariel brought news that the King of Naples and his son, Ferdinand, were sailing through the seas surrounding the island. Prospero called upon Ariel to sink their ship and bring them ashore, then set forth for revenge on the nobility that had driven him from his homeland. While Prospero worked his friendship, Caliban and Ariel worked their own plots; Ariel tried to get Prospero to uphold the promise to free hir from service, while Caliban attempted to raise a rebellion with the aid of two drunks, Stephano and Trinculo. Caliban's rebellion was put down, but Ariel was liberated after Prospero set aside his plans for revenge when he saw how Miranda had fallen for Ferdinand. Prospero was pardoned by the King and set off for Naples, leaving the broken remnants of his staff on the island and his spell book in the depths of the sea, while Ariel fled the confines of the earthly realm.

But back in hir home realm, Ariel could not help but think of Caliban. Zhe returned to the isle, to find it deserted of all but the child of Hell. Prospero had pardoned him and freed him from the bond of servitude, but there was no hope for the grotesquerie in the lands of the civilized. He was alone again, with rocks and reeds his only friends. Ariel gave Caliban some much needed company... and Caliban had an old friend he could bend to his will. He argued to the elemental, was it not the fault of mages that they had their sorry lot? Was it not Sycorax who sired him, abandoned him, and imprisoned Ariel? Was it not Prospero who had left him to the deserted isle and strung Ariel along with promises of freedom -- promises that were only fulfilled when his needs were met? Caliban had learned enough to read of Prospero's book, and found numerous spells to bind entities of Heaven, Hell, Faerie and realms beyond. Who would be there to keep others from being made the slaves of sorcerers?

That was when Ariel felt something he hadn't felt in a long time -- pride. Zhe was a creature of air, after all. Hir realm was freedom. Why had zhe allowed hirself to be bound by mere mortals? And who was to say that none would ever try again? Prospero may have held to his promise, but he was one sorcerer. Sycorax certainly hadn't been as honorable...

Ariel whisked Caliban away from the isle, and the two settled in Southern France. There, they began their new trade -- hunting down mages, with a special emphasis on practitioners who attempted to bind extraplanar entities. They have survived centuries in a trade that involves them facing down men and women who can bend the elements and the very laws of being to their will. They have gotten very good. And they quite enjoy their work...

Personality & Motivation: Caliban is driven by bitterness and anger, feeling that all those he has trusted and depended upon (save Ariel) have abandoned him over the years. He steers this anger towards his pursuit of mages, delighting in finding his quarries and subjecting them to all sorts of humiliations before finally killing them.

Ariel, on the other hand, is more cool and calculated, letting reason and logic reign supreme. Still, something of compassion does nag at Ariel -- zhe may have been bound to Prospero's service, but Prospero did uphold his promise. Zhe is keen to grant mages "one chance" to set aside their spellbinding ways; if the mages refuse (which they usually do), then the claws come out.

Powers & Tactics: Ariel sets them up, Caliban knocks them down. Ariel will spy on their target using ESP, so that the duo can determine the best time to strike. Ariel will draw on hir powers of Weather Control to give the mage a hard time casting, while Caliban falls on them and savages them. If things look like they're getting difficult, Ariel will use hir lightning Blast to try and soften the target up. If Caliban falls, Ariel will likely grab him and fly away; if Ariel falls, Caliban will likely go into a fury and try to destroy the target in as grisly a manner as possible.

Complications:

Caliban:

Ugly as Sin -- Caliban must have a disguise that obscures his features to pass among humans. If the disguise is disturbed, folks are likely to freak out. This makes undercover work difficult.

Hatred of Mages -- Caliban hates any and all spellcasters, and truly delights in taking off an assignment to snuff one out. If he gains knowledge of an operating magician, all other goals will likely take a back seat to making sure the mage suffers some sort of set back -- lethal or otherwise.

"I Just Get These Headaches..." -- Hatred aside, Caliban is still a child of Hell, and the fires of Hell burn deep within him. If he comes close to defeat, he'll likely let blind fury just take him over.

Ariel:

"Have You Tried Not Being a Wizard?" -- The nature of Ariel's service to Prospero still plays on hir interaction with spellcasters, especially if they have loved ones. Zhe will often offer spellcasters a chance to forsake their ways, and may even give up entirely on a "solo" target if they can reasonably prove that they have no desire to bind others.

With Earthly Chains... -- Ariel is an elemental, a creature untouched by mortal fundament. With the right spells, zhe can be bound into servitude and forced to steer away from a target. Of course, you'd better pray zhe doesn't find a way to break the binding...

Caliban

Abilities: 12 + 4 + 12 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 36pp

Str 38/22 (+14/+6)

Dex 14 (+2)

Con 34/22 (+12/+6)

Int 14 (+2)

Wis 12 (+1)

Cha 12 (+1)

Combat: 8 + 12 = 20pp

Initiative: +2

Attack: +4 base, +10 Melee

Grapple: +0

Defense: +12 (+6 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -0, -9 (Impervious Toughness)

Saving Throws: 2 + 5 + 10 = 17pp

Toughness: +12/+6 (+12/6 Con [impervious])

Fortitude: +14/+8 (+12/6 Con, +2)

Reflex: +7 (+2 Dex, +5)

Will: +11 (+1 Wis, +10)

Skills: 64r = 16pp

Concentration 6 (+7)

Drive 4 (+6)

Gather Information 6 (+7)

Intimidate 10 (+11)

Knowledge (arcane lore) 12 (+14)

Knowledge (tactics) 6 (+8)

Knowledge (theology) 4 (+6)

Language [Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Italian]

Notice 4 (+5)

Search 8 (+9)

Feats: 32PP

All-Out Attack

Attack Focus (Melee) 6

Chokehold

Dodge Focus 6

Environmental Adaptation 2 (underwater, rough terrain)

Fearsome Presence 10

Improved Grab

Improved Pin

Power Attack

Ritualist

Set-Up

Startle

Powers: 16 + 12 + 12 + 10 + 8 + 3 = 61 PP

Enhanced Strength 16 (16 PP)

Enhanced Constitution 12 (12 PP)

Impervious Toughness 12 (12 PP)

Immovable 10 (10 PP)

Penetrating Unarmed Strike 8 (8 PP)

Speed 3 (50 mph / 500 feet per Move action) (3 PP)

Drawbacks: 0 + 0 + 0 = 0 PP

DC Block:


ATTACK      RANGE     SAVE                        EFFECT

Unarmed     Touch     DC26 Toughness (Staged)     Damage
Abilities (36) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (17) + Skills (16) + Feats (32) + Powers (61) - Drawbacks (0) = 182 PP
Ariel Abilities: 0 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 6 = 24pp Str 10 (+0) Dex 18 (+4) Con 14 (+2) Int 12 (+1) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 16 (+3) Combat: 10 + 12 = 22pp Initiative: +4 Attack: +5 base, +12 Ranged Grapple: +0 Defense: +14 (+6 base, +8 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -0 Saving Throws: 5 + 10 + 6 = 21pp Toughness: +10 (+2 Con, +8 Force Field) Fortitude: +7 (+2 Con, +5) Reflex: +14 (+4 Dex, +10) Will: +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 60r = 15pp Acrobatics 8 (+12) Bluff 10 (+13, +17 with Attractive) Diplomacy 8 (+11, +15 with Attractive) Disguise 0 (+3, +18 w/ Morph) Knowledge (arcane lore) 8 (+9) Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 6 (+7) Language [English, Italian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew] Notice 8 (+6) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 23PP Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus (ranged) 7 Attractive Dodge Focus 8 Eidetic Memory Evasion Improved Trip Power Attack Ritualist Set Up Powers: 25 + 16 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 6 = 77PP Air Control 12 (Power Feats: Alternate Power 1) (25 PP) AP: Blast12 (lightning) (24 PP) ESP 5 (visual and auditory, 5 miles; Power Feats: Alternate Power 1) (16 PP) AP: Weather Control 7 (500-ft. radius, distraction [DC 10] (14 PP) Force Field 8 (8 PP) Flight 5 (250 MPH / 2,500 feet per Move action; Extras: Linked to Insubstantial) (10 PP) Insubstantial 2 (Extras: Linked to Flight, Duration [Continuous]) (12 PP) Morph 3 (all humanoids, +15 Disguise) (6 PP) Drawbacks: 0 + 0 + 0 = 0 PP DC Block: 

ATTACK      RANGE     SAVE                        EFFECT

Unarmed     Touch     DC15 Toughness (Staged)     Damage

Air Control     Ranged     DC21 Str, Dex, or Acr     Tripped

Blast     Ranged    DC24 Toughness (Staged)     Damage

Weather Control     Area     DC10 Concentration     Distracted

Abilities (24) + Combat (22) + Saving Throws (21) + Skills (15) + Feats (23) + Powers (77) - Drawbacks (0) = 182 PP

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  • 3 weeks later...
trollthumper Advanced Member

trollthumper

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Posted

All right, after a few weeks of not touching these guys, I decided to finally buff them up to PL12. This came after a discussion with one of the red names (most likely Shaen) wherein it was noted that we don't have any PL7 magic users. So, I decided to make them more of a challenge for our typical spellcaster.

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