Lords of Gossamer and Shadow Characters

It was a tremendous loss to the gaming community when Erick Wujcik passed away. I was one of his playtesters for the Amber Diceless Roleplaying game and I like to think I was also his friend.

His greatest creation was the Amber system and the concept of diceless roleplaying. That is why I am glad I found others who also felt the same way, and who have taken up the cause of diceless roleplaying and have brought Erick’s diceless system (but, alas, not Roger’s Amber) back to the gaming world, with “Lords of Gossamer and Shadow” by Rite Publishing. They took the diceless system and created a whole new campaign setting (and for any new game system on the market, the setting is as much a part of the appeal as the system these days) to go along with the basic gaming concepts.

I was aware that this was in production for a couple of years but it was only this past GenCon (2014) that I finally was able to purchase a copy of the rulebook for myself. After reading it through and trying to decide what to do about it, one character quickly came to mind, then another and another, until at last there were six different characters, enough to use for a convention game. (I still expect to use the first character in a campaign somewhere.) There are a couple of gaming conventions upcoming and I am already thinking of a scenario: in addition, I was minded to run something at GenCon next year, and Lords of Gossamer and Shadow is definitely a possibility.

These six characters are:

• Desiree — The Subtle Enchantress
• Duncan — The Eternal Warrior
• Kitten — Interdimensional Package Delivery With a Grin
• Lord Zordd — Supreme Minister of Evil
• Paragon — Champion of Law and Order
• Umbral — The Chaos Sprite

Desiree — The Subtle Enchantress

“Lucien introduced me to another of his protegés this evening. It was obviously his intent to surprise me with her to gauge my reaction to her, because he didn’t forewarn me of his plans. 

“To say she was beautiful might be considered an understatement. Long brown hair with red and mahogany highlights curled around a strong face with prominent cheekbones and brilliant gray-green eyes above a voluptuous figure wrapped in a translucent blue sari, she was more a Hindoo nymph of legend than a mortal woman. 

“She was a charming thing, too, poised, confident and charismatic, obviously self-aware of her own beauty and how it affected others, and knowing exactly how to make full use of it. She used her own body language and skills of directed rapport as subtle weapons of enchantment, and she was evidently quite proficient with them. There were a number of instances where her pose indicated she was prepared to exercise a technique that would have had the effect of deepening our rapport with the intent of manipulating it, yet she stopped before committing to it. Whether it was the presence of Lucien that engendered her boldness in considering the attempt or her caution in not following through, I could not say, but I had no doubt that were we alone, she would have definitely made the first few attempts.

“Now I had to wonder about her relation to Lucien, knowing full well the fate of of many who Lucien also mentored, and so I asked indirectly about her history and her future as one who walked the Grand Stair. There was a brilliant mind behind her charming face: she was quick to understand the goal of my questioning and she indicated that she understood the full nature of her relationship with Lucien, and she seemed most satisfied with it.

“On the former, I had my doubts, but I kept my silence in Lucien’s presence. 

“Of the latter, that, we shall see.”

– Cal’s Journal

Desiree received her title from her propensity for using her skills at enchantment on others. The priestly caste of her home world used the real magics of sorcery and enchantment and the mundane magics of psychology, including all matters regarding seduction, cold-reading, misdirection, sleight-of-hand magic and entrancement, as overt signs of their heightened spiritual development.

Desiree was an earnest student of all these aspects of magic. She believes it is her birthright to make full use of these arts on the lower castes in pursuit of her goals because of her high caste. She even believes that to manifest her prowess against her peers and higher castes, albeit subtly, is a sign of her immanent spiritual advancement. What she does by habit, the yet higher castes do naturally, and it is her intent to advance her own personal spiritual development through practice of these arts until they are equally as natural to her. However, she is now discovering yet higher though informal castes among the people she now associates with, and therefore is exercising subtle caution in her activities.

For Desiree and others of her world, physical beauty is always reflection of a person’s inner spiritual perfection, as demonstrated by Desiree’s stunning appearance. There are even higher caste individuals who must always veil themselves or else they would blind or stupefy anyone who looked at them. Like many of her caste and sex, she is a worshiper of Urvasi whose name means “one who controls” or “highly persuasive”: Urvasi is a Hindu apsara (nymph), who collectively were famous and notorious for seducing gods and men alike.

… possessed of eyes like lotus leaves, who were employed in enticing the hearts of persons practicing rigid austerities, danced there. And possessing slim waists and fair large hips, they began to perform various evolutions, shaking their deep bosoms, and casting their glances around, and exhibiting other attractive attitudes capable of stealing the hearts and resolutions and minds of the spectators.

She does not often carry a weapon but when she does, she carries a trishula which is a form of spear-like bladed trident.

While Desiree is a sorceress and enchantress foremost, she is also exceptionally curious about a wide range of topics. She is still relatively innocent enough to consider the pursuit of knowledge a worthy goal in its own right.

Attributes

• Psyche: 20 points
• Strength: Paragon
• Endurance: Paragon
• Warfare: Paragon

Powers

• Cantrips [5 points] – Clarity, Flare, Focus, Invigorate, Mana, Numb, Paralyze, Reveal, Stun, Surge
• Invocation [20 points]
• Sorcery [15 points]
• Warden of the Stair [10 points]

Artifacts

• Clothing [8 points] — A full-length sari of translucent blue silk over a darker blue blouse and petticoat and gilded blue slippers, her clothing is designed to protect the wearer. The sari is normally worn over her left shoulder but it can be wrapped over her head and across her face for additional protection. Such clothing is not common to her world and is usually awarded to promising members of the highest castes.

• Invulnerable to Conventional Weapons [4 points]
• Mold Gossamer Reality [4 points] – Eliminate environmental hazards for the wearer

• Orb of Shakti [15 points] — A crystallize orb filled with a mesmerizing display of colors. This came into her possession after what she believes was an intense spiritual experience.

• Deadly Damage [4 points] – The orb can project a narrow or wide beam of blazing, multi-colored light. The damage level can be lowered or changed to non-lethal effects, primarily stunning the opponents or casting them into a drugged slumber.
• Capable of Hanging and Using Spells [4 points] – These are used as a last resort, triggered by the intense need of Desiree. These are usually defensive and healing spells.
• Mold Gossamer Reality [4 points] – Any spell hung and cast through the Orb will have full effect despite the existing conditions of the world.
• Psychic Sensitivity [1 point]
• Connected to a Power [Invocation] [1 point]
• Connected to a Power [Sorcery] [1 point]

• Traveling Satchel [1 point] — A white satchel embroidered with images of various Hindu deities, it has the potential of supplying anything she needs at the particular moment simply by her reaching into it. This is a common item carried by members of the highest castes.

• Mold Gossamer Matter [1 point]

• Sigil of Lucien [1 point] — Desiree wears a locket underneath her blouse: inside is an image of Ursvasi. Lucien had it crafted it so that it concealed an Icon of himself underneath it.

• Contains Icon [1 point] – Lucien

Allies

• Lucien [5 points] — For his own reasons, Lucien seems to take an unusual interest in the actions of Desiree. Whether that will be to her benefit remains to be seen.

Other Characters

• Duncan: He is at the highest level of the warrior caste. His next incarnation will surely be into the priestly caste.
• Kitten: She follows paths both material and spiritual of her own making. I must not interfere.
• Lord Zordd: Power, without purpose. Strength, without restraint. Knowledge, without wisdom. Until he learns these lessons, he will never advance spiritually.
• Paragon: He knows it not, his spiritual advancement is very high, certainly to within the levels of the priestly caste. His sense of failure limits his advancement, however, and I should help him overcome that.
• Umbral: Whatever thoughts go in to her head, especially the ones I take the pains to implant there, just go right on through and out the moment she gets distracted.

Notes

Home World: Golden Gupta Empire

The proud empire of the Golden Guptan dynasty has stood for over 1,000 years and will stand for thousands more. Its reach extends across the entire Indian subcontinent, north past the vast Himalayan mountains, east throughout Southeast Asia and west to the Mediterranean Sea. It is the center of learning and power throughout the world, overpowering and outlasting all other empires through its understanding of the true nature of the world.

The empire is highly stratified into a hereditary caste system incorporating reincarnation and advancement in caste through karma and good works. The highest caste is the priest caste, of which the highest sub-caste is the royal caste, from which all power flows. In reality, power is concentrated in the priest caste, rendering the royal caste merely a figurehead, more concentrated on the final steps of spiritual advancement than ruling. Power is maintained through subtle use of sorcerous enchantments and various inter-personal techniques of persuasion and influence. Political infighting is uncommon within the caste but not unknown.

Local variations of Sorcery and Invocation are very subtle and very powerful here, and are limited to the use of the priestly caste. Municipal sorcery is performed by the lower sub-castes of the priestly caste. Technology, on the other hand, is limited to steam power using a form of magic to produce heat.

There is one known Door to this world, guarded safely within the depths beneath the Great Temple outside the capital city.

Source

Aishwarya Rai

The source image for this character was a picture of Aishwarya Rai, a Bollywood actress who is described as one of the most beautiful women in the world. Certainly her title as Miss World certainly does lend credence to that.

Duncan — The Eternal Warrior

“Drake says no one survived the final battle on Finisterrae, that no one was left alive from that world.

“He’s wrong. There’s one survivor, and I’ve met him.

“It was in a seedy tavern on an out-of-the-way world, where there is always some battle happening. The tavern catered to mercenaries and I was hiring for a particular mission I had in mind. I didn’t notice the man in the corner at first, but when he moved in to the light, I recognized the armor he wore, from a painting Drake once showed me. It was the armor of the royal guard of Finisterrae, and the crossed-swords symbol on the shoulder guard indicated he was a captain.

“I dismissed the trio I was speaking to, who were about to argue the point when they noticed where I was staring and quickly retreated. I took the bottle with me and sat down across from him. His eyes flicked across me, judging me as I judged him, and he shoved his cup across to me. I filled it before I filled mine, and we drank a silent toast together before I got down to business.

“We spoke for the rest of the evening, then after the tavern closed, moved to his tiny apartment across the street. I brought another bottle, and we drank and smoked the thin white cigars this world favored and talked of battles and wars until dawn. His advice regarding the mission I was considering proved very useful in the days to come, but he refused my offer of employment, saying he wasn’t interested in the affairs of the Lords.

“Since then, I’ve kept my ears open for any information about this fellow, and everything I’ve heard only reinforces my impression of him. His record as a commander is exemplary and his status with his superiors and subordinates is first-rate. He is an outstanding tactician and superlative strategist, and expert with more different weapons than anyone else I’ve ever known. In short, he is everything I expected a man like him to be, and more. In other words, he is everything I expected a survivor of Finisterrae to be. That’s enough proof for me.”

– Cal’s Journal

Duncan is exactly what he says he is: a survivor of the last battle against the Dwimmerlaik, but he knows he is not the only one. He is searching the worlds to find the others he knows survived, because he was the one who sacrificed himself to ensure their survival, holding the last defensive position before a hidden Door which he shut behind the others. How he managed to survive after that is still a mystery to him.

But even before then, he was an accomplished warrior and officer, although the records and memories of him have faded over time. Drake doesn’t know it, but Duncan served under him several times, and was always able to disguise or conceal himself and his actions from Drake’s knowledge.

Abilities

• Psyche: Paragon
• Strength: 10 points
• Endurance: 20 points
• Warfare: 25 points

Powers

• Cantrips [5 points] – All
• Warden of the Grand Stair [10 points]

Artifacts

• Omni-Weapon [9 points] — A shapeshifting weapon that responds to the desires of the wielder. Its normal form is an elegant long sword which he always keeps sheathed at his hip.

• Deadly Damage [4 points]
• Limited Shape Shift [4 points] – Any hand-held bladed or bludgeoning weapon or missile weapon of a non-high-technological nature.
• Mold Gossamer Matter [1 point] – Assures a constant supply of ammunition.

• Lightning Armor [4 points] — Duncan’s personal heavy plate armor and medium shield, it features lightning bolt motifs.

• Invulnerable to Conventional Weapons [4 points]

• “Haunted” Scanner [17 points] — An opalescent jewel set into the back of the gauntlet Duncan wears on his left hand, this is actually a battle computer that is capable of scanning individuals and locations for potential dangers and threats. He considers it “haunted” because it speaks in a female voice through a holographic projection that seems to be an echo of someone forgotten in his past: it was not his choice and he is unable to change it. It is also capable of projecting a holographic control panel which is normally how Duncan operates it.

• Extraordinary Psychic Sense [4 points]
• Able to Speak and Reason [2 points]
• Psychic Neutral [2 points]
• Confer Power [Psychic Neutral] [5 points] – Conceals Duncan’s presence and abilities
• Follow Path [2 points] – Currently this is set to track the survivors from his last battle on Finisterrae but it can be temporarily changed to track any person he is in close contact with.
• Connected to the Grand Stair [1 point] – The scanner draws power from the underlying reality that is the Grand Stair.
• Contains Icon [1 point] – The holographic image is actually an Icon of the person of the mysterious voice but Duncan is not aware of it.

Other Characters

• Desiree: When he first were introduced, our eyes met, and you sought to draw me into them. You learned your lesson then, do not require me to repeat it.
• Kitten: A good commander needs a secure supply train on any campaign. I would pick you for just such a command.
• Lord Zordd: He is everything I would want in an opponent and nothing I would want as an ally.
• Paragon: Stand up, man! Every time you were defeated, you stood up and came back to victory. Stand up again, and this time come back to yourself.
• Umbral: There is a place for her somewhere but I have yet to determine what that is.

Kitten — Interdimensional Package Delivery With a Grin

“Kitten: always the same look, never the same place.

“This time, our meeting was in a very high class formal gentlemen’s club. I knew she was there because I spotted her motorcycle outside: Priss flashed me a jaunty welcome with her headlight as I approached.

“Inside, she stood out like a sore thumb, not just because of her sex but also for her looks. Tousled short black hair, black T‑shirt cut off at midriff and tight black jeans, heavy black boots, that’s her. She was sitting and chatting and telling the most filthiest jokes ever heard across the Grand Stair, and these stiff toffs were lapping it up like cream.

“I was in a bit of a hurry, so I interrupted what was going to be a very long shaggy dog story involving a virgin princess and the Minotaur (I heard it before, it wasn’t all that funny) and waved the little treasure I brought along to get her attention. She broke off right before getting to one of the good parts, grabbed me by the arm and dragged me off to a side room. I explained the details, told her where to find the goods and where to take them, all the while holding on to the payment: she grinned and disappeared.

“I had barely started on my third bottle of an excellent claret when she returned to the club, still grinning. There were traces of smoke and grime across her face and arms, abrasions on her cheeks and a bandage just below her left ribs, so it was an easy job by her standards. I handed her the payment, slid her a glass of claret and made her my usual offer of companionship, of which she only accepted the first two.

“When I left, she was continuing her interrupted tale. I trust her audience would appreciate the rare treat she was giving them: she would never return here again, at least, not in their lifetimes.”

– Cal’s Journal

Just remember: despite her name, this Kitten has claws. She’s tough and experienced and nobody’s fool.

When something needs to get somewhere, no matter what kinds of obstacles lie in the path, Kitten will always get it there. As long as she gets paid, that is, and sometimes payment can be tricky. You see, Kitten works for things, pretty things, unique things, valuable things. Most she trades for favors but some she keeps because they are very useful in her trade.

She’s been at her trade for a very long time, even from before the War. (Just don’t ask what she did during the War: she never, ever, ever, talks about it.) As a result, Kitten did of lot of work for a lot of people, and knows where a lot of bodies and secrets are buried. (Some she’s buried herself, bodies and secrets.) Therefore she knows a lot of people and she’s owed a lot of favors. She is also acknowledged by most every authority as knowing more dirty jokes than anyone else in all of the Grand Stair.

Abilities

• Psyche: Paragon
• Strength: Paragon
• Endurance: 10 points
• Warfare: 5 points

Powers

• Master of the Grand Stair [35 points]

Artifacts

• Priss [26 points] — Kitten’s black and silver sentient shapeshifting motorcycle. They go back a long time, possibly to the time even before Kitten walked the Grand Stair. To most people, Priss is just a talking machine, but to those who know them, Priss is Kitten’s companion and full partner.

• Engine Speed [4 points]
• Tireless Stamina [4 points]
• Double Vitality [2 points]
• Resistant to Firearms [2 points]
• Combat Reflexes [2 points]
• Double Damage [2 points]
• Follow Path [2 points]
• Linked to the Grand Stair [1 points]
• Alternate Forms [2 points] – Personal Battle Armor, Mechanical Riding Panther, Humanoid Robot
• Able to Speak and Reason [2 points]
• Danger Sensitivity [2 points]
• Psychic Resistance [1 point]

• Force Lance Crystal [4 points] — Kitten wields a long blue-glowing crystal that can project a destructive sword blade of blue energy, just one of the many trinkets she’s earned as payment.

• Deadly Damage [4 points]

• Omni-Tool Repair Kit [5 points] — Whenever Priss might need some repair, Kitten always relies on her Omni-tool repair kit.

• Limited Shape Shift [4 points] – Any required tool
• Mold Gossamer Matter [1 point] – Create needed new part

• Icon Array [2 points] — Kitten wears a string of medals which are Icons of various persons she can call for favors. (Sometimes, the cost of her services is an Icon of the person.) This includes all of the known Lords of the Stair.

Allies

• Gossamer World Allies (ubiquitous) [6 points] – No matter where Kitten goes, she always knows someone there who can help her out.
• Lord of the Gossamer Worlds [5 points] – For whatever mysterious reason, Vala appears to favor Kitten and makes use of her services on occasion. Kitten repays her with intelligence regarding the places she’s visited.

Stuff

• Good Stuff [2 points]

Other Characters

• Desiree: Go play your mind tricks on someone else, little girl.
• Duncan: He’s seeking something. One of these days he’ll tell me what it is and then we’ll talk payment.
• Lord Zordd: What you really want you can only find inside yourself, so stop asking me for something I can’t deliver.
• Paragon: I like you but Priss doesn’t for some reason. Go figure.
• Umbral: Priss likes you for some reason but I don’t. Go figure.

Lord Zordd — Supreme Minister of Evil

“Some guys you just have to wonder about.

“Take Lord Zordd, for instance. Piecing together his stories, and giving more weight to the ones he told when he was pretty deep in his cups, it seems he tried conquering more than a few planets with his minion armies and monsters and eventually wound up getting his butt handed back to him by various teams of super-powered teenagers. The last group apparently did something that threw him out of their world entirely, and he washed up on the Grand Stair. To hear him say it, though, he deliberately left to find a source of purely evil energy so he could return and defeat them.

“Well, that was a pretty long time ago, so if he did return, he’d be facing their great-grandkids by now. But I don’t see that happening. Right now, he’s more concerned about checking his beard for grey hairs every morning, spending the rest of the day drinking and talking big to anyone who would listen. Most new Wardens can only stand him for a couple of hours, so he gets lonely sometimes. That’s why I asked him to do me a favor once.

“Boy, that was a mistake. He did what I asked for, all right, but I didn’t mention anything about collateral damage, so pretty much every building in the city was demolished. Definitely overkill, as it was supposed to be a simple search and recovery operation. His minions trashed everything in sight during the search while he sat drinking in a bar in the center of town. Still, he was a great help when the local opposition came around also on the same search and recovery operation, just because they cut off his supply of booze. I just don’t ever expect that he will ever be that helpful again.”

– Cal’s Journal

Lord Zordd. Conqueror of Planets. Terror of Galaxies. Supreme Minister of Evil.

Lord Zordd. Dishonored General. Alcoholic Has-been. Supreme Failure.

Somewhere in the middle is the real Lord Zordd. Finding him is the problem.

He can usually be found someplace where there is enough booze and enough distractions to keep him from destroying the place by accident. Fortunately he still has enough presence of mind to order a few of his minions to care for him or else he’d have died from malnutrition or liver failure long before this. He’s a maudlin drunk, bemoaning the injustices inflicted upon him, and any reminder of his former career will set him into an incoherent rampage. That includes seeing groups of people wearing similar but multi-colored costumes or uniforms.

Sober him up, though, and he’s dangerous. Well, he’s always dangerous. However, the more sober he is, he is less of a danger to his allies and more of a danger to his enemies. He’s a terrible strategist but he’s a terrific tactician: give him a plan and keep him from drinking and he will execute it perfectly, even adapting it as required when circumstances change. Just don’t mind the everpresent ranting and gloating, they’re just his way of letting off steam.

Abilities

• Psyche: 10 points
• Strength: Paragon
• Endurance: Paragon
• Warfare: 20 points

Powers

• Sorcery [15 points]

Artifacts

• Zombots [48 points]  — Lord Zordd can summon (and dismiss) hordes of faceless humanoid minions called Zombots on any world to any location within line of sight.

• Double Speed [2 points]
• Superior Stamina [1 point]
• Combat Reflexes [2 points]
• Hardened Damage [1 point]
• Resistant to Normal Weaponry [1 point]
• Psychic Resistant [1 point]
• Ubiquitous [x6]

• Staff of Power [8 points] — Every self-respecting galactic conqueror needs a showy weapon, and Lord Zordd’s is a tall black metallic staff with a black crystal globe at the top, from which he can direct bolts of black lightning at his opponents.

• Deadly Damage [4 points]
• Mold Gossamer Creatures [2 points]
• Rack Named and Numbered Spells [2 points]

The Mold Gossamer Creatures power is used to merge his minions into a single giant monster. In this form, its points change to this:

• Immense Vitality [4 points]
• Tireless Stamina [4 points]
• Combat Mastery [4 points]
• Deadly Damage [4 points]
• Invulnerable to Conventional Weaponry [4 points]
• Psychic Barrier [4 points]
• Unique [x1]

Stuff

• Bad Stuff [1 point]

Other Characters

• Desiree: If only I could turn her, she would be my bride and rule along side me throughout the Galaxy!
• Duncan: The only one among these pathetic mortals I must be wary of.
• Kitten: I know her type. She has her uses, so long as she is paid well.
• Paragon: One of him is more than enough. Five like him is enough to make my blood boil!
• Umbral: She would better serve as my court jester than my ally.

Notes

Lord Zordd is patterned after just about every major failed villain of the many Power Rangers and Super Sentai programs.

Paragon — Champion of Law and Order

“In worlds like his, surviving ten years in his profession is considered a triumph and surviving twenty years is a miracle. 

“He survived for fifty. That says something about him.

“Not that he looks that old, but then, who of us really does? Actually, he looks very good, always with every sleek black hair in place, every crease sharply defined in whatever he wears, always standing proud and tall with his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He exudes quiet power and determination leavened by infinite patience and impressive reserve. He was quite the find.

“Drake said that he dredged him up from a world that the Dwimmerlaik laid waste to. I can tell: every so often he just looks off into space with a sour look on his face. I’ve seen that same look on dozens of other men, all of whom lost someone or something to the Dwimmerlaik.

“From what Drake said, though, he lost an entire world.

“When we first met, I kept waiting for him to explode into rage but he’s one of those people who bottle that up inside him. I just hope that I won’t be around when he finally lets it all out.”

– Cal’s Journal

Paragon was a superhero, educated from birth by the greatest scientists and educators into becoming the foremost champion of law and order of his world. Never was he ever defeated, save only to recognize his errors and return victorious. Over the decades, he guided the world into a Golden Age.

That is, until the Dwimmerlaik invaded.

To confront them, Paragon gathered together everyone who could possibly aid him, including many who earlier battled him, all united with one goal: defend their world from these invaders. It wouldn’t be difficult: after all, this was not the first time their world was invaded.

Except this time it was different. The Dwimmerlaik were nothing like the earlier invaders. In one blistering battle after another, Paragon and his cohorts were defeated and pushed back, the world laid waste, until the one final battle at the very door of his Sanctum of Solitude. There, Paragon and Umbral united their abilities in a desperate defense against the general of the Dwimmerlaik and the numberless hordes that opposed them. The chaos and destruction engendered by the collision of the two primal forces of existence destroyed the Dwimmerlaik invaders and what was left of the world.

Paragon survived, but the world he defended did not.

The battle drew the attention of Drake, who found Paragon and Umbral as the lone survivors, brought them onto the Grand Stair as new combatants against the threat of the Dwimmerlaik. Since then, Paragon was haunted by his perceived failure to protect his world.

Attributes

• Psyche: Paragon
• Strength: 10 points
• Endurance: 10 points
• Warfare: 10 points

Powers

• Cantrips [5 points] – Clarity, Dampen, Flare, Focus, Grasp, Invigorate, Nullify, Numb, Paralyze, Reveal, Quicken, Stun, Sureness, Surge, Umbra Negation
• Eidolon Mastery [50 points]

Artifacts

• Buster Blade Gauntlets [13 points] — Armored gauntlets that contain a long blade that projects out over the back of the hand. Paragon is also able to wield them to block attacks, both personal and ranged.

• Deadly Damage [4 points]
• Invulnerable to Conventional Weapons [4 points]
• Transfer Power [Invulnerable] [5 points]

• Utility Belt [5 points] — Paragon wears a utility belt containing several pouches and other hidden devices and gadgets.

• Limited Shape Shift [4 points] – Produce whatever gadget necessary.
• Connected to the Eidolon [1 point] – Anything produced is extremely efficient at what it does.

Stuff

• Bad Stuff [3 points]

Other Characters

• Desiree: You’ll have better results by asking for assistance instead of compelling it.
• Duncan: He’s seen more pain than I might ever see, but it still doesn’t give him the right to judge how I deal with it.
• Kitten: I read what you say with your eyes against what you say with your body, and its enough to warn me away, but at least I read enough to know you can be trusted.
• Lord Zordd: A classic example of a failed personality type, which is good because if he wasn’t such a failure he’d be a serious threat.
• Umbral: Well, somebody has to be responsible for her, and it might as well be me.

Notes

Paragon is based largely on the characters of Clark “Doc” Savage, Bruce Wayne and the Golden Age Superman. He was raised by a group of scientists, scholars and mystics in all aspects of science, engineering, martial arts disciplines and esoteric mysteries with the intent of producing the perfect human. They succeeded well beyond their intentions. Through this training, he acquired his connection with the Eidolon through which he became a superhero and champion of order.

Umbral — The Chaos Sprite

“In the last five minutes alone, Umbral has a) consumed four lollipops, b) bounced off every wall and every inch of the ceiling, c) balanced on the shaft of her hammer for almost seven whole seconds, d) balanced her hammer on her nose by the shaft for almost eleven seconds, e) told me three different contradictory versions of her life history, f) asked me what my name was no less that fifteen times, and g) dispatched seventeen monsters by smacking them with that hammer. I never had the chance to lay a blade on a single one of them.

“And you know what makes this all the more worse? She said she wasn’t feeling well so she said she was slacking some.”

– Cal’s Journal

It was all a Game.
Every so often, Umbral would escape whatever prison Paragon devised and then play another Game with Paragon until Paragon eventually won. No matter who won or who lost, it was all for the Game. The Game of Order versus Chaos for the continued balance of the world.
Until They came. They didn’t play the Game.
They broke the rules, then They broke the world.
They … broke the Game.
They … will pay.

Umbral doesn’t remember how many times Umbral was restored and reconfigured by the Umbra after being defeated by Paragon. Umbral’s memory is a little vague about such things, especially things like how Umbral found this power in the first place or what Umbral did with it in the past.

This time, however, is different.

This time, it was the invaders who did this. This time, the rules were completely broken.

This time, Umbral is a girl. A very feisty Japanese animé schoolgirl with pink eyes and a pink pageboy haircut and wearing a pink sailor outfit. Even Umbral’s mallet is pink, just like the pink lollipops Umbral likes. Umbral thinks Umbral looks just so cute now, except the foreign word Umbral uses sounds kind of like “Hawaii.” And along with that, Umbral is suffering from some very strange and new feelings toward Paragon right now, especially about how attractive he looks, if he’d only loosen up a little.

Abilities

• Psyche: 10 points
• Strength: Paragon
• Endurance: 10 Points
• Warfare: Paragon

Powers

• Cantrips [5 points] – Dampen, Eidolon Negation, Flare, Foul, Fracture, Glitch. Grasp, Jam, Loosen, Nullify
• Umbra Mastery [50 points]

Artifacts

• Hyper Dimensional Mallet GoBuster! [20 points] — A large wooden mallet that appears and disappears as needed.

• Double Damage [2 points]
• Mold Gossamer Reality [4 points] – Reality gets a little strange around Umbral, especially things she smacks with her mallet. Cartoon physics is only one of the things that’s happened in the past.
• Transfer Power [Mold Gossamer Reality] [10 points] – Umbral doesn’t really need to hit someone to affect them, the hammer also allows Umbral to do that at will, and this way Umbral has more control over what happens that doesn’t involve things falling apart all the time. That’s much more fun.
• Danger Sensitivity [2 points]
• Connected to Power [Umbra] [1 point]
• Alternate Form [1 point] – Alternate form is Somewhere Else.

Stuff

• Good Stuff {5 points]

 Other Characters

• Desiree: Every time I start to talk to her, I get all floaty and dreamy and I can never remember what I was going to say, so it must not have been all that important. Certainly not as important as whatever she said, if I could ever remember it.
• Duncan: Don’t look at me like you know everything about me!
• Kitten: Here, kitty, kitty! I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine, and we’ll make up some new dirty jokes for you to tell.
• Lord Zordd: He’s funny! There was the time I dressed up a bunch of his minions in matching costumes and he so freaked out! I think it was the fastest he ever demolished a bar ever.
• Paragon: Those biceps! Those eyes! That face! That body! Man-on-man-o-manomanoman! I could just eat him up with whipped cream and a cherry on top!