 About ŦempestStarted entering things in Hero Lab to get any kinks ironed out. Issues arisen so far:
Discrepancy: Super Senses are listed as duration continuous in Ultimate Powers, permanent in the Core rulebook. Immunities are permanent in both. Edit: Looking through the FAQ and such, both appear to be treated as Permanent. However, I think I've found a work around, in that an Alternate Form ability can be used to create the Mystically Induced Changes needed to have temporary "permanent" abilities. Name: Cath Sidhe (kʰăth shēē) Scottish Gaelic: [kʰaht̪ ˈʃiː]
Kenneth DeBrus: Public Image:
Reclusive. Eccentric. Intense. Brilliant. Mr. Debrus is somewhat of a mysterious figure in the public eye. A dual citizen of the United States and England (and through it, the United Kingdom and the European union), Mr. Debrus has lived and conducted business from Freedom city for around the past twenty years, though he reportedly has family ties going back much further in the city's history. His great grandfather was able to present conclusive evidence that he was the direct heir of the original Earl of Moray in Scotland, and was able to successfully petition the crown to be invested with that title. This makes Kenneth DeBrus a peer under Scottish and English law, known formally as Lord DeBrus, Earl of Moray. He makes his principle residence in Freedom City, which is a genuine castle, transported from Scotland, stone by stone, and reassembled on a generous and well appointed estate in Freedom City's exclusive Lantern Hill district. He owns a significant interest in the city's most prestigious art auction house, and is a frequent benefactor of the Freedom City Museum, lending numerous pieces for display, and using his diplomatic connections to facilitate high profile exhibits from museums around the world. His law firm specializes in antiquities law and import/export legalities, naturally, and while the practice is varied, Mr. DeBrus' personal interests and expertise are well known to focus on Scottish, Irish, and Early Celtic art and artifacts. Due to his knowledge and experience regarding International Law and how it impacts the antiquities trade, he has been consulted in the past by both the D.A.'s office, and the FBI, when cases involving International Law, or the smuggling of illegal antiquities, are suspected.
Personally, he is seen as a rather serious, and somewhat stern fellow, and he is known to appreciate his privacy, keeping only minimal staff on hand on his estates. Abilities: Unenhanced Ability in Blue
Toughness: +5, Fort: +5 Ref: +8, Will: +11 Skills: +6 Acrobatics (1), +8 Bluff (4), +14 Concentration (7), +6 Computers (1), +8 Craft: Artistic (3), +7 Diplomacy (3), +6 Drive (1), +7 Gather Information (3), +7 Intimidate (3), +8 Investigate (3), +14 Knowledge: Arcane Lore (9), +6 Knowledge: Business (1), +6 Knowledge: Art (1), +6 Knowledge: Civics (1), +8 Knowledge: History (3), Language (3), +8 Medicine (1), +5 Perform: Stringed Instruments, +8 Profession: Lawyer (1), +14 Notice (7), +6 Ride (1), +8 Search (3), +8 Sense Motive (1), +6 Sleight of Hand (1), +0 Swim (1)
Feats: Accurate Attack, All Out Attack, Attractive, Artificer, Benefit: Status (Social Elite), Benefit: Wealth, Connected, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Equipment 3, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Ritualist, Skill Mastery (Concentration, Craft: Artistic, Kn: Arcane, Notice), and Uncanny Dodge. (17 pts)
Equipment:
Powers:
Equipment 3 (Headquarters) wrote: Castle Toughness: 10 (1 ep) Size: Gargantuan 2000 ft (4 ep) (92 acres) Features: Concealed (the dimension), Defense System, Fire Prevention System, Holding Cells, Sealed (In a Pocket Dimension), Library, Living Space, Security System, Workshop (10ep) Primary Magic Spellgroup: Array 14 (21 pts) Flaw: Requires Arcane Lore Check Drawback: Power Loss when unable to cast spells Feats: Accurate 2 (+4 on Attack or Targeting Spells), 6 Alternate Spells Default Effect wrote:
Alternate Primary Spellgroup Spells: Secondary Spellgroup:
Array 6 (15 pts)
Spells wrote:
Flaw: Requires Arcane Lore Check Drawback: Power Loss when unable to cast spells Feats: 6 Alternate Abilities Default Effect wrote:
Alternate Secondary Spellgroup Spells:
Linked Powers:
Spells wrote:
Enhanced Dexterity 2: +4 to Dexterity Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (3 pts) Enhanced Constitution 2: +4 to ConstitutionExtra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (3 pts) Enhanced Intelligence 1: +2 to Intelligence Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (1 pts) Enhanced Wisdom 2: +4 to Wisdom Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (3 pts) Enhanced Reflexes 3: +3 to Reflex Save Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (2 pts) Enhanced Will 4: +4 to Will Save Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (3 pts) Enhanced Defense 2: +2 to Reflex Save Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (3 pts) Enhanced Trait 4: Dodge Focus 4 Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (3 pts) Super Senses 3 Awareness: Magic, Dark Vision Extra: Linked Drawback: Power Loss (Contact with Cold Iron) (-1). (2 pts) Total of 23 pts Immunity: Aging (1) Sidhe Form - Metamorph 1 (Innate) (3 pts): Ring of Holding
Device 1: Hard to lose (3/) (4 pts)
Sidhe Form wrote:
Feats: Restricted (Faery Blooded) Flaws: Arcane Knowledge (-1) Powers: Dimensional Pocket 1 Extra: Free Action Feat: Progression 2 (Max Capacity: 500 lbs) Flaw: Feedback (4 pts) Feature: Quick Change (Allows the wearer to change outfits with one in storage as a free action) (1pt) Tempest’s Staff:
Spells bestowed by the Staff: Drawbacks: Vulnerability: Cold Iron (Uncommon/Moderate) (-2 pts), Involuntary Change: When injured by cold Iron (Uncommon/Irresistible) (-4)
Staff Fighter:
Damage 5 (28 pts) +13 Attack Extras: Penetrating, Autofire (2) Feats: Accurate 4, Split Attack, Improved Critical 3 (17-20), Affects Insubstantial. Drawback: Limited to attacks with the staff itself (-1) Group Teleport: Teleport 8 (2/) 20000 miles (28 pts)
Drain (28 pts)
Illusion 8 (28 pts)
Master of Flames: (28 pts)
Encase in Ice
Telepathic Link 20 pts
Discordant Burst (28 pts)
Dispel Magic (28 pts)
Attack Bonus: +5 (Ranged: +5, Melee: +5, Unarmed: +5 Grapple: +3) Attacks: Unarmed Attack, +5 (DC 14) Defense: +11 Dodge: 4, Knockback: -4 Initiative: +5 Languages: Gaelic (Native), English, French, German Movement: 30 feet Height: 5'10"
Eyes: Green
Totals: Abilities +32, Skills +16, Feats +16, Powers +77 (21+15+23+1+3+4+5), Combat +20, Saves +0, Drawbacks -6 = 150 Short Background:
Cath started life as a Changeling; a child born by the union between a man and a fairy princess near the dawn of the 11th Century. When the child was born, his fairy mother placed him in a cradle in place of the child her lover had sired by his mortal wife, and stole away with the babe she had initially found there. Though raised by the couple, many problems became apparent when Cath's fairy nature and powers began to emerge, which eventually led to his expulsion from the home and the community. He had a dual nature; a human form in which he had a vestige of his Sidhe nature, and the form of a large fairy cat, in which his fairy powers were more evident. Alone and without guidance, and with more power than a young boy knew how to handle, he became the terror of medieval Scotland. Tales of a sinister cat, or a man who could take on cat form became common, and he became a highly feared and respected feature of the supernatural landscape. However, as his presence brought with it unwelcome attention to the supernatural, he was removed by persons of great power and influence in the Supernatural world of the time. He spent an indeterminable length of time beyond the bounds of normal reality, in a realm of crystal caves; a prison that was immune to the effects of magic, and where time didn't seem to flow properly. As a result, he has no real idea how long he spent there. While there, he met all manner of I prisoner souls, from a great many worlds and eras. One of those he met was a man from his own world, or at least one similar enough that they could find no major differences. The man started to teach him the secrets of magic, known only to him (or so he claimed). Of course magic didn't actually work there, so he learned only the theory of magic, never knowing for sure if the man's claims were true, or if he was merely mad from the endless isolation. In the mid 19th century, he was released into the custody of Broken Crow, that era's Master Mage of the Order of Light. Tempered by his time of near isolation, Cath set out to learn more about this new, advanced world, and becoming accustomed to it. In addition, he has put what he has learned of magic into practice; it seems that the old man in the caves was not mad, or at least was not just mad. Recently, he received a visit from Eldrich, the current Master Mage. He was told that the debt for his release had come due, that there were tasks in Freedom City that must be seen to, and that the Order of Light must be part of these events if the city, and the world, are to survive the coming challenges. Thus Cath Sidhe, the immortal fey-blooded shapechanger and student of magic, who has never had any interest in heroics, or the world beyond his own interests, and who was once the most feared monster in Scotland, has been drafted and pressed into service as one of the world's super heroes.
"OK, so now what?" Complications:
Enemy: Medea. In the late 1870's, Cath met a charming young sorceress while living in Edinburgh. She was from a prominent London family, and she came highly regarded in society. The two became close, firstly to exchange knowledge as practitioners, then later as a formal courtship was enacted to provide a respectable face to the more private aspects of their relationship. However, Cath eventually discovered he was the subject of a ploy, as the young woman (Medea) disappeared with several significant artifacts he had obtained from Heinrich Schliemann's excavation of Troy. He had not yet managed to determine the purpose or abilities of the objects, but he was aware that they held significant power. Furious at the trickery, he tracked the woman determinedly, and though he was unable to recover the artifacts, he was able to destroy them during a confrontation with the sorceress some 20 years after their initial meeting. By then, he had discovered her true identity, and was aware of her abilities. She was furious at the loss, just as he had been by their theft. The two have been bitter enemies for more than a century, repeatedly taking the chance to disrupt each other's plans when the opportunity arises. Motivation: To pay his debts, and to save the world, as foretold by Eldrich, the current Master Mage of the Order of Light. In addition, Cath feels a sense of moral obligation to make up for his actions in the distant past, even though by the standards of the supernatural community, he has served his time for those offenses. Fame: Public Figure. Cath Sidhe's public persona of Kenneth DeBrus is a well known figure in Freedom City, both in terms of high society and politics. He is well known to some of the most influential figures in the city, and is regularly seen in the company of mayoral staff, representatives of the D.A.'s office, established figures in the museum and arts communities, and members of high society. His presence is often noted by the press, and like many local celebrities, everything from his choices in fashion to casual comments tend to be dissected by the media. Obsession: Finding his mother. Cath Sidhe was born from a fairy princess, and yet beyond those facts, he has been able to discover very little about her. He has heard tales that he has managed to connect with her, and he knows some abstract details, but given that the woman can move between worlds as she pleases, and seems able to change her shape to suit her whims, placing a name to her has been extremely difficult. She evidently knows that he is looking, and has apparently taken to treating the search like a game, baiting Cath and leaving him clues, only to remain one step ahead when he feels as though he has found a solid lead. However, he remains determined to track her down, and learn all that he can of her. Phobia: Confined Spaces. Having been trapped for untold years within the caverns of the crystal realm, Cath has developed a stark hatred of confined spaces. The rooms of his home have twenty foot ceilings and large windows. Being trapped within confined spaces is likely to make him highly agitated and impatient. Being unable to move would likely induce panic. Grudge: Who got him locked up in the first place? Prejudice: A bit of an elitist, he does not tend to extend much sympathy to the economically disadvantaged. Responsibilities: Works for a Law-firm where in reality, he has minimal responsibilities. He serves on several municipal boards, and is a known figure in city politics. In addition to his public responsibilities, he has been assigned a leadership role within the Order of Light; to provide mentorship to young magic users, and provide them with a positive role model when it comes to the use of magic in the modern world. Identity: His public identity of Kenneth DeBrus is in reality a well crafted legal identity only. Each of his "ancestors" are merely versions of himself crafted for the appropriate time. Relationship: ? Secret: He was the real Cat Sith, something now regarded as a Scottish and Irish folk legend, but in reality a list of crimes and offences committed during the early centuries of the last millennium. The actions he took at that time were not altogether unlike those of modern day supervillains, leading to a underscoring feeling of hypocrisy when Cath considers his direction to act as a supernatural protector for Freedom City, and by extension, the world. Although he essentially served a sentence of hundreds of years imprisonment for his crimes, he still feels a sense of unresolved guilt regarding his actions at that time. Background(Long Version):
Out of date; use the short history rather that this one. I plan on redoing it to match the storyline of the short history. Don't want to delete this yet as it has elements I plan to keep.
Cath Sidhe was born to Mac Bethad mac Findlaích, the grandson of King Malcom II of Scotland, anno domini 1032. While the son of a younger child of the king, Cath’s father enjoyed some favour within the king’s court, and he was raised to the rank of Mormaer of Moray the same year his child was born. Cath's mother was a Princess of the Fey courts; a Sidhe, often called the unseen ones by the early Scots as well as the Irish and even some among the Nords. The wise of those days knew that there were others, ones that they could not see, who lived in the space between worlds. These folk were powerful, ancient, and for the most part, beyond the comprehension of mortals. Rarely did they allow themselves to be seen, and when they did, calamity often followed, for the unseen ones were composed of both light and dark, Seelie and Unseelie. While the former would not typically intervene in the lives of mortals, the later were well known to do so on occasion. They made sport of it, and took strange pleasure in causing confusion and ruin in mortal lives. The Seelie could be just as dangerous of course, for while they bore no ill will towards men, their ways were not human ways, and they were easily offended if dealt with in a manner that violated their customs, which we of course unknowable to humans. As a result, any interaction with the Sidhe was prone to disaster, whether due to alien intent, or to inadvertent offense. For reasons that remains unknown, one of the Sidhe found herself taken with a young mortal man of some mounting acclaim, and seduced him, though he was entered in pact to marry another woman. Caring little for such mortal affairs, she lay with him. As such creatures are prone to flights of fancy, she left for a time, forgetting her favoured mortal. When she returned, he was enraged to find that he had married his mortal promised wife, and that she was with child. She brought forth a child of her own, drawn from her union with the mortal man. When the mortal woman's child was born, she stole it away, in the manner of faeries, and left her own in its stead. What she did with the mortal child remains to be discovered, as Cath has yet to even learn his mother's name. For the changeling child, his upbringing was difficult. He was too clever, too knowing, and too spry by half for a human child. His knowing eyes made people nervous, and while he bore his father's visage, there was no semblance at all of his mortal mother in his bearing. She came to loathe the child, and as she proved unable to bear further children (possibly the faery’s work), she came to resent him even more, naming him a changeling in whispers. (A changeling in medieval folklore was a faery child left in the place of a human one.) His father knew the truth of course, and figured out what had happened in time. The Sidhe woman even presented a time or two, and laughingly confirmed his suspicions. A changeling or not, he knew the child to be his own and did his best to help the boy fit in, and to mollify his wife. He told his son the tale of his birth, and his true mother, and warned how dire the secret must be held. The peace held until Cath's mortal mother happened one day to witness him shift, from a boy and into his Sidhe shape; that of a large black wildcat. She named him as a changeling in public after that, and a warlock besides. Cath's father was forced to choose between his wife and titles, or the boy who in truth frightened him too. Though initially placed in a cage of iron to keep him bound fast, Mac Bethan was able to convince his kin to move the boy to their Lord's castle while they awaited the bishop. The castle had prisons of simple stone. A knowing glance between father and son was all that they were able to share by way of farewell. When the bishop arrived to see this child-warlock, the cell was empty. In the days that followed, the child's name was stricken from the record, and history records Mac Bethad mac Findlaích never having had children of his own. It was as if the child had never lived. The woman that had denounced him did not live long after, for she was run down by dogs while walking, only a few weeks later. Locals claimed the tracks left by the beasts were larger than those of a mastiff, wolfhound, or wolf, and that a strange but beautiful noblewoman was spotted nearby, laughing to herself in a voice like bells. His father remarried years later, but never again had a child of his own, instead adopting the children of his second wife. Cath learned a great deal thereafter and in his travels. He proved quite capable, despite being all of ten or so, and his curiosity continues to drive him forward. He bore his father no ill will for his choice, and even saw him once again, years later when the man was advanced in years. Cath looked no more than a teen, regardless if the decades that had passed. He learned later that his father had become King, after his cousin Duncan, a man born sickly and frail, had died after only a few short years on the throne. Unfortunately, whether due to the ongoing influence of the Unseen folk, or just due to the winds of fate, or due to the results of his own machinations, Mac Bethan’s kingship ended with his death in battle during an invasion from England. Over time, the stories regarding his reign and death mutated into legend, and Cath, no stranger to magic by this time, did not know how much of the story to believe. Knowing what he did of his blood, Cath knew that his future lay in the secrets of magic. He sought out every user of the art that he could find, learning all that he could before moving on; whether it was due to exhausting the knowledge of his teachers, or outliving them. He stopped aging a century or two after the death if his father, settling into a look of maturity, but difficult to put an age to; he might be 30 or 55, or any age in-between. Tempest started life as a changeling. In medieval folklore, a changeling was a faerie child left in the place of a human child so that it would be raised by the human parents. In his case, he was switched with the mortal half sibling born to the faerie's mortal lover and his wife. He was discovered for what he was as a child, and cast out of his home as a result. Spending years trying to learn more about his origins, and all that he could about magic besides. During this time he learned some secrets of his faerie heritage, that he did not age, and that he could change at will into an overly large faery cat. Jaded by the rejection from his family, now without guidance or supervision, and guided by the influence of fey instincts he did not understand, he began to make sport of mortals. Soon, the legend of a witch that could change into the form of a cat, and disappear like a shadow became commonplace. It was from these stories that the name of Cat Sith (Cath Sidhe in the original Gaelic) was born. Cat Sith is an old Scottish legend about a malevolent fey cat that would cause all sorts of havoc, and then disappear - practically the boogeyman of the time. His deeds did not go unnoticed, and certainly drew the attention of both the fairy that lived in the region, as well as the magical community. As his presence was drawing unwelcome attention towards the supernatural in Scotland, a deal was reached whereby he was captured through a joint effort of Mage and fairy. At this point in history, all mention of Cath Sidhe stops. Cath was remanded to a crystal realm outside of time, composed only of endless caverns, where denizens could only wander endlessly, unable to sleep and not needing to eat. Though most of the denizens were quite mad, driven that way by untold ages of isolation. Of course, as time did not move the same way in that place, it was often impossible to tell how long one had been there: a year felt like and eon, and a millennia like a week. Cath found one such madman to keep company with, a human who knew of earth, and seemed alright, for an Englishman. He claimed to be a wizard, and did indeed appear to have significant knowledge of magic. As much to fill the timelessness as anything else, the man took to teaching him the theory of magic. They could not perform magic, as the crystal walls of the endless passages seemed to leach out any magic energy before it could focus into a magical effect. Though his imprisonment was theoretically to be eternal, he was unexpectedly released into the custody of a dark skinned man he had never met before. The man was dressed in a strange garb and spoke in an vaguely familiar language that didn't seem quite like the English he knew, but a bastardization of the same. He returned to earth with the man in the mid-nineteenth century. Though several centuries had passed on earth, there was no way of telling how much time had passed while in the crystal realm. The man said his name was Broken Crow, and that the faeries had owed him a favour, which had been able to leverage to secure the changeling's freedom. However, he made it clear that that he was taking responsibility for Cath's behaviour, and that further behaviours like those in medieval Scotland would result in Cath's answering to him. He also stated that a day would come when the favour he had done to have the changeling released would come due, and that he would expect it to be repaid. Reacclimating to earth after hundreds of years was a shock, and Cath spent several decades merely learning about this new world and how to live in it. His time away had left him changed; no longer flighty and impulsive, he had instead become staid and watchful. The passage of so much time had altered him, quite fundamentally. His approach to using his magic changed a great deal as well; no longer as reckless and impatient, his understanding grew exponentially. Here in the real world he was able to apply the lessons he had learned while in the crystal prison, and found himself able to master task that had been far beyond his reach in his youth. Broken Crow was able to provide some guidance as well, teaching him how to use his power responsibly. Honestly trying to behave in a civil, rehabilitated manner, he started searching out his origin, less bull-headed this time, and taking the time to forge proper relations with the fey, and with the magical community. As an immortal, he was able to slowly establish himself, amassing a reasonable amount of wealth, and a presence in various influential circles. When Broken Crow died, Cath was genuinely grieved, as he felt a genuine gratitude towards the man for giving him a second lease on life, and for the mentoring he had provided. He assumed the favour he owed was now settled, given the man's passing, and he put it from his mind. He lived the next century in quiet, moving between Scotland and to America, Broken Crow's home, he'd learned, in order to avoid the questions that would accompany his apparent lack of aging. In his quests, he mastered the ability to pass between worlds, and was even able to create one for himself. He created a bubble in reality, swallowing up a chunk of reality from earth and folding it into his new place of residence. Key to this was the inclusion of Dun MacBeth, his ancestral castle, which had been mostly ruins when he bought the estate, but he had had restored to a close semblance of his childhood memories of the place. Layered in magic, the isolated and hidden retreat allowed him and safe and secluded place to practice his craft, without fear of interference, or bringing harm to anyone should his experiments go wrong. As for his family, he was never able to divine an answer to what had happened to the half-sibling with whom he had been switched at birth. There was no indication of whether the child had been discarded and killed, given to another mortal family to live out a normal human life-span, or taken away into fairy to live out some untold existence. Of his mother there was similarly little information. She was said to be a member of the fairy court, though whether Seelie or Unseelie was still unclear. She had a rank of some importance, like a princess or even a queen. She is evidently aware of Cath's interest in her identity, and seems to have interpreted the quest as some sort of game, passing clues and hinting at her presence, visiting Cath in disguise, and occasionally laying false leads. She seems to take a strange enjoyment in the frustrating challenge, though Cath is determined to catch her in a fashion that will force the revelation of her identity. Like a game of cat and mouse, or perhaps like fairy chess, the moves and counter moves in the game have lasted centuries. Skipping forward to the modern era, Cath Sidhe is living in Freedom City, USA, under the mane of Kenneth DeBrus, where he has resided for about twenty years. Cold Iron: Faeries are vulnerable to contact with Cold Iron. In this modern context, Cold Iron is considered to be anything made of Pure Iron, whether worked or unworked. Alloys, such as Carbon or Stainless Steel, or other iron alloys, do not satisfy the requirements of this definition. Tales of Cat Sith:
The King of the Cats
In the British folk tale The King of the Cats, a man comes home to tell his wife and cat, Old Tom, that he saw nine black cats with white spots on their chests carrying a coffin with a crown on it, and one of the cats tells the man to "Tell Tom Tildrum that Tim Toldrum is dead." The cat then exclaims, "What?! Old Tim dead! Then I'm the King o' the Cats!" Old Tom then climbs up the chimney and is never seen again. Soul-stealing
Samhain
Transformation
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