Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH Damage [1] 17 DEX 14 12- 15 CON 5 12- 20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- 15 EGO 5 12- 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 6 OCV 15 6 DCV 15 3 OMCV 0 5 DMCV 6 3 SPD 10 Phases: 4, 8, 12 4 PD 2 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD) 4 ED 2 Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 5 REC 1 30 END 2 8 BODY -2 20 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 95 Movement: Running: 14m/28m Leaping: 4m/8m Swimming: 4m/8m Cost Powers & Skills 122 Essence Transfer: Drain all physical Characteristics 4d6, all Characteristics simultaneously (+4) Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); No Range (-½), Extra Time (Full Phase, -½), Must Follow Grab (-½), Unified Power (-¼) plus Aid all physical Characteristics 4d6, all Characteristics simultaneously (+4), Trigger (use of Drain; +1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only to Aid Self (-1), Must Follow Grab (-½), Extra Time (Full Phase, -½), Linked (Drain; -½), Unified Power (-¼) 14 Pheromonic Control: Mind Control 12d6 (Human class of minds); Based on CON (-1), Set Effect ("You want me."; -1), Only Versus Individuals Of The Proper Sexual Orientation (-½), No Range (-½), Cannot Be Used In High Winds, Heavy Rain, Or Versus Anyone With Self-Contained Breathing (-¼), END 6 8 Strong Willed: Mental Defense (8 points total) 2 Fast On Her Feet: Running +2m (14m total), END 1 3 Essence Absorption Side Effects: LS (Eating: Character only has to eat once per week; Longevity: 200 Years; Sleeping: Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week) Perks 6 6 points' worth of Contacts in the fashion industry 1 Fringe Benefit: Passport 5 Money: Well Off Talents 12 +4/+4d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters) Skills 16 +2 with HTH Combat 8 +2 all Interaction Skills 3 Acting 13- 3 Charm 13- 6 Pheromonic Control: +5 with Charm; Only Versus Individuals Of The Proper Sexual Orientation (-½), Cannot Be Used In High Winds, Heavy Rain, Or Versus Anyone With Self-Contained Breathing (-¼) 3 Conversation 13- 3 Disguise 13- 6 Gambling (Card Games, Dice Games, Roulette) 13- 3 High Society 13- 3 KS: The Fashion And Modeling World 13- 3 KS: The Superhuman World 13- 2 Language: English (fluent conversation) 3 Language: French (completely fluent) 0 Language: German (idiomatic; literate) 3 PS: Fashion Model 13- 3 Shadowing 13- 5 Stealth 13- 2 Streetwise 10- 2 TF: Equines, SCUBA 3 Traveler 2 1) CK: Berlin 13- 2 2) CK: London 13- 2 3) CK: Los Angelus 13- 2 4) CK: New York City 13- 2 5) CK: Paris 13- 2 6) CK: Vienna 13- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 262 Total Cost: 360 300+ Matching Complications (60) 15 Distinctive Features: Extremely Beautiful (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction desire/jealousy/lust]; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 5 Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable Only By Technology Or Major Effort) 20 Hunted: [unspecified agency], Infrequently (Mo Pow; NCI; Harshly Punish) 15 Psychological Complication: Casual Killer, kills without a second thought or remorse (Common; Strong) 10 Psychological Complication: Enjoys Toying With And Manipulating Her Victims (Common; Moderate) 10 Social Complication: Famous Fashion Model (Frequently, Minor) 15 Social Complication: Secretly A Contract Killer (Frequently, Major) Total Complications Points: 60 Experience Points: 60
Background/History: A beauty queen and fashion model from an early age, Astrid Steiner almost certainly would have enjoyed a long career as a world-famous fashion model if not for one tragic incident. While attending a post-fashion show party, the combination of drugs and alcohol resulted in Astrid nearly being raped by one of the male party-goers. This moment of fear and panic served to unleash her latent mutant powers, resulting in her draining the man’s life force and adding it to her own. The initial shock was quickly replaced by a feeling of euphoria, as Astrid had never felt so alive and healthy before in her life. The event also seemed to unbalance her emotionally, making her addicted, in a sense, to the rush that came from drawing another’s life energy from their body. She wanted to experience that again… and when her experiments on animals stopped satisfying her cravings, she had to try it on a person again. And again. And again.
Now know in certain circles as Schönes Gift (meaning “Pretty Poison”) Astrid still works as a fashion model and is one of the top models in the world. But she’s also an assassin, a contract killer who will quietly eliminate just about anyone, if the money’s right.
Personality/Motivation: Her time as a pre-teen and teen-aged beauty queen helped make Astrid a somewhat arrogant and self-centered person. Her ability to ‘devour’ another life force and add it to her own has only heightened these traits, slowly pushing her towards some for of sociopathy. While not as anti-social as most sociopaths, she still seems highly stuck-up and ‘cold’ to those who meet her, unless they have something she wants, in which case she can be quite charming. In fact, she can be quite personable when she wishes and is known for being a witty conversationalist. At the same time, she can be cold and calculating, and enjoys toying with her designated targets, often spending some time with them before moving in for the eventually kill. However, when she does kill, she does so quickly, not wishing to draw it out, as she wants to rush now, so she can enjoy it for as long as possible. Schönes Gift will also kill in moments of spite and irritation, especially if she thinks she can get away with it scott free.
Quote: “Come home with me and I promise you a night neither of us will ever forget.”
Powers/Tactics: Schönes Gift is a form of vampire, draining the life energies of others and adding them to her own. She can kill the average human in a single Phase, but usually spends an extra Phase to make sure. The result is usually a somewhat aged and withered-looking corpse, while Schönes Gift ends up looking even more alive and healthy than before. Curiously, Schönes Gift’s repeated use of her Essence Transfer power has started to have long-term effects on her physiology. As it is, she barely ages, and rarely needs to eat or sleep. It’s possible she’ll age even less as time goes on and may gain permanent increases to her physical Characteristics.
Along with her ability to drain another’s life essence, Schönes Gift can also emit pheromones at will. These pheromones almost instantly cause cause anyone near her to fall in love (actually… lust) with Schönes Gift, a useful tool when stalking her prey.
Appearance: As with most fashion models, Schönes Gift is rather tall, standing 5’11” with slenderly-proportioned build. Her looks are classically Germanic, with golden-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Physically she’s one of, if not the, most beautiful women on the planet and seems almost ageless. Instead of a costume, she wears the latest in ultra-expensive fashions from top designers the world over. Once she’s made a kill, however, she tends to look even more ‘alive’ with a nigh-visible inner glow.
Designer’s Notes: Schönes Gift started out as the character of Pretty Poison, found on page 23 of Enemies: the International File. Among my changes was translating her name into German, then giving her a far more accurate (for Austria) secret identity. I then adapted the Essence Absorbing Stance from HERO System Martial Arts and used it to replace the rather complex and clunky series of Drains and Characteristic increases the original character had. Curiously, this version of the power actually makes Schönes Gift more powerful. For example, in the original version, her maximum STR is 25, with this version, she can have a 34 STR. I also swapped her +40 PRE versus men for Mind Control (using a power found in Champions Powers) and made it affect anyone who might find Schönes Gift attractive.
In making her a fashion model (which the original was) I expanded on her Skills and the like, and also added in a few things that would help her as an undercover assassin. Strangely enough, the original version of the character doesn’t have Seduction, although that might not be a 3rd Edition Skill. As with all other Enemies: the International File characters, I pared her 228 points of Disadvantages down to a far more simplified and coherent 90.
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