Campaign:Golby's Beautiful Placeholder/SCIENCE

Basics

Name: Herr Doktor Professor Shen
Concept: IT'S ALIVE! ALIIIIIIIIVE!
Caste/Aspect: Twilight Solar
Motivation: Attain the power of true resurrection
Positive Intimacies: building a world of SCIENCE!, recovering lost knowledge and researching new fields, I WANT THE TRUTH!, Snakebite (comrade-in-arms), Snowflake (Sorcery!)
Negative Intimacies: people who ignore their own health and then expect someone else to fix it, SPLITTING UP
Anima: A spherical labyrinth of blue filigree with green sparks; his Twilight caste mark burns like a gold searchlight at the center.
Experience: 13/187

Background

Sections of the following have been redacted to protect the innocent. Original character, do not steal.

The Professor was born in Nexus, and it was there that he was trained as a barber-chirurgeon. After some years in private practice he took a job teaching other such chirurgeons, splitting his time between the two.

He exalted in a back alley, trying to save ██████████ who had been savaged by a karmeus; his hands glowed with golden light and moved like lightning, but it was too late. After this, he slowly dropped out of the medical and academic life he had known up to then, working instead on solitary projects and trying to master the secrets of life and death. His experiments turned slowly into investigations of the darker side of Essence, and his apartment grew a reputation as a haunted house. Things came to a head with an incident involving a ████, two ██████s and the ████████, after which he was exiled. He managed to escape being executed since ███████████████████████. After this he set off to the south in search of a more hospitable base of operations.

Upon reaching Chiaroscuro, he set up a small medical practice to keep food on his plate. In his spare time, he set about finding volunteers for experiments, and exploring the city's First Age ruins in search of lost knowledge.

After having a dream containing vivid imagery of a grand, shining tower on a mountain peak, the Professor sought out the site, but found only a blasted ring of stone, the foundation of what might once have been such a tower, lacking even a roof. While frequent lightning in the area deterred others from approaching, it hasn't given the Professor any trouble.

Appearance

A tall thin man with light brown skin, black hair streaked with grey, and brown eyes. He wears a lightweight white shirt and trousers, with a white lab coat or thawb during the day, and a brown frock coat at night or indoors.

Attributes

Strength  ●●       Charisma     ●●       Perception   ●●●●
Dexterity ●●●●●    Manipulation ●●●      Intelligence ●●●●●
Stamina   ●●       Appearance   ●●       Wits         ●●●

Abilities

Archery      ●●●●● Integrity   ●●●   Craft see below     Athletics ●●●   Bureaucracy 
Martial Arts       Performance       Investigation ●●●   Awareness ●●●●● Linguistics ●●●
Melee              Presence          Lore          ●●●   Dodge     ●●●●● Ride        
Thrown             Resistance  ●     Medicine      ●●●●● Larceny         Sail        
War                Survival          Occult        ●●●●● Stealth         Socialize   

Craft (Fire) ●●●●

Languages: Riverspeak (Native: Nexus), Old Realm, Flametongue, High Realm

Specialties

Archery (Beam weapons) ●●●
Investigation (Finding concealed objects) ●
Occult (Sorcery) ●

Backgrounds

Resources: ●●●●   Income from medical practice (3), also gift from helpful Mnemon (1, no plot armor)
Manse:     ●      A crumbling lightning-blasted tower on top of a mountain
Artifact:  ●      Orichalcum chainshirt
Artifact:  ●●●    Reason: a death ray

Charms

• Second Excellencies: Medicine, Archery, Craft, Investigation, Integrity
• (Dodge) Shadow Over Water (Dodge 3 Ess 1 p227): 1m, Reflexive (Step 2), Combo-OK, Instant. Ignore all penalties to Dodge DV.
• (Dodge) Seven Shadows Evasion (Dodge 4 Ess 2 p227): 3m, Reflexive (Step 2), Combo-OK Obvious, Instant. Dodge the undodgeable, unless unexpected. Conviction flaw.
• (Dodge) Leaping Dodge Method (Dodge 3 Ess 2 p227): 3m, Reflexive (Step 9), Combo-OK Counterattack, Instant. After using a Dodge defense against an attack, the Exalt leaps ([Strength + Dodge] x6) yards horizontally or ([Strength + Dodge] x3) yards vertically away from the attacker. The Exalt chooses the direction and distance of her jump, as long as it is away from the attacker. If the attacker cannot reflexively move to close this distance, any attack flurry will be disrupted. This Charm follows the rules for Counterattacks, reducing DV by 1 and not functioning against another Counterattack.
• (Awareness) Surprise Anticipation Method (Awareness 5 Ess 2 p226): 1m, Reflexive (Step 2), Combo-OK, Instant. Expect the unexpected.
• (Medicine) Wound-Mending Care Technique (Medicine 3 Ess 2 p219): 10m, Supplemental, Combo-OK Touch, Until the day ends. Treat for one hour and roll (Int+Med); target recovers successes in lethal or bashing at the end of the treatment (errata). If target spends the day resting, target recovers (Solar's Ess) additional lethal and bashing levels. Usable once per day on each target.
• (Medicine) Flawless Diagnosis Technique (Medicine 1 Ess 1 p220): 1m, Reflexive, Combo-OK, Instant. It's not lupus.
• (Medicine) Instant Treatment Methodology (Medicine 2 Ess 2 p220): 7m, Simple (Speed 6 DV -1), Combo-OK Touch, Instant. Any medicine action that would normally take up to one hour takes six ticks.
• (Lore) Essence-Lending Method (Lore 2 Ess 1 p217): 3m, Simple (Speed 4 DV -1), Combo-OK Obvious Touch, Instant. Transfer up to (Essence x3) motes to another character. The essence transferred does not count for the purpose of anima flare. Transferred motes go first into personal, then peripheral, and cannot raise a pool above its maximum.
• (Craft) Craftsman Needs No Tools (Craft 4 Ess 3 p213): 7m 1wp, Supplemental, Combo-OK, Instant. Removes need for tools, removes penalties for lacking tools, and the character accomplishes (Essence x 3) hours of work in each hour spent working.
• (Linguistics) Sagacious Reading of Intent (Linguistics 1 Ess 1 p233): 3m, Reflexive (step 2), Combo-OK Social, Instant. Identifies the motivation behind a given statement that the Exalt reads or hears: a one-sentence summary of what the person hopes to gain. Perfect defense against social attacks that are fundamentally hostile to the Exalt or her Motivation.
• (Occult) Spirit-Detecting Glance (Occult 2 Ess 2 p221): 3m, Reflexive (Step 1), Combo-OK, One scene. I see dead people. But not touch them.
• (Occult) Shadowlands Circle Necromancy (Occult 3 Ess 3): Permanent. Take Shape Necromancy and Cast Necromancy actions as appropriate.
• (Occult) Terrestrial Circle Sorcery (Occult 3 Ess 3 p220): Permanent. Take Shape Sorcery and Cast Sorcery actions as appropriate.
• (Shadowlands) Master Puppeteer's Knife (Treatises p131-132): 14m 1wp. Can be cast as reflexive 0-tick Shape Necromancy action. All animate dead within 15 yards and a 90-degree arc return to full death. Targets must be extras. Can be used to destroy animated corpses of greater power or intellect by focusing on a single target per casting. Does not affect undead war machines.
• (Shadowlands) Iron Countermagic (Treatises p131): 10m or 20m, 1wp. Can be cast as reflexive 0-tick Shape Necromancy action. 10m to shatter any Shadowlands Necromancy spell that would affect the caster in a fashion he considers undesirable, until one action after the caster has rejoined battle after casting. 20m to shatter any Shadowlands Necromancy spell operating or being shaped within (Essence x 50) feet. Shattering a spell is a destructive effect that can cause damage, though less than a fully operational spell. Cannot banish ghosts or demons.
• (Terrestrial) Thunder Wolf's Howl (Treatises p67) 10m 1wp. Target point within 100 yards explodes with sound, 20 yard diameter; can't be parried or dodged; damage is (Int+Occ) rolled plus Essence bashing levels, ignoring worn armor. All living creatures in the AoE take a -2 internal penalty for 5 ticks per success rolled; Essence wielders roll (Stamina+Resistance) and subtract 5 ticks per success.
• (Terrestrial) Conjuring the Azure Chariot (Treatises 42) 15m 1wp. Fly at 100 yds/tick or 200 mph as long as the sun is in the sky. Carries all actual PCs.

C-C-C-Combo's

Discretion: 1wp, 0m+

• 2nd Archery, reflexive, 2m+
• Surprise Anticipation Method, reflexive, 1m
• Seven Shadows Evasion, reflexive, 3m

  The Professor, though he may be lost in thought, comes to a sudden realization and moves with impossible speed to avoid danger, trailing streamers of blue-green essence as he does so.

Power over Life: 1wp, 17m+

• 2nd Medicine, reflexive, 2m+
• Wound-Mending Care Technique, Medicine supplemental, 10m
• Instant Treatment Methodology, Medicine simple, 7m
• Seven Shadows Evasion, reflexive, 3m

  Outside combat there is no obvious display associated with this combo.

  In combat, when subtlety is less important, the Professor simply places his hands on a wounded patient and directs a flow of blue essence into the damaged flesh, which spontaneously heals; the process gives off green sparks.

Essence

Essence: ●●●
Regeneration: 2/hour from hearthstone, 6/hour relaxed, 10/hour sleeping
Personal Essence Pool: 17/17
Peripheral Essence Pool: 31/39
Committed Essence: 8

Willpower

Willpower: ●●●●● ●●●
Temporary: □□□□□ □□□

Virtues

Virtues:

Compassion ●
Conviction ●●●●
Temperance ●●
Valor      ●●●

Virtue flaw: Deliberate Cruelty (Conviction)
Limit: □□□□□ □□□□□
Limit Break Condition: The character is subjected to severe stress or backed against the wall.

Inventory

• Reason: a two-foot-long thin orichalcum tube covered with complicated circuitry; usually kept concealed under a long jacket. The Professor found it by digging in the rubble at his manse. It functions as a hand-held Essence-powered beam weapon that requires 2m per shot. It can be used in two modes. It has one hearthstone socket and Attune 6. (Compare Power Mace, Wonders 78, and Small Concussive Essence Cannon, Wonders 131; Artifact 3)

  Speed 5 Accuracy +2 Damage 10L piercing Rate 2 Range 60 Min Str 2

  Speed 5 Accuracy +2 Damage 15B piercing Rate 2 Range 100 Min Str 2

• Orichalcum Chainshirt: Shining orichalcum. The professor forged it out of scraps of orichalcum that he found under rubble at the manse. Worn concealed under clothing. Soak 7A/7L/5B, Hardness 3, Attune 2. (Core 390; Artifact 1)
• Normal clothing: lab coats, long jackets, thick gloves, goggles, etc. (Resources 2)
• Perfect medical stuff (Resources 3): perfect tools add +2d to Medicine rolls
• Deluxe Punishment Bag (It's a secret to everybody)

Manses and Hearthstones

The Spire of Shattered Memories (Air Manse 1)

A shattered granite tower on a mountaintop, open to the sky and blasted by lightning. Rubble is strewn around the area. There could be undiscovered catacombs beneath it, and it's possible this ruined shell was once much more powerful...

• Minimally Habitable (2 pt drawback)
• Ultra-Deadly Traps (3 pt feature)

Hearthstone: Memory Stone: the character remembers everything perfectly, to the point of being able to make (Perception+Awareness) rolls to examine something 50 years after having seen it.

Combat

Dodge DV: 7
Dodge MDV: 7
Soak: 7A/8L/7B
Pierced: 4A/5L/5B
Hardness: 3

Attacks

Punch:       Spd 5 Hit 6     Dmg 2B    PDV 4   Rate 3
Kick:        Spd 5 Hit 5     Dmg 5B    PDV 2   Rate 2
Clinch:      Spd 6 Hit 5     Dmg 2B            Rate 1 Piercing
Reason/L:    Spd 5 Hit 15    Dmg 10L   Rng 60  Rate 2 Piercing
Reason/B:    Spd 5 Hit 15    Dmg 15B   Rng 100 Rate 2 Piercing
Flame piece: Spd 5 Hit 11    Dmg 8L    Rng 8   Rate 1

Health

□ -0
□ -1
□ -1
□ -2
□ -2
□ -4
□ Incapacitated
□ Dying
□ Dying

Advancement

• 11BP to Abilities and Specialties
• 2BP to Willpower
• 2BP to Combo (SAM+SSE)
• (25xp start)
• 16XP to Essence 3 (9/25)
• 6XP to Combo (ITM+WMCT+2Med) (3/25)
• 3XP to Artifact 1 (Chainshirt) (0/25)
• (7xp get -- Session 1: now 7/32)
• 3XP to Temperance 2 (4/32)
• 1XP to Investigation 2 (3/32)
• (8xp get -- Session 2: now 11/40)
• 1XP to add 2nd Archery to combo Discretion (10/40)
• 8XP to Shadowlands Circle Necromancy (2/40)
• (8xp get -- Session 3: now 10/48)
• (7xp get -- Session fail: now 17/55)
• 8xp: Spirit-Detecting Glance (9/55)
• (16xp get -- Session 4: now 25/71)
• 4xp: Add SSE to combo Power Over Life (21/71)
• 10xp: Sagacious Reading of Intent (11/71)
• 8xp: Master Puppeteer's Knife (3/71)
• (12xp get -- Session 5: now 15/83)
• (8xp get -- Session 6: now 23/91)
• (4xp get -- bonus: now 27/95)
• 3xp: Investigation 3 (24/95)
• 8xp: 2nd Investigation (16/95)
• (8xp get -- Session 7: now 24/103)
• (10xp get -- Session 8, everybody goes to 113: now 34/113)
• (8xp get -- Session 9 now 42/121)
• 12xp: Occult 4+5 (30/121)
• 4xp: Athletics 2+3 (26/121)
• 8xp: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery (18/121)
• 8xp: Iron Countermagic (10/121)
• (8xp get -- Session 10 now 18/129)
• 8xp: Thunder Wolf's Howl (10/129)
• 10xp: 2nd Integrity (0/129)
• 6xp: Integrity 2+3 (-6/129)
• (17xp get -- Session 11 now 11/146)
• 8xp: Conjuring the Azure Chariot 42 (3/146)
• (8xp get -- Session 12 now 11/154)
• (8xp get -- Session 13 now 19/162)
• 8xp: Leaping Dodge Method (11/162)
• 3xp: Occult (Sorcery) (8/162)
• 8xp: Essence-Lending Method (0/162)
• (8xp get -- Session 14 now 8/170)
• 12xp: Perception 4 (-4/170)
• (17xp get -- Session 15 now 13/187)

Shopping List

No particular order. Also not really complete.

• 5xp: Combo of CNNT and 2nd Craft: I Have the Technology (5 days)
• 3xp: Add Leaping Dodge Method to Combo
• 1xp: Add Essence-Gathering Temper to Combo (EGT)
• 24xp: Essence 4 (3 months)
• 16xp: Willpower 9 (instant)
• 16xp: Perception 5 (4 months)
• 12xp: Wits 4 (3 months)
• 16xp: Wits 5 (4 months)
• 8xp: Appearance 3 (2 months)
• 12xp: Manipulation 4 (3 months)
• 8xp: Stamina 3 (2 months)
• 3xp: Compassion 2 (eventually)
• 12xp: Conviction 5 (instant)
• 6xp: Temperance 3 (instant)
• 9xp: Temperance 4 (instant)
• 12xp: Temperance 5 (instant)
• 9xp: Valor 4 (instant)
• 12xp: Valor 5 (instant)
• 6xp: Integrity 4
• 8xp: Integrity 5
• 1xp: Resistance 2
• 3xp: Resistance 3
• 5xp: Resistance 4
• 7xp: Resistance 5
• 3xp: Craft (Air) 1
• 1xp: Craft (Air) 2
• 3xp: Craft (Water) 1
• 3xp: Craft (Genesis) 1 (Capped at Lore/Med/Occ)
• 3xp: Craft (Magitech) 1 (Fire 2, Air 2, something 1, capped at Lore)
• 5xp: Investigation 4
• 7xp: Investigation 5
• 5xp: Lore 4
• 7xp: Lore 5
• 3xp: Occult (Sorcery)
• 3xp: Occult (Sorcery or Necromancy)
• 5xp: Athletics 4
• 7xp: Athletics 5
• 8xp: Trance of Unhesitating Speed
• 8xp: Flashing Vengeance Draw (Trance)
• 8xp: Arrow Storm Technique (Trance)
• 8xp: There Is No Wind
• 8xp: Accuracy Without Distance (TINW)
• 8xp: Unerring Bolt of Justice[1] (TINW)
• 8xp: Ox-Body Technique
• 8xp: Body-Mending Meditation
• 8xp: Wound-Mending Purity Stance (Res 5 Ess 4 ResExc BMM)
• 8xp: Durability of Oak Meditation (Res 2)
• 8xp: Iron Skin Concentration (Res 3 Oak)
• 8xp: Spirit Strengthens the Skin (Res 2 Oak)
• 8xp: Adamant Skin Technique (Res 5 Oak/SStS)
• 8xp: Essence-Gathering Temper
• 8xp: Judge's Ear Technique
• 8xp: Touch of Blissful Release
• 8xp: Contagion-Curing Touch
• 8xp: Wound-Cleansing Meditation (CCT)
• 8xp: Wholeness-Restoring Meditation
• 8xp: Will-Bolstering Method (ELM)
• 8xp: Chaos Repelling Pattern
• 8xp: 2nd Lore
• 8xp: 3rd Lore
• 8xp: Immanent Solar Glory (Lore 5 LoreExc)
• 8xp: Wyld-Shaping Technique (Lore 5 CRP 2xLoreExc)
• 8xp: Order-Affirming Blow (Ess 4 Lore 5 WST WBM)
• 8xp: Wyld Cauldron Technology (Ess 4 Lore 5 WST)
• 8xp: Aspect of the Philosopher Prince (Lore 5 Ess 4 ISG)
• 8xp: Celestial Circle Sorcery (Essence 4)
• 8xp: Solar Circle Sorcery (Essence 5 Cele)
• 8xp: Labyrinth Circle Necromancy (Essence 4)
• 8xp: 2nd Occult
• 8xp: Spirit-Cutting Attack
• 8xp: All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight
• 8xp: Awareness excellency
• 8xp: Keen Sight Technique (AwaExc)
• 8xp: Unsurpassed Sight Discipline (KeenSight)
• 8xp: Eye of the Unconquered Sun (UnsurpassedSight Ess 5)
• 8xp: Graceful Crane Stance
• 8xp: Spider-Foot Style (GCS)
• 8xp: Feather-Foot Style (Athletics 4 GCS)
• 8xp: Eagle-Wing Style (Athletics 5 Essence 4 SFS/FFS)
• 8xp: Monkey Leap Technique
• 8xp: Foe-Vaulting Method (Athletics 5 MLT)
• 8xp: Athletics excellency
• 8xp: Thunderbolt Attack Prana (AthExc)
• 8xp: Refinement of Flowing Shadows (Ess 4)
• 10xp: Integrity Protecting Prana
• 10xp: Phoenix Renewal Tactic (Valor) (Integ 4)
• 10xp: Temptation-Resisting Stance
• 10xp: Spirit-Maintaining Maneuver (Integ 4)
• 10xp: Lion's Roar Recovery (Integ 5 Ess 4 PRT)

• 8xp: Bone Puppet Dance 126
• 8xp: Raise the Skeletal Horde 132-133
• 8xp: Shattering Void Mirror 133
• 8xp: Walking War Machine 136

• 8xp: Demon of the First Circle core 252
• 8xp: Summon Elemental core 254
• 8xp: Flight of the Brilliant Raptor 47
• 8xp: Flying Guillotine 48
• 8xp: Emerald Countermagic core 253
• 8xp: Coin of Distant Vision 41

Custom charms

• Unerring Bolt of Justice
• Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple
• Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Mirror (Piercing Ghost Barb; Abyssals, p122)
• Duration: Instant
• Prerequisite Charms: There is No Wind

The Lawgivers' weapons harm none but their intended targets, passing harmlessly through innocent bystanders and cowards' armor alike, for nothing can stand before the justice of the Sun.

This negates all cover, all soak other than innate, and makes the attack unblockable except by unarmed parries. No one other than the designated target(s) will be harmed; if the attack misses, it will have no other effect.