Runa Yggdrasil
Runa%20bust%20recolor.jpg

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Personality

Runa is fairly naive and doesn't keep the best lid on her abilities, nor does she see them as the least bit unnatural or surprising. When she does remember to pretend to be normal, she often overcompensates, leading to situations such as covering herself in unnecessary bandages to feign injury. She's a cheerful, energetic person with a tomboyish streak, despite being of an age to have outgrown it.

Her views on things like justice and heroism aren't completely black and white, but they aren't very nuanced either. She feels that power should be used for the right reasons, and those are usually to help other people. Since she looks up to the heroes in comic books, she avoids killing whenever possible. She feels that it's unbecoming of a hero to do something like carry a gun or take everything into her own hands and become judge, jury, and executioner. Choosing between her ideals, duty, and friendship would be particularly trying for her, in any situation where they come into conflict.

Like many her age, she can be temperamental and become easily frustrated or annoyed when things don't go her way or people disagree with her, and one of the few times she is likely to plan is when she feels a need for petty revenge. She at least sticks to relatively harmless (i.e. nonviolent) pranks, although this doesn't make it any less annoying. If one would rather bribe their way out of her wrath, peace offerings of food work wonders, and are light on the pocketbook, given she considers cheap instant ramen to be a delicacy.

Some other assorted quirks:
Runa enjoys chewing gum, and usually has some of one type or another on hand.
If she figures out something she does bothers one of her friends, she'll probably keep doing it just to tease them or be contrary. Particularly if she can find some technicality on any requests for her to stop.

Appearance

Runa's about average in height and build. She probably doesn't look quite as athletic and physically capable as she actually is. She has dark skin, golden eyes, and hair that's a red so dark it usually looks black or brown except where it catches the light. She is somewhat visibly inhuman, (though whether or not anyone actually comments on this is up to the GM), most notably that her eyes are a metallic gold and have vertical slitted pupils more like a reptile's than a human's. Some of her bone structure and physiology also doesn't quite match up, but it's not so immediately visible to cursory examination. Her hair tends to move a little on its own,as if stirred by a breeze that isn't there, and her ahoge in particular is downright expressive, moving depending on her mood.

The little metal-looking bits sticking out of her face and around her navel aren't piercings, so much as little bits of metallized bone. They are pretty much just for fashion, though. She's left-handed. Her usual preference for outfits tends toward sun dresses and other loose clothing that's easy to move in. She also seems fond of light or bright colors, even if most don't take bloodstains well.

Background and other things

Runa's story starts probably decades before the game actually begins, with the discovery of an alien lifeform in the Antarctic (or somewhere else interesting and cold). An organization built around this discovery, to study it carefully. Today, that organization is Ratatoskr, a UN-sponsored (semi-) secret organization for study of extraterrestrials and preparation for contact. Early research on their sample provided plenty of information. First, that it's apparently still alive, despite being thousands of years old. Second, that it's still dangerous, as attested by a fair few deaths and horror stories from the early days, before they developed their best containment methods. And, about at the same time as the second, that it's capable of changing its shape and physiology in alarming ways, and can even spread some sort of dangerous toxins and pathogens.

Studies became very careful after those first few incidents, mostly sussing out the abilities of their alien sample and its potential, leading to many advancements in biological engineering. Most of which probably didn't leave Ratatoskr's facilities. One of the primary aims of their research was also to harness the alien's power somehow, because if things like that live out there, humanity would need power like it in order to defend itself. One researcher, Dr. Hasegawa, discovered a structure that appeared to be a human uterus and ovaries within the mass of alien flesh, and proposed using it to create a human/alien hybrid. The first attempt ended in disaster. Much like the alien itself, the hybrid was extremely powerful, but uncontrollable, and far more intelligent and self-aware. Something so monstrous was subdued at great cost, and any further experiments in the same vein were indefinitely suspended.

A few years later, enter the Y Project, or Yggdrasil Project. Headed by Dr. Hasegawa, the project's ultimate goal was to, secretly, create a second hybrid, which would actually be stable and controlled. The work too years, but eventually did bear fruit, using very careful genetic engineering on top of the same basic techniques. The aim was to create a hybrid which would be much more human, and only grow into its abilities slowly, in the hopes of producing a more even temperament and perhaps most importantly, and actually human outlook and mentality. Of course, such an endeavor could not be kept secret forever, and when it was found out, the good doctor was summarily removed from Ratatoskr, and his research appropriated and presumably destroyed.

The actual hybrid itself proved to be quite…resistant to destruction, and so it was decided that it would be best to simply take a wait and see approach. The result is Runa, a not quite normal girl, who spent her early years growing up under very careful observation in a lab. She currently lives with one of her researchers, as an adopted daughter. She is still under supervision and observation, although it's a little less obvious than it used to be. Her surrogate parents are doing their best to raise her well, and she seems to get along about as well as any teenager would. She's still a bit…different, from her frequent lab visits for tests and early years spent housed inside one in a secret government facility. At least she now also gets to go play in other secret facilities. It's worth noting that throughout Ratatoskr, it's pretty easy to tell how people think of her simply by how they refer to her, with some using her given name, and others using her project codename only, preferring to continue treating her like some sort of experiment.

Runa currently lives with Erik and Helen Jensen. She attends school under the name Runa Jensen, along with her (adoptive) brother and sister.
Runa's diary of events - There's probably some sort of warning not to read this written on it.

Character Sheet

Ability Scores:

Str Agi Fgt Awe
Score: 0 6 6 2
Sta Dex Int Pre
Score: 6 3 0 1

48 PP

Defenses and Combat:

Defenses
Name Total Defense Class Notes/Sources
Toughness: +11 21 6 Sta, 5 Protection
Dodge: +11 21 6 Agi, 5 base; reflex and ranged defense
Parry: +11 21 6 Fgt, 5 base, melee defense
Fortitude: +11 21 6 Sta, 4 base
Will: +7 17 2 Awe, 5 base
Combat
Name Total Notes/Sources
Melee Attack: +11 Fgt 6, Close Combat 5
Ranged Attack: +3/+11 3 Dex/ 11 Ranged combat
Initiative: +10 +4 Improved Initiative, +6 Agi
Grapple: +11 +6 Fgt, +5 Close Combat
Knockback resistance:
Health
Bruised Dazed Staggered Incapacitated
- - - -
Fatigued Exhausted Unconscious
- - -

Defenses 20 PP

Carrying Capacity:
(in lb):
- Manual
Maximum Load 50 lbs

Movement Rates:

Type: Tactical: Total
Movement 30 feet 20MPH
Jumping 9 feet 18 ft running
Flight 1 mile 500 MPH

Skills:

Skill Rank Bonus Total
Acrobatics 4 +6 +10
Close Combat (Offensive power array) 5 +6 +11
Expertise: Hunting 2 +2 +4
Insight 0 +2 +2
Intimidation 0 +1 +1
Perception 10 +2 +12
Persuasion 4 +1 +5
Ranged Combat (offensive power array) 8 +3 +11
Stealth 3 +6 +9

18 PP

Advantages:

Advantage: Effect
Accurate Attack May trade up to -5 on effect modifier for up to +5 on accuracy check on attacks.
All-Out Attack May trade up to -5 on active defenses (dodge and parry) to get the same bonus on accuracy checks.
Improved Initiative +4 on Initiative checks.
Interpose Once per round, when an ally within her movement range is hit by an attack, Runa may place herself between the attacker and her ally as a reaction, making her the target of the attack. The attack hits her, and is resolved normally. Interpose cannot be used against area effects or perception-ranged attacks, only those requiring an attack check.
Luck 1 One additional reroll as if spending a hero point. Luck refreshes when hero points "reset" at the beginning of an adventure.
Power Attack Runa may take a penalty of up to -5 on attack checks to add the same number to the effect rank of her attack.
Improved Grab From extra limbs. Runa may make grab attacks with only one arm, leaving her others free to do other things. She can also maintain the grab with only the one limb, and is not Vulnerable while grabbing.

6 PP

Powers

Adaptive Physiology Immunity 9
Acton: N/A Range: Personal Duration: Permanent
Descriptors: Alien, Biological, Runa is immune to disease, poison, and all possible environmental conditions (except those which cause damage). She also doesn't need to breathe 9full suffocation immunity).
1 PP/r = 9 PP
Runa's body adapts extremely quickly to environmental stresses and toxins, rendering her able to survive almost anywhere she can still find food. Temperature and pressure extremes don't bother her in the slightest, to the point she wouldn't even notice something out of the ordinary. She also isn't bothered by vacuum, apparently because she doesn't need to breathe.
Tooth and Nail Damage 11
Acton: Standard Range: Close Duration: Instant
Extra(s): Variable Descriptor 2: Any biological Descriptors: Alien, Shapeshifting, variable DC 26 close attack, resisted by Toughness. Variable descriptor can be anything for claws, teeth, enhanced muscle mass, poisons or toxins, etc. (and appropriate damage type if we want to look at cutting versus bludgeoning). Has the following feats applied: Improved Critical 2 (18-20), Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Precise Attack (close, cover).
1 PP/r +2PP extra +5PP feats = 18PP

Runa enhances her melee combat by growing a variety of natural weapons, with different appearances and ways of putting on the hurt. It's usually just some sort of tentacles, though.

Gravity Float Flight 8
Action: Free Range: Personal Duration: Sustained
Exras: Noticeable (-1 point) Descriptors: Gravitic Runa can fly by creating a distorted gravity field around her. It's more noticeable than usual as this field takes the form of a large dark sphere above her head (or in front of her direction of travel).
2pp/rank -1 point flat = 15 PP

//Runa flies by grating a gravitational disturbance over her head. She's more or elss scooting around on some sort of very visible inertialess drive field. The sperical distortion can also pick up small loose debris and pull it into orbits around it. Any time she accelerates or does a quick "dash", a ring of rainbow light spreads around her and dissipates after a short while. //

Inhuman Vitality Protection 5
Acton: N/A Range: Personal Duration: Permanent
Descriptors: Rapid healing, Alien, Biological Runa has +5 on Toughness saves, already noted in the math elsewhere.
1 PP/r = 5 PP

Runa's body heals extremely quickly, to the point that injuries which most people would consider inconvenient are gone almost as soon as they're inflicted. Put in more game-y terms, when Runa makes a Toughness save, it may not be that the attack fails to hurt her, but that the injury heals as quickly as it's inflicted. Injuries that actually stick around can be considered more severe than usual.

Iron Stomach Feature 1
Acton: N/A Range: Personal Duration: Permanent
Descriptors: Alien, Biological Runa can eat anything that isn't toxic without ill effects, and given her immunity to most things that are toxic, it boils down to the fact that she can derive sustenance from virtually any organic matter, assuming that she can figure out how to actually eat it.
1 PP/r = 1 PP

Just one small benefit of her unique physiology. Of course, she has to actually be able to chew and swallow something to eat it.

Minor Shapeshifting Feature 1
Acton: N/A Range: Personal Duration: Permanent
Descriptors: Alien, Biological, Shapeshifting Runa can alter her body in very small ways, such as changing her general build, bust size, length of her hair, growing additional eyes, teeth, or whatever else, and so-on. At best, she an gain a +2 to an appropriate check using this power.
1 PP/r = 1 PP

Anything particularly clever is currently beyond her, unless it's covered by another power already. No matter what she does, she is also pretty easily recognizable as herself.

Superhero "costume" Feature 1
Acton: N/A Range: Personal Duration: Permanent
Descriptors: Alien, Biological, Shapeshifting Runa has figured out how to grow her own superhero costume to hide her identity and also look cool. Not that it isn't obviously still flesh and probably a bit icky.
1 PP/r = 1 PP

Exactly what it says on the tin. May or may not destroy her clothes.

Regeneration Regeneration 5
Acton: N/A Range: Personal Duration: Permanent
Descriptors: Alien, Biological Runa recovers quickly from harm. Remove a -1 penalty to Toughness checks due to damage every other round, and then recover from other damage conditions, starting with the most severe condition.
1 PP/r = 5 PP

Even if Runa is damaged enough to be injured, her body will quickly repair itself.

Enhanced Senses Senses 5
Acton: N/A Range: Personal Duration: Permanent
Descriptors: Biological, alien Runa's Olfactory sense is Acute, and usable for tracking (at reduced speed; -1 speed rank). She also ignores circumstance penalties to vision due to poor lighting, as long as it's not completely dark. Runa's sense of taste is both acute and analytical, meaning she can not only discern details, but get down to exact chemical composition, genetic code, and so-on for things she tastes or eats.
1 PP/r = 3 PP

Runa can detect fine details by scent, and even track by it. She can identify a person by scent, much like many animals can, and otherwise better identify fine details in smells. Her eyes are also much more cat-like than human-like, and she is capable of easily seeing just fine in all but the worst lighting conditions. Her sense of taste is so refined she's basically a walking chemical analysis lab.

PP spent on powers: 73 PP

Complications

  • Clueless: Runa's something of a naive idiot. She can read, write, etc and has basic knowledge of how the world works, but there are some gaps. And she'll usually just go with what others say if they're convincing. She also has little sense of her abilities versus a normal person's.
  • Identity: At the moment, Runa doesn't maintain a specific superhero identity. Enemies can probably harass her anywhere, though she won't be happy about it.
  • Motivation: Doing Good Runa was raised to do the right thing and be heroic. She's under no illusions about what she is, and knows that she's supposed to protect people (and/or humanity). She also really likes superhero comics and shows, which may have been a slight influence as well.
  • Quirk: Runa loves food and is very easily bribed with it, particularly any offers of her favorites, which include such wonders as cup ramen.
  • Power loss: Runa still needs to eat, and if she doesn't, her body will slowly shut down. If she doesn't get enough food, her Regeneration and any Shapeshifting powers will stop functioning until she does eat again. Of course, if she's kept low on food long enough, her body will pull together for one really violent push of self-preservation, which is usually going to be very bad for anything nearby.
  • Enemy: Runa's creator is quite interested in getting his hands on her to continue his research. Will probably be replaced or modified as time goes on and circumstances change.
  • Unusual Biochemistry: Runa's body chemisty is very different from a human's, so any drug is likely to not affect her in the normal way. Sure, her body is also likely to treat anything as poison and just quickly become immune to it, but hero points for something innocuous (or not) doing something strange are fine. Also, anything specifically tailored to affect her will work exactly as intended, at least once.
  • School: Runa goes to school and does other typical teenage girl things. May not come up much in a primary way during the game, but it's a responsibility. and a place to do fun things, should one want to antagonize her.
  • Friends: Similar to the above, but she's got friends who can be targeted, or just be problems completely on their own. Shenanigans expected to ensue.
  • Jotun are terrifying: Sort-of a Prejudice complication. On Earth, people can react however they want to her, but in space, Runa is part of a horde of deadly space monsters that eat everything at worst, or a horrible abomination at best, should her nature be known. Basically, aliens tend to be nervous, frightened, or whatever else around her and if it's detrimental, she can get a hero point. Complication-level version of her issue about being part space monster, for the social side.

Issues

Issues listed here, with both the benefits and drawbacks.

Government Property

Runa belongs, somewhat more literally than one might expect, to Ratatoskr, the UN-sponsored organization responsible for researching the alien sample that was eventually used to create her. Officially an extraterrestiral contact and research organization, Ratatoskr has a fair bit of power on its own, particularly as it may be the only real means of dealing with any threats similar to what they dug up in Antarctica. Runa is officially an agent, should any questions of her activities come up, and she may therefore try to call in for support, either financially or otherwise. And sometimes, they might even listen to her.

Positive: Runa can request support from Ratatoskr, usually in the form of manpower, transportation, money, or information. Such support may not always be available, however.

Negative: Runa is expected to act as an operative, follow orders. If she's given a mission, she'll carry it out, or face dire consequences, at least including loss of all benefits for some time. While she isn't kept under complete isolation, she is kept under observation. She has a curfew, and if she's missing too long, nice gentlemen in black suits will start trying to find her. She also must report in for regular check-ups and rounds of testing.

Horrible Alien Monstrosity

Runa is (partially) a horrible alien monster. The sort of monster that's generally feared in the galaxy at large, and most people would steer clear of whenever possible. The Earth may have unwittingly violated local galactic laws in carrying out their experiments.

Positive: That sort of reputation could be useful if leveraged correctly. Covers various powers and other things, as needed.

Negative: It might also be very detrimental, or require a lot of explaining before being accepted as "one of the good guys." Also, if there's any sort of Space Cops, they'd totally have some questions. Runa is susceptible to whatever psychic influence of any hivemind the true horrible aliens might have if they do show up, and it may well take her a while to figure out that's what it is. Oh, yeah, and she's likely to attract the proper members of her race to Earth, simply by existing. Talk about your self-fulfilling prophecies…

Unstable Survival Instinct

Very rarely, Runa will manage to survive some truly impossible situation, as her body just goes on automatic and does whatever it need sto to survive, both in terms of altering itself and more direct actions.

Positive: Benefits of uncontrolled Holding Back drawback (from M&M 2e). She'd get stronger, tougher, and otherwise be able to do interesting things, possbily beyond her usual powers. And she'd survive whatever horrible situation actually drove her to such an extreme.

Negative: Uncontrollable and purely ticks on by plot, so it's not get out of death free card. It's got to somehow make sense that she's pushed to a real extreme of desperation or whatever. Also, Runa is a completely uncontrolled while in this state. If she fights, she's a berserker with no ability to tell friend from foe (and may well just actively attack whatever closest, particularly if she needs to eat). If quickly leaving or whatever else is what she needs to do, that is what she'd do. The inevitable fall-out of her actions will, of course, lead to its own complications as well.

Assimilation

Honestly, not sure if I should actually include or leverage this, but the concept is entertaining.

Positive: Runa's adaptive physiology allows her to assimilate the abilities of other superhumans, provided they have a genetic or biological basis. All she has to do is eat a significant portion of their flesh. The powers are most likely only temporary unless she spends Power Points to buy them permanently, and what she gains may be up to the GM. Probably also the only way for Runa to shapeshift and mimic another person. Only temporary if the person she's imitating is also still alive, as opposed to her eating all of them.

Negative: She basically needs to eat her enemies (or allies) in order for this to work, and there's no way something like that getting out would go over well. Actual limitations are also in effect, no eating robots to get tech powers, and if powers are due to drugs or other one-off strange things, it also won't work.

Hero Points, etc

Some Other Things
Hero Points 1
Luck Rerolls 1

Power Points/Experience

Total Power Points: 150

Changes on level up

  • PL 7: Improved basic abilities, longer tentacles and more of them.
  • PL 8: Dropped power to improve intimidate as it hasn't been used and might be coverable via shapeshifting features. Regeneration upgraded to 5. Area attack added. Melee attack upgraded. Basic attributes, etc. upgraded.
  • PL 9: More keeping up with numbers improvements. Gained a ranged attack. Probably very significant rework incoming at PL 10.
  • PL 10: Reworked her sheet a fair bit for point efficency and other things. Runa now has gravity hax and can do FTL travel. Also, she's got an anime wave motion gun.
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