#[worm]

[noneatnonedotcom]

big golden retriever energy

it's me ya boy back with an intresting idea this time. i'll discribe the power set and you tell me if this would be mind control or not. it should be noted this guy is your average teen superhero and is generally extremely friendly. so no deeper meanings behind his actions than wanting to help. he can also be used as an anti danny if you put him in that universe. again the setting isn't the issue the issue is how his powers work.

Greg Veder had been hit by puberty in the same way Leviathan had hit japan, extremely fast, brutal, and in a way that left the shape of the place forever changed.

you might think he was being dramatic but when you go from a normal twelve year old boy to looking like someone carved you from marble it was an issue.

doctors couldn't find any parahuman parts to his brain, they could find no sign that he'd been experimented on with tinker tech and so greg was just left being weirdly defined for his age. his mother already worried that he'd be picked up by the empire had him cover up and generally avoid attention. something easy for him since he found he liked being indoors more often than not.

no longer needing sleep as much though and having a lot of pent up energy he thought what would be the harm in just playing around with his newfound strength?

one saved woman in an alley later and the bay had it's youngest superhero in history, and not affiliated with the wards program at all.

surely this wouldn't result in a series of domino effects that would alter the trajectory of every person in the bay!

powers!

Heroic Power: "While some endowed with great strength give off a brutal atmosphere, others are more in line with great protectors of the people. Your noble heart shines through your body, with bulging muscles and power to match any berserking beast.

Your natural strength could smash great boats in two and is exceptionally useful for your new style of fighting, the use of the noble bow. Even with a crudely made bow, your strength greatly magnifies the power of your shots without damaging the flimsy tool in your hands. You’ve got enough skill to make distant shots on stormy seas in the midst of naval battles as well and your arrows have a peculiar ability to pin down enemies, piercing bone and rock beneath it while remaining far more difficult to remove than should be possible.

Your physical strength has also drawn a bright and vital aura around your being, making others feel warm and healthy when in your presence. It’s easy to make friends with this and that aura will grow as your physical strength does, potentially even letting you show terrible monsters the path to friendship and heroism."

Sei Kior Dou Ki: "Ki is the life force, energy or breath that flows through all living things. Martial artists harness their Ki to perform amazing feats of strength and abilities, with masters able to channel their Ki into effects that are truly superhuman. In this world, Ki can be categorized into two distinct varieties. Dou­ Those who utilize Dou Ki seek to focus it outwards. In battle they are able to channel their emotions into their fighting style, allowing themselves greater speed and strength than their Sei counterparts. Those who have Dou Ki will be able to accelerate their perception and processing speed to react and counter-attacks before they are themselves aware of it. Dou users are more likely to gain sudden bursts of strength and power at crucial moments, channeling tension and anxiety into raw power."

Berserker: "While others may call upon their ki to enhance their strength or endurance, your enhancement is without limit. The longer you remain in a high stress combat situation, the greater your ki will expand and the stronger you will become.

You will need to be stressed and quite angry to perpetuate it, but so long as you remain in combat, your strength and the force of your blows will steadily increase.

If combat wanes or you lose your feelings of aggression however, your strength will atrophy and you will return to your baseline strength within a few moments. "

Enhanced Ki: "Some have ki. You have KI. You can feel it in you and channel it more easily, enhancing the normal effects of Sei and Dou ki to a much greater degree. Perhaps upon reaching the status of a master you may project your ki beyond your body, achieving techniques that can only be described as supernatural in nature. This perk stacks with any boost to ki, chi, aura or other general body­-based energy field you may have. "

so here you go, normal kid who woke up one day to have so much VITALITY that he can just do the impossible, he would have already been attractive to some people but the main issue is his aura of health and warmth is boosted by his enhanced KI and is always rising in battle making it more and more effective against the surrounding people.

is his power mind controlling? or manipulative, what worm would call a Master effect, or should it just be considered a random positive. that the more he needs to push himself the more heroic and safe he feels to those around him?

I submit this build to the panel of judges that I feel would best be able to make a moral decision on the matter. and ask for further elaboration on how they would use a character with the abilities described above in a story.

@weatherman667 @howlingday @heliosthegriffin

we await your judgement.

[noneatnonedotcom]

elaboration on Warlord Greg

new costume

new sword

same build but i'm adding in

Stunt Master: (free) "You are a master of stunting. Any time you try to do something amazing the world will conspire to make your attempted stunt just that little bit more dramatic and incredible.

Maybe there just happens to be a rope to let you swing across the ballroom dramatically as you make off with the nobles treasure, or maybe there's just the right amount of handholds and footholds on two opposing walls, at just the right distance from each other, that would allow you to dramatically wall jump your way up.

So long as you strive to do things in an amazing and/or over the top fashion you will be slightly rewarded for doing so, Fate conspiring to make you that little bit better at whatever you're doing because apparently Fate is really fond of over-the-top action sequences. You can still fail when you're doing over the top stuff though, so don't get too out of hand, this just represents as light-to-moderate increase when you're purposely trying to be amazing."

with this being more of a narative focused power, perhaps an addition to his thinker ability to let him find opertunities for stunts. but in reality this is just to make it so he doesn't have to have outside help to free run across the city.

his earlier powers were Root of all Swords, (making him the greatest swordsman in the world able to cut down armies with fluidity and grace but also giving him control enough to not kill unless he wishes and makes his sword able to cut though any PHYSICAL material. can't cut force fields and the like) knowledge of the sowa (prevents mind control and prediction of any kind up to precognition or clairvoyance of his sword style while in combat) and warlord (just a flat out boost to combat abilities pushing him to godlike levels of timing and technique)

it should be noted that he gained a noctus rating meaning he no longer sleeps at all. he can spend an hour or so meditating or doing a certain ritual to mimic the effects of resting.

Greg's shard was at its root a computer that was all about making sure other shards were performing thier jobs correctly. As a result, it is resistant to outside interference and downloaded perfect technique into Greg's head for how to use his weapons. It also gave him a striker ability that at first seems minor but when paired with his weapon knowledge and talent can eventually allow him to cut across dimensions and slash any number of times with a single movement.

greg's got a mental hang up on guns, as a result of his power he just doesn't understand them at a basic level.

greg's body is that of an unathletic teenaged boy and while his noctus status is giving him plenty of time to train. while he'll never be super human in strength or dexterity he was already a pretty smart kid before he became a thinker and now he has a brain far more skilled at learning as well.

even before he got the master protection via combat greg was emotionally stable. described as a puppy in human form he was excitable and overly friendly but noticeably normal in a city where sex slavers controlled one part, Nazis controlled the other, and mercenaries of a third villain controlled the last part. and he wasn't on drugs or in the empire despite being blonde with blue eyes.

Arc One

Greg's trigger coincided with a girl named Taylor Hebert's, Taylor had been being bullied for over a year at this point to a degree that could be called psychological torture. but the straw that broke the camel's back was her former friend turned personal demon Emma barns shoving her in a locker filled with used female sanitation products. she had just about lost hope that anyone even the faculty would help her when Greg stepped forward and with her help opened her locker and freed her. he helped her get to a phone to call an ambulance and saw her get cleaned up from her ordeal while they waited for help to arrive unmolested and after she left he was found by Sophia Hess and beaten to within an inch of his life.

Emma barns would later accuse him of trying to rape her and he would be Expelled, this would be rescinded after he threatened to take it above the principle's head and he was instead transferred to Arcadia high downtown.

the memories of his assault would come up in dreams quite often and eventually one set of nightmares would be his trigger event. his desire to be able to fight back being interpreted by his shard as a desire to know martial arts techniques and further narrowed down to swords due to his liking of anime and their sword techniques.

two weeks after the locker incident greg would never have to sleep again and would take up the sword to fight crime in the night. mainly going up against the Archer's bridge merchants, a group of drug dealers under the control of three capes, skidmark a man with the ability to create fields of continuous kinetic energy pushing things in one direction, a tinker who was able to make super tanks and vehicles, and mush a man with the ability to control garbage.

greg would take inspiration from zorro and would base his costume off of him and would even take the name of the hero for himself it being public domain in earth bet for a long time by then.

his first initial weeks of superheroing made greg certain of one thing, he really didn't want to deal with the lime light anymore. becoming an errant, that is a hero who does not pursue reputation or seek to make a name for himself via his costume or managed PR, greg fought against street level criminals always careful to never get involved with the police media or PRT directly.

in his down time he started learning free running and found great luck with the mechanical aspects of it. though he would have difficulties running for long periods of time with his low athletic ability. mainly walking to where he needed to go. he would eventually learn that he'd need to plan ahead if he wanted to find criminals. taking time after his nightly patrols to investigate various parts of the city and mark down places of interest and escape routes should things go wrong.

he would be confronted about a month into his vigilante carrier by Arm-master a superhero who used tinkertech weapons and armor.

his aggressive recruiting tactic rubbed Zorro the wrong way and a fight was had. though zorro was athletically average by this point he was still outmatched by the far more powerful tinker using his power armor and high frequency halberd and tools.

Zorro's saving grace was he was simply far more skilled in melee combat while his striker ability wouldn't let him cut through the dense energy that surrounded the halberd his enemy used he was able to anticipate his enemy while his enemy was unable to predict his own moves.

zorro would eventually win dramatically cutting a Z into arm-master's armor telling him he would now have a memento of the time he met a "real hero" before he ran off into the night arm-master's armor too damaged to pursue. this would mark a downward turn in his relations with the PRT and the Protectorate.

Arc Two

it would be another month before he felt he was ready physically to take on the city. his noctus powers giving him more than enough time and energy to run across the city it was time to take down the merchants!

in a series of raids on cook houses meant to draw out the capes so he could take them down Zorro would take down mush first, cutting the golem of trash the man surrounded himself with before dealing enough damage to make the cape stand down.

next would be skidmark the leader whom he simply ambushed as skidmark was heading to a stash house Zorro had just taken down. dropping the man with a single stab in a no life threatening area.

this is where things started to fall apart for the young hero. squeeler now out for blood zorro was stuck running from the enraged tinker lacking in a way to put her down. with each passing minute resulting in further property destruction as she simply bulldozed through any building or structure he attempted to put between them. eventually he was able to cut through the armored monster truck tank thing that she was driving but by then the damage was done.

while he'd managed to put down the Archer's bridge Merchants for good he had been marked as an enemy by the law he would now be hunted by both sides.

@heliosthegriffin @howlingday @weatherman667

this is what i came up with for the first two arcs for the character i made earlier. changed around some cosmetic stuff with the name and how exactly his powers triggered but i thought this fit more with the goofy attitude he has. outright cosplaying as a famous vigilante instead of trying to be his own hero and generally putting his foot in his mouth while fighting with everyone around him. he's an amazing swordsman and the universe rewards him when he does cocky shit but that's about it, it would take months just to get him to average athletic ability and his social skills are actively making his life harder.

felt like it was a good balance. sure he's able to kick just about anyone's ass in a straight up fight but he's learning quick that no one wants to fight him when they know they're gonna loose.

let me know what you think :)

[noneatnonedotcom]

warlord

idea, an ordinary man who's genuinely so talented at combat it's nearly impossible to believe.

Root of all Swords: (600) "For years, you swung your blade in pursuit of a greater truth. While others sought power or wealth or glory in battle, your blade pulled you onwards past where they all faltered. As you learned, others fell in droves to your skill. Maybe before you even looked back and realised just how far beyond other swordsmen you have already come.

You have reached a level of swordsmanship that cannot be described as just supernatural or divine. To the eyes of the few others on your level, they describe it as having reached the Truth of the World with a single cut.

The result is the ability to accomplish many impossible feats through your sword style. Cutting any physical material, repelling vastly superior opponents from a location you guard without injury to yourself, cutting through armies of threatening foes with grace and fluidity.

Even with the body of an ordinary man, rather than some powerful heroic form, you remain one of the most lethal combatants in the world.

Your style currently culminates in a single perfect expression of your talent, which has been taken so far as to warp reality itself. A technique that incorporates the Second Magic to cut three times with one slash, creating an inescapable prison of steel, is the best known example.

But this peak you have reached is just the base of another mountain, as you have the ability to rapidly bring new techniques to such a supreme level. Your repertoire, provided you continue your harsh practice, will likely see new abilities like this every few months.

Additionally, bringing other sword-based fighting styles to the level you have reached with this one is a speedy process of around a year’s practice, your existing skills easily bridging the gap. "

lord of war: (600) In the end there is always one rule that holds true in worlds such as these might makes right. Regardless of your position or talents, power in the end is the deciding factor when dealing with conflicts here. This perk won’t increase your cultivation, but it will make you a true lord of war. You possess truly frightening combat prowess. Even if you only possessed an average technique you would easily be capable of fighting off and killing multiple beings a level higher than you. Should you actually have the techniques and cultivation to back up your wrath then few if any in this world could stand against you in combat.

Knowledge of the Sowa: (400) "The layman is as far from comprehending your movements as our world is from the sun.

Achieving harmony with your blade has pushed it beyond the boundaries of what the human mind can easily understand, leaving opponents unable to read your attacks or intent when fighting with a sword.

Every attack is unforeseen, a surprise manoeuvre not encountered by you before no matter the experience they have with you. Enemies must rely on raw reactions, skill and instinct to fight you as understanding the combat techniques you use remains impossible.

With normal attacks, it is possible for someone to actively keep in their mind what your style is and consciously counter it but this prevents them relying on instinct.

To any special techniques you possess, they cannot even do this and each one will be completely unexpected. These effects can be used even with weapons other than the sword.

This harmony you have reached has also given you a heart that could be described as a perfectly still pool of clear water. Your focus in battle is legendary, unwavering in the face of fear and able to patiently wait in a ready stance for days on end. Even magical interference on your mind slides off, unable to taint the clear water."

@heliosthegriffin a more refined version of the duelist build, a bit over the points limit but warlord is more a modifier than an actual power. this greg is thinker 12 much like contessa he's got no other ability than being good with swords (and gaining his power gave him a body that was more in shape).

A cluster trigger with taylor he mainly got his warlord ability from [Queen Administrator] while his sword-based powers come from [Knight protector] a shard mainly meant to ensure the other shards did not become corrupted.

taylor gained a little bit of martial arts knowledge from [knight protector] in this deal.

the core of his powers are pure informational and a continued monitoring of his mind on a subconscious level. ie he knows the techniques inside and out and has a mind that can't be influenced by outside forces.

as stated above he can already take on entire armies of enemies via his perfect form and skills as well as knowledge of sowa meaning that he can never be predicted in battle. what queen administrator does is help run those processes more efficiently letting him even take on light speed enemies or end bringers. that being said he's not an I win button, at the end of the day he's still just a mortal man and will get tired in protracted fights and one good hit will drop him.

good luck getting that hit in though.

the two shards lean more towards the kiss dynamic so taylor and greg feel drawn to each other. this is also easily seen as taylor seeing greg in a new light due to him having his trigger event trying to save taylor from hers. it does breed a sort of codependance in the two though. as now they both belive that the only people they can trust are each other.

greg is utterly terrifying to face though and as a result he and taylor have a much easier time of their cape carrier though it should be noted they still end up becoming warlords.

PTR ranking for greg is aposematic  aka apose

thinker (combat) 10: subject has immense combat knowledge and counter-thinking is near impossible, boots on the ground combat is not advised recommended course of action is to use drones and long range missiles if combat is unavoidable. alternatively gas attacks may work for tranquilization. striker 5: subject has been shown to be able to cut even exotic materials with only a normal steel sword. foam sprayers and net guns are best bet

stranger 2: impossible for even computer algorithms to predict targets next move in combat resulting in a need to rely on faster reflexes and movement to avoid danger. subject has been shown to no sell danger senses.

what makes the subject so dangerous is not the individual powers shown but the greater whole they form together, with support from Skitter it becomes nearly impossible to handle one or the other as Skitter controls the battlefield with her swarms and apose taking out any threat to the master it has been decided that should both be serious about combat with the PRT or protectorate that large scale gas attacks are permitted once civilians have been evacuated.

tldr: greg has learned to fight but is still squishy he's just so genuinely good that it's hard to picture any amount of speed that can overcome his timing and any amount of power that can out do his technique. and with his striker abilities growing as he pushes his techniques further the only mercy his enemies have is that he's still just a man

PS greg in this universe got his name because of his bright colors and friendly personality working as a sort of aposematic warning to how dangerous he is and him working with a bug themed cape. he didn't pick the name