Nova

Player: Kaeru

Position: (???)

Demeanor: Tough, deadpan, not to be trifled with. Generally friendly and relaxed, but rather blunt, and always somewhat on-edge if you know the signs. Changes tone smoothly, easily fading to cool warnings if they feel threatened and seeming to relax back into casual jokes and poking fun without a problem if the person backs off. Casually flirts with almost anyone.

Nature: Cold, uninterested but not malicious, hard to phase— has probably seen weirder. Friendly in a chill, neutral kind of way. Passively flirts with almost anyone, so long as it doesn't make them uncomfortable. Has a short fuse when specific things strike home, but burns cold when angry— and will generally just go blow-for-blow in verbal sparring matches when challenged. Doesn't hold grudges. Mischievous and clever at times, but doesn't take things too far— knows when to stop. Very excitable when it comes to new tech. Has a bad habit of dealing with trauma and chronic pain by pretending it doesn't exist. Won't talk about their past unless asked specifically, but won't lie about it, either— 'I can't change it, so I don't let it bother me' kind of attitude. Understanding and kind in their own deadpan joke, tough love kind of way, not that many people realize it or that they’d ever admit it. Just don’t screw with the very few select people they stand with.

Description: Impressively androgynous. Somewhere around 6' tall with a build that's not particularly broad or large, but lean and well-built nonetheless. Deep brown skin and messy dreads pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. Two matte silver rings pierce the bridge of their nose, and little metal strips can be seen at the very edges of their face, just in front of their ears if their hair is pulled back more expertly than usual or if you’re lucky enough to catch a glimpse when they turn. Generally seen in a turtlenecked or high-collared sweater with a sleeveless shirt underneath, fitting jeans and boots. More rarely, they may wear tight-fitting buttondowns, or loose outerwear with sweatpants. Often seen with a plastic straw cup of some favorite bluish drink.

Stats:

Characters have 15 points to spend. It costs one point to buy a rank in a stat, or to be trained in a skill. Trained skills are indicated with bold.

Health
  • Physical Health: 15
  • Mental Health: 12
  • Strength: 1
    • Athletics
    • Melee
    • Ranged (heavy)
  • Toughness: 2
    • Resilience
    • Determination
    • Antipsychic
  • Speed: 3
    • Acrobatics
    • Stealth
    • Ranged
  • Charm: 0
    • Persuasion
    • Bluff
    • Intimidation
  • Intelligence: 1
    • Perception
    • Insight
    • Logic
  • Education: 1
    • Science
    • Engineering
    • History
    • Survival
    • Medicine
Specialties

You have eight points to distribute among as many or as few specialty skills as you see fit (but at least three is almost always warranted). Remember to explain what each specialty entails.

  • Precision: 2. Nova has spent a lifetime learning to handle heavy weaponry without brute strength or weight on their side. They can treat heavy weapons as medium weapons, using their ranged (speed) bonus and ignoring the set up penalty. If they use a heavy weapon on the 1st round of combat, they suffer -2 ranged for that round.
  • Target Lock: 2. When in a tight spot, a quick set-up can make all the difference. Nova takes a -2 penalty to acrobatics and sacrifices movement for the round. They gain a +2 to ranged (speed) and +2 ranged damage. This ability can only be used with sniper rifles.
    • Flick Bolt: When Target Lock is used consecutively on the same target, Flick Bolt activates. -1 ranged (speed) for each round after the first. Flick Bolt ends when Nova moves, cancelling Target Lock, or when the target is lost or killed. Once Flick Bolt ends, Target Lock cannot be used for two turns.
  • Coordinate: 2. Though they most often worked alone, Nova learned early that backup is the best thing you can bring into the field. When on a mission, Nova can pick an ally to partner up with, so long as the ally is of a sniper or scout build. Both Nova and the ally receive +2 INT so long as they are in radio contact.
  • Overcharge [Equip]: 2. Sometimes you need a little boost. Nova can temporarily disable the safety features on their prostheses to dramatically increase their strength. When activated, gives +3 STR for two rounds or approximately 15 seconds. Has a minimum cooldown of four rounds, or approximately 30 seconds. Alternatively, it can be activated for the duration of one attack, giving also +3 melee and +3 melee dmg. Each time Overcharge is used, +1 to the Overcharge counter. REMEMBER WHEN USING THIS SPEC: all light weapons (melee/fists included) get +2 to hit
    • Malpractice [Equip]: Safety features are there for a reason. Overcharge can only be used twice without consequence. On uses beyond that, roll RES (DC = 2 + overcharge counter). On a success, increase the Overcharge counter by 1. On a critical success, decrease the Overcharge counter by 2. On a fail, take 1d2 physical dmg from the shock and increase the Overcharge counter by 2 instead of 1. On a critical fail, take 1d4 physical dmg and suffer -1 STR until repairs can be made. Overcharge cannot be used again after a critical fail unless major repairs are made.

Gear:

Heavy sniper rifle with rangefinding crosshair scope
Revolver sidearm
Combat knife set (throwable, 3)
Body armor
Vest clip flashlight
Pocket lighter
Radio (earpiece)
Emergency medical equipment
The Clean Gun
Field repair kit
Standard travel gear

Possessions:

Casual clothes
Semi-formal clothes
Collection of newspaper clippings of hits they pulled
A square silver mug full of heavy-duty hairbands
The beginnings of new book and music collections, both in various languages
Small mezuzah
Siddur
Other small religious items
A large toolkit
Spare parts
Various mechanical contraptions, in differing states of assembly

Personal History:

Nova doesn't remember much of their past— at least, not from when they were young. They retain a few fragments of memory (a birthday party, the crowded hall of a school building, dogs in a chain fence yard) but can't piece together anything specific. They can't remember what day their birthday is on, or even what year, and have no recollection of their friends or family. They know their full name from a memory of writing it on a piece of classwork, but have found no reference to their last name in records anywhere they've checked. They remember going by Linus. Their first clear memories are of inner-city New York, learning to fend for themselves 15 or 16 at the oldest. They knew better than to use their real name, but had a vague memory of an arrest when they were younger, and a file on an interrogation room table. The manila folder's label wasn't large enough to fit 'Novinha, Adeleine', and thus simply read Nov., A. Nova has not used their real name since then, keeping it completely hidden from the world.
They fell in with some dangerous groups and learned to fight out of necessity. They were small but dexterous, and thus valuable as a scout and a go-between for merc teams and gangs. By the time they got a bit older, they were picked up by a team of hired-gun style mercenaries that taught them how to get to the tops of high buildings and structures and set up— how to snipe. They took an interest in technology, and began learning to use it to their advantage, eventually discovering a hit that was called in Manhattan with a large reward. They snuck away from the mercenary group and carried out the hit, using the money to get out of town. But with no documentation, no work history, and only one well-refined skill set to use, they soon found their path set out for them. They started taking contracts— small jobs at first, then larger profile targets, public figures. They bounced from city to city around the world. Inevitably, they ran into other hitmen, and competed against them— a few times even having to kill them if they initiated a hunt. But one hitman they just kept running into— and he never hunted them, even if they took his targets. Eventually, they did some digging and tracked him down: a mostly US- and Australia- based hitman going by the alias Bastion. They followed him to a job and confronted him with an offer: a two-man job, a high-profile target and a big payday. He accepted, and they worked well together, to spite their differences and their near-constant bickering. Afterwards they went their separate ways, semi-friendly rivals when they collided again.
Nova tracked him down for joint hits again— more and more often, as time went on. That is, until they got caught. A fairly simple job, two targets and open sightlines. But a bird's eye security detail caught sight of Nova on a nearby rooftop as they were lining up a shot. They were shot in the chest and knocked from the rooftop, falling 5 stories to the street below. First responders managed to stabilize them, but not completely. The bullet had hit one of their lungs, and the fall had not only damaged many vital organs but had also crippled their right side and shattered their spine. They wouldn't make it a year, and would spend whatever time they had left in a prison hospital bed, paralyzed. Prometheus Labs approached Nova and gave them another option: agree to be used to test new prosthesis technology, and earn not only your freedom, but your life, and your legs. They accepted, seeing no downside. It took close to a year for them to realize that Prometheus had no intention of letting them walk away, to spite having repaired or replaced all the damaged parts Nova had sustained and then some. They killed several lab techs and escaped, staying on the move and under the radar as long as they could. Eventually, the Foundation found them, and gave them one last choice: go back to PLabs, or work for them. In their mind, it wasn't much of a choice at all.

Miscellaneous:

Legal name: Adeleine Novinha
Note: referred to as 'Linus' by family, never told anyone this nickname
Chosen name: Nova
Kill signature as a hitman: phosphorous-capsule bullet (usually through the eye); on impact, ignited to create a bright flash of white light and distinct burn markings around the entry wound
Often referred to as "Flashbang" or "Concussion" by news outlets
Credited with dozens of hits across a 10+ hear time span in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Russia and Korea
Pronouns: whatever
Israeli Jewish
Languages: English, Hebrew, Russian (conversational), Mandarín (conversational), ASL
History with Sebastian "Bastian" Anderson

REFS!
Face: https://imgur.com/d6Ope80
Body: https://imgur.com/gallery/9Lwegrh

Other and earlier:
Body (first concept, somewhat inaccurate): https://imgur.com/5UOKCOD
Body (second concept, mostly scrapped): https://imgur.com/Z1LYwaW
Legs (casual armor): https://imgur.com/ARvvFN6
Feet: https://imgur.com/SO2b86h
Torso (current concept, WIP): https://imgur.com/29UccxB
Body (mission armor, first concept): https://imgur.com/0bEhlUV
Body (nsfwish, mediocre + mirrored): https://imgur.com/H6TUvwM
Body (mission armor, more accurate and nsfwish): https://imgur.com/paZb8gr

Pre-prometheus (non-cyborg kiddo): https://imgur.com/fFZQOXs
Nova and Bastian (pre-prometheus): https://imgur.com/KsMJS5c

Loot

The Clean Gun: Kills 99.9999999999% of germs! A small pistol-sized tool that looks kind of like a phaser, was cooked up by the biomedical branch and a guy from cognitohazards to use ultraviolet and sonic pulses to disrupt viral and bacterial growth and clean and sterilize surfaces. Can be shone on an open wound to help sterilize it. Will likely slow the spread of anomalous diseases, but may not protect against them entirely. Science or Medical to use.

Contacts

Connections your character has made that they can call on.

Training

Additional training your character has acquired.

Missions | Equip Points: 2

Run Name Points Given/Loot Gained Date
Stitching the Wound EP: 2 9/1-9/2
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