Mindful One
Context
This character is an original creation, made as part of the 2016 Halloween character creation contest. I used the DC Heroes random magical character creation system.
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Background
- Real Name: Janice Caribali.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: Frank Caribali (father, deceased), Marcia Caribali (mother, deceased).
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base of Operations: Mobile.
- Height: 6’1″ Weight: 215 lbs.
- Eyes: Brown Hair: Platinum Blonde.
Powers & Abilities
Ms. Caribali has been melded with the mystical essence of a Mindless One. Thus, she exhibits some of their traits.
- She is extremely strong even for her impressive build.
- She has superhuman durability.
- She can project an energy blast from her eyes.
- She frequently descends into a uncontrollable rage in combat.
Moreover, she can assume the shape of a giant Mindless One while retaining her human intellect.
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History
When her parents were killed in an accident shortly before she graduated high school, Janice took odd jobs to make ends meet.
Her strength and her level temperament led her to become a bouncer at a local bar. This in turn got her recognized as potential muscle by local organized crime figures.
One mafia lieutenant in particular had ambitions of being a powerful occult leader as well as a mob boss. One of his gambits was attempting to transform some of his hirelings into mystical creatures that he could control. He would then use then as shock troops to establish a foothold in the Land of Faerie.
After a hasty escape before the transformation was completed, Janice bargained with the Faerie to make changes to her partial alteration. That was in exchange for literally stomping out the rude interloper in their domain.
With her new abilities and the combination of existing criminal connections and new mystic ones from her recent misadventures, Janice began making a name for herself. She worked as hired muscle for both mundane criminals and people running in occult circles.
As her reputation grows Caribali has been getting an increasing number of legitimate jobs. At least in terms of the work itself being legal such as playing bodyguard to a client even if the clients themselves are engaged in criminal enterprises.
Though she usually prefers to hang out in quiet bars and clubs for criminals or mystics when she is not working, Janice still makes occasional trips to the Land of Faerie. She enjoys the change of scenery there. And sometimes she even gets jobs from Faerie folk who have business to conduct involving the mundane world.
Description
Caribali is a tall pale white female. She has angular facial features, close-cropped hair, and a small-breasted muscular build that gives her an androgynous look.
This is further emphasized by her usual attire of a well-tailored dark gray or black business suit with padded shoulders. She wears a white buttoned shirt, to which she adds a black or red tie when attending formal events.
Janice’s infusion with the essence of a Mindless One has changed her normal appearance slightly, but not enough to attract unusual attention. Her complexion is slightly darker and her build a little blockier than before. But no more than can be dismissed as the result of a tan and additional time in the gym.
Her eyes have a slightly reddish tinge to them now. This, he conceals by wearing small round-lensed red-tinted sunglasses.
In her monstrous form she looks like a typical Mindless One except for being 28 feet high instead of seven.
Personality
Caribali is a typical mid-level criminal freelancer. She wants to make a living without doing a typical boring job.
She’s had above-average success due to better instincts and impulse control than most people in her line of work. She avoids anything that seems too sketchy or is likely to get too heavy. She also makes sure to have a way to gracefully bow out of a gig if things look to be going south.
Janice usually avoids jobs involving drugs, prostitution, cults and similar issues. She finds the collateral effects they have on peoples’ lives depressing. She’ll make occasional exceptions for things like helping people get out of a tight spot such as negotiating a settlement with someone that’s gotten into a bad debt with their dealer.
Though Caribali’s not the type to seek out social interactions with strangers she is amiable when approached. She’s usually a blunt speaker herself just to keep things simple, but she’s not put off by people who prefer more flowery locution.
Janice tries to pass along tips to newcomers about not getting sucked into anything stupid, but doesn’t take it personally when they ignore her advice and suffer the often inevitable consequences.
Other traits
While she generally likes things straightforward, Caribali has a rich appreciation of irony. This paid off well when she had to negotiate with the Faerie during her first encounter with them as they appreciated the twist of killing the invading schemer with one of his chosen instruments. This perverse humor also inspired Janice to dub her transformed state the Mindful One.
On jobs Janice will not transform in the Mindful One unless absolutely necessary, which she thinks of as “her nuclear option.” This is in part a strategic consideration — She likes having that ability as an ace up her sleeve and the more often she uses it, the more likely it will become common knowledge.
There is also a tactical concern as a two-story tall Mindless One is apt to cause collateral damage and draw a lot of possibly unwelcome attention even if it’s just stopping to smell flowers in a garden, much less getting into a slugfest.
Quotes
“No, I ain’t gonna break his legs. How the fuck’s he gonna get your money if he can’t get around ? What I’ll do is make sure all the other bookies in town know not to take his action ’til he pays up. Guys like that get in deep because they’re gambling junkies. You cut him off from getting his fix until he gets square with you, he’ll bust his balls to make things right.”
“Alright, tough guy. You really want to see whose is bigger ?” (transforms into the Mindful One)
Fellow hired muscle: “I notice you ain’t carryin’. You one of those meatheads who thinks they’re too tough to need a gun ?”
Caribali: “Nah, I just shoot shit with my eyes.” (blows a hole through a target with her eye beams)
DC Universe History
Though the Mindless Ones are from the Marvel Universe, there’s no reason other fictional settings couldn’t intersect with the same dimension as the rampaging monstrosities or feature other similar entities.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
The Mindful One
| Dex: 06 | Str: 06 | Bod: 08 | Motivation: Mercenary |
| Int: 04 | Wil: 06 | Min: 07 | Occupation: Bodyguard/Enforcer |
| Inf: 04 | Aur: 06 | Spi: 06 | Wealth: 009 |
| Init: 016 | HP: 031 |
Powers:
Energy Blast (ML): 06, Growth (ML): 06, Shape Change (ML): 06
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Growth can only be used in conjunction with Shape Change and is Always On at full APs when Shape Change is active (-2FC total).
- Growth adds to BODY, not just RV (+2FC).
- Shape Change can only be used to assume the form of a single mythological creature, a Mindless One (-1FC total).
Skills:
Martial Artist: 03
Advantages:
Attractive, Magical Background, Schtick (Relentless).
Connections:
Low (Criminal Underworld, Land of Faerie).
Drawbacks:
Serious Rage.
Solid as a Rock
This writeup assumes the following relevant stats for a Mindless One:
- DEX 03 STR 08 BODY 08
- Powers: Density Increase: 01, Growth: 01, Invulnerability (DL): 16, Iron Will (ML): 10, Mind Shield (ML, Self Only): 10, Mystic Blast: 08, Regeneration: 08, Skin Armor: 04
- Bonuses and Limitations: Density Increase and Growth are Always On and Already Factored In, Energy Blast only has a 3 AP Range (-1FC), Invulnerability does not take effect until 3 phases after the Mindless One has been reduced below 0 Current BODY.
- Advantages: Life Support (Full), No Vulnerable Points.
- Drawbacks: Strange Appearance.
While in the shape of the Mindful One, Janice gains the above Powers, Advantages, and Drawbacks but still retains her own normal Advantages and Drawbacks as well except for Attractive, which is replaced by Strange Appearance. With the bonus APs for Shape Change and the additional APs of Growth factored in, her Physical Attributes are DEX 06 STR 14 BODY 14, and Energy Blast is increased to 11 APs.
She retains her normal Mental and Mystical Attributes, Skills, and Initiative.
Design notes
The only changes made to the stats I rolled were changing the Faerie Magic Discipline to a Connection — since the character had no spellcasting ability the Connection seemed more fitting — and adding some Limitations to the Powers to suit the character concept.
Note that though the Martial Artist Skill may not seem terribly useful due to the low APs, it does give Caribali +2 Initiative, can add +1 AP to her EV when using the BoH:SE Battery Subskill rules, and provides access to additional Combat Maneuvers via the Techniques Subskill.
Source of Character: Homemade using the DC Heroes random magical character creation system.
Writeup completed on the 10th of November, 2016.