Sinestesia
Context
This character is an original creation. We often call these “homemades” or “homebrewed” – think home cooking or craft beer.
Many of these characters were created to take part in tabletop role-playing game sessions. Others were invented as a creative writing exercise, often as part of a community event.
This specific character was part of a RPG campaign run by writeups.org contributor Kal El, set in Barcelona.
Background
- Alter Ego: Paula Gòmez.
- Marital Status: Divorced.
- Known Relatives: Lola (mother), Roger Laviña (ex husband), Jordi, Tina & Marta (children).
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: Barcelona.
- Height: 5’1” Weight: 150lbs. Age: 38
- Eyes: Brown Hair: Black, greying.
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Powers and Abilities
Paula is gifted with the power to perceive things through any other senses, behind the usual ones. For example she can hear by touch or smell anything she sees, even if it’s far away.
Her expanded perceptions even allow her to feel weak spots in her enemies or split the feeling of physical damage among her other senses.
She likes to paint what she perceives through her altered conscience states. But those artworks are too weird and they are still not understood by the public.
History
If raising three children wasn’t stressing enough for a divorced housewife, doing so while coping with weird super-senses fills the cup for Paula.
But it was stress itself, or to put it better, the lack of it, which awakened them. When Ms. Gòmez managed to finally get divorced of her devil/angel of a husband, Roger Laviña, while their three children were on a summer camp, she suddenly, and for the first time in 20 years, had a whole day just for herself.
The doors
Her perceptions widened, expanded, become altered. She felt anything and everything around hem, saw it although it was behind her, hear it and the sound brought in the feeling of its shape and weight and even colour… It felt incredible.
But then reality came back: the kids came back. And hearing/seeing/smelling everything they did was too much for Paula, who got a hell of a headache.
The neighbourhood, in the downtown of Barcelona, was specially full of smells and voices in different languages. Paula had a hard time until she got to control her powers and discovered how to open and close the well of perceptions which was menacing to turn her crazy.
Coping
This was seen by her former husband as an opportunity and he tried to take a hold on the children, but only the elder, Jordi, seemed to be on his side. The girls kept being on the side of mom, and helped her to find the exit of her mental pains. Painting was what worked best.
If Paula chose to close every alternate sense, she started having weird, uncontrolled dreams who menaced her sanity even more than before. But as long as she took some time using her powers and regularly painted what she perceived while “trading senses” or in her wild dreams, she could regain control.
She decided that if she was going to use her powers, it had to be for something more than eavesdropping on gossip or being a painter. After all she never sold more than a couple works a month. She sewed a disguise, a bit sexier than she would have ever dared to wear, and donned the name her first costumer had used to describe her lisergic paintings: synesthesia.
She leaves supervillains and mobsters to the Patrulla Barna and the police. But some nights, when the kids are sleeping, or some mornings, when they are at school, Sinestesia roams the streets. She saves tourists and locals from the inherent dangers of the older side of the city… and to keep her sanity together.
Description
Paula is an unattractive woman reaching her 40’s. She has had a hard life of housework, raising three children and an irresponsible husband. As Sinestesia she wears a black leather blouse which leaves most of her back exposed, a black mask which covers her hair and eyes and sport black trousers.
Personality
Paula is a very busy woman which has a house on her back. She loves her children most than anything in the world, and has a peculiar love/hate relationship with her ex husband.
As Sinestesia she dares to be a bit more somber and ironic than on her everyday life, but she is very kind and caring with any children or teenager in trouble.
Quotes
“I feel him. You wouldn’t understand *how* I feel him, but I do.”
“Oh yes, beautiful. Seeing sounds. Smelling touches. Hearing tastes.Yes. Like that would help me defeat anybody not to say getting a life, paying that damn rent or keeping my despicable ex husband away from my children. You can’t even imagine what kind of dreams I get, what surreal twirl of sensations invade me when I lose control. But yes, I can turn the pain of blows into nauseating odours or blood taste, and in exchange I become deaf, blind or, even better, I fall into catatonia. How beautiful, thanks.”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
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Sinestesia
| Dex: 02 | Str: 02 | Bod: 02 | Motivation: Unwanted |
| Int: 05 | Wil: 03 | Min: 05 | Occupation: Mother and painter |
| Inf: 02 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 03 | Resources {or Wealth}: 003 |
| Init: 012 | HP: 050 |
Powers:
Analytical Smell/Tracking Scent: 09, Directional Hearing: 06, Empathy: 05, Full Vision: 04, Hypersensitive touch: 12, Microscopic Vision: 08, Mind over matter: 08, Remote Sensing*: 05, Shade: 05, Sonar: 10, Thermal Vision: 02
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Analytical Smell includes Ranged Analytical Taste (+2).
- Tracking Scent is only 4 APs (-1). This also affects the range of the whole AS/AT/TS Power. If the target is visible or audible, though, Range becomes +5 (+1).
- Empathy and Charisma (Intimidation) are Contingent Upon Analytical Smell/Tracking Scent.
- She can only use APs of Microscopic Vision according to the intensity of the sound, smell or taste of the target (-2).
- Each time Mind over matter is rolled, she must choose a sense which becomes disabled. Usually the order is taste, smell, hearing, sight, touch, but she can change it (-1).
Once she loses the touch sense she can freely make Mind over matter rolls, but every physical action she takes is Fatiguing (-1).
One sense is recovered at each Recovery Check she is entitled, in addition of any damage healed. - She can only use APs of Sonar according to the intensity of the sound or smell of the target (-1).
- Remote Sensing is Fatiguing (-2). It only works if at least one sense can already perceive the remote place (-2).
- Thermal Vision is Contingent Upon Hypersensitive touch (-1).
- All Skills except Medicine are Powered.
- Accuracy (Perception), Thief (Locks & safes) and Weaponry (Firearms) are Contingent on Hypersensitive Touch (-1).
- Acrobatics is Contingent Upon Sonar (-1).
- Artist (Painting) and Scientist (Observation) are Contingent Upon Accuracy (-1).
- Martial Artist (AV) is Contingent Upon Tracking Scent (-1).
- Thief (Escape Artist) is Contingent Upon Full Vision (-0).
- Losing senses (through use of Mind over matter or being targeted by Sensory Block) neutralizes APs of Powers. Instead of giving here a list of Powers/senses, ask the Player through which sensory input is Paula trying to come with a certain Power.
For example: without the touch sense, Sinestesia can’t use Analytical Smell on something she holds, but she can still use it on sounds she hear.
Skills:
Accuracy (Perception): 09, Acrobatics (Dodge): 04, Artist (Painting): 02, Charisma (Intimidation): 05, Martial Artist (AV): 04, Medicine (First Aid, Medical Treatment): 02, Scientist (Observation): 06, Thief (Escape Artist, Locks & safes): 05, Weaponry (Firearms): 05
Advantages:
Area Knowledge (Barcelona’s downtown), Expertise (householding), Familiarity (children care), Lightning Reflexes, Sharp Eye.
Connections:
Barcelona police (Low).
Drawbacks:
MIA (Roger Laviña), MIH (Roger Laviña), Debt (+1), Dependant, Secret Identity, Traumatic Flashbacks (being senseless), Attack vulnerability [-3 cs, Flash Power while using Hypersensitive Touch or Contingent skills].
Design Notes
Attraction and Hatred are not misstyped, she both loves and hates his ex husband, in quite an irrational way.
Source of Character: “Patrulla Barna’s Barcelona” homemade DCU campaign.