Wonder Woman
(Diana of Themyscira) (Gail Simone take) (part #3)
Context
This article is actually the third part of a three-part series. Which makes considerably more sense when read in order.
The series goes :
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Quotes, part 1
(In the middle of a fight, after stunning the leader of her opponents so he’ll listen) “STOP. My hand is empty, my mind is open. What is your name, warrior ?”
(Crossing her wrists before her throat) “I give you my word as an Amazon.”
“I know exactly who I am, Tolifhar. Vengeance is for those who do not.”
(Beseeching Kāne Miohai) “I am the only daughter of Themyscira, island of warriors, poets and scholars. My mother’s life is in danger. If you aid me, I pledge my allegiance to you. No god will come before you in my eyes. When you are in need of a weapon, I shall be your fiery sword. I give my life to you, of my own free will, if it shall help save my tribe and my mother.”
(Facing an heavily armed company of soldiers) “You are invaders, unwanted occupiers of my homeland. I’ll ask you once, out of courtesy. But only once.” (beat) “Surrender.”
Superhuman soldiers: “We are the most extraordinary combat unit ever assembled on this Earth. To take back the land that belonged to us… to slaughter your kind !”
Wonder Woman (politely but with a strong hint of sarcasm): “Most fearsome.”
“Thank you, Tamika. You have a good eye and a kind heart. You’d make a fine Amazon.”
Wonder Woman: “Then they are wrong. And I will fight them.”
Procanon Kaa: “You’d lose, warrior. You’d die in an instant.”
Wonder Woman: “That is not germane to this discussion.”
(Reciting an Amazon battle prayer) “To those above, from those below. I ask that my enemy surrender, or failing that, that he falls in battle, without further bloodshed and grieving from his loved ones. I ask you to protect my allies, whose only folly is valuing my life above their own. Do them no harm, I ask, with everything my heart is or ever will be. But grant us victory, this above all. For any other ending means the death of all I hold dear. You created this ground I tread upon. Allow me the strength to stand on it, ’til my mission is done. And so it is, among the blood and tears, that I practice my faith.”
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Quotes, part 2
(Offering peace) “Take my hand, Lantern. It is open. Will you fill it with your own ?”
Claw the Unconquered, attacking Diana: “Sorcerous wench !”
Diana, with a mix of politeness and sarcasm: “We prefer to be called trollops. If you don’t mind.”
(After her soul has been torn from her) “Apparently a small bit of ’weakness’ — of mercy — has yet to be purged from the cavern where my soul used to reside. Can’t be helped.”
(Facing a demon lord) “When I began this quest, lord — I met a pack of rabid wolves. Every moment they continued to live only increased their pain. And, a pack to the end, they asked me to end their lives, so that they wouldn’t attack each other before dying. I ask you — as all who must face a god must — why should it be that they, who lived only as instinct and honour commanded, died cold, in the snow… WHILE A MURDERING SON OF A JACKAL LIKE YOU LIVES ON ?” (SHHH-BOOM !)
“I hope all this formality isn’t for my sake. A pleasure to meet you, sister.”
“We have a saying, my people. ”Don’t kill if you can wound, don’t wound if you can subdue, don’t subdue if you can pacify, and don’t raise your hand at all until you’ve first extended it.”
“I’m not here to judge, Allison. We’re kind of big on free will. Until the innocent suffer.”
“You. Creature. As ranking diplomatic emissary from the island nation of Themyscira, I declare that we are now at war.”
“[Genocide] is going to destroy [the JLA]. They can’t know. I’ve never told them what the lasso is truly capable of.”
Quotes, part 3
“Steel your nerves and find your courage – for tonight we fight a god.”
“She, Athena , who loves me and knows me best of all goddesses… she said the one thing that would clear my eyes and calm my mind. She said I knew my duty.”
“I could use the lasso. Or I could trust to faith and hope. To show mistrust to a man who is trying to do right goes against my nature entirely.”
“I carry the universe’s ultimate avatar of truth by my side every waking moment, Tom. I knew your frat boy act was a tender façade.”
(Fighting Achilles) “Although I must say, I’m not a fan of [his] spear. You’d think Athena would have given it to me, after all. Well… I have enough jewellery already, I suppose.”
(Offering flowers to a friend) “I brought you these warrior blossoms from Themyscira. It’s best to keep small pets away from them. And children.”
“That’s what you are, correct ? The spawn of the God of War . I am the Mistress of the Hunt, children. I know his footprint. I know his spoor. [… And] your tricks won’t work on me, as I have armoured myself with the truth.”
Astarte: “You have your mother’s eyes.”
Wonder Woman: “I have many traits my mother gave me. Perhaps I’ll impose some upon you.”
“The Citizenry will never again kill, for any reason. You will find your resources on uninhabited planets. Or next time… it’ll be *you* in the arena with me.”
Mischaracterisation FAQ
Wonder Woman has a unique mystique. But the character is also in the unusual position of being famous yet having a modest readership. A lot of perceptions about the character are thus shared between persons who never read Wonder Woman stories. Much less modern Wonder Woman stories by her best writers.
Furthermore, most comic book writers have difficulties writing Diana. Even such accomplished authors as Grant Morrison or Mark Waid have expressed disappointment about how they featured Diana in their stories. She’s a complicated and unique character.
This makes it necessary to cover some differences between common perceptions and the Simone characterisation :
Wonder Woman being preachy
Wonder Woman is here to make the world a better place, and she has a lot of solutions to many complex problems.
As an ambassador, her role is to shove those solutions into public consciousness. It is to present philosophical concepts from a foreign country that many distrust.
As an advocate and agent of change, she does campaign for her values. Whether this is considered preachy will largely depend on the difference between one’s beliefs and the better world envisioned and built by the Amazons. And on the quality of the writing.
Whereas most super-heroes reactively defend the status quo (as they protect society against crime, masterminds, alien conquerors, mad scientists and the like) Wonder Woman aims to change the status quo. This attracts accusations and leads some to see her words and actions with an uncharitable view.
Wonder Woman being self-righteous
It is a simple fact that Wonder Woman generally knows better. She has divine wisdom, enormous intelligence, extensive education from an advanced culture of scholars and philosophers, and lots of experience. And even more importantly, she has an open mind and the patience and empathy needed to truly listen.
She is, however, nice and polite about being right. She’s never overbearing, isn’t pointlessly assertive, and generally comes across as a cool big sister.
While she’s such a perfect, pretty pretty magical princess who objectively knows better, it takes effort to resent Wonder Woman and deem her self-righteous. It’s too obvious that she’s sincere and genuine, too evident that she cares and is concerned, and too clear that she genuinely listens and doesn’t put herself on any kind of pedestal.
This is, however, very hard to write, and even harder to improvise in a RPG. It is thus very easy to go from “Wonder Woman is wise and smart, and she offers ways that can be genuinely better” to “Wonder Woman knows she’s right and she’s Better Than You”.
This is especially true in cultures where female characters are not expected to be the voice of wise, knowledgeable, decisive leadership.
Wonder Woman being distant
This element was introduced by some writers to create a complication. In this take, Wonder Woman doesn’t know much about “real life”. Because she is a perfect magical super-princess from a perfect island who spends her time with gods and heroes, and feels remote to the common people.
It does not appear during this and other leading Wonder Woman runs, since it creates obvious and sterile contradictions with the core nature of the character. A super-charismatic and inspiring person cannot feel remote, and a woman with a great sense of empathy cannot feel distant.
The Simone run does feature often comedic friction between the mundane and the fantastic. Such as hiding a half-dozen super-gorillas in an apartment or Diana Prince not quite behaving like most persons would. But it never weakens the power of inspiration and empathy of the character.
Wonder Woman being always serious
Wonder Woman is extremely driven, and holds responsibilities that would crush most mortals. A lot of it is serious business. Being truthful, Diana will never pretend that it isn’t in order to better cope with her responsibilities.
However she is certainly not grim ! Her behaviour is that of a positive, dynamic, loving person and that includes some humour.
Wonder Woman is not exactly a comedian either. She’s happy, cheerful, and life-affirming – but she doesn’t run around cracking jokes and making puns. She will mostly use humour in two circumstances :
- Softly mocking opponents. While she is diplomatic to a fault and strives to offer an honourable exit to most of her foes, Diana finds it difficult to resist making discreet sarcastic quips at her opponents in the excitement of combat. The ambiguous “Most fearsome” in the quotes is typical of this.
- Exchanging banter and minor pleasantries during small talk. While this is not something the earnest Amazons do a lot, Wonder Woman understands the need of other cultures to make small jokes and employ humour in everyday conversation. Though she mostly does this to be accommodating and friendly, her natural wit makes her pretty funny.
Her friends do have to point out to her from time to time that she needs to relax and stop being so focused on her work, though.
Wonder Woman and sex, part 1
Likewise, there’s something of a shadow mythology. It was built around the notion of a stunningly beautiful woman with a kinky undercurrent — since back in the 1940s she had something of a bondage theme — coming from an island full of gorgeous ladies who barely remember what a penis looks like.
The actual character is rather vanilla in this respect. She prefers men, would love to eventually find a guy with whom to have a long-term relationship (which has proved impossible so far) and — as explored during the Simone run — would like to have babies at some point. She’s not been a virgin in a while.
Sexuality and Themyscira are parts of the themes of the Simone run, however. Most Amazons have not seen a man in millennia. And though they have nothing against men and respect them as persons, they do look weird and icky, as would an individual from a closely-related but different species.
This is not the case for Diana, though, since she met and mingled with males early in her adulthood.
Likewise the run is clear about the fact that many Amazons enjoy each other’s romantic and/or sexual company. Frex, they have rituals for marking the creation of such bonds – though presumably some (many ? most ?) Amazons prefer to be just friends with their sisters.
The run also addresses how many (most ?) Amazons come at some point to long for maternity – see Alkyone’s profile for more about Amazons and motherhood.
Wonder Woman and sex, part 2
The Simone run also includes various hints as to Amazon courtship and views of love. Those seem largely shaped by their martial culture. If two Amazons are interested in each other, a typical date is not a movie and a dinner. It is sparring full contact with wooden training weapons, or quite possibly naked steel.
This seems to occupy about the same space as dancing together, but in a much more physical and militant way – as befits Amazons. In some respects this is reminiscent of male couples of Ancient Greek warriors, who considered that lovers knew the truth about each other when fighting side-by-side.
Amazons want to remain to their sharpest in term of fighting edge, and many of their activities involve some risk of injury. Even live performances of Themysciran opera involve battle scenes that are fought full-contact, and somebody usually gets hurt.
Dating and seduction works along the same principles. Wonder Woman, however, said that she was adopting a much tamer approach since she’s always dated outside of her own culture.
Wonder Woman’s appearance
Wonder Woman being the flagship female hero, a lot of the comments flying around inevitably focus on her appearance, how she dresses, how she looks, and her body.
This run illustrates, though, that Diana is a bit clueless about her appearance in one specific area. She doesn’t quite realises how most heterosexual men are looking at her. She comes from a culture with no male gaze — since there are no men — and despite her prodigious intelligence doesn’t quite get how much it changes things.
She sees her iconic costume as a formal and practical way to display important heraldry. And it indeed covers more skin than what most Amazons would wear to engage in hard physical work in the hot Themysciran weather. T&A isn’t something Amazons pay attention to, since in their world everyone has those – and everybody is a bit short on testosterone.
Wonder Woman was thus very surprised when her friend Black Canary told her about how large swathes of the Internet were fixated on her bust. To an Amazon (and to many Earth cultures, incidentally), breasts are just breasts and the idea that many men can be fixated upon those sounds odd.
Wonder Woman and feminism, part 1
There is a strong perceived association between Wonder Woman and feminism. These seem based on a single anecdote.
The vision of her creator Charles Moulton (aka Dr. William Marston – “Charles Moulton” was his pen name) was not about women’s rights or gender issues as commonly understood.
It was about feminine qualities being the key to a better society and the exaltation of a “new kind of woman” who would rule the world with “loving authority”. It certainly was… different, and an eccentric break from the mores of Dr. Moulton’s days. But those days were the early 1940s.
Dr. Moulton’s notion that certain women should rule the world disappeared some years after Wonder Woman’s debut, when he died in 1948.
Five years later, comics entered the Seduction of the innocent era. Thus, “corrupting” impressionable young minds with depictions of Moulton-style dominant women was off the table. Frex, Wertham accused Wonder Woman and the Holiday Girls of being a gang of lesbian subversives.
Wonder Woman and feminism, part 2
The actual feminist political movement and Wonder Woman notably intersected but once. That’s in 1972, with Gloria Steinem’s and Joanne Edgar’s interest in the character resulting in Wonder Woman being on the cover of the first issue of Ms. Magazine . The Amazon was the subject of an article therein.
Everything else is scattered academic literature, and literary analysis of comics. Which is — unfortunately — not known for massive sales.
There’s also the brief era we refer to on writeups.org as the “mod karate era” (1968-1972). Editor Denis O’Neil, known for his work to make super-heroes more in tune with societal evolutions, wanted to portray a *modern*, strong female character. Howbeit, this strength manifested in a now-dated way.
Perhaps ironically, this experimental era stopped in part due to Steinem’s disappointment over the depowering of Wonder Woman.
The alleged association of Wonder Woman and feminism seems tied to the — oft rancorous — misunderstanding of the “feminism” part of the equation, and this profile cannot address that.
Wonder Woman and feminism, part 3
Within the bounds of clarifying misunderstandings about the character to feature her in a game, there are the three main points where the modern era, Simone-penned take of Diana intersects with gender issues :
- She comes from an all-women society which appreciates traditionally feminine values – peace, empathy, sharing, communication, responsibility, etc. as per a neutered version of Moulton’s ideology.
By definition, gender issues are irrelevant on Themyscira, but the ghost of the original “perfect women building a perfect feminine society” remains present – in a form both challenged and respected by the writer. - Wonder Woman believes in freedom and equality. This mechanically means that people shouldn’t be disadvantaged in life because of their gender. It is one of the points that she addresses in her struggle for a better world, and it is recurrent since women make up the majority of world population.
But it’s not something she focuses on. It’s but one part of her agenda – Diana acts to benefit the disenfranchised and powerless anywhere, regardless of who they are. It’s misogyny that makes it so that many are women. - She has become a role-model for women who feel held back by society because of their gender. WW is a highly visible and very powerful woman who is entirely comfortable with who she is and what she does, and holds the promise of a better and fairer world.
But Diana does not see herself as a specifically female icon. What happened is that she filled an important vacuum she did not even know about, being a newcomer to the wider world. She is often a bit surprised and flattered that so many women look up to her, though.
Wonder Woman still tends to call women she doesn’t know “sister”, but this is a product of Themysciran habit. While young she naïvely assumed that all women everywhere were indeed sisters sharing Amazon values, but she quickly came to realise her mistake.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Wonder Woman (in her late 2000s book)
| Dex: 12 | Str: 22 | Bod: 16 | Motivation: Upholding the Good |
| Int: 11 | Wil: 10 | Min: 11 | Occupation: Heroine, Icon |
| Inf: 10 | Aur: 10 | Spi: 11 | Resources {or Wealth}: 005 |
| Init: 037 | HP: 190 |
Powers:
Comprehend Languages: 10, Digging: 04, Directional hearing: 04, Extended hearing: 04, Flight: 15, Jumping: 03, Recall: 08, Reflection/Deflection: 12, Regeneration: 06, Running: 08, Sealed systems: 05, Speak with animals: 07, Superspeed: 05, Swimming: 06, Telescopic vision: 04, Ultra-vision: 05
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Comprehend Languages is a Skilled Power. Comprehend Languages can only apply to languages Wonder Woman can credibly have studied off-panel, or languages clearly related to languages she already knows. It is Contingent upon Recall.
- Recall is a Skilled Power.
- Reflection/Deflection is Contingent on DEX and requires wearing the BRACERS. It is a Skilled Power. Wonder Woman can only use the BRACERS in one way at a time (between Reflection/Deflection, Evasion and Blocking).
- Reflection/Deflection can Reflect toward targets that are not the attacker (+10 BC).
- Regeneration cannot regrow organs or limbs.
- Regeneration works on MIN and SPI damage as well as BODY.
- Sealed System has the Free Diving Only Limitation.
- Superspeed only to process and learn information – it has no other application.
- Digging, Jumping, Running and Swimming are all Contingent upon STR.
- Ultra-vision only for low-light vision (-1).
Skills:
Acrobatics: 11, Animal handling: 10, Charisma (Persuasion): 12, Evasion (Ranged only): 18, Martial artist: 13, Medicine (First aid): 08, Military science (Tracking): 11, Vehicles: 08, Weaponry: 13
Bonuses and Limitations:
Evasion requires that she be aware of the attack, and has something to Block with (usually her BRACERS). It can only be used in lieu of a Block, taking a Dice Action. Wonder Woman can only use the BRACERS in one way at a time (between Reflection/Deflection, Evasion and Blocking).
Advantages:
Confidant (Donna Troy, plus at least one member of her supporting cast — at that point Lt.-Col. Etta Candy and the Gorilla Knights), Expertise (Earth mythologies), Insta-change, Iron Nerves, Language (Ancient Greek, Standard Galactic), Lightning Reflexes, Local Heroine (Amazons, Wonder Woman fans), Schtick (Precise Blocker (Bracers)), Stabilization.
Connections:
Superman (High, Powerful), Batman (High, Powerful), Justice League (High, Powerful), Justice Society (High), Super-heroes in general (Low, Powerful), Donna Troy (High), Cassie Sandsmark (Low), Most animals on Earth and beyond (Low), Kane Milohai (High, later replaced by Pele), Giganta (Low).
Drawbacks:
Partial attack vulnerability (-2CS RV vs. edged attacks), Partial attack vulnerability (-3CS RV vs. piercing/impaling attacks, including bullets and the like), Dependent (Queen Hippolyta (five points) and at least one member of her supporting cast), Secret Identity (Diana Prince), CIA toward Embodying Amazon values, Misc.: Bad liar (see below).
Equipment:
Below are the raw stats – see the Powers & Abilities section for the explanations. All stats for all equipment are limited to what was demonstrated during this era. Core equipment :
- BRACERS [BODY 30 (Hardened Defences)]. For the last year of the run the BRACERS can occasionally discharge Zeus’s own lightning (Lightning: 25 or so) but this is not under Wonder Woman’s conscious control.
- Tiara [BODY 24 (Hardened Defences), EV 06 (12 w/STR when thrown, 23 w/STR when wielded), Sharpness (EV): 02, Can be thrown with Multi-Attack 1, Limitation: using Sharpness is only possible when employing Killing Combat]. Using the Tiara as a melee weapon is seldom feasible – the wielded EV (and attendant Sharpness) denotes the use of the tiara as a cutting device.
- Lasso of Truth [BODY 36, Charisma (Interrogation): 12, EV 15, Flash: 06, Hypnosis: 30, Iron will: 11, Mind probe (1): 11, Mind probe (2): 08, Obscure: 10, Sharpness (Mind probe): 12, Snare: 20, Speak with animals: 10, Bonuses & Limitations:
- The Lasso can vary at will between one and eleven APs of length – this can also be treated as a very limited, FC1 version of Stretching.
- EV only for certain types of attacks.
- Flash is Steady Illumination Only.
- Hypnosis has No Range, is its own AV as long as the subject touches the Lasso, and is limited to making the subject as truthful as possible.
- Iron Will requires that the lasso be wrapped around the subject, which prevents using the lasso to perform other actions and requires time.
- Iron Will also protects vs. Character Interaction based on falsehoods.
- Snare has no AV, using an applicable Weaponry Skill instead (-0 or -1 depending on house rules). Note that a fully Snared (DEX = 0) target can then be wrapped in the Lasso, using the Lasso’s BODY to hold the target.
- Charisma and Mind Probe (1) can be Combined.
- Charisma and Mind Probe (1 both require the subject touching the Lasso.
- Mind Probe (2) is Always On, has a Range capped to 01, is limited to perceiving truths and has the Concealed Bonus.
- Mind Probe (2) APs are limited by the APs of continuous time Wonder Woman has been in the presence of the person (1 AP of Mind Probe per AP of time, minus four – e.g. 6 APs of time activate 2 APs of Mind Probe).
- Obscure only to reinforce the Concealed Bonus of Mind Probe (2).
- Sharpness (Mind Probe) can only be used to defeat measures to conceal the truth, such as hypnotic suggestions or memory erasure.
Other pieces of equipment used this era include the following :
- STEALTH JET FIGHTER [STR 08 BODY 14 (Hardened Defences), Flight: 10, Invisibility: 02, Projectile weapon: 09, Radar sense: 20, Radio communication: 12, Thief (Stealth): 07, R#02, Limitation: Thief only vs. radar detection].
- Various Themysciran melee weapons. Those generally have a BODY of 13 (so they will eventually break when she uses them), an EV of 04 (enhancing her EV by 01) and one AP of Sharpness (EV). Her favourite axes have Hardened Defenses and are presumably custom-forged for her. A Diana-appropriate bow usually has the following stats: [BODY 12, Projectile weapon: 09, Ammo: 01, Rec. STR: 09, R#02, Bow Advantage (effective EV is 10, effective Range is 18), Limitation : Low Penetration].
- EAGLE ARMOUR [BODY 20 (Hardened Defences), Skin armour: 02, Bonus: Skin Armour also applies vs. Energy Attacks (+2), Misc.: whilst wearing this ARMOUR, the wearer’s Attack Vulnerabilities toward attacks against which the ARMOUR can defend are suspended].
- KANE MIOHAI’s MAGIC SEASHELL [STR 14 BODY 20 (Hardened Defences), Flight: 10, Swimming (Surface only): 08, Miniaturisation: 20].
- SANDALS OF HERMES [BODY 20, Dimension travel: 15, Flight: 15].
Woman of warcraft
Wonder Woman doesn’t normally fight all-out. She’s concerned with using a responsible, justified level of force. She’ll normally keep her AV/OV at about 11, tone down her Initiative to about 025, and carefully regulate her EV (as Bashing Combat, of course) unless she’s certain that she’s fighting non-sapient monsters, robots, etc.
She doesn’t usually spend HPs, which may lead to her being surprised and overwhelmed by unexpectedly tough opponents. This is what happened when she first encountered the Circle.
When Diana decides to take off the kid’s gloves, there is a sudden increase in her fighting abilities. She remains careful with her EV (though less so, and she may end up breaking some bones) but switches to her full DEX and Initiative, and uses her Martial Artist APs as tactically appropriate.
At this point she starts conservatively using HPs, and will use moderate amounts of LDD as tactically appropriate. She will fight as if she had about 50 HPs available for the adventure. It is still possible to defeat her when she fights with this level of restraint, though it will take a very powerful opponent.
If things get really bad and her normal approach has failed, she will start fully using her HPs and employ any necessary tactic to win both the battle and the war, hitting at full power. Niceties such as using her huge Initiative to Press the Attack, then delivering Critical Strikes or even Devastating Attacks, will also become common.
When she reaches this level of commitment, Wonder Woman is essentially unstoppable, and becomes frighteningly intense.
Woman of warcraft, part 2
Like most super-heroes, and unlike most role-players, Diana knows that it’s OK for her to be defeated from time to time and spends her HPs accordingly. Not every deadly battle where defeat has serious consequence is fought with full HP expenditure. Setbacks do occur, including accidental deaths of bystanders.
Diana knows that she needs to keep HPs since she’s a key super-hero. A cosmic crisis could necessitate her intervention at any moment.
Wonder Woman famously doesn’t have a code against killing, unlike most heroes of her generation. If there is no choice and a clear situation of war exists, then the ambassador working very hard to find peaceful solutions, offering to parlay even at great personal risk and pain, always offering honourable and respectful surrender — is gone.
She cedes the place to an implacable warrior who will come with axe, and swords, and bow and aim for a quick, humane kill.
Other design notes
Yep, she doesn’t have the Attractive Advantage in DC Heroes RPG terms. She’s every bit as persuasive toward women (many of whom feel that Wonder Woman has a special mystique) as toward men of any sexual orientation.
Note the lack of Hardened Defences on the Lasso – one RAP is enough to break it for a while.
Tell me sweet little lies
Though Wonder Woman is the embodiment of truth and almost never lies, she doesn’t have an Irrational Attraction against lying. If uttering a lie meant saving lives other than her own, she’d be able to lie. Thus, she once deceived the JLA to avoid their divinely-prophesied death, though she felt very bad about it.
However, since Wonder Woman never lies outside of bizarre life-and-death circumstances, she lacks experience at it and is a very poor liar. Beside, it’s simply not her nature. On the other hand, nobody but the most paranoid expects Wonder Woman to ever lie.
Persons sensing whether the quasi-avatar of truth is lying only have to do a Perception Roll against an OV/RV of 03/03. Furthermore, Wonder Woman has to burn 5 HPs to lie.
Diana Prince, agent of D.M.A.
During much of the 2000s, Wonder Woman can “power off” and become human. Her appearance doesn’t really change (though she looks a bit shorter and less, well, Amazonian in physique).
Rather, she uses what is often sarcastically called the “Hollywood ugly” look. That is, a dazzling woman who pulls her hair in a bun and wears glasses to signify ordinary looks. The glasses were Clark Kent’s idea.
While the body is human, this is still Princess Diana of Themyscira. Thus, “Special Agent Diana Prince” is an exceedingly proficient fighter and agent. She has proven able to engage competent superhumans in combat with startling proficiency. WW easily adapted to her much-reduced strength, speed and resiliency. Even in human form her performance in combat will seem superhuman to observers.
Note that this Alter-Ego is well above the usual point total, and does not follow the usual pricing scheme.
This Alter-Ego sort of… fades away during the Simone run, as circumstances mean that Wonder Woman no longer uses it. Beside, she’s a bit rubbish at this secret identity thing.
When adventuring in heroic-fantasy lands and deprived of her powers, Diana also used these stats. She was operating a bit above even such mighty warriors as Beowulf or Claw the Unconquered.
“Diana Prince”
| Dex: 09 | Str: 04 | Bod: 06 | Motivation: Upholding the Good |
| Int: 11 | Wil: 10 | Min: 11 | Occupation: Agent of the DMA |
| Inf: 06 | Aur: 05 | Spi: 11 | Resources {or Wealth}: 005 |
| Init: 028 | HP: 170 |
Skills:
Acrobatics*: 09, Martial Artist: 09, Medicine (First aid): 07, Military science (Tracking): 08, Vehicles: 07, Weaponry: 10
Advantages:
Credentials (DMA, Low), Expertise (Earth mythologies), Insta-Change, Iron nerves, Language (Ancient Geek, Standard Galactic).
Connections:
DMA agents (Low, from Credentials), Superman (High), Batman (High).
Drawbacks:
Secret Identity, CIA toward Embodying Amazon values, Misc.: Bad liar.
Equipment:
As a field agent of the Department of Metahuman Affairs, Agent Prince is well-equipped. Her gear has included:
- Diana wears a white-and-blue-grey jumpsuit. It presumably has protective properties such as Blunting: 06, Lightning/cold/flame immunity: 02 and the like, but nothing was demonstrated. This catsuit is a wink toward the white clothing of the “mod karate era”.
- Diana also wears a pair of distinctive red-tinted glasses. These are presumably impact-proof with stats such as [BODY 03, Shade: 01].
- Electric truncheon (x2) [BODY 05, EV 03 (05 w/STR, 10 w/Martial artist), Lightning (No Range): 07, Bonus: Lightning can be Combined with EV]. Those weapons are meant to stop superhumans. Agent Prince prefers using those to wielding a gun.
- Mission-specific equipment has included a compact rocket pack [BODY 02, Flight: 07, Limitations: Carries about one minute of fuel], a tranq pistol and a Waynetech stealth helicopter, using the same tech as the jet.
- Agent Prince has occasionally borrowed weapons and gadgets from Nemesis’s kit, Nemesis being apparently one of the primary field testers of the DMA.
Wonder Woman in team books
Use Big Barda’s character sheet instead, but with WW’s equipment.
Source of Character: Gail Simone’s run on Wonder Woman in the late 2000s.
Helper(s): Eric Langendorff, Darci, Gareth Lewis, William Chamberlin, Woodrow Hill, Mike Winkler, Roy Cowan, Frank Murdock, Bearhugger, Chris Cottingham, Bryan Gittens.