A magical superhero of sorts, inspired by the question of what happens if one of those lightning bolts used to empower Captain Marvel* uses happens to get deflected on the way to its target. There's a whiff of Johnny Thunder's genie as well, but that's more a reality shaper than a mere elemental manipulator.
Levin-Brand
The entity known as Levin-Brand claims to be a mystical lightning bolt, one that was formerly responsible for delivering boons and banes to the worshippers of some deity he doesn't care to name. Apparently some mystic accident caused the process to go badly awry the last time he was hurled forth on a mission. Sent tumbling through time and space, he eventually made a crash landing in [campaign city]. Completely lost and cut off from his former divine hierarchy, Levin-Brand has chosen to make the best of things and try his hand at being a hero rather than just the guy who delivers powers, blessing and magical artifacts to them at the gods' behest.
Enthusiastic but somewhat clueless about regular humans, Levin-Brand is more comfortable around superheroes (who resemble the mythic champions he once dealt with). Over the last year he's become a fixture in the local superhero community, and has even started to acclimate himself to novelties like modern technology and a scientific view of the universe.
Description: Short, skinny humanoid lightning bolt, literally crackling with energy. His proportions are cartoonish and his anatomy simplified, like a sketch of a person made of electricity rather than a real person - which is pretty much what he is. Usually foregoes clothing unless he's "in disguise" in which case he'll adopt an ill-fitting trench coat and fedora, which wouldn't be very convincing even if he kept his feet on the ground instead of floating everywhere. His voice has a distinct electrical buzz and crackle to it, like radio static. Smells strongly of ozone.
Gender: Not Really (Uses He/Him) Age: Unknown Height: 4'10" Eyes: Blue-White
Hair: Jagged Lightning Bolts Skin: Electric Blue Build: Made Of Lightning
Background: Otherworldly Power Source: Accident
Archetype: Elemental Manipulator Personality: Mischievous
Health (G/Y/R): 32/24/11
Powers: Electricity d12, Absorption d10, Flight d6, Teleportation d6
Qualities: Magical Lore d10, Otherworldly Mythos d8, Living Lightning Bolt d8, Science d6
Status: Green (32-25) - d6 / Yellow (24-12) - d8 / Red (11-1) - d8
Abilities
Green
High Voltage (A) Attack using Electricity. Use your Max die. Take damage equal to your Min die.
Principle of Electricity (A) Overcome a challenge involving electricity. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What other energy is currently causing your powers to go on the fritz? Major twist: What other energy is currently dampening all of your powers? RP: You can easily interact with electricity.
Principle of Exorcism (A) Overcome entities or elements from another dimension. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What is (literally or figuratively) coming back to haunt you? Major twist: What has been allowed to enter the world? RP: You can detect the subtle indications of otherworldly influences and disembodied intelligences in an event.
Shock Barrier (A) Defend using Electricity. Use your Max die. Boost using your Min die.
Storm Kin (I) You do not take damage from Electricity.
Yellow
Bleed Power (R) When your personal zone changes, Attack all close enemy targets by rolling your single Electricity die.
Chain Lightning (A) Attack multiple targets using Electricity. Take damage equal to your Max die.
Energy Sink (A) Hinder any number of nearby targets using Absorption. Use your Max die.
Red
Quick Recharge (R) When you are Attacked, Defend against that Attack and Boost yourself using your single Absorption die.
Spark Motes (A) Use Electricity to create a number of d6 minions equal to your Mid die. Choose the one same basic action that they can each perform. They all act at the start of your turn.
Vital Current (A) Hinder yourself using Absorption. Use your Min die. Recover Health equal to your Max + Mid dice.
Out
Lingering Charge (A) Hinder an opponent by rolling your single Electricity die.
Tactics
In Green, Levin-Brand relies on High Voltage for damage output, something he'll continue to do against single targets all the way into Red. Storm Kin makes him immune to Electricity damage, whether from enemies, the environment, or his own abilities. Shock Barrier gives him a strong defensive option which can be used to cover allies and NPCs if need be, as well as offering a source of minor bonuses to aid with key Overcomes. His Principles are fairly versatile against both technological and supernatural problems.
Once he hits Yellow (or opts to twist to use them early) he gains two strong multi-target moves. Chain Lightning does solid damage to everything he can arc a bolt into, while Energy Sink drops penalties with equal versatility. Bleed Power encourages him to get up in the enemies' face, dealing heavy damage to anyone who gets too close when his zone changes - and there's room to use his Red zone healing trick early to trigger more zone changes by bouncing up and down between them. He's also likely to twist to use Spark Motes in Yellow rather than Red so his minions are active longer.
Once he does hit Red, Quick Recharge will help keep him in action long enough to use Vital Current to heal back into Yellow - potentially triggering Bleed Power yet again. He can also use Spark Motes without having to twist for it, although that leaves him more vulnerable to being put Out despite his defensive reaction.
When Out, Levin-Brand keeps on dropping d12 Hinders on a foe, which is pretty brutal.
All of which looks good on paper, but if something - twists, villain upgrades, strange environmental effects, etc. - manages to weaken or remove his Electricity power his options get a lot worse, and losing Absorption guts his Red zone choices as well. Even losing Storm Kin will make his offensive abilities horribly painful to use.
Design Notes
I was looking through the hero writeups I've done here over the years and realized that, while I'd used a lot of the various options there were a few I've missed. I have no intention of trying to duplicate that "one of every combination" project I did with the villains - heroes have four different elements (background, power source, archetype, and personality) instead of just two, and twenty options for each, which would be a lifetime's work and then some. But I can take a stab at filling in the gaps, and that's where Levin-Brand came from.
And it shows. I'm pulling from the dregs here. Otherworldly is a dreadful background mechanically, Accident is arguably the least varied power source (come on, three Reactions - and one of them is limited to at most one use per scene?), and Mischievous is worse than merely bad outside of the corner case build (no Athletic powers, no Mental qualities) I've put together here. Nothing wrong with Elemental Manipulatorof course, but I had to give this poor guy some meaningful synergies.
The end result is certainly viable, but falls into the "keystone" category of builds - ones that rely too heavily on just one key power and/or some vital ability or two to work mechanically. As noted in the Tactics section above, that d12 Electricity works great - right up until something weakens it or worse, locks it off entirely. Same goes for the d10 Absorption and his Red zone abilities. Levin-Brand isn't the only hero I've built this way, but he's probably the most narrow example of the type and versatility is important for long-term play.
Still, I like the narrative side of the character, and I'll probably just use him for a few session over the next couple of weekends while there's a chance to do some face to face play.
*No, not the blonde gal. No, not the alien android with Part Detachment. No, that one died of cancer years ago. You know, the real Captain Marvel. The Big Red Cheese, magic words and subway tunnels, casual child endangerment and all that stuff.
