The Guardians: Yi The Archer

With this character I’m borrowing from Chinese mythology again. She’s also an Archer who has a terrible scar. I hope I’ve mixed these elements into something interesting.

Originally I was going to give Yi only one powerset but then I thought of the motorcycle; this in turn lead to who Yi saved and in turn developed into my fourth Guardian.

Affiliations

Solo: D6  Buddy: D8   Team: D10

Distinctions

• Legacy of the Bow
• Fire Marked
• Stoic Guardian

Power Sets

Celestial Bow

Bow Attack: D12, Enhanced Reflexes: D8, Enhanced Vision: D12

SFX: 

• Unleashed: Add a D12 to your Bow Attack but if you fail add a D12 to the Doom Pool.
• Stun Shot: Yi can choose that her arrow will not kill her foe.

Limits:

• It’s Too Much: Once per adventure the GM may rule your Enhanced Vision is too much to process. You lose your turn but gain 1 PP.
• Spirit of Yi: Once per adventure the Spirit of Yi may request a favor. Gain 1 PP if you drop everything and follow through
• Bow Can Vanish: Powerful counter spells or wards may banish the bow. Gain 1 PP if this happens.

Thunder Horse: Portable Motorcycle

Armored Suit (Durability): D8, Speed: D10

SFX:

• Wall Ride/Mega Jump: Spend 1 PP to switch Speed to Super Jump or Wall Racing.
• Shot on the Run: Add a D6 to both your Bow Attack and Movement Rolls, set up the effect for one of them
• Quick Change: For 1 PP you can be in your costume and on your motorbike instantly.

Limits:

• Gear: The Motorcycle, the armor and the bracelet that summons them be taken away. If this happens gain 1PP.
• Scarred: Gain 1 PP every time your scar stymies a social interaction.

Specialties

Acrobatic: D8, Combat: 8D,  Crime: D8, Psych: D8, Tech: D8, Vehicle: D10

Benchmarks

The Masks We Wear

• 1 XP: For every person or group who praises you for heroics.
• 3 XP: Come to terms with your legacy or yourself in a significant way.
• 10 XP: Accept the scar as part of you and never wear a mask again or you remove the scar somehow or you accept the government hype and live fully as your hero ID.

The Secret of Xian

• 1 Xp: For every neighborhood in which you show up as Yi the Archer.
• 3 Xp: Find a significant clue to what caused this disaster.
• 10 XP: Find the full truth of what happened to the city.

History

According to legend Dijun the God of the Eastern Heavens had ten sons. Each shone with a holy light  that gave warmth to the World. Seeing this the wise god ordered his children to take turns crossing the sky, thus day and night were born.

As time went on Dijun’s children grew prideful and saw no reason to obey the laws of Heaven, they ignored their father and flew across the sky all together. Their terrible heat caused droughts and set near apocalyptic fires. The Emperor prayed for deliverance and Dijun sent Yi the God of Archery to scare his sons into obedience.

When Yi witnessed the Earth’s suffering he resorted to the sternest measures; He shot 9 suns, his arrows killing them instantly. Yi would have killed last one but Dijun intervened, he ordered Yi never to touch his last child and also banished him from Heaven. Since then the Sun has always risen and set on time for fear of Yi.

Yi and his descendants have guarded China ever since. Every generation or so  the spirit of Yi picks one of his sons to take up the Celestial Bow and become a hero. His judgement has never failed the Archers have trounced bandits, sunk pirates and slain monsters for thousands of years.

The last Archer was Xia Zhi’s Great, Great Grandfather. Zhi grew up in Jianxi but good grades, the right connections and a passion for city life brought her to Shanghai.  There she enrolled in police studies and became an officer for the Ministry of Public Security.

Shanghai was good, Zhi loved her job, got engaged and her family eventually accepted her new life.

Everything changed two years ago during a battle between Iron Man and the Mandarin.

Zhi was off duty when a stray ring blast destroyed a line of cars before her. She noticed a woman trapped in a  burning wreckage. Without thinking Zhi grabbed the crowbar off her motorbike and raced in to save her. Despite a blast of flame burning her severely she managed to wrench the door open and pull the woman out.

When Zhi came to she was a national hero, though the press only conducted interviews while her face was bandaged, her heroics resulted in a permanent, ugly scar.

From there her life went downhill. Her boyfriend left her, work put her on permanent disability and her family were proud but refused to see her.

One night she sat on the edge of her balcony, staring at the city, mourning her fate. Suddenly an old man squeezed her shoulder but his presence didn’t startle Zhi,  it was as if she had always known him.  After Zhi poured out her heart out to him the old man asked if she would do it again, save a life despite the cost. Though she was bitter Zhi admitted that yes she would. The old man smiled proudly and gave her the Celestial Bow. Zhi suddenly woke up to the fact she was the new Archer.

Her future once again has great purpose but also great responsibility.

Personality and Appearance

Becoming the Archer, being fast tracked into the Guardians, fighting along side of the likes of Wong Fie Hung and Sun Wukong; Zhi feels a little out of her league. Regardless she’ll give her all for her team.

In public Yi’s quiet, some say stoic; really she’s crowd shy. Yet with friend’s Zhi’s outgoing and adventurous, this often translates into bravery on the battlefield.

On the job Yi wears formfitting red motorcycle armor bedecked with the five stars. Given her athletic figure she wears it very well. Her helmet has a phoenix motif and allows her long black hair to fall to the small of her back.

Zhi’s helmet hides the burn scar that covers half her face. While her team has seen it she’s never shown her true visage in public, according to the Media she’s a beautiful, mysterious hero.

Zhi pretends the scar doesn’t bother her, even being cheerful and upbeat on the subject, in reality her greatest fear is rejection and ridicule.

Abilities and Resources

The Celestial Bow is one of the most powerful weapons in the cosmos, able to take out Skrull battleships. With a mental command Yi can call it; a shimmering weapon of silver radiance. While wielding the bow Yi gains enhanced reflexes and also vision rivaling the Hubble telescope.

The spirit of Yi taught Zhi stunning archery and the skills of a hero but she still has much to learn.

Occasionally Yi’s misjudged the power of bow or become befuddled with the thousand things that fill her vision.

The woman Yi saved was none other than fellow Guardian Lie Yin the Summoner; a genius technologist and head researcher for the Ministry of Science and Technology. As a thank you she gifted Zhi with the Thunder Horse Bracelet. It summons a sleek red motorcycle, the Thunder Horse. It can clock over 500km and with a rider as skilled as Yi can even race up  a 90 degree angle. The bracelet also encases her in motorcycle armor able to withstand riding at 500k and is also bullet proof.

Party Integration

Wong Fei Hung: China’s true hero. You look up to him and are even a little intimidated.

Sun Wukong: He’s scary powerful but has a good heart. He can make you laugh even in the darkest times. You respect him greatly.

Summoner: The woman whose life you saved. She’s a mad government scientist, who knew? She seems to look up to you so you try to steer her in the right direction.

Thunder: He’s a good man. You respect him greatly. It also helps that, mutant or not, he’s the most normal of you lot.