Metis, Mistress of Shadow

Real Name: Metis Sato
Super Hero/Villain/Renegade/etc Name: Metis, Mistress of Shadow
Alignment: Hero
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Hair: Black
Eyes: Solid Black
Height: 5'2''
Weight: 110 lbs

Personality: Metis is earnest in her pursuit of being a hero, but she’s a bit inclined to go astray if left without guidance. Her young age shows in her personality, as does her harsh past. She can be a bit foolhardy, egotistical, and crude. She honestly wants to fight for justice, but is a bit sadistic. The source of her powers affects her personality, making her prone to mood swings.

History: Metis arose from less than heroic circumstances. She was born to a poor family that lived in a slum. Unbeknownst to her, her family has trace amounts of demonic blood from a dark goddess from a fiend realm that had a thing for cavorting with mortals. By chance, this blood manifested in Metis. The only way this shows up physically is her pure black eyes, which aren’t exactly a dead giveaway to supernatural heritage. When she first awoke to her powers, she used them exactly as you would expect. She stole and murdered, for the gain of herself and her family. She became the terror of the streets, and eventually used her powers to intimidate a gang causing trouble near her home when she was 17. It was then that she figured out why supers keep their identity to herself. She came home one day to find her last living relative, her younger brother, brutally murdered. This event is what initially causes her decision to change her ways. She has since been working as a vigilante, actively trying to team up with other super heroes. Despite her best intentions, she’s earned a bit of a reputation as an anti-hero. She is struggling to become known as a hero.

Powers: Her powers come from a distant supernatural lineage, therefore are supernatural in nature. Her powers rely on darkness and shadow, so the more there is the more powerful she is.

Shadow Walk: Metis can become one with shadows and move through them. During this time she is both invisible and incorporeal. She could only be seen or harmed through supernatural methods that could see or harm a ghost. While it may appear as teleportation to those that witness it, it is actually incorporeal locomotion and has more limits than teleportation. She moves at about the speed of a speeding car, and can only move through shadow (or darkness, if it’s somewhere with no light at all) and can not move through airtight spaces.

Darkvision: Metis can see in darkness as if it was daylight

Shadow Mass(Attack): supernatural attack. If Metis is standing in or beside a shadow, she can manifest that shadow into a blob of "black goop" in her hand and throw it at her opponent. While it has no physical mass (and therefore cannot inflict physical harm no matter how hard it is thrown) it will cause temporary blindness if it hits the eyes. Closing your eyes does not defend against this, but eye and/or face protection will defend as long as it is complete protection. (goggles that seal against the face, a full face visor etc. etc.) The blindness usually lasts for about 12 hours. Size and speed of the mass, as well as how long the blindness lasts depend on how much shadow is available. She can also use this on electronic optical equipment, such as cameras. (The video feed would be solid black)

Innate Skill(Melee): Metis has an innate skill with melee weapons like swords or long knives. This isn’t exactly a super power, but it since it comes from the same source I’m listing it here. Note that “Innate Skill” does not mean “She is an expert with melee weapons.” She is simply skilled for someone that has not received training.

Skills
Firearms; small weapons: Metis is skilled with normal one-handed firearms like handguns.
Melee, small-medium bladed weapons: Metis has an innate aptitude for one-handed blades, and normak two-handed bladed weapons. (She can't use something like a claymore, simply because of the strength and size required.)
Lockpicking: When her powers can't get her through a door, a trusty lockpick or even a hairpin will do the trick.

Defects
Dayhaze: A drawback of her powers, her eyes are more sensitive to light than normal.

Sadistic Fits: As mentioned, the source of her powers also makes her prone to mood swings, as well as a particular swing. When attacking an opponent, especially with a melee weapon, she may lapse into a sadistic fit that overtakes her logic and reasoning causing a severe personality change. This can be dangerous if there is no one to snap her out of it, how long it last varies at random.

PowerGrid:
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I'm putting her endurance at 1, since when she's not shadow walking she's not any more durable than a normal barely-over-five-foot young woman. I'm assuming around 3 is "average adult human male"


Character Image/Description: Metis is a little on the short side, and petite. She has slender limbs and digits, and usually keeps her nails long and filed to a point. She is Caucasian, but her facial features and hair hint at some Asian ancestry. Her eyes hint at a tilt, and her hair is a silky black. Her lips are thin but appear flushed against the pale backdrop of her face. As mentioned, her eyes are colored as black as her pupils. Her hair is is cut short, just past her ears, in a jagged “punkish” type cut. Her skin is shockingly pale, and she doesn’t seem able to tan. Though she doesn’t wear any sort of costume, she almost exclusively wears black clothing.

For those of you lacking imaginations, this is the closest picture I could find.

Spoiler:

Roleplay Sample:

Spoiler:

I suppose I could wait until your roleplay sample, but I have a question about Shadow Mass, the underlined part.

Shadow Mass(Attack): A supernatural attack. If Metis is standing in or beside a shadow, she can manifest that shadow into a blob and throw it at her opponent. While it has no physical mass (and therefore cannot inflict physical harm no matter how hard it is thrown) it will cause temporary blindness if it hits the eyes. Closing your eyes does not defend against this, and the blindness usually lasts for about 12 hours. Size and speed of the mass, as well as how long the blindness lasts depend on how much shadow is available. She can also use this on electronic optical equipment, such as cameras. (The video feed would be solid black)

Since my shadow is technically connected to my character, does that mean I can't dodge this? My shadow will always be connected to my feet, so I can't outrun it. And if shielding my eyes with my eyelids or hands doesn't work, doesn't that make this a 100% hit rate? A battle with temporary Blindness for 12 hours is a long time unless you're Daredevil who fights blind anyways.

Also I think it was discussed about what happens when it is Night time before in the chatbox. I didn't really understand. At night time, isn't all of it shadows? Does that mean you can launch the "Shadow Mass Attack" at someone like a tidal wave?

Just questions to clarify the abilities, not necessarily criticism.

The attack depends on Metis being in a shadow, not on the target being in one. So unless you were letting Metis stand in your shadow to prepare the attack, it wouldn't matter whether you were casting a shadow. She manifests the attack as a blob of goop in her hand, and physically throws it. A person's shadow probably won't be very large too, which would result in a weak attack. Sorry if I wasn't clear, it isn't like your shadow just raises from the ground and rushes towards you. Even in a large shadow, the mass summoned is still going to be small enough to hold in one hand.

Even at night, there are sources of light so she can't treat "being dark" the same as "100% darkness." She would need to use a shadow cast by a street lamp or the moon or some other source of light. The only situation she can treat darkness the same as shadow is if she's in a place that has no light whatsoever, like an underground cave. and of course, if you're in an underground cave with no kind of lights or even a flashlight, then you can't see anyway.

Metis wrote:It isn't like your shadow just raises from the ground and rushes towards you.

Ah, this is what I was imagining. Your description is more clearer to me now, thanks.

Mist wrote:I suppose I could wait until your roleplay sample, but I have a question about Shadow Mass, the underlined part.

Shadow Mass(Attack): A supernatural attack. If Metis is standing in or beside a shadow, she can manifest that shadow into a blob and throw it at her opponent. While it has no physical mass (and therefore cannot inflict physical harm no matter how hard it is thrown) it will cause temporary blindness if it hits the eyes. Closing your eyes does not defend against this, and the blindness usually lasts for about 12 hours. Size and speed of the mass, as well as how long the blindness lasts depend on how much shadow is available. She can also use this on electronic optical equipment, such as cameras. (The video feed would be solid black)

Since my shadow is technically connected to my character, does that mean I can't dodge this? My shadow will always be connected to my feet, so I can't outrun it. And if shielding my eyes with my eyelids or hands doesn't work, doesn't that make this a 100% hit rate? A battle with temporary Blindness for 12 hours is a long time unless you're Daredevil who fights blind anyways.

Also I think it was discussed about what happens when it is Night time before in the chatbox. I didn't really understand. At night time, isn't all of it shadows? Does that mean you can launch the "Shadow Mass Attack" at someone like a tidal wave?

Just questions to clarify the abilities, not necessarily criticism.

My question is ultimately adding onto this. Also, I am sure Wolverine and other characters with primal traits would be fine due to scent and things of that nature.

What if said person is armored in some way? Or rather, what if their eyes are covered by a helmet, visor, etc.
Would this cause an issue for your blinding move or would it go through? I mean, the shadow globs have no mass, so that is to say they won't have the force to break well...anything.

Also, lets say a character has the ability to generate light. They have a aura all around them. Does that destroy your glob and does that mean you pretty much can't reach them through shadow either?

Edit: Oh yeah, and would a character actually feel they just got pegged with said glob? Or would they just suddenly go blind out of what appears to be nowhere. Is the glob at all visible?

Good stuff, good stuff.

The blob is visible, but it doesn't have mass so you wouldn't feel it hit you. It can travel through light, but once it hits something if it's in light it disappears. If a character had the ability to use light as a power, they could probably concentrate light to dissipate it. and yeah, a super that used light as their power could probably render her powers moot as well as blind her. (ironic?)

Closing your eyes won't defend against because it can get through the eyelids, it still has to hit the eyes or eyelids. If it hits somewhere else on the face, it won't do anything. If the target is wearing a helmet or something, then they would be protected as long as it was full protection. (A knights helmet with holes or a slotted visor wouldn't be effective, because the mass could go through said openings. A SWAT helmet with a full face visor on the other hand, would protect the eyes.)

Alright, one last question. Does being pegged with that shadow glob have any side effects on the people it hits? Head aches, nausea, slight depression due to a slight chemical imbalance, etc, etc?

I must admit when I saw your ability, I figured this character was going to be another generic shadow bender. After I finished reading the bio, I no longer felt this way. As a matter of fact, I am interested in how you this character will play out.

Nope, no side affects aside from maybe emotional trauma. The blindness is caused by the shadow glob making the eyes unable to get any light for the duration of the effect. It doesn't cause any long-term damage or any pain.

and also, I know I've said supernatural a dozen times already, but that's what her powers are. So medical science would be of no help to someone inflicted with the shadow blight (I think that's what I'll call it from now on.) but something supernatural, like a cleanse spell from an angel or magical being, would cure the afflicted.

I didn't ask about a "cure" or anything of that nature. I asked about side effects.

I know you didn't ask, but I figured it was a point of importance. I figured I'd go ahead and answer a potential question while I was thinking about it. I'll edit this all in to make the character sheet more clear, of course. I'm using the feedback and questions people give me to improve the character description.

As I said, their aren't any side effects or long-term damage.

Also, I found a better picture for people going off that.

Edit: Roleplay sample is up.

Looks good to me.

I really like this character! At first she seemed like the usual shadow bender, as Kizer said, but after reading thoroughly i've decided that I love it! ^_^

Well thank you very much. I'm excited to start writing for her, though I don't even know where to start.