Hero Name: Exemplar
Real Name: E’Llar

Look: whatever she feels like; whatever she feels like; whatever she feels like; whatever she feels like; whatever she feels like

(Alternatively: woman/shifting; Skrull/variable; laughing eyes; casual clothing; no costume)

Abilities:
Skrull shapeshifting, weapon formation

Labels:
Danger 0
Freak +1
Savior -1
Superior +2
Mundane +1

Conditions:
Afraid [ ], Angry [ ], Guilty [ ], Hopeless [ ], Insecure [ ]

Backstory:

How did you get your powers?

“By hatching from an egg. You don’t know much about us Skrulls, do you? It’s understandable, your planet is quite backwards. Some… rare, unfortunate exceptions aside, we all possess this ability at birth. It’s why we call ourselves the Changing People. I really can’t begin to imagine how sad it must be, to be locked forever in one form as you poor aliens are… At any rate, while we all change, some, such as myself, have a greater innate talent for it. Then there is a matter of training, in which quite naturally I also excelled. Surely you did not think that we would send anyone short of a true… exemplar to assist your amusing little program?”

Even if they themselves may not realise it. Tch. This is their idea of a punishment, of course… sending me to this dreary ball of mud as some token diplomatic gesture after the latest crisis. The natives would be awed and impressed by the Empress dispatching one of her own relatives, not realising that it is a “misbehaving” minor relative. Not a bad ploy, except the Empress fails to understand how much more gifted I am than any of my peers! It is as if all of the power over change that was meant to be my brother’s went into me, instead. “Undisciplined”? Pah! I have already shown them what I have learned to do. Hardly my fault if our trainers are too blind to understand it.

What do you do for fun?

“You really don’t know much about Skrulls. Why, pretend to be one of you, of course! Or rather… many of you. Sometimes I impersonate your celebrities and see how long it takes for their admirers to spot me. At other times, I take the form of someone in authority and test the strength of your security measures. More mundane humans can also be fun, on occasion. I may even be someone you know, a relative, a friend… At other times, I take the form of one of your planet’s lower creatures and eavesdrop on your secret conversations! Oh, don’t give me that look. I am doing your people a favour. You are all so soft and careless, and this helps keep you on your toes.”

If I have the gift, I may as well use it. Otherwise, what is the point? I swear, the adults are so pathetic with their whining about those hideous alien forms that they would only take on for the sake of the mission. The humans aren’t much to look at, sure, but I don’t see how it’s demeaning to copy one’s appearance – or that of local insects, for that matter. It’s our birthright to look as whatever catches our fancy for a moment. Besides, making sure you get all the small details right and seeing how far you can get is… fun. As is lying, trespassing, eavesdropping… haven’t done as much stealing or vandalism on this world yet, but that’s mostly because it’s so dirt poor.

Who, outside the team, thinks better of you than you do?

“Are you insinuating something, human? What does your species call it – low self-esteem? Because I assure you – my esteem for myself far exceeds any comparable emotion in the members of your species. Even among my own, I doubt that anyone can appreciate myself as much as I do! Although my relatives, the Empress and Chancellor E’Ktor, clearly think highly of me indeed, or else they would not have sent me.”

The Empress does not know me, she just looked at me and waved me off, and my uncle… Well, thinking about it, he did say something cryptic about how I might exceed my expectations, but he always was a strange old fool. Perhaps he really wants peace with Earth, and thinks I would bring it about? Senile near-fossil. The Empress only keeps him around to fool aliens, anyway.

My little brother, E’Rgor. If anyone in the universe who truly appreciates me, other than myself, it must be him. At least, he better.

Why do you try to be a hero?

“Try? We Skrulls are natural-born heroes, even if some fall short of that potential. We possess courage, honour, guile – all necessary heroic qualities. We protect hundreds of planets and their inhabitants, Skrull and alien alike, from the wretched Kree and other threats. As for myself, of course I followed in my ancestors’ footsteps. It would not do for a royal to do less than the commoners. The universe clearly needs my help – beginning with your planet. Feel honoured!”

Well, they should be. Still… As if I have a choice. Training and service are mandatory – don’t they know that? I wouldn’t have minded fighting, but the military academy was full of idiots. The instructors tried to treat me like I was some ordinary, talentless recruit, and my “fellow cadets”… well. At least I showed them. Only I get to talk about my family like that. Pity I got caught, though. “Cheating in my exams”, as if I’d even care except for the opportunity the sparring sessions gave me… Well, anyway. Now that I’m on Earth, I may as well have fun with it. I’ve heard that it’s a trouble magnet, so there should be plenty of opportunities to show them what I can do. Show my instructors, too. Show them all!

Why do you care about the team?

“Care is too strong a word. I take pity on them. They are obviously doomed without my help – soft earthlings all. Consider my keeping them from getting themselves killed a gesture of good will from the Skrull Empire.”

…They’re not so bad, as far as soft, weak, stupid aliens go. Sometimes I can almost feel a sense of… kinship, as absurd as that sounds. Maybe because they, too, are slightly underrated by their kind? But I must never tell them that. It would only go to their heads.

Relationships:

You keep trying to impress _________________ with your antics.

You and ________________ pulled an awesome (if illegal) stunt together.

Influence:
You care way more than you let on. Give three teammates Influence over you.

Moves:

Mary Contrary: When someone tries to pierce your mask, comfort or support you, or provoke you, you can interfere. Roll + Superior. On a hit, they take a -2 on their roll. On a 10+, you also take Influence over them or clear a condition. On a miss, they get a 10+ no matter what they rolled and you mark a condition of their choice.

Team? What team?: When you use Team selfishly, clear a condition or mark potential. The first time in a session that you use Team to help a teammate, take +1 forward.

Are you watching closely?: When you mislead, distract, or trick someone, roll + Superior. On a hit, they are fooled, at least for a moment. On a 10+, choose three. On a 7-9, choose two.
- you get an opportunity
- you expose a weakness or flaw
- you confuse them for some time
- you avoid further entanglement
On a miss, you’re hopelessly embroiled in it and under pressure; mark a condition.

Moment of Truth:
This is when you show them what you really are. Whether you’re the hero underneath the rebel facade...or the one who can make the hard choices heroes can’t make. You do whatever it takes to show that truth, whether it’s saving the day from a terrible villain or stopping a bad guy once and for all. Of course, once you’ve shown what you really are, there’s no going back to playing the clown...

Team Moves:
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, ask them if they think you’re cool. If they say yes, give them Influence and take Influence over them. If they say no, mark a condition or spurn them immediately. If they’re a teammate, then either way, add a Team to the pool.

When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, give them Influence over you, and ask them who they’d like you to be. Mark potential if you show them that person. If they’re a teammate, add a Team to the pool no matter what.

Potential:
[X] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Advances used: