I did take Rhinox and Aurora into consideration and my thoughts were that Rhinox has kind of had to fill in for that role. While he is a good medic its not necessarily his primary strength. I hope that they could learn from each other. I imagine it like Tony Stark meeting Bruce Banner kind of thing. For example, Chen will know nothing about the ship, so there will be gaps. On the flip side, I jested that Chen could learn about that bug that Scorponok put on Optimus' chest and say something like "Oh if I was here I could have figured something out"
In Aruroa case I thought that she could learn a lot from Chen and then he could a lot from her because she is more familiar with the planet and whats happened.
As I said I'm not sure about his skills. Something like reconnaissance is interesting but I don't know if that fits with his current character. I am all for Optimus pushing him out of his comfort zone in fact I want that to happen in the future. And him not being helpful to the crew for whatever reason is kinda the point - drama lol
Again I really don't know about a weapon. That could be something that happens in the future, for the sake of interesting character development. I'm definitely open to him having a defensive ability, but maybe have that come to play at a specific moment.
As for the 10 intelligence, I think its fine if he knows something about everything but he doesnt know everything about everything. I don't want it to be seen as perfection because his character is far from it. My idea is that he is the smartest person in the room yet not that useful because of where he is, which is the bases for some of his character. His skill being 10 is just pertaining to his medical skill. By comparison Dinobot has a high skill but its obviously for completely different things. As I've seen before, the numbers seem to be a way of balancing the characters of each other. Yet when it comes to fights and stuff it seems to be more a narrative decision as apposed to rolling the numbers. Correct me if I'm wrong of course. Chen isn't going to be using his skill or intelligence against anyone, at least not directly.
I'm also happy to lower them if thats what it takes.
I completely agree with your last paragraph. The idea was that Chen was meant to the medic/doctor when settled where ever they were going or to wake him up when they needed him.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Last edited by FortuitousFour on Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I might have some suggestions for abilities/equipment if this could help. Drawing from some ideas from other games/continuities, maybe you might be interested in Chen having a deplorable shield of some kind. There are a few that I know of that could work for Chen not being a fighter:
+Diffraction Barrier: And energy shield that can deflect a majority or all incoming fire for a short amount of time, but does where down from continue or heavy attacks.
+Energon Force Field: An energy force field that covers the whole body and always has a dome shape, though can also cover more than one person. Same purpose as the Diffraction Shield with time limit and wears down, but could do well to help in the field and I believe can be modified to deflect shots if you wanted.
Now only major differences I know of for this is that if Chen did have a weapon he can shoot through the Diffraction Barrier but not an Energon Force Field.
But, non-lethal weapons are also an option, such as the Sling Shock, which can fire electrified bola, Steel Net Launcher (or something of a similar name) that fires strong steel nets and can be used to ensnare someone, and something like the Energon Repair Ray which might be a good option since it has a dual purpose: it can fire an energon repair ray that uses nanomites to heal minor to moderate wounds but can also do some damage. Just depends on how you want to use them though.
Still, just some options that I can think of and from some research I did between the TF wiki and another forum I’m on that did a pretty good collection on the known weapons. Hope this might help! And I think abilities can be related to his beast form as well, such as being extremely agile or excellent in multitasking, some things like that and doesn’t necessarily have to be an ability.
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Name: Zodiac
Current player: Phoenix
Species: Cybertronian/Vok hybrid
Allegiance: Predacon (former)
Function: Espionage, specialist
Beast Mode: Dragon (transmetal) in true form
Vehicle Mode: Shapeshifting ability
Height: 10' 4" (robot mode)
Quote: "Looks can be deceiving. Mine more so than anyone.”
"You are a fool.. I merely took advantage of the weak link in the chain." – Zodiac to Optimus Primal
Beginning his life as a product of a banished Vok, Whitegrazer, who created offspring in an attempt to please her new Maximal superiors, Zodiac’s protoform was then stolen by Cryotek only to undergo extensive training and experimentation under his guidance in an attempt to adapt his unique powers under their control. When discovering the Cybertronian hybrid’s attributes, the scientists implanted him with advanced vok nanotechnology they had stolen and improved upon, which resulted in Zodiac gaining abilities otherwise unheard of among those of the Cybertronian race.
Given his abilities to change his shape to resemble other Cybertronians, Zodiac was tasked with infiltrating their enemies and impersonating figures of importance within their rank. During one of these earlier missions the young shapeshifter was discovered by Nexus Prime and captured by the Maximals who wanted to use his powers to their own gain. Nexus Prime and his protégé Optimus oversaw this project until a fateful day when Zodiac rebelled against them and disappeared during a mission.
The experience left Zodiac with a grudge against Nexus Prime and Optimus as he blamed them for the ordeal he faced upon returning to Cryotek’s service. After a brief stint where he attempted to obtain Vok technology for his employers, the shapeshifter devised a plan to get revenge against those he felt had wronged him. When Nexus Prime got captured by Cryotek’s forces, Zodiac took his life and his ship and used it to pursue Optimus to Earth with a small crew of his own. After arriving on Earth, he took on the guise of Nexus and tricked Primal into nearly killing off his entire team. His plan was thwarted at the last moment, leaving Zodiac as a fugitive from justice for a while.
Upon seeing an opportunity to recruit Rampage into his new team to replace the one he lost shortly after arriving on the planet, Zodiac used his new ally to obtain the Viper, a vessel sent by Nexus Prime as part of a rescue attempt for the Maximals stuck on Earth. In this process Zodiac ended up alienating Megatron when he attempted to kill him so he could take control of Rampage’s spark for himself. This resulted in a temporary truce between the Maximals and Predacons while they sought to stop the two fugitives from reaching Cybertron and rewrite the course of history.
After the Viper was destroyed and Zodiac was captured by the Maximals, Megatron and Nemesis organized an attack on the Axalon to extract revenge on the now deemed traitorous shapeshifter. They nearly succeeded, leaving Zodiac in critical condition..
PERSONALITY:
Highly intelligent to the point of being arrogant but also young with limited experience and to some extent impressionable, Zodiac also displays cruel and self-serving tendencies. He is also capable of a ruthlessness that rivals that of Megatron himself. He can also be a bit mischievous at times, finding amusement in the chaos he causes. These traits when combined with his unique skills and abilities, has made Zodiac a force to be reckoned with.
From the time Zodiac’s ease for learning new skills emerged at a young age, Cryotek made sure that the young shape shifter was tutored in a number of skills to ease his transition when infiltrating and taking on the persona of his target. Pretending and thus by default also lying came easy to the young male, but he was also trained in a number of other skill sets. Among those he excelled in were marksmanship and computer science, although he received training in other areas as well. Zodiac has been trained in combat strategies as well as using his foes’ perceived weaknesses against them.
SKILLS & ABILITIES:
Nanotechnology based shapeshifting – Derived from advanced Vok technology improved upon by Cryotek’s scientists, Zodiac possesses the ability to change his physical form to an exact duplicate of other Cybertronians. This ability is so uncannily precise that it’s physically impossible to tell the individuals apart, provided Zodiac’s been able to study his target’s physical attributes and mannerisms. When he uses his shapeshifting ability he is able to change his texture, coloration, as well as his shape.
Although the shapeshifting ability is formidable, it does have some limitations. One being that there are limits to how large or small of a form he can take on. This is due to the limitations of the nanomachines themselves, and they can only compress Zodiac’s size to about as large as Aurora or increase his size to about 13 feet. Regardless his mass stays the same resulting in a thicker armor when he takes on a smaller form than a larger one.
Voice modification module – To perfect Zodiac’s ability to impersonate others, he’s been equipped with a module that allows him to alter his voice to match that of his target precisely.
Rapid Healing – Using the nanotechnology within him, Zodiac is capable of healing himself with incredible speed. If the damage is extensive, however, he will need fuel in the form of metal to complete the healing process.
Equipment duplication & modification – Zodiac’s nanomachines are capable of stripping the metallic components of objects in his grasp down to an atomic level and use the metal as fuel for repairs or to modify the object into another form that will benefit Zodiac more. One example of such is when he modified the weapon he had borrowed from Primal to form a sniper component. Zodiac can also absorb information on how a weapon was forged this way and recreate said weapon at a later time.
Expert marksmanship – Highly skilled in the use of sniper rifles.
Computer hacking skills – Zodiac possesses some skills in the art of computer science and hacking as part of his extensive training to be able to tackle his infiltration assignments effectively.
WEAPONS:
Broadsword – Zodiac often carries a broadsword for close quarter combat. This sword is quite heavy and is as such not very useful for an extended battles nor is Zodiac able to swing it quickly, but can be quite useful to inflict blunt force trauma or even to deflect incoming attacks if angled just right.
Shoulder mounted cannon: The technology for this weapon was absorbed after Zodiac killed Nexus Prime, and it has since become a frequently used weapon of his. The cannon has an automatic targeting system and is capable of firing multiple rounds of shots at rapid speeds. This is Zodiac’s most used mid-range weapon.
Sniper rifle – As part of his extensive training, Zodiac is an expert marksman when using a long range sniper rifles and is likely one of the most accurate sharp shooters in the beast wars, capable of accurately hitting his target from great distances.
WEAKNESSES:
The nanotechnology embedded into Zodiac’s circuitry is vulnerable to electricity. If exposed to electric shock he can lose control over the nanomachines or they may short circuit and force a reboot cycle to commence. The technology is also sensitive to rapid changes in temperature.
Zodiac, albeit highly skilled, lacks some field training to truly be able to cope as well as he’d like to think he is capable of. He is young and a bit reckless at times, and has on occasion failed to make sure his plans have been properly executed.
Sorry for my greatly delayed reply here, FF. That looks great to me. I also liked Wintersong's suggestions, but as we've covered before, things will change throughout the game, and I'm sure Chen will evolve. That's the fun part about character development. So, I'm pretty satisfied with everything here. Did you have an idea as to when you wanted to join the game? Perhaps in the next episode since we'll be wrapping up the current one soon?
Hinted at this for a few months now and decided to finally get this up for review and feedback! May go ahead with this in the next episode or an “off-screen” transformation for later reveal in the episode, just depends. Besides this, Spineback’s bio is updated and changed!
Name: Spineback Allegiance: Predacon Function: Chief Medical Officer/Longe-Range Fighter/Scientist Alt. Mode: Transmetal Spinosaurus (via personal experimentation) Height: 15 feet long lengthwise in beast mode, 11 feet in robot mode Quote: "Change is everything, adapt or die.”
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 8
Speed: 4
Endurance: 7
Rank: [Assigned by the staff]
Courage: 8
Firepower: 8
Skill: 8
Biography: Spineback is a former Decepticon soldier who took part in the Great War, but she joined the ranks of the Decepticon Militia very late in the war. In fact, she was one of many bots many years ago who took refuge on one of the off-world colonies as a laborer, having come online sometime during the middle of the violent conflict that had devastated her home world of Cybertron. But when a small band of Decepticons descended upon her home she was one of a handful of survivors to be captured and given a choice: join the Decepticons or have her life ended then and there. She chose to become a Decepticon rather than perish.
After a short few years of training in a few forms of combat, more so with long range use in weapons, Spineback was soon thrown right into the conflict of the war. Despite being a rookie this young femme at the time proved to be able to hold her own in a tough fight, being able to survive the grueling conflict to its end, often being off-world and home. Though she was one of the many hundreds of Decepticons forced to flee Cybertron upon Unicron’s arrival for a time before returning to the fight once Galvatron took control.
Millions of years of conflict came to end however, and eventually the Pax Cybertronia was created. Laying down arms like many Decepticons granted amnesty she decided to undergo the change to become a Predacon and generally retired from being in a military setting, instead decided to focus on a new field, becoming a medic. Again Spineback seemed to find peace at last with the peace going between the Maximals and Predacons at the time despite hearing the rumors that there were plans for many of the Predacons to try and overthrow the Maximal order, but she kept to herself . Keeping her head down, Spineback for a time was content with her new lot in life.
But eventually Spineback would hear word of the Axalon crew's preparation for exploration and decided it might be interesting to be off Cybertron again after becoming restless with the lack of action. At the time though, she hadn't yet heard the word of Megatron stealing the Golden Disk as she was reverted to a protoform once again and loaded onto the Axalon in a stasis pod which for the first part of the Beast Wars remained in orbit. That was until the destruction of the Planet Buster would throw her pod off course like many others, causing it to crash into some space debris which finally brought her down to Earth at last.
Her pod activated a short time after this in one of Earth’s swamp lands, scanning a long fossilized spinosaur juvenile before emerging from her pod. Not long after, she had her first taste of the isolated war when the Maximals came on the scene shortly after meeting Megatron and some of his Predacons. Intrigued by this new tyrant with the namesake of her previous commander and his ideals, she made no hesitation to join his cause. Since this time, she has acted as both long-range support and the Predacons’ primary medical officer. Her experiences have led to many revelations since, especially that adaptation is key to their war and her medical knowledge and military skills aren’t the only things that will get her where she needs to be.
Over time, Spineback has slowly evolved to have a more scientific approach, if even taking on a more analytic, observational view of how to improve the chances for the Predacons. Shortly after the discovery of the Viper and Rampage, she became particularly interested in mixing science with her medical skills, having been working on not only a way to make the Predacons stronger and healthier, but a personal project to improve her own prowess of what she’s dubbed Project Transmetal. Such a project has led to her current transmetalization.
Weapons: With an upgrade such as Spineback’s, comes an upgrade in her weaponry-
+Dinosaur Head Plasma Cannon: Having had a Plasma Shooter for her tenure with the Predacons, her weapon was discarded and replaced with a handheld Plasma Cannon that fires concentrated, super heated plasma blasts rather than plasma spheres. This firearm is general kept on her back when not in use, connected by two segmented metal cables.
+Gatling Rocket Launcher x2: Mounted on either shoulder, Spineback now packs two spinning rocket launchers that replace her old ones, allowing her to fire a barrage of mini-missiles, 36 shots in each with being able to fire 12 at a time from each one allowing her to cover a wide range of area.
+Drill Tail Lance: Though she retained her tail lance, Spineback’s weapon has a drill-like tip with spiked studs covering the segmented weapon. This not only acts as a melee and blunt weapon, but now has a feature that allows her to press a button on the side of the handle triggering the lance to spin to tear through armor and other material. This trait carries over to her beast mode as well.
Abilities:
+Back Sail Arm Shield: Spineback still retains her arm shield from her non-transmetal form but now is larger in size with her now dual back sail folding out to form it, one above and one below the arm. This translucent but durable shield however has lost the ability for her to absorb energy-based attacks as she once did.
+Spineback still retains her adaptability to go in water and on land, but has developed an ability of electroreception seen in animals such as sharks. The sensors in her body are more apt to pick up disturbances in the ground or water via vibrations or picking up electrical stimuli which is naturally produced by living beings or inanimate objects.
+Vehicle Mode: Influenced from her previous Decepticon body, Spineback’s transmetal vehicle mode is almost truck-like/transport form with wheels visible on her beast mode shoulders and the sides of her legs above the knee joints. Her dual-spine can also fold out flat in this form to carry injured comrades or materials.
Weaknesses:
+Spineback’s large size still makes her considerably slower than most, perhaps with the exception of Rampage. Her upgrade has done little favor in this regard, except maybe her vehicle mode which does make her a little faster when in beast mode.
+Spineback’s fighting style is still heavily based on distance and long-range, using only a single melee weapon in robot mode and relying on her natural weapons in beast mode.
+As a side effect of her personal experimentation, Spineback suffers from pain in her joints when transforming and comes off as far more aggressive than normal, to the point of involuntarily transforming to her beast mode when worked up. In such a state, she becomes almost berserk and just barely distinguishs friend from foe.
Last edited by Wintersong on Wed Sep 25, 2019 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Spineback's profile is awesome! But if I have to nitpick, I would say her scientific and medical background warrants an intelligence and skill level of 8 at least. Since you've stated she's not the most speedy you could easily sacrifice a few points from speed and courage.
Nah, don’t see it as nitpicking at all Phoenix! Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure how to rebalance the stats or if they seemed right, so definitely helps. Changed it per your recommendation.
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So, Spineback IS currently a TransMetal in the game, correct? I keep envisioning her as pre-TM. Or has her upgrade not happened yet? I just want to avoid my own confusion.
She is still pre-TM as of right now, the upgrade will happen either next episode or she does it “offscreen” and reveals it in the next episode, however we start out the next one.
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Yup! I wanted to go ahead and get the profile up so I didn’t forget anything or ended up too busy to work on it. And I also wanted to see if you guys had any additional feedback beforehand as well.
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