Darkness

Believe it or not, this is a physical based power. Characters that have this power have the ability to generate fields of darkness by bending, altering, or displacing light in a targeted area.

All right, Simon. You’ve disabled the security system and slipped past the guards. Brice Corp’s data center is just ahead. Emergency lights cast a soft white glow against smoke-glass walls surrounding the room with the server racks themselves. There’s a keypad with a built in keycard reader, but it looks like the one you just bypassed to get here. You don’t see any guards, or really any movement.

— Game Master, chuckling

… I really hate it when you do that ‘Dark Lord’ chuckling thing… anyway, this looks too good to be true. Agent Chameleon could be here ready to be a pain in my plans. I’ll black out the area using my Darkness power, even though it looks like no one’s here.

— Agent Simon Kincade of S.H.A.D.E.

Activating this power is an automatic action, meaning that the character wills it into effect. Once the power has been ‘turned on’, it remains in effect so long as the character can spend an automatic action each phase. Naturally, if the character falls unconscious, the Darkness effect dissipates. Also, when a character uses the Darkness power, it doesn’t block their vision in any way.

No problem. You reach out and bend the light waves. The room with the servers, the surrounding glass, it all gets swallowed in darkness.

— Game Master

Perfect!

— Agent Simon Kincade

Any sort of vision powers that require light to see or focus on a target, such as Telescopic Vision or X-Ray Vision, are blocked from working. Other vision powers, such as Ultra Vision or True Sight can attempt to pierce through the field.

I would have a word with thee, land dweller! It’s time to kick out some of this darkness with my Atomic Hammer to see better. I use Flash.

— Thunderstrike Orinson, prince of Atlantea

Yes… cause with Flash... my brother thinks he’ll save every one of us…

— Loki Orinson, younger prince of Atlantea and brother to Thunderstrike

Why do you always do that, brother?

— Thunderstrike, exasperated

What? The old movie reference? You’re practically begging for it. Besides, those of us in the Knights Vigilant, we excel at the witty banter when facing a super criminal! You obviously need some lessons.

— Loki, chipper as always

… lovely… the Orinsons… I’d rather fight Chameleon. He talks a LOT less…

— Agent Simon Kincade

Well, think of it as luck of the draw. Thunderstrike, we’ll call you using your Flash power as “trying to see through Simon’s Darkness”. Roll for it.

— Game Master, a bit too gleeful

Using Ultra Vision or True Sight to try to see through a Darkness field is resolved as a Dice Action. In this case, the APs of Ultra Vision or True Sight is the AV/EV while the AP level of the Darkness power is the OV/RV. The amount of positive RAPs ] gained on the roll should be used by the Game Master as a guide to how accurately the character can see through the darkness. This chart is a rough guide to that.

15!

— Thunderstrike, rolling 2d10

Not bad. Let me look that one up. All right, by the Result Chart that’s 4 RAPs…

— Game Master, checking the roll

Suggestions for RAPs gained

1 RAP

The target being focused on is blurry. The character trying to view through the darkness can only see one or two details of the target.

RAPs are approximately 1/2 the Reaction Value

The person doing the viewing can see 1 target clearly

RAPs equal or are greater than the Reaction Value

The person doing the viewing can see through the field clearly.

Area and Volume Generated

The area enveloped by the Darkness power is equal to the volume of the power based on its APs level plus 5. For an explanation about this with regards to range, see the Range article.

Now this field or zone of Darkness can be shaped by the character creating this effect. This shape can be adjusted or centered however the character desires, provided it’s within Normal range of the character. The center point of the darkness field doesn't have to be on the character with the power, but it does have to be within the AP range of the Darkness power. It also must be in a location the character can actually see.

While the center of the Darkness must be where the character can see, the Darkness field fills the area around the designated center. This includes spaces the character generating the darkness cannot see. However! The power effect is not allowed to pass through any solid objects, including glass.

Ok, the Flash burst from Thunderstrike’s Atomic Hammer splits a little of the darkness, but it’s still like looking into a puddle of ink. Through the oppressive gloom, you see a figure bolting for cover. A thin man in gray and black urban camouflage. Too dark to make out the face though.

— Game Master

Yeah, we’ll see about you two chuckleheads spotting me. That 'Flash' gives me an idea…

— Agent Simon Kincade

Now you’ll save every one of us?

— Loki, who never gives up a punch line until it's dead

No! You’re more of a pain than I’ve heard about.

— Agent Simon Kincade

For the character caught in one of these zones, the OV of Physical Actions are reduced by the APs of Darkness in effect, making it harder for them to defend themselves. Likewise, if a character affected by a Darkness field attempts to perform a physical attack something, whether that target is inside or outside the Darkness field, the target gains gains a defense bonus of +4 to their OV. The attacker cannot clearly see what they are aiming at!

Note that if the character who is generating the Darkness field falls unconscious, the effect immediately ends.

Power Bonus: Living Shadows

I drop the Darkness field then use the Living Shadows bonus of my Darkness power. That Flash burst of light is generating shadows. I’m going to attack them with their own shadows before the light dies out.

— Agent Simon Kincade

Hm. Flash is just a short burst of light, not a constant one. Ok, I'll allow it this time. Roll.

— Game Master

This power may be purchased with Power Bonus: Living Shadows for an increase of +2 Factor Cost when buying the power.

The Living Shadow bonus, instead of generating or creating a field of Darkness, a character can animate any shadows within their AP range of the Darkness power that they can see. Unlike the Darkness power itself, use of Living Shadows is a Dice Action.

A single animated shadow may be directed to attack a target, blocking its visual senses even if they are X-Ray or Ultra vision. The character may animate a total number of shadows equal to half their APs in Darkness. When used, the character attempting to use Living Shadows makes one Dice Action to animate shadows within their Darkness AP range.

22

— Agent Simon Kincade

Whew. Ok. That beats their INT and MIND defense. So their shadows attack them?

— Game Master

Yes! Their shadows jump at them and blot out their vision so I can grab the goods and run!

— Agent Simon Kincade

To use a living shadow to block a target’s visual ability, the character with the Darkness power must make an Action Check against the visual sense or power of the target. The attacker’s APs of Darkness is the AV/EV while the target’s INT/MIND or APs of visual power is the OV/RV. Positive RAPs earned means the target’s visual senses are blocked for an amount of time equal to the RAPs gained or the target moves out of range.

I can’t see! I'll Flash again...

— Thunderstrike

No! Wait! We can't see but we can hear. GM? I listen for the click to the server room door, as that was a maglock on it.

— Loki

Clever! You hear a soft but solid thunk as the maglock releases.

— Game Master, rolling perception

That way, brother! Throw your hammer. Do your thuggery!

— Loki, grabbing Thunderstrike and ‘aiming him’

I throw my ham...

— Thunderstrike, reaching into his dice box.

Say 'knockack' BEFORE you touch the dice! Will you never learn?

— Loki

sighs ... KNOCKBACK! I throw my HAM of a BROTHER! Knockback of course. I don't want to break the superspy. Some midgardians are fragile. My brother will heal... 24 to hit!

— Thunderstrike, rolling real well.

... I was having such a good day...

— Agent Simon Kincade

If the character using the Darkness power falls unconscious or is unable to see the shadow being manipulated, the effect immediately ends.

If the target is already in Darkness, or already has obscured vision, the use of Living Shadow has no effect. Likewise, the character cannot generate a field of Darkness then attempt to animate that as a ‘shadow’.

Furthermore, a character may not generate a Darkness field at the same time they attempt to use Living Shadows. They must use one or the other. If Darkness has already been used, they must spend a move action to stop generating a Darkness field to use Living Shadows.

Ugh. I’m glad I can see again. So all this against the superspy? This is what you and your Knights Vigilant vigilantes do?

— Thunderstrike

It’s called ‘heroism’, brother. It’s a simple word. With some practice, you’ll get the idea. Anyway, lets get him downstairs to the authorities. First, we grab his gear… I mean confiscate. The midgardians call it ‘confiscate’.

— Loki, far too pleased with himself

Hm. Heroism? Brother, I do not think that word means what you think it means…

— Thunderstrike, raising an eyebrow at his brother

This is inspired by the power of the same name in the DC Heroes 3rd Edition "White Book", the MMORPG “City of Heroes”, suggestions from Mutants and Masterminds Ultimate Powers and heroes and villains across the comic book space that use the Darkness power.

Both Loki and Thunderstrike are not the actual Marvel Comics characters but adorable adaptations inspired by them.

Darkness

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Link: Str

Range: Normal

Type: Auto

Base
Cost: 10

Factor Cost: 5

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Power Bonus Options!

Living Shadow

+2 to Factor Cost above

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To link this Power on a character sheet, copy and paste this code (with no line breaks) where the Power Name would go:

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@[Darkness](power:f1c3a7fd-30c8-4d6d-b257-cccdb6c4360a)