Will do the “Playing as” section later but this is my take on characters that focus on disguise and imitation, The Chameleon.
Inspired by:
Jarod – The Pretender
Mystique – X-Men
Morph – X-Men
The Chameleon – Spider-Man
The Everyman – Mention in one of the Masks pre-release’s examples.
Miss Martian – Young Justice (not nearly her main thing though)
Moment of Truth:
You are the virtuoso of imposters. You easily move from identity to identity with less trouble than it takes to breathe. With each shift getting you closer and closer to exactly where you need to be to make sure the day is saved. Unless you reveal yourself it’ll be days before they even suspect an imposter and much more than that before they prove it. However, this day will likely come back to haunt you either directly or through someone you care about.
Team Moves:
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone do so in a manner appropriate to your current identity. If the other person responds naturally, take Influence over them. If they show they know it’s an act, add 1 Team to the pool.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone reveal something true about yourself. If they believe you, clear a condition. If they think it’s just another act, mark potential.
Potential:
Advancement:
Take another move from your playbook.
Take another move from your playbook
Take a move from another playbook.
Take a move from another playbook.
Add two more personas that you’re able to fall into without problem.
Someone permanently loses influence over you. Add +1 to a label.
Rearrange your labels as you choose. Add +1 to a Label.
Unlock your moment of truth.
Unlock your moment of truth for the second time.
Change to another playbook.
Take an adult move.
Take an adult move.
Lock a Label and add +1 to a Label of your choice. The Locked Label can be shifted by Method Acting, but always returns to its locked position afterwards. If a lasting shift occurred due to a miss, some other Label shifts instead as chosen by the GM.
Retire from the life or become a paragon of the city.
The Chameleon
Your “real” self is nothing to be interested in. Nobody cares the least bit about that person, the least of all you. It’s best if nobody were to ever meet that person ever again. Not when there are so many other people you could be. It’s much better to be weird than boring.
Hero Name:
Real Name (if necessary):
Look:
· Ambiguous, Man, Woman, Transgressing, Variable
· Asian or South Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, White, Indistinct, Variable
· Simple clothing, military clothing, furs, torn clothing, improvised clothing, Large wardrobe
· Featureless Body, Incredibly Average, Shifting body, Fluid body
Abilities: You are a mimic par excellence. Choose one of the following sources of your ability to change identities:
Shapeshifting Disguise and Acting Skills High Tech Infiltration Gear
And how do you deal with or avoid fights when you have to? Choose one
Power Mimic Martial Arts Defensive Gadgets
Guns and Knives Parkour and Evasion Stealth
Labels:
Freak -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Danger -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Savior -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Superior -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Mundane -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Backstory:
· What is it about your real identity that you find so distasteful?
· Do you have a favorite identity that you take on?
· What is your dream life? Can you decide?
· Why are you driven to use your skills in heroism?
· How did you acquire your powers or skills?
When our team first came together…
…you took somebody’s place to save their life how did they react to your imitating them?
Relationships
__________________ has made some disturbingly spot on guesses about your real identity.
You enjoy pranking __________________ by continually changing your claimed origin story.
Influence
Choose two team members to give Influence to. You’re either worried about them learning who really are or want to show them who you really are.
Personas
There are three identities you have that you can fall into at a moment’s notice with minimal preparation needed. Name each of these identities and give them a short description.
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
At the end of each session ask the following questions:
· Did one or more of my identities make a significant personal contact?
· Did I spend more than half of my time as a single identity?
· Did I completely avoid spending any time as my real self?
· Did one of my identities get exposed as false to someone you care about?
At the beginning of each session roll and add +1 for each “yes” from the end of session questions.
On a 10+ your multiple lives catch up with you in a way that causes major problems.
On a 7-9 you forget or mix up some detail from one life that causes complications in a situation.
On a miss you handle yourself just fine with no problems.
Choose three moves:
Fluidity – When someone forces you to move your Labels, you can choose to alter either the Label going up or the Label going down.
Pretender – You pick up skills quickly but most of the time you forget them quickly too. When you Unleash your Powers in order to temporarily master a new skill, roll +Superior instead of +Freak.
Practiced Liar – When someone tries to Pierce your Mask roll +Superior.
On a 10+ you can answer as per one of your identities instead of your true self.
On a 7-9 you can answer one question as per one of your identities instead of your true self.
On a Miss they can ask one extra question.
Take One to Know One – When you try to see through a disguise whether in person or correspondence, roll +Superior.
On a 12+ you know for sure whether someone is who they say they are and, if they’re fake, whether or not they believe their own disguise.
On a 10+ you know for sure whether someone is who they say they are.
On a 7-9 you gain a +1 ongoing to Pierce the Mask as long as you’re trying to ascertain their identity.
On a miss you can’t be sure either way whether the person is genuine or imposter.
A Clipboard and a Nod – You are very good at looking like you belong in any given situation. (tempted to title this “Imhotep” due to the scene in the Mummy, but the reference to Michael Keaton in The Paper seems better). When you try to gain access to a location by seeming to belong there roll +Superior.
On a 10+ you get in with no trouble whatsoever.
On a 7-9 you get caught up in conversation with someone who either has a job for you to do or else is trying to place your face.
On a miss your disguise gets seen through somehow at the worst possible time.
Method Acting – When you try to get deeper into character roll +Superior.
On a 10+ you can shift one Label up and one Label down. They return to where they were as soon as the scene ends.
On a 7-9 you can shift one Label up and the GM will shift one Label down. They return to where they were as soon as the scene ends.
On a Miss the GM shifts your Labels as he desires and they remain there even after the scene ends.
Sample: Rani Sky, the Animated Woman
Look – African American Woman, large wardrobe, shifting body
Abilities – Shapeshifting, Power Mimic
(while staying female and with at least faint African heritage, Rani morphs close to an appearance as a fictional character and gains some of their abilities)
Freak +1, Danger +0, Savior +1, Superior +2, Mundane -1
Pretender, Method Acting, Practiced Liar
Personas:
Reign Night, a suave and manipulative werewolf with a Scottish accent and sadistic bent. Tends to be close to an anti-hero at times. She is regularly mistaken for a somewhat bishie Caucasian man in this identity.
Raleigh Cloud, a young and idealistic magical girl who appears to be much younger than Rani. She appears to be mostly Japanese in this form.
Rina Storm, a brash young detective with martial arts and gun play skills who’s a bit of a loose cannon. Her ethnicity in this identity is muddled because of the number of different actors who played the character she’s embodying.
Rani considers her personal life rather boring and would rather have a more exciting life.
She has a least favorite identity to take on: Reign Night. She really dislikes some of her behavior when that identity.
Rani’s dream life is the adventurous one she has.
Rani is a good person who wants to help people, even when she embodies a fictional villain her heroic nature shines through…so far.
Rani was granted the power to use one branch of story magic, the ability to embody characters herself. Unfortunately, since she was granted the power rather than taught, she tends to have some issues with centering herself and embodying who she wants to embody. The three personas she has were the first three and two of them are characters she actually dislikes (Reign and Rina).
For some reason, all of Rani’s long term personas take on names that begin with the same letter as hers “R” and have surnames that have something to do with the sky.