Gangtie Laohu / Steel Tigress:

Name: Gangtie Laohu / Steel Tigress.

True Name: London Wells.

Alignment: Scrupulous (Good).

Hit Points: 29 [*29 / 59]. S.D.C. (Physical): 53 [*106 / 346].

Attributes: I.Q.: 21 (+7%/+3), M.E.: 15, M.A.: 15, P.S.: 18 (+3) [*43 (+28) / 53 (+38)], P.P.: 23 (+4), P.E.: 23 (+16% / +4) [*23 (+16% / +4) / 27 (+24% / +6)], P.B.: 15 [*21 (55%)], SPD: 30. (22.4 mph / 36 kph) [*First Attributes is with bracelet only and second attribute is with metal armor.]

Weight: 108 lbs (48.99 kg). Height: 5 ft 4 in (1.63 meters).

Age: 22 years. Sex: Female. P.P.E.: 12.

Disposition:

Before getting the bracelet and her abilities, London was basically a normal girl. Quite smart but a little unfocused and never concentrated enough on her studies. She was never unpopular but she never quite fit in. Did get involved in various activities such as cheerleading and gymnastics but never quite fit in with them either.

This is not to say that she was never without friends and was always extremely loyal to the ones she had. Most however moved when they left school. Some got married and soon had kids which took them away while others went to colleges around the country. Granted, she still had her parents but she had become a bit on the lonely side.

London is not the type to seek out trouble for trouble sake. In addition, she tries to get along with people in general. She is a bit unconventional however in style, for example often dying her hair odd colors. One cannot consider her really a Goth however.

She has no understanding why the bracelet ended up in her possession. While athletic, never considered herself to be a real warrior. Not sure if she likes the idea of being a hero or not although she does not have it in her heart to be a villain. The whole situation with the enchanted item is still a learning experience for her.

Experience Level: First (1).

Combat Skill: Hand to Hand; Basic & Boxing.

Attacks per Melee: Five (5).

Bonuses; Combat: Critical Strike: Natural 20, Knock Out / Stun: Natural 20, Bonuses: Damage: +3 [*+34 / +54], Strike: (+0) +4, Parry: (+3) +7, Dodge: (+3) +7, Roll (With Punch / Fall / Impact): +8, Pull Punch: +2, Initiative: +0.

Kick Attacks: Kick (2D4)

Bonuses; Saves: Lethal Poison - [14] +4 [*+4/+6], Non-Lethal Poison - [16] +4 [*+4/+6], Harmful Drugs - [15] +4 [*+4/+6], Insanity - [12] +0, Psionics - [15] +0, Magic - [12] +4 [*+7/+9], Horror Factor - [Varies] +0, +0 vs Possession.

Super Power Category: Enchanted Weapon.

Super Power Abilities: See below under equipment for enchanted weapon abilities.

Educational Level: Three years college (Three Skill Packages +15% / 8 Secondary Skills) - .Journalism, Physical, and Science Programs.

Skills: Domestic: Cooking [Secondary] 42%, Dancing [Secondary - Professional] (+10%) 47%, Medical: First Aid 52%, Physical: Hand to Hand; Basic [Secondary], Acrobatics (+15%), Athletics - General [Secondary], Boxing, Gymnastics (+15%), Running [Secondary], Swimming (+15%) 72%, Pilot (Basic): Automobile [Background] (+15%), Rogue: Streetwise [Secondary] 27%, Science: Anthropology (+15%) 42%, Archaeology (+15%) 42%, Biology (+15%) 52%, Chemistry (+15%) 52%, Mathematics - Advanced (+15%) 67%, Mathematics - Basic (+15%) 67%, Technical: Computer Operations (+15%) 62%, Language / Literacy: English [Native] 98%, Language / Literacy: Spanish [Background] (+25%) 82%, Photography (+15%) 57%, Research (+15%) 72%, Writing (+15%) 47%.

Skills From Acrobatics & Gymnastics: Sense of Balance (+15%) 82%, Walk Tightrope or Highwire (+15%) 82%, Work Parallel Bars and Rings (+15%) 82%, Climb Rope (+15%) 97%, Climbing (+15%) 67%, Back Flip (+15%), 92%, Prowl (+15%) 52%.

Appearance:

She is not overly tall at about five foot four inches and is quite slender at only about one hundred and eight pounds. She is mixed Caucasian and Latino heritage although has fairly pale skin for someone of partially Latino heritage. In addition, she got blond hair from her father although she does enjoy having it dyed spectacular colors including blue and green. She tends to keep her hair relatively long, below her shoulders, and is a tousled style. Even though she has blond hair from her father, she has dark brown eyes from her mother. She wears relatively light cosmetics.

For clothes, she tends to wear relatively pastel colors although will wear jeans sometimes as well. Usually however wears either legging or a relatively short skirt. While she wears a variety of tops, often wears printed T-Shirts with stuff she considered humorous. Not big into heels and most often wears sneakers although likes some boots as well.

As of right now, she does not have a costume.

Occupation: College Student and Aerobics Instructor.

Enchanted Weapon:

Enchanted Bracer / Sword “Laohu Zhao / Tiger’s Claw”:

Has two modes with one being a wide bracer covering her entire right forearm and the other where a long slender blade extends from the bracer. Bracer cannot be removed without removing her arm. In addition, if somebody attempted to do so, it would form metal around her arm and/or the blade trying to cut her arm off. The bracer itself is silver and gold with the design of a tiger’s head on the bracer with ancient Chinese writing on the bracer. Sword blade is also covered with ancient Chinese writing. Bracelet does not create a costume however.

Abilities:

Indestructible: Cannot be broken and blade never dulls. Includes both bracer and sword. Bracer and sword can be used to parry energy blasts and projectiles at full bonuses.

Well Balanced and Lightweight: Has a +2 to Initiative, +1 to Parry, and +1 to Strike.

Weapon Damage: Inflicts 2D6+6 as bracer / 6D6+6 using short sword not including strength bonuses. Inflicts S.D.C. or M.D.C. depending on environment. Inflicts full damage against supernatural / magical creatures and well as invulnerable super beings.

Powers and Bonuses (Always Active):

Adds 60 S.D.C. as well as fire and cold only inflicting half damage.

Gives a +3 bonus to saving throws against spells and enchantments.

Can see the invisible.

Wielder automatically gets skill of W.P.: Sword at their level of experience.

Adds +6 to physical beauty although no change to height and weight.

Super Abilities:

Matter Expulsion: Metal/Steel: Similar to energy expulsion, only this power allows its user to generate a solid material/substance to various and diverse effects.

Metal Armor: Cover oneself with a flexible, shiny metal coating that functions like a suit of armor. Works only on the super being. Armor has a natural AR Rating of 17 (attacks below 17 inflict no damage). Metal armor also gives +10 to P.S., +4 to P.E., +20 to Hit Points, +240 to S.D.C., and +10 to damage and can parry blades and other weapons with metal coated hands / arms.

Shoot Metal Blades: Can fire hard hitting metal blades about the size of a dagger that appear out of nowhere and rocket at their target like bullets. Range: 30 ft (9.1 m) +10 ft (3 m) per level. Damage: 1D6 per level (Damage can be regulated in increments of 1D6.) Duration: Instant and fades after 30 seconds.

Create Metal Hand-Held Weapon: Can create any kind of ancient hand-held weapon (dagger, sword. mace, iron staff, etc.) from nowhere, appearing in one’s hand at will. Range: Close combat or throwing range for type of weapon. Damage: Normal weapon +1D6 (Tends to like to make a second short sword which inflicts 2D6 + bonuses, throwing axe which inflicts 2D6 + bonuses, or a shield which inflicts 1D6 + bonuses.) Duration: Remains as long as character wants it and keeps it on person (ideally in hand), otherwise fades 30 seconds after thrown, dropped or put aside.

Encase in Metal: Can also encase objects and people in metal.

Small targets as large as a microwave can be completely encased and counts as one melee attack. Small targets like a gun or isolated body parts on a humanoid (such as hands or feet to bind an opponent) count as two melee attacks. Metal encasement has an A.R. of 17 and 40 S.D.C. +10 points per level.

Larger targets up to size of a love seat, 50 gallon drum, or half the body (like feet and legs up to hips, or hands, arms and upper torso) counts as two melee attacks. Encasement has an A.R. of 15 and 30 S.D.C. +10 points per level. Encasing entire body up to 10 ft (3 m) tall or object the size of a king-size bed or small car counts as four melee attacks and encasement has an A.R. of 13 and 20 S.D.C. +10 points per level. Metal weighs as much as corresponding amount of steel (about 200 lbs/90 kg for a typical human body.)

Range: Touch or 4 ft (1.2 m) per level. Damage: None unless head is encased unable to breath. Most living beings will suffocate and die within 1D6+3 minutes after air supply is cut off. No damage if head is left exposed and able to breathe. Duration: 20 minutes per level but can be canceled and made to disappear upon command of being who made the metal or by a different, but higher level being with the same power.

Powers:

Damage Bonus: +6 damage is added to the weapons damage (included in weapon damage) as well as punches, kicks, and other abilities.

Fly: Has ability to fly. Maximum speed 50 mph (80 kph) but gives no special bonuses to strike, parry, or dodge.

Nightvision: Enables wielder to see clearly in the dark. including unnatural and magical darkness, much like passive nightvision/light amplification goggles do. Range: 300 feet (91.5 meters). The nightvision is automatically activated in darkness and has no time limitation.

Sense Magic: Ability to sense magic other than its own. Cannot pinpoint source or identify how many other than a couple, a few, or many. Range of 300 feet (91.5 meters).

Superhuman Strength: Increases strength equal to minor super ability of Superhuman Strength. Has +25 to strength (Can carry 200 times strength and lift 300 times strength in pounds.)

Tongues: Able to speak and understand any language, as per the wizard’s spell of the same name.

Normal Equipment:

Vehicles:

1997 Jeep Wrangler Soft Top:

Painted yellow although paint is slightly faded. Otherwise, vehicle is in good condition. Four wheel drive.

Computers:

Relatively Modern Laptop Computer:

Laptop is about two years old (well kept) although does have a 500 gig hard drive, DVD-Rom drive, eight gigs of RAM, and a high resolution display. Has internal wireless and an external 2 Tb hard drive.

Clothing: T-Shirts, other shirts, leggings, jeans, short skirts, underwear, socks, sneakers, boots.

Valuables: 1,500 dollars, 400 dollars worth in jewelry.

Other Items: Makeup and feminine items, comb and brush, purse, wallet, backpack, sports watch, tablet, android smart phone, first aid kit, flash light.

Background:

She did not know why she did it, London never visited China-Town. Still, she found herself drawn to it for some reason. She did not have a drop of Chinese blood herself, with her father being American for generations and her mother originally from Mexico. Her own Spanish was rudimentary at best however.

Even though London had grown up in Los Angeles, she had only visited San Francisco a handful of times. Now, the young woman found herself wandering aimlessly through the unfamiliar streets. Still, something was drawing her forward through the streets.

Otherwise, she thought that there was little special about her. She taught aerobics in order to pay for her schooling. She had done two years of community college and now was just about to finish her first year of state college. She hoped to get a degree in teaching. Maybe she could teach math or science in high school. She had been in the journalism class in High School and had studied it in community college as well, but there were few jobs out there anymore in the field.

At five foot four, she was a little short but she seemed to tower over many of the women she passed in China-Town. Got a number of looks because of her blue dyed blond hair but she was used to it. At least she did not look like many of the other tourists, almost as wide as they were tall. Always had been athletic, taking gymnastics in school as well as being a cheerleader for several years. Never really fit in with most of the girls in the squad however. Too bookish.

Didn’t quite know why but London turned down a narrow alleyway. Almost hidden was a tiny store, sometime type of antique store by the looks of things. She never went into antique stores so she had no clue was drew her in. Opening the door, she was assaulted by the smell of incense and smoke seemed to hang in the air.

Adjusting to the dim light inside the store, she could see that the shelves were filled with all sorts of things from jewelry to weapons. Some of the things she saw, she thought she had read about in her archaeology class. While she did wear some jewelry, she did not wear anything this old and certainly was not into weapons at all. Behind the counter was a wizened looking old Chinese woman. The woman first spoke something that London did not understand but then the old woman switched to English, “Can I help you dearie?”

“I don’t know,” London responds, a little nervous suddenly. Looking around, she did not see prices on anything. As a poor college student, she did not have much money and everything here looked expensive.

“Well, you are free to look around,” the old woman responded. In her mind, London thought that she should just leave but found herself looking around anyway.

After looking around the store for a while, she spotted a silver and gold bracelet in a display cabinet to the left of the old Chinese woman. It looked like the bracelet would cover virtually her entire forearm. There was the design of a tiger’s head in the center of the bracelet with Chinese writing to either side.

Noticing London’s interest, the old woman asked, “Would you like to try it on?” As she said that, the old woman unlocked the cabinet and began pulling the item out.

“I can’t afford it,” she responded regretfully.

“Try it on anyway,” came the response. London found herself with the bracelet in her hand. Putting it on her right arm, she heard it click. The young woman looked for a way to unlatch the bracelet but could not see how to. Could hear the old woman say, “Don’t worry, keep it. It becomes you.”

London’s next memory was back in China-Town proper and could not seem to remember where the store she visited was. The bracelet was still however on her arm. She noted that the sun was getting low. It seemed like it had been noon just a few minutes ago.

While they had dealt drugs in the past, the Red Dragon Gang had branched out into kidnaping recently. Most of the women whom he kidnaped were junkies but they generally were of limited value. A mysterious buyer would pay good money for pretty woman and nobody would miss an occasional tourist going missing. Even now, many among the community were afraid to call the cops. Now, if too many Chinese women went missing, the community might notice and make things hard for the gang to continue operating.

Lok He spotted this cute girl with blue dyed blond hair. She looked like a mixed Mexican-Caucasian from her facial features. Too many of the tourists weighed more than he did and were worth nothing to the gang’s new benefactor but this one would do well. One thing caught his attention was the large silver and gold bracelet on her right arm. It sure looked real but there was no way somebody dressed like her would have something that valuable. Still, even as a fake, it still appeared pretty impressive.

He had been talking to about half a dozen members of his crew and motioned towards the woman. It was getting towards evening and there was a nearby alley which they could corner her in. He pulled out his phone so that one of the others would bring up the car so they could take her away.

London had been heading back towards her car when she noticed a group of Chinese men following her. Guess that there were about half a dozen of them. The young woman had been around the streets long enough to know that this was not good.

Looking around, there were no more vendor stalls or stores where she was. In fact, there was nobody except for the guys following her. Chinese or not, they were all far larger than she was. There also appeared to be nowhere to run either. She picked up her pace in hopes of getting somewhere safer.

Suddenly, a large black SUV pulled out in front of her, blocking her way. She was trapped between it and the Chinese men. There was something black in the hands of one of the men. It took her brain a moment to recognize it as a gun.

“Going to come quietly,” he spoke in a quiet dangerous voice. Her heart pounded in fear.

A moment later something resolved in her heart. She was not going to find herself dead in an alley without a fight. “No,” she said defiantly.

“Have it your way,” he stated. He then switched to Chinese which she understood for some reason. “Grab her,” he told the others. She had been in a scrap here or there, mostly with other girls, but they moved like they knew Kung-Fu or something.

She punched at the one that was the closest and there was the sound him suddenly exhaling as he fell down. She had been reasonably strong for her size but no punch of hers would take down a guy this big. Two of the others tried to grab her arms but using one as leverage, she threw the other against a brick wall. Like the first guy, he did not get back up. The other guy suddenly let go of her arm.

There was the sudden sound which she recognized, that of a lockblade locking open. Obviously, they were no longer planning to just grab her. One of the gang members suddenly lunged at her. Somehow, even though untrained, she was able to parry the knife with the bracer. She could see that a couple of the other gang members also had knives out.

Looking at her own hand, she saw that a long blade, maybe around two feet, extended from the bracer. The other two gang members came at her. Seemed to take just a few moments and then two were down, dark stains seeping from them. In the growing darkness, it was hard to know what the remaining gang members could see beyond the fact that several of their group were on the ground.

Suddenly she heard shots being fired. Why he had not opened fire before, it was hard from London to know. Maybe he had been surprised at how fast things had actually gone down. Now, seeing most of his gang on the ground, he panicked.

Didn’t understand why because it was impossible to block bullets but she found herself holding the bracer in front of her and could see sparks as one of the bullets deflecting off the bracer. He continued firing at her but she did not feel like he actually hit her with any of them. Either that or she managed to deflect them all.

After a few moment, the shooting stopped and she could see that the pistol had locked open. While she did not know much about guns, she thought that meant that the gun was empty. It was only then that she noticed that she was completely encased in what seemed to be a suit of metal armor. It seemed like it must have protected her from getting shot.

Why she did it, maybe she was pumped with adrenaline, but she charged the leader that had just shot at her. Holding her hand out, a stream of metal came from her hand to wrap around first the pistol and then around his hands. After a moment, she switched over to his feet and legs, wrapping them in metal as well. She was rewarded with watching him topple to the ground.

Deciding to get out before the guy in the SUV decided to do something, London made a run for it. She was scared and did not want to fight anymore if she could help it. After a few moments, there was the sound of the vehicle door opening.

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Image drawn and copyrighted by “Daybreak0.”

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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