Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks the Top 52 Characters of the Last 52 Sessions in the DCU RPG Campa

(+) Yeah! (+)

you're not inchie

#40 - Bleez
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/2/AAJ38fAAEDw4.png
Though once a graceful and unbridled beauty, Bleez's tranquil existence was marred by the presence of the ring in her sector, and soon enough this winged beauty had transformed, filled with the feast of red. Every feather from her almost angelic wings molted away, leaving only a skeletal flame, exposed to the painful elements around her - more fuel to power the crimson rage of her ring.

Bleez's one-session appearance seemed to captivate the party who visited her - most specifically Scare and JB. I have to admit, seeing the players take to a grief-stricken character like Bleez was really rewarding. In most other situations, Bleez would be portrayed as a villain, pat. However, this campaign really has offered me the opportunity to dive into the psychological intricacies of how each emotion on the color spectrum can be stretched to its limit. Bleez represents that sort-of Aristotelian sense of tragedy, evoking both pity and fear in the players - in some ways, you experience revulsion at first, the disgusting nature of her convulsing, vomiting form and her grotesque voice in stark opposition to her truer origins. Her beauty has been marred by anger, and where once she lived a prosperous life, she instead has embraced a painful adversity. Her yearning for freedom has achieved freedom at the cost of everything else.

All that remains, now, is the very human sense of revenge.

Particularly with Scare and JB, I have a feeling that the story of Bleez will continue, traveling its tragic rails until the last stop - a conclusion that I expect while be equal parts frustrating and exhilarating. And for all the moments in between, the discomfort and compassion the party feels will continue to inspire me to push further into complicated storytelling. It's always a learning process for me, and I relish trying to constantly improve in my storytelling.

Hint: The reddest lantern there is.

2. Starsa

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/6/AAOJ0pAADcgS.jpg

As I have mentioned before I tend to be more of a Marvel person than DC, but the Lanterns are an exception. I love the Lanterns as much as any group in comics. I especially loved when we saw new colored rings being created or discovered. it was a such a cool idea and each group fit together while still being super unique. Each group was great and added something to the story (Blue is my personal favorite corp and the ring I would most want just as an fyi). I love Lantern stuff, so when I first learned of Starsa I was immediately interested.

All rings have an AI in them, the rings are essentially "alive" but they aren't unique entities, they don't have a mind of their own. Starsa is an exception, like Brother Eye for the OMACs. She should not exist, and yet their is no denying that she has her own mind and personality. She is self aware and has opinions and desires. Its such a cool idea. I loved the suggestion some PC had of Starsa getting her own ring and becoming a Lantern herself, of course Starsa shot that down hard and I can't say I blame her. Having one of your siblings serve you would be weird, and Starsa would rather fulfill her original purpose as a power ring rather than become a Lantern herself.

As a Star Sapphire Ring Starsa can grant the incredible powers based on the amount of love the person has within them. For this reason it is a ring's job to seek out a being capable of great Love and offer to them the power. This means that Starsa can literally tell how much love people have inside them and who they love. Starsa basically tests everyone around her and apparently has no issue sharing the results of these scans with the PCs. This even included outing the fact that Xander has a secret crush, though I believe she didn't out who it was at least (Its Trish). So far she has yet to find an appropriate candidate in ZZ or on their missions, Starsa isn't willing to settle after all. I would love to hear more about what the scan results were for the different PCs or major characters. The Checkmate team helps Starsa out with her search by taking her on missions, I believe usually accompanying Lush, so she can scan any potential allies they meet while out and about. She also sometimes uses her abilities to help out on the mission though I believe you have to ask.

This slow search was all fine until Starsa started running low on power. All Lantern rings need to recharge from time to time. This is done by putting the ring in a power battery and saying the right oath. The problem being that Starsa doesn't have her power battery. I don't remember what happened to it but the team could not find it or access it. To make matters worse the Green Lantern Corp had locked down the Planet Earth to make sure the ALE didn't spread, and there were no Star Sapphires on Earth who they could borrow a battery from. Stars found herself slowly running out of power, and nobody, not even Starsa, knew what would happen if she fully ran out. Normally that would just mean the ring would go inert and the wielder would lose their power until they could recharge, but as mentioned Starsa is unique. If she fully went down and then was recharged would she keep her sentience? Her personality and memories? Would she go back to being a normal power ring? Nobody knew, which meant that the safest bet was to assume the worst. Starsa was dying. Luckily, before time ran out the team was able to get off planet and get to Oa, home of the Green Lantern Corp. The relationship between the green and violet groups is complicated. Their leaders are the male and female members of the same race which have split apart over disagreements on how emotion should be viewed (among other things). The Lanterns themselves often fight, but it is also not uncommon for Star Sapphires to love Green Lanterns, see Carol Ferris/Hal Jordan. Starsa, if I remember correctly, was a big fan of Carol Ferris and was hoping of meet her, so I believe Starsa was also excited to meet the Green Lanterns. The Guardians, leaders of the Green Lantern Corp, do not generally like the Star Sapphires. So getting permission and assistance in reaching the Star Sapphire world was not easy and Starsa had to pretend to be a green power ring while they were on Oa. Eventually the group managed to succeed and set off for Zamaron to save their little friend.

The good news was that Starsa was able to recharge at a power battery. The bad news is that the party learned more about the Star Sapphire Corp, mainly that they aren't big on mental freedom. It turns out wearing a violet power ring and becoming a Star Sapphire comes with a certain level of mental alteration, possibly even straight up mind control. This made the party nervous, both in general and also for what this would mean for Starsa, as a power ring with a mind of its own. It also made them a little less thrilled with Starsa mission to find a new wielder and make them a Star Sapphire. I'm not sure exactly how this got resolved but Starsa is still herself and still with the party, as far as I know, so I guess something was worked out. Now Starsa can get recharged when needed, and is continuing her search for a wielder. One potential option being considered is Wonder Woman. The hope being that the Star Sapphire ring/bond will cure her from being a Fury which would be a huge win! Of course if that doesn't work then you have just bonded Star Sapphire to a monster and given a massive power boost to the strongest Fury.

I am very curios who Starsa will end up choosing and how that goes. Whoever gets Starsa as their power ring will truly be getting a partner, and I hope they realize how lucky they are.

Just going to end this with the Star Sapphire Oath:
For hearts long lost and full of fright,
For those alone in blackest night,
Accept our ring and join our fight,
Love conquers all--
With violet light!

Maniac Hint #1: Has been a favorite since the first ranking topic

The hard part of all the Red Lanterns is how tragic they are. Many of them are violently nuts (not a negative to some characters), but they're also so sympathetic. You want to help them, but only so far as you're able to draw a line.

As for Starsa...well...we'll see what scar's list has. :)

BUT for Maniac's number one number one...I think it's time to write her up.

HAHAHAHA eat it, Scare! I told you Bleez was on the list!

Han TAKES... tying with MI for 2nd.

Bleez is really cool, but more important? She's Traci's love rival

scarletspeed7 posted...

Hint: The reddest lantern there is.

Gonna go with Atrocitus, though I suspect there's some sort of trick here.

oh right, for scar's hint...I'll go with Dex-Starr

Maniac, love the write-up.

Usually, Starsa hangs with Saoirse on missions. And we've actually found a number of potential matches! We had one immediate: Madame Xanadu.

Since then, we've identified that Valda the iron Maiden is a near match... And Wonder Woman is a match. Saoirse's been running Task Force Sapphaer, and we've got our sights set on Wonder Woman for our choice.

Starsa is actually distracted, however, because we got another match who may or may not show on Scar's list here. a 1000% match. The Greek god Eros.

Now, Eros doesn't consent, so it's a no-go, but... Starsa has been showing her darker side, as inherited from her Queen lately. She wants us to tie Eros down so she can get onto his finger.

Oh, and her power battery was shattered on Earth. We found a bit of it, powered by Black Hand, creating a new Star Sapphire for a bit. We finished them off, and that's where Saoirse got a pink light spell. But yeah, that's when we found out she was losing power.

And on the Carol thing, she's not just a fan - she's Carol's old ring. They had a true partnership.

This is going to lead to some major problems as Carol was her old partner, Saoirse is her best friend, and Saoirse might be boinking Hal Jordan on the side...

Oh, hey! I am very happy to have been wrong about Bleez missing. To me she's what makes the Red so interesting. These are people who were wronged and in some cases giving in to the Red is the only way they could survive the situations they were forced into. Like if I remember right Dex-Star was like thrown into a bag and into the river or something? Bleez's story feels like it's something tangible we could really dive into, if at least for a session, and have some influence on where she may go from there.

My guess for Maniac's number 1... I didn't realize you liked Kim Rebecki so much!

oh geez wait i just realized a story nobody has told about Starsa

Roz'etta went to talk to Rac Shade the Changing Man, a being that sees beyond our dimension, and his body kinda does its own thing.

His arm pulled Roz'etta into a dance, and later he said he was tired, so Roz'etta gathered a blanket to help him get comfortable.

Starsa witnessed this, and told Saoirse that Roz'etta 'bedded' Rac Shade, which is technically true, much to Saoirse's shock.

Saoirse is surprised that Roz'etta is having an affair with a man, especially with Lashina there.

Damn it, right idea, wrong lantern

Bleez is great though so I can't be mad

This hint seems like it would obviously be Atrocitus, so I'll guess Zox again

There are two ways of reading this hint

The reddest Green Lantern, which is Tanakata Z

Or the reddest lantern in color, which is Soranik Natu

There's also Malvolio, who is the most of every color lantern

HanOfTheNekos posted...

and Saoirse might be boinking Hal Jordan on the side...

Which one?

Cody11533 posted...

Which one?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/9/AAOJ0pAAEQXZ.jpg

Cody11533 posted...

Which one?

The hero who can be found on Oa or in the surrounding area.

HanOfTheNekos posted...

Starsa is actually distracted, however, because we got another match who may or may not show on Scar's list here. a 1000% match. The Greek god Eros.

Now, Eros doesn't consent, so it's a no-go, but... Starsa has been showing her darker side, as inherited from her Queen lately. She wants us to tie Eros down so she can get onto his finger.

Oh man Eros would be an incredibly powerful Lantern.

Also I thought she might be Carol's but I talked myself out of it. Oh well. And yeah that's some real drama Starsa is going to be in the middle of.

WarThaNemesis2 posted...

Starsa witnessed this, and told Saoirse that Roz'etta 'bedded' Rac Shade, which is technically true, much to Saoirse's shock.

Amazing!

#39 - Tanakata Z
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/9/7/AAUHRBAAEQYx.png
You don't get redder in the... lepidopteran skinfolds than the chief survivor of the worst Red Lantern attack in Green Lantern history. Tanakata Z, a relatively recent recruit to the Corps, was already on edge after the mentally dominating Psi-Phon did the damn thing on not one, not two, but four Green Lanterns caught unaware. You'd think that would be bad day enough for the fellow, but then the Red Lanterns reared their heads for the very first time, besetting upon the Sector Safehouse in 543 and murdering a handful of Tanakata's close confidants in the Corps. Barely escaping with his life thanks to Data 7, Tanakata Z has been working through the sort of rage that would qualify him to serve alongside his enemies, rather than his allies.

Tanakata has been a slow burn as a character, progressing steadily from recovery mentally and physically to becoming the Lantern equivalent of a functional alcoholic. Relying more and more on rage to keep him upright, Tanakata Z has even lashed out violently and uncontrollably during a routine exhibition with new rookie Lanterns, landing a half-dozen of them in the Oan medical facility. These actions seem to have perked up Data 7's ears, and sensing an opportunity to help one of what Data considers the most fascinating part of being in space - aliens - he's begun to befriend the now almost-exiled Lantern. This, of course, is something that Data can relate to, having been marked by the Guardians themselves for disciplinary measures after traveling to Ysmault and conferring with the Reds without permission.

Tanakata clearly has a major role to play. The exploration of how emotion affects the Guardians and their Lanterns is far from limited to Tanakata Z; after all, Scar's entire storyline puts a premium on a single Guardian rediscovering the virtues and pitfalls of embracing emotion after billion year absence. But Tanakata Z comes at this theme from a different angle - what if emotion is all that keeps you together after a trauma? And what if it's also what is, at the same time, driving you to fall apart? The fate of Tanakata Z is likely tied entirely to the Corps he maligns and curses with his every breath - but what happens when the time comes to make a decision about the Red Lanterns? How will Tanakata Z react to Data 7's fondness for the rage-filled archenemies of the Oan corps?

Hint: Our second undrafted character has often been referred to by our players in reverse.

Batboy

C-c-c-called it.

Tanakata Z is great because at this point, it feels like he's getting further and further from the Green. And yeah, it feels like an inevitable turn to Red where he embraces his enemies because the Green would do nothing. But perhaps there is another way with Data 7 providing a comforting paw!

Rat Saoirse?

Green being 'infected' is a common theme this campaign!

Tefe, Scar, Tanakata Z, Hal. Ari was 'supposed' to be a Green Lantern, but is looking pretty yellow!

For this spot I'll go with....Batboy sounds right.

It's Eros, and Scar is referring to every time we use the word "Sore"

ah yes, my best friend Soresha

HanOfTheNekos posted...

It's Eros, and Scar is referring to every time we use the word "Sore"

it's been 205 times according to a discord search. Poor Eros, we get his name wrong so much :(

Thats two. Cmon six more!

Left field guess of Borb Borbb here

I want to say that Tanakata was set to die and us saving him was something off the path we were expected to go down

Without intervention he would have most assuredly died!

#38 - Bat-Boy
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/1/1/AAUHRBAAEQaj.png
Nora backwards first appeared in Campaign 1, the victim of his father's mistreatment and testing. Turned into some sort of chiroptersapien, Aaron Langstrom was a wild, cornered creature. Less vicious then frightened, Aaron eventually was cowed into submission by the party at the time, and eventually he was reverted to human. However, by the start of Campaign 2, it was revealed that Francine Langstrom and converted her entire family back into the were-bat legacy of her husband, Man-Bat, and Aaron was found once again fully transformed in the Cinque prison. It was there that children who proved resistant to the Equation were subjected to cruel, humiliating experiments meant to test the extents of Anti-Life. Fortunately for Aaron, friends both old and new came in and swept him back to safety in Checkmate. Now, he's found guardianship in the pair of Bloodfruit and Data 7.

While both dote on Bat-Boy, it's Data 7 that proves the most remarkably interesting. You see, Aaron is resistant to rolls by Data 7 of his natural comprehension with animal languages. This means that Bat-Boy communicates entirely through body language, and like a newborn tyke, everything has to be relearned - his senses have changed, his mental faculties are back at square one, and Data 7 seems to have developed a real empathy for the sweet, silent were-bat. I really enjoy flexing the muscles of imagery with Bat-Boy, and if the above image doesn't already tip you off to it, Aaron has extremely emotive eyes that I hope carry the weight of the scene from the DM's side. More fascinating, I think, is that Bat-Boy is the child of Data 7's long hated nemesis, Man-Bat. The scientist who experimented ruthlessly on Data 7, Kirk Langstrom left many of Data's first friends and found family members dead or tortured - only a few survived. Yet, when given the most precious cargo in Man-Bat's possession, Data 7 has demonstrated far, far more compassion for Bat-Boy than nearly anyone else in his circle of influence. It's a complex story that is always gripping, even in its simplicity.

And, much like with Bloodfruit, there is a sweet compassion to the process of carrying for the Spring's most unusual resident. Bat-Boy is developing slowly, acclimating once more to a life spent less as a human than a beast - and perhaps it's that specific distinction that prevented the Equation from setting in. Only time will tell just what part Bat-Boy will play in the campaign to come.

Hint: Another undrafted character that falls higher on an alphabetical list than this entry's character.

In campaign one, there was a simple puzzle - four buttons,with the letters A R O N

We spelled NORA... then we just went in the circle and hit ARON.

Since A was at the end of NORA, we accidentally solved it

Which btw, came under the pretense that I, for some unknown reason, thought Nora was the name of Kirk Langstrom's wife.

It wouldn't be the only wife of a Gotham villain named Nora!

If this is Auto-Chef I'm flipping a table

Auto-Chef was on everybody's lists.

but I'm guessing...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/3/6/AAOJ0pAAEQa8.png

TotallyNotMI posted...

If this is Auto-Chef I'm flipping a table

Proof of table?

Auto-Chef would he fun. Kind of think this could be Adam Familiar though. He was on my list

Everything Langstrom is just weird. It's so messed up, I kinda love it.

As for this...Admiral Nixonnoxin?

or ACTUALLY....

I miss Nixonnoxin

#37 - Baphomet
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/2/8/AAUHRBAAEQd8.png
Hey there, darlin'. This is just an arcane Knights Templar deity, manifesting as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull. That doesn't stop this filly from finding Data 7 to be one scrumptious puppy dog, ya dig?

Baphomet - who, yes, is an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull - first debuted in Greenwich, home of the Prime Meridian, where she spent about a half hour helping the party escape the Scissormen and other horrors of the Cult of the Unwritten Book. Why? Quite frankly, it was because a giant eye was hovering over the city of London, and it was beginning to decreate the world. Not uncreate - decreate. These are two separate things. Now, I understand that they both sound like nonsense words, but if you were, say, an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull, it would all make a lot of sense. More sense than it sounds. And for that one, glorious half-hour, an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull hit on Data 7 and raced through the Greenwich streets in one of my favorite action scenes in a while.

Baphomet was then decreated herself - but what can you escape? The Cult of the Unwritten Book doesn't taken kindly to an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull. So the old story goes, the common refrain. And thus, as soon as she'd arrived, she just went away. But I have faith that the Decreator will be stopped by the party, and Data 7's true love will return. Because, quite frankly, nothing can stop an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull.

Hint: This character is not an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull.

I'm baffled by baphomet

Baphomet was a doll. She's made like two appearances in Doom Patrol and those were great too.

But Baphomet was in and out so quickly - I didn't expect her to appear here!

i look forward to how much baphomet loves us after...undecreation?

this hint can only be inchie

scarletspeed7 posted...

Hint: This character is not an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/032/874/cover4.jpg

Guessing Zilius Zox

This next one is... Leslie Thompkins just to get me on the board