"Professor" Vates Panoply Ersatz

[nascent]

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~Basic Info~


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Username: Nascent

Other Characters: Kassom Sercha, Iris Sercha, Melana Sonalir

Is this character canon?: No

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~Character Info~


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Name: "Professor" Vates Panoply Ersatz

Age: Late fifties

Birthplace: Uncertain; presumably Kurai, although he will neither confirm nor deny this

Birthday: August 10th

Gender: Male

Race: Lynx (anthro)

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~Appearance~


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Physical appearance:



The very model of an eccentric scientist operating on a low budget, Vates P. Erstaz gives people the impression that he's a man who's spent far too much time in his own little world. His lab coat, which at one time was most likely white, is now an off-gray with accumulated stains of multiple colors. His face has wrinkles beneath his fur that it simply shouldn't at his age, and his eyes possess a keen and ever-inquisitive cunning.


Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 153 lbs
Hair: Blackish gray with a tint of blue
Eyes: Hazel. Normally brownish, greener when "artificing".

Clothing/Accessories:

[Artificer's Tool Bag]
No one but Vates himself truly understands what the bizarre collection of items he keeps on hand are for. Some are clearly precision instruments of some kind or another, while other objects seem like misplaced odds and ends. There is the occasional recognizable tool - magnifying glass, hand-held electromagnet, laser pointer - but this is far more the exception than the rule. Suffice to say these are the tools of his trade, strange though they may often be.

[Exemplar Verve Lenses]
These odd green-hued goggles, which typically rest upon Vates' forehead when not in use, enhance his natural ability to see the flow of energy in an object. No one but Vates himself is quite certain how they work, and if anyone but he wears them the most they'll experience is a glow coming from everything (brighter if there's strong energy nearby), a soreness of the eyes, and a painful headache. Somehow, though, these goggles help Vates to focus his perceptions and see individual energy strands - ley lines, as he calls them - within matter or those that form an enchantment.

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~Personality~


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Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Behavior:
A curious older man who claims to be Kassom & Iris' uncle, but can offer no proof of his claim. He has a fascination with rare & esoteric knowledge, especially knowledge of the arcane sort, and is by profession an "artificer" - someone who makes magical items. The twin siblings first encountered the old man... well, it's a long story, but suffice to say it was quite an awkward event. Vates has since convinced Kassom and Iris to help him establish a traveling "Anything Agency", which is essentially little more than himself and his two young partners doing odd jobs (and some of them have, in fact, been very odd).

Vates styles himself as a "cultured gentlemen" in the old-fashioned way, using big words and fancy language always with an overarching "I know more than you can possibly imagine" tone in his voice. He is obsessed with patterns - an outstretching of his rare ability to see and make sense of the energy patterns inherent in all things. He is frequently seen wearing a custom-made pair of green-tinted goggles when applying this ability to the infusing of objects with energy, which is the foundation of his "artificer" enchantment-making skill. Besides the arcane arts he is also a student of the classical sciences, and can combine the two to create devices of impressive (and often illogical) power.

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~Weapons~


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[Artifice Marbles]
Vates keeps a small bag of what appear to be vari-colored marbles with him at all times. While these are, in fact, made of nothing more than common solid glass, it is the enchantments he's imbued into them that make them an invaluable possession. These tiny spheres each contain an infusion of energy that Vates can trigger with merely the snap of his fingers or by saying an activation phrase out loud. These phrases are particular to each marble, and since he occasionally gets confused or forgets which marble has which effect he's set each marble's enchantment to automatically go off if the user snaps his/her fingers after touching it. To prevent the marbles' spells from misfiring or going off accidentally Vates keeps them in a special bag that "freezes" their magic while at the same time preserving its potency.
[Weapon Type: Primary]
[Weapon Quality: Average]


-Notes on Artifice Marbles-
Since these "magic grenades" are meant to be random and unpredictable (and to avoid any form of god-modding on my part), I intend to handle them in the following manner. When in an Event, Quest, or other moderated RP thread, whoever is overseeing the story will have full control over the magic effect(s) the marbles create when used. In terms of combat strength, these effects are all considered weak, have a radius of no more than five feet, and last only a single turn. In other situations where the outcome is not so critical I'd like to avoid them all together, or use them as a source of comic relief. Vates is not a character who's meant to be taken seriously by any stretch of the imagination.


[The Improbability Crossbow]
When magic and technology alike fail, the off-kilter "professor" of magi-technology is not to be caught off-guard. It's never quite clear where he keeps this particular item on his person, but at a moment's notice he can pull it forth like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. While potentially an intimidating weapon, anyone who's seen Vates attempt to use the crossbow knows better than to be scared if it is aimed at them. It's those it isn't aimed at who need to worry - Vates' aim is notoriously horrible and, as if to add insult to injury, the crossbow has a bad habit of skewing the rules of probability in-so-far-as what it actually ends up hitting. Wild ricochets are only the beginning; when fired, a bolt from this crossbow has an equal chance of veering sharply left or right, launching straight upwards like a missile, or weakly clattering to the ground an inch from where Vates is standing. Naturally this crossbow is a constant source of irritation for the learned artificer; one can only speculate that it is his continuous attempts to "fix" the device that have skewed its connection to real physics so badly.
[Weapon Type: Secondary]
[Weapon Quality: Terrible!]

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~Abilities~


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AP: 2

[Transmute Base Materials]
When raw materials are in short supply, Vates can "shift around" the primal energy inherent in natural matter to fashion just about anything on the Periodic Table of the Elements, as well as a shiny gray substance he calls "Infusium", which he applies like a paint to normal objects, fashioning arcane patterns which give the object magical properties (or at least the potential thereof). However, transmutation is limited in that it cannot create materials that combine elements or determine the shape of the material transmuted (which usually comes out as a big lump). For example, Vates can turn a lump of mud into a lump of carbon or iron, but not into a diamond or a metal spear.

Strength: Weak

Uses: Three times per battle (not limited outside of battle).

Duration: Change is permanent. Requires three turns (if in battle) to transmute medium or large objects, two for small objects. Magical or unnatural objects (Keyblades, for instance) are completely immune to transmutation.

Radius: Vates must touch the object with his hands in order to transmute it.


Superior Detect Energy:
Because of Vates' uncanny skill for perceiving even the energy present in inert matter, it is virtually impossible for any strong energy to escape his sixth sense. Whether the energy is magical, electrical, magnetic, nuclear, gravitonic, divine, demonic, spiritual, or even void-based (there is virtually no type of power he cannot detect), he has the ability to sense its presence even at some distance. The stronger or more intense the energy, the greater the distance at which he can become aware of it. Not always with great detail (if your character is casting a fire spell, the most he'll know is the relative direction and the "flavor" of energy being used), but always with great accuracy. The average radius of this sensitivity is approximately 250 feet; however, when the strength of the energy is just ungodly powerful Vates can become aware of it up to a half-mile away.

Strength: Moderate

Uses: Strictly a non-combat ability.



Temporary Infusions:
Vates can, with sufficient time, imbue even the most mundane object with temporary magic. The more complex the effect, the longer the infusion will take - anywhere from minutes or hours to days and weeks. The range of effects is limited only by his imagination - or so he'd tell you, if you asked. The truth is that while making a flaming sword or a "living" stone statue are well within his abilities, even Vates' magical craftsmanship has its limitations.

Strength: Weak

Uses: Four times per battle (but primarily a non-combat ability).

Casting Time: Two turns (minimum {in battle}). If interrupted before infusion is complete, enchantment is canceled out completely.

Duration: Three turns (maximum {in battle}).




Equips:[/b]

• Fargloves
Description: These gloves are blue, and stretch to fit any hand that attempts to wear them, morphing to fit the hands like, well, a skintight glove. There are five dark red spots on each glove, one per fingertip. IRREMOVABLE.
Effect: The wearer can project hands made out of pure white energy outwards. These are only physical when the wearer intends it, meaning they can pass through solid objects and pick up things. However, when it passes through a solid object, that translates back to the wearer as pure pain, passing through their hands. 3 post cooldown between uses in battle.
[Gained in 'Temple of the Seal']

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~History~


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History:
After Kassom departed on his reckless quest to stop the Heartless invading Kurai, Iris and her enigmatic uncle went after him straight away. Unfortunately, tracking someone like Kassom is easier said than done, so it wasn't until weeks later that the two found their way to the dark portal which had been the Heartless' entrance - and Kassom's exit - to the world. Fortunately for them, whatever had happened there had left the portal unstable and made it so fewer Heartless were coming through... nonetheless, it took several of Vates' wonky inventions and a few strokes of luck to make it past the dozens of Heartless guarding the rift. Of course, once they arrived there was only one real option available to them: enter the portal themselves, and search wherever they went for the headstrong, impetuous rogue that Iris Sercha called brother.

It would prove to be the start of quite an adventure...

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~Extra~

Before you embark on your journey, you see three weapons in front of you.
~ A sword
~ A shield
~ A staff
Choose wisely.

The staff is chosen.


NOTES: Vates is not really meant to be used in combat, thus his listed abilities and equipment are rather more tuned towards story uses than going toe-to-toe with Heartless or other players. He's best used as a support character on Quests, although since he's not a fighter he'd need someone to protect him in battle.

Vates was inspired by my very brief experience playing Dungeons & Dragons while at college. His design is meant to be extremely quirky and comical, mostly due to how the 'original' Vates evolved as I played him. Since 4th edition hadn't yet published a completed Artificer build, and since my rolls when it came to using that blasted crossbow were notoriously horrible (thus the Crossbow of Improbability), our DM would occasionally throw me a line out of sheer pity. One such line was the bag of marbles, whose effects the DM would decide with a roll of the dice and a randomly assembled list of basic spells. Geez, I could tell some stories... but I'm rambling now. Sorry.

[High's .Valentine.]

For the sake of showing that I am actually reading the profiles, I just want you to add a distance limit to Vate's energy detection ability.

Other than that, everything else looks awesome. :3

[nascent]

Ah, good call. Made the modification so that it's average radius is 150 ft, with up to 500 ft for insanely strong energies. If that's too much just let me know and I'll bring it down to whatever you think would be reasonable.

Thanks Northie!

[High's .Valentine.]

It makes sense. =D

Accepted.