Fencer
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
The Fencer is a Golden Age character, through and through (except for the fact that she is a woman). She's just really good at fencing, and decides that she could use this ability to fight crime. You very rarely see these types of characters anymore, as almost everybody has a "meta" gene for something. But back in the day, it was enough to be a florist that was really good at Judo.
| |
| The Fencer by Jeremy Dale | |
| The Fencer | |
| Player: @SusieBot | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 6 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Elizabeth "Liz" Quinn |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 19 |
| Height: | 5'6" |
| Weight: | 125lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Red |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | U.S. Citizen |
| Occupation: | Student, Licensed Super Hero |
| Place of Birth: | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Base of Operations: | Steel Canyon, Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Dr. Robert Quinn (Father); Dr. Isabelle Quinn (Mother); Quentin Quinn (Brother) |
| Known Powers | |
| None | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Fencing Prodigy, Athleticism, Anatomical Knowledge, Ambidexterity | |
| Equipment | |
| Foil | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Personality
The Fencer, having been raised from early childhood to be an Olympic athlete, is extremely focused and serious-minded. Until recently, she was entirely devoted to her fencing career.
Since she began crime-fighting, however, she has loosened up a bit, revealing a dry wit. She is extremely smart, but can come across as a bit of a know-it-all.
Abilities
Fencing Prodigy
The Fencer was born with an inexplicable, nearly super-human ability with swords. Years upon years of extensive training have honed this natural ability to a nearly super-human peak. However, the Fencer's most astonishing quality is her keen mind -- while her body is extremely well-conditioned, it is her ability to formulate complex strategies and gambits that make her an extraordinary swordswoman.
Athleticism
The Fencer, having trained as an Olympic athlete since childhood, is at the peak of human conditioning. In addition to her fencing training, she is an avid runner, swimmer, and weight-lifter. Her reflexes have been trained to split-second timing. This, coupled with her ability to "read" an opponent and to strategize quickly, give her the appearance of near-precognitive abilities. However, this is merely the result of training and ability, not a meta-power.
Anatomical Knowledge
It is very difficult to incapacitate someone with an epee, particularly if the target is at all armored. To counter-act this, the Fencer has an encyclopedic knowledge of the human body, including pressure points, nerve clusters, and vulnerable points that can be used to quickly incapacitate opponents. The Fencer aims for these targets when fighting, often disabling a foe with minimal contact.
Recently, the Fencer has begun to study material science. As her crime-fighting career has progressed, she has confronted numerous non-human and heavily-modified human targets that have given her a run for her money. The goal of her studies is to develop a methodology for identifying and exploiting the weak points in manufactured structures and substances.
Ambidexterity
The Fencer is ambidextrous -- she can perform complex tasks equally well with either hand. More importantly, she can fence equally well with either hand, and would often unsettle opponents by switching hands (and, necessarily, swords) between bouts.
Following her recent accident, the Fencer has begun fighting with a blade in either hand. This unorthodox fighting style has put a serious crimp in her combat effectiveness, but it is her belief that this new discipline will pay off in time. As the skill has no usefulness in competitive fencing, there is little precedent for this style, though the Fencer has been studying Japanese swordsmen such as Miyamoto Musashi in a search for the fundamental principles of two-sword fighting.
Equipment
Foil
The Fencer's foils (in actuality, modified epees) are the same weapons she has trained with since age 16. Unlike more modern weapons, the epees uses a french grip with a counter-balanced pommel, rather than an ergonomic "pistol" grip. These weapons, subtly tuned and re-tuned to the Fencer's changing technique, gives her exceptional speed and accuracy.
The blades have no special properties. The Fencer relies on her knowledge and abilities to incapacitate her foes.
Character History
Origin
The Quinns were both over-achievers; as an inventor and a doctor, they had the highest expectations for their progeny, and Elizabeth Quinn did not disappoint. A gifted child, Liz demonstrated remarkable cognitive abilities. Her true gift, however, was swordsmanship -- from the moment she picked up a stick in the backyard, the child displayed an innate gift for fencing. At age eight, she was facing down grown men. By age ten, she began spending summers in Paris, studying with the greatest swordmasters in the world.
Liz was on-course to be an Olympic fencer, when the unimaginable happened. While they were visiting her in Paris, her parents were abducted by agents of the Council. The Council, it seemed, wanted her father's knowledge of small, high-powered devices. With only her epee in hand, Liz followed her parents' abductors, tracking them down at a remote warehouse outside of Paris.
Liz struck swiftly and silently, disabling numerous Council agents with her blunted weapon, and rescuing her astonished parents. At that moment, she realized that her gifts were not meant to be used solely in competition, but could actually be used to save lives. She left Paris immediately, began attending Paragon City University, and applied for a hero's license. While she pursues a degree in criminology, Liz Quinn battles street-level crime as the phenomenal Fencer!
Recent Developments
Three months ago, the Fencer undertook an apparently routine mission to eliminate a Council cell in Steel Canyon. Unfortunately, the cell was a ruse -- an elaborate trap designed to snare the fencing phenom. As she entered the final chamber of the base, the room filled with gas, trapping the Fencer and incapacitating her.
For three days, the Council kept her prisoner, occasionally questioning and threatening her. Fortunately, she was rescued by a group of heroes on a routine mission to eliminate the same base, but the damage was done -- her confidence dinged, Liz began to question the ability of a normal human, no matter how gifted, to battle the super-powered criminals of Paragon City.
Three days of soul-searching followed, with Liz resigning her hero card at a moral low-point. Liz Quinn may have abandoned the role of the Fencer forever, but for a newscast highlighting a battle between one of the city's non-powered heroes and the villainous Nemesis. The sight of the woman handily dispatching Nemesis's lumbering robot servants buoyed Liz's spirits, and gave her new drive to resume her battle against evil.
For two months, Liz undertook a back-to-basics training regimen, focusing on combat swordsmanship and her new, two-sword fighting technique. Between training sessions, she studied anatomy, material science, and forensics. With her confidence restored, Liz applied for a new hero license, and began to work her way back towards her ultimate goal -- to destroy the villainous Council once and for all!
Trivia
Inspirations
The Fencer was actually inspired by the AroundComics.com podcast's "Comics 101" about the JSA. In the Golden Age, several of the JSA's members were un-powered -- notably, Black Canary, the Atom, and Wildcat. It struck me as simultaneously humorous and compelling that someone who was just really good at something would decide to go out and fight crime. Hence, the Fencer.
Costume
Ah, the Fencer's costume. I have never been 100% thrilled with the costume, as it is almost too literal. However, after seeing Jeremy Dale's rendition (above), I came around to it -- while the version in-game is a bit plain, the version in my mind's eye is pretty cool, mostly due to the addition of the shoulder cape.
In-game, the shoulder cape really shines -- the hint of red under a white outer surface makes the Fencer seem very dynamic. She spends a great deal of time leaping around, just so I can watch the cape move.
My prayers were answered with I11 and the addition of weapon customization. While it required re-rolling the Fencer as a dual blades character, it is a marked improvement over pretending that the katana is a foil. The dual rapiers look fantastic, and the animations are much more stabby (and, thus, appropriate to fencing) than the katana animations. I retained Super Reflexes as her powerset, as she is less "tough guy" than "evasion gal".
My only real complaints about the in-game costume are the techy stuff on the mask, and the lack of anything that looks remotely like a plastron. But I can live with that -- if "fencing gear" was a costume option, everyone would wear it.
