Campaign of the Month: December 2011
Dresden Files Dallas
Elena Torres
Former DEA agent, Tigua avatar, vigilante. It is said that the United State Justice System is gone, replaced with a mere Legal System. When Agent Torres lay betrayed & dying on a high mesa, it was an ancient Pueblo warrior spirit that answered her prayers
Description:
Power Level
- Total Refresh: 16
- Unspent Refresh: 2
- Skill Cap: Fantastic
- Total Skill Points: 50
- Unspent Skill Points: 0
- Unspent Fate Points: ?
Aspects:
1) High Concept: One Woman Warpath
Invoke: is used to fighting alone
Compel: tackles a challenge alone, even when it would be better handled by a group.
2) Trouble: Family In Town
Invoke: love and support of her family; has access to their resources and skills.
Compel: family gets involved and in danger; family drama of all kinds (it’s a big family).
3) Old-School Tribal War
Invoke: effective with “old-school” tactics and skills.
Compel: defend and help people she considers part of her “tribe.”
4) And Justice For All
Invoke: sees and acts against injustices.
Compel: will right a wrong, even at personal cost.
5) You Know, Like The Punisher
Invoke: goes out of her way to avoid harming innocents; has the sympathy and support of the common people and beat cops.
Compel: is actively hunted by the higher-ups in law enforcement and politicians.
6) More Than Meets The Eye
Invoke: seems physically small and harmless; notices hidden details.
Compel: causes suspicion in authority figures.
7) Hey, I Got A System
Invoke: doesn’t forget things within her “system.”
Compel: gets stuck in routines.
Skills:
- Fantastic (+6): Shoot
- Superb (+5): Athletics, Notice
- Great (+4): Investigate, Stealth, Will
- Good (+3): Burglary, Crafts, Lore
- Fair (+2): Deceive, Drive, Empathy, Resources
- Average (+1): Contacts, Fight, Physique, Provoke, Rapport
Powers and Spellcasting:
Stunts:
(- 1) Calm Blue Ocean, pg 151.
(- 1) Fast Reload, pg 153.
(- 1) Pin the Tail, pg 153.
(- 1) Scene of the Crime, pg 153.
Powers:
(- 1) Claws, pg 162.
(- 1) Echoes of the Beast, pg 163.
(- 1) Cloak of Shadows, pg 169.
(- 1) Marked by Power, pg 169. Toho the Mountain Lion and Hé-é-é Warrior Maiden
(- 0) Wizard’s Constitution, pg 170.
(- 1) Beast Change, pg 174. Mountain Lion.
(+ 1) Human Form, pg 176. Claws, Inhum Str, Super Tough in Shapeshifted form only.
(- 2) Inhuman Recovery, pg 185.
(- 2) Inhuman Speed, pg 178.
(- 1) Inhuman Toughness, pg 185 (Catch, Ice + 2).
(+ 2) Item of Power: Amulet of Toho
(- 2) Inhuman Strength (Only in Shapeshifted form)
(- 1) Supernatural Toughness (Only in Shapeshifted form)
Shapeshifted Skills (48):
Fantastic (+6): Athletics, Fight
Superb (+5): Physique, Stealth
Great (+4): Notice, Will
Good (+3): Investigate, Provoke, Rapport
Fair (+2): Deceive, Empathy, Lore
Average (+1): Burglary, Crafts, (+1 more??)
Stress
Physical (Endurance): (1) (2) (3) + (4) (5) [ + (6) (7) ]
Composure (Conviction): (1) (2) (3) (4)
Armor(s): 2
Consequences
Basic Minor (-2): *ANY*
Moderate (-4): *ANY*
Severe (-6): *ANY*
Extreme (-8): *ANY*
Description:
True Name: Mariaelena Soledad Torres Marquez
Physicals: Appears to be in her early twenties (actual age is mid/late 30s). Although she is petite at 5’1" and a mere 115 pounds, Elena always appears calm and in control. She moves with unerring grace and her eyes never stop scanning her surroundings.
Coloring: Calm black eyes, pixie-cut dark brown hair. Tanned skin.
Clothing: Wears clothing to blend in to whatever surroundings she has chosen. Often jeans, dark t-shirt, and a leather jacket. When on an ‘op,’ she wears black BDU pants, soft-soled black boots, a dark long-sleeved shirt over her ballistic vest, and a dark base-ball cap. She is always armed and has a license to carry.
Advancements Tracking:
Current:
Major Milestone
- 6/28/12 – Stuck in the Middle With Your, Pt. 2 – Changed: Raised Presence to Fair; Reworked Item of Power; Bought Echoes of the Beast.
- 9/13/12 – Heat Makes People Crazy, Pt. 2 – Changed: Raised Presence to Good; banking the unspent Refresh.
Significant Milestone
- 7/26/12 – Stormy Weather Pt. 2 – Changed: Bought Conviction.
- 10/25/12 – Easy Money Pt. 2 – Changed: Raised Discipline to Great.
- 4/18/13 – Hot Water Pt. 3 – Changed: Bought Craftsmanship.
- 5/16/13 – Charade Pt. 2 – Changed: Raised Craftsmanship to Fair.
Minor Milestone
- 5/17/12 – Belle of the Ball – Changed:
- 6/14/12 – Stuck in the Middle With You, Pt. 1 – Changed:
- 7/12/12 – Stormy Weather Pt. 1 – Changed:
- 8/23/12 – Heat Makes People Crazy – Changed:
- 8/28/12 – What Big Teeth You Have – Changed: Dropped Aspect Tejanos Gotta Stick Together shuffled People Always Trying to Kill Me to regular Aspect (instead of Trouble).
- 10/11/12 – Easy Money – Changed: Aspect, Trouble to Family in Town.
- 2/21/13 – That Is Not My Name – Changed:
- 3/28/13 – Hot Water Pt. 1 – Changed:
- 4/11/13 – Hot Water Pt. 2 – Changed:
Special Case Milestone
- 5/7/13 GM decided to wrap the Presence skill up into Conviction and Rapport, and blended the Social stress mechanism with the Mental stress mechanism as “Composure.” Then he gave the less-regular players a boost and the regulars the option of shuffling things a bit. So, Elena has switched out Good Presence for Good Conviction. Since her Conviction had been Average, she got Intimidation at Average.
Archive:
Major Milestone
- 11/30/11 – Malignant Motorcycle Mayhem (pt. 3) – Changed: Raised Lore to Fair; Bought Calm Blue Ocean.
- 12/22/11 – Bah Humbug (pt. 2) – Changed: Raised Athletics to Great. Bought off Item of Power: Inhuman Speed.
- 3/22/12 – Kawaii Desu Yo… ne? (pt 2) – Changed: Raised Alertness to Great. Bought Beast Change.
- 4/12/12 – Outlaw – Changed: Raised Athletics to Superb. Bought Claws.
Significant Milestone
- 9/22/11 – Smoker? I Didn’t Even Know Her! – Changed: Bought Burglary, swapped Contacts & Burglary.
- 10/13/11 – In A Cowslip’s Bell I Lie – Changed: Bought Lore.
- 11/5/11 – A Hint of Blood – Changed: Raised Guns to Superb.
- 12/8/11 – Bah Humbug (pt. 1) – Changed: Raised Discipline to Good.
- 1/12/12 – A Buffalo Clover in Winter – Changed: Raised Empathy to Fair.
- 3/10/12 – Side Job: The Crazy Ex Boyfriend – Changed: Raised Lore to Good.
Minor Milestone
- 10/27/11 – Malignant Motorcycle Mayhem (pt. 1) – Changed:
- 11/10/11 – Malignant Motorcycle Mayhem (pt. 2) – Changed:
- 3/8/12 – Kawaii Desu Yo …Ne? (pt. 1) – Changed:
Bio:
Webisodes
- 2.10, Where the Long Grass Blows
- 2.01, Salvador
- 22, Oreamnos
- 21, War Party
- 15, Trouble Shooter
- 14, The Quick and the Dead
- 13, High Lonesome
- 11, Heller with a Gun
- 7, End of the Drive
- 6, The Hills of Homicide, III
- 5, The Hills of Homicide, II
- 4, showdown at the Deserted Warehouse
- 3, The Hills of Homicide, I
- 2, A Man Called Prospero
- 1, Noreen
Thoughts on Other Characters:








Character Phases
Phase One: Background
Growing up in a large Hispanic family, Elena struggles to overcome the stereotypes of status, race and religion. But will Elena succeed when her military dad is constantly being transferred from base to base?
She was born to a Catholic Tejano couple while her father was posted at Fort Bliss. She was their seventh of eventually nine children. Her father was a sergeant in the US Army Armor Corp, so they moved around a lot, but remained largely in Texas. Due to her dad’s non-commissioned status and their large family, money was always tight. However, their mother was exceptionally good at managing their finances, not to mention gardening even in the driest of climates, thus they never were hungry, although they always wore second hand clothing.
Education was a big focus in their family, as their mother married their father when she was only seventeen and never finished high school herself. Due to their tight circumstances, their schooling was strictly through public education while they bounced from post to post. Although they spoke primarily Spanish at home, their mother insisted they all speak English in public.
With such a large family, she was really only close to her immediately older sister, her immediately younger brother, and their baby sister. She made friends at each new base, and as she grew to be a teen, her friends were pretty normal for someone in her financial status – half of them were wannabe gang bangers and the other half were trying to get out. She got into about as much trouble as any other kid; she was no saint, but had no serious run-ins with the law.
ASPECT: TEJANOS GOTTA STICK TOGETHER
Phase Two: Rising Conflict
When Elena’s little sister Leila is raped and murdered by a drug dealer, Elena is resolved to face down the threats of gang members and the scorn of her peers to testify against the dealer. But will justice prevail with the jury intimidated and the judge bribed? And will Elena’s family ever forgive each other for the loss of the baby of the family?
When Elena was seventeen, her younger sister went to get some marijuana for a party one of her other sisters was ‘hosting.’ In the transaction, the dealer decided he wanted more than her cash. He was rebuffed. Enraged, he kidnapped, raped and killed her. Elena knew who the dealer was and narced. When his ‘friends’ confronted her, she remained resolute and unashamed. He raped and murdered her sister and had to pay. At trial, her sister’s murderer got off free, because the local gangs had bought the judge and intimidated the jury. However, a few weeks later, the guy got blown away by the Feds in a DEA raid.
Elena decided her goal in life would be to make sure that didn’t happen to others, so she concentrated on her schooling. She went to college, graduated with a Bachelor of Science Criminal Justice at University of Texas Permian Basin, and joined the DEA.
Unfortunately, the death of the youngest of their clan caused a huge rift in their family. Relations have been tense at best between most of them, and Elena flat out does not speak to her immediately older sister, Raquel, whose party it had been. She is on good terms with Santiago alone, her immediately younger brother, these days. She does have a decent rapport with her parents, who twenty years later still ache over the loss of their youngest daughter and the loss of peace in their family.
ASPECT: AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
The Haunted Mesa
Phase Three: The Story
When a DEA Raid goes wrong, Elena is determined to bring the bad guys to justice… all of them. But will Elena succeed when she’s bleeding out on a high lonely mesa with a corrupt DEA agent’s bullet in her spine?
More details found in postgame adventure Heller With A Gun.
ASPECT: YOU KNOW, LIKE THE PUNISHER
The Man from Connemara
Phase Four: Guest Starring Conor O’Neill
When Don Quixote gets in the way of a hit on a gang banger drug dealer, Elena has to come up with something quick to make the kill. But will she succeed when there are now more bad guys than she has cartridges in the magazine?
ASPECT: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
The Broken Gun
Phase Five: Guest Starring Jaime Harper
When Elena’s trusty 9mm inexplicably jams just as she attempts a close-in kill, Elena is aided by a man with mysterious abilities. Can she trust this person of unknown powers as they dodge and fight their way out of gang turf?
ASPECT: HEY, I GOT A SYSTEM
Crossfire Trail
Extra: Guest Starring Matthew Consprite
While ghosting a mark, Elena is too slow to help a young Latina who gets injured in a crossfire between the Crips and the Bloods. When a white guy jumps in to help the Latina, Elena knows he is in too deep to get himself and the teen out safely. Can Elena convince the gringo that she isn’t part of that particular fight before the girl bleeds out? And can Elena protect the two non-combatants from the raging battle that surrounds them?
ASPECT: N/A
Credits
Source photos created by Jaelie using DAZ 4, Victoria 4. This is a non-profit site, no challenge real or intended to legally held copyrights.