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[heavybreaths]

PLAYER

NAME: Rose
CONTACT: intercession
OVER 18? Y
CURRENT CHARACTER: Caitlyn Kiramman

CHARACTER

NAME: Darth Vader // Anakin Skywalker
CANON: Star Wars
CANON POINT: Darth Vader (2020), Issue #22
AGE: 45
SPECIES: Human
INFORMATION: Wookieepedia Article Wikipedia link

CHARACTER PITCH:

Darth Vader is basically the OG pop-culture Dark Lord, he is the archetypal inspiration that many comic books, fantasy stories, and sci-fi films draw on when creating their antagonist. He is imposing and scary, he is wise and deliberate, he's reckless and a massive drama queen, and he's someone that can inspire men and women to follow him...both as a hero and a villain. He is both the antagonist and the protagonist of the original and prequel Star Wars films, the Chosen One and heroic Jedi Knight that fell into darkness. He fell hard, he committed atrocities on an absolutely unfathomable scale, and he also managed...in the end...to break out of this mindset and commit one final heroic act.

Vader kind of screams "bad guy" but he also is meant to serve as a reminder that nobody is so far gone that they can't find some spark of light and hope, even if it's small.

POWERS:

Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, is a former Jedi Knight and current Dark Lord of the Sith, and as such is gifted with many supernatural powers and abilities. The source of his power is The Force, which is a canon name for the collective life and spiritual energy created by all living things. He is also a "Vergence" in the Force, meaning that he is exceptionally gifted even for a Force-user. He stands out, and if someone had a kind of spiritual sight, he'd show up quite brightly. There are some of his powers that will require nerfing, and other powers that will require a permissions post, most notably his telekinesis and his mental powers. I'm going to break this down into broader categories to make it easier on myself to organize. I hope that's cool.

Mental Powers: Vader is able to sense the presence of other sentient minds nearby (within 100 yards or so) him, providing him a general idea of where people are, but not precise. He is also able to pick up on emotions fairly easily, and read surface thoughts with concentration. People he has a deep bond with he can sense over vast distances, such as knowing Luke was on Endor while he was in orbit. He can also sense massive disturbances in the Force, such as a large loss of life or a huge battle.

His mental powers also give him a limited influence over the minds of others, particularly those of weak will. The "Mind Trick" is a pretty well known aspect of Force Users, enabling Vader to implant suggestions into impressionable minds. The same is true for animals. This ability I would make at-player discretion and mod discretion for NPCs. It would err on the side of never working on Aions, I believe, and only limitedly on normal NPCs.

Precognition: All Force-Users have a kind of danger sense, letting them feel possible dangers, which is how they are able to block energy beams with laser swords. Vader has an extra kind of prescience, often having prophetic dreams that warn him of upcoming danger. This is typically fleeting, coming in the form of unclear visions and possible futures, such as visions of seeing his wife dying in childbirth. RP-wise this is a power I'd see either removed entirely, or used to exclusively foreshadow pre-planned events for flavor.

Telekinesis: Darth Vader is a master of moving things with his mind and creating bursts of telekinetic energy. In canon he is shown grabbing a small spacecraft out of the air and ripping it open in a matter of seconds, with only minimal effort. He's able to lift massive rocks, large pieces of industrial equipment, and other heavy things and throw them around, but he's also shown as being good at fine control. He can choke people out with it, create barriers to block projectiles like a shield, capture energy in a bubble for a limited time, throw his lightsaber like a boomerang, and even push back at attacks in close quarters to block. With the power restrictions in game, he'd be nerfed to be in line with that, limiting the size of the collateral damage he could cause. No bringing down entire stone towers, etc, and moving particularly large things would require a lot more effort on his part.

Force Body: Vader is capable of infusing his body, and the bodies of others, with the Force. In practice, this means Vader is able to make himself inhumanly strong and fast in short bursts, moving fast enough to keep pace with a running horse, or lift a small speeder (a car, basically), or to jump great distances. He can also use this ability to heal people in a limited capacity, using the Force to push out toxins or speed natural healing in himself or others. He will not be doing this for anyone but himself most likely, and his healing trances take significant periods of time.

Energy Powers: Force Users like Vader also possess the ability to manipulate energy, either drawing it from the Force or absorbing and redirecting it. Vader's shown to be able to absorb heat and laser blasts, and even briefly block a lightsaber blade with his hand with preparation. He's also able to throw around bolts of Force Lightning, though that requires special care on his part due to his cybernetics.

Vader is shown as having difficulty blocking or redirecting electricity with his powers, a fact that eventually leads to his death at the hands of Palpatine. I think this power would largely function normally, as it's mostly comparable to magic.

Non-Force Abilities: Vader is, probably irrelevantly on Horos, one of the finest pilots in his universe. He is also an incredibly talented duelist with melee weapons, able to use both hands effectively to wield lightsabers and other swords. Vader is noted to have a masterful understanding of machines and electronics, making him a good mechanic and engineer. He has commanded troops on some of the harshest battlefields in his Galaxy, and he is known for being a battlefield commander that favors audacious and bold tactics that inspire loyalty in his men. Finally, he is an effective teacher. Which sounds weird, but he has had success teaching both Force abilities to Ahsoka Tano, and tactics and strategy to normal people he had to work with.

Cybernetics: I want to address these a little bit as well! Vader's body is almost more machine than man, a fusion of mechanical and organic. According to George Lucas, he's 3/4ths machine, 1/4th man, but he never addresses proportions. I tend to err more towards the lower half being machine, with mechanical additions built into his neck and chest to interface with his cybernetics. He lost both his legs and most of his left arm in a fight with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his right hand was cut off by Count Dooku years prior. Additionally, his body was immolated by proximity to lava, and he inhaled a great deal of caustic, toxic gas that badly damaged his longs and skin. The armor he wears is sealed to protect him, and to give him a means of locomotion. It doesn't really confer any powers on him beyond letting him breath in a vacuum (and breath at all), and the neural implants (in the helmet especially) cause him constant pain.

QUESTIONNAIRE

What is the worst or most malicious thing your character has ever done? How do they feel about it now? Was this sort of action typical of them?

The most malicious thing that Anakin Skywalker has ever done is a really difficult question to answer because it is a long list. He's committed a huge number of terrible crimes, and he's generally a pretty malicious person. His participation in the destruction of Alderaan or his systematic elimination of the Jedi Order would probably be his worst sins, though.

Vader at his current canonpoint clearly feels some regret for both of these actions, thanks in large part to the influence of his son, and of a woman named Sabe, a former body double of Padme Amidala. Prior to their influence, these actions were atypical of Vader because of the extreme scale of them, but he would have done it all the same. That being said, he would still do all manner of horrible things like murder and that wouldn't be atypical of him at all.

What is the most altruistic or selfless thing your character has ever done? How do they feel about it now? Was this sort of action typical of them?

This is a similarly difficult question to pin down because Anakin Skywalker, prior to his fall, was one of the Galaxy's greatest heroes. He was a general in the Clone Wars, where he defended the lives of countless billions, and eagerly dedicated himself to ending the war with as little loss of life as possible. However his most selfless act I would say came when Vader looks the other way and allows people who have acted against himself or the Empire to escape.

Vader will very often wind up with "sidekicks" and Imperial agents that are of dubious loyalty, many of them out and out traitors to the Empire, and very often he elects not to murder them when they betray him. Notable examples of this include Dr. Chelli Aphra, Sabe, and, Ochi of Bestoon. The same thing applies to some Rebel agents and people he finds noteworthy for their skill or talents, like Qi-Ra, Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian. He's a man that is not known for sparing opponents, but he's willing to look the other way for people who he deems to have "earned" some small mercy from him. He's typically not a particularly selfless man, so the idea of doing something to help others just isn't on the table very often and this is about as good as it gets.

What do they desire above all else? How far would they go to accomplish their goals or fulfill those desires? Do they have lines they wouldn't cross?

Vader claims that his chief desire is Order and to a lesser extent Justice, two ideals that were important to him as a Jedi Knight before his fall. He feels rather strongly that in his vision of a government that does what is best for all people is the correct one, a fair and just one. He brings this up with Padme, and she calls it a dictatorship, and he responds by saying "well if it works..." Anakin plays it off as a joke, but the implication is pretty clear that he didn't completely mean it that way. He does also state he doesn't think he should necessarily be the one in charge, though Vader is still willing to assume that mantle if absolutely necessary.

Throughout his career as the Dark Lord he does seem to act in a manner consistent with his stated goal, though his ideals were warped by the influence of the Dark Side of the Force and his own self-loathing. As a powerful Imperial official he enacts brutal policies against dissenters, but largely leaves law abiding citizens to their own devices. Making his vision a reality is a driving force for him, though again his vision is not the utopia that a younger Anakin would've wanted but an orderly police state. He is a Dark Lord after all.

There are almost no lines that Vader would not cross to accomplish his goal. When Vader commits to a cause, he will go as hard as he can, with no regard for morals and niceties. He willingly destroyed an entire planet, tacitly accepted the extermination of the Geonosian race, and hunted down Jedi Knight all over the galaxy to make this vision a reality. The only lines that Vader ever shows he won't cross are his unwillingness to kill his own children, as well as his reluctance to kill people with connections to his his dead wife, such as her handmaiden Sabe.

GAME DETAILS

LEGACY: Sovereign. Vader has a vision of a galaxy that he wishes to impose upon it. An orderly, fair, and just society ruled over by wise men. Initially, this is a role he does not envision for himself, but as he ages and sees how chaotic Emperor Palpatine's rule is, he comes to accept that role. Anakin Skywalker before his fall was also a noted leader, and he was popular among his peers because he had the capacity to lead by example and "be the best of us" as Obi-Wan puts it. The start of his big falling out with the Jedi Order actually also came when they denied him a voice in the leadership, but allowed him to sit at the table. As Vader, he isn't as single-mindedly interested in Power as his mentor, but he is committed to cultivating his vision of Reality, a vision that necessitates him ruling.


INTRODUCTORY SECT: Pleroma. Okay, so hear me out on this one. I know Vader looks like a natural fit for Kenoma on the surface, but a great deal of his driving force during his canonpoint is tied up in creating an enduring Empire that is able to bring peace and order to his galaxy. At his canonpoint, he is going through the mental breakthrough that ultimately leads to his redemption at the end of the Return of the Jedi. He recently heard that Padme's last words were "there's still good in him" via a recording, and he's dwelling on that. He is, in his own way, nurturing the spark of hope that he can end Palpatine's madness with the help of his son Luke. He's bad at it, and he's still a monster, but he's taking those steps onto the thorny path to redemption.

In addition to that, he would reject the notion that the entire universe needs to end in order to build a new one. "I have no desire to preside over a galaxy of ash," he says to Tarkin shortly after the construction of the first Death Star, and several novels make his distaste for weapons that cause death on that scale clear. I also cannot see him willingly accepting Kenoma as it means service to the Regent, as that would mean trading one master for another, and he barely tolerate Palpatine.

SUITABILITY: I think that this game would be a very, very interesting game to play a character like Vader in. He has a massive pile of baggage, and he's an absolutely terrible person who's willing to do awful things to people, which seems to fit with the darker aspects of this game. His nature would clash with the nature of the characters in the Pleroma, which is an aspect I would find personally very interesting. He's a Dark Lord, not a hero, and I think it would be fun to play him pushing Pleroma to do traditionally bad things to show some of the grey side of the sect. He'd probably start trying to terrorize Regent-aligned NPCs pretty immediately, and just take bold and nasty action that might shake things up in ways my other character just wouldn't. I also think there's a possibility he might change sides, depending on how things go during the game. It wouldn't be out of the question for him to come around to that way of thinking, it would just not be something he'd initially be down for. Ultimately, I also think he could be swayed by the nicer, more heroic Pleroma characters, and go through the end of his redemption arc like in the films, just slower! In particular, one thing I'd think would be awesome to happen is for him to be hurt in battle, and that to catalyze a change into his old body, like having the armor destroyed and him find he doesn't need it anymore.

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