Kwabena Odame

{{CharacterPage
 * image1=Kwabena01.png
 * image2=Kwabena02.png
 * caption=
 * fullname=Kwabena Odame
 * codename=Shift
 * position=X-Man
 * age=25
 * race=Mutant
 * role=Anti-Hero
 * type=Original Character


 * quote="I'm staring at a nuke. You guys realize I don't know de first thing about disarming fucking NUKES, right?"


 * overview=A displaced Ghanaian youth turned X-Man, Kwabena wields a medium-level matter displacement mutant ability. He serves as a scout and intelligence man for the X-Men, while teaching survival and criminal studies for the Xavier Institute. While he always means to do the right thing, Shift will always carry a bit of his gritty past.

Old logs can be found here.


 * sheet=

Character Sheet

Abilities: Power

Fly: 2, Gaseous: 6, Harden: 4, Liquefy: 1, Matter Phase Change: 6, Plasma Phase: 8, Size Shift: 1

Abilities: Skill

Mercenary: 3, Self Educated: 3, Survival: 5, Underworld: 5

Advantages: Feared Name X-Men Uniform

Flaws: Addict, Distrust, Killer, Loose Cannon, Nanites, PTSD, Reputation, Smoker

Languages: Afrikaans and English

Abilities

Power: Fly (2)

Speed: Rating of 2

Limitation: Speed is determined by wind patterns. Stagnant air equates to movement no faster than his normal running speed.

Wind Benefit: In windy or stormy conditions, he can move up to 100 MPH, perhaps even faster during extreme conditions such as hurricanes.

By harnessing his Matter Phase Change power, Kwabena can turn his body into a gaseous cloud and essentially achieve flight. This is an acute power that is achieved by manipulating the way air flows through and around his gaseous form.

Power: Gaseous (6)

Limitation: He cannot maintain smoke form for extended periods of time, due to the emotional strain it puts upon him.

Weakness: His smoke form is nigh invincible to physical attack, but is weak against energy attacks. Energy weapons tend to rip pieces of the smoke away, and unless he can locate them, those parts of his body may be lost forever.

Intense feelings of fear will cause Kwabena's body to turn into a gaseous state. Manipulated properly, he can control these changes to turn part or all of his body into a form of mobile black smoke. In this state, he can move about at his normal running speed, and can carry up to three smaller objects with him, or a similarly weighted single mass. With a clear mind and high level of focus, he can control the density of this state, as such that its varying weight can lift himself to the ceiling, or drop faster than what might seem normal.

Power: Harden (4)

Boosts: Strength is boosted to 3. Toughness is boosted to 7.

Risk: Excessive use of this power can cause him to go into an uncontrollable rage.

Variation: Based on the level of his control, this power can be used to prevent him from turning into gaseous form on instinct. Should he fail to maintain this power in such an instance, the instinctive shift to black smoke could cause problems (e.g. dropping a bridge, letting bullets pass through him into team members, etc.).

Intense feelings of anger, both healthy and unhealthy, will cause parts of Kwabena's body to harden into a material substantially stronger than human flesh. Manipulated properly, he can turn parts or all of his body into a much stronger state. A hardened fist could easily break bones or dent the armor of a tank. A hardened chest could be used as a shield against shrapnel or smaller calibre bullets. A hardened body could be used as an immobilized object, and in example, could temporarily hold up a collapsing bridge, in a manner similar to the exo-skeleton of an insect.

Power: Liquefy (1)

Speed: Up to 2x his normal running speed (Speed level of 1)

Limitation: Extremely hot or cold liquids, such as volcanic magma or liquid nitrogen, pose a severe risk of killing Kwabena. Injury is definite, and survival is only possible for a brief period of time before death becomes imminent. Doing this requires a PUSH to survive, no matter how long he is in the liquid, and even with the PUSH an injury is guaranteed.

Intense feelings of grief or loss will cause Kwabena's body to turn into a liquid state, which can essentially disappear into bodies of water or other liquids. Not only can he hide in these liquids, he can even 'swim' into certain deadly substances, such as acids or other caustic materials, as long as there isn't a significant temperature risk.

Power: Matter Phase Change (6)

Limitation: The ability has not yet been developed to resist advanced physical attacks, such as those from energy based weapons. This power does not apply to mental or psychological attacks. If not properly controlled, the power can have unpredictable results.

The effect of Kwabena's X-Gene mutation is a body that undergoes an instinctive matter phase change when it comes into contact with physical attacks that may cause serious injury or death, including but not limited to bullets, knives, and high speed impacts. The phase changes to his body can also be harnessed during times of emotional duress, and with practice and self control, can be further harnessed to control the changes for more acute effects and matter states, including a liquid and hardened form.

Power: Plasma Phase (8)

Ratings: Arsenal damage ranges from 4 to 7. Radiated heat can range from from 3 to 6 (100-10,000 celsius). Emitted light can range from 7-10 (1K - 200K lux, blinding) Maximum pointed assault range of 2 (1 mile/10 city blocks), requires a PUSH to accomplish. Normal range, or area of effect, is 0 (immediate vicinity, 0.25 mile)

Boosts: When activated, this power can increase Kwabena's damage tolerance to near 9 on the toughness scale. Absorbing additional energy increases the difficulty to maintain molecular cohesion. Encountering extreme forms of damage can require a PUSH to withstand, otherwise he faces partial or total molecular disassociation.

Healing: Kwabena is able to absorb other forms of matter to replenish his strength or heal his injuries. Scientific rules must be obeyed. For example, organic material (wood, vegetation) are the ideal materials. However, if he were to absorb too many minerals that are not wanted in the human body (undesirable metals such as lead or iron), he may form serious deficiencies, such as lead poisoning. Healing rate ranges from 1-7, and is based on the type and amount of material he is able to absorb.

Limitation: Raising this power without an external catalyst, such as encountering energy or plasma, is extremely difficult and requires a high level of focus, with no injuries or illness. Even when a catalyst is present, maintaining plasma state requires a great deal of strength. Failure will result in the same weaknesses of his gaseous form. Also, while it is feasible that he could be used as an energy source, it should be noted that directly draining the plasma will actually be draining him of his body's mass.

Weakness: Kwabena risks losing portions of his body if unable to contain the living plasma that he has turned into. If unable to replenish himself, he may reform missing parts of his body, or being so diminished in mass that it would be equivalent to starvation. The longer he remains in plasma phase, the more energy is expended. The destructive capabilities present also pose a significant threat to his moral condition.

Kwabena's most advance power, his gaseous state can be turned into a form of living plasma. This can be accomplished on his own will, but only with a great level of focus. It can also be harnessed if he encounters high levels of energy, radiation, or heat, but it also takes a great level of strength to accomplish.

Power: Size Shift (1)

Size: Rating of 1

Limitation: Growing in size reduces his body's density, thus reducing his Strength and Toughness proportionately by half (including any harden boosts). Similarly, shrinking his body will add an additional one point boost to Toughness only.

Untrained: This power is untrained and will require guidance from a PC to train into existence.

This advanced ability enables Kwabena to loosen or compress his body's molecular structure to essentially grow or shrink in size.

Skill: Mercenary (3)

Having run with mercenaries in the past, Kwabena has learned the basics of the hired merc trade. While still far from an expert, he's earned a basic working knowledge of weapons ranging from handguns and grenades to assault rifles, along with a few tricks of the trade, including basic tracking methods, ways to avoid authorities, and handling various vehicles at high speed chase/pursuit conditions. He's no expert, but this skill gives him a certain leg up when dealing with more gritty, 'off the books' type of situations.

Skill: Self Educated (3)

While Kwabena lacks what many would call a proper education, he is a very intelligent mutant and has spent many long hours in public libraries and internet cafes, reading and studying about matters that are most important to him in the moment. If there is something he has not yet learned about and it becomes important to him, he makes for a very quick learner.

Skill: Survival (5)

Having grown up in a third world Ghanaian village and surviving in the African wild during exile, Kwabena has a natural advantage when forced to survive off the land. He has further studied survival techniques, and has the knowledge to survive in almost any habitat on Earth. This also lends a certain affinity to surviving in an urban environment without food or shelter.

Skill: Underworld (5)

Kwabena has a very real knowledge of the criminal underworld because he lived in it for years. He has an advantage at dealing with underworld contacts, and knows how to speak their ugly language. When he needs information that is hard to come by, or perhaps someone to do some dirty deeds, he can usually find it... one way or another.

Advantages

Advantage: Feared Name

Throughout the East Coast and in particularly the New York City area, the name 'Kwabena Odame' has come to be feared throughout the criminal underworld. He's been known to infiltrate the homes of crime lords, threaten mafia operations, even frame criminal leaders to be captured by the police. Rumored to be an 'invincible man', there are many in the criminal underworld who would do almost anything to avoid an encounter with the mysterious mutant. More fearsome is that the name 'Kwabena Odame' does not exist in any government records... except, of course, on certain police records as taken from arrested criminal testimony.

Advantage: X-Men Uniform

Made of unstable molecules, Kwabena wears a costume beneath his clothing that prevents unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions when using his mutation. The fabric mimics the matter phase changes in his body, and comes equipped with a number of pouches inside of which he can store small items. These pouches make it easier for him to carry those items while changing into various matter states.

Flaws

Flaw: Addict

Kwabena has made some mistakes in his youth, not the least of which involved his experimentation with narcotics, including substances such as heroin and methamphetamine. At any given time, with the right prompting, he could easily suffer a relapse. In addition to its adverse affects physically, when using, the narcotics can cause unpredictable effects with his Matter Phase Change ability.

Flaw: Distrust

Given the past few years of his life, Kwabena has developed a severe lack of trust for pretty much everybody. This is part and parcel of being mocked and abused, but more so, it comes from him turning into a criminal in order to survive. After all, you can never trust someone you are about to rip off. As an X-Man who has seen the uglier side of the world, he is also hesitant to allow deep friendships to form.

Flaw: Killer

Kwabena has killed before, and he will kill again. It's a questionable matter with his membership in the X-Men, and some on the team might consider this an advantage. However, there has never been a time when taking another person's life isn't troubling to him, even though he may not hesitate to do it if he deems it necessary.

Flaw: Loose Cannon

At times, Kwabena tends to be a loose cannon. It's not altogether uncommon for him to whip up molotov cocktails, or find something to blow up, when others would prefer he maintain a stealthy operation. Sometimes, he believes that a heavy handed, bash-your-way-in approach is the best one... which has the unfortunate effect of backfiring on him and his teammates all too often. It stems from his difficult childhood, a life on the streets, and a new found but still raw understanding of his mutant abilities.

Flaw: Nanites

Courtesy of Doctor Doom, Kwabena's blood flows with thousands of cell-sized nanites. These nanites each carry a potent dose of a drug fashioned by Doom to simulate the effects of the opiate drug heroin. However, the effects (both 'good' and bad) of this chemical cannot be sated by the street drug available in cities across the world. The nanites are capable of delivering the dose when needed for one month's time. When their dose has run out, Kwabena must either return to Latveria to receive another injection, or he must find another way of dealing with the withdrawal effects, such as gaining the assistance of specialist - normal hospital care treatment will not fix him.

Flaw: PTSD

Early in his development as an X-Man, a number of traumatic experiences gave Kwabena an acute case of PTSD. If reminded of these, he may temporarily lose the ability to speak English, or become stuck in another matter phase.

Flaw: Reputation

Kwabena's reputation throughout the criminal underworld may have its advantages, but it also attracts a lot of unwanted attention. Killing the un-killable man would be a major reputation boost, and there are some in the criminal world who just might be up to the challenge. It's a ghost that haunts Kwabena, and the threat may lurk around every corner.

Flaw: Smoker

Kwabena is a smoker, and while he tries to avoid his old ways, he simply can't kick the nicotine habit.


 * associations=

Other Associations

 * history=

Kwabena was born in a tiny village that was located in the Ahnbarian Province, not far from the capital of Ghana, Accra. When his X-Gene mutation manifested at age 16, the villagers considered him possessed by some demonic force, and banished him. He spent the next few months surviving in the wild, living off the land and fighting wild beasts for food, before finally finding the capital city of Accra. He survived in the ghettos of Accra for two years, before securing illegal passage into the United States.

Once in America, he went from city to city, living on under the table jobs, false identifications, and eventually entered the world of organized crime as a petty crook and drug dealer. This led him to become addicted to heroin. From LA to Austin to Detroit and Chicago, he finally ended up skirting through Gotham and into New York City, where his new life awakened. Running into others like himself, he eventually befriended Domino and Psylocke, who helped him to take down the infamous drug trafficker who held him hostage, and guided him into a world of new purpose.

After some few struggles, he is now a member of the X-Men. He's kicked his drug habit and the life of crime, and now seeks to serve a greater purpose... though he'll get his hands dirty if he needs to.

= Major Story Arcs =

The logs on this page are listed in chronological order (as opposed to posting order), and represent only the major storylines (i.e. tinyplots) Kwabena has participated in. A full listing of his logs may, of course, be found on the Logs tab.

Inhibitions (ongoing)

 * May 28th, 2013 — The Apprehension of Highball — The dangerous killer known as "Highball" is at last apprehended. The mutant inhibitor, however, seems to have been involved.
 * June 1st, 2013 — Bar Oldenhof — Following his two month hunt of the mutant killer "Highball", Shift tracks down an old friend in Amsterdam to warn her about the mutant inhibitor.
 * June 9th, 2013 — Charity Gala — During a charity gala for underprivileged youths at the Museum of History, hosted by the Evingston family, the mysterious inhibitor makes another stealthy appearance.
 * June 29th, 2013 — Rescue in the Capital of Murder — A young mutant discovers her mutagenic ability in a most tragic way. The X-Men respond in an effort to help the girl and prevent yet another tragedy.
 * June 29th, 2013 — Heading Home from Honduras — Shift, Jean, and Laura try to figure out the Shadowy Man's cryptic message on the way home from Honduras.
 * July 6th, 2013 — The Genoshan Detente — A pair of X-Men infiltrate Genosha, only to be invited to tea by Magneto.
 * July 16th, 2013 — Be Well Kwabena — Jocelyn and Kwabena talk. Jocelyn floats an idea past the man, who gives her the go-ahead.
 * July 20th, 2013 — Forget Me Now — During this scene, Gambit and Shift briefly speak of the Inhibitor. Arsenal is present.
 * July 21st, 2013 — GHlfghsbkkk — Two X-Men are in Mutant Town when they have a chance encounter with the man known only as 'The Inhibitor'
 * July 21st, 2013 — Just Pawns — Two accomplices of Isaac, 'The Inhibitor', are interrogated by X-Men.
 * July 23rd, 2013 — Update for the Boss — Jocelyn and Doug give Scott an update on things regarding the Inhibitor.
 * August 3rd, 2013 — Lines in the Sand — The X-Men track down Isaac and confront him.
 * August 6th, 2013 — Purrgatory for Kitty — After a stressful scenario with The Inhibitor, Doug finds Kitty working out her frustrations in the danger room.
 * August 6th, 2013 — One Dream - Two Voices — Rachel and Kitty come to an understanding.
 * August 10th, 2013 — Fragmentation — While Domino and Nightcrawler are confronting Shift over his recent actions, Rachel Summers telepathically hints that there is news he may be interested in regarding Isaac.

Mission: Brotherhood Espionage (complete)

 * July 6th, 2013 — The Genoshan Detente
 * July 6th, 2013 — Lessons in Particle Physics
 * July 11th, 2013 — Threads of Conspiracy
 * July 24th, 2013 — To What End?
 * July 27th, 2013 — Ghost, Meet Smokey
 * July 29th, 2013 — Tenacity
 * July 30th, 2013 — A Minion's New Toy
 * July 30th, 2013 — Never Trust a Silent Target
 * August 5th, 2013 — POLLOS
 * August 5th, 2013 — Trump of Queens
 * August 6th, 2013 — Dead Men Can't Jump
 * August 6th, 2013 — Ohio Calling
 * August 8th, 2013 — Godspeed, Colonel
 * August 10th, 2013 — Fragmentation
 * August 10th, 2013 — Real Merc's Don't Have Friends
 * August 10th, 2013 — Crossroads
 * August 13th, 2013 — Road Trip!
 * August 13th-14th, 2013 — A Change of Tacts

Mission: Genoshan Resistance (ongoing)

 * August 15th, 2013 — How's Your Head? — A new plan is proposed regarding Magneto's Genosha.
 * August 17th, 2013 — Plans Are Hatched — Shift recruits Rachel and Jocelyn for the operation.
 * August 19th, 2013 — Recruiting — Shift attempts to recruit Doug for the operation.
 * August 21st, 2013 — Teeps and Drinkers — Shift meets Pete Wisdom on neutral ground to discuss Genosha. He brings a teep along for protection.
 * August 23rd, 2013 — Dead Men Don't Have Causes — John Carmichal sets about trying to get a message to Shift and/or the X-men, via the only Mutant he knows: His secretary Jocelyn Stream.
 * August 23rd, 2013 — Genosha - Briefing — The X-men assemble to discuss their impending mission on Genosha.
 * August 28th, 2013 — Army of Children — Hope hitches a ride to the Xavier Institute with Jean and Rachel. Arguments ensue over Hope's wish to make a difference.
 * September 2nd, 2013 — Choosing Targets — Nate and Shift discuss the next step in developing the X-Men resistance cell in Genosha.
 * September 5th, 2013 — Political Talk — Joce and Shift talk politics
 * September 7th, 2013 — Conference Call — Nate Grey seeks out others on the Genosha team to discuss their next move, but Kwabena, the mudblood as it were, turns out to be a bit leaky.
 * September 7th, 2013 — It Will Be Dangerous — Rachel and Shift discuss the global developments related to his last name, and decide on a plan of action to address the threat to their operation in Genosha.
 * September 9th, 2013 — Genoshan Breakfast — Jocelyn, Nate, and Monet all share a meal.
 * September 11th, 2013 — Genoshan Business — Jocelyn and Magneto talk in a cafe in Hammer Bay. Nova stops by for some food.
 * September 13th, 2013 — Setting Things Up — Jocelyn agrees to head up medical facilities in Genosha.
 * September 16th, 2013 — Things Never Go Smooth — Rachel, Shift, and Jocelyn discuss plans and how a particular distraction needs to be dealt with.
 * September 17th, 2013 — Theora — Doug gets a secure communication set up to reach out to the group in Genosha. Laura arrives while he and Jocelyn talk.
 * September 21st, 2013 — Prelude — Two young X-Men approach the mutant known as Prelude, in an attempt to convince her to run for public office.
 * September 22nd, 2013 — The Emperor and the Barbarian — Nate Grey visits Magneto unannounced. Anarchist and Emperor, both with volatile tempers. They get along as well as expected, which means it is almost a miracle both walk out of it alive.
 * September 24th, 2013 — Nothing Better at the Corner Store — Gambit runs into Shift at a seedy little bar near one of Kwabena's old haunts.

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OOC Information
Actor: Jimmie Jean-Louis

RP Likes: Angsty - Comedic - Dark - Gritty - Heroic - Romantic - Social - Weird

RP Dislikes: Classic