Martian
From PRIMUS Database
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An immigrant from another world, possessing strange and wondrous abilities beyond those of human beings, and a tireless crusader for peace and justice -- the Martian is all of these things! Leaving the comfort and security of his Martian home on an errand of mercy to a besieged planet, the Martian chose to remain on his adopted homeworld as a defender and champion!
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Powers
Telepathy
Like all adult Martians, the Martian possesses advanced telepathic abilities. Martians are actually born without telepathic abilities, and develop them (along with their antennae) during the Martian equivalent of puberty. Spoken Martian is comprised largely of vowel sounds, and is reserved for speaking to youngsters -- all communication between adult Martians is telepathic. It is considered an insult among Martians to speak to another adult -- a prejudice well-researched and prepared for before initial contact between Humans and Martians.
The center of Martian telepathy is a small section of the Martian brain located between the antennae in front quadrant. This telepathic cortex is connected to the audio, visual, and tactile centers of the brain, facilitating the transmission of sounds, images, and sensations between Martians. Due to this ability, mentally ill Martians are isolated from others due to the intense and disturbing images that they unwittingly transmit to others nearby.
Martian telepathy transmits on a wavelength that can be received by human beings. Additionally, the vestigal telepathic centers of the average human brain transmit at sufficient strength to be recieved, albeit weakly, by Martians. Thus, Martians can "read" very strong, conscious thoughts. However, more intimate psychic contact between humans and Martians is not possible -- for example, a Martian can not "search" a human mind, or receive any information that is not a strong, conscious thought.
The Martian uses his telepathic abilities to battle villainy in several ways. Primarily, he attacks with disruptive "ego static" -- bursts of incoherent thought energy that disrupt the neural pathways of the receiver. With sufficient strength, these bursts can cause unconsciousness due to psychic shock. The Martian can also transmit disturbingly realistic hallucinations.
Martians can also utilize their telepathic abilities therapeutically, blocking pain receptors and even prompting the brain to release healing horomones to accelerate recovery from injuries. Martians are highly resistant to pychic attack.
Telekinesis
Relatively rare among Martians, the Martian possesses low-grade telekinetic abilities. Largely, these abilities are confined to a 3-inch distance from the Martian's skin -- what is qualified as near-tactile telekinesis. This field can absorb a limited amount of energy, dispersing it through psychic ablation. The Martian utilizes this ability to shield himself from harm, absorbing the energy of attacks into the shield.
Abilities
Psychiatrist
By projecting a telepathic disguise, the Martian can assume the appearance of a human being (by transmitting the illusion to other beings nearby). In order to better understand human beings, the Martian has assumed the persona of Martin Lowell, a psychiatrist in Millenium City. As a trained psychiatrist, the Martian has acquired an astute understanding of human behavior, making him a capable interrogator and criminal behavioralist in his crime-fighting career.
Background
Origin
After their civilization peaked in the year 1000 BC (by Earth reckoning), the Martians found themselves a dwindling species, following the slow curve of entropy toward extinction. As their numbers dwindled, the warlike Martians slowly turned toward pacifism and introspection, utilizing their telepathic abilities for interpersonal understanding and enlightenment, rather than the centuries of mental warfare that had led to their civilization's rapid evolution. As the Martian ecosystem changed, the Martians moved into underground colonies, only occasionally venturing forth on the surface of their world on long, individual walkabouts.
As technology progressed on Earth, the Martians slowly became aware of the presence of human beings -- first via crude radio messages, and eventually via video -- and began to study the upstart species, in which they saw a reflection of their younger selves. As human affairs became more and more tumultuous, a small faction of Martians suggested that the Martians travel to Earth in an attempt to pass on their wisdom (acquired at great personal cost) to humanity, in the hope that Earth would fare better than Mars.
The debate raged for decades, until the Martians became psychically aware of a malevolent presence entering the solar system -- the dreaded hive-mind of the Quular. Sensing a thought process completely unlike that of humanity or Martians, and sensing the Quular's intention to invade Earth, the Martians selected a small delegation of diplomats to send to Earth, in the hope that they could bridge the gap in understanding between the two species and avoid violence.
Unfortunately, their mission was an utter failure. By the time the Martians reached earth, hostilities had already commenced, and the Quular had little interest in pressing for peace -- even after the battle turned against them. Confronted by the unrelenting hostility of the insectoid invaders, most of the Martians returned home. However, three of the Martian negotiators elected to remain on Earth and, utilizing their telepathic abilities, even found methods for battling the Quular.
In time, the battles ended. One of the Martians that remained on Earth, Yaaaloo Lloeeeel, found that he missed the excitement of the battle against the Quular, and chose to pursue a career as a super-hero. As he established an earthly identity as a humble psychiatrist, he began to use his telepathic powers to combat the many evils that faced humanity as the Martian -- the Mentalist from Mars!
Costume & Character Notes
Costume
Like most of my heroes, the Martian started out as a costume and a powerset, more than a wholly-formed character concept. The costume went through many subtle iterations, focusing on:
- Face Shape: Within the limits of the character creator, I was attempting to make a face that was fairly inhuman -- I didn't want the Martian to just be a green person. As such, the brow and chin are pushed pretty extreme. Combined with the eyes, pointed ears, and antennae, I think it makes for a pretty distinctive head.
- Armor: The look of the Martian's armor was inspired by "Martian Man" from Invincible. It's not quite what I had in mind, as I would really like to have added an emblem belt (not possible with the waist piece), but I really dig the look in general. The inlay chest pattern is phenomenal, which is why I think you see it in game so much.
- Homage to Martian Manhunter: A couple of costume elements pay direct homage to Martian Manhunter. First, there is bare skin -- an important component of any MM homage. I thought bare legs was an interesting choice. Then there is the cape with brooches -- a direct homage to MM's cape.
- Hands and Feet: The three-fingered/toed hands and feet are great. But it took several trips to the tailor before I remembered to remove the nail polish from them.
Character Notes
Obviously, the Martian is informed by Martin Manhunter, in that he is a telepath and a Martian. However, that's where the similarities end: honestly, I think Martian Manhunter's other powers are kind of dumb. Is it not enough to be a telepath? The Martian says yes.
The Telepathy powerset is, I think, one of the better sets in CO currently. It has a plethora of powers, so that it is possible to make an entirely Telepathy-based character (I am a slave to concept). I gave the Martian a Force Field as well, as I can't envision going through the game without an active defense.
Apparently, Mental Reinforcement is overpowered. I was not aware of this. I guess it is getting nerfed, which is just as well -- I never have more than one on myself anyway. Honestly, if any power is overpowered in Telepathy, it is Ego Storm. That thing is ridiculous.
