This was actually written for submission to SJG's Pyramid magazine, but alas, the conversion of that from a weekly e-zine to a monthly pdf made it superfluous. So it goes.
This writeup uses the GURPS 4e rules, and is designed to be for a Supers game.
Supporting Cast: Dodona / Bolera
Somewhere in the downtown business district of the PCs' home city are the fourth-floor offices of Dodona Consulting, which advertises itself as a "research and advisory company dedicated to handling unique informational needs." Dodona Consulting is a research center specializing in metahuman needs, with a sideline as a middleman for specialized vendor requirements: members of the metahuman community also know that it is probably the most reliable firm in the area when it comes to what is sometimes delicately called "salvage operations." It will sometimes happen that someone will find himself in possession of an item that has been stolen or misplaced, and would like to have it returned to its rightful owners absent awkward questions. Dodona Consulting facilitates such transfers, providing anonymity on one end and a reliable agency on both, and can also arrange suitable compensation. The company staffs about twelve people; the owner of the company is Kathryn Argyros, who is herself possessed of actual, if unflashy, metahuman abilities. During business hours she calls herself "Dodona," after the minor Greek oracle - but she does not particularly seem to take her "secret identity" seriously.
At least, not her known secret identity; she is much more careful to maintain the secrecy of her alter ego of Bolera, a bola-wielding, street-level masked vigilante.
Origins
Kathryn somehow always knew that she was going to be a superheroine, so when her powers manifested during her sophomore year in college she was unsurprised. Unfortunately, Kathryn was expecting the usual abilities: flying, energy blasts, super-strength and super-toughness, possibly enhanced senses. What she did not expect was that she would become a modern incarnation of the ancient Greek oracles, although a comprehensive look at her genealogical chart might have given her a hint.
While her newly-acquired superpowers were easily enough to boost an already high grade point average, then make her independently wealthy one year after graduation, it was not immediately obvious how they could help her fight crime. Kathryn eventually began Dodona Consulting for no larger reason than because it allowed her some connection to a culture that she was technically part of, but not really integrated into. As "Dodona" - an affectation towards a secret identity that she never actually maintained - she quickly became a respected and respectable information broker.
However, about a year or so ago Kathryn made a discovery: her inherent control over order allowed her to actually alter physical reality itself. She is not strong enough to deflect bullets - although she is working on fixing that - but she has enough power to reliably stop a knife blade. The realization that she has at least one "conventional" superpower was a revelation for her. Kathryn was in good shape; she had ridiculously good hand-eye coordination; and a few simple precautions would minimize the risk of injury to her in any given fight. She'd have to start small, and probably stay small, with no epic super-villain fights to look forward to - but there's nothing wrong with stopping muggings, right? So Kathryn got herself a somewhat Latin-themed costume (her Spanish was always excellent), stocked up on disposable bolos, and started calling herself "Bolera."
As Bolera (a secret identity she takes much more seriously than she does Dodona), Kathryn has a set of patrols in some of the seedier commercial districts of the campaign's base city. She concentrates on stopping muggings, preventing violence, and foiling minor felonies. Her major problem as a super-heroine is that while she is actually in a good position to ferret out a lot about street-level crime, she has neither quite the right skill set nor the inherent abilities to take on entire drug gangs armed with automatic weapons. Twice she has had to do so anyway, and got away with it each time through a combination of luck, intense advance planning, and a ballistic vest. Her triple identity makes Kathryn leery of joining an existing super-group, but there is a certain undeniable attraction to the thought of having backup for what can be a somewhat adventurous night on the streets. Or perhaps she could get a sidekick. Or perhaps she could even be a sidekick...
Kathryn Argyros ("Dodona" / "Bolera") [475pt]
Attributes: ST 12 [20], DX 14 [80], IQ 16 [120], HT 12 [20]
Damage 1d-1 (1d Boxing)/1d+2; BL 29 lb; HP 12 [0]; Will 18 [10]; Per 16 [0]; FP 12 [0]
Basic Speed 7 [10]; Basic Move 6 [-5]; Block 8 (default); Dodge 10; Parry: 10 (Boxing)
Social Background: TL: 8; CF: Western; Languages: English (Native) [0], Spanish (Native) [4], Arabic (Accented) [2], French (Accented) [2], Russian (Accented) [2]
Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) [4], Charisma 1 [5], Combat Reflexes [15], Danger Sense [15], Eidetic Memory 2 [10], Fit [5], Independent Income 5 [5], Language Talent [10], Order Abilities [106*] Order Talent 2 [10], Reputation +2 (as reliable information/salvage broker; large group of people, all the time) [5], Status 2 [5], Wealth: Very Wealthy [30]
*Order Abilities (all with Super Power; -10%): Common Sense [9], Damage Resistance 3 (Force Field; +20%) [17], Indomitable [14], Intuition [14], Mind Shield 4 [18], Oracle [14], Silence 3 [11], Visualization [9]
Disadvantages: Bad Sight (Near-sighted) [-10], Code of Honor (Comics Code) [-10*], Curious [-5], Enemy (Minor Super-villain) [-20], Enemy (Small gang) [-20], Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5], Secret ID [-5], Sense of Duty (society) [-10], Trademark (Leaves at least one criminal tied with a bola for the cops) [-5], Vow (Become a great crime fighter) [-5], Workaholic [-5]
*Modified to reflect the fact that Bolera uses bolas in combat.
Quirks: As Bolera, affects a bad Spanish accent; Always cases an area when entering it for the first time; Slightly fidgety when deprived of something that can be thrown; Always disarms firearms-users first in combat; Only wisecracks in combat when certain of outcome [-5]
Wildcard Skills: Detective!-16 (IQ) [24], Fake!-13 (IQ-3) [3], Throw!-15 (DX+1) [36]
Regular Skills: Area Knowledge (campaign home city)-16 (IQ) [1], Boxing-14 (DX) [2], Climbing-13 (DX-1) [1], Current Affairs/TL8 (people)-16 (IQ) [1], Diplomacy-16 (IQ) [4], Finance-16 (IQ) [4], Hidden Lore (Conspiracies)-16 (IQ) [2], Psychology-16 (IQ) [4], Savoir-Faire-16 (IQ) [1], Stealth-15 (DX+1) [4], Survival (Urban)-15 (Per-1) [1]
Maneuvers: Disarm (Throw!)-15 [2]
400 point version: Remove the Wealth and Status; reduce IQ to 14 (reducing skills accordingly). This version will still own Dodona Consulting, but her organization will be considerably smaller.
600 point version: Increase ST to 14 [20], DX to 15 [20], HT to 14 [20], remove penalty to Basic Move [5], remove addition to Basic Speed [-10], increase Damage Resistance to 13 [55], modify Reputation to "universal" and increase by +1 [10], increase Fake! To -14 [3], add Perks Cloaked [1] and Masked [1].
Appearance: 5' 9", 170 lbs (muscular, but runner's build), short black hair, brown eyes, slightly olive complexion that tans easily. Age 27, but can pass for a college student. As Bolera, Kathryn wears Advanced Body Armor on the torso, Sharp Protective Armor on the arms, a modified ballistic helmet (w/out visor), climbing shoes, electronic earplugs, modified tactical goggles, and the usual lycra/spandex elsewhere, all designed to make her look vaguely like a female Zorro. She carries two bolas, a mini-flashlight, and a supply of flex cuffs; she also carries a quick-access bag (dropped at the first sign of combat, which will let her fight at no encumbrance) containing more bolas, flex cuffs, and various basic tools. The above assumes TL8 gear only; if TL9 armor is commercially available in any fashion (including the black market) she'll be wearing it. As Dodona, Kathryn sometimes wears more standard Advanced Body Armor under a business suit; her only weapon would be a cell phone.
Tactics: As Bolera, Kathryn will assess a situation ahead of time, when possible: she is not a coward in any sense of the term, but she does retain a very healthy respect for firearms. Bolera will attempt to sneak as close as possible to a target before attacking; she prefers tangling her foes in bolas and not engaging them in combat at all. However, if there is an opportunity to first disarm a target, then smack him around for a bit, she will sometimes do that, on the grounds that it's good for her long-term street reputation. She has been known to let a gang that's about to start a robbery successfully "run away" if they weren't being violent and immediately flee, for essentially the same reason. One quirk of Bolera is that she rarely banters in an actual fight, as she is usually intensely focused. If she is cracking wise, it means that she thinks that there's no immediate danger. As Dodona, Kathryn usually has a superhero with actual combat related skills on retainer for a deal, just in case it goes sour. If it turns into combat, she will punch where it's useful, retreat where it's not, and generally act like someone who is athletic, smart, perceptive, personally brave, ready to help others, and completely aware that she is completely over-matched in a slugging match with a brick.
Personality
Kathryn is generally a genuinely nice, but very busy person - thanks to both her job and her extracurricular activities. As she needs to sleep as much as the next person, she tends to save her nights as Bolera for weekends and for when she doesn't have to be in the office early the next morning; this keeps her from being perpetually exhausted, but it also makes a social life almost impossible. What little free time she has is often spent in the gym. Currently Kathryn is between relationships. All of this currently rates in her mind as an annoyance, rather than an actual problem; should she find a partner that can handle her unique lifestyle, she'll probably be surprised at how badly she needed real companionship.
The Dodona/Bolera split is not nearly enough to justify a Split Personality for Kathryn, but she is more likely to be emotionally expressive in the latter role. As Dodona, Kathryn tries to project a detached but not callous air; she aims to be polite and friendly, but not passionate about anything. Passionate is saved for the Bolera personality, which Kathryn fondly believes is radically different from her normal one. The reality is that Dodona is not especially composed and Bolera is not especially outrageous; in fact, there really isn’t that much difference between the two. Kathryn's second secret identity is thus nowhere near as secure as she thinks that it is.
Using Dodona / Bolera in the Campaign
The PCs may easily encounter either aspect of Kathryn in their day-to-day operations. Dodona is reasonably well-known and well-liked in the metahuman community. A group that has a thorny research problem will find that her organization provides efficient and swift service; Kathryn also hires supers with the right skill set for short-term work, including bodyguard duty. This could either defray the cost of a research project, or give a group the opportunity to generate income. Dodona makes an excellent Contact, but not really a good Ally or Patron: she has a specific long-term, personal agenda in place which makes her personable, but not very close to anyone.
Encountering Bolera is a bit more straightforward; she's one of the street-level supers that tangle with gangs and equally low-powered villains in the bad part of the city. PCs can come across her while she's engaged in foiling a robbery or assault, or possibly looking on as they do the same; if the latter, she'll wait (in time-honored fashion) until the heroes are finished before suddenly alerting them to her presence with a wisecrack. Dodona could make a fairly good (and good-natured) rival for a heroic PC, but not an Enemy-level Rival: she generally finds most supervillains too violent and venal to be tolerable.
Alternatively, she might be encountered investigating the same mysterious occurrence as the PCs. While Bolera does not advertise the fact that she is actually a skilled detective, she does not hide it, either - and she will react positively to anyone who seeks out her help in an investigation. Her slightly repressed need for companionship will cause her reluctance to join an actual super-team to continue to fade as it becomes clearer and clearer that her talents need complimenting. The only wrinkle there is that Bolera does not want people to find out about her day job. Dodona Consulting consciously projects the image of being neutral ground; while it does not do anything actually unethical, some of the transactions that it mediates may not be completely legal. The revelation that its owner is actually also a crimefighter might make getting future business a bit more difficult.
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