Universe, Miss
Miss Universe Archetypes: Ultimate Hero, Super Weapon, Astronaut PL 12
Angel Walker’s great beauty was noticeable even as a child, and after she successfully auditioned for a television commercial at the age of 5 her parents decided to give up their own careers to manage their daughter’s. Dental surgery corrected a gap between her teeth and laser eye surgery allowed her to avoid glasses, making little Angel the perfect blonde beach girl. She entered beauty pageants throughout her teenage years, and as she gained experience she began to win more often than she lost. At the age of 20 she became Miss Melbourne, and from there won the coveted title of Miss Australia. In truth, she had never imagined anything greater than this honor, and it seemed that her life had reached its peak. Nonetheless, she went on to enter the Miss Universe pageant, held that year in Rio. To her own amazement, she won. But even as she was taking her victory walk down the aisle, a bouquet of roses in hand and the crown upon her head, Angel learned the hard way that being “on top of the world” is largely a matter of perspective; a mile-wide flying saucer floated over the pageant and whisked Angel away in a beam of light.
It was then that Angel learned about the real Miss Universe Pageant, a competition that took place across the entire cosmos. As Earth’s duly chosen contestant, Angel was obligated to enter. The winner would wear the Universe Crown, an object of great cosmic significance, and would serve as a representative of peace and civilized culture throughout all the galaxies. Confused, alone, and seemingly unable to convince her captors that she was just an innocent beach girl from Melbourne, Angel did not so much agree to compete as fail to escape.
The Miss Universe Pageant turned out to be a grueling drama including contestants from a thousand worlds. Angel endured the constant scrutiny of galactic media, strange alien customs, and the hazards of a synchronized dance number in zero-g. But she found friends in her fellow contestants, as alien as they might be, and through a combination of luck, stubbornness, and Earthling ingenuity she captured the hearts of the Judges and was crowned Miss Universe ... this time for real.
As the reigning Miss Universe, Angel has been granted enormous power and is expected to represent the values of the Pageant to worlds across the cosmos. She travels constantly, making public appearances in galactic hotspots where she tries to negotiate peace and, when necessary, lend a strong hand to those who have no other defender. During the Pageant she made many enemies, including the former bearer of the title (who was bitterly disappointed by her loss). Angel did not find out until after her victory that the true Miss Universe pageant is not held on a regular schedule, but rather whenever the Sacred Lilac blooms in the Great Desert the Judges call home. Sometimes the Lilac does not bloom for decades – so Angel is working on the assumption that she’ll have this job for a long time. Nevertheless, she has come to like it, and she is proud of what she does. She sees herself as a symbol to women throughout the universe, and an ambassador of integrity, courage, and strength. Being Miss Universe, she is quick to inform her detractors, means being a lot more than a pretty face.
Abilities: The powers of Miss Universe are great, but Angel’s inexperience means that she is less effective in a fight than her vast strength and toughness would suggest. Instead, she prefers to rely on her social talents to resolve conflicts before tempers flare. Unfortunately, super-villains being what they are, she’s found violence to be far more common than she likes.
Miss Universe has enormous strength and stamina, enough to fly carrying a cruise ship or shrug off the beam weaponry of a starfighter. Her flight speed is fast enough to make escape velocity, and once she reaches space she can travel at hyper-light speeds. She is utterly at home in space, immune to the hazards of that environment and able to navigate the galaxy instinctively through the use of her various Super-Senses. In order to facilitate her mission as an ambassador of peace throughout the galaxy, she can speak and read any language.
While less spectacular in nature, Angel’s personal talents have helped her to resolve many situations in which her powers were useless. She is one of the most beautiful people in the universe, and a lifetime spent in the public eye has trained her to appear poised and confident even when confronting the Gut-Eating Kings of Kraal or the Verminocracy of Flort. She is well-versed in a variety of intellectual subjects by virtue of her training for the Pageant and its infamous “Personal Interview” round. Angel is also a competent soprano, though the Talent Competition remains her vulnerability. Growing up on the Australian coast has made her perfectly at home in the water, and she recently swam across the Godsea of Hellacron in order to resolve that planet’s latest dynastic crisis.
Miss Universe can call on the Judges of the Pageant for various forms of logistical support. They keep her abreast of developing crises around the cosmos, provide food and housing whenever she requires it, occasionally intercede with planetary governments, and provide relocation services for refugees or political prisoners whom Angel rescues from harm. They also criticize her choice of swimwear, which they consider “dangerous.”
Quote: “I think I’d have to say ... galactic peace.”
Appearance: Angel Walker is a breathtaking blonde, five feet nine inches tall. She’s very conscious of her weight and figure, though since being awarded the Universe Crown she has found it difficult to put on pounds even when she wants to. She is extremely comfortable in virtually any fashion, from bathing suits to evening gowns, but when on her own she prefers to relax in casual clothing with bold, bright colors that appeal to her eye. As Miss Universe, of course, she is attired in a black body suit adorned with a star pattern. Across her body she wears the white Unstained Sash that is the mark of Miss Universe across the cosmos. She seldom wears the Crown, due to its relatively awkward size, but has a smaller “tiara” version for public events; even this is a fabulous treasure, decorated with gemstones born in the heart of stars.
Miss Universe
Power Level: 12 (272 points) Abilities: Str 40 (14), Dex 18, Con 40 (16), Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 34
Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+8), Bluff 6 (+18), Concentration 6 (+9), Diplomacy 8 (+20), Drive 4 (+8), Knowledge (art) 4 (+6), Knowledge (civics) 4 (+6), Knowledge (current events) 4 (+6), Knowledge (popular culture) 4 (+6), Language (Japanese, Spanish), Perform (singing) 6 (+18), Profession (beauty pageant contestant) 12 (+15), Sense Motive 4 (+7), Swim 8 (+23)
Feats: Attractive, Beginner’s Luck, Benefit (Miss Universe), Distract, Environmental Adaptation 2 (underwater, zero-g), Fascinate (Bluff), Leadership, Quick Change 2, Skill Mastery (Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, Perform), Ultimate Effort (Diplomacy)
Powers:
- Communication 12 (radio, 20 million miles),
- Comprehend 4 (Languages),
- Enhanced Constitution 24,
- Enhanced Strength 26,
- Flight 11 (25,000 MPH, Alternate Power: Space Travel [2,500c]),
- Immunity 17 (life support 9, radiation 5, dazzle effects based on bright light 3),
- Impervious Toughness 12 (+1 modifier),
- Super-Senses 9 (Cosmic Awareness, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Extended Vision 3, Radio, Time Sense, Ultravision),
- Super-Strength 12 (12.5 ktons heavy load)
Combat: Attack +7, Damage +15, Defense +7 (+4 flat-footed), Initiative +4
Saves: Toughness +15, Fortitude +15, Reflex +11, Will +11
Drawbacks: Power Loss (All of Angel’s powers can be stripped from her by the Judges, should she fail to uphold the Pageant’s standards of morality and integrity. This is a 1 point Drawback on each of her nine powers.)
Abilities 52 + Skills 19 + Feats 12 + Powers 154 + Combat 28 + Saves 15 – Drawbacks 9 = 272
Plot Hooks • Drusilla v’Kleek, former Miss Universe, has discovered Earth and its large superhuman population. She believes that with a little help from a plant-controlling hero, a magician, or super-scientist, she can get the Sacred Lilac to bloom again, ending Angel’s reign and giving v’Kleek another shot at the title. She concocts a story designed to lure the hero she needs off planet, but she’s perfectly prepared to enforce cooperation when the truth comes out.
• Angel falls for a male hero in the campaign. Unfortunately, the Judges frown on “licentious” behavior that might tarnish the image of Miss Universe, so the star-crossed lovers have a problem. They can ignore their growing feelings, or carry on in secret. The galactic media and other aspiring Misses Universe would all be eager to see Angel forced to resign.
• After meeting the heroes on an adventure, Angel decides that one of the female characters would make a good “protege” and Miss Universe candidate. After all, the Sacred Lilac could bloom any time, or something might happen to Angel, so it’s best to be prepared. She begins to keep an eye on the young heroine, encouraging certain kinds of behavior. Soon she arranges for a professional Pageant Coach (alien, of course) to supervise the potential contestant. Naturally, other Earth women (read: super villains) are also interested in the title and the powers it grants, so the heroine has a reason to compete.
