Benezia T'Soni
| Benezia T'Soni | |
|---|---|
| A.K.A. | Beni, Little Shepard |
| Age | 190 |
| Voice Actor | Hynden Walch |
| Relatives | Liara T'Soni (mother), Matriarch Aethyta (grandfather) |
| Series | Mass Effect |
| Player | Brandon |
- Name: Benezia "Beni" T'Soni
- Age: 190
- Sex: N/A (effectively female)
- Birthday: February 9
- Parents: Liara T'Soni, Commander Shepard (deceased)
- Place of Birth: New Arara, Thessia
- Nationality: Asari Republics/Citadel Space
- Specialty: Biotics
- Hobbies: Combat sports, continuing her academic persuits
- Likes: Keeping busy, exercising her mind and body
- Dislikes: Preconceptions affecting people's judgement
- Favorite Food: Street food; food you find sold in carts or little holes in the wall or the like
- Least Favorite Food: Overly fancy food
- Favorite Music: Electronic/Industrial
- Favorite Sport: Galactic Combat Sports League
- Most Valuable Possessions: A battered old N7 Helmet
- Level of Education: PhD in Theology
- Seiyuu/Voice Actor: Hynden Walch
- Physical Stats
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 146 lbs
- Eyes: Purple
- Hair: None
- Special: Blue skin, semi-flexible scalp-crests of cartilage and skin
Contents
Appearance
She is tall-ish and lithe, she has a toned frame and moves almost like a predatory cat. Her skin is light blue and finely scaled, the scales more prevalent on her scalp-crests. She has markings on her face that resemble eyebrows, and a very light dusting of what look like freckles in a paler blue than the rest of her skin.
Personality
Friendly, easy to smile, but a bit aloof. Generally even tempered but a bit explosive when angry. Likes to keep things casual and can get chatty when with people she likes. Gets prickly when people compare her to either half of her legacy.
Background
Beni was born on Thessia, the Asari home world. She was brought up by her mother, as her father passed away shortly after she was conceived. While her mother was generally a very busy woman, she did make time when she could and Beni never grew up wanting. However as she grew she decided she wished to take a militaristic path through her Maiden stage, which her mother disapproved of greatly. They made a deal that she would first be very well educated so that she would have the possibility of an academic career to fall back on. She attended Erana University on Thessia, pursuing a masters in Theology, moving to the illustrious Itarus University on the salarian planet of Mannovai for her PhD. Her thesis was an atheistic perspective on the birth of several major religions, with a positive outlook on religion's purpose in day to day life in general.
Exiting school at the age of seventy, she spent the next century bouncing around the galaxy, learning fighting arts and participating in combat sports everywhere she could find them. Notably she learned hand to hand combat from asari commandos, as well as from aliance and turian soldiers. She then applied this experience to the Galactic Combat Sports League (a galaxy wide mixed martial arts league), spending ten years as a reasonably serious competitor. This brought her to the human home world of Earth, where she joined the North American Urban Combat Championships, competing with the Edmonton Blood Dragons as a Biotic Vanguard for seven seasons, under the name "Benny Shepard."
With a century of training and practical knowledge under her belt, she finally applied to join an Asari Commando unit, spending a decade or so doing raids on slavers and illegal mercenary operations, as well as running security for VIPs in unfriendly areas. Her meritorious service with the commandos eventually got her nominated to the illustrious council Spectres; an elite unit of operatives that report directly to the Citadel Council and can act above and outside the law, provided they are performing their duties to the galactic government. Her first serious solo Spectre op is her job as a representative to PARADIGM. To prepare for this job, she did large amounts of research studying early 21st century Earth culture, and learned to read, write and speak Japanese (though she has not dispelled her accent).
Skills
Physical Skills:
- Alertness: Very Good (+3)
- Athletics: Incredible (+4)
- Stealth: Very Good (+3)
Social Skills:
- Subterfuge: Very Good (+3)
- Streetwise: Good (+2)
- Intimidation: Very Good (+3)
- Leadership: Very Good (+3)
Mental Skills:
- Computers: Very Good (+3)
- Investigation: Incredible (+4)
- Law: Good (+2)
- Occult: Abyssal (-1)
- Politics: Very Good (+3)
- Technology: Good (+2)
Special Abilities
Asari Martial Arts: A martial art based on fluidity of movement, biotic assisted strikes and using the opponent's momentum against them.
Alliance Military Combatives: A practical martial art based on high aggression, grappling and disabling of joints.
Turian Combatives: A practical martial art centered on joint locks and precision strikes.
Powers & Merits
Melding: Through physical contact, asari can link their nervous system with that of another sapient being. This cannot be used to plant or alter thoughts, memories or feelings, but this can be used as a mind reading ability on a willing participant.
Asari Pheromones: Due to the fact that asari are able to reproduce with sapient beings of any speices or gender, asari have evolved to release pheromones that are universal. While not overt or particularly strong, asari have the potential to be seen as attractive by pretty much anybody.
Biotic Aptitude: Asari are universally born with biotic potential and are just better at learning and using the power.
Faction Favorite (2 pts): Agents of the Shadow Broker are especially helpful to Beni.
Local Ties (3 pts): Being a Spectre, she reports directly to the Citadel Council and has ties within the Council's hierarchy.
Innocent (2 pts): Inherited much of her mother's looks, making her look about as menacing as a butterfly.
Gall (2 pts): She claims she inherited her figurative big brass balls from her dad, but part of it might be overcompensation.
Unique Items
Savant HMBA-X Bio-Amp: A special, customized Biotic Amplifier made by the asari consortium, Serrice Council.
Biotic Powers: At it's core, biotic power is the ability to create mass effect fields; fields in which objects can have their mass altered relative to outside of the field. While theoretically biotics are completely at will, the power is difficult and taxing to wield, so most users stick to named, established abilities they can commit to memory through mnemonics such as shouts or (far more commonly) physical motions performed whilst launching them.
- Practical Biotics: Most biotics are capable of using biotic energy for small practical things; they are able to "slide" short distances quickly to dodge incoming danger, enhance physical strikes with biotic energy, and to slow down their own free fall to drop long distances without harm.
- Biotic Explosion: Biotic abilities can be classified as impact abilities or field abilities. Impact abilities are just that, a single strike. Field abilities are biotic powers that leave a lasting effect via residual biotic energy for a few seconds. If a field ability is quickly followed up by an impact ability, the resulting clash of impact and residual energies will result in a violent explosion, causing massive warp type damage (corrosion of molecular bonds) at the epicenter from the violent reaction between forces, and a concussive blast from there and outwards. Naturally such detonations must be used with extreme discretion and caution as they can cause collateral damage or hurt teammates.
- Biotic Barrier: An ability used by all combat biotics, they are able to naturally project a sort of second skin of biotic energy, invisible to the naked eye. The purpose of this field is to slow down incoming projectiles and disrupt incoming energy attacks. Impacts on the field decrease the field's integrity, and if the field is overloaded it collapses. At this point the biotic needs several seconds undisturbed to muster up the barrier energy again. The user can also burst their barrier, pushing back or knocking over foes in melee range, as an emergency move (barrier recovery is the same as if it collapsed). A biotic barrier can be extended to protect nearby allies as well, but this requires intense concentration, and cannot be done for very long without exhausting or potentially harming the user.
- Charge: With this impact ability, the user wraps themselves in an energetic kinetic field and flies along a straight line into a target at high speed. Upon impact, the field bursts, delivering a powerful impact on a target. This ability is designed to stun opponents, setting them up to be finished off. As a side effect, the bursting energy from the impact is absorbed into the user's barrier, recovering it slightly if it's weakened. This is a moderately taxing ability; Charge's REAL risk lies in what kind of sticky situations a biotic can launch themselves into if they're not careful.
- Warp: With this ability, the user hurls an orb of energy at the opponent. This energy is a swirl of opposing forces, causing sheering damage on the molecular level. Effectively, this ability is used to weaken armor like a corrosive but on a molecular scale; the warp field spreading over the target from the point of impact (it's effect on flesh is a bit more pronounced, desiccating skin and weakening sinew). A thrown Warp can curve in flight towards it's intended target, but it's not a "homing missile". This ability is both an impact and field, meaning it can both set up or detonate biotic explosions (warp + warp does NOT result in a biotic explosion). This is a moderately taxing ability.
- Throw: A basic impact ability, an energy orb is hurled, bursting on impact with a target, causing concussive damage enough to lift most human sized targets off their feet. A Throw field can curve in flight, but is not a "homing" ability. Throw is quite simple and does not tire Beni out very quickly.
- Shockwave: An impact technique, shockwave launches a wave either at waist level or along the ground. The wave is actually a chain of biotic "pops" aimed to bowl over targets; the waist high wave launches them outward and the ground wave launches them upwards. With a couple seconds of concentration, the shockwave can suspend launched targets in the air for a couple seconds. Shockwave is a moderately taxing ability.
- Stasis: A field technique, Stasis locks down a single roughly human sized target for five seconds, rendering them immobile and vulnerable. With concentration, the stasis field can instead be a bubble and applied to a location rather than a target. A single-target stasis lock can be maintained, but Beni has to actively feed the field to do so, and will be unable to act while this is going on. Stasis is an advanced move and repeated use will quickly exhaust Beni.
- Reave: A field technique, targets hit with a Reave will have their bio-electrical energy sapped, or their electrical energy if the target is a synthetic. This sapped energy is piped into the user's barrier; while it does not recover lost integrity, it increases the efficacy of whatever barrier is there for as long as the Reave lasts (about ten seconds). Reave is stackable, but this is quite risky as it is an advanced technique and repeated use is very taxing on the user.
Items Of Note
M-11 Wraith: A powerful shotgun, the Wraith is devastating in close combat, but is highly energetic and chews through thermal clips like candy. Prolonged use of this gun will burn through her supply of thermal clips for a given mission very quickly. Beni's Wraith is equipped with an omni-blade bayonet, and a high velocity barrel containing kinetic coils to maximize shot penetration.
M-77 Paladin: A hand canon of a pistol, this gun is highly accurate and hits like a ton of bricks, but this power comes at a high heat cost. Prolonged use of this gun will burn through her supply of thermal clips for a given mission very quickly. Beni's Paladin is equipped with an underslung stunner unit, delivering an electronic zap when she melees with it, as well as a heavy barrel, further increasing the weapon's stopping power, but making it heavy and difficult to aim quickly.
Valiant: A semi-automatic sniper rifle built for N7 Operatives. High stopping power just shy of what could be considered anti-materiel. Beni's Valiant is modified with a high velocity barrel, increasing the weapon's muzzle velocity and a thermal scope, highlighting targets with body heat, even through thin walls and other minor obstructions, as well as in poor visibility.
Harrier: A salvaged assault rifle previously used by the terrorist group Cerberus, is optimized for stopping power and rate of fire, making it best used at medium range. Beni's Harrier is modified to counteract the weapon's high recoil and with a unit that changes the shape of the slug launched as well as the mass effect field it is launched in to maximize piercing potential.
Hurricane: An N7 SMG, the Hurricane has a blindingly fast rate of fire, making the weapon amazing in close combat, but very difficult to fire accurately at even medium range. Beni's hurricane is modified to use it's heat sinks more efficiently, as well as the capacity carry more of them.
HMOT Omni-Tool: A standard-issue Spectre class omni-tool, this handles her communications, possesses a scanner suite for forensic investigations and finding living targets, can access most networks in her home universe with impunity and can be programmed to access additional network structures with relative ease (though other networks would lack the Spectre permissions and she would be on her own for gaining actual access). While it possesses a hacking function, Beni has no mind for such things and it goes unused. It also controls her suit and weapon functions, manages her vitals, and can act as a universal remote, provided it can establish communications with a device.
Translator Module: Foreign languages are translated in real time through her comms. For the sake of her PARADIGM work, her module is presently programmed with most 21st century modern earth languages. This ONLY works with incoming; the broadcast function is completely useless unless others are equipped with the same module. Ergo, if someone speaks Russian to her, she'll understand but be unable to respond.
Fury Rig: Her light tactical armor, this suit is designed for quick and quiet movement, offering minimal protection, her biotic barrier notwithstanding.
"Blood Dragon" Armor: Her heavier (and arguably more intimidating) armor, this is her suit from her stint with the Edmonton Blood Dragons. While it lacks the stealthier functionality of the Fury Rig, the Blood Dragon armor is sturdier, containing ballistic plates and a fortified undersuit. The kinetic barriers have been disabled to make integration with her amp and omni-tool smoother, and because she's confident in her barriers.
Disguise Kit: Contains a special makeup to make her skin appear like human skin, and a wig to hide her ears and head crests.
Glyph: A personal VI assistant gifted to her by her mother.
Weaknesses & Flaws
Neural Implant: The Biotic Amp is installed into a neural implant at the base of the skull. While it's insulated, a direct application of electriciy to the implant with the amp removed (or with a great enough force so as to overload the amp) would carry straight into the brain. Effectively, most EMP based attacks would throw the Amplifier/Implant connection into disarray, shutting off her non-inherent powers for a time.
Amplifier: Biotic abilities rely greatly on the amplifier; without it a biotic might get a nose bleed from trying to lift a glass of water. An asari's natural biotic ability can mitigate this somewhat, but they are still nowhere near combat effective without an amp and use of their abilities in such a state still puts tremendous strain on their nervous system.
Biotic Side Effects: Biotic powers can be very physically taxing, leading to hunger and exhaustion with extended use. Biotics generate mass effect fields to utilize their abilities in the same way mass effect fields are generated by Element Zero based technology. In this regard, biotics also build up massive amounts of static electricity with regular use. Their amps have to be regularly and safely discharged. An un-discharged amp could discharge the static burst inward, cooking the brain in the skull and killing the biotic.
Long Thought: Asari tend strongly to have a very long term view of everything, due to their life spans. This can make them very psychologically strange compared to other species, who asari see as rushed or ramshackle in the way they do pretty much everything. This is also where a fair amount of the stereotypical "asari superiority" comes from.
Inferiority Complex (1 pt): Named for her grandmother, seen publicly as an infamous (albeit tragic) traitor, and living in the shadow of her insanely famous father.
Speech Impediment (1 pt): It's not that her accent is thick, it's that it's completely and entirely unrecognizable and alien.
Curiosity (2 pts): She is in her Maiden stage of the asari life cycle, a stage where asari are instinctively driven to try new things and discover what life has to offer, some more than others.
