A Mainspring alt.
(Reference image courtesy of A0IISA)
(Under construction, contributions welcome!)
Dr. Nyssa Talleran
Professor: Zoology and Biology
Good morning, and welcome to BIO 3243/ZOO 1013/whatever class of mine you're taking. I'm Dr. Talleran, and I've been interested in the sceinces for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory is of measuring my dog all over with a yardstick just to study him. And now, I'm part of Colonna University's tenured staff, as well as a well-respected zoologist.
If you see me on campus (I'm the redhead with the grey eyes in the belly shirt and longcoat), feel free to come talk to me! However, if you don't see me, don't be surprised. I spend a lot of time in the field doing research regarding various plants and animals. It's how I got to be so well-respected. My own abilities help with that.
Oh, yes, I have my own special abilities. For one, I can vanish from sight. Very helpful for sneaking up on things, though it doesn't help with my scent. However, I can usually work around that, probably with something I brought from home or can find in the field. Good advice for all field scientists: be prepared and learn how to improvise. Having the ability to examine things in your stomach helps too, though that's more of a gift.
What do I like to do aside from that? Well, I like old comedies, power metal... and I don't really have anything else. A lot of my time is spent either on assignment, grading papers, or helping out at the reproductive clinic. Still, I do get the occasional day off, so I'd love to try something new.
Plot hooks:
Out in the Field: My job takes me all over the world. Often in search of samples of the latest species, or better yet, live specimens! Which involves some bartering, diplomacy, or subterfuge. Anything could go wrong and anyone could get tangled up in this.
Out at the Clinic: Yes, Colonna University runs a fertility clinic. However, it isn't just in-vitro fertilization. If you're feeling adventurous, members of a number of species are looking for a surrogate to carry their child, either by incubating an egg or by inserting an embryo. Checkups are included with the implantation.
Out on the Town: Wait, when's the last time I actually took a day off? OK, I can think of something to do, like... I think a new bar just opened up? And I've been meaning to go to that carnival for a while.
Vore Battle:
Passive:
Be careful with that: Nyssa's a researcher, not a brawler! Her stomach only does two damage each turn instead of three.
Battle reflexes: Nyssa's been all the way over the world on her travels, through many dangers. As a result, she gets a +2 to avoid being moved to the grapple stage and a +1 to move an opponent to the grapple stage.
Active:
Barbed ponytail: You think you can just grab that? Anyone who attempts to grab Nyssa's ponytail gets 1 damage. In addition, Nyssa can use it as a whip. If a d20 hits above 14, the opponent gets one damage. A 20 results in a -1 penalty to all checks for two rounds.
But I read about it once: Nyssa keeps in touch with a variety of colleagues, and spends a lot of her spare time reading journals. Nyssa passively gets +1 to escape from a creature's stomach, and may spend a turn resting to gain an extra +1.
