Amelia

"I can tell you from personal experience that warding against Discordia is always a wise choice." Hex didn't realize how tense he'd been until the girl said those words and he felt himself relax. He felt light on his feet even before the wings of magical force sprouted from his back and lifted him into the air. "By your leave, then. Good fortune to you and yours." He nodded to Huang, slipped his goggles on, and soared off into the night sky.

Mister Strix Meanwhile, inside the house... Guy Giordano descended the stairs at a leisurely pace. He was thirsty, but not overwhelmingly so. He wore a simple black business suit with an even simpler white collared shirt, one of many he'd inherited from the previous owners of the Lodge. The expansion of his wardrobe beyond his costume and the suit he'd been buried in was one of the more mundane perks that came with the responsibility he'd taken on as president of a halfway-house for damned souls. The suits had been far too large for his slender frame, devoid as it was of the need for body fat or functioning internal organs. But, luckily, one of the revenants serving as Lodge staff was a tailor. Guy slipped into the kitchen, his footfalls silent as always, his sudden presence startling even to the spectres and zombies who chopped vegetables, seasoned meat, and stirred soups around the clock, just in case mortal Lodge members or their guests happened to drop in to the dining room. Guy allowed himself a half-smile every time he was able to walk through the kitchen without everything around him turning into vinegar and mold. It seemed the house was the one place on Earth able to suppress his unholy aura, possibly because it wasn't entirely on Earth anymore. He opened one of the refrigerators and pulled out a bottle that appeared to contain red wine, but did not. "Mister Owen?" Guy addressed the wight who served as one of the Lodge's head butlers. "Sir?" Owen stopped walking and turned to face the new Lodge president. Guy looked up from the bottle to meet Owen's gaze. "I only recently took possession of the Lodge. Very recently." "Yus, Sir." "So why was there already a refrigerator full of blood in the kitchen?" Owen raised what was left of an eyebrow. "Beggin' yer pardon, Sir, but...do you really wanna know?" "...No. Not really." Guy studied the bottle again. "1945," he muttered as he walked away. "Good year..."

Answering some questions in chat: Aside from the Concealed feature, the house only has two effects that mess with sensory stuff: 1) The house has total concealment against any attempts by ESP power effects of any descriptor, or any Mental-type senses, but only in terms of viewing the inside of the house from the outside, or vice versa. Those powers work normally if you're inside the house viewing other parts of the inside. 2) The house is constantly putting out electromagnetic interference which messes with any kind of machine senses. That field (really a series of pulses - it's an Instant-duration Reaction that the house takes every round) only covers the house itself, so it shouldn't start happening until they get right up to it. Across the street is too far away. The effect is an Obscure All Senses, but only Partial Concealment, Limited to Machines. So your tech will work, but not well. There will constantly be static, video tearing, blurry images, etc. Once they cross to the house's side of the street, they'll start hearing periodic bursts of static in their earpieces. If I'm reading the sensory powers in her multi-tool correctly, then she'll be able to establish that there aren't any computers or cameras or other surveillance devices in the house for her to tap into or hijack. There aren't any radio signals coming from the house.

Initiative: 14

"Do it. Whatever you need to do, whatever you can do. We'll watch your back." "In the meantime, we need to take stock of our assets. Like you've seen before, I can cloud people's minds, walk on ceilings, and turn into fog. Worst case scenario, I can just kick the doors down while their bullets tickle what's left of my insides. Even if our aspiring drug kingpin really does have a crystal ball he can use to spy on us and a magical force field around his hideout, I'm confident I can get myself inside, probably undetected. But none of that helps you two. I'm used to working alone. I'm faster and stronger than any gun, but I don't know if either of you are."

Mister Strix While the zombie climbed out of the rubble and put himself back together, a cloud of white vapor floated slowly down to the ground and solidified into the form of a man in white. He knelt down and sifted through more rubble a few feet away from Dead-Head. "Here." What was left of Dead-Head's legs landed with a thud in front of him, tossed by the man in white. "Too soon to tell." He began creeping around the shell of the building, sniffing at the air every few feet but otherwise not breathing at all. His gaze washed over the ruins, searching for answers. "Could just be a firebug deriving...personal satisfaction. Pattern of escalation fits. Maybe the slumlords in Stone Ridge just got too greedy, and let these places get so bad they'll make more from the insurance than they would from the rent. Or maybe someone is trying to cover something up. Or someone's sending a message."

I'm down to include Strix wherever you think he'd be appropriate, if anywhere. Obviously he can't do daytime stuff, which may be a dealbreaker for all I know.

The house has 3 ranks of the Concealed feature, which adds +20 to the DC of any checks made to find the house or learn anything about it - Gather Info, Knowledge, Search, etc. The descriptor is the psychic perception filter created by the house's unholy aura. All 3 heroes have skills high enough to find it eventually, but none of them would be able to just take 10, which is why I described it as taking multiple attempts to keep it in their minds. EDIT: I don't need any actual rolls from any of you.

GM The house was both "there", and "not there". The house physically existed, or, at least, it seemed to. There were pipes and cables connecting it to the rest of Bedlam City's infrastructure. But it was a blank spot on every map. There were no utility bills, no tax assessments, nothing on a scrap of paper in any office that Gremlin could break into or a single file in any database that L0vel@ce could hack open which proved that the house existed. No one Hitter asked knew anything about it, no matter how nice or how hard he asked them. And the investigation was complicated by the fact that all three of them kept having difficulty remembering that they were conducting an investigation in the first place. The house just kept slipping their minds. When they finally made the trek across the river to Greely Point to view the house in person, they had trouble looking directly at it. They stood in one spot for several minutes as their attention kept wandering away from it. The few people they saw walking around the neighborhood in the warm summer night seemed to look everywhere but at the house, even as they crossed the street to avoid it. Some were walking their dogs, and the dogs barked and growled and whimpered at the house, but their owners barely reacted. Hitter in particular was distracted with thoughts of how close they were to the Gorganzua syndicate's territory, a group who wouldn't look kindly on an Asian, a Latina, and a one of Scarpia's soldiers, retired or not. The house was surrounded by other mansions just like it, except the others were smaller, and the trees and grass near those houses were still alive.

Fun Elongation fact: With Elongation 6, that's 250ft you can pull yourself in a single move action, equivalent to having rank 2 in Speed or Flight, without being slowed down by any rough terrain. That's why I didn't bother taking Speed to go with the Super-Movement (Swinging), and why I didn't take Super-Movement (Sure-Footed) even though it would work for modeling a "spider-walker" who can effectively ignore rough terrain. EDIT: ...Come to think of it, with Elongation and Wall-Crawling, I don't even need Swinging, do I?

In Brief: Guillermo del Toro shoves Miles Morales, Tim Drake, and Matt Murdock into a blender. Character: Octoman Power Level: 12 (Built as PL10) Tradeoffs: None (At PL10: +2 Attack / -2 Damage, +2 Defense / -2 Toughness) Power Points: 180/180 Unspent Points: 0 Catchphrases & Nicknames: "Octo-Boy" (He does not like this one); "Señor Ocho"; "The Outrageous Octoman"; "The Crime-Fighting Kraken"; "The Loudmouth Leviathan"; "Who ordered the calamari?" Alternate Identity: Benicio Wang Identity: Secret Legal Status: USA citizen (minor) with no criminal record Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York Base of Operations: Freedom City, New Jersey Residence: An apartment in the West End Occupation: Student Affiliations: None Family: Amaya Molina Santiago (Mother), Diego Wang (Father), Sofia Santiago Vasquez (Maternal Grandmother), Benicio Molina Ramirez (Maternal Grandfather), Jasmine Guinto-Wang (Paternal Grandmother), Asher Wang (Paternal Grandfather), Several unnamed aunts, uncles, and cousins DESCRIPTION Age: 16 (Date of Birth: 2003) Apparent Age: 16 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Mother is Puerto Rican Afro-Latina. Father is half Ashkenazi Jewish, half Filipino. Height: 5'9" Weight: 150 lbs. Hair: None (Formerly Black) Eyes: Yellow (Formerly Brown) Because of his mixed ancestry, Ben's actual ethnicity is difficult for people to guess at first glance. He has soft features which draw frequent comparisons to Bruno Mars. His build is that of a typical semi-athletic lanky teenager. He appears to be a normal human at first glance, especially if he is using his shapeshifting powers. But a closer inspection of his default form would reveal oddities. His flesh is completely hairless, and it has several new orifices which are not present in a normal human. When not in use, they are closed, appearing to be folds or lines in his skin, which he passes off as "scars". He has three such folds on each side of his neck, one each on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet, another on each forearm, and several along the sides and back of his torso. An x-ray would reveal his lack of a rigid skeleton, and several new organs and muscular structures. His blood is slightly radioactive; not dangerously so, but enough for Geiger counters to register his presence with a noticeable uptick. It is purple, since it contains a mix of both the hemoglobin found in humans (which is red, since it contains iron), and the hemocyanin found in cephalopods (which is blue, since it contains copper). It is also thick, like syrup, and held under high pressure, pumped by three powerful hearts. His powers make it less likely that his blood will be shed in the first place, but if it is, it is less likely to drip, and more likely to spray as though he were a character in a schlock action movie or anime series. Ben technically walks around naked most of the time. Both his normal street clothes and his superhero "costume" are just manifestations of his ability to change the shape, texture, and color of his own flesh. When he is out of costume, he often uses his shapeshifting power to recreate his former hair color, eye color, and Afro hairstyle, and to obscure his "scars". When he is "in costume", the impossibly perfect way that the "fabric" clings to his skin is a clue for close observers to its true nature. His "mask" somehow clings so perfectly to his face that all of his facial expressions are visible, and the "mouth hole" never falls out of place or exposes any of his skin, no matter how much he moves, talks, or gets punched in the face. HISTORY Benicio Wang was born in Brooklyn to Gen-X parents, a Puerto Rican mother (a public defender) and an Ashkenazi father (a baker). He frequently jokes that all this makes him the most Brooklyn guy who ever lived. If one of his parents are within earshot, they will then remind him that they moved to Freedom City when he was a small child, and visiting his grandparents during the holidays doesn't make him a New Yorker. Ben met Geckoman in 2010, though Gecks probably doesn't remember. The 18-year-old superhero was occupied with defending Freedom City from the third Grue invasion, and working things out with his supervillain girlfriend. But Ben will never, ever forget it. He was only 7 years old when his family found themselves trapped in the Millennium Mall, huddling behind an increasingly fatigued and desperate Spellbound. Ben was impressed with her and the lightning-wand she used to zap away the invading aliens, but with her black costume and icy demeanor, she scared the boy almost as much as the Grue. But when the brightly-colored, wise-cracking Geckoman dropped down through the skylight and started jumping around, tossing boomerangs, and kicking giant monsters in the face, little Ben's fear evaporated. From that day forward, Ben was a lifelong #Geckofan. Eight years later, Doctor Cooper Seidel was hard at work trying to stabilize and enhance his universal antivenom serum, and his resulting transformation into the reptile monster Goanna. He had retained a gang of hired thugs who had helped him steal the lab equipment, rare animal specimens, and radioactive materials he needed. His latest experiments involved irradiating the animals before harvesting their DNA and venom for an improved serum. He even took the precaution of monitoring local law enforcement communications, so he had advance warning when the multi-agency task force finally found his hideout and moved to raid it. Seidel and his henchmen hastily loaded the animal specimens into a truck and escaped just as the tactical units broke down his door. The truck had enough of a lead that they might have escaped, if a bystander hadn't lost their grip on their dog's leash. Or if the dog hadn't then run out into the middle of the road. Or if Ben, just past his 15th birthday, hadn't run out into the road after the dog to scoop it up. Or if Seidel's henchman hadn't swerved at high speed to avoid Ben and lost control of the truck, flipping and crashing it. The tanks broke, spilling water and a menagerie of radioactive venomous animals into the street. The truck had clipped Ben, sending him flying several feet away. He was dazed for a few moments, before the rush of cold salt water on the asphalt under him cleared his head. He saw a tiny yellow octopus crawling on his hand, and had just enough time to think it was cute before it bit him. Seidel ordered his henchmen to gather up the escaped test subjects, but no amount of money could convince them to pick up a bunch of radioactive poisonous creatures with their bare hands. While Ben was wracked with painful muscle spasms which quickly grew into projectile vomiting, diarrhea, and a full-blown seizure, an enraged Seidel transformed back into Goanna and slaughtered his own "cowardly and incompetent" henchmen, along with the occupants of the first couple of police cars who responded to the crash. Goanna intended to do the same to the bumbling idiot boy who had ruined everything, but when he saw that one of his test subjects had already done the work for him, he merely laughed while the boy suffocated on the pavement. Knowing that some combination of the FCPD's STAR squad, AEGIS, or one or more superheroes would show up soon, Goanna fled into the sewers. Seidel showed up at the hospital where Ben had been taken later that same night, intent on harvesting samples from the boy's corpse, since it was all the remained of months of research. He was surprised to learn that the boy had survived. He took careful note of the boy's name, and resolved to keep him under close surveillance. Ben received prompt medical attention, and he made a full recovery, except that he's been completely deaf since waking up in the hospital. Hearing loss isn't a normal symptom of either vehicular collisions or tetrodotoxin poisoning, but the doctors had no other idea what could have happened. It wasn't until several days after he was discharged from the hospital that Ben's body began to change significantly, revealing the full mutagenetic nature of the irradiated octopus venom he'd been injected with. PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION Ben is bright, inquisitive, and altruistic, but he can't keep his big mouth shut. Growing up as the latchkey-kid only child of two workaholic parents has turned him into a bit of an unconscious attention-seeker. He likes to make an entrance. He has an opinion about everything. If he's not rambling, he's arguing. If a joke or an insult comes to his mind, then it also comes out of his mouth. He never stops trash-talking during a competition or a fight. He's actually a pretty sensitive kid, but he never met an emotion he couldn't hide under sarcasm or just drown out with his motor-mouth. He doesn't know how to pick his battles, and his refusal to let the slightest disagreement, injustice, or insult go unchallenged gets him into trouble. But even when he's railing against injustice, he generally tries to keep things light. He'll keep making bad jokes and puns past the point where anyone is laughing (if they ever were to begin with). After his brush with death, Ben just felt lucky. But once his powers manifested, weird though they are, he felt blessed. Ben has two passions in life: Hacking, and superheroes. He maintains active accounts on both HeroHouse and TroubAlert (Username: Geckofan). He's been obsessed with Geckoman in particular (and, to a lesser extent, the rest of his Young Freedom and Interceptors teammates) since he was seven years old. He had resigned himself to, maybe, at best, using his hacking skills to play a support role for a superhero someday. But he desperately wanted to be an actual superhero, just like Gecks. His resulting disability and (slight) disfigurement have put a damper on his enthusiasm, but only a slight one. He's still having trouble adjusting, but he loves being a superhero more than he misses his hearing. POWERS & TACTICS Ben has a surprising amount of hand-to-hand combat training for a teenager. He's been wrestling since junior high, and he's been taking self-defense classes since he was seven (they weren't a hard sell for his parents after he almost died in the Grue invasion). His superhuman agility and flexibility, his bundle of sticky tentacles stretching and lashing out for dozens or hundreds of feet in every direction, his lack of response to any auditory stimuli, and his youthful recklessness and loud mouth all combine to make him a confusing and irritating opponent. He can potentially attack or evade in any direction. He can lash out with his tentacles like whips, use them to grab a foe and pull them in for a punch or a kick, or use them to pull himself in close for the same. He will frequently wrap his tentacles around a foe, and then slam that foe into objects, terrain, or even other foes. His ink sprays and venomous bite make him even more unpredictable. Ben was a normal human, but an injection of radioactive octopus venom mutated him into a human-cephalopod hybrid. His body has grown several new glands, organs, and orifices. He has almost no bones left in his body. Most of them have transformed into cartilage and muscle. So while his body looks "solid" from the outside, he can bend, stretch, and compress his flesh, contorting into any position and squeezing through any crevices. His skin can secrete a clear mucous which acts as a lubricant to aid this process. The outer layers of his flesh are so flexible and malleable that he can change the texture of his skin at will. His skin cells contain pigments which can be released with muscle contractions in a virtually infinite variety of combinations, allowing him to change his coloration to anything he can imagine. These traits allow him to effectively becoming invisible in the normal visual light spectrum, or to mimic the appearance of any object or creature. This also makes it impossible for foes in hand-to-hand combat to keep a grip on him. His whole body is basically one giant muscle, granting him superhuman strength, agility, stamina, and to a lesser extent, resilience. With his thick skin, powerful, flexible muscles, and lack of a rigid skeleton, he is able to absorb traumatic impact, cuts and blunt force alike, with less likelihood of real injury. He has grown several "back-up organs", which make it less likely that any wounds he suffers will be debilitating. He has three hearts, and enough brain and nervous tissue running throughout his body to act as a second brain and spinal cord. He has what would be considered a "weak healing factor" by superhuman standards (not enough for Regeneration or Impervious Toughness, but enough for a superhuman Constitution score). He doesn't heal much "faster" than a normal human, but he heals "better". His body can repair minor damage quickly, and more severe wounds are less likely to happen in the first place. If they do happen, then he takes about as long as a normal human to recover from them, but, given time to recuperate, he will reliably make a full recovery from trauma which would cripple or kill a normal person. Like a cephalopod, his body can even regrow lost limbs. He isn't technically immune to fatigue, disease, infection, radiation, or extremes of temperature or pressure, but his body is so effective at fighting them off that sometimes it seems like he is. He has, for lack of a better term, "super-health". New orifices on his forearms and on the sides and back of his torso can deploy tentacles*, which can stretch for hundreds of feet. The same neural tissue running through the rest of his body also runs through the tentacles, allowing his brain to control all of them perfectly. (*Technically, these new limbs are "arms", rather than "tentacles", since they have suckers along their entire length, instead of just at the ends, but this distinction only matters to marine biologists.) His body contains a network of hollow tubes and bladders similar to a cephalopod siphon. He can use muscular contractions to force fluids through those tubes and out of his body, through a series of new orifices on the palms of his hands, the soles of his feet, and his lower back. The primary use of his internal siphon is locomotion. By forcing air or water through it, he creates jet propulsion, launching himself through the water or up into the air. A substantial portion of his extra brain tissue is devoted to processing visual and olfactory input, and the suckers on his tentacles act as extra noses and tongues. His senses of sight, smell, and taste are enhanced far beyond those of a normal human. His eyes can perceive a wider array of color at finer detail, and he has excellent night vision. He can distinguish fine details in scent and taste, and track them to their source like a bloodhound. His body is truly amphibious, adapted equally well to life in open air or under water. His aforementioned increased visual acuity allows him to see perfectly in the dim light of deep water. He has gills on the sides of his neck, which remain closed in open air but which allow him to breathe while he is under water. His skin acts as near-perfect insulation, keeping him from losing his body heat. His blood contains both hemoglobin and hemocyanin, so it is equally effective at keeping his tissues oxygenated in both open air and freezing deep water. His siphon allows him to regulate his internal fluid pressure, which, along with his flexible muscles, lets him adapt to the crushing weight of the deep sea. His internal siphon can also expel the pungent, opaque black ink produced by another one of his new organs. He can release it gradually, creating a cloud which provides cover (the gas quickly dissolves in open air, so it is equally effective under water or on dry land), or he can fire a concentrated burst of ink directly into the face of an enemy, temporarily blinding them and overwhelming their olfactory senses in a manner similar to that of tear gas or pepper spray. His head contains venom sacs, which produce a paralytic poison similar to that of the octopus who bit him. His body injects this poison with a combination of a pharyngeal jaw and a proboscis: A pair of pincers, similar to a cephalopod beak, on the end of a second tongue, hidden under his original tongue, which can telescope over a foot from his mouth, fully extending in a fraction of a second. His own body is immune to this venom, and most others. COMPLICATIONS Accidents: Ben is inexperienced and reckless. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for declaring that Ben's actions have created some sort of hazard, which he must drop his current task to deal with. Alien Blood: Ben's blood is a wildly different color and consistency from normal human blood, and it is slightly radioactive. Once it leaves his body, it is no longer subject to his Morph power, and its true nature is revealed. Since his blood pressure is so much higher than that of a normal human, when his blood does leave his body, it is usually quite obvious. It is not dangerous, but Geiger counters will register a noticeable uptick in its presence. The GM can give Ben a Hero Point if his blood causes some sort of setback. Examples include revealing his presence when it would otherwise go unnoticed, or social interaction turning hostile when he is revealed as something not quite human. Disability (Deaf): Ben permanently has the Deafened condition (Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition, page 171). He suffers a -4 penalty to Initiative, and he automatically fails auditory Notice checks (Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition, page 52). Ben has another Acute Radius sense, his normal olfactory sense, but that doesn't necessarily provide him with the same information that an auditory sense would. The GM can give him a Hero Point every time he suffers a setback due to his inability to hear. The most common example would be a failure on his part to correctly read another person's lips while they speak. According to the Masterminds Manual, page 14, in order to read lips, he must make a visual Notice check at +5DC. According to Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition, pages 51-52, this is a base DC10 check, since it is DC0 to notice something standing out in the open but DC10 to perceive fine details about it. With the +5 penalty, the Notice check for lip reading would have a base DC15, with an additional +5 DC if the GM decides that Ben is "distracted", and another +1DC for every 10ft Notice increment between Ben and the person whose lips he's trying to read. If he fails by 1-4, then he can't make out what they're saying, and if he fails by 5+, then he misinterprets their words. Enemy (Goanna): The GM can give Ben a Hero Point when Goanna shows up to make an already bad situation worse. Since Goanna knows Ben's secret identity, he could show up anywhere, at any time. Loudmouth: Ben doesn't know when to keep his big mouth shut. The GM can give Ben a Hero Point when he creates a setback for himself by mouthing off. Alternately, the GM can give another character a Hero Point when Ben creates a setback for them. If the GM doesn't feel that Ben is being sufficiently mouthy, then they can give him a Hero Point in exchange for forcing him to mouth off in a situation where doing so will create a setback for him. Alternately, the GM can give another character a Hero Point and force Ben to mouth off in a way which will create a setback for that other character. Obsession (Geckoman): The GM can give Ben a Hero Point if Ben creates a setback for himself due to his obsessive hero-worship of Geckoman, such as neglecting his responsibilities or ruining a social interaction. The GM can also give him a Hero Point in exchange for forcing him to do this. Power Loss (Immunity to Critical Hits): Ben has Immunity to Critical Hits because a strike to a critical area is unlikely when he has no skeleton, three hearts, and enough brain and nerve tissue spread throughout his body to effectively have a back-up brain and spinal cord. However, he does have other vital organs which do not have back-ups, so a critical hit is still technically possible. When a villain scores a critical hit against Ben, the GM can give Ben a Hero Point in exchange for temporarily nullifying his Immunity and giving the villain the usual +5 damage bonus. Power Loss (Ink, Venom): Ben's body produces ink and venom which he can use as weapons, but it does not produce an infinite supply, and once depleted, it takes time to replenish. The GM can give Ben a Hero Point when he tries to use one of these powers in exchange for declaring that he has run out of "ammunition". Prejudice: Ben is black, Latino, Asian, Jewish, disabled, and a mutate. The GM can give him a Hero Point when another character's ignorance of and/or prejudice against one or more of these groups creates a setback for him. Responsibilities (Family, School): The GM can give Ben a Hero Point when he faces a setback on account of obligations to his parents or his schoolwork. For example, the GM can give him a Hero Point at the start of a day or thread and declare that he is Fatigued because he didn't have time to get enough sleep. Secrets (Identity, Mutation): The GM can give Ben a Hero Point when he has a task to accomplish, but is hindered by the need to protect his identity, and/or his nature as a mutate. Sensory Overload (Olfactory, Visual): Ben has enhanced smell, taste, and vision. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for increasing the effective power rank of sensory powers like Dazzle which target those sense types. Status (Minor): It's possible that Ben might face a setback on account of his legal age which even his Morph power and high Bluff score couldn't get him out of. If the GM can come up with one, then they can give him a Hero Point in exchange for inflicting it upon him. ABILITIES 24PP Strength: 26/14 (+8/+2), 41/14 Lifting (Heavy Load: 7,360 lbs. [3.68 tons] / 175 lbs.) Dexterity: 34/14 (+12/+2) Constitution: 26/14 (+8/+2) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 16 (+3) COMBAT 16PP Initiative: +12/-2 (+12/+2 Dex, +4 Enhanced Improved Initiative, -4 Deafened) Attack: +12 Melee (+4 Base, +8 Attack Focus [Melee]), +4 Ranged (+4 Base) Grapple: +37/+14 vs one target, +33/+14 vs multiple targets (+12 Melee Attack, +12/+2 Dexterity, +4 Additional Limbs, +6 Elongation, +3 Super-Strength), Escapes automatically with Insubstantial Defense: +12 (+4 Base, +8 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback Resistance: 4/1 SAVING THROWS 8PP Toughness: +8/+2 (+8/+2 Con) Fortitude: +8/+2 (+8/+2 Con, +0PP) Reflex: +12/+2 (+12/+2 Dex, +0PP)Evasion Will: +8 (+0 Wis, +8PP) SKILLS 64R = 16PP Acrobatics 3 (+15/+7) Bluff 17 (+20)Taunt Computers 17 (+20) Disguise 0 (+3, Up to +38 with Morph) Escape 0 (+18/+2, Automatic with Insubstantial) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 7 (+10) Knowledge (Technology) 2 (+5) Languages 6 (American Sign Language [ASL], English [Native], Hebrew, Puerto Rican Sign Language [PRSL], Spanish, Tagalog, Yiddish) Notice 5 (+12/+5)Deafened Search 2 (+10/+5) Stealth 3 (+15/+5) Swim 2 (+10/+4)Swimming FEATS 23PP Attack Focus (Melee) 8 Chokehold Dodge Focus 8 Grapple Finesse Luck 2 Online Research Taunt Well-Informed Enhanced: Environmental Adaptation (Underwater) Evasion Improved Initiative POWERS 93PP Concealment 2 (Normal Vision, Extras: Action [Reaction], Flaws: Blending, Passive) [1PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Shapeshifting) Enhanced Constitution 12 [12PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Redundant Organs, Regeneration, Super-Health, Super-Toughness) Enhanced Dexterity 20 (Feats: Evasion, Improved Initiative) [22PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Super-Agility, Super-Reflexes, Super-Senses) Enhanced Skills 12 (Notice 7, Search 5) [3PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Super-Senses) Features 2 (Environmental Adaptation [Underwater], Internal Compartment) [2PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Shapeshifting) Immunity 4 (Environmental 2 [Cold, Pressure], Poison, Suffocation [Underwater]) [6PP] (Descriptors: Gills, Insulated Skin, Internal Network of Fluid Bladders & Siphons, Mutation, No Skeleton, Venom Glands) Morph 1 (+5 Disguise, Any Form) [3PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Shapeshifting) Octopus Movement 2 (4PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power) [5PP] Base Power: [4PP] (Descriptors: Biological Jet Propulsion, Mutation) Leaping 4 (x25, Running Long Jump: 450ft) [4PP] Alternate Power: [4PP] (Descriptors: Biological Jet Propulsion, Mutation) Swimming 4 (25MPH / 250ft per Move Action, Can Take 10 on Swim checks) [4PP] Octopus Power 13 (26PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 4) [30PP] Base Power: [5 + 3 + 12 + 6 = 26PP] Additional Limbs 4 (+10 Limbs, Extras: Duration [Sustained], Feats: Ambidexterity) [5PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Retractable Tentacles) Elongation 6 (250ft Max Elongation, Elongate 300ft per Move Action, Free action to retract, 60ft Range Increments for elongated melee attacks, Flaws: Limited [Additional Limbs]) [3PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Stretchy Tentacles) Enhanced Strength 12 [12PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Super-Strength) Super-Strength 3 (Lifting Strength: 41, Heavy Load: 7,360 lbs. [3.68 tons]) [6PP] (Descriptors: Mutation) Alternate Power: [22 + 4 = 26PP] (Descriptors: Focused Spray of Concentrated Pungent Ink, Mutation) Dazzle 8 (Sense Types: Olfactory + Visual, Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Extended Reach 4 [25ft], Improved Critical 2 [18-20]) [22PP] (Descriptors: Focused Spray of Concentrated Pungent Ink, Mutation) Obscure 2 (Sense Types: Olfactory + Visual, Area: 10ft radius, Extras: Independent, Total Fade [4 rounds], Flaws: Limited [One Sense: Normal Vision], Range [Touch]) [4PP] (Descriptors: Cloud of Opaque Pungent Ink, Mutation) Alternate Power: [6 + 18 = 24PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Shapeshifting) Insubstantial 1 (Feats: Subtle) [6PP] Morph 6 (7, +35 Disguise, Any Form) [18PP] Alternate Power: [26PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Pharyngeal Jaw, Proboscis, Venom) Paralyze 8 (Extras: Alternate Save [Fortitude], Secondary Effect, Feats: Improved Critical 2 [18-20]) [26PP] Alternate Power: [26PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Tentacles) Snare 8 (Extras: Area [Type: Targeted, Shape: Cone], Engulf, Selective, Flaws: Duration [Concentration], Feats: Chokehold, Progression [Area Size] 1 [25ft/rank = 200ft]) [26PP] Regeneration 1 (Recovery 1 [+9], Feats: Regrowth) [2PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Regeneration, Super-Health) Super-Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4PP] (Descriptors: Mutation, Suckers) Super-Senses 5 (Acute Tracking Smell/Taste, Danger Sense [Sense Types: Olfactory], Low-Light Vision, Uncanny Dodge [Sense Types: Olfactory]) [5PP] (Descriptors: Mutation) Abilities (24) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (8) + Skills (16) + Feats (23) + Powers (93) - Drawbacks (0) = 180/180 Power Points

Hex "You have my consent to perform whatever examination you wish, but I would not recommend it. First, because it is well-trod ground already. I was subjected to thorough physical examinations as a child, when I first manifested the ability to channel raw chaos magic, but no biological cause was ever found. As far as medical science is concerned, I could not be more normal. My teacher charted the time and place of my birth and concluded that, as she put it, 'the stars were right'." "Second, because it could be dangerous. Technology accomplishes tasks by using the existing laws of physics. Magic, at least the type of magic I channel as reflexively as I blink and breathe, accomplishes tasks by changing the laws of physics. Those two approaches are fundamentally incompatible, and when they clash, the results are always unpredictable. Imagine a great machine, like a massive engine on a factory floor. Imagine sticking your hand inside, shoving it into the moving parts. Perhaps the engine breaks, but you suffer only minor cuts and bruises. Perhaps the engine grinds your hand into pulp, but continues to operate unhindered. Perhaps the engine hums along fine and you emerge unscathed...or the machine breaks, and your hand is reduced to spaghetti." "That is the gamble. I was taught ways to minimize it, investing my power into physical objects and locking it down with runes, guiding it with spells designed to focus it as specifically as possible. But I can only manage that risk. I cannot eliminate it. When I used my magic, your devices malfunctioned. For that, I apologize. But the fact that they only malfunctioned, instead of exploding, is the result of over a decade of effort on the part of my teacher. So I will stay if you wish, and submit to whatever testing you see fit to conduct. But please consider that it may be best if I just leave."

GM: 12 x2 = 24 Members Only (1) Octoman: Close To Home (2) Red Death Redemption (8) Siren Song of The Void (1) 11 posts to Mister Strix 6 posts to Octoman 6 posts to Hex 1 post unused Dirge: 1 IC post = 1PP Kill Team (1) Hex: 4 IC posts + 6 GM posts = 10 IC posts = 2PP Down In The Underground (4) Mister Strix: 14 IC posts + 11 GM posts = 25 IC posts = 3PP Bedlam Burning: Beauty & The Beasts (3) Golgotha Tenement Blues (2) Ink (2) Members Only (1) Red Death Redemption (6) Octoman: 4 IC posts + 6 GM posts = 10 IC posts = 2PP Octoman: Close To Home (4)

Hex Hex smiled and nodded at the young man. "Pleased to meet you. If you are the Master Mage's apprentice, then I imagine my command of the mystic arts is closer to yours than to hers, though yours still no doubt exceeds mine." Hex flinched. "It appears that I have started a fire, and now I need to put it out." He handed the bowl off to Huang, giving the boy an excuse to break the zombie's embrace. "Excuse me." Standing as he did at least a head taller than just about everyone else in attendance, it wasn't difficult to see Hex coming as he slid through the crowd toward the dragon, the Deep One, and the girl in the wheelchair. "<The Sign is impressive>," he interjected in Lemurian. "<And the fish smells delicious.>" He turned back to Salvo and switched back to English, placing his palm upon his chest. "I am afraid that your technical difficulties are my fault, and mine alone. My apologies for the disruption. I will be leaving shortly, and for safety reasons, yours and mine alike, I would recommend against attempting to activate any of your devices until then. But to help pass the time until my imminent departure, I would recommend sampling the hors d'oeuvres the Master Mage's apprentice procured from Elysium." He gestured back toward Huang and his mother, then turned back and nodded to Sea Devil. "<And to you, my apologies for the confusion.>"

The Immortal Infini-Guy Power Level: 10 (9) Power Points: 150/150 ABILITIES 18PP Strength 14 (+2) Dexterity 14 (+2) Constitution 14 (+2) Intelligence 12 (+1) Wisdom 10 (+0) Charisma 14 (+2) COMBAT 24PP Initiative +2 Attack +6, +14 Melee Damage +2 Unarmed/Thrown, +4 Weapon Defense +6, +3 Flat-Footed, +14 Dodge Toughness +4, +2 Unarmored Knockback Resistance 2, 1 Unarmored SAVING THROWS 20PP Fortitude 5 (+7) Reflex 8 (+10) Will 7 (+7) SKILLS 36R = 9PP Acrobatics 3 (+5) Climb 3 (+5) Bluff 13 (+15) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 4 (+5) Languages 1 (English [Native], X) Notice 5 (+5) Search 4 (+5) Swim 3 (+5) FEATS 30PP All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 8 Chokehold Defensive Attack Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 8 Equipment 2 (10EP) Interpose Power Attack Quick Change Quick Draw Set-Up Taunt Teamwork 2 EQUIPMENT 2PP = 10EP Weapon Damage 2 (Feats: Mighty) [3EP] Armor Protection 2 [2EP] Grapple-Gun Speed 1 (10MPH) [1EP] Super-Movement 2 (Swinging, Wall-Crawling) [4EP] POWERS 49PP Duplication 7 (105PP Duplicates, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Fanatical, Horde, Survival, Feats: Absorption Healing, Mental Link, Progression [Duplicates] 4 [25 Duplicates], Sacrifice) [49PP]

Hex's magic sounds like someone grabbed recordings of a couple dozen loud, harsh, discordant noises at random and then edited them together to form the beat of a song.

"At last!" shouted the blue-furred sheep-man as he leaped to his feet, sending twice-chewed globs of salad tumbling off his plate and the datapad he'd been reading clattering to the ground. His personal electromagnetic field surged to life, bending the light around him. Wrapped in a shimmering halo of alternating red, gold, and green, he screamed again, to no one in particular, "AT LAST!" Kanemu of Ku'unum, the self-proclaimed "Dirge of The Fryxus", held out one arm in the general direction of a nearby pile of steel beams meant to provide the bones of a new building. Pale blue electricity danced back and forth along his arm as the beams floated into the air and fused together, melting into a single oblong slab, a makeshift sled. His fingers closed into a fist as he pulled his hand back toward his chest, and the metal slab flew through the air toward him. He jumped up with both feet, and the slab came to a sudden stop beneath him. He landed upon it with a *CLANG*. "Sons and Daughters of Wyvaan Four! If I should fall, then tell your children, and your children's children of this day! The day when one stood against many! The day when The Last Son of The Fryxus took your places on the ferryman's boat as it sailed into the spirit world! The day when the final lamb of the Krallos Herd watered your fields with the blood of your enemies and died with their hearts in his hand!" Dirge did not wait for a response or even a reaction before he and his sled soared through the air toward the pirate landing site.

*poke*

The man in white glanced over his shoulder at Judex and Thorne, then knelt down and reached out to Frankie's neck, checking the junkie's pulse. "Alive. Barely." He rose and turned toward the other two vigilantes. "I've read about things like this, but only a little. I've never seen it firsthand. This whole thing just got a lot more dangerous. It's not just gangbangers anymore. He has power. Enough power to do this. Enough power to think he can stick his middle finger in the Mafia's face. And he's bought himself some cops. I'm going to destroy every scrap of drugs or guns or money I can find in this shithole. Then I'm going to that warehouse to finish this. But I don't expect either of you to follow me."

Hex's magic tends to mess with local technology (see the Complications on his character sheet for details), so anyone can feel free to describe their personal devices going haywire now that he's shown up.

Hex "...Wow." The large young blond man wore a sleeveless, gem-studded indigo robe, draped over a lavender tunic which was emblazoned with a hexagonal Flower of Life. He held a black wooden staff in his left hand. He allowed himself a few moments to hover in the air above the gathering so he could continue admiring the gigantic Elder Sign. He was held aloft by the pair of massive translucent glowing golden wings, made from pure solidified kinetic energy, pure magical force, which had sprouted with a thought directed to the runes embroidered along the back of his robe and carried him over the waters of the Great Bay. He whispered to himself. "A Lemurian rune the size of a city block. That is not something you see every day." Having indulged himself for long enough, Hex gently descended into the midst of the gathering. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, another mental command dismissed the wings, which shattered into hundreds of tiny glowing golden hexagons. They spun through the air for a couple seconds and then faded away. He waved at the small Asian-American woman whose taste in professional clothing seemed to match his own as he stepped toward her. "Excuse me, Miz...Madam...'Phantom'? Sorry. I recognized the Eye of Heshem." Hex smiled, a wide open smile that seemed to reach every corner of his bearded face. He lifted his goggles up over his eyes. A hand disappeared under his robe and pulled out a piece of folded and embossed cardstock. When he spoke, he kept an even tone of voice, but he took his time, seeming to choose his words carefully. "This invitation was addressed to Briana Whitethorne, Witch of the North-West. My name...my practicing name...is 'Hex'. Madam Whitethorne was my tutor. She has...taken a sabbatical, I think. She did not see fit to provide me with the details of her itinerary. But she did bequeath to me her holdings, right down to having her mail forwarded to me. All of her mail. And I have no idea where Madam Whitethorne went, or when she will return, so until she returns, if she does return, I seem to be her...representative. I am the first to admit that I am but half the mage that she is, but of course I will do whatever I can to aid the Master Mage in defending this realm." He reached back into his robe pocket, pulled out a small ceramic coin etched with an ancient Atlantean rune, and offered it to Phantom. "This is just a token, but it was not conjured. I added a few drops of my own sweat and blood to the clay, and fired it myself. If you ever see fit to call for my aid, then this should provide sufficient sympathy for whatever magic you prefer to use." Then his hand hovered above the satchel slung over his shoulder. He whispered an invocation to "the vault of Ahgrazul" as his fingers tracing a rune in the air that didn't quite touch the satchel. Golden sparks followed his fingers, lingering in the air for a second, and his eyes turned from green to glowing gold for an instant. Phantom easily recognized the spell as the most elementary of dimensional magic. Then he plunged his hand into the satchel and sifted through its contents for a few moments, before pulling out a large ceramic bowl which should have filled the satchel by itself, with no room to spare. The bowl was almost overflowing with what had to be at least two gallons of green olives. "I did not know whether or not I was supposed to bring something. These are also not conjured. I picked them fresh this morning from Demeter's own vineyard in the Elysian Fields. With her permission, of course. I hope you all like them. I really do hope you all like them, since I now owe the Harvest Queen a substantial boon..."

FYI, I also added a clause that Strix requires any prospective member to fork over some of his blood so he can use his vampire-magic to inspect it and vet them. No deep dives, just a little postcog to see if they've done Bad Things. He's gotta give up some of his blood to make the membership tattoos, so it's only fair.

OK, I got the edit request in for Strix's sheet, and I put up a Guidebook entry with all the fluff.

Fire walk with me'd - Durf Mister Strix: Hex is using 8PP of my veteran reward. Strix will use the remaining 7PP. Please remove Strix's current Equipment, and replace it with the following: The Twilight Lodge (Headquarters) [35EP = 7PP] Power Level: 13 Size: Large Exterior (500ft, Mansion) / Huge Interior (1,000ft, Castle) [3EP] Toughness: 10 [1EP] (Descriptors: Magically Warded and Ectoplasm-Reinforced Structure) Features: [31EP] Concealed 3 (+20 DC) (Descriptors: Magical Perception Filter, Unholy Aura) Defense System 2 (Descriptors: Ghosts, Zombies) Dimensional Portal (Hell) Dual Size (Descriptors: Interdimensional Structure) Feature: Secret Sewer Entrance Fire Prevention System Garage Gym Holding Cells 2 (Toughness 15, Nullify 10) (Descriptors: Magically Warded and Ectoplasm-Reinforced Dungeon) Library Living Space 2 (Masterwork) Personnel (Descriptors: Undead Servants) Pool Powers 7 (182PP) Power System (Descriptors: Hellfire Furnace) Security System 3 (DC30) (Descriptors: Magical Wards) Self-Repairing (Descriptors: Ectoplasm-Infused Structure, Undead Servants) Workshop (Artificer/Ritualist) Powers: [PL13 x 2 = 26PP per rank, x7 ranks = 181/182PP] Concealment 3 (ESP effects, Mental-type senses, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Limited [Observers outside the clubhouse can use ESP effects and Mental-type senses to perceive the exterior of the clubhouse, but not the interior, and vice versa], Permanent) [3PP] Features 1 (Temporal Inertia) [1PP] Immunity 1 (Mister Strix's Vampiric Aura) [1PP] Nullify 10 (All Insubstantial, Super-Movement [Dimensional Travel], and Teleport effects of any descriptor, Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Effortless, Range [Perception], Flaws: Limited [Only counters attempts to enter or exit the clubhouse]) [62PP] Obscure 7 (Sense Types: All, Area: 500ft radius, Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Flaws: Duration 2 [Instant], Limited [Machines], Partial Concealment, Range [Touch], Uncontrolled) [7PP] Psychomancy 23 (46PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 3) [49PP] Base Power: Mind Reading 10 (Extras: Action [Standard], Mental, Flaws: Limited [Probe], Feats: Subtle) [11PP] Alternate Power: Emotion Control 10 (Extras: Area [General, Burst], Mental, Selective, Flaws: Limited [Fear], Feats: Progression [Area Size] 3 [500ft radius]) [33PP] Alternate Power: Illusion 10 (Sense Types: All, Extras: Selective, Flaws: Phantasm, Feats: Progression [Area Size] 6 [500ft radius]) [46PP] Alternate Power: Teleport 10 (Extras: Duration 2 [Continuous, no action needed to keep portals open], Portal, Flaws: Action 2 [Standard Action to open or close a portal], Limited [Short-Range Jumps, 1,000ft], Limited [To/From points inside the building], Feats: Change Direction, Insidious, Progression [Portal Size] 2 [25ft], Subtle) [25PP] Super-Senses 13 (Normal Vision, Extras: Counters Concealment, Counters Illusion, Counters Obscure [All Descriptors], Penetrates Concealment, Flaws: Limited [Inside the building]) [7PP] Transform 10 (Memory Alteration, Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Alternate Save [Will], Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Mental, Range [Perception], Flaws: Limited [Memory alteration is limited to erasing or distorting memories of the clubhouse interior], Limited [The clubhouse will only alter a target's memory when they are leaving the building], Feats: Subtle) [51PP]