Amelia

@RocketLord Are there any cracks around the door that Strix can slip through while he's still in mist form?

Am I up in this, or were you going to do a GM post separate from Hellhound's IC post?

I pre-rolled Strix's Recovery checks, and most of them were so low that there's no circumstance bonus I could give which would put him at DC10. In strict mechanical terms, ingesting blood doesn't have any effect on his Regeneration one way or the other. But this is cool, so I'll go ahead and handwave and say that bathing him in blood like that heals him back up faster than his 8 failed Recovery checks would have allowed. Temperance gets a Hero Point for the cool stunt. In the time it takes Strix to recover, Set has time to use his new Regeneration to heal back up from his Disabled condition. Condition Summary Deep Spawn: Injured, Unconscious, Dead Grimalkin: Transformed, Injured, 1HP Mister Strix: Unharmed, 4HP Set: Staggered, Transformed, 3HP Temperance: Unharmed, 6HP Sekhmet: Unharmed, shares Set's 3HP

GM Grimalkin didn't speak at first, but she stopped slashing at her own hands, took a couple of deep breaths, looked up at Sekhmet, and nodded. Then she began to ramble. "Yes please. Please, get it out of me. Get Him out of me. I can change my body, change my shape, it's just magic, just energy, move the pieces around, but He's still here, behind the eyes. Behind my eyes, behind His eyes." She grabbed Sekhmet's biceps. The claws at the tips of her fingers, pure Glamour manifested into razor-sharp blades, cut into Sekhmet's skin. "I don't want Him to see me. I don't want Him to see into me, I don't want Him to see through me, I don't want to see Him, I don't want to hear Him, I don't want to seethrougHiseyesIdon'twanttosingHisSongIdon'twantIdon'twantIdon't-"

For a few moments after Temperance had transformed the water around him into blood, nothing seemed to happen. Then the pool of blood began to boil. For several seconds, it bubbled furiously, and with each passing second, the cloud of blood in the water became smaller, contracting around the area where Sekhmet had released Mister Strix's body. When most of the blood had disappeared, a skeletal claw shot out of the water, shattering the stillness. Its talons clamped onto a nearby filing cabinet, slicing through several inches of the rusted metal, filling the basement with a screeching echo. Then the skeletal hand managed enough leverage to haul the rest of its body up to the surface. A deep, feral roar burst from the fanged maw of Strix as he dragged himself to his feet. His formerly white costume now hung from his body in blood-soaked and charred tatters. Beneath those tatters, though, the pale flesh was knitting itself back together with almost alarming speed. Muscle and skin expanded and flowed to cover his exposed bones. In his other hand, he pulled up from the water a fistful of the entrails the tentacled monstrosity had torn out of him. He glanced back and forth between his hand and his abdomen, as the organs he clutched crumbled into ash and black slime, slipping through his fingers down to the bloody water below, while those same organs re-grew in his body before his and everyone else's eyes. They were still shriveled and withered, as they had been before, but they were whole again, followed quickly by his ribs re-growing to surround them. In less than half a minute, his body had restored itself, aided no doubt by Temperance's emergency transfusion. The talons retracted back into Strix's fingers as he clenched them into fists, stretched them, and clenched them again repeatedly. With half his mask gone, a mess of stringy dark hair hung revealed to the assembled heroes. He stared at the corpse of the Deep Spawn for a few moments, then turned back to the Freedom foursome. "Thank you," he whispered.

The voice of the holy brute sliced through the vampire's reverie. His were still closed when he reluctantly, very reluctantly, pulled his mouth away from the junkie's neck. With his head facing upward, something halfway between a gutteral growl and a moan slipped out of his throat. As his tongue, which had extended to three times its normal length, slithered around his lips, gathering stray drops of blood, one of his fangs carved a gash into it. He licked the wounds in the junkie's neck, quickly transferring his blood before the gash closed. When the blood drops seeped into the puncture marks, they vanished. Soon, there was no visible sign that he'd been bitten at all. "Just more hired guns. More of Frankie's customers. More scum willing to drag children to their deaths with no questions asked." He dropped the thug onto the floor. He didn't open his eyes again until he'd turned his back to the other two vigilantes, fixing his gaze on the unconscious thug. "I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to see that. No one is supposed to see that. I know...I know what it must look like. But believe it or not, that was...an interrogation. There is power in the blood...power, and knowledge. Everything you've ever done has left an...an echo, in your blood. The blood can tell you everything, if you know how to listen." He turned his head slightly, as if to glance over his shoulder, but not far enough to actually face either of them. "The family is on the roof across the street. The dealer who sent them, and the warehouse where they were supposed to take the children. Those are our next targets."

@Thunder King We're still waiting on an IC post from you for your combat action.

Misunderstandings all around. I'll live. Mister Strix will activate Mist Form again, in the hopes that this will best help him bypass any obstacles or other guards, and he'll and get upstairs as fast as he can. He has Flight 3, so that's a 50MPH cruising speed.

Mister Strix dissolved into mist again and slipped out of Lady Horus's grasp. He re-solidified a fraction of a second later right beside her, renewing his grip on the glass box too quickly for either the animated ink trapped inside, or Earth's gravity, to register his absence. "I'm hardly fond of fire. But I have yet to see any reason why this place shouldn't burn to the ground." He shoved the box against Ronin's chest. "Hold this," he growled. "Doctor Thorne, we need you up top. You're the only one with a hope of understanding whatever we might find. I'll run ahead and clear a path. Everyone else, evacuate the guards." With that, the man in white once again transformed into a puff of smoke, and shot out of the room like an arrow. I've lost the element of surprise. Now all I have left is speed.

Of course. I would assume more of her "meddling" would be indirect than direct. Some selections from Threat Report:

[TORRENT OF FRUSTRATED EXPLETIVES] See, this is why I was asking for clarification as to what exactly was going on in terms of space and location. I thought we were in the top floor. I thought the room with the books and the animated ink was the top floor. EDIT: The longer I think about this, the angrier and more frustrated I get. My PC has basically been idle and useless for several posts now, and that wouldn't have happened if I'd gotten the clarification on the local geography that I specifically asked for.

Mister Strix pulled the glass box away from the ink stream as it went up in flames and flinched back from it, raising his cape up over his face to shield it from the fire as he used his body to shield the box. All over his body, his veins bulged and blackened as blood surged through them, his body preparing to flee. Fire Run FIRE RUN FIRE RUNNNO. No. He clenched his teeth, stabbing his fangs into his own gums. I'm not leaving anyone to die he- The process of steeling himself against the fire was interrupted when the source of that fire, and so much other discomfort he'd endured over the last few minutes, dived down through the hole she'd punched into the floor, grabbed him, and soared back the way she came. ...And apparently, neither is she.

I have 3 Veteran Rewards at Gold Status. The first went to 15PP of Equipment, some of which I've used on Mister Strix, some I've used here. The second went to increase my PL7 slot to PL12/180PP, for Mister Strix. The third is going to boosting one of my PL10 slots to PL12/180PP.

In Brief: Jason Chorde + Non-Snarky Harry Dresden + Gender-flipped Witch-skin Mercy with Winston's barrier projector Character: Hex Power Level: 12 (Built as PL9) Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 185/187 PP Unspent Points: 2 Alternate Identity: Leonard "Len" Kepler Identity: Secret Legal Status: USA citizen with no criminal record Birthplace: By the side of a county road in rural Oregon, USA Base of Operations: Emerald City, Oregon/Washington, USA Residence: A small house-barge moored on the Southern Shore Occupation: Wizard Affiliations: Briana Whitethorne (Mentor), Mr. Hewitt (Ghost Butler), Various Elemental Spirits who maintain and defend his headquarters Family: Mother, Father, Two Younger Siblings (A set of fraternal twins, Brother and Sister), Various extended family members DESCRIPTION Age: 24 (Date of Birth: 1995) Apparent Age: 24 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian American mutt of mixed ancestry, including, but not limited to, Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and Scandinavian Height: 6’4" Weight: 285 lbs. Hair: Blond Eyes: Green (Gold when using magic) Hex carries a black wooden staff almost as tall as he is, carved from ebony and etched with dozens of runes. He wears a sleeveless indigo robe that goes down to about mid-calf, over a lighter lavender tunic. The robe has a high upturned collar, and is affixed to the tunic with a pair of brooches sitting just under his collar bones, purple sapphires about the size of chicken eggs cut into a hexagonal shape and set into gold. The tunic goes down to just above his knees, and is belted at the waist with an indigo sash. The chest of the tunic is embroidered with a black disc containing white lines arranged in a "Flower of Life" design, 19 small interlocking white circles arranged in a hexagon pattern inside one larger circle. The part of the tunic below the waist is slit to divide it into six flaps. Indigo trim traces along the bottom of the tunic. The baggy sleeves of the tunic are tucked into white leather bracers. The left bracer is also etched with runes, and studded with another gold-set egg-sized hexagonal-cut purple sapphire. Below the tunic he wears a pair of baggy indigo leggings, tucked into knee-high white leather boots with large fold-over cuffs. Over his eyes, he wears a set of leather goggles. The strap is soft leather, while the part around the eyes is boiled hard leather. The lenses appear to be glass, but are actually crystal, transparent from the inside but opaque from the outside. When he uses his magic, his irises take on a slight golden glow, which sometimes shines brightly enough to be visible from behind the goggles. When not actively wizarding, his enchanted vestments transform into normal clothing which makes him look like just another Pacific Northwest hipster: A zip-up hooded jacket, blue jeans, combat boots, and a red and black plaid flannel shirt. His goggles turn into vintage-style black square-frame glasses with non-prescription lenses. His bracer morphs into a hexagonal wristwatch with a broken motor, the hands stuck permanently at 6 o'clock ("It's right twice a day!"). Len's body type is colloquially known as a "bear" or a "dad-bod." He's bulky, and extremely hairy, from head to toe. The hair below his neck is significantly darker than the hair on his head, making it stand out. The bulk is mostly muscle, which his body builds easily, layered over a wide frame (he really is "big-boned"), but it's covered with enough fat (which his body also accumulates easily) to completely obscure any definition. His head and hands are both slightly larger in proportion to his body than a normal adult, which makes him appear overall even bulkier. HISTORY Leonard Kepler was born in the right place at the right time. His parents lived in Emerald City, and it was expected that he would be born there. However, during his mother's ninth month of pregnancy, her father, his maternal grandfather, died suddenly. His parents had to drive out to the remote small town in rural Oregon where he lived for the funeral. They had no idea that their route passed close by a nexus point where several "ley lines" of magical energy crossing the planet intersected, spilling that magical energy into the nearby area. They also didn't know that they passed under a very specific and rare alignment of stars in the sky. Leonard's mother went into labor on the way to her father's funeral, and delivered her son into a point of time and space which imbued him with a natural talent for channeling magical energy and imposing his will upon it. His parents made it just in time for the funeral, with the new baby in tow, making the whole occasion emotionally complicated for all involved. Len's childhood was unremarkable at first. He excelled academically, so his parents made sure to move wherever they could find the best schools in town. The best schools were always in rich neighborhoods, so his family, despite being poor, always wound up living on the periphery of rich neighborhoods, and he always wound up being the one poor kid in a class full of yuppies and trust-fund brats. He seemed normal until he was 8 years old, when his talent began to manifest, mostly in the form of astoundingly unlikely mechanical failures everywhere he went. He was always big for his age, but when puberty hit, he grew like a weed. The combination of being a "teacher's pet," a "fat ogre," poor, and a walking technical difficulty was more than the adolescent could take, so he began lashing out. This caused the manifestations of his magical talents to intensify, which eventually drew supernatural attention to him. As a goddess of Chaos, Eris, also known as Discordia (see Threat Report), became aware of Len when he was eleven years old, and sent her minions to recruit him. Fortunately for Len, and probably the rest of the world, that effort was foiled by Briana Whitethorne, an old-school broom-riding, wand-firing, cauldron-stirring, gravelly voiced, Scotch-drinking, pipe-smoking, dirty joke telling ("Hey, grasp my rod! Hah!") witch. Briana intercepted and defeated the minions of Eris, and convinced Len's parents to let her take him on as her apprentice. For the next twelve years, while his siblings went to school, Len spent nine months out of every year by Briana's side, studying and practicing in her pocket-dimension home, and taking frequent jaunts across the multiverse, dimension-hopping to alternate Earths, visiting different time periods, and even traveling to more exotic planes of existence, like the Astral and the Elemental Realms. Briana appeared to be in her mid-fifties, but various interactions and artifacts Len observed over the years suggested she was much older. Briana taught Len how to use spells, conduct rituals, and forge and brew magical talismans and potions, to control, direct, and when necessary, unleash the magical energy he tapped into. Almost as a by-product of the different magical traditions they researched, he wound up with a knowledge base of history and mythology worthy of a graduate degree in several different humanities. In 2018, after a dozen years, Briana declared one day, with no warning and little fanfare, that Len was her student no longer, but a wizard in his own right, and announced her intention to leave, though she did not say where (or when?) she was going. She bequeathed the pocket universe and all its contents to Len as a "graduation present," pulling up its dimensional anchor and folding up the whole thing into a literal deed which she signed over to him before departing. He decided to purchase a house-barge moored on the Emerald City coast and anchor the pocket dimension there, where he could keep a safe distance from the heart of the city while still having relatively easy access to it. From there, he casts daily divinations to determine when and where he'll be needed to protect the city and its people. PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION In any comedy duo, Len would be the Straight Man that a Wacky Zany Guy would play off of. He carried a lot of anger when he was a child, but his training with Briana, especially in meditation, helped him to let go of that anger a long time ago. When he learned how to control his magic, he also learned how to control his feelings. The angry kid grew up to be a mellow adult, a "gentle giant" who just tries to be nice to people, help out, do the right thing, and avert or de-escalate conflicts instead of initiating or exacerbating them. He radiates a calm, quiet confidence that many people find disarming (a confidence borne of over a decade of traveling the multiverse and escaping or fighting off Death in many forms), with a big smile that comes easily and spreads all the way up to his eyes. When he's not saving the world, or researching new ways to save the world, he likes to curl up with a cup of coffee and a good book, or sing and play on his guitar (at which he's middling, at best). He's a regular at one of the rare local coffee houses that doesn't have wi-fi, for obvious reasons. POWERS & TACTICS Hex has a natural talent for tapping into and channeling the "raw and chaotic magical energy" of The Phoros, another dimension inhabited by beings of the same name, "immortal, immaterial, glowing spheres of light and fire." (See The Book of Magic.) His magical training focused on bringing Order out of that primordial Chaos to which he was attuned, in several different ways. He can cast spells, conduct rituals, or imbue physical items with magic power. Generally, the more time and labor intensive the method of shaping and controlling the magic, the less chance there is of it "leaking out" and wreaking havoc on himself or his environment (see "Walking Techbane" under "Complications," below). He casts spells by quickly speaking incantations and tracing symbols in the air with his fingers. The words are mostly from ancient Atleantean and Lemurian dialects, though they sometimes include snippets of more "mundane" ancient languages, like Egyptian, Greek, Latin, Old Norse, or Sanskrit. They are mostly invocations, entreaties, or references to various mystical entities, realms, and forces across the multiverse. Some of the symbols he traces in the air are Atlantean or Lemurian runes (though, again, sometimes they belong to more "mundane" dead tongues), while others are sigils he created himself, which would require study of his own notes in his private spellbooks to understand. Often, while casting, golden flames will erupt from his eyes and surround his hands, and his fingers will leave burning streaks in the air which will linger for several moments. When trying to go unnoticed, he can whisper or mutter the incantations, and suppress the light show, but the spells are usually more effective when the casting is more bombastic and theatrical. This is the use of his magic which generates the desired effect most quickly, but which is also the most likely to disrupt local technology and/or "snap back" on him, so he limits himself to minor utility spells. He can also conduct lengthy rituals, using a complex combination of spoken incantations, physical movements, runes drawn or carved upon objects and/or the surrounding environment, certain clothes worn (or not worn), and employing all manner of special props or ingredients, ranging from candle flames to animal body parts. His most common application for this use of his magic is to draw an arcane circle upon the ground and cast specially-crafted rune stones into it, in order to divine past and future events, in a manner similar to Scandinavian mystics (though the runes carved upon his stones are all sigils of his own design). He does this regularly in order to figure out when and where his aid will be needed. This use of his magic is less likely to disrupt local technology or harm himself than spell casting, but it is also far more time and labor intensive. Finally, he can imbue magical energy into physical items. This method of magic use is by far the most time and labor intensive for him, but is also the one least likely to cause chaotic side-effects, as it imposes the most direct and permanent "Order" upon the innate "Chaos" of his magic. The items are most effective and resilient when he crafts them himself, which is why his tutelage under Briana included "mundane" skills like sewing, carpentry, and metalsmithing. Then he etches magical runes, mostly sigils of his own design, into the object. Often, the etchings are filled in with ink or dust which includes exotic ingredients. Most of the magical items he crafts are temporary in nature, limited use protective charms or brewed potions which provide some power after consumption which wears off once the liquids have been fully metabolized. The few permanent items he has created involved "locking down" a significant portion of his own personal magical talent, basically carving off a piece of his own soul and trapping it inside the object. If the object were destroyed, that piece of his soul would come rushing back into him, with potentially explosive results. Hex's magic focuses mainly on the summoning, shaping, and unleashing of direct "force," a magical version of pure kinetic energy. To protect himself and others, he uses the runes embedded in his robes to create selectively-permeable force fields and constructs, in the form of glowing golden transparent floating hexagons. To shelter large groups or to protect people from explosions or falling debris, he'll create domes or walls made up of multiple interlocking hexagons, what some would call a "beehive barrier." When he requires personal defense, he'll create one or more hexagons of various sizes, some connected and some not, which will hover and orbit around him, rapidly repositioning themselves and clustering together as necessary to block incoming attacks. Other runes woven into the back of his robes harness that same force to create giant feathered wings of pure energy which allow him to fly. The runes carved into his staff, meanwhile, allow him to cast healing spells, or, if combat is required, to cover the staff in one of several different glowing auras, each a different color accompanying a different effect. One punches opponents away, while another punches through them, and a third ignores their physical body to punch their soul (or rough equivalent). Hex also dabbles in dimensional magic, mostly for travel and storage, and minor divination (obtain information, find what is lost), conjuration (create something from nothing) and transmutation (alter the something that already exists) spells for utility. He doesn't use any mind-controlling or mind-altering magic, or any necromancy aside from the "white necromancy" of healing wounds and curing diseases, in both cases more for ethical reasons than on account of any lack of aptitude. Hex has his talent for channeling magic because of when and where he was born, but that talent has nothing to do with genetics. His parents are both physically unremarkable, and any examination or testing of his body or genes would show a "normal" baseline human. The change brought on by the circumstances of his birth was not to his body, but to his soul. In combat, Hex's first priority is always to see to the safety of victims and innocent bystanders. He'll throw up protective barriers, heal the wounded, spirit people away from the combat zone, and otherwise use his powers and even his own body to intercept any potential harm to civilians first, only actually crossing swords with supervillains if it's the last option. If he does engage in direct combat, then he tries to keep a cool head, use the minimum force required, and offer the villains multiple chances to surrender peacefully. If they finally do surrender, he'll take them up on it without hesitation, even if they spurned previous offers. COMPLICATIONS Disruption: There is no such thing as perfect order. Some chaos always slips out. Every system, no matter how efficient, wastes some energy. If Hex fails a Concentration check to maintain a power, then in addition to letting the power switch off, the GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for declaring that he has lost control of his magic; it "misfires" in some way that causes something bad to happen. (Based on the drawback introduced in The Book of Magic.) Enemy (Eris): Eris still hasn't forgotten the boy who spurned her. Her minions clashed with Briana and Len several times during Len's apprenticeship. And now that the boy is a man, Briana isn't around to protect him anymore. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for Eris or her minions or pawns attacking or otherwise disrupting him at the worst possible times. Honor: Some villains are going to escape or gain some sort of advantage because Hex will be too busy helping an innocent bystander to stop them. Other villains are going to get surprise attacks on Hex because they offered a phony surrender or begged for mercy and he relented. Obligations (Family, Mentor): If Briana or his family call for his help, he'll drop everything and run to their aid. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for having them request his aid at the worst possible times. Prejudice: While out on the town, Len disguises himself as just another hipster, and for better or for worse, a lot of people are going to treat him as such. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for a penalty or automatic failure on a Diplomacy check if the NPC hates what they think Len represents. Rivalry (Siblings): Len's siblings have been justifiably jealous of his awesome magical life at several points during their emotional development, and others could potentially play on that jealousy, either to gain information about him, or even to enlist direct aid in harming him. Even if one of them had to be mind-controlled into betraying him, they would suffer a penalty to resist that mind control effect, since it would play on their existing darkest desires. Secret (Identity): Len has a loving local family, and any adversaries who learned about his double life could threaten or harm them. Walking Techbane: The type of magic Hex uses is fundamentally incompatible with technology. His magic comes from Chaos, and Technology is an application of Order. Technology uses the existing laws of physics to perform tasks, while his magic changes and distorts the local laws of physics. The use of his magic, and sometimes merely his presence, causes Reality to fight with itself, and the outcome is never certain. For Hex, using magic in the vicinity of machines is like shoving his hand into the innards of an active engine. It's possible that his hand will be fine, but that the engine parts will break or slip out of place, bringing the whole thing grinding to a halt. It's also possible that his hand will be shredded but the engine will go on running without noticing. Or it's possible that his hand will be shredded and the engine will break. Any time Hex uses his magic near a machine (the GM can decide what "near" means), the GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for inflicting one or more of the following consequences: Hex's effective power rank is reduced. Hex's power effect just fails. Hex suffers Damage, or some other Attack power effect. One or more nearby machines malfunctions, shuts off, surges, shorts out, and/or breaks. Hex hits one or more nearby machines with an Uncontrolled Nullify effect, and/or an Uncontrolled Damage or Disintegrate effect, effectively Linked to whatever power he was using, possibly with the Side-Effect flaw (so that he will suffer Damage or some other Attack power effect if the machines make their saving throws). ABILITIES 36PP Strength: 18 (+4) (Heavy Load: 300 lbs.) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 18 (+4) COMBAT 16PP Initiative: +0 (+0 Dex) Attack: +4, +8 Magic Staff Grapple: +8 (+4 Melee Attack, +4 Str) Defense: +8/+4 (+4 Base, +4 Magic Robes), +4/+2 Flat-Footed Toughness: +10/+4 (+4 Con, +6 Force Field) Knockback Resistance: 5/2 ATTACK RANGE SAVING THROW EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC19 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Staff Strike Touch +5ft DC21 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Staff Strike (Blue Aura) Touch +5ft DC19 Fortitude (Harmless) Healing + Boost Staff Strike (Gold Aura) Touch +5ft Opposed Trip vs +10 Prone + Knockback DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Staff Strike (Red Aura) Touch +5ft DC20 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Toughness DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy, Lethal) Staff Strike (Violet Aura) Touch +5ft DC20 Will (Staged) Drain Wisdom DC25 Will (Staged) Damage (Energy) Force Construct (Dropped) Touch* DC19 Reflex Avoided DC24 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Force Construct (Trap) Touch DC19 Reflex Trapped inside object Finding Spell 200 miles DC19 Will Limited ESP Element/Energy Spells Perception DC11 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Toughness DC16 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Any “Magic”) Telekinesis Perception/Area Opposed Grapple vs +1 Pinned/Bound DC16 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Dimensional Pocket Touch/Grapple DC16 Reflex Trapped inside pocket dimension *The force constructs can only be created at Touch-range, but if he were flying or otherwise elevated, he could potentially create one in mid-air and then drop it onto one or more enemies. SAVING THROWS 15PP Fortitude: +8 (+4 Con, +4PP) Reflex: +8/+4 (+0 Dex, +4 Magic Robes, +4PP) Will: +10 (+3 Wis, +7PP) SKILLS 108R = 27PP Concentration 10 (+13) Craft (Artistic) 12 (+15) Craft (Structural) 12 (+15) Diplomacy 11 (+15) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 17 (+20) Knowledge (Cosmology) 7 (+10) Knowledge (History) 7 (+10) Knowledge (Theology/Philosophy) 7 (+10) Languages 2 (Atlantean, English [Native], Lemurian) Notice 7 (+10) Perform (Singing) 1 (+5) Perform (Stringed Instruments) 1 (+5) Search 7 (+10) Sense Motive 7 (+10) FEATS 5PP Artificer Attack Specialization (Magic Staff) Equipment 8 (40EP)Veteran Reward Interpose Ritualist Trance EQUIPMENT 8PP = 38/40EP Acoustic Guitar [1EP] Masterwork Chalk & Rune Stones [1EP] Masterwork Compass [1EP] Fixed-Gear Bicycle (Vehicle) [6EP] Size: Medium [0EP] Defense: 0 (DC10) [0EP] Toughness: 6 [1EP] Strength: 20 (Medium Load: 266 lbs.) [2EP] Powers: [3EP] Features 1 (Marked with a magic rune) [1EP] Speed 2 (25MPH) [2EP] Pocket Dimension Inside A Barge House (PL12 HQ) [29EP] On the outside, a small trailer home sitting on a flat-bottom boat, little more than a raft with a motor attached. On the inside, a mansion. The interior structure is maintained and defended by a few dozen elemental spirits, organized by Mr. Hewitt, the ghost butler who served Briana Whitethorne and decided to remain with the estate when it changed hands. One room contains a standing portal to the Elemental Realms. The elemental spirits are of limited intelligence, greater than a normal animal but less than that of a person. Most of them take the forms of animals, such as dogs and birds. The spirits can use that portal freely to return to their home dimension at any time; they are not slaves. However, in order to enter the estate from the Elemental Realms, they must accept a voluntary geas which imposes a non-aggression pact between them, and obligates them to clean, repair, and defend the manse for as long as they choose to occupy it, in exchange for a regular supply of "treats" for them to consume. These "treats" mostly consist of manifestations of opposing elements which they can consume. For example, the water spirits are usually provided with fire for them to quench. Mr. Hewitt is the ghost of an Englishman. He appears as a translucent pale blue version of his former self, with a wisp of blue mist instead of legs. He is not bound to the manse; in fact, he refers to it as his "refuge." He politely deflects any attempts to pry into his reasons for staying and serving the household. Cryptic comments have indicated that he was a butler in life as well, and that he lived through both World Wars. Size: Diminutive Exterior / Large Interior [2EP] Toughness: 10 [1EP] Features: [26EP] Defense System 4 (Damage, Snare, Suffocate, Trip) (Spirits) Dimensional Portal (Elemental Realms of Air, Earth, Fire, & Water) Dual Size Fire Prevention System (Spirits) Greenhouse Holding Cells 2 (Toughness 15, Nullify) Library 2 (Masterwork) Living Space Personnel (Spirits) Pool Powers 2 (36/48PP) Comprehend 3 (Languages 2 [Speak Any/All Simultaneously], Spirits, Extras: Affects Others, Area [General, Stationary, Burst], Flaws: Limited [Others], Feats: Progression [Area Size] 4 [100ft/rank = 300ft radius]) [13PP] (Translation Runes) Communication 7 (Range: 200 miles, Sense Type: Mental, Extras: Area, Linked [ESP], Flaws: Limited [One-Way], Medium [Reflective Surfaces], Feats: Dimensional [Earth-Prime], Selective) [6PP] (Scrying Mirror) ESP 7 (Range: 200 miles, Sense Types: Auditory + Visual, Extras: Duration [Sustained], Simultaneous, Flaws: Action 2 [Full], Medium [Reflective Surfaces]) [14PP] When Hex uses the mirror, every reflective surface within the area becomes a potential window through which he can see and hear. If an intelligent creature is near one of those surfaces, Hex can communicate with them telepathically. They will see his image in the mirror, and hear his voice as if he were speaking to them, but it's all in their mind. They will have to speak or write to reply, so any other observers will see or hear them normally, but those other observers will only catch a glimpse of Hex in the mirror and hear his voice if they make a DC17 Notice check. Features 1 (Temporal Inertia) [1PP] (Pocket Dimension Outside of Space and Time) Swimming 2 (5MPH) [2EP] The physical motor attached to the rear of the barge doesn't work. It's just for show. When Hex needs to move the barge, he activates runes etched into the underside to summon a water elemental. Sealed (Defensive Runes) Security System 2 (DC25) (Defensive Runes) Self-Repairing (Spirits) Think-Tank (Spirits) Workshop 4 (Mundane Crafts, Magical Inventions, Both Masterwork) 1 + 1 + 1 + 6 + 29 = 38EP POWERS 86PP Devices 11 (55PP Container [Passive, Permanent], Flaws: Hard-To-Lose, Feats: Quick Change [Transforms into normal clothes and accessories as a Free Action], Restricted [Magic users]) [46PP] Magic Robes: [28PP] (Transforms into normal clothing) Enhanced Defense 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Reflex, Force Field, Immunity]) [8PP] ("Abbridon’s Aegis") Enhanced Reflex 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Defense, Force Field, Immunity]) [4PP] Force Field 6 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Reflex, Immunity], Feats: Selective) [7PP] Immunity 2 (Critical Hits, Extras: Force Field [Free Action, Sustained Duration], Linked [Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Reflex, Force Field], Flaws: Unreliable [50%]) [1PP] Flight 3 (50MPH / 500ft per Move Action) [6PP] ("Abbridon’s Wings") Immunity 2 (Environmental Cold, Environmental Heat) [2PP] ("Abbridon's Succor") Magic Bracer: [14PP] (Transforms into a wristwatch) Create Object 9 (Max Volume: 9 cubes, Max Toughness: 9, Lifting Strength: 45 [Heavy Load: 6 tons], Extras: Linked [Environment Control], Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Progression [Max Volume] 1 [10ft cubes], Selective, Stationary, Tether) [13PP] (Force Constructs, "Abbridon’s Aegis") Environment Control 1 (Light [Level 2], Area: 5ft radius, Extras: Linked [Create Object], Flaws: Range [Touch]) [1PP] (Glowing Force Constructs, "Abbridon's Lantern") Magic Goggles: [13PP] (Transforms into a pair of glasses) Comprehend 1 (Languages 1 [Read Any]) [2PP] ("Eyes of Ios") Super-Senses 4 (All Visual-type senses, Extras: Counters Concealment, Counters Illusion) [4PP] ("Eyes of Ios") Super-Senses 10 (Magic Awareness, Descriptor Frequency: Very Common, Sense Type: Visual [Default: Accurate, Acute, Ranged], Extras: Counters Obscure ["Darkness" Descriptor], Penetrates Concealment, Tracking, Flaws: Limited [Counters Obscure only works for an individual sense, the Magic Awareness, not the entire Visual sense type], Drawbacks: Power Loss [Penetrates Concealment cannot penetrate Lead, Frequency: Uncommon]) [8PP] (Magic Aura Vision, "Eyes of Ios") Vulnerability (Visual Sensory effects, while Super-Senses are active, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Device 7 (35PP Container [Passive, Permanent], Flaws: Easy-To-Lose, Feats: Restricted [All powers except the Staff Strike are restricted to Magic users]) [22PP] (Magic Staff) Environment Control 1 (Light [Level 2], Area: 5ft radius, Extras: Action 2 [Free], Flaws: Range [Touch]) [3PP] ("Abbridon's Lantern") Magic Staff 14 (28PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 4) [32PP] Base Power: [5PP] (Staff Strike) Damage 2 (Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Mighty) [5PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Azure Aura, "Abbridon’s Healing Touch") Healing 9 (Extras: Action [Standard], Restorative, Flaws: Limited [Others], Feats: Extended Reach [10ft]) [28PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Golden Aura, "Abbridon's Rebuke") Damage 6 (Extras: Linked [Trip], Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Knockback 8 [Effective Damage 18], Mighty) [17PP] Trip 10 (Extras: Knockback, Linked [Damage], Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Improved Throw) [11PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Violet Aura, "Ghost Strike," "Soul Strike," "Abbridon’s Judgement") Drain Wisdom 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Damage], Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Drawbacks: Full Power) [11PP] Damage 6 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will, 10 ranks], Linked [Drain], Feats: Mighty) [17PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Crimson Aura, "Jaws of Vhoka The Devourer") Drain Toughness 10 (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Damage], Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Incurable, Drawbacks: Full Power) [22PP] Damage 6 (Extras: Linked [Drain], Feats: Mighty, Drawbacks: Lethal) [6PP] Magic 5 (10PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 8) [18PP] Base Power: [10PP] (Channeling Raw Magical Energy, Chaos Magic, "Flames of Phoros") Drain Toughness 9 (Extras: Affects Objects, Area [General, Burst, 45ft radius], Linked [Damage, Nullify], Flaws: Distracting, Limited [Objects], Limited [Machines], Side-Effect [Damage], Drawbacks: Full Power) [2PP] Damage 9 (Extras: Area [General, Burst, 45ft radius], Linked [Drain, Nullify], Flaws: Distracting, Limited [Objects], Limited [Machines], Side-Effect [Damage]) [3PP] Nullify 9 (All “Technology” effects, Extras: Area [General, Burst, 45ft radius], Linked [Damage, Drain], Flaws: Distracting, Range [Touch], Side-Effect [Damage]) [5PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Conjuring Spells, "Weyan’s Wheel of Workings") Create Object 1 (Max Volume: 1 5ft cube, Lifting Strength: 5 [Heavy Load: 50 lbs.], Extras: Duration [Continuous], Range [Perception], Feats: Innate, Precise, Progression [Object Toughness] 5 [Max Toughness: 6], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [9PP] (Element/Energy Control Spells) Drain Toughness 1 (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Damage], Range 2 [Perception], Feats: Precise, Subtle, Variable Descriptor 2 [Any "Magic"], Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [6PP] Damage 1 (Extras: Linked [Drain], Range 2 [Perception]) [3PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Dimensional Magic, "Ahgrazul’s Vault") Dimensional Pocket 1 (Extras: Duration 3 [Continuous, Lasting], Flaws: Medium [Existing pockets and containers], Requires Grapple, Feats: Progression [Cargo] 8 [25 tons], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Force Magic, Telekinesis, "Hands of Lamal") Move Object 1 (Lifting Strength: 5 [Heavy Load: 50 lbs.], Extras: Area [General, Burst], Damaging, Range [Perception], Selective, Feats: Precise, Progression [Area Size] 4 [100ft/rank = 100ft radius], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [9PP] (Divination Magic, Rune-Casting Ritual) Super-Senses 8 (Postcognition, Precognition, Extras: Simultaneous, Drawbacks: Action 4 [1 minute], Noticeable, Power Loss 2 [When unable to conduct ritual, draw an elaborate circle on the ground, and/or when deprived of specially prepared rune stones, Frequency: Common]) [9PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Divination Magic, Finding Spell) Telelocation 7 (Range: 200 miles, Extras: Duration [Sustained, Lasting], Flaws: Limited [Only learns the target's direction relative to him, not their exact location], Medium [Requires a piece of the target, or an object heavily infused with the target's resonance], Feats: Progression [Counter Rank / Saving Throw] 2 [Rank 9 / DC19], Rapid 8 [x100,000,000, Take 20 to Search maximum area in less than a second as a Free Action], Drawbacks: Action [1 minute], Noticeable, Power Loss 2 [When target is hidden behind a lead barrier, or when deprived of specially prepared compass, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Dimensional Magic, Folding Space, Teleportation, "Gates of Ios") Teleport 4 (Range: 1 mile, Extras: Accurate, Portal [Duration: Concentration], Flaws: Action [Move Action to open portal], Distracting [Flat-Footed on any round when he opens or maintains a portal], Medium [Existing Doors], Feats: Change Direction, Dimensional [Between Earth-Prime and Pocket Dimension HQ], Progression [Portal Size] 1 [10ft x 10ft], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Transmutation Spells) Transform 1 (Any Inanimate Object Into Any Other Inanimate Object, Extras: Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Range [Perception], Feats: Progression [Mass] 3 [10 lbs.], Precise, Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Examples of "Minor Transmutation Spells": Transform locked objects into unlocked objects. Transform broken/torn objects into repaired/mended objects. Transform dirty objects into clean objects. Transform wet objects into dry objects. Change the temperature of an object, to hot, cold, or lukewarm. Heat up food. Chill a drink. Change the taste of food or drink by transforming it into a differently-seasoned version of itself. Change the color of an object. Inscribe text onto an object, or erase text from an object. Abilities (36) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (27) + Feats (5) + Powers (86) - Drawbacks (0) = 185/187 Power Points

Nah, that IC post was fine, no need for a retcon. Technically, he doesn't have to drink as much for the Mind Reading as he does for the Drain, but like his complications state, it's still a constant battle to not just drink 'em dry. And it looks like he got all the info he was gonna get.

So another Will save vs Emotion Control (Fear)? Or something else? If so, what's the DC? Here's a Will save: 19.

Strix will go for one of the boxes.

I don't know what to do. There's nothing I can do to destroy the possessed ink. Probably not even anything I can do to contain it...well, not all of it. But if Thorne and Horus are going to figure out a way to stop it, they'll probably need a sample to experiment on. Mister Strix's eyes glanced rapidly around the room he had found himself lurking in. Luckily, it appeared to be a store room. He spied some decorative glass boxes with hinged lids. Not perfect, maybe not even water-tight, but it'll have to do. He dropped down to the ground, without a sound as always, grabbed one of the glass boxes, emptied the candy onto the floor, and used it to catch some of the ink dripping down from the hole in the floor of the room above him. He slammed the lid shut quickly, and struggled to find the balance between keeping it clamped shut with his superhuman strength while not also crushing the flimsy glass box between his hands. "I GOT A SAMPLE!" he shouted to the others above him. "DO YOU NEED HELP EVACUATING?!"

In Brief: Jason Chorde + Non-Snarky Harry Dresden + Gender-flipped Witch-skin Mercy with Winston's barrier projector Character: Hex Power Level: 12 (Built as PL9) Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 180/180 Unspent Points: 0 Alternate Identity: Leonard "Len" Kepler Identity: Secret Legal Status: USA citizen with no criminal record Birthplace: By the side of a county road in rural Oregon, USA Base of Operations: Emerald City, Oregon/Washington, USA Residence: A small house-barge moored on the Southern Shore Occupation: Wizard Affiliations: Briana Whitethorne (Mentor), Mr. Hewitt (Ghost Butler), Various Elemental Spirits who maintain and defend his headquarters Family: Mother, Father, Two Younger Siblings (A set of fraternal twins, Brother and Sister), Various extended family members DESCRIPTION Age: 24 (Date of Birth: 1995) Apparent Age: 24 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian American mutt of mixed ancestry, including, but not limited to, Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and Scandinavian Height: 6’4" Weight: 285 lbs. Hair: Blond Eyes: Green (Gold when using magic) Hex carries a black wooden staff almost as tall as he is, carved from ebony and etched with dozens of runes. He wears a sleeveless indigo robe that goes down to about mid-calf, over a lighter lavender tunic. The robe has a high upturned collar, and is affixed to the tunic with a pair of brooches sitting just under his collar bones, purple sapphires about the size of chicken eggs cut into a hexagonal shape and set into gold. The tunic goes down to just above his knees, and is belted at the waist with an indigo sash. The chest of the tunic is embroidered with a black disc containing white lines arranged in a "Flower of Life" design, 19 small interlocking white circles arranged in a hexagon pattern inside one larger circle. The part of the tunic below the waist is slit to divide it into six flaps. Indigo trim traces along the bottom of the tunic. The baggy sleeves of the tunic are tucked into white leather bracers. The left bracer is also etched with runes, and studded with another gold-set egg-sized hexagonal-cut purple sapphire. Below the tunic he wears a pair of baggy indigo leggings, tucked into knee-high white leather boots with large fold-over cuffs. Over his eyes, he wears a set of leather goggles. The strap is soft leather, while the part around the eyes is boiled hard leather. The lenses appear to be glass, but are actually crystal, transparent from the inside but opaque from the outside. When he uses his magic, his irises take on a slight golden glow, which sometimes shines brightly enough to be visible from behind the goggles. When not actively wizarding, his enchanted vestments transform into normal clothing which makes him look like just another Pacific Northwest hipster: A zip-up hooded jacket, blue jeans, combat boots, and a red and black plaid flannel shirt. His goggles turn into vintage-style black square-frame glasses with non-prescription lenses. His bracer morphs into a hexagonal wristwatch with a broken motor, the hands stuck permanently at 6 o'clock ("It's right twice a day!"). Len's body type is colloquially known as a "bear" or a "dad-bod." He's bulky, and extremely hairy, from head to toe. The hair below his neck is significantly darker than the hair on his head, making it stand out. The bulk is mostly muscle, which his body builds easily, layered over a wide frame (he really is "big-boned"), but it's covered with enough fat (which his body also accumulates easily) to completely obscure any definition. His head and hands are both slightly larger in proportion to his body than a normal adult, which makes him appear overall even bulkier. HISTORY Leonard Kepler was born in the right place at the right time. His parents lived in Emerald City, and it was expected that he would be born there. However, during his mother's ninth month of pregnancy, her father, his maternal grandfather, died suddenly. His parents had to drive out to the remote small town in rural Oregon where he lived for the funeral. They had no idea that their route passed close by a nexus point where several "ley lines" of magical energy crossing the planet intersected, spilling that magical energy into the nearby area. They also didn't know that they passed under a very specific and rare alignment of stars in the sky. Leonard's mother went into labor on the way to her father's funeral, and delivered her son into a point of time and space which imbued him with a natural talent for channeling magical energy and imposing his will upon it. His parents made it just in time for the funeral, with the new baby in tow, making the whole occasion emotionally complicated for all involved. Len's childhood was unremarkable at first. He excelled academically, so his parents made sure to move wherever they could find the best schools in town. The best schools were always in rich neighborhoods, so his family, despite being poor, always wound up living on the periphery of rich neighborhoods, and he always wound up being the one poor kid in a class full of yuppies and trust-fund brats. He seemed normal until he was 8 years old, when his talent began to manifest, mostly in the form of astoundingly unlikely mechanical failures everywhere he went. He was always big for his age, but when puberty hit, he grew like a weed. The combination of being a "teacher's pet," a "fat ogre," poor, and a walking technical difficulty was more than the adolescent could take, so he began lashing out. This caused the manifestations of his magical talents to intensify, which eventually drew supernatural attention to him. As a goddess of Chaos, Eris, also known as Discordia (see Threat Report), became aware of Len when he was eleven years old, and sent her minions to recruit him. Fortunately for Len, and probably the rest of the world, that effort was foiled by Briana Whitethorne, an old-school broom-riding, wand-firing, cauldron-stirring, gravelly voiced, Scotch-drinking, pipe-smoking, dirty joke telling ("Hey, grasp my rod! Hah!") witch. Briana intercepted and defeated the minions of Eris, and convinced Len's parents to let her take him on as her apprentice. For the next twelve years, while his siblings went to school, Len spent nine months out of every year by Briana's side, studying and practicing in her pocket-dimension home, and taking frequent jaunts across the multiverse, dimension-hopping to alternate Earths, visiting different time periods, and even traveling to more exotic planes of existence, like the Astral and the Elemental Realms. Briana appeared to be in her mid-fifties, but various interactions and artifacts Len observed over the years suggested she was much older. Briana taught Len how to use spells, conduct rituals, and forge and brew magical talismans and potions, to control, direct, and when necessary, unleash the magical energy he tapped into. Almost as a by-product of the different magical traditions they researched, he wound up with a knowledge base of history and mythology worthy of a graduate degree in several different humanities. In 2018, after a dozen years, Briana declared one day, with no warning and little fanfare, that Len was her student no longer, but a wizard in his own right, and announced her intention to leave, though she did not say where (or when?) she was going. She bequeathed the pocket universe and all its contents to Len as a "graduation present," pulling up its dimensional anchor and folding up the whole thing into a literal deed which she signed over to him before departing. He decided to purchase a house-barge moored on the Emerald City coast and anchor the pocket dimension there, where he could keep a safe distance from the heart of the city while still having relatively easy access to it. From there, he casts daily divinations to determine when and where he'll be needed to protect the city and its people. PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION In any comedy duo, Len would be the Straight Man that a Wacky Zany Guy would play off of. He carried a lot of anger when he was a child, but his training with Briana, especially in meditation, helped him to let go of that anger a long time ago. When he learned how to control his magic, he also learned how to control his feelings. The angry kid grew up to be a mellow adult, a "gentle giant" who just tries to be nice to people, help out, do the right thing, and avert or de-escalate conflicts instead of initiating or exacerbating them. He radiates a calm, quiet confidence that many people find disarming (a confidence borne of over a decade of traveling the multiverse and escaping or fighting off Death in many forms), with a big smile that comes easily and spreads all the way up to his eyes. When he's not saving the world, or researching new ways to save the world, he likes to curl up with a cup of coffee and a good book, or sing and play on his guitar (at which he's middling, at best). He's a regular at one of the rare local coffee houses that doesn't have wi-fi, for obvious reasons. POWERS & TACTICS Hex has a natural talent for tapping into and channeling the "raw and chaotic magical energy" of The Phoros, another dimension inhabited by beings of the same name, "immortal, immaterial, glowing spheres of light and fire." (See The Book of Magic.) His magical training focused on bringing Order out of that primordial Chaos to which he was attuned, in several different ways. He can cast spells, conduct rituals, or imbue physical items with magic power. Generally, the more time and labor intensive the method of shaping and controlling the magic, the less chance there is of it "leaking out" and wreaking havoc on himself or his environment (see "Walking Techbane" under "Complications," below). He casts spells by quickly speaking incantations and tracing symbols in the air with his fingers. The words are mostly from ancient Atleantean and Lemurian dialects, though they sometimes include snippets of more "mundane" ancient languages, like Egyptian, Greek, Latin, Old Norse, or Sanskrit. They are mostly invocations, entreaties, or references to various mystical entities, realms, and forces across the multiverse. Some of the symbols he traces in the air are Atlantean or Lemurian runes (though, again, sometimes they belong to more "mundane" dead tongues), while others are sigils he created himself, which would require study of his own notes in his private spellbooks to understand. Often, while casting, golden flames will erupt from his eyes and surround his hands, and his fingers will leave burning streaks in the air which will linger for several moments. When trying to go unnoticed, he can whisper or mutter the incantations, and suppress the light show, but the spells are usually more effective when the casting is more bombastic and theatrical. This is the use of his magic which generates the desired effect most quickly, but which is also the most likely to disrupt local technology and/or "snap back" on him, so he limits himself to minor utility spells. He can also conduct lengthy rituals, using a complex combination of spoken incantations, physical movements, runes drawn or carved upon objects and/or the surrounding environment, certain clothes worn (or not worn), and employing all manner of special props or ingredients, ranging from candle flames to animal body parts. His most common application for this use of his magic is to draw an arcane circle upon the ground and cast specially-crafted rune stones into it, in order to divine past and future events, in a manner similar to Scandinavian mystics (though the runes carved upon his stones are all sigils of his own design). He does this regularly in order to figure out when and where his aid will be needed. This use of his magic is less likely to disrupt local technology or harm himself than spell casting, but it is also far more time and labor intensive. Finally, he can imbue magical energy into physical items. This method of magic use is by far the most time and labor intensive for him, but is also the one least likely to cause chaotic side-effects, as it imposes the most direct and permanent "Order" upon the innate "Chaos" of his magic. The items are most effective and resilient when he crafts them himself, which is why his tutelage under Briana included "mundane" skills like sewing, carpentry, and metalsmithing. Then he etches magical runes, mostly sigils of his own design, into the object. Often, the etchings are filled in with ink or dust which includes exotic ingredients. Most of the magical items he crafts are temporary in nature, limited use protective charms or brewed potions which provide some power after consumption which wears off once the liquids have been fully metabolized. The few permanent items he has created involved "locking down" a significant portion of his own personal magical talent, basically carving off a piece of his own soul and trapping it inside the object. If the object were destroyed, that piece of his soul would come rushing back into him, with potentially explosive results. Hex's magic focuses mainly on the summoning, shaping, and unleashing of direct "force," a magical version of pure kinetic energy. To protect himself and others, he uses the runes embedded in his robes to create selectively-permeable force fields and constructs, in the form of glowing golden transparent floating hexagons. To shelter large groups or to protect people from explosions or falling debris, he'll create domes or walls made up of multiple interlocking hexagons, what some would call a "beehive barrier." When he requires personal defense, he'll create one or more hexagons of various sizes, some connected and some not, which will hover and orbit around him, rapidly repositioning themselves and clustering together as necessary to block incoming attacks. Other runes woven into the back of his robes harness that same force to create giant feathered wings of pure energy which allow him to fly. The runes carved into his staff, meanwhile, allow him to cast healing spells, or, if combat is required, to cover the staff in one of several different glowing auras, each a different color accompanying a different effect. One punches opponents away, while another punches through them, and a third ignores their physical body to punch their soul (or rough equivalent). Hex also dabbles in dimensional magic, mostly for travel and storage, and minor divination (obtain information, find what is lost), conjuration (create something from nothing) and transmutation (alter the something that already exists) spells for utility. He doesn't use any mind-controlling or mind-altering magic, or any necromancy aside from the "white necromancy" of healing wounds and curing diseases, in both cases more for ethical reasons than on account of any lack of aptitude. Hex has his talent for channeling magic because of when and where he was born, but that talent has nothing to do with genetics. His parents are both physically unremarkable, and any examination or testing of his body or genes would show a "normal" baseline human. The change brought on by the circumstances of his birth was not to his body, but to his soul. In combat, Hex's first priority is always to see to the safety of victims and innocent bystanders. He'll throw up protective barriers, heal the wounded, spirit people away from the combat zone, and otherwise use his powers and even his own body to intercept any potential harm to civilians first, only actually crossing swords with supervillains if it's the last option. If he does engage in direct combat, then he tries to keep a cool head, use the minimum force required, and offer the villains multiple chances to surrender peacefully. If they finally do surrender, he'll take them up on it without hesitation, even if they spurned previous offers. COMPLICATIONS Disruption: There is no such thing as perfect order. Some chaos always slips out. Every system, no matter how efficient, wastes some energy. If Hex fails a Concentration check to maintain a power, then in addition to letting the power switch off, the GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for declaring that he has lost control of his magic; it "misfires" in some way that causes something bad to happen. (Based on the drawback introduced in The Book of Magic.) Enemy (Eris): Eris still hasn't forgotten the boy who spurned her. Her minions clashed with Briana and Len several times during Len's apprenticeship. And now that the boy is a man, Briana isn't around to protect him anymore. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for Eris or her minions or pawns attacking or otherwise disrupting him at the worst possible times. Honor: Some villains are going to escape or gain some sort of advantage because Hex will be too busy helping an innocent bystander to stop them. Other villains are going to get surprise attacks on Hex because they offered a phony surrender or begged for mercy and he relented. Obligations (Family, Mentor): If Briana or his family call for his help, he'll drop everything and run to their aid. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for having them request his aid at the worst possible times. Prejudice: While out on the town, Len disguises himself as just another hipster, and for better or for worse, a lot of people are going to treat him as such. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for a penalty or automatic failure on a Diplomacy check if the NPC hates what they think Len represents. Rivalry (Siblings): Len's siblings have been justifiably jealous of his awesome magical life at several points during their emotional development, and others could potentially play on that jealousy, either to gain information about him, or even to enlist direct aid in harming him. Even if one of them had to be mind-controlled into betraying him, they would suffer a penalty to resist that mind control effect, since it would play on their existing darkest desires. Secret (Identity): Len has a loving local family, and any adversaries who learned about his double life could threaten or harm them. Walking Techbane: The type of magic Hex uses is fundamentally incompatible with technology. His magic comes from Chaos, and Technology is an application of Order. Technology uses the existing laws of physics to perform tasks, while his magic changes and distorts the local laws of physics. The use of his magic, and sometimes merely his presence, causes Reality to fight with itself, and the outcome is never certain. For Hex, using magic in the vicinity of machines is like shoving his hand into the innards of an active engine. It's possible that his hand will be fine, but that the engine parts will break or slip out of place, bringing the whole thing grinding to a halt. It's also possible that his hand will be shredded but the engine will go on running without noticing. Or it's possible that his hand will be shredded and the engine will break. Any time Hex uses his magic near a machine (the GM can decide what "near" means), the GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for inflicting one or more of the following consequences: Hex's effective power rank is reduced. Hex's power effect just fails. Hex suffers Damage, or some other Attack power effect. One or more nearby machines malfunctions, shuts off, surges, shorts out, and/or breaks. Hex hits one or more nearby machines with an Uncontrolled Nullify effect, and/or an Uncontrolled Damage or Disintegrate effect, effectively Linked to whatever power he was using, possibly with the Side-Effect flaw (so that he will suffer Damage or some other Attack power effect if the machines make their saving throws). ABILITIES 36PP Strength: 18 (+4) (Heavy Load: 300 lbs.) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 18 (+4) COMBAT 16PP Initiative: +0 (+0 Dex) Attack: +4, +8 Magic Staff Grapple: +8 (+4 Melee Attack, +4 Str) Defense: +8/+4 (+4 Base, +4 Magic Robes), +4/+2 Flat-Footed Toughness: +10/+4 (+4 Con, +6 Force Field) Knockback Resistance: 5/2 ATTACK RANGE SAVING THROW EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC19 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Staff Strike Touch +5ft DC21 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Staff Strike (Blue Aura) Touch +5ft DC19 Fortitude (Harmless) Healing + Boost Staff Strike (Gold Aura) Touch +5ft Opposed Trip vs +10 Prone + Knockback DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Staff Strike (Red Aura) Touch +5ft DC20 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Toughness DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy, Lethal) Staff Strike (Violet Aura) Touch +5ft DC20 Will (Staged) Drain Wisdom DC25 Will (Staged) Damage (Energy) Force Construct (Dropped) Touch* DC19 Reflex Avoided DC24 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Force Construct (Trap) Touch DC19 Reflex Trapped inside object Finding Spell 200 miles DC19 Will Limited ESP Element/Energy Spells Perception DC11 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Toughness DC16 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Any “Magic”) Telekinesis Perception/Area Opposed Grapple vs +1 Pinned/Bound DC16 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Dimensional Pocket Touch/Grapple DC16 Reflex Trapped inside pocket dimension *The force constructs can only be created at Touch-range, but if he were flying or otherwise elevated, he could potentially create one in mid-air and then drop it onto one or more enemies. SAVING THROWS 15PP Fortitude: +8 (+4 Con, +4PP) Reflex: +8/+4 (+0 Dex, +4 Magic Robes, +4PP) Will: +10 (+3 Wis, +7PP) SKILLS 88R = 22PP Concentration 7 (+10) Craft (Artistic) 12 (+15) Craft (Structural) 12 (+15) Diplomacy 6 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 12 (+15) Knowledge (History) 7 (+10) Knowledge (Theology/Philosophy) 7 (+10) Languages 2 (Atlantean, English [Native], Lemurian) Notice 7 (+10) Perform (Singing) 1 (+5) Perform (Stringed Instruments) 1 (+5) Search 7 (+10) Sense Motive 7 (+10) FEATS 5PP Artificer Attack Specialization (Magic Staff) Equipment 8 (40EP)Veteran Reward Interpose Ritualist Trance EQUIPMENT 8PP = 38/40EP Acoustic Guitar [1EP] Masterwork Chalk & Rune Stones [1EP] Masterwork Compass [1EP] Fixed-Gear Bicycle (Vehicle) [6EP] Size: Medium [0EP] Defense: 0 (DC10) [0EP] Toughness: 6 [1EP] Strength: 20 (Medium Load: 266 lbs.) [2EP] Powers: [3EP] Features 1 (Marked with a magic rune) [1EP] Speed 2 (25MPH) [2EP] Pocket Dimension Inside A Barge House (PL12 HQ) [29EP] On the outside, a small trailer home sitting on a flat-bottom boat, little more than a raft with a motor attached. On the inside, a mansion. The interior structure is maintained and defended by a few dozen elemental spirits, organized by Mr. Hewitt, the ghost butler who served Briana Whitethorne and decided to remain with the estate when it changed hands. One room contains a standing portal to the Elemental Realms. The elemental spirits are of limited intelligence, greater than a normal animal but less than that of a person. Most of them take the forms of animals, such as dogs and birds. The spirits can use that portal freely to return to their home dimension at any time; they are not slaves. However, in order to enter the estate from the Elemental Realms, they must accept a voluntary geas which imposes a non-aggression pact between them, and obligates them to clean, repair, and defend the manse for as long as they choose to occupy it, in exchange for a regular supply of "treats" for them to consume. These "treats" mostly consist of manifestations of opposing elements which they can consume. For example, the water spirits are usually provided with fire for them to quench. Mr. Hewitt is the ghost of an Englishman. He appears as a translucent pale blue version of his former self, with a wisp of blue mist instead of legs. He is not bound to the manse; in fact, he refers to it as his "refuge." He politely deflects any attempts to pry into his reasons for staying and serving the household. Cryptic comments have indicated that he was a butler in life as well, and that he lived through both World Wars. Size: Diminutive Exterior / Large Interior [2EP] Toughness: 10 [1EP] Features: [26EP] Defense System 4 (Damage, Snare, Suffocate, Trip) (Spirits) Dimensional Portal (Elemental Realms of Air, Earth, Fire, & Water) Dual Size Fire Prevention System (Spirits) Greenhouse Holding Cells 2 (Toughness 15, Nullify) Library 2 (Masterwork) Living Space Personnel (Spirits) Pool Powers 2 (36/48PP) Comprehend 3 (Languages 2 [Speak Any/All Simultaneously], Spirits, Extras: Affects Others, Area [General, Stationary, Burst], Flaws: Limited [Others], Feats: Progression [Area Size] 4 [100ft/rank = 300ft radius]) [13PP] (Translation Runes) Communication 7 (Range: 200 miles, Sense Type: Mental, Extras: Area, Linked [ESP], Flaws: Limited [One-Way], Medium [Reflective Surfaces], Feats: Dimensional [Earth-Prime], Selective) [6PP] (Scrying Mirror) ESP 7 (Range: 200 miles, Sense Types: Auditory + Visual, Extras: Duration [Sustained], Simultaneous, Flaws: Action 2 [Full], Medium [Reflective Surfaces]) [14PP] When Hex uses the mirror, every reflective surface within the area becomes a potential window through which he can see and hear. If an intelligent creature is near one of those surfaces, Hex can communicate with them telepathically. They will see his image in the mirror, and hear his voice as if he were speaking to them, but it's all in their mind. They will have to speak or write to reply, so any other observers will see or hear them normally, but those other observers will only catch a glimpse of Hex in the mirror and hear his voice if they make a DC17 Notice check. Features 1 (Temporal Inertia) [1PP] (Pocket Dimension Outside of Space and Time) Swimming 2 (5MPH) [2EP] The physical motor attached to the rear of the barge doesn't work. It's just for show. When Hex needs to move the barge, he activates runes etched into the underside to summon a water elemental. Sealed (Defensive Runes) Security System 2 (DC25) (Defensive Runes) Self-Repairing (Spirits) Think-Tank (Spirits) Workshop 4 (Mundane Crafts, Magical Inventions, Both Masterwork) 1 + 1 + 1 + 6 + 29 = 38EP POWERS 86PP Devices 11 (55PP Container [Passive, Permanent], Flaws: Hard-To-Lose, Feats: Quick Change [Transforms into normal clothes and accessories as a Free Action], Restricted [Magic users]) [46PP] Magic Robes: [28PP] (Transforms into normal clothing) Enhanced Defense 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Reflex, Force Field, Immunity]) [8PP] ("Abbridon’s Aegis") Enhanced Reflex 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Defense, Force Field, Immunity]) [4PP] Force Field 6 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Reflex, Immunity], Feats: Selective) [7PP] Immunity 2 (Critical Hits, Extras: Force Field [Free Action, Sustained Duration], Linked [Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Reflex, Force Field], Flaws: Unreliable [50%]) [1PP] Flight 3 (50MPH / 500ft per Move Action) [6PP] ("Abbridon’s Wings") Immunity 2 (Environmental Cold, Environmental Heat) [2PP] ("Abbridon's Succor") Magic Bracer: [14PP] (Transforms into a wristwatch) Create Object 9 (Max Volume: 9 cubes, Max Toughness: 9, Lifting Strength: 45 [Heavy Load: 6 tons], Extras: Linked [Environment Control], Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Progression [Max Volume] 1 [10ft cubes], Selective, Stationary, Tether) [13PP] (Force Constructs, "Abbridon’s Aegis") Environment Control 1 (Light [Level 2], Area: 5ft radius, Extras: Linked [Create Object], Flaws: Range [Touch]) [1PP] (Glowing Force Constructs, "Abbridon's Lantern") Magic Goggles: [13PP] (Transforms into a pair of glasses) Comprehend 1 (Languages 1 [Read Any]) [2PP] ("Eyes of Ios") Super-Senses 4 (All Visual-type senses, Extras: Counters Concealment, Counters Illusion) [4PP] ("Eyes of Ios") Super-Senses 10 (Magic Awareness, Descriptor Frequency: Very Common, Sense Type: Visual [Default: Accurate, Acute, Ranged], Extras: Counters Obscure ["Darkness" Descriptor], Penetrates Concealment, Tracking, Flaws: Limited [Counters Obscure only works for an individual sense, the Magic Awareness, not the entire Visual sense type], Drawbacks: Power Loss [Penetrates Concealment cannot penetrate Lead, Frequency: Uncommon]) [8PP] (Magic Aura Vision, "Eyes of Ios") Vulnerability (Visual Sensory effects, while Super-Senses are active, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Device 7 (35PP Container [Passive, Permanent], Flaws: Easy-To-Lose, Feats: Restricted [All powers except the Staff Strike are restricted to Magic users]) [22PP] (Magic Staff) Environment Control 1 (Light [Level 2], Area: 5ft radius, Extras: Action 2 [Free], Flaws: Range [Touch]) [3PP] ("Abbridon's Lantern") Magic Staff 14 (28PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 4) [32PP] Base Power: [5PP] (Staff Strike) Damage 2 (Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Mighty) [5PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Azure Aura, "Abbridon’s Healing Touch") Healing 9 (Extras: Action [Standard], Restorative, Flaws: Limited [Others], Feats: Extended Reach [10ft]) [28PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Golden Aura, "Abbridon's Rebuke") Damage 6 (Extras: Linked [Trip], Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Knockback 8 [Effective Damage 18], Mighty) [17PP] Trip 10 (Extras: Knockback, Linked [Damage], Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Improved Throw) [11PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Violet Aura, "Ghost Strike," "Soul Strike," "Abbridon’s Judgement") Drain Wisdom 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Damage], Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Drawbacks: Full Power) [11PP] Damage 6 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will, 10 ranks], Linked [Drain], Feats: Mighty) [17PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Crimson Aura, "Jaws of Vhoka The Devourer") Drain Toughness 10 (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Damage], Feats: Accurate, Extended Reach [10ft], Incurable, Drawbacks: Full Power) [22PP] Damage 6 (Extras: Linked [Drain], Feats: Mighty, Drawbacks: Lethal) [6PP] Magic 5 (10PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 8) [18PP] Base Power: [10PP] (Channeling Raw Magical Energy, Chaos Magic, "Flames of Phoros") Drain Toughness 9 (Extras: Affects Objects, Area [General, Burst, 45ft radius], Linked [Damage, Nullify], Flaws: Distracting, Limited [Objects], Limited [Machines], Side-Effect [Damage], Drawbacks: Full Power) [2PP] Damage 9 (Extras: Area [General, Burst, 45ft radius], Linked [Drain, Nullify], Flaws: Distracting, Limited [Objects], Limited [Machines], Side-Effect [Damage]) [3PP] Nullify 9 (All “Technology” effects, Extras: Area [General, Burst, 45ft radius], Linked [Damage, Drain], Flaws: Distracting, Range [Touch], Side-Effect [Damage]) [5PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Conjuring Spells, "Weyan’s Wheel of Workings") Create Object 1 (Max Volume: 1 5ft cube, Lifting Strength: 5 [Heavy Load: 50 lbs.], Extras: Duration [Continuous], Range [Perception], Feats: Innate, Precise, Progression [Object Toughness] 5 [Max Toughness: 6], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [9PP] (Element/Energy Control Spells) Drain Toughness 1 (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Damage], Range 2 [Perception], Feats: Precise, Subtle, Variable Descriptor 2 [Any "Magic"], Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [6PP] Damage 1 (Extras: Linked [Drain], Range 2 [Perception]) [3PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Dimensional Magic, "Ahgrazul’s Vault") Dimensional Pocket 1 (Extras: Duration 3 [Continuous, Lasting], Flaws: Medium [Existing pockets and containers], Requires Grapple, Feats: Progression [Cargo] 8 [25 tons], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Force Magic, Telekinesis, "Hands of Lamal") Move Object 1 (Lifting Strength: 5 [Heavy Load: 50 lbs.], Extras: Area [General, Burst], Damaging, Range [Perception], Selective, Feats: Precise, Progression [Area Size] 4 [100ft/rank = 100ft radius], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [9PP] (Divination Magic, Rune-Casting Ritual) Super-Senses 8 (Postcognition, Precognition, Extras: Simultaneous, Drawbacks: Action 4 [1 minute], Noticeable, Power Loss 2 [When unable to conduct ritual, draw an elaborate circle on the ground, and/or when deprived of specially prepared rune stones, Frequency: Common]) [9PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Divination Magic, Finding Spell) Telelocation 7 (Range: 200 miles, Extras: Duration [Sustained, Lasting], Flaws: Limited [Only learns the target's direction relative to him, not their exact location], Medium [Requires a piece of the target, or an object heavily infused with the target's resonance], Feats: Progression [Counter Rank / Saving Throw] 2 [Rank 9 / DC19], Rapid 8 [x100,000,000, Take 20 to Search maximum area in less than a second as a Free Action], Drawbacks: Action [1 minute], Noticeable, Power Loss 2 [When target is hidden behind a lead barrier, or when deprived of specially prepared compass, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Dimensional Magic, Folding Space, Teleportation, "Gates of Ios") Teleport 4 (Range: 1 mile, Extras: Accurate, Portal [Duration: Concentration], Flaws: Action [Move Action to open portal], Distracting [Flat-Footed on any round when he opens or maintains a portal], Medium [Existing Doors], Feats: Change Direction, Dimensional [Between Earth-Prime and Pocket Dimension HQ], Progression [Portal Size] 1 [10ft x 10ft], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [10PP] (Transmutation Spells) Transform 1 (Any Inanimate Object Into Any Other Inanimate Object, Extras: Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Range [Perception], Feats: Progression [Mass] 3 [10 lbs.], Precise, Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [When unable to speak and gesture, Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Abilities (36) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (22) + Feats (5) + Powers (86) - Drawbacks (0) = 180/180 Power Points

I'll dissent a little and say that, given this is a relatively squishy skill-focused character, you could probably get away with only hitting PL9 caps in combat, still run with PL10s, and make up for it with utility and minion-sweeping. But if you do that, trust me, you will feel the difference in raw combat effectiveness between you and any PL10s you run with. I also want to clarify, in regard to PL caps, that they're supposed to represent you at your absolute best, under ideal circumstances. If you've got a character with stuff like Attack Specialization, Favored Enemy, Favored Environment, and Sneak Attack, then they're not going to hit their max PL cap in every fight. They're only going to fight at their full "power" when they're using their best weapon against their worst enemy on their home turf when they've got the drop on them. And that's perfectly OK. The tradeoff between universal effectiveness at premium cost, or massive discounts for narrower specialization, is a fundamental part of the M&M rules mechanics, and you're free to choose where on that spectrum you want to be. I saw in the Discord that you were told the cap for skills is PL+5. I wanted to clarify that, since it's a point of frequent confusion in the 2E rules. Your skill ranks in each skill are capped at PL+5. But your Ability bonus is also and separately capped at PL+5. So, technically, a PL10 character could have an ability at 40 (+15), and 15 ranks in a skill, for a total skill bonus of +30. (That's wildly excessive, but technically possible.) As far as the skills go, I would recommend the following: Crack open the "Skills" chapter of the core book. For each skill you intend to use and want to succeed with, read its description, paying close attention to the DCs for tasks associated with that skill. Check which skills you can take 10 and/or 20 with, and under what circumstances. Then buy your skill bonuses to the point where they're about 10 away from the DCs you want to reliably hit by rolling or taking 10, and within 20 of the tasks you can and will take 20 for. The task DCs vary wildly from one skill to another, so you need to adapt your build to each one if you want to actually succeed on skill checks. And for a character like this, actually succeeding on skill checks is mostly your purpose for existing. Your attack bonus is wrong. Attack Focus (Melee or Ranged) adds +1 per rank, but Attack Specialization (like Unarmed) adds +2 per rank, since it's narrower in focus. Also keep in mind, if you use Attack Specialization (Unarmed), that it doesn't add to your Grapple bonus, the way base Attack bonus or Attack Focus (Melee) would. I wouldn't recommend more than one rank of Sneak Attack. That first rank is a bargain, 1PP for +2 damage, melee or ranged. After that, though, it's not really worth the cost. 1PP for very limited +1 damage isn't a good deal. You've already got a decent Stealth, but if you really wanna get some mileage out of Sneak Attack, then consider buying your Bluff up higher so you can reliably Feint in combat. Taking one rank of Sneak Attack is really common for Batman types in this system. It's an easy, cheap way to, for example, fight at PL9 most of the time, but get a "power-up" to PL10 when the stars align. I would echo the recommendations for Uncanny Dodge if you're going to be using Dodge Focus and Defensive Roll, and Evasion for any "more agile than tough" type. I would make the Datalink an Alternate Power of the Radio Communication. I don't see you wanting to use those both at once often enough to justify buying them separately. And you need to scrape up all the points you can for this type of character. I would ditch the Sensory Shield (borderline useless), Impervious 3 (absolutely useless), the Sure-Footed (you've got Gliding to get you where you need to go, and you could get Swinging for a grapple at the same price), the Radio Super-Sense (Radio Communication already allows you to receive other Radio Communication while it's active), and Ultravision (Low-Light Vision + Infravision makes it redundant). I can tell you copy/pasted the Utility Belt template right out of the core book. I wouldn't do that, because core book templates are crap. I would replace the Area types on those grenades with Burst instead of Explosion (the latter is a nightmare to keep track of in play-by-post), and I wouldn't bother taking any attack effect you're not going to buy up to at least rank 6. Below that, even Minions are going to make the save most of the time. Also keep in mind that the "Utility Belt" power array from the core book is just that, a power array. They don't make it very clear in the chapter where it appears. And when you build a power array, each alternate power has as many points to work with as the base power. So there's no reason to arbitrarily limit yourself on the ranks for APs like the Snare or the Stun when you've got 16EP to work with on that flash-bang. But if I were you, I'd redesign each attack power from the ground up, and, again, not bother taking it if you can't get the cost down to the point where you can afford at least 6 ranks. A quick note on the name: Yes, it's true that it seems to be something of a tradition for Freedomverse Cowls to take names associated with birds. But until very recently*, the only character in the setting to take the name of an owl was Die Eule (German for "The Owl"), the Nazi Batman described in the Golden Age sourcebook. And because of him, the whole idea of an "Owlman" has been tainted ever since. So keep in mind, if you do name your costumed detective after some type of owl, characters who are familiar with history might find it in poor taste. Maybe you want that source of in-character drama and tension, maybe you don't, but you deserve a heads-up. The fact that your character is from an alternate universe, where it doesn't have that sort of association, makes it fitting. *I say "until very recently" because my own Cowl also has an owl name and motif. But he's also a poorly-disguised vampire, so "bad branding" isn't high on the lists of complaints from other characters.

Ok, I think I've got it. Strix will try to capture a sample of the ink in his room, using Wall-Crawling and Leaping as necessary to keep from touching it directly. Is there anything in the room with him that would make a suitable improvised container, or should he burn a Hero Point for a temporary Equipment feat rank?

Mister Strix will swap over to his Nauseate + Mind Reading and Postcognition power and take 10 on an attack roll with All-Out + Power Attack, hitting DC18 (Defense +8) to initiate a grapple. Grapple check: 30. Let me know if I need to edit my post, but I assume the thug can't beat that. That's a Will save for the thug against two linked Will effects, so he uses one roll for both. It's a static DC20 for the Nauseate, and a contested save against a Mind Reading check of 18, plus whatever Postcognition shows him.

Mister Strix's keen ears felt every vibration from upstairs as the bodies hit the floor, just as they picked up every word of the soliloquy from the jovial giant who dispatched them. His lips curled up into a sinister smile. Gun's jammed. Friends down. Don't have to worry about taking either one out of the equation. The man in white spun around and grabbed the last gangster's throat. His fingers clamped down around the man's neck like a mechanical vise, and pulled him close. So congratulations. You get my undivided attention. And thanks to you, I worked up quite a thirst. The vampire's fangs extended and he bit into the thug's skin. His body shuddered as the first few drops of the man's blood hit his suddenly elongated tongue.

23 is much higher than his Defense, so that hits. Toughness save (DC23): 21. Officer Friendly takes another Injury. Initiative & Condition Summary 17: Arrowhawk (3HP, Bruised x3, Injured x2) 16: The Tattered Man (3HP, Bruised, Injured) 05: Mister Strix (3HP, Injured) 05: Officer Friendly (Injured x3)

I'm having a difficult time following exactly what's happening. Can someone please explain to me exactly what's happening and where everything is in relation to everything else? I feel lost.