Amelia

Don't I get the new save on his turn, not mine?

In terms of fluff, the one part that sticks out to me is that a village in England during the Dark Ages would react positively to a girl who could transform into a shadow-monster. Once she'd used the power to save the village, then, sure, that might happen, but even then they might turn on her as soon as the danger passed. In terms of crunch, Thevshi's right, she's not hitting combat caps for Power Level 8. Simply put, you want your highest possible Attack, Damage, Defense, and Toughness Save to all be at 8. And you can trade off between Attack and Damage if you want, and/or between Defense and Toughness. So you could do Attack 10 and Damage 6, or Defense 4 and Toughness 12, anything like that, as long as Attack+Damage and Defense+Toughness each average out to 8, your power level. That way, a GM can look at your sheet, see "Power Level 8", and know what level of shenanigans they can throw at you. My recommendation as far as the overall build would be to make sure she hits caps when she's in her shadow-form, but leave her under-capped outside of it, and ditch the sword/shield/armor. That way, she has a reason to use her shadow form in the first place. And any museum would love to have those pieces. Here's an alternate build I worked up. I had to make some hard choices; there was easily another 30-40PP worth of stuff I wanted to include. But I had to focus. I kept the high Charisma but I ditched most of the social skills, with the logic that, as a stranger in a strange land, she isn't yet accumulated fully to modern society, and as she gets more used to it (and you earn more points), she'll get her groove back and be able to sweet-talk people like she used to. I ditched the Concealment effect and just gave her a sky-high Stealth score instead. I ditched the Additional Limbs because she can't grapple people while Insubstantial (at least not without paying for the Affects Corporeal extra on her Strength score, which I couldn't afford), and it doesn't really do anything mechanically outside of grappling. I figured "growing a bunch of tentacles" can be part of the descriptor for the Enhanced Intimidation and Fear powers. Power Level: 10 (Built as PL8) Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 150/150 ABILITIES 2 + 8 + 8 + 4 + 8 + 10 = 40PP Strength: 12 (+1) Dexterity: 26/18 (+8/+4) Constitution: 26/18 (+8/+4) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 20 (+5) COMBAT 8 + 6 = 14PP Initiative: +8/+4 (+8/+4 Dex) Attack: +4, +8 Melee (+4 Base, +4 Attack Focus) Grapple: +9 (+8 Melee Attack, +1 Strength), Immune while Insubstantial Defense: +8 (+3 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback Resistance: 4/2 SAVING THROWS 0 + 0 + 5 = 4PP Toughness: +8/+4 (+8/+4 Con) Fortitude: +8/+4 (+8/+4 Con, +0PP) Reflex: +8/+4 (+8/+4 Dex, +0PP) Will: +8 (+4 Wis, +4PP) SKILLS 44R = 11PP Acrobatics 2 (+10/+6) Climb 4 (+5) Concentration 4 (+8) Handle Animal 1 (+6) Intimidation 0 (+18/+5) Languages 1 (English, Old English [Native]) Medicine 1 (+5) Notice 6 (+10) Perform (Sing) 5 (+10) Perform (Dance) 5 (+10) Search 8 (+10) Sense Motive 5 (+9) Stealth 1 (+20/+5) Survival 1 (+5) FEATS 15PP Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Distract (Intimidation) Dodge Focus 5 Luck 2 Startle Takedown Attack Track Enhanced: Evasion 2 POWERS 74PP Shadow Form 14 (70PP Container [Active: Free Action, Sustained Duration]) [70PP] Enhanced Constitution 8 [8PP] Enhanced Dexterity 8 [8PP] Enhanced Feats 2 (Evasion 2) [2PP] Enhanced Skills 24 (Intimidation 13, Stealth 11) [6PP] Insubstantial 3 (Energy [Darkness/Shadow]; Immune to Physical Damage, and Energy Damage with the "Darkness/Shadow" descriptor; Extras: Duration [Continuous]; Flaws: Permanent) [15PP] Shadow Power 10 (20PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [22PP] Base Power: [20PP] Damage 7 (Extras: Affects Corporeal [8 ranks]; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2 [Full effect], Incurable, Mighty, Variable Descriptor [Bludgeoning, Piercing, and/or Slashing Damage]) [20PP] Alternate Power: [19PP] Damage 8 (Extras: Alternate Save [Fortitude]; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Incurable) [19PP] Alternate Power: [16 + 4 = 20PP] Drain Wisdom 8 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Area [Visual Perception], Linked [Emotion Control]) [16PP] Emotion Control 8 (Extras: Area [Visual Perception], Linked [Drain]; Flaws: Limited [Fear], Range 2 [Touch]) [4PP] Speed 3 (50MPH, 500ft per Move Action) [3PP] Super-Movement 3 (Wall-Crawling 2 [Full Speed; Not Flat-Footed]; Water-Walking) [6PP] Super-Movement 1 (Dimensional Movement 1 [Schattenwelt]) [2PP] Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2PP] DRAWBACKS -8PP Vulnerability (Fire; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Moderate [+50% Effect Rank]) [-3PP] Vulnerability (Light; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Moderate [+50% Effect Rank]) [-3PP] Vulnerability (Silver; Frequency: Uncommon; Intensity: Moderate [+50% Effect Rank]) [-2PP] ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC16 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Fear Touch/Area DC18 Will (Staged) Drain Wisdom Shaken/Frightened/Panicked Life Drain Touch DC18 Fortitude (Staged) Damage (Energy) Shadow Weapons Touch DC23 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Abilities (40) + Combat (14) + Saving Throws (4) + Skills (11) + Feats (15) + Powers (74) - Drawbacks (8) = 150/150 Power Points

Fortitude save (DC22): 20. He's Slowed.

Strix drops into mist form and nopes the hell out of there. Once he gets some distance, he uses Extra Effort for a new save: 29. He's not Frightened anymore, but he is Fatigued. I'll have him come crashing back in at an opportune moment after another round or two of posting.

Mister Strix The last time Guy had felt a rush of pure panic like this was the first and last time he'd tried to end his own undead existence. The morning he went out to face the Sun, and became so overwhelmed with terror as his flesh burned that he couldn't help but flee its gaze. He'd only ever killed one person before, but that morning, when an unfortunate mortal found themselves in his path, when his instincts perceived them as a threat to his escape, he'd almost increased his count to two. The emergency room he'd dropped them off at assumed they were mauled by a wild animal, which, in a way, they were. This time, however, the light of the Sun wasn't there to trap him in his body. There was nothing to stop him from dissolving into a cloud of fine white mist and flying out the bathroom window. So that's exactly what he did, leaving only fogged-up mirrors and a wrecked trash can wedged against the door as evidence of his passing. He soared several blocks away before forcing himself to stop and collect himself, emotionally and physically. He clutched the sides of his head with his hands and closed his eyes and gradually the screaming in his head died down. Then his black eyes opened and glared hatefully back toward the jazz club. Neat trick. I've got a few of my own.

Will save (DC17): 12. Strix is Frightened and must try to flee. He'll be Shaken if he can't.

Octoman Most Green Squad members didn't mind the cold, and Octoman was no exception. The teenage shapeshifter was naked as usual, but he appeared to be wearing the distinctive black and yellow jumpsuit lined with blue spots which announced to anyone who followed his vlog that The Crime-Fighting Kraken had arrived on the scene. He stage-whispered to himself as he meandered about, taking in the majestic desert scene. "Dune...Arrakis...desert planet..." His fists shot up and out at 45-degree angles and he shouted to the sky. "FAAATHER!!! THE SLEEPER HAS AWAKENED!" He glanced around at his classmates. "No? Anyone?" He shook his head, then stretched and cracked his knuckles. "Nah, you're right, time to punch in. So you guys got anything that belonged to these guys? Like a dirty t-shirt or somethin'? Anything I can use to pick up the scent? Should be super-easy to track 'em out here, with all that NOTHING in the way."

That's enough to beat the linked Transform effect. And Strix has to make a contested power check, since Mind Control is weird like that: 17. So Davyd does break free.

Note: Strix's Mind Control is Linked to his Mental Transform, which is a static DC19, so Davyd failed that too; Strix just hasn't rewritten his memories yet. And that one's Continuous (Lasting), so he doesn't get new saves without extra effort. But I think we can assume that Davyd does that successfully at some point, even if it doesn't happen in this thread, especially since he remembers it clearly by the time of "Phone A Friend".

Mister Strix "A student?! You're just some college kid?!" Guy glared over his shoulder and let a growl slip at the sound of Lucy's voice coming from the other side of the door. Dammit. The one person in this place who probably can get that door open. Running out of time. This isn't going to look good no matter what I say. He turned back to Davyd. "Your own...?" He leaned in and sniffed. "...So it is. You...tagged me...with your own blood...so you could follow me? Why?! Who are you working for? Who put you up to this?" The kid's a pawn, or a distraction. He must be. He couldn't have known what he was getting into. I must have made more noise than I thought when I busted up those traffickers. Left more of a trail. Still sloppy.

Octoman Ben grinned and nodded at Eira's display. "Hell yeah." He elbowed one of the people standing near him, not bothering to check who it was. "See? She GETS it. ALWAYS make an entrance. Solid branding. She does that in front of a phone, I GUARANTEE Reddit turns it into a meme inside of a week." "Oh wow. Are you, like, a ghost? Were you murdered? Did you come back and kill the guy? Or is this, like, one of those alien energy being type things? Are you, like, higher up the evolutionary scale than us meatbags?" "Pan? He's cool. Kinda doin' the whole stranger-in-a-strange-land thing. Not, like, the polyamorous sex-cult, I just mean he's not from around here. He's, like, LITERALLY Peter Pan. Like, the dude here thought he was just dreaming it or something. Didn't know he was ACTUALLY making a DOCUMENTARY. Or that's what the P-Man says. I kinda got my own theory on that, that maybe the dude really DID make him up, and his whole world, like, didn't actually exist until then, but now it does, so, like, Pan WASN'T real, but he is NOW. Maybe I'm wrong, but, y'know, just in case, maybe be more careful what kinda fanfic you write." Ben was halfway through returning his signature double-finger-guns gesture when he reflexively jumped backward a couple feet as Mia vanished. "WHOA! There's, like, three or four kids at my school who can do that. Should totally be used to it by now. Totally still not." "Oh yeah, I guess so. I kinda don't really get cold anymore? Keep forgetting everyone else does." One of the orifices on the side of his torso quietly opened up like a blooming flower, and a tentacle slid out. It stretched and snapped across the room, grabbed a fresh towel off the pile, and snapped back to hover in front of Mia. "Oh hey, these are still warm."

Octoman "Uh, yeah, totally, that sounds awesome." Waitaminute, did she just...is she...is this a vibe? Ben's tentacles weren't stretched anymore, but they were still visible. After he'd deployed them, he'd more or less forgotten that they were out. While Mia was talking, they were sticking out of his back and sides, floating and drifting randomly in the air around them. Suddenly he felt self-conscious, and all of his tentacles were sucked back up into their internal pockets, sliding into his body with the usual slurping noise. He also made a conscious effort to close the gills lining both sides of his neck. "And yeah, the new 'do is sweet A-F. Like, legit impressive. I mean, I can do this..." He reached up and ran a hand through his medium-length Afro curls, and they changed color, from black to blue. "...But it's totally not the same. Pretty much goes away as soon as I stop thinkin' about it." His hair immediately faded back to black. "But yours, that, like, looks like it took EFFORT and stuff. You look like a freakin' ROCK STAR." NAAAHHH, c'mon, what're you thinkin'? You look in a mirror lately? And this ain't even a full dose of the freaky. This is just the edited for network TV broadcast freaky. Chica just wants to hang. And you're lucky she even wants THAT. Plus she's tight with Ginger Daisy Duke over there, and who KNOWS what crap SHE'S dug outta your head this year...CRAP IS SHE LISTENING RIGHT NOW?! Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap THINK ABOUT THE OCEAN THINK ABOUT THE OCEAN Ben was not thinking about the ocean.

Sorry. I don't actually have any Emerald City PCs right now. I see that Hex wasn't archived, but he should have been. I'm currently using his veteran reward slot on someone else.

Octoman When Ben came up for air, he saw Leroy and waved. "Yo, Prince Akheem! Isn't this place AMAZING?!" Then he saw the snack spread, and his jaw dropped open. "A pool...AND free food?! I'm dead, this is Heaven. Pour one out, I had a good run." He let his tentacles slip out of his torso. A couple of them shot up to the ceiling, hoisting him up out of the water, while a few more surged toward the buffet tables, winding around any people standing in their way. "'Scuse me, sorry, just gettin' my grub on, HELLO, 'suse me, score!" The suckers latched onto and curled around several food items, and then the tentacles retracted, pulling the food items in rapid succession into Ben's waiting mouth. He flashed two thumbs up to Bluebird and then retracted his tentacles from the ceiling, dropping back into the water. Ben's head came back up over the water just in time to watch Mia walk in. "Whoa." The water around him seemed to boil as he gave himself a boost into the air, landing on both feet and one hand near her. "YES, I am NAILING those lately." He stood up and held up a high-five for Mia. "Sick hair! FASHION-FIVE!"

Octoman Once he heard the word "pool", Ben Wang didn't hear much else. He did catch the bit about Aquaria not liking the cleaning chemicals, which suit him just fine. His enhanced sense of smell did make the chlorine scent more overpowering, but it didn't irritate his skin. More importantly, he could both enjoy being in the water and be less likely to run into the Deep One with whom he'd had such a contentious relationship, and as far as he was concerned, that was "win/win". He headed straight for the pool, dove in, and proceeded to forget that the rest of the world existed for a while. "WOOOOO!" His flesh shape-shifted mid-dive, so he appeared to be fully clothed when he first jumped, but by the time he hit the water, he was wearing nothing but a pair of black and yellow swimming briefs with blue dots running along the edges. He let his gills open up once he went under for the first time, and left them open when he resurfaced. Onlookers could see bursts of air bubbles expel from various spots on his body when he decided to flex his internal fluid bladders give himself a speed boost, cutting through the water like a brown torpedo.

Octoman Ben dropped down so that his chin was resting on the table, his nose just a few inches away from the black cube. "Hey. I'm Ben." He poked at it in a few places with his finger. "Whoa. So, like, what's your interface like? All voice commands? Can you make any kind of visual output? Or do you do, like, a psychic link kinda thing? Are you, y'know, self-aware? Are we talking true A.I. here? HALO-Cortana or Windows-Cortana? HAL or Clippy?" Ben slapped Davyd a high-five. "HELL YEAH! CONSPIRACY-BROS! Mulder and Scully up in here! The truth is out there and we're gettin' ALL up in its grill!" He turned to Daphne. "So what're we waiting for?"

Here's an alternate version of what I think you're trying to do, formatted closer to this site's standards: Power Level: 10 Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 150/150 Unspent Points: 0 Abilities 4 + 4 + 10 + 0 + 14 + 6 = 36PP Strength: 22/14 (+6/+2) Dexterity: 22/14 (+6/+2) Constitution: 30/20 (+10/+5) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 22 (+6) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat 12 + 10 = 22PP Initiative: +10/+6 (+6/+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Attack: +6, +10 Abyssal Blood Weapons Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12 Knockback Resistance: 5 Saving Throws 0 + 4 + 4 = 8PP Toughness: +10/+5 (+10/+5 Con) Fortitude: +10/+5 (+10/+5 Con, +0PP) Reflex: +10/+6 (+6/+2 Dex, +4PP) Will: +10 (+6 Wis, +4PP) Skills 36R = 9PP Acrobatics 14 (+20/+16) Disguise 0 (+3, +28 Morph) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 10 (+10) Notice 9 (+15) Survival 3 (+9) Feats 14PP Acrobatic Bluff Dodge Focus 5 Evasion Fearless Improved Initiative Luck 3 Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (Sense Type: Auditory) Powers 67PP Abyssal Blood Weapons 11 (22PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [24PP] (Descriptors: Unholy) Base Power: [22PP] (Additional Descriptors: Dranuth's Wrathful Blade) Damage 4 (Extras: Autofire [10 ranks]; Feats: Accurate 2 [+4 Attack], Affects Insubstantial 2, Extended Reach [10ft], Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Incurable) [22PP] Alternate Power: [20PP] (Additional Descriptors: Dahaka's Deceitful Form) Morph 5 (Any Form; +25 Disguise; Extras: Duration [Continuous]) [20PP] Alternate Power: [16 + 6 = 22PP] (Additional Descriptors: Caim's Treacherous Wings) Blast 10 (Range: 10 100ft Increments, 1,000ft Max; Flaws: Action [Full]; Feats: Accurate 2 [+4 Attack], Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Incurable, Precise) [16PP] (Additional Descriptors: Caim's Razor Feathers) Flight 3 (50MPH, 500ft per Move Action) [6PP] (Additional Descriptors: Caim's Fleetful Flight) Enhanced Dexterity 8 [8PP] (Descriptors: Half-Demon, Unholy) Enhanced Constitution 10 [10PP] (Descriptors: Half-Demon, Unholy) Enhanced Strength 8 [8PP] (Descriptors: Half-Demon, Unholy) Immunity 9 (Aging; Cold; Heat; Pressure; Radiation; Starvation/Thirst; Suffocation; Vacuum) [9PP] (Descriptors: Half-Demon, Unholy) Leaping 1 (x2, Running Long Jump: 32ft) [1PP] (Descriptors: Half-Demon, Unholy) Speed 1 (10MPH, 100ft per Move Action) [1PP] (Descriptors: Half-Demon, Unholy) Super-Senses 6 (Accurate Hearing; Acute Tracking 2 [Normal Speed] Smell/Taste; Danger Sense [Sense Type: Auditory]) [6PP] (Descriptors: Half-Demon, Hunter's Heightened Senses, Unholy) Drawbacks (-4) + (-2) = -6PP Vulnerability (Divine; Frequency: Very Common; Intensity: Moderate) [-4PP] Vulnerability (Silver; Frequency: Uncommon; Intensity: Moderate [+50% Effect Rank]) [-2PP] Abilities (36) + Combat (22) + Saving Throws (8) + Skills (9) + Feats (14) + Powers (67) - Drawbacks (6) = 150/150 Power Points ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC21/17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Dranuth's Wrathful Blade Touch +5ft DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Caim's Razor Feathers Ranged DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical)

Thanks to his PL8 power-down, Octoman's Initiative bonus dropped from +10 to +8, so he slips down to 15 in the Initiative order, with Chelone, though he still goes before her since he has higher Dex. Move Action: Octoman will Feint Goanna. I assume that, since his Elongated tentacles can reach 250ft with 60ft range increments, that he's "in melee". -5 for doing it as a Move action. He'll use Skill Mastery to take 10 and get 22. Reaction: Octoman will cease maintaining the grapple and chokehold on Fear Master. Free Action: Octoman will swap his Octopus Power array over to the Ink AP. Standard Action: Assuming that Goanna is less that 25ft away, Octoman will use his technically-touch-range Visual+Olfactory Dazzle effect to spray ink in Goanna's face. He'll Power Attack for -2/+2, hoping the Feint lands. Attack roll: 24. If that hits, it's a DC20 Reflex save to avoid.

Octoman The Loudmouth Leviathan watched an entire rhinocerous basically bounce off of Goanna, barely inconveniencing the giant lizard-man, and he gulped. Welp, that's it, we're all gonna die. Then the calming wave from "Squaddy"'s device washed over him like an incoming tide. He stood taller and grinned. Nahhh, we got this! His tentacles surged forward at Goanna, sidewinding through the air like yellow sine waves. A couple of them held Goanna's ally in their grasp. "You want 'em? YOU WANT 'EM?!" Still waving his tentacles in the lizard-man's face, he dropped the man at Goanna's feet. "I mean, sure, you let Johnny Cash Junior go, so it's only fair. One co-conspirator, lightly strangled, with a complimentary side of FRESH INK!" Octoman dropped his palms open, exposing open orifices in his hands, and with the flex of a few new muscles they sprayed jets of black ink directly at Goanna's face.

Dirge The blue-furred behemoth had been a heavy sleeper, and he did not awaken or emerge from the dome he'd shared with B'ka after so short a rest without outside assistance. He had not worn his loin cloth to sleep, and when he rose and belted it back on, he did not seem to care who did or did not see him. He absent-mindedly scratched at his own wool as he got dressed, wool which was much smoother than it had been after the previous night's ritual combing. He used the food synthesizer to create a bowl of fruit, one of the kinds that had evolved caffeinated seeds as an insecticide, and barely chewed them as he gorged himself. He was among the last of the group to assemble, his mouth still half-full of half-chewed fruits as he called out. "COMRADES! REJOICE, for DEATH and GLORY are CLOSE AT HAND! SO close I can almost TASTE them!" Tendrils of electricity danced up and down his arms as he raised his fists into the air triumphantly.

Dirge "Beets." The blue-furred behemoth regurgitated a wet, soggy clump of chewed chips into his bowl, which still held many fresh chips. "I like them." Then he scooped a mixed handful of fresh and regurgitated chips back into his mouth. Dirge spit what was left of the food in his mouth back into his bowl. "Not just FLESH-EATERS. CANNIBALS. So it IS the CURSE of THE OG'D'NU. It consumed one people and then passed to another. Heh. Heh heh. Hah. HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!" The azure giant collapsed into a fit of laughter. "That...that is not funny. Why is that funny?" He glanced down at the carafe in his hand. "Your wine...is stronger than it tastes." He took another look down into the carafe, and suddenly he was mesmerized by the glass and the liquid inside. The light shimmered off the glass like never before, seeming to surround it in a halo. The liquid inside didn't merely flow, it danced, in impossible directions and arrangements. He stared at it quietly while slowly rocking it back and forth.

Strix's Mind Control power check vs Horrorshow's Will save: 27. At the moment he's just trying to force Davyd to tell him the truth.

Mister Strix Guy didn't resist when "Stefan" pulled him into the restroom. Still gritting his teeth, still keeping his lips pressed closed in a grimace, he forced his arm to go limp when the "drunk man" grabbed it. He didn't breathe anymore, but he went through the motions anyway, taking a series of deep breaths as the walked to try to clear the blood-soaked fog around his vision. Stop and think. Look past the blood. Why is there blood? What's going on here? Think... Once they were inside the bathroom, Guy broke away from the "drunk man" as soon as his back was turned, halfway to the sinks. With inhuman speed, he glanced under each of the bathroom stalls to make sure they were empty. Satisfied, he grabbed the trash can, dashed over to the door, and wedged the bin against it, hard enough to bend the bin and to make it impossible for someone to open the door from the outside. Then the white blur streaked right up into "Stefan"'s face and slammed him against the wall. "Stefan" could feel the cold flesh on the man's fingers through his clothes, long fingers that seemed almost to have an extra joint in them, fingers that gripped his shirt like a mechanical vise. "You're human. A perfect specimen. Your heart beats like an Olympic athlete. You're alive. Mortal. And you're not drunk. I can barely smell a drop of alcohol on you." The pale man's impossibly deep voice echoed with an unnatural resonance. "So why were you drinking blood?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT'S YOUR GAME?! WHO'S BLOOD IS THAT?! Tell me NOW." The pale man's eyes were completely black. His canine teeth were elongated like the fangs of a viper, and his tongue was at least twice as long as normal. His mouth in general seemed larger in proportion to his face than it should have been, and it held more teeth than seemed possible.

Neat idea. You could do this either with Morph+Metamorph, sure, or with a simple Container structure (see Ultimate Power for details), specifically with the "Alternate Form" descriptor, arrayed against your other powers. You'd want Insubstantial at rank 1. You can still exert your physical strength against solid objects and creatures, and physical damage still affects you, but you can squeeze through any small opening, bird-by-bird, and slip out of grapples and snares, since there's nothing holding your swarm together. Each Bruise or Injury you pick up can represent one of the birds getting KO'd or killed. Also, Insubstantial rank 1 can do this: I now have a mental picture of a murder of crows doing that, and it looks pretty awesome. I wouldn't bother with Shrinking. I would just assume that the murder of crows all together is Medium-sized. I wouldn't bother with Growth either. I would, however, take some Elongation, so that you can spread out the flock for a wider reach. You want Flight, obviously. You probably wouldn't want the standard Power Loss drawback most winged flyers take, since restraining the wings of an entire flock is much more difficult than restraining the wings of a single Medium-sized creature. A Mighty Damage effect would work for their beaks and talons. I would give it 2 ranks of Improved Critical. I would also maybe AP a touch-range Dazzle Visual effect, to represent inflicting minor facial wounds which bleed down into the eyes. I would take Immunity 2 (Critical Hits), to represent the fact that no one bird is more important to the flock than any of the others. For the enhanced vision, you want a high Notice score, maybe a high Search score to go with it, possibly as Enhanced Skills. I would also take Low-Light Vision and the first level of Microscopic Vision, which lets you see dust-sized objects. You may also want Extended on your default Normal Vision sense, although keep in mind that most GMs here don't bother with the range increment rules for Notice checks (by the RAW it's -1 Notice per 10ft increment; Extended multiplies the increment size by x10 with each rank). I would also take Radius on your normal vision, to represent a whole flock of birds looking more or less in all directions at once. Enhanced Skills (Stealth) is probably enough to make them sneaky and inconspicuous. Comprehend Animals (maybe Limited to birds) if you want the birds to be able to talk to "real" birds. Don't worry about it. There's only 2-3 active plant controllers I know of, including mine, which I think is the most recent. For this site, for there to be only a couple of PCs of a given archetype, that makes that archetype SUPER-rare. At any given point in time, this site has a couple dozen active players, each of whom has a handful of characters. Try not to make a carbon copy palette-swap of someone else's character, sure, but also accept that there's going to be overlap, and don't let it stop you. Besides, people drift in and out like the tides here. Your PC may be one of seven Hulk-style powerhouses this month, and next month the other six might get archived for inactivity or retired and you could be the only one. So just play what you want to play.

The grapple bonus has always been that high, and I don't really know how to make it lower. I guess I could try adding a Limited flaw to all the side powers that boost his grapple score saying that they don't do that, and rely entirely on the Engulf Snare?