Amelia

Doctor Thorne's blurted analysis brought several disparate irregularities of the scene into sharper focus for the people in the church. It was colder inside that church at the moment than it was in the rainy night outside. They could see their own breath, and the breath of everyone else, except for the man in white. The plants in the lobby stood tall a few minutes ago, bright and green, but when Judex and Thorne passed them again on their way back inside, those same plants were now brown and hanging limply. The overhead lights in the nave were bright enough for everyone and everything beneath them to cast a shadow, but the man in white had no shadow. His shirt had several obvious bullet-holes, but no blood, and he wasn't wearing any kind of body armor, because his pale flesh was clearly visible behind those holes, smooth and unscathed. The only blood on him was spattered across his boots, and the knuckles of his fingerless gloves. Now that they had a clear view of his face, or at least the parts his mask didn't conceal, they could see that it was...wrong. His skin was so pale that it was difficult to tell where it ended and the white cloth of his costume began. His eyeballs were completely black, and his facial features were out of proper proportion with one another. His mouth was too big for his face, twice as large as it should have been. He touched a finger to the trickle of blood seeping from the nose of an unconscious gangster, scooped up a few drops onto his fingertip, raised it to his mouth, and licked it off. At that point, they could see that his canine teeth and his tongue were both also two to three times as long as that of any human. The rest of his teeth almost could have looked normal, if they weren't so distractingly bright and clean. When he swallowed those drops of blood, he gave a slight, almost imperceptible shudder.

Will save (DC20): 11. Mister Strix is Shaken.

Mister Strix picked up the nearest trash bag, emptied its contents onto the ground, and replaced them with all of the dropped firearms. Then he grabbed each of the two unconscious thugs by the cuffs of their pant legs and pulled them through the alley to the back door, where he grabbed the other two battered gangsters, transferring his grip to two legs per hand. He dragged nearly eight-hundred pounds of bleeding and broken criminals back into the nave, where he heaved them one by one up onto the pews like they were wet towels.

DC15 Notice check per chat to notice the thugs outside: 22. Move Action: Go outside. Get shot. 22 hits Mister Strix. DC19 Toughness save: 26. Doesn't even slow him down. Standard Action: Charge with a 90ft standing leap. Charge for +2 Attack / -2 Defense. All-Out Attack for -2 Defense / +2 Attack. Power Attack for -2 Attack / +2 Damage. Mister Strix is Defense +4 / DC14 until his action next round. Take 10 for attack, hitting DC20. Just like last time, if that hits, it's a Toughness save, DC25 +1 per 2 points he got over their Defense. If that KO's the first, then Takedown Attack to do the same to the second.

The man in white stepped slowly through the ruined doorway out into the alley behind the church. He didn't seem to react when the trembling gangsters fired and their bullets ripped through him. In the dark and the rain, it was easy to think that the shots hadn't connected at all, or to miss how no blood followed the slugs as they tore through his back on their way to the next building over, or how the bullet holes closed behind them a half-second later, light wisps of steam rising from them as tiny amounts of vampire blood burned itself off to grow new dead flesh. He turned to look at the far end of the alley where the gangsters crouched behind bags of trash and empty boxes. He knelt down, and between the blinks of an eye, he jumped, closing the distance with a pounce and another roar, smashing into the thugs like a bowling ball, fists and feet flailing in the general direction of any human flesh he could see. Now that he was outside, the crowd gathered at the front door could hear the tiger-growl even more clearly.

Mister Strix (5) Golgotha Tenement Blues (5)

I punch them! If they're already in melee range, then I'll just make a normal attack. If they're not, then I'll charge (and that'll be +2 Attack / -2 Defense for the round). Array gets switched to the Autofire Strength + Claws AP, but I'm not popping the claws. The two in back are surprised, and they haven't acted yet, so they're flat-footed twice over, and since they're surprised they also suffer -2 Defense (which probably wasn't that high to start with). I'll go ahead and Power Attack for -2 Attack / +2 Damage. They're confirmed minions, so I'll take 10 on the attack roll for 16. If that hits, Toughness save is DC25, +1 for every 2 points my attack "roll" got over their defense DC. Assuming that KO's the first one, I'll Takedown Attack the second one in the same way (I have rank 2, so I can make a 5ft step between them if they're not right next to each other). At +10 damage, I'm guessing there's going to be some knockback, and he's certainly not going to restrain himself, so if one or more of them fail their saves, feel free to describe them getting knocked halfway through walls or back into the door hard enough to knock it off its hinges. I would've done it myself, but it seemed presumptuous.

Mister Strix's eyes turned completely black, the darkness at the center expanding to quickly engulf the rest. His canine teeth extended, becoming fangs. Not a "misunderstanding," then. No need to go easy. No reason they should be able to walk away from this. No reason they shouldn't be carried away. When the gangsters cleared the doorway into the mudroom, they heard the distinctive, echoing roar of a lion or a tiger. Pastor Theo could hear it in the nave. Doctor Thorne and the other gangsters could hear it on the other end of the building. With that roar, Mister Strix sprang into action. Mortal eyes could glimpse a series of white blurs, if even that, as his fist and feet crashed toward them like a wrecking ball. There was no grace in his strikes, no beauty, just raw speed and fury. A trained soldier, or even a seasoned brawler, probably could've dodged or blocked the blows successfully, if Mister Strix wasn't moving too fast for them to see, or if he wasn't hitting hard enough to knock them through a wall.

Mister Strix Initiative: 17.

When he heard the men trying to break in through the other door, Mister Strix glanced over his shoulder, then flinched and averted his gaze. He closed his eyes tightly for a second to re-active his psychic invisibility. Once his presence was again hidden from the weak-minded, he crawled and skittered like a spider, across the ceiling and down the wall, dropping to the floor next to the frightened girl without a sound. He knelt down beside her in the back room. From her point of view, he appeared out of thin air when his hands, hands that could crush brick into powder, clamped down over her mouth and gently, carefully turned her face to meet his. He kept one hand over her mouth but let go of the back of her head to raise a finger to his lips. He whispered into her ear. "More coming in through the back. Don't move." Then he removed his hand from her face, rose to his feet, turned his back on her, and crept toward the back door.

I was saying it as much for the other PCs' benefit as for the NPCs, but good to know. If nothing else, I'm guessing there's a giant cross at the center back of the room, even if there's no Jesus attached to it like there would be at a Catholic church? Durf, it's literally your call how to inconvenience him or make him suffer. I left the complications vague so that individual GMs would have room for their own interpretation and level of crunch. In general, what I had in mind was that being on "holy ground" isn't as "bad" for him as actually seeing a "holy symbol" (or standing in its shadow), that he might have to make a static Will save (or something like it) to force himself to knowingly approach one that's just sitting there passively, and that he'd need to make an opposed check of some kind (the book builds tend to use raw Charisma) to move toward someone who was actively brandishing it at him, trying to ward him off. I also had the idea that the GM could force him to make a Toughness save against Damage or a Will save against some other attack effect like Nauseate even if he did successfully force his way toward it. In any case, I left the DCs and effect ranks up to the GM. There's an IC post. Let me know if I should adjust it. I assumed we're not in combat rounds, so I described what would probably be two rounds worth of actions, even at 50MPH, even if it didn't include two array reconfigurations. I also took the liberty of invoking one of his environmental complications (the cold).

Mister Strix flinched and hesitated for a moment when he looked up and saw that the building the girl had run into was a church. She needs help. Just do it. If He doesn't want you to go in, He'll stop you. His muscles briefly tensed up. As they relaxed, his body dissolved into a cloud of mist, almost the same pale white as his flesh or his costume. The cloud stretched and condensed into a narrow tube as it shot into the sky in an arc, like a mortar launched from one roof to another. He started at the top and worked his way down, circling the building in search of an air vent or even a crack in the walls. The people on the street and in the church might have heard a gust of wind, or maybe something that sounded like a car racing down the street at double the posted limit. They definitely felt colder than they had a second ago. The rare soul who paid attention might have noticed that they could now see their own breath, or that the rain collecting in puddles and gutters was starting to freeze over. Once the cloud had slithered its way down into the main room of the church, like a maggot hatched in the nose of a corpse finally finding the brain, his body re-solidified. His hands and feet were pressed against the ceiling, allowing him to crouch upside-down over the pews. He tried to focus on the two men at the front of the room. His back felt like it was blistering, as though the giant cross on the wall behind him were a campfire and he was sitting too close. The veins in his neck bulged, thick and black. He clenched his teeth.

Questions: 1) Please clarify: Did the girl and then the gangbangers run into the diner, or the church? 2) Should I make some kind of check or saving throw to be able to approach the scene on account of the presence of the church? Housekeeping: Concealment to all senses of all types except Mental would have been up while tailing someone, and is definitely still up now. DC18 Will save to anyone who wants to try to see through the perception filter and resist the subliminal psychic command "Do Not See Me, Do Not Remember Me." Anyone who can get through that shouldn't have much trouble spotting him, since I rolled a "1" on his initial Stealth check: 16.

In Brief: Instead of becoming The Huntress, Helena Bertinelli becomes Spawn. Character: Mister Strix Power Level: 15 (Built as PL10) Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 247/250 ABILITIES 20PP Strength: 30/14 (+10/+2), 40/14 Lifting (Heavy Load: 3 tons / 175 lbs.) Dexterity: 30/14 (+10/+2) Constitution: - Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 18 (+4) COMBAT 32PP Initiative: +22 (+10 Dex, +12 Improved Initiative) Attack: +6, +10 Melee, +8 Claws/Fangs Grapple: +22 (+10 Melee Attack, +10 Strength, +2 Super-Strength) Defense: +10, +5 Flat-Footed Knockback Resistance: 10 ATTACK RANGE SAVING THROW EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Blood Divination Touch/Grapple DC20 Will (Staged) Mind Reading and Sickened/Nauseated/Incapacitated Blood Drain Touch/Grapple DC20 Fortitude (Staged) DC20 Will (Staged) Drain Constitution Sickened/Nauseated/Incapacitated Claws/Fangs Touch DC27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical, Lethal) Glimpse of The Abyss Touch/Area (Visual Perception) DC20 Reflex to avoid DC20 Will (Staged) Shaken/Frightened/Panicked Hypnotic Eyes Perception (Visual Sense-Dependent) DC20 Reflex to avoid DC20 Will Mind Control or Transform (Memory Alteration) Psychic Invisibility Personal DC20 Will Total Concealment from all senses except Mental-type SAVING THROWS 7PP Toughness: +10 (Impervious) Fortitude: - Reflex: +10 (+10 Dex, +0PP) Will: +10 (+3 Wis, +7PP) SKILLS 111/112R = 28PP Craft (Cooking) 1 (+5) Handle Animal 0 (-) Intimidation 16 (+20, +22 Deathly Aura) Investigation 1 (+5) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 6 (+10) Knowledge (Current Events) 1 (+5) Knowledge (History) 6 (+10) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 6 (+10) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 1 (+5) Knowledge (Streetwise) 11 (+15) Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy) 6 (+10) Languages 4 (English [Native], French, Italian, Latin, Spanish) Medicine 7 (+10) Notice 12 (+15) Ride 0 (-) Search 11 (+15) Sense Motive 12 (+5) Stealth 10 (+20) FEATS 15PP Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Benefit (Legally Deceased) Equipment 1 (5EP)Veteran Reward Hide In Plain Sight Improved Initiative 3 Interpose Skill Mastery (Intimidation, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth) Startle Takedown Attack 2 Ultimate Save (Will) EQUIPMENT 1PP = 5EP Heavy-Duty Zip-Ties [1EP] Stainless-Steel Casket (Masterwork) [2EP] Abandoned House (PL12 Headquarters) [2EP] A small two-story house on Ash Street in Bedlam City. Size: Small [0EP] Toughness: 5 [0EP] Features: [2EP] Concealed (There are no visible signs of habitation) Sealed (All entrances are boarded up, and heavy debris blocks entry to the basement) Notes: He has no legal claim or ownership over the property. The house stood abandoned for several years before he moved his casket into the basement. The house is not fit for human habitation. It has been years since the house had any maintenance or active utilities. All of the old plants on the lot died within days of him taking residence, and no new ones have grown since he arrived. 1 + 2 + 2 = 5EP POWERS 157PP Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood, Blood Magic, Darkness/Shadow, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Undead Concealment 8 (All Auditory, Radio, and Visual type senses, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Limited [Machines], Permanent) [8PP] Enhanced Dexterity 16 (Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [15PP] Enhanced Strength 16 (Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [15PP] Features 3 (Deathly Aura, Touch does not leave prints, Wounds do not bleed) [3PP] Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects) [30PP] Impervious Toughness 10 (Flaws: Limited [Weaknesses inflict Penetrating damage]) [5PP] (Regeneration, Super-Toughness) Leaping 3 (x10, Running Long Jump: 200ft, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [2PP] (Super-Strength) Protection 10 [10PP] (Super-Toughness) Regeneration 14 (Recovery 14 [+9, Recovers over time like a living creature], Feats: Regrowth) [15PP] Regeneration 14 (Recovery Rate: Injured 6 [No rest], Disabled 8 [No rest], Flaws: Limited [Weaknesses inflict Incurable damage]) [7PP] Regeneration 10 (Resurrection 10 [No rest], Flaws: Limited [Does not resurrect while decapitated or staked through the heart, and requires extra time and outside aid to resurrect from being completely burned or dissolved]) [5PP] Speed 3 (50MPH / 500ft per Move Action, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [2PP] (Super-Speed) Super-Movement 1 (Trackless) [2PP] Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [1PP] Super-Senses 9 (Acute Analytical Extended Tracking Smell/Taste, Darkvision, Extended Hearing, Extended Vision, Microscopic Vision, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [8PP] Super-Strength 2 (Lifting Strength: 40, Heavy Load: 3 tons, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [3PP] Vampiric Power 10 (20PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 6) [26PP] Base Power: [19PP] Drain Constitution 10 (Extras: Linked [Nauseate], Flaws: Limited [Can only drain 1 rank per round], Requires Grapple, Feats: Insidious, Slow Fade 4 [1 hour], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [9PP] (Blood Drain) Nauseate 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Drain], Flaws: Requires Grapple) [10PP] (Euphoria) Alternate Power: [17PP] Mind Reading 10 (Extras: Action [Standard], Linked [Nauseate], Flaws: Duration [Instant, Lasting], Range 2 [Touch], Requires Grapple, Feats: Insidious, Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [4PP] (Blood Divination) Nauseate 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Mind Reading], Flaws: Requires Grapple) [10PP] (Euphoria) Super-Senses 4 (Postcognition, Extras: Simultaneous, Flaws: Source [Blood], Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [3PP] (Blood Divination) Alternate Power: [17PP] Autofire Strength 10 (Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [9PP] (Super-Speed) Damage 2 (Extras: Autofire, Penetrating, Feats: Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Incurable, Mighty, Variable Descriptor [Piercing and/or Slashing], Drawbacks: Inaccurate, Lethal, Power Loss [Daylight]) [8PP] (Claws/Fangs) Alternate Power: [13PP] Concealment 10 (All Non-Mental Senses, Flaws: Phantasm, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [9PP] (Hypnosis, Mind Control, Psychic Invisibility) Emotion Control 10 (Extras: Area [Perception, Visual], Flaws: Limited [Fear], Range 2 [Touch], Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [4PP] (Glimpse of The Abyss, Nightmare Face) Alternate Power: [18PP] (Mist Form) Flight 3 (50MPH / 500ft per Move Action, Extras: Linked [Immunity, Insubstantial], Feats: Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [6PP] Immunity 2 (Critical Hits, Extras: Duration [Sustained], Linked [Flight, Insubstantial]) [2PP] Insubstantial 2 (Gas, Extras: Linked [Flight, Immunity]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [20PP] (Hypnotic Eyes, Psychic) Mind Control 10 (Extras: Conscious, Duration [Sustained, Lasting], Mental, Flaws: Distracting, Sense-Dependent [Visual], Feats: Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [20PP] Alternate Power: [20PP] (Hypnotic Eyes, Mind Control, Psychic) Transform 10 (Memory Alteration, Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Mental, Range [Perception], Flaws: Distracting, Sense-Dependent [Visual], Feats: Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daylight]) [20PP] DRAWBACKS -12PP Vulnerability (Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Vulnerability (Fire effects, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-2PP] Vulnerability (Silver effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Weakness (Daylight, Time: 1/round, Frequency: Very Common, Intensity: Moderate [Cumulative -1 Drain on Toughness, Destroyed when Toughness reaches -6]) [-8PP] Abilities (20) + Combat (32) + Saving Throws (7) + Skills (28) + Feats (15) + Powers (157) – Drawbacks (12) = 247/250 Power Points

*reads about Judex* Oh hey, it's like someone took the complications and drawbacks from my guy, and expanded them to fill their own character sheet! XD

"Must love digging broken glass out of feet after long walks on Gravesend Beach." Thanks!

Yes, "Sense-Dependent [Visual]" is exactly what I meant. Stupid mistake. I entered the text for the powers backwards, specifically to avoid making mistakes like that, then I committed the sin of copy/pasting text from Transform to Mind Control. Fixed now. Sorry about that. Made the notation on the Transform effect as requested.

In Brief: Instead of becoming The Huntress, Helena Bertinelli becomes Spawn. Character: Mister Strix Power Level: 13 (Built as PL8) Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 206/216PP Unspent Points: 10 Alternate Identity: Gaetano “Guy” Giordano (Deceased) Identity: Secret. The public is not aware that either Gaetano Giordano or Mister Strix are undead, or that they are the same person. Legal Status: Deceased USA citizen with no criminal record. Birthplace: Bedlam City, Wisconsin, USA Base of Operations: Bedlam City Residence: An abandoned, boarded-up house on Ash Street. The only sign of habitation is his casket sitting in the basement. The entrance to the basement is blocked with heavy debris. He accesses the house and the basement with Mist Form. Occupation: None Affiliations: Father Cesare Messina (Retired Catholic priest, Friend) Family: Doctor Adriana Aparo (Widow), Luna Giordano née Gallo (Mother), Massimo “Mo” Giordano (Father), Matteo “Matt” Giordano (Older Brother), Flora Russo née Giordano (Older Sister), Rafael Giordano (Younger Brother, Deceased). Matt and Flora are both married, with children. Adriana has re-married, and she has a child with her new husband. DESCRIPTION Age: 37 (Date of Birth: 1981) Apparent Age: 31 (Date of Death: 2012) Gender: Male Ethnicity: (Sicilian) Italian-American Caucasian Height: 6’2” Weight: 180 lbs. Hair: Black Eyes: Black His superhero costume consists of a white skintight jumpsuit, mask, and cape. The chest of the jumpsuit is emblazoned with a white crescent moon set against a black circle. The edges of the cape and gloves are cut with notches suggestive of the feathers on a bird's wings. The gloves are fingerless. The mask covers his entire head except for his jaw and the lower half of his face. It has a shape similar to the feathers on the head of a horned owl. The bottom of the mask comes to a hook with a slight downward curve resembling a raptor's beak. Overall, it looks like a photo-negative version of the original Raven’s costume. Out of costume, a fan of old movies might compare him to a young (and underslept, and possibly ill) Lee Van Cleef or Basil Rathbone. His flesh is unnaturally pale, and always cold to the touch, regardless of any physical activity or environmental factors. When visible, his veins appear to be black. His build is slender. He was never bulky in life, and when he transformed, most of his fat burned away, and most of his internal organs shriveled and atrophied. His face is all sharp angles, with high, prominent cheekbones, a large nose, and a narrow, pointed chin. His hair is dark, and perpetually messy. (Since he has no reflection in mirrors, even if he had much reason to style his hair, he wouldn't be able to see what he was doing.) He has thick eyebrows, perpetually arched over eyes set deep in their sockets, eyes which always seem to be surrounded by shadows, regardless of the angle or intensity of light in the area. The irises of his eyes are completely black, indistinguishable from the pupils. The center of his eye is one solid black disk. His hands are slightly larger in proportion to the rest of his body than they should be, the fingers slightly longer. His voice is a deep baritone, surprisingly deep for someone of his size. When he feeds or uses his powers, his appearance becomes even more overtly monstrous. His veins bulge and darken. The blackness at the center of his eyes spreads to cover the entire eyeball. His mouth, canine teeth, and tongue all double in size. His voice deepens by at least a full octave, and echoes independent of the local acoustics. When he growls, he sounds like a tiger. HISTORY Guy Giordano’s life ended just as it was about to begin. Gaetano "Guy" Giordano was born the third of four children in an Italian-American family living in Stark Hill. The family all attended the local Catholic school and church. His mother was a librarian turned homemaker, and his father was a "made man" in the Scarpia crime family. Guy was closest with his younger brother, Raphael, and his mother, whom they both took after, being more gentle and scholastically inclined than their brutish father and older brother or their scheming "queen bee" older sister. When they grew up, Guy became a doctor, while Raphael became a priest. Guy went to college and medical school in Chicago and Detroit, and earned a doctorate in emergency medicine alongside Adriana Aparo, his fellow student. After they completed their residency, they got engaged, spent a year working with Doctors Without Borders in Libya and the Congo, then moved back to Bedlam, got married, and bought a house. They were just about to start trying for their first child when Guy got sick and died. Unbeknownst to his family, Guy's younger brother Raphael wasn't just a priest, but a Vatican-sponsored monster-hunter. Raphael had destroyed a powerful elder vampire, and the even older and more powerful vampire who had created that elder took his revenge and replaced the lost member of his "family" by killing Raphael's favorite brother and turning him into a vampire. Raphael was no match for the vampire, who only ever identified himself as "Johann." He ambushed Raphael at the cemetery where Guy was buried. Guy dug himself out of his own grave, emerging in a mindless feeding-frenzy, and Johann made sure that Raphael was caught helpless in Guy's path. Guy drained his little brother dry. After Guy's bloodlust faded and he cried out in anguish over what he'd done, Johann wished him a taunting "Happy Birthday" and stabbed him in the heart with a wooden stake, putting him in a coma. Then he locked Guy's unconscious body in a box and left it there for five years. When Johann finally took the stake out of his heart, Guy woke up, but he had no idea how much time had passed. He ran home, only to learn that his wife lived there with her new husband and their child. He fled the scene before anyone spotted him. Johann laughed, taunted him with another "Happy Birthday," and vanished. Guy spent the next year living in the shadows of Bedlam. He spent days sleeping in sewers, abandoned basements, and hastily dug holes in the dirt, rarely staying in the same place twice. He spent the nights spying on his family and his widow, and through a mix of research and trial and error, figuring out how much time had passed, what had happened to him and what he could do. When he drank Raphael's blood, he absorbed his memories, so he knew that he was a “vampire,” but that could mean a hundred different things. He spent many nights at local libraries, catching up on recent history and researching his “condition.” An academic at heart, he felt “at home” there, and since he could ignore alarms and surveillance equipment, hypnotize guards, and slip through locked doors as a cloud of mist, he had the run of the place. When he needed blood, he would grab sewer rats, or hypnotize the employees at the less ethical animal “shelters,” so he could drain the cats and dogs already scheduled for execution. At first, he made the mistake of trying to subsist entirely on animal blood. But he learned the hard way that the inferior quality (for his purposes) of animal blood would only satisfy his undead body for so long. After the first time he snapped and almost killed a random person on the street, he made an effort to regularly infuse his diet with human blood. He limited his human feeding to whatever criminals and corrupt cops he could find, often guys he recognized as his father’s employees and associates. At one point, he decided that he needed to be destroyed, and even if suicide was a sin, the greater sin would be continuing to live as a monster. So he fought through his instinct to sleep during the day, and he tried to walk out into the sun. He was terribly burned, but he discovered that his undead body had a powerful instinct for self-preservation, one he could not overcome. He fled the light, slept deeper and woke up thirstier than ever before, and by the time he regained the capacity for rational thought, he was standing over the half-drained body of what was now the second random person he had almost murdered. After that debacle, he stopped trying to kill himself. During a chance encounter near the end of his first year as a vampire, he saved the life of a 70-year-old retiree and "supply priest," Father Cesare Messina. Father Messina quickly became his friend and confidant, the only source of human interaction for him since his death. Father Messina felt that it was his duty to help Guy figure out God's plan for him, even if that just meant praying for him and chatting with him over coffee. Father Messina reminded him that the best way to heal one’s own pain was to help others with theirs. As they spoke, an idea formed between the two of them. Guy could do what everyone with extraordinary abilities and a secret to protect did to help make the world better: He could put on a mask, and become a superhero, “Like Raven, that guy in Freedom City.” Father Messina was an ornithology enthusiast, so when the subject of superheroes came up, Raven's was the first name that came to his mind. Of the decorations in Father Messina's home, the pictures and sculptures of owls outnumbered the Christian imagery by at least ten to one. With little prompting from Guy, Father Messina practically gushed about how owls were found all over the world, in all kinds of environments, and how they appear in the myths of almost every culture on the planet, usually as demons or psychopomps. Guy mentioned a local legend he’d heard in the Congo about how owls hunted humans to eat their souls. That reminded Father Messina that while the more popular modern vampire myths describe them transforming into bats, in older stories, they turned into owls. Just like that, Guy knew what form his disguise should take. The tailor who would later craft it was hypnotized to misremember the job, but he was well-paid. "Mister Strix" was born. At the start of this new chapter in Guy's life, Johann reappeared, attacking him without warning and beating him almost to a second death. Then Johann laughed, taunted him with yet another "Happy Birthday," and disappeared. To Guy's surprise, he laughed too. Johann’s assault had an oddly invigorating effect on him. If Johann was still trying to break him, that meant he wasn't broken yet. His conversations with Father Messina had given him a new sense of purpose, but Johann’s beating gave him a new sense of hope. His existence might be evil, but he could still do some good with it. He might not be a doctor anymore, he wasn't going to let that stop him anymore from doing the same thing in death that he used to do in life: Try to save people. PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION Like any good Catholic, the primary driving force in his life has always been guilt. When he was a child, it was guilt over the apple, and the crucifixion, and not being the son his father wanted. When adolescence opened his eyes a little wider, it was guilt over who his father was and how he made his money. He became a doctor and went to war zones so that he could try to save more lives than his father had destroyed. Now it’s guilt over what he is and what he has to do. In life, he was quiet and gentle, but determined. He always tried to put others before himself. People always told him he was “a good listener.” He loved his wife. He loved his family, even if he didn't like them. He inherited his mother’s love of books, opera, traditional French and Italian cooking, and when he got older, coffee and wine. He always seemed to have his nose in a book. He’d lived in war zones, but he’d never really been in a fight. He'd never wanted to hurt anyone. In death, everything that used to define him or bring him joy has been stolen from him, and he's become a predator who leaves ruin in his wake, a danger to everyone around him. Violence now feels as natural to him as breathing used to, and the only thing that truly brings him joy anymore is sinking his fangs into another person’s neck and sucking the blood out of their veins. He hates the thing he’s been turned into, and the things who turned him into it. He’s trying to make the best of it. POWERS & TACTICS He is an unskilled brawler, relying entirely on the animal instinct and enhanced physical prowess he gained when he became a vampire. Everything he “knows” about fighting, he learned from movies and television. Popular culture is also his main source of “knowledge” about his own condition. He’s studying all the relevant history and mythology he can get his hands on, but it’s a slow process. The vampire who killed him didn’t tell him anything. Most of what he can do either comes from pure instinct, or is something he read about and decided to try that worked, either immediately or with practice. He is undead, preserved and animated by the life-consuming energy that is the pure darkness of the Schattenwelt, in a process fueled by blood magic. His undead body is far more resilient than his human body was. His skeleton is harder than stone, but just as light as human bone. His flesh feels human to the touch, but displays a resistance to cutting or puncturing more akin to silk, thick leather, or Kevlar. His body somehow metabolizes the blood he drinks to sustain his existence, keep him preserved, heal his wounds, and alter his body in ways he is only beginning to explore. He can increase his strength, speed, and agility to superhuman levels, grow claws that can shred metal and stone as if it were paper, or transform into a cloud of mist. His blood can also heal the wounds of others (a Healing power stunt off of his main array), though consuming his blood can bring unpredictable side-effects (a temporary Complication for the other character). He also has some psychic powers. He can broadcast a psychic command which forces the minds of others to ignore his presence. He can more directly hypnotize anyone who looks him in the eye, forcing them to obey all his commands and re-writing their memories. When he pierces a living creature's skin with his fangs and sucks out their blood, he triggers a rush of endorphins which overwhelms his victim with intense pleasure. This makes it difficult for his victim to understand what is happening or to remember it clearly after the fact. Since his blood can heal wounds, he can use his fang to cut his tongue, then lick the puncture wounds closed with the transfer of blood. This combination allows his feeding to go mostly undetected. Like a shark, he can sniff out even tiny amounts of blood from far away. The smell and taste of blood can give him the type of information about its owner that would make a crime lab jealous, and when he tastes blood, he can tap into any psychic resonance it has absorbed, experiencing the memories of its original owner like they were his own. He can see in the dark because he is Darkness. When he makes a scary face and roars, hardened soldiers will run, hide, and lose bladder control, because he’s giving them a glimpse of the literal Abyss, and when they look into his eyes, they don’t just see “darkness,” but “The Darkness.” He’s also learned the hard way that he has just about every quirk and weakness that’s ever been attributed to vampires in folklore. He doesn't have to worry about running water or being invited into a home, but that’s about it. COMPLICATIONS Achilles Heels & Weaksauce Weaknesses: Certain plants, objects, and symbols of mystical and religious significance will repel him, interfere with his movement, and cause him pain and injury. He cannot stand them, even if they were a source of joy or comfort in his mortal life. Daylight Fire Garlic: All parts and states of the garlic plant affect him: The flower and the bulb, whether living, freshly harvested, or even ground into dry powder. Unlike most plants, garlic never withers or dies merely from being in his presence. Holy Symbols & Blessed Items: Holy symbols and items affect him at the GM’s discretion, on a case by case basis. Generally, the holy symbol must belong to a “Good” deity, or a deity whose portfolio includes concepts such as “Healing,” “Life,” “Light, or “The Sun.” Foods and liquids which have been “blessed,” such as holy water, or which have ritual significance, such as the wine and wafers used in Communion, will also affect him. Holy symbols and items will affect him even if he, or the character wearing or wielding them, do not believe in (or even know of) the religion with which they are associated. However, if he attempts to force his way past the holy object and some sort of opposed check is required, a wielder who knows, believes in, or reveres the deity associated with the holy item will have a better chance of winning the opposed check than a wielder who is ignorant, skeptical, or blasphemous. Jade Mirrors: He has no reflection. Like machines, mirrors do not register his presence. If he can exert enough willpower to stare into a mirror, then a vague, blurry semblance of his visage may briefly appear, only to vanish as soon as he turns away. This effort may cause the mirror to crack, or even to shatter. Mirrors also sometimes break even if he briefly glances at them, or passes by them without peek. Salt: Pure salt will affect him, but saltwater will not, nor will food with a high salt content. Silver Wolf’s Bane: See “Garlic,” above. Everything described there applies to wolf’s bane as well. Wooden Stakes: He can be incapacitated if his heart is impaled with a piece of wood. It doesn't matter if the “stake” is made entirely of wood or not, so long as the part lodged in his heart is composed of pure, whole wood. An arrow or spear with a steel head and a wooden shaft would work, but a piece of compressed particle board would not. Wood and wooden implements do not cause him any of the fear, discomfort, or damage described below, and staking his heart is the only circumstance under which a wooden weapon will overcome his resilience or regeneration. Wood does not limit his movements, and touching it does not harm him. He already has drawbacks and flaws to account for how these items can suppress his powers, penetrate his defenses, and inflict wounds which are slow to heal, and since those traits already provided a power point discount, they do not count as complications. However, these items can have other effects which would count as complications: He cannot stand to look directly at these items. As soon as he sees them, the GM can force him to make a Will save against an Emotion Control (Fear) effect, which may cause him to flee the scene entirely. He cannot knowingly or willingly attempt to touch any of these items, or even to advance to within touch-range of them. He must stay at least 10 feet away. (If the item is hidden from him, then he can unknowingly approach it or touch it.) The GM can force him to save against Damage and/or some other attack effect if he touches any of these items or their shadows, or if the ingests them, or the blood of someone else who has recently ingested them. If another character wears or wields any of these items, then he cannot attempt to physically touch them, or anyone behind them. (As reflected with his Power Loss drawbacks, he also cannot bite them or use his mind control powers on them.) He cannot attempt to directly remove or destroy the items. Another character who wields these items can advance toward him, forcing him to withdraw. If he is bound with these items, or with bonds infused or plated with these materials, then he cannot untie or break those bonds, no matter how objectively flimsy they may be. He may not even be able to lift them. (As reflected with his Power Loss drawbacks, such bonds will also suppress most of his powers.) If these items are mounted on, above, or around a door, window, or other portal, then he cannot pass through that portal, even in his mist form. If these items are placed on top of the lid to a container, or tied or wrapped around it, then he cannot open that container, or enter or exit it in his mist form. If these items are arranged in a circle, then he cannot cross that circle. He cannot step over it, and he cannot fly over it in his mist form. A circle around another character can protect that character from him, while a circle around him can trap him. He can attempt to overcome these limitations, forcing his way past these items, or even forcing himself to touch them, with a focused act of will, most likely represented by a Will save. If these items are being wielded by another character, then the GM can force him and that other character to make an opposed check, most likely Charisma. This effort may cause him harm whether it is successful or not, so he may also have to save against Damage or some other attack effect. If his act of will is successful, then he can temporarily overcome the limits to his freedom of movement, and these items may be damaged, or even destroyed. They may bend, crack, shatter, melt, or burst into flame. Addiction (Blood): He doesn't just need blood. He wants it. He loves it. It is as much his drug as it is his sustenance. The GM can decide that he's thirsty, give him a Hero Point, and then give him a circumstance penalty on a check to represent how difficult it is for him to focus on other tasks when he’d rather be drinking blood. When blood is available, the GM can give him a Hero Point, and then force him to make a Will save to resist the urge to lap it up or suck it down. He can also cause Addiction complications for other characters. They can become addicted to the euphoria of being fed upon by him, or they can become addicted to consuming his supernatural blood. Chill of Undeath: Since his Environment Control (Cold) power has the "Uncontrolled" flaw, it does not generate Hero Points for him. However, his cold aura may cause complications for other characters. Enemies: Archnemesis Dad: His father is a captain in the Scarpia family syndicate. His surviving brother works with him, as does his sister's husband. When he was alive, he refused to participate in his father’s criminal activities, but he didn't interfere with them either. When he died, so did his ambivalence. Now he’s determined to dismantle everything his family helped build. Burn The Witch!: The secret monster-hunting arm of the Catholic Church knows that his brother killed a vampire, and that soon after, he and his brother were both killed in circumstances which sounded suspiciously like retaliatory vampire attacks. It’s been a few years since then, but if they hear about anything that sounds like a vampire in Bedlam, they will follow up. I Hate You, Vampire Dad!: “Enemy” isn't quite the right word. His sire, "Johann" (real name unknown), is working toward a long-term goal of making him part of Johann's "family." To Johann, that means an unholy combination of child, friend, and lover. Unfortunately for him, Johann doesn't think he’ll realize his potential as a vampire until his human spirit is broken and stripped away from him by a conga line of trauma and disappointment, a process Johann expects to take at least a hundred years. Johann shows up once a year like clockwork to beat him within an inch of his life as a celebration of his "birthday" as a vampire. In addition, Johann will, seemingly at random, send various minions, pawns, or even other “children,” to torment him in some way. They might attack him directly, provide aid to his enemies, or harm something or someone he cares about (including Bedlam City itself). Electromagnetic Ghosts: Since his Obscure power has the "Uncontrolled" flaw, it does not generate Hero Points for him. However, his aura of interference with mechanical senses may cause complications for other characters. Enemy To All Living Things: While machines seem to simply ignore him (as represented with his Permanent Concealment from them), nature seems to actively resent him. Animals universally hate and fear him, unless they have consumed his blood, or are under the effect of some sort of mind control power. They will flee from him, attempt to scare him away, and/or attack him. He automatically fails any Handle Animal or Ride skill checks. (See, also, “Walking Wasteland,” below.) Glamour Failure: He has quirks which either explicitly reveal him to be a supernatural creature, or at least create a subconscious “Uncanny Valley” effect, making humans deeply uncomfortable in his presence. The air is unnaturally quiet around him because of all the normal sounds his body doesn't make, and he lacks several signs of life that most observers would take for granted. The GM may give him penalties to checks involving social interaction, or declare such checks to be impossible. Indifferent or even Friendly NPCs could turn Hostile, attacking or fleeing. Many of those features are already mentioned in "Description," above, and others are described in other Complication entries. He never casts a shadow, regardless of the level or angle of light in the surrounding area. His hands and fingers appear to have normal friction ridges, yet his touch never leaves prints. His footsteps never leave tracks, or make a sound. He does not breathe, cough, sneeze, or yawn. (This is particularly noticeable in winter.) His heart does not beat. He has no pulse of any kind. He does not sweat. When he is wounded, his skin does not bruise, and his cuts do not bleed. He will only bleed if decapitated or staked through the heart. His blood is so dark that it mostly appears to be black, only showing red when light hits it at just the right angle. If he cries, the tears are blood. His body does not age. If viewed with Infra-Vision, his body always appears to be colder than his surrounding environment, no matter what that environment may be. Most machines seem to ignore him. He has no reflection in mirrors, or any other reflective surface. He does not show up in photographs or on video cameras, film or digital. His voice cannot be heard in auditory recordings, or through microphones, telephones (cellular or land-line), or radios. He doesn't show up as a blip on any kind of radar or sonar. He can walk freely through the laser, infra-red, and microwave beams used by motion detectors without them registering his presence. Automatic doors won’t even open for him. A gas chromatograph mass spectrometer can at least attempt to analyze samples of his tissues, and mechanical components like buttons which detect physical pressure will recognize the force his touch exerts upon them, but that seems to be the extent to which machines recognize or acknowledge him. Note: Aside from his lack of reflection, this is the result of the Permanent flaw on his Concealment against machine senses, so he should not receive any Hero Points for it. However, it may be a complication for other characters. For example, a robot or cyborg ally, whose eyes are mechanical cameras and whose ears are mechanical microphones, may receive a Hero Point in exchange for not being able to see or hear him. Heavy Sleeper: When the sun is in the sky, it is almost impossible for him to stay awake, and once he falls asleep, he stays asleep. Instead of suffering the usual -10 Notice penalty while asleep, he automatically fails Notice checks. Other characters can even lift or manipulate his body without waking him up. Nothing less than a direct attack on his body will disturb his daytime slumber. I Do Not Drink…Wine: His Immunity to Fortitude effects includes Immunity to Starvation and Thirst, but not only does he not need to eat or drink, he physically cannot. If he tries to consume food, or if he tries to drink any liquid other than blood, then he will quickly vomit it back up, along with some of his own stored blood, and the GM can also force him to save against an attack effect, like Nauseate, or even Damage. Involuntary Transformation (Berserk Rage): His undead body has instincts for predation and self-preservation more powerful than those of any living creature, and more powerful than his moral compass. When he attempts to resist those instincts, the GM can force him to make a Will save. Failure can result in a complication for him and/or for others. Starvation can cause him to be overcome with bloodlust, to the point of mindlessly attacking the next human he encounters, without caring if his prey survives the encounter or not. Potential causes of “starvation” include simply going too long without drinking blood, trying to subsist for too long on blood of low quality (animal blood, refrigerated blood bags, etc.), or depleting the blood stored in his body by using it to fuel his powers. When exposed to one of his weaknesses, especially fire or sunlight, he feels a powerful primal urge to flee from it. If he is unable to summon the willpower to endure its presence, then during his flight, he may brutally attack anyone who gets in his way, whether they meant to or not. Once he is out of danger, he may then be overcome with bloodlust, as if he were starving, as his scared inner animal seeks to re-assert control over its surroundings. Made of Evil: He is that which should not be, but is. He is a monster, an abomination, a dead thing preserved and animated with the life-consuming darkness of the Schattenwelt. Any powers which “Detect Evil” will show him as such, and any powers which “Protect From Evil” or “Smite Evil” will affect him as if he were applicably “Evil,” regardless of his actual conduct or inner sense of morality. Any power such as “Aura Vision” which can detect the presence or state of a “soul” will show his to be present, but shredded, hanging in tatters, and stained by shadows and blood. Mainlining The Monster: Some view him as a monster to be destroyed, but others see him as a resource to be exploited. His blood and body could be used as a component for countless magical spells, rituals, potions, or other items. When ingested or injected by a living creature, his blood can act as a powerful and potentially addictive drug. The specific effects vary depending on the person, the amount consumed, and the GM’s whims. It can act as a stimulant or a narcotic. It can cause euphoria, hallucinations, and/or uncharacteristically aggressive or deviant behavior. It can even heal wounds, cure diseases, or grant temporary powers, such as Enhanced physical abilities, or Immunities like Aging and Disease. It can also create a temporary psychic link, and a temporary stain or “taint” on the user’s “soul” or “aura” with a "negative resonance." Prejudice: If someone does learn that he is a vampire, or that his family is part of the Bedlam Mafia, it could cause them to mistrust him (and they might not be wrong). Conversely, if he learns that another character is also a vampire, or some other sort of undead creature, then this can be a complication for them, because his default reaction will be homicidal violence. Relationships: His wife thinks he’s dead. She’s remarried. She has children with her new husband. But he still cares about her, and by extension, her new family. He still cares about his family too, even the mobsters. He keeps tabs on all of them, and he will leap to their aid if they are in danger. Father Cesare Messina, the retired priest, is the only friend he's made since his death. He will drop everything to help Messina. But the priest’s secret association with him could cause problems for both of them. Secrets: It is not public knowledge that Gaetano Giordano is Mister Strix, or that either of them is a vampire. As far as most people know, Gaetano Giordano is still buried in his grave. Unlife: Even though he has no Constitution score and Immunity to Fortitude effects, he still needs to sleep, and he still needs “food” in the form of blood. He only gets restful sleep if he has complete shelter from sunlight, and if his resting place includes soil from his homeland. He does not need to be buried; a thin layer of dirt spread out under him is sufficient.When he drinks blood, his undead body stores that blood in his heart. His body consumes a small amount of that stored blood every night to preserve his corpse, and a greater amount to heal his wounds and fuel his powers.After a day without sleep and/or three days without blood, the GM can inflict negative conditions upon him, like Fatigued or Exhausted, cumulative penalties on certain checks, and/or temporary ability damage. The GM may allow him some sort of check to delay or lessen these effects, akin to the Constitution checks and Fortitude saves mortals can make to resist the damage caused by neglecting their physical needs.He will not be destroyed by starvation or lack of sleep, but the supernatural preservation of his body will be disrupted. At first, he will start to look sick. Then, he will begin to age. Finally, he will start to decay. Eventually, his flesh will wither away and slough off completely, leaving little more than a fanged skeleton. Eventually, he won’t have eyes or a tongue, but he will still be able to see and speak. Once he finally gets the blood and restful sleep he needs, the decay will gradually reverse. If his soft tissues have rotted away, then his bones will absorb the blood he “drinks" directly. The decay will reverse at roughly the same rate at which a mortal would recover from starvation and/or sleep deprivation.His ideal sustenance is the blood of a living human (or humanoid alien with genetic similarity sufficient to produce viable offspring with a human), taken directly from that human’s veins, ideally while the human is experiencing some sort of intense emotion. The further his feeding deviates from that ideal, the less nourishment and satisfaction he derives. He can consume blood from cold storage, so long as that stored blood would be safe to transfuse back into a living human. He cannot feed on necrotic or coagulated blood, and attempting to do so will cause him to vomit as if it were human food (see “I Do Not Drink…Wine,” above). He can feed from vertebrate animals and aliens which have “blood” (the fluids of arthropods, for example, would not work), but it is not as satisfying, or as efficient; it would take multiple units of animal blood to equal the same “nutritional content” as one unit of human blood. The blood of living supernatural creatures, such as faeries, werewolves, or dragons, on the other hand, tastes better than human blood, provides more efficient nourishment, and may also have side-effects at the GM’s discretion. Potential side-effects include addiction, inebriation, temporary insanity (hallucinations, berserk rage, etc.), and temporary Boosts to his existing powers, and temporarily gaining new powers. Depending on the individual, the blood of human mutants and mutates, powerful aliens, and, depending on their descriptors, even other vampires, may have the same effects. Walking Wasteland: Since he is infused with the life-consuming dark energy of the Schattenwelt, his very presence can be hostile to life. At his touch, or even in his passing, non-animate plants (except for garlic or wolf’s bane) may wither, or even melt or crumble into ash, while food and drink such as bread, milk, cheese, or wine (but never salt) may spoil or rot. Animals which happen to be pregnant may spontaneously miscarry. ABILITIES 20PP Strength: 26/14 (+8/+2), 36/14 Lifting (Heavy Load: 3,680 lbs. [1.84 tons] / 175 lbs.) Dexterity: 26/14 (+8/+2) Constitution: - Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 18 (+4) COMBAT 16PP Initiative: +8/+2 (+8/+2 Dex) Attack: +4, +8/+4 Melee (+4 Base, +4 Enhanced Attack Focus), +6 Claws/Fangs Grapple: +18/+6 (+8/+4 Melee Attack, +8/+2 Strength, +2 Super-Strength) Defense: +8/+4 (+4 Base, +4 Enhanced), +4/+2 Flat-Footed Knockback Resistance: 8 Here is a new DC chart for the "Combat" section reflecting the changes: ATTACK RANGE SAVING THROW EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC23 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Claws/Fangs Touch DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical, Lethal, Incurable) Blood Drain Touch/Grapple DC18 Fortitude* Drain Constitution* Opposed Will vs +8** Mind Reading DC18 Will (Staged)** Sickened/Nauseated/Incapacitated Glimpse of The Abyss Touch/Area (Visual Perception) DC18 Reflex Avoided DC18 Will (Staged) Shaken/Frightened/Panicked Hypnotic Eyes Perception (Visually Sense-Dependent) Opposed Will vs +8** Mind Controlled DC18 Will** Transformed (Memory Altered) Psychic Invisibility Personal DC18 Will*** Total Concealment from all non-Mental type senses *This saving throw is not Staged, because he can only drain 1 Constitution rank per round, regardless of the margin by which the victim failed their save. **Because the two Linked effects target the same saving throw (Will), the victim makes one saving throw and compares it against the DC for both effects. This effect has one static DC and one DC determined by a power check, so it is possible that the victim will successfully save against one of the linked effects but fail to save against the other one. ***Creatures with Intelligence 0 are unaffected. Creatures with Intelligence 1+ only get a saving throw if he does something to draw attention to himself. Machines with Intelligence 0 are also unaffected, but he has a separate, permanent Concealment effect against all Auditory, Radio, and Visual-type machine senses. SAVING THROWS 5PP Toughness: +8 (Impervious) Fortitude: - Reflex: +8 (+8 Dex, +0PP) Will: +8 (+3 Wis, +5PP) SKILLS 32R = 8PP Craft (Culinary) 1 (+5) Handle Animal 0 (-) Intimidation 1 (+13/+5, +15 Deathly Aura) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 1 (+5) Knowledge (Current Events) 1 (+5) Knowledge (History) 1 (+5) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 4 (+8) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 1 (+5) Knowledge (Streetwise) 11 (+15) Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy) 1 (+5) Languages 4 (English [Native], French, Italian, Latin, Spanish) Medicine 5 (+8) Notice 1 (+12/+4) Ride 0 (-) Search 0 (+12/+4) Sense Motive 0 (+12/+3) Stealth 0 (+15/+2) FEATS 2PP Benefit (Legally Deceased) Interpose Enhanced: Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Evasion 2 Hide In Plain Sight Takedown Attack 2 Veteran Rewards: Equipment 7 (35EP) EQUIPMENT 7PP = 35EP POWERS 168PP Concealment 8 (All Auditory, Radio, and Visual type senses, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Limited [Machines], Permanent) [8PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Enhanced Defense 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Dexterity, Enhanced Feats], Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including one or more of the following Descriptors: “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane”; Frequency:Common]) [6PP] Enhanced Dexterity 12 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Feats]) [12PP] Enhanced Feats 9 (Attack Focus [Melee] 4, Evasion 2, Hide In Plain Sight, Takedown Attack 2, Extras: Linked [Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Dexterity])[9PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Superhuman Agility, Superhuman Speed, Undead) Enhanced Skills 40 (Intimidation 8, Notice 8, Search 8, Sense Motive 9, Stealth 7, Power Loss 2 [Lost while exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including one or more of the following Descriptors: “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane”; Frequency: Common]) [8PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Fearsome Visage, Necromancy, Shadow, Super-Senses, Undead, Unnaturally Deep and Resonant Voice) Enhanced Strength 12 (Extras: Linked [Super-Strength], Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including one or more of the following Descriptors: “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane”; Frequency: Common]) [10PP] Super-Strength 2 (Lifting Strength: 36, Heavy Load: 3,680 lbs. [1.84 tons], Extras: Linked [Enhanced Strength]) [4PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Superhuman Strength, Undead) Environment Control 2 (Cold [Intense], Area: 10ft radius, Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Flaws: Duration 2 [Instant], Range [Touch], Uncontrolled) [1PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Cold, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Features 3 (Deathly Aura*; Touch does not leave prints; Wounds do not bleed) [3PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) *See "Death Powers" in Power Profiles. Healing 1 (Extras: Action 4 [Reaction], Affects Objects, Restoration, Total Flaws: Limited [Objects], Personal, Source [Blood]) [6PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Regeneration, Shadow, Undead) Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects) [30PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Impervious Toughness 8 (Flaws: Limited [Effects with one or more of the following Descriptors inflict Penetrating damage: “Acid”; Attempts to impale him through the heart with a "Wooden Stake"; “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”; “Disintegration”; “Fire”; “Garlic”; “Jade”; "Natural Weapons" of "Supernatural Creatures", such as the Claws, Fangs, and/or Horns of Demons, Dragons, Faeries, Vampires, or Werewolves; “Salt”; “Silver”; “Wolf’s Bane”]) [4PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Regeneration, Shadow, Superhuman Resilience, Undead) Leaping 3 (x10, Running Long Jump: 180ft, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including one or more of the following Descriptors: “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane”; Frequency: Common]) [1PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Superhuman Strength, Undead) Obscure 2 (Sense Types: Auditory, Radio, and Visual, Area: 10ft radius, Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Flaws: Duration 2 [Instant], Limited [Machines], Partial, Range [Touch], Uncontrolled) [2PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Electromagnetic Interference, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Protection 8 [8PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Superhuman Resilience, Undead) Regeneration 14 (Recovery 14 [+9, Recovers over time like a living creature], Feats: Regrowth) [15PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Regeneration 12 (Recovery Rate: Injured 6 [1/round, No rest], Disabled 6 [1 round], Flaws: Limited [Effects with one or more of the following Descriptors inflict Incurable damage: “Acid”; “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”; “Disintegration”; “Fire”; “Garlic”; “Jade”; "Natural Weapons" of "Supernatural Creatures", such as the Claws, Fangs, and/or Horns of Demons, Dragons, Faeries, Vampires, or Werewolves; “Salt”; “Silver”; “Wolf’s Bane”]) [6PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Regeneration 8 (Resurrection 8 [1 round], Flaws: Limited [If decapitated, he requires outside aid to reunite his head and body before he can resurrect; If impaled through the heart with a wooden stake, or a blade or bullet made from his other weaknesses, he requires outside aid to remove the "stake" before he can resurrect; He requires outside aid and extra time to resurrect if his body is completely burned, disintegrated, or dissolved]) [4PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Speed 3 (50MPH / 500ft per Move Action, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including one or more of the following Descriptors: “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane”; Frequency: Common]) [1PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Superhuman Speed, Undead) Super-Movement 1 (Trackless) [2PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including one or more of the following Descriptors: “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane”; Frequency: Common]) [1PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Super-Senses 11 (Acute Analytical Tracking Smell/Taste, Darkvision, Microscopic Vision, Postcognition [Flaws: Medium {Blood}], Ultra-Hearing, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including one or more of the following Descriptors: “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane”; Frequency: Common]) [7PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Vampire Power 8 (16PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 4) [20PP] (Descriptors: Black Magic, Blood Magic, Darkness, Death, Evil, Necromancy, Shadow, Undead) Base Power: [16PP] (Additional Descriptors: Blood Divination, Blood Drain, Euphoria) Drain Constitution 8 (Extras: Linked [Mind Reading, Nauseate], Flaws: Limited [1 rank per round], Requires Grapple, Feats: Insidious, Slow Fade 4 [1 hour], Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 3 [While exposed to Daylight, he can only bite with a regular unarmed attack, which will not have any euphoric effect on the victim; Cannot attempt to bite anyone while he is Restrained with bonds including the “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane” descriptors; Cannot attempt to bite any character wearing or wielding "Fire", a Mirror, or an item with any of the aforementioned descriptors, or anyone hiding behind that character; Frequency: Very Common]) [6PP] Mind Reading 8 (Extras: Action [Standard], Linked [Drain, Nauseate], Flaws: Duration [Instant, Lasting], Range 2 [Touch], Requires Grapple) [2PP] Nauseate 8 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Drain, Mind Reading], Flaws: Requires Grapple) [8PP] Alternate Power: [6 + 7 = 13PP] Autofire Strength 8 (Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including the “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane” descriptors; Frequency: Common]) [6PP] (Additional Descriptors: Super-Speed) Damage 2 (Extras: Autofire, Penetrating, Feats: Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Incurable, Mighty, Variable Descriptor [Claws and/or Fangs; Piercing and/or Slashing], Drawbacks: Inaccurate, Lethal, Power Loss 2 [While exposed to Daylight, he cannot create claws, and his bite is a regular unarmed attack; Cannot create claws or attempt to bite anyone while he is Restrained with bonds including the “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane” descriptors; Frequency: Common]) [7PP] (Additional Descriptors: Claws, Fangs) Alternate Power: [7 + 2 = 9PP] Concealment 10 (All Non-Mental type Senses, Flaws: Phantasm, Feats: Selective, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including the “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane” descriptors; Frequency: Common], Progression [Counter Rank / Save DC] 2 [-2 = Rank 8 / DC18]) [7PP] (Additional Descriptors: Hypnosis, Mind Control, Psychic Invisibility) Emotion Control 8 (Extras: Area [Perception, Visual], Flaws: Limited [Fear], Range 2 [Touch], Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including the “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane” descriptors; Frequency: Common]) [2PP] (Additional Descriptors: Fearsome Visage, Glimpse of The Abyss) Alternate Power: [15PP] (Additional Descriptors: Mist Form) Flight 2 (25MPH, 250ft per Move Action, Extras: Linked [Immunity, Insubstantial], Feats: Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 2 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight, or while Restrained with bonds including the “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane” descriptors; Frequency: Common]) [3PP] Immunity 2 (Critical Hits, Extras: Duration [Sustained], Linked [Flight, Insubstantial]) [2PP] Insubstantial 2 (Gas, Extras: Linked [Flight, Immunity]) [10PP] Alternate Power: [14PP] (Additional Descriptors: Hypnotic Eyes, Psychic) Mind Control 8 (Extras: Conscious, Duration [Sustained, Lasting], Linked [Transform], Mental, Flaws: Action [Full], Distracting, Sense-Dependent [Visual], Feats:Subtle, Drawbacks: Power Loss 3 [Lost while Exposed to Daylight; Lost while Restrained with bonds including the “Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy”, “Garlic”, “Jade”, “Salt”, “Silver”, and/or “Wolf’s Bane” descriptors; Cannot be used against any character wearing or wielding "Fire", a Mirror, or an item with any of the aforementioned descriptors, or anyone hiding behind that character; Frequency: Very Common]) [6PP] Transform 8 (Memory Alteration, Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Linked [Mind Control], Mental, Range [Perception], Flaws: Action [Full], Distracting, Sense-Dependent [Visual]) [8PP] DRAWBACKS -13PP Vulnerability ("Blessed/Celestial/Consecrated/Holy" effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Vulnerability ("Fire" effects, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-2PP] Vulnerability ("Silver" effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Weakness (Daylight, Frequency: Very Common, Intensity: Moderate [Cumulative -1 Drain on Toughness, Destroyed when Toughness reaches -6], Time: 1/round) [-8PP] Weakness (Healing effects without Descriptors which identify them as being "Evil", "Unholy", or otherwise beneficial to the "Undead" do not work on him, even if they have the "Affects Objects" extra, and they also inflict Damage of equal rank; Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor, Time: Instant) [-1PP] Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (5) + Skills (8) + Feats (2) + Powers (168) – Drawbacks (13) = 206/216 Power Points

I didn't wind up using this thread for its original purpose, but it didn't get deleted either. So I'll use it to feel some stuff out.

Sounds good. Want me to burn a Hero Point, since you basically just fiated in my favor?

o_O His net Toughness save modifier is -6?

It's now been about two weeks since the last IC post. Can we get a status update for this thread?

Mister Strix responded to Antonio's assault with a series of rapid-fire blocks from a dizzying variety of angles, diverting the incoming strikes into circles away from him. Any fan of Hong Kong cinema would recognize it as a classic Wing Chun defense. "You were a big fish in your little pond," he whispered. "But you're in open water now." His Wing Chun defense suddenly shifted to a Muay Thai offense as he launched a brutal fist/elbow/knee combination at Antonio's nose, solar plexus, and jaw.

All-Out Attack for +2 Attack / -2 Defense and Power Attack for -2 Attack / +2 Damage. Standard Action: Unarmed attack against the flat-footed foe. Attack: 15. If that hits, it's a DC25 Toughness save, at -2 since he's Demoralized. If he's still conscious after that, then: Move Action: Demoralize again as a move action at -5. Intimidation: 12. Antonio gets +1 to resist this time.

The man in white stood almost still for several moments. His only movement for those moments was to menacingly crack the knuckles on each of his fists. Then, without the slightest shift in stance to telegraph his movement, he burst into the air. A standing jump that would baffle an Olympian morphed seamlessly into a spinning jump kick straight out of Tae Kwon Do. It missed Lt. Antonio's head by a fraction of an inch, parting his hair like a gust of wind. It missed because it was supposed to. A kick like that would normally be used to keep a foe at a distance, but Mister Strix twisted around as smoothly as a shark through water to slide in close.