Thevshi

GM Once again Starshot's throw landed true, his spear aimed right at the back of the quickdeath’s head. The power of the throw managed to sink the stone tip through the creature’s armored scales, punching through up to several inches on the haft. The quickdeath staggered slightly, took a couple of steps forward and the collapsed to the ground, its long neck slamming into the sand. For a brief moment timed seemed to stand still, then a cheering noise could be heard coming from the Ul-Mor gathered nearby to observe the trial. Soreen lowered her blaster pistol, a relieved look on her face. Laark also lowered his weapons, but kept a close eye on the quickdeath just in case. Athru rode forward towards the group, bringing his loper to a halt a short distance from Starshot before he climbed down. You have done very well, few have ever best a quickdeath so efficiently! We are now One, for you are Ul-Mor!

The Quickdeath botches its save with a natural 1. It is slain!

GM Magnetar refocused on the battle after shrugging off the Jaas attempt to control his mind and getting hit by one of the Grue blasters. Hoping that the Terran could deal with the insectoid mentalist, the Praetorian instead took aim at the Grue drone that had shot him, sending a powerful magnetic blast that knocked the alien out and to the ground unconscious. The other four aliens armed with blasters all fired at Magnetar again, hoping their combined fire might be able to deal with the Praetorian to allow their tougher members to deal with the others. However, all four proved unable to hit the target.

Magnetar will take a shot at another drone (again taking 10), the Grue only gets a 9, so it goes down. The other four aliens all fire on Magnetar again, but they all miss That brings up: Round Four 21 Queenie (unharmed, 1 HP) 18 Jaas (bruised) 15 Tough Alien (bruised 2, dazed) 14 Grue drones (1 left, minions) 13 Seresk (bruised) 9 Paradigm (unharmed, 3 HP) 6 Magnetar (bruised) 5 Grunt aliens (4 in total, minions) Queenie is up!

Paradigm With the aliens around her unconscious, Paradigm was able to take a moment watch as the rest of the fight unfolded. The Praetorians and their Terran ally were making good headway, when the large alien downed Seresk, at least temporarily, while Magnetar was hurt by some of the other aliens. Deciding Seresk was in more immediate need of assistance, Paradigm flew over toward the melee in an instant. As she came to hover before the large alien, she swung a powerful punch that connected with its jaw, causing a loud *THWACK,* and a faint shockwave that could be felt by those nearby. The large alien was knocked off its feet and set flying backward over a dozen yards, where it smashed into a wall of machinery, damaging much of it before falling to the ground with debris raining down on it. <"It looked as if you needed a bit of help my friend."> She stated to Seresk in Gal Standard.

Paradigm will fly down to attack the Tough Alien, hitting with a 30. That is a DC 32 toughness save, it only gets a 26, so it bruised and dazed and knocked back into another wall.

GM Queenie's energy blast struck the alien, knocking it off its feet and back against the wall of the room. The Jaas appeared to be somewhat shaken by the attack, but managed to get its bearings once more and climbed back to its feet. This time if focused its multifaceted eyes on Magnetar as a faint yellow glow surrounded its head once more. As before, a similar glow appeared around Magnetar's head, but the Praetorian managed to resist the intrusion into his mind. The large alien facing Seresk let out what sounded like a roar of furry as it brought both fists up over its head and swung them down at the larger Paretorian. This time the alien managed to land the blow, smashing Seresk down into the rocky floor with an audible *THUD.* The two remaining Grue fired their energy weapons at Magnetar once more, but only one hit. Magnetar's forcefield flickered slightly as the Pretorian grunted from the pain but remained in the air and in the fight.

Okay, the Jaas will recover from being dazed (HP to Queenie) and try to Mind Control Magnetar (DC 18). Magnetar gets a 21, so he is fine. The tough alien attacks Seresk once more, this time hitting with a 20. DC 29 toughness save for Seresk, he only gets a 20 so is bruised and dazed and knocked off his feet. The two remaining Grue drones attack Magnetar, getting a 17 and 19, so one hit one miss. Magnetar only gets a 16 on his toughness save, so he is bruised.

Synapse Dee Farrington shifted slightly from where she was seated on the roof of the building. The young English woman was dressed in the costume she wore as Synapse, a fully body suit of medium grey and purple with a mask that covered the upper part of her face. Part of the reason she was uncomfortable was the fact she was wearing the costume, something that was still new to her. The other reason was she was sitting on the roof of a building! She glanced over at the reason she was sitting her, the young man she had met recently at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Since that time, both had been trying to follow leads on the mysterious Doctor Zero, but those had gone nowhere. Foreshadow had also started to become involved with Vanguard, making regular trips to London. But he still found time to pursue his other work here in Freedom City, and had requested her help with a case. So Dee had made use of the teleport pad in the Haven to the British Consulate in Freedom City. You know, you have a strange idea of what constitutes a date. Dee stated to Erik over the mental link she had established so they could quietly communicate during the stakeout, her mental voice having her distinct British accent.

GM Southside, Freedom City, New Jersey Sunday April 6, 2014 10:14 PM It had been several months since Foreshadow had first gotten on the trail of a mysterious new underworld figure. That incident had suggested that this mysterious figure might have abilities similar to Foreshadows. In the intervening time, Foreshadow experienced difficulty in trying to track down the figure, all the while the mystery man began making moves to disrupt the criminal underworld in Southside. It had been less than 48 hours since Foreshadow had gone to an underground night club to speak with an arms dealer, Grigory Salnikov. Given the assassination attempt on Salnikov, the arms dealer had been willing to provide Foreshadow with information on one of his customers, the mysterious man behind the recent unrest in parts of the Southside criminal world. Salnikov had revealed that the mystery man Foreshadow had been chasing went by the name Foresight. While Salnikov could not confirm whether he had abilities similar to Foreshadow's, he did indicate that Foresight appeared to have an uncanny ability to predict events. Salnikov had also provided the address of a location used by Foresight to which the arms dealer had delivered shipments in the last couple of months. Given that Foreshadow had already encountered one super powered operative working for Foresight, as well as another that was at least highly trained, the costumed crime fighter had decided it might be time to even the odds some. So, as he sat on the roof of another warehouse, watching the location provided by Salnikov, he was joined by Dee Farrington, who also was Synapse of the UK superteam Vanguard. They had been in place about an hour, and thus far there had been very little activity within the warehouse. A couple of blocks way on the street… Harry Hound and Freddy Furlong pulled the Caddy to a halt on a dark street, looking over at an old warehouse a few blocks away. The two private detectives generally focused on cases within the Fens or the surrounding neighborhoods, but when Lucy Harker had given them info about a power struggle taking place in Southside between some unknown new underworld figure and the existing gangs that was leaving a trail of bodies, the two had agreed (reluctantly in Harry's case) to investigate the matter. It had taken a bit of work, and some "convincing" by Freddy, but the two had eventually gotten a lead to the warehouse that sat in front of them. According to their sources, the group that was muscling in on existing groups' turf was using the building to channel the illegal arms shipments that were fueling their takeover.

GM Starshot's throw struck true, catching the creature at the joint of one of its front legs, right in a gap in its armor. The spear sunk deep, causing the creature screech in pain as its head shook from side to side before its eyestalks focused on Starshot. It started moving towards him and the dummy behind which he was hiding when Laark threw one of his spears. The throw managed to catch the quickdeath right in the side of the heat, given it was so focused on Starshot. The point cut a bloody gash in the side of the creature’s head, causing it to stagger slightly to one side as it shook its head in pain and confusion, its charge halted. Soreen had her blaster pistol out, and took aim from near another one of the straw dummies before firing. However, the creature was still staggering as she fired, and her shot passed harmlessly underneath to kick up a puff of sand.

Laark throws his spear and gets a 29, hitting the creature with a crit! It only gets a 18, but I will give it a reroll, for a 24, which would normally be just good enough, but for the crit, so it is bruised, injured and dazed! Soreen fires with her blaster, but she manages to miss So, Round Two 18 Quickdeath (bruised 2, injured 2, Dazed) 16 Starshot (unharmed, 4 HP) 11 Laark (unharmed) 8 Soreen (unharmed) With the Quickdeath dazed, Starshot is up!

That certainly hits, it only gets a 22 against DC 26, so it is bruised and injured.

Hmm, we will go with it was rather close before you spotted it then (given you lacked the extended and other supersenses from the helmet), but you all were studying the area vs its concealment stealth, so no surprise but no very early warning. Round One 18 Quickdeath (unharmed) 16 Starshot (unharmed, 4 HP) 11 Laark (unharmed) 8 Soreen (unharmed) So for its first action, the Quickdeath will rush forward, bringing it easily within spear range and an easy move for an attack next round. Starshot is up!

Archived at player request.

Unarchived, at player request.

+1 HP for Starshot for deciding to face the trial as the Ul-Mor would! Initiative time again!

GM Seeing Starshot forgo using the blaster rifle he obtained from Phalen, Laark also leaves his blaster pistol in its holster with an Ul-Mor as he takes a couple of spears and shoulders his large club. Soreen looks at the pair and shakes her head slightly, grabbing a spear as well, but she leaves her blaster pistol at her hip. "I hope you two do not expect me to try this only with a spear." She commented as the three moved out into the sand and set up the straw dummies. Athru gave the group a signal of best wishes and then he and the other Ul-Mor moved back a short distance away, where they could observe, but be away from the site of the test. Several Ul-Mor blew horns they had with them, the deep bass of the sound echoing across the sands. For what seemed like endless minutes, nothing happened. Starshot and his crew stood under the blazing sun, looking out at the sands around them. Then, Starshot spotted movement, a large form moving quickly across the sands. As it drew closer, he saw a large four legged creature that resembled the description of the quickdeath. It was a fearsome sight, a speedy armored predator that was headed their way, its two sets of tentacles (three in each set) whipping around its sides as it closed….

GM Starshot found opportunities to communicate with Athru or Kahai as they continued their trek across the hot desert sands. From what he was able to gain from his discussions, he learned the quickdeath was a quadrupedal predator, with a long, flexible neck and powerful jaws. It possessed four eyes, each on its own eyestalk. In addition to its jaws, each of the claws on its four legs were long and sharp and it had a number of tentacle like appendages that extended from its sides that it used to try to grab prey. Its hide was covered in a reflective armor, which helped conceal it in the desert sands. He also learned that while the tribe would provide them spears if they wished to use them, they were also free to use whatever weapons they possessed. The Ul-Mor appear to feel that the "One" has provide Starshot and his crew with their strange devices to compensate for their lack of additional limbs. About midway through the second day, the Ul-Mor tribe stops in some rocky hills, setting up their camp. Athru and other Ul-Mor riders inform you that the Place of True Warriors is a short distance to the north of the hills and that it is time for the Ritual of Manhood. They offer spears for any that want them, provide you with the straw dummies that will help them and then lead you toward the ritual site.

GM "You and me both." Soreen replied in agreement as she started off with Starshot to follow the Ul-Mor back to where they were camped. Laark pulled Phalen back up to his feet and began to march after the pair with their new charge in tow. After a brief bit of rest, they were soon back on the lopers the Ul-Mor had provided them, setting off once more into the desert that stretched out from the rocky hills of the burning lands. The trip lasting a little over a day, with the tribe camping at one point for the night. During the trek there was no change in Phalen’s condition, and indeed he tried to escape from the camp at least a couple of times. Startshot also noted that some of the Ul-Mor had been working on straw dummies for himself and each of his crew. Athru explained at the quickdeath would retract its eyestalks before it strikes, making it nearly blind. Thus it could be confused by dummies among other targets and sometimes be tricked into attacking them instead.

Okay, a couple more comments: For the tradeoffs, it should be -3 attack/+3 damage; -3 defense/+3 Toughness Need to fix the notice check in the parentheses to +9 Some things I forgot before, for Regeneration, need to indicate how quickly you recover from Bruised and Injured. Same thing for several of your Super Senses. What is the Acute for? Same with the 2 ranks of Accurate (I assume it is two different senses, but need to know).

So Jack, a few comments that I can see. First, he does not have any tradeoffs in normal form, so no need to list any. If you are not going to have a Catchphrase or Theme, you can just delete those lines. For your combat block, you need to list that you spent 12pp (you currently have zero, but listed it correctly at the bottom of the sheet) Also, just need to list the numbers, not how it is purchased (it would be Combat: 6 + 6 = 12PP) For Saves, like with combat, you do not need to list what each is purchasing and how much it costs, so it should be 3 + 8 + 7 = 18PP For Skills, with those languages, I am counting 16 PP of skills, not 15. For Powers, I am counting 62 PP of powers in the Alternate Form container, not 60.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE GIRL OF YESTERYEAR'D BY HGM Paradigm Paradigm has 18 pp to spend, so going to bring her up to PL 15 caps and am going to be reworking some things. As part of bringing her up to caps I am spending points as follows: 1) +1 BAB (up to +8) [2 pp] 3) +1 to Dodge Focus (up to 5 ranks) [1 pp] 4) +2 Con (up to 22 without enhanced con) [2 pp] 5) +1 Impervious Toughness (giving her +15 Impervious) [1 pp] 6) I am also adding +1 to each of her saves [3 pp] However, looking back over things, I realize that I miss calculated her Weakness drawback, it should be -6 pp, not -5, so I end up only spending 8 pp for the above 9 pp of changes due to this oversight. I am also changing her powers around some, giving her a more traditional Paragon Array (in part because I feel the way her Heat Vision works is sort of cheating). As part of this rearranging, I am making the following changes: I am dropping the 2 ranks of Attack Specialization: Heat Vision and Takedown Attack from her feats (freeing up 3 pp) I am adding Power Loss Drawback to Delaztri Crystals to both her Enhanced Con 12 and Impervious Toughness, meaning those powers are shut off when she is exposed to the crystals (in addition to her weakness). This frees up another 2 pp. I am reducing her base flight power to only 1 rank, freeing up 12 pp. I am dropping her Enhanced Strength 2, freeing up 2 pp. I am reducing her Super Strength to 1 ranks and changing the Heat Vision feat to Superbreath (I am keeping the Shockwave and Countering Punch feats), freeing up 10 pp. I am also dropping the Power Reserve, freeing up another 7 pp. In total, that is 36 pp going into the Paragon Array. I will spend another 2 of my unspent pp (for a total of 10) to give the array 38 pp. The array will be rank 16 with a dynamic base power and three dynamic alt powers, for a total of 39 pp. It will also have the Power Loss Drawback, to keep the costs at 38 pp. When finished it will be as follows: Paragon Array 16 (32 pp Feats: Dynamic; 3 Dynamic Alt Powers; Drawback: Power Loss when exposed to Delaztri Crystals (-1)) [38 pp] BP: Enhanced Str 10 (Feats: Takedown Attack; Improved Crit 2 [18-20]) {0 to 13 pp} DAP: Super Strength 16 {0 to 32 pp} DAP: Flight 12 {0 to 24 pp} DAP: Blast (Heat Vision) 12 (Feats:Accurate 5; Improved Range 2 (600’ range increment); Progression: Range (3,000’ max range)) {0 to 32 pp} I have also made some fluff changes. Final character sheet is below:

That hits, the Jaas gets a 17 on its toughness save vs DC25, so it is bruised and dazed (and also knocked to the ground).

GM Phalen tried to pull away from Starshot as the space hunter put his boot on the alien’s chest and began to apply some pressure. But being tied up and helpless he could do little other than do his best to shield his face from the sun despite his obvious discomfort. But whether he understood Starshot or not he did not respond, just continued to babble to himself about needed to get back to his caves. "He seems rather lost in his own mind." Soreen commented, looking down at Phalen with a slight bit of sympathy on her face. "We may not be able to get anything useful from him."