Dr Archeville

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Where does it say Nexus has Mimic 7? If Nexus is the same as the Mimic in Instant Superheroes, he's got Mimic 12 (60 points). Though it looks like Nexus got 100pp off of Dark Star alone, which'd require Mimic 20....

Find Nexus' equivalent of Fleur, hope Dark Star's protective nature also got transferred in?

This is why I left my last post open for you all to tell me things: clearly there have been poor communications, on several sides (you yourself said you had no idea there were concerns), and clearly things have gone quite wrong for it to get to this point. But before any changes can be decided upon, I want to make sure everyone's on the same page, to make sure everyone knows not just what is being changed but why, and how best to make those changes. I know what the non-Interceptors think, now I need to know what you think; I'm not going to make sweeping changes to you all without giving you a chance to present your side of the issue.

There have been several misinterpretations, miscommunications, and misunderstandings, and this is the core problem. The Interceptors started as an idea for a quasi-military thing, which none of the Refs wanted to see or handle. I stepped forward and offered Dok as an alternative for backing, since A) he had the resources to do so, and again, no one else really wanted to oversee a team composed of characters who are very... independent. See, that's the other issue: the Interceptors is less a team, and more like a collection of heroes (or a group of people with powers), people that several others don't like or trust. A team is more than just a collection people, it's one of those "greater than the sum of its parts" deals. And while you may not care about other heroes (PC or otherwise) liking the group or its individual members, there does need to be some level of trust, of "professional courtesy." Giz and Quote, you're the prime offenders: I know Giz wants Jack of All Blades to come off as a Spider-Man-esque quipper, but most folks see him as a disrespectful grandstander (and Spidey's not known for being a team player anyway), while Colt is... well, Colt is a Quote expy, a char suited for Red Dead Redemption, not superhero comics. Grim and Dynamo (and to an extent Colt) are less "heroes" and more "people with powers." Now, at first I thought the most straightforward way to try and change things for the better, for everyone involved, was to have Dok step in and take a more direct role in leadership, not just be the shadowy backer. And his status as a member of the Freedom League would mean he'd the ear of Captain Thunder and other long-time heroes who could offer mentorship and guidance (both to the group, and to Dok to help him become a better leader). 'Course, while the group wouldn't need to like Dok for him to be their mentor, they would need to trust him, and that's possibly on shaky ground given the revelation about him taking samples from you all over the months. But then Fulcrum joined, and that threw a spanner in the works -- Dok could be her boss, or her lover, but he could not do both and do as good a job as would be needed at them. I don't want to end Dok & Fulcrum's relationship (it's the first romantic storyline I've ever done with a char, and Darius & I are still working on their first date, so I'd hate to end it before it really starts). He could ask her to lead the group (possibly with Dok acting as her adviser), which could help hone the inspirational and leadership qualities the heir to Centurion's mantle would need... or ask her to leave the group, and either resume solo work or maybe audition for the League... but that would, of course, be Darius' call. (And Dok telling her how to lead the group goes back to the "bossing your lover around" issue. And she's as much a loner as everyone else.) And since RL issues have prevented Darius from posting lately, there's another impasse. But there is another.... Before getting to that, though, I want to hear from you; I've heard plenty from Refs and non-Refs about the negative points of the group and its members, now I want to hear your side. What do you want the Interceptors to be? What is their objective, their goals, their standards of conduct? When the Bystander On The Street hears "the Interceptors," what should go through their mind? When the Freedom League or the 31st Century history archives talk about other superhero teams, what should they be saying about the Interceptors?

I think he was wondering whose turn it is next. Looks like... top of a new round, so Arrowhawk?

Player's choice. One guy might have a Duplicator whose dupes are weaker than him, another might make dupes that are slower.

Duplication's based on Summon. Summon gives you 15p per rank of summoned critter. You don't need to use all the pp the power gives, just like you don't need to use all the pp in an Array slot.

Archeville was suddenly reminded of one of his first adventures in Freedom City, one where a large thorn came perilously close to piercing several vital organs. But that hadn't been filled with acidic bee venom! "Nnnnghh--!" Despite the growing numbness, the Doktor still clung to his iconic Electromagnetic Screwdriver. Removing some of the safeties off the power source was easy, but leaving enough in to channel the power where he wanted it was trickier. But he was, after all, a Doktor. "Dumme Bienen! Sie werden 'pop' jetzt!"* Bottled lightning was unleashed, dancing between Archeville's techno-wand and the three gigantic bees on him. And as it did, he laughed. * "Stupid bees! You go 'pop' now!"

Fort save vs. Drain Dex Bee Venom (DC 27) (1d20+9=21) Fails by 6, so he's down 6 Dex. Dex is now... 7 (-2). Free Action: Groan in agony! Free Action: Maintain Force Field Standard Action: Reconfigure Gadgets Free Action: Extra Effort to SURGE! Full Action: Target the three bees that attacked him; I'm fairly certain they're so big he can use all his squares to just cover them, with none left over. DC 25 Reflex saves, then DC 30 or 22 Toughness saves.

"'Speed Metal,' eh?," Archeville asked, tapping his chin in thought. "Is dat de only kind of music you use? Haff you experimented mit ozhers?" "Vhat next? Vell, vhat vould you like to do next? Dis is about testing you -- vhat do you vish to know about yourself?"

You can pre-order the DC Hero Handbook ($39.95) and get the pdf right now for $5 on top of that. Or, order the pdf separately for $20.

"Vampires, hunh? An'... we're bringin' Big, Red an' Juicy with us?" He jerked a thumb towards Atlas, then turned just enough to face him, "no offense, but yer gprobably gonna stick out like a fat tick on a dog's ear." "An' I don't wanna think about what'll happen if they got a sip'a James here," he continued, jerking his head towards Hellion. "I saw some vamps feed on a lil' imp once, and, hoo-eee! They got real nasty, real fast. Guess there's no chance ya can just bring yer big ol' spaceship across, you an' Atlas hol' up there while the ones the vamps either can't or won't bite" he pointed to Phantom, then to himself, "scout out ahead?"

:flashfact:

Archeville tried keeping up with Rift, as he did before. The teen proved too fast. When Rift returned to their starting point, Dok was quickly returning to it. And... laughing? "Incredible, Herr Rift, simply incredible! I haff never seen a phonokinetic fly dat fast!

And now the time-honored tradition of "two heroes meet up, have a misunderstanding, fight for a bit until they realize they're on the same team" deal. Trevor gets a surprise round.

Trevor could hear the intruder coming closer, and he saw movement amongst the neatly manicured hedges and other foliage in the neighborhood. But the IR lenses on his mask were not showing anything. In fact, they weren't even showing the presence of any animals. No stray cats or dogs (not that there were many in this neighborhood), no rabbit or squirrels. Whatever had happened earlier, or whatever was approaching, had spooked them all. Suddenly, coming out from behind a twine pair of trees in a neighbor's lawn, Trevor saw it. At first glance it looked to be a vagrant, well-worn sneakers, tattered blue jeans, and a slightly oversized plain black t-shirt. But the way he walked was all wrong, as was the way it held itself. And the eyes, shining like twin emerald fireflies, staring ahead, staring at the body on the lawn. Was this one of the attacker's minions, come to reclaim a fallen minion? Or here to destroy evidence?

"Dey could all be false," Archeville responded, "dere are no sufficiently large antenna directly north, south, east, or vest of here. GBN Tower is northeast, und-" "Von moment, please," the Doktor suddenly said, adjusting controls on his Gravimetric Belt. He looked up to Phalanx, "if I am not back in six seconds, get to de GBN Tower as fast as possible." A protective sheathe of blue-gray light sprang into existence around the Doktor, then everyone felt the tiniest bit of vertigo while gravity warped and spacetime folded in on itself as he used his wormhole-generating Belt to teleport himself to the top of the GBN Tower.

Oh, I've got specific questions First, asking around for Gina, a Gina who knows a (now-dead) guy named Lewis. Ask Gina if she saw anything the night Lewis was murdered, or if she's seen any other murders or other weirdness. Ask where the soup kitchen they're referring to it, talk to the nuns and Father Dave. Ask if they've seen or heard anything odd, or noticed if any of their regulars have disappeared. And finally, unless one of the prior leads has given him something really good to go on, check with the county coroners (who would've handled the body of an unclaimed indignant) and see what they noted about Lewis' body, where it is, and if there's been a spike in transient deaths, or any unusually mutilated bodies. Also, did Robin leave the Hand of Glory with Dead Head? It appears so, just wanted to make sure.

Initiative (1d20+7=8) Dok is not being particularly stealthy, yet, partly because he was 'ported in not fully prepared. But largely b/c he doesn't think Bee-Keeper's going to be a real threat. He does have this, though, via his Gadgets: And switching tentacle-brains to Enhanced Wisdom (keep the eyes peeled & the mind strong!).

Archeville had disconnected his Electromagnetic Screwdriver from his Belt when Ace laid out his (brief) plan, and began re-adjusting it. "I should be able to generate a tone dat can disrupt his control... unless it is pheromone-based, in vhich case I will need a bit longer mit a few moments to mix up someding from de items in mein pockets" "Okay, I dink I-" the Doktor began, suddenly pausing when he saw Ace put on the finishing touches to his Fleur disguise. "Are... are you sure dat is vise? I mean, even if he doooe-!" The next thing the Doktor knew, he was outside Freedom Hall, courtesy of (the real) Fleur's teleportation.

A few blocks over, Dead Head was shambling back to Lantern Hill, having just finished assisting a spirit move on by making sure its final wishes were carried out. He ducked between alley when possible, and crawled through underground access tunnels when necessary. Just as he prepared to shimmy down a storm drain, he started vibrating. "The heck is... izzat... izzat my heart? Is my heart beatin' again! Am I- oh..." His voice was tinged with just a bit too much hope to be entirely a joke. But then he found the cell phone. "Hey 'Venger... what? Yeah, I'll be right over!" The Revoltin's Revenant turned and ran towards the haunted mansion, as fast as his tireless legs could carry him. He burst into the library just as Hellion finished talking. "... what'd I miss?!"

The figure on the ground was not Trevor's grandfather. Judging by the condition of the body, though, it was hard to say who it was, because it was so withered and mummified that visual identification was next to impossible. Cause of death appeared to be a blunt force trauma to the head, and the pattern impressed into the flesh was similar to that raised design on the bottom of an ornate marble ashtray Trevor had seen many times on his grandfather's desk. The clothing did reveal some clues, though. The corpse was dressed in simple contemporary clothing, all dark colors. Not unlike what a run-of-the-mill street thug would wear. The pockets were empty of anything which could identify the corpse, but did hold something of interest: several zip ties, the kind used to quickly bind crooks... or kidnapping victims. Around its neck was a thin metal chain -- iron, it seemed -- which had been snapped. Incidental damage during the fight? Or someone removing a dog tag? In the distance, Trevor heard something approach. Something slow and plodding.

Thousands of miles above the city, in the satellite headquarters of the Freedom League, Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville was at that moment engaged in a most unpleasant activity. "... neununddreißig... vierzig... einundvierzig... zweiundvierzig..." The Doktor was hard at work in the Lighthouse's gym, focusing on his The Doktor's routine (and inner debate) was cut short by Ace's message. "Archeville here, I am on de vay. Dark Star, do not- oh, who am I kidding, you are probably already engaging de target even now." One speedy change later, Archeville was once more clad in his familiar khaki pants, spidergoat-silk shirt, and armored labcoat. Using his Electromagnetic Screwdriver to act as coprocessors for and amp the power of his Gravimetric Belt, he teleported instantly to the corner of First and Washington.

Would it be okay to have Doc start at the Freedom League HQ? Or do you want us all starting outside the place?