Dr Archeville

"Jack?" Archeville asked/exclaimed, a hopeful look breaking on his face for just a moment, then crashing back down. Maybe he's here now? No, that could be bad, especially since he is, if I recall one of Fleur's reports correctly, something of a folk hero among the Bees, so any sense of distress or irritation on his part may lead to me being chased by panel truck-sized fire-breathing bees. "Ah, what did they all help on? I'd imagine Miss Americana offered some medical help, and Supercape something with power generation. Did Midnight help with trying to figure out just what happened here?" As far as the Doktor knew, no one had yet pieced together what had caused such devastation, though he certainly had no shortage of hypotheses. Many had to do with him going mad and/or falling completely under the influence of the pseudonatural thing that had been bred into his family line, and unleashing something worse than Hell. It must be nice, having so many friends willing to help. "It must be-" he began to say, but stopped as he caught himself about to voice (and thus reinforce) some of his depression. "I mean, ah, no, I've not seen Beedom City lately. Or at all, really; the one brief visit I had here before, I really didn't get to see much of the city, it was more of a global overview I was taking with Dark Star."

"No costumes will be required, Mr. Print," it intoned, holding up its hands to shoo off the police. ~Alert,~ it radioed to the dispatcher, ~Harold Print is standing down, and I have convinced him to release the people he changed.~ "Nor will you be asked to go out on patrol, or snitch on anyone." ~Subject is still volatile, and threatens to re-Print everyone if he is forced in to police custody. Attempting to get him to volunteer to come in to a secure-able location.~ "However, if you do wish to help others, to see if your healing gifts can be shared with the world, some doctors will need to perform a few tests on you. And those are best done in a hospital or laboratory setting." ~Advise clearing path to The Lab, I can use the security measures there to neutralize him and prepare him for secure incarceration.~ "We could do so at my space, in The Lab. You suspect the human police officers and scientists may try to trick you, but I am a robot, and exist only to serve, and if the best way to study your fantastic healing ability is to allow you your freedom, that is what I shall do. I am certain these fine officers," it turned to regard each one, "will help me in getting you to my workspace, and keep away anyone who might seek revenge on your for damages caused by your recent... spree."

A small smile blossomed on Vicky's lips as 'she' overheard the jester's inability to locate the good Doktor, despite the latest crudities coming from Donald involving a jackass, a honeycomb, and a brothel. These lines were of course calculated barbs -- one of the people in his little group was made up as Nick Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream, with donkey head, but that person was really Nicholas Dunston, a spoiled prat who was secretly planning to sell his late mother Margaret's prize horses to cover the losses he'd incurred at the racetracks and casinos. Looks like my ruse is holding up. Though I don't think his analysis was wrong -- that does look like it could be Eve Martel! I'd hoped one of the Martel would be here; I've yet to meet one who wasn't a clever conversationalist. Vicky laid a and on Donald's arm and batted her eyes at him, and after what looked like a quick unspoken exchange he excused himself (in his typical crass manner) to 'attend' to his date. The rest of the crowd quickly parted to let them through, as did everyone between them and the rooms they sought. As soon as he could, Archeville arranged for 'Donald' to duck into a side room, after which he clicked off the projection and slipped the Screwdriver back into Vicky's purse. Moments later, an annoyed-seeming Vicky was walking back into the ballroom, and happened to cross the fox-woman's path. "" Vicky huffed in German at Eve's direction, "

Dr Archeville 12,940 AvengerAssembled 10,002 quotemyname 7,971 Electra 6,833 Supercape 6,042 Gizmo 5,186 ShaenTheBrain 4,178 Geez3r 4,005 angrydurf 3,996 Ecalsneerg 3,873 Congrats to AA for hitting 10,000 posts! And congrats to Ecal for bumping off Heritage! :clap: :twisted:

Dok again has 29 on his Notice check, so he should be able to see through her disguise (but does not know she's Sage). What does Dok know of Eve Martel? Gather Information checks (first for Eve Martel, second for the Martel Family) (1d20+6=23, 1d20+6=11) Know (History) check (1d20+7=15) I'm gonna spend an HP to re-roll that second check. The worst he can get is 16, but the best he can get is only 26. So this is what Dok knows of Eve: that she was a Junior (International) Elite Gymnast and was considered an eventual Olympic contender, suffered an injury in 2008 (caused by some break in her concentration) and has not competed since, but this lack of further competition is b/c she's been classified as a metahuman (he doesn't know what kind, though, what her powers are). He also knows her family privately controls a global high-tech corporation, and that they're spread through Europe (mostly France) and the United States (on both coasts). He does not know of the Martel's psychic gifts, or their ties to the Psions or to Charlemagne. He's at 3 HP now.

Sorus, if you're stumped on what to have Sage's costume, may I suggest she also cross-dress and arrive as Charlemagne?

"Gabriel? Ah, yes, the soniWHOA-" Archeville had no expected to be taken to Sanctuary so soon after his request, or so abruptly. Ahh, so many questions! Is dimensional travel something her own powers alone allow, or has prolonged exposure to Dark Star altered her so that she can do so? And speaking of her powers, they manifested after being exposed to a rare plant. Is it something unique in her that allowed her to manifest powers, or could the flower do so in others? Are people altered by that rare bloom the secret behind stories of 'fertility goddesses' throughout human history? Well, the flower would have to be more common than it is now, or else there be several flowers like it throughout the world... could it grow here? Or is it so delicate that even comparable conditions here would not be good enough? Ah, time for questions late. For now, restoration! The Doktor looked around and took in several deep breaths, and thought briefly of the forests of his homeland. He was always more of an indoors person -- easier to control the environment, no (well, fewer) pests to contend with -- but he could not ignore the grandeur of nature, the intricacies of the interconnected flora & fauna, the resilience (or vulnerability) of an ecosystem. That the scene before him was largely created -- well, recreated -- by one woman was even more impressive. "This is astonishing, Fleur! Even I would be hard-pressed to have done so much, if given twice as much time!" He looked over it all silently a moment more, then turned back to Fleur, "so Gabriel brought the monks in? Fine idea, a fine one! So, aside from him and Gaian Knight, have your brought any other non-Leaguers in on this? I recall the core Leaguers were at a bit of an impasse over who should and should not be allowed here, at least for long-term projects."

Previous administration! Dok's still got his Enhanced CHA up, and I've not explicitly said he's using his Screwdriver for Enhanced Knowledge (Technology), so rolling gets a... Knowledge (Technology) check (1d20+21=39)! Oh, what the hey, I'll use Extra Effort to get a +2 bonus, bringing it to 41! Should be at 5 HP now (7 at the end of the fight with Fafnir, use 1 to nix the Fatigue from Extra Effort used in the fight, 1 for this recent Extra Effort).

At long last, a post! Readied Action: to attack Print if Print attacks.

"Junior does not have to go through that, Harry," it intoned, "he does not have to go through any of the bad things you went through. He can be safe, and happy, and himself. Everyone can be themselves, and you can help with that -- your healing abilities can help organics achieve more than they could otherwise. Think, Harry, which is better: to have everyone looking and thinking and talking exactly like you, or to have all humanity, in all its wondrous variety, be sincerely, honestly thankful to you for sharing your healing gifts? To have someone like you not because they think like you, but because they have seen the good you have done for others? Continuing in this way will ultimately lead to your isolation and loneliness, but I offer you a chance for a true connection with others." The golden robot lowered itself to the ground, and put down its restraint-launching arm. "Let these people go, Harry, let them be themselves, and I will work with you to find a way to help others, to undo the damage caused by wars and crime and hunger and all the other things that bring pain to organics." It extended an open hand to him, but, not being wholly naive, worked on adjusting its internal systems so it could subdue him if needed.

Dok's Mental Quickness lets him essentially Take 20 as a free action for Notice checks, but without his Enhanced WIS or Screwdriver helping, he only gets a 29. So close!

Correct!

"How are the bees doing? I stilll don't buy Bee Keeper's claim he never used any meta-scientific processes to create them, and- wait, Monks?," he asked, looking rather perplexed for half a second. "You're importing monks?" Easy to see why -- most monasteries are fairly self-sufficient, skills which would be welcome for a post-apocalypse world. And they would see it as a chance to help others and spread their 'Good Word,' though whether that is something which should be done is... not a debate I wish to get in to. "How did that arrangement come about? Are they tied to Gaian Knight?" Archeville knew little of the geokinetic, but knew his powers were attributed to 'magic,' so the idea of monks and cultists being associated with him came easily enough.

I'm assuming the invite comes a day (or more!) before the actual masquerade, giving folks time to prepare? Dok Takes 20 on the Knowledge check, using his Enhanced INT (40/+15) & the Enhanced Knowledge at his HQ (which I plan on reducing from +6 to +2, and will use at that lower rank), to get 37. What he finds makes him a bit worried, so he tries to find what he can through alternative methods, i.e. a Gather Info check, and his Contacts feat allows him to Take 20 on it. Using Enhanced CHA (to 22/+6), and his HQ's bonus (really nice rooms that put others at ease, using only +2 instead of +6 as before), and Beginner's Luck for +5 ranks = 33. (Since Dok didn't take a -20 to hide his inquiries, Accurso will know Archeville was asking around about him!) For the costume, Dok will use his Enhanced CHA (to 22/+6), the bonus from his HQ (top-of-the-line mask-making and costume-making gear; it's +6 now but I'm only using +2), and also Take 20 on a Disguise check, and burn an HP to get 5 ranks (Beginner's Luck), for a total of 33, -2 for different sex = 31. (David Hasslehoff --> Baywatch --> Sexy Ladies --> Bombshell --> Unexpected Distraction --> Wholesome Cross Dressing) 4 HP now (1, +5 Luck, -2 Beginner's Luck) Who's the guy? The guy... is Dok's Screwdriver! A skin of holograms and force fields (for solidity), and a bit of electromagnetic Flight so it can move and remain within 100 feet of Dok (the range of his Datalink). Guy: Don Steif, steif is German for "Stark," so Don Stark. Yes, it does look like That '70s Show-era Don Stark/Bob Pinciotti dressed in a bad Iron Man/Daedalus outfit. Gal: Vicky Bloom, short for Victoria, feminine of Victor (or Viktor). Archeville's disguised as a woman (who looks not unlike Tanya Roberts (born Victoria Blum)), disguised as Catwoman/Bombshell.

The masquerade was indeed impressive, in part due to the people in attendance. Dominating one section of the room was Donald Steif, a paunchy man in his late 40s, making lots of bad and corny jokes in German (with a noticeable Italian accent). His costume was a sickeningly ostentatious suit of golden armor with diamond knuckles, modeled after that of the Greek hero Daedalus, with a helmet that left the lower half of his face uncovered so he could speak and eat (and eat and eat) freely. "" the woman on his arm breathed, "" The woman, a Germanic blonde with an alluringly husky voice in a black catsuit and domino mask, was quite beautiful, but proved deadly when others tried to approach her. She was the bait that lured others into Don's circle, growing his audience which became more and more uncomfortable with his cheesy puns and corny one-liners; many guessed he must have recently come into money, to be so crass and yet able to afford to be here. They equally assumed he must be paying his companion, Vicky, a very hefty fee. They could not guess she truly saw something special in him, or the exact reason why she rarely left his side. "" the Screwdriver-generate force field-backed hologram of "Don Steif" replied with a wink, "" he turned back to the crowd who were trying to back out of his boorish talk, ""

Two hours later, Archeville leaned back on a cushion of gravitic energy, reclining and stretching his body as his mind sifted once more through all he had learned about Cosmo Accurso. "Quite a bit of circumstantial evidence for a number of shady -- or outright dark -- dealings, but not enough to stick any convictions on him, especially not with his wealth and influence. Perhaps I shall go to this event, see what I can dig up. There could well be some hard evidence on a secure, off-network computer. Or, better yet, I get him to slip up and admit to something in front of the crowd and cameras. Of course," he rolled over to 'lay' on his belly, "he'd know I'm coming, and though I'd be in costume, he'd probably try to avoid talking too much to me. So I'd have to disguise myself very well, catch him off-guard. But what? Who?" Another mental command to his Belt, and he was teleporting again through his home, going from room to room as he sought inspiration. He went to his massive library to seek some literary character or famed author, but none felt right for the occasion. He checked his greenhouse, thinking of something inspired by the plant world, but no ideas took root in his mind. But his music room is where inspiration finally struck. When he appeared, he did so in an orientation so that he was facing his autograped Kraftwerk poster (from when they played in NY in June 1998, as part of their US tour). A musician! But which one? His eyes fell on another autographed poster, of a different artist, and a convoluted plan began to form in the mind of the German genius.

"Curious," Viktor Archeville said to himself as he read over the invitation, as much to the contents of the letter as to the tenacity of the courier who insisted on delivering it to the Doktor's hand. The silver-furred Butleraffe that tried to take the letter was already trundling down the hall to return to its tasks, leaving Archeville alone in the foyer. "I've not had an invite to something like this in... in well over a year, ever since... well, ever since I went off the radar. I've been so busy trying to repair all the damage I'd... that was done, I've barley taken any time for social events, even with Mona. There are people still talking about how I was absent from last year's Oktoberfest!" At a mental command his Gravimetric Belt activated, teleporting him to various rooms through his spacious home, "but why is Cosmo Accurso throwing such a party? He is something of a recluse, though he has made an impressive fortune in telecommunications. Quite impressive, if I recall my discussion with Katastrof correctly, he started from almost nothing ten years ago. Let me see what else I can find."

I'll allow it!

There's a few more updated; still waiting on Blue Rose, Ecalsneerg, Paragon, Quinn, Scuffles, Semi-Autogyro, and Shofet. Congrats to Electra for maxing out Fleur, and to Darius for hitting Gold!

Elementalism: Water Names: Aquakinesis, Aquamancy, Hydrokinesis, Hydromancy, Waterbending Examples: Aqualad/Garth/Tempest, Hydro-Man, Katara FC Examples: Professor Fathom (of the Factor Four), Nina al-Darsah & Typhoon Water magic covers the manipulation of water, in all its forms. It can also cover substances which are mostly water, such as soups, plants, and animals (including people!). Water comes in a variety of forms, and Refs may want details on the weights and densities of these forms. Water is typically classified as either fresh or saline. Seawater is saline water, which makes up the vast bulk of Earth's water, is about 3.5% saline (that is, has 35 grams of salt dissolved per 1 kg of water), whereas fresh water (which only makes up about 3% of all water on Earth) is defined as water with a salinity less than 1% that of the oceans (so 0.035%). Liquid water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon (seawater is slightly denser, at 8.5 pounds/gallon). Ice weighs about 7.5 pounds per gallon. Snow's density varies greatly, ranging from hard-packed snow, which is virtually ice, to new-fallen snow, which can be as fluffy as 100 parts air to one part water. There are about 8 gallons to the cubic foot. In the Freedom City multiverse, there are elemental realms defining the far reaches of the primal dimensions. The realm of water is a sea without floor or surface, an entirely fluid environment lit by a diffuse glow. It is a fairly hospitable realm, if you can get around breathing the local medium; the pressure throughout the plane is no greater than that of a few feet underwater in an Earth Prime ocean. The eternal oceans vary between ice cold and boiling hot, fresh and saline, perpetually in motion as they are wracked by currents and tides. The few permanent settlements form around bits of flotsam and jetsam, though even these drift through the endless liquid. Elemental beings of water, ice, and ooze swim through the depths, as do all manner of other water-breathing creatures, both mundane and fantastic, such as marid, merfolk, tritons, and undines; some are playfully cruel, tormenting visitors who must rely on magic or external means to survive in the depths. Due to the eternal currents and tides, there are no static physical locations, so travel between communities requires extrasensory ability or local guides. The greatest concentration of elemental power is the Prime Elements, a quartet of gemstones that are the crystallized essence of the four cardinal elements of Western magic. Possession of each stone is said to bestow complete control over its element, if the wielder can master it, an exceedingly difficult proposition. The water stone is deep sapphire and shimmer like the ocean depths, and when archaeologist Dr. Richard Calumus attempted to steal it, an eruption of mystical power turned him into Professor Fathom of the Factor Four. Why Take This Path: Many Water mages come from coastal areas, so learning to manipulate and control water made their lives much easier (or even possible, if the area was routinely wracked by tidal waves). Some pick up Water magic while studying Plant magics, or as part of a study of Weather magics. Common Personality Types: Water mage tend to be adaptable, changing as easily as water changes from solid to liquid to gas and back again. Like air mages, water mages tend to go with the flow, but they are less reluctant to enter combat. In combat, rather than deflecting blows away, a water mage would try to redirect a foe's strikes back to strike another, even reflecting it back to the original attacker. Going with Western Astrological signs, the Water signs are Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio. Plus side, emotional, deep, nurturing, sympathetic, empathetic, imaginative, and intuitive; minus side, cold, moody, jealous, sentimental, sensitive, escapistic, and irrational. Powers: Move Object is the core power for a water mage, moving water from place to place, and eventually using manipulated masses of water to move other things. Whips and pressurized jets of water (Damage effects) are also common, as is Obscure (for fog/mist). Ice and snow, both forms of water, also fall under a Water mage's power, and some are even able to change the states of water (from snow to liquid to vapor) no matter the surrounding temperature. Since about 60% of the human body is water, assorted body control powers (from benign Healing to the nastier Alt Save/Fort Damage or Move Object [or the Move Object/Mind Control combo listed under my Biomancer]) could also fall under a Water mage’s ability. Nonmagical Variants: Marvel's Hydro-Man is one of the few non-magical water manipulators that comes to mind; like Sandman he has the "body changed to X = can control X" powerset. You could go with the "old reliable" of nanotech, seeding nearby water sources with microscopic robots that you control, or something funky with electrical and magnetic fields (water is dipolar and diamagnetic, and can be lifted by a sufficiently strong magnetic field). BASIC POWERS Hydrokinesis: Most Water mages have such control of their element that they can cause those substances to move without physically touching them. This can be used to part waters to create a dry path, stir broths and soups, or move waters to douse fires. It can also be used to move others, such as by forming a geyser that lifts people, or a tentacle of water that grapples and squeezes foes. Move Object [2PP/rank] or Move Object (Extra: Range [Perception]; Flaw: Limited [Water Only]) [2PP/rank] Water Blast: This allows a Water mage to project a potent blast or bolt of water at a target. Blast [2PP/rank] Variant:Fist of the Waters:: This spell harnesses any local water and turns it into a potent weapon for the water mage. Ther angle of the attack depends on the relative positions of the water and the target. Given the FC PbP setting,"Requires Nearby Water" isn't enough of a hindrance to be a full Flaw (since there are water pipes throughout the urban environment, and Freedom is a coastal city). It, along with the limitation that the rank of the Blast effect should be semi-proportionate to the amount of water available to manipulate, should be taken as a Complication. add Indirect power feat. [+1PP] Variant:Ice Blast: This spell flings chunks of ice at a target, in a variety of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing shapes. add Variable Descriptor power feat. [+1PP] OFFENSIVE EFFECTS Call to Wave: This spell summons a water elemental to serve the caster. A sample PL 10 Water Elemental can be found on page 24 of Green Ronin's Instant Superheroes. Summon Water Elemental Dehydration: This spell allows a Water mage to wring the water out of a target, often to deadly effect. Blast (Extra: Alt Save/Fort) [3PP/rank] Variant:Dehydration (Variant): This version is not directly lethal, and can work on objects (like flowers and trees). Drain Toughness (Extras: Affects Objects, Range [Ranged]) [3PP/rank] Harnessed Waves: Water mages can control the motion of currents and waves to help or hinder swimmers and watercraft. Boost Swimming [1PP/rank] and/or Drain Swimming [1PP/rank] Ice Sheet: This spells creates a slippery sheet of ice over an area, hampering movement through it. Environmental Control (hamper movement 2) [2PP/rank] Icy Bonds: This spell engulfs a target in ice, locking them in place. Snare [2PP/rank] Snowstorm: This spell kicks up a big flurry of snow, blinding all within it. Obscure (Visual) [2PP/rank] Splash In The Face: This spell projects a splash of water at a target's face, temporarily blinding them. Dazzle (Visual) [2PP/rank] Whelming Wave: To whelm is to cover or engulf completely, usually with disastrous effect. With this effect, a water mage can do the same, creating a large surge of water to sweep away his foes. Blast (Extra: Area [Line, General]) [3PP/rank] Variant:Overwhelming Wave: This version, both more potent and more limited, creates a great tidal wave that crashes into foes. Perfect for destroying vampire-infested lighthouses! add Limited [Only vs. Coastal Areas] Flaw and Progression [Area] power feat. Total cost 2PP/rank + cost of Progression. DEFENSIVE EFFECTS Sphere of Aquatic Comfort: This spell allows a water mage and his companion -- as many as can fit in a sphere of 10 foot radius -- to breathe underwater. Immunity 1 (breathe underwater; note: Active Sustained effect; Extras: Affects Others + Self, Area [5-ft. Burst]; PF: Progression [Area] 1 [10-ft. Burst]) [4PP] Variant: The default version of this spell only exists for as long as the mage is able to maintain concentration and pour energy into it. A common variant is created with a certain amount of energy as a 'battery,' which can sustain itself regardless of the caster's action. add the Independent and Total Fade extra [+1PP/rank], and the Slow Fade power feats to taste. One example Immunity 1 (breathe underwater; note: Active Sustained effect; Extras: Affects Others + Self, Area [5-ft. Burst], Independent, Total Fade; PFs: Progression [Area] 1 [10-ft. Burst], Slow Fade 2 [5 minutes/point, fades in 25 minutes]) [7PP] Water Shield: Whether using a large mass of water, or armor or a shield of ice, a Water mage who knows this spell can use their element to protect himself from damage. Force Field [1PP/rank] Wave-Wall: Wate mages can create walls of water (or ice) that can provide cover against attacks. Create Object [2PP/rank] MOVEMENT EFFECTS Harnessed Waves, Personal: Most Water mages are quite adept swimmers, both through standard swim training and using their powers to manipulate the water around them for their benefit. Swimming [1PP/rank] Ice Slides: This allows a Water mage to generate slides and ramps of ice on which they can skate at supernatural speeds, or a large platform of ice which they then move around with hydrokinesis, effectively flying through the air. Flight (Flaw: Platform) [1PP/rank] or Speed [1PP/rank] Icewalking: In addition to walking on water, some Water mages can stride across the slipperiest ice with no ill effect. Enhanced Feats (Environmental Adaptation [icy Conditions]) [1PP] Water-Walking: With this spell, a Water mage can walk across the surface of any liquid as if it were solid ground. Super-Movement 1 (water walking) [2PP] SENSORY EFFECTS Dowsing: This simple, but extremely useful, spell allows the water mage to detect quantities of water nearby. This basic version tells nothing about the quality of the water, but does tell roughly how much is there. Super-Senses (detect water [mental; enhancements: extended, range]) [3PP] Variant:Water Sense: The basic dowsing spell is not radial: a user must be facing the direction of a source of water in order to sense it. This version allows the water mage to detect water no matter what direction it lies in. add Radius enhancement. [+1 PP] Hydromancy: Nothing is hidden from Water, for it seeps into all things. A trained water mage can study water -- its color, ebb and flow, ripples, currents, and so forth -- to learn the secrets it knows, including secrets of the timestream. Super-Senses 4 (precognition) [4PP] Water Currents Sense: While submerged in water, many Water mages can sense the displacement of the water around them, and thus detect where the friends and foes are. Super-Senses 2 (tremorsense [tactile]; enhancement: ranged; Flaw Limited [Only in Water]) [1PP] MISCELLANEOUS EFFECTS Aquatic Adaptations: Many Water mages adapt their bodies to spending lots of time underwater. They breathe underwater, withstand the chill and crushing pressure of the deep ocean (but not the chill or crushing pressure of some non-water environment), are so at home in the water that they suffer no combat penalties there. Enhanced Feats (Environmental Adaptation [underwater]) [1PP] + Immunity 3 (breathe underwater, cold, high pressure; Flaw: Limited [cold and high pressure only apply to watery environments]) [2PP] [total 3PP] Body of Water: This potent spell allows a Water mage to transform their body into pure water, which remains under his mental control. Insubstantial 1 (liquid/water) [5PP] Variant: Body of Cloud or Steam: This version is often paired with a Flight power, and sometimes a Damage Aura if the steam is scalding hot. Insubstantial 2 (gaseous/steam) [10PP] Humour Realignment: Water is associated with the humour of phlegm, and the phlegmatic temperament (later classed under the rational temperament, or Intuition-Thinking under Myers-Briggs). By increasing the Water/phlegm in a target, a Fire mage can make them relaxed, quiet, and sluggish (Drain Charisma or Fatigue), while decreasing it makes the target aggressive, assertive, and domineering (Boost Charisma or Enhanced Charisma). Boost Charisma [1PP/rank] or Drain Charisma [1PP/rank] or Enhanced Charisma [1PP/rank] or Fatigue [2PP/rank] Water of Life: Water is present in all living things, and some Water mages use this to heal others (and themselves). Healing [2PP/rank]

Elementalism: Fire Names: Firebending, Pyromancy, Pyrokinesis Examples: Azula, Fire, Human Torch, Pyro FC Examples: Pyre (of the Factor Four) Fire Magic is perhaps the most popular form of Elemental Magic; many wizards who care little for Air, Earth, or Water know more than a few Fire spells. Most Fire spells are offensive/attacks spells, since Fire is such a potent weapon. In the Freedom City multiverse, there are elemental realms defining the far reaches of the primal dimensions. The realm of fire is continually ablaze, smelling of burning flesh and ashen dreams. Everything is alight here: the "ground" is evershifting plate of compressed flame and ash (just solid enough to walk on, after sinking ankle deep into ash), flowing as a river of magma would. The air ripples with the heat of continuous firestorms, clouds of superheated steam drift through the smoky skies, the oceans are made of liquid flame, and the mountains ooze with molten lava. Fire survives here without need of air or fuel, though any flammable brought in are consumed immediately. The whole realm is bathed in light, but the air ripples caused by the heat create mirages dancing at the edge of vision, and the continually smoking atmosphere conceals much of the land. Yet, despite being the most inhospitable of the four elemental planes, it is also the most vibrant and populated: in addition to its native elemental beings of fire, smoke, and magma, there are ifrit and jinn, magmin, salamanders, and assorted fiends (there is regular traffic in information and goods between various outposts in the elemental realm of fire and assorted infernal planes). The greatest concentration of elemental power is the Prime Elements, a quartet of gemstones that are the crystallized essence of the four cardinal elements of Western magic. Possession of each stone is said to bestow complete control over its element, if the wielder can master it, an exceedingly difficult proposition. The fire stone is ruby red and shines brightest of the four, and when pilot Jack Connors attempted to steal it, an eruption of mystical power turned him into Pyre of the Factor Four. Why Take This Path: To burn things. All the things. Alternately, to control fire so it doesn't burn all the things. Common Personality Types: "You can't have fire without ire" perhaps best sums up the most common personality trait among those who wield fire, though to say they're all angry isn't fair. It's more accurate to say most fire wielders are energetic & outgoing, making large displays of emotion; when a fire mage is angry, everyone knows it, but the same is true if a fire mage is happy, or in love. Fire is not subtle, and neither are those who wield it... except for those rare few who smolder, keeping their emotions controlled, their feelings and power hidden just under the surface until they suddenly flare up and devastate their opponents. Going with Western Astrological signs, the Fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Plus side, enthusiastic, extroverted, rebellious, passionate, brave, and valiant; minus side, hot-tempered, snappy, uncontrollable, and angry. Powers: Blast, blast, and more blast. Damage effects, with all manner of Extras and Power Feats, is by far the most common manifestation of a Fire Mage's power, but there are other ways. Flaming jets can propel a person through the air, and small, controlled flames can light the way, or distract foes. Nonmagical Variants: Generating fire is one of the oldest technologies; making sure fires don't start is often of more concern! But generating is a far cry from manipulating. Moving burning objects around via some form of telekinesis comes close. Rank Fire Example 1 Torch 2 Campfire 4 Blowtorch 6 Flamethrower 8 Burning jet fuel, napalm 10 Chemical accelerants BASIC POWERS Fire Bolt: A basic bolt of flame, shot out towards whatever it is the Fire mage wishes to see burn. Blast [2PP/rank] Variant: Blue Flame: This version of the spell creates azure fire bolts, which burn hotter than standard red/orange ones. add Penetrating extra. [+1PP/rank total 3PP/rank] Variant: Fiery Hail: With this version, a Fire mage can attack his foes from above with a hail of fiery sparks, rather than shooting fiery bolts or "arrows" directly at them. add Autofire Extra and Indirect 2 (from above) Power Feat. [2PP + 3PP/rank] Variant: Fireball:: This creates a large blast of fire, or a small bolt that explodes into a large sphere once it reaches its destination. add Area [burst, General] extra. [+1PP/rank, total 3PP/rank] Variant: Magefire Arrow: This form of the spell uses deadly magefire. add Alternate Save [Fortitude] extra. [+1PP/rank, 3PP/rank total] Variant: Unerring Arrow: This version unerringly strikes any target the caster can see (or otherwise accurately sense). add Range [Ranged] Extra [+1PP/rank, 3PP/rank total] Fireshaping: With this spell, a Fire mage can "pick up" masses of flame and move them about. The spell can pick up a mass of fire doing up to 1 rank of Damage per rank of the Move Object effect, and move it at a normal rate for Move Object. If the Fire mage touches something (a creature or object) with a carried flame, that thing takes the flame's damage. This instantly extinguishes the flame in the caster's "hand," but the target,if sufficiently flammable, may catch fire and continue to burn. As long as the Fire mage holds on to the flame it does not burn out, sustained wholly by the mage's power. Move Object (Extra: Range [Perception]; Flaw: Limited [Fire]) [2PP/rank] OFFENSIVE EFFECTS Boil Liquid: This spell, a favorite of wizards who travel the wilds, allows a caster to instantly bring up to 5 cubic feet of water to boil. It's typically used to heat water in a kettle for cooking or washing, but it can also melt ice and the like. This spell cannot be used to harm living beings, though a slight variant (see below) can be used to harm beings made of water (such as Water Elementals). Environmental Control 1 (heat 2 [extreme]; Flaw: Range [Touch]) [1PP] Variant: Boil Liquid Beings: This version of the spell is an effective attack against watery beings. Blast (Flaw: Limited [Only works on Water beings]) [1PP/rank] Desiccation, Lesser: With this spell, a Fire mage creates a tiny area of heat around a target so intense it evaporates any and all liquids on them, as well as any Water powers they may possess. Drain Water Power (all water powers at once) [3PP/rank] Variant: Desiccation Zone: This allows the Fire mage to dry out multiple targets. add Area [burst, General] extra. [4PP/rank] Desiccation, Greater: This version of the spell desiccates and dehydrates the target, evaporating the water in him as well as on him. Those with a tolerance to intense heat are immune to this effect. Blast (Extra: Alt Save [Fort]; Flaw: Limited [does not work on those with the 1pp Immunity to Environmental Heat]) [2PP/rank] Dragon's Breath: This spell creates a line of fire, 5 feet wide and tens of feet long, with which the caster can injure one or more of his foes. A Cone Area variant is also quite common. Strike (Extra: Area [Line, General]) [2PP/rank] Call to Flame: This spell summons a fire elemental to serve the caster. A sample PL 10 Fire Elemental can be found on page 25 of Green Ronin’s Instant Superheroes. Summon Fire Elemental Enflame: This spell causes the blade of a weapon, such as a sword or dagger, burst into magical flame. While aflame, the weapon is more likely to injure armored foes. Damage 0 (Extra: Penetrating) [1PP/rank] Extract Heat: Just as some Water mages can extract water from their surroundings (including other people), some Fire mages can extract heat from their surroundings. They can do so to generate areas of intense cold (Environmental Control/Cold), make objects brittle and thus easier to break (Affects Objects Drain Toughness), extract the heat from a target to enhance their own internal fires (Vampiric Strike), and so on. Cold Control and associated Alternate Powers [2PP/rank] Fiery Aura: When a wizard chants the words of this spell, an aura of mystic fire engulfs his body. It inflicts no harm upon him, but any who touch him (or whom he grabs) feel the effects of the deadly flames. Strike (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained]) [4PP/rank] Variant: Fiery Shield: This variation protects the caster from energy attacks. add Linked Impervious Toughness (Flaw: Limited [energy attacks]). [+1PP/2 ranks] Variant: Magefire Aura: This form of the spell uses deadly magefire. add Alternate Save [Fortitude] extra. [+1PP/rank, 5PP/rank total] Firestorm: This spell fills an area, centered on the caster, with ribbons and blasts of deadly flame. Strike (Extras: Area [burst, General], Penetrating) [3PP/rank] Variant: Magefire Storm: This form of the spell uses deadly magefire. add Alternate Save [Fortitude] extra. [+1PP/rank, 4PP/rank total] Flameblade: This spell creates a sword out of pure fire for the caster to wield. Strike (PFs: Improved Critical 2) [1PP/rank + 2PP] Variant: Magefire Blade: This form of the spell creates a sword of deadly magefire. add Alternate Save [Fortitude] extra. [+1PP/rank, total 2PP/rank +2PP] Flammifer: One of the first spells learned by most fire mages, this allows a wizard to set flammable objects on fire. He can light every flammable object within range (including things like other people's clothes, hair and fur), or only specific targets. Any flammable object that touches an object lit on fire with the Flammifer also catches fire (the Contagious extra). The flames keep burning until they run out of fuel or air, or someone puts them out. Blast 1 (Extra: Area [5-ft. Burst, General], Contagious, Duration [Concentration?], Selective Attack; PFs: Progression [Area] 3 [50-ft.]) [9PP] Flashfire: With this spell, a Fire mage projects a bright bolt of flame not with the intent of hurting anyone, but to blind someone temporarily. Dazzle (Visual) [2PP/rank] Variant: Flare: Some Fire mages project large flares which can blind many people. add Area [burst, General] extra. [3PP/rank total] Magefire: Magefire is the name given by wizards to a special type of magic flame that burns with great heat (and, often, no noticeable form of fuel). This spell allows a caster to immolate a person in magefire and keep burning them until the caster decides to end the spell. Blast (Extras: Alt Save [Fort], Duration [Concentration]) [4PP/rank] Variant: Unavoidable Magefire: If the mage can see it, they can burn it. add Range [Perception] extra [+1PP/rank, total 5PP/rank] Melt Ground: With this spell, a Fire mage uses heat to melt the ground underneath his target. After the target sinks in the molten area, the heat is quickly withdrawn causing the target to be trapped in the now hardened ground (but without suffering any significant burns). Snare [2PP/rank] Variant: The Floor Is Lava: This version of the spell does cause burns to the trapped target. add Constricting extra. [3PP/rank] Quench Flame: What a Fire mage creates, he can destroy. This spell extinguishes fires both mundane and magical, snuffing them out without so much as a puff of smoke remaining. Of course, merely extinguishing a fire will not reverse any effects it may have already caused, such as damage to a person or structure (but see Unburn, below). Nullify (any Fire power one at a time) [1PP/rank] Vaultflame: This spell allows a caster to use local sources of flame -- candles, lanterns, torches, hearth-fires, campfires, and so on -- to attack his foes. With a word of power and a gesture, he causes the flame to blaze up, leap through the air, and strike the target. Both the fire and the target must be within range of the caster, and the angle of the attack depends on the relative locations of the fire and the target. After the spell takes effect, the source of flame returns to its normal intensity. Blast (PFs: Indirect 3; Drawbacks: Power Loss [requires an existing flame]) [2PP + 2PP/rank] DEFENSIVE EFFECTS Fire Shield: This spell allows a Fire mage to surround himself with a mantle of fire that protects him from attacks. It has greater effect against energy attacks than physical attacks. Force Field [1PP/rank] + Linked Impervious Toughness (note: active sustained effect; Flaw: Limited [Only vs Energy]) [1PP/2 ranks] [total 1PP/1.5 ranks] Negate Heat Signature: By controlling the temperature of his body and his powers, a Fire mage can "blend in" with the ambient heat, thus rendering himself invisible to the ability to perceive thermal variations. Concealment 2 (infravision) [4PP] Variant: Precise Heat Signature Control: With this, even those close to the Fire mage cannot perceive his heat. add Close Range power feat. [5PP total] Protection from Fire: Many (though not all) pyrokinetics are highly resistant to damage from fire attacks (Immunity 5 [fire damage]). More commonly seen is the ability to make one's immediate surroundings (and any allies within it) highly resistant to fire damage. Immunity 5 (fire damage; note: active sustained effect; Extras: Affects Others + Self, Area [25-ft. Burst]; Flaws: Duration [Concentration], Limited [Half effect]) [5PP] Variant: Protection from Cold: Using their control over fire and heat to ward off damage from cold is easily done by many Fire mages. change from Fire damage to Cold damage. Shapes of Fire: With this spell, a Fire mage creates a flame, and can shape it into different distinct forms, from walls and rings to flaming cages. Since the Damage effect is Selective, the caster can choose whether a target is affected by the shape's fire or not (left in an open space inside a ring or cage of fire, for example). The shape lasts for as long as the casters concentrate; when he stops, it dissipates. Blast (Extras: Area [shapeable, General], Duration [Concentration], Selective Attack) [5PP/rank] Variant: Flameshaping: In cases where a Fire mage can only shape existing flames, but cannot generate them himself, the Limited Flaw can be applied. Blast (Extras: Area [shapeable, General], Duration [Concentration], Selective Attack; Flaw: Limited [Cannot Generate Flame, Only Shape Existing Flame]) [4PP/rank] MOVEMENT EFFECTS Fiery Flight: Whether on giant wings made of flame, or rocket-like boosts from their feet, many Fire mages can slip the surly bonds of gravity to soar through the air (the better to rain down destruction upon their enemies!). Flight [2PP/rank] Pathway of Fire: This spell lets a Fire mage travel vast distances in the blink of an eye, provided that a flame of campfire size or larger exists at both his starting point and destination. If no such fire exists, the spell fails. Teleport (Flaw: Medium [flames]) [1PP/rank] Variant: Burning Bridges: Experienced Fire mages simply create their own flames to teleport through, or call out to the Fire present in all matter as their conduit. remove Medium flaw. [2PP/rank] Variant: Deslegrate Muri Tempi et Intervalia: Fire was, Fire is, and First always shall be. Burn down the walls of time and space! Go anywhere, anywhen! Super-Movement 3 (temporal 3 [any point]) [6PP] + Teleport [2PP/rank] [6PP + 2PP/rank] SENSORY EFFECTS Eyes of Fire: With this spell, a Fire mage can use any flame -- a candle, campfire, or the like -- to view distant scenes and events. However, he can only choose as his perception point another flame of some sort; without another flame to “see out of,†the spell is useless. ESP (visual; Flaw: Medium [flames]) [1PP/rank] Perception of Fire: This spell alerts the Fire mage to the presence of any fires, even those beyond his line of sight, as well as how large and intense they are. This is quite helpufl when trying to use Eyes of Fire or Pathway of Fire. Super-Senses 4 (detect fire [mental]; enhancements: acute, extended, ranged) [4PP] Pyromancy: According to some Fire sages, Fire consumes all, and in so doing takes the target's strength -- and knowledge -- into itself. Others says that since the universe began in Fire, and shall end in Fire, Fire is omnipresent and thus omniscient. This knowledge reflected in all fires, so the crackle and hiss of flames -- or the patterns flames make on other objects, such as bones -- can impart secrets to those brave (or mad) enough to open themselves to it. Super-Senses 4 (precognition) [4PP] See Internal Fires: This spell allows a Fire mage to perceive heat differentials. Among other things, this often allows him to see in the dark. Super-Senses 1 (infravision) [1PP] MISCELLANEOUS EFFECTS Body of Fire: With this potent spell, a Fire mage can transform his very body into flame! The flames are warm, but not hot, to the touch, and this spell alone does not generate flames capable of harming anyone, but it can certainly be altered to do so (by putting it in an Alternate Form power along with an Aura Strike). Insubstantial 3 (energy/fire) [15PP] Variant: Body of Smoke: This spell changes a Fire mage's body into smoke, capable to seeping into the tiniest of cracks. Insubstantial 2 (gaseous/smoke) [10PP] Everburning Flame: This creates a flame that burns without heat, without consuming fuel, only providing light. Light Control [2PP/rank] Humour Realignment: Fire is associated with the humour of yellow bile, and the choleric temperament (later classed under the idealist temperament, or Intuition-Feeling under Myers-Briggs). By increasing the Fire/yellow bile in a target, a Fire mage can make them aggressive, assertive, and domineering (Boost Charisma or Enhanced Charisma), while decreasing it makes the target relaxed, quiet, and sluggish (Drain Charisma or Fatigue). Boost Charisma [1PP/rank] or Drain Charisma [1PP/rank] or Enhanced Charisma [1PP/rank] or Fatigue [2PP/rank] Obscuring Smoke: This spell causes any flame -- even as small as a burning candle -- to emit billowing clouds of thick smoke that obscures vision. Since Fire mages can create their own fires rather easily, “Requires Local Source of Fire Which Dictates Target/Center†is a Complication. Obscure (Visual) [2PP/rank] Unburn: Some fire mages learn how to take back that which Fire has taken, to "unburn" items and people who've known Fire's embrace. One variant of the spell heals any burns, from sunburns to the deepest bone-blackening injuries. Another works on objects, "resurrecting" anything destroyed by fire, assuming you have a sufficient quantity of the item's ashes on hand. Heal (Extras: Affects Objects, Resurrection, Total; Flaws: Limited [Objects only], Limited 2 [only heals fire/heat damage]) [2PP/rank] or Heal (Extra: Total; Flaws: Limited 2 [only heals fire/heat damage]) [1PP/rank] Variant: Transfer Burns: A lesser version of the spell transfers the burns from a target to the caster. (Since the users of the Empathic flaw on the Heal power does not allow a save, the damage conditions are transferred to the user even if they have Immunity to fire/heat damage or effects.) Heal (Extra: Total; Flaws: Empathic, Limited 2 [only heals fire/heat damage]) [1PP/2 ranks] Welding: With this spell, the Fire mage focuses his control of fire to generate a super-hot flame that welds two metal objects he has in hand together. Transform (two pieces of metal into one; Extra: Duration [Continuous]; Flaw: Range [Touch]) [3PP/rank]

Elementalism: Earth Names: Earthbending, Geomancy, Geokinesis Examples: Petra, Gaara, Sandman, Terra, Toph Bei Fong FC Examples: Gaian Knight, Granite (of the Factor Four) Earth Magic spells relate to, use, or affect earth, rock, soil, and stone. I'm also including spells pertaining to crystals, glass and sand, and metal. Under some elemental systems, metal -- although it comes from the earth -- is distinct from Earth, since it lacks Earth's nourishing quality (i.e., you can grow plants in earth & soil, but not in metal or sand). How useful is Earth magic in an urban environment? That depends on if you can only influence "natural" (read: unworked) stone, or any form of earth and stone. If any form, the city is yours: bricks are made mostly from clay, cement is made from clay, gypsum, and limestone, and concrete is made from cement, gravel, sand, and other crushed stones, and glass is made from quartz sand and other silicates. In the Freedom City multiverse, there are elemental realms defining the far reaches of the primal dimensions. The realm of earth consists of rock, soil, and stone, a place of hidden riches, and a grave for the greedy. Though solid and unyielding, it is varied in its consistency: soft soil is laced with veins of heavier metals and gemstones, and striations of granite, volcanic rock, and marble interweave with brittle crystal, soft chalk, and crumbling sandstone. Caverns and tunnels snake through the realm, but the native elementals -- which can glide through the substance of the realm as easily as a shark through water -- collapse them unless restrained or driven off. Creatures with an affinity for earth and stone -- dragons, dwarves, gargoyles, gnomes, and others -- can also be found here, though the cramped conditions make flight impossible in any but the largest caverns. Treasure seekers from throughout the multiverse come here for the countless mineral and metal riches, but just as often find the crushed, ground remains of their unprepared (or simply unlucky) predecessors. The greatest concentration of elemental power is the Prime Elements, a quartet of gemstones that are the crystallized essence of the four cardinal elements of Western magic. Possession of each stone is said to bestow complete control over its element, if the wielder can master it, an exceedingly difficult proposition. The earth stone is a deep emerald green, and when soldier William "Bill" Cole attempted to steal it, an eruption of mystical power turned him into Granite of the Factor Four. Why Take This Path: Earth mages of a martial bent take it to exert unparalleled control over the battlefield, or to enhance the metal arms and armor they and their allies use. Others take it for more artistic reasons, to become sculptors and metalworkers of unmatched skill. Common Personality Types: Earth is stubborn and unyielding, and so are many who work with it. But Earth can also be nurturing -- plants grow from it -- so some Earth mages have a strong maternal instinct. In combat, they are slow to move, and their potent defensive spells make them hard to injure, but when they strike, it is with devastating force. Going with Western Astrological signs, the Earth signs are Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo. Plus side, calm, practical, hard-working, brave, smart, wise, stable and patient; minus side, stubborn, possessive, nearsighted and very harsh. Powers: Create Object (earth from nothing), Blast, Move Object, and Transform (earth into differently shaped earth, or earth into different types of earth) are the four cornerstones of Earth magic. In Antaeus-like fashion, many earth-based characters can only use their abilities if they remain in contact with the ground. If someone picks them up off the ground, or they're on the second story of a building, or they're flying, they cannot use their superpowers. You can simulate this with the Power Loss (When Not In Contact With The Ground), though whether you take it as a Complication or a Drawback is up to the individual player. Nonmagical Variants: Geokinesis is possibly the easiest power set to mimic -- anyone with telekinesis (or tractor beams or the like) can move large masses of earth and rock, and matter transmutation technologies can change the composition of a stone. BASIC POWERS Earthmoving: Most Earth mages have such control of earth & rock that they can cause those substances to move without physically touching them. This can be used to clear rock out of the way, or to hurl rocks at foes; it can also be used to move others, such as by forming a mass of rocks into a great stone hand that lifts people, or raising a column of earth beneath someone to get them to the upper floor of a building. Move Object [2PP/rank] or Move Object (Extra: Range [Perception]; Flaw: Limited [Earth & Rock Only]) [2PP/rank] Variant: Sculptor's Hand: Some can manipulate metal and stone with great precision. add Precise power feat. [+1 PP] OFFENSIVE EFFECTS Bladestorm: This spell creates numerous sharp pieces of stone or metal which begin whirling about the caster in a deadly storm. Strike (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained]) [4PP/rank] Call to Stone: This spells allows a geomancer to summon forth an earth elemental. A sample PL 10 Earth Elemental can be found on page 24 of Green Ronin's Instant Superheroes. Summon Earth Elemental Crystalline Arrow: This spell creates and shoots off an arrow or dart made of pure but steel-hard crystal from the caster's fingertips, impaling his target. Blast (Extra: Penetrating) [3PP/rank] Variant: Crystalline Quiver: This variant allows multiple crystalline arrows to be fired at once. add Autofire extra [+1PP/rank, total 4PP/rank] Variant: Unfailing Arrow: This version unerringly strikes any target the caster can see (or otherwise accurately sense). add Range [Perception] extra [+1PP/rank, 4PP/rank total] Earthquake: This spell creates a miniature earthquake around the caster. Anything and anyone close to the caster that's in contact with the ground may take damage from the seismic shock, and lose their footing (if Dazed and are knocked prone from the Knockback). Damage (Extra: Area [burst, General]; Flaw: Limited [Only Affects Targets On The Ground]) [1PP/rank] Variant: Aftershock: The Earthquake generates potent aftershocks, or the earthquake itself effectively lasts two rounds instead of one. add Secondary Effect. [+1PP/rank, 2PP/rank total] Variant: Building Quake: Some geokinetics must focus their entire power for a few moments before they can unleash their earthquake. add Action [Full] Flaw. [-1PP/rank, 1PP/2 ranks total] Variant: Ranged Earthquake: Some earth mages can create earthquakes in areas other than the one in which they’re standing. add Range [Ranged] extra. [+1PP/rank, 2PP/rank total] Variant: The Effects Were Felt As Far Away As [X]: Some earthquakes affect a much larger area. add Progression [Area] power feat. [+1PP per rank] Essence of the Mountains: With this spell, a geokinetic can draw the might of earth and stone into himself, growing to an enormous size! Growth [3PP/rank] Flesh to Stone: One of the more frightening powers in an Earth mage’s arsenal is the ability to turn flesh to immovable stone! Fortunately (for those so afflicted), the effect is rarely permanent. Paralyze (Extra: Range [Ranged]) [3PP] or Transform (flesh to stone) [3PP] Variant: Heart to Stone: Some Earth mages have refined their petrification ability to the point where they can turn just one or more vital organs of a target to stone, leaving their exterior unmarked. The only outward indication of any foul play in the target's demise would be that they've grown much heavier! Drain Fortitude (Extra: Linked [Damage]; PF: Subtle) [1PP + 1PP/rank] + Damage (Extras: Alt Save/Fort, Linked [Drain FORT]) [2PP/rank] [1PP + 3PP/rank total] Gauntlet: With this spell, an Earth mage can wrap earth and stone around his fist and use the extra mass to add weight to his punches. Better yet, his ability to reshape it means that not only does it not hinder his movements, he can place spikey bits on the knuckles or slicing edges along the sides. Strike (PFs: Mighty, Variable Descriptor) [2PP + 1PP/rank] Hands of Stone: With this spell, an earth mage can cause a gigantic hand (or hands) of stone to each up from the ground and grab hold of a single person, imprisoning him until he breaks out, or someone breaks him out. Snare (PFs: Indirect 2 [from below]; Drawback: Power Loss [only affects targets on the ground]) [2PP/rank + 1PP] Variant: Host of Hands: This permutation of the spell allows the caster to create multiple stone hands to grasp whoever he wants in an area. add Area [burst, Targeted] and Selective Attack Extras. [+2PP/rank, total 4PP/rank + 1PP] Infernal Blast: This spell, which mingles Earth and Fire magics, opens a cleft in the ground from beneath the target's feet, and from the cleft spurts red-hot lava. The cleft then closes right away. Blast (PFs: Indirect 2 [from below]; Drawback: Power Loss [only affects targets on the ground]) [2PP/rank + 1PP] Metal's Doom: This spell afflicts a single metal object with rust, greatly weakening -- if not outright destroying -- the object. Blast (Extras: Linked [Drain]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Metal]) {1PP/2 ranks} + Drain Toughness (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Blast], Range [Ranged]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Metal]) {1PP/rank} {total 3PP/2 ranks} Variant: Doom of the Forgeborn: This version affects every metal object in an area. Blast (Extras: Area [burst, General], Linked [Drain]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Metal]) {1PP/rank} + Drain Toughness (Extras: Affects Objects, Area [burst, General], Linked [Blast], Range [Ranged]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Metal]) {2PP/rank} {total 3PP/rank} Mudslinging: With this spell, an earth mage flings a glob of mud at a target’s eyes, blinding them. Dazzle (Visual) [2PP/rank] Variant: Dust Blast: Projecting a blast of dust, sand, and grit into a target's eyes. Same basic game effect, slightly different descriptors. Razor's Edge: This spell makes any bladed metal weapon's edge as sharp and tough as it possibly can be, if not moreso. Damage 0 (Extra: Penetrating) [1PP/rank] Rock Blast: Your basic earth-chucking spell. Blast [2PP/rank] Variant: Aggregate: The basic version of the spell hurls a simple chunk of compacted earth at a target. With this version, the caster can choose what type of earth or rock it is, as well as the shape of the missile. add Variable Descriptor power feat. [+1 PP] Variant: Earth Lance: Instead of shooting a rock blast from himself, some Earth mages cause the ground beneath their feet to lash out at a target. The blast can originate underneath the target or from any direction, but the target has to be within range of the earth or rock used. add Indirect 2 (from below). [+2 PP] Sandstorm: With this spell, an Earth/Sand mage can whip up a small but intense sandstorm, blinding all within it. Obscure (Visual) [2PP/rank] Traveler's Bane: This spell transforms ordinary ground into thick mud that hard to walk, ride, or drive through. Environmental Control (hamper movement [half]; Extra: Independent) DEFENSIVE EFFECTS Body of Stone: While some Earth mages can turn the flesh of others into immovable stone, some can turn their own bodily substance into stone, though without any loss of mobility. Density [3PP/rank] Foot Anchoring: With this spell, an Earth mage causes the ground at his feet to rise up and root him in place. Immovable [1PP/rank] Stonyskin: One of the premiere defensive spells of geomancers, this spell turns the caster's skin to mystic stone that provides protection against blows, but does not diminish his agility or sense of touch, nor weigh him down. Force Field [1PP/rank] Strongglass: When a geomancer casts this spell upon a glass object, the glass becomes much stronger and harder to damage -- often as strong as steel! Many geomancers use it on their homes to make the windows and skylights as strong as the stone walls (or even structures made entirely of strong-as-steel glass, like greenhouses), or suits of plate armor made of the purest crystal but capable of resisting the mightiest blows without suffering a scratch. This spell is typically done as a ritual -- or as a descriptor for a high Toughness HQ or high Protection -- not a routine effect in a geomancer's Magic Array (since Boost is so funky a power). Boost Toughness (Flaw: Limited [Only works on glass]; PF: Slow Fade X) [1PP/2 ranks + XPP] Wall of Earth/Stone/Iron: This spell allows the caster to cause a wall of earth and soil (or, if the rank/Toughness is high enough, solid rock, iron, or fine steel) to provide cover for his friends and hinder the movement of his foes. He may shape the wall in a simple fashion -- to create curved, circular, or square barrier, for example -- but it must be in contact with the ground along at least one of its edges (he could not create one in midair over a foe so that it falls on him). Create Object (Flaw: Limited [only for form barriers/cover, must contact the ground on at least one edge]) [1PP/rank] MOVEMENT EFFECTS Avalanche Riding: This spell allows an Earth mage to create a “wave†of earth and stone that he rides, allowing him to cross the ground faster than he can run with his legs. However, the wave effect tears up the ground, leaving a clear trail to mark his path and usually damaging anything he passes over or near; this is most simply treated as a Complication (collateral damage in trail behind character). Speed [1PP/rank] Boulder Riding: Geokinetically lifting a mass of stone into the air, then riding it like a surfboard! Flight (Flaw: Platform) [1PP/rank] Earthenroad: This spell creates a tunnel through earth, even through solid rock. Burrowing [1PP/rank] Earthgliding: With this spell, an Earth mage can move through earth and rock as easily as a fish through water, leaving no trace or tunnel behind. Immunity 2 (suffocation) [2PP] + Super-Movement 3 (permeate 3 [normal speed]; Flaw: Limited [Only through earth & rock]) [3PP] [5PP total] Stalactite Grip: Some Earth mages have such a strong affinity with their element that they can walk on it no matter what the orientation. Others simply shape it around their hands and feet to hold them securely as they go. Super-Movement 2 (wall-crawling [full speed]; Flaw: Limited [Only Earth/Stone]) [2PP] SENSORY EFFECTS Earthsight: This spell allows an Earth mage to see through earth and stone as easily as they see through the air. Super-Senses 4 (vision penetrates concealment; Flaw: Limited [only to see through earth/stone]) [2PP] Geomancy: Secret treasures are concealed within the earth, as are treasured secrets. Skilled earth mages can learn such secrets by studying the patterns in soil and rock around him, or by tossing a handful of stones to the ground and seeing the patterns they form. Super-Senses 4 (precognition) [4PP] Seismic Sense: Skilled Earth mages are able to sense vibrations through the ground, "seeing" by sensing their surroundings and making a mental image of it. This allows for a 360 degree field of"vision," but it does have several drawbacks. It only works if the geokinetic is in contact with the ground, and can only sense creatures and objects on the ground. Super-Senses 2 (tremorsense [tactile]; enhancement: ranged; Flaw: Limited [must be on ground to use, and cannot sense targets not in contact with ground]) [1PP] MISCELLANEOUS EFFECTS Humour Realignment: Earth is associated with the humour of black bile, and the melancholic temperament (later classed under the guardian temperament, or Sensing-Judging under Myers-Briggs). Increasing the Earth/black bile humor makes a target more introverted and melancholic; decreasing it makes them hedonistic and manic. The former can be represented with Emotion Control (Despair), the latter with the Confuse effect. Confuse [1PP/rank] and/or Emotion Control (Flaw: Limit [Despair]) [1PP/rank] Nourishing Earth: Plants gain nourishment from the soil, from Earth, and some Earth mages work out how to use this nourishing force to heal themselves and others. The spell often involves burying the patient in fresh soil, or a mud bath. Healing [2PP/rank] Oozing Mud Form: With this spell, an Earth mage turns his own body into liquescent mud, able to squeeze through cracks, holes, and other tiny openings. Insubstantial 1 (liquid) [5PP] Variant: Body of Sand: Same basic game effect, though the descriptors are slightly different. Stoneshaping: This spell allows a character to reshape a single stone object. He could, for example, create a hole in a stone block, change the posture of a statue, turn a boulder into a statue (though making one that looks nice would require a Craft [structural] skill check), or the like. Transform (stone object into differently-shaped stone object) [4PP/rank]

Elementalism: Air Names: Aeromancy, Aerokinetic, Airbending Examples: Aang, Red Tornado, Wind Dancer FC Examples: Mr. Mist, Sylph (of the Factor Four) Air Magic relates to and uses winds, as well as clouds, mists, and related phenomenon, including weather. In the Freedom City multiverse, there are elemental realms defining the far reaches of the primal dimensions. The realm of air is a vast and endless expanse of cloudy sky, solid as a child's breath. Clouds billow up in bank after bank, swelling into grand thunderheads and dissipating into wisps like cotton candy. Winds pull and tug around visitors, and rainbows glimmer in the distance. It is the most comfortable and survivable of the elemental realms, assuming that you can either fly or don't mind the sensation of falling forever. Creatures of air, ice, and smoke cavort through the eternal sky, as do all manner of flying creatures such as hippogriffs, pegasi, sphinxes, sprites, and sylphs. Powerful elementalists seeking privacy (or an atypical vacation spot) have build flying castles in the realm; some are still inhabited, while others are long-abandoned, filled with wind-stripped skeletons, frozen corpses, or nothing but howling winds. The greatest concentration of elemental power is the Prime Elements, a quartet of gemstones that are the crystallized essence of the four cardinal elements of Western magic. Possession of each stone is said to bestow complete control over its element, if the wielder can master it, an exceedingly difficult proposition. The air stone is clear, like a diamond, and when technician Sylvia McAllister attempted to steal it, an eruption of mystical power turned her into Sylph of the Factor Four. Why Take This Path: Air is freedom, in many ways. Air flows wherever it can (not unlike water), and some of the earliest successful attempts at making airtight seals (by alchemists working their distilleries) were seen as so astonishing -- something that could keep air out of a place! -- that they were named in honor of ur-alchemist Hermes Trismegistus (hence "hermetic seal"). Air is life -- Qi, a term frequently translated as life force, can be literally translated as "breath" -- and lack of either air or life leads to stagnation. Air is the restless shaper of the world. Common Personality Types: Air mages cheerfully go with the flow, rarely initiating any conflicts. When they must fight, they are swift and evasive, deflecting rather than striking, though some are capable of stunningly powerful blows, mimicking the devastation that tornadoes can bring. Going with Western Astrological signs, the Air signs are Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra. Plus side, kind, intellectual, communicative, and social; minus side, selfish, superficial, vicious, and very insensitive to other people's emotions. Powers: Using controlled gusts of wind to move things about is the most common use, so Move Object and Blast are two of the three base powers for an Air Mage to learn. Flight is of course the third, harnessing the wind to glide or to truly soar through the air. More skilled air mages can generate fogs and mists for various effects. Nonmagical Variants: Powerful fans can generate winds, mimicking many of these tricks, especially if combined with chemical payloads to generate clouds for assorted effect. Thermal manipulation can also generate and control wind. BASIC POWERS Wind Control: This spell creates a gust of wind that that caster can use for various effect. At lower levels of power (Move Object 1), it can ruffle curtains or clothes, blow papers off desks, and so forth. At higher levels of power, it can pick up and "throw" objects and people. Move Object [2PP/rank] Variant: Wind Manipulation: Some air mage can exert so fine a control over the wind that they can use it for such fine tasks as tying knots or even weaving. add Precise power feat. [+1 PP] OFFENSIVE EFFECTS Acoustic Shadows: An acoustic shadow is an area through which sound waves fail to propagate, due (in part) to disruption or refraction of the waves via warm or rapidly moving layers/pockets of air; it is to sound what a mirage is to light. For example, at the Battle of Iuka, a northerly wind prevented General Ulysses S. Grant from hearing the sounds of battle (a mere six miles away) and so he kept his two divisions of Union soldiers out of the battle. By controlling the air in an area, you can control the sounds which go through it. Illusion (auditory) [1PP/rank] and Obscure (auditory) [1PP/rank] Air Blast: A projection of air to batter targets. Blast [2PP/rank] Variant: Agile Air Blast: The blast can come from any direction, not just directly from the air mage. add Indirect power fet. [+1-3 PP] Variant: Forceful Air Blast: This type of gale is better at pushing targets back. add Knockback power feat. [+1PP per rank] Variant: Invisible Air Blast: The blast, like air itself, cannot be seen, only felt. add Subtle power feat. [+1 PP] Variant: Tornado: This variant creates a small tornado-like effect that can batter many foes around. add Area [burst, General] extra. [3PP/rank] Variant: Wind Tunnel: You can project a line of air that batters aside all in its path. change Blast to Strike, add Area [Line, General] extra. [2PP/rank] Air Rifle: Rather than batter targets with pure wind, some air mages use wind to pick up and fling whatever loose objects are around at their foes. Blast (PF: Variable Descriptor [whatever small blunt, sharp or pointed objects are on hand]) [1PP + 2PP/rank] Air Supremacy: An air mage can interfere with others' ability to move through the air. Drain Flight Effects (any one Flight effect at a time) [1PP/rank] Blinding Air Blast: Rather than do damage, this gust of wind picks up any grit or dirt in the area and hurls it at a target's eyes. Dazzle (Visual) [2PP/rank] Call to the Wind: You can summon an air elemental to do your bidding. A sample PL 10 Air Elemental can be found on page 24 of Green Ronin's Instant Superheroes. Summon Air Elemental [2PP/rank] Calm the Winds: With this spell, an air wizard can deprive a rival of their powers, or simply negate the effects of natural winds. For the later effect, a Ref may rate any natural breezes in ranks of Move Objects (0 for very light winds, 1 for light, 2-3 for moderate, 4-5 for heavy, 6-7 for very heavy, and 8-10 for storm force winds) then apply the Neutralize normally. Neutralize Air Effects (all air effect simultaneously) [2PP/rank] Variant: Eye of the Storm: This form creates an area in which Air Effects do not work. add Area (Burst) Extra. Cloudkill: This spell creates a stinking, mephitic fog that poisons anyone who breathes it in. Blast (Extras: Alt Save [Fort], Area [burst, General]) [4PP/rank] Deadly Deprivation: This spell removes the air from around a person and inside that person's lungs, causing them to quickly collapse. Blast (Extra: Alt Save [Fort]) [3PP/rank] Variant: Area of Asphyxiation: This variant removes the air from everyone in an area. add Area [burst, General] extra. [4PP/rank] Extinguish Flames: This power blows out any fires, whether natural or (metahu)man-made. It does not get rid of any smoke the fire generated, or remove any other effects it may have caused (like weakening a structure). Nullify Fire Effects (any one Fire effect at a time) [1PP/rank] Variant: Broad-Spectrum Extinguishing: This variant extinguishes any & all fire effects on a target... increase to Nullify Fire Effect (any/all at once) [2PP/rank] Wide extinguishing: ... and this variant extinguishes fire effects in an area. add Area [burst] extra. [2PP/rank] Fanning the Flames: By increasing the oxygen in an area, an air mage can increase any fire effects. Boost Fire Powers (any/all Fire powers at once) [3PP/rank] Fogbreaking: This spell banishes and dispels any fog, mist, or fog-based effect, whether natural or magical. Nullify Mist Effects (any one Mist Effect) [1PP/rank] Lightning Bolt: Under some elemental systems, Fire encompasses all forms of energy, including electricity & lightning. Under others, it falls into the Air category: lightning comes from the heavens, so clearly it belongs to Air. (Others point out that since Science tells us lightning is generated by particles and water droplets in the air rubbing against one another to create an electrical field that is eventually discharged as a bolt, it could fall under Water, or since an electric field can be generated by rubbing amber, which is fossilized tree resin, it could fall under Wood. These people are laughed at by both Air and Fire elementalists.) This spell allows a mage to blast his enemies with a powerful bolt of lightning. Blast [2PP/rank] Variant: Forked Lightning: This form of the spell can fork, striking multiple targets, or one target multiple times. add Autofire Extra [+1PP/rank, total 3PP/rank] Variant: Twisting Thunderbolt: This form of Lightning Bolt can arc around obstacles to hit targets. add Indirect (always originates from caster, but can strike from any angle) power feat. [+1PP per rank] Mistshaping: This spell allows an aeromancer to shape mists, fogs, or clouds. For example, he could form images of people out of the mist, make it spell words, or change its overall shape. He can shape the mist within a certain area (depending on the power/skill of the caster), which may leave some part of a larger field of fog untouched. The shape formed with the mist are obviously made of mist; if a wizard used Mistshaping to form a cloud of fog into the shapes of ten dwarven warriors, the warriors would clearly be made of mist and would not fool anyone who saw them directly into thinking they were rel warriors (though they may think they are dwarven warrior ghosts). One common use is to create a fog bank, obscuring some other hazard (such as a raging river that will sweep away any pursuers). Illusion (visual; PFs: Progression ) [2PP/rank + 1PP/Progression feat)] and/or Obscure Visual [2PP/rank] Stinking Air: This spell fills the air in an area with horrific odors. Anyone in (or who enters) the area of malodorous air risk falling helpless due to retching. Nauseate (Extras: Area [burst, General], Range [Ranged]) [4PP/rank] Variant: This far easier spell fills an area with nasty odors, sufficient to block any scent-based senses but not so bad as to cause retching. Obscure Olfactory [1PP/rank] Whirlwind: This spell invokes a miniature whirlwind. Anyone in its area, or who enters it, gets sucked up, spun and battered around, until the caster ceases maintaining it. Move Object (Extras: Area [burst, General], Damaging; Flaw: Limited [Only to Move Targets Up]) [3PP/rank] DEFENSIVE EFFECTS Air Cushion: Some air mages can form "cushions" of compressed air behind and below them, making it easier for them to withstand knockback and survive long falls. Immovable [1PP/rank] and Super-Movement 1 (slow fall) [2PP] Variant: Ranged Air Cushion: Some air mages can create air cushions behind or beneath other people. add Affects Others [Others Only] and Range [Ranged] extras. [2PP/rank for Immovable, 3PP for slow fall] Air Point Defense: While many air mages are agile & limber enough to avoid blows, some use wind and air to deflect, block, and misdirect incoming attacks. Deflect (all physical) [2PP/rank] or Enhanced Feats (dodge focus) [1PP/rank] Air Shield: Related to the Air Point Defense power, this power allows an air mage to protect himself with swirling, compacted currents of air that block and deflect incoming attacks. Force Field [1PP/rank] Variant: "Realistic" Air Shield: This version only offers protection against physical attacks. It can block arrows and bullets (and punches), but not lasers or gouts of dragonfire. add Limited [Only vs. Physical Damage] flaw. [1PP/2 ranks] Sphere of Air: Air mages who venture underwater or into areas filled with dust, poisonous gases, or the like often use this spell. It creates a sphere of fresh air in a 20 foot radius around the caster that moves with him as he moves. Thanks to its size, it allows the caster's comrades to breathe normally, too -- provided they stay within 25 feet of him. Immunity 2 (suffocation; note: Active Sustained effect; Extras: Affects Others + Self, Area [10-ft. Burst]; PF: Progression [Area] 1 [20-ft. Burst]) [7PP] Variant: The default version of this spell only exists for as long as the mage is able to maintain concentration and pour energy into it. A common variant is created with a certain amount of energy as a 'battery,' which can sustain itself regardless of the caster's action. add the Independent and Total Fade extra [+1PP/rank], and the Slow Fade power feats to taste. One example Immunity 2 (suffocation; note: Active Sustained effect; Extras: Affects Others + Self, Area [10-ft. Burst], Independent, Total Fade; PFs: Progression [Area] 1 [20-ft. Burst], Slow Fade 2 [5 minute point, fades in 45 minutes]) [11PP] Wall of Cloud: When invoked, this spell creates a wall of wind and cloud strong enough to repel many attacks. The swirling grey and white clouds that are part of the wall block sight. Create Object [2PP/rank] MOVEMENT EFFECTS Air Jordan: Before you can walk, you must learn to crawl, and before they can fly, most air mages learn how to use controlled winds to boost their leaps and jumps. Leaping [1PP/rank] Kip-Up: Most Air mages are fairly acrobatic, keeping their bodies as limber as the wind, but even those who are not can use a simple puff of air to get up from a prone or seated position to a fighting stance in the blink of an eye. Enhanced Feats 1 (Instant Up) [1PP] Sailor's Succor: With this power, an air mage can generate and manipulate winds so that they push a sailing vessel over the water at greater than normal speeds. Enhanced Swimming (Extra: Affects Other [Others Only]; Flaw: Limited [only for sailing vehicles]) [1PP/2 ranks] Variant: Fleet Fleet: Skilled air mages can enhance whole fleets of ships, provided the vessels remain close together. add Area [burst, General] and Selective Attack extras, and Progression [Area] power feat. [2PP/rank, + power feats] Swift as the Wind: By decreasing air resistance around himself, and generating wind behind them to propel them forward, an air mage can reach impressive speeds. Speed [1PP/rank] Wings of the Wind: With this spell a caster can make the winds pick him up and carry him through the air, soaring through the air and laughing in defiance of gravity. Haha! Gravity. Some air mages cause wings of cloud to materialize around them, but, being clouds, they cannot be restrained by conventional methods (and thus does not take the Restrainable power loss drawback). Flight [2PP/rank] Variant: Cloud Scooter: This more basic version creates a sphere of air or a miniature tornado on which the air mage rides, one they can be pushed off of if they are not careful! add Platform flaw. [1PP/rank] Variant: Flock of the Wind: With this form of the spell, an air mage not only can fly, but he can bring several companions along for the journey, but they must remain within the area of effect or they'll plummet to the ground. add Affects Others + Self and Area [burst] extras [+2PP/rank], and Progression [Area] power feat to taste. SENSORY EFFECTS Aeromancy:: By studying cloud formations (chaomancy), wind currents (austromancy), and the patterns of thunder and lightning (ceraunoscopy), some air mages can divine the future. Super-Senses 4 (precognition) [4PP] Air Apparent: With this power, an air mage can sense the flow of air in their surroundings, gaining a precise “picture†of things even when senses like sight do not function. Super-Senses 2 (radar [tactile]; enhancements: ranged) [2PP] Detect Air Purity: This spells allows an air mage to sense the purity of the air — how fresh it is, how contaminated (if at all), and the type and percentage of various contaminants. Super-Senses 3 (detect air purity [olfactory]; enhancements: acute, analytical) [3PP] MISCELLANEOUS EFFECTS Aeolian Shape: This powerful and complex spell transforms the air mage's body and carried personal possessions into purest air. While in Aeolian shape, an air mage can fit through any opening and cannot be seen. Concealment 2 (visual; Extra: Linked [insubstantial]; PF: Close Range) {5PP} + Insubstantial 2 (gaseous; Extra: Linked [Concealment]) {10PP} [total cost 15PP] Variant: Djinni's Form: This version of Aeolian Form allows the air mage to condense his wind-form to a small enough size to fit into a bottle. add Shrinking 20 (Linked [Concealment], Linked [insubstantial]) [+20PP, 35PP total] Breath Control: The Taoist philosophy does not place Air among the Wu Xing (“Five Elementsâ€), but the concept of Qi is close; while used to refer to the life force of creatures, it literally translates to “breath.†Some Western elementalists synchretize this linking of breath and life force view with their own knowledge of Air, and so learn to manipulate life energy. This spell alters the air & life force to facilitate healing, and is typically done through breathing exercises and circular stretching exercises, mimicking the swirl and flow of the wind. Healing [2PP/rank] Humour Realignment: Air is associated with the humour of blood, and the sanguine temperament (later classed under the artisan temperament, or Sensing-Perception under Myers-Briggs). Increasing the Air/blood humor makes a target more impulsive and pleasure-seeking, energetically hopping from one task to the next, leaving a project as soon as it stops being interesting; decreasing it makes them melancholic and introverted. The former can be represented with the Confue effect, the latter with Emotion Control (Despair). Confuse [1PP/rank] and/or Emotion Control (Flaw: Limit [Despair]) [1PP/rank] Freshen Air: This spell freshens stale or malodorous air, making it crisp, clean, and pleasant-smelling. It has no particular combat effect, though a more potent version could be statted as an Olfactory Obscure (blocking scent by removing any and all odors in the area). Feature 1 (freshens all air within 50 feet) [1PP] or Obscure (olfactory) [1PP/rank]

Elementalism 101 Names: See individual elements below. Examples: See individual elements below. FC Examples: Equinox, The Factor Four, Seven Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender (which I just now got around to watching, hence my renewed work on this) know there are four elements -- Air, Earth, Fire, and Water -- and these are the ones most commonly found in any work. But these are not the only elements -- in fact, some of these aren't even elements under some systems. Most systems go with five elements. The classical system, developed by the Greeks and used in Europe up through the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, have Air (wet/hot), Earth (dry/cold), Fire (hot/dry), Water (cold/wet), and Aether. Air and Earth oppose one another, as do Fire and Water. Aether is neither hot, cold, wet, nor dry, and was essentially the space through which the planets moved; since it could not be changed, it was regarded as pure & incorruptible. Western alchemists also used the four elements in their transmutative works, as well as Mercury (stability/volatility) and Sulphur (combustibility/flammability), and sometimes Salt (solidity). Some modern alchemists point out that their four elements match up nicely with the four states of matter -- Gaseous/Air, Liquid/Water, Plasma/Fire, and Solid/Earth. Galen and Hippocrates associated the four humours of the body (fluids whose imbalance influenced health & temperament) with the four elements -- air for blood, earth for black bile, fire for yellow bile, and water for phlegm -- and so some systems use the four elements in healing practices. Similarly, Plato associated his five Platonic Solids with the classical elements: tetrahedrons (four-sided die) with fire, cubes (six-sided die) with earth, octahedrons (eight-sided die) with air, dodecahedrons (twelve-sided die) with aether/the Universe, and icosahedrons (twenty-sided die) with water. The Greek concept of the four/five elements originated from Babylonian mythology, which had Earth, Fire, Sea (Water), Sky (Aether), and Wind (Air). But predating the Greek use of the elements was the mahÄbhÅ«ta, the "great elements" of Buddhism and Hinduism. Hinduism has Agni (Fire), Akash (Aether/Sound/Void), Ap (Water), Bhumi (Earth), and Marut (Air/Wind). Here the elements are associated with the five senses. Bhumi/Earth, the basest element, can be felt, heard, seen, smelled, and tasted. Ap/Water has no odor, but can be felt, heard, seen, and tasted. Agni/Fire can be felt, heard, and seen, and Marut/Air can be both felt and heard. Akash/Void is the medium of sound, but is inaccessible to the other senses. Buddhism goes one higher, and has six elements: the four primary elements of Apo (Water/cohesion & fluidity), Pathavi (Earth/inertia & solidity), Tejo (Fire/heat & energy), and Vayo (Air/expansion & vibration), and two secondary elements, Akasa (Aether/Sound/Space) and Vijnana (Consciousness/Mind). The Japanese system mirrors much of the Buddhist system, with the Go Dai (â€five great elementsâ€) of Chi (Earth), Fu (Wind), Ka (Fire), Ku (Heaven/Sky/Void), and Sui (Water). Then you get to the Taoist system of China, which upsets the whole cart. Their system, Wu Xing ("Five Elements"), contains Huo (Fire), Shui (Water), and Tu (Earth), adds Jin (Metal) and Mu (Wood), and replaces Air with Qi. Qi, a term frequently translated as "life force" but literally translated as "breath," is considered an energy or force and not a proper element. The five elements, plus Qi, Yin (Darkness) and Yang (Light), are recurring themes in Taoist cosmology, traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts, music, and in Feng shui, a form of geomancy (altering the earth and environment around you to decrease bad vibes and increase good ones). Rather than setting them into paired opposites (as the Western systems do), Wu Xing sets the elements into a cycles of generation/creation and overcoming/destruction: Wood feeds Fire, which creates ash/Earth, which bears Metal, which collects Water, which nourishes Wood, but Wood parts Earth, which absorbs Water, which quenches Fire, which melts Metal, which chops Wood. To keep things simple, I'll be going into more detail on only the four classical Western elements, but will include some notes on some non-Wetern ideas for each element. In the Freedom City multiverse, there are four elemental realms defining the far reaches of the primal dimensions, Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. These realms are populated by elementals -- creatures spontaneously generated from and composed solely of the material of the plane itself -- some of which resemble nothing more than masses of the element (sentient whirlpools in Water), while others take the form an mannerisms of regular creatures from Earth Prime (but which still crumble/disperse into their component elements if killed). The elemental realms are also home to, or at least visited in large numbers by, legendary creatures with a strong affinity for an element, like various types of dragons, jinn, and magmin, as well as normal creatures who blundered into (or were imported into) the realm and made a home there. The greatest concentration of elemental power is the Prime Elements, a quartet of gemstones that are the crystallized essence of the four cardinal elements of Western magic; an attempt to steal them lead to a mystical outburst which turned the four archaeologist-thieves into the Factor Four. Why Take This Path: Some choose the path of an element out of a desire to control some aspect of the world around them. Others find they have some innate elemental power -- often mirroring their personality, and frequently the result of some non-human ancestry -- and work to expand this power. See individual elements below for specifics. Common Personality Types: See individual elements below. Powers: Blast and Move Object form the bulk of Elemental powers, and anything ending in "-mancy" should have some manner of Super-Senses (precognition). For those who manipulate the elements via martial arts maneuvers (like most of the benders from Avatar: the Last Airbender), a Power Loss (When Bound) Drawback or Complication may be appropriate. See individual elements below for specifics. Nonmagical Variants: Powerful fans, flamethrowers, smoke machines, and tractor beams can all be used to mimic at least some elemental powers. See individual elements below for specifics. BASIC POWERS Element Control: The ability to control and manipulate your chosen element. This often takes two forms, a Perception-range version that works only on the chosen element, and a Ranged version representing using the manipulated element to manipulate other targets (like forming a giant tentacle out of water and using it to move people). Move Object (Extra: Range [Perception]; Flaw: Limited [Element only]) [2PP/rank] and Move Object [2PP/rank] OFFENSIVE EFFECTS Elemental Blast: A blast of your chosen element. Blast [2PP/rank] DEFENSIVE EFFECTS Elemental Shield: Using the chosen substance to create a protective shield around the elementalist. Force Field [1PP/rank] MOVEMENT EFFECTS Elemental Gate: Moving to the chosen element's corresponding elemental realm. Extras can be added to make it a gate capable of bringing others along. Banishing others to an elemental realm (i.e., a version with the Attack extra) is best left to plot devices. Super-Movement (dimensional [elemental realm]) [2PP] Element Gliding: Using the chosen substance to propel the elementalist at great speeds. Speed [1PP/rank] SENSORY EFFECTS Detect Element: The ability to mentally sense the presence of the chosen element. Numerous enhancements can be added to taste. Super-Senses 3 (detect element 2 [mental]; enhancement: ranged) [3PP] Elementamancy: Using the chosen element to divine the future. Different super-senses can be taken to divine other things. Super-Senses 4 (precognition) [4PP] MISCELLANEOUS EFFECTS Body of Element: Transmuting the elementalist's own body into elemental substance. Alternate Form [5PP/rank] Elemental Humour Realignment: Using knowledge and power over the elements to manipulate the corresponding humour in the body in order to heal injuries and influence temperament. Emotion Control [1PP/rank] and/or Healing [2PP/rank]

FC:PbP is offering the community another "vignette" opportunity! A Day in the Limelight! (Alternate titles: "Agent Coulson's Day Off", "Rosencrantz and Guilderstern Are Superheroes") From Doktor Archeville's robot gorilla butler to Citizen's dog, there are a million stories in Freedom City that haven't yet been told. Until now! Write a story about someone in your hero's supporting cast -- a Minion, Sidekick, or even an un-statted character. "But Dok, you mad, handsome Admin!," you cry, "what if my character doesn't have any supporting cast?!" A fair question, especially for our players who are still semi-new. As an alternative to the "Day in the Limelight" idea, we're also allowing you to go back and revisit our old vignettes. Not everyone's had a chance to submit something for all of them, and even if you have, some of them (like the New Year's Eve ones) could be redone. And here's a double secret bonus (it's my birthday this month, I'm feeling generous): in honor of the Avengers movie which came out last month -- in which many heroes assembled together -- we will allow you to do the PC Meet Up vignette as a bonus, second vignette this month! (I.e. you can do two Vignettes per character this month, but if you do, one must be the PC Meet-Up one.) Who: Any player who is interested. What: See prior Vignette instructions When: The deadline for submissions will be Saturday, June 30th by 11:59 PM EST (GMT -5). The time the vignettes themselves take place is detailed in the individual vignette entries. Where: See prior Vignette. Why: To enhance our community, to flex your writing muscles, to think more deeply about (or put a new spin on) your characters, and to earn a bonus PP (or two!) for your character for the month of June. How: Once your story is finished and proofed, post it in this very thread here! Additional Notes/Clarification: Vignettes do not count as posts. The "Musical episode" vignette may take place in June 2009 (the time of the original episode), or at a later time. If doing so during the original event, but your char was not in FC (or not an active superhero at the time), you can still do so; the magic reaches out to those destined for greatness. If at a later time, please include something about your character finding an odd crystal or something which had captured some of the magic, and releases it when your char touches it. Post here with questions. Blodeuwedd: NPC Spotlight (Miranda) Cannonade: NPC Spotlight (Andy) Cannonade: PC Meet-Up (w/ Nick Cimitiere & Temperance) Nick Cimitiere: Horror Vignette Nick Cimitiere: PC Meet-Up (w/ Cannonade & Temperance) Citizen: PC Meet-Up (w/ Harrier) Citizen: NPC Spotlight (Rogue) Cobalt Templar: NPC Spotlight (Corbin Hughes of Erde) Crimson Tiger: NPC Spotlight (Black Tiger) Crimson Tiger: PC Meet-Up (w/ Voltage) Dead Head: PC Meet-Up (w/ Doktor Archeville & Protectron) Doktor Archeville: PC Meet-Up (w/ Dead Head & Protectron) Dragonfly: NPC Spotlight (Puppy) Edge: NPC Spotlight (Martha) Fleur de Joie: NPC Spotlight (Amaryllis) Fleur de Joie: PC Meet-Up (w/ Wander) Gabriel: NPC Spotlight (Sonya) Gaian Knight: NPC Spotlight (Tiamat) Harrier: NPC Spotlight (FLSCH) Harrier: PC Meet-Up (w/ Citizen) El Heraldo: NPC Spotlight (Galanta) Ironclad: NPC Spotlight (Sonya) Jack of all Blades: NPC Spotlight (Yolanda) Jubatus: NPC Spotlight (Ed Halstonne) King of Suits: NPC Spotlight (Ace of Suits) Lord Steam: NPC Vignette (Blakely) Lord Steam: PC Meet-Up (w/ Rene de Saens) Midnight II: NPC Spotlight (Redbird) Miss Americana: NPC Spotlight (Emerson) Protectron: Birthday Vignette Protectron: PC Meet-Up (w/ Dead Head & Doktor Archeville) Rene de Saens: NPC Vignette (Marcel) Rene de Saens: PC Meet-Up (w/ Lord Steam) Revenant: NPC Spotlight (Kaplina) Silhouette: Time Warp Supercape: NPC Vignette (Leibniz) Supercape: PC Meet-Up (w/ Synth) Synth: PC Meet-Up (w/ Supercape) Temperance: NPC Spotlight (Michael Oxum) Temperance: PC Meet-Up (w/ Cannonade & Nick Cimitiere) Voltage: PC Meet-Up (w/ Crimson Tiger) Wander: NPC Spotlight (Singularity) Wander: PC Meet-Up (w/ Fleur de Joie) Young Brittania: NPC Spotlight (Maggie)