Dr Archeville

Stupid, stupid... Archeville's Screwdriver snapped up and unleashed another blast on Breaker, but he was ready for it, and powered through as he reached and and caught the Doktor in a chokehold. One hand at the doktor's throat, the other closed around his Screwdriver-holding hand, it looked to Breaker like he had the science hero right where he wanted him. Good thing my cyberpathic abilities let me operate my Belt without having to touch it! And then the Doktor disappeared. Breaker felt a slight disorientation as warped gravitic forces played hob with his inner ear, and he could almost 'feel' Archeville popping back a few dozen feet behind him. And then he felt another energy blast, this one catching him in the side as he was turning to face the hero. "I take back what I said, you're not nearly as clever as you think." He said something about 'my Grue bully-boys' attacking his 'turf' -- did a Metaceptor hit his gang? Is this... personal for him?

Old & Busted Rep Learning about Doktor Archeville: Gather Information DC 5 "It's that science guy from the tee-vee, Doctor Arkavil!" DC 10 Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville is a German scientist who shows a dizzying amount of knowledge in a huge number of fields. He's also quite photogenic, and has made numerous television appearances, a la Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson. He’s worked as a Science Hero in and around western Europe (primarily his homeland of Germany) for over a decade (since mid-1999). He's mostly worked solo, but has worked with a few small teams there; later (in 2008) he came to Freedom City and started working as a hero here. He lives in Hanover. He has been quite busy since coming to Freedom. He singlehandedly stopped a riot at Blackstone, without his equipment (May 2008); fought Doc Otaku (Apr 2009), the Power Corps (twice, Oct 2008 and Jul 2009), and the Tyranny Syndicate (Jan 2010); faced Captain Knievel (Mar 2009, Sep 2009, Apr 2010) and Malice (Apr 2010); a Grue invasion (May 2010), the second Bee-Keeper (Aug 2010), helped stop a giant asteroid from hitting Earth (Jan 2011), faced the Fenris Wolf (May 2011), the (alien?) villain that usurped his company (June 2011), and Breaker (May 2012). Many respect and admire him for his works (both as a superhero and as an advocate for science & technology), but a few cannot see past the fact his grandfather worked loyally for the Nazis (as well as rumors of other madmen in his family line). The Freedom League saw the good in him, and in early 2010 inducted him into the Freedom League Auxiliary. Of late his reputation took a big hit, when something (possibly an alien) took control of him & his resources and used them to attack multiple cities in June 2011. DC 15 Archeville uses numerous devices in his superhero work. His labcoat is bulletproof, and his belt allows him to manipulate gravity to fly, teleport, generate a powerful force field, and cloak himself from sight and radar. His most potent device is his Electromagnetic Screwdriver, which can generate and manipulate any form of electrical or electromagnetic energy. He’s really good with technology -- so good, in fact, he sometimes does not even need to touch it to make it work! Archeville’s largest achievement is ArcheTech, his international chain of research laboratories, the first of which opened in late 2009. Following the events of June 2011, and the loss of faith in his abilities, he transferred CEO status to the photogenic paragon Miss Americana. 2008 was not when Archeville first came to Freedom City: he attended the Hanover Institute of Technology, graduating in 1999. Archeville claims his immense intellect is simply the result of dedication and hard work, but he has let slip that there might be some minor mutation at work. All tests, however, proved negative on the presence of any metahuman genes. Archeville completely disappeared for a few months (June-Dec 2011); he was completely absent during the Gorgon Event. There is lots of speculation as to what happened; most assume he was recuperating and rebuilding from the assault on him & his resources, but the fact he didn’t return for the Gorgon makes some think he was far off-word or even in another dimension. DC 20 He was only completely gone from June-Sept 2011, from Oct-Dec he was spotted around ArcheTech. From June-Sept he was in another dimension, rescuing Fulcrum, who had been seemingly killed (but really shunted to another dimension) during the Interceptors battle with the titanic monstrosity in June 2011. Archeville’s vast intellect is the result of nanotech enhancement. He also has nanotech performing minor enhancements to his body (diseases & poison warding, minor regeneration) and is what allows him to mentally/wirelessly access electronics. DC 25 The nanotech is a recent development -- while he has been known to use it in the past, it’s only been since July 2011 that he has been regularly using it for personal enhancement. The rumors about Archeville’s family containing more madmen than just his Nazi grandfather are true. And he himself seems to suffer from some sort of bipolar disorder, though he seems to have it under control. DC 30 There are rumors that Archeville’s mental enhancements, before relying on nanotech for them, were actually the result of some sort of magic, not mutation. Knowledge (Arcane Lore) - Available after making a successful DC 25 Gather Information check, or using a Detect Magic or Magic Awareness super-sense on him. DC 5 The Archeville line has long been tainted with madness and some sort of subtle (or extremely uncommon) magic. June 2011, something called up every Archeville, living or long-dead, from across the globe, and pulled them through the air to the northeast section of the USA. DC 10 This magic has been passed down for thirteen generations, from father to son, for the past 600 years. Longevity and a strong resistance to disease and poisons seem to be the main benefit from these magics, but others in the family line have exhibited other abilities, though usually these were enhancements to existing abilities and not wholly new abilities. Doktor Viktor Archeville is the latest recipient of these gifts. Those hundreds of people were pulled, screaming, to Freedom City. They weren’t screaming in terror or pain, they were calling out to something. DC 15 One of the Archevilles, the extremely bipolar but medically gifted Venn Helmuth Archeville (1546-1645), served under Swiss clockmaker Hans Locarno -- aka Master Mage Lord Deosil -- for 45 years. Deosil tried to help Archeville which his madness, but it was linked inextricably with the magic of his bloodline, and the best Deosil could do was suppres it for periods of time, not remove it completely. DC 20 The magic is the taint of alien gods from outside reality, pseudonatural beings of cosmic power and unknowable intentions. Those hundreds of Archevilles were pulled to Viktor Archeville, in Freedom City, and merged into one titanic mass, which served as a body for one of these alien gods, which had completely overwritten Archeville’s personality. DC 25 For most of his life Archeville had a “Shoulder Angel” and “Shoulder Demon,” which he thought were merely a hallucinatory manifestation of a growing bipolar disorder. In truth, the “Shoulder Demon” was the sliver of the pseudonatural entity within him, clothing itself in all his fears and hatred and prejudices and all the other negative aspects of his psyche, feeding into and feeding on them in a vicious cycle. All the positive aspects of his psyche were shunted off to one side, manifesting as his “Shoulder Angel.” In August 2010, a chance encounter with a tome of eldritch lore exacerbated the split. He no longer saw the two daemons, and only felt the positive side; he became more carefree and manic. But the “Shoulder Demon”/pseudonatural entity was still there, taking control when Archeville slept, and while in control it warped his body into a hideous Deep One. When the “Evil” Archeville was finally confronted, after nearly a year of committing all manner of unspeakable acts, by a brave band of heroes (who had been stung the worst by Archeville’s betrayals). But when he fell, the full extent of his pseudonatural heritage manifested, by calling to and forming a body out of hundreds of his kin. DC 30 Postcognitive scryings have revealed how that taint first insinuated itself into the Archeville line: it was Viktor Archeville himself, who had traveled back in time, and put the curse on his family line (in an attempt to save his ancestor’s life from Deep Ones), which is what gave him the monomaniacal drive and skill needed to develop the technology required to travel back in time to do so. But now this chain has been broken: not long after the pseudonatural being manifested, it was faced and destroyed by the Interceptors (the aforementioned brave band of heroes). The corruption was cast out of him, leaving him the first fully human, non-afflicted Archeville in thirteen generations. Knowledge (Behavioral Sciences) - Characters with ties to Providence Asylum may subtract 5 from the DCs of these checks. DC 5 Crazy German Mad Scientist! DC 10 Not crazy, at least no moreso than most highly focused science-types. He does often play the role of the stereotypical "Mad Scientist," obsessing over some given project to the exclusion of all others, only to flip abruptly and completely to some other topic. The incident in June 2011, in which his company was taken over by an unknown supervillain and used to distribute Grue super-soldiers throughout the world, took a heavy toll on him -- he retired completely from the public eye for almost six months. Not even the coming of The Gorgon was enough to bring him back to the public eye. Archeville asserts that supervillains, especially tech-oriented ones, often become villains due to psychological problems, and that their villainous tendencies could be curtailed with proper psychological treatment. He has devoted much research to mental problems, and made numerous donations to a number of facilities and organizations, including Providence Asylum. DC 15 This "abrupt flipping" applies not only to his work but also to his personal interactions. Archeville has been reported, on numerous occasions, to "flip" his own personality and take on radically different personae. His "baseline" persona is that of the Obsessed Scientist, showing a superhuman intelligence, an above-average strength of will, but a poor-to-average interpersonal skill. But he has a second (and more commonly seen) persona, the Suave Charmer, with an above-average intelligence and strength of will but a near-superhuman force of personality. There is also a third persona, rarely seen, the Serene Observer, showing near-superhuman intelligence, a quiet and overlooked personality, but a keen insight into both human nature and his surroundings, and a nigh-indomitable strength of will. There is considerable debate, however, over whether these are truly distinct personalities, or just Archeville shifting his prodigious intellect (i.e., is the “Suave Charmer” really a different personality, or is it just him using his intellect to work out what best to say & how best to say it?) Archeville spent two weeks after the June 2011 event in Providence Asylum, but then checked himself out. He was spotted two weeks later, but then vanished for two and a half months. He was spotted again, briefly, then disappeared again for another two and a half months. Many of Archeville’s relatives have some sort of documented mental illness. His father, Varick, suffered from a unique combination of late-onset Tay-Sachs disease (a disorder prevalent among Eastern European Ashkenzai Jews and Cajuns of southern Louisiana) and something akin to Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Viktor’s grandfather, the Nazi collaborator Verrill Archeville, had clear signs of antisocial personality disorder (i.e., psychopathy). Archeville's company, ArcheTech, offers a very generous benefits package, including numerous mental health services; all facilities had on-site therapists. DC 20 Before his stay at Providence, Archeville had (reluctantly) admitted he struggles with a form of bipolar disorder, but was keeping it under control with self-medication and therapy from a trusted “mind-worker.” DC 25 The “mind-worker” he was receiving help from was the Scarab, one of the world’s most powerful telepaths. DC 30 Archeville’s mental problems were caused, at least in part, by some manner of mystical influence, but that influence was removed June 2011. For most of his life Archeville had a "Shoulder Angel" and "Shoulder Demon," which he thought were merely a hallucinatory manifestation of a growing bipolar disorder. In truth, the "Shoulder Demon" was the sliver of the pseudonatural entity within him, clothing itself in all his fears and hatred and prejudices and all the other negative aspects of his psyche, feeding into and feeding on them in a vicious cycle. All the positive aspects of his psyche were shunted off to one side, manifesting as his "Shoulder Angel." In August 2010, a chance encounter with a tome of eldritch lore exacerbated the split. He no longer saw the two daemons, and only felt the positive side; he became more carefree and manic. But the "Shoulder Demon"/pseudonatural entity was still there, taking control when Archeville slept, and while in control it warped his body into a hideous Deep One. When the "Evil" Archeville was finally confronted, after nearly a year of committing all manner of unspeakable acts, by a brave band of heroes (who had been stung the worst by Archeville's betrayals). But when he fell, the full extent of his pseudonatural heritage manifested, by calling to and forming a body out of hundreds of his kin. Knowledge (Business or Civics) - DC 5 ”ArcheTech? They’re some kind of construction firm, right?” DC 10 ArcheTech was founded Dr. Viktor Archeville, who wanted an international chain of research laboratories unconnected to any one government or any business interests. His vision was to establish a unique center for multi-disciplinary research in a number of scientific fields, especially those pertaining to metahuman activity and the increasing emergence of metahumans. In addition to its exotic research, ArcheTech also provides humanitarian aid in times of crisis. ArcheTech’s reputation (and stock) plummeted after it was overtaken & used by some sort of alien invasion in June 2011. While fighting off that invasion, the European HQ was destroyed. DC 15 The first two branches opened in late 2009, in Freedom City, NJ, USA and just outside Donaueschingen, Germany; these two serve (served) as their region’s corporate headquarters. In the United States, there are branches in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Outside of that country, there are branches in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the United Kingdom. While much of the initial funding for his company did come from Archeville himself (who was a multimillionaire even before establishing his company), most of the staff and facilities came from Darts, Inc., the weapons manufacturing company he had joined some months prior, shortly before its chief shareholder Eric Micheals was outed as the supervillain Malice. ArcheTech has a reputation for hiring the best & brightest. ArcheTech offers a very generous benefits package, including numerous mental health services; all facilities had on-site therapists. This is in keeping with Archeville's assertion that supervillains, especially tech-oriented ones, often become villains due to psychological problems, and that their villainous tendencies could be curtailed with proper psychological treatment. DC 20 The European HQ (the one destroyed during the invasion) had actually been Archeville's personal castle, refitted to serve as both a research & development and an educational center. In July 2011, the genius paragon Miss Americana became CEO of ArcheTech. In late 2011 Archeville had some contact with his former company, but has had reportedly no contact with them since the New Year's Day 2012. ArcheTech has a reputation for hiring the best & brightest includes criminals from the Project Freedom supercriminal rehabilitation program, primarily gadgeteers and victims of reckless self-experimentation. Such hires receive regular psychological/psychiatric evaluation and therapy, to insure that any criminal tendencies are kept in check. DC 25 Some believe Archeville had insider knowledge, knowing Micheals was Malice, and positioned himself to essentially inherit Darts when Malice was finally captured. Archeville insists he was simply fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to make the most of a bad situation (which is true). Knowledge (Current Events or Popular Culture) - DC 5 Aaah it’s the Nazi Scientist Doktor Arkavil! DC 10 The King of Science!, and the secret (or not so secret) crush of tech-heads everywhere. Unlike most "Mad Scientists," Archeville does take time to care for his appearance, and to enjoy fine foods. He prefers the food and beers of his native Germany, but is always up to try new delicacies. Doktor Archeville has worked as a superhero since 1999 (primarily in western Europe), and was inducted into the Freedom League Auxiliary in early 2010. Sorry, ladies, but he’s taken: Viktor Archeville & Mona “Fulcrum” Teymourian got engaged in May 2011! DC 15 Archeville lives in a small community in Hanover, Freedom City, mostly inhabited by HIT students. He is often at the top of the guest lists for block parties, partly because he always brings top-notch alcohol (most of which he brews himself). He’s also a mainstay of the Oktoberfest festival in Munich, which he’s attended every year since 1999. He tends to make several "hook ups" while there, but this came to an end when he started dating Fulcrum in early 2010. There are many rumors of children he’s sired during these Oktoberfest trysts... DC 20 All such rumors that have been investigated have proven untrue. DC 30 And if there had been any offspring, they’d all have been killed when every living (and dead!) member of the Archeville line merged into a titanic monstrosity in Freedom City in June 2011. Knowledge (History) - Natives of Europe, or historians focused on European history, may subtract 5 from the DCs of these checks. DC 5 The Archeville name is well-known throughout Germany, though is met with roughly equal parts reverence and revulsion in the Black Forest. His grandfather, Verrill Herman Archeville (1896-1965?), was loyal to both the German Empire in World War I and the German Nazi party in World War II, as a soldier in the former and, inspired by the use of chemical weaponry on the battlefield, as a “mad scientist” in the latter (specializing in size-alteration, clockwork automata, and time manipulation). Reportedly died 1965 in an accident in his Brazilian laboratory. DC 10 Archeville's father, Varick Heinrich (1940-2011), was a supremely skilled computer technician. Sadly, he was committed to an asylum in 1990. Varicks’ wife, Cynthia Bauer, died of complications while giving birth to Viktor. Varick's grandfather (Viktor's great-grandfather), Victor Hobart Archeville (1848-1914), was a highly skilled glass-blower and silversmith, and moderately skilled clockmaker. He had a (very) minor role in reuniting the Austrian-held sections of the southern German states and the Prussian North German Federation into the German Empire in 1871, by providing replacements for cracked mirrors in the galerie des glaces (the Hall of Mirrors) of the Palace of Versailles, where Prussian King William I was declared German emperor. DC 15 Archeville's father, Varick Heinrich, was committed to an asylum shortly after suffering some manner of psychotic break and attempting to murder his son. Varick is half-Jewish (his mother, Margaret Schneider, was, unknown to Verrill, an Ashkenazi Jew), which makes Viktor Archeville one-quarter Jewish. (Except that, by Jewish law, it goes by the mother’s side, and since Viktor’s mother was not Jewish, he would not be considered one of them.) At least three of Viktor Archeville's ancestors -- his great-great-great-grandfather, Vitto Hilliard Archeville (1719-1809), his father Virgil Hartwig Archeville (1682-1757), and his father Vid Hackett Archeville (~1634-1705) -- were all mighty warriors. Vid was a berserker who kept to the Black Forest, Virgil a mercenary who worked for the highest bidder (and shared some of Vid's berserk fury), and Vitto was a borderline-psychopath who fought against Napoleon's forces largely out of a hatred of the French. Curiously, Vitto's son Varian Hodffman Archeville (1796-?) was a genteel courtier, and had a small hand in the transformation of the Confederation of the Rhine -- Napoleon's organization of the German states -- into the German Confederation in 1815, but he later tried playing both Austrian and Prussian forces against one another in an attempt to gain more power, which was one contributing factor to the Austrio-Prussian War of 1866. DC 20 Cytnhia Bauer, Viktor’s mother, was a Sinti, a European Romani. An ancestor, Valdemar Heller Archeville (1475-1533), attended the relatively new Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg (Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, one of the oldest universities in Germany) in the late 1400s, first as a student and then as a teacher of Natural Sciences. His son, Valter Herbert Archeville (1516-1592), also attended, studying Humanities. Valter's son, Venn Helmuth Archeville (1546-1645), grew to become a skilled doctor and surgeon. DC 25 Valdemar’s father, Vadim Hademar Archeville (1430-1480), was a vicious blackguard who found some success as a mercenary, working more for the joy of slaughter and rape than gold or silver. His father, Vischer Harbin Archeville (1407-1453), the founder of the family line, was a simple fisherman living in Freiburg im Breisgau. DC 30 That really weird day in June 2011, where hundreds of people, living and dead, from all over the world, were seen yanked through the skies and dragged off to Freedom City? Every one of those people was a direct descendant of an Archeville! Knowledge (Physical Sciences or Technology) - DC 5 Doktor Archeville does Science. DC 10 ArcheTech was founded Dr. Viktor Archeville, who wanted an international chain of research laboratories unconnected to any one government or any business interests. His vision was to establish a unique center for multi-disciplinary research in a number of scientific fields, especially those pertaining to metahuman activity and the increasing emergence of metahumans. Fields of research & development include bionics and cybernetics, energy projection, force field generation, genetics and genome stability, gravimetrics, advanced metallurgy, nanotechnology, particle physics, and others. DC 15 The first two branches opened in late 2009, in Freedom City, NJ, USA and just outside Donaueschingen, Germany; these two served (served) as their region’s corporate headquarters. In the United States, there are branches in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Outside of that country, there are branches in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Most ArcheTech facilities are equipped with a teleporter, used primarily for moving bulk materials from place to place. In emergency situations (such as the Grue Invasion of May 2010), they can be used for mass evacuations. Archeville uses numerous devices in his superhero work. His labcoat is bulletproof, and his belt allows him to manipulate gravity to fly, teleport, generate a powerful force field, and cloak himself from sight and radar. His most potent device is his Electromagnetic Screwdriver, which can generate and manipulate any form of electrical or electromagnetic energy. DC 20 The European HQ (destroyed during the June 2011 event) had actually been Archeville’s personal castle, refitted to serve as both a research & development and an educational center. Archeville incorporated some form of nanotech into his body some time in late 2011. This nanotech gives him several abilities: it enhances his mental processes, protects his body from disease, poison, and other ailments, and allows him to mentally control/interface with computers and other electronic devices.

One: When the reactants and products occur at concentrations that have no tendency to change, due to their chemical reactions (reactant --> product) and the reverse reactions (product --> reactant) proceed at the same rate (equal rates = no net change), they are at equilibrium. As an example H2 + I2 2HI H2 (hydrogen gas) and I2 (iodine) form HI (hydrogen iodide), but hydrogen iodide will break down into hydrogen and iodine. Two: Electra's close, but is missing a few bits.

Steve Kenson appears to agree with you! And Dok can't come close to beating that grapple, so he's not just grappled/pinned, he's bound & helpless. Fortunately, he doesn't really need to move to use his Belt's Teleport (since his Datalink lets him control it hands-free). Concentration check, DC 20 (1d20+4=16) Concentration check, DC 20; HP re-roll (1d20+4=11) +10 = 21! Move Action: Teleport out, reappear up 160 feet behind Breaker (well, as far back as he can while still maintaining line-of-sight & line-of-effect) Standard Action: Blast Attack vs. Breaker (Defense 20, 13 if flat-footed); DC 31 Toughness save if it hits (1d20+8=18) Would this be considered a Surprise attack? Stealth vs. Notice? 1 HP now

... hunh. What's the rule for teleporting out of a Grapple? (I know at least one RedName here's figured that out/provided a link to a discussion on it at the Atomic Think Tank.) Concentration check?

Unreliable check (1-10 = fail, 11-20 = success) (1d20=19) Ranged attack roll, Defense 20 (1d20+8=13) that'd hit if he was flat-footed! Ranged attack roll, Defense 20; HP re-roll (1d20+8=18) DC (15+16) 31 Toughness save for him 2 HP now.

Archeville was far from idle during those thirty tense seconds. The first ten or so were spent doing a quick-and-dirty reboot for his Screwdriver and Belt, bringing them sputtering back to life. Must work faster must work faster The next ten, he worked on the pilot's console, re-initializing the communications systems which would allow the pilot to radio for help, and the GPS beacon so their rescuers could track them. Must work faster must work faster That done, he went back to his Belt, swapping out components, readjusting controls, and making all sorts of additional quick-and-dirty alterations. The aircraft was suddenly enveloped in a second energy bubble, this one glowing a soft light blue, and laced through with tiny crackling lightning arcs. A moment later, Glow felt a sudden shift in her mind, as if the plane's great weight had been suddenly decreased -- which is exactly what was happening! "I do not think Mr. Davidson would like it if we 'dropped' his plane," the Doktor said as he slowly walked towards the center of the passenger compartment with his glowing (and only slightly sputtering) Screwdriver and Belt. "But I think now we should be able to land it in a safe manner. I believe," he called back to the pilot, "that would be your job, sir!"

Matter transposition? Is there a cylindrical chunk of stone where this dragon was sent from? Archeville continued taking readings of the area, waving his Screwdriver in the dragon's direction every once in a while when he thought it wasn't looking. " Mental programming? Did someone build you, body and mind? "

Startle = use Intimidate to Feint = next attack you take on opponent is considered a surprise attack Surprise attack = target is flat-footed, target does not get to act ( = can take no actions?) Readied Action = do something as a Reaction in response to some action So I don't think the Startle would prevent Dok from using his Readied Action. Whether it goes off in reaction to the Startle attempt would depend on if "using Startle" could be accepted as "is attacking" for purposes of a Readied action set to go off if they attack. I'd vote 'yes,' but I'm probably biased, so I suggest getting a second opinion from another RedName. But if the startle doesn't set it off, the follow-up attack would definitely set it off. So it's either Dok Attacks (reaction set off by Breaker's Startle) Breaker Startles (if able)Breaker Attacks (if able) or Breaker StartlesDok (possibly Startled) Attacks (reaction set off by Breaker's attack)Breaker Attacks the possibly-Startled Dok In either case: Sense Motive (DC 22) (1d20+9=26) Dok's not startled (and still has 3 HP).

Dok has a readied action to Blast Breaker is he attacks.

Archeville breathed in sharply through his nose, then exhaled slowly out his mouth. "I am truly sorry for that. If you recognize me, you know I have had some... setbacks over the past year, and my nerves are still a bit... frazzled. I try not to let my anger get the best of me, to find more unconventional solutions to the issues before me rather than barreling through, but, well, when someone compares me to- ah, but that it not important." "What is important, Markus Flint, is you." The Doktor lowered his Screwdriver, but his eyes never left the criminal before him. "You are mildly clever -- you suspected your guess would cause me to tip my hand, though I doubt you suspected just how hard I would tip you -- so here is a final math problem for you to consider. There are two numbers, each representing a group of targets you could fight. You do love to fight, do you not? The first group," he held up one finger of his empty hand, "contains all the heroes out there, superpowered and not, from the Freedom League to the local police. The second," another finger went up, "contains all the crooks of the world, from world-class threats like Overshadow to his agents in SHADOW, from Malador the Mystic to the lowliest demon-worshiping cultist, from the Crime League down to the gangs peddling drugs around high schools. Which is the bigger number, the bigger group? Which will give you a bigger number of targets to fight?" Be smart, Flint.

The 'old Russian's' jaw clenched, and he glared daggers at the mohawked man. "You think I'm that... that depraved, unimaginative little..." In a smooth, practiced motion that should certainly not be possible for a simple elderly merchant, the man's hand darted into another pocket in his jacket and pulled out a slim silvery wand, studded with tiny buttons and splitting into three tiny barrels at one end. As he drew the item his thumb danced over the studs, and it hummed to life. The man was enveloped in a soft blue aura of light, shot through with tiny electrical arcs dancing all across him. His clothing shifted as the electrically sensitive fibers reset to their original position, and the makeup and prosthetics on his hands and face melted or burned away. In seconds, the 'old Russian' before Breaker was gone, and before him was a much younger man with long blonde hair and a pristine white labcoat. Then he turned the wand on the would-be thief, quick as a snake, and unleashed hell upon him. "That is who I am."

4 HP, and Fatigued. Free Action: HP to recover, to clear Fatigue. Free Action: Draw Electromagnetic Screwdriver from pocket Move Action: Reconfigure Gadgets Blast 16 (EM Spectrum Blaster; Flaw: Unreliable [50/50 chance]; PF: Variable Descriptor [any electromagnetic]; Drawbacks: Reduced Range 2 [2 160-ft. increments]) {15} Enhanced Feats 2 (Quick Change 2) {2} 15+2 = 17/20 Free Action: Un-Disguise self Standard Action: Blast Unreliable check (1-10 = fail, 11-20 = success) (1d20=15) Ranged attack roll, Defense 20 (13 if flat-footed) (1d20+8=28) :shock: So that's a DC (15+16+5) 36 Toughness save for him... (Obligatory YouTube clip) 3 HP now.

Alright, Scuffles wrote it took Glow 30 seconds to get the plane leveled. That's six rounds. Let's see what Dok was up to in that time. Round 1: Jury Rig repair Screwdriver Round 2: Jury Rig repair Belt Round 3: Jury Rig repair aircraft's communications system, so the pilot can radio for ahead Round 4: Jury Rig repair aircraft's GPS beacon, so help can more easily find us once we land. Round 5: Extra Effort to stunt, off of the Force Field in Dok's Belt, a Force Field around the aircraft, to protect us in case something else bad happens. Round 6: Extra Effort to stunt, off of the antigrav Flight in Dok's Belt, some sort of effect that will help Glow carry us. Some sort of antigrav field around the plane to make it weigh less, and thus easier for her to carry. Flight? Super-Strength?

Hey! You an' me had an agree- HURK! As the spectral blade went through Dead Head's spirit, Mutt, the revenant's faithful crossroads dog, bound into the scene, rising up from the floorboards in an eerie mirror to Ghost Girl's descent through the ceiling. He snarled at the trio of luminous beings, before launching a series of vicious, foam-flecking barks at them. Its head darted from one being to the next so fast that it left eerie after-images, and at one point bore a passing resemblance to a spectral version of Cerberus.

Move Action: Move into area Standard Action: Use Fearsome Presence (DC 20)

Sense Motive roll, DC 21 (1d20+9=12) Hrrmmm... Yeah, I'll keep that, and Dok'll drop his facade. (And earn an HP for the setback?)

Time for my first trump. "I have been called wild, and a card," the mystery man exclaimed, "but I am not Wildcard. But that was just the first of your three guesses -- two more to go! So, now, the second one, but this is a visual clue." He placed his hands on the edges of his seemingly worn jacket, "I am going to draw something from my pocket, slowly; it is a simple device with no moving parts." He waited for Breaker to indicate his agreement, then pulled out a simple black hard rubber ball, about as big as a billiard ball. I wonder if he'll piece together that the lack of any obvious bulge in the pocket from which I drew this. And that this jacket is an altered version of my Labcoat. Final calculations... He tossed the ball lazily between his hands. "Now, watch carefully..." Suddenly he threw the ball to the right, bouncing it off a wall, ricocheting up off the ceiling, striking one of the henchmen smack in the back of the head! It bounced again, and again, and again, careening off walls and desks and thug's heads, knocking some off-balances and into one another. One staggered back and conked his head on the marble counter, one stepped to the side to avoid the doomsphere but slipped on a loose pen rolling on the floor, another bolted and tripped over the dangling power cord from a coffee pot. All as the Doktor had calculated, based on quick reads of the environment and the quick reads he'd done of the henchmen's body languages. In moments, all fifteen were down, and the simple black rubber ball rolled to a stop at the "old man's" feet. "Study your maths," he said with a wink and barely-concealed smirk. "Key to the universe." Mentally exhausting, but worth it!

Fatigued, 4 HP. Moar stunting! Strike 6 (series of unfortunate events; Extras: Area [30-ft. Burst radius, Targeted], Selective Attack; Flaws: Action [Full], Unreliable [50/50 chance]; PFs: Indirect 3, Progression [Area] 3 [300-ft. Burst], Variable Descriptor) {13/16} Free Action: HP to recover to clear Fatigue. Free Action: HP to gain a new feat, the Alternate Power feat, so I can make the above stunt (off his Enhanced Brain) Move Action: Switch Enhanced Brain Array from Enhanced CHA to the above new stunt Reaction: Extra Effort to SURGE; will be Fatigued at beginning of next round Full Action: Use new stunt. Unreliable check (1-10 = fail, 11-20 = success) (1d20=11) Power Attack 'maneuver' for -2 Attack/+2 Damage = +6 to hit (16 when Taking 10 since their Minions), Damage +8 (DC 23), which none of the standard Thugs with their +2 Toughness can make. 2 HP, will be Fatigued at start of next action

Calcula- what? Wow, better than I'd thought. Still... Calculating... He drew his hand back and clapped sharply, "Excellent! And very honorable of you, sir." He remained standing, "alright, first clue:" And then he began to do a little jig before the powerhouse. "Angels and demons have I fought. The Interceptors once me caught. The Leagues, of Freedom, and of Crime, I have all faced, from time to time. Baronessess have known my touch (Although, of late, not very much.) Went East to West, then West to East; Then 'round again (once more, at least). I've flown the skies and delved the seas! So Markus, tell -- do you know me?"

Calculating.... "Sharp as a tack, you are. Okay, Markus, tell you what I'll do," he said, smiling that salesman's grin he'd semi-unconsciously programmed into VINCE. "I'll give you some clues, and three chances to guess who I am. You make me, we'll get in a brawl -- either I'm a hero and I'll want to stop you, or a villain who'd not mind taking your haul -- but I'll let you get in the first hit free, which might well put me out and you could make off with all that loot." Though with luck I'll get my full force field up in time to protect me. "You fail to figure out who I am, you all stop what you're doing and leave, with no more than is already in your vans. If I'm a hero, I'll call in some associates to track you down, but if I'm a villain, I'll take up what you leave behind and go my own way, and I can slip out while the police are busy tracking you. Any way it goes, we all get something we want. So," he extended an empty, liver-spotted hand, "you game?"

The 'old Russian' leaned slightly to one side, to get one last look at the assorted henchmen before looking up at Breaker. "Alright," he said, his voice returning to the younger Germanic tone. His posture and bearing remained the same, though -- no point in dropping it completely, if the henchmen were still fooled, "you're brighter than I took you for, I'll give you that. So why not just expose me right off? Why send your boy off to the vending machine?" "You're curious, is what," he continued, "wondering who I am under this, and, like you said, what happened to your two men in the vault. Well, I assure you, those two are fine. A bit weepy, and they'll probably want to call their mothers or aunties when they're through here, but otherwise unharmed. Me, well," he gave a slight shrug, "I just came to do some personal business, but I've got a bit of a distinctive face, so I put this all on, act a part, so I can move around more easily." "And now you're really curious, right? I must be someone important, if I go to all this trouble, get made up like this, just to do a bit of banking, right? Except it can't be just some simple banking -- that could be done over the phone, or online; to be here, in person, it must be something big. And, on top of that," he jerked his head back towards the vault, "I put down two of your men, without making much of a sound -- none of you heard anything, right, Flint?"

Does the Gather Info or Knowledge check tell Dok * Breaker's alias/real name * His powers/origin (does he have a char sheet somewhere? I don't see one in the NPC bank; is he based on one of the Char Bank Oddballs?) * Anything potentially secret/embarrassing (ex.: time he claims spent in jail vs. time actually spent in jail)

Will save v. Mental Blast (DC 27) (1d20+6=25) Huzzah! A mere Injury.

Archeville scooped up his Screwdriver from bouncing about on the floor as he staggered towards the flight deck. His did a quick visual sweep of the controls, finding them fairly similar to most commercial aircraft. His free hand darted out over the console, flicking switches and hitting overrides. "What are you doing?!" the pilot screamed. "Trying to save us! I am purging the fuel -- it is useless to us now, but losing it means we might not explode in a spectacular fireball when we make contact with the ground!" And if I can get my Belt working in time, I can use it to level us off, while Kristen keeps us safe in her bubble. But I do not know if she can hold off the heat, but I know my Electromagnetic Screwdriver could safely shut it away.