Dr Archeville

Two other things, one minor, one not-so-minor. You shouldn't list the Skills you have 0 ranks in. Concentration cannot be selected for the Skill Mastery feat.

Character Name: Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: -4 Attack / +4 Damage, -4 Defense / +4 Toughness Abilities: 26 + 0 + 12 + 2 + 0 + 6 = 46PP Strength: 38 (+14); effective lifting Str 88 Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 28 (+9) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +3, +6 melee (includes -1 size) Grapple: +33, +35 w/ additional limbs Defense: +6 (+4 Base, +3 Dodge Focus, -1 Size), +1 Flat-Footed (includes -1 size) Knockback: -16 (includes -4 from Large size) Saving Throws: 3 + 0 + 8 = 11PP Toughness: +14 (+9 Con, +5 Protection) (Impervious 10) Fortitude: +12 (+9 Con, +3) Reflex: +0 (+0 Dex, +0) Will: +8 (+0 Wis, +8) Skills: 32R = 8PP Craft (Structural) 7 (+8) Disable Device 5 (+6) Intimidate 5 (+10, includes +2 from size) Knowledge (Technology) 5 (+5) Notice 5 (+6) Search 5 (+6) Stealth 0 (-4) Feats: 10PP Accurate Attack Attack Focus (melee) 3 Dodge Focus 3 Improved Critical (unarmed) Improved Initiative Power Attack Powers: 3 + 19 + 1 + 10 + 5 + 21 + 4 = 63PP Additional Limbs 2 (two extra arms; PF: Innate) [3PP] Growth 6 (Large; +12 Str, +6 Con, -1 Combat, +4 Grapple, -4 Stealth, +2 Intimidation, 12 ft. tall & 18k pounds, space 10 ft., reach 10 ft., +5 Str carrying; Extra: Continuous; Flaw: Permanent; PF: Innate) [19PP] Immunity 2 (critical hits; Flaw: Limited [not against Penetrating attacks]) [1PP] Impervious Toughness 10 [10PP] Protection 5 [5PP] Super-Strength 9 (effective Str 88; Lt Load 819 tons, Med Load 1,638 tons, Hvy Load 2,457 tons; PFs: Mega-Leaping, Shockwave, Stratospheric Punch) [21PP] Super-Strong Limbs 1.5 (3 points; PF: Alternate Power) [4PP] BE: Leaping 3 (x10; running long jump 240 feet, standing long jump 120 feet, vertical jump 60 feet) {3/3} AP: Swimming 3 (10 mph / 100 feet per Move action) {3/3} Drawbacks: (-2) + (-2) = -4PP Vulnerability (to Fire; common, minor [+1 DC]) (-2P) Vulnerability (to Mental effects; common, minor [+1 DC]) (-2PP) DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 29 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Shockwave 100 ft. DC 20 Reflex Area (Cone) DC 25/20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Strat Punch Touch DC 29 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical); KB 28 Totals: Abilities (46) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (11) + Skills (8) + Feats (10) + Powers (63) - Drawbacks (4) = 150/150 Power Points This is Grond (well, sorta; see below), one of my favorite villains from the Champions RPG due largely to the sheer lunacy of his origin story: You don't often see near-mindless man-monsters who name themselves after devices from Tolkien's works! Of course, a character with the mindset of an enraged four-year-old really doesn't really make for a good superheroic PC, so the Four-Armed Bruiser has a bit more going on upstairs than his inspiration; in this regard, he's a bit more like Marvel's Forearm, or Ben 10's Four Arms. Well, better than them -- the mindset of a mutant terrorist or a bratty ten year old's not much better! So this version has decent Mental Ability scores and some skills; say he was a construction worker hired to do some work on a super-science facility who got doused in chemical wastes (or hit by an errant Gamma beam or what have you) and was mutated into a six-limbed one-man wrecking crew... and he's okay with that! (Grond from the Champions tabletop game would have an INT of 6/-2, no Skills except Intimidate, and major Vulnerabilities to both Fire and Mental effects. He'd also be PL 13: +6 Attack, +10 melee, a Str of 36/+13, Defense +6, and Toughness +20 vs. Physical, +15 vs. Energy.) He's got horns on his head, but rather than represent them with Strike, I used the Improved Critical feat; even if your version doesn't have horns, you can still use Improved Crit to represent lucky hits where he lands a blow with multiple fists for more damage. (Using Extra Effort to surge for a second attack can also be used to represent being in a position to bring all four arms to bear down on a foe.) Lots of room for customization, starting with the Super-Strength power feats (which are essentially Alternate Powers for your Strength). In addition to the ones in Ultimate Power, Geez3r wrote up quite a few nice ones, here, and the few I made one post earlier (which is where you'll find Mega-Leaping and Stratospheric Punch).

Even More Super-Strength Options! Geez3r wrote up a fine treatise on Super-Strength, but there's always room for expansion and improvement, so here's a few more Super-Strength power feats. X = your Str bonus, i.e., your normal modifier from your Strength score (including Enhanced Strength), not including any modification from Super-Strength. Area (General) effects should of course be limited to your PL. Barrier Penetration: Damage X (PF: Indirect) You're so strong that you can punch your fist through a wall, Created Object, or other barrier, creating a hole just small enough for you to reach through and hit or grapple a target without collapsing the barrier. Note that you'd still need some way to accurately perceive the target on the other side of the barrier in order to attack them! "Realistically," this should only work if your Str bonus is greater than the Toughness of the barrier -- someone with a Str of +7 could punch through a stone wall, but not a steel one -- but that's up to the GM. Bearhug: Damage X (Extra: Alternate Save [Fortitude]; Flaw: Requires Grapple) After you grapple & pin a foe, you can squeeze the victim so quickly and so hard that you drives all the air from the victim's lungs and keeps him from breathing in, possibly causing him to pass out. A more lethal version, Crushing Grip, would shatter bones and burst organs, but that's not something anyone here would do. Big Wrap-Up: Snare X (Flaw: Range [Touch]; Drawback: Limited [Toughness of Snare = Toughness of materials uses]; Complication: May cause considerable damage to environment) You use available materials -- I-beams, chainlink fences, rolled-u asphalt, etc. -- to snare a target. The effectiveness of this tactic depends largely on the Toughness of the materials with which you have to work. This is actually something I'd be willing to allow any character to do, without buying or even stunting the feat, as long as the material used had a Toughness less than or equal to the character's Str bonus. Boxer's Flurry: Damage X (Extra: Autofire) Autofire's not as useful for melee attacks -- you cannot use the Covering Fire or Suppression Fire aspects in melee -- and the Takedown Attack feat is a better version of the Multiple Targets aspect, but extra damage from rapidly flying fists is always good. Breaking: Drain Toughness X (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Damage]; Flaw: Limited [Objects Only]) + Linked Damage (Extra: Linked [Drain]; Flaw: Limited [Objects Only]) Similar to the Demolish stunt Geez3r came up with; more effective (as it does Damage as well as Drains Toughness), but less useful in that it can only Affect Objects. An excellent stunt for Pulp-era Powerhouses, who are always smashing through doors with casual ease! Comin' Through!: Damage X + Immovable X (Extra: Unstoppable; Flaw: Limited [does not add Immovable effect, only Unstoppable effects]) You are really good at barreling through foes, and knocking over the un-knockback-able. Crack the Whip: Strike X-2 (Extra: Area [Line]; PFs: Indirect 3) You can rip up some appropriate material -- such as the asphalt of a road, cement of a sidewalk, a length of chain-link fence, or the side of a building -- and "whip" it so that a wave travels down its length and causes it to smack the target from an unexpected angle. Dust Storm: Environmental Control X (vision; Flaw: Range [Touch]) By strongly and rapidly fanning your arms, you can kick up a tremendous cloud of dust and dirt to blind you enemies... though you're stuck in the middle of the cloud yourself. This power even works underwater, provided there's enough silt, mud, sediment, or like material to cloud the waters. Eye Poke: Dazzle Visual X (Flaw: Range [Tough]) He poke you so hard, you'll wish he hadn't poked you so hard. an alternate, more permanent version, Eye Gouge -- Transform X (sighted person to blind person; Extra: Duration [Continuous]; Flaws: Range [Touch], Requires Grapple) -- could hypothetically be done. But it really shouldn't. Freight Train: Damage X (Extra: Area [Trail]) You are a master at running into and over/through foes. Improvised Weaponry: Blast X-1 (PFs: Variable Descriptor 2 [any, see below]; Complication: May cause considerable damage to environment) A favorite tactic of many powerhouses is to make use of "weaponry" in and around the battlefield that only their great strength allows them to "wield." A torn-up length of pipe or cable makes a good bashing weapon. A steam pipe, ripped in two, emits a powerful blast of steam; a water pipe, or a water hydrant when the water's directed at the right angle by super-strong hands, projects a blast of water. A ripped-up electrical cable delivers a nasty shock to a foe, while a gas main, in conjunction with a spark created by the powerhouse running his fingernail along the metal pipe, makes an impromptu flamethrower. The possibilities are nearly endless for a powerhouse with imagination! Intimidatingly Powerful: Enhanced Charisma 2X (Flaw: Limited [Only for Intimidation]) By virtue of their size and obvious brawn, powerhouse can be very intimidating. A menacing stare, a low growl, or the cracking of super-strong knuckles at just the right time can do wonders for frightening people. Irresistible Strength: Damage X (Extra: Penetrating) Even the toughest so-called "impervious" defenses cannot resist you! Like Hitting a Brick Wall: adds Reflective X (melee Damage) to the Powerhouse's existing Impervious Toughness, as an Active Sustained effect Like the Bracing power feat, you can brace & tense yourself to take a punch. But rather than increasing your resistance to Knockback, this effect "bounces" the Damage back on a melee attacker, hurting them! Mega-Leaping: Leaping X Generally speaking, Paragons fly, Powerhouses leap. But some powerhouses can leap really well, and this power feats lets you do so. (And given the cost-for-effect of Leaping, you really shouldn't be buying more than 4 ranks of the power directly anyway.) Muscle-Tearing Grip: Drain STR (Flaw: Requires Grapple; PFs: Slow Fade 7 [1pp/week]) After grappling & pinning a victim, a powerhouse can apply his immense strength just so to tear the victim's muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Until he heals -- which takes months, barring superpowered assistance -- the victim can't exercise his own strength nearly as effectively. Important Note: Slow Fade 7 is actually ridiculously high, and will likely not be approved. It's also a bit of a waste: since combats typically don't last more than a minute, and most foes who go down stay down for the rest of a given thread, having such a long recovery time is something of a waste of points (and a bit of a bookkeeping nightmare for anyone else planning to use the Drained character later, when some of the Drain may still be in effect). Numbing Grip: Drain DEX (Flaw: Requires Grapple; PFs: Slow Fade 2 [1pp/5 minutes]) After grappling & pinning a victim, a powerhouse can apply his immense strength just so, squeezing one of the victim's limbs so hard that it becomes numb and useless for a short time (or a pretty long time, if using the Slow Fade). Ring the Bell: Damage X (PF: Indirect 2) With this, a powerhouse can strike the ground, using the force of the blow to cause the ground to erupt upward beneath his foe (though his foe has to be standing within his melee reach). It's a good way to take an enemy by surprise, or avoid some forms of barriers/Created Objects. Shake 'N' Bake: Damage X-1 (Extra: Area [burst]; PF: Indirect 2) Sometimes powerhouse confront foes who are in a vehicle, protected by a Create Object dome, or otherwise inside something the powerhouse can pick up. Using this power, the powerhouse simply picks up the object up and shakes it vigorously, battering his foes around inside. In game terms, this power is bought as an Area Damage effect. The extent of the Area is limited to the size of the object he picks up; the Reflex save to halve the Damage represents being able to "roll with" the shaking. The Indirect power feat lets the powerhouse "reach through" the "walls" of the object and affect the people inside it without the "walls" reducing the damage. Stratospheric Punch: Damage X (PFs: Knockback X) When you punch someone, they're not just knocked back a few feet, they're knock back a few miles. Super-Digging: Burrowing X You can use your super-strong arms to burrow through the ground (and other substances) at incredible speeds.

I made my IC post five days ago...

Do the security tapes show anyone/anything weird going in or coming out of the morgue while Dr. Cartwright's corpse is in there? (Someone, say, necromancer-y. Or brain-in-a-jar-y.) Does it show Zombie!Cartwright himself walking out?

Character Name: V Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: -2 Attack / +2 Damage, -2 Defense / +2 Toughness Abilities: 2 + 0 + 2 + 10 + 2 + 0 = 16PP Strength: 12 (+1) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 12 (+1) Intelligence: 26/20 (+8/+5) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +8, +6 without armor Grapple: +9, +7 without armor Defense: +8 (+6 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -11 vs. concussive force attacks, -6 vs. others; -0 out of armor Saving Throws: 4 + 4 + 4 = 12PP Toughness: +12 (+1 Con, +11 Armor; Impervious 10 vs. concussive force attack); +1 without armor Fortitude: +5 (+1 Con, +4) Reflex: +4 (+0 Dex, +4) Will: +5 (+1 Wis, +4) Skills: 48R = 12PP Computers 7 (+15/+12) Craft (electronic) 7 (+15/+12) Craft (mechanical) 7 (+15/+12) Disable Device 7 (+15/+12) Knowledge (physical science) 7 (+15/+12) Knowledge (technology) 7 (+15/+12) Notice 6 (+7) Feats: 4PP Dodge Focus 2 Improvised Tools Inventor Powers: 77 + 7 + 2 = 86PP Device 19 (V Suit, 95 points; Flaw: Hard to Lose; PF: Restricted [Know/Physical Science 10 or better]) [77PP] Enhanced Attack 2 (combat computer) [4PP] Enhanced Feats 3 (combat computer; Accurate Attack, Improved Aim, Power Attack) [3PP] Immunity 10 (life support, own powers) [10PP] Impervious Toughness 10 (Flaw: Limited [only vs concussive force attacks {see below}]) [5PP] Impervious Toughness 0 (note: Active Sustained effect; Extra: Reflective [10] [concussive force attacks]) [10PP] Movement Array 2.5 (5 points; PF: Alternate Power) [6PP] BE: Burrowing 4 (10 mph / 100 feet per Move action through soil & sand, 5 mph / 50 feet per Move action through clay & packed earth, 2.5 mph / 25 feet per Move action through solid rock; PF: Subtle) {5/5} AP: Speed 5 (250 mph / 2,500 feet per Move Action) {5/5} Obscure Auditory 5 (100 feet; Extra: Selective Attack) [10PP] Protection 11 [11PP] Super-Senses 9 (accurate for all hearing [4], extended for all hearing [2]; tremorsense [ranged tactile sense] [2], ultra-hearing [1]) [9PP] Vibrational Attacks 12 (24 points; PFs: Alternate Power 3) [27PP] BE: Blast 12 (force blast) {24/24} AP: Disintegrate 8 (shatter bolts; Flaws: Objects Only for Drain and Damage [-2]) {24/24} AP: Drain Dexterity 11 (vertigo generation; Extra: Range [Ranged]; PFs: Subtle, Slow Fade 1 [1 Minute]) {24/24} AP: Strike 10 (mini-quake; Extras: Area [50-ft. Burst, General], Linked [Trip]; Flaw: Action [Full]) {10} + Linked Trip 10 (Extras: Area [50-ft. Burst, General], Knockback, Linked ; Flaws: Action [Full], Range [Touch]; PF: Improved Trip) {11} {10+11=21/24} 4+3+10+5+10+6+10+11+9+27 = 95/95 Enhanced Intelligence 6 (to 26/+8; PF: Eidetic Memory) [7PP] Quickness 4 (x25; Flaw: Limited [Mental]) [2PP] Drawbacks: (-4) = -4PP Normal Identity (full-round to put on & power up suit; common, major) [-4PP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 16 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Blast Ranged DC 27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Quake Touch DC 20 Reflex Area Damage DC 25/20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) DC 20 Reflex Area Trip Contested +10/+5 vs Dex or Str Tripped & Knocked Back Shatter Ranged DC 18 Fort (Staged) Drain Toughness DC 23 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Vertigo Ranged DC 21 Fort (Staged) Drain Dexterity Totals: Abilities (16) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (12) + Skills (12) + Feats (4) + Powers (86) - Drawbacks (4) = 150/150 Power Points Here we have a PL 10 build for the very first character I played in a superhero RPG (TSR's Marvel Super Heroes RPG), back in the early 1990s. Vergil Blackwell was smart and African-American, two things that made growing up in the South difficult. His hard work paid off in the form of scholarships and grants that allowed him to pursue a college education; he graduated with honors with degrees in electrical engineering and materials science. This combination opened the doors to Stark Enterprises, exactly as he wanted: Iron Man had long been one of his favorite heroes, and he'd hoped to work at SE one day for both the chance to work on the armor worn by Tony Stark's bodyguard, and to make more affordable versions available for other sectors (such as construction or search & rescue). SE kept him quite busy on other projects, though -- military ones -- but his slight distaste for the projects was more than made up by the promise of all the things he could do. He couldn't complain about the money, either: within a year he'd made enough to get his family out of their run-down home and into a far nicer place up in New York. Eventually, Stark approached him: he was impressed with Vergil's work (both assigned and the special projects he'd been working on), and he wanted Vergil to accompany Iron Man & him to Wakanda for some Avenger's business. Vergil naturally jumped at the chance. King T'Challa was impressed by the young man's intellect, which allowed the proposal for exchange of Vibranium for Starktech to go through. (A fact Stark was all too cognizant of...) Vergil headed the Vibranium research laboratories, funneling just enough resources to allow him to cobble together his own suit of Vibranium-based armor. He worked as an armored vigilante in some of the neighboring East African countries (Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda...), which put quite a strain on him. Some pointers from Iron Man himself helped him better juggle things, but his hero work combined with growing responsibilities at the SE facility lead him to take radical measures. Pilfering designs for an experimental cybernetic implant that cold increase cognitive ability, he had it built and installed by an underworld doctor... but he has no idea who, as the doctor wiped his memories after the procedure. The implant worked better than hoped, he could multitask as never before and had near-perfect recall; the occasional migraine wasn't so bad a tradeoff. Then the blackouts started, as did reports of a mysterious figure in powerful armor brutally attacking diamond and ivory shipments... (Eventual plan was to reveal the doctor he'd gone to worked for Doctor Doom, and the blackouts were when Doom was taking control of Blackwell's body; Doom planned to use him to rob both Iron Man & Black Panther, and leave the young hero to face all charges.) With his suit, Vergil can absorb, project, and re-direct vibrational energies (including kinetic and sonic). The suit is extremely resistant to concussive force attacks (sonics, shock waves, force beams, and bludgeoning physical damage), and provides decent protection against other physical (piercing & slashing) and energy attacks; he eventually figured out how to redirect some projected force attacks back at the user. It can project standard force blasts, pulses that disrupt gyroscopes and the inner ear, localized mini-quakes, or blasts that set up destructive vibrations throughout a target's molecular structure, causing it to shake to pieces; the suit can also set up counter-vibrations to negate all noise in an area. Unlike most armored supers, he could not fly, but could set up vibrations beneath him to 'skate' along the ground at fantastic speeds, as well as use vibrations to burrow through the earth (noiselesly, if desired). Sensory systems were also atypical: enhanced hearing and tremorsense. (The character is inspired, obviously, by Iron Man, but also by Ivory, one of four S.H.I.E.L.D. Super-Agents [who were all fairly quickly killed when it turned out fellow agents Knockabout, Psi-Borg, and Violence were all HYDRA moles]. I was rather tickled to learn, some years later, that around the time I was playing my Vergil, another young black superhero named Vergil [well, Virgil] was debuting in the comics. This was also some years before Reginald Hudlin or Christopher Priest had their [in]famous runs on the Black Panther title, another reason the BP/IM exchange happened. The pic above is of Force, an Iron Man villain; V's armor was darker -- like IM's Stealth Suits -- but I couldn't find any decent pics of that [most all are of it flying], and Force's color scheme is somewhat similar to that of Vibraxas, an African kid with Vibranium-derived vibrational powers.) Could this chap be ported over to FC PbP? Easily! Just replace Stark Enterprises, Black Panther/T'Challa, Wakanda, and vibranium with their FC equivalents -- ASTRO Labs (or ArcheTech or The Lab or etc.), White Lion/M'Balla, Dakana, and Daka Crystals -- and you're a good way there; Daka crystals can channel & direct many forms of energy, and kinetic/sonic could easily be among them. Perhaps this chap came back to Freedom to oversee some new projects, or to keep Star of Africa (the Claremont student featured in Hero High Exchange Students) company & help him develop his powers. This build would be a bit of a challenge, due to the low saves and lack of standard powered armor gear (like a radio), but I don't think these make him unplayable. Keep or drop the blackouts Complication; I think it'd be an excellent source of conflict, drama, and mystery, but what would I know? Alternatively, he could be a Freedom City native (or from one of the many Latin American countries) who designed a suit giving him powers similar to the late, great Tectonic, who had inspired him to be a hero.

'Patrick' nodded, "yeah, I got it form here, kid. Go on an' do... whatever it is you young kids do nowadays," he added with a dismissive wave. Once alone, Dead!Patrick began going through the security logs, looking for anything out of the ordinary the guards had noticed and written in. "Jeez, I thought my handwritin' was sloppy! Mebe it ain't jes' doctors what got lousy penmanship, it's anyone what works at a hospital fer a length'a time." Not finding much of use in the logs, he began going through the security footage from the past week. "Alright, there's Doc Cartwright doin' his rounds, the night 'fore he was killed... there's him leavin'... him bein' wheeled in after the hit-'n'-run... wheeled into the morgue... medical examiners goin' in an' out..." As Dead Head studied the tapes intently, he was unaware of the figure approaching from behind.

Archeville forced himself to calm down; he could freak out at these new memories when he didn't have company. "I... I know what you say is right... it is much the same as my therapists have been saying. That I need not let my... my past define me, but rather guide me, spur me, towards... towards better things." He seems a very kind and understanding man, for all he looks like a simple bruiser. And he must know me. I wish I could recall who he was. Wait, Mona talked to him? Sought him out for answers? Why? Why him? What would he know, what could he know, that I do not? Worry about that later. He is right, she would not want me... wallowing like this... she would want me to be free, to do all I can- Free. All I can. The tiniest glimmer flashed in Archeville's eyes, "yes... yes, she would want that. For me to be free... to help others, as only I could. But... but would anyone accept my help?"

I think it's time for Battlesuit & Minions to go on the Pier, and Glowstar on the ship?

"Attempting to translate," the strange golden robot intoned. "Detecting multiple transmissions, multiple voices. Possibly multiple languages. Parsing... correction: one language, made from multiple components." "Detecting radio transmissions of a 'soap opera' nature... announcements for mass transit maglev systems... concern over fungal crops damaged by gamma bursts... references to 'Holy Mother'... references to a stigmatized group of 'Fallen Ones'... likely referring to inhabitants of worlds Gorgon is to encounter..." The robot's head tilted, the first sign of movement it gave since it began homing in on the transmissions, "Hypothesis: inhabitants of worlds Gorgon encountered, who escaped their planet's fate wound up on/within the Cosmic Entity, and formed new culture centered around worship of it, whom they view as their savior." It tilted its head back, "would be fascinating to study: blend of 'Cargo Cult' and Stockholm Syndrome, on massive scale."

Character Name: Quarantine Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: None Abilities: 2 + 0 + 14 + 2 + 6 + 6 = 30PP Strength: 12 (+1) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 24 (+7) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +4 Melee, +10 Contagion Array Grapple: +5 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5, -3 out of suit Saving Throws: 7 + 0 + 3 = 10PP Toughness: +10 (+7 Con, +3 Protection), +7 out of suit Fortitude: +14 (+7 Con, +7) Reflex: +3 (+0 Dex, +3) Will: +6 (+3 Wis, +3) Skills: 48R = 12PP Intimidate 15 (+18) SM Knowledge (Life Science) 9 (+10) Medicine 7 (+10) SM Notice 7 (+10) SM Stealth 10 (+10) SM Feats: 10PP Challenge (Fast Startle) Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 3 Startle Skill Mastery (Intimidate, Medicine, Notice, Stealth) Equipment 14 + 0 + 1 = 15EP Headquarters Abandoned Warehouse Size: Medium; Toughness: 10; Features: Communications, Computer, Concealed, Fire Prevention System, Garage, Gym, Infirmary, Laboratory, Living Space, Pool, Power System, Security System. Cost: 1+1+12 = 14 EP Vehicle Standard Pickup Truck (0 EP) Str 40 (med load 2 tons), Speed 5, Defense 8, Toughness 9, Huge Other Cellphone [0EP] Fire Extinguisher [0EP], in truck Flashlight [0EP] MW Paramedics Kit (+2 to Medicine checks) [1EP], in truck Multitool [0EP] Radio [0EP], in truck Powers: 59 + 4 + 2 = 65PP Contagion Array 25 (50 points; PFs: Accurate 3, Alternate Power 4, Triggered 2) [59PP] BE: Drain Ability Scores 6 (chronic disease; Extras: Contagious, Disease, Range [Ranged]; PFs: Reversible, Selective, Slow Fade 5 [1/5 hours], Subtle) {50/50} AP: Blast 10 (incredibly acute disease v1; Extras: Alternate Save [Fortitude], Secondary Effect; PFs: Precise, Reversible, Split Attack, Subtle) {44/50} AP: Drain Ability Scores 10 (acute disease; Extras: Range [Ranged], Secondary Effect; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Precise, Reversible, Selective, Slow Fade 5 [1/5 hours], Split Attack, Subtle) {50/50} AP: Healing 10 (disease absorption/rebalancing; Extras: Area [burst], Restoration, Selective Attack) {50/50} AP: Nauseate 10 (incredibly acute illness v2; Extras: Contagious, Range [Ranged], Secondary Effect) {50/50} Device 1 (Armored HazMat Suit, 5 points; Flaw: Hard to Lose) [4PP] Immunity 2 (suffocation effects) [2PP] Protection 3 [3PP] Immunity 2 (disease, poison) [2PP] Drawbacks: -0PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 16 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Blast Ranged DC 25 Fort (Staged) Damage (Physical) Drain Ranged DC 20 Fort (Staged) Drain Ability Scores Drain Ranged DC 16 Fort (Staged) Drain Ability Scores; Disease Nauseate Ranged DC 20 Fort (Staged) Sickened/Nauseated/Helpless Totals: Abilities (30) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (12) + Feats (10) + Powers (65) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points This idea's been rolling around in my head for a while; Aoiroo's hazmat suit-wearing Catalyst spurred it on, and my recent trip to a hospital cemented my resolve to build it. Control over disease-causing microbes, from viruses to bacteria and parasitic fungi, is a powerset that seems to lend itself more to villainy than heroism, but if it allows you to cure diseases, it can easily be quite heroic. And if you can cause symptoms to rapidly manifest in a target, in a controlled -- and reversible -- manner, is it that much worse than someone lobbing around fireballs or lightning bolts? Lots of potential origins for this guy. A paramedic who ran into a contaminated area to save others, and found his latent mutant powers activated to absorb the diseases and save everyone? A member of an alien race that evolved directly from amoeba, and can exert a weird influence over its Earthly brethren? Someone kidnapped off the streets by the Labyrinth for use as a guinea pig for some biological warfare experiments (or by a scientist hired by White Knight to develop a 'race plague,' similar to what happened in the MAX imprint series U.S. War Machine), left for dead in a sewer, who rose up with strange new powers? Well-meaning mutant whose powers caused his father's medical experiments to exceed all expectations, only to have the discovery of your involvement bring disgrace and shame to his work? A natural ally (or rival!) would be AA's Amoeba. The build above represents someone with some emergency services experience, who plays up the "I'm rife with disease!" and "let me tell you exactly how this lil' microbe and his friends are going to make you wish you were dead" scares (but only against villains, of course!). The Healing power is for both removing diseases & their effects and general injury-tending (upping the good bacteria, getting them to knit wounds together, and so on); something similar going on in his own body is responsible for his peak human Constitution and Immunities. Triggered 2 lets him set up an "incubation" period for his effects, and the Selective power feat on his Drain All Ability Scores powers lets him choose which scores he drains (Con, or Str, or Str & Con, or Str, Dex and Con, etc.) Lots of choices for stunts: microbial corrosion is a thing (and it gets weirder), so Corrosion and Disintegrate effects are certainly possible (and about the only way this fellow can deal with robots and undead!), as are Touch Range Area effect versions of all his attacks, or things like Visual Dazzle (blinding sickness) and Confuse. Earned points could be spent on tricking out his armored HazMat suit with jets (and Communication and Immunities and Super-Senses and...); his trusty pickup truck is his only Movement power! No Incurable on his attacks or Persistent on his Healing, as I generally feel those are something that should be stunted/gained via HPs.

We're home from the hospital. Surgery went well, now is time for recovery. Which includes a shower...

A nifty concept! Reducing the Duration to Sustained isn't really a valid Flaw for most Enhanced Ability scores. It might be okay for Enhanced STR (holding up something heavy, get dazed or stunned, lose Str, drop heavy thing) or CON (decreased Toughness is always a hazard), but not for DEX or the Mental Ability Scores. Check Required is almost never a valid Flaw, as it's so easy to make it so you can't fail the check. (In fact, I was sure this was already in our House Rules.) If it's a DC 22 Know (Arcane) check to make it work, and you've got a +21 Know (Arcane) modifier, you can't fail the Skill check, which means it's not a Flaw. Unreliable is a better choice for the "powers don't always work" thing. Air Control is a power that's received criticism from the start. It's Move Object (Extra: Range [Perception], Flaw: Limited [Only to move Air]). But you can use those masses of moved air to move other things, so... it's a weird Flaw (and Kenson's defense of "but it can totally mess up your papers and kick up dust!" seems... off.) Best to use a standard Move Object (with or without Perception range), descriptor'd as "using wind to move stuff." (If you're in a situation where you don't have air to move things, you'll want the Complication HP, to help you deal with the Suffocation checks you'll be making!)

Protectron actually does have Comprehend!

Wife's in the hospital, getting her gall bladder removed. Posting will be (even more) sporadic the next day or so.

Character Name: Vampire in Powered Armor Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: -2 Attack / +2 Damage (or none); -2 Defense / +2 Toughness Abilities: 0 + 2 + (-10) + 8 + 2 + 0 = 2PP Strength: 34/18/10 (+12/+4/+0); effective lifting Str 49 Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: --- Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +9 Attack: +6, +8 melee, +10 laser; +4, +6 melee out of armor Grapple: +23 w/ armor's Enhanced/Super-Str; +10 out of armor Defense: +8 (+6 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed; +6 (+4 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +2 flat-footed out of armor Knockback: -11/-7/-4/-0 Saving Throws: 3 + 6 = 9PP Toughness: +12 [imp 10], +8 [imp 6] against blessed/holy, magic, or silver in armor; +4 [imp 4], +0 against blessed/holy, magic, or silver out of armor Fortitude: --- Reflex: +4 (+1 Dex, +3) Will: +7 (+1 Wis, +6) Skills: 24R = 6PP Computer 6 (+10) Craft (electronic) 6 (+10) Craft (mechanical) 6 (+10) Knowledge (technology) 6 (+10) Feats: 5PP Attack Focus 2 (melee) Dodge Focus 2 Inventor Powers: 52 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 8 + 30 + 10 + 4 + 2 + 1 + 4 + 4 = 122PP Device 13 (65 points; Flaw: Hard to Lose) [52PP] Drawback 2 (removes Super-Senses [tracking scent]) [-2PP] Energy Systems 11 (22 points; PF: Alternate Power) [23PP] BE: Enhanced Strength 16 (to 34/+12) {16} + Super-Strength 3 (effective Str 49) {6PP} {16+6=22/22} AP: Blast 10 (laser; PFs: Accurate 2) {22/22} Enhanced Attack 2 [4PP] Enhanced Defense 2 [4PP] Feature 7 (Mitigates Weakness to Sunlight) [7PP] Flight 3 (50 mph / 500 feet per Move action) [6PP] Protection 8 (Extra: Impervious 6) [14PP] Super-Senses 9 (extended on all vision [2]; direction sense, distance sense, radar [accurate radio sense; Enhancement: extended] [4], time sense) [9PP] (-2) + 23 + 4 + 4 + 7 + 6 + 14 + 9 = 65/65 Concealment 4 (all visual; Extra: Duration [Continuous]; Flaws: Limited [Machines only], Permanent) [4PP] Drain Constitution 2 (blood drain; Flaw: Requires Grapple) [1PP] Enhanced Feats 2 (Improved Initiative 2) [2PP] Enhanced Strength 8 (to 18/+4) [8PP] Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects) [30PP] Insubstantial 2 (gaseous) [10PP] Protection 4 (Extra: Impervious; Flaw: Limited [not against blessed/holy, magic, or silver]) [4PP] Quickness 2 (x5) [2PP] Regeneration 2 (Recorvery 1 [-4 total], Resurrection 1 [1 week]; Flaw: Source [blood]) [1PP] Super-Senses 4 (darkvision, scent [acute for olfactory; enhancement: tracking]) [4PP] Unholy Movement Array 1 (2 points; PFs: Alternate Power x2) [4PP] BE: Leaping 2 (x5; running long jump 70 feet, standing long jump 35 feet, vertical jump 17 feet) {2/2} AP: Speed 2 (25 mph / 250 feet per Move action) {2/2} AP: Super-Movement 1 (wall-crawling) {2/2} Drawbacks: (-0) + (-3) + (-7) = -10PP Weakness (dependence on blood, must drink 3 Con points worth per day or suffer a -1 cumulative penalty on all checks, attack rolls, and Defense; common, moderate, 0pp) Weakness (holy symbols, stunned for one round by losing an opposed Charisma check; common, moderate, 3pp) Weakness (exposure to sunlight, destroyed in 10 rounds; uncommon, moderate; 7pp) DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 19/27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Laser Ranged DC 25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Totals: Abilities (2) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (6) + Feats (5) + Powers (122) - Drawbacks (10) = 150/150 Power Points So a young engineering genius got the idea to make himself a suit of powered armor, with which to fight the forces of crime and villainy which plague his fair city. It's got protective plating, strength augmentation, an advanced combat computer, assorted sensory enhancements, and flight via boot-jets. It wouldn't make him a top-tier hero, but definitely up to the task of protecting his corner of Freedom City against "routine" supervillainy. Then a vampire attacked him, drained him of his blood, and replaced it with some of its own unholy ichor. Three nights later the young inventor clawed his way from his grave, now an unholy monster cursed to feed on the blood of the living and to never know the purifying rays of the Sun again! But his horrific transformation did not completely snuff his heroic soul; fighting against his terrible hungers, he altered the suit (a task made slightly easier due to no longer needing sleep and his inhuman celerity) so he could still use it to fight crime in public, cannibalizing the suit's life support systems (which he now no longer needed) to provide a completely air- and light-tight environment (to shield himself from both sunlight and the scent of blood). Vampires have been seen in both superheroic comics (Andrew Bennett, Confessor, Morbius the Living Vampire) and as heroic figures in television (in Angel and Forever Knight), as well as on this very site (Avenger). The "struggling with inner demons"/"atoning for one's past sins" thing is often seen in heroes, which may be one reason why vampire heroes are so enduring. Before getting vamped, he'd be PL 7 in the armor, a puny PL 3 without. Now, he's a PL 10 in it, and PL 5 without. As befits both the image above and another famed alcoholic man of metal, a lack of blood impairs him, making him uncoordinated, slow to react, and basically, well, drunk!

Character Name: Ben N. Dante Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: None Abilities: 6 + 6 + 6 + 0 + 6 + 6 = 30PP Strength: 30/16 (+10/+3) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 30/16 (+10/+3) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 24/16 (+7/+3) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP Initiative: +7, +3 in human form Attack: +6 ranged, +10 melee; +6 in human form Grapple: +18, +9 in human form Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed; +6 (+6 Base), +3 flat-footed in human form Knockback: -5, -1 in human form Saving Throws: 0 + 3 + 3 = 6PP Toughness: +10 (+10/+3 Con, +0 [Other]), +3 in human form Fortitude: +10 (+10/+3 Con, +0), +3 in human form Reflex: +6 (+3 Dex, +3) Will: +10 (+7/+3 Wis, +3), +6 in human form Skills: 44R = 11PP Concentration 8 (+15; +11 in human form) Intimidate 6 (+13; +9 in human form) SM Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 4 (+4) Language 1 (English, Italian [base]) Medicine 8 (+15; +11 in human form) Notice 9 (+20; +12 in human form) SM Sense Motive 4 (+15; +7 in human form) SM Survival 4 (+15; +7 in human form) SM Feats: 6PP All-out Attack Move-by Action Power Attack Skill Mastery (Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive, Survival) Takedown Attack 2 Powers: 65 + 3 + 5 = 73PP Alternate Form 13 (Werewolf) [65PP] Enhanced Constitution 14 (to 30/+10) [14PP] Enhanced Feats 14 (Attack Focus [Melee] 4, Challenge [Fast Startle], Dodge Focus 4, Fearless, Improved Critical [unarmed] 1, Improved Initiative, Second Chance [tracking checks], Startle) [14PP] Enhanced Skills 16 (Intimidate 4, Notice 4, Sense Motive 4, Survival 4) [4PP] Enhanced Strength 14 (to 30/+10; PF: Variable Descriptor [bludgeoning fists/piercing fangs/slashing claws]) [15PP] Enhanced Wisdom 8 (to 24/+7) [8PP] Features 1 (insulating fur) [1PP] Leaping 1 (x2; running long jump 20 feet, standing long jump 10 feet, vertical jump 5 feet) [1PP] Speed 1 (10 MPH / 100 feet per Move Action) [1PP] Super-Senses 7 (danger sense [olfactory], scent [acute for olfactory; enhancement: tracking 3 {full-speed}], ultra-hearing, uncanny dodge [olfactory] ) [7PP] 14 + 14 + 4 + 15 + 8 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 7 = 65 Device (iron whip, 5 points; Flaw: Easy to Lose) [3PP] Strike 0 (PFs: Extended Reach 2 [10 ft.], Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Mighty) Super-Senses 5 (magic awareness 3 [mental; enhancements: radius, ranged]) [5PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 18/25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical); crit 19-20 as werewolf Totals: Abilities (30) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (6) + Skills (11) + Feats (6) + Powers (73) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points Think werewolves can't be heroes? Think again! (Also, history'd!) The Benandanti (singular Benandante) are men and women from the lands around the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, marked at birth by a caul (a fetal membrane enclosing the head) who were believed to be blessed with the ability to take on a monstrous man-wolf form to protect their countrymen from the predations of strige (witches), stregoni (warlocks), undead, and demons of all kinds. They would gather three or four times a year, called by the sounding of a war-drum, to march upon the very gates of Hell itself to beat back the dark forces. Details on how vary: some traditions changed (and warred) physically (with or without weapons, such as the iron whips used by the Friuli tradition), others astrally projected a wolf-form, to scout & fight incorporeal evils. Though many such groups existed, they are all known as "benandanti" after the tradition of Friuli, a northeastern province of Italy, who were the best known of these bands. Being known as forces for good, their membership was something of an open secret, and they enjoyed the gratitude and respect of the people they protected, such as the farmers (whose crops & livestock would otherwise be destroyed or stolen by the forces of Hell), midwives (who helped identify the next generation of Benandanti), and local clergy (who were at worst merely tolerant of what they saw as a harmless peasant tradition, a holdover from earlier fertility-cults, or actively supported them in their battles). Inevitably, the Inquisition came down, concerned about such enthusiastic deviation from medieval Catholic dogma, but the self-proclaimed werewolves proved a match for the Inquisition, remaining firm in their conviction that they fought witches and worked for God (and that Hell was "at the end of the sea," rather than underground). In a superhero setting where supernatural elements exist -- like FC PbP -- such a tradition could be quite real, and continuing. In many ways, they're already stereotypical superheroes: highly ethical men and women, gifted with powers, devoted to the community in which they live and to protecting humanity. Though they traditionally came from eastern and southeastern European ethnic groups, the massive immigrations of Baltic people to other lands means a Benandante could appear anywhere; a person might not know they were one until they were attacked by supernatural evil and erupted into the beastly form! In modern times, they'd be attracted towards professions in which they protect and serve others: police, military, medical (especially paramedics and other emergency personnel), even security guards and private investigators. Like AA's Hellhound (who makes a natural enemy or rival), I represented the claws & fangs as the Improved Critical feat (and Variable Descriptor power feat) rather than Strike, and the iron whip serves mainly to give bonus feats; even though most of the things Benandanti traditionally fight would fall under the "Acceptable Targets" categories (and are so horrific the concept practically requires Fearless), this way gives them the ability to simply punch mortal foes with monstrous strength (and the player needs not worry about different caps for different attacks). No vulnerability to (or Impervious Toughness flawed to not work against) silver, as their primary foes mainly used black magic and hideous claws & fangs (plus, silver traditionally works against weres and other evils because it is a 'pure' [i.e., good] metal and/or due to its Lunar connection, but Benandanti are already pure-hearted hounds of God and aren't tied to the Moon!). Benandanti typically changed whenever needed, though hearing the seasonal call to arms (via war-drum) would cause an automatic shift; being forced into werewolf form when hearing war drums -- or any extended drumming! -- would make a fitting Complication. Their assertion that Hell lies "at the end of the sea" could mean they fight Deep Ones and other sea-devils as well as more traditional devils. When in human form, this fellow is barely PL 5, but the numerous combat feats (and the Intimidate skill) will help fend off harassment from any mortal muggers. My bare-bones background for this one is that he is a paramedic (perhaps a curmudgeonly one), and was raised in a "Little Italy" section of West End fully aware of his heritage (hence the numerous combat feats and decent Attack/Defense even in human form, and the Concentration skill needed to maintain the form when distracted in battle). For the astrally projecting 'spirit wolf' version, you could drop the Alternate Form (65PP) and take Astral Form 8 (continental; PFs: Dimensional 2 [any mystical], Subtle) [43PP] and 22PP worth of assorted precognitive powers (such as the ones angrydurf wrote up); Enhanced Attack 4, Enhanced Feats 7 (Defensive Roll 3, Dodge Focus 4), Enhanced Skills 12 (Notice 4, Sense Motive 4, Survival 4) and Super-Senses 6 (Danger Sense [mental], Uncanny Dodge [mental], Precognition [Flaw: Unreliable]) would do nicely.

Character Name: Serpent-Person Ring-Bearer Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: -2 Attack/+2 Damage, -2 Defense/+2 Toughness Abilities: 10 + 6 + 10 + 4 + 6 + 2 = 38PP Strength: 20 (+5) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 20/14 (+5/+2) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 12 + 8 = 20PP Initiative: +7 Attack: +6, +7 melee, +8 Magic Grapple: +12, +16 w/ Move Object Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -6, -3 without Black Ring Saving Throws: 0 + 0 + 5 = 5PP Toughness: +12/+6 (+6 Con, +1 Protection, +6 more Protection from Black Ring) Fortitude: +5 (+5 Con, +0) Reflex: +3 (+3 Dex, +0) Will: +8 (+3 Wis, +5) Skills: 32R = 8PP Concentration 12 (+15) Disguise 0 (+2, +22 w/ Morph) Intimidate 8 (+9) Knowledge (Arcane) 5 (+10/+7) Stealth 7 (+10) Feats: 8PP Artificer Dodge Focus 4 Equipment Improved Initiative Ritualist Powers: 44 + 12 + 2 + 10 + 1 + 2 = 71PP Device 11 (Black Ring, 55 points; Flaw: Hard to Lose) [44PP] Enhanced Intelligence 6 (to 20/+5) [6PP] Magic 13 (26 points; PFs: Accurate, Alternate Power 4) [31PP] BE: Blast 12 (mystical blasts; PFs: Indirect, Variable Descriptor [any elemental]) {26/26} AP: Create Object 12 (PFs: Precise, Subtle) {26/26} AP: Create Object 8 (Extra: Movable; PFs: Precise, Subtle) {26/26} AP: Enhanced Drain Wisdom 6 (venom enhancement, to Drain Wisdom 12; Extras: Range [Ranged] [12], Secondary Effect [6]; PFs: Incurable, Slow Fade [1/minute]) {26/26} AP: Move Object 8 (Str 40, Hvy Load 3 tons; Extra: Range [Perception]; PFs: Indirect, Subtle) {24/26} Feature 1 (Library) [1PP] Immunity 7 (cold, disease, pressure, radiation, suffocation, vacuum) [7PP] Protection 6 [6PP] Super-Senses 4 (communication link [mental, with Set], detect magic 3 [visual]) [4PP] 6+31+1+7+6+4 = 55/55 Drain Wisdom 6 (venomous bite; Extra: Secondary Effect) [12PP] Immunity 2 (heat, poison) [2PP] Morph 4 (any humanoid, +20 Disguise; PFs: Covers Scent, Voice Mimicry) [10PP] Protection 1 [1PP] Super-Senses 2 (infravision, scent) [2PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Sword Touch DC 22 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Drain Touch DC 16 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Wisdom; Secondary Effect Blast Touch DC 27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy, Magic) Drain Ranged DC 22 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Wisdom; Secondary Effect Totals: Abilities (38) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (5) + Skills (8) + Feats (8) + Powers (71) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points So The Hub has been airing Conan: the Adventurer lately, one of the many 80s/90s cartoons with which I grew up. (Someone who worked on the Silver Age book must have been a fan of the series, as the outfit Set wears is very close to Wrath-Amon's.) As a part of the Conan mythos, it's pretty (ironically) fangless -- Conan & his evil wizard foe both had talking animal sidekicks (a phoenix and naga, respectively), and rather than bloodily beheading/disemboweling his foes the touch Conan's starmetal sword banishes the Serpent-Men to the Abyss (it is a kid's cartoon!) -- but for what it was, the writing was fairly solid, as was the voice acting (a top-tier VA cast of Kathleen Barr, Arthur Burghardt, Jim Byrnes, Gary Chalk, Michael Donovan, Janyse Jaud, Scott McNeil, and Doug Parker), and the numerous references it made to the Conan mythos lead some curious viewers (like myself) to seek out Howard's works (and from him to Lovecraft...). The fellow shown above is Wrath-Amon, the evil sorcerer who turned Conan's parents to stone after stealing his village's starmetal, which he'd used to forge seven discs for seven pyramids in order to summon the demon-god Set to Earth. (His former master/creator, Ram-Amon, was more a direct Thoth-Amon expy.) Even without his Ring, he was still a bruiser and able to take Conan on in melee combat, which is why he's still a PL 7 combatant without it. With it, he can blast meddlesome barbarians, summon all manner of creatures and demons, commune with his demon-god master, concentrate & project his own maddening venom, and see mystical energies before him. The Enhanced INT in the Ring gives a Fridge Brilliance reason why he was so eager to get it back when it was taken (aside from the obvious loss of power) -- without it, he's just a bit more beastly (though still cunning), which he hates. What does any of this have to do with Freedom City? Well, for one, this sheet could be used as a Master Villain for a Warriors & Warlocks-esque game (perhaps during a jaunt to Freedom's Reach or Quinn's War-Earth); in a world of PL 6-8s, a PL 10 is a major threat. Or, like Marvel's Kulan Gath (another Thoth-Amon expy), he could find himself in the modern era (though perhaps with a power boost), intent on remaking the modern world into the pinnacle of Serpent Person csssivilisssation it once was. Note that, unlike FC's Serpent-Folks, he has infravision & scent instead of darkvision (which is closer to what actual serpents have), and an immunity to heat & poison (the former makes sense for reptile-people, the latter for supernatural serpent-people). The Library Feature is another aspect of his communication link with Set, allowing him to commune with his master for answers even when away from the library in his (un-statted) headquarters. But could this build be used for a hero? Certainly, though it would need some changes to the background and descriptors. Perhaps this Serpent Man turned on his fellows (say, due to falling in love with a human he'd been sent to spy on), and found a way to cleanse the eviler aspects of the Ring so he could use it against his ophidian brethren. Or perhaps the ring is some Preserver artifact (part of a larger device's power core?), and its onboard computer showed him a better way, a way where reptiles and mammals and all other sapient beings could co-exist peacefully. As it is now, the build does have some noticeable weaknesses -- no Movement powers, and the Saves could stand to be improved -- but these can be quickly added with earned points, or you could rearrange some things (drop the ring's Immunity to radiation, vacuum, and reduce immunity to suffocation to immunity to drowning, and you could add Flight 3 [50 mph/500 feet per Move action; Flaw: Platform {summoned wyvern-drawn chariot}]) to get them now.

(Inspired by the song Super Powers by Ookla the Mok. Lyrics are here, fan vid here.) Name: Omnipotus Background: Formed from magic clay by the chief Sorcerer-Scientist of a doomed and dying alien world, the infant N'Frnj'mnt was sent off-world to spread his alien values to other worlds and bring them the peace and prosperity his own enjoyed. Crash-landing in a secret government project facility (disguised as a farm in Kansas), the blank-featured child was raised by the scientists there. They later injected it with a "Super Soldier Serum," designed to bring a human to peak physical perfection, in the hopes of giving it a more humanoid form, which it did. The child became more and more rebellious in his teen years as its alien hormones raged, and finally escaped in a wild rage, though in so doing he was exposed to radioactive waste and lost his vision. Blind and half-crazed, the wandering teen was found by another crashed alien, who bestowed upon him a Power Ring, knowing the supercomputer in the ring could calm and soothe the teen and allow him to focus his will enough to use it and do great deeds. The ring had been damaged in the crash, though; it was able to soothe him, and teach him to use his other radiation-enhanced senses to serve as a replacement for his vision, but that was all. Able to think clearly (and for himself), he made his way across the world, helping others where he could, always trying to stay one step ahead of the secret government project that wanted him back. He eventually fled to the isolated Himalayas, where he found the Ancient One, who knew he was coming. The Ancient One took him in and tutored him in magic, sensing a great destiny within him; in his spare time he worked on a personal project, a magical potion that would allow him to shrink ()so as to better evade his pursuers) or grow (so as to better fight them). However, the Ancient One's other pupil, a dark-hearted soul, tried to kill the new student by sending summoned hell-spiders after him and the Ancient One. As the swarm attacked, the young hero's ring lashed out and destroyed the spiders with a blast of weird radiation, but one irradiated arachnid survived long enough to bite him. He fell ill for a time, but later awoke and found he had the proportional powers of a spider. Alas, his salvation cost him the Ancient One's life -- the Ancient One had taken much of the venom into himself, and his frail body would not take the strain. With his dying breath, the Ancient One taught the Unknown his final lesson, a magical word of immense power. Leaving the Himalayan monastery, the young man set out to try and make the world a better place... and was soon re-captured by the government agents, who ambushed and knocked him out before he could say the magic word. They implanted strips of iron along his bones so as to hinder his magics; the added weight and pain made it impossible for him to properly pronounce the magic word and so he could not call on its power, or most any verbal component for any spell. After many months of study, the scientists were still unable to replicate the exact conditions of his series of accidents (or get his alien power ring to work properly), so they decided to dispose of him and any evidence of him (such as the Uru driveshaft that served as the core to the rocket that had originally brought him to Earth) by shooting him into space on an experimental hyperdrive-equipped rocket. The rocket hit an unexpected cosmic storm, and the energies catalyzed his own extraterrestrial clay-form's latent ability to absorb and store solar energies (an ability dormant due to his excessive stays in underground government bunkers or secluded Himalayan monasteries). Breaking out of his restraints, the hero forced the ship back to Earth and escaped, and has been on the run ever since. While saving some children who had accidentally wandered onto a Gamma Bomb test range, he was exposed to massive amount of Gamma radiation, which his new body soaked up like a sponge. The Gamma rays transmuted his iron skeleton into an Adamantium one, but also made undergo a startling metamorphosis into a rampaging green-skinned giant whenever he got enraged. It later turned out that these "children" were members of the pan-galactic organization that equipped worthies with Power Rings, like the one he'd been given years earlier, and in gratitude they fully repaired his ring (after reviewing the records it had been keeping on him and seeing his noble soul). The newly-repaired ring was able to erase the pain of his metal skeleton, and N'Frnj'mnt was finally able to properly pronounce the magic word. He now uses his ungodly powers to protect not just the people of Earth but all peoples of the galaxy, but still tries to maintain a semblance of a normal life on Earth (for his own mental stability); the salvaged Uru driveshaft can can temporarily drain off some of his powers and store them for later use, allowing him to live a normal and unpowered life of mild-mannered shipping magnate Clark Anthony Wayne-Rogers. But when duty calls, the all-power Omnipotus will be there to save the day! Quote: "Time to fight crime... where are my pajamas?!" Personality: Fearless Boy Scout imaginaut trying to fit into Human's World. Powers & Tactics: Power Ring. Superhuman strength, invincibility, and flight fueled by yellow sun radiation. Potent spellcasting powers, including memory-wiping hypnosis. Blind, but other senses are heightened, including a "radar" sense. Unbreakable skeleton. Can boost all powers by either shouting "SHAZAM!" or when enraged; enraged boost is more physically powerful (stronger and tougher) than SHAZAM boost, but SHAZAM boost adds enhanced awareness/wisdom and mystical senses.

The golden robot dashed down to Screech and his foe, and laid his mighty metal hands on the human. "I recognize and applaud the work required to attain such a level of skill, but not the manner in which you have chosen to use it. I must, with regret, curtail your liberties." With one surprisingly fluid motion, the robot picked the martial artist, flipped him over, and tossed him into the beefy battlesuit! The battlesuit seemed wholly unfazed by it, butt he resounding KLANG of head on metal indicated the martial artist took some not inconsiderable damage.

I just realized that's two Toughness saves the martial artist needs to make -- one for being thrown into Bruiser, but also one for the original unarmed strike Protectron made (at DC 22)!

Were Archeville in a less fractured state, he would make a semi-grim joke about how, as a German, he was very familiar with keeping the memories of the past, both good and ill, alive. Instead, he made a different comment, though he was only half-conscious of speaking it, because it was only half-remembered. "The past can be changed... I changed it... it is how I got this way..." His eyes widened at the realization of what he was now remembering; his body shrinking in on itself amplified the effect. "But the zeittor, the time-gate, was -- no, no, no... -- it was destroyed! So even... even if I wanted to go back and undo it all... I... I could not!"

Whoever he is, he has had a hard life, Archeville thought, still leaning back away from the man. Perhaps he was another victim of... unnatural influence? "I do not know," he said after some moments. "And I do not know that your prediction is correct -- I am unaware of any attempts by anyone to defend me. I may, like my... my father," he stuttered as the sight of his father fusing into his own/the Other's/the horrid thing's body replayed in his mind, "re... remain here the rest of my days. But... if I am released... I would strive to do all I can to make amends for all... for all that was done. Which may well be impossible... but... I would try."

alder's in the process of moving, but she has been popping in to chat (briefly) in the evenings.

Protectron Uninjured, 1 HP Standard Action: Charge Martial Artist, strike and (thanks to Improved Grab) start a grapple as a reaction. Charge (+2 Attack, -2 Defense), Accurate Attack maneuver (+2 Attack, -2 Damage) +2+2+11 = 23, which (I believe) just hits the Martial Artist (unless she'd used Defensive Attack earlier) +2+17 = 30 If that beats the Martial Artist's grapple check, Protectron will then Move Action: Throw Martial Artist into Battlesuit +2+2+6 = 27 that definitely hits, and calls for a DC 24 Toughness save from both of them. (Well, from the Martial Artist, the Suit's Impervious protects it.) If that does not beat the Martial Artist's grapple check, then Move Action: Fly up 100 feet Free Action: radio position & situation to nearest port authority, and tell them not to let this ship out.