Geez3r

Paragon - PL 10 (150pp) Abilities: 10 + 2 + 10 + 2 + 4 + 4 = 32PP Strength: 20/34 (+5/+12) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 20/34 (+5/+12) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 12 + 8 = 20PP Initiative: +1 Attack: +6, +8 Melee or Heat Vision Grapple: +13, +22 w/ powers, +28 full Super-Strength Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2, -11 w/powers Saving Throws: 0 + 2 + 4 = 6PP Toughness: +5/+12 (+5/+12 Con) 10 Impervious Fortitude: +5/+12 (+5/+12 Con, +0) Reflex: +3 (+1 Dex, +2) Will: +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 56R = 14PP Acrobatics 4 (+5) Diplomacy 13 (+15) Intimidate 13 (+15) Notice 8 (+10) Search 10 (+11) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 17 PP Accurate Attack All Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Attack Specialization (Heat Vision) Connected Dodge Focus 4 Fearless Interpose Leadership Luck Move By Action Power Attack Quick Change Powers: 14 + 24 + 7 +13 + 3 = 61PP Enhanced Strength 14 [14pp] Enhanced Constitution 14 Extras: Impervious Toughness 10 [24pp] Super-Strength 2 Feats: Freeze Breath, Heat Vision, Shockwave [7pp] Super-Strength 5 Feats: Dynamic [13pp] * DAP: Flight 5 Super Senses 3 (Ultrahearing, Extended Vision, Extended Hearing) [3pp] Drawbacks: (-0) = -0PP Abilities (32) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (06) + Skills (14) + Feats (17) + Powers (61) - Drawbacks (00) = 150/150 Power Points NOTES: To start us off, I went with a Paragon type character. They fly pretty fast, but not as fast as a Speedster. And they hit pretty hard, but not as hard as a Powerhouse. They are the hero of heroes, and are often an inspiration to those around them. They tend to be the type to attend peace conferences and world summits to espouse the virtues of justice and integrity or something to that effect, so I gave them a high Diplomacy, but nonexistant Bluff. However, they can be quite scary, so I did give them an Intimidate score. They don't really like to scare their foes often, so I didn't give them Startle. If need be, they can use a Hero Point for that. The Heat Vision and Freeze Breath Feats on Super-Strength are pretty much me bending the rules like a reed. In a previous entry in this thread, I added several custom Super-Strength power feats, one of which was Freezebreath, which is a Cone Snare. Heatvision is simply Blast. I also gave them some Super Senses, but nothing too crazy. They can see and hear quite a bit better than everyone else, but no seeing through walls or mircroscopic vision at this point.

"Alright. Lets put this little scare behind us. We just brewed a fresh pot; want a cup?" "Absolutely." said Maxima as she followed him into the station proper. The other officers made their way back to their desks, doing whatever it was they were doing before Maxima showed up. Well they didn't do it quickly, there was quite a lot of lingering going on. A lot of craning of necks, a lot of conversations in areas that just so happened to give a good vantage point of the room, a lot of people asking if they got that email they sent you, etc. Maxima for her part shook hands and introduced herself to anyone who bothered to do the same with her. Coffee in hand, Sergeant Patterson lead Maxima to one of the rooms in the back. "This is one of our interview rooms." said Sergeant Patterson, stating the obvious. "It has all of the recording equipment we'll need to get your testimony on record. We've got another officer on the other side of that double sided mirror there monitoring the equipment. On for the record, assume everything in this room is being recorded. Why don't you have a seat?" he said motioning to a chair on one side of the table in the center of the room. "Because I'd break it?" answered Maxima wryly. She moved the chair aside and kneeled on the ground, sitting back on her feet.

Maxima (PL 14 - 250pp) Abilities: 10 + 0 + 12 + 10 + 4 + 4 = 40PP Strength: 20/28/48 (+5/+9/+19) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 22/30/34 (+6/+10/+12) Intelligence: 20/30 (+5/+10) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP Initiative: +10 Attack: +6, +10 Melee (-1 Size Modifier) Grapple: +12, +22 w/ Powers, +39 Max Out Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed (-1 Size Modifier) Knockback: -3, -5 w/powers, -20 Max-Out Saving Throws: 4 + 3 + 5 = 12 PP Toughness: +6/+10/+19 (+6/+10/+12 Con, +7 Protection) 7/10 Impervious Fortitude: +10/+14/+16 (+6/+10/+12 Con, +4) Reflex: +3 (+0 Dex, +3) Will: +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 160R = 40PP Bluff 8 (+10) Computers 15 (+25) Craft (Chemical) 15 (+25) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Disable Device 10 (+20) Intimidate 18 (+20, +22 Max Out) Investigate 10 (+20) Knowledge (Business) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Civics) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 15 (+25) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Tactics) 10 (+20) Knowledge (Technology) 10 (+20) Medicine 8 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 10 (+12) Feats: 31 PP Accurate Attack All Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Benefit (Wealth) Challenge (Startle as Move Action) Dodge Focus 4 Eidetic Memory Improved Grab Improved Grapple Interpose Luck 2 Master Plan 2 Online Research Power Attack Skill Mastery 2 (Computers, Craft [chemical], Disable Device, Intimidate, Investigate, Knowledge [life sciences], Medicine, Notice) Speed of Thought Startle Stunning Attack Takedown Attack 2 Ultimate Effort 2 (Strength Checks, Toughness saves) Powers: 55 + 8 + 8 +10 +22 = 103 PP Container 9 (Max Out Form; 45pp) Extras: Continuous Duration (+1); Feats: Quick Change (into/out of costume) [55pp] Growth 4 Extras: Permanent (+0), {12pp} +8 Strength +4 Constitution +2 Intimidate +4 Grapple Checks +5 Carrying Strength -1 Combat Size modifier -4 Stealth Checks Density 6 Extras: Permanent (+0) {18pp} +12 Strength + 3 Protection, +3 Impervious Super-Strength 2 Immovable 2 x5 Mass Unstoppable 2 (Extra applied to Immovable ranks from Density) {2pp} Protection 4 Extras: Impervious Toughness 7 {11pp} Super-Strength 1 {2pp} Enhanced Strength 8 [8pp] Enhanced Constitution 8 [8pp] Enhanced Intelligence 10 [10pp] Super-Strength 8 Feats: Shockwave, Haymaker, Strike of Valor, Dynamic [22pp] * DAP: Leaping 12 Drawbacks: (-0) = -0PP Abilities (40) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (12) + Skills (40) + Feats (31) + Powers (103) - Drawbacks (00) = 250/250 Power Points NOTES: And here's the capped version of Maxima. Now sitting pretty at 250pp. There really isn't all that too different from the last build. Minor bump to saves just because they were a little lackluster. Added Knowledge Tactics to reflect that by this time Maxima has been on the front for many battles and has learned quite a thing or two. This is of course complemented by Master Plan. Added Online Research and Skill Mastery for a bit of added utility. Increased the ranks of Intimidate now that Maxima is fully confident in her abilities and has ditched any hint of trying to ditch the spot light. Added a few ranks to a few skills here and there to express her further growth in a professional sense. As for Powers, I threw on a couple more ranks of Super-Strength because I frankly didn't know what else to buy with the last handfull of points. She clocks in at an effective Strength score of 108, just shy of Centurion's 110. Like Centurion, I also kept her Impervious Toughness at 10 across all her incarnations. Freedom City is supposed to be a lower Impervious setting, so I figured I'd adhere to that (for once).

Maxima (PL 13 - 215pp) Abilities: 10 + 0 + 12 + 10 + 4 + 4 = 40PP Strength: 20/26/46 (+5/+8/+18) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 22/28/32 (+6/+9/+11) Intelligence: 20/30 (+5/+10) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 12 + 8 = 20PP Initiative: +10 Attack: +6, +9 Melee (-1 Size Modifier) Grapple: +12, +22 w/ Powers, +39 Max Out Defense: +9 (+4 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed (-1 Size Modifier) Knockback: -3, -4 w/powers, -20 Max-Out Saving Throws: 3 + 2 + 4 = 9PP Toughness: +6/+9/+18 (+6/+9/+11 Con, +7 Protection) 7/10 Impervious Fortitude: +9/+12/+14 (+6/+9/+11 Con, +3) Reflex: +2 (+0 Dex, +2) Will: +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 120R = 30PP Computers 10 (+20) Craft (Chemical) 15 (+25) Diplomacy 4 (+6) Disable Device 10 (+20) Intimidate 10 (+12, +14 Max Out) Investigate 10 (+20) Knowledge (Business) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Civics) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 15 (+25) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 5 (+15) Knowledge (Technology) 5 (+15) Medicine 8 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 10 (+12) Feats: 25 PP Accurate Attack All Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 3 Benefit (Wealth) Dodge Focus 5 Eidetic Memory Improved Grab Improved Grapple Interpose Luck 2 Power Attack Speed of Thought Startle Stunning Attack Takedown Attack 2 Ultimate Effort 2 (Strength Checks, Toughness saves) Powers: 55 + 6 + 6 +10 +14 = 91PP Container 9 (Max Out Form; 45pp) Extras: Continuous Duration (+1); Feats: Quick Change (into/out of costume) [55pp] Growth 4 Extras: Permanent (+0), {12pp} +8 Strength +4 Constitution +2 Intimidate +4 Grapple Checks +5 Carrying Strength -1 Combat Size modifier -4 Stealth Checks Density 6 Extras: Permanent (+0) {18pp} +12 Strength + 3 Protection, +3 Impervious Super-Strength 2 Immovable 2 x5 Mass Unstoppable 2 (Extra applied to Immovable ranks from Density) {2pp} Protection 4 Extras: Impervious Toughness 7 {11pp} Super-Strength 1 {2pp} Enhanced Strength 6 [6pp] Enhanced Constitution 6 [6pp] Enhanced Intelligence 10 [10pp] Super-Strength 5 Feats: Shockwave, Dynamic [14pp] * DAP: Leaping 10 Drawbacks: (-0) = -0PP Abilities (40) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (09) + Skills (30) + Feats (25) + Powers (91) - Drawbacks (00) = 215/215 Power Points NOTES: Ok, so behind the scenes, I often build roadmaps to my characters; where I see them being in X number of points. These usually get scrapped about 3-4 threads in as I get new ideas based on how the characters are interacting with one another, and what I may want to do with them in the future, but for the time being its a nice thought exercise. Due to the way I'm planning things, I've got two builds lined up for Maxima, one when she's got another 35pp, and another when she maxes. As it stands, I intend for Maxima to max out at PL 14, and I'm going to be building to that slowly. That's why I broke down the build progressions as I did. I figure she's got 70pp left to earn, and 2 PL's to gain, so 35pp to a PL is how I broke it out. That basically means that in terms of her raw ability to smash things, she's pretty much peaked. Most of her progression will be in terms of feats and skills to becoming a better crime fighter. But before I get into that, the main change that takes place Powers wise is folding more of her Powers into her Container. Now that I've submitted her, I noticed that when she's not Maxed Out, she is insanely tough, but not all that strong. I wanted to adjust it so that those two were more in line. It'll take 7pp to make the change (18pp for the increased ranks in the Container, less the 11pp in Powers that are already purchased and will be moved into the Container) so it'll likely be done piece meal. Onto the build itself, the most radical change is of course the feats. She goes from having 12, to 25, which is a rather sizeable jump considering only 2 of them deal with PL's. Accurate Attack & Stunning Attack stem from her getting better at utilizing her strength effectively, and not just battering everything that comes her way. Conversely Improved Grab, Improved Grapple & Takedown Attack come from her experience in doing precisely that. She is a Powerhouse, sometimes you need to wrestle a giant robot, or deal with a veritable horde of enemies. On a related note, Interpose & the Ultimate Feats come from Maxima finding herself in the Powerhouse role; when the sky falls, you're the one people turn to to catch it. Speed of Thought, Startle & Luck come from Maxima being more confident as a combatant, and being more apt to handle curveballs. While Skills ate up 7 points from the budget, basically she only just got better at what she was already good at. She was a good scientist and became a great one in her area of expertise. I also wanted to enhance her focus on bio-chemistry; she has ranks in other skills as a necessity, not because they're what she wants to excel at.

Maxima jumped back in shock, smacking her head against the ceiling in the process. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean-" stammered Maxima as she back peddeled. There was indeed a yellow line on the ground, she had been so preoccupied on not hitting her head on the ceiling, she didn't even look at the floor and missed the line entirely. "Sorry. I didn't see you come in. You scared me." "You're not the only one who just got scared I mean-" Maxima stopped as several more officers came into the room, guns drawn. She instantly put her hands in the air. "Don't move! Hands where I can see them!" shouted one of the officers. "Its ok! It's OK! She's the hero who was coming down, she just startled me." said Officer Sparks hastily, trying to restore order before things got any further out of hand. "You sure?" "I'm sure. I'm sure right?" she replied, directing her question at Maxima. "Definately. One of the good guys here. Same side." said Maxima softly, trying to look unimposing as possible. "Alright then." said the officer slowly, as he took a final look around, before holstering his gun, the other officers following his lead. Maxima slowly brought her arms back down. "Good to meet you. I'm Seargent Patterson. I'm the one who wanted to meet with you." he said extending his hand. "Maxima. Pleasure to meet you sir." she replied shaking his hand.

Hopefully they want me on the first floor... thought Maxima to herself as she scaled the concrete steps to the police station. She had learned a long time ago that Maxing out and the second floor don't always mesh so well. She gingerly opened the door and stooped to get inside. The lobby in front of her immediately reminded her she was in the bad part of town. The officer at the front desk (and by extension the rest of the facility) was behind what looked like concrete walls and bullet proof glass. The only doors she saw were obviously metal, and had rather impressive looking deadbolt locks on them. Then there were all the cameras. Maxima counted at least 5 in this room alone, and then there had to be just as many outside. So that's why Maxima was so puzzled when the officer didn't even so much as acknowledge that she was in the room; she did take up a rather sizable portion of it. After a moment of standing there awkwardly, she reached a hand out and knocked softly on the glass. “Um hello? My name--†and that was about as far as she got. The officer's head jerked up, her eyes wide in shock and she shouted “Get behind the yellow line!†almost reflexively.

Maxima's Chemical Dependency Complication states the following: So what does that mean in practice? Well, funnily enough, it gives the GM ways to complicate the situation. Here are some examples you can use in play: 1. Lower the ranks of some or all of Maxima's powers. This is pretty straight forward, no chemicals means no powers. This will most likely crop up if Maxima can't take her formulas on a regular basis, like if she was captured, or if her equipment was destroyed, or her supply was otherwise blocked. A possible benchmark is 1 rank per day. This could be sped up if Maxima has been under strenuous activity lately and therefore used more energy up. 2. Increasing Maxima's powers. Ok, bear with me a second. Maxima may get stronger or tougher, but you should also slap some restriction on those powers (and by extension her old ones). For example, her Enhanced Strength gains the Full Power and Lethal Only drawbacks. Suddenly her strength is a liability rather than an asset. Or for more fun, have her Powers be at a random rank each round. This scenario is likely going to come about when additional chemicals and formulas are added into Maxima's system. 3. Add drawbacks & flaws to her powers. Related to the above, you could just outright make it suck to be her. Her muscles bulk up unnecessarily giving her the Distracting Flaw, making her effectively flat-footed for the duration. The temporary disability drawback is especially good for things like this. If she grows spiny bone spurts from her hands a la Doomsday, give her the drawback of No Fine Manipulators. Or make her Mute because her vocal chords have changed such that they can't make a pitch within the human range of hearing. Or make her deaf, as her ear drum is now so super strong, it doesn't register normal sound. 4. Have Maxima save against an additional effect. Maybe the chemicals don't provoke an immediate effect as her body tries to fight off the chemicals. The Nausea effect is especially good to model such a situation. Fatigue and/or Stun is another good option as the body has to work extra hard to stave off any potential changes. 5. Give Maxima additional powers. Have her powers mutate out of control. Suddenly she sprouts two more Arms from Additional Limbs. Or her body gets all rubbery, so you give her Elongation. Really anything you could conceive of for Shapeshifting is fair game. You could even make cosmetic changes so that no one recognizes her. An especially nasty idea if the chemicals from fighting some sort of monster and now she looks like the monster. Double trouble if she can't talk!

Table of Contents 1. 2.

It didn't take Maxima too long to reach the police station, as she had memorized the locations of all of the police stations in Freedom City for this inevitable situation. She did however wait a moment or two so that the people at the front desk would be warned that she was coming. Strange person who obviously has super powers wanders into any place unannounced and people are going to be a little on edge. You only got one first impression, and Maxima wanted to make it a good one. Officer Jennifer Sparks had been catching up on some paperwork this evening. There hadn't been too much activity in the past couple of hours at this police station; just a few drunks who got thrown in the tank for the night. Then she got the call that some super was coming down to the station to get their testimony on record. “Just when I was getting some work done too.†she muttered as she hung up the phone, determined to get at least some of this done before the super came and killed a productive night shift. If she had been paying more attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed the ripples in her glass of water.

The two police officers went about their business collecting the evidence, marking off the crime scene and all that mess. Maxima for her part took a back seat and just hung back and let them work uninterrupted. The suspects received medical attention when the ambulance arrived on scene. Maxima's diagnosis appeared to be pretty much spot on. The seller's arm was going to be in a sling for a couple of weeks, but he would otherwise be fine. Maxima breathed a sigh of relief. She felt sorry she had hurt the man so much, but she's glad he was going to be alright. Soon after another squad car appeared on the scene to lend a hand. One of the new officers escorted the suspects to the hospital. The other stayed behind to keep watch over the crime scene and to deliver statements. Officer Black got off her radio and approached Maxima. "Just got word in from the station. They want you to head in so they can get an official statement from you on record. Pretty standard procedure for new heroes. Chief likes to put a face with the name; meet you in person. That kind of thing. Precinct 12 down on 23rd street. Know the place?" "Sure do. I'll be there in a few." replied Maxima shaking the officer's hand. "Thanks for cleaning up my mess." "Hey, you got them off the street. That's the kind of mess I don't mind cleaning up. But uhh... before you leave, can you take care of that?" asked Officer Black pointing at the bent over street light. "Oh uh right." said Maxima sheepishly as she straighted the light again. She gave a small wave to the officers before she bounded off to the police station.

The senior officer nods. "Alright Black, you bag and tag. Make sure to get a few pictures of the crime scene. How banged up do you reckon these two guys are?" he said aloud to nobody in particular. "Initial prognosis of the buyer indicates extensive blunt force trauma to the back as a result of being slammed to the ground. Trauma does not appear to have caused any fractures in the individuals ribcage. Pupils dilated as normal. Concussion unlikely." "Seller suffered from blunt force trauma to the sternum from initial backhand. Additionally subject's right arm caught a significant portion of the impact, and likely received a fracture and/or sprain. Subject received additional injuries from secondary impact with the dumpster. Pupils did not dilate with exposure to light. Concussion likely. Secondary impact also likely cause minor fracturing in individual's ribcage. Agitated motion will likely result in further injury." ... "...Thorough." responded Officer Black flatly after a moment. "Ok dispatch, this is Officer Black responding to that hero activity down in the Fens, we got a code 783 here." "Kicked the stuffing out of them huh?" "Uh.. dispatch?" "Standing right next to you aren't they?" "That's an affirmative." "I've got an ambulance headed your way."

Cassandra Steel Gather Information: DC 15: One of the egg heads that graduated from HIT a couple of years back. Works in the city apparently. DC 20: Works for Grant Conglomerates. One of their sciency/research types. She only started working for them recently, but apparently made quite the impression. DC 25: Dr. Cassandra Steel is a member of the Conglomerate's special projects division. She's one of the egg heads they call in when the other egg heads can't figure out a problem. Knowledge (Life Sciences) DC 10: Published a new minorly noteworthy studies in the past few years. DC 15: Dr. Steel has a double doctorate in Biology and Chemistry. She graduated summa cum laude from the Hanover Institute of Technology. Her focus is on super-human biology. DC 20: Dr. Steel is currently employed at Grant Conglomerates, and has published several papers based on her own independent lab work. DC 25: She has been credited with being catalyst for many innovations at Grant Conglomerates in recent months. DC 30: While many of the innovations she has made have been marketed as health and betterment of the quality of life products, all of them could be potentially weaponized. Knowledge (Business) DC 15: A member of Grant Conglomerate's Think Tank, one of their newest additions to the team roster. Seems to find her way onto bio-chem projects. DC 20: Has been on a hot streak recently. Started when she was reassigned to the Think Tank after she made a bone density enhancer commercially viable. DC 25: Rumors have been flying that Grant Conglomerates has been courting a few military contracts with some of Cassandra's work. Maxima Gather Information DC 10: One of those really big, really strong types. Wears white and blue. Debuted a few months ago. DC 15: She can't fly, but she can totally jump hella high. Makes craters when she comes back down though. Got her butt handed to her when she tried to tangle with Dr. Simian and his robot army. DC 20: Was saved from Dr. Simian from Captain Thunder. The two haven't been seen together since that day. DC 25: Snatches of interviews with police that have been overheard may indicate that she's got brains as well as brawn. Yet to be confirmed. Knowledge (pop culture): DC 10: A relatively new super on the scene. Has operated mostly solo thus far. DC 15: Only one major public fight on record where she tangled with Dr. Simian and lost rather spectacularly. DC 20: Not only is Maxima very tall, but she's especially heavy. Estimates put her at 4-5 tons. DC 25: Seems to be pretty rough around the edges. Probably not much fight time under her belt. She seen mostly around Hanover and the City Center. Occasionally spotted in the Fens as well.

Mercifully Maxima soon heard the sound of police sirens in the distance. After another moment squad car 16 rolled around the corner and came to a stop a short distance away from Maxima. There were two officers in the vehicle. Both appeared to be Latino. The driver appeared to be rather young, likely still in her twenties, and had a rather athletic build. The officer office was male, likely in his mid forties, and looked a bit past his prime physically. As Maxima stopped leaning up against the wall, and stood up to her full height to greet the officers properly, she saw the female officer say "Jesus..." to which her partner who retorted "You ain't seen nothing yet." The two officers got out of their car, with the older officer taking lead. As he and Maxima shook hands he said "I'm Officer Ramirez, and this if Officer Black. And if dispatch was right, you're Maxima. Correct?" "Yes that's correct Officer. Pleasure to meet you." "Alright, bring us up to speed." "Appears to be a simple drug deal I wandered upon. Buyer." said Maxima indicating to the man unconscious on the sidewalk. "Seller." she said as she pointed down the alley way. "The two were in the midst of their transaction when I dropped in on them." explained Maxima, indicating to the rough middle point between the two suspect where her two boot prints where imbedded into the ground. Nearby was some scattered cash from the buyer as well as the seller's drugs and gun, dropped when Maxima had clobbered him. "Seller pulled that gun, while the buyer bolted. I subdued the seller, then chased after the buyer, subduing him when I caught up. I called 911 shortly thereafter. Neither individual has come to yet, and I have not materially interacted with the crime scene since these events transpired." finished Maxima.

Maxima took it back. Calling the police from a payphone was not the most awkward thing she would do this night. As it turns out, waiting for them to show up is much more awkward. In this giant metabrawls, the police are always in the nearby vicinity. Whether they were setting up a perimeter, or just helping the civilians get out of harms way. Soon as the big bad went down, the police were right there to whisk the villain away, so the hero could get back to kissing babies and interviewing reporters. But when that same hero takes down some anonymous drug dealers? You got to wait your turn like everyone else. On the upside it did give Maxima time to think about what she could do differently on her patrols to avoid this sort of thing, as keeping an eye on two unconscious guys isn't particularly difficult (though she did have to bend a street light a bit to get it to shine down into the alleyway). For starters she needed some way to contact the police reliably. Her own cell phone was obviously out of the question because of how easily it could be tracked to her. Perhaps a track phone, bought and paid for in cash? Of course, she could just ask the police if there was some method she was unaware of. Probably one of the fringe benefits of being a member of the Freedom League is having a phone number you can call police from without awkward questions. She also needed to start carrying some basic crime scene gear. She had the training to start collecting samples and handling evidence, but couldn't do any of it without the materials. Granted police probably didn't want a super to be mucking with the crime scene too much, but seriously some basic stuff could really help out here. She could tape off the area at least.

"911, what's you're emergency?" came the curt female voice over the line. "This is Maxima, one of the heroes in the city. I'm at the corner of 113th and 43rd, and I have two suspects in custody in need of processing and medical attention. Shots were fired but no one was injured." Rattled off Maxima matter-of-factly. She wanted this conversation to be over as rapidly as possible. Both because it was one of the most inane and quite possibly awkward conversations she was going to have, but also because she had to get on her knees, hold the phone between her thumb and pointer finger and use a stick from a corn dog she found on the ground to dial. She did not want a picture of this to wind up online. ...But there was quite a pause at the other end of the line. "Sir you are aware that its--" "Ma'am." interjected Maxima. "I-I'm sorry?" "You said 'sir'. It's 'ma'am'. The name is Maxima, not Maximo." To be fair, sight unseen and through a public telephone, Maxima's voice could be mistaken for a man's, but she really was in no mood for this debate. "...This isn't a prank is it?" "No. No. This really is happening." ... "We just got a report of gunshots in the area, I'm sending a squad car over."

Maxima had her hands on her hips as she paced on the sidewalk for a few moments. She need that time t clear her head. She was still pretty new to this hero business, and getting shot at still got her adrenaline pumping. She needed to be calm and collected for this next part, and she couldn't have her heart beating out of her chest. Her first order of business was to assess the wounds of the two criminals. She began with the buyer she had slammed to the ground. He likely had some bruised ribs, and would have a massive headache the next day, but would otherwise be fine and dandy by week's end. The seller on the other hand... well she probably hit him harder than she needed to. His ribs were heavily bruised, and probably had one or two cracked ones. Reel it in Cassie. Reel. It. In. she chastised herself for being overly aggressive. She planned on heaving these two up on her shoulders and bounding her way over to the police station. That wasn't really a possibility with their injuries. They weren't in any immediate danger, but they likely couldn't take the impacts of Maxima's leaps in their condition. Alright, the nearest police station is about 20 minutes away on foot. And even if I found a way to transport them, they really need medical attention before then. It is about this time that Maxima spots a pay phone across the street. Oh this should be a riot.

Maxima >The New Regimen (15) >News Thread (1) Other >Maxima/Cassandra Steel Reputation Post (+1pp) Note, 1st post in News Thread is a Table of Contents and therefore should not be counted.

Unfortunately, her cynicism turned out to be spot on this evening. Shortly after the first man ducked into the alleyway, another man came from the other direction. There was some quiet and hurried conversation between the two gentleman, who kept looking over their shoulders to see if they were alone. Do people seriously not think to look up in this town? Muttered Maxima to herself as she surveyed the scene. I mean, bad guy 101. The two men apparently came to some kind of agreement, as one proceeded to pull out a wad of cash and the other pulled a brown paper bag from inside his jacket. And that would be my cue. thought Maxima as she took the one step shortcut to the ground floor landing between the two men. "Evening gentlemen. Why don't you keep your hands where I can see them?" That went about as well as you would expect. The man with the paper bag decided pulled out handgun and unloaded on Maxima at point blank range. "Bad life choice." growled Maxima darkly before swatting the man, sending him reeling 30ft back when he collided painfully with a dumpster. Turning around, Maxima saw the other man had bolted off down the other direction while Maxima was distracted. She caught up with him after a few quick hops before she bodily lifted him into the air and slammed him back to the ground. Such a waste...

Having grown up in Freedom City, Cassandra really disliked the fact that there were streets in her city that she shouldn't walk at night. That's why she made it a point to always have her patrol routes take her to the Fens whenever she had the chance. She didn't have an delusions about stopping all the crime in that section of the city, but the job of a hero was to try anyway. On this particular night, the first thing worthy of note was another man on the street that she ran past. From afar he looked rather normal. But up close, Cassandra was able to see his blood shot eyes, his jittery hands and the cold sweat on his forehead. It looked like he was going through withdrawal. It could be possible he was just trying to kick the habit, but wandering around at this time of night? Unlikely. After rounding a corner or two, Cassandra Maxed-Out and made her way up to the tops of the nearby buildings. From her vantage point she was able to follow this man for about 10 minutes. She was getting ready to call of her her search when her target suddenly ducked into a side alleyway. “Oh this can't be good.†muttered Maxima to herself as she tried to skulk closer.

Like most of her patrols to date, for about the first hour or so, there was nothing to differentiate it from a simple jog around the city. As night began to fall however, she was able to move around a bit more freely away from prying eyes, taking the occasional leap between alley ways and onto rooftops. She made especially sure to scope out some of the higher buildings so she could get a bird's eye view of her surroundings. Knowing the city from the street and from the rooftops are two wildly different things. That and people give you really odd looks when you're dressed up like a superhero and have to stop at the corners to read the street signs to figure out how to get back home. She made her way south as the night went down, first to the City Center before heading to the Fens. All of the “blockbuster†crime took place in the northern parts of the city where all the money and technology was. But a sad fact of life in Freedom City is that there was an omnipresent criminal element in the seedier parts of the city that many of the heroes overlook. Or to be more precise, they don't know where to look. The egomaniacs that raid banks and debut their doomsday weapons want to make a spectacle of themselves. Down in the Fens however, the criminals just want to snatch that purse, make that drug deal or kill that gang banger without anyone being any the wiser.

Cassandra leaned back in a stretch massaging her eyes letting out a deep sigh. Standing up she set about gather her notes and cleaning her desk. After having locked her files away in her safe, she made her way over to the kitchen to make herself dinner, humming to herself while she worked. She mentally turned over various hypothesis over what potential variable she had missed for sample 3, or if it was merely the first one to experience the change. Whatever it was, she had to stabilize the formula before she added it to her regimen. Her eyes wandered over to the door she had ripped off its hinges last time she had taken a formula before doing her due diligence; a rookie mistake. Dinner finished and the dishes put away, Cassandra got changed for her nightly jog around the city. This would potentially be the first night to field test her newest trinket, she hesitated at calling it an invention, as it was modeled on a magician prop. They were a series of plastic rings worn around her joints, waist and bust, and should she Max out while wearing these, they would burst open and deploy her costume and lock away her civilian clothes for later use. The process would reverse should she revert to her normal size. It had held up well in all of the trials thus far, even while under duress, but a meta brawl was an entirely different animal.