Ecalsneerg

Pottery flew as the hammer crashed into the lion, sending a chunk of its mane falling to the floor. With a snarl, it turned to face Lady Winter, claws scraping along the ice. The golem's creator cackled gleefully. "Yes, by all means smash my golems!" He pulled a wand from his belt and pointed it at the floor before him. A holographic image appeared of the golem they'd attacked smashing its way clear of the police van, covered in shards of ice. "Every second you waste here, people die!" He threw his head back and roared in laughter as another two golems came out from the door the lion had sprung from. One was covered in burlap and straw, the other with plates of corrugated iron. In unison, they marched forwards, the tin man hefting a dangerous looking axe and swinging it towards Equinox's head. With a gesture, she halted the axe's movement in mid-air with the wall of white force surrounding her. The scarecrow lunged at Lady Winter, shaking straw around to distract her while the lion lunged straight at the icy heroine. Unable to dodge for the erratically-moving scarecrow, the lion's claws gouged into her flesh.

Dude, seriously, list your DCs in your posts. Lion golem Toughness save (1d20+10=20) Injured! Equinox - 21 - 3 HP - unharmed, Fatigued Lady Winter - 15 - 2 HP - unharmed Artificer - 10 - NPC - unharmed Lion - 5 - NPC - Injured Scarecrow - 5 - Unharmed Tin Man - 5 - Unharmed The Artificer is busy laughing his ass off. Any Sense Motive will tell you he's not lying. Take a HP for the Snare getting shattered so easily. Now... Roll to hit Defence 19, then Equinox makes DC 25 Toughness (1d20+4=11, 1d20+10=11) The tin man misses. DC 10 aid action, then attack against Defence 14, inflicting DC 25 Toughness save (1d20+4=14, 1d20+4=16) Easily hits, take your DC 25 save. Equinox - 21 - 3 HP - unharmed, Fatigued Lady Winter - 15 - 2 HP - unharmed Artificer - 10 - NPC - unharmed Lion - 5 - NPC - Injured Scarecrow - 5 - Unharmed Tin Man - 5 - Unharmed

A Practical Guide to Magic Putting It Into Practice Ok, now you've got your three components: Intent, focus and style. First, you solidify your intent through visualisation, thinking what you want to do, or what you choose to do for this step. Then, using your chosen focus, you apply the magical energy you have to the intent and project it outwards. This will then manifest itself as the spell you have cast, and the spells you choose to perform make up your style. Now, some of these steps overlap, and work in different orders, which is where it gets confusing. - Firstly, obviously style is both descriptive and proscriptive. While style describes the effects of your intent and focus, your own personal style will influence what you intend to do, and often what foci you use. - Secondly, intent and focus can be the same thing. I have been known to use speaking in rhyme as a focus, speaking out loud what I intend to do, and thus merging the two steps into one. And, here's the big secret: fact is, this is not a description so much as rough guidelines. Frankly, a lot of magic is intuitive, and even the best study is unlikely to accomplish much without talent, sadly. But practice is important, as is strong mental discipline so that your spells do work as intended, your intent doesn't change mid-casting and cause an accident, so that your focus keeps the magic focused rather than an unguided discharge, and so on, and so forth. Practice magic, don't use it only when needed, because then you may find you need it, and will struggle to use it. Thank you for reading. Blessed Be, Siobhan Drake.

A Practical Guide to Magic Magical styles and traditions This is the, to pardon the immaturity, really fun part. While many take the whole mystic protector act seriously, and are solemn, frankly... shooting fire from your hands is fun. Although, not everyone can. Different magicians operate using different methods, and thus have different spells. I, personally, use the Wiccan elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air, alongside Aether (alternately called Spirit). Yes, they need capitalised, because I'm not making fire, I'm making magical Fire. Alongside some rudimentary knowledge of magical wards and force fields (which I usually use as a defensive mechanism, but also use on occasion to create magical barriers to hold foes in captivity), this is my style. And it stems from my practice of the Wiccan tradition. These are not dictionary terms, but merely how I am choosing to differentiate between two things: a magician's personal use of magic, and the spells they favor above all else. These form a mage's style, and there are precious few magicians who can cast freely without their preferences showing up in how they do it. Slightly overlapping with this is tradition, the magical practices handed between students and teachers. These are not necessarily formal as the name implies, I learned my knowledge of magical wards from Adrian Eldrich, not from a formalised society of mages. And my use of natural, elemental forces, stems from the natural aspect of my religion of Wicca, and also from the fact that I identify as a witch, not necessarily a magician. Different magical styles and traditions would make a good topic for a later essay.

A Practical Guide to Magic Focus Now, with intent having made it clear what you want the spell to do, a focus allows you to, well, focus the magical energy needed to perform the spell. Now, foci vary greatly, and for the purposes of this essay, include chants and gestures. While one might think of foci as rods and staves, a simple chant and hand gesture can focus the magic just as well for experienced magicians. - Gestures and Chants: Simultaneously a boon and a hindrance to spellcasting, foregoing tools and casting with words and gestures is a useful technique to know. It means that, wherever or whatever you're doing, you can cast spells, even naked without a single item on your person. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to this approach. If you can't speak and gesture, you can't focus, and if you can't focus, you probably will be unable to cast. Binding and gagging a mage who casts spells this way will render them near-powerless. - Rods, Wands and Staves: This is easily my favored method of casting. Frankly, Harry Potter aside, it is a great way to focus your mind seriously. If you don't want to cast, you're unlikely to be pointing a specially carved length of wood, iron, or even more exotic material, at things. Now, rods can act as a replacement, or supplement, to other methods. Some just point and "click" with the wand to cast, some point and shout an incantation (yes, like Harry Potter), and some perform intricate gestures using the wand. - Amulets and talismans: While, yes, these more often take the form of enchanted items, I know of some who use these as foci. Much of what there is to say on them merely replicates the treatise on wands and staves, so I won't repeat it. - Ritual: Now, this is not so much a focus as a method of using foci to cast a spell. In addition to their usual method of casting, most mages can perform lengthy rituals to achieve magical effects, and many must use the ritual method. Gesturing and chanting is often invoked alongside a magical circle, often with other implements like rods, staves and pentacles. These rituals can be religious in nature, or simply magical procedures without a religious undertone. - Force of will: The province of the very powerful. Some mages can just cast by intent, without using a focus. Their will enacts the spell, and while they might point their finger at what they want to effect or something that resembles a gesture, it doesn't mean that they need the gesture. At that point, it is simply the knowledge of being powerful enough to have the luxury of showing off like that. The important thing isn't necessarily what you use as a focus, but more that you're channelling magical energy. Without being able to tap into your magical talents, all the intent in the world won't matter.

A Practical Guide to Magic - By Siobhan Drake, MPhil Magic, in its own way, is very like a scientific procedure in that there are several clear steps it is necessary to undertake in order to cast a spell. It's worth noting, that unlike a science, this varies very much between practitioners, much like how it's possible to create the same chemical with different procedures and chemicals. Thus, I will of course be mainly discussing my own magical practices. Magic or Majik? While it is not my place to dispute how people wish to write about their own personal magical/majikal theory, I think majik looks decidedly silly, so I'm not using it as a "word". Intent This is, first and foremost, the most important thing is intent. The other steps are worthless, and in some cases actually irrelevant, without intent. If you can't visualise or express what you want to do, it's rather hard to use a spell. Nearly impossible, in fact. Intent also helps to break the laws of physics in some ways. For example, let me take the example of a fire spell. Unless I will it to hurt someone seriously, the fire won't burn people severely, it will just leave them slightly singed. Ordinarily, fire doesn't work like that, but due to intent, I can force it to act like that. Intent can take several forms. The most basic one is just thinking what you want a spell to do. For example, if I thought "set that tree on fire", it would obviously mean I want to set a tree on fire. However, I am unable to do it quite so simply. I need to visualise what I want to do, and picture in my mind me throwing a ball of fire, which then sets the tree alight, and I need to picture this briefly while casting. There are some magic items which don't require you to know what you're doing, and in most cases, this isn't due to them breaking the intent rule, but due to maker including a feature that means it just works without too much input from the user. And, like all rules, there are exceptions too many to list. Cursed masks which don't work on their own, but have become semi-intelligent in their own right, bonding to the user's face, and taking control of their actions, have been documented. These don't require any input from the user, and in fact are a result of magical quirks and anomalies within the item's enchantment.

Index A Practical Guide to Magic - Introduction, Magic or Majik?, Intent - Focus - Magical Styles and Traditions - Putting It Into Practice Dictionary of Magical Terms - Magical Practitioners Scrawlings The Properties of Black Agate (From I Don't Drink Wine) Forging the anti-magic blade Magic Words How Hayley Met Equinox 20Q Questions 1-10 Questions 11-20

This thread is horrifying.

Equinox had been fairly silent, surreptitiously chomping down on some sandwiches while she could. The food budget's not huge this week, sue me. "It's unlikely," she conceded. "He's a very busy man. Back when he was sort-of trying to teach me, I was lucky if I got lessons more than two evenings a week. Which'd be why he got Phantom to preside."

You guys do know that with 2 days, you could use Artificer and Ritualist sans jury-rigging, right?

"Agreed," said Equinox, snapping her fingers to create a small burst of flame, just long enough to light up her cigarette. She inhaled deeply, blowing out acrid-smelling smoke into the dimly lit living room. "So the real question is how do we prepare?" She tapped one finger off the side of the sofa in thought. "I think I could make a ring that renders its wearer immune to a vampire's mental powers, but it'd take some research. Luckily, we have a couple of days to prepare for this, and I think we should use it. Any ideas on how to survive dinner with vampires?"

It's RETCON TIME! I've decided to make Equinox very much more an elementalist, so I'm stripping out the powers she hasn't used which I feel don't fit the theme (Stun, Paralyze), or changing the descriptor on those which do fit (Snare). Note: This is still the Wiccan elemental system, which very sterotypically adds Spirit/Aether like a bad video game Also, the powers I'm ditching have not seen use, so IC the justification is that she didn't have them to begin with. This also alters her power description, as seen in the Code block below. Elemental Power! - Net loss/gain = gain 1pp Also, I made an error on her HQ's ESP, it should have the Duration - Sustained extra, not Move Action. In addition, spend 1 of my 3 remaining ep on Sealed [supernatural creatures must ask permission to enter]. Now, less Retconning, more actual spending of pp! I have 4 shiny pp. [1pp]: Increase the Enhanced Quick Change to 2, i.e. any outfit. [1pp]: Give her Environmental Control 2 (light [reduce concealment], 10' radius, Flaws: Range - Touch [-1]) [1PP] Let's leave it at that for now, until I figure out what to do with 2pp. [b][u]Power Level[/u][/b]: 10 (151/153PP) [b][u]Trade-Offs[/u][/b]: None [b][u]Unspent PP[/u][/b]: 2 [b][u]Diamond Status:[/u][/b] 3/90 [b][u]In Brief[/u][/b]: Witch focused on fighting Earth's supernatural villains. [b][u]Alternate Identities[/u][/b]: Siobhan Drake (Shiv-awn, not see-oban) [b][u]Identity[/u][/b]: Secret [b][u]Birthplace[/u][/b]: Freedom City, NJ [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Theology lecturer at FCU [b][u]Family[/u][/b]: General Jonathan Drake [father, 51], Jessica Drake [mother, 46], Francis "Frank" Smith [uncle, 39] [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 26 (born 20th March 1985) [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Caucasian [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 5'9'' [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 150 lbs [b][u]Eyes[/u][/b]: Blue (White when using powers) [b][u]Hair[/u][/b]: Brown (Black as Equinox) [b][u]Description[/u][/b]: [floatl][img=http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/Ecalsneerg/melanie-laurent.jpg][/floatl] Of average height and fairly slender, Siobhan Drake is not strikingly different from most people on the street. Her most distinctive features are her long brown hair, grown to half-way down her back, and her piercingly blue eyes. Typically, she dresses in plain t-shirts and jeans, eschewing dresses and high heels for more 'practical' clothing. That said, she can alter her clothing to any outfit of her choosing with a snap of her fingers. As Equinox, Siobhan's eyes become brilliant white due to use of her magic, casting enough light on her face to obscure her identity. In addition, she uses a simple temporary spell to dye her hair jet black. She wears a white long-sleeved t-shirt and trousers underneath a [i]deep[/i] black floor-length coat. On her shirt is a logo on a black-outlined circle with one half completely black and the other white, representing the position of the sun during an equinox. In both identities, Equinox wears an elaborate silver pentagram, although usually hides it while not in costume. [b][u]History[/u][/b]: It's safe to say Siobhan Drake had a rough childhood. She grew up getting teased for the funny name her Gaelophile parents gave her, moved house a lot due to her father's profession as an Air Force General, and then being present for the Terminus Invasion when she was a little girl. After the trauma of the invasion, General Drake decided his family should stay in Freedom City with Siobhan's maternal uncle Frank. However, childhood petulance dictated that despite her parents [i]trying[/i] to improve her life, Siobhan still resented them for her name, for the moving and even for moving to a city that gets invaded! Once she hit her teens, she started rebelling on a huge scale, sneaking out and drinking, smoking cigarettes, going through different goth/emo/fashion-obsessed phases, and then finally, to top off her parent's worries, she ran away from home. While travelling across the country, she fell in with a rough crowd of wannabe mages, who met nightly and tried out rituals they'd found from various old texts they'd dredged up. However, when it came down to it, they were just a bunch of talentless, pretentious teenagers using affected names. However, their leader (a man calling himself 'Keter'), had some talent, and was pleased to find that Siobhan had [i]plenty[/i] of it. Therefore, while she showed interest in old pagan faiths and magic, Keter tried to manipulate and coerce her into demonic and necromantic rituals. She resisted for a long time, until in a frustrated rage, Keter went ahead without her and tried a summoning with his more lacklustre skills. He and his little 'coven' failed, and the summoning went awry, just as Siobhan's conscience finally snapped her out of it and she arrived to stop it from happening. Faced with a demon on the rampage, Siobhan used what little magic she knew to try and bind the monster, but to no avail. Sent reeling by the magical backlash of it shattering its bonds, it looked hopeless... until Adrian Eldrich appeared on the scene, effortlessly saving the day with a word and a gesture. While angered at her not stopping it before it happened, and at Keter's escape, Eldrich took pity on Siobhan, taking her home to her worried parents. From there, she set about turning over a new leaf. Spending the next five years studying theology at Freedom City University, she turned to Wicca and began living by its philosophy, using her magic responsibly. To aid in this, Eldrich instructed her a little until she was ready to stand on her own. Taking a job marking tests and teaching a few small classes, Siobhan decided to become the superhero Equinox, fighting off criminals, protecting people, and hunting rogue mages in order to make sure what she allowed to happen wouldn't repeat itself again. [b][u]Personality & Motivation[/u][/b]: Equinox is a driven, dedicated individual who has learned from her past mistakes. While her job as a superhero requires some degree of violence to protect people, she nonetheless maintains a peaceful attitude, attempting diplomacy and trying to talk out problems, not resort to violence. Trying to believe in the good side of people, nonetheless, she often upholds a perhaps unwarrantedly harsh stance on those starting out using magic, simply due to her bad experiences with rookie mystics in her youth. In addition, when stressed, she has a tendency to get a little snippy with people. Siobhan wants to make the world a better place, but predominantly, believes in protecting the innocent before drastically changing the world perhaps against other's wishes. She has the ability to do so, the drive to do so, and thus in her mind, [i]must[/i] do so. Deep down, she hopes that being a superhero might also help her family to forgive her for her follies of youth. [b][u]Powers & Tactics[/u][/b]: Equinox is a highly trained and skilled mage. While deprived of much of her magical prowess without her wand to focus them, with it she is a veritable force of nature, with a wide variety of spells available to her. She is an expert elementalist, able to conjure up fire, wind, earth and air, although she tends to favour fire and wind as the more impressive-looking. She can also magically lift objects due to her control over the elements, create protective magical wards and fly on spectral white wings. When she wants to show off, she can also make her force field glow brightly, illuminating the area around her. With her wand and pentagram, her powers become more focused, and thus much more effective. In addition, they allows her to use the more difficult spells of controlling the weather and healing the wounds and fatigue of others. The wand also removes the need to speak and gesture in order to cast spells, requiring only flicks of the wand. Typically, she will try to negotiate with her foes rather than attack them outright. If pressed, she will prefer to bind and restrain foes rather than blast them with the elements, although if pressed to or if left with no other choice, she will use more outright offensive attacks. [b][u]Complications[/u][/b]: Addiction (cigarettes): While aware it's a filthy habit, Siobhan nonetheless has a ten-a-day one. "An' it harm none, do as you will": Equinox follows the Wiccan Rede, and thus is reluctant to use damaging spells except as a last resort, preferring to talk or use binding spells initially. She also loses access to her Magic array for 24 hours if she stunts mind-controlling powers like Emotion or Mind Control against a human being. "DAMMIT, I HATE MY NAME!": Siobhan is irritated by her Gaelophile parents giving her a Gaelic name noone can pronounce. She finds it hard to resist losing her temper when people get it wrong or make fun of it. Enemy (Keter): For all Equinox and Eldrich know, Keter is still alive, and might yet claim his revenge. Magical Gestures: Without her wand to focus her magic, Equinox must use gestures and words to use her innate Environmental Control, Force Field, Flight and Magic array. Prejudice (openly practicing Wiccan): While not usually an issue, Siobhan's unconventional choice of religion sometimes lead to difficulties in both identities. Responsibility (Eldrich): While Adrian Eldrich knows that Siobhan did more to stop Keter than help him, nonetheless, he helped her, coached her in magic and helped her at a low point, and thus Siobhan feels she owes him a favour. Responsibility (family): While still somewhat estranged from them, Siobhan's family still matter to her, and she strives to protect them. Responsibility (magical threats): Equinox feels obligated to focus on preventing magic from being misued, and thus spends much of her time fighting magical foes. In particular, she specialises in those creatures native to Earth, not other dimensions, as well as those mages misusing their powers. Responsibility (job): Siobhan Drake lectures on theology part-time in Freedom City University, and really can't afford to lose her job, because... Struggling: ... she hasn't much money, spending a lot of what she does earn on mystic supplies. Secret (identity) [b][u]Abilities[/u][/b]: 0+2+0+6+8+2 = 18pp Str: 10 (+0) Dex: 12 (+1) Con: 10 (+0) Int: 16 (+3) Wis: 18 (+4) Cha: 12 (+1) [b][u]Combat[/u][/b]: 12+12 = 24pp Attack: +6, +10 Magic Grapple: +6, +16 Telekinesis, +20 Telekinesis with Wand Defense: +6 (+3 flat-footed), +10 with Shield (+3 flat-footed) Knockback: -0, -3 with Force Field, -2 with Pentagram, -5 with both Initiative: +1 [b][u]Saving Throws[/u][/b]: 5+5+8 = 18pp Toughness: +10 (+0 Con, +6 Force Field, +4 Pentagram) Fortitude: +5 (+0 Con, +5) Reflex: +6 (+1 Dex, +5) Will: +12 (+4 Wis, +8) [b][u]Skills[/u][/b]: 72r = 18pp Concentration 12 (+16) Craft (Artistic) 12 (+15, Skill Mastery) Diplomacy 9 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 12 (+15, Skill Mastery) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 7 (+10, Skill Mastery) Languages 2 (English [Native], Greek, Latin) Medicine 1 (+5) Notice 11 (+15) Sense Motive 6 (+10, Skill Mastery) [b][u]Feats[/u][/b]: 10pp Artificer Attack Specialisation (Magic) 2 Equipment 2 Luck 2 Ritualist Skill Mastery (Craft [Artistic], Knowledge [Arcane Lore], Knowledge [Theology/Philosophy], Sense Motive) Trance [quote name="Equipment(7/10ep)"][b]Apartment[/b] Size: Diminutive; Toughness: 10; Features: Defence System [magical Snare 10], Fire Prevention System, Library, Living Space, Power [scrying ball; ESP 6 (20 miles; visual; Sustained duration)], Power [scrying ball; Communication 6 (20 miles; mental)], Sealed [supernatural creatures require invitaton], Security System, Workshop Cost: 8 equipment points.[/quote] [b][u]Powers[/u][/b]: 4+11+23+2+1+6+10+6 = 63pp [b]Device 1[/b] (Pentagram of warding; Hard to Lose; 5pp of powers) [4pp] [device][b]Force Field 4[/b] (spells of warding, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Subtle) [5pp] (magic)[/device] [b]Device 3[/b] (Wand of Spell Focus; Easy to Lose; 15pp of powers; [i]Power Feats[/i]: Restricted 2 [only her]) [11pp] [device][b]Magic 6[/b] (Rank 15.5, 31PP Array; increases rank of all spells in Array to 10, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Affects Insubstantial, Alternate Power +2) [15pp] [u]AP[/u]: [b]Healing 6[/b] (Seal wounds; [i]Extras[/i]: Action - Standard [+1], Energizing [+1], Total [+1]; [i]Power Feats[/i]: Regrowth) [u]AP[/u]: [b]Weather Control 6[/b] (Call down the sky; 250ft area; 4pp of mix and match environments; [i]Extras:[/i] Independent [+0], Total Fade [+1]; [i]Power Feats[/i]: Reversible)[/device] [b]Magic 9.5[/b] (Wiccan Magic, 19PP Array, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 4) [23pp] (magic, plus elemental descriptors) [list][u]BP[/u]: [b]Blast 6[/b] (Summon the elements; [i]Extras[/i]: Penetrating [+1]; [i]Power Feats[/i]: Variable Descriptor [any elemental]) [u]AP:[/u] [b]Dazzle 6[/b] (flash of fire; visual senses, [i]Extras:[/i] Alternate Save - Fort [+0], Area - Burst [+1]) [u]AP:[/u] [b]Obscure 6[/b] (water vapour; visual senses, 250' radius [5000' with wand], [i]Extras:[/i] Independent [+0], [i]Power Feats:[/i] Reversible) [u]AP[/u]: [b]Snare 6[/b] (Binding; [i]Extras[/i]: Backlash [+1], [i]Power Feats[/i]: Reversible) [u]AP[/u]: [b]Telekinesis 6[/b] (Move the elements; Heavy load: 1600 lbs [12 tons with Wand]; [i]Power Feats[/i]: Precise)[/list] [b]Enhanced Feats 2[/b] (Quick Change) [2pp] (magic) [b]Environmental Control 2[/b] (light [reduce concealment], 10' radius, [i]Flaws:[/i] Range - Touch [-1]) [1PP] (magic, glowy forcefield) [b]Flight 3[/b] (Wings of magic; 50 MPH) [6pp] (magic, air) [b]Force Field 6 + Shield 4[/b] (Spells of warding) [10pp] (magic) [b]Super-Senses 6[/b] (Detect Magic [Mental; [i]Extras:[/i] Accurate 2, Acute, Extended, Ranged]) [6pp] (magic) [b][u]DC Block[/u][/b] [i]First DC is without wand, second DC is with it[/i] [code]ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Melee DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage Dazzle Ranged DC16/20 Reflex (area)/Fortitude (initial+lasting effects) Blinded Element Blast Ranged DC21/25 Toughness (Staged) Damage Snare Ranged DC16/20 Fort (Staged) Dazed/Stunned/Unconscious Abilities (18) + Combat (24) + Saves (18) + Skills (18) + Feats (10) + Powers (63) - Drawbacks (00) = 151/153pp :arrow: Important notes on stacking: the two Force Fields stack as one power for all purposes (and thus the pentagram adds Subtle to the base Force Field). Similarly, the magic arrays stack, and the APs come from the whole array pp. Since it's Restricted 2, there won't be a situation where the wand's power alone gets used rather than with Equinox's. Done by AA

The Wee Small Hours, 2nd September Equinox had already changed into costume, black hair billowing and white eyes glowing. She welcomed Nick and Kid Cthulhu into her home, apologising profusely for the state of the room. Stacks of books and half-marked essays lay around the floor, with ash trays adorning the top of a couple of the most impressively tall stacks of books. In one corner, a crystal ball sat on a table, covered with a dirty cloth. "So," she said. "This invitation doesn't look good. For one, they delivered it to my home, using my real name, so turning it down could be seen as a snub. That'd end badly, for me, or for my family." She pulled out a packet of cigarettes from inside her coat. "Secondly, the note reeked of necromancy and vampires. Vampires whose name is Latin for a type of weapon, not a comforting thought." "What do you think we should do about this?"

Hey, Hancock's actually good if you walk out when Charlize Theron appears. :P

Do we just wanna cut to Equinox's apartment?

John stopped to consider for a second. If I refuse to tell her, would she actually whack me one? Looks like. "Fair enough. My name is John." Wait, hold on a tic. Hurriedly, he added on a qualifier. "And I'm not making it up, I swear. That is my name." He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping she'd believe him. Well, I'm not lying, but it's one of those implausible truths.

Rolling to her feet across the dusty floor, Equinox raised her right arm, wand tip sparking with white light. "Well, you can't say I didn't try to let you give yourself up," she said, glancing to the laughing man. Shaking dust from her coat, she flicked her wand and rose a good foot off the floor as the huge white wings emerged from her glowing white force field. "Now FREEZE!" Raising her wand high, suddenly the whole building changed. The temperature plummeted as Equinox channelled raw elemental power throughout it, the white glow in her eyes temporarily going icy blue. It became so cold that, on every surface both in and outside of the building, a thick layer of frost formed instantly, crackling into existence with both the mundane crack of an ice rink in winter, and a slightly otherworldly hiss of a lot of magical energy being layered through the building.

Artificer initative, golems initiative (1d20=10, 1d20=5) Equinox - 21 - 3 HP - unharmed, Fatigued Lady Winter - 15 - 3 HP - unharmed Artificer - 10 - NPC - unharmed Golems - 5 - unharmed After my IC post, Lady Winter is up, because Equinox is standing up, then using Environmental Control. So, 2pp/per rank for extreme cold, and 2pp/rank to reduce movement to one-quarter from icy surfaces (Flight is unaffected). In a minute, the Artificer and Equinox need to make a DC 10 Fort save to resist 1 Con damage from cold, so yeah, this is only me showing off. Oh, and I'll turn on the Flight.

Let's assume they got her address from Thistle and Thyme. And this voice will be in their heads, not in their ears, as it's Mental Communication.

Siobhan heard the letterbox clatter from her meditative position in the middle of her rug. Opening one eye in irritation, she sighed and got up, picking up the envelope in irritation. She sat down on the sofa, lighting up a cigarette using her magic wand as she cracked open the envelope. Dear Miss Drake, We have followed your recent career with some interest, and think you'd be interested in attending our meeting of magical minds on Friday night, at 8pm. Our address is overleaf, and please dress for the occasion. With regards, The Lancea Brothers Siobhan put her face in her hands. Well, the supposed identity is screwed over... Growling in frustration, she picked up the invitation with a flick of the wand, leaving it hanging there in a pale white glow of magical force. Another flick of the wand, and it had ignited in a brief burst of flame, scattering ash over the carpet and stacks of books. Wait... meeting of mystic minds? I doubt I'm the only one. Perhaps I should get in touch with some of the other mages in town... Raising her wand for a third time in her right hand, she brought her crystal ball flying across the room, catching it deftly in her left hand. It was then she started whispering into it. "This is Equinox. Those of you who received an invitation to the party on Friday, please contact me, or come to my home. Thank you."

Dinner? Anyway, the letters smell like vampire. There's no way to disguise the whole necromantic aura thing, and vampire necromancers don't have a hope in Hell. Anyway, here's the letter's if you wanna incorporate them in your IC posts. Nick Cimitiere Kid Cthulhu The address is for a nice house in Lantern Hill.

Midnight, 1st September The mist flowed up and into the graveyard, looking this way and that with a head-like pseudopod. Grass rustled in its path, as it hissed and slithered between the headstones. It paused to look at one grave, where someone had left a ceramic jar full of daisies. A black gap appeared in the mist which could have even been a smile. Minutes later, the mist was gone, leaving a shattered jar lying on a fresh grave plot, the daisies torn up. Atop that mess was a small white envelope. The mist crept around, sniffing the air hungrily. Then it smelt what it was looking for. The magic of the Old Ones. Not a magic to mess with. In the darkness it loomed, after the target it was sent to leave a message for. In a whirl of wind and tossing dust, it left the white envelope at the thing's feet and fled before the tentacled beast could respond. Then, finally, the mist crept up an apartment's stairway and pushed a white envelope through a letterbox.

I'd call female!Dynamo Iris East, because it keeps a similar flow, and keeps up the homage even more.

Grim is only PL12, despite what the sheet says, as she doesn't meet caps.

I pointed out that taking all Perception attacks then claiming a +5 trade-off just in case of power stunts seemed a little off. I at no point told her to take those APs. Moira, do not quote me out of context.