Avenger Assembled

aw yeah, it's initiative time, sports fans.

"Remember to pose when they announce you," the manager went on. "So they can do a freeze-frame and run your bio underneath. The manager is watching from behind the black screen ten yards up on the far wall; everything else is cameras and holoprojections. Think black box theatre." She turned to leave, counting down with her fingers to signal the heroes to move forward, and just as she disappeared through a cunningly-concealed door in the side of the wall added, "Remember who the real enemy is!" Once the heroes were down the corridor, they found themselves in a place that looked oddly less grand than the fully-edited arena they'd seen on the screen. It wasn't that the picture they'd had was false - but it had obviously been created through heavy use of CGI. The bars and obstacles were all there, the arena towering high over their heads, the scaffolding on the walls to let non-fliers ascend, the cover provided by what looked like fallen statuary and an overturned high-tech chariot; but the blue sky, the stands full of screaming fans, those were replaced by black matte paint dotted with thousands of shimmering dots that looked like tiny camera lenses, no doubt the source of that seamless camera work they'd observed in their practice bouts. It all looked heavily armored, too, the kind of room that could hold multiple super-battles to first blood...or more. A hatch on the bottom of the 'stage' showed where their target would be making its entrance, based on the videos they'd seen before. Once they all were inside, the doors swung shut, leaving them in an 'arena' about as big as Claremont's soccer field. They had a moment to compose themselves before a female announcer's voice came on from speakers overhead, from the sound of things near that manager's window they were watching for. "Presenting the NEW BIRDS OF PREY!" Trumpets played as the voice went on, her throaty tone rising in excitement, "the terrible TENGU! The sinister SILVER SHRIKA! The silent SCREECH OWL! And her vicious husband; the nasty NIGHT OWL! Together, they are the NEW BIRD OF PREY!" A clanking came from beneath the stage as the hatch slid open, its thick metal frame showing impervium, or maybe something more exotic, that could hold in a true super-battle. "And now, in a VERY special presentation, we have a BRAND-NEW trophy in the CIRCUT MAXIMUS! He came to Earth to steal our minds and conquer our world, but we've beaten him time and time again! And now, it's time to see his BLOOD SPILL! Ladies and gentlemen," and now a voice was breaking through from the stage as a figure rose on the concealed platform beneath, struggling against chains that bound him to the floor, his eyes wide with hate as he glared at the heroes and shouted threats at those above, and oh it was an all-too-familiar figure who loomed above them. "THE META-GRUE!" Darr'Kan looked them in the eye and said with venomous hate, "I will get out of this, and when I do, none of you are safe, you-" and then he screamed in agony as the collar around his neck, the same binding collar that had held the other 'trophies' in place, lit up with an eerie red glow that soon was matched by a mindless glow in his eyes. He roared like a mindless, wounded animal now, his body swelling into something ferocious and multilimbed like a red-skinned serpentine spider as the announcer yelled, "Let the combat - BEGIN!"

Temperance recognizes the other three heroes - the ringbearer, his apprentice, and the reformed villainous psychic well enough. She knows who Medea is. Tonya appears to have been partially transformed into something that looks like certain fantastic depictions of a volvar - an Anglo-Saxon mystic and witch. But Anglo-Saxon lore is almost entirely fictionalized these days, only surviving in the pages of certain arcane tomes and the one great surviving work of Anglo-Saxon poetry - Beowulf. Interestingly, on looking at her file, Temperance will see that she and Tonya share the same birthday. ---- In her investigations after the heroes go their seperate ways (perhaps the most fruitful so far), Temperance will find that Unferth may well _be_ the Unferth of legend - or at least he first appeared after archeological investigations in Denmark in the late 1960s were interrupted by the disappearance of one of the archaeologists and Unferth's own appearance (raiding a jewelry store in Copenhagen) some days later.

I'd be happy to help you with a thread, Rob.

Well, that doesn't tell you anything right now - TT, Electra, need to hear from you here.

The stretch limo was luxurious on the inside, complete with wet bar and accouterments, with the driver's opaque partition rolled up to allow for complete privacy. The heroes found a note inside in a variant of flash paper that crumbled to flameless smoke when they'd all finished reading it - "'Arrive via stealthed teleporter. Big event' promised tonight. 'Grand Barbarian Venatore.' Stay alive and wait for my signal. Remember who the real enemy is. -R" A short drive carried them down a few blocks to what turned out to be another deserted-looking warehouse, albeit one with brightly-glowing security lights outside and a single metal door that hung wide open - the 'glare' from inside the building (which was of no natural light) making it impossible for the heroes to see inside. Once they steeled themselves to step through (still having seen nothing of their chauffeur), they found themselves elsewhere. - "Good, good, you're here!" They were elsewhere, in a metal-lined corridor that ended in a blank wall from which they'd stepped and led out to a broad set of double doors. "I thought you'd never make it!" With her multi-colored hair, sharp professional dress, and flashing eyes, the tall, close-to-middle-aged Eurasian woman who greeted them could have been any one of a thousand of her type. "The crowd's getting restless. We've even got the ET feed running, and the subspace feedback's gonna be like Khania on wheels if we don't get it started in five. New Birds of Prey - Names?" she asked seriously, holding up a clipboard as she studied the four disguised heroes.

"I should introduce you to real drink sometime," Frost opined. "The Buryat of Siberia make drink called Tarasun, whisky brewed entirely from mare's milk! Your Buryat drinks his Tarasun when he needs strength, and when he needs pray to his god. A very sensible people, the Buryat." He nodded at that, rather enjoying the rare spectacle of a pretty woman on his lap as he nodded back to Fleur de Joie. "Holidays can be difficult for those of us denied certain earthly delights. With work in toyshop, of course," he added, tugging at his rubber-banded beard. "But there are ways to get them, for a clever man. Or lady," he added with a wink her way. "Like dancing, for example. I have had some experience with this...but never Charleston with lady so pretty as you."

This week, I am grading finals and finally graduating from college (i.e., being formally hooded for my Ph.D). In order to do so, Electra and I are driving 20 hours without a break, starting at 8 PM tomorrow night. We will then spend time with my parents, then drive another eight hours to the house of Electra's parents, and be there through the holidays. While we will be around, things will also be craaaaazy!

Hi, Elias! Do you have a supername? My mom says I have to wait till I'm 16 before I can have a supername, but I want to be Superstar! That'd be cool. I just got my powers so we have to move out to Freedom City so I could go to Nicholson and my brother can go to Claremont he's just got speed powers like my dad but he's pretty fast I guess. There was a momentary quiet in Elias' head before the eager child's voice went on. Crud I think my mom is listening! This girl didn't seem very fast; Richard wasn't that worried about Will and her after all. Remembering lectures from his wife, he reminded himself that this Mali couldn't help it - she'd probably grown up in a dojo, doing nothing but fighting monsters all day, and never had a chance to see the real world. "Not gonna say that when the 'rents are around, eh? That's okay, I know how it is. Nothing like Mom and Dad to ruin a bodacious time." He fell back, distinctly humming 'Fight For Your Right' as he zipped around the group. Despite his playful manner, he was taking in everything in the seconds between the conversation, his eye not that much less observant than his wife's keen perceptions. At least for visible things...

"It would be difficult for them to do that," replied Steve with his usual frankness. "So we have nothing to fear." Being a tall, muscular man with a scarred face and imposing features, he had been picked up several times by the Freedom City police early in his time in Freedom City. It had been a surprise to learn, from a mortified Lady Liberty, that none of those officers had been aware he was an Omegadrone. "They will come and see us. We will speak and we will eat, and things will be fine." He sat next to her and added, "I have spoken to both Gabriel and Jack about what to say in these situations, and they have given me useful advice," he said reassuringly, wanting to make sure Gina knew that he'd gone to the two most socially-adept men he knew about how to deal with this situation. "Your family will not know there is anything strange about me but what they can see. And they already know that you are their sister. "

"I still don't see why your people need to bother with these silly things anyway," Nina was saying, her Received Pronunciation accent thickening as it usually did when she was excited. "Your friend here wields an ancient magic ring and his woman is some sort of goddess from space! Why not simply announce themselves as champions of justice and let your righteous society crush their enemies for them?" She crossed her arms and gave Mark that look that seemed to ask "Hmmmm?" "Well, then, why doesn't your dad call himself King al-Darsah?" Mark challenged in return. "He calls himself Typhoon all the time! He even makes _you_ call him Typhoon! You can't say it's silly for superheroes to protect their identity and still think it's great your dad goes by his supername all the time!" It was not a new argument with his girlfriend. "Because that is...different. That is because he is a king, and...you are changing the subject!" She looked away and hesitated. "Anyway...we shouldn't talk about politics, we'll spoil your friend's party." "All right." Mark slipped an arm around her waist and said, "Besides, the snake people were at _your_ party last time, so you owe me."

Armored Time Traveler PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 0 + 4 + 6 + 14 + 4 + 6 = 34 PP STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3) INT 24 (+7) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 16 (+3) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16 PP ATK: +4 (+8 Suit Array) DEF: +10 (+3 Dodge Focus, +3 Shield, +4 Base), +2 flat-footed Init: +2 Grapple: +4 Knockback: -5/-3/-1 Saves: 5 + 6 + 6 = 17pp TOU: +10/+7/+3 (+3 Con, +4 Defensive Roll, +3 Force Field) FORT: +8 (+3 Con, +5) REF: +8 (+2 Dex, +6) WILL: +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 60 r = 15PP Bluff 7 (+10) Climb 5 (+5) Computers 3 (+10) Craft [Electronic] 3 (+10, SM) Craft [Mechanical] 3 (+10, SM) Diplomacy 8 (+11) Disguise 0 (+3/+13) Knowledge [History] 3 (+10, SM) Knowledge [Technology] 3 (+10, SM) Languages 2 (Algonquin, English [base], Future English) Medicine 3 (+5) Notice 3 (+5) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Survival 3 (+5) Swim 5 (+5) Feats: 12 PP Benefit (Wealth) Defensive Roll 2 Dodge Focus 3 Eidetic Memory Improvised Tools Inventor Second Chance (Survival checks) Skill Mastery (Craft [Electronic], Craft [Mechanical], Knowledge [History], Knowledge [Technology]) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 49 + 1 + 6 = 56 PP Device 12 (Armor, 60PP, Flaw: Hard to Lose, PF: Restricted [DNA scan]) [49PP] Comprehend 3 (speak, read, and understand any one language at a time) [6DP] Concealment 4 (all visual, Flaw: Passive) [4DP] Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9DP] Morph 2 (any humanoid, PFs: Covers Scent, Precise) [6DP] Movement Array 3 (6PP, PFs: Alternate Powers 3) [9DP] BE: Flight 3 (50 MPH/500 feet per move) {6/6} AP: Burrowing 6 (50 MPH/500 feet per move) {6/6} AP: Swimming 6 (100 MPH/1000 feet per move) {6/6} AP: Super-Movement 0 (Extra: Portal [+2]) {6/6} Suit Array 6 (12 PP, PFs: Accurate 2, Precise, Variable Descriptor 1 [heat/light]) [16DP] BE: Strike 12 {12/12} AP: Blast 12 (Flaw: Distracting) {12/12} Protection 3 [3DP] Shield 3 [3DP] Super-Senses 4 (infravision, radio, ultra-hearing, ultravision) [4DP] Feature 1 (Temporal Inertia) [1PP] Super-Movement 3 (Temporal, any era) [6PP] costs abilities 34 + combat 16 + saves 17 + skills 15/60 + feats 12 + powers 56 = 150 pts ------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Here's my build for a concept that I've been kicking around - the armored time traveler. The idea is that this young man was born with an innate ability to travel in time, an ability that manifested well before he had the power to control it. He spent a terrifying few years bouncing around through the history of Freedom City, ranging from an age when it was an isolated cropping of islands protruding above a Cretaceous sea to a far-distant future where man has long since left the Earth behind, before the heroes of his own era helped the young man learn to stabilize his powers. He became an engineer and scientist, using some of what he'd learned about both the past (like the location of buried treasure!) and the future (glimpses of even a little far-future technology) to become a scholarly businessman and entrepreneur. Still at risk of the occasional involuntary journey, he decided to build something to keep himself safe on his trips - a suit of armor designed more for survival than combat. With his armor, he can get around in the distant past and the far future, disguising himself as a local or just becoming invisible in eras when there are no humans around, and keep himself going until he makes his way back to his own era. His 'weapons' are more survival oriented than anything else, cutting torches and lasers that let him cut down trees and build shelters, or just start fires if he needs to. Gradually, though, as he saw more and more heroes across more and more ages, he decided to become a hero himself! Obviously this build's Super-Movement is potentially a problem in stories. I've gone ahead and given him the full Super-Movement power, but you could certainly justify buying it down with an Uncontrollable or Unreliable flaw. As it is, his inability to just pop back to the immediate past or into the near future "What, and meet myself? Do you know what that does?!?" is best-treated as a Complication, though not one you should abuse! The history of Freedom is pretty wide open, Freedom's 'future' doesn't go much beyond the 26th century, so the far future is yours to play with. As to the source of his power, maybe he's a Clockwatcher raised on Earth, or a parent was - perhaps he's a descendant of 60s groovy bad guy the Tick-Tock Doc? If you don't like the time traveler angle, this build would work just fine as someone with a Dimensional Movement power. The picture is of Eric Bana, who has played both superheroes and time travelers in his film career...

Temperance arrived at the police station around the time that Tonya's mother did; the elder woman not hesitating a moment before embracing her daughter, changed and all. "My baby's come back to me!" While the heroes caught up with each other; teenage mystic and ringbearer, veteran flame-wielder, and experienced psychic, the police pulled up their records for both Unferth and Medea recently. The Danish mercenary known professionally as Unferth had been seen in New York some weeks earlier, but there'd been no sign of him since - similarly, Medea had last been seen by the authorities about the time she'd taken part in Stratos' botched bank robbery some weeks earlier as well. There were no records of the two working together in the past, but that didn't necessarily mean anything given the limited resources the cops had available. The heroes themselves were going to have to take over the investigation. As she thanked the heroes (a little more quietly than her obviously overjoyed mom), Tonya told them seriously, "Find the lady who looks like this." She pointed to herself. "I don't remember anything else, but I remember this lady."

Steve walked over to Gina, his every step a heavy footfall, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Your brother will keep your confidence. You have kept his." While there had been no hiding the truth of Peters Evans' transformation, given just how many heroes and citizens alike had been affected by it, the powerful influence of Miss Americana had done all it could to keep the powerful psychic from being discovered by the media - though of course not from his own family. "We will go in our ignorance together. All I know of your Thanksgiving meals I have learned from the television. I have only eaten this holiday at shelters before." Gina didn't seem to find that terribly comforting, so instead he released her and said, "You should eat a meal," he told her, "and put this from your mind. We will have a fine time with your family, and show them our lives." A thought occurred to him and he asked, "Is your brother racist?"

Richard posed with a big thumbs-up and arm around his boy, then followed as their tour guides led them onto the campus proper. "And just think, son, you get through four years here, and you'll have more education than the last three generations of your family," he said with a chuckle. He zipped away between sentences as Mali was introducing the campus, the effect looking as though he'd suddenly blurred away and back again for a perilous second, before rejoining the group. "Radical campus you've got here, little lady," he opined, peering at Mali with a wink over sunglasses he'd donned 'in the moment.' Once they were all inside the main quad, he looked around and added, "What do you kids around here like to do for fun?" Meanwhile, Errant was just sitting down to meditate when he heard a voice - not in his ears, but in his mind, a clumsy mental 'reach' that his own mental powers told him seemed to be coming from outside the window and down on the quad. The mind touching his didn't feel experienced, and the voice was young - maybe eight or nine. Gradually, though, she seemed to become aware of their tentative link. "Bored bored bored I am so bored! This is so boring! How could anything be so boring? Nobody's even flying around or anything! I wonder if Will wants to kiss this girl, eww! I bet he does, he wants to kiss all the girls. I...hey! Hey, you! Can you hear me? What's your name?"

Once they were inside and the cops were gone. Dr. Stratos gave the heroes the stink-eye. "I suppose you're here to laugh at me. They always laugh at me," he explained irritably, his nasal voice settle into a grumble. "'Sebastian, you're too crazy to run the League anymore.' 'Sebastian, you're ready for the nuthouse.' 'By the moons of Antares, Stratos, you have gone mad!' Please." Stratos sneered, turning his ample nose up at the heroes. "Blackstar thinks he's so smart, fancy Mr. Spaceman, Antares doesn't even have moons! It's a star!" He waved his cuffed hands for emphasis. "Lousy Star Knight washout, bet he got those power bands from the Terminus...anyway, everyone says I'm crazy, just because I suggested we bring in mandatory electrocutions just to make sure nobody's an evil robot from space! I ask you, is it CRAZY to be worried that evil robots from space might come in and replace us? Replace us so that nobody even knows we're gone!"

The car arrived at the appointed hour on the appointed day, signalling itself by a single beep from outside. The black stretch limo looked rather out of place on the streets of Greenbank, the sort of thing that would certainly attract attention from anyone watching their warehouse. From the moment they stepped outside, then they'd be in-character until they reached their destination - one that in theory, after days of training together and new cover identities for, they were now ready for. It was cold and wet when they stepped outside, even for Freedom City in November, perfect for a day spent inside somewhere warm and dry. The locals in the audience would probably be pretty happy - too bad the participants in bloodsports were going to have other things on their minds indeed.

APPROVED

At Revenant's kiss, Comrade Frost actually blushed! It was hard to tell, even this close, but his blue-white cheeks did noticeably pinken for a handful of moments. It did not seem like the Russian ice hero got a lot of kisses these days. But he recovered quickly. "I, er, heh-heh-heh...I suppose I can, my dear, since you are suitably penitent." he said with a wink. "It is not so bad what you have done, you have only danced with wrong younger men!" When he thought about it, Frost realized something unusual at this party- he was by no means the oldest! Given his usual haunts, this was unusual indeed. "Later tonight, I show you finest dancing in all of Russia." The fire flickered again at his words. He cocked an eye at Arcturus and said seriously, "You do not have to kiss me, but it is good to hear your story. It pleases me to see a man who wears the bear even in these warm climes." He made greetings to the others as well, but seemed the most interested in the vampire lady and the bear boy before he raised his head and called, "Ah, Lady Tiamat, our fire grows dim without you!"

Agent Paragon PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 8 + 6 + 8 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 34 pp STR 30/18 (+10/+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 18 (+4) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 16 (+3) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Melee) DEF: +10 (+4 Dodge, +6 Base, +3 flat-footed) Init: +3 Grapple: +14/+25 Knockback: -10/-2 Saves: 3 + 5 + 5 = 13 pp TOU +10/+4 (+4 Con, +6 Protection) FORT +7 (+4 Con, +3) REF +7 (+3 Dex, +5) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 72 r = 18 pp Bluff 12 (+15, SM) Diplomacy 7 (+10) Disable Device 14 (+15, SM) Gather Info 5 (+7) Investigate 4 (+5) Languages 2 (French, German, Base: [English]) Notice 13 (+15, SM) Pilot 7 (+10, SM) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 17 pp Attack Focus: Melee 4 Challenge (Fast Feint) Dodge Focus 4 Improved Crit (Unarmed) Move-By Action Power Attack Second Chance (Disable Device checks) Set-Up Skill Mastery (Bluff, Disable Device, Notice, Pilot) Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 23 + 6 + 10 + 6 = 45 pp Empowerment Array 11 (22 PP, PF: Alternate Power 1) [23PP] BE: Enhanced STR 12 (to STR 30/+10) {12} + Super-Strength 5 (Effective STR 55, Heavy Load: 24 tons) {10} {12+10=22/22} AP: Blast 10 (PFs: Accurate 2) {22/22} Flight 3 (50 MPH/500 feet per move) [6PP] Impervious TOU 10 [10PP] Protection 6 [6PP] costs abilities 34 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 18/72 + feats 17 + powers 45 = 150 pts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Continuing my current theme of paragons, here's an Agent Paragon - a badass secret agent imbued with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! As the picture shows, she's modeled off the Carol Danvers Captain Marvel/Ms. Marvel, a flying brick blaster who's also a great pilot and secret agent. She doesn't have some of the utility powers of some paragons; she can't fly particularly fast or fly in space, but she's a really good fighter and team player, and between her high Charisma and Disable Device can be everything from the "femme fatale"-style spy to the bomb defuser who stops the doomsday device at the last minute and saves the day. Feel free to adjust her skills to give her a particular role on the super-agent team she was probably on before she became, well, Super-Agent! Her Pilot's not that high, despite her Skill Mastery, largely because she hasn't needed to fly airplanes herself much once she learned how to fly! I left her Blast vague; maybe she's a laser blaster? She could be a mutant, or maybe somebody who merged with a Lor artifact or Preserver weapon like the (now-adult!) hero Megastar. Perhaps she went in to defuse one of those doomsday devices, only to find it was interested in empowering people rather than blowing themselves up. As built, she's not still working for her old agency, but she could easily justify a Security Clearance benefit or a Connected/Contacts feat or two if you want to play up her old roots. Maybe she's a government-sponsored patriotic hero, one dealing with the complications such a person would have in the World of Freedom. More immunities could let her be spaceborne, ready to fly out and be part of some alien super-team on Earth's behalf if she has to. (Maybe get a teleporting friend for that one, though!)

The family parked in Visitor Parking in front of the Jasmine Summers Administration Building, Richard all but bursting with energy as he zipped out of the car and took in the scenery. Normally there'd be a lot of new arrivals, but their middle-of-the-semester enrollment for Will meant that the parking lot was mostly deserted - except for the teacher and student who must have been their welcoming committee. Richard took them both in in a flash, and nodded in recognition. They'd met Martha Dugan in their tour of Nicholson, the Claremont vice-president's daughter (who was a little younger than Holly these days) being the powered one in the family. He didn't know the girl with her, but from a look at her muscular build and pretty Asian features, he suddenly had vivid flashbacks of that Crimson Katana 'talk' he'd had with his boy about a year earlier. "Martha, hello!" said the celebrity speedster, zipping up to shake her hand warmly. "Nice to see you again, Richard," said the Vice-Principal with a smile - Mali didn't know the school's administrator that well, but she did know that Martha Dugan was the highest-ranking person at the school who was an actual professional educator. "And you too, Paige. Hello, Holly," she added to the bundled-up girl trailing after the two celebrities. "This is Mali Benjawan, one of our senior students, she's volunteered to help with your family's tour. Mali, this is Paige and Richard Cline, and their son Will."

"We had an abductee found in the woods about an hour ago," reported the officer, eying Temperance warily. Hero-loving or not, everybody was a little tense on this particular night in this area. He told her the story of the strange-looking young woman and how she'd been ranting in a language no one spoke, then been taken back to the station by the heroes Cobalt Templar and Stronghold. "At first it looked like an alien thing, or one of those Grue robot duplicate things, but now they're saying something about it being magic. Station called in a psychic to read her mind, maybe she can tell you something. She didn't look like a monster herself, more like somebody who got worked over by a giant bird, or giant wolf, or something...what kind of monster did you say you were tracking, again?" Once they had the story, the officers directed Temperance to their nearby sub-station.

Comrade Frost A cloud of white smoke poured down the chimney of Freedom Hall, circulated merrily over the fire (which dimmed noticeably) and then reformed on one of the nearby couches - with his white hair, bluish skin and red eyes, free of his usual bulky costume, Comrade Frost looked more like a Norse elf than a human being, though the costume shop beard ruined the occasion a bit. "Greetings, children!" he declared in a raspy voice. "I am Father Christmas! Have you been good little children this year?" he asked with a wink, leaning out of his seat to wave at the heroes elsewhere in the hall. Unlike them, he didn't seem inclined to move far from his seat by the fire, which seemed to be glowing at a rather attenuated level. "Revenant, Arcturus, come keep an old man company, eh?" called the world-famous Russian hero for a moment. "I want to hear stories of how you have been nice this year!"

With his blade extended to the utmost, Caradoc kept pace just behind and to one side of Miss Americana. With long experience in using a polearm, Steve knew that behind was the best means to move in for defense. Not one for chatter in a crisis, Steve kept his own council behind his faceless medieval armor, ready to move to the assistance of the others as necessary. He had no intention of letting his disguise slip in this place; the Baron would hardly greet an Omegadrone rescuer with open arms. And besides, the idea of coming to the Curator's attention again was certainly not something he relished. He thought, a little absurdly, of Gina's sidekick Sharl, now the programmed defender of his electronic community beneath the Arctic ice, and wondered what the program would think of his old enemy resurfacing here. Thinking about the way Gina usually communicated with her protege, Steve decided Perhaps Gina will omit this story from her correspondence.

Paragon PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 10 + 2 + 10 + 0 + 2 + 4 = 28 pp STR 40 [20] (+15/+5) DEX 12 (+1) CON 40 [20] (+15/+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 10 + 10 = 20 pp ATK: +5 DEF: +5 (+2 flat-footed) Init: +1 Grapple: +20-+26 Knockback: -12/-2 Saves: 0 + 4 + 6 = 10 pp TOU +15/+5 (+5 Con, +10 Enhanced Con) [10 Impervious] FORT +15/+5 (+5 Con, +10 Enhanced Con) [10 Impervious] REF +5 (+1 Dex, +4) WILL +7 (+1 Wis, +6) Skills: 24 r=6 pp Craft (Artistic) 8 (+8) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Notice 4 (+5) Sense Motive 4 (+5) Feats: 6 pp Fearless Interpose Leadership Luck Quick Change Takedown Attack Powers: 10 + 1 + 10 + 2 + 10 + 10 + 17 = 80 pp Enhanced CON 20 (to CON 40/+15) [20PP] Enhanced Feats 1 (Ultimate Save [Toughness]) [1PP] Enhanced STR 20 (to STR 40/+15) [20PP] Flight 1 (10 MPH/100 feet per move) [2PP] Immunity 10 (Life Support, Starvation and Thirst) [10PP] Impervious TOU 10 [10PP] Paragon Array 6 (12 pp, PFs: Dynamic, Dynamic Alternate Powers 2) [17PP] DBE: Flight 0-7 (0-1000 MPH/0-10000 feet per move) {1-12} DAP: Quickness 0-6 (0-x100) {6} + Speed 0-6 (0-500 MPH/0-5000 feet per move) {6} {6+6=12/12} DAP: Super-Strength 1-6 (Effective STR 45-70, Heavy Load: 6 tons-360 tons) {1-12} costs abilities 28 + combat 20 + saves 10 + skills 6/24 + feats 6 + powers 80 = 150 pts -------------------------------- Design Notes: Here's the paragon - a nice, straightforward flying brick who can fly faster than a speeding bullet, lift even the heaviest locomotives, bend steel in her bare hands, etc, etc. She's tough and fearless, able to shrug off massive punishment, and has the force of personality to lead her team from the front. I've deliberately built her as bare-bones generic as possible - no Super-Senses, pretty generic skills, and without much in the way of knowledges or languages and the like. (am I planning some specific paragon builds later to model how flexible one of comics' classic archetypes is? Maybe!) She also doesn't have any of those vulnerabilities you hear so much about, which would probably be the easiest way to get more points for her build. One thing she lacks is a headquarters, though at least with her Quick Change she can slip into costume and fly into action as a free action. I figure that yes, she _is_ a mild-mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper, her fantastic writing speed letting her do lots of work and so fill a lot of niches in a declining market. She's got Interpose because every paragon should have Interpose, and she's got Takedown Attack because everybody who's going to fight in melee should have Takedown Attack - especially flying bricks! She can fly in space just fine, but may want to cultivate some Space Travel if she doesn't want to spend her time in near-Earth orbit. Lots of classic paragons out there - the magic girl with the powers of an entire pantheon, the alien and last survivor of her home planet, the super-agent imbued with the powers of a passing alien ally that...OK, Ms. Marvel had a weird backstory, not gonna lie. You could buy up her INT to represent a science-oriented paragon, Comprehend or more languages to represent a recently-arrived alien, and the like. Her powers may be a little bland, but these are characters where it's the backstory and the challenges of being the World's Mightiest Mortal that really matter.