Avenger Assembled

September 30, 2013 Somewhere in Ashton The apartment complex looked like any other in this bedroom community, an anonymous collection of two-story boxes done in a vaguely mid-20th century Spanish style, occupying the edge of the bedroom community in the space that lay between Ashton proper and the industrial loading docks of Greenback. Thanks to Dr. Metropolis's powers, and Daedalus' wealth, nobody much had noticed just how fast the complex had gone up, or who exactly had moved into it. There had been some very special circumstances over a year earlier, when the heroes Wander, Jill O'Cure, Dragonfly, and Harrier brought back the >last survivors of a dying world from the grip of the Terminus. Most of the time, dimensional refugees in Freedom City went to the same place - Freedom League Special Circumstances Housing. But these refugees, such as they were, were very special indeed. Murdock stepped out of the car, the taxi rising off its struts, and looked up at the nearly-anonymous building complex, clouds in a darkening sky overhead showing what promised to be the mother of all rainstorms. He wasn't looking at Circle Ten Apartments, though, or even at the agents waiting inside who he knew worked directly for the Freedom League. Instead he was remembering the last time he'd met the people inside that building. He remembered that day, and how close he had come to losing control, with a fever-hot vividness, and took a moment outside to compose himself. Gabriel was arriving at the same time, by a discreet League teleporter into a nearby side-street rather than by his own very noticeable flight. The news wasn't good - the Terminus prisoners resettled in Freedom City had been found making a secret room inside their apartment complex, marked with strange signs and unknown names, and as the League's expert in religions, he'd been called in to see if this was another Terminus cult alive and well even among people who were supposed to be their guests.

Loose Cannon Psychic PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 0 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 6 = 24 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 14 (+2) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 16 (+3) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20 pp ATK: +4 (+6 Vengeance) DEF: +10 (+4 Dodge Focus, +6 Base, +3 flat-footed) Init: +2 Grapple: +4/+20 w/Move Object Knockback: -5 Saves: 5 + 3 + 9 = 17 pp TOU +10 (+2 Con, +8 Protection) FORT +7 (+2 Con, +5) REF +5 (+2 Dex, +3) WILL +12 (+3 Wis, +9) Skills: 15 pp=60 r Concentration 8 (+11) Diplomacy 7 (+10) Intimidate 12 (+15) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 13 (+15) Language 2 (Greek, Hebrew, Base [English]) Medicine 2 (+5) Notice 7 (+10, SM) Sense Motive 7 (+10) Feats: 10 pp Attack Specialization (Vengeance) Dodge Focus 4 Move-By Action Luck Startle Power Attack Ultimate Save [Will] Powers: 3 + 48 + 8 + 4 = 64 pp Flight 1 (air-walking, 10 MPH/100 fps, PF: Subtle) [3PP] Vengeance Array 16 (32 points; PFs: Alternate Power, Dynamic, Dynamic Alternate Power 6, Variable Descriptor 1 [bludgeoning/piercing/slashing], Subtle) [48PP] DBE: Environmental Control 1-6 (4 points worth of effects [Cold, Hamper Movement (Obstacle Course), Heat, Reduced Visibility (Cracked Pipes/Dimmed Lights/Sandstorm), Wind] in a 5 to 250 ft. radius; Extra: Selective Attack; PF: Precise) {6-31, 1-26 left} AP: Drain WIS 7 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Mind Reading], Mental, Range 2 [Perception]) {21} + Mind Reading 10 (Extras: Linked [Drain WIS], Mental, Penetrating; Flaws: Duration [instant/Lasting]; PF: Subtle) {11} {21+11=32/32} DAP: Damage 1-14 (internal destruction; Extras: Alt Save [Fort], Range [Ranged]) {3-32, 0-29 left} DAP: Blast 1-14 (psionic force; PFs: Indirect, Subtle) {4-28, 4-28 left} DAP: Blast 1-10 (telekinetic storm; Extra: Area [5-50-ft. Burst, General]) {3-30, 2-29 left} DAP: Dazzle 1-10 (explosion, auditory & visual; Extras: Area [5-50-ft. Burst, General]) {3-30, 2-29 left} DAP: Move Object 1-10 ('Dodge this,' Str 5-50, Hvy Load 50 lbs. - 12 tons; Extra: Range [Perception]) {3-30, 2-29 left} DAP: Damage 10 (pyrokinesis; Extra: Range 2 [Perception], PFs: Indirect, Precise) {4-32, 0-28 left} Protection 8 [8 PP] Super-Senses 4 (Danger Sense [mental], Mental Awareness 2, Uncanny Dodge [mental]) [4PP] cost abilities 24 + combat 20 + saves 17 + skills 15/60 + feats 10 + powers 64 = 150 pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: In honor of the forthcoming Carrie remake, here's my build for a loose cannon psychic like Carrie White of Stephen King's Carrie, or the firestarting Charlie McGee of Stephen King's Firestarter...there were other works of similar vintage, but Stephen King wrote the most famous ones! While some psychics are sharp blades like Psylocke or the Blue Fox, or powerhouses like the Scarab, this lady is sheer, raw power: she can whip up a telekinetic storm around herself, start fires just by concentrating, throw heavy objects, or just induce ministrokes by a glance. She can also read minds, but it's a little too refined for her to do without some serious concentration (hence why it's an AP, and not a DAP, of her big array). She could easily wreck a town full of bystanders and PL 3 policemen, and as written might be the most powerful person on Earth >H-Isolate-White. You should kick her up a notch if you want her to be a threat to a PL 10 team, maybe 2 or 3 notches, but I think as written she'd be very challenging to a small team of PL7s if played right. Carrie's story may seem too dark for FCPBP, but OTOH she's probably not that different from how Jean Grey's life would have gone down in a world where she was the only superhero (and if she had psychotically abusive parents). Maybe the superheroes showed up at the last minute and rescued the girl before she could do too much damage to her hometown, and now she's a Claremont student (or perhaps Project Freedom prisoner, depending on just how much bad stuff she did...) looking to escape the trauma of her past and carve out a better life for herself. This version has enough control that maybe she was recruited as a psy-agent out of high school (like an older version of Charlie); perhaps now she's offering guidance to a new generation of young, powerful people to make sure they can avoid the mistakes she did. (Carrie White would turn fifty years old this year...) Given her dangerous powers and the contempt her community held her, in the hero-friendly world of Freedom City she might well be a Terminus Baby.

Divine Weather Controller PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 0 + 0 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 2 = 12 PP STR 10 (+0) DEX 10 (+0) CON 24/14 (+7/+2) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16 PP ATK: +4 (+6 Weather) DEF: +8/+7 (+3 Dodge, +1 Shield, +4 Base, +2 flat-footed) Init: +0 Grapple: +4, +2+16-+20 w/Move Object Knockback: -11/-3/-1 Saves: 3 + 5 + 4 = 12 PP TOU +12/+7/+2 (+2 Con, +5 Force Field, +5 Enhanced Con, [+10 Imp]) FORT +10/+5 (+2 Con, +5 Enhanced Con, +3) REF +5 (+0 Dex, +5) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 40 r = 10 PP Bluff 4 (+5) Concentration 8 (+10) Language 2 (Arabic, English, Swahili [base]) Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 4 (+5) Sleight of Hand 8 (+10) Stealth 8 (+10) Feats: 7 PP Attack Specialization (Weather) Dodge Focus 3 Environmental Adaptation (Stormy Weather) Power Attack Second Chance (Concentration checks) Powers: 45 + 1 + 6 + 5 + 2 + 34 = 94 PP Device 11 (Divine Weapon, Flaw: Hard to Lose, PF: Restricted [Those Worthy]) [45PP] Divinely Enhanced Weather Control 4 (+8 points; PFs: DAP 3 [Obscure, Selective Environmental Control, Stun]) [14DP] Enhanced Constitution 10 (to 24/+7) [10DP] Impervious TOU 10 [10DP] Shield 1 [1DP] Strike 14 (PF: Takedown Attack) [15DP] 10 + 14 + 10 + 1 + 15 = 55/55 Feature 1 (Weather Sense) [1PP] Flight 3 (50 MPH/500 fpm) [6PP] Force Field 5 [5PP] Immunity 2 (environmental cold, heat) [2PP] Weather Control 12 (24 PP, PFs: Dynamic, Dynamic Alternate Powers 4, Variable Descriptor 1 [any weather]) [34PP] DBE: Environmental Control 1-6 (4 points worth of effects [Cold, Hamper Movement (icy/wet surfaces), Heat, Light [ball lightning], Reduced Visibility (rain/sleet/snow), Wind] in a 5 to 250 ft. radius) {4-24, 0-20 left} DAP: Blast 1-8 (lightning or other weather; PFs: Indirect 2) {4-18, 6-20 left} DAP: Blast 1-7 (mini-blizzard or other weather; Extra: Area [5-35-ft. Burst, General]) {3-21, 3-21 left} DAP: Dazzle 1-7 (thunderstroke or other weather, auditory & visual; Extras: Area [5-35-ft. Burst, General]) {3-21, 3-21 left} DAP: Move Object 1-8 ('Air Control,' Str 5-40, Hvy Load 50 lbs. - 3 tons; Extra: Range [Perception]) {3-24, 0-21 left} costs abilities 12 + combat 16 + saves 12 + skills 10/40 + feats 7 + powers 94 = 150 pts ------------------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Born in East Africa, her weather-manipulating powers made her first a local celebrity, then a hero. She defended her community, and those around it, from terrorists, criminals, and poachers while at the same time helping keep the crops growing in the middle of a desert community. But she knew there was bigger game out there; bigger problems, bigger villains, and bigger heroes. She got her chance to enter that world when she found a greatclub outside her small town, a mighty weapon lodged in the ground as if fallen from the sky. When she hefted the weapon, it turned out to be the greatclub of Mulungu, skyfather of the Kikuyu and other East African pantheons. Empowered by divine energies as well as her own mutant heritage, now she defends her homeland from enemies great and small. Yes, it's Storm wielding Thor's hammer! She's a very effective weather controller who becomes a mighty powerhouse when carrying her divine weapon, able to hurl mighty lightning bolts, summon tremendous storms and divide and conquer her foes by manipulating the environment around them - she can also just pull back and hit them with massive blows! I've given her an East African theme, but you could easily make this a weather controller wielding the weapon of any storm god - one natural angle might be to have her carrying the symbol of a divine parent, having inherited some portion of their power, and trying to solve the challenge of living in both worlds. Interesting fact, if you like the African theme; Set of Egypt was their god of storms...

All right, this has gone on for a fair bit already - Edge is out of HP, Boreas is Inspired, the monster is bound and helpless - give him your all, Boreas!

Inspired by Boreas' choice of tactics against the brobdingnagian bad guy, Edge concentrated and pushed, sending rivers of ice crawling up the flanks of the volcanic giant, slowing its approach and sending Magmar into a howl. Vulnerable to the cold, the creature was in a rough state now! The big giant was in a perilous position now, pinned down by the feet by a much smaller target, and in a good position to be shoved over backwards. "Okay, Boreas!" he yelled, "I think I've got him on the ropes! Go ahead and hit him with your best shot!" Mark was a little nervous; he didn't know Boreas that well and they were in a bit of a rough situation, but he was supremely confident they'd come through the fight all right - if he didn't fry first! It really was very hot down there by the volcano.

"Feh, I represent Mother Russia honestly and forthrightly, what more could a diplomat do, eh?" Frost laughed and clapped Bombardier on the back, then turned to Wendy Go. He looked the monster girl in the eye and remembered other young people, in long-gone places and times, fighting for their people because it was that or live as what they were. "Ah, privet! It is pleasure to meet another fine member of True North, my dear," he said with a paternal wink in her direction. He didn't offer to shake hands, even with gloves on, some people just didn't like it. As for the other member of the group, he was used to people in the modern age towering over him, but few did so quite as much as the mighty Canadian Shield did. He looked up at the giantess, remembering occasions he'd seen her manipulating volcanic power, and for a moment let his mind wander. "And hello as well, Canadian Shield. Ever on guard, eh?" He looked around and shrugged. "So, what affairs lie below?"

Mystic Knight PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 8 + 6 + 8 + 0 + 4 + 8 = 34 pp STR 18 (+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 18 (+4) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Melee) DEF: +10 (+4 Dodge, +6 Base, +3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +14 Knockback: -8/-2 Saves: 4 + 5 + 6 = 15 pp TOU +10 (+4 Con, +6 Protection [6 Impervious]) FORT +8 (+4 Con, +4) REF +8 (+3 Dex, +5) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 80 r = 20 pp Climb 6 (+10) Diplomacy 11 (+15, SM) Intimidate 11 (+15, SM) Knowledge [Arcane Lore] 5 (+5) Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy]) 10 (+10, SM) Languages 3 (Arabic, English, Latin, Base: Celtic) Notice 8 (+10) Ride 12 (+15, SM) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Survival 3 (+5) Swim 6 (+10) Feats: 32 pp Accurate Attack All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Defensive Attack Dodge Focus 4 Fearless Improved Disarm Improved Initiative Minions 5 [Pegasus] (Extra: Heroic) Power Attack Quick Draw [draw] Skill Mastery (Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge [theology and philosophy], Ride) Startle Takedown Attack 2 Ultimate Skill (Diplomacy) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 25 pp Device 2 (Magic Sword, Flaw: Easy to Lose, PF: Restricted [those pure of heart]) [7PP] Strike 6 (PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Crit, Mighty) {10/10} Device 4 (Magic Armor, Flaw: Hard to Lose, PF: Restricted [those pure of heart]) [17PP] Immunity 8 (disease, environmental cold, heat, poison, sleep, starvation and thirst, suffocation, Flaw: Limited [Half-Effect]) {4/4} Protection 6 (Extra: Impervious 6) {12/12} Super-Senses 3 (Detect Evil [2] visual, Enhancement: Analytical) {3} Super-Senses 1 (Communications Link (Pegasus [mental]) [1PP] Minion: Pegasus abilities 34 + combat 24 + saves 15 + skills 20/80 + feats 32 + powers 25 = 150 pts ===================================================================================== Design Notes: Just as there have been plenty of Camelots in our fiction, there have been plenty of versions of this character - the armored knight on the flying horse, ambassador of truth and justice from a long-gone past. I've built this version as something of a Wonder Woman expy - a fearless warrior who is a skilled fighter and experienced adventurer even without her magic sword and magic armor. Her sword lets her cut unholy spectres in half, her armor lets her shrug off small arms fire and detect infernalists and wicked demons. She's scary enough to make an infernalist flinch, but diplomatic enough to talk down a dragon. And charismatic enough to be the life of the party with flagon in hand! Her flying horse makes her mobile enough to do just fine in a big super-battle. Lots of Complications for a build like this, depending on whether she's from a Romano-Celtic Camelot clinging desperately to civilization as the Dark Ages close in, a Medieval Fantasy Catholic Morte d'Arthur style society, or a Grant Morrison-style Celtic-infused Camelot. A knightly code of honor would very much be applicable whatever her origins, and whether she came here by being frozen in a block of ice (alongside her trusty steed!) or traveling through a fae spaceship from the far future (sure, Grant Morrison, sure). Not being a big fan of dog-Celtism, I like the idea of drawing more heavily from the 'original' Arthurian stories and giving her origin a medieval fantasy flare. Green Ronin's own Medieval Player's Guide might be worth consulting here!

Power Thief Paragon PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 4 + 0 + 6 + 0 + 4 + 6 = 20 pp STR 30 [14] (+10/+2) DEX 10 (+0) CON 16 (+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 16 (+3) Combat: 12 + 8 = 20 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed/+14 Mimic) DEF: +10 (+6 Dodge Focus, +2 Base, +2 Flat-Footed) Init: +0 Grapple: +16-+19 Knobkack: -8/-1 Saves: 5 + 5 + 6 = 16 pp TOU +10/+3 (+3 Con, +7 Protection [+6 Imp]) FORT +8 (+3 Con, +5) REF +5 (+0 Dex, +5) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 28 r=7 pp Bluff 3 (+6/+10) Gather Info 4 (+7) Intimidate 7 (+10) Language 1 (English [base], Russian) Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 6 (+8) Feats: 11 pp Attack Specialization [unarmed] 2, Attractive, Dodge Focus 6, Takedown Attack, Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 35 + 30 + 7 = 73 pp Container 7 (Power Thief, PFs: Accurate 4, Power Attack) [35PP] Mimic 6 (all powers, Extra: Linked [stun], Flaw: Tainted) {18/18} + Stun 6 (Extra: Linked [Mimic]) {12/12} = [30/30] Container 6 (Paragon Powers) [30PP] Enhanced STR 16 (to STR 30/+10) {16} Impervious TOU 6 {6} Paragon Array 6 (6PP, PFs: Dynamic, Dynamic Alternate Power) {9} DBE: Flight 0-3 (0-50 MPH/500 fpm) {6/6} DAP: Super-Strength 0-3 (Effective STR 30-45, Heavy Load: 1.5-6 tons) {6/6} Protection 7 [7 pp] costs abilities 20 + combat 20 + saves 16 + skills 7/28 + feats 11 + powers 73 = 150 pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Here's my build for Rogue, a power-stealer who has acquired paragon powers through mostly legitimate means. Yes, I grew up with the 90s animated X-Men, so I think of Rogue as the team's flying brick with a helpful additional power that kicks in when the team really needs it. She can fly fast and is bulletproof, at least if no one's packing anything bigger than a handgun. She's also strong enough to be a secondary brick, though probably not as strong as that Russian powerhouse her team has recruited! Her Mimic power has a linked Stun effect, forcing anyone whose power she copies to make a save against being dazed or stunned. She doesn't have the Aura effect that some Rogue conversions do; just treat her powers as an Uncontrolled complication that makes it very difficult for her to live a normal life. She has 30 pp to play with once she's successfully executed a Mimic, which just happens to be the exact same size as her Paragon Power container! What an interesting coincidence. (i.e., yes, she permanently imprinted those abilities on herself) Rogue's origin is probably a bit too dark for a PC on our site, but there's no reason she couldn't have gotten her powers from a villain - from Ultimen to rogue Grue, from Ubersoldaten to DNAscendents, there are plenty of bad guy paragons whose powers she could have stolen. Maybe that bad guy is in a coma, and a source of heavy guilt from the effects of a power overused to save a life, or maybe that bad guy is out for revenge! Or you could, I suppose, say a hero died as a result of using her powers - perhaps a mortally wounded teammate passed on her abilities to the team mimic, now giving her two heroic legacies to fight for!

Divine Teleporter PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 4 + 6 + 6 + 0 + 4 + 6 = 26PP STR: 14 (+2) DEX: 22/16 (+6/+3) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 26/16 (+8/+3) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP ATK: +6 (+8 Expeditious Array) DEF: +12 (+6 Dodge, +3 Base), +3 flat-footed Init: +6/+3 Grapple: +8 Knockback: -4 Saves: 2 + 5 + 6 = pp TOU: +8 (+3 Con, +5 Protection) FORT: +5 (+3 Con, +2) REF: +11/+8 (+3 Dex, +3 Enhanced Dex, +5) WILL: +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 48 r = 12 PP Acrobatics 12 (+15/+18, SM) Concentration 4 (+6) Diplomacy 8 (+10/+16, SM) Intimidate 8 (+10/+16, SM) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 10 (+10, SM) Notice 3 (+5) Sense Motive 3 (+5) Feats: 14PP Acrobatic Bluff Attack Specialization: Expeditious Powers Challenge 2 (Combat Diplomacy, Fast Acrobatic Bluff) Dodge Focus 6 Evasion Power Attack Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy]) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 10 + 6 + 26 + 5 + 14 = 62PP Enhanced Charisma 10 (to CHA 26/+8) [10PP] Enhanced Dexterity 6 (to DEX 22/+6) [6PP] Expeditious Array 12 (24 PP, PFs: Alternate Powers 2) [26PP] BE: Blast 12 {24/24} AP: Dazzle 12 (visual) {24/24} AP: Strike 12 (PFs: Critical Strike [demons], Extended Reach [5 feet], Improved Trip, Takedown Attack 2, Variable Descriptor 2 [any holy]) {21/24} Protection 5 [5PP] Teleport 4 (400 ft/1 mile) (Extra: Accurate, PFs: Easy, Turnabout) [14PP] costs abilities 26 + combat 24 + saves 13 + skills 12/48 + feats 14 + powers 61 = 150 pts ------------------------- Design Notes: Sometimes a vehicle for talking about faith in a superhero universe, sometimes used as a vehicle for cheap storytelling (exploding Communion wafers, yeah, that makes sense), the religious faith of Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, has always been something that set him apart from his fellow X-Men. I got to thinking about what a holy teleporter would look like, and came up with this fellow, inspired by Nightcrawler, his AU daughter Nocturne, and St. Expeditus of the Roman Catholic Church. This fellow can BAMF around from place to place in a puff of sweet-smelling incense, traveling through a dimension of blazing white holy fire that he can then manipulate - he can fire blasts to smite the wicked, blind them, or just pull out a heavenly sword and go to town fighting bad guys! His powers also make him faster and more agile, and give him a near supernatural charisma when dealing with other people. Mechanically this guy doesn't have Nightcrawler's ready wit; while a personable enough guy, he's more likely to try and play peacemaker than go in quipping. He's probably much more like Movie!Nightcrawler than the comic book version. St. Expeditus is a big player in syncretic religions like Voodoo and others in Africa and Asia, so if he is an embodiment of that Catholic saint turned voodoo god, this guy might be the native hero of New Orleans, Reunion Island, or some place more exotic than Kurt's weirdly peasant-raddled Germany. It's up to you whether or not this fellow's teleportation powers directly are associated with his divine abilities or not; perhaps he's an angel come to Earth, perhaps a short-range teleporter died and came back with powers tied to the Paradise that awaits us all.

Mystic Giant Abilities: 4 + 6 + 6 + 0 + 10 + 0 = 26 pp STR 30/14 (+10/+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 24/16 (+7/+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 20 (+5) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 16 + 16 = 32 pp ATK: +8 (+10 w/Magic) [+6 [+8 w/Magic] w/Growth] DEF: +9 (+1 Dodge, +8 Base, +4 flat-footed) [+7 (+3 flat-footed) w/Growth]) Init: +3 Grapple: +10, +24 Knockback: -11/-9/-1 Saves: 0 + 2 + 2 = 4 pp TOU: +13/+9/+3 (+3 Con, +4 Growth, +6 Force Field [+4 Impervious [Aura], +6 Impervious [Force Field]) FORT: +7 (3 Con, +4 Growth) REF: +5 (+3 Dex, +2) WILL: +7 (+5 Wis, +2) Skills: 44 r = 11 PP Concentration 5 (+10) Intimidate 10 (+10/+14) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 10 (+10) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 5 (+5) Languages 4 (English, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Old Norse [base]) Notice 5 (+10) Sense Motive 5 (+10) Stealth 0 (+3/-5) Feats: 6 PP Attack Specialization [Magic] Dodge Focus Second Chance (Concentration checks) Power Attack Ritualist Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 5 + 25 + 6 + 29 + 3 = 68 PP Force Field 6 (Extra: Impervious; Flaw: Limited [Dodge Bonus]; Drawback: Power Loss [when unable to speak or gesture to cast spells]) [5PP] Growth 8 (Extra: Duration [Default] (+0), PF: Innate) (Huge size) [25PP] (-2 ATK/DEF, +8 Grapple, -8 Stealth, +4 Intimidate, 16 ft tall, 4K-32K lbs, 15 ft space, 10 ft reach, x2 carrying capacity [Effective STR 40, Heavy Load: 3 tons]) Immunity 6 (Aging, Fire Damage) [6PP] Magic 12 (24 points; PFs: Dynamic, Dynamic Alternate Powers 2) [29PP] DBE: Damage Aura 1-2 (Extras: Linked [impervious Toughness], Penetrating, Secondary Effect) {6-12} + Impervious Toughness 1-4 (Extras: Duration [sustained], Linked [Damage Aura]) {1-4} {12+4=16/24} DAP: Damage 1-12 (fiery breath, Extras: Area [Targeted, Shapeable], Penetrating 4) {2-24/24} DAP: Teleport 7 (fiery step, 700 feet/200 miles; Extra: Accurate; PFs: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Turnabout) {24/24} Super-Senses 3 (Detect Magic 3 [visual]) [3PP] costs abilities 26 + combat 32 + saves 5 + skills 11/44 + feats 7 + powers 68 = 150 pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: This build has been tugging at me since I first saw the above picture of the Scarlet Witch looming over her fellow heroes - a mystic character who just happens to be huuuge! Dividing her specialities does mean she's not as good a powerhouse as a real powerhouse, or as good a mystic as a real mystic, but as it is she's an interesting character with a lot of options. I've built this particular heroine as a daughter of Surtr, king of the fire giants of ancient Norse legend, one who has mastered her innately fiery nature and begun learning magical skills beyond that of her siblings. She can set herself on fire, hurl bolts of fire at her enemies, or take fiery steps that transport her hundreds of miles at one go! Perhaps her scholarly nature has driven her to walk the world of men for more knowledge; or perhaps she was left a foundling on Earth rather than growing up in Muspelheim, and is looking for a way to better understand and bring both worlds together. She's an OK blaster, but can easily benefit from using her formidable size to grapple smaller, weaker foes and set them on fire. As mentioned above, I get around the problem Growth causes with caps by just assuming her decreased Magic ranks at Medium-sized are a Complication. Note that her size is her default form; she can make herself medium-sized as a free action. This requires some concentration, which means she can't do it while stunned (unless she passes a Concentration check), unconscious, or asleep, . If she's going to spend a lot of time on Earth, she'd better find a place that can accommodate somebody sixteen feet tall! Note that if dropped in a magic-nullifying field, she's PL 8 offensively and PL 7 defensively, so she's pretty good to have on your magic team! If your headquarters has high roofs, anyway. She could easily have ice powers if you want to make her a daughter of Jotunheim, or something else entirely; there are a lot of giants out there in mythology!

Edge: >Reunion and Waffles >Black Rainbow >Vengeance from the Grave Harrier: >Hell Comes to Missouri Comrade Frost: >Bricks of Babylon >Leaves in the Wind GMing: >Both Alike in Dignity >When a Tornado Meets a Volcano ----------------------- Wander: >Black Rainbow >Vengeance from the Grave >Both Alike in Dignity Fleur de Joie: >Leaves in the Wind Miss Americana: >Hell Comes to Missouri

"I invited him," hissed Runs-With with what might have been an embarrassed face, rooting through an upturned clothes bin as she talked. Thinks-and-Eats scuttled over to help, reaching down with clawed limbs to help re-assemble her battered outfit. "I thought we could talk and I could explain why he would not be fertilizing my eggs as long as he wore the Orthodox robes, but instead it turned to this madness!" She snapped at her fallen ex-boyfriend, who had by now rolled onto his back to expose his belly in complete submission to the angry Commander. "I would have fought you fairly," she said as she pulled on a helmet with a faint ruffled line of feathers down the middle, something that had been a serious source of argument between mother and daughter, "but bringing the Deliverer into this was...what, did you think I would just bend over for you?" "I, I..." On his back, exposed in more ways than one, the fallen raptor shook his head. "No! No, I swear before the Deliverer and the First Tribe, I came only to talk! It was the Cleric who pressed the argument! He insisted on coming when he heard where I was going, and it all just spun out of control, I...he said he had found a secret! A secret to prove that the Deliverer was real! As real as any...mammal on two legs," he added, looking abjectly at the humans (and Willow). With a look of disgust, the Commander stepped back, allowing the boy to his feet. "Feh. They egg-rot the brains of our young males. You see how it is. The bald one is right to suggest a fate for you better than devouring. Perhaps you would benefit from a few years shoveling hadrosaur dung, until you can learn what stinks and what does not." "It is YOU who stinkssss!" hissed the Cleric, evidently the raptor who had been hurled from the building earlier. Bleeding from glass cuts and limping on a broken leg, he was no threat, but his eyes burned with hate. "In our temple, we have found the gateway to the First World before the Cataclysm, the world taken from us by THEM!" He gave the humans a venomous glare. "It is no accident that the First World is ruled by damned dirty apes! We have seen their films; how a million of their years ago their ancestors drove us from our world! Only the Deliverer brought us salvation from the doom that THEY brought to us! We will take back what is ours, and there is nothing you can do to stop us!"

Eventually, a figure at once familiar and unfamiliar was dragged out from the shadows behind the fallen throne - proof positive that there was some magic behind there because no normal darkness should have been able to fool the senses of people like Midnight and Wander. Stripped of his armor, Typhoon the world-threatening juggernaut looked like just a man. Black hair and mustache had long since turned white, and his face was lined with age - but his eyes burned with intensity as he took in his divine accusers. Even without his armor, he was potentially a juggernaut even in a place like this, but didn't struggle against the iron chains on his wrist. His 'guards' were shadowy black humanoid forms that rippled like living ink blots, one of whom who formed himself into the image of a man - another man in traditional Arabian dress, but cast in black and white with black outlines almost in two dimensions, like looking at a living picture. He sneered at the heroes. "I, Al-Qaum, have the evidence! It was I and my shadow-selves who witnessed foul al-Darsah enter this very throne room and rip the heart of our king from his body!" He slammed two inky fists together, then formed one into a writhing mass of bladed tentacles. "I say we give him the eternal punishment he has so long deserved. "Al-Qaum is god of war and night," their ifreet guide was explaining to an uncomfortable-looking Mark, who was himself standing by a razor-tense Nina al-Darsah. She wasn't fool enough to start trouble here, "He is 'the people'. Once he was one among many, but now he is many among many. War and darkness remain even in the lands of our spawning even after those days. His power has been a great sustenance to us since the Prophet's Sundering." Sure enough, on closer inspection, many of the shadows in the torch-lit room seemed to move with their own special intent, as if the darkness itself was alive and watching them.

Oh God, maybe Quo-Dis is pregnant after all! That's why he's so weird and why he's so distracted...and why she isn't here! He did the math, trying to remember how long it had been since he'd seen his friend's alien girlfriend. Visions of Quo-Dis sitting on an egg somewhere, Martian-style, popped into his head and clung there with tentacles of speculation. "Sure, man, sure. You know your friends are always here for you, whatever's going on." He patted Corbin reassuringly on one giant bicep, picturing the moment of the big reveal. Man, maybe I should call the others, see where they are. Deciding that was an excellent idea, he excused himself to make a quick cell call, leaving Nina alone with Corbin for a moment. Having either discreetly missed or simply ignored the emotional moment, Nina gave Corbin a baffled look. "What the devil are chicken fingers?"

Frost jumped slightly at Fleur's words, the Russian speaker putting two and two together and sensing that trademark Canadian humor at work. Not being one to judge, he opted not to share his insight - if Daniel Storm trusted a ghoul of the frozen north as a member of his team, Comrade Frost had learned through decades of experience that said being could be trusted with the world. Speaking of, I should look into that ghost girl I've heard so much about. There are not so many of us with no life in us but ice and cold these days. "I...erm, no, I have no more business. We should move quickly," he said, rising to his feet and pulling his white cloth gloves back to his wrists like a surgeon snapping on latex. "Border crisis or elsewise, True North does not call for aid for any small matter, and neither do Igneans. This is grave matter." He gave Fleur a slightly wary look, but by now he knew the American plant manipulator and he were at least willing to get along before the others.

Cyborg Illusionist Abilities: 4 + 0 + 4 + 4 + 0 + 6 = 18PP STR: 24/14 (+7/+2) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 24/14 (+7/+2) INT: 14 (+2) WIS: 10 (+0) CHA: 16 (+6) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP ATK: +4 (+7 Melee/+10 Illusion) DEF: +10 (+3 Dodge, +3 Shield, +4 Base, +2 flat-footed) Grapple: +15 Init: +0 Knockback: -7/-1 Saves: 0 + 5 + 7 = 12PP TOU: +10/+7/+2 (+2 Con, +5 Enhanced Con, +3 Protection) FORT: +7/+2 (+2 Con, +5 Enhanced Con) REF: +5 (+0 Dex, +5) WILL: +7 (+0 Wis, +7) Skills: 52 r = 13PP Bluff 7 (+10, SM) Concentration 5 (+5) Craft (Electronic) 3 (+5) Craft (Mechanical) 3 (+5) Diplomacy 7 (+10, SM) Gather Info 7 (+10, SM) Intimidate 7 (+10, SM) Knowledge (Technology) 3 (+5) Notice 5 (+5) Sense Motive 5 (+5) Feats: 12PP Attack Focus (Melee) 3 Challenge (Fast Taunt) Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 3 Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Info, Intimidate) Takedown Attack Taunt Well-Informed Powers: 1 + 10 + 10 + 34 + 5 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 2 = 79PP Datalink 1 (10 feet, radio) [1PP] Enhanced CON 10 (to CON 24/+7) [10PP] Enhanced STR 10 (to STR 24/+7) [10PP] Illusion Array 16.5 (33 PP, PF: Alternate Powers 1) [34PP] BE: Illusion 10 (Flaw: Phantasm, PFs: Precise, Progression 2 [25 by 25 ft]) {33/33} AP: Blast 10 (Extra: Alternate Save [Will], PFs: Accurate 3) {33/33} Impervious TOU 5 [5PP] Leaping 1 (x2; running long jump 26 feet, standing long jump 13 feet, high jump 6 feet) [1PP] Protection 3 [3PP] Shield 3 [3PP] Speed 1 (10 MPH / 100 feet per Move action) [1PP] Super-Senses 4 (infravision, radio, ultra-hearing, ultravision) [4PP] Super-Senses 5 (Illusion Awareness 1 [mental, Enhancements: Acute, Radius, Ranged], Uncanny Dodge [mental]) [5PP] Super-Strength 1 (Effective STR 29, Heavy Load 1500 lbs) [2PP] 18 + 16 + 12 + 13 + 12 + 79 = 150/150 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Here's Facade, one of my favorite characters from the Algernon Files Superlink supplement. Facade is an antagonist in the game, a member of the villain team the Black Knights. She used to be a heroine called Spellbinder before she realized she'd been lying to herself about what she really wanted (to screw with people rather than save them, and to use her fame to get rich) and switched sides right in the middle of a major superbattle. (The Black Knights were as surprised as anyone else!) Facade's former teammates took her defection quite badly, and one particular loose cannon who evidently had his own problems with heroic virtue injured her severely before the Black Knights made their escape with her along with them. Grateful for the help, the Knights repaired Facade's injuries with cybernetic upgrades, transforming her into a cyborg with significant psychic abilities, and together they rejoined their new career. (She's a very serious threat in-game, her PL 13 Illusions and mental powers making her among the most powerful members of her new team) I've tried to build Facade as basically as a merger of the Cyborg and Illusionist archetypes, taking advantage of Trollthumper's Ravnos build to make a streamlined, but still powerful Illusion array. She can project powerful illusions to fool any human eye, she can hurl illusionary bolts of fire or electricity (or pull out a gun) and has enough in her array to pull off some interesting tricks. I built her cybernetic implants with the idea that she has metal-reinforced bones and muscles and is tough enough to be invulnerable fighting normal people in hand-to-hand combat; with her super-senses, she's a pocket Steve Austin, with some formidable abilities on the side. She works just fine as a potential threat in-game with her background intact, making her a particularly odious bad guy. Her background works just fine for a hero if you flip her Face Heel Turn and say she's a villain who switched sides to the heroes in the middle of the battle, and the Freedom League repaired her injuries as best they could in gratitude for her coming to their assistance. Or you could ditch all that and even go the other way - maybe she was a cyborg whose implants triggered an eruption of mental power, and now she's balancing the science she knows so well with the power of the unleashed mind...

"I have worked with Shield and Bombardier before, in incident where Tuurngag merged with great Inuit god Tekkeitsertok and laid waste to Arctic. Feh, what a cold one that was, thank goodness for all the fires." He shivered a little at the memory. "Shield is interesting lady. Of Ignean and human stock, which must have required..." He made a little circle in the air, looking briefly baffled, before he went on, "Anyway, has geokinetic powers of Igneous people and connection to family still below. She surely will know something of their affairs in matter at hand. Bombardier is fine fellow, very...robust, in that Canadian way. You know the type, I am sure. Wendy Go is new member. Say, I wonder...no, surely not." He folded his hands, remembering his own encounters with the Igneous people. With a memory that stretched back to the 1930s, the Soviet encounter with the Russian Igneans in the 1970s was practically a stone's throw away for his frozen mind. "Igneans are...smart for people with rocks in their heads, heh-heh-heh. We made treaty with them after we helped with Chernobog problem and has been good ever since. We have ores they do not, and refined goods, but for the most part they are happy living in their rocks and shaping them as they see fit. Government is a bit like old capitalist merchant city of Venice, guilds and noble houses competing in council elections. Not as bloody as old times, though, not generally. They are too...ossified for that, or for much changing of minds. All are zemlya, er, earth manipulators, like Gaian Knight, though none nearly so powerful. It is skill and talent for them like any other, not what we would think of as superpower, aah..." He scratched his chin, and admitted, "It is not good they call us, or True North, for that matter. Igneans prefer to handle own problems, even in time of crisis."

"Wait a minute, that Faith you told me about?" Nina was standing up and giving Mark a look - that look that said he might hear about this later. Nina's upbringing meant that, between one thing and another, Mark was her first real boyfriend. 'Real boyfriend', anyway, and remembering the last time they'd had that conversation gave Mark headache enough that he shook his head, waving off the argument before he could get into it. "No, that's not..." Mark gave Corbin a frankly skeptical look. "Are you a robot? Or some kind of Grue with a power ring? Because I know what people are like, Corbin, and you are not acting right. And I am sorry if I am ruining your party, because I really want some waffles and they smell really good...and I want ice cream with mine. But I let something bad take the place of one of my friends before. Never again." The gentlest of souls, Mark did not like making accusations, but he meant every word as he looked up, and up, at the giant Corbin.

DC 20 Arcane Lore! DC 20 Theology and Philosophy! History: 18

That's the trick, yes.

DC 30 Bluff check! Social combat! Reveal your secrets, Corbin Hughes! Why are you acting like a crazy man!?!

Mark blinked and stared at Corbin, something like suspicion dawning in his friendly eyes. Mark was a trusting soul who'd gladly have poured his heart out to anybody, especially a friend like Corbin, but something was wrong here, very wrong. Unbidden thoughts of shapeshifted Grue and robotic infiltrators entered his mind, not to mention the dizzying array of twisted doubles from universes only a vibrational step away. "Yeah, I heard about what you went through with Faith and the others on the team," he said carefully, looking at Corbin for a reaction. "It can be tough sometimes when people aren't what they seem to be." "PB, what is...oh, really?" Nina wrinkled her pretty face. "I can't believe you Americans are so obsessed with ground nut oils," said Nina, mostly good-naturedly. "You should try some mint and olive oil on it, and some yogurt..." She looked up at the men, her eyes narrowing at the suspicious look Mark was giving Corbin.

Size-Changing Gadgeteer PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 10 + 0 + 10 + 10 + 4 + 2 = 36 pp STR 40/20 (+15/+5) DEX 10 (+0) CON 30/20 (+10/+5) INT 20 (+5) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24 pp ATK: +6 (+7 melee) (+4/+5 Melee w/Growth; +14/+15 Melee w/Shrinking) DEF: +7 (+1 Dodge, +6 Base, +3 flat-footed) (+5 (+2 flat-footed) w/Growth; +15 (+7 flat-footed) w/Shrinking) Init: +0 Grapple: +12 - +28 w/Growth - +0 w/Shrinking Knockback: -2 - -20 w/Growth - +5 w/Shrinking Saves: 0 + 5 + 5 = 10 pp TOU +15/+5 (+5 Con, +1 Enhanced Con, +5 Protection, +4 Con from Growth) FORT +10/+10/+5 (+5 Con, +1 Enhanced Con, +4 Growth/+6 Shrinking) REF +15/+5 (+0 Dex, +5, +10 Shrinking) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 60 r=15 pp Concentration 8 (+10) Craft (Electronic) 5 (+10, SM) Craft (Mechanical) 5 (+10, SM) Disable Device 8 (+13, SM) Intimidate 0 (+1/+5 w/Growth/-9 w/Growth) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 5 (+10, SM) Knowledge (Technology) 5 (+10) Medicine 5 (+7) Notice 3 (+5) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 8 (+8/+0 w/Growth/+28 w/Shrinking) Feats: 12 pp Attack Focus (Melee) 1 Dodge Focus 1 Fearless Hide in Plain Sight Inventor Power Attack Second Chance 2 (Concentration checks, Disable Device checks) Skill Mastery (Craft [Electronic], Craft [Mechanical], Disable Device, Knowledge [Physical Sciences]) Takedown Attack Ultimate Skill (Concentration) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 1 + 49 + 1 = 51PP Feature 1 (Deep Pockets) [1PP] Size Changing Array 25 (50 PP, PF: Alternate Power 1, Drawback 2 [Full Power, -2]) [49PP] BE: Giant Form 10 (50 PP Container) {50/50} Enhanced CON 2 (to CON 30/+10) [2] + Enhanced STR 4 (to STR 40/+15) [4] + Growth 8 [24] + Impervious TOU 10 (Flaw: Limited [Physical Only]) [5] + Protection 5 [5] + Super-Strength 5 (Effective STR 75 w/Growth; Heavy Load: 360 tons) [10] {2+4+24+5+5+10=50/50} AP: Tiny Form 10 (50PP Container) {50/50} Enhanced Fortitude Save 5 (to +10) {5} + Enhanced Reflex Save 10 (to +15) (PFs: Evasion 2) {12} + Flight 3 (50 MPH/500 fpm) {6} + Immunity 9 (Life Support, PF: Atomic Size) {10} + Shrinking 20 (Extra: Normal Strength, PFs: Normal Movement, Normal Toughness) {33} - Drawback 16 (-ATK 4, -DEF 4) {-16} {5+12+6+10+33-16=50/50} Speed 1 (10 MPH/100 fpm [110 fpm w/Growth]) [1PP] costs abilities 36 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 15/60 + feats 12 + powers 51 = 150 pts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Here's my build for a character like Marvel's Giant-Man, a super-genius with size-changing powers. He's smart and capable of pulling out some good inventions given time to work, and he can be either a powerhouse or martial artist/sneak, depending on whether he's twenty feet tall or two inches tall. I greatly simplified his build by making his size-changing powers an array, letting him get much more out of his powers than just a simple Growth-Shrinking array. I also simplified things a lot by giving him the Full Power drawback on both Growth and Shrinking. I did that because these guys don't spend a lot of time in intermediate forms in comics; they're usually either giant, normal, or teeny-tiny. When he's big, he's a giant who can throw cars around, shrug off machine gun fire, and throw gigantic punches that can hit a lot harder than a tank shell. (He has some vulnerabilities, and is less mobile, than most powerhouses, but most powerhouses aren't huge like the proverbial X-Box!) When he's teeny-tiny he's dodgy and fast, easily capable of avoiding big hits thank to his very small size. He can sneak into bombs and turn them off (hence his high Disable Device, my nod to Ray Palmer's excellent JLU appearance), make himself light enough to fly, and increase the density in his fists enough to throw a massive punch! I tied his Atomic Size to his Life Support; he can only go without breathing when he's smaller than air atoms! I kept his Concentration high and gave him a good Fort save in both forms to help avoid being stunned; he does not want to get stunned given his Sustained powers, especially not if he's using Shrinking somewhere very delicate - like the inside of somebody's head!

"You know," said Comrade Frost conversationally, "Southern Ural mountains are famous source for gems of all kids. If you ever want to come fight seven dread colossi of Manpupuner alongside Russian heroes, I am sure we could arrange for you to spend some time amidst largest ruby mines the world. True story." He winked at Tiamat, then turned back to the report before him. His face as usual hidden by his insulated white cowl, the Russian hero picked up a cup of boiling hot coffee and raised it to his lips, white-gloved hands spreading pictures and documents that he had actually gone to the trouble to print out and study. "My personal experience was with Igneous of Russian underground. Was source of rumors of Soviet Russia digging portal to Hell." He snorted, creating a faint cloud of white mist from his nostrils. "Nice people. We liberated them from their worship of Chernobog and made good friends. They said little of eastern cousins."

"Oh, that's cool," said Mark, sounding relaxed in soft counterpoint to Corbin's tension. Mark tried to think why Corbin would be so on edge, and naturally came to an ever-growing series of conclusions. Oh my god, is Quo-Dis pregnant? Oh man, they're so young! But Corbin's a nice guy, he'll be a good dad. And maybe they can get a little ring for the baby. "I've been working overseas myself lately. I'm looking at taking some of the younger Claremont kids on UNISON field missions for the practice. Not everybody can spend all their life as a costumed hero, right?" He reached up to clap Corbin on the shoulder. "Good to see you again, big guy. You're right, it has been way too long." He gave him a serious look. "You know your friends are always here for you." "Don't you have any servants in a house this big?" Nina was asking as she walked around the kitchen, snooping curiously in the cupboards with a look of fascination on her face. "Surely you don't have to prepare all the food yourself with your family's wealth."