Avenger Assembled

Citizen vanished into the computer at Miss Americana's command, flying through the various criminal justice datastreams like a bird in the sky as he hunted for the information she needed. He found quite a bit of activity around both names, but none of it seemed immediately pertinent to this case: to the information he sent back to Miss Americana, he appended "Fake terrorists? Borrowing the name to try and hide their identity?" He didn't know himself, but was certainly nervous at the thought of thousands of lives depending on what he and Miss Americana did next! This seemed like the sort of situation where turning to the Freedom League would only cause more trouble. It was very hard for them to be discreet, and he knew from his Claremont studies that New Freedom was a very touchy nation, especially for one with a population smaller than a Tronik sector. In reply to Miss Americana's comment, Roosevelt winced and said simply, "There are very few of us, compared to a great nation like this. Resources are husbanded. And not shared as much with those without metapowers."

Sharl's Search (where he has time to take 20, and thus get 30) reveals: DARKNESS and NIGHTMARE aren't uncommon names among supercriminals, there have been several answering to both those names since the 1930s. In the more immediate context of terrorism, DARKNESS has been a recurring name among various minor European terrorist groups over the years. (Sharl can only read the articles on the ones in English and Swedish, but he does bring all to Miss A's attention). It's a little odd to read of those groups in this context; the various DARKNESS and their master organization (almost certainly OVERTHROW) are more interested in fighting Western capitalism with big, showy crimes in Western countries rather than WMD blackmail attempts at microstates like New Freedom. Miss A's work will take a little longer (since she has to get into some other databases to do it), so she won't have the information about voice matches until after Roosevelt leaves, but she's got enough Skill Mastery that she'll be able to determine that:

Edge Seizes Initiative (-1 HP)

Cyborg Illusionist PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 22 pp STR 20/10 (+5/+0) DEX 10 (+0) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Illusion powers) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +4 Grapple: +6/+11 Saves: 13 pp TOU +10 (+5 Con, +5 Protection) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +5 (+0 Dex, +5) WILL +12/+8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 10 pp=40 r Bluff 6 (+10, Skill Mastery) Diplomacy 6 (+10, Skill Mastery) Gather Info 6 (+10, Skill Mastery) Intimidate 6 (+10, Skill Mastery) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 9 pp Dodge Focus 4 Improved Initiative Luck 2 Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Info, Intimidate) Well-Informed Powers: 72 pp Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp] Illusion Array [33+1=34 pp] Illusion 10 (all senses) (Flaw: Phantasm, PFs: Precise, Progression 2 (25x25 ft) AP: Damage 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Ranged, PFs: Accurate 2, Subtle) Mind Shield 4 [4 pp] Protection 5 [5 pp] Super-Senses 11 (Blindsight [radio; Extended], Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Infravision, Radio, Time Sense, Tracking [infravision]) [11PP] Super-Senses 10 (Danger Sense [Mental], Mental Awareness 2 [Mental], Precognition [Flaw: Uncontrolled], Uncanny Dodge [Mental], Vision Counters Illusion) [8PP] costs abilities 22 + combat 24 + saves 13 + skills 10/40 + feats 9 + powers 72 = 150 pts --------- Design Notes: Taking a short break from Phineas and Ferb conversions, here's Facade, one of the more interesting 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 she has the sort of helpful supplementary mental powers that let her fill a role as secondary team psychic. With her cybernetic upgrades, she can see in the dark, hear radio signals, fight blind, and track people's movements mentally. She also has internal armor that toughens her up; steel bones and metal that let her take some solid hits. (No Impervious, though, since all her metal bits are on the inside). 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. As it is, potential injuries to her cybernetic components are good Complications since she doesn't have any way of repairing them herself given that she's all about social manipulation rather than tech stuff. To fix that, a good way to upgrade her would be to give her some Tech skills to say she's learned how to take care of her own machine parts.

Fleur's flower carried them easily enough to Freedom City's busy Department of Child Services, a sadly busy place in most major metropolitan areas and certainly no easier for the approaching holiday season. The various bureaucrats in their small cubicles looked tired and overworked, just like most people in their profession. Only the various child posters on the walls; some of them obvious artwork, others PSAs both somber and cheerful, were an indicator that this particular office dealt especially with children. The arrival of three superheroes was something of a novelty, of course, quickly bringing them to the attention of Mr. Blackwell, the office's director. "Rayford? He's been away on leave for the last week," said Blackwell worriedly, looking with concern at all the supers. He could deal with children in crisis steadily enough, but this was something new and alarming. "He's had such a bad time of it with his daughter's health these last few months, I insisted he take additional time off to be with her. He's such a hard worker, always there to help out with our powered cases." Evidently he hadn't heard about the attack from Madame Zero just yet. Rayford's cubicle turned out to be sparsely decorated, with a single family picture in a child's craft frame of macaroni and glitter on the wall: a smiling bearded man in a suit and tie, with a cheerful-looking red-haired girl on his lap. "He doesn't talk much about his personal life, but I know her condition's hit him hard. She's had to leave school, but he's always on the phone with her whenever his work allows."

"I do not have metapowers," Roosevelt replied, evidently an answer about the fine details of New Freedom's government. He waved his hands slightly, a look of distress on his face. "I came to this country hoping it would be a step to peace. I..." He shook his head again and added, "New Freedom has many scientists from many nations, those whose genius was not appreciated by the nations where they lived. I am sure they have built many things, some of which might be nuclear or biological. As for the Patriotic Colonel, my son tells me that she has been bringing mercenaries to search our city and the lands around it." For the first time, his face grew accusing. "As well as others who have metapower teleportation abilities, to remove her valuables and send them elsewhere."

Yes, you could stunt an Area Blast (preferably with Selective, obviously, if you can justify it!): I'll let you full ranks of your Array for it.

Ball-Jeet PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 34 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 10 (+0) CON 18 (+4) INT 22 (+6) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 melee) DEF: +6 Init: +0 Grapple: +10/+15/+20 Saves: 15 pp TOU +14 (+4 Con, +10 Protection) FORT +7 (+4 Con, +3) REF +7 (+0 Dex, +7) WILL +7 (+3 Dex, +5) Skills: 72 r=18 pp Bluff 1 (+5) Computers 14 (+20, Skill Mastery) Craft [electronic] 6 (+10, Skill Mastery) Craft [mechanical] 6 (+10, Skill Mastery) Diplomacy 1 (+5) Knowledge [history] 14 (+20) Knowledge [technology] 14 (+20, Skill Mastery) Languages 1 (English; Base: Hindi) Notice 7 (+10) Perform [guitar] 1 (+5) Sense Motive 7 (+10) Feats: 13 pp Attack Focus: Melee 4 Eidetic Memory Evasion Inventor Jack of all Trades Move-By Action Online Research Skill Mastery (Computers, Craft [electronic], Craft [mechanical], Knowledge [Technology]) Ultimate Save [Toughness] Well-Informed Powers: 41 pp Elongation 10 (5000 ft) [Dynamic] [10+1+2+2+2=17 pp] DAP: Insubstantial 1 (fluid form) [5] and Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1] and Super-Movement 2(Slithering, Wall-Crawling) [4] DAP: Strike 10 DAP: Super-Strength 5 (Heavy Load: 1.5 tons) Immunity 5 (Falling Damage) [5 pp] Impervious TOU 10 (Flaw: Limited [vs. physical only]) [5 pp] Leaping 3 (x10) [3+1=4 pp] AP: Speed 3 (50 MPH) Protection 10 [10 pp] costs abilities 34 + combat 24 + saves 15 + skills 18/72 + feats 13 + powers 41 = 150 pts --------- Design Notes: Here's Baljeet, another Phineas and Ferb character. Baljeet is the 'nerd' of the main cast, the meek, unassuming genius and workaholic. Taking advantage of his intelligence and his uncle's business, I built him as basically a Mr. Fantastic type: a smart stretcher who's as likely to pull out an invention in a fight as he is to throw a punch. To play up his role as a secondary inventor, while he's very smart, his skills are pretty hyper-focused. He's very tough, like a lot of stretchy guys, particularly one who takes so much friendly physical abuse from his team brick: with +14 Tou and Ultimate Tou, he can suck up some pretty massive hits and be just fine. (His Fort save's not that great, though, so if you hit him with a Stunning Attack somewhere vital he'll feel it, and maybe sing about it) He has base Strength and Dex, with neither a plus nor a minus: he plays sports with the other kids just fine, he's just not that good at a lot of them! He's bilingual in Hindi and English, which he explicitly gives as his languages on-camera. He's not terribly mechanically inclined, with his low Craft, but he's certainly not awful: with his high INT, skills, and feats, he should at least know something! While he's something of an ethnic stereotype made flesh (the hard-working Asian-American student), he's still a fun character, and the show makes it very clear that Baljeet is a very unusual kid, just like all of the class! He lacks a lot of social skills, but he's a good singer and has a lot of charm when he really puts his mind to it, as represented by his high Charisma. He's surprisingly popular with the ladies! He makes a fine native hero for India, perhaps a teenager from Mumbai exposed to a radioactive polymer while his class was on a lab tour, or just an adult scientist. His strong academic honor code is a good complication if you play him as a Claremont student, or as any other sort of scholar. He doesn't have the tremendous mobility of some stretchy characters (and he's not a good fighter at all, as Baljeet certainly should not be), but he can keep moving in a fight without having to drop his damage any thanks to his ability to bounce around outside his array. Character development could build up his Craft skills, making him more of a straightforward gadgeteer, or you could play up his intelligence and give him more "super-brain" tricks like Comprehend or Enhanced Attack: perhaps a higher Will save (or even an immunity to mental effects) if you want to give him a rubber brain like DC's Plastic Man.

Sharl winced, apologetically pulling back. Raised in a reserved society, sometimes he overcompensated way too much around humans. "Sorry," he muttered to his roomie before saying to the others quickly. "Well, uh, there's a robot tour guide for the alien zoo you guys would probably think is really cool. There have all kinds of animals you don't see anywhere else in their own little space pockets, like the original population of moon monkeys, a baby Martian sandworm that's still maturing, oh, and dinosaurs! I don't know if any of you like Earth saurians," he added, not having many feelings about them one way or another, "but he's got some kind of temporal pocket in there so there's this little piece of the Jurassic. There's a T-rex pack, a triceratops herd, some of those flying terror things..." To help his demonstration, he popped up a holo of the zoo for the benefit of the others, the camera panning down a long metal corridor through which a vast array of exotic animals could be seen: a dozen or so blue-skinned Moon monkeys swinging around the limbs of a massive tree like a batwing growing from the soil, a huge red-bodied worm as big as a man curled up and snoring inside a transparent-walled room full of Martian soil, and finally the pride and joy, a view that could only be described as a room full of dinosaurs, as if a static camera had been dropped into a Jurassic jungle and left there to film, a large turtle waddling by the lens. It didn't look as if any of the animals were having a bad time; the 'zoo' looked more like a gateway to half-a-dozen authentic habitats than a place of cages. Evidently the Centurion had taken good care of his pets. When the others were distracted by the awesome and exotic animals, and as Ms. Harcourt headed for the computer center, Sharl added to Koshiro, "Here, let me help you with our stuff..." When he was sure the others were all out of the way, he whispered, " "

Correct, JP. With Insubstantial 2, you need either an Area Attack or an energy effect. You do still have access to your array.

18 Sharl also spends an HP to cancel his fatigue from the fight with the Dark Young.

"You can go wherever you like," said Harcourt in reply to Koshiro, giving all the Young Freedom students serious looks. "Being here, in this place, is a sacred trust. The heroes of Freedom have taken care of the Sanctum for almost twenty years now, and they'll probably be doing it for another twenty. This was his place," she added with a gesture at a nearby statue of the Centurion, one with the simpler-cut costume that told the more historically-minded of the students it had to date from the 1940s. "Treat it with the same respect you'd treat him. And stick together," she added. "Two-person groups at least." She pulled aside Cobalt Templar and Sage, the two seniors, with some special instructions. "The damage from the fight with the Alpha-Centurion and Superior has been repaired, but I want you two to keep an eye out for any more dimensional anomalies that might creep up. I'm going to be spending my time working with the computer systems down below," she admitted, looking excited. "I want to try out some new inventions of mine." Dropping down to floor-level, a slightly off-color Sharl shrugged a little and admitted, "It's the old projectors in here. They're really secure and really stable, but they're pretty old. They're not as powerful as what I'm used to." He put his hand out and poked it through Koshiro's midsection. "You guys all look like you're from one of your old CGI shows. It's kind of weird." He thought for a minute, then suggested to Koshiro and the others within earshot, "Hey, since I technically live here, you want to see something really cool? Not all of the Centurion's rooms are locked off..."

"We've been fostering through the city ever since our son went off to boarding school down in Bayview," agreed the cybernetic hero. "We've thought about adopting sometimes, but there are too many super-kids in the system that most parents aren't equipped to take. At least when they're with us, we know they're as happy and secure as we can make them." He frowned. "I can't think of how Zero would have found us. She's smart, but I never heard of her doing any computer hacking, and she's not the subtle type." He hmmed. "Our usual contact with the city is Rayford Cameron, he works out of DCS in City Hall. He might even be there now. They're always working around the holidays."

Sharl tried to think. What would Miss Americana do here? Blast them with lasers! As he took in the scene, Papercut's words echoing in his ears, he had to nod at his friend's suggestion. Why was every forest on Earth evil, full of monsters, or full of evil monsters? Tronik's placidly plant-monster-free slideways and tracks suddenly made a whole lot of sense to the electronic teenager. "That does make sense, those things look pretty fierce and we don't want to get pinned down by them..." He thought for a moment, then suggested, "Fire will only hurt me while I'm projecting if it hits me directly. I can get in there and scrap with her while people blast the trees, and anyone who can back us up with shooting stuff can help too."

Oddly enough, Roosevelt relaxed a little at the talk of security and clearances. He was young enough to have grown up entirely in New Freedom before coming here; he'd lived his life within the secured boundaries established by the Harpers and their predecessors. "It is not a problem of my own. Rather, it is a problem of my nation...and my family. My son Lincoln is very highly-placed in the household of Colonel Harper," said Roosevelt carefully. "Though he has no uplifting metapowers, he is still very important. He is her masseuse. Yesterday, he was able to send me a message through a trusted friend." He produced from his jacket pocket what was of all things a 3.5 floppy disk, looking to Miss Americana's experienced eye like something out of the mid-1990s. "It is an audio recording, delivered to the office of the Patriotic Colonel herself some days ago." Playing a 3.5 inch disk was something of a challenge in a modern office, even one as well-equipped as Archetech. It required bringing in a legacy industrial drive they'd been working on, but once it was plugged in and connected to an audio speaker, the chilling message rang out through a harsh buzz of static in a hissing baritone:

Initiative: Victory: 25 Wraith: 25 (since her modifier is lower than Victory's) [bruised] Harrier: 24 Scholar: 23 [bruised/dazed] Needle Bugs: 7 Everyone is at +1 their usual HP for the fight (except for Scholar) Victory is up.

Frozen Shadows January 13, 2012 One day, Miss Americana was busy at her desk at the increasingly thankless job of managing both Archetech and her own financial concerns when her last visitor turned out to be someone unexpected: Dr. Washington Roosevelt had made his introductions to her through all the proper channels, coming to her from his post at Freedom City School of Art: it was a little unusual for a man most famous for his knowledge of 20th century Socialist Realism paintings to seek out the patriotic heroine, as neither his professional speciality nor his nationality were terribly friendly to her chosen career: Miss Americana had heard of New Freedom, of course, the rogue nation in Antarctica that always seemed to be on the President’s national security watchlist, but given the nation’s insular nature and the close watch it kept on its scientists, she had never actually met a citizen. Though a friendly enough man, the visibly sweating Roosevelt with his black shirt and tie, capped off with the flat-brimmed cap favored by New Freedomites, was not a terribly strong argument for his nation. From Miss A’s computer, Citizen watched as Roosevelt shook Miss Americana’s hand and took a seat before her desk: his long weekend visiting his mentor was, it seemed, about to get more interesting! “Thank for your agreement to meet with me,” said Roosevelt, using the odd diction and syntax of New Freedom English. He wrung his hands, studying the lovely paragon for reasons beyond what men usually had. “I have a very urgent problem that requires the assistance of a...a superhero.” He looked around nervously, then focused on her again. “Probably more than one. I am sorry for being vague about this but I am never to speak to American superheroes,” he said frankly. “It is a violation of the agreement that allows me to work in the United States.”

Is Scholar not with the others, Ecal? (Also, forgot to have y'all make Reflex saves vs. the area attack. Rather than have you reroll anything, go ahead and collectively take an HP for the Fiat)

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 36 pp STR 12 (+1) DEX 10 (+0) CON 20 (+5) INT 24 (+7) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1) Combat: 16 pp ATK: +4 (+6 Ranged, +10 Inator, +10 Boxing, +12 In-Ator Arsenal) DEF: +5 (+2 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +5 Saves: 13 pp TOU +15 (+5 Con, +10 Protection) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +6 (+0 Dex, +6) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 112 r=28 pp Craft (Chemical) 8 (+15) Craft (Electronic) 8 (+15, Skill Mastery) Craft (Mechanical) 8 (+15, Skill Mastery) Disable Device 8 (+15, Skill Mastery) Drive 4 (+5) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 8 (+15) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 8 (+15) Knowledge (Technology) 8 (+15, Skill Mastery)) Languages 3 (English, Russian, Spanish; Base: German) Perform (bluster) 9 (+10) Perform (dance) 1 (+2) Perform (musical theater) 4 (+5) Profession (lawn gnome) 8 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Pilot 4 (+5) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Survival 5 (+7) Feats: 17 pp Attack Focus: Ranged 2 Attack Specialization: In-Ator 2 Dodge Focus 1 Eidetic Memory Equipment 5 (Doofenshmirtz Evil, Incorporated) Jack of all Trades Inventor Master Plan Speed of Thought Skill Mastery (Craft (Electronic), Craft (Mechanical), Disable Device, Knowledge (Technology)) Ultimate Save (Toughness) Powers: 40 pp Damage 3 (PFs: Accurate 3, Mighty) [7 pp] 'boxing champion at his middle school back in Gimmelshtump" Device 7 (In-Ator Arsenal) (Easy to Lose) (PFs: Accurate, Restricted [iNT 24+]) [23 pp] Blast 8 (Extras: Autofire, Penetrating) 'paper cut-inator' [32+3=35 pp] AP: Dimensional Pocket 8 (Capacity: 1000 lbs) (Extras: Duration [sustained], Ranged, Flaw: Action [Full]) 'g away-inator' AP: Snare 8 (Extras: Autofire, Transparent) 'gun that shoots pure evil' Protection 10 [10 pp] Equipment: 25 ep Doofenshmirtz Evil, Incorporated Size: Large; Toughness: 10; Features: Communications, Computer, Defense System, Fire Prevention System, Gym, Hangar, Infirmary, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Personnel, Power 3 (Features), Power System, Security System 2 (DC 25), Self-Destruct System, Workshop. Cost: 2 + 1 + 23 = 25/25 Power: Snare 10 (various snares [Snare 10 (Extras: Range [Perception], Transparent, PFs: , Subtle, Variable Descriptor 2 [technology] ) {53/60} costs abilities 36 + combat 16 + saves 13 + skills 28/112 + feats 15 + powers 40 = 150 pts ---------------- Design Notes: Here's Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, primary antagonist of Perry the Platypus and the most dangerous member of League Of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness (aka, L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N). He's a maniacal supervillain with dreams of ruling the entire tri-state area, true, but he's not such a bad guy: he's a divorced father trying to stay part of his teenage daughter's life, a lonely man looking for a long-term relationship with others, and a man who happily takes two young inventors under his wing even after their shuttlecock inflicts significant property damage on his penthouse laboratory. Not included here are his daughter/assistant Vanessa and his robot NORM, both of whom I would stat as independent characters in a Phineas and Ferb-oriented game. His INT may seem high, but this is a man who routinely violates the laws of physics whenever it suits his fancy and who has built some remarkable inventions: as visits to other histories and dimensions have shown, it really is Perry the Platypus who is standing between Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his dreams of tri-state conquest. He's shown a tremendous degree of physical resiliency in the series, his most famous moment being strapped to a cruise missile (well, the world's largest firework), exploding with it hundreds of feet in the air, falling to the ground, and getting up to rock along with fashion metal superstars Lovehandel at their triumphant reunion concert. I used Gizmo's formulation for combat training from his pony builds to show how he can plausibly hold his own briefly in hand-to-hand combat vs. a PL 10 superagent, but ultimately Perry will win out, especially since Perry can do Fort damage (by kicks to the kneecap, etc) that Doof can't shrug off the way he can physical attacks. He has the skills of a man raised by ocelots and forced to work as a lawn gnome who just happens to be a gadgeteer genius. No Wealth, since he gets all his money via alimony checks from his ex-wife, and indeed has a plot where he has to keep the bank from foreclosing on him. He can plausibly pull out most any invention in any given scenario, and stunt off his man-portable Inators to pull out any effect when necessary. (To represent him accurately, you should give him Side-Effect on his stunted Devices, given what usually happens) If used as a villain, give him whatever minions are appropriate to the scenario: as a hero, his only real weakness is his lack of movement powers! Perhaps you should get him a monster truck, so he doesn't have to make sense!

Madrigal's Hounds Madrigal's Hounds are the eye and fist of the Madrigal Martinet, her agents in the Terminus and the enforcers of the will of the commander of Omega's dread armies. Six deadly assassins, warriors, and generals, closer than friends, closer than family, they are among the most feared beings in the Terminus. Like many Annihilists, they were heroes once on their own world: champions of love and peace in a world ruled by a benevolent lunar goddess. But when the Moon fell from the sky in a curtain of flame and chaos swarmed the land in blood and death, the Hounds came together in a pact that they would defeat the cruel sun god and his bride Chaos. Whatever the cost. When the war was done and the planet cleansed of chaos and the life it had contaminated, it was the Madrigal Martinet who came to them from the sky with a maternal offer: join her as her warriors and make sure no other planets could fall to the powers of cruel light, mad chaos, and foul freedom. Once they had gazed together into the Doom Coil, they knew exactly what they had to do. Madrigal's Hounds are suitable for use in the Terminus as a squad of Annihilists that can pose a serious threat to the average party, or as "bosses" in an adventure where the PCs have just spend several rounds slogging their way through Omegadrones. They are also possible choices for a hit squad sent to eliminate a troublesome person or group of persons, or as challenges to face during an invasion scenario. With the exception of Hellstorm, they work well together as part of a team, and will happily gang up on powerful opponents, target weaker ones as necessary, and generally do whatever it takes to get the job done. With Omega's power currently in abeyance and the Annihilists at war with each other, the Martinet has begun relying on the Hounds more than ever. Blood Diamond: Cruel and selfish, Blood Diamond is the leader of the Hounds. Truthfully, she'd rather be playing the backstabbing, ruthless games of politics at which she is a master, but the Martinet prefers her favored hunters to dirty their hands with the blood of their enemy: Annihilists have many enemies, after all, and she is determined that her carefully-molded weapons will be as formidable as she is. Blood Diamond's favored weapons are the exotic gems she has gathered and internalized from a hundred worlds, mastery of which have given her tremendous powers. Resplendent in royal purple colors, her body covered in glittering gems, she loves nothing better than to seduce an enemy and let them watch helplessly as she destroys all they once loved. Her rooms in the Martinet's palace in Nihilor, covered in a gigafortune of deathgem jewels, are a testimony to her artistic genius, an inspection that reveals the screaming face on each one is a testimony to her cruelty. Discordia: Once a priestess in the temple of Chaos, Discordia went cheerfully mad when her world died around her. Gathering up weapons and armor from the Chaos arsenal, she went out to do battle with the demons in her head, and actually engaged the Martinet herself in hand-to-hand combat when she appeared. Impressed at the young warrior's mad ferocity, the Martinet took her under her wing, advanced her weapons and training, and unleashed her upon an unsuspecting world. What she lacks in powers, Discordia makes up for in determination and madness; she will loyally follow the commands of her sisters-in-darkness to the best of her ability, and is the only team member who will actually sacrifice herself for the benefit of the others. She wears a pink and purple costume like a jongelur's, and carries a massive particle cannon over her shoulder. Hellstorm: If it's raining blood and the sky is burning with a black flame that gives no heat, gives no light, but can never be put out, Hellstorm's probably to blame. A beautiful adrenaline junkie in gold and blue, who cares more for her own pleasure than anything else, many have believed she's the weak link of the party: at least until she hurls them into the sky and watches them fall a lon, long way, or on a whim burns them to ash with a burst of entropic lightning that leave behind not even a soul to rescue. She's something of a thorn in Blood Diamond's side, and usually does her own thing in a fight whatever her orders had once been. She's succeeded, so far, but one day her luck is likely to run out and she will be corrected by the 'gentle teachings' of the Martinet in a way no one who sees it will ever forget. Nightmare Doom: People think of Discordia as the mad one of the Hounds, but it is actually the mighty entropic weaver Nightmare Doom who is far more unstable than her fellows. It was her research into the nature of death and destruction that unleashed the forces of entropy upon her own world that ultimately corrupted and destroyed it, it was she who helped summon the Martinet when all was said and done and their world was ash and smoke. But she is not the Terminus loyalist one would expect: rather, Nightmare Doom has ambitions to one day be mother of even more destruction, perhaps even of the Martinet herself and her fellow Annihilists. She studies her fellow carefully, ever-looking for a sign of weakness that will one day let her destroy them all. She wears black robes and a cape that trails behind her, her eyes dark with true madness. Omnibeast: Quiet and reserved when forced to participate in social gatherings, Omnibeast is often underestimated by her fellow Annihilists...at least until she glares a terrible soul-searing glare and tears them to pieces with the fangs and claws of impossible hellbeasts from long-dead worlds. She is the hunter and stalker of the group, a feral creature of rage and hunger who has stalked the Hundred Worlds of the Terminus and beyond, gaining the power to warp her body into the shapes and colors of the creatures she has slain and devoured. She embodies the animalistic cruelty so beloved by the Martinet, a reminder of the hungry beast that lies in the center of even the most innocent-seeming soul. She has the pale flesh and staring eyes of one who spends most of her time hunting the ghettos of Nihilor, and her black and red costume (as well as her hands and face) is usually stained with things best left unconsidered. Razorwhip: Razorwhip wields a cruel weapon derived from the forges of Shadivan Steelgrave, a nano-thin whip that can cut through steel with a flick of her lovely wrist, as well as snap tight and let her haul even the most fearsome targets around. Perhaps the whip's most fearsome power is its neural applications: fibers from the whip can attach themselves to the nerve endings of a living target, letting her control their mind and weaken their resistance enough to render them powerless to resist her commands. No secret is safe from the whip, and few souls are either. Despite this (and her razor-edged brown and blue costume that looks almost impossible to wear), Razorwhip is the most practical of the Hounds: she's interested in her own survival first, and is the most willing to negotiate (temporarily, of course) with enemies, as well as beat a retreat when the situation calls for it. It's all just business. She and Shadivan Steelgrave are secretly lovers.

"He's only a year old," said Carlton, shaking his head. "He barely knows how to walk on his own, much less who his parents are. Zero told the cops his daddy was Gla-Zer, that ice prince guy from up north." Gla-Zer was somewhat younger than Zero, but the two were the most famous ice-wielding villains in Freedom City and had teamed up on more than one occasion: evidently for more than one meaning of that word. "Nobody's seen him since he tangled with those guys on the West Coast back in summer." He shook Weaver's hand, pulling himself back into the moment, and said seriously, "Nice to see someone stepping up and defending the neighborhood again." Up over their heads, with Madame Zero in another dimension the ice slowly began to melt.

Was there anything further you needed here, Rav?

As they all headed into the jungle, the exotic ecology of Mintaka II closed in around them. This was an alien jungle even for those familiar with exotic wildlife from other planets, the twin suns baking hot even through the dark leaves above, the sounds of Mintakan wildlife as thick as the steamy, oxygen-rich air all around them. They were all intruders here in one way or another, even hunters like Wraith, but it was perhaps the two cyborgs who were the most out of place in the jungle. Harrier's great weight meant it was almost impossible for him to walk quietly or quickly as his heavy metaled feet sank into the ground or broke branches beneath his feet. As for Victory, he had it easier at first, but ultimately it was his exposed flesh that was his greatest weakness: as they walked, suddenly his feet broke through what had looked like a solid piece of earth: beneath him, suddenly a tremendous swarm of massive red and gold insects came boiling out of the ground beneath him, taking to the air with fantastic speed as they flooded over the other heroes, hissing and spitting angrily as they chewed at flesh and bone and even metal, their wriggling insectile bodies as large as a man's finger as they did their best to eat the heroes alive!

Victory falls foul of a swarm of needle bugs (think leaf-cutter ants jacked up on steroids): http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/search.php?keywords=famine&t=4109&sf=msgonly (Why pick on Victory? So the prey will have someone to blame!) DC 25 Tou save for everyone in the area as they try to feast on everyone's tasty meats. 28 Harrier passes. Give me initiative (you might think this'll be a short fight given the relative PLs and the energy attacks available, but) 24 Needle Bugs: 7 (And yes, you guys have juuust enough Flight available to get above the swarm line...but there might be other things up there.)

Mark stunts: Move Object 15 (Extra: Affects Others, Flaw: Distracting, PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2) [32] Spends an HP to shake the fatigue. If that makes sense?