Avenger Assembled

She will do another DC 25 Bluff, then shoot him again, Power Attacking for +2: 24 That's a hit, and a crit! Okay, that's DC 27+2+5 = DC 34 if she gets her Sneak Attack bonus.

Saaay, do Combined Attacks need to be of the same damage type?

"I'm not big on science-fiction change-the-world BS," said Ashley easily. "If you ask me, a lot of people want to move too fast about a lot of the things that matter. But damn, if we could just make babies without having to get pregnant, we could change the whole damn planet." She smirked and said, "Better leave that out of the Patriot's standard dialogue. As for me and...well hell, I'm already telling you my life story." She dug through her phone for pictures of herself with a very pretty, very athletic woman about her age, whose alien heritage was mostly visible thanks to upswept pointed ears. "She's not one of the big names up there, just somebody who put on a uniform and swore an oath so she could make things better for her people." She closed her phone and put it away. It seemed a little insensitive to ask a gay widower about his love life or if he'd ever thought about kids, so she asked, "How about the kids at your school?"

Grapple vs 22: 24 Tou vs 28: 15, w/HP 24

The Patriot wasn't so much begruding to speak about this but reluctant, her embarassment and anger coming through as she related the story of how a terrorist attack on an AEGIS base during a visit by the Vice-President had allowed Revere to make his attempt, and then successfully escape, back on the first of July. "I doubt very much that he's working with the group that staged the initial attack. While there are rumors of a red-brown alliance forming among American radicals, he's too much of a nationalist to follow someone like the Red Death, and I doubt she'd see him as anything more than a capitalist thug." She sneered just a little at the mention of the radical left-wing terrorist who had most recently been in the news for a failed attack on Freedom's Pride Parade. "It's unlikely that he'll directly target anyone in the metahuman community, at least not for their identities. After all, now he's part of the 'family' - while he has some rather retrograde social views that may become an issue with some metahumans, particularly high-profile superheroes, his most likely targets are going to be those associated with the United States government and its symbols. We'll certainly call on the League if it becomes necessary, but we feel we'll be able to handle him with in-house resources." Ashley had access to rather more than in-house resources when it came down to it, but that wasn't something she was going to get into in front of the League. She kept talking, meeting questions with responses, and though people's coffee was getting cold by the time she was done, she answered everything to the best of her ability. By the time she was done, she added, "On a personal note - Fleur de Joie, I am sure you didn't want a briefing about a metahuman terrorist in the midst of your big announcement. I apologize. Just one more reason to get this son of a bitch." She reached up and rubbed her forehead, where her still-healing eyebrow itched.

PL: 8 (120) Abilities: 0 + 8 + 8 + 0 + 4 + 8 = 28PP STR 10 (+0) DEX 18 (+4) CON 18 (+4) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Init: +8 ATK: +4 (+8 w/Focused Totality) DEF: +12 (+8 Dodge Focus, +2 flat-footed) Grapple: +4 Saves: 3 + 2 + 4 = 9PP TOU +4 (+4 Con) FORT +6 (+4 Con, +2) REF +7 (+4 Dex, +3) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 52R=13PP Acrobatics 1 (+5) Bluff 8 (+12) Climb 2 (+2) Concentration 4 (+6) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 5 (+5) Intimidate 8 (+12) Handle Animal 1 (+5) Languages 1 (English, Base: Japanese) Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 6 (+8) Sleight of Hand 1 (+5) Stealth 8 (+12) Survival 1 (+3) Feats: 17PP Challenge (Fast Taunt) Dodge Focus 8 Fascinate 2 (Bluff, Intimidate) Elusive Target Evasion Improved Initiative Ritualist Second Chance (Concentration checks) Taunt Powers: 2 + 27 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 37PP Comprehend 2 (animals, Flaw: Limited [felines]) [2PP] Yokai Array 12 (24PP, PFs: Alternate Powers 3) [27PP] BE: Illusion 8 (visual and auditory) (Flaw: Phantasm, PFs: Progression 8 [1000 ft radius]) {24/24} AP: ESP 4 (cats; Auditory + Olfactory + Visual Senses, 1 mile, DC 24 Notice; Extra: No Conduit; Feats: Fast Task 4 [Full Action to search 1-mile-diameter area]) {24/24} AP: Damage 8 ('focused totality of power', Extra: Alternate Save [Will], PFs: Accurate 2, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Crit 2, Subtle [appears to be summoned weapon]) {23/24} AP: Obscure 6 (summoned storm of illusions; auditory and visual; 250 ft, Extras: Independent [+0], Selective) {24/24} Leaping 1 (x2) [1PP] Speed 1 (10MPH/100FPM) [1PP] Super-Movement 1 (Slow Fall) [2PP] Super-Senses 4 (Acute Scent, Danger Sense [Mental], Low-Light Vision, Uncanny Dodge [Mental]) [4PP] costs abilities 28 + combat 16 + saves 9 + skills 13/52 + feats 15 + powers 37 = 120 pts

Okay, give me some Knowledge or Gather Info checks here to identify who that robot was. And a DC 20 Reflex save to avoid a DC 25 Tou area damage while you're at it!

It was instantly obvious that their captive wasn't human; the absent face and the metalllic parts where it should have been clarified exactly what the robot was. This had perhaps been built at one time or another to look like a humanoid, but with its missing face plate and several missing patches of skin, no one would mistake it for anything but a mechanism. And like a mechanism, it acted. "Let him alone," it declared in mechanical tones before suddenly exploding in a blinding rush of searing white plasma that utterly obliterated it and set the room around them ablaze! The building was burning and they were both in danger, but what had they actually learned?

Angelic could tell that Ryder was having some sort of conversation with the monster-summoning girl but having never taken the time to learn to read lips, she had no idea what they were talking about. So instead she rocketed into the air after Apocalypsette and grabbed her by the ankle. "FOOLISH GIRL!" she hissed, unable to hear herself as she climbed up Apocalypsette's body, armored fingers digging into the admittedly-awesome rivets and loops on her outfit. "YOU THINK YOU HAVE POWER?" She couldn't grab the guitar, not with both hands occupied, but as she pulled herself up to Apocalypsette's eye level she was able to hit it with her elbow and felt the satisfying sensation of magnetic-driven muscles knocking the thing out of the other girl's grasp. As she touched it, she felt something pass through her armored body, the distinct sensation of eyes looking at her and then looking away - but then it was done. She hesitated a barely perceptible moment and got in Apocalypsette's face as her hands tightened around the other girl's midsection. Eyes close, dripping ice-cold blue hydromagnetic fluid from her ears, she hissed in a sizzling metallic voice: "YOU CANNOT KILL WHAT HAS ALREADY DIED!"

Tou vs 21 26

Yes! I will surge and describe her touching it in this wise: Disarm check: 28 Spending an HP to cancel that fatigue

Eira flies up to Apocalypsette and switches to her Enhanced STR. She then goes for an unarmed hit: 23 That's a hit! Grapple check 37

"Kaur was a critic of traditional law enforcement during her career in Congress," said Ashley, "at least until she found herself in the running for Vice-President." The Secret Service agent smirked a little at that, with them safely away from the others, before she added, "And Revere is...he asked me where I was from, and I told him New Orleans, and he said 'no, your parents.'" Now she wasn't smiling at all. "Some men don't think of themselves as racist, or sexist, and they can pass any test you give them about women's equality and people of color. But when you put them under pressure, you can see it, even if they'll never admit it."

"He did express a desire for revenge against me the last time we 'met', but even an armored metahuman target can prove vulnerable to the proper application of force." The Patriot gave Ghost a flat look from behind her helmet, wondering if he wanted a medal. "Vice-President Kaur did share my concerns about Revere's mental state. But more importantly, he became particularly fixated on the idea that a particular group of people in the government who did not share his political views were conspiring against him. When it was proposed he take a furlough until we could demonstrate he was psychologically stable, he became violent towards the Vice-President and several others. After being repelled by the Secret Service and the Raven, he then assisted in the escape of several fugitives being held in AEGIS custody to cover his tracks as he made his own escape." She frowned, hands folded in front of her. "I don't believe that Revere is individually likely to be a threat to the Freedom League at the present time. But he and others may become a potential threat in the future. There are several transnational and domestic organizations that would be happy to have the services of a disgruntled American metahuman, particularly one willing to act as a public face for their organization's agenda."

Can do

"That's currently under investigation," said the Patriot, picking her words carefully. "We believe he harbored latent authoritarian tendencies that were amplified by his empowerment, either psychologically or chemically. A deep background check on his law enforcement and military background suggests that there may have been things missed by his initial background checks. Nothing illegal," she added, thinking of the people just like her who'd been given a difficult job and were now having their work thrown in their faces. "just signs of a potentially unstable personality. But we are taking no chances. While there's no evidence to suggest the DNAscendent process that was used on him directly affected his mental state, the government is suspending any use of the process until further notice."

PL: 8 (120) Abilities: 6 + 4 + 5 + 0 + 10 + 2 = 28PP STR 16 (+3) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 20 (+5) CHA 12 (+1) Combat: 8 + 8 =16PP Init: +2 ATK: +4 (+8 Melee, +10 Sword) DEF: +8 (+4 Dodge, +2 Flat-Footed) Init: +2 Saves: 3 + 4 + 3 = 10PP TOU +8/+3 (+3 Con, +5 Armor) FORT +6 (+3 Con, +3) REF +6 (+2 Dex, +4) WILL +8 (+5 Wis, +3) Skills: 60R=15PP Diplomacy 9 (+10) Handle Animal 4 (+5) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 8 (+8) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 8 (+8) Languages 2 (English, Latin, Base: Welsh) Notice 5 (+10) Ride 3 (+5) Sense Motive 8 (+13) Stealth 8 (+10) Survival 1 (+6) Feats: 14PP Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Attack Specialization (Sword) 1 Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 1 Evasion Ritualist Skill Mastery (Notice, Ride, Sense Motive, Survival) Ultimate Save (Will) Equipment 1 Sword (Damage 3, PFs: Improved Crit, Mighty) Powers: 2 + 27 + 5 + 3 = 37PP Comprehend 2 (animals, Flaw: Limited [canines]) [2PP] Enchanter Magic 12 (24PP, PF: Alternate Powers 3) [27PP] BE: Concealment 10 (all senses, Extra: Affects Others, Flaw: Phantasms, PFs: Close Range, Selective) {22/24} AP: Comprehend 2 (animals, Buys Off Flaw, Adds Affects Other Extra) {4} + Mind Control 8 (Extra: Instant Command, Flaw: Limited (Animals) {20/24} AP: Raven Form 12 (24PP Container) {24/24} Drawbacks 4 (no hands) {-4} Enhanced Feats 2 (Elusive Target, Evasion [to Evasion 2]) {2} Flight 2 (25 mph / 250 feet per Move action) {2} Morph 6 (to Raven, +30 Disguise; PFs: Cover Scent, Precise) {8} Shrinking 8 (Tiny; -8 Str, -2 Toughness, +2 Combat, -8 Grapple, +8 Stealth, -4 intimidate) {8} Super-Senses 7 (accurate for all hearing [4]; danger sense [auditory], ultra-hearing, uncanny dodger[auditory]) {7} {[-4]+2+2+8+8+7 = 23/24} AP: Wolf Form 12 (24pp Container) {24/24} Drawbacks 4 (no hands) {-4} Enhanced Feats 5 (Improved Throw, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Takedown Attack 2) {5} Enhanced Strength 6 (to 22/+6) {6} Morph 6 (to Wolf, +30 Disguise; PFs: Cover Scent, Precise) {8} Speed 1 (10 mph / 100 feet per Move action) {1} Strike 2 (claws & fangs; PF: Mighty) {3} Super-Senses 4 (scent [acute for olfactory; enhancement: tracking 2], ultra-hearing) {1} {[-4]+5+6+8+1+3+4=23/19} Protection 5 (magic armor) [5PP] Super-Senses 3 (Detect Magic 3 [visual]) [3PP] costs abilities 28 + combat 16 + saves 10 + skills 15/60 + feats 14 + powers 37 = 120 pts

Ashley didn't quite let herself believe that this was going easier than she'd thought, because she knew from bitter experience that way of thinking lay death. The League was made up of adults who had seen some stuff, so she had a feeling she wasn't going to be asked any questions about the South Vietnamese flag pin on her jacket, or the purple and blue one for that latter. They're not idiots, I didn't need to waste time with that canned response crap. Even if they do all live on the damned bee planet. Luckily nobody had extended an invitation about that, which meant she hadn't had to turn it down. "Thank you," she said, "I'm sure we'll have an excellent working relationship." She fell silent for a barely perceptible moment, considering, then added, "On that note, I need to switch gears to let you know about a potential national security threat relating to the Patriot legacy." She stood up and moved carefully to the room's wall-mounted smartscreen, where the press of a few buttons gave the League the picture of a very tall, very muscular blond, blue-eyed man in an brightly colored outfit that looked vaguely as if someone had tried to blend the costume of the first Patriot and the Centurion. "This man is Paul Revere, born July 4, 1990," she said, the tone in her voice suggesting what she thought of that particular historical circumstance. "Until earlier this year, he was an Army reservist and an agent of the United States Border Patrol active on the Canadian border. He was the federal government's initial choice to carry on the Patriot legacy until he made an attempt on the life of Vice-President Kaur." She rubbed her hands together thoughtfully, then added, "He evaded capture despite the intervention of the Secret Service and the Raven. Unfortunately, while, Mr. Revere lacks innate superpowers, he was the beneficiary of an attempt to emulate the DNAscendant program." The image cut to a shot of Revere lifting a small car over his head, then punching through a brick wall. "We believe that he is currently planning future attacks against US government targets but his whereabouts are unknown."

Nekomusume Neko was born in 1929 in the Iya Valley on the Japanese island of Shikoku. Even today the Iya Valley is remote, tucked away beneath sheer mountain slopes on either side, and in 1929 it was even more so. Neko's family had come to the region sixty years earlier in their grandfather's time, when their forebears realized that the new Meiji government would be hostile to their way of life. For Neko's family were the children of nekomata and bakeneko, cats imbued with fantastic supernatural powers, and carried that magic in their very veins! She learned some of that ancestral magic as a small girl, how to change her form and other fantastic abilities, and lived the relatively simple life of a peasant girl, carefully adopting human mannerisms and appearance when the government inspectors came by to study the local school. Though she heard about things like Japan's righteous war to liberate the oppressed people of China, their bold attack against the forces of the Americans in December of 1941, and their war against the wicked foreign foe, it didn't really mean anything to her. Until June of 1944, when American bombs began falling on Japan in large quantities thanks to Operation Matterhorn. Though civilian casualties were few compared to what would come later, she would learn much later that this had been a terrible insult to the Black Dragon Society, proof that their magics were not so great and powerful after all, but what it meant for her was that a small delegation of the Crimson Katana's elite troops arrived in her home village and announced that they were recruiting volunteers to defend Nippon against the hated enemies who had brought death to their shores. Neko looked around, saw older siblings and cousins debating what to do, and stepped forward with a cat's boldness. "I volunteer!" And so, at fifteen, she was taken away for training. She remembers the look in her parents's eyes still. "Bootcamp" was not easy but she was quick and clever enough to pass her trials, and the sheer gaping size of nearby Nagasaki was terrifying enough that she slept in her bed every night despite her fears of the Crimson Katana and his magic. She knew better than to risk his wrath, and she knew full well what they might do to her home village if she did flee. In late summer of 1944, having passed her trials, she was sent away to war, specifically to Burma, where the recent failure of Operation U-Go meant that Japanese forces were now on the defensive. It was supposed to be a minor, even inconsequential posting for the youngest piece on the Crimson Katana's shogi board, the latter being focused entirely on his American rivals. Until the Allies attacked in December of that year, and she found herself in the midst of her first battle. It was terrible. Any hopes she might have had that her fellow Japanese really were righteous defenders of justice faded when she saw what they did to those they captured, and any hopes she might have had that her enemies were really friends faded when she saw what they did to the Japanese. She might have fallen into grief and faked her own death, or something even more drastic, had she not met Kid Gawain, attached with his master to the British forces in Burma. Gawain was an enemy and so they fought, but they realized quickly how displaced they both were. Burma was as far from Camelot as it was from the Iya Valley, and Kid Gawain's dreams of knightly honor had faded before the reality of 20th century war. They began meeting occasionally, having the kinds of conversations that neither of them could have with any of the adults in their lives - and then came the mission in February 1945. A powerful American cryonic weapon had been stolen by a Japanese agent who had himself been killed in a bombing run. In a cave near Mandalay, the Crimson Katana (who had himself arrived to supervise the evacuation of Green Dragon assets from Burma), the Green Knight, Kid Gawain, and Nekomusume fought to the last. The Green Knight's ax and magical healing powers proved stronger than the Katana's blade, and the Katana (who never really believed in bushido, as convenient as it was) fled after triggering the cryonic device while ordering Nekomusume to cover his retreat. Thinking of her village, she stood between the knights and the way out; only to be pinned under a rock when bombs struck the roof of the cave mouth. She remembers Gawain and the Green Knight shouting at each other, namae o age rarenai uragiri, then Kid Gawain kneeling at her side in prayer, hensai dekinai shakkin, then a terrible feeling of cold - and then she remembers nothing for a long time. Until today.

Almost immediately, her Egyptian compatriot reached up and pulled off her helmet - and the glowing goddess before her rapidly transformed back into the late middle-aged woman who had come to rescue Raina. "Sorry," she added, looking almost embarassed. "That's my side operation out in Bedlam these days and the goddess lady is real loud when I'm wearing the helm. Don't tell anyone," she urged, "I don't technically, you know, have the legal rights to this thing," she added as she hastily stuffed the hat back in the bowling bag she carried. "Luckily nobody gives a damn about Wisconsin, what are you gonna do?" She looked down at the broken pieces of the robot and said out loud, "Ah, jeez. This ain't even the first time somebody built a robot me. Sort of flattering I guess, but..." She hesitated a moment, visibly steeled herself - and pulled down the robot's pants. "Oh thank God!" she said out loud, "it's all just metal down there."

That hits! DC 28 Oof! Well it is now out of the fight (and we are out of initiative), you can narrate how much damage Raina does in taking it out.

The Patriot shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and for a moment looked the most uneasy she'd been since the conversation started. "I am a metahuman, but I prefer to rely on technology and training. I've had some of the best teachers in the world, and I've been working alongside metahumans since I was sixteen." She hesitated again, very briefly, then pressed onward. "My abilities revolve around bio-energy draining and duplication. In layman's terms, I can drain and mimic the abilities of most metahumans." Normally this wasn't quite such a sore spot but she suddenly wondered what a pregnant super-mom would think of being around someone with her particular powers. Best not to get into how I can knock people out doing it. "I know that sounds dangerous," she admitted, "but my powers are fully under my control."

Aquaria Frog's Pride "I think I might be too old to catch a male," Aquaria admitted. "I have spawned and my spawn has spawned," she went on, rubbing her fingers through the curling crest on top of her head. "Most of the males my age are dead, and the ones that are not are chiefs and would not mate with someone like me." The last sentence didn't have the pain it once had had, but Tarva could hear Aquaria's unhappiness even so. "Are there no males who prefer older females?" she asked, pouring Aquaria another cup of tik trei as they squatted together beneath the stars above. "Surely there must be some young studs who prefer to be mentored by a more experienced partner?" There was a smile on her face but it was a frank question from one who had experience in such matters. "Some," Aquaria admitted, her posture relaxing slightly. "but they are where they are, and I am here. I do not think it is likely I will meet a male so adventuresome." "But it is possible," Tarva pressed. "If you forget what is possible, you will dwell only in what is; and that can be an unpleasant place." She raised her own cup of herbal tea. "So say you do catch one. What would you do?" Aquaria rumbled contemplatively and said, "I would catch a large fish and throw it at his feet, and say this was my strength. Then I would strike him in the face and say he should have me if he wanted to prove his strength. Then he would chase me down to the beach, and then..." She rumbled again and said, "And then we would do what males and females do with each other. It is not the same as with you but it is not so different." "What would become of the fortunate young male afterwards?" Tarva asked with some interest. "Would you keep him around the castle for your entertainment?" Aquaria's throat bulged as she croaked a laugh. "Hah, no! That is not what males are for. They are for mating. Sometimes one will stay around to tend to the spawn but that is...sometimes unwholesome. Often they will eat them." She considered a moment, then said, "The stories. Of Deep Ones mating with Surfacers. Most of those are lies, but there is some truth to..." She fell silent, considering her words, before admitting, "A Deep One male does not care for his spawn. Whoever is the female in the making of it." "And his mate?" Tarva asked over her cup. "He has no claim on me because I have tended what he has fertilized," said Aquaria firmly. Softening a little, she added, "That is not how it is between males and females. In a great spawning, when the beach is filled and everyone is singing, I would expect to mate with...well, with more than one male. And they would mate with more than one female too, so that the spawn are all children of all." Having heard Aquaria's speech about the alien intricacies of mammalian child rearing, Tarva changed the subject. (Personally the way humans reproduced with each other on this world, with no cycle of estrus and no Week of Love, seemed a little bizarre to her too but she preferred not to get into the details of her old life with Aquaria, or anyone else save Kimber.) "And are there no males who mate with males, or females with females?" "A few," said Aquaria, spreading her rear legs wide with the gesture of one telling a story she was not terribly interested in. "It is how it is. But...between male and male or female and female, those are feelings, not matings. There are the places that females live and the places that males live. It is females you tend spawn with, it is females you catch fish with, it is females you defend the nest with. If you will have feelings for another Deep One, if you will truly know them, they will be female if you are female, and male if you are male." "Hm," said Tarva, sipping her tea. "You must like your living arrangements very much, then." "This is where my friends are," said Aquaria agreeably. "A house of females."

"I appreciate the offer," said the Patriot equitably. "I'll be primarily operating out of the AEGIS offices in Freedom City, but I'd be happy to work with you on setting up an office here in Freedom Hall." She folded her gauntleted hands on the table in front of her and went on. "I'm here to do a job. The Patriot means something to a lot of people, myself included; but it's my job, not my life." Perhaps it wasn't what one would expected a costumed patriot to say, but it was clearly from the heart. "While I'm here, that job is to work with the members of the Freedom League, and make sure there's a government representative on scene for League activities when necessary." She smiled thinly. "Washington felt a costumed hero working for the government would promote a better working relationship with the League than a government agent, even an anonymous one." As for your second question, I can't really comment on programs I'm not involved in. I do believe there are ongoing efforts to encourage metahuman government service that the current administration plans to expand," she finished cooly. She had considered, briefly, mentioning that Callie Summers or the new Raven would vouch for her, but she'd rejected that idea even before walking in the room. "I've made a decision to wear some aspects of my identity in public, but that doesn't include who I am," she went on frankly. "I know that's going to make a working relationship more difficult, which is why I want to keep things professional at this stage."

Reflex Saves: vs Damage 24 Tou vs. 21: 24 vs. Dazzle: 1 - 18 2 - 16 Eh, Eira will only be deaf for a round because of her Fort Immunity, she'll take it!