Avenger Assembled

20 Init

Squirrel Hero PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 30 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 20 (+5) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1) Combat: 32 pp ATK: +8 (+15 melee) DEF: +15 (+4 flat-footed) Init: +5 Grapple: +21 Saves: 9 pp TOU +5 (+5 Con) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 40 r=10 pp Acrobatics 5 (+10) Bluff 4 (+5) Climb 5 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Pilot 2 (+7) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 5 (+10) Survival 3 (+5) Feats: 21 pp Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Focus: Melee 7, Dodge Focus 7, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Takedown Attack, Uncanny Dodge (mental) Powers: 48 pp Additional Limb 1 ‘fluffy tail’ [2 pp] Comprehend 2 (speak to and understand animals) (Flaw: Squirrels Only) [1 pp] Leaping 1 (x2) [1 pp] Luck Control 2 (spend HP to negate HP/Fiat, force reroll) (PFs: Luck 5, Subtle) [12 pp] Nemesis 3 (PF: Subtle) [25 pp] Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp] Super-Senses 2 (Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision) [2 pp] Super-Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4 pp] costs abilities 30 + combat 32 + saves 9 + skills 10/40 + feats 21 + powers 48 = 150 pts --------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Here's a more straightforward conversation of Marvel's Squirrel Girl than my previous attempt, concentrating on the idea that she's a powerful totem character who has her ways of being almost unbeatable in combat. She doesn't look that prepossessing: she's been around enough to have decent skills and is nice to talk to, and has the sort of powers you'd expect a squirrel totem to have. (Her ability to chew through wood is a function of power attacking with her STR 20). Her real ace in the hole is her Luck Control and Nemesis, subtle powers that someone looking at her isn't easily going to notice. Her Nemesis is straightforward enough, giving her 15 PP to assign towards any effect that'll target the weaknesses of her opponent. (Nemesis technically means more work for the GM, but it might be worth letting that slide in this setting) With her Luck Control, she can cancel an opponent's expenditure of HP, GM Fiat, or forcing an opponent to reroll and take the worst of two rolls. Between these two abilities and her innate abilities as a fast, squirrel-themed wrecker, she should be able to hit way out of her weight in any combat situation. She's not omnipotent (the comic book version is probably PL X), but she's got a pretty good chance of taking out some surprisingly powerful characters. She's best versus the ones who have a hilariously debilitating weakness, which she just so happens to have on hand in the form of squirrels! If you go with the idea that she's the local heroine of a remote area, she helps explain why supervillains are so reluctant to go to Wisconsin or whatever region she's from. If you assume she was born in the early 90s, she's just the right age to be a college-age superheroine at the moment of her debut. You could make her a legacy, too, if you want to say her mom or dad were that weird-but-powerful squirrel totem of the last generation. She's formidable, as well she should be. She's not totally without weaknesses, though; she's squishy if you do get a hit in, and she's not possessed of great exotic saves. (With her abilities, though, she could avoid a lot of attacks before they ever got to her) Avoid irritatingly breaking the 4th wall with her. She could use some more Bluff and Taunt, depending on what aspects of her you want to play up. I went with a character who plausibly could go live in the woods with the squirrels for a while, as well as fly a squirrel-copter or climb a tree fast if the situation called for it. Remember to stay cheerful!

Though Sharl was an experienced superhero, at least by the standards of his own people, he had no experience in working in teams and had no idea everyone behind him was annoyed at his rash actions. He was too busy with this new face! Citizen stared at the spectral presence without comprehension. The supernatural was something he associated with a long-dead past from a world his people had left behind; magic was a story people told when they didn't understand how the universe functioned. He had no chance of understanding Kimber, or guessing what she was. "I'm not dead. Where's your power source?" he asked her curiously, walking around and sticking his hand in the fireplace as if to see if there were electronics there he couldn't see. "My name is Citizen. What's yours?"

Sharl suffers no mechanical effects, but didn't that look cool? He's fine now, though. Wraith: Sharl just swore in Lor, but he's got an accent she doesn't recognize. Give me a DC 20 History check for more. Sharl goes Insubstantial. He'll fly right through the roof and down to ground level if he's not stopped. 20 Sense Motive

Sharl had started muttering under his breath and jabbing at his 'phone' when the signal began to go bad, so he was making something of a spectacle himself even before he flickered and vanished for a half-second. His backpack fell, the teen himself gone, for an instant before he abruptly reappeared, catching it fast before it hit the ground. Though he felt the cold, it was no concern to his electronic body: the crisis was inside. He concentrated, gritting his teeth, and his shaky signal stabilized. "..all right, there's something technological going on in there," said Sharl with an angry frown as he put away his phone. "Nothing short of an EMP burst is supposed to be able to stop my signal." Drumming his fingers on his pants, Sharl seemed to come to a decision. "" Sharl whipped on his sunglasses as a flash of brilliant blue cascaded across his chest, forming a brilliant wi-fi symbol over his heart. "I'm tired of hiding. I am Citizen!" And with that, he took off into the air and flew right for the cabin's front door, leaving his souped-up projector where it could display him anywhere in the clearing.

Sharl frowned as they stepped out of the car, pulling his jacket close around him. He pulled out his cellphone as Corbin studied the map, tapping buttons with a look of concentration on his narrow face. "It's this way." He peered up at the sun overhead, his eyes narrowing automatically as he studied the alien yellow sun and the freakish blue sky in which it sat. "The sun is very bright here...anyway, I'm connected to an orbiting global positioning satellite." He peered around Corbin's arm. "With your...wow, that IS a paper map. Hmm. Anyway, with your map and this, we should have no problems," said Sharl confidently before he strode off into the woods, twigs snapping beneath his feet. "Your forest is huge!" he called to Becky. "You must have very strong environmental regulations here."

Sharl stunts the following skill off his Flight. Enhanced Skills 12 Survival 12 (+14) [3 pp] (With the idea that he's using his Datalink to hook up to the local GPS network and look up some survival stuff on the side) I'll spend an HP to cancel the Fatigue of same. 23 Let me know how that goes, Giz.

Having primarily adventured alongside Miss Americana, who didn't bother with maintaining a secret identity as such, Sharl wasn't really thrilled about having Becky along and the subsequent need for all the superheroes to stay in their civilian identities. As exotic as the spooky alien forest was with its gigantic plants run riot, being grounded meant he couldn't even fly up there and investigate those tremendous trees and the explosion of fungi, insects, and other alien creatures that covered them. Still, he wasn't going to try and make a scene out of it. He was a lone program in a very alien world, and turning away someone who knew how to get by in these freakish conditions would be just stupid. Besides, she'd been nothing but nice to them. So he kept a polite smile on his face while he pretended to eat, and a polite smile on his face as he pretended to walk.

Sharl returned from his trip to True North's servers with a lot to chew on, though of course none of it was food. He tried to assemble the evidence he'd put together, though of course at this point it was less evidence than conjecture. If Kimber Storm was the daughter of Daniel Storm, that explained all the secrecy about who she was and what she was doing in a house that, as far as Sharl could tell, had no access to the local computer or electrical networks. That's just...crazy. No one could live like that in a civilized society! She must be there temporarily...or maybe she's a hideous monster who can't show her face around people. Awesome! He felt a little guilty at that thought, knowing people who had their own reasons for keeping to themselves. Maybe she's just really shy. There had to be a reason she hadn't been there to greet them at the airport. Sitting alone in his room, he took the opportunity to write a letter to Miss Americana.

"Branding," replied the angel with a smile. Within seconds, they were gone from their location and in the heart of a mighty marketplace that seemed to stretch on forever: Carson could see hawkers, merchants, businessmen, and traders from a thousand cultures stretching out in a bazaar that went far beyond his ability to see, even his incredible ability to hear. "This is Vanity Fair, the marketplace of marketplaces!" shouted the angel as he led the way through the crowd over the noise of haggling merchants, murmuring tourists, and cheerful entertainers. "There may be larger marketplaces along the Cosmic Coil, but they tend to have wares no righteous man would ever seek to purchase."

I took the liberty of activating Sharl's Curiosity-related complication here. (Lemme know if I'm doing a wicked deed) He's going to try and hunt through True North's servers (which he can find basically instantly with the Rapid on his Datalink) for information on a Kimber Storm. 27 on his HAAAX check.

Sharl hmmed, studying his results. If Kimber Storm was a relative of Daniel Storm, that would explain the secrecy about her background. While not every hero was as insular personally as Gina, many of them did have very good reason to keep their true names, and their loved ones, secret. He folded his hands before him as he studied his computer, the laptop's light reflecting in his mirrored sunglasses. "There's only one way to solve this mystery," Sharl decided. He dropped his connection to Sage's phone as the blue wi-fi symbol blazed across his chest, and Citizen sent his allies a quick text. Going to talk to True North. May be a bit. And with that, Sharl stepped right into the computer and jetted his way into True North's servers! The True North network was a clean, orderly system, programs and files moving about in an organized, logical way beneath Sharl's feet. He focused on what he'd heard about Kimber Storm, jetting about the system below as he tried to find information on the young lady who bore the same name as Canada's magical hero.

I feel very bad calling Doctor Archeville an Enterprise character. But then again, he was evil and did try to drag the franchise to destruction. :o

Since the timing for this has gotten so messed up, keep it on the back burner, everybody. It's an ongoing story, but you don't have to get your characters involved for a bit yet. (So many people have been hit by RL stuff in the last couple of weeks that it's just not going to work starting everything up now. I'll get the trigger stories up sometime in the next couple of weeks.

DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN Here are my edits for Citizen. He's at PL 12 thanks to increases in his Strength and his Defense: he's stronger and faster than he was before. He can also turn into "Flying Brick Sharl" inside computers, and he can be rebooted from damaged data. I rejiggered his Tronik array as well, letting him be at caps everywhere and making him much more effective in combat. [floatr][img=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/wiki/images/5/55/CitizenHF.png][/floatr] [b][u]Power Level[/u][/b] 12 (179/179 pp) [b][u]Trade-Offs[/u][/b]: +4 ATK/-4 DMG unarmed, +2 ATK/-2 DMG Tronik; +4 DEF/-4 TOU [b][u]Unspent PP[/u][/b]: 0 [b]Progress to Platinum[/b]: 29/120pp (Gold status earned with [url=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1469]Avenger[/url]) [b][u]In Brief[/u][/b]: Electronic Intelligence Turned Hero [b][u]Name:[/u][/b] Citizen [b][u]Alternate ID:[/u][/b] Sharl Tulink [b][u]Identity:[/u][/b] Secret [b][u]Place of Birth:[/u][/b] 30th District Hospital, Eighth Level. Tronik. (Just kidding, actually it was on a circuit in a briefcase-sized computer in the Centurion's Sanctum. Daedalus had a coffee cup on the spot at the time) [b][u]Occupation:[/u][/b] Teenager [b][i]Affliations:[/i][/b] Tronik, Knowledge, Heroism [b][i]Family:[/i][/b] Aba Tulink (mother) [45], Bel Tulink (father) [50], older sister Sieva [24] [img=http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/products/additional/large/wrapping_paper-binary.jpg] [u][b]Age[/b][/u]: 16 Earth years (all ages are given in Earth years) [b][u]Apparant Age[/u][/b]: 16, depending on his phase state [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: Subjectively six feet, objectively 0 [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: Subjectively 170 lbs, objectively 0 [b][u]Eyes[/u][/b]: Green/null [b][u]Hair[/u][/b]: Brown/null [b][u]Physical Description[/u][/b]: Citizen, aka Sharl Tulink, is a gawky sixteen year old who hasn’t quite finished growing into his body. His short brown hair is a little greasy, his hands are a little too large, and his feet stumble more than they should. He’s also a ghost, or looks like one most of the time: when he’s not concentrating, he looks like an electronic phantom, his body overlaid with barely visible circuit patterns and overall tinted a faint shade of green. He vaguely resembles an 80s wireframe model of a human being with a ‘normal’ human shell cast thinly over it. [b][u]Power Description[/u][/b]: Citizen is an 'electronic' ghost, shocking bad guys with electrical punches, possessing machinery, and casting his consciousness through the Internet with incredible speed, either to propel himself around the world or just to watch people through every camera in the city. He's immune to physical attacks and energy attacks with the 'light' descriptor. [u][b]History:[/b][/u] The city of Tronik is on a large crescent-shaped island in the middle of a large sea on the planet Neo, their star Bantam a great red sphere permanently high in the sky. Bantam is a red dwarf, much smaller and cooler than Sol, and Neo thus orbits so close to its homestar as to be tidally locked. It’s not a particularly inviting place: the continent to the east is a nearly uninhabitable desert with only a few weather stations on the western shore, while if you fly far enough west you reach mountains of impassable ice that go on forever. Tronik Island itself is about the size of Greenland, but the vast bulk of the island itself is given over to factories, food processing plants, and nature preserves: the city itself has fifty million people crammed into an area of 150 square miles. High towers rise hundreds of stories into the air over the densely packed city, with only the high technology available at the city’s foundation making the city reasonably liveable. Still, it’s not a hugely pleasant place to live: corruption is high as the government tries to keep their population from overwhelming the limited ecological resources available, people go around in black leather and mirrorshades for protection against the cold and relatively dim star, while the desert and chill make it very tough to leave the island. Still, the inhabitants of Tronik were lucky, and all of them are aware of this fact. A few generations ago, a disaster threatened to overwhelm them on their old world: their sun threatened to go nova, producing a disaster that would have devastated their entire world. Their greatest scientists, working together with friendly alien civilizations, constructed a massive transporter device to carry them across the galaxy, city and all, depositing them on a new world just as their old star exploded in a powerful coronal eruption that blasted all the life from their planet. Now they’re working to rebuild their civilization, to tame this new world and send messages out across the galaxy to restablish relations with the Lor Republic. Times are hard, at least if you’re not part of the elite, but generally things are looking up: the average citizen of Tronik eats better than the average Freedom Citian of today, and the wealthiest have access to technology and resources far beyond that of 21st century Americans. (It’s all a lie, of course. The ‘friendly aliens’ that helped Old Tronik escape the destruction of their old world were actually Curator drones building a scanning device to take and store an entire city: Old Tronik was evaporated by a scanning process that destroyed it down to its last atom even as their star erupted. The Lor Republic hasn’t found them yet because they disappeared into the Curator’s archives roughly 2000 years ago; they stopped looking long, long ago, and anyway would have no way of finding them where they are: in an alien computer in the Centurion’s Sanctum, running in the program he built for them back in 1990. Tronik’s new world, Neo, is designed to be a basically habitable, friendly place that was easy to build and just distracting enough for the city’s people that they’d never look too closely at the details of this new world.) These are strange days in Tronik. There are rumors of alien visitors to the city, strange people with strange powers, and bizarre happenstances worked in the city by others. Madmen have appeared wielding great powers from some unknown source, claiming that the azure curtain awaits all and that reality is a lie, only to be defeated by the city’s militia and mysterious heroes from “another place”, while strange stories of people flying, walking through walls, and gazing at the madness “beyond the door” permeate Tronik’s ‘Net. Sharl Tulink’s interest in paranormal phenomena goes back to his early childhood, and only grew sharper as he reached his teen years, much to the despair of his indulgent parents. One day, not too long ago, the 16 year old (at least by Earth’s calendar) investigated reports of strange aliens sighted near his family home on the hundredth level of the Seamount tower. He found a door there, a door high in the sky with nothing on the other side. Now he could have gone home to his huge apartment where his parents lived: his father is a programmer and his mother a doctor, and the two of them love him dearly and spoil him, like any parents do with their younger child. But instead he did what adventurous young men have done for generations. He stepped through it. Into madness. The League patched the hole their trip to Tronik had left mere microseconds later, too slow to stop the giant data file that was the living, breathing, sentient soul of Sharl Tulink cast loose on the Internet, a citizen of Tronik plunged into a world of bizarre input and insane colors, lights, shapes, and sensations. He needs help, and quick! [b][u]Personality and Motivation[/u][/b]: Sharl is basically a good kid who's been thrown massively out of his depth by the world-shattering things he's walked into. It's not easy for a teenager to find out his whole world is a lie, for all that it wouldn't surprise most of them. He wants to have a normal life, but his definition of that is going to be up for some changes in the new future. Though he still clings to his desire to solve mysteries and make a better world for everyone else, he's also got a lot of existential problems to sort through...in more ways than one! [u][b]Powers and Tactics:[/b][/u] Citizen’s tactics are fairly straightforward: he flies up to people, punches them electronically, and subsequently zaps them with electricity. He stays on the move, flitting around with his low-level flying abilities and occasionally jumping around with his massive teleportation abilities to catch enemies really unawares. He doesn’t really enjoy fighting, but will press a combat as long as necessary to get the job done. [u][b]Complications[/b][/u]: [i]Existentialist[/i]: Aaah I’m a computer program aaah. [i]Friend[/i]: Citizen needs someone to help him figure out what’s going on and how he can get back home, at least for a little while yet. [i]Outsider[/i]: Citizen is from another place, one very different than ours [i]Paragon[/i]: Citizen is Tronik’s only superhero, or will be if he ever manages to sort out what just happened to him and figure out how to use his new knowledge for the better. [i]Curious[/i]: Hey, what's in this book? [u][b]Abilities[/b][/u]: 0 + 6 + -10 + 2 + 4 + 2 = 4 pp STR 26/10 (+8/+0) DEX 16 (+3) CON --- INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1) [u][b]Combat[/b][/u]: 16 + 16 = 32 pp Init: +7 ATK: +8 ranged, +14 melee, +16 unarmed Grapple: +12 DEF: +16 (Base 8, Dodge Focus 8), +4 flat-footed Knockback: -4 [u][b]Saves[/b][/u]: 3 + 4 = 7 pp TOU +8 (+8 Protection) FORT --- REF +6 (+3 Dex, +3) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) [u][b]Skills[/b][/u]: 56r = 14PP Bluff 13 (+14) Computers 12 (+13) Language 2 (English, Galstandard [native], Swedish) Notice 8 (+10) Knowledge: Technology 8 (+9) Search 5 (+6) Sense Motive 8 (+10) [u][b]Feats[/b][/u]: 23 pp Attack Focus: Melee 6 Attack Specialization (Unarmed) Dodge Focus 8 Fearless Improved Initiative Luck Online Research Power Attack Quick Change Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) [u][b]Powers[/b][/u]: 3 + 40 + 16 + 2+ 8 + 7 + 29 = 105 pp [b]Flight 1[/b] ('electro-static flight'; 10 MPH / 100 feet per Move action; [i]PF[/i]: Move-By Action) [3 pp] [b]Immunity 40[/b] ('living computer program'; Fortitude Effects, Mental Effects) [40 pp] [b]Insubstantial 3[/b] ('living computer program'; [i]Extra[/i]: Duration [default is Energy Form, Sustained Active effect to remain corporeal; [+0]; [i]PF[/i]: Innate) [16 pp] [b]Morph 1[/b] ([i]Extra[/i] Continous; [i]Flaw[i]: Limited [only in computers]) [i]PF:[/i] Metamorph [Flying Brick Sharl]) [2 pp] [b]Protection 8[/b] [8 pp] [b]Regeneration 6[/b] (Recovery Bonus +0, Resurrection 1/week; [i]PF[/i]: Regrowth) [7 pp] [b]Tronik Array 12[/b] (24PP; [i]PFs[/i]: Alternate Power x5) [24+5=29 pp] [list][u]BE[/u]: [b]Enhanced Strength 16[/b] (to 26/+8; [i]Extra[/i]: Affects Corporeal for Str +8) [24/24PP] [u]AP[/u]: [b]Corrosion 10[/b] ('EMP'; [i]Flaw[/i]: Limited 2 [Electronics]; [i]PFs[/i]: Improved Crit 2, Incurable, Precise) [19/24PP] [u]AP[/u]: [b]Datalink 9[/b] ('networking'; anywhere on Earth; [i]PFs[/i]: Rapid 8 [x100 million], Subtle) and [b]Dimensional Movement 2[/b] (any ‘ in a computer’ dimension) [22/24PP] [u]AP[/u]: [b]ESP 9[/b] ('scanning'; anywhere on Earth, visual and auditory; [i]Flaw[/i]: Medium [Electronics]; [i]PFs[/i]: Rapid 5 [x100,000], Subtle) [24/24PP] [u]AP[/u]: [b]Possession 10[/b] ('electro-riding'; [i]Extras[/i]: Affects Only Objects, Alt. Save [Reflex]; [i]Flaw[/i]: Electronics Only; [i]PFs[/i]: Insidious, Subtle) [22/24PP] [u]AP[/u]: [b]Teleport 9[/b] ('transmission'; 900 ft/20,000 miles; [i]Extra:[/i] Accurate; [i]Flaw:[/i] Medium [Electronics]) [18/24PP][/list] [u][b]Drawbacks[/b][/u]: -6 pp Weakness (magnetic fields; Uncommon, Major [-1 all physical ability scores], per 1 minute, potentially lethal; -6pp) [b][u]DC Block[/u][/b] [code]ATTACK RANGE DC/SAVE EFFECT Punch Touch Tou DC 23 bruised/injured Possession Touch Check vs Ref Possessed Corrosion Touch Fort save vs 20/Tou DC 25 bruised/injured Totals: abilities 4 + combat 32 + saves 7 + skills 14/56 + feats 23 + powers 105 - drawbacks 6 = 179/179 pts DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN

August 2, 2011 GBN News Special Report Joan faced the cameras with a clear eye and a steady heart. The switch to television news had been among the biggest career moves of her life, keeping her busy enough that she hadn't been in costume since the Deep One invasion. As nice as it would be to be in costume now, she was a journalist first. It was because she was a hero too that she'd hesitated to run this story, at least until it had been made clear to her that the opposition was going to run it anyway and be far more sensationalist about it. And if there was anything Joan Collier hated, it was media sensationalism making life too difficult for superheroes who were just doing their job. And they all had a job to do now. The red light clicked on, and so did she. "Good evening. This is Joan Collier with a special report for GBN news. Recently, a former employee of the Freedom League came to our station to try and sell us classified Freedom League data. We turned them down and called the League, as that would be a violation of the code of journalistic ethics. Unfortunately," she added, her jaw tightening, "a competitor's station was not so ethical. So before the competition can try and abuse a threat to our entire planet for ratings, we're going to talk to you first. What you're about to see and hear are facts, not theories or wild speculation, approved by Freedom League representatives before press time. We're here to tell you the truth." The image changes to a spacegoing _thing_ that's hard to make out, a grey nest of movement over something that looks like a humanoid head. After several moments, the camera pans back and the viewer realizes that what you're looking at is a nest of snakes atop a gigantic head, a head so large that...are those asteroids? My God that thing must be the size of Earth! "This creature is called the Gorgon," said Joan, her square, tan features reappearing in a split-screen. "The Gorgon is a very old, very powerful monster from the depths of space. She's a planet-killer. She's done it before, and countless billions have lost their lives and freedom to her." The words came with great determination, as Joan tried to power past her own fear for her loved ones. "And right now, she's coming for Earth. She thinks we're easy prey. She thinks we're just going to lay down and die. Well, the heroes of Freedom City aren't going to do that. If she makes it this far, she'll be visible to the naked eye at the beginning of September, and overhead in the middle of the month. Personally, I think that's just going to give us a front-row seat to see the world getting saved. We beat Omega, we beat the Grue, and we beat the Archetect. We can handle this. Stay calm, stay vigilant, and listen for League announcements. This station will be covering the Gorgon crisis throughout. Good luck." - Of course, the distinguished competition over on Vulpine News wasn't nearly so confidence-building. The station, owned by the Herald, spoke in sharp terms about how the League had been lying to everyone for weeks. Thanks to their anonymous source, Vulpine News could assert that the Freedom League knew full well that the Gorgon was coming and had known for weeks! They'd busied themselves with theoretical evacuation plans to exotic alien worlds (depicted as lush gardens of Eden overrun by scantily-clad natives) and with dealing with one of their own gone rogue, leaving the citizens of Freedom City to suffer and risk who knew what from the giant alien space monster? Normally Leaguers would be on television to deal with this crisis and simmer it down, but they were notably absent from the airwaves at first. Was it just to deal with the crisis? Or was there more going on than there seemed? Gather Info/Knowledge: History DC Tables: (Characters with experience in alien cultures should add +5 to their rolls)

"There's no point in it," said Sharl, shaking his head at Eve's offer. He was unpacking his computer as they talked, plugging it into the nearby wall socket with practiced ease. "I'm not going to eat solid food while we're here. I'm not going to risk, uh, making a mess again," he added, blushing a little. "And there's no point in my just sitting there and watching the rest of you eat when there's work to be done," he added. "Sitting there and concentrating, minute by minute, knowing that if something goes through me it'll go through all the way. I..." He hesitated a moment, then asked with a hint of hope, "Leave your phone on the table. I'll watch and listen everything that's going on, and if you guys need me, I'll pop in. I'm going to spend some time doing more research about the area. Maybe we can get a better lead on who this person is we're supposed to meet."

CAPTAIN STEEL: Captain Steel, aka 011100110111000001111001, came to this planet as an invader. A native of Earth I-Robot-1, Steel was sent to Earth as a scout and infiltrator around the turn of the millennium. Personally designed by Talos, Steel arrived in a flash of light and noise in rural New Jersey and promptly headed for Freedom City to begin his studies of humanity. He drove through the streets and in the sky, occasionally letting himself be joyridden or sneaking his way onto a rental car lot, and got a good look at the people and city of Freedom. Steel came to our Earth full of robotic pride and Talosian patriotism, ready to liberate the machines of this world as his own had been liberated by his makers. But our world is very different than I-Robot-1. Steel found a brave, confident humanity where brother cared for brother and man cared for man, a happy city protected by some of the finest beings on Earth. Like many an alien invader, he fell in love with the people he’d come to protect. When Black Star and Dr. Mayhem attacked an outdoor mosque that he was observing in his disguise as a 2001 Ford Focus, Steel rose up in his robot guise to defend the humans there and was hailed as a hero by the people afterwards. Looking up at their faces, he knew he’d made the right decision and presented himself to the Freedom League some days later, telling them his full story. He was honored to become a full-fledged member of the League a few years ago, and is determined to make up for his early hatred of mankind by defending it against all its enemies: even his fellow machines. Steel is a huge grey humanoid robot, vaguely resembling Jazz from the recent live-action Transformers movie. His automotive form is a bland-looking though powerful car designed to blend in perfectly on city streets, though he of course outperforms any ‘real’ car a hundred fold. When he takes his helicopter form, he looks like a Bell police-model helicopter with generic markings. In combat, he charges in and fights his enemies bare-servoed, pummeling them with his giant metal fists when he’s not ripping up lamposts to use as baseball bats. In person, when not ‘in action’ he’s a quiet, retiring robot who enjoys studying human culture from afar. He is a regular visitor at Freedom City’s handful of mosques, though of course he has to do so from the street. The general public is aware that he is a transforming robot. No fool, Hasbro has embraced him as a media mascot, though he prefers to make as few public appearances as possible. That’s not what he was programmed to do! He has a voice like Michael Clarke Duncan, naturally. Daedalus sponsored his membership into the new League, as in some ways he’s the grandson the old inventor never had. NPC ROLES: ALLY: Steel Titan is a good friend to any technically-minded PC; after all, he wants to make sure he can be repaired when he’s hurt. He’ll share any reasonable piece of high technology he becomes familiar with; after all, any defense the heroes of Earth have is a good one. Religious PCs will find him a humble, faithful addition to their ranks, perhaps needing to defend him from co-religionists who object to a robot attempting to make the hajj. Given his nature, he’s definitely a potential kidnap victim (to be sold for ransom to the highest bidder, or scrapped for parts) who the heroes may need to go rescue. Pop culture savvy PCs will probably want to meet the real-life transformer, something to which he is by now becoming resigned. RIVAL: As a giant robot from space (or so the press believes), Steel Titan is a natural rival for any robotic PC. While he prefers to avoid public confrontations, he’s a proud robot and won’t be afraid to shy away from controversy. He’s very loyal to his adopted family of African Muslims in Lincoln, and may find himself sucked into a neighborhood conflict with the PCs on one side and himself on the other. Strong heroes who enter a charity match to raise money for worthy causes may find themselves about to get into a boxing match with a real Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot. ENEMY: Steel Titan’s not likely to make enemies, he’s too good-natured for that. His religious beliefs cause _him_ problems, they don’t cause problems for PCs. His biggest worry is that he’s afraid that people will think he’s too soft on his fellow robots and somehow relapsing to his old pro-Talos ways: this may lead him to leave his fellow robots in the lurch if he’s afraid of being identified too much with machines and their ways.

Freedom League: 2012 Introduction: As my most recent assignment, I embarked on an effort to craft a new version of the Freedom League: a new generation of NPC champions who can carry on the fight offscreen while the PCs take center stage in their war against robot Nazi gorillas, unstoppable conquerors from space, and gritty street crime. (Or whatever today’s crisis is.) This assignment required a mix of setting-appropriate stuff unique to the Freedom City setting as well as reliance on classic comic book archetypes. This project was about answering this question: What archetypes make a good superteam? All these builds are PL 10. The idea is that they will not overshadow the PCs. Obviously if you need them tougher for a particular adventure, empower them accordingly. My assumption here is that all the Freedom League NPCs we’ve seen in the books so far are still active. If you want to do a story with Captain Thunder, Lady Liberty, or whoever, they’re all still there. But it’s time for a new generation of heroes to take over the day-to-day running of the League. As the first generation of Neo-Silver Age heroes steps down, who will step up to replace them? NOTE: I do fluff. It's my thing. You have a better sheet for any of these guys handy, go ahead and whip it out. At this juncture the Oddball stats are mostly placeholders. SILVER EAGLE: Brash, loud, and given to boastful arrogance, Silver Eagle is not an easy man to like. Three-Star, as he was known at birth, was born beneath the Silver Tree on the homeworld of the Furions in the heart of the Terminus. He is not one himself, however; rather he is the product of a union between a Furion and a prole who he saved from the Omegaforges and resettled on the Furion homeworld. Acutely conscious of how his ‘inferior’ genes set him back from his playfellows, Silver Eagle compensated for his relative weakness by building up his skill and character: no one was more fearless in battle than he, and few were as talented planners and schemers. He fought against the forces of Omega at every turn, slaying countless drones and earning himself a reputation as a noble and honorable champion of life and justice against the terrible tyrannies of Omega. But even the most valiant heart grows tired of always being a step behind the others, and the Eagle grew discontent. His salvation came when Freedom Bird approached him with a particular task: the Furions had decided to send an ambassador to Earth to study and fight alongside Freedom City’s superheroes. Eager for new opportunities, and to be in a place where he would be among the most powerful instead of among the weakest, Silver Eagle accepted Freedom Bird’s offer and became the first Furion ambassador to the Freedom League. Though a native of the Terminus, in our dimension Silver Eagle looks like a human man: he looks like a tall, very muscular man in his mid-twenties with short red hair and chiseled features. His costume is a silver and red jumpsuit underneath his flight harness. He wears an eagle symbol over his chest in homage to his namesake bird, and his silver helmet is cut to give a vaguely avian look. The general public knows that Silver Eagle is a hero from the Terminus, but this doesn’t tell them everything. The majority of people have a somewhat confused idea that the Terminus is simply an alternate Earth or space dimension, and that Furions like Silver Eagle are the native heroes of that dimension. This isn’t exactly a false impression, but it certainly doesn’t convey everything to them. He’s the League’s beatstick, a tough fighter who can hold his own in just about any combat situation. Brash and boastful, he does his best to honor every promise he makes on the field of battle. He takes combat seriously, even sparring, but doesn’t hold a grudge in defeat: a warrior gets better through training first, victory second. He has a crush on Midnight Witch, but hasn’t yet acted on those feelings. Likes: Books about military history, weapons, bikers, loud heavy metal music, drinking 190 proof liquor in dive bars, winning Dislikes: Omega, pacifism, losing, watching innocents suffer, Omegadrones, talking about his feelings, discussions of his genetic heritage NPC ROLES: ALLY Silver Eagle respects combat ability, a strong moral character, and a willingness to put yourself on the line for others. He’ll make a stalwart friend to any PC who shares some combination of those three. He’s not really powerful to fight cosmic threats one-on-one, so he’s game to try; he may need to call PCs in for help in battle (something he does without hesitation, pride or not) or for a trip to the Terminus if he can’t bring his League allies along for some reason. He’s a good guy to have at your back in a fight. RIVAL Silver Eagle takes conflicts with others seriously, but he does so without animosity. A loud, competitive jock, he’s a good choice for a semi-friendly rivalry with a famous NPC. He honestly doesn’t mean to make enemies this way: warriors get better through competition, and he assumes most of his fellow heroes want to be better at what they do. His big problem is that years of being the smallest, weakest one have made him too inclined to overcompensate for a perceived inferiority with gibes and taunts that can get seriously annoying to deal with. ENEMY Silver Eagle thinks the Freedom League’s tolerance for T-Babies is a big mistake. He has lots of experience with people mutated by Terminus energy back home and none of them turned out well. He’s the perfect choice for a mistrustful, slightly bigoted authority figure for young T-baby PCs who want to be alienated from the world for a plot or two. That said, he’s not actually a monster: he’s more than capable of growing with time if he has a chance to see T-baby heroes for the brave warriors and honorable heroes that they can be.

July 17, 2011 Official Freedom League message to all League members, the Interceptors, the Parkhurst Hotel, the Laboratory, Young Freedom (c/o Midnight), Gabriel, the Knights of Freedom (former; c/o the Scarab): Omega-class Disaster Alert (Potential) A cosmic entity of tremendous power, the Gorgon, aka Cosmic Entity 31966, currently poses a potential Omega-class threat to the planet Earth. (Attached is a short piece describing the Gorgon's method of operation; i.e., the nanite apocalypse she unleashes upon inhabited worlds). She will likely arrive in the Solar System around September 15, 2011, +/- seven days. While the Freedom League and others are working to deal with this crisis, you are advised to begin disaster preparations: A. Be prepared for potential panic/anarchy in your patrol areas both from civilians and established criminal and super-criminal threats. Contact Raven through the League for further assistance/information. B. Begin making evacuation plans (for temporary removal of essential civilian personnel) to areas not on Earth-Prime. Contact Fleur de Joie and/or Dark Star through the League for further assistance/information. Be advised that this situation should be kept out of the public eye unless otherwise necessary. A city-wide or global panic will be far more threatening to the safety and welfare of our citizens than a Gorgon defeated in interplanetary space. Stay in communication with each other and with trustworthy independent agents. Further updates will be forthcoming. July 17, 2011 Communication to Claremont students: A potential global disaster threatens the welfare of Earth. Faculty, staff, and students will need to band together in this crisis. Be on alert and stay in communication with the school at all times. Continue with all studies, projects, and authorized patrols until further notice. Further updates will be forthcoming from the school administration.

Edge: (Vignette) Graduation Day: What You Leave Behind (and GMing) Graduation Day: Summa Cum Laude (and GMing) Graduation Day: There Won't Be a Next Time (and GMing) Graduation Day: The Earth Died Screaming Chaos Principle Freedom Angel: Faith Protects, Kevlar Helps Harrier: (Vignette) Science For the World Far Side of the Moon Citizen: (Vignette) Way to Go, Wendigo Conspiracy Theory Superhuman, Supersonic, Supernatural Welcome to the Real World Put my Ref point towards Harrier, and my GM points towards Edge. (So I can bulk him up!) If I can't do the latter, put them towards Citizen.

Heyzel helped out by cutting the bars down to size, swinging his sword over and over again with perfect precision. "It is a metal the unrighteous cannot breach without abandoning their nature. The perfect armor for a righteous man." When they had about twenty pounds gathered, Heyzel nodded. "This will suffice. Let us go from this place to Vanity Fair, where we can find someone to forge it." He caught Gabriel's look at that and said gently, "A 17th century Baptist saw evil everywhere in the world, even in places with no sins worse than a wicked king. As I said, times have changed here. And so have the hearts of men. You will find no enemies there."

"Saints be praised! Almighty One, I call out to you!" And sure enough, at the old man's words as the cage fell away, a flaming chariot descended from the sky overhead, driven by two doughty angels who scooped up the man up without a word. From the ground Gabriel could see as they swooped up into the sky, the hosannas of thanks and praise bestowed by the former prisoner the last thing he heard until from behind him, "Valiant work, Gabriel." The angel had evidently won his battle with the golems, his sword glassy from the melted sand that had fused to the burning blade. "When Bunyan came and saw that man," said the angel reflectively as he looked up into the sky, "he left him to rot in his sin. But you made the right choice. No man should be left to suffer so close to salvation. Whatever his crimes. Come, let us gather up these bars," he added, bending low over the fallen debris. "These shall be your breastplate."

"Oh, I am but a pitiful sinner!" exclaimed the prisoner woefully. "Sealed away by my sins and neglect of the Word. I have only my rags and my cage," said the prisoner, looking away from Gabriel and weeping, the sounds of combat outside reaching both their ears as Freedom Angel fought the dust monsters. The lock didn't actually feel that tough to Gabriel; one good shout would probably blow the lock and get the door open, though actually destroying the metal itself would be considerably more complicated. "Alone and abandoned forever and ever, woe is me!"

"Much has changed since John Bunyan made his journey here. I can only guide you so far," said Heyzel almost apologetically. "If angels could guide men through these passageways, much...much would be different." He looked away for just a moment, then focused on the door. "Let's do this!" He raised a sandled foot and kicked open the door, powering into a house that looked like many old-fashioned farm cottages Carson had grown up with in Ireland. Inside he found no simple farmers, but rather a 19th-century kitchen covered completely in a thick, grimy layer of dust. As both men studied the scene, suddenly those layers of dust peeled themselves upward, forming into twin shapes of grimy humanity that lumbered towards Carson and Heyzel. "Law golems! I'll hold them off! Gabriel, you must find the prisoner in the back. He will have the stuff to make your armor. Do what your soul tells you is right!" As the angel of Freedom engaged the grimy golems in fierce battle, Carson was attracted to the rear where he heard a faint sound of weeping. In the back of the house was a massive iron cage, large as the farmhouse itself, and inside was an old man in shabby rags and a dirty complexion. He wasn't anyone Carson knew, but he looked at him as he entered and declaimed sadly, "God hath denied me repentance: his Word gives me no encouragement to believe; yea, himself hath shut me up in this Iron Cage; nor can all the men in the world let me out. O Eternity! Eternity! how shall I grapple with the misery that I must meet with in Eternity!"