Avenger Assembled

The bees knew the prison's layout far better than any giant robot bee really should have, and within seconds everyone was up in the air and heading for the exit! Lacking the tendency to chatter that their organic cousins had, they were silent save for the thrumming of their mighty engines. They cut through the psychiatric wing to save time, thanks to Jill's firm instruction to the bees, and Freedom Angel glanced over at a familiar-looking girl in a cell, eying them suspiciously. "Hey, isn't that-" But they were moving too fast to hold up for any such faces: and anyway the angel was busy on the radio making sure the guards knew that the Bee-Keeper had surrendered and they were making a medical emergency exit. Within another few minutes they were out of the prison entirely, soaring high above the island below. Freedom Angel sat up, concentrating as he felt his connection to Heaven return, and the hole in his chest healed up as Gabriel watched! "There is no time for me to worry for myself," he said with a smile before sliding off the bee and letting his wings take him into the air after the others.

Pasithea PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 26 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 16 (+3) CON 16 (+3) INT 12 (+1) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+8 ranged) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +6 Saves: 12 pp TOU +8 (+3 Con, +5 Protection) FORT +7 (+3 Con, +4) REF +7 (+3 Dex, +4) WILL +8 (+4 Wis, +4) Skills: 12 pp=48 r Bluff 8 (+10) Intimidate 8 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 4 (+5) Languages 2 (Chinese, Italian) (Base: English) Notice 11 (+15) Sense Motive 11 (+15) Feats: 16 pp Attack Focus: Ranged 2, Dodge Focus 6 Environmental Adaptation (dreams), Evasion 2, Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Power Attack Ultimate Save (Will) Uncanny Dodge (mental) Powers: 60 pp Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6 pp] Dream Array [24+5=29 pp] Blast 12 AP: Dimensional Movement 1 (Dreamscape) and Insubstantial 4 (PFs: Selective, Subtle) AP: Drain Wisdom 10 (Extra: Range [Perception]) (Flaw: Action [Full]) (PFs: Reversible, Sedation, Slow Fade 2 [5 minutes]) AP: Emotion Control 12 (Extra: Autofire) (Flaw: Ranged) AP: Illusion 10 (all senses) (Flaws: Phantasm, Single Target) (PFs: Progression 3 [50 ft], Precise) AP: Stun 12 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Ranged) (Flaw: Action [Full]) Immunity 12 (aging, life support, starvation and thirst, sleep) [12 pp] Protection 5 [5 pp] Super-Senses 8 (Accurate Acute Analytical Extended (x10) Radius Ranged Mental, Dream Awareness [mental]) [8 pp] costs abilities 26 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 12/48 + feats 16 + powers 60 = 150 pts ---- Design Notes: Talia Albright was born to wealth and power and loved every second of it. Phantom Industries, her father's pride and joy, was one of the most powerful corporations in Hong Kong, its tendrils of influence reaching everywhere in China and even into America and Britain. Of mixed ancestry herself, she let her father's former lackeys run the business she had inherited. Rather than break into the insular world of Hong Kong business that would always look side-eyed at a woman of American and Chinese parentage whatever her personal power, she would use her wealth and influence to amass the largest collection of arcane artifacts in the world, becoming a power in the world of magic! She was actually something of a minor supervillain for a while, her garish costumes and spooky persona an elaborately cultivated way of distracting her enemies from what she wanted: money, power, and lots of both! It wasn't until she found the Amulet of Morpheus just a few years ago that she learned her mistake: cracking open the sealed geode within sucked the young adventurer into the world of dreams, where the King of Dreams showed her the petty, spoiled life she'd led and the tiny, small dreams of theft and seduction that had been hers. Horrified at the petty sight of her innermost self, she pledged herself to Morpheus' service to make amends for a lifetime of misdeeds. With his power in her, she became Pasithea, the guardian of the dream dimension, charged with battling the terrible monsters of the dream world and making sure that the nightmares of that dimension never intrude into our waking reality. It's tough work, and only recently has she been able to connect to her mortal life again, finding her great wealth now in the service of others. She met her husband Longinus when that demonic worthy was briefly exiled to her realm, and after a few clashes the two became lovers, then parents of a most terrible child. Okay, I think this Phantom/Psyche/Bombshell mashup is pretty valid. Check out Marvel's Sleepwalker for some other ideas. She's a powerful character, guardian of the dream dimension and easily capable of fighting successfully in our own. She can knock foes out in a variety of useful ways and use her Ranged Emotion Control to kick up some really high Will save DCs. Think throwing the sandman's sand in somebody's face! She can also just concentrate and put people to sleep and into their dreams, though that takes some special amount of work on her part: a valid reason to fight both with regular blasts and her Perception-range abilities. She makes a good counterpoint to the Slumberland Hero upthread; take a look at his sheet if you're interested in more HPs for her big dream control array. She's a lot squishier than most sorcerors, but OTOH she can survive in environments that most of them can't, and she's much better at getting out of the way of attacks. The Hero High supplements have some good ideas for dream-based baddies if you want to give her a rogues' gallery...

Notice and Investigate checks, please!

"...Midnight, Sage, and Cobalt Templar were killed during the bombing of Freedom City last year," said Lucky Strike after a moment's hesitation. "I'm sorry," she added, looking at the visiting Young Freedom, "I know that's not easy for you to hear, but believe me..." she glanced at the others. "It's not easy for me to say, either." She scrubbed her arms and added, "If you talked to a version of Zephyr, then you know what happened: the Crime League planted nuclear devices all over the world to try and take it hostage. The League rushed from place to place to stop them, but that just gave Hiroshima Shadow the time he needed to plant his own bomb, the biggest of all of them, right here in Freedom. The team that was left behind, they delayed the detonation as long they could, evacuated as many people as possible, and finally they got it as far into space as they could." "...Cobalt Templar's shield blocked the effects of the airburst," said Vril Knight shortly, not looking at anyone in particular. "But the radiation and earthquakes it caused still ripped the heart out of the city. Tens of thousands died instead of tens of millions." Fusion, evidently the scientist of the group, clarified that Hiroshima Shadow had amplified the power of the bomb. "If it had gone off anywhere in the city limits, or not behind the shield, it would have incinerated all of Freedom City, most of New Jersey, and possibly even cracked the continental plate." "I'm so sorry," said Edge out loud, shooting a look at all the other heroes. "What an awful tragedy." He shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could say more. "From what you say, it sounds like those heroes died saving a great many people, even if they couldn't save everyone. You should be proud." "We are." answered Psilent, shooting a glance at Midnight and Sage in particular. "I took my father's name, and carry on his work and my mother's legacy both." "As for you and Mom," Lucky Strike clarified, "neither of you were here. My mom works for the Secret Service as the President's personal meta-bodyguard, so she was in Washington when it all happened. And Mark, you're head of the League's office in Dakana," she added. "From what I'm told, every plane in the Dakanan airport had a mechanical failure when you tried to fly out." She hesitated a moment, then added as the doors swung shut, "The same thing happened to us in Jakarta," she added, glancing at her team. "By a 1 in a million chance, the teleport lockout failed. By the time we got here...it was too late. I guess I could have called you guys in, but you don't really talk much these days with Mark's new wife and my mom's job..." After a very long descent, the elevator doors finally swung open, revealing not a secret bunker with a carefully guarded cosmic bomb, but rather a crowded room full of deactivated robots, a cosmic sphere being lifted up by what looked like advanced antigravs, and a gaggle of a half-dozen unfamiliar metahumans. "Cheezit!" their armored leader declared, and before the heroes could react, thieves and sphere vanished simultaneously, an instant before Lucky Strike's fist passed through where the leader's head had been. She then swore, and what an oath it was!

"I can stay here if necessary," said the angel, nodding approvingly at Jill's quick thinking with the robot bees. "I do not think our adversary will be a threat any longer," he said, glancing at the corner where the supervillain who'd stabbed him was now not only back in restraints but actually had his lawyer sitting on his chest to pin him down, "and Barry Bowles will be surrendering to the lawful authorities now that he knows he has a champion there." Getting stabbed had actually hurt quite a lot, particularly since the missile had been so painfully undignified in its own right, but he had no doubts that Stesha was the greater priority. "For my own part, the greatest danger to me is all the feathers soaked in honey." He took in the group and made some fast decisions. "No, Gabriel, since there are bees enough for all, I would prefer if you rode with me, and if Jill rode with Stesha. My injuries are not as important as her baby," he said without a moment's doubt. As they were all getting onto the bees, the Bee-Keeper spoke first to his bees, saying simply, "My friends, carry Fleur de Joie and her friends to safety. I know you know the path to freedom well enough. Let nothing stand in your way. And from there...go from this place," he said simply. "When you have given Fleur and the others to the forces of safety waiting for them, your duty to me is done." "But, but sir..." "No no!" He put a honey-covered hand over his heart, then touched each giant robot bee on the face. "I will hold you as slaves to my will no longer! This is a day for freedom, for liberation. If not for me today, then for you, today and for all time. Go, and live as you were made to be." To Fleur, he said simply, "Fleur de Joie, you have been my worthy opponent for years now. I wish you, your child, and your...and your...yes, and your husband nothing but good fortune and happiness. Consider our war..." He took out a deep breath, then let it out. "Consider our war over."

Longinus PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 54 pp STR 30 (+10) DEX 14 (+2) CON 30 (+10) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 20 pp ATK: +4 (+10 melee) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init : +2 Grapple: +21 Saves: 11 pp TOU +10 (+10 Con) FORT +10 (+10 Con) REF +5 (+2 Dex, +3) WILL +10 (+2 Wis, +8) Skills: 44 r=11 pp Intimidate 8 (+10) Knowledge: Arcane Lore 4 (+5) Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 4 (+5) Languages 3 (Aramaic, English, Latin) (Base: Italian) Notice 10 (+10) Sense Motive 15 (+15) Feats: 15 pp Attack Focus: Melee 6 Dodge Focus 4 Fearless Startle Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (tactile) Powers: 45 pp Enhanced Feats 5 (Extended Reach, Improved Crit, Improved Trip, Incurable, Variable Descriptor 1 [any slashing]) [5 pp] Flight 2 (25 MPH) (PF: Move-By Action) [5 pp] Immunity 6 (aging, environmental cold and heat, high pressure, suffocation) [6 pp] Luck Control 4 (spend an HP for another character, give HP to others, spend HP to negate HP/Fiat, force reroll) (PFs: Luck 5) [17 pp] Super-Senses 5 (Darkvision, Infernal Awareness [Mental], Tremorsense) [5 pp] Super-Strength 1 (Heavy Load: 1.5 tons) (PF: Groundstrike) [3 pp] Regeneration 2 (1/day) (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) [4 pp] Drawbacks: 6 pp Vulnerable (vs. Holy) (uncommon, major) [-3 pp] Weakness (Dazed by Charisma check vs. holy symbols) [-3 pp] costs abilities 54 + combat 20 + saves 11 + skills 11/44 + feats 15 + powers 45 + drawbacks 6 = 150 pts ----- Design Notes: Aw yeah, an Avenger/Edge/Harrier/Freedom Angel/Fusion/Citizen mashup. In medieval Nice, Jacques Faretti 'cursed God and died' at the hands of the Inquisition, shouting infernalist blasphemies from the stake even as they lit the dry wood at his feet. To his horror, though, Faretti found that the grand Satanic struggle against the power of Heaven he'd been promised was a lie. Faretti had spent his life combating the tyrannical power of the Church in Nice, spreading forbidden books and teachings for the betterment of his fellow men and women, even worshiping at churches where women preached and taught before abandoning all faith altogether. But despite what he'd been told, the Devil was no romantic rebel against the power of a tyrannical Creator: rather Satan was more a petty child still spoiling for a fight after being rejected by his father, and Hell was as much a despotism as anything the medieval Church could have built for itself. Faretti was warped and changed by the dark powers he'd embraced without understanding, though in a twist of hellish irony he became a grim harrier of the same corrupt churchmen who he'd battled in life and who had joined him in the netherworld. Time passes strangely in Hell, and those who dwell there have much trouble with self-reflection. (After all, otherwise an eternity of torture would get dull real fast) It wasn't until the arrival of pure souls in Hell; the early generation of magical superheroes in the 1930s, that Faretti was able to realize the full extent of what had happened and of his own transformation. To be a mindless slave of the Devil was no way to live; he would fain escape this false world of torment and woe and return to the surface to fight again for the better world he'd once dreamed. He cheated for a while, helping those dispatched to Hell by Nazi sorcery escape, then intervening on the surface to warn off the infernalists who summoned him without a full understanding of what it meant, but finally he was caught and imprisoned by his former fellows. Luckily, Adrian Eldritch (who he had met during one of the latter's first trips Below) came to his rescue, and the former citizen of Hell came bodily to the surface on June 6, 1966. Rather than use his True Name and risk being found out by infernalists who might summon him, demons who might slay him, or crusaders who sought his blood, Faretti took the name of Longinus, another man cursed for a sin committed with the best of intentions, and became a crusader in his own right: determined to make sure that no tyrannies of magic, superstition, or any other dogma would dominate the souls of men. Now he travels the world, battling infernalists and others who would enslave humanity with evil magic, showing them that the promises of Hell are grim lies and only torment and slavery await those who embrace Hell's dark path. His lover Pasiphae, whom he met while banished to the dream dimension, is his greatest and best friend, and together they had spawned a child who he hopes may grow up in a world altogether free from dark magic. In combat he is a fearsome thing, tentacles like a spider's legs whipping around him as he slashes and cuts, flaming hellsword in his hand; his Devil's Luck letting him survive impossible odds again and again so long as he continues his crusade against the forces of Darkness. It's a tough life, but it's the life he deserves...and if he's truly honest with himself, the life he enjoys.

"She had time control powers," said Fusion, folding her metallic tentacles around herself. "I had hoped that if anyone here might have survived, it would be her. But just because she didn't go to your era doesn't mean she didn't," the armored heroine added hopefully. "Time is vast. We've recovered survivors from the deep before." "Lois, don't get into that," said Amaryllis chidingly. "There's no point in distracting them. We're here to save the world today, not last year." With that, the team from the future (a future, anyway) gave little teleport beacons to the dopplegangers of their parent: the small button-sized dots bore the YF logo that James had copyrighted for them literally a lifetime ago. "This will take all of you to Freedom Hall, and us along with you." "Sorry about earlier," Vril Knight murmured to her father, looking apologetic. "I know it's stupid to blame you. It's just a tough day all around." When everyone was equipped with their beacons, they flashed away to Freedom Hall, finding the center building of Freedom City's heroes looking...well, not as they might have liked to see it. Freedom Hall looked entirely new, rising all around them in a metallic dome, and painted on its walls were familiar faces cast in unfamiliar ways: there was Psyche, Phalanx, Sage, Midnight, and others all striving together like something from a heroic Social Realist mural of the 1930s, cast against a stylized Freedom City that bore none of the marks of recovering devastation all around them. For her part, Lucky Strike didn't seem inclined to look around. "Let's move. We're keeping the sphere in the old Hall bunker down below. Most armored place in the city. You know how to fix it?" she asked, leading the way to the elevator. Only Psilent had stayed loyal to his name so far, the black-clad Francophone starting a little as he realized he was standing almost halfway between Sage and Midnight. Without a word, he took a step apart from them.

With Gabriel's last blow, the villain sunk to the ground unconscious, having earned nothing but missing teeth and taser marks for his quixotic last stand against all the heroes after him at once. For his part, with his wounds fixed by Jill, the observant Heyzel thought nothing of himself and everything of Fleur de Joie. He had an angel's keen perceptions even now, and her need was greater than his. "Good, he's defeated and the Bee-Keeper will surrender with my word that when the investigation is completed, he will be returned to the place where he belongs. Won't you?" Even badly wounded, the flash of holy fire in his eyes was enough to make Barry swallow and nod. "And now...does anyone have a way to take Fleur out of the building?"

"I...knew Zephyr," replied Fusion, her voice metallic and echoey inside the suit. It was hard to tell if this was Joan, or someone else who'd taken up the legacy. "She was one of my Claremont students. But she would have been born well after 2011 in almost any reality." She sounded tense, they all did, and Amaryllis was ostentatiously studying her teleport beacon as if she was trying to stay out of a conversation that didn't directly involve her. "Was there a time travel incident on your world recently?" "As for who briefed me...well," replied Lucky Strike, "a few days ago, another version of my grandfather contacted me. He said I needed to meet versions of...my parents and their friends from the past to save the world. My friends were in town because of the work and they all had a connection to you." "...wait, Rick Lucas is your grandfather?" asked Mark, his eyes widening as he took in what had happened here. "You're my daughter?!" "...yeah, sort of, Mark," replied the lucky powerhouse a little diffidently, running her hand through her hair in a familiar gesture. "But that's not really important right now, schway? We've got the bomb on lockdown in Freedom Hall, and we need to get there now before anyone else pops in."

Punch 1 Staggered and Stunned Punch 2 Unconscious

The visit to the future

Continued from >Familiar Faces Earth C-Future-2 With just enough warning to grab what they needed, Young Freedom slipped from one world to another in the early morning light of a clear summer's day. Within moments, they found themselves in a new world: this time in suburban Kingston, right under the WELCOME TO KINGSTON sign installed just a few years ago by the City Council. Pulling his costume all the way on, Mark pushed his thoughts about his father out of his head and looked around. It looked like everyone was dressed and in costume, though no one had had much warning about getting their clothes on and ready to go. For a moment, he thought they'd somehow solved everything and gone back to their world: Kingston in 2035 didn't look that different. Sure, the car in the suburban garage they were next to looked electric and had the sleek, efficient lines of something from a science fiction movie or car company special showroom, and sure the billboard down the street was a shimmering spectacle of light. It took him a few moments to take in the black. Black banners were hanging on every house, each with a date emblazoned in silver: 6/21/2034: NEVER FORGET! Turning around, he gasped at the sight of Freedom City; shining towers rose high in a monument to futurity, but every single one was under repair, with the marks of devastation visible even from this distance to his inexpert eyes. What had happened here, and what were they rebuilding from? Before he could react to the grim monument in suburbia and the recovering city before them, suddenly there was a cascade of light in front of them on the green lawn and five superheroes formed up out of what was obviously a very advanced teleporter's beam. In the lead of the largely female group was a >tall brunette in white and blue, a pair of dice on her costume's chest showing snake eyes. Next to her was a >muscular young man in all black, long ribbons extending from the back of his head like a novel kind of cape, a familiar symbol on his chest. Next to him was a young woman >Corbin almost recognized, her face like the young woman he'd met who claimed to be his daughter, but with a costume subtly different, more like Quo-Dis' than anything else and cast in purple from the ring on her finger. In the rear were two older women; >one with green hair and a purple and black outfit, and behind her a gleaming metal battlesuit with waving metallic tentacles like a robotic octopus. The group eyed each other for a moment before the ring-bearing girl said, her serious look suddenly cracking to pain, "You'd...you'd better be who you look like!" "Stand down, Vril Knight," said the dice lady, giving her ally a serious look before looking at the others, shooting a wide-eyed glance at Erin and Mark before mastering her own facial expression. "I'm Lucky Strike. Welcome to 2035, Young Freedom. We've been briefed on why you're here and we've located your target. Please, remember that you're from the past of an alternate world." It sounded like she was talking to her own team as much as Young Freedom. "You can't...you can't change what you see here. This is Midnight, Vril Knight, Amaryllis, and Fusion. We're here to help you get to Freedom Hall safely." "Call me Psilent," replied 'Midnight', his voice raspy and dry, with just the faint hint of a French accent. "While he's here."

Early the next morning, Mark woke up to the realization someone was watching him sleep, and that someone was his father. His double had crashed in the room opposite in their little clubhouse, sleeping on the shag carpet so Mark could enjoy the comforts of a bed before he went off to save the multiverse. "Dad?" Anger was forgotten in the moment, given the work his father and Oliver were doing to save the multiverse from total destruction. "What's going on?" "You're doing really well, son," said Rick. "I knew you could do it." He was smiling, a little, anyway. "I've always known you'd be a better hero than I was, and you've certainly proven me right." "...thanks, Dad," said Mark, who couldn't look his father in the eye after saying so much and telling him that his father hadn't started acting heroic until very, very recently. He concentrated on getting dressed, glancing at the clock as he did so with a wince. God, was everyone else awake, probably ready to yell at him for sleeping in so late when they were supposed to be saving the world."It's not me, anyway, it's the others who are saving the day. I'm just helping. But how are you even here? Shouldn't you be with the-" "I stole a moment. Listen, Mark..." Reaching into his pocket, Rick took something out and showed it to Mark: a sparkly, glittery ball the size of a marble on the end of a short black baton like a magician's wand. "With everything that's happening, we may not have another moment, and I don't want you to be surprised This will be in my study when everything's done. When everything's done, go find it and keep it safe. It's...it's something from me. Something better than me. Please." There was a plea in his father's voice, one that made Mark nod. "All right. All right, I'll do it. If you're here, does that mean we need to..." END OF PART FOUR Continued in >Leaves from the Vine

Nick O'Time PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 38 pp STR 26 (+8) DEX 14 (+2) CON 20 (+5) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+12 Sonic Blast/Melee) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +2 Grapple: +20 Saves: 15 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3 Costume) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +8 (+2 Ref, +6) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 17 pp=68 r Acrobatics 13 (+15) Climb 2 (+10) Craft (Mechanical) 4 (+6) Intimidate 10 (+10) Knowledge (Technology) 8 (+10) Knowledge (Streetwise) 2 (+4) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 13 (+15) Feats: 18 pp Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Focus: Melee 6, Dodge Focus 6, Evasion, Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 39 pp Device 6 (Nick O’Time Costume) (Hard to Lose) (PFs: Restrictedx2, Subtle) [27 pp] -Blast 8 (PFs: Accurate 3, Improved Crit, Precise) [21+1=22] -AP: Autofire and Penetrating on Unarmed Damage and Enhanced Feats 4 (Extended Reach, Improved Crit 2, Precise) on Unarmed Damage 'sonic sword' -Protection 3 [3] -Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1] -Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Wall-Crawling) [4] Immunity 6 (sleep, sonic damage) [6 pp] Super-Senses 3 (Accurate Hearing, Time Sense) [3 pp] costs abilities 38+ combat 24 + saves 15 + skills 17/68 + feats 18+ powers 39 = 150 pts -- Design Notes: Erik L. Hunter grew up with the taunts of his classmates: his mom was a cripple, his mom was gay, he was biracial and neither of them had much money. He learned to deal with being thought of as a freak, even though it always made him silently brood. Learning to fight helped him deal with bullies, but it didn't do much to change what he was _really_ worried about, becoming like his father. His father, a shady businessman and entrepreneur, had abandoned his mother when Erik himself had been just a small boy, unable to deal with her bisexuality when it became a threat to his masculinity, not to mention the fact that the demands of her hero work would always have to come first. That left his mom, the Iron Age Nick O'Time and granddaughter of the Golden Age hero of that name, without a support system, and when she was shot in the back while breaking up a gay bashing, she was permanently paralyzed by the time the EMTs found her. He was determined not to leave his mother the way his father had, and he decided to prove to her that she didn't have to worry anymore about the heroic legacy she thought her own failures had ruined. What better way to show her that he would always be there for her than to fight in her name? Having inherited a measure of his mother's powers, though not her full mutant potential, he trained in secret and built his own Nick O'Time costume, a cunningly-crafted suit cast in the style of his late grandfather that let him fire the sonic blasts his mom had once used while wearing it, and then took to the streets as a superhero! His mom has always been in his corner since, and she's helped guide him towards a mature understanding of his mission. He met Walkabout early on after her arrival on Earth-Prime, and the two have been close ever since. Okay, here's a Jack of all Blade/Midnight II/Wail mashup: he's a biracial hero with sonic powers and a really big sword! I figure the first Nick O'Time was something of a Golden Age swashbuckling action hero, while his granddaughter was his Captain Ethnic Bronze Age/Iron Age successor, and this Nick has adopted the sword style as well as his mother's sonic powers to great effect. I figure his sonic sword power represents channeling sonic energy into the blade he carries as part of his costume, giving him a buzzing blade that cuts through almost anything like a buzzsaw. It's super-effective! Between that and his sonic blast, he's also a pretty effective ranged fighter. He's also a really good scout with built-in 'sonar', and in fact could fight in pitch darkness if he so desired. (I deliberately did _not_ give him a Dazzle as part of his costume thanks to his own reliance on sonic powers, but he could easily stunt that off his big array) It's up to you how much protection his immunity gives him against sonic damage: it's not clear to me he wouldn't be blasted off his feet by, say, Wail's sonic scream even if the sonic vibrations themselves couldn't hurt him. Still, maybe he has the innate ability to vibrate along with it. Consider sonic knockback as a possible complication and source of free HP! In his costume, which I figure is powered by vibrations, he can vibrate himself to move at great speed and leap very high, so fast he can cling to solid objects without falling off them! You could make him a flier easily enough, though. His sleep immunity has the coffee descriptor, natch. His mom was a super-strong blaster in my mind (perhaps with some Innate Density!), so he inherited a peak human body from her. The idea of someone using technology to compensate for powers they 'should' have is an old one; this could work as a hero who has lost his powers and is making them up elsewhere, or one who for whatever reason is trying to give the appearance of having innate abilities he does not have. The Subtle on his costume represents that it's a skintight Guardian/Booster Gold-esque combat suit, and doesn't look like it gives him any superpowers until you give it a close inspection. Change the names up and keep the tradition and backstory, and I really do think this build works as is! In my mind, his family was one of the first black superheroic legacies, and he's determined to live up to that legacy while at the same time forging his own traditions. Legacies are a great source of Complications, whether immortal girlfriends of the last person to hold the crown or just old enemies who still hold a grudge after all these years. He's got good all-around saves, and he's good everywhere in general. The energy powers could easily be shifted into another direction, giving him a different sort of focus (and probably different super-senses to boot), but of course keeping the sonic theme intact is a natural part of the mashup this is supposed to be.

Dangerproof PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 36 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 18 (+4) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 32 pp ATK: +8 (+9 Melee/+15 Unarmed) DEF: +15 (+4 flat-footed) Init: +4 Grapple: +14 Saves: 9 pp TOU +5 (+5 Con) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +6 (+4 Dex, +2) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 72 r=18 pp Acrobatics 1 (+5) Bluff 8 (+10) Climb 5 (+10) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Disable Device 10 (+10) Drive 1 (+5) Intimidate 8 (+10) Knowledge (History) 5 (+5) Language 1 (Ancient Egyptian) (Base: English) Pilot 1 (+5) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 8 (+10) Survival 3 (+5) Swim 5 (+10) Feats: 17 pp Attack Focus: Melee 1 Attack Specialization: Unarmed 3 Beginner’s Luck Dodge Focus 7 Evasion Fearless Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 38 pp Immunity 40 (all lethal damage) (Flaw: Converts to Non-Lethal) [20 pp] Regeneration 16 (+9 Recovery Bonus [5], Bruised [no action] 3, Staggered [no action] 6, Resurrection 1/week [1] (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth)) [18 pp] costs abilities 36 + combat 32 + saves 9 + skills 18/72 + feats 17 + powers 38 = 150 pts ------ Design Notes: Here's my build for the Man Who Cannot Be Killed, that two-fisted pulp adventurer, Ace Harris, Dangerproof! He's got the skills and feats he needs to be a two-fisted man of action, a gentleman adventurer who travels the world, seduces fine ladies, and punches Nazis and other bad guys in the face. His low TOU means that a Nazi who sneaks up behind him can coldcock him into unconsciousness, but he'll just wake up tied to an idol to listen to the crazy bad guy's rants, poke him in the eye, and then escape with his latest amour on a rowboat as the Nazi base on Skull Island blows up behind him. This isn't a bad build for the Two-Fisted Adventurer from the Golden Age, ramped up significantly to be a PL 10 character. Of course, he has a pretty good secret for how he does that: he cannot be killed at all! Bullets just knock him out and explosions just toss him around, and even if he is killed by some arcane means he'll be back in time for the sequel and ready to kick some Nazi butt. A Phalanx/Ace Danger Amalgam! He's tough to kill! The best way to do it would be a long-term Drain Con, but even that'll wear off eventually. He doesn't have Immunity to aging, since as written this isn't a character who actually has been around since the Golden Age. That'll be easy enough to give him, though, especially since you probably want to have Immunity to aging when you have Resurrection, otherwise in about fifty years you are going to be pretty unhappy with the eternity stretching out before you. Immunity to lethal damage is a pretty powerful ability, but on the other hand he's still feeling every hit, it's just not going to kill him. Consider surviving a nuclear blast inside a refrigerator: you'll be fine eventually! Given that non-lethal is the default anyway in our game, he's still going to get knocked out and ranted to all the time. And of course, as per our house rules, he doesn't have Regeneration vs. Unconscious, so if he does get coldcocked he'll be out as long as anyone else. He's certainly not free from the possibility of danger, given that if he gets buried in an avalanche or something he is _booooned_. If he gets blown out to sea, he'll probably drift around forever until he washes ashore on some deserted island...which, come to think of it, is how it usually works with these sorts of heroes anyway! His lack of movement powers means that the best way to give him a long-term bad time is to throw him somewhere or put him in a hostile environment; he won't die from being in the lava, but the hostile environment will eventually put him down for quite a long time. He could use some Impervious, I suppose, but then how will he get all ruggedly bruised and battered in his combat with Nazi goons? If you don't like the two-fisted pulp adventurer angle, I could see this as a police officer too; perhaps an FCPD bomb squad officer who survived an accident on the job and got some power to go with it: in fact the original inspiration for the crunch was John McClane.

Lucky Star PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 22 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 10 (+0) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 22 (+6) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Blast) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +2 Grapple: +6 Saves: 18 pp TOU +10 (+2 Con, +8 Protection) FORT +6 (+2 Con, +4) REF +6 (+2 Dex, +4) WILL +10 (+0 Wis, +10) Skills: 15 pp=60 r Bluff 14 (+20) Diplomacy 14 (+20) Knowledge: History 5 (+5) Languages 3 (English, German, Spanish) (Base: French) Perform (pop music) 4 (+10) Notice 8 (+8) Sense Motive 10 (+10) Feats: 19 pp Attack Specialization: Blast (2) Benefit 3 (Fame [pop star], Wealth 2 [realistically rich]) Dodge Focus (4) Fearless Inspire (5) Set-Up Taunt Ultimate Save (TOU) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 52 pp Fortune Array [22+3=25 pp] Blast 10 (PFs: Variable Descriptor 2 [any accident]) AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Targeted Area [Cone]) (PFs: Variable Descriptor 2 [any accident]) AP: Drain INT 10 (Extra: Range [Perception]) (Flaw: Sense-Dependent [auditory]) (PFs: Reversible, Subtle) AP: Teleport 7 (700 ft/200 miles) (Extra: Accurate) (PF: Progression [250 lbs]) Luck Control 4 (spend an HP for another character, give HP to others, spend HP to negate HP/Fiat, force reroll) (PFs: Luck 5) [17 pp] Protection 8 [8 pp] costs abilities 22 + combat 24 + saves 18 + skills 15/60 + feats 19 + powers 52 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: Edge and Seraph's daughter grew up at her mother's country estate in France, after her mom was sent back to France in the wake of a quietly hushed-up teen pregnancy scandal. Young Lucky Star was fortunate enough to be wealthy, beautiful, and greatly powerful, with the downside that her mother's influence and her dad's occasional visits didn't do much to hold up her sanity. When you get everything you want, it's hard to worry too much about the future, or even make a lot of plans for the present. She could easily have become a villain, but luckily she adopted enough of her parents' values to become a hero: and what a hero! She's not just France's greatest hero, she's a teen pop star beloved by millions of screaming teenagers across the world, a gorgeous pop princess with incredible superpowers. Her deeply skewed view of the world actually works to her favor, letting her stay moral even when surrounded by ridiculous wealth and power, and in fact she's so odd when you really get to know her that if you hear her talk it actually can make your brain seize up. She gets by just fine, though, and that particular power is one she hasn't even noticed she possesses. It makes a great complement to her inspiring speeches in combat, though! Luckily her inner charm and personal warmth (and tremendous wallet) helps her have a lot of friends, even if they realize she's a very special sort of person. Woof. This is a powerful character, thanks both to her luck control and tremendous social-fu, and she'd made a dandy antagonist if you want to cast her as a spoiled Eurotrash princess playing at hero, backed up with tremendous wealth and power to cover her shortcomings as a human being. She'd make a great Queen Bee for a Hero High setting, too, particularly if she's still performing on the side, and quite a social antagonist for a whole group of teen heroes. (She's not likely to be a _real_ threat, though; too dangerous for her image! Unless she finds a chance to break into the supervillainy market.) But I think this Oddball works just fine as a pop superhero; a diva who genuinely does care about the community and wanting to make a better place for her fans. She's cheerful, she's perky, she's impossible to scare, and she will never stop believing in the sheer power of the human spirit or caring about the friends who love her and who she loves with all her heart. (If you don't like the "making you go mad" angle, she's a natural for Emotion Control.) Innocence and naivete may get a bad rap, but there are plenty of worse qualities out there. It's a safe bet you won't be able to keep the Oddball's backstory, but I think there's a lot of merit to this character's sheet and the general concept of pop princess turned heroine. (I've used it before, but why not come back to the well?) Obviously you can tweak the sheet too: in particular, you could give her the Probability Control that makes such a nice augment to Luck Control. But in my (admittedly limited to just one character) experience, Probability Control just doesn't come up as often as Luck Control. And besides, you can use the points to buy so many other exciting things! You don't have to make her a blaster, either, you could make her a more straightforward badass normal with higher combat scores. Either way, don't be afraid to chew the scenery a bit: Luck Controllers should be about _personality!_ Her mom had Healing, that's certainly a perky bubblegum enough power for her to have, but she's more of the area-wrecking machine that her dad is in combat. The Fort save on her Drain INT is deliberate; think SAN loss from Call of Cthulhu for the mechanics of a too-smart mind going mad from the sound of her voice.

15 ...WTF. He's just standing there stunned, fully taunted and savagely beaten, and he's...WTF. I don't even know. He's still stunned. Gabriel is up. I've got nothing here folks.

Everybody, have an HP. Gaian Knight is up.

Taunt failure (i.e. he failed vs. the Taunt) 11 Stunned!

Punch 1: Bruised and stunned again Punch 2: Wow! Okay, he's bruisedx3 and stunned again. Jill is up.

Magnetic Avenger Abilities: 38 pp STR: 18 (+4) DEX: 18 (+4) CON: 18 (+4) INT: 12 (+1) WIS: 18 (+4) CHA: 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Magnetic Control/Melee) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +8 Grapple: +10/+14 Saves: 9 pp TOU: +10 (+4 Con, +6 Protection) FORT: +7 (+4 Con, +3) REF: +7 (+4 Ref, +3) WILL: +7 (4 Will, +3) Skills: 20 pp=80 r Acrobatics 6 (+10) Bluff 8 (+10) Diplomacy 4 (+6) Gather Information 5 (+7) Intimidate 8 (+10) Investigate 4 (+5) Knowledge: History 4 (+5) Knowledge: Streetwise 4 (+5) Knowledge: Tactics 4 (+5) Languages 3 (English, Spanish, French) (Base: German) Notice 6 (+10) Sense Motive 6 (+10) Stealth 4 (+8) Feats: 19 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee 4 Dodge Focus 4 Equipment Evasion Improved Initiative Leadership Master Plan 2 Move-By Action Startle Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 40 pp Flight 1 (10 MPH) [2 pp] Magnetic Mastery Array [24+5=29 pp] Damage 10 (Extra: Penetrating) (PFs: Extended Reach, Improved Crit, Precise, Variable Descriptor 1 [any metal]) AP: Damage 6 (Extra: Autofire [2]) (PFs: Accurate 2, Extended , Mighty, Precise, Variable Descriptor 1 [any metal]) AP: Magnetic Control 16 (Heavy Load: 800 tons) (Flaw: Duration [Concentration] on 7-16) (PFs: Indirect 3, Subtle) AP: Move Object 7 (Extras: Range [Perception]) (PFs: Indirect 2, Precise, Subtle) AP: Snare 10 (PFs: Accurate 2, Improved Crit, Subtle) Impervious TOU 8 (Flaw: Not When Flat-Footed) [4 pp] Protection 6 [6 pp] Equipment: [5 ep] Big Knife (Strike 3 (PFs: Improved Crit, Mighty) ) --- Design Notes: Here's a rough take on Magneto, circa the events of X-Men: First Class. He's a very different character than his comic book/later movie self, one whose powers are more of a supplement to his physical prowess and skills than an actual replacement for them. He's much more likely to pull out his knife when confronted with a gang of Nazi hooligans, only pulling his powers out when put in serious jeopardy by Nazi thugs and other hooligans. He's competent enough to pursue Nazis all across Europe and into the Americas, a deadly hand-to-hand fighter who just happens to have some incredible surprises on hand, particularly when working in a world without superhumans. He hasn't yet figured out what kind of man he is, but his discovery of what it is to be a mutant throughout the movie will figure prominently into the character's evolution. His Magnetic Control was chosen after a brief study of WWII military equipment's weight; those of you who have seen the movie will know the one I mean. This is probably Magneto near the film's ending: those of you who've seen the movie will probably remember the particular scenes I had in mind when looking at his various magnetic alternate powers: I found his use of barbed wire as a Snare an especially evocative way of showing that while he's not yet a crusader for mutant supremacy, he's certainly not messing around even with opponents who he doesn't actually want dead. When he evolves into his truly powerful self, his strong skills and physical attributes will make him all the more threatening to his enemies. He's also a pretty competent leader and planner, as seen in the movie's climax and of course what happens later when he finally goes his own way. (Really trying to avoid a lot of spoilers here!) I put the emphasis on his skills (and gave him the knife) because in the scene where he _thinks_ he's about to end the movie (pretty early in its run) he seems to be planning to cut a dude. His really _big_ trick at the end of the movie should be repped by spending the many HP he's accumulated thanks to the many Complications he's had invoked in previous scenes; the man had a lot going on! (He's really the Hero of the movie, with Charles as his increasingly unhappy Lancer). His Impervious TOU is a good way to show him deflecting bullets: he has to be paying attention to pull off making them bounce off him, but he's tough enough that he could take a few hits from them even while not paying attention. (It's my way of using our revised version of Defensive Roll, but just for Impervious TOU rather than all the character's Toughness). I think this build would work great as a low-grade superagent-type, a guy who has superpowers but who primarily gets where he's going thanks to his agency training. Not everyone is going to be the world's most powerful mutant, so using your abilities to land a good solid government job using your magnetic powers to beat up bad guys is just fine. And who wouldn't want to go beat up Nazis and look good doing it?

Atlantean Monarch PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 36 pp STR 30 [20] (+10/+5) DEX 16 (+3) CON 30 [20] (+10/+5) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed) DEF: +6 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +21 Saves: 7 pp TOU +14 (+10 Con, +4 Protection) FORT +10 (+10 Con) REF +5 (+3 Ref, +2) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 14 pp=56 r Bluff 8 (+10)* Diplomacy 2 (+4) Intimidate 13 (+15)* Knowledge (Civics) 4 (+5) Knowledge (History) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 4 (+5) Language 1 (English) (Base: Atlantean) Notice 8 (+10)* Sense Motive 8 (+10)* Feats: 16 pp All-Out Attack Attack Specialization: Unarmed (2) Benefit (King of Atlantis) Challenge (Fast Startle) Environmental Adaptation (Underwater) Fearless Improved Initiative Leadership Move-By Action Power Attack Quick Change Startle Takedown Attack Skill Mastery (Bluff, Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 55 pp Comprehend 2 (speak to and understand sea life) [2 pp] Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp] Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp] Immunity 4 (aging, drowning, environmental cold, high pressure) [4 pp] Impervious Toughness 10 [10 pp] Protection 4 [4 pp] Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2 pp] Super-Strength 5 [Dynamic] [Heavy Load: 24 tons] [10+1+2=13 pp] DAP: Flight 5 (250 MPH) Drawbacks: 2 pp Vulnerable (dessication attacks) (uncommon, moderate) [-2 pp] costs abilities 36 + combat 24 + saves 7 + skills 14/56 + feats 16 + powers 55 - drawback 2 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: Look, I don't want to take sides in the conflict between fans of Namor and Aquaman. Suffice it to say that Namor is a much better character in every way, and Aquaman sucks. Anyway, here's my build for the King of Atlantis, a short-tempered brawler with a penchant for punching surfacers so hard. He flies around, perhaps on little ankle wings, lifts tremendous weights thanks to his underwater heritage, and shrugs bullets off his broad, muscular chest while speechifying about surfacers and all they've done to his beloved Atlantis. Characters like this are a long-time staple of comics; personally, I much prefer the two-fisted half-naked king (with the blue-skinned inhuman subjects) to the undersea Aryan guy. In a PL 8 Golden Age campaign, he also makes a great rampaging monster, one that'll force you to call in that flaming robot guy to help save the day. Treat him as one of those old-timey monarch types, quick to anger and forgive all at once: King Arthur et al. may have been good leaders and heroes and all, but they have been pretty difficult to deal with, especially if there are significant cultural problems afoot like not really getting how surface romance works. How to finesse this guy in a Freedom City campaign, given that we already know about the Atlantean royal family? A few ideas come to mind: maybe make him one of the barbarian warlords the book talks about, perhaps a people kicked out of Atlantis thanks to their Deep One heritage. Perhaps Atlantis has been rather dishonest as a polity over the years, and what makes those 'barbarians' so wicked is that they are in fact not loyal to the Atlantean state, or perhaps they practice a religion all their own. Or maybe he's just a brawling member of the royal family, the son of a surfacer who overcompensates for his daddy issues by being the biggest, toughest guy on the block. It's up to you what kind of benefit being Atlantean royalty gives a PC in your campaign. As with my Black Prince build, he's probably better off as the crown prince given that there are some pretty heavy responsibilities behind royalty. Or just say that Atlantis doesn't have universal authority under the sea, and perhaps this fine royal fellow is from the Pacific? Having once been a villain is certainly a great source of Complications, even if you've since removed that stain from your character via decades of hard-working heroism. A good environmental crusader has a lot to deal with even in a fairly nice setting like Freedom City: so much pollution! I've treated any power loss out of water as a Complication rather than a Drawback, given that Freedom City is a coastal city. Don't forget that Flight defaults to Swimming underwater, giving him a still-healthy underwater cruising speed of around 100 MPH. Just fast enough to catch those dang U-Boats. Treat his vulnerability as being towards anything that could reasonably dry him out: ideally he should be covered in water at all times, or at least often quite wet. If surfacers don't understand your skimpy costume, perhaps it is because they are simply jealous that you are built like the king you are, and unafraid to show the surfacers how an Atlantean warrior looks!

Walkabout PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 38 pp STR 26 (+8) DEX 14 (+2) CON 20 (+5) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+12 Melee) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +2 Grapple: +20 Saves: 15 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3 Protection) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +8 (+2 Ref, +6) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 18 pp=72 r Climb 2 (+10) Computers 3 (+5) Craft (Chemical) 8 (+10) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 5 (+7) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 3 (+5) Knowledge (Technology) 3 (+5) Language 3 (Chinese, Russian, Spanish) (Base: English) Medicine 3 (+5) Notice 13 (+15) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 13 (+15) Survival 8 (+10) Feats: 17 pp Attack Focus: Melee 6, Dodge Focus 6, Equipment, Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 39 pp Concealment 10 (all senses) (Duration: Permanent [+0]) (Flaws: Machines Only, Passive) [5 pp] Immunity 6 (aging, disease, poison, starvation and thirst, suffocation) [6 pp] Plant Control Array [22+2=24 pp] Create Object 10 (Duration (Permanent) [+0]) (PFs: Innate, Selective) AP: Healing 8 (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth, Stabilize) AP: Teleport 7 (700 ft/200 miles) (Extra: Accurate, PF: Turnabout) Protection 3 [3 pp] Regeneration 1 (Resurrection 1/week) [1 pp] Equipment: 5 ep Grapple Gun (Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Swinging) and Speed 1 (10 MPH)) [5 ep] costs abilities 38+ combat 24 + saves 15 + skills 18/72 + feats 17+ powers 39 = 150 pts ---- Design Notes: Stesha White-Evans hardly noticed when the nanite plague broke out. Antisocial and insular, she was perfectly happy with her job at the Morton Arborteum near Chicago and could have spent her whole life working there among her beloved plants if her life, and everyone else's, hadn't been changed forever when an alien bomb from the stars detonated over Freedom City and began changing everything. The nanites were everywhere, infecting all organic life and transforming it into a mechanical, efficient, soulless thing. Suspicious of authority figures after years of living under the tyrannical thumb of her domineering mother, she used her scientific training to see through Daedalus' 'vaccine' and realize the world was being lied to: she hastily cobbled together a counteragent in her basement laboratory and injected it into herself, and spent days sweating and gasping on her floor as the treatment changed her inside and out, only to emerge and find that she'd been only too right about Daedalus: the nanite bomb had changed the Freedom League first, and they'd begun the tyrannical technological domination of the Earth by infesting almost every superhero with the soul-destroying probes. After months of struggle that took her across the planet, she realized it was hopeless, and when heroes from Amalgam City arrived she decided to find a new world. Woof. Here's a mashup of Fleur de Joie, Wander, and Gina Evans (the person behind Miss Americana) as a PL 10 starting PC. As you can see, a lot of corners had to be cut! But I think I wound up with an interesting character despite that: she's a very effective infiltrator and scout, and downright lethal versus the machines she spent so much time battling. She's absolutely invisible to machines so long as she's not directly attacking them; a lifesaver when she was a lone hero fighting on in a world going over to machines. I figure her Create Object represents a forest of trees just erupting out of the ground around her, giving her cover to fight in and not incidentally forcibly shoving life right back into the harsh dead world of machines all around her. She can't damage someone directly with the effect, but she could still trap them; i.e., grabbing a whole host of killbots in a forest's limbs as she makes her escape! If you want her to damage something directly with that, let her stunt an Area Damage effect. With her skills and feats, she could easily have survived in and fought back against a world overcome by machine transformation, but ultimately that struggle would probably have been hopeless enough to force her to eventually relocate. Still, all in all she's super-effective! Develop her however you want given her abilities in various areas: up her STR and maybe give her plant-based Super-Strength to play up her powerhouse roots, more INT and skills for her gadgeteer ancestry, and the like. I think this build works just fine as someone empowered by nature to fight technology gone wrong for whatever reason; perhaps she's an environmentalist turned superheroine, or maybe she's a scientist who once worked for a polluter who has turned her back on her former employers in the most spectacular way possible.

"My dad's been in deep space a lot," said Mark reflectively, "I always thought I'd go out into space with him when I was old enough. Maybe meet the Lor, or fight the Grue..." He shrugged as if chasing away a bad memory. "Anyway, where's next? I don't think we can stay on this place forever, though I could change it up a little if you wanted." He hmmed, scratching his chin through his little bubble helmet. "Maybe back to Earth, and taking some of this with us as a way of seeing how much mass I can carry over the super-long-distance trips?"

"Actually, no," said Heyzel, speaking with great clarity despite the sharp object lodged perilously close to his heart. "I specifically helped the prison install anti-divine buffers in order to keep their demonic inmates from burning their way out of their cells. If this form dies, take me outside the walls so that I can resume my connection to the angelic..." He stopped talking when Jill managed to stem the bleeding out his chest, and looked very impressed. "Well, this is marvelous. Thank you, Jill! I shall not pass into that dark kingdom after all. I should not have doubted your skills." For his part, Heyzel's assassin was in a bad way; having been distracted by Jill's taunting and Gaian Knight's savage pummeling, not to mention the attacks he'd been facing from the other heroes. "Snitches get stitches!" he yelled again, flailing around as he tried to come to grips with the earthen swordsman. For their part, the other hostages were shouting at "Marksman" to surrender, his lawyer yelling that the only thing he'd stabbed through the heart was his chance for release before 2050...