Avenger Assembled

OK, this here is a use of Shapeable Area Blast 15: Mark'll spend HP as necessary via Luck Control to make sure the stone man takes the worst possible Reflex and Toughness saves if he passes either.

"Hey!" Edge yelled from down the street, charging his way towards the stone man. "You think you can come to my, er, state and cause trouble, buddy!?" Fearlessly facing down the man of stone, he boomed "Well, you're messing with the Man of Gecko, the Man of Luck, and Doc, uh...Titan here!" Smacking one fist into another, he pointed at the giant stone man, producing an explosion from under the street as gas mains exploded at the monster's feet. "You think you can come here and pick a QUARRY with us? Well, I think it's time we showed you how we ROCK!"

"Do we!?" exclaimed Mark. "Sure, like this!" Mark snapped his fingers, there was a sparkle of black dots, and in his hands was a map to the Claremont campus which he handed to Brian. "I'm not that powerful," he said with a little wave of his hand, "I mean, I don't train as hard as our really tough people like Wander or Phalanx," he said with a modest shrug. With a little sigh, Ms. Harcourt stepped in. "Brian, Mark and I are going to walk you to a meeting with Mr. Summers." As they walked through the campus, Brian quickly realized the lovely Victorian campus was overrun with teens with powers! Here a long-necked teenager built a snowman with the help of an ice-manipulating friend, while over there two girls Brian's own age were having a friendly snowball fight that blurred almost too fast to see. "Welcome to Hero High," Mark confided cheerily.

"I...I...no." Unexpectedly, the happy-go-lucky teenager's voice broke. "No! No one else is going to lose their father because of me! No one else!" Energy pumping, he fired blast after blast into the transformed cyborg, shocks of blindingly powerful magical energy that infused themselves again and again into the cells of the fallen man. "We're superheroes, dammit!" he swore with ferocity, the air around him crackling with black, shimmering dots of power as if the ink of the universe itself were spilling from his fingers. "We're supposed to be able to save everybody!"

Sharl waved, but didn't do more than that. He'd seen how friendly people were on television, but his own life hadn't been like that. Part of the way people kept themselves together in Tronik was by avoiding too much contact, something hard to avoid in a city of tens of millions living on top of each other. If your neighbor was too friendly, how could you avoid him if you wanted privacy? He knew people were different here, though, and no wonder! You'd have to be a real jerk to be unfriendly in this bright, shining city of blue sky and green grass. He walked up and down the sidewalk, marveling at domestic animals and children playing freely in huge green yards, and wished for a holo. _I'm just a kid. They should have sent a poet!_ He stood at the foot of Gina's yard, looking up at her house, and thought of Gina. _She's not like the people on TV either._ He'd spent a lot of time in the last weeks watching television and surfing the 'Net to see how people acted, and the people he saw on there liked to go out and about, smiling and meeting each other in the street, barbecuing in their backyard, legally partnered to the gender of their choice. Leaning close to the commlink she'd given him, he asked, "Hey Gina, how far can I go wearing this?"

Interesting, TT! I might write that up as a sequel adventure. Or have it happen as part of a prequel. So that's how it got Foreshadow and the Raven...

As Gina had hoped, Sharl was excited enough by that prospect that he didn't object to what she was suggesting: as a matter of fact, he agreed enthusiastically! He took the projector from Gina, tossing it idly from hand to hand before she firmly reminded him that his program was running through there, and after that neatly slipped it into his pocket for the trip outside. The cool, bracing air of Freedom City was a revelation to him, smelling to his biased nostrils like grass and green things, the semi-suburban neighborhood of Hanover a sharp contrast to the world he'd left behind. He said nothing at first, simply walking out beneath the bright blue sky over Gina's yard, feeling the grass crunching under his feet as he stared up at the heavens. "It's...it's beautiful!" he called to Gina, waving to her through the window. "You should come out and see this! I can't believe how...how much sky you have! Is it always like this in winter?" He bent down, marveling at the grass underneath as much as the sky above.

He sighed. "I guess so. I understand if some things can't be done, you've already done so much for me already. The projector sounds really awesome anyway," he said, walking over and putting his hand lightly on the side of the window. "I might like the idea of being able to face my fears again, but you're right, this is so much better. It means so much to be able to walk around here in the real world, even as alien as it is..." He cocked his head and looked over at Gina. "What's it like?" he asked her. "Walking around on the streets out there, with a real sun in your face and with all those tiny buildings? And all those faces!"

"Still," replied Sa-Ur evenly. "At least a hundred million of you died at each other's hands in the last century, did they not? And that's not counting those civilians who starved to death, or died of disease, or who were outright murdered by their leaders. Imagine a world where all that fighting had been done by a few superhumans," she suggested. "Your nation-state has a majority of the world's superhumans, you know," she commented to Blake, idly sipping her coffee. "By my understanding, you could easily have triumphed over the combined armies of opposing nations this century. Why, the Centurion himself could-" "Mooom," said Quo-Dis, looking faintly stricken, her voice a low whisper. "Don't talk about the Centurion like that!" "Like what?" asked Sa-Ur, keeping to her daughter's preference. Indeed, though her words were clearly audible to the teens, no one around them seemed to be able to hear the words. "I met the man, you know," she said in a confiding voice. "He visited our people several times, and our leaders even invited him to stay with us more than once. An outstanding individual, but if you're going to live in the world, you should make a contribution to it beyond that." "What, like Dad?" Quo-Dis fired back, and this time her lips didn't even move at all. "Is that what you want? You want Corbin to be like Dad?" She put a hand protectively on her boyfriend's hand. "Well I'm not you, Mom!" "Quo-Dis," thought Sa-Ur patiently, setting down her cup, "I never said I wanted you to be with a man like your father. Your father was a fool, a man who abandoned his responsibilities, abandoned _you_, so he could run off and live a child's dream of dominating those less powerful than he was. Your friends are at least attempting to do _something_ to make the world where they live better. Given the way the rest of these people live, I find that very admirable." Both mother and daughter seemed to relax at that, and some tension seemed to ebb out of the room. Out loud, Sa-Ur said with a little laugh. "Well, here I am, the adult injecting politics into your mating rituals. Isn't it always that way with parents?" She smiled and turned to Corbin, "So, I've been told I shouldn't ask this of strangers, but I'm sure I can ask you. Have you and my daughter had intercourse yet?"

Late January 2011 It was a cold day outside as Sharl slowly walked back and forth through Gina's upper floor. The novel physical sensations of existing in the 'real' world, the faint tingle as his feet sunk into the carpet, the way everything felt almost, but not quite real, was distracting enough to pull him away from the distracting spectacle of the snow outside. He hadn't asked about her plans to restore him to his home and family, right now he was fascinated enough by the world she was showing him that he was able to compartmentalize Tronik away in another part of his mind. He'd have so many stories to take home, and so many things he could tell his family. "This is really going great, Gina," he told her, looking over at where she watched him. On her screen, she could see that the projection system was running fine, the teenage program easily navigating the changes in his programming language that let him get around the house as part of the hard-light and magnetic holographic projection. "You know," he said, wandering up to the window and peering out, "I've been thinking. With all these modifications you're making so I can get around in your computer, could you tweak me enough so I could get around in other systems?" He shot her a curious look. "Like, project myself elsewhere? Or even send myself to other computers?"

Nullifying Acrobatic Hero PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 34 pp STR 16 (+3) DEX 20 (+5) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+13 melee) DEF: +13 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +5 Grapple: +16 Saves: 12 pp TOU +7 (+4 Con, +3 Protection) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +10 (+5 Dex, +5) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 15 pp=60 r Acrobatics 15 (+20)* Bluff 11 (+13/+17)* Escape Artist 5 (+10) Climb 7 (+10)* Diplomacy 3 (+5/+9) Ride 5 (+10) Notice 10 (+12)* Feats: 28 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee 7 Attractive Challenge 2 (Accelerated Climb, Fast Acrobatic Bluff) Defensive Attack Dodge Focus 7 Evasion 2 Power Attack Takedown Attack Second Chance (Acrobatic Bluff checks) Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Notice) Ultimate Skill (Acrobatics) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 37 pp Circus Freak Array [21+3=24 pp] Strike 4 (PFs: Improved Crit, Mighty, Extras: Autofire and Penetrating on Strength and Strike) AP: Nullify 7 (all powers) (PF: Improved Crit, Extra: Autofire, Flaw: Range [Touch]) AP: Paralyze 7 (PF: Improved Crit, Extra: Autofire) AP: Stun 7 (PF: Improved Crit, Extra: Autofire) Leaping 3 (x10) [3 pp] Protection 3 [3 pp] Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp] Super-Movement 3 (Slow Fall, Sure-Footed, Swinging) [6 pp] costs abilities 34 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 15/60 + feats 28 + powers 37 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: So you’re a normal person in a place overrun by people with superpowers, many of whom are jerks who want to smack you around. It’s not an easy way to live, even, or especially, if you have connections that put you close to the most powerful people in the land. You need some way to defend yourself that you can carry with you wherever you go, even into the corridors of power. What do you do? Well, you train yourself to fight them on their own terms, using your fantastic martial arts training and command of chi to fight superhumans in hand-to-hand combat. It helps that you’re an amazing acrobat yourself, easily capable of competing alongside the best in the world, and a master of hand-to-hand combat. Yes, it’s Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Ty Lee as a PL 10 superhero. I think I’ve captured the character’s abilities decently well. She’d make a very effective chi martial artist in a superhero setting, with a special trick in hand-to-hand combat that makes her especially effective against many fellow superheroes. She can also paralyze normal people with a touch, or just punch them in the head. (I gave her the Strike to let her fight robots and things that wouldn’t normally be hurt by Nullifys or Will saves). She’s, for me, the most compelling of the show’s Quirky Miniboss Squad in the second season, largely because she’s a good demonstration of what happens to nice people when they grow up as parts of very not-nice societies. She’s a world-class acrobat, has a crush on every boy, and she can fight and win against just about anybody at her PL. If you want to make her friends, give lots of Throwing Mastery, or even a Blast with a Power Loss drawback to represent knife-throwing; or invest in lots of points and buy a powerful elemental controller who just happens to be a skilled martial artist in the background. As it is, I think this character could function well on her own. Play her as a reformed bad guy, one who’s worked with some pretty bad customers while trying to be an OK person herself, out to do good now that she’s had a chance to see evil up close and personal!

"Hah, no!" said Mark with a laugh as he got behind the wheel. "I'm not rated to drive the flying car, anyway. Ms. Harcourt and Mr. Summers make sure that only licensed pilots fly our school's aerial vehicles." In the passenger seat, Mrs. Harcourt hmmed at that, turning to keep an eye on the student as they headed onto the streets of Freedom City, answering his questions as they went. Mark was doing a lot of talking, the upperclassman seemingly eager to talk Brian's ear off about the details of every little place they were passing. He didn't give off the vibe of someone bragging, just someone who liked to talk. Soon they were at the school, a quiet blanket of thin snow on the ground on the cold January day.

There was much to do in the hours that followed: Edge and Wander helped reassemble the daka cage that held the Beast of Kilimanjaro, while Psyche, Phalanx, and Hellion returned from space with news of their successful placement of Adamant on a near-Earth asteroid that would hopefully pass well out of the Solar System: a grim exile for a grim monster, impossible to contain in any more safe or merciful way. After that was celebration and congratulations from the king and the people of Dakana: Young Freedom had saved the city, the nation, and perhaps the world from no less than two rampaging, unstoppable monsters. Again!

Edge spend an HP and seizes Initiative!

"Okay," said Sharl, taking his place on the towels. "Next time," he promised Gina with the full assurance that there would be a next time, "I'll do a better job out here." It wasn't that Sharl had given up on the prospect of going home, for all that he missed his parents: he knew Gina was working on ways to send him safely back through the hellscape of the Internet. But there was so much to do out here, and so many stories he could take home! As Gina pressed a few buttons, Sharl thought back to that grim scene, and decided to do more than just be a passenger this time. He wasn't just a load: he could actually learn something! And as he disappeared, he concentrated, reaching out with his fingers as he passed through that assaultive vertigo of nothingness... On the outside, Sharl's program disappeared neatly back into its partition. And as he did so, the contents of a full can of Mountain Dew splattered onto the floor, losing the shape of a human stomach as they hit.

"I think my work here is done," exclaimed Caradoc with false cheer. He was no scientist to function in the Lab, and what place did he have there? If he was there and a crowd was as well, his own secrets were at risk of being exposed. Still, alien technology was something he was curious about, especially if it might pose a threat to his adopted planet. "Miss Americana, the rest of you, I shall stay in touch." He studied the robot for a moment, then repeated "Welcome to Freedom City, Protectron. You will find it a welcoming place. Whatever you happen to be." And with that, he disappeared into the sky on a roaring column of what looked for all the world like dragon's breath!

"Well," said Sa-Ur, folding her hands delicately before her, her elbows just rising above the surface of the table so that she didn't actually touch anything. "I have always been...compelled to study your wars, I suppose," she said thoughtfully. "I've always found it terribly inhumane that your society makes so little use of superhumans in your armed conflicts. Millions of normal human beings die over several appalling years, when you could end the entire conflict with a few battles between champions." When the coffee arrived, she thanked the server and took it, raising it to her lips with a faint glow around her fingers. She took a drink, studied the cup, and said simply, "More." When Quo-Dis was at the counter, obeying her mother with a pinched look on her face, Sa-Ur gave Corbin a look and said suddenly, "Look, child, I don't want you to think I dislike you because of your species. I understand you may have a false impression about my people, and fleeting though it may be, I believe in the truth above all else. I have no objection to you pursuing a relationship with my daughter for whatever time you have available."

Outside, Jack asked his wife "Are you sure I'm welcome inside?" He gave her a wry smile, his skin very cold: it might be warm for Chicago in January, but that didn't mean it was that warm at all. "If you think I can come in, I will, I did say something about watching in the nursery. If not, JJ and I will be over in that Panera Bread." Jack wasn't happy about missing all the festivities, but between the holy ground and his personal relationship with Stesha, he certainly wasn't angry about it. The tension between them was not her fault, at least, not entirely. 50/50, anyway. Jack Jr. spit out his empty bottle and gave his mom a toothy grin, looking up at her with sparkling eyes. - "Oh man, this church is totally sweet," said Mark, heading joyously into the building, much as he did everything. He gave his usual speech about being a student of Dark Star's and Fleur's, for once showing discretion and not shouting "And so's Trevor! Go Claremont!" He knew his friend liked to keep things discreet like that, and he wasn't one to trifle with what Trevor thought was really important. "I bet all kinds of crazy super-stuff happens here! Did you know Chicago once had a fight between an archangel and an archdevil? It was back in 2005, a big battle fought here and in Texas. It was cool."

Screaming Hero PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 40 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 20 (+5) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 32 pp ATK: +8 (+13 Melee/+15 Unarmed) DEF: +12 (+4 flat-footed) Init: +9 Grapple: +18 Saves: 8 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2) WILL +7 (+3 Wis, +4) Skills: 22 pp=88 r Acrobatics 15 (+20) Bluff 11 (+13/+17) Diplomacy 5 (+7/+11) Drive 5 (+10) Intimidate 10 (+12) Investigate 5 (+5) Knowledge: Streetwise 5 (+5) Languages 3 (Arabic, Japanese, Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 10 (+13) Sense Motive 10 (+13) Stealth 5 (+10) Feats: 21 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee (5) Attack Specialization: Unarmed Attractive Challenge: Fast Acrobatic Bluff Dodge Focus 4 Improved Crit (Unarmed) Improved Initiative Luck (2) Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 27 pp Screaming Array [22+2=24 pp] Blast 10 (PFs: Accurate 2) 'Aaaaaa!' AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Targeted Area [Cone, PFs: Reverse Progression 2) 'Eeeeee!' AP: Dazzle 10 (auditory) (Extra: Targeted Area [Cone], PFs: Longer-Lasting 2 (5 minutes)) 'Iiiiiii!" Protection 3 [3 pp] costs abilities 40 + combat 32 + saves 8 + skills 22/88 + feats 21 + powers 27 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: This is my build for a screaming hero, a character with a powerful sonic scream they can use to pull off a variety of effects. Versions of this character in comics include Black Canary II, Screaming Mimi, Angar the Screamer, and Tyroc the poorly thought out Legion of Super-Heroes character. (Obviously, I went with a version of the first for this build!) This lady just happens to be a world-class martial artist to go along with her sonic abilities, able to sweep through a room of goons with kicks and punches, then shriek the boss’s head right off with a powerful sonic blast. She’s also a good detective, a streetwise observer, skilled on her motorbike, and she’s pretty good to look at too! (I went with the version of the character who is not dressed like a prostitute: yes, non-comics fans, this is the non-racy version of this character’s costume!) How did she get her powers? Maybe she inherited them from her mother or another superhero parent; maybe she’s a cyborg who decided to get some technological help to upgrade her already formidable hand-to-hand abilities. Or maybe she’s a mutant! There are a lot of origins, and one that combines both formidable martial arts training and fantastic superabilities is one that’s going to give you a lead on a fantastic character. Maybe she’s part of a big super-team, or maybe she’s a gritty streetwise hero, perhaps accompanied by an archer sidekick...no, wait, forget the last part, he sucks. Maybe she’s on a team of fellow heroes, fighting the good fight. You could mix this character up a little if you wanted: maybe she shoots eye-beams rather than sonic screams, or maybe she’s a low-level elementalist in addition to her formidable physical abilities. Another version of the character might be like my recent Gazer-Beam build, where they’re all walking blaster and only somewhat competent at hand-to-hand fighting. Personally, I think it’s more fun to do both! Note that she doesn’t have to pay for a motorcycle under our equipment rules, but that if you want her to have a cool custom ride, you need to invest in actual equipment for her. Take a look at Push's sheet, or Midnight’s, for good tips, or check out the book Agents of Freedom!

In retrospect it was an obvious mistake to infect Grue tissue left behind after their most recent invasion with samples of Legion, the Mind-Virus, the incredibly infectious mind-stealing plague that once threatened to ensnare all the World of Freedom. But the promise of sending in a telepathic plague to permanently defang the potent Grue hivemind was a powerful temptation, and sometimes scientists are tempted by the promise of tomorrow. After all, what could possibly happen to prepared, watchful superheroes? What was born in that hero's laboratory was the Conquering Mind, a biological organism with fantastic telepathic and mind-control abilities, a merger of Legion's incredible infectious powers and the mind and cunning of a Grue. From one parent, the Conquering Mind inherited incredible power and the will to use it, from another, it learned cunning and deception, greatly expanded the finesse of its clumsy powers, and learned that it was the heroes of Freedom who were its greatest enemies. It learned something else, too. It learned how to have children of its own. That's right, folks, a Starro-expy for Freedom City. _Not_ looking for takers here, yet; just looking for ideas/suggestions.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Sharl, looking abashed. "I wasn't thinking about that! I thought..." How could he have been so stupid? He'd thought surely somehow his fake stomach would work just like a real stomach...but that was stupid. Too embarrassed to say anything further, he looked at his hands as Emerson scuttled upstairs and returned quickly with some fluffy white towels. When the robot returned, he dared to say, "It...it was really nice. I'm really glad you did this for me. It means so much to be able to walk out here, even though it's an alien place, and be part of it. Thank you."

"I did!" said Sharl, looking relaxed but still happy. "You have a beautiful house," he added. "Your yard is gorgeous, and your kitchen is really neat. You're really lucky to live in a place like this. I can't believe so many people here can afford to live in so much space." He smiled, walking back and forth and poking the wall occasionally. "You're a genius," he complimented her. "It really feels like I'm really here. I even drank a Mountain Dew and could really taste it!"

"Oh, wow..." Sharl breathed, staring out the windows in rapt fascination at the beautiful place where Gina lived. Just think! he exulted. She can go out there anytime she wants! It wasn't that he'd never grown up without seeing wild plants, of course; Tronik had plenty of pictures of the world they'd left behind, and expensive visits to one of the city's few arboretums were a family pastime. (His mother had treated the son of the owner for radiation poisoning, and so they could get tickets at no cost). But to see so many, and to know that Gina could walk into them whenever she wanted, do what she wanted there, and then leave when she wished. And that everyone else lived this way. This really is a wonderful place, he thought grandly. He walked around the kitchen, then decided to risk an experiment. If Gina had made him solid, why not? Cautiously, he reached over and took a can of Mountain Dew, remembering seeing Gina drink it as well as the ads for it he'd encountered on television and the Internet. Drinking fizzy beverages from cans was something he knew how to do at home, and he'd drunk Mountain Dew in the computer thanks to Gina's programming. The pop cap was a little harder to figure out, but eventually he cracked it open, if at the cost of losing the little rim inside the can. "Wow..." he murmured, before raising the can to his lips and drinking! He tasted the sweet fizz going down, and whooped! "I'm drinking real drinks!"

Wander leaped and landed safely, Edge clinging to her with great fervor and little grace, and just in time, too! With a mighty roar, the great beast came hurling after them, pounding up rocks and debris as it leaped a good quarter-mile to come crashing to Earth mere inches from Wander and Edge. The two heroes raced towards Midnight, pursued by the mighty monster of the mountain, the creature bellowing cries like something from a lost age. "Do it now!" Edge called to Midnight, trying to make his voice heard over the monster's ear-splitting bellows. "Do it now!"

Mrs. Harcourt led the way to the baggage claim, her voice full of practiced reassurance for the new student. "We've got a van waiting for us in the Adams lot, it'll take us all the way to Claremont. Normally we try and schedule multiple student pickups at the same time, but things are always different over the winter semester." She let Brian carry his own suitcase, since teenage boys were sensitive about that sometimes, and soon they were off outside. Freedom City in January was much cooler than Little Rock at the same time, for all that this was a strange year. Mrs. Harcourt and Mark were mostly quiet in the van, not wanting to pester the new arrival with lots of talk until he felt like talking.