Avenger Assembled

Mark looked appalled at the woman's story of dimensional turmoil. "Well, we'll do all we can to help you out!" He thought for a minute at her words, then said, "Do you need more ice than that?" He hadn't quite understood all the technical talk, but then he usually didn't. At a gesture from him, amid a cloud of inky dots like a cheap CGI effect all the more unreal for their odd nature, a block of ice as high as his waist and as thick around as a tree stump appeared next to him. "Is that enough? I can make several hundred pounds more if you need it. As for the English way, uh...well, we have lots of friends in the United Kingdom. Like the superheroine Britannia! And Arrowhawk; he's like the Scottish Bowman."

At Erin's words, a green mist began pouring from the walls, an acrid scent coming from it like Satan's pool. "Oh crap, that's chlorine!" said Edge, automatically pulling Daisy close as he concentrated on the air around him. A diaphanous, shimmering ball of clear air formed around him as the poison gas filled the room, a space big enough to encapsulate all the others if they stood carefully. "That must be the backup plan to bring us down!" He looked at the others and exclaimed "If any of you know a way out of here, now's the time!"

But they never had come, not in any real numbers. Mark knew that from his family history well enough. Memories of the loss of the Freedom Brigade had kept the Liberty League stateside for most of the war, leaving the fighting to be done by the undermanned, underpowered Allies of Freedom. And they'd died of it, most of them, fighting to liberate this land from the evil Nazis. Jimmy Lucas had always regretted that, but he was a loyal Leaguer and never complained. Temporal logic said get out of here; hide out till it was done, so history wasn't altered. But Mark was never one for logic. These people needed saving. "" he said, following Cannonade up the ladder.

"His mother and I agree that we want to keep him breast-fed as long as possible," said Jack, gently stroking the fussy baby's fuzzy little head, the caring father a second after being the hissing monster. "It's healthier for him to stick with natural products, especially when he's at this age." He shot a look at Archeville and said, "It's not that we're rejecting your supplement, mind. I'm certainly taking it myself with Phantom out of the house so much. But this is our baby, and we want to make sure he grows up healthy. Come here, little guy." He scooped the baby up for a moment, gently bouncing him up and down. "You're usually more awake at night, little man!"

"" said Mark without hesitation, spinning a story he'd told in his mind a thousand times already. "" Would he have picked his name if some hero of World War II had fought under it? He remembered his grandfather's favorite brand of cigarette, the same brand his father had smoked before quitting after his grandfather's death. "" He added without humor, looking around. He remembered Erde, and a world overrun with German machinery. "" he added, giving a significant nod to Cannonade. "" Getting home would just come naturally as part of that process, he was sure.

Edge spends an HP to be able to speak French (and German, and Russian, and Italian) via Beginner's Luck for the scene.

A normal teenage hero might have balked at this occasion, but Mark Lucas knew how to deal with insane shifts in perspective and dimension as if he'd been born to them. And if you looked at his story, maybe he had. If Mark Lucas knew anything, it was history: especially where superheroes and history came together. He's got an M3. No one's carried those since..."Nous sommes des héros américains! Nous sommes là pour vous aider!" Mark suddenly exclaimed, calling on his ancient French lessons as if he'd never forgotten any of them.

Armored Ruler PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 28 pp STR 30/14 (+10/+2) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3) INT 16 (+3) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 28 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed/+12 Blast) DEF: +10 (+4 flat-footed) Init: +6 Grapple: +8/+16 Saves: 10 pp TOU +10 (+3 Con, +7 Armor) FORT +6 (+3 Con, +3) REF +5 (+2 Dex, +3) WILL +13/+6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 21 pp=84 r Bluff 8 (+10) Craft: Mechanical 8 (+11) Craft: Electronic 8 (+11) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Intimidate 8 (+10) Knowledge: Arcane Lore 8 (+11) Knowledge: Civics 8 (+11) Knowledge: Technology 8 (+11) Languages 4 (English, German, Romany, Russian) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 20 pp Attack Specialization: Unarmed (2) Beginner’s Luck Benefit (4) (Diplomatic Immunity, Status, Wealth 2) Dodge Focus (2) Eidetic Memory Improved Initiative Inventor Jack-of-All-Trades Luck Move-By Action Power Attack Skill Mastery (Craft: Electronic, Knowledge: Arcane Lore, Knowledge: Civics, Knowledge: Technology) Ritualist Ultimate Save (Will) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 48 pp Device 12 (Armor) (hard to lose) [48 pp] Enhanced STR 16 and Super-Strength 2 {18+1=19 pp} AP: Blast 8 (PFs: Accurate 3) Enhanced Will Save 7 [7 pp] Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6 pp] Immunity 9 (life support) {9 pp} Protection 7 {7 pp} Drawbacks: [5 pp] Normal Identity (free action) (-3) Vulnerable (magnetics) (uncommon, moderate) (-2) costs abilities 28 + combat 28 + saves 10 + skills 21/84 + feats 20 + powers 52 - drawback 5 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: A familiar archetype, though usually a villainous one. This fine fellow is an Eastern European head of state turned superhero, wearing a powerful battlesuit of his own design. Most of his Wealth is tied up in the motherland, as is his cool castle headquarters. Save up the PP to buy those when you take a trip home, or jigger the points around to get them now. He's as good with his magic as he is his science, though he keeps the former in reserve for people who think he's abandoned his nation's old ways for pure science. (Spoiler: he has not!) He's a dangerous opponent, whether on the field or off it, and a man likely to hold a grudge if sufficiently crossed. (Maybe with that stretchy guy I have a little upthread?) He suffers a bit from being a generalist, but ideally this sort of character will stick to beating up less powerful foes as long as he can, then head into battle against the real bad guys with some powerful allies at his side. He can pull off spur-of-the-moment Rituals and Inventions, or longer ones if your GM actually gives you the time to do it. He's a likely candidate to buy off that Normal ID drawback if you decide he spends all his time in that armor: maybe he's got scars he's covering up, or maybe he's just hella shy, daww! He makes a good secondary gadgeteer or face-guy if you need them; maybe he's not outstanding in any one area, but his ability to juggle many hats makes him very useful. And hey, it's fun when you get to go home to your native country and everyone likes you there! Look at the cheering crowds! Play a Fish Out of Water plot if you want, having your usually slightly befuddled character knock the socks off his American allies when they find themselves back in Blavatskyia, or whatever corner of the Balkans you hail from.

Edge gave Midnight a grateful look, patting his standoffish friend on the arm as he went to dress Daisy. She flinched at his approach, but at his reassurances she held still as he formed up a blue and white jumpsuit on her that matched his usual costume. Wild surmise crossed her face at Trevor's words as she said suddenly, "You're from the other dimension, aren't you? That sissy dimension Hex has been trying to visit! I knew he wasn't as smart as he thought he was!" she exulted, folding her arms over her chest in self-protection even know that she was dressed. "We're...we're going to get you out of here," Mark spontaneously promised as he saw the real joy on the battered girl's face. Churning at the back of his mind were the fantasies he'd always had about Daisy, about how she'd be really hot if she'd just shut up and did whatever he said. His double had acted on those fantasies, and the result left him wanting to puke. But if he could make things better for her, for one person in this awful place, maybe it would be all right. "I don't know where, but we'll figure it out!"

Goddess PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 42 pp STR 34 [20] (+12/+5) DEX 16 (+3) CON 20 (+5) INT 12 (+1) WIS 20 (+5) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 28 pp ATK: +8 (+12 Heavenfire) DEF: +8 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +13/+21 Saves: 6 pp TOU +12 (+5 Con, +7) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +5 (+3 Ref, +2) WILL +7 (+5 Wis, +2) Skills: 15 pp=60 r Bluff 8 (+10) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Gather Info 8 (+10) Intimidate 8 (+10) Knowledge: Current Events 9 (+10) Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 9 (+10) Notice 7 (+12) Sense Motive 7 (+12) Feats: 21 pp All-Out Attack Attack Specialization: Heavenfire (2) Beginner’s Luck, Benefit: Status Dodge Focus (2) Eidetic Memory Equipment (3) Improved Initiative Jack-of-all-Trades Luck (3) Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack (2) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 38 pp Divine Array [16+1=17 pp] Heavenfire Control 8 AP: Enhanced STR 14 and Super-Strength 1 (PFs: Groundstrike, Shockwave) Immunity 10 (aging, life support) [10 pp] Flight 4 (100 MPH) (Flaw: Platform) [4 pp] Protection 7 [7 pp] Equipment: 15 pp Holy Site: As Sea Base [15 ep] costs abilities 42 + combat 28 + saves 7 + skills 15/60 + feats 22 + powers 37 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: A goddess of no particular religion. She flies around on a cloud, throwing heavenly bolts at interlopers, and occasionally descends into hand-to-hand combat for a straight-up brawl. If you've got to have a religion, that's how you've got to do it! Flavor her headquarters to taste: does she live on a mountain in Greece, in a golden city in Egypt, what? Mingle skills around for her portfolio, naturally: I went with a generic sort of deity who’s dangerous in social interactions as much as she is in punching you in the face as hard as she can. Think about this character’s background, especially given the way Freedom City works. Was she raised on Earth by mortals, or has she come on a special mission that meets the criteria set aside by the Pact for the Divine to walk on the Earth? Does she have a good divine reputation, or a bad one? One possible Freedom City legacy is Horus: get a nice big mallet if that’s your game. Another is Set, assuming you’re willing to write in a dark backstory. Think about how she reacts to other divine characters, and how they react to her. Give her a native language if she grew up in Heliopolis or Asgard, or summat. She’s got a lot of HP; feel free to power-stunt whatever tricks seem prudent given her big ol’ array. Shift the powers around entirely if you like; make her more than just a blaster-turned-grappler. She’s a flexible character, and can be arranged to do many things. Is her nature widely believed by the community, or is she dismissed as a super with a particularly pertinent theme? Or maybe she’s just a craaazy mutant...

Assuming that hits, that's a DC 28 Tou save and +26 Grapple check (w/Damaging Move Object) for the Doc.

"I know you! You're the Tick-Tock Doc!" Edge expositioned, pointing accusingly at the world's wickedest hippie. "You don't belong here! This place is for heroes, not lame pothead villains who should have retired forty years ago!" He thought of his father, and his grandfather, and for a second wanted to cry. "Go back to Haight-Ashbury, you loser!" And with that, the unusually on-edge Edge fired a blast of whirling black dots at the Doc. "Let me introduce you to some _real_ cosmicpower!"

"I'm sorry about this," said Mark suddenly, his eyes on the hole in the ceiling he was slowly widening. His father's face flashed before his eyes, an unwelcome and unpleasant feeling...and the guilt _that_ brought was the worst of all. "So sorry. Look..." He licked his lips and said, "I can't...I can't do any dimensional altering stuff, I've never tried to do that. I can just change things around." When the hole was open, he stared up at the greyish-brown sky overhead, watching as it was criss-crossed with contrails. "Maybe if we grab a counterpart of one of the dimension-hoppers we know?" From across the room, a familiar-yet-not voice yelled "Hah! I knew it!" Where others had run or gotten beaten into unconsciousness, Daisy Gibbons had hid, concealing herself in the corridor when the fight went on, and only now emerged. She pointed at Hex, pulling back her over-sized jacket to expose the battered, exploited body within. "I knew you weren't the real Mark, when you didn't..." She trailed off, taking in the others, giving Erin a frankly terrified look, before exclaiming, "Where are you people from?!?"

And we are out of rounds

Unconscious!

"Clever girl," said Archer, almost admiration in his voice as he took a step back. "How long have you been listening?" "Holy-!" Edge trusted Wander to be able to take care of herself, but it was still surprising when she vaulted off into the darkness. He heard blows, curses, and screams, but of course none of the last two were hers. He peered into the mist cloud surrounding them all and said, "I think it's time we let a little light in the dark, Midnight!" He still couldn't see a damn thing, so he changed strategies. "Going to need a fast way out of they lock the doors!" He looked up, imagining the ceiling overhead, and willed it away! Black dots shot from his fingers, bursting up into the mist overhead, and a circular hole began to appear in the ceiling overhead. It wasn't a large one, but it was there to be opened wider if needed.

"Goggles!" Archer's voice barked in the darkness, as his men hastily tried to balance combat against the Blank and against the monster they'd all been trained to fear and hate. "Take down Singularity first, then the others! She's the real danger!" And with that, newly-equipped with their darkness-piercing devices, the machine gun crew opened up on Wander, their bullets whizzing past her head as they just missed her! That started screaming from the goons: "Fall back! Fall back! Get ready to drop the doors!"

Actually, LS, the Tou DC is 32! And Beaumont is finally unconscious EDITED: There was some confusion about whether or not Blake can see through the midnight mist. Indeed, he cannot, and must roll against Concealment. (23:29:53) ChatBot: Lone_Star rolls 1d20 and gets 11. And he fails, so Beaumont is not hit.

OMG she's from the future! Wait, what was that about dimensions? "We're heroes, ma'am," said Edge firmly, his gold and white cape fluttering in the breeze as he put his gloved hands on his hips. "We're here to help. Just tell us what we need to do," he said, nodding with great assurance at the other heroes, only one of whom he knew at all well, "And we'll do it. If your dimension's having trouble, we can help you with that. My colleagues and I have worked on several dimensional crises in the past. With what you're reading, yes, I can tell you that our world is full of superpowered heroes fighting against injustice." It was corny even for Freedom City, but Edge believed every word.

With help from my friend Lady Fiat, he rolls OK, and is bruised. Beaumont is currently bruisedx2 and stunned. Take an HP, Darksider. Lone Star is up.

Young Freedom's assault against the bad guys, especially the sudden eruption of darkness, produced near-panic among the assembled goons before Archer suddenly shouted "Stand firm! Shoot to kill!" There was a sudden rush of air as Archer was suddenly _everywhere, running back and forth through the roiling cloud of midnight mist in a desperate effort to banish the gas cloud. When Archer failed in that effort, he was soon out the door, reappearing within seconds as he began shouting further orders to his platoon of well-drilled thugs.

When Jack Jr. hissed at him, Jack hissed back, fangs growing and eyes reddening to match the baby. The infant was uncowed, though, and hissed all the louder, producing an escalating cycle of reptilian exclamations that suddenly ended when Jack blew a raspberry right on Jack Jr's stomach! That produced a shriek of happiness from the baby, who flailed his arms and looked pleased with himself as his father pulled back. "Very well, both natural and artificial foods. His mom is sending what she draws naturally even when she's away, so he's still fully breast-fed even through the bottle." He didn't mention what Erin knew about: the pile of punctured rubber nipples in the nursery trash.

Wheelchair Mentalist PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 20 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 20/10 (+5/+0) CON 20 (+5) INT 20/14 (+5/+2) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 20 pp ATK: +4 DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +9 Grapple: +4 Saves: 8 pp TOU +10 (+5 Con, +5 Protection) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2) WILL +10/+6 (+3 Wis, +3 (+4 Enhanced Will)) Skills: 20 pp=80 r Computers 8 (+13) Concentration 8 (+11) Craft: Electronic 8 (+13) Knowledge: Behavioral Sciences 8 (+13) Knowledge: Technology 8 (+13) Medicine 8 (+11) Notice 12 (+15) Search 8 (+13) Sense Motive 12 (+15) Feats: 15 pp Benefit (Status) Dodge Focus (4) Equipment (4) Improved Initiative Inventor Luck Master Plan Ultimate Save (Will) Uncanny Dodge (mental) Powers: 69 pp Enhanced INT 6 [6 pp] Enhanced Will Save 4 [4 pp] Mental Array [40+2=42 pp] Mental Blast 10 AP: ESP 9 (anywhere on Earth) (all senses) (PFs: Rapid 3 (1000), Subtle) AP: Telepathy 10 (Earth to Moon) (Extra: Action [standard/Move]) (PFs: Rapid 3 (1000), Subtle) Protection 5 [5 pp] Drawbacks: 2 pp Disabled (paraplegic without hover chair) [-2 pp] Equipment: 20 ep Cell Phone [1 ep] GPS [1 ep] Mansion: (as Stately Manor) [18 ep] --- Design Notes: Another familiar archetype: where do I come up with this stuff? This is my attempt to make a PC out of one of the most famous comic book characters who is usually NOT a good choice for a PC. I think I managed to capture a great many of the character’s traditional bells and whistles. He flies around in his hoverchair, lives in a really nice house with space for a school inside of it, his mind giving him the power to reach anywhere on the planet, and smacks people around with the sheer power of his brain. There are other characters who do his schtick better, but only hyper-focused specialists. I figure he got the high Con from all the weightlifting he’s done to push his chair around (before he got the sweet hi-tech ride), and the Protection can be explained if he’s some sort of mutant! All the extra space; i.e, high PP powers, gives you plenty of room to power-stunt some mean extras or APs for his various powers. Shuffle around to taste, naturally. I find that Enhanced Will is a better purchase than Mind Shield. It costs the same, fluffs the same, and you can use it to resist social skills too. For other takes on this character, give him Inspire. This is a version that’s not a particularly good leader, and more of a solo operator. Save those PP to buy off the paraplegic drawback all you want, but the GM will get you back in them sooner than you can say “My spine!” Work on your Patrick Stewart impression to play the guy. If his girlfriend is head of some alien empire, give him Connected and more social skills. He's not great with people right now, but his high Sense Motive makes him difficult to fool: his mental abilities make it downright impossible if he's suitably careful with them.

Crimson Hornet PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 34 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 20 (+5) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 32 pp ATK: +8 (+9 melee, +15 Unarmed) DEF: +14 (+4 flat-footed) Init: +13 Grapple: +14 Saves: 10 pp TOU +6 (+5 Con, +1 Jacket) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 19 pp=76 r Acrobatics 12 (+17) Concentration 4 (+6) Handle Animal 12 (+12) Knowledge: Civics 12 (+12) Knowledge: Life Sciences 12 (+12) Notice 12 (+14) Sense Motive 12 (+14) Feats: 29 pp Acrobatic Bluff Animal Empathy Attack Focus: Melee Attack Specialization: Unarmed (3) Challenge (Fast Acrobatic Bluff) Dodge Focus (6) Equipment (3) Evasion (2) Improved Initiative (2) Luck (2) Move-By Action Power Attack Set-Up Teamwork (3) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 26 pp Bee Swarm Array [20+1=21 pp] Drain Dex 10 (Extra: Area [burst]) AP: Obscure 5 (all senses) (100 foot radius) Comprehend 2 (speak to and understand animals) (Flaw: Bees Only) [2 pp] Flight 1 (10 MPH) (Drawback: Restrainable [uncommon, minor]) [1 pp] Immunity 2 (bees) [2 pp] Equipment: 15 pp Heavy Pistol (Blast 4) (PFs: Masterwork, Subtle)[10 ep] Leather Jacket (Protection 1) [1 ep] Swing-Line (Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Swinging) [4 ep] costs abilities 34 + combat 32 + saves 10 + skills 19/76 + feats 29 + powers 26 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: A familiar archetype, based on a classic Golden Age character! The Crimson Hornet can fly like a bee (perhaps he’s a mutant, perhaps a clever gadgeteer), summon swarms of bees to do his bidding, blind people and give them such a stinging, and bust a cap in people with his BB Gun! I’ve tried to combine the skills of the various incarnations of this character, season to taste as necessary. Shuffle points around to give him a single skilled bee minion, if that’s really your thing. (I always liked Quality Comics characters, and you don't get much more quality than this one!) Note that I’ve deliberately _not_ given him Summon, an annoying power to deal with. Instead he can send in a swarm of bees so thick it blocks all senses (even mentalists just hear bee thoughts!), and a Dex Drain to represent bee venom making you so swollen you can’t move. If you prefer more toxic bees (or weirder: hallucinogenic, confusing bees?) change things up as suits your whims. In Freedom City, his natural rival will of course be the wicked, wicked Bee-Keeper and his betrayal of everything bee! He's immune to his own bee swarm, so a smart fighter will drop a swarm of bees on his immediate area and go to town with the punching on his blinded opponents. Legacy characters can be fun to play, especially if that legacy is somehow dishonorable or not entirely popular in the modern era. So great-grandpa was goofy and with weird powers, what of it? You’re the Apiary Adventurer, capable of fantastic feats of derring-do, full of stories to tell YOUR kids! So put on that ridiculous costume and get ready to kick some butt! If you can, get on a team led by the patriotic embodiment of America. He's a good spokesman for your people, is all I'm saying.

As a standard action, Archer runs in a whirlwind, attempting to counter the Obscure with his own Super-Speed. 19 Have an HP, Giz, which the shiny new HP you just got from the above fiat may help you beat with your power-check. As a move action, he runs out the door to summon reinforcements, something he can do then come back for with his Move-By Action. Make your roll, Giz, and I'll post IC. After that, Beaumont, then Rift!