alderwitch

Phalanx and Psyche each gain an HP for their complication. They are stunned.

The punch took Tech Kid entirely by surprise and he was lifted and propelled through the air until he slammed into the doors of the courthouse and sank to the ground in an unconcious heap. His lightsaber went flying through the air, but the red beam of energy winked out the moment it left his hand and it clattered down the steps, coming to a stop near Mike's foot. Instead of recovering, however, Alex was driven to her knees as white hot pain knifed through her skull. The psychic link that she'd built with Mike had taken hours of delicate work. This time, in one sudden and extrodinarily painful moment, another channel was blown wide open. Mike was similarly afflicted and the feedback of her pain to his and vice versa was almost worse than the initial psychic white noise. It took focused and deliberate effort to dampen the sensation to something more manageable and Alex struggled with it, blind to the world around her, fingertips pressed to her temples. For Zoe, it was more of an ear-popping sensation as the link that her mother had built into her brain as a child was rerouted to the right people, wrong time.

Tech Kids Toughness save: 6 vs the DC 23 save. (His flatfooted defense was a +5) He's out like a light :)

Alex blinked and then with an actual physical twist of her body, yanked her senses away. "Okay, I'm not sharing what that looks like. Yicky. They've got some sort of pleasure-thrall aura thing that they're doing. There's about thirteen guys in spooky robes and a whole lot of unconcious people. Even just ghosting my brain over, I was almost sucked into their little spell. It's nasty." She repeated the comments on down to the link with Mike, even as she shucked off her jeans and overshirt. She was still wearing her mom's old costume, a fitted leather-like leotard in red with a short white skirt. Alex stamped her feet into the boots before putting on her gloves and mask, "So, you should all be prepared. There's no other real exits besides the one that Mike - I mean Phalanx - is at."

Alex gave the new professor a beaming smile and once there was a slight lull in the class chatter, raised one polite hand. "Mr. Dark Star?" Once she'd been given some sort of sign of acknowledgement. The young psychic wasn't disconcerted by the energy form as she went off of mental cues to people's moods anyways, "At the moment, this is the only class you're teaching. Is there any chance you'll pick up any of the advanced language labs?"

Well, my first roll was an eight. I'll use my HP for a reroll: 1d20+6=23 I'm good! :)

Alex searched for the other boy as she hurried to catch up with her friends. It was a little disorienting trying to walk while her senses were displaced, but she managed to give the kids wrestling on the courthouse steps a wide berth. She was just about to announce that she didn't see anyone at all when she felt a mental presence decloak behind her. Unfortunately, since their last encounter, Tech Kid had been working on his jedi mind tricks. She let out a startled squeak as she was pulled back against the taller boy's chest and a lightsaber 'zorched' into existance very close to the unprotected skin of her throat. Tech Kid carefully held her body in front as a sheild as he announced, "Well, we appear to be at an impasse." It wasn't excatly an accurate statement as he was still outnumbered, and pinning Alex's arms to her sides didn't exactly negate her combat effectiveness in any real way, but it certainly made an interesting tableau on the courthouse steps. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, roughly 30 years in the future..... "Stay here. You'll be safe in the manor." Zoe could count the times that she'd seen her handsome father actually look tired on one hand, but the lines carved into his features outstripped every one of those memories. He looked tired. Until today, Zoe hadn't even been aware that he could actually feel exhaustion. Meanwhile, her mother's eyes had that unfocused look as she once again searched the earth for yet another bomb, contacted yet another group of super heroes to coordinate their efforts, while her father said what sounded very much like a good bye. Zoe had heard the refrain a thousand times, but today the words held a sort of gravity to them that had never been in his tone before. Zoe didn't know it then, but it was the last time she'd hear the familiar refrain. "Stay here. Stay safe. We love you." After pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, he stepped aside to let her mother enclose her in a tight hug. Just in this last summer, Zoe had outstripped her mother and she was still adjusting to the sensation of hugging a mother that had suddenly shrunken to mortal proportions, "Don't worry. We're only a thought away." And then they were gone and the manor seemed far more empty without her larger-than-life parents. The battle was televised, of course, every channel carried the epic war between good and evil that was fought on the very streets of Freedom City, on the courthouse steps. They were beloved heroes to everyone but to Zoe, they were so very much more. Her parents fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the extended family. Zoe saw her god-parents, beloved 'aunts' and 'uncles'. When they were knocked down, this time, they didn't get back up again. It was when her mother, her sweet and so very gentle mother, was held by the throat and her father, her brave and steadfast father, had to turn away to try and reach the bomb before Hiroshima Shadow could detonate it that Zoe started running. She run with every ounce of her speed in her compact frame, but it wasn't fast enough. Time seemed to slow, then almost stop as the weapon detonated. Metal fragments flew off of it in stop animation, even as the white hot pulse of power immolated hero and villian alike. Just as the white hot heat would have enveloped Zoe, for a moment, time seemed to hold its breath before the world went white. Her sneakered feet hit the concrete of the refurbished steps and the sudden presence of sound and color once more was almost staggering.

So, I'm re-working Phantom a bit this month. There's a few things that I want the character to be more focused on and I'm also two ranks below cap in just about everything now, so I need to drag those up a bit. Can you please change: To: Complications should be updated: I'd like to drop each of my exotic Saves by 2, to the following: (+6) If you could also, then, raise my attack to the following: (-8) I'd like to up the fire drawback to a moderate: (+2) Add 'Fearless' to her feats: (-1) The powers have the most changes. I'd like to drop accurate from her dimensional sense (+1), move flight and dimensional movement into a movement array (+1 net), add +1 to her magic array (-1), and add 6 levels to her regen (-6). Here's the total for all of the changes: 1+1-1-6 = -5. And the actual upgrades to the various powers below. For ease of cut and paste, I stuck all the corrections into this version of the character sheet below, including her upgraded DC block: [b]Players Name[/b]: alderwitch Power Level: 11 (166/166 pp) [b]Trade-Offs[/b]: [-2 Defense for +2 Toughness] [b]Unspent PP[/b]: 0 [b]Characters Name[/b]: Phantom [b]Alternate Identity[/b]: Taylor Chun [b]Height[/b]: 5'1" [b]Weight[/b]: 135 lbs [b]Hair[/b]: Thick and very straight black hair that’s falls to the middle of her back. [b]Eyes[/b]: Brown [b]Description[/b]: Between Taylor’s height, her shy tendency to hunch in on herself in crowds, and her dimpled cheeks, she gets mistaken for a freshman at the University more often than not, if not a visiting high school student. Never terribly interested in athletics, nor prone to put on weight, Taylor is neither very muscular nor exceptionally heavy for her size. If anything, she is sturdily built and relatively fit, if only from the lack of car ownership. She dresses like she’s watched Indiana Jones just a few too many times, with rescued bomber jackets from the Salvation Army and fedoras that have seen better days. As Phantom, Taylor is anything but average. In the cloak and cowl of her alter ego, Phantom is downright otherworldly. Her eyes glow white behind the three quarters black face mask. The folds of the inside of her ragged cloak crackle with eldritch energy and she flickers between solid and ephemeral states without conscious thought. Unlike most of the magically oriented, Phantom uses no arcane gestures or words of power but rather directs her fel energies with her eerie baleful glare. A creature of all dimensions and none, Phantom flickers through reality with disquieting ease. It’s easy to mistake her cloak for her source of power as when she vanishes from sight, her cloak folds in first on her, and then on itself. Even stripped of the glittering Eye of Heshem at her throat, Phantom’s powers are unhindered. [b]History[/b]: Taylor was born to your average middle class Americans. Her mother was a typical wasp and her father was a Chinese American, both of whom were born and raised inside Freedom City. Taylor's childhood was a normal one. She was a studious, if shy, child that spent much of her time focused on schooling although she had her share of childhood friends. The only oddity in her normal life was her great-uncle on her father's side. The elderly gentleman was always filling her head with stories of his youth helping Johnny Danger on all those daring quests. This is undoubtably where Taylor picked up her tendancy to dress like a bad pulp era character although with jeans and baseball t-shirts under her reclaimed, beaten jackets. When Taylor went into college, she was tempted to study archeology but had a natural flair for languages and instead went into the linguistics program. About this time, Taylor's beloved grandfather took ill and she recieved a package from him containing the Eye of Heshem, a glittering amuelet with its gem larger than her thumb, and instructing her to keep it safe. For a time, the Eye travelled about in the pocket of her beaten leather jacket before, bored one night working the midnight shift at the library, she began to work on the translation of the inscription. The first time Taylor recited the ancient script aloud, she was knocked near senseless as the voice of Heshem herself thundered through her head, charging her with the defense of the pact. These days, Taylor juggles her college studies and a late night job with doing her duties to guard the sanctity of the dimensional barriers. Her attempt at keeping a secret identity is made more difficult by the transformation to her alter ego that occurs unbidden when the Phantom is needed. [b]Personality & Motivation[/b]: Taylor is responsible in either persona. She really is the sort of person that her Great Uncle could trust to take care of that relic simply because she was asked to. She's still too young to see the world in shades of grey and that outlook is what makes her really quite good as an interdimensional police agent. As Phantom, she's the bouncer to Gateway's doorkeeper. She spends her costumed time finding and returning things that don't belong in their dimension. That's not to say that she's blindly devoted to the duties of her work. She's a bright young lady and can tell the difference between an Olympian that's setting up their own cozy little cult and a poor refugee but in either case she's going to find them a more appropriate local for their life. [b]Powers & Tactics[/b]: The Eye has pulled Taylor Chun out of synch with this dimension. As a creature of all worlds and none, she is as likely to be ephemeral as solid and moves between the dimensions like a child would run through the rooms of the house. Her very body is the gateway to the holding dimension that she uses to transport creatures and objects back to where they once belonged and riding within the Phantom is an odd and distressing experience for even the most jaded. In additon to her odd and innate abilities, Phantom is an accomplished mage either. She uses a dark crackling magic without either word or gesture to knock the more combatant individuals low before wrapping them in the ragged edges of her eldritch cape. [b]Complications[/b]: [u]Secret Identity[/u]: Taylor is still struggling for normalcy. She has no desire for her serious parents to know that she's moonlighting as a superhero and she knows quite well that they would be terribly disappointed if she never gets her degree but living a double life is taking its toll. [u]Secrets (Jack)[/u]: It's not exactly her secret, but dating the vampire who happens to also be the power behind the throne can really complicate an already difficult life. Either her secret alter ego from the vampires, or the vampires from the rest of the mystics in Freedom City. However you slice it, its a lot of secrets. [u]Responsibilites[/u]: (Interdimensional Guardian, Knights, Family, Boyfriend) Taylor has a mandated responsibility to do her duties and while Heshem is not one to micromanage, the failure to use her gifts as required by the entity would likely have dire consequences. In addition, she's got multiple forces that demand a certain level of loyalty. Unfortunately, they're not always on the same side of any given issue. [b][u]Stats[/u][/b]: (0+0+2+8+10+4=24pp) Str: 10 (+0) Dex: 10 (+0) Con: 12 (+1) Int: 18 (+4) Wis: 20 (+5) Cha: 14 (+2) [b][u]Combat[/u][/b]: (16+8=24pp) Attack: +8, +10 Blast/Stun, +10 Telekinesis Grapple: +8, +22 Telekinesis Defense: +8 (Base +4, Dodge Focus +4), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -0, -10 Force Field Initiative: +0 [b]Saves[/b][/u]: (2+3+3=8pp) Toughness: +11 (Impervious 9), +1 w/o Force Field Fort: +3 (+1 Con, +2) Reflex: +3 (+0 Dex, +2) Will: +8 (+5 Wis, +3) [u][b]Skills[/b][/u]: (52r = 13pp) Concentration 10 (+15) Intimidate 2 (+4) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 12 (+16) Knowledge (History) 6 (+10) Languages 6 (Arabic, Aramaic, Cantonese, Greek, Latin, Mandarin; English is native) Notice 5 (+10) Search 6 (+10) Sense Motive 5 (+10) [u][b]Feats[/b][/u]: (2+4+1=7pp) Dodge Focus 4 Quick Change 2 Fearless [u][b]Powers[/b][/u]: (21+11+39+3+7+12=93pp) [b]Insubstantial 4[/b] (Affected by Fire) (PF: Alternate Power) [21pp] [u]AP[/u]: [b]Force Field 10 [/b](Extra: Impervious 9, PF: Selective) [b]Immunity 11 [/b](Aging, Life Support, Starvation/Thirst) [11 pp] [b]Magic Array (31 pp)[/b] (PF: Alternate Power x 8) [38pp] [u]BE[/u]:[b] Blast 10 [/b](Extra: Affects Corporeal, PF: Accurate 1) {31} [u]AP[/u]: [b]Comprehend 7[/b] (Animals 2, Languages 4, Spirits 1; Extra: Affects Others, Area Burst) {28} [u]AP[/u]:[b] Detect Magic: Ranged[/b], (Acute, Analytical, Accurate, Radius, Tracking (3), Extended (5)), [b]Detect Dimensional: Ranged[/b], (Acute, Analytical, Accurate, Radius, Tracking (3), Extended (5)) [u]AP[/u]: [b]Dimensional Pocket 6[/b] (6,000 lbs; Extra: Continuous, PF: Progression) {31} [u]AP[/u]: [b]ESP 9[/b] (20,000 miles, Sight/Hearing; Extra: Duration/Sustained, Flaw: Standard Action; PF: Dimensional, Rapid x2, Subtle) {31} [u]AP[/u]: [b]Nullify Field 8[/b](40 Feet) (All Powers (Drawback: Only Magical and Dimenionsional Descriptors), Area Burst, Touch; Extra: Duration/Concentration) {31} [u]AP[/u]: [b]Stun 10[/b] (Extras: Affects Corporeal, Ranged; Flaws: Action/Full; PF: Accurate x 1) {31} [u]AP[/u]: [b]Telekinesis 14[/b] (Str 70; PF: Accurate, Precise, Indirect) {31} [u]AP[/u]: [b]Teleport 9 [/b](20,000 miles; Extra: Accurate PF: Change Velocity, Easy, Progression x 2 [x5 mass] {31} [b]Super Movement 3[/b] (Dimensional 3) (PF: Alternate Power) [7 pp] [u]AP[/u]:[b]Flight 3[/b] (50 MPH) [6pp] [b]Super Senses 3[/b] (Dimensional Awareness, Magical Awareness) [3 pp] [b]Regeneration 12[/b] (Bruised 1/round, Injured 1/round, Staggered 1/Minute, Disabled 1/5 Hours, Ressurection 1/week (unless burned)) (PFs: Diehard, Regrowth) [12pp] [u][b]Drawbacks[/b][/u]: (+3pp) Vulnerable (moderate/uncommon: fire) (+3pp) [u][b]DC Block[/b][/u]: ATTACK --- RANGE --- SAVE --- TYPE Unarmed --- Melee --- DC15/Toughness (Staged) --- Bruise/Injury (Magic) Blast 10 --- Perception --- 25/Toughness (Staged) --- Bruise/Injury Dimensional Pocket 6 --- Melee --- 16/Reflex --- Special Nullify (Dimensional) 8 --- Melee/Area Burst --- 18/Will --- Special Stun 10 --- Perception --- 21/Will (Staged) --- Daze/Stun/Unconscious Telekinesis (Thrown Object) 14 --- Perception --- 29/Toughness (Staged) --- Bruise/Injury Costs: Abilities (24) + Combat (24) + Saves (8) + Skills (13) + Feats (7) + Powers (93) - Drawbacks (+3) = 166/166 PPDone by Sandman XI

He let a rather unmanly shriek and then narrowed his eyes, "I know you! You're one of those kids from the baseball field. Lemme go!" Mystic Force kicked and wriggled like a worm on a hook in the arms that held him like iron bands. He added for good measure, "Big ol' bully!"

Taylor's gaze shot to the mirror automatically and visibally winced. Why things hurt more when you could see them, Taylor would never understand and she twisted to get a better look at the lacerations from the barbed scourge, appraising them with a practiced eye. It might take a day or two at most for them to vanish completely but they were fading quickly. At least the gash on her cheek had closed up during the conversation, leaving only an angry red line that would probably fade out in the next hour or so. In a day, she'd have no physical reminders of her time with Zealot. She pulled her gaze away from the mirror, and the creepy lack of Jack's reflection. With a sigh of relief, she phased out of the remains of her costume and discarded them in a tidy heap that was sucked easily into the void. It took a little more digging, but she pulled her workout towel out of thin air and wrapped that around herself while she waited for Jack to start the shower. Not that there wasn't a preponderance of fluffy towels but Taylor wasn't about to wrap something around her that she wasn't willing to throw out until after she'd rinsed the fight off of her skin. Searching for something lighter direction to take the conversation, Taylor slanted him a considering look, "You know, I'd stay here just for a shower that's actually above my head. We should have fooled around in your shower rather than mine. I bet your hot water doesn't run out, either."

And, Psyche with a mighty 9 So, our line up is: Wander: 24 Edge: 14 Phalanx: 14 (Delayed down from 16) Mystic Force: 10 Psyche: 9 Tech Kid: 8 First round, surprise goes to Wander and she and Mystic Force are currently the only ones involved. Ya'll can arrive at the top of next round.

Alex shook her head quickly and decisively. "Its some kind of reciever. Nothing explosive or even chemical." She gestured for the boys to go first. "Okay, look. Why don't you guys go back up Erin. I'll hang back and see if I can keep an eye out for the older brother. I'm the only one with range, after all. We don't know what kinda stuff he's got on him." Alex left Erin's problems with physical force unsaid. As far as off the cuff plans were, it wasn't half bad. Outside, the boy broke into faster strides, his rapid pace taking him to the refurbished courthouse steps.

Mystic Force: 10 Tech Kid: 8

Alex was in the midst of laughing and dancing out of range of Mark's poking fingers - she was terribly ticklish - when Mike's call came through. She caught his hands, her eyes focusing on something else for a moment before she sobered abruptly and said, "Mike says those kids from the baseball stadium are here. He's worried there's going to be a fight." ------ His older brother, the self proclaimed sith lord, wasn't anywhere in easy sight but that was no real proof that he wasn't lurking somewhere close by. Mystic Force looked left and right furtively before he quickly pulled something out of his jacket pocket and, with some care stuck it on the back of the computer. Then he slowly stood up and gave a very phony stretch as he started to stroll out of the library. He even put his hands in his pockets and whistled to show just how casual he was as he made his way out of the building.

Alex groaned before breaking up soft laughter. "That was a terrible pun." She informed him tartly, although she was still smiling, "You do come up with some terrible puns. Do those come to you on the fly or do you have a list hidden somewhere?" She began to poke at him playfully, as if searching for some list that he'd hidden somewhere on his person.

Taylor coughed a little at the commentary about 'being thrown about' and gave Stesha a studiously blank face. She could think of a few scenarios would be rather fun, actually, but there was no reason to go there. Instead, Taylor blushed and touched on Stesha's earlier subject instead. "Yes, well, he kind of means it. In that, if he's flirting, its a bit like an open offer but he's not offended. I think he just concludes that its a loss for whoever he's flirting with. Ace is odd." Taylor rolled her eyes even as her voice warmed with obvious fondness. "Arrowhawk's mostly a long range fighter but I think he knows hand to hand stuff as well. I don't know him, really, at all, though."

Alex stiffled a little giggle, feeling vaguely guilty for her amusement at her best friend's expense. She made a mental note to tell him that he should probably not use any lines unless James had given them to him. She loved Eddie and Chris but even she knew that theirs was not always the best advice. Especially through the filter of Mike's own patina of awkward. "So," she slipped her arm around Mark's waist and gave him a beaming grin, "What did you need to check out." ----------------- As Erin made her way to the computers, there was a very familiar boy sitting at one of the computer banks. Of course, the last time that Erin had seen him, he and his brother had been on their way to the hospital. Sitting there, scowling at the computer, was none other than Mystic Force. Also known as Joey Wallowitz, at least according to the news blurbs that had played on tv after his capture.

Taylor closed her eyes, trusting that Jack wouldn't steer her into someone as she tried to figure out what was causing the chill on the back of her neck, finally she opened her eyes to nod a striking couple, both of whom looked a little younger than her actual age. Of course, looks could always be deceiving. "Something's weird over there but I can't tell you more without breaking out some actual magic," she murmered under her breath with a nod at the couple Jack had manuevered them closer to, "Do you know either of them?"

She raised a brow and let the subject die. "I'll stay. I don't think my bed's salvagable if I remember correctly, anyways, even if I wanted to go home. I'll just start looking for a new apartment tomorrow. That'll be a nightmare with the school year already started, but I'm not living there any more." Not only was it dangerous to tempt fate that the creep might forget Jack's warning, but Taylor didn't think she'd ever rest well in that particular bedroom again. She let him pull her to her feet, "Can I use your shower? I'm about ready to crawl out of my skin."

After performing quite so well, it was a bit of a shock when she nearly mis-stepped coming dangerously close to one of Jack's feet. Taylor tilted her head to the side with a look on her face that Jack was probably coming to dread on their dates. It was the 'something is setting off my magic sense and I can't tell what it is' face. It wasn't as if she could just break out one of her detection spells in the middle of the ballroom. That was less than subtle. Worse, even in heels, she wasn't tall enough to even see over the couples right around them on the dance floor. "I think it might be that way," she eventually murmered to him, once she'd managed to recover, nodding in the direction Angel and James were dancing in. "Probably."

Alex stared at her friends with a look that was trapped between amusement and something almost like pity. This had to score an eleven-million on a ten-point "awkward conversation" scale. She headed into the library and exchanged some friendly words with the librarians. She was a bit of a regular fixture at the library. "Mark, wasn't there a big fight at the courthouse not that long ago?" Alex asked gently, trying to find something for the teens to converse about as she carefully handed over her books off of the stack Erin was carrying, "This whole block got all banged up, right?"

Her heartbeat pulsed below his fingertips, leaping slightly at the gentle touch over her breastbone. Jack could feel the soft rise and fall with each breath she took and the deeper rise of the soft sigh she released at his words. She reached up to cover the hand over her heart and gave him a soft smile, "If there's anyone who could pull off what you're attempting, it could only be you. It's just such a very deadly game. As I said, eternity is a terribly long time. Life can be very empty." It wasn't knowledge that Taylor should have had. By her own admission, even with years in other dimensions, she couldn't have been more than twenty five, but she spoke the words with a weight of conviction that could only come from some personal experience, "It's a heavy weight you've taken on. I just don't want it to drag you under."

Intro thread for Zoe. Currently involving, Wander, Edge, Psyche, Phalanx

It was, of course, Alex's turn to pick the location, which was how the kids ended up in the library in the first place. When one's cute boyfriend shows up on a Saturday and says, "So, where did you want to spend today?" and follows that up with a far too handsome grin, very few girls at Claremont would have promptly responded with "The library!" Alex really wasn't quite like any other girl, so not only did she want to go to the library, she had no ulterior motive of necking among the stacks. No, of course she wanted to trade in a truely large stack of books for a different and equally large stack of books. They were halfway down the stairs when Mike's somewhat desparate mental plea had come through. He'd come up with some reason - as yet unfathomable the motivation behind it - that he was bound and determined to ask Erin out. "On, like, a thing. A going out thing. With, you know, us." Alex's best guess was it had come out of some conversation that was probably all mangled with the other boys. But, being a dutiful friend, she'd agreed and then corralled Erin to help with books. Which is how they found themselves standing in front of the courthouse one sunny morning, in the very first place.

Not just a vampire, but king of the vampires... Taylor's eyes widened in something between shock and horror, before she simply looked very, very sad. Taylor reached out to cup his face between her hands, "You're going to ignore all of my advice on this matter, so I'll say it this once, and I want you to know that it's because I love you. Get out. Get out while you can. Eventually, this path will almost assuredly either kill you or, worse, destroy you." She leaned forward to press a gentle, almost chaste kiss against his lips and smiled at him sadly, "But you won't."