Raveled

Could I get a Notice check from Wail?

GM Wail's carefully trained voice carried its subsonic vibrations across the block, and countless pets started wailing at the night while their owners felt and unaccountable shiver dance up their spine. In the store the effect was much more pronounced; the robbers were bowled over and stayed there, cowering, unable to gather their wits enough to flee. Behind the counter, the cashier was spared the worst of the scream's sonic force, but it still set his knees to knocking. A bathroom door in the back of the store opened up and another young man in a ski mask barged out, carrying something sleek and black. He screamed and started spraying the shop without any more accuracy than his fellows earlier. The stream of bullets cut off with a sudden clicking as the gun either jammed or ran out of bullets. Before Wail could retaliate, the worker vaulted over the counter and yelled, "I've got him, Mr. L!" The pointed some kind of needle-barreled gun at the thug that looked like something out of a Flash Gordon serial. There was a flash of light and the gunman was suddenly frozen in monochrome. An instant later LaMarr's erstwhile savior flew into a shelf of potato chips and knocked the whole display over.

Jessica Parker was deep in the bowels of the Lab, watching a lathe shape a piece of aluminum into a hollow conduit. The process didn't need someone overseeing it, and certainly not someone of Jessica's rank. However she found the process relaxing, almost meditative in its own way. So when the lights shut off for a whole second, she was plunged into darkness. There was a flare of light that reflected off the machines in the shop and when the power came back on she was clad in her armor. Ironclad's sensors swept the room and found nothing of note. She was already moving towards the elevator at the core of the building when Protectron's announcement rang out. She reached out with her abnormal mind and formed a link with the robot's peripherals systems. "Ironclad here," she transmitted. "I noticed the power fluctuations -- did the plant really go offline? I'll meet you at the edge of the compound." The elevator doors opened at a wave of her hand but there was no car in the space beyond. The armored heroine stepped into the empty shaft, stared upwards, and ignited her thrusters. Little twitched took her past the other cars and when she exited into the hanger bay, the doors were already open just enough for her (relatively) slim figure to slip through. It only took a moment for her to orient on the power plant and she was off.

Thugs cannot make either of those saves, so they are suitably cowed. Guy behind the counter is, of course, our unwitting Gadgeteer Genius. Gadgeteer's Reflex save, vs DC 23. (1d20+7=21) Takes the full brunt of it. Gadgeteer's Will save, vs DC 23. (1d20+11=18) Yikes. Literally!

I have no problem with any of that. Yes, I think if there was a problem at Freedom City's nuclear power plant, the Lab would be one of the folks on speed dial.

Okay, problem with your attack. So the disc attack does not get a second chance to hit her, because you switched to the Enhanced Str attack.

The OOC for this thread. Cobalt Templar, Freedom Angel, Protectron, and Glowstar have to handle a breakout of human-animal hybrids! Who's behind this dastardly scheme!? Feel free to describe your heroes seeing the crash and even some ancillary damage (wires down, cars swerving out of control) but please don't touch the truck.

September 3rd, 2011 5:46 AM Freedom City at dawn was a dazzling sight -- literally so, as the rising sun reflected off so many skyscrapers with walls of tinted windows. Brian Harris flew into the glare at an oblique angle, grateful for the mirrored sunglasses he'd bought when he started at Claremont. He didn't wear them as often as he'd first planned on way back when, but at times like these they were appreciated. The teen cut through the air space of the city's suburban neighborhoods and set down in the parking lot of a compact building standing at the intersection of two major roads. He folded and stowed his glasses and glanced around, noting that the lot was almost empty; 'Nothing but Hole!' was, in his young opinion, the very best doughnut place in town and open twenty-four hours, but there always seemed to be a lull around dawn. Brian strode into the shop like he owned the world, flashing an easy smile at the employees he could see bustling about behind the counter. It was his turn to buy breakfast for the Irregulars, and while Morgan and John usually favored healthy fare, Brian thought the day just wasn't the same if it didn't begin with something sugary. The teen opened his mouth to begin his normal chit-chat with the woman on the register (toned down since he'd begun seeing Gwen, but not entirely abandoned) when he noticed a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. The turned, already gathering energy, to see a large, boxy truck of the kind used to transport money to and from banks jump the curb and break the far wall of the restaurant, barreling towards him. At the last moment a plane of translucent red energy sprang up, angled towards the street. The truck hit the wall and left it cracked, but it was deflected away from Brian and the civilians. It smashed through the front wall and ended up on its side in the street, wheels spinning uselessly. Brian levitated a few feet in the air and peeked over the counter. Most of the employees were only now reacting, dropping pans or simply diving to the floor. "Sorry about the mess," he said to them. "Doctor Metropolis should be able to help you, though." He touched his ring and his costume sprang out to surround him. "I'm going to check on the truck," he said, moving out to the street.

Dirae's Toughness save, vs DC 28. (1d20+12=19) Stunned + Bruise x2. I'm checking about that Homing attack, BTW. I'm not if it works that way.

There should be no problem with orphaned threads here. It's plotted out beginning to end, so it should be clear sailing. If folks are amenable, I think I'll go with a crew of Glowstar, Protectron, Freedom Angel, and Cobalt Templar for this.

Jessica dressed herself in a cream-colored silk blouse and a nut-brown skirt, with white pumps and a bronze band holding back her hair. She touched the titanium bracelet that was her link to her armor, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Right. On to museums. And if any bad guys get in our way, I'm going to make sure that they regret it." Paris had one famous art gallery of course, and La Louvre was everything that it had been built up to be. There were English-language pamphlets and audiolog tours available at the front desk, so Jessica was at least spared from translating each plaque for Blake. Once they had marveled at the works there, it was on to the Musee d'Orsay and the Grand Palais. After a picnic lunch around of the Wallace fountains, they visited the Tuileries Garden, the Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie, and the Museum national d'histoire naturelle. Around that time darkness was beginning to fall across the City of Lights, along with a misting rain, and the young lovers took refuge in a crowded cafe. They ordered and moved to a quiet corner, talking in low voices. In time their food arrived and they tucked into it. Jessica had ordered a salad garnished with thin slices of duck; she tried one and then moved the rest to the side. Once her immediate hunger was quelled, she said to Blake, "I think your idea of getting out of the city was a good one. But not to the country." She smiled. "I found a reservation at a resort on the Rivera. Sand, sun, the beach, just you and me. No politicians to assassinate, no big monuments to blow up. Just miles and miles of the best vacation property in the world."

Character Name: Nacht-Krieger Power Level: 14 Trade-Offs: +2 Att/-2 Dam, +4 Def/-4 Tou Unspent Power Points: 0 In Brief: A Nazi monster empowered by the Shattenwalt, now employed by SHADOW Alternate Identity: Johann Dietrich Meinhoff Identity: The general public believes that Johann perished during WW2. Birthplace: Munich, Germany Occupation: Assassin and professional monster Affiliations: SHADOW Family: Deceased Description: Age: 73 Apparent Age: Mid-thirties Gender: Male Ethnicity: German Height: 5' 11" Weight: N/A Eyes: N/A Hair: N/A Nacht-Krieger is a living shadow, a flat stick figure of a human being drawn in charcoal. His movements are blindingly fast, from one place to another in the blink of an eye. In combat he strikes with a disconcerting fluidity, often warping his 'body' in impossible ways to get around or through an opponent's defenses. Power Descriptions: Nacht-Krieger is no longer human in any conventional sense. He has been transformed by the powers of the Shattenwalt into a living shadow, a thing of darkness and menace. He fades away into shadows and is as substantial as them, but he can focus his limbs into monomolecular blades capable of slicing through just about anything. History:1 Johann Meinhoff started life as a bully on the streets of Munich, but after being presented with a magic ring that allowed him to channel the powers of the Shattenwalt by Willem Kantor, he swiftly rose to the rarefied heights of Nazi society. As one of the Reich's Ubersoldaten he commanded strikes deep behind enemy lines, using his command over shadows to escape from the Liberty League and the Allies of Liberty rather than face them outright. After the war, he was imprisoned off the coast of Freedom City by the twin heroes White Rose and White Thorn; when he escaped in the 50s Thorn gave his life to reseal the monster underneath Pyramid Plaza. There, cut off from human contact, Nacht-Krieger slowly went insane. After long months he learned to touch the true power of the Shattenwalt, not just through his ring but with his soul. In time he was contacted by the reborn William Kantor, now going by Overshadow. With Overshadow's aid he enacted a ritual to integrate the power of the Shattenwalt into his very being and so escaped from his second prison. Driven mad by direct contact with the predatory darkness beyond the borders of our world, he became a barely-controlled sadist, a monster among monsters and Overshadow's willing attack dog. Personality & Motivation: Johann Meinhoff was always a bully, delighting in the pain and misery of others, but working under Willem Kantor and prolonged contact with the stuff of the Shattenwalt has warped his mind until he lives for nothing but to bring pain and death to others. He is a monster in body and soul now. Nacht-Krieger's only driving force in his not-exactly-life seems to be to hurt others, to bring them misery and terror. He most often does this as Overshadow's personal assassin and attack dog, but it is possible that if he does not get sufficient excursions to slake his taste for pain, he will seek out appropriately challenging victims on his own. Powers & Tactics: Nacht-Krieger is an assassin and killer, a monster who stalks the shadows. He will almost never face an opponent openly, preferring instead to use stealth and misdirection to get a drop on his targets. When combat has been joined he will use his terrifying appearance to wrong-foot an opponent. If death threatens, he is smart enough to retreat and try to fight again another day. He has no compunction about leaving minions or supposed allies behind, even wounding them intentionally to slow down his pursuers. Abilities: 8 + 6 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 8 = 36PP Strength: 18 (+4) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 16 + 20 = 36PP Initiative: +11 Attack: +8, +16 melee Grapple: +20 Defense: +18 (+10 Base, +8 Dodge Focus), +5 Flat-Footed Knockback: -12 Saving Throws: - + 10 + 10 = 20PP Toughness: +10 (+4 Con, +6 Protection, Impervious 10) Fortitude: --- Reflex: +13 (+3 Dex, +10) Will: +11 (+1 Wis, +10) Skills: 76R = 19PP Intimidate 16 (+20) Skill Mastery Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 3 (+5) Notice 14 (+15) Skill Mastery Profession (Soldier) 4 (+5) Search 8 (+10) Sense Motive 14 (+15) Skill Mastery Stealth 17 (+20) Skill Mastery Feats: 31PP All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 8 Challenge 2 (Accelerated Startle, Accelerated Stealth) Dodge Focus 8 Fearless Fearsome Presence 6 Improve Initiative 2 Power Attack Skill Mastery (Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth) Startle Powers: 6 + 20 + 30 + 16 + 10 + 22 + 10 + 3 = 111PP All powers have the Magic descriptor Concealment 6 (Shadow; All visual and auditory; Flaw: Limited [when in shadows]) [6PP] Immunity 40 (All energy attacks; Flaw: Half effect) [20PP] Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30PP] Insubstantial 3 (Extra: Duration [default is Shadow Form, Sustained Active effect to remain corporeal; Feat: Innate) [16PP] Protection 10 [10PP] Strike 8 (Extra: Penetrating [12]; Feat: Extended, Mighty) [22PP] Super-Movement 5 (Air-Walking 2, Wall-Crawling 2, Trackless) [10PP] Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision; Feat: Innate) [3PP] Drawbacks: -3 + (-2) = -5PP Weakness (x2 vs Light descriptor; Frequency: Common) [-3PP] Weakness (Insubstantial does not count against effects with Silver descriptor ) [-2PP] Abilities (36) + Combat (36) + Saving Throws (20) + Skills (19) + Feats (31) + Powers (111) - Drawbacks (5) = 248/248 Power Points 1This is a condensed version of the backstory given on page 213 of the Freedom City setting book.

I'm looking for a couple of PL 9-11 PCs, to accompany Glowstar on a little bout of animal control. Well, super-powered, animal-man hybrid control, anyway.

GM Dirae's energy bubble snapped off and she dropped to the ground, staggering slightly before she found her footing. She glared up at Ironclad, one fist shaking in triumph and taunt. "You can't beat me," she shouted up at the heroine. "You can't even touch me! But I can do this!" She thrust out her ring hand in a straight punch, and a bolt of red energy blazed up towards Ironclad. The armored heroine rode the blow, tumbling slightly before her thrusters corrected for it and she stabilized again, having barely moved an inch. "Is that what you can do," Ironclad shouted back. "Can't say I'm all that impressed!"

Dirae's turn, and she's gonna try her Blast attack against Ironclad this time. Standard Action: Blast! Dirae's range attack check, vs Ironclad's Def. DC 28 (1d20+7=21) That hits. Ironclad's Toughness save, vs DC 28. (1d20+15=35) :D Initiative order: 29 Torque -- Uninjured -- HPx2 23 Ironclad -- Uninjured -- HPx5 14 Ajax -- Unconscious -- GM 9 Dirae -- Bruisex1 + Staggered -- GM Torque's up.

Dirae rode the blow, robbing it of much of its power, and came up grinning at Ironclad. The armored heroine transferred her grip to the villainess' waist, hefting her high. "I don't watch a lot of cop shows," she admitted, "but I think this next part is something like, 'Get on the ground!'" With a mighty heave she flung the black-and-red energy controller at the pavement, creating a loud crack and raising a cloud of dust at the impact site. When the dust blew away, though, both heroes could see Dirae floating in a crimson bubble, none the worse for wear.

Ironclad's gonna throw Dirae into the pavement. I don't think that requires an attack roll, since she just basically has to go down. DC 25 Toughness roll. Dirae's Toughness save, vs DC 25. (1d20+12=31) :argh:

Dirae's Toughness save, vs DC 27. (1d20+12=32) Lordy, that's a save.

Glowstar exchanged a look with Myrmidon and shrugged, the pair of them being the only ones that exited the briefing room in a semi-normal style. He found himself stepping out a steel door into an alleyway between two brick buildings; red and blue police lights strobed at one end, and the other was blocked off by a cinderblock wall. The young hero turned (flourishing his cape a bit more than was strictly necessary) and strode out of the alleyway straight into a police barricade. He glanced at the far end of the street, where the bank could be seen. He raised one hand and a semi-transparent red screen snapped to life, hissing slightly, blocking the street off and separating the police from the robbers. Glowstar strode up to the nearest cop and smiled broadly. "Hey there, officer! Don't worry, the Irregulars are on the case!" He scratched his chin and looked around. "My teammates are in the bank right now. Where do you want us to drop off the hostages?"

Sharktopus' Toughness save, vs DC 25. (1d20+15=32) This is a superlative save.

Catalyst can make out the following as the villains escape. "Nothing for it, Jill. We've got to get back to Mr. Olivas and regroup." We are out of combat, BTW, so feel free to post however you want.

GM The robbers snapped around when Wail stepped into view, and one of the register crew started backing towards the door, dropping his piece on the ground. "Aw, $&@*, man! I didn't sign on for no capes!" His partner pushed the teller back so he fell on his ass, then stepped forward and leveled the weapon at Wail's broad chest. "Man, you guys are &*%@! He's just a washed-up old teacher! C'mon, let's waste him!" The cowardly (or maybe smarter) thug fled into the night, while the remaining three opened fire on the hero. While their combat effectiveness was debatable (especially given that the one with the Walther knock-off was firing it sideways) they did kill a lot of food in plastic bags.

Initiative order: 11 Thug 1 (Shotgun) -- Uninjured -- GM 11 Thug 2 (Fleeing) -- Uninjured -- GM 7 Thug 3 (Revolved) -- Uninjured -- GM 7 Thug 4 (Walther) -- Uninjured -- GM 5 Wail -- Uninjured -- HPx3 Thugs fire! And the smart one runs! Attack roll for 3 Thugs, vs Wail's Def. Varying DC. (1d20+2=21, 1d20+2=17, 1d20+2=21) Lordy, those are good rolls! But still, none of them hit. Wail's up!

Shooty-punch time! Initiative for 4 Thugs. (1d20+1=11, 1d20+1=11, 1d20+1=7, 1d20+1=7)

I'm waiting on a post from Quinn, honestly.