Raveled

I've got an idea for a thread around the American Independence Day. Basically there's a marathon on... probably July 5 or 6. Several PCs either participate or spectate (or maybe they're working as volunteers?) when they're attacked by the magical branch of OVERSHADOW. Who wants to punch chaos-magic Nazis!?

Rather than writing those connections into the backstory, the players could work together to create those in the intro thread. Try leaving a villain alive and at large at the end. Setting up a sequel is a great way to get folks started writing their own stories.

Somehow or another I've contrived to spend about two or three hours of every workday perusing MSN News. On occasion, I'll find something that sounds like it would make a good thread. I'm going to be using this thread to let folks know about them; feel free to fill it up with stories you've found in the news that sound like the sort of things out resident heroes would be interested in. Ancient Egyptian statue turns on its own.

GM The arrival of the shining paragon caused a tangible shift in mood. Some of the soldiers continued to run, but most broke off and instead made for barns, or the farmhouse, and were soon in cover behind walls and wooden fences, pointing assault rifles at the Atlantean invaders. The watery soldiers didn't seem inclined to venture into the fields. They spread out, forming a loose picket line, and trained their weapons on the Cuban soldiers. For a long minute, neither side moved or made a sound. Then, there was a shifting of the Atlantean line as a figure stepped out of the trees. This new man was dressed a bit unusually, in flowing blue-and-gold robes that seemed more fit for a Roman forum than a jungle battlefield. He smiled at the assembled Cuban troops before fixing his gaze on El Heraldo. "A superhero," he said, slowly walking forward. "I can't say I expected many of your type to intervene. But still, there's no reason to fight here, right? Everyone should just calm down." The robed man's words seemed... heavy. Like a great big blanket wrapping around El Heraldo's head, cutting him off from the rest of the world. He could feel all his tension and anger and hurry draining away, into a deep, ocean of serenity.

Arich, I need a DC 20 Will save for El Heraldo, vs Emotion Control (Calm).

Jessica raised a hand as she saw Magnus descend from the cargo plane, shielding her eyes as it turned and the wing reflected the sunlight for a moment. "We were prepared. I'm afraid some things have come up in the meantime, though." Several individuals came up from the back of the hanger. The man in the UNISON jumpsuit smiled toothily and offered his hand to Kastatrof. Jessica pulled her smartphone out and walked over to the plane, temporarily abandoning the Baron to the greeting party. "Welcome to the Golan Heights," the UNISON agent said. "I'm Agent Aita. I've been assigned to oversee this little experiment. And this," he added, turning to the woman in the BDUs and the man in the loose jacket, "is Major Datz of the IDF, and Doctor Farber of Bar-Ilan University." Major Datz nodded curtly but didn't say anything. The doctor adjusted his glasses and smiled at the Baron. "Professor of archeology and adjutant chair of the history department," he said. "I trained in the UK, though. King's College, in London."

Give me a Notice check. If she hits DC 10, she can spot some place. Otherwise, she's blinded by the glare of the lights.

The warehouse is strikingly well-lit, and Kit can't see any place she could dash to and get out. Kit: 1 ... What? Don't look at me like that, that doesn't mean anything.

Guessssss who gets to make an Initiative roll? Take a HP for the teleport redirect. Hellhounds' Ini. (1d20+5=8)

Sam left the precinct building, making her way to a shadowy alley before stepping into the darkness and willing herself halfway across town, to the office building where the attorney Talia Vance kept on retainer kept a small office space. She stepped out of the shadows... and stopped. Wherever she was, it wasn't the bustling streets of Midtown that she had been expecting! There were creates piled around her, and bright lights hanging from a high ceiling -- it was a warehouse! This wasn't anywhere close to her destination! Before she could wonder at who or what could redirect her shadow walk, she was distracted by a low growling, and a panting, hissing breath behind her. She spun and watched a pair of huge, vicious canines round opposite stacks of boxes. These weren't ordinary dogs, though; they each looked to weigh two or three times what Sam did, and their fur wasn't there. Heck, it looked like their flesh wasn't there. They gleamed wetly in the light, like their skin had been flayed off to expose the bloody muscle underneath. As they walked they panted, and the green-white drool smoked where it hit the concrete and began to eat into it. The two hounds paused as they locked eyes with Sam, and crouched into stalking slinks. They growled as they approached, the sound full of terror and the promise of a bloody end.

Tona's already car surfed, how about riding the roof of the L? ;)

The drones marched into the forest, keeping the sort of straight line that only machines could, at least on rough terrain. Faces that were half covered by metal plates scanned the underbrush, searching for the echos of heat or blood that would indicate a wounded human had come through the area. The search party moved forward relentlessly, motivated by desires built into their brains and the core of whatever had replaced their souls. The track was unmistakably and their victory assured -- until they came to a river. Not a big one, just a few feet across and barely up to the knees of the smallest drone, but it hid the heat and washed away the blood. The drones ground through their available options, and decided to split up. One crossed, half went upstream, and the remainder traveled downriver. The downriver group soon discovered that the waterway rapidly ramified, becoming any number of meandering streams. The drones split again and again, until they were each following their own trickle of water. One finally discovered a disturbance in the undergrowth on the riverbank, and warm blood on a tree trunk; good indicators that their wounded target had come this way. It sent off a radio transmission to its fellows and marched off into the forest again. It didn't get far, however, before a thin bow came whipping around at knee-height, knocking the machine over onto its back. While it floundered, Tona burst out of the bushes and straddled it, holding an arrow up high in her good hand. She aimed for the brute's organic eyes, took a deep breath -- and paused. The face before her was slack and the eyes dull, the skin dirty and pale, but there was a certain resemblance in the jawline, a familiar scar on one cheek, and ears the stood out proud from the cranium. The arrow in Tona's hand wavered as she whispered. "Mon pere?"

Well IIRC the Shattenwalt is the default source of power for undead; effectively the Negative Energy Plane, to use a D&D analog. You'd likely see a lot more vampires, zombies, lichs, ghouls, et cetera running around. If the place is too suffused with the Shattenwalt, the dead may even spontaneously rise, if the bodies aren't destroyed.

Player Name: Raveled Character Name: Challenger Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30 In Brief: Human martial artist merges with an energy being. Alternate Identity: Gene Mikami Identity: Secret Birthplace: Freedom City Occupation: Superhero, anthropologist Affiliations: Danger International Family: Mother, father Description: Age: 30 (DoB: March ) Gender: Male Ethnicity: Asian Height: 6' 2" Weight: 250 lbs Eyes: Blue Hair: Black Power Descriptions: Gene Mikami is a skilled martial artist, and his body has been fused with the energy being History: Personality & Motivation: (Describe here) Powers & Tactics: Complications: Secret Identity. Abilities: 8 + 6 + 8 + 2 + 0 + 6 = 30PP Strength: 30/18 (+10/+4) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 30/18 (+10/+4) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 16 + 12 = 30PP Initiative: +7 Attack: +8 Melee, +8 Ranged, +10 Fist of the Shining Path Grapple: +18/+12 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5/-10/-1 Saving Throws: 0 + 5 + 5 = 10PP Toughness: +10/+4 (+10/+4 Con) Fortitude: +10/+4 (+10/+4 Con, +0) Reflex: +8 (+3 Dex, +5) Will: +6 (+1 Wis, +5) Skills: 88R = 22PP Acrobatics 12 (+15) Bluff 10 (+13/+17 w/ Attractive)Skill Mastery Knowledge (Civics) 9 (+10) Knowledge (Current Events) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Earth Sciences) 4 (+5) Knowledge (History) 9 (+10) Skill Mastery Medicine 5 (+5) Notice 13 (+13) Skill Mastery Stealth 12 (+15) Skill Mastery Sense Motive 10 (+10) Feats: 16PP Accurate Attack Acrobatic Bluff All-Out Attack Attack Specialization (Fist of the Shining Path) Defensive Attack Dodge Focus 4 Improved Initiative Power Attack Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Bluff, Knowledge [History], Notice) Takedown Attack 2 Taunt Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Powers: 14 + 2 + 2 + 24 = 42PP Fist of the Shining Path 5 (10 PP, Feats: Alternate Power 4) [14PP] BE: Unarmed 0 (Extra: Autofire 10) {10/10PP}AP: Unarmed 0 (Extra: Range/Ranged) {10/10PP} AP: Drain Toughness 10 (Extra: Linked [unarmed, +1], Flaw: Side-Effect [Drain Toughness 10]) {10/10PP} AP: Stun 10 (Flaw: Additional Save [Fort/Will]) {10/10PP} AP: Healing 5 (Extra: Total, Flaw: Range/Personal) {10/10PP} Speed 2 (25 MPH) [2PP] Leaping 2 (x5, move action) [2PP] Ultiman Genetics [24PP] Enhanced Constitution 12 [12PP] Enhanced Strength 12 [12PP] Drawbacks: 0 = 0PP DC Block (see below)Totals: Abilities (30) + Combat (30) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (22) + Feats (16) + Powers (42) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

MORE IRONING OUT BY SUPERCAPE Ironclad II 8 PP into her Device to buy two full ranks [10PP]. Buying an additional rank of Extended on all Super-Senses [3/10PP], +Accurate on Radio [5/10PP], 1 rank of Communication [6/10PP], and four ranks of Impervious Toughness [10/10PP]. Shifting one point of Protection into Impervious Toughness. 1 PP into Feats to by an additional rank of Dodge Bonus [1PP] Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects, Flaw: Limited [Half Effect]) [15PP] Drawbacks: -0PP None DC Block: [pre]ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Wrist Blaster Ranged DC 27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Servos Touch DC 27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Glue Capsule Ranged DC 22 Reflex (Staged) Entangled (Physical) Cluster Munitions Ranged/Area DC 27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical)[/pre] Abilities (24) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (18) + Skills (35) + Feats (11) + Powers (101) - Drawbacks (0) = 205/214 Power Points

June 13th, 2013 Rosh Pina Airport, Golan Heights, Israel Midday The sun was beating down on the airport tarmac, raising heat mirages from the pavement. Jessica Parker was intensely grateful for the shade of a hanger, and more glad that the L-100 Hercules was on schedule. She was dressed sensibly for being so near the equator, in a white skirt, white blouse, and dark brown wrap, and she was making sure to drink plenty of water, but this still a very different environment than Freedom City. Jessica's phone vibrated in her pocket and her headset beeped at her. She pressed a button and listened in on the conversation between the control tower and the approaching cargo plane with half an ear. She put the rest of her attention to scanning the skies, until she spotted a metallic glint against the clouds. A minute later, the wide-bodied aircraft bellied out of the sky and make tire-squealing contact with the runway, slowing down quite rapidly. Before long it was simply taxiing, approaching the hanger. She glanced back at the interior of the empty space, at the military truck holding IDF soldiers and a man in a UNISON jumpsuit. She took in a deep breath and blew it out, still uneasy at the military presence. Israel had insisted, though, and that was that. At least the Baron had agreed to fly down for this; otherwise Jessica would be completely on her own.

GM "I wouldn't walk away from an opportunity like this," Louis said, sitting back in his chair. "You have no idea what you can do, or what others will do to get your power." He didn't move as Sam opened the door -- only to reveal a blasted, firey wasteland beyond the room. It was still Freedom City, still the crowded city; but the skyscrapers were tumbled and broken, the streets were buckled and burning in places, and the horizon was an angry, blood-red. A cold wind blew against Sam's face for a moment, and she could smell ash and sulfur on it. And then she blinked and it was the normal, dreary corridor of Freedom City's police department again. Louis cleared his throat. "Consider it a gift," he said. "A vision of a future where you continue down your hard-headed path."

I would say that the Device is not really a Device. Can this person move around without the Heart? Can it be taken away and they can still operate in a non-powered form? Taking out someone's heart sounds like the sort of thing that would kill them, and that's not how a Device works.

How about Chicago?

GM The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, quiet enough to hear rats scrabbling in the walls, quiet enough to hear the muffled shouts from the practice yards, quiet enough for Cerys to hear her every heartbeat. There was a moment where it all balanced on a pin and she could almost imagine the council members leaping up, throwing off their robes, and attacking the young ninja with every ounce of decades of training and experience. And then the moment passed and the man spoke. "It is good that you see reason," he said. "You'll be sent back to America in a few days. There is a bunk for you in the trainees quarters until then."

GM The flagpole hit the flying crystal orb, and for a moment the Atlantean aircraft and the Caribbean paragon were evenly matched. Only for a moment, though; a moment later the crystal cracked, and spider-webbed, and shattered into so many shards it almost seemed to disintegrate into dust. El Heraldo saw the shocked expression on the pilot's face, saw him plummet through the air, and then saw him turn and straighten out and dive into the ocean with barely a ripple. The paragon's sense of duty drew him onward, over the islands as he raced for Puerto Rico. He was over Cuba when he glanced down and saw men in military fatigues fleeing through rows of tobacco plants. A quick glance confirmed that there were a line of warriors advancing on the farm, in scalloped gold and silk armor, in a style very similar to what the pilots had been wearing. The Atlantean soldiers were all wielding pikes of some kind, and they leveled them towards the fleeing Cubans. Amazingly, fire burst from the tips of them, quickly engulfing the first few rows of plants, and leaping towards the fleeing men!

Ironclad >Shadows of History >Independant Threats Starlight Blue Jay >A Walk in the Park >Forest of the Dead GM >Homecoming >Friends or Family >Next of Kin >Independant Threats

"Well you were nice enough to bring my module over from the crash site," Valut pointed out. "And... and there are plants in there I've been working on for years. A couple of decades, in one case! If I went back to Earth-Prime, I'd have to keep them in a greenhouse. I mean, I don't think anyone wants alien flowers from the Khanate muscling out native plants. "And this place is really interesting, besides. I talked to some of the natives. An entire world devastated by war, and you're trying to bring it back? Imagine getting to rebuild the biosphere of a planet one plant at a time!" The alien woman's eyes went distant as she focused on the future, already planning successive generations of plant life. "You'd need something to create a foothold in the wastelands, to regenerate the earth. It'd have to be a good habitat for insect life, too, so the pollinators and aerators follow the spread of the plants. Then the second and old-growth plants would follow..." Valut blinked suddenly and came back to herself. "Sorry. But you see what I mean! This could be the work of a lifetime!" Tona, meanwhile, was finding out that two-year-olds were not the most patient of audiences. She tried twice to recreate the complicated web of yarn, only for Amaryllis to stick her hand in the middle and ruin everything. It was impossible for her to stay mad at a cute child with a cute giggle, so instead she turned the tables around. "Okay," she said to Ammy, "hold your hands out, real stiff. Your fingers, too, just like that." The archer draped the yarn across her tiny fingers, and brought it back around to make another cross -- when Ammy clapped her hands and giggled, watching it all fall apart. Tona smiled and picked up the yarn, bundling it away. "Okay then. What do you want to do, Ammy?"

Happy birthday to the Dok Boss! Many happy returns!

Valut squirmed in her chosen seat. "Well I wasn't really with the pirates. I was just sort of... traveling in the same ship. I mean, you saw how those two treated me! I just wasn't cut out for being a pirate in space. And I told that to your Freedom League people... and someone suggested maybe I should stay here. So I though I'd ask you if I could." Tona, for her part, was watching Amaryllis out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure what to do around a small child; she had never really had a childhood herself, and didn't think Stesha would appreciate her teaching Ammy the weak points in Omegadrone armor. The archer stuck her hands in her pockets, and pulled a length of yarn out of one. An idea struck her, and she moved to kneel down in front of the child's seat, tying the string into a loop. "Have you," she asked, "ever played Cat's Cradle?"