Supercape

Yes indeed, the protector of the cargo is none other than Devil Ray! He is swimming towards the propeller. Blod is unlikely to see or encounter him, but Tsunami may or might, depending on her position?

GM "What's this? The ship isn't moving!" cursed the captain, as the engines thummed away, hitting only air. He examined the readouts on the bridge. "This..can't be happening. All systems are registering normal. The propellers are moving...but yet we stay still. This, boy, is more than coincidence. Strange storms, water falling from the sky, and now we are stuck..." He pondered the issue for a moment, frowning deeply. "We can't afford to delay. Something, or somebody is sabotaging this ship. We are going to have to call in...the security...." "Are you sure, Sir?" gulped the seahand. "I mean, we ain't scared of the dockers, or even Knuckles thugs. Or the police. But...him? he is...well, he ain't got a clean reputation...." he said, uncomfortable. "No, he hasn't..." agreed the captain. "But then we ain't so clean ourselves. And neither is our cargo, and our employers are certainly not. And this guy, well, he came with the deal. To protect the cargo. Don't worry, I have made provisions if he gets out of hand..." He picked up the radio on the bridge and altered the frequency. "Devil Ray! Get down to the propellers! See what's stopping up from moving!" he said with a firm voice. Out at sea, a disturbance in the churning waves, a disturbance in the storms and rains, indicated movement...

"One man's uprising is another man's liberation" explained Rene. The deception of the faerie might best be matched with deceptive honesty! "It all depends which set of eyes one is viewing it from. From the ivory tower?" he asked, his finger elevated to circle the heavens "or the crushed servant?" he asked his finger circling the floor. He finished by giving an encompassing shrug. "The laws may apply one day, and not the other. Justice, however, is eternal!" he said, pouring forth some passion into the words. "So tell me dear Lady Tasselfoot, where are your eyes on the matter? and most lovely eyes they are too!"

Tsunami - Fatigued - 2 HP Blod - 2 HP Crimson Tiger - 4 HP Post away

"Not my shield, sword, or musket" muttered Rene, looking down at Marianne with concern. He stopped well before earshot of the guards. "Well now" he said to his partners. "It seems we have a little difficulty ahead of us. Be alert, be alert. I would solve this with words rather than force. Although it remains to be seen if those men are of similar inclination!" He heralded the guardsmen as he walked on further. "Ho there! Ho there! What tale is to be told here?" he inquired. "Armed guards on the streets of France? what tale, what tale? has the time of revolution not passed here? do not tell me there is more blood to be spilled on the cobbled roads and fields of this fair village?"

"Sure, sure, like I let any old fool go backstage with the girls" whispered Croak in his usual voice. "I don't care if you have a wedding ring and a dozen red roses, pal. I don't care if you got a letter from Ms. Molly signed sealed and delivered. You ain't getting backstage without a word from Handsome Jack, the owner. And Handsome Jack, he ain't a particularly sociable person, you see?" Handsome Jack was indeed the owner of the Wild Joker, and he was indeed a virtual recluse up on the top level of the club, barely venturing out, and always in a heavy mac and a few heavies. Nobody had ever seen him, except for a few old timers and a few old photographs. Handsome he had been - an old time silver screen actor whose looks had shone but inevitably faded. Some said he had seen some plastic surgeons and the result hadn't been to pretty. Whatever, now he had used his fortune to fund the Wild Joker and listen to blues all day long. Nobody knew what his connection with the mob was, if any. Some said he was in their pocket, some said they were in his, maybe both was true. Behind Roi, the hatchet loomed - tall and thin like a snake, flanked by some bricks in the shape of more conventional muscle. "You got a problem, Croak?" hissed the Hatchet, somehow imbuing his voice with poison. It was a mellow voice, of average pitch and timbre, but forced through teeth that imbued the sound with sulfur and menace.

Hey, I dont have that!

That is an interesting question! I suppose you could move water away, replacing it with...? sounds hard work but feasible. I think that is best considered an opposed roll. The ship probably has something like swimming 4 (25mph) so lets do an opposed roll: 1d20+4=23 yoikes! Feel free to oppose that. However in the spirit of can do, also feel free to exert extra effort to automatically pass (Vworp Vworp handwavium alert!)

Sounds interesting. Is there cannon on RD II any of the source books (or more importantly, any that I have... )

"It's a little collection I sponsored" explained Lord Steam over a cucumber sandwich and a cup of Earl Grey. "Remarkable really, over a hundred years old, and plenty of genius on display - even for this dimension! of course, you never real quite got the hang of steam power and the infinite possibilities of copper and brass alloys in this dimension. But even so, some promising work before you got all excited and distracted about this electricity and nuclear nonsense!" he said, flippantly, as he adjusted the gaslight by the dining room. "The diamond then. Madame Vapeur's target. And yet, by Vishnu, I have no clue why. Why in damnation? I don't think its for the money, or indeed for the show, although neither are beyond the realms of possibility. I suspect her motivation is more complex. And I worry it is more ominous!" He chomped down on the last of his sandwich with vexation. "So, if you have any insight to share, I would be all ears. If not, I think we need to visit this diamond..."

1d20+7=21 Gather Info

NPC "Well ain't she a little princess!" said a rather surprised Harry, holding onto his chin in wonder. "She kicks some serious ass!" agreed the Mess, folding his arms with a look of admiration on his face. "Lance, you have been a gem, showing us this. Not that we did see it of course. And if we did, we didn't see it here..." "What do you mean, Harry, we just..." interrupted the Mess before he caught sight of Harry's cocked eyebrow and cottoned on. "I gotcha!" he said, giving the thumbs up. Harry straightened up, pondering what he had just saw. "So, we can confirm she is a metahuman, and has got an alias, Tsunami. Persumably she is some kind of water controller. Maybe has a partner, too, although kids are fickle things. Police presumably have a file on her, but that's gonna be like the devils teeth to get - and will probably be redacted to hell. Even if we do get it, no telling how much use it will be. Certainly wont have her name and address on it..." He clicked his fingers in vexation. "But maybe we should take a look at this aquarium? you never know if they may have a lead..."

"Knives...Taraxus...whoever he is, is in a lot of trouble. And I don't mean anything like an arrest warrant or a visit to the headmaster. The kind of trouble he isn't going to be able to handle..." Azel, whoever she is, had backed this fellow into a corner. Seemed he wanted some kind of superpower for himself. Well, he got more than he bargained for, that's for sure... Supercape turned to Trigger and Smokey, doing his best to reason with them. "What do you know of this...Knives fellow? please now, speak honestly, his life may be in danger. As may the lives of all of us. And where is this Azel based? quickly, let me know, I can see what I can do to unravel this. Whether or not you wish to accompany me, I will do my best!"

Mess is boosting then running off after the bike. Boosted, he is going at 500mph for 1 minute!

"Rwuffthat looks a bit suspicious..." barked the Hound in passible English. "Sure does..." said the hound, cracking his knuckles and mentally pounding his super powered blood into action. The swelling was not exactly painful, more like a heat that bellowed around his body, with an uncomfortable sensation of ballooning. It was not a sensation one would seek out or choose, but neither was it one would go out of ones way to choose... But the end result made him look like a sack of soccer balls, with swollen, pumping veins and a neck as thick as most men's chest. "And I aim to find out just why!" he said with a smile and a grimace rolled into one. With a powerful explosion of his feet, he bounded forth, travelling at rocket speeds propelled by rocket legs.

No, that sounds absolutely fine to me. (Although an argument could be made for getting acute on that? Hearing without acute would be "There is noise", with it "Someone is speaking", that detect water sense is "There is water there" with acute "it is churning"? - however, I think for the sake of cool, it sounds good and there is plenty of time - and by default she would no where water isn't - so thats pretty helpful!)

As you say, its the latter. On a more constructive note, has anybody any thoughts on how to fit this guy into Freedom City? I had the vague notion of "Russia is dead, Communism is dead..." kind of schema in his head, but I would like to firm this up. And on that note, how to firm up his other aspects (80s sexed up cheese? spying? relationship to personal wealth and comfort?) this character is only half formed as yet.

go ahead

GM Once again Rene stewed over what to tell the priest, sucking his cheeks and smacking his lips over the question. There was something about the Father, an air, that made him - if not fully trust him - then incline him to be truthful nonetheless. Perhaps he felt that the man deserved the Truth. Ack! Suspicion is like poison to the soul! Away with it! "My sister, as you call her, is no such thing. I apologise for the deception, my friend. She is, however, a dear child that I hold close. She had a sensitivity to the spirits I mentioned. An Insight that surpasses even my own. I have no desire to place her in harms way. The time of troubles saw enough babes in the arms of war - and I dread for her safety. And yet, she has a determination to help, and I confess her help would be of much aide. She is my compass in this matter. But not my sword, musket or shield..."

Ok wrapped and locked hope that was ok. I have a few planes for Malaise, and Vile (who is trapped in the past?). Ill stew them over a bit. Any thoughts for the future? and what happened to the chains of Lemuria?

GM The two avatars of justice were soon away from the swamp, and back to the jungle of urbanity that was freedom city. Mere moments after they left, a few hundred yards away, on a muddy, barely usable track, a heavy duty jeep pulled up. A man stepped out, a tall, thin and elderly man, in his sixties, with white hair and a sun hat. He wore tinted lenses and had weather beaten skin. "I was..sure they would be around here...this time. Still, it ain't a precise science, history. No sir, it ain't precise at all..." He paused, listening to the sounds of the swamp. "Maybe I just missed them. Maybe...." He turned and opened the door to the car. "...time to go. Always time..." he said to the figure inside, before stepping inside and driving off. As they did so, a lizard crawled over a bent dead wood, and surveyed the car driving off. Perhaps it was just any old swamp lizard. But it seemed to look at the car with great interest. It looked like a normal lizard. Lizard legs, lizard tail, lizard skin. And a pair of familiar, and very human, brown-green eyes... ~ Fin? ~

NPC Harry nearly dropped his hot dog in surprise. "Get off your backside, Freddy. Remember that missing girl case? Well, guess who struck lucky? our old friend Lance! Says he saw her in Freedom City. Well, I kinda guessed she was here, seeing as bullets had been flying. But it's good to know we weren't shot at for nothing!" he smiled, pulling on his mac and thrusting some cigarettes into his pocket. Freddy leapt of the sofa, cracked his knuckles, and put on a jacket, bounding into the Caddy with his normal effervescent energy. Harry was not far behind, opening the door before turning round and snatching the hot dog from his desk. He stuffed himself into the car and ignited her. "Off to get some answers!" he yelled with a smile on his face. This case had been bugging him and a crack was just what he needed. "Oh man!" he cursed as the hot dogs mustard flew in a Pollock-esque line over his tie, shirt, and mac.

All duly noted, KD! I understand your concerns, but I should probably emphasise he isn't impolite. Constantly hurling abuse around isn't anyones cup of tea.

Thanks for thoughts KD, my musings are: How does he get along with Comrade Frost? He probably, but not necessarily, knows of Comrade Frost, but there is probably only a window of a few years where they worked together and from Frosts biopic he was in Afghanistan at the time. Zero was frozen in early 80s and only worked for the USSR in an official capacity for a few years. How does he get along with him now is an interesting, but perhaps redundant question. I think in his mind Russia is dead. -How does he relate to the several heroes in the city who aren't just heroes, but also capitalists? Badly, of course. But not violently. They are captalistic scumbag leeches - but legal ones. Would he work with them? of course. Would he lecture them? of course. Agent XXX and Bond worked together in the Spy who loved me, after all! -Does he actively campaign for his politics to be put in power, or merely speechify at every opportunity? That is an interesting question, and one that merits thought. I don't see him as a scheming mastermind. The cold war is over. But on the other hand, he would probably support all socialist and communist political movements actively - perhaps on a micro level as well as a macro one - like supporting unions and some charities. -What motivates him to be a hero in Freedom City, rather than in Russia? Again, this is an interesting question. First off, I view him as rather disgusted with Russia. Second, Freedom City is where it is at, science wise. But this is a problem. I would appreciate any thoughts on making this a stronger narrative. -What motivates him to be a superhero, rather than trying to be a sort of "secret agent" again? I think he, in his head, was always a superhero rather than a spy. He just worked with spies. And, as the cold war is over, the need to be a secret agent is done. For all communisms countless flaws, in reality they fought against Hitler, and in his head he fights against tyranny and oppression. He is a "man of the people" which is pretty Superheroic!

Player Name: Supercape (Platinum Reward) Character Name: Doctor Zero Power Level: 10/12 (180/180PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30 In Brief: Communist Hero frozen in the 80s, now thawed! Alternate Identity: Doctor Lev Losev Identity: Secret Birthplace: Moscow, Russia Occupation: Physician Affiliations: None Family: None (Alive) Description: Age: 60 (DoB: 03/03/1953) Apparent Age: 30 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 6’1†Weight: 100Kgs Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown Doctor Zero is a handsome, square jawed tall man with a magnificent physique. He is muscular and broad chested, with a triangular shape. His hair is short and wavy, and his eyes a glistening blue. He looks a picture of health. Power Descriptions: Doctor Zero’s powers are fundamentally invisible – being augmented strength, agility, intelligence, and heightened senses. He uses three devices: a sleek looking pistol with a faint blue glow on either side (his freeze gun), that fires various ice and cold based powers, his costume – which includes noisy boot jets, and a mask which includes enhanced vision and can glow red when used. History: Doctor Losev was a skilled and intelligent physician and psychologist, destined for great things in the USSR. Born and brought up in the height of the cold war, he quickly lapped up soviet doctrine and propaganda, and became a valuable asset to the state. The combination of talent, dedication, and loyalty soon had him transferred, with full honours, to a top secret research station in Siberia with the honorary title of captain in the Russian army. Here, he worked on the Soviet super-soldier programme, alongside their special forces and special weapon programmes. Ultimately, he developed his formula, and, in the spirit of all fanatical scientists, used it on himself. The serum dramatically improved his physical and intellectual abilities. Serum Zero, as it was called, started to be rolled out into the soviet agencies, but by this time, the research had come to the attention of Mastermind, who wished to appropriate such dangerous technologies for himself. The supervillain supercriminal soon saw to it that the Siberian research station was destroyed from within, by sabotage, and mopped up with mercenaries disguised as Americans. What was Doctor Losev to do when the prize of the USSR was attacked by America? In a flash, he rescued the armoured suit and Freezonium pistol of the special weapons division, and went to serve his country as Doctor Zero! Alas, strong as he was, he was no match for the Mastermind and his cunning plans. He fought bravely, but the facility was lost. Seeking revenge, he flew after the strange craft (that he believed was American), over the Arctic. It was here that he ran out of fuel, and collapsed, thundering into the freezing wastes. This would have killed any man, but not Doctor Zero. The special formula he had been subjected to put him into a state of suspended animation. Here, he would sleep for thirty years until found by a Norwegian Survey Team… Personality & Motivation: It may be well into the 21st Century, with communism collapsed, but not in Doctor Zero’s mind! He is not strictly speaking a nationalist (although he is fond of Russia), but he is a political fanatic. For all his mighty intellect, Doctor Zero is not particularly sensible. Whilst his politics and ideals collide with the modern world, his ethics do not. He is all about protecting the common man, stamping down on criminals (in this respect he is quite right wing by today’s standards), and eliminating corruption. For all his idealism – and this is important - he is a hero. He would lay down his life to protect an innocent. Powers & Tactics: Doctor Zero prefers to fight tactically if at all possible, carefully planning an attack to use surprise, deception, and superior positioning. He has considerable military training and a superhuman intellect that he would always like to use – for the pleasure of narcissism as much as the tactical edge. Having said that, he can never resist a monologue on politics or ethics to a foe if at all possible. When fighting, he will usually use his freeze gun to incapacitate his enemy first. He prefers not to injure if possible (as a doctor, even a military one, he prefers to use minimal damage). If disarmed he is still an able hand to hand fighter. Complications: Brainwashed: His time working for ultra-secret Soviet projects meant he had to undergo extensive psychological “programmingâ€. It is feasible that some subconscious directives, triggers, or knowledge lurks under the veneer of rationalism if somebody found out how to manipulate him… Member of the Communist Party: Doctor Zero is a fanatic communist who loves to lecture on the evils of corrupt capitalism. Issues such as freedom of speech and democracy are not on the agenda for him (as in he neither opposes them nor advocates them). Even his alter Ego is a member of the communist party of America. As such he experiences fear and suspicion, and often comes into open conflict with “the systemâ€. Monologue: In conjunction with his beliefs, he is a lover of oration and speech, pausing at vital moments to lecture his opponent and thus allowing them to time to recover and counter attack or escape. Hippocratic Oath: As a physician, Doctor Zero will always do his best to heal and help the injured, even his enemies. Out of Gas: His suits jet-boots have only limited fuel, about five minutes worth of full flight. Its enough for short jaunts, but he can’t fly long distances on them. Dried out: Freezonium, the mysterious chemical that powers his ice gun, is able to induce extreme cold. However, to produce ice (the snare, obscure, and blast effects) requires at least some moderate amount of humidity in the atmosphere. In very dry environments, or air-sealed environments, this can run out very quickly, meaning he would be unable to create ice. Even in humid environments, ultimately the gun will run out of Freezonium ammunition. Abilities: 16 + 16 + 12 + 16 + 2 + 6 = 68PP Strength: 26 (+8) Dexterity: 26 (+8) Constitution: 22 (+6) Intelligence: 26 (+6) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 20 + 20 = 40PP Initiative: +8 Attack: +10 Grapple: +18 Defense: +10 (+10 Base), +5 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 2 + 0 + 5 = 7PP Toughness: +10 (+6 Con, +4 Costume) Fortitude: +8 (+6 Con, +2) Reflex: +8 (+8 Dex) Will: +6 (+1 Wis, +5) Skills: 68R = 17PP Intimidate 8 (+11) Knowledge (Behaviour Sciences) 8 (+16) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 14 (+22) Knowledge (Tactics) 4 (+12) Language 4 (English, French, German, Mandarin, Russian [Native]) Medicine 8 (+9) Notice 8 (+9) Perform (Oratory) 2 (+5) Survival 4 (+5) Feats: 6PP Attractive Benefit (Use Tactics Skill for Master Plan) Fearless Jack of All Trades Master Plan Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Powers: 0 + 0 + 0 = 0PP Device 7 (Ice Gun, 35PP Container; Flaws: Easy to Lose ) [21PP] Freezonium Array (32 PP Array Feats: Alternate Power 3 ) [35PP] Ice X: Snare 10 ( Extras: Contagious Feats: Tether, Ricochet; Drawbacks: Destroyed with any heat/fire damage (-1)) {31PP} Ice Bolt: Blast 10 ( Extras: Autofire; Feats: Richochet) {31PP } Zero Ray: Paralyse 10 (Extras: Ranged [ b]) {30PP } Blizzard Bomb : Obscure 10 (Snow Extras: Independent (+0) Feats: Slow Fade 1 [1 minute]) linked with Environmental Control 10 (Extreme cold Extras: Independent (+0) Feats: Slow Fade 1 [1 minute] ) {16+16=32PP} Device 3 (Suit; 15PP Container Flaws: Hard-To-Lose, ) [12PP] Flight 5 (250mph ) [10PP] Immunity 1 (Ice X) [1PP] Protection 4 [4PP] Device 1 (Mask; 5PP Container Flaws: Easy to lose ) [3PP] Super-Senses 5 (Direction Sense, Infravision, Microscopic Vision 2 [Cell Sized], Ultravision )] [5PP] Immunity 1 (Environmental Cold) [1PP] Immunity 2 (Aging, Poison Flaws:Limited to half effect ) [1PP] Quickness 2 (x5 Speed Flaws:Limited to mental ) [1PP] Super Senses 3 (Extended normal hearing [x10], Extended all vision [x10] () [3PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP Totals: Abilities (68) + Combat (40) + Saving Throws (7) + Skills (68) + Feats (6) + Powers (42) - Drawbacks (0) = 180/180 Power Points