KnightDisciple

Fire in the Bones (Cobalt Templar Viginette) [Freedom City, NJ, USA] [March 13, 2010] It was strange, but he was starting to miss feeling hungry and thirsty. Oh, it was handy not having to stop for food or drink or sleep or...much of anything, really. It kept him busy, kept his mind off of the difficulties his family was facing. Of what had happened to him. But he'd always been a big eater, and suddenly not even being able to eat burnt toast made his mind's stomach growl. “Can't think about that. Not right now.†Not only because it might make him give in to despair, but also because he was currently wrestling what looked like a Decepticon Transformer. He'd just been flying through the air when a strangely-painted F-22 whirled into a parody of the human form, composed of angles and gears and things in a chaotic mess that assembled into a rather terrible-looking creature that looked eager to kill. “I will grind you to paste, meatbag! My master will be pleased!†“Dude! Look at me! Totally not a meatbag right now!†Indeed, Cobalt Templar, strangely lacking his customary helmet and mask, as well as his rather dashing cape, showed off his bizarre mutation rather easily. He was a skeleton. Stark white bone shown through the transparent sheen of roaring blue flames, flames held in check only by the plates of his armor, conjured by his iron-shod will and channeled through his ancient ring. Finally, the rather gruesome version of the teenage hero raised a fist, a fist quickly covered in a roaring corona of raw flame, and then slammed it into the neck of the “Transformerâ€, melting through in a moment. As the wreckage fell, it crumbled to rusty flakes gathered around a broken toy. Just like the last 2 weird opponents. “This had really better not be the Littlest Cancer Patient Gone Villain.†He roared through the air, trying not to think about... About the fact that he looked like a freak. A walking, talking skeleton surrounded by roaring blue fire; fire that, without his ring, was unchecked, ever-growing. Fire that had burned Quo-Dis's hand, threatened the house his parents had bought, the house he hadn't gone near since last Wednesday. His mother, now burdened with rather potent mental powers; the reading/hearing of minds, and the ability to speak into them. All while her body was weakened. She was his lifeline of contact, which probably was the only thing keeping him sane; he dared not risk his friends right now by trying to coordinate with them, or any other hero. His father, whose body was a strange organic metal. He also suffered a total lack of needing food or water or air. He also did not have enough strength to easily move around; he'd taken to just sitting in his study watching the television. His hands were too big and clumsy for books or computers; Corbin's mother had to change the channel; they spent a lot of the day sitting there. But at least his father could still sleep. And Quo-Dis...beautiful, wonderful Quo-Dis. She had been hit hard; the mutagen had, perversely, stripped her of all her powers, leaving her a decidedly normal human. At first she'd been annoyed; later, she was scared. She couldn't do so many things she was used to, and the thought of the dangers of this mutagen unsettled her more. Frankly, they terrified Corbin. He was afraid of burning up completely, of his bones turning to ash, the fires that made up the rest of him dissipating in the wind, and only his ring left. The ring that was helping him contain these destructive energies, and at least hide away most of his shame, his “new bodyâ€. Most kids didn't run screaming from him; they just thought it was a “cool lookâ€. He was a dude walking around in glowing blue plate armor with a flaming skull for a head. He probably looked like a 90's heavy metal album cover. “Hm. Kind of obvious...†It was a warehouse guarded by what looked to be a half-dozen life-size toy characters; ridiculous revisions of popular action figures with bizarre equipment. Bizarre equipment that did look rather deadly. “This'll be fun. Totally.†Five minutes later and he was bending the warehouse doors apart; the ring didn't just help him control his powers, it granted him everything it had before. He strode in, seeing a couple of “stealthy†toys slink in the shadows....Before he stopped in front of a giant, ostentatious throne. Upon that throne sat a young man with dark, unkempt hair and deep circles under his eyes. And he was surrounded by dozens and dozens of animated action figures, all “life size†now. The half-empty boxes next to his “throne†gave an idea of where he'd gotten his troops. “I was right. Barrel of laughs, I tell you. At least you're not a 9-year-old in a wheelchair on a power trip. Well, not literally, anyways.†His existential angst forgotten for a moment, the teenager-turned-skeleton blazed forward, a large sword forming in his hands as his mouth opened in a blood-curdling yell, his eye sockets blazing like two small stars as his power came to the forefront. For the moment, he had a fight, and that was enough. Just one more fight, one more villain, one more set of moments where he could think about something else...

Cry of Justice (Gabriel Viginette) [Carson Keefe's Southside Apartment, Freedom City, NJ, USA] [March 7, 2012] Carson and Sonya were enjoying a quiet dinner that fateful Wednesday, his windows open to let in the fresh spring breeze. Finally, they finished their dessert (Apple Amber that Carson had managed to make taste pretty good), and Carson took the dishes to the sink to wash them. He was running the hot water when he frowned and flexed his left hand. It had gone numb. Then his arm followed. "Sonya! A little help!" The urgency in his voice sent her running to him. "What's wrong?" "My arm's gone numb. I don't know, it just-AGH!" Carson collapsed to the floor, and Sonya felt at his brow. It was cool to the touch, but his pulse was racing. She started to try and straighten him out on the floor when suddenly her own hands went numb. Her voice was eeriely calm as she spoke. "Carson...it's happening to me." And then agony took hold of her, and they both writhed on the floor, barely holding in thier fresh meal, but mostly wishing the pain would stop. [Two Hours Later] At some point in the ordeal, they'd passed out. But Carson woke first, the pain reduced to a dull throb...that was gone in moments. Then, suddenly, he felt incredibly invigorated. As if he had all the energy in the world! He all but leapt to his feet and jogged to his open balcony. He smiled as he smelled the air- "Sonya!" He dashed back to her still-unconscious form. He frowned; he'd been the first with symptoms, but it hadn't taken much time at all for hers to show. Why wasn't she waking? He managed to pick her up without as much effort as he though it would take (his light workouts must be doing more than he thought!) and carried her to the couch, where he tried to make her comfortable. But as he settled here, he couldn't help but see strange lights flashing across the city, and odd sounds flowing in through the windows. It sounded like something big was going on. He walked over to the television and turned it on; it wasn't hard to find news, it was on every channel. And it was chilling news indeed. "Uhg. My head...Carson, where are you at?" Sonya was speaking softly, her eyes clenched shut as if she had a headache. She started to sit up as Carson got to her. Worry creased his features as she opened her eyes and looked around. "Sonya, there's...there's some sort of disease hitting the city. And...it's in the water. The news says it's giving people powers. Now, we already have them, so we should be okay, but-" Whatever he might have said next was drowned out as Sonya gave a surprised...well, screech was the closest word for it. "WHAT?" Of course, Carson couldn't answer; he was busy flying across the room and slamming into the wall with a rather painful-sounding *crack*. He groaned as Sonya gave a horrified cry that flipped a nearby chair over, scuffing up the floor and sending coushins flying. "Sonya, don't take this the wrong way, but you need to stop talking." For a man whose back should be at least fractured, Carson seemed in remarkably good health. Yet there was a pained grimace on his face as he stood up; it seemed he had an idea of what was going on. "I think our powers got switched, my dear. But perhaps worse than that, they got turned topsy-turvy when they moved. I seem to be able to recover from injuries, and I feel like I could run for a week. But I'm not sure I could do much for anyone else. You seem to have my powers, but in a subtly different way. I think we'll both need a day or two to adjust before we can do much good..." Sonya, fearing the damage she could do otherwise, just nodded. [March 9] Carson felt he had acclimated himself to his own powers well enough to go out as Gabriel, despite the rather radical change to things. At least he still had his heavenly gear; he may not be quite as versatile right now, but he had a solid foundation to fall back on. Now he just had to figure out how to subdue people with powers that approached what he had, while he was basically a mildly-enhanced human who healed quickly. "Talk about the short end of the stick..." He saw a small group of young men and women, members of a gang that kept encroaching into Southside, advancing down the street. One was juggling orbs of fire, one was teleporting randomly all over the place, and the rest were making similar blatant displays of their powers. They advanced on a terrified shopkeep who seemed to have grown two extra arms (the better to mind his store with, the man had presumed), but was otherwise powerless. The gang's intent was clear. Gabriel sighed as he clambered down the fire escape of the building he'd perched on, before running up behind the gang. Normally he would brazenly demand the thugs surrender. But not when he was at such a disadvantage. He charged in with nary a word, and two were down before the rest knew what was happening. The two “leaders†quickly turned around, but Gabriel was like a force of nature. Until the teleporter got behind him and kicked at his right knee. He couldn't stop from falling to the ground, though he kept himself propped up on his spear as his broken knee healed. The fire-thrower grinned and raised his hand... Only to be slammed to the ground by a barely-visible wave of sonic force. It was Sonya, in a makeshift costume that left her looking like some sort of terrible wraith. Gabriel managed not to groan as he realized she'd dressed up as, of all things, a banshee. Instead, he heaved himself upright in time to avoid a strike from the teleporter, and the next few strikes as well. Then he just had to let Sonya smack the thug aside with another sound blast. She landed and walked over to him, looking concerned. When she spoke, it was the barest whisper. “I'm still working on control, but I'm doing better. I can help!†“Fine. But we're going to need more help...hang on.†He walked over to the shaken storekeeper, giving the man some quiet reassurance before asking something of him. The civilian seemed hesitant at first, but finally seemed to nod and give in. Gabriel walked back to the newest heroine in Southside, a smile on his face. “What has you so happy?†“We're getting help.†[March 12] The stress was getting to them; Gabriel and “Lady Banshee†(as she was taking to calling herself) had snapped at each other once or twice. Still, things could be worse. “I'm just glad my idea worked.†“Dear, you've helped these people for a few years now. Of course they'll listen when you ask for help, especially when they've got their own powers. They just needed someone to give them the nudge they needed.†“I just hope this doesn't get anyone hurt.†“It will work out. They'd be at risk no matter what. We're all in danger because of this stupid plague. We all know that. So they've decided that working together to keep the peace is the best way to spend their time.†[March 14, Evening] They sat in Sonya's apartment, both of them relieved to be back to normal (for them). They were resting on Sonya's couch, watching the news reports of the aftermath of the mutagen plague. “You were a big help out there.†“Did you think I'd be useless?†“No, of course not. I was mostly scared you'd get hurt; you can't deny that while you've been in combat, you're a medic. You don't get up in the faces of supervillains new and old. Training's one thing, but experience is the best teacher. I was worried, but I shouldn't have been. You made me look like an amateur more than once. And you've got a good right hook.†“Good. I didn't need any macho Irish warrior-poet malarkey from you. Bad enough how some of these Yanks can be.†“Drop the macho and I rather like the idea. Irish warrior-poet; somewhere between Saint Patrick and Cuchulain, eh?†“Typical.â€

Corbin actually grinned when he saw Kimber. He set the sphere down, then turned around and waved his arms. "Come on down!" He turned to the guards and spoke in a reassuring voice, though Leroj ought to be able to tell it was meant for him as well. "Don't worry guys, she's with me. Galvanic's one of the good guys. Gals. You get the idea. She's here to help." He turned with a grin and a shake of his head at the sheer flair Kimber had right now. While he made a show of being open and friendly with her, he "thought at" Leroj, hoping his guide could help him out. <Seriously, don't worry man. She came in with me and Sharl. Now, you got cut off earlier, you were saying something about my ring and the sphere, but I didn't catch it. Can you say it again? Please tell me you know how I can take this thing out of commission.>

My computer's currently running Trend Micro Internet Security. It's done okay, but it's about to expire. I want to see if there are better pieces of software for a similar price out there. Vital information: I run Win XP, latest updates and such. Main browser is Google Chrome with AdBlock and NoScripts. Secondary is Firefox, same addons (mostly just for Chat on the site here). So...Suggestions?

Right, so, not on much for most of the rest of the weekend. Today is a local comic convention. Then hanging out/meatspace gaming. Probably not really on at all. Tomorrow is church, then taking my brother back to college, which is a few hours round trip. Then I should be around tomorrow later afternoon/evening.

First, a Hero Point to everyone! For them sneaking up on us (and for Corbin getting auto-hit)! Initiative Time! Cobalt Templar: 9. Of course. Orange Goon 1: 20 Orange Goon 2: 18 Orange Goon 3: 29 Cobalt Templar is now officially my Green Lantern: The Cowboy Archeologist Paladin Edition. Because he rolls init like my Paladin, my first RPG character, did. Initiative Roster: 1.)Orange Goon 3 (29): Unhurt, 0 HP 2.)Midnight (23): Unhurt, 5 HP 3.)Orange Goon 1 (20): Unhurt, 0 HP 4.)Redbird (19): Unhurt, 0 HP 5.)Orange Goon 2 (18): Unhurt, 0 HP 6.)Nick Cimitiere (14): Unhurt, 4 HP 7.)Cobalt Templar (9): Unhurt, 4 HP And...hm. Orange Goon 3 first. I suppose he'll fly to a point above Corbin and blast at him again. Attack vs Defense 17: 23 Hits I'll go ahead and roll Corbin's save. Toughness vs DC 27: 23. He'll eat the bruise! Initiative Roster: 1.)Orange Goon 3 (29): Unhurt, 0 HP 2.)Midnight (23): Unhurt, 5 HP 3.)Orange Goon 1 (20): Unhurt, 0 HP 4.)Redbird (19): Unhurt, 0 HP 5.)Orange Goon 2 (18): Unhurt, 0 HP 6.)Nick Cimitiere (14): Unhurt, 4 HP 7.)Cobalt Templar (9): 1 Bruise, 4 HP Midnight is up!

GM Post Suddenly, a thick beam of orange light slammed into Corbin's back. The tower of a young man was sent tumbling across the ground, dirt flying all around him. The source was quickly evident. Three large men floated in the air, clad head to toe in glowing orange battlesuits. Each of them had a crazed look on his face, their hands glowing with power. The middle one's arm was still raised from where he'd blasted Corbin. "The Master demands his ring! And the other ring! ALL THE RINGS WILL BE HIS! HAHAHA!" To his right, one of the men leered at Redbird, barely acknowledging Trevor. "I like your bike. It's mine now!" The other one eyed Nick's car and then his coat. "Your car is terrible! But I'm taking your coat!" Then all three gave that manic laugh again.

Corbin gave Nick a thoughtful nod. "No, that makes sense. Maybe let them "talk", but run them off of separate power systems or whatever. Having one of them go down would be a red flag for the other system. And me. As for lead, I guess. It just seems a little-" Corbin paused, frowning. He looked around the forest, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Did you guys hear-"

I'm going to fiat that CT's hit upside the head with a Rank 12 Blast. But he gets to make a save. Save vs DC 27 Toughness: 30 passes. I'm going to do an IC post shortly, then the GM post where the attack happens. Then we'll roll initiative.

I'm definitely up for stuff. Don't have much input on the "where", but I'm flexible!

Hooray! Advice from one of the Masters! Anyways, I'm going to try breaking down what I understand about this and trying to price out your suggestions... Well, that and buying the "base" features like size and toughness I guess. Features: Costs *I think we'll make it Large, to make it essentially a "cave complex": 2 EP *This thing's buried pretty well, and will have reinforcement. Let's go with a +10 Toughness for the "Main Base": 1 EP *Security System. DC 20 Disable Device: 1 EP *Defense System (Paralyze 12, Attack Bonus +12 Targeted Shapeable Area, Flaw: Full-Round Action): 1EP (I think) *Concealed: 1EP *Isolated: 1EP *Living Space: 1 EP *Holding Cell (Extra Toughness): 1EP *Gym: 1EP *Power System: 1EP **Vault: 2nd HQ: ***Fine Size: -3EP ***Toughness +20: +3EP ***Security System DC 35 Disable Device: 4EP Total EP Cost (Vault's Size and Toughness Cancel out): 15 EP. Exactly 3PP. Starting Features: *Size: Huge: 3EP *Toughness +10: 1EP *Isolated: 1EP *Power (Super-Movement [Dimensional]) (Since if I'm adding monks they ought to be able to occasionally get supplies on their own; I'm not sure how much more detail needs to be added to this power to basically say "it's a portal"): 1EP (maybe? It'd be for Prime<->Sanctuary, nothing more) *Living Space 3 (since I'm thinking at least a couple dozen guys right now): 3EP *Personnel: Monks!: 1EP *Gym (Gotta stay in shape for the Lord!): 1EP *Infirmary: 1EP *Library: 1EP *Power System: 1EP *Animal Pens: 1EP *Chapel: 1EP (it's a very nice chapel!) Total: 15EP aka 3PP Specifically for this one I'm thinking some subset of the Cistercians, ans they already often do what I'm envisioning these guys doing (helping raise crops, animals, produce basic foodstuffs, provide care to the natives of the dimension, educate them, etc; that's where growth of the base comes in as more and more is added to their duties!). (Note: This one will likely take the longest to acquire in-game, and I'm really not sure how to manage it yet. I'm also not sure how he'd use it, but I do think it'd be nifty to turn into a Team HQ, though I don't mind paying for it all myself.) Features: *Size: Gargantuan: 4EP *Toughness +25 (It's in orbit! It needs to stand up to wear and tear!): 4EP *Communications: 1EP *Computer: 1EP *Gym: 1EP *Hangar: 1EP *Isolated: 1EP *Infirmary: 1EP *Power 4 ( (Comprehend [Languages; Speak/Read/Understand All]); (Super-Senses (I don't know quite what ranges to give here...); (Teleport 8 (800ft/2,000mi): Extra: Portal); (Impervious Toughness 20) ): 4EP (I think?) *Living Space: 1EP *Power System: 1EP *Security System 3 (DC 30): 3EP *Virtual Intelligence (Library, Think Tank, Personnel): 3EP (Not sure what Masterwork Library does, so not adding it in yet) Total: 26EP, 6PP (with 4 unspent EP as of yet) That's a grand total of 12PP spent, 3 free. So, room to grow some stuff. Very helpful suggestions from Dok so far. More suggestions welcome!

Seeing as I don't think I'm going to find it within myself to maintain a 3rd character for a while, as much as I've been struggling just to feed 2... I've got a Silver Reward that can equal 15PP for Equipment. As shown in this thread, a few Power Points can go a long way toward making a good Headquarters. Here's the thing; I've never been able to wrap my head around making an HQ in M&M 2e. Something has yet to "click" on it. So I'm asking for help, as much as people are willing to give me. So, here are my ideas. The above thread makes me think I can do a lot with 4-5pp if I'm not trying for anything really fancy.. 1.)Underground Base for Cobalt Templar. This one's being planned out a bit in Vault Construction 101 right now (though that's about to get interrupted!). Key Features: *Underground *Out in the forests away from the city proper *Very hard to get into if you're not invited; defenses mundane and mystical. A mix of natural defense (inside a giant mound of granite that's masquerading as an average hill), technological defense (structural reinforcements and such), and magical defenses (wards and the like). *Internal defenses (still being worked out in the thread, but probably stuff like sonic emitters, restraints, that sort of thing) *A doubly-secure vault in the middle of the whole complex *Living quarters for maybe a half-dozen people *Space to hold maybe a half-dozen people for a day or two as detainees *Maybe a bit of training space? I'm open to other suggestions, but this hits the high points. It's not intended as a full-time living space necessarily, at least not for now. Maybe one day he'll build a house next to it or something though. 2.)HQ for Gabriel. I'm communicating with Electra about this, but it may well be housed on Sanctuary. Possibly built with aid of Gaian Knight among others. Big thing, in-character, is that even if GK did all the rock-moving I'm not totally sure how to get, well, much of anything else. Visual inspiration, though perhaps not totally to scale. Notes: *Contemplation states it may be best if this is a sort of "staged" development, where he works to build it up in stages. Maybe a more modest monastery/home that ends up growing to a fortress-monastery that sits on a large hill and may have a small town attached. *I'm not actually sure what features might be good here; I guess it would need some to represent it being on another Earth entirely (he's going to have Dimensional Travel on his spear, so no worries about getting back and forth). But otherwise I don't know. *Part of me thinks staffing would be interesting, but again resources come into play as an in-character limitation. Between Sanctuary's low population and Carson Keefe's not-groundbreaking income... 3.)A 2nd HQ for Corbin. While the other one is a sort of vault/"fallback point", this one would be more of an observation/warning system/forward operating base. Which, considering right now I have no idea what he's doing after graduation...yeah. Notes: *It is not the size of New Oa; this is much much smaller. At least for a good long while. I don't foresee its initial form to be bigger than perhaps one or two Claremont buildings, not even the whole campus. Maybe if he ends up on some totally new superteam or something that's in need of a base we could shift things around. *Living quarters for sure. *Maybe it has some means of teleporting people up to it. *Security systems. *Lots of sensor-type stuff, surveillance, news feeds, translator programs, that sort of stuff. *No holding cells here. *Tough, hard to hurt, but probably no actual weapon systems for a while. *Likely not just a "hard light construct". Perhaps he has help making it, or he finds something adrift somewhere and brings it back, using his ring to "kick-start" it or something? *Not so sure about giving it an Artificial Intelligence, but maybe a Virtual Intelligence? *Again, open to suggestions on general features here. So yeah. Lots of basic ideas, nothing concrete yet. Ideally I'd only have to dip into my Silver reward. Worst case, Gabriel has more free PP than CT, so reward PP would go to CT first then Gabe if there was room. I'd have to see how the math worked out.

Gizmo, TT, you'll each get another post, I'll do an "interrupted" IC post, then the fight kicks off!

"Yeah, most muggers don't have jetpacks, thankfully. Still, maybe we'll have to race sometime, eh?" He gave the bike/AI a quick thumbs-up as he addressed Trevor. "That's a good point. Hm. Maybe install some way to restrain them? I think my ring and the red ring are the only ones that give a big boost to strength, from what I have deciphered. The others are pretty dangerous, but are more focused on constructs or less tangible methods of combat. Of course, I'd want to have a second layer of defenses around the vault itself, I think. Or at least some really thick walls. Hm." He taps his chin in thought. "Yeah, I'm going to need some professional construction help, there's no way around it. Maybe some folks at the Lab can help provide us some of the stuff like power supply and so forth? Like, in return for donations." He gives everyone there a sheepish look. "I'm not in business yet, and I can't just throw money around, but my folks know about this, and I do have a couple of investment account set up where I've put some of the proceeds from the digs I've taken part of. Not endless money, but it might help out a bit. Masada in particular gave me a nice seed amount. Then I just let mom and dad play around with it for a while." He claps his hands and turns to answer Nick. "Well. Something like that. I get the feeling the frequency might 'flip polarities' if someone nasty used one, but the 'base frequency' would probably be the same. They were made at the same time, apparently even in the same ritual. So if you could...scan, I guess?...my ring, and filter out the fire aspect, I bet that would give you a big lead-up. I get the idea they attached elements and emotions, ideas, concepts, roles, whatever, to the rings to help make them. Gave them a goal beyond 'power', you know? They managed to pack a lot on the walls of that room, so I've been studying what I can. I do like five miles. Not a huge amount of warning, but less likely to need a bunch of power input." He glanced between the two young experts. "Don't suppose we could figure out a way to merge the two systems? Or would it be better to keep them distinct, in case someone tries to use an EMP, or anti-magic bomb, or some such, against this place?"

Corbin didn't even flinch under the telepath's glare. His own glare had reduced to a few dying embers, but he was clearly not going to casually forget what happened. Instead, he turned a bit as they walked into the house, his gaze mostly forward but keeping an eye on the two girls. "She said there's "insanity" and she can't actually let herself see it, or it might "overtake" her. Then she asked who was still here, but we've already answered all of that." He was silent for a moment before giving a slight grin. "I'd have thought you'd be keeping up a bit on your Latin. You know, for wizard-y things."

Gabriel himself was currently lecturing a young man who'd been in the first stages of robbing a store. No one had been hurt, and the youth was clearly scared even before one of the more well-known heroes in Southside came along in his shining armor with his booming voice. "-really thought this through? Why did you default to this, Robert?" "I dunno! It's just...some of the guys at school talk about bein' in a gang an' stuff. Wondered if this would give me some-" "Some "cred"? Really? Ugh, look. Right now this is your first count, you're legally a minor, no one was hurt. I'll talk to the police--oh, there they are, good--and make sure they try to get you more community service than hard time. But if I catch you at this again, I'm not stepping up for you so easily. You got that? You and all your friends and "guys at school" can do way more if you're not robbing stores." "It's just...home..." "Okay, look, I'll make sure you talk to a social worker and a councilor while you're with the police, okay? But I better not hear you were giving me a sob story to make me go light on you." The wet-eyed teen nodded dully as the police started to escort him away. Gabriel himself just shook his head and flew up to a nearby rooftop...just as he spotting some speck of fire growing rapidly larger in the distance. He frowned and willed his holy spear to be in his hand as he waited on the rooftop, his coat flapping a bit in the light breeze, face expressionless as if carved from stone.

Four day weekend or no, I'll not be online the whole time. Between Mass Effect 3 ( ) and at least 2 gaming sessions this weekend, I'll stay busy. Not sure yet how often I'll be here. Probably more Monday for sure.

"Worst case I drag it to orbit and toss it into deep space. And or try to burn it away. But I'd prefer to just get it and myself outside where I can get a better signal to one of my sources; I think he had an idea of what to do, but the signal was weak. So...what's the shortest route from here to outside? Can we maybe clear it for safety's sake?" Cobalt Templar carefully walked over to the whole thing, gently reaching out to take hold of the handle. He applied the bare minimum of force necessary to try and move the sphere of nothing just a little bit. He wanted to know what it would take to get it moving.

Thanks guys. :oops:

Pretty sure we don't have a copy of Shadowrun running around, either. Saga Edition does seem like a solid contender. Any suggestions on the adventures?

So. This thread's for suggestions. Specifically, I'm trying to find a way/ways to get my current meatspace gaming group to branch out. For the last couple years, all we've played is Pathfinder (specifically one adventure path; we move kinda slow). Which, you know, is okay. But I want to branch out from fantasy into science fiction. Here's where suggestions come in. See, in talking with one of my fellow players, he stated he'd much prefer to play through some sort of module or adventure path, instead of just picking a system and having whoever DMs make something on the fly. So, what might fit the bill? Especially for stuff intended more for short-term rather than long-term play. Like 2-6 session stuff (knowing us we'd probably double that time). If there's something that's system-independent, awesome. If not...well, I don't want us to have to buy a bunch of new rulebooks. I also don't want to learn radically new systems...well, I sorta do, but I don't want to make the "entry level" too high. We've played D&D 3.5, Pathfinder, and M&M to some degree in the group; stuff that's closer rather than farther is good. So...suggestions?

First, we fought for the Citadel. Then, we fought for the lost. Now, we fight to take Earth back. Who else will be joining me in this last, epic battle for the fate of humanity, of the galaxy? More specifically: Who else plans to play multiplayer on Mass Effect 3? My important details: System: XBox 360 Gamertag: Same as my forum name Timezone: USA Central Standard/Daylight Savings Time This thread for people to coordinate ME3 multiplayer with fellow Freedom-City-ers, if they so choose.

"A parrot's just silly. Besides, we're under the sea." Gabriel had taken a seat in the conference room, clearly enjoying the chance to sit down. He gave Jack a deadpan face. "You need a talking lobster and a fake peg leg. Then you can put that singing voice of yours to work. Though you'd need a beard." Before anyone asked what he meant, there was a slight glow, and suddenly Gabriel was sitting in front of them in jeans and a red t-shirt. He gave them all level looks. "No point hiding my face by now. It'll be disguised soon enough anyways; after all, when your alternate self was a highly popular government attache to the Pope, it tends to make the news when you're a filthy traitor to the glorious utopia of Mastermind. Anyways." He glanced at Goggles and tilted his head a bit. "I'd be up for a tour in a couple minutes. Want to relax for a moment though; I had to do a lot of footwork to gather up what scraps I could about the Interceptors we'll likely be facing. But lecture time can come later; I still need to make the PowerPoint and handouts." Again, it was impossible to tell if he was bluffing, joking, or being deadly serious.

Corbin stood for several moments, still not sure if Etain was actually going to leave his friend be. When it was clear she wasn't going to attack, at least not immediately, he relaxed his stance, eventually letting his costume fade as well. His face was still etched deeply with a frown, and he made sure to keep his body between Etain and his best friend. "Yeah, sure Morgan. If something comes up I can't handle I'll holler." His tone indicted he didn't foresee that happening. At any rate, Blake seemed to have the books well in hand, so Corbin elected to simply follow his friend, keeping as much attention as possible on Etain. "Yes, an explanation for why you attacked a friend with naked steel would be most welcome."

"Oh! Redbird! Nifty. Can your motorcycle fly yet?" There was a tiny hint of teasing in his voice before he answered Nick's question. "Well, so far as I can tell, the Seven Rings were created by a group of Kabbalah practitioners in a huge ritual that took a long time to set up, and ended up killing the top guys with strain. And the ritual's exact steps weren't recorded. Anyways, it seems to tap into a self-perpetuating source of magical energy. I've been told my ring's energy fells "good" or "right", but...I've theorized that's only because I try to do the whole hero thing and have some success. Someone with less pure intentions might well twist that signature. Also, they each are tied to different...well, themes for lack of a better word. Mine's a sort of "jack of all trades", but generally geared for being good in a straight-up fight while still being able to shape the battlefield a bit. One's really good at that. The red one...all it does is make you an absolute beast in a fight." He directed his next statement more at Trevor. "So sonics are a good start, but we might want to think about restraining measures, or about being able to up the ante with the sonics so they cna straight-up take down an opponent. The problem is I can only infer and guess at what the other 5 can do. Ironclad gave me a decent idea of what powers the red one gave the person using it. And obviously I have an idea of what mine can do. But after that, it's a tough call... Still! Good ideas for sure." He walked forward a bit, crouching by where Trevor had indicated a dip in the landscape. "I'm probably going to try digging some of this out with my ring, and then maybe see if I can make some calls, or call in a favor, or something, and get some other help to get this thing turned into more than just a rocky hole in the ground. I'm sure between some discrete contracting companies and a few heroes out there, something can be done."