KnightDisciple

The one that hit the dumpster was out like a light, easy enough. The rest, well, this was clearly a group meant to warn more by dint of numbers (meaning some could get away). Several of them tried to mob Nighthawk, overwhelm her with numbers. A couple pulled back from the cluster, pulling out weapons (a couple of knives, and one handgun). And a couple of them? They just ran. Criminals were superstitious and cowardly, and in this world, heroes were nothing to sneeze at. They were barely getting paid, time to book it. One of them made it about five steps before suddenly zipping up into the wet gloom above, the shoddy lighting in the area only revealing a whirling shadow, before his bound and unconscious form swung down to hang by a high-tension cable from the fire escape. One of the knife-wielders who was hanging back saw this and bolted in the opposite direction. A blunt throwing "knife" shaped like a feather whistled through the air and struck the back of his knee, driving him to the ground in pain, dropping the knife as he went. He'd recover, but not soon enough to matter in this fight. The other "runner" had made it almost to the end of the alleyway, when a shadow with wings like a great and terrible bird swooped down upon him. His screams cut short into a gasping choke as the dark figure resolved into Nevermore giving the thug a sleeper hold.

No need to roll for this, we can just play it by ear. Feel free to introduce and take down thugs whenever you want, however you want!

Nevermore nodded at the "pick off strays" comment, and at Woodsman's comment about one at a time. "I like it. Very strong. For us." The door opened, and they were in the dark and the rain. There was a fire escape on either side of the alley they found themselves in, and very little light. Woodsman should have an easy time climbing to a rooftop, and Nighthawk would have plenty of places to hide and then strike. And of course, plenty of terrain all over for Nevermore to move between. The serious young vigilante tilted his head a bit, white lenses clicking into place, before a green glow suffused them. He looked around for a minute, before pointing an arm at a fire escape platform about halfway up the building down the alleyway. With a hiss of compressed air and a quiet whir of electric motors, Nevermore was flitting through the air, Within moments, he was crouched on said platform, barely visible to the two people who'd come into the Doom Room with him, and likely functionally invisible to anyone else. "Clear to the end of the alley. I'll wait until Woodsman's at the corner before moving up." His voice all but ghosted into their ears, likely impossible for people not sharing headsets (or bearing supernatural hearing) to pick up.

I might be up for something as well, JD, just let me know if any of my characters fit the bill, or if you've got the metaphorical space!

Nevermore nodded lightly at both of them. "Gangs seem like a good..."baseline". Their numbers will be a bit of a challenge to us, but them being non-powered, and not unusually equipped or trained, means that any one member shouldn't overwhelm any one of us. The "boss" being more potent should give us a nice finish to our workout. And the dark and rain should play to our strengths." He pressed a few keys, and all three teens could hear the Room powering up, and the computers in the control room ramping up. A door to one side lit up slightly, and Nevermore pointed to it, and began walking slowly, talking as he did. From his belt he pulled a couple of small headsets that he casually tossed over his shoulder, one after the other, at the other two teens. "This door will lead out into the Room. Will put us...hm. Should put us in an alleyway. Randomized to somewhere in the area. I'm thinking Woodsman goes up to the rooftops and gives us overwatch and range, Nighthawk stays at street level most of the time, and I can move between the two as needed. Headsets are linked, so we don't need to shout. My thought is we try to find their perimeter, and try to take a chunk out of it. That way, we lessen who they could try to flank us with, and in a worst-case scenario we have a potential evacuation route. I'm open to other ideas, though." He paused, hand on the handle to the door that would presumably lead them to the Doom Room. He turned, his white lenses still retracted, his grey eyes deadly serious. "Hitting them hard enough to send them airborne is unnecessary force. Just because we aren't police doesn't mean there aren't lines we can't cross." He...probably didn't pick up that that was a joke. He seems serious, but not quite angry about it.

Cobalt Templar calmly and politely reached out and took the offered paperwork, scanning it over even as Violet continued to speak. He nodded at a couple of salient points, though his slight frown showed this was definitely unexpected news to him. When she mentioned the Nightstone, though, his gaze snapped up to meet her eyes, and for just a moment, blue fire flashed in them. "I must admit ignorance of that degree of regulation. I'd picked this part of the forests because ownership was unclear, and it's well away from typical hiking grounds, camping areas, and the like. This...facility...is meant to be secure, and fairly secret. How you managed to get here is actually interesting itself, but we can put that aside for now. Insert joke about the long arm of the IRS here. Ahem." He smiles a bit to try and put her at ease, though how well it works might be up for debate. "I'm not sure how we'll quantify "non-monetary exchanges". I did help save the entirety of the Multiverse from falling into the fires of the Terminus once, but that was a while back, you probably can't accept a payment from a point prior to me establishing this location. Will I need to be an actual contractor for the government, or will my general heroic efforts suffice?" Wait, saved the entire- "Now, as for the Nightstone. I'm mighty curious how you heard about that. I've definitely tried to keep that particular fact quiet. I'm in the habit of guarding dangerous objects carefully, and not just handing them out." Hm. He seems just a touch more serious now. Arms still crossed and all that.

Thoughtspeed Try To Disappear Nevermore Feathers in Their Caps Cobalt Templar In Form

FWIW I figure we'll just narrative our way through most of this unless y'all want to roll for everything. I'm lazy and am more concerned with interaction and tactics than outright mechanical combat. Besides, at most there's a single powered boss-fight at the end, the rest are mooks anyways.

"I'll try to make more noise when we work together in the future. Didn't mean to upset you. Just a reflex." He pauses, then smiles very lightly, though there's no malice in it. "Can be just a bit fun to surprise people. Sorry, though. Moving on." He got more serious as he spoke, his own hands touching the haptic interface with quick, precise movements. "Boss says it's only a matter of time before a portal accident, or "accident", happens. But hasn't yet. Did get kidnapped to a jungle once, got dressed as a terrible version of a "tribal warrior". It was...weird." Um. Well then. The screen highlights rainy LA (it looks to be just short of a major thunderstorm in intensity), and zooms in on a section that's pretty run-down, with lots of nooks and crannies and shadows, and not a lot of streetlights. "LA is big. Plenty of heroes but lots of crime. Not going to send us up against a League-level opponent, though. I'm thinking a gang scenario. Gun-runners, those are popular. We'll need to neutralize scouts and guards, isolate the base, take out inner perimeter, then bust in and take out the "inner circle" before they can bust out too many of their product. Going to set the "boss" to random within certain parameters; a lot of these sorts of rigs are either run by a big bruiser-type trying for easy money, or a brainy-type looking to make money off their designs." He looked to the others, the white lenses on his eyes sliding back to reveal thoughtful, but guarded, grey eyes, trying to appear a bit more friendly. "Any last thoughts, requests, or the like before we head in?"

"Stealth and observation key skills for this line of work." Is....is he serious? Maybe. Though the other two teenage heroes likely noticed him shifting his stance slightly when Nighthawk raised the can up in the "ready" position. "Also wondered if you'd notice me, been waiting her for 10 minutes before you two showed up and started, uh. The thing." He means "kissing". His stance relaxes a bit as Woodsman keeps a bit calmer. "Mister Archer not the one who suggested and organized this. Headmistress was. Says it would be..."good practice"...for me. Something about small group tactics with heroes who utilize similar skill-set, in case infiltration mission or the like is needed. Or because we cross paths and hunt muggers the same night. Happens sometimes. Fun." Here he smirks. "For us." Pretty clear it's not for the muggers, though. He shakes his head a bit and walks forward. His hands move smoothly over the keyboard, and in a moment, 3 screens light up, each with 3 city-scapes. One is Freedom City, one is Los Angeles, and one is London, England. All 3 are set at night, and in inclement conditions; Freedom City on a near-blizzard winter night, Los Angeles on a stormy, rainy night, and London with fog so thick you can practically walk on it. Nevermore then turns to the other two. "Each of us follows same general set of tactics, focusing on stealth and skill, without any real superhuman powers. Nighthawk, you operate almost entirely at hand-to-hand range, while Woodsman, you operate farther out with your crossbow. Prefer to use my fists, but I have a bit of short-ranged capability. Won't be winning any archery contests, though." He nods at each of them in turn as he describes their skill sets (in very broad terms), clearly showing respect and acknowledgement. "Practice never hurts. Headmistress thought having me join you would "shake things up" for you. And would give me practice as a..."team player". Won't force you to do this, but...I think it could be useful. Interesting, even." He suddenly seems less sure of himself, even though he's a year ahead of them in classes, and two years ahead of them in age, and probably the best-equipped of them by a long shot. And if rumor had it right, he worked for Raven.

Corner Alek is watching you kiss!

"Mind games best reserved for criminals." And suddenly a teen in a dark, caped outfit that looked clearly armored was standing a bit behind them, calmly watching them kiss. Head tilted to the side, in a manner that both reminded one of a curious bird, and spoke of someone observing something he perhaps didn't fully understand. "Would like to think I'm not a "chump", but pride might bias opinion. Then again, this isn't a two-on-one scenario." A gauntleted hand briefly reached out from beneath the form-covering cape, gesturing vaguely at the holographic interface and the list of Doom Room scenarios within. Long seconds of silence stretched out after that. Perhaps he was waiting on a reply?

Since I made the comment about "Batmanning" Nevermore's intro (which he would totally do, whether his mentor advised it or not), I'll roll his Stealth check. I'll be nice and say he's not using that Concealment Gadget of his...And I'll just roll it rather than trying to argue for a Take 20. Stealth Check: 30. Visibility is for rookies.

Just in case, adding an OOC for this thread. wherein Nighthawk, Woodsman, and Nevermore get up to some sort of Cowl shenanigans or another. If there's a demand we may add others in after things get going, but I'm sure we can go fun places just with these three!

Doom Room, Claremont Academy May 5, 2016 School was almost out, even at the rather unusual educational facility known as Claremont Academy. Then again, even heroes-in-training needed a break. Assuming they were the sorts who believed in "taking breaks". Some, like the three in attendance here, didn't quite get that idea, at least not all the time. Woodsman and Nighthawk, who often practiced various scenarios in the Doom Room alone, as a pair, or with their friends anyways, were in here on the request of Headmistress Summers. She somehow managed to mix "as stern as a mountain" and "concerned about your education" into one frightening package. In this case, she had "strongly suggested" they undergo a training exercise with a student-hero who they may or may not have heard of, let alone seen or met, but who would give them good practice working with other more...subtle...hero types. They were currently in the control room of the Doom Room, apparently by themselves. The control screen showed a few potential scenarios, with the settings listing 3 combatants. And the difficulty was set...pretty high. Not horrifically so. Certainly not at the locked-down "Wander" level. But not "newbie" level, either.

Will spent a few moments just being staggered by the sheer volume of information in front of him. Then he pulled his phone out and started taking pictures. As many high-resolution shots as possible. He could make sense of maybe 2/3 of it. Maybe the cops would- Will went still as a rock for several long seconds, before flurrying through taking pictures of whatever he hadn't already caught on "film", before beginning the process of wriggling out from the hidden room. -Found his room with all his info and theories and stuff.This Horatio loser is definitely in on what's going down. Even has New Freedom connections, on top of selling all sorts of crazy junk. No way Elias is tracking this one dude as much as he was, and boy do I have the pictures to prove he was, and not get nabbed by him.- His voice grows almost desperate as he continues to mind-speak even as he extricates himself and begins to race home. -Mom, Dad, we have to find him. Can't we rustle up one of those scary cowl-types to help or something? I'm gonna show the pictures to the detectives, or Dad can to protect my identity, I don't care, but my friend is in trouble and needs my help!- Sometimes the patience apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

There was silence for several long moments; not so much as to be completely awkward, but enough to make her wonder if maybe, just maybe, he wasn't even here. After all, this should-be-secret vault wasn't exactly a major information hub... And then the sounds of gears and massive steel tumblers moving and grinding sounded, the vague electrical hum in the background changed a bit, and then, slowly, the grass-and-moss-covered rocky outer door began to split down the middle and swing open. If Ms. Sefir-Hull was an aficianado of classical fantasy literature she might get the impression of a 21st-century Hobbit hole, really. And then, standing in front of her, likely towering over even her tall frame, and certainly out-massing it in all his armor-plated blue glory, was Cobalt Templar. "What exactly can I do for the Internal Revenue Service? I'm reasonably certain I don't owe back-taxes."

Whew boy lots of options here! I will sort my thoughts by character, rather than idea. Cobalt Templar (PL 13/14) What Should Not Be Unearthed: Corbin's an archeologist, and his ring's nature makes him a good potential "counter". I do understand if he's a bit too high of a PL though. Rex Quodanum, Rexque Futurus: Basically the same idea as with Unearthed. Age of Unitron: He's right in the sweet spot for this one's projected range, and beatin' up the robots is always fun. A Hill of Beans: He's a Dethroner. 'Nuff said. Thoughtspeed (PL 10/12) Highway Robbery: because Speed! Race to the Top: SPEEDSTERS! From Beneath You it Devours: Glamazon is an acquaintance, perhaps even a friend, it seems like a natural "link". Thank God, It's Thursday: Someone has to fight the sinister forces of Disco, it might as well be Thoughtspeed. Elvis Isn't Dead: Because Elvis. Nevermore (PL 10/12) [Once his edits are done] Purple Haze: He's a cowl, and this is a plot about drug-busting and investigation. Extinction Agenda: Not!Batman needs to get a robotic dinosaur into his Not!Batcave somehow. Blank Space: Not huge link, but it is detective work, and he's a detective-y type. The Klaw of Benediction: This one really seems up his alley, lots of investigation and stuff. Cinco, Poor Cinco: Again, detective work, plus a chance for two guys who are or will take up Cowl legacies to work together. Dreadful Dares: Again, detective work. Scary things! Mobs! I'd like more threads for Gabe but none of these feel like a strong fit, and he's definitely at the top end of things, power-wise.

Thoughtspeed will go to Elias's apartment, and do a "surrounding area" search with his roll.

Argh. Math is hard. I just corrected spending to 183, because you're right, it was 5 each before. Trying to keep his saves even! Also corrected the Knockback and Grapple.

Will seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I'll see if I can find anything else he may have mentioned or said or whatnot. If I find anything I'll let you gentlemen know. I shouldn't take too long." It was thin pretext, he knew, but that was how such things worked. He moved up the stairs rapidly but at a human pace. Once out of sight he moved into super-speed, a blur that raced into his room, moved around a bit, then raced outside, all blacks and greens as Thoughtspeed took to the city. His raw, youthful enthusiasm showed through; while he was definitively faster than his father (something that had happened just recently and that he certainly wasn't staying quiet about just yet), his father had far more experience actually noticing things at high speed. Thus, Thoughtspeed restricted himself to areas of the city he knew Errant would have frequented (but this did include his friend's apartment, if he could manage it), and even then it wasn't the most thorough of searches. Still, he had a sharp eye and a good head on his shoulders, he ought to pick something up.

Going ahead and actually rolling with Thoughtspeed, since he doesn't have the same quickness FF does. But he IS faster in raw speed! Search: 21.

Right, so! Trying to talk out some plans here for my benefit as much as anything. Writing it out in the thread because there's a lot! I'm going to organize this by character because that's probably easiest for my own thought patterns. Thoughtspeed -Least directly involved. "Fighting crime so others don't have to" sounds up his alley. Maybe he could help with the traffic jam thing? Nevermore -Duncan Summers, Raven I, is performing the wedding. Callie Summers, the Raven II, is Nevermore's boss. There's gotta be something we can do here. Maybe I could work with a Ref to have Raven II in the post(s), perhaps she's heartsick about Magpie or something? Generally speaking he strikes me as a "keep crime away from the wedding" person, but he has worked some with Midnight/Trevor, and I already outlined his connection to the guy running the wedding. Gabriel -I was thinking about maybe he could be a musician in the reception? And he foils a bad guy using his powers, without missing a beat of music being played. But boy is that a task! -Before that he could possibly be doing preventative hero work? Cobalt Templar -He's obviously attending the whole time. -I was thinking about him having carved some stone pillars for decorations or flower pots or something? And maybe the small "stage" area the bride, groom, and minister will be standing on? -Shenanigans or shenanigan prevention throughout.

Thoughtspeed Try to Disappear (3 IC Posts)

Well, in the other thread on this subject, we've pointed out we have a great number of pre-existing sample builds that are at PL 10. While it's a lot of information to sort through, there ought to be one or more builds in there that approaches the idea you've got right now. If you've got one or two that are close, we can certainly see what we can do to help you. As well, as mentioned in the other thread, you ought to be able to use the free/demo version of HeroLab to get at least some preliminary character building done even without the books.