Thunder King

21 For search, looking for anything suspicious, especially where they might store things. Or an area where things that are stored secretly might be kept.

25 for Stealth to sneak around the circus.

Sever "...I was born about two weeks ago. Somewhere in this city. To someone. I...we gotta figure out where the others are and get home."

Tagging

All that dexterity, and... 10

Ryan blinked. Something was wrong, very wrong. He had no idea what was happening. "Good idea, buddy system." Ryan said, looking around. He was alert, and very confused. He could still feel his sword in it's pocket dimension, which was good. It seemed to follow him to Fiji before, and it followed him here, wherever here was. That was good, too. He had no idea where it actually was, just that he was aware that it was still with him. Somehow. One day he'd have to sit down with someone who might be able to explain that to him. For now, though, he was in a weird, unfamiliar place with a bunch of kids he barely knew. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto..."

Sever considered his options, and decided on a course of action. He spotted a good spot at the end of the hallway, then slashed the air with his sword. A hole appeared in space itself, revealing the other side of the hallway. He stepped into it, and completely circumnavigated the guards in the middle of the hallway. Why make it easy for them, when he could avoid the small fry if needed?

Ryan sat down in front of the laptop and looked at the screen. He sat back and took a deep breath. He had some questions to answer for his new school. 1. Where are you from? Right here in Freedom City. Probably. At least that's as far as I know. 2. How would you describe yourself? Tall, good looking, strong. I work out, and I'm probably pretty good looking. At least, that's what I'm told. 3. Do you have distinguishing speech characteristics or recurring mannerisms? I swear more than I probably should. I'm a Jersey kid, what can you expect? 4. What is your motivation? Honestly? The world isn't fair, and we should probably try to make it more fair. 5. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? Well, I'm no fool. I'm pretty strong, pretty smart, and much stronger and faster than I used to be thanks to the sword. Buut I am a teenager, and that means I've got a bit of a temper and poor impulse control. 6. What do you love? What do you hate? I love a good song. Something pounding, fast and heavy, or something slow and smooth. Either or. What I hate are jerks and snobs. Ain't nobody better than nobody else in this world, not by default. 7. How would you describe your mental and emotional state? I'm pretty stable for an orphan, but I have plenty of baggage. I have to admit. It bugs me that I ain't got parents, but maybe one day I'll learn. 8. What does you fear the most? Not making it. Like, I spent my whole life at the orphanage, and I want to make it. I wanna be somebody. Whether that's a superhero or rock star, I want to be something more than some loser kid from an orphanage. 9. What is your greatest ambition? The stage. Man. Me, a band, and a guitar in my hands. Rockin' out and playing hard and fast, making heads bang. 10. How do you feel about the state of the world and your place in it? The world sucks. It just does. Like, here I am, some poor orphan from Jersey, with no life and no prospects. That's why I wanna be a musician. Find my way out of that. 11. Does you have any prejudices? How do get along with others? It's real hard to judge people when you're at the bottom, you know? I try not to judge people, but snobs, man, snobs get to me. And I get along great with other people. I've got no friends, but people like me fine. 12. Where do your loyalties lie? In what order? That's what I'm looking for, you know? People to be loyal to. Friends, maybe family, bandmates. People I can get along with and learn to trust and be trusted. 13. Do you have a lover or partner? Nope. Nobody wants the orphan boy in the shabby clothes. Plus I'm only 16, I got time for that. 14. Do you have a family? You know, growing up in an orphanage, you obsess over family. I got lots of people I've known over the years. Caretakers, staff at the orphanage, but nobody I've ever had the back of, and nobody who's ever really had my back, you know? 15. How would the people closest to you describe you? Friendly, loud, nice. I don't have any 'friends' to speak of, but the people that like me like me well enough. 16. Are you a role model? A couple of the younger kids at the orphanage liked me. They liked listening to me play guitar, but I wouldn't say I'm a role model. 17. How spiritual is your hero? Do you follow a religious tradition? Not really, no. I mean, I was encouraged to read the Bible, and I've cracked it open a few times, but I'm not really a book kinda guy. I guess I believe in God? 18. Are you part of a team, would you like to be? Why? Having a band to watch my back would be pretty nice, but, no, I've got nobody yet. 19. How do you feel about the place of metahumans and aliens on Earth? Superheroes protect us, right? I mean some of them are bad people, but some are good people. I never thought I'd be one of them until I got this sword. 20. If you could give one piece of advice to your hero, what would it be? The kids you've just met are good ones, you can lean on them when you need to.

Ryan blinked as he listened, and stared for a few seconds after he was done. He barely knew the other boy, and the explanation confused the heck out him. Still, Lawrence had been a good friend to him so far, so he tracked what he said and listened intently. He finally, ultimately said. "Wow, uh, I have no idea who my parents are. I don't know if either of them is alive. I was dropped off at an orphanage and raised there ever since." He kinda shrugged. That was really all he could say about his history. One day, he might explain Uncle Charlie.

Ryan stretched out on the ground and sat his guitar case beside him. He had been having a good day, and he enjoyed the chance to relax a bit. "Living in Jersey, means you don't get to see a lot of stars. This is the furthest I've ever been from home. I once went to New York, and another time to DC, but that's hardly a long trip, you know? Thanks so much for bringing me."

Ryan nodded to Lawrence. "I should practice using my powers." He said. He held his hand up and a sword seemed to fold itself into reality, materializing in Ryan's hand. It was a three foot longsword with a plain golden pommel and crossguard. Ryan twirled it briefly in his hand before slashing in front of him. A hole appeared in thin air that showed a location closer to the house. Ryan stepped into it and vanished, appearing right in front of the house The sword vanished into nothing again as he walked into the house to drop off his things. A few moments later, another hole appeared in the air and Ryan stepped back out. "Still getting used to that. So, beach?"

John smiled. It was a rare sight on his features, especially since he was resurrected in that vacant lot. "You're welcome. Honestly it's been a bit since I've actually enjoyed a meal. I usually treat eating like fuel. I should enjoy life more. Remind myself of what this line of work is good for." He started eating his own food, and found it to be quite good. He was right, he should enjoy life a bit more. So little laughter, so few smiles, so little enjoyment.

Ran slipped through the crowd trying to follow after the guards. It looked like trouble, and Ryan, despite being here to enjoy music, wouldn't turn down a chance to look in to some trouble. He felt in his pocket for his mask. He decided to slip into the bathroom and find a stall. Once inside, he put his mask on and slipped back out of the bathroom, looking to follow the guards where they were headed. His size made it relatively easy to find his way through the crowd without too much effort.

"Nice to meet you. Welcome to Claremont. I haven't been here long either, but I've heard there has been some crazy #@$% around here. I'm Ryan. Also, this place is just chock full of superheroes, and a lot of superheroes have gone here. I have to imagine if this place was put under any serious attack, it would be defended pretty quickly." He looked at each of the twins and nodded. "Need any help, want any company..."

Sever Ryan stepped out into the open grounds. He was tall and broad shouldered, with an old, worn denim jacket over a navy blue t-shirt and raggedy old, baggy blue jeans. "Oh, hey Bernadette." He said, greeting the redhead with a certain tinge of nervousness. She was very pretty, after all, prettier than any girl he'd met at the orphanage. "Oh, hey, I'm Ryan." he said, deliberately ignoring the floating luggage. "Nice to meet you. I just got here myself."

John knew what his target was. The circus. He would head over there as soon as he could, to sort this business out. He had to leave the purple stuff where it was, having neither the training nor the tools to clean it up. So, John took off to head toward the Primal Fear circus and figure things out.

Current events 20 Search 28 Well that's convenient.

John had to move quickly. These gorilla people were a danger, based on the aggression the truck driver had showed. He charged up to one and punched them hard in the face, knocking them down. Then he turned around quickly and elbowed another directly in the abdomen, before switching targets again and kicking another in the side of the head. Finally, he moved over to a fourth one and, with a quick punch to the side of the head, knocked them flat. He needed to clear this up, quickly.

Sever "Holy...%$#@." To Ryan, Fiji were a concept. not a place. It was as real as Disney World. Sure, it existed, but the idea of ever going there was entirely alien to him. The furthest he had ever been from home was one time on a school trip to Washington DC. California, Florida, these were places he might visit one day if he ever got into a band. He was the last through the portal, eager to visit a faraway place, as Lawrence had hinted. He had a small backpack with a couple of pairs of shorts, a pair of swim trunks, and a few t-shirts. He also brought, on a whim, his newish acoustic guitar. It had been a gift from one of the workers at the orphanage. It was not an expensive guitar, but it did the job, and it was in a case he had slung over his back. "Hi, um, I'm Ryan. Nice to..." At that point, he noticed the pretty, bikini clad redhead lounging by the pool. He corrected his gaze and looked away without lingering. "Nice to meet all of you."

Added flat-footed, changed the formatting to explain what's actually in the device. I didn't realize I could array the Strike with the Blast until you pointed it out, but I think I'm fine the way it is. I know it would save on points, but I'm okay with it.

John's gonna take a swipe at one of the Gorilla people, to start the process of getting them put down; 13 Probably isn't enough.

Player Name: Thunder King Character Name: Sever Power Level: 8 (115/115) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: -2 Attack / ±2 Damage, none for defense In Brief: Teenage swordsman with a space sword Alternate Identity: Ryan Jacobs (Secret) Birthplace: Freedom City Residence: Claremont Academy Base of Operations: Claremont Academy Family: He has no idea Description: Age: 17 DOB: October 13th, 2007 Gender: M Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 6’2” Weight: 180 Eyes: Gray Hair: Dark brown (when it isn’t dyed black, red, blue or green) Ryan is fairly tall and fairly muscular. He has shaggy dark hair and silver eyes. He's fond of dyeing his hair when he can, though it's usually black. It has been blue, green and red before. Everything he owns is a hand me down, all of his clothing. Some of it doesn't fit quite right. He’s used to hard work and looks like it, sometimes coming across as looking a bit older than his sixteen years. His costume consists of a black t-shirt, a domino mask held on by spirit gum, jeans and combat boots. He also has a sword belt for the Star Blade. When the weather is cool, he wears a denim jacket over his t-shirt. The Star Blade (his name) is a cruciform sword that fits comfortably in one or two hands, with a plain, golden crossguard and simple disc shaped pommel. The hilt is wrapped in a strange material no one can recognize. When the sword is held up in darkness and looked at carefully, it shows the night sky as if one was looking straight up on a clear night. It does not emit any light, and this function has no apparent use. History: Ryan’s first memories are at an orphanage in Freedom City. As far as he was told, a young woman with no support network gave him up as soon as he was born. He fell through the cracks in the system and stayed at the orphanage. He had a few friends over the years, and the caretakers varied in quality, but on the whole, for an orphan, he didn’t have it too bad. Then, there was Uncle Charlie. Charlie was an older man who came around to the foster kids to play music for them. Everybody called him Uncle Charlie, even the staff. It was Charlie that taught Ryan about music. It was Charlie that sparked his passion for the guitar. It was Charlie that taught him how to play. It was Charlie who gave him his first guitar, and his first amp. That guitar was Ryan’s prized possession. If the orphanage had caught fire, Charlie would have run through the smoke and flames to fetch it. Uncle Charlie had, once upon a time, been in a band. He had been a member of a couple of local punk and metal bands through the late 70s through mid 80s, and when his career didn’t take off, he went to college, cleaned himself up, and got a job. Uncle Charlie had a family that he went home to after every visit to the orphanage. Uncle Charlie died when Ryan was 14 years old. Uncle Charlie’s wife, a lovely woman he only met once before in his life, came by the orphanage to tell the kids that he had passed away. She explained that he’d grown up in the exact same orphanage, and wanted to pass along his love of music. She met with Ryan personally, and handed him one of Uncle Charlie’s guitars. It wasn’t the starter guitar that Uncle Charlie had given him, but the kind real touring musicians would use on the road. She explained that he actually owned over a dozen guitars, and that he had asked for one to be given to Ryan. She said that if, somehow, Ryan ever made it as a musician, ever got in a real band and played a real show, that he should play that guitar. Ryan has never played the guitar. He’s kept it safe, he’s kept it in the case she gave him, but he’s never so much as strummed it. Eventually, Ryan was able to earn money by getting a regular job at a fast food place. The first thing he did was save up for a proper guitar, so he could keep the ones he got from Uncle Charlie safe. On November 15th, 2023, Ryan was outside the orphanage when an object fell out of the sky and landed in front of him. It struck the ground, but left no crater. Instead, it stabbed into the ground. It was a sword, with a shining metal blade and a golden crossguard. The hilt was wrapped in a material that Ryan did not recognize. The moment it landed, Ryan felt a strange pull towards it. Despite himself, and the warning from the people nearby, he picked it up. He instantly understood. This was his sword.He did not know how or why, but it was definitely his sword. The staff tried to take it from him, but he took it back. He found that he was tougher and faster while he had the sword, even if he wasn’t currently holding it. Eventually, one of the staff at the orphanage (who had a son at Claremont a few years prior) called the school to inform them of a student who had a sword from space. The cover story was that Ryan was selected for a school for talented performers, due to his skill with the guitar. Everyone knew that Ryan was a good guitarist, so they bought the story without issue. Personality & Motivation: As an orphan, Ryan is acutely aware of the unfairness of the world and his place in it. As a result, he has a well developed sense of injustice and unfairness. He never considered being a superhero before the sword came to him, but now he’s seriously interested. Before, becoming a musician felt like his only way out of the system, but he sees Claremont as an opportunity, even if he doesn’t become a hero. He's mostly a respectful young man, but he has had very few real friends, and it shows. Powers & Tactics: Ryan is an athletic, intelligent young man who barely understands how to use the sword he has. It is a very powerful weapon, but he’s very new to swordplay. He’s used to getting into scraps with the other kids at the orphanage, and has won more fights than he’s lost. So when forced into a fight, relies on his enhanced physiology to keep him safe, get him into position, and his limited swordsmanship to bridge the gap. Power Descriptions: Ryan’s teleport consists of him slashing a hole in the air and then hopping through it. It doesn’t even need to look large enough to fit his body through it. His ranged attack consists of him slashing the air and cutting from the other side. He knows he could do more with the sword’s spatial powers, but he has yet to learn any of them. Ryan can slide the sword into a dimensional pocket, or out of it, at will if he needs it. All of the spatial tears produced by the sword look like cut shaped windows into whatever place he’s cut a hole to. Except for the dimensional pocket, which is pitch black. Complications: Anti-Authoritarian: Ryan is well aware of how unfair the system is. He might run his mouth in front of authority figures. Except for Claremont staff, because he knows how much he needs the staff. Room to Move: Ryan’s teleport and ranged abilities both require that he has enough room around him to cut at the air. In tight quarters, he might find it impossible Itchy Brain: He’s practically addicted to the sword. If it’s not at least in the dimensional pocket for more than about an hour, he starts feeling that he needs to retrieve it. The absence causes him to feel irritable and testy. GMs should feel free to impose whatever minor penalties make sense, such as to Diplomacy rolls, to illustrate the effect of the sword’s absence. For the purpose of this complication, the dimensional pocket is considered in his possession. Power Loss (Loss of Sword): If Ryan finds himself without the sword for more than about six hours, his powers start to leave him. His agility and endurance weaken slowly. It takes about 24 hours for the powers to leave him completely. The dimensional pocket is considered to be in his possession. Abilities: 8 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 6 = 28PP Strength: 18 (+4) Dexterity: 22/14 (+6/+2) Constitution: 26/14 (+8/+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 8 + 10 = 18PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +6 Melee, +4 Ranged, +6 Ranged Slash Defense: +8 (+5 Base, +3 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +10 Knockback: -3 Saving Throws: 0 + 0 + 4 = 4PP Toughness: +8 (+8 Con) Fortitude: +8 (+8 Con, +0) Reflex: +6 (+6 Dex, +0) Will: +5 (+1 Wis, +4) Skills: 20R = 5PP Acrobatics 6 (+12) Knowledge Pop Culture 7 (+9) Perform Stringed Instruments 7 (+10) Feats: 16PP Accurate Attack Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus Melee 2 Attack Specialization (Long Range Cut) Challenge; Fast Acrobatic Bluff Dodge Focus 3 Evasion 2 Luck Move-By-Action Power Attack Takedown Attack 2 Powers: 12 + 8 + 17 + 3 + 4 = 44PP *All Powers have the Magic descriptor, the attack powers also have the Slashing descriptor. Enhanced Constitution 12 (12PP) Enhanced Dexterity 8 (8PP) Device 5 (Star Blade) {Easy to Lose, Only usable by Ryan}: 17 PP Strike 6 (Mighty), 6PP Blast 6 (Mighty 3) 15PP’ (Ranged Cut) Teleport 1 (100 ft) 2PP Feature 1 (Can store sword and scabbard in a dimensional pocket) Speed 3 {50 mph, 440 ft per round} (3PP) Super-Movement 2 {Wall Crawling 2} (4PP) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Sword Touch DC 24 Toughness Damage Ranged Cut Ranged DC 24 Toughness Damage Unarmed Touch DC 18 Toughness Damage Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (4) + Skills (5) + Feats (16) + Powers (44) - Drawbacks (0) = 115/115 Power Points

Crimson Tiger shrugged. "That's a little harder on me, but I'm not without options." She reached behind her and pulled out a small device that immediately folded out into a circle, a chakram. She spotted a target off in a corner for just such an occasion, and whipped the chakram toward the target, sticking it in dead center. "I've got a few things I can do. Plus I do have some contacts in the hero community, both former Claremont students and otherwise." Like the castle on a skyscraper full of super powered women, or the super wealthy energy absorbing super strong guy, or any number of other people she'd met over the years that she could call in for emergencies.

21 on Initiative

Mali turned to Consuelo. The kid definitely was off-putting, but based on what Mali was told, it wasn't her fault. So she did her level best to ignore it. "Personally, I always try to ensure the safety of any civilians before I engage. That's not always possible. I'll readily admit, I am not the best at talking criminals down with words. I tend to, you know, use other methods. But yeah, I do agree that disarming them is better than harming them directly, when possible."