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GM Bayview Heights Bayview, Freedom City New Jersey Wednesday, February 1st, 2017 5:30 PM So an Avian royal, a psilent human weapon, an elementally empowered university student, and an undead magician walk into a bar. No it's not a set up. This odd collection of heroes were investigating a biker gang that had been rumored to have a supply of zombie powder they wished to get back on the streets. Even managing to successfully track down the biker's favorite dive bar, nestled away in the affluent part of Southern Freedom, Aka Bayview. The plan was for Errant to keep them mentally cloaked while they scoped out the inside. That was until he turned his head to the television and heard the Atlantean declaration of war. All of a sudden his attention faltered for the slightest of moments and they became visible in the middle of the bar. Completely surrounded by bikers.

Friday January 22, 2016 Greenbank, Freedom City Nighttime It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an off-duty superhero in search of pizza will inevitably encounter something that renders the acquisition of pizza highly unlikely. Buffy Stein had just run out to grab a quick slice from the pizza joint around the corner, wanting a little fuel to get her through her late-night cramming session. She had even had her hand on the door when she overheard the police scanner in a nearby parked patrol car. Apparently something had triggered the silent alarm at a warehouse over in Greenbank. That wasn't exactly enough to make the cops peel out, sirens blaring, so why should she, innocent civilian, bestir herself? Surely no one would expect her to abandon her pizza, abort her studying, don her costume, and sprint clear across the city just because some raccoon accidentally tripped an alarm or something, right? This was what Echo was bitterly reflecting on as the crouched there on the edge of the rooftop in the freezing cold, staring gloomily at the shadowy bulk of the warehouse across the street. Sometimes, it just wasn't fun being a superhero. She was going to have to make some modifications to her costume, that was for sure. Heroes of the super variety weren't exactly renowned for their subtlety, but she couldn't help feeling conspicuous there in her blue-and-silver bodysuit. Those colors didn't exactly fade into the darkness as well as one might hope. Not to mention, she needed to install some thermal padding, or get some new long underwear or something. If didn't wrap this up quickly, all they would ever find of her would be a big Echo-shaped popsicle. And all because of a false alarm at some random warehouse. You didn't get a statue for that. Huh. She noticed something that made her perk up slightly. The warehouse was enclosed by a high chain link fence topped with barbed wire, presumably to keep the contents from escaping. Thing was, she was pretty sure the gate was supposed to be closed. With a whumph of displaced air, she was gone from the rooftop, now standing beside the open gate. The chain that ordinarily held the gates shut was lying on the ground. Kneeling down to examine it, she saw that it had been cut. Maybe the night watchman forgot his keys. And remembered his bolt cutters. Looking up, she saw an white van parked inside the fence. She had ignored it before, but now she saw that the plates had been removed and the engine was running. And one of the nearby doors that led into the warehouse looked to have been forced open. Well, hey. This might not be a waste of time after all.

Rolls and suchlike for this thread.

The Theater District Freedom City, New Jersey Saturday October 31, 2015, 7:30 PM local time The sun had set over Freedom City, adding a slight chill to the already cool night air. But despite the cool night and clouds overhead, there was a festive atmosphere over much of the city as Halloween arrived. Perhaps no part of the city was that more evident than the five city blocks of Broadway between 60th St. and the Beaudrie Opera House, as the 20th annual Hunted Block Party took over the section of the Theater District. Over the annual Halloween festival’s life, the event had grown from only a few blocks to the much larger event it now was, a "fair, games and scares" trick-or-treat extravaganza. As had been the case since the event had started, Mr. Dirksen had made the bottom floor of his warehouse on the corner of 60th St. into a massive haunted house. There were dozens of shops, booths, vendors, and entertainers stretched along the five blocks of Broadway, with crowds of hundreds of costumed children and their families making their way between them.

'The Shops' at Midtown sunday 9/13/2015 afternoon cloudy and cool 'The Shops' at midtown plaza were bustling despite the nip of the seemingly sudden turn to fall, shoppers weaved in and out of the high end boutiques and went about their shopping oblivious of the chaos soon to erupt. Despite the pricey nature of hte merchandise the Shops central location and friendly browsing policies made it a popular destination for window shoppers as well. In one sprawling outlet a somewhat out of place appearing group in beaten military surplus urban camo and black hoodies as they browsed the high end electronics on display. Those with sensitive hearing could make out the conversation and it didn't take much to notice security closing in. The smash and grab seemed a bit brazen for the locale certainly but from the taunting way one of the toughs held aloft the device as the sales person reached for it it seemed to be the goal.

West End, Freedom City, New Jersey Monday, March 30, 2015; 10:21 PM The West End had its share of restaurants, bars and other night spots. But on a Monday night, the crowds were starting to get a bit thin at this time of night, the streets and sidewalks less crowded. The more secluded and dark streets could prove to be an opportunity for some of the cities criminals, able to operate in the dark and away from too many prying eyes. Of course, any environment that attracted criminals also tended to attract some of the cities many costumed heroes. While most had made their way to the safety and seclusion of home, those costumed crime fighters took to the dark rooftops. Tonight was no different, as four separate heroes had all made their individual ways into a section of the West End, moving by rooftop, or through dark alleys. Thus far, the night had been rather uneventful, looking to possibly be one of those quiet nights where nothing took place. But that changed suddenly, as the faint sound of a police siren sounded in the distance. In moments, a dark sedan sped around a corner of an intersection, almost swerving into another car as it made a wide turn. Just a short distance behind, a police cruiser whipped around the corner as well, fast in pursuit of the sedan. And the vehicles raced down the next block, a man leaned out the passenger window of the sedan and a gunshot rang through the air as he took a shot at the police car….

OOC for >this thread. Lets have some initiative rolls!

March 7, 2015 WYRM's move to the DeWitt Building had gone well. The new suburban location put the kids in a safe, secure location where they wouldn't be tempted by anything unwholesome in the neighborhood. The nearest restaurant was the Subway across the street, next to the big medical complex, and they were a good twenty-minute walk from the nearest bus station (faster if you had superpowers, of course). The worst trouble they could get into was the tobacco store in the strip mall down at the very end of the street, right where Ashton became unincorporated territory. But the kids were well-supervised - and the old hippie who ran the place knew to keep an eye out for them. WYRM had stayed busy over the last few months, pitching in to help out during the Communion invasion and other crises around Freedom City, doing the subtle work that made sure many of the civilians around the city noticed them and their good efforts, even if they still weren't on the radar of most super-teams yet. "That's okay," the kids were always reassured, "we're doing this work to set the world up for great things - not to make ourselves famous." It was a little frustrating the more glory-minded among them, but they all knew they had bright futures ahead of them. On the morning of March 7, Rampart was out patrolling in the area when the special WYRM communicator they'd given her during her last happy visit chimed. Something was going on that required her special services.

OOC

Rio Branco Avenue Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 25th, 2014 5:25 PM local time Nick Cimitiere's jacket was tempered for heat and cold, meaning he didn't need to forgo protection - or mystique - based on the temperature. But the humidity of the Rio summer was still getting to him. The whole city was strung out for Christmas, but the tilt of the earth meant it felt more like the height of July back home. Speaking of back home... he'd told his family he'd be out of town for a few days, but would be back for Christmas. He always hated to lie to his family about these matters. Four years home from college, eight years as a superhero, and he still hadn't come clean about meddling in the affairs of life and death. But some matters of death were more important than matters of life. There had been a number of disappearances in Rio over the past few weeks. People from all walks of life had left messages for their family and friends, saying they were going to "a better place," and then had vanished entirely. Fortunatus, a local seer and fate manipulator who Nick had partnered with on a particularly tough job years ago, had given him a call about the matter. "The path is clouded to me," he had said. "I see that they are gone, but I cannot see where they have gone and who led them there. I fear this may be more your department than mine." "Anything else you can tell me?" "Just one thing. There are a number of 'great bumps' on the horizon." "Great bumps" was Fortunatus's term for a confluence of random factors that could spell either windfall or disaster. Nick had no idea where it came from. "I have one that I must handle myself, as it involves plucking the threads of chance like a harp. But I can see that these disappearances will not stop soon, and may breed a catastrophe of their own if unimpeded." And so, after spreading the word amongst the community and walking the back roads of reality, Nick had found himself walking a beat in paradise. Those who had gone seemed to be truly gone - after visiting their residences and the local cemeteries, he could find no trace of the vanished having left ghosts. Then again, he wasn't the only one on the beat. "How's it coming on your end?" he asked over the comms relics he'd handed out.

GM 1st December, 2014 Stonehenge...United Kingdom... He was a ghost. Faint to the eye, yet with a chill, hard to see and yet with a howling wind behind him, he walked out of the Circle of Stonehenge with slumped shoulders and heavy foot. He was dressed in furs, with grizzled long hair and a grizzled long beard. Whilst he was hard to see, his eyes were pure black, and saw everything. "So, you felt my echo through the years and centuries? This place is a place of power, where such calls are spoken, and such calls are heard. Where time and space are with little meaning, but spirit and blood have much..." The Ghost stood stood tall, proud and grim in front of the Black Knight, who had heard the call on some deep level. "Something rises and stirs in the cold north. My kin who died there rest uneasy. I would have your help, for honours sake, the bones of might warriors should not be spoiled..."

November 26, 2014 Southside "Ugh." As the thunder rolled overhead, Fast-Forward stopped under a bus stop to change. "I hate running in the rain," he muttered to himself, "my whole front is soaked!" But it was less than a second, literally, for him to be in a fresh outfit. Sitting on the shelter's bench, he took out his hand-written directions, having as usual spurned advice to put directions on his phone. Don't need to carry that thing anyway. "OK, the guy is right here, and man, this neighborhood went to the dogs!" Southside had been a favorite hangout of his back in the day when he'd been young and stupid (and also awesome!) and this particular street had had the best spots. Vinny's is now a gay bar with no pub food and the old newstand is gone...oh man, this was the place where we got that costume of Paige's that - well, he certainly didn't mind his wife overhearing those thoughts (if she happened to be listening), but they certainly weren't productive for what was supposed to be a business conversation. "All right," he said aloud, "this place looks a little hinky, but magic people are always a little hinky." Not gonna burgle some guy's house unless he's a bad guy, so I'll wait till I know who's in there before I search the place. Phantasmo sounds like a legit name for a wizard, probably. Rechecking his black and white jumpsuit, cool shades, and high-topped sneakers to make sure he looked not just like a superhero but like a totally radical superhero, he headed over and zipped into the abandoned store at super-speed.

OOC

Phantasmo the Unliving "No performer should attempt to bite off a red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth." - Harry Houdini Power Level: 8 (150/161pp) Trade-Offs: -2 damage/+2 attack (Blast, Snare) Unspent Power Points: 11 In Brief: Chatty, friendly, and well-dressed revenant who uses his mystical and undead abilities to oppose those who would prey upon the unfortunate and destitute. Residence: “Lives†in an old abandoned clothing store in a bad part of Southside Base of Operations: the aforementioned clothing store. Catchphrase: “It’s magic!†Theme: “Venus of the Hard Sell†Alternate Identity: Henry Gibson Trent. Identity: Public, but is listed as “deceased.†Birthplace: London, England Occupation: Former stage magician, now drifter. Affiliations: the homeless population of Freedom City Family: Mother (Deceased) Brother (Alfred, 67) - Nephew (John, 30) - grand nephew and neice (Greg, 6, and Samantha, 4) Description: Age: 65 (DoB:6/12/1949) Apparent Age: Hard to tell due to decomposed state Gender: Male Ethnicity: Undead Height: 5’10 Weight: 180 Eyes: yellow (Glowing sockets) - formerly green Hair: None (formerly brown) Beard: Grey (formerly brown) Power Descriptions: He’s not your typical zombie. A good way to think of it is that he’s a ghost who’s possessing his own corpse - so long as his body is in good enough shape for him to inhabit, he can keep on ticking. He has superhuman-strength, unlimited stamina, and can survive without food, water, oxygen, or sleep...and as a bonus, so long as his spirit is in his corpse he doesn’t rot!...Any more than he already has. Plus - and this is cool - as long as his ghost is in his meat suit, any minor wounds are healed! It's like he's not even dead!...aside from the rot, the missing eyes, ears, nose, the missing lips, and whatnot. Aside from his standard zombie powers, he has minor mystical abilities - he can conjure doves, rabbits, scarves, coins, playing cards - you know, basic magic props - can also teleport (very short distances, mind you) via puffs of smoke. Now you see me, now you don't. History: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A little tyke sees a magic act when he’s five years old and is wowed - decides then and there he wants to be a magician. He wants to be up there with Houdini and all the greats, bless his little soul. He studies everything he can about magic. He pesters his mum and his dad every cChristmasfor magic stuff - kits, books, whatever. Learns, and practices, and learns, and books his first gig at the age of 24 to a small pub in Surrey. Poor sod does his best - pulls out everything he’s learned...only for every trick to go wrong. The milk in newspaper trick only gives soggy funnies. The damned rabbit escapes from the hat. The birds mess in his shirt and escape. Aforementioned bugger realizes something as he leaves the pub to the howls of laughter and boos from the inebriated crowd: He’s really, really bad at this. But what else can he do? It’s all he ever wanted. Enter mysterious old codger with massive smile and promises of dreams come true. The old codger sits on a park bench next to our hero who may or may not be bawling his eyes out. Our hero - daft bugger that he is - is taken in by this man when he says he can make him one of the greatest magicians in the world. Says he can give him genuine magic powers, and the knowledge to use them - only thing that he wants in return is our hero’s soul. He even admits he may just be pulling the boy’s leg and being nice - but what could it hurt just to humor him: Our boy decides to humor the man and says “Yes.†With one handshake, he finds he suddenly knows tricks that Houdini couldn’t dream of his lifetime. He goes back to the pub and begs for another chance - and this time everything goes great. He meets his agent and within six months, he’s one of the greats, and for the next 19 years, things go swimmingly. He plays Vegas. He plays Rome. He plays Paris - He’s made it. The Big time. He’s Copperfield. He’s Siegfried AND Roy. Dreams do come true - happy endings all around. Except...he’s so caught up in his success he completely forgets the old man’s price. On his 44th birthday, he drops down dead of a heart attack in the middle of a performance. Everyone’s shattered - he’s autopsied, buried, and gradually forgotten about...then six weeks later he wakes up his grave. Now, normally this would make anyone quite upset...but for some reason, he’s calm. Coherent. He’s able to dig his way out of his grave and finds he has enhance strength and doesn’t need to eat or drink! Huzzah! And bonus - he has genuine magical powers now. He’s not quite sure what the hell happened...did he escape, was he released?... But he’ll roll with it. ‘course, he realizes he can’t go back to his old life. He’s been dead - life’s over for him. His mum is dead, his brother’s in Florida, and he can’t really well book any more deals as a living chunk of corpse meat. Time to make a fresh start. So, he hops a boat to Freedom City - reasoning that they’ve probably seen weirder than him - and joins the local homeless population, who welcome him with open arms. He’s touched - so touched, that when a local small-time thug by the name of Billy the Bat decides to shake them down, he uses his powers - zombie, and magician - to literally scare him off. And...something odd happens. He realizes he LIKES doing good for others using his powers. Realizing that he should probably go with the crowd and be as theatrical and colorful as possible, he dons a magician costume a friend of his purchases from a thrift shop. Mystico the Magnificent may be dead and gone, but where he was...arises Phantasmo, the Unliving! Personality & Motivation: He’s very friendly and chatty in a somewhat sarcastic sort of way. He’s Very fond of joking around with people and is a bit of a troll with his undead nature. Generally tries to see the good in everyone...but if he thinks you are a jerk, he’ll point it out. Snarkily. The reason he likes to fight crime is quite simple - he hates those who would prey on the weak, would cause undue suffering, and - above all - would look down on someone just because they’re worse off in life. He literally got to escape what he suspects was Hell - he’s not gonna squander this second chance by being a jerk. Plus, you know - being a garishly dressed zombie, you have to do SOMETHING to let the more trigger-happy lads in tights know you’re on the up-and-up. Protecting a bunch of homeless chaps from vicious sods who’d hit them up for money seems a good way to do it. Powers & Tactics: He’s not a straight-up brawler, but you don’t grow up in London without learning some survival skills. He mainly uses his powers to disorient and confuse his opponents before going for the nadgers or pulling whatever other dirty trick he can think of - and he knows quite a few of them. His chatty nature and friendly disposition are also pretty good at catching opponents off-guard. Complications: One Ugly Bugger: Being of the undead persuasion makes it very difficult for others to really warm up to him at first...he’s been shot at, stabbed, and even mopped by an overzealous young man who’d seen too many movies and assumed the zombie apocalypse was coming. Exorcisms are no-one’s friend!: The right exorcism spell can send his soul out of his body and back to wherever it was before he came back...heaven, hell, whatever. Quit being a ham!: Though he is very friendly, he's also very fond of the spotlight...a bit of trouble when stealth and guile are required. It's got a mind of it's own, I swear!: Due to the unique nature of his resurrection, his soul is spread throughout his entire body... but not his mind. As such, while he is able to manipulate his limbs when they are removed (or fall off), if his head isn't attached to his body...it's like a car without a driver. Out of control. Abilities: 10 + 6 -10 + 8 + 10 + 4 = 28PP Strength: 20 (+5) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: -- Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 16 + 14 = 30PP Initiative: +3 (+3 Dex) Attack: +8 (Unarmed) +10 (Pick a Card, Scarves, Flock of Doves) Grapple: +16 Defense: +8 (+7 BDB +1 Dodge Focus) +4 Flat-footed Knockback: -4 Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 3 = 7PP Toughness: +8 (+4 [Protection] [Defensive Roll 2](+2 impervious) Fortitude:-- Reflex: +7 (+3 Dex, +4) Will: +8 (+5 Wis, +3) Skills: 56R = 14PP Bluff 8 (+10), Concentration 5 (+10), Escape Artist 8 (+11), Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 5 (+9), Knowledge (Streetwise) 1 (+5), Notice 4 (+9), Perform (Oratory) 6(+8) Perform (Acting) 6 (+8) Sense Motive 5 (+10), Sleight of Hand 8 (+11) Feats: 17PP Accurate Attack, Ambidexterity, Defensive Roll 2, Distract (Bluff), Dodge Focus 1 Evasion 2, Fascinate (Perform Acting), Fearless, Improved Aim, Instant Up, Ranged Pin, Redirect, Skill Mastery (Bluff,Sleight of Hand,Escape Artist,Perform), Taunt, Uncanny Dodge Powers: 19 + 30 + 6+2+4+1= 62PP Alakazam! (Magic 7 - 14pp array) Feat: 5 extra powers [19pp] Base Power: Pick a card! (Blast 6, Razor sharp, abnormally large playing card is thrown at opponent; Feats: Accurate 1 (+2), Ricochet 1;) {14/14pp} Alternate Power: Flock of Doves...from my sleeves! (Stun 7, Descriptors; A flock of pecking, disorienting doves emerges from the sleeves Extras: Area: Cone (30 ft) Flaws: Dazed,) {14/14pp} Alternate Power: Levitation! (Flight 4, - He levitates himself and objects with the SHEER FORCE OF HIS MIND! 100mph Flaws: Levitation;) And (Move Object 4, Flaws: Direction - Up and Down,) {10/14pp} Alternate Power: Puff of Smoke! (Teleport 6, Vanishes in a puff of smoke to re-appear a few feet away; ; Flaws: Short Range (600ft) Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Extra: Accurate ;) {14/14pp} Alternate Power: Hypnosis (Mind Control 7, mesmerizes opponents with a small, conjured pocket watch; Extras: conscious; Flaws: Sense-dependent - visual) {14/14pp} Alternate Power: Scarves Galore! (Snare 6, A length of scarves flies from his hands to entrap and ensnare baddies ;Flaws: Entangle; Feats: Tether (600ft), Accurate 1(+2)) {8/14pp} Immunity 30 (Save Effect (Fortitude) (30pp) Super Strength 3 (+15 Str Carrying Capacity, Heavy Load: 1.7 tons (6pp) Regeneration 2 (Recovery Bonus (+2); Flaw:Limited (Can't regrow limbs); ;Power Feature:Persistent) (2pp) Protection 4 (4pp) Impervious Toughness 2 (Flaw: Limited (Physical damage only) (1pp) Drawbacks: (-4) + (-4) = -8PP Noticeable (Zombie; Common, Major.) Vulnerable (Fire;Common,Major) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Pick a Card Ranged DC 21 Toughness (Staged) Damaged (Physical) Scarves Ranged DC 16 Reflex (Staged) Bound/Entangled Flock of Doves Area (Cone) DC 17 Reflex (Staged) Stunned/Dazed Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (30) + Saving Throws (7) + Skills (14) + Feats (17) + Powers (62) - Drawbacks (-8) = 150/161) Power Points

First attempt at character - redone, reworked, working on, and am stuck...Will I grit my teeth and try to bear it? Yes. Would I like advice on some stuff? Yes. Gimme yo' thoughts. They'd be greatly appreciated. Quote "No performer should attempt to bite off a red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth." - Harry Houdini Player Name: MisterShoebox Character Name: Phantasmo the Unliving Power Level: 10 (150PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30 In Brief: Chatty, friendly, and well-dressed revenant who uses his mystical and undead abilities to oppose those who would prey upon the unfortunate and destitute. Residence: “Lives†in an old abandoned clothing store in a bad part of Southside Base of Operations: the aforementioned clothing store. Catchphrase: “It’s magic!†Theme: “Venus of the hard sell†Alternate Identity:Henry Gibson Trent. Identity: Public, but is listed as “deceased.†Birthplace: London, England Occupation: Former stage magician, now drifter. Affiliations: the homeless population of Freedom City Family: Mother (Deceased) Brother (Alfred, 67) - Grandnephew (John, 30) - Great-grand nephew and neice (Greg, 6, and Samantha, 4) Description: Age: 65 (DoB:6/12/1949) Apparent Age: Hard to tell due to decomposed state Gender:Male Ethnicity: Undead Height: 5’10 Weight: 180 Eyes: yellow (Glowing sockets) - formerly green Hair: None (formerly brown) Beard: Grey (formerly brown) Power Descriptions: He’s not your typical zombie. A good way to think of it is that he’s a ghost who’s possessing his own corpse - so long as his body is in good enough shape for him to inhabit, he can keep on ticking. He has superhuman-strength, unlimited stamina, and can survive without food, water, oxygen, or sleep...and as a bonus, so long as his spirit is in his corpse he doesn’t rot!...Any more than he already has. Plus - and this is cool - as long as his ghost is in his meat suit, any minor wounds are healed! It's like he's not even dead!...aside from the rot, the missing eyes, ears, nose, the missing lips, and whatnot. Aside from his standard zombie powers, he has minor mystical abilities - he can conjure doves, rabbits, scarves, coins, playing cards - you know, basic magic props - can also teleport (very short distances, mind you) via puffs of smoke. Now you see me, now you don't. History: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A little tyke sees a magic act when he’s five years old and is wowed - decides then and there he wants to be a magician. He wants to be up there with Houdini and all the greats, bless his little soul. He studies everything he can about magic. He pesters his mum and his dad every cChristmasfor magic stuff - kits, books, whatever. Learns, and practices, and learns, and books his first gig at the age of 24 to a small pub in Surrey. Poor sod does his best - pulls out everything he’s learned...only for every trick to go wrong. The milk in newspaper trick only gives soggy funnies. The damned rabbit escapes from the hat. The birds mess in his shirt and escape. Aforementioned bugger realizes something as he leaves the pub to the howls of laughter and boos from the inebriated crowd: He’s really, really bad at this. But what else can he do? It’s all he ever wanted. Enter mysterious old codger with massive smile and promises of dreams come true. The old codger sits on a park bench next to our hero who may or may not be bawling his eyes out. Our hero - daft bugger that he is - is taken in by this man when he says he can make him one of the greatest magicians in the world. Says he can give him genuine magic powers, and the knowledge to use them - only thing that he wants in return is our hero’s soul. He even admits he may just be pulling the boy’s leg and being nice - but what could it hurt just to humor him: Our boy decides to humor the man and says “Yes.†With one handshake, he finds he suddenly knows tricks that Houdini couldn’t dream of his lifetime. He goes back to the pub and begs for another chance - and this time everything goes great. He meets his agent and within six months, he’s one of the greats, and for the next 19 years, things go swimmingly. He plays Vegas. He plays Rome. He plays Paris - He’s made it. The Big time. He’s Copperfield. He’s Siegfried AND Roy. Dreams do come true - happy endings all around. Except...he’s so caught up in his success he completely forgets the old man’s price. On his 44th birthday, he drops down dead of a heart attack in the middle of a performance. Everyone’s shattered - he’s autopsied, buried, and gradually forgotten about...then six weeks later he wakes up his grave. Now, normally this would make anyone quite upset...but for some reason, he’s calm. Coherent. He’s able to dig his way out of his grave and finds he has enhance strength and doesn’t need to eat or drink! Huzzah! And bonus - he has genuine magical powers now. He’s not quite sure what the hell happened...did he escape, was he released?... But he’ll roll with it. ‘course, he realizes he can’t go back to his old life. He’s been dead - life’s over for him. His mum is dead, his brother’s in Florida, and he can’t really well book any more deals as a living chunk of corpse meat. Time to make a fresh start. So, he hops a boat to Freedom City - reasoning that they’ve probably seen weirder than him - and joins the local homeless population, who welcome him with open arms. He’s touched - so touched, that when a local small-time thug by the name of Billy the Bat decides to shake them down, he uses his powers - zombie, and magician - to literally scare him off. And...something odd happens. He realizes he LIKES doing good for others using his powers. Realizing that he should probably go with the crowd and be as theatrical and colorful as possible, he dons a magician costume a friend of his purchases from a thrift shop. Mystico the Magnificent may be dead and gone, but where he was...arises Phantasmo, the Unliving! Personality & Motivation: He’s very friendly and chatty in a somewhat sarcastic sort of way. He’s Very fond of joking around with people and is a bit of a troll with his undead nature. Generally tries to see the good in everyone...but if he thinks you are a jerk, he’ll point it out. Snarkily. The reason he likes to fight crime is quite simple - he hates those who would prey on the weak, would cause undue suffering, and - above all - would look down on someone just because they’re worse off in life. He literally got to escape what he suspects was Hell - he’s not gonna squander this second chance by being a jerk. Plus, you know - being a garishly dressed zombie, you have to do SOMETHING to let the more trigger-happy lads in tights know you’re on the up-and-up. Protecting a bunch of homeless chaps from vicious sods who’d hit them up for money seems a good way to do it. Powers & Tactics: He’s not a straight-up brawler, but you don’t grow up in London without learning some survival skills. He mainly uses his powers to disorient and confuse his opponents before going for the nadgers or pulling whatever other dirty trick he can think of - and he knows quite a few of them. His chatty nature and friendly disposition are also pretty good at catching opponents off-guard. Complications: One Ugly Bugger: Being of the undead persuasion makes it very difficult for others to really warm up to him at first...he’s been shot at, stabbed, and even mopped by an overzealous young man who’d seen too many movies and assumed the zombie apocalypse was coming. Exorcisms are no-one’s friend!: The right exorcism spell can send his soul out of his body and back to wherever it was before he came back...heaven, hell, whatever. Quit being a ham!: Though he is very friendly, he's also very fond of the spotlight...a bit of trouble when stealth and guile are required. Abilities: 11 + 6 -10 + 8 + 10 + 5 = 30PP Strength: 20 (+5) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: -- Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 15 (+2) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +3 (+3 Dex) Attack: +8 Melee, (+6 Ranged) Grapple: +13 Defense: +8 (+4 Base), + Flat-Footed Knockback: -4 Saving Throws: 0 + 2 + 2 = 4PP Toughness: +7 (+3 [Protection] [Defensive Roll]) Fortitude:-- Reflex: +8 (+4 Dex, +4) Will: +8 (+4 Wis, +4) Skills: 45R = 12PP Bluff 8 (+10), Concentration 5 (+10), Escape Artist 8 (+11), Intimidate 2 (+4), Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 2 (+6), Knowledge (Streetwise) 1 (+5), Notice 4 (+9), Perform (Comedy) 3 (+5), Perform (Oratory) 3 (+5), Sense Motive 1 (+6), Sleight of Hand 8 (+11) Feats: 20PP Accurate Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Fascinate (Bluff), Fascinate (Perform), Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Disarm 2, Instant Up, Ranged Pin, Skill Mastery (Bluff,Escape Artist,Sleight of Hand,Knowledge), Sneak Attack, Taunt, Throwing Mastery 3 Powers: 19 + 30 + 3+2+6 = 60PP Alakazam! (14pp Array: Feats; 5 alternate powers) [19pp] Alternate Power: Blast 5 (Extra:Attack; Power Features:Accurate,Ricochet cost: 11/14pp 'Razor sharp playing card or ultra-hard coin') Alternate Power: Flight 1 (Flaw:Levitation, cost: 1/14pp) Alternate Power: Mind Control 7 (Extra:Conscious; Flaw:Sense-Dependent; cost: 14/14pp hypnosis with a mystical, conjured pocket watch that vanishes when used.) Alternate Power: Snare 5 (Extra:Blocks Visual Senses; Power Feat:Accurate: cost: 12/14pp 'Scarves, scarves everywhere!') Alternate Power: Stun 3 (Extra:Area - Cone (30' Long and Wide); Flaw:Fades; Power Feat:Split Attack; cost: 7/14pp. 'Conjuring a flock of doves from my sleeves! It's MAGIC!' Alternate Power: Teleport 1 (Extra :Accurate; Flaw:20ft; cost: 2/14pp. 'Disappears then reappears in a puff of smoke.' Immunity 30 (Save Effect (Fortitude) Super Strength 3 (+15 Str Carrying Capacity, Heavy Load: 1 ton) Regeneration 2 (Recovery Bonus (+2); Flaw:Limited (Can't regrow limbs); ;Power Feature:Persistent) Protection 3 Drawbacks: (-4) + (-4) = -8PP Noticeable (Zombie; Common, Major.) Vulnerable (Fire;Common,Major) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) (NOTE: The easiest way to get your DC Block to line up is to write it out in a word processor in a Courier font, then just copy/paste it into your post.) Totals: Abilities (30) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (4) + Skills (12) + Feats (20) + Powers (60) - Drawbacks (-8) = 150/150) Power Points