Doktor Archeville

Dr Archeville · June 7, 2010

2 April 2010

Thaneuronic Radiation

A unique form of energy that interacts with brainwaves/neural energies in a most disharmonious way. The name I have coined for it comes from the Greek word for death (thanatos) and the word neuron (which is a Latin derivative; using the Latin derivative for death -- mors, mortis -- does not have the same audible flow). A weapon utilizing this energy would do more damage to someone the smarter they are! Which makes it the perfect failsafe against me.

But who to trust it to? Scarab seems an obvious choice, but that's also why she'd be the first one I'd take out if I ever did go (fully) mad. Arrowhawk? Perhaps, though he would want it in arrow form (which I could do for him). Gossamer? No, too inexperienced, she would probably pull the trigger too late. The Interceptors? Colt is a crack aim, so he would be the best bet to use it, and Jack of all Blades may be able to use his powers to create a blade of thaneuronic radiation, so it would be two-on-one. However, again, if I go off the rails one of my first acts would probably be to brainwash or destroy them.

Device 8 (40 points, Easy to Lose) [24pp]
Blast 18 (Extra: Alternate Save/Fortitude; Flaw: Max rank of Blast is limited to target's Intelligence modifier; PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 2) [40pp]

The disturbing part of this? I found these schematics and energy readings in a file labeled "Anti-Quark Gun."

Dr Archeville · September 13, 2010

16 April 2010

Following Captain Knievel and Malice's break-in of the Hanover ArcheTech facility, and of the "Dracula" incident at the same locale while helping Jack & Taylor deliver their child, it has become clear I must redouble the security at my facilities. While I am at it, I may as well improve the communications and sensor systems for the facilities. And while I am doing that, I may as well look at overhauling certain aspects of the special ArcheTech facilities (ArcheStern, FjÃ¶lnirskraft, and Schloss Wissenschaft), and my own home in Hanover.

On a more personal note, I also have some ideas for improving my own gear, as several flaws became apparent during the recent battles. I will address those later.

I had used the Darts, Inc. systems as a base for the ArcheTech ones, since doing so was quicker and easier than starting from scratch. I thought I had erased any backdoors which Eric Micheals could have used to hack back in, but I clearly mistaken. So I am writing an all-new security routine, with fractal-encrypted protocols. Scanners will now verify both the security badge that all employees and guests must wear as well as the person wearing it, to insure that a person is not wearing someone elses badge, made possible in part by improved facial recognition software and galvanic skin response meters unobtrusively concealed in all doorknobs (which is not a method of identifying someone, as a fingerprint or retinal scan would be, but can detect other variances in a person's bioelectric field, which may be enough to detect an otherwise undetectable shapeshifter, or a cyborg, extraterrestrial, or certain types of metahumans).

Ultra-security areas require at least two passwords, and the passwords themselves are encrypted. The first password is routine enough, and causes a short personalized greeting to appear, which includes the time down to the hundredths of a second. The second password for a given area consists of a series of alphanumeric characters (chosen by the account owner) ending in a three-digit sequence. The hundredths of a second included in the initial greeting must be added to that final three-digit sequence of the second password, and any invalid entry is assumed to be an intrusion and the system locks down. Thus, even if a password is left laying around, it will do a would-be hacker no good unless they also know about the additional time factor. Projects deemed sensitive enough to require further security will require more and more complex passwords.

Communications between facilities will now be conducted via an uplink with a dedicated satellite (I may need to add more as ArcheTech grows), as well as the systems at ArcheStern.

I am also going to add force screens to the ArcheTech facilities, as well as to my own home in Hanover, Schloss Wissenschaft, FjÃ¶lnirskraft, and ArcheStern. The first three get attacked a lot, and my super-sub and space station can certainly benefit from the increased protection.

I am also going to add a new type of repair drone to all facilities, similar to the ones I worked on for Scarab's Lair.

My Hanover Home, Archestern, and Fjolnirskraft are all also benefiting from a new type of repair drone, similar to the ones I worked on for Scarab's Lair.

Now, my own, personal gear. I have plans for further improvements to my Gravimetric Belt, and the assortment of items kept in my "Utility Labcoat." I will add deflective properties to the Belt's primary force field, so it can turn away some blows as well as absorb their energy to protect me from harm. This will free my mind for other combat applications, such as calculating the angles and vectors needed to get off a precise shot. A drawback is that some of the parts needed for this deflective function will need to be cannibalized from the flight and teleportation systems; I calculate that after I am done, the Belt can only reach a top speed of 4,000 mph, and teleport me a maximum of two hundred miles (which is still more than enough for my day-to-day activities).

My "Utility Labcoat" will receive a bigger overhaul, for just about every component in it. Improved chemical reactions can increase the efficacy of the assorted explosives, and streamlined cases combined with raised braille-like labels (and some training from Colt) will make it easier for me to draw them when needed. I also have ideas on an assortment of collapsible weapons, similar to that bat Erin White carries around.

30 April 2010

Two weeks to finish it all. Not bad.

Unfortunately, I was not able to find the power or space requirements for the force screens for ArcheStern or Schloss Wissenschaft, but I am sure I can eventually.

The composite construction of Schloss Wissenschaft has thus far proved too confusing for the repair drones, so they are not present at that location. Also, I decided not to include them at the regular ArcheTech facilities yet, due to some 'bugs' that are still being worked out. (If they are to run rampant, I would rather it be at my home, which I can quickly lock down, or at my most remote locations, Archestern and Fjolnirskraft, to minimize their impact.)

The improvements to my Belt's primary force field required more components than I anticipated; the impact countering function has been removed, though it is not as if I ever used that function much anyway. On a more positive note, as I worked on improving the Primary Force Field I hit upon some ideas to improve the Cloaking Field (improved stealth capabilities), Interphase Field (better cohesion of form, reducing damage from any attacks that can affect me), and the Shrinking Field (improved molecular cohesion, for better protection). Attempts to crate an Interphase Cloaking Field, rendering my intangible and invisible/undetectable, thus far remain unsuccessful.

(See here for game stats of upgrades)

Dr Archeville · September 15, 2010

1 May 2010

Success! Well, not fully, but I have hit another milestone in my development of treatments for certain chronic medical ailments... and I have Solo Takashi to thank for it!

A little over a year ago, I and several other heroes were subjected to Doc Otaku's experimental Gender Ray, which turned men into woman and vice versa. After we tracked him down I was able to use the device and Otaku's notes to reverse the process, and though Otaku managed to escape, I was able to salvage the device and its schematics. The devices used a low-frequency biorestorative radiation to stimulate regeneration of the Y-chromosome (which is really just a broken X-chromosome), turning it into an X-chromosome (and thus a man into a woman); in a target that already had XX chromosomes, it altered one of them at random to emit chemical signals which caused the body's natural immune system to attack and dissolve part of it, turning it into a Y-chromosome (and thus a woman into a man). Of course, each and every cell of the target had to be hit by the transformative radiation, and it did take a few minutes for the anatomical changes to occur.

However, I do not believe Otaku fully knew just how revolutionary this device was. With a bit of modification, I was able to use the device to inflict any sort of sex-linked chromosomal abnormality -- Klinefelter's syndrome (XXY), Turner syndrome (XO), double-Y male (XYY), and others, as well as reversing said conditions. (Attempts to use the device to create androgynes/hermaphrodites have thus far met with no success.)

Device 10 (Sex Chromosome Alteration Ray; 50 points, Easy to Lose) [30pp]

Transform 10 (person to person with a different sex chromosome arrangement [4/rank]; Extra: Duration [Continuous]) [50p]

But this is just the tip of the genetic iceberg! If I can get it to work on the autosomes -- the non-sex-determining chromsomes -- I can use it to cure any trisomy (extra chromosome) or monosomy (missing/damaged chromosome) disease, such as Down syndrome (extra 21st chromosome), Edwards syndrome (extra 18th chromosomse), Patau syndrome (extra 13th chromosome), Wolfâ€“Hirschhorn syndrome (deletion of part of the 4th chromosome), Williams syndrome (deletion of part of the 7th chromosome), Jacobsen syndrome (deletion of part of the 11th chromosome), and many others. It could even pave the way for an "eternal youth" treatment, by regenerating the telomeres at the end of each chromosome!

It could not, on its own, be used to aid those suffering from ailments caused by chromosomal translocations, which includes many forms of leukemia, lymphoma, sarcoma, and other cancers... and some forms of schizophrenia. Unless I can figure out how to get it to delete the 'incorrect' sequences and then replace them with regenerated 'correct' sequences, a considerably trickier proposition.

Bah! Otaku sought to sow confusion, but I can turn this into something more deadly than he could ever imagine! Reversing the polarity of his biorestorative radiation creates a beam which not only causes grievous wounds, but those wounds take an exceedingly long time to heal! And unlike most such weapons, which only target the accelerated regenerative capabilities found in certain superhumans, this disrupts every function of the body down to the chromosomal level, which includes the natural healing and immune processes!

Device 11 (Biodisruptive Ray; 55 points, Easy to Lose) [33pp]

Blast 10 (Extra: Alternate Save [Fortitude]; PF: Incurable), Linked Drain Constitution 10 (Extra: Range [Ranged]; PFs: Incurable, Slow Fade 3 [1pp per 20 minutes]) [31+24=55p]
Note that draining Constitution not only decreases the Fortitude save (making it harder to resist further blasts), it also drains the Recovery Bonus (making it harder to recover from the damage). And, of course, draining Con to 0 kills the target.

Dr Archeville · October 14, 2010

2 June 2010

Today is my birthday, and on this day I once again look back upon what I have done, and what I can do.

I am constantly tinkering with my Gravimetric Belt, seeing just what I can do with my gravity-manipulating device. I also constantly test myself, stretching my mental abilities and figuring out novel ways to apply them to the myriad situations which I encounter.

[goto=Belt]Belt[/goto]

[goto=Brain]Brain[/goto]

[anchor]Belt[/anchor]

Gravitic Movement Array 8 (16 points; PF: Alternate Power) [17PP]

Base Power: Flight 7 (1,000 mph / 10,000ft [~1.9 miles] per Move Action, Feats: Instant Up, Move-By Action) [16/16PP]

Alternate Power: Teleport 7 (700ft per Move Action, 200 miles per Full Action, Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity) [16/16PP]

One of the most basic functions of the belt is the precise manipulation of gravity to permit flight. Thee same systems can warp gravity into a short-lived wormhole, allowing me to teleport from point to point.

Sample Power Stunts for Gravitic Movement Array (16PP)

Area Attack, v1: Damage 0 (Extra: Area [burst, Targeted] on up to 15 ranks; PF: Progression [Area] 1) {16/16PP}

Area Attack, v2: Damage 0 (Extra: Area [burst, Targeted] on up to 15 ranks, Selective Attack; Flaw: Action [Full Round for Damage effect]; PF: Progression [Area] 1) {16/16PP}

Area Attack, v3: Damage 0 (Extra: Area [burst, Targeted], Autofire, and Selective Attack on up to 5 ranks; PF: Progression [Area] 1) {16/16PP}

A series of rapid teleports to strike several targets near-simultaneously.

Gravitic Brakes: Immovable 16

per se

Gravitic Plough: Immovable 8 (Extra: Unstoppable)

And sometimes I want to move someone else; what a surprise it is when a big, beefy powerhouse finds they're been pushed back by a ram from a 'scrawny nerd'!

Passengers: Flight 4 (100 mph / 1,000 feet per Move Action; Extras: Affects Others + Self, Area [General, 20-ft. Burst])

By widening the field of effect, I can bring others along with me. The potency/speed is greatly reduced (a mere 10% normal), but it is still enough to get several nearby innocents quickly out of immediate danger, or carry several allies into battle.

Wormhole: Teleport 4 (400 feet per Move action, 1 mile per Full Action; Extras: Portal)

Wormhole, Long Range: Teleport 5 (5 miles per Full Action; Extras: Portal; Flaw: Long Range only)

By widening the wormhole aperture, I can create an actual portal big enough for others to go through.

Gravitic Defensive Systems 18 (36 points; PFs: Alternate Power x3) [39PP]
Base Power: Enhanced Fortitude 6 + Force Field 14 (Extras: Impervious 11; Feats: Alternate Power 3, Selective) + Shield 4 [36/36PP]
With Labcoat, total Toughness is +18 [imp 15] and Defense is +12 (+4 flat-footed).

Alternate Power: Force Field 11 (Feats: Selective, Subtle) [13PP] + Concealment 10 (All Senses, Feats: Close Range, Hide in Plain Sight, Flaws: Blending) [12PP] + Enhanced Skills 20 (Stealth 20 [+21]) [5PP] [13+12+5=30/36PP]
With Labcoat, total Toughness is +15 [imp 4] and Defense is +8 (+4 flat-footed).

Alternate Power: Force Field 14 + Insubstantial 4 (Incorporeal; Affected by Gravitic & Magnetic Effects; Feats: Selective, Subtle) [14+22=36/36PP]
With Labcoat, total Toughness is +18 [imp 4] and Defense is +8 (+4 flat-footed).

Alternate Power: Force Field 11 (Extras: Impervious 4) [15PP] + Shrinking 20 (Miniscule, -20 STR [sTR 1], -5 Toughness, +12 Attack, +12 Defense, -20 Grapple, +20 Stealth, Move 1/16th; Feats: Atomic Size) [21PP] [15+21=36/36PP]
When Minuscule, with Labcoat, total Toughness is +10 [imp 8] and Defense is +20 (+16 flat-footed); Flight speed 62.5mph / 625 feet as Move action.

The other most basic function of the Gravimetic Belt is the generation of a protective force field. Physical blows are deflected downward, and most projectiles stop and fall harmlessly to the ground; energy attacks are dispersed. A linked secondary field, generating a low-level, variable amplitude force-field, offers protection against many types of exotic attacks (such as Drains and Transforms).

The first alternate use for the field I developed was a cloaking field, using gravitic manipulation to warp electromagnetic energy (such as visible light and radio waves) around me. I later worked out how to use gravity manipulation to cancel out sound waves (in part by 'stiffening' the air molecules immediately around me so vibrations cannot propagate), which also lead (along with refinements of the Belt's life support field) to working out how to mask my scent. I eventually added in some psionic shielding as well, though only of the kind to conceal me from casual scans, not deep probes.

The Interphase Field was next. By a combination of warping spacetime about myself and altering my own mass, I can become completely intangible, much like Dark Star, though my appearance does not take on a wraithly translucency as do most other insubstantial metahumans. I am not wholly untouchable in this form, though: I must be wary of other gravitic effects, as well as magnetic ones (which cause wild spikes in the interphase field). In time I was able to work it so I could make only part of myself intangible, such as a hand or my head, though it feels quite unsettling doing so.

My most recent addition, a Shrinking Field, was based off some of my grandfather's work. Inwardly-focused gravitic fields compact me while also effectively decreasing my mass, allowing me to shrink small enough to walk between human cells. This has been a huge boon in biomedical and nanotechnological research!

There is one significant drawback to these systems: they are 'touchy' and require near-constant attention. Though it does not take a great deal of my (phenomenal) mental power to do so, situations where I cannot devote that fraction to monitoring them (such as if I am stunned by a blow in combat) can result in the fields shutting off. Which would be catastrophic if it happened while I was shrunk and performing surgery inside someone!

Sample Power Stunts for Gravitic Defensive Systems (36PP)

Basic Gravity Alteration, Close: Gravity Control 15 (Str 75, Hvy Load 400 tons, 75-ft. radius; Extra: Selective Attack; Flaw: Range [Touch]; PF: Precise, Progression [Area] 3 [750-ft. radius], Selective, Subtle) [36/36]

Basic Gravity Alteration, Far: Gravity Control 8 (Str 40, Hvy Load 3 tons, 40-ft. radius; Extras: Range [Perception], Selective Attack; PF: Precise, Progression [Area] 1 [80-ft. radius], Selective, Subtle) [36/36]

My first attempts at generating a controlled, sustainable force field met with many failures -- fields that attracted projectiles towards me with increased acceleration, or which deflected them wildly -- though I still learned much from them. Pinning down speedsters or other gadgeteers with several hundred tons, or holding powerhouses helplessly in the air, is a tactic I have seen Dark Star use to great effect many times, and I can use my Belt to do the same.

Dwarfstar Form: Shrinking 4 (Small; Extras: Compression, Normal Strength; PF: Normal Toughness) [21] + Linked Density 5 (total Density 9; +18 Str, Imp Toughness 4, Immovable 3, Super-Str 3) [15] [21+15=36/36PP]
Str 28/+9; Attack +9, Grapple +16; Defense +9, Toughness +8 (Imp 8) w/ Labcoat, Knockback -10; 2'11" (0.89 meters), 189 lbs. (85.6 kg)

increasing

Gravitic Mastery, Close Area: Move Object 8 (effective Str 40, Hvy Load 3 tons; Extras: Area [40-ft. Burst, General], Damaging, Selective Attack; Flaw: Range [Touch]; PFs: Precise, Progression [Area] 1 [80-ft. radius], Selective, Subtle) [36/36PP]

Gravitic Mastery, Ranged: Move Object 5 (effective Str 25, Hvy Load 800 lbs.; Extras: Area [25-ft. Burst, General], Damaging, Range [Perception], Selective Attack; PFs: Precise, Progression [Area] 3 [250-ft. radius], Selective, Subtle) [36/36PP]

Up or down, towards or away, I can tweak my Belt's Field to create and alter gravitic fields oriented in any direction. I can even make things implode! Of course, the primary drawback is that while doing so my Field is not protecting me.

Gravity Alteration, Personal: Super-Strength 18 (effective Str 100, Hvy Load 12,500 tons) [36/36PP]

Similar to my wide-area gravity alteration function, but focused immediately around me and only affecting the item(s) I (and the field) are in physical contact with. Great for moving bulky equipment, or grappling foes (who find their weight reduced to that of a paper doll!).

Interphase Electronics Disruption: Insubstantial 4 (Incorporeal; Affected by Gravitic & Magnetic Effects; Feats: Selective, Subtle) + Nullify Electronics 7 (all at once; Extra: Affects Corporeal; Flaw: Range [Touch]) [22+14=36/36PP]

My initial attempts at the Interphase Field had a common but very unwanted side-effect: I disrupted electrical systems whenever I passed through them. Not a desirable effect in my home! After a great deal of trial and error I was able to work out a way to become intangible without also disrupting electrical systems, but I can deactivate those safeguards in case I need to quickly shut down something.

Interphase Quantum Disintegration: Insubstantial 4 (Incorporeal; Affected by Gravitic & Magnetic Effects; Feats: Selective, Subtle) + Corrosion 1 (Extras: Affects Corporeal [2], Aura [2], Duration 2 [4] [sustained [2]]; PF: Incurable) [22+12=34/36PP]

One of my more deadly developments, and one achieved by accident (or so I hope). While working on how to prevent the electronics disrupting side effect of the Interphase Field, I found the field could (in some way I am still not entirely sure of) weaken the weak and strong nuclear forces, which are what hold atomic and subatomic particles together, weakening and eventually disintegrating whatever I passed through. On the upside, once I figure out how it does that, it will be a cornerstone for the Theory of Everything!

Unshielded Power Core: Strike 15 (Extras: Area [General, 15,000-ft. {2.8 miles} Burst], Penetrating; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Progression 8; Drawbacks: Full Power, Lethal) [36/36PP]

lot

[anchor]Brain[/anchor]

Pseudonaturally Enhanced Mind 8 (16PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power x5, Subtle; Drawbacks: Action [Move]) [21PP]
Base Power: Enhanced Intelligence 16 (to 40 [+15]; ErhÃ¶ht Intellekt/"Enhanced Intellect") [16PP]

Alternate Power: Enhanced Wisdom 16 (to 36 [+13]; ErhÃ¶ht Bewusstsein/"Enhanced Awareness") [16PP]

Alternate Power: Enhanced Charisma 16 (to 26 [+8]; ErhÃ¶ht Gegenwart/"Enhanced Presence") [16PP]

Alternate Power: Comprehend 4 (Codes 1, Languages 3 [Read/Write/Speak/Understand All Languages]) [8PP] & Enhanced Intelligence 8 (to 32 [+11]) [6PP] (Linguistische Analyse/"Linguistic Analysis") [8+8=16/16PP]

Alternate Power: Enhanced Feats 16 (Attack Focus [Melee] 2, Attack Specialization [unarmed] 5, Improved Critical 2 [unarmed], Improved Disarm, Power Attack, Sneak Attack 3, Takedown Attack 2) (Anatomisches Wissen/Anatomical Knowledge) [16/16PP]
Melee Attack +10, Unarmed Attack +20, Unarmed Damage +0, +5 w/ Sneak Attack. The Unarmed Attack Specialization does not apply to any weapons he pulls from his Utility Coat, not even brass or power knuckles, though the Melee Attack Focus does.

Alternate Power: Enhanced Feats 16 (Attack Focus [Ranged] 5, Improved Aim, Improved Ranged Disarm, Precise Shot 2, Ranged Pin, Ricochet, Throwing Mastery 5) (Berechnung der Winkel und der Vektoren/Calculating Angles & Vectors) [16/16PP]
Ranged Attack +13, Damage +5 w/ any thrown object, +8 w/ Throwing Discs (+10 w/ Sneak Attack & Throwing Disc).

My mind: the most potent tool and weapon at my disposal!

But how to explain it? The effects of superhuman strength or agility or endurance are all easily described, even if the exact mechanism varies; they are physical things, which most people can more easily comprehend than abstracts like thought. And it does not help that intelligence itself is a somewhat broad and poorly-defined term, with dozens of theories on the nature of it.

Intelligence -- though it may be more accurate to use the broader term "a Mind" -- contains many components: acquisition, retention/memory, performance, and transfer/teaching; mathematical and logical reasoning (including abstract pattern recognition); linguistic communication and musical faculty (sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones, and music); spatial visualization; interpersonal intelligence (sensitivity to others' moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations, and their ability to cooperate in order to work as part of a group); intrapersonal intelligence (introspective and self-reflective capacities, intuition, understanding of self); and even kinesthetic (control of one's bodily motions and the capacity to handle objects skillfully). Most metahumans who have an "enhanced mind" typically have just a few of those components at a superhuman level (and so, in a way, are super-savants). Not me -- all aspects of my mind are enhanced. Or, rather, can be enhanced.

A human brain, even a metahuman one, has its limits; a biological structure of this size and complexity can only hold so much. (I have worked on nano-scale self-replicating bioceramic structures based on neural networks which match or exceed these limits.) However, I can send my mind into a variety of mental or emotional states, yet retain awareness of the state (and am able to restore my original condition). By doing so, I can apply my mind in any way I could need or want. It takes a bit of time to 'change gears,' though, like a ballerina's kinesthetic knowledge, my ability to do so has become more efficient and effortless with practice.

(Well, that is not wholly true, as I do not have complete control over my mind and its emotional states. If I did, I would not have to keep worrying about my Other self. Nor would I wake up to find I have sketched out blueprints for horrendous doomsday devices while half-asleep.)

A complication: my brain looks completely normal to most scans. Of course, most non-metahuman brains look the same despite differing levels in intellect, but among metahumans, those with enhanced intellect do frequently show some physical alteration to the brain. The only difference in mine are a slightly increased number of dendrites, the branches between my neurons, but nowhere near as many as seen in Metahumans with psionic abilities. My best hypothesis is that this small change allows my brain to access some other dimension -- perhaps something like the 'astral plane' some psionics speak of -- which funnels more power into my mind. This is the main reason I have been reluctant to alter myself with mutations or cybernetics -- I do not know how they would interact with my fantastic brain.

Archeville's Enhanced Mind is the result of his being descended from someone who was experimented on by Deep Ones, and had bits of some pseudonatural creature grafted to him. His powers do not register on a Detect Metahuman/Mutant scan, for the same reason Captain Marvel or Blue Devil would show up on a Detect Mutants scan (different descriptors). He does show on Detect Magic and Magic Awareness, though the Subtle power feat means the observer must succeed at a DC 20 Notice check to register it.
Oh, and those extra dendrites -- they're itty, bitty tentacles...

Sample Power Stunts for (Pseudonaturally) Enhanced Mind 8 (16PP)

Activate Post-Hypnotic Suggestion: Mind Control 15 (Extras: Conscious; Flaws: Action [Full Round], Sense-Dependent; PF: Subtle) [16/16PP]

Setting up post-hypnotic suggestions is easy enough, though time consuming. They can take days, weeks, or even months to put in place (depending on their complexity and how well it meshes with the subject's existing personality), but once in place, a simple audio or visual trigger can set it off. I prefer to use trigger phrases rather than trigger words, or video clips rather than images; the longer the trigger, the smaller the chance of it being set off prematurely.

Analytical Foresight: Super-Senses 5 (Acute Precognition; Drawbacks: Action 3 [Full Round]) + Enhanced Intelligence 8 (to 32/+11; Flaw: Limited to predicting the future) + Enhanced Wisdom 8 (to 28/+9; Flaw: Limited to predicting the future) [2+4+4 = 10/16PP]

Calculating Angles & Vectors, v2: Damage 0 (Extras: Area [burst, Targeted] and Selective Attack for up to 8 ranks) {16/16}

Analyzing the weak points of a group, how they move and react to their targets and each other, I can predict where they will move and make sure to place a flurry of strikes in the appropriate locations.

Bad Trip: Super-Senses 15 (Aura Reading [Ranged Detect Mood {mental}, Ranged Defect Physical Condition {mental}, Psychic Awareness], True Sight [Vision Counters Concealment, Counters Illusion, Counters Obscure {all}, Detect Hidden]) [15/16PP]

all

Debating a Vastly Superior Intellect: Mind Control 15 (Extras: Conscious; Flaws: Action [Full Round], Hearing-Dependent; PF: Subtle; Drawbacks: Action 2 [5 Minutes]) [14/16PP]

Superman: Red Son

Deductive Observation: Enhanced Wisdom 12 (to 32/+11) + Mind Reading 15 (Extra: Insidious; Flaws: Action [Full Round], Limited [Must Carefully & Closely {within 30 feet} Observe Subject And Their Facial Expressions], Limited [surface Thoughts]; PF: Subtle; Drawback: Action 2 [5 Minutes]) [12+4=16/16PP]

My mental abilities do not include telepathy, but I can often figure out what people are thinking -- even without directly interacting with them -- through a combination of careful observation and my vast psychological knowledge.

Deductive Reasoning: Super-Senses 6 (Acute Analytical Postcognition; Drawbacks: Action 3 [Full Round]) + Enhanced Intelligence 8 (to 32/+11; Flaw: Limited to postcognition/piecing together what happened) + Enhanced Wisdom 8 (to 28/+9; Flaw: Limited to postcognition/piecing together what happened) [3+4+4=11/16PP]

Explosively Overclocking My Brain: Enhanced Intelligence 26 (to 50 [+20]; Extras: Linked [Quickness]; Flaws: Side-Effect) [13PP] + Quickness 9 ( to Quickness 15 [x100,000]; Extra: Linked [Enhanced Intelligence]; Flaws: Limited [Mental Tasks], Side-Effect) [3PP] [13+3=16/16PP]

Side-Effect: Confuse 10 + Damage 10 (Extra: Alternate Save [Will]) [30PP]

Most athletes strain their bodies to new heights, and Many metahumans do the same with their powers, pushing themselves to the point of self-harm. I can do the same with my fantastic brain, with equally unpleasant side-effects. This state also makes it more difficult to work with others -- at this level of cognition, conventional languages are imprecise and unwieldy for my needs.

Glib Linguist: Comprehend 3 (Languages 3 [Read/Write/Speak/Understand All Languages]) [6PP] & Enhanced Charisma 10 (to 20 [+5]) [10PP] [6+10=16/16PP]

any

"He's Probably At...": Telelocation 7 (200 miles; Extra: Insidious; PF: Subtle) + Enhanced Quickness 3 (x10; Flaw: Limited [one task {extended searches}]) [15+1=16/16PP]

Note: requires 10 mins with existing Quickness 6 [total 9], or 1 min with Quickness 9 [total 12].

People follow patterns and routines, and a knowledge of these allow me to predict where a person might be at any given moment. Of course, by the time I get to where I calculate they would be, they may have moved on.

Hitting the Weak Spot for Massive Damage, Melee: Strike 15 (PF: Accurate) {16/16}
Hitting the Weak Spot for Massive Damage, Ranged: Blast 15 (Flaw: Action [Full Round]; PF: Accurate) {16/16}

+8 Att/Dam 16 (18) = PL 13. +12 Att/Dam 14 (16) = PL 14. +14 Att/Dam 13 (15) = PL 15. +16 Att/Dam 12 (14) = PL 15.

All structures have weak spots, and I can often exploit them. Ranged versions take slightly longer to calculate, due to the increased number of variables between the target and myself.

Hitting the Weak Spot for Massive Damage, V2, Melee: Enhanced Strike 14 (PF: Variable Descriptor 2 [any]) {16/16}

Hitting the Weak Spot for Massive Damage, V2, Ranged: Enhanced Blast 7 (PF: Variable Descriptor 2 [any]) {16/16}

(A souped-up version of Power Attack -- rather than using his Enhanced Mind to hit more accurately [increased Attack], he's using it to hit more any vital/weak spots more precisely [as if trading Attack for Damage].)

Hyper-Awareness: Enhanced Skills 28 (Notice +12 [17r {+22} total], Search 16 [16r {+23} total]) + Super-Senses 9 (accurate for normal hearing, acute for normal olfactory; detect concealed weapons [visual; Extra: analytical], detect weakness [visual; Extra: analytical], detect physical condition [visual; Extra: analytical]) [7+9=16/16PP]

People rely largely on their vision to sense their environment, but sounds and smells can carry just as much, if not more, information. I have trained myself so that, with a moment's preparation, my auditory and olfactory senses are used as equally as my vision, and I take in everything, no matter how small or seemingly irrelevant. This increased sensory input, coupled with my super-fast processing and analyzing, allows me to diagnose their general health, detect any weaknesses or vulnerabilities a target may have, and detect if they are concealing any weapons on their person.

"Let's Talk": Enhanced Charisma 12 (to 22/+6) + Mind Reading 15 (Extra: Insidious; Flaws: Action [Full Round], Limited [Must Converse with Subject], Limited [surface Thoughts]; PF: Subtle; Drawback: Action 2 [5 Minutes]) [12+4=16/16PP]

"Suave, sophisticated, and scintillating" is a phrase I have heard used to describe me, particularly when I use my personal magnetism to pry secrets out of others without them even knowing about it. All I need do is talk to the subject for a few minutes, and I can learn many things they might not otherwise divulge.

Logic Bomb v1: Confuse 15 (Extra: Range [Perception]; Flaw: Sense-Dependent [Hearing]; PF: Incurable) [16/16PP]
Logic Bomb v2: Stun 15 (Extra: Range 2 [Perception]; Flaw: Action [Full], Limited [Daze only], Sense-Dependent [Hearing]; PF: Subtle) [16/16PP]
Swap Hearing-Dependent for Sight-Dependent as needed.

Pseudonatural Rage: Enhanced Feats 8 (Attack Focus [Melee] 3, Rage 5 [+10 Str, +5 Fort & Will, -2 Defense; lasts 10 rounds]) + Protection 8. [8+8=16/16PP]

Melee attack +11, +5 damage unarmed (+7 w/ sneak attack), Defense 16, Toughness 12 [imp 4] w/ Labcoat.

harness

Rapid Reprogramming v1: Power Control 15 (Extras: Conscious, Effortless; Flaws: Limited [technological powers only], Range 2 [Touch]) [15/16PP]

Even if stripped of my gear, I can still put up a good fight against battlesuits or cyborgs, provided I can reach their gear. I can do a lot by inserting an on-the-fly coded virus, or simply accessing their external controls.

Rapid Reprogramming v2 / Wire Pulling v1: Nullify 15 (all effects of a technological descriptor at once; Flaw: Range [Touch]; PF: Selective) [16/16PP]

Rapid Reprogramming v3 / Wire Pulling v2: Nullify 7 (all effects of a technological descriptor at once; Extra: Duration [Concentration]; Flaw: Range [Touch]; PF: Selective) [15/16PP]

Or I can reprogram it to lock them out of their systems. Or just start yanking wires and hope for the best!

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Blast 10 (Flaw: Action [Full Round]; PFs: Indirect 3, Subtle, Variable Effect 2). [16/16PP]
Alternatively, Snare, with the same rank and modifiers.

Rube Goldberg's contraptions

Fringe, season 3, episode 3 ("The Plateau")

Quickness 6 (x100, Flaws: Limited [Mental Tasks]) [3PP]

My mind woks fast -- remarkably fast! Though it is not just that I can think fast -- I can also hold multiple trains of thought simultaneously. Which is quite a useful trait when I am working on inventing some new bit of technology, as I can work on multiple systems in my head simultaneously.

Sample Power Stunts for Mental Quickness 6 (3PP)

Bullet Time, Defensive v1: Enhanced Feats 3 (Defensive Roll, Dodge Focus 2)

Without Belt/Force Field, but with Lab Coat, Defense is +10 (+4 flat-footed), Toughness +6 (+4 flat-footed) = PL 8

Bullet Time, Defensive v2: Enhanced Feats 3 (Defensive Roll 3)

Without Belt/Force Field, but with Lab Coat, Defense is +8 (+4 flat-footed), Toughness +10 (+4 flat-footed) = PL 9

My mind cannot go as fast as my body, but with a bit of preparation, I can dodge or roll with most attacks.

Bullet Time, Offensive: Enhanced Feats 3 (Attack Focus [ranged] 3)
Ranged attack +11, or +16 if also using Calculating Angles & Vectors.

Taking a few moments -- relatively speaking, that is -- to aim can make all the difference.

Lightning Calculator: Super-Senses 3 (direction sense, distance sense, time sense)

Time can easily be determined by observing the angles of sunlight (presuming I know where I am).

Speed Reader: Quickness 9 (x1,000; Flaw: Only for reading [can possibly use this setting to Take 20 on Knowledge checks in 3.6 seconds/1 Action])

Sometimes I must absorb a great deal of information very quickly, faster than I normally do. With effort and extreme concentration, I can boost my data extraction & comprehension rates tenfold.

Parts of this post were inspired by/stolen from Understand, a novelette by Ted Chiang.

Dr Archeville · October 31, 2010

3 September 2010

While going through some old papers, I found an old journal entry, on how I would present myself to the world, including copious notes on how I would speak. But ever since I 'cast' that 'summoning spell' at Jack and Taylor's house, my Other has been silent -- no, purged! -- I do not need to carry on the charade! I can speak now in day-to-day interactions as I do with my closest friends and allies. But how to account for it? I certainly do not want to advertise my prior mental problems, that my exaggerated accent was a compromise with my Other self (who insisted I speak only in German, "the one truly civilized tongue," it would say)... perhaps a consultation with the spin doctors at ArcheTech's PR department is in order. Perhaps something along the lines of "presenting a less Euro-centric front in order to better entice American investors."

Quote

I have tried to be consistent in my horribly exaggerated and mangled German accent of Doktor Archeville, primarily with letter substitutions. This is made easier by the fact that there are many words that are spelled almost the same in German as in English and have the same meaning (and many words that are spelled the same way and have the same meaning in German and English).
Where a word has a hard "c" in it, it becomes a "k". alkohol, aspekt, direkt, Doktor, musik, perfekt, projekt, and so on.

V is pronounced either as v or f, depending on the word. W is always pronounced as v (Wagner is pronounced Vagner), at least if it is at the beginning of a word.

German doesn't have a sound for the English "th" sound. The "h" is usually silent, as in the words theorie (theory) or theologie (theology) -- yes, this means Thule should be pronounced more like "tool" -- but sometimes the "th" is replaced with a "d", as in the words diese (these) or ding (thing).

Umlauts (the most Metal of diacritical marks) slightly alter the sound of a vowel (and thus how that vowel is written). Umlaut-a [ä] can become either ai (as in hair) or e (as in let), umlaut-o [ö] becomes uo sound (as in learn), and umlaut-u [ü] becomes uu (as in lure).

And there is always the peppering in of random German words and phrases. Like und for "and"; der, die, or das for "the" or "that" (der for masculine, die for feminine, das for neuter); nein for "no" and ja for "yes"; or mit for "with".

That = "dat" (or der for masculine, die for feminine, das for neuter)

The = "de" (or der/die/das, as above)

Them = "sem" (from sie, the direct object form of "them")

There = "dere"

These = diese

They = "sey" (from sie)

Thing = ding

Think = "denk" (from denke)

This = "dis"

What = "vhat" or "vas" (from was)

When = "vhen" or "vann" (from wann)

Wine = Wein

With = mit

Hunger ist das beste Gewürz. = Hunger is the best spice.

Kleider machen Leute. = Clothes make(th) the man.

Versuchen ist mehr wert als studieren. = Trying is worth more than studying.

Vorsprung durch Technik. = Advantage through technology.

Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt. = Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Schadenfreud: Quite famous for its meaning that somehow other languages neglected to recognize, this refers to the feeling of pleasure derived by seeing another's misfortune.

Torschlusspanik: Translated literally, this word means "gate-closing panic," but its contextual meaning refers to "the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages."

Waldeinsamkeit: The feeling of being alone in the woods.

Spoiler

For my charade as Jean-Louis "Chevalier" Baudet, I shall affect a French accent. Easy enough for me to do:

replace "th" with "dz"

This, that, and the other = dzis, dzat, and dze odzer

replace short "i" with "ee"

This spirit = Dzees spireet

And the occasional French word

oui, non, monsieur, mademoiselle, and so on

Edited March 25, 2019 by Dr Archeville

Dr Archeville · May 21, 2011

16 September 2010

I finally told Mona everything about my fractured psyche last night. She took it... better than I had hoped! Such a weight off my chest! I am going to show her such a time at Oktoberfest this year!

20 September 2010

Odd dreams last night, fire and screaming. Remnants of my Other, resurfacing now that I am Oktoberfest, where I usually gave it freer reign? Will contact Scarab to take a peek.

11 October 2010

D-Scanners picked up a flare of activity in the Lantern Hill area last night, but the event was too short to get solid readings. Will go by there today to investigate.

Addendum: Traced the D-breach to St. Stephen's Church, which looked like there had been a war inside. Their most prominent resident, fellow Leaguer Freedom Angel, saw nothing, as he was out on patrol when it happened, but after some... whatever it is he does, he muttered something about 'an evil being banished.' Some sort of exorcism? Must investigate further.

22 October 2010
Hired a truly gifted young researcher today: the heroine Miss Americana! (I had first met her back in August, during the 2010 Brainiac Brunch.) Though she already has her own laboratory, I predict she will be happy to have the resources ArcheTech can provide.

23 October 2010
Another odd dream last night, this one of storms, lightning, over a dark body of water. One of the bolts struck me, and I fell into the icy water... then awoke. Perhaps I should look in to dream imagery.

1 November 2010
Got word of an oddity in the coroner's office: a cat-woman, sporting numerous skin lesions, found three days ago. Noted presence of fluid in lungs, but unsure if that is from drowning or from whatever illness she had. No luck in identifying her, though if she was the victim of some unscrupulous scientist's experiments, dental records and DNA tests would no longer match.
I think I will go down and conduct my own examinations. If her felinoid nature is due to genetic tampering, I may recognize certain 'signature elements' and identify who changed her. Though my initial guess is that it is some new splicer, and the lesions and other symptoms are unintended side-effects of the mutation process.

11 November 2010
Noticed unexplained increase in power use in sub-basement two. Mona has been using my Hazard Hall a lot lately; most likely overloads from the strain, since I did not design it with someone of her unique abilities in mind.
Brighter side, these samples I got from 'Kid Cthulhu' yesterday should yield all sorts of fascinating results!

13 December 2010
Disturbing discovery by police today: a double murder, Lion and Finder. Finder I knew by reputation, but Lion was someone I had talked with just the other day! Both were fine heroes, and their loss is a blow to us all.
Were the both targeted? One targeted, the other happened on the scene? Who did this, and why? One assailant, or multiple?
A shame Dark Star is not around, he knew Finder, and would know if she had enemies. This lack of background information will make my investigation more difficult. But that is not going to stop me.

26 December 2010
I love my Interceptors. They have become more than a team of (mostly) homeless heroes with PR issues, more than outstandingly proficient protectors of West End, more than a failsafe to put me down should I go completely off my rockers -- they are family.

8 January 2011
Another odd dream last night: me (from my own PoV), chasing after trio of women. No, of teens, girls. A blonde (well, bleached blonde), a brunette, and a redhead (well, hot pink). None of them looked familiar, so they were not anyone I had met before, though it is possible they were conglomerations of assorted blondes, brunettes, and redheads I have had dalliances with over the years. A (wholly normal and standard) reaction to Mona moving in with me, fears of us taking things to a new level? A yearning for my freer, more hedonistic times?

10 January 2011
Came down to biochem lab, found an empty container on the floor (which I found by almost tripping over it). Security footage does not show me doing any 'sleep-working,' but does show some of my butlerbots in there at an atypical time. Will review their logs and operating systems for any errors.

11 January 2010

Had to do another autopsy today -- on the Black Priestess. She was making another escape attempt from Blackstone, an overload in the shock-screens killed her. Some fascinating cellular structures there... but... I am more concerned about how she was yet another alien come to Earth for conquest. Are there really so few benevolent aliens out there? Wouldn't the societal structure needed to develop advanced spacecraft require a degree of peaceful camaraderie? Shouldn't the desire to meet and learn from other cultures supersede the drive to stamp out that which is different? There is so much we all could learn from one another, if we would allow ourselve.

15 January 2011

Mona is finally moved in! And, despite (or perhaps because of) the harsher-than-usual troubles we had in doing so, I feel a calm and tranquility I have not felt since... well... ever!

The calm is also due to Evil!Dok being sated from his recent
spree.

Dr Archeville · May 26, 2011

4 February 2011

Four days ago I was in space, with Blueshift, Push, Supercape, and Victory. We destroyed as asteroid near Pluto, one the size of the state of New Jersey, which, if left unchecked, would have collided with Earth in six years, killing everything. The mission was a success, with only some minor hiccups along the way. However, I keep thinking about one thing: the way we got there.

The Freedom League's Pegasus-class Space Plane, created by Daedalus (based on his earlier Icarus-class spacecraft, the one he and Pseudo used for their 1975-1993 off-world 'sabbatical'), can reach speeds of 8,046 kph (Mach 6.6, or 5,000 mph) in atmosphere, and 25c (25 light years/year, or roughly 1 ly [10,000,000,000,000 kilometers] per 2 weeks) in space via the stardrive he developed. With it, we were able to reach the asteroid (which was, I reiterate, near Pluto) in about ten minutes. Now, this is a fine speed for intra-system jaunts, but for traveling to other systems, this is woefully inadequate. At its maximum speed, a Pegasus would take almost two months to reach our nearest stars (4.3 ly away), Alpha Centauri A/Alpha Centauri B/Proxima Centauri. (I suspect he discovered some wormholes -- either a natural network, or one set up by other sapients -- to get around quicker. Or was towed by something faster!)

He should be able to design and construct something faster, but why has he not? Two reasons come to mind. One, he has not placed it as a big priority, given everything else on his plate, and this is something with which I am woefully familiar. Two, even were this not the case, he sees little need to go faster: space is almost incomprehensibly huge (almost, except for meta-intellects like he and I), and there is so little we know about it, so he would want to take some time to explore things, like the explorers in the Age of Discovery.

Quote

Distance from the Earth to the Moon = 238,900 miles

1 astronomical unit [au], the distance from the Sun to the Earth = 149,597,870.7 km = 92,955,807.2 [~100M] miles

Interplanetary Distances

Sun to Mercury: 0.39 au

Sun to Venus: 0.72 au

Sun to the Earth: 1.00 au

Sun to Mars: 1.52

Sun to Jupiter: 5.20 au

Sun to Saturn: 9.54 au

Sun to Uranus: 19.22 au

Sun to Neptune: 30.06 au

Diameter of the Sol System: approx. 60 au

1 light year [ly], the distance light can travel in one year = 6,324.1 au = 9,460,730,472,580.8 km = 5,878,625,373,183.6 [~6T] miles

1 parsec [pc] = 3.261 ly, or 206,265 [~200k] au, or 19,173,511,577,000 [~20T] miles

Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our planet (other than Sol), is 4.2465 ly from Earth.

4.2465 ly = 26,855.3 [~25k] au = 24,963,582,647,224.2 [~25T] miles

The Milky Way – the galaxy which contains our Solar System – is ~105,700 light years across (diameter; 52,850 ly radius), and about 1,000 ly thick at the spiral arms (about 2k ly thick at the bulge in the middle). Sol is about 26k ly from the core of the Milky Way. It contains about 250B stars.

105.7k ly = 621,370,701,945,506,520 [~620P] miles

Interstellar Distances

Alpha Centauri – the next closest star [system] – is about 4.3 ly away.

Barnard’s Star, the second closest, is 5.94 ly from Sol.

Wolf 359 (in the constellation Leo) is 7.85 ly from Sol.

Sirius (in the constellation of Canis Major), the brightest star in the night sky, is 8.7 ly from Sol.

Epsilon Eridani, aka Ran, the 3rd closest star visible to the naked eye from Earth, is 10.5 ly from Sol.

Procyon (in the constellation of Canis Minor), the 8th brightest star, 11.46 ly from Sol.

Tau Ceti (in the constellation Cetus) is 11.9 ly from Sol.

Altair (in the constellation of Aquila), the 12th brightest star, is 16.7 ly from Sol.

Fomalhaut (in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus), the 18th brightest star, is 25 ly from Sol.

Vega (in the constellation Lyra), the 5th brightest star, is 25 ly from Sol.

Arcturus (in the constellation of Boötes), the 4th brightest star, is 36.37 ly from Sol.

Aldebaran (in the constellation of Taurus), the 14th brightest star, is 65 ly from Sol.

Algol, the Demon Star (in the constellation of Perseus), is 90 ly from Sol.

The Hyades Cluster is ~153 ly from Sol.

Polaris, the North Star (in the constellation of Ursa Minor), the 48th brightest star, is 430 ly from Sol.

The Pleiades Cluster, aka the Seven Sisters, is ~444 ly from Sol.

Betelgeuse (in the constellation of Orion), the 10th brightest star, is 548 ly from Sol.

Antares (in the constellation of Scorpius), the 15th brightest star, is 550 ly from Sol.

The Helical/Helix Nebula, aka The Eye of God, aka the Eye of Sauron (in the constellation of Aquarius), is 650 ly from Sol.

Rigel (in the constellation of Orion), the 7th brightest star, is 863 ly from Sol.

Deneb (in the constellation of Cygnus), the 19th brightest star, is 2.6k ly from Sol.

The Cat's Eye Nebula is about 3.3k ly from Sol.

Intergalactic Distances

The galaxy closest to us, the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy (Sgr dSph) aka the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (Sgr dE or Sag DEG), is 70k ly from Sol, and is roughly 10k ly in diameter.

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the second closest galaxy, 163k ly away, and is about 32k ly across. It has about 20B stars.

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), the third closest, is 200k ly away, and has a diameter of about 18k ly. It has about 3B stars.

The Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy (Peg DIG) is about 3M ly from Sol, and has a diameter of about 26k ly.

The Andromeda Galaxy – the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way (approx. 2,500,000,000 [2.5B] ly, or ~15Z miles, from Sol) – is ~152,000 ly across (diameters; 76,000 ly radius). It has approximately 1T stars.

The observable universe is ~93,000,000,000 [93B] ly in diameter (46,500,000,000 ly radius), filled with an estimated 2,000,000,000,000 [2T] galaxies.

93B ly = 546,712,159,706,074,800,000 [~550Z] miles

However, you cannot explore the furthest stars if your grandchildren would be dead of old age before getting to it! But he seems unwilling (or unable?) to improve upon it, and few others seem truly interested in doing so (though that may be changing), so I suppose it falls to me. (Fitting, given how much German scientists helped NASA in the first place...)

First issue to tackle is how to go about achieving FTL travel. Conventional science tells us that even reaching the speed of light (299,792.458 kilometers/second in a vacuum) is impossible: as an object of non-zero mass approaches the speed of light, c, its mass increases asymptotically, requiring more energy to accelerate it. An object of non-zero mass traveling at the speed of light would have infinite mass, and would require infinite energy to propel it. There is also time dilation, the observed difference of elapsed time between two observers which are moving relative to each other, or being differently situated from nearby gravitational masses, an effect arising from the nature of spacetime described by Einstein's theory of relativity. Additionally, from the spacecraft's viewpoint, images of the outside universe become compressed toward the axis of motion; light from ahead becomes "blue-shifted" toward more energetic frequencies, while light from behind becomes "red-shifted" down the spectrum

Speed (c)  Mass Increase  Time Dilation

 0.0000 	    1.000 	      1.000

 0.1000 	    1.005 	      0.995

 0.2000 	    1.021 	      0.980

 0.3000 	    1.048 	      0.954

 0.4000 	    1.091 	      0.917

 0.5000 	    1.155 	      0.866

 0.6000 	    1.250 	      0.800

 0.7000 	    1.400       	0.714

 0.8000 	    1.667       	0.600

 0.8660 	    2.000 	      0.500

 0.9000 	    2.294 	      0.436

 0.9900 	    7.089 	      0.141 (1 week:1 day)

 0.9990 	    22.366 	     0.045 (3 weeks:1 day)

 0.9999        71.433         0.014 (1 year:5 days)

Example 1: When traveling at 86.6% c, a traveler has twice as much mass as they do on Earth, and experiences time at half the rate as those on Earth. 12 hours experienced while traveling = 24 hours passes on Earth.

Example 2: A traveler leaves Earth for Alpha Centauri, turns around and comes right back, going at 99.99% c the entire time. The travelers will experience a mere 44 days, while their friends and family on Earth will see 8.5 years!

How to get around this? Daedalus obviously found a way, as have the Grue, the Lor, the Star Knights, and other extraterrestrial civilizations. I have even worked on the problem before, though, as happens so often, my skills (and interests) were called elsewhere. But now I am making this one of My Next Big Things, so here are the ideas that are already bubbling up in my mind:

Change the craft's inertia and/or mass: This would be useful for any type of flight, as elementary physics tells us that if mass decreases but force remain constant, acceleration increases, and that acceleration can be maintained with less force. Changing the mass to zero would allow a craft to move at the speed of light; changing to an imaginary mass (as tachyons have) would allow it to move faster than light. This could be achieved by shunting the mass to a different dimension (as many size-shifters do), or by altering the effect of gravity on the craft and its crew, or converting the craft & its crew into energy or some form of exotic matter (like tachyons).

- Drawbacks: This does not actually provide thrust/movement, merely a way to make thrust more efficient.
Warp Drive. Stretching space in a wave which would cause the fabric of space ahead of a spacecraft to contract and the space behind it to expand. The ship would ride this wave inside a region (a "warp bubble" of flat space); since the ship is not moving within this bubble, but carried along as the region itself moves, conventional relativistic effects (such as time dilation) do not apply in the way they would in the case of a ship moving at high velocity through flat spacetime relative to other objects.
- Drawbacks: Several. The warp bubble is difficult to maintain and keep 'affixed' to the craft. (Solution: ???) Energy requirements are, well, astronomical, as it must be applied constantly for as long as the drive is engaged. (Solution: Hawking radiation from a tamed singularity? Zero point power?) When particles in the interstellar medium intersect with the bubble of moving spacetime at FTL velocities, Hawking radiation will turn the temperature up to 10³² Kelvin; the temperature at which protons and neutrons break down into a quark-gluon plasma is a mere 10¹² Kelvin. (Solution: deflector screens/shields.) Electromagnetic waves cannot penetrate the bubble, so the crew would be flying blind. (Potential solution: Psychic navigators? Superluminal sensors? 'Wormhole Windows' in the bubble?)
Hypderdrive: Translate to a different dimension (possibly the Zero Zone, or some other "hyperspace"), one where the laws of relativity are distorted, bent, or nonexistent. Travel at FTL speeds there, then pop back into this universe at your destination. Energy requirements should be less than that of a Warp Drive, since you would only need to engage the hyperdrive when entering or exiting hyperspace; a small expenditure may be needed to remain in hyperspace.
A similar technique, a "Skip Drive," would use short hops between this dimension and another, like a stone skipping along the surface of a lake. This would limit exposure to the other dimension (and allow more interaction with this one), but power requirements would be massively huge.

- Drawbacks: Differences in the physical laws from those of this universe may damage the ship & crew.
Hostile natives in this other dimension. Impossible to view anything in this universe between departure and arrival points with conventional sensors; must rely on navigation beacons that can be detected from both universes and/or transdimensional sensors.

Jump Drive: Instantaneous (or nearly so) movement between systems via teleportation, most likely using artificially-generated wormholes (as created/used by my Gravimetric Belt and the transporters at ArcheTech) or some other 'space folding' technique. Power use would possibly be less than even the Hyperdrive, since 'porting between spaces in one universe is easier than 'porting between universes.
"Stutter drive" refers to a system whereby many small 'ports are made rather than one long one. These would allow travelers to actually see the spaces between points A and B!

- Drawback: As with any other form of teleportation, accurate targeting. Most likely some other means of reaching destination, to set up a 'receiving beacon' or gate there, would need to be employed.
Gate Network: Similar to the systems listed above, but using an external network of gates. The gates could link to (or create) wormholes, or permit access to some hyperspace dimension, or transform any matter going through it to (or coating it in) an exotic form that can travel at FTL speeds. Main benefit here is that it opens FTL travel to nearly anyone (anyone who can get to the gates), not just those who have FTL drives on their craft.
- Drawbacks: Depending on how the network is arranged, one gate may only lead to one or a small handful of other gates. Or it could be set as a giant railroad switching station where one can lead to any one, assuming you know how to navigate around the hub. If made from artificial wormholes, there could well be someone in charge of the place; hopefully they would be friendly!

I will start by using one of the older Pegasus space-planes as a base; it will likely lose much of its cargo space to the new engines (and sensors). I should talk to the folks at Star Island, see about studying the wreckage of the Grue craft left from the last invasion.

Spoiler

Quote

(2011.04.25 - 00:32:02) ShaenTheBrain: I swear, it's like Kenson picked these Space Travel power ranks out of a hat when he assigned them to the space-oriented characters in Freedom City.
(2011.04.25 - 00:41:14) ShaenTheBrain: The Alpha Centauri binary star system is the closest star system to the Solar system, at 4.24 light years (measuring from the stars themselves, the "center" of each system, like wargames have you measure from the center of each model's base). Daedalus's fleet of Pegasus spaceplanes, the successors to the original Icarus he left Earth with in the late '70s, have Space Travel 5. That's 25c, x25 the speed of light, so it would take him 62 days, about 2 months, to go from one system to the next.
(2011.04.25 - 00:41:17) ShaenTheBrain: Star Knight armor has Space Travel 10, 1,000c, x40 faster than a Pegasus. They can make the trip from one star system to another in 37 hours, like a day and a half. Both Captain Kraken's Stellar Buccaneer, and the ship of the "Lor Starship Captain" template in Freedom City Archetypes & Legacies, have Space Travel 12, 5,000c, x200 faster than a Pegasus and x5 faster than a Star Knight. Either one could make the trip between star systems in about 7 and a half hours. And finally, the shadow bands Omega gave Blackstar have Space Travel 15, 50,000c. He can hop between stars in about 45 minutes.
(2011.04.25 - 00:41:54) ShaenTheBrain: And then factor in the statement in Freedom City about the Lor Republic consisting of "hundreds of worlds," and the Grue Empire and Stellar Khanate both being of comparable size.
(2011.04.25 - 00:42:02) ShaenTheBrain: It's like he just pulled numbers out of a hat.
(2011.04.25 - 00:45:00) ShaenTheBrain: Incidentally, the Milky Way galaxy has an estimated 50 billion planets, about 500 million of which could be "Earth-like" in terms of position relative to their respective stars. If you figure the Lor, Grue, Stellar Khanate, etc., have maybe 1,000 worlds between them, that means that all known galactic powers consist of a whopping 0.000002% of the galaxy.
(2011.04.25 - 00:45:17) ShaenTheBrain: Space is really big.
(2011.04.25 - 00:46:55) ShaenTheBrain: (For comparison, all the known races straddling the Alpha and Beta quadrants of the Milky Way in Star Trek together have explored about 20% of the galaxy, while the Empire/Republic/What-day-is-it? of Star Wars has explored and conquered pretty much all of it. Star Wars writers "win" for having the least sense of scale.)
(2011.04.25 - 00:48:57) ShaenTheBrain: So Daedalus's (and by extension, the Freedom League's) ships are ridiculously slow for any kind of interstellar flight, the 1,000 or so Star Knights are spread even more thinly than the book says they are, and significant travel even within their own Republic takes the Lor days or even weeks.
(2011.04.25 - 00:52:11) ShaenTheBrain: Ah, I forgot one other key factor:
(2011.04.25 - 00:52:24) ShaenTheBrain: The Star Knights and Blackstar, unlike vehicles, can use double moves and all-out moves.
(2011.04.25 - 00:53:04) ShaenTheBrain: So a Star Knight flying all-out can keep up with a "standard" starship, at least for a couple minutes.
(2011.04.25 - 00:53:47) ShaenTheBrain: Numbers. Out of a hat.

Quote

A vehicle can move at normal speed carrying up to its medium load, 2/3 speed with a heavy load. It can also drag/pull up to five times its heavy load at 1/2 speed

Freedom League Equipment said:

Pegasus Space-Plane
Size Gargantuan (military helicopter/private jet/fighter jet size), Strength 65, Defense 6, Toughness 13
Med load 64 tons, hvy load 100 tons, drag/pull 500 tons
Features [1P]
Navigation System
Powers [18+5+6 = 29P]
Flight 9 (air, 5,000 MPH) [18P]
Space Travel 5 (25c) [5P]
Super-Senses 3 (extended 3 radar [accurate radio sense]) [6P]
Cost: Size 3 + Str 5 + Toughness 2 + Features 1 + Powers 29 = 40 (Equipment 8 )

Captain Kraken said:

The Stellar Buccaneer
Size Colossal (submarine/jumbo jet/bomber), Strength 100, Defense 5, Toughness 15
Med load 8k tons, hvy load 12.5k tons, drag/pull 64k tons
Powers [24+18+18+12+38=110PP]
Blast 12 (energy cannons) [24PP]
Flight 9 (5,000 MPH) [18PP]
Immunity 9 (life support; Extra: Affects Others) [18PP]
Space Travel 12 (5,000c) [12PP]
Weapons Array 18.5 (37PP; PF: Alternate Power) [38PP]

BE: Blast 12 (energy torpedoes; Extra: Explosion; PF: Homing)

AP: Telekinesis 12 (tractor beam, Str 60; Extra: Perception Range)

Cost: Size 4 + Str 10 + Toughness 2 + Power 110 = 126 EP [Equipment 26]

Lor Starship Captain said:

Lor Starship
Size Gargantuan, Strength 40, Defense 6, Toughness 14

Med load 2 tons, hvy load 3 tons, drag/pull 15 tons

Features (3PP)

Alarm 2 (DC 25)

Remote Control

Powers (17+3+23+36=79PP)

Propulsion Systems 8 (16PP; PF: Alternate Power) [17PP]

BE: Flight 8 (2,500 MPH)

AP: Flight 4 (100 MPH; Flaws: Levitation) and Space Travel 12 (5,000c)

Super-Senses 3 (accurate communication link) [3PP]

Weapons Systems 11 (22PP; PF: Alternate Power) [23PP]

BE: Blast 11 (graviton pulse cannons)

AP: Stun 11

Teleport 8 (transporter beam; Extras: Affects Only Others, Range 2 [Perception]; Flaws: Long-Range; PFs: Progression 4 [2,500 lbs. mass]) [36PP]

Cost: Size 3 + Str 0 + Toughness 3 + Features 3 + Powers 79 = 88 EP [Equipment 18]

The actual design of the starship is left up to you based on the statistics provided, some of which are explained a bit further here:

You can control your ship using a remote control.

Your ship is capable of both atmospheric flight as well as faster-than-light interstellar travel. It can also take-off and fly straight up or down as well as hover in place.

Your ship has a life support system for the ship's crew/passengers.

Your ship's transporter beam can teleport one or more individuals from and to the ship at a distance of up to 2,000 miles away (i.e. from high orbit to the Earth's surface or from just above a building to the roof).The transporter beam can automatically "lock on" to anyone with a communication link to the ship like yours. However, no matter the distance, all teleports are treated as long-range teleports (full round action, lose dodge bonus for one round after arrival).

Lor Starship Captain said:

Lor Starship, Personal
Size Large (compact/sports car), Strength 25, Defense 9, Toughness 11

Med load 533 lbs., hvy load 800 lbs., drag/pull 2 tons

Features (1PP)

Remote Control

Powers (6+17+3+32+23=81)

Concealment 6 (all visual and radio senses; Flaws: Passive) [6PP]

Propulsion Systems 8 (16PP; PF: Alternate Power) [17PP]

BE: Flight 8 (2,500 MPH)

AP: Flight 4 (100 MPH; Flaws: Levitation) and Space Travel 12 (5,000c)

Super-Senses 3 (accurate communication link) [3PP]

Teleport 8 (transporter beam; Extras: Affects Only Others, Range 2 [Perception]; Flaws: Long-Range) [32PP]

Weapons Systems 11 (22PP; PF: Alternate Power) [23PP]

BE: Blast 11 (graviton pulse cannons)

AP: Stun 11

Cost: Size 1 + Str 1 + Toughness 2 + Features 1 + Powers 81 = 86EP [Equipment 18]

Archeville's Spacecraft: {fluff}

Quote

Size Gargantuan (military helicopter/private jet/fighter jet size), Strength 40, Defense 6, Toughness 11
Med load 2 tons, hvy load 3 tons, drag/pull 15 tons

Features [6P]

Alarm 2 (DC 25)

Communications

Computer

Navigation System

Remote Control

Powers [4+14+1+42=61P]

Flight 2 (25 mph) [4P]

Propulsion Systems 6 (12PP; PF: Alternate Power x2) [14P]

BE: Enhanced Flight 6 (to Flight 8 [2,500 MPH]) {12/12}

AP: Enhanced Space Travel 12 (to Space Travel 13 [10,000c]) {12/12}

AP: Teleport 16 (nearby star systems; Flaws: Long Range, Unreliable [5/hour]; PFs: Progression [mass] 4 [2,500 lbs.]) {12/12}

Space Travel 1 (1c) [1P]

Super-Senses 43 (Accurate, Analytical, and Extended 4 [100,000 ft. {18.9 miles} increment] on all Radio senses [14], Analytical, Extended 4 and Radius for all Visual senses [12]; communication link 3 [with Archeville's electromagnetic screwdriver, ArcheStern, and Haus von Archeville] [radio] [3]; danger senses [radio] [1], direction sense [1], distance sense [1], infravision [1], low-light vision [1], radio (with accurate, this is also radar) [1], time sense [1], trace teleport [radio] [1], ultravision [1], uncanny dodge [radio] [1], x-ray vision [Drawback: not through lead] [3]) [14+12+3+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+3 = 42P]

Cost: Size 3 + Str 0 + Toughness 0 + Features 6 + Powers 61 = 70EP (Equipment 14)

See also Shaen's Ridiculous HQs.

Notes: In 3E (and in keeping with out new House Rules),

Blackstar has Space Travel 3 (intergalactic)

Bogatyr II (from Atlas of Earth Prime) has Space Travel 1 (interplanetary)

Captain Kraken's Star Scourge has Space Travel 3 (intergalactic)

Catalyst (from Hero High Revised) has Space Travel 1 (interplanetary)

the Freedom League's Pegasus Space Plane has Space Travel 2 (interstellar)

Star Knights have Space Travel 3 (intergalactic) in the Cosmic Handbook but Freedom Cikty's Star Knight has Space Travel 2 (interstellar) in Freedom City 3E.

Addendum: Set reminders for meetings with Jack of all Blades, Colt, and Dynamo.

==================================================================================

Archeville's Ship, Completed 2019 [link]

Weltraumwohnmobil = "Space Mobile Home"

Alternate Name: Synthia Bower, in honor of his mother (Cynthia Bauer), also from "synthetic" meaning artificial, and "bower" referring to a private apartment or remote dwelling.

Size: Awesome/Gargantuan (interior space battleship size, exterior private jet/fighter jet size) {5p}

Strength: 60 (lt load 17 tons, med load 34 tons, hvy load 51 tons, drag/pull 256 tons) {0p}

Defense: 6 {0p}

Toughness: 15 {0p}

[5+0+0+0 = 5P]

FEATURES [24P]

Alarm 2 (DC 25)

Communications

Computer

Dual Size 2 (STR & Toughness based on interior, Defense based on exterior)

Navigation System 3 (+15)

Remote Control

Rooms 14 (Garage, Gym, Hangar, Holding Cells, Infirmary 2 [MW], Library 2 [MW], Laboratory 2 [MW], Living Space, Personnel, Workshop 2 [MW])

(3e introduced the option of allowing Dual Size for Vehicles, but it’s ranked, each rank lets the outside be one size category smaller than the inside. You use the STR and Toughness based on the interior size, but Defense is based on the exterior size.)

POWERS [14 + 12 + 18 + 10 + 4 + 43 + 37 = 138p]

Defensive Screens 6 (12 points; PFs: Alternate Power 2) [14p]

BE: Concealment 6 (“EM cloak”; All Radio & Visual; Flaw: Blending; PFs: Close Range, Hide in Plain Sight, Selective) {9pp} + Enhanced Skills 12 (Stealth 12 [+12]) {1pp} {9+3=12/12p}

AP: Impervious Toughness 12 (“force screen”; Active Sustained effect) {12/12p}

AP: Morph 5 (“holographic field & IFF spoofer”; +25 to Disguise, any vehicle of the same type & size; PF: Covers Radio) {11/12}

Energy-Matter Converters 5 (10 points; PFs: Alternate Power 2) [12p]

BE: Corrosion 3 (“recyclers”) {9/10p}

AP: Create Object 3 (“replicators”, 3 5-10 ft. cubes, Toughness 3; Extra: Duration [Continuous]; Flaw: Permanent; PFs: Innate, Precise, Progression, Subtle) {10/10}

AP: Transform 1 ("replicators", Any Inanimate Object Into Any Other Inanimate Object; Extras: Duration [Continuous, Lasting]; PFs: Precise, Progression [Mass] 3 [10 lbs.]) {10/10p)

Flight 9 (5,000 mph) [18P]

Immunity 10 (life support, starvation & thirst) [10P]

Super-Movement 2 (Space Travel 2 [interstellar]) [4P]

Super-Senses 43 (Accurate, Analytical, and Extended 3 [10,000 ft. {1.89 miles} increment] on all Radio senses [12], Analytical, Extended 3 and Radius for all Visual senses [10]; communication link [with Doktor Archeville; radio] [1]; danger sense [radio] [1], detect geological data [radio] [2], detect life forms [radio] [3], detect weather [radio] [2], distance sense [1], infravision [1], low-light vision [1], radio (with accurate, this is also radar) [1], time sense [1], trace teleport [radio] [1], ultravision [1], uncanny dodge [radio] [1], x-ray vision [4]) [12+10+1+1+2+3+2+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+4 = 43P]

Weapons Systems 12 (24 points; PFs: Alternate Power 5, Improved Range 3 [range increment of rank x 100 feet], Indirect 2, Progression [Range] 3 [max range = rank x 1,000 feet]) [37p]

BE: Blast 12 (“surveying & prospecting lasers”) {24/24}

AP: Dazzle Radio & Visual 8 (“EM Sensor Overloader”) {24/24}

AP: Drain Toughness 16 (“EMP Blasters”; Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Blast], Range [Ranged]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Electronics]) {16p} + Blast 16 (“EMP Blasters”; Extras: Linked [Drain], Range [Ranged]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Electronics]) {8P} {16+8=24/24p}

AP: Illusion 12 (“sensor ghosts”; radio group; PFs: Precise, Progression [Area] 8 [2,500 ft. radius]) {21/24}

AP: Move Object 12 (“tractor beam, narrow”; STR 60) {24/24p}

AP: Move Object 8 (“tractor beam, wide”; STR 40; Extra: Area [General, Burst, 40 ft. radius]) {24/24}

Cost: Size 5 + Str 0 + Toughness 0 + Features 24 + Powers 138 = 167 EP (Equipment 34)

Dr Archeville · May 30, 2011

14 February 2011

Heard of an odd case with the Bee-Keeper: a dead woman was found in his cell at Providence, with a slit throat and numerous bee stings! Could he be that much worse than I had thought?

Follow-Up: Wound at her throat was his attempt at a tracheotomy. And the woman was no employee of the asylum, it was Emma "Honey Queen" Twill, the environmentalist and CEO of Clover Cosmetics. Bee Keeper & Honey Queen... wrong on so many levels. But if Bowles did not do this, then who, and why?

7 March 2011
What a horrible experience! A hybrid of the Legion Mind Control virus and Grue genetics, calling itself the Conquering Mind, fell to Earth from the satellite laboratory it had been created on and enslaved almost all of Freedom City -- myself included! I fear this invasion may have disrupted my mind; I must be wary of the return of Bad Thoughts.
Perhaps I should go back to seeing Scarab once a week, instead of the once a month I had cut down to in January.

Tangential thought: those things looked like starfish. Starfish regrow limbs. I should go revisit some of my medical tech.

9 March 2011

Intercepted a police report of personal interest: Liz Matthews, aka Topaz, has gone missing, and the signs of a struggle at her home suggest foul play. I will investigate this one myself.

Fractured glass and crystal, and circular patterns of damage, indicate sonic weaponry was used. Unidentified crystalline substance found at scene was the cooled, dried remains of the magma-like slurry that is her blood, something her friends on the force did not identify as they'd never seen her bleed since her transformation. Someone with sonic blasts after a (former) cop -- could the Mobs have sent Silencer out after her, due to the increased heat the police have been giving them following the warehouse massacre? Or Rant & Rave, looking for quick cash but not realizing just who it was they had gone after? One set of unidentified bootprints, indicating tall, heavy figure, so probably not Silencer or Rant, unless they have a new suit of armor. Mind-controlled Sonic, riding on a mind-controlled Megastar's shoulder? Malice, testing new anti-metahuman weapons?

13 March 2011
Another bizarre dream last night. But I recognize some of what was in it.
Over the past few days I have been reviewing patients with assorted limb and joint injuries, for the clinical trial phase of the new regenerative therapies I am working on. In my dream, I saw one of these potential subjects -- a Claremont student, suffering from a torn ACL -- running down a hall. Not running -- being chased, by me! And then, some manner of alien symbiote armor exploded out of & encased her! She attacked 'me' -- counter-attacked? -- and I kept trying to pull back, to flee, but could not. I begged and pleaded and ordered and screamed at myself to stop... and I woke up.
I will track down the girl and make sure she is okay.

14 March 2011
I had feared the worst when I was not able to find the Claremont girl yesterday, but today she was found, at a mall in Bayview. But her thoughts were jumbled, and she had no recollection of the past two days! I hate to call Scarab in -- I have called on her too much of late, it feels -- but I need her skills.

19 March 2011

No more disturbing dreams, thankfully, but something else odd: unexplained powers spikes detected by internal sensors, both in the system's power grid and separate from it. Explosion that set off a surge? Scans, both with sensors and my own two eyes, have found no signs of any damage. A glitch? A cyber attack?

gremlin things

Power spikes are form Evil!Dok smashing up parts of his secret lab after Good!Dok broke through and prevented him from going out to kidnap more Claremonters.

23 March 2011

A terrifying experience: a mental blackout! Alice and Rubbermaid were trying to stop a rampaging Je'La, and, as usual, wound up causing more harm than good. Fortunately, Dynamo and I happened on the scene. Dynamo collared Je'La, I took the two well-meaning but uncoordinated heroines to the Freedom Hall for a crash course in balance and coordination. I remember the nattering on as I lead them, and then... I woke in my bed, and over a dozen hours had passed. Looked for the girls, found them shopping at a mall; tried calling, but I got their voicemail. Left a few messages, but they never returned my calls; checked in on them sporadically, they seemed their normal selves. Checking with Dynamo proved a possible clue: he reports being attacked by Malice, and that in the fight, Je'La escaped, only for Malice to scoop her up and carry her off! Dynamo is fine, having almost fully recovered by the time I talked with him, but this raises disturbing questions.

Was my blackout an attack by Malice with some new weapon? Not his style, but if he has decided that it has come time for a change in tactics... no, his personality profile does not indicate he would be capable of such a change. Ah, but he could have hired or joined with someone else with such abilities; they would either be someone with technologically-granted powers, or (a less likely but still plausible scenario) an extraterrestrial. A Grue? No, for all they have done to us, he would hate them as much as he does any the metahumans. Rogue Farsiders, or Lor? Possible -- he helps them capture metahumans for their experiments, they give him advanced tech?

Another possibility: this is an unrelated assault, by the Psions, the Cosmic Mind, or some new threat.

Either way, I will call on Scarab (again) for aid in this.

Follow-Up: Scarab's probings found some clues. Scenes of the two heroines, running from me; of a long-limbed, grey-skinned being with solid black eyes and no external ears (i.e., a classic 'Grey' alien... which no hero has ever actually encountered) walking slowly towards me; an operating/probing table with a harsh light shining on it, surrounded by blackness. Was I abducted?!

The 'Grey' Scarab saw in Dok's mind was his spying a reflection of his Deep One self reflected in a metal cabinet in the secret lab where he took Je'La.

24 March 2011
These dreams, I fear, are signs of something returning. Or, worse, already upon me. Scans of my home and other facilities have turned up nothing, and Scarab says she has found nothing of my Other, but if my Other is back, it would know I would look for it, and conceal itself and its actions appropriately. Scarab says she still detects no sign of it, but I shall seek a second opinion.

1 April 2011
Odd -- thought not unpleasant -- scene on the news today. A metahuman, with some manner of mega-appearance or mega-social skills, out shopping, with a winged teen and a smelly vagrant. The winged man was a Claremonter, and the woman reminded me of another Claremonter. Could social powers like theirs be an emerging 'package' of Metahuman powers? Filling a niche, a survival trait specifically for the environment we find ourselves in now, away from (many) physical predators? Some interesting potential there.

2 April 2011
Strange dreams last night, very vivid, of the three metahumans seen on the news yesterday. My dreams do often contain elements of what I have seen, but those three featured prominently in this dream -- and were running from me, as if I were chasing them. Could this be tied to the woman's metahuman charisma/presence? Is it so potent it can work even over broadcast media? If so... how fascinating!
And speaking of fascinating, today I helped Lynn and Billy plan their wedding! I will be attending, as Mona's "+1" (not as a direct invite, since my involvement with the team is still secret). And I will finally get to meet Mrs. Epstein, the physics teacher! I do hope this is the right move, though: some of her relatives are Holocaust survivors, and seeing the grandson of the man whom Mengele admired... well, it has potential to be monumentally bad.
I wonder what is going through dear Mona's mind with all this talk of weddings? Well, I do know one thing: it has certainly made our nights together delightfully more intense!

8 April 2011
Returned from my consult with Miss Americana and Dragonfly.

16 April 2011, early morning
My Time-Gate is ruined. The Terminus crystal overloaded and exploded, taking out the machine, and a not insignificant chunk of my laboratory.
I should have known this would happen! But, no, I was soo eager to see it work, I blundered on ahead! And worse, this didn't just impact me: I've a strong suspicion the time warps that opened all over Freedom City yesterday are a direct result of this overload!
Just got off the line with the Interceptors, the League, and ArcheTech. All are working to help the city and its people, but the portals are all gone, and they took whatever they brought with them. Traumatic, though, as with any city-wide disaster. Daedalus and I, along with ArcheTech, will focus on scanning areas where the warps appeared; if it does look like my Time-Gate caused this, I will fess up. Though there is an alternative explanation: my Gate overloaded because of the warps, which were caused by... well, I do not know that part yet. But it might not be my fault! But... but it probably is.

21 April 2011
American Patriot is dead.
I'll not sugarcoat it: he and I did not get along. Sure, at first, I welcomed him, same as all the other Leaguers, but it quickly became apparent he was headstrong and cocksure (that is, stubborn) and would do for us what Jack Simmons did for the Liberty League. (And while he said he saw me for myself, not for what my grandfather did, I always got the impression that was not the case.) Yet, he still fought evil and injustice alongside us. He'd never shut up while doing so, went on and on about how we could do things better, who we should be targeting next... but he never actually stopped fighting the things he said were "less than top priority" alongside us. Unfortunately, his dedication and his attitude both means there is not shortage of people who would want him gone. I will be able to learn more from the autopsy; all the League has gotten from the police so far is "it's gruesome."

Emperor

I saw teamed up with Captain Knievel

Dr Archeville · July 3, 2011

16 June 2011

Good news! Though Colt and Grim are leaving the Interceptors (bad news! though the wedding was sooo nice!), we already have some replacements! Thrude, the "daughter of Thor" who appeared so abruptly last month, has agreed to join -- an easy sell, as she needed a place to stay, and was eager to work alongside the city's heroes! The team seemed happy to have her aboard, much to my relief (though I had anticipated they would -- always nice to verify my hypotheses!). To my surprise, Jack had done some "recruiting" of his own: some manner of plant-woman, going by the name of Willow. She calls herself a dryad, which makes me recall my prior experiences with such beings, but if she were to have the issues the villainous Dryad had, I am sure Jack would have ferreted them out by now.

Though Thrude is primarily a melee fighter, she does have some ranged attack capability, and a good flight speed, so she can easily cover Colt's role as ranged artillery, either blasting from afar or (far more likely) quickly closing distance to smash them with her hammer. Willow, though, I am unsure on: she is also a melee fighter, but she can teleport, but only through plants. (Must see if I can meet up with Stesha to do some comparisons of their abilities. I do hope she is alright -- I wish she has let me help with her pregnancy! Ah, well, I know she is in fine hands.)

I may bring in a third, the young metal-bender Ferros. He has a great deal of ranged combat options, as well as environment-altering ones, which will be of use to everyone on the team! He could be a good counterpart, too, a "soothing yin" to Thrude's "raging yang." Plus, he and Dynamo can talk science!

Dr Archeville · September 6, 2011

24 June 2011

A week. One week ago my world fell apart; my Other took over, took over myself and the Interceptors, and attacked the world. I broke free, and freed the others, and then I... my body... changed. The thing I became was stopped, but at a terrible cost.

Mona is gone.

But she is not dead. I know this -- she was caught in the same dimensional rift generated by the Daka crystal she cracked, the crystal charged with Terminus energies, her energies -- she cannot be dead. And I have to get her out of that hell, on top of everything else for which I must make reparations. Ace is right: I have to do something, I cannot just wallow here in Providence.

But before I can do any of that, I must... must upgrade. Revisit my tech and my self, see what I can salvage, what is lost, what can be improved.

[goto=NuBelt]New Gravimetric Belt[/goto]

[goto=NuBrain]New Nanite-Enhanced Brain & Body[/goto]

[anchor]NuBelt[/anchor]

Gravitic Movement Array 8 (16 points; PF: Alternate Power) [17PP]

Base Power: Flight 7 (1,000 mph / 10,000ft [~1.9 miles] per Move Action, Feats: Instant Up, Move-By Action) {16/16}

Alternate Power: Teleport 6 (600ft per Move Action, 20 miles per Full Action; PFs: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Easy, Turnabout) {16/16PP}

This is where the fewest changes occurred. I actually dialed down the power a bit on the teleportation systems -- it cannot (on its own) take me as far in one go, but the ride is much smoother, and is now capable of rapider teleports.

(Stunts remain unchanged.)

Gravitic Defensive Systems 8 (16 points; PFs: Alternate Power x2) [18PP]

BP: Enhanced Fortitude 6 {6pp} + Impervious Toughness 8 (note: Sustained Active effect) {8pp} + Shield 2 {2pp} {6+8+2=16/16PP}

With his Labcoat, Toughness is +14 (Imp 12), Defense +10 (+4 flat-footed), Knockback -13. Defensive PL 12.

AP: Concealment 10 (All Senses; Flaws: Blending; PFs: Close Range, Hide in Plain Sight, Selective; Drawback: Action 1 [Move]) {12pp} + Enhanced Skills 16 (Stealth 16 [+16]) {4pp} {12+4=16/16PP}
With his Labcoat, Toughness is +14 (Imp 4), Defense +8 (+4 flat-footed), Knockback -9. Defensive PL 11.

AP: Insubstantial 4 (Incorporeal; Affected by Gravitic & Magnetic Effects; Flaw: Distracting; PFs: Subtle; Drawbacks: Action 1 [Move]) {16/16PP}

With his Labcoat, Toughness is +14 (Imp 4), Defense +4 (+4 flat-footed), Knockback -9. Defensive PL 9.

Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9PP]

Protection 10 ('force field'; PF: Subtle) [11PP]

Some of the biggest changes have occurred here, as I have had to reconstruct the latest (and most advanced) version of my Belt with components from prior versions, and with lower-quality components. Of course, it is still something most physics grads would give their eyeteeth for, and I do consider myself fortunate that I am allowed access to the materials I do have.

One major change is to the most basic functioning: the Belt will now, for as long as power is supplied to any part of it, generate a protective force field as well as the life support field. Numerous redundant backups prevent overloading of these constant fields, so I need not worry about them falling in battle (barring some extremely atypical situations). A secondary field can still be modulated, to either enhanced defense, cloak me from most all forms of detection, or render me intangible (though the latter function has proven irritatingly finicky, and must be constantly monitored, lest all my atoms fly apart!).

Sample Power Stunts for Gravitic Defensive Systems (16PP)

Compression: Shrinking 20 (Miniscule; Drawbacks: Action 3 [Full], Full Power) {16/16}

-20 Str (Str 1), -5 Toughness (+9/Imp 4 w/ coat), +12 Combat (Defense +20)

Gravity Alteration, Basic: Move Object 8 (Str 40, Hvy Load 3 tons, 40-ft. radius; Extra: Area [burst, General]; Flaw: Limited [up/Down Only]) {16/16}

Gravity Alteration, Personal: Super-Strength 8 (effective Str 50, Hvy Load 12 tons) {16/16}

Gravitic Mastery, Close Area: Move Object 3 (effective Str 15, Hvy Load 200 lbs.; Extras: Area [15-ft. Burst, General], Damaging, Selective Attack; Flaw: Range [Touch]; PFs: Precise, Selective, Subtle) {15/16}

Gravitic Mastery, Ranged: Move Object 2 (effective Str 10, Hvy Load 100 lbs.; Extras: Area [10-ft. Burst, General], Damaging, Range [Perception], Selective Attack; PFs: Precise, Progression [Area] 1 [20-ft. radius], Selective, Subtle) {16/16}

Unshielded Power Core: Strike 15 (Extras: Area [General, 750-ft. Burst]; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Progression [Area] 3; Drawbacks: Full Power, Lethal) {16/16}

[anchor]NuBrain[/anchor]

Comprehend 4 (electronic 2 [speak to, understand], languages 2 [understand all, read all]) [8PP]

Datalink 2 (100 feet, radio; PF: Machine Control) [3PP]

Immunity 12 (aging, immutability [effects that alters your traits, including-but not necessarily limited to-Boost, Drain, and similar trait effects, as well as Transform and other alteration effects used as attacks], own powers; Flaw: Limited [1/2 effect]) [6PP]

Nanotech Enhanced Brain 8 (16PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power x5; Drawbacks: Action [Move]) [20PP]

BP: Enhanced Intelligence 16 (to 40 [+15]; ErhÃ¶ht Intellekt/"Enhanced Intellect") {16/16PP}

AP: Comprehend 1 (Languages 1 [speak Any Languages]) {2PP} + Enhanced Charisma 14 (to 22 [+6]) {14PP} (Linguistische Analyse und ErhÃ¶ht Gegenwart/"Linguistic Analysis & Enhanced Presence") {2+14=16/16PP}

AP: Enhanced Datalink 0 (adds to Datalink 2; Extra: Area; PFs: Rapid 2 [x100], Selective, Subtle) {6pp} + Linked ESP 2 (all senses, 100 feet; Extras: Action [Free], Duration [sustained]; Flaw: Medium [machines]) {10pp} (Geist in der Maschine/"Ghost in the Machine") {6+10=16/16pp}
Linked powers all share Power Feats, so the ESP shares the Rapid and Subtle from the Datalink. The Rapid from this combines with Dok's Mental Quickness 6 to get Quickness 12/Rapid 4 (x10,000).

AP: Enhanced Feats 16 (Attack Focus [Melee] 6, Improved Crit [unarmed] 2, Improved Disarm, Power Attack, Sneak Attack 4, Takedown Attack 2) (Anatomisches Wissen/Anatomical Knowledge) {16/16PP}
Melee Attack +14, Unarmed Damage +0, +5 w/ Sneak Attack.

AP: Enhanced Feats 16 (Attack Focus [Ranged] 6, Improved Aim, Improved Ranged Disarm, Precise Shot 2, Ricochet, Throwing Mastery 5) (Berechnung der Winkel und der Vektoren/Calculating Angles & Vectors) {16/16PP}
Ranged Attack +14, Damage +5 w/ any thrown object, +8 w/ Throwing Discs.

AP: Enhanced Wisdom 16 (to 34 [+12]; ErhÃ¶ht Bewusstsein/"Enhanced Awareness") {16/16PP}

Regeneration 1 (disabled 1 [5 hours]) [1PP]

Super-Senses 1 (radio) [1PP]

When my mind was, as Geckoman put it, 'de-tentacled,' it was vastly reduced in capability. I was still a scientific and technical genius -- I did not forget any of my studies and research, it was just slower going, and harder to make connections -- but I had been capable of so much more. So I resolved to upgrade my brain, with nano-scale self-replicating bioceramic structures based on neural networks. In addition to radically enhancing my brainpower, I have also designed them to grant me extra abilities: I can intercept and broadcast radio, television, and wifi signals, and thus wirelessly control most electronic devices. The bionanites are not limited to my brain, they also patrol my body, mitigating the effects of certain exotic body- and mind-altering effects, and repairing severe trauma at an accelerated rate.

Sample Power Stunts for Nanotech Enhanced Brain 8 (16PP)

Stunts remain largely unchanged from what he could do before. There is one new trick of note, though:

Healing 14 (Extra: Total; Flaw: Personal, Tiring; PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) {16/16}

The nanobiotech which now patrols my brain and body can be sent into an 'overdrive' mode to rapidly repair damage my body has suffered.

Quickness 6 (x100, Flaws: Limited [Mental Tasks]) [3PP]

Little effective change here; the nanites allow my mind to work as fast as it ever did.

(Stunts remain unchanged.)

Dr Archeville · October 26, 2011

2 July 2011 (Saturday, morning)

A week after The Doktor is In(Sane)!, a day after Off-Hours Visit

Back home after... everything. Everything that went so... so horribly... terribly wrong. Ah, no! I shall not stay mired in grief, I will go on. Must go on. Must do all I can... to help...

But I must rebuild first. Not just my shattered Gravimetric Belt, but my mind. Whatever... thing was in my mind, my body, the boons it granted are gone with its malignant influence. But my time at Providence was not spent entirely in convalescence: I have designed a technological solution, a way to regain my lost mental abilities, and add some news one as well, which will -- I pray -- prevent anything like this from ever happening again.

+27 on Craft checks while at home + Ultimate Effort = 47.
Comprehend/Languages [4PP] + Nanotech Enhanced Brain Array [20PP] + Mental Quickness 6 [3PP] = 27PP = DC 37, and [27x4] 108 hours to construct.
(Assuming Design work, taking 27 hours, was all done over his time in Providence.)
+10 to DC to reduce time to one-quarter = DC 47 = done in 27 hours. Four and a half 8-hour work days, or three 10-hour work days.

+35 on Craft/Know checks at home w/ Enhanced INT + Take 10 = 45
Comprehend/Electronics [4PP] + Datalink [3PP] + Immunities [6PP] + Regeneration [1PP] + Super-Senses/Radio [1PP] = 15PP = DC 25, and [15x4] 60 hours to construct.
(Design Time: 15 Hours, half if taking +5 to DC (DC 20, easily done by Taking 0), and Mental Quickness applies, so 0.075 hours, or 4.5 minutes.)
+10 to DC to reduce construction time to one-quarter; DC 35 = done in 15 hours. 2 days.

27 + 15 = 42 hours. Funny, that.

7 July 2011 (Thursday, early morning)

I am back! Oh, what a rush this is -- like I had been deafened and blinded, then given new ears and eyes! Eyes that can see wider bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, ears than can hear so much more! Oh, this is glorious!

Must not get ahead of myself though! No, no, must not get lost in all these wondrous thoughts -- I have promises to keep! And miles to go before I sleep. And dimensions to breach before I sleep.

Tools! I cannot bring my laboratory with me, so I shall work on rebuilding my Electromagnetic Screwdriver next.

+35 on Craft/Knowledge checks at home w/ Enhanced INT + Ultimate Effort = 55.
Electromagnetic Screwdriver/Gadgets 4 = 29PP = DC 39, and [29x4] 116 hours to construct.
(Design time: 29 hours, halved by taking +5 to DC [DC 33, easily done by Taking 0], and Quickness applies, so 0.145 hours, or 8.7 minutes.)
+10 to DC to reduce Construction time to one-quarter; DC 49 = done in 29 hours. Four and a half 8-hour work days, or three 10-hour work days.

9 July 2011 (Saturday, late evening)

Eeee, I have a thing that does stuff! Oh, I have missed this, and all its sounds and lights and crackles. But I miss Mona more! And all my other friends... so, onward! Gravimetric Belt, ho!

+35 on Craft/Know checks at home w/ Enhanced INT + Ultimate Effort = 55.
Gravimetric Belt/Hard to Lose Device 11 = 45PP = DC 55, and [45x4] = 180 hour to build.
(45 hours to Design; Quickness applies, so 0.45 hours, or 27 minutes.)
180 hours = 22.5 8-hour days = 18 10-hr days = 10 18-hr days to build.

Too long! So, try doing it as 3 smaller things: Movement Systems [18PP], then Immunity + Protection [20PP], then Defensive Systems [17PP].

+35 on Craft/Know checks at home w/ Enhanced INT + Take 10 = 45.
Movement Systems: 18PP = DC 28, 18 hours to Design, and [18x4] 72 hours to Construct.
+5 to DC [to 33] to halve Design time, and Mental Quickness applies to Design = 0.09 hours = 5.4 minutes
+10 to DC [to 38] to quarter Construction time = 18 hours = 2.25 8-hr days or 2 10-hr days
Immunity + Protection: 6 minutes to Design, 20 hours to Construct
Defensive Systems: 5.1 minutes to Design, 17 hours to Construct.

Total Time: 16.5 minutes to Design, 55 hours to Construct; 7 8-hours days, or 6 10-hour ones. Muuuch better.

15 July 2011 (Friday, late evening)

My new Belt is complete! Some slight buy important changes from previous versions, but it is a solid piece of tech, and should serve me well in the coming trials and tribulations. Which means I should call Carrie back and see how far her friends have come along on that dimensional transporter.

16 July 2011 (Saturday, morning)

Off to North Bay to meet up with Carrie and her friends. With luck, my next video journal will feature Mona!

Dr Archeville · February 29, 2012

March 7th, 2012 (Wednesday)

Yesterday was a very good day. Mona & I went to the "Super Tuesday Superhero Appreciation Day Film Festival" at the Pharaoh movie house in Hanover. (I had wanted to go in cognito, so we would not be mobbed, but Mona did not, seeing her size as an impediment to any useful disguise.) The Pharaoh was showing an assortment of superhero movies, both old and new, which was a perfect opportunity for us to catch up on some of the movies that we had missed due to recent events.

Two of them stuck out in my mind: Horus the Avenger, and Star Knight.

Horus the Avenger was quite good: excellent directing by Kenneth Branagh, solid writing, good pacing, good acting. Chris Hemsworth's wrestling/theatrical experience gave him the proper "more-than-mortal" vibe for Horus, and Natalie Portman got to show off her intellectual side as his love interest, an astrophysicist working on a wormhole-generating transporter (mirrored by the Heliopolitans own "doorway to the heavens"), but I was most impressed by Scott McNeil's performance as Set the Destroyer. You could not see much of him under the makeup and prosthetics, but his years of voice acting work meant you did not need to see his actual face, he could emote fully with just his words and snarls and hisses. I thought trying to make Set a more multifaceted villain -- touching, for example, on his past as a deity of foreigners, who was demonized by the Ancient Egyptians when foreign conquerors came to dominate their lands, and thus shunned by his father in favor of his brother Osiris -- was an interesting take, though I am unsure how accurate that is. I was, of course, most in favor of the film's explicit statement that the 'Egyptian gods' were merely humanoid aliens, though they were unclear on if they were from another dimension or another star system; the visuals used for the "Heka Highway" could have been either.

Star Knight, by contrast, was shamefully abysmal. Why they didn't cast Michelle Rodriguez or Rosario Dawson for the role of "Renee Hill" (their name for the character, since her real ID is a secret), and instead went with Rosie Perez, is a problem I still cannot figure out. (Perhaps Perez has contacts in the industry? There is an artist by the name -- related?) The writing was all over the place, it tried tackling too many events at once, and the effects were sub-standard at best. And Black Star as an American physicist who became a sentient black hole?! That is two unrelated villains mashed together! It would have been cheaper if they had invested in a camera that could be unobtrusively attached to Star Knight's armor and film her as she flew around, make the film like a "found footage" "documentary"!

Of course, I have a few ideas for my own versions of Horus' Ankh, and Star Knight's armor; I have had plans for that for a while, but seeing what could have been improved on the SK movie has made my thoughts on improving the SK armor bubble to the surface.

Dr Archeville · August 31, 2012

[goto=NuStunts]New Power Stunts[/goto]

2 August 2012 (Thursday)

Transcript of Video Log from Freedom League private archives.

*Image flickers on. Shown is a sparse recovery room, with bed, two chairs, a small table, and assorted monitoring equipment. Sitting on the bed is a humanoid figure, seemingly composed of a constantly shifting hybrid of flesh, metal, and circuitry. The figure speaks, and though the voice has a slightly echoed, mechanical edge, it is clearly that of Doktor Viktor Helmut Archeville.*

How quickly a year passes.

A year ago, I had to restore my shattered brain, using advanced nanites to replicate the mental enhancements my now-stripped 'pseudonatural' heritage had granted me. Then I was off to try to save Mona from the Terminus (as I was certain she had not died in sending that... thing into oblivion), a trip which took considerably longer than anticipated. Though I was in that other world for over a year, time (thankfully) passed differently in those far realms -- or else the journey back hit some sort of temporal backwash -- and when I returned, only a few months had passed, though enough time that I completely missed both Oktoberfest and the coming of The Gorgon.

Things were far from right by the time I had returned, though. Mona was trapped in some sort of crystalline cocoon, and it took months of work before she was freed; I am still unsure if anything I did helped, if she would not have freed herself without me...

*Archeville stops speaking and stares off for a few seconds, then looks back at the camera*

No, no, that's negative thinking. No need for that.

I was happy to be able to spend both Christmas and New Year's with Mona, and she dived right back into her old life as if nothing much had happened. I took a bit longer to get back on track; I readily answered any questions and offered any help asked of me by the League or others, but took little initiative in anything. I still went on patrol, but not as much as I had, and when I did I felt I was merely going through the motions. In February I was called on to join the maiden flight of a new space-plane, and helped fight off the 'Gremlin' that attacked... but it attacked because I was there, because it was something I -- or some part of me -- had made, as a failsafe against me. This was a bit of a setback, and I laid low (well, lower) for a bit after that, to make sure no one else was hurt by anything else I may have created to oppose me. While doing a routine check of some of my hidden valuables I was caught up in a bank robbery. I stopped it, of course -- and admit to having some fun while doing so -- and that success was a pleasant boost to my ego. Soon, after a friendly chat with Harrier, a reconnection with and reevaluation of certain parts of my past while facing a dragon with Edge, and some hard, honest work with Fleur de Joie on Sanctuary, I quickly got back on the right path and redoubled my efforts to be and do the best I could. (Well, there was that slight detour month before last at Castle Accurso, but I tell myself that it was good for keeping certain skills sharp, and making sure certain European STEM programs remain funded.) I've still yet to reclaim any position at ArcheTech, but was feeling secure enough in myself that I could foresee doing so within a few months.

*Archeville looks down at his hands, then holds them up to the camera.*

And now I am changed again. Two days ago, Der Wissenschafts-Geschwader nearly killed me; my nanites brought me back, but in a vastly different form. As soon as I stopped the villains, I zipped back here to Freedom Hall to let the League, as well as Miss Americana (and through her The Lab) and Scarab, know what had happened. I also asked that word of my change be passed on to the Interceptors; best they hear as soon as possible rather than find out later and assume more deception on my part, though I doubt any of them are yet interested in hearing directly from me. Although Daedalus, Miss Americana and I have performed every test we can think of, we remain flummoxed on how exactly it happened (much less how to reverse it), or what side-effects (good or ill) I may experience down the line. We did retrieve biological samples from my home sufficient to create a clone of my original body (in theory), but as hard as growing a stable fast-growth clone is, transferring my mind into it would be trickier, since my mental processes have been so radically altered. An earlier version of my mind, recreated from assorted brainscans, may be more likely to succeed, but at best there would be significant gaps in my memory (and that would be another me, I would still be as I am now).

I'm not focusing on that, though. Daedalus is; he can be surprisingly quasi-Luddite at times, focusing on the negatives and potential negatives. Miss Americana is concerned, too, but I think she is almost fascinated as I am at the potential benefits of my new hybrid form, how the processes underlying it could be used to more smoothly incorporate prostheses into people. I am embracing my new form, slightly awestruck at the changes my creations made to me, marveling at the closer connection I now have to technology. I am still unsure I want to go fully public with my change -- a year after the 'Arch-Evil' Event, and I'm still working on my image -- but fortunately I can use my internalized Elektromagnetischer Schraubenzieher to generate a holographic disguise of my technorganic form, and it's easy enough to wear and carry nonfunctioning shells of my Belt and Screwdriver to hide the true source of my abilities. Of course, if I don't reveal this now, and news of my new form did get leaked to the public, the backlash could-

*Archeville stops suddenly, eyes widening; the camera loses focus temporarily as signals reflexively/unconsciously sent from Archeville affect the machine.*

How on Earth am I going to tell Mona?!

[anchor]NuStunts[/anchor]

Stunts for Enhanced Mind 8 (16pp)

Remain unchanged.

Explosively Overclocking My Brain, v2: Enhanced Intelligence 24 (to 44 [+17]; Flaw: Side-Effect) {12PP} + Enhanced Quickness 12 (to Quickness 16 [x250,000]; Flaws: Limited [Mental Tasks], Side Effect) {4PP} {12+4=16/16}

Craft & Know/Tech to +28, +30 w/ MW gear
Side-Effect: Confuse 12 {12} + Damage 10 (Extra: Alternate Save [Will]) {20} {12+20=32/32PP}

Stunts for Gravitic Defense System 7 (14pp) (see here for fluff)

Insubstantial 4 (Incorporeal; Affected by Gravitic & Magnetic Effects; Flaw: Distracting, Duration [Concentration]; PFs: Subtle) {13/14} ("Intangibility")

Super-Strength 7 (effective Str 45, Hvy Load 6 tons) {14/14} ("Gravity Alteration, Personal")

Stunts for Gravitic Movement Array 7.5 (15pp) (see here for fluff)

Immovable 15 {15/15} ("Gravitic Brakes")

Immovable 7 (Extra: Unstoppable) {14/15} ("Gravitic Plow")

Strike 15 (Extra: Area [General, 375-ft. Burst]; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Progression [Area] 2; Drawbacks: Full Power, Lethal) {15/15} ("Unstable Wormhole")

Teleport 5 (500 feet per Move action, 5 miles per Full Action; Extra: Portal; Flaw: Long Range) {15/15} ("Wormhole, Long Range")

Teleport 3 (300 feet per Move action; Extra: Portal) {12/15} ("Wormhole, Short Range")

Stunts for Mental Quickness 4 (2pp) (see here for fluff)

Enhanced Feats 2 (Attack Focus [ranged] 2) {2/2} ("Bullet Time, Offensive")

Ranged attack +10, or +16 if also using Ranged Combat Mindset

Quickness 6 (x100; Flaws: Limited 2[Only for reading]) {2/2} ("Speed Reader")

Dr Archeville · February 6

2023 December 14th

When I had left Earth on 2019 November 26th, I'd planned to return after about five years, mid-December of 2024. My unexpected return, a year early, has been... well, unexpected. But, one must roll with the punches, and work with what one has.

I'm sure people will have questions about what I've seen and done, and I had always intended to share all I had experienced once I'd returned. But with most of my research notes and sensor logs left on my ship -- which is still (I hope!) on that distant Lor colony world -- making a full presentation will not be possible. There's much I can share, of course, my memory is as prodigious as ever, but it won't be up to my preferred level of detail.

I suppose I can start with my ship itself. The Synthia Bower started as a Freedom League Pegasus-class space plane, which I modified heavily to support a smaller crew for a prolonged period of time, and to have improved sensors and defensive capabilities. After numerous encounters with a variety of aliens, taking inspiration from many (and in some cases actually integrrating extraterrestrial technology into my ship), my Synthia is now in a class of her own.

(Yes, I had fought the traiditon of anthropomorphizing ships and other vessels by referring to them as "she/her," but some traditions refuse to be ignored.)

Spoiler

Size: Awesome/Gargantuan (interior space battleship size, exterior private jet/fighter jet size) {5p}

Height 16 feet, length 49 feet, wingspan 36 feet; interior ~8M cubic feet

Strength: 60 (lt load 17 tons, med load 34 tons, hvy load 51 tons, drag/pull 256 tons) {0p}

Defense: 6, 9 w/ Shield

Toughness: 15 {0p}

[5+0+0 = 5P]

FEATURES [34P]

Alarm 3 (DC 30)

Communications

Computer 2 (MW)

Dual Size 2

Hidden Compartments 3 (DC 30)

Navigation System 3 (+15)

Remote Control

Rooms 19 (Combat Simulator 2 [Attacks & Realistic Illusions], Fire Prevention System, Garage, Gym, Hangar, Holding Cells [Toughness 22], Infirmary 2 [MW], Laboratory 2 [MW], Library 2 [MW], Living Space, Personnel, Think Tank 2 [MW], Workshop 2 [MW])

Masterwork Computer grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Computer skill checks.
MW Infirmary grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Medicine skill checks.
MW Laboratory grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Knowledge skills when performing scientific tests and experiments.
MW Library grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Knowledge skills when doing research.
MW Think-Thank grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Gather Information, Investigation, and Knowledge checks to answer questions.
MW Workshop grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Craft skill checks.

POWERS [14 + 42 + 29 + 10 + 58 + 3 + 4 + 54 = 214p]

Defensive Screens 6 (12 points; PFs: Alternate Power 2) [14p]

BE: Concealment 6 (“EM cloak”; All Radio & Visual; Extra: Linked [Enhanced Feats]; Flaw: Blending; PFs: Close Range, Selective) {8pp} + Enhanced Feats 2 (Hide in Plain Sight, Second Chance [Stealth checks]; Extras: Linked [Concealment]) {2pp} + Enhanced Flight 0 (“stealth flight”; PF: Subtle) {1pp} {8+2+1=11/12p}

AP: Impervious Toughness 12 (“force screen”; Active Sustained effect) {12/12p}

AP: Morph 5 (“holographic field & IFF spoofer”; +25 to Disguise, any vehicle of the same type & size; PF: Covers Radio, Precise) {12/12p}

ESP 9 (“mid-range sensors,” 20,000 miles, radio & visual; Extras: Simultaneous; PFs: Rapid 5 [x100,000], Subtle) [42p]

Can do an extended Search of a Freedom City-sized city (~20 miles diameter) in ~~1 day~~ 0.864 seconds, or ~~20 days~~ 17.28 seconds if Taking 20.
Can do an extended Search of an Earth-sized planet (~8,000 miles diameter) in ~~3 months~~ 25.92 seconds, or ~~5 years~~ 8.64 minutes if Taking 20.

Flight 14 (250,000 mph / 2,500,000 feet [or 473.5 miles] per Move action; PF: Move-By Action) [29p]

Immunity 10 (life support, starvation & thirst) [10p]

Primary Energy & Weapon Systems 24 (48 points; PFs: Alternate Power 10) [58p]

BE: Blast 12 (“surveying & prospecting lasers”; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Accurate 2 {+12 ranged for Dok}, Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Improved Range 10 [range increment of rank x 25,000 feet], Indirect 3, Precise, Progression [Range] 10 [max range = rank x 250,000 feet], Variable Descriptor [any electromagnetic]) {41/48}

Range increment 56.8 miles, Max range 568.2 miles.

BE: Corrosion 16 (“recyclers”) {48/48p}

AP: Create Object 20 (“replicators”, 20 5-ft. cubes, Toughness 20; Extra: Duration [Continuous]; Flaws: Permanent, Range [Touch]; PFs: Innate, Precise, Subtle) {23/48p}

AP: Dazzle Radio & Visual 12 (“EM Sensor Flasher/Overloader”; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Accurate 2 {+12 range for Dok}, Improved Range 10 [range increment of rank x 250 feet], Indirect 2, Progression [Range] 10 [max range = rank x 2,500 feet]) {48/48}

Range increment 56.8 miles, Max range 568.2 miles.

AP: Drain Toughness 12 (“EMP Blasters”; Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [Blast], Range [Ranged]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Electronic Circuits]; PFs: Accurate 2 {+12 range for Dok}, Improved Range 10 [range increment of rank x 25,000 feet], Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Indirect 2, Progression [Range] 10 [max range = rank x 250,000 feet]) {38p} + Linked Blast 12 (“EMP Blasters”; Extras: Linked [Drain]; Flaws: Limited [Objects], Limited [Electronic Circuits]) {6p} {38+6=44/48p}

Range increment 56.8 miles, Max range 568.2 miles.

AP: Enhanced ESP 8 (“long-range sensors,” radio & visual; Simultaneous, Rapid 2 - to ESP 17 [”distant star systems”] w/ Rapid 7 [10,000,000]) {34/48}

Can do an extended Search of a solar system in ~~500 years~~ 25.92 minutes, or ~~10,000 years~~ 8.64 hours if Taking 20.

AP: Enhanced Super-Senses 32 (“long-range sensors,” adds Extended 8 to all Visual and all Radio, bringing them to Extended 13 [100,000,000,000,000 ft./18,939,393,939.4 miles/203.7 au/0.003 ly]) {32/48}

AP: Illusion 12 (“holograms & sensor ghosts”; Radio & Visual; PFs: Precise, Progression [Area] 8 [2,500 ft. radius]) {45/48}

AP: Move Object 16 (“tractor beam”; STR 80 [heavy load 819.2 tons]; PFs: Improved Range 5 [range increment of rank x 500 feet], Indirect 2, Progression [Range] 5 [max range = rank x 5,000 feet]) {44/48p}

Range increment 1.5 miles, Max range 15.1 miles.

AP: Teleport 9 (“transporters”; 900 feet/20,000 miles; Extras: Affects Others [Only], Area [45 foot radius], Range 2 [Perception]; PFs: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Selective) {48/48}

AP: Transform 9 ("replicators", Any Inanimate Object Into Any Other Inanimate Object; Extras: Duration [Continuous, Lasting]; Flaw: Range [Touch]; PFs: Precise, Progression [Mass] 1 [1,000 lbs.]) {47/48p)

Shield 3 (“deflector shields”) [3P]

Super-Movement 2 (Space Travel 2 [interstellar]) [4P]

Super-Senses 54 (Accurate, Analytical, and Extended 5 [1,000,000 ft. {189.39 miles} increment] on all Radio senses [16], Analytical, Extended 5, and Radius for all Visual senses [14]; communication link [with Doktor Archeville; radio] [1]; danger sense [radio] [1], detect electromagnetic radiation [radio] [3], detect geological data [radio] [2], detect life forms [radio] [3], detect weather [radio] [2], distance sense [1], infravision [1], low-light vision [1], radio (with accurate, this is also radar) [1], time sense [1], trace teleport [radio] [1], ultravision [1], uncanny dodge [radio] [1], x-ray vision [4]) [16+14+1+1+3+2+3+2+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+4 = 54P]

Total Cost:

Size 5 + Str 0 + Toughness 0 + Features 34 + Powers 214 = 253 EP

One of the most immediately noticeable changes is her speed. Before, she'd had a maximum atmospheric operating limit speed (V_MAO) of 8,046 kph (Mach 6.5, or 5,000 mph), which was actually not enough to achieve escape velocity from Earth – I had to redline the engines with every trip out of the atmosphere! Now, after making improvements to both the engines and the structural integrity field, her V_MAO is 402,300 kph (Mach 325.9, or 250,000 mph) – fast enough not only to comfortably exit Earth’s gravity well, but to escape that of Jupiter! Her interstellar speeds have been greatly increased, too. Before, it would take about two months to get from star to (close!) star, but now, such a trip takes about four days.

Sensor range and speed has been greatly enhanced. A full active planetary (atmospheric/biological/electromagnetic/geologic) scan can be run in under 10 minutes, and a passive scan of an entire star system -- enough to detect the major points of interest, and (most) potential threats -- can be run in about 30 minutes.

The energy systems received a complete overhaul, incorporating Lor gravity crystals to harness a microsingularity, a Grue-inspired bioreactor, and a few other things. The matter-energy converters work better than ever, as do the holographic systems -- a realistic hologram, with radio and visual components, up to one mile in diameter can be generated! Weapons and other energy projetion systems have had their range and accuracy improved; range is still far short of being able to hit planetary targets even from low orbit, but sufficient for most space combats. The EMP blasters have proven ineffective against a variety of ships: conventional EMP shielding is rarely enough to stop their effect, but ships which don't use electronic circuits at all, such as Grue bioships or spacecraft using optical/photonic chips (as well as 'magic' and psionic vessels), are wholly immune. Fortunately, the EM sensor flashers/overloaders are often still effective against such targets, as are the surveying & prospecting lasers. I've also added a gravitic/magnetic tractor beam, for nudging asteroids and towing stranded ships.

I also finally got around to adding a teleporter. I'd held off on that since I have my own personal teleportation systems, but some redundancy never hurts. Besides, most people expect a spaceship to have a transporter! The system is mostly a larger version of my own wormhole-based teleportation system, with a few minor augmentations.

(I'm still unsure on how the 'alien Santa' transported me back to Earth. Nor how -- or even if -- I will be recalled to that Lor colony, and to my ship. If nothing else, I can get back there the long way, but that would require borrowing, or building, another spaceship!)

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