pc Inspector (PL12) - ShaenTheBrain

[N/A]

Player Name: ShaenTheBrain

Character Name: The Inspector

Power Level: 12 (180/181PP)

Trade-Offs: None

Unspent Power Points: 1

Progress To Gold Status: 1/90

In Brief: Martian Manhunter with a lightsaber.

Alternate Identity: Jol-Kroom Samak (Birth Name), Varies (Shapeshifter)

Identity: Secret. It is not common or public knowledge that Samak is a Grue'tar, or an alien of any kind.

Birthplace: Planet Gruen'tass, Andromeda Galaxy

Occupation: None at present. Former Inquisitor of the Grue'tar Protectorate, then freelance bounty hunter, private detective, and mercenary throughout the Lor Republic and Stellar Khanate.

Affiliations: None at present. Formerly the Grue'tar Protectorate.

Family: Jol-Kroom Rojoss (Mother), Jol-Kroom Mooreedon (Father), Jol-Kroom Serta (Brother)

DESCRIPTION

In his native form, Samak is a blue-skinned humanoid with no body hair. His head is round on top, and his jaw extends to a long, narrow point. He has no nose, mouth, or teeth. He breathes through his skin. His skin is selectively permeable to fluids. When he drinks, the bottom half of his face, where a human's mouth would be, darkens in color and softens in texture, allowing him to absorb the water. He has digitigrade legs, which end in feet with two toes. His hands have two large fingers, and two thumbs on opposite sides of the hand (allowing him to grip objects more firmly than single-thumbed creatures). There is no way he would be mistaken for a human in any but the vaguest of silhouettes against the dimmest of light.

Age: 300 (DoB: 1713)

Apparent Age: N/A (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift)

Gender: Born Male (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift)

Ethnicity: Grue'tar

Height: 6ft (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift)

Weight: 180 lbs. (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift)

Eyes: Orange (No Pupils) (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift)

Hair: None (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift)

POWER DESCRIPTIONS

The Grue'tar are an innately psionic race. Samak's more powerful psionic abilities are only accessible when his brain is in its native configuration. Unless he chooses to suppress it, Samak's psionic powers create a slight glowing aura around his head and/or hands, and sometimes the target as well. The color of that aura varies, depending on the application of the powers. Telekinetic effects which move or manipulate physical objects will usually glow blue, while those which inflict physical harm usually glow red. Telepathic effects usually create a violet aura. The energy blade of his Star Sword follows the same color scheme.

The Star Sword itself is a handle assembled from pieces forged from a nearly indestructible self-repairing alloy functionally identical to Impervium. It has been inscribed with psychic runes in the Grue'tar language, which further reinforce its structure. It contains a psycho-reactive crystal, functionally identical to the substance known on Earth as "Daka Crystal," which focuses and amplifies the wielder's magical or psionic energy into a blade which appears with a thought and glows as brightly as the Sun.

Like any other Grue'tar, Samak's physical healing ability comes from his shapeshifting, which in turn is merely an alternate manifestation of his psionic abilties. He uses telekinesis, consciously or reflexively, to re-arrange his own molecules.

When Samak uses his bio-telekinetic shapeshifting ability, his flesh ripples like water and molds itself like soft clay. The "clothes" he creates with his Morph ability are analogous to human hair and fingernails. They grow from his body, but they are mostly dead, and can be painlessly shed like a reptile's skin once their usefulness had ended. Even in his native form, his eyes tend to glow slightly, and both his eyes and skin tend to change color in reaction to his emotional state. If his shapeshifting requires him to gain or lose mass, then he expends psionic energy to fuel mitosis of his own cells, or he consumes his own cells to gain psionic energy.

One half of the Grue'tar brain is "asleep" at any given point in time, allowing them to stay awake all the time. Most Grue'tar use the time that other creatures spend sleeping to join the shared psychic link with the rest of their race, or to reflect upon the experiences captured in their memory stones.

The Grue'tar share their red-skinned brethren's ability to drain neural energy, but they abandoned this trait as a "food" source long ago, preferring to only use it as a weapon or interrogation device against other races. Instead, they used their shapeshifting abilities to become photosynthetic. They absorb ultraviolet rays from the stars in the sky. In turn, they developed the ability to see ultraviolet light, so that they could better keep track of their "food source," and so that they could function on a rogue planet with no "sunrise," only an enternal starry night.

HISTORY

Eons ago, the Grue of a single star system in the Empire managed to break free from the grasp of the Meta-Mind. These rogue Grue fled the Milky Way galaxy, eventually settling on a rogue planet in the (relatively) neighboring Andromeda. They christened this planet "Gruen'tass," The New World of The Free People, and re-christened themselves the "Grue'tar," or "Free People." They even changed the pigmentation of their own flesh and blood, to distinguish themselves from their former oppressor. (Other races who deal with them often refer to them as "Blue Grue," though never while the Grue'tar are present.) Out from under the Meta-Mind's control, the Grue'tar developed a new culture, emphasizing a balance between the collective good and the individual desires and sense of self. Every Grue'tar works toward the greater good of their people, but in their own chosen way, and not at the expense of their individuality. Instead, the people use their innate psionic powers to regularly create a temporary, voluntary communal psychic link with each other, renewing their connection to one another and drawing on each others strength. Outside of the link, every Grue'tar is encouraged to develop their own aptitudes, personality, and appearance.

Unfortunately for their new neighbors, the Grue'tar grew just as expansionist and xenophobic as the Grue Empire they fled. Acting partially out of fear and greed, and partially out of a misguided, patronizing desire to "protect" the "lesser races" (both from outside threats and from their own inferior selves), the Grue'tar established an interstellar "Protectorate." In practice, the "mind-blind solids" are alternately exploited and ignored more than they are "protected" or "nurtured," and most of them were not given the choice of whether or not to "join" in the first place.

Jol-Kroom Samak was a member of the Inquisition, the primary investigative body of the Protectorate government. He had a natural talent for investigation, both forensic and psychic, impeccable integrity, and an innate desire to help and protect those weaker and less fortunate than himself. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he would bring great honor and glory to his family and race. It came as an unprecedented shock when he proved everyone wrong by betraying that family, that race, and everything they stood for.

Samak's brother, Jol-Kroom Serta, had secured a position at the right hand of Karloom, the Gruetar governor of the Sobann system. The natives of Sobann had formed a rebellion against Gruetar rule, but the Sobann system contained rich deposits of the psychically reactive minerals humans call "Daka crystals," which were vital to Grue'tar technology. That technology was far superior to anything to which the Sobann natives had access, but like any other race, their numbers were superior to those of the chronically infertile Grue'tar. Even with psychically-controlled robot legions bolstering the Grue'tar numbers, the Sobann rebels were slowly but surely winning the war. Samak was called in to find out why, selected both because of his familial connection and his exceptional competence.

It was those very qualities which made it so surprising when Samak, bribed and seduced by one of the rebel leaders, betrayed and murdered both of his fellow Grue'tar, leading directly to the Grue'tar loss of control over the Sobann system. Conflict and violence between Grue'tar was a taboo, but as with any other race made up of individuals, it did happen. Treason against the Protectorate was another matter. And violence between family members, in a race where the most exceptionally fecund of mated pairs might have a handful of children in a millenium, was almost unthinkable. By killing his brother and dishonoring himself, Samak wiped out the entire next generation of the Jol-Kroom family in one moment. As if his actions were not already horrifying enough, Samak even used his psionic powers to rip Serta and Karloom's imprints free from their memory stones. Their accumulated memories could not even be uploaded to the psychic Grue'tar gestalt. No one would ever benefit from their experiences; it would almost be as if they had never existed.

Despite his efforts to cover up his obscene crimes, Samak was caught, and returned to Gruen'tass for judgement. Since his actions were so unprecedentedly vile, a full investigation was conducted. But all mind probes, and all examinations of both his memory stone and what little physical evidence remained, confirmed Samak's confession. It was decided that death was not punishment enough for his actions. Instead, Samak was condemned to The Void (known to humans as "the Zero Zone"). He would drift forever, unable to die, and cut off from the nourishing union with the minds of his fellow Grue'tar. They even sent him with his memory stone and his star sword, so that he could not lose himself in madness, and to emphasize the hopelessness of his situation by showing him how useless his powers and weapons would be from that day forward.

It was only after he had been cast into The Void, only after he accessed the true memory stone he had hidden inside his own body, that Samak remembered what truly happened. Samak did learn the truth behind the success of the Sobann rebellion, when Karloom's mercenaries captured Thorgav, one of the Sobann rebel leaders. To spare Thorgav from interrogation and torture, Serta set her free, killing Karloom in the process. It had been Serta who was been feeding information to the Sobann rebels and sabotaging the Grue'tar conquest. Serta had fallen in love with Thorgav, and through his repeated telepathic connections with her, he had been swayed to her cause.

Samak shared his brother's capacity for compassion, even for mind-blind solids, and did not personally approve of the treatment of the Sobann at the hands of the Grue'tar. He was fiercely loyal to his brother. He never would have committed his brother's treason, but he resolved to take the blame for it, and build a new life for his brother outside the Protectorate. It was indeed Samak who had cleansed the memory stones, but he did not murder his brother. (He did slice off his brother's arm, so that the Inquisition would assume he had killed Serta, but it grew back.) He used his psionic powers to erase his brother's very memory of being a Grue'tar, instead convincing both him and Thorgav that he was a Sobann mutant, fabricating for him an entire new life entrenched in the Sobann rebellion. After backing up his memories of the truth in a secret memory stone, he even seized control of his brother's mental powers and used them like a tool to perform psychic surgery on himself, replacing his own memories of the true events with his fiction of treason and murder. (Had the other Grue'tar known of his feat, they would have been as impressed as they were horrified.) Samak did not ask permission from Serta or his lover before altering their memories and setting them loose upon their new lives. He simply made the decision, and acted upon it, in typical Grue'tar fashion.

Samak spent a century floating through the physical and psychic isolation of the Zero Zone, and the experience almost broke him. The Terminus Invasion of Earth in 1993 weakened dimensional barriers all across the multiverse, and created a crack in the Zero Zone which Samak was able to slip through. When he was finally free, dumped into the Milky Way, he unleashed a psychic scream which echoed throughout that galaxy and its neighbors, including the Magellanic Clouds...and Andromeda. Not every magically or psionically active individual felt it, but many of them did. The Grue'tar seers were alerted to the fact that the Great Traitor had escaped his prison, and the Grue Meta-Mind was alerted to the return of one of its wayward children.

For the next couple of decades, Samak wandered around the Milky Way, acting as a private detective, bounty hunter, and mercenary, who specialized in rooting out and destroying Grue agents. Knowing firsthand the paranoia the Grue inspire, he made sure to guard his true nature carefully (with memory wipes, if necessary), and to never stay in one place for long. He worked off and on for both the Lor Republic and the Stellar Khanate.

His attention was recently drawn to Earth by the Grue Empire's repeated invasion attempts. The more he learned, or tried to learn, about the pale blue dot at the edge of the spiral, the more it intrigued him. It was listed as a “nature preserve†and “developing world,†hardly worthy of mention, yet almost all information about it was classified “Top Secret†by the Lor government. After studying what little information he could acquire (not all of it acquired "legitimately"), Samak decided to adopt the appearance and methods of a "superhero," so as to better blend in. On his own world, he had been known as an “Inquisitor,†but on Earth, he would adopt a more benign title for one who brings secrets to light and finds that which is lost or hidden: “Inspector.â€

PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION

Samak is only starting to realize that he embodies one of the worst flaws of his species. His compassion and his thirst for justice are formidable, but they is tangled up with a subtly patronizing lack of respect for the ability of others to make their own decisions. His solution for his brother's situation may have ultimately been the best one, but he didn't bother to ask for his brother's input before altering the path of his entire life. Some people may come to trust him, but first he'll have to give them the chance to, instead of deciding for them that they're better off not remembering him at all. He was alone for so long that he has forgotten how to not be alone. His manner tends to be laconic and reserved; most of the time, he prefers to avoid notice. He is a scholar at heart, and an appeal to his inquisitive mind is probably the key to drawing him out.

POWERS & TACTICS

Samak is a surgeon, not a blunt instrument. He prefers to observe the unfolding situation from concealment, and then to strike suddenly at one critical moment or one key foe to turn the tide of the entire battle. He is pragmatic and flexible, altering his tactics (and his own body) to match his foe or the terrain, engaging them at range or in melee, with his sword or his mind, whichever approach will exploit his foe's weakness and maximize his own advantage.

---

COMPLICATIONS

Alien: Samak is an alien in every sense of the word. He is subject to all of the usual inherent Complications of being a stranger in a strange land. He has only a passing familiarity with the people of Earth or their customs. However, because of his Disability (Grue) drawback, he should not gain any Hero Points for being considered a "Grue" for the purposes of certain power effects.

Enemies: Samak is a hated enemy of two entire races of people: The Grue Empire of the Milky Way, and the Grue'tar Protectorate of Andromeda, both of whom know that he has escaped from the Zero Zone into the Milky Way.

Feedback: Samak already has this flaw on his Mind Reading powers, so he shouldn't get any Hero Points when it comes into play (either because the subject was hurt or because he accessed a particularly intense memory). But the potential exists for other powers, such as his Mind Control, Postcognition, and/or Precognition, to cause the same "Feedback." He could receive a Hero Point if, for example, a particularly intense or traumatic past or future event causes him physical Damage.

Infamy: Grue are mind-altering, shape-shifting psychic vampires who have repeatedly tried to take over the world. They are walking paranoia fuel. Samak has no illusions about the reception he would receive from anyone familiar with his "cousins," no matter what color his skin happens to be.

Mind Control: If the GM doesn't want a use of the Mind Control power to be an all-or-nothing proposition, they can give Samak a Hero Point and make the Mind Control work as a staged effect. Here is an example:

STAGING

Fail by 1+: Dazed (You can take no actions, but you suffer no defense penalties).

Fail by 5+ (or Fail by 1+ twice): Compelled (You can take no actions, and your controller can force you to perform one standard or move action per round).

Fail by 10+ (or Fail by 5+ twice): Controlled (You can take no actions, and your controller can force you to perform any actions, up to your usual allotment).

Power Loss: Lead: Lead blocks Grue'tar mental powers, such as Mental Communication, ESP, Mind Control, and Mind Reading. The GM can give Samak a Hero Point when the subject he attempts to communicate with is on the other side of a lead barrier, or if he attempts to use his mental powers on a foe who is wearing a lead-lined mask or helmet.

Star Sword: Obviously, since it receives the Device discount on the cost, Samak will not gain any Hero Points if his Star Sword is taken from him. It is Indestructible, so he should receive a Hero Point if it is damaged or destroyed. Since the strength of the blade (the ranks of the attack powers) varies from one wielder to another, a foe who steals it from him and uses it against him may give him a Hero Point by accessing a higher powe rank than Samak himself can. Alternately, a comrade could get a complication for not being able to access as many power ranks as Samak can.

Zeroed: Samak has no legal identity, financial history, or even a consistent appearance. On paper, he doesn't exist anywhere. He does not enjoy the protections of any laws, and no one would miss him if he was abducted or murdered.

ABILITIES: 0 + 0 + 4 + 10 + 10 + 0 = 24PP

Strength: 10 (+0)

Dexterity: 10 (+0)

Constitution: 22/14 (+6/+2)

Intelligence: 20 (+5)

Wisdom: 20 (+5)

Charisma: 10 (+0)

COMBAT: 8 + 8 = 16PP

Initiative: +9/+5 (+5 INT, +4 Enhanced Improved Initiative)

Attack: +8/+4 Melee (+4 Base, +4 Enhanced Attack Focus), +4 Ranged, +10 Telekinesis

Grapple: +8/+4, +14 Telekinesis

Defense: +8/+4 (+4 Base, +4 Shield), +2 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -6/-1

SAVING THROWS: 1 + 4 + 2 = 7PP

Toughness: +6/+2 (+6/+2 Con [impervious 6/0])

Fortitude: +7/+3 (+6/+2 Con, +1PP)

Reflex: +8/+4 (+0 Dex, +4PP, +4 Enhanced Reflex)

Will: +7 (+5 Wis, +2PP)

SKILLS: 56R = 14PP

Concentrate 5 (+10)^{2nd Chance}

Disguise 0 (+0, up to +25 with Morph and/or Shapeshift)

Investigate 10 (+15)^{Skill Mastery}

Knowledge (Galactic) 5 (+10, +15 Gruetar [Native])

Languages 6 (English, Galstandard, Grue, Gruetar [Native], Lor, Mandarin, Zultan)

Notice 10 (+15)^{Skill Mastery}

Search 10 (+15)^{Skill Mastery}

Sense Motive 10 (+15)^{Skill Mastery}

FEATS: 16PP

Attack Specialization (Star Sword) (+2 Attack)

Attack Specialization (Telekinesis) 3 (+6 Attack)

Benefit (Native [Gruetar])

Favored Enemy 2 (Psions, Shapeshifters)

Jack of All Trades

Move-By Action

Precise Telekinesis

Second Chance (Concentrate)

Skill Mastery (Investigate, Notice, Search, Sense Motive)

Speed of Thought

Takedown Attack 2

Ultimate Save (Will)

Enhanced Feats

Attack Focus (Melee) 4

Elusive Target

Evasion

Improved Initiative

Quick Draw

POWERS: 17 + 8 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 18 + 29 + 1 + 10 + 6 + 8 + 1 = 112PP

Device 5 (25PP Container [Passive, Permanent], Flaws: Easy-To-Lose, Feats: Indestructible, Restricted [Mages, Psions], Descriptors: Star Sword) [17PP]

Environment Control 1 (5ft radius, Light [Daylight], Extras: Action 2 [Free], Flaws: Range [Touch], Descriptors: Glowing Blade, Psionic Energy) [3PP]

Psionic Energy Blade 10 (20PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 2) [22PP]

Base Power: [13 + 7 = 20PP]

Strike 6 (Extras: Linked [Trip], Feats: Critical Strike, Improved Critical, Knockback 6 [DMG 12], Drawbacks: Inaccurate [-2 Attack], Descriptors: Blue Blade, Telekinetic Energy) [13PP]

Trip 6 (Extras: Knockback, Linked , Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Improved Throw) [7PP]

Alternate Power: [14 + 6 = 20PP]

Drain Toughness 6 (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked , Feats: Critical Strike, Improved Critical, Slow Fade [1 minute], Drawbacks: Inaccurate [-2 Attack], Descriptors: Red Blade, Telekinetic Energy) [14PP]

Strike 6 (Extras: Linked [Drain], Feats: Incurable, Drawbacks: Lethal) [6PP]

Alternate Power: [8 + 12 = 20PP]

Drain Will 6 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked , Feats: Critical Strike, Improved Critical, Slow Fade [1 minute], Drawbacks: Inaccurate [-2 Attack], Descriptors: Telepathic Energy, Violet Blade) [8PP]

Strike 6 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Drain]) [12PP]

Enhanced Constitution 8 (Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Regeneration, Shapeshifting) [8PP]

Features 1 (Memory Stone, Descriptors: Daka Crystal, Device) [1PP]

A magically or psionically active character can make a DC15 Concentrate check to store their memories inside this crystal, or to experience the memories already stored within. At the GM's discretion, the character may be able to gain one or more benefits of the Eidetic Memory feat. At the GM's discretion, a character with the right descriptor can also make a DC20 power check to erase the stored memories.

Features 2 (Internal Compartment, Two-Thumbed Hands [+5 circumstance bonus to resist Disarm attempts], Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Shapeshifting) [2PP]

Immunity 6 (Interaction Skills, Starvation/Thirst, Flaws: Limited [1/2 Effect, Starvation but not Thirst], Descriptors: Alien Physiology [starvation], Mental, Psionic, Psychic, Telepathy [interaction]) [3PP]

Immunity 2 (Aging, Sleep, Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Regeneration, Shapeshifting) [2PP]

Impervious Toughness 6 (Drawbacks: Power Loss 3 [Acid, Corrosion/Disintegrate, or Fire Damage], Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Regeneration, Shapeshifting) [3PP]

Probability Control 1 (Flaws: Limited 2 [Telekinesis Attack checks], Feats: Innate, Descriptors: Telekinetic Supremacy, Training) [3PP]

Psionic Combat 8 (16PP Array, Feats: Subtle, Variable Descriptor [Dodge, Illusion, Parry, Precognition, Telekinesis, and/or Telepathy]) [18PP]

Base Power:

Enhanced Feats 8 (Attack Focus [Melee] 4, Elusive Target, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Extras: Linked [Enhanced Reflex, Shield]) [8PP]

Enhanced Reflex 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Feats, Shield]) [4PP]

Shield 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Feats, Enhanced Reflex]) [4PP]

Psionics 10 (20PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 9) [29PP]

Base Power: [18 + 2 = 20PP]

Drain 6 (All Abilities At Once, Extras: Linked [Healing], Flaws: Limited [Mental Abilities], Feats: Insidious, Precise, Reversible, Slow Fade [1 minute], Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Neural Energy Siphon, Psychic, Telepathic) [18PP]

Healing 1 (Extras: Action [standard], Linked [Drain], Total, Flaws: Personal, Source [Drain]) [2PP]

Alternate Power:

Blast 4 (Feats: Improved Range 3 [1 400ft Range Increment], Indirect 3, Knockback 4 [DMG 8], Subtle, Variable Descriptor [Telekinetic Energy or Thrown Object], Descriptors: Telekinesis) [20PP]

Alternate Power:

Concealment 10 (All Senses, Flaws: Saving Throw [Will], Feats: Progression [Counter Rank / Save DC] 2 [Rank 12 / DC22], Descriptors: Mental, Mind Control ["Do Not See Me, Do Not Remember Me"], Psychic, Telepathy) [12PP]

Alternate Power:

Mind Control 6 (Extras: Conscious, Penetrating [4, Rank 10], Sensory Link, Flaws: Range 2 [Touch], Feats: Extended Reach [10ft], Mental Link, Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [20PP]

Alternate Power:

Morph 4 (Any Form, +20 Disguise, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Feats: Additional Sense Types 2 [Olfactory, Radio], Quick Change 2, Descriptors: Bio-Telekinesis, Shapeshifting) [20PP]

Alternate Power:

Move Object 4 (Lifting STR 20 [Heavy Load: 400 lbs.], Extras: Damaging, Feats: Improved Range 3 [1 400ft Range Increment], Improvised Tools, Indirect 3, Subtle, Descriptors: Telekinesis) [20PP]

Alternate Power:

Stun 6 (Extras: Penetrating [4, Rank 10], Sleep, Feats: Extended Reach [10ft], Reversible, Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mind Control ["Sleep"], Psychic, Telepathy) [20PP]

Alternate Power:

Transform 16 (Memory Alteration, Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Duration [Continuous / Lasting], Flaws: Action [Full], Range [Touch], Feats: Extended Reach [10ft], Precise, Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Mind Control, Psychic, Telepathy) [20PP]

Alternate Power: [5 + 2 + 6 + 6 + 1 = 20PP]

Communication 1 (Mental, Extras: Linked [Comprehend], Feats: Rapid 5 [x100,000], Subtle, Drawbacks: Not Two-Way, Range [Touch], Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [5PP]

Comprehend 1 (Languages 1 [speak Any], Extras: Linked [Communication]) [2PP]

Mind Reading 16 (Extras: Action [standard/Move], Linked [super-Senses], Flaws: Duration [instant / Lasting], Feedback, Range 2 [Touch], Feats: Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [6PP]

Super-Senses 6 (Detect Minds [Mental, Very Common Descriptor], Extras: Acute, Analytical, Linked [Mind Reading], Radius) [6PP]

Super-Senses 1 (Analytical Detect Thoughts, Extras: Linked [Mind Reading]) [1PP]

Alternate Power: [9 + 2 + 6 + 2 = 19PP]

Communication 12 (Mental, 20,000,000 miles, Extras: Linked [Comprehend, Mind Reading, Super-Senses], Flaws: Limited [Not Two-Way], Feats: Insidious, Rapid [x10], Subtle, Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [9PP]

Comprehend 1 (Languages 1 [speak Any], Extras: Linked [Communication, Mind Reading, Super-Senses]) [2PP]

Mind Reading 12 (Extras: Action 2 [Free], Mental, Linked [Communication, Comprehend, Super-Senses], Sensory Link, Flaws: Communication-Dependent, Duration [instant / Lasting], Feedback, Limited [surface Thoughts]) [6PP]

Super-Senses 2 (Accurate Detect Thoughts, Extras: Linked [Communication, Comprehend, Mind Reading]) [2PP]

Regeneration 3 (Recovery Rate 3: Bruised 3 [1/round, no rest], Feats: Regrowth, Drawbacks: Power Loss 3 [Acid, Corrosion/Disintegration, and Fire Damage is all considered Incurable], Descriptors: Bio-Telekinesis, Shapeshifting) [1PP]

Shapeshift 1 (+5 Disguise, 5PP Variable Pool, Any Trait, Multiple Traits At Once, Extras: Action 2 [Free], Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Limited [Physical Traits], Descriptors: Bio-Telekinesis) [10PP]

SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS:

Remove

Feature 1 (Internal Compartment) [-1PP]

Features 1 (Environmental Adaptation [Zero Gravity]) [1PP]

Immunity 5 (Cold, Radiation, Suffocation, Vacuum) [5PP]

Remove Features 2 (Internal Compartment, Two-Thumbed Hands) [-2PP]

Remove Super-Senses 1 (Ultravision) [-1PP]

Features 1 (Environmental Adaptation [Water]) [1PP]

Immunity 2 (Cold, Pressure) [2PP]

Immunity 2 (Suffocation, Flaws: Limited [Water]) [1PP]

Super-Senses 3 (Sonar [Auditory], Extras: Accurate) [3PP]

Swimming 1 (2.5MPH) [1PP]

Leaping 3 (x10) [3PP]

Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling) [2PP]

Flight 3 (50MPH, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Wings]) [5PP]

Flight 3 (50MPH, Flaws: Gliding) [3PP]

Super-Movement 1 (Slow Fall) [2PP]

Speed 1 (10MPH) [1PP]

Super-Movement 2 (Swinging, Wall-Crawling) [4PP]

Super-Senses 5 (Extended Visual Senses [All, 100ft Notice Increments], Infravision [Extras: Tracking], Microscopic Vision [Dust]) [5PP]

Remove Feature 1 (Two-Thumbed Hands) [-1PP]

Remove Super-Senses 1 (Ultravision) [-1PP]

Insubstantial 1 (Liquid) [5PP]

Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling) [2PP]

Super-Senses 6 (Detect Thoughts [Mental, Very Common Descriptor], Extras: Acute, Radius, Ranged, Descriptors: Mental, Psionic, Psychic, Telepathy) [6PP]

Super-Senses 8 (Danger Sense [Mental], Postcognition [Flaws: Uncontrolled], Precognition [Flaws: Uncontrolled], Psionic Awareness [Mental, Common Descriptor], Uncanny Dodge [Mental], Descriptors: Mental, Psionic, Psychic, Telepathy) [8PP]

Super-Senses 1 (Ultravision, Descriptors: Alien Physiology) [1PP]

DRAWBACKS: (-1) + (-2) + (-1) + (-1) + (-1) + (-2) + (-1) = -9PP

Disability (Counts as a Grue, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor) [-1PP]

Disability (Fear: If the character is targeted by a Grue Mental effect, a Mind Control effect, or a Mental Transform effect, then in addition to saving against that effect, the character must save against an Emotion Control [Fear] effect of the same power rank, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Moderate) [-2PP]

Vulnerability (Acid Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP]

Vulnerability (Alteration Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP]

Vulnerability (Corrosion/Disintegration Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP]

Vulnerability (Fire Effects, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-2PP]

Vulnerability (Grue Mental Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP]

Totals: Abilities (24) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (7) + Skills (14) + Feats (16) + Powers (112) - Drawbacks (9) = 180/181 Power Points

DC BLOCK:

ATTACK         RANGE        SAVE                      EFFECT

UNARMED        TOUCH        DC15 TOUGHNESS (STAGED)   DAMAGE (PHYSICAL)

BLUE BLADE     TOUCH        DC21 TOUGHNESS (STAGED)   DAMAGE (ENERGY)

                            STR/DEX CHECK VS +6       PRONE, KNOCKBACK

RED BLADE      TOUCH        DC21 FORTITUDE (STAGED)   DRAIN TOUGHNESS

                            DC21 TOUGHNESS (STAGED)   DAMAGE (ENERGY, LETHAL)

VIOLET BLADE   TOUCH        DC21 WILL (STAGED)        DRAIN WILL

                            DC21 WILL (STAGED)        DAMAGE (ENERGY)

BLAST          RANGED       DC19 TOUGHNESS (STAGED)   DAMAGE (ENERGY OR PHYSICAL)

DRAIN          TOUCH        DC16 WILL (STAGED)        DRAIN ALL MENTAL ABILITIES

MOVE OBJECT    RANGED       DC19 TOUGHNESS (STAGED)   DAMAGE (ENERGY)

MOVE OBJECT    RANGED       GRAPPLE CHECK VS +14      PINNED/BOUND

CONCEALMENT    PERSONAL     DC22 WILL                 TOTAL CONCEALMENT, ALL SENSES

MIND CONTROL   TOUCH 10FT   WILL vs +6 (STAGED)       CONTROLLED

MIND READING   TOUCH        WILL vs +16               MIND READING

MIND READING   PERCEPTION   WILL VS +12               MIND READING (SURFACE THOUGHTS)

MIND READING   EXTENDED     WILL VS +12               MIND READING (SURFACE THOUGHTS)

STUN           TOUCH 10FT   DC16 WILL (STAGED)        DAZED/STUNNED/ASLEEP

TRANSFORM      TOUCH 10FT   DC26 WILL                 TRANSFORMED (MEMORY)

Edited August 28, 2013 by Fox
+1pp for July 2013

[N/A]

I'm using my Silver Status reward to increase my PL10/150PP character slot to a PL12/180PP slot.  I'm leaving my Bronze Status reward unused at this time, so my other character slot is presently PL7/105PP.

 

He fights at PL7 in most cases, offensively and defensively.  His non-damaging mental powers are ranked high enough to average him out at a full PL12 when using them.  I used a 3E design philosophy for his combat caps, so his Defense and Reflex save match with each other, and I made sure his Fortitude and Will saves didn't average out to higher than his combat PL.

 

The +Insidious and +Subtle nature of his telepathy means that, among other things, he can make a target think that they're having a normal spoken conversation, instead of thoughts being directly read and projected.

 

"Psionic Combat" is only constructed as an array for ease of bookkeeping.  It does not have any Alternate Powers.

Note that the flaw on his psionic Concealment effect is Saving Throw (Will), not Phantasm.  Everyone gets a save, whether he does something to provoke suspicion or not.  But it works against all senses, including Mental ones.

 

The drawbacks mostly use the D&D logic that assumes fire, acid, and the like are a regenerator's bane, annihilating his cells completely.  Eventually, I'd like to buy them off and turn them into Complications.  The "Counts As A Grue" drawback was ripped directly from Atlas's sheet.

 

The "Staged" flaw is suggested for Mind Control in Ultimate Power.  The conditions were mostly stolen from 3E.

 

The "Inaccurate" power drawback is from 3E.  It is just the exact opposite of the "Accurate" power feat: -1PP for -2 Attack.

 

I figured that making both the Postcog and Precog -Uncontrolled would save GMs a lot of headaches.  Those powers are only a factor if the GM wants them to be.

 

Telekinetic Supremacy allows him to (among other things) "take 1" on "attack" checks to "hit" inanimate objects with his Telekinesis, hitting Defense 13, which is enough to automatically "hit" any object of size Fine or larger.  This will prevent unnecessary die rolls.

 

How The Psychic Super-Senses Work:

 

Inspector has +15 Notice and Skill Mastery.

 

The DC to notice something standing out in the open (and almost nothing has or provides concealment against Mental senses) is 0.

 

His senses are not +Extended, so he suffers a -1 Notice penalty for every 10ft increment between him and whatever he's noticing.

 

If he is assumed to take 10 on Notice checks, then he hits DC25.

-1 per 10ft increment of distance, x25 = DC0 at 250ft.

 

By default, Inspector is aware of the presence of "thoughts" (in this context defined as "mental activity engaged in by a being of above animal intelligence") within 250 feet of him in any direction, regardless of whether or not he can perceive the being doing the thinking by any other means.  With +Acute, he can "discern fine details" and "tell different subjects apart."  For the most part, I'll leave it to GMs to determine what exactly that means.  He should be able to tell the thoughts of different people apart, and get at least a general idea of the nature of those thoughts (maybe presence of hostility, general topic, and/or emotional state, etc.).  At the very least, he should know that thinking beings are present in the vicinity, and when someone is mentally "shouting" his name, and he should recognize the thoughts of someone he's met before as theirs.

 

When he uses his ranged telepathy power, he stacks +Accurate onto the Detect Thoughts, allowing him to target someone with his linked Mental Communication + Mind Reading (Limited to Surface Thoughts) if he either 1) has prior familiarity with them, or 2) can accurately sense them with Detect Thoughts, even if he can't perceive them with any other senses.

[N/A]

Trivia:

 

"The Inspector" is an obvious homage to the Martian "Manhunter."

 

The family name "Jol-Kroom" is a combination of John Broome and Gil Kane, the people who created Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern, and with him, pretty much the entire "cosmic" end of the DC Universe.

 

The brothers Samak and Serta are named for Joe Samachson and Joe Certa, the creators of the Martian Manhunter.

 

"Gruen'tass" is a combination of "Gruen Prime," the canonical Grue homeworld, and the Protoss from Starcraft.

 

The parents, "Rojoss" and "Mooreedon," are named for Ronald D. Moore and Joss Whedon, the minds behind Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Battlestar Galactica, and Firefly.

 

Sobann is named for Rockne S. O'Bannon, the creator of Farscape.

 

Karloom is named for Carl Lumbly, who (among other things) voiced the Martian Manhunter on Justice League.

[N/A]

Oh, and "Thorgav" is named for Gav Thorpe, one of the creators of Warhammer 40,000 A.D. and the Eldar in particular.

[N/A]

Edited to fix a couple of math errors.

[Avenger Assembled]

No serious issues with the backstory - the Blue (Man) Grue seem like a fine addition to canon. And it does fit the seeming tendency for even liberated Grue to have some issues with personal freedom. 

As far as the mechanics - 

 

What's the Descriptor on your Subtle 2 - only visible to people with the right mental sense? 

 

Slow Fade 5 is excessive. The idea behind the power itself is fine, but that kind of Will save is going to destroy most NPCs. Even with UP's adjustments to Drain, 1 or 2 hits shouldn't essentially take someone out of the fight. 

 

On the other hand, I think Staging may be weaker than you think. It seems inclined to make combat longer; which generally works out to being boring. 

 

Stun 16 (Extras: Sleep, Flaws: Action [Full], Feats: Extended Reach [10ft], Reversible, Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mind Control ["Sleep"], Psychic, Telepathy) [20PP]

 

This appears to cost 36PP. 

[N/A]

"No serious issues with the backstory."  Are there any "non-serious" issues with the backstory?  I'm open to changing any parts that don't jive.

 

I have no problem dropping the Slow Fade ranks.  If nothing else, that'll afford me more Healing ranks.

 

Stun is 2PP/rank by default.  Sleep is a +0 modifier (they stay down longer, but it's easier to rouse them back up).  2PP/rank, -1 for the one flaw, = 1PP/rank, +4PP of feats should come to 20PP.

 

I thought Subtle had been house-ruled so that Subtle 2 now works like Subtle+Mental - Nobody can sense it unless they're either the target or they have an appropriate super-sense, and the target (and any observers with the appropriate super-sense) get a DC20 Notice check.  As opposed to Subtle 1, or +Mental without +Subtle, where the target and the super-sensed notice it automatically, and other observers have to make a DC20 Notice check.  Am I mistaken?  The idea was that they're psionic powers that work the same as "true" Perception-range +Mental effects, but since they're not Perception-range, and thus, don't quality for the +0 "Mental" extra from UP, and the innate subtlety it provides.

[N/A]

Removed the Duration extra and Staged flaw from Mind Control.  Made the staging a potential Complication instead.  The Mind Control can now only control one person at a time without surging (since it's a standard action to either initiate or to maintain control).

[N/A]

Removed 4 ranks of Slow Fade from the Drain, pumped up the Healing instead.  Only reason I'd even considered that many ranks was because the Grue in the book have even MORE, but I definitely don't need them.

[Avenger Assembled]

EDITED to add - other Refs, I'm going to be pretty preoccupied most of this week, so if you feel led to poke around here, feel free. 

[N/A]

Added a complication that lead blocks his mental powers (D&D style), which I'd intended to do previously but had forgotten.  I don't see a need to scrounge up another 1PP on any of them, so I took it as a Complication instead of a Power Loss drawback.

 

Because of the house rules for Communication, I took "Not Two-Way" as a Limited flaw on the "ranged" telepathy power, and as a 1PP drawback on the rank 1 touch-range telepathy.  That let me buy more Communication ranks (and thus, a longer range) for the "ranged" telepathy, and more Rapid ranks for the touch-range "deep sharing" one.

[N/A]

Added Feedback as a potential Complication for his mental powers (except for his Mind Reading and Mind Control, where it's already a flaw).

[Avenger Assembled]

APPROVED

[Fox]

Action 1 on the Mind Reading would drop it down to Move/Standard, rather than Standard/Move.

I'm not certain what Radius is going to do for a touch-range Detect, in Detect Minds. Did you intend to have Ranged there? On a related note, what's the distinction between his Detect Thoughts and Detect Minds?

Mental Awareness, if I'm reading your intent right, should be Psionic Awareness (which is the Common descriptor, per the descriptor frequency list). We snuck the distinction in a while ago to quell confusion over the difference between +Mental powers vs. psychic powers, among other things.

[N/A]

Regarding your earlier concerns: I dropped the ranks on all his save-provoking Psionics powers down to match his effective combat PL, except for the pure utility powers: Mind Reading, Memory Alteration, and Concealment.  That should make it easier for him to fit into PL7 situations.

 

Action 1 on the Mind Reading would drop it down to Move/Standard, rather than Standard/Move.

 

Fixed.  I'm going for "Probe as a Standard Action instead of a Full Action," so I guess I just got the order wrong.

 

Mental Awareness, if I'm reading your intent right, should be Psionic Awareness (which is the Common descriptor, per the descriptor frequency list).

 

Yep.  Edited.

 

I'm not certain what Radius is going to do for a touch-range Detect, in Detect Minds.

 

Tactile senses are +Radius by default.  It's a Mental sense, but it's Touch-range.  So it works on someone he's in physical contact with, even if they're not in his front arc.  (Like, for example, if they're grappling him from behind.)

 

What's the distinction between his Detect Thoughts and Detect Minds?

 

The "Detect Minds" power is linked with his touch-range Mind Reading power.  It only works when he's touching someone.  It tells him...well, whatever the GM thinks that "Acute Analytical Detect Minds" should tell him about them.  My first instinct is "Stuff like exact mental Ability scores."  It works in concert with the touch-range Mind Reading to give him information about the mind of the person he's in contact with.

 

The "Detect Thoughts" power is a stand-alone, Acute, Radius, and Ranged.  It's only Accurate when his extended/perception-range Mind Reading power is active (so only for the purposes of targeting unseen people with Communication+MindReading), and it's only Analytical when his touch-range Mind Reading power is active (so it only goes from Acute to Analytical on targets he's in physical contact with - he gets a deeper read when they're touching, which is why his "ranged" Mind Reading is Limited to surface thoughts).

 

The "Detect Thoughts" is supposed to pick up mental activity from intelligent creatures in the vicinity.  It should alert him to the presence of anyone in the area of above animal INT who is thinking, and who doesn't have Concealment against Mental-type senses, or some other excuse for "emptying their mind" (GM's discretion?).  It should alert him to someone mentally "shouting" his name, like most people (in fiction and in this game) seem to do as a means of getting a telepath's attention (something this system has no rules to facilitate).  It may, at the GM's discretion, since it's Acute, also give him the vague nature of the thoughts around him (hostile, scared, etc.), and/or let him recognize someone whose thoughts he's detected before and tell them apart from the thoughts of other targets.

[N/A]

Dropped the Drain, Mind Control, and Stun to rank 6, keeping the "attacks" at PL7 (with his +8 melee Attack).  Now it's just the Mind Reading and Memory Alteration which hit PL12 caps.

[Fox]

Good enough for me. That Drain is pretty hefty, but the character's certainly paid for it and it fits the theme.

APPROVED

[Supercape]

Archived due to player inactivity