caelcormac

***Late at night on basic cable, during the next commercial break*** The scene opens with two men each leaning on a large desk. The one on the left is a normal if a bit thin man with perfect hair and a wide if a little bit forced grin and is exactly the sort of person you expect to see in one of these commercials. The one on the right has the same forced grin but is hardly who you expect: he's giant, blue skinned, and muscle-bound. Both of them are in sharp suits and power ties and the set behind them is a couple of bookcases packed full of leather bound books. It looks like every other generic 'legal office' that's ever been on a late night add. "I'm Aaron Lundgren." says the man on the left. "And I'm Jason Stack." says the big, blue man on the right. "Together we're..." "Stack and Lundgren, Attorneys at Law." they finish in unison. The speech of both men is awkward and stilted, they are obviously reading from cue cards. "Have unforseen events damaged you, your home, your vehicle, or other personal property?" asks Aaron. "Does a difficult to explain circumstance prevent you from claiming insurance benefits or other compensation?" asks Jason. "Do you have legal difficulties that are difficult to understand or even explain?" asks Aaron, his grin looking more forced by the second. "Then you need to call us, Stack and Lundgren, Attorneys at Law." says Jason. A 1-800 number in yellow block letters appears on the screen. "We're your best defense." the pair says in unison, trying but failing to sound enthusiastic. As the screen faded to a cheap logo over a silid blue background an announcers voice rattled off a disclaimer before rattling off the phone number a dozen times and ended the commercial with "Call Now!"

Diplomacy: 1d20+13 19

So if I need to get dicey, I'm using Diplomacy and/or Bluff to convince him to put the gun away. If he shoots I'd like to use Interpose to take the hit.

And in an instant, the relief Jason felt at having survived wrestling with the…whatever it was vanished. The cops were looking at him like he had any idea what the hell that was, and one of them was waving a gun around like a maniac who was probably either going to hurt himself or even worse put a hole in Jason’s suit. Some days you just can’t win. “The answer to all your questions is ‘I haven’t got a clue’. My card says ‘Attorney at Law’ on it, not ‘Mycologist for hire’.†Said Jason, his voice betraying the impatience he was feeling with the two officers. He then paused, taking a deep breath to center himself and turned to Officer Grimes and doing his best to move between him and anyone else he might shoot with his pistol. “Officer Grimes. A tragedy has befallen this poor young woman, entrusted to our care by the vicissitudes of fate and the laws of our great city. We have no way of knowing what may happen without consulting a professional. In the meantime, could I possibly convince you to put that gun away? I doubt it will help and besides, if you accidently hit Miss Marigold you just might release spores into the air or something.†Jason said to the man. He thought tag-teaming his sense of civic duty with his paranoia was a good play, he just hoped he wasn’t laying it on too thick.

Ahh city of heroes how I miss you. Thanks for the awesome portrait L2B. I like the basic, slightly more cartoon style for Jason, as it fits what's in my head better than a more detailed/shaded approach.

Jason looked at the offered hand and held up his own, showing off the thin coating of gunk and the bright red welts. "I hate to be rude but I'm going to have to take a rain check on that handshake until I've at least washed my hands." he said. "Anyway I'm not a consultant, I'm that poor woman’s court appointed attorney. The name's Jason Stack, I'll give you my card just as soon as I'm sure it won't make you break out in hives." "I'm not sure what brought you here Mr. Ulysses I'm glad it did. I don't know how long I would have had to wrestle that thing for if you hadn't come along. Yank you." Jason continued as he made his way out into the hallway and towards the men's room, indicating that the older gentleman should follow and continuing to talk. "Miss Marigold was picked up by Freedom's finest for disturbing the peace. She'll walk of course, or this place will get hit with a negligence lawsuit so hard the walls will shake, but she was saying something about being infected at the graveyard. I was thinking of having a little look-see, since the cops around here seem to have better things to do."

The burning, itching feeling on his palms told Jason that grabbing this thing might not have been the best idea. He could feel the angry red welts forming on his hands and he knew he was going to need an entire bucket of aloe vera when this was over. His only respite was that the tentacles that were now hitting him in the face didn’t seem to be quite as poisonous but they did make it hard to talk. “Miss…*thwak*…Miss Margold if there is anything you... *thwak* * thwak* * thwak*...can do to help me I’d…*thwak* appreciate it! *thwak*†Jason shouted, unsure if the woman could even hear him or reply with the way she was frothing at the mouth, but it was worth trying if she could get these things to calm down somehow. And then, when it couldn’t get any crazier, someone else burst into the room. A train conductor! Jason has no time to decide whether or not he’s hallucinating when the man smashes the fungus and the tendrils stop trying to beat him to death. He keeps a firm grip on the ones in his hands and turns to the man. “She needs some kind of medical attention.†Said Jason, pointing at Miss Marigold with his elbow. “Other than that I think we’re doing ok.†He then turned towards officer Groat standing there and fumbling with his gun. “What do you think you’re doing? Stop pointing your gun at my client and get her a doctor!â€

Yikes, horrible poison tentacles. Jason may never set foot in Lantern Hill again. I knew I was forgetting something on the grapple, next time I'll just use Improved Grab and get My twofur. Saves! Fort Save DC 12 for grabbing tentacles: 1d20+14 15 - Well that's no good at all! I lose 2 points of Con and +1 worth of bonus. Fort Save DC 12 for being hit in the face by tentacles: 1d20+13 29 - Well at least it didn't happen twice. Ow, ow, ow, Toughness DC 28: 1d20+13 16 - Well that hurts a lot. Let's reroll that with a hero point. Toughness DC 28 Hero Point Reroll: 1d20+13 19 - Now if I have the rule correct, I add 10 here giving me 29 and thus I pass, thank goodness. if not at least I fail by less. Just a minion indeed! Can you make sure I have all that correct before I give this thing another chance to clobber me?

Here is a roll to Grapple the tentacles. Let's hope this wasn't a terrible idea Grapple some tentacles: 1d20+25 28

Jason looked down at the drops of coffee that Groat sprayed all over his suit and frowned deeply. He sucked in some air to explain at an entirely reasonable volume how expensive the custom-made suits he was forced to buy are and how the entire precinct should feel a sense of deep, personal shame that it harbors an officer who can’t keep drink a cup of coffee without spraying it all over passersby but when he looked up from the stain all he could see was the officer’s backside as he scuttled around the corner with alarming speed. Jason let the air out with a sigh and thought to himself that he’d need to find a good dry cleaner. After all it was just a little coffee stain. He turned back to Marigold and sat down. He listened to her erratic explanation and saw that she was not doing well, having wrapped her arms around herself and in obvious pain. He reached out to try and place a comforting hand on her shoulder and tell her he was going to get her some help when he was rocked by the explosion of slime and tentacle that erupted from the poor woman’s body. “Great Scott!†shouted Jason as he lept to his feet. The coffee stain was now the least of his worries as he was covered in a putrid smelling grunge. He would have to weep for his suit later though, right now he had a tentacle problem. Jason stood his ground, waiting for a tentacle to get close enough to grab as he shouted, "Can I get some help here? And some Roundup?â€

Your pun is not pardoned. Stay where you are and someone will collect you shortly. Rolls! Reflex save -5: 1d20 4 Fail Fort Save DC 15: 1d20+14 17 Pass Initiative!: 1d20 5 Yay, I'm slightly faster than fungus! Working on a post now. I assume I need to wait for Ulysses to roll in and maybe post before I go so we're in the correct order?

The truth of the matter was that Jason had stepped into the room hoping to be disappointed. He was hoping to find a normal, if a bit over excited, woman sitting across the table from him. But there she was with glowing green eyes as promised and upon closer inspection he could see something crawling through her veins as well. Not what he was hoping to find, but in a way they made how to go forward a little bit clearer. “Take a good look at me Miss Marigold. You can see I’m a little different from most lawyers. Whatever has happened to you will not bother me, I promise.†said Jason. Of course, he was certain of no such thing, but it wouldn’t do for her to think she might infect him with something. “It’s at this point people like me usually say something like ‘calm down’ or ‘relax’ or whatever but I think it’s pretty clear that you’ve got something to be excited about. Now I want you to get ready to tell me everything, from the beginning, but there is something I need to take care of first.†With that, Jason returned to his feet and went over to the door, staying inside the room so that his client could still see and hear him. He called to an officer for assistance and once one arrived started in on his demands. “Firstly, I’m going to need a list of formal charges against my client.†He said, holding up a finger to illuminate each point, “Secondly, once I have that list I’m going to need you to call for medical assistance. This woman clearly has a medical condition of some kind and detaining her without proper care is both negligence and a violation of her civil rights. Thirdly, if you are not charging her you will instead bring me the form for her release. Fourthly, if she isn’t being charged she is not a prisoner so I will need her to be released from her handcuffs.†Jason then paused and waited for all of that to sink in. He waited until the officer tried to mount some sort of response but intentionally interrupted him with “Well what are you waiting for?! Get to it!†and then turned to sit back down across from his client. Badgering the police was familiar territory, and Jason had to make sure not to smile as he sat down. He turned back to his client, “I’m sorry about that Miss Marigold. Now why don’t you tell me what all of this is about?â€

Notice 28 Knowledge Life Sciences 11 vs 15 - Fail Knowledge Behavioral Sciences 8 vs 15 - Fail

I appear rlto be getting a 503 error from invisible castle, is there a substitute I can use?

Sorry it took me so long to reply. Things got a little crazy when I got home

Jason said, "I'll be right there." to the officer on the other line and hung up. The comment about the woman's glowing green eyes had ranked him but surely that cop didn't know him well enough to jerk him around with that. It was annoying to get a call so late, but this kind of case is what Jason had signed up for when he decided to partner with Aaron Lundgren. Plus it wasn't as if his social calendar was packed full in the evenings. Or ever. With that in mind Jason hopped in his old pickup truck and made the drive to Lantern Hill. Upon arrival at the precinct Jason paused at the door to check his tie and make sure his sunglasses were on properly before walking in. He pushed the door open and did his best to ignore the fact that everyone was either openly staring or pretending not to. He made his way to the processing desk and said, "So I here you have a case for me?" to the officer on duty. He made what small talk he could as he received his file and was led to the tiny interrogation room where his client waited, taking care to glance at her name before going in. He smiled at her as he sat down and said, "Good evening Miss Marigold, my name is Jason Stack. I'm your attorney, and I'm here to help."

Does my client have a name yet? Or shall I give her one?

Player Name: Caelcormac Character Name: Jason Stack Power Level: 10 (150/151PP) Trade-Offs:None Unspent Power Points: 1 Progress To Bronze Status: 1/30 In Brief: Sleazebag attorney turned mutant force for good in and out of the courtroom. Alternate Identity: Jason Stack Identity: Public Birthplace: Freedom City Occupation: Defense Attorney Affiliations: Stack & Lundgren, Attorneys at Law Family: Parents, retired in Florida Description: Age: 32(DoB: 1982) Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian/Blue skinned mutant Height: 7'2" Weight: 350 lb. Eyes: Green, glowing Hair: Blue Jason Stack is hard to miss. He towers over most of the population at 7’2â€, has the broad, muscular frame of a lifelong bodybuilder, and deep blue skin. His hair is kept short and clean and is a lighter shade of blue than his skin but is close enough to give the illusion that he has no hair from a distance. His eyes are a solid green that glow visibly in all but very bright light and are usually kept hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Jason likes to dress sharp and typically dresses in one of a handful of suits he’s had custom made for his giant frame. Custom shoes being harder to come by, he goes barefoot most of the time unless he’s in court or at some other appropriate occasion in which case he dons a pair of oversized loafers. He wears sunglasses whenever he can, even indoors, as he tries not to freak people out with his glowing green eyes. Power Descriptions: Jason Stack is a 7 foot tall blue skinned mutant with glowing green eyes. His powers all come from his altered physiology. History: Jason loves people. From a young age he always knew how to fit in and make friends, was unfailingly polite to his teachers and other authority figures, and never seemed to get into any trouble. Part of this was that from a very young age Jason learned how to lie, and the lies flowed out of him like water. Other kids always seemed to get caught, but not Jason. The boy had almost no tells and quickly learned the fine nuances between lies, half-truths, and deliberate omissions. He never got in trouble because he was a master at shifting blame. Jason was the only child of two workaholic and desperately status conscious parents who instilled within him humility, fairness, and a keen sense of respect for others from a young age which led him to pursue a career in law to get justice for others. Wait, sorry, that’s the line he used to feed people in order to make them like him. He actually went into law because he inherited his parents need to be both rich and important, and being a lawyer ticked all the right boxes while letting him do what he was already good at. He was recruited right out of law school by Austin, Hart & Foley a defense firm that specialized in defending the guilty for large sums of money. At first, Jason fit right in. After a couple of years went by things began to take their toll. Sure life was good, but the last bit of Jason’s conscience started to nag at him. This led him to make a few discrete, but not quite discrete enough, inquiries at the DA’s office about what he might do with the things that he now knew about certain members of Freedom City’s underworld and the members of his own law firm. The DA’s office was receptive and started to move to bring him in, but the senior partners caught wind of what he had done and acted quickly. They wanted him made an example of. Killing him would have been far too simple. Instead the senior partners pulled some strings and had him taken just in time for the next Circuit-Maximus exhibition. Jason was given an enormous dose of a variety of the Power House’s mutating compounds, turning him into an enraged unstable monster with an array of powers that shifted around uncontrollably. The fight organizers knew he would barley survive the night no matter how well he fought, and so he was set up in an exhibition match against a group of Circuit hopefuls with a prize going to the one who brought him down. It was going to be his fate to be beaten up and then left for dead, the severe mutations destroying his body and the chemicals altering his DNA to the point where he could never be identified. But his fight was stopped before it ever really got going as that Circuit-Maximus event was raided by AEGIS. He was quickly put down by agents in Max armor and taken away. Few others who were there that night were captured which was a lucky break for Jason as that gave the agents the chance to realize that he was dying and get him medical help. He was bedridden for weeks while he was given therapies to counteract the chemical cocktail he was given, but even his treatment was not a hundred percent effective. He was left permanently changed: a foot taller with a muscle-bound body, blue skin and hair, and glowing green eyes. Sure he was strong as a bulldozer and as though as a tank, but his experience left him a freak. Jobless and in the process of being evicted from his home due to being unable to afford his rent, Jason was adrift until he was contacted by an old friend from law school. Aaron Lundgren had been his chief rival at school, the idealist who believed in justice as opposed to Jason’s crass materialism. Aaron, surprisingly open minded about Jason’s new look made him an offer he could hardly refuse: the chance to partner up and work cases with him. To take clients who were actually in need of their help, to see justice done, and to gather evidence against his former employers and perhaps one day be able to come at them with the full force of the law. The idea that anyone would take him in with his freakish new form was unbelievable to Jason, and he signed on with Aaron on the spot. He had already seen the error of his ways and was grateful to be able to do something about it. He just wondered what his first day in court would be like. Personality & Motivation: Jason is looking to reform. His experiences made him realize how hollow and materialistic his life before was. He had never thought of himself as a bad person, but now he see’s just what kind of things the people he used to work for and defend are capable of and wants nothing to do with them except, perhaps, to make them pay. Revenge is just an idea to him, a long term maybe as opposed to an all-consuming agenda. Instead he repents in other ways: defending the actual innocent in court and using his newly granted strength for help people when he can. Powers & Tactics: Old habits die hard for Jason. While he could certainly attack head on in many cases being strong and tough enough to slug things out, it just isn’t his style. He prefers to fight with the same tactics he’s always favored in the courtroom: distract his opponents to catch them off guard, ambush them when they least expect it, and generally be a nuisance until they are too exhausted to fight back before going in for the knockout. Complications: No Masks, No Secrets: Jason is big and blue permanently with no way to change back into a normal human form. This makes him very easy to recognize, pick out of a crowd and otherwise track down. Legal Issues: Jason is still very much on the radar of Austin, Hart & Foley. They are unwilling or unable to strike at him directly, but they are more than happy to complicate his life by attempting to ruin his career, get him sued or have charges pressed against him, or anything else they can get away with under the law. Can we wrap this up? I’m due in court today: The courts wait for no man, even if he’s seven foot tall and blue. Jason has to work around his court schedule and so that he can represent his clients. The courts tend to look down on excuses for being late, even if that excuse was stopping a crime in progress. My glasses! I can’t be seen without my glasses!: Jason is self conscious about his appearance, but his eyes most of all. He is convinced that he can get people to overlook his size, his hair, and his skin but that his eyes are going to be the deal breaker. Thus, he does not go anywhere or do anything without his sunglasses on. He’s even found a doctor to declare them to be medically necessary. But they’re just sunglasses, and it’s not like they’re glued to his face… Abilities: 4 + 0 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 8 = 26PP Strength: 14/30(+2/+10) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 14/30(+2/+10) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 10 + 8 = 18PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +10 Melee, +5 Ranged Grapple: +12/+25 (+2/10 Str + 0/5 Super Strength +5 Attack Focus +5 Base) Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -9 Saving Throws: 4 + 5 + 5= 14PP Toughness: +2/+10(Impervious +8) (+2/+10 Con) Fortitude: +6/+14 (+2/+10 Con, +4) Reflex: +5 (+0 Dex, +5) Will: +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 60R = 15PP Bluff 10 (+14)Skill Mastery Diplomacy 9 (+13)Skill Mastery Gather Information 8 (+12) Knowledge (Civics) 8 (+11) Knowledge (Current Events) 4 (+7) Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy) 4 (+7) Language (English [Native], Spanish, Italian) 2 Notice 7 (+9)Skill Mastery Sense Motive 8 (+10)Skill Mastery Feats: 22PP Attack Focus (Melee) 5 Chokehold Contacts Dodge Focus 6 Fascinate 2 (Bluff & Diplomacy) Improved Grab Improved Grapple Improved Pin Interpose Redirect Set Up Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Notice,Sense Motive) Powers(mutant): 16 + 16 + 8 + 12 + 3 = 55PP Enhanced Strength 16 [16PP] Enhanced Constitution 16 [16PP] Impervious Toughness 8 [8PP] Super Senses 3(Infravision, Counters Concealment) [3PP] Mutated Physiology Array (10 PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [12 PP] Base Power: Super Strength 5(+25 Effective Lifting Strength) {10/10} Alternate Power: Speed 8 + Super Movement 1(Wall Crawling) {10/10} Alternate Power: Leaping 8 + Super Movement 1(Wall Crawling) {10/10} DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed (+10) Touch DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Totals: Abilities (26) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (15) + Feats (22) + Powers (55) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/151 Power Points