Cubismo

Indeed it is.

With an easy 30 on the equations Terrifica knows that Westerman and the scientists did miss a step when it came to the math. Turns out the Annihilists portal network doesn't abide by our understanding of physics. That's why the math wasn't checking out. You can't mathematical calculate a phenomenon that isn't playing by the rules. Terminus physics are weird sure, but they less more or less match Earth-Prime's. That's why it was relatively easy to create a device capable of shutting down their portal network during the last invasion. The corrected math is telling you that their must be some midway dimension between Terminus and Earth-Prime that has its own wonky physics that the Annihilists are exploiting for their invasion. Perhaps if you collapse that dimension you can collapse the whole network.

Another 30 on the Omegadrone tells you that while the bots have had their offensive and defensive tech upgraded, their overall design is the still the same for the most part. Except for their being an extraneous sheath over their armor. The sheath is so thin that you know that it wasn't created for combat. Instead, it seems to be some kind of radiation repellent membrane. What kind of radiation you can't be sure, but with what you learned from the equations it seems likely that the sheath was created to protect the Omegadrone from radiation from the midway dimension. 

To know more about the midway dimension and the mysterious radiation you're going to need a good Cosmology roll. For more info on Omegadrone's sheath you're going to need a Life Sciences roll.  

https://www.freedomplaybypost.com/topic/10628-knowledge-is-power-ic/?tab=comments#comment-270366

https://www.freedomplaybypost.com/topic/10627-knowledge-is-power-ooc/

GM

Tuesday, July 11th, 2018

The North End, Freedom City

3:44 PM

Nothing. Even after several hours straight of observing, theorizing, and experimenting Dr. Eliot Westermen couldn’t figure out the Nexus Problem. He knew he had everything he needed to figure it out. ASTRO Labs was one of the greatest scientific facilities on the planet. They had reliable information on the paraphysics of the Cosmic Coil, access to salvaged Terminus tech and even an intact Omegadrone corpse for study. This should be easy. He should be able to see where everything connected. How this new portal system worked and how it could be deactivated. Westerman put his forehead against his chalkboard board and signed.

“But you can’t, West. They’re right. This is beyond you. Beyond any of us.” It took him a minute to really grapple with that. To finally put his pride aside and admit the truth.

“Chakwas couldn’t do. Oladeyle couldn’t do it. And you can’t either. They were right, we need outside help. A fresh pair of eyes to look at this nonsense.”

Westerman had sworn that it wasn’t necessary. That the heroes needed to be out there helping people instead of slumming it with the eggheads. That if he had just a few more hours he could crack the Nexus Problem and stop the invasion. No one believed him. Senior expert on Terminus Tech and Paraphysics be damned.

They put out the call for help about a couple of hours. Any heroes with an advanced knowledge of “exotic” technologies were asked to come to ASTRO Labs and help figure out how to dismantle the portal network that allowed the invaders to send wave after wave of monsters to wreak havoc on Freedom City.

Westerman didn’t have to look at his watch to tell that the heroes would be in the “War Room,” as the scientists had started to call their primary laboratory working on the Nexus Problem, in a few minutes. Perks of being a super-genius he guessed, you get a great internal clock. That put a smile on his face. Westerman couldn’t remember the last time he smiled since the invasion began. Moving away from the chalkboard, he took a seat in one of the rolling chairs scattered across the lab and tried to relax. The lab was a mess. On all four sides of it there was notes, files, tech, empty coffee cups and lab gear scattered everywhere. Not to mention one scary looking Omegadrone on a medical table. Westerman didn’t look much better. Lack of sleep does that. The heroes would be here soon and Westerman knew he had to be at his best to get them up to speed on what little he and the others had figured out and answer any questions they may have.

OOC for this thread. https://www.freedomplaybypost.com/topic/10628-knowledge-is-power-ic/

This is going to be mostly talky technobabble, with the PCs and Dr. Westerman trying to figure out how the Annihilists were able re-enter Earth-Prime and how their breach can be sealed. So don’t expect the Omegadrone in the corner to spring to life! Probably…

The PCs have the tools and resources at the “War Room” to build a device to do just that, but it’s going to take a couple good rolls to figure out the missing piece to the puzzle.

Until then, I’d recommend you make various Knowledge rolls to learn more about the “clues” scattered across the lab.

There’s the ASTRO Lab mainframe which is a treasure trove of information about the last Terminus invasion. Perhaps Westerman and other scientists missed a critical piece of information lost in the archives? (Computer).

There’s a bunch of complex physics and paraphyics equations on several chalkboards. Maybe Westerman forgot to carry the one and that’s why he’s stumped? (Knowledge [Cosmology, Physical Sciences]).

There’s a stockpile of salvaged Terminus tech, from both this most recent invasion and the last one in 1993. Westerman’s gone over it several times but there’s always a chance that there’s some hidden feature or function that ASTRO Labs’ best missed. (Knowledge [Cosmology, Physical Sciences, Technology]). 

Lastly, there’s a partially dissected Omegadrone on a medical slab. Westerman’s been trying to see whether the Omegadrones are somehow connected to Annihilist’s portal system but hasn’t found anything yet. (Knowledge [Cosmology, Life Sciences, Technology]).

You can make two rolls for any one or two of the clues above but you're not limited to just them.  Make a roll for anything you think might be pertinent. 

I'm more or less ready. Just need to know what would be the right time to post the IC and OOC threads. 

Replica

Crimebusting Monthly: Pillage and Plunder (1)

I'd love to be a player in the Kingston Crack the Anvil thread. I think Replica will do. 

I'd also be willing to GM the Technobabble thread. I finally get to use all those hours of watching TNG for something useful!

Player Name: Cubismo

Miss Thursday 
Power Level: 10 (150PP)
Trade-Offs: -2 Attack/ +2 Damage (Strike)  
Unspent Power Points: 0

In Brief: The bastard daughter of Thor and a warrior of Asgard. 

Alternate Identity: Astrid "Thursday" Torsten 
Identity: Secret
Residence: Claremont Academy
Birthplace: Risør, Norway
Occupation: Claremont Student
Affiliations: The Aesir
Family: Thor Odinson (Father), Cathrine Torsten (Mother), Anders Torsten (Brother), Magni, Móði, Þrúðr (Half-Siblings). Numerous other Aesir gods and goddess. 
 
Description:
Age: 16 (DoB: January 19th, 2002)
Gender: Female.
Ethnicity: Norwegian/Asgardian. 
Height: 5 ft. 9 in. (180 cm)
Weight: 140 lbs. (113 kg)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red

Physical Appearance

Astrid takes after her father, possessing the same bright red hair and fierce blue eyes as the God of Thunder. From her mother she inherited a rural comeliness and a row of light freckles that decorate her cheeks and nose. Having had a rough and tumble childhood growing up in her hometown of Risør, Astrid has always been been in decent shape and ready for a fight, but after training in the practice yards of Valhalla she's become athletic. Similarly, while she's always been tall, learning about her heritage has seemingly caused her to go through another growth spurt that allows her to tower over most girls her age. 

While itching to be a hero, Astrid doesn't really possess a superhero costume and much prefers her own wardrobe of causal wear than classic form-fitting spandex when fighting the forces of evil. That said, she does make a habit of ensuring that whatever she wears while crime-fighting or monster-slaying at least has the symbol of a thunderbolt or hammer somewhere on it. Her favorite "battledress" and the closest thing she has to a superhero costume is a rune-inscribed black-leather jacket with a large thunderbolt symbol on the front.

While Astrid has a distinct southern Norwegian accent its been influenced by her travels across Europe, and recently the States. It's not being uncommon for her to pepper her words with not only her home country's slang but that of other countries she's visited as well. While Astrid has a brash and straightforward way of talking that can be quite intimidating when she's in a berserker rage, she's usually laid-back and friendly, and can be even be downright motherly when she's around her younger brother. When she's acting as an agent of Asgard she plays up the Viking warrior princess attitude, ironically mimicking a hero from a medieval play and throwing out "nays" and  "thines" for the hell of it. 

Power Descriptions

As the half-human daughter of almighty Thor, Astrid naturally possess many of the superhuman physical traits that characterize the Aesir. She's incredibly strong, being capable of various astonishing feats of strength, like lifting a jötunn over her head without strain, leaping vast distances in a single bound and pulverizing foes with just her fists. The daughter of Thor is likewise quite durable being able to resist attacks that would outright kill a normal human and do some without being no worse for wear. Furthermore, Astrid shares the Aesir's natural immunities to extreme heat, cold and even disease, having never been sick a day in her life. 

Along with her natural gifts Astrid also wields Þórrklubba, a warclub forged in Niðavellir by the legendary dwarven weaponsmiths Eitri and Brokkr as a gift from her father. Þórrklubba is a magical weapon and with it Astrid can call upon the primordial forces of the firmament, striking foes with bolts of lightning, summoning icy rainstorms, and even allowing herself to fly. Þórrklubba also acts as Astrid's key to the Bifröst, granting her passage to the Nine Realms, along with the ability to teleport short distances in a flash of multi-colored light. While a devastating weapon Þórrklubba looks from a distance as just a large baseball bat. This is by design as Astrid wanted a weapon that wouldn't be to conspicuous in public. Up close, Þórrklubba is a martial masterpiece, a silvery club beautifully inscribed by golden Nordic runes that infrequently crackles with magical static energies. 

History

Astrid was born in a sleepy small town in Norway that most people have never heard of and she’d like to forget about. While her childhood wasn't perfect it was a mostly happy one. Her parents loved her and while her father would disappear for months at a time he'd always come back eventually. Until he didn't. When that happened everything changed. Her mother fall into a depression and once she started using alcohol to self medicate things only got worse. When her mother wasn't blaming her for her father leaving she was berating her being just like him. Eventually Astrid started running away from home whenever things got too bad with her mother. At first she'd try to find her father when she did, but as she got older the futility of doing so and her own growing resentment against him caused her to simply travel around aimlessly. Consequently, her biggest role models growing up were her friends in similar domestic situations and the burned-out rockers that she would see performing in bars whenever she runaway to a large town.

The cycle of running away and crashing with friends, only to come back for one reason or another, finally came to an end when her mother died in a car accident during a thunderstorm while looking for her. Filled with grief and guilt over not resolving her differences with her mother and terrified of what the future would hold without her, Astrid purposely got into a random brawl that quickly went too far. Fortunately for her, a Valkyrie came to her rescue and whisked away to Asgard. The Valkyrie was sent by none other than Thor, the God of Thunder and her long lost father. He explained how he had come to Midgard in a lesser form to circumvent a Pact that prevented the gods from interfering with humanity, how he had come originally to quietly slay monsters that secretly threatened Scandinavia but unexpectedly fell in love with a mortal and why he had to leave his new family after a time or risk the ire of Odin himself. When her mother dead the Odinson thought it necessary to finally intervene in her life again. While his explanations didn't do much to calm her, Astrid did accept his offer to let her and her brother live in Asgard to hone their developing powers. After going though some Asgardian training Astrid returned to Midgard so that she could finish her education while her brother opted to stay in Asgard and be with the father he hardly knew. Given that Astrid was a bonafide demigoddess now the only the place that could possibly finish her training was a school in the USA.

Personality & Motivation

Rebellious, bold, impulsive, stubborn, brash, crass and far too willing to get into a brawl if someone sets off one of her neuroses, Astrid is someone whose fun to be around but can quickly become unbearable if set off by something. A lot of these issues are a consequence of her father's abrupt disappearance and her mother's subsequent slide into depression and alcoholism. That said, her mother's death, the revelations about her father's true nature, and becoming her brother's guardian has prompted a positive change in her. While still prone to brashness, Astrid has learned to rein in a lot of her worse impulses, becoming more responsible and reflective about her faults. Furthermore her new responsibilities have given her a sense of direction and purpose that was non-existent beforehand. 

Her primary motivation is providing for her little brother, Anders, which in out itself is motivated by her desire to alleviate her guilt of not being around when he needed her when their mother was still alive. Everything else, including being an agent of Asgard, going to Claremont Academy and her pursuit of a music career is secondary to that. While she loves working for Asgard and serving the people of Midgard as a superheroine her sense of guilt and need to make amends for past mistakes drives many of her actions, for better or worse. 

Astrid has a thing for 80s American culture, particularly its era of heavy metal music, horror films, and fashion. She used to play baseball when she was younger and has found having a good back-swing immensely useful when fighting monsters. Although she hates to admit it, behind her "cool girl" mystique Astrid has a wide-eyed love of history and folk music. While she's most knowledgeable about Nordic history she enjoys learning about the folk songs, customs, and traditions of other cultures as well.  

Powers & Tactics
Hit the bad guys with Þórrklubba until they give up or go splat. That's Astrid primary tactic, and it usually works, but when she's separated from her bat she typically relies on her fists to pummel whatever gets in her way. Although she went through some training while in Asgard, and knows some of the basic techniques of the ancient Norse martial art Glima, Astrid fighting style mostly takes after her experience with street and bar fights. As such, headbutts, groin attacks and eye-poking are perfectly acceptable tactics in her mind. 

Complications: 

Responsibilities: As a child of mighty Thor, Astrid has a sacred duty to Asgard and is obligated to serve the Aesir whenever they need something done on Midgard.

Big Sister: While Astrid's little brother Anders is as much a demigod as her and safe in Thor's hall in Asgard, Astrid considers herself his true guardian and will go into a panicked rage if she learns something has happened to him while she was away on Midgard. 
Nazis!!!: Besides the obvious reasons, Astrid really, really hates Nazis due to them exploiting the power of the Aesir during WW2 and for their descendants infiltrating the Nordic heavy metal scene. She'll go into a berserker rage whenever she confronts villians that share their twisted ideology. 

Culture Clash: While something of an americaphile, Astrid isn't aware of many of the culture's social taboos and honestly wouldn't really care about breaking them even if she did. 

Daddy Issues: Has an extremely complicated relationship with her father. His excuses for why he left his mortal family have never satisfied her and she blames him for her mother's depression and her own chaotic childhood. 

Violence is the Best Answer: Although she's getting better at it, Astrid still believes that violence is usually the best answer when it comes to most problems, especially when it comes to fighting villainy, and usually resorts to it as a first response unless someone can talk her out of it.

Abilities: 16 + 4 + 20 + 2 + 0 + 4 = 46PP
Strength: 26 (+8)
Dexterity: 14 (+2)
Constitution: 30 (+10)
Intelligence: 12 (+1)
Wisdom: 10 (+0)
Charisma: 14 (+2)

Combat: 20PP
Initiative: +2
Attack: +8 Melee (+5 Base, +3 Attack Focus), +5 Ranged
Grapple: +16/+21 (+8 Melee Atk, +8 STR, +5 Super-Strength)
Damage: +8 (Unarmed)
Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +5 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -8

Saving Throws: 12 = 12PP
Toughness: +10 (+10 Con; Impervious 5)
Fortitude: +10 (+10 Con)
Reflex: +7 (+2 Dex, +5)
Will: +7 (+0 Wis, +7)

Skills: 54R = 14PP
Bluff 4 (+6, +10 with Attractive)
Diplomacy 4 (+6, +10 with Attractive)

Intimidate 8 (+10)
Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 4 (+5) 

Knowledge (History) 4 (+5) 

Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 4 (+5) 

Language 6 (Danish, English, German, Old Norse, Norwegian (Native), Swedish) 

Notice 4 (+5)

Perform (Singing) 8 (+10) 

Perform (Stringed Instruments) 8 (+10) 

Feats: 16PP

All-Out Attack
Attack Focus 3 (Melee)
Attractive 

Benefit 1 (Daughter of Thor)
Dodge Focus 5

Interpose
Lion Heart 

Power Attack

Rage 
Takedown Attack 

Powers: 18 + 22 = 42PP

Þórrklubba: Device 4 (Hard to Lose, Only Usable by Thursday; Array, Alternate Powers 5) [20PP] (Divine)

• Base:·Strike 4 (Feats: Mighty, Thrown 2 [100 Ft./Incr 20 Ft.], Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Affects Insubstantial 2 [Full Power], Extra: Penetrating 4) 
• Alternative Power: Blast 6 "Leiptr!" (Range: 60 Ft, Feats: Accurate 1, Indirect 2 [Any Point, Directed Away])
• Alternative Power: Flight 5 "Flaugun!" (250 MPH) 
• Alternative Power: Super Movement 2 "Kveðja til sín Bifröst!" (Dimensional: The Nine Realms)
• Alternative Power: Teleport 4 "Fara!" (400 Ft. [Move Action], 1 Mile. [Full Action], Feats: Easy, Mass Progression 2 [Carry 500 lbs.], Extra: Accurate 4)
• Alternative Power: Weather Control 3 "Torevêr!" (Cold [Extreme], Hamper Move [25%], Range: 30 Ft., Radius 25 Ft.)

Asgardian Physiology (Divine) (22PP)

• Immovable 1 (Resist Movement: +4, Resist Knockback: -1; Extra: Unstoppable) [2PP]
• Immunity 4 (Cold, Heat, Disease, Own Powers) [4PP] 
• Impervious Toughness 5 [5PP] 
• Leaping 1 (Jumping Distance: x2) [1PP]
• Super-Strength 5 (+25 STR carry capacity, Heavy Load: 14.7 tons; Power Feats: Super-Breath [+8, Cone: 80 Ft. DC18], Thunderclap [Area: 40 Ft. DC18) [12PP]

DC Block 

Totals: Abilities (46) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (12) + Skills (14) + Feats (16) + Powers (42) = 150/150 Power Points

"Of course, Terrifica." 

That was unexpected. She didn't flinch, which was one of the perks of being an android, but she did wonder whether Terrifica had been here the whole time watching? Replica's mind immediately wanted to analyze the cloaking technology she possessed. Was it made out of some kind of exotic meta-material? How did it nullify the EM spectrum? Perhaps it used concentrated plasma to distort broad-waves? She had to put those thoughts aside. She tended to get to easily distracted when new unknown technology was around and didn't want to get caught in inquiry loop endlessly pondering a single subject. 

She rose from the center table and addressed her fellow heroines. "For those unaware. I'm Replica. You might know me as Lifelike on the chatroom. Perhaps we should initiate the meeting by sharing any more information we found about these bikers? I admit that I found very little relevant information on them besides that they aren't terribly notorious in Freedom City's underworld."

Replica greeted the alien in kind. "Likewise, Miss Grue. My handle was Lifelike in the chatroom, but I usually go by Replica in case you were wondering." 

While she still considered herself "awkward" when it came to social interactions she thought that one more than efficient. 

Replica

Crimebusting Monthly: Pillage and Plunder (1)

Since EP already got some pretty sweet rolls on Gather Info and Tactics, Replica spent the night trying to figure if these bikers really fit the description of werewolves and whether that means they got exploitable weaknesses. Also, rolling for Streetwise to see if these guys have a reputation in the underworld. Replica's Eidetic Memory lets me roll for these untrained. 

Knowledge (Arcane Lore): 1d20+6 9

Knowledge (Streetwise): 1d20+6 7

Ouch.

Replica was standing on the roof of Sid's Cafe, ready too make her landing on the second floor. Simply walking into the cafe in costume was to much of a risk to the security of the meeting, by her assessment. Sure, she knew it was statistically improbable that any of the coffee-goers would be aggressively nosy about what she was doing here. This was Freedom City after all, and its citizens knew the protocol when it came to respecting superhero privacy. Still, chances were that someone would have been bold enough to try to sneak a picture of her on their phone, and Replica preferred not to have to use her powers to rummage through someone's device just so she could delete a couple pics. Other people's privacy was just as important as her own after all.

Clearing the scenario from her head, Replica made a short jump off the roof to the veranda below. She made her way past the doors and decided to make herself at home at the center table once she scanned the room and realized that no else had made it to the meeting yet. 

Is the meeting at the cafe supposed to be in plainclothes or our in superhero attire?

I'm more than fine with being part of Case 3, NotAHoneyBadger. 

I'm in agreement with Tiff and Heritage. Just having two seems more sensible and doable. 

@Ari The scientist's motivations for committing the murder were mostly out of jealously and feeling that Replica's creator was the one responsible for getting him kicked out of Astro Labs. Also, the guy is a selective technophobe that's afraid that AI will be the doom of the human race. Perhaps a loved one (friend, family, lover, etc) getting killed by robots from the Foundry could be part of his backstory and another motivation. Behind that, do what you think would be neat.

Replica

Solo: Since her creator was murdered by a disgruntled former protege who caught wind that his old boss was secretly creating an AI, I thought it would make sense that she eventually tracked him down and confronted him. Tone should probably be fairly serious and dramatic. Combat kept to a minimum since the murderer was just a mediocre scientist with a gun.  

Paired: Anything to do with robots, superscience, street crime or mad scientists would work fine just for her. Having a run in with Talos or the Foundry would be great as well!

Replica is totally on board with fighting robot dinosaurs.

Thanks for giving an opportunity to the newbies, Thunder King. 

I think Replica would fit better for Case 2 so I guess she'll sign up for that one.

Wish I could help with GM problem but I'm not confident of my knowledge of M&M to run anything yet. 

U^{PDATE DOWNLOAD by HGM}

Replica

- Spending 6PP

Abilities 

+2 Intelligence [2PP]

New Skill Scores

Craft (Electronic) 8 (+15)

Craft (Mechanical) 8 (+15)

Disable Device 4 (+11)
Investigate 4 (+11)

Knowledge (Technology) 8 (+15) 

Search 4 (+11)

Feats [4PP]

Benefit (Astro Labs Clearance)

Evasion 1

Improved Initiative 

Takedown Attack 1

Replica

Welcome to Crimebusting Monthly! (2)

Replica scanned all the posts made so far. Good. Things seem to be progressing rather well. Plans are being made and good stratagems are being discussed. 

#HeroStuff

Quote

Lifelike: I'm in agreement with ?????? and Svarog. Breaking up into teams so we can investigate these cases is sensible given the range of abilities we have. 

Lifelike: That said, if we must prioritize a specific case than I'd suggest Case 2 . The consequences of that arms deal being successful could send aftershocks throughout Freedom's underworld if it is the first step towards the Salvadorans taking territory. This could be our chance to stop a gang war from even starting.

Lifelike: Of course, as pressing as Case 2 is, Juanita Mendoza's possible kidnapping is also important. She has been gone for three days and statistics show that the longer an abductee is gone the less likely they will ever be found. 

 

Lifelike: Either or, we must act quickly. 

Replica

A quick scan of LittleMissTerrific's posts told Replica that this definitely wasn't the work of a hobbyist playing at being a superhero. It couldn't have been easy to gain such seemingly reliable details about Freedom City's crime scene she thought.

She herself had been searching through the darker corners of the Internet for any major criminal activity and hadn't heard anything about this cases. Replica supposed it just be another thing she had to work on.

Reaching out with her digital mind to manipulate the chatroom program she communicated with her new colleagues. 

#General

Quote

 

 

Lifelike: Hello to you all. I am also new to the "crimefighting" business and hope to learn by working alongside you all.

Lifelike: I possess heightened physical abilities and technopathic powers. I'm actually using the latter right now, in case anyone was curious. 

Lifelike: Anyways, I hope and predict success for our future endeavors.

 

A succinct and focused debut she thought. Giving the essentials of what she was capable of without unnecessary exposing to much about her identity. Replica quickly moved on to the more important topic. 

#HeroStuff

Quote

 

Lifelike: Case 1.The street gang seems easy to physically counter. The psionic though will prove troublesome without access to psi-resistant technology. It's possible for me to design something to that effect, but without having more knowledge about his abilities I cannot be certain about its effectiveness, especially if his powers are supernatural in nature.

Lifelike: Case 2. I concur with Hrdhat. Given the various forms of firepower our perpetrators could muster a stealth approach would be best I believe. 

Lifelike: Case 3. I must admit, supernatural threats like this are... bewildering to me. Still, even if these berzerekers are genuine shapeshifters I believe they would still be just a physical threat. In that regard I can definitely assist in overpowering them. 

 

I think Magical Girl would up be up for everything involving (you guessed it) magic and figuring out how all that stuff works.

Globetrotting and tomb raiding would be cool as well.