Dr Archeville

Invisible Castle's back up!

The Refs are working on finding/getting something. We'll let y'all know ASAP!

Walking around the cop's body, Vigor finds no acidic trails around or near it. But, he does recall that the angel had said that a blob had dropped down from above. Looking up, he can't see much, but the closest branches are somewhat high up and the light's not great. There are two general ways the group can go. A) Northwest, towards HIT and where the murders started Southeast, towards where the killer(s) seems to be going There is of course also C) Southwest, towards the Wading River D) Northeast, towards Hanover Square (a shopping center know for bookstores & shops catering to the college-age crowd) E) Due east, towards Hanover Zoo F) Straight up, towards space, and the stars which call to you.... A reminder about time: it is Tuesday, May 20th, in the late evening (about 8:45pm). The sun has set (it set around 8:00), the street lights are on, but the clearing where you all are at is several yards off the main jogging route. The angel's flames are the primary source of illumination for you all, though Mongrel Angel and Vigor know that tonight's moon (which will rise at exactly 9:15) is full.

End of Round Recap Players Grimalkin -- 1 Bruise -- 0 HP (MIA) ManBat – Full Health -- 1 HP Nightrival -- Full Health (DC 22 Will save) -- 3 HP Reflexion -- 1 Bruise, 1 Staggered -- 1 HP (AWOL) Initiative Orders 29 -- Hispanic Woman (in front doorway) 28 -- Nightrival (outside) 26 -- Asian Woman (in kitchen?) 22 -- Reflexion (just outside, hiding [AWOL]) 21 -- Slick Willie (Unconscious, outside) 21 – Heavy (Bruised x2; outside) 20 -- "Twitchy Pete" (whirling in living room) 19 -- Druggies (6; 2 down, 4 up; 3 Fled, 1 Chillin’) 17 -- Grimalkin (in living room?) 15 – Manbat (outside, on roof)

[[ Invisible Castle is down, so I can't check the rolls, but I had looked at it earlier and I don't believe Nightrival's attack did more than +9 damage ]] The sheer force of Nightrival's impact knocks the Hispanic woman into the door frame, but her reaction was not what he expected. She doesn't cry out or even say anything, though she does gasp... but it's not from discomfort. Grinning like a cat that's about to eat a canary, the woman stares unnervingly at Nightrival, and the crimefighter suddenly feels a pain in his side, the same side he'd hit her! [DC 22 Will save] The man-mountain Heavy was slowly picking himself back up as ManBat's sonic shriek slammed into him. One foot slipped but he quickly caught himself, and soon he was fully back up on his feet -- and looking up at ManBat. "COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT, CHICKEN-MAN!" he hollers. Reflexion is still unseen. "Foreshadow" goes that way, too, as Grim switches her invisibility back on while she dives towards the hallway for cover/escape. The lone druggie, having crawled in through the broken window, curls up next to the busted television set. He seems oblivious to the few bits of glass sticking in his limbs, or the blood slowly dripping from the cuts.

Sorry for the delay, gang, but every time I've tried posting for this adventure, something came up which drew me away from the board! But now I think I've got enough distraction-free time to post :)

Heritage?

Maybe scientifically-minded types are more prone to turn to supervillainy? Though the "villains get to see him work while 'hidden in plain sight'" angle does make sense, too. Nyrath, is Exile still around?

All future DC Superhero movies to be DARK?

nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Metahuman-Hacks-Government-Database.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

26? Bah! Ya young whippersnapper....

"I vould of course be happy to help, Herr Knight," Archeville says, "but I am not entirely certain vhere mein gear was taken. They took it from me as I vas signed in; they didn't vant to 'risk it falling into the wrong hands.'" Archeville does in fact make 'air-quote' gestures. "I did ask for them to keep it close by in case I needed it, though, und I overheard one of the guards say they vould put it in the guard's armory on this floor." "If I may make a suggestion: I could run off to the armory and get mein gear and mislead any guards that are there, have them run off to the wrong parts of the prison. If any of your Brothers here haff any type of invisibility or shapeshifting powers, or even something like wall-crawling, he could discretely follow along to insure that I don't try anything funny. Not that I'd do so anyway," he quickly added, "for my part in all this I haff just as much to lose as you all. Vord gets out that I helped you all, I'll lose all mein titles und honors, I'd be lucky to get a job teaching high school chemistry after I got out of prison."

Freshmen entering college this year were born in 1990. They completely missed Ronald Reagan's presidency, the USSR, the Iron Curtain, the Cold War (though they may be seeing a new one soon), the Berlin Wall, the (first?) Gulf War, and Margaret Thatcher's UK. They don't remember a time when the English Channel Tunnel (Chunnel/Eurotunnel) didn't exist. They don't remember a time when the European Union did not exist. They don't remember Nelson Mandela being in prison. They don't remember a time when Time Warner didn't exist as one single entity. They missed Watchmen when it was first published. They missed the Great Darkness Saga, Legends, Millennium, and Invasion!. They missed the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Assuming that they didn't start regularly reading comics until they were 5, they completely missed Superman's death and return, Batman's crippling, and Hal Jordan's turn to villainy/madness, as well as the War of the Gods, Panic in the Sky, Bloodlines, Worlds Collide (DC vs. Milestone Comics), Zero Hour, and Underworld Unleashed. Over at Marvel, they missed the Mutant (Morlock) Massacre, Kraven's Last Hunt, the Armor Wars, Inferno, Atlantis Attack, and the Acts of Vengeance. Assuming again that they didn't start regularly reading comics until they were 5, they also missed the X-Tinction Agenda (when Genosha's anti-mutant government was finally overthrown), the Infinity Gauntlet (and War and Crusade), X-Cutioner's Song (Stryfe and the release of the Legacy Virus), Maximum Carnage, Fatal Attractions (where Wolvie had his adamantium torn out by Magneto, and we later learned he'd always had those claws), the Phalanx Covenant, the Clone Saga, and the Age of Apocalypse. They don't remember Mike Tyson from his highest point, only from his downward spirals. They probably don't remember OJ Simpson's slow speed chase, or Kurt Cobain's death (they would've been 4 at the time). They don't remember the Secret Service raiding Steve Jackson Games. They never saw Bionic Six, Challenge of the GoBots, Defenders of the Earth, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Inspector Gadget, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, M.A.S.K., The Real Ghostbusters, Super Friends (or any of its spin-offs/sequels), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundarr the Barbarian, ThunderCats (or SilverHawks or TigerSharks), or Transformers when they first ran, only in reruns. The same goes for The A-Team, Alien Nation, Amazing Stories, Beauty and the Beast, Captain Kangaroo, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, CHiPS, Doogie Howser, M.D., Family Ties, MacGyver, Max Headroom, Miami Vice, Misfits of Science, Mr. Wizard's World, Quantum Leap, Silver Spoons, Star Trek: the Next Generation (they'd be 4 when it ended), Tales from the Darkside, and Who's the Boss. They would've been 8 when Babylon 5 ended. They missed the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. They don't remember a time before digital cellular phones, or a time when they could not use text messaging. They don't remember a time when homosexuality was officially listed as a disease by the World Health Organization, or a time when it was not illegal to discriminate against people with physical disabilities in the United States.

That won't work -- Darkvision is 2pp, so any AP off it must also be 2pp or less. Acute analytical ranged rapid detect fear is 5pp. I'd suggested having the basic Detect Fear power as one of his always-available not-in-an-array super-senses, and have as an AP of his Emotion Control an Enhanced Super-Senses power that adds all sorts of extra stuff to the basic Detect Fear. When using those 'super' super-senses it'd lock out his other fear-based stuff -- he's focusing on sensing fear-energies rather than manipulating them -- but he'd still have his Density/Incorporeal.

Groovy First though, he needs to get to his stuff. But, it's late, so I'll be making a post tomorrow.

I have a plan! But part of it depends on whether or not Doc knows something about FC's history. The .pdf Iron Age Vigilantes & Villains has two characters tied to Blackstone, specifically the Blackstone Riot of 1983: Countess Azure and Doc Abbatior. Both were killed during the riot: Azure (a former insane cult leader who orchestrated mass suicides)) mind controlled a guard into killing her rather than face more time in jail, but nothing is said of how the Doc Abbatoir (a former host of Jack-a-Knives who drove the spirit out but retained some of its power and continued killing) died. Part of my plan was to have Doc to use his gear (once he retrieves it) to make it look like the ghost of one or both of those villains are manifest and have them harass White Knight and his gang; at the very least it might slow them down long enough for more reinforcements to come, at best Doc may get them to KO themselves as they blast at the ghosts. But, I don't want Doc acting on knowledge he might not have. So what flavor of Knowledge check should I make for him to see if he'd know enough to come up with this plan? History? Popular Culture? EDIT: Wait, it doesn't really matter since it's probably not going to be a knowledge Doc has. So it'll just be his based +10 Int. Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (Popular Culture) rolls. (1d20+10=17, 1d20+10=23) Will those be enough to let Doc come up with such a plan?

Everything seems to add up fine (though I would like to see the HQ features listed alphabetically), and you should replace your initial stats in the first post with the newest stats. And as long as you're aware of the dangers of having his Flight and Force Field in the same array, I'm okay with allowing it. APPROVED.

The taiko drums continue at their mad pace. “As fate would have it, it was already dark, but he had every sensor array that he could, so he could see everything just fine. A research & development facility had one of the Helmets he needed in order to save Rachael, so he made a beeline straight for them. The sound of steel rasping against concrete as he tore through the night, moving, constantly monitoring Rachael’s condition, keeping her stable while his legs flailing, a wild metal storm to save a little girl’s life.” The hologram shows Mutt tearing down largely empty Eastern European streets at night. “Mutt knew exactly what he needed to do and how much time he had to do it in. Her condition was getting worse.” “Inside of an hour, he had the building that had the Helmet in sights. It was a research & development facility; inside the Helmet was being used for any number of things, they were stripping it down, trying to find new and better ways to use it, but a functional unit was there. Inside the building the people were watching the cameras, watching all the monitors. They had a chain-link fence up and a few paid security guards.” The hologram continues to keep pace with Archeville’s words, showing the R&D facility, the few guards, and the fence, and Mutt approaching from one side. “They were armed… but they were no match for Mutt.” “The first thing that happened was the cameras were taken out. He’d downloaded so many tactical scenario programs, he had the blueprints, he knew everything about this place. He came in through a side section of the gates where the least amount of camera coverage was. Using his steel limbs, it was simple to scale a corner of the building, get up like some huge scorpion crawling along the edge of a block. Up on top, down goes the cameras. People inside just watched the cameras fall. Camera one, down. Camera two, down. Camera three, down. Security was dispatched. They all went running for the stairs, but it was too late for that. He’d already torn his way through the roof off and was coming down the elevator shaft.” The taiko drums silence. The hologram shows security guards at a monitor station running out as the feeds go down, then pans to an elevator shaft as Mutt scurries down. “He came, a demon made of technology, to answer to a holy cause, and he wasn’t going to let the demons of Mammon and Mormu and Cash and all the other desires take away his only friend, the only thing he’d ever cared about. The closest thing to Mother, God, and Lover that a robot had ever known. Never question the loyalty of a machine.” The taiko drums resume, accompanied by a jangling metallic sound. “Mutt tore through the ceiling, wound up in a hallway, and that’s where the security guards were all at. They began to fire. If they hadn’t started shooting, there wouldn’t have been a problem. But Mutt wasn’t worried about himself, he was worried about the bullets ricocheting, tearing through the thin steel he’d wrapped Rachael in. One of them got to her, she’d be destroyed, and he wouldn’t be able to get the Transfer across. No good.” “So, the threat had to be eliminated. And blood only serves to lubricate gears.” "NOOOooo..." “He simply moved forward and killed them. Simple, basic, mechanical death. Within moments he’d gained entry to the laboratory. It was less than 45 minutes from the time he’d ripped Dr. Kohout’s spine out. There’s no question here, he knew what had to be done. And he did it.” Another 'pseudo-realistic' sequence, like the images of the plague victims. “He took Rachael’s body out of its encasement and laid it as gently as he could on the laboratory table. Within moments his limbs were a flurry, grabbing the Helmet, grabbing the Nano-Serum, he knew everything that needed to get done.” The jangling metallic sound stops, “through a wireless connection, the encryption that protected their security system was nothing to a Quantum Cluster. He tore through that, deactivated all the alarms. Everything was status quo.” “Except for all the blood in the hallway.” “The minute he had the Helmet hooked up, he put her back in the encasement, Helmet in place, serum pumping through her, and went right back out the way he came in. He’d linked himself directly into the camera feeds now, he knew exactly where all the guards were. He didn’t even run in to anyone. He knew exactly which way people were going, where they had to be, what the security protocols were. Everything. By the time the sun came up, he was halfway to Chernobyl.” “See, Mutt knew that hardly anyone ever went to Chernobyl, because of the excessive radioactivity so dangerous to most all organic life. But by the time Mutt was going to be done with Rachael, she wouldn’t be human anymore. She’d be a machine, just like him, and they’d have a wide range of places they could go to avoid thoughtless humans.” “Or so the legend goes.” The taiko drums stop. “They say he ran all night, nonstop, headed straight for the Ukraine. There’s a few people who say there were police reports, of a giant steel spider-thing tearing through the area, but the police of Eastern Europe already had much on their hands. They say he made it. They say he built a new body for Rachael, and the two of them now live as some sort of twisted lovers.” The dimmed lights begin to slowly come up to their regular levels. “Some find this tale comforting. That, in the end, after we’ve all rotted away off this mortal coil, there’ll still be some decent folks like Mutt and Rachael kickin’ around. Perhaps the tale is true, perhaps they are still out there. If not at Chernobyl, then perhaps in the harshest part of Siberia, or in a sunken nuclear submarine. Maybe they’re in the Gobi desert, or they’re dancing under the aurora australis in Antarctica. Or, like Mutt himself, the whole tale may be fabricated from bits of unconnected events, pieced together into an entertaining yarn, presenting the banes and boons of technology, and the dangers in underestimating it, a warning to not turn on it lest it turn on us. I leave it to you all to decide.” The lights were now fully back up. “Thank you,” he says with a small bow. Applause can be heard throughout the building, and many in the rooms stand. Doctor Voldman approaches and they shake hands, then Archeville steps back so Voldman can take the microphone. “My, that certainly was something! Well, um, it seems we've got about fifteen minutes before the reception starts, so if there are any comments or questions...?” [[ The preceding was based upon “Rachael’s Mutt,” Episode VI of Season 1 of Sean Kennedy’s Tales from the Afternow. It has been adapted with permission. The original story can be listened to at http://www.theafternow.com/listen.php; I highly recommend giving it -- and all the other eps -- a listen. ]]

D'oh! You're right, I was in a rush and misread the entry in ULTIMATE POWER. Rank 1 -- speak any language one at a time, or understand all at once. Rank 2 -- everyone who hears you understands what you're saying as if you're speaking their native language (semi-implied alternative: speak any one language at a time and understand all at once.) Rank 3 -- speak and understand all languages at once.

Well, remember, Powers aren't necessarily Powers -- that is, not all require mutated genes or alien physiology, many can be gained via training (look at all the Shadow can do, or Iron Fist). And from a cost effectiveness point of view, Comprehend 1 (understand several languages at once, but can only speak one at a time) costs two points, the same as eight languages; buying more languages than that would be cost-ineffective. Also, I've seen Comprehend with "takes time to decipher new languages you've not been exposed to," a -1 pp drawback.

Actually, this says FOX filed suit back in February, and Fox’s legal team said it wasn’t looking for monetary compensation and instead wants to prevent the big-budget film from being released altogether.

Ah, okay, that makes much more sense! Though that would actually cost 29 points -- 24 for Flight 12, 1 to make it Dynamic, and 4 more for the 2 Dynamic APs.

Hrrmmm... languages are a special skill which you only need one rank in to be completely fluent. Contrast this to all the other skills where you need many ranks to be proficient. JoAT lets you try any skill, but chances are you won't be doing anything spectacular with it (unless you've got a really high associated ability score), so if JoAT were applied to languages it should be similarly limited. I'd say that, at best, JoAT would let you know a few dozen words in all the most common languages, but not enough to hold anything more than the most basic conversation in any of them, and even those will be riddled with grammatical errors. ("What's this, then? 'People called Romanes, they go the house'?" "Its says, 'Romans go home'!" "No, it doesn't!") You can ask questions but only simple ones that can be answered with one word or a gesture.

Welcome! Sine we've known each other for so long, I think it may be a a conflict of interests for me to be one of the two Refs who judge the character. However, I will say one thing: alphabetizing & bolding things makes it much easier for us So I'd suggest his stats be formatted into something like: Note that as a plain "detect fear," it's not going to be accurate enough to use as a targeting sense. It'll just be able to tell him "there's some fear over in that general vicinity".

If your character is in the present, speak in the present tense. If you're doing some flashback, speak in the past tense. At least, this is how it ideally goes. Everyone slips up now and again. Rule of thumb, unless they explicitly say it's in the past, treat it as if it's present.