Dr Archeville

Nightshyft Making his way across/under the 40th Avenue bridge, Nightshyft soon finds himself at the westernmost edge of the Promenade. Near the entrance he could see one of Freedom City's finest, siting in his police cruiser and talking on the radio. There seems to be no one else present, and the police tape strung across the main entrance gives a good explanation why. Creeping in, he realized he'd never been here, not for 'business,' anyway. The trails here had always been safe, making the recent murders doubly intrusive. As he made his way in, going around the darkness-triggered 'street' lights that were just beginning to illuminate the trails, he got the feeling he was being watched... but was that just his usual paranoia, or something more? [[ Please make a Stealth check; you can Take 10 if you wish. ]] Imposter Imposter avails himself of the city's fine public transportation. Specifically, a taxi. The cabbie -- from Jersey, as his accent easily indicates -- is friendly and talkative. "Hey, kid, howyadoin'? Promenade, eh? Yeah, I knoww here dat's at.... Dis is my first day here, ya know, got a transfer from Hoboken. Dang giant robot kept tearin' up da place, lost me t'ree cahs! So's I figures I come out here where dere's some, y'know, real superheroes, knowwhatI'mtakin'bout? Yeah, sure ya do...." As Imposter engages (or avoids) conversation with the cabbie, he catches sight of some movement up in the air. Somewhat used to the sight -- he did attend Claremont Academy, after all -- the sight of this particular flier, who looked for all intents and purposes to be some sort of angel, was a hair unusual (especially when he at one point was in between his view and the setting sun, making it look like the angel was glowing. And it seemed to also be going towards the Promenade, in a very roundabout fashion. Catherine Kato The restaurant Catherine had popped into was at the far southeast end of the Promenade, technically in Kingston. Unfortunately, the brief info from the news report indicated that the latest murder (and the two prior) had all taken place in the northwest part of the Promenade (though the murder had been moving steadily southeast). There was still some amount of daylight, and once she made it to the Promenade proper she could easily see several walking trails. she also saw police tape blocking the main entrance, and a parked cruiser, but no one in it. The going was slow, not because of any difficulty in the terrain, but simply because she was unused to such lengthy exertions. Though she knew the police had temporarily cordoned off the area, the absence of any other person did still seem unusual for such a big place. Eventually it got dark enough for the 'street' lights along the trails to flicker on, completely changing the shadows of the area, and making the loneliness a tad creepier. Mongrel Angel Mongrel Angel was filled with a burst of hope when she saw the Centurion statue, renewing her faith in the decision to take the path of the hero. Zipping northwest towards the Promenade, she soon found herself hovering over where she believed the report had indicated the last murder had occurred. [[ Everyone please make a Notice check. ]]

......... d'oh! :oops:

Science!

Thanks for clearing that up Nightshyft, which direction is Nightshyft approaching the Promenade from? North? Northeast? Where had he been when shadowing his client? The brief info from the news report indicated that the latest murder (and the two prior) had all taken place in the northwest part of the Promenade, though the murders had been moving steadily southeast.

No, it just nixes the "can make a master plan in mere seconds" aspect of that concept. You can still use Know (Tactics) to make the Master Plan check (if you get a feat allowing it), or for setting up/detecting ambushes (again if you get a feat for it).

(( Something it seems I wasn't 100% clear on, the news report is from the evening/6:00pm news. Sunset is in about two hours. Doesn't seem like this'd be a problem for anything anyone's posted, so we'll go with it. )) All After a few moments spent briefly covering the other top news items, the anchorman returns to the topic of the recent murder. "The body was discovered approximately an hour ago, by Rich Lee, the victim's fiance." The top right corner of the screen is filed with a still photo of Alex and Rich, Alex seen as a fairly attractive green-eyed, red-haired, fair-skinned lass, and Rich seems to hail from Eastern European stock. "The two had been jogging together along one of the trails in the Promenade when Rich stopped to go back to their jeep for his iPod; when he returned to where he'd left her, she was gone. He called her cell phone to find where she was, but heard it ringing some yards away from the main trail, where he soon found her body." Nightshyft Nightshyft was able to get to the Promenade unseen without much trouble; the shadows were long at this time of day, in some places seeming almost to stretch out and point him towards the sight of the grisly deeds. Soon enough he was at the outermost edge [i'll let you decide which direction/orientation] of the Promenade. Imposter The news report continues playing in the background, distracting the metamorphic teen slightly from his attempts at cheating. Catherine Kato Catherine overheard the rest of the story as the waitress packed her meal to go. She knew the Promenade was at least four miles away, as the familiar flies, though she had her own ways of getting around. Mongrel Angel After hearing the last of the news story and finishing his drink, Mongrel Angel headed out the door. Looking around the gain her bearings, she saw she had been in a place (an extremely popular one, apparently) called "Shaughnessey's," on Greenbank Road. Not far away she saw a sign pointing towards Mona-Glenn Bridge, and looking further she could see said bridge in the not-too-distant distance.

A question for spectrevk : does this Mean that she's got 8 points for each power in the array (so Blast 4, Teleport 4, and Snare 4), or that the array has a rank 8 Blast (and thus also Teleport 8 and Snare 8)? (The line "Attack 2 (Melee 2, Ranged 4) [Mystic Bolt 8 (Magic Energy)]" seems to imply the latter.)

w00t! 2 pps awarded! And my recent Family Tree posting has already determined what I'll be spending them on (though technically it's something he has "always" had): Immunity 4 (aging, disease, poison, sleep; Flaw: Limited to half normal effect) [2pp] Explanation: [*:smfohegv]Half-Immunity to aging from his family's freakish longevity. [*:smfohegv]Half-Immunity to disease & poison from his family's odd longevity and controlled exposures to small amounts of assorted diseases and toxins over the years in order to build up a high degree of resistance. [*:smfohegv]Half-Immunity to sleep due to his hyper-efficient brain (it requires less 'rebooting' than other brains, though does still need some downtime). Still working on those other changes I'd mentioned earlier. Updated by Barnum

x4 skill points, actually Top 3 books I'd recommend are the M&M 2E core rulebook, Ultimate Power, and Instant Superheroes. And the Freedom City campaign book. And if you're looking for "Hyper-Intelligence Tricks," you can find some here ;)

Unless you want them ;)

A thread for all OOC discussion. Hero Roster 1) Nightshyft (PL 10) -- Uninjured; One Hero Point. 2) Imposter (experienced PL 6) -- Uninjured, One Hero Point 3) Catherine Kato (PL 6) -- Uninjured, Zero Her Points 4) Mongrel Angel (PL 6) -- Uninjured, Fatigued, Two Hero Points

Time: May 20th, 2008 (a Tuesday). Late afternoon. Place: Variable. Tell me where you all are & what you are doing when you hear this news broadcast.

After careful thought (and random tossing-darts-at-boards), I've made my final cut. The team of heroes facing the mysterious killer on the Promenade will be: 1) Nightshyft (PL 10) 2) Imposter (experienced PL 6) 3) Catherine Kato (PL 6) 4) Mongrel Angel (PL 6) IC thread here, and OOC thread here.

(The written journal of Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville, translated from German.) 1st January 2008 (Tuesday) My first day back in America, at the start of the new year! Things haven't changed too much since I was last here, in the summer of 1999, though the rebuilt Freedom League headquarters is quite nice*. I am, for now, forced to live in an apartment near the HIT campus; someone made a better offer on the house I'd had my eye on, so I must look elsewhere. I do have my sights set on another place, though, one almost equidistant from HIT and the Albright Institute, and near the Promenade so within easy reach of ASTRO Labs. (Easy for me, anyway!**) Once I do secure my own dwelling, I can unpack all my belongings from their tesseract storage containers. First the laboratory and library, so I can get back to some of my theoretical works, then the workshops to pursue more practical invention. A building-wide fire prevention system and an advanced security system will be needed, too. I'll also likely need my own power supply -- don't want to be blacking out half the city! Perhaps a micro-singularity, like what was used to power Argo the Ultimate Android. No, no, too risky. Ah, of course: go green! High-efficiency thermocouples, converting both solar energy and geothermal heat into usable electrical power! For now, though, it is enough to see the sights of the city. When I was here as a student I focused totally on my academics (and some of my own inventions), and never took the time to appreciate this wondrous city. (Which did nothing to lessen my reputation as a 'Young Mad Scientist.') I must rectify this situation! But where to go first? My natural inclinations urge me to go to ASTRO Labs and the Albright Institute, and fully explore the HIT campus... so that's what I'll do! Perhaps City Hall next, get some brochures from their tourist board. (And see about permits for my new home.) Why am I bothering to keep this journal, when my own fantastic brain perfectly recalls everything I experience, and have experienced for almost the past ten years? Well, it's always wise to keep back-ups, in multiple formats if possible. Once my laboratory is back up I plan to use my Mind Scanner to do weekly recordings of my engrams and other neural patterns, so as to have a full electronic recordings of all my memories. (Plus, should something irreparable happen to my body, the engrams can be used to 'reincarnate' me into a new form, as a digital entity, or downloaded into a clone, a cyborg, or an android!) * Note: track down Daedalus, pick his brain on a few things. ** Follow-Up: See if Freedom City requires some sort of "flyer's license." There'd been some murmurings of passing such a law nationwide when I was last here, though I never heard what came of it. ========================================================== 14th January 2008 (Monday) My head! My tongue!!! As mentioned previously, I am for the moment forced to live in an apartment near the HIT campus. What I did not write was that it is mostly inhabited by students from that college, both undergraduate and graduate. A group of them threw a large party over the weekend -- one of them was getting married -- and invited all their neighbors. Not wanting to be seen as an isolationist, I dropped in for a bit, though I knew the gnat piss they pass off as 'beer' here in America is vastly inferior to the beers and lagers of my beloved homeland (and I'm not yet ready to share my own stash, at least not until I can get my own micro-brewery set up*). I was in for a surprise, though! Seems one of the party organizers is a beer enthusiast, and had a wide assortment from around the world, including Baltic and English porters, India pale ales, and even a Vienna lager! And enough altbiers, hefeweizens, rauchbiers, and schwarzbiers to make me feel at home! (Ah, if only there'd been sausages, too!) For my part, I taught them a few German drinking songs, including Eisgekühlter Bommerlunder (though I'm not sure how much anyone remembered!). It turned out to be a grand, grand time, though I am paying for it now (though not as much, it seems, as everyone else!). * Permits required? Check with City Hall. ========================================================== 24th January 2008 (Thursday) My first act of hero-dom while back in this country, though it was fairly crude. While walking down 28th Avenue, in Midtown, I heard a woman shriek. Turning, I quickly found the source of the sound, and saw a burly man running own the street with a purse clutched tightly in his meaty hand. Fortunately, I was wearing my Gravimetric Belt* at the time, and so flew after him**. His greater familiarity with the area compensated for my superior speed and maneuverability, but we soon came to a straightaway where I was able to ram into him at high speeds and knock him down***. Unfortunately the collision did not knock him out, but he soon saw the futility of attacking me while my force field was raised****, so he ran. Right into the waiting police, who had been drawn to our chase! They took a statement from me and a few other eyewitnesses, and told me some local news reporter would likely come to interview me soon, though I've not been contacted as yet by anyone. No matter, though; I'm not doing this for fame, I'm doing this to help humanity, even if it is only in tiny steps for now. * I'd like Daedalus' feedback and critique on my Belt, but still have not been able to schedule an appointment. ** Speed can surely be increased. Also, there must be some way to negate the ominous hum & glow of the active Belt. *** Protective power can surely be increased. And some sort of reactive 'counter' to batter people who strike me? **** Alternate setting: invert gravimetric field, so that it affects the attraction of the wearer's atomic structure, to alter size and/or density? See if I can look over Dr. Atom's notes on Maximus Atom, and Daedalus' notes on Doc Otaku (if I can ever meet with him!). ========================================================== 4 February 2008 (Monday) I saw a movie at the theatre a couple of weeks ago, I Am Legend, based (loosely) on the Richard Matheson book of the same name. In this movie, a virus -- an altered version of the measles virus meant to target and kill cancerous cells -- mutated and escaped containment, killing 90% of the human population, and mutating 9% into vampire-like creatures. (The remaining 1%, of which the main antagonist was a part, proved immune, but were either hunted & killed by the 'hemocytes' or went mad in isolation.) Since seeing this movie, a part of my mind has begun working on such a virus. Without a working laboratory I am -- it is limited to what it can do, but I fear it is close. ========================================================== 16 February 2008 (Saturday) It's a nice day out. I think I'll go for a walk in Riverside park today.

Sorry, I do not want villains, just heroes.

Ah, gotcha!

What's his Features power for? What does it do?

Archeville twirled the staff in his hands for half a moment, largely to see if there'd be any energy discharge from the ends as before. At one point his right hand moves quickly to his ultra-tech belt and taps a few buttons, then he lashes out with the staff at the spot where the mnk had been (and hopefully still was), though the 'whiffing' sound of the staff cleaving through empty air was discouraging. "I zhink Odin or Tyr vould be more appropriate for me, but I'm not one to refuse aid!" If there had been any flashes of energy from the staff, the foes may think it a trick of the light that the German seemed to fade from view. It was unlikely that they knew his gravimetric belt could generate a gravitic field that could warp electromagnetic energy around him, rendering him invisible to both visual and radio senses. If they can find some way to counter Keira's darkness, or she lowers it, he still wanted the benefit of some concealment.

So sorry to hear this, man. Take care, do what you gotta, we'll keep your seat open.

I'm back, more or less. (Never really left, due to hotel's high-speed 'net & wife's preference for sleeping in late.) Wedding went as well as it could. Half of us got stopped by the courthouse metal detectors, then we had to wait for an hour before we could get hitched. Then at the reception lunch, we were told we could only order from the lunch menu, despite being reassured, twice, that they'd have the full dinner menu available to us. Hotel room was very plush (and quiet, despite there being two other wedding parties and a Shriner's convention being held in the same hotel!), and their breakfast buffet was great. Came back home and had a bit of a scare when we couldn't find one of our cats, but after an hour of tearing the house upside down he finally peeked out and seemed fine.

Ah, I thought Keira's initiative was lower than Doc's. Curses!!! *shakes tiny fist* Roll to see if he hits due to total concealment. (1d20 = 16)

Just had an idea for a slight change to Doktor Archeville I'd like to make. As his history stands now, he is 'merely' a mutant, but after looking through the Freedom City sourcebook I feel that making him an "evolved human" like the Psions would ft my original concept better. (That concept being "human genius who doesn't want to sully himself with mutations or cybernetics", like Telios the Perfect Man from the Champions RPG and, to a lesser extent, Marvel's Doctor Doom.) It might also make GMs here more likely to allow the "sample Power Stunts for his Enhanced Int" list -- the stunts are possible not just because he's inhumanly intelligent, but because he's inhumanly intelligent and a semi-latent psionic. Still working on how I'll word this change in his description, though. I've a few other minor changes as well (like the spelling of his hometown, and that his mental quickness is x100, not x25). And since monthly pp awards should be coming soon, I'll just wait 'till I've got everything set before making any/asking for any changes (so this post is more of a "heads up" to the crew).

Luck Control springs to mind.

Thanks Fortunately, my wife likes to sleep in late, giving me time to access the webernets. (And study for the Spanish test I've got Monday.....) Oh, and I've posted a move, so there's no need to hold on my account ;)

"Debug?," the Super-Scientist repeated as the staff's blast diffused harmlessly across his force field. "Zhat's an odd term to use... almost as odd as zhose staffs." Archevill flies up the the Tech-Priest who blasted him and tries to use a pressure point/joint-lock move to make him release the staff and then immediately seize it before it can hit the ground. "Static electricity build-up, ja?"