N/A

Please let me know if any of the details I improvised need changing.

The Scarab soared through the sky over downtown Freedom City like a bullet, her massive scarlet cape rippling behind her like a flag. She was hidden under a cloak of psychic invisibility, a command to ignore and forget her presence that only the strongest minds could resist, but a red blur would show up later on security cameras and in the backgrounds of selfies (and then soon after on social networking and microblogging feeds). Today, her target was a simple tech lab in the North End, Hallomen Advanced Experts. She floated down to the ground and walked up to the door, which opened with a thought (or, to any observers, of its own accord). Her cape continued to billow behind her, as though she were still shooting through the sky. The crimson-clad hero floated up to the reception desk. The receptionist heard a hundred voices speaking in unison inside her mind. Her cape lifted to momentarily reveal an armored suitcase floating in the air beside her. This is a matter of life and death which requires the ultimate in technological expertise.

I assume the White Knight needs no introduction. The other full-fledged villain is the Thug template with the Muscle-Max Package from the Powerhouse, and some Growth thrown in for fun, driving him up from PL2 to PL7. Str 34/14 (+12/+2, Lifting 59/14), Dex 12 (+1), Con 35/15 (+12/+2), Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8 (-1) Skills: Craft (Mechanical) 4 (+4), Drive 4 (+5), Intimidate 4 (+3), Knowledge (Pop Culture) 2 (+2), Knowledge (Streetwise) 4 (+4), Swim 2 (+4) Combat: Attack +2, Damage +12/+2 Unarmed, Defense +2, Initiative +1, KB 10/1 Saving Throws: Toughness +12/+2, Fortitude +4, Reflex +1, Will +0 Powers: Enhanced Strength 12, Enhanced Constitution 12, Growth 4 (Large), Impervious Toughness 3, Super-Strength 4 The other 10 guys are just the Thug template, with submachineguns (+4 Damage, Autofire).

It was after sundown, after closing, and this cheque-cashing shop was the last stop on the armored car's route for the day. The two security officers in the front had made this stop on this route a hundred times before without incident, so their attention was focused less on their upcoming task and more on the Freedom Rayguns and their chances of taking the NBA championship this season. They were pulling around the corner, but they hadn't noticed the two painter vans which had just pulled up from the opposite direction. They hadn't yet seen the dozen men in full-face painter masks pulling TEC-9s out of their coveralls, or the leader who carried no gun and wore no mask, electing instead to display his shaved head and swastika-tattooed neck proudly for the world to see. The drivers were, at this moment, oblivious to the wisps of blue flame which began to dance around him. There was no sign they were aware of the only other man who didn't carry a gun, whose coveralls started to tear and split around his muscles as they inflated unevenly like bicycle tires. The neo-Nazi's spontaneous self-immolation continued slowly but steadily as he and his crew walked toward the oncoming armored car. "Even the Jew banks won't touch the hoodrat money here. We'll wash the crack off of it and use it to help people who work for a living." He turned to the man who was steadily expanding into vague blob of muscle. "You're a warrior for the white race now. Pull your weight and pay your debts, and we'll make this city safe for decent folk."

The Scarab continued to face Paige but floated in a half-circle around her, rising about a foot into the air. My...predecessor. Yes. I am following up on a loose end he left before his...untimely passing. I know not yet whether they are events yet to come or already buried in the past, but I have seen blood shed here, as he saw before me. Whoever it is, whatever it is, they have not yet graduated to human victims. I would ask this family if any pets have gone missing in the area recently.

The "Giza" is the Bagdad with the serial numbers filed off. A Google image search will give you a good idea of the general look and layout. "Dead Moon Rising" is basically a Freedomverse Night of The Living Dead.

Keahi Kekoa pulled his dark blue mask up from the back of his neck down over his eyes as he bent down over one knee to peer over the edge of the ten-story roof. The Southside streets looked very far away. "C'mon, K, eye of the tiger! You're bulletproof. You got this!" He clapped his hands together, turned his back on the edge of the roof, and jumped. *BOINGGG* The Newt hit the asphalt like a basketball hitting the backboard, bouncing right back up into the air. "YEEEE-HAWWW!!!" he shouted as the roof he'd been standing on a moment ago came rushing back into view. He reached out toward another building, a block away, and his arm telescoped across the street until his fingers wrapped around a windowsill. He pulled on that windowsill, and redirected the momentum from his fall into a forward swing. A confused twentysomething with glasses and hair pulled up in a messy bun ran to her window and did a double-take at Keahi's hand. He gave her a wink before plummetting back down to the street, this time bouncing in a forward arc instead of straight up. At the high point, he turned back over his shoulder, stuck his thumb in his mouth, blew into it like a straw until his hand was as large as the rest of his body put together, and flashed her a "thumbs-up."

Dead Moon Rising had been one of Brian Mark Brubaker's favorite films during his childhood, ever since the first time he snuck a viewing of it on cable TV while his father was away on a business trip and his mother was "sleeping with Prince Valium." Since the explosion that had stolen his eyes, a theatre screen was just a blank wall to him, even with his echolocation. But the Giza served good pizza and better cider, two things he'd almost forgotten existed during his time among the Shambala monks. He took a seat up on the balcony level, folded up his cane, and settled in to listen and lean into some nostalgia. He had no idea when the house lights went down, so it didn't occur to him to remove his dark sunglasses.

The Giza Brewpub & Theatre's online crowdfunding campaign had been a massive success, and the subsequent renovations had managed to upgrade the picture quality and kitchen facilities without sacrificing the old-school charm of the interior facades. There was only one screen, but it was massive, and between the floor seating and the balcony level, there were over a thousand seats, all sold out days ago. Tonight's grand re-opening was a student-organized fundraiser for Joseph Clark High. Locals from Lincoln and Southside rubbed elbows with the hipsters commuting across the South River, all eager for the double feature: A newly-restored print of the genre-redefining horror classic Dead Moon Rising, followed the premiere of the recent remake. Ten percent of every ticket sold for tonight was going to the school. Of all the teachers at Joseph clark, Mister LaMarr had been the obvious choice to be "volunteered" to attend and keep an eye on things. If nothing else, his presence would help to placate the busybodies on the PTA worried about the possibility of underage drinking.

Newt doesn't have the advance warning that Foreshadow does, so I'll wait to bring him in until after Foreshadow and the villains are already on the scene.

Triggering Foreshadow's -Uncontrolled Precognition.

The vision hit Erick Sloane like a runaway truck. The vision which hit Erick Sloane was a runaway truck. An armored car crashed right into him. It couldn't have been him, because the car smashed into him and crumpled around him like he was a stone pillar or a steel lamppost. The impact had lifted the back tires into the air, and they didn't have time to fall back down to the street before whatever the car crashed into lifted or pushed it up and over, to land upside-down onto the street behind it. Erick blinked his eyes, and saw the uniformed drivers lying on the ground, convulsing like marionette puppets as dozens if not hundreds of bullets shredded their torsos. Their kevlar vests weren't built to take so many direct hits at such close range all at once. Blood mingled with engine oil before soaking into the asphalt. In the background, as the vision faded away, Erick could just barely make out the reflection of the cheque-cashing shop's sign in the spiderwebbed remains of the armored car's window. He recognized the place. It was across the street from a decent taqueria.

The Scarab stopped in her tracks and just stared at Paige for a few moments, as the color rushed back into the world around her and she once more saw it as it was at that moment instead of how it had been in years, months, or minutes past. Maybe a hundred people on Earth could resist her psychic cloak...and most of them lived in Freedom City. A hundred voices echoed inside Paige's mind, all speaking in unison, three louder than the rest - two men and one woman. Ms. Cline. I do not believe I have made your acquaintance. I have enjoyed your show. The Scarab's cape gently flowed behind her, held aloft by a constant nonexistent breeze. I am...tearing up floorboards. Lifting up rocks to see what crawls beneath.

Stealth check with Hide In Plain Sight to leave: 20. Remind me to buy more Skill Mastery ranks, since I can't seem to roll higher than a 5. Kingsnake will try to use the Tracking on his "normal" olfactory sense to pick up a trail to follow, and he'll use the Speed+Swinging from his Device for travel.

Kingsnake didn't have eyes anymore. But that didn't stop him from glaring hatefully at Kashima as his emerald armor carried him into the sky, glaring so hard he was tempted to feel his mask to make sure he hadn't burned any holes in it. He's clueless, too wrapped up in the mythology he's trying to build. Or he's mocking us. Mocking all this blood and death. Either one's a good enough excuse to punch the smug smile right I can't help but assume is hiding under that helmet right off his face. He didn't need to move his head to look around like sighted people. His echolocation and enhanced smell let him glance all around him. I can't juggle cars or create blankets out of thin air. I'm useless here. But elsewhere... Between the blinks of forty-thousand eyes, Kingsnake slipped away.

The Scarab's telekinesis lowered her feet to the Southside sidewalk with all the noise of falling snow. A tiny fraction of her phenomenal psychic power was directed toward screening her presence from the eyes and ears of the residents and passers-by. She gave their subconscious minds a simple command to ignore her, forget her, for their own good as much as for hers. It was a command maybe a hundred people on Earth could defy. The lion's share of her power and attention were focused on the past rather than her present surroundings. Block by block, she walked the streets, pausing for a few moments here and there to open herself up to the psychic resonance of the neighborhood, listening to the echoes left by the people who walked those streets before her. Violence leaves a stain. You can scrub and scrape the blood off the floor. You can demolish buildings and pave over streets. But you can't wash away the stain of that blood being shed.

Any luck with picking up the killer's scent?

Intimidation check: 20.

Kingsnake replied in English to Net-Fly. "I don't know if they made the device or not. Not yet." Crowds. Cameras. Daylight. Worst possible situation. Everything I try to avoid. Maybe I can squeeze out a silver lining. Kingsnake walked up to the nearest police officer, knelt down, and gently placed the janitor to rest on what was left of the ground. He addressed the crowd, repeating every statement, first in Japanese, then in English. He pointed to the device Triakosia lifted from the rubble. "EARTHQUAKE MACHINE. THEY TRIED TO BLOW IT UP AFTER." Then he held his hand out to the side, presenting the corpse. "THEY MURDERED HIM. TRIED TO FRAME HIM. BEAT HIM WITH HIS OWN HAMMER." He reached into the tote bag for a fistful of shredded Yen, then opened his fist, letting the scraps fall to the ground. "MONEY LEFT WITH THE BODY. QUAKE WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THE BODY, HIDDEN THE WOUNDS, LEFT ONLY THIS." He reached into the bag again, taking out the palm-print. "KILLER'S HANDPRINT, LEFT IN THE BLOOD OF AN INNOCENT MAN." He dropped it back in the bag, and then dropped the bag at the cop's feet. "EVIDENCE. THINGS THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SEE." Then he turned and walked up to the armored man, and didn't stop until they were close enough to kiss. This time, he half-spoke, half-growled, only in Japanese, perfect Japanese, barely loud enough for the man to hear. "Freedom City. More crime and natural disasters than any other city in the world. More superheroes than any other city in the world. Thousands of Freedom citizens in the audience. The architects of this atrocity must have known there would be a few of us here. That's just simple math. So why disrupt their own plans with our presence? Didn't they trust you to handle your own debut?"

Taking 10 with Skill Mastery on Sense Motive against everything this guy says, assuming his armor isn't autotuning away anything in his voice and/or heartbeat that would give him away. I'm assuming it's hermetically sealed, so there won't be any revealing smells.

Thanks. I really wanted the costume to invoke this trope (about the only color trope I haven't played with yet), and the cape definitely invoked it. I wound up going with basic black for the body because anything other than black or white seemed to combine with the cape to be visually overwhelming. Even having the opposite-wheel gold as more than minor accents seemed too busy. Definitely open to input on the costume design. Visual design has never been my strong suit (I even think in text). Yeah, I meant Earth-Prime Superior. The idea was that he was Kal-Zed's illegitimate grandson, with Mom having fled Germany during or after WWII and having kept the biological father's identity a secret. I did the math and realized the timing would line up perfectly. It wasn't until after I brainstormed it in chat that I learned that you guys had decided that Quo-Dis's was his daughter, and he'd be her nephew. (If I do end up using this guy, lemme know if that backstory, or this guy's powers, are too much overlap with Cobalt Templar and/or Ultiwoman. That did cross my mind.) I was just thinking that most Ultiman PCs and NPCs grew up in Ultima Thule, so it's be an interesting twist to have one who grew up among normal humans, totally ignorant of his Hyperborean origins. He's basically an Invincible homage, with the Ultimans (and Superior in particular) as the Viltrumites. Superior's bastard child having then paired up with a brown person is just sticking it to him that much more for my personal amusement. Yes, straightforward blasty Kryptonian type is exactly it, with Samaritan's energy web for added utility. I don't have any straightforward flying bricks, and I haven't gotten to play around much with Create Object, which has always been one of my favorite M&M powers (it's so versatile it's practically a variable pool!). The only purpose of the telepathy is for ease of communication while in open space. No plan to expand upon it. I just like the array bookkeeping style, and find it easier to power stunt off of it when I have it written out like that. Didn't like having to take drawbacks, and would probably buy them off first, but, y'know, points. They're straight-up Superman. But drawback or complication, it just doesn't feel right to give him this much raw power without having one or two Achilles Heels. Haven't decided if I want to do this guy or bring back Thrude when I hit my next vet reward tier (8PP away...). Figured I'd get him on paper.

That's more like it. Reflex Save (DC20): 32.

Character Name: ???Power Level: 12(9) (184/180PP) Tradeoffs: None (-3 Attack / +3 Damage, -3 Defense / +3 Toughness) In Brief: The illegitimate mixed-race grandson of the Ultiman called "Superior," an aspiring astronaut turned astrophysicist, using his power to explore the cosmos firsthand and to seek out extraterrestrial threats to Humanity before they come to Earth. Quote: "Ignorance is what brings Chaos, not Knowledge." -Lucy Abilities: [8 + 0 + 8 + 6 + 0 + 4 = 26PP] Strength: 35/18 (+12/+4), 50/18 Lifting (Heavy Load: 12 tons / 300 lbs., up to 95 [6,400 tons] with Cosmic Energy Reserve) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 30/18 (+10/+4) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: [12 + 12 = 24PP] Initiative: +0 Attack: +6, +8 Cosmic Energy Control Grapple: +21/+10, up to +30 with Cosmic Energy Reserve Defense: +6, +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: 12/2 Saving Throws: [0 + 6 + 8 = 14PP] Toughness: +12/+4 (+10/+4 Con, +2/+0 Protection, Impervious 12/0, Reflective [Melee] 12/0) Fortitude: +10/+4 (+10/+4 Con, +0PP) Reflex: +6 (+0 Dex, +6PP) Will: +8 (+0 Wis, +8PP) Skills: [18/20R = 5PP] Diplomacy 2 (+5) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 7 (+10) Languages 2 (English [Native], German, Spanish) Notice 5 (+5) Perform (Oratory) 2 (+5) Feats: [3PP] Accurate Attack Interpose Takedown Attack Powers: [34 + 20 + 11 + 1 + 11 + 25 + 1 + 5 + 11 = 119PP] Cosmic Energy Control 16 (32PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 3, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daka Crystals, Uncommon]) [34PP] Base Power: [25 + 6 = 31PP] Enhanced Strength 17 (Extras: Linked [super-Strength], Feats: Knockback 8 [Effective Damage 20]) [25PP] Super-Strength 3 (Lifting STR 50 [Heavy Load: 12 tons], Extras: Linked [Enhanced Strength]) [6PP] Alternate Power: [16 + 16 = 32PP] Create Object 10 (10 cubes, Lifting STR 50 [Heavy Load: 12 tons], Toughness 10, Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Accurate, Progression 2 [25ft cubes], Selective, Stationary, Tether) [16PP] (Cosmic Energy Force Constructs) Super-Strength 8 (Lifting STR 50 [Heavy Load: 12 tons]) [16PP] Alternate Power: [32PP] Blast 10 (10 100ft Range Increments, 1,000ft Max Range, Extras: Autofire, Feats: Accurate, Variable Descriptor [Eyes or Hands]) [32PP] (Cosmic Energy Blast) Alternate Power: [32PP] Disintegration 10 (10 100ft Range Increments, 1,000ft Max Range, Flaws: Action [Full], Feats: Accurate, Variable Descriptor [Eyes or Hands]) [32PP] (Cosmic Energy Blast) Cosmic Energy Reserve 9 (18PP Array, Feats: Dynamic Alternate Power, Dynamic Base Power, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daka Crystals, Uncommon]) [20PP] Base Power (Dynamic):Super-Strength 9 [18PP] Alternate Power (Dynamic): Flight 9 (10) [18PP] Enhanced Constitution 12 (Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daka Crystals, Uncommon]) [11PP] Flight 1 (10MPH, 100ft per Move Action, Extras: Linked [super-Movement], Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daka Crystals, Uncommon]) [1PP] Immunity 11 (Aging, Life Support, Starvation/Thirst) [11PP] Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious Toughness 12, Reflective Toughness [Melee] 12, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daka Crystals, Uncommon]) [25PP] Regeneration 1 (Resurrection 1 [1/week], Feats: Regrowth, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Cannot resurrect while in the presence of Daka Crystals, Uncommon]) [1PP] Super-Movement 3 (Space Travel 3 [intergalactic], Drawbacks: Power Loss [Daka Crystals, Uncommon]) [5PP] Telepathy 6 (12PP Array, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Lead, Blocked by 5mm / 1/4 inch, Uncommon]) [11PP] Base Power: [6 + 6 = 12PP] Communication 3 (Mental, 1,000ft, Extras: Area, Linked [Comprehend], ) [6PP] Comprehend 3 (Languages 3 [speak Any/All Simultaneously, Understand All], Linked [Communication]) [6PP] Drawbacks: [1 + 6 = -7PP] Vulnerability (Orichalcum, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Weakness (Daka Crystals, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Major [Cumulative -1 to All Abilities], Time Interval: 1/minute) [-6PP] Totals: Abilities (26) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (5) + Feats (3) + Powers (119) - Drawbacks (7) = 184/180 Power Points Combat Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC27/19* Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Blast Ranged (1,000ft Max) DC25** Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Disintegration Ranged (1,000ft Max) DC25 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Toughness DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Energy) Create Object Touch/Area DC20 Reflex Trapped * Effective Damage 20/4 for Knockback purposes. ** Autofire.

Tracking: You can follow trails and track using a particular sense. The basic DC to follow a trail is 10, modified by circumstances, as the GM sees fit. You only move at half normal speed while tracking. Once Kingsnake gets back up top, he'll put down the janitor and try to pick up the murderer's scent trail. I can't find anything official on what skill you use for a Tracking Super-Sense. Assuming it's Notice or Search, Kingsnake will take 10 for DC30, minus whatever circumstance penalties you want to apply. Assuming you don't want to just toss me a Hero Point and say "No."

Kingsnake pulled the tape off the doorjamb, bringing up the bloody handprint, smoothed the tape back down on its white paper backing, and tossed it into a stray Fighters tote-bag he'd picked up along the way, along with the other evidence baggies and a fistful of the shredded cash. "The machine was rigged with explosives. Covering their tracks. Get what's left of it out of here intact. They won't like that." He heaved the janitor's corpse up over his shoulders. "Namazu Technologies is the next stop, after making sure this place isn't his grave. His family deserves to know the truth about how he died, and why." He started jogging back the way he came, up to the surface.