Gizmo

So he'd be... Jestnut?

If she took notice of those rushing to her aid, the blue-skinned woman was too focused on her very survival to acknowledge them in any way. With a scream of inarticulate rage, she thrust her arms akimbo and the electricity surging across her upper torso leapt forward to envelop her body. Her features obscured by the white hot glow of her roiling lightning sheath, she balled a fist and swung wildly at her nearest attacker. Grief and desperation proved no match for a well trained warrior, as the Broan soldier sidestepped the punch neatly. Even so, those closest to the electrified woman took a half step backward, their target suddenly less attractive. The aliens standing further from the downed vessel seemed content to let their fellows deal with the last of the opposition, when hurled insults caused them to turn about. The Broan's tusked faces curled in anger at Physicus' words, but at least one of them showed dawning recognition. "Khaladi scum! The Empire's record will be cleansed of your taint!" Though he spoke no Earthly tongue, all present understood him easily. A full third of the forces in the clearing readied their harbinger staffs to face this new challenger. As they did, a defiant laugh turned another four away from their mission as a different electricity-wielding foe charged toward them, sparking sword held aloft.

Alright, using Initiative bonuses as tie-breakers, that makes it: 25 Tempestian Lady - uninjured 22 Arrowhawk - 2 HP - uninjured 16 Physicus - 2 HP - uninjured 13 Jack of all Blades - 3 HP - uninjured 13 Broan Soldiers - 12 uninjured 13 Atlas - 4 HP - uninjured 6 Gossamer - 1 HP - uninjured EDIT: So, the problem with basing a character off of an existing NPC is the realization that you didn't really pay much attention to how her powers actually work. I kept rolling the wrong dice trying to figure things out! Regardless, I've got a handle on it now, and Arrowhawk is up.

Jack winced as he stepped into the basement. "Right, 'cause that's what every vigilante wants to hear from a cop," he drawled wryly. He looked around the room, declining a beverage with a polite shake of his head. The young man suspected inebriation probably wasn't going to be a good idea for him tonight. "So... you're really one of the FCPD Colbys, huh? Damn. My... I've heard good things." Jack was familiar with a few of the local police through his mother, but the Colby family went beyond that into larger than life anecdotes. He wasn't sure how much of what was said was true, but even if only a fraction of it panned out, the name was still custodian to an impressive inheritance.

I would actually love to have Jester in on this, but fair's fair: his counterpart's gotta be an animal! Hmm... clown fish?

The swordsman gave Colby and her offer an nonplussed look. "Jack," he said simply by way of introduction after a moment. Instinctively, he reached out with his energy awareness to examine the detective. A cursory glance revealed that Colby was a simple, baseline human, giving off the dull hum of nervous system activity and body heat. There was a faint trace of something else, though, a whiff of an aroma picked up through proximity. It felt to Jack like the dirt one gets under one's fingernails after a satisfying day of work in a field, earthy and confident despite its elusiveness. The sensation seemed to trail downward into the house's basement, where he felt it grow bolder with pulsing strength. "I'm the guy who's got himself choc-a-block full of hell on earth," he explained bluntly. "Grim says you can maybe help with that?"

"Oh, sure, give the demonically possessed guy grief, why don't you," Jack groused as he fidgeted with his mask. He might have been more comfortable in his full costume, but the Interceptors hadn't wanted to draw undue attention to Colby's home, and the idea of showing up st a stranger's home in his sash and bodysuit seemed vaguely impolite. The swashbuckler was suddenly seized by a conviction that he should have brought a bottle of wine or a box of cookies. His need to know what was wrong with him outweighed his discomfort, but only just. Grimacing, he shoved his hands into his jacket's pockets and began to stalk across the street. "Let's just go."

Jack of all Blades stood uncomfortably in the shadow of a tall tree, dressed in matching jeans and a denim jacket. As he tied his bandanna mask behind his head, securing his black wig in place, he eyed the suburban home uneasily. "This feels weird. Shouldn't we be meeting on a rooftop, or at least appearing silently behind her when she turns around?" The fencer's tone was joking, but there was a slight strain to it; he made little attempt to hide that he was having second thoughts. "You're sure about this, Grim?"

Okay, so you know how a couple of the sourcebooks mention an an alternate universe called Ani-Earth, featuring Furrydom City, populated by cartoonish anthropomorphic animals like Captain Thunderkat and Dr. Metropimouse? Well, I got to thinking. Jack of all Blades is an agile but ultimately fragile guy who wears a wig to help conceal his identity. It makes sense that his Ani-Earth counterpart would be something like a rabbit, and if he wore a pair of fake antlers as part of his costume... You can see where I'm going with this. Basically, I'm looking for a small group of heroes interested in teaming up with their Ani-Earth doubles to battle the combined might of The Factor Four and The Factor Fur! Professor Fishom! Grizzly! Pyre-thon! Spider Sylk! They're here to drop anvils and chew bubble gum, and they brought plenty of bubble gum! For the sake of argument, each player would be in charge of playing their regular character and their Ani-Earth counterpart. If this goes well, it would be a lead-in to something I'm think about calling... Crisis of Infinite Jacks!

Well, if you've still got room, Jack'd be interested. I'm trying to get him interacting with more setting NPCs, and the 'lumber Jack' puns write themselves!

Alright, let me rephrase that. No bonuses unless the Broans fail some checks. You get 11 with Skill Mastery, yeah? Add five 'cause they're distracted, call it DC 16. Notice check vs. DC 16. (1d20+10=11) Pfft, what. Okay, apparently he sneaks up on them, no problem. There's no surprise round, because they're already in combat, but you do get to surprise attack, if you like.

Letting his grappling hook take him neatly around the radioactive blast, Jack smirked in the general direction of the shrunken alien. "Wouldn't a taste of my own medicine involve actually, y'know, hitting me?" Continuing in his lazy arc, the swordsman suddenly reversed his grip on the grappling hook and slashed with his electrical sword, more to keep the Meta-Grue off balance than anything else. Jack as getting more confident, but he had to remember there was a reason his opponent was well feared.

Hmm... okay, Jack will bust out a move action Feint, DC 26, then make a Defensive Attack 5 (1d20+12=24). If the Feint succeeds, that should be enough Autofire for DC 24. Jack's Defense is 32 for this round.

Oh, pshaw, Sky, it's fine. For the sake of argument, the guy who just got killed was an Antarian, and the woman is a Tempestian.

He flies?! Jack thought as he avoided the deadly beam by the slimmest of margins. More ball lightning crashed against the Meta-Grue's force field, and the swashbuckler turned to see an impractical looking craft floating nearby. ...huh. Well, alright then. Against this powerful and unpredictable foe, he'd take whatever help he could get. "Hey, gruesome! Some of us are actually hoping to pass on our genes here!" Had the fight taken place just a few weeks earlier, Jack might not have been able to deal with an airborne opponent such as this. That was before he'd finally gotten the Doc to set him up with a grappling hook. Dios, I love this thing. The line shot past the Grue to attach to a nearby building, and the swordsman followed it up, adding the momentum to his strike with a maddening grin. "Ha, gruesome. I didn't even do that on purpose."

Alright, Jack will grapple up to the Meta-Grue ('cause that's a great idea) and mix a little 'Dee' into his strategy: Power Attack 5, Defensive Attack 3 (1d20+9=27) Ha ha! And an 18 is a crit for ol' Jack, making it DC 22 + 5 Power Attack + 5 crit + (I'm guessing) 4 Autofire = DC 36! He also has 30 Defense for his round.

Haha, fine, you can can appear out of the shadows like a thing of pure vengeance carried on wings of darkness. There's no in-game bonuses unless you make some checks, though!

Jack had to push himself to avoid the shapeshifting alien's boney knuckles, but he managed to step around the crushing blow and make it look easy. Ball lightning flew past, but the swashbuckler couldn't afford to take his eyes off of the Meta-Grue to see the source. "Technically, I'm several atoms," he pointed out conversationally as he backflipped into a better position. "It's science!" Another swipe of his sword struck the villain smartly.

Ouch. Okay, Jack will throw out a DC 26 Taunt as a move action, then make another Power Attack 5 (1d20+12=25) Same deal as before, probably making full Autofire again with his Offensive Stance taken into account.

Ha ha, yeah, no. Jack pops his new HP to double his dodge bonus, putting his total Defense at 39 for a turn, and avoiding the smashing.

Alright, Jack swings in as a move action and makes a Power Attack 5 (1d20+12=24) That's DC 27 plus whatever he gets from Autofire, up to DC 31.

"I'm sorry, the superhero team you are trying to contact is unavailable," came a shout from up above. Greatcoat billowing behind him, Jack of all Blades swung into the scene on his newly minted grappling hook, retracting the line to tumble past the giant alien's head. He'd been out testing the gadget amidst the taller buildings of the city when the Meta-Grue had started raising a fuss. His free hand already held a crackling electrical blade pulled from the city's power grid on the way down. Alright, let's see if your ready for prime time, Jack, he thought to himself. Aloud he continued, "If you'd like to get your butt kicked please wait for the tone. Beeeep." Sound effect still of his lips, the swashbuckler swiped at the villain.

Jack of all Blades: Initiative (1d20+9=23)

Well, I'll give you a +5 circumstance bonus for their distraction (even though, with twelve of them there, they're probably not all paying full attention to her), but the Broan's have a +10 Notice to begin with. Normally I wouldn't warn you, but for the sake of a dramatic entrance, do you still want to go for the full -20?

Erik clinked his glass against the other two if only to placate Billy. "You bet your glamoured behind I'll be wearing my mask." A quick swig finished off his drink and he set down the empty cup. "I'm guessing a detective would be able to make the intuitive leap between 'Grimalkin's friend with the wacky sword powers' and everyone's favourite dashing daredevil. Besides, I am known in the community out of costume. I've lived here more than two decades; you tend to meet people."