Pengwolf

(IC) Edward seemed a little flustered by the student's simple question. "Well, ah, that depends on what kind of art you mean," he said. He looked at the asker and appeared slightly put off by his punk-ish appearance. "If you're after so-called modern art," he said with an uncharacteristic sneer, "then you'll have to ask your parents to take you to the Kirby Museum down the street." "On the other hand, we have, well, one of the finest collections of ancient artifacts from around the world." His tone picked up confidence as he shifted to the more comfortable subject of his own work. "Not all of them would be considered art now, of course, but to the cultures who produced them, many of the items stored here were seen as works of great craftsmanship and skill. Why, just over in the second floor gallery of the east wing we have a set of pottery dating back to..." He rambled for another sentence or two before realizing that he'd be showing them all those exhibits shortly anyway. "So, anyone else? Or shall I begin the tour?"

It's not that you can't hear or smell him, it's that it's almost impossible to hear or smell him well enough to "see through" his displacement trick. Since he sort of is in two places at once, it's almost less about picking the right one as it is about hitting at exactly the right time. The concealment can still be beat with a DC 40 notice check with an accurate+acute sense, or by a mental sense or whatever.

Thanks for the response, Quote. The concealment I have there is actually the Displacement power stated out to show that it covers senses besides just visual. The idea is he's teleporting rapidly between two very close points, making it look like there's two of him, and providing the 50% miss chance from the concealment. I don't want The Arm to be a device because it's supposed to be grafted onto him permanently. I suppose if I described it as a device, it'd have to be removable from its socket or whatever, but I don't think I'd be saving enough points that way to matter, since it's only giving me about 10pp worth of powers anyway. I hadn't thought terribly hard about the "Only Right Arm" drawback. I guess it gives GM's an excuse to deny or limit my enhanced/super strength bonus to a skill/check when the situation clearly requires other stuff. For example, the arm's strength bonuses would not apply on jump checks. Guess I'd have to explain that in detail and see what the refs think.

Yeah, Quote, Breakdown is a bit much. I've already got Aiko at PL 10 to handle. But let's talk sometime about that villain you mentioned in the other thread.

Sure, Raveled, feel free to justify her appearance whenever and however you like.

Work in progress on a teleportation master, comments appreciated. Not all the points are spent yet, but I think I've got most of the numbers and powers roughly where I want them. Will continue cleaning him up and adding stuff, but was hoping I'd get some preliminary feedback. The teleportation powers are likely of mutation origin, used fairly instinctively. The Arm, however, is a piece of tech grafted on where he lost his right arm, and noticeable as such. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Character's Name: Displacer Power Level: 10 [150/150pp] Trade-Offs: -5 Toughness for +5 Defense Unspent PP: 0 Alternate Identity: Age: 18 Gender: Male Height: 5'2" Weight: 110 lbs Eyes: Grey Hair: Black Description: History: Personality & Motivation: Powers & Tactics: Complications: -Don't Drink and Jump (When drunk, intoxicated, or otherwise mentally impaired, he must make a concentration check of at least DC 10 (higher at GM discretion) in order to use his teleportation-based powers without mishap) In Brief: (one or two sentences that encompasses the whole character) Stats: 5+4+4+4+0+4 = 21pp Str: 20 (+4) (base 15, plus 5 enhanced) Dex: 14 (+2) Con: 14 (+2) Int: 14 (+2) Wis: 10 (+0) Cha: 14 (+2) Combat: 8+12 = 0pp Attack: +4, +10 with melee Grapple: +0 Defense: +6, +15 with powers (+0 flat-footed) Knockback: -0 Initiative: +0 Saves: 6+13+5 = 24pp Toughness: +0 (+2 Con, +3 other) Fortitude: +8 (+2 Con, +6) Reflex: +15 (+2 Dex, +13) Will: +5 (+0 Wis, +5) Skills: 0r = 0pp Example: Knowledge (arcane lore) 4 (+4) Feats: 18pp Attack Focus (Melee) x6 All-out Attack Power Attack Defensive Roll x3 Defensive Attack Elusive Target Evasion Improved Initiative Luck Set-up Uncanny Dodge (Visual, Audio) Powers: 0+0+0 = 0pp Teleport Array 19 ([reality warping, mutation]) 38 + 4 (Dynamic APs) + 1 (Dynamic BE) [45pp] BE: Teleport 10 (Extras: Accurate(+1); Power Feats: Progression (range, 250ft/rank), Change Direction, Change Velocity, Easy, Turnabout, Subtle x2, Moving Feint, Precise; Drawbacks: Reduced load (25 lbs) (-1)) [38pp] *dynamic* (min point allocation: 11) DAP: Strike 5 (Feats: Mighty, Improved Crit.) Linked(+0) to Stun 10 [27pp] *dynamic* DAP: Strike 5 (Extras: Area (targeted burst), Selective; Feats: Mighty, Improved Crit.) Linked (+0) to Stun 3 (Extras: Area (targeted burst), Selective; Flaws: Daze) [26pp] *dynamic* Enhanced Dodge 9 [teleport], [9pp] Concealment 8 ([teleport] All Visual (4), All Auditory (2), All Olfactory (2), Flaws: Displacement) [8pp] Container 2 ("The Arm", [high tech], Drawbacks: Noticable (-1), Right Arm Only (-1)) [3pp] Quickness 2 (x10 speed, Flaws: Mental only) [1pp] Drawbacks: 0+0+0 = 0pp Example: Name (description; frequency, severity; -X) DC Block: Unarmed --- 17/Toughness --- Bruised, Staged The Arm --- 20/Toughness --- Bruised, Staged Tele-punch --- 25/Toughness --- Bruised, Staged Stun 10 --- 20/Fort --- Stun, Staged Stun 3 --- 13/Fort --- Stun, Staged Costs: Abilities (00) + Combat (00) + Saves (00) + Skills (00) + Feats (00) + Powers (00) - Drawbacks (00) = 0pp

(IC) Edward Elphinstone, curator of the Hunter Museum, tried to show as much enthusiasm as Mr. Davis, but his smile was clearly an attempt at covering his nervousness. "Uh, hi kids," he said, "Um, you can call me Mr. Elphinstone, really. I never thought the doctor title made sense, even though I've got two PhD's, one from Oxford in..." Fortunately, he recognized the bored looks on the student's faces and stopped his rambling. Edward still felt a little confused as to how he'd been roped into doing this. Normally, he'd be managing the exhibit rotations or dealing with new acquisitions, but instead he'd be leading a bunch of kids around on a guided tour. They told me most of the students were supers, I wonder which ones, and what kinds of powers? But anyway... He waved one hand at the enormous T. Rex skeleton that dominated the displays in the expansive lobby. "You've, ah, probably already, uh, noticed Betsy," he said, his tone and filler words betraying his lack of tour guide experience, "One of our most popular exhibits, even though she's just a, uh, replica. Still, we had a time traveler come through here once, and, well, he was kind enough to verify that this is, in fact, an accurate reconstruction of a Tyrannosaurus skeleton from the late Cretaceous period." "So, um, any questions before we get started?"

OOC and IC threads are up! I've made the first GM post, and an IC post is work-in-progress as we speak (so to speak).

(GM) What kid doesn't love a field trip? An excuse to get out of class, see something new, and goof off a bit. And so it was, that on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, a dozen students from Claremont Academy arrived at The Hunter Museum of Natural History. As the group dashed up the marble front steps, their chaperon, Mr. Davis took a moment to point out the Greek-style architecture of the impressive building. "Built by Daedalus and Dr. Metropolis themselves!" he almost shouted, in order to be heard over the falling rain. Inside it was warmer, but still somewhat wet, and janitorial caution signs stood every twenty feet or so to remind visitors to watch their step on the slick stone floors. As the students wiped their feet on the mats in the entryway and stashed their umbrellas in the provided stands, Mr. Davis caught the attention of a man in tweed. "Class, I'd like to introduce Dr. Elphinstone, the curator. He's generously offered to lead us on a personally guided tour."

Hey folks. Here's the OOC thread for "A Day at the Museum". If anyone else would like to join in, please let me know. Claremont students are the easiest to add in, but I'm open to anyone. Initial IC post coming soon. The initial plan is to RP at least portions of the tour before Shenanigans start up. I'm open to suggestions on anything from anyone, of course, as I'm not very experienced with GM'ing PbP. Roll call: GM -- Pengwolf The Curator -- Pengwolf Aiko -- Nyrath Ironclad II -- Raveled Kid Cthulhu -- Lone_Star Rycon -- Starsign

Hokay, so.... I'm looking for anyone and everyone who'd like to join in for a bit of light-hearted save-the-day action. The basic premise here is that a group of Claremont students show up for a tour of the Hunter Museum of Natural History as part of a school field trip. Of course, the curator, Mr. Elphinstone will be leading the tour personally. In Freedom City, though, things like this *never* go smoothly, and there will be action and shenanigans before the day is done. Claremont students are obvious choices for this story, but other heroes can certainly drop in. I'm also not sure what other adults/teachers/chaperons might be there. The current plan is that I'll be both GM'ing and running The Curator, but if someone else would like to step in to GM, that'd be awesome too. Initial IC/OOC threads will likely go up later today. Please don't let this turn into a solo thread!

Hi all. So, just got my first hero approved, The Curator. He's PL 6, and you can check out his character sheet. The short version is, he's the nerdy curator of the Hunter Museum, and he runs around being heroic with a collection of magic items from the museum, including a sword, shield, and a pair of winged sandals. Anywho, let me know if you've got a thread going or are starting a thread and think The Curator would fit in. I can't wait to get into the action! Thanks!

Having Impervious 1 on your suit is something I picked up from a friend. It mainly represents that his clothes/costume will never get damaged by mundane stuff. When I was GM'ing for this friend, I told him once something like "... and the food spills all over your suit. That's gonna leave a nasty stain." "No it won't," he told me, "my suit is Impervious 1." So, yeah, sort of a flavor thing in my mind. Don't really have anything else I'm desperate to put 1 point into, and besides, I can upgrade it later as he grows. I could see the suit eventually hitting Impervious Protection 3 or 4 by the time he's PL 10.

Player's Name: Pengwolf Power Level: 7 (105/108pp) Trade-Offs: +2 Attack for -2 Damage, +2 Defense for -2 Toughness Unspent PP: 3 Gold Status: 3/30 Character's Name: The Curator Alternate Identity: Edward Elphinstone Age: 32 Gender: Male Height: 5' 9" Weight: 140 lbs Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue Description: Edward Elphinstone usually looks just like a normal member of boring academia - tweed jacket, dark slacks, slightly mussed hair, and a book in front of his face. Even with out the book in the way, his features are not particularly memorable. His thin frame reflects a tendency to forget to eat when engrossed in research. Even though his parents moved to Freedom City when he was very young, Edward's mixed accent reflects his Scottish heritage and the years he spent at Oxford. When adventuring as The Curator, on the other hand, Edward triggers a simple spell to don a black domino mask and convert his clothes into a snappy, modern grey suit with a blue tie, which admittedly looks a little odd when you notice the winged sandals. He carries himself much more confidently in his heroic guise, but it is still clear that, under the mask, Edward is just more comfortable with books than people. History: When he was six years old, Edward Elphinstone's parents immigrated to Freedom City from Scotland, so that his father, Wallace, could accept a post as a Professor of English Literature at Freedom City University. Edward grew up quiet, reserved, and academic from the start, but any child growing up in Freedom City is bound to have dreams of being a hero now and then. Eventually, his studies took him to Freedom City University, where he double majored in Art History and Anthropology, and then to Oxford, where he wrote a thesis on the use of magic in the crafts and rituals of ancient civilizations. Rather than follow in his father's footsteps and become a teaching professor, Edward decided he'd rather get his hands dirty, and spent several years participating in archeological digs across the world. Eventually, he returned to his home, Freedom City, and accepted a position working for The Hunter Museum of Natural History. He relished the opportunity to work with Daedalus and Eldritch in dealing with the various magical artifacts and relics housed in the museum, and was their first pick to be the new curator when elderly Mr. Gloucester retired. Not long after his promotion, Edward found himself working late one night at the museum, examining an exquisite sword that supposedly had been wielded in the crusades. Hearing a crash from down the hall, he snatched up the sword and ran to confront the intruders. "Who ARE you?" they asked, as he struck the would-be thieves with his priceless weapon. "Well, ah, I'm the curator," he said, bemused. The next morning's headlines amused him: "Mysterious New Hero - The Curator - Stops Robbery at Local Museum" After that incident, Edward realized that somebody really ought to put all the magical trinkets and such in the museum to good use, for the good of the city and to keep them out of the hands of villains. He talked it over with Daedalus, and together they picked out a solid collection of magical equipment for Edward to wield. Edward Elphinstone now fights evil, protects the museum, and keeps priceless artifacts where they belong, all under the name of THE CURATOR! Personality & Motivation: Edward is quiet and bookish, with an excellent memory and a tendency to avoid any unnecessary socializing. His primary reason to become a hero was to protect the museum and to keep items of magical power out of the wrong hands. However, it's also a fulfillment of boyhood fantasies, and a way for the normally shy man to break out of his shell a bit. His idea of being a hero is somewhat idealistic, and certainly a bit cheesy, but he's honestly giving it the best he can, because he really does care about his home town. The Relics: Edward has a few items worth describing in more detail here: -The Sword of Mercy: A steel longsword of medieval European design. It was wielded by a pious crusader who asked God to help him show mercy to his foes. Miraculously, his sword became seemingly invulnerable, but would no longer cut flesh or cause any harm beyond knocking an enemy unconscious. -The Shield of Heracles: A large, round shield made of wood and covered in bronze in the Greek style, with an elaborate battle scene engraved upon it. Supposedly, this shield was crafted by the god Hephaestus and wielded in battle by Heracles himself. -A pair of winged sandals: These ancient sandals with small, white wings attached to the heel were found in the tomb of roman magician who was apparently executed for impersonating the god Mercury. The wings flutter when the wearer flies with them. -Magically reinforced suits: Imbued by Eldritch, these clothes have been made impervious to mundane harm, providing Edward with an extra bit of protection that he can wear anywhere and everywhere. Edward keeps several such outfits at home, although most of them are just variants on the same tweed jacket and slacks he is accustomed to wearing. Powers & Tactics: The Curator's primary combat tactic is to bash his opponents with his sword and shield, using his winged sandals to make up for a lack of any ranged offence. Additionally, his massive collection of magical trinkets allows him to gain extra protection from a specific opponent's attacks or pull out just the trick he needs to save the day. Outside of battle, Edward is an excellent researcher, and a somewhat competent investigator. Complications: Nothing Without His Stuff (Most of his major items can be summoned or kept on him at all times, but if they are taken far enough away, placed behind magical barriers, or otherwise made unavailable, Edward will be left nigh-powerless) Responsibility (Edward is the Curator of a major metropolitan museum that houses objects of magical power, and has all the responsibilities that job entails) Abilities: 0 + 0 + 0 + 8 + 4 - 2 = 10 pp STR: 10 (+0) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 16 (+3) (6 Enhanced) INT: 18 (+4) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 8 (-1) Combat: 6 + 8 = 14pp Attack: +3 base, +5 Melee, +9 Sword Grapple: +5 Defense: +9 (+2 Flat-Footed) Knockback: -2 Initiative: +0 Saves: 2 + 3 + 4 = 9pp Toughness: +5 (+3 con, +2 Magic Suit) Fort: +5 (+3 con, +2) Ref: +3 (+3) Will: +6 (+2 wis, +4) Feats: 11pp All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Benefit 1: Well-off Connected (archeologists and art dealers) Dodge Focus 1 Eidetic Memory Luck Ritualist Power Attack Skills: (40r = 10 pp) Computers 1 (+5) Concentration 3 (+5) Investigate 1 (+5) Knowledge: -Arcane Lore 11 (+15) -Art 6 (+10) -Earth Science 1 (+5) -History 6 (+4) -Theology/Philosophy 1 (+5) Notice 3 (+5) Profession (Museum Curator) 6 (+10) Search 1 (+5) Equipment: (all accounted for by wealth/profession): -Smartphone -Laptop -Camera -Archeologist's tools -Sensible car Headquarters: The Museum (free, as a public place and Edward's 'real' job) -Size +2 (large) -Lab -Library -Fire Prevention -Security Powers: 4 + 14 + 5 + 3 + 14 + 6 + 4 + 2 = 52pp Comprehend Languages 2 (speak one at a time, understand all) [4pp] Strike 5 ("The Sword of Mercy" [Holy, Artifact], Extras: Penetrating 5, Feats: Accurate 2, Affects Insubstantial, Improved Critical 2, Drawbacks: Non-lethal only) [14pp] Container 1 ("The Shield of Heracles" [Crafted by Hephaestus] [5pp] -Shield 4 (+defense) [4pp] -Power Feat: Stunning Attack Flight 1 ("winged sandals" [Roman, Magic], Extras: Duration (Continuous)) [3pp] Gadgets 1 ("magic trinket collection" [magic], Variable Power, Any Power, Multiple Powers At Once, Hard to Lose) [14pp] Enhanced Con 6 ("amulets of health and protection" [magic]) [6pp] Impervious Protection 2 ("magically reinforced suit" [magic]) [4pp] Morph 1: (costume [magic]; Extra: Duration/Continuous) [2pp] DC Block: Unarmed: 15/Toughness Sword: 19/Toughness Stunning Attack: 14/Fort Total: 10 + 14 + 9 + 11 + 10 + 52 = 105/108pp

EDIT: Re-done to my new Curator concept. Hey guys, I could sure use some help fleshing out my first character and tweaking his stats to be up to par. The Curator actually is the curator of a prominent museum. On the job, he discovered various items in the museum's collection were actually powerful relics, and decided to keep them out of the wrong hands by using them himself. (need to flesh out the details of his backstory, a lot). As far as powers and combat, his primary, dependable shtick is a shield-and-sword combination that he uses while flying around on his winged sandals (insert fencing team at Harvard or Yale or whatever into background here). Additionally, he's got some protection in terms of an Amulet and a magically reinforced business suit. And then, of course, he's got the Gadgets power to represent his grab-bag of other magical do-dads. I stated out the Shield, Sword, Suit, and Sandals as straight powers, not devices, because I'd like him to be able to have those around all the time, maybe summoning them at will or wearing them concealed or 'subtle' somehow. The suit, in particular, I imagine him having multiple of, stashed away at home. Other things, like the gadgets power, are normal devices. I included a 1-point powerloss drawback to represent the non-device items being taken away from him (e.g. the sword is taken outside his summoning range, or magically warded), not sure if that's valid or how big it should be. Totally not sure if I've forgotten something or if there's any particular weakness that I could spend my remaining points to easily cover. Thanks in advance! p.s. Sorry about weak formatting. The Curator 12 (stats) + 20 (attack/defense) + 66 (powers) + 11 (feats) + 6 (saves) + 19 (skills) - 1 (drawbacks) = 133 pts Stats: (12pts) str 10 0pts dex 10 0pts con 20 0pts (10 from Amulet) int 20 10pts wis 14 4pts cha 8 -2pts Tradeoffs: +2 attack for -2 damage, +2 defense for -2 toughness Attack/Defense: (20pts) Attack: +6 base (10pts) +2 AF(melee) Defense: +6 base (10pts) Saves: (6pts) total = Stat + pts Tough: 8(1) = 5 + 3(suit) Fort: 5 = 5 + 0 Ref: 3/7 = 0 + 3 (+4 against Area Effects) Will: 5 = 2 + 3 Feats: (11pts) Accurate Attack All-Out Attack Attack Focus(Melee) x2 Benefit 1: Well-off Connected (to who? Art dealers? Purveyors of magic items?) Luck Defensive Attack Ritualist Power Attack Skill Mastery (Arcane Lore, Art, History, Theology/Philosophy) Skills: ( 76 ranks, 19 pts) Computers, 1 Concentration, 5 Investigate, 5 Knowledge: -Arcane Lore, 15 -Art, 10 -Earth Science, 5 -History, 10 -Life Science, 1 -Physical Science, 1 -Theology/Philosophy, 5 Notice, 5 Profession, Museum Curator, 8 Search, 5 Equipment: Accounted for by wealth: -Smartphone -Laptop -Camera -Archeologist's tools -Sensible car Headquarters: The Museum (do I need to spend points on this?) -Size +2 (large) -Lab -Library -Fire Prevention -Security Powers: (66 total pts) 16 + 10 + 6 + 16 + 10 + 3 + 1 + 4 Comprehend Languages 2 (speak one at a time, understand all), 4pts -Sword of Mercy (Descriptors: Holy Artifact): Strike 8 (Extras: Penetration 5, Feats: Accurate x2, Imp. Crit. x 2, Drawback: Non-lethal only) 16pts -The Shield of Heracles (Descriptor: Divinely Crafted): (container, rank 2) 10pts -Shield 6 (+defense) 6pts -Power Feat: Evasion -Power Feat: Stunning Attack (represents Shield Bash) -Enhanced Reflex Save 4 (Limited: Area Effects), 2pts -Winged Sandals (Descriptor: Roman Magic): Flight 2 (Extras: Duration(Continuous)) 6pts -Magic Trinket Collection: Gadget, Hard to Lose (Extra: Action(move)) 2 ranks, 16pts -Amulet of Protection: Enhanced Trait: Con 10, 10pts -Magically Reinforced Suit: Protection 3 (Extras: Impervious 1), 3pts Morph 1: Hero costume (Needs details!) Drawback: Powerloss, -1pt (certain non-device items can be lost under certain circumstances)

Hi guys! I'm new here, and while I work on my first character to submit, I wanted to get a feel for the style of optimization that is preferred in this community. (I know backstory is also very important, but half the fun of M&M is in stating out the character and then seeing if the build works, at least for me.) So, I guess my question is, what degree of optimization is common/accepted around here? Do most heroes/villains you guys make end up hitting the power-level caps for Attack/Defense/Toughness/Damage/Saves/etc.? On another side of optimization, I'm a little worried with my current character that his concept and powers focus on melee combat, but he's lacking in any serious ranged attack, not even a straight-up Blast. Is that a pitfall that I have to worry about much around here? (i.e. this case specifically, and lack of well-roundedness in general) Thanks in advance for any advice you have, I'm really looking forward to joining you guys on your adventures!