Brown Dynamite

A low buzzing sound could be heard if listening closely withing the confines of the library. A teenage African American boy with dramatic dreads and faded sides sat with his eyes glued to a cell phone. His pierced ears almost appeared as if they were glowing as the an effulgent light reflected off his phone in bursts. The source of which was small arcs of electricity surging forth from his fingertips onto his phone. Beside the boy on the library table sat a tan colored Stetson. Four books, three of them closed were laid next to it. Not that the boy's eye line ever traveled to the literature. Instead staying fully focused on his phone. Glancing up to the crowd of students making their way in, his lips pursed into a slight smirk. Giving a quick welcoming wave shortly thereafter before returning his attention to his cellular device.

"I reckon this means there are new conscripts. Yankees only know how to hitch a ride with the laws." A teenage girl with chrome colored metallic skin openly guffawed. She was dressed in a black pullover hoodie and matching sweats. Both of which did nothing to hide the reflection rendered as the sun beamed against her skin. The metal girl's left palm was raised above her eye line as she stared out into the distance towards the exiting vehicle. Tabitha looked at Lulu and then the two man shaped piles of mud. Without another word the metal skin teen walked over and dropped her hand from her forehead. Instead extending her index finger to touch one of the mud people. Assuming one of the two non mud shaped teenagers was controlling the dirt. She was curious as to the texture and couldn't help but try and feel the mud. Or come as close to feeling as her rough appendages could against the sensation. "I reckon I should apologize before rummaging around in y'all's dirt. I'm Tabitha. Y'all new or bad truants?"

Even Better!

OOC for this thread.

Big Em and The Bling were hunkered down in the canned juice aisle of the Good Fortune grocery. It was a small Chinese supermarket store ran by a family of second generation Half-Chinese/Half-alien cryptids. The food options ranged from typical supermarket fare to interstellar imports. Music was playing throughout the store drowning out the sound of the blaster fire that the pair was avoiding. As the two detectives stood and began fanning out to flank the gunmen cans of juice visibly exploded across the aisle. The store then began violently trembling. An ill-timed earthquake began to rock the premises of the small supermarket. Knocking down the aisles and forcing the superhero detectives attention away. Big Em Held back the frozen food aisle from crushing a little girl who had been staring at ice cream. Whereas Bling stopped a full grocery cart from hitting a woman with a wall shaped construct made of light. The lights began to flicker with the music dying out. By the time the scene settled it was clear that entrance had collapsed on itself. With no robbers to be seen.

Alrighty. Let's go with a Sleight of Hand: 1d20+15 24-4=20 on the remaining guard. Let's burn a hero point too! In case the window to move is tight, Dalir will grab the move-by-action feat. He's going to make a run for it out of the car right after.

Dalir wasn't sure what was the best part of his night. There was the kidnapping. That was a professional low point, some magicians got bad reviews. He got kidnapped. There was the being robbed at gunpoint. By guys with a whole 'bad guy' decor. Leaning on a little thick with the guns and swords. And then there was the mind numbing whiplash. It wasn't the first time his vision had faded when dealing with this quartet. But, his head crashing into the back of the front seat was definitely not the way the conversation seemed to be headed a second ago. He was winded, but thanks to his genetics his body was in better shape than many who actually took the time to excercise. Dalir tried to recompose himself. Paying attention as orders were barked. Quickly he took stock of the number of able bodied individuals after the rat faced man left. There were only two. Dalir and the guard. Or rather guards, if one were to account for the unconscious individual still draping forward after that collision. Clearly that guy was the worst for the wear. A plan was needed. Dalir knew where his rings were. But, now he needed to actually get to them. The crash was good, but not good enough of a scapegoat. And then as if by divine intervention he was blessed with the sound of gunfire. Dalir took a few seconds. Needing to buy enough time so that they other two wouldn't be immediately visible as soon as the remaining guard stepped out. Hedging his bets Dalir then quickly and concernedly recoiled back in his seat. He would stare straightforward eyes occasionally squinting as if trying to see out the distance of a weird angle between the driver's side window and the outside. Seeing and the dash only had a beautiful view of a tree at the moment. "OH! Nonono. Your boss just got shot. Is he alright? He's clutching that shoulder awfully tight. Are we going to die here? Allah, if they kill him we're going to die next. Get the car keys or something we've got to get out of here!"

Reflex Save (DC15): 1d20+7 18 TOU Save (DC16): 1d20+5 17 Initiative: 1d20+3 14 Let's see. Dalir will try and Trick the remaining guard into leaving the vehicle. Bluff to Trick: 1d20+15 25 It will leave him with only one guard as far sleight of hand targets go after the guard leaves (Assuming he's successful).

Bluff: 1d20+15 32

Dalir leaned forward. He had a smile plastered on his face as he tried to continue to put on a brave front. He knew he needed to get the rings back. For more than his own health. But, that had to come secondary to making sure he didn't get shot in the back of this van. He had to lie. Promises of fortune wouldn't work. Aside from the prying eyes, the lie needed to be something that couldn't be as easily seen through. "While, I do not know why your laowhatsit has it out for me. I would have you know that I am expected elsewhere in the morning. I have a bit of a reputation for never canceling appointments. Not all of my clients drug me. Some of which may reach out to the proper authorities. I think we're all smart enough to realize where I was last seen. And with who."

Bling (PL10, 150PP) In Brief: Smart-aleck Army Veteran who found a medallion overseas gifting him with control over light, dedicated to protecting the mixed Cryptid and human inhabitants from threats from on high or far below. Partnered with Big Em for the Cryptid crimes division Description: An open collared button down shirt reveals his hairy chest and and medallion. A mustache full of machismo lets citizens of Emerald City know that they have the right to remain groovy Complications: Code: The importance of other's lives is far higher than his own. Pacifist: Bling has seen enough combat in his life and as such doesn't want to cause harm. A cop who refuses to blast someone with a laser-beam even to save his own life, can be a liability Power Loss: The medallion is solar powered. Over use can cause it to drain and need a light source to recharge. Responsibility(Cryptids): The non-human people of the Emerald Cities are his special charge. Abilities: 8 + 6 + 10 + 30 + 8 + 8 = 60pp STR 18 (+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 20 (+5) INT 30 (+10) WIS 14 (+4) CHA 14 (+4) Combat: 10 + 10 = 10pp ATK: +5 (+10 Ranged) DEF: +15 (5 Base, +12 Dodge Bonus, +3 flat-footed) Init: +3 Grapple: +9 Saves: 0 + 7 + 6 = 13 pp TOU +15 (+15 Con, +7/+0 Impervious) FORT +5 (+5 Con) REF +7 (+3 Dex, +4) WILL +12 (4 Wis, +8) Skills: 10pp = 40r Bluff 8 (+12) Concentration 1 (+5) Diplomacy 6 (+10) Drive 7 (+10) Gather Information 1 (+5) Knowledge(Civics) 5 (+15) Notice 6 (+10) Sense Motive 6 (+10) Feats: 16pp Attack Focus (Ranged) 5 Dodge Focus 10 Set-Up Powers: 32 = 32 pp Device 8 ( 40 Point Container, Flaw: Hard-to-Lose ) [32PP] The Power of the Bling 10 ( 20PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 4 ) [24DP] BP: Light Control 10 {20/20} AP: Create Object 5 ( Extras: Duration [Continuous], Movable ) {20/20} AP: Dazzle 10 ( Affects Visual Senses ) {20/20} AP: Illusion 8 ( Affects Visual Senses; Feat: Progression 4 [100' Radius] ) {20/20} AP: Obscure 10 {20/20} Comprehend 2 ( Languages [Speak All, Understand All] ) [4DP] Enhanced Feats 2 ( Eidetic Memory, Quick Change) [2DP] Immunity 7 ( Environmental Conditions [All], Suffocation [All] ) [7PP] Super-Senses 3 ( Vision[Counters Obscure[Darkness], Extended {100'}, Radius, Ultra-Hearing]) [3DP] Cost: abilities 60 + combat 20 + saves 12 + skills 10 + feats 16 + powers 32 = 150/150PP

Sureshock's a Black Protestant. But, he could be curious as to what a short sermon would be like

OOC for this thread.

Salsa! Debarge Bath, Somerset, England Friday, March 27, 2020 21:15 PM local time Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. The steam rising in the air paired well with the steamy entanglements of many a couple seeking a romantic destination. Erick Sloane and Dawn Farrington had in fact sought such a weekend getaway. The expectant parents, and currently longest serving active members of the current iteration UK's national superhero team the Vanguard, had left their English estate for a weekend in Bath. Salsa! Debarge was a lively bar and dance club. The posters plastered along the inside of the walls advertised daily dance classes. But, the nights were dedicated to live music, drinks, and Latin food. The second floor balcony overlooked the dance floor, with patrons of the restaurant treated to the show of the customers dancing below. The dance floor itself was circular and spacious enough for a crowd to engage in. With a stage set where a colorfully dressed band was currently playing their music loud enough for all to hear. Erick was drinking a glass of water, his plate of food half eaten. He was wearing a long sleeve button down cotton shirt with an alternating brown and orange stitch pattern. Tight jeans covered his black Savate shoes that looked similar enough to loafers to pass as such. "So, you call the dance Salsa still. But, you guys call the sauce red sauce. Were people worried that the public would think Salsa clubs would be places people bring chips and compare dips?"

Power Fister -3 Damage/+3 Attack (Unarmed), -3 Toughness/+3 Defense "I am the Iron Fist. Protector of K'un-Lun. Sworn enemy of the Hand." Abilities: 10 + 8 + 8 + 0 + 4 + 0 = 30 PP STR 20 (+5) DEX 18 (+4) CON 18 (+4) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16 PP ATK: +4 Melee (+7 Melee, +9 Unarmed) DEF: +10 (+8 Dodge Bonus, +2 flat-footed) Initiative: +4 (+4 Dex) Grapple: +12 Knockback: -2 Saves: 0 + 3 + 2 = 5 PP TOU +4 (+4 Con) FORT +4 (+4 Con) REF +7 (+4 Dex, +3) WILL +4 (+2 Wis, +2) Skills: 48r=12 PP Acrobatics 11 (+15) Concentration 8 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 10 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Survival 3 (+5) Feats: 22PP Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus 3 (Melee) Attack Specialization (Unarmed) Challenge (Improved Feint) Dodge Focus 6 Elusive Target Improved Disarm Improved Grab Improved Pin Improved Sunder Improved Trip Luck Power Attack Stunning Attack Takedown Attack 1 Powers: 10 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 =20PP Damage 7 ( Extra: Penetrating 7; Flaw: Action [Full-Round ]; Feats: Alternate Power 3, Improved Critical 2 ) (Chi Strike) [10PP] Emotion Control 7 ( Flaw: Range 2 [Touch] ) {4/7} (Empathy) Healing 7 ( Flaw: Distracting ) {7/7} (Chi Healing) Trip 7 ( Extra: Area [35' Burst, General], Knockback; Flaws: Limited to targets on the ground, Range [Touch] ) {7/7} (Shockwave) Leaping 2 ( Jumping Distance x5; Running [75'], Standing [37'], High [18'] ) [2PP] Speed 2 ( 25 mph, 250'/rnd ) [2PP] Super-Movement 2 ( Wall Crawling; Flaw: Limited to While Moving ) [2PP] Super-Senses 2 ( Chi Awareness [Vision], Extended [Awareness] ) [2PP] Swimming 2 ( 5 mph, 50'/rnd ) [2PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC19 Toughness Damage (Physical) Chi Strike Touch DC22 Toughness Damage (Chi) Empathy Touch DC17 Will Emotion Control (Chi) Shockwave 35’ Burst DC17 Reflex Trip (Air/Wind) Abilities (30) + Combat (16) + Saves (5) + Skills (12) + Feats (22) + Powers (20) - Drawbacks (0) = 105PP Time for another "Fearsome Freshman" build. Really another build in general and since PL 7's are so easy to pop out real quick let's do one of those. The concept is based the critically hated, audience liked Iron Fist series. Figured why not. Now your chi using martial artists are different than your traditional ones in a few ways. For starters they're probably going to have more powers. Those powers you buy for training, they're likely going to go to a higher rank. Why not run as fast as a car? In growth, they're more likely to have less skills picked up to keep the same pace as far as combat feats and powers go in comparison to a Martial Artist the skills they tend to get are more selective. But, that doesn't mean you can't do your own thing. Be a back alley doctor/martial artists. Whatever you want. Considerations for changing things up. No reason not to channel your inner Dim Mak and go for an Alternate Save Insidious Damage Effect instead of the one I went with. The reasoning behind not putting Mighty on the Damage Effect is that it's pure energy being shoved in your face. But, that doesn't mean you can't put mighty. Heck you can get rid of the Full-Round Action and even toss in autofire on that bad body. I haven't discussed this before. But, I'll mention it here since on a character like this I would stick to a Street Level Abilities range with PP purchases. So I tend to cap my PC Ability scores in a range. Street Level Heroes scores cap out to an average of exactly 20. Teen Heroes I try to go for 15. And while my current mindset is those physically above street should average out to 24, I'm leaning to going to 25 just to have consistency. So in a lot of these builds you're going to see stuffy like me never spending more than 30PP on abilities enhanced or otherwise on the PL7's, Not spending more than 60PP on Abilities for those who I think could handle street crime without using their powers. And a currently revolving most likely cap of 90 for those decidedly physically super types. By no means do you have to follow this as you do your PP advancements. Now let's talk about the elephant in the room. Martial Arts have successfully been globally integrated. Your character can be any from any ethnic origin and be skilled in any martial art and it would be fine. In fact the concept of manipulating a life force to do fantastical things has existed in multiple cultures. In a comic book world, fantasy would become reality. No one wants to read the Mighty Whitey Champion of the hidden land who is leaps and bound better than all the other students that he never had competition growing up/nowadays. That doesn't mean your character can't be and outsider bearing of some sort of mystical power from a Hidden Land by any means. But, your Danny Rand expy more than likely learned from Master Lee in his dojo across the street from a laundromat than he did going to Shangri-la without some effort to reconcile the past. I'm just personally asking that you take some care! That said don't listen to anyone that tells you The Last Dragon wasn't the perfect movie. Sample Complications: Power Loss: This PC's powers may be tied to their control of their emotions. A slip up thereabout and a GM could do something as insidious as making the damage on their Chi Strike's DC drop to the level of unarmed just as they land a hit on an Impervious opponent! Enemy: The PC may be hunted by an outside group with a similar power set. Coming prepared with means to deal with them ahead of time or even interrupting threads they weren't otherwise a part of. Honor Code: This type of PC has an honor code. So of course we can count on less honorable foes trying to take advantage of their code. Tiring: Repeated use of their powers may leave the PC picking up Fatigued conditions and moving on down towards exhaustion

Yves watched the production in front of her. Her eyes darting over towards Danica after for a brief moment. Outwardly, she appeared indifferent. Her lips flattened while taking the time to form her response. "I see...the two of you come along. We can have a meal at one of the nearby restaurants. Hopefully not the Denny's unless we believe to have found the first Denny's with quality service in this town? Because that's all of the two options available unless you want to find out if there's pizza delivery nearby." Rather than wait for an answer, the petite Aegis agent pulled her head back out. Choosing to wait for the duo with her back pressed against a nearby wall in the hallway.

As soon as Yves separated from the teenagers she began to dial out to Carlos, her husband. The conversation was artificial. Putting on more 'I miss yous' than she would otherwise indulge in. It was of course a cover. Her phone sat near the entrance. Well within reach for her to cybernetically send out a radio frequency and communicate over. Meanwhile the freed drone would conduct a sweep of her room. Her cybernetic vision scanning for minute details in case their location had been compromised. Even if it wasn't routine, she had responsibilities for this assignment. "Alright, sweetie. I love you. But, I need to take a shower." It was a pass phrase to let her husband know that her per-emptive sweet was over and for the call to end. Safety reasons aside, it was never pleasant analyzing the molecules into a motel's sheets. Afterwards, Yves could actually begin to unpack. Which would then mean she could check on the two girls across the hall. Despite Eira's pouting along the way, from Yve's perspective those two didn't appear to be in the worst of terms. That meant they could be trusted to not need someone hovering over them for something as simple as deciding bed assignments and unpacking.

"Pulled the wrong colored rabbit from my hat." Dalir Scoffed bit back. His vision blurring in and out as he regained consciousness. It was clear these men were no longer customers. And with it they no longer needed customer service. "Those things will kill you, you know." Great, no rings. And last I checked I didn't inherit bulletproofness. Dalir began to picture his odds. If he were dealing with anyone that hadn't stopped going to karate lessons after 6 months he was in a bad position. Actually, even then he wasn't in a great position. Hands bound, more than likely loaded firearm. This was the making of an unsolved murder documentary. The least he could do is be defiant in death. "I don't know what's got you all wound up. Maybe your next dental appointment was more expensive than you thought. I can't offer you a refund. But, I'm sure we can talk this out."

Erick leaned back into his chair and stretched his arms out. Yawning for effect before he went on to explain what he's found for a source. "I've got no strong leads for the actual chemist behind it. You may get a kick out of this. So gang culture loves social media. I mean loves it. Obviously music isn't causation, but trappers will often engage in diss tracks. But, there's but an uptick in videos from Westminster. Teen gangs threatening each other, picture perfect coordinated feats of dexterity, and doing math and talking about packs. Which is slang for drugs in that scene. Basically advertising that they're on some stuff in non subtle ways. So if we were to work backwards, I'd recommend the obvious bullseye."

Erick watched a shadow canine stare at his shadow from behind with his spatial awareness. Not going so far as to drop to a knee as his attention followed the large woman who had corralled the dogs here as she made her way to two of his teammates. Thinking nothing of it he focused on the flashy entrance. Well she beat our entrance, maybe Jim should've brought the boom box after all. All the while he listened intently to Indira and watching the dragon leave. "No the the scars and tears came from...I believe you refereed to it as hunting. A whole lot of hunting. As for Meta-Grue. I think she summed it up quite nicely. One wrong move and we would've been in a bad way. But, he wasn't really the one we were after that night. And if we're honest, we're not the ones he was after either." Erick responded to Indira and the excitable one questioning them. "''Course that's how it goes."

There are two real life tunnels under the Thames (and loads of others all over London). So a fictional one could go from wherever to wherever, yeah.

Dr. Disco is all sorts of the right fun, and you are of course correct in me owning it!. This is of course my response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY

Alright, but it'll be four power checks! Each Opposed by a different vehicle's speed. Which is at a respectable 4 Speed vs Move Object Power Check: 4#1d20+4 14 18 6 9 Two of which she will stop without even rolling as the 9 comes at a lower base rank than her Move Object.

"Hey Paul Bunyan, it's good to see you in today." Erick called out to Dreadnought as he walked in. "Though before everyone lets the cart drive off the rails. I do want to reel things in a second. Tensions are up. But, they're not at the point of getting at each other's throats anymore than usual yet. They have legitimate fronts and we can't exactly wipe any off the board in one swell swoop. As has been mentioned taking the head would be best, but the crime families may last even after that." "Though, Klara's got a great idea in going analog to look for some of the older files. A good short term goal would be finding who would be capable of designing the new hotness in designer drugs. Take them out of the equation and no one will be able to fight for a monopoly over something that's no longer an option to sell. Or even finding who has been brought in as muscle. Scouting them for information that isn't in the government database is a good choice of action. But..." Erick's darted between the other three senior members of the team. Making a quick appraisal. "Some nights are pretty much just staring at a warehouse with binoculars and nothing actionable occurring." Others involve a bit more avoiding modern weaponry. Anyways that's what I've been working on. He discretely told Dee over their shared mental link.

"Alright so the Chelsea Firm. Publicly Chelsea make their money through exports/imports. But, the firm is the largest crime firm in London. The Sweeney Crime Syndicate, affectionately nicknamed The Sweeney's, is unique that even in this day and age most of their income is generated illegally, UK organized crime is pretty territorial and the Sweeney's are aggressive in swallowing up said territory any time there is an opportunity to do so. And last, but certainly my least favorite is. Russov Petrova UK LTD, an investment company subsidiary of the Russov Energy company from Russia. Locally their criminal acts are committed through intermediaries and London, but domestically they have their own PMC in Norway" As Erick spoke VERA would display a different image to line up with the flow of the conversation. To which Erick rubbed the bridge of his nose before double checking his monitor. Checking that his multiple windows were still in fact open before continuing with the explanation. "So obviously they all want to control the big markets in MAX, ZOOM, and whatever the next big designer drug is. Which in this case is BOOST, a nootropic that supposedly gives people heightened intelligence and awareness. If it doesn't give you a stroke or aneurysm first. So tension's been ramping up. There's even rumors that they're hiring powered muscle. I'd like to say this won't get too heated with them fighting over a drug that. But, it's a lot easier to track legitimate purchases than it is ones that have run through multiple shell companies. It's a whole Where's Waldo-I'm sorry 'Wally' thing."