Thaumonuclear

The generator has a relatively simple control panel, Synth just turns a key (which was left in the panel) from locked to unlocked and pushes a green button marked "Start" which begins to glow. There is a rumble as the starter turned over and the generator roars to life. The fluorescent lights in the electrical room slowly flicker to life. Upstairs, the lights also come back on, leading to a roar of excited voices among the visitors. Synth's examination of the guard does not reveal much, he has a heartbeat and is breathing, but both are faint. Atomic Bob also looks at the guard quickly, but frowns and shakes his head. "Medicine's not my field, if there's no bleeding to stop I'm out of ideas. Maybe we can ask the guards to discreetly find a doctor or nurse." Just as Bob suggests this is a guard standing near the stairway where Synth and Bob are hidden and walks over to speak, looking. "That's great, I'm glad we have some help here. I don't know what happened to Frank downstairs or what's blocking the door, but I know it's out of our league." Bob nods, "We've got Frank here, I think. He's hurt, but we don't know how. We want to find him a doctor, someone who can help him, but we don't want to panic people more." The guard nods and relays the request through his radio.

I'll take that, you find the gloves.

There is a tool-chest near the door, and inside Vector is able to find a variety of protective gear, including insulating gloves.

Bob picks up the radio and tosses it to Vector. "Nice to meet you, Vector. I don't like this situation, so glad to have as much help as we can get here. I'll follow her upstairs and see what we can do to help keep order," he says, nodding toward the Synth carrying the guard. He's really unsure how to talk about multiple copies of the same person. Should he assign them numbers? Would that be rude? "Call for help if you need it, I'll try to get someone to lend me another radio so we can keep in contact." Synth (with the flashlight) and Vector head in to the electrical room. There are rows of circuit breaker boxers, but as they look toward the back a cable lies disconnected in the back and the darkness is split by an arc of electricty from the severed live wire. It appears the main electrical line from outside the building has been cut. Not far from the wire is the backup generator, fed from an underground fuel tank. Another spark of electricity arcs from the wire to strike the generator. Synth (with the guard) and Bob head upstairs again, reaching the lobby where guests sit huddled nervously together and flashlights dart around the room. "If the doors are blocked like they say, where will we take him for help?" Bob asks. "We should probably try not to let too many people see us carrying around a body, that might just make the panic worse."

Bob shakes his head, "Hopefully we can borrow his flashlight, unless the culprit is emitting radiation, I'm just as blind as you down here." On the evacuation, he adds "We're going to have to be careful about innocent bystanders, then. As well as worrying about all the expensive exhibits and artifacts." The security guard has fallen on top of his flashlight, blocking the light. Pulling it free allows Synth to see the man is unconscious. There are no obvious wounds, but lifesigns are faint. Chatter comes across his radio, as the guards and administration try to keep order and discuss how to handle the situation. "Whatever's blocking the main entrance seems to cover the windows as well. We've called for emergency assistance, try to keep people calm and keep them from wandering until help gets here."

Synth's clone saw the guards trying to keep order, ushering people out of the exhibits and out to the main lobby. They at first suggest they're going to evacuate everyone, but quickly the story changes. "We think it's best if everyone remains inside until we know exactly what's going on. We have contacted the power company and the police and they'll help us resolve the situation as soon as possible." The three heroes head down the stairs, ignore "No admittance signs", pass offices and storage rooms and converge at the electrical room in the basement. The door stands ajar and a figure is collapsed against the door frame, inside the room is dark and no movement is visible. Atomic Bob carefully floats down the hallway toward the other two. A muscular six-foot two man in a green costume decorated with yellow radiation symbols. A faint green glow comes from behind his dark goggles. He smiles uneasily and whispers, "I'm Atomic Bob. Came down to figure out what happened to that man, and the lights."

Bob jump when he heard the scream over the radios. This wasn't good. This wasn't just a power outage, someone (or something) dangerous was down there in the electrical room. He snuck away quietly from the other visitors, don't want to alarm them any more. A quick trip to the nearest restroom gave him the chance he needed. Under his polo-shirt and cargo-pants were his green body-suit, worn just for such an occasion. Goggles and gloves came out of his pockets (cargo-pants are useful) and Atomic Bob was ready for action. (Hopefully no one will notice the shoes). Costumed up, Atomic Bob slipped back out of the bathroom and headed down toward the basement.

Atomic Bob Radiance at Dusk Twilight at the Museum

Without warning, all through the museum, the lights blink out. In the Egyptian exhibit, and other exhibits with exterior windows there is still some light coming in from the darkening skies outside, while other exhibits (including the armor display) are pitch black. Flashlights blink on all over the museum and security guards attempt to keep order. "I want everyone to remain calm and stay where you are. I'm sure this is a temporary outtage, we'll let you know when we know more." The guards chatter on their radios and individually calm anyone who gets too upset. It is only a few moments before emergency lighting comes on around the building, leaving pockets of shadows everywhere. Synth's eye at the window notices looks like a wall of smoke crawl over the outside of the window, unnoticeable to anyone further from the window. Synth, Catherine and Bob all overhear a voice over a nearby radio. "I'm heading down to check the electrical room, outtage seems to be restricted to just this building. Wait, who are you..." followed by a scream. The guards react quickly to turn down the audio on their radios.

There are shadows behind the stone but quick inspection is enough to see the man is not simply hiding in them, and no sign of hidden doors or other tricks. The Hieroglyph translations are incomplete. The first sign concentrates mostly on translating example glyphs, but the others point out sections describing the history of the 18th dynasty and Thutmose V himself. The last is a section about the Onyx Sphynx of Aken, found in Thutmose's tomb. Aken takes Ra through the underworld in his ferry every night, and the Sphynx was meant to help guide the Pharoah to his proper place in the underworld.

The eye at the window doesn't see anything unusual. The stars are beginning to appear as lights come on in nearby buildings. Blinking lights indicate an airplane crossing overhead. There is no obvious sign of what the man was looking at. The man does not appear to notice Synth watching him, and after a few minutes he smile and taps his cane against the window before turning sharply and heading swiftly toward the back of the room. Several large stones covered in Hieroglyphics stand, alongside signs providing translations. He appears to be reading the signs, but then casually walks around one of the stones and never reappears.

Can I just say, ewwww?

As Synth is observing the exhibits and the visitors, she notices a man acting strangely. There are more than a few guests who have come to the museum in some sort of costume, but the man in an ornate renaissance-era jacket, a velvet cape and jeweled walking stick looks out of place even beyond his outfit. He walks around looking not at the exhibits, but at the lighting, security cameras and guards. Then he stops to watch out the large windows in the Egyptian exhibit, looking intently at the skies.

The speaker nods, "That is the nature of legends, though. We do know Dragos was unpopular and it is likely that much was added to the story after his death. The string of murders is confirmed, though, in local church records and no murderer was ever tried. It is also confirmed that Dragos's coffin in the family mausoleum lies empty without a lid. Many historians attribute that to grave robbers, though." He is then distracted as he has shoos away a small boy, attempting to climb onto the horse of a mounted warrior. A security guard rushes to help and ushers the boy, whining "aww. you guys are no fun...", toward the lobby.

Bob headed toward the egyptian exhibit, in a large room on the first floor of the western wing of the museum. The space was dominated by a replica pyramid structure, nearly reaching the roof of the two story room. Within the pyramid people crowded around to see the stone sarcophagus, carved with the likeness of the pharoah. Beside the sarcophagus, outside the velvet ropes, stood a replica mummy with its arms extended in classic movie-monster pose. On the other side of the pyramid, on a stone pedestal stood a 3 foot long sphinx with the head of a ram, carved from black rock. Large plaques stood beside both artifacts explaining their historical significance and where they were found. "Hey Mr. Rutherford!" a high school student called, pressing a camera into Bob's hands, "Get this picture for us." The student and his friends were posing around the fake mummy. Bob snapped the picture and returned the camera, "Don't forget about the test this friday, Jack. We're covering chapters three through five." Jack groaned and he and his friends headed off to the next exhibit, laughing. Catherine arrived at the armor exhibit and saw the new items. A group of new armor suits stand in front of tapestries and an elaborate throne from the castle of Baron Dragos of Bardonia. An older man standing near the throne is droning on about Baron Dragos. "Dragos was a brutal warlord in his time, feared by all his neighbors. It is rumored that his excesses became even greater after a visit from the infamous Vlad the Impaler and the people in his own towns began to show up murdered in the nights. Ultimately Dragos was killed by a mob of revolting peasants and a cousin replaced him as Baron, but the mysterious murders continued. Rumor has it that not only did is tomb turn up empty, but it appeared to have been broken open from the inside."

Oops. Stupid computer. I converted the errant thread to the OOC thread.

Well, busy last night and didn't get a chance to drop in and recruit. I think I'll stick with 3 PCs for this thread, then. Not too many people to keep track of. Started at viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6790 If your character feels like stopping by the museum, that'll be great. Or you can wait to react when something strange starts to happen.

The Hunter Museum of Natural History has two new exhibits and is playing them up for the season with their "Twilight at the Museum" celebration. For the month of October, operating hours have been extended well into the evening to allow the hardworking citizens of Freedom to come experience the museums exhibits new and old. Most of the exhibits have been spruced up to play a bit on occult or mystical topics, but of special interest are the new exhibits. The Museum's Medieval Arms and Armor exhibits has been expanded with a collection of newly restored armor and decorations on loan from the estate of Baron Dragos of Bardonia, an infamous brutal warlord. They have greatly played up the rumors that Dragos was a genuine vampire and that his tomb in Bardonia is said to have been smashed open from the inside, shortly after his death. The other new exhibit is the sarcophagus of Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose V, and other artifacts from his newly uncovered tomb. Little is known about Thutmose V, and some scholars are complaining that the artifacts are being used for this spectacle before further study by academics. But Hunter Museum assures them the artifacts will be safe and after this short promotion will be taken away for thorough study. Opening day had a good turnout and Mayor O'Connor made an appearance in the afternoon. The public figures had left already by the time evening rolled around. As darkness crept over Freedom the museum was still relatively crowded but many of the children had headed home to do homework. Bob Rutherford casually strolled into the museum and stared up at the T-Rex Skeleton in the lobby. It had been many years since he'd been to a museum. This brought back fond memories of the last time his parents had taken his sister and him to the Natural History Museum in New York. He hadn't wanted to go, but it turned out the site of dinosaurs had reawakened a childlike glee in him, even at 18. Everyone loves dinosaurs, don't they? He thought, as he watched newcomers split to the left or the right, headed toward the Egyptian or Armor exhibits, this month's big draws.

Converting the double post to the OOC thread.

Ok, it might be nice to have someone with some arcane knowledge along. But then again, Heroes don't always get the option of fighting the forces they understand. I'll try to recruit from the chatroom this evening, and then we can probably get started. The Hunter Museum of Natural History is preparing a few new exhibits, and celebrating Halloween by extending operating hours well into the evening throughout October.

I'll give some more thought to the minions. Ghosts seemed like a good idea since I wouldn't need to worry about having dead bodies around or anything, but I also didn't want to make them too much of a pain to deal with (why I went with insubstantial 3 rather than 4). I also gave them an attack where I figure they don't necessarily even have to be dealt with)

That would be appreciated, Supercape. I might see if I can wrangle up one more player. If you wouldn't mind having a look at an NPC I'm working on as the big bad. viewtopic.php?p=154730#p154730

And this guy needs his minions. Edit: Adjusting Spirits should be undead and ethereal Player Name: Character Name: Lost Spirit Power Level: 4 (60/60pp Minion Rank 4) Trade-Offs: None In Brief: Lost Spirits have been bound to this plane by an evil necromancer and reluctantly do his bidding. Description: Gender: Any Ethnicity: Varies Height: 5-6 feet Weight: None Eyes: Blank Hair: White A vaguely humanoid form of glowing ectoplasmic energy. Power Descriptions: The spirit's touch is intensly cold and leaves its victim with a feeling of lethargy. Their ghostly ectoplasmic forms are vulnerable to charged particles (ala proton packs) or electricity. Abilities: -10 + 0 + -10 + 0 + 4 + 0 = -16PP Strength: - (-10) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: - (-10) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 8 + 4 = 12PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +4 Grapple: +0 Defense: +2 (+3 Base), +1 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2 Saving Throws: 0 + 2 + 2 = 4PP Toughness: +3 (+0 Con, +3 Defensive Roll) Fortitude: Immune Reflex: +2 (+0 Dex, +2) Will: +4 (+2 Wis, +2) Feats: 3PP Defensive Roll 3 Powers: 2 + 30 + 20 + 5 = 57PP Flight 1 [2pp] Immunity 30(Fortitude Effects) [30pp] Insubstantial 4(Ectoplasmic Form Flaws: Permanent) [20pp] Paralyze 4(Ectoplasmic Touch Flaws: Slow; Feats Affects Insubstantial) [5pp] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Ectoplasmic Touch Touch 14 DC Fort Slow Totals: Abilities (-16) + Combat (12) + Saving Throws (4) + Skills (0) + Feats (3) + Powers (57) - Drawbacks (0) = 60/60 Power Points

A start on a Necromancer villain NPC. Need to do stats for the spirit minions. Player Name:Thaumonuclear: Tier 1 NPC Character Name: ? Power Level: 11 165/165pp Trade-Offs: +3 Defense/-3 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30 In Brief:An immortal necromancer seeking knowledge and items of power. Having sold his soul for power, he is now willing to sell others'. Skipping to crunch (for now) Abilities: 0 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 14PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 10 + 16 = 26PP Initiative: +1 Attack: +5 Melee, +11 Ranged Grapple: +5 Defense: +14 (+8 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: -4 Saving Throws: 8 + 6 + 11 = 25 PP Toughness: +8 (+0 Con, +8 [Force Field]) Fortitude: +10 (+2 Con, +8) Reflex: +7 (+1 Dex, +6) Will: +12 (+1 Wis, +11) Skills: 36R = 9PP Bluff 8 (+9) Concentration 8 (+9) Intimidate 8 (+9) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 8 (+10) Stealth 4 (+5) Feats: 13PP Attack Focus (Ranged) 6 Dodge Focus 6 Ritualist Powers (Magic): 16 + 1 + 28 + 8 + 1 + 18 + 6 = 79PP Damage 4(Deathly Chill, Cold, Spirit, Necromantic; Extras: Aura, Duration: Sustained) [16pp] Immunity 1: Aging [1pp] Necromantic Spells(26pp Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [28PP] Base Power: Damage 11(Spirit Blast, Spirit, Necromantic; Extras: Range; Feats: Accurate, Affects Insubstantial (Full power), Sedation) {26/26} Alternate Power: Confuse 11(Fear Wave, Fear, Necromantic; Extras: Area [120-ft. Cone, General];) {22/26} Alternate Power: Snare 8(Dark Tendrils, Necromantic; Extras: Suffocating;) {24/32} Protection 8(Black Armor; Extras: Force Field) [8pp] Regeneration 1: Resurrection (1 Week) [1pp] Summon 4 (Summon Spirits; Extras: Horde, Fanatical; Feats: Progression 2 (5 minions)) [18pp] Teleport 3 (Shadow Walk; Extras: Accurate; Flaws: Medium (Shadows);) [6pp] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Spirit Blast 110 feet DC 26 Toughness (Staged) Damage Confuse 110-ft Cone DC 21 Will Confusion Snare 80 feet DC 18 Reflex (Staged) Entangled/Bound + Helpless + Suffocating Cold Aura Touch DC 19 Toughness (Staged) Damage Unarmed Touch DC 15 Toughness (Staged) Damage Totals: Abilities (14) + Combat (26) + Saving Throws (25) + Skills (9) + Feats (13) + Powers (78) - Drawbacks (0) = 165/165 Power Points

Well that build was a first draft, that underwent radical changes before being accepted. Leaving this thread to post more of my build ideas.