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  1. In Brief: Clayface, AS A HERO! Or Kamala Khan, as a Ukrainian-American boy. Identity: Secret Alternate Identity: Davyd “Dayv” Ocheret Palahniuk (pau-lah-nik) Birthplace: Freedom City, NJ, USA Legal Status: American citizen with no criminal record Base of Operations: Claremont Academy Residence: Claremont Academy Dorms, or his parent’s apartment (in Riverside) Occupation: High School Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: Father (Vyacheslav), mother (Kateryna), grandmother/babusya (mother’s mother, Oksana), uncle (father’s brother, Aleksandr/"Sasha"), all in Freedom; paternal grandparents (Yuriy & Larysa) and maternal grandfather (Mykola) in Ukraine Age: 19 (Date of Birth: July 26th, 2002) Gender: Male Species: Human Mutate Height: 5 ft 9 in. (1.75m) Weight: 225 lbs. (147kg) Skin: Caucasian (variable) Hair: Dark Blonde/Light Brown (variable) Eyes: Gray (variable) APPEARANCE Davyd Palahniuk was an unassuming young Eastern European male, with short dark blonde/light brown hair and gray eyes, a round face, short arms and long legs. He usually wore fairly simple but sturdy clothing, which helped him blend in to the background and move about unobtrusively. That's still how he usually appears, though he has to use his metamorphic powers to do so. His default, true form is now a mass of protoplasmic flesh, vaguely humanoid in shape and size, with a narrow head featuring a thin lipless mouth, two tiny slits instead of a nose, and solid eyes of an indistinct, muddy hue. His flesh is a muddy mix of blacks, browns, pinks, reds, and yellows -- all the colors human skin can come in, as well as Grue crimson. His eyes are similar, a scattered, glittering swirl of every color that humans eyes can come in, plus Grue yellow. Thanks to his powers, he can look like most anyone (or anything), though he has little experience in mimicry or infiltration. He prefers organic forms, turning into animals or weird hybrids; when he mimics something with metal or plastic parts, those parts are made of a glossy chitin. In combat, and if out of the public eyes -- that is, in someplace where he can terrify criminals without worrying about scaring civilians -- he adopts a more terrifying "War Form," which is about a foot taller, covered in sleek crimson insectoid carapace, with a lashing alligator tail, raptor’s claws on the hands and feet, and piranha fangs. When he alters his form, he can have the shift go smoothly (like Martian Manhunter in Justice League/Justice League Unlimited and or Miss Martian in Young Justice, or Mystique in the various X-Men cartoons and films), or do it in a more disturbing manner, with shredding flesh and audibly popping bones (like the Things in John Carpenter’s The Thing and the 2011 prequel). HISTORY Davyd Palahniuk had a fairly uneventful early life, the son of immigrants who had been moved to the States from the Ukraine in 1986, shortly after the Chernobyl disaster. Clever and imaginative but painfully shy, and able to effortlessly blend into crowds (actually an early subtle manifestation of his mutant powers), he preferred the company of books and movies -- especially horror and science fiction -- to that of other people. Growing up in Freedom city exposed him to all manner of weirdness -- the worst being the 2010 Grue Invasion, where the building he was in partially collapsed due to a rampaging Grue!Kaiju -- but that eventually became just so much background noise. He had an unassuming time in school, with plans to become a secluded hermit of a writer. That is, until he enrolled in Franklin D. Roosevelt High School’s theatre arts class (mainly because the girl he had a crush on was in there), which helped him come out of his shell and learn to appreciate being around people. He still preferred working behind the scenes, though, and his love of weird things translated into a knack with makeup effects and costume work. He had plans to study makeup effects, but couldn’t decide between Freedom City University (where some of his friends had already gone or were planning to go) or the Freedom School for the Arts (which offered a more intense program). One night, while on FCU campus, he heard screams coming from one of the biomedical engineering labs. He was on campus visiting friends and attending a late night monster movie marathon, and, still pumped from having seen normal human campers fighting off machete-wielding maniacs and oozing blob-monsters, Davyd rushed into the building, towards the screams. He found Fear-Master, terrorizing a group of grad students who had been working late on a project. His sudden appearance provided a distraction for the students, who tried to run, but Fear-Master recovered and leaped upon them. Frantic to get away, some of the students started hurling beakers and flasks at the fearmonger, but he managed to deflect most of them, and many instead hit Davyd. Through the cuts and scrapes caused by the shattering glassware (and one near-miss from a knife Fear-Master had hurled), over a dozen different serums -- experiments with stem cells and extracellular matrices, human and animal, intended to fix bone, regrow skin, and repair muscle -- entered his bloodstream, and rapidly spread to every cell in his body. Davyd’s body began to melt, and swell, distending into an amorphous horror that scared the students more than Fear-Master had, and captured the crazed musician’s perverse fascination, who wondered if he’d be able to get this new monster to work with him. But Davyd’s mind was still intact, so he picked up Fear-Master and slammed him about like a ragdoll. He then slithered out after the fleeing students, calling out to them that he was okay, that he meant them no harm, that he was a good guy -- but in his panic (and rearranging brain matter) he’d switched from English to Russian. "Ya khorosho" ("I'm good") sounds very much like "yeah, horrorshow" in English, and that’s the name the campus security used when the students reached them. After things were sorted out (and they realized Fear-Master had bolted), researchers were able to stabilize Davyd and give him some control over his form. Remembering the lessons from his parents who grew up in Soviet-dominated Ukraine -- the interdependence of humanity, and how those who possess much have a responsibility to give to those without -- he realized he could do much to help people, especially against the real monsters that plagued the world. Monsters like Fear-Master, who is still very interested in forcing Horrorshow to work with (or for) him, and SHADOW, who would very much like to study him and replicate his powers for their agents. Headmistress Summers soon approached Davyd, and offered him a place at Claremont Academy. PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION Since gaining powers and entering Claremont, Davyd has had a noticeable shift in personality. He’s become more outgoing and energetic, and he loves using his powers in ways both subtle and gross. His grandmother often told him tales of people in her home country who had powers but kept them hidden, though doing so often had a negative impact on their health; Davyd has no desire to hide his abilities. Davyd Palahniuk loves being a superhero, almost as much as he loves having superhuman powers. He rarely angsts over whether or not there’s more he could be doing, as he knows there are many other heroes out there who are also fighting the good fight. It does upset him that so many people who become gifted with powers seem to turn to villainy, showing the same selfishness that ruined his parent’s home country and caused it to be seen as so corrupt for so long. But he just keeps trying to do the best he can, stopping what criminals he can catch, saving whatever innocent he can reach, and (if able) taking time to entertain children with his powers. Since his powers make him so adaptable, he’s willing to take on any challenge, no matter how dangerous, if it means he can be of some help. Since gaining his powers and stopping a few criminals, his self-esteem has received a considerable boost. While still not interested in taking the spotlight, or sticking around afterwards to take credit or be interviewed, his confidence has grown. He’s also become an advocate for those bullied or oppressed for the way they look or for other body issues, including the transgender community. His experiences with them, as well as in taking on so many other forms, male and female, has also caused him to begin examining and questioning his own sexuality and gender identity. He has no particular romantic interests at the moment, though, focusing on his heroic work… and his school work. POWERS & TACTICS Were it not for the accident, Horrorshow’s mutant powers -- caused by his parent’s exposure to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster -- would have fully manifested in a year or two, and he’d be able to assume the appearance of any humanoid form, though not quite down to the genetic level. The accident supercharged these abilities, giving him almost total control over his shape and substance. He can’t assume energy or gaseous forms, or any form that involves moving parts or chemical reactions (he could become something that looked like a motorcycle, but it would have no moving parts), but beyond that his form is limited largely by his imagination and personal preferences. He prefers sticking with purely organic forms, mixing and matching parts from anything in the animal kingdom, and forms inspired by all manner of horror movies and sci-fi television shows he’s seen. The one major drawback to his powers is that sometimes his body is too adaptable: effects that transform or otherwise involuntarily change his body are especially effective against him. He'd like to learn more subtler tricks like pheromones, adrenal alterations, or toxin secretions, but he's not (yet) knowledgeable enough to do that, which he intends to fix by enrolling in some biology and zoology courses. In combat, Horrorshow prefers to open with something spectacular, following his initial attack with an intimidating pose to terrify criminals into submission. (Or even opening with a Fearsome Presence or Startle, if able to catch them off-guard.) If straightforward attacks don’t cut it, he’ll go for more subtle tactics, trying to keep foes off-balance until he can work out a weakness. He's started taking some self-defense courses, and is working on adapting their lessons to create his own personal style of shapeshifter combat, which looks something like a cross between Aikido and professional wrestling. His powers are very similar to those of a Grue metamorph, something that the scientists noticed when they were called in to help stabilize him. In fact, they found that part of Davyd’s genetic structure has had Grue genetic material grafted to it, though this was not shared with him. (He later discovered this with the help of Miss Grue.) They theorize that at least one of the researchers at that FCU laboratory had gotten hold of some Grue biological material (perhaps taken from Roswell, or the 2010 Gruevasion) for use in their regeneration experiments, which may be why Dayv got powers instead of a messy death. ALLIES His family: father Vyacheslav (wyah-cheh-SLOW), mother Kateryna (kah-teh-RI-nah), uncle Aleksandr (aka Uncle Sasha, Vyacheslav’s younger brother), and babusya/grandmother Oksana (Kateryna’s mother). His paternal grandparents, Yuriy & Larysa, are still alive, but remained in Ukraine. Longtime friend James “Jimmy” Gray, who plans to enter HIT for mechanical engineering. Claremont classmates, especially Crystal Gazer (Lulu), Forever Boy (Pan), Lady Liberty (Monica), and Specimen (Adam). And to a lesser extent Sun Dragon (Leroy) & Dio, Salvo (Nicole), and Zenith (Corinne). Grimalkin (Lynn) and Miss Grue (Daphne) have been helping him train with his powers. Miss Grue has also been teaching him about Grue and other extraterrestrials. ENEMIES Fear-Master (Blume), and anyone who treats others badly due to their appearance (including transphobes). Uncle Sasha has done work with Freedom City's Mafiya, which could cause complications for Davyd & his family. MISCELLANEOUS Horrorshow is an all-purpose shapechanger, a solid jack-of-all-trade "backup" character able to fill most roles but nowhere near as good as a dedicated character. He can be a Brick, a Martial Artist, a Speedster, an infiltrator, a 'face,' and more, but he's there to support, not overshadow. (He could hypothetically be an ersatz Mentalist, with behavior-altering pheromones or touch-range Mental powers -- meshing his nervous system with another's -- but he’s avoiding the latter out of fear of damage to his own mind and also because it’s gross.) He still prefers to work off-stage rather than center stage, so is more than willing to let others take the limelight (as long as his contributions don’t go unacknowledged -- he does have some pride). How the FCU researcher got their hands on Grue biological samples -- and if there are more such samples in other laboratories -- could be an interesting mystery (and source for more superhumans!). Davyd learned (from Miss Grue) that he is part Grue, and was quite upset at first. He fears he may become more Grue-like, or dominated by the Meta-Mind. Behind The Scenes I’d been toying with the idea for a Claremont character for some time. My initial thought was some sort of gadgeteer, with ties to Ogoun (loa of metalworking & rum-making). But nothing quite gelled, so I decided to go with my other favorite superhero archetype, shapeshifters. I happened to see John Carpenter’s The Thing and Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange around that time, and an idea started taking root. I’m not sure if I’m going to eventually give him any psionic abilities (as he unlocks more of his Grue-ness), or just stick with the shapeshifting ones. Though Davyd fears this, I do not have any plans for Davyd to “lose himself” to the Meta-Mind, or develop some sort of secondary Grue personality. I already ran that type of story with Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville, and I’ve no desire to repeat that. COMPLICATIONS Bad Powers, Good People / Lovecraftian Superpower: Davyd has a good and kind heart, and would never dream of harming anyone who didn’t thoroughly deserve it. He loves using his powers to entertain and thrill people as much as he does using them to spook criminals. But given what Freedom City had gone through with shapeshifters -- both from the Grue and things like ArchEvil -- some people may react in an extremely negative way to him when they see him using his abilities. The GM may give him a Hero Point if someone reacts negatively upon witnessing his transformation, such as fleeing from him, trying to drive him off, and/or attacking him. Enemy (Fear-Master): Melvin Blume still hasn't forgotten the boy who spurned him. He feels Horrorshow would be a perfect accomplice, or, failing that, an unwitting pawn. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for Fear-Master or his minions attacking or otherwise disrupting him at the worst possible times. Involuntary Shapeshifting: While Davyd is capable of transforming in a controlled fashion, and usually turns into what he intends to, his powers also occasionally activate without his conscious input. If talking or hanging out with someone for an extended period, his appearance may subtly shift to become more like theirs. If interacting with someone he really likes, his body may shift to become more like what he believes they would find most attractive. When his attention wanders, one eye might start roaming around his head. When hungry, one of his limbs may sprout a serpentine head and stretch out looking for something to eat. A concentration skill check can usually get these manifestations under control, once he’s made aware of them, though not always right away. The GM can give him a Hero Point if his involuntary shifting causes a severe breach of etiquette or otherwise makes others uncomfortable, which could result in a penalty to (or automatically failing) certain interaction skill checks. Obligations (Family): If Davyd’s family calls for his help, he'll drop everything and run to their aid. The GM can give him a Hero Point in exchange for having them request his aid at the worst possible times. Secret (Identity): Davyd has a loving local family, and any adversaries who learned about his double life could threaten or harm them. OTHER Character Sheet [link] Claremont Roommate: Benicio "Ben" "Octoman" Wang (2019/2020, 2020/2021) Claremont Schedule: Junior in 2019/2020, Senior in 2020/2021 Claremont Team (2019/2020): Orange (teammates: Angelic, Arcana, Crystal Gazer, Soliton, and Sun Dragon/Parhelion [and Dio]) Claremont Team (2020/2021): Orange (teammates: Angelic, Arcana, Chitin, Nocturne) HellQ [link] Reputation Table [link] TIMELINE 1937 Oksana Kunis born in Korosten, Ukraine. 1953 Vyacheslav Palahniuk born to Yuriy Palahniuk & Larysa Oistrakh. 1962 Aleksandr Palahniuk born to Yuriy Palahniuk & Larysa Oistrakh. Kateryna born to Mykola Chornovil & Oksana Kunis in Korosten. 1986 April 25-26: Chernobyl disaster. The city of Korosten, 90 km away, was declared a zone of voluntary evacuation, as it had suffered considerable fallout. Vyacheslav Palahniuk, Kateryna Chornovil, and her mother Oksana all evacuate and head to America; Vyacheslav & Kateryna meet and fall in love along the way. Yuriy & Larysa move east, but remain in Ukraine, settling in Kharkiv. Mykola remains in Korosten. 2002 July: Davyd Ocheret Palahniuk is born to Vyacheslav Palahniuk & Kateryna Chornovil, in Freedom City. 2019 April 18th: Davyd is changed. He lets his Uncle Sasha know (since the authorities needed a parent or guardian to contact), but not his parents or babusya Oksana. April 22nd: David is brought on to the Claremont Academy campus, and meets several students (Watchdog & Daystar, Zenith, Sun Dragon, Lady Liberty, Crystal Gazer, Salvo, Red Lynx, and Veronica Danger). Will this Mud Pack hold? April 23rd: A routine tour of the Claremont Campus sends Crystal Gazer, Horrorshow, White Lioness, and Zenith on a strange Nostalgia Trip. May 6th: Davyd meets Grimalkin and Miss Grue, who wish to help him with his powers and see if he's interested in Lynn's Body Doubles service. He learns he is part-Grue! May 11th: Dayvd reveals his powers to his family. (Cast In A New Role) June 24th: Summer Vacation! Davyd goes with Adam "Specimen" Lanchester, Pan "Forever Boy" Barrie, Louise "Crystal Gazer" Beaumont, and Veronica Danger to the British Virgin Islands. But what's this: a sunken ship off the coast? (Dead Men Tell No Tales) July 1st: Horrorshow goes into SPAAACE! He, Crystal Gazer, Gauss, and Salvo go to CoVic Station, where the newly-joining worlds of Xix (around the nearby, undiscovered star of Lia) is hosting an open celebration around their union with the interstellar alliance. The hope is that observing a peaceful transition between isolation to community will provide a safe, helpful means of understanding the galactic neighbors they might encounter later in life. (Stellar School) August 28th: Davyd (with help from his parents, uncle, and babusya) moves in to Claremont, and meets his roommate, Ben "Octoman" Wang. (It's Mov[in]g Day!) October 6th: Davyd goes on a Mall Trip with Lulu, both for Halloween ideas and general people-watching. October 12th: Davyd joins Ashley & Judy (Watchdog & Daystar), Danica (Chelone), Benny (Rebound), Mia (Soliton), and Nick (Vox) in a trip to Earth-B-Vacant-19, as part of Claremont's Extradimensional Birdwatching Club. They get to watch a rich variety of animals, who evolved on a world where people never did... and also find signs that other people have been there! October 31st: Davyd (disguised as a Lon Chaney!Wolf Man) joins Mia (Soliton, a zombie), Lulu (Crystal Gazer, Kim Possible), Danica (Chelone, a fluffy chick), Astrid (Ms. Thursday, as Ziggy Stardust), Leroy (Sun Dragon, Garnet from SU) & Dio (Dragon!Maleficent), and Abigail (Arcana, as Wednesday Addams) in a trip to The Black House, a traveling "haunted house." But things aren't as camp & kitsch as they first appear! (Amygdala) 2020 January: Davyd and the rest of Orange Squad meet their new teammate, Eira! They also do some trust-building exercises. (One By One) February 7th: In the aftermath of Eria's first meeting with her fellow members of Orange Team, the Swedish teen had made arrangements for her team to spend the weekend on CoVic Station as guests of the Praetorians! (Intergalactic Sightseeing) February 14th: Davyd, having no special person to spend Valentine's Day with, decides to engage in a little solo adventure. His mission: disguise himself as an adult, sneak into a bar (Chester's Club, in West End), then get out and back to Claremont without anyone knowing! But the bar he enters has a surprisingly varied clientele... like Mali, a physical therapist (and secretly the heroine Crimson Tiger)... his fellow Claremonter, Ashley (Watchdog), and her date, Farua... and an international criminal vampire! Well, that last one was Mr. Strix, but all sorts of miscommunications and assaults ensue. Cooler heads prevail, though, when Davyd runs back to Claremont and begs Headmistress Summers for help. (Century for a Dame) Several days later, Ashley confronts Davyd about that night, at a tree near the Claremont dorms. Their meeting goes surprisingly well. (Stitches) February 26th: Davyd and his roommate Ben (Octoman) are approached by Daphne (Miss Grue), who has an offer for the Grueling she'd taken under her wing: recover a cache of Grue tech from a vault in New Mexico! It's hard to tell which of the two boys is more excited! (#ReleaseTheRavenCut) March 21st: Claremont's Orange Squad (and a few others) makes a diplomatic/professional trip to the DuTemps Castle, to meet with True North (Canada's super-team) and Vanguard (Britain's super-team). Davyd chats a bit with Erick (Foreshadow II, Vanguard) and Indira (Wraith), and Mali (Crimson Tiger, whom he'd met at Chester's Club a few weeks prior!) (Phone a Friend) April 7th: Davyd helps Lulu greet some new Claremonters: Callie (Madame Raven), Leon (Paper), and Tabitha (Awe/The Spectacle). (Fledglings in the Fold) April 13th: Davyd joins the rest of Orange Squad on a trip to Earth-2 (Leroy's home) for SPRING BREEEAAAK!!! (Spring Break 1: To Remove is to Improve) April (Two Weeks Before Prom): Benny (Rebound), Davyd, Eira (Angelic), Kameron (Red Lynx), Leroy (Parhelion), and Pan (Forever Boy) take a limited off-campus course in dancing, at The Espadas School of Self-Defense and Swordsmanship. Erik (Jack of Alll Blades) and Talya (Bombshell) are their instructors. But it's not just dance lessons on the agenda -- it's dance battling! (Strange Like Me) April (Late): It's prom time! For Claremont's Juniors and Seniors, a time for celebration! But for one Junior -- who had gone off-campus on Valentine's Day without permission, entered a bar while underage, assaulted a vampire, and allowed said vampire to follow him back to Claremont -- there would be no celebration, just sitting at the entrance taking tickets. (Hero Prom) June-August: Davyd gets a summer job at the Freedom Aquarium. (News) September 5th: It's move-in day! Davyd reconnects with Pan and Rebound and Thunderbird, and meets Chitin and Kensei. (Second Coming) September 6th: Veronica Danger has a plan, involving Crystal Gazer, Horrorshow, Masque, and Thunderbird. The plan: Danger International's participation in the Dakar Rally! (Rally Me This) Fall: Orange Squad -- Angelic, Arcana, Chitin, Horrorshow, and Nocturne -- work together on a Home Ec project, working to represent their culinary legacies. Eira & Natalia banter, while Davyd asks Ryder about his Robugs & Abby about her magic portals. (Weird Flex) October 31st: A Lemurian curse turns approximately 1% of Earth's population -- that's about 8,000,000 people -- into werewolves! Davyd & Heroditus are out walking Claremont's Quad when it hits the shapeshifter -- can his Atlantean associate aid him? (Night of the Wolves) 2021 January: Davyd helps Eira work up some new looks, and they talk about identity. (Sordid Deeds By Night) March 23rd: Davyd participates in a cross-country off-road race in Western Egypt, with Veronica Danger, Lulu/Crystal-Gazer, Elizabeth/Masque, and Micah/Thunderbird. (Dakar Rally) June: Davyd graduates from Claremont! Also, Davyd participates in a two-week summer internship, working on a farm of an alien world (well, a parallel Earth) populated by GIANT BEES! Things go pretty smoothly, until the steampunk time traveler shows up! (There Will Be Bees) July: Davyd goes on a train cruise across the UK and Europe, with Lulu/Crystal-Gazer and her boyfriend Adam/Specimen, Eira/Angelic and her boyfriend Pan/Forever Boy, and Judy/Daystar and her boyfriend Micah/Thunderbird. (Eurotrip: The Rhythm of the Rails) October 31: Freedom's Orpheum Theatre is showing classic monster movies, and made a special invite to all the city's more "monstrous" heroes. How can Davyd resist? Surely nothing bad will happen.... (Silver Screen Dreams) November: He'd been thinking about it for a while, but now he had to get serious. But there was still so much he didn't know, couldn't know. Fortunately, he knows someone with first-hand knowledge (or so it was rumored). And so he goes to visit Bombshell, to talk about Spies Like Us... ... which then leads to a meeting with Ace Danger at Danger Manor! (Friend Like Me). Davyd's quest for figuring out what to do with his post-Claremont self ends with him visiting with Grimalkin and Miss Grue. (Calling on the Aunties) Davyd's uncle Sasha has been up to something, and he wants to know what. It seems he's part of an underground fighting ring, which is using kidnapped metahumans! Fortunately, Neko & Kid Gawain, and Chimera, also happened to find their way to the underground arena, and the heroes work to put a stop to it. (Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright) December: Davyd's first gig for the Danger News Network comes earlier than he'd expected: he's interviewing a new superhero! But it's not just any superhero -- it's the new Patriot, one of his former Claremont classmates! (Patriot Games) Davyd's second gig for the Danger News Network has him going to his parent's homeland, for an in-depth look at Rurland, the all-robot nation situated in the abandoned, irradiated remains of Chernobyl. Angelic accompanies him, as both protection and envoy. (Blue Monday) 2022 May: Davyd and Lulu "Crystal Gazer" Beaumont have a nice lunch at Smachna, a newly-opened Ukrainian-American restaurant, catching up on what they've been doing over the past few months. (Is Potato [Pancakes]) 2023 August: Veronica Danger's younger brother Rex has gone missing! She calls on Crystal Gazer & Horrorshow to help find him, which takes them to the Himalayas. (Test Your Might) September: A run-in with a psychic leaves Davyd comatose, and his body reflexively shifts into a towering Monlith of Meat! He gets better. December: Horrorshow helps Neko & Paper entertain children at the Freedom League Holiday Party. (Holiday Cheer!)
  2. Gizmo

    Incursion

    Incursion Incursion: Prologue Praetorians: Awakening Incursion: Three If By Space Incursion: Holding the Fort Incursion: Phase One Incursion: Blood in the Water A Lor refugee cruiser has become separated from the evacuated fleet! Can our heroes defend it from Communion fighters long enough to make it to safety? Featuring: Paradigm, Kharag, Deep Freeze and Seika Incursion: Meaning in Destruction The world-killer has set course for another world. The clock is ticking as our heroes try to discover why and escape with their lives! Featuring: Dragonid, Moon-Moth, The Traveller and Solar Sentinel Incursion: The Conquered Flesh The Stellar Khanate has been silent since the Communion first arrived in known space. Cavalier recruits blockade runners to find out the terrifying reason! Featuring: Cavalier, Eclipse and Rock Incursion: Opportunists and Opposition The remaining Star Knights are spread thin and pirate attacks have surged! But are interstellar brigands the worst our heroes have to fear? Featuring: Corona, Mechanized, Memorial and Galvanic Incursion: Backwater They came for a bounty but our heroes much deal with a corrupt sheriff, overcrowded refugees and rising tensions if they plan to make it back to civilized space! Featuring: Bliss, Roulette and Ruby Voxx Incursion: Phase Two The silent night of December 25th is broken by the arrival of a threat from the stars! The worst has come to pass and the Communion has come for Earth! With attacks on every corner of the globe the heroes of Freedom City must leave the familiar rooftops of their home city behind to defend their planet from utter destruction! Incursion: Stop-Thrust The members of the Freedom League organizing the defense of Earth from aboard the Lighthouse find that something is trying to turn their own weapons against them! Featuring: Comrade Frost, Fleur de Joie, Gabriel, Gaian Knight and Velocity Incursion: Drop the Needle The Communion's arrival has awakened something buried deep beneath Seattle's Space Needle and it might take three Erin Whites to save the day! Featuring: Cannonade, Cobalt Templar, Edge, Midnight II and Wander Incursion: That's Amore Dragonfly and Miss Americana have a plan for a defensive weapon using the Farsider's moonstone as a focus. The Communion has a plan to blow the moon into itty bitty pieces! Featuring: Dragonfly, Geckoman, Harrier, Jack of all Blades, Miss Americana and Willow Incursion: Uploaded to the Cloud As news of the invasion spreads and threats reveal themselves, a charismatic cult leader in Rio de Janeiro is on the rise! Dark magic or cosmic charlatans?! Featuring: Equinox, Ghost Girl, Nick Cimitiere, Nightingale, Phantasmo and Wraith Incursion: Spirit of the Blitz Communion needleship drones focus on the UNISON HQ in Geneva, which houses may of Earth's space flight capable combat craft! The Vanguard and their allies stand in the way! Featuring: Coiled Lightning, Foreshadow II, Myrmidon, Synapse, Ulysses and Young Britannia Incursion: God Squad Typhon plans to usher in the apocalypse by turning nanotech drones near the Naqada necropolis into cyborg versions of mythical monsters! Who ya gonna call? Featuring: Arrowhawk, Meatheral, Miras, Set and Sun Walker Incursion: Mind Over Matter The Communion's broadcast is laying siege to the psychically receptive minds of Earth! Our heroes use the Arecibo Observatory to meet the threat head-on on the astral plane! Featuring: Blue Fox, Hologram, Miss Grue and Nano Angel Incursion: Matter Over Mind While the psychic heroes fight the broadcast, their bodies are vulnerable! A second team must defend them against waves of Communion drones! Featuring: Fast-Forward, Grimalkin, Net Fly, Queenie, Silver Magus and Triakosia Incursion: Science Team Go! A computronium bomb hits the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia, converting everything it touches! Our heroes race to stop a grey goo scenario! Featuring: Asad, Citizen, Hronos, Maxima and Terrifica Praetorians: Ghost in the Machine Incursion: Phase Three While Earth has lay under siege the rest of the galaxy has burned with war. The Communion continues to sweep over world after world, converting most into horrific server tombs to fuels it insatiable hunger to expand its intellect and destroying others outright to create wormholes for some more diabolical purpose. It does not do so unopposed, however, as the Galactic Coalition fights back at every turn! Lor mentats soldier on shoulder to shoulder with Grue Arcane while Khanate pirates take up arms alongside newly awakened Praetorians in a battle for their very survival! They are outnumbered and overpowered but they have a plan. Legends are about to be born and one way or another the galaxy will never be the same. Incursion: Black Sheep For months Star Knight Kyle Steward has been a one man armored thorn in the Communion's paw. An ally arrives to help and catch him up on what he's missed in the meantime. Incursion: Red Five The Communion's machinations on Earth have been thwarted but the world-killer still looms near Pluto's orbit! Can our heroes destroy the superweapon before their home joins Lor-Van? Featuring: Argonaut, Cavalier, Geckoman, Hronos and Sun Walker Incursion: Merciless At the Coalition's secret base a final, desperate stratagem is being planned. It becomes much more desperate when the communed Star-Khan arrives to quash the resistance once and for all! Featuring: Galvanic, Paradigm and Rock Incursion: Troopers Behind enemy lines on a cyberformed server world our heroes must lead grudging allies from the Lor, Grue and more in an assault on a key communication relay before time runs out! Featuring: Corona, Eclipse, Roulette and Wander Incursion: Blockade Runners To get vital intelligence regarding the location of the Communion mothership back to the Coalition our heroes will have to fight their way off world and through an enemy blockade! Featuring: Bliss, Dragonid, Ghost Girl, Kharag and Wraith Incursion: Interstellar 66 With another world targeted for destruction to form another wormhole a risky deal must be struck. Are our heroes sure they're aligning themselves with the lesser of two evils? Featuring: Dragonfly, Deep Freeze, Ruby Voxx and The Traveller Incursion: Only Hope There's just one chance to infiltrate the Communion mothership and disable it from the inside, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance! Featuring: Citizen, Mater Vyrdna, Moon Moth, Seika and Temperance Incursion: Aftershocks
  3. Lor Timemark 1329.8 - March 1, 2015 Garron-9, Garron System Trooper Ekna Veiu sat strapped into the back of the transport ship between a Lor mentat clone with a lantern jaw and a member of a scale covered species he couldn't name and tried to steady his breathing. He'd never planned to be a soldier but then the Communion had ripped through the Khanate, leaving the precious few survivors to flee or be turned into monsters. The Lor loved to talk about never forgetting Lor-Van but they hadn't been the only people to lose a homeworld and they weren't the only ones who'd wanted to fight back. Ekna was seventeen stellar cycles old; that had seemed like so long sitting around on his family farm waiting for his life to start, old enough to enlist with the Coalition forces, certainly. As the ship shook from atmospheric turbulence and he clenched his grey-green hands all he think about was whether or not he'd see his eighteenth cycle celebration. There weren't any enemy ships in the skies above Garron-9, at least. There didn't need to be. What had once been a densely populated border world with almost a billion inhabitants was now a solid sphere of computronium, a planet-sized server to add to the Communion's processing power. A billion people converted into raw materials and 'antibodies', the mindless, shrieking foot soldiers of the enemy. This was only Ekna's second deployment but he'd already gotten to see those up close and personal. They'd lost that moon but he'd acquitted himself well, getting his wounded sergeant to safety. They'd given him a commendation for that. They didn't mention the rest of his squad when they shook his hand. He didn't mention the night terrors he'd had ever since. That was how he'd ended up as part of one of four squads deploying to Garron-9 with a simple mission: fight their way through and take down a communication relay, in theory briefly blinding the Communion in the adjacent sector long enough for something apparently above his pay grade. Troopers didn't need to know the big picture, he guessed. He looked up from his knees and immediately regretted it as he saw the Grue strapped in across from him scowling right at him. At least Ekna thought the Grue was scowling. It was hard to tell with no mouth. He immediately looked back down regardless. Most of the other troopers were more experienced soldiers and most of them had experience fighting against those who were suddenly their allies. Tensions were always high but the calm before the storm was always the worst. Then again, at least he knew what a Grue was. Each squad had been assigned a commander for the mission, though Ekna got the impression the rank wasn't exactly official. One of them was a stern Lor officer with no patience for excuses; he'd met a lot of those in the past months. The Zultasian told a lot of jokes and laughed loudly, all swagger and confidence. Ekna had never seen anything like the grey skinned woman with the cybernetic tail, though, and even though the forth commander didn't look all that much older than him he'd heard some of the other soldiers say she wasn't really Lor but Terran and everybody had a friend of a friend with a horror story about a Terran. Ekna risked glancing up again to the back of the transport where all four of them were standing, holding onto handing straps and conversing.
  4. Criminal Carter Bay, Florida, Terra One week before the Battle of Kesteven 79; Lor Timemark 1329.7 "Whaddya mean what do I want you to do with 'em?! They came to my son's house!" Anna knew she was screaming, and she knew she sounded like an old woman when she screamed, but for once in her life she didn't care. She'd tried for weeks to reach Basil after the fighting in Freedom City during the Communion incursion; and only now, pacing back and forth so fast she was burning through yet another bedroom rug, had she finally gotten ahold of her old friend. "They tried to kill my grandson! They tried to put their filthy stinking hands on my little baby granddaughter! I want them dead! I want their whole goddamned organization dead and buried in a goddamned hole in the ground!" Basil let her rant, like a good friend should, knowing what Clock Queen was like in a righteous temper. When she was finished, Basil broke in gently. "I'll do whatever is in my power to help you, my dear Anna." His voice was warm and soothing, the perfect veteran musician's calm, even tones. "I am not soley responsible for composing their fate, but I think I can persuade even their backers to dance to my tune for a while. But the question remains, Anna, what will you do for me in return?" His tone was serious, but almost apologetic, the same way he might have asked for repayment on money she'd borrowed from him back in the day - which now that she thought about it had happened more than once. "Certain things have never been tolerated in our organization - but of course we're talking about a third party. If I'm to move against them, I need to be sure that you can move with me the next time I need a favor." Anna put her head against the wall, palm flat against the bright green wallpaper of her retirement bungalow, and thought about her old friend's words, even as not for the first time recently she felt a great wave of unaccustomed fatigue. "Listen, Basil, I...I promised my boy I wouldn't get back in the League, and I meant it. It's important to him - and you know nothing's more important to me than family." She opened her eyes and caught sight of herself in the mirror across the hall. Jeez - look at me! Eighty years old, and she looked like a healthy woman in her fifties - a woman who was going to spend a long, long life right here in this bungalow if she chased Basil away right now. He'd better be right about the white noise blocking the line here. "But a deal's a deal. If you need a favor, a real favor...gimmie a call. I'm yours."
  5. Lor Timemark 1329.7 - February 28, 2015 Repiuk System Asteroid Belt When rich ore deposits had been discovered in the asteroid belt of a system with no habitable worlds nearly a hundred and fifty years prior it had drawn in a rush of prospectors, independent fortune seekers and small companies looking to stake a claim that would set them and their families up for generations. As the demands of the galactic economy shifted and the best veins had been tapped out, however, the cost of refinement had risen past the profitability of the belt and one by one facilities had been abandoned, subterranean ghost towns riddling the asteroids with tunnels and shafts. Decades later those abandoned mines would serve as a base of operations for a vicious pirate fleet, their leader cannily realizing that the remaining deposits of heavy metals would play havoc with snooping sensor sweeps. They'd been found out by the Star Knights nevertheless and soundly routed, leaving another layer of abandoned equipment in their wake. It was Sri A'Lan Koor who had remembered those raids and suggested the belt, a remote location of no military significance or appeal to the Communion, as a staging area for the Coalition forces. For the past three months the secret had remained kept, long enough for the leaders of the Coalition to feel secure gathering together in one room as they planned out their last, best chance to drive out the invading menace. Standing at the war table the veteran Star Knight had to wonder if they weren't going to do the Communion's job for it. "You need to pull your head out of whatever orifice you've shapeshifted for defecation purposes," Senator Diena Th'emme told the Grue Arcane across from her flatly, fingertips pressed firmly against the surface of the horizontal display between them. The tall, imperious woman managed to make even the utilitarian grey jumpsuit she was wearing come across as regalia, her honey blonde hair done up in a crisp bun. "We have a precise window of opportunity. What troops we can spare to assault the communication relay will have to be enough." The short, stocky being to her made a fluting growl, waving fur covered hands for emphasis as his translator box did its work in an incongruously light soprano. "You would send them to their deaths and for what?" Minister Ch'rrr had rallied a number of worlds to the Coalition's banner in his home sector but was by nature disinclined toward risk taking. "The slim hope of a possible advantage for a doomed plan? Your ancestors' pardon, Citizen Tulink, but I cannot place so much faith in a single simulacrum. Surely you agree, Praetorian Val-Ren?"
  6. Edges of Grue Unity Space Lor Timemark 1312.4 "Perimeter Vessel Theta-Theta-Gamma reporting all quiet," the Grue Metamorph named Dul'ce sighed, repeating the same message he'd been sending back to command twice a cycle for the entire duration of his posting. Cycle after cycle of staring at a field of stars, empty apart from a patch of asteroids or the occasional comet, lightyears away from anything to conquer or infiltrate or even just observe, just the arbitrary border of Unity controlled space past which there was simply nothing worth claiming. It was busy work of the highest order, that was the worst of it, Dul'ce reflected as he melted back in his chair, dejectedly allowing his form to become slightly liquid. The Meta-Mind could have easily focused on his thoughts, just like any of the Grue, if it truly wished to know what was happening on the frontier. The twice-cycle reports proved that it was simple bureaucracy, a tick in a ledger that no Grue would ever bother reviewing once it was logged. "Pull yourself together, Navigator!" a sharp voice barked, causing Dul'ce's outer layer to go spiky in surprise. The only other Metamorph on the vessel and his commanding officer strode onto the bridge, flanked by a pair of drones. Faa'et had taken to making his form a little taller and broader at the shoulder since his promotion and Dul'ce might have sworn his chin was even a little more square, though he couldn't imagine for whom Faa'et was making the effort. "I don't tolerate loose shifting on the Double-Theta Gee!" Dul'ce hid another sigh. The Unity didn't bother naming its vessels like lesser species and for good reason. Faa'et's attempts to give the scout ship a nickname were ridiculous, though the navigator never would have said so aloud. Just thinking that was about the captain would have been bad enough if Faa'et had ever bothered to read anyone's thoughts apart from his own. "Apologies, Captain. I was just finishi-- eh?" On the console in front of him a green dot blinked on, floating through nearby space before changing direction and heading toward them.
  7. Player Name: ShaenTheBrainCharacter Name: The Inspector Power Level: 12 (180/181PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 1 Progress To Gold Status: 1/90 In Brief: Martian Manhunter with a lightsaber. Alternate Identity: Jol-Kroom Samak (Birth Name), Varies (Shapeshifter) Identity: Secret. It is not common or public knowledge that Samak is a Grue'tar, or an alien of any kind. Birthplace: Planet Gruen'tass, Andromeda Galaxy Occupation: None at present. Former Inquisitor of the Grue'tar Protectorate, then freelance bounty hunter, private detective, and mercenary throughout the Lor Republic and Stellar Khanate. Affiliations: None at present. Formerly the Grue'tar Protectorate. Family: Jol-Kroom Rojoss (Mother), Jol-Kroom Mooreedon (Father), Jol-Kroom Serta (Brother) DESCRIPTION In his native form, Samak is a blue-skinned humanoid with no body hair. His head is round on top, and his jaw extends to a long, narrow point. He has no nose, mouth, or teeth. He breathes through his skin. His skin is selectively permeable to fluids. When he drinks, the bottom half of his face, where a human's mouth would be, darkens in color and softens in texture, allowing him to absorb the water. He has digitigrade legs, which end in feet with two toes. His hands have two large fingers, and two thumbs on opposite sides of the hand (allowing him to grip objects more firmly than single-thumbed creatures). There is no way he would be mistaken for a human in any but the vaguest of silhouettes against the dimmest of light. Age: 300 (DoB: 1713)Apparent Age: N/A (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift) Gender: Born Male (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift) Ethnicity: Grue'tar Height: 6ft (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift) Weight: 180 lbs. (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift) Eyes: Orange (No Pupils) (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift) Hair: None (Varies with Morph/Shapeshift) POWER DESCRIPTIONS The Grue'tar are an innately psionic race. Samak's more powerful psionic abilities are only accessible when his brain is in its native configuration. Unless he chooses to suppress it, Samak's psionic powers create a slight glowing aura around his head and/or hands, and sometimes the target as well. The color of that aura varies, depending on the application of the powers. Telekinetic effects which move or manipulate physical objects will usually glow blue, while those which inflict physical harm usually glow red. Telepathic effects usually create a violet aura. The energy blade of his Star Sword follows the same color scheme. The Star Sword itself is a handle assembled from pieces forged from a nearly indestructible self-repairing alloy functionally identical to Impervium. It has been inscribed with psychic runes in the Grue'tar language, which further reinforce its structure. It contains a psycho-reactive crystal, functionally identical to the substance known on Earth as "Daka Crystal," which focuses and amplifies the wielder's magical or psionic energy into a blade which appears with a thought and glows as brightly as the Sun. Like any other Grue'tar, Samak's physical healing ability comes from his shapeshifting, which in turn is merely an alternate manifestation of his psionic abilties. He uses telekinesis, consciously or reflexively, to re-arrange his own molecules. When Samak uses his bio-telekinetic shapeshifting ability, his flesh ripples like water and molds itself like soft clay. The "clothes" he creates with his Morph ability are analogous to human hair and fingernails. They grow from his body, but they are mostly dead, and can be painlessly shed like a reptile's skin once their usefulness had ended. Even in his native form, his eyes tend to glow slightly, and both his eyes and skin tend to change color in reaction to his emotional state. If his shapeshifting requires him to gain or lose mass, then he expends psionic energy to fuel mitosis of his own cells, or he consumes his own cells to gain psionic energy. One half of the Grue'tar brain is "asleep" at any given point in time, allowing them to stay awake all the time. Most Grue'tar use the time that other creatures spend sleeping to join the shared psychic link with the rest of their race, or to reflect upon the experiences captured in their memory stones. The Grue'tar share their red-skinned brethren's ability to drain neural energy, but they abandoned this trait as a "food" source long ago, preferring to only use it as a weapon or interrogation device against other races. Instead, they used their shapeshifting abilities to become photosynthetic. They absorb ultraviolet rays from the stars in the sky. In turn, they developed the ability to see ultraviolet light, so that they could better keep track of their "food source," and so that they could function on a rogue planet with no "sunrise," only an enternal starry night. HISTORY Eons ago, the Grue of a single star system in the Empire managed to break free from the grasp of the Meta-Mind. These rogue Grue fled the Milky Way galaxy, eventually settling on a rogue planet in the (relatively) neighboring Andromeda. They christened this planet "Gruen'tass," The New World of The Free People, and re-christened themselves the "Grue'tar," or "Free People." They even changed the pigmentation of their own flesh and blood, to distinguish themselves from their former oppressor. (Other races who deal with them often refer to them as "Blue Grue," though never while the Grue'tar are present.) Out from under the Meta-Mind's control, the Grue'tar developed a new culture, emphasizing a balance between the collective good and the individual desires and sense of self. Every Grue'tar works toward the greater good of their people, but in their own chosen way, and not at the expense of their individuality. Instead, the people use their innate psionic powers to regularly create a temporary, voluntary communal psychic link with each other, renewing their connection to one another and drawing on each others strength. Outside of the link, every Grue'tar is encouraged to develop their own aptitudes, personality, and appearance. Unfortunately for their new neighbors, the Grue'tar grew just as expansionist and xenophobic as the Grue Empire they fled. Acting partially out of fear and greed, and partially out of a misguided, patronizing desire to "protect" the "lesser races" (both from outside threats and from their own inferior selves), the Grue'tar established an interstellar "Protectorate." In practice, the "mind-blind solids" are alternately exploited and ignored more than they are "protected" or "nurtured," and most of them were not given the choice of whether or not to "join" in the first place. Jol-Kroom Samak was a member of the Inquisition, the primary investigative body of the Protectorate government. He had a natural talent for investigation, both forensic and psychic, impeccable integrity, and an innate desire to help and protect those weaker and less fortunate than himself. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he would bring great honor and glory to his family and race. It came as an unprecedented shock when he proved everyone wrong by betraying that family, that race, and everything they stood for. Samak's brother, Jol-Kroom Serta, had secured a position at the right hand of Karloom, the Gruetar governor of the Sobann system. The natives of Sobann had formed a rebellion against Gruetar rule, but the Sobann system contained rich deposits of the psychically reactive minerals humans call "Daka crystals," which were vital to Grue'tar technology. That technology was far superior to anything to which the Sobann natives had access, but like any other race, their numbers were superior to those of the chronically infertile Grue'tar. Even with psychically-controlled robot legions bolstering the Grue'tar numbers, the Sobann rebels were slowly but surely winning the war. Samak was called in to find out why, selected both because of his familial connection and his exceptional competence. It was those very qualities which made it so surprising when Samak, bribed and seduced by one of the rebel leaders, betrayed and murdered both of his fellow Grue'tar, leading directly to the Grue'tar loss of control over the Sobann system. Conflict and violence between Grue'tar was a taboo, but as with any other race made up of individuals, it did happen. Treason against the Protectorate was another matter. And violence between family members, in a race where the most exceptionally fecund of mated pairs might have a handful of children in a millenium, was almost unthinkable. By killing his brother and dishonoring himself, Samak wiped out the entire next generation of the Jol-Kroom family in one moment. As if his actions were not already horrifying enough, Samak even used his psionic powers to rip Serta and Karloom's imprints free from their memory stones. Their accumulated memories could not even be uploaded to the psychic Grue'tar gestalt. No one would ever benefit from their experiences; it would almost be as if they had never existed. Despite his efforts to cover up his obscene crimes, Samak was caught, and returned to Gruen'tass for judgement. Since his actions were so unprecedentedly vile, a full investigation was conducted. But all mind probes, and all examinations of both his memory stone and what little physical evidence remained, confirmed Samak's confession. It was decided that death was not punishment enough for his actions. Instead, Samak was condemned to The Void (known to humans as "the Zero Zone"). He would drift forever, unable to die, and cut off from the nourishing union with the minds of his fellow Grue'tar. They even sent him with his memory stone and his star sword, so that he could not lose himself in madness, and to emphasize the hopelessness of his situation by showing him how useless his powers and weapons would be from that day forward. It was only after he had been cast into The Void, only after he accessed the true memory stone he had hidden inside his own body, that Samak remembered what truly happened. Samak did learn the truth behind the success of the Sobann rebellion, when Karloom's mercenaries captured Thorgav, one of the Sobann rebel leaders. To spare Thorgav from interrogation and torture, Serta set her free, killing Karloom in the process. It had been Serta who was been feeding information to the Sobann rebels and sabotaging the Grue'tar conquest. Serta had fallen in love with Thorgav, and through his repeated telepathic connections with her, he had been swayed to her cause. Samak shared his brother's capacity for compassion, even for mind-blind solids, and did not personally approve of the treatment of the Sobann at the hands of the Grue'tar. He was fiercely loyal to his brother. He never would have committed his brother's treason, but he resolved to take the blame for it, and build a new life for his brother outside the Protectorate. It was indeed Samak who had cleansed the memory stones, but he did not murder his brother. (He did slice off his brother's arm, so that the Inquisition would assume he had killed Serta, but it grew back.) He used his psionic powers to erase his brother's very memory of being a Grue'tar, instead convincing both him and Thorgav that he was a Sobann mutant, fabricating for him an entire new life entrenched in the Sobann rebellion. After backing up his memories of the truth in a secret memory stone, he even seized control of his brother's mental powers and used them like a tool to perform psychic surgery on himself, replacing his own memories of the true events with his fiction of treason and murder. (Had the other Grue'tar known of his feat, they would have been as impressed as they were horrified.) Samak did not ask permission from Serta or his lover before altering their memories and setting them loose upon their new lives. He simply made the decision, and acted upon it, in typical Grue'tar fashion. Samak spent a century floating through the physical and psychic isolation of the Zero Zone, and the experience almost broke him. The Terminus Invasion of Earth in 1993 weakened dimensional barriers all across the multiverse, and created a crack in the Zero Zone which Samak was able to slip through. When he was finally free, dumped into the Milky Way, he unleashed a psychic scream which echoed throughout that galaxy and its neighbors, including the Magellanic Clouds...and Andromeda. Not every magically or psionically active individual felt it, but many of them did. The Grue'tar seers were alerted to the fact that the Great Traitor had escaped his prison, and the Grue Meta-Mind was alerted to the return of one of its wayward children. For the next couple of decades, Samak wandered around the Milky Way, acting as a private detective, bounty hunter, and mercenary, who specialized in rooting out and destroying Grue agents. Knowing firsthand the paranoia the Grue inspire, he made sure to guard his true nature carefully (with memory wipes, if necessary), and to never stay in one place for long. He worked off and on for both the Lor Republic and the Stellar Khanate. His attention was recently drawn to Earth by the Grue Empire's repeated invasion attempts. The more he learned, or tried to learn, about the pale blue dot at the edge of the spiral, the more it intrigued him. It was listed as a “nature preserve†and “developing world,†hardly worthy of mention, yet almost all information about it was classified “Top Secret†by the Lor government. After studying what little information he could acquire (not all of it acquired "legitimately"), Samak decided to adopt the appearance and methods of a "superhero," so as to better blend in. On his own world, he had been known as an “Inquisitor,†but on Earth, he would adopt a more benign title for one who brings secrets to light and finds that which is lost or hidden: “Inspector.†PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION Samak is only starting to realize that he embodies one of the worst flaws of his species. His compassion and his thirst for justice are formidable, but they is tangled up with a subtly patronizing lack of respect for the ability of others to make their own decisions. His solution for his brother's situation may have ultimately been the best one, but he didn't bother to ask for his brother's input before altering the path of his entire life. Some people may come to trust him, but first he'll have to give them the chance to, instead of deciding for them that they're better off not remembering him at all. He was alone for so long that he has forgotten how to not be alone. His manner tends to be laconic and reserved; most of the time, he prefers to avoid notice. He is a scholar at heart, and an appeal to his inquisitive mind is probably the key to drawing him out. POWERS & TACTICS Samak is a surgeon, not a blunt instrument. He prefers to observe the unfolding situation from concealment, and then to strike suddenly at one critical moment or one key foe to turn the tide of the entire battle. He is pragmatic and flexible, altering his tactics (and his own body) to match his foe or the terrain, engaging them at range or in melee, with his sword or his mind, whichever approach will exploit his foe's weakness and maximize his own advantage. COMPLICATIONS Alien: Samak is an alien in every sense of the word. He is subject to all of the usual inherent Complications of being a stranger in a strange land. He has only a passing familiarity with the people of Earth or their customs. However, because of his Disability (Grue) drawback, he should not gain any Hero Points for being considered a "Grue" for the purposes of certain power effects. Enemies: Samak is a hated enemy of two entire races of people: The Grue Empire of the Milky Way, and the Grue'tar Protectorate of Andromeda, both of whom know that he has escaped from the Zero Zone into the Milky Way. Feedback: Samak already has this flaw on his Mind Reading powers, so he shouldn't get any Hero Points when it comes into play (either because the subject was hurt or because he accessed a particularly intense memory). But the potential exists for other powers, such as his Mind Control, Postcognition, and/or Precognition, to cause the same "Feedback." He could receive a Hero Point if, for example, a particularly intense or traumatic past or future event causes him physical Damage. Infamy: Grue are mind-altering, shape-shifting psychic vampires who have repeatedly tried to take over the world. They are walking paranoia fuel. Samak has no illusions about the reception he would receive from anyone familiar with his "cousins," no matter what color his skin happens to be. Mind Control: If the GM doesn't want a use of the Mind Control power to be an all-or-nothing proposition, they can give Samak a Hero Point and make the Mind Control work as a staged effect. Here is an example: STAGINGFail by 1+: Dazed (You can take no actions, but you suffer no defense penalties). Fail by 5+ (or Fail by 1+ twice): Compelled (You can take no actions, and your controller can force you to perform one standard or move action per round). Fail by 10+ (or Fail by 5+ twice): Controlled (You can take no actions, and your controller can force you to perform any actions, up to your usual allotment). Power Loss: Lead: Lead blocks Grue'tar mental powers, such as Mental Communication, ESP, Mind Control, and Mind Reading. The GM can give Samak a Hero Point when the subject he attempts to communicate with is on the other side of a lead barrier, or if he attempts to use his mental powers on a foe who is wearing a lead-lined mask or helmet. Star Sword: Obviously, since it receives the Device discount on the cost, Samak will not gain any Hero Points if his Star Sword is taken from him. It is Indestructible, so he should receive a Hero Point if it is damaged or destroyed. Since the strength of the blade (the ranks of the attack powers) varies from one wielder to another, a foe who steals it from him and uses it against him may give him a Hero Point by accessing a higher powe rank than Samak himself can. Alternately, a comrade could get a complication for not being able to access as many power ranks as Samak can. Zeroed: Samak has no legal identity, financial history, or even a consistent appearance. On paper, he doesn't exist anywhere. He does not enjoy the protections of any laws, and no one would miss him if he was abducted or murdered. ABILITIES: 0 + 0 + 4 + 10 + 10 + 0 = 24PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 22/14 (+6/+2) Intelligence: 20 (+5) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 10 (+0) COMBAT: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +9/+5 (+5 INT, +4 Enhanced Improved Initiative) Attack: +8/+4 Melee (+4 Base, +4 Enhanced Attack Focus), +4 Ranged, +10 Telekinesis Grapple: +8/+4, +14 Telekinesis Defense: +8/+4 (+4 Base, +4 Shield), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -6/-1 SAVING THROWS: 1 + 4 + 2 = 7PP Toughness: +6/+2 (+6/+2 Con [impervious 6/0]) Fortitude: +7/+3 (+6/+2 Con, +1PP) Reflex: +8/+4 (+0 Dex, +4PP, +4 Enhanced Reflex) Will: +7 (+5 Wis, +2PP) SKILLS: 56R = 14PP Concentrate 5 (+10)2nd Chance Disguise 0 (+0, up to +25 with Morph and/or Shapeshift) Investigate 10 (+15)Skill Mastery Knowledge (Galactic) 5 (+10, +15 Gruetar [Native]) Languages 6 (English, Galstandard, Grue, Gruetar [Native], Lor, Mandarin, Zultan) Notice 10 (+15)Skill Mastery Search 10 (+15)Skill Mastery Sense Motive 10 (+15)Skill Mastery FEATS: 16PP Attack Specialization (Star Sword) (+2 Attack) Attack Specialization (Telekinesis) 3 (+6 Attack) Benefit (Native [Gruetar]) Favored Enemy 2 (Psions, Shapeshifters) Jack of All Trades Move-By Action Precise Telekinesis Second Chance (Concentrate) Skill Mastery (Investigate, Notice, Search, Sense Motive) Speed of Thought Takedown Attack 2 Ultimate Save (Will) Enhanced Feats Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Elusive Target Evasion Improved Initiative Quick Draw POWERS: 17 + 8 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 18 + 29 + 1 + 10 + 6 + 8 + 1 = 112PP Device 5 (25PP Container [Passive, Permanent], Flaws: Easy-To-Lose, Feats: Indestructible, Restricted [Mages, Psions], Descriptors: Star Sword) [17PP] Environment Control 1 (5ft radius, Light [Daylight], Extras: Action 2 [Free], Flaws: Range [Touch], Descriptors: Glowing Blade, Psionic Energy) [3PP] Psionic Energy Blade 10 (20PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 2) [22PP] Base Power: [13 + 7 = 20PP]Strike 6 (Extras: Linked [Trip], Feats: Critical Strike, Improved Critical, Knockback 6 [DMG 12], Drawbacks: Inaccurate [-2 Attack], Descriptors: Blue Blade, Telekinetic Energy) [13PP] Trip 6 (Extras: Knockback, Linked , Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Improved Throw) [7PP] Alternate Power: [14 + 6 = 20PP] Drain Toughness 6 (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked , Feats: Critical Strike, Improved Critical, Slow Fade [1 minute], Drawbacks: Inaccurate [-2 Attack], Descriptors: Red Blade, Telekinetic Energy) [14PP] Strike 6 (Extras: Linked [Drain], Feats: Incurable, Drawbacks: Lethal) [6PP] Alternate Power: [8 + 12 = 20PP] Drain Will 6 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked , Feats: Critical Strike, Improved Critical, Slow Fade [1 minute], Drawbacks: Inaccurate [-2 Attack], Descriptors: Telepathic Energy, Violet Blade) [8PP] Strike 6 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Linked [Drain]) [12PP] Enhanced Constitution 8 (Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Regeneration, Shapeshifting) [8PP] Features 1 (Memory Stone, Descriptors: Daka Crystal, Device) [1PP] A magically or psionically active character can make a DC15 Concentrate check to store their memories inside this crystal, or to experience the memories already stored within. At the GM's discretion, the character may be able to gain one or more benefits of the Eidetic Memory feat. At the GM's discretion, a character with the right descriptor can also make a DC20 power check to erase the stored memories.Features 2 (Internal Compartment, Two-Thumbed Hands [+5 circumstance bonus to resist Disarm attempts], Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Shapeshifting) [2PP] Immunity 6 (Interaction Skills, Starvation/Thirst, Flaws: Limited [1/2 Effect, Starvation but not Thirst], Descriptors: Alien Physiology [starvation], Mental, Psionic, Psychic, Telepathy [interaction]) [3PP] Immunity 2 (Aging, Sleep, Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Regeneration, Shapeshifting) [2PP] Impervious Toughness 6 (Drawbacks: Power Loss 3 [Acid, Corrosion/Disintegrate, or Fire Damage], Descriptors: Alien Physiology, Bio-Telekinesis, Regeneration, Shapeshifting) [3PP] Probability Control 1 (Flaws: Limited 2 [Telekinesis Attack checks], Feats: Innate, Descriptors: Telekinetic Supremacy, Training) [3PP] Psionic Combat 8 (16PP Array, Feats: Subtle, Variable Descriptor [Dodge, Illusion, Parry, Precognition, Telekinesis, and/or Telepathy]) [18PP] Base Power:Enhanced Feats 8 (Attack Focus [Melee] 4, Elusive Target, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Extras: Linked [Enhanced Reflex, Shield]) [8PP] Enhanced Reflex 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Feats, Shield]) [4PP] Shield 4 (Extras: Linked [Enhanced Feats, Enhanced Reflex]) [4PP] Psionics 10 (20PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 9) [29PP] Base Power: [18 + 2 = 20PP]Drain 6 (All Abilities At Once, Extras: Linked [Healing], Flaws: Limited [Mental Abilities], Feats: Insidious, Precise, Reversible, Slow Fade [1 minute], Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Neural Energy Siphon, Psychic, Telepathic) [18PP] Healing 1 (Extras: Action [standard], Linked [Drain], Total, Flaws: Personal, Source [Drain]) [2PP] Alternate Power: Blast 4 (Feats: Improved Range 3 [1 400ft Range Increment], Indirect 3, Knockback 4 [DMG 8], Subtle, Variable Descriptor [Telekinetic Energy or Thrown Object], Descriptors: Telekinesis) [20PP] Alternate Power: Concealment 10 (All Senses, Flaws: Saving Throw [Will], Feats: Progression [Counter Rank / Save DC] 2 [Rank 12 / DC22], Descriptors: Mental, Mind Control ["Do Not See Me, Do Not Remember Me"], Psychic, Telepathy) [12PP] Alternate Power: Mind Control 6 (Extras: Conscious, Penetrating [4, Rank 10], Sensory Link, Flaws: Range 2 [Touch], Feats: Extended Reach [10ft], Mental Link, Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [20PP] Alternate Power: Morph 4 (Any Form, +20 Disguise, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Feats: Additional Sense Types 2 [Olfactory, Radio], Quick Change 2, Descriptors: Bio-Telekinesis, Shapeshifting) [20PP] Alternate Power: Move Object 4 (Lifting STR 20 [Heavy Load: 400 lbs.], Extras: Damaging, Feats: Improved Range 3 [1 400ft Range Increment], Improvised Tools, Indirect 3, Subtle, Descriptors: Telekinesis) [20PP] Alternate Power: Stun 6 (Extras: Penetrating [4, Rank 10], Sleep, Feats: Extended Reach [10ft], Reversible, Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mind Control ["Sleep"], Psychic, Telepathy) [20PP] Alternate Power: Transform 16 (Memory Alteration, Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Duration [Continuous / Lasting], Flaws: Action [Full], Range [Touch], Feats: Extended Reach [10ft], Precise, Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Mind Control, Psychic, Telepathy) [20PP] Alternate Power: [5 + 2 + 6 + 6 + 1 = 20PP] Communication 1 (Mental, Extras: Linked [Comprehend], Feats: Rapid 5 [x100,000], Subtle, Drawbacks: Not Two-Way, Range [Touch], Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [5PP] Comprehend 1 (Languages 1 [speak Any], Extras: Linked [Communication]) [2PP] Mind Reading 16 (Extras: Action [standard/Move], Linked [super-Senses], Flaws: Duration [instant / Lasting], Feedback, Range 2 [Touch], Feats: Subtle 2, Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [6PP] Super-Senses 6 (Detect Minds [Mental, Very Common Descriptor], Extras: Acute, Analytical, Linked [Mind Reading], Radius) [6PP] Super-Senses 1 (Analytical Detect Thoughts, Extras: Linked [Mind Reading]) [1PP] Alternate Power: [9 + 2 + 6 + 2 = 19PP] Communication 12 (Mental, 20,000,000 miles, Extras: Linked [Comprehend, Mind Reading, Super-Senses], Flaws: Limited [Not Two-Way], Feats: Insidious, Rapid [x10], Subtle, Descriptors: Mental, Psychic, Telepathy) [9PP] Comprehend 1 (Languages 1 [speak Any], Extras: Linked [Communication, Mind Reading, Super-Senses]) [2PP] Mind Reading 12 (Extras: Action 2 [Free], Mental, Linked [Communication, Comprehend, Super-Senses], Sensory Link, Flaws: Communication-Dependent, Duration [instant / Lasting], Feedback, Limited [surface Thoughts]) [6PP] Super-Senses 2 (Accurate Detect Thoughts, Extras: Linked [Communication, Comprehend, Mind Reading]) [2PP] Regeneration 3 (Recovery Rate 3: Bruised 3 [1/round, no rest], Feats: Regrowth, Drawbacks: Power Loss 3 [Acid, Corrosion/Disintegration, and Fire Damage is all considered Incurable], Descriptors: Bio-Telekinesis, Shapeshifting) [1PP] Shapeshift 1 (+5 Disguise, 5PP Variable Pool, Any Trait, Multiple Traits At Once, Extras: Action 2 [Free], Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Limited [Physical Traits], Descriptors: Bio-Telekinesis) [10PP] SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS: Super-Senses 6 (Detect Thoughts [Mental, Very Common Descriptor], Extras: Acute, Radius, Ranged, Descriptors: Mental, Psionic, Psychic, Telepathy) [6PP] Super-Senses 8 (Danger Sense [Mental], Postcognition [Flaws: Uncontrolled], Precognition [Flaws: Uncontrolled], Psionic Awareness [Mental, Common Descriptor], Uncanny Dodge [Mental], Descriptors: Mental, Psionic, Psychic, Telepathy) [8PP] Super-Senses 1 (Ultravision, Descriptors: Alien Physiology) [1PP] DRAWBACKS: (-1) + (-2) + (-1) + (-1) + (-1) + (-2) + (-1) = -9PP Disability (Counts as a Grue, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor) [-1PP] Disability (Fear: If the character is targeted by a Grue Mental effect, a Mind Control effect, or a Mental Transform effect, then in addition to saving against that effect, the character must save against an Emotion Control [Fear] effect of the same power rank, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Moderate) [-2PP] Vulnerability (Acid Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Vulnerability (Alteration Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Vulnerability (Corrosion/Disintegration Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Vulnerability (Fire Effects, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-2PP] Vulnerability (Grue Mental Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Totals: Abilities (24) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (7) + Skills (14) + Feats (16) + Powers (112) - Drawbacks (9) = 180/181 Power Points DC BLOCK: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT UNARMED TOUCH DC15 TOUGHNESS (STAGED) DAMAGE (PHYSICAL) BLUE BLADE TOUCH DC21 TOUGHNESS (STAGED) DAMAGE (ENERGY) STR/DEX CHECK VS +6 PRONE, KNOCKBACK RED BLADE TOUCH DC21 FORTITUDE (STAGED) DRAIN TOUGHNESS DC21 TOUGHNESS (STAGED) DAMAGE (ENERGY, LETHAL) VIOLET BLADE TOUCH DC21 WILL (STAGED) DRAIN WILL DC21 WILL (STAGED) DAMAGE (ENERGY) BLAST RANGED DC19 TOUGHNESS (STAGED) DAMAGE (ENERGY OR PHYSICAL) DRAIN TOUCH DC16 WILL (STAGED) DRAIN ALL MENTAL ABILITIES MOVE OBJECT RANGED DC19 TOUGHNESS (STAGED) DAMAGE (ENERGY) MOVE OBJECT RANGED GRAPPLE CHECK VS +14 PINNED/BOUND CONCEALMENT PERSONAL DC22 WILL TOTAL CONCEALMENT, ALL SENSES MIND CONTROL TOUCH 10FT WILL vs +6 (STAGED) CONTROLLED MIND READING TOUCH WILL vs +16 MIND READING MIND READING PERCEPTION WILL VS +12 MIND READING (SURFACE THOUGHTS) MIND READING EXTENDED WILL VS +12 MIND READING (SURFACE THOUGHTS) STUN TOUCH 10FT DC16 WILL (STAGED) DAZED/STUNNED/ASLEEP TRANSFORM TOUCH 10FT DC26 WILL TRANSFORMED (MEMORY)
  8. Miss Grue Power Level: 10/15 (214/250 PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 36 In Brief: A teenage rogue Grue who is enjoying everything that Earth has to offer. Alternate Identity: Daphne Celeste Identity: Secret Birthplace: Deep Space Occupation: Student at Burroughs Community College Affiliations: None Family: Meta-Mind (Gene father, distant), Mother Unit Description: Age: 16 (DoB: 1999) Gender: None, has chosen female form Ethnicity: Grue, appears Latina Height: 5'5 as Daphne Weight: 120 lbs as Daphne Eyes: White normally, Brown as Daphne Hair: Black In her naturall form, Daphne appears mostly like a typical member of her species through her years travelling through space and her unusual "upbringing" have made a few changes. Even in her Grue forms, she appears as a though a teenage girl, her Mother Unit always wanted a daughter, and she keeps her long black hair. Whilst she can assume the "natural" Grue form it's not what she considers normal and if her powers are ever neutralized she defaults to her teenage Grue form. In her normal disguise of Daphne, she has constructed the identity of what she considers the typical American teenager. Unfortunately, as all she has known is from teen drama; she looks like she has stepped from hours of make-up and wardrobe. She still hasn't quite worked out why her "average" looks seem to draw her so much attention. Daphne costume is the jumpsuit that was store in the ship as the normal uniform of Grue troopers, designed to shift and alter with the Grue own shapechanging ability. With a little help from Mother Unit she has altered the jumpsuit to better suit her needs. It now appears as a mostly white Jumpsuit with black around the arms and legs with a three-pronged star on the chest. In her natural form, Mother Unit is a large oval spheroid around the size of a small car with a silver yet un-reflective skin. The interior consists of just a crash couch and a bank of monitors whilst the inner working, anti-grav warp drive etc, a located in a small pocket dimension. Mother Unit herself is a cube of mat black material around 12 ft (4 m) in size. The ship has currently been carefully hidden away for the time when she is needed, though Daphne visits it daily just to say hi. Power Descriptions: As her genetic material is that of a Grue she has been engineered with all the normal abilities of telepathy and shapeshifting. However as her experience in her shapeshifting is limited she cannot do the full range of abilities, instead she has learned a number of trick’s that she can do with her body. Her exposure to cosmic ray'shave somehow allowed her to make her body porous to all wavelengths of light. This allows her to either blend into the background or even become insubstantial. History: The history of Daphne starts, like many Grue, with one of their many attempts of conquests of the Orion-Cygnus Arm of the Milky Way. The Grue ship carrying a number of birthing pods was attacked and destroyed in Deep Space scattering it's cargo to the four (solar) winds. Mother Unit wasn't activated at the time so neither knew who their assailants were, though this area of space is under the protection of the Lor. Daphne was designated as an infiltration unit and her birthing pod primary mission was to gather information on the target to allow the Grue inside to better infiltrate the targeted civilization, as well as educate them on the basic’s of Grue culture. Damaged in the assault the birthing pod still managed to lock onto a Grue signal and began to make its way towards the signal at its best speed. As it travelled it attempted to repair it primary databanks using the information provided in the signal. However, in this state it mistook the local broadcast’s for part of the Grue data transmission so began to incorporate them into the educational database. So Daphne was raised on the transmission beamed into space from Earth thinking for all the worlds that this was the culture that she had to integrate with and learn it's way as well as learn an important lesson about how best to live her life. Being so far from any other Grue Daphne was never linked to the Grue collective and developed independently from the baleful influence of the Meta-Mind. Also, Mother Unit shielding was damaged and Daphne was exposed to extra Cosmic radiation which altered her body structure allowing her to alter its density and solidness. Somehow the Pod, who for the last sixteen year insisted Daphne called it Mother Unit, managed to land outside Freedom City without detection. With Mother Unit's highly advanced computer skill they carefully constructed identity sure to fit into normal society. The Grue teen, possibly the first of her kind, enrolled in the Burrough’s Community College to better learn about this wonderful planet that was now her home. She is planning to surprise her "Uncle" Pseudo with a visit but she wants to surprise him and prove that she could get herself settled into her new life all by herself. And there was no doubt that she would use her natural abilities to help defend the people of her home, that was naturally what people did when they were gifted with such things. It helped that she enjoyed helping people so much, it didn’t seem so much as a challenge as the educational database made it out to be. Personality & Motivation: Daphne strides through the world with a wide-eyed wonder at all the amazing things that she sees. She knows that there are injustice and inequality in the world but she believes that if everyone could just sit down and talk thing out people could sort all this out. Even in the darkest of time, she keeps her optimism that things will work out for the best and will never give up when the situation gets dire. Powers & Tactics: In her enthusiasm, Daphne tends to go off half-cocked spending no time assessing the situation instead rushing into danger to try and help people as quickly as she can. She will attempt to use her limited form of shifting abilities to best cope with the situation in hand. Complications: Grue are you? Daphne knowledge of her own species is based on a very damaged copy of the original database contained in Mother Unit. As such, she knows almost nothing, apart from the media’s portrayal of them, about her own species. Grue the looking glass Almost all of Daphne's knowledge about Earth come from humanities broadcasts into space. As such her knowledge is slightly skewed and she expects life to behave just how she had experience thing from watching television and movies. Hide and Grue Daphne know that as a Superhero it is her duty to preserve her secret identity to protect her loved one. Not that her strange habit’s make this easy sometimes. Grue the best Daphne is a natural optimist and naive and tend to naturally assume that people are telling her the truth. Even when all evidence should be telling her the exact opposite. Congrueity: Shapeshifters and Grue especially are feared and hated by a majority of citizens of Freedom City. Daphne feels that this is just a massive misunderstanding and everything would be fine if only she could explain things to them. Mothering Grue: During her time in space the Birthing Unit, now calling herself Mother Unit, has gained some unusual habit's based on the broadcasts she has monitored. She considers herself Daphne's literal mother and occasional will intervene of she consider that her daughter has been placed in to much danger. The GM can take control of Mother Unit to try and influence Daphne's actions or even attempt to stop her acting. Abilities: 4 + 0 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 6 = 18PP Strength: 14/301,2 (+2/+10) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 14/22 (+2/+6) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 16 (+3) 1 - Growth, 2 - Increased Density Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP Initiative: +4 Attack: Normal +6 base +11 unarmed Growth +4 base +9 unarmed Dense +5 base +11 unarmed Shrunk +7 base +13 unarmed Grapple: Normal +8, Elongated +20 , Grown +22, Dense +18, Shrunk +0 Defense: Normal/Dense +10 (+6 base +4 Dodge Focus) +3 Flat-Footed Grown +8 (+6 Base +4 Dodge Focus -2 Size) +2 Flat-Footed Shrunk +12 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus, +2 Size) +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: Normal -3 Growth -13 Dense -9 Shrunk -1 Saving Throws: 6 + 7 + 8 = 21PP Toughness: +6/+10 (+2 Con, + 4 Protection, +4 Growth/Density [impervious 4]) Fortitude: +8/+12 (+2/+6 Con, +6) Reflex: +7 (+0 Dex, +7) Will: +9 (+1 Wis, +8) Skills: 108R = 27PP Bluff 12 (+15) Concentration 19 (+20) Diplomacy 12 (+15) Gather Information 12 (+15) Knowledge (Popular Culture) 14 (+15) Language 3 (Grue [Native], English, Spanish, Galactic) Notice 14 (+15) Search 9 (+10) Sense Motive 13 (+14) Feats: 27PP Attack Focus (melee) Attack Specialization 2 (Unarmed Attack) Dodge Focus 4 Equipment (Birthing Unit) 11 Fearless Improved Initiative Minion (Mother Unit) 6 Second Chance (Concentrate) Powers: 7 + 4 + 4 + 30 + 11 + 14 + 5 + 9 + 8 + 5 = 97PP Communication 7 (Telepathy, 200 miles) [7PP] Comprehend 2 (Languages Speak and Understand) [4 PP] Concealment 4 (all visual senses Flaw: Blending) [4PP] Grue Nature 12 (24 PP, Feats: Alternative Power 6) [30PP] Base Power: Insubstantial 4 (Incorporeal) [20PP] + Flight 2 (speed 25mph, 220 ft/rnd) [4PP] [24PP] Alternate Power: Additional Limbs 3 (up to 5 limbs, Grapple +3; Feats: Improved Grapple) [4PP] + Elongation 9 (2,500 ft reach, 90 ft range inc., Grapple & Escape Artist +9; Extras: Duration [Continuous]) [18PP] [22PP] Alternate Power: Density 8 (+16 Str, +4 Tou, Weight x5 (600 lbs), Immovable 2, Super-Strength 2 [3 tns]) [24PP] Alternate Power: Growth 8 (+16 Str, +8 Con, +2 Size (15 ft)) [24PP] Alternate Power: Morph 8 (Any form, +40 Disguise) [24PP] Alternate Power: Super-Senses 23 (Feats: Accurate (Hearing, Smell), Acute (Smell), Analytical (Smell),Darkvision, Direction Sense, Extended 3 (2 miles increments Vision, Hearing, Smell), Infravisoin, Low-Light Vision, Sonar) [24PP] Alternate Power: Shrinking 11 (-2 Size [2 ft, 8 lbs], Grapple -8, Stealth +8, Intimidate -4 Extra: Normal Strength Feats: Normal Movement, Normal Toughness) [24PP] Immunity 11 (Life Support, Sleep, Starvation & Thirst) [11PP] Mind Reading 12 (Feat: Subtle 2) [14PP] Protection 5 [5PP] Power of the Mind 4 (8PP, Feats: Alternative Power 1) [9PP] Base Power: Telekinesis 4 (Range 40 ft, Effective Strength 20 (800lbs)) [9PP] Alternative Power: Flight 4 (speed 100mph, 880 ft/rnd) [9PP] Super-Sense 6 (Detect MInds [Mental], Accurate, Acute, Radius, Ranged) [8PP] Super-Sense 3 (Detect Emotions [Mental], Acute, Radius, Ranged) [5PP] DC Block ATTACK ATT RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed (basic) +11 Touch DC 17 Toughness (Staged) Damage Physical Unarmed (density) +11 Touch DC 25 Toughness (Staged) Damage Physical Unarmed (growth) +9 Touch DC 25 Toughness (Staged) Damage Physical Unarmed (shrinking) +13 Touch DC 17 Toughness (Staged) Damage Physical Mind Reading auto Perception DC 22 Willpower Mind Probed Totals: Abilities (18) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (21) + Skills (27) + Feats (27) + Powers (97) - Drawbacks (0) = 214/250 Power Points
  9. With the heroes and two-thirds of the ship's complement beamed down into the heart of the Curator's central control room, it was just Jill and Vrix-117, and of course Quickstep as well. Vrix wasn't as talkative as Samran or Shepard, and admitted that as she showed Jill how to read the panels that showed everyone's life readings inside the Curator's construct. "Commander's tactical, Shepard's science, but I'm more engineering. I mostly keep the ship running while they're on missions." Vrix had removed her helmet too, revealing bronze skin and hair as red as a lollipop. "I...oh!" she pointed as one of the wall panels lit up to reveal a flash of light from the distant perimeter of the ringworld, a silvery saucer ship flying through the gap. "I don't know that design, but they're not local. Hang on." She tapped a button on the panel in front of her, then shook her head. "Damn. I can't reach the commander, but I got a tachyon squirt out to the fleet. They'll be sending reinforcements. Friends of yours?" she asked, cocking her head Jill's way. Dorothy peered at the screen and said, "Looks just like a flying saucer from the movies!" - The saucer erupted into the Curator's system as it dropped from FTL, spilling a wash of tachyons and neutrinos along with a spray of visible light. They were between the ringworld's star and its structure, and for a moment the sheer size of the magnificent construction, known to be one of the largest structures in the Milky Way, filled the scanners of the ship. Thanks to the Curator's famous paranoia, it had been a long, long time indeed since anyone had ever gotten this close. 'Beneath' them was an ocean big enough to swallow multiple Earths, a storm playing across it that could have covered the entire planet, with distant shores visible even to the naked eye beyond before the ring curved away into invisibility. Trillions of people were down there, living their lives, perhaps never knowing about the Curator. Above them, close to the star, hung a black sphere the size of the Earth's moon, part of the circle of rotating black squares the size of planets themselves that made day and night for the people below. It was the central control unit of the entire structure, the geniuses aboard could tell at a glance. And inside that sphere, somewhere, was Steve. And attached to the side, visible as they got closer and closer, was a white pod the computer recognized as a Lor military vessel.
  10. The Freedom City Medical Center was seen as a safe haven to many before the announcement earlier today. Its staff was measured in the thousands and had state of the art medical equipment; there was no where in the world where you could get better attention. As violence swept the streets, the hospital was soon filled to the point of breaking. Now if Atlas's threat comes to pass, the hospital could very well turn into a feeding ground with a death toll measured in the thousands.
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