Lionheart (PL10) - Lord Bayushi

[Lord Bayushi]

Player Name: Lord Bayushi[floatr] Lionheart

Power Level: 10; 150/151PP

Trade-Offs: +2 Attack / -2 Damage

Unspent PP: 1

Progress To Bronze Status: 1/30

In Brief: World War II super-soldier with a slowed aging rate, now showing his years after nearly 50 years defending the streets of London.

Alternate Identities: Sir Thomas Hardgrave

Identity: Public

Birthplace: London, England

Occupation: Retired Soldier, Crime Fighter

Affiliations: None

Family: Alice Farnsworth (Daughter), Micheal Farnsworth (Son-in-Law), Juliette Farnsworth (Grand-Daughter)

Age: 92 (DoB: November, 1918)

Apparent Age: Mid Forties

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 198 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: White

Description:

In his normal life, Thomas Hardgrave appears as a well built man in his middle years and excellent physical shape. He has striking eyes and silver hair, and wears a full beard of white. He dresses in dark, conservative clothing with some moderate signs of wealth.

While in his hero persona, Lionheart wears a black, armored body suit with a golden emblem of three lions across his chest. He wears a harness that includes grenades and other gear and weapons, and a red cape with a lion's mane mantle. He is bare faced, as his identity is well known.

Power Descriptions:

The experiments that he endured in World War II modified his metabolic rate, giving him heightened physical abilities, a slowed aging rate, a quickened rate of physical recovery, and an increased healing factor. Due to his age, his physical attributes are closer to human norms, but they still put him ahead of most people in excellent physical shape.

History:

Thomas Hardgrave was born in the last days of the Great War. His father, an enlisted man who fought in the war, survived to be a proud father, and was certain that his sacrifices would leave his son a peaceful world to grow up in. He never foresaw what would happen a scant two decades later, a war that would leave the 'Great War' in it's shadow. He had raised his son with the values of a patriot, and, like his father before him, he enlisted to defend his homeland from the Germans.

Thomas was an athlete through school, but he never had aptitudes for the finer subjects of study. In the army, he found his niche quickly, and found that he had a military mind. The horrors of war were shocking to him, but he was able to push through the hardships and the pain in order to meet his objectives. He gained rank quickly, climbing to the rank of an NCO in months and managing to avoid heavy losses in the field. His luck wouldn't last, however. Early in the second year of the war, Thomas' position was struck with concentrated artillery fire, leaving him badly wounded.

The prognosis for his wounds were dire, but there was a slim hope, a new treatment developed for the worst cases of battlefield trauma. There were risks, but even the best case scenario under normal treatment would leave him half a man for the rest of his life. He accepted the treatment, along with nearly fifty other candidates, and project Lion was underway. The truth was that the treatment, while actually offering a chance to rebuild seriously injured soldiers, would also reshape them into prime physical specimens, if they survived. Most didn't. Of the original fifty, only eleven survived the process.

Like the other survivors, Thomas was removed from standard chain of command, and given specialized training, equivalent of the elite members of the SAS and MI-6. The crash program was intense, but the candidates were all able to complete it within four months, and returned to the field in 1939 as a special operatives squad in the European theater. Few of the original Lion squad survived the war, only four of them returning home, but they made important, if classified, contributions to the war effort. Those survivors were secretly decorated by Churchill, and provided with government stipends to live on for the rest of their lives. Three of them chose to retire, but Thomas had lost his family during the Blitz, and chose to remain in government service for another fifteen years.

During his years as a government operative, he used the codename Lionheart and was folded back into the military command structure in SAS. He defended democracy against the red menace in some of the worst places in the world. To a point, he became jaded in that time, deciding that fighting for the flag was less heroic than he had been raised to believe. As he saw the escalations in Vietnam late in the 1950's, he decided he had done enough. He applied for his retirement, which had been gaining interest for the last fifteen years, and found that he had the money to live well for his remaining years.

The experimental treatments had effected his aging, slowing the process. Though he was in his early 40's, he had the appearance and vigor of man in his prime. He married soon there after, but lost his wife within a year due to a car accident. He was heartbroken by the loss, and took to wondering the streets in the night, as he only required half the rest of a normal man. It was there that he truly found his calling, as London was a violent city with violent streets. He broke up a mugging first, then a more serious crime. Eventually, he followed the example of some of the more eccentiric members of American and European society, dawning a mask and cape to fight the crime of his city.

Over time, his some time hobby became an obsession. He had nothing else to cling to in his life, so he embraced crime-fighting with the same determination that had kept him alive through his years in service to Her Majesty's Government. He put much of his money into his equipment, and his time into developing strategies and tactics to fight the criminal element in London. For two decades, he was the masked defender of London. He found another wife and had a daughter in his private life, and found an apprentice to take up his mantle in a young man named Peter Blackthorne, who had an interesting family background that left him with sorcerous powers. Late in the 1980's he was unmasked by his foes, his identity became publicly known and his family at risk, but his wife, Evelyn, refused to let him hide from the danger. She claimed London needed him, and convinced him to embrace his city again, unmasked.

His efforts were not unnoticed, and the government took actions to keep his family safe from his foes. He was even knighted in 1992, and publicly thanked by the city several times. His efforts were thought to be directly responsible for several yearly drops in crime, and he was publicly saluted when he announced his retirement in 2006 to spend time with his family. Several pundits projected that crime would soar following the announcement, but Blackthorne was well trained, and able to take up the job with little fuss, only calling Lionheart back out of retirement twice in the two years that followed.

Evelyn died of heart condition in 2009, and his daughter had married an American and moved to Freedom City earlier that year. With his glory days behind him, and little left to tie him to London, Thomas followed his daughter to the colonies, buying a home in Freedom City close enough to enjoy his grand-daughter while far enough away to give his daughter and her family a sense of independence. He thought he would live the rest of his life quietly, but found that wouldn't be the case. His three year old grand-daughter was endangered when a car chase, involving villains and super-crime, nearly commonplace in Freedom, side-swipped her father's car while she was inside. The event incensed the retired hero, who had his equipment shipped to America to take up the fight to give his family a safe city to live in.

In the last months, Lionheart has appeared in Freedom City as a champion of justice. He has adapted his tactics to deal with the weapons common in America, but still has a distaste for firearms himself. While his remergence created a quiet outcry from London to return home, most American's still don't know much about the Lion of London. Though some of them have heard of Lionheart, most don't equate the Lionheart of London with the man in Freedom City, partially because Lionheart's London career began over fifty years earlier.

Personality & Motivation:

Thomas Hardgrave is a man of many years, and his personality reflects it. He is patient and careful, slow to anger, and measured in his actions. He has old-fashioned values and tastes, and has little talent with modern technology. He isn't complete anachronism, taking to heart simple conveniences, but is intimidated by computers and high-tech gadgets. His equipment tends to be simple and strait-forward, but he uses it with decades of experience and proven tactics.

Lionheart's motivations are simple, he desires to make the city safer for his family. He considers crime-fighting his profession, and approaches it with a professional air and pride. In truth, he somewhat resents that he cannot bring himself to simply put down the cape and live a normal life, but he understands that he could never be satisfied with so passive a life.

Powers & Tactics:

Lionheart is a martial artist with seventy years of training and experience. His martial talents, combined with his physical enhancements, make him a powerful melee combatant. He uses a brace of thrown weapons and grenades to augment his personal skills, and has decades of experience in their use.

As for tactics, Hannibal Smith wishes he had it so good. Lionheart gathers as much information as is practical before planning an action, then quickly comes up with a plan that maximizes his talents and resources, and executes it flawlessly. With more than fifty years of crime-fighting experience, there is almost nothing he hasn't seen and overcome before, and he acts with the confidence that fact construes. Given time to plan, Lionheart is nearly unstoppable. On the fly, he adapts where he can, but usually seeks to withdraw until he can attack the problem with a solid plan.

---

Complications:

Honor Lionheart has a personal code that prevents him from endangering civilians and using firearms. If stuck in a situation where hostages are involved, he won't act until he is certain that he has a plan that will save the hostages' lives.

Fame While not yet famous in the states, his fame overseas could follow him here and create complications.

Obsession Lionheart is obsessed with crime-fighting, and continues to find excuses to keep on being a costumed hero despite the desires of those closest to him that he retire.

Public Identity Lionheart has no secret identity, and the complications of his costumed life can bleed over into his personal life.

Responsibility Lionheart feels responsible for the well-being of his daughter and her family, and goes to great lengths to ensure they are safe and looked after.

Abilities: 6 + 4 + 6 + 2 + 6 + 2 = 26PP

Strength: 18/16 (+4/+3)

Dexterity: 16/14 (+3/+2)

Constitution: 18/16 (+4/+3)

Intelligence: 12 (+1)

Wisdom: 16 (+3)

Charisma: 12 (+1)

Combat: 20 + 8 = 28PP

Initiative: +3

Attack: +10 (+12 Unarmed, or +11 Bladed Disks)

Grapple: +16

Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -5

Saving Throws: 4 + 1 + 5 = 10PP

Toughness: +10 (+4 Con, +2 Defensive Roll, +4 Armor)

Fortitude: +8 (+4 Con, +4)

Reflex: +4 (+3 Dex, +1)

Will: +8 (+3 Wis, +5)

Skills: 96R = 24PP

Acrobatics 1 (+4)

Bluff 15 (+16, Skill Mastery)

Climb 4 (+8, Skill Mastery)

Diplomacy 3 (+4)

Drive 1 (+4)

Gather Information 7 (+8)

Intimidate 7 (+8)

Investigate 3 (+4)

Knowledge: History 2 (+3)

Knowledge: Streetwise 2 (+3)

Knowledge: Tactics 14 (+15)

Language 2 (English [Native], French, German)

Medicine 1 (+2)

Notice 7 (+10)

Search 4 (+5)

Sense Motive 14 (+17, Skill Mastery)

Stealth 7 (+10, Skill Mastery)

Survival 1 (+4)

Swim 1 (+5)

Feats: 31PP

Accurate Attack

Assessment

Attack Specialization (Unarmed)

Benefit (Wealth 2)

Blind Fight

Defensive Roll

Dodge Focus 6

Equipment 7

Fast Task (Feint)

Improved Critical (Unarmed)

Luck 2

Master Plan 2

Power Attack

Quick Draw

Sneak Attack

Skill Mastery (Bluff, Climb, Sense Motive, Stealth)

Uncanny Dodge (Hearing)

Armored Costume (Protection 4) [4EP]

Grapple Gun (Super Movement 1 [swinging]) [2EP]

Binoculars [1EP]

Night Vision Goggles [1EP]

Gas Mask [1EP]

Commlink [1 EP]

Rebreather [1 EP]

Array (Tactical Arsenal) [24 EP]

• Base Power: Dazzle 4 (Visual, Extras: Area [40 ft Cloud]) LINKED to Nauseate (Extras: Area [40 ft Cloud]) (Tear Gas Grenades) [18EP]
  Alternate Power: Blast 5 (Extras: Area [50 ft Explosion]) (Fragmentation Grenades) [15EP]
  Alternate Power: Fatigue 4 (Extras: Area [40 ft Explosion]) (Sleep Gas Grenades) [12EP]
  Alternate Power: Blast 2 (Extras: Mighty [+8], Autofire, Power Feats: Masterwork, Improved Critical) (Bladed Disks) [17EP]
  Alternate Power: Stun 5 (Power Feats: Extended Reach 2) (Taser) [12EP]
  Alternate Power: Snare 4 (Bolos) [8EP]
  Alternate Power: Obscure 2 (Visual Senses, 10ft Diameter Cloud) [4EP]

Powers: 2 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 15 = 33PP

Enhanced Strength 2 (Metabolically Altered Physical Strength) [2PP]

Enhanced Dexterity 2 (Metabolically Altered Physical Prowess) [2PP]

Enhanced Constitution 2 (Metabolically Altered Physical Endurance) [2PP]

Immunity 8 (Aging, Disease, Need for Sleep, and Fatigue Effects, Flaws: Limited [Half Effect]) (Metabolically Enhanced Vigor) [4PP]

Regeneration 8 (+1 to Recovery Checks, Bruised 2 [standard Action], Injured 2 [5 Minutes], Staggered 1 [20 Minutes], Disabled 1 [5 hours], Ability Damage 1 [5 hours]) (Metabolically Enhanced Healing Rate) [8PP]

Array (Martial Techniques) [15PP]

• Base Power: Paralyze 8 (Extras: Alternate Save: Fortitude [+0], Flaws: Slow Only) LINKED to Trip 8 (Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Improved Trip) (Wounded Knee Strike) [13 PP]
  
  Alternate Power: Strike 2 (Extras: Autofire, Feats: Mighty 1 [+4]) (Flurry of Strikes) [9PP]
  
  Alternate Power: Strike 6 (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained], Flaws: Limited [Only Following Successful Block], Skill Check Required [Attack roll vs. Target's Defense]) (Intercepting Strikes) [12PP]

Drawbacks: (-2) = -2PP

Vulnerability (Chemical Effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Moderate) [-2PP]

DC Block:

ATTACK                 RANGE                            SAVE                                                           EFFECT

Unarmed                Touch                            DC19 Toughness (Staged)                                        Damage (Physical)

Counterattacks         Touch                            DC21 Toughness (Staged)                                        Damage (Physical)

Flurry of Strikes      Touch                            DC21 Toughness (+Autofire) (Staged)                            Damage (Physical)

Wounded Knee Strike    Touch                            Strength or Dexterity Check vs. 1d20 +12 AND DC 18 Fortitude   Trip AND Slowed (Physical)

Bladed Disks           Ranged (20 ft Inc)               DC21 Toughness (+Autofire) (Staged)                            Damage (Physical)

Fragmention Grenades   Thrown, Area (50 ft Explosion)   DC15 Reflex (Half), DC20 Toughness (Staged)                    Damage (Physical)

Sleep Gas Grenades     Thrown, Area (40 ft Explosion)   DC14 Fortitude (Staged)                                        Affliction (Fatigue)

Tear Gas Grenades      Thrown, Area (40 ft Cloud)       DC14 Fortitude                                                 Affliction (Dazzle and Nauseate)

Taser                  Ranged (5 ft Inc)                DC15 Fortitude                                                 Affliction (Stun)

Bolos                  Ranged (40 ft Inc)               DC14 Reflex                                                    Affliction (Snare)

Abilities (26) + Combat (28) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (24) + Feats (31) + Powers (33) - Drawbacks (-2) = 150/151 Power Points

[Geez3r]

Grapple is +16, Attack Specialization (unarmed) doesn't apply to grapple rolls.

I'm counting 29 feats, not 28.

The Bladed Disks strike me as too powerful for Equipment.

For the Probability Control, the Check Required Flaw is generally frowned upon here. It's either too good or too bad. In this case, its too good. A flaw is supposed to reduce the effectiveness of the effect roughly by half. With your current skill ranking, you only have a 20% chance of failure. I suggest getting the Unreliable Flaw or scrounging up extra points elsewhere.

The Counter Attacking power is undercosted. Strike (1) + Concentration (1) + Sustained (+1) + Aura (+1) - Limited (-1) = 3pp/rank * 8 ranks = 24pp

[Lord Bayushi]

Grapple and feats are fixed (Blind fight was on an earlier version of the character, and I mistakenly put it back in).

Not sure how to respond to the Bladed disks... If I took a Blast Rifle and applied a Hair Trigger and a Laser Sight (both options from Iron Age, pg 55) then I would have virtually the same item, just with a different theme. The way I built it, it is more vulnerable (due to Str Drain, etc.). Without further feedback I'm not sure what to do there.

Still thinking on the Probability Control, will have an answer there later. If there are specific instances of Extras, Flaws, etc. that are generally frowned on, I would suggest adding them to the house rules, to avoid confusion.

Aura works differently than I thought, will probably drop that power entirely unless I can find a cost effective way to rebuild it.

EDIT:

Some concerns have been fostered concerning this power:

Probability Control 10 (Flaws: Limited [Attack Rolls Only], Limited [Only While Under the Effects of Master Plan], Fades) (According to Plan) [10PP]

The first, as mentioned above, will be delt with. I took the Check Required Flaw to save 5 points, and will drop it and find the 5 points to keep the power, IF it matters, which, due to another comment from chat, I have doubts about. So, rather than beat my head against a wall to find points, I would like to know if there is a more broad objection to the power, and, also to save time, I will post my thoughts on it here first.

Probability Control 10 [No Modifications] (40 PP):

Here, you are basically Longshot (Marvel, tm); something always goes your way each turn. Be it that stealth check you can't afford to fail or the shot that you have to hit with, you have the right rolls when you need them.

Probability Control 10 [Limited] (30 PP)

Now, you're Bullseye (Marvel, tm); you don't miss. Combined with Accurate Attack, you can be sure to cause some amount of a Toughness roll to your target every time you attack.

Probability Control 10 [Limited] (20 PP)

Here, you are about where Robert Downey, Jr (Hollywood, maybe tm) is as he plays Sherlock Holmes (Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle, not tm anymore) in the latest movie of the same title; given time to think and assess the situation, predict what will happen as you act and as your targets do, and, thus, can give a good Bullseye (Marvel, tm) impersonation given time to prepare.

However, then there is that one guy named Sun Tzu (China, fair use), who says that a good battle plan lasts until the first arrow falls (parapharasing), or, in M-TV American: Plans don't work for long.

So, there you have: Probability Control 10 [Limited] (10 PP)

Which is a lot like Sherlock's predictive attacks, but takes into account that combat is fluid, and, thus, your plans will be more and more for naught each passing moment. This is the power as I have forseen my character with, and what I intend to find 4 more points somewhere to maintain (once I get home from work and have books), but, again, if there are those of you against it, I need to know to what degree it can be salvaged.

Please note that this power is part of the heart of my build. The concept was of a man that was once Captain America or Batman bad-@ss, but isn't any more, due to his age catching up with him. Instead, he has to rely on his wits, experience, and careful planning to keep up. Thus, the idea of an enhanced Master Plan, which is somewhat limited in the ways you can enhance it. I came up with this. If you have alternates to suggest similar effects, or specific concerns, please voice them.

EDIT 2: Points found for the Probability Control Power w/out the Check Required Flaw.

[N/A]

I'm going to jump in here for a minute because someone needs to be The Bad Guy.

Bayushi-san, your concept is solid, and you obviously know the rules very well, and we're always glad to see both of those things in a prospective player. However, you also need to understand that the Ref team is mostly made up of people who know the mechanics of this game backwards and forwards. We know every trick, loophole, and exploit, and we don't tolerate any of them. We are painfully aware that, in Mutants & Masterminds, it takes more skill to avoid building a broken character than to avoid building an underpowered one, and it's a constant battle for anyone with a modicum of tactical and/or mathematical acumen to stop short of the line between "Awesome" and "Exploit," so we feel your pain. But mechanically, this character needs to be toned down a bit.

The Probability Control power is not gonna happen. If it's "the heart of the build," then that's a problem. Fortunately, it's an easily solvable problem. There's no reason that "tactical mastery" can't be a descriptor for Enhanced Attack/Defense (or Attack/Dodge Focus or Specialization), possibly with a tradeoff in favor of Attack over Damage and/or Defense over Toughness. Throw in some combat oriented feats, like the temporary tradeoff feats, and/or some Luck ranks (so he has extra Hero Points with which to acquire combat feats when the specific need for them arises), and that would do a fine job of modeling "tactical mastery." There's no need to bend over backwards and stretch the system to the breaking point with a convoluted power structure that takes advantage of poorly-defined aspects of the rules to distort the underlying mechanics of the game. You can already Take 10 on attack rolls against Minions. Being able to also Take 10 against namers as well in half or more of the fights the character will ever reasonably expect to participate in is beyond excessive.

We have tentatively allowed players to buy the "Supremacy" power that Taliesin constructed on the Atomic Think Tank, which is Probability Control (Limited 2 [One Attack/Task]). So far, the only characters who have purchased it are a swordsman and an archer, and both purchased only a single rank (so that a natural "1" with their preferred, character-defining fighting style wouldn't result in an automatic miss). We're honestly not sure we're comfortable with anyone buying it up further than that. If this character's super-martial-arts are similarly character-defining, we wouldn't be opposed to you doing the same for his power array. But there is no way in Hell we are going to approve the Probability Control power you submitted in the original post. Supremacy costs 2PP for every one point of "minimum roll" you want, with a focus as narrow as Attack Specialization or Improved Critical. We are not going to let in a character who pays 5-10PP in order to Take 10 on every single attack roll he makes in half or more of the fights he can ever reasonably be expected to participate in.

Probability Control is a very potent ability, and it is very expensive for that reason.

If you're going to significantly beef up and customize a weapon (or other piece of gear) beyond the traits listed in the book, just buy it as a Device instead of Equipment.

I also want to make it crystal clear (since there was confusion about this point in the past) that Skill Mastery for Knowledge (Tactics) does not allow you to Take 10 on Master Plan checks. The books and official FAQs have stated numerous times that you cannot Take 10 or Take 20 on Master Plan checks, period. The ability to roll Knowledge (Tactics) for a Master Plan check instead of raw INT was a suggested house rule that came later. It's a house rule we use, but we do not violate the spirit of the original intent of the feat by letting Skill Mastery trump it.

As far as formatting goes:

• [*:1bi537k8]Please get rid of those brackets around your skill ranks. Write "Climb 4 (+10)," not "Climb [4] (+10)." If you have Skill Mastery or Second Chance with a given skill, note that as well. So, for example, "Climb 4 (+10, Skill Mastery)."
  [*:1bi537k8]Please list your fully-powered totals first, followed by the unpowered values. So if you have STR 18 and Enhanced STR 4, please list "STR 22/18 (+6/+4)" under Abilities. The powered values will come into play far more often than the depowered numbers.
  [*:1bi537k8]Please list Skills, Feats, and Powers in alphabetical order under their respective headings.

Geez, you have the con.

[Lord Bayushi]

First of all, let me say that you are not coming off as the bad guy, Shaen. You need specific feedback to fix things, which you have provided. I have made some changes, so I will list them all at once.

---

Summary of Changes:

Dropped Strength and Enhanced Strength each by 2, adjusted all related powers and damages down to appropriate levels.

Added 16 ranks in skills, most of them Bluff, with a slight pump to Sense Motive.

Added Accurate Attack, Blind Fight, Fast Task (Feint), and Sneak Attack Feats, modifed Skill Mastery to exclude Knowledge:Tactics and include Bluff.

Modified Equipment to reflect new Str levels, added Commlink and Rebreater to base Equipment, Smoke Grenades to the Array. Addressing concerns with Bladed Disks, below.

Dropped Probability Control to level 5, in a last ditch effort to save it as a flavor power. At this point, I can take 5 against a named character in the first round of combat during a master plan (fading to 4, 3, etc. each turn), making it, mechanically, about useless. If you feel this is unbalanced, I will drop the power entirely in favor of additional feats and skill levels. (Specifically, Luck 2, +4 each to Bluff and Sense Motive, and +2 each to Notice and Stealth)

Added the following power to Martial Array:

Strike 6 (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained], Flaws: Limited [Defensive Only], Unreliable, Feats: Improved Block) (Intercepting Strikes) [13PP]

Basically, it is a counter-punch defensive power, landing a counter-blow at DC 21 about 1/2 the time I am physically hit, grabbed, or block.

---

Basically the changes shift him into a Feint Machine, which probably fits the concept better than before, but I was (and am) apprehensive to do so, mainly because I always seem to roll very bad on Contests of any kind. This puts him closer to the 'Batman' camp than the 'Captain America' camp, but is still firmly within the concept.

Concerning the Disks, I happen to find this under an approved character while slumming around the site late last night:

---

From: Archeville's "Utility Coat"

AP: Blast 3 (throwing discs; Extra: Autofire [5]; PFs: Mighty, Ricochet 2, Variable Descriptor [bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing]) [15EP]

---

Essentially, the same power as the one I designed, with one level higher base damage a lot more Autofire, and Ricochet and Variable Discriptor instead of Accurate and Improved Critical. What are the specific concerns with my equipment if that passed?

EDITs: Could NOT get the quote function to work, no matter what I tried...

[N/A]

Added Sneak Attack...

Just to make sure you're aware: Sneak Attack does count against PL caps for damage, and it only applies to Damage, not other attack effects like Dazzle or Nauseate.

Dropped Probability Control to level 5, in a last ditch effort to save it as a flavor power. At this point, I can take 5 against a named character in the first round of combat during a master plan (fading to 4, 3, etc. each turn), making it, mechanically, about useless. If you feel this is unbalanced, I will drop the power entirely in favor of additional feats and skill levels. (Specifically, Luck 2, +4 each to Bluff and Sense Motive, and +2 each to Notice and Stealth)

It's janky and we'd really prefer that you just drop it altogether.

Strike 6 (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained], Flaws: Limited [Defensive Only], Unreliable, Feats: Improved Block) (Intercepting Strikes) [13PP]

Basically, it is a counter-punch defensive power, landing a counter-blow at DC 21 about 1/2 the time I am physically hit, grabbed, or block.

That's not a valid Limited flaw. First of all, Auras are intended to be primarily defensive in nature. Second, when you have a Damage-based aura active and you hit someone with an unarmed attack, you inflict either your unarmed damage, or the Aura damage, whichever is greater.

Improved Block, believe it or not, counts against PL caps for Attack bonus. So if your attack bonus with whatever attack you're using to block is already capped, Improved Block would break caps. It's a terrible feat, and I don't recommend it for anyone, ever.

An autohit counterattack like that is janky at best. Unreliable is a step in the right direction, but I think a version of "Check Required" where the "check" is an attack roll against the incoming attacker's Defense would work better for all involved.

But also consider just occasionally popping a Hero Point for an instant counter, using whatever attack power you have up at the time to counter the incoming attack effect.

Basically the changes shift him into a Feint Machine, which probably fits the concept better than before, but I was (and am) apprehensive to do so, mainly because I always seem to roll very bad on Contests of any kind.

Skill Mastery and/or Second Chance for your feinting skill (Bluff by default, unless you've got a feat like Acrobatic Bluff or Startle) goes a long way toward mitigating lousy dice luck. There's nothing in the rules that says you can't use Skill Mastery to Take 10 on a contested check, and if you take Second Chance for a skill (rather than for a save), you get a free reroll on any and all uses of that skill (assuming the first check failed - you don't get a reroll if you succeeded, but not by the margin you wanted). It's not like the saving throw version of Second Chance, where you have to specify a particular hazard or attack.

Concerning the Disks, I happen to find this under an approved character while slumming around the site late last night:

---

From: Archeville's "Utility Coat"

AP: Blast 3 (throwing discs; Extra: Autofire [5]; PFs: Mighty, Ricochet 2, Variable Descriptor [bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing]) [15EP]

---

Essentially, the same power as the one I designed, with one level higher base damage a lot more Autofire, and Ricochet and Variable Discriptor instead of Accurate and Improved Critical. What are the specific concerns with my equipment if that passed?

Heh. You've got us there. If anyone's characters should set precedent for the player base, it's the guy who owns the site.

What he has isn't "a lot more Autofire." The "Autofire [5]" makes it clear that he's purchased the first tier (+1PP/rank) of Autofire to cover up to 5 points of total damage bonus, which is the same thing you did (only in your case, it was 6 points). If he'd purchased a higher tier of Autofire (the +2PP/rank or +3PP/rank versions), he'd write it like this: "Autofire 3 [5]."

As far as the overall Devices-vs-Equipment proclamation, I was speaking in a general sense, not necessarily about anything specific regarding your PC's gear.

EDITs: Could NOT get the quote function to work, no matter what I tried...

It works like this:

[quote]The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.[/quote]

Will look like this:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

[quote name="ShaenTheBrain"]The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.[/quote]

Will look like this:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

[Lord Bayushi]

Dropped the Probability Control power, distributing the points as mentioned above. My character's Master Plan will be exactly the same as everyone else's character's Master Plan...

I very much disagree with your interpretation of Second Chance as applies to skills, but won't be using it anyway. I consider Second Chance the 'final tier' of skill masteries: High Rank->Skill Mastery->Second Chances is the way it works in my mind. This character isn't focused enough on anything (other than MASTER PLANS...[/whining]) to warrant such mastery.

I have always played with Sneak Attack as DC's in general, like Power Attack, etc. You will have to catch me on that from time to time. Anyway, I bumped the DC's of my innate, non-Damage attacks back up to Power 8 (Only effects the two halves of the Wounded Knee Strike).

Counter Punch power now looks like this:

Strike 6 (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained], Flaws: Limited [Only Following Successful Block], Skill Check Required [Attack roll vs. Target's Defense]) (Intercepting Strikes) [12PP]

Only works against target's I have successfully blocked now, and uses an attack roll, as suggested.

Further issues?

[N/A]

Choose a particular hazard, such as falling, being tripped, triggering traps, being mind controlled (or affected by another specific power, such as Blast with the fire descriptor) or a particular skill with consequences for failure. If you fail a saving throw against that hazard or a check with that skill, you can make another roll immediately and use the better of the two results. You only get one second chance for any given save or task, and the GM decides if a particular hazard or skill is an appropriate focus for this feat. Each additional rank in this feat applies to a different hazard or skill.

That seems pretty clear to me. It specifies the requirement for a particular hazard for the save, but then says "a skill with consequences for failure" as an entirely separate clause, implying that you don't need to specify a particular use of that skill.

But I digress. Geez started the audit, so we'll step back and let him finish before a second Ref jumps in.

[Geez3r]

Alright, I'm going to give you your first approval. There's a few grey area things that have been mentioned already. But nothing that I see as outright problematic. However, if there's one thing you learn about FC, it's that the refs change their minds every now and then. If it becomes a problem in play, we may have to do a revisit. That all being said:

:approved:

[Avenger Assembled]

I love, love, love the concept. The sheet looks mostly OK: I like that he's primarily a social character given his gradually aging body. You might benefit from setting the abilities so you're rolling all 'round' numbers (10s or 5s), but that's totally optional.. My only real concern is with the bladed disks: Equipment shouldn't have the Accurate feat. That's what the Masterwork feat is for. (Masterwork providing +1 rather than +2). Fix that up, and I think you're good to go.

APPROVED

[Dr Archeville]

Archived due to player absence.