[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

[Davies]

Plutona

When she presented herself as a prospective member of the Institute in 1974, the entity who called herself Plutona told the following story of her origins. As a young member of a species of peaceful interstellar travelers, her family's spacecraft had needed to make a forced landing on Mars. There, the hostile locals had murdered the other members of her family group while taking her prisoner and performing cruel experiments on her. These had the effect of giving her powers far beyond those of her kind, which she used to escape and hide, eventually stowing away on a Martian saucer that traveled to Earth. Now all that she wanted was to use these strange powers to help those who sought to protect others from the cruelty of the Martians.

This story was exposed as a lie almost immediately, though most of those present didn't realize it. During the fight that broke out after the Institute turned down all the would-be members of the group, Plutona initially continued to present herself as a helpful ally, until she had a clear shot at the Meteor -- at which point she ambushed him with the words, "Vaskhane sends its regards." While she didn't succeed in killing the Meteor, the confusion of the assault allowed her to easily make her escape, and the hero's refusal to explain what that remark had meant contributed to the mutual distrust that would lead to the Institute's dissolution.

The truth, which wouldn't come out for two more decades, was that Plutona was the geneforged creation of the Vaskhane scientist Kuklafron, and the opening salvo of a renewed offensive by the interstellar crime syndicate against Earth. Her ability to create hypnotic disguises was put to good use in the years that followed, as she acted as Kuklafron's emissary and agent in a startling variety of schemes, opposing Basilea, the Scavengers, the Mile High Marauders, Songbird and the second Captain Mystic -- her most frequent opponent in the late 80s and early 90s. While ostensibly loyal to Kuklafron, Plutona frequently sought to enrich herself the course of these schemes, whether by stealing rare artifacts or extorting funds from the organization's clients. She sometimes implied that she had plans to eventually replace Kuklafron as the leader of Vaskhane's Earth-based operations, but subsequent events would suggest that could never happen.

Plutona was dispatched to Mars to serve as Vaskhane's representative at the summit there in 1992, and was captured by Captain Mystic in the melee that interrupted it. Returned to Earth in JSOT custody, she attempted to cut a deal with her captors, offering to share information in exchange for her release into Technate custody. Before she could do so, however, a human employee of Vaskhane who had also been captured betrayed Plutona by revealing her nature as an artificially created entity subject to pre-programmed instructions, some of which were known to him. Demonstrating this, he demolished any possibility that her information would be considered reliable. Ultimately, despite Technate efforts to take her into custody, Plutona was executed by lethal injection in 1994, almost twenty years to the day after she attempted to infiltrate the Institute.

Plutona -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 12/7 | STA 10 | AGL 6 | DEX 4 | FGT 8 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 3

Powers:
Alien Biology: Immunity 7 (cold, heat, pressure, radiation, suffocation, vacuum) - 7 points
Psychic Awareness: Senses 1 (mental awareness) - 1 point
Psychic Talents: Array (14 points)

• Blast Mode: Ranged Damage 6, Accurate 2 - 1 point
• Communication Mode: Mental Communication 2; Comprehend Languages 2 - 14 points
• Disguise Mode: Morph 3 (humanoids), Resistible by Will - 1 point
• Flight Mode: Flight 7 (250 MPH) - 1 point
• Strength Mode: Enhanced Strength 5; Sustained Impervious Protection 2 - 1 point

Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Evasion, Fascinate (Deception), Hide in Plain Sight, Power Attack.

Skills:
Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Crime 8 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Attack: Blast 4 (+8), Stealth 6 (+12), Technology 6 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 12/7)
Blast Mode +12 (Ranged Damage +6)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 12/10, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 82 + Powers 26 + Advantages 6 + Skills 30 + Defenses 6 = 150 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman (when not disguised.) Programmed Commands.

 

[Davies]

Ullr

In 1957, Emil Larrimore was thirty-five years old and the manager of a Baltimore-based brokerage firm, having inherited the position from his late father some years before. He led a singularly dull and uninteresting life that nonetheless suited him, for he privately considered the entire situation to be simply what he had to endure in order to pursue his true avocation -- hunting. He imagined himself to be an intrepid hunter who lived for the thrill of the chase, a perspective that was completely unrealistic. Truthfully, he had learned a bit of woodcraft in his pursuit, but he returned from his expeditions empty-handed more often than not.

That year, while hunting in the Patapsco Valley State Park, his hunt brought him to an aged, abandoned building that wasn't on any maps of the region. Investigating it, he found it deserted and desolate, empty save for the contents of a room in the basement that was sealed with a lock that broke quite easily. Within, he discovered a strange horned helmet resting atop a hat stand, with an old-fashioned spear set against it. For no apparent reason, Larrimore felt the urge to wear the helmet, and so doffed his cap to put it on. That was the last act of his mundane life.

As soon as the Artifact was on his head, Larrimore was filled with a sudden awareness that he was not just a man, but rather the mortal incarnation of Ullr, the Norse god of the hunt. (Again, his conception of this entity should not in any way have been confused for an accurate understanding of the historical basis for any legends about that figure.) Filled with power, he had a duty to use it to hunt the most dangerous game in the world, and for whatever reason chose to view the recently debuted heroine Madame Menagerie as that target.

Ullr had the first of numerous clashes with her for the first time a few days later. While arrested afterwards, his family's lawyers managed to keep him out of jail on that occasion. He would subsequently completely abandon his mundane life in order to pursue his newfound obsession. Attempts to separate him from whatever malevolent influence the helmet exerted on him were futile, as he would lie, steal and kill in order to regain it. Entirely focused on hunting Madame Menagerie, he ignored attempts to recruit him as a member of both assemblies of the Agents of Destruction, and regarded other villains with barely concealed disdain. He was, after all, a god in human form.

When reports that his nemesis had died saving Detroit from destruction began to circulate, Ullr knew them for the transparent falsehoods that they had to be. This was clearly some elaborate hoax intended to lure him into a trap, and he decided to respond in an appropriate manner. To wit, he interrupted the Madame's state funeral and attempted to throw open the coffin in order to reveal that she was lurking within. The coffin was empty, of course, since her body had been atomized. Confused by this, Ullr was easily overcome by the utterly outraged members of the Institute who were present for the funeral, who tore the helmet from his head and watched as he collapsed in a complete nervous breakdown.

Emil Larrimore never really recovered from that collapse, though he would live for another twenty-three years before he finally passed away from pneumonia while resident in a hospital in Massachusetts, having been completely unresponsive when the Pythonian Insurgency attempted to free him sometime before that. The helmet briefly came into the possession of Captain Mystic. While he normally preferred to donate the strange artifacts that he discovered to museums, something about this one unsettled him -- perhaps the fact that it seemed much like his own Artifact. Ultimately, he chose to cast it into a Philadelphia steel mill, hopefully destroying it. At the very least, it has not reformed itself since then ... as far as anyone knows.

Ullr -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 0 | AGL 1 | DEX 1 | FGT 0 | INT 1 | AWE 0 | PRE 0

Powers:
"Magic Helllllmet": Removable (-23 points)

• Amazing Confidence: Enhanced Advantages 7 (Beginner's Luck, Ranged Attack 6); Enhanced Defenses 18 (Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 6) - 25 points
• Invulnerability: Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 12 - 34 points
• Shielded Mind: Enhanced Will 12, Impervious - 24 points
• Weather Control:Array (26 points)
  • Bolt From The Blue: Ranged Damage 12, Indirect 2 - 26 points
  • Gust of Wind: Cone Area Damaging Move Object 8, Indirect 2, Limited to Pushing Away - 1 point
  • SMOOOOOOOG!: Environment 3 (disabled visibility); Burst Area 3 Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Fatigued, Stunned & Exhausted), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
• Wind Riding: Flight 7, Concentration, Platform - 4 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Beginner's Luck, Equipment, Ranged Attack 6, Tracking.

Equipment:
Spear (Ranged Damage 3, Extended Reach, Improved Critical).

Skills:
Close Combat: Spear 5 (+5), Expertise: History 6 (+7), Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+6), Perception 8 (+8), Stealth 5 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)
Spear +5 (Close Damage 3, Crit 19-20)
Bolt from the Blue +6 (Ranged Damage 12)

Defense:
Dodge 8/2, Parry 6/0, Fortitude 6/0, Toughness 12/0, Will 12/0

Totals:
Abilities 6 + Powers 92 + Advantages 3 + Skills 18 + Defenses 2 = 121 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Obsession--Motivation. Delusional. Honor (will not use firearms or other modern weaponry.)

Note: Early in his career as a supervillain, Ullr retained enough wealth to qualify for Benefit 3 (millionaire.) He was stripped of access to that fortune after his second arrest, and never regained it.

 

[Davies]

The Star and Sunset

The Star (Art by Bobbenkatzen)

Sunset

In the two months between the debut of the Cowl and the first appearance of the Futurian, in 1956, dozens of similar masked crime fighters appeared all across the United States in imitation of the former. Most of their careers were quite short-lived; in some cases, that was probably a good thing, as they frequently demonstrated neither competence nor a moral compass. Two whose activities lasted longer than most were the Star and Sunset, a pair in Los Angeles; while they, too, quickly disappeared into history, they were noteworthy as the first lasting team-up of a pair of 'superheroes'.

The Star was Robert Morrison, a decorated Marine famous for his service in some of the bloodiest battles of the war in the Pacific. When he returned home in the aftermath, he found work as an insurance investigator in his native Los Angeles. Finding himself increasingly outraged by the corruption he discovered through his investigations, and his own inability to meaningfully challenge it, the patriotic Morrison adapted the flag of the United States into a costume and began fighting crime; he was dubbed the Star by the press, also called 'Flag' by a competing paper, and chose to use the former alias. While quite familiar with the use of firearms, he chose not to employ them in his costumed identity for reasons that he was never really able to explain.

That was not a trait shared by Caroline Lawton, who supposedly dubbed herself Sunset out of a sense of irony. She sometimes claimed that her grandfather had been one of the posse who had chased Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid out of the American West, which doesn't seem to have actually been the case, as the man she referred to was eight years old when that happened. Nevertheless, she was one of the only female crime fighters of her era (with only Nocturne, in Paris, preceding her) and famous for making supposedly impossible trick shots with her pistol. Lawton disguised herself with a blonde wig that covered up her naturally brown hair, as well as a domino mask.

The pair first crossed paths a few weeks after their respective debuts. According to Richard Lawson's reconstruction of their careers, their association didn't begin with a fight between the pair, but with Sunset shooting to disable an attacker who had the drop on the Star. In the aftermath, they began working together deliberately, and were also seen together in their civilian identities. There was speculation that the pair were romantically involved, but Lawson was unable to find any evidence one way or another. Needless to say, they never gave interviews.

A year and a half after their debuts, in early 1958, the Star and Sunset disappeared from view; Morrison also stopped reporting in to his employer, while Lawton's family reported her as missing to the police. More than a decade later, the claim was made that Magnifico had had the two of them captured and executed. Again, Lawson's investigation didn't turn up proof of these claims, and also uncovered an account which suggested that Lawton, at least, had survived; someone using that name was arrested for vagrancy in New York, in 1971, and her mug shot is similar to surviving photos of the woman he identified as Sunset. Morrison was never seen again, but is sometimes claimed to have been the never-identified superhero who stopped three deranged youths from committing a multiple homicide at 10050 Cielo Drive a decade later. Of course, there are many other claims about that individual.

The Star -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR 3 | STA 4 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 0 | AWE 2 | PRE 2

Advantages:
Evasion, Improved Initiative, Inspire, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Uncanny Dodge

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+5), Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Military 9 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+8), Stealth 5 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed + 8 (Close Damage 3)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Advantages 8 + Skills 24 + Defenses 13 = 87 points

Offensive PL: 6
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity.

Sunset -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 2 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 4 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 2

Advantages:
Contacts, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Evasion, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Ranged/Cover), Quick Draw.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Firearms 5 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8), Vehicles 2 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed + 6 (Close Damage 1)
Light Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 3)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Advantages 11 + Skills 26 + Defenses 12 = 87 points

Offensive PL: 6
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity.

 

[Voltron64]

In the two months between the debut of the Cowl and the first appearance of the Futurian, in 1956, dozens of similar masked crime fighters appeared all across the United States in imitation of the former. Most of their careers were quite short-lived; in some cases, that was probably a good thing, as they frequently demonstrated neither competence nor a moral compass.

The really unlucky ones without a moral compass ended up tasting either The Cowl or Futurian's fists.

The Star was Robert Morrison, a decorated Marine famous for his service in some of the bloodiest battles of the war in the Pacific. When he returned home in the aftermath, he found work as an insurance investigator in his native Los Angeles. Finding himself increasingly outraged by the corruption he discovered through his investigations, and his own inability to meaningfully challenge it, the patriotic Morrison adapted the flag of the United States into a costume and began fighting crime; he was dubbed the Star by the press, also called 'Flag' by a competing paper, and chose to use the former alias. While quite familiar with the use of firearms, he chose not to employ them in his costumed identity for reasons that he was never really able to explain.

Honestly, what he saw and what he had to do in the Pacific is as a good an explanation as any...

 

[Davies]

Deucalion

Like many senior members of the ancient families in the late 1950s, Barbara* Mason found himself somewhat concerned about the increasing prevalence of empowered individuals outside the families. While there had always been individuals like this, often unrecognized by-blows but also just the product of the winds of fortune, they had never been quite so numerous as they had become. The old-fashioned ways of dealing with them, either by bringing them into the families and indoctrinating them with the importance of secrecy or by assassinating them before they gained too much public attention, were not going to work in this new age. But no one could agree what should take their place.

For his part, Mason found the attitudes of most of his fellows to be pusillanimous in the extreme. While concerned about the possibility of exposure, he was not at all intimidated by the superpowered set, in large part because he was one of the most powerful members of his family in generations. What he felt, more than anything else, as he considered the superheroes and -villains, was a sense of envy at the way that they were able to demonstrate to the world what they could do. It vexed him that this should be so, and yet he continued to heed the traditions.

That was, until 1964, when his valet -- a distant cousin who'd never demonstrated any powers -- came up with an ingenious plan. What if Mason were to disguise himself, using dye to turn his black hair and beard white, making him look much older than his forty-seven years, and pose as one of the wild talents? In so doing, he'd be able to exercise his talents and possibly bring down some of the threats to the families' security. Enchanted with this idea, Mason worked with his cousin to create the identity of Deucalion, named after the survivor of one of the survivors of the Deluge in Greek mythology.

Thus disguised, Deucalion attacked a construction site in New York City -- owned, though various proxies, by himself -- and drew out Captain Mystic, whom he proceeded to fight as a peer. It was the most exhilarating experience of his life to that point, even if he was unable to bring the confrontation to the swift conclusion that he'd imagined. But then, just as he had finally managed to gain his opponent's measure, an explosion ripped through the site, trapping both combatants beneath tons of rubble!

Forced to work together to escape, Deucalion came up with a nonsensical story about his family being descended from extraterrestrials who'd arrived in the Americas around the same time as the pilgrims. If Captain Mystic recognized this tale for the absurdity that it was, he chose to focus on the more immediate issues confronting the two men. After they reached the surface, Deucalion prepared to resume the fight, but the Captain pointed out that whoever had set off the bomb had clearly intended for both of them to die. Conceding the point, Deucalion continued to work with him to investigate, and discovered that, prior to his arrival, a man whom he recognized as his valet had visited the site.

Hurrying home (and barely even recognizing that Captain Mystic was pursuing him) Deucalion discovered that his valet had taken his wife and two children captive and was planning to extort a fortune from their cousins for their safe release. Their arrival put paid to that plan, and the traitor chose suicide rather than face whatever punishment Mason could come up with. In the aftermath, Mason pledged that he was done with such schemes, mostly to persuade Captain Mystic to chalk this up as a terrible misunderstanding and forget about it. It worked.

Despite ample temptation, Barbara Mason never again assumed the Deucalion identity, and relocated his entire family away from New York to Portland in order to minimize the possibility that they might ever be suspected of involvement in such activities. He lived long enough to see the birth of three of his five grandchildren, passing away quite peacefully in 1986.

Deukalion -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 10/1 | STA 3 | AGL 4 | DEX 4 | FGT 4 | INT 1 | AWE 5 | PRE 7

Powers:
Energy Absorption: Immunity 20 (energy damage), Limited to half effect - 10 points
Energy Field: Flight 7 (250 MPH); Sustained Impervious Protection 9 - 32 points
Energy Projection: Array (24 points)

• Explosive Pulse: Ranged Burst Area Damage 8 - 24 points
• Pulse Beam: Ranged Damage 12 - 1 point

Metavision: Senses 5 (ranged acute detect energy, darkvision) - 5 points
Strength Amplification: Enhanced Strength 9, Fades - 9 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connections, Defensive Attack, Move-by Action, Power Attack

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Expertise: Business 7 (+8), Expertise: Current Events 6 (+7), Expertise: History 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+9), Intimidation 2 (+9), Perception 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Pulse Beam 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 10/1)
Pulse Beam +8 (Ranged Damage 12)
Explosive Pulse -- (Burst Area Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 8, Toughness 12/3, Will 10

Totals:
Abilities 58 + Powers 81 + Advantages 9 + Skills 18 + Defenses 15 = 181 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Envy--Motivation. Family. Secret Identity. Temper.

* Yes, this is also a name for men, though not much used as such these days.

 

[Davies]

Yenova

Pleusursal, a marginally habitable world on the coreward fringe of the Technate, was settled by colonizers some thirty-seven years* ago. The settlement consisted of a village built up around the primary research facility and more than a dozen agricultural projects surrounding it. Twenty-five* years ago, a mutant child was born out of a uterine replicator in the colony's medical facility, and destroyed the computer system that contained all records of her ancestry with her first cry. At least, that was the story that Yenova No-one's-child was told, later on, to explain why she was No-one's -child.

Yenova's mutations would have made it difficult to make friends on a Technate colony no matter how useful her powers were, and at the beginning they were only good for making machines malfunction. By the time she was in her early teens, she was being strongly encouraged to live apart from the main colony, and only visit it for supplies when strictly necessary. She mainly paid for these supplies by hunting and keeping dangerous wild animals away from the colony.

As she went through puberty, her powers continued to grow, making her stronger, tougher and faster, and allowing her to break down bodies as easily as she did machines. Yenova learned to present as harmless and nonthreatening a face as possible to the other settlers, deliberately seeming foolish and even vapid. Despite her best efforts, though, she was never welcomed within their community for any length of time. And ultimately, that saved her life when, seven years* ago, the armies of the Dark Side came down from the stars and turned the colony into a cinder.

Yenova was captured and brought before the commander of this particular army, who made her the same offer that he'd made someone else many years before -- join the Dark Side, rise in its ranks, and possibly one day overthrow him. Yenova, terrified and used to telling people what they wanted to hear, naturally agreed, and was taken to Daath for further training. It has only been recently that she spoke of what she saw there, and she still won't talk about what she did as a soldier.

However, her time with the Dark Side was relatively brief, and she started looking for an escape route at once. She finally found it when her unit clashed with the Last Men Standing two years* ago, and she switched sides almost at once. Again, she was brought before the army's commander, and Hallandar read her mind to determine her sincerity. He did not tell her that she'd been faced with the same choice he'd been, by the same enemy, but agreed to accept her as one of the Lasters. Many of its other leaders and much of the rankers distrusted her, and Yenova could not and did not blame them. Just as in her childhood, she continued to perpetrate a harmless façade in the hope that when and if the Dark Side tried to punish her for her desertion, she wouldn't have to face them alone.

When the decision was made to send a group of Lasters to Earth to learn from its superheroes, Yenova was an obvious choice, given her very broad power set. Since the arrival of the group that's come to be know as the Vagabonds, she's learned a great deal under the tutelage of Blakestone and others, adding the ability to break down thoughts as well. She was always thought of as a sort of witch, and now she's learning from those who actually are witches. However, she has chosen to keep one of her witchy talents a secret from everyone, even her allies -- she's heard about what the people on this planet think about people who can see the future.

Somewhat to her dismay, Yenova has discovered that there are agents of Daath present here on Earth who are able to recognize her for her time there, and who are usually quite hostile to her. That crazy Nightstalker being has tried to kill her more than once, and though the other Vagabonds helped her both times, she wants a more permanent solution to the problem. Underneath her sweetness and light, and even underneath the loneliness and desire for friendship that they cover, there's someone used to killing to keep herself fed, and that older, more primal self sometimes comes out when it's least expected.

Yenova -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 9 | STA 9 | AGL 5 | DEX 2 | FGT 6 | INT 1 | AWE 9 | PRE 2

Powers:
Walking Disaster: Array (21 points)

• Casualty Breakdown: Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Attack Impaired and Vulnerable, Attack Disabled and Defenseless), Limited Degree, Secondary Effect - 1 point
• Language Breakdown: Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Interaction Impaired, Interaction Disabled, Transformed [aphasia]) - 1 point
• Mechanical Breakdown: Nullify Technology 10, Broad - 1 point
• Uncertain Location: Accurate Teleport 9, Change Direction, Change Velocity, Limited (not if original space or destination is observed with an accurate sense), Subtle - 21 points
• Vital Breakdown: Secondary Effect on Strength Damage 9, Alternate Resistance (Fortitude), Improved Critical 3 - 1 point
• Widespread Chaos: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Tiring - 1 point

Translator Implant: Comprehend Languages 2 (speak, understand) - 6 points
Witchsight: Senses 4 (precognition), Unreliable - 2 points

Advantages:
Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 2, Taunt.

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 5 (+6), Expertise: Magic 3 (+5), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Perception 1 (+10), Ranged Combat: Disaster 4 (+6), Stealth 4 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 9)
Vital Breakdown +9 (Close Fortitude 9, Crit 17-20)
Casualty Breakdown or Language Breakdown +8 (Ranged Will 10)
Widespread Chaos -- (Burst Area Will 9)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 86 + Powers 33 + Advantages 5 + Skills 21 + Defenses 6 = 151 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Acts Foolishly. Marked by Daath. Secret (precognition.) Temper. Unfamiliar With Earth Culture.

Yenova created by RainOnTheSun.

 

[Davies]

The UCP Praxis

In a different reality, the United Coalition of Planets is the premiere presence in their universe uniting over a thousand planets across a multitude of star systems. It encourages peaceful dealings and communication across the stars. But the Coalition are not naïve, and know they must also be prepared for conflict. Toward that end they designed the Alpha Class starships for both exploration and confrontation, placing the UCP Praxis, flagship of their fleet, under the command of Captain Jonathan Trent, a middle aged humanoid with a distinguished record in both tactics and diplomacy. They gave him the best crew of science officers, medical staff, and engineers to keep the ship running smooth. Its zero-point drives would run nearly forever producing all the energy it would need and the onboard replicators can keep them in whatever physical matter they need, be it parts or food and sundries for the crew. They would be prepared for anything.

Or so they imagined. Such faith in their preparations was sorely tested when the ship was sucked into a wormhole created by a collapsing star, and emerged into a completely different reality, and in the midst of a battle of titans! At first the crew thought the scale of their sensors had been knocked out of alignment as planet-sized ships filled with skyscrapers of men rained destruction down on each other. The energy outputs were astronomical by their reckoning and enough to threaten even the quantum-reinforced hull of the Praxis. They would later learn that, apparently, their native universe was built on a mere fraction of the scale of this one. Buildings were planet-sized and people were formidable even without spaceships, apparently, some of them possessing strange powers.

The Praxis identified the aggressors in the conflict and offered aid to the defenders, a group known as the Last Men Standing, and aligned with their noble cause for that battle and for the subsequent two years while they sussed out their place in this dimension. Following their original and over-riding mission parameters they vowed to help with whatever galactic peace-keeping they can manage and otherwise keep on the lookout for ways the Praxis could use to get back to their home dimension. The Lasters knew of a place with heroes and advanced science that could potentially help the Praxis on their quest to get home. Captain Trent and his crew are hopeful, and so joined the mission to the strange planet called Earth.

After the Vagabonds arrived on Earth, and went through a number of confusing adventures, the Powerhouse organization finally lived up to their promise to assist the Praxis to return to their dimension, sending Minuteman and the Warpwitch inside the ship along with the other members of the team while la Donna Universale and assistants from the Morrison Institute worked on the outside. After uncovering a conspiracy among several members of the crew, led by its Science Officer, the group were able to open a portal back to what Warpwitch turned "the Worlds of a Thousand Tiny Stars". Unfortunately, that was when the crew learned another physical difference between their original universe and the one in which they had been stranded -- the former experienced a much swifter passage of time than the latter, and in the two years since their arrival, nearly two hundred years had passed there.

Their hopes of returning home, and Science Officer Blurt's ambitions of conquest, have both been stymied by this revelation. While it has been proposed that the ship could return to their original reality and then travel back in time, time travel is not nearly as easy or safe a process in their reality as it is in this one. Just what their next step should be remains unclear. For now, the treacherous Blurt has been demoted and is being kept under careful watch in a cell in the ship's brig, but his technical advice is still sought from time to time. (And the trauma of realizing that they are lost not just in space but time as well has persuaded certain members of the crew to heed his counsel on what they should do next.)

Nevertheless, the Praxis, under Captain Trent's command, remains committed to its original mission of exploring whatever reality they are in, learning all that is learnable and keeping the peace wherever they might find themselves. While refusing to act as the Vagabonds' leader, and preferring to have the decisions made by consensus, the Captain frequently finds himself guiding the team nonetheless, and is well-respected by the members of the Powerhouse ... who are thus extremely concerned about the prospect that he might be replaced if his ship ever suffers serious damage. Or for other reasons.

The UCP Praxis -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR -4 | STA -- | AGL 0 | DEX 0 | FGT 0 | INT 4 | AWE 6 | PRE 2

Powers:
Crew Backups: Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 points
Damage Control Systems: Regeneration 2 - 2 points
Impulse Engines: Continuous Flight 1 (4 MPH), Subtle - 4 points
Microdimensional Origins: Permanent Shrinking 8 (Strength -2, Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8, Intimidation -4), Innate - 9 points
Self-Contained Reinforced Hull: Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8 - 38 points
Sensor Array: Variable 1, Limited to senses - 6 points
Ship's Systems: Array (20 points)

• Cloaking Field: Concealment 10 (all senses) - 20 points
• Holographic Projectors: Illusion 6 (auditory, visual) - 1 point
• Phaser Banks: Linked Line Area Damage 5; Linked Line Area Affects Objects Weaken Toughness 5 - 1 point
• Proton Torpedo: Ranged Damage 9, Homing - 1 point
• Sublight Engines: Enhanced Flight 4 (60 MPH); Movement 1 (space travel); Extended Only Teleport 5 (30 miles) - 1 point
• Tractor Beam: Move Objects 9, Precise - 1 point

Universal Translator: Comprehend Languages 3 (speak, read, understand); Comprehend Machines 2 (speak, understand) - 15 points

Advantages:
Eidetic Memory, Equipment, Evasion 2, Fearless 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Prone Fighting, Speed of Thought, Technomancer.

Equipment:
Commlink, GPS, Video Recorder, Computer.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+5), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Dimensional 1 (+5), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+7), Expertise: Science 4 (+8), Insight 3 (+9), Perception 5 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+8), Ranged Attack: Systems 7 (+7), Stealth 2 (+10), Technology 8 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -4)
Proton Torpedo +7 (Ranged Damage 9)
Phaser Banks -- (Line Area Damage 5 and Weaken Toughness 5)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 10 + Powers 103 + Advantages 10 + Skills 24 + Defenses 10 = 158 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Exploration--Motivation. Divided Crew. Mistaken Identity (often seen as a drone or robot rather than a ship.) No Manipulators. Unfamiliar with Earth Culture.

Note: Traveling inside the Praxis and meeting its crew requires a Dimensional Travel effect and life support, as the atmosphere within is toxic to all life from the universe of the World Too Far. Theoretically, a Dimensional Travel effect could allow members of the crew to leave the ship, but they would have a permanent and innate Shrinking 18 effect (which is growth when compared to their natural size) and require life support to survive.

Characters created by Flynnarrel.

 

[RainOnTheSun]

Yenova

Pleusursal, a marginally habitable world on the coreward fringe of the Technate, was settled by colonizers some thirty-seven years* ago. The settlement consisted of a village built up around the primary research facility and more than a dozen agricultural projects surrounding it. Twenty-five* years ago, a mutant child was born out of a uterine replicator in the colony's medical facility, and destroyed the computer system that contained all records of her ancestry with her first cry. At least, that was the story that Yenova No-one's-child was told, later on, to explain why she was No-one's -child.

Yenova's mutations would have made it difficult to make friends on a Technate colony no matter how useful her powers were, and at the beginning they were only good for making machines malfunction. By the time she was in her early teens, she was being strongly encouraged to live apart from the main colony, and only visit it for supplies when strictly necessary. She mainly paid for these supplies by hunting and keeping dangerous wild animals away from the colony.

As she went through puberty, her powers continued to grow, making her stronger, tougher and faster, and allowing her to break down bodies as easily as she did machines. Yenova learned to present as harmless and nonthreatening a face as possible to the other settlers, deliberately seeming foolish and even vapid. Despite her best efforts, though, she was never welcomed within their community for any length of time. And ultimately, that saved her life when, seven years* ago, the armies of the Dark Side came down from the stars and turned the colony into a cinder.

Yenova was captured and brought before the commander of this particular army, who made her the same offer that he'd made someone else many years before -- join the Dark Side, rise in its ranks, and possibly one day overthrow him. Yenova, terrified and used to telling people what they wanted to hear, naturally agreed, and was taken to Daath for further training. It has only been recently that she spoke of what she saw there, and she still won't talk about what she did as a soldier.

However, her time with the Dark Side was relatively brief, and she started looking for an escape route at once. She finally found it when her unit clashed with the Last Men Standing two years* ago, and she switched sides almost at once. Again, she was brought before the army's commander, and Hallandar read her mind to determine her sincerity. He did not tell her that she'd been faced with the same choice he'd been, by the same enemy, but agreed to accept her as one of the Lasters. Many of its other leaders and much of the rankers distrusted her, and Yenova could not and did not blame them. Just as in her childhood, she continued to perpetrate a harmless façade in the hope that when and if the Dark Side tried to punish her for her desertion, she wouldn't have to face them alone.

When the decision was made to send a group of Lasters to Earth to learn from its superheroes, Yenova was an obvious choice, given her very broad power set. Since the arrival of the group that's come to be know as the Vagabonds, she's learned a great deal under the tutelage of Blakestone and others, adding the ability to break down thoughts as well. She was always thought of as a sort of witch, and now she's learning from those who actually are witches. However, she has chosen to keep one of her witchy talents a secret from everyone, even her allies -- she's heard about what the people on this planet think about people who can see the future.

Somewhat to her dismay, Yenova has discovered that there are agents of Daath present here on Earth who are able to recognize her for her time there, and who are usually quite hostile to her. That crazy Nightstalker being has tried to kill her more than once, and though the other Vagabonds helped her both times, she wants a more permanent solution to the problem. Underneath her sweetness and light, and even underneath the loneliness and desire for friendship that they cover, there's someone used to killing to keep herself fed, and that older, more primal self sometimes comes out when it's least expected.

Hey, I know her!

Jinx-Mihoshi was a lot of fun to play. I wish the game had lasted longer than it did, but I guess that's always the way with message board games. The aphasia attack is a neat idea!

 

[Davies]

Hey, I know her!

Jinx-Mihoshi was a lot of fun to play. I wish the game had lasted longer than it did, but I guess that's always the way with message board games. The aphasia attack is a neat idea!

Yes she was, so do I, and I'm glad you like it -- I also gave her the area attack you had her talk about at one point.

 

[Davies]

Pok'

Pok', as she is commonly known -- she uses her full name only for rare 'official' business -- was born on a backwater heavy gravity world on the Technate's spinward border regions, practically in the Unclaimed Regions. Her village mostly made their living as miners, as many Kronen do. She' spent most of her early childhood like any other child -- listening to the stories of the village elders and playing childish games (most of which had roots in the sort of physical tasks the children might take up when they were older, like the ever-popular 'rock-stacking game'.) But soon enough, her difference began to be apparent; one day while the other children were playing "Stand in the rushing river", Pok' decided to instead play a game of her own invention, called "walk to the next village' (despite having no idea how far it was, and only a vague idea which direction it was in.) The game, as it happened, took three days.

And that was only her first "indiscretion". Fortunately, while "The Wandering" was rare, the village elders were familiar with it. When the growing children were assigned their first work apprenticeships, Pok' was assigned to Transport, the team that hauled the mine's product to the nearest processing facility. That was interesting enough- at first. Sometimes, though, the miners dug up rarer ores or objects, things which needed to be taken to other processing facilities- or even directly to the continent's only spaceport for shipping off-world. And THAT was a big deal to Pok'- she had planned to explore the whole world someday; the idea that there were other worlds (and quite a few of them, from what she could tell) was truly a revelation. These trips, however, were rare- only every two or three years. On her first trip, Pok' was captivated, but a bit overwhelmed. Three years later, on her second trip, she was ready- and she didn't expect to be coming home anytime soon.

She was able to find work among other Kronen around the port- at first simply as general heavy labor. She was able to learn enough Technate Standard to converse with other species, and to pick up a wider range of job skills. She seemed to learn the basics of new skills quickly enough, but few of them were interesting enough to learn further. After a while, she got hired as cargo handler on an outbound ship- her immense strength and durability, linked to a thinking mind, made her far more useful than a traditional forklift. She traveled the spaceways for a few years, working as basic crew- she got a lot of different jobs because she willing to work cheap, as her real payment was the traveling itself, and seeing new places. Sometimes, when she found a particularly interesting world she would take a job planet-side, most often as a bouncer in some spaceport bar or another, and spend her spare time exploring the planet.

A year* ago, she had been on one particular backwater world for weeks, not because it was interesting but because there just weren't many ships visiting. One of the Last Men Standing's action teams had come there to meet a contact, but fell into a trap. When the fighting started, Pok' realized how badly the Lasters were outnumbered and leapt to their defense. In a chaotic fighting retreat, she helped the survivors back to their ship, and then had little choice but to leave with them. She has been with them ever since, making some friends and proved her worth. And, of course, their constantly "on the run" lifestyle has provided the travel she loves so much.

Naturally, she volunteered for the mission to Earth, as she'd already made friends with a couple of the other Vagabonds to be. Their time since their arrival on Earth has been a real learning experience. Of all the Vagabonds, she has spent the most time developing familiarity with Earth's cultures and communities, so that she gets surprised much less often than her fellows. And yet there's always more to learn, which makes her happy. One thing that she's learned greatly confuses her though. While studying the history of the superpower community, she happened to learn about the Primal Pattern, including old photos of them. And now she wonders why one of the most greatest champions of Kronen legend showed up on Earth, half a century ago, and claimed to be a transformed human being called Antaeus, and how she could find out what was happening there.

Pok' -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 12 | STA 10 | AGL 2 | DEX 1 | FGT 6 | INT 1 | AWE 4 | PRE 0

Powers:
Heavy Worlder: Permanent Growth 2 (Strength +2, Stamina +2, Intimidation +1, Dodge -1, Parry -1, Stealth -2), Density, Innate; Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to lifting (800 tons); Leaping 1 (15 feet) - 9 points
"Metamorphic Rock": Features 3 (internal compartment, iron stomach, hands are tools); Immunity 11 (aging, cold, disease, heat, need to sleep, poison, pressure, radiation, suffocation, vacuum), Limited to half effect on aging and need for sleep; Regeneration 1, Persistent; Variable 2 (physical shapeshifting), Quirk (Retains color & texture, retains mass) - 28 points
Natural Talent: Senses 1 (direction sense) - 1 point

Typical Variable Sets:
Default: Impervious Toughness 10 - 10 points
Dust Form: Insubstantial 2 - 10 points
Molten Form: Insubstantial 1 - 5 points
Rolling Rock: Speed 6 (120 MPH) - 6 points
Sharp Form: Variable on Strength Damage (cutting); Reaction Damage 2 - 9 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit 2 (ambidexterity, forceful intimidation), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment 2, Evasion, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Defense, Improved Grab, Improved Smash, Interpose, Jack-of-all-Trades, Language 2 (English, Technate Standard, others (Kronen is native]), Luck, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Takedown, Teamwork, Throwing Mastery

Equipment:
Commlink, Multitool, Translator pin (Comprehend Languages 3).

Skills:
Expertise: Galactic 4 (+5), Expertise: Performance 3 (+3), Insight 2 (+6), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 1 (+5), Persuasion 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Thrown 2 (+3), Vehicles 2 (+3).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 12)
Thrown +4 (Damage Variable)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 10, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 64 + Powers 38 + Advantages 25 + Skills 10 + Defenses 12 = 149 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 1

Complications:
Curiosity--Motivation. Heart of Gold. Inhuman Anatomy (Treatment requires special knowledge & tools.) Massive. Obviously Inhuman.

Character created by pathfinderq1