Davies
Legend
Yep.
-
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[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
- Thread starter Davies
- Start date
Davies
Legend
Martian Overmind
The current Martian Overmind, sole ruler of their species, only rose to their current position roughly half a century ago. Prior to that, they were just one of the first Martian Masterminds to have led troops on a raid against Earth -- not the first, not the one who commanded the raid on Duryea. That lack of primacy gives them something of a complex, and informs a number of the choices that they have made during their rule.
Their ascent began after the entity known as the Super Wizard launched what appeared to be a major assault against the headquarters of the former Overmind, then located in what humans refer to as the Utopia impact crater on Mars. The Overmind survived, but only because the Super Wizard seemed distracted, and the episode provoked what could be termed a vote of non-confidence among the Masterminds. Essentially, the Overmind was required to use their psychic mind control abilities against each of the Masterminds in turn; should any of them prove resistant to them, the resistant Mastermind would be elevated to become the new Overmind.
Of course, this was not a test of will alone, but also of cunning, for each of the Masterminds possessed techniques that (they believed) would assist their resistance, and each of them sought to sabotage the techniques used by the others. The current Overmind believes that they succeeded in sabotaging all of the others while preserving their own, but is not completely certain. The possibility that they rose only because someone decided, for unfathomable reasons, to throw the competition, is one that haunts them.
Regardless, the former Overmind acknowledged their victory, and administered the hormone treatments that transformed them into a new Overmind, possessing vast psychic powers but a diminished body. They then assisted the former Overmind to commit suicide, breathing a sigh of relief that the tradition of former Overminds attempting to psychically transfer their consciousnesses into their successors had fallen into disfavor generations earlier. (At least, they were relieved initially. Now they wonder whether they could have withstood such an assault, whether the fact that they were never tested in that way indicates some weakness on their part.)
Now the new Overmind was left with the decision about what to do about Earth. As their monitoring of the planet revealed that the Super-Wizard had apparently departed the planet for unfathomable reasons, they decided to continue the raids, but urged greater caution on the parts of their Mastermind followers than in the past. They also chose to entertain contact with Vaskhane for the first time, trading Martian psi-electronic technology for improved "cold" tech that could enhance their weapons and vehicles. Both decisions caused grumbling from the Masterminds, but no challenge. Not yet.
The alliance with Vaskhane eventually led to an arranged meeting on Mars between Vaskhane and a human faction, which the Overmind regarded with distaste. Nevertheless, they agreed to participate, and were horrified when another human faction attacked Mars, in cooperation with the blasted Aqueroddi! Immense damage was done to their fortress at Cydonia, and they themselves were wounded. For months, all the Martians hid beneath their fortresses, certain that the nuclear retaliation they had feared for decades was finally upon them.
It never materialized. Not even after two decades, when humans actually intervened to prevent a different alien from attacking Mars, which sent the Martians back beneath their fortresses once again. The Overmind eventually came to the conclusion that these strange beings from another world were never going to take their richly-deserved vengeance. How utterly bewildering!
Unfortunately, this leads to the conclusion that they owe Earth a debt of gratitude. The raids cannot resume until that debt is repaid, and this is causing considerable strains among the Martians -- the youngest Masterminds are untested, and the population of the troopers is exceeding the resources needed to feed them. Obviously, there is no question that the raids must resume; the notion of peaceful coexistence is utterly ridiculous. But how to repay that debt? The Overmind must find a way and soon, or face a vote of non-confidence of their own -- and they are not sanguine about their ability to triumph there, either.
Martian Overmind -- PL 11
Abilities:
STR -2 | STA 4 | AGL -2 | DEX -1 | FGT -2 | INT 11 | AWE 5 | PRE 3
Powers:
Mind Field: Sustained Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Powers - 6 points
Psychokinetic Shield: Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Sustained Impervious Protection 10 - 30 points
Telepathic Basics: Selective Area Mental Communication 4 [planetary], Limited (only level 3 [national] with non-Martians) - 23 points
Telepathic Techniques: Array (44 points)
Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (ruler of Mars), Eidetic Memory, Equipment X, Jack-of-all-trades, Seize Initiative, Second Chance (resistance to mind control), Speed of Thought, Well-informed.
Skills:
Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 2 (+13), Expertise: Military 3 (+14), Expertise: Science 3 (+14), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+11), Investigation 4 (+15), Perception 8 (+13).
Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed -2 (Close Damage -2)
Psychic Blast -- (Perception Range Damage 11, Resisted by Will
Dominate Mind -- (Perception Range Will 11)
Defense:
Dodge 2, Parry 1, Fortitude 7, Toughness 14, Will 15
Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 122 + Advantages 8 + Skills 21 + Defenses 20 = 205 points
Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 10
Complications:
Power--Motivation. Deep-seated Insecurities. Sessile (no movement without dedicated equipment.) Weakness (dies in Earth atmosphere without protection.)
The current Martian Overmind, sole ruler of their species, only rose to their current position roughly half a century ago. Prior to that, they were just one of the first Martian Masterminds to have led troops on a raid against Earth -- not the first, not the one who commanded the raid on Duryea. That lack of primacy gives them something of a complex, and informs a number of the choices that they have made during their rule.
Their ascent began after the entity known as the Super Wizard launched what appeared to be a major assault against the headquarters of the former Overmind, then located in what humans refer to as the Utopia impact crater on Mars. The Overmind survived, but only because the Super Wizard seemed distracted, and the episode provoked what could be termed a vote of non-confidence among the Masterminds. Essentially, the Overmind was required to use their psychic mind control abilities against each of the Masterminds in turn; should any of them prove resistant to them, the resistant Mastermind would be elevated to become the new Overmind.
Of course, this was not a test of will alone, but also of cunning, for each of the Masterminds possessed techniques that (they believed) would assist their resistance, and each of them sought to sabotage the techniques used by the others. The current Overmind believes that they succeeded in sabotaging all of the others while preserving their own, but is not completely certain. The possibility that they rose only because someone decided, for unfathomable reasons, to throw the competition, is one that haunts them.
Regardless, the former Overmind acknowledged their victory, and administered the hormone treatments that transformed them into a new Overmind, possessing vast psychic powers but a diminished body. They then assisted the former Overmind to commit suicide, breathing a sigh of relief that the tradition of former Overminds attempting to psychically transfer their consciousnesses into their successors had fallen into disfavor generations earlier. (At least, they were relieved initially. Now they wonder whether they could have withstood such an assault, whether the fact that they were never tested in that way indicates some weakness on their part.)
Now the new Overmind was left with the decision about what to do about Earth. As their monitoring of the planet revealed that the Super-Wizard had apparently departed the planet for unfathomable reasons, they decided to continue the raids, but urged greater caution on the parts of their Mastermind followers than in the past. They also chose to entertain contact with Vaskhane for the first time, trading Martian psi-electronic technology for improved "cold" tech that could enhance their weapons and vehicles. Both decisions caused grumbling from the Masterminds, but no challenge. Not yet.
The alliance with Vaskhane eventually led to an arranged meeting on Mars between Vaskhane and a human faction, which the Overmind regarded with distaste. Nevertheless, they agreed to participate, and were horrified when another human faction attacked Mars, in cooperation with the blasted Aqueroddi! Immense damage was done to their fortress at Cydonia, and they themselves were wounded. For months, all the Martians hid beneath their fortresses, certain that the nuclear retaliation they had feared for decades was finally upon them.
It never materialized. Not even after two decades, when humans actually intervened to prevent a different alien from attacking Mars, which sent the Martians back beneath their fortresses once again. The Overmind eventually came to the conclusion that these strange beings from another world were never going to take their richly-deserved vengeance. How utterly bewildering!
Unfortunately, this leads to the conclusion that they owe Earth a debt of gratitude. The raids cannot resume until that debt is repaid, and this is causing considerable strains among the Martians -- the youngest Masterminds are untested, and the population of the troopers is exceeding the resources needed to feed them. Obviously, there is no question that the raids must resume; the notion of peaceful coexistence is utterly ridiculous. But how to repay that debt? The Overmind must find a way and soon, or face a vote of non-confidence of their own -- and they are not sanguine about their ability to triumph there, either.
Martian Overmind -- PL 11
Abilities:
STR -2 | STA 4 | AGL -2 | DEX -1 | FGT -2 | INT 11 | AWE 5 | PRE 3
Powers:
Mind Field: Sustained Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Powers - 6 points
Psychokinetic Shield: Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Sustained Impervious Protection 10 - 30 points
Telepathic Basics: Selective Area Mental Communication 4 [planetary], Limited (only level 3 [national] with non-Martians) - 23 points
Telepathic Techniques: Array (44 points)
- Implant Image: Illusion 11 (all senses), Insidious, Limited to One Subject, Dynamic - 45 points
- Dominate Mind: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 11 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
- Invade Thoughts: Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 11, Dynamic - 2 points
- Mass Domination: Burst Area 3 (500 foot radius) Affliction 11 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
- Psychic Blast: Perception Range Damage 11, Resisted by Will, Dynamic - 2 points
Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (ruler of Mars), Eidetic Memory, Equipment X, Jack-of-all-trades, Seize Initiative, Second Chance (resistance to mind control), Speed of Thought, Well-informed.
Skills:
Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 2 (+13), Expertise: Military 3 (+14), Expertise: Science 3 (+14), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+11), Investigation 4 (+15), Perception 8 (+13).
Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed -2 (Close Damage -2)
Psychic Blast -- (Perception Range Damage 11, Resisted by Will
Dominate Mind -- (Perception Range Will 11)
Defense:
Dodge 2, Parry 1, Fortitude 7, Toughness 14, Will 15
Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 122 + Advantages 8 + Skills 21 + Defenses 20 = 205 points
Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 10
Complications:
Power--Motivation. Deep-seated Insecurities. Sessile (no movement without dedicated equipment.) Weakness (dies in Earth atmosphere without protection.)
Davies
Legend
Kids Unlimited
An organization established in June of 2021 to provide training and support to young adolescent superpowers, sponsored by the Bethany Ryan Trust. It has its origins in a conversation between the True Believer and Exelion in January of that year. (From Exelion's perspective, it took place in January of 2018.) She was a bit startled to find the elder statesman of the superpower community waiting for her outside her apartment, but agreed to hear him out when he stated that she was his only real peer in the field of mentoring young superheroes. (As True has often wondered whether she is actually getting through to the Minor League, that statement was both startling and immensely satisfying.)
The essence of the conversation was that, while the Futurian Academy and the Minor League had both done well in training late adolescent superpowers to take up a socially responsible role, whether as a hero or as a law-abiding citizen, neither group were doing quite as well as they could. This could be demonstrated by the way that half of the Minor League had been offered the opportunity to study at the Academy but turned it down, and by events ranging from the Megawatt episode to the death of Kyoseki to the recent formation of Project Mayhem. What seemed to be needed, they agreed, was a way to start training superpowers at an even younger age, but the Academy could not afford to open a middle school division, and True found it difficult enough to look after the pupils she already had.
So what was needed was an organization that they would be able to monitor but would be operated by a group of trustworthy employees. The two of them contacted entrepreneurial adventurer Max Ryan, who happened to be in Philadelphia at the time. (The coincidence made True give Exelion a rather skeptical glance, to which he only smiled serenely.) Intrigued by the possibilities, and hopeful that these young heroes might be helpful in his own long-term quest, Ryan agreed to sponsor and staff the organization, turning to some of his allies in Argus Security to vet its employees. (All three of them realized that this meant that Argus would be slipping a handler for the new group in, and accepted this as necessary.)
In the months leading up to the formal establishment of the Bethany Ryan School for Accelerated Studies, set to open in August, a total of seven young superpowers, ranging in age from twelve to fourteen, have been discovered and recruited to attend the facility, located in Columbus, Ohio. Of these, four have been approved for field work, with the others still requiring practice to use their powers in a safe manner. In addition to them, the school will have an additional eighty non-superpower students, including many children and dependents of Argus personnel. (This was added at the insistence of the True Believer, who argued that her greatest problem with the Academy's program was that it failed to adequately educate its students about living in a world where most of the populace does not have superpowers.)
Of course, there are still two months before the school doors open, and anything could happen between now and then ...
An organization established in June of 2021 to provide training and support to young adolescent superpowers, sponsored by the Bethany Ryan Trust. It has its origins in a conversation between the True Believer and Exelion in January of that year. (From Exelion's perspective, it took place in January of 2018.) She was a bit startled to find the elder statesman of the superpower community waiting for her outside her apartment, but agreed to hear him out when he stated that she was his only real peer in the field of mentoring young superheroes. (As True has often wondered whether she is actually getting through to the Minor League, that statement was both startling and immensely satisfying.)
The essence of the conversation was that, while the Futurian Academy and the Minor League had both done well in training late adolescent superpowers to take up a socially responsible role, whether as a hero or as a law-abiding citizen, neither group were doing quite as well as they could. This could be demonstrated by the way that half of the Minor League had been offered the opportunity to study at the Academy but turned it down, and by events ranging from the Megawatt episode to the death of Kyoseki to the recent formation of Project Mayhem. What seemed to be needed, they agreed, was a way to start training superpowers at an even younger age, but the Academy could not afford to open a middle school division, and True found it difficult enough to look after the pupils she already had.
So what was needed was an organization that they would be able to monitor but would be operated by a group of trustworthy employees. The two of them contacted entrepreneurial adventurer Max Ryan, who happened to be in Philadelphia at the time. (The coincidence made True give Exelion a rather skeptical glance, to which he only smiled serenely.) Intrigued by the possibilities, and hopeful that these young heroes might be helpful in his own long-term quest, Ryan agreed to sponsor and staff the organization, turning to some of his allies in Argus Security to vet its employees. (All three of them realized that this meant that Argus would be slipping a handler for the new group in, and accepted this as necessary.)
In the months leading up to the formal establishment of the Bethany Ryan School for Accelerated Studies, set to open in August, a total of seven young superpowers, ranging in age from twelve to fourteen, have been discovered and recruited to attend the facility, located in Columbus, Ohio. Of these, four have been approved for field work, with the others still requiring practice to use their powers in a safe manner. In addition to them, the school will have an additional eighty non-superpower students, including many children and dependents of Argus personnel. (This was added at the insistence of the True Believer, who argued that her greatest problem with the Academy's program was that it failed to adequately educate its students about living in a world where most of the populace does not have superpowers.)
Of course, there are still two months before the school doors open, and anything could happen between now and then ...
Davies
Legend
Susan Goldilocks
At fourteen, Susan Boulé is the oldest and (by standard chronology) first recruited of the superpower students who will be studying at the Bethany Ryan School. She's aware that what this really means is that she will be there only for a short time before she (hopefully) graduates and moves on to study at the Academy with 'the big kids', and intends to learn and do as much as she can before that happens. This gives her something of a manic demeanor and leaves her constantly on the go, but that is something of a façade that covers a calculating and well-organized personality.
Her powers are passive ones; she has one of the most well-developed natural psychic defenses ever encountered, making her utterly resistant to any sort of telepathic intrusion, and is able to see through illusions to the point where she sometimes fails to notice that they are even present. (It seems likely that the latter is partially due to the former, but she has demonstrably ignored illusions with no psychic content.) Susan also possesses considerable charisma and social skills that is only developing as she matures. While her presence is not yet a superpower, that will likely come in time.
That talent has been put to service in her career as a teenage detective in Bangor, Maine. In the course of the past three years, she has arranged to meet and help a wide variety of her fellow citizens, all of whom are happy to pay back the favor by giving her help in return. While she has and uses a smartphone, her web of contacts and favors exists mostly in her mind. She expects that she will spend a lot of time doing the same thing in Columbus, and later in Cardiff as well.
Her most obvious weakness is her lack of any offensive or (physically) defensive powers. In consideration of this, in their second meeting (from his perspective; first as far as she knows from her own) Exelion gave her a force field-generating ring that should protect her -- not the weakest example that he had to hand, which would be useless, nor the most powerful one, which might make her too careless, but one that was just right for her needs. It has saved her life at least once so far, and she only takes it off to bathe.
Her actual greatest weakness is her history. Susan was born in Montreal (though she enjoys dual citizenship as her mother is of American origin) to a small-time gangster who worked for someone called l'Évêque. She has not been able to find out many details, for obvious reasons, but eight years ago, when she was only six years old, her father incurred the ire of his employer and died soon after. Her mother fled Quebec to take shelter in Maine, and raised Susan there as a single mother.
Susan has not yet worked out how she feels about all this. On the one hand, she thinks that her father probably suffered a richly-deserved fate, since he was a criminal, and likely responsible for causing many more broken families than the one he left behind. On the other hand, he was her father, and she should probably do something about the person responsible for his death on general principles. So that has become her long-term goal, to get through all her schooling, learn how to use all her talents, and then return to Montreal and dismantle the criminal empire of l'Évêque.
There are just two problems with this plan, one of which she knows and one she does not. Sometimes, when she thinks about doing that, a treacherous voice whispers that she could also take charge of that kingdom, since living well is the best revenge. The other is that potent psychic defenses and inhuman charisma are two attributes that the man called l'Évêque also possesses ...
Susan Goldilocks -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR -1 | STA 0 | AGL 1 | DEX 1 | FGT 0 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 5
Powers:
Armored Mind: Immunity 20 (mental effects) - 20 points
Force Field Ring: Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3), Permanent; Impervious Protection 8; Removable (-4 points) - 18 points
True Sight: Senses 2 (vision counters illusion) - 2 points
Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Equipment, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language (French), Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.
Equipment:
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+3), Close Combat: Grab 4 (+4), Deception 1 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+5), Insight 4 (+7), Investigation 3 (+5), Perception 2 (+5), Persuasion 3 (+8), Stealth 4 (+5).
Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -1)
Grab +4 (Close Grab 1)
Defense:
Dodge 4/1, Parry 4/1, Fortitude 2, Toughness 8/0, Will 6
Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 40 + Advantages 14 + Skills 13 + Defenses 6 = 95 points
Offensive PL: 3
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 3
Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family (mother.) Minor. Secret. Temptation of Power.
At fourteen, Susan Boulé is the oldest and (by standard chronology) first recruited of the superpower students who will be studying at the Bethany Ryan School. She's aware that what this really means is that she will be there only for a short time before she (hopefully) graduates and moves on to study at the Academy with 'the big kids', and intends to learn and do as much as she can before that happens. This gives her something of a manic demeanor and leaves her constantly on the go, but that is something of a façade that covers a calculating and well-organized personality.
Her powers are passive ones; she has one of the most well-developed natural psychic defenses ever encountered, making her utterly resistant to any sort of telepathic intrusion, and is able to see through illusions to the point where she sometimes fails to notice that they are even present. (It seems likely that the latter is partially due to the former, but she has demonstrably ignored illusions with no psychic content.) Susan also possesses considerable charisma and social skills that is only developing as she matures. While her presence is not yet a superpower, that will likely come in time.
That talent has been put to service in her career as a teenage detective in Bangor, Maine. In the course of the past three years, she has arranged to meet and help a wide variety of her fellow citizens, all of whom are happy to pay back the favor by giving her help in return. While she has and uses a smartphone, her web of contacts and favors exists mostly in her mind. She expects that she will spend a lot of time doing the same thing in Columbus, and later in Cardiff as well.
Her most obvious weakness is her lack of any offensive or (physically) defensive powers. In consideration of this, in their second meeting (from his perspective; first as far as she knows from her own) Exelion gave her a force field-generating ring that should protect her -- not the weakest example that he had to hand, which would be useless, nor the most powerful one, which might make her too careless, but one that was just right for her needs. It has saved her life at least once so far, and she only takes it off to bathe.
Her actual greatest weakness is her history. Susan was born in Montreal (though she enjoys dual citizenship as her mother is of American origin) to a small-time gangster who worked for someone called l'Évêque. She has not been able to find out many details, for obvious reasons, but eight years ago, when she was only six years old, her father incurred the ire of his employer and died soon after. Her mother fled Quebec to take shelter in Maine, and raised Susan there as a single mother.
Susan has not yet worked out how she feels about all this. On the one hand, she thinks that her father probably suffered a richly-deserved fate, since he was a criminal, and likely responsible for causing many more broken families than the one he left behind. On the other hand, he was her father, and she should probably do something about the person responsible for his death on general principles. So that has become her long-term goal, to get through all her schooling, learn how to use all her talents, and then return to Montreal and dismantle the criminal empire of l'Évêque.
There are just two problems with this plan, one of which she knows and one she does not. Sometimes, when she thinks about doing that, a treacherous voice whispers that she could also take charge of that kingdom, since living well is the best revenge. The other is that potent psychic defenses and inhuman charisma are two attributes that the man called l'Évêque also possesses ...
Susan Goldilocks -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR -1 | STA 0 | AGL 1 | DEX 1 | FGT 0 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 5
Powers:
Armored Mind: Immunity 20 (mental effects) - 20 points
Force Field Ring: Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3), Permanent; Impervious Protection 8; Removable (-4 points) - 18 points
True Sight: Senses 2 (vision counters illusion) - 2 points
Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Equipment, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language (French), Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.
Equipment:
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+3), Close Combat: Grab 4 (+4), Deception 1 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+5), Insight 4 (+7), Investigation 3 (+5), Perception 2 (+5), Persuasion 3 (+8), Stealth 4 (+5).
Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -1)
Grab +4 (Close Grab 1)
Defense:
Dodge 4/1, Parry 4/1, Fortitude 2, Toughness 8/0, Will 6
Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 40 + Advantages 14 + Skills 13 + Defenses 6 = 95 points
Offensive PL: 3
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 3
Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family (mother.) Minor. Secret. Temptation of Power.
Living well is indeed the best revenge, but it doesn't mean it and taking control of l'Évêque's empire are the same thing, if anything it'd be the opposite...
She and her sister(?) are bound to meet...
Davies
Legend
She's very young, and still has rose-tinted memories of her childhood (luxurious by comparison to life in Bangor) that are influencing her in unfortunate ways.
No comment.
Davies
Legend
Jack B. Nimble
Perhaps the strangest member of the Kids Unlimited team, Jeck (to use the pronunciation she prefers) is a refugee from the World More Sorceress, arriving on the World Less Magical at the same time that the Academy's current team returned from their recent mission on that parallel reality. As she was not present when they departed, and her account of events indicates she was nowhere near there, it seems likely that her journey was caused by some unknown party on that world, likely one of the Immortals who reside there. Her presence on Earth was not discovered until a few days afterwards when the confused youngster first encountered Black Mouser, who managed to calm her panic and bring her back to the Academy to find out what was going on.
Physical examination suggested that Jeck was around thirteen years of age, and extremely malnourished. When communication was established, she was unable to explain much about her background. While she has dim memories of growing up in a castle in the mountains, her clearest memories are of the giants descending from those mountains and devastating her home, eating many of the people who lived there, among them "the nice lady" (likely her mother.) The man she remembers as "sir" (likely her father) survived and began training her as a guerilla warrior against the giants, but died in battle about a year before her translocation. She continued her struggle alone, knowing nothing else.
Uncertain about the motivation of whoever had arranged for Jeck to come here, Exelion nevertheless decided that the best course of action was to arrange for her to be a student at the Bethany Ryan School. There, she could learn how to use her abilities in a less lethal manner than she had to this point, and hopefully heal some of the trauma that she had endured in her short life. It remains an uphill battle, but she is making progress -- notably, she no longer draws her knives at any provocation. That said, the faculty of the school have given up on trying to get her to stop carrying them with her wherever she goes, since she always seems to have a few on hand even if she surrenders those she seemed to be carrying.
Jack has powers of superspeed and enhanced agility, though she has noted that she is both slower and weaker than she remembers being. She is also a deadly knife fighter, though she has had a superheroic code of ethics drilled into her and will generally attack to incapacitate rather than kill. (On at least one occasion, she has demonstrated the ability to cut a suit of clothes to rags without harming the person wearing them.) She also heals wounds more quickly than normal.
While still both shy and skittish, Jeck has established friendships with her teammates, and views herself as charged with their protection. Her closest relationship, however, is with her effective foster mother, Agnes Crystal, who agreed to take her in when she arrived in Columbus. It was Agnes who read her the nursery rhyme from which she took her current nomme de guerre. Jeck refers to her as "the new nice lady", and comes closest to genuine peace when they are together. However, she does not get along at all with Mel, her son, though they both try to pretend to an amity that neither of them feel when Agnes is present. Something about the boy really bothers her, though she has no idea that he is the son of a notorious witch.
Jack B. Nimble -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 5 | DEX 2 | FGT 4 | INT 0 | AWE 2 | PRE 1
Powers:
Faster Than The Eye: Concealment 4 (visual), Limited to While Moving; Enhanced Advantages 3 (Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 15 points
Knife Tricks: Array (5 points); Removable (-1 point)
Advantages:
Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Language (English, [native is not known]), Move-by Action
Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+6), Deception 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Stealth 4 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +13
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Twin Blades +5 (Close Damage 3 or 2, Crit 19-20)
Bladestorm -- (Burst Area Damage 2)
Defense:
Dodge 9/5, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3/1, Will 4.
Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 39 + Advantages 4 + Skills 14 + Defenses 5 = 94 points
Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 4
Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Minor. Phobia (loud noises.) Relationship (Agnes.) Rivalry (Mel.) Unfamiliar With Modern Earth Culture. Unfamiliar With Technology.
Note: If Jack ever travels to the World More Sorcerous, she becomes PL 8; increase all her abilities except INT by 2, increase her Quickness and Speed to 9 ranks each, and increase her Knife Tricks Array to 9 points and add 3 additional ranks of Improved Critical to Twin Blades.
Perhaps the strangest member of the Kids Unlimited team, Jeck (to use the pronunciation she prefers) is a refugee from the World More Sorceress, arriving on the World Less Magical at the same time that the Academy's current team returned from their recent mission on that parallel reality. As she was not present when they departed, and her account of events indicates she was nowhere near there, it seems likely that her journey was caused by some unknown party on that world, likely one of the Immortals who reside there. Her presence on Earth was not discovered until a few days afterwards when the confused youngster first encountered Black Mouser, who managed to calm her panic and bring her back to the Academy to find out what was going on.
Physical examination suggested that Jeck was around thirteen years of age, and extremely malnourished. When communication was established, she was unable to explain much about her background. While she has dim memories of growing up in a castle in the mountains, her clearest memories are of the giants descending from those mountains and devastating her home, eating many of the people who lived there, among them "the nice lady" (likely her mother.) The man she remembers as "sir" (likely her father) survived and began training her as a guerilla warrior against the giants, but died in battle about a year before her translocation. She continued her struggle alone, knowing nothing else.
Uncertain about the motivation of whoever had arranged for Jeck to come here, Exelion nevertheless decided that the best course of action was to arrange for her to be a student at the Bethany Ryan School. There, she could learn how to use her abilities in a less lethal manner than she had to this point, and hopefully heal some of the trauma that she had endured in her short life. It remains an uphill battle, but she is making progress -- notably, she no longer draws her knives at any provocation. That said, the faculty of the school have given up on trying to get her to stop carrying them with her wherever she goes, since she always seems to have a few on hand even if she surrenders those she seemed to be carrying.
Jack has powers of superspeed and enhanced agility, though she has noted that she is both slower and weaker than she remembers being. She is also a deadly knife fighter, though she has had a superheroic code of ethics drilled into her and will generally attack to incapacitate rather than kill. (On at least one occasion, she has demonstrated the ability to cut a suit of clothes to rags without harming the person wearing them.) She also heals wounds more quickly than normal.
While still both shy and skittish, Jeck has established friendships with her teammates, and views herself as charged with their protection. Her closest relationship, however, is with her effective foster mother, Agnes Crystal, who agreed to take her in when she arrived in Columbus. It was Agnes who read her the nursery rhyme from which she took her current nomme de guerre. Jeck refers to her as "the new nice lady", and comes closest to genuine peace when they are together. However, she does not get along at all with Mel, her son, though they both try to pretend to an amity that neither of them feel when Agnes is present. Something about the boy really bothers her, though she has no idea that he is the son of a notorious witch.
Jack B. Nimble -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 5 | DEX 2 | FGT 4 | INT 0 | AWE 2 | PRE 1
Powers:
Faster Than The Eye: Concealment 4 (visual), Limited to While Moving; Enhanced Advantages 3 (Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 15 points
Knife Tricks: Array (5 points); Removable (-1 point)
- Bladestorm: Selective Burst Area Strength-based Damage 1 - 5 points
- Twin Blades: Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical, Split Attack - 1 points
Advantages:
Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Language (English, [native is not known]), Move-by Action
Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+6), Deception 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Stealth 4 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +13
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Twin Blades +5 (Close Damage 3 or 2, Crit 19-20)
Bladestorm -- (Burst Area Damage 2)
Defense:
Dodge 9/5, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3/1, Will 4.
Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 39 + Advantages 4 + Skills 14 + Defenses 5 = 94 points
Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 4
Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Minor. Phobia (loud noises.) Relationship (Agnes.) Rivalry (Mel.) Unfamiliar With Modern Earth Culture. Unfamiliar With Technology.
Note: If Jack ever travels to the World More Sorcerous, she becomes PL 8; increase all her abilities except INT by 2, increase her Quickness and Speed to 9 ranks each, and increase her Knife Tricks Array to 9 points and add 3 additional ranks of Improved Critical to Twin Blades.
Davies
Legend
Kansho
According to Aesop, a man and a satyr, having struck up an acquaintance, sat down together to eat. The day being wintry and cold, the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew upon them. "What's that for?" asked the satyr. "My hands are so cold," said the man, "I do it to warm them." In a little while some hot food was placed before them, and the man, raising the dish to his mouth, again blew upon it. "And what's the meaning of that?" said the satyr. "Oh," replied the man, "my porridge is so hot, I do it to cool it." "Well, then," said the satyr, "from this moment I renounce your friendship, for I will have nothing to do with one who blows hot and cold with the same mouth." Fables are not all deep and profound meditations on human nature, you see.
When the True Believer "discovered" Joey Hayashida -- several weeks after the teenager first posted videos on YouTube of himself engaging in small-time heroics in Queens -- she naturally flew there to talk with him and his parents about enrolling in the school she was helping to put together. True was more than a bit surprised when his single mother turned out to have been expecting her and negotiated rather forcefully about the terms of his enrollment, notably insisting on a job for herself as a gym teacher at the new school. Once all the dealing was done, though, Mariko Hayashida explained her concerns and the source of the powers Joey now possessed.
She herself had been born in the Shadow School, undergone the training and grown up to be a skilled and accomplished practitioner of their trad-- "You can just say ninja," interrupted True. -- fine, a ninja. And by the time she reached adulthood, the Shadow School had taken on many treacherous and dangerous jobs in order to survive. On one such assignment, which took her to Guangzhou in China, she met a superpowered renegade with whom she, after a long story made much shorter, fell in love and had Joey. As this was well outside her mission, and as news came that the School had begun to turn away from these criminal missions, she knew that she could never go back, and so she took her son and went into hiding, repeatedly, all over the world.
Joey has been strongly influenced by all this, and is a rather boastful young man who frequently tells highly exaggerated tales of his exploits. He both figuratively and literally blows hot and cold air -- damagingly hot and cold, respectively -- from his mouth. (His "arts alias" derives from a word in Japanese that means "hot-and-cold".) On top of that, he has been carefully taught the basics of the Shadow School traditions, and is a trained unarmed combatant, if not quite the master of the martial arts that he imagines himself as being. Nevertheless, he has a good heart and desires to help people, if only to show off and add some excitement to his life.
One thing that Joey does not know (but that his mother has passed on to the administration of the school) is that it seems likely that his father has become one of the members of the Sīfa Zhuānjiā, a group of largely heroic Chinese superpowers who operate in the shadows of their nation, feared and hated by those they try to protect. If this is the case, then he and his mother could act as go-betweens if the Howard School ever needs assistance from the other group ...
Kansho -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 2 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 2
Powers:
Breath Weapons: Array (16 points)
Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Language 2 (Japanese, Mandarin, others, [English is native].)
Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+8), Deception 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 3 (+7).
Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)
Blows Cold or Blows Hot -- (Line Area Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 5
Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 27 + Advantages 6 + Skills 11 + Defenses 16 = 94 points
Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 2
Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Blustery. Family (mother.) Minor. Secret.
According to Aesop, a man and a satyr, having struck up an acquaintance, sat down together to eat. The day being wintry and cold, the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew upon them. "What's that for?" asked the satyr. "My hands are so cold," said the man, "I do it to warm them." In a little while some hot food was placed before them, and the man, raising the dish to his mouth, again blew upon it. "And what's the meaning of that?" said the satyr. "Oh," replied the man, "my porridge is so hot, I do it to cool it." "Well, then," said the satyr, "from this moment I renounce your friendship, for I will have nothing to do with one who blows hot and cold with the same mouth." Fables are not all deep and profound meditations on human nature, you see.
When the True Believer "discovered" Joey Hayashida -- several weeks after the teenager first posted videos on YouTube of himself engaging in small-time heroics in Queens -- she naturally flew there to talk with him and his parents about enrolling in the school she was helping to put together. True was more than a bit surprised when his single mother turned out to have been expecting her and negotiated rather forcefully about the terms of his enrollment, notably insisting on a job for herself as a gym teacher at the new school. Once all the dealing was done, though, Mariko Hayashida explained her concerns and the source of the powers Joey now possessed.
She herself had been born in the Shadow School, undergone the training and grown up to be a skilled and accomplished practitioner of their trad-- "You can just say ninja," interrupted True. -- fine, a ninja. And by the time she reached adulthood, the Shadow School had taken on many treacherous and dangerous jobs in order to survive. On one such assignment, which took her to Guangzhou in China, she met a superpowered renegade with whom she, after a long story made much shorter, fell in love and had Joey. As this was well outside her mission, and as news came that the School had begun to turn away from these criminal missions, she knew that she could never go back, and so she took her son and went into hiding, repeatedly, all over the world.
Joey has been strongly influenced by all this, and is a rather boastful young man who frequently tells highly exaggerated tales of his exploits. He both figuratively and literally blows hot and cold air -- damagingly hot and cold, respectively -- from his mouth. (His "arts alias" derives from a word in Japanese that means "hot-and-cold".) On top of that, he has been carefully taught the basics of the Shadow School traditions, and is a trained unarmed combatant, if not quite the master of the martial arts that he imagines himself as being. Nevertheless, he has a good heart and desires to help people, if only to show off and add some excitement to his life.
One thing that Joey does not know (but that his mother has passed on to the administration of the school) is that it seems likely that his father has become one of the members of the Sīfa Zhuānjiā, a group of largely heroic Chinese superpowers who operate in the shadows of their nation, feared and hated by those they try to protect. If this is the case, then he and his mother could act as go-betweens if the Howard School ever needs assistance from the other group ...
Kansho -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 2 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 2
Powers:
Breath Weapons: Array (16 points)
- Blows Cold: Line Area 2 Damage 5, Subtle (cold)
- Blows Hot: Line Area 2 Damage 5, Subtle (heat)
Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Language 2 (Japanese, Mandarin, others, [English is native].)
Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+8), Deception 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 3 (+7).
Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)
Blows Cold or Blows Hot -- (Line Area Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 5
Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 27 + Advantages 6 + Skills 11 + Defenses 16 = 94 points
Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 2
Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Blustery. Family (mother.) Minor. Secret.
Davies
Legend
Simon
Art by Lew Davis
The youngest of the first grouping of students under the Kids Unlimited banner, Paul Bilal was faintly bewildered when it came time to choose a superhero name for himself. Nothing he had been through in the first twelve years of his life prepared him for any of this, and he found the fuss over the fact that he could draw things quickly to be ridiculous. On hearing the nursery rhyme, fable and folktale-inspired names of his fellow students, he asked if he might go by the name "Simple Simon". He was talked out of the first part, but the reference to a cartoon series he has never heard of appealed to his mentors. Particularly since the things he draws do, in fact, come true.
The only student at the Bethany Ryan School to be a resident of Columbus, Paul is the child of relatively recent immigrants to the United States from Mauretania; his father drives a taxi and his mother cleans houses. They contacted the school soon after its foundation was announced and revealed their son's talents to them, hoping that he could be taught how to use them more discreetly than he had been to this point. For his part, he seems to genuinely not understand what the excitement is all about, but is happy to use this talent to help other people.
Simon is one of the most potentially powerful superpowers ever identified, and the Morrison Institute is still struggling to develop terminology to explain what he does. The current best guess is that he is able to project extremely realistic-seeming force fields that are often directed by fragments of his consciousness, and that channel highly versatile energy controlling abilities through them. In practice, anything that he draws, in any medium, can be brought to life. His only limits are those of his imagination, the time that it takes to produce the image, and his inability to portray certain things. (He is unable to depict invisible objects, for example, with his best efforts producing translucent ones.) He notably cannot draw things "in advance" -- once a drawing is finished, in his opinion, there is a relatively narrow window of opportunity, roughly six seconds in length, for it to become animate, after which it will just be a drawing. (He refers to such sketches as "cold" in contrast to the "hot" ones that he can use.)
Simon prefers to use his sketchbook and pencils to create his images, but can and has used different materials. Only preventing him from making any mark in any surface would suffice to prevent him from his art, though unfamiliar or rough methods (a stick or finger in dirt, for example) would likely require longer periods of drawing and limit the subject matter that he could represent. The possibility that he could expand his powers to include transforming any form of art into a reality is somewhat terrifying to some observers.
Simon -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 1 | INT 1 | AWE 1 | PRE 1
Powers:
Fast Sketch: Quickness 3, Limited to Drawing - 1 point
Sketchpad: Variable 8 (summoned and created objects), Check Required (Expertise: Art, DC 17) - 49 points
Typical Settings:
Default: Summon Heroic Monster 6, Controlled - 30 points (DC 23)
Emergency Weapon: Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 2; Easily Removable (-6 points) - 12 points (DC 20)
Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative, Language (English, [French is native]).
Skills:
Expertise: Art 6 (+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+5), Insight 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+6)
Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage 0)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 12 + Powers 50 + Advantages 3 + Skills 10 + Defenses 17 = 92 points
Offensive PL: 1*
Defensive PL: 4*
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2
Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Innocent. Minor. Power Loss (Sketchpad, if unable to draw.)
Art by Lew Davis
The youngest of the first grouping of students under the Kids Unlimited banner, Paul Bilal was faintly bewildered when it came time to choose a superhero name for himself. Nothing he had been through in the first twelve years of his life prepared him for any of this, and he found the fuss over the fact that he could draw things quickly to be ridiculous. On hearing the nursery rhyme, fable and folktale-inspired names of his fellow students, he asked if he might go by the name "Simple Simon". He was talked out of the first part, but the reference to a cartoon series he has never heard of appealed to his mentors. Particularly since the things he draws do, in fact, come true.
The only student at the Bethany Ryan School to be a resident of Columbus, Paul is the child of relatively recent immigrants to the United States from Mauretania; his father drives a taxi and his mother cleans houses. They contacted the school soon after its foundation was announced and revealed their son's talents to them, hoping that he could be taught how to use them more discreetly than he had been to this point. For his part, he seems to genuinely not understand what the excitement is all about, but is happy to use this talent to help other people.
Simon is one of the most potentially powerful superpowers ever identified, and the Morrison Institute is still struggling to develop terminology to explain what he does. The current best guess is that he is able to project extremely realistic-seeming force fields that are often directed by fragments of his consciousness, and that channel highly versatile energy controlling abilities through them. In practice, anything that he draws, in any medium, can be brought to life. His only limits are those of his imagination, the time that it takes to produce the image, and his inability to portray certain things. (He is unable to depict invisible objects, for example, with his best efforts producing translucent ones.) He notably cannot draw things "in advance" -- once a drawing is finished, in his opinion, there is a relatively narrow window of opportunity, roughly six seconds in length, for it to become animate, after which it will just be a drawing. (He refers to such sketches as "cold" in contrast to the "hot" ones that he can use.)
Simon prefers to use his sketchbook and pencils to create his images, but can and has used different materials. Only preventing him from making any mark in any surface would suffice to prevent him from his art, though unfamiliar or rough methods (a stick or finger in dirt, for example) would likely require longer periods of drawing and limit the subject matter that he could represent. The possibility that he could expand his powers to include transforming any form of art into a reality is somewhat terrifying to some observers.
Simon -- PL 6
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 1 | INT 1 | AWE 1 | PRE 1
Powers:
Fast Sketch: Quickness 3, Limited to Drawing - 1 point
Sketchpad: Variable 8 (summoned and created objects), Check Required (Expertise: Art, DC 17) - 49 points
Typical Settings:
Default: Summon Heroic Monster 6, Controlled - 30 points (DC 23)
Emergency Weapon: Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 2; Easily Removable (-6 points) - 12 points (DC 20)
Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative, Language (English, [French is native]).
Skills:
Expertise: Art 6 (+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+5), Insight 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+6)
Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage 0)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 12 + Powers 50 + Advantages 3 + Skills 10 + Defenses 17 = 92 points
Offensive PL: 1*
Defensive PL: 4*
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2
Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Innocent. Minor. Power Loss (Sketchpad, if unable to draw.)
Davies
Legend
Mike Macklin/Golden Glow
As has already been stated, nearly twenty years of work by Professor Andrew Gibbon to refine the Ultimate Accelerator devised by his father have produced versions of it that can empower at best poor copies of the powers bestowed on the "test subject" for the original, and whose powers do not last nearly as long between doses. The best results were those obtained when the 2015 version of the formula was tested on one Michael Macklin, a private investigator vetted by Argus, who retained super-speed abilities for nearly a full week. He reported no side effects, but as the formula failed to produce the desired results, Macklin was just thanked and told that Professor Gibbon would contact him if there was anything further.
No one could have predicted, when this happened, that within a year the Blue Bolt would suffer serious injuries during the so-called "Clash of Daikaiju", leaving him physically unable to continue his activities and emotionally uncertain about doing so. Professor Gibbon, with the authorization of his backers, contacted Macklin and offered to outfit him as a replacement for the Blue Bolt, using the current Accelerator formula. According to the after-action report, Gibbon believed that this was to be a temporary measure intended to spur Jimmy Irving to reclaim his identity. There is some evidence that Macklin believed that the position was to be a more permanent one, but no proof that he was deliberately misled that this was the case.
Rather than use the Blue Bolt costume, Macklin wore a metallic yellow suit patterned on the original under the alias of "the Golden Glow". His results were generally good, if not exceptional, especially as other members of the Powerhouse, particularly Polymorph, were willing to assist him. However, Gibbon did notice signs that the experience was giving Macklin something of a swelled head. That said, his activities -- which included far more time spent interacting with the media than the Blue Bolt ever did -- were not dangerous as such, and regarded as useful in some quarters.
After a bit less than two months, however, the Blue Bolt believed himself to be recovered and met with Macklin and Gibbon to discuss what should happen next. He was interested in the prospect of working with the Golden Glow as a partner, and while Macklin was not enthusiastic about that notion, he nevertheless agreed. However, Professor Gibbon interrupted these discussions with the news that Macklin would not be able to continue after all. The length of time he was able to go between doses of the Accelerator had been steadily decreasing, to the point that he could now last only a couple of days between them, and the Professor had also noticed signs that withdrawal symptoms had begun to set in. The formula was beginning to fail.
Macklin refused to accept this, attacked the Professor and the (still unpowered) Blue Bolt, and stole a supply of the formula. While he was unsuccessful in escaping, especially after the Blue Bolt regained his abilities and gave chase, the Golden Glow managed to do a fair amount of damage before he was caught. After the current dose wore off, with the withdrawal symptoms apparent even to himself, Macklin was able to admit that he had a problem, and that he was terrified of going back to being the nothing he had come to consider himself without the powers.
At his trial, Macklin was given a suspended sentence in light of this being his first offense, and required to do five years of community service. It was arranged that he would perform this by giving community and school talks about the dangers of "origin chasing". This has somewhat satisfied his need for public adulation, and he has managed to hide the fact that he still craves the power of the Accelerator even though he also recognizes that it will probably kill him in short order if he starts taking it again. Better to burn out than fade away, right?
Mike Macklin/Golden Glow -- PL 7
Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 2 | DEX 1 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 0
Powers:
Super-Speed: Enhanced Advantages 22 (Agile Feint, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 6, Instant Up, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Movement 3 (wall-crawling 2, water-walking), Limited to running; Quickness 7; Speed 9 (1000 MPH) - 55 points
Fast Attack: Strength-based Selective Burst Area Damage 4 (includes Strength 1) - 11 points
Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative 6, Improvised Weapon, Instant Up, Move-by Action.
Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Intimidation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+5).
Offense:
Initiative +26
Unarmed +9/+6 (Close Damage 1)
Fast Attack -- (Burst Area Damage 4)
Defense:
Dodge 11/5, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3/1, Will 6
Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 66 + Advantages 17 + Skills 11 + Defenses 14 = 130 points
Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2
Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Power Loss (all, without daily serum dose.) Weakness (becomes Impaired on all checks and Vulnerable after dose wears off.)
As has already been stated, nearly twenty years of work by Professor Andrew Gibbon to refine the Ultimate Accelerator devised by his father have produced versions of it that can empower at best poor copies of the powers bestowed on the "test subject" for the original, and whose powers do not last nearly as long between doses. The best results were those obtained when the 2015 version of the formula was tested on one Michael Macklin, a private investigator vetted by Argus, who retained super-speed abilities for nearly a full week. He reported no side effects, but as the formula failed to produce the desired results, Macklin was just thanked and told that Professor Gibbon would contact him if there was anything further.
No one could have predicted, when this happened, that within a year the Blue Bolt would suffer serious injuries during the so-called "Clash of Daikaiju", leaving him physically unable to continue his activities and emotionally uncertain about doing so. Professor Gibbon, with the authorization of his backers, contacted Macklin and offered to outfit him as a replacement for the Blue Bolt, using the current Accelerator formula. According to the after-action report, Gibbon believed that this was to be a temporary measure intended to spur Jimmy Irving to reclaim his identity. There is some evidence that Macklin believed that the position was to be a more permanent one, but no proof that he was deliberately misled that this was the case.
Rather than use the Blue Bolt costume, Macklin wore a metallic yellow suit patterned on the original under the alias of "the Golden Glow". His results were generally good, if not exceptional, especially as other members of the Powerhouse, particularly Polymorph, were willing to assist him. However, Gibbon did notice signs that the experience was giving Macklin something of a swelled head. That said, his activities -- which included far more time spent interacting with the media than the Blue Bolt ever did -- were not dangerous as such, and regarded as useful in some quarters.
After a bit less than two months, however, the Blue Bolt believed himself to be recovered and met with Macklin and Gibbon to discuss what should happen next. He was interested in the prospect of working with the Golden Glow as a partner, and while Macklin was not enthusiastic about that notion, he nevertheless agreed. However, Professor Gibbon interrupted these discussions with the news that Macklin would not be able to continue after all. The length of time he was able to go between doses of the Accelerator had been steadily decreasing, to the point that he could now last only a couple of days between them, and the Professor had also noticed signs that withdrawal symptoms had begun to set in. The formula was beginning to fail.
Macklin refused to accept this, attacked the Professor and the (still unpowered) Blue Bolt, and stole a supply of the formula. While he was unsuccessful in escaping, especially after the Blue Bolt regained his abilities and gave chase, the Golden Glow managed to do a fair amount of damage before he was caught. After the current dose wore off, with the withdrawal symptoms apparent even to himself, Macklin was able to admit that he had a problem, and that he was terrified of going back to being the nothing he had come to consider himself without the powers.
At his trial, Macklin was given a suspended sentence in light of this being his first offense, and required to do five years of community service. It was arranged that he would perform this by giving community and school talks about the dangers of "origin chasing". This has somewhat satisfied his need for public adulation, and he has managed to hide the fact that he still craves the power of the Accelerator even though he also recognizes that it will probably kill him in short order if he starts taking it again. Better to burn out than fade away, right?
Mike Macklin/Golden Glow -- PL 7
Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 2 | DEX 1 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 0
Powers:
Super-Speed: Enhanced Advantages 22 (Agile Feint, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 6, Instant Up, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Movement 3 (wall-crawling 2, water-walking), Limited to running; Quickness 7; Speed 9 (1000 MPH) - 55 points
Fast Attack: Strength-based Selective Burst Area Damage 4 (includes Strength 1) - 11 points
Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative 6, Improvised Weapon, Instant Up, Move-by Action.
Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Intimidation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+5).
Offense:
Initiative +26
Unarmed +9/+6 (Close Damage 1)
Fast Attack -- (Burst Area Damage 4)
Defense:
Dodge 11/5, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3/1, Will 6
Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 66 + Advantages 17 + Skills 11 + Defenses 14 = 130 points
Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2
Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Power Loss (all, without daily serum dose.) Weakness (becomes Impaired on all checks and Vulnerable after dose wears off.)
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