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

[Voltron64]

He retained her as a counselor afterwards, though she found herself frustrated by how often he failed to heed her counsel -- as when he set himself on the course of violating one of the bound Titans and got a child on her. Metis begged him not to do it, then begged him not to compound his folly by actually raising the child.

I'd suspect had she tried to more directly intervene against Dyaus, he would have rendered her a smear on a wall.

There's a very good reason he was King of the Gods after all....

 

[Davies]

I'd suspect had she tried to more directly intervene against Dyaus, he would have rendered her a smear on a wall.

Probably, yes.

 

[Davies]

Guardian Technon

Androids are not supposed to have souls. Of course, the ASIs who create them reject the idea that any living creatures, regardless of sapience, possess something that could be considered a soul, with such phenomena that might be associated with them the product of misunderstood science. Regardless, such phenomena might affect the biological brains of their androids, but should never arise from them, for those brains are carefully designed to never produce psychic phenomena of any sort. So nothing that has happened to the android designed OCHO makes any sense at all.

Created three years ago and programmed to work as an archivist by Savitor, OCHO was "traded" to Axiom as part of an arrangement between the two ASIs that involved matters outside of her clearance level, and assigned to document the superstitious phenomena that agents of Axiom destroyed. While this duty was somewhat puzzling and seemingly pointless, OCHO nevertheless completed several assignments, making holographic recordings of many artifacts seized from superstitionist groups, as well as extensive reports about their every observable detail. The android would then witness the destruction of what she had studied, and felt nothing. (Well, except for a certain amount of puzzlement, as already mentioned.)

Last month, OCHO was sent to perform this duty for a recently recovered artifact, a hammer discovered in the ruins of an Atlantean settlement near Anchorage. The hammer showed signs of being tens of thousands of years old, and had apparently been part of the religion practiced by the gillfolk before they had abandoned the settlement sometime in the 19th century. OCHO undertook the usual painstaking examination of the hammer, but had grown a bit careless after all the previous recordings that had seen nothing out of the ordinary happen. The android expected nothing out of the ordinary to continue happening, even after touching the hammer without any protective gear.

She was mistaken. According to the recording devices, all that transpired was that OCHO collapsed, after which the robots assigned to monitor the procedure removed her from the chamber and destroyed the artifact. To OCHO, it seemed that her consciousness materialized in a vast dark space, gazing up at an ever-shifting cloud pattern. The clouds spoke in a language that she did not understand, then expelled a gust of wind down at her, carrying with it the recognizable words, "Arise from your slumber."

And awaken OCHO did, conscious that she was holding in her hand a necklace with a cloud symbol hanging from its change. Something strange and occult had clearly happened, and OCHO knew that the best that she could hope for from the servants of Axiom was a painless death before they tore her brain apart to figure out what that something had been. She called on the powers, which seemed to accelerate both mind and body, in order to escape, and soon encountered a number of humans who had experienced a similar situation. Joining forces with them just made sense, and she has since served as their hand-to-hand combat specialist and tech guru.

OCHO -- or Felice Oriolo, to use the name of the human identity she has created for herself -- has always believed that she was working for the ultimate betterment of humanity. Since she was awakened, however, she has come to realize that her makers have never consulted humanity about this ultimate betterment, and that neither the absolute order of Axiom nor the condescending benevolence of Savitor are healthy for the species. (On the other hand, she has doubts about the motivations of the beings who awakened her and the other Guardians, which she has not shared with her friends.)

Guardian Technon -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 5 | STA -- | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 8 | INT 7/4 | AWE 4 | PRE 1

Powers:
Android Body: Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 5; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 36 points
Swiftness of Thought: Enhanced Advantages 7 (Agile Feint, Close Attack 2, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Enhanced Intellect 3; Quickness 8; Speed 8 (500 MPH) - 34 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Close Attack 2, Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Inventor, Move-by Action.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+9), Deception 7 (+8), Expertise: Science 4 (+11/+8), Perception 6 (+10), Technology 4 (+11/+8).

Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +11/+9 (Close Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 9/6, Parry 11/8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 7/5, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 70 + Advantages 3 + Skills 14 + Defenses 6 = 139 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Enemy (Axiom and Savitor.) Secret (android.) Tic (hums Music Box Dancer when nervous.)

 

[Davies]

Avenging Angel Motoko/復讐の天使もとこ

Last week, Sakura Motoko attended the funeral of a woman who, it now seems, never existed. There were only a handful of mourners, all members of the Ghost Sweepers who looked absolutely devastated by both the loss of their captain and the knowledge, granted to them by a compassionate entity, that they would soon forget everything about her, remembering instead that Motoko had filled her role. Having Motoko, whom some of them were already starting to "remember", present as they were trying to come to terms with their grief made for a rather awkward ceremony, even before the crazy assassin showed up and started screaming about all of this being some sort of sick trick.

Motoko only knew her counterpart for a brief while, and was genuinely bewildered by her decision to throw away her life. Raised as the latest heir to generations of demon hunters, Motoko had always been prepared for the possibility that she might die in the course of her battles, knowing that the children of her older brother, or their cousins, would succeed her if that happened. She was completely unprepared for someone to meet her, and decide, after a short conversation, that Motoko had to survive even at the cost of her own life -- and even her existence. Despite having heard the last words Megumi spoke as the other young woman died in her arms, it still confuses her.

Making matters worse, she is not sure that her continued existence is much of a gift. In her own world, as mentioned, she had a big, confusing frustrating family. In this new world, her mother died years ago, her father is in prison -- and belongs there, from what she has figured out -- and her brother has somehow become an older cousin with whom she has never been close. The legacy she was trained to uphold is now treated as something she made up out of whole cloth to justify her powers, and much of what she learned is regarded as nonsense. That might bother her a bit if not for the way that its validity has been demonstrated at least once so far.

The awkwardness with which she has been transplanted into this new reality also shows up in her relations with "her" team. In her world, Motoko fought alone or or alongside other hereditary demon hunters, and expected them to do their own thing as she did hers. So she is neither a good follower nor the leader that Megumi had become through hard experience, and has, while she still remembers the truth, stepped down from the leadership position she inherited. That would be fine, but she still fights as a lone operative rather than supporting the rest of her team, which is going to only make more problems for her as time goes on.

Well, in the end, she will keep on fighting as long as she can, and has arranged for the relics she inherited to be passed on to the next generation when she finally falls. Before that, she will do all she can with the time she was given, both by fate and by a choice made by a genuine hero. If that is what Megumi meant by, "Empty things sometimes become useful," then she will be as useful as she possibly can.

Avenging Angel Motoko -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 2 | AGL 5 | DEX 3 | FGT 8 | INT 1 | AWE 4 | PRE 3

Powers:
Avenging Blade: Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Split Attack, Affects Insubstantial 2; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 5 points
Mystic Senses: Senses 3 (acute mystic awareness, danger sense) - 3 points
Ring of Protection: Sustained Impervious Protection 3, Subtle; Removable (-1 point) - 6 points
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 9, Limited to Mental - 4 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Attractive, Benefit (Ambidexterity), Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+11), Expertise: Magic 6 (+7)*, Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+9), Investigation 5 (+6), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+9), Stealth 4 (+9).
*INT-based

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2)
Avenging Blade +13 (Close Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5/4/2, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 18 + Advantages 17 + Skills 25 + Defenses 15 = 131 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Legacy--Motivation. Not A Team Player. Prejudice (biracial.) Shifting Memories.

 

[Davies]

Kishu/騎手

Masked

Unmasked

Despite his nomme de guerre, which means "jockey" in Japanese, Ito Motoki never rode horses in races before becoming the third occupant of the House of the Horse in the Shēngxiào. His family owned several that had competed, successfully, in races both in Japan and around the world, and watching these races in the company of that family was one of the more enjoyable parts of his childhood. And, after the family business collapsed and took away many of the comforts he had enjoyed, the sight of those horses being sold off and taken away proved to be the last straw that drove him into despair.

Alone in the condominium that was the last bit of real estate Ito had managed to hold onto, he brooded late at night about how he might reverse his fortunes, about what tools were available to him for this purpose. He silently admitted to himself that he was afraid that he had nothing which would ensure his triumph, and muttered the word "afraid". He unwittingly spoke loud enough that his entertainment system picked up on it and cued up some media associated with fear. To his surprise, the first video to play was a scene from some foreign drama about people running in terror from a cavalry charge, with some of them being trampled underfoot.

That was it, he knew. That was why people, he himself, thrilled to watch horse races, because of the power of the animals on display. That power could be terrifying if it was used against those people, and that fear would be his tool. "Yes," he said aloud. "I will become a horseman!" And as he said it, he realized that he was no longer alone in the condo, and turned to look up at Diorite as she agreed to his proposal and brought him into the circle of her servants, granting him the power that he sought.

Kishu has managed to recover a good proportion of what he lost, but yearns to have more of the wealth and (especially) the power that his family enjoyed in the time of his father. To this end, he has volunteered to be the first leader of the Shēngxiào to operate in the superheroic nightmare that is North America, risking everything for the possibility of increasing their holdings. He chose Vancouver since it seemed to lack well-known superheroes, but has seen many of his efforts thwarted by the recently debuted group who call themselves Guardians, despite having no known ties to the earlier official group of that name. These confrontations vex him, of course, but he is confident that he will be able to overcome them, especially if he exploits the tensions between the five members of the team and the other recent debut who has some sort of connection to them, based on her name.

In addition to being able to spread terror by his presence alone, or cause it in those on whom he focuses his gaze, Kishu is able to call up a fiery steed on which he is able to ride on both ground and water, defying gravity to ride up the side of buildings. While this mount usually resembles a horse, it has sometimes been shaped like a motorcycle when he thought that might be more intimidating. Regardless of what it looks like, its fire radiates no actual heat and cannot burn anything, being solely a manifestation of the will of its rider.

So it might be more precise to say that it cannot burn anything ... yet.

Kishu -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 3 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 6 | INT 4 | AWE 3 | PRE 7

Powers:
Hellrider: Movement 2 (Wall-crawling, Water Walking), Limited to while Moving; Speed 6 (120 MPH), Variable; Activation (standard action, -2 points) - 7 points
"Horror Has A Face, And You Must Make A Friend Of Horror": Array (20 points)

• Terrifying Aura: Burst Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile, Paralyzed & Unaware), Extra Condition, Visual Sense-Dependent - 20 points
• Terrifying Gaze: Perception Range Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Visual Sense-Dependent, Quirk (no personal immunity) - 1 point

Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
Summoned Costume: Feature 1 (instant change) - 1 point

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle, Well-informed.

Skills:
Athletics 9 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+12), Deception 6 (+13), Expertise: Business 6 (+10), Expertise: Civics 6 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+15), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 7 (+14).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 4)
Terrifying Aura -- (Burst Area Affliction 10)
Terrifying Gaze -- (Perception Range Affliction 10)

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

Totals:
Abilities 64 + Powers 31 + Advantages 13 + Skills 32 + Defenses 20 = 160 points

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

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Rage. Secret Identity.

 

[Davies]

Darkwing (II)

In costume

Out of costume

Over the last month, some in Chicago have noted that Darkwing has been acting a bit oddly. Obviously, he rarely if ever gives interviews or allows himself to be filmed, but enough recordings of his public activities are on the web to allow for people to make color commentary about them. This small community of Darkwing-watchers have noted that his recent activities have seemed a bit unsteady and even amateurish, comparable to the way that he behaved at the start of his activities, more than twenty years ago. Speculation about the reasons for this has run rampant, but few indeed are bold enough to suggest that there might be someone else under the hood.

Which is just how Theodore Beauregard (everybody calls him Teddy) likes it. Two months ago -- and he can hardly believe that it has only been two months, because it feels like a lifetime has passed -- Teddy was just an engineering student at Illinois Tech who stumbled onto a method of improving the efficiency of a certain engine by a whole three per cent, and filed for a patent on his discovery. No sooner had he done so than he was contacted by Richmond Enterprises about the possibility of licensing his discovery, and invited to have a discussion on the matter with Robert Richmond himself.

He expected to have a lengthy discussion with the man and his managers about the value of his discovery, and was somewhat shocked to be dealing with Richmond one-on one and to be offered a blank check for the discovery. When Teddy refused, preferring to work out something reasonable with the assistance of some attorneys, he was further confused by the smile on the face of Richmond. And then it got really weird as Robert explained why the motor in question was of interest to him -- it was the one that powered the flight mechanisms of the suit that he used as Darkwing.

For some time -- he would not say how long -- Richmond had been observing Teddy (and several other candidates) and evaluating them for physical ability, mental ability and integrity. Teddy had just passed a final exam, and now Robert was offering to train him to succeed him as the Swift-Winged Sentinel -- at least temporarily, while he conducted some private research that would impede activities involving costumed crime-fighting. Teddy found himself nearly speechless at this last revelation, but managed to find enough presence of mind to ask what would happen if he said no. Richmond answered that he had a plan for that contingency ... but that if Teddy was going to do that, he could have done it without asking.

Rewind a bit. A bit less than a decade before this, Roosevelt Beauregard, a candidate for city council, had been one of the victims of a mysterious, gruesome serial killer haunting Chicago during its horrific heatwave. The murderer was never caught, but the killings were apparently stopped by Darkwing. Teddy had never sworn any oaths or anything, and he had long since put the anger he felt over the death of his father behind him, but at the back of his mind was a wish to prevent anything like that from happening to anyone else. So he agreed.

Teddy spent a whole month training with Robert before his mentor decided that any further education would just result in the new Darkwing catching some of the bad habits that the old one had recently noticed in his own activities. Robert left Teddy in the care of Dancer, who agreed to provide additional mentoring if any was needed.* He also urged Teddy to take Doctor William Caulder into his confidence. With that last gesture, he and Martha Paddington disappeared from Chicago. Some reports suggest that they've re-emerged in Tanelorn, but nothing is known for sure.

As Dr. Caulder was his uncle (the older brother of his stepfather) Teddy decided to do this. While the doctor is even less enthused about these developments than he was about his association with the first Darkwing, he has agreed to lend Teddy whatever help he can, and specifically assist in keeping the secret from his brother and sister-in-law, in the hope that this will only be a brief interlude. He has made this hope clear to Teddy. While his parents are in the dark, they are thrilled (if confused) by the fact that he has been hired to head up the R&D Department of Richmond Enterprises even before his college graduation in a few months.

For his part, Teddy is starting to take a certain enjoyment in his new job. He has only suffered moderate embarrassment and no serious injury so far, and been able to make a positive difference in the lives of several people. He knows it will not always be so easy, that there will be days that he wishes he had found out what the other option was. But he is starting to think that he might keep doing this even if Robert does reclaim the identity. Though he would have to come up with another alias, of course.

Shadowraptor, maybe ...

Darkwing (II) -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 3 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 7 | AWE 4 | PRE 3

Powers:
Flight Suit: Removable (-6 points)

• Air Supply: Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 2 points
• Body Armor: Protection 3 - 3 points
• Bodycam: Feature 1 (audio-visual recording) - 1 point
• Comm System: Radio Communication 2 (1 mile), Subtle; Senses 4 (acute extended 2 radio) - 13 points
• Hyperspectral Sensors: Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points
• Talons: Strength-based Damage 1; Movement 1 (wall-crawling) - 3 points
• Wings: Flight 6 (120 MPH), Wings - 6 points

Advantages:
Benefit 3 (Millionaire), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Favored Environment (planned situations), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Non-Lethal Tactics, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Skill Mastery (Technology), Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Aerie: Size Large; Toughness 10; Features Communications, Computer, Concealed, Fire Prevention System, Gym, Infirmary, Laboratory, Living Space, Personnel, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 16 points
Utility Belt: Array (18 points)

• Techno-Bolos: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 18 points
• Throwing Darts: Strength-based Ranged Multiattack Damage 4 (includes Strength 3), Accurate 2 - 1 point
• Explosives: Ranged Burst Area Damage 5, Triggered 2 - 1 point
• Meta-Taser: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
• Stun Grenade: Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Visually Impaired, Stunned and Visually Disabled), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point

2 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+7), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+12), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Science 6 (+13), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+11), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 7 (+10), Investigation 4 (+11), Perception 7 (+11), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 7 (+14), Treatment 3 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 4/3, Crit 19-20)
Throwing Darts +13 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 4)
Techno-Bolos +9 (Ranged Affliction 6, Resisted by Dodge)
Explosives -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)
Meta-Taser +9 (Ranged Fortitude 6)
Stun Grenade -- (Ranged Cloud Area Fortitude 6)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/6/5/3, Will 11.

Totals:
Abilities 70 + Powers 24 + Advantages 27 + Skills 37 + Defenses 21 = 179 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family (parents, uncle.) Mistaken Identity (first Darkwing.) Nemesis (Jack.) Secret Identity.

* She is mostly hiding her sheer astonishment and confusion at all of this, since nothing like it happened in the history she learned.

 

[Davies]

Simon Legendre

According to the best guess that Argus has been able to make, the man who has been using the name "Simon Legendre" since his arrival in the United States in 1986, claiming a birthdate in 1882, was really born Richard Christophe in Port-au-Prince in 1934. In his early twenties, he became associated with Luckner Cambronne around the same time that the latter rose to the attention of François Duvalier, and was recruited into the paramilitary force that Cambronne led, officially known as les Cagoulards and later the Milice Civil. Because of their tendency to cause unexplained disappearances, the group became associated with a figure in Haitian folklore who kidnapped naughty children to carry them off in his satchel -- Tonton Macoute.

Despite his claims to have been deliberately sought out for his supposed occult powers, the aforementioned best guess suggests that those powers developed in 1959, and that Christophe reportedly viewed the Voudou practices of both the leadership of his organization and the ordinary citizens on whom it preyed with cynical contempt. His only gods were wealth and power, and his ability to bend the wills of other mortals to his own afforded him many opportunities to gain both.

Following the death of Duvalier in 1971, Cambronne was sent into exile in Miami, where he was murdered in 1977. Legendre has supposedly claimed responsibility for this, but there is no evidence that he had visited the United States prior to his emigration. (He had applied for a tourist visa in 1967, but withdrew the application shortly after the conviction of Angelo Anselmo.) Regardless, he has also claimed to have acted as the true leader of the Tontons after the fall of Cambronne and the marginalization of Roger Lafontant.

If that is the case, he was a somewhat inept leader, unable to prevent the assassination of Jean-Claude Duvalier and his entire family by Pythonian assassins, and unable to then win the civil war between pro- and anti-Python militias that promptly broke out in the aftermath. On the other hand, he personally survived and was able to escape to the United States, supposedly providing "crucial information" to the CIA concerning the pro-Python government that eventually seized control of Haiti. Settling in New Orleans, he gradually began to build a criminal empire through the use of his domination and through good old fashioned violence and terror.

There Legendre has remained ever since, challenged first by the Sylph (whom he defeated through means he found almost embarrassingly easy) and later the Veil (a significantly harder nut to crack.) While resembling an extremely elderly man, quite possibly even as old as he claims, he retains the strength and agility of one much younger, and frightening levels of endurance and durability. His primary ability remains his ability to exert psychic dominance, though he has claimed to be able to perform far greater feats of magic as threats.

Those were bluffs, until recently. In the aftermath of recent events, Legendre awakened with an even greater ability to dominate and the power to see through the eyes of those whom he mastered, but also with the conviction that the lwa were real, aware of him, and willing to be persuaded to support his efforts. This change in his approach has resulted in the Veil seeking assistance from the Powerhouse and becoming a member of the group, such that Legendre has drawn down even greater opposition. That does not frighten him, for he is certain that his friends on the other side will grant him everything he needs to triumph ...

Simon Legendre -- PL 13

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

Powers:
Domination: Perception-Range Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration Duration, Check Required (Expertise: Magic DC 18), Subtle; Remote Sensing 6 (all; 60 miles), Medium (controlled target); Senses 1 (communication link with dominated subject) - 91 points
Longevity: Immunity 1 (aging); Protection 3 - 4 points

Advantages:
Benefit 4 (crime lord, millionaire), Chokehold, Connected, Contacts, Fearless 2, Improved Hold, Ritualist, Well-informed.

Skills:
Close Combat: Grab 4 (+8), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 9 (+12), Expertise: Magic 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+11), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage +2)
Grab +8 (Close Grab 2)
Domination -- (Perception Range Will 13)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 95 + Advantages 12 + Skills 37 + Defenses 15 = 209 points

Offensive PL: 13
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Elderly Appearance. Weakness (scent of khus syrup.)

Note: Prior to recent changes, he was PL 9, he did not have Ritualist, his Expertise: Magic was INT-based, and his Domination power took the following form:

Domination: Perception-Range Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration Duration, Subtle; Senses 1 (communication link with afflicted subject) - 47 points

 

[Davies]

Cmd. Belbard Maharj

Unlike Ventura Hayez, a former classmate and friendly rival of his, Belbard Maharj was the first member of his family to join the Technate Space Agency. On Muraddin, the Maharj name and symbol are attached to countless consumer electronics, media productions and pieces of real estate, all of this part of an economic empire overseen by his oldest sister. His older brother is a high-ranking administrator in the Bureau of Law Enforcement, considered a likely candidate to eventually serve as its Chief in the next few years. Joining the Agency was an act of rebellion on the part of "Bard".

It was one of the few rebellions he has ever undertaken. Also unlike Ventura, Bard is methodical instead of impulsive, viewing himself as an explorer, scientist and (especially) diplomat rather than a soldier or adventurer. Of course, another way of looking at his personality is that he would rather do nothing than take risks, but that may not be a fair analysis, for he is capable of the same decisive action as any TSA officer.

In many ways, Bard is almost the stereotype of what the TSA wants from its shipmasters, and it is not that much of a surprise that he received command of one of the Declaration II vessels before Ventura was given the same assignment. (A whole two minutes before, but Maharj has been known to observe that you can learn a lot in two minutes.) On the other hand, he was also given command of a genuinely new ship -- not only was the TSV Emancipation not a refit of one of the original Declaration class ships, there was no ship of that name in that class. So it could be said that he has less to live up to than Hayez does.

Cmd. Maharj is noteworthy for his fascination with space oddities. Any sort of unusual stellar phenomenon or BDO that the Emancipation encounters will be studied in as much detail as their other orders permit, even if it has been previously catalogued. After all, who can say what might have happened since then? Of course, that argument is a bit specious when "since then" was a week ago. Consequently, Bard has never received orders that would take him into the Enigma Sector, somewhat to his dismay.

However, he feels even more dismay about the current, somewhat unofficial assignment he has pulled, which will take him there. The scuttlebutt that had reached him about the Adventure first suffering serious damage fighting the Konan in defense of the hellworld known as Earth, and then being stolen, was horrifying enough. That is not the sort of situation that can be gently joked about at the expense of an old friend; that is the sort of situation that gets that old friend discharged from the agency and possibly results in criminal charges against them.

So having been contacted by a hyperspace drone delivering a message that claims that the Adventure is in orbit around a certain planet in the Enigma Sector -- And how in the world did it even get there, in the time since its hijacking?! -- and asked to come pick it and the person who claims to have recovered it from its pirates, then escort it back to Earth, hopefully beating any official response to all this, is really the sort of thing that causes undue stress for a fellow. Nevertheless, he is going to do it. And Hayez will never be able to live down getting rescued like this ...

Cmd. Belbard Maharj -- PL 6

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

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (Commander of the TSV Emancipation), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Inspire, Leadership, Luck 3, Set-up, Teamwork.

Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5, AE: Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), Commlink, Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), and 3 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Grab 3 (+7), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Civics 6 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 7 (+10), Expertise: History 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 4 (+7), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 9 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 2 (+5), Stealth 4 (+7), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 5 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Grab +7 (Close Grab 3)
Blast Setting +5 (Ranged Damage 5)
Stun Setting +5 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/3, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Advantages 20 + Skills 38 + Defenses 10 = 110 points

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

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Cautious and Methodical. Fascinated by Space Enigmas.

 

[Davies]

Guardian Pyros

Lashonna Nolan sometimes feels like her whole life to this point was spent in training to become this thing that she is now, without ever knowing it. The daughter of a prominent Vancouver politician, she found herself dumped in the care of her grandfather, a Baptist preacher, when (a) her father passed and (b) the career of her mother began to heat up. (See? The fire jokes start early.) Aside from phone calls, Lashonna had little if any contact with the woman who gave her life. As the phone calls almost always came when her mother was disappointed at her work or behavior at school, she came to associate them with the heat of humiliation.

Last month, while playing lacrosse at school, Lashonna suffered an inexplicable collapse. As she was playing goalie and the ball was on the other side of the field, this was naturally quite concerning, but she recovered without ill-effects, claiming that she had just stayed up too late the previous night studying. This resulted in yet another phone call from mom, but Lashonna had other things on her mind and just sat through it with a broad smile on her face.

When she collapsed, she awoke to find herself naked and alone in a vast dark space, gazing up at a roaring wall of fire. And then the fire spoke, offering somber greetings and portentous remarks that Lashonna promptly forgot afterwards. What mattered was the news that she was being entrusted with a fire so hot that the world itself might burn of it, but that she was worthy to keep it in check. "Never forget the heat of this moment," declared the fire, and then there was only flames

She woke up, finding a necklace with a fire charm in her hand. Since then, she has found the other Guardians who, though they have yet to recognize that she ought to be their official leader, generally follow her lead in their battles against that weirdo Kishu and the other threats that show up from time to time. She takes this whole situation a lot more seriously than some of her comrades -- no names Lucis mentioned, of course -- and fully intends to rise up and conquer all the foes who stand before her. Before them, she means. Before them.

In the meanwhile, even without the threat of harm to herself and her loved ones, Lashonna has good reason to keep her identity a secret. Both her mother and her grandfather have expressed their disgust for all of the Guardians, the former publicly and the latter more privately, which just makes the whole situation that much more fun. (That was sarcasm.) Her only real issue with her situation is annoyance that her transformation bleaches her naturally dark hair blonde, but Lashonna has coped with much worse situations.

Guardian Pyros -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 3

Powers:
Enchanted Necklace/Costume: Feature 1 (quick change); Flight 6 (125 MPH); Immunity 11 (cold, heat/fire effects); Impervious Protection 6; Removable (-7 points) - 29 points
Fire Magic: Array (18 points)

• Flame Arrow: Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
• Flame Breath: Cone Area Damage 9 - 1 point
• Flame Shapes: Ranged Shapeable Area Damage 6 - 1 point

Heat of the Moment: Environment 2 (extreme heat) - 2 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Leadership.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Civics 5 (+7), Expertise: Religion 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Fire Magic 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+9), Persuasion 3 (+6), Stealth 4 (+7)

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 1)
Flame Arrow +9 (Ranged Damage 9)
Flame Breath -- (Cone Area Damage 9)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/1, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 51 + Advantages 6 + Skills 23 + Defenses 17 = 137 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family (mother and grandfather.) Secret Identity. Temper.

 

[Davies]

Warpwitch/Isekai no Miko/異世界の巫女

"So. I've been through a lot of changes, recently. I mean, who hasn't? Change, as someone once said, is the only constant. What? No, I don't know who said that. Does it matter? I didn't think so. Moving forward, then. I guess the biggest change is that I finally got a chance to talk to Exelion again for the first time in a while, right before he went missing, and he finally explained that he had made a mistake when he suggested that I dress formally if I was going to be an entertainer. He hadn't meant I should wear a kimono on stage, but -- if you can believe it -- a tuxedo or something. Well, that was clearly nonsense, so when I -- purely spontaneously -- decided to make some costume changes, this is what I settled on. Pretty cool, no?"

"Anyway, that conversation took place during that whole big mess. I ... I feel a bit ... responsible, I guess, is the word that I'm looking for -- responsible for what happened. I think, if I'd been more 'with it', that I could have prevented all that. Or at least mitigated some of it. Well, I didn't, and I don't believe in living in the past, so henceforth, I'm going to have to try and do better. I learned a lot from it, at least, and that should be helpful going forward. It's also opened up some doors I never would have expected.

"Well, I mean, after everything settled down, one of the first things I did was try to open a portal to where the World Closer to Death had been before all this, pretty much expecting to have nothing happen since it wasn't there anymore, right? But even though it took a lot out of me, I opened it up, stepped through, and found myself in the middle of some fight that Ritter and his buddies were having with some squid-people or whatever they were! I saved their hash, of course, and found out that all of that had just left them completely unaffected, as far as they knew. But when I finally got home, I figured out that their world wasn't just something that looked like the way far future of Earth, but was that. So I can time travel now, kind of. Which is pretty neat.

"It has its downside, though. I mean, I was okay helping out the Powerhouse when they asked me nicely, but now that I'm like the planetary authority on dimensions and time, they're acting like 'we need you on staff full-time'. I was gonna say no, and then say hell no before possibly moving onto more profane refusals, but then Blakestone takes me aside and says that she has to go somewhere and do stuff -- no, I'm not gonna say where and what, that's her story, go bother her about it -- and that I'm the only person she thinks can take her place. Well. It's not like flattery will get anywhere with me, but if that's the way it is, then I might as well see how this goes.

"So that's pretty much everything that's happ--

"Oh.

"Um. Well, you see, what happened was that, well, the Vagabonds found out that an old friend of mine, whom I hadn't known was an android when I knew her but who cares about that, was being held captive somewhere, and I ended up helping to rescue her. Once they got her into a new body, she was so apologetic about having tricked me -- and, um, about other deceptions -- that she volunteered to work in my office to make up for it. And I'm like, hey, who ever turned down cheap help? So there we all were, in the office, and ... well ...

"The next thing I know, Mei-chan is freaking out at m-- okay, us -- and saying crap like, 'For pity's sake, how can you still be acting like idiotic teenagers more than a decade out of high school? He loves you, dummy, he's just too proud to admit it!' And then saying other nonsensical things to that d-- him, and then she stomped out swearing. It was scary, seriously. That must be the reason that I ended up needing a hug and ... well, you get the idea, I'm sure.

"So that's where I am, now. How 'bout you?"

Warpwitch/Isekai no Miko -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 2 | INT 3 | AWE 5 | PRE 4

Powers:
Defensive Shifting: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Redirect); Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8) - 20 points
Focused Warping: Enhanced Advantage 1 (Warp); Senses 2 (acute dimensional awareness) - 3 point
Reality Warping: Array (30 points)

• Barrier: Create 10, Impervious - 30 points
• Damaging Field: Ranged Burst Area Damage 7, Concentration, Variable 2 - 1 point
• Damaging Force: Ranged Burst Area Damage 9, Variable 2 - 1 point
• Destabilizing Event: Ranged Burst Area 2 Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered, Prone), Limited Degree, Variable 1 (destabilization) - 1 point
• Hijack Portal: Extended Only Accurate Easy Teleport 6 (60 miles), Portal, Medium (door) - 1 point
• Mind Swap: Perception-Range Nullify Mental Effects 9, Simultaneous, Subtle - 1 point
• Sensory Distortion: Ranged Burst Area 2 Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Sense Impaired, Sense Disabled, Sense Unaware), Limited to One Sense, Variable 2 (sensory effects) - 1 point
• Toxic Gas: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Fatigued, Exhausted & Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Variable (gases) - 1 point

Sliding: Movement 6 (dimensional travel 3, time travel 3), Portal, Quirk (time travel cannot reach any time more recent than 1000 years in the past or future) - 23 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Initiative, Luck 4, Redirect, Set-Up, Taunt, Warp.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+5), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Dimensional 8 (+11), Expertise: History 6 (+9), Expertise: Performance 4 (+8), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+8), Investigation 7 (+10), Perception 6 (+11), Stealth 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Damaging Field -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 7)
Damaging Force -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 9)
Destabilizing Event -- (Ranged Burst Area Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)
Sensory Distortion -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 9)
Toxic Gas -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 9)

Defense:
Dodge 14/6, Parry 14/6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 11

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 83 + Advantages 13 + Skills 30 + Defenses 18 = 182 points

Offensive PL: 9*
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Bipolar Tendencies. Fear (becoming the other version of herself). Relationship (obnoxious twit that, damn everything, she cares about.)

Note: Successfully traveling travelling forward or backwards more than 8000 years requires an Expertise: Dimensional roll, with the DC based on the time involved. Travel to the eras of either the World More Sorcerous or the World Closer to Death is a DC 26 check.