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

[Davies]

Melania Domnina

Little is known about the background of Melania Domnina prior to 2009, when she, as a corrupt FSB agent, betrayed her country to assist Billie Zane in the latter's attempt to seize control of Russia. The Powerhouse was prevented from intervening by the Russian government itself, and the coup was only opposed by Baba Yaga, the vigilante Parovoy, and a handful of implanted Argus agents. Against all odds, they prevented the takeover, and Zane was forced to flight. (There are rumors that the entire episode was actually cover for a successful attempt to steal certain psychoenergetic technologies possessed by the Russians.)

Domnina escaped with Zane's forces, but had been seriously injured in the conflict. To continue to remain useful to her employer (and thus remain among the living) she arranged for cybernetic surgery to repair her wounds. The experience awakened something in her. While she had apparently always been a transhumanist, seeking to enhance her mind with the most advanced techniques available, Domnina now became obsessed with upgrading her body as well. This was necessarily conducted in secret, as Zane has a very low tolerance for any technologies that augment humanity, viewing them as no different than super-serums and psychic awakenings. Domnina, however, views her employer as someone she must eventually overcome, rather than someone to emulate.

Nine years after the debacle in Russia (if that's indeed what it was) one of Zane's lieutenants finally gave Domnina a new assignment, ordering her to undermine and eliminate the recently formed Minor League. It was almost certainly a calculated insult, setting her up as the enemy of a bunch of kids, but Domnina elected to take it seriously and traveled to Philadelphia to set up shop. Her attempt to inveigle herself into an alliance with Lord Ranivorous was a failure, but she was able to obtain a fair amount of data about her opponents in the process.

Since then, she has made numerous attempts to either discredit or destroy the Minor League, failing each time but only narrowly. Thanks to her cybernetics, particularly her buzzsaw-like hands, she is personally a match for any two of them in combination, though she prefers to have her minions soften them up a bit first. The fact that she normally only enters the fray after her employees have all been incapacitated is also a sound strategy to ensure that no reports get back to her employer about her performing superhuman feats. She employs her technology in clever ways; in a recent conflict with Moment, she employed her implanted jump jets to power herself out of the young hero's null gravity field and blast through her defenses, allowing her to take Moment hostage.

Her current scheme may be her most ambitious and dangerous yet. She has either blackmailed or extorted a number of Philadelphia editorial writers to publish articles asking why the Minor League has yet to increase its numbers beyond its charter membership, with the intention of getting the City Council behind such an expansion. Any young superheroes who attempt to try out for the group will then be targeted for assassination, sending the clear message that doing so is a death sentence. Ideally, Domnina would like to frame one of the founding members of the team, or possibly the True Believer, for these attacks.

Melania Domnina -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Jumpjets: Leaping 6 - 6 points
More Machine Than Meat: Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Impervious Protection 8, Subtle - 47 points
Vibroblade Hands: Strength-based Damage 2, Penetrating 4 - 6 points

Power Stunt:
Defying Gravity: Enhanced Strength 6, Limited to resisting Move Object.

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Close Attack 4, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (vibroblade hands), Improved Initiative, Language 3 (English, German, others, [Russian is native]), Precise Attack (close, concealment), Skill Mastery (Technology), Takedown, Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Deception 8 (+10), Investigation 5 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Stealth 7 (+10), Technology 6 (+13).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)
Vibroblade Hands +10 (Close Damage 8, Crit 19-20)

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

Totals:
Abilities 48 + Powers 59 + Advantages 20 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 159 points

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Secret (cyborg). Subject to Orders (Zane's organization).

 

[Davies]

Colonel Violence

In 2007, Eddie Ennis was a high school dropout who lived with some friends of his in Malibu, and his concerns were those typical of someone in that position -- mostly involving where he was going to score his next hit of methamphetamine. And then his life got turned upside down one evening while he was going to meet a supplier of such. A vehicle looking like a car out of a science fiction movie exploded out of nothingness on the street, and screeched to a halt right in front of her. Before Eddie's stunned eyes, the driver's side door opened and a tall man wearing a strange costume stepped out, walked up to him and handed him one just like it, saying, "You wear this."

As the tall man turned to go, Eddie managed to find his voice, and asked why he was supposed to wear the costume. The tall man paused and looked back at him, answering, "Entertainment." Then he popped back into the vehicle and drove off to disappear in a flash of light. Still bewildered, Eddie ducked into an alley and changed into the costume, quickly discovering that it could change its appearance to anything that his limited imagination could come up with, and that it granted him super-powers.

He promptly used those powers for the purpose he'd been given them, entertaining himself by shaking down the drug dealer he'd been going to visit and taking the man's entire supply plus all the money on him. Eddie was somewhat annoyed to discover that he couldn't experience the same drug high that he had before while wearing the costume, but the rush of the experience was a fairly good substitute. Over the next few years, the legend of the man who called himself Colonel Violence (with the rank pronounced 'Carnal') spread across Malibu and much of Los Angeles.

A few years later, when the True Believer went to work for Heroic Enterprises, one of her first assignments was to assist in an attempt to arrest Colonel Violence. The two of them instantly recognized each other as deriving their abilities from the same source, and actually had a fairly lengthy conversation. But Janet Hinkley's sense of morality was provoked by Eddie's complete lack of one, while he was disgusted by the way that she tried to claim that they had been given these costumes for some higher purpose than the one he'd been explicitly told about. The result was a serious super-brawl that True Believer's experience in fighting supervillains allowed her to narrowly win, and the arrest of Colonel Violence.

Eddie didn't stay arrested very long, of course, since his costume couldn't be removed from his person anymore than Janet's could. That was the beginning of a grudge that has lasted right up until the present day, with Colonel Violence eventually following the True Believer from the west coast to the east, setting up shop in Philadelphia and going after her whenever he gets the chance. He's also attacked her stupid little sidekicks in the Minor League from time to time. No matter what happens, he always seeks to entertain himself in whatever ways his impulses tell him to do ... and in the process provides bloody entertainment for people in the future, observing the action through the suit's cameras.

Colonel Violence -- PL 11

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

Powers:
The Suit:

• Camouflage: Morph 2 (clothes), Only changes appearance of suit - 8 points
• Defensive Field: Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 9 - 28 points
• Enhanced Mobility: Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 30 points
• Offensive Settings: Array (20 points)
  • Force Blast: Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
  • Strength Booster: Enhanced Advantage (Close Attack 6); Enhanced Strength 7 - 1 point
  • Stun Blast: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned), Limited Degree - 1 point
  • Tractor Beam: Move Object 10 - 1 point
• Sensory Functions: Senses 6 (extended vision 2, extended hearing 2, low-light vision, ultrahearing) - 6 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Chokehold, Daze (Intimidate), Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle.

Skills:
Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Suit Powers 6 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +10/+4 (Close Damage 10/7)
Force Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Stun Blast +8 (Ranged Fortitude 10)

Defense:
Dodge 8/2, Parry 10/4, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12/3, Will 4.

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 95 + Advantages 12 + Skills 12 + Defenses 6 = 163 points

Complications:
Psychopath--Motivation. Addictions and Other Bad Habits. Power Loss (The Suit, can't be removed involuntarily when worn but can be easily removed if it's not being worn).

 

[Davies]

Destrons

Kapech, a planet on the trailing fringe of the Crimson Imperium, is one of the few acknowledged 'red zones' of the interstellar state, a quarantined area guarded by a naval unit of five packs of Heavy Destroyers, supporting the Imperium's Eighth Guard Group and a regiment of the Marines. All of these forces are directed towards the tasks of preventing the ongoing conquest of the planet by what appears to be a robot army, evacuating the remaining Imperial citizens from the planet, and preventing the robots from spreading beyond this one world. The first task is acknowledged to be a lost cause by the High Command. Because Kapec was home to a number of robotic manufacturers prior to the robotics ban, it is generally believed that the robots are the product of a surviving, hidden factory, likely reactivated by the Insurgency.

This belief is utterly wrong.

Roughly four thousand years ago, in a different region of the galaxy entirely, another planet was under the dominion of a different empire, that of the Olympians. For various reasons, the rulers of this planet decided that they no longer wished to be subject to Olympian rule, and plotted to attack their so-called masters. To do this, they asked their populace to volunteer to be transformed into cyborg warriors who could more effectively battle against the Olympians' Spartoi. Thousands agreed, and embarked on their great revolution.

They were very successful, and if they were not the sole cause of the end of the Olympian empire, they certainly contributed to it. Yet as they fought across countless worlds and endless years, dissatisfaction with their leaders -- who had, after all, remained behind, and sacrificed nothing for the cause -- began to grow among them. At last, after their successful assault on the moon now called Ganymede, their commanders sought to gain permission to return to their home world and recuperate for a time. This request was denied.

They therefore returned anyway, fired upon by the planetary defenses that made it very clear that they were regarded as enemies of the world they'd fought and figuratively bled to defend. In a blind fury, they descended on their home world not as soldiers seeking rest and recuperation, but as merciless invaders and conquerors, slaughtering those who stood in their way regardless of whether they were combatants or civilians. They made their way to the commander in chief, an ancient man sitting in a wheelchair, and prepared to execute their greatest enemy.

Their weapons refused to fire, and the old man laughed. Everything had been done according to his design. The voices in the night that kindled the cyborg's dissatisfaction had been his. The order to deny them the chance to return home had been his. The weapons which had attacked them and driven them to their rage had been his. And from the very beginning, their systems had been programmed so that they could never harm him. "You have all fulfilled my will perfectly, my Destrons," he said, naming them. "Now would you kindly finish the extermination?"

Within a week, the Maker was the only living thing, other than the Destrons, on their home planet. He then sent them on to other worlds, replacing their fallen with clones implanted into newly built cyborg frames, conquering an empire for himself out of the ruins of the Olympians' realm -- a sterile realm where worlds existed only to support factories for the creation of more Destrons. Despite his best efforts, however, the Maker's attempts at life extension only granted him a few centuries of life. But by that point, the Destrons no longer remembered any existence but their war of extermination.

Yet theirs is a strange war, fought in four dimensions. The last great discovery of their Maker was a method of time travel, which only functioned within a planet's gravity well, and they have sent their armies forward in time to invade worlds throughout history. Kapech is their beachhead in the current era. Far in the future, they have often been opposed by Exelion, who may understand more of their nature than any other figure in all of time and space. If he knew that they were invading in the present, he would urge Earth's superheroes to assist the tyrannical Crimson Imperium to oppose their invasion. But it may already be too late.

The following are the most commonly known Destron units, those depicted in the illustration above. There are many other kinds.

Extermination Unit -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR -2/6 | STA 4 | AGL -2/4 | DEX 0/6 | FGT 0/8 | INT 2 | AWE 6 | PRE -1

Powers:
Exoskeleton: Removable (-22 points)
*Advanced Sensors: Senses 12 (extended analytical vision, darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, accurate radio, time sense, ultra-hearing) - 12 points
*Duraluminum Chassis: Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Dexterity 6; Enhanced Fighting 8; Enhanced Strength 8; Impervious Protection 8 - 72 points
*Encrypted Comms: Radio Communication 4, Limited to Destrons, Subtle - 13 points
*Nanite Repair Systems: Regeneration 5 - 5 points
*Sealed Systems: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Close Attack, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 5, Precise Attack 2 (ranged, both), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Startle, Weapon Break

Equipment:
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Accurate)

Skills:
Deception 6 (+5), Intimidation 8 (+7), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 2 (+8), Technology 4 (+6), Vehicles 2 (+8)

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 6)
Blaster Rifle +11 (Ranged Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 8/2, Parry 8/0, Fortitude 8, Toughness 12/4, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 14 + Powers 90 + Advantages 16 + Skills 12 + Defenses 9 = 141 points

Complications:
Annihilation--Motivation. Subject to Orders. Weakness (Paralyzed by Nullify Technology).

Artillery Support Unit - PL 11

Abilities:
STR -2/10 | STA 4/6 | AGL -2/4 | DEX 0/6 | FGT 0/8 | INT 2 | AWE 6 | PRE -1

Powers:
Large Exoskeleton: Removable (-30 points)
*Advanced Sensors: Senses 12 (extended analytical vision, darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, radio, time sense, ultra-hearing) - 12 points
*Autoblaster Cannons: Ranged Multiattack Damage 9, Accurate 2 - 29 points
*Duraluminum Chassis: Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Dexterity 6; Enhanced Fighting 8; Enhanced Strength 8; Permanent Growth 2 (+2 Strength, +2 Stamina, -1 Dodge, -1 Parry, +1 Intimidation, -2 Stealth), Innate; Impervious Protection 9 - 81 points
*Encrypted Comms: Radio Communication 4, Limited to Destrons, Subtle - 13 points
*Nanite Repair Systems: Regeneration 5 - 5 points
*Sealed Systems: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Close Attack, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Ranged Attack 3, Startle.

Skills:
Intimidation 10 (+10), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 2 (+8), Technology 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +9 (Damage 10)
Autoblaster Cannons +13 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 9)

Defense:
Dodge 7/2, Parry 7/0, Fortitude 10/8, Toughness 15/4, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 14 + Powers 120 + Advantages 8 + Skills 9 + Defenses 9 = 160 points

Complications:
Annihilation--Motivation. Subject to Orders. Very Heavy. Weakness (Paralyzed by Nullify Technology).

Air Support Unit -- PL 10

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

Powers:
Large Exoskeleton: Removable (-31 points)
*Advanced Sensors: Senses 14 (extended analytical vision, darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, accurate radio, time sense, ultra-hearing) - 14 points
*Autoblaster Cannons: Ranged Multiattack Damage 9, Accurate 2 - 29 points
*Avionics: Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 18 points
*Duraluminum Chassis: Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Dexterity 6; Enhanced Fighting 6; Enhanced Strength 6; Permanent Growth 2 (+2 Strength, +2 Stamina, -1 Dodge, -1 Parry, +1 Intimidation, -2 Stealth), Innate; Impervious Protection 6 - 67 points
*Encrypted Comms: Radio Communication 4, Limited to Destrons, Subtle - 13 points
*Nanite Repair Systems: Regeneration 5 - 5 points
*Sealed Systems: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Precise Attack 2 (ranged, both), Ranged Attack.

Skills:
Intimidation 8 (+7), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 2 (+8), Technology 4 (+6)

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 6)
Autoblaster Cannon +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 9)

Defense:
Dodge 8/3, Parry 6/1, Fortitude 10/8, Toughness 12/4, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 14 + Powers 125 + Advantages 7 + Skills 8 + Defenses 11 = 164 points

Complications:
Annihilation--Motivation. Slow Ground Movement. Subject to Orders. Weakness (Paralyzed by Nullify Technology).

 

[Davies]

Garkun

For almost as long as the Albadine people have been nomads of the skies, they have been warring with the other nation of star travelers, whom they call by the name Garkun ... which just means "enemy" in the Albadine language. (What they call themselves is not clear; when communication has been possible, they have always just used the local word for 'we' or 'us'.) There were many mysteries about the Garkun, who seemed too technically inept to maintain their interstellar spacecraft, much less the other technology they employed with great skill. Quite recently, an answer was discovered when Albadine explorers realized that the Garkun seemed to keep another species as slaves for their technical skill. Both for charitable purposes and to diminish the ability of the Garkun to defend themselves, the Albadine have tried to rescue these slaves on many occasions, but are frustrated by their tendency to commit suicide rather than accept their freedom.

This new mystery would be easily understood if the Albadine were willing to accept that the technicians were not slaves, and were actually of the same species as their warrior partners -- and were, in fact, their literal brothers. Essentially, the Garkun species consists of three phenotypes. The 'male' warriors are the best known, and each of them is psychically linked to a 'neuter' technician. Each pair is born at the same time from one of the largely sessile 'females', who also act as the chiefs of the Garkun's planetary communities, only being moved between them when very young. These 'queens' typically give birth to three pairs of children every two solar years, who achieve maturity within another twelve.

Garkun planetary settlements are extremely diverse, with some acting no differently than the raiders and pirates who typify Garkun space travelers, while others prefer to engage in trade and negotiation with their neighbors. The differences in behavior are generally explicable through economics -- Garkun who have settled in resource-poor areas will not hesitate to engage in banditry and extortion to obtain what they need, while those in more bountiful situations are much more willing to deal fairly with others. Of course, the history of these settlements also influences their behavior, as past hostility against a community, regardless of circumstances, is unlikely to be forgotten.

It should be noted that Garkun settlements are no less likely to be victimized by nomadic Garkun raiders, and that those settlements willing to cooperate with their non-Garkun neighbors will not hesitate to assist them in fighting such raiders off. Becoming a raider, however, is viewed as an acceptable career choice by nearly every Garkun community, largely because of the sacrifice involved. Garkun raiders rarely survive long enough to return to their homes and take part in reproduction, thus sacrificing their future for momentary glory and the promise of riches.

The majority of Garkun settlements are within the Crimson Imperium, with only a tiny number to be found in the Technate, largely due to the fact that Albadine settlements are more common in the latter polity. While most raider ships are fiercely independent, a few have joined forces to become an element within Garth Maruad's mercenary army. Others are employed as enforcers or even bodyguards by the Augrah crime syndicate, and there are rumors that claim one ship clan is active as a group of bounty hunters. The Insurgency's command has discussed the prospect of recruiting Garkun mercenaries for their own forces, but so far have not done so.

Garkun Warrior -- PL 7 / MR 6

Abilities:
STR 6 | STA 6 | AGL 0 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT -1 | AWE 0 | PRE 0

Powers:
Healing Factor: Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 2 - 4 points
Mindlink: Feature (can have minions even if a minion); Senses 1 (communication link with tech) - 2 point

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 4, Fearless 2, Sidekick 12

Equipment:
Armor (Protection 3), Blaster Gun (Ranged Damage 5), Spaceaxe (Strength-based Damage 3, Reach).

Skills:
Intimidation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Vehicles 3 (+6)

Offense:
Initiative +0
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 6)
Spaceaxe +5 (Close Damage 9)
Blaster Gun +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 4, Parry 5, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9/6, Will 4

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 6 + Advantages 19 + Skills 8 + Defenses 11 = 82 points

Complications:
Greed or Thrills--Motivation. Others as Needed

Garkun Tech - PL 6 / MR 4

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

Powers:
Healing Factor: Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 2 - 4 points
Mindlink: Senses 1 (communication link with warrior) - 1 point
Small Size: Permanent Shrinking 4 (-1 Strength, +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation), Innate - 5 points

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improvised Tools

Skills:
Perception 6 (+6), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 2 (+9), Technology 5 (+8), Treatment 5 (+8)

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)

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

Totals:
Abilities 30 + Powers 10 + Advantages 3 + Skills 11 + Defenses 9 = 60 points

Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Frequent Feeder. Others as Needed

 

[Davies]

Augrah

One of the first major clients of the Manguai, the Augrah long ago traded all rights to their home world's resources, and the majority of its territory as well, in exchange for wealth and technology to allow them to start spreading across the galaxy. They were apt pupils of the Manguai, but where their mentors knew enough to usually leave their clients with enough to let them survive -- the better to continue exploiting them in the future -- the Augrah were more willing to reduce theirs to penury and leave them with no options beyond starvation and slavery, believing that you couldn't put a price on the pleasure of owning another sapient. It's very possible that the Manguai's decision to help form the Imperium may have been influenced by the hope that it would work against the Augrah's most predatory excesses.

That didn't happen. They were held in some semblance of check by the mystics, but the Augrah have, if anything, flourished in the Imperium, especially since it became the Crimson Imperium, with the mystics banished to obscurity. Where there is law, especially unjust law, there will always be those who try to break said laws, and the opportunity to profit from those violations. The Augrah crime syndicate has become a major power within the Crimson Imperium, and Augrah crimelords have gone so far as to say that they are protectors of the most vulnerable members of their civilization.

Of course, not all Augrah are part of the syndicate. The recently installed replacement Grand Inquisitor, Zazanax, is an Augrah who would resent the implication that they're at all influenced by such criminal scum. While unquestionably corrupt, Zazanax accepts bribes only from other members of the Imperium's bureaucracy and aristocracy, wielding the power of their office on their behalf, rather than for the benefit of other members of their species, and is utterly loyal to the Crimson King. Until someone makes them a better offer, at least.

In the absence of the mystics, the worst enemy of the Augrah is the largest criminal organization active within the Technate, known as Vaskahne. Descended, sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally, from renegades from their own organization, they have built themselves up to the same level as the Augrah syndicate in an incredibly brief time, and prevented the Augrah from extending their figurative tentacles to the younger polity. If the borders of the two nations are officially tense, they are unofficially bloody from the conflicts between the two groups. It's easy to get rich in that region. It's also really easy to get dead.

A few of the Augrah have taken an interest in the Insurgency. The situation that confronts these desperate rebels puts them in a position where they have to rely on the Augrah's black markets, and so they make for good customers. But even those who will deal with the Insurgency certainly don't wish them well; they love them as losers, but at least some of them worry that they might just win ... and that would not be good for business. Not at all.

Augrah Crimelord - PL 9

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

Powers:
All-Seeing: Senses 8 (visual senses counters all concealment, counters illusions) - 8 points
Hovers: Continuous Flight 1, Innate - 4 points
Large Size: Permanent Growth 4, Innate; Impervious Protection 6 -25 points
Nefarious Gaze: Array (28 points)

• Damaging Gaze: Perception Ranged Damage 9, Variable 2 (energy), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 28 points
• Dominating Gaze: Perception Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession); Senses 1 (Communication Link with target) - 1 point
• Enervating Gaze: Perception Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Asleep), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 1 point
• Paralyzing Gaze: Perception Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 1 point
• Telekinetic Gaze: Perception Ranged Move Object 9, Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 1 point

Advantages:
Benefit 6 (Billionaire, Crimelord), Evasion, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Redirect

Skills:
Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 8 (+11), Stealth 8 (+10)

Offense:
Initiative +6
Bite +8 (Close Damage 3)
Damaging Gaze -- (Perception-Ranged Damage 9)
Dominating Gaze or Paralyzing Gaze -- (Perception-Ranged Will 9)
Enervating Gaze -- (Perception-Ranged Fortitude 9)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 11, Will 10

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 77 + Advantages 10 + Skills 24 + Defenses 15 = 158 points

Complications:
Greed or Power--Motivation. No Fine Manipulators.

For Zazanak's stats, replace Benefit (Crimelord) with Benefit (Inquisitor), drop two ranks of Benefit (Wealth), add Connected, Contacts, and Well-Informed, replace Expertise: Criminal with Expertise: Streetwise, add Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 8 (+10), and Persuasion 6 (+8), and increase Will to 12.

 

[Davies]

Isakari

As with many other generally hostile species, the name Isakari was assigned to these hunters by those hunted by them. What they call themselves remains something of a mystery, and likely to remain so, as they do not appear to have a spoken language, and their written one remains cryptic. For most of the history of their interactions with other species, it was assumed that they were telepathic with each other, but psychic nullifiers have been shown to have no effect on them. The current belief is that they communicate with each other through a combination of gestures and scent cues, and that they don't bother 'talking' very much.

Their home world is believed to be located not far from Chirab (the home of the Chiraben humans) in the regions of space unclaimed by either the Imperium or the Technate. Chirab has long been the site of the Isakari's hunting expeditions, especially with its increasing desertification. The Isakari definitely prefer hot climates to cold ones, and have been known to withdraw in the face of unexpectedly cold weather, even if their hunt has produced no game.

These hunts appear to be the Isakari's only interaction with other species. They do not seem to regard any other life form, regardless of demonstrated intelligence, as a person, and have no compunctions about killing them for sport or for food. (It is known that they consider the brains of intelligent life forms to be something of a delicacy.) Presumably, there are Isakari who are not hunters, but if they exist then they remain on their home world. Any Isakari found elsewhere will be engaged in the task of hunting and killing other sapients.

However, the majority of the Isakari seem to observe certain proprieties in their hunts. The primary focus of their honor appears to be self-reliance; they normally operate alone rather than in groups, and when hunting in parties they will compete with each other rather than cooperate. They do not engage in torture; their victims are killed quickly and cleanly, though they will often mutilate the corpses to claim a trophy. They have a demonstrated aversion to killing lifeforms who give birth, but this should not be misunderstood as a reluctance to kill their young, if they find it to be a sufficient challenge or are in need of food. Lastly, but perhaps most significantly, any being who succeeds in killing an Isakari is off-limits to others of their kind.

At least, that is how it's supposed to work. From Technate reports of encounters with the Isakari, it has become clear that an increasing minority of their kind regard these proprieties as obsolete or pointless. These Isakari do operate in groups, and are perfectly willing to cripple their victims to use them as bait. And they apparently view killing those who have overcome others of their kind as a challenge to be eagerly met.

This would probably not be relevant to anyone's concerns, had the Isakari not begun using Earth as a hunting ground. Their earliest documented visit to the planet was in 2012, when one of them hunted in Chicago during that year's heat wave, crossing paths with Darkwing in the process. While seriously injured in their clash, the crime fighter was able to recover and defeat the hunter, which committed suicide when he refused to kill it. The body was reclaimed by a group of its fellows, whose ship disappeared using a cloaking mechanism. Shortly thereafter, one engaged in a hunt outside of Hespera, and was killed by the Hesperan called Nzarde after the loss of several lives.

Subsequent encounters have led Argus to determine that this group of Isakari has remained on Earth, apparently based out of Bhutan, and have hunted prey all across Earth's hottest regions, as well as making trips to Venus. The prospect that these hunters might become infected with the Psilofyr fungus and bring it back to Earth is a very concerning one, as is the way that they keep making visits to the Sahara, which do not apparently involve hunting anything. The purpose of these trips is a question that Argus, and a number of other groups, would like answered.

Isakari -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 7 | AGL 4 | DEX 6 | FGT 12 | INT 1 | AWE 4 | PRE 1

Powers:
Alien Senses: Senses 5 (accurate acute tracking scent, low-light vision) - 5 points
Arsenal: Array (19 points); Removable (-4 points)

• Explosive Trap: Burst Area Damage 6, Trigger - 19 points
• Hunting Blades: Strength-based Damage 3; Feature (+2 to track injured target) - 1 point
• Plasma Caster: Ranged Damage 9, Accurate - 1 point
• Snare Rocket: Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Accurate, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point

Cloak: Concealment 5 (normal hearing, normal sight, radio), Blending; Removable (-1 point) - 4 points
Fast: Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (Sure-footed); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 10 points
Sneak Attack: Strength-based Damage 2, Limited to targets who are vulnerable or defenseless - 1 point

Advantages:
Assessment, Equipment 11, Evasion, Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (Hunting Blades), Improved Initiative 2, Improved Trip, Improvised Weapon, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Ranged Attack 5, Skill Mastery (Stealth).

Equipment:
Body Armor (Protection 3)
Space Ship: Size Colossal; Strength 16; Speed 12 (air/space); Defense 2; Toughness 13; Features Cloak (Concealment 10 [all senses]), Star Drive (Movement 2 [space travel 2]) - 52 points

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+14), Deception 10 (+11), Expertise: Survival 12 (+13), Insight 8 (+12), Perception 10 (+14), Stealth 10 (+14), Vehicles 6 (+12)

Offense:
Initiative +12
Unarmed +14 (Close Damage 5, 7 with sneak attack)
Hunting Blades +12 (Close Damage 7, 9 with sneak attack, Crit 19-20)
Plasma Caster +13 (Ranged Damage 9)
Snare Rocket +13 (Ranged Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)
Explosive Trap -- (Burst Area Damage 6)

Defense:
Dodge 12, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 10/7, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 82 + Powers 37 + Advantages 27 + Skills 27 + Defenses 15 = 188 points

Complications:
Bloodlust--Motivation. Can't Speak, Only Imitate Speech. Hunter's Code (or possibly not). Vulnerable (cold).

 

[Davies]

Vaask

The Vaask are an omnivorous reptilian species who rule over a small multi-system empire, dubbed the Vaask Hegemony, which borders on the regions of space explored by the Technate. While rumors about them had been known to the Technate Space Agency since it began its exploratory missions roughly sixty solar years ago, the Vaask were not actually encountered until the TSV Adventure, under the command of Arlan Hayez, stumbled onto a similarly outfitted Vaask vessel during Hayez' first year of command. The two ships' crews ended up joining forces to overcome a group of psychically powerful aliens who attempted to have them fight each other for their pleasure.

This has more or less set the tone of the relationship between the Technate and the Hegemony. They are not friendly, and certainly not allied with each other, but neither is in any hurry to go to war, despite occasional incidents that are usually dismissed as the actions of rogue commanders on either side. The Vaask are actually glad to have the Technate as rivals, as focusing their efforts on competing with them reduces the amount of internal competition that is apparently endemic to their Hegemony. They generally regard the Technate's claims of desiring peaceful coexistence with the amusement appropriate to absurd jokes, though some more militant Vaask are less amused and more inclined to believe 'peace' to be a code for 'subjugation'.

That's perhaps understandable, as the Vaask have subjugated a number of species in the formation of their empire. Such peoples are left to their own devices, for the most part, but never considered the equal of a Vaask unless they have served time in the Vaaskorium, the military service. Any being who has survived a full 7.33-year term in the Vaaskorium is treated as a full citizen of the Hegemony for all purposes ... in theory. In practice, there is a major glass ceiling both within and without the Vaaskorium that keeps authority out of the hands of non-Vaask, and for that matter of Vaask whose scales are blue, yellow or purple or combinations of the above, rather than pure green.

While the Vaask are on average stronger and much tougher than a typical Chiraben or any of their allies, they are aware that their rivals possess other advantages. As such, the Hegemony has a number of competing super-soldier projects designed to produce enhanced Vaask who are the equal of the most elite mammalian combatants. As with other super-soldier projects, these have typically produced only a single or rarely a handful of acceptable results, but the Vaask are more than willing to keep trying until they get it right. They are also experimenting with technomancy, and also, lacking the Technate's prejudices, with mysticism.

The stereotype of the Vaask is one of extremely straightforward behavior. Despite this, the Vaask are actively engaged in espionage against the Technate, largely relying on their subject peoples and hired Technate traitors as agents. As a result, they are reasonably informed about what the Technate knows about the Crimson Imperium, about Earth, and about the Dark Side. They've come to view the lattermost as a potentially serious threat, and would be willing to become ... co-belligerents, shall we say, should that front ever heat up.

Vaask Soldier -- PL 6/MR 4

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

Powers:
Claws: Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
Hide: Impervious Toughness 2 - 2 points

Advantages:
Equipment 4, Fearless

Equipment:
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8), Body Armor (Protection 4)

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+5), Expertise: Military 5 (+5), Perception 3 (+3), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+4), Vehicles 2 (+2)

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 4)
Blaster Rifle +4 (Ranged Damage 8)

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

Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 3 + Advantages 5 + Skills 8 + Defenses 13 = 51 points

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Competitive. Others As Needed.

For a more experienced PL 7 Vaask Elite Soldier, increase STR and FGT to 4 ranks, add Improved Initiative, increase Perception to 5 ranks, Ranged Combat: Blaster to 6 ranks, and Vehicles to 4 ranks, and increase Parry to 7; consider also giving them an additional rank of Equipment (to buy a dashka [Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Reach] and 4 more points of gear as needed) and Close Combat: Dashka 2 (+6). Vaask supersoldiers, mystics and technomancers should be unique characters.

 

[Davies]

Ennessea

A relatively recent addition to the Vaask's spy ring in the Technate, the entity known as Ennessea is the only member of his species ever encountered by Technate authorities. He has been attached to a number of embassies and consulates in the six solar years since he made his first appearance, and by now the Cosmic Intelligence Agency is aware that his appearance usually signals the beginning of much chaos and confusion in a region. They have yet to discover concrete proof that he is a spy, but his actions are carefully watched.

Technate agents inside the Hegemony have been unable to discover much about him, which suggests that he's every bit as much of a mystery to his so-called employers as he is to his enemies. A ship carrying him was captured by Vaaskorium forces, three solar years prior to his debut, and within a few weeks of that he was engaged by one of the Vaask programs to study mysticism, owing to his demonstrated psychic abilities. While this particular program failed to produce results, Ennessea was able to convince his managers that his skills would be much better used as a secret agent.

While able to seize control of the minds of other sapients, in such a way as to leave them firmly convinced that the actions they take under his telepathic command are their own idea, Ennessea apparently regards this talent as a blunt instrument, to be used only when his more conventional abilities of coercion, deception and persuasion have failed to produce the results he desires. This is an aesthetic consideration on his part, not a moral one. Ennessea is beyond ruthless in his manipulations of other entities, and is fond of giving the knife a last twist when he's done with them -- often giving orders that result in his victim destroying their own life and happiness.

He is also known to express contempt for the Vaask when they are out of hearing, though his normal behavior towards them varies between being obsequious and acting the part of a respectful colleague. It is possible that his supposed contempt is a façade, intended to manipulate Technate citizens into believing in a commonality of interests that does not exist. Another possibility, that Ennessea is actually the representative of a hidden civilization which is manipulating both the Technate and the Hegemony, is a concern to those familiar with his activities.

That, at least, is a pointless worry. If the course of the vessel on which he was discovered were to be traced back to its origin point, it would bring the tracer to a dead world outside the regions claimed by the Hegemony, thoroughly picked over by scavengers at this point. Ennessea is the last of his kind -- and it is very likely that he is personally responsible for that. While he has no association with the Dark Side, he finds what he has heard of them to be ... fascinating.

Ennessea -- PL 10

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

Powers:
Hardiness: Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
Mind Control: Linked Cumulative Perception Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Insidious, Subtle; Linked Senses 1 (communication link with target) - 43 points
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 8, Limited to Mental Effects - 4 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (diplomatic immunity), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Deception), Languages 5; Seize Initiative, Well-informed

Skills:
Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Expertise: History 8 (+11), Insight 8 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+11), Investigation 9 (+12), Perception 7 (+12), Persuasion 8 (+13), Stealth 6 (+10), Tehchnology 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage -1)
Mind Control -- (Perception Range Will 10)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 13

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 54 + Advantages 10 + Skills 37 + Defense 19 = 164 points

Complications:
Subversion--Motivation. Emotional Sadism. Regards Mind Control as a Last Resort. Secret (spy).

 

[Davies]

The Konan Armada

The Konan Armada is the name used by the military forces of a small, expansionistic interstellar state on the trailing border of the Technate and the Vaask Hegemony. It consists of five worlds in two different star systems and an undisclosed number of worlds under siege by the Armada. In addition to these unending attempts at conquest, the Armada conducts raids on planets within the borders of their neighbors. They offer those they attack a single chance at unconditional surrender; should this generous offer be refused, they begin bombarding the planet with mass drivers as well as their mechanized infantry. Interestingly, they never launch attacks on orbital habitats or spacecraft, though they respond to attacks from them with characteristic brutality. No Konan vessel or battlegroup has ever offered any surrender to an enemy, choosing to self-destruct rather than accept capture.

Aside from their surrender demands, and what is needed to obtain the resources they seek after a surrender, the Konan do not otherwise engage in communication. On their conquered planets, they live apart from their subjects, showing no real interest in them beyond, again, what is needed to extract resources and wreak vengeance upon those subjects who choose to rebel. As such, their subjects know little about them, and the intelligence services of their neighbors have not been able to learn much beyond that.

The Konan Armada has its origins in a cosmic accident. Roughly more than three hundred years ago, a concealed Spartoi factory on a moon in the Konan's original system reactivated long enough to produce a single Spartoi infantryman before it shut down again. The Sparton, programmed to fight the enemies of the Olympians, awaited orders for a while, before it became clear that no orders were forthcoming. Investigating, the Sparton finally reached the conclusion that he had been created by mistake, that the Olympians were long gone, and that there was absolutely no point to his existence.

He did not take this discovery well. When he regained his composure, he decided on a course of action meant to deal with his existential crisis. He seized control of the factory to produce one hundred and sixty-nine additional clones -- thirteen of each of the thirteen Spartoi lineages -- and told them grandiose lies about how the Olympians had chosen them to rebuild an empire for their return, under his command. Thus began a war that has continued right up until the present day, ostensibly a holy war in the name of absent gods, but actually a pointless conflict meant to salve the ego of a man long dead. Only the most trusted members of the Armada's ruling council, or Primacy, are aware of the truth.

The Konan are not particularly technically inclined; while capable of keeping their equipment in good working condition, they do not engage in much research and development. Within the last century, however, they conquered the Technate separatist colony of Trantia, a world devoted to that subject. Most of the innovations of their technology, such as the newer models of their battlemovers, were designed in Trantian workshops. Trantian advisors sometimes accompany Konan battlegroups, but they generally offer only technical and rarely tactical advise rather than attempting to steer their rulers towards more peaceful pursuits. They've learned their lessons on that score.

Quite recently, the Konan have learned about Earth from Technate sources, and are considering the worth of sending a few of their ships to conquer it and gain access to the resources of a young world with much to recommend it, which may also have been important to the Olympians at one point. It would be a long voyage, skirting the Technate's borders, and they are aware that the planet has its protectors. But the Konan have never been ones to turn away from a hard fight.

Konan Trooper -- PL 9*/MR 9

Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 6 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 1 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Konan Biology: Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
Konan Swiftness: Leaping 3 (125 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero-g]); Speed 3 (15 MPH) - 8 points

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Equipment 21*, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 2.

Equipment:
Body Armor (Protection 3; Immunity 10 [life support]), Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Klaug Battlemover (see below).

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 2 (+5), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 3 (+6), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 5 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster Pistol +6 (Ranged Damage 5)
Blaster Rifle +6 (Ranged Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 9/6, Will 5.

Totals:
Abilities 64 + Powers 10 + Advantages 27 + Skills 14 + Defenses 8 = 123 points

Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Others as Needed.

* Konan Troopers who are assigned a Klaug II are PL 10/MR 9 and have Equipment 26. Konan Troopers who are assigned to a Agrass are PL 10/MR 8 and have Equipment 11, with the Warframe's cost shared between the four members of its crew complement.

Konan Equipment:

Klaug Battlemover

The original workhorse of the Armada's mechanized infantry, and one of the few of their original fleet still in service. These days, it is mostly used as by troopers garrisoned on captured planets, though a vast number remain in service with the Armada. It is operated by a single pilot.

Klaug Battlemover: Size Huge; Strength 10; Speed 6 (120 MPH space/ground; 30 MPH aquatic); Defense 5; Toughness 13; 22 Features: Armor (Impervious Toughness 10), Comms (Radio Communication 2), Primary Cannon (Ranged Multiattack Damage 10), Secondary Blasters (Ranged Damage 9), Sensors (Senses 4 [accurate radio, low-light vision]), Strikers (Close Damage 6) - 75 points

Klaug II Battlemover

An upgraded version of the original Klaug, produced by the Trantians. It possesses greater maneuverability, firepower and armor, and is an all-around improvement. However, there are at least two orders of magnitude fewer of these machines, and they are slightly harder to keep in good working order. Thus the Klaug and its successor are both still in service. As with the original, it is operated by a single pilot.

Klaug II Battlemover: Size Huge; Strength 12; Speed 10 (800 MPH space), 6 (120 MPH air/ground; 30 MPH aquatic); Defense 5; Toughness 15; Features Armor (Impervious Toughness 12), Comms (Radio Communication 2), Manipulator Arms (Close Damage 8), Primary Cannon (Ranged Multiattack Damage 12), Secondary Blasters (Ranged Damage 10), Sensors (Senses 4 [accurate radio, low-light vision]) - 98 points

Agrass Warfame

An improved Trantian version of the long obsolete Bahast Warframe, the original heavy artillery unit of the Armada. While used in landing operations, it is also frequently used as a gun emplacement on the hulls of Armada starships, providing additional anti-fighter cover. It requires four Konan to operate: a commander/gunner, driver, loader and radio operator.

Agrass Warframe: Size Gargantuan; Strength 13; Speed 6 (120 MPH space/ground); Defense 4; Toughness 16; Features Armor (Impervious Toughness 15), Comms (Radio Communication 2), (Radio Communication 2), Manipulator Arms (Close Damage 9), Primary Cannons (Ranged Damage 12, Burst Area Damage 9), Secondary Blasters (Ranged Damage 10), Sensors (Senses 4 [accurate radio, low-light vision]) - 100 points

 

[Davies]

Vulcan

Main body

Drone

In 1859, the French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier hypothesized that certain perturbations of the orbit of Mercury could be explained by the presence of a small planet between it and the sun. While he met with an amateur astronomer, Edmond Lescarbault, who claimed to have observed such a planet, most other researchers would fail to confirm these observations. Decades later, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity offered an explanation for the oddities of Mercury's orbit which did not rely on the presence of another planet, and so Vulcan, as the hypothetical world had been named, retreated into the realm of phlogiston and luminiferous aether. Sightings were dismissed as having been mistaken glimpses of other stars and even sunspots.

Lescarbault's observation was not such a mistake, but rather a glimpse of something much more terrible.

The entity known as Vulcan is roughly 850 kilometers (528 miles) in diameter, and constructed from hyperdense metals more advanced than any current space-faring civilization can manufacture. It moves through space and hyperspace on no predictable pattern, sometimes (as in the 19th century) passing through inhabited star systems and taking no action, and sometimes dispatching enormous humanoid drones to visit the inhabited planets of those systems and begin a procedure that drains the vital energies of these worlds and their inhabitants. This kills them slowly, over the course of weeks or months, unless the drones are prevented from doing so.

Vulcan itself is as close to indestructible as anything in the known regions of the universe can claim to be. While certain vessels used by the Dark Side can devastate an unshielded planet, such as Earth, within a relatively short amount of time, not even these ships are capable of actually destroying a body on the size of a planet. And Vulcan possesses shielding, and is made out of material far more durable than the natural materials of a planet.

The drones are considerably more vulnerable, and Vulcan apparently has a limited number of them. Some sources claim that it attacked Daath in the mid 1970s, and was repelled after the recently arrived Abraxas destroyed eight of its drones before they could damage the dark world's ecosystem, prompting the wandering planet to depart. (This is supposedly the reason that he was invested as the effective ruler of Daath by Ananke.) This should not be taken as evidence that Vulcan can only create eight drones at a time; even if it was limited in that way in the past, that was more than forty years ago, and it has had ample opportunity to improve upon itself.

Vulcan is also the entity whom Eradicaton regards as his master, to whom he intends to offer the worlds of the Sol system as gifts. Vulcan has no idea of this being's existence, and will likely give him no more attention than it does any other being. Its motive appears to simply be to satiate its need for energy, but surely an entity such as this could gain all the energy it needs from solar sources. When questioned, the being's drones have claimed to be serving a higher purpose than that, but refuse to answer any questions about the nature of that purpose, claiming that no other entity could appreciate their concerns.

Overcoming Vulcan, as opposed to simply defeating its drones and sending it to flight, will likely require finding a way to board its structure and make one's way to its core, where the living entity who controls it -- what remains of the Olympian named Mulciber -- can be found. Neither the journey to that place nor the battle to be fought there will be easy ones, and the whole affair borders on a mythic accomplishment.

Vulcan Drone -- PL 16

Abilities:
STR 18 | STA -- | AGL 0 | DEX 6 | FGT 12 | INT 10 | AWE 6 | PRE 1

Powers:
Automaton: Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Protection 8, Impervious 12 - 70 points
Datalink: Radio Communication 4; Comprehend Languages 4, Activation (Standard Action, -2 points); Comprehend Machines 2; Quickness 8, Limited to Mental; Senses 3 (darkvision, radio) - 39 points
Energy Manipulation: Array (40 points)

• Destructive Beam: Ranged Damage 20 - 40 points
• Energy Counter: Nullify Esoteric Power 20, Broad - 1 point
• Energy Drain: Burst Area 2 Weaken Stamina 14, Activation (Standard, -2 points) - 1 point

Gargantuan: Permanent Growth 16 (Strength +16, Protection +16, Speed +2, Intimidation +8, Stealth -16, Dodge -8, Parry -8), Innate - 49 points
Thrusters: Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 18 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Eidetic Memory, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Startle.

Skills:
Expertise: Galactic 5 (+15), Expertise: Science 6 (+16), Ranged Combat: Energy Manipulation 6 (+12), Insight 7 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+15), Perception 8 (+14), Technology 6 (+16).

Offense:
Initiative +0
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 18)
Destructive Beam +12 (Ranged Damage 20)
Energy Counter +12 (Ranged Nullify 20)
Energy Drain -- (Burst Area Weaken Stamina 14, Resisted by Fortitude)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 24, Will 14.

Totals:
Abilities 64 + Powers 218 + Advantages 5 + Skills 22 + Defenses 26 = 335 points

Complications:
Sustenance--Motivation. Monologues About The Deeper Meaning of Their Actions.