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

[Davies]

The Maniac

He only has vague memories of his prior existence, mostly focused on how it ended, and even those are not terribly clear. He was holding up a great mass of rock, as other men ... were they helping him, or just trying to escape? Perhaps it matters little. His last thought was the realization that the weight was too much for him, despite everything, and then darkness. And then light, but not the light that he had hoped for, despite everything. A different, darker light, seen through the distortion of a fluid and then a glass barrier beyond that. There were people, or at least things that looked like people, in the light, and he could hear though not understand their speech. Until he did, and one of them said to him -- or perhaps just of him -- "We will make you stronger yet." Then darkness fell.

When it lifted again, he was as he is now, and standing before the young woman whom he would come to know as his first master. She had a grudge against the hero known as Pallas, and some other enemies of the hero had decided to assist her to resolve that grudge by bestowing on her the ankh-shaped talisman that allowed her to command him. While the situation was quite strange, he felt no confusion. There was work to be done and he was the one to do it. Neither was he bothered by the fact that the sight of him made most people scream and run in terror. He would only hurt them if he must in order to obey the commands of his master, but if so, all bets were off. To them, he seemed like a maniac, and that was what they called him.

However, there then occurred some events which his creators, if that was what they were, could not have anticipated. During his third fight with Pallas, the life of his master was put in danger, with her slipping off the edge of the rooftop where he and Pallas were contending. Pallas was the one to save her life, not him, which led to her opinions about the hero shifting slightly. Subsequent events would make her abandon it altogether, and also lead to her deciding that it was a cruel and contemptible act to use the Maniac as a weapon -- no, be honest, as a slave. So she gave him the talisman and told him to be his own master, now.

Unfortunately, that did not work. Perhaps the creators had anticipated that the talisman might come into his hands somehow, and installed a countermeasure in his neural programming to prevent just this circumstance. When he has the talisman in his possession, he enters a state of dormancy that only ends when someone takes it from him. Before you ask, no, he cannot prevent this by holding tightly to the talisman, as it will slip out of his fingers as soon as someone else touches it. Whoever takes up the talisman gains the Maniac as a protector, and if they want to be protected through pre-emptive attack, they will be. When it is not in the possession of anyone, he will invariably head to where it is, take it up, and go dormant.

The talisman has passed through a number of hands in the five years since it and the Maniac first appeared on the World More Grim -- good people, bad people, and a whole swath of people who were in over their head. Once, when the Superhuman Crew were in desperate straits, they recruited his help by having Snow White "persuade" his current master to give her the talisman, and then gave it back to the Maniac in the aftermath while putting him in a situation where he should have been difficult to find. "Should have" is the word for it, though, as he was in the control of a new master within a week. Pallas has stated that she thinks her extended family is using the Maniac as a catspaw, though she can perceive no pattern to his masters.

While the Maniac will do whatever his master commands without objection, it has been noted that he never hurts anyone that his master did not specifically command him to hurt, and that he works to prevent harm to those who are uninvolved in his current conflict -- unless commanded otherwise. He fights smartly, using only what force he needs to accomplish his task -- unless commanded otherwise. He has exactly one limit: nothing, no matter what, will ever compel him to harm April Danza, his first master. While he has not seen her since she tried to give him his freedom, the Maniac has never forgotten her. The memory of her is the one tiny light in the darkness of his existence.

The Maniac -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR 16/13 | STA 15 | AGL 0 | DEX 2 | FGT 8 | INT 3 | AWE 5 | PRE 5

Powers:
"And His Anger Grows": Enhanced Strength 3, Builds* - 4 points
Helm: Immortality 10 (one hour); Protection 3; Removable (-4 points) - 19 points
Impervious Body: Impervious Toughness 15 - 15 points
Resistant Mind: Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points
Strange Bond: Senses 10 (detect talisman [accurate, extended 3, penetrates concealment]) - 10 points
Strength Beyond Imagination: Enhanced Strength 14 (3200 ktons/25000 ktons), Limited to lifting - 14 points
Swift Movement: Leaping 12 (4 miles); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 16 points
Tricks: Array (26 points)

• Foot Stomp: Line Area Damage 13 - 26 points
• Shockwave: Burst Area Affliction 13 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
• Thrown Object: Ranged Damage 16; Removable (-6 points) - 1 point

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment, Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Power Attack, Startle, Tracking, Weapon Break.

Skills:
Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+11), Perception 4 (+9), Ranged Combat: Throwing 6 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +0
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 16/13)
Thrown Object +8 (Ranged Damage 16)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 15, Toughness 18, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 102 + Powers 116 + Advantages 15 + Skills 11 + Defenses 10 = 254 points

Offensive PL: 13
Defensive PL: 13
Resistance PL: 12
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Does Not Talk. Love (April Danza.) Reputation (horrible monster.)

* This flaw is the opposite of the Fades flaw. The first turn that this effect is activated, only 1 rank of it is available, with 1 rank becoming available at the start of each turn that the effect is used. When the character stops using the effect, it drops back to no ranks active and must build up again. It can only be applied to effects that have more than one rank, and never applies to the first rank of an effect (which is always available and thus not flawed.)

Note: The talisman possesses no powers in and of itself. If held in hand, it can be disarmed in combat, but the owner does not have to do so in order to command the Maniac, which they can do as a free action.

 

[Davies]

Tlaloc

In 2013, a platform supply vehicle transporting replacement crew and supplies to an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico came upon the wreckage of a still-unidentified vessel. One of the crew spotted a human form in the debris, and this survivor, an unconscious young man, was brought aboard. After making its delivery, the ship quickly returned to Houston and turned their unexpected passenger over to a hospital, where he was brought back to consciousness. However, that was only the beginning of their difficulties, as he seemed to recognize neither English nor Spanish as languages and was generally confused.

Fortunately, one of the doctors there happened to have some familiarity with Nahuatl, and was able to recognize some of the phrases that the patient was using as an old-fashioned version of that language. With that, communication was sped up considerably, though still limited by the fact that the patient claimed total amnesia about himself and a lack of familiarity with any modern technology. Further, it had already become apparent that he possessed superpower levels of strength and resilience, increasing the difficulty of treating him.

After reports of his discovery were circulated in the media, in the hopes of finding someone who could identify him, the hospital was contacted by members of the Echeverria family of Arizona, claiming that pictures of the patient were similar to their missing son Humberto. Unfortunately, when they actually met him, their hopes were dashed, as he only resembled the missing young man, and was a bit younger than he would have been. Despite this, the wealthy Echeverrias offered to pay for his hospitalization, out of charity, they claimed.

Soon afterwards, representatives of the Futurian Academy contacted the hospital and offered to take custody of their patient, who was now as fully recovered as he was likely to be. The full extent of his superpowers, including the ability to influence the weather and to fly, had been discovered in the interim, and the young man, now using the name Jose Hechavarria, agreed to study at the Academy in order to learn how to safely use these powers. (He did not say so, but he suspected -- and suspects -- that careless use of these abilities might have been responsible for the situation that led to him being adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.)

Five years later, Jose graduated from the Academy with honors, having raised a few eyebrows by taking the name of the Aztec rain god Tlaloc as his own. He explained his choice by claiming that Tlaloc had represented the life-giving and destructive powers of the weather, both of which Jose also possessed. He returned to the United States and has acted as a hero in the American southwest, particularly Arizona and New Mexico. He has never achieved national fame, though that may be coming after he worked with Exile and other heroes in defending California during the recent invasion. However, he is somewhat unpopular in Texas, due to weather problems that those working on a certain wall have encountered. Tlaloc politely disclaims any responsibility for what are surely acts of God.

He still yearns to know the truth of his origins, but focuses on the immediate present for the most part. With the help of one of his occasional allies, the Chiricahua mystic who currently uses the name Goyaałé, he has managed to recover a single image of his past, but it has only confused matters further. He now remembers flying in the air above what looked like the pyramids of Teotihuacan, only decidedly unruined, and answering prayers for rain. But how is that even remotely possible, when he was no more than fifteen years old when rescued from the sea?

Tlaloc - PL 10

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

Powers:
Aquatic: Immunity 3 (cold, drowning, pressure); Impervious Toughness 8; Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [underwater]); Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 14 points
Flies Through Wind and Water: Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic - 17 points
Weather Control: Array (29 points)

• Dazzling Strike: Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 7 (Resisted by Fortitude; Vision and Auditory Impaired, Vision and Auditory Disabled, Vision and Auditory Unaware) - 1 point
• Dense Fog: Visual (All) Concealment 4 Attack, Burst Area 3, Selective - 1 point
• Hail Storm: Ranged Cloud Area Damage 9, Indirect 2 - 29 points
• Lightning Bolts: Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Indirect 3 (any point downwards) - 1 point
• Stormy Weather: Environment 9 (1 miles; Cold, Impede Movement, Visibility) -1 point

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack.

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+9), Expertise: History 8 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Lightning 6 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 7)
Lightning Bolts +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Dazzling Strike -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 7)
Hail Storm -- (Ranged Cloud Area Damage 9)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude 11, Toughness 10/8, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 74 + Powers 64 + Advantages 6 + Skills 14 + Defenses 17 = 175 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Mysterious Origins. Public Identity. Reputation.

 

[Voltron64]

However, he is somewhat unpopular in Texas, due to weather problems that those working on a certain wall have encountered. Tlaloc politely disclaims any responsibility for what are surely acts of God.

Even in this reality, huh? Idiots. (Hope it gets knocked over by a kaiju or some super brawl eventually to illustrate its pointlessness.)

With the help of one of his occasional allies, the Chiricahua mystic who currently uses the name Goyaałé,

They sound interesting...

 

[Davies]

Beretta Staunton & Genevieve Benyamina

Beretta

Genevieve

Once upon a time not so long ago ...

When he was younger, growing up in a London neighborhood, he never got a straight answer from his father about why he had been named after an Italian gun manufacturer. The old man is gone now, and he took that particular secret to the grave with him. Well, the time when he got teased about his name was quickly eclipsed by the time when he endured abuse for the color of his skin, anyway, and he has much more important things to worry about in his current days and nights.

When she was younger, growing up in Prague, her mother was quite forthright about why she had been given a name like Genevieve. While of Algerian origin, her family also had roots in France, and St. Genevieve was the patron saint of Paris, and her mother had always loved the "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from Camelot. Even then she had thought that was a weird thing to love, but she has much more important things to worry about in her current days and nights.

Beretta chose employment with Argus as a way to get out of what the United Kingdom was turning into, and also to do a bit of good in the world. Unfortunately, his first assignment after training was guard duty on a castle in Romania that came under attack by vampires, which no one had ever told him were even real. Early in their assault, Beretta ended up falling into a hidden chamber within the castle, where he discovered an antique armored gauntlet. Heeding a strange impulse, he put it on and felt it merge into his body, granting him the power to fight against the attackers and win the conflict. Unfortunately, that was just the first battle of a much longer war.

Genevieve chose employment with Bezpečnostní informační služba, the Security Information Service of the Czech Republic, as a way to serve the nation where she was raised, and also to do a bit of good in the world. Unfortunately, she found herself overmatched by the opposition she frequently faced. Feeling that she needed to acquire an edge, Genevieve obtained cybernetics that enhanced her reaction time. This made things more even, but also drew her into conflict with a group of robots seeking to undermine the republic, whom she defeated. Unfortunately, that was just a small battle of a much larger war.

Upon learning of the disaster in New York, and what had been learned about Dracula covertly ruling the U.K., there was only one thing Beretta could do. Even if not for his own anger over what had become of the land of his birth, the gauntlet might have driven him to it; while vampires of this sort had not existed in the era when it was made, it had been forged to destroy creatures like them. So he left Argus and returned to the United Kingdom to fight against the monsters, undead and living, who were making a hell of his home. His occasional contacts with Argus made it clear that they could not support him officially, but would lend him unofficial, backchannel support. For a year, things were good ... and then they got strange.

Upon learning of the existence of the rogue ASIs, and the Gray Seal who were fighting them, there was only one thing Genevieve could do. Besides, the Seal were probably a more reliable source of maintenance for her extant cyberwear, above and beyond the communications implant they provided. For a while, she provided material and personal assistance to their struggle. Then, after the victory in Seattle made the Patron decide that they must trust outside agencies, she was chosen to be the agent to make contact with a certain agent of Argus who was pretending to be a vigilante in the United Kingdom. Reluctantly, she went rogue from BIS and made her way across the continent to start this operation ... and then things got strange.

Together, the two learned that forces under the direction of Axiom, in response to the destruction of Pythagolem, had amped up their secret war against Dracula and his followers. Had they been other people, they might have shrugged this off as a case of evil fighting evil to the good of all. But both of them were well aware that neither of those evils cared even a whit about the possibility of innocent bystanders being hurt in their conflicts, and both of them had always been driven by a desire to protect them. So they joined forces to fight a secret war of their own.

It is not an easy partnership. All that Beretta knew about the Gray Seal is that they were a bunch of crooks engaged in corporate sabotage, and he still cannot bring himself to believe that a bunch of thinking machines have as much influence as she has claimed. For her part, Genevieve has never had much respect for Argus or private security firms in general, and she still does not really believe in what she has heard about the mystical properties of the device he uses, which is probably just some weird xenotech. Nevertheless, having only each other to rely upon, they have learned to work and fight together, and might even be considered friends. He even tolerates the way she calls him "Tommy," while she copes with being called "Gina."

Not the first time people have used those particular aliases ... but they have much more important things to worry about in their current days and nights.

Beretta Staunton -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Transformation: Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2; Enhanced Advantages 6 (Close Attack 3, Favored Enemy [vampires], Improved Initiative 2), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total), Subtle; Enhanced Stamina 5, Subtle; Impervious Toughness 5; Senses 1 (low-light vision); Speed 3 (15 MPH) - 37 points

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Close Attack 3, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Favored Enemy [vampires], Fearless, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative 2, Improvised Tools, Inspire, Luck 4, Ranged Attack, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5), Athletics 2 (+3), Close Combat: Blade 3 (+7), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+9), Expertise: History 5 (+6), Expertise: Magic 2 (+3), Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+7), Ranged Attack: Blaster 2 (+5), Sleight of Hand 5 (+8), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 2 (+5)

Offense:
Initiative +11/+3
Unarmed +7/+4 (Close Damage 1)
Blade +10/+7 (Close Damage 4, Crit 18-20)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 9/4, Toughness 8/6/3/1, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 37 + Advantages 16 + Skills 39 + Defenses 9 = 135 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret (Argus agent.)

Genevieve Benyamina -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Boosted Reflexes: Linked Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge) and Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2), Tiring - 4 points
Radiotelepathy Mindlink: Selective Area Radio Communication 3 (regional), Limited to those with radiotelepathy, Subtle; Senses 1 (radio) - 17 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 points

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 10, Evasion 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative 2, Improvised Tools, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Body Armor (Protection 3), nightvision goggles, and 8 points of equipment as needed.
Motorcycle - 10 points
Size Medium; Strength 1; Speed 6 (ground); Defense 10; Toughness 8.
Arsenal: Array (24 points)

• Autoblaster: Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 24 points
• Customized Blaster Pistol: Ranged Damage 5, Accurate - 1 point
• EMP Grenades: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless, Paralyzed), Limited (only against robots and androids) - 1 point
• Frag Grenades: Ranged Burst Area Damage 5 - 1 point
• Smoke Grenades: Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+4), Athletics 4 (+4), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Deception 5 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 3 (+6), Expertise: History 3 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Expertise: Survival 2 (+5), Insight 5 (+6), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+6), Persuasion 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+8), Stealth 7 (+8), Technology 6 (+9), Treatment 4 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +10/+2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 1)
Autoblaster +6 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Blaster Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 5)
EMP Grenade -- (Ranged Burst Area Will 5)
Frag Grenade -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)
Smoke Grenade -- (Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4)

Defense:
Dodge 8/6, Parry 8/6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/3/1, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 22 + Advantages 21 + Skills 37 + Defenses 17 = 135 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret (Gray Seal.)

You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.

 

[Davies]

Rumpelgeist

Since 2017, corrupt businessmen and criminal enterprises in Central Europe, particularly East Germany and Austria, have found themselves significantly less secure than they had been. The being who calls themselves Rumpelgeist, after the phantasmal creature who may have inspired the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin, has seen to that. They rarely come into conflict with their operatives, preferring to observe, document and report on their activities to members of the press who have proven trustworthy. On a handful of occasions, Rumpelgeist has demonstrated considerable combat skills, suggesting highly enhanced reflexes are part of their "power package". They also sometimes set up complicated pranks on their targets, and have been known to indicate their presence to the people they observe (after recording their activities) by rattling something.

As far as is known, no one knows that Rumpelgeist is Dresden-born Hoyt Sauer, who developed superpower levels of agility and reflexes in his early teens. Becoming something of a prankster and the despair of his parents, they cheerfully packed him off to the Futurian Academy when representatives from the school came calling. He did quite well in his studies there but his abilities were too subtle to allow him to really stand out among his fellows. In his graduation interview with Exelion, however, the headmaster suggested that he make a virtue of this lack of ostentation, employing his talents for a more covert style of heroism.

Hoyt seems to have taken this to heart. Exactly how he came into possession of the stealth suit which allows him to become invisible (and also incorporates a relatively weak force field) is not something he has discussed with anyone. He has stated his belief that it functions using much the same properties as the Griffin formula. It does not appear to have the neurological effects that the chemical does, likely because the invisibility persists only as long as the user wishes. However, Rumpelgeist has admitted that he is concerned about the possibility that he might one day lose control due to this invisibility, and claims to use it with appropriate caution. Whether that is true or not is open to question.

During the recent Konan invasion, Rumpelgeist found himself pressed into service as a messenger by the group of European heroes fighting in the Carpathians, many of whom were former classmates of his. (This required him to work with Der Fahrer, similarly tasked, and neither of them gets along with the other.) He survived the experience, but avoided both the celebration afterwards and any attempts to offer him honors, preferring to mourn his losses privately and then get back to work. "Handeln ist seine Belohnung," remarked one of the reporters with whom he has had frequent interactions.

Rumpelgeist -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 3 | AGL 5 | DEX 3 | FGT 11 | INT 4 | AWE 4 | PRE 4

Powers:
Stealth Suit: Concealment 6 (radio, visual); Sustained Protection 2; Removable (-2 points) - 12 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
Swift: Movement 1 (wall-crawling); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 4 points

Advantages:
Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Skill Mastery (Stealth), Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+13), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+8), Insight 6 (+10),
Intimidation 7 (+11), Investigation 8 (+12), Perception 6 (+10), Sleight of Hand 7 (+10), Stealth 9 (+14), Technology 4 (+8), Vehicles 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 3)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 13, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5/3, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 70 + Powers 18 + Advantages 9 + Skills 39 + Defenses 15 = 151 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity. Trickster.

Note: For his PL 8 stats as a student at the Academy, modify as follows: reduce STA to 1 rank, FGT to 9 ranks, INT to 2 ranks, AWE to 2 ranks, PRE to 2 ranks; drop Stealth Suit; reduce Stealth to 7 (+12); reduce Dodge to 9.

 

[Davies]

Posting this early because we might have a blackout coming shortly.

Action Figure

Approximately two-thirds actual size.

Jeanne Martell was one of countless young Americans to volunteer for National Guard duty in the aftermath of the attack of Cerebron. While demonstrating considerable talent for her duties, she was something of a problem child who received frequent disciplinary infractions during her relatively brief career. Her time in the service came to an end in early 2003, when she was blasted by a criminal using a stolen Newton Beam projector before one of her teammates shot the man. Normally, the shrinking effect of a Newton Beam wears off after about a minute. For whatever reason, whether whatever unknown modifications had been made to the weapon or some x-factor in her own biology, the effect on former Private Martell has lasted more than eighteen years, right up until the present.

While horrified to have been shrunken to the size of a doll, Martell eventually decided that it was a blessing in disguise. She had heard rumors that the government was assembling a team of superpowers from among serving military personnel, and she was -- sort of -- a superpower now! With her tiny size and her skills, she would be an ideal scout for the missions of such a team, and looked forward to being tapped for it. In reality, she was never seriously considered for membership in the United Superheroes of America, mostly because John Wright had already been recruited for the team by the time she had her origin, but partially because of her history of discipline problems.

Nevertheless, Martell was stunned to be given a medical discharge, and to watch the debut of the United Superheroes on her big screen TV (actually a smartphone.) Fuming, she decided that if her country had no use for her talents, there were plenty of other interested parties who could put them to use and would pay well for them. Of course, the sorts of mercenary groups who were interested parties often operated extremely black operations, and quite a few of her early jobs were extraordinarily hard on what remained of her conscience. She nevertheless shut up and soldiered.

Matters being what they were, many of the jobs that Action Figure (a name she picked over the other suggestion, Commando Barbie) worked resulted in her encountering superheroic opposition. For whatever reason, she kept being sent up against that damn Minuteman character who had taken her job, both when he was a member of the United Superheroes and later as a solo act and member of the Powerhouse. These encounters usually went poorly for her, resulting in her spending a lot of time in mundane but specially construsted jail cells. Sometimes she would try to employ advanced technology to give her more of an edge in these conflicts, but always returned to her preferred, mundane (but also specially constructed) weaponry when these gimmicks failed her.

This has gone on for years now. (Whatever happened to her also seems to have slowed down her aging process, slightly.) Recently, Action Figure heard rumors that suggested that Minuteman had been forced into semi-retirement after some Argus stooge, posing as his girlfriend, betrayed him. She found herself somewhat surprised to feel sympathy for her long-time adversary; dating back to her own feelings of betrayal, Martell has always felt nothing but contempt for people who engage in double-crosses and has never descended to those sorts of tactics herself. Somewhat hesitantly, she sought out John Wright, claiming to want a truce, and had a surprisingly pleasant time drinking and talking about old times with him.

Probably nothing will come of this. Probably they will go back to fighting like crazy as soon as he gets his suit back in order and she gets hired to do a job that he runs into. Probably nothing will come of this. Probably ...

Action Figure -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Doll Sized: Permanent Shrinking 8 (STR -2, Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8, Speed -1, Intimidation -4) - 8 points

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidate), Equipment 5, Evasion, Grappling Finesse, Great Endurance, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork.

Equipment:
Body Armor (Protection 2), Tiny Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical), Tiny SMG (Ranged Multiattack Damage 2).

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+4), Close Combat: Knife 2 (+7), Intimidation 8 (+4), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+8), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+8), Stealth 8 (+18), Vehicles 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 0)
Knife +7 (Close Damage 1, Crit 19-20)
Tiny SMG +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 2)

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

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 8 + Advantages 20 + Skills 31 + Defenses 14 = 111 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Professional--Motivation. Hatred (traitors.) Temper.

 

[Davies]

Jessica Drummond

She does not really resemble her older brother. (She never uses the term "half-brother". No individual is half-anything.) In part, this is because he favors their father, while she is closer in appearance to her mother. The mixed Russian-Manchurian heritage she inherited, combined with her own mastery of disguise, allows her to pose as an individual of pretty much any Asian background. There is also the fact that he has allowed himself to age naturally, where she has employed age-retarding (possibly even age-reversing) techniques to keep herself looking as she did when they first met, in their late teens. (However, her skills with disguise have also allowed her to seem much older from time to time.)

After battling him for decades, and coming to terms with the fact that she could not kill him without destroying herself as well, Jessica Drummond found herself somewhat at loose ends. (After all, a universe without her? Scarcely bore thinking about.) She was recovering from a drinking binge when the world ended, Tanelorn was born, and she found herself involuntarily empowered by the enigmatic force which created the other guardians. To her senses, it was like staring up at an imaginably complex yet fundamentally ordered being, or examining an all-encompassing master plan for all of creation. Naturally, she responded to this by smirking at it and saying, "I'm going to mess you up."

Ever since then, she has sought to manufacture an all-encompassing dimensional crisis that will affect the entire continuum. (Why? Tell you later.) Her first breakthrough came when she obtained an implement that allowed her to freely along the temporal axis of any world that permits any form of time travel. It takes a different appearance in each reality she visits; in the World Less Magical, it resembles a ceramic coin stamped with an unfamiliar profile, the representation of a star, and a date in the thirtieth century of the common era. While time traveling in unfamiliar histories exposes her to the danger of destruction by paradox, she has so far avoided it, possibly by demonstrating much greater caution than those who know her well would expect.

Soon after acquiring that device, her second major advantage came into her hands when her path crossed with an unimaginably powerful but dying entity from a destroyed reality. Learning what that entity sought, Jessica persuaded her that she might find it on the World Less Magical, since it was the reality furthest removed from her original one ... then headed there herself along a more direct route, spending years under a variety of identities shaping two lives so that they would closely resemble what the entity was seeking. And it worked, with the entity bestowing its dimensional manipulation abilities on Aya Nagase, who has since unwittingly used them to slowly but surely draw a number of significant realities closer together. Just as planned.

Her schemes are all like that, complicated and baroque ... and successful to a frightening degree. And all directed towards one end -- during the great dimensional crisis that she has envisioned, her brother will be faced with the impossible choice of sacrificing all that he loves or an impossibly vast number of innocent lives in the ultimate trolley problem. Of course, he will take a third option, but the thing about third options is that you usually have to pick one in a hurry; also, someone who expects you to do that can arrange for you to pick a third option that suits them. A lover of chaos who wants him to love it too, Jessica will ensure that the third option he chooses will cause nothing but chaos. She expects that realizing this will break him in interesting ways, so that they can start having real fun together.

There is only one thing that worries her. (Well, there are actually a lot of them, but only one that she has no plan to exploit in some way.) The entity, or force, or whatever-it-was that she saw, the all-encompassing master plan ... central to her personal philosophy is that when it bestowed this enhancement on the other guardians, it demonstrated its fundamental incompetence when it also granted it to her by accident, thanks to her connection to her brother. (She also never thinks of him by his name, by the way.) But what if that is not the case? What if all her schemes have served some greater purpose, some grander order, that she cannot divine? What if she, the weed who chokes the garden of reality, is actually a beautiful and beneficial dandelion?

What a horrible thought!

Jessica Drummond -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR 9/4 | STA 9/4 | AGL 12/7 | DEX 10/5 | FGT 13/8 | INT 10/5 | AWE 8/3 | PRE 9/4

Powers:
Age-Defying: Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
Guardian: Enhanced Agility 5; Enhanced Awareness 5; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Intellect 5; Enhanced Presence 5; Enhanced Stamina 5; Enhanced Strength 5 - 80 points
Lifelink: Immortality 14 (4 minutes), Quirk (only as long as Kent Wildman is alive) - 27 points
Sneak Attack: Strength-based Damage 4, Limited to vulnerable or defenseless targets - 2 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Fearless 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 5, Taunt.

Equipment:
Time-displacement device (Movement 6 [dimensional travel 3, time travel 3]), and 13 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+16/+11), Athletics 6 (+15/+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+17/+12), Deception 9 (+18/+13), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+16/+11), Expertise: Dimensional 4 (+14/+9), Insight 8 (+16/+11), Perception 6 (+14/+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+15/+10), Stealth 4 (+16/+11), Technology 6 (+16/+11).

Offense:
Initiative +16/+11
Unarmed +17/+12 (Unarmed 9/4)
Sneak Attack +17/+12 (Unarmed 13/8)

Defense:
Dodge 19/14, Parry 17/12, Fortitude 12/7, Toughness 11/9/6/4, Will 13/8

Totals:
Abilities 80 + Powers 110 + Advantages 19 + Skills 31 + Defenses 19 = 259 points

Offensive PL: 15
Defensive PL: 15
Resistance PL: 13
Skill PL: 13

Complications:
Chaos--Motivation. Obsession (Kent Wildman.) Power Loss (Guardian, outside of dimensional crises.)

In all chaos there is a cosmos; in all disorder, a secret order.

 

[Davies]

Shānyáng/山羊

No house of the Shēngxiào has seen so much turnover as the house of the Goat. The first occupant lasted barely a month before an ill-considered scheme revealed the existence of the group to the newly-founded Ghost Sweepers, resulting in his demise in battle. Two others followed him, both pursuing more subtle schemes focused on gaining control of the vice trade in their respective bases of operation, only to fall in their turn to rivals within and without the group. And then, in 2016, the man who would become the current occupant was chosen, and quietly signaled his intentions by adopting the alias Shānyáng in mockery of Shēng Lóng. Despite that, he has held on to his position for slightly longer than his predecessor, and seems likely to endure for a while.

Suzushiro Yagi never wanted to be a teacher. Raised by a stern grandmother and told that both of his deceased parents had been teachers -- which does not seem to have been the case, incidentally -- he was not given any real choice in his profession. So he spent his life studying, never making any friends during his days in high school or college, and finally emerged from it as a student teacher shortly after his grandmother passed away. Finding the entire situation miserable, he vowed to do the bare minimum to keep his job and nothing more. When he suspected that one of his students was being bullied by her classmates, Yagi chose to ignore it, since he was just an educator, not some sort of caregiver. Even when she asked him for help, he told her to just avoid the bullies and they would eventually leave her alone.

That did not happen, and the bullies ended up killing her. The fact that her teacher had known about the situation and done nothing about it became a huge scandal. Yagi found himself suspended, which was not so bad given that he hated being a teacher. But he was also summoned to a meeting with the head of the family to which his late student had belonged, and he suspected that they would not be interested in listening to his excuses about how he had thought it was not his job to protect his students. He was right ... but not in the way that he thought.
Expecting to find the family head, older sister to his student, to be angry, he was startled and failed to consider the implications of the calm reception he received instead.

When he finally offered up a half-hearted apology for the situation, Yagi was not at all prepared to be told that, far from being upset at him for his role in the death of her sister, she was quite grateful for what he had done -- as it had made it that much easier for the bullies, whose services she had purchased, to get her sister alone and murder her, so that she was now the sole heir to their family fortune. Stunned at this confession, Yagi stammered out a vague threat to go to the police with what he had learned. The family head smiled and explained this would be hearsay testimony and invalid; she had already arranged for the actual killers to escape any punishment, and wondered if he really thought she could not protect herself.

When he attempted to leave -- to flee, really -- he found himself held in his chair by a force he could not perceive. Heedless of his increasing panic, the family head explained to him that the time had come to discuss the reward for his services to her. Since he was going to lose his position because of this, it was only just that she arrange for one to replace it. He was going to be joining the staff of a private school that her family owned. "And no matter what happens," she told him with a terribly cruel smile, "you will always be a teacher there, for the rest of your life." Whatever guilt his shallow, selfish nature had allowed Yagi to feel was instantly erased by the despair of being caught in a profession that he had come to hate, and his mind broke. It reformed a moment later when Diorite, observing this experiment by the second occupant of the house of the Rooster, granted him the power he now possesses.

It is one of the more subtle powers in the employ of the Shēngxiào, secretly warping minds so that the victims experience confusion, depression and misfortune without ever being able to associate these symptoms with their source. For the most part, Yagi uses his power on whichever of his students manages to attract his interest, whether for good or bad behavior. However, he has also unleashed its full effects in public areas as a distraction for other members of the Shēngxiào, and has become accomplished at pretending to be affected by whatever strange phenomena is at work. Recognizing that he has next to no combat ability without his powers, Shānyáng will seek to escape from any conflict with someone who seems able to resist them.

Ironically, Shānyáng has a very poor relationship with Haha Niwatori, who brought him into the Shēngxiào on the assumption that he would support her in its power struggles. His fractured mind makes it difficult for her to exercise her mind control powers over him, and any social threats that she might make have no meaning to him. She could end his employment, but that would be a reward to him. He cares nothing for money or social status, and could probably incapacitate most of the minions in her employ quite easily. On the other hand, she is immune to his powers as well. So they confine themselves to verbal sniping, ironically convincing most of their fellows that they are strongly allied.

Perhaps the central tragedy of Suzushiro Yagi is that he is, in fact, a good teacher, able to keep the attention of his students and convey the lesson plans set by the school board so that students understand them, and possessing a great memory for names, faces and personal information. He only lacks the empathy required to use these skills effectively. If not for the fact that he was forced into the profession, he might have come to it naturally, or found some other way to employ these talents that benefited humanity. But he was a nail that stood up and was then ... not hammered down, but pulled out from the board in a way that twisted it into a disturbing shape.

Shānyáng -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Aura of Despair: Progressive Selective Burst Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned, Incapacitated), Extra Condition, Insidious, Subtle - 56 points
Such Misfortune: Selective Burst Area Luck Control 2 (forced reroll, negate), Insidious, Luck 5, Subtle - 17 points
Utterly Unfazeable: Immunity 5 (interaction skills); Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 15 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Connected, Daze (Teacher), Eidetic Memory, Hide in Plain Sight.

Skills:
Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+10), Expertise: Popular Culture 7 (+9), Expertise: Teacher 7 (+11), Insight 10 (+12), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+10), Stealth 8 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Aura of Despair -- (Burst Area Will 9)

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

Totals:
Abilities 28 + Powers 79 + Advantages 5 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 164 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 4
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Bitterness--Motivation. Near-sighted. Secret Identity. Subject to Orders.

"Heroes ride ... goats walk."

 

[Davies]

The Dreamdancer

She is the youngest of the four native immortal guardians of the World More Grim, and yet by some metrics the most powerful. This has never been properly tested, for though she is frequently opposed to Merlin (and just as often to the Erlkonig and the Mnajimu) they prefer to settle their disputes without direct confrontation, and all of them have joined forces to oppose Mephistopheles when needs must. But the others are well aware that without her, they would still be sleeping, and that she might return them to that sleep if she were sorely vexed.

Her story began in 1859, when a certain young girl asked a certain mathematician to tell her a story, and he obliged. Now, there can be no question that the mathematician and storyteller had no magical talents whatsoever, for magic had faded from the world long before, when an enchanter broke his staff and burned his book before departing from his exile in Bermuda. Yet somehow, the story that he told her sparked something in the mind of his young pupil. When she slept that night, the story she had been told continued in her dreams, growing stranger and stranger and remaining vivid in her mind when she awoke in the morning. And it would continue to do so through many nights to come.

This went on for years, and she described some of the events that she witnessed in these dreams to her tutor, who would incorporate them into his own stories that he would one day set down as a book. Eventually, the friendship between these two suffered a rupture, for reasons that have no relevance to her story, and the young lady valiantly sought to stop having these dreams. In due time, she succeeded and lived happily -- if quietly and mundanely -- thereafter. But there was more to the story than she ever after knew.

In trying to break away from her adventures in what she believed to be dreams, she broke away a piece of herself that still wanted to continue having them. That piece, left behind in the regions she had visited, somehow grew into a fully realized person who promptly set about continuing her explorations of these lands. Ever young, she eventually ventured beyond the lands of chessboards and puns into other regions, to pirate-haunted islands and places even more uncivilized, to lands of eternal winter and realms of sulfur and brimstone, confronting all manner of strangeness with poise and patience. And though she never sought an explanation, she eventually found one all the same.

The Dreamer, as she was called then, eventually came to the workshop of the being who had created the structure in which all these realms existed. (The identity and origins of this earlier oneiromancer are unanswered questions, ones that she would like answered.) Within that place, she discovered a device that could awaken certain entities who were locked in dreams of their own, which would in turn awaken much else. Having met many beings imprisoned in these dream lands against their will, she found her heart moved to pity. And besides, it would be such a sight to see. So she awakened the other immortals, and won her own immortality in the process.

The Dreamdancer, as she is called now, is able to perceive the thoughts of any dreaming being on Earth, and can shape their mental landscape as it suits her, inflicting pleasures or pains. By and large, she simply watches, rarely acting to help or to harm, taking note of interesting ideas or concepts that she might replicate in the lands she now rules. Sometimes, she witnesses matters which disturb her -- though this takes a great deal of doing -- and in such instances she will normally seek help from mortals to resolve the problems faced by other mortals.

However, it is unwise to impute too much benevolence to the queen of the land where dreams have substance. While her immortal form requires less sleep than it once did, she must still let her conscious mind know rest on occasion -- and the sleep of her reason often breeds monsters. Her powers are unleashed when she herself dreams, and what dreams may come from this can be terrible indeed, especially if she found herself in a bad mood before surrendering to sleep. Yet the longer she resists the urge to sleep, the worse her moods might become. It is no easy thing to endure the stress of her regard ...

The Dreamdancer -- PL 14

Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 8 | AGL 6 | DEX 3 | FGT 8 | INT 4 | AWE 8 | PRE 6

Powers:
Dreamdance: Array (43 points)

• Shape Dream: Illusion 14 (all senses), Dimensional, Independent, Limited to One Subject, Limited to sleeping targets, Resistible by Will, Dynamic - 44 points
• Shape Trauma: Perception Range Damage 14, Dimensional, Resisted by Will, Limited to sleeping targets - 2 points
• Witness Dream: Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 14, Dimensional, Limited to sleeping targets - 2 points

Dreamsight: Remote Sensing 13 (8000 miles; all senses), Dimensional, Medium (unshielded dreaming mind) - 53 points
Dreamspeech: Mental Communication 4 (planetary), Dimensional, Subtle - 18 points
Immortal: Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 10 points
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 14, Limited to mental effects - 7 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 3, Evasion, Fascinate (Performance), Improved Defense, Improved Defense, Multilingual.

Equipment:
Home Plane: Size Huge; Toughness 10; Features Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System - 15 points

Skills:
Deception 7 (+13), Expertise: History 6 (+10), Expertise: Performance 6 (+12), Insight 6 (+14), Intimidation 5 (+11), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)
Nightmare -- (Perception Range Perception Area Damage 13, Resisted by Will)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 13, Fortitude 10, Toughness 13/8, Will 14

Totals:
Abilities 86 + Powers 136 + Advantages 11 + Skills 23 + Defenses 18 = 274 points

Offensive PL: 14
Defensive PL: 13
Resistance PL: 12
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Secret Identity. Uncontrolled Power (all Dream powers may activate without conscious control when sleeping.) Whimsical and Macabre.

Note: If the Dreamdancer ever travels to the World Less Magical, her STA, AGL, FGT, AWE and PRE drop by 2 ranks each, she suffers Power Loss for Immortal, her Impervious Will drops to 12, and her Dreamdance array drops to 34 points, with all effects dropping to 12 ranks and losing the Dimensional extra. She becomes PL 12.

"I know you/I walked with you once upon a dream."

 

[Voltron64]

Now, there can be no question that the mathematician and storyteller had no magical talents whatsoever, for magic had faded from the world long before, when an enchanter broke his staff and burned his book before departing from his exile in Bermuda.

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

"I know you/I walked with you once upon a dream."

Also relevant: "Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."