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

[Davies]

Elwasse

Everyone knows that bards are spies. Everyone takes it for granted that, as the bards wander about looking for tales to turn into songs, they learn all sorts of other interesting and dangerous things that they invariably pass on to their patrons, who are typically magnates of the various realms. So most people are careful about what they reveal when they think a bard might be listening. And nobody really believes in the so-called free bards, who claim to owe no allegiance to any lord but only to their craft.

Elwasse of Surbrook is a free bard. Raised by the first of her calling from the gutters of the city from which she takes her name, she sells her songs for food and lodging, but never sells the secrets that she has learned to anyone, high or low. Most who have learned a bit about the free bards assume that their first, the playwright Calum Pikesway, acts as their patron, collecting the secrets that they gather and secretly selling them to the highest bidder. They are wrong.

While Calum has, from time to time, advised Elwasse of matters that she might want to investigate, he never asks her to report on anything, trusting in the sense of duty he has instilled in her to keep her on the right path. Her adventures are guided by that sense of duty, by her faith, and by her periodic glimpses of potential futures, most of which show her things that she seeks to prevent. She does her best to keep these visions a secret, as she fears that she would be regarded as a servant of one of the prideful Ascendants if they became known. (Her belief is that such beings are deceivers seeking to prevent mortals from coming to the understanding of the Shaper of Worlds.)

Typically, on learning of a situation that demands her involvement, Elwasse will recruit allies from other adventurers, ideally those with whom she has worked well in the past. When needs must, though, she will take whatever help she can get, and hope for the best. This might lead to her being allied with nearly anyone, depending on the circumstances. The ally of today might be the enemy of tomorrow, after all.

Sometimes, she wonders why Calum chose to train her, and the other free bards, in this way. In her darkest moments, she fears that he might be a pawn of one of the Ascendants, making her one by proxy. He wears a symbol that she has seen nowhere else, a sort of stylized eye. When she asked about it, he told her a strange tale, of a giant with many eyes who was lulled to sleep and then killed as part of some scheme. "So I wear this so that one of the eyes of Argus is always open. Wherever and whenever."

The name meant nothing to her, of course.

Elwasse -- PL 5

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

Powers:
Oracular: Senses 4 (precognition), Unreliable - 2 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Connections, Contacts, Equipment 3, Fascinate (Performance), Improved Defense, Jack-of-all-trades, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Armor (Protection 2), Rapier (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical), Throwing Knives (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1), Masterwork Fiddle (+2 circumstance bonus to Performance checks) and 7 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Close Combat: Rapier 2 (+5), Deception 2 (+6), Expertise: History 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic 4 (+7)*, Expertise: Performance 6 (+10), Insight 8 (+10), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+5), Stealth 4 (+6).
* INT-based.

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)
Rapier +5 (Close Damage 3, Crit 19-20)
Throwing Knives +5 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 2 + Advantages 10 + Skills 23 + Defenses 13 = 80 points

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

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Faith. Honor (code of the free bards.) Secret (oracular visions.)

 

[Davies]

Maggan

Art by Danila Kalinin.

Much like the island of Teyango, the Paaxetani archipelago was absorbed into the Empire of Troas long ago but treated just as a source of sorghum rather than a potential colony. Unlike the people of Teyango, who were content to largely ignore their rulers in return, adventurous children of the archipelago frequently came to metropolitan Troas in search of fame and fortune. Most found only disappointment and death instead, but that is true of all who would walk the glory road. And then there is one Etani who has managed to find both.

Maggan Rimasdar believed that she was on the way to achieving something worthwhile with her life. She had been accepted into the college of heralds within Troas itself, to be taught arts both magical and martial in the service of ... not so much the Empire itself but the ideals of stability and security that it seemed to represent. She was aware that there were those who thought that an Etani had no business striving to stand among her betters in this way, but hoped that she could show them her worth and earn their respect.

Last month, she awoke from what she remembers as a nightmare that never ended, where she rose high in the college of heralds, earning honors both worldly and arcane, only for every victory to turn to ashes in her mouth, for every friend she ever made to die or betray her or both, and for her life to end by a lengthy and painful public execution. Just a dream, she told herself in the moments after awakening, just a horrible dream. Then she met her face in the glass and saw that her hair had turned white, as it was at the end of the nightmare, and she realized that she had all the magical might that she had gained in those imaginary years.

Something has happened. Maggan remembers stories claiming that those who die before fulfilling their destinies are sometimes given another chance by the immortals on some other world. But this is no other world but the one she knew, or thought she knew. She has already encountered events that seem to recall similar ones from her memories of the early parts of the bad dream, which she has chosen to turn differently. Most notable of these are the choice to walk away from the college of heralds despite working so hard to earn entrance into it, confusing friend and foe alike.

She cannot guess what consequences such choices will have. She only knows that she does not want to live through that nightmare again. The problem is that she did not then, and does not now, truly understand the events that brought her to the end that she remembers. She needs to gain that understanding, and where she withdrew from the world in that life she recalls, she will be in the world if not of it in this second chance.

Maggan -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Aura of Healing: Array (16 points)

• Lifegiving: Healing 8, Resurrection, Side Effect (target takes Damage 8 on a failed check) - 16 points
• Painstaking: Restorative Empathic Healing 8 - 1 point
• Shadowslaying: Burst Area Damage 8, Resisted by Will, Limited to Entropic creatures - 1 point

Enchanted Sword: Strength-based Damage 3, Accurate, Affects Insubstantial, Improved Critical, Penetrating 6; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 8 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Equipment 3, Fearless, Improved Critical (sword), Improved Disarm, Inspire, Leadership, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Takedown 2, Teamwork, Weapon Bind.

Equipment:
Armor (Protection 5) and 10 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+8), Expertise: Magic 4 (+7), Expertise: Theology 6 (+8), Expertise: Warfare 7 (+9), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 5 (+8), Perception 3 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 3)
Sword +10 (Close Damage 6, Crit 18-20)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 9/4, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 26 + Advantages 17 + Skills 21 + Defenses 14 = 124 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Change Fate--Motivation. Confused Memories Of What Might Be. Friends (other heralds.)

 

[Davies]

Kestreks

Art by Sandra Duchiewicz

Out of the Bandit Kingdom rode Kestreks the Killer, astride his warlizard Mahalana, seeking what employment he could find as a mercenary soldier. He chose, for the most part, to take the distrust that most prospective employers had for him as appropriate fear for a gargun warrior, and only retaliated when that distrust led to actual attacks. Eventually, he found an employer desperate enough to accept him, and proved worthy of his hire, advising the caravan leader of secret tricks that the bandits would and did use, and killing those who did without scruple. He has done so repeatedly these past three years, all through the northwest. No one fully trusts him, but they have grown accustomed to his presence.

Kestreks largely speaks through his actions, seldom employing words. Some fools imagine that he cannot manage the common tongue, or speaks with some wretched accent and misused pronouns. In fact, he speaks Troatian better than many of his colleagues, and is both fully literate and well-read on the subject of military tactics. He has little if any curiosity about "softer" subjects, though, but recognizes that anything -- object or idea -- can become a weapon if used correctly.

He never speaks about what led him to leave the Bandit Kingdom, where (according to rumors) he was once a lieutenant to the current king and might well have led many of the raids that he has helped to throw back had things gone differently. If he finds anything amusing, it is the stories that others have made up about why he chose to ride away from that enviable situation. The ones where he fell in love with someone and decided that there had to be more to life than unending battle have even made him laugh, though the sound of that is easily mistaken for a sigh.

The truth is that he discovered the secret of the "current" king -- that he is, like every king before him, a hollow shell employed by Farran, the vampyre who has secretly ruled the Bandit Kingdom for centuries, surviving every purge and stealing the soul of each new ambitious would-be leader. As Kestreks was himself an ambitious would-be leader, he found himself not best pleased at the idea that he could only ever become a mask for someone else. But opposing the king, and his army, was a ticket to swift death and he knew that he could trust no one to stand with him against the vampyre.

So with the one thing he could trust -- his axe -- and a mostly reliable companion -- his warlizard -- he rode away to begin building an army and finding allies who would not be tainted by the touch of Farran. With only a few decades left before old age begins to steal away his might, Kestreks wants to get this done soon ... but he wants to get it done well.

Kestreks -- PL 7

STR 5 | STA 6 | AGL 0 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 0 | AWE 2 | PRE 2

Powers:
Healing Factor: Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 2 - 4 points

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Asssessment, Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Fearless 2, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Inspire, Power Attack, Sidekick 12, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Break.

Equipment:
Axe (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical).

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+4), Athletics 2 (+7), Close Combat: Axe 1 (+6), Expertise: Warfare 8 (+8), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 5)
Axe +6 (Close Damage 8, Crit 19-20)

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

Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 4 + Advantages 27 + Skills 17 + Defenses 13 = 107 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Hunted (followers of Farran.) Keeps All Promises. Prejudice (gargun.)

Mahalana -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR 7 | STA 7 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 3 | INT -4 | AWE 1 | PRE -4

Powers:
Keen Nose: Senses 2 (acute extended scent) - 2 points
Large Size: Permanent Growth 3, Innate, Protection 1; Speed 1 - 12 points
Natural Weapons: Strength-based Damage 2, Reach 1 - 3 points
Toxic Bite: Weaken Stamina 7 (Resisted by Fortitude; Grab-based, Secondary Effect) - 7 points

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Startle.

Skills:
Athletics 1 (+8), Cloe Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Intimidation 10 (+7), Perception 5 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 9)
Toxic Bite +5 (Close Damage 9 and Fortitude 7)

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

Totals:
Abilities 10 + Powers 24 + Advantages 5 + Skills 9 + Defenses 12 = 60 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Hunger--Motivation. No Fine Manipulators or Speech. Tamed But Not Domestic.

 

[Davies]

Rartigan

There are enough stories about the various deeds of the wizard called Rartigan -- no adjective, thank you, he just goes by his name -- that even those who believe many of them suspect that they cannot all be true. Less credulous commentators claim that the wizard blithely accepts the credit for countless acts actually performed by diverse hands, then change the subject when someone points out that there are few if any who have tried to claim credit for anything he is supposed to have done. More enlightened observers suspect that the wizard must be an identity employed by one of the Ascendants, or possibly even more than one.

Wrong in every particular. While blessed with long years thanks to regular doses of certain herbs, the wizard is entirely mortal. He is a favored agent of one particular Ascendant, but his deeds are his own. He is, to be frank, overworked and under-rewarded, and yet keeps any complaints about any of this to himself. He expects to be offered Ascendance one of these days, either by his patron or her own, and looks forward to the look on their faces when he turns them down flat. The thought of finally being able to refuse the offer of more hard work presented as a boon is all that keeps him going at times.

Rartigan was born a bit less than two centuries ago in the Holy Islands of Harnedi, but shows this only when he allows himself to speak freely in his native accent. This is rare, for he will more often choose to use language and a manner of speech that matches his current company, the better to advise and guide them. He is aided in this by the hooded cloak that he wears; its primary enchantment allows him to change his features, but he has learned to change his voice, as well.

Such is the nature of wizardry in a World More Sorcerous -- learning how best to use the magic that exists in all things and in all creatures, including oneself. Most of his most famous spells are actually carved into his oaken staff; his own capabilities seem to be just being more aware of magic than most. That knowledge also extends to knowing who to seek out for assistance in the various weighty matters with which he is entrusted, and how to convince them to lend their aid.

As he grows older without aging, he finds himself reflecting more and more on those he has employed in these schemes, and wondering if the world that they often died to defend is truly worthy of that enormous sacrifice. But Rartigan reminds himself, again and again, that the only real choice that anyone has is what to do with the time that is given them. That was true for all of them, and it is true of himself, as well.

Rartigan -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Disguise Cloak: Continuous Morph 2 (humanoids), Precise; Removable (-2 points) - 11 points
Mystical Awareness: Senses 4 (acute analytical radius mystic awareness) - 4 points
Shield Spell: Linked Enhanced Advantage 1 (Defensive Roll); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Subtle - 10 points
Staff of Power: Easily Removable (-10 points)

• Call Light: Environment 1 (light) - 1 point
• Imbued Spells:Array (21 points)
  • Fireball: Ranged Burst Area Damage 7 - 21 points
  • Ice Binding: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 7 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile) - 1 point
  • Lightning Bolt: Ranged Multiattack Damage 7 - 1 point
  • Mage Hand: Perception Range Move Object 7 - 1 point
  • "Plus, I Can Also HIT You With This Stick, You Know?": Strength-based Damage 2, Accurate - 1 point

Unaging: Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) - 3 points

Advantages:
Fascinate (Persuasion), Multilingual, Ritualist, Trance, Well-informed.

Skills:
Deception 6 (+11), Expertise: Magic 8 (+13), Insight 8 (+12), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Magic 8 (+11)

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Staff +5 (Close Damage 3)
Lightning Bolt +11 (Ranged Damage 7)
Ice Binding +11 (Ranged Affliction 7, Resisted by Dodge)
Fireball -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 7)

Defense:
Dodge 11/7, Parry 9/5, Fortitude 6, Toughness 4/2, Will 12

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 44 + Advantages 5 + Skills 24 + Defenses 20 = 137 points

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

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Power Loss (Unaging, without regular herbal treatment.) Secrets (many.)

Walk doddering into the last days
Weave the air into flowers or light
Try to remember more, fading spells
To make children laugh in delight

Hear them gasp, see them smile
Look into their dazzled eyes
Which will grow to wizardly might?
Smile, and never tell them it’s all lies.

 

[Davies]

Starfinder

In 1969, shortly before humans from Earth took one small step that was also a giant leap, the superhero Meteor found himself investigating a series of heists committed in the Orlando area. Because he kept his extraterrestrial origins a secret, he was unable to reveal to anyone that the items that had been stolen had ingredients that could be combined to produce an extremely powerful explosive, as this was a discovery that had yet to be made by terrestrial mad scientists, or so he had believed. He feared that this might be the return of Vaskhane, and so pursued his leads forcefully.

That eventually allowed him to identify the perpetrators, whom he pursued into the Everglades. When Meteor caught up to them, however, they were quick to surrender and offer apologies for the deception. They had engaged in these acts not for any terroristic purpose, but to attract the attention of someone on Earth who was familiar with the greater galaxy, such as Meteor. Having done so, they proceeded to beg for his help, and Meteor listened to what was, even for him, an amazing story.

Forty-three* years earlier, a pair of young royals from Paraza, a single planet stellar government on the trailing border of the Technate, had escaped from a revolution on their home world and went into exile. Their journey had led them to Earth, where they had chosen to go into hiding, according to the last report that their supporters back home had received. Decades* later, sanity had finally returned to their home and the young royals were being called back to take up their rule once more. But when the ship that was supposed to carry them back had arrived, the signals that were supposed to alert their passengers had gone unanswered.

The aliens needed help to find out what had happened, and while Meteor had some problems with the narrative, he agreed to assist so as to answer his own questions. As it turned out, the two young royals had passed away in an accident four years earlier, leaving their sixteen-year-old daughter, named Stella, in the care of some family friends. Meteor arranged for her to meet with the people who were looking for her family. Against his advice, Stella eagerly agreed to return with the aliens to the world where her parents had been born, but promised Meteor that she would never forget where she had come from. Meteor watched their ship depart with mixed feelings, uncertain whether he had done the right thing, but suspecting that he would never really know.

On Paraza, Stella was subjected to certain rituals designed to awaken the hereditary powers of her family, the so-called Starfinders. These proved successful, turning her into a superpower who became the primary defender of her home world against alien invasion -- specifically by the Konan Armada, who made several attempts to conquer them. Recognizing that she could not (and should not) do everything, she built up a conventional military, and also occasionally made attempts to introduce democratic reforms to the planetary government, but most were not successful as she made a better general than a politician.

Quite recently, news reached her about the planned Konan invasion of Earth. Aghast at the thought of the world she had never ... completely forgotten (though she rarely thought about it all that much), Starfinder commanded one of her fleets to follow her to Earth and then flew as high into hyperspace as she could manage, hoping to arrive in time to assist in the liberation of the planet. She arrived last week to learn that the invasion had been repelled, and that her fleet should arrive in a few months.

That she did all this for no good reason is somewhat embarrassing, and Stella has not had to cope with serious embarrassment in some time. She has not been told 'no' in even longer, being used to having her wishes immediately answered. That said, she recognizes that this is not her world to rule, and wants to make allies of its people and heroes if at all possible. Argus, which likewise desires friendly relations with her planet, has asked the alien heroes known as the Vagabonds to accompany her in her journeys on Earth. So far, no disasters have happened, though the one called Wissen is quite testing her patience ... even if he does understand about how great the Beatles were.

Starfinder -- PL 12

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

Powers:
"And A Star to Steer Her By": Feature 1 (+2 circumstance bonus for Expertise: Galactic checks for hyperspace navigation) - 1 point
Starborn: Immunity 31 (aging, energy damage, life support); Protection 4, Impervious 8 - 43 points
Starflare: Array (24 points)

• Basic Blast: Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
• Burst Fire: Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 1 point
• Flashy Display: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to Visual Senses - 1 point
• Focused Fire: Ranged Damage 9, Penetrating 6 - 1 point

Starflght: Flight 15 (64000 MPH); Movement 2 (splace flight 2) - 34 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Attractive, Benefit (Queen of Paraza), Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Seize Initiative.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+11), Expertise: Military 8 (+10), Insight 4 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+12), Perception 6 (+11), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Starflare 7 (+12)

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)
Basic Blast +12 (Ranged Damage 12)
Burst Fire +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Focused Fire +12 (Ranged Damage 9)
Flashy Display -- (Burst Area Affliction 12, Resisted by Dodge)

Defense:
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 8, Toughness 12/10, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 76 + Powers 104 + Advantages 12 + Skills 25 + Defenses 18 = 235 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Allergies (many Earth foods, unpredictable effects.) Imperious. Unfamiliar With Earth Culture (more accurately, the changes since 1969.)

 

[Davies]

Kuklafron

Vaskhane, like most major criminal organizations, makes a great show of complete indifference to the origins of its agents, as long as they display the cardinal virtues of competence, loyalty, and ruthlessness. This is largely a façade, as plenty of high-ranking Vaskhane care a great deal about where their agents come from, if only because they want to have blackmail material on them to keep them in line. The biography that follows is derived from the private databases of a number of these Vaskhane leaders -- all dead and gone -- as well as the thick file of information collected by the Technate Bureau of Law Enforcement.

The alien known as Kuklafron -- a somewhat blasphemous deformation of the name of an obscure god of laughter -- first came to the attention of Vaskhane a bit more than sixty years* ago on the planet Reldon, a factory world in the heart of the Technate. At that point, he was operating an unlicensed medical clinic in the lower residential areas, and Vaskhane operatives quickly became some of his most frequent clients, as well as supplying him with illicit pharmaceuticals. It soon became apparent that his medical practice was only a cover for his interests in conducting highly illegal and dangerous experimentation, and the head of Vaskhane on that particular planet chose to become his patron.

He was allegedly from a planet in the Unclaimed Regions that he referred to as Akuar, giving several different sets of coordinates for it when questioned. After assisting his current boss in developing countermeasures against attacks by a group of Isakari, the superficial similarities between him and the hunters led to speculation, in certain quarters, that he was an odd example of their species who lacked their physical strength but had greater intelligence to compensate. Kuklafron is known to have found this insinuation amusing, to a point, and sometimes played up the idea that he consumed sapient brains. There is no proof that he did not do so.

After roughly a decade, having outlasted a number of employers, he convinced the leaders of the Seven Strains that he should be given the task of rebuilding Vaskhane operations on the backwater planet of Earth. It seems likely that they viewed this as a good way to get rid of an ambitious and perhaps overly competent underling, and expected him to suffer the same fate as Aunat and Taddely in an even shorter amount of time. By a coincidence that neither they nor Kuklafron himself could have predicted, however, the Super-Wizard had departed from Earth before he arrived, and many of the other superpowers had fallen.

Kuklafron pursued countless schemes over the next decade, allying with the Pythonians not long after they formed. He was a constant, behind-the-scenes nemesis to virtually every superpower agency active in the seventies and eighties, often only failing to triumph because he grew bored with a given scheme and abandoned it for something more immediately interesting. Despite this somewhat dilletante attitude, attempts by Vaskhane to bring him to heel universally failed, and often ended up with those sent to control him becoming assets to his plans, as was the case with Atara.

However, no luck lasts forever, and Kuklafron was apparently killed in the destruction of his base beneath Lake Michigan in 1991. In fact, he survived, but has remained in suspended animation right up until the present, awaiting release from his watery grave. Whether that will ever happen remains to be seen, but it is possible ... especially if a certain regularly transmitted code sequence, designed to be intelligible only to members of his own species, if ever detected and answered.

Kuklafron -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 3 | STA 4 | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 9 | AWE 3 | PRE 1

Powers:
Field Generator Belt: Removable (-15 points)

• Camouflage Field: Concealment 5 (normal hearing, normal sight, radio), Blending - 5 points
• Deflector Field: Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 8 points
• Disguise Field: Morph 2 (humanoids) - 10 points
• Life Support Field: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
• Psychic Amplification Field: Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental effects - 6 points
• Tractor/Pressor Field: Perception Range Damaging Move Object 9, Precise - 37 points

Advantages:
Connected, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 20, Inventor, Skill Mastery (Technology), Well-informed.

Skills:
Deception 10 (+11), Expertise: Crime 4 (+13), Expertise: Science 5 (+14), Insight 9 (+12), Intimidation 11 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 10 (+11), Technology 5 (+14), Treatment 2 (+11).

Defense:
Dodge 9/5, Parry 11/7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/4, Will 12

Totals:
Abilities 62 + Powers 61 + Advantages 26 + Skills 32 + Defenses 15 = 196 points

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

Motivation:
Sadism--Motivation. Easily Distracted. Obvious Alien.

 

[Davies]

Teleute

If there is one thing that any entity who finds themself in a confrontation with Teleute, Hierarch of the Sphere of Entropy, should never forget, it is this: she is not Ananke, the ruler of Daath for uncounted eons. Ananke is no more, having ceased to exist during the Anachronic Calamity. It would not be inaccurate to claim that Teleute is to Ananke as a child might be to a parent. It would also not be inaccurate to claim that Teleute is to Ananke as a wrapper is to a candy bar -- something discarded. Neither of these would be prudent analogies to make in her hearing.

The point is, though, that she is not the ancient being that Ananke was. She has existed for only a bit longer than a month, by most chronologies, and she knows it. Her knowledge of the universe is incomplete -- in large part because that universe itself has changed -- and her ability to gain more knowledge is somewhat more limited. Most of all, she is much more vulnerable than Ananke, who could ignore reality as she saw fit. Being reminded of this latter diminishment tends to anger her, as she is unused to pain. It may be that she will become more used to it as time passes ... but likely not.

There are compensations, of course. If her ability to resist the intrusion of reality on her person has lessened, her ability to intrude on that reality herself, through her Nine Words of Mastery, has grown. And she can recover from fatal injuries, now, though this is not an ability that she plans to test anytime soon, given how she regards injury as a horror. (If she cannot immediately destroy whatever caused her injury, she is likely to retreat promptly.)

Her most potent ability is one that she never expected to receive. One of the demands that Mephistopheles made while negotiating his temporary alliance -- and thus that of the Sphere of Entropy -- with the other Ascendants was that the Hierarch of Entropy would have the right to refuse to allow ascendance to be bestowed without their permission. It seems likely, to her mind, that the False Friend intended for himself to rise into that seat and enjoy that privelige, but he has refused to discuss it in favor of loudly proclaiming himself her most loyal servant. Nevertheless, she quickly decided that reality needed no more ascendants, and planned to refuse all such petitions.

And then the Mnajimu came before her with his tale of a future that would bring about her fall, after only a brief reign, and then great and terrible disasters to follow. (The former part was all that concerned her.) All of this could only be prevented if another ascendant of the sphere of Time arose. Despite her suspicion, she was convinced of his sincerity, but set a high price for her agreement. He agreed, and so became the first ascendant in this new cosmological framework to die at her words, replaced by his red-robed colleague.

This illustrates the ultimate difference between herself and Ananke. The former was content to do nothing for eons, waiting for the time of her own ending. Teleute has an agenda of her own, and will take action to advance it. Ultimately, she seeks the triumph of entropy, the dissolution of everything into its most primal state ... and yet one from which there can be a rebirth. Something old becoming something new.

Teleute -- PL 16

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

Powers:
Ascendant: Ascendant: 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
Divine Body: Immunity 10 (life support); Insubstantial 4, Standard Action; Protection 4, Impervious 16 - 46 points
Divine Mind: Impervious Will 16, Limited to mental effects; Senses 7 (visual senses counter all concealment and illusions) - 23 points
Divine Veto: Feature 1 (no being can become an ascendant without her agreement) - 1 point
Nine Words of Mastery: Array (49 points)

• Word of Banishment: Perception Range Movement 1 Attack (dimensional travel to prison dimension), Resisted by Will, Increased Resistance 14, Reversible - 1 points
• Word of Death: Perception Range Damage 16, Resisted by Will, Hearing-Dependent, Reversible - 49 point
• Word of Life: Perception Range Healing 12, Others Only, Resurrection, Reversible - 1 point
• Word of Motion: Accurate Easy Extended Teleport 12, Extended Only - 1 point
• Word of Pain: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 16 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Hearing-Dependent, Reversible - 1 point
• Word of Rule: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 16 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Hearing-Dependent, Reversible - 1 point
• Word of Sight: Remove Sensing 15 (visual), No Conduit, Dimensional 2 (mystical) - 1 point
• Word of Stillness: Perception Range Nullify Magic 16, Broad - 1 point
• Word of Terror: Perception Range Affliction 16 (Resisted by Will; Impaired and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Disabled, Incapacitated and Paralyzed), Extra Condition, Hearing-Dependent, Reversible - 1 point

Advantages:
Assessment, Equipment 5, Extraordinary Effort, Fascinate (Persuasion), Jack-of-all-trades, Seize Initiative, Speed of Thought, Warp, Well-informed.

Equipment:
Home Plane: Size Gargantuan; Toughness 20; Features Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 30) - 22 points.

Skills:
Expertise: Dimensional 10 (+20), Expertise: Galactic 11 (+21), Insight 12 (+19), Intimidation 12 (+19), Perception 13 (+20), Persuasion 12 (+19).

Offense:
Initiative +10
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 4)
Word of Mastery -- (Perception Range Will 15)

Defense:
Dodge 14, Parry 12, Fortitude 12, Toughness 16, Will 16.

Totals:
Abilities 106 + Powers 137 + Advantages 13 + Skills 35 + Defenses 25 = 316 points

Offensive PL: 16
Defensive PL: 15
Resistance PL: 14
Skill PL: 16

Complications:
Entropy--Motivation. Callous and Indifferent. Temper (when suffers injury.)

"You are losing my interest," the rustling voice interrupted him again, "and that is very dangerous. In a moment I will have forgotten you quite entirely, and will never be able to remember just what I did with you. What I forget not only ceases to exist, but never really existed in the first place."

 

[Davies]

Fijiag

On the one hand, the Sprawl changes so fast that the events of even ten years ago might as well have happened to a previous generation. Even the terms used by Patois vary immensely depending on when you learned it. So someone who navigates cyberspace might be called a vagero, a pirato, or several other generally uncomplimentary names. On the other hand, most of those changes are entirely superficial, and once the new terminology is known, one finds that the job remains the same after actual generations.

The man who goes by the name Fijiag ("fee-JYAG") has been active as a cyberspace navigator -- he prefers the term "cortarado" -- for roughly fifty years, longer than anyone else in the same line of work. Remarks he has made suggest that he has undergone at least one rejuvenation treatment in that time, but most of his longevity is owed to being the best there is at what he does. He has flown black and white flags at various points in his career, working as an independent mercenary and hired on a long term basis by the corps. Where most people who get hired by the corps are bound to lifetime contracts, he has always negotiated his terms of his employment to his own advantage, frequently escaping from conditions he finds intolerable.

Little is known about the man behind the legend. He was probably no older than a teenager when he began his career, and did not (despite what flattened histories would suggest) immediately become notorious. But over the course of his life, he has either contributed to advances in both computer security and computer intrusion techniques, or been solely responsible for some. While most of his work has been imitated or even improved upon by other hands, some of his best work remains proprietary.

The most notorious of the latter would probably be what he refers to as his Catspawn system. Generally, people who engage in cyberspace activities must expose themselves to the risk that their nervous system might be overloaded by programs designed to cause damage to computer systems, which is generally fatal. As some have put it, when you die in cyberspace, your meat body will die too. But the Catspawn system is able to shield his brain from such injuries, allowing him to respawn his avatar up to eight times in quick succession and giving him the nine lives of a cat. (It is actually only four times, but Fijiag will go to some lengths to keep that a secret.)

As one who has switched sides many times in his life, Fijiag is a bit -- no, a lot -- cynical about causes. He has seen villains face death with bravery and dignity and so-called heroes break under the strain. So he has declined to formally ally himself with those forces working to improve life in the Sprawl now that it is part of a world again, working with them solely on a case by case basis. But he has become aware that there is someone active in cyberspace with intentions that are hostile to the Sprawl as a whole.

And it might be a hellhole run by awful people. But it is his home, and he will defend it.

Fijiag -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 2/0 | STA 1 | AGL 4/2 | DEX 2 | FGT 5/3 | INT 6 | AWE 5 | PRE 3

Powers:
Cyberspace Dive: Movement 1 (dimensional [cyberspace]), Side Effect (body is incapacitated) - 1 point
Implanted Communicator: Radio Communication 3 (regional), Subtle; Comprehend Machines 2; Senses 3 (acute tracking radio) - 22 points
Overclocked Avatar: Concealment 10, Partial; Enhanced Advantages 5 (Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action); Linked Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Enhanced Skill 3 (Close Combat: Unarmed 6); Linked Enhanced Strength 2; Linked Enhanced Fighting 2; Linked Enhanced Agility 2; Linked Impervious Will 10; Linked Sustained Protection 6; Limited, Only in Cyberspace - 26 points
Respawn: Linked Immortality 20; Linked Teleport 1, Reaction (dying); Limited, Only in Cyberspace, Unreliable (5 uses) - 13 points

Advantages:
Benefit 6 (cipher 2, millionaire, makes gather information checks with Technology), Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Improed Initiative 2, Improvised Tools, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 4, Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought, Ultimate Effort (Technology).

Equipment:
40 points of gear needed for any given assignment, usually offensive programs (various effects, Limited, Only in Cyberspace.)

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+11), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+12), Expertise: History 4 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+12), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+11), Techology 7 (+13).

Offense:
Initiative +14/+6
Unarmed +11/+5 (Close Damage 2)

Defense:
Dodge 13/7, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/1, Will 11.

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 62 + Advantages 25 + Skills 25 + Defenses 17 = 173 points

Offensive PL: 7/4*
Defensive PL: 10/4
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Secret Identity. Weakness (becomes Dazed/Stunned if subject to Nullify Technology.)

 

[Davies]

La Bomba

Maria Carpintero likes to think of herself as an easy-going person. In the ring, she might fight with ferocity if she is appearing as a heel -- pretty often, given how often she works in Japan these days -- and with determination if she has drawn the face. But wrestling is entertainment, not battle. Out of the ring, she tries her best to avoid fights and calm everyone down, only answering violence with violence if innocent bystanders would otherwise be put at risk, and minimizing the damage that she does. Unless someone brings up one of the subjects that set her off, she can maintain her pose.

And when they do, she snaps, loses it and tries to discover new ways that the human form can be twisted until she feels calm again.

So, in the interest of preventing that, let us explore those subjects in this safe space. First and foremost, one should never suggest that her abilities, while unquestionably superpower -- she can lift a ton and has greatly enhanced reaction speed -- are hereditary. She got this way through incredibly hard work, not because of who her parents were. And definitely not because of any completely unfounded allegations that her abuela ran around with El Sabio back in the Seventies! Suggesting that is a great way to arouse her curiosity about the color of your internal organs.

Secondly, yes, she did get tricked into fighting Tlaloc that one time. Talking about this will not anger her, and she will be frank about how embarrassed she was to realize that she had been manipulated into fighting someone who deliberately held back and didn't drop lightning bolts on her. Asking about how it would have gone if she had not reached that realization, however, will anger her with the implication that she would not have eventually won before he decided that he had no choice but to use the weather as a weapon.

Thirdly, she is not dating Rakni. She has known him since he joined UWF, and thinks he is a great contender and a wonderful person. Suggesting that their relationship has ever gone further will only make her laugh, as he is much too young for her. Suggesting that she would enjoy having herself webbed will seriously annoy her. (Suggesting that eight years is not really all that much younger utterly annoys her.)

Finally, yes, she has undergone therapy for this little problem of hers, and believed she was making progress towards overcoming it. Then the lousy headshrinker started to talk about how she had to come to terms with -- no, that topic is probably not safe to be discussed even here. Hopefully, it will never come up again. That poor man. He might walk again some day.

La Bomba -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR 4 | STA 4 | AGL 6 | DEX 4 | FGT 8 | INT 1 | AWE 4 | PRE 3

Powers:
Power Lifting: Enhanced Strength 2, Limited to lifting (1 ton) - 2 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Fast Grab, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Takedown, Weapon Bind.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 8 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+12), Expertise: Performance 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 7 (+11), Intimidation 7 (+10), Perception 6 (+10), Stealth 4 (+10), Vehicles 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +10
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 4)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/4, Will 7.

Totals:
Abilities 68 + Powers 2 + Advantages 17 + Skills 30 + Defenses 10 = 127 points

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

Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Hair-Trigger Temper (only about certain subjects.)

 

[Davies]

Mount Graham Correctional Facility

The difficulties involved in imprisoning superpower criminals were demonstrated early in the Golden Age, after the capture (and subsequent escape) of the Russian agent known as the Untouchable. Not all "supervillains" were as difficult to imprison as a man who could become intangible, but enough were able to strain the abilities of the authorities to cause numerous sleepless nights. There were many attempts to create methods of incarceration which could handle these challenges, but for every success, such as those used to hold De Damp, there were many more of which the best could be said that they only failed without creating more menaces to society.

But the successes accumulated, and in 1981, the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons announced that they would be constructing a special prison in New Mexico which was intended to hold both federal and state prisoners who had demonstrated that they could not be held by more mundane facilities. Various events too well-known to be discussed here delayed the opening of this facility, nicknamed Tartarus, until 1986. While Tartarus suffered many escapes during its twenty years of operations, they were far enough between to keep the Department of Justice and the executive reasonably satisfied ... until 2006, when the entire facility was destroyed during the coup attempt that year.

Plans for a replacement facility were begun almost immediately, using the same theories as the original but incorporating advances in technology that had been discovered in the interim. However, the decision was made not to base the installation in New Mexico, but rather Arizona, within the Pinaleño Mountains, specifically their High Peak, or Mount Graham. Exactly why this decision was made is the subject of a two hundred page proposal too complicated to be summarized here. Conspiracy theories hold that the area was chosen to take advantage of certain properties of the mountain, considered sacred by the Western Apache Nation.

Since its establishment in 2008, the Big Rock (as it is known, taking inspiration from the famous nickname of Alcatraz) has not seen any successful escapes*, and the number of attempted escapes has dwindled since the installation of Korean power suppression technology in 2012. That said, the prison staff are not complacent, and 2022 saw a further advance in their resources, with the introduction of a new set of powered armor employed by the guards, manufactured by Cadmus Enterprises.

Unfortunately, a disturbingly high number of those guards work for Saturn, as do many of the prison staff. Warden Daniel Collins is notably not one of these, but he is aware of them and believes that the only reason that he has not been assassinated by his supposed colleagues is that they are uncertain that one of them would be chosen as his replacement. Therefore, he does little to impede the activities of this conspiracy, which are at least not threatening law-abiding citizens. Besides, he also has frequent nightmares about the Emperor of Korea deciding to whimsically shut down the power suppression gear, and about the other Pythonian inspired group among the prisoners, and -- he is not a happy man.

Mount Graham Correctional Facility
Size Colossal; Toughness 16; Features Communications, Concealed 3, Fire Prevention System, Hangar, Holding Cells 3, Infirmary, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Personnel, Power System, Security System 3 - 27 points

Prison Guards -- PL 9/MR 8

Abilities:
STR 8/1 | STA 1 | AGL 3/1 | DEX 2 | FGT 5/3 | INT 0 | AWE 1 | PRE 0

Powers:
Spartoi "Fylakas" Powered Armor: Removable (-19 points)

• Armored Shell: Impervious Protection 8 - 16 points
• Chest Lamp: Environment 1 (light) - 1 point
• Comm System: Radio Communication 3 (regional), Subtle - 10 points
• Cybernetic Controls: Enhanced Agility 2; Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Enhanced Fighting 2 - 14 points
• Rocket Boosters: Flight 8 (500 MPH) - 16 points
• Sealed Systems: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
• Sensors: Senses 10 (accurate extended 2 radio, direction sense, distance sense, infravision, ultravision, time sense) - 10 points
• Weapons Systems: Array (16 points)
  • Chest Lamp Flare: Cone Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 16 points
  • Cybernetic Muscles: Enhanced Advantage 2 (Close Attack); Enhanced Strength 7 - 1 point
  • Mounted Blaster: Ranged Damage 8 - 1 point

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Teamwork.

Skills:
Close Combat: Grab 2 (+7/+5), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+2), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+4), Intimidation 6 (+6), Investigation 2 (+2), Perception 2 (+3), Technology 4 (+4).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7/+3 (Close Damage 8/1)
Grab +9/+5 (Close Grab 8/1)
Mounted Blaster +4 (Ranged Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 9/3, Parry 9/3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 9/1, Will 3.

Totals:
Abilities 18 + Powers 76 + Advantages 4 + Skills 11 + Defenses 6 = 115 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 3
Skill PL: 1

Complications:
Professional--Motivation. Alternatively, Power--Motivation. Maintenance. Others as Needed.

* This is only accurate as far as the staff are aware. In fact, the vampire Carmilla found herself imprisoned here for several weeks in 2011, during a time when she had been temporarily rendered a living vampire, but was able to fake her death once she once again became undead, facilitating her escape.