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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8139439" data-attributes="member: 30538">Parovoy<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-5vGBdXh/0/26b52dbb/S/135798-139170-ghost-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The mysterious Russian vigilante known as паровой (Parovoy, "Steam") is often compared to America's Darkwing -- and boy oh boy did he get tired of that almost immediately. It should be obvious to anyone who bothers to study the situation that he is a much more capable and effective crimefighter, since he operates without any assistance from the incredibly corrupt police force in Moscow and has been hunted by them since his debut in 2004, unlike certain individuals who are practically deputized by the police in their region. He's a better fighter, a better scientist, and a better investigator -- the comparisons should go the other way, but just because Darkwing happened to start a few years earlier, he gets all the good press!Pavel Kuznetsov's view of matters should probably not be confused with reality. While not actually delusional, he has a decidedly paranoid view of his existence. Part of this is for obvious reasons -- the authorities actually are out to get him -- but part of it has another source that he's unable to accept or admit. He is a brilliant scientist, quite probably Darkwing's peer in at least that area, but Pavel never had the opportunity or resources to seek out the sorts of  physical training that Darkwing has done. So he had to use his brilliance, particularly in the area of chemistry, to give himself an edge.He refers to the substance as Velikolepiye, "Splendor", and it is the closest that any inventor on Earth has ever come to a universal super-soldier treatment. Calibrated for Pavel's own physiology, it would produce the same strength- and reaction speed-enhancing effects on roughly one in ten thousand other human beings who took it. For nearly two thirds of those who would not receive these enhancements, however, it is a lethal toxin with no known treatment. It is relatively simple to determine who would be affected, however, by giving the subject with a microdose that will produce a statistically insignificant muscular enhancement, no effect at all, or fairly severe but not life-threatening nausea.If Pavel had devised Splendor almost anywhere else in the world, he would be able to write his own check with big pharma, who would probably engage in quite a bit of distillation to make it a bit safer before selling it to the military. Unfortunately, he came up with the stuff in Russia, and fully expected to be murdered for the formula before he started taking it, and its side effects, as you will probably guess, include a decided tendency towards psychosis.He came by these problems naturally, as well. Orphaned during the street-fighting of the Soviet Union's collapse, he was taken in by one of the nation's newer think tanks, and was actually happy there despite the constant pressure to produce results. Unfortunately, a number of the older boys there viewed his talents as a threat to the hierarchy they'd established, and conspired to frame him for crimes against the staff, resulting in his expulsion. Pavel finished his education in a more conventional manner, completed his compulsory military service, and then found a job as a janitor at Moscow State University, taking advantage of his access to its facilities to advance his knowledge of science. Despite his bitter opinions of all this, he nonetheless decided to use his talents to avenge crimes rather than commit them.Parovoy works alone, trying to be as mysterious and easily vanished as his alias. His most noteworthy accomplishment was preventing Saturn from seizing control of Russia -- thus upholding its wonderful status quo -- in association with Baba Yaga and others, and has worked with the master spy on other occasions since then, but it is a tense and difficult partnership on both sides. Even when working with others, he usually speaks as little as possible, rarely using people's names -- since he usually suspects that whatever name they've given him, or others, is a lie. Interestingly, he has never actually met Darkwing, despite his anger and annoyance at the other man.паровой (Parovoy)/Steam -- PL 10Abilities:STR 5/2 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 8 | AWE 3 | PRE 2Powers:Armored Costume: Immunity 10 (life support); Protection 4; Removable (-3 point) - 11 pointsSplendor: Enhanced Advantage 18 (All-out Attack, Close Attack 5, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action, Takedown 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Enhanced Strength 3; Leaping 2 (30 feet); Quickness 2; Speed 5 (60 MPH); Activation—Move Action (-1 point), Removable (-8 points) - 33 pointsAdvantages:All-out Attack, Close Attack 5, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard Eidetic Memory, Equipment 4, Evasion 2, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative 3, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Language 2 (English, German, others, [Russian is native]), Jack-of-all-Trades, Move-by Action, Skill Mastery (Technology), Takedown 2, Uncanny DodgeEquipment:Underground Lair: Size Huge; Toughness 14; Features: Communications, Computer, Concealed 2, Defense System, Holding Cells, Isolated, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 20 pointsSkills:Athletics 7 (+12/+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+10), Deception 10 (+12), Expertise: Science 4 (+12), Insight 9 (+11), Investigation 6 (+14), Perception 10 (+13), Sleight of Hand 7 (+10), Stealth 10 (+12), Technology 5 (+13).Offense:Initiative +14/+6Unarmed +15/+10 (Close Damage 5/2, Crit 19-20)Defense:Dodge 12/8, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/6/4/2, Will 9Totals:Abilities 52 + Powers 44 + Advantages 14 + Skills 37 + Defenses 19 = 166 pointsComplications:Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Paranoia. Rivalry (Darkwing).</blockquote>

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