(OOC) Emerald City Knights

[Walking Dad]

@hero4hire

As Shayuri seems to have also other ideas, I will go with the speedster concept. Will add background soon.

This will be the first speedster I have a chance to play

---

[sblock=Greyhound]

STRENGTH 2
AGILITY 4
FIGHTING (6) 10
AWARENESS 1
STAMINA 2
DEXTERITY 3
INTELLECT 0
PRESENCE 0


POWERS
Fast Attack: Damage 1, Strength-based, Multiattack and Penetrating on 5 Damage • 11 points
• Damage 1, Strength-based, Burst Area and Selective on 5 Damage • 1 point

Fast Martial Arts: Enhanced Dodge 11, Enhanced Parry 5, Enhanced Fighting 4 • 24 points

Super-Speed: Enhanced Initiative 3, Quickness 10, Speed 15 (64,000 MPH)• 28 points
• Super Recovery: Regeneration 10 (persistent) • 1 point

Run On Water: Movement 1 (Water Walking), Limited to While Moving • 1 point

Run Through Walls: Movement 1 (Permeate 1), Limited to While Moving • 1 points

Run Up Walls: Movement 2 (Wall-crawling 2), Limited to While Moving • 2 points

ADVANTAGES
Agile Feint, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 1, Improved Initiative 3, Instant Up, Luck 1, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge

EQUIPMENT (5 total)
Club (x2) 4
Body Armor (as leather 1)

SKILLS
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Batons 5 (+15) Intimidate 8 (+8), Expertise: (Martial Arts) 6 (+6), Perception 8 (+9)

OFFENSE
INITIATIVE +16
Throw +3 Ranged, Damage 2
Fast Attack +15 Close, Damage 5, Multiattack 5, Penetrating 5
DEFENSE
DODGE 15 FORTITUDE 10
PARRY 15 TOUGHNESS 5/3*
WILL 10 *Without Defensive Roll

COMPLICATIONS
Identity:
Motivation: Justice
Reputation: Using to much violence against 'normal' criminals

Power Point Summary: Abilities 36 PP + Defense 17 PP + Skills 19 PP + Advantages 9 PP + Powers 69 PP = 150 PP

[/sblock]

 

[Walking Dad]

...
6-8 is not much for skills, really. That's just something you are trained in, but not particularily good at. ...

Not exactly...

MM3 HH p 62

For example, a +5 total skill modifier means the character can routinely achieve a result of 15 (a tough task).
Safe to say the character is a pro, able to routinely handle tasks that would prove too much for someone less skilled.

[MENTION=2469]rangerjohn[/MENTION]
I'm also willing to help with the mechanical aspects, if you are interested.

 

[Thanee]

Yep, that's the level of a typical human professional (nothing special), so clearly not something you (as a superhero ) are particularily good at.

+10 is a human with real expertise, an expert in the field. With +15 and higher you should rate among the best in the world.

As an estimate, roughly double the values on the Ability Benchmark Table should give reasonable levels for Skills.

At least, that is how I see it.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Graybeard]

I've decided to submit a Paragon type. I'm tweaking the build a bit and have to finish the background. I will have it posted later today. Essentially he will transform into the hero by uttering a magic word or phrase.

 

[rangerjohn]

From what I am hearing maybe you can't build a good crimefighter on 150 points.

I mean obviously, the best example in the comics would be Batman. For that you would need everything The Rook has and more. He's not a better detective than say an FBI agent, and yet if you steal from any place else he'll be useless in combat. Given the example combat, he's only good vs minions as is. WD sites his utility belt, but given those are only at level 3, a supervillian not going to notice them. They're equipment not powers, along the lines of tear gas, which I have been exposed to. I didn't react as television/movies would lead you to believe. I don't consider myself to have a high fortitude either, I have health problems, I'm on disability, which is why I can post at odd hours.

 

[Walking Dad]

Yes, normal tear gas and such will not be good vs villains with a high fortitude (which will not be necessarily the case). The archetypes of Energy Controller, Gadgeteer, Mystic and Psychic have all a Fortitude of 7 or lower.

But all attacks that have to hit and then are resisted can be used in conjunction with the Power Attack advantage.
Suddenly his staff and Talon attacks are +10 to hit and 10 damage. Enough to deal some serious damage to most PL 10 opponents.

 

[rangerjohn]

Oh I agree he would power attack a lot, but he couldn't do that if he moved points out of there into detective skills. That was my main point. Batman is called the Detective, not Master or Sensei. So obviously, those skills should be higher on a crimefighter. Oh and Thanne all your forms are basically suits, which is why H4H and I, thought of that archtype. So is it appropiate for a gadgeteer to be a better detective than a crimefighter? As for senses Radio is all The Rook has as well. Radio covers more than a car stereo. It's a super scanner that picks up everything from am radio to cell phone conversations. Possibly even television and wireless internet. He has low light vision and extended vision, but doubt that will mean much considering he carries a flashlight. On another note, your character doesn't sound like a gadgeteer, your powers are the result of an accident. A gadgeteer would have designed the suit or at least been working in a lab when something went wrong. Or at the outside, would have been one of the engineers who designed the car, you made her sound like just the driver. Also if your character is a multimillionaire what is her father, the owner of the company? Someone on the level of Bill Gates? Please don't take these as negative criticism, just some things to think about.

 

[Thanee]

Yep, those Rank 3 items are not much use against most PL 10 opponents, most likely. They basically need to have a fairly low Defense AND bad dice rolls.

But it is entirely possible to build some useful attacks at the PL caps, that could work well for such a character. And with Alternate Effect, it's even pretty cheap to do so (as long as it makes sense, of course).

For example, why not give him a bola gun, that can immobilize targets at range. There is the Affliction power, which can impose slowed or immobilized conditions. Something like that would work really well for a Batman-like character, so he isn't only hitting stuff all the time, but has more options.

And as WD said, thanks to Advantages like Power Attack, you get some adaptability with attacks (base attack with high attack bonus (15) and low damage (5), can be turned into moderate attack bonus (10) with moderate damage (10)). It is quite important, though, to get close to the tradeoff maximum levels (i.e. sum of 18-20 in attack+damage, active defense+toughness; those two especially), then the character should be decent enough in a fight with supers.

Bye
Thanee

 

[rangerjohn]

Well they are, just not balanced. 15/5 and 14/6.

 

[Thanee]

[SBLOCK=Crime Fighter]<CRIME FIGHTER'S NAME>

Real Name ...
Gender male
Age ...
Height ...
Weight ...
Hair ...
Eyes ...

Power Level 10
Power Points 150

Experience 0
Hero Points 1

Abilities:
Strength 4
Stamina 4
Agility 6
Dexterity 2
Fighting 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 6
Presence 0

Power Points: 62 PP

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +13 (Close, Damage 7)
Boomerang +14 (Ranged (150/300/600), Damage 6)
Smart Bola +12 (Ranged (80/200/400), Dodge DC 18 (Homing 1) → Hindered+Vulnerable/Immobile+Defenseless/- (Reversible); Charges)
Flash Grenade (Ranged (250) Burst Area, Dodge DC 20 → Will DC 15/20 → Impaired/Disabled/Unaware (Visual); Charges)
Stun Grenade (Ranged (250) Burst Area, Dodge DC 20 → Fortitude DC 15/20 → Dazed/Stunned/-; Charges)
Smoke Bomb (Close Cloud Area, Concealment Attack 4 (Visual); Charges)

Charges: 5/5

Defense:
Dodge 12
Parry 12
Will 8
Fortitude 8
Toughness 8

Power Points: 20 PP

Skills:
Acrobatics +8(2)
Athletics +8(4)
Close Combat: Unarmed +13(9)
Insight +10(4)
Intimidation +9(9) [+15 with Voice Amplifier]
Investigation +15(10)
Ranged Combat: Thrown +14(12)
Stealth +15(9)
Perception +15(9)

Power Points: 34 PP

Advantages:
Benefit: Wealthy 4
Contacts
Equipment 1
Jack-of-all-Trades
Power Attack
Startle
Takedown 1
Well-Informed

Power Points: 11 PP

Powers:
“Fighting Gloves” [Invented / Technological]
Damage 3 - (Power Cost: 3x1-1 = 2 PP)
» Flaw: Removable [-1 PP]

“Armored Costume” [Invented / Technological]
Protection 4 - (Power Cost: 4x1-1 = 3 PP)
» Flaw: Removable [-1 PP]

“Gliding Wings” [Invented / Technological]
Flight 4 - (Power Cost: 4x1-1 = 3 PP)
» Flaw: Gliding [-1]
» Flaw: Removable [-1 PP]

“Face Mask” [Invented / Technological]
Senses 4 - (Power Cost: 4x1-1 = 3 PP)
» Effect: Infravision
» Effect: Low-Light Vision
» Effect: Radio
» Effect: Tracking
» Flaw: Removable [-1 PP]

“Voice Amplifier” [Invented / Technological]
Enhanced Intimidation 6 - (Power Cost: 6x½-1 = 2 PP)
» Flaw: Removable [-1 PP]

“Utility Belt” [Invented / Technological]
Array (8 PP per Configuration) - (Structure Cost: 8+5-3 = 10 PP)
» Extra: Alternate Effect 5 [+5 PP]
» Flaw: Removable [-3 PP]
------------------------------------------------------------
[SBLOCK=Configurations]“Grapple Gun” [Invented / Technological]
Movement 4 - (Power Cost: 4x2 = 8 PP)
» Effect: Safe Fall
» Effect: Swinging
» Effect: Wall-Crawling 2
------------------------------------------------------------
“Boomerang” [Invented / Technological]
Damage 2 - (Power Cost: 2x2+4x1 = 8 PP)
» Extra: Increased Range 6
------------------------------------------------------------
“Smart Bola” [Invented / Technological]
Affliction 8 - (Power Cost: 8x1+2-2 = 8 PP)
» Defense: Dodge
» Conditions: Hindered+Vulnerable/Immobile+Defenseless/-
» Extra: Alternate Resistance (Dodge) [+0]
» Extra: Extra Condition [+1]
» Extra: Increased Range [+1]
» Extra: Homing 1 [+1 PP]
» Extra: Reversible [+1 PP]
» Flaw: Limited Degree [-1]
» Flaw: Unreliable (Charges) [-1]
» Flaw: Diminished Range 1 [-1 PP]
» Flaw: Inaccurate [-1 PP]
------------------------------------------------------------
“Flash Grenade” [Invented / Technological]
Affliction 10 - (Power Cost: 10x1-2 = 8 PP)
» Defense: Will
» Conditions: Impaired/Disabled/Unaware (Visual)
» Extra: Area (Burst) [+1]
» Extra: Increased Range [+1]
» Flaw: Limited (One Sense: Visual) [-1]
» Flaw: Unreliable (Charges) [-1]
» Flaw: Diminished Range 2 [-2 PP]
------------------------------------------------------------
“Stun Grenade” [Invented / Technological]
Affliction 10 - (Power Cost: 10x1-2 = 8 PP)
» Defense: Fortitude
» Conditions: Dazed/Stunned/-
» Extra: Area (Burst) [+1]
» Extra: Increased Range [+1]
» Flaw: Limited Degree [-1]
» Flaw: Unreliable (Charges) [-1]
» Flaw: Diminished Range 2 [-2 PP]
------------------------------------------------------------
“Smoke Bomb” [Invented / Technological]
Concealment 4 (Visual) - (Power Cost: 4x2 = 8 PP)
» Extra: Area (Cloud) [+1]
» Extra: Attack [+0]
» Flaw: Unreliable (Charges) [-1][/SBLOCK]

Note: The 5 Charges are probably shared over all alternate powers with that limitation.

Power Points: 23 PP

Complications:
...

Description:
...

Background:
...

Power Point Summary: Abilities 62 PP + Defense 20 PP + Skills 34 PP + Advantages 11 PP + Powers 23 PP = 150 PP[/SBLOCK]

 

[rangerjohn]

Two things I see wrong with that:
One only five ranged attacks period
Two apparently he stole all his equipment, this is what benefit wealth is for.
You have the crimefighter working a minimum wage job, so either he doesn't sleep or it is not up to him when he is a hero.
Oh, and you gave boomerang both extra range and diminished range.

 

[Graybeard]

[sblock= Horus]



Horus
Real name: Jack Kingston, Construction Worker
Height 6’1” as Jack 6’ 8” as Horus
Weight 205 lbs as Jack 300lbs as Horus

PL 10 150pp

Abilities:
STR: 2/8 AGL: 3 FGT: 3/9 AWE: 2 STA: 3/9 DEX: 2 INT: 1 PRE: 2
pp spent= 36

Defenses:
Dodge: 3/10 Parry: 3/ 10 Fort: 3/10 Toughness: 3/10 Will: 2/8 Initiative: +3
pp spent= 9

Offensive:
Talons (STR based attack) +11 DC 24
Grab +10 DC 23
Throw +2 DC 23
Unarmed +10 DC 23

Advantages:
Close Attack 1
Defensive Roll 1
Jack of All Trades
Languages: Spanish
Enhanced Advantages:
Assessment
Languages (Ancient Egyptian)
Leadership
Power Attack
pp spent= 4

Powers:
Alternate Form: Horus
Move action to transform
Enhanced Traits (Advantages: Assessment, Leadership, Power Attack)
Enhanced Abilities: (STR 6, FGT 6, STA 6)
Enhanced Trait: Will defense 6
Enhanced Traits: Skills (Expertise Ancient Egypt 6, Insight 6, Intimidation 8, Perception 6, Persuasion 6)
Flight 7 (Wings, 250mph/ ½ miles per round)
Immunity: Environmental Condition Heat
Movement 2 (Environmental Adaption- Desert, Trackless)
Senses 8 (Accurate vision, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Extended Vision 2, Low Light vision, Ultrahearing)
Talons: STR based damage 1 (DC 24)
Impervious Toughness 6
Regeneration 2 (Extra: Persistent, Flaw: source- sunlight)
pp spent= 90


Skills: (ranks)
Athletics: 11 (3)
Close Combat (talons): 10 (1)
Expertise: Ancient Egypt: 7 (0)
Expertise: Construction: 5 (4)
Insight: 10 (2)
Intimidation: 10 (0)
Investigation: 5 (4)
Perception: 10 (2)
Persuasion: 10 (2)
Technology: 3 (2)
Vehicles: 4 (2)
pp spent = 11

Total= Abilities 36+ Defenses 9+ Advantages 4+ Powers 90+ Skills 11 = 150pp

Complications:

Motivation- Justice. Horus has an overwhelming desire to protect the innocent.

Motivation- Thrills. Jack enjoys the transformation into Horus because he likes the thrills of stopping criminals and the power he has as Horus.

Quirk- Horus leaves a small Ankh with all the criminals he captures as a calling card.

Power Loss- If Jack is unable to speak, he cannot transform.

Identity- Jack's life would be in danger if anyone discovers that he can transform into Horus.

Prejudice- Some people look upon Horus as an alien freak. They don’t trust him and think he should just go back to whatever planet he came from. At least several times a week there are letter to the editor in the paper criticizing Horus and denigrating him.

Background:

Jack is an average construction worker. Growing up, he had no great interest in academic studies. He attended school long enough to graduate High School. Since he always like building things and excelled in shop class, he told his parents he was going into construction. Although his parents wished he would attend college, they didn't want to interfere. He was hired as a general laborer by a local construction company while he learned the various tasks involved in building houses, office buildings, and other projects. He was taught carpentry, masonry, painting, landscaping, and more. One day he was sent on a job to renovate an old house that used to belong to some archaeologist named Henry Farrow. Apparently, this Henry Farrow was an important person once. No one had seen him for years and his property was considered abandoned and sold at auction. Jack and the company he worked for, had been hired by the new owner to make major renovations. After ripping down a section of paneling in an office, he found some kind of medallion. It looked vaguely familiar and he thought it might be worth something if he sold it, so he pocketed it.

Later that night, he did a little research and found out the medallion resembled one used by the ancient Egyptian god Horus. Well, he thought, that should make it worth some money to a collector. He examined the medallion and concluded that it was not cheaply made so it didn't come from a gift shop. He noticed an inscription on the back. It was in hieroglyphs. Doing more research, he was able to do a rough translation of the inscription. It translated to:

“Horus, Avenger, Lord of Light / Grant me now your godly might / Let we two do what is right / Banish evil into the
night!”

Kind of an odd phrase for a medallion but what did he know about such things. He spoke the phrase out loud and it did sound odd to him. Just for fun, he said it a few more times, each time slightly different. Without warning, there was a flash of light and Jack suddenly felt different. He looked in a mirror and was stunned speechless by what he saw in his reflection.

To his shock, he had transformed into a large bird headed man. His own mind was in the background of the birdman's consciousness. He could see what the birdman saw, feel everything he felt, and yet it wasn't him seeing and feeling those things. It was like he was trapped in the body of someone else. Jack's mind panicked and forced the birdman to repeat the phrase. In a flash, he was back to normal.

The next day, Jack went to the library and took out some books on ancient Egypt including history, culture, mythology, and anything else he could find. In his studies, he discovered that the birdman was the Egyptian God Horus. A god of the air, war, and hunting. Jack tried the transformation once again later that day. This time he didn't panic. He tried to search the memories of this avatar of Horus. He was able to get bits and pieces of memories. The name Set was prevalent in many of those. Jack remembered reading about Set, another ancient Egyptian god. Set was named the Destroyer in the books he had read.

Taking inspiration from the comic books he read as a kid, Jack decided he could use the frightening visage and power of his new alternate form to do some good. He remembered reading in the paper that the police were having a lot of problems with gangs terrorizing the public. He decided to take a chance and go after the gangs as Horus.

His first encounter with the gangs went better than expected. He had swooped down from a rooftop during a carjacking. In seconds, the gang members were unconscious. He picked them up and dropped them off at the front door of the police station. He left a calling card with the gangbangers, an Ankh.

Jack couldn't believe the thrills he felt fighting against the gangs. He started going out night after night to fight the gangs and other criminals that would prey on the innocent. Each time, he left an Ankh. The newspapers ran stories about this new vigilante. Who was he and where did he come from? The criminals reported to the police that a giant birdman attacked them. At first the police laughed it off, the ravings of crackheads and stoners. One night, when he was dropping off another criminal, for breaking and entering, he was spotted by an officer going on his break.

"Good evening officer. This person was caught illegally entering Hanson Jewelers on East Main street. You will find the evidence of his crime there." he said to the startled police officer.

Then without another word, he flew away.

Over time, more and more of Horus's memories came back. Jack realized that Henry Farrow had been the previous incarnation of Horus years ago. Horus had no memory of what had happened to Henry.

Most of the public adored their new protector. Some looked upon him as just another alien freak that infested cities like Freedom City and others. The police and some of the press were not as convinced. They felt he could be just as big a threat as the criminals. He had not killed anyone, yet, but they thought it was only a matter of time before this birdman got carried away and lost control.

Jack read the stories in the papers. He knew they were wrong but couldn't prove it. They were afraid of the unknown. He felt he had to do something so he sent an email to the newspapers and television stations using a computer in a cybercafe. They were to show up at City Hall in two days at noon. The city's protector would be there to answer questions. It was there that he would introduce the world to the return of Horus.

At the press conference, he answered as many of their questions as he could. During the conference, an enthusiastic criminal took a shot at Horus. The .45 slug bounced harmlessly off his skin. In a flash, he was upon the shooter and had him subdued. Horus turned him over to the police and the gathered crowd applauded enthusiastically. He was now officially the hero of the city.

[/sblock]

 

[hero4hire]

Interestingly there is a Horus who operated in Freedom City but hasn't been seen in awhile (since the 60s I think). If you could use your concept, and riff off this info and modify his backstory a little we may have some good built in storylines for the future for him.

When his uncle Set the
Destroyer possessed a hapless
mortal conjurer and
threatened to spread darkness
across the human
world, Horus, the Avenger of
His Father, petitioned great
Ra to go to the mortal realm and
do battle with Set. In accordance
with the Pact, Ra would only
grant his permission if Horus
found a mortal willing to host
his divine essence. Otherwise,
the gods of Heliopolis would not
interfere.
So it was that archeologist
Henry Farrow discovered a hidden
chamber in the Valley of
Kings, untouched by human hands
for millennia. Within, he found the
mighty Ankh of the Avenger and
the incantation: “Horus, Avenger,
Lord of Light / Grant me now your
godly might / Let we two do what
is right / Banish evil into the
night!” With those words, meek
Henry Farrow was transformed ...
into the avatar of the Avenger!
The newly reborn Horus initially
suffered some memory loss due
to a curse laid by Set as a trap
for any of his fellow gods who
might try and stop him. In spite
of this handicap, Horus overcame
various foes, regained his true
identity, and stopped Set from
plunging the world into eternal
darkness.
When Henry Farrow returned
to Freedom City, Horus went with
him, and the immortal Avenger
remained an active hero in the
city for some years. Although he
worked with the Freedom League
on occasion, Horus preferred to
operate alone, and turned down
offers of League membership.

 

[hero4hire]

Update lemme know if I goofed on something.


Player/Character/Niche/Status

Insight/Momentum/Energy Controller/Sheet needs review
Thanee/Fusion/Battlesuit/Sheet needs review
Walking Dad/Greyhound/Speedster/finishing sheet?
Voda Vosa/Green Dragon/Martial Artist with Ki Powers/sheet needs review
Shayuri/unknown/ectoplamic manipulator/no sheet
Graybeard/Horus/Paragonesque Warrior/sheet needs review
rangerjohn/Rook/Crimefighter/interest withdrawn

 

[rangerjohn]

H4H can you take a look at Thanne's crimefighter and tell me if it would be legal in your game? Especially, the utility belt. As far as I can tell that was purchased as equipment. Is the campaign world above our tech level?

 

[hero4hire]

H4H can you take a look at Thanne's crimefighter and tell me if it would be legal in your game? Especially, the utility belt. As far as I can tell that was purchased as equipment. Is the campaign world above our tech level?

Sure I will take a look when I get the chance. I usually look at builds en masse.

Equipment in comic book worlds are slightly above our tech level. Blasters Pistols are common for example. Maybe skycycles and jetpacks. Stuff you might find on a Hydra or SHIELD agent is usually okay to be purchased as equipment.

 

[hero4hire]

At a glance I can tell you that some of the devices are priced wrong. Removable gives -1pp per 5pp rounded off. So 2pp powers do not get -1pp to their cost.

The Utility Belt appears to be bought as Powers.

 

[Shayuri]

WIP sheet...still working on design, but this way I'll have something up so peeps can see where I'm going, and I can work on it anywhere I need to.

Basically, Visage is a ranged attack specialist and support character. Fairly significant noncombat abilities too.

Name: Daniel Blake
Super Name: VISAGE
Power Level: 10
Power Points: 150
Experience Points:

ABILITIES 28
Str 0 Agi 0 Dex 3 Fgt 1 Awe 4 Sta 1 Int 3 Pre 2

DEFENSES 17
Toughness +13
Dodge +7
Parry +6
Fort +8
Will +9

COMBAT
Initiative +4
Melee Attack
Range Attack +10, DC25

SKILLS 28 SP (14 PP)
Deception +5 (3)
Expertise (Comic Book Art) +9 (6)
Insight +9 (5)
Perception +9 (5)
Ranged Combat (Ectoplasm) +7
Technology +5 (2)

MOVEMENT
SPEED 30

FEATS 7
Improved Disarm
Improved Hold
Improved Initiative
Improved Trip
Equipment 1
Taunt
Uncanny Dodge

POWERS
Ectoplasm Control, 36pp
Move Object (Damaging, PF Precise, PF Affects Insubstantial 2) +10, 33pp
- Create Object (Moveable, PF Affects Insubstantial 2) +10
- Damage (Shapeable Area, Selective Attack, PF Affects Insubstantial 2) +10
- Illusion (Visual, Hearing) +10

Concealment +2 (Normal Visual, Burst Area, Attack) 6pp
- Concealment +4 (All Visual, Blending, PF Precise) 1pp
Protection (Sustained) +12, 12pp
Enhanced Trait (Dodge Defense) +7, 7pp
Morph (Humanoids) +2, 10pp
Movement (Safe Fall, Swinging) +2, 4pp
Remote Sensing (Tactile, Simultaneous, Noticible) +1, 1pp
Super Senses (Ranged Touch) +1, 1pp


COST
Abilities [28]
Saves [17]
Skills [14]
Feats [7]
Powers [78]
Total [144]
Unspent [XX]

 

[rangerjohn]

So where is the 3 points of equipment going?

 

[drothgery]

Okay, fleshing things out, with second-draft mechanics on my arcane gunslinger idea (will probably need a lot of tweaking)

[sblock=background]Susan Roland was the daughter of a couple of performers in Las Vegas who never let on to anyone save their daughter that the secret to their show's success was subtle application of real magic. Subtle was important -- if you talked fast, you could convince a skilled stage magician that the trick was actually possible. And Susan was good at it -- she'd been helping her parents set up their acts since she was a child, and was naturally giften in binding spells to objects the way the senior Rolands did. She was also very bright; enough to earn a scholarship to an elite college back east, and even though she wanted nothing more than to follow in her parents' footsteps, they had encouraged her to take it.

But when Susan -- by then a college freshman -- got a call from the police telling her that her parents had been murdered, she flew home right away. The next few weeks made it clear the police were not getting anywhere solving the crime, and she decided to take matters into her own hands. She'd seen the telltales that meant a normal person had not been responsible. Her college was very understanding about granting her a leave of absense while she dealt with her parents' deaths, if less about giving her credit for classes she'd been unable to make the finals for.

It was easy enough to buy a gun in Nevada. The rites to enchant it to be more accurate than it should be came naturally. Without practice, the range instructor said she was good; she got better quickly. A thought to some defense led to enchanting a jacket, and another to carrying her guns and ammo where the government might frown upon the idea led her to build a little bit of an extradimensional space into the pockets. Books on investigation techniques and talking to cops combined with her knowledge of the arcane put her on the trail -- at least better than the police had been.

Perhaps fortunately, she ran into another hero before she found her parents' murderers who'd also been on the trail. [Hero X, a costumed adventurer type; maybe one of the other PCs or the setting's Batman] recognized her talent, and helped her learn to focus less on vengeance and more on justice. Without his help, she would likely never have found thier killer -- and if she had, the sorceress would not have been brought back to justice alive. They'd needed to bring in a third to do that; [Hero X]'s skills weren't up to facing the sorceress' magic directly, and neither were Susan's enchanted items. [Hero Y, a mystic type] had helped them close the circle. Both served as mentors to her in years to come.

In the 'real' world, she'd gone back to school, and finished her degree. She'd spent a semester in Europe, and the summer after it, tracking down arcane lore and talking to any real spellcasters that were willing to talk to her. She'd gone to graduate school in Freedom City, mostly to be closer to [Hero X] and refine her investigative technieques (and to deal with an annoyingly one-sided crush). But nearly a decade after she'd begun down a hero's path, she decided she really did want to get back to the life she'd intended on before her parents died, at least a little. She took an adjuct proffesor's job in Emerald City, far enough from home to avoid bad memories, and started her act there as well. In a sense she was three people - the professor Dr. Susan Roland, PhD (History), the stage magician Susan the Magnificent, and her super hero alter ego of The Spellslinger.
[/sblock]
[sblock=picture]

[/sblock]
[sblock=character sheet]
The Spellslinger
PL10
The woman in black fled across the desert, and the Spellslinger followed
Name: The Spellslinger
Player: drothgery
Alternate Identity: Susan Roland
Type of Alternate Identity: Secret
Gender: Female
Age: 31
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 135 lbs
Eyes: blue
Hair: red
Group Affiliation:
Base of Operations: Emerald City
Abilities
Strength 0, Stamina 2, Agility 5, Dexterity 5, Fighting 2, Intellect 4, Awareness 4, Presence 2

Powers
Arcane sharpshooter [whether it's the enchanted guns or the alchemical bullets she fires, the Spellslinger can find the right attack to take down just about anything]:
Magic bullets: Blast 5 [magic; multiattack; accurate 3, penetrating 5, variable descriptor 2 (any magic), extended range 2, easily removeable -10]
(17 points)
Arcane jacket [a bit of magic armor never hurt anyone, especially with a portable hole for pockets]:
Protective wards: Protection 3 [magic; removeable], Magic pockets: Feature 1 [as per M&M2e dimensional pocket]
(3 points)

Equipment
No adventuring equipment other than the arcane devices that are her powers

Advantages
Power Attack, Defensive Roll 5, Precise Attack 2 [ranged, both], Quick Draw, Uncanny Dodge, Artificer, Languages 3 [Russian, French, German, Latin], Move-by Action

Skills
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics (+0), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: History 6 (+10), Expertise: Magic 16 (+20), Insight 10 (+14), Intimidation (+2), Investigation 10 (+14), Perception 10 (+14), Persuasion 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: arcane sharpshooter 4 (+9), Sleight of Hand 15 (+20), Stealth 10 (+15)

Offense
Initiative +5
Arcane Sharpshooter +15, Damage 5

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 6
Toughness 10 (Def Roll 5), Fortitude 6, Will 9

Power Points
Abilities 48 + Powers 20 + Advantages 15 + Skills 49 + Defenses 18 = Total 150

Complications
Sometimes she does not have the right bullets on hand for her opponent, and will need to make more (in game mechanics terms, she can't use the correct descriptor to overcome defenses, or gain penetrating)
Susan Roland has a real life and real job as a stage magician; she has told no one of her super-hero identity

Design notes
Her only attack power is her enchanted guns; she uses the variable descriptor property to attack weaknesses. She's also quite capable of creating one-shot magical devices via the Artificer Advantage and her Expertise: Magic skills, either given time to prepare or by jury-rigging.

Possible scratch-built devices include
- Cloak of Flying (Flight 5) (10 points, so DC 25 to jury-rig)
- Improvised enchanted weapon [baseball bat, kitchen knife, etc] Damage 5 Accurate 5 (10 points, so DC 25 to jury-rig) -> +12 to hit, 5 dmg

[/sblock]