The Campaign Builder's Guild

[ooc=Links]

Rules can be found here (http://www.thecbg.org/index.php/topic,210183.msg230203.html#msg230203)

Discussion can be found here (http://www.thecbg.org/index.php/topic,210184.msg230204.html#msg230204)[/ooc]

[ic=Character Creation]

Character Creation is a rather important part of Who Will Save Us Now?, since it covers the vital stats of all your heroes. Effort is being put into making character creation quick and painless, so just follow these simple steps to create your hero:

0) Come up with a backstory for your heroes and teams.

1) Choose your Archetype. The base stats for an Archetype can be found above. Keep in mind that the fluff for an Archetype is just guidelines - if you want to reskin the Archetype to cover different fluff, feel free!

2) Assign Skill points: In addition to the base skills every Archetype comes with, you have 8 points you can put into your skills as you see fit. Unlike the Skill bonuses gained from customization options or other sources, these points cannot increase a skill's rank greater than 10.

3) Modify your Archetype: this step is optional. However, you can reduce your melee attack by 2 to increase the save DC of all attacks that work in melee by 2, your range attack by 2 to increase the save DC of all attacks that work at range by 2, Your Parry and Dodge both by 2 to increase your Toughness by 2, or the reverse of any of the above (all melee attacks DC -2 to up melee attack by 2, all ranged attack's dc -2 to up ranged damage by 2, and toughness -2 to increase Dodge and Parry by 2.). Doing it by -1/+1 is also allowed. Larger changes need GM approval.

4) Chose your customization options and complications. All characters start with 2 free customization options and can take 1 complication for 1 additional customization options. More will be available in training. The customization option list still has some pending, so if you want to get a head start on your character with a posted archetype, feel free! Just hold off on those unless you cannot imagine a customization option that you would want more than what you have chosen.

5) Create a team post in this thread will all current members. Please use the format below for ease of reading.[/ic]

SAMPLE POST:

[ic=Team Name]
[ooc=At A Glance]
Location
Reputation (Starts at 50)
Wealth (starts at 100)
Current Roster: (All current members of team)
One Sentence Summary: (A brief look at what your team is all about[/ooc]Put here and overview of your team, what brought them together, what they have done together before the game started, and some threats they may have dealt with. Basically, a bio for the group.[/ic]

[ic=Hero 1]Include the hero's name, their backstory, and all other relevant information unique to that character. The more detailed, the better!

[ooc=Stats]In this block, please put all of the hero's stats[/ooc][/ic]

Repeat above for each hero in the group. If a Sidekick is chosen, include that above

[ic=Mentor]If the mentor option is selected, put this here. Otherwise, ignore this block.
[ooc]Which Skills your Mentor has their bonus in[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Police Contact]Your contact within the local police force. If you do not want to create one, one will be provided for you.[/ic]

[ic=Media Contact]Your contact within the local police force. If you do not want to create one, one will be provided for you.[/ic]

[spoiler=The Exarchs]
THE EXARCHS

[ic=Drifter]One of the last to join the Exarchs, Drifter used to be the all-American Hero Captain Patriot. Called often America's Favorite Son, Captain Patriot was a super soldier who fought for the American way of life - and freedom and democracy for the entire world - for years, and was one of the most popular heroes in the world. While the Exarchs worked with him and respected him, his attempts to join their ranks were frequently denied - the Exarchs did not allow heroes with national ties to join their ranks, to avoid being seen as favoring any one nation over another.

That all changed five years ago. Captain Patriot came out as transgender and began the transition from male to female. Public backlash, in America, was immense. Although many supported her in this decision, many, many more became brutal in their criticism, and she was crucified in the Media. Under pressure from conservative elements, and per the still in effect "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy the White House officially severed all ties and stripped her of her rank. Devastated by being betrayed by her country, she took up the name Drifter and continued to fight the good fight. As Drifter, the Exarchs were quick to recruit her, and while public opinion on her was still mixed, they loudly defended her to anyone that asked. She fought for LGBT rights while off-duty, and even started a relationship with fellow Exarch Crimson Archer. Public opinion on her was beginning to swing her way when she fell at the Null Terminus.[/ic]

[ic=Warmech]Warmech is one of the more controversial Exarchs, and for good reason. Appearing on the scene at the start of the Super Hero Renaissance of 2000, Warmech maintained a public image as the champion of Argentina and fought villains all across South America. However, other suits he designed - the Night Guard - were used by the government as part of their brutal regime as a form of secret police and enforcers. When a new Fourth Reich movement started up, they took control of the Night Guard. Finally faced with the horror of what he created, Warmech cut all ties with his government and begin fighting oppression across the continent. Despite his sullied past, he was a founding member of the Exarchs, though he never lived down his failure to stop the Fourth Reich from rising in Argentina, under the brutal reign of Madam Dusk - a success that was only possible with the use of the Night Guard he designed. He constantly held himself to a higher standard than any of his peers, and his strong anti-killing views led him to frequently butt heads with fellow Exarch Nemesis. However, his death ensured his legacy would be that of a hero, as he was the first to fall at the Null Terminus - sacrificing himself to give the others a chance to regroup, a sacrifice that is believed to have made the Exarch's final victory possible.[/ic]

[ic=Nemesis]One of the founding Exarchs, Nemesis was known for being an utterly implacable foe to those that faced her. The protector of Iphegenia, she was also the founder of the Furies, a group of female heroes that haven taken up her legacy.

Nemesis was, without question, the most brutal of the Exarchs, and the one that stayed most out of the limelight. Although her methods were undeniably effective, she often quarreled with her fellows over her willingness to kill. However, she was a respected member of the team, and according to rumor is the only one to know the truth of what happened during Archon's disappearance

After her fall at the Null Terminus, many of her former foes came out of the shadows, looking to take advantage of the feared woman's demise. There was one notable exception: Manic, a villain known for his sadistic and lethal pranks, turned himself into the authorities. His only comment as he was arrested was "It's just no fun anymore."[/ic]

[ic=Archon]Hailing from Greece, Archon was one of the best known figures of the Heroic Renaissance A beautiful woman clad in a green and gold costumed, Archon was quick to take on the roll of protecting the world - a roll she was able to fill, being the first of the Paragons to emerge. Many point to Archon as being the herald of the Heroic Renaissance, and while she modestly pointed to the contributions of others, for years the media pointed her to as the example other Heroes should follow. Even when it was uncovered that she was not from this world, but sent from a parallel world that had been destroyed by the Null Terminus, empowered by the strange transdimensional energies she encountered, her reputation was not diminished.

In 2005, she took a year long leave of absence from the Exarchs, sparking rumors of a secret pregnancy - and much debates as to whom the father would have been. While Archon denied the claims, she became much more paranoid about her secret identity after her return, and scandal struck in 2010 when she killed a minor villain that claimed to have discovered her secret identity. Although she claimed it was an accident, and forensic analysis backed her up, her reputation still had not recovered by the time of her death at the Null Terminus. Since then finding her child - or disproving such a child exists - has been the quest of numerous reporters, villains, and heroes.[/ic]

[ic=Crimson Archer]
One of the first heroes to emerge from China, the Crimson Archer was not particularly well loved by his government. A hero with a strong anti-government agenda, he used his bow against criminals as the more oppressive elements of the Chinese government with near impunity. Eventually he became the most wanted man in China after being implicated in the the death of a government official (even though proof of this official's corruption was spread across the country) and his identity was exposed, forcing him to flee the country.

He was picked up by Nemesis, who offered him a chance to use his skills on a greater scale while offering her great tactical insight on his problems with his home nation. The only member of the Exarchs to have no powers, merely a collection of self-designed arrows that crossed the line between arrows and missiles. While he frequently went back to his native country, he was a stalwart member of the Exarchs - even dating Drifter - and fell with them at the Null Terminus.[/ic]

[ic=Hyper Radiant Power Spider]Hailing from Japan, Hyper Radiant Power Spider (called Spider by her friends) was a young woman full of life, often described as bubbly. A later comer to the Exarchs, who had trouble taking her seriously, Spider proved her chops in numerous battles against the Yakuza, her joyous personality at odds with the fierceness with which she dispatched her foes. After single-handedly taking down a major illegal experimentation ring that had produced a number of what she called "Super Goons" for the Yakuza, the Exarch's decided they had misjudged her and granted her admittance.

As an Exarch, Spider made a name for herself quickly, and developed many new foes. Some of them teamed up with her old enemies in the Yakuza and, with the help of the villain Mindwipe, tracked down her secret identity and brutally murdered her family - the day before the Null Terminus. Of all the Exarchs, she is the only one who is not confirmed to have entered that dread dimension, and there is some speculation that she is still alive.[/ic]

[ic=The Gold Warrior]A name used by two heroes who were the same person, the original Gold Warrior was a founding member of the Exarchs. A detective and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, the Gold Warrior busted his chops fighting against warlords across sub-Saharan Africa. Able to teleport vast distances in a flash of golden light (Which earned him his name), he was absolutely fearless...a fact that came from his formerly well kept secret that he was dying of cancer. Unable to save him, Warmech took the remnants of Archon's trans-dimensional ship (with her blessing) and worked with to build him a new Android body.

The second Golden Warrior was the same man, his brain uploaded into the android that now housed him. Although he struggled with his humanity, he never gave up his dream of an Africa no longer ravaged by the horrors of war. He fought with the rest of the Exarchs at the Null Terminus, and of all of them there is the greatest chance he could be recovered due to his synthetic brain being able to survive without a body.[/ic][/spoiler]

[ic=The Furies][ooc=At A Glance]Erebus (Headquarters), below Iphigenia, New York
Reputation 45
Wealth 100
Current Roster: Nemesis II, The Harpy, Sister Siren, Lady Lamia
One Sentence Summary: Badass all-woman team battles oppression and punishes the guilty when law and society fail to enact justice.[/ooc]

An all-female team of vigilantes dedicated to the cause of retribution, bringing righteous vengeance to those the law has failed, the Furies were once led by Nemesis, an Exarch renowned for her cold implacability and her preternatural ability to sense the guilt of those around her. Now, with Nemesis gone, the Furies continue her mission of justice. Nemesis' daughter, formerly known as Erinys, has taken up Nemesis' mantle in her mother's absence. All of the Furies are women who the legal system failed in some way; some began as independent superheroines or even supervillains who Nemesis recruited. Operating out of a subterranean headquarters, Erebus, beneath the city of Iphigenia (nicknamed "Dis" by many of its inhabitants). Amongst those whom they have helped the Furies are known as the Kindly Ones. While the Furies are based out of Iphigenia, they are renowned for their implacability, tracking down criminals not matter how far they run, no matter how well they hide. They help victims of all genders but are often sought out by wronged women and others disenfranchised by systems and institutions that marginalize them. As such they have come to be seen as feminist icons and champions of social justice, righting wrongs that the authorities are unable or unwilling to remedy.[/ic]

[ic=Nemesis II]Though her mother is gone, swallowed by the Null Terminus, Andrea Rhamnusia, once called Erinys, has taken up her mother's cape and cowl to become Nemesis, sometimes called Nemesis II or the New Nemesis. Though she considers Nemesis her mother, she is not the Exarch's biological daughter. Nemesis took her in when she was a young teenager, a runaway from a string of foster homes, failed by a system that saw her only as a number and by a series of temporary parents whose interest in her extended to a paycheque and no further. When Nemesis found her she'd been living a precarious existence, sleeping rough more often than not, shoplifting, picking pockets, and dealing weed to make her way. She'd had more than one stint in juvenile detention and had become adept at dodging parole officers and police, lying her way out of trouble when required. When Nemesis found her she was being harassed by a group of kids a little older than herself in one of the abandoned factories of Iphigenia's forsaken industrial district, the Rustwarren. Andrea, already a scrappy fighter, had bloodied two of her attackers, but one had taken out a stolen pistol. When Nemesis arrived the boy fired, but the Fury deflected his bullet with ease and the teenagers scattered. Andrea prepared to run as well, but Nemesis stopped her. Of course, Andreas had heard of Nemesis, had even seen her once, flitting from rooftop to rooftop. Warily curious, she let Nemesis take her (blindfolded) to Erebus where she saw how extensive the Fury's operation was. When Nemesis offered to train Andrea, the stunned, already hard-bitten adolescent accepted. Shortly later, Demetria Rhamnusia – Nemesis' civilian alter ego – formally adopted the thirteen year-old.

Even once the adoption was formalized, Andrea was often troublesome. She resented Nemesis' exercises and her insistence on discipline, and often slipped from Demetria's house to spray graffiti on walls, commit petty crimes, attend raves, and drink herself into a stupor. Punishments for such activities inevitably involved gruelling training sessions, and because of Nemesis' gift, she always knew when her daughter was guilty. Over time Andrea learned to respect her mother, and gradually began to realize the potential Nemesis had seen in her. Her marks went up, and she became a skilled gymnast and martial artist. Free-running, once useful for evading cops, became her passion. After completing a double major in forensic criminology and women's studies and a master's degree in sociology, she formally joined the Furies as Erinys, a costumed vigilante, fighting beside her mother and the other Furies. It was with a mixture of grief, anxiety, and pride that she was convinced by her teammates to adopt the role as Nemesis, leader of the Furies, following Demetria's disappearance. Since taking over the Furies as the New Nemesis, Andrea has led the team to several victories. Together they have defeated the deranged, self-proclaimed "prophet" known as Patriarch and his cult of bearded fanatics, the skinhead supervillain Jackboot, and the Poe-obsessed deathtrap designer and serial killer Nevermore, along with his sidekick the Raven.

Andrea shaves her head bare, as Demetria did. She has a bronze complexion and eyes black as a moonless night. She now wears one of her mother's costumes: midnight-black scales, a bat-winged cape allowing for gliding, and a cowl resembling a stylized wolf's head. Equipped with a brass-studded scourge, a powered whip, incendiary and smoke grenades, and Retribution, her mother's sword, she is fearsome in battle, though less-inclined to the lethal methods of her predecessor, something she was never fully comfortable with. The only member of the Furies without super powers, she compensates with an exceptional mind, Olympic-level physical condition, and an extensive skillset honed through years of training and education.

[ooc=Stats]Costumed Vigilante

Melee: 8
Range: 8

Parry: 18
Dodge: 18

Attacks: Unarmed (Melee) 4 (DC 19, MS 5), Scourge (Range) 4 (DC 23, MS 1), Smoke Grenade 8 (-4 to Awareness, Res DC 18, MS 10), Whip (Range) 8 (If hit, immobilized until beat DC 18 Res or uses Super Strength 3+), Retribution (melee) 2 (Adds to Unarmed, DC becomes 21, MS 5)

Toughness: 6
Resistance: 4
Will: 8

Awareness: 6
Capture: 5
Investigate: 6
Media: 2
Manipulate: 4
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 6
Streetwise: 8
Tactics: 8

Powers, Gear, Specialties

Utility Belt: Adds the Smoke Grenade, Whip, and Melee Weapon (Retribution) attacks. Also Includes:

GPS Tracker: Can locate target later unless they pass a DC 18 awareness check. Lasts 2 weeks.
Infra-Goggles: Allow vision in low light conditions
Grapple Gun: Can travel up walls so long as they can grab something.
Lock Pick: Pass through physical locks.
Re-breather: Allows for underwater breathing.

Armored Costume: Provides +2 toughness (already factored into above)

Crazy Over-Prepared: For Costumed Vigilantes, Superhumans pose a major threat. However, many superhumans have some kind of weakness that can be exploited. The Crazy Over-Prepared individual knows that, and stuffs their utility belt with every known superhuman weakness...just in case. When facing a foe, make a DC 15 tactics check. If they have a weakness, you will have it in your possession.

Legacy Hero: You have taken up the mantle of another respected hero - and were their known heir. While you must prove yourself to those who know you are not the original, the costume commands respect, giving 5 bonus reputation. In addition, you get the benefits of Favored Enemy (Old Nemeses) for anyone who was part of your original's rogue's gallery...as well as the baggage that comes with that.[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=The Harpy]Alexandra (Alex) Vladimirovna came to America as a mail-order bride, glad to escape the chauvinist wage-slavery of Russia for the comparatively egalitarian US. Unfortunately, her husband, Charles, was not the shy, kindly soul he'd presented himself as online, but a vicious drunk and meth-head every bit as vile and demeaning as the worst misogynists of the Motherland. Her every request, however reasonable, was met first with apathy, then with derision; she was treated as little more than a servant, forbidden even to leave the house. After three years of abuse – just long enough to obtain her citizenship – Alex demanded a divorce, but Charles became violent, attacking her with a kitchen knife. As he lurched at her, spitting obscenities, promising to cut her throat, a terrible anger welled up inside her, an irrepressible rage. With a strength she didn't know she possessed, Alex broke first her husband's wrist, then his neck. Moments later the police, responding to a neighbour's noise complaint, kicked down the door. Still filled with rage, Alex turned on the police officers, grabbing the knife and charging at them only to be subdued by a Taser. She was tried, convicted, and sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter in the second degree. Her claims of self-defence fell upon deaf ears; she had assaulted law enforcement officers, and the predominantly male jury were unsympathetic. The prosecution painted her as a deranged addict who killed her husband in a drug-induced frenzy, a foreign parasite who'd conned her way into America and corrupted a good man with her vices before taking his life. She became known as the "Harpy Bride," smeared in the press as a monster.

Prison was not kind to Alex at first, but after a few months she fell in with a Russian gang operating inside. She worked her way up through the ranks, discovering that she could channel her anger and the strength it gave her. Little did Alex know that her preternatural might was actually the result of a genetic mutation caused by exposure to radiation from Chernobyl when she was still in utero; she only knew that her rage lent her power, a  power she learned to harness and refine. By the time she finished her sentence she'd become the gang-leader and had been crowned a Vor, or thief in law, in the Russian mob, an honour usually only bestowed on those repeatedly convicted. Tattooed and hardened from years of breaking bones, shivving rivals, and sleeping with one eye open, she continued to rise in the organization, working as an enforcer and hit-woman. During this time she adopted the name Alkonost – a beautiful but deadly bird-woman from Russian folklore – and became one of the most feared mobsters on the east coast. Such was the rapidity of her ascension, however, that she engendered significant resentment from some her fellow thieves in law. Sent on a mission to collect the debts of a dealer from Dis' east-side, she found herself double-crossed by none other than her former cellmate, nicknamed "Zmey." She fought her way out of the ambush that met her, injuring Zmey but suffering several gunshot wounds herself. It was then that Nemesis appeared to her. The Fury had considered taking her out, but while researching her career she realized how Alex had been misused by the law, while recognizing something of her own cold rage in the young Russian. She offered her a place amongst the Furies; betrayed by the mob and desiring vengeance for the double-cross, Alex agreed.

As one of the Furies, Alex repurposed the name she was once attacked with, becoming the Harpy. Exacting righteous vengeance upon the guilty has proved little different from her work as a mob enforcer, though she has learned to limit her collateral damage and to exercise restraint where necessary. Like all of the Furies, her coal-black costume incorporates serpentine and bat-like imagery – scale armour, a bat-wing cape allowing for limited gliding capabilities, and a cowl with glowing red eyes. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed, she has the face of a perfect china doll, a Slavic Barbie, but years of prison, work for the Russian mob, and her own budding mutant might have made her massively strong, with a bodybuilder's frame. She still bears the tattoos of a thief in law: an eight-pointed star for her rank, an Orthodox cross, ОМУТ on the back of her left hand, the head of the Devil on the back of her right. Where the other Furies utilize weapons extensively, she is most effective with her fists, armed with specially designed knuckledusters that augment her already prodigious strength.

[ooc=Stats]Brute

Melee: 8
Range: 4

Parry: 12
Dodge: 10

Attacks: Unarmed 10 (DC 25, MS 2), Wingbeat 8 (DC 23, MS 12), Throw 8 (DC 23, MS 1)

Toughness: 12 I: 7
Resistance: 8
Will: 4

Awareness: 4
Capture: 8
Investigate: 0
Manipulate: 0
Media: 0
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 4
Streetwise: 10
Tactics: 4

Powers, Gear, Specialties

In addition to the attacks above

Superhuman Strength 10: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 100 tons with minimal effort.

Impervious Toughness 7: Attacks with a rating 7 or lower cannot harm you.

Unstoppable: When running, you automatically inflict melee damage 7 (DC 22) against any objects in your way.

Brawler: +2 to melee, and automatically hit minions.

Emotional Fuel: You start off strong, but if you get an external power source, you can get even stronger! When you have access to your power source (Rage), you gain +2 to all Damage DCs, +2 to your toughness and +1 to any super strength. If you don't have Super Strength, gain super Strength 2.

Know the Streets: +4 to Streetwise checks, and you gain a network of informants in the criminal world.

Reformed Villain: Due to a past on the wrong side of the law, people have difficulty trusting you. Your team starts with 10 less reputation, and you take a -4 penalty to manipulation checks to convince heroes to trust you. (Note that if you are a reformed villain and that is not publicly known, this does not apply) [/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Sister Siren]Once simply Sister Meg Magorian, the Fury known as Sister Siren spent over a decade in the Church as a Franciscan Sister of the Holy Spirit, dedicating her life to Christ. She took her vows when she was twenty-one, fleeing a broken home and a life of destitution on the streets of Iphigenia; as a Rust Belt city it had suffered from terrible urban decay, and the Sisterhood seemed the only alternative to a life of crime and poverty. Endeavouring to help those still trapped by impoverishment, addiction, and mental illness, Sister Magorian eventually took up a position in Saint Dymphna's Asylum for the Insane as an assistant chaplain – as a woman, she could not be ordained and offer the sacraments, and so could not become a chaplain proper. Despite these limitations, she worked hard to help those brought into the asylum, providing them with spiritual guidance and support. During her time at Saint Dymphna's, however, she began to suspect that some of the patients were being mistreated. Inmates would disappear for days at a time only to return to their beds raving and bruised; others wouldn't return at all. Those that did return would speak of curious visions – visions with a habit of coming true – and exhibited other peculiarities: change in eye colour and intonation, the development of savant-like mathematical ability, extreme synaesthesia, and similar oddities. Repeated visits to the asylum's administrator, the chaplain, and her own mother superior failed to launch an investigation, so Meg took matters into her own hands. Stealthily following several orderlies late at night, she discovered that patients were being experimented on without their consent. Everyone at Saint Dymphna's, she discovered, had been identified as a potential psychic. Using psychotropic drugs, radiation, neurosurgery, and other sinister methods, researchers from something called the Ouroboros Institute were attempting to enhance and control the abilities of their subjects. Meg made to leave the laboratory but was accosted by one of the researchers. A struggle commenced, during which Meg was accidentally injected with some kind of serum, held in a syringe the scientist was carrying. Meg, screaming and panicked, managed to escape, yelling at the man to leave her alone; strangely, he let her go, shaking his head as if suffering from mental distress.

Horrified by her discoveries, Sister Magorian took what she had discovered to the bishop of Iphigenia's diocese, Reverend Niven, asking for guidance. The bishop seemed sympathetic, but as soon as Meg had left his office he contacted the Ouroboros Institute: he had long known of the experiments, and had been providing the Institute with experimental subjects for years, men and women who would stumble into church-run homeless shelters and churches. The Institute immediately dispatched several assassins to ensure that Meg wouldn't talk. When they burst into her home, ready to kill her where she stood, Meg beseeched them in the name of God to spare her. Something in her voice made the killers stop. They lay down their weapons and left. Meg, it seemed, had long possessed psychic potential; the serum she'd been injected with in the Ouroboros lab had amplified her natural abilities, granting her the ability to control the actions of others with her voice. Something about her intonation, her timbre, her pronunciation became puissant, tapping into deeply-buried aspects of the psyche, compelling obedience from all but the strongest-willed. Bewildered and reeling from the attack, Meg called the police. The officers who she spoke with, however, were firmly in the bishop's pocket. They buried her case, and refused to investigate her claims about Saint Dymphna's. To make matters worse, when Meg turned to her sisterhood, she found that she'd been banned from the order and excommunicated by the bishop. It was then that Nemesis contacted Meg, appearing to her like an angel from the darkness. Offering Meg a means of seeking justice against those that had wronged her, Nemesis took the ex-sister under her wing and trained her to become a Fury, to refine her psychic powers and bring down the Ouroboros Institute. While the Institute itself still stands, their experiments in Saint Dymphna's have been halted, and the bishop of Iphigenia has become a paranoid shell of a man, certain that an "Angel of Death" is coming for him. Now known as Sister Siren, Meg continues to help the under-trodden of Iphigenia, finding a new vocation as a vigilante.

Since leaving the church and becoming Sister Siren, Meg has struggled with her faith. Though she still believes in God and considers her voice a divine gift, she has increasingly begun to question the patriarchal values of the Church and the rigidity of their doctrines. Nonetheless, she is the most non-violent of the Furies, preferring to defuse situations with her voice and employing violence as a last resort. When she does fight outright, she prefers a serpentine whip or a staff, employing non-lethal force whenever possible. Her costume has the same coal-black scales as the other Furies, but her cape is feathery rather than bat-like, and her helm resembles a nun's habit. A pale, lean woman, she has let her crimson hair grow long and no longer diverts her striking green eyes from others in deference.

[ooc=Stats]Adventuring Detective

Melee: 8
Range: 6

Parry: 8
Dodge: 6

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 4 (DC 19, MS 4), Improvised Weapons (Melee or Ranged) 6 (DC 21, MS 2).

Toughness: 5
Resistance: 5
Will: 8

Awareness: 10
Capture: 6
Investigate: 10
Manipulate 6
Media: 5
Occult: 6
Science: 2
Stealth: 6
Steetwise: 4
Tactics: 5

Powers, Gear, Specialities

In addition to the attacks listed in their attacks, Adventuring Detectives have the following abilities:

Multi-Tasking Investigate: Unlike other heroes, an Adventuring Detective can make two research checks in the same week. They must be on different issues.

Instant Deduction: Upon meeting a villain or other individual for the first time, based on subtle clues about their personality, mannerism, dress, and even the dirt on their shoes, an Adventuring Detective will make an Immediate Investigate roll, the results of which will be revealed the next week - no matter how any combat goes.

Find Flaws: An Adventuring Detective can make a tactics check during combat. Assuming they beat the target's manipulate, they can provide all allies a +2 bonus to attacks against that foe for the next round.

Master Detective: You get +4 to Investigate, and will get addition information about a mission before even taking it without a check required.

Mind Control: Not content to merely influence minds, you can outright control them, turning foes to your side or wiping memories from their mind. Note that if this is abused and discovered, it can easily lead to Reputation loss - but the power it offer is often worth the risk. Resisting Mind Control is a Will (DC 14) check. For a second point, the DC increases to 18, and the individual can be controlled for a full week.[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Lady Lamia]The oldest of the Furies though a relatively recent member of the team, Lady Lamia is a vampire, an undead being with an insatiable thirst for blood. Born Tyshell Ghula in 1906, her attempts to become a singer and dancer faltered, and she was forced into a life of prostitution at a young age. Despite her great beauty, Tyshell's mixed Arabic and African American ancestry kept her from high-paying work, forcing her to make her living on the streets and in the backrooms of speakeasies during prohibition. Harassed by law enforcement, she was constantly in and out of jail, risking arrest every night. When a pale and exceptionally rich john began courting her, paying for upscale hotel rooms and expensive meals, she asked fewer questions than her instincts urged. By the time she realized what the dashing Manfred Thorne truly was, it was too late: the vampire had already drained her dry and forced her to drink his own blood, transforming her intro a true "lady of the night." She spent the next several decades as one of his Brides, along with several other women he had sired. Forever young and comely, Tyshell was used as a lure for Thorne's victims, bringing men back to the vampire's lair to serve as food for her master, as well as likely young women to serve as new Brides. One night, however, she brought back vampire-hunter Lucy Harker, one of a line of such hunters; Lucy staked Thorne, decapitated him, and left his remains to burn in the sun, and Tyshell only narrowly escaped.

Freed from Thorne, Tyshell lived a shadowy existence in the streets of Iphigenia, feeding out of necessity. Over time, she became a kind of protector for the women of the city's streets, reminded of her own past, ensuring the safety of the streetwalkers of Dis' crime-ridden eastside, feeding only on violent and abusive men. With the invention of the plastic blood bag and the spread of blood banks she was able to supplement her diet further. She returned to her old dream, becoming a jazz singer and dancer on stage in clubs during the 50s and 60s, her vampiric grace ensuring her success, eventually transitioning to funk and R&B, reinventing herself as public tastes shifted. Though never courting notoriety, she became a local celebrity and amassed a small fortune after several record deals. Tyshell used the proceeds from her musical career to begin her own escort agency, not to exploit sex-workers but to give them an alternative to the streets and the ruthless pimps who otherwise run the Iphigenia sex trade. She remained at odds with the law as several of her girls have been arrested, and still quietly diverts funds towards efforts to legalize and regulate prostitution.

During the latter half of the twentieth-century Tyshell continued to operate as an independent vigilante, adopting the moniker Lady Lamia after the famed mythological daemon; she believes she can ultimately trace her vampiric bloodline to the goddess Hecate. Her eventual encounter with Nemesis was initially unfriendly – having realized that a vampire was active in Iphigenia, the Fury had tracked Lady Lamia down during the day, intended to slay her. The two fought for over an hour, Nemesis unable to decisively finish the vampire, Lady Lamia failing to bring the crime-fighter down, until at last the Exarch was poised to stake Tyshell through her unbeating heart. She was about to strike when she realized she sensed no guilt from the vampire, only defiance and a fierce pride. Hesitating a moment too long, she gave Lady Lamia the opportunity she needed to escape, transforming into a swarm of snakes. The next encounter between the two was wary, but far more amicable as the vigilantes learned how much they had in common. After a time, Nemesis convinced Lady Lamia to join the Furies.

Unlike many vampires, Lady Lamia has a dusky complexion rather than the stereotypical alabaster pallor of many undead. She lets her black hair grow into an Afro and has slitted, red-irised eyes which she obfuscates with coloured contact lenses of sunglasses when necessary. In addition to preternatural strength, speed, and toughness, Lady Lamia can hypnotize with a glance and transform herself into a gigantic serpent or a writhing mass of smaller serpents. She is burned by the touch of sunlight or silver, and can be slain with a stake to the heart; she must feed on blood nightly or begin to weaken. She wears the same night-black outfit as the other Furies, with a bat-like gliding cape. Her outfit is somewhat lighter and slinkier, since her need for armour is less than that of her fellow Furies, though it still has the appearance of scales. Lady Lamia is a capable martial artist, favouring light weapons such as knives in combat.

[ooc=Stats]Vampire

Melee: 17
Range: 16

Parry: 9
Dodge: 9

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 9 (DC 22, MS 2), Knife (Ranged) 6 (DC 21, MS 4), Whip (Ranged) 4 (DC 19, MS 10)

Toughness: 6
Resistance: -
Will: -

Awareness: 2
Capture: 6
Investigate: 2
Manipulate 3
Media: 5
Occult: 4
Science: 0
Stealth: 2
Streetwise: 4
Tactics: 6

Powers, Gear, Specialities

In addition to the attacks listed in their attacks, Vampires have the following ability:

Non-Living Physiology: Vampires are not living creatures, whatever form they take. As such, they are immune to all effects that require a resistance or will check, except for Snares - they must attempt using their Super Strength or Escape to break free of any Snares.

Movement Analysis: Because their minds work quicker, Vampires are adept at evading or escaping danger. Vampires get a +4 to escape attempts.

Super Strength 6.

Network: You have a network of people working for you - Lady Lamia's escort agency (Streetwise).  It will provide you additional missions based on what kind of network it is, and when making a check of the above type to investigate a mission, once per week, you can re roll and use the higher result.

Super Speed: You can move much faster than anyone else! Chose one: when making a melee attack roll, roll twice and take the better result. You also gain a +2 to escape checks.

Vampire: You're not just one of the sentient undead, you are a lady of the night! You gain the strengths and weaknesses classic to Vampires.

Strengths: Your superhuman strength improves by 2, and your melee damage increases by 2. You gain a degree of super speed, increasing dodge and parry by 2. You also regenerate, healing one damage box per round. You can transform into an appropriate creature of the night (typically a wolf) gaining scent and +3 perception, but taking a -3 to toughness and a -2 to all attacks while shifted due to the unfamiliar form, or into a swarm of creatures (typically bats), making you immune to melee attacks with a MS less than 5 but removing your other attacks and replacing them with a melee attack 5 (DC20, MS 6.)  In any form, you can climb up walls, bypassing many barriers.

Weaknesses: You cannot operate at any point in the daylight, meaning you may miss missions if the foes operate under the sun. You have a weakness to strong sources of UV radiation (see  weakness under complications for additional details). Holy symbols and locations repel you, and if you are unable to retreat from them you must pass a DC 20 Toughness Check each round you are exposed. You must feed on blood on a regular basis - for every week you do no, you take a cumulative -2 to attacks and defenses. Since you are more human than most undead, you have a will score of +5 and must make will checks as normal. Running water does not harm you but it takes you one hour to cross any source too large for you to step across, giving most foes plenty of time to escape. Garlic sickens you, imposing a -2 to attack and toughness for 1 round[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Police Contact: Detective Jack Caine]The police in Iphigenia are, as a rule, bitterly opposed to the Furies. More than once officers from their ranks has become a target for the team for use of excessive force or other miscarriages of justice, and very often those the Furies oppose and take down are the same people lining their pockets with bribes. Detective Jack Caine is one of the few exceptions. Deeply jaded, disgusted by the corruption everywhere around him, Detective Caine struggles to do what's right in a city going to Hell in a handbasket. He turns a blind eye to Fury activity and has occasionally helped them before, supplying leads and helping to cover their tracks.[/ic]

[ic=Media Contact: Wilhemina "Pythia" Kovacs]While many journalists have been critical of the Furies vigilantism, the blogger Wilhelmina Kovacs, better known by the online moniker Pythia, has followed their career ardently, posting videos and writing accounts of their exploits alongisde exposes and hard-hitting anti-authoritarian articles. An anarchist and hacktivist, she has secured information from whistleblowers in the past and put pressure on corporations, police officials, and politicians. Scorning traditional media, she has an active online presence and has been known to inform the Furies of potential targets through encrypted channels.[/ic]

[ic=Headquarters: Erebus]The cavern headquarters of the Furies is filled with trophies from previously defeated villains, along with equipment and training facilities for the Furies. The entrance can be found in the basement of an abandoned warehouse in Iphigenia.

[ooc=Details]Super-Jet (Strix)

Media-Monitoring Station

Basic Security System

Laboratory: The Furies have a forensics lab. When using their Lab,they can do research much faster, allowing them to do research on the same turn they act, although they still will not get the results of that research until the next week.

Advanced Training Room: The Furies' Training facilities go beyond the normal ones used by most teams, and provide full on holography displays and tactical readouts. They can spend a week in training against a particular threat that they have already researched. At the end of it, they make a tactics roll using the highest of all members present. If it beats a DC 15, all members of the team that participated in the training get a +2 bonus to all attack rolls and both defensive scores the next time they face that threat.[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Thunder]

[ooc=At a Glance]
Justice Zone (Headquarters), a former warehouse in Downtown Atlanta, GA, USA
Reputation 40
Wealth 100
Current Roster: Justice, The Damned, Hood, Abraxas
One Sentence Summary: Street-smart vigilantes aid the helpless while confronting strong centripetal conflicts arising from themes of love, glory-hounding, and trust.
[/ooc]

[ic=Base]Base
Super-Jet
Media Monitoring Station
Contact (Local Law Enforcement)
Contact (Media)
Basic Security System
Mentor
Laboratory (Forensic): You have a Lab capable of handling scientific, forensic or mystic pursuits (choose one). When using your Lab, you can do research much faster, allowing you to do research on the same turn you act, although you still will not get the results of that research until the next week (So if you're researching Baron Death, you can take a week to research him AND make a media apperance. You could also attack him that week, but you wouldn't gain the benefits of the research against him). A Lab costs 500 Wealth. This upgrade can be taken multiple team. Each time, choose a different focus for it.[/ic]

Description: Justice worked his beat, an ordinary cop on an ordinary patrol. He had experienced more than his share of death and terror--parents were killed by gangs, friends were lost homicides and he did his best to ensure that no one else had to suffer that horror. But arresting perps wasn't enough. Too many unreformed villains found their way back onto the street. Justice wanted something more. He followed the news reports of Mystery Heroes in New York, LA, Seattle, DC, and other major metropolitan areas doing their bit to protect their societies. And he wanted to do more- he started researching, training. He tracked down two on Atlanta's Most Wanted List, and killed both because the information he'd used to pin them would never hold in a court of law. He was headed on a path straight for the hoosegow himself until he came across Abraxas, 'roided up and trashing a public phonestand. He recognized the man from Ultimate Fighter and the Mr. Universe competition and once he talked him down, they got to talking. Abraxas wanted fame, fame that had been denied after he'd been tossed out of the Universe competition for cheating. Justice looked at him and he realized that Abraxas wasn't just roid strong- he was hero-strong. So Justice decided to form a team. He took Abraxas, this white South African, deep into the ghetto and together, they started menacing their way toward enforcing order on the district. Abraxas, angry at dealing with minor busts as a citizen accompanying an off-duty officer, burst through a wall and busted up a meth lab. The pair needed legal representation. And pearly white flashing Abe Lefkowitz provided that. Abraxas didn't know his own strength, Abe argued. He'd stumbled into the wall and sure, the pair'd pay for the damage, but they also busted a meth lab and cuffed a couple of drug dealers, one who was wanted for involvement in 7 burglaries and one hold-up. The pair were heroes. And Abe took his photos with the pair, then proposed a plan. He'd front them money to legitimize their operation and they'd become Atlanta's premier super heroes. Abe was keen to pioneer the Vigilante Hero Law movement, he was even working on a Law Review article on that very subject.

While tracking down The Crackler, a pearly-white arms dealer and cocaine and crack distributor, Justice and Abraxas came upon The Damned as he descended with a drop-kick on the man, then fell back and fended off the Crackler's hallucinogenic explosions, which had little effect on his expertise in dodging bullets fired by The Crackler's lackeys. Still, it was eight against one and The Damned probably would have fallen had Justice not sprang into action. Abraxas, regrettably, came down with a drug induced high as a result of the explosions and was worthless in the fight. Justice shot up the lackeys and The Damned, freed from having to dodge killer projectiles, disabled The Crackler with a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him crashing to the ground with a twisted head.

Hood, their most recent member, came to the group kicking and screaming. They found her amid an abandoned tenement inferno where she stood, smoldering with anger beside the teetering corpse of The Hellripper and the mangled tools of his worksmanship. The fire had not been intentional, and it had burned the evidence. She and the Hellripper had met in a conflagration of flame as their similar powers burned and neither would fall until she accelerated and slammed the man into one of his "meathooks of joy". She thought they were coming to arrest her and submitted, then passed out. When she awoke, she burst from the room, racing toward the door where she was caught in a bearswipe from Abraxas, who held her until Justice could speak with her about the opportunities working in a group with legal representation offered. Abraxas should consider himself lucky she did not burst into flame when captured, but he has never actually realized the danger he put himself into.

Together now, the group faced down White Knight, a White Supremacist leader with a fanatical group of followers hellbent on enforcing racial purity. Abe got them off with merely a warning after Hood incinerated the Knight, who ran screaming into a river beneath whose waters he disappeared, never to surface. The White Knight defeat made the group the toast of Atlanta and they were invited on Mornings with Mo'Nique, where Abraxas and Justice made great impressions and where Hood and The Damned inspired a legion of tweens to moon over their mysterious and alluring personaes. Since then, they have defeated The Golem, an inscrutable clay creature, twice, eliminated the flying serial killer, Fallen Angel, and cleaned the streets of a significant amount of crime--though these days, more of their targets, like Judas, have been arrested rather than incinerated.

[ic=Thunder's Rogue's Gallery]
[ic=White Knight, White Bishop, and the Chessmaster]
Thunder's Hood and The Damned incinerated the hate-mongering White Knight and dispersed his new-klux-klan, but in his death he has become even more iconizicized and his mission sanctified by rural racists and his surviving followers.

Thunder also did not know that he was just a Lieutenant under White Bishop, the otherwise respectable tobacco tycoon Don Bishop, who has vast resources at his command which he puts toward grandiose schemes, like Project Rook and constructing the perfect battlesuit for Queen Tobacco, the new female icon of the smoking industry, a svelte, smoking, fragrant and sexy product. Still, he himself is but a pawn of The Chessmaster, a crazed genius psion who dwells in a bunker deep beneath the Rockies and who is attempting to bring about Armageddon by manipulating events to fulfill the prophecy of Revelation so he cna harness Satan's power against alien invasion and get humanity to spread out across space. Some Watchmen vibe here.
[/ic]

[note]The Chessmaster, Judas, Fallen Angel, and The Golem are originally from Soldiers for Chirst's Rogues Gallery[/note]

[ic=The Golem and The Master]
Thunder never saw The Master, but they have destroyed two versions of the Clay Golem, both of which were found with instructions written in Aramaic and with Kaballic designs on a clay tablet inserted into their mouths. The second time the Golem was destroyed, it seemed to have been rebuilt stronger the second time. The Golem has destroyed buildings and roads in very specific patters, leaking corrosive fluid in its wake as it moves. The second Golem picked up where the first was destroyed.

After the first Golem was defeated, a letter was sent to all the major papers, warning "DO NOT REBUILD."

Ultimately, the Master is a pawn of the Chessmaster. He himself is trying to summon Yahweh to rescue the chosen people from a sinful world. It just so happens that Atlanta is one of three cities he needs to mark to rend the earth and attract YHWH's attention, the others being Jerusalem and Kuala Lumpur. That said, he could craft the signs slightly outside the cities, but the drawings gain power due to the lives present in the ambient area, so location and lifepower is both needed to amplify the magical power and increase the yield of his harvest.
[/ic]

[ic=Judas]
A gang enforcer. A Brute. Arrested by Thunder and not killed because police appeared before Justice or the Damned could decapitate him. Apparently, 20 bullets and a rope around his neck were not enough to put him down. Judas used to be an attorney before he was disbarred for taking bribes. He gained his superpower in much the same way that Abraxas gained his, through the work of Abraxas' scientist at the CDC. Now in jail, he uses his intellect to manipulate the other prisoners and the guards and he is forming his own power structure that can strike both inside and outside of jail.
[/ic]

[ic=Fallen Angel]
The androgynous winged foe's modus operandi is to swoop on an unsuspecting target (male or female), snatch it into the air, couple with it, then drop it onto spikes in the ground, like a church spire or a sharp fence.

The Damned broke its neck and it crashed into a lake. It has not been seen since, but the body was never recovered.
[/ic]

[ic=The Scientist]
The man who supplied Abraxas with his serum of strength and who the group only knows as "The Scientist", because Abraxas never managed to properly pronounce his name. He went to work at the CDC, but now (unbeknownst to Thunder) he's working for private industry at FORGE, insidiously creating more serum. His experiments have killed all their recipients except for Abraxas, Judas, and possibly one other (see Crusher below). His employers may want to capture Abraxas to divine why the serum has not led to his demise when it has resulted in the early deaths of so many. Judas, similarly, may find an early release from prison due to the same.
[/ic]

[ic=Werewolf]
A copkiller in the Projects. He has been killing innocent and not so innocent cops. Thunder's Justice and The Damned beat him up during a multiple-hour-long brawl where the sides exchanged philosophy and blows, but he managed to throw them off and escape, but not before promising to do more research on his future quarries- but always promising to deal death when justified. He has a long list of crimes for which he should answer.

Justice is conflicted about him, but he wants to put him behind bars. Abraxas doesn't much care what happens to him. Hood and The Damned find themselves supporting Werewolf--they acknowledge he made mistakes but consider that they could very well be in the same position if they off the wrong person. Hood especially wants to show him mercy[/ic]

[note]Poison Ivy, The Cleaner and Werewolf are at the nexus of the Iron Age question, what is a hero? And their actions demonstrate why the legal system is probably preferable to vigilante justice- they are an insight into the darkness of the souls of Thunder's members.[/note]

[ic=The Cleaner]
A Janitor "adventuring detective" who also can disintegrate people and things with his laser-eyes that mutated due to chemical exposure suffered over many years. He wears a mask to cover the chemical-damaged skin and kills the "dirt" of society, not discriminating between murdering prostitutes, johns, violent criminals, drug users, drug dealers. He recently got the idea that it would be fine to disintegrate any and all patrons of a number of seedy bars... this is what finally got him on the radar of Thunder as a loose cannon rather than as a vigilante who could be worked with. Justice and The Damned see a kindred spirit in him, but he seems to be getting out of hand by building his own moral code of who should live and who should die. Hood has always been suspicious of him since as she asserts- prostitution is not a crime and even if it is, the sex workers are at the most risk and most likely to be victimized-- similarly, drug users can quit if given the right resources. She finds his actions unforgivable. Hood finds it absurd that Abraxas agrees with her, but he does so because he sees himself at risk from The Cleaner's war on drugs. Again, a reference is Watchmen. And Boondock Saints with lasers.
[/ic]



[ic=Mr. Jupiter]
Abraxas' rival in the Mr. Universe competitions. A bodybuilder. Possibly a part-time criminal. The source of, perhaps comic side plots for Abraxas as they compete in the media for reputation.
Advertises himself in media as being stronger than Abraxas. He lifts trucks.
Abraxas takes this as a personal affront.

Jupiter's powers are actually based on magnetism (Energy Control). If something is magnetic or conductive, he can lift or affect it as though it weighs nothing.
[/ic]

[ic=Loco Lobos, Crusher, and SPYDER]
The Damned's old gang, the Nasty Boyz, broke apart after a series of arrests. But the leader, Lobo, survived and started a new gang in New York. The Damned thought he killed Lobo, and he came very close, but modern medical science revived the gang leader and he now runs his ultra-loyal boys from a hospital bed, passing coded orders through orderlies. If he was to be murdered in the hospital, public opinion might turn against Thunder and The Damned... And the Damned has not mentioned to Justice his personal animus against the man, for he wishes to not delve too deep into his past.

On the ground, Crusher leads the gang, which, in a way, enforces a semblance of order in the worst parts of Atlanta. A pink-streaked, spiked hair-wearing bull of a man, Crusher lacks great vision but intimidates with force of size. He recently was given a series of injections similar to that provided to Abraxas and has been developing super-strength. But Crusher has problems. A gang on the lower side has offed a good fourth of the Lobos' membership in the lack of Lobo's presence. Thunder probably would see this as a good development, but Justice has been following the news and the gang war's collateral damage has increased exponentially. Not just dozens, but hundreds have been murdered by the SPYDR, a wall-climbing, poison spitting villain who leads the Golden Horde.

Unknown to the Heroes, SPYDR is another experiment of The Scientist- one purposefully set against Crusher to determine whether super strength or poisonous genetic engineering is the better path for future experimentation.
[/ic]

[ic=Poison Ivy]
A former prostitute who has been poisoning enemies with a prick of her finger. She can alter her appearance and immobilize with a stare. Her targets are bad Johns and abusive pimps, but she also kills political enemies. She has killed a number of extreme right wing politicians, which is not a huge priority of Thunder's to address, but she also killed lawyers who prosecute prostitutes, many of whom were merely fulfilling their court appointed duties. This resulted in deaths of several of Thunders' mentors' friends. The group has come to a consensus that she, like The Cleaner and Werewolf, must be locked up.
[/ic]

[ic=Pied Piper, FORGE, and Loki]
Pied Piper Infamous for luring children by song and baking them into pies placed randomly in stores.

The Flute and FORGE Thunder killed him but the flute he bore went into the river and the flute is what does the evil. The flute was manufactured by Chessmaster's minions at the FORGE, an independent high-tech research facility which was testing mind control in a flute. It was not, however, Chessmaster's intent that the flute be used to slay children. That, instead, was Loki's fault.

Loki A mad Norwegian who wants to use heroes to destroy technology to increase self sufficiency in preparation for Fimbulvinter before Ragnorak, the end of the world. He has previously knocked out the US energy grid and EMPed NYC. He is infamously slippery to catch and sometimes works with The Druid. He hexed the flute to drive a user mad so it could not be used to its full potential. Loki's intent was not to kill. Loki never intends to kill, just to strengthen and temper in the flames of struggle--his intent and the consequences of his actions rarely align.
[/ic]


Scattered Notes - Possible Ideas for Future Members: a Robo-Cop-like character, a former military veteran ; Ajax- android discovered by Mentor- powerful, activated by Justice ; Estrella- 'star', can fly (powerful generally); Scrapper- scrapyard inventor. Adventuring detective (weak).
[/ic]


[ic=Justice]
Justice (The Leader) "DeWayne Lucas"
-Black man who worked his way out of the Projects as a police officer.
Think: The Punisher
Relationships: Is attracted to Hood; mentors Abraxas; understands The Damned's pain.
Media: Loves it.
Age: 28

"I'm doing this for the kids. We have to keep the streets safe.

Super Soldier

[ooc=Justice]

Gangs. Gangs killed his parents; left him orphaned at 14. Lived with his alcoholic gambling uncle. Raised himself. Studied hard, owes a lot to his mentors at school, Mr. Whitaker (english) and Mrs. Brown (math). They pushed him hard. He pushed himself harder. Went to junior college on a scholarship-could have gotten scholarships to more prestigious schools but didn't have the money to move or live. Worked as campus security. Became an Officer at age 20 and finished 2 years of Junior College.

Gangs killed his fiancee. He wanted revenge, but he had to work outside the system to get the type of Justice he needed.
[/ooc]

[ooc=Stats]
Super Soldier

Melee: 8
Range: 6

Parry: 18
Dodge: 18

Attacks: Unarmed 6 (DC 21, MS 6), Ranged (Pistol) 4 (DC 19, MS 9)

Toughness: 8
Resistance: 8
Will: 5

Awareness: 4
Capture: 6
Investigate: 2
Influence: 3
Media: 4 (+5)= 9
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 2
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 7 (+3)= 10

Powers, Gears, Specialties

Squad Tactics: All super soldiers make great tacticians. You, however, are even better than your kind at using everyone in a group to their fullest potential, able to provide bonuses to anyone you fight alongside. Any ally in a fight alongside you gets a +2 bonus to both defense stats.

Analyze the Field: Make a tactics check DC 16. If successful, gain +4 to your defenses on the first round, +3 the second, +2 on the third, and +1 on the fourth. If you can communicate with your allies, they gain half this bonus.

[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=The Damned]The Damned "Esteban Gutierrez" (Secret)
-Hispanic Martial Arts Expert
Think: Martial Arts (Jean Claude van Damme)
Relationships: Hates Abraxas and considers him a racist idiot, which is a fair assessment although Abraxas is far more the latter than the former; Is attracted to Hood; Respects and is jealous of Justice.
Media: Fears it.
Age: 31

Martial Artist

"They're damned; I'm damned; we're all damned. The best we can do is to save another."

[ooc=The Damned]
31 years old now, he's ready to atone, because he can never forget.

Age 15, he joins the Nasty Boyz, steals, drugs, intimidates, and in an event he greatly regrets, joins in a gang-rape of a girl a year younger than him. He goes eighth, and even helping himself he can barely get up-he knows its wrong, but he goes in and out. Then Lobo slits her throat.

A year later, he's ridin' dirty and on his way to join fully in the gang as a made man. He has his target, a North Side Boy and he's sayin' goodbye to his girlfriend, who knows where he's going and doesn't want him to kill. She grabs his gun, which is loaded, they struggle- the trigger goes off and he's covered in her blood.

He goes to jail. Manslaughter only, but other crimes keep him in. He's never been punished for the intentional crime. He's never spoken of it, save in confession, after he's released 10 years hence.

He learns taekwondo, and yoga and meditation. He was Catholic. He wants to believe, but He's probably not the believing type any more. But he believes he must atone. Not that he can, but that he must. It's all that keeps him going in jail, in life. He hits harder and harder and harder. All he does is learn and train- no love-no lust-only penance. His body is a weapon and if that isn't enough, he carries a Ruger and a series of knives. And now that he's ready, he's going to protect others no matter the odds, until he dies.
[/ooc]

[ooc](Comic shot in on The Damned and another hispanic male, about the same age.
"Esteban, you puta. Cough up some more, man."
"Gustavo- I need something to live too."
"Won't have anything to live if everyone knows who you are. Them others aren't going to want to be within ten feet of you."
(Image of Esteban slapping a stack of 100 dollar bills into Gustavo's hand)
Gustavo: "Knew you were keepin' some back."
Esteban: "This is about more than just you, you know-"
Gustavo: "Yeah- it's about the childhood I never had and the papi who got took by INS because of your dumbass move shootin' your girl."
Esteban: (Face reddens).
Gustavo: "Yeah, puta. We ain't never gonna forget that. I think you owe us all a good mil', then I'll stop asking for the handouts."
Esteban (The Damned): (wistful) "Blood remembers."
Gustavo: Yeah, it does- just be thankful I was the only one who recognizes your mug up there when your doing your saving the world shit.
[/ooc]

[ooc=Stats]
Martial Artist

Melee: 10
Range: 8

Parry: 20
Dodge: 20 (+2 from Power) = 22

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 5 (DC 20, MS 6) (*Add +4 to the Unarmed Strike attack due to the bonus power)

Toughness: 5
Resistance: 8
Will: 8

Awareness: 7 (+3) =10
Capture: 6
Investigate: 0
Manipulate: 2
Media: 2
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 5
Steetwise: 3 (+4) = 7
Tactics: 5 (+1) = 6

Powers, Gears, Specialties

Your Strength Against You: When a melee attack misses a Martial Artist, their next unarmed strike against their attacker gets a +2 bonus to Attack.

Memorable Weapon (Hands): While not as powerful or iconic as a signature weapon, a Memorable Weapon certainly leaves a mark. Chose one attack type and one defence type. In addition to the damage your weapon provides, you get +2 to both when using this weapon, or +4 to one attack type, or +4 to one defence type.

Agile: +2 to dodge, and once per round a ranged attack automatically misses you.

Complication: Super Secret Identity (Avoiding Reformed Villain Complication): The rules, by default, assume you have some decree of a Secret Identity. If you have a Super Secret Identity, if your cover is ever blown, it would be devastating Perhaps your family is extra vulnerable, or would disown you. Maybe you are a defense attorney using your civilian life to gain information on targets for your costumed life. Maybe you're a reformed villain avoiding the penalties of being known for that. Whatever it is, if your identity is ever uncovered, you're taking a massive reputation hit - and while many heroes will have occasional "Identity Crisis" missions to protect their secret identities, you will have with higher frequency. (On average, it'll be an issue every 1 out of 4 weeks.)

[/ooc]
[/ic]


[ic=Hood]Hood "Stephanie Williams" (Secret)
-Fearless, but she considers keeping her identity secret a top priority to ensure her relatives' protection-she believes family is one of the most important things-to forget family, to leave them behind- one is left with nothing.
-A black lady who wears a red riding hood, mesh clothing and gloves, and who never shows her face. Even her lips are behind the mesh and the color of her skin is unclear to others. She has been injured and her mesh has been ripped, but that was in the days before she rose to fame. Her teammates have not seen her face but they at least know her skin color since she has at times removed portion of her stultifying suit.  
Relationships: She respects and uses Justice for money to send to her mama in creative ways even if her mama won't accept it directly...and at least her other relatives will; she is attracted toThe Damned but he keeps pushing her away; She often finds herself amused by Abraxas' childlike idiocy. His silliness reminds her of her little brother who is off serving in Afghanistan.
Media: Hates it.
Age: 24

Energy Controller: Flame


[ooc=Hood]
Mama worked hard and sent her to college, the first in her family. During school, she worked as a hostess at a seedy bar/restaurant where the tips were good... but the clientele was not. She was raped, and her magic manifested. The rapist was incinerated.

She used her power in parlour tricks, to earn money, but always kept her identity a secret. Justice found her while responding to a 911 call regarding her flames.

She wants to help Mama but Mama's too smart to just accept money. Mama asked where she worked- a law firm, as a paralegal, she said. But Mama knew better. She called all the firms. When Stephanie visited with gifts... Mama: "I don't know where yo' money's comin' from. It's not from that firm, you don't work there. Child. What happened to school? What happened to church? What happened to morals and God? Where are you getting this kind of money if you're not working and you're too embarassed to tell me what you're doin'. Lawdy above-you kill me child imagining where from that money be coming."
[/ooc]

[ooc=Stats]

Melee: 4
Range: 10

Parry: 13
Dodge: 16

Attacks: Energy Blast (range) 10 (DC 25, MS 4), Wide Blast (range) 5 (DC 20, MS 10), Energy Snare (range) 9 (If hit, immobilized until beat DC 19 Res or uses Super Strength 4+)

Toughness: 3
Resistance: 2
Will: 6

Awareness: 6
Capture: 3
Investigate: 3
Manipulate: 0
Media: 2
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 7
Streetwise: 5
Tactics: 2

Powers, Gears, Specialties

Flight: You can fly. Assuming you have clearance above your head high enough to put you out of reach, you are immune to melee attacks from non-fliers unless they ready an action for you to enter melee range.
There is an issue with her flight... imagine a jet with afterburners- she blows flame as fuel to lift off and fly- so she cannot take off just anywhere-she would need nothing flammable to be around if she wishes to risk setting an entire district aflame.

Before They Blink: (From Speedster) Not just fast, you're a master of making the most of your time. While Speedsters often excel at taking down Mooks, you can clear entire armies in a heartbeat.

Energy Control 5: You can control masses of your chosen energy at range. For physical objects, it is up to 25 tons. For energy types, it can effect all sources in up to 25 foot radius circle around the center point you set.

Complication: Super Secret Identity: The rules, by default, assume you have some decree of a Secret Identity. If you have a Super Secret Identity, if your cover is ever blown, it would be devastating Perhaps your family is extra vulnerable, or would disown you. Maybe you are a defense attorney using your civilian life to gain information on targets for your costumed life. Maybe you're a reformed villain avoiding the penalties of being known for that. Whatever it is, if your identity is ever uncovered, you're taking a massive reputation hit - and while many heroes will have occasional "Identity Crisis" missions to protect their secret identities, you will have with higher frequency. (On average, it'll be an issue every 1 out of 4 weeks.)
 
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Abraxas]Abraxas (The Fool) "Rudolph Schol"
-South African Boer Strongman disqualified from Mr. Universe competition due to injections.
Think: Arnold Schwarzenegger (he certainly does)
Occasionally has 'roid rage.
Media: Loves it.
Age: 26

Brute

The Damned: "Is that pisshead walking around in his thong again?"
Hood: "I don't know whether he should put more on or take it all off?"
The Damned: "You don't want to hit that-"
Hood: "No, no. If he takes it off though, it would complete the image of a dumb gorilla, for arts sake."

[ooc=Abraxas]
Justice met Abraxas after the fool was disqualified from the Mr. Universe competition and looking for the scientist who made him what he was, who is now at the CDC (he had given Abraxas a false identity). Justice stopped Abraxas for destruction of property (Abraxas, of course, had ripped a phone out of the wall after confronting a phone tree at the CDC's number.) Noticing his strength, Justice spoke with him and calmed him down and came up with the idea for the team. What really mattered to Abraxas was fame, not revenge. Mr. Universe had been denied to him, but being a hero would be even more sweet. [/ooc]

[ooc=Stats]
Brute

Melee: 6
Range: 4

Parry: 14
Dodge: 12

Attacks: Unarmed 10 (DC 25, MS 2), Thunder Clap 8 (DC 23, MS 12), Throw 8 (DC 23, MS 1)

Toughness: 10 I: 7
Resistance: 8
Will: 4

Awareness: 4 (+1)= 5
Capture: 8
Investigate: 0
Manipulate: 0
Media: 0 (+6) = 6
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 2 (+1) =3

Powers, Gears, Specialties

Power Leap: Flyers can stay out of the clutches of most Brutes. Not for you! A Brute with power leap can close the distance with even flying foes, though such attacks are more easily dodged.

Superhuman Strength 10: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 100 tons with minimal effort.

Unstoppable: When running, you automatically inflict melee damage 7 (DC 22) against any objects in your way.

Complication:
Addiction (Steroids): You have a habit for a mind altering substance, typically narcotics or alcohol, but it could be stranger. If your addiction gets out you will take a massive reputation hit, and more importantly, when held captive you gain a cumulative -2 penalty to willpower and all skills for each weak you are without your addiction.
[/ooc]
[/ic]


[ic=Mentor - Abraham "Abe" Ishmael Lefkowitz]
1968-

Chief named partner in the 16-attorney litigation torts and criminal law boutique firm of Lefkowitz, Lee & Grant. After reading about Justice's exploits, he pro bono represented Justice when the Police Force began looking into the officer's extra curricular activities. Abe won the case and Justice won his heart--Abe put himself on the line for Justice and Abraxas, made contacts, and he got the superjet prototype for them--a gift thanks to Elon Musk, the sole producer of the Tesla Jetplane.

Abe's mother and father met in the 1960s during the height of the US civil rights movement as Samuel Lefkowitz (1944-2006) worked to ensure that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was properly enforced. Abe's mother, Abigail Emmaline Worth (1945-) was a politically active nurse who worked for the love of the ability to help people until she retired in 2000 at age 55. Samuel, who became one of Atlanta's most successful trial attorneys, died of a heart attack at age 62 in 2006 in the midst of a closing argument--he won the case.

Abe's grandmother on his mother's side, Jemima Worth (1920-), worked as a maid and a cook. She gave birth to several children: John (1937-); Yolanda (1938-), Maybell (1940-), George (1940-1976), Abigail (1945-). Her husband, Franklin (1918-), served in World War II Europe doing loading and transport. Although frail now, his eyes still light up when he tells stories to his great-grandchildren.

Abe's grandmother on his father's side, Matildah Yazofsky (1909-1972), also served as a cook when she was not working in her husband, Levi Lefkowitz's (1911-1969) dry goods store. Levi died of a heart attack and Matildah died of cancer.

Abe's wife, Esther Ruth Nemchowitz (1972-) is Russian, raised in the USSR. She came to the US in 1991 with the help of Samuel Lefkowitz's Foundation to educate deserving Jewish emigrants from Russia. She has a master's degree in mathematics from NYU and she married Abe in 1994. together, they have two sons, Issac (1998-), who is a Senior at Atlanta Academy and whose current girlfriend is a chinese classmate named Hong Chen. The younger son, Bnejamin (2001-) is a first year at the same Academy.

[ooc]
+4 Investigation; +4 Science[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Police Contact- David Marcus]
Chief David Marcus of the Atlanta PD

He believes in Justice's struggle even though he dislikes Abraxas and The Damned and he is at best neutral on Hood because he hasn't been able to ID her and he does not like working with unknown quantities.
He sees himself in Justice.
His personality is that of a typical movie-type hardcore street-smart cop who doesn't have time for tiptoeing around the issues and who has to make difficult decisions.
[/ic]

[ic=Media Contact- Mo'nique]
Mo'nique AKA "Monique Packer" of Mo'nique in the Mornings
Her show is sort of a hybrid between Oprah and straight celebrity gossip shows like Dish. She often refers to Atlanta as "Hotlanta". She is highly successful in getting rap stars on the show, both up and coming and more established.  
[/ic]

[ic=Corcaigh's Circle]
[ooc=At a Glance]
Headquarters: Gabha Goibniu in Cork, County Kerry, Ireland.
Reputation: 50
Wealth: 100
Founding Members: Aedan Corcaigh, Bouda, Dyadya Yaga, Hattori Hanzō
Inactive Members: Hed, Puli
One-Sentence Summary: Occultists and stranger beings meddle in the affairs of others and investigate occulted and supernatural phenomena, frequently getting drawn into situations  and trouble they can't afford and would rather avoid.
[/ooc]

Friends and allies of the Irish trickster-druid Aedan Corcaigh, the Circle are a loosely knit organization of individuals known for meddling and interfering in situations of a mythic or folkloric nature. Though scattered over the world, the talents of the group's various members mean they're never more than an hour away if needed and so even strictly local concerns - the rampage of a murderous nuckalavee in County Kerry, for example - normally attract at least a few others from the Circle to investigate and learn. Corcaigh's Circle is a large group with varying levels of closeness and reliability - those presented here are the ones that might be termed the 'Inner Circle' - the most intimate and loyal of Corcaigh's allies. The Circle is based out of Gabha Goibniu, a historic smithy in Cork where Bouda works producing artisan ironwork and performing restoration-work at various heritage sites throughout Ireland.
[/ic]

[ic=Aedan Corcaigh]
A hedonist and alcoholic who has sold too many parts of his soul and liberty to powerful fae and elementals for the sake of those they threatened. The magical equivalent of a jackdaw, his magic is grounded in the remnants of Druidic and Celtic practice that survived through Christianized folklore but he is also competent at Galdr rune-chants and the talismanic root-working of American Hoodoo.

Reference Points: John Constantine. Silver John. Shades of Atticus O'Sullivan and Harry Dresden.

[ooc=Stats]
Mage

Melee: 4
Range: 6

Parry: 13
Dodge: 14

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 2 (DC 17, MS 1), Spell Blast 8 (DC 23, MS 4), Mystic Bindings 8 (Snare 8, resistance DC 18)

Toughness: 4
Resistance: 4
Will: 8

Awareness: 4
Capture: 2
Investigate: 4
Manipulate: 5
Media: 0
Occult: 13
Science: 0
Stealth: 0
Steetwise: 8
Tactics: 4



Powers, Gears, Specialties
Cantrips: You mage can make minor magical effects happen with very little expenditure of effort. If you want to describe a minor effect, you simple can do so.
Know the Streets: +4 to Streetwise checks, and you gain a network of informants in the criminal world.
Occult Investigator: You get +4 to Occult, and a +2 to Investigate supernatural missions.
Network (Corcaigh's Circle; Occult): You have a network of people working for you who will feed you information and keep their eyes open. It will provide you additional missions based on what kind of network it is, and when making a check of the above type to investigate a mission, once per week, you can re roll and use the higher result.
Scrying: You can view anywhere on the world! Scrying is a form of research using Occult, but can be used to research non-Occult information and grants more detailed information. Scrying takes a week, just like normal research, and 25 wealth in special materials.

Spells: Pick 5 powers from the General Customization Options. Those are your spells. Whenever deploying for  a turn, pick 3. Those are your current loadout for the week.
-Anonymity Hexbag (Master of Darkness): You get a +4 to Stealth, and minions automatically fail awareness checks against you unless you start attacking - and even then, they still must make them!
-Deception Hexbag (Silver Tongue): Gain a +4 manipulate. In additions, You can use Manipulate in place of stealth to bypass human surveillance. If you wanted the original functionality of Silver Tongue, go ahead and take Mind Control, they are functionally identical
-Fury of the Red Branch (Brawler): +2 to melee, and automatically hit minions
-Odin's Eleventh Chant (No Man Left Behind): More than any other archetype, you excel at bringing your people home. All allies on your team get a +4 to escape checks.
-Summon Spirit (Sidekick): A sidekick gives you a second character than can join your in combat. Sidekicks are much weaker than full heroes, but do give you an additional character. A sidekick uses an existing archetype, but all ranks are halved, and they can only take one customization option.

Addiction: You have a habit for alcohol. If your addiction gets out you will take a massive reputation hit, and more importantly, when held captive you gain a cumulative -2 penalty to willpower and all skills for each week you are without your addiction-
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Bouda]
A tribal blacksmith and healer from Southern Africa, Bouda was born more than a century ago and no longer even remembers their name. During their coming-to-manhood they were stricken with the curse of therianthropy, losing the identity that had been theirs as they merged with the terrible hyena-spirit that entered into them and become one singular entity driven by the hunger and instincts of the beast and the empathy and wisdom of the man.

[ooc=Stats]
Animal Powered (Hyena)

Melee: 11
Range: 6

Parry: 18
Dodge: 18

Attacks: Bite (Melee) 10 (DC 23, MS 3)

Toughness: 7
Resistance: 4
Will: 5

Awareness: 6
Capture: 7
Investigate: 0
Manipulate: 2
Media: 0
Occult: 2
Science: 0
Stealth: 5
Steetwise: 3
Tactics: 5

Powers, Gears, Specialties
Brawler: +2 to melee, and automatically hit minions
Hyena Jaws: In addition to your enhanced strength, you have a weapon that mimics that of the animal you are bonded too. For some this is a natural outgrowth of their power, for others a technological or mystical armament. Increase the damage of your unarmed strikes by +2
Regeneration
Scent
Super Strength 2
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Dyadya Yaga]
A gnarled and twisted Slav who passes for 90 on a good day, Dyadya Yaga has wandered the passes and mountain trails of the Carpathians and the lands around their feet for almost a millennia watching the march of history through ruined eyes and peddling petty magic and lethal secrets. Whether he is immortal man or inhuman monster none can say, but according to Slavic folklore he sings to the storm, his curses crackle like lightning, his touch turns the flesh of men to ancient bone, and he rides the wind in a great iron cauldron that was quenched in the blood of a zmey. How much is truth and how much a web of tales spun by a meddling ancient with a silver tongue? That's the most lethal secret of all.

Reference Points: Baba Yaga. Mogh Ruith. Grimnir.

[ooc=Stats]
Adventuring Detective

Melee: 8
Range: 6

Parry: 18
Dodge: 16

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 4 (DC 19, MS 4), Improvised Weapons (Melee or Ranged) 6 (DC 21, MS 2).

Toughness: 5
Resistance: 5
Will: 8

Awareness: 8
Capture: 4
Investigate: 6
Manipulate: 12
Media: 4
Occult: 8
Science: 2
Stealth: 5
Steetwise: 4
Tactics: 5

Powers, Gears, Specialities
A Thousand Faces: No matter it's from spellwork, mundane makeup, or a power, you are a master of impersonation. Able to appear as anyone you wish, when you use stealth, you can interact with people normally since they will assume you are who you claim to be (assuming your stealth beats their awareness). Manipulate checks may be required if the target personally knows who you are impersonating.
Find Flaws: An Adventuring Detective can make a tactics check during combat. Assuming they beat the target's manipulate, they can provide all allies a +2 bonus to attacks against that foe for the next round.
Instant Deduction: Upon meeting a villain or other individual for the first time, based on subtle clues about their personality, mannerism, dress, and even the dirt on their shoes, an Adventuring Detective will make an Immediate Investigate roll, the results of which will be revealed the next week - no matter how any combat goes.
Multi-Tasking Investigate: Unlike other heroes, an Adventuring Detective can make two research checks in the same week. They must be on different issues.
Silver Tongue: Gain a +4 manipulate. In additions, You can use Manipulate in place of stealth to bypass human surveillance.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Hattori Hanzō]
A legendary figure of the Sengoku Era, Hattori Hanzō's supreme mastery of Iga-ryu ninjitsu was whispered by the peasantry of Japan to have given him inhuman powers - teleportation, psychokinesis, and precognition. Though these were mere rumours born from his creative use of secret ninja powders and techniques, his years as a Buddhist monk and perfectly refined skills at concealment and deception did allow him to evade the Shinigami when his time came and escape the limits of a mortal lifespan.

Reference Points: Hattori Hanzō. Master Splinter. Ra's al Ghul. Muto Kenji of Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori.
[ooc=Stats]
Signature Weapon

Melee: 10/8
Range: 6
 
Parry: 20
Dodge: 19

Attacks: Signature Weapon (Melee) 8 (DC 23, MS 1; Penetrating), Sweep Attack (Melee) 5 (DC 20, MS 10), Counterstrike (Melee) 3 (DC 18, MS 1)

Toughness: 5
Resistance: 4
Will: 6

Awareness: 7
Capture: 4
Investigate: 4
Manipulate: 0
Media: 2
Occult: 2
Science: 0
Stealth: 12
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 6

Powers, Gears, Specialties
Agile: +2 to dodge, and once per round a ranged attack automatically misses you.
Master of Darkness: You get a +4 to Stealth, and minions automatically fail awareness checks against you unless you start attacking - and even then, they still must make them!
Super Movement: You gain the ability to move beyond what most people can do, able to scale any object.
Super Speed: You can move much faster than anyone else! When defending against ranged attacks force your attacker to roll twice and take the worse result. You gain a +2 to escape checks.
The Myth Makes the Weapon: You don't just carry a weapon out of myths. You are the man or woman who made the myths! In addition to the benefits of the Signature Weapon, you gain improved strength and durability from your legendary status - even when unarmed. Gain +3 Will, Super Movement, and Super Speed.

Rare Weakness (Japanese funereal incense & Ihai spirit-tablets): You have a vulnerability to some quasi obscure substance. In the presence of this substance, you must make a Resistance check to avoid losing your power, and must make a toughness check against DC 18 every turn (Impervious benefits do not apply).
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Hed]
Created in Prague around the middle of the 16th Century, the golem that would come to name itself Hed was created with all the mastery that a local council of Abrahamic mages possessed to serve as the final theological proof that only God was capable of creating true life. Whether they were mistaken about the nature and limitations of the wider universe or it was an act of divine providence that gave thought and awareness to the armature of golden bones, clay flesh, and sacramental-wine blood, Hed does not know. But it has since pursued the secrets of Hermeticism, Goetia and Qabalah through the centuries, awaiting the day when it will climb the Tree of Life to Kether and there confront the Godhead and demand an answer to the deepest question of its existence: what of the Soul?

Reference Points: Promethea (the whole comic). Frankenstein's Monster. The Dwarf in the Flask.
[ooc]
Android

Melee: 7
Range: 6

Parry: 17
Dodge: 17

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 7 (DC 22, MS 2), Energy Blast (Ranged) 8 (DC 23, MS 4)

Toughness: 8
Resistance: -
Will: -

Awareness: 6
Capture: 6
Investigate: 2
Manipulate: 2
Media: 0
Occult: 8
Science: 0
Stealth: 2
Steetwise: 0
Tactics: 6
 
Powers, Gears, Specialties: Energy Type
Density Control: You have complete control of your own density, able to go so light that attacks pass through you, or even harder than diamond! In addition to being much tougher than before, you can completely walk through walls, floors, ceilings, or any barrier not specially designed to deal with incorporeal beings. You can also choose to remain incorporeal, avoiding any damage but unable to physically interact with the world.
Impervious Toughness 7.
Mind Control: Not content to merely influence minds, you can outright control them, turning foes to your side or wiping memories from their mind. Resisting Mind Control is a Will (DC 14) check.
Movement Analysis: Because their artifical minds work quicker than most and are (often) unfettered by emotions, androids are adept at evading or escaping danger. Androids get a +4 to escape attempts.
Non-Living Physiology: Androids are not living creatures, whatever form they take. As such, they are immune to all effects that require a resistance or will check, except for Snares - they must attempt using their Super Strength or Escape to break free of any Snares.
Super Strength 4.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Puli]
An ancestral spirit-being of the Australian desert, Puli is one of the last and least creators recognized by the Pitjantjatjara people: a great python-spirit whose slithering and undulations across the desert sands formed the beds of the few streams that cross their territory. After curling up and sinking the greatest portion of its power into the land to form the ridge of sandstone hills that bear its name, the remnant intelligence that Aedan Corcaigh contacted in the early 2000s for help defeating a corrupt kurdaitcha-man was all that remained of the once-mighty Puli.

Reference Points: Swamp Thing. Treebeard. The Stone of the Terranon.
[ooc=Stats]
Energy Controller

Melee: 4
Range: 10

Parry: 13
Dodge: 16

Attacks: Energy Blast (Range) 10 (DC 25, MS 4), Wide Blast (Range) 5 (DC 20, MS 10), Energy Snare (Range) 9 (If hit, immobilized until beat DC 19 Res or uses Super Strength 4+)

Toughness: 6
Resistance: 2
Will: 6

Awareness: 5
Capture: 6
Investigate: 2
Manipulate: 0
Media: 3
Occult: 6
Science: 2 (This is an instinctive understanding of geology/vibrations/chemistry gained through the experience of being a sentient rock. Puli does not perceive this knowledge through human terms/filters)
Stealth: 2
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 2

Powers, Gears, Specialties: Energy Type
Area Energy (Stone): You can create a field of your chosen energy. If it is a physical object or force, it prevents movement though. If it is a harmful energy, anyone passing it or caught in it must make a DC 20 toughness check vs. damage.
Energy Control 5 (Stone): You can control masses of your chosen energy at range. For physical objects, it is up to 25 tons.
Energy Creation (Stone): You can create a stable mass of your chosen energy. Unlike that created by your attacks or other abilities, this mass does not require your concentration to maintain it.
Energy Form (Stone): You take on an energy form, making you more resistant to harm. The resistance provides +3 toughness and 3 ranks of impervious toughness.
Energy Walk (Earth): You can use your chosen energy as a conduit between two locations, allowing instant transmission anywhere you wish! So long as you have a conduit of your chosen energy, you can travel without assistance anywhere in the same continent in a single turn.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Occult Contact, Auld Paddraig]
Travelers and vagabonds see more than most, their position outside society and the marginal spaces they move through granting them occasional glimpses into the occult underbelly of the cities and towns of the world. Although he is no longer young enough to camp rough in the fields or on city-streets, Auld Paddraig roamed all over the British Isles in his day and is still fondly remembered by the many wanderers he mentored or shared food and shelter with over the years. Nowadays he lives in an upstairs room at the Mutton Lane Inn and earns his rent by telling folk-tales and anecdotes from his long life for tourists and children, and his floor is almost always playing host to a fellow traveler who pays for the shelter by sharing any news or information about the otherworld and the occult.
[/ic]

[ic=Police Contact, Eoin Smith]
A career policeman who, at the ripe old age of 65, has refused to retire out of a sheer bloody-minded refusal to allow age to slow him down, Eoin Smith discovered the existence of the occult and otherworldly when he was barely into adolescence. A school trip to Carrigaphooca Castle nearly ended bloodily at the hands of a gang of sadistic crooiney-cruagh, and it was only the intervention of a local wise-woman that drove off the goblins without any real harm being inflicted. The incident opened Eoin's eyes to the truth of the world and throughout his policing career he made a concerted effort to keep channels of communication open with Cork's mystical community, and now passes information and necessary files and objects on to the Circle where and when he can.
[/ic]

[ic=Internationale]
[ooc=At A Glance]
Castillo de la Lucha del Proletariado (Headquarters), outside of Havana, Cuba
Reputation 55
Wealth 100
Core Members: Vanguard, Red Spectre, Extraordinary Comrade Zorya, Night Witch
Other Members: Agent No. 99, Chernetoka
One Sentence Summary: Stalwart defenders of truth, justice, and the Communist way, protecting the workers of the world from superhuman villainy and imperialist oppression.[/ooc]
Founded in the early 1960s by Vanguard, the New Soviet Woman, Internationale was formed as an international union for communist and socialist superheroes of all nationalities and ideological stripes who wished to use their powers to combat the exploitation of the proletariat and, in doing so, advance the cause of world revolution. During the height of the Cold War, Internationale was active on both sides of the Iron Curtain, hunting down Axis supervillains who'd escaped justice at Nuremberg, lending their support to leftist revolutions, and battling both the machinations of capitalist imperialism and the excesses of Communist politburos. Following the Chinese army's massacre of student protestors at Tiananmen Square and Boris Yeltsin's dissolution of the Soviet Union, the group lost many of their former safe havens and all but dropped off the radar for nearly a decade, though during the Bosnian War, reports of masked superhumans dressed in unmarked Yuoslav Army uniforms carrying out extrajudicial executions of Serbian human traffickers and war criminals were taken as evidence of the union's involvement in the conflict. Internationale's current base of operations is the Castillo de la Lucha del Proletariado ("the Castle of the Proletariat's Struggle"), a refurbished Spanish fortress located just outside of Havana, Cuba granted to them by Fidel Castro back in '98. While critics may decry Internationale as an anachronism, an outdated vestige of a defunct ideology, they know better. The imperialists' greatest paragons, the Exarchs, faced a threat of monumental proportions and were found wanting. Capitalist parasites go unpunished as they slowly bleed the working classes dry. Corruption and gangsterism rots the heart of once-proud nations. Fascists, ultranationalists, paramilitaries, and other reactionaries are once again on the rise. From Wall Street to Kurdistan, from Hong Kong to St. Louis, the people are taking to the streets in resistance. And around the globe, the call goes out: Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains! The time is right for Internationale! The time is right for revolution![/ic]

[ic=Vanguard]
One of the founding members and strictly-unofficial leader of Internationale, Vanguard was once a humble Jewish Ukrainian frontovichka by the name of Milena Marchenko who was miraculously endowed with superhuman abilities after being struck by a German mortar round during the Battle of Stalingrad, a slight and bookish history student disappearing in a roaring ball of fire and shrapnel and a towering amazon emerging from it. Despite her valorous and highly-decorated service during the Great Patriotic War, which included being awarded the title Heroine of the Soviet Union no less than three times, ideological differences and antisemitic paranoia led to Joseph Stalin exiling her from the USSR shortly after the war's conclusion. Thoroughly soured on the idea of "Socialism in One Country", the New Soviet Woman remade herself from an uncompromising wartime avenger of the Motherland to an unwavering advocate of world revolution, with the independent hero league Internationale reflecting her stateless ideology and upstanding praxis. Though she could have easily overthrown capitalist governments single-handedly, she made a point of never unleashing her full strength against mere mortals. In every theatre of the Cold War, Vanguard engaged in titanic battles against a rogues' gallery of "super-reactionaries" that ranged from the First World patriotic hero teams to CIA-backed supervillains, each of her victories a symbolic and ideological triumph for the proletariat, complete with all the speechifying about the virtues of Communism that entailed. And even when not donning the mantle, Mila Marchenko was no less active of a public figure. A powerfully-charismatic speaker, she made regular appearances at the United Nations, expressing support and solidarity for popular revolutions, decrying imperialist military interventions and counter-revolutions, even advocating for peace when tensions threatened to explode into open war. But for all her strength and convictions, the apparent failure of Communism embodied by the hypocrisy of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the sudden fall of the Soviet Union, and the brutality of the Yugoslav Wars took a heavy emotional toll on the Socialist Sentinel. She disappeared from the world stage for most of the 1990s, only to reemerge with a vengeance with the turn of the millennium. Vanguard has been an active third party in the new War on Terror, supporting the struggles of leftist groups like the PKK and Iraqi Communist Party, but all the recent geopolitical crises, the events in her beloved homeland of the Ukraine have her the most divided. While she is as critical of Putin's military intervention in the Donbass as she is of any expansionist superpower, but the presence of far-right, ultranationalist parties like Svoboda and Right Sector in the revolutionary government is even more unconscionable. So far she has managed to avoid personally entering the conflict, but as tensions continue to escalate, she is afraid that she will not be able to maintain her non-aligned position for much longer.

A statuesque woman of obvious Ashkenazi descent, Vanguard looks like a Socialist Realist monument brought to life. Standing nearly seven feet tall, her burly, broad-shouldered physique has much more in common with the strongmen of yesteryear than the lean, toned aesthetic preferred by today's media, but no reporter in decades has found the gall to question ask her about her figure. Despite being well over ninety, she barely looks a day over thirty-five and hasn't lost an ounce of her youthful strength or vigor, subtle crow's feet and a few streaks of silver through her curly black hair making her seem distinguished rather than tired. Her costumes are styled after her old Patriotic War infantry uniforms in a variety of four-color combinations of red, white, gold, and black, whatever the media-savvy superheroine will make the most striking image. Despite her larger-than-life persona and radiant charisma, in conversation, Milena is surprisingly soft-spoken, even deferential. In a lot of ways, she is an insufferably-perfect person: endlessly patient, humble, unwavering in her convictions, and without a single arrogant or self-aggrandizing bone in her indestructible body. If she has a flaw, it's this: beneath her stalwart exterior runs a vein of simmering, white-hot rage so intense that it she even frightens herself. This is a woman who lived through the mass deprivation of the Holodomor, the unimaginable catastrophe of the Shoah, whose entire family was lined up and machine-gunned by fascist Einsatzgruppen. When faced with fascists and ethnic cleansers, there is no punishment too severe. Merely the sight of a swastika or a passing comment about the positives qualities of Adolf Hitler can be enough to make her see red and remind the world why she was once known as "Stalin's She-Wolf."

[ooc=Stats]Paragon

Melee: 7
Range: 4

Parry: 16
Dodge: 15

Attacks: Unarmed (Melee) 8 (DC 23, MS 3), Throw (Range) 6 (DC 21, MS 1).

Toughness: 10, I: 5
Resistance: 6
Will: 4

Awareness: 6
Capture: 6
Investigate: 2
Manipulate: 0
Media: 10
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 0

Powers, Gears, Specialties

Superhuman Strength 5: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 50 tons with minimal effort.

Flight: You can fly. Assuming you have clearance above your head high enough to put you out of reach, you are immune to melee attacks from non-fliers unless they ready an action for you to enter melee range.

Impervious Toughness 5: Attacks with a rating 5 or lower cannot harm you.

Highly Charismatic: You gain +4 to Media, and your team's starting reputation is increased by 5.  When gaining reputation, you gain 5% extra reputation.

Beloved Public Identity: While being costumed and having your name known puts those around you in danger, it can also come with perks. You gain bonus media missions that let you do various works in your civilian identity and have it benefit the group's reputation and wealth, and media personalities are more likely you to give you a chance to comment before publishing a story - for good or ill.
[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Red Spectre]
Who is the Red Spectre? The answer to that question has tormented intelligence analysts and kept heads of states awake at night for decades. The earliest confirmed reports of an individual operating under that nom de guerre place her as a guerilla fighting alongside Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara during the 1956 Cuban Revolution, but her costume and modus operandi bear uncanny resemblance to both an enigmatic Bolshevik assassin photographed during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and a masked soldadera known only as "La Saña" who reportedly fought as part of Emiliano Zapata's Liberation Army of the South as far back as 1911. Another of the founding members of Internationale, if Vanguard embodied the utopian ideals of world communism, then the Red Spectre reflected the brutal, unspeakable realities necessary to bring it about. Her philosophy was (still is) terrible in its simplicity and relentless in its application: no mercy for fascists, no mercy for imperialists, no mercy for counter-revolutionaries. For enemies of the proletariat, the only sentence is death. Anywhere the Cold War grew hot, from Angola to Vietnam, the Red Spectre was there. She is credited with dozens of political assassinations and suspected of scores more, including those of no less than seven NATO superhumans, and she is believed to have been involved in as many as five aborted attempts to assassinate the President of the United States. Ronald Reagan himself once called her "the single greatest threat to US national security" and the CIA placed a ten million dollar bounty on her head that they have never officially withdrawn; to this day, mercenaries and bounty hunters still try to collect on that offer and to a man, every one of them has paid for that overconfidence with their lives. With the end of the Cold War, she has moved away from political and military assassinations and found new targets for her fury: organized crime syndicates, human traffickers, Neo-Nazis, ultranationalist groups, corrupt corporate executives. The high-profile targeted killings of top-ranking members of several Eastern Bloc mafias over the past several years have those in the know suspecting that after a decade of silence, the shadow of the Red Spectre once against hangs over Europe.

With the solitary exception of Vanguard, who is by far her closest friend in the world, no one has ever actually seen the Red Spectre's face, not even the other members of Internationale; it is always, always covered by a balaclava, even when she sleeps. A woman of average height and lean, athletic build, she typically speaks Spanish with a noticeable Cubano accent, but she is equally as fluent in Russian, German, Vietnamese, and at least half a dozen other languages, so that is no indication of her actual place of origin. Her typical costume consists of unmarked black (or occasionally camouflage) fatigues and a custom suit of military-grade ceramic body armor. A hooded cloak conceals a small arsenal of Warsaw Pact weaponry that she is extremely fastidious about maintaining and never without: a red-bladed machete, spetsnaz throwing knives, high-tensile wire bolas, tear gas canisters, a Stechkin machine pistol with extended magazine, a CQB-modified PK machine gun, and a customized bullpup Dragunov sniper rifle loaded with tungsten-core penetrator rounds. The sole element of color in her outfit are her red gloves, completing the image of a bloody-handed spectre of vengeance. But while her reputation as the most bloodthirsty and uncompromising member of Internationale is certainly well-deserved, she is also the team's sense of humor and source of levity, always quick with a joke or pithy comment to break the tension.

[ooc=Stats]Costumed Vigilante

Melee: 8 (10 while armed)
Range: 8 (10 while armed)

Parry: 18
Dodge: 18

Attacks: Unarmed (Melee) 4 (DC 19, MS 5), Throwing Knife (Range) 4 (DC 24, MS 1), Gas Pellet (Range) 8 (-4 to Awareness, Res DC 18, MS 10), Snare Bolas (Range) 8 (If hit, immobilized until beat DC 19 Res or uses Super Strength 3+), Machete (Melee) 2 (Adds to Unarmed, DC becomes 22, MS 5), Machine Pistol (Range) 3 (DC 19, MS 8), Heavy Machine Gun (Range) 5 (DC 21, MS 6), High-Powered Rifle (Range) 7 (DC 24, MS 1).

Toughness: 6
Resistance: 4
Will: 8

Awareness: 6
Capture: 5
Investigate: 6
Media: 2
Manipulate: 6
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 8
Streetwise: 6
Tactics: 8

Powers, Gears, Specialties

Utility Belt: Adds the Gas Pellet, Snare Bolas, and Melee Weapon attacks. Also Includes:

GPS Tracker: Can locate target later unless they pass a DC 18 awareness check. Lasts 2 weeks.
Infra-Goggles: Allow vision in low light conditions
Grapple Gun: Can travel up walls so long as they can grab something.
Lock Pick: Pass through physical locks.
Rebreather: Allows for underwater breathing.

Armored Costume: Provides +2 toughness (already factored into above)

Master of Darkness: You get a +4 to Stealth, and minions automatically fail awareness checks against you unless you start attacking - and even then, they still must make them!

Weapon Master: you are a master of all forms of weapons, able to wield anything you hold or bring with you - be it an alien weapon, firearm, enchanted sword, or something stranger - to its fullest potential. When wielding a weapon, get a +2 attack and increase the save DC by 1.

Armed for War: You bring the heat to any conflict. Add the following attacks to your list: Machine Pistol (Ranged Damage 3 (DC 18, MS 8), Heavy Machine Gun (Ranged Damage 5, DC 20, MS 6), and High Powered Rifle (Ranged Damage 7, DC 23, MS 1).

Super Secret Identity: The rules, by default, assume you have some decree of a Secret Identity. If you have a Super Secret Identity, if your cover is ever blown, it would be devastating Perhaps your family is extra vulnerable, or would disown you. Maybe you are a defense attorney using your civilian life to gain information on targets for your costumed life. Maybe you're a reformed villain avoiding the penalties of being known for that. Whatever it is, if your identity is ever uncovered, you're taking a massive reputation hit - and while many heroes will have occasional "Identity Crisis" missions to protect their secret identities, you will have with higher frequency.
[/ooc][/ic]


[ic=Extraordinary Comrade Zorya]
Zorya is what was known in the Soviet Union as a chrezvychaynyy tovarishch – an "extraordinary comrade", considered living (and occasionally unliving) proof of the absolute universal applicability of the revolutionary science of Marxism-Leninism. In 1973, Soviet special cosmonauts intercepted an unidentified object as it entered the Earth's orbit. Inside the strange, almost biomechanical womb-capsule, they discovered an alien infant unlike any species they had previously documented. Named after the ancient Slavic goddesses of the dawn and dusk, Zorya was taken to a top-secret "science city" in the heart of the Kazakh SSR and raised alongside other chreztovs in a facility that was equal parts boarding school and research station. At the same time as she was being taught the superiority of the Soviet way of life and the inevitability of Communism's victory over capitalist decadence, a team of scientists were subjecting her to a battery of tests to determine the full extent of her abilities. Stronger than any human by several orders of magnitude and with blindingly-quick reflexes, the most remarkable feature the team discovered was her near-complete imperviousness that went well beyond that of most known superhumans. Simply put, nothing with less penetrative power than an anti-tank round was capable of even scratching her outer surface. She did, however, have one identifiable weakness: she was found to be catastrophically allergic to certain synthetic superheavy elements, their relativistic radiation violently disrupting her molecular structure and essentially robbing her of her powers. In spite of this Achilles's heel, the potential military applications of her powers were considered simply too valuable to pass up and after a brief-but-intense squabble between branches of the armed services, Zorya, in many ways still a child, was assigned to the VDV, the Soviet Union's elite airborne forces. It was the hope of the top brass that she could be utilized as, to use the jargon, an "air-mobile individual tactical force multiplier"; a living weapon that could be deployed from extremely high altitudes and combined the mobility of airborne light infantry with the survivability and killing power of an entire tank platoon. The experiment proved...less than successful. She was actually an extremely enthusiastic recruit and passed every live-fire training exercise her superiors ran her through with flying colors, even without any sort of weapon, but no commander wanted to assume the risks inherent in an indestructible, emotionally-immature subordinate who could toss T-80s around like they were made of cardboard. She ended up essentially mothballed, hidden out of sight and assigned to guard a remote military base in Siberia. And she may very well have stayed there for her entire career if she hadn't come to the attention of Vanguard. Calling in several favors with the Soviet Politburo, she managed to negotiate an early retirement (with full benefits) for Zorya and her release into the Custody of Internationale, which she has been an active member of ever since.

There is still no name for Extraordinary Comrade Zorya's species, but the scientists who originally studied her tentatively classified her as a "pseudo-insectoreptilian lifeform, Class 2b humanoid," and it is theorized that she is native to a high-gravity planet several times more massive than Earth. While her silhouette is roughly human-shaped, up close there is no way that she could ever be mistaken for anything other than an alien. She has a blue-grey carapace with a paler beige underbelly, flecked with maroon and dotted by short thorny protrusions, hard as graphene and smooth like chitin or crystal, and the back of her hairless skull is noticeably bulbous and elongated. She has three pairs of eyes arranged in vertical rows, a seventh in center of her forehead, and no visible ears. She has a surprisingly petite frame, standing barely five-and-a-half feet tall, with her unbelievable strength coming from a musculature that resembles corded bundles of carbon nanotubes. Her five-fingered, two-thumbed hands are capable of exerting enough force to crush diamonds into dust. She is not the most technically-skilled of fighters, but she can throw a bone-liquefying punch in the blink of an eye. Like most of Internationale, Zorya often dresses in paramilitary-style outfits, with her paratrooper training entitling her to wear the distinctive sky-blue beret and striped telnyashka of the VDV. Despite her chronological age, she is still at a stage in her lifecycle roughly-analogous to adolescence and often acts like how she believes a teenage human female ought to; by far the most reckless and impulsive member of the team, she's quick to throw herself headfirst into danger, relying on her invulnerability to brute-force her way through any obstacles. A true believer in Marxism-Leninism to the point of naiveté who responds well to structured hierarchies, she idolizes Vanguard in particular as an almost-maternal figure and takes her every word as an unquestioned order, whether or not the older heroine intended it as one.

[ic=The Baron]
After she had been recovered by Soviet space forces, the womb-capsule in which the larval Zorya had been travelling was taken to another isolated science city, where an elite team of some of the USSR's most accomplished scientists and aeronautics engineers worked for years to unlock and exploit the secrets of the alien technology. While they were ultimately unable to successfully replicate any of it, the team was able to integrate the capsule's components and materials into a prototype VTOL aircraft they had also been developing. Assigned the reporting name of Baron by NATO military intelligence, the cutting edge spaceplane employs a hybrid flying wing design superficially similar in size and shape to that of the B-2 strategic bomber. However, the inclusion of alien technologies and metamaterials make her one of the most advanced aircraft ever built. Running with unsettling quietness, she can outpace just about anything short of a Lockheed Blackbird, pull turns that would shear lesser aircraft in half, and even achieve transorbital flight under her own power. But by far the Baron's most impressive (and closely-guarded) feature is her experimental "distort drive", a barely-understood and theoretically-impossible device that allows unlimited faster-than-light travel through the vacuum of space. Hidden away in a secret bunker for fear of sparking a new arms race, Internationale "recovered" her shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union and now use her as their primary means of travel. With her now-iconic olive green paintjob and unique roundels, the Baron is a regular sight in the skies over Havana.[/ic]

[ooc=Stats]Brute

Melee: 6
Range: 4

Parry: 14
Dodge: 12

Attacks: Unarmed (Melee) 10 (DC 25, MS 2), Thunder Clap 8 (DC 23, MS 12), Throw (Range) 8 (DC 23, MS 1).

Toughness: 10 I: 9
Resistance: 8
Will: 4

Awareness: 8
Capture: 8
Investigate: 0
Manipulate: 0
Media: 0
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 6

Powers, Gears, Specialties

In addition to the attacks above

Superhuman Strength 10: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 100 tons with minimal effort.

Impervious Toughness 9: Attacks with a rating 9 or lower cannot harm you.

Unstoppable: When running, you automatically inflict melee damage 7 (DC 22) against any objects in your way.

Super Speed: You can move much faster than anyone else! When making a melee attack roll, roll twice and take the better result. You also gain a +2 to escape checks.

Renegade Alien: Technology from the capsule Zorya arrived in was used to enhance Internationale's space jet, the Baron.

Rare Weakness: You have a vulnerability to certain synthetic superheavy elements. In the presence of these substances, you must make a Resistance check to avoid losing your power, and must make a toughness check against DC 18 every turn (Impervious benefits do not apply).[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Night Witch]
[ooc=Stats]Mage

Melee: 7
Range: 6

Parry: 16
Dodge: 14

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 4 (DC 19, MS 3), Spell Blast 8 (DC 23, MS 4), Mystic Bindings 8 (Snare 8, Resistance DC 18)

Toughness: 6
Resistance: 4
Will: 8

Awareness: 4
Capture: 4
Investigate: 6
Manipulate 2
Media: 0
Occult: 10
Science: 0
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 4

Powers, Gears, Specialties

In the addition to the above attacks, Mages have the following abilities:

Cantrips: You mage can make minor magical effects happen with very little expenditure of effort. If you want to describe a minor effect, you simple can do so.

Scrying: You can view anywhere on the world! Scrying is a form of research using Occult, but can be used to research non-Occult information and grants more detailed information. Scrying takes a week, just like normal research, and 25 wealth in special materials.

Necromancer: While some view you art as vile, you know that the mindless dead are far lesser evils than that which you fight. Although your power comes with a reputation downside, you can call upon minions to serve you.

Battle Mage: In addition to the mystic arts, you are trained in the arts martial as well, and can fight in melee with fists or weapons alongside your comrades. Gain a +3 to melee attack, +2 to Parry, and +2 toughness and your unarmed strike becomes Unarmed Strike (Melee) 4 (DC 19, MS 3)

Spells:

Pick 5 powers from the General Customization Options. Those are your spells. Whenever deploying for a turn, pick 3. Those are your current loadout for the week.

(Mind Control): Not content to merely influence minds, you can outright control them, turning foes to your side or wiping memories from their mind. Note that if this is abused and discovered, it can easily lead to Reputation loss - but the power it offer is often worth the risk. Resisting Mind Control is a Will (DC 14) check. For a second point, the DC increases to 18, and the individual can be controlled for a full week.
(Flight): You can fly. Assuming you have clearance above your head high enough to put you out of reach, you are immune to melee attacks from non-fliers unless they ready an action for you to enter melee range.
(Energy Form): You take on an energy form, providing a damage aura to those that touch you. The aura is a melee damage 4 (DC 19, MS 1) that applies when you are hit with or hit with a melee attack.
(Invisibility): You cannot be noticed by normal sight. Attempts to notice you with visual attempts automatically fail.
[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Agent No. 99]
Born in British Hong Kong to an English aristocrat mother and a Chinese diplomat father, educated at Peking University, and recruited by the Ministry of State Security, Agent No. 99 is perhaps one of the most famous covert operatives in the world.

[ooc]Adventuring Detective

Melee: 8
Range: 6

Parry: 18
Dodge: 16

Attacks: Unarmed Strike (Melee) 4 (DC 19, MS 4), Improvised Weapons (Melee or Ranged) 6 (DC 21, MS 2).

Toughness: 5
Resistance: 5
Will: 8

Awareness: 8
Capture: 4
Investigate: 10
Manipulate 12
Media: 4
Occult: 2
Science: 2
Stealth: 5
Steetwise: 10
Tactics: 5

Powers, Gears, Specialties

In addition to the attacks listed in their attacks, Adventuring Detectives have the following abilities:

Multi-Tasking Investigate: Unlike other heroes, an Adventuring Detective can make two research checks in the same week. They must be on different issues.

Instant Deduction: Upon meeting a villain or other individual for the first time, based on subtle clues about their personality, mannerism, dress, and even the dirt on their shoes, an Adventuring Detective will make an Immediate Investigate roll, the results of which will be revealed the next week - no matter how any combat goes.

Find Flaws: An Adventuring Detective can make a tactics check during combat. Assuming they beat the target's manipulate, they can provide all allies a +2 bonus to attacks against that foe for the next round.

Know the Streets: You get +4 to Streetwise, and you gain a network of informants in the criminal world.

Network: No. 99 has a web of old contacts and acquaintances in the shadowy netherworld of intelligence operatives, organized criminals, and freelance mercenaries (Streetwise). They provide him with additional missions, and when making a check of the above type to investigate a mission, once per week, he can re-roll a Streetwise check and use the higher result.

Silver Tongue: Gain a +4 Manipulate. In addition, you can use Manipulate in place of Stealth to bypass human surveillance.

Addiction: You have a habit for a mind altering substance, in this case prescription painkillers. If your addiction gets out you will take a massive reputation hit, and more importantly, when held captive you gain a cumulative -2 penalty to willpower and all skills for each weak you are without your addiction.
[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Chertenoka]
[ooc=Stats]Signature Weapon

Melee: 6
Range: 12/10

Parry: 20
Dodge: 17

Attacks: Signature Weapon (Range) 8 (DC 23, MS 1, Penetrating), Explosive Shot (Range) 5 (DC 20, MS 10), Counterstrike (Range) 3 (DC 18, MS 1).

Toughness: 8
Resistance: 4
Will: 5

Awareness: 6
Capture: 6
Investigate: 6
Manipulate: 0
Media: 2
Occult: 0
Science: 0
Stealth: 6
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 5

Powers, Gears, Specialties
The Myth Makes the Weapon: You don't just carry a weapon out of myths. You are the one who made the myths! In addition to the benefits of the Signature Weapon, you gain +3 Toughness, Super Movement, and Super Speed.

Super Movement: You have the ability to walk through solid objects.

Super Speed: You can move much faster than anyone else! When defending against ranged attacks, force your attacker to roll twice and take the worse result. You also gain a +2 to escape checks.

Marksman: +2 to Range, and automatically hit minions.

Willful: +2 to Will, and when saving against an effect, roll twice and take the higher result.
[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Intelligence Contact: Woland]
Once, he was among the most the most feared and respected operatives in the Soviet GRU, an "illegal" who worked without official support or cover story. Ever since the collapse of Communism, however, Woland is a shell of the man he once was, a bitter old skeleton content to spend his remaining years and pension getting drunk on rum and vodka in a Havana dive bar, chasing after women a third his age, and loudly bemoaning the fall of the Iron Curtain. But beneath his grizzled exterior, he is as canny and ruthless as he ever was. Woland and Internationale go back to the very beginning and he is only too willing to use his still-considerable knowledge and influence to lend a hand to "the last true heroes of Communism," as he calls them. But every once in a while, they must do a little something for him in return, something that is very often less-than-savory.[/ic]

[ic=Media Contact: Faridah Darzi]
Plucky young new media blogger Farida Darzi was the first female war correspondent in the history of Al-Rasul (Arabic for "The Messenger"), the Dubai-based news network popular for covering stories that would otherwise go untouched by Western outlets. She's been one of Internationale's biggest supporters in the press ever since they saved her from an ambush while she was covering a story in Iraqi Kurdistan back in 2005; the close-up photos she managed to snap of the team in action netted her a Pulitzer nomination and basically made her whole career. Farida is Internationale's go-to girl when they need a sympathetic press release put out or a camera crew in place to capture their heroic exploits. The tradeoff is that she calls them almost as often as they call her; sometimes for interviews, but mostly to come rescue her from whatever mortal peril her journalistic digging has gotten her into this time.[/ic]

[ic=Huntresses]
[ooc=At A Glance]
A run-down part of New York City
Reputation 50
Wealth 100
Current Roster:
One Sentence Summary: Driven and dedicated otherworldly hunters uninterested in conventional superhero altruistic vigilantism
Inspirations: Sisters of Battle (Warhammer 40k), Samus Aran (Metroid), Bayonetta, Rygar, Exalted
[/ooc]
Through long-lost interstellar gates built by even-more-long-lost aliens, a diaspora of humans from the cultural centers of the ancient world-- India, Greece, Persia, and Rome-- ended up founding a civilization in a distant star system, on a planet they named Argos. They grew and prospered, evolving independently as they were separated from Earth by light-years, but retained the core traits of their founding cultures as their journey became part of their world's mythic past. After over 2000 years of divergent evolution, Argos has reached a high level of development. Many advanced innovations still confined to weird superscience on Earth have become accepted parts of society there, and the various nations of Argos have put aside their differences, accepting the rule of a (mostly) benevolent world government, the Argos Commonwealth.

For all of their accomplishments, though, the people of Argos were still human, and still fell victim to the worse side of human nature. As such, they still had criminals and villains, and those criminals and villains tried to escape justice, sometimes by taking to the stars. Thus, it was perhaps not a huge surprise that some of the Commonwealth's worst criminal offenders would eventually make their way to Earth. Perhaps it was something to do with Null Space-- or perhaps they were just drawn by the opportunities for villainy afforded by the superhero power vacuum that currently exists. The Commonwealth had kept its eye on Earth for some time, but declined to make official contact as the great gulf between the two worlds meant that meaningful cooperation would be difficult, while it could create a great upheaval in both societies. Still, the Commonwealth's military command remained absolutely committed to cleaning up its mess; therefore, the only answer was to deal with the matter quickly, efficiently, and as covertly as possible. Due to the long distances involved between the two planets, the team would have to operate more or less autonomously, and be able to be flexible and procure resources locally, as well. Each of the team's members was a proven warrior with a great deal of skill, as well as the Commonwealth's finest weapons and armor-- foremost among them being the Argos Commonwealth's rare, self-regenerating, nearly indestructible power armor known as Kavacha Aegis. Painstakingly constructed by hand according to ancient principles that are as much arcane art as science, each Kavacha Aegis suit is unique and made especially for its wearer. Those clad in Kavacha Aegis develop a psychic bond to the armor, allowing them to control it like an extension of their own body, as well as enhancing their perception through the armor's built-in sensors. 

Officially, the team was known as "Interplanetary Fugitive Retrieval Squad Alpha," but it was soon dubbed the Huntresses.[ooc=The list]Presumably, they have a list of criminals to hunt down. However, we don't have to fully define it right now, in order to leave room for creativity later on.[/ooc]
[/ic]

[note=Abilities]Many abilities have been renamed and refluffed in order to better match the flavor of the characters. However, the crunch is unchanged. If anything is unclear, let me know.[/note]
[ic=Aurora, the Empyrean Huntress]
Aurora, the Empyrean Huntress, is to most eyes an athletic and attractive woman, with lightly bronzed skin, piercing brown eyes, and shoulder length platinum blonde hair. Yet, while she has a natural charm, there is also a certain coldness about her; the weight of her mission upon her often leaves her with little capacity for levity. Though she was born a simple commoner named Svetana, she showed a lot of potential and rose rapidly through the ranks of the Argos Commonwealth's military, being trained to the peak of both physical and mental ability. After proving herself many times, she was given the name Aurora and the title of Empyrean Huntress, earning the right to wear an ornately detailed silver and gold suit of Kavacha Aegis. Like all suits of this mighty armor, she was psychically bonded to it and it to her, allowing it to control it directly with her mind as though it was part of herself. While she herself is of course brilliant and capable, she gains her greatest power through this connection. After earning this title and being given the mission to Earth, she was given the right to hand-pick her own team, and she chose Luna, Flora, and Minerva without hesitation, based on their prior experiences and strong camaraderie.

Aurora's main weapon is known as Sol Invictus, a small intricately detailed gold and silver disc about the size of a small buckler. When thrown, numerous electrodes around its edge immediately extend, and it bursts into searing electroplasma flame, becoming a spinning ring of searing bright orange and yellow energy able to cut through nearly anything. Aurora is able to guide Sol through its flight via her psychic link, which makes the weapon quite accurate, as well as letting her perform tricks like sending itself back towards her automatically so that she may catch it. If Sol is already occupied or sheer quantity of projectiles in the air is the most important concern, she makes use of her plasma pistol, a sidearm that resembles an exotic large-caliber revolver, capable of rapidly firing shimmering plasma bursts. 

To Aurora, Earth is the home of her distant ancestors, and nothing more. She does not feel a sense of attachment, and thus has little interest in interacting with the native people beyond what is necessary to complete her mission, and also little interest in their struggles beyond hunting her targets and those who would aid them. As such, while she uses the name "Dawn Smith" when necessary to interact with the native population in order to procure information or supplies, she does not have an actual secret civilian identity; she instead tries to remain completely off the grid, interacting with the local population as little as possible. Questions about her seemingly inconsistent and spotty background are met with a long, cold, silent stare until the other person moves on. Although her keen tactical mind is able to avoid any civilian casualties, she has no particular concerns about collateral damage or public safety or just plain scaring people... so her team's attempts to apprehend fugitives almost invariably result in a large amount of mayhem and destruction.

[ooc=Stats]
Battlesuit

Melee: 6
Range: 8

Parry: 18
Dodge: 20

Attacks: Armored Punch (Melee) 6 (DC 21, MS 2), Sol Invictus (Ranged) 12 (DC 27, MS 4), Plasma Pistol (Ranged) 4 (DC 19, MS 8)

Toughness: 9, I: 7
Resistance: 4
Will: 4

Awareness: 4(+2) = 6
Capture: 2
Investigate: 4
Manipulate: 2(+2) = 4
Media: 2
Occult: 4
Science: 5
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 7(+3) = 10
 
- Adjusted Stats: +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, -2 Toughness
- Toughness +6, Impervious Toughness 4 (Factored Above)
- Contained Environment: Immune to gas, natural heat, natural cold, vacuum, or any other normal environmental effects.
- Superhuman Strength 3: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 30 tons with minimal effort.
- Superhuman Maneuverability: You can leap about so effortlessly you might as well be flying. Assuming you have clearance above your head high enough to put you out of reach, you are immune to melee attacks from non-fliers unless they ready an action for you to enter melee range.
- The Third Eye: +4 Awareness, not impeded by darkness (Factored Above)
- Regenerating Ablative Armor: The resistance provides +3 toughness and 3 ranks of impervious toughness.
- Renegade Alien/Alien Weapon - Sol Invictus: +4 Ranged damage
- Natural Leader: You gain +4 to Tactics, and allies in the same as fight as you can use your tactics in place of theirs (if yours is higher) or get a +2 to their tactics (if theirs are higher.)
- Path of Destruction: Your antics tend to result in huge explosions and you leave a trail of wreckage in your wake. You're not actually a villain, but the civilian authorities likely don't see much of a distinction.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Luna, the Sidereal Huntress]
As Aurora's younger sister, Luna bears a striking resemblance to her, with the same good looks, striking eyes, and pale blonde hair-- although Luna wears hers much longer, with a streak of midnight black cutting through it. However, as their appellations would suggest, the difference between the two is otherwise quite literally night and day. While Aurora is often dour and serious, Luna tends to be more playful and much more prone to humor, particularly of the sarcastic variety. She's also more aggressive and has quite a bit more of an ego, too, in contrast to Aurora's cold professionalism. Naturally, the two sisters had something of a rivalry, but an undeniable closeness as well. It filled Aurora with pride when, a year after she herself achieved the honor, Luna earned the title of Sidereal Huntress and was presented a Kavacha Aegis suit of her own, hers silver and black, with stark white highlights.

Luna is armed with Chandra, a small white and black disc that is covered with runes and intricate details. When thrown, it extends into the shape of a crescent moon and a monomolecular blade immediately forms along its edge, giving it exceptional cutting power; just like Sol Invictus, Chandra interfaces with Luna over her armor's psychic link allowing her to guide it in flight or send it back to her hand. Although Chandra does not quite match the raw destructive power of Aurora's Sol Invictus, it is still more than a match for most foes. In addition, Luna has her own unique capabilities that cannot be ignored. Her wit and charm (not to mention her beauty) make Luna quite appealing. This, in itself, is an asset she doesn't hesitate to exploit, but her persuasiveness goes beyond merely that. Her voice is always pleasant to listen to, but the more one listens to her, the more alluring she seems to become. Like the moon in the night sky for which she is named, she seems to glow brightly while all around her is reduced to a sea of blackness. In this state, she can say nearly anything and it will be believed. Only the strongest minds can resist being enraptured by her. If all else fails, Luna also carries a plasma pistol sidearm as a backup weapon.

Luna is often the team's public face, and delights in inventing all sorts of absurd pseudonyms and stories to use when she needs to pass herself as an ordinary human on Earth-- antics that typically amuse Flora and leave Aurora shaking her head. However, deep down, Luna is perhaps the most conflicted member of the four, unsure whether Aurora's stern detachment, Minerva's cool intellectual curiosity, or Flora's more earnest interactions with the locals are the best approach for the team to take. While remaining isolated has served them well enough so far, it is still very early in their mission, and it's uncertain whether they will truly be able to remain self-sufficient indefinitely.

[ooc=Stats]
Battlesuit

Melee: 6
Range: 8

Parry: 18
Dodge: 20

Attacks: Armored Punch (Melee) 6 (DC 21, MS 2), Chandra (Ranged) 8 (DC 23, MS 4), Plasma Pistol (Ranged) 4 (DC 19, MS 8)

Toughness: 9, I: 7
Resistance: 4
Will: 4

Awareness: 4
Capture: 2
Investigate: 4
Manipulate: 2(+6) = 8
Media: 3
Occult: 4
Science: 4
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0(+2) = 2
Tactics: 3
 
- Adjusted Stats: +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, -2 Toughness
- Toughness +6, Impervious Toughness 4 (Factored Above)
- Contained Environment: Immune to gas, natural heat, natural cold, vacuum, or any other normal environmental effects.
- Superhuman Strength 3: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 30 tons with minimal effort.
- Superhuman Maneuverability: You can leap about so effortlessly you might as well be flying. Assuming you have clearance above your head high enough to put you out of reach, you are immune to melee attacks from non-fliers unless they ready an action for you to enter melee range.
- The Third Eye: +4 Awareness, not impeded by darkness (Factored Above)
- Regenerating Ablative Armor: The resistance provides +3 toughness and 3 ranks of impervious toughness.
- Mind Control (2x): Not content to merely influence minds, you can outright control them, turning foes to your side or wiping memories from their mind. Resisting Mind Control is a Will (DC 18) check, and the individual can be controlled for a full week.
- Path of Destruction: Your antics tend to result in huge explosions and you leave a trail of wreckage in your wake. You're not actually a villain, but the civilian authorities likely don't see much of a distinction.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Flora, the Verdant Huntress]
Flora is the youngest and newest member of the team, and has the least experience. That, of course, is relative, as she has an adventurous spirit and a zeal for combat, and, as such, has definitely been through enough that she has earned the title Verdant Huntress; befitting someone with that honor, she wears a green and dark brown Kavacha Aegis suit. She is typically upbeat and easygoing, if occasionally a bit vapid and prone to missing some of the subtler points; she is definitely better at following orders than giving them. She has genuine admiration for Aurora, Luna, and Minerva, and strives to do her best in all things in order to impress them.

Flora's primary weapons are called Vajra, a pair of shimmering yellow-green streams of energy that extend from special emitters on the wrists of her armor. They can project straight outward with a seeming rigidity to them, like swords that are harder than diamond and yet not brittle at all, or she can extend them and let them swing about like whips made of lightning. The combination of her combat expertise and the speed enhancements of her powered armor means that they are usually little more than a glowing green blur as she swings them about, destroying anything that stands in her way. However, she need not be so overtly destructive all the time; she is also quite skilled in coiling the coruscating energy stream around a target, leaving it helplessly immobilized without doing any real harm. She is also armed with a plasma pistol sidearm, for crowd control or if getting too close to her target is not a particularly good idea.

As with all the Huntresses, Flora is dedicated to the mission. However, she is the least convinced that Earth has nothing to offer them. She is somewhat more open to interacting with the people she meets, and is generally more optimistic than her compatriots about the prospects of humanity-- and finds it odd when they refer to "humans" as though the four of them were something different. She has to remind the rest of them that, despite their otherworldly origins, they really are fundamentally the same as the people around them, and if Argos can overcome its troubled past, perhaps Earth can too.

[ooc=Stats]
Battlesuit

Melee: 6
Range: 8

Parry: 18
Dodge: 20

Attacks: Vajra Blades (Melee) 10 (DC 25, MS 2), Vajra Snare 8 (Snare, Resistance DC 18 or Super Strength 4+), Plasma Pistol (Ranged) 4 (DC 19, MS 8)

Toughness: 9, I: 7
Resistance: 4
Will: 4

Awareness: 4
Capture: 2(+4) = 6
Investigate: 4
Manipulate: 2(+2) = 4
Media: 3(+1) = 4
Occult: 4
Science: 4
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0(+1) = 1
Tactics: 3
 
- Adjusted Stats: +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, -2 Toughness
- Switched Ranged 8 for Snare 8
- Toughness +6, Impervious Toughness 4 (Factored Above)
- Contained Environment: Immune to gas, natural heat, natural cold, vacuum, or any other normal environmental effects.
- Superhuman Strength 3: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 30 tons with minimal effort.
- Superhuman Maneuverability: You can leap about so effortlessly you might as well be flying. Assuming you have clearance above your head high enough to put you out of reach, you are immune to melee attacks from non-fliers unless they ready an action for you to enter melee range.
- The Third Eye: +4 Awareness, not impeded by darkness (Factored Above)
- Regenerating Ablative Armor: The resistance provides +3 toughness and 3 ranks of impervious toughness.
- Super Speed: You can move much faster than anyone else! When making a melee attack roll, roll twice and take the better result.
- Renegade Alien/Alien Weapon - Wrist Swords: +4 Melee damage
- Path of Destruction: Your antics tend to result in huge explosions and you leave a trail of wreckage in your wake. You're not actually a villain, but the civilian authorities likely don't see much of a distinction.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Minerva, the Celestial Huntress]
Minerva is quiet and introspective, with eyes that always seem to be calm and contemplative, their cerulean blue contrasting her jet black hair and her mocha skin. She is not as physically imposing as the other Huntresses, at least outside of her blue and white Kavacha Aegis suit-- the presence of power armor tends to erode such minor physical differences quite quickly. Yet, for the majority of her career, even though she trained and participated in many important missions with the other three Huntresses, she did not wear a Kavacha Aegis suit herself, instead focusing on technological and logistical support. She has a keen mind with a wide variety of knowledge, and what she doesn't know, she is excellent at finding out, so she provides the rest of the team with invaluable intel, as well as maintaining their armor and weapons. However, unlike the previous missions, this time, the team is utterly cut off from the Commonwealth. They will have to be self-reliant, and each team member must be able to fill a variety of roles. They no longer have the luxury to have anyone stay behind at the base and simply provide support; they must all go into the field. Minerva is somewhat unsure of this development. Although she knows she has the talent and the training, she is much more accustomed to working in a laboratory or behind a holoterminal. Still, for the sake of her team, she can, will, and must adapt.

Despite her background, Minerva is certainly equipped for combat, just like the rest of her team. Her main weapon is an elegant telescoping gold and blue staff called Astra. Although it seems slender and brittle, it is reinforced by a potent structural integrity force field, allowing it to hit with the force of something far heavier. This makes it rather useful in melee combat, but the true strength of Astra is its ability to project this force field at a distance; with a properly aimed swing, a distortion rushes outward accompanied with a small sonic boom, and Minerva can strike something seemingly far out of Astra's apparent reach. Like all the rest of the team members, she carries a backup plasma pistol sidearm, as well.

Like Aurora, Minerva is not particularly interested in interacting with the people of Earth. She has a pragmatic outlook, and although she has a great curiosity about Earth's history and science, she believes it can generally be sated through the use of reference works--she is quite fond of WIkipedia. Too much exposure to the public simply exposes the team to unnecessary risk and liability, of course, and introduces a unstable random element that not even she with her vast knowledge and expertise is fully able to predict. She is the one that generally provides the team with cover identities when needed, and she is also that one that hacks into computer networks to delete evidence of their activities, at least when such evidence can be so easily deleted... it's not exactly possible to delete a smoldering crater in the ground that used to be a convenience store, for example.

[ooc=Stats]
Battlesuit

Melee: 6
Range: 8

Parry: 18
Dodge: 20

Attacks: Astra (Melee) 6 (DC 21, MS 2), Astra (Ranged) 8 (DC 23, MS 4), Plasma Pistol (Ranged) 4 (DC 19, MS 8)

Toughness: 9, I: 7
Resistance: 4
Will: 4

Awareness: 4(+2) = 6
Capture: 2
Investigate: 8(+2) = 10 [12 for science missions]
Manipulate: 2
Media: 2
Occult: 4(+2) = 6
Science: 9(+1) = 10
Stealth: 0
Streetwise: 0
Tactics: 3(+1) = 4
 
- Adjusted Stats: +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, -2 Toughness
- Toughness +6, Impervious Toughness 4 (Factored Above)
- Contained Environment: Immune to gas, natural heat, natural cold, vacuum, or any other normal environmental effects.
- Superhuman Strength 3: in addition to the benefits of high melee damage, you can clear obstacles up to 30 tons with minimal effort.
- Superhuman Maneuverability: You can leap about so effortlessly you might as well be flying. Assuming you have clearance above your head high enough to put you out of reach, you are immune to melee attacks from non-fliers unless they ready an action for you to enter melee range.
- The Third Eye: +4 Awareness, not impeded by darkness (Factored Above)
- Regenerating Ablative Armor: The resistance provides +3 toughness and 3 ranks of impervious toughness.
- Action Scientist: You get a +4 to Science, and a +2 to Investigate science missions.
- Master Detective: You get +4 to Investigate, and will get additional information about a mission before even taking it without a check required.
- Path of Destruction: Your antics tend to result in huge explosions and you leave a trail of wreckage in your wake. You're not actually a villain, but the civilian authorities likely don't see much of a distinction.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ic=Vince Miller]
Vince Miller is often not so much as a contact in the media as a thorn in the Huntresses' side. He's currently a junior reporter for Channel 8 Action News, confined to dull human interest stories that nobody cares about. However, he knows that hitting the big time is just one big scoop away, and getting an exclusive interview with the power-suited huntress and getting her to reveal just who she is and what she's up to is exactly what's going to propel him there. Most of his colleagues have written them off as a bunch of power-armored thugs and decided there are more interesting costumed crusaders out there-- but ol' Vinny doesn't give up so easily. Though he tries to remain professional, he also has to admit he's developed something of an awkward crush on them... which one, he's not sure yet.
[/ic]

[note]Agent 01 likely has more influence than a typical contact among the local police. However, Agent 01 is also very secretive and also more than a bit self-serving, so the amount of assistance they are actually able to count on is essentially on the same level.[/note]
[ic=Agent 01]
Agent 01 works for some sort of agency. Maybe it's the FBI, or the CIA, or the NSA, or the DHS. Or maybe it's some international thing, like Interpol. Or maybe it's so secret it doesn't even get a catchy name. For all anyone knows, maybe Agent 01 is from the Argos Commonwealth, too. Agent 01 isn't talking about that. He (or she; Agent 01 doesn't even reveal that much) simply contacts the team when there is helpful information about their next target, and sometimes smooths over the legal trouble that invariably follows. The Huntresses aren't sure how Agent 01 seems to usually know who their targets are, and they are not sure if they should be concerned about that. So far, the team hasn't turned down this assistance, although they're always wary of being used as a pawn in someone else's struggle. At least any more than they already are.
[/ic]

[ic=Gradient][ooc=At a Glance]1 Plaza Gradiente, Panama City, Panama
Roster: Hugo Martinez, CEO, CFO and CMO. Sofia Saldaña, COO. Vito Tutt, CSO. Dan Susser, assistant to the board, director of public relations and branding.
Associates: KingR@, security systems specialist.
Summary: Trending #gradient, new media lifestyle, get money. Corporate efficiency brings stability. Occasional black ops on the side.[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Hugo Martinez]Hugo is the affable proprietor of and genius behind Gradient, and a major media personality known and idolized throughout Latin America and beyond. Gradient's budding corporate empire has been built largely through the sheer force of Hugo's charisma, though his considerable business acumen has no doubt contributed to this success. Taking advantage of the chaos following the Null Terminus Event, Hugo has gathered a team of supers to Gradient's banner. Not only has this increased Gradient's public profile, but furthered Hugo's goal of autonomous corporate authority. By appearing as public saviours, Gradient's efforts contrast sharply with ineffective government responses to the building crisis.  

Gradient's assets have rapidly grown to include multiple successful apparel lines, a line of luxury and boutique hotels and resorts under the Gradient Elite brand - including their flagship property, the Gradiente Magnífico hotel and casino located in the heart of downtown Panama City - and Grad, a popular sports drink. Under Hugo's direction Gradient has maintained an enormous media and net presence, and consumer studies report consistent brand recognition in the 18-30 demographic. Hugo routinely appears in Gradient advertisements, the very image of cool and sophisticated machismo. A talented actor, Hugo has taken on several major Hollywood productions - his starring role as the titular general in the historical epic Belisarius has earned him widespread critical acclaim, and rumours of a pending Oscar nomination are circulating. In a romantic relationship with Gradient team member Sofia Saldaña.

[ooc=Mastermind][/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Sofia Saldaña] Sofia was orphaned during the Nicaraguan Revolution, her parents murdered in July of 1979 by looters taking advantage of the chaos in Managua as the last vestiges of the dictator Somoza's control collapsed. Placed in a state orphanage by the new revolutionary government Sofia was quickly selected for the SNLF's Legado program - a secret Sandanista initiative backed by Soviet funding and technology to create a human superweapon capable of carrying out independent operations against superior forces. The program was initially a success, and then eleven year old Sofia was critical to the process of winding down the Contra War in 1988 and 1989, defeating entire battalions of insurgents and decimating the Contra command structure.

On a routine operation in the rough terrain of the interior Sofia simply vanished. The remains of her handlers were later found, but Sofia herself had disappeared without a trace. There is no record of Sofia's activities between 1990 and 2014. Her curious reemergence as the apparent number two at Gradient has been the subject of rampant speculation. Impeccably dressed and a consummate weapons expert. In a romantic relationship with Gradient team leader Hugo Martinez.

[ooc=Super Soldier][/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Vito Tutt]Look, maybe Vito Tutt doesn't like talking about his job, himself, his dog, or whatever. Maybe he grew up in New Jersey. Maybe he's in charge of security at Gradient. Maybe he didn't and maybe he isn't; it depends who wants to know. You better hope you don't make his acquaintance for the wrong reason. Find out more every Thursday night on the hit reality television series the Tutt, syndicated online and worldwide!

[ooc=Brute][/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Dan Susser]Dan Susser is the newest member of Gradient. With increasing corporate expansion and other diverse commitments Hugo found that he couldn't quite manage the entire company himself. So he decided to delegate some of his lesser responsibilities. But if you're looking for help why bother headhunting when you can build-to-order? After all, Hugo expects nothing less than perfection. Dan was produced under contract by ex-Soviet scientist Dr. Anna Mariya Petrovna and delivered for the inspection of the board four months ago. Evidently satisfied, Dan was 'hired' on the spot as assistant to the board and director of public relations and branding. For all those media events Hugo simply can't make there's Dan, and he's more than happy to step in with his easy smile and likable manner.

[ooc=Android][/ooc][/ic]

[ic=KingR@]Vito Tutt isn't stupid. He knows when he's out of his depth. So he looked this guy up online, right? Calls himself King of the Rats or something. Offered him a fancy title, an office and a nice salary. And baboom, the Tutt doesn't have to worry about all those computers any more! Vito hasn't seen the kid since his first day, but he's proved himself on more than one occasion. When Gradient needs the right information at the right time, KingR@ delivers.

[ooc=Adventuring Detective][/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Headquarters: 1 Plaza Gradiente]The elegant towering pinnacle of Panama's skyline; an artful arrangement of glass and steel. The vertical headquarters campus of the Gradient Corporation.

[ooc=Details]1 Super Jet (Aerios)

Media-Monitoring Station

Advanced Security System:  Wolfiron Security, Theta Team – a veteran detachment of the world's premier military contractor. Personnel are linked with and managed by the building's advanced security system. [1 Mil Mi-24 'Hind' helicopter gunship permanently on station][/ooc][/ic]