The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

[Davies]

Kids Unlimited

An organization established in June of 2021 to provide training and support to young adolescent superpowers, sponsored by the Bethany Ryan Trust. It has its origins in a conversation between the True Believer and Exelion in January of that year. (From Exelion's perspective, it took place in January of 2018.) She was a bit startled to find the elder statesman of the superpower community waiting for her outside her apartment, but agreed to hear him out when he stated that she was his only real peer in the field of mentoring young superheroes. (As True has often wondered whether she is actually getting through to the Minor League, that statement was both startling and immensely satisfying.)

The essence of the conversation was that, while the Futurian Academy and the Minor League had both done well in training late adolescent superpowers to take up a socially responsible role, whether as a hero or as a law-abiding citizen, neither group were doing quite as well as they could. This could be demonstrated by the way that half of the Minor League had been offered the opportunity to study at the Academy but turned it down, and by events ranging from the Megawatt episode to the death of Kyoseki to the recent formation of Project Mayhem. What seemed to be needed, they agreed, was a way to start training superpowers at an even younger age, but the Academy could not afford to open a middle school division, and True found it difficult enough to look after the pupils she already had.

So what was needed was an organization that they would be able to monitor but would be operated by a group of trustworthy employees. The two of them contacted entrepreneurial adventurer Max Ryan, who happened to be in Philadelphia at the time. (The coincidence made True give Exelion a rather skeptical glance, to which he only smiled serenely.) Intrigued by the possibilities, and hopeful that these young heroes might be helpful in his own long-term quest, Ryan agreed to sponsor and staff the organization, turning to some of his allies in Argus Security to vet its employees. (All three of them realized that this meant that Argus would be slipping a handler for the new group in, and accepted this as necessary.)

In the months leading up to the formal establishment of the Bethany Ryan School for Accelerated Studies, set to open in August, a total of seven young superpowers, ranging in age from twelve to fourteen, have been discovered and recruited to attend the facility, located in Columbus, Ohio. Of these, four have been approved for field work, with the others still requiring practice to use their powers in a safe manner. In addition to them, the school will have an additional eighty non-superpower students, including many children and dependents of Argus personnel. (This was added at the insistence of the True Believer, who argued that her greatest problem with the Academy's program was that it failed to adequately educate its students about living in a world where most of the populace does not have superpowers.)

Of course, there are still two months before the school doors open, and anything could happen between now and then ...

[Davies]

Susan Goldilocks


At fourteen, Susan Boulé is the oldest and (by standard chronology) first recruited of the superpower students who will be studying at the Bethany Ryan School. She's aware that what this really means is that she will be there only for a short time before she (hopefully) graduates and moves on to study at the Academy with 'the big kids', and intends to learn and do as much as she can before that happens. This gives her something of a manic demeanor and leaves her constantly on the go, but that is something of a façade that covers a calculating and well-organized personality.

Her powers are passive ones; she has one of the most well-developed natural psychic defenses ever encountered, making her utterly resistant to any sort of telepathic intrusion, and is able to see through illusions to the point where she sometimes fails to notice that they are even present. (It seems likely that the latter is partially due to the former, but she has demonstrably ignored illusions with no psychic content.) Susan also possesses considerable charisma and social skills that is only developing as she matures. While her presence is not yet a superpower, that will likely come in time.

That talent has been put to service in her career as a teenage detective in Bangor, Maine. In the course of the past three years, she has arranged to meet and help a wide variety of her fellow citizens, all of whom are happy to pay back the favor by giving her help in return. While she has and uses a smartphone, her web of contacts and favors exists mostly in her mind. She expects that she will spend a lot of time doing the same thing in Columbus, and later in Cardiff as well.

Her most obvious weakness is her lack of any offensive or (physically) defensive powers. In consideration of this, in their second meeting (from his perspective; first as far as she knows from her own) Exelion gave her a force field-generating ring that should protect her -- not the weakest example that he had to hand, which would be useless, nor the most powerful one, which might make her too careless, but one that was just right for her needs. It has saved her life at least once so far, and she only takes it off to bathe.

Her actual greatest weakness is her history. Susan was born in Montreal (though she enjoys dual citizenship as her mother is of American origin) to a small-time gangster who worked for someone called l'Évêque. She has not been able to find out many details, for obvious reasons, but eight years ago, when she was only six years old, her father incurred the ire of his employer and died soon after. Her mother fled Quebec to take shelter in Maine, and raised Susan there as a single mother.

Susan has not yet worked out how she feels about all this. On the one hand, she thinks that her father probably suffered a richly-deserved fate, since he was a criminal, and likely responsible for causing many more broken families than the one he left behind. On the other hand, he was her father, and she should probably do something about the person responsible for his death on general principles. So that has become her long-term goal, to get through all her schooling, learn how to use all her talents, and then return to Montreal and dismantle the criminal empire of l'Évêque.

There are just two problems with this plan, one of which she knows and one she does not. Sometimes, when she thinks about doing that, a treacherous voice whispers that she could also take charge of that kingdom, since living well is the best revenge. The other is that potent psychic defenses and inhuman charisma are two attributes that the man called l'Évêque also possesses ...

Susan Goldilocks -- PL 6

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

Powers:
Armored Mind: Immunity 20 (mental effects) - 20 points
Force Field Ring: Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3), Permanent; Impervious Protection 8; Removable (-4 points) - 18 points
True Sight: Senses 2 (vision counters illusion) - 2 points

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Equipment, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language (French), Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.

Equipment:
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+3), Close Combat: Grab 4 (+4), Deception 1 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+5), Insight 4 (+7), Investigation 3 (+5), Perception 2 (+5), Persuasion 3 (+8), Stealth 4 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -1)
Grab +4 (Close Grab 1)

Defense:
Dodge 4/1, Parry 4/1, Fortitude 2, Toughness 8/0, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 40 + Advantages 14 + Skills 13 + Defenses 6 = 95 points

Offensive PL: 3
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family (mother.) Minor. Secret. Temptation of Power.

[Davies]

Jack B. Nimble


Perhaps the strangest member of the Kids Unlimited team, Jeck (to use the pronunciation she prefers) is a refugee from the World More Sorceress, arriving on the World Less Magical at the same time that the Academy's current team returned from their recent mission on that parallel reality. As she was not present when they departed, and her account of events indicates she was nowhere near there, it seems likely that her journey was caused by some unknown party on that world, likely one of the Immortals who reside there. Her presence on Earth was not discovered until a few days afterwards when the confused youngster first encountered Black Mouser, who managed to calm her panic and bring her back to the Academy to find out what was going on.

Physical examination suggested that Jeck was around thirteen years of age, and extremely malnourished. When communication was established, she was unable to explain much about her background. While she has dim memories of growing up in a castle in the mountains, her clearest memories are of the giants descending from those mountains and devastating her home, eating many of the people who lived there, among them "the nice lady" (likely her mother.) The man she remembers as "sir" (likely her father) survived and began training her as a guerilla warrior against the giants, but died in battle about a year before her translocation. She continued her struggle alone, knowing nothing else.

Uncertain about the motivation of whoever had arranged for Jeck to come here, Exelion nevertheless decided that the best course of action was to arrange for her to be a student at the Bethany Ryan School. There, she could learn how to use her abilities in a less lethal manner than she had to this point, and hopefully heal some of the trauma that she had endured in her short life. It remains an uphill battle, but she is making progress -- notably, she no longer draws her knives at any provocation. That said, the faculty of the school have given up on trying to get her to stop carrying them with her wherever she goes, since she always seems to have a few on hand even if she surrenders those she seemed to be carrying.

Jack has powers of superspeed and enhanced agility, though she has noted that she is both slower and weaker than she remembers being. She is also a deadly knife fighter, though she has had a superheroic code of ethics drilled into her and will generally attack to incapacitate rather than kill. (On at least one occasion, she has demonstrated the ability to cut a suit of clothes to rags without harming the person wearing them.) She also heals wounds more quickly than normal.

While still both shy and skittish, Jeck has established friendships with her teammates, and views herself as charged with their protection. Her closest relationship, however, is with her effective foster mother, Agnes Crystal, who agreed to take her in when she arrived in Columbus. It was Agnes who read her the nursery rhyme from which she took her current nomme de guerre. Jeck refers to her as "the new nice lady", and comes closest to genuine peace when they are together. However, she does not get along at all with Mel, her son, though they both try to pretend to an amity that neither of them feel when Agnes is present. Something about the boy really bothers her, though she has no idea that he is the son of a notorious witch.

Jack B. Nimble -- PL 6

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

Powers:
Faster Than The Eye: Concealment 4 (visual), Limited to While Moving; Enhanced Advantages 3 (Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 15 points
Knife Tricks: Array (5 points); Removable (-1 point)

• Bladestorm: Selective Burst Area Strength-based Damage 1 - 5 points
• Twin Blades: Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical, Split Attack - 1 points

Rapid Metabolism: Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Quickness 6; Regeneration 5; Speed 6 (120 MPH) - 19 points

Advantages:
Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Language (English, [native is not known]), Move-by Action

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+6), Deception 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Stealth 4 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +13
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Twin Blades +5 (Close Damage 3 or 2, Crit 19-20)
Bladestorm -- (Burst Area Damage 2)

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

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 39 + Advantages 4 + Skills 14 + Defenses 5 = 94 points

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

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Minor. Phobia (loud noises.) Relationship (Agnes.) Rivalry (Mel.) Unfamiliar With Modern Earth Culture. Unfamiliar With Technology.

Note: If Jack ever travels to the World More Sorcerous, she becomes PL 8; increase all her abilities except INT by 2, increase her Quickness and Speed to 9 ranks each, and increase her Knife Tricks Array to 9 points and add 3 additional ranks of Improved Critical to Twin Blades.

[Davies]

Kansho


According to Aesop, a man and a satyr, having struck up an acquaintance, sat down together to eat. The day being wintry and cold, the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew upon them. "What's that for?" asked the satyr. "My hands are so cold," said the man, "I do it to warm them." In a little while some hot food was placed before them, and the man, raising the dish to his mouth, again blew upon it. "And what's the meaning of that?" said the satyr. "Oh," replied the man, "my porridge is so hot, I do it to cool it." "Well, then," said the satyr, "from this moment I renounce your friendship, for I will have nothing to do with one who blows hot and cold with the same mouth." Fables are not all deep and profound meditations on human nature, you see.

When the True Believer "discovered" Joey Hayashida -- several weeks after the teenager first posted videos on YouTube of himself engaging in small-time heroics in Queens -- she naturally flew there to talk with him and his parents about enrolling in the school she was helping to put together. True was more than a bit surprised when his single mother turned out to have been expecting her and negotiated rather forcefully about the terms of his enrollment, notably insisting on a job for herself as a gym teacher at the new school. Once all the dealing was done, though, Mariko Hayashida explained her concerns and the source of the powers Joey now possessed.

She herself had been born in the Shadow School, undergone the training and grown up to be a skilled and accomplished practitioner of their trad-- "You can just say ninja," interrupted True. -- fine, a ninja. And by the time she reached adulthood, the Shadow School had taken on many treacherous and dangerous jobs in order to survive. On one such assignment, which took her to Guangzhou in China, she met a superpowered renegade with whom she, after a long story made much shorter, fell in love and had Joey. As this was well outside her mission, and as news came that the School had begun to turn away from these criminal missions, she knew that she could never go back, and so she took her son and went into hiding, repeatedly, all over the world.

Joey has been strongly influenced by all this, and is a rather boastful young man who frequently tells highly exaggerated tales of his exploits. He both figuratively and literally blows hot and cold air -- damagingly hot and cold, respectively -- from his mouth. (His "arts alias" derives from a word in Japanese that means "hot-and-cold".) On top of that, he has been carefully taught the basics of the Shadow School traditions, and is a trained unarmed combatant, if not quite the master of the martial arts that he imagines himself as being. Nevertheless, he has a good heart and desires to help people, if only to show off and add some excitement to his life.

One thing that Joey does not know (but that his mother has passed on to the administration of the school) is that it seems likely that his father has become one of the members of the Sīfa Zhuānjiā, a group of largely heroic Chinese superpowers who operate in the shadows of their nation, feared and hated by those they try to protect. If this is the case, then he and his mother could act as go-betweens if the Howard School ever needs assistance from the other group ...

Kansho -- PL 6

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

Powers:
Breath Weapons: Array (16 points)

• Blows Cold: Line Area 2 Damage 5, Subtle (cold)
• Blows Hot: Line Area 2 Damage 5, Subtle (heat)

Resistance: Immunity 10 (cold damage, heat damage) - 10 points

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Language 2 (Japanese, Mandarin, others, [English is native].)

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+8), Deception 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 3 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)
Blows Cold or Blows Hot -- (Line Area Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 27 + Advantages 6 + Skills 11 + Defenses 16 = 94 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Blustery. Family (mother.) Minor. Secret.

[Davies]

Simon

Art by Lew Davis

The youngest of the first grouping of students under the Kids Unlimited banner, Paul Bilal was faintly bewildered when it came time to choose a superhero name for himself. Nothing he had been through in the first twelve years of his life prepared him for any of this, and he found the fuss over the fact that he could draw things quickly to be ridiculous. On hearing the nursery rhyme, fable and folktale-inspired names of his fellow students, he asked if he might go by the name "Simple Simon". He was talked out of the first part, but the reference to a cartoon series he has never heard of appealed to his mentors. Particularly since the things he draws do, in fact, come true.

The only student at the Bethany Ryan School to be a resident of Columbus, Paul is the child of relatively recent immigrants to the United States from Mauretania; his father drives a taxi and his mother cleans houses. They contacted the school soon after its foundation was announced and revealed their son's talents to them, hoping that he could be taught how to use them more discreetly than he had been to this point. For his part, he seems to genuinely not understand what the excitement is all about, but is happy to use this talent to help other people.

Simon is one of the most potentially powerful superpowers ever identified, and the Morrison Institute is still struggling to develop terminology to explain what he does. The current best guess is that he is able to project extremely realistic-seeming force fields that are often directed by fragments of his consciousness, and that channel highly versatile energy controlling abilities through them. In practice, anything that he draws, in any medium, can be brought to life. His only limits are those of his imagination, the time that it takes to produce the image, and his inability to portray certain things. (He is unable to depict invisible objects, for example, with his best efforts producing translucent ones.) He notably cannot draw things "in advance" -- once a drawing is finished, in his opinion, there is a relatively narrow window of opportunity, roughly six seconds in length, for it to become animate, after which it will just be a drawing. (He refers to such sketches as "cold" in contrast to the "hot" ones that he can use.)

Simon prefers to use his sketchbook and pencils to create his images, but can and has used different materials. Only preventing him from making any mark in any surface would suffice to prevent him from his art, though unfamiliar or rough methods (a stick or finger in dirt, for example) would likely require longer periods of drawing and limit the subject matter that he could represent. The possibility that he could expand his powers to include transforming any form of art into a reality is somewhat terrifying to some observers.

Simon -- PL 6

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

Powers:
Fast Sketch: Quickness 3, Limited to Drawing - 1 point
Sketchpad: Variable 8 (summoned and created objects), Check Required (Expertise: Art, DC 17) - 49 points

Typical Settings:
Default: Summon Heroic Monster 6, Controlled - 30 points (DC 23)
Emergency Weapon: Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 2; Easily Removable (-6 points) - 12 points (DC 20)

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative, Language (English, [French is native]).

Skills:
Expertise: Art 6 (+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+5), Insight 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+6)

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage 0)

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

Totals:
Abilities 12 + Powers 50 + Advantages 3 + Skills 10 + Defenses 17 = 92 points

Offensive PL: 1*
Defensive PL: 4*
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Innocent. Minor. Power Loss (Sketchpad, if unable to draw.)

[Davies]

Mike Macklin/Golden Glow


As has already been stated, nearly twenty years of work by Professor Andrew Gibbon to refine the Ultimate Accelerator devised by his father have produced versions of it that can empower at best poor copies of the powers bestowed on the "test subject" for the original, and whose powers do not last nearly as long between doses. The best results were those obtained when the 2015 version of the formula was tested on one Michael Macklin, a private investigator vetted by Argus, who retained super-speed abilities for nearly a full week. He reported no side effects, but as the formula failed to produce the desired results, Macklin was just thanked and told that Professor Gibbon would contact him if there was anything further.

No one could have predicted, when this happened, that within a year the Blue Bolt would suffer serious injuries during the so-called "Clash of Daikaiju", leaving him physically unable to continue his activities and emotionally uncertain about doing so. Professor Gibbon, with the authorization of his backers, contacted Macklin and offered to outfit him as a replacement for the Blue Bolt, using the current Accelerator formula. According to the after-action report, Gibbon believed that this was to be a temporary measure intended to spur Jimmy Irving to reclaim his identity. There is some evidence that Macklin believed that the position was to be a more permanent one, but no proof that he was deliberately misled that this was the case.

Rather than use the Blue Bolt costume, Macklin wore a metallic yellow suit patterned on the original under the alias of "the Golden Glow". His results were generally good, if not exceptional, especially as other members of the Powerhouse, particularly Polymorph, were willing to assist him. However, Gibbon did notice signs that the experience was giving Macklin something of a swelled head. That said, his activities -- which included far more time spent interacting with the media than the Blue Bolt ever did -- were not dangerous as such, and regarded as useful in some quarters.

After a bit less than two months, however, the Blue Bolt believed himself to be recovered and met with Macklin and Gibbon to discuss what should happen next. He was interested in the prospect of working with the Golden Glow as a partner, and while Macklin was not enthusiastic about that notion, he nevertheless agreed. However, Professor Gibbon interrupted these discussions with the news that Macklin would not be able to continue after all. The length of time he was able to go between doses of the Accelerator had been steadily decreasing, to the point that he could now last only a couple of days between them, and the Professor had also noticed signs that withdrawal symptoms had begun to set in. The formula was beginning to fail.

Macklin refused to accept this, attacked the Professor and the (still unpowered) Blue Bolt, and stole a supply of the formula. While he was unsuccessful in escaping, especially after the Blue Bolt regained his abilities and gave chase, the Golden Glow managed to do a fair amount of damage before he was caught. After the current dose wore off, with the withdrawal symptoms apparent even to himself, Macklin was able to admit that he had a problem, and that he was terrified of going back to being the nothing he had come to consider himself without the powers.

At his trial, Macklin was given a suspended sentence in light of this being his first offense, and required to do five years of community service. It was arranged that he would perform this by giving community and school talks about the dangers of "origin chasing". This has somewhat satisfied his need for public adulation, and he has managed to hide the fact that he still craves the power of the Accelerator even though he also recognizes that it will probably kill him in short order if he starts taking it again. Better to burn out than fade away, right?

Mike Macklin/Golden Glow -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Super-Speed: Enhanced Advantages 22 (Agile Feint, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 6, Instant Up, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Movement 3 (wall-crawling 2, water-walking), Limited to running; Quickness 7; Speed 9 (1000 MPH) - 55 points
Fast Attack: Strength-based Selective Burst Area Damage 4 (includes Strength 1) - 11 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative 6, Improvised Weapon, Instant Up, Move-by Action.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Intimidation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +26
Unarmed +9/+6 (Close Damage 1)
Fast Attack -- (Burst Area Damage 4)

Defense:
Dodge 11/5, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3/1, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 66 + Advantages 17 + Skills 11 + Defenses 14 = 130 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Power Loss (all, without daily serum dose.) Weakness (becomes Impaired on all checks and Vulnerable after dose wears off.)

[Davies]

Marlene


Jack tends not to have long-term associates, though not quite for the reasons someone might expect. While he does have a well-demonstrated tendency to execute minions who provoke his mercurial temper, particularly in his "soldier" personality, his "mad scientist" persona has been known to richly reward those who work for him, often allowing them to get out of the criminal lifestyle, at least for a time. One individual who has remained with him for the extremely extended period of seven years is his "moll" -- though their relationship is apparently not sexual -- a former stripper and kickboxer who goes by the alias Marlene.

When asked by other members of the crew how she has managed to stay alive and part of this organization for so long, she will generally make a joke how it is all about being flexible -- the joke being that her superpower is the extreme flexibility of her body. Marlene keeps an eye on those who asked that question; if it seems likely that they are going to investigate her background further, she usually arranges for their violent deaths, outside of the rare cases when they might be useful to her actual goals.

Twenty-nine years old (though passing for slightly younger) Marlene was recruited by the metasupremacist movement shortly after she dropped out of high school and ran away from her home. She was sent by their Milwaukee office to become a "handler" of sorts for Jack and his gang, influencing them towards targets that suit the goals of the movement. She has done acceptably in this role, with her handful of operational failures viewed as inevitable when dealing with an unstable personality like that of Jack. The fact that at least some of these failures were deliberate on her part, the result of her deciding to prioritize her personal goals over those of the movement, has not yet been recognized by her superiors.

Marlene views metasupremacy as the most oppressed and smallest minority group in the world rejecting the slave morality that they have practiced so far, striking back against their oppressors and taking what is coming to them. (Which is the world and everything in it, to quote one of her role models.) She has a sad and profound story about how she was cruelly abused by her parents when they realized she was superpowered. This is a complete lie -- while her parents were not enthusiastic about her adolescent expression, her decision to rob them blind and run away from home was purely motivated by greed. While not particularly violent, she never hesitates to casually murder those who are in her way, especially if they have the misfortune of being mundane.

She suspects that Jack (particularly in his "gangster" personality) has to have his suspicions that she is working for someone else, but believes that he believes that he can use this, if need be. She does her best to placate the "soldier" and "mad scientist" personalities, and avoids the "serial killer" like the plague that he is.

Marlene -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Flexibody: Insubstantial 1, Limited to escaping; Shrinking 4, Concentration, Normal Strength - 8 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Grappling Finesse, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Skill Mastery 2 (Deception, Sleight of Hand), Taunt, Ultimate Effort (Sleight of Hand), Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+8), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+12), Stealth 3 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 10 + Advantages 11 + Skills 31 + Defenses 18 = 120 points

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

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Callous. Secret (actual loyalties.)

[Davies]

Eisenfaust


The first thing you need to know in order to understand Wilhelm Dietrich, "Saturn's" director for European operations, is that he is well-aware that the organization he helps to lead, devoted to the destruction of superpowers, is led by a superpower. Unlike some of the lesser lights of the organization who have realized this, the knowledge causes him no particular angst. While he does have a number of contingencies set aside to deal with Billie Zane should she, in his opinion, become too unstable for his liking, he otherwise considers her nature utterly irrelevant.

The purpose of Saturn is not to end the superpower oligarchy that currently exists; that will simply be a pleasant side-effect of their actual goals. The purpose of Saturn is to seize power for the leadership of Saturn, by any means necessary, and hold on to it, again by any means necessary. Dietrich is sometimes surprised at how few of his fellows are willing to accept this, fashioning elaborate fantasies about how, once they have won, everyone will see and understand (or at least made to see) how "right" they were all along.

Stuff and nonsense. For that to be the case, there would have to be a "right" in the first place, and there is neither right nor wrong, only power and the will to use it. His grandfather understood that when he worked for the Nazis. His father understood that when he worked for the Communists, and then with the Pythons. Ideology is ultimately irrelevant, something mean to appeal to those who are dominated by the emotions instead of the cold equations of power. Of course, Eisenfaust is not blind to the fact that the emotions can and do influence even himself, recognizing that he does have a temper. He will deliberately give in to it, at times, recognizing that such small blowups can prevent larger ones later.

His code name, in full Herr Eisenfaust, though he usually does not insist on the title, derives from his weapon, an energy projector shaped in the form of a gauntlet that projects a neuro-electric discharge which causes considerable pain in its targets. It is the sole surviving piece of a planned suit of powered armor that the Pythons in East Germany were building when a group of GSG-9 members, later dubbed the Illegal Army, attacked their headquarters, interrupting them. Eisenfaust suspects that the Illegal Army may have been informed of this situation by his father, playing both ends for his own goals. He thus wears the gauntlet as both a useful weapon and as a reminder to always keep his options open.

Eisenfaust -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Iron Gauntlet: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Removable (-4 points) - 20 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Assessment, Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 2 (agony gauntlet), Inspire 2, Leadership, Move-by Action, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Prone Fighting, Ranged Attack 2.

Equipment:
Body armor (Protection 3) and 27 points of equipment as needed (typically headquarters.)

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+5), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+6), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+9), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 9 (+12), Investigation 7 (+8), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Iron Gauntlet 3 (+6), Technology 6 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Iron Gauntlet +8 (Ranged Fortitude 8)

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

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 20 + Advantages 23 + Skills 41 + Defenses 16 = 142 points

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

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Subject to Orders. Temper.

[RainOnTheSun]

I like Eisenfaust. Sometimes you need a completely unambiguous villain.

[Davies]

Thanks!

[Davies]

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson

Photograph c. September 1890

By now, all the world knows them, though their image of them is largely influenced by the countless movies and television programs that never quite get it right. Their association began a pattern that has lasted right up until the present day -- an army surgeon invalided home from a land war in Asia met an eccentric student whose breadth of knowledge was matched only by its startling lacunae; together, they fought crime. The greatest of the great detectives and his dogged chronicler -- but never just his Boswell.

Sherlock Holmes was born in 1854, and had his first great adventure while attending Brompton Academy in London. A published account of these events grossly misrepresented them, suggesting that John Watson (seven years older than Holmes) was his schoolmate. Holmes was actually assisted during this affair was one Reginald Musgrave, with whom he would be reunited during his university studies. One detail which this account gets correct, however, was that this was the first meeting between Holmes and a recently minted Detective Constable Gilles Lestrade.

It is also correct that this was his first encounter with one Professor Moriarty, though the background presented for him within this tale is utter balderdash. Holmes and Moriarty clashed extensively through the 1880s until their final clash at Reichenbach Falls in 1891. Unfortunately, this caused greater problems than it resolved, for the youngest Moriarty brother seized control of the criminal organization that the elder had created, and continued to create problems for Holmes for years afterward. The younger James Moriarty was far more psychopathic than the elder, and may have gone on to become known as Fantômas, though this is disputed. (Some accounts of his activities under his own name were discovered and published in the 1970s by John Gardner.)

Holmes' greatest weakness was that he frequently failed to understand the emotional components of the cases that he investigated. While quick to understand motivations of greed and pride, he was frequently baffled by simpler, more human emotions. (This was how Irene Adler was able to defeat him ... repeatedly.) This was one area where Watson was often more acute than himself, though the latter often exaggerated his own folly in the published accounts of their cases in order to make Holmes seem even more clever than he actually was.

While largely retired after his activities leading up to and during World War I (during which he ran a counterintelligence operation that was not, "His Last Bow" notwithstanding, wrapped up before the war broke up) Holmes continued to be sought out to provide consultation on various mysteries, as well as providing tutoring to a number of other detectives. While Watson passed away in 1929, the circumstances of Holmes' death are somewhat ambiguous. One account portrays him as dying in 1947, another a decade after that. It has been suggested that he in fact did not die, but enjoyed extended life thanks to a chemical treatment provided by one of his more noteworthy students, a surgeon and philanthropist from New York. But it seems likely that eventually he set out on a journey into the last great mystery.

As far as can be determined, he never had any children. Any individuals claiming descent from the Holmes family are actually descended from his older brother (who, despite some accounts, was married with several children) or have been misinformed.

Sherlock Holmes - PL 8

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

Powers:
Deductive Glance: Senses 4 (postcognition); Feature (postcognition check made with Investigation instead of Perception) - 5 points
Master of Disguise: Continuous Morph 2 (Other People), Check Required (Deception, DC 13), Removable (–1 point), Standard Action - 5 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Connections, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Equipment 2, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Languages 2 (French, German, others), Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Perception), Ultimate Effort (Investigation), Well-informed.

Equipment:
9 points of equipment as needed.
221-B Baker Street: Size Diminuitive; Toughness 6; Features Laboratory, Library, Living Space - 1 point

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+9), Deception 10 (+12), Expertise: History 4 (+10), Expertise: Science 4 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+11), Expertise: Violin 4 (+6), Insight 5 (+10), Investigation 7 (+13), Perception 7 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed Combat +9 (Close Damage 3)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 2, Will 9

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

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 10 + Advantages 17 + Skills 34 + Defenses 17 = 128 points

Complications:
Curiosity--Motivation. Addiction (cocaine.) Eccentricities (many.) Friendship (John Watson.) Ignorance.

Dr. John Watson -- PL 6

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

Advantages:
Equipment 2, Improved Initiative, Teamwork

Equipment:
Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), Medical Bag, and 3 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Expertise: Doctor 8 (+11), Expertise: Military 5 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 8 (+10), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 7 (+9), Treatment 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 1)
Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 3)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Advantages 4 + Skills 26 + Defenses 13 = 75 points

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

Complications:
Friendship--Motivation. Family (wife.) Old Injuries.

Note: This represents Holmes and Watson around 1889.

[Davies]

L'Ange de la Musique

Artist unknown.

The dark mother -- or possibly great-grandmother -- of all costumed crime fighters was born in 1860 in a small village not far from Uppsala, Sweden. Her given name was Christine Daaé. As a child, she was the occasional playmate of the youngest son of the Comte de Chagny. At fifteen her talent for music was discovered, and she began studies at the Conservatoire de Paris. This was a disaster. Over the course of four years, her spirit and love of music were almost entirely destroyed, and when she found employment at the Palais Garnier, it seemed likely that she would never know celebrity or success.

And then an individual who seemed at times both angel and fiend came to her and offered to restore to her what had been lost. Under his tutelage, she blossomed to become one of the greatest singers who has ever lived, as well as developing other talents in imitation of him. Most notably, she developed the ability to hear what she termed the music that underlay all speech, allowing her to perceive aspects of thought. Her mentor claimed to possess this ability as well. Later, much later, she would come to doubt that this was true, for if he had been able to perceive her thoughts in this manner, he would surely have recognized that she loved him only as a mentor and father-figure, not as a prospective romance.

The rest of the story is now well-known, though her role in it has often been twisted by unwholesome individuals who wished to portray her as naive to the point of idiocy and a simpering damsel in distress. She was neither. Perhaps the best demonstration of her actual character might be how she reacted to inquiries from a certain individual concerning her whereabouts during a period when she was missing. He assured her that he would ask her no questions if she would agree not to leave again.

"That is a pledge that I do not ask of you, and it is a promise that I shall not make you!" spoke the young woman proudly. "I am a free agent, monsieur de Chagny; you have no right to control my actions and I will ask that you desist henceforth. As for what I have done during the past fortnight, there is only one man in the world who would have the right to demand that I give him an account -- my husband! Well, I have no husband, and I shall never marry!"

And she never did. In the aftermath of the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera, she departed Paris with her monsieur and returned to Sweden. Two years later, however, she quietly returned to Paris and took up the position of a ballet tutor, professing to have lost interest in performing but wishing to remain connected to the stage in some manner. She refused to answer questions as to the whereabouts of the Viscount with characteristic stolidity, and he was eventually declared dead with the title passing to one of his nephews.

Such were her days. Her nights were spent running about in a mask, inspired by that worn by her mentor, and attempting to bring a small amount of justice to a grim and unjust world. By and large, her opponents were entirely mundane criminals, though she did cross paths with the vampiress Carmilla on one grim occasion, and had an encounter with an individual calling himself Count Brighella who was clearly more than mortal, and who would later trouble other defenders of Paris. While she overcame their schemes, she was only able to set them to flight rather than putting an end to the threat that they represented.

The activities of L'Ange were frequently interrupted by periods where she was forced to recuperate, often returning to Sweden in order to do so and to spend time with an individual who went by the alias Michel Allard and their two children, a son born in 1882 and a much younger daughter born in 1891, in the middle of an extended sabbatical. These periods of inactivity grew longer and longer as she aged, though she remained active much longer than she probably should have. L'Ange de la Musique is believed to have met her end in 1909, during a confrontation with the notorious Fantomas.

Her daughter, Carla Allard, married an American newspaper publisher named Reid, who had had an interesting life, and had two children by him, named Dietrich and Henry, and was a kind stepmother to the child of her husband's first marriage. Her son, who had inherited more of her talents and used a variety of names, also went on to some notoriety.

L'Ange de la Musique -- PL 7

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

Powers:
The Music of the Night: Mind Reading 7, Hearing Dependent; Senses 3 (accurate analytical hearing) - 10 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Attractive 2, Close Attack 2, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Evasion 2, Fascinate (Expertise: Performance), Improved Defense, Improved Trip, Languages 2 (English, French, Russian, Spanish, [Swedish is native]), Move-by Action, Prone Fighting, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Lasso (Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to grabbing, Reach 4; Enhanced Advantage 1 [Chokehold]) and 2 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+6), Close Combat: Lasso 2 (+5), Deception 3 (+8), Expertise: Performance 7 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+7), Insight 6 (+10), Investigation 4 (+6), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 0)
Lasso +7 (Close Grab 3, Reach 4)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 10 + Advantages 23 + Skills 26 + Defenses 12 = 113 points

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

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity.

Note: That passage above is from the original novel.

[Davies]

The Wayward Son


Assuming that he was not the individual that many people assume that he was, the first well-documented activities of the individual usually known as the Wayward Son date from Kansas in 1885. While he used a number of aliases (a trait he shared with that individual), he claimed to be "just a wayward mother's son" when asked about himself, and the shortened name stuck. He had no fixed address and usually just used the earth as his bed, active throughout the American west in the last decades of the 19th century. However, while he never commented on it or offered any explanation, some of his associates noted that he deliberately avoided the state of New Mexico -- or anywhere else he might run into a certain lawman resident there. Whether he was there on February 29, 1908, is not clear.

He generally sought and obtained temporary work at a variety of ranches, supporting himself through gambling between bouts of employment. (Again, much like that individual.) However, he was also willing to put his skills to use for a variety of causes, preferring to support the underdog, whoever that seemed to be. His frequent impulse control problems sometimes resulted in his "help" causing more problems for his allies than it prevented, though he did seem to recognize and try to control these tendencies, having recognized that they could get him into trouble.

Owing to his reputation, the Wayward Son frequently encountered individuals who claimed to be time travelers from the future, wanting to know more about him. While skeptical about their claims and never confirming or denying any of their speculations about him, he learned more from them than they managed to learn from him. While misinformed about a number of topics (apparently believing that the Pythonian Insurgency would trigger a worldwide nuclear war, for example) he developed a reasonably good outline of the history of the next one hundred and fifty years from these encounters, sometimes using this to his own benefit or that of others.

As with many other noteworthy figures from this period, the exact fate of the Wayward Son is somewhat obscure. There are stories of him still being active in Kansas, where he had attempted to retire, in the 1920s. (Tales of these episodes are believed to have inspired the title of a song written more than half a century later.) Other accounts claim that he met his end in Mexico in 1913, or even earlier, in Nevada in 1901. Still others have him attending the funeral of one Brushy Bill Roberts in 1950 and being ejected for laughing during the solemn ceremony. The death of that last individual is at least well-attested; under the name Patrick Henry, Jr., he passed away in 1956 in a hospital in Silver City, New Mexico, and was buried in the graveyard there, not far from the resting place of one Catherine Antrim. Assuming that he was the individual many people believe him to have been, he would have been ninety-six years old at his death.

Not a bad run, all told.

The Wayward Son -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Trick Shots: Array (8 points); Easily Removable (-4 points)

• Arm Shot: Linked Ranged Damage 2; Linked Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Close Attack Impaired, Close Attack Disabled), Limited Degree - 8 points
• Crease the Skull: Linked Ranged Damage 2; Linked Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned), Limited Degree - 1 point
• Leg Shot: Linked Ranged Damage 2; Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hindered, Immobile), Limited Degree - 1 point
• Shoot The Wings Off a Fly: Linked Ranged Damage 2; Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Limited to targets with winged flight - 1 point

Ultimate Fast Draw: Enhanced Advantages 3 (Improved Initiative 2, Seize Initiative) - 3 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (paired guns), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative 3, Language (Spanish), Non-Lethal Tactics, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover AND Concealment), Quick Draw.

Equipment:
Six Shooter (Ranged Damage 3), Six Shooter (Ranged Damage 3).

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Gambling 6 (+7), Expertise: Survival 5 (+6), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 7 (+9), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+10), Stealth 8 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +15
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Guns +10 (Ranged Damage 3 or 6)
Trick Shot +10 (Ranged Damage 2 and Fortitude 4)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 10 + Advantages 18 + Skills 27 + Defenses 13 = 106 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Impulsive. Secret (is he or isn't he?)

Note: When I decided to create this character, I was unaware that Emilio Estevez is apparently making a second sequel to Young Guns, though appropriately dropping the "Young" from the title. It's an interesting coincidence.

[EternalPhoenix]

I just wanted to let you know that you're the reason I signed up here. Your world is so big, and has so much history to it. It inspires me to write more of mine out and share them with more people. And, naturally, makes me think about how my characters would fit into it. There'd be, uh, significant adjustments, heh.

[Davies]

I just wanted to let you know that you're the reason I signed up here. Your world is so big, and has so much history to it. It inspires me to write more of mine out and share them with more people. And, naturally, makes me think about how my characters would fit into it. There'd be, uh, significant adjustments, heh.

Thank you, I quite enjoy your work too! And your take on a certain notebook and its owner has recently given me some ideas that I'll be exploring next week.