The Watcher

I would like to apologize for the recent development that I am sure many of you here are already aware of. It was my lack of foresight, a quality that I thought I possessed in abundance, which unleashed this threat upon the Multiverse.My word may not mean much anymore since I am now an oath breaker but I promise that I will do all I can to stop this calamity that threatens you and everything else in Existence. Whatever it takes.

And now for a blatant rip...I mean homage "My name is Nicholas Fury. I used to be a spy until..." Man on Wrist Vid Communicator: We've got a burn notice on you. You're blacklisted. "When you're burned you've got nothing. No cash, no credit, no job history. You're stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in." Fury: Where am I? La Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: New York. "You do whatever work comes your way." *shot of Goblin Glider blowing up* "You rely on anyone who's still talking to you. A trigger happy on-and-off girlfriend." La Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: Should we shoot them? "An old friend who used to inform on you to SHEILD." Dum Dum Dugan: You know spies. Bunch of bitchy little girls. "X-men too..." *Shot of Wolverine. followed by scene of Fury and Dugan as a Nick's cellphone rings* Dum Dum Dugan: Hey, is that Logan again? "...if you're desperate." Logan: Some mutants need your help, Nick. "Bottom line, as long as your burned, you're not going anywhere."

Re: L.o.v.e. Man, the Lords of Villany And Evil are going to be pissed these guys stole their acronym.

Re: An Opportunity For Self-Improvement

Around lunchtime in the course of a typical day for your character a man dressed in an immaculate white suit suddenly appears in a flash of light. Or at least it looks like a man. Those with the appropriate esoteric senses detect immense mystic and mental potency, greater by at least several magnitudes than anyone or anything they have ever encountered. After your character has recovered from surprise (and in some cases perhaps stopped futiley attacking him) he addresses your character in an affable tone. "Hello. I am an entity of Cosmic Significance from a Higher Realm of Existence. I've been called many names throughout the eons by various beings but you may refer to me as The Lord of Diversion. I have manifested before you today because you have been chosen to receive a rare gift. The opportunity to literally remake yourself in any way of your choosing." Suddenly in his hands there is a sheet of paper (or several)* with your character's name at the top. Below appear to be words and numbers with numerical values next to them. He hands it over to your character. "This is a symbolic quantification of every aspect of your existence. Well, every aspect of your existence significant to one from my Realm at least. Note that every item on it has a positive or negative value, which denotes a cost, all of which when totalled equals the value of your potency relative to others in your level of existence." Then a book** appears in his hands, its cover a blank white except for the title, The Rules, which is in gold-leaf. He then hands it over to your character. "This is a text which explains the terms of that quantification, as well as all the possible options you have regarding altering or adding things. You, and only you, can change anything you like, anyway you like, with one stipulation. Everything must total out to the same value in the end as it does now. You can shift things around, spend any karma you might have accrued, and even take on more items of negative value to get more to spend on positive things if you want. You have 24 hours to examine these things and make any changes you want to your Quantification Dossier. When that period is over any alterations made will take effect and these items will disappear. After that if you want to make any changes to yourself you'll have to do it the hard way. By the way, both your Quantification Dossier and The Rules are absolutely indestructible, so you don't have to worry about being unmade by someone destroying them. Feel free to consult anyone you want to for advice, though I'd caution you not to let the public at large see your Quantification Dossier. Any secrets of yours I consider significant would be on there, after all. Well, that's basically it. I hope you make the most of your opportunity. Few beings on your level of reality ever get it." And with a wave of goodbye, he's gone in a flash of light. So, how does your character react to being given this opportunity? Is there anything in your character's "Quantification Dossier" that would be a surprise? Does your character keep this event a secret or tell team mates or significant NPC's and ask for advice? And what changes, if any would they make? WWYCD? *It is basically the latest copy of your character's character sheet. Any references to things being a game, such as a "Champions" logo or anything, are not on the sheet (unless of course your character is a chronic fourth wall breaker already). Any unpent experience points are listed as Accrued Karma and have already been added to the Quantification Dossier's final total. Any Mystery Disadvantages are listed as "Undecided." **It's basically the rules of the game your character is run by, again with any references that it in fact it is about a game not in this edition.

Re: your pcs might be OVERPOWERED IF... The Multiverse is your DNPC Your Hunted by The GM and he's bought as Less Powerful

Re: Justifying Playable SPD

Would a gift from Therakiel be considered as fulfilling the required gifts from both Elysium and The Netherworld as far as prequisites for being able to cast The Quanternion Banishment (and thus claim the title of Archmage) goes?

Re: Time Travelling "Historian" Warp: "And I'll pay you another one if you could give me a ride. Final destination is 2009, but I'd like to make a quick stop at July 23, 1992. I got a small errand to run then. Daedalus: Remains hidden and hacks his device to download copies of everything he's saved for himself. He also gets sensor readings of all the equipment the individual has. Then he'll introduce himself and ask for a ride. In the event he says no, thanks to Daedalus' scans he should be able to make his own time machine to get back home. If turns out the future visitor didn't use a time machine but instead innate time travel ability Daedalus will lock him out of his own data device and use the new password to gain access to it as leverage to persuade him if he initially refuses to help when asked. Quetzalcoatl: For Quetzalcoatl it would have to be forward in time since his native era predates the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. If it turns out not to be Darius or any other time traveller previously encountered Quetzalcoatl will surreptiously read his mind to see if his purpose is as truly as benign as it initially appears to be. If it is, Quetzalcoatl will politely introduce himself and indicate he has no problem with the man's efforts to preserve knowledge for the future. He would then suggest that if he'd an opportunity to make even more profit by preserving knowledge he knows another place he could go. He basically offers to be the man's guide to the libraries (public libraries only, no sensitive infromation) of Thera in return for a ride back home. Getting back home and potentially getting a friendly time traveller as an ally would be a double win. Ming Wu, aka The Jade Mandarin, Scion of Dr. Yin Wu: Pre-Exile Ming Wu would be making copies magically himself of any books on mystical subjects. He'd remain hidden from view and go about his own business until the man was almost done and then use his magic to take control of his mind. He'd then make the time traveller take him to various points in time to the last known whereabouts of lost grimoires and powerful artifacts so he could take possession of them. He'd finally return to his own time so that he might use his ammassed collection to further his father's cause, and mindwipe the man so he'll return to the future none the wiser. Post-Exile would be pretty much the same (assuming it happened after he somehow managed to escape the prison dimension) except he'd be using the ammassed collection in his own campaign to conquer China. Dr. Malcolm Drake, Immortal Alchemist/Enchanter/Archeologist/Occult Trouble Shooter: Pre-Guardians Recruitment: "Hi, Dr. Malcolm Drake, head of The Special Acquisitions and Miscellaneous Research Department of The Smithsonian Institute. Look me up whenever you get back to your own time and we'll work out some deal regarding those copies you've made. Oh, and could you drop me off in 2009?" After he's recruited by The Guardians to help fix the multiverse he'd probably stay hidden unless part of their assignment to fix the universe he's currently in involves preventing those copies from being taken from the future. If that is the case then the data storage unit gets snatched and smashed.

Re: Holding the end of the world Warp: Is a dimensional manipulator of considerable power. He has the potential to figure out how to teleport the thing into interstellar space or an empty dimension. That is if his team mate Starguard doesn't dispell it first. Daedalus: Supergenius gadgeteer cyborg. He could make a device to teleport into interstellar space or send it to an empty universe. Quetzalcoatl: Can open a portal to deep space. Hermes will have to do the honors of cutting his hand off the instant he closes the portal. Ming Wu, aka The Jade Mandarin, Scion of Dr. Yin Wu: Pre-Exile he asks his father to neutralize the thing. Not only would the crystal be rendered safe but Ming Wu would have given his father a powerful magical artifact to be studied and utilized. Post-Exile he'd mystically meld it to his person until he could figure out how to utilize its powers to erradicate the dimensional barriers keeping himself and his companions in the prison dimension they are stuck in. Dr. Malcolm Drake, Immortal Alchemist/Enchanter/Archeologist/Occult Trouble Shooter: Has recently been recruited by the Guardians of Time to help prevent universes from being destroyed. If anyone could neutralize the crystal so it is no longer a problem it would be them.

Re: Fallen Son Daedalus: "Nox? Could you look at this kid's mojo while I examine his DNA?" Warp: "Horus! Starguard! I think this guy was meant for you two!" Quetzalcoatl: "Light Bringer? The Fallen Lord? I have not heard of these Chosen. Whatever the case, this child now lives under the sanctuary of Thera and any who come for it will have to answer to its gods before they lay a hand on it!" Ming Wu, aka The Jade Mandarin, Scion of Dr. Yin Wu: Pre-Exile: "Father, this supposed Child of Yama confounds my mystic senses. I ask for your wisdom in discerning its true nature and what should be done with it." Post-Exile: "Heroes? In this godsforsaken realm! No heroes dwell here, at least not those this Hammond would consider such! Still, this is a fortuitous opportunity! Should these demons come for this child I will be ready to bind them and force the secret of transit to and from this prison of a world!" Dr. Malcolm Drake, Immortal Alchemist/Enchanter/Archeologist/Occult Trouble Shooter: *sigh* "I guess I'll have to get my answers from the source. *A week later after dilligent research and then performance of a summoning ritual* "All right Professor Hammond, start from the beginning and tell exactly the whole the deal about the baby."

Re: Smooth Criminal: An MJ tribute We could just save ourselves a lot of work and give Takofanes the jacket and the psychlims "Must Show Off My Dance Moves" and "Loves To Sing."

In the myriad realities of the Omniverse there have been universes where the timeline took a wildly divergent turn from the ones you know. One in which familiar victories became defeats, heroes became villains, and chocolate became vanilla. In one such reality, the X-men's encounter with Dracula ends up going very wrong, leading to Wolverine becoming Lord of The Vampires. But in another reality a continuity removed a very different person encounters Dracula. In this universe it is Freddy Foswell who confonts Dracula. Freddy Foswell and his companions who are transformed into creatures of the night. And Freddy Foswell who bests the legendary vampire and usurps his place in the Heirachy of The Damned. It is this reality that I posit to you now. What happens next? How goes Freddy's reign? What do he and his new minions do? How do the various significant people and organizations of the world react? What changes has this unanticipated event wrought? And the bonus question, what happens to your characters if they reside on this variant Earth or end up visiting it? I, The Watcher, pose this question to you all: What If Foxbat Was Lord of The Vampires?

Re: Wrath Of The Ancient Pharaoh Daedalus "Would fembots be considered a suitable replacement?" Warp: "Hi there, I'd like to introduce you to my teammate, Horus-Re. You know, the god. I kinda think you'll probably want to take his advice on how to resolve this." Quetzalcoatl: Is from a past so distant that he most likely predates this pharoh, and Egypt was a part of The Theran Compact his nation is also a member of. "Know that you stand before Quetzalcoatl, God of Knowledge, Lord of The Skies, Scion of Ometeot The Creator, King of Anahuac, and member of The Theran Assembly. The wise course of action would be to address your greivances through the proper channels before engaging in unlawful behavior. I will deign to be your advocate in this matter if you stand down your army." Ming Wu, aka The Jade Mandarin, Scion of Dr. Yin Wu: "Pledge me this army to command as my own once you've returned to your tomb and I will see that you are given what you are due!" Dr. Malcolm Drake, Immortal Alchemist/Enchanter/Archeologist/Occult Trouble Shooter: "Not again! All right, who's been reading old books out loud this time?"

Re: WWYCD: <Your character>: The Clone Saga!! Daedalus: Brilliant cyborg gadgeteer with a computer linked to his head and an implant that would downoad his consciousness into a waiting computer system until his body could be repaired or recreated in the event of death. Having a clone made of him won't be that shocking. Inconvenient, but not shocking. He's already had time to think about how he'd cope if he had a duplicate running around, albeit the reason he assumed that could happen was if he died and then was revived later somehow but his back-up self contignency plan happened anyway. While genetics and memory transfer may be Telios' thing, Daedalus could probably best him in Computer Sciences. A little peak into this counterpart's head comp and some comparison would be probably be enough to be able to determine who's who. If not, he could ask his team mate Nox to check mystically. Whoever turns out to be real, Daedalus will insist on waking up his counterpart and make doubly sure neither has implanted commands. Both are human (ok, transhuman) beings, after all. Besides, having an intellectual equal to talk to and collaborate with might be cool. Warp: The guy's a human being. He couldn't let him stay frozen or dispose of him no matter how inconvenient. As far as implanted commands go, if his teammate Warmaster Fielan couldn't detect any then there aren't any. Due to being a billionaire playboy celebrity in his secret id, having a clone running around would be a big complication to his life. Still, it would have some advantages. Quetzalcoatl: From his perspective that it would be more plausible that the one in the pod is a time-displaced or alternate version of him than a clone. Which probably says something about his life. Ming Wu, aka The Jade Mandarin, Scion of The Dragon An accomplished master of both Chinese and Western magic, he can determine who is who via tests Telios would not be able to fool. Once the identity of the clone is determined and he's vetted his mind thoroughly, he would consult with is father Dr. Yin Wu as to the proper course of action. Or, if this has taken place after his exile, he'd choose to awaken him so that he could combine efforts with his doppleganger to escape the dimension they're imprisoned in. Two mystics are better than one.

So, assuming your characters celebrate the holiday, what are they getting each of your teammates, support staff, and DNPC's for Christmas? And how are they going about getting those gifts? Braving the mall? Online shopping? Making them themselves? Trips to outer space or other dimensions? Or did you just regift the stuff you found in that Viper Base you took down?

Re: WWYCD: The Nightmare on Hero Street Daedalus: Tell the team mage Nox about the encounter and give her the fabric so she can work on the situation on the mystic side. Meanwhile, Daedalus will not be idle but go to sleep prepared. Next time if "Freddy" shows up before Nox has a chance to deal with him Daedalus moves the fight to Cyberspace and infects him with computer virus that overwrites him into spam from Nigeria. Jump into a cyborg's dreams and you deserve to be hacked. Quetzalcoatl: Has a tendency to get tougher and get better defenses after something almost kills him. Next time his psychic shield and mental invulnerability will be enough to blunt his attacks better, and he'll use his own offensive mental powers to blast him into oblivion. That or Quetzalcoatl tries something strange and they both end up stranded in the White Void. Either way "Freddy" will regret it. Warp: Tells his team. Between a god and a girl who wields the power of an Archangel "Freddy" is toast. Spectrum: Very likely can't be permanently killed in this manner. Will get more mystically oriented team mates to help. Complicating matters is that a Progenitor Probe downloaded vast amounts of stuff into his brain. If defenses against other entities trying to access it were included "Freddy" might have ended up biting off more than he can chew.

Re: WWYCD: Mindset Daedalus: A former supervillain, he would not appreciate it if this heroine had brain-washed any of his friends from the old days like GRAB. He'd consider that a egiegous violation of their rights and Free Will, and would use his tech to snap them out of it and capture Mindset to bring her in (I'm sure forcibly altering people's minds without consent would be against the law in most super hero universes.) Quetzalcoatl: Dislikes mental manipulation of this sort since similar things have been done to him in the past to him. Would not assist in the endeavor unless the individual involved is a current and imminent threat to Thera and/or Anahuac and there was no other way to stop them. Warp: "No, I'm not going to help convert Dr. Destroyer into a "good guy!" He deserves to die! Anything else would be a travesty of justice!" Spectrum: "Your methods are unconstitutional and my superiors have their own plans for dealing with Destroyer. I'm going to have to bring you in now."

Re: WWYCD: One Wish Daedalus: Like many super genius types, was a bit of a geek growing up. Years of gaming and genre fiction have prepared him for this possibility, and he's got a wish already written out in advance for the ocassion. "I wish for incredibly good luck that bends all matters of chance and probability to my benefit without it being at the expense of anyone I would not want it to be." Anything else he wants he can buy or build, but luck is something usually not available by those means. Quetzalcoatl: He'd wish all the negative aspects of Tezcatlipoca's betrayal of him were undone as if they had never happened without it undoing all the good things he was a part of since his exile. Warp: He'd wish that Dr. Destoyer had irrevocably died when the United States attacked and sank Destruga. That would not only eliminate Doctor Destroyer, but prevent the Battle of Detroit, saving countless people including his mother. Spectrum: He'd wish to be able to conciously access all the knowledge the Progenitor Probe downloaded into his mind.

Re: WWYCD: "He'll be back." Just realized an alternative strategy for Daedalus: He'll move up the release of his medical nanites if/when someone else begins marketing Download technology. Why go through the dubious process of downloading your mind into a robot body or The Matrix when you can have immortality in your physical body and not have to give up all the perks of being human that comes with organic existence? Downloading would quickly become the Beta of the Immortality Format Wars.

Re: WWYCD: "He'll be back." Daedalus: Super genius cyborg gadgeteer billionaire, he's already invented a brain implant that tranfers a conciousness into a waiting computer in the event of bodily death, granted only temporarily until one of his Body Assembly/Repair Modules could fix or recreate his body to be downloaded into again. However, unlike the supposedly flawed processes used in this potential future, his techniques preserve 100% of the personality transfered, capacity for empathy included. Also, considering that he's decided to devote at least a century or two to perfecting the technology to make it reliable and inexpensive enough for widespread use rather than having to be personally-tailored and calibrated for a single individual, it's obvious what's being used in this potential future is the product of someone else with an inferior but cheaper to implement technology. Perusing the robot's historical knowledge to find out what company or companies eventually develop these technologies, he then buys them out or drives them out of business, preventing this potential future by keeping Download technology off the market until it is perfected to his standards. Quetzalcoatl: Captures the robot and forces it to take him back in time to before Tezcatlipoca corrupted the other members of his pantheon into devouring life energy for power and deposed him. Dark Transhuman Future never occurs due to the entire course of history being drastically changed by a Quetzalcoatl-led Aztec Empire unsullied by human sacrifice possibly existing right up till the present time. Warp: Is not a technological supergenius, but is billionaire Daniel Stone. Can buy off or crush the releveant technological firms just as well as Daedalus can, though unless some other supergenius takes up the slack Download technology is never developed in the new future. Warp sure as hell wouldn't be funding it considering the glimpse of where it could lead. Spectrum: As a respected Air Force officer and astronaut turned superhero, he's got the influence and contacts to persuade the government to regulate research into such technologies into non-existence if he wanted. Threatens the robot he'll do just that if he doesn't cease trying to kill the girl immediately and go back to the tell the Machines to cease extermination attempts or else. Then he'll tell the girl that he'll be around to make sure whatever society develops in the future will adhere to the Constitutution and honor the rights of all citizens, so don't go starting any war against machines until he's dead. And considering he possesses a quasi-energy metabolism that renders him ageless and capable of manipulating vast amounts of E-M spectrum energy, he's likely to be around for quite a while. He'll do everything he can to make sure the future comes out other than he saw it, using copies of the very historical memories found in the robot to prevent the worst of the Machine Empire's excesses so that the war between organics and digitals never occurs.

Re: WWYCD voluntary super registration Daedalus: Has a public id due to being an ex-supervillain who saved Millenium City, and is now a billionaire CEO celebrity superhero watched by the media. He's got nothing to lose by providing the information everyone already knows to the Registration Agency and getting police powers out of the deal. Quetzalcoatl: *Upon finding himself visiting the future* "I am Quetzalcoatl, God of Knowledge, Lord of The Skies, Scion of Ometeotl The Creator, and King of Anahuac. That should be sufficient for your purposes." Warp:Had to register to become a member of The Sentinels. If he was still solo would decline to volunteer. Spectrum: Is the government superhero liason to his team and an officer of the United States Airforce who gained his powers on a mission. He's already registered.

Re: WWYCD: Welcome Divinity? Daedalus: Sounds tempting. What's the catch? I watch Stargate. There any rules or restrictions your membership must abide? And what do you call yourselves? I'd like to check your refrences with a couple friends of mine. Quetzalcoatl: "I am already a god,* and count a number of honorable divinities as my friends and collegues. But if you wish an alliance with the Theran Compact, I would be happy to make introductions for you with the appropriate diplomats." *Not really. Quetzalcoatl lives in the ancient past, and all the "gods" are in reality superhumans. They and everyone else just think they're gods. Probably. Maybe they really are gods. It gets fuzzy with the amount of power some of them throw around. Warp: "Let me check with my friend Horus first. He's a god too and I want to get a low down from him about the perks and drawbacks that come with it." Spectrum: "I'm an officer of the United States Air Force. My first duty is to my country. If the obligations of this godhood would interfere with my duties or create a conflict of interest I'm afraid I would have to decline."

Re: WWYCD: Once bitten . . . Daedalus: Has an implant that transfers his conciousness to a waiting computer upon the event of his death, where it can then be downloaded into a new body once it's assembled. He wouldn't become a vampire. His corpse, on the other hand, could potentially rise as a vampire sans mind, running only on instinct and residual memories. Daedalus would track it down and eliminate it, using his gadgeteering skill to create potent anti-vampire weapons. After dispatching that thing he'd go after his would-be sire next. Quetzalcoatl: Would use retrocognition to find out who did this to them, and then hunt him down with his friends to either make him undo this transformation or just slay him for vengence if that's not possible. The vampire in question would have earned Quetzalcoat's eternal enmity, being that he transformed him into the very thing he hates and loathes, a being like his traitorous brother Tezcatlipoca and the gods who followed him into corruption. If a cure is not possible after dispatching the vampire he'd work to overthrow and kill Tezcatlipoca and his followers, and then end his own existence. Warp: Would ask his teammate Starguard if she could cure him. When you have someone with the power of an Archangel on your side, you don't have to remain a vampire for long. Spectrum: Having been transformed into a partial energy being by a Progenitor probe, it's likely vampirism would not take. He could remain as he's always been, or possibly shed his human body entirely and become an entity totally of energy. Either way, the one who attacked him is screwed once he finds him. If you're a vampire the last person you want as an enemy is someone who can shoot sunlight and works with a master-vampire who's had centuries of practice hunting down his own kind.

Re: WWYCD: King Arthur is back Daedalus: In the campaign King Arthur has been back, having returned during WWII. His dating a ninja would be new though, and probably tabloid fodder. Daedalus and his team wouldn't be concerned unless it turned out this ninja was connected with the clan that has allied itself with the techno-demon lord Mikoboshi. Quetzalcoatl: Who? Quetzalcoatl's native era is the ancient past and he thus predates King Arthur and his story. Warp: He and his team might investigate due the legend about Arthur's return occuring at Britain's greatest need. Considering that they've seen clues which point to Isvatha V'han attempting another invasion, this could be another indicator. Also, his teammate Horus, a god whose been around since the Turakian age, might want to drop by and say hi to an old friend. Spectrum: As a high profile American superhero working for the United States government he might be sent as part of a diplomatic entourage to greet the new king and see how this affects American-English relations. He'd do his research on Arthur and ask his vampire teammate if he knows anything about Arthur the books he has available do not.