Mindscape

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

Newest member is up. What you want a paragraph at the start of all these?

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 14"/28"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

37 Armor (10 PD/10 ED), Inherent (+¼) (37 Active Points) 0

15 Damage Resistance (14 PD/11 ED), Inherent (+¼) (15 Active Points) 0

35 Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) for up to 70 Active Points of STR (35

Active Points) 0

21 Life Support (Eating: Character does not eat; Longevity: Immortal; Self-Contained Breathing; Sleeping: Character does not sleep) 0

40 Brick Tricks: Multipower, 40-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); all slots Requires A Brick Tricks Roll (-½)

2u 1) Poke: Armor Piercing (+½) for up to 70 Active Points of STR (35 Active Points); Requires A Brick Tricks Roll (-½) 0

3u 2) Tear You Limb from Limb: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2 ½d6 (5d6+1 w/STR) (40 Active Points); Requires A Brick Tricks Roll (-½) 0

3u 3) Thunderclap: Hearing Group Flash 6d6, Personal Immunity (+¼), No Normal Defense (Ear Coverings; +1) (40 Active Points); Requires A Brick Tricks Roll (-½) 0

Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Choke Hold -2 +0 Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND

4 Crush +0 +0 18d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab

4 Fast Strike +2 +0 16d6 Strike

5 Joint Break -1 -2 Grab One Limb; HKA 1d6 +1 , Disable

4 Root +0 +0 85 STR to resist Shove; Block, Abort

Skills

15 +3 with HTH Combat

3 Analyze: Combat 11-

3 Climbing 13-

5 Defense Maneuver I-II

3 Interrogation 12-

2 KS: Demons 11-

2 KS: Dimensions 11-

2 KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 11-

3 Language: English (Infernal is Native) (completely fluent)

3 Power: Brick Tricks 11-

3 Tactics 11-

3 Teamwork 13-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 224

Total Cost: 422

272+ Disadvantages

25 Distinctive Features: Demon (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Virtually Everyone)

30 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Capture)

5 Physical Limitation: Large (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

30 Hunted: Trismegistus Council 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Banish)

20 Reputation: Demon working for Zodiac, 14- (Extreme)

30 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Magic (Very Common)

10 Enraged: Encounters Mages other than Virgo (Common), go 8-, recover 14-

Total Disadvantage Points: 422

Background/History: Malcharh was created in another dimension, a dimension that is involved in a constant power struggle. Armies are created, refined, altered, and recreated countless times as the battles take their toll. Malcharh was just another virtually mindless piece of cannon fodder in this endless war zone until something changed all that. After a random battle on the edge of his master's domain, his group was returning home when a rift in space formed around them. The other members of his group were torn to shred in seconds but Malcharh was pulled through the rift and found himself in a strange dwelling, the tiny creature mumbling something about the summoning working. Reflex kicked in and Malcharh killed the creature before escaping the dwelling to discover that the place he was in was filled with the tiny creatures and they feared him. Some tried to capture him, he killed them as well, when finally a commanding voice ordered him into a gap between two structures. Again Malcharh found himself somewhere else, surrounded by five of the strange creature and one of them spoke to him "Join us and never be a slave to anyone but yourself." Malcharh was unsure why he answered as he did but something deep within him ordered him to accept the offer and so Taurus joined the Zodiac.

Personality/Motivation: Malcharh has very little in the way of personality since he was created to be little more than cannon fodder. He likes to smash and cause suffering and largely lacks any personality beyond that. His time with the Zodiac has exposed him to emotions and actions which he has begun to exhibit himself, such as greed.

Malcharh is motivated by the desire of the personality that is slowly beginning to form in his head. While right now those motivations are to spread pain and suffering they could develop into a full-blown desire to conquer the entire world or to wipe out humanity all together. If offered a chance to return home it is unlikely that Malcharh would except the offer since there he is nothing but a disposable soldier but on Earth his is one of the strongest being alive.

Quote: A pity you die so easily or this would be good sport.

Powers/Tactics: Taurus is one of the strongest beings on Earth, strong enough to take Grond or Ripper if he got lucky. He has learned to use his strength in a few different ways since joining up with the Zodiac and will most likely learn more thanks to Aries teachings. He can take almost as much punishment as he can dish out and escapes only when called off by the Zodiac.

Taurus favors simple tactics; charge your opponent pound them into the ground then move on to the next one. This is not, however, because he lacks the ability to use more complicated tactics but simply because they have worked against almost every opponent he has come across. He is completely capable of coming up with a complicated strategy if he wishes and as often been asked for his option about a plan before it is executed.

Campaign Use: Taurus makes an excellent opponent for PC bricks but with a few additions he can be an enemy of PC mages as well. The dimension he once called home could decide to invade forcing the PCs to try and save the world or an entire game could be run around a group of PCs getting sent there and having to try and find a way home while trying not to get involved in the power struggle.

If Taurus is not strong enough to challenge the PCs then increase his STR and defenses, give him more magical powers, or more brick tricks. If he is too strong then reduce his STR and defenses or remove all of his brick tricks. As a hunter Taurus decides how to hunt based on who is with him. If someone is with him to help disguise him then he follows his prey in disguise and attacks from ambush when the moment is right but if he is alone then he simply charges his opponent and attempts to pound them into dust.

Appearance: Taurus resembles the traditional description of a demon. He stands taller than an ordinary person with red skin that resembles muscle tissue more then it does flesh. He has cloven feet, glowing yellow eyes, and a pair of horns that grow from the back of his head and curve forward. He lacks the means to disguise himself as a human and thus is almost never seen on a covert mission unless Pisces is there to use her illusion abilities to make him blend in.

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

Sorry about the delay, we just started a mess of new games and I've been making character for all of them but here is the next member of Zodiac.

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Flight: 25"/200"

Leaping: 3"/6"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

40 Armor (20 PD/20 ED) (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

72 Super Speed: Flight 25", x8 Noncombat, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (90 Active Points); Only In Contact With A Surface (-¼) 0

20 Hyper-charged: Endurance Reserve (100 END, 10 REC) (20 Active Points) 0

35 Speed Tricks: Multipower, 52-point reserve, (52 Active Points); all slots Requires A Speed Tricks Roll (-½)

3u 1) Vibrating: Desolidification (affected by Vibration Powers), Costs END Only To Activate (+¼) (50 Active Points); Requires A Speed Tricks Roll (-½) 4

3u 2) Round and Round You Go: Drain DEX 4d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) (50 Active Points); Requires A Speed Tricks Roll (-½) 2

3u 3) Whirlwind Arms: Energy Blast 6d6, Double Knockback (+¾) (52 Active Points); Requires A Speed Tricks Roll (-½) 5

2u 4) Rushing Punch: Hand-To-Hand Attack +7d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (52 Active Points); Must Move First (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½), Requires A Speed Tricks Roll (-½) 0

Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Fast Strike +2 +0 5d6 Strike

5 Flying Grab -2 -1 Grab Two Limbs, 25 STR for holding on; FMove

5 Passing Disarm -1 -1 Disarm, 25 STR to Disarm; FMove

5 Passing Strike +1 +0 3d6 +v/5; FMove

5 Passing Throw +0 +0 3d6 +v/5; Target Falls; FMove

Talents

3 Lightning Calculator

3 Lightning Reflexes: +2 DEX to act first with All Actions

8 Speed Reading (x1,000)

Skills

10 +2 with HTH Combat

3 Acrobatics 14-

3 Analyze: Combat 11-

3 Breakfall 14-

8 Defense Maneuver I-III

3 Electronics 11-

2 KS: The Superhuman World 11-

3 Lockpicking 14-

3 Mechanics 11-

3 Navigation 11-

3 Power: Speed Tricks 11-

3 Security Systems 11-

3 Sleight Of Hand 14-

3 Streetwise 12-

3 Teamwork 14-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 272

Total Cost: 414

264+ Disadvantages

15 Accidental Change: Attacked with Mental Attacks 11- (Common)

15 Distinctive Features: Costume (Concealable; Always Noticed and

Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Virtually Everyone)

25 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

25 Hunted: Viper 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)

10 Money: Destitute

20 Psychological Limitation: Split-Personality (Very Common, Strong)

15 Social Limitation: James McCloud (Frequently, Major)

5 Unluck: 1d6

20 Vulnerability: 2 x BODY Sonic Powers (Common)

Total Disadvantage Points: 414

Background/History: Life was always hard for young Max but he never knew it. His young mind created another personality to cope with the abuse of his childhood, a personality named James. Over the years Max became a normal teenager but James became cruel, dangerous, and bitter from the years of abuse he had suffered. Years passed and the two personalities never knew of the others existence until one day. Max had to undergo a psychological evaluation for a job and during the exam James took control. The doctor noticed the change and attempted to learn more about him, by the time the exam was over James knew about Max and the doctor was dead. James spent months learning how to control Max and keep him suppressed, allowing James free rein of their shared body.

While breaking into an old warehouse one day, James was covered in some abandoned chemicals and knocked unconscious. When he woke up he discovered that he could move faster than normal people, a lot faster. After weeks of committing high speed robberies he returned home to find a mysterious woman waiting for him. She knew his name and knew about Max and she offered him a deal. Join her group of supervillians and she would help him get rid of Max forever. Thus Gemini was born. Months later, Max took control long enough to discover his super speed and reasoned that he must have been a mutant since nothing else had happened to him to grant him superpowers. Less than three days later and he was fighting crime as Break-neck.

Personality/Motivation: Gemini has a pair of personalities bouncing around inside his head. One is Gemini, a cold and cruel criminal with no morals and the other is Break-neck, a kind hearted hero more than willing to lay down his life for others. Gemini is the stronger of the two personalities and thus is often in control, but when he assaulted by mental attacks Break-neck tries to take control. The Zodiac are well aware of his condition and make every effort to disable opponents with mental powers as quickly as possible.

What motivates him is determined by which personality is in control at the time. If Gemini is in control, as is most often the case, then he is driven by the desire obtain wealth or power or anything else that comes to mind at that moment. He also enjoys spreading suffering if only because he enjoys being on the delivering end for once in his life. Should Break-neck gain control he lives by the simple code of protect the innocent, catch the bad guys, and generally try and make the world a better place. Gemini is well aware of Break-neck's existence and has often tried to find a way to remove him forever but he has never succeed. Break-neck is completely unaware of Gemini and the actions that he takes when in control, if he was to ever learn of Gemini it is likely he would take extreme measures to atone for what he sees as crimes he himself has committed.

Quote: People are in danger, I have to help them... (Gemini) What was I thinking?

Powers/Tactics: Gemini's super speed allow him a number of combat options that most normal speed people would find impossible in combat. He can spin his arms at super speed and create powerful whirlwinds, vibrate his body so that he passes through solid objects, spin a person until they are so dizzy they can barely stand, and gain enough momentum from running that even the strongest opponents feel it.

Gemini leads off with Rushing Punch against non-brick opponents and uses Whirlwind Arms if needed. Against bricks he uses a combination of Vibrating to avoid being hit and Round and Round you Go to drain their DEX thus making them easier prey for one of the other members of the Zodiac. He uses his Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training as needed.

Campaign Use: Gemini serves as an excellent opponent for any PC speedsters and also creates an interesting problem for the PCs. If they capture him, he could let Break-neck out so that the PCs will have to imprison an innocent man in order to imprison a guilty one but if they let Break-neck go there is no proof that Gemini won't take control again as soon as they are gone.

If Gemini is too strong for your game then reduce his SPD, the points in his multi-power, or his super speed. If he is not strong enough then increase his SPD, give him more speedster tricks, or increase his super speed. As a hunter Gemini is uninspired, he simple attacks them at super speed and then flees if the fight goes against him.

Appearance: James McCloud has a fit build leaning more towards a runner's frame and keeps his light brown hair cut short. As Gemini he wears a red uniform that covers his entire body with silver highlights on the soles of his boots, his fingertips, and the visor he wears over his eyes. As Break-neck his costume is navy blue and covers him from neck to toe. It has red knee guards, elbow guards, gloves, and boots. He wears a pair of goggles to protect his eyes but otherwise leaves his head uncovered.

Re: Name this PC - please?

Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one so why not call him Hodge-Podge.

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

Sorry it took so long to get the next one up. My dad has been really sick this last week and a half so I've been taking care of him. Now without furhter waiting I present...

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 2"/4"

Swimming: 15"/30"

Teleportation: 15"/120"

Cost Powers END

10 Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing) 0

15 Damage Resistance (15 PD/15 ED) 0

90 Living Body of Water: Multipower, 90-point reserve

4u 1) Water Absorption: Growth (+70 STR, +14 BODY, +14 STUN, -14" KB,1.638E6 kg, -8 DCV, +8 PER Rolls to perceive character, 32 m tall, 16 m wide), Costs END Only To Activate (+¼) (87 Active Points); Limited Power (Requires a Large Body of Water) (-1) 7

5u 2) Pipeline Travel: Teleportation 15", x8 Noncombat, Safe Blind Teleport (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (70 Active Points); Limited Power (Only through Water, Objects meant to carry Water, or Easily-Porous Substances) (-½) 0

3u 3) Puddle Form: Desolidification (affected by Electrical Attacks), Costs END Only To Activate (+¼) (50 Active Points); Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-½), Physical Manifestation (-¼) 4

7u 4) Hydro-Blast: Energy Blast 8d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Double Knockback (+¾) (90 Active Points); Reduced By Range (-¼) 0

4u 5) Drowning Bubble: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6, No Normal Defense (Self-Contained Breathing; +1), Does BODY (+1) (90 Active Points); Activation Roll 11- (-1), -2 Decreased STUN Multiplier (-½) 9

Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Martial Flash -1 -1 Flash 4d6

4 Martial Block +2 +2 Block, Abort

4 Fast Strike +2 +0 4d6 / 18d6 Strike

4 Killing Strike -2 +0 HKA 1d6 +1

4 Martial Escape +0 +0 27 STR / 97 STR vs. Grabs

Talents

2 Environmental Movement (no penalties in Water)

3 Lightning Reflexes: +2 DEX to act first with All Actions

Skills

2 Animal Handler (Aquatic Animals) 11-

3 Breakfall 13-

3 Concealment 12-

3 Contortionist 13-

3 Defense Maneuver I

3 AK: Plane of Water 12-

4 Language: English (Aquan in Native) (completely fluent; literate)

2 PS: Diver 11-

3 SS: Marine Biology 12-

3 Shadowing 12-

3 Stealth 13-

2 Survival (Marine Underwater) 12-

3 Teamwork 13-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 200

Total Cost: 361

211+ Disadvantages

5 Dependence: Water (Weakness: -3 To Characteristic Rolls and related rolls per time increment) (Easy To Obtain, 1 Hour)

20 Distinctive Features: Made of Water (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Virtually Everyone)

30 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Capture)

20 Physical Limitation: Made of Water (All the Time, Greatly Impairing)

15 Psychological Limitation: Hates Fire (Common, Strong)

20 Psychological Limitation: Doesn't Think like a Human (Very Common, Strong)

15 Reputation: Mutated Deep-sea Diver, 11- (Extreme)

20 Vulnerability: 2 x BODY Electrical Attacks (Common)

5 Unluck: 1d6

Total Disadvantage Points: 361

Background/History: The being that became known as Aquarius is actually a water elemental. It remembers floating amongst the seas of it's home before it was pulled through a whirlpool, not so unusual except that this open was actually a portal to Earth. A female deep-sea diver had uncovered something that had opened the portal and the creature slew the air breather for invading it's home. Aquarius encountered the female's friends and slaughtered them, then began to drift amongst the waters of this new world. Some time passed and it was captured by a woman who offered to return it home if it helped her new group take over this new world it lived in. Aquarius eventually accepted the deal and joined up.

Personality/Motivation: Aquarius is a being from another dimension. It doesn't think like a human and in fact doesn't understand many human concepts. It wears the form of the one that it first encountered only because it is the best suited to interacting with both the Zodiac and the rest of the world. In truth, Aquarius has no dreams of conquest and wishes only to return to his dimension. It has only recently begun to accept that if it can not return home then it will claim all of Earth's oceans for it's own when Zodiac takes over the world.

The Zodiac understands that so long as they continue to honor the promise that Scorpio made, Aquarius will fight along side them. While they do not think that Aquarius would betray them if a better offer was made, they understand that if a chance to return to it's home presented itself they would lose the water being. Aquarius is almost never seen interacting with the other members of the Zodiac but tolerates them more than it does other air breathers.

Quote: Such frail little air breathers!

Powers/Tactics: Aquarius powers come from being made of and having control over water. It has the ability to release a blast like a high powered hose, encase an opponent's head in water so they drown, and absorb more water to increase it's size and strength. It also has the power to turn into a puddle of water so it can sneak attack opponents and travel through drainpipes and such to escape pursuit.

It varies it's attack style depending on how close it is to water. If none is near by it will hold back and use it's Hydro-blast or Drowning Bubble to dispatch it's enemies. If a suitable body of water is nearby than it will use it's Water Absorption power to increase its size and attempt to crush it's foes. Aquarius looks down upon almost everyone except for the rest of Zodiac, it believes that all humans are inferior to it's race of living water. It often taunts an opponents before delivering the final blow, much like a cat toys with a mouse.

Campaign Use: Aquarius can be used in multiple situations depending on how you want the story to go. It's origin is easily changed from magically creature to lab experiment gone wrong or right depending on whom was performing the experiment. It could be used as an excellent assassin or infiltrator for a master villain or a group of villains. It may be used as an attempt to recreate Riptide or as the final result of her transformation.

If Aquarius is too strong for your players then reduce the amount of points in it's Multipower or the number of powers in it. If Aquarius needs to be stronger then give it more water based powers or increase it's defenses to make it more durable.

Aquarius doesn't hunt anyone unless they may have a means of returning it to it's home. Should it ever decide to hunt someone it would most likely rely on ambush tactics such as taking puddle form and waiting for them to get close or traveling through pipes to attack that person when they turn on some water.

Appearance: Aquarius retains the shape of the deep-sea diver it came into contact with when it first arrived on Earth. The woman was athletically built with shoulder length hair. Aquarius is able to take the form of this unfortunate soul but not the appearance, so while it resembles the woman it is obvious to anyone that views it that Aquarius is made of water and not flesh and bone.

Re: Poll: What do you play

Currently

A Pulp game set just a little before WWII.

A superhero game in which the Champions are dead, Dr. Destroyer has cloned a younger version of himself, and the Warlord controls New Jersey.

A political High Fantasy game set in our own world where we just when from adventurers to low level nobles.

A Shadowrun type game.

A second Pulp game where we are working as explorers for hire under Howard Hughes.

Planned

Most of my group has RPGADD, so we rarely stick to a plan for the next game unless we make characters for it as soon as it is mentioned.

Re: Gaslamp Champions

I suggest the graphic novel Gotham by Gaslight. A good read I thought and it may give you and your players some ideas about how to make a Batman like character work in the time frame. Good luck with the game.

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

Been about a week since I posted Capricorn, sorry my world decided it wanted everything to go wrong the last couple of days but we are back on track now and so here is Libra.

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Flight: 20"/40"

Leaping: 4"/8"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

15 +10 DEX (30 Active Points); OIF (-½), No Figured Characteristics (-½)

5 +10 STR (10 Active Points); OIF (-½), No Figured Characteristics (-½) 1

13 +2 SPD (20 Active Points); OIF (-½)

6 Communicator: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); OIF (-½), Flashed As Sight and Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group (-½) 0

14 Contained Systems: Life Support (Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Self-Contained Breathing) 0

5 Heat Sensor: Infrared Perception (Sight Group) 0

27 Jet Boots: Flight 20" (40 Active Points); OIF (-½) 4

30 Power Cells: Endurance Reserve (150 END, 15 REC) (30 Active Points) 0

20 Powered Armor: Armor (10 PD/10 ED) (30 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

40 Weapons Array: Multimode, 60-point reserve, (60 Active Points); all slots OIF (-½)

4u 1) Desiccate: Energy Blast 6d6, No Normal Defense (Life Support [safe Environment: Intense Heat]; +1) (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 6

4u 2) Fire Blast: Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 6

4u 3) Flashfire: Sight Group Flash 12d6 (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 6

4u 4) Frozen Stiff: Drain SPD 6d6 (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 6

4u 5) Ice Block: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 6

4u 6) Ice Dart: Killing Attack - Ranged 4d6 (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 6

Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Martial Block +2 +2 Block, Abort

4 Martial Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

Perks

5 Computer Link

5 Access

Talents

3 Lightning Calculator

15 Skill Master (+3 with all Skills based on INT)

Skills

5 Armorsmith 15-

5 Computer Programming 14-

3 Cryptography 13-

7 Electronics 15-

3 Inventor 13-

6 KS: Thermodynamics 16-

5 Mechanics 14-

5 PS: Engineer 15-

3 Scientist

2 1) SS: Physics 13- (3 Active Points)

1 2) SS: Robotics 11- (2 Active Points)

5 3) SS: Thermodynamics 16- (6 Active Points)

3 Systems Operation 13-

3 Teamwork 14-

7 Weaponsmith 15-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 298

Total Cost: 350

200+ Disadvantages

15 Distinctive Features: ETMU Armor (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Virtually Everyone)

20 Enraged: Encounters Someone with More Advanced Armor (Common), go 11-, recover 11-

25 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

10 Hunted: Zodiac Group 11- (Mo Pow, Watching)

20 Psychological Limitation: Paranoid (Very Common, Strong)

15 Reputation: Brilliant but Twisted Scientist, 11- (Extreme)

15 Secret Identity: Blake Wallace (Frequently, Major)

10 Unluck: 2d6

20 Vulnerability: 2 x BODY Electrical (Common)

Total Disadvantage Points: 350

Background/History: Blake Wallace was a brilliant inventor, an expert in the field of thermodynamics. He was contracted by an organization to create a machine that could be used to slow down or reverse global warming. Months of work lead to the creation of the External Temperature Manipulation Unit or ETMU for short. The project was within weeks of being finished when an explosion rocked the lab, destroying most of the research and killing many of the scientist. Wallace survived, however, he was blamed for the disaster and removed from the project. He continued his work trying to perfect the device, cursing the fools for ever firing him. One day he received a letter from a mysterious benefactor that offered him a fully stocked facility if he came to work for the group. He accepted and as soon as he arrived at the lab the truth of the Zodiac group was revealed to him. A few weeks later and he not only perfected the ETMU but had turned into a suit of armor. He then became their Libra.

Personality/Motivation: Libra is a stereotypical mad scientist. He is paranoid, egomaniacal, and twitchy. He is always looking for a way to improve the suit, even if it means kidnapping a fellow scientist to obtain the information he wants, once he has what he wants he has no trouble making them disappear permanently. He is the least loyal member of the Zodiac, sticking with them only because they offer him a lab and safety from the heroes that would try to capture him. He has learned to rein himself in when working with the rest of the Zodiac but when confronted by an opponent with better technology he loses all self control.

Blake is motivated by the desire to get the wealth and fame he deserves for his inventions that the world has always denied him. He also wishes to show all of his former employers just how great and powerful the ETMU can be. He believes that they actually were hoping he would fail and that is why they caused the explosion in his lab that day because they knew how close he was to succeeding. His desires have often brought him into conflict with the rest of the Zodiac and as such they keep a close eye on him, correctly believing that is the most likely to abandon the team if something better comes along.

Quote: One frost-burned hero, coming up!

Powers/Tactics: Libra likes to start a battle from the air if at all possible since he has great speed and maneuverability there. He leads off with Fire Blast or Ice Dart. If those fail to stop his opponent he will try to disable them with Ice Block or Flashfire. He uses Desiccate against opponents that prove to be resistant to all his other forms of attack and Frozen Stiff to slow down Speedsters and other fast moving opponents. Libra knows the least about hand-to-hand combat, mostly just enough to avoid attacks, amongst the whole Zodiac and so avoids it above all else.

Libra is an uncomplicated fighter, being more at home in the lab then the battlefield. He launches himself into the air and opens fire against any power armored opponents he sees, if there are none then he picks what he deems to be the easiest target and opens fire on them. The ETMU makes him stronger then normal humans but his lack of hand-to-hand experience makes this a mute point.

Campaign Use: Libra serves as a good arch-nemesis to a power armor hero. He can be used for just about any type of storyline that gives him a chance to further improve his armor. He may even resort to mystic means to improve it, such as magically linking his armor to the plane of fire or ice. Libra is a smart but unimaginative hunter, he simply follows whom ever he is hunting from the air until he sees a moment that he thinks is appropriate to strike and then attacks full on.

If Libra is too strong for your game then reduce the number of powers his suit gives him, the points in those powers, or his speed. If Libra is not strong enough to challenge the players then increase the points in his powers or give him more powers such as the ability to alter the temperature in the local area or the power to generate snowstorms to blind large amounts of opponents at once.

Appearance: Blake Wallace is a thin, disheveled man. He is best described as "creepy" in appearance, possessing a nose that seems to large for his face and stringy blond hair that never seems to be washed. The ETMU armor is a streamlined suit of armor, the weapons systems are all internalized so it lacks the external weapon seen in most other power armors. The helmet covers his entire face with a polarized piece of glass over his eyes. Wallace has never actually bothered to change the color of the armor so it is largely still steel gray except for an addition made by Pisces and her flare for the dramatic. She added a stylized flame motif to the right side of the chest and arm and a similar ice motif to the left side.

Re: Super "Chi" powers?

One of my own creations for a superpowered martial artist I played.

Blood Bomb, this technique allows the user to cause his Chi to explode like a bomb the most common form of this is making any blood lost because of wounds explode (making a swordsman his own worst enemy). Naturally pool are more dangerous than just drops but the draw back is that after a point death from blood loss becomes a problem. Also in the event of a no win situation all the Chi the body can be detonated at once in a last ditch attack.

Don't remember exactly how I built it but I think it was something like.

RKA, OAF Fragile, Only where character's blood is, damage based on amount of blood, and maybe trigger to make it more like landmines.

The last ditch move was just a RKA area of effect

Hope this helps, I have more moves like this if I can find the character again, I'll post them.

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

Here is the original build of Capricorn which my group states they liked a lot more than the reworked one I originally posted here. A more unique and interesting idea than just making him another mage they said.

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 10"/20"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

45 Thick Hide: Armor (15 PD/15 ED) 0

31 Golden Fleece: Healing 1 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Resurrection, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (70 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 ¼) 0

60 Horn: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (4d6 w/STR), Armor Piercing (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points) 0

50 Golden Fleece: Life Support (Eating: Character does not eat; Immunity All terrestrial poisons and chemical warfare agents; Immunity: All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Longevity: Immortal; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing; Sleeping: Character does not sleep) 0

13 Skin of Man: Shape Shift (Sight and Touch Groups) 1

4 Immortal Knowledge: Variable Power Pool (Skill Pool), 3 base + 1 control cost, (4 Active Points); Requires An INT Roll (-¾); all slots Limited Class Of Powers Available Skills Only (-½)

Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Charge +0 -2 12d6 +v/5 Strike, FMove

4 Crush +0 +0 14d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab

5 Joint Break -1 -2 Grab One Limb; HKA 1d6 +1 , Disable

4 Killing Strike -2 +0 HKA 1d6 +1

Perks

5 Anonymity

6 Contact: Appropriate Magical Being (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has very useful Skills or resources) 11-

Talents

2 Environmental Movement (no penalties on debris)

Skills

3 Analyze: Combat 12-

3 Armorsmith 13-

3 Cryptography 12-

3 Forgery 12-

3 Gambling 12-

3 High Society 11-

6 KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 15-

6 KS: History 15-

2 KS: The Superhuman World 11-

0 Language: Ancient Greek (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)

3 Mechanics 12-

3 Navigation 12-

2 PS: Bandit 11-

3 Riding 13-

3 Shadowing 12-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Survival 12-

3 Tactics 12-

3 Teamwork 13-

3 Weaponsmith 12-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 294

Total Cost: 440

290+ Disadvantages

20 Distinctive Features: Man-Goat (Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Virtually Everyone)

10 Distinctive Features: Mystic Aura (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses)

25 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

15 Hunted: DEMON 11- (As Pow, Harshly Punish)

20 Psychological Limitation: Hates Heroes (Very Common, Strong)

20 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful (Common, Total)

15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Frequently, Major)

5 Unluck: 1d6

20 Vulnerability: 2 x BODY Magic (Common)

Total Disadvantage Points: 440

Background/History: The being known as Capricorn was once a thief, making his living the wilderness of Greece. Until the day he noticed a group of men riding along the nearby road. Curious, he followed them until they made camp and settled in for the night. Silently, he snuck through the camp, evading the guard and locating the leader of the group. As he came upon him he was shocked to discover the identity of the man, Jason the legendary king and leader of the Argonauts, and laid nearby the equally legendary Golden Fleece. Realizing his luck he plucked up the fleece and fled, not stopping until the next morning. He had heard of the fleece's legendary powers and so he slipped it on. Nothing happened, convinced that the stories were just that, he attempted to remove it and found that it had begun to fuse with his skin. The most common theory is that something corrupted the fleece and that is what made it fuse to him. Slowly he watched as it changed him into a horrible mixture of man and goat. The change drove him slightly mad and he spent years wondering the countryside. Jason and the Argonauts that remained spent years hunting him, trying to regain the fleece but never being able to slay him.

Decades past and slowly his wits returned to him and he found that he no longer seemed to age. He discovered that by willing himself to look normal he could but he was still the same creature underneath it all. Centuries began to pass, the facts of the day becoming legends of tomorrow. He traveled the world learning, improving on what he knew and always looking for the next new experience. During World War One he began to notice the appearance of more and more superpowered heroes. Remembering all the troubles that heroes had caused him in the past, he decided himself to destroying them. He was preparing another plan to strike at the heroes of America went a woman approached him with an offer of mutual assistance. If he joined the team she was putting together he would get help to destroy all the heroes he could handle. Capricorn found he could not turn her down.

Personality/Motivation: Capricorn remains largely unchanged from the bandit he was centuries ago. He believes in strong arm tactics to get what he wants and isn't above killing to get it. The centuries have made him smarter and he has a better grasp of tactics that he once did. He hates heroes because of the constant attacks he suffered from by the Argonauts trying to reclaim the fleece. The more noble a hero, the more driven Capricorn is to destroy them and all that they stand for or better yet the more he tries to break their will to fight and do good against the evils of the world.

Capricorn lives for three simple things, the first being a way to return to normal without having to be skinned, the second is to make his immortality more enjoyable, and the third is the desire to destroy the upstanding members of society that people look up to like they did the Argonauts so many centuries ago.

Quote: You are not Hercules, this not one of your labors, and you will die here.

Powers/Tactics: Capricorn can serve the roll pseudo-brick, he doesn't quite have the strength or defenses that other, more powerful bricks have but he can hold his own in a fight. His horns can be used to gore an opponent, a tactic he uses often. Capricorn's true strength, however, comes from the wealth of knowledge he has and the fact that it is almost impossible to keep him down. The only known way to truly and finally kill him is to skin him once he is dead, thus removing the Golden Fleece and it's healing powers, a task that very few heroes are willing to undertake.

Capricorn usually starts a fight off by charging headlong towards his target or using his horn to gore them. He then starts pounding away at them with his fist. He uses the horns if they are resistant to his strength or if they are a particularly noble hero which draws his ire.

Campaign Use: Capricorn fills an interesting position on the team. His immortality serves as a link to the past, allowing him to bring threat for decades or centuries in the past back to torment the PCs. The corrupted Golden Fleece shows that at least some of the mythic items of legend are real and allow the GM a means to introduce them into the game.

If Capricorn is too powerful for your game then reduce his strength, increase the amount of time it takes for his healing to work, or reduce his speed. If Capricorn is not strong enough then increase his strength, give him some spells that he may have learned throughout the centuries, or give him more powers related to the corrupted nature of the fleece like the ability to spread disease instead of curing it. Capricorn never hunts heroes since he can simple out live almost all of them. Those that share his immortal nature he tries to destroy outright or attempts to trap somewhere for all time.

Appearance: Capricorn resembles a nightmarish blend of man and goat. While generally man-shaped he has cloven hooves for feet, thick fur covering most of his body, glowing red eyes, razor sharp teeth, and a pair of large horns growing out of his skull. The fur has a slightly golden shine to it, leading many to believe that if Capricorn was ever slain and skinned that the Golden Fleece would still be usable.

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

Here we go again folks. You have met the Zodiac's Murderous Manticore and the Urban Arcanus. Now I present the Venom Vixen, Scorpio. (Note to self, I need better nicknames for them.)

Movement: Running: 10"/20"

Leaping: 11"/22"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

30 Armored Suit: Armor (10 PD/10 ED) 0

16 Battle Staff: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 3d6 (4d6+1 w/STR) (45

Active Points); OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-½), No Knockback (-¼) 4

5 Life Support (Immunity: Zootoxins) 0

42 Poison Assault: Variable Power Pool, 35 base + 7 control cost, (52 Active Points); all slots Skin Contact Required (-1), Only Poisons (-½)

Scorpion Kung Fu, Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Killing Strike -2 +0 HKA 2 ½d6

4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort

4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 50 STR to Disarm

4 Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

4 Escap +0 +0 55 STR vs. Grabs

4 Martial Flash -1 -1 Flash 8d6 (Sight Group)

3 Grab -1 -1 Grab Two Limbs, 50 STR for holding on

4 Martial Strike +0 +2 10d6 Strike

3 Throw +0 +1 8d6 +v/5, Target Falls

4 Nerve Strike -1 +1 4d6 NND

4 Reversal -1 -2 55 STR to Escape; Grab Two Limbs

5 Takeaway +0 +0 Grab Weapon, 50 STR to take weapon

16 +4 HTH Damage Class(es)

1 Weapon Element: Staffs

Perks

2 UNTIL Special Agent: Deep Cover

5 Fringe Benefit: International Police Powers

5 Money: Well Off

Talents

4 Double Jointed

3 Lightsleep

5 Resistance (5 points)

Skills

10 +2 with HTH Combat

3 Acrobatics 14-

3 Analyze: Style 13-

3 Breakfall 14-

3 Climbing 14-

3 Contortionist 14-

5 Defense Maneuver I-II

2 KS: Scorpion Kung-Fu 11-

2 KS: The Martial World 11-

2 KS: UNTIL 11-

3 Language: Mandarin (English is Native) (completely fluent)

2 PS: Special Agent 11-

3 Stealth 14-

3 Streetwise 13-

3 Teamwork 14-

4 WF: Common Martial Arts Melee Weapons, Common Melee Weapons

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 235

Total Cost: 398

248+ Disadvantages

15 Enraged: Mocked or Berated (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 11-

20 Hunted: Monastery of the Scorpion 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited

Geographical Area, Harshly Punish)

25 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident (Very Common, Moderate)

20 Psychological Limitation: Paranoid (Very Common, Strong)

10 Reputation: Cold Blooded Killer, 11-

10 Rivalry: Professional (Martial Artist PC; Rival is As Powerful; Rival is a Player Character; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry)

15 Secret Identity: Laura Mercer (Frequently, Major)

20 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Electrical (Common)

Total Disadvantage Points: 398

Background/History: Growing up Laura Mercer wanted for nothing. She can from a wealthy family that catered to her every whim, until her parents were forced to flee the country because of an assassination attempt on her father. Moving from one country to another and finally to mainland China, they avoided their enemies until one fateful night. The assassin killed her parents and would have done the same to her except for a kindly old man who heard the scream and rushed to help. He killed the assassin with one blow and realizing that as soon as the girl was discovered to still be alive more assassins would come, he burned her home and secreted her away. He took her to a remote monastery that was all but forgotten. After a few month, she began to learn the strange fighting style. Years pasted and she quickly surpassed her peers and soon her masters as well, attaining the highest level of mastery of Scorpion Kung-Fu. The old man taught her secret techniques that allowed a person to form any poison inside their body. He unfortunately never saw the evil in her as she struck him down with the same technique. Then she fled to America and went to work for UNTIL. She sold the secret of UNTIL to the highest bidder but has as yet remained unnoticed. She ran afoul of several hero and eventually paid an underground inventor to design her a suit and weapons so that she could face them on equal terms. For a time she called herself the Blood Scorpion until she was approached by a man looking to put a team together. After considering the idea she agreed to work for him and took the name Scorpio.

Personality/Motivation: Laura Mercer is cold and calculating. She spent nearly fifteen years at the monastery of the Scorpion before she killed her master and fled. She keeps long stretches of time between each auction of UNTIL secrets she holds so her superior don't catch on. She lives to regain her families former wealth and power but is careful to not loss what she has worked so hard to build. As a member of the Zodiac she works to build the group's powerbase without exposing her identity or other closely guarded secrets. She is overconfident in her ability to defeat anyone in hand-to-hand combat and possess a temper that flares up when she is berated or mocked. The remaining members of her monastery are attempting to find her so they can have justice and thus she has developed a sense of paranoia.

Quote: I call it Blood Burn, an interesting little toxin that causes dizziness followed very quickly by death. So make your peace with the afterlife.

Powers/Tactics: Scorpio's powers stem from her mastery of both Scorpion Kung Fu and the Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training. The suit she wears allows her to take a few hits that would kill ordinary people but she prefers to avoid getting hit at all. Her Battle Staff allows her to harm super powered opponents but she often doesn't engage such foes directly as she knows she can't take them in a fair fight. She uses her Poison Assault power to drain the abilities of her opponents to defeat them or soften them up for the rest of the Zodiac. (As with most martial art based characters, Scorpio is not intended to fight most superpower opponents head on. Scorpio should only fight other martial artist, gadgeteers, and other normal people who rely on skill to be a superhero.)

Scorpio likes to close and fight in hand-to-hand since she is most effective there. She will automatically target any martial artist among her enemies first and engage them on even terms (if they have no weapons she doesn't use her Battle Staff, etc) She uses her Poison Assault ability as often as she needs to and isn't above using it against another martial artist since they probably have special training techniques as well. Scorpio is an incredible canny fighter and unless mocked or berated she will always try and out think her opponents.

Campaign Use: Scorpio serves as the Zodiac chief assassin and infiltrator. She can also make an interesting NPC contact for the PC, giving them false information or leading them into traps set by the rest of her team. She is extremely careful about what information she steals from UNTIL for the team, since she wants to keep her cover intact but can be pushed beyond her accepted safety zone by the team questioning her abilities.

Scorpio approaches those she is hunting on two fronts. The first is using UNTIL resources to uncover information about them or implicate them in an investigation, thus forcing them to work against UNTIL if only briefly. The second is attacking the target from ambush often several times before fleeing just to get an idea of how they fight and any weakness that are obvious. If Scorpio is not strong enough for your game then increase her chacteristics to show that she underwent rituals that made her superhuman or give her more abilities derived from her martial arts or her armor. If she is too strong then reduce the number of martial arts moves she knows, reduce the power of her Battle Staff, or remove her Poison Assault ability.

Appearance: Laura Mercer is an average looking blond haired, brown eyed woman in her mid-twenties. She has a lithe build and moves with a dancer's grace. She dresses sensible when not in her UNTIL uniform. As Scorpio she wears a black body stocking with blood red armored plates covering knee to foot and elbow to fingertip. A breastplate of the same color covers her upper torso, stopping at mid-stomach so as not to impair her flexibility. She conceals her face behind an armored crimson mask that has a stylized Scorpion design and allows her hair to be pulled into a ponytail.

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

I finally got the second member of the Zodiac done before Friday like I promised. Wasn't sure I was going to make my deadline since got sick a few days ago but here we are.

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 6"/12"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

40 Armor (20 PD/20 ED) (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

36 Manticore Roar: (Total: 89 Active Cost, 36 Real Cost) Energy Blast 7d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼), Double Knockback (+¾) (70 Active Points); 2 Charges (-1 ½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 25) plus Hearing Group Flash 5d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) (19 Active Points); Linked (Energy Blast; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 11) 1

40Claws: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 4d6 (6d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (90 Active Points); -2 Decreased STUN Multiplier (-½), Restrainable (-½), No Knockback (-¼) 0

29 Quills: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6, Semi-Armor Piercing (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (79 Active Points); Activation Roll 10- (-1 ¼), -2 Decreased STUN Multiplier (-½) 0

15 Nightvision, Discriminatory, Analyze 0

10 Targeting with Normal Smell 0

5 Tracking with Normal Smell 0

Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Counterstrike +2 +2 8d6 Strike, Must Follow Block

5 Joint Break -1 -2 Grab One Limb; HKA 1d6 +1 , Disable

4 Sacrifice Lunge +2 -2 6d6 +v/5; FMove

Perks

3 Anonymity

1 Reputation: World Renowned Zoologist (A medium-sized group) 11-, +1/+1d6

Talents

2 Environmental Movement (no penalties in Jungle/ Forest)

10 Follow-Through Attack

4 Lightning Reflexes: +4 DEX to act first with Roar

2 Trackless Stride

Skills

16 +2 with All Combat

2 AK: South Africa 11-

3 Acrobatics 13-

3 Animal Handler 13-

3 Breakfall 13-

3 Climbing 13-

3 Defense Maneuver I

2 KS: The Zoo World 11-

3 Navigation 11-

2 PS: Zoologist 11-

2 SS: Biology 11-

5 SS: Zoology 14-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Survival 11-

3 Teamwork 13-

3 Tracking 11-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 270

Total Cost: 390

240+ Disadvantages

15 Distinctive Features: Tiger Striped Hair (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

25 Enraged: Smells Blood (Common), go 11-, recover 8-

15 Physical Limitation: Can't Retract Claws (All the Time, Slightly Impairing)

15 Distinctive Features: Quills growing from his Back (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Virtually Everyone)

15 Reputation: Human Hunting Madman, 11- (Extreme)

15 Public Identity: Lewis Freeman (Frequently, Major)

30 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Capture)

15 Psychological Limitation: Values Animal Life above Human Life (Uncommon, Total)

5 Money: Poor

Total Disadvantage Points: 390

Background/History: Lewis Freeman was a dedicated zoologist, even as a child he was looking after sick and injured animals. After he graduated college he became a world renowned zoologist. He journeyed all over the world lecturing, helping wild-life conservation groups, and even spent a year living amongst the lions of Southern Africa. One day he received word from a colleague in Iran that he had discovered reports of a new type of big cat and needed his help. Delighted at the prospect of an entirely new animal being discovered he hurried to Iran. His colleague lead his deep into the desert and into a cave that he claimed was the den of the creature. As soon as Lewis entered he was knocked unconscious, he awoke hours later surrounded by a group of cultist. They claimed that he was the one who was prophesied to be the living embodiment of their Manticore god. The ritual fussed the spirit of the legendary Manticore with Lewis' own and left him forever changed. As soon as the cultist untied him he slaughtered them all, in his blood lust. He retained enough his human mind to find his way back to civilization and eventually met a woman that offered him a chance to kill all he wanted if he joined her group. A short time later, the Zodiac had it's Leo.

Personality/Motivation: Leo fights because he reveals in the carnage of battle. He thrills to the sound of his own heart beat and the feeling of slicing an enemy to pieces. His mind has become fussed with the Manticore spirit and as such when the scent of blood fills the air he becomes more animal than man, much to the dismay of his teammates. When Lewis is able to gain control, people will find a kind and understanding animal-lover but when the Manticore spirit regains control they see only a predator on the hunt.

Leo is motivated by mostly simplistic urges. He desire to hunt and since animals are no challenge and normal human only slightly more so he became a villain to hunt superheroes. He wishes to never be caged so he sees the Zodiac as a sort of pack. The fusion of man and Manticore spirit has given him desires for things that are useless for an animal such as money. The Manticore spirit is able to keep it's bloodlust under control when around the Zodiac but when it smells blood almost all thoughts of tactics goes out the window as the beast takes over.

Quote: Kill or be killed. It's the law of the jungle and the only law I'll never break.

Powers/Tactics: Leo is a versatile combatant, serving as both low-grade brick and energy projector. He leads off with his roar, hoping to deafen a few of his enemies but he can only do this a limited number of times before he strains his throat and must allow it to rest, he is still capable of normal speech but the super loud roar could render him mute permanently if pushed too far. He then switches to his claws and closes the distance on the nearest opponent or which ever one is bleeding, if any. If all of the opponents on the ground are dead or all of the range fighting members of the Zodiac are disabled he will switch to his quills.

Leo follows the general tactics of a wild animal, attack the thing that attacked you until it is dead or flees. When he encounters the smell of blood he attacks the source with reckless abandonment, often ignoring other threats nearby. He prefers to use his claws to slash his opponents open but is smart enough to know that sometimes his roar or quills would serve better. He does not always follow this line of thought but is aware of it. He doesn't attempt any fancy or complicated moves unless nothing else works, believing in the idea of kill it and move to the next one.

Campaign Use: Leo makes a good general purpose villain depending on which way you guide his mindset. Perhaps he has been completely claimed by the Manticore spirit and has become a mindless killer. If Lewis gained permanent control over the spirit he may use the power he has to become a hero instead of a villain. The final goal of the Manticore spirit is unknown even by the other members of the Zodiac who believe that Leo is simply a very feral mutant.

If Leo is not strong enough to challenge the PC's then increase his strength to make him more of a brick or give him more Manticore related powers such as flight as the man and spirit fuse even more completely. If Leo is too strong for your game then reduce the power of his roar, remove the semi-armor piercing from his quills or lower the damage of his claws.

Appearance: Lewis Freeman is an athletic man in his early thirties. The fusion with the Manticore spirit left him with several physical features that he has some difficulty hiding. The most notable of these are claw-like fingernails that will not retract so he must wear large gloves to conceal them, the other is a set of quills that grow out of his back which he conceals with a special plate designed by Libra to prevent them from shredding his clothes when not in costume. The Manticore spirit has also nudged him into dyeing his hair in a tiger stripe pattern which he often conceals with a hat. The costume he wears as Leo is a dark brown covering him from neck to toe and stopping on his arms just pass the shoulders. The costume also has an artificial "mane" covering his shoulders and upper part of his back which is used to conceal his quills until he fires them. He wears a pair of black gloves that come up to mid-forearm and have holes in the fingertips so as not to interfere with his claws. Leo does not bother to wear a mask, as he cares little if the world knows who he is or not.

Re: The Zodiac Group

For those that are interested I reworked the Zodiac group, you can find the reposting of them here.

Re: The Zodiac Group 2.0

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 2"/4"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Teleportation: 17"/34"

Cost Powers END

37 Armor (15 PD/15 ED), Hardened (+¼) (56 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

67 Urban Arcanus: Multipower, 150-point reserve, (150 Active Points); all slots Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (Complex; -½), Only in Cities (-¼)

6u 1) City Walk: Teleportation 17", No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, x32 Increased Mass, No Gravity Penalty (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (148 Active Points); Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (Complex; -½), Only in Cities (-¼), Only in Cities (-¼) 0

6u 2) Stone Wall: Force Wall (12 PD/12 ED; 10" long and 7" tall) (Opaque Sight Group), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (150 Active Points); Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (Complex; -½), Only in Cities (-¼), Only in Cities (-¼) 0

6u 3) Building Blast: Energy Blast 13d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +¾) (146 Active Points); Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (Complex; -½), Only in Cities (-¼), Only in Cities (-¼) 0

6u 4) Minions of the City: Summon 4 280-point Golem, Costs END Only To Activate (+¼), Continuous (+1) (148 Active Points); Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (Complex; -½), Only in Cities (-¼), Only in Cities (-¼) 13

1u 5) A Million Windows Means A Million Eyes: Clairsentience (Sight And Hearing Groups), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) (35 Active Points); Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (Complex; -½), Only in Cities (-¼) 3

Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

3 Martial Throw +0 +1 2d6 +v/5, Target Falls

4 Martial Escape +0 +0 25 STR vs. Grabs

4 Martial Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

4 Martial Strike +0 +2 4d6 Strike

4 Reversal -1 -2 25 STR to Escape; Grab Two Limbs

Perks

4 Anonymity

5 Favor

3 Contact: Mr. Noir (former Fence) (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Contact limited by identity) 11-

Talents

3 Lightsleep

10 Fascination

12 Combat Spellcasting (all spells)

5 Magesight

Skills

3 Acrobatics 13-

3 Analyze: Magic 11-

9 Breakfall 16-

7 CK: Paris 15-

9 Conversation 16-

3 Forgery 11-

3 Gambling 11-

3 Language: English (French is Native) (completely fluent)

3 Lipreading 11-

3 Lockpicking 13-

9 Persuasion 16-

11 Security Systems 15-

9 Seduction 16-

3 Sleight Of Hand 13-

7 Spell 15-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Streetwise 13-

3 Teamwork 13-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 285

Total Cost: 383

233+ Disadvantages

10 Distinctive Features: Magic Aura (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses)

20 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Magic (Common)

25 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

20 Psychological Limitation: Kleptomaniac (Very Common, Strong)

10 Reputation: Magically Empowered Thief, 11-

15 Rivalry: Professional (PC Mage; Rival is As Powerful; Rival is a Player Character; Seek to Harm or Kill Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry)

15 Secret Identity: Denise Valliant (Frequently, Major)

20 Enraged: Encounters Police (Very Common), go 11-, recover 14-

15 Hunted: DEMON 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish)

Total Disadvantage Points: 383

Background/History: Denise Valliant grew up on the streets of Paris, with no memory of her family. She was taken in by a band of thieves who called the Paris underground their home. Denise took to the thieving lifestyle with ease. She served first as a distraction for the others but quickly distinguished her self as an incredible skilled thief in her own right. One night, while robbing an incredibly wealthy house, she was caught and sentenced to prison. While there she developed an intense hatred of police but it also here that she learned about her gift. One day a mysterious visitor stopped by, she didn't know him but he knew her, had followed her entire life in fact. He told her that she was an Urbanmancer, a mage that could control the magic that was within cities. She dismissed his as crazy, until during a nightmare she unconsciously ripped the wall off the side of her cell. She made her escape and encountered the man again days later. He offered to train her if she joined a group he was putting together, she agreed and spent less than a year studying with him. She joined the Zodiac not long after that but was unable to locate the man that had trained her and thus has been forced to further her own understanding of Urbanmancy.

Personality/Motivation: Virgo lives only to experience all the pleasures that life has to offer. She was a master thief early on in life and since learning about her magical talent she has used it to improve her collection of rare artwork and other valuable treasure. She has an overwhelming hatred of police and often targets them first when the Zodiac encounters trouble. The hard life she has lead have caused some to describe her as jaded or cynical and they are not wrong in general. She is loyal to the Zodiac because they are essentially the family she never had and has developed more than a passing interest in Leo. She understands that most of the Zodiac can't be trusted being that they are criminals and she has first hand experience that the old statement about honor among thieves is true. Certain members of the team such as Leo and Scorpio she has formed a friendship with.

Quote: Translated from French

Powers/Tactics: Virgo uses her magic like the mostly untrained novice that she is. She starts off by summoning her golems and always orders one to protect her while she opens up with her energy blast. If all the others are destroyed, she'll send the one protecting her into the fight to give her time to raise a wall and teleport away. She has been trained in the Zodiac Fighting Arts like all members of the team but prefers not to get into hand to hand. If forced to flee, she will attempt to escape with the rest of the team but will leave them if it is not possible to retrieve them. Her skills as a master thief allow her to evade powers that follow her teleportation spell and to acquire magically guarded items without alerting the person who set the magic.

Campaign Use: Virgo is one of the few Urbanmancer, a mage who's powers are tied to cities. Such rare talent is often sought by both sides of magic, in an attempt to tip the balance of power. She has come under attack by DEMON at least once and they have never stopped trying to capture and control her. If Virgo is not strong enough to challenge the PC's then increase the spells she knows or the powers of the one she already has. If she is to strong then reduce the points in her Urban Arcanus multi-power or decrease her skills to make her a less skilled thief. She became a villain because she was raised by a gang of thieves but she could have just as easily had a loving family and become a superhero.

Virgo doesn't often hunt heroes but would if ordered to. She only hunts heroes on her own if they catch her eye or have something that she would want to add to her collection. She starts by using A Million Windows Means A Million Eyes to spy on the hero and learn what she can about them. She then uses a combination of her Urbanmancy and her skills as a thief to gain the advantage.

Appearance: Denise Valliant could easily have been one of the world's top supermodels if she had grown up with a family instead of a group of thieves. She possesses a trim figure, a strong will, and a force of personality that instantly turns heads but most are often put off by the harsh look in her hazel eyes when she doesn't bother to hide it. She keeps her black hair cut in a pixie style and dresses in the finest cloths available. Her costume consist of black pants and boots, a white blouse, dark red gloves with black fingers, a similarly colored breastplate-like vest, and a dark red hooded cloak. She often covers her eyes with a pair of specially designed sunglasses made to withstand the impacts that come with being a supervillian.

Started this group way back when and let it fall by the wayside but I recently discovered that people are still waiting for me to finish them (Imagine my surprise). So in keeping with the promise I made in the original Zodiac Group thread I am going to repost them with some serious modifications.

Background: The Zodiac Group started out has a group of leaders of nations that wanted to shift the balance of power away from metahumans and back to regular humans. They launched several campaigns against metahumans but attracted the wrong kind of attention, most rumors say Menton. One member however survived and decided to work through underlings and thus keep themselves out of danger. They recruited the woman that would become Scorpio first and set her about collecting the other members of the team. The Zodiac was half complete before they turned on and killed the person that had started bringing them together. Now the Zodiac is at full strength and completely without any thing holding them back but rumors say two members of the original Zodiac survived not one.

Group Relations: The Zodiac is both a large group and several small groups at the same time. They largely trust each other to the point that they don't have to worry about their back in a fight but not enough to be completely confortable with all of the members. Some members have actually developed friendships within the Zodiac, such as Scorpio and Virgo, who often hang out together when not commiting crimes. While others, like Libra, want nothing to do with the rest of the team unless the whole team is required for a job.

Tactics: The Zodiac has spent enough time around each other to have developed a sense of how best to work together (every member has Teamwork) but they have not developed any set teamwork tricks. Aries often uses his military knowledge to come up with something on the spur of the moment but it often has to be explained out since the team doesn't practice any such tricks.

Every member of the group is capable of surviving in hand-to-hand combat thanks to the training of Aries. Aries has created a form of martial arts which he calls Zodiac Hand-to-Hand Training, a flexable fighting style that can easily be changed to fit almost any members personality. While some members like Aries and Scorpio have almost the entire fighting style to draw from others like Libra have only a few basic moves (at least two or three). So while they will not be defeating masters of other martial arts in hand-to-hand they have at least the ability to fend off the police should something happen to their powers.

Campaign Use: The Zodiac can serve in the place of any number of Champions supervillian teams. They can also be used in the role of a quasi-master villian, since the twelve of them could easily overpower a single team of heroes if they all attacked at once.

Hooks: Some of the less hardened members of the Zodiac want to turn over a new leaf and even offer to help capture the other members of the Zodiac. Can they be trusted or is it a trap?

Virgo discovers that one of the priceless books in her collection could be used to call on the power that the Zodiac symbols represent, thus increasing the group powers to the point that almost no one could stop them. They just need twelve mystical items that are connected to the Zodiac. Can the heroes stop them or will the Zodiac become the greatest threat to freedom on Earth?

Re: The Zodiac Group

Wow surprised that people are still looking for the whole group to be posted. Well, with school over I'll be able to fix the Zodiac and repost them. It may be another week since vaction starts tommorrow but I promise to have at least two member finished and posted by Friday the 12 if not more.

Thanks to those who stayed interested in this project, I hope that when the Zodiac are finished they will be everything you are hoping for.

Re: Kinetik is up

Not so bad compared to some of the others (I'm looking at you Defender) but I agree that it does seem like it could have been made with the CoX generator. Then again I don't care about how a game looks so long as it has a good story or keeps me interested.

Re: Champions Online - Server Names

I got the game on pre-order and will be buying it provided I don't see anything that worries me about it. As to being a part of a team made up of real world HERO player, I'm totally game.

Re: Poison's Champions Art Thread

Poison, I want to start by saying I think your work rocks and I have a couple of questions.

1. How much is it to commison a piece of art from you?

2. Is your work done completely on the computer and if not what are the chances that if we commison something from you, we can get the original piece when it is done?

Thanks in advance for answering.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

My group was playing a fantasy merc game last friday. We were hired to "remove" a bunch of villagers, the one that hired us didn't care if we killed them or scared them off or paid them to leave so long as they left. After a bit of recon, and the half-vampire member of our group killing a villager, we decided to scare them off instead of kill them. We decided my character would pretend to be a prophet and deliever the usual doom and gloom and the rest of the group would make sure that everything came true. After delievering the very first omen, the GM asked me for a PRE attack. My character, a former guard for the king, had a 20 PRE and rolled about average. The GM rolled 3d6 to see how many listened and actually care, he rolled a critical failure. The whole village packed up and fled, confident that death would rain down on them any second, leaving me sitting in the center of town alone when my group showed up.

Re: Sunlight Spell

I can't believe I overlooked the simple answer of it's an SFX. Shows that even after playing Hero system for this long sometimes you forget the obvious, well nothing to be done for it. So thanks again everyone.

Need a little help with a spell for my mage in a fantasy game. The group recently ran into a group of vampires, by the time we realized this however leaving wasn't really an option. We managed our escape thanks to quick thinking and a lot of lies. Basically my mage claimed to have a spell that created real sunlight which naturally would make the vampires go poof. As we escaped they promised to hunt my mage to the ends of the earth, so I think actually having this spell might be a big help in the near future.

So, what do you all think this spell would be build like? Transform, change environment, rka, or something?

Thanks in advance for an help.

Re: Weapons and weapon Techniques

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for posting these ideas, I have been looking for a thread like this to help me with an up coming game. It is a Highlander type game and some of these techniques will work perfectly for it.

Thanks again.

My group is playing in a Dark Champions game that is sort of like a take on Delta Green (lots of Lovecraft like monsters and things). We are playing mortal with no access to any form of magic or supernatural abilities yet (two of us are exmilitary and the other is a well armed civilian). So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for stuff that very well trained but mortal characters could do (low powered Brick tricks, gun tricks, interesting way to make some tech,...). We already have a ton of skills, combat levels, find weakness, and deadly blow. The level of realism is semi-high (any thing seen in Wanted is probably a little to over the top but other than that it sould be good).

I am playing in a Fantasy HERO game which is high magic. Most of the major villians and some of the PC's have the spells that allow them to teleport, some with megascale and some without. Well, a remark by one of the PC's got me thinking about this when he said, "Well, we grab the ring and teleport away. He can't follow us and unless he has been watching us every waking second for the last month or so he can't know all the places we could run to ground." So I was wondering how would you build a spell that lets you know where someone teleported to. Obviously it would be a detect but would it be a single thing, a large class of things, or what and in order to cover say a fairly large kingdom how many levels of telescopic would you have to have since you can't add megascale to it.

Thanks in advance to anyone who tries to help me with this most complicated problem.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

From our Dark Champions game last night (which has just started taking on an Occult theme). We had just learned that someone was sending supplies that were needed to open a gate to another dimension to a base in Antartica. We kept debating on a way to get into the base and back out without having half the world's military coming after us. We eventually set the idea aside and decided to go after another base that was easier to get to. This is the conversation before we decided to try the other base.

Drifter (Our Techno Ninja): We could take a helicopter from the ship to the base and broadcast an SOS. They have to answer if they want to keep up appearances.

Rook (Our Sniper): Assuming that they want to keep up appearances.

Me (the Modern Gunslinger): We could use the fake badges we have and try and bluff our way onto the base saying we are specialist from the Smithsonian.

Drifter:...I got it. We scuba from the ship to the coast, using underwater sleds to pull two snowmobiles. We mark the sleds with a remote GPS, so we can find them later and that gives us an escape plan if we can't stop the portal from being openned.

Rook and Me:

Me: There is much wrong with that plan I don't know where to begin.

Rook: I do. Assuming everything works and we don't freeze to death in the water, how do we keep the snowmobiles dry?

Drifter: Carry the parts in a sealed bag and assemble it on the ice once we surface.

GM: You guys do remember that you just have to get into the base without being seen right? Not onto the continent.

I was almost thankful that the Russian Mob decided to attack at that moment. I didn't want to hear Drifter's answer to the GM's question.