csyphrett

Re: Walking With Strangers 4 Odd Dorfman sat in his bookstore, counting the minutes until he could close. He had discovered a screen out of his hat when he was walking in that morning. It showed him the town as he watched it on his counter top. A few odd customers wandered the aisles but they were minding their own businesses at the moment. Odd had found the odd bowler he wore constantly. It had been in a thrift shop when he had still been in his teen years, looking for a means to rebel against the establishment. He had accidentally discovered the talent it gave him. Odd had liked to drink to excess when he was younger. He had gotten plastered at a party. He had fell on his hat, sticking his hand in the mouth of it. He pulled out something that instantly sobered him up with its too many tentacles and eyes. He shoved it back in before anyone else knew what had happened and decided to walk his shattered buzz off. Anyone else would have thrown the hat away before it did something worse. Odd kept it, experimented when he was alone. He learned two things. The hat gave him a random item based on where he was standing. It also gave him a knowledge where that item could be found once he started to look for it. He had helped save the town but he knew he had been in the rear while everyone else had did all the hard work. He had just reached in his hat and pulled out a show stopper. If one of the GMs for his role-playing games had done that, he would have shook his head at the dues ex machina. Still he was on the team at least as back up. The government agent they had met through Enforcer had said as much. Childhood dream fulfilled like that. Why wasn't he happy? The bell rang by the door. Odd looked up and smiled. His lovely wife stood there with a smile on her face. She carried a plastic bag from the crafts store with the handles wrapped around her wrist. "How's your day been, Hon?" Kitty took his breath away every time he saw her. Her golden hair, periwinkle eyes, voluptuous frame could net her anyone but she had chosen him. He still couldn't figure out why even after all the years they had been together. "Slow." Odd leaned back in his chair. All of his worries vanished with Kitty's arrival. "How's things gone with you?" "I sold a couple of things with a few more orders to be filled." Kitty pulled out several folded sheets of material to give him a peek. "The Black Five Regiment has ordered new standards for their reenactments of the Dunsinane Burning." "That's the one with a big black five on a yellow background?" Odd thought it resembled the air cav symbol he had seen in the movies. "I thought you were asleep when I was laying it out." Kitty looked at the ceiling, remembering that night. "You were sick and on the couch." "That's the only thing I do remember from that whole weekend." Odd shrugged. Customers still wandered the shop. He looked at the clock on the wall. Time to get rid of them so he could have dinner with his stunning wife. He put the screen he had pulled from his hat under the counter. "Last call everyone. We're closing for the night." The small crowd came up to the register slowly. Some wanted to keep roaming the stacks but Odd just pointed at the time. He waved them out one by one, then locked the doors. The last thing he had to do was count the day's receipts and make his deposit. He could lock the money in the safe to take to the bank in the morning. "Despite seeming to be slow, we had a fair day at the book store." Odd wrote out a receipt and placed it and the money in a deposit bag. He sealed the bag and put it in the drop drawer of the safe behind the counter. "We'll be able to pay the rent and utilities for sure." "What about this government offer?" Kitty went to the alarm next to the front door. Their quarters were in the back of the store, sealed away by a locked door. "Are you going to take it?" "I think so." Odd lowered a metal grill over the glass frontage. He tucked the screen under his arm. "I just wish I could do more than be back up."

Re: Need suggestions I don't about an underdark. Still something opposite from the civilizations on the other side might be okay. CES

Re: Need suggestions Donnie mentioned wanting to deal with Crystal Golems in the land of the Lamias, and a kingdom of underground monsters. So we are going to add that in with a journey to the center of the world. Then a sea voyage. CES

Re: Under-Age Cat-Girl Librarian The mighty Huntress's sheet is posted in the campaign thread. Go to the champions board and look at the Chronicles of the Agency. CES

Re: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Another actress to play her character. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... In later books, Drake does state that he is using those books and the journals of some lord as the basis for his books. I remember in the latest book that he commented that while he was using those journals he couldn't have his hero be a traitor like the nobleman who had written the diaries. CES

Re: What Have You Watched Recently? 36th Chamber of Death. Fugitive rebel becomes a Shaolin monk and returns home after being told he can't teach others Kung Fu. I remember this from when I was kid, but I didn't remember the fighting being so slow. CES

Re: Hey, that worked pretty good! Afterthought powers that worked well The gravity axe spell my son picked out. He just selected it to fill out a slot. It's turned into a major stopper. CES

Re: Magistracy:Origins 12 The two boys glared at each other. Almost the same height and build, they could have passed for brothers to those that didn't know them. The older boy sneered as they faced each other like gunslingers. Only gunslingers hadn't been born yet, because firearms weren't even a dream in an inventor's brain. "Chemist?" The older boy's sneer grew more pronounced. "What kind of title is Chemist?" "I looked into the future." The younger boy crossed his arms. "That's the name I had so I have decided to adopt it at the start instead of changing my mind and picking another name." "Looked into the future." The Chemist's counterpart laughed. "What makes you think you'll be alive in this future. Time can't be trusted." "I'll be alive as long as you're alive." The younger boy barely changed his expression. "That much I saw, Scriptus." "You know that isn't a guarantee." Scriptus jabbed a finger at the Chemist. "Time can change at a moment's decision. You know the rules for that." "I'm not worried." The Chemist frowned. "The glimpses I took was enough show me the way the world will change in the next millennium. Magic will slowly become a lost art and be replaced by something called science. No one will even believe in it." "You're lying." Scriptus pushed the other boy with both hands. The Chemist fell to the ground before he could catch his balance. "There's no way that magic will fade away. Look around you." The Chemist picked himself up, letting the dust fall off his robe. He shook his head. The school of magicians was the biggest facility of its type in the world. Every train of thought about the metaphysical world was honed and bestowed on the students in the hopes they would destroy darkness wherever they found it. The Chemist knew all of that would be gone and never be replaced. They could strive to hold off the end, but he didn't see how the masters would be able to stop it. "Admit this vision was in error." Scriptus loomed over the Chemist. "Admit that you saw a false future." "Only time will tell." The Chemist almost smiled at his joke. The fist cracking against his cheek stopped that thought. He staggered back. "What did you do that for?" "You tell me these hideous things but you don't tell me how to prevent the outcome." Scriptus raised his fist to strike again. "You can't, boy." One of the masters tapped his walking stick against the smooth stone walk as he approached the students. "Well, you can, but time is the consequences of our decisions, not the tool of prophecy." "I don't understand, Doctor." Scriptus let his hand fall to his side. Fighting was prohibited and he had been caught doing that by one of the teachers. He could be expelled if the old man wanted to make an issue of it. "No one does." The Doctor smiled. "Shall we go for a walk, boys? Maybe that will cool your heads." He turned, white hair brushed back from his high forehead. His short cloak flapped as he stepped into a floating hourglass that appeared in the air around him. Scriptus and the Chemist hurried to catch up. The world changed to a blur with the Doctor holding on to the slippery slope of time with his stick embedded at the edge of reality. Scriptus and the Chemist grabbed his cloak so they wouldn't fall into the maelstrom around them. "A bit confusing, isn't it?" The Doctor raised his free hand. The landscape slowed to a barely tolerable vibration of the small courtyard where they had stood moments before. "This is time?" Scriptus looked around, careful to maintain his grip on the old man. "This is what the world looks like when the likely outcomes of things are plainly visible." The Doctor looked around. "In this small setting, the courtyard seems hardly to change. Shall we go ahead five hundred years?" "I want to see this future where the magic is gone." Scriptus glared at his fellow student. "I want to see it for myself." "All right." The Doctor started walking, pulling himself forward with his stick. "Let's go." The three of them watched as the world changed. The courtyard blew apart in a soundless fury, fire and destruction reigning for a few steps. Then they were pass, and still walking to some unknown destination. "What was that?" The Chemist stared back at the fiery cloud falling behind him. "The destruction of the school a few years after we left." The Doctor kept walking, examining the sky above them. Things roared through the sky above. The type of thing depended on the moment they watched as they walked. "It doesn't look like your future, Chemist." Scriptus smiled. "It looks worse." The Chemist tried to identify the things that drifted above them. "This is a consequence of someone's decision, or of some disaster that was unforeseen." The Doctor pointed ahead. "We'll stop at the millennium and look around." The three reached the line of light placed to mark the end of their thousand years and the start of the next. The scene looked worse than it had when they had started. The Chemist raised his hands to start writing on the ether. "I wouldn't." The Doctor held up his hand. "Magic will reverberate along the timelines, disrupting more than helping." "This isn't what I saw." The Chemist balled up his fist. "I swear it. None of this was in the scrying bowl." "This is more interesting than a world without magic." Scriptus looked around in wonder. "I've never seen so many demons wandering the world." "And almost as likely to appear." The Doctor turned. "Let's start back. I think this is the end of the lesson."

Re: The New Circle Flying Fox- "How long are we going to wait, Captain?" Lt. Marshal Marston chewed gum, wiping away sweat from under the brim of his helmet with the back of his gloved hand. "My guys can do this without any help." "If you want to get your fellow police officers killed, go ahead." Captain Dobie Daniels unwrapped three peppermints and put them in his mouth. He was trying to quit smoking and this was his way of forgetting the need for a cigarette. "Otherwise we wait until we can get someone who can do some heavy lifting for us. So take five." A streak of fire appeared above the scene. It dropped straight down, scattering armed men who didn't know if they should shoot or not. Metal plates scattered into rainbow dust to reveal a man dressed like an aviator from the past right down to the goggles and leather helmet. A bright red scarf settled as the cloud dispersed. "Not him." Marston gave a look at his commanding officer. "He's a nut." "Heavy lifting." Daniels pushed the peppermints between teeth and gum before adding one more. "We got a problem. Something knocked over the bank over there, grabbed one of the tellers, and took off underground. We need someone fast to go down there and follow it, hopefully get the girl back." "No problem, gentlemen." The stranger smiled. "Just let me get ready." The aviator walked over to the hole in the street. He concentrated. Pieces of loose concrete and asphalt came apart around him. Slowly the debris built into a ball of black metal. Then it rolled into the tunnel. "That was the Flying Fox, Captain." Marston waved over a squad of armored men armed to the teeth and over to the hole. "I hope you didn't get that girl killed." "I don't care about her as long as the monster is dead too." Daniels started walking over to the hole, making sure his revolver had six bullets in it. "Let's go." "Back of the line, Captain." Marston nodded. Anchor ropes were secured to vehicles parked next to the hole. The SWAT team started down into the darkness. Light amplifying goggles covered their faces as they slowly descended the incline. Marston didn't want to catch up to the Fox. That was too dangerous. He just wanted to be in a position to grab the girl and run if they had the chance. Down below them, a light streaked across the ruptured underground landscape. It rounded an invisible corner ahead and vanished. At least the Fox's strange machine was almost as quiet as the men following him on foot. Only the light betrayed it. Marston nodded to himself, glad they had hung back. A light like that would paint a target on the Fox. His men had a slight chance of going undetected while whatever was down there tried to deal with the metal ball. That might be all the edge they needed. "Two man teams, watch out for your buddy." Marston whispered in the quiet air. It sounded like shouting to him. "Stay close to me, Captain. Leap frog." The squad broke into pairs. One pair would descend behind cover, then the next pair. Marston and Daniels stayed at the back of the jogging force so the heavy firepower could be used without having to think about it. If anything came at them in the tunnel, they needed to be able to saw it apart before it became a serious threat. Outraged roaring drifted to the SWAT team. Marston called a halt, ordering them to dig in. Broken rock jutting from the ground gave them cover against whatever was down there if it came up. "It sounds like the Fox has introduced himself." Daniels braced his revolver on his pillar, pointing it down the tunnel. "Get ready for it." "We'll close the tunnel here." Marston nodded to two of his men. They pulled off their packs to unload gray bricks wrapped in plastic. "It might give whatever it is a headache." "This is the Flying Fox." The voice echoed up to them, drawing closer with every word. "Clear the tunnel ahead." "Get off to the side." Marston crowded next to Daniels, blocking his goggles in case the Fox swung his spotlight on them. "Cover your faces." Something roared by the team on a streak of light. It vanished through the hole in the street above before Marston could register what it was. The pressure dropped in the tunnel as it receded. "Hurry with those explosives." Marston shouted at his men. "Get ready to fire." "The Fox left us with the heavy lifting, Captain." Marston glared at Daniels as his men moved with urgency. The sound of an engine roaring filled the tunnel again. "No, he didn't." Daniels saw something bulky in the darkness below. "I should have gotten a bigger gun. Character Name: Flying Fox Real Name: William T. Fox Nationality: American Hair/Eye Color: Brown/brown Place of Birth: Springfield, Ill. Date of Birth: 2/23/73 Height/Mass: 5'8, 185 pounds Cost Characteristic Value 10 STR 20 51 DEX 27 20 CON 20 20 BODY 20 8 INT 18 30 EGO 25 5 PRE 15 COM 10 PD 4 ED 4 23 SPD 6 REC 8 END 40 STUN 40 OCV: 7 DCV: 7 OECV: 8 DECV: 8 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 Cost Powers and Talents (END) Armor (10 pd/10 ed) 30 pts must concentrate to activate (-½) OIHID (-1/4) Harms the environment when activated (-½) Needs Material to use (-½) 11 pts Flight 20' 40 pts usable by 8 others (+1) linked to armor (-½) variable advantage (+1/2), variable disadvantage (-1/2) Gestures (-½) 27 pts Teleport 1" 2 pts Usable by 8 others (+1) megascale (+1), linked to armor (-½) Extra time (-1/2) Must cross intervening space (-1/4) gestures (-½), Must be in the air (-½) 2 pts Energy Blast 8d6 40 pts linked to armor (-½), gestures (-½) physical manifestations (-½) 16 pts Ranged Killing Attack 3d6 45 pts linked to armor (-½) gestures (-½) Physical manifestations (-½) 18 pts Radar 15 pts linked to armor (-½) 10 pts Life Support Self contained breathing, all safe environments 19 pts Linked to armor (-½) 13 pts Flying Fox's extras 30 pts + 15 pts VPP linked to armor (-½) 30 pts Cost Skills 3 Combat piloting 14- 3 Combat driving 14- 6 TF: Wheeled vehicles, jets , planes, helicopters 2 Navigation: Air 12- 3 Mechanics 12- 3 Electronics 12- 3 System operations 12- 3 Tracking 12- 3 KS: Physics 12- 3 KS: Engineering 12- 3 PS: Engineering 12- 3 PS: Vehicle Design 12- 2 Survival 12- 3 Stealth 14- 40 + 5 levels with all combat 20 point Ferriman Institute Package 3 Bump of direction 150 Points Disadvantages 25 Watched by the Ferriman Institute 14- 15 Reputation: Speed Demon 14- 20 Psych Lim: Likes to go fast always 20 Subject to orders 10 DF: Speed Aura detectable with Vril detector 30 Hunted by Ferriman Institute's Rogues Gallery 14- 15 Watched by FAA 8- 15 Overconfident CHA Cost = 167 Total Powers Cost = 127 Total Skills Cost = 106 Total Cost = _____400_____________ Background Information: William T. Fox has always had the ability to create vehicles out of thin air. His father was a trucker, and his mom worked a factory job making gears. They both said it felt like they were one with their machines, which made it easier to use them. Unknown to the family, Roscoe and Billy Jean Fox had been exposed to a type of radiation and subliminal programming that allowed them to merge with machinery like it was part of their own bodies. The Ferriman Institute discovered the Fox family after a routine sweep picked up Vril radiation in a minute quantity. After several interviews, and a demonstration of what Will could do, they hired them on to work for the Institute. Will joined the Challenger program to help keep the world safe and to go really fast. Quote: "Time to blow up this popsicle stand." Personality: Will Fox likes to go wherever the action is as fast as possible. He has antagonized the FAA with his daredevil attitude. They don't like something blasting in a flight path without authorization. Free time is spent at a track, either watching the races, or borrowing a car to get in them. Appearance: Will Fox is an ordinary looking guy who is either in jeans and shirt, or racing leathers in the Challenger colors. Powers: Will has the ability to mentally build a vehicle around himself. He does this by stripping material around himself while he is concentrating on what the vehicle should be able to do. Notes- This character is also a cheat. Log man had a call out for a game that unfortunately never started. My character is based off a character from S-cry-ed who builds vehicles around him from cars to jet boots. I had a slot set aside for Kazuma the Shell Bullet, but I used this character instead.

Re: Dragonia Sir Don and the yeti police have a brief confrontation before they bring Flames and Ishiyama back from the brink of death. They started after Cooper, who planted a couple of steam man to shoot at anybody trying to follow him down the stairs. The three peace keepers blast through the ambush to pursue the felon. Sir Donald helped to blast through a second ambush where one of the two Yeti cops was wounded. He went ahead to meet a single steam man robot. After a tense struggle, the robot threw the knight over the stair railing to his death. Donald caught the railing two floors down and avoided being shot as he ran downstairs to the basement. The dragon rider found a closed door. He peeked through a keyhole. A steam plane sat in a small hangar, powering up to take flight. Sir Donald tried to sneak into the hangar, but was spotted. With steam man bullets flying by, the knight jumped on the tail of the plane and climbed on the back of the plane. He ran toward the front with the hope of getting inside and using it for cover. The squad of robots and Cooper try to catch Sir Donald in a deadly circle of fire. He trapped most of the robots with an application of his gravity axe to the roof of the plane when they climbed in the plane to chase after him, before having to jump down. The knight had to apply his axe to the front of the plane to escape. The nose of the plane came off, crushing Cooper again and the free steam robots. Now the menace was quieted, Sir Donald visited Flames and Ishiyama in the hospital. They were both being released soon. They filled out their reports, remarking that Cooper had been in charge of the assault on the city with his sonic weapon. This puts Cooper on the most wanted list of criminals in three kingdoms. Sir Donald was put on leave without pay as the Yeti authorities investigate what happened. He landed a job as a park ranger, and was assigned a tower to watch several passes north of Opal proper. An emergency flare lit up the sky. As Donald watched, an avalanche of snow and ice fell on the valleys and people making use of the trails. He and Flames rushed to the scene, looking for survivors. They were able to rescue one person as more rangers arrive to sift through the cascade with their gems. Not many of the visitors survived the excessive weight of the cascade when it hit the bottom of the valleys. Rescue operations are carried out with zeal, but there were very few survivors. Night fell, and snow started to fall. Donald saw a shape at the window of his tower where the meeting of rangers was taking place. He went to investigate and discovered a giant snow snake. The snake froze Flames and dragged him away in the darkness. Donald and Ishiyama decided to brave the storm and go after the beast before it could eat his trusted companion. They track it to a cave in the mountains above where the avalanche took place. The two heroes broke Flames free, wounding the monster before retreating. They decided to go back to make sure the monster couldn't bother anyone else. It attacked with its freezing breath, but Sir Donald sent it crashing into the valley below with a hurling of his gravity axe spell. A few days later, there was a meeting of rangers. Dr. Putt was introduced. He informed the gathering that the behavior of the snow snakes was atypical. Some brain must be behind it. Sir Donald volunteered to check things out for the assembled group. Flying the ravine road, Sir Donald and Ishiyama found a set of antennae leading to a little shack on a cliff overlooking the road. They also found snow snake trails leading to the shack. Don examined the shack and found metal shutters and a metal door. He tried to break the door down with his gravity axe. It simply shrank into the ground. Then the snow snakes burst out. Don stopped the first snake with his gravity axe, but the rest blasted at him. The tiny group took flight on Flames's wings. Several exchanges led to Flames being frozen in midair, being freed and Don using a gravity axe to drop one snake on top of the rest. The whole gang fell to the ground. The knight was happy as he flew off. The first snake attacked from behind. That caused Flames to crash. Ishiyama was knocked out. Sir Donald was frozen while the dragon tried to recover. The snow snake turned on Flames. The dragon attacked the snow snake's face and head, clawing into its skull until it was dead.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I saw bloodline at the end of the shelf, went back to pick it two weeks later, and it was gone. Asked the clerk but they couldn't find a copy in the store. It's like Barnes and Noble only carries one of his books for a short time and then never again. CES

Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Ben 10 secret of the omnitrix-Not on board with a hero dial blowing up the universe but otherwise my boy and I enjoyed it. CES

Re: Group Designed Anime HERO Character Name: Emmet Margrave Nationality: Martian Hair/Eye Color: Red, blue Place of Birth: Mars City, Mars Date of Birth: 7/26/2121 Height/Mass: 5'8", 160 pounds Cost Characteristic Value 8 STR 18 60 DEX 30 20 CON 20 20 BODY 20 8 INT 18 10 EGO 15 12 PRE 12 COM 10 PD 3 ED 4 SPD 4 REC 7 END 40 STUN 39 OCV: 10 DCV: 10 OECV: 5 DECV: 5 Phases: 3,6,9,12 Powers and Talents Detect Chi, Discriminatory IAF sunglasses (-½) 7 pts 3d6 RKA OAF (-1, Weapons of opportunity) 23 pts 2d6 luck 10 pts Moving Target: Desolidification Cannot pass through solid objects (-½), only to protect against ranged attacks (-1) 16 pts Cost Skills 2 WF: Common Firearms 3 Combat driving 15- 3 TF: Wheeled ground vehicles, aircraft 3 Streetwise 11- 3 Deduction 12- 3 Stealth 15- 3 Acrobatics 15- 2 Navigation 12- 2 Survival 12- 3 KS: The underworld 12- 3 KS: Fugitives 12- 3 AK: Mars City 12- 3 Electronics 12- 3 Lockpicking 15- 3 Security Systems 12- 3 Concealment 12- 4 +2 OCV RKA attack 6 Contact: Message Service 11- 1 Bounty Hunter's License 150 Points Disadvantages 10 pts Reputation: hard luck Bounty Hunter 14- only a small group 20 pts Watched by the ISSP 14- 25 pts Hunted by former enemies 11- 10 pts Rivalry with other bounty hunters 15 pts Psych Lim: Always looking for the next job 15 pts Psych Lim: Protective of others 20 pts Psych Lim: Adheres to the bounty hunter's code 25 DNPC: Grizzy Bryers, Landlord 14- 5 pts 1d6 unluck 5 pts DF: Bounty Hunter CHA Cost = 138 Total Powers Cost = 56 Total Skills Cost = 56 Total Cost = ______250__________ Background Information: Emmet Margrave was born ten years after what became known as the Goku Wave. He grew up in a part of Mars City that had been destroyed when the government had unleashed its plan and the massive destruction of the Solar System. Emmet's parents had been killed by rioters after the machinery on Mars had blinked in a display of light and chilling power that became known as lighting the dragon lines. Grizzley Byers, a former bounty hunter and the Margraves' landlord, took the boy in. Byers was wounded in the rioting but drove off the crowd before it could wreck his small boarding house. Over time, things settled down to something that resembled peace. While the city rebuilt, the fall out of the Wave became known. Lines on each world had been activated and infused with energy after the shattering of the Moon. People living on those lines, or caught in space above them, had been granted superhuman ability by spending their personal energy. Reports of monsters drifted in. The cyborg soldiers of the Iron Legion were activated for the first time since the governments of the world united into one. Byers and Margrave minded their own business, sometimes running off anyone who tried to extort them for money for protection from radicals/Goze/street blockers. Margrave learned basic hunting skills during this period. He did this so he could supplement their income. The boarding house didn't produce enough money to feed him and Byers. Constant violence drove away anyone who wasn't a petty criminal, and Byers drove away anyone who was. Margrave soon earned a reputation as a good bounty hunter but one to stay away from. He invariably has some kind of bad luck which keeps him from collecting a bounty, or making it where the police (the ISSP) deny him any reward over some technicality. This makes it hard for him to increase his earnings, and find an outfit that will take him on so he doesn't have to risk so much when going after someone. Quote: "Don't make me shoot you again." Personality: Emmet Margrave is pretty laid back except when he is on the job. He is always looking for the next big fish so he can move Byers out of the war zone they live in, and has taken the bounty hunter's code to bring the quarry in no matter what to heart. While he claims not to be a hero, he has been known to try and protect innocents who get caught in the crossfire when a Goze decides to go crazy. Appearance: Emmet is an average looking red head that tries to be unnoticeable in a crowd. Unfortunately his bearing screams cop, or bounty hunter, to any criminal that sees him coming. Powers: Emmet has been classified as a one on the Goku Scale. Anyone with an analyzer would see that his chi was at the upper end of normal, but would automatically think he's not worth bothering with unless he did something extremely dangerous to them. This high chi rating allows Emmet to move out of the way of danger. He has been known to dodge bullets from criminals trying to escape. Plot Hook 1) Bounty hunters from all over the solar system have been called to deal with what looks like another collection of the Goku Wave by a rogue element of the government. No one knows why the government would attempt such a thing after the spectacular failure of their first experiment, but someone in the know wants it stopped without other agencies finding out. Plot Hook 2) The characters have been experimented on and have been told their bodies will collect the particles of the wave, enhancing them by unknown factors. Either that or they could explode with the force of a nuclear bomb. Unfortunately the only expert on the subject is missing. Plot Hook 3) Everyone thinks that the moon was shattered and the dragon lines were lit by the government trying to harness a new source of power. They were wrong. It was actually the first step of an invasion from another universe. Someone has to stop the invaders from the other side of the dimensional walls. Note: I don't know if this is what you had in mind, Main Man, but obviously the only thing I have left out is Hellsing which I guess can be worked in as a hidden race that drains humans of their chi. Do you want me to write up Marty Focker also?

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Sorry, Bozimus. I'll write a more obscure spoiler for the next one which I a mgetting ready to start. (as an aside, does anybody else have problems finding Wilson's books in the the bookstore? I had to special order mine.) CES

Re: Group Designed Anime HERO Character concept Emmet Margrave The Cosgrove was a ten mile long, ten story piece of glass and steel edifice that stretched across the Martian soil to the delight of the customers moving along the halls, riding the escalators and elevators, or lounging on the hundreds, maybe thousands, of benches. I stood with my back against a pillar, glasses over my eyes, smoking a cigarette full of Neptunian tobacco. I wondered if the tip had been right. My service had passed along that Marty Focker would be casing the Cosgrove for a job. Old Marty had a six figure bounty on his head. Everyone and their mother would be crowding me out of the action if they knew. Marty would take a flyer. I needed money, and was short on other cases anyway so an afternoon walking the mall didn't seem too bad until I actually got to the place. I looked the crowd over, letting the glasses work. A sensor next to the earpiece measured chi, gave a reading on the inner lens. Bright sparks ran up and down the passersby as the readings were given lines of force. Most were weak. Since the Goku Incident that shattered Earth's moon, the human body had devised means to tap into the invisible lines of force once called ley lines, or dragon lines. Most of what I was I seeing could barely turn on a light bulb. Marty Focker had a reading of at least a five on the ten scale according to his Wanted notice. I spotted a flash of light on the skywalk above. My vantage point covered the third floor, part of the second and first. The flash seemed to come from the fifth. I looked around at normality, then headed for the nearest escalator to get up to the fifth and start looking. The flash repeated as I headed down the corridor, staying near the doors of the shops. I didn't want Focker seeing me and taking off. A five meant he could handle normals in his sleep but he had a reputation for being a rabbit. Part of the reason his reward was so high was the ease he escaped anyone coming after him. If he saw me, I could kiss the bounty goodbye. Marty Focker turned his spade shaped face so his dark eyes could look at a jewelry display. His reading blinked on the sunglasses lens, his picture matching the downloaded notice. I kept going, trying to be casual. If I could take him by surprise, I could maybe drop him before he powered up whatever talent he had. His gaze flickered over those of us still walking down the concourse toward him. I saw his slitted pupils widen in a dash of white in the dark holes of his eyes. A grimace crossed his face. One hand grabbed the lady next to him, yanking her close as a shield. "Freeze, Focker!" I unclipped the old .40 from my belt at the back. I pointed it dead at him as people scattered away from us. Good. Less people in the way to get shot. "You're under arrest." "You don't look like a cop." Focker smiled, pulling the lady so he was inside the jewelry store and she was blocking the door. Cosgrove Security and real cops would be on the scene soon. He didn't seem concerned. "Maybe a bounty hunter. Got a name, cowboy?" "Let the woman go, Focker." I tried to sound confident. A five was out of my league. "There's no way to get out of here, and the cops will be on you like that." "You're wrong." Focker laughed. "The Cosgrove Shopping and Amusement complex has forty exits in all. I'll be gone like that." "To get to any of those exits, you'll have to go through me, or turn and go out the back of the store, in which case, I'll shoot you." I closed so I could get a better shot. I sensed we were both playing for time. "Why don't you let me turn you in, collect the money, then you escape again?" "I don't think so, cowboy." Focker laughed again. "Like a puff of smoke, he was gone." Focker's eyes widened. Smoke poured from his body, obscuring the scene. The glasses gave me chi, but it dropped from a five to a one. I couldn't tell who to shoot. Then hundreds of Fockers burst from the jewelry store. Two of them carried their hostage to the edge of the railing and threw her off the fifth floor decking. The Fockers split up and ran for the exits. I ran for the railing. Shooting at the Fockers wouldn't get me anything. I might hit a civilian in the press. And I didn't know which one was real anyway. I grabbed a banner hanging from the rail, clipped the forty to my belt and jumped. It was a stupid move. Reflex got the better of me. I wrapped the cloth around my wrist as I caught up with the woman. I reached out, snagged her shirt. It wasn't much. It was enough to slow her down so I could drop her in one of the decorative wishing wells on the first floor before I slammed through a window. I remembered to ball up and roll when I hit the ground. It still hurt like a meteor strike. I dragged myself to my feet. I said a thank you to lady luck. Then I headed for the door. A couple of Marty Fockers ran by. One had the nerve to wave at me as he went. Security ran up then. They chased after the thief, calling on their collar radioes. I stepped out in the main concourse, looked around, brushed the glass out of my hair and off my jacket. I looked back up at where I had swung down. I shook my head, telling myself never to do that again. The banner fell from its other mooring. There went my bounty. I headed for the front door. I had an idea. Maybe I could catch up to Focker somehow. Then I turned and headed for the escalators. Maybe I could catch up to Focker. Maybe he had never left the store.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Harbingers by F. Paul Wilson. Repairman Jack learns that all of his family's deaths are due to the Ally wanting a weapon to deal with his enemy. CES

Re: The New Circle Sorry Bub. I don't have hero designer. How is it supposed to look? CES

Re: The New Circle Character Name: Rider Real Name: Corwin Holly Hair/Eye Color: Brown, Brown Place of Birth: Long Island, NY Date of Birth: 7/23/1977 Height/Mass: 5'8", 178 pounds Cost Characteristic Value 6 STR 16 42 DEX 24 28 CON 24 8 BODY 14 20 INT 20 16 EGO 18 8 PRE 18 2 COM 14 PD 3 ED 2 6 SPD 4 REC 5 END 28 STUN 29 OCV: 8 DCV: 8 OECV: 6 DECV: 6 Phases: 3,6,9,12 Cost Powers and Talents (END) Spell 30 pts Multipower, only in hero identity (-1/4), gestures (-1/4), incantations (-1/4). 17 pts 2u 5d6 Luck 30 pts, only in hero identity (-1/4), gestures (-1/4), incantations (-1/4) 17 pts 1u 5D6 energy blast 30 pts, no range (-1/2) only in hero identity (-1/4), gestures (-1/4), incantations (-1/4) 13 pts 1u Missile Deflection vs all ranged attacks 20 pts, only in hero identity (-1/4), gestures (-1/4), incantations (-1/4) 11 pts 2u 20 str Telekinesis 30 pts, only in hero identity (-1/4), gestures (-1/4), incantations (-1/4) 17 pts 1u 15" teleport 30 pts, visible (-1/2), not through solid barriers (-1/4), must pass through intervening space (-1/4), only in hero identity (-1/4), gestures (-1/4), incantations (-1/4) 5 pts Pistol 30 pts Multipower, only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (pistol) (-½) 17 pts 2u Musket ball-6d6 energy blast, 30 pts, only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (-½) 17 pts 2u Cloud of Powder- 3" Darkness 30 pts, only in hero identity(-1/4), physical manifestation (-½) 17 pts 2u Spider net- 3d6 entangle 30 pts. only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (-½) 17 pts 2u Burning Magnesium- 6d6 flash 30 pts only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (-1/2) 17 pts Phantom Horse 60 pts Multipower only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (horse) (-½) 34 pts 3u Ghost Gallop 30" flight 60 pts, only when touching surfaces (-1/4), only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (-½) 30 pts 3u Hoof Strike 12d6 energy blast 60 pts no range (-1/2), only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (-½) 26 pts 4u Desolidification 40 pts, usable by two others (+1/2), only in hero identity (-1/4), physical manifestation (-½) 34 pts 10 Mental Defense Cost Skills 1 TF: Small ground vehicles 3 Horsemanship 3 Stealth 13- 2 Survival 13- 2 Navigation 13- 3 Computer programming 13- 3 Electronics 13- 3 Demolitions 13- 10 Wealthy 3 AK: Base City 13- 3 KS: History 13- 3 KS: The underworld 13- 3 KS: The mystic world 13- 3 Paramedic 13- 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Criminology 13- 3 Deduction 13- 3 Lockpicking 13- 2 Animal Handler 12- 27 Danger sense 25 + 5 dcv 150 Points Disadvantages 15 Secret ID: Corwin Holly 10 Famous: Corwin Holly, Millionaire 10 Rep(11-) ghostly guardian 10 Rep(11-) millionaire playboy 10 Vengeful 15 Overconfidence 5 DF: sapphire ring 10 DF: Mystic aura 10 Vuln (2x stun) drains 10 Vuln (11/2 x stun and body) silver 20 DNPC (normal, 14-) Jeeves 25 Hunted by Demon 11- CHA Cost = 136 Total Powers Cost = 103 Total Skills Cost = 111 Total Cost = ______350___________ Background Information: Corwin Holly is the last scion of the Holly family. He inherited the family businesses but not the acumen or training to run things the way they should be run. He faced losing everything and being put on the street with the amount of debt the Hollys had accrued and passed on to him. Corwin needed something to reverse things. He walked his empty mansion for days, watched over by Jeeves, the family butler. Lost in thought, he found several journals and a hood hidden in a secret compartment in his library. Corwin idly flipped through the pages. The story written in the various inks and hands told him that the family had been defending the city from the earliest days of its inception. They used their wealth to build things up, and when enemies and villains appeared to ruin it, they donned the hood and rode out in the night to dispense justice. Many a miscreant met a fiery end thanks to their ghost powers. Holly donned the hood and said the words inscribed in the journals, not really believing what they had described. He felt a subtle change and knew everything was true as the long cloak and Revolutionary clothes garbed him. Rechecking the list of spells, he called on luck in the hopes that it would help his businesses. A few days later, Holly's staff discovered a new process that turned everything around. Soon his companies moved ahead, pulling themselves out of foreclosure and bankruptcy. Holly felt it was because he had called on the family lore for help. And with that call, he knew he had taken on a burden to help the city like his forefathers had for the last hundred fifty years. The Rider must ride again. Quote: The Rider prefers to laugh instead of talking to the criminals he terrifies. Personality: Corwin Holly prefers to keep to himself where possible. He likes to think he can handle any challenge, and repays any slight. He also feels burdened by the family responsibility but knows that the Rider's abilities have saved his personal standing, and possibly his life as well as making differences in those he has decided to protect. Appearance: Holly is considered a prize catch for any gold digger, and dresses to fit the occasion. His costume as the Rider is that of a caped, hooded man in black long jacket, pants, boots gloves, and tri-corn hat. The sight of him riding his flaming horse through town is enough to frighten some to turn themselves in for their latest crime. Powers: Holly's powers break down into three parts stemming from simple control over spirit energy. Reading the notebooks has led him to believe that he can create spells to add to his repertoire if he works on his concentration and will. Firstly, Holly can increase his physical powers slightly, calling on ambient power in the air to create essentially poltergeist activity. This allows him to move things, create a static shock, create accidents to make things go his way. Holly can create a pistol of energy to use as a channel to fire directed energy at a target. He can vary the effects slightly. The last thing Holly can do is summon a spectral horse to carry him through obstacles, even lash out with a kick if necessary. Holly's tampering with the spirit world has given him a mental shield against anything trying to invade his mind, and the perception of danger. He has noted that it is a force that points him at any sudden danger that unexpectedly appears almost as if his predecessors are reaching beyond the grave to warn him. GM's Notes- I cheated on this character. I had him lying around in my files since the game he was in folded. Obviously I got my inspiration from characters like the Ghost Rider, and the Grim Ghost from Atlas. If the game had continued, I probably would have added summoning and more power to his multipowers until he was more like a real mage than a pretender.

Re: Need suggestions I'm going to use the underground society for Mole men, Bob. The obliette could be a secret dungeon, maybe not a state run prison. Those tend to be their own castles/towers. ACtually I am thinking of having the four giants add on to the land by grabbing material out in the space. Maybe the bottom half suffers from meteor strikes. CES

Re: Group Designed Anime HERO Surbrook has a lot of these written up on his site. Do you mind if I take a whack at a sample character? CES

Re: Need suggestions Donnie isn't really interested in that kind of thing, and he can see his real gods from a high mountain. I think maybe some kind of monster kingdom other than the King of Windy Mountain. CES

Re: Group Designed Anime HERO It could work. Four of your settings are high tech, and urban. Two have common space travel (DBZ and Cowboy Bebop). All of them have strange powers of some type. Strange crimes abound. What are the point totals you are looking at, Main Man? CES

Re: Need suggestions Right now, Donnie can see the four corners of his world with the four giants. Thinking about how things have been going, everything is in the center of the map so far. I have been thinking about a journey to the center of the earth with an expedition to the core of the world and out the other side. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... They have the disguised Empire State and Chrysler building crashing down with the Brooklyn Bridge to kill thousands apiece as a terror device. I was thinking shades of 9/11 when I read that part. CES