csyphrett

Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Ben 10 season three with Outlaw Star up next. CES

Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy Here is a prelim sheet for my character. I didn't know how prevalent machinery was, so I just kind of went all in like it was a rich enviroment. CES Real Name: Deson Peere Hair/Eye Color: brown, brown Place of Birth: Kmer Date of Birth: 25 years ago Height/Mass: 5'8", 125 pounds Cost Characteristic Value 5 STR 15 24 DEX 18 10 CON 15 10 BODY 15 11 INT 21 10 EGO 15 2 PRE 12 COM 10 PD 3 ED 3 12 SPD 4 REC 6 END 30 STUN 29 OCV: 6 DCV: 6 OECV: 5 DECV: 5 Phases: 3,6,9,12 Cost Powers and Talents (END) Telekinesis: 20 str, Physical manifestation (robotic floating hands, -1/2) 20 pts Detect Machinery, 5 pts Common Techno Mage 30 pt Multipower 3u Control Machinery: Mind Control versus Machinery 5d6 25 pts 3u Talk to machines: Telepathy with machinery 5d6 25 pts 3u Disassembly: Dispel technology 5d6, 15 pts any one power (+1/4) 19 pts 3u All doors are opened: Dispel locks 8d6 24 pts 3u A Device in any port: Major Transform one device 3d6 into another (limited target -1/2) 30 pts Bag of tricks VPP 38 + 19 pts OAF (-1) 29 pts Cost Skills 3 Analyze Machinery 13- 3 Paramedic 13- 2 Survival 13- 2 Navigation 13- 3 Systems operations 13- 3 Mechanics 13- 3 Electronics 13- 3 Computer Programming 13- 3 AK: The world 13- 3 PS: The Sciences 13- 3 PS: Magic 13- 3 Inventor 13- 3 KS: The Magic World 13- 3 KS: The Monster World 13- 2 Weaponsmith 13- 6 WF: Common Melee weapons, small arms, missile weapons 10 TF: animals, wheeled vehicles, balloons/zeppelins, rafts, small and large rowed boats, small wind powered boats, hang gliding. 3 Combat driving 12- 3 Combat piloting 12- 0 Language: Kmer (native) 13- 3 Language: Pidgen 13- 100 Points Disadvantages 20 pts Subject to orders from New Dawn 15 pts Rivalry with other Technomages 15 pts Psych Lim: Likes to fiddle with unknown technology 25 pts Watched by New Dawn 14- 25 pts Hunted by New Dawn's enemies 14- CHA Cost = 84 Total Powers Cost = 99 Total Skills Cost = 67 Total Cost = _____250_____________

Re: Dragonia I think that he will realize that I trapped him and think of something else. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Persuader by Lee Child CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... That bad? I had some hopes. CES

Re: Dragonia 2 Sir Donald let the plane get away using bottom jets to hover off the ground. He noted that it was heading west, but didn't think anything else about it. Donald headed back to Cornelia to heal his dragon up, get equipment, and send a message to the king by bird dragon. He received word that the Steam Men has reported the loss of some of their mechs and planes. Zephyr's signature was left behind at the scene of the crime. Donald is ordered to bring in Zephyr the bandit king. He saved at West Town, and then flew into the mountains. He got lost at first, but quickly recovered and flew straight into the Windy Mountain. The guards didn't like that with an aerial battle ensuing. Donald crashed into a canyon wall during the dog fight, after making two of the pursuing spike birds hit the wall. The third one flew off, convinced that the dragon knight and dragon was dead. Donald climbed back up the mountain, sneaking past the watchdogs, and the circular formation of nests and caves of monsters. The monsters were dormant at the moment. He didn't see any stolen Steam Men or planes. Zephyr has the biggest nest in the center of the formation. He woke up at Donald's approach. After a talk, the bandit monster king denied any involvement in any theft. He called up his monster army and reduced Donald and Flames to ash. Donald woke up at the sanctuary at West Town with no memory of what happened on Windy Mountain. He sent a report in. He restocked his supplies. The king sent back a bird back to tell him to try again. The knight consults with his colleagues. They direct him to some Fifth Kingdom monks in town. The monks agreed to let one of them help out.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I remember reading those books a couple of times. Was the movie any good? CES

Re: xialin showdown "Unhand me NOW," shouted Jade as she jerked away from the guard. Then she said, "I know you don't want a fight again so I will say it again. I want to talk to my father first. If you don't let me I will fight you all and I really don't want to do that." "We have our orders." The head guard gestured for her to move on. "Your father wants you on the way back to China. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." Jade jumped up into the air and did a double roundhouse kick, then landed and does a sweep around with her leg against the rest of the group. Jade's move made the men jump back out of range. They fell into defensive positions, still surrounding her. She could see they didn't want to fight her, but was more scared of her father. "Do not force the issue, Miss Lee." The head guard was also in a defensive position, at the back of the wall of men. "Once you are in China, I'm sure you will be able to call your father from the nunnery." Jade looked at the head guard as she too is in a defensive position and said, "Going home to China, and I mean HOME, is one thing! But going to a Damn NUNNERY IS OUT OF THE QUESTION!" Jonny Woo hit the head guard on the back of the head with the butt of his pistol. "No one is going anywhere until I get my money." He pointed the pistol at the guards. "Don't make me shoot the girl. Back up and out of the way. Get in the car, Miss Lee." He waited for someone to make a move. Jade looked a bit shocked and said, "What in the world do you think you doing Mr. Woo?" But she does listen to him and started to slowly move out to her car because she does not want her men hurt in that way. "Everybody line up facing the wall." Woo gestured with his pistol. "That way everybody is busy while I go talk to Mr. Lee. Lean on it and hold the wall up." He kept an eye on them as he descended to the passenger side of the car. "You drive, Miss Lee." He got in the passenger seat, still covering the guards so they wouldn't do anything foolish. Jade started the car and put it in drive and took off quickly as she said, "That was not a very smart thing to do, you know, but I am grateful for the help out of there, but you should know my father will not take this well." "All I want is my money." The mercenary held the weapon on his lap. "Your father won't do anything as long I have you in harm's way. You're his only chink in his armor. I'll explain the situation and I will be paid." Jade said, "My father is a good man and we may not always see things the same way. I'm not too sure if you will get your money, let alone be able to walk out after this." She drove to her home. "Your father runs one of the most ruthless syndicates in business." Jonny Woo watched everything as they drove. "I doubt that qualifies him as being a good man. Even Hitler liked puppies." Jade tried to stay calm as she said, "My father is still a good man in my eyes. He is good to his family and his friends, but yes, I know he is a bit ruthless to his enemies. And so am I at times so if I was you I would not ever... ever compare my father to Hitler." "As long as he pays my money, he can be whomever you want him to be." Jonny Woo smiled. "If I were you, I would be thinking about what the inside of a nunnery looks like." The gates to the Lee Mansion appeared and drew closer as Jade drove along. The guards at the front gate raised their weapons to point at the car. It was clear they didn't know whether they should try and shoot, or let the car pass.

Re: Teen Guardians The armored man seemed to be easy enough to follow, along with the dog girl it seemed they where walking in the same direction. The doors slid open and closed by something you would see on Star trek, but keeping up and moving with them was easy enough. "Master Incubus, I ran into the young masters girlfriend. I didn't get the chance to remove all the tampering with Nu-Tech's transport system." *Ah,* Patty thought to herself, *that explains a few things...* There seemed little in his voice as he spoke, likely altered by something in the armor. "I see, it's a shame he fell in league with such 'heroes' I do wonder what he was thinking but I do think he'll be re-thinking his place considering the damage they did to him." *sonuva...* That thought went unbidden and uncompleted. As they entered what looked to be a medical room there were two large tanks. Floating in them appeared to be Eric, and in the other, the catgirl. "The transport didn't go right at all. Something threw off the systems with quite a shock against its velocity control systems and then the radioactive vest. we are lucky the transport didn't kill them both. Once we have them back at full health we should be able to start things where I had planned originally without too many changes." *oh crap* Patty's heart fell--between herself and Pusher, they'd almost killed Eric, and she felt her stomach just fall as well, a gut wrenching experience. Now...she was lost...and she needed to find a way out to call Pusher... She doubled back and raced for the way out, the same way she'd come in--with luck, she'd not get caught, she'd make it, and would be able to call... ...Reinforcements were needed. Getting out proved fairly easy it seemed, as she sped down the hallways it was as if the the doors where opening on their own. At least the first three did, after that she could easily hear an alarm going off as the fourth door remained shut. She hit her brakes--she used to be able to move through doors--but could she still... Staying out of sync and moving rapidly where taking a toll and she could feel her body losing energy quickly. She reversed her course--she moved back in sync, she couldn't support it much longer, she'd have to eat, and quick...she headed back for where Eric was...it was her fault... As Pusher followed some of the girls he was able to locate a few weapons lockers and one door that lead to the force field system room. It was being guarded by a rather large woman that had horns on her head and floppy cow like ears. Pusher marked that room before continuing to search for Eric. He had a feeling all these females were going to be a problem sooner or later. There seemed to be no way down by normal means (being intangible) yet many of the doors didn't seem to stop tangible people. Humorously enough once he was past the forcefield system he was able to merge with the walls again. As he continued to explore looking for Eric the alarms suddenly went off with an intruder alert. Armed guards where running past and down the hall yelling about a trapped speedster. Pusher moved in the direction of the guards travels, looking for anyone who might be stuck in place down there. The way back was easy enough the doors where still open a few guards, which looked like school girls with guns, where coming out of the woodwork as the man in the armor came walking out behind them. Although behind her came Pusher there where guards on the other side of the door which he'd been following. The armored figured spoke now, obviously with a sound system in the armor considering the partial static. "Greetings, you must be Tachyon." Patty stopped--he knew who she was, but maintained just enough vibration to actually mask her identity--and said softly, "Might be..." "So where is the last of your group? I am curious to meet this..hardball I believe you call him." "Don't know, and who are you?" she questioned. Pusher couldn't hear what was going on, but he could see through the floor. He moved underneath Tachyon to rescue her. He wondered what energy bars were made out of. That was something he would have to look up for later use. Unaware that Pusher was as close as he was, Patty took a step back. "That's nice, and I don't think that...Eric...needs help from people like you, Inky." Another step back. "And I'm not sure I like your use of the word 'use'." She wanted to run and couldn't--there was just too many guards, she could run past them, but she was running low on personal energy--what she had, she needed to conserve...and opted to parlay. "What...kind of help?" "Easy, my dear girl no need to feel agitated. I merely plan on using some of genetic code to help speed the healing chambers. Your speed does allow for faster recovery doesn't it?" It seemed like he was trying to act 'honest' but considering how calm he was acting, either he had something up his sleeve or he was more crazy than he was letting on. He continued to walk towards her carefully. "Don't think so, nice thought, but is not happening Eric or not, DNA's personal and I'm keeping mine. *darn it, let him get to close.* She weighed her options... Pusher moved to an open area where he could still see the action in the main area, but where he could not be seen. He didn't like the fact that Eric's mentor was named Incubus. That could mean emotional problems. Tachyon noticed the guards had moved while Incubus had been chatting with her. Chatting would be an understatement; she'd allowed herself to make a newbie's error--he was too damn close, and she began to, low on energy or not, vibrate in preparation to run when... They'd moved themselves to try and keep her locked down. ...she jumped... Just when it was looking bad with incubus moving towards her, a wall seemed to form out of no where blocking Incubus from her (not to mention his guards) "Crap!" her eyes were wide--she was well and truly cornered. Not good... A heavy bang struck the wall a dent starting to form. It came roughly where Incubus had been standing so it was likely his doing. "Crud!" She spun around, looking for a way out... A Crawl space also seemed to be near by almost becking Tachyon for its use. Any old port in a storm--and it was a whole lot better than having hands laid upon her--and Patty hit the gas, diving for the crawl-space. Pusher decided he needed to get Eric. He waited for Patty to get in the crawlspace before transforming the grill into a solid sheet of steel with his powers. *!!PANG!!* Patty's head met with the top of the metal crawl-way at the sudden ringing of Pusher's voice--it was *NOT* what she'd expected; she collapsed onto elbows, both hands on top of her head. "OW!" "Head up to the surface as fast as you can." Pusher started through the walls. "I'm getting Eric and blowing this popsicle stand." "be careful..." Her voice rang and rang through the incredibly dark and tight crawlway--she could feel the walls closing in on her--and she pushed herself as best she could forward, trying to ignore the impending feeling of claustrophobia. Pusher hoped they couldn't blow the grate he had transformed before he did what he had to do. He used the walls to get to a clear space where Eric rested in his tube. Eric's tube was in front of Pusher as he came out of the wall. The medical equipment inside the room was pristine and almost like new with how much it glittered about them. The tube that was Eric was in had several buttons, dials and glowing lights that flashed several times. The buttons waited along with a monitor that showed some high level genetic readings on the screen. Pusher used his power on the tube to get Eric free. The blonde girl stopped her forward crawl, and took a deep breath. She wasn't particularly claustrophobic--but the darkness was not helping, and neither was the fact that this passageway was only a little bit bigger than she. It could've gone anywhere--and now she was wondering if she'd managed to set herself up into a trap. "Darn it." Carefully, she began inching her way backwards--maybe she could get back out the way she got in. Maybe. It seemed fairly easy to go back the same direction. In fact the further back she went the wider the tunnel got until she could stand up again. The tunnel also went back towards the lab that Eric had been inside of. The door way was being banged on by a very likely very irrate Incubus. Pusher seemed like he was ready to disintegrate the tube that Eric was inside. "Pusher no..." Patty began moving towards the other youthful hero... Pusher can feel the metals and plastics of the machine resisting the drain, but slowly the casing began to fall apart, releasing Eric. The catgirl's pod was still intact. The computer began beeping loudly with Eric's release. Loudspeakers spark to life with a computerized voice echoing, "Warning, warning, warning." Thankfully there appeared to be no laser security devices. Although there are plenty of cameras sending off microwaved information. Pusher used transform to heal Eric back up to snuff before trying to figure a way out of the complex. Pusher brought his concentration towards healing Eric only to find his own body healing small cuts and bruises, which were very few. Patty's movement towards Pusher and her warning went unheeded. The Computer beeped once again. The tube holding the catgirl draining and opening to release the occupant. Patty disappeared in a squeak of hard rubber soled shoes and reappeared, catching the injured catgirl in a slorp of goo and gunk. "Eww..." Eric's eyes slowly started to open as if groggy which was likely if there was a sedative within the liquid chemical bath he'd been taking. She laid the girl down on the floor gently, quickly assessing her injuries. "Well I'm guessing the rescue party is here. Any chance I can join in?" He asked taking note of where they were. Pusher placed a barrier around the cat girl before she could wake up. "We need an escape route and we need to blow things up." Pusher looked around for another airvent. "So what do you have?" "ItsmyfaultEricI'msorry," came the one-word response from Patty, who was still kneeling in a pool of goo next to the catgirl, making sure she lived still. Eric was trying to shake the cobwebs from his head. "Okay..someone still has cobwebs in his head. Can you slow that down." Standing up shakily he looked around not noticing his nudity. The catgirl however had something that looked like a thin suit over her skin. Patty laid the catgirl's head gently on the floor and stepped over to Eric, taking him in her arms and holding him tight. "I'm sorry," she said, slowly, "It was my fault you were hurt I'm so sorry." "On second thought, lets hold off on explanations until we get out of here." Eric looked about half dead, it was a certainty he wasn't going to be doing much running in his current condition. "If I remember correctly, the reason I was hurt was because someone wanted to teleport me somewhere. That's risky enough technology. Don't blame yourself for something someone else did Pa- Tachyon." he added as the catgirl began to wake. The banging at the walled door persisted as it started to give way to the onslaught behind it. "It looks like I am going to have to carry us out of here." Pusher looked around for things to transform. "You'll need clothes." Patty swept him off his feet--not the first time she'd carried him, and she tried her best to keep her eyes off his personal bits. "Pusher can you getusoutofhere?" "I think so." Pusher looked around for breathing equipment for his friends. As if noticing his nudity for the first he covered up with his hands. "Yeah.. getting out of here is a good idea." his face flushed crimson. "Looks like I'm going to need my clothes. "Mmmm...yeah," Patty agreed, trying to keep her eyes off of his groin as she turned to follow Pusher. "And I think the catgirlthingieiswakingup!" Pusher looked for replacement clothes for Eric with the breathing equipment. Pusher easily found Eric's clothes in a locker, along with a replacement costume, apparently Incubus planned on Eric joining him again. Pusher checked the costume for traps by running his hand through it and x-raying it with his vision power before handing it over. Since he didn't find any air or gas masks, he might have to improvise something. The catgirl looked around at them kind of groggily, noticing the red alert sounding. One would think she would have attacked the heroes around her. "Young master is here? You all join then. Who is attacking compound? We need escape or are we need weapons?" she asked standing up to move to a clothing locker quickly "Is police attacking already? I didn't think the bomb would have gone off yet." Patty's mouth fell open--bomb? Eric dressed in his costume and looked over at the catgirl a impish grin coming to his face before he took on a panicked tone. "Yes, we're under attack! But its not the police, its some strange illusionist or shape changer. Made himself look like Incubus! We need an exit and fast!" If there was a bomb, they needed out and in a hurry. The catgirl nodded as if everything Eric was saying couldn't have been a lie. Sometimes one had to wonder what kind of intelligence she had to fall for such a lie. But moving over to the computer she opened up what appeared to be a secret doorway. "This leads to the sewer ways, we should go now." Pusher turned his mask into a filter and costume air tight before turning on his flight and x-ray power to scan for traps in the walls as he headed down the tunnel first. Patty would have to help Eric. Tachyon swept Eric back off his feet. "I have you," she assured him, carrying him as gently as she could, and following behind Pusher. "Promise." Eric was carried by Patty. Thankfully the passage way was completely clear, leading them out towards another hidden doorway into the sewer ways again. The catgirl looked around nervously "What are we to do now?" she asked the group. Patty put Eric down and dusted her hands needlessly, an automatic reaction, then placed her hands on her hips, looking about. Eric looked around a bit "I think the best thing would be for you to go and see about getting help for Incubus. We..er better go check on that bomb. Where did you say it was?" The catgirl chuckled and poked Eric's forehead. "Silly humans always forget things. Not like we anipeople. We put bomb at police station. Make explosions big enough to knock down whole building." Patty looked at Eric, glancing momentarily at Pusher. "He's your dad," she said to Eric, giving her full opinion in volumes of tone without actually saying anything more.

Re: Essentials Universe (Amalgam) I think Captain America has been a mainstay of the Avengers for a while that he might be good enough to use solo. I can see some kind of Green Lantern being on the list, but you do have Silver Surfer and he is almost a GL in his own right. You don't have any representation from the minor teams which could be used with Shield. The only Shield entity in DC is Checkmate/Task Force X which has changed almost as much as Shield with less history behind it. I don't have a preference about a underwater guy but Aquaman has always been more of a team guy than Namor, who started out battling the original Human Torch. CES

Re: Favorite flavor of Guardians? Even Captain Doby had to drop the hammer on someone. Most of the players I have dealt with prefer command to stay out of the way while they do the mission. So I guess what I am trying to say is that unless your Guardian is going out there with a flaming sword and piercing gaze, he's not important except as a background npc. Unless he's also the villain of the campaign. CES

Re: Favorite flavor of Guardians? Depends on the character, depends on the game. If they were directly involved, probably none of them. CES

Re: Favorite flavor of Guardians? Also remember the guardians mentioned are high command. They pick agents they feel can do the job against the threats they percieve. In other words, Mentor, the guardians of the universe, Yoda, are the Captain Dobys of their settings. Lensmen, GLs, lesser Jedi Masters and apprentices are the Starskys and Hutches. A guardian doesn't go in the field. They send other people. That makes them a start off point for a whole campaign, or single adventure, not a force to be considered in play unless there is some type of emergency. I think Mentor was the last of his species and had lost a lot of power so trained new lensmen to send to the field. The GLC faced something they couldn't handle, so the Guardians called Superman and Alan Scott in to help out a couple of times. The Jedi were being killed, Yoda arrived with the Clone Army to save the day. CES

Re: Dragonia The basic outline of the world so far is this: Dragonia is a diamond shaped kingdom with an uneasy peace with several kingdoms around it. Ruled by King Sam, it is protected by the dragon knights from outer and inner forces that try to disturb the peace. Sanctuaries have been set up to record the memories of the dying and reload them into reincarnated bodies in case of catastrophes. Steam men rule the lands to the south under King Frank. Mechanized vehicles and artificial men form the core of their fighting force, and arming them with cannon and rifles to do the mad scientist's will. King Zephyr, not a real king, but a bandit monster controls a mountainous region to the west. He is a mostly air elemental like a living tornado in a sheet. He's fast and deadly with his powers much to the dragon knights' chagrin. Queen Lamia is a reptilian snake woman who controls light, air, water, and her subjects are lizard men. Her land lies across a channel of water in the east. The Fifth Kingdom is run by clerics and monks who act for the greater good. An abbot is elected as the policy decider for the clergy under his guidance. There is a shrine in every town with a monk charged with protecting the people. Ungi, Kraken, Hugo, and Gaia are the four elemental giants that stand at the horizon of the world. A secret empire of undead has been rumored but no one has ever found real evidence of such a thing. Individual zombies and vampires have been dealt with without a connection to a greater cause. Enter Sir Donald, the newest dragon knight, to the throne room of King Sam. The king ordered the knight south to investigate steam men building up on the southern border. Sir Donald stocks up on supplies, records his memories at a sanctuary, and heads south along the public roads. After several days, he arrives in Cornelia which is three days away from the Steam Kingdom. Mayor Puffin asks the knight to investigate a strange zombie trying to ruin the crops that help supply the region. Sir Donald agrees to handle the problem since no other knights are nearby. Preliminary investigation leads him to believe that he isn't dealing with a zombie. He decides to ambush whatever it is and take it down. Donald hid it in a ditch, waited for night fall, and shot the monster in the head with a blast arrow. Then he shot it again, as he rushed over with his sword. He knocked the head off with his claymore. He found the monster was a steam man disguised as a zombie. Donald sent a messenger bird dragon back to the king, repaired his armor, and rested up for the next leg of his journey. Stories of towns being burned down reached his ears. He decided to warn the next town he thought would be attacked and rode his dragon up in the clouds to keep an eye on things. He spotted a cloud moving against the wind, and attacked. He discovered that it was a flying machine the equal of his runt dragon. He decided to land on the back of the ship and attack the engines at the rear of the steam plane. Doors popped open to allow steam men to attack. The mechanical men forced the knight and his dragon off the plane, wounding the animal severely enough it couldn't fly. Donald pulled chicken legs from his saddle bag and fed Flames the runt dragon enough so he could fly again. Then they attacked the engines again, finally knocking them out. The plane headed down. //

Re: SoloUberCampaign:Adventures of the Dark Tavin gave chase, he couldn't allow the beast to escape, and he leapt after him as fast as he possibly could, pushing his leaping to its limits. Tavin looked longingly at the bike as it rocketed off and he followed almost as quickly, "I have gotta get me one of those!" Tavin leaped from building to building, but was quickly left in the dust by the roaring motorcycle. He did know the cyclist was moving toward the Potomac faster than any normal bike. Tavin moved to the top of the Washington Monument to see if he could find the motorcycle riding monster. Tavin spotted the enemy down by the river just off the road. Naturally he wasn't moving. It would take the shadow ninja sometime to get there even with teleportation, but he had plenty of time. Tavin moved as quickly as possible, to get to the thing, no sense in wasting time, It may take a long time to destroy the beast. The Scythe lay motionless on the ground, surrounded by green and red frogs. They looked up at Tavin in unison before heading for the river. Tavin felt a tide of uneasiness rising in him as he watched the frogs scurry away... "Does that mean what I think it means..." Tavin was very uncomfortable. He made a mental note to tell his father as soon as he spoke to him again and reached deep within him. "I apologize for the lack of decorum here my not so honorable opponent, but I must destroy you... I really have no other choice... for this" Tavin calmly said as he reached his fist back and dark power engulfed his hand as he plunged it down toward the chest of the scythe wielder "IS MY JOB!" he exclaimed milliseconds before smashing his fist into the beast. "You suck." The Scythe looked up through his armored face plate. "You hit like a little girl." One frog looked on, off to one side. Tavin heard sirens from Fire/Rescue and police coming down the highways toward the open streets that the Scythe had used as his hunting ground. They must be taxed badly with the unleashing of three killing monsters. Dark chuckled to himself, "almost forgot about Johnny Law... Gotta keep that temper in check..." he looked down and said, "Well Mister Scythe, I don't think the police will take kindly to, I was just doing my job either, so get ready for a long long time in jail. Now time to dispatch your friend." He made sure the monster's weapon and vehicle were out of reach and the police were in view before he took off in full pursuit of the other monster. The Dark knew the Monster Wrangler had been reported working his way along Massachusetts Avenue, heading north. That meant he was heading away from the Potomac with his monsters. Dark leapt down to the street, in the path of the oncoming monster, "Well we meet again, I have already defeated your partner already, why don't you just give up and lets move along." The empty street seemed silent for the amount of damage he could see with his naked eye. Then there was the cry of a baby in one of the houses and the scream of a woman. The monsters were still around, and reaping for the woman from the grave. Massachusetts Avenue ran the length of the city, composed of residential areas, historical overlaps, and some commercial buildings. As Tavin reached the street, he could see that shadow monsters had left their mark on some of the houses and apartment buildings. Bloody claw marks marked their progress north along the avenue. Any normal human meeting the things from the third boy would certainly be maimed, if not killed. "Well, guess that didn't work..." Dark moved into action, approaching the first of the monsters and unleashing a kick. The Dark's move caused monsters to appear to surround him with something like blood lust in their eyes. Claws shimmered with oily darkness as they growled at him. At least he had been able to divert the attention from the woman inside the apartment building with his bold move. She screamed so he knew she was alive, but not her condition. Dark saw what looked like it could be bad for him. He prepared to use defensive maneuvers to avoid their attacks, He looked at the monster he attacked to see what damage he had done to it as he slowly and carefully backed away from the voice to hopefully keep the monsters away from her. "If it isn't the hero." The voice emitted from all the monsters as they hunched ready to attack. "What would you do, hero, to save the woman? Would you even try to save her?" Dark could see at least 20 of the beasts around him, with the one he bruised. More eyes were drifting closer join the crowd standing outside of arm's reach. One wrong move and he would be the chum in the middle of a feeding frenzy. Dark chuckled, " I am the hero aren't I fool. But truthfully I came to kick your **s like I did to your friend, can't be letting you make me look like a fool and get away with it now can I?" Dark backed up a step to get a clear path to leap up to the building behind him so that he could cling to it and maybe get an upper hand on these beasts. "So, shall we? Or are you ok with the fact that Scythe boy is taking a nap in a nice maximum meta security prison and his motorcycle is at the bottom of a river... Ahh the memories... as I remember it he wasn't even that good of a fight... maybe I was just off my game when I fought your friend, you guys really don't seem that tough." Dark knew he was pushing his luck, but he maintained his pushed up cockiness, He knew this guy would not be an easy fight, he was hoping he could irritate it enough to come after him and leave the woman alone, and he could either hold out or do well enough that his grandfather could come and assist him. "I don't like to fight." The voice said from the army of minions keeping their eye on the hero. "And I have almost completed my part of the mission. A few more collected tonight or tomorrow won't make that much of a difference to the Gatekeeper. So I'm willing to put the challenge down for you if you're man enough to step up to the plate." Dark smiled, well he had accomplished one objective. "ha, cheap words beast, Lets do this.." Dark's cockiness was all an act and a good one at that. However, the thing that wasn't an act was his fighting skill... he took a millisecond and fell into himself, and steadied himself for the battle to come. He reached out with his senses as his Grandfather had taught him, all else faded away, he entered his stance calm and ready to battle. "Come beast, it is high time some one sent you back to hell." "I told you. I don't fight ever." The monsters continued to speak in their master's voice, but the Dark noticed they were moving to use the nearby walls and roofs as launch points if he attacked. "I'm willing to let you have the woman if you think you can find her. Let's say five minutes. After that, she's dog food. Of course if you don't want to play, she's dog food anyway. What's it going to be, hero?"

Re: Dragonia Nothing mysterious. I just needed to mark a thread out for a small solo game with my son when I didn't have a lot of time. I told him I would put the notes up for everyone to read. CES

Marker to find later CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child. Picked up a book by Rob Thurman called Madhouse. Brothers Cal and Niko are in the monster detective business. Their latest case is Sawney Beane coming back to life and snacking on New Yorkers. I think I am going to hunt up the other two books and see if they are as good. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) You're welcome. If I get some more ideas, I will post them here. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) I'd like to thank the members of the board that I named my characters after for their forbearance and patience. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) In the end, Chad Reilly used his connections to clean up the mess. He supposed it could have been handled better by seasoned pros, but the ad hoc conglomeration had come through for Marlowe. The Question Man had called them together. Someone named Keys had moved them around where possible. Reilly, Thia, and Tim Bucket had acted as distractions. The coach worked hard to hide his amazement when he saw Tim and Herb after the monster had been put to sleep. Alice and Squirrel, Super Squirrel, had shown up on their own to help out with what they had. Oz Mike had acted as the stop guard at the lake. The ex-agent had recognized him from surfing competitions broadcast on ESPN. Odd had provided transportation and the solution to the problem with his hat. Reilly thought it was some kind of magician's trick at first. Nothing up my sleeve, now watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat. That didn't explain the casual way he had dipped in to pull out a casing, and then a stoppered bottle of stuff to pour into the hollow shell. The Enforcer didn't understand the explanation about how space/time folded across numerous dimensions so that when the hat was in one place, the owner could pull out what he was looking for because he was actually reaching into some other reality. He could see he wasn't the only one that didn't quite get it. That didn't matter. The only thing that did was that Keys had been able to get Alice and Thia to a bungalow near the lake and the owl woman had been able to carry the other girl on her wings so they could reach Mike and put the monster down. Aylwin joined Reilly where he stood watching agents from the Project wrestle with the shrunken, bound, but still dangerous critter as they tried to secure it on a transport truck with a portable tank back to where they kept their captured monsters. "Excellent job, Coach." Her could be anyone features were a little sharper behind the sunglasses that seemed to come with the black suit she wore. "Had some help." Reilly smiled under his mask. "Matter of fact, I hardly did anything at all. The Question Man's team did it all on their own." "The Question Man's team?" Aylwin smiled, brushing a strand of her short hair back from face. "They're still trying to decide if they want to stay together as a superhero group." Reilly shrugged. "Trebuchet's Titans has been voted down the last I heard." "A lab team has checked the lake water." Aylwin pointed to a black van further along the shore out of the way of the struggle with the much smaller creature. "It's contaminated. They think it's the same chemical dumping Leaguer linked to Alchemo back east. Tests will prove it conclusively one way, or the other." "So a team of freelancers might be approved by the Project?" Reilly had read about the dumping in the ocean and the arrest of the head of the chemical company by Leaguer. "It's not up to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if a control agent was based here for a while to keep an eye on things." Aylwin looked in the distance. "A grant might be approved for action. An operating team in America really hasn't been done since the Project first started in the 50's." "I remember." Reilly walked over to where the nine foot long Zornwill was trying to grab one of the agents in a limb taking grip of its jaws. He summoned some of that old energy back and dumped it in the tank after the other men released in concert. A metal lid went in place to hold it in until it reached its new home. "Be careful getting him out, guys." Reilly stood back as the transport buttoned up and headed for parts unknown. "I'll talk to the others." Reilly shrugged. "Maybe they will go for it, maybe not. Their powers seemed limited from what I saw, but they should be able to help in emergencies with no problem." "Are you sure you're not trying to get back in the game?" Aylwin knew that some of the first models as the Project volunteers had been called hated the loss of their powers even though they still had an extended lifespan. She routinely checked on them as part of her duties. "I can coach them for a while, but field duty is for emergencies only." The Enforcer couldn't keep the regret out of his voice. "I nearly got swallowed last night because I couldn't fly fast enough. That's embarrassing." "I'll call when I get official word." Aylwin waved, heading for her issued car. "I have to help clean up the lake, and get drinkable and usable water for the town while reconstruction is going on." "I'll talk to the others." Reilly waved back. "They might not want to be moving targets." The Enforcer took to the air in a slow, graceful glide.

Re: Magistracy: Characters Character Name: Luna Real Name: Diana Archer Nationality: American Hair/Eye Color: Blue/silver Place of Birth: New York, New York Date of Birth: 4/9/85 Height/Mass: 5'2"/99 pounds Cost Characteristic Value 5 STR 15 60 DEX 30 10 CON 15 20 BODY 20 5 INT 15 20 EGO 20 10 PRE 20 5 COM 20 PD 3 ED 4 20 SPD 6 REC 7 END 30 STUN 34 OCV: 10 DCV: 10 OECV: 6 DECV: 6 Phases: 2,4,6,8,10,12 Cost Powers and Talents (END) Detect Structural Weaknesses 5 pts, sense 2 pts, analyze and discriminatory 10 pts 17 pts Martial Art 70 pt Multipower 3u Punch a hole through anything: Hand Killing Attack 2d6 30 pts 2u Paralyzing grip: Entangle 5d6 25 pts, Takes no damage from attacks (+½) , cannot form barriers (-1/4), Must follow a grab (-½). 21 pts 4u Catching bullets: Missile deflection and reflection of bullets 35 pts 3u Untouchable: + 8 dcv, cost end (-½) 27 pts Cost Skills 3 Stealth 15- 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Shadowing 15- 3 Acrobatics 15- 3 Breakfall 15- 3 AK: New York 12- 3 KS: The Underground 12- 3 KS: The Martial Arts World 12- 40 + 5 combat skill Levels all combat 15 Combat sense 6 +4 lightning reflexes 5 International Police Powers 1 passport 5 Diplomatic Immunity 150 Points Disadvantages 15 In Love with Phaeton 15 Enraged if Phaeton is hurt. 11-/11- 15 Physical Lim: Mind wiped. 20 Watched by the UN 11- 30 Hunted by the underworld 14- 15 Reputation: Bad Tempered Terror 14- 10 Rivalry with other martial artist heroes 10 DF: Silver Hair 10 Likes to fight 10 Famous CHA Cost = 155 Total Powers Cost = 99 Total Skills Cost = 96 Total Cost = _____350_____________

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) 13 Oz Mike Michaelson stood by Lake Marlowe and wondered if his friend has lost his mind. On the other hand, Quin had been right about everything else so far. They had got some others involved, and the monster was coming back to the lake, down the path it had already plowed. Now all he had to do was hold it until the others could carry out the rest of the plan. That sounded a whole lot easier in his brain than it did when accompanied by images of the small city being blasted to pieces by the thing he had to stop. He should get in his borrowed car and take off. That would be the smart thing to do. What could one man do against something like that? On the other hand, Steve Irwin had been catching Kaijus in the Pacific for his zoo for years before his accident. He had done a lot for the regions afflicted by giant monsters. And he didn't have any powers at all. Oz Mike stared at the giant dashing down the flattened road for the water behind him. He had said he would help, and it was time he did that. It was time to figure out what power he did have locked inside. Oz Mike stepped into the shallow water. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the beast barreling down on him. The water around his bare feet felt energetic. He opened his eyes, looked around, realized he was ten feet off the ground on a jet of water. He was surfing a wave he created. Mike turned and the water carried him along the shore. He didn't have to balance like he would on a board. The wave adjusted to what he wanted. He looked behind him. The water declined like a falling trail behind his path of travel. Mike asked for more speed as he circled the lake. The wave grew behind him as he went. His mind reckoned it to the bow wave of a big ship. This might be what the doctor ordered. Mike circled the lake at increasing speed. It looked like pudding in a blender from his height. Now how could he use it to stop the water dwelling monster? The champion surfer gathered as much water as he could in his wake and headed for shore. The turtle crocodile roared at him. He couldn't tell if it was fear, or rage. That didn't matter. What did matter was avoiding those oversized choppers while buzzing it like a mad hornet. At least his legs felt normal again, the lethargy gone finally. He wished it hadn't taken a mobile WMD to wake him up. He could have done with a simple breakfast and walking tour. Oz Mike circled the monster, buzzing its head like an old biplane going after King Kong. Too bad he didn't have one of those old time machine guns. He wasn't too sure bullets would work but it would have made him feel better. Mike kept at his harassment until he felt his bridge start to give way. He turned and headed back for the lake. His surfing would expire without a new supply. The lizard had smashed through his wave with its forearms and upper body. He figured that had cut his supply low. Mike hovered over the lake, drawing in more of the dark water as fish dove for cover. The croc turtle was two steps away from diving into the water and making a clean getaway. The surfer concentrated on building the biggest wave he could make, extending his control over the liquid until it hurt to think about it. Mike raised his hand, then chopped it down. Every bit of water under his command rolled forward in a liquid stampede. He stood at the top, held firm by the very substance he forced forward. The champion stepped to the left, splitting off a side spray as the main force kept going uncontrolled. The tidal wave hit, forcing the monster back a step. Mike flew over the lake, drawing more material for his strange horse. He looked at the beast as it made a honking noise. It looked at the lake as its lair, and now it was disturbed to be blocked from its natural home. "It's all fun and games until the chicken wings decide to change their attitude." Mike felt a twinge of pity, but beat it down. If he let it get away, it would keep surfacing to eat people until someone else dealt with it. He wondered what was taking Quin so long to get there. A winged girl in cast off rags arrived with another girl in her arms. Mike noticed the girl being carried had a rifle in her hands. It looked like one of those elephant guns from a safari movie. "Hello ladies." Mike didn't think his new power extended to carrying others. "What's going on?" "We have an antidote for the monster." The winged girl sounded out of breath. "We just have to get him to open his mouth." "That Odd guy made it with his (&*^ hat." The other girl sighted down the barrel of the rifle she carried. "Why am I not surprised?" Mike shook his head. "Can you hold us steady? I can't shoot it if you can't, girl." The rifle woman looked up at her transport. "Switch up." Mike held his arms up to catch the shooter. "I can hold her on my back on this as long as I concentrate." The bird woman gratefully handed the shooter over. Mike held her piggy back, rifle barrel extending over his right shoulder. He concentrated on making sure his column didn't collapse under the both of them. "Hold it steady." The rifle woman growled as she looked at her giant target. "I can't get a clear shot. Its mouth is closed." "Hold on." Mike pushed forward, holding his passenger tight against the wind he was generating. "Get ready." The monster saw them coming, opened its mouth to roar out a challenge. A cloud of smoke crossed in front of Mike's vision for a second, then the bang deafened him slightly. The giant's maw clamped down. It raised one forepaw as if trying to think of what it should be doing. "Let's give it a minute to see what happens." Mike reversed course to hover just above the lake. "Have you got another one of those antidote bullets?" "Odd could only make one." The bird woman drifted beside the water walker. "Something about limitations on his hat." "I just think he's &*&^* crazy." The rifle vanished from the girl's hands. "You curse a lot for a kid." Mike watched the monster. If it got back up, he would drop his rider on the shore and try to get back to stop it from getting in the water. "First off, you're not my daddy." The shooter's voice climbed a notch. "Secondly, I'm going in the Marines in a few months which makes me an adult. Don't forget it." "Keep squirming around, and you'll be going in the water in a few seconds." Mike smiled at a thunderous snore. "It looks like you did it, ladies. It's asleep." "We all did it." The bird woman smiled. "I just can't believe it." "Believe this, I want to be put down on dry land." The rifle woman pointed at a spot close to the lake in the direction of town. "I want to go home." "Let's talk to Quin first." Mike headed for shore, eyes still on the sleeping monster. "We still have to get it out of here before it wakes up."

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) 12 Chad Reilly floated at the back of the giant Zornwill's mouth, and almost laughed in relief. A few seconds slower, and he would have bounced down the gullet of the beast like some modern Jonah. As it was, he had hit a set of teeth and almost been knocked out. "Should have stayed retired, idiot." The Enforcer decided he had one course to try. He didn't like it. On the other hand, he didn't have much choice if he wanted to get free and smell clean open air again. Reilly pointed a finger down the throat of the croc turtle. He was getting out. The problem was he only had enough for two more shots. He hoped it worked. Reilly summoned the energy he had given by Project Z those decades ago. It built around his finger, then his hand. He released the ball of light when he reached the limit of holding it in. It vanished down the throat of the beast, heading for the stomach. The resulting blast told him that it hadn't made it all the way down. The mouth opened in a reflex action. The teeth looked like some weird portcullis from the inside. Reilly saved his last blast as he flung himself over the lips. The monster glared down at his gray form, somehow knowing he was the cause of its problems. Reilly's flight cut out as he sailed into clear air. He saw the street coming up, wondered if he would survive the fall with his toughened body and padded suit. He thought it was like falling a mile from an airplane and your chute didn't open. Walking away was like winning the big lottery. It was doable, but a one in a million chance almost not worth thinking about. Strong arms wrapped around Reilly and slowed his fall. He looked around. A face at once a bird and a woman smiled at his surprise. "Need a hand?" The owl woman dropped down toward the ground. "I'm too old for this crap." Reilly smiled under his full face mask. "I don't think we can take it. I'm almost out of juice." "You did better than I and my boyfriend have done." The owl woman blinked her wide eyes. "I see a couple of guys who might be with us by their masks. My name is Alice." "I used to be called the Enforcer." Reilly looked down, barely making out two men standing by a car painted a mass of colors. "I thought I was retired from stuff like this." Alice descended gently to a landing beside the car. One of the men wore a bowler that looked like Uncle Sam had fell into a drug factory. His companion had taken the time to blacken his face, and pulled his collar up over the bottom of his face. Reilly looked at the two. Which one had called him back to action? "How you doing?" The bowler tipped his hat. "Pretty impressive taking on that monster like that." "You know who I am." Reilly frowned. "Who are you?" "I'm Odd." The bowler made a gesture at himself that looked like a half-bow. "This is the Question Man." "Time to call Mike and tell him to get ready." The Question Man referred to a sheaf of notes he had rolled up in his hands. "We'll have to move our artillery up to give him a hand." "What about Squirrel?" Alice looked up. "He's in this too." "Tell him to get down." The Question Man's eyes glowed in the reflected fire light. "We better tell Keys to do his thing." Alice took wing, smiling. Maybe tomorrow they would have something to say about how she looked. Right then they needed her, and it felt good to be needed for who she was and what she could do. And she admitted she and Squirrel had been lucky not to have been hit by a flying car, or the missile shooter. "Hey, Squirrel!" Alice winced as the giant beast got to its hind legs and swept its tail around as it turned. Anything caught in the limb's path turned into junk and pieces. "Squirrel! Let's go." Squirrel blinked, standing up. All of his followers looked up too. Squirrels could bite through leather work gloves like they were nothing. They had been putting that talent to good use, partially foiled by the rapidly healing skin. "What's going on?" Squirrel leaped for a tree that hadn't been knocked over by the kaiju-the giant monster. He cleared the thirty foot gap easily. The rest of his followers descended and dropped off from a safe height. "We have help." Alice smiled. "I think they have a plan besides annoy the monster to death." "I'm all over that." Squirrel wiped his chin. "Biting and clawing didn't seem to do anything but annoy it." "Let's meet the others." Alice floated down, keeping pace with him. "They might as well know you're on their side so you don't get caught in whatever they're doing." "Let's do that."

Re: The Ultimates-Need Ideas... combat changes depending on dice rolls but I would match the Ultimates to their opposite number with anyone left over to be used to double team or act as a screen. Definitely use Binder as a sniper to trap characters and try to knock them out of the fight as fast as possible. I would also try to use blasters at range with any brick as a defensive line. CES