GestaltBennie

Re: Top 5 Champs books of all time And the two Asian Bestiaries and Kazei Five. That makes four, unless I'm forgetting something.

Re: Top 5 Champs books of all time There aren't enough of those to fill the list. Mike. So get writing.

Re: Foxbat and... When I saw the title, I immediately flashed back to "Foxbat and Fandom" from the old AC. Bu you don't want to team Foxbat up with someone who's too much like him; you need someone whose personality will contrast with him enough to make it interesting. It's the first rule of buddy movies: the buddies don't mirror each other, they compliment each other. Would Harley Quinn look good teaming with a femme fatale feminist villainess who likes plants? You bet she would! So let's see.... Gravitar lost a bet to Viperia, and that bet was... loser dates Foxbat! So what would *that* night on the town look like?

Re: Top 5 Champs books of all time My top five, not counting books whre I made major contributions or general HERO sourcebools (otherwise Pulp Hero and UMA would be on this list): 1. Strike Force 2. DEMON (for Fifth Edition) 3. Hudson City: The Urban Abyss 4. CKC 5. Champions in 3D

Re: Gestalt: Architects of Change: What Would *You* Like to See Things are progressing. I'm still unsure of the title and you can probably expect it to change before publication. I'm 106 pages into the project, with a lot to go. I'm plugging in a lot of write-ups (the Tyranny League and the Hot Gods are next), creating new ones, while working on the framework for the alien invasion metastory. As I've mentioned before, there's a lot about the aliens in this book. I still haven't even finished writing the Eiko section yet; new drum types, constructs, and ships will almost certainly be added before the book's done to fit the needs of the invasion story. The character write-ups in the book will likely be: Heroes Dynamo Jack Kinestar Bellweather (new Columbia member) Villains THE HOT GODS (no illos, they're nudists) Apollo Horus Kukulkan Thor Venus Shiva THE TYRANNY LEAGUE Imperator Berserker Computor Daimyo Despot Hand of Chaos Jerricho Bronze Poltergeist Portal (w/Horde dimension guard) Scarlet Knight DOCTOR POWER and CREW Dr. Theresa Power Recreated Dr. Matthias Power Gyrfalcon Leonardo Sil;versmith OTHER VILLAINS The Bone White Queen The Byzantine Cenotaph The Dark Dharma Bill The End Kavelerist Mordred Radaa Sinistrado I'm debating about including: America Man, the Leopard, Stuntman and the Stuntmobile, and the Measurer and his Measuring Sticks. Dave is looking into the prospect of art for the book. We've got one person who's been kind enough to offer to donate some money to the project, and I'm looking to see if a couple of other options are open to us.

Re: Gestalt: Architects of Change: What Would *You* Like to See The book's proceeding well; I'm probably at the halfway point, with a delivery to Blackwyrm sometime in June (barring a health collapse or another computer disaster) and the M&M version in July. With HERO 6th edition coming soon, I'm working on the HERO version first; this book will be for 5th edition, as I won't know what's in 6th until Steve finishes it and is willing to share. The title is NOT set in stone. The book will be a mix of new and revised material. If it's short, it'll be 128 pages, if it's long, maybe as many as 160 pages (I'll keep it to the traditional 16 page division). Illos will be virtually non-existent as I have no budget for them, but it will keep the price point low (price to be determned once I talk with Dave). As I have no art, I'm trying to make the layout as "eye-friendly" (ie. uncluttered) as possible. My plan for the contents are follows: Table of Contents "Father, I" (fiction piece, a day in the life of Dr. Power) Chapter I: Introduction Chapter II: The World Updated (advancing the timeline, what the major players are doing to prepare for the Eiko Invasion). Chapter III: Goals (a new rules section on dividing goals into logical steps and purchasing them like M&M feats or HERO System talents). Chapter IV: Sixteen archetype packages (possibly to be expanded): Clothing, Construction, Curses, Dance, Earthquakes, Farming, Friendship, Hands, The Internet, Law, Passion, Peacekeeper, Politics, Sex, Shadows, Travel. I may add 2 or 4 more if we need to fill space. Chapter V: Extraterrestrials. (lots of unpublished material here, so this will be pretty hefty.) Chapter VI: Alternate gestalt worlds (timelines for "Gestalts Existed Since the Dawn of Time" and "Gestalts Existed Since WW2" campaigns). Chapter VII: New Characters. Most of the crew from Gestalt of the Week and the Tyranny League articles, corrected and expanded, and quite a few other important players, plus more toys for the Eiko. Chapter VIII: Adventures "Seven Nights in Copenhagen" -- Running the Copenhagen Tournament, from special events to parties to seminars, it's like UFC meets GenCon! "Sanctification" -- An outline for the Eiko invasion, key tasks that need to be done to ensure Earth's survival and good places to fit in the PCs so they don't feel like second raters in a conflict of global scope. Chapter IX : Aftermath What happens after the Invasion including the possibility of... "The Time of Tyranny"! Appendix Copenhagen Tournament Control Sheet and Eiko Construction Sheet (composite creatures are a pain). Index

Re: Gestalt: Architects of Change: What Would *You* Like to See

Re: Gestalt: Architects of Change: What Would *You* Like to See The Tyranny League will be included, hopefully with expansions on the web material (HQ, their greatest battles, ten secrets, etc.). Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. Looks like there's a lot of material on the website (as well as some unpublished stuff in the archives) that can be included. I also have some wacky ideas on expanding the goals section, being able to spend xp to buy goals like powers (Marriage: Cost 20 points ), trading off progress in goals (ie. setbacks) for hero points. We'll see if I can get "Social Powers" into working order, could be fun as well as a good point sink. I have no idea whether this will be financially feasible or whether the setring's played out -- I suspect it probalty is for most people, given the lack of response in the thread -- but dammit, it feels good to be writing again.

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? The soundtrack to Alexander Nevsky, by Prokofiev, as performed by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Communist propaganda never sounded so good. The score for the battle on the ice is amazing. After this, I'll give another listen to the new Jars of Clay album.

Re: Gestalt: Architects of Change: What Would *You* Like to See Gestalt of Evil Laughs. Check.

I'm finally getting off my duff and working on compiling and polishing the Gestalt extras (Gestalt of the Week, Tyranny League, and a few others, including a setting update and a short story from 1993) into a new PDF. The working title is Gestalt: Architects of Change: it will be graphically spartan (to say the least) but hopefully will boost existing campaigns and encourage others to use the setting. The Hero System version will be for v. 5.0, alas, though a Gestalt for the upcoming 6e Hero is not inconceivable. My goal is for the PDF to either be free or relatively inexpensive ($5 tops), depending on time and final page count. So is there anything you'd like to see in it, provided I can get it done some time in the next few months?

Re: Gestalt's Tyranny League Hero Designer file.

Re: Gestalt's Tyranny League "Howdy there, this is god speaking to ya -- or a god at least. Today, I’m gonna kill you. Now don’t go getting mad, it ain't personal... well, not very, that is. You wanna say good night?" Background: Cognito ergo sum? Daniel Villiers was the epitome of New York snobbery, despote his extremely humble Southern roots. The chicanery in his soul allowed him to claw his way to the top of the 1990s New York financial scene. He reveled in it, with high living, high profile romances, and lavish parties at his estate, which he named Jericho ("I dare any of my enemies to break down these walls!"). To celebrate one particularly hard-fought hostile takeover, he chose to build his most decadent monument yet, commissioning the finest sculptor in the world to carve a life-sized statue of the Roman god Mercury out of a huge slab of meteor iron, for (like the classic deity) he saw himself as the god of profit. Villiers wanted to stare out onto his lawn of Jericho and see the reflection of a modern god in its metal skin. By 1994, the statue was ready, and Villiers threw a party to celebrate his magnificent achievement. It was a stormy day, but Villiers didn't care if the upper crust soaked -- their only use for tonight was to bask in his glory. The heavens did not concern him, but the financier should've paid more attention to the storm. When Villiers threw off the tarp and unveiled his masterpiece to the dampened crowd, lightning fell from the sky. It struck both Villiers and the statue -- at the moment of a gestalt wave, and Villiers had been marked. Death met the gestalt. In that bizarre contest, both won. Villiers died, but some of his memories entered the statue. However the part of the soul that was entombed within was not the refined New York financier – it was the southern redneck that Villiers had left behind: a wild child. The statue came to life, and beheld a crowd of socialites, gathered in astonishment. Somehow, enough of Villiers' contempt for the New York social scene to which he'd been forced to pander to remained in his soul. The statue decided to kill them all. And he did. And he enjoyed it. He wanted more of it. "Jericho Bronze, Deadly Bronze", read the headline in the Post. They didn't even have the right metal... but the name stuck. So what does a 7' foot, homicidal superpowered statue do with his life? There's killing people, of course, but a god needs a pantheon, so he sought out other villains, becoming heavily involved in the New York supervillain scene, trying really hard (like every other bad guy in town) to kill Kinestar (whom he still holds a grudge over trapping him in a block of cement and tossing him into the deepest reaches of the Atlantic). Eventually, he attracted the attention of the Tyranny League, who recruited him on the spot. He's become the effective field captain of the team, in charge of its battlefield tactics. Perhaps coincidentally, he's a good mediator (like the god Mercury) and knows how to smooth down conflicts, as well as heal his teammates with the caduceus staff. Personality: Jericho prides himself on being a friendly guy, and sometimes comes across as a good ol’ boy. He has a soft spot (figuratively) for speedsters; and had a reasonably cordial relationship with Ricochet of the Hollywood Knights. He and Kid Mercury, on the other hand, don’t get along at all. The man stole his name, after all. The friendly personality, however, is largely an affectation. Jericho's core personality is a fusion of Villier's southern roots and the god who's depicted on his metal skin. He is a proud, privileged megalomaniac who occasionally experiences delusions of godhood: when he lets his guard down, he becomes less of the scrappy Southern backroads rat and more like a modern incarnation of a god. It's a very odd fusion of two wildly different personalities who nonetheless have converged on common goals: get rich, spread terror, and have a helluva lot of fun in the process. Powers/Tactics: Okay, Jericho Bronze is a gestalt inspired creature that's the living statue of a god, with the classical traits of the god Mercury grafted onto the personality of a homicidal redneck. You got that? Tactically, Jericho is pretty much a standard speedster, using hit and run tactics. He'll use healing on teammates when he can get to them, but prefers to get involved in the offense. The greatest frustration to Jericho is that despite his great powers, the costume is a permanent fixture on his skin, including an ever present fig leaf on the more... ahem.. manly part of his body. On the bright side (for him), people have never been able to chop off pieces of Jericho's body (though some have tried). Mechanics Notes: The cost on the Kinetic Rebound power is higher than campaign maximums, due to the difficulties of grandfathering the power from 4e. If this bothers you, remove the power. Appearance: Jericho Bronze is a living statue of the Greek God Mercury, 7' tall and several tons in weight. He is made from dark, black iron, but a coating of gold covers his skin. He has the shoulder cape, hat, winged sandals and the fig leaf that's the most common representation of the deity. Jericho Bronze Val Char Cost Roll Notes 50 STR 40 19- Lift 25.6tons; 10d6 HTH damage 35 DEX 75 16- OCV: 12/DCV: 12 35 CON 50 16- 30 BODY 40 15- 18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13- 18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6 35 PRE 25 16- PRE Attack: 7d6 20 COM 5 13- 10 PD 0 Total: 10/20 PD (0/10 rPD) 10 ED 3 Total: 10/20 ED (0/10 rED) 8 SPD 35 Phases: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 20 REC 6 80 END 5 80 STUN 7 Total Characteristics Cost: 315 Movement: Run: 6"/NC" Swim: 2"/NC" Cost Powers END 150 Kinetic Rebound: EB 8d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Does x1 1/2 Knockback (+1/2), Damage Shield (Offensive; +3/4) 0 103 Winged Feet: Flight 23", No Turn Mode (+1/4), rapid Noncombat movement (+1/4), MegaScale (1" = 1 km; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) 0 55 Divine Portfolio: Multipower, 55-point reserve 3u 1) Mind Control 11d6; Conditional Power Only On Messengers, Financiers, and Physicians (-1) 5 3u 2) Telepathy 11d6; Conditional Power Only On Messengers, Financiers, and Physicians (-1) 5 4u 3) Healing BODY 4d6, Can Heal Limbs 4 37 Armor (10 PD/10 ED), Hardened (+1/4) 0 22 Knockback Resistance -11" 0 11 Lack Of Weakness (-11) for Resistant Defenses 0 48 LS (Eating: Character does not eat; Immunity All terrestrial poisons and chemical warfare agents; Immunity: All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Longevity: Immortal; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing; Sleeping: Character does not sleep) 0 6 Radio: HRRP (Radio Group); OAF (-1) 0 Martial Arts: Speed and Dirty Infighting Moves Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 4 Choke Hold -2 +0 Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND 4 Nerve Strike -1 +1 2d6 NND 4 Martial Flash -1 -1 Flash 4d6 5 Passing Disarm -1 -1 Disarm, 60 STR to Disarm; FMove 5 Passing Strike +1 +0 10d6 +v/5; FMove 5 Passing Throw +0 +0 10d6 +v/5; Target Falls; FMove Skills 24 +3 with All Combat 9 +3 with Speed Maneuvers 3 Acrobatics 16- 3 Breakfall 16- 6 AK: New York State 15- 1 High Society 8- 3 Interrogation 16- 5 KS: Business 14- 4 KS: Paranormals 13- 1 KS: Graeco-Roman Mythology 8- 3 PS: Financier 12- 1 Seduction 8- 3 Tactics 13- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 535 Total Cost: 850 200+ Disadvantages 25 Distinctive Features: Living Statue (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Psychological Limitation: Casual Killer (Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence (Common, Strong) 20 Reputation: Killer, 14- (Extreme) 15 Hunted: Columbia 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 5 Social Limitation: Not A Legal Citizen (Occasionally, Minor) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Icon Gestalts (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Icon Gestalts (Uncommon) Total Disadvantage Points: 850 Jericho Bronze Scenario Hooks The Bronze Garden Jericho Bronze decides to challenge an enemy (one of the PCs) to single combat, if he loses, he’ll provide them with a vitally needed piece of information, an antidote to one of Daimyo’s poisons, etc.. However if the PC accepts the challenge, they’ll arrive to find themselves in a garden of dozens of statues, all identical to Jericho, and the PCs must play a game of cat and mouse amidst a garden of bronze. Sculpt For Me Jericho Bronze looks for a Gestalt sculptor capable of creating a living statue of Venus (heck, he’d settle for a nymph) to serve as his mate. Of course, the big bronze lug will stop at nothing to get his mate, and the trail of bodies is extensive. Turn To Stone The Leviathans capture Jericho Bronze and attempt to turn him back into an inanimate statue – and if they can do that, they may find a way to neutralize all Gestalts. The PCs will be in the uncomfortable position of having to rescue one of the nastiest killers on the planet.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread. SCIENCE! is flame-proof, so yeah. And love the illo (as well as the others). A nice remedy for an insominiac night.

Re: CotN Outtakes Part 2 of the files.

Re: CotN Outtakes I final;ly got my main computer back (yay!) and I can now access my old files. I figured as a nice addendum, I could post the Hero Designer files for the outtakes, though there's no guarantee they didn't get changed some time in the process.

Re: Gestalt Podcast IYeah, I chuckled a lot at Bravado Man. Though a true Gestalt of Bravado wouldn't have needed a codpiece. The prodiuction values seemed a lot higher (mix quality, sound levels) than on a lot of podcasts I've listened to. Kudos to you guys. I'm very happy to help turn you onto HERO. There's a lot of great material out there (you might consider talking with Darren when Lucha Hero comes out; Darren and Steve Long are both great intervoews.) Yeah, Lost Vikings wa a blast to work on. I also had a chance to work with the Silicon and Synapse bunch when they did the Two Towers Amiga prt for us. I wonder whatever happened to them?

Re: Gestalt Podcast I hope you guys find something of use in it. I hate the sound of my own voice, so I haven't worked up the courage to listen to the whole thing yet. The podcasters seemed like nice, patient folks.

Re: Gestalt's Tyranny League Accompanying file.

Re: Gestalt's Tyranny League “Chaos, the lovely dance of probability, is at the heart of the Gestalt. You cannot bring order to the dance, only try to keep up with the tune.” HAND OF CHAOS Val Char Cost Roll Notes 30 STR 20 15- Lift 1600.0kg; 6d6 [6] 26 DEX 48 14- OCV: 9/DCV: 9 35 CON 50 16- 20 BODY 20 13- 23 INT 13 14- PER Roll 14- 23 EGO 26 14- ECV: 8 30 PRE 20 15- PRE Attack: 6d6 8 COM -1 11- 10/28 PD 4 Total: 10/28 PD (0/18 rPD) 10/28 ED 3 Total: 10/28 ED (0/18 rED) 5 SPD 14 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 15 REC 4 70 END 0 65 STUN 12 Total Characteristic Cost: 233 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 6"/12" Swimming: 2"/4" Teleportation: 30"/3840" Cost Powers END 175 Alter Reality: Variable Power Pool, 70 base + 105 control cost, all slots Powers Can Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1), No Skill Roll Required (+1) (175 Active Points) 91 Chaos Field: Force Field (18 PD/18 ED/20 Mental Defense/20 Power Defense), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (114 Active Points); Limited Power: Roll 2d6 and lower those defenses by that number against each and every attack (-1/4) 20 Gestalt Immorallity (can only be killed permanently by Luck or Probability Powers): Custom Power (20 Active Points) 20 Improbable Inertia: Knockback Resistance -10" 5 Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Resistant Defenses 172 Teleportation 30", No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, x128 Noncombat, x4 Increased Mass, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (172 Active Points) 12 High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) 22 Spatial Awareness (Unusual Group) 27 Probability Sense: Detect Probabi;ity Disturbances 14- (Unusual Group), Custom Adder, Discriminatory, Analyze, Range, Rapid: x10, Sense, Transmit 15 Analyze Living Things: Detect A Single Thing 14- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Sense 15 Luck 3d6 Talents 3 Absolute Time Sense 3 Absolute Range Sense 3 Bump Of Direction 5 Eidetic Memory Skills 9 +3 with Alter Reality 20 Chaos Cloak: +6 with DCV (30 Active Points); Limited Power Only vs. one target per phase, not vs. Luck or Probability Gestalts (-1/2) 18 Penalty Skill Levels: +6 vs. Range Modifier with All Attacks 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Interrogation 15- 6 KS: The Gestalt Dimension 15- 7 KS: Paranormals 16- 3 Persuasion 15- 3 Power 14- 3 Tactics 14- 3 Teamwork 14- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 666 Total Cost: 899 200+ Disadvantages 25 Distinctive Features: Living Chaos Field (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 15 Hunted: Columbia 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: US Government 8- (Less Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: Dr. Power 11- (As Pow, Watching) 15 Psychological Limitation: Driven to seek out and analyze heavy probability disruptions (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Protective of Probability Lord Secrets (Common, Strong) 20 Social Limitation: Subject to Orders (Frequently, Severe) 15 Physical Limitation: Shuts Down In Zero Probability Fields (Infrequently, Fully Impairing) 579 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 899 Background: Of all of the members in the Tyranny League, none are more feared than the Hand of Chaos. Chaos personified, a probability disruption that walks, people have good reason to fear him, heroes, villains, and non-gestalts alike. Even the Blood Red King is a recognizable nightmare, born from the human subconscious. Like it or not, he’s a part of us. All of them are a part of us – except for the Hand. At the same time that mankind first assembled rocks into cities and crowned proud brutes as kings, the perceptions of the Probability Lords fell upon the earth and marveled at the potential of the dreaming apes for creativity and destiny shaping. To their glorious senses, the earth was a world covered in weirds and dooms, a huge, magnificent contrast to all but a handful of the barren spheres they had explored on their travels. Knowing that they could not long abide near the world without damaging its delicate destiny-lines, they still craved a greater knowledge of its place in the fate of all things. They shaped the Gestalt Dimension to feed off the creative energies of the dominant species -- to gather a sampling of them to examine on their return -- and they made the Hand, the surveyor, a field of living chaos that would commune with the probability disruptions of the world, map them, and sing of the world’s fate-history across the universal void. In this way, the Probability Lords, still engaged on their unnameable trek across the galaxies, would know what was happening on the bright dreaming sphere. The Hand examined the world for centuries. Worshipped as a god, the creature ignored the attempts by early man to placate it. Legends it birthed that are now long-forgotten. Nightmares it spawned, but it paid little heed to the troubles of man. However, as the centuries passed, and it beheld the generations of man repeated their cycle, patterns emerged that influenced even his perceptions. It became aware of the human need to settle and find stability. Curiosity over that need began to weigh on him. Living chaos began to long for stability. What an odd paradox that was. What was his purpose in life? What was his home? Why should he engage in his mission? He witnessed storytellers reciting their myths, heard the wrath of prophets. Were there gods in heaven beyond the ones who had shaped him? Was there such a thing as righteousness and evil? These questions drove the surveyor to seek solace in a place where it belonged. The only place it knew that it might truly call home were the Probability Tunnels created by the Lords. That’s where the Hand sojourned, contemplating the myriad nature of probabilities as the ages passed and the stars wheeled above him in the borean skies. He was awakened in the early 1990s by a short, easily irritable sapient with a name of power: Dr. Matthias Power. Digging into the probability tunnel, he, his daughter, and a covey of soon-to-be mad servants. It found the man – and his daughter – to be interesting creatures around whom probabilities danced in vibrant, unexpected patterns. ”Are you good or evil?” the Hand, discerning the man’s language, asked. “I am your master,” came Matthias’s tart reply. Something inside the Hand led him to assume the role of servant. But if the Hand felt the madman held any answers, he was soon to be disappointed. Matthias was a scientist, but his philosophical curiosities were non-existent. The order he provided was that of a brutish megalomaniac, little different than the thuggish kings he’d observed in ancient days. His daughter was more cultured, but still an automaton who lived her life for the impossible goal of pleasing the man. Eventually he died. Theresa Power, declaring that the Hand was her father’s possession, sealed him away inside a null probability chamber (“until daddy returns”). Phil Dansen, also known as Imperator, knew about the Hand and decided he would be a perfect weapon to bring about the beautiful tyranny that he had in store for the world. The Hand was curious about his plans. The man’s designs were not much different than Matthias’s, but the methods that he was choosing to get there indicated a much more vigorous and capable intellect. This was a man capable of stirring the world – and its probability fields – in interesting ways. He agreed to ally himself with Imperator’s banner. The Hand had entered the age of superhumans, and he who had once been a god and a nightmare now assumed the mantle of supervillain. Personality: The Hand is not an emotionless automaton, but is very quiet and subdued in comparison to the other members of the League. It expresses itself as often through variations in the probability field (manifested by its force field) that surrounds it, which becomes agitated when the Hand feels anger and frustration. Most of the time, the Hand is calm, quiet, and observant. It often remains in this state during battle; even when he’s heavily damaged, there is an ominous stillness to the Hand. Powers/Tactics: The Hand of Chaos is a living probability field. It is able to manipulate anything and produce virtually any effect. The sole limitation on its power is that it cannot boost someone’s defenses to levels beyond their natural capabilities (i.e. campaign limits). The Hand has a number of tricks that it plays in combat (see the Tyranny League Tactics section). It’ll usually energy blasts against most targets, or mental attacks aganst more elusive targets, but when challenged by a superior opponent he gets extremely creative with drains, shifting opponents in time and space, temporal freezes, and other esoteric attack forms. The Hand fears only one thing: Probability Gestalts. One of his private goals is the destruction of every Luck or Destiny Gestalt out there, and he makes a perfect (and powerful) Hunted for such creatures. Appearance: The Hand of Chaos appears to be a male human, about six feet tall and well-built. Its facial features, its hair and eye color, and its skin tone have never been seen. It is surrounded by an eerie force that flickers wildly as it walks or teleported, and its voice has a heavy distortion, as though it were broadcast through with a heavy crackle. Its costume is red with black trim, a black hood, and a black cape. The Hand’s face is covered by a featureless red cloth that gives only the faintest impression that it has facial features beneath it. Hand of Chaos Scenario Hooks Spirit of My Fathers The PC uncover an ancient installation where a half dozen beings that are identical to the Hand of Chaos appear to be held in cold storage. Anyone want to wake ‘em up? To Boldly Go… In a private venture, unknown to other members of the Tyranny League, the Hand of Chaos decides to travel around the world and map every Probability Lords Tunnel and artifact – including an object that’s recently fallen into the PC’s hands. When Chaos Reigns Recently, the Hand of Chaos has been leaving behind some unexpected bonuses where he’s used his powers – Probability fields that randomly affect people (hurting them, aiding them, even transforming them) in the vacinity. Can these effects (at least the transformations) be reversed? What is happening to the Hand of Chaos?

Re: Gestalt's Tyranny League “You just jumped into the path of your friend’s haymaker? It’s too bad you’re so clumsy and useless – one day, you’re going to get all of your teammates killed. What ever made a screw-up like you think he could become a genuine superhero?” DESPOT Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200.0kg; 3d6 [1] 23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 23 CON 26 14- 15 BODY 10 12- 18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13- 26 EGO 32 14- ECV: 9 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 8 COM -1 11- 18/26 PD 15 Total: 18/26 PD (0/8 rPD) 16/24 ED 11 Total: 16/24 ED (0/8 rED) 5 SPD 17 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 12 REC 8 46 END 0 50 STUN 15 Total Characteristic Cost: 200 Movement: Running: 9"/18" Leaping: 3"/6" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers END 96 Dep: Multipower, 120-point reserve, (120 Active Points); all slots Conditional Power Those Experiencing Happiness Have 1/2 Damage Reduction vs. Effects (-1/4) 8u 1) Learn How Someoine Thinks: Telepathy 14d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (105 Active Points); Conditional Power Cannot Read Happy Memories (-1/4) 9u 2) Experience Despair: Mind Control 13d6, Telepathic (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (114 Active Points); Conditional Power Those Experiencing Happiness Have 1/2 Damage Reduction vs. Effects (-1/4) 9u 3) Drain All Mental Powers 2 1/2d6, Ranged (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per 20 Minutes; +3/4), all [special effect] powers simultaneously (+2) (119 Active Points); Conditional Power Those Experiencing Happiness Have 1/2 Damage Reduction vs. Effects (-1/4) 9u 4) Torment: Ego Attack 3d6+1, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Uncontrolled (stopped either by unconsciousness or by taking a full phase to make an Ego roll ; +1/2), Continuous (+1) (115 Active Points); Conditional Power Those Experiencing Happiness Have 1/2 Damage Reduction vs. Effects (-1/4) 8u 5) Hear Voices in Your Head: Mental Illusions 14d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (105 Active Points); Conditional Power Only to Hear "Voices" (-1/4) 8u 6) Make The Worst Possible Choice in s Situation: Mind Control 8 1/2d6, Telepathic (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Area Of Effect (8" Radius; +1) (118 Active Points); Conditional Power One Command - Mke The Worst possible Choice (-1/2) 50 Mind Scan 10d6 5 16 Armor (8 PD/8 ED) (24 Active Points); OIF (Body suiit; -1/2) 10 Mental Defense (15 points total) 10 Luck 2d6 87 Telepathic Cloak: Darkness to Mental Group 10" radius, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (87 Active Points) 6 Running +3" (9" total) 1 7 Helmet adio: Radio Perception/Transmission (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) Perks 5 Money: Well Off Talents 5 Eidetic Memory 3 Lightning Calculator 3 Perfect Pitch Skills 15 +3 with Mental Combat 16 Discouraging Thoughts: +4 with DCV (20 Active Points); Conditional Power Can't Affect Those Experiencing Happy Thoughts (-1/4) 3 Analyze: Psionics 13- 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Conversation 14- 3 High Society 14- 3 Interrogation 14- 3 Scholar 5 1) KS: Paranormals (6 Active Points) 15- 5 2) KS: Paranormsls (6 Active Points) 15- 5 3) KS: US Legal Code (6 Active Points) 15- 3 Oratory 14- 3 Power 14- 5 PS: Lawyer 14- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 424 Total Cost: 624 200+ Disadvantages 10 Enraged: Someone Tries to Encourage Someone He's Discouraged (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 14- 15 Hunted: Columbia 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: US Government 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 10 Psychological Limitation: Compulsively Envious (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Egocentric (Common, Moderate) 5 Reputation: Despair Inducing Telepathic, 8- 5 Unluck: 1d6 354 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 624 Background: Even as a boy, Kelsey Stuart liked to see other people in tears. He was a master of discovering someone’s insecurities and using them to turn people into an emotional wreck. It was certainly more fun that awaited him at home, where he was low man on a very tall totem pole, but Kelsey never missed a chance to make someone feel bad, and if he didn’t have many friends because of it, that was too damn bad. He went to law school, and became a pretty good lawyer, even if his abusive conduct toward witnesses became infamous. He got a kick from watching some nervous schlep burst into tears on the stand that had nothing to do with the desire to win or lose. How lucky he was to be in a profession where he could do what he loved. Then, in 1994, he got even luckier. Kelsey attained the ability to look into (and control) men’s minds, and the world was his on a silver platter. Few Gestalts have ever abused his powers the way Kelsey did. He mentally controlled judges and other attorneys so they’d stand still and watch him do the most outrageous abuses and let him get awy with it – and in the end, the verdicts were almost always favorable (he occasionally allowed himself to lose a case – and some defendants were beyond even the ability of telepathy to save). Naturally, this pleased his partners; Kelsey rose to the top of his firm, and clients were lining around the block. Kelsey’s reputation as a pit bull attracted people who liked the idea of being defended by a rabid animal who rarely lost - until the day a paralegal discovered Kelsey’s secret. Kelsey murdered him, but not before he warned Kinestar that a dangerous psionic was loose in the city. Kinestar didn’t have enough evidence to get Kelsey arrested, but she didn’t need it;. Pulling one of the oldest tricks in the books: Kinestar cornered the telepath, told him that she knew what he was doing, and vowed to stop him. Kelsey responded by panicking and going too far; he attempted to frame Kinestar for murder, then put her on a mock trial. When that didn’t work. Kinestar escaped, coerced a confession, then gathered enough evidence on him to make sure he was put away. “LEGAL EAGLE HAS NO APPEAL“ The Post said. “SADISTIC ATTORNEY LEARNS TRUE MEANING OF JUSTICE” GNN’s headline read. The papers that trumpeted Kelsey’s achievements now spat on him. Kelsey did not take this reversal of fortune well. He wanted revenge, and not just on Kinestar, but on the entire world. Kelsey soon escaped (as Gestalts were pretty much prison-proof in those early days) and he made Kinestar his priority. Donning supervillain garb and calling himself “Desperon”, the disgraced attolrney telepathically took control of New York’s superheroes, namely Cosmic Man and Bronco the Urban Cowboy, and tried to crush Kinestar under a giant ten-ton gavel. It seemed like a good idea at the time… a time which ended after the obligatory fight scene, when Kinestar broke them out of Despot’s control and played a game of “kick the telepath” halfway across New York State. After escaping from prison again, Stuart rechristened himself “Mindwarp” and teamed up with Energy Master and the Magician to form the Terror Triumvirate, a supervillain team. Their plan: generate panic selling on the NYSE unless every Fortune 500 company paid them “pocket change” a half million dollars each per year in protection money. Unfortunately, Energy Master deviated from the plan to even a score with an old employer, and the Trumverate was exposed. They were defeated in a Times Square battle against Kinestar, Cosmic Man, and Bomber. Fortunately, on their way to the city lockup, they received a visit from Berserker. The Tyranny League was forming, and Imperator had plans for all three of them. Changing his name once again to “Despot”, Stuart was happy to join the League, even though they (especially Bloodkite and Scarlet Knight) were a little too bloodthirsty for his tastes; sure Stuart killed people when he thought it necessary, but Bloodkite in particular skipped way past the “when necessary” part. Still, it felt good to belong to the winning team for a change. Invited to join the Council of the Mind, Stuart also found himself (perhaps more than a little ironically) opposing Influence’s efforts to interfere in world affairs, frequently allying with the woman that he fears more than anyone else in the world: Labyrinth. Despot doesn’t have much in the way of personal goals. He’s long since gotten past his grudge against Kinestar. The initial thrill of the League’s early years is gone, and now he finds it’s a little lonely; the only person with which he particularly shares much in common is Computor, and he’s too busy doting on business ventures. Despot doesn’t really have any desire to leave the fold – he knows that if he tried, he’d be hunted down and killed, and as he puts it, “it’s better in the long run to work with a team of psychotics and megalomaniacs than it is to be dead.” Despot’s spending a bit of time outside the League. He’s never done much in the way of dating (although he has been known to use his mind control to get women close to him), but he’s aware that the biological clock is ticking and he’s started looking for a prospective wife. If only he could find a way to trick Kinestar… Personality: Despot has essentially two personalities; a dominant Despot when everything’s going well and he’s comfortable, and a submissive Despot for other occasions. He is “submissive Despot” around the other Tyranny Leaguers and during their operations, but when he goes out on his own, he’s a lot more assertive. Despot used to view the whole supervillain bit as a game, a way of displaying how clever he is. This has changed over the last few years, due to his exposure to the Tyranny League’s more military attitude towards costumed adventurers – it’s now all business to him. He envies those who still have fun at it. Despot is envious of people who are happier than he is, and when he’s in an especially bad mood, he’ll walk around New York City or Washington DC incognito and use his mind control on people to.make them perform actions that will make them miserable. Despot fears other telepaths, especially Influence and Labyrinth, the former through his association with the Council of the Mind, the latter because Columbia is their archenemies. Powers/Tactics: Despot’s Gestalt involves despair, learning a person’s most carefully hidden anxieties, and using them against them. Favorite commands include “make decisions that you know are foolish but which you can justify to yourself” and “hear voices in your head that remind you of all your failures”. Despot is (painfully) aware that a mentalist is a prime target in a fight, but tends to get into the middle of a fight anyway; he’s well defended as mentalists go, and he likes to get close enough to see how his powers affect his opponents and enjoying their effects. Despot likes to start a fight by telepathically getting the lay of the land; he’ll learn the weaknesses of the enemy minds, then he’ll use his powers to turn his opponents against each other. Sometimes, Despot is ordered to hold back and join the fight a few rounds/phases after it starts, to better employ his healing powers. Appearance: Kelsey Stuart is a male African-American, 5’11” and about 170 lbs, in good physical condition. He has dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a New York accent. As Despot, he wears regular clothes, a red face mask, with a short red cape, worn on one shoulder, held on by a large silver pin with “T” inscribed on it. Despot Scenario Hooks Target: Kinestar Kelsey decides to settle his old grudge against Kinestar by driving every old protégé and sidekick of the heroine insane (which may include the PCs, if one of them decided to take the “former sidekick of Kinestar” option suggested in that character’s writeup. The 7-10 Split The duality of Despot’s personality leads to the development of a new entity: Minder, Captain of Souls. Minder’s a vigilante who targets criminals for his despair powers, and becomes a valuable source of information for the PCs. But what happens when Despot realizes what’s happened to him, fixes it, and then decides to use the trust of the PCs to his advantage. Victim De Jour Despot decides to choose as his special victim someone who just happens to be a very close friend of the PCs. Can the PCs find out who’s responsible for the strange voices in his head?

Re: Gestalt's Tyranny League ]“Laugh winds, laugh, for I face yet another incompetent.” DAIMYO Gestalt of Ninjitsu Val Char Cost Roll Notes 40 STR 30 17- Lift 6400.0kg; 8d6 [4] 35 DEX 75 16- OCV: 12/DCV: 12 40 CON 60 17- 30 BODY 40 15- 28 INT 18 15- PER Roll 20- 23 EGO 26 14- ECV: 8 40 PRE 30 17- PRE Attack: 8d6 12 COM 1 11- 12/22 PD 4 Total: 12/22 PD (0/10 rPD) 12/22 ED 4 Total: 12/22 ED (0/10 rED) 8 SPD 35 Phases: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 16 REC 0 80 END 0 70 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 323 Movement: Running: 17"/34" Leaping: 8"/16" Swimming: 12"/24" Teleportation: 15"/30" Cost Powers END 84 Ninja Gadgets: Variable Power Pool, 70 base + 14 control cost, (105 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1), VPP Powers Can Be Changed Only In A Lab (-1/2) 50 Find Weakness 17- with All Killing Attacks 20 0 END on STR (20 Active Points) 37 Natural Resilience: Armor (10 PD/10 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (37 Active Points) 20 Gestalt Immortality (can only be killed by anothe ninja) (20 Active Points) 10 Knockback Resistance -5" 10 Life Support (Immunity: All terrestrial poisons and chemical warfare agents) 10 Lack Of Weakness (-10) for Resistant Defenses 8 Mental Defense (13 points total) 20 Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack) 0 Leaping 0" (8" forward, 4" upward) 10 Swimming +10" (12" total) 1 30 Teleportation 15" 3 22 Running +11" (17" total) 2 5 Infrared Perception (Sight Group) 15 +5 PER with all Sense Groups 22 Spatial Awareness (Unusual Group) 8 Radio: Radio Perception/Transmission (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); IIF (-1/4) Ninjutsu (Taijutsu) Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 4 Atemi Punch -1 +1 2d6 NND 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 5 Breaking Throw -2 -2 Grab One Limb; HKA 0 1/2d6 , Disable; Target Falls 4 Choke Hold -2 +0 Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND 4 Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 5 Kick -2 +1 12d6 Strike 4 Knife Hand -2 +0 HKA 1d6 +1 4 Punch +0 +2 10d6 Strike 4 Reversal -1 -2 55 STR to Escape; Grab Two Limbs 3 Sacrifice Throw +2 +1 8d6 Strike; You Fall, Target Falls 5 Takeaway +0 +0 Grab Weapon, 50 STR to take weapon away 3 Takedown +1 +1 8d6 Strike; Target Falls 3 Throw +0 +1 8d6 +v/5, Target Falls 1 Weapon Element: Blades 1 Weapon Element: Chain & Rope Weapons 1 Weapon Element: Fist-Loads 1 Weapon Element: Karate Weapons 1 Weapon Element: Polearms 1 Weapon Element: Staffs 1 Weapon Element: War Fan Talents 36 Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, any danger, Function as a Sense) 19- 3 Lightsleep Skills 40 +4 Overall 12 +4 with Martial Maneuvers 12 Penalty Skill Levels: +8 vs. block penalties for multiattacks with a single attack 3 Acrobatics 16- 3 Breakfall 16- 3 Bugging 15- 3 Climbing 16- 3 Computer Programming 15- 3 Concealment 15- 3 Contortionist 16- 10 Defense Maneuver I-IV 3 Demolitions 15- 3 Disguise 15- 3 Electronics 15- 3 Fast Draw 16- 3 Linguist 2 1) Language: English (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 2 2) Language: Korean (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 2 3) Language: Mandarin (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 2 4) Language: Ninja Clan Codes and Symbols (Fluent Conversation; Literacy) (3 Active Points) 2 5) Language: Russian (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 3 Lockpicking 16- 3 Mimicry 15- 3 Navigation 15- 3 Paramedics 15- 5 PS: Ninja 14- 3 Scholar 3 1) KS: Calligraphy 13- 5 2) KS: Ninjutsu 15- 3 3) KS: Paranormals 13- 7 4) KS: Poisons 17- 3 5) KS: The Mercenary World 13- 5 6) CuK: Japan 14- 3 Security Systems 15- 3 Shadowing 15- 3 Stealth 16- 3 Sleight Of Hand 16- 5 SS: Eastern Medicine 14- 5 SS: Pharamacology 14- 3 Streetwise 17- 3 Tactics 15- 3 Teamwork 16- 1 TF: Ninja Water-Walking Devices 3 Ventriloquism 15- 9 WF: Common Martial Arts Melee Weapons, Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons, Blowguns, Fukimi-Bari, Garrote Total Powers & Skill Cost: 689 Total Cost: 1012 200+ Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Inhumanly fluid movements (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 5 Enraged: Insulted (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14- 5 Enraged: When Ally Demonstrates Incompetance (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14- 15 Hunted: Columbia 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: The Government 8- (Less Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: Tyranny League 11- (Less Pow, NCI, Watching) 10 Psychological Limitation: Arrogant (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence (Common, Moderate) 15 Social Limitation: Subject to Orders (Frequently, Major) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Samurai/Ronin Gestalts (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Samurai/Ronin Gestalts (Uncommon) 722 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 1012 Background: A pure Gestalt does not have many dreams beyond the purview of their Gestalt, but there are exceptions. The Daimyo is one of them. He was born as the absolute pinnacle of the secret art that some have called “ninjitsu”, a dream of shadow, a god of swift deaths, born of incredible speed, strength, and prowess. And, as with the ninja of old, he was the consummate professional, whose services were for sale at a high price. But he wanted to be more. He was programmed to be a servant, to offer his services to the highest bidder. But he didn’t dream of being jonin, the master ninja, he dreamed of being Daimyo, master of men. Jonin, as he was originally called, was a product of the 1994 Gestalt Wave. He realized who he was from the moment of his birth; the first thing he did was to scour Japan looking for someone who could use a ninja. He worked for some yakuza bosses, but quickly came to view them as unworthy of his attention and bought out his contract. But these jobs brought Jonin to the attention of the newly formed Shishou No Kaigi, the Council of Masters. As Jonin, he served the Council for three years, performing what he considered to be menial errands. The Council looked down on him as an errand boy. In 1998, he choose not to renew his contract with the Masters and became a free agent. In late 1999, he met Imperator, leader of the Tyranny League, who asked Jonin what he wanted. “I want to be used only on the missions of greatest importance, not on trivial errands or matters of ego. I want a million dollars in American funds each year. And I wish to be called Daimyo, the Warlord, as a badge of respect. And when you have conquered America, you will use your League as an instrument against Japan, until five million people flood into the streets of Tokyo, bow before me and proclaims me Daimyo with a single voice.” “Let it be written so,” Imperator said. He added a signing and a performance bonus into the contract, and they finalized the deal. Until January 1, 2010, the Daimyo’s services would exclusively belong to the Tyranny League. Daimyo, as he was now called, made his first official appearance with the Tyranny League in 1999, during the attempted kidnapping of Dr. Astra, where he was responsible for the death of Rex. Daimyo was known as the most mysterious member of the Tyranny League, and (as Rex’s killer) one of the most hated. In 1996, he again demonstrated his abilities in public in a solo fight against New York City mob Gestalt Brutal Youth, who was attempting to blackmail the Tyranny League; Brutal Youth was a powerful and feared martial artist who had even been able to hold his own in fights with Kinestar and Bronco. Daimyo didn’t just kill him - he humiliated him. Daimyo’s speed, skill, and deadliness was obvious, leaving many observers wondering if he wasn’t the most skilled hand-to-hand combatant on Earth. Daimyo, viewing fighting competitions as trivial, has refused to participate in the Copenhagen tournament. Since the massacre, Daimyo has been the most feared members of the Tyranny League, with the possible exception of the Hand of Chaos. When Daimyo is on the scene, heroes should realize that it is a major Tyranny League operation, and that Imperator is out for blood. Personality: Daimyo is one of the most arrogant Gestalts on Earth. If he treats you with only slight condescension, you know you’ve won Daimyo’s respect. He is incredibly aloof, rarely saying anything unless something strikes him as particularly disgusting. He does have a habit of belittling other martial artists, and especially those who adopt a ninja persona without acquiring an understanding of Ninjitsu or the history of ninjas, those who are excessively flamboyant, or who are unprofessional - it’s a stain on the shadow art that people even know they exist. Daimyo has no hesitation about using lethal force. When he kills, he receives the satisfaction of doing his job. Daimyo prides himself on being a professional, and anyone who prevents Daimyo from killing his target will acquire him as a blood enemy. Daimyo has little in the way of a life outside the League. Occasionally, he samples some of the culture of the upper crust; he frequents expensive political dinners (sometimes practicing his poisoning skills), the opera, or a Broadway show. Powers/Tactics: Daimyo is a ninja master Gestalt, though he tends to rely on ninja skills, natural abilities, and gimmicks rather than the quasi-supernatural abilities commonly ascribed to ninjas; he can leap and he can teleport, but he cannot go invisible. Daimyo often prefers to avoid a fight and infiltrate a situation, using poisons (bought through his pool) to immobilize his enemies. While he’s good at combat, combat is a last resort for a true shadow god. Daimyo likes to use his teammates as a diversion, letting them carry the fight while he pursues a mission objective, or letting them test an enemy while he watches (finding weakness from a distance). Appearance: Daimyo is a tall Japanese man, 6’1” and 210 lbs with an athletic build. He usually wears a dark blue costume, adding red trim when stealth is not required for a mission. [Note: Thanks to Aaron Allston, Steve Long, and Floyd Grubb for inspiration on this character.]

Re: Gestalt's Tyranny League I've been doing a few updates lately and I'm trying to get one member of the team published once each week. Here's what I've missed posting: ------- “Life is binary. Winning or losing, success or failure. That’s the only thing that matters." COMPUTOR Val Char Cost Roll Notes 13 STR 3 12- Lift 151.6kg; 2 1/2d6 [3] 11 DEX 3 11- OCV: 4/DCV: 4 13 CON 6 12- 10 BODY 0 11- 28 INT 18 15- PER Roll 15- 20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7 23 PRE 13 14- PRE Attack: 4 1/2d6 12 COM 1 11- 6/16 PD 3 Total: 6/16 PD (0/10 rPD) 6/16 ED 3 Total: 6/16 ED (0/10 rED) 3 SPD 9 Phases: 4, 8, 12 10 REC 8 26 END 0 24 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 87 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers END 160 Computer Powers: Multipower, 160-point reserve 16u 1) Cybercontrol: Mind Control (Machine Class) 9d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1/2), Area Of Effect (36" Radius; +1 1/2) 3u 2) Erase/Alter Records: Major Transform 2d6 (Add, Alter, or Remove Computer Psychological Limitations, Programs, or Records), Partial Transform (+1/2), Based On EGO Combat Value (Mental Defense; Mental Defense applies; +1), Target Chooses Defense (-1/4); No Range (-1/2), Limited Target Software & files (-1/2) 7 3u 3) Cyberillusions II: Sight and Radio Groups Images x8" Radius (+3/4), +/-5 to PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4); Only Versus Machines (-1) 2 7u 4) Machine Destruction: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1); Only Versus Computers (-1) 4u 5) Long-Range Cameravision: Clairsentience (Sight And Hearing Groups), x8 Range (1,800"), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); Only Through Cameras and Listening Devices (-1/2), Attack Roll Required (-1/4) 1u 6) Machine Manipulation: Telekinesis (10 STR), Fine Manipulation; Only To Control Machines And Machine Parts (-1) 2 105 Cyberscanning: Mind Scan (Machine Class) 14d6, Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1/2) 10 15 Misdirection: Armor (10 PD/10 ED), Hardened (+1/4); Only Versus Ranged Attacks (-1), Costs Endurance (-1/2) 4 10 Mental Defense (14 points total) 13 Sense/Analyze Computer Program: Detect A Single Thing 15- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze Perks 11 Money: Filthy Rich 12 Contact: Top CForporate Law Firm (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact is slavishly loyal to character) 17- 12 Contact: USSenator (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact is slavishly loyal to character) 17- Talents 3 Absolute Time Sense 3 Bump Of Direction 3 Lightsleep 4 Speed Reading (x10) 20 Universal Translator 15- Skills3 Bugging 15- 3 Bureaucratics 14- 3 Criminology 15- 3 Cryptography 15- 3 Deduction 15- 3 Electronics 15- 3 Forgery 15- 3 Gambling 15- 3 Inventor 15- 7 KS: Big Business 16- 8 SS: Computers 17- 3 Mechanics 15- 3 Persuasion 14- 9 Power 16- 3 Security Systems 15- 3 Systems Operation 15- 3 Tactics 15- 3 Trading 14- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 474 Total Cost: 561 200+ Disadvantages 20 Hunted: Columbia 11- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: The Media 11- (Less Pow, NCI, Watching) 15 Physical Limitation: Can be attacked via hacking (Infrequently, Fully Impairing) 10 Psychological Limitation: Arrogant (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Intolerant of Failure (Common, Moderate) 20 Reputation: World famous Software Engneer, 14- (Extreme) 15 Social Limitation: Secret ID (Frequently, Major) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Computer Viruses (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Computer Viruses (Uncommon) 256 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 561 Background: [Note: Computor’s actual identity is listed in the Campaign Secrets section.] The man who became known as Computor never had an easy life, as he never tired of telling people after he made it big from the efforts of his own sweat and blood. In truth, he was neither a Horatio Alger story nor a kid from the gutter; his family was middle class; his mom was a bank teller and his dad was a security guard. Still, he was an African-American, he saw his parents work harder than other parents, and he had less than other kids. He never quite overcame the burning need to have more, to compete with his classmates. He was an exceptional student throughout his school years, if overly serious and uptight. Computers were his baby. He graduated with honors, but he had become convinced that schools were a government conspiracy to spend the taxpayer’s money, when people should really be learning themselves, preferably with on the job experience. He hated anything that the government gave people, there were always too many emotional strings attached. As a programmer, he was extremely successful, except he couldn’t stand working for others. He’d work with people toward a common goal, but as soon as the goal was met, he was out of there. His own goal was to climb the capitalist ladder, to become the best computer programmer and microchip designer in the world. Sleep and spare time were his greatest enemies. He had no time to waste, and less patience with time-wasters. In 1994, he bonded with the gestalt of computer programming, and his programming abilities became superhuman. It took years for the fact to dawn on him that it was a gestalt and his own talents that were responsible for the electronic miracles, and yes, the miracles came by the bucketload. Moore’s law? A laggardly eighteen months to double processor speed? Ha! The integrated circuit was his sculpture, and he was Michalangelo surrounded by kindergarden kids smeared in the silicate equivalent of playdo. The gestalt taught him how to create intricate, beautiful structures, labyrinths in molecular scale. He took note of other innovators, of course – other gestalts were making electronic breakthroughs – and he treated their creations like musical samples to be integrated with his own work. In very little time, the software engineer had become very, very rich. However, he also became very very bored. Surely there were finer mediums for his talent? Inspired by this question, the artist of the computing engine began research into AIs, however immediately ran into government interference, as Congress was dealing with the ramifications of an attack by Dr. Matthias Power’s Damocles AI on New York’s infrastructure. The ATF became involved, and the software engineer’s research was confiscated just as his difference tree was beginning to blossom. This was unacceptable. Unacceptable! Sure, he could have had his lawyers fight it, just as Cyrus Tate did. But the engineer chose a different path. The only way to be truly free of the yoke on his creative freedom was to destroy the yoke, and that yoke was government control. Therefore, the United States government had to be rendered incapable of interfering. When the Tyranny League first appeared, Computor was impressed by their abilities – and even moreso by their goals. He had a passing interest in the gestalt phenomena ever since the first wave hit, and was hoping that one day a team of gestalts would emerge whom he could use to further his goals. Of course Imperator’s goal of world dictatorship was somewhat at odds with Computor‘s own ambition of unhindered global capitalism, but perhaps the League could be manipulated into allowing a totally free economy when it achieved its ends. Computor found them and offered his services to Imperator. Imperator was charmed by the man’s enthusiasm, if not his politics. But Computor offered more possibilities for conquest than even Imperator could count, and he gladly accepted him into the team, making Computor his lieutenant. And thus one of the greatest intellects of the modern age allied himself with one who would become its greatest tyrant. Computor has been using the Tyranny League for his own ends, acquiring technical secrets and insinuating himself into the gestalt community. One of these days, he might break with the League, but for now, they’re the best chance they have to break the government stranglehold that’s keeping the 21st Century from becoming the Golden Age of mankind. Personality: Computor is an extremely enthusiastic and driven man. He doesn’t display this in costume; he tries to keep quiet as Computor so he can’t be identified. Computor is a fussy perfectionist who is either really uptight and nasty, or really relaxed and friendly, depending on how much pressure he’s under. More comfortable with machines than people, Computor likes machines, and he likes showing off around computer systems. He has an attitude of superiority towards others and often belittles the people around him, although often with jokes that sound enough like friendly put-downs that he’ll accuse you of being too sensitive or “politically correct” (even though the jokes are rarely political). He’s learned not to joke about Berserker (and the two men are actually starting to become friends). Around Imperator, he’s usually very serious and professional, the perfect flunkey. Too perfect. Computor is only a part time Leaguer and enjoys his time away from the team. Despite his reputation as an arch-nerd, he’s actually something of a womanizer (which annoys Imperator). Powers/Tactics: Computor may be the most powerful member of the League; he’s able to link to any program he detects and make alterations through their net connection for a wide variety of effects. He’s attempted to link with Columbia’s AIs on numerous occasions and subvert them, but Columbia’s own computer expert, Cyrus Tate, has managed to foil him on every occasion. Computor has one irritating flaw; he’s somewhat vulnerable when he’s mentally linked to a machine. It’s not impossible for a hacker in the right place and time to hack into him, controlling his actions. Computor is not a combat operative, and will only enter a battlefield after it’s been secured. The Hand of Chaos usually surrounds him in a protective force field whenever he must appear in public. Appearance: Computor is an African-American male in his early 30s, 5’10” tall and 150 lbs, brown hair and brown eyes, with an athletic build. As Computor, he wears a suit (or a pair of jeans and a “Code Warrior” T-shirt), and a red bandanna mask.

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Moment of Surrender, U2.

Re: CotN Outtakes Very glad you liked it I know you had some trepidations about irt, so it was nice to see them laid to rest. Of course, yours is the *real* one. And Storn's illo for him is one of my favorite Storn commission pieces of all time.