The team is briefed by Olivia on TechnoLord, a seller of stolen technology. He deals with all forms of high tech, from CPUs and memory chips to the latest high-tech gadgets used by superheroes. His organization has a global reach, but he typically hires local super-powered mercenaries to do his work.
Shimmer goes out on a date with Venus Flytrap (real name Diane), and it appears to go well. She is very authoritative, but keeps her hands to herself. Her current job is less than savory, but at least she isn't robbing banks.
99 has a mini-interview with Billy Dugan, but most of the discussion deals with the facts that Billy has uncovered. It turns out that there was no official record of 99's incarceration, and that there is some cover-up involving prison officials. Billy vows to get to the bottom of it.
Quantum finally gets a trust fund set up by the Five Foundation, with Olivia as the executor, so he doesn't have to worry about big bags of cash.
Finally, the heroes learn of citizens under some sort of mind control in the parking lot of the Lloyd Center Theater. They get there to find: * Amygdalon, a seemingly drug-crazed villain who is controlling the people * Buzzcock, a leather-and-spikes punk with wings * Psychos (5), aptly named with big axes and overly tough hides
The fight starts, and the heroes are outgunned. The shocker occurs when Amygdalon uses his power to command Hex to take off his powered suit. It becomes clear that this was the plan all along; after Hex takes the suit off, Buzzcock was going to take it away to some unknown location.
When Hex finally gets his suit off, and Buzzcock swoops down to grab it, the tide turns for the heroes. Hex, now just a normal in his underwear, breaks out of his mind control, thanks to the assistance of a gadget made by Lady Paladin. He is able to grab Buzzcock and prevent him from flying away, and the other heroes move in to keep him down. Even Hex himself does some damage swinging Buzzcock's spiked mace. The good guys win, and they learn that the villains were hired by TechnoLord specifically to steal Hex's suit.
Experience: 2 points
GM's Notes: I had been thinking for the last two weeks on how to get Hex out of his suit. I figured, if he is never out of the suit, it's not a disadvantage. Amygdalon was made specifically for a big Mind Control to get him out of the suit, Buzzcock to take it away, and the Psychos to keep the heroes away from Hex while he was taking it off.
I liked Amygdalon; he has mental-type powers, but based on other things (light, sound, sonics, pheromones, etc), with Alternate Defenses. And the name was JoAnn's idea.
I'm still having a hard time making villains with a reasonable stun number. The psychos were a bit too tough, but they were supposed to have high CONs and not be stunned.
Here's the villains:
VAL CHA Cost Roll Notes 10 STR 0 11- HTH Damage 2d6 END [1] 11 DEX 2 11- 18 CON 8 13- 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- 23 EGO 13 14- 10 PRE 0 11- PRE Attack: 2d6 7 OCV 20 16 DCV 25 10 OMCV 21 10 DMCV 21 5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 10 PD 8 10/28 PD (0/18 rPD) 10 ED 8 10/28 ED (0/18 rED) 6 REC 2 20 END 0 10 BODY 0 40 STUN 10
Movement Cost Meters Notes RUNNING 0 12m/24m END [1] SWIMMING 0 4m/8m END [1] LEAPING 0 4m 4m forward, 2m upward
Characteristics Total: 168
Cost Powers 13 Life Support (Immunity All terrestrial poisons; Immunity: All terrestrial diseases; Self-Contained Breathing) (20 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=0 8 Mental Defense (8 points total) - END=0 40 Protective Suit: Resistant Protection (18 PD/18 ED/3 Power Defense) (60 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=0 5 Sight Group Flash Defense (5 points) - END=0 5 Hearing Group Flash Defense (5 points) - END=0 5 Smell/Taste Group Flash Defense (5 points) - END=0 120 Pseudo-mental: Multipower, 120-point reserve - END= 7f 1) Mass control: Mind Control 8d6 (Human class of minds), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing); target holds his breath; +1/2), Area Of Effect (32m Radius; +1) (110 Active Points); 8 Charges (-1/2) - END=[8] 2f 2) Hard to hit: +8 DCV (40 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Range mod adds, not subtracts; -1) - END= 6v 3) Light Blast: Blast 8d6, Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Flash Defense (Sight); +1/2) (60 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), 8 Charges (-1/2) - END=[8] 3f 4) Subsonic Dizziness: Entangle 3d6, 3 PD/3 ED (Stops A Given Sense Normal Hearing), Cannot Be Escaped With Teleportation (+1/4), Works against CON, not STR (+1/4), Takes No Damage From Attacks All Attacks (+1/2) (70 Active Points); Does Not Prevent The Use Of Accessible Foci (-1), 8 Charges (-1/2) - END=[8] 1f 5) Subsonic Dizziness 2: Drain OCV 2d6 (20 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), 8 Charges (-1/2) - END=[8] 1f 6) Subsonic Dizziness 3: Drain DCV 2d6 (20 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), 8 Charges (-1/2) - END=[8] 10v 7) Stunner: Drain STUN 6d6, Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +3/4) (105 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), 8 Charges (-1/2) - END=[8] 6f 8) I Own You: Mind Control 24d6 (Human class of minds) (120 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1) - END=[4]
Powers Total: 232
Base Points: 400 Experience: 0 Experience Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 400
VAL CHA Cost Roll Notes 20 STR 10 13- HTH Damage 4d6 END [2] 16 DEX 12 12- 18 CON 8 13- 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- 15 EGO 5 12- 10 PRE 0 11- PRE Attack: 2d6 8 OCV 25 12 DCV 45 3 OMCV 0 3 DMCV 0 7 SPD 50 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 10 PD 8 10/25 PD (0/15 rPD) 10 ED 8 10/25 ED (0/15 rED) 6 REC 2 60 END 8 10 BODY 0 50 STUN 15
Movement Cost Meters Notes RUNNING 0 12m/24m END [1] SWIMMING 0 4m/8m END [1] LEAPING 0 4m 4m forward, 2m upward FLIGHT 56m/224m
Characteristics Total: 196
Cost Powers 41 Buzzing: Flight 56m, x4 Noncombat (61 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=6 16 Life Support (Immunity All terrestrial poisons; Immunity: All terrestrial diseases; Self-Contained Breathing) (20 Active Points); IIF (-1/4) - END=0 50 Spikeballs: Blast 10d6, Penetrating (+1/2) (75 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=7 40 Spikechain: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 4d6 (5d6+1 w/STR) (60 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=6 36 Jacket: Resistant Protection (15 PD/15 ED/5 Power Defense) (54 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=0 5 Mental Defense (5 points total) - END=0
Powers Total: 188
Cost Talents 20 Danger Sense (self only, in combat, Function as a Sense) 14-
Talents Total: 20
Base Points: 400 Experience: 4 Experience Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 404
VAL CHA Cost Roll Notes 30 STR 20 15- HTH Damage 6d6 END [3] 11 DEX 2 11- 25 CON 15 14- 5 INT -5 10- PER Roll 10- 15 EGO 5 12- 10 PRE 0 11- PRE Attack: 2d6 7 OCV 20 7 DCV 20 3 OMCV 0 3 DMCV 0 5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 20 PD 18 20/34 PD (0/14 rPD) 20 ED 18 20/34 ED (0/14 rED) 6 REC 2 40 END 4 10 BODY 0 60 STUN 20
Movement Cost Meters Notes RUNNING 4 16m/32m END [2] SWIMMING 0 4m/8m END [1] LEAPING 0 22m 22m forward, 11m upward
Characteristics Total: 173
Cost Powers 5 Mental Defense (5 points total) - END=0 42 Resistant Protection (14 PD/14 ED) - END=0 32 Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6 (40 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4) - END=4 14 Leaping +18m (22m forward, 11m upward) (Accurate) - END=1 20 Life Support (Immunity All terrestrial poisons; Immunity: All terrestrial diseases; Self-Contained Breathing) - END=0 15 Damage Negation (-6 DCs Physical) (30 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only versus knockback; -1) - END=0
Powers Total: 128
Cost Skills 11 Breakfall 15-
Skills Total: 11
Base Points: 400 Experience: 0 Experience Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 312