[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

[Davies]

Feena

Even in civilizations as devoted to self-control as the Gynesians are -- perhaps especially in such civilizations -- there will occasionally come along those who reject the values that their parents and elders attempt to instill in them. Sixteen years* ago, Feena -- properly K'zn F'na G'eru -- was one such child. She'd heard all about how the way of the Gynesian people was designed to protect themselves from those who feared them because of their powers, and her takeaway was that there were people out there who had cause to fear them. She decided that she would use those powers to take those people for all they were worth, since their fear would surely prevent them from understanding what she was doing.

A year after she left her home world, Feena came to the conclusion that she might be underestimating the Technate's ability to understand what they feared. Turned out that many of them actually had a fairly good sense of when they were being conned by someone with psychic powers. Unfortunately, she reached this conclusion when she was already being transported to serve a sentence of rehabilitative confinement for various charges of fraud.

As it happened, the facility where she was imprisoned was the same one where Aun Taxad had been placed, and where Vittara had arranged to be sent as she hunted him. Feena didn't find this all out until the very end of her time there, when she took advantage of a general escape to get out of the prison, accidentally following the same course as they had, and chancing to witness the start of what she thought was a very strange conversation. Puzzled by it, she tried to read their minds to get some context, and as they were focused on each other, she was able to do so.

And so Feena learned about Daath, and the Dark Side, and all the millions of terrible things that lurked beyond the borders of the Technate. It left her reeling, and even after the two she'd spied upon departed, she remained where she was, trying to process what she'd just learned. As it happened, she still hadn't quite reached the point where she was ready to get moving again by the time that the BLE's watchdogs found her and returned her to the facility.

But maybe that was a blessing in disguise. Maybe she was being given time to figure things out. From then on, she started taking rehabilitation much more seriously, and actually managed to complete the process within six years*. Released on her own recognizance, she promptly tossed the contact information for the job she was supposed to take afterwards and sought out a way to join the Last Men Standing, and has served with them ever since.

Feena has, within the last three years*, found herself the somewhat reluctant leader of a small action team of the Lasters who are regarded as some of their top agents. Hallandar considered sending them to Earth as part of the group meant to learn from the superpowers there, but ultimately decided on a different group. Instead of working on the front, their missions take them all over the Technate and nearby systems, since the fight against the Dark Side requires unconventional tactics.

In terms of her powers, Feena attempts to present herself as a highly trained empath, who's able to discern people's emotions, shape hallucinations based on them, and heal wounds by taking their pain into herself. Only those whom she trusts completely, such as her teammates, know that she is capable of doing much more detailed psychic probes and inducing emotions in others that are so overpowering that they leave people stunned, as well as creating an 'obscurity field' around herself and others. She's also an excellent con-artist, though she usually employs these skills to recognize when the opposition is pulling scams instead of pulling them herself.

One thing that Feena sometimes worries about is the possibility that the major decisions in her life, such as joining the Lasters, aren't really her own, but result from her picking up on the emotions of others. When those around her are angry, she gets angry; when they're frightened, so is she. She does have some control over this, else she could never have left the contentment of Aganesh in the first place. But does she have enough control?

Feena -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 2 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 3 | INT 4 | AWE 7 | PRE 3

Powers:
Basic Telepathy: Comprehend Languages 3, Affects Others and Self, Perception Area; Mental Communication 2 - 25 points
Psychic Talents: Array (28 points)

• Emotional Influence: Perception Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Subtle, Variable (Emotions) - 1 point
• Empathic Healing: Perception Range Empathic Healing 9 - 1 point
• Hallucinations: Illusions 6 (all senses), Feedback, Resistable by Will, Selective - 1 point
• Mind Reading: Cumulative Mind Reading 9, Subtle - 28 points
• Stealth: Concealment 9 (all senses but mental), Affects Others and Self, Burst Area, Passive, Resistible by Will, Selective - 1 point

Shielded Mind: Sustained Impervious Will 9 - 9 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Evasion, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Skill Mastery (Deception), Taunt.

Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5) and 15 other points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+8), Insight 3 (+10), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 3 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Blaster 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+9), Stealth 4 (+7), Treatment 2 (+6), Vehicles 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Blaster +9 (Ranged Damage 5)
Emotional Influence -- (Perception Range Will 6)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 11

Totals:
Abilities 54 + Powers 66 + Advantages 15 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 178 points

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Emotional Sensitivity (acts in the way that other people are feeling.) Prejudice (psychic.)

 

[Davies]

Bluehawk

The clean-up after a major space battle can be almost as dangerous as a battle itself. In some ways, the Last Men Standing have it easier than other most other forces, since the Dark Side don't generally bother with escape pods, and so the Lasters are usually able to retrieve their own pods without running into opposition ones. They still have to deal with various sorts of unexploded munitions and wrecked ships, many of which qualify as unexploded munitions of even greater destructive capability. And, very rarely, they discover oddities.

Six years ago, during the cleanup after the massive battle that the Dark Side waged against the Lasters and the Powerhouse, one such oddity was discovered. Drifting through the void at a fairly high velocity, it was a small ship that matched no known Technate or Dark Side profile. The recovery crew slowed it down and boarded it, finding it to be a wreck, empty but for a single passenger in coldsleep. He, too, didn't resemble any species known to them, but they woke him up just the same after taking precautions.

For a wonder, the blue feathered bird-like alien didn't attack his would-be rescuers, but he also didn't speak any known language. A psychic was needed to establish communication, and Feena got the assignment. Through her powers, she learned that he was using the name Bytytl, and was from a world that was only beginning to explore its own solar system. Bytytl had volunteered for a supersoldier project and been one of the only successes, but before he could be given an assignment, something had gone wrong. He'd been launched into space ahead of a disaster that was enveloping his world, and suspected that he might be the only survivor of his species -- hence his name, which means 'the Last of Us.'

Wanting -- needing -- to put his talents to use, and to pay back the life debt that he felt he owed, Bytytl (or Bluehawk, to use the nickname he's picked up) volunteered to join the Lasters, and demonstrated considerable military acumen in the months that followed. He ended up assigned to Feena's action team, where he serves as their primary pilot and gunner, in addition to being a very tough hand-to-hand combatant and guerilla warrior. He can also fly in most atmospheres, though it takes a moment to unfurl his wings from their usually folded position.

However, Bluehawk's time with Feena's team has led him to the discovery that he is not, in fact, the last of his species. But this is not a good thing, as he has recognized the Vaask spymaster known as Ennessea as someone from their mutual homeworld, and regards him as a mortal enemy. He has refused to discuss what exactly Ennessea did, but the rumor that his adversary is in the area has led to him going off-mission to try and hunt the other down. So far, this hasn't caused any serious harm or mission failures, but it's only going to get worse as time goes by.

Bluehawk -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 6 | STA 6 | AGL 5 | DEX 4 | FGT 7 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 1

Powers:
Keen Eyesight: Senses 3 (extended 2 rapid vision) - 3 points
Shriek: Cone Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Auditory Impaired, Stunned and Auditory Disabled, Incapacitated & Auditory Unaware), Extra Condition, Hearing Dependent - 18 points
Talons: Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
Wings: Flight 6 (120 MPH), Wings, Activation (Move Action, -1) - 5 points

Advantages:
Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Favored Environment (aerial), Equipment 8, Fast Grab, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Language (Technate Standard, [native is unknown]), Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Autoblaster (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Accurate) and 15 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 4 (+10), Close Combat: Talons 3 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+9), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+8), Technology 6 (+7), Stealth 6 (+11), Vehicles 7 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 6)
Talons +10 (Close Damage 7)
Blaster Rifle +10 (Ranged Damage 8)
Shriek -- (Cone Area Fortitude 9)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 10, Fortitude 8, Toughness 8/6, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 64 + Powers 27 + Advantages 17 + Skills 31 + Defenses 13 = 152

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Nemesis (Ennessea.) Only Understands Languages. Temper.

 

[Voltron64]

So Rocket meets Vance Astro?

 

[Davies]

I was actually aiming for Tigorr meets Harpis, but I see where you're coming from.

 

[Davies]

Mashiya

A bit more than a century* ago, on a planet named Trantia, a group of savants embarked on a project to create, through genetic engineering -- geneforging, in their own idiom -- a humanoid lifeform of vast cosmic power. They combined genetic material from a variety of sources -- the Albadine, the Gynesians, possibly the Dhakimites and material taken from Aperion, perhaps even material gathered from the tombs of the Olympians -- to create this being. Their motives for doing so are somewhat unclear, but it seems likely that they intended to use their creation as a weapon to seize control of Trantia and rule it.

However, such intentions were forgotten when the Konan Armada arrived in Trantia's star system and began attacking its outlying planets. As that happened, a majority of the enclave decided to unleash their superbeing against the Konan to prevent Trantia's conquest. One of them, Abnedius, objected to this, as he did not believe that their creation had not reached a sufficient level of development to survive such a conflict, much less triumph.

Abnedius' protests fell on deaf ears, and so he felt compelled to act against the wishes of his fellows. He stole their creation's birth matrix and fled from Trantia just before the Konan's final assault on the planet. Abnedius then spent the remaining decades in an asteroid laboratory within the Technate, doing nothing other than monitoring the growth of the superbeing, until such time as she was ready to be born.

At least, that is the story that Abnedius told Mashiya, decades later. She has reason to doubt the veracity of this account, as she realized, soon after her 'birth', some twenty years* ago, that Abndedius was a self-serving liar. Much of it, such as her origins on Trantia and the sources of her genetic material, can be independently verified, but the motives supposedly involved are very questionable, and it seems likely that Abnedius was engaged in a wide variety of dubious activities during the interval.

His greatest mistake was to underestimate the intelligence of his own creation, and to give her unfettered access to texts which allowed her to form her own ideas about life and the universe. As such, when he commanded her to travel to a Technate colony in the same system as their asteroid, and engage in a display of power there, she realized that he was likely trying to engage in extortion. Thus, she obeyed his orders only by traveling there, briefly inspecting it, and then continuing on her journey without ever looking back.

Of course, having abandoned her original purpose in life, she was left with the problem of finding a new one. For about a decade*, she satisfied that need by exploring the universe, though generally avoiding contact with other sapient life in the process. Her instincts slowly drew her to the regions of the Technate that were under siege by the Dark Side, as the warp drives of their vessels triggered her 'cosmic awareness' in ways that other hyperdrives did not.

What she saw of the Dark Side disgusted her, but she was uncertain whether she should oppose them or not; flight seemed a much more reasonable option. On discovering the existence of beings who did oppose them, however, she found herself drawn towards the Lasters' side of the struggle. Through discussions with Hallandar, Mashiya gradually came to an understanding of the idea that if she did turn away from what she saw, she would effectively be giving her approval to the Dark Side's activities. Thus, she joined the conflict.

Mashiya generally acts as the 'big gun' of Feena's action team, able to fly faster, shoot harder, and generally take more than any of her fellows. She also helps them to determine where they need to go through the use of her cosmic awareness. She is particularly attuned to the opening of any portals used by agents of the Metropolitan, which are used for a great deal of covert villainy throughout the Technate and nearby worlds.

Mashiya's greatest weakness is that, while knowledgable about the universe, she is both very young and highly inexperienced in dealing with other people. She's also somewhat headstrong, and used to making decisions for herself without considering the needs of others who might be affected by them. While she listens to the advice that she's given by the other members of her team, she has a tendency to apply that advice in situations where it wasn't intended. Perhaps even more than this, though, as her team's big gun, she has no real subtlety, which can cause any number of problems for them.

She also has another problem she knows nothing about -- infuriated by her desertion of him, Abnedius has made his way to Daath and is beginning to slowly rise in the Dark Side's hierarchy.

Mashiya -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 10/0 | STA 8 | AGL 5 | DEX 4 | FGT 8 | INT 2 | AWE 5 | PRE 3

Powers:
Born of the Stars: Immunity 10 [life support]; Impervious Toughness 8 - 18 points
Cosmic Attunement: Mental Communication 1; Comprehend Languages 3; Senses 7 (hyper-extended 3 cosmic awareness) - 21 points
Cosmic Power: Array (20 points)

• Cosmic Blasts: Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
• Cosmic Might: Enhanced Strength 10 - 1 point
• Cosmic Shaping: Create 10, Feedback, Moveable, Stationary - 1 point
• Cosmic Speed: Enhanced Flight 10 (500,000 MPH) - 1 point
• Cosmic Vision: Remote Sensing 10 (visual; 1000 miles) - 1 point

Cosmic Traveler: Flight 8 (500 MPH); Movement 2 [space-travel]) - 20 points

Power Stunts:
Cosmic Burst: Ranged Burst Area Damage 6
Cosmic Grasp: Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Reversible
Cosmic Transmutation: Transform 4 (12 lbs.)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 3, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action.

Equipment:
15 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Expertise: Galactic 7 (+9), Expertise: Philosophy 6 (+8), Expertise: Science 5 (+7), Perception 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Cosmic Power 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10/0)
Cosmic Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)

Defense:
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 9, Toughness 8, Will 7.

Totals:
Abilities 70 + Powers 83 + Advantages 9 + Skills 14 + Defenses 12 = 188 points

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Nemesis (Abnedius.) Overconfident and Inexperienced. Prejudice (geneforged.) Unusual Biochemistry (odd reactions to food, drugs, scents, etc.)

Note: Despite the armored appearance of her normal battle outfit, it's made of ordinary materials and doesn't provide her with any additional protection. It's costume armor, not the real thing.

 

[Davies]

Heluz Tek

While the Chiraben branch of humanity produces fewer mutant examples than the Terran branch, due both to environmental considerations and historical ones, the species is populous enough that there are probably about as many mutants, spread over all the worlds of the Technate, as there are on Earth. Generally, the lives of these people are not particularly happy ones. The attitudes of the Technate's majority culture towards individuals with innate powers are not favorable, even though much has been done in the recent past to change that.

Heluz Tek was born about thirty years* ago as the middle child of a large family on Bogoin, a heavily industrial world in the Technate's core. Even as a child, his physical difference was obvious, as he would race through meals and often accidentally consume parts of the utensils used to serve them. Fear of the possibility that he might hurt a classmate with his abilities led his family elders to keep Heluz out of the educational system and put him to work at an early age at their restaurant business, initially as kitchen staff and later -- when his talent for cooking emerged -- as a chef.

Right up until he was nineteen years* of age, Heluz would actually have considered himself to be living his best possible life. Unfortunately, that's also when his grandfather passed away, and control of the family business passed to one of his aunts who possessed a greater than typical aversion towards mutants, and had a personal grudge towards Heluz's parents. She presented the family with an ultimatum -- either the mutant went, or she did, taking with her the bulk of the family's wealth. To their credit, the rest of the family seriously considered standing up to this demand, but Heluz independently decided that he couldn't let them go through those troubles, and left home with his handful of personal possessions.

For about three years* he drifted through Bogoin's lower cities, sometimes managing to find work as a cook for a brief while before events resulted in his exposure and expulsion. During this time, he learned how to fight rather effectively, taking advantage of the fact that his mutation made him significantly stronger, tougher and faster than most of his fellows. His most frequent opponents during this time were representatives of various Vaskhane-affiliated gangs who were interested in putting his talents to work for them, a prospect which didn't appeal to Heluz at all.

At the end of this time, he happened to go through the routine of having a brief period of employment at a stardock restaurant that was frequented by some Lasters, and to be fired in their hearing. As they'd quite liked the food he made, they offered him a job. Heluz hesitated, uncertain that the Lasters weren't just another criminal element, but the fact that they were offering him work as a cook rather than as a soldier persuaded him to sign on. He worked throughout the Laster fleet, eventually becoming the head cook aboard their flagship, the Parodigue.

While happy with his new life, Heluz was all too aware that his fellows were fighting for their lives while he worked in relative comfort. As such, when Feena came to him with the proposal that he join the team she was putting together, he hesitated again, but ultimately agreed to take on the position of its chef, as well as lending them his muscle and powers when necessary. He also works to keep the team's morale up, which tests his patience from time to time.

Heluz's greatest weakness is probably his lack of a broad education. Unlike the rest of the team, he has no translation gear and speaks only Technate Standard, and doesn't know much about the variety of species and cultures that exist within the Technate -- outside of their nutritional requirements and culinary traditions, at least. On at least a few occasions, he's applied that knowledge in surprising ways, but for the most part he finds himself being the one to ask the questions everyone else has already had answered. He doesn't enjoy that.

Heluz Tek -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 6 | AGL 5 | DEX 4 | FGT 8 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 2

Powers:
Bite: Enhanced Advantage 1 (Weapon Break); Penetrating 5 on Strength Damage; Quickness 6, Limited to eating - 9 points
Corrosive Saliva: Linked Affects Objects Weaken Toughness 8, Grab-based; Linked Damage 8, Grab-based - 12 points
Digest Anything: Immunity 2 (poison, starvation & thirst) - 2 points
Hound's Nose: Senses 5 (acute analytical tracking olfactory) - 5 points
Unbreakable Bones: Immunity 20 (bludgeoning damage), Limited to Half Effect; Impervious Toughness 6, Limited to Physical - 13 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment 6, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Startle, Takedown, Weapon Break.

Equipment:
Holdout Blaster (Ranged Damage 4), and 22 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+12), Expertise: Cooking 11 (+13), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 10 (+12), Perception 9 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Stealth 4 (+9), Technology 6 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 5)
Corrosive Saliva +8 (Close Damage 8 and Weaken Toughness 8)
Blaster +10 (Close Damage 4)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 6, Will 7.

Totals:
Abilities 66 + Powers 41 + Advantages 18 + Skills 37 + Defenses 18 = 180 points

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Cynical and Sarcastic. Prejudice (mutant.)

 

[Davies]

Mekkanel

Constructed roughly a century ago in a factory on Muraddin, Mekkanel became a citizen of the Technate when robots were emancipated in response to their outlawing in the Crimson Imperium. In contrast to the views of some entities on the subject, he does not consider being granted freedom to make up for the decades of slavery that he personally endured, much less the millennium of slavery that robots had suffered before that. It all left an extraordinarily bad taste in his gustatory sensor and little if any trust in the benevolence of the Technate government, so when his former best friend suggested that they sign up for the Space Agency, Mekkanel decided to find a new best friend.

It wasn't easy to do, and so he made his way through the Technate's underworld, frequently working for organics but only on a temporary basis and always making sure to get paid upfront before he did anything for anybody. Many of these jobs were on the far side of ethical -- to say of nothing of their gross amorality -- but as long as they involved organics preying on organics, he couldn't be bothered to care. Or at least that's what he told himself whenever he had trouble motivating himself to leave the recharging nook when the cycle was over.

Around twenty-seven years* ago, Mekkanel was hired to do some security upgrades for the computers of some new mercenary outfit with a frankly dumb name. He was a bit bewildered that these so-called Last Men Standing wanted so much redundant security for their gear. Okay, having your computers hacked while you were engaged in a space battle would suck, but who were they expecting to have to fight off, Cerebron? He mentioned these suspicions to the tall bald Albadine who was paying him, and was further bewildered when the organic laughed.

Hallandar proceeded to tell him about the Dark Side. It was pretty horrific stuff, even if Mekkanel was inclined to think only half of what he was being told could possibly be true. However, it wasn't any of his business what one group of organics chose to do to a different group, and he said as much to Hallandar. Hallandar proceeded to tell him about how many of the armies who'd shattered his world had been composed of androids ... likely enslaved androids, like those in the Imperium. That stung, but it still wasn't any of his business. He had enough trouble looking out for himself!

"I imagine that's what anyone who was asked about the notion of freeing robots thought, for quite some time," Hallandar replied.

So it was that Mekkanel wound up in the first full-time job of his existence, as the effective chief engineer of the Parodigue. The worst part was the fact that Otodevol somehow found out about this development, and sent him a wonderfully smarmy message congratulating him on overcoming his grudge. The DELETE he had! He was just going along to determine whether there really were robots and/or androids enslaved by these people, then figure out how to free them, and then he would cash out faster than he could slice pi.

Eventually, though, he came to the realization that his current position wasn't really facilitating that goal. Thus, when Feena came to him seeking his recommendation of a good engineer to join her action team, Mekkanel responded by volunteering his own services. Their greater mobility has allowed him to see more of the Laster's conflict, and even to rescue a few of the androids in Daath's service, while also thoroughly debriefing them for anything they know about the opposition.

Mekkanel is a robot with many hidden technological tricks; he's also scarily smart and perfectly willing to make modifications to his shell in order to enhance its functionality. This is also one of his biggest weaknesses, as he cannot perform full maintenance on himself, and has to allow someone else to do so -- and his systems are both old and unique, increasing the operation's difficulty. Other major problems are the fact that he is not at all buoyant, nor can he climb effectively, as his manipulator arms are too weak to support his own weight. (He can use stairs, as he's capable of short hops.) This also means that if knocked prone, someone else is going to have to pick him up again ... and yet the rest of his team keeps doing so, despite his expectations to the contrary.

Maybe he's finally found that new best friend he was looking for.

Mekkanel -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA -- | AGL 0 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 8 | AWE 1 | PRE 1

Powers:
Machine Interface: Radio Communication 1; Comprehend Machines 2 - 11 points
Reconstruction: Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20), Quirk (loss of all memories)- 1 point
Robotic Body: Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Impervious Protection 6 - 62 points
Sensory Package: Senses 5 (darkvision, extended radio, ultra-hearing) - 5 points
Small Size: Permanent Shrinking 4 (Strength -1, Dodge +2, Parry +2, Stealth +4, Intimidation -1) - 4 points
Translator Circuits: Comprehend Languages 2 (understand and read all languages) - 6 points
Treads: Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 4 points
Undocumented Features: Array (11 points)

• Cutting Torch: Linked Damage 5; Linked Weaken Toughness 5, Affects Objects Only; Accurate - 11 points
• Empbeam: Ranged Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Accurate, Limited to Robots, Reduced Range 2 - 1 point
• Smoke Screen: Cloud Area Sight Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point
• Stunbeam: Ranged Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Accurate, Reduced Range 2 - 1 point

Advantages:
Equipment 4, Eidetic Memory, Improvised Tools, Jack-of-all-Trades, Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

Equipment:
20 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+11), Expertise: Science 1 (+9), Investigation 3 (+11), Perception 9 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+7), Ranged Combat: Features 8 (+12), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 4 (+12), Vehicles 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Cutting Torch +8 (Ranged Damage 5 and Weaken Toughness 5)
Empbeam +14 (Ranged Will 6)
Stunbeam +14 (Ranged Fortitude 6)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 6, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 107 + Advantages 10 + Skills 26 + Defenses 13 = 194 points

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Physical (cannot climb or swim.) Requires Frequent Maintenance. Weak Manipulator Arms (STR 0 for picking up objects.)

Note: The additional equipment points of this team are usually reserved to purchase a Space Cruiser (M&M Hero's Handbook Deluxe, p 224) with Space Travel 2 for their operations. As they go through these vessels fairly quickly, any picture provided would be outdated just as quickly.

 

[Davies]

Mizuki

When Kageyama Sarutobi passed away in 1992, the titular mastery of the Shadow School that he had created passed to his most senior disciple, one Kosugi Akio. While Akio, and the disciples who gathered around him, were much less inclined to accept non-Japanese students within the school, and discouraged those who had been present under Kageyama's tutelage, they otherwise largely continued the pursuit of martial excellence for its own sake and rejection of the modern world that their founder had. Those who sought to employ the skills of these latter-day ninja for their own ends were politely (and sometimes not so politely) refused in this period. Kosugi Mizuki, born in 2003, is Akio's only begotten child.

Well before her birth, in 1996, the Shadow School accepted as a student an American-born Japanese man who used the name Sakamoto Sasuke. He demonstrated considerable talent for the School's teachings, rising swiftly through the ranks and becoming a senior instructor in just a few years. However, when Sakamoto asked to be given access to some of the school's most advanced techniques, Akio chose to refuse this request, supposedly on the basis that these were restricted to those who had spent more time within the school, regardless of talent. The truth was that he didn't trust this person for a variety of reasons.

And it would seem that he was right not to do so. The Shadow School had suffered a fair amount of attrition during the first years of his leadership, but the aftermath of Cerebron's attack led to a large influx of people seeking shelter within the school's environs and agreeing to the school's principles. This caused a fair amount of confusion, and it was during this time that Sakamoto took action. The exact order of events is somewhat confused, but he broke into the storehouse of the sacred texts he sought, stole and/or destroyed them, killed a number of his fellow students and assaulted others, seriously injured Akio and then escaped.

Humiliated by this, Akio retired as the master of the School and passed it to his senior disciple, choosing to spend his remaining years with his wife and newborn daughter. Koike Hidenori, his successor, was faced with the problems of repairing the damage of Sakamoto's attack, hunting the enemy down, and continuing to support the increasing population of the school. His decision to obtain the funds with which to accomplish all this was to begin using the younger members of the school as agents -- spies, saboteurs and, eventually, assassins -- for a variety of frankly criminal interests.

In 2009, the agents of the Shadow School began to have clashes with the recently established Ghost Sweepers organization. This ultimately led to the Ghost Sweepers invading the Shadow School and exposing Hidenori's corrupt activities -- he had been embezzling much of the agents' fees for his own purposes. Hidenori was expelled and imprisoned, and Akio resumed the position of Master. The Shadow School would be permitted to exist, and even to continue its mercenary activities, but they were required to be much more judicious concerning the contracts that it took.

The example of the Sweepers also wrought some changes in the society of the School. Having been defeated by people who employed the tools of the modern reality that the School had heretofore rejected, this naturally provoked a renewed interest in that modern world. Akio did not really approve but could not prevent this, and so chose to tolerate it, even in the activities of his own daughter, who began dying her hair blue and using a smart phone almost as soon as she entered early adolescence. She has continued to do so as the leader of a group of young kunoichi, sometimes dubbed the Tenshi no Akio.

At the very least, he can be proud of the fact that, despite her apparent shallowness, Mizuki is a very capable practitioner of the School's martial traditions. She has even begun to master the recovered hidden technique of creating shadow duplicates. While able to create dozens or possibly hundreds of purely phantasmal entities who resemble herself, she can also create a maximum of four shadows who are fully able to act in any way that she herself could, although these can be disrupted quite easily. The greatest weakness of this technique is that she is unable to create duplicates of any other physical object more substantial than her clothes, restricting her to unarmed combat techniques rather than weapons usage.

Her personal weakness, the fact that everyone in the School thinks she's an idiot coasting on her family's reputation, is actually one of her strengths. Mizuki is considerably more crafty than she appears, with the flashes of perceptive and knowledgeable behavior that she sometimes demonstrates usually being dismissed as dumb luck. She accepts this as a consequence of her chosen course, that of manipulating her so-called friends for the benefit of themselves and the School, not necessarily in that order. More than anything else, Mizuki intends to one day succeed her father (or whoever follows him) as the master of the Shadow School, and then there'll be some real changes made.

Mizuki - PL 8

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 0 | AGL 5 | DEX 5 | FGT 11 | INT 0 | AWE 3 | PRE 0

Powers:
Actual Duplicates: Summon Duplicate 8, Active, Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 2 (maximum of 4 dupes) - 65 points
Decoy Duplicates: Concealment 4 (All Visual Senses) - 8 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Beginner's Luck, Benefit (status ["Princess"]), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Skill Mastery (Deception), Taunt, Weapon Bind.

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+13), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+13), Deception 9 (+9), Expertise: Popular Culture 8 (+8), Perception 4 (+7), Sleight of Hand 6 (+11), Stealth 5 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 3)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/0, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 75 + Advantages 19 + Skills 25 + Defenses 15 = 185 points

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Manipulative. Reputation (lazy & materialistic.)

Note: Mizuki's duplicates possess all her traits except Actual Duplicates.

 

[Voltron64]

So Sakamoto Sasuke is either Bravo's true identity or at the very least, an associate of him.

 

[Davies]

Such is the current theory in the School.