Defenders of the District (MSH) OOC

[Phantom Genius]

Here begins the tale of the greatest heroes of the United States that don't live in any of the fifty states: the defenders of the District of Columbia, the paladins of Pennsylvania Avenue, the warriors for Washington, the champions of Capitol Hill!

Please post a character name, if your identity is public or secret, and your general living arrangements. (Hero lair, cave, apartment, mansion on K Street)

[TerrickTerran]

Name Hygeia
Secret Identity None
Lives: Hotels normally. Hygeia is still trying to adjust to modern times and structures.

[BananaPhone]

Lisa Hawkins - Fury

Spoiler

Show

Fury

Fury
Lisa Hawkins

F I (95)
A EX (43)
S I (82)
E I (85)
R GD (31)
I AM (98)
P TY (16)

Health: 140
Karma: 66
Resources: Typical
Popularity: 5

Known Powers:

Body Armor:
Fury's irradiated body gives her Amazing Body Armor (98) against physical attacks and Incredible (78) against any Energy attack.

Earth Control:
Fury has Excellent Earth Control, being able to manipulate minerals, earthly and rock formations that have not been too heavily processed.

Health Draining:
Fury can consciously drain the health of those she touches, causing a Health Drain (Incredible) effect on whatever she is touching.

Talents:

Martial Arts A:
Lisa has a 5th Dan Black Belt in Judo, having practiced since she was 6 years old and winning several regional championships. This skill is ingratiated into her muscle memory to the point that when she assumes her Fury form she uses her incredible strength and agility in conjunction with her skill to brutal effect, enabling her to take on much stronger and tougher opponents.

Scientific Skill: Physics and Archaeology:
Lisa has a Masters in Physics and a Masters in Archaeology, working in a niche field of researching the ruins of ancient and advanced civilisations.

Other Skill: Repair/Tinkering:
Lisa has a knack for repairing and tinkering with mechanical devices, partly due to the influence of her mechanic father growing up and picking up skills during field trips in her own profession.

Contacts:

None.

Background:

Name: Fury
Secret Identity: None
Lives: DC apartment. God damn the rent is ridiculous.

[Phantom Genius]

[SIZE=5][CENTER]
Name: Fury
Secret Identity: None

Hygeia and Fury, how do your neighbors feel about this? How do you keep villains from blowing up your building?

Lives: DC apartment. God damn the rent is ridiculous.

You have that absolutely right, especially after the pandemic started.

[BananaPhone]

Hygeia and Fury, how do your neighbors feel about this? How do you keep villains from blowing up your building?

Lisa is a quiet, friendly person who keeps to herself. Neighborly enough if people approach her, but doesn't go out of her way to socialise. Though she's got the Jury Rig skill, so chances are when people have problems with stuff in their apartment, they ask her for a helping hand. (and she helps out, for free, like the nice lady she is)

She stops them as best she can. She turns into a 9 foot tall red-skinned angry woman, so it's kinda hard to hide it all lol.

You have that absolutely right, especially after the pandemic started.

Well thankfully we're a well-funded team...right?

[TerrickTerran]

Hygeia does not stay in one place for any long period of time. She pays only in cash, receives no mail and does not have a regular phone. She only purchases temporary ones. She avoids any questions about her past only saying she was originally from Greece and relocated here for work.

[Rook.Gamer]

Hero Name: Arcane
Name: Derek Armstrong (Secret)

Derek lives far outside DC in a small single family home. His powers let him travel almost instantaneously to wherever he is needed.

Spoiler: Arcane Sheet

Show

Origin: Altered Human

Primary Attributes
Fighting Am 46
Agility In 36
Strength Pr 3
Endurance Rm 26
Reason Ty 5
Intuition Ex 16
Psyche In 36

Health: 101
Karma: 57
Resources: Ty 5

Powers (Mechanics Below)

Electrical Manipulation Am 46
Includes power level resistance to electricity
Absorption (Electricity) Gd 8
Electrical Generation Rm 26
Limited to touch range
Energy Path (Electricity) In 36

Talents

Fighting Skills: Blunt Weapons
Professional Skills: Pilot

Contacts

None

Background: Derek was a pilot working for a national shipping company. He was flying late one night when a sudden thunderstorm churned up and he wasn’t able to avoid it. The plane was struck by a bolt of lightning. Ordinarily this would’ve been a potential issue for any aircraft but not a certainty. What Derek wasn’t aware of was that he was transporting radioactive waste whose containment was damage by the surge through the plane’s systems. Then the second bolt hit and everything exploded. Derek awoke in the wreckage hours later in the wilderness with electricity arcing over his body and towards various bits of the debris.

Description: Arcane’s powers manifest as purple electrical energy shot through with silver sparks and stars. He dresses in a tall hat and top coat that appears something like a magician might’ve worn in the 1800s complete with a stout wooden cane that has an iron core and woven with copper veins on the outside to conduct his power.

Spoiler: Power Mechnics

Show

Electrical Manipulation Am 46
Includes power level resistance to electricity
Arcane can control all forms of electricity, whether natural, artificial, or Power-based. He can control the Intensity and direction of electron streams and alter the conductivity of materials. He can shape electron streams into any desired form. This permits him to develop Power stunts based on lightning–constructs designed to perform certain tasks (shields, cages, barriers, etc.)
The hero can increase or decrease the electricity's Intensity and reduce damage by his Power rank number. If the electricity is Power-related, then the
target's Power rank determines the Intensity of the FEAT the hero must make to gain control.
Because electricity forms the basis for most of our technology, the hero can use his Power to remotely control any electrical device on a Good Intensity FEAT. More complex devices like computers require a more complex form of control and a Remarkable Intensity FEAT.

Absorption (Electricity) Gd 8

Arcane can absorb electrical energy and actually gain Health points by converting the energy into Self-Healing. He gains a number of Health points equal his Power rank number each time he is hit by electrical energy. This addition to Health quickly heals any damage the hero has suffered and acts as a buffer to absorb consequent damage.
In the absence of life-sustaining materials, this Power can act as a substitute for air, water, and food. Arcane converts energy into healing power for the damage he's taking from suffocation, dehydration, starvation, and any other unpleasant results of not living careful. Unfortunately, this requires a steady supply of energy to convert.

Electrical Generation Rm 26
Limited to touch range

Arcane can create electrical energy that does Power rank damage. The range can be extended by conducting the Power through solid conductors like metal. Electricity comes in various forms:
• Static electricity causes magnetic attraction between objects and can disrupt electronic communications.
• Lightning is sheer, raw, destructive power and by far the most popular form of this Power.
• Alternating current is what our technology is driven by. This Power can either energize or overload normal electrical devices.
• Direct current is what a battery produces. It can energize or overload devices that use DC power. It can also short out devices that use AC power.
This Power automatically includes Power rank Resistance to Electricity; no FEAT is required to resist your own Power. Extreme heat reduces this Power's rank by the Intensity rank of the heat. Conversely, extreme cold increases the rank by the cold's Intensity rank.

Energy Path (Electricity) In 36

Arcane can transform into electrical energy and travel at Power rank speed along currents of that energy. The maximum speed is that normal to the Energy. The hero is limited to places where the energy currents flow. The player must choose what form of energy the hero turns into. Upon reaching the destination or the limit of the energy current, the hero safely rematerializes.
Travel can be affected by anything that disrupts the current, such as a break in an electric line or the use of Energy Emission or Control Powers. When a disruption occurs, the hero must make a Power FEAT to detour around the obstacle and continue on. Failure means the hero rematerializes on the spot and can not reenter the energy path for an hour.
The hero must be within 10 feet of the current in order to join it. Insulation of an Intensity exceeding his Power rank pre- vents the hero from joining the current.
The hero can transform and tow along an additional mass. Treat the Power rank in terms of Strength to determine how much additional material can be transported by this Power. For example, a Typical rank can transport an additional 100-200 pounds.
While in an energized state, the hero is extremely vulnerable to the energy altering Powers. These are Absorption Power, Energy Solidification, Energy Sponge, and Energy Vampirism. Any of these have the potential to trap or even destroy the hero. Fortunately the hero is moving at the speed normal for his energy type is thus a rather difficult target.

[Phantom Genius]

Hero Name: Arcane
Name: Derek Armstrong

Derek lives far outside DC. His powers let him travel almost instantaneously to wherever he is needed.

Public or secret? In a house, apartment, or lair?

[Phantom Genius]

Hygeia: You get a phone call from the US State Department. They would like to meet with you regarding the establishment of an embassy for Olympians and Asgardians.

Fury: There appears to be a new man in your apartment building. He's living in the penthouse, dresses impeccably, has movie star looks, and holds the elevator for you one night just before it closes on you. He nods politely if you thank him, but doesn't make any small talk. He seems to be irritated with something on his phone.

Arcane: You hear a phone ringing, but don't recognize the ringtone. People keep looking at you and you realize it's coming from your pocket. Someone must have reverse pick-pocketed you.

[BananaPhone]

Fury, on the lookout for her future husband as she is, smiles pleasantly and tries to make small-talk as best she can. Given his frustration, she'll wait a few moments before joking saying that she hates Bixby too. (assuming he uses a Samsung)

[TerrickTerran]

Hygeia noted she would be at the meeting. It had been a while since her last contact with Thor and it would be nice to negotiate with the Asgardians and sample some of their more interesting beverages. It would be a nice change from nectar.

[Rook.Gamer]

Wandering through downtown looking in store shops, Derek is surprised when the ringing phone he was trying to ignore turns out to be in his coat pocket. Looking at it strangely for a moment he turns down a less busy side street before finding a place out of the way and away from the general bustle of street activities.

Answering the phone, “Hello?”, Derek asks into the device.

[TerrickTerran]

I'm dropping out. Life is being very rough right now.

[BananaPhone]

Take care TT, I hope things get better soon!

[Phantom Genius]

Clearly your first mission will be to find your former teammate who has mysteriously disappeared. Good luck, TT. We'll be here if you find your way back.

Fury: "Yes. Bixby is my nemesis. I tell it to activate international calling and it directs me to International House of Pancakes. Ridiculous." Lisa could fix that in a heartbeat if she dared reach for the phone.

Arcane: You hear a voice that is clearly being modified by a scrambler. "Arcane, I must remain anonymous, but I work in the White House Situation Room. I know your partner Fury and you have sworn to protect the District and I support that. Please keep this phone charged and near your person. I will alert you through it whenever a villain threatens DC that the local police and Secret Service cannot handle."

[Phantom Genius]

Eight days with no replies. Are we still defending DC?

[BananaPhone]

Omg I'm sorry I didn't reply! I must have read and forgot to reply.

[BananaPhone]

Fury: "Yes. Bixby is my nemesis. I tell it to activate international calling and it directs me to International House of Pancakes. Ridiculous." Lisa could fix that in a heartbeat if she dared reach for the phone.

Fury would smile at this remark. Still in her human form, she posed no threat as she gestured with a quick uptick of her chin. "those things are notoriously bad at detecting voices in the lower pitch, typically that of more masculine men" she uttered matter-of-factly, but the content was hard to ignore.

Holding her right hand out, an eyebrow raised, a 'if you want' look on her face, as she expressed an offer to fix it via body language.

[Phantom Genius]

Fury would smile at this remark. Still in her human form, she posed no threat as she gestured with a quick uptick of her chin. "those things are notoriously bad at detecting voices in the lower pitch, typically that of more masculine men" she uttered matter-of-factly, but the content was hard to ignore.

Holding her right hand out, an eyebrow raised, a 'if you want' look on her face, as she expressed an offer to fix it via body language.

"Is that so? And what of beautiful women?" He hands the phone over in a non-misogynistic way. Fury can't help but note there are multiple banking and investing apps, but that's not too surprising for someone renting the penthouse.

[BananaPhone]

Emily smiled receptively, "very kind of you to say," she nods as she turns her attention to the phone, her thumbs going over the touch screen to try and work her Jury Rig magic.

[Phantom Genius]

Emily smiled receptively, "very kind of you to say," she nods as she turns her attention to the phone, her thumbs going over the touch screen to try and work her Jury Rig magic.

He watches Lisa work, betraying nothing on whether he's impressed, irritated, hopeful, or just cloned her phone. (You think Lisa would know if the last one happened.) She finishes quickly and easily. Do you want to try anything sneaky or just hand it back?

Edited Emily to Lisa***

[BananaPhone]

As Lisa is not a creepy peeping tom, she won't modify his phone. With it fixed and dandy, she hands it back with a 'all done!' smile on her face.

[Phantom Genius]

As Lisa is not a creepy peeping tom, she won't modify his phone. With it fixed and dandy, she hands it back with a 'all done!' smile on her face.

(You threw me off when you called her Emily. I'll go back to calling her Lisa.)

"Very impressive. I don't know how you did that. I thank you." He looks at his phone for a moment as the elevator stops on your floor.

[BananaPhone]

(Yeah, sorry, I messed that one up too!)

Lisa smiled and gave a friendly nod as the doors opened, "I could tell you how over a coffee if you want.." she threw it out there, "I was going to get a Cinnabon's across the road in about half an hour. You know, if you didn't have anything else to do," she offered a smile-and-a-shrug as she departed the elevator, making her way to her place, face blushed red and skin turning to goosebumps as she went to changed out of her work-clothes.

[CardTrick]

Spoiler: Bug/Deacon

Show

Heroic Moniker: Bug
Identity: Secret
Name: Deacon Douglass
Location: Georgetown University; Washington, D.C.
Physical Form: Modified Human (Extra Parts - Organs)
Origin: Maturity

Fighting: Remarkable (26)
Agility: Good (8)
Strength: Excellent (16)
Endurance: Excellent (16)
Reason: Remarkable (26)
Intuition: Amazing (46)
Psyche: Amazing (46)

Health: 136
Karma: 118

Resources: Poor (3)
Popularity: Good (8)

Powers:
Armor Skin: Good (10) - Deacon's alien organs can cause a transformation of his epidermis that produces a red insectoid carpace around his body which provides him Good protection against both physical and energy attacks. Up to eight hours of continous deployment of this carapace counts as a use of the power for the purposes of overtaxing himself. He can deploy the armor five times before this occurs. However, as the carpace typically also serves as his costume, managing to have days of not using it at all, so it can recharge can be especially bothersome.
Carrier Wave: Good (8) - Deacon can carry himself aloft via ambient microwave radiation in his environment, creating a little red shimmer around himself when he does so. The shimmer can also support up to 400 additional pounds of weight without Deacon having to carry it. Using this shimmer, Deacon can propel himself through the air at up to 120 mph. Up to every ten minutes of contious flight is considered a single use of this power with regards to his energy limits. He has thirty six uses of this power before risking overtaxing it. Thus, Deacon's current maximum flight distance from a full charged state is around 720 miles (or six hours of flight), though he and anyone he carries really don't want to still be airborne when he reaches that limit.
Control Technology: Remarkable (30) - Deacon can control technology. He can choose to either affect all the techology/technological powers of a single target within 8 areas of himself, or all of one kind of technology/technological effect within a 1 area radius of himself. The intensity of the FEAT required to control technology depends upon the target. Negating the effects of technology and technology-based powers is automatic if the technology's rank (or the Psyche of living target with technological powers) is Typical or less, Green if it is Good or Excellent, Yellow if it is Remarkable, Red if it is Incredible, and impossible if Amazing or higher. This is also true of increasing or decreasing the rank of a technology, which can be augmented either way by up to 30 points. However, manipulating technology in more specific ways is never automatic regardless of rank. While the same limits as above apply to who or what can be affected, Reason FEATs are also required. Altering the basic direction of any technology (making a car or missile swerve away) is at a Green FEAT, changing an element of its effects in some way (making an power nullifying collar affect everyone else in the same area as the wearer instead of the wearer themselves) is a Yellow FEAT, and radically altering a piece of technology (reconfiguring a toaster into a plasma blaster) is a red feat. This complex application of Deacon's powers can drain rather quickly, with only 8 uses before it becomes overtaxed. Negations and Manipulations are instanaeous and count as a use with each application. Magnications and reductions of power ranks can be maintained at a rate of one hour per use.
Dangersense: Monstrous (63) - As a result of alien tissue from his implants having spread to his brain and nervous system, Deacon can send his mind into a computer-like overdrive that allows him effectively run predictive algoritms in his head, which can calculate hazards more than a minute (63 seconds) before they would actually occur. While this power is active, Deacon uses a Monstrous (63) rank for determining suprise, blocking, dodging, and escaping. For the purposes of using up his energy, up to an hour of continous use of this power is considered a single use of his power and he can only use it up to eight times before doing so can have detrimental effects upon him.
Radiowave Control: Amazing (46) - Deacon can manipulate the microwave transmissions of any form of technology with Amazing ability. Simply jamming any kind of transmission as well as manipulating/producing any form of audio-only format transmissions are automatic feats for him. Realitively basic audiovisual transmission are a Green feat, while more elaborate ones are a Red feat. Manipulating or producing truly complex and elaborate broadcasts is currently impossible for him. Deacon can't interfere with natural sources of microwave energy, only those generated or utilized by technology. Thus his Radiowave Control is not a nemesis or counter for most other entities with similar microwave powers, though theirs may still be a counter for his. Likewise, his Amazing resistance to microwave-based powers does not apply to effects from non-techological sources.
Radiowave Generation: Remarkable (26) - Deacon's blasts deal Remarkable (26) microwave energy damage to technological targets but are not as useful against other foes. However, the Good (10) microwave energy damage they deal to non-technological targets is still nastier than your average pistol. Deacon can fire off sixteen blasts before overtaxing himself.
Stealth: Amazing (46) - As a minor subset of his ability to manipulate technology, Deacon can screen himself from all manner of technological detection, such that sensors and the like take a -8CS reduction in their ability to detect him (all the way to shift-0 in some cases). Of all his abilities, this one is the least likely to ever overtax him both because he can have it continously active for roughly a full day before it is considered to use up a single instance of his maximum of thirty six uses and because finding days to not use it at all so it can recover isn't as onerous as other powers.

Talents:
Student - Deacon is currently a undergraduate student at Georgetown University. He has no other talents currently, but can acquire new talents more easily, both from teammates (1000 karma) and those outside the group (800 karma)

Contacts:
Ietri (Political - Other National) - Deacon gained his powers from an organ transplant undertaken to save his life as a child. This organs came from a technomorphic insectiod alien species living on Earth in secret (from the public but not the government) as refugees from a planet destroyed by a cosmic calamity. After deciding to become Bug as teenager, Deacon was approached by representatives of the species and has maintained friendly relations. The Ietri living on Earth have access to Monstrous resources, but a generally reluctant to provide aid if it would expose their people to harm.

Weakness:
Biophysical Overtaxation - Deacon's powers come from alien organs implanted in him as a child that are only mostly accepted as part of his human body which also isn't exactly genetically equipped to facilitate them. As noted under each of his powers, using any one of them beyond their limits will cause all of them to temporarily cease functioning. Also, if he doesn't immediately stop what he's doing and instead continues engaging in any form of strenuous activities his biological condition will also decline at a rate -1CS to each primary ability every minute until each ability is only Typical (6) rank. Simply spending a entire turn resting to let his body adjust to the over-taxation by a power will allow him to use his other powers again and likewise return his primary abilities to their normal ranks, however the over-taxed powers remain unavailable until he has gone without using them at least a full day. This recovery is at a rate of only one useage per day, but it can occur even before a power is fully taxed. For example, Deacon sometimes tries to limit his heroic excursions to no more than eight hours every other day, because that way he never risks overtaxing the carpace that also serves as his costume.

(Answering the secret/public identity and "where do you live?" questions from the recruitment thread - Bug/Deacon's identity is not public knowledge, though his teammates know it, and presumably government agency types too. He currently has an absolute hole-in-wall loft apartment just off the main Georgetown University campus in D.C., which is just slightly more expensive than using the dorms, but too many close calls during his Freshman year caused him to decide the dorms weren't viable.)

[Phantom Genius]

Lisa: You hear him say, as the doors start to close, "Cinnabon, one half of an hour, very well."

Twenty-five minutes later, there's a knock at your door, which is not what you agreed to, but at least you're dressed.

Deacon: You're at or near some sort of environmental rally in Georgetown regarding cleaning up the Potomac River, when the water begins to hiss and roil. People start screaming and running. You think you could pick up Fury and ride your carrier wave back to the river pretty easily, as long as she is in her human form. Your brain also sends a text to Arcane, who can get himself there very quickly, and Hygeia, who doesn't get the message because she's spending some time in Olympus.

Let's pick it up with Bug outside Lisa/Fury's door, remembering not all of her neighbors know what she is.

[BananaPhone]

Lisa had taken a quick shower and had managed to comb her hair and changed into a pair of casual-dress jeans and shirt, her chestnut hair drawn over one side and groomed neatly. On the whole she thought she had done a pretty good job, as hope swelled within her that Mr Movie-Star looks would take her up on her offer.

What she was not expecting was a rapping upon her door. Curious, bottom lip jutted forward in surprise, she composed herself and moved to the front door, checking through the peep-hole and, if safe, opening the portal.

[Phantom Genius]

Actually, let's go to the IC thread for when you start talking to each other.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...trict-(MSH)-IC

[BananaPhone]

Hey, priorities .

[BananaPhone]

You know, there actually isn't any mechanic behind the Lisa/Fury transformation. As by what I've rolled, it's Lisa herself who has those stats and powers. But I wanted to funnel it into a semi-She-hulk like character who transforms into an 8' tall, red rage woman, who is semi-aware (can tell friend from foe and neutrals/civvies), but solves her problems usually by smashing them.

So how long does it take for her to transform into Fury? About as long or as quick as the plot needs.