The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

[Davies]

Jeremiah Wander


Jeremiah Wander -- occultist and adventurer. Friend to Geoffrey Tempest, who novelized their adventures in a series of popular paperback novels of the 1960s. Mentor to Diane Fortune, staunch ally to Captain Mystic, and occasionally consulted by other members of the Institute on his areas of expertise. Occasional enemy and rumored romantic partner of Dame Beatrice Barrowman, and well-known foe of Baron Khan and Ayesha the Eternal. This is a man whose life touched many others in many different ways.

And so it is something of a surprise that so little is known about the life of the man himself. Geoffrey Tempest believed that Jeremiah was perhaps a year or so younger than himself when they met in 1963, but eight years later he would comment that the other man hardly seemed to have aged a day since then, rendering all speculation about his actual age pointless. He also believed that Jeremiah was a native New Yorker, and of fairly high class, though the latter may have been Tempest's own class prejudices talking. On the other hand, he was wealthy enough to maintain a brownstone in New York without apparent support.

Complicating the matter further are persistent, unanswered questions about what Jeremiah Wander actually did. His heroic deeds were chronicled, of course, but not only did Geoffrey Tempest invent a number of the stories in his series of novels, he also changed names and facts to slightly obscure the truth. And it's not clear how much of the truth that Tempest knew in the first place; the novels clearly depicted Tempest as entirely reliant on Wander's explanations about the phenomena that they encountered, and Wander may not have revealed everything he knew about them, or possibly just been mistaken in his conclusions.

Subsequent investigators, including Blakestone and Maureen Summerisle, have revisited some of the sites of Wander's exploits, and reached varying conclusions about what actually happened there, informed by their varying attitudes towards Wander's legacy. Blakestone regards him as something of a role model, while Maureen has referred to him as a screw-up who often left things half-done, though that might be because of the way that she favors much more lethal solutions than Wander did. No one has had the courage to ask Geoffrey Tempest what he thinks about his old friend, these days.

Jeremiah Wander was apparently killed during the Battle of Vietnam, not long after the death of Diane Fortune. However, in the years since, his astral form has been seen and even conversed with many people, offering counsel and reassurance to those engaged in mystical adventures, while also passing on warnings to those that are treading dangerous paths. Exelion is apparently acquainted with a method of contacting him but has not shared the details of this with anyone. Questions about the man's current situation will be politely rebuffed with statements that he has not come to talk about himself, but about the situation in which those he addresses finds themselves. The most detailed answer that he has ever given anyone about it was in response to a query from Robin Hood, where he expressed the idea that he was an idea in the mind of God.

"But aren't we all?" asked Robin.

"No," Wander replied. "Not all."

Jeremiah Wander -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 2 | AGL 1 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 3 | AWE 6 | PRE 4

Powers:
Astral Projection: Remote Sensing 10 (1000 miles; Auditory, Mental, Visual), Limitation (physical body is helpless), Dimensional, Subtle 2; Mental Communication 3, Dimensional - 47 points
Magical Spells: Array (30 points)

• Dispel Magic: Perception Range Nullify 6, Broad (Magic), Simultaneous - 30 points
• Ghost Hands: Perception Range Move Object 9, Precise, Subtle 2 - 1 point
• Mystic Bindings: Ranged Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Accurate 2, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
• Mystical Blast: Ranged Damage 14, Accurate 2 - 1 point
• Phantasms: Illusion 6 (Auditory, Visual), Area (125 cubic feet), Resistible by Will, Selective - 1 point
• Sensing: Cumulative Mind Reading 10 - 1 point

Mystic Awareness: Senses 3 (Mystic Awareness, Analytical, Radius) - 3 points
Warding: Sustained Protection 14, Subtle, Activation (Standard Action) - 13 points

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Contacts, Equipment 3, Fearless, Ranged Attack, Ritualist, Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will checks), Well-Informed.

Equipment:
New York Brownstone: Size Medium; Toughness 10; Features Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Secret, Security System, Workshop - 11 points

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Expertise: Magic 8 (+12), Insight 6 (+12), Intimidation 5 (+9), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 7 (+13), Persuasion 6 (+10), Stealth 7 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Mystical Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 14)
Mystical Bindings +8 (Ranged Will 14)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 16/2, Will 13

Totals:
Abilities 48 + Powers 98 + Advantages 12 + Skills 25 + Defenses 18 = 201 points

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friend (Geoffrey Tempest). Mysterious and Enigmatic.

Author's Note: The profile above describes Jeremiah Wander before 1971. As far as is known, he has not used any powers aside from his Astral Projection (which has become Remote Sensing 13 and Mental Communication 4) and Sensing since then. His precise physical condition is a complete mystery.

[Davies]

And that is that for a while.

[Voltron64]

Great stopping point, Davies.

And from the current set-up, it's looking like you've set up a prologue for something important upon return.

[Shock]

Have a nice break.

[Davies]

So it turns out that taking a break from doing something you enjoy is kind of ridiculous, particularly when you get all your preparations for the holidays done on the first day of that break, leaving you with a great heap of unoccupied time. And you keep getting ideas for what you're going to do when you come back from your break, which is nice, but then you realize you're going to have sit on them for a month and ... <long drawn out sigh>

Anyway. I'm back for a while.

[Davies]

Thriller


The first act of George Hama's life has already been described in the biography of Kiyohime. Following the end of the Pythonian Insurgency, he resigned his commission in the Marines and quietly retired to a cabin in a remote part of Alaska. Occasional attempts were made, both by representatives of Argus and the Corps, to persuade him to either become an operative or return to duty, but he answered these with the same stony silence that he gave everything else. Aside from these visits, and trips to a nearby town to purchase supplies, he had very little human contact over the next fifteen years.

He did not abandon the martial arts training that he'd learned, though he began to explore its more meditative aspects. Towards the end of this period, according to a letter he sent to Shannon Hazzard, he realized that he was maintaining a level of physical ability well beyond what a man of his age should be able to achieve, even with constant physical exercise. In 2005, when he turned fifty, he had to admit that he was aging at a much slower pace than he should have been. Whether because of one of the many unusual situations he'd encountered during his years of service, something he'd learned in his training, or something innate to him, he had become more than human. He wanted to view this as irrelevant to the life he was living.

But George was not totally unaware of what was going on in the world during his self-imposed exile from it. He couldn't avoid knowledge of how superheroes had returned, of the threats that had emerged to the world and its peoples. Returning to the life of violence he'd managed to escape didn't appeal to him, but he had joined the Corps, and later JSOT, because he believed that he had a duty to use his skills in the defense of others. He'd done that, and despite how it had all turned out, he still believed that he should be putting his talents to some use. But how could he reconcile this with a desire to never do anyone any harm again?

And then he read about the great race that the Blue Bolt and Paragon had undertaken, racing around the world to raise money for charity, and the idea of using his gifts for that end, all the time, struck him. He contacted some old associates, Shannon among them, and with their help he was able to create the masked identity of Thriller, the masked stuntman who would undertake any risk to raise money for charitable purposes. Finally, there was a little more color in George's life, and he endured the situations where he had to deal with supervillains or more mundane criminals as simply an additional complication in the life he was choosing to live.

While not technically a superhero, Thriller will always choose to help someone in need of it over engaging in showmanship, though he's often found a way to do both. He doesn't deliberately seek out situations where he needs to fight crime, though he'll make an exception if he hears that the Reaper is active in the same area that he is. The two of them have clashed repeatedly and both have figured out the other's identity from their time in the same unit. (They weren't ever friends, but did work together on several occasions.) He has also made attempts, at Shannon's urging, to seek out the Nightstalker, but is increasingly skeptical that there's anything left of a man who was a friend of his left in the creature.

Thriller -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 4 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 8 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Inner Reserves: Array (3 points)

• Healing Boost: Regeneration 3 - 3 points
• Speed Boost: Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 1 points
• Strength Boost: Enhanced Strength 3, Tiring - 1 point

Longevity: Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Aim, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Languages 3 (American English Sign Language, Japanese, Spanish, others [English is native]), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Ranged Attack 5, Redirect, Skill Mastery 4 (Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Vehicles), Tracking, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Armorweave Costume (Protection 2, Subtle) and 22 points of equipment as needed (typically a vehicle used in his current stunt.)

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+13), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise: 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Sleight of Hand 9 (+12), Stealth 8 (+12), Technology 6 (+8), Treatment 4 (+6), Vehicles 8 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 5/2)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 12, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8/6/6/4, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 6 + Advantages 36 + Skills 59 + Defenses 20 = 177 points

Complications:
Charity--Motivation. Doesn't Speak. Enemy (the Reaper) Fame. Secret Identity.

[Voltron64]

He has also made attempts, at Shannon's urging, to seek out the Nightstalker, but is increasingly skeptical that there's anything left of a man who was a friend of his left in the creature.

Given the comments Nightstalker made to The American Angel about his uncle, probably likelier than anybody expects.

[Davies]

Megawatt


By all accounts, in 2005 Steve Jovanovich was a fairly typical teenager, growing up in Newark as the only child of a single mother. (All attempts to determine the identity of his father have failed.) He got along with his friends, worked in a part-time job, and did fairly well in school, showing some promise in the sciences. And then, while attending a science exhibition devoted to the work of Nikola Tesla, the accident happened. A machine overloaded and discharged several million volts of electricity into Steve and several other onlookers.

Stunningly, Steve was only left in a coma for a few days, and no one else was seriously injured. When he awoke, Steve found himself bursting with energy. He could absorb, generate and direct electrical energy, even (somehow) using it to augment his own strength and endurance. Naturally, he swore to use these powers for the betterment of humanity, and embarked on a career of crimefighting as Megawatt, the Electric Excitement. His mother, whom he immediately told his secret identity, was a bit startled by the sudden change in her son's behavior -- he'd never been so impulsive before -- but believed that he was doing good.

Unfortunately, the editor-in-chief of The Star Ledger disagreed, and engaged in quite a bit of slanted, unfair criticism of the young hero. Megawatt claimed not to care about this, but his mother realized that he was actually hurt by the insults. She decided to do something about that, and contacted a reporter for the paper whom she knew, offering him an exclusive interview with Megawatt's mother, in the belief that this would counteract the editor's attacks. She was given a guarantee that her anonymity would be respected.

It wasn't.

It only took two days after the interview blowing Steve's secret identity was published for a criminal who'd narrowly escaped him in the past to break into the Jovanovich apartment in an attempt to kidnap Megawatt's mother, accidentally killing her. Megawatt caught him and turned him over to the police, but then he went after the person he actually blamed for the death, breaking into the paper's newsroom and grabbing hold of the editor-in-chief. To this day, it's not clear whether he deliberately electrocuted the man, or whether this was the first documented manifestation of his tendency to lose control of his powers. The results were the same, regardless.

Megawatt was finished as a hero, and he was in no mood to answer to the authorities for what he claimed had been an accident. He went on the run, hunted by former allies and enemies alike. His anger over what had happened congealed into spite and contempt for the world, and he became the menace that The Star Ledger had portrayed him as being, as well as a feared criminal mastermind. He has been captured, but never held for long, and never actually tried for the crime which began his reign of terror.

While originally independent, a confrontation with Hadron that turned into a conversation led to Megawatt becoming a lieutenant in the old man's organization, albeit one who still usually acts on his own. Conscious of Hadron's advancing age, he fully intends to take over the group when the Radioactive Raider finally kicks the bucket, and to turn it into a much more active criminal organization. He's still loyal enough to Hadron that he doesn't want to speed that day up, though a good part of that is his belief that he doesn't actually have to.

And before you ask, no, the editor of The Star Ledger wasn't connected to Billie Zane. He was just an asshole.

Megawatt -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR 9/0 | STA 12/3 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 7 | INT 2 | AWE 0 | PRE 2

Powers:
Arc Riding: Leaping 12 (4 miles) - 12 points
Electrical Absorption: Immunity 10 (electrical effects); Reaction Energizing Healing 10, Limited to Self, Source (Electricity) - 50 points
Electrical Control: Array (36 points)

• Ball Lightning: Ranged Burst Area Damage 12 - 36 points
• Electrical Aura: Reaction Damage 9 - 1 point
• Lightning Flash: Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
• Mega-Taser: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
• Power Drain: Burst Area Nullify Technology 12, Broad - 1 point

Power Boost: Linked Enhanced Strength 9, Fades; Lnked Enhanced Stamina 9, Fades - 18 points

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Startle.

Skills:
Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+10), Expertise: Science 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 7 (+7), Ranged Combat: Electrical Control 8 (+10), Stealth 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 9/0 and Reaction Damage 9)
Ball Lightning -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 12)
Lightning Flash -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 12)
Mega-Taser +10 (Ranged Fortitude 12)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 14/5, Toughness 12/3, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 99 + Advantages 6 + Skills 27 + Defense 19 = 199 points

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Power Loss (all, when surrounded by conductive or insulating materials.) Uncontrolled Power.

[Voltron64]

Ironically, I figure had Megawatt not been so rash, that editor would've had his career and reputation in cinders thanks to his culpability for the tragedy.

[Davies]

Perhaps. Of course, that could have led to him getting radicalized.

Should stats for Megawatt's PL 9 heroic incarnation be needed, reduce his STA to 1, his FGT to 5, Leaping to 8 ranks, his Array to 28 points, Ball Lightning to 9 ranks, Electrical Aura to 7 ranks, Lightning Flash to 9 ranks, Mega-Taser to 9 ranks, Power Drain to 9 ranks, drop Startle, drop Expertise: Criminal and Expertise: Streetwise, reduce Intimidation to 6 ranks and Ranged Combat to 5 ranks, reduce Dodge to 8, Will to 6.

[greycrusader]

Thriller is a nice homage to the source of the character's image, the Human Fly; even aside from having a fondness for obscure 1970s heroes, I've always been intrigued by the mystery of the IRL Human Fly, whose real name was rumored to be RIck Rojack, but which was almost certainly an alias. He apparently was something of a mystery man, with no known training as a professional stuntman but a fitness/physical conditioning fanatic. He disappeared after pulling off a stunt which supposedly involved heavy betting by local mob-connected gamblers that he would fail to accomplish. Current whereabouts unknown, if he is indeed still living.

All my best.

[Davies]

Thriller is a nice homage to the source of the character's image, the Human Fly

Thanks! I considered using the Golden Age Daredevil's look for the character, but the spiked belt was a deal-breaker, and that magnificent illustration I stole from Jab's writeup was just too good not to use.

Whoever the RL Human Fly was, I'm just stunned that someone seriously rode on the outside of a 747 and lived to tell the tale.

[Davies]

Scanner


As a young child, Ray Winter was known for gazing up at the sun for hours on end. As this was a minor eccentricity compared to the way that he just didn't process emotions in the same way that most children did, his parents were inclined to overlook this. His childhood was not an easy or happy one, as he found it difficult to either understand or be understood by others, but no matter what happened, he took comfort in retreating into his own mind and gazing up at the source of energy blazing away in the sky above him.

In his late adolescence, his ability to perceive energy sources in much greater detail than an ordinary person evolved into an ability to absorb energy and project it through his eyes. While this happened in 1999, after the second era of superheroes had gotten underway, Ray didn't feel at all inclined to try wearing a body stocking and going out to fight street crime. Had anyone told him that he had a responsibility that came with his great power, he'd have probably replied, "Responsibility to whom?"

But that would change, too. Cerebron's attack genuinely frightened him, and though he tried to use his energy beam to blast one of the drones that got too close to his home for comfort, he was too startled and too inexperienced to actually hit it. Nobody he cared about was hurt that day, but he decided that he wanted to get better at using this strange talent of his. But where was he supposed to find the training that he required? When his father hesitantly suggested that the military might have some ideas, Ray immediately volunteered at the local Air Force recruiting office, on the theory that the most technically advanced section of the military was the best choice.

It wasn't the worst possible call, as it ended up with Ray being selected as a candidate for the United Superheroes of America, under the alias Starblazer. He got the training he needed, as well as learning a lot of other useful skills, and served diligently if not all nearly as brilliantly as the codename would suggest for the duration of the team's existence. Afterwards, however, he found himself unhappy with his new assignment as a human shaped light artillery piece, and was discharged in a somewhat less than honorable manner after he talked back to his superiors one time too many.

As he'd never had such problems while serving under the American Angel, Dore was willing to give him another chance and hired him for the newly founded Heroic Enterprises. Ray took advantage of the change to rebrand himself as Scanner, and took a certain amount of pleasure in using his energy detection abilities as much, if not more, than his energy beam. But it didn't take long for him to run out of patience with the way that things were being done in the company, either, and he finally quit Heroic Enterprises in 2013.

Returning to his hometown of Milwaukee, Scanner has settled into a comfortable routine as its local superhero. He engages in a regular patrol and coordinates efforts with the local police, but it's been quite some time since he fought any supervillains. Truthfully, his heart isn't in it, and he's accomplished the goal he set out to achieve all those years ago, but, as mentioned, the routine has become comfortable enough that he avoids the sorts of frustrations that could set him off on another path. Eventually, something is bound to happen to jolt him out of that routine, but when it does, he'll adapt just as he always has. More than anything else, the military trained him to be prepared.

Scanner -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Energy Absorption: Immunity 20 (energy damage) - 20 points
Energy Beam: Ranged Damage 10, Concentration, Variable 2 (energy) - 32 points
Energy Detection: Senses 5 (acute analytical tracking ranged detect energy) - 5 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 3 (energy beam), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Shot (ranged, cover), Set-up, Teamwork.

Equipment:
Body Armor: Protection 2 - 2 points
Utility Belt: Array (16 points)

• Bolos: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Accurate, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point.
• Explosives: Ranged Burst Area Damage 5, Triggered - 1 point.
• Flash-Bangs: Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 4 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Impaired, Disabled, Unaware) - 1 point
• Pepper Spray: Cumulative Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vision Impaired, Stunned & Vision Disabled, Vision Unaware), Extra Condition - 1 point
• Sleep Gas Pellets: Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 5 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Asleep) - 1 point.
• Smoke Pellets: Ranged Cloud Area Visual Concealment Attack - 1 point
• Tear Gas Pellets: Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Vision Impaired, Stunned and Vision Disabled, Incapacitated), Extra Condition - 16 points.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 6 (+7), Deception 7 (+9), Expertise: Civics 4 (+6), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+6), Expertise: Military 4 (+6), Expertise: Science 4 (+6), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Energy Beam 3 (+8), Stealth 4 (+8), Vehicles 4 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Energy Beam +8 (Ranged Damage 10, Crit 17-20)
Bolos +7 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)

Defense:
Dodge 10 | Parry 8 | Fortitude 5 | Toughness 8/6/6/4 | Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 60 + Powers 57 + Advantages 17 + Skills 26 + Defenses 14 = 174 points

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Easily Frustrated. Emotional Challenges (Impaired on all Insight and Persuasion checks.)

[Voltron64]

So Cyclops with Batman's utility belt.

Particularly Cyclops as depicted by Jay Edidin in Marvel Snapshots: X-Men.

[Davies]

So Cyclops with Batman's utility belt.

Basically, he's a character with one trick, who recognizes that trick might not be useful in all situations, and because he believes in preparation, he prepares lots of backup for when it isn't.