Hero of the new era

I will close the vote in 4.5 hours.

especially smart and creative plans will get you a hero point

"enemies coming" you cry toward Anna immediately, head already full of plans. you can use the bridge as a chokehold, but it might be too wide. you won't take the risk. you take Anna's \ pushing her toward the way below the bridge. "down! we fight them there, you say". she glances toward you but runs down. now your part. you run backward, moving your hand toward a small case of glassware, holding it telekinetically and throwing it at the bridge.

your side of the bridge fils with sharp glass shards, threatening to destroy any tire trying to cross. two vehicles show up in sight, long cars with place for 6 people each, with improvised armor made of some steel plates nailed to the sides. you start running after Anna as the first Vehicle reaches the bridge. before it can stop, you reach telekinetically again while running, tearing the vehicle's wheel from the driver to the man's surprise, and slamming it to the side with all your telekinetic strength. the vehicle violently shifts course, plummeting head first to the 10-meter chasm beyond the bridge side.

sadly, by the time this maneuver is finished, the other car halts as several men quickly get off, aiming rifles and even a grenade launcher at you.

you try dodging, but you are too slow, and several bullets hit you, and your forcefield can't stop them all. you gasp as one hits you in the lower stomach, and then a grenade explodes a meter from your head, far too close for comfort. Beyond him, another one, gets out of the burned car, gathering himself and pulling another launcher

This is bad. You are outnumbered and badly hurt, and you won't be able to keep up for long. Although you refuse to surrender, you know well this situation might be your end.

No. You can't let it be. Others depend on you. You concentrate, reaching deep, trying to draw on the power that flooded you when you met Anna.

And then, among the bullets, light flickers around you. It floods you and then leaves, but you grasp it with all your strength.

I don't know where this power comes from. But it is my best hope for survival. It must work.

Then you are alight, lit up like the sun in the middle of the streets, energy replacing your body. You don't waste a moment. With the power coursing now through your being, you fling your hand at one of the grenade users, launching a blast of light at the large man

Shocked by the sudden attack, he just his face barely manages to lift his weapon to protect his face. The blast hits him thrusting back and hurting him. You are mentally aware of the soldiers flanking and shooting you, but their shots are pointless. Your target shoots back, but you easily dodge, flying a meter to the side to avoid the brunt of the explosion. The other joins him. But you are not going to let them continue the attack.

You charge at them, letting your energy carry you above the ground as you fly faster than a car. before they can even react, you explode in a flash of brilliant light.

The effect is stunning. Both men drop to the ground, stunned by the flash, and you allow yourself a small feeling of triumph before turning on the soldiers.

While you were busy with those big guys, the three soldiers spotted Anna near the bridge and moved on her. Two their guns against you, while the third moves. As you turn, he hits her with his rifle stock. She tries to protect herself, but the trained soldier is too strong for her, and she staggers back. He moves in for another strike.

"Oh no you don't!" You call flying at him at your full speed, Ignoring the bullets flung your way by the two others. Your sword is at your hand at a fraction of a second, energy blade extending as you move, hitting strong enough to send the man flying a meter back and land unconscious.

The two others look at you with wide eyes and turn back. But you aren't gonna let them get away this time.

You shoot a blast of light at one again, flying at the other and standing before him. He tries to change direction, but you strike him with your sword, felling him too.

You look around at the area. Your strange light left a good deal of devastation on the bullies. Within less than half a minute, all of them fell. The two enforcers groan in pain, paralyzed, and the others are unconscious. You fly at Amna, who stares at you again. "I don't know what this is either" you call. "So don't ask. But it saved us both". You tell her landing next to her. "we should continue to safety now".

You don't manage to get her answer. As you land, the light leaves your body, and shocked from the sudden energy, you collapse, and the world fades to black.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


you shoot back awake as soon as your consciousness returns. the world around you feels warm and comfortable, yet you jump out of the bed you somehow got into, first of all looking for a sword, laying just beside the pillow where your head had been, on a small nightstand with a small lamp and a few books.

calmed by the seemingly safe area and the presence of a trusty weapon, you further examine your surroundings. you are in a spacious room, seemingly a bedroom given the bed where you were lying. a large single bed, sitting near the edge of the room beside a large wooden wardrobe and a few luxurious-looking, albeit primitive furniture pieces.

you don't get to spend a long time wondering about your whereabouts, as in a minute the room's door opens, revealing Anna's standing behind it holding a small case.

"you are awake!" she says relieved. she draws near you, opening the case to reveal a small collection of medical equipment befitting a primitive industrial world. "how are you felling?" she asks, holding a small piece of cloth against your side, covered in a bandage. "I am feeling very well" you answer, relaxing but still staring at the bandage. "did you treat me?".

she shrugs. "I am a medical student, in the sixth year of studies. I know how to treat wounds".then she chuckles, though her eyes show only sadness. "though I expected to do this in a hospital when I finish the year". she motions at a couple of chairs gathered near a small table, then sits down on one. you follow her example. "you can feel calm. this is my bedroom, in my home. please feel at home. you did save my life several times, risking yours"


did she carried you to her home, put you in her bed, and treated you? "thank you, truly. I am grateful" you reply, and she smiles. " you saved my life, and risked yourself escorting me. I owe you greatly."

you shrug. "you owe me nothing. I just gave you a bit of help". she laughs. "nothing? you intervened when I was attacked, gone out of your way to protect me, and got injured to the point of getting knocked out to help me. you have done a much greater thing than treating me a bit. you were only out for a couple of hours, you did not disturb me"

you shake your head. "well, I did help you, but they were no threat to me. you don't need to feel debt".

awkward silence stretches, as Anna stares at you. it seems your words reminded her you are not human, drawing attention to the blue skin and pointy ears. you wait silently under her gaze, until, at last, she breaks the silence with a wary question. "what.. are you.. actually? no offense of course."

you shrug. "no offense taken. I am very clearly not human, or anything other life form your race is likely to know. and I like it that way. I am Selar. and I am not from your planet. I am a space adventurer, from a race of aliens called Serans, belonging to a great empire called Valan. my ship was destroyed sailing near your sun by a solar flare, and I drifted to earth. to the best of my knowledge, I am the sole survivor. a solar flare…"

"what?" Anna asks, noticing your thoughts trailing off. "that light I displayed is not usual to my race, nor something happened to me before. but now that I think of it, that solar flare.. this makes me think. could my strange power be related to that solar flare?. it could explain some things."

Anna blinks, then seems relieved. "so those abilities, glowing with light and moving stuff with your mind, they are not usual?". you shake your head. "glowing with light isn't, but people of my race are known as psionics, beings who could do harness many powers with their minds. my powers are rather undeveloped, but a few of my race are known as some of the most powerful psionics in the known universe, able to move houses with a mere thought or read all the secrets of even the toughest mind."

"and you? can you read minds like this?". fear sounds in her voice. you can understand it. it is quite an invasion of privacy, and certainly not a nice thing to go through. "I can do it, though I don't do it just anytime. anyway I am not so strong, I can only read surface thoughts." you calm her. " I won't try to read your mind anyway."


she visibly calms down, though still alarmed at the strange creature sitting in her home. you decide it's time for your own question. "may I ask, why did those men want you so much?"

her expression falls. "several reasons. the Weimar republic is undergoing bad times right now. " remembering where you come from, she adds "the Weimar Republic, or Germany, is the country we are in .many germans right now hate those of other heritage, like me. and anyone who is different than them or thinks differently. I am Jewish. my folk lost our homeland in the distant past, and since then the Jewish lived as minorities in other countries. we try to become part of the place we live in, just as other citizens, though some people now talk of returning to our homeland and founding our own country there.

"these people who attacked me belong to a group called the Warhawks. they are a militia made of former soldiers, well armed and equipped, though I never saw them with grenade launchers. the republic police tries fighting them, but they are strong and well equipped, and the republic is a shaky government now, not to mention many people in it support their nasty goals deep down. or clearly and publicly, though those thankfully have low support.

but they did not attack me just because of my Jewish heritage. if I had to bet, they wanted me to get to my father. he is one of Germany's most important politicians, one that staunchly supports democracy, openness, and human rights."

she chuckles." and oh how the Warhawks and other extremists hate it. a successful politician, standing for all they oppose, and Jewish? usually, I love sticking a finger in their eye, but they turned their words into actions lately. my father got attacked several times, and now that he is well guarded, they seem to have turned on his daughter. and they seem pretty adamant about finding her."

"anyway, you need not worry about it, though I don't think those people love an alien any more than they like a Jewish woman. you should be careful going around. you are welcome to stay here as long as you like, I have another bedroom downstairs for you. and I will make sure to get you a coat."

again you are amazed by her generosity, but you can't find it in yourself to refuse. you need shelter very much, just as much as you need better clothing suited to the area. you make a decision

"Thank you" you finally answer. "but you don't need to feel indebted to me. now do you know anything else about those Warhawks?"

she blinks. "yes, a bit. why?"

you smile. "because it seems you won't be safe until they are gone. and so I will make sure they will be gone."






and so ends the prologue arc. usually, after each arc you will gain two advancements, a major advancement and a minor advancement. major advancements are worth 2-3 points, dealing with expanding and strengthening your ower, learning new abilities, gaining devices, and the like. minor advancements deal with smaller projects to improve yourself, usually improving skills, gaining advantages and adding flat modifiers, plus doing some small special stuff. they are also used when expanding arrays.

Right now, the major improvement will be just your training to control your powers, so you get only a minor advancement. so major advancements will be explained further at the end of the next arc.




---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And here at last we reached the end of the prologue, where you defeat the forces after you by using your new powers, and get the help of Ann(full name Anna Schwartz if you wondered) who is a more important character than it seemed

The small downtime before the next arc will allow you to learn more of Germany, nd a bit more information about the Warhawks, and train in using your powers, starting the next arc with control of your basic powers. In addition you get a basic advancement, a small project you work on to improve your abilities.

Next arc will be centered on dealing with the warhawks to protect Anna, as well as establishing yourself as a superhero in Berlin

alright, it seems that all regular players voted and there will be no other votes, so I will close this vote, update tomorrow

in the meantime, here is another little vote. it was originally planned to be in the update but it seems I accidentally deleted that part while editing

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

over the next day, you work hard to fix your disguise emitter., not for the first time. even in the lack of more advanced tools and materials, you manage to improvise a fix, using some copper wires instead of the usual crystal conductors and rewiring some areas to bypass the damage. it takes you six hours to solve all issues you encounter this way, but at last, you manage to repair the device. you can't say it's perfect, but it should do the work and function without too many issues.

with the emitter finished, you just had to make one decision

[]you will use your disguise anytime you were outside Anna's house, making sure the sight of a blue alien won't repeat. (you will stay disguised at all times save for when you are with your most trusted friends, in a safe location. your secret identity and superhero form will both appear human, and you will try to avoid any connection to aliens)
[]you will use your disguise when wandering about, doing normal business and intending to avoid attention, but when you are more direct you will use alien form(you will use your disguise for direct you will use your normal look to separate your normal identity from your alien identity and stay undetected)

[]optional: write in the looks of your disguise

Vote closed

you stand before your first major lead on the location of the Warhawks, ready for a charge. you are ready in your alien form, blue skin clad in a new leather jacket and pants, your hair braided behind your back. this is your chance now, and your plan is very straightforward, you charge in, and take their secrets. in force, if needed.

downtime rolls
training your powers 1d20: 20
adapting to the world 1d20:16
friendship with Anna 1d20: 18

The week since you arrived at Anna's home has been busy. in the day, you divided your time between training and talking with Anna. each day, you would leave the house at noon, flying out of the city until you found some remote patch of land to practice. while it seemed strange to have secret practice at day, the nature of your powers made them easy to spot from a distance at night, and apart from that, you found you have an easier time using your powers under sunlight, and generally at daytime to a lesser amount. your training bore fruits, as you learned to control your powers, and discovering many new abilities. you could now turn into a pure light, fly, and shoot light, as well as using it to create objects, heal, or stun. you even managed to develop your powers a bit:

[]you learned how to use light to create a shield around yourself, deflecting incoming blows(gain alternate effect: impervious deflect 12)
[]you learned to create a burning cloak of light around yourself(gain alternate effect: damage 6 (reaction))
[]you learned to turn the blasts you can shoot into powerful explosions(gain alternate effect: ranged burst area damage 8)
[]you learned to use your powers to travel a short time as pure light(gain alternate effect: teleport 12)
[]you increased the strength of your powers(the create light array gains 1 additional power point)

you would train until late afternoon, when Anna came back home, then fly back. you would spend the evening talking with her, learning about your new home. thanks to your experience with strange worlds, Anna found you a very quick learner, and within a week you had a pretty good understanding of human civilization, even if not perfect. enough to get by for now.

those talks also helped you with the second part of your training, learning to use your mind reading without being noticed. with Anna's permission, you practiced on her, as your only available subject. you would have minor conversations, while you had been trying to pluck some random thoughts from Anna's head without her noticing. it was a mixed success. you were not completely unnoticeable, but you managed to get subtle enough that it was hard for Anna to detect you, despite her pretty good senses and sharp mind.

apart from being a useful and fun challenge with abilities you were more familiar with, those talks also greatly increased the closeness between you and Anna, and you quickly found you are becoming friends. the woman had been liking you from the moment you met, though it might have something to do with you saving her. and you quickly took a liking to Anna as well, admiring her personality that was as fierce and determined as it was compassionate and kind. with the frequent discussions and life at the same home, you quickly became quite close.

then there were the nights. after you ate dinner(which you cooked. you weren't exactly a great cook, but Anna was terrible), you went out to the streets, trying to find evidence of the location of the Warhawks. they made no attempt on Anna since the day you met, but it was only a matter of time.

however, it seemed they were well hidden. you have investigated several suspected buildings and interrogated a few informants, but you made no real advancement.

until now. you managed to get a good lead when you heard of a minor street gang downtown, no more than twelve men strong, which had started to get weapons far above their paygrade. suspicion aroused, your quick check found that their equipment was exactly the same models as the Warhawks ones. this was enough confirmation for you. you spent the rest of last night searching for their base before going to sleep and headed there the next day intending to confront them.

investigation dc 15 :16+2=18. 1 DOS

which brings you here. it is early night, and you stand ready in a dark corner, disguise off, waiting for the right moment. you don't wait for long, as a large vehicle stops in front of the abandoned warehouse where the gangsters reside. two men disembark, carrying a heavy crate, while another gets out of the driver seat and signals. the large doors open. this is your moment to surprise them.





you are just about to strike at them when one of the gangsters carrying the crate spots motion in the shadows. "something over there" he calls, taking a rifle from the crate, but you are faster. not bothering to change the form, you charge at him with a lit energy blade, slicing his side before he can react. he collapses like a ragdoll, but another is already upon you, charging at you with a knife. you quickly slide out off the way, avoiding the bullet from the one near the door, and run him through the side with a quick stab, and he collapses as well. unfortunately, by now the doors are open, and eight gangsters from inside are joining the fight. you quickly dodge all bullets, then doing a quick calculation, you change your strategy. in a far more practiced way than your last fight, you call on your powers. not shedding your material form yet, you just run straight at the gangsters, and explode in bright light.


the effect is stunning. and all of them drop to the floor in an instant, stunned completely. dropping your combat stance, you approach the one who drove the truck, lifting him from the ground easily with your superior strength. you shake him out of it with a few slaps, which you are quite generous in handing to him. he wakes up quickly enough, terrified. Get away from me. monster! he says, trying to bulge out of your grasp and run away, but your grasp stays firm as you hold him from his coat above the ground. "not before you answer a few questions. where this weaponry came from?" you demand. he starts sobbing. "I… I can't tell. my gang will kill me. they will kill me."

you tighten your grasp to intimidate him, but at the same time calm him. "your gang will be staying behind heavy bars now. and so will you. so neither they" you motion toward the scattered incapacitated enemies. "nor the Warhawks can harm you if that's who you mean by they". you harden your grip again, and make a little light shine from your other hand. "but I can, so you better tell me what I need to know. where has it came from?" you ask again, and this time he surrenders. "they are from the Warhawks, as you said. Boss made a deal with them a couple of weeks ago. we give them info about people they want around, and they give us weapons to become a bigger gang. they have a hidden weapon warehouse half an hour drive from here, I can give you the location. they should have another shipment in there soon. now please, don't hurt me. I told you everything you know!

you reply by striking his head, knocking him out, then gently putting him on the ground. you don't wish him more harm, but you can not let him escape. you leave then, heading away from the warehouse. you acquired your information, and an anonymous tip to the police will be enough to handle the rest. now you need to decide what to do next.

[]you will go back to Anna, and consult her, planning carefully your strike. you need to be careful with this one
[] you will go to the warehouse quietly, and do some scouting. it is always good to be prepared and know the area.
-[]then head back to the apartment, prepare and be back tomorrow
-[]then, when you are ready
-[]write in
[]go back to the apartment, get some sleep and hasty preparations, ad head to lay an ambush to that shipment
-[]and attack when it shows weakness
-[]and follow it to where it came from
-[]write in
[]you will go there, and with another straightforward charge take them all own and get your info
[]write in

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and here is the first update of the first arc. you had a small exposition of what you did in your downtime, which went quite well. I also gave you one power point improvement for create light for rolling a nat 20 for learning to use it, in the form of either alternate effect or extra power point for it. you then had your first lead an a very easy fight, where Selar stomped a group of minor criminals who had thoughts on becoming not so minor. now you need to decide your plans going forward


I also realized I had an error in the last battle where I calculated the DC of Dazzle as 15+rank, which is 5 higher than it's supposed to be, which disbalanced that fight a lot. so now your dazzle won't be quite as strong, though it still a useful tool.

Sorry for the raw form of rollsand any mistake that might be, I am really tired but wanted to post the update before going to bed