Dr. Why: Orientation (Mutants and Masterminds Hero High)

M&M

0. Setup
1. Orientation
2. Midterm
3. Term Paper
4. Final

Session 1: Orientation

James Nicoll, one of the players, provided this summary of the session. I'll try to provide the GM's view of things, but in point form, maybe emphasizing the things I have to remember for future sessions.

• One of the guards was clearly a physical cut above the usual community college security guard. ("Hired for the occasion" would have been the story if anyone has asked.) That guard conveniently disappeared during the brouhaha. PCs suspected that was either because he caused it or he needed a private place to change into a costume.
• Tech-Head and Geodesic overheard someone being denied entry to backstage. He claimed he thought it was a bathroom (“I really need a bathroom”) Geodesic recognized the mid-forties male as Gabriel duVernay, a local reporter who does print and video, and distrusts corporations, rich people, and supers.
• Princess sat about of the third of the way down the row of seats. Between her and the aisle was an attractive woman of Indian heritage (Priya Nayyar).
• The woman on the other side of Princess claimed to have dated Doctor Why two decades ago; Doctor Why doesn't look any older. When pressed, she admitted that Doctor Why was good in bed. (Her name was Cassidy Graves, not that anyone ever asked.)
• Princess did notice a guy in a bunny costume. Maybe twenty percent of the audience was dressed as a super or had obvious manifestations. On the other hand, the place was also lousy with journalists and fans and thrill-seekers.
• The Power Corps showed up to steal the android because they need the parts. Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 7 showed up. The plan was to go in through the fire exit, steal the android, and get out. Easy.
• They were discovered by Gabriel duVernay, who finally managed to get backstage. He had a scream that was gender-inappropriate.
• There seems to be some family resemblance between the Power Corps armor and Tech-Head's armor.
• Actually getting the power source out was tough: DC 35
• Eventually defeated because it was wireless. Removeed the power source, put it in a Faraday cage, and it had to make a check to see if batteries come online properly. (They didn't; safety feature.)
• Tech-Head stashed the robot's power source in his mom's garage.
• Princess saw Dr. Why slip his hand back into his restraints at the end. This lead to some speculation on the part of the players: was he ready to escape and rescue them if necessary? Or was he running the robot with a stolen and modified XBox controller? (The latter seems unlikely because people would have seen...but hey, maybe.)
• Anyone who acted (the PCs especially, but there are others) got registration/tuition paid for by the foundation that Dr. Why controls (the Alexandrian Lighthouse Foundation).

Bruiser

Bruiser (Pl 8)

STR	STA	AGL	DEX	FGT	INT	AWR	PRE
11	12	3	4	4	1	2	3
Powers
Tough Tough skin: Impervious Toughness 10 Good jumper: Leaping 5 Alt: Earthquake: Damage 8 [Punching the ground; Burst Area, Flaw: Contiguous solid surface] (16 points)
Advantages				Skills
Equipment 6 [he likes stuff], Great Endurance, Diehard, Fast Grab, Improvised Tools, Throwing Mastery 2, Beginner's Luck				Athletics (+11), Close Combat: Punch 1 (+5), Deception (+3), Expertise: Construction 6 (+7), Expertise: Architecture 1 (+2), Insight 2 (+4), Intimidation 4 (+7), Perception (+2), Persuasion (+3), Stealth 2 (+5), Technology 2 (+3), Vehicles 4 (+8)
Equipment
This and the equipment advantage are here mainly because the character is designed as owning things, including a car or laptop or smartphone or gaming system; filled in at the player's whim.
Offense					To Hit	Damage	Init +3
Unarmed					+5	11
Groundsrike (burst, requires contiguous surface)					–	8
Thrown item					+4	12
Defense	Dodge 3	Parry 4	Toughness 12		Fortitude 12		Will 2
Complications
Buy stuff, impress babes The three Fs start with fleeing, and I don't flee. Is this what my life will be?
Power Points	Abilities 80 + Powers 16 + Advantages 11 + Skills 13 + Defenses 0 = Total

Replay

Replay is a mimic android, created as security. It scans individuals nearby, one per round, and copies any powers it can. This is most useful against groups: people are usually immune to their own powers, but not necessarily to the powers of their compatriot.

It does not have the self-learning capacities of the homicidal version: defeat it and it does the same thing again. However, it does have a known problem: it defends the area where it is activated and it scans individuals for an access badge; without the badge, anyone with powers is assumed to be a threat. (People without powers are not assumed to be a threat.)

Some other powers (the flight and the gravity binding field) are always there.

Because Replay's schtick is copying people (notably the PCs) I did not worry about numbers and balance. I gave it some levels so it would (fairly) be a problem even if it hadn't copied anyone's powers, and then let copying do the rest.

Replay (Pl 12)

STR	SA	AGL	DEX	FGT	INT	AWR	PRE
5	–	2	2	2	0	5	0
Powers
Android Tough coating: Protection 10, Impervious 6 Antigrav repulsors: Flight 6 Binding Field: Move object, burst area, flaw: Only down 12 Mimic Mimic (variable, 7/rank, perception, ranged) 12
Advantages				Skills
Beginner's Luck, Eidetic Memory, Evasion 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative 3				Expertise: Superhumans and powers +20, Perception +15, Stealth +10
Offense					To Hit	Damage	Init +14
Unarmed					+2	5
Defense	Dodge 5	Parry 5	Toughness 10 (6)		Fortitude –		Will 5
Complications
Cannot exceed its programming Machine Needs wireless access