Spectrum (Detective Norman Lyles)

Earth-218. 

The 1920s – The Volstead Act has just been passed, beginning the Prohibition Era in the United States.

Following the end of the Great War, America has emerged as a global leader, an empire of the modern world.  Science is the new religion of the 20^th century.  Both miracles and horrors abound in this age of technological marvels.  Logic seeks to supplant faith – what can be proven is more important than what is believed.  The masses rush to embrace the salvation offered in one hand while blithely ignoring the potential for Armageddon held in the other.

Advocates for temperance browbeat and bullied the nation's government into passing the Volstead Act, establishing Prohibition and paving the way for organized crime to flourish.  Rival gangs vie for the control of illicit alcohol and the streets run red with their blood and that of innocents caught in the crossfire of their turf wars.  Political and police corruption run rampant with mob bosses paying bribes to encourage officials to look the other way.   Mobsters quickly rise to prominence, much like the outlaws of the Old West – Baby Face Nelson, Machine Gun Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde, and many others become personified as folk heroes or the basest of villains.

Everyone smokes – cops, politicians, crooks, reporters, the kids on street corners selling newspapers, the femme fetale who brings a case to the hard-boiled private investigator.  The haze in the air is as thick as the smog from the factories and car exhaust.  The rain can't even wash it away – it just turns into a grimy film that sticks to buildings and soaks through your clothing.

Streetlights everywhere have been shot out by passing hoodlums, leaving dark shadows that conceal their illegal activities.  A man's life is barely worth more than the change in his pocket and death lurks in every window and around each corner.  The common man, when not hiding in the relative safety of his home, adds to the cycle of violence by patronizing the very speakeasies that fund the murders in the streets.

The only redeeming quality of the city is the jazz that plays behind the secret doors of the hidden speakeasies, a sharp and vibrant contrast to the grim reality of life in the concrete jungle.” - Carter Blackburn

Into this cesspit of corruption and villainy, a handful of heroes will rise up to oppose bootlegging criminals, defend the common man from threats that lurk in the night, and carry the torch of liberty into the shadows to shine the light of justice on those who would pervert the system for their own personal gain.  This is one of those heroes….

Spectrum (Det. Norman Lyles)

CR 8

Male (Augmented) Human Expert 6

LG Humanoid (Human)

Init: +1, Senses: Search +9, Spot +7, Darkvision, Telescopic Vision, X-Ray Vision

Languages: Read/Write and Speak English

AC: 15 (+1 Dex, Armored Greatcoat); t: 11, ff: 14, gains additional +1 dodge bonus vs melee attacks

Hp: 40 (6HD)

Energy: 20

Immune: - -

Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +6

Spd: 30’ (6 squares)

Melee +6 Unarmed Strike: 1d6+2 nonlethal

Ranged +5 Radiation Blast: 4d8+1 (see below)

Ranged +5 Service Revolver: 2d6

Combat Gear: Spectrum Helmet, Armored Greatcoat, Service Revolver

Str 15, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 10

SA: Foci

SQ: Foci

Feats: Attentive; Brawl (b); Defensive Martial Arts; Leadership (6); Point Blank Shot (b); Trustworthy (b);

Skills: Climb +7, Diplomacy +7, Drive +6, Intimidate +5, Investigate +13, Gather Information +11, Knowledge (Streetwise) +9, Profession (Law Enforcement) +7, Search +9, Sense Motive +9, Spot +7, Swim +7, Treat Injury +7

Possessions: Police Uniform, Badge (Milwaukee PD), Spectrum Helmet, Armored Greatcoat, Ruger Service-Six Revolver and box of .38S ammunition, Handcuffs

Height: 6’0”     Weight: 195 lbs.     Hair: Brown     Eyes: Brown

Appearance: Norman is tall and broad shouldered with thinning but wavy brown hair.  He has a cleft chin and piercing brown eyes.  Those eyes, however, are surrounded by patches of dark, weathered skin.

• Augmented Human Traits: May choose 4 “levels” worth of powers, all of which are placed within one or more unique foci; Foci is essentially indestructible and may only be used by the owner (or a select group of individuals), the foci is obvious and can be taken away so all powers have the External Power Reducer (without benefit).  A foci is not the same as a gadget so it uses the wielder’s energy, level, and ability modifiers; Meta-human is a bonus Favored Class for multiclass purposes

Powers (all derived from Spectrum Helmet):

                 The Spectrum Helmet is made from a special alloy developed by Professor Allan Whitehall.  A dial on the right side of the helmet allows the wearer to select the power he wishes to use.

• Standard Meta-Senses (Vision):

                 • Amplifier – Darkvision: Norman gains darkvision 60’ when he selects this power on the Spectrum helmet.  Darkvision is black and white only, but is otherwise like normal sight, and he can function normally without any light at all.

                 • Reducer – Darkvision only

• Standard Meta-Senses (Vision):

                 • Amplifier – Telescopic Vision: Norman can refocus his vision to view any object beyond one foot away at 2x magnification.  This doubling halves the penalty for firing weapons at long ranges (round up, so penalty cannot drop below -1).

                 • Reducer – Telescopic Vision only

• Standard Meta-Senses (Vision)

                 • Amplifier – Standard X-Ray Vision: Norman can see through most materials as if they are not there (they appear to be filmy, transparent shadows).  Attacking while this power is active results in a -2 penalty to hit, as well as all vision-related rolls).  Search and Spot checks however can be made through intervening barriers (although the DC increases by 1 for every foot of material the X-Rays must penetrate; however this modifier increases dramatically when dealing with unusually dense materials).

                 • Reducer – X-Ray Vision only

• Ultra Energy Blast (Radiation): Range: 400’ + 40’/level; Energy cost: 2; Damage: 4d8+1

                 Norman is able to fire “hardened” radiation from the visor of the Spectrum Helmet.  Four tributary beams are emitted from each corner of the visor, then focused by magnetic lensing at their intersect point and combined into a primary beam.  A radiation blast ignores most forms of armor that are not designed specifically to block it, thus, it normally counts as a ranged touch attack.  On the other hand it is completely blocked by radiation suits and similar protective garments that are designed with it in mind.  A radiation blast can be used for subdual attacks but half of the damage is always lethal.

                 • Amplifier – Wide Beam: The width of the blast can be widened, not enough to be considered an area attack but enough to make it hard to avoid.  The target’s AC bonus from Dexterity is halved and the Ref DC is increased by +2.

Weakness:

• Physical Limitation (Cancer): The Spectrum Helmet has an unshielded power supply (the consequences of radiation exposure are not fully understood yet).  This has had several negative effects on Norman’s health.  Every day, he must make a Fort save (DC12) or be affected by headaches (blurry vision and dizziness), suffering a -2 penalty to all Dex and vision-based skill checks and be sickened for 24 hours.  Additionally, each month, he must make a Fort save (DC15) or permanently lose 1d2 points from each mental ability score.

Followers from Leadership feat: 4^th level Cohort (Officer Francis “Frank” Kowalski)

BACKGROUND: Detective Norman Lyle is a veteran of the Great War.  He has no family as he was orphaned at a young age and is unmarried.  He works with the Spectrum Squad, a special division of the Milwaukee Police Department to combat organized crime and illegal bootlegging operations.  He wears the Spectrum Helmet which was invented by Professor Allan Whitehall.  His team is “on loan” to the city of Chicago, tasked with helping take down the crime syndicates of Al Capone and the O’Conner and Tolino mob families.

As the campaign progresses, the players will run afoul of Spectrum and his task force during the course of their vigilante activities.  The detective will try to apprehend them and then, in the manner of many comic book team-ups, end up working together to fight a common foe.  At some point, Spectrum will have an “episode” (dizziness, nausea, etc.) and the group will take him to a doctor who will diagnose him with cancer.  It is determined that the helmet is the cause and Norman will have to decide whether or not being Spectrum is worth his life.