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== Another Day, Another Beaker ==
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== To Gimp or Not to Gimp ==
[[Image:GuyPerfect_BtB_Costume1.jpg|134px|right]]
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[[Image:GuyPerfect_BobTheBiohazard1.png|right|350px|Boy or girl? I love this costume.]]
Another day, another beaker. Working at WetWare Engineering has its ups and downs. The pay is great, but working as a research assistant could bear to be more exciting. Instead, it's boring. Dreadfully boring. Time that could be spent performing actual research is replaced instead by refilling the researcher's no-spill coffee cup and gazing longingly at the eyepiece of the microscope while it's already in use. Just how long does this kind of internship even last? Such were the sentiments of Rachel Biggers, the assistant of research in the Biological and Cybernetics department. She'd rather go work at a coffee shop, where at least there will be a sense of satisfaction in filling cups all day long.
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The question passed down through the ages is "Why make a [[Mastermind]] with no [[Henchmen]]?" The answer, quite unsurprisingly, is generally "Because I can." It's something different to do, and after making a few characters that completely demolish anything that manages to squeeze its way into the targeting reticle, it's a welcome change. The game's been in easy mode for the last few years, so why not do something people think is impossible and make a decent character out of a Mastermind with no Henchmen? The initial knee-jerk reaction to the suggestion is typically that such a character is doomed to fail. Even after being presented with evidence that it may be closer to "limp out of it barely breathing" rather than "fail," people still seem to insist that it's a dead end and the only way it can end is if you wind up dead. Well, that's their problem, I suppose. If I can prove otherwise, I just might have my chance of making history in the course of character builds in the community.
  
Rachel is an endeavorous type who finds inspiration in every corner of life and seeks ways to put these ideas to use. Using the knowledge and techniques that she learned at WetWare, she privately conducted her own research and development on various short-term narcotics. These toxins could either be beneficial or detremental to the subject affected by them, but their effects are entirely harmless and wear off after a few seconds. She sold a few recipes to the highest bidder on an underground scientific website run by one of Dr. Vahzilok's former colleagues, but didn't find the proceeds worthwhile. Many villains in the Rogue Isles are making good use of these narcotics, which they simply call poison, but they're only making a minor splash in the grand scheme of things. Rachel eventually took to finding other ways to apply her skills and curiosities.
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Combat effectiveness is a two-fold interweaving of one's survivability and aptness to dispatch one's enemies. If you can take a hit and dish one out, you'll come out on top. Masterminds have a different approach to this equation than any other archetype, however: they come in seven distinct pieces, and any one piece will be terribly inadequate in battle by itself. To remove all six Henchmen from a Mastermind, therefore, is to trim off six sevenths of what the Mastermind as a class was designed to be in the first place... and that's a lot to make up for. Fortunately, it's not as hopeless as it seems. A lot of a Mastermind's potential is lost due to babysitting the Henchmen, so they generally underperform compared to what they're technically capable of. [[Invention Origin Enhancement Sets|Set bonuses]] also give a convenient way to buff one's base stats, and as I've come to find out, a Mastermind with no Henchmen can actually be made more effective than certain other stock archetypes.
  
Not too long ago, Rachel found through her channels that Arachnos was planning to execute a jailbreak on Zigursky Penitentiary in Brickstown, supposedly to retrieve someone whom they thought possessed the qualities necessary to fulfill some kind of destiny. Rachel saw quite a bit of opportunity in such an event, and got straight to work. She integrated her poison technology into a combat-capable suit and tested it out on some of the lesser gang members in Paragon City before instating herself into the Zig. It's not certain how she managed to infiltrate such a powerful prison and register herself as an inmate without ever even having been arrested, but if the records say she should be there, then prison security isn't going to argue with it.
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I've chosen [[Thugs]] for the [[Dual Pistols]] attacks, as at the time of this writing, it is still prior to the release of [[Dual Pistols]] and I wanted to be the one who says "been there, done that" when it's all said and done. Now that I know about [[Dual Pistols#Swap Ammo|Swap Ammo]], it's a bit of a different story, but I already got to 50, so nyah! I also opted for [[Poison]], because it's a really cool concept and powerset design and you simply don't see a lot of it. Besides, it's the only buff set that's currently exclusive to Masterminds. If I'm gonna be different, I'm gonna be different, darn it! So I had Thugs and Poison and no Henchmen and I got to see what I could do with it. Sounds like fun, eh?
  
Sure enough, in came Arachnos and out went the Destined One. And of course, Rachel followed. She managed to escape detection and boarded the flier that Arachnos had waiting outside the prison, and stowed away while the target inmate was also brought on board and returned to the Rogue Isles. Disembarking at Fort Darwin in Mercy Island, no one seemed to notice that she wasn't supposed to be there. Just as well. If any of those Arachnos personnel were bright enough to realize that something was amiss, it would be difficult to talk her way out of it. But fortunately, it didn't come to that.
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Now, Masterminds are severely clamped down in both the survivability and damage output scenarios since they're designed to work with Henchmen, and those are the problems that need to be addressed. The hit points are the lowest in the game; two-thirds that of Blaster. The best counter for this is +HP and +Damage Resistance, since the longer that green bar stays above 0, the longer you'll survive. Knockback protection is good to keep from taking unnecessary damage too. As for damage output, the Mastermind's attacks deal so little damage anyways that slotting Enhancements to boost it won't get you anywhere fast. However, since the damage is so low, [[Invention_Origin_Enhancement_Proc_Damage_Scaling|damage procs]] do just as much if not more every time they fire off than the Mastermind's attack total.
 
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After registering with the Arbiters, Rachel was taken in for an assessment and classification in the Arachnos record books. Her combat suit completely hides her identity, and the gas mask she wears alters her voice to divert suspicion of her true nature. Masquerading as a male villain, she was officially registered in the Rogue Isles under the moniker Bob the Biohazard. Psychological testing revealed Rachel's--or Bob's, as it were--ability to plot and execute schemes in a role of battlefield commander to be superior to other villains, and she was thusly identified as a Mastermind. When asked where she would be recruiting for minions, she expressed no interest in doing so. Much to her delight, none of the personnel took her seriously, which is just what she wanted. Now she would be able to set out on her own and finally have a job worth waking up to in the morning.
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The idea of taking down Lord Recluse on his own turf was a wonderful notion, and Rachel couldn't pass up such an opportunity. She'd also get to spend every hour of every day bashing in the heads of other villains. She'd even get to lay some smack-down on Longbow, who have a history of opposing the Vanguard, an organization defending the entire world from the Rikti menace. It's a win-win-win situation, and it sure beats sitting around in a lab coat all day every day.
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Another day, another beaker. Rachel prepares for her activities once again by concocting a new round of poison for her combat suit. Each time she busts some evil laboratory, she gets some more toys to play with, and is constantly designing new and unusual ways to intoxicate her foes. Though only armed with a pair of handguns and relatively weak body armor, Rachel has finally found one place that makes her happy in a twisted sort of way.
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Bob's build takes all of these into account. So what's the character like with all that stuff on it? ''Awesome'', that's what. When facing foes that deal primarily Smashing and Lethal damage such as [[Malta Operatives]], [[Council]] or [[Longbow]], Bob steadily cruises on through like a melee class with dedicated defensive powers. The AoE debuff and attacks make for good damage splash, and the multi-proc'd / low-endurance / fast-recharge melee attacks make an unorthodox warrior that nonetheless works out very well. The character can tackle groups set for more than one player as well as single-handedly take down select Elite Bosses.
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{{clr}}
  
 
== Character Details ==
 
== Character Details ==
  
 
{|
 
{|
|- VAlign="Top"
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|-valign="Top"
|'''Statistics:'''<BR><DIV Style="float: left; border: 1px solid #990000; background-color: #FFEEEE; padding: 4px;">
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|'''Statistics:'''<br /><div style="float: left; border: 1px solid #000000; background-color: #eeeeee; padding: 4px;">
{|
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{|width="250"
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Name:'''
 
|'''Name:'''
| RowSpan=8 | &nbsp;
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|rowspan="8"|&nbsp;
|Bob the Biohazard
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|width="100%"|Bob the Biohazard
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Server:'''
 
|'''Server:'''
Line 32: Line 28:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Alignment:'''
 
|'''Alignment:'''
|[[Image:Badge_defeatrecluse.png|18px]] Villain
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|[[Image:Tips_Rogue_large.png|18px]] Rogue
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Archetype:'''
 
|'''Archetype:'''
 
|[[Image:V_archetypeicon_mastermind.png|18px]] Mastermind
 
|[[Image:V_archetypeicon_mastermind.png|18px]] Mastermind
 
|-
 
|-
|'''Threat Level:'''
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|'''Threat&nbsp;Level:'''
|28
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|50
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Primary:'''
 
|'''Primary:'''
|Thugs
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|[[Thugs]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Secondary:'''
 
|'''Secondary:'''
|Poison
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|[[Poison]]
 
|-
 
|-
|'''Updated:'''
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|'''Epic:'''
|July 12, 2008
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|[[Leviathan Mastery]]
|}</DIV>
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|}</div>
| Width=16 | &nbsp;
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|width="16"|&nbsp;
|'''Powers:''' (Hover mouse)<BR>
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|'''Powers:''' (Hover mouse)<br />
[[Image:Thugs_TargetedRangedMinorDmg.png|Thugs/Pistols]]
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[[Image:Thugs_TargetedRangedMinorDmg.png|Thugs / Pistols|link=Thugs#Pistols]]
[[Image:Thugs_TargetedRangedHeavyDmg.png|Thugs/Dual Wield]]
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[[Image:Thugs_TargetedRangedHeavyDmg.png|Thugs / Dual Wield|link=Thugs#Dual Wield]]
[[Image:Thugs_ConeRangedModerateDmg.png|Thugs/Empty Clips]]
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[[Image:Thugs_ConeRangedModerateDmg.png|Thugs / Empty Clips|link=Thugs#Empty Clips]]
[[Image:Poison_Alkaloid.png|Poison/Alkaloid]]
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[[Image:Poison_Alkaloid.png|Poison / Alkaloid|link=Poison#Alkaloid]]<br />
[[Image:Poison_Envenom.png|Poison/Envenom]]<BR>
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[[Image:Poison_Envenom.png|Poison / Envenom|link=Poison#Envenom]]
[[Image:Poison_Weaken.png|Poison/Weaken]]
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[[Image:Poison_Weaken.png|Poison / Weaken|link=Poison#Weaken]]
[[Image:Poison_NeurotoxicBreath.png|Poison/Neurotoxic Breath]]
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[[Image:Poison_NeurotoxicBreath.png|Poison / Neurotoxic Breath|link=Poison#Neurotoxic Breath]]
[[Image:Poison_ElixirOfLife.png|Poison/Elixir of Life]]
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[[Image:Poison_ElixirOfLife.png|Poison / Elixir of Life|link=Poison#Elixir of Life]]<br />
[[Image:Poison_Paralytic.png|Poison/Paralytic Poison]]
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[[Image:Poison_Antidote.png|Poison / Antidote|link=Poison#Antidote]]
[[Image:Invisibility_Stealth.png|Concealment/Stealth]]<BR>
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[[Image:Poison_Paralytic.png|Poison / Paralytic Poison|link=Poison#Paralytic Poison]]
[[Image:Fighting_Boxing.png|Fighting/Boxing]]
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[[Image:Arachnos_Patron_RangedConeModerateDmg.png|Leviathan Mastery / Bile Spray|link=Leviathan Mastery#Bile Spray]]
[[Image:Fighting_Kick.png|Fighting/Kick]]
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[[Image:Arachnos_Patron_KOBlow.png|Leviathan Mastery / Knockout Blow|link=Leviathan Mastery#Knockout Blow]]<br />
[[Image:Fighting_Tough.png|Fighting/Tough]]
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[[Image:Arachnos_Patron_ResistBuff.png|Leviathan Mastery / Shark Skin|link=Leviathan Mastery#Shark Skin]]
[[Image:Flight_ArialAssault.png|Flight/Air Superiority]]
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[[Image:Invisibility_Stealth.png|Concealment / Stealth|link=Concealment#Stealth]]
[[Image:Flight_TravelFlight.png|Flight/Fly]]<BR>
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[[Image:Invisibility_GroupInvisibility.png|Concealment / Grant Invisibility|link=Concealment#Grant Invisibility]]
[[Image:Teleportation_RecallTeleport.png|Teleporation/Recall Friend]]
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[[Image:Invisibility_Invisibility.png|Concealment / Invisibility|link=Concealment#Invisibility]]<br />
| Width=16 | &nbsp;
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[[Image:Fighting_Boxing.png|Fighting / Boxing|link=Fighting#Boxing]]
|'''Costumes:'''<BR>
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[[Image:Fighting_Tough.png|Fighting / Tough|link=Fighting#Tough]]
[[Image:GuyPerfect_BtB_Costume1.jpg|80px|Classic Bob]]
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[[Image:Fighting_Weave.png|Fighting / Weave|link=Fighting#Weave]]
[[Image:GuyPerfect_BtB_Costume2.jpg|80px|Grim Glacier look-alike]]
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[[Image:Flight_CombatFlight.png|Flight / Hover|link=Flight#Hover]]<br />
[[Image:GuyPerfect_BtB_Costume3.jpg|80px|Good lord, where are the batteries?]]
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[[Image:Flight_ArialAssault.png|Flight / Air Superiority|link=Flight#Air Superiority]]
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[[Image:Flight_TravelFlight.png|Flight / Fly|link=Flight#Fly]]
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[[Image:Teleportation_RecallTeleport.png|Teleportation / Recall Friend|link=Teleportation#Recall Friend]]
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[[Image:Teleportation_TeleportFoe.png|Teleportation / Teleport Foe|link=Teleportation#Teleport Foe]]
 
|}
 
|}
  
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== Media ==
  
== Will Gimp for Food ==
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I know, I know: pics or it didn't happen. Well, I can top that: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOsxgqqX7Aw here's a video!] ''--Note: This is terribly out-of-date''
A lot of people advocate efficiency and character performance. While only a few people dream about spreadsheets, there are certain considerations that remain present in the majority of the population in the game. Things that are expected of people. Things that a character needs to be worthwhile. It is as though a character that is numerically inferior is no fun to play. I disagree. To me, it's not about maximizing the efficiency of a character. I did that once. It was a Brute, took Hasten, Quick Recovery, Stamina, the whole nine yards. It was not my first character, so having something geared towards turning entire missions to rubble was a fresh and novel concept for me at the time. Then it got to level 50 in near record time and I hang it up in the character closet. I will admit that it was entertaining, but now I've been there and done that. I don't want to do the exact same thing for the next character. Over and over and over again. I don't find that very fun. This character, Bob the Biohazard, is just one of my many flavors of variety that I find entertaining in the game.
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To be without is not something that most people want. I decided to deviate from tradition and create a character that not only refuses to make decisions that are commonly accepted to be good, recommended or even required. What has resulted is something that is not as inept as one would reckon. Certainly not optimal by any interperatation of the word, but certainly not incapable either. It just goes to show that when you are resourceful in the midst of hardship, you will be able to carry yourself through to the end nonetheless.
 
  
I took a look through the available powers in the game and identified the ones I feel people rely on perhaps too much. These are the powers that Bob the Biohazard will not take:
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== Character Background ==
:[[Image:Thugs_EnlistBoss.png|18px]] [[Image:Thugs_EnlistLieutenant.png|18px]] [[Image:Thugs_HirePosse.png|18px]] [[Image:Thugs_TargetedSummonMob.png|18px]] '''Pets'''
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=== Word on the Street ===
::Henchmen or otherwise, a Mastermind's true source of effectiveness comes from the pets available for summoning.
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:[[Image:Fitness_Quick.png|18px]] [[Image:Fitness_Hurdle.png|18px]] [[Image:Fitness_Health.png|18px]] [[Image:Fitness_Stamina.png|18px]] '''Fitness'''
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::Popular way to increase character performance in the areas of movement and longevity.
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:[[Image:Leadership_Defense.png|18px]] [[Image:Leadership_Assault.png|18px]] [[Image:Leadership_Tactics.png|18px]] [[Image:Leadership_Vengence.png|18px]] '''Leadership'''
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::Can provide a variety of buffs to oneself and teammates. Very popular on Masterminds, and Bob is technically a Mastermind.
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:[[Image:Jump_CombatJump.png|18px]] [[Image:Jump_Acrobatics.png|18px]] '''Leaping'''
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::Combat Jumping and Acrobatics are common ways to increase Defense and  protect your character from certain status effects.
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:[[Image:Flight_CombatFlight.png|18px]] '''Hover'''
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::Common buff to Defense
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:[[Image:Fighting_Weave.png|18px]] '''Weave'''
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::Another common buff to Defense
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:[[Image:SuperSpeed_AcceleratedCombat.png|18px]] '''Hasten'''
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::A popular boost to attack rate. The more powers you can use in a minute, the more effective your combat.
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If you're still reading, the word "gimp" probably comes to mind. Simply taking away Henchmen from a Mastermind is torture enough, but I've also done away with any boosts Defense as well as the powers that let me attack and recover faster. What's left of my selected powersets is but three ranged attacks, and I need to Enhance those for accuracy, endurance reduction and damage all manually because I have no self buffs to do that for me. To supplement this shortened number of attacks, Bob the Biohazard has taken most of the melee powers from the power pools, including Boxing, Kick and Air Superiority. So now we have a Henchman-less, un-buffed, melee-oriented Mastermind. Does it get any better than this!? (-:
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Rachel Biggers grew up in the unassuming suburbs of Paragon City. An extremely intelligent young woman, she was confident in her abilities and was well aware of what she was capable of. She generally kept to herself, except when she was out having adventures, and the people who knew here always regarded her as a somewhat quiet individual... This all sounds rather bland and mundane except when taken in context: her adventures typically involved antagonizing gangs and drug dealers and taking their stuff. Rachel developed remarkable accredidation on the streets, and eventually became known as "Bobbie" Biggers to those whose respect she earned--be it by influence or brute force.
  
In all seriousness, though, it's not as bad as you might think. It takes longer to defeat enemies and getting hit tends to hurt, but all-in-all, the character is still capable of performing at an acceptable level and will still improve through the levels as more powers and Enhancement slots become available. The key element of Bob's successes is the effectivness of the debuffs in the Poison set, which is similar to Radiation Emission but for individual targets. Enemies become easier to defeat, but find that they cannot land hits as often and deal less damage when they do. With reduced attack rate, they aren't able to use their attacks very often throughout the duration of the fight, so it really must be pretty aggrivating for them. It's almost an insult when they're defeated by a Mastermind with no toys.
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Rachel was handy with a gun, and was often slinging her way into trouble with the local bruisers and moneymakers. In her mind, bad people do bad things, so doing bad things to them in return serves as delightfully poetic justice. Two wrongs may not make a right, but the irony more than makes up for what's lost from a moralistic perspective. Gangs would beat down their clients to claim payment for any services rendered, and Rachel would break into those gangs' hideouts to steal those riches for herself. Dealers and "economic figureheads" procured a lot of money through questionable means, and Rachel in turn procured that money straight into her bank account. She never took money that belonged to innocent victims, however; she let the heroes of the city return that to its rightful owners.
  
I guess the lesson here is that you should never assume what a character will be like until you actually try it. Though I'm not sure I'll ever find someone who will say "A Mastermind with no Henchmen probably wouldn't be so bad."
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There were many times when the police were involved at the same locations that Rachel had her eye on, and she found a certain thrill in raiding gang wares while the cops were out to do the same thing. She never once got caught, but decided it was time to stop once she was exposed to non-lethal riot control toxins such as tear gas and pepper spray. The way such harmless chemicals so efficiently subdued a hardened street warrior like herself took her by surprise, and she was immediately overwhelmed with curiosity about how these chemicals worked and what other possibilities were out there. Since she had a fortune in "repurposed" goods, she decided it was time to take a detour in life and follow a scientific path for a while.
  
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Unlike the world of street thugs and substance negotiations, playing things above the table was quite a bit more difficult. Rachel wasn't able to get her hands on the fancy knowledge and equipment she wanted to use by just barging in and asking for it; she had to go through the normal channels. And normal channels have a way of keeping inquiring minds at bay... Just to get your foot in the door, you need a lot of specialized training, and that training takes a lot of time and money. There's no single task you can simply carry ou to get the job done, and Rachel was left searching for whatever opportunity she could that would get her as far as possible in the fewest number of steps. She found such an opportunity in an internship at WetWare Engineering, so she applied with a handsome bribery check stapled to the application and unsurprisingly got the job.
  
== Media ==
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She was in, now: she was going to be a scientist. At least until she got the knowledge she was after, at any rate... Well, that was the idea, but it didn't play out very well in practice. When Rachel would rather be subjecting organisms to chemical treatments just to see what would happen, she ended up instead refilling the senior researchers' coffee mugs and filing all manner of paperwork. She never got to do any actual research herself, but since she had access to all her mentors' reports, it was basically as though all the work was done for her by someone else. A few little snapshots from her cell phone camera worked wonders when she set aside time at home to look things over. Those reports were extremely insightful, and Rachel leeched as much information from WetWare as she could without them having the slightest hint of what she was up to. By the time the internship had ended, Engineering Associate Biggers had much more knowledge in the field than her mentors expected her to have, and she intended to make the most of it.
=== Screenshots ===
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:[[Image:GuyPerfect_BtB_Snap1.jpg|190px|Fighting Wolf Spiders]] [[Image:GuyPerfect_BtB_Snap2.jpg|202px|Amidst the Golden Giza]]
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=== Super Stupor ===
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Before long, Rachel had a makeshift laboratory set up in her apartment where she conducted her own experiments and research. She became obsessed with the idea of short-term, non-lethal chemicals and narcotics that she could use in her gang raids to have even more fun on her adventures. In fact, she wound up with a few choice concoctions that would let her take out trained soldiers or some of the lesser super-powered villains in Paragon City. Once she got everything ready to go, she went out to see how well it would work.
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It was a standard-issue warehouse raid; nothing fancy. There were Outcasts in the building, and they were after some kind of relic for whatever reason. Rachel went in with her trusty handguns and a handful of experimental potions, and subdued them all while causing no permanent harm to any of them. When the police arrived, they stormed the building armed and armored, looking for any signs of danager and found only unconscious would-be criminals. Once Rachel steped forth told them what had happened, she was taken in for a quick briefing. Since she prevented a crime, Rachel was released without incident, but she received a warning about doing similar things in the future. Since she was a civilian, putting herself in danger to stop criminals can actually get her into trouble. The police gave Rachel orders to let the authorities handle situations from now on.
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The authorities apparently included meta-humans, according to the Citizen Crime Fighting Act. Rachel is demonstrably more powerful than a selection of the meta-human population in Paragon City, but since she's not a registered hero, she's not allowed to arrest criminals? Tempting fate with the police during raids against the city's gangs was an exciting and enteraining way ot spend her time, but try to help the city and she just gets herself into trouble... Still set on making the best of it, Rachel decided to relocate to a place where anyone and everyone can take matters into their own hands and no one will ever toss them a suspicious glance. Rachel found such a place in the Rogue Isles, and began putting plans together to head there.
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Turns out the Rogue Isles aren't very easy to get to since the government there has a bit of an agendum about taking over the world. None of the self-respecting transport agencies will take you there, so you either have to know someone or have someone come and get you. Rachel's connections with the shady underground led to an opportunity for one of those scenarios. Turns out a fellow who conveniently goes by the name Shady Mac was on his way to Paragon City to pick up a new round of wares for the Rogue Isles black market, and arrangements were made for him to take Rachel back with him. Mac has a policy about only transporting goods, however, so Rachel had to be clever. She got herself listed as an item, then paid the purchasing and shipping fees. Mac saw right through the ploy, of course, but since Rachel was someone who's obviously willing to go through the necessary channels to get somehing to happen, he made an exception in her case.
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Once she first set foot in the Rogue Isles, Rachel was ready to start the next chapter of her adventures. There were so many evildoer heads to bust, so many evil labs to plunder... so few people to care. It was like a paradise in some ways, and there lay nothing but opportuniy ahead.
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=== Demons, Thugs and Spiders ===
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There was a clever mystic in St. Martial who stole an artifact from the Wailers, then used his magical expertise to cast the blame on someone else. The target was the leader of a local gang of ruffians, since, frankly, no one would miss him after the Waliers got ahold of him. The gang only consisted of six people, won few successes and was not very dangerous, so it only seemed a natural choice. Once the Wailers started causing problems around town, Arachnos decided to investigate and found out whom they were after. A strike team was quickly sent in to capture the gang leader and to learn why the Wailers were here and what it will take to get rid of them. Of course, the gang leader didn't know anything about the situation, so things just went from bad to worse.
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The other gangsters, stripped of their leadership, rallied together and planned an assault on the Arachnos base where their boss was being held captive. Once inside, they succeeded in breaching base security and recovered their leader, but there was a hot trail of spiders following them on the way out. They fled to a nearby, abandoned laboratory, which proved to be a mistake: they were trapped within the walls of the building as scores of armed and angry Arachnos personnel went in after them. After brutal incapacitation, the Arachnos commander ordered an Omega Bomb be placed within the lab, and once it was evacuated of Arachnos forces, the bomb was detonated. The Wailers, sensing that their bounty was killed, left the scene and St. Martial returned to normal... or, at least, as normal as you could expect from such a place.
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As luck would have it, one Rachel Biggers was browsing the selection of the black market just a few dozen yards away from that laboratory. After seeing the explosion, she decided to check the place out to see if there was anything laying around that could be salvaged. Somehow or other, one of the gang members survived the blast and, crippled and bleeding, managed to crawl outside to find help. His hand covered the wound where he had been impaled by an Arachnos assault rifle, and he collapsed at Rachel's feet as she approached. Kneeling beside him and assessing his wounds, Rachel took some supplies from her duffel bag and mixed up a healing potion to administer to the fallen gangster. The gangster was revitalized to full health and told his savior the whole story of the arrest and failed rescue attempt.
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Inside the laboratory, there were four other injured survivors. Apparently, the gang leader threw his great mass of muscular bulk over the bomb in an attempt to save the lives of his comrades. Though it did not protect them from harm, his action did appear to spare their lives. A few more rounds of the healing potion did wonders for the survivors, but the slain hero of this gang of thieves was arguably out of luck. On the other hand, Rachel wasn't out of ideas just yet. She was, after all, within the confines of an abandoned laboratory. The gangsters cooperated anxiously with her as she ordered a workspace to be set up and a gurnee to be constructed for the dead gang leader. Using the materials and equipment in the lab that had not been destroyed or otherwise made useless with time, Rachel mixed together an experimental elixir that she believed would be able to revive someone with the gang leader's injuries. The concoction was tainted and notably unhealthy, but the gang leader certainly didn't have anything to lose. Being poisoned at the expense of being brought back to life would more than likely strike him as a fair trade.
 +
 
 +
The potion worked and the gang leader was resurrected. A few minutes later, the effects of the mixture kicked in and the gang leader became very ill. However, just a few minutes after that, he recovered and everything was back to normal. Since the life potion worked and had no permanent negative side effects, Rachel wrote it off as a success and never bothered to revise the formula to remove its imperfections. Seeing their leader revived, the entire gang swore their allegiance to Rachel in expression of gratitude, and the gang now had a new leader.
 +
 
 +
=== Overcoming the Shortcomings ===
 +
 
 +
In the months that followed, the gang recovered their sense of confidence under the new leadership of Ms. Biggers. The laboratory was fixed up and made their own, and Bobbie fitted the thugs with new firearms. She also taught them better techniques to keep from having another accident like the one that nearly cost them their lives. One of the gangsters became proficient in fire bombing while bruiser, who was the former leader, continued doing his part by smashing heads through the pavement with his extraordinary strength. The gang--now regarded as more of a mercenary force--became quite noteworthy in the Rogue Isles and no one seemed to remember the laughing stock that they once were.
 +
 
 +
Rachel became intrigued at the bruiser's sheer force and effectiveness despite not being armed, and requested that he teach her some of his fistfighting techniques. She was only able to make use of a few of his moves, because her smaller stature and inferior physical strength made many of the more devastating blows nearly impossible for her to pull off. Nonetheless, she became as proficient as she could and, to the amazement of her followers, joined the fray during their operations as one of the fighters herself. The unit's threat level was heightened and they were able to take out much more powerful foes than they could when they started back in the abandoned lab.
 +
 
 +
Retaining her unusual sense of justice, Rachel always selected targets that were involved in shady dealings, extortion or otherwise intimidating others to receive goods or services. She was particularly fond of targets that had access to laboratory materials and equipment, since taking over those facilities always rewarded her with new toys and substances to experiment and play with. She greatly increased the size and variety of her chemical arsenal; eventually creating such toxins as a temporary paralytic, a debilitating neurotoxin, a hyperstimulant for her troops, and even a caustic substance akin to shark bile. All of these new inventions were used to great effect in battle, and the gang continued on to see many victories.
 +
 
 +
On one fateful operation, Rachel received a tip of an Arachnos base conducting unusual research on a mysterious substance; having great success and finding potential in their results. The opportunity was immediately desireable for her, as she would get to beat down evildoers and steal their science while she was at it. Without any further thought, she instructed her men to prepare for an assault on the Arachnos base where the research was being conducted.
 +
 
 +
Memories of the previous encounter with Arachnos rang loudly in the minds of the thugs, and they were immediately hesitant to go after the big spiders again. Fortunately, Rachel anticipated this reaction and had an idea. After several hours, she was able to produce an extremely powerful toxin by combining aspects of all her other recipes into a single package. The new poison was distributed as a cloud of gas, and she built a small emitter unit to house it. The unit was strapped to one of the bruiser's boots, and an antidote was administered to each of the thugs to protect them from it. They would be going up against Arachnos like before, but this time would be different: as long as the thugs stayed close to the bruiser, Arachnos wouldn't be able to harm them.
 +
 
 +
The operation was a success. Once the thugs took their antidotes and the noxious emission was triggered, the Arachnos forces were so subdued that they could hardly lay a finger on the thugs, let alone beat them down. And in the case they were able to land a hit, they were so weakened that they weren't able to hit with much force. It was almost laughable how pathetic the elite Arachnos forces had become, and the thugs had a brief catharsis as they stormed through the base at their leisure, picking off targets that so much as looked at them funny. The Arachnos research was secured and all records of it were destroyed. The gang members had overcome their fears, and Rachel had something strange and wonderful to play with.
 +
 
 +
=== Shards of a Goddess ===
 +
 
 +
Returning to their laboratory hideout, the thugs reclined and downed a few cold ones as they raved to one another about how the brutal force that nearly killed them once before was no longer any sort of threat. They were noisy and jovial, and seemed as though children again as they reenacted their favorite parts of the encounter with one another.
 +
 
 +
Rachel, of course, went right to work on the Arachnos research. What was this stuff, and what were they doing with it? The mysterious substance was the magical, living coral that is harvested in Sharkhead Isle. It was a precious commodity in the Rogue Isles for sure, but what made this particular research project interesting is that Arachnos discovered a procedure to synthesize the material, mystic properties and all. The only thing you need in advance is a small sample of the coral itself and you're good to go. What this means is that, so long as you keep a piece of it for later, you can make as much as you want whenever you want.
 +
 
 +
There were analysis reports along with the research data that suggested a few ideas for tapping the coral's mystical power to produce stronger Arachnos armor and weaponry. Rachel made these ideas her own, and decided to take it a step further: what if she could make a potion with this living coral? What would happen if she could empower her own body with it? The possibilities went racing through her head zillions per second, and the only way to find out was to do it and see what happens.
 +
 
 +
Synthesizing more than enough coral to last months and performing countless experiements with it, Rachel produced a substance that she believed would increase her physical strength and reslilence. Injecting it into her blood stream, she could feel the power of Merulina pulsating through her body and she immediately set out to find some goons to bust. The thugs went with her to protect her, but it turns out that no help was needed. Rachel's punches were far more powerful than before, and she was even able to pull off the bruiser's smashing uppercut on oversized targets. While her gangsters stood there in disbelief with their mouths wide open, Rachel rushed back back to the laboratory to find more uses for the coral.
 +
 
 +
Only a few days passed before Rachel had successfully produced new recipes for all of her combat narcotics and crafted a new type of ammunition for her handguns. Each was imbued with the mystic energies of the red coral, and now each can invisibly attack the target as though to hit them with an unseen weapon. The same phenomenon occurs when Rachel uses her punches, and she has worked with enough of the coral to make reliable use of this phantom damage that she otherwise shouldn't even have.
 +
 
 +
=== Going Home ===
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 +
With a magical source backing her scientific aptitude, Rachel now possesses superhuman capabilities and is preparing to return to Paragon City disguised as an actual super hero. She and her thugs worked together to create an outfit that would double both as a signature costume and as a combat suit for dispensing her potions in battle. Due to the nature of her "powers" and the presence of a gask mask to protect her from herself, the team decided on the name Bob the Biohazard, which is the name she uses even today in the Rogue Isles.
 +
 
 +
Coming full circle, Rachel decided it was time to release the thugs as thanks for everything they'd done for her. They helped her beat up the bad guys and take their toys, which is what she came to the Rogue Isles to do, and she got much more than she expected while looting enemy hideouts. The only thing missing now was the thugs' education, so as a condition of letting them go, Rachel instructed them to go to school and do well. She paid their tuition and sent them off to Paragon City, where today they study in appreciation of their savior and former mentor in the Rogue Isles.
  
=== Videos ===
+
Once she finishes practicing saving the day and heads back to the mainland, Rachel will undoubtedly meet up with her former comrades. Once that happens, what will the future hold? Will they team up again and fight crime together, or will they go their separate ways?
:<YouTube Width=250 Height=213>vTdaaMTeJfQ</YouTube>
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Latest revision as of 16:50, 22 August 2011

To Gimp or Not to Gimp

Boy or girl? I love this costume.

The question passed down through the ages is "Why make a Mastermind with no Henchmen?" The answer, quite unsurprisingly, is generally "Because I can." It's something different to do, and after making a few characters that completely demolish anything that manages to squeeze its way into the targeting reticle, it's a welcome change. The game's been in easy mode for the last few years, so why not do something people think is impossible and make a decent character out of a Mastermind with no Henchmen? The initial knee-jerk reaction to the suggestion is typically that such a character is doomed to fail. Even after being presented with evidence that it may be closer to "limp out of it barely breathing" rather than "fail," people still seem to insist that it's a dead end and the only way it can end is if you wind up dead. Well, that's their problem, I suppose. If I can prove otherwise, I just might have my chance of making history in the course of character builds in the community.

Combat effectiveness is a two-fold interweaving of one's survivability and aptness to dispatch one's enemies. If you can take a hit and dish one out, you'll come out on top. Masterminds have a different approach to this equation than any other archetype, however: they come in seven distinct pieces, and any one piece will be terribly inadequate in battle by itself. To remove all six Henchmen from a Mastermind, therefore, is to trim off six sevenths of what the Mastermind as a class was designed to be in the first place... and that's a lot to make up for. Fortunately, it's not as hopeless as it seems. A lot of a Mastermind's potential is lost due to babysitting the Henchmen, so they generally underperform compared to what they're technically capable of. Set bonuses also give a convenient way to buff one's base stats, and as I've come to find out, a Mastermind with no Henchmen can actually be made more effective than certain other stock archetypes.

I've chosen Thugs for the Dual Pistols attacks, as at the time of this writing, it is still prior to the release of Dual Pistols and I wanted to be the one who says "been there, done that" when it's all said and done. Now that I know about Swap Ammo, it's a bit of a different story, but I already got to 50, so nyah! I also opted for Poison, because it's a really cool concept and powerset design and you simply don't see a lot of it. Besides, it's the only buff set that's currently exclusive to Masterminds. If I'm gonna be different, I'm gonna be different, darn it! So I had Thugs and Poison and no Henchmen and I got to see what I could do with it. Sounds like fun, eh?

Now, Masterminds are severely clamped down in both the survivability and damage output scenarios since they're designed to work with Henchmen, and those are the problems that need to be addressed. The hit points are the lowest in the game; two-thirds that of Blaster. The best counter for this is +HP and +Damage Resistance, since the longer that green bar stays above 0, the longer you'll survive. Knockback protection is good to keep from taking unnecessary damage too. As for damage output, the Mastermind's attacks deal so little damage anyways that slotting Enhancements to boost it won't get you anywhere fast. However, since the damage is so low, damage procs do just as much if not more every time they fire off than the Mastermind's attack total.

Bob's build takes all of these into account. So what's the character like with all that stuff on it? Awesome, that's what. When facing foes that deal primarily Smashing and Lethal damage such as Malta Operatives, Council or Longbow, Bob steadily cruises on through like a melee class with dedicated defensive powers. The AoE debuff and attacks make for good damage splash, and the multi-proc'd / low-endurance / fast-recharge melee attacks make an unorthodox warrior that nonetheless works out very well. The character can tackle groups set for more than one player as well as single-handedly take down select Elite Bosses.

Character Details

Statistics:
Name:   Bob the Biohazard
Server: Triumph
Alignment: Tips Rogue large.png Rogue
Archetype: V archetypeicon mastermind.png Mastermind
Threat Level: 50
Primary: Thugs
Secondary: Poison
Epic: Leviathan Mastery
  Powers: (Hover mouse)

Thugs / Pistols Thugs / Dual Wield Thugs / Empty Clips Poison / Alkaloid
Poison / Envenom Poison / Weaken Poison / Neurotoxic Breath Poison / Elixir of Life
Poison / Antidote Poison / Paralytic Poison Leviathan Mastery / Bile Spray Leviathan Mastery / Knockout Blow
Leviathan Mastery / Shark Skin Concealment / Stealth Concealment / Grant Invisibility Concealment / Invisibility
Fighting / Boxing Fighting / Tough Fighting / Weave Flight / Hover
Flight / Air Superiority Flight / Fly Teleportation / Recall Friend Teleportation / Teleport Foe

Media

I know, I know: pics or it didn't happen. Well, I can top that: here's a video! --Note: This is terribly out-of-date


Character Background

Word on the Street

Rachel Biggers grew up in the unassuming suburbs of Paragon City. An extremely intelligent young woman, she was confident in her abilities and was well aware of what she was capable of. She generally kept to herself, except when she was out having adventures, and the people who knew here always regarded her as a somewhat quiet individual... This all sounds rather bland and mundane except when taken in context: her adventures typically involved antagonizing gangs and drug dealers and taking their stuff. Rachel developed remarkable accredidation on the streets, and eventually became known as "Bobbie" Biggers to those whose respect she earned--be it by influence or brute force.

Rachel was handy with a gun, and was often slinging her way into trouble with the local bruisers and moneymakers. In her mind, bad people do bad things, so doing bad things to them in return serves as delightfully poetic justice. Two wrongs may not make a right, but the irony more than makes up for what's lost from a moralistic perspective. Gangs would beat down their clients to claim payment for any services rendered, and Rachel would break into those gangs' hideouts to steal those riches for herself. Dealers and "economic figureheads" procured a lot of money through questionable means, and Rachel in turn procured that money straight into her bank account. She never took money that belonged to innocent victims, however; she let the heroes of the city return that to its rightful owners.

There were many times when the police were involved at the same locations that Rachel had her eye on, and she found a certain thrill in raiding gang wares while the cops were out to do the same thing. She never once got caught, but decided it was time to stop once she was exposed to non-lethal riot control toxins such as tear gas and pepper spray. The way such harmless chemicals so efficiently subdued a hardened street warrior like herself took her by surprise, and she was immediately overwhelmed with curiosity about how these chemicals worked and what other possibilities were out there. Since she had a fortune in "repurposed" goods, she decided it was time to take a detour in life and follow a scientific path for a while.

Unlike the world of street thugs and substance negotiations, playing things above the table was quite a bit more difficult. Rachel wasn't able to get her hands on the fancy knowledge and equipment she wanted to use by just barging in and asking for it; she had to go through the normal channels. And normal channels have a way of keeping inquiring minds at bay... Just to get your foot in the door, you need a lot of specialized training, and that training takes a lot of time and money. There's no single task you can simply carry ou to get the job done, and Rachel was left searching for whatever opportunity she could that would get her as far as possible in the fewest number of steps. She found such an opportunity in an internship at WetWare Engineering, so she applied with a handsome bribery check stapled to the application and unsurprisingly got the job.

She was in, now: she was going to be a scientist. At least until she got the knowledge she was after, at any rate... Well, that was the idea, but it didn't play out very well in practice. When Rachel would rather be subjecting organisms to chemical treatments just to see what would happen, she ended up instead refilling the senior researchers' coffee mugs and filing all manner of paperwork. She never got to do any actual research herself, but since she had access to all her mentors' reports, it was basically as though all the work was done for her by someone else. A few little snapshots from her cell phone camera worked wonders when she set aside time at home to look things over. Those reports were extremely insightful, and Rachel leeched as much information from WetWare as she could without them having the slightest hint of what she was up to. By the time the internship had ended, Engineering Associate Biggers had much more knowledge in the field than her mentors expected her to have, and she intended to make the most of it.

Super Stupor

Before long, Rachel had a makeshift laboratory set up in her apartment where she conducted her own experiments and research. She became obsessed with the idea of short-term, non-lethal chemicals and narcotics that she could use in her gang raids to have even more fun on her adventures. In fact, she wound up with a few choice concoctions that would let her take out trained soldiers or some of the lesser super-powered villains in Paragon City. Once she got everything ready to go, she went out to see how well it would work.

It was a standard-issue warehouse raid; nothing fancy. There were Outcasts in the building, and they were after some kind of relic for whatever reason. Rachel went in with her trusty handguns and a handful of experimental potions, and subdued them all while causing no permanent harm to any of them. When the police arrived, they stormed the building armed and armored, looking for any signs of danager and found only unconscious would-be criminals. Once Rachel steped forth told them what had happened, she was taken in for a quick briefing. Since she prevented a crime, Rachel was released without incident, but she received a warning about doing similar things in the future. Since she was a civilian, putting herself in danger to stop criminals can actually get her into trouble. The police gave Rachel orders to let the authorities handle situations from now on.

The authorities apparently included meta-humans, according to the Citizen Crime Fighting Act. Rachel is demonstrably more powerful than a selection of the meta-human population in Paragon City, but since she's not a registered hero, she's not allowed to arrest criminals? Tempting fate with the police during raids against the city's gangs was an exciting and enteraining way ot spend her time, but try to help the city and she just gets herself into trouble... Still set on making the best of it, Rachel decided to relocate to a place where anyone and everyone can take matters into their own hands and no one will ever toss them a suspicious glance. Rachel found such a place in the Rogue Isles, and began putting plans together to head there.

Turns out the Rogue Isles aren't very easy to get to since the government there has a bit of an agendum about taking over the world. None of the self-respecting transport agencies will take you there, so you either have to know someone or have someone come and get you. Rachel's connections with the shady underground led to an opportunity for one of those scenarios. Turns out a fellow who conveniently goes by the name Shady Mac was on his way to Paragon City to pick up a new round of wares for the Rogue Isles black market, and arrangements were made for him to take Rachel back with him. Mac has a policy about only transporting goods, however, so Rachel had to be clever. She got herself listed as an item, then paid the purchasing and shipping fees. Mac saw right through the ploy, of course, but since Rachel was someone who's obviously willing to go through the necessary channels to get somehing to happen, he made an exception in her case.

Once she first set foot in the Rogue Isles, Rachel was ready to start the next chapter of her adventures. There were so many evildoer heads to bust, so many evil labs to plunder... so few people to care. It was like a paradise in some ways, and there lay nothing but opportuniy ahead.

Demons, Thugs and Spiders

There was a clever mystic in St. Martial who stole an artifact from the Wailers, then used his magical expertise to cast the blame on someone else. The target was the leader of a local gang of ruffians, since, frankly, no one would miss him after the Waliers got ahold of him. The gang only consisted of six people, won few successes and was not very dangerous, so it only seemed a natural choice. Once the Wailers started causing problems around town, Arachnos decided to investigate and found out whom they were after. A strike team was quickly sent in to capture the gang leader and to learn why the Wailers were here and what it will take to get rid of them. Of course, the gang leader didn't know anything about the situation, so things just went from bad to worse.

The other gangsters, stripped of their leadership, rallied together and planned an assault on the Arachnos base where their boss was being held captive. Once inside, they succeeded in breaching base security and recovered their leader, but there was a hot trail of spiders following them on the way out. They fled to a nearby, abandoned laboratory, which proved to be a mistake: they were trapped within the walls of the building as scores of armed and angry Arachnos personnel went in after them. After brutal incapacitation, the Arachnos commander ordered an Omega Bomb be placed within the lab, and once it was evacuated of Arachnos forces, the bomb was detonated. The Wailers, sensing that their bounty was killed, left the scene and St. Martial returned to normal... or, at least, as normal as you could expect from such a place.

As luck would have it, one Rachel Biggers was browsing the selection of the black market just a few dozen yards away from that laboratory. After seeing the explosion, she decided to check the place out to see if there was anything laying around that could be salvaged. Somehow or other, one of the gang members survived the blast and, crippled and bleeding, managed to crawl outside to find help. His hand covered the wound where he had been impaled by an Arachnos assault rifle, and he collapsed at Rachel's feet as she approached. Kneeling beside him and assessing his wounds, Rachel took some supplies from her duffel bag and mixed up a healing potion to administer to the fallen gangster. The gangster was revitalized to full health and told his savior the whole story of the arrest and failed rescue attempt.

Inside the laboratory, there were four other injured survivors. Apparently, the gang leader threw his great mass of muscular bulk over the bomb in an attempt to save the lives of his comrades. Though it did not protect them from harm, his action did appear to spare their lives. A few more rounds of the healing potion did wonders for the survivors, but the slain hero of this gang of thieves was arguably out of luck. On the other hand, Rachel wasn't out of ideas just yet. She was, after all, within the confines of an abandoned laboratory. The gangsters cooperated anxiously with her as she ordered a workspace to be set up and a gurnee to be constructed for the dead gang leader. Using the materials and equipment in the lab that had not been destroyed or otherwise made useless with time, Rachel mixed together an experimental elixir that she believed would be able to revive someone with the gang leader's injuries. The concoction was tainted and notably unhealthy, but the gang leader certainly didn't have anything to lose. Being poisoned at the expense of being brought back to life would more than likely strike him as a fair trade.

The potion worked and the gang leader was resurrected. A few minutes later, the effects of the mixture kicked in and the gang leader became very ill. However, just a few minutes after that, he recovered and everything was back to normal. Since the life potion worked and had no permanent negative side effects, Rachel wrote it off as a success and never bothered to revise the formula to remove its imperfections. Seeing their leader revived, the entire gang swore their allegiance to Rachel in expression of gratitude, and the gang now had a new leader.

Overcoming the Shortcomings

In the months that followed, the gang recovered their sense of confidence under the new leadership of Ms. Biggers. The laboratory was fixed up and made their own, and Bobbie fitted the thugs with new firearms. She also taught them better techniques to keep from having another accident like the one that nearly cost them their lives. One of the gangsters became proficient in fire bombing while bruiser, who was the former leader, continued doing his part by smashing heads through the pavement with his extraordinary strength. The gang--now regarded as more of a mercenary force--became quite noteworthy in the Rogue Isles and no one seemed to remember the laughing stock that they once were.

Rachel became intrigued at the bruiser's sheer force and effectiveness despite not being armed, and requested that he teach her some of his fistfighting techniques. She was only able to make use of a few of his moves, because her smaller stature and inferior physical strength made many of the more devastating blows nearly impossible for her to pull off. Nonetheless, she became as proficient as she could and, to the amazement of her followers, joined the fray during their operations as one of the fighters herself. The unit's threat level was heightened and they were able to take out much more powerful foes than they could when they started back in the abandoned lab.

Retaining her unusual sense of justice, Rachel always selected targets that were involved in shady dealings, extortion or otherwise intimidating others to receive goods or services. She was particularly fond of targets that had access to laboratory materials and equipment, since taking over those facilities always rewarded her with new toys and substances to experiment and play with. She greatly increased the size and variety of her chemical arsenal; eventually creating such toxins as a temporary paralytic, a debilitating neurotoxin, a hyperstimulant for her troops, and even a caustic substance akin to shark bile. All of these new inventions were used to great effect in battle, and the gang continued on to see many victories.

On one fateful operation, Rachel received a tip of an Arachnos base conducting unusual research on a mysterious substance; having great success and finding potential in their results. The opportunity was immediately desireable for her, as she would get to beat down evildoers and steal their science while she was at it. Without any further thought, she instructed her men to prepare for an assault on the Arachnos base where the research was being conducted.

Memories of the previous encounter with Arachnos rang loudly in the minds of the thugs, and they were immediately hesitant to go after the big spiders again. Fortunately, Rachel anticipated this reaction and had an idea. After several hours, she was able to produce an extremely powerful toxin by combining aspects of all her other recipes into a single package. The new poison was distributed as a cloud of gas, and she built a small emitter unit to house it. The unit was strapped to one of the bruiser's boots, and an antidote was administered to each of the thugs to protect them from it. They would be going up against Arachnos like before, but this time would be different: as long as the thugs stayed close to the bruiser, Arachnos wouldn't be able to harm them.

The operation was a success. Once the thugs took their antidotes and the noxious emission was triggered, the Arachnos forces were so subdued that they could hardly lay a finger on the thugs, let alone beat them down. And in the case they were able to land a hit, they were so weakened that they weren't able to hit with much force. It was almost laughable how pathetic the elite Arachnos forces had become, and the thugs had a brief catharsis as they stormed through the base at their leisure, picking off targets that so much as looked at them funny. The Arachnos research was secured and all records of it were destroyed. The gang members had overcome their fears, and Rachel had something strange and wonderful to play with.

Shards of a Goddess

Returning to their laboratory hideout, the thugs reclined and downed a few cold ones as they raved to one another about how the brutal force that nearly killed them once before was no longer any sort of threat. They were noisy and jovial, and seemed as though children again as they reenacted their favorite parts of the encounter with one another.

Rachel, of course, went right to work on the Arachnos research. What was this stuff, and what were they doing with it? The mysterious substance was the magical, living coral that is harvested in Sharkhead Isle. It was a precious commodity in the Rogue Isles for sure, but what made this particular research project interesting is that Arachnos discovered a procedure to synthesize the material, mystic properties and all. The only thing you need in advance is a small sample of the coral itself and you're good to go. What this means is that, so long as you keep a piece of it for later, you can make as much as you want whenever you want.

There were analysis reports along with the research data that suggested a few ideas for tapping the coral's mystical power to produce stronger Arachnos armor and weaponry. Rachel made these ideas her own, and decided to take it a step further: what if she could make a potion with this living coral? What would happen if she could empower her own body with it? The possibilities went racing through her head zillions per second, and the only way to find out was to do it and see what happens.

Synthesizing more than enough coral to last months and performing countless experiements with it, Rachel produced a substance that she believed would increase her physical strength and reslilence. Injecting it into her blood stream, she could feel the power of Merulina pulsating through her body and she immediately set out to find some goons to bust. The thugs went with her to protect her, but it turns out that no help was needed. Rachel's punches were far more powerful than before, and she was even able to pull off the bruiser's smashing uppercut on oversized targets. While her gangsters stood there in disbelief with their mouths wide open, Rachel rushed back back to the laboratory to find more uses for the coral.

Only a few days passed before Rachel had successfully produced new recipes for all of her combat narcotics and crafted a new type of ammunition for her handguns. Each was imbued with the mystic energies of the red coral, and now each can invisibly attack the target as though to hit them with an unseen weapon. The same phenomenon occurs when Rachel uses her punches, and she has worked with enough of the coral to make reliable use of this phantom damage that she otherwise shouldn't even have.

Going Home

With a magical source backing her scientific aptitude, Rachel now possesses superhuman capabilities and is preparing to return to Paragon City disguised as an actual super hero. She and her thugs worked together to create an outfit that would double both as a signature costume and as a combat suit for dispensing her potions in battle. Due to the nature of her "powers" and the presence of a gask mask to protect her from herself, the team decided on the name Bob the Biohazard, which is the name she uses even today in the Rogue Isles.

Coming full circle, Rachel decided it was time to release the thugs as thanks for everything they'd done for her. They helped her beat up the bad guys and take their toys, which is what she came to the Rogue Isles to do, and she got much more than she expected while looting enemy hideouts. The only thing missing now was the thugs' education, so as a condition of letting them go, Rachel instructed them to go to school and do well. She paid their tuition and sent them off to Paragon City, where today they study in appreciation of their savior and former mentor in the Rogue Isles.

Once she finishes practicing saving the day and heads back to the mainland, Rachel will undoubtedly meet up with her former comrades. Once that happens, what will the future hold? Will they team up again and fight crime together, or will they go their separate ways?