Random M&M character - The Mysterion

While visiting Dave (of Digital Dave fame) a couple weeks ago, I asked him what he was reading. He looked up from his copy of Marvel's Annihilation, Book 2 and commented that it made him want to run a Mutants & Masterminds game set in space. On the drive home, after listening to my new Satriani album, Jen and I came up with characters to populate this theoretical game. Jen's Mysterion (since she felt Musterion was dumb) came out looking like a viable Silver Surfer type character.

From whence comes this mysterious being? What does she want?

The Mysterion

Power Level: 10; Power Points Spent: 150/150

STR: +0 (10), DEX: +4 (18), CON: +7 (24),
INT: +0 (10), WIS: +0 (10), CHA: +0 (10)

Tough: +12, Fort: +10, Ref: +7, Will: +3

Feats: Evasion 2

Powers:
Immunity 21 (Aging, Life Support, Starvation & Thirst, Mental Effects)
Cosmic Energy Control 18 (DC 33, Alternate Powers: Teleport 18 [Alt], Dazzle 9 [Alt], Disintegration 7 [Alt], Healing 18 [Alt], Healing 7 [Alt])
Teleport 18 [Alt] (1800 ft. as move action, Anywhere in the same galaxy as full action; DC 28)
Dazzle 9 [Alt] (DC 19, Affects: All Sense Types (4/r))
Disintegration 7 [Alt] (DC 22, Power Feats: Reversible)
Healing 18 [Alt] (DC 28)
Healing 7 [Alt] (DC 17, Power Feats: Stabilize, Extras: Action 3 (free))
Protection 5 (+5 Toughness)
Super-Senses 6 (Awareness: Cosmic, Darkvision, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Time Sense)
Insubstantial 3 (Energy; Extras: Duration 1 (continuous))
Invisibility 4 (Total concealment from all visual senses; Extras: Duration 1 (continuous))

Attack Bonus: +2 (Ranged: +2, Melee: +2, Grapple: +2)

Attacks: Unarmed Attack, +2 (DC 15), Cosmic Energy Control 18, +2 (DC 33), Dazzle 9 [Alt], +2 (DC Fort/Ref 19), Disintegration 7 [Alt], +2 (DC Fort/Tough 22)

Defense: +5 (Flat-footed: +3), Knockback: -6

Initiative: +4

Languages: Native Language

Totals: Abilities 22 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Feats 2 + Powers 103 + Combat 14 + Saves 9 + Drawbacks 0 = 150

M&M Character - The Druid

It's 2-for-1 M&M character night at the Near TPK. The next game is tomorrow night and I thought the GM might like to see all the new characters before game time.

The amusement value has worn off of Hwacha! (didn't take long), so I've worked up a blaster with more options... Lots more options...

The Druid, PL 10, 150 points
Gender male, Age 37 (he's not old!), Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lbs.

STR 12, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 12, WIS 16, CHA 14
Tough +2, Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +6
Attack +2/+6, Grapple +3, Defense +1, Init +10

Climb +5, Concentration +7, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +10, Intimidate +4, Notice +7, Search +3, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +4, Survival +11
Animal Empathy, Attack Focus (Ranged) 4, Defensive Attack, Endurance 2, Fearsome Presence 2, Improved Initiative 2, Redirect, Sidekick 6, Stunning Attack, Teamwork 2, Track, Trance

Communication 4
Sense Type: Mental, Power Feats: Subtle 2 (unnoticable) (Free (Active) - Extended, 1 mile - Sustained)

Comprehend 4
Animals - Speak To, Animals - Understand, Plants - Speak To, Plants - Understand (None (Passive) - Personal - Continuous)

Druidic Rites (Magic 10)
AP: Control Winds (Element Control 10)
Element: Air (Standard - Perception - Sustained)
AP: Creeping Doom (Alternate Form 4)
(Free (Active) - Personal - Sustained)
AP: Cure Critical Wounds (Healing 10)
DC 20 (Full (Active) - Touch - Instant)
AP: Dominate Animal (Animal Control 10)
DC 20 (Standard (Active) - Perception - Sustained (Lasting))
AP: Element Control 10
Element: Earth (Standard - Perception - Sustained)
AP: Element Control 10
Element: Water (Standard - Perception - Sustained)
AP: Finger of Death (Blast 10)
DC 25 (Standard (Active) - Ranged, 100ft. - Instant)
AP: Flame Strike (Blast 7)
DC 22, Drawbacks: Full Power, Extras: Area, Burst (35 ft. radius - General)
(Standard (Active) - Ranged, 70ft. - Instant)
AP: Harm (Life Control 5)
DC 15 (Standard (Active) - Perception - Instant (Lasting))
AP: Hold Person (Paralyze 6)
DC 16, Power Feats: Affects Insubstantial 1 (half ranks), Improved Range 1
(150 ft. incr), Extras: Range 1 (ranged) (Standard (Active) - Ranged, 60ft. -
Instant (Lasting))
AP: Lightning Bolt (Blast 5)
DC 20, Extras: Area, Line (5x125 ft. line - General), Alternate Save (Fortitude)
(Standard (Active) - Ranged, 50ft. - Instant)
AP: Obscuring Mist (Obscure 5)
Radius: 100 ft.; Affects: Two Sense Types (2/r) - Vision, Extras: Selective
Attack, Action 1 (move) (Move (Active) - Ranged, 50ft. - Sustained)
AP: Plant Control 10
Radius: 50 ft.; DC 20 (Standard (Active) - Ranged, 100ft. - Instant)
AP: Thunderclap (Stun 5)
DC 15, Extras: Area, Explosion (50 ft. explosion - General), Range 1 (ranged)
(Standard (Active) - Ranged, 50ft. - Instant (Lasting))
AP: Transport via Plants (Teleport 20)
2000 ft. as move action; DC 30, Extras: Accurate, Flaws: Short-Range, Medium
(Plants) (Move (Active) - Personal - Instant)
AP: Wind Buffet (Blast 6)
DC 21, Power Feats: Affects Insubstantial 1 (half ranks), Knockback 1, Extras:
Area, Cone (60 ft. cone - General) (Standard (Active) - Ranged, 60ft. - Instant)

Immunity 4
Disease, Environmental Condition: Cold, Environmental Condition: Heat, Poison
(None (Passive) - Personal - Permanent)

Mind Reading 1
DC 11, Power Feats: Subtle 2 (unnoticable), Extras: Sensory Link, Action 2 (free),
Mental, Duration 2 (continuous) (Free (Active) - Perception - Continuous (Lasting))

Shillelagh (Device 6) [Lose] [Only You]
Device: Deflect 3
Deflects: All Ranged Attacks (3/r), Extras: Automatic, Ranged (Range: 300 ft.) [2
ranks only], Reflection, Action 3 (reaction) (Reaction (Active) - Touch - Instant)
Device: Strike 4
DC 19 (Standard (Active) - Touch - Instant)

Super-Senses 1
Scent (None (Passive) - Personal - Continuous)

That Sidekick 6 feat? Why, that's his animal companion, of course!
Greywulf (Wolf)
S13 D15 Co15 I8 W12 Ch6
Tough +2 Fort +4 Ref +2 Will +1
Atk +3 Def +4 Grp +4 Init +2
Notice +3, Stealth +4
Improved Trip
Super-Senses 3 - Scent, Tracking: Scent 1 (half speed), Low-Light Vision

I think I definitely get the alternate power thing now. In replacing my one-trick pony character, I seem to have gone to the opposite extreme...

M&M character - Mu

Jen has been working up possible replacements for ALICE...

"At first I thought she was clingy, but then she just slipped away..." - an ex-boyfriend

Mu (a.k.a. The Cling), PL 10, 150 points
Gender female, Age 23, Height 5' 8", Weight 150 lbs.

STR 10, DEX 18, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 10
Tough +2/+12, Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5
Attack +10, Grapple +14, Defense +2, Init +4

Acrobatics +8, Concentration +10, Drive +8, Notice +14, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +8
Acrobatic Bluff, Grappling Finesse, Improved Grab, Improved Grapple, Improved Pin, Improved Trip

Concealment 1
Feat: Close Range; Flaw: Partial; Extra: Perception

Force Field 10

Friction Control 10
Allows: Increase (Snare)
AP: Environmental Control 1
Hamper Move 25%; Feats: Affects Insubstantial, Dimensional (All), Progression - Increase Area 6, Selective; Extra: Perception
AP: Friction Control 10
Allows: Decrease (Trip)
AP: Friction Heat (Blast 10) * Heat
DC 25; Extras: Concentration, Perception; Flaw: Limited 1 - moving targets only
AP: Nullify 10
DC 20; Counters: Snare; Extras: Perception, Concentration
AP: Paralyze 10
DC 20; Extra: Perception; Flaw: Limited 1 - machines with moving parts only
AP: Static Cling (Blast 10) * Electrical
DC 25; Extra: Perception

Immovable 10

Immunity 7
Entrapment, Friction

Super-Movement 8
Wall-Crawling 2, Trackless, Sure-Footed 2, Water Walking, Air Walking 1, Slow Fall

Super-Senses 3
Tremorsense

I think I'm starting to get how alternate powers work. I think I'm liking what I see... stay tuned, later tonight I'll post the result of my newfound love of the APs.

M&M character - Digital Dave

While visiting my friend Dave in Chicago, we were lamenting how he lived too far away to join our Mutants & Masterminds game. The idea of having him join in via Skype or something came up, and how we could then have a digital Dave. Thus was born...

Digital Dave rides the power lines and lives in the machines.

Digital Dave, PL 10, 150 points
Gender male, Age unknown, Height unknown, Weight 0

STR 10, DEX 10, CON 10, INT 16, WIS 14, CHA 10
Tough +0, Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +3
Attack +4, Grapple +4, Defense +0, Init +0

Computers +15, Notice +6, Search +7
Stunning Attack, Teamwork 3, Well-Informed

Concealment 10
All senses, Extra: Continuous; Flaw: Permanent

Backup Copies (Duplication 10)
Feats: Absorption Healing, Mental Link, Progression 3 (10 duplicates); Extras: Heroic, Survival, Continuous

Electrical Control 5
Extra: Affects Corporeal; Flaw: Limited - only while within 5' of power lines
AP: Datalink 4
Radio Sense; Feat: Machine Control; Extra: Area (Omni-directional)
AP: Teleport 9
Feat: Easy; Extra: Accurate; Flaws: Long-Range, Medium - Electrical Lines

Immunity 14
Aging, Critical Hits, Life Support, Starvation & Thirst, Sleep

Insubstantial 4
Incorporeal; Extra: Continuous; Flaw: Permanent

The IT gags are endless. Teleport away and create a duplicate... off-site backup! Shut down enemy computers... The Digital Dave Virus! Create a duplicate and teleport it into the villain's base through his computer, like an email... "You've got.... DIGITAL DAVE!"

M&M - First Impression

Our first Mutants & Masterminds session was kind of disappointing. I blame a number of factors, some having to do with the game itself and some not, but I think the biggest factor is simply that the first scene in the introductory adventure makes a lousy introduction to the game. Spoilers for the intro adventure follow.

I'll start with my overall impression: The author could not have created a more frustrating villain to put on the scene if he'd tried. For an (even slightly) experienced group that was already a team this would probably have been a reasonable adventure scene. For heroes who haven't met before (a circumstance considered by the author and mentioned several times) it was a disaster.

The scene is a bank, the heroes are in civilian garb and/or patrolling (we had both). A bunch of thugs and two supervillains enter, and one of the supervillains lays down a selective visual and auditory obscure effect that covers the entire bank and part of the street outside but doesn't affect the bad guys. So we've got heroes who haven't been played before and might not even know each other. Any in the bank are immediately rendered effectively blind and deaf. Any outside patrolling have no way to find out what's going on, even after they get inside.

So we wound up with, out of four heroes, one on the outside unable to look in (Vulkyrion), one in the bank entryway unable to see or hear what's going on after the initial entrance of the bad guys (Enigma), and two inside the bank who lost initiative to the second villain and immediately got blasted, staggered and stunned (ALICE and Hwacha!). Enigma dropped an area confuse that caught about half the thugs before the bad guys moved around so much that he/she didn't know where they were any more. ALICE and Hwacha! each burned their sole hero point to stop being stunned. Hwacha! threw out his own obscure so at least the bad guys would be blind as well. ALICE with its tremorsense was the only hero that could see, but it has no effective attacks and couldn't direct the others because we couldn't hear, either.

In the end, Hwacha! blundered into a group of thugs while trying to back away from the one covering him. Having noted that all damage in M&M is non-lethal unless specifically stated otherwise, he dropped a non-lethal suspension-of-disbelief-breaking fireball at his own feet that filled the entire bank and dropped all the bad guys, most of the bank patrons, and ALICE in one blast. This at least killed the blinding/deafening effect and allowed Vulkyrion to swoop in and have his host of summoned vikings quickly tie up all the bad guys.

Even as the player whose character "saved the day", I must say I found the whole thing highly unsatisfying.

M&M character 1.2 - Enigma

HeroLab 2.3 doesn't like Enigma, so he/she has been reworked again - Confuse 18 has been reduced to 10 to match the power level (since Confuse doesn't have an attack roll, the attack of +0 doesn't make the 18 legal, I guess), and the extra points went into making the contagious and aura save DCs tougher, losing the unreliability of the aura and adding yet another flavor of confuse to screw with anyone who tries to read or control Enigma's enigmatic mind.

A mystery wrapped in an enigma masked in a mystification camouflaged in a conundrum circled in a secret encased in a puzzle cloaked in a riddle concealed in an illusion...

Enigma, PL 10, 150 points
Gender unknown, Age unknown, Height ~5'6", Weight ~150

STR 8, DEX 10, CON 10, INT 16, WIS 14, CHA 14
Tough +0, Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +6
Attack +0, Grapple -1, Defense +8, Init +12

Bluff +6, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +6
Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 3, Luck 5, Seize Initiative, Ultimate Save (Toughness, Fortitude, Reflex, Will)

Mindwarp (Confuse 10) - DC 20
- Feat: Subtle 2
- Extra: Area: Shapeable 10
- Feat: Progression 2 (50 5-ft cubes)
- Feat: Reversible
- Extra: Contagious 10

Shroud of Mystery (Confuse 10) - DC 20
- Feat: Subtle 2
- Extra: Duration 2 (Sustained)
- Flaw: Range 2 (Touch)
- Extra: Aura, Permanent
- Feat: Reversible

Mental Interference (Confuse 10) - DC 20
- Feat: Subtle 2
- Feat: Triggered 1 (when someone tries to use a mental power on Enigma)
- Flaw: Limited 5 (ONLY when someone tries to use a mental power on Enigma)

Mind Blank (Immunity 10, mental effects)

I really hope this is the final version of this character...

M&M character 4 - Vulkyrion

Our final Mutants and Masterminds character is done. This one should be a blast. I'm sure when the idea of basing a character on the 1980 Flash Gordon movie Prince Vultan style hawk-man* was suggested, the vision was of just a beefy bearded dude with hawk wings. But where would Vultan be without his legions of loyal hawkmen? Nowhere! DIIIIIVE!!

Vulkyrion is actually the immortal son of a valkyrie and a human viking. When he was born male (a one in ten thousand chance for the offspring of a valkyrie), he found himself an outcast in two worlds. There is no place for him in Valhalla, and he was too obviously an outsider to wander the earth. However, when superhumans started to turn up on earth, he finally saw a chance to fit in and do good at the same time.

Vulkyrion, PL 10, 150 points
Gender male, Age thousands of years, Height 6'2", Weight 250

STR 26, DEX 16, CON 24, INT 14, WIS 20, CHA 22
Tough +7/+12, Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5
Attack +8, Grapple +16, Defense +5, Init +3

Acrobatics +7, Bluff +14, Notice +9, Search +6, Sense Motive +9
Fearless, Inspire 5, Leadership, Luck 5, Set Up, Teamwork 3, Equipment 5
Plate Mail, Battleaxe, Blaster Rifle (how did he get a blaster rifle? I dunno, but come on, it's cooler than Fonzie. Maybe it's really a magic staff of blasty power or something)

Flight 4 (100 mph, winged, power loss 2 - if wings bound)

Luck Control 1 (spend hero point for another)

Immortal (Immunity 2: aging, disease)

Host of Viking Angels (Summon (Minion) 2)
- Fanatical
- Horde
- Free action
- Continuous
- Mental Link
- Progression 4 (25 minions)
- Sacrifice
S18 D10 Co15 I10 W10 Ch10
Tough +2/+7 Fort +2 Ref +0 Will +0
Atk +4 Def +0 Grp +8
Plate Mail, Battleaxe, Blaster Rifle (well, yeah, they all have blaster rifles, didn't you see the movie clip?)
Flight 3 (50 mph, winged, power loss 2 - if wings bound)

Oh yeah, as a free action, call down a holy host of 25 fanatically loyal pissed off flying vikings with blaster rifles. They don't care if they die for the cause - they go right back to Valhalla and show up to do it again tomorrow. If I really wanted to min-max I think I would have amped Cha as much as possible to give as many of them the Inspire bonus as I could. As it stands I can use a hero point to make six of them more accurate with their blaster rifles than I am with my own for a round.

* I've been informed that the real inspiration for suggesting this character was this, starting at around the 16:45 mark.

M&M character 3 - ALICE

Here she is... the really creepy one.

ALICE was an alien technology that was found in a reported crash site with no memory or recollection of what she was created to do. She was rescued due to precognitive abilities by a well-intentioned psychic before being named and trained in espionage by the government agency for which he worked (based on the BPRD, Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, from Hellboy).

ALICE (Artificial Lifeform for Infiltration and Covert Espionage), PL 10, 150 points
Gender -, Age unknown, Height 3'5", Weight 250

STR 12, DEX 14, CON 24, INT 26, WIS 8, CHA 8
Tough +7, Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +0
Attack +3, Grapple +3?, Defense +5, Init +2

Computers +23, Concentration +7, Craft Electronic +12, Craft Mechanical +10, Disable Device +12, Investigate +12, Knowledge Technology +12, Knowledge Physical Science +12, Knowledge Life Science +12, Notice +7, Search +23, Stealth +14
Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Hide in Plain Sight, Improvise Tools, Inventor, Master Plan, Skill Mastery (Computers, Craft Electronic, Craft Mechanical, Knowledge Technology)

Alternate Form (swarm - robot insects) 5
- Immunity 5 (entrapment)
- AP: Robobug Blast (Blast 2, 20 ft. range, DC 17)
- Super-Movement 3 (slithering, wall-crawling 2)

Immunity 28 (Aging, Life Support, Critical Hits, Mental, Fatigue, Starvation/Thirst)

Datalink 2 (radio)
- Machine Control

Super Senses 13
- Radio (accurate, acute)
- Infravision
- Time Sense
- Microscopic Vision 1
- Tremorsense
- Ultrahearing
- Direction
- Distance

Shrinking 4 (small size, permanent, normal strength)

Our master planning non-combatant. Next up, the hawk-dude, Valkyrion.

M&M character 1.1 - Enigma

Thanks partly to greywulf and his expert advice Enigma has been reworked - the overly-pumped toughness and saves are gone (the high defense stayed - he/she is surrounded by an aura of misdirection or displacement or something), replaced by a more crazy-powerful and contagious attack, and an aura of the same for anyone who gets too close.

A mystery wrapped in an enigma masked in a mystification camouflaged in a conundrum circled in a secret encased in a puzzle cloaked in a riddle concealed in an illusion...

Enigma, PL 10, 150 points
Gender unknown, Age unknown, Height ~5'6", Weight ~150

STR 8, DEX 10, CON 10, INT 16, WIS 14, CHA 14
Tough +0, Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +6
Attack +0, Grapple -1, Defense +8, Init +20

Bluff +6, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +6
Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 5, Luck 5, Seize Initiative, Ultimate Save (Toughness, Fortitude, Reflex, Will)

AP: Shroud of Mystery (Confuse 18) - DC 28
- Subtle 2
- Area: Shapeable 10
- Progression 2 (50 5-ft cubes)
- Reversible
- Contagious 7

Confuse 7
- Subtle 1
- Duration Sustained
- Range Touch
- Aura, Continuous
- Reversible
- Unreliable (Roll)

Mind Blank (Immunity 10, mental effects)

Another one-trick pony, but wow, what a trick this one has.

M&M character 2 - Hwacha!

Thanks partly to the HeroLab demo but even more to greywulf and his expert advice... our second Mutants and Masterminds character, the incredibly-one-dimensional-yet-amusing-to-me Hwacha! is ready.

He throws explosive fiery infernos from his hands and... well... I guess that's basically it. But that's cool, right?

Hwacha!, PL 10, 150 points (120 in powers)
Gender male, Age young, Height 5'8", Weight 170

STR 10, DEX 15, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 10
Tough +2, Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2
Attack +2, Grapple +2, Defense +2, Init +2

Computers +2, Drive +4, Notice +3, Search +3, Stealth +2

AP: Fire Blast (Blast 18) - DC 33
- Improved Range 2 (900 ft.)
- Area: Explosion 6 (60-ft radius)
- Penetrating 18
- Affects Insubstantial 2

Absorption 20
- Boost Fire Blast
- Energy Storage
- Limited: Fire
- Limited: Personal

Smoke Screen (Obscure 4, 40 ft range, 50 ft radius)
- Visual
- Free action

Hey, if you're gonna be a one-trick pony it might as well be a good trick. I don't know how he will play, really - my expectation is that he will be pretty fragile, but able to knock down boatloads of mooks if he can keep them at range. Hwacha! coming on the scene might look something like this (without the flying away at the end). Next up: ALICE

M&M character 1 - Enigma

Here we go... our first Mutants and Masterminds character ever, thanks to the HeroLab demo (without which we never would have gotten the numbers crunched).

A mystery wrapped in an enigma masked in a mystification camouflaged in a conundrum circled in a secret encased in a puzzle cloaked in a riddle concealed in an illusion...

Enigma, PL 10, 150 points
Gender unknown, Age unknown, Height ~5'6", Weight ~150

STR 8, DEX 10, CON 10, INT 16, WIS 14, CHA 14
Tough +10, Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +12
Attack +8, Grapple +7, Defense +10, Init +20

Bluff +6, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +6
Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 5, Luck 5, Seize Initiative, Ultimate Save (Toughness, Fortitude, Reflex, Will)

AP: Shroud of Mystery (Confuse 12) - DC 22
- Subtle 2, Reversible, Area: Shapeable, Progression 2 (60 5-ft cubes)

Protection 10

Mind Blank (Immunity 10, mental effects)

I have no idea how he/she/it will play - there are places where I know we have no idea what we're doing. Did Toughness and Defense really need to be cranked to +10? Is Attack +8 good enough, will cutting it back hinder the Confuse attack, or does it not matter for an area attack?

It might have helped if we'd read the book first, but that sounds boring. Next up: Hwacha!

Mutants & Masterminds

Apparently reading Greywulf's M&M mania for the past few weeks has gotten to me. Jason offered to GM some Mutants & Masterminds sessions and I jumped at the chance. Jen and I started making characters tonight.

Have I mentioned how it's five flavors of awesome having gaming prep time count as quality husband/wife together time? I probably have.

We're making two characters each since we have just the two of us playing. I, of course, am making Hwacha! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the name), the long-range area-effect flame-throwing hero. Out of the blue in an IM conversation today Jason posited that it would be cool to have a 1980 Flash Gordon movie Prince Vultan style hawk-man. I jumped on that idea for my second character. DIIIIIIIIVE!!! Now I have to find that soundtrack on CD...

After getting our hands on the M&M core manual earlier this evening and going through the powers section, Jen has come up with (and already discarded one potential character sketch for) The Swarm, a little girl who is actually a pile of one-eyed robotic insects. She's looking to take Alternate Form (Swarm), Burrowing, Passive Concealment, Datalink (machine control) and Enhanced Ability (touch, Tremorsense). Jen's other character might be The Contagion, a sickness inducing hero with Drain, Nauseate, Regeneration, and maybe Confuse. Or she might create a character named Enigma who is all about Confuse.

I think Jen is now six for six in coming up with "heroes" in superhero games that would probably make better villains (or at least are unnecessarily creepy for my taste).