First Wave (Mutants and Masterminds 3E)

Game Master Sobran

Our story begins on a single night in the deep of winter, as ice covers Emerald City. The Albian River still flows, dark and swift, through the city, into the Malory Bay, and out into the Pacific beyond. Elsewhere though, the fountains and streams of the city are still; only the glitter of ice betrays their presence.

That is about to change. Earlier tonight, a grainy video was taken of a monstrous creature on the Riverfront, attacking a couple. According to rumor, this creature has been hunting the citizens of Emerald City for months. And now, a strange bank robbery is being covered on live television...

"This is Patricia Kim with Action News at Five, bringing you a Special Report," says one of the most recognizable faces in Emerald City. The young woman currently speaking from over half the televisions in the city is a second-generation Korean immigrant. She was first brought to prominence three years ago, when her expose on families like hers brought attention to the plight of immigrants in the Eastern District. Since then, her star has risen quickly, surpassed only by the fame of her coworker Cliff Briskly, a charming meteorologist whose own fame is about to get a boost. The most unusual part of the report so far is that Patricia Kim is working at all, as it is nearly 8:00 PM she isn't a member of the 10 o'clock news team.

"In a world first, we have actually been allowed inside Emerald City First National during a robbery, currently in progress."

The camera pans left, revealing an old bank with vaulted ceilings, marbled floors, and faux-granite pillars. Despite its age, First National's proximity to the Yellow Brick Row--a popular shopping district--means that it stays open later than any other bank in the city.

A handful of men and women are face-down in the middle of the floor while two armed men keep watch. Two more are collecting money from tellers, while movement in the background suggests they might be attempting to enter the vault.

"A group of men calling themselves 'The Runners' have taken control of First National here this evening," Patricia Kim continues, out of frame. "They appear to be moving efficiently. It's unclear why they let us--demanded, really--that we watch the events unfold."

One of the women on the floor risks a look around, but is reprimanded by one of the men keeping watch. The robbers are clad all in black, with heavy ballistic vests. They all wear black masks with a pink starburst symbol over the left eye. Uzis or a similar type of machine pistol is visible in one of the robber's hands as he gestures at a hostage. Perhaps most unusual is that every robber, to a man, wears some sort of polished chrome leg harness.

Patricia Kim speaks in a lower voice: "Also unclear is exactly how the Runners plan on escaping. Though the police have not yet arrived, there does not appear to be an escape vehicle parked outside. Perhaps they-- Oh! Here comes their leader."

A woman emerges from behind the teller desk. Her black bodysuit gleams dully under the florescent lights. A strange chitinous pattern is visible on the suit and the chest bears the same pink starburst as the men's masks. The woman herself does not wear a mask; her pale face and short black hair are clearly visible. She says something to one of the men, who nods curtly and begins jogging toward the camera.

"The fact that their leader is a woman has to be-- He's coming this way. He's coming this way! Do you think he-- Keep rolling!"

I promise that not every post will be a novel. Just trying to set the tone as we open. Quick guidelines for your opening post:

Assume that your characters are either in the area or saw the news and are able to get here quickly. As for what you might be doing in the area, the Yellow Brick Row is a large shopping district and tourist hotspot. The Riverfront and the docks are nearby. There are wealthy homes in Royal Hill to the south and the University Hill isn't too far past that. If anyone is coming from out of town, the airport is west, across the Red River, and most people flying back into the city would have to pass through this area of town to get to where they are going.

You may post freely, as we won't roll initiative until someone enters that building. Most of you are good to go. Dough Joe and Meteor Man have to resolve a minor point discrepancy, while Warden needs to review his sheet. That shouldn't keep you from posting however, as I'm not throwing you directly into combat.

One last thing: in your first post, I would like you to describe how you know one other member of the team as we didn't resolve that in Discussion. Now that we're down to the wire, just make something up. That team again is: Dough Joe, Meteor Man, Warden, Atsuko, and Anthem. You may mention this person you know either in the post itself or in a separate OOC tag like this one.

Welcome, members of the First Wave.

Jo approached the scene, her heartbeat increasing, pumping oxygen into her limbs; adrenaline coursed through her. It was a familiar feeling, but one she hadn't experienced often since returning home.

She adjusted the top of the costume her mama had made for her. At least this one, the third she had been forced to try on before finally giving in, had actual pants. She took in a deep breath.

Witty repartee. Heroes are supposed to have witty repartee, so they say.

"Mighty bad case of pinkeye they've got there." she quipped, mostly to herself. Drawing her senses to complete sharpeness and clarity, she scanned the area in sonic well mode, trying to figure out the tactical situation before approaching too closely or being spotted by the media or policia.

I'll say Jo knows Joe. As part of her physical therapy after her coma, she joined his dojo to get her newfound physical prowess under control. Rather than a need to strengten her body after being immobile for months, she needed to figure out how not to break bones unintentionally.

She would have come of as self-assured, but shy, wanting more of the meditative aspects at first, but increasingly active physically after a few weeks.

Once she might have engaged Joe in a demonstration and may realize that he is every but as strong as she is.

Banks that actually stay open... weird. Atsuko thought, looking down from a nearby building. Most bankers tended to be of the opinion that there were bankers' hours, and you ought to thank them for graciously being open at a time convenient for them. Also, they usually needed the after-hours time to do paperwork and whatnot.

...

Which, really, was just a nice way of thinking that if the bank hadn't been open, this mess wouldn't have happened. The good news? She wasn't in with the hostages. The bad news? She couldn't easily protect the hostages, either. Her powers had never been good for more than carrying small children, and Atsuko had a full measure of her culture's obedience towards authority. She had no intention whatsoever of risking the lives of the hostages by doing something stupid, it was just...

Odd.

The situation was odd. Kind of like that motorbike-loving guy she'd seen around the area lately, and even talked to a few times. Those pink patches, though... that was ideology. These guys weren't just bank robbers, they believed in something, and whatever that something was clearly wasn't good.

For now, though, Atsuko continued watching, scanning the building as best she could.

Atsuko is using her Eldritch Sight to check the building, and in particular, see if anything is trying to hide. She's watching from the front.

Anthem: Sadly, the thick stone walls of First National occlude nearly all sound. The murmuring of the gathering crowd doesn't help matters. Still, you are able to make out half a dozen or so people shuffling moving around inside. If you could get to one of the large windows along the sides of the building, you might be able to get a better count based on heartbeats. Unfortunately, the windows are all about a dozen feet up. There is an accommodating ledge to perch on, but you'll have to be careful about your approach if you don't want the crowd to see you.

It appears that Action News at Five is the only news crew on the scene so far and they are all inside. There are no police yet either, though there likely will be within a few minutes. The crowd, as it were, is a knot of about two dozen people spilling off the sidewalk across the lawn from the building's doors. A concrete path leads from the crowd, across ten yards of icy lawn, up three steps, and to the doors. The double doors are open a few inches, but a chain is visible on the inside, holding them (mostly) shut.

For the sake of argument:
Atsuko's Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
Anthem's Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Atsuko: From your vantage point, you are able to see through the windows along one side. It's a pretty good view of the whole floor, though there are gaps in your perception: the windows are six feet wide, but interpolated with equal stretches of concrete wall. Still, as near as you can tell, there doesn't appear to be anyone hiding, magically or otherwise. The rear of the building, including the offices and the vault, is windowless however. You have no idea what is back there.

You... are some perceptive chicks. So perceptive in fact that I am going to amend Anthem's result a bit... Please check the edit Anthem.

Investing in Perception is never a bad idea. XD

Atsuko nodded slightly. All right... weird, but probably not as weird as she was. The cameras were definitely making her a bit nervous, but she could avoid those well enough if she stopped being visible for awhile...

All right, time to use her brain. Group with an ideology, called themselves the 'Runners', and they had weird leg harnesses. The reasonable conclusion was that the harnesses were some kind of tool, probably one that lent them enhanced speed. If they could outrun cop cars, getting away from this would be a heck of a lot easier.

Sadly, real life didn't have any simple knockout gases they could pump into the building's air supply. Instead, she carefully moved over to the police.

"Excuse me, pardon me, ah! Officers!" Atsuko said, putting on her best level of charm.

Persuasion: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

(And she could be pretty persuasive when she wanted to be.)

"I, ah, I have some information about those things they're wearing! I'm not familiar with the exact items, but they look like mechanical augmentations, maybe with drug enhancements or something to make them easier to use. I think they'll be trying to make a run for it, and they'll move a lot faster than anyone expects. Can we prepare for that?"

Essentially, Atsuko's trying to A) Convince them to listen to her, and B) Relay whatever she's figured out about the devices and how they probably work, helping to make the police cordon more effective if they make a break for it.

Hurtling through the city, bounding across streets and rooftops, Joe fumbles with his phone attempting to call one of his friends before giving up. He still hadn't gotten the hang of doing much more than bounce when he was bouncing. He resigned himself to remembering his last conversation with his sensei again.

"Joe, you know I'm proud of you, but this is serious. A bank robbery is one thing, but the robbers let it be televised. They want the attention," Sensei Kim warned. "You're not the only hero who's come out of the woodwork. You can pass on this one."
Joe listens, but only barely. He's too concerned with finding his things as he climbs into his gi. "No, Sensei, I can't. That's your cousin in there. I may not be the only hero around, but I'm not going to sit around while someone threatens your family. Besides," he says as he dons his simple black mask, "you know they can't hurt me."

Joe cringes a bit at that last line. He's mostly sure he won't get hurt. He's taken gunshots before and come out no worse for wear, but these criminals wouldn't be attempting something so bold if they weren't prepared. As he lands on Yellow Brick Row, he tries his phone again, dialing Anthem.

"Jo! Er, Anthem! The robbery! The one on Yellow Brick! Sensei's cousin!" Calming himself, he clarifies. "Miss Kim, that's Sensei's cousin! I'm heading there now, but I think I'm gonna need some help!" As he talks with Anthem, the bank comes into view.

Normally pretty chill, Joe gets serious when crime comes up. Compounding matters is his sensei's cousin. He would do anything to prevent his sensei from harm again, and harming his family is much the same to him. He certainly knows Anthem, given that explanation. He's probably also met Meteor Man at least once, but I'm open to others' input for connections.

Took the opportunity to solidify his sensei's nationality and give Joe a bigger tie into the issue. Hopefully, this doesn't conflict anywhere... or if it does, hopefully good old fashioned "Let's run with it!" applies.

Dough Joe: I'm fine with that connection. Actually, I think it's great. I had already managed to tie two characters to this situation, so adding another tie for yourself is definitely the right move.

Atsuko: Sorry, the police aren't quite here yet. They're still a few minutes out. Care to rewrite that last? Nevermind, I'll just roll with it. Did she teleport down? I got the impression she was on a nearby rooftop.

Ah. XD Maybe they're just not fully in position yet, with only the closest people there? If she was on a rooftop, then yeah, she'll have teleported down - taking care to not be obvious about it.

Sobran, you mind me posting while i sort out the last few details with my sheet?

Atsuko, am i that motorbike loving guy?

I don't think anyone else has a bike here, so... yes. Yes you are. XD

One patrol car stops half a block up the street, likely trying to stay out of sight of the robbers for the time being. No sooner have two men stepped from the vehicle than they are approached by a small Asian woman.

"Uh..." manages one of the officers.

"That's a lot to take in," says the other. He takes a moment to look over the crowd. "We better start setting up a perimeter."

"Yeah, you're right. Excuse me, Miss."

Both officers start to walk away, but the first man hesitates a moment, then turns back toward Atsuko.

"Look, when the Sergeant gets here, we'll pass it along. Do- Do you think they're with some of those powered freaks? I'm glad I'm not part of the New Crimes Unit." Atsuko notices his name placard says Officer Mandy, which seems unfortunate.

The second officer, evidently the superior, yells sharply and Mandy hurries away.

"I think that would be a safe assumption." Atsuko said seriously. "Either that or they believe they are, and may act unpredictably." Officers of the law generally tried to be ready for all sorts of things, and she nodded slightly as they headed off. They had the information, and it was up to them to use it.

For now, she turned her attention back to the area, trying to see if she could get within 90 feet or so of the outside of the building - within the range where she could hop inside if need be.

"I think that would be a safe assumption." Atsuko said seriously. "Either that or they believe they are, and may act unpredictably." Officers of the law generally tried to be ready for all sorts of things, and she nodded slightly as they headed off. They had the information, and it was up to them to use it.

For now, she turned her attention back to the area, trying to see if she could get within 90 feet or so of the outside of the building - within the range where she could hop inside if need be.

You'll have to be a little closer than the crowd itself, as the building is pretty set back. Add a little extra to account for the thick walls and you'll have to go basically into the open. It might be easier to go around and approach from the side or back if you're planning on porting in.

Warden is many things, subtle had never been one of them. Before the reporter had even finished saying the word robbery, he had turned 180 degrees and was going full speed towards first national.

He hated these kinds of exchanges, it always ended in violence.

He stopped himself from ramming through the front entrance, parking the bike a good 30 feet from the bank and around a corner. Pulling out Julie (loaded with "non"-lethal shells), he began surveying the scene as he walked towards Atsuko

"You don't think we're lucky enough to have the weather on our side tonight right?" Warden said as he pointed upwards.

Turning to the officers, Warden added "friends, do you have any plans to storm the place, or can we have a couple of minutes to try and resolve the situation?"

I figure Meteor man being the public persona he is, has probably had a run in or two with Warden, who've had something to say about his attitude - though not his methods.

Ps. trying to simulate an accent with my writing, let me know if it gets too obtrusive

In Seatt-, er, Emerald City? XD ...Impressive. She doesn't want to get close enough to cause a problem for now, so she'll just get as close as is reasonably possible.

The officers get to work setting up a perimeter with cones and police tape. The growing crowd is urged to move back to the opposite side of the street, but getting them into the road is as far as the police manage.

Apparently the officers were too distracted to hear Warden, as they ignore him for the time being. More police cars are showing up now and they have begun to cordon off the entire block. Warden and his bike made it just in time.

As a note, in most areas of the country (especially big cities), openly carrying a weapon will get you a lot of police attention. Once Warden is an established hero, he might get a pass, but right now he's a dude with a gun. He'll need to get himself or his gun out of sight quickly before he draws attention. His face is covered, right? Like a visor deal? That will help set him apart as a hero eventually, though it's of no help just now.

In Seatt-, er, Emerald City? XD ...Impressive. She doesn't want to get close enough to cause a problem for now, so she'll just get as close as is reasonably possible.

This is an amalgam of a few West Coast cities. That being said, there are buildings in Seattle with impressive amounts of real estate. Usually it's pavement rather than grass, but I'm taking some liberty ;)

Sighing and placing his hands on his hips, Warden started walking around the side of the building, trying to get a good look of potential escape routes etc. Taking the time to holster Julie on his back, but otherwise only doing the bare minimum not to stand out.

Once again he considers going through the front door, but decides against it, the option needs to present itself, some sort of distraction wouldn't be amiss to keep the thugs from their hostages.

Yeah, figure he's wearing the suit with some sort of shirt/hoodie + jeans over it, basicly him looking like the inspiration picture

There are no obvious escape routes along the side. However, there is a single locked door in the back alley, likely used for taking out trash. Due to the age of the building, there is also a rickety wooden staircase leading to another door about twenty feet up. It's the sort of odd design detail not seen on more modern banks.

Dotting, proper post to come.

Warden took a moment to consider, as he loaded his shotgun with bolas shuts, unable to come up with a better plan, he went up the old staircase.

"here goes nothing" Warden said as he forced the door open with as much subtlety as an 700 bar hydraulic press could manage. He did remember to check if it was locked before hand.

He slowly walked through the building hoping to catch one of the thugs away from his comrades, or at least get the lay of the land, before he was forced to start a firefight with hostages within arms reach.

Is it possible to roll on this board, or do i just leave that up to you Sobran? Figure i have to make some sort of stealth and/or perception check.

"Ok, Doughboy, take a breath. I'm already on the scene, trying to form a sitrep. I could use your reach to get me up to the windows so I can get a better sonar picture. I could probably jump, but since you're around..." Anthem moves into a good possition and relays her 20 to Dough Joe, hanging up the phone and changing it over to vibrate, Can't believe I left my phone on.

I figure Meteor man being the public persona he is, has probably had a run in or two with Warden, who've had something to say about his attitude - though not his methods.

Was waffling between Warden or Anthem, so this just makes it easier. =)

I figure Cliff came with the news van, both out of curiosity and in case he was needed. Plus, what would a conceited news anchor be without ceaselessly flirting with his coworker?

Cliff lounges around the news van as Trisha gives her report. He rolls his head over to one of the grips.

"You know, I thought tonight was the night. But how am I supposed to compete with a bank robbery for a girl's attention?"

The man just rolls his eyes. Everyone on set has learned not to take Cliff too seriously at this point.

"I keep thinking I should join in, but those guys would probably shoot the hostages, right? Maybe I'll leave this one to the professionals. Or at least an opening."

The guy just grunts this time.

"You're a real conversationalist." Cliff says, exasperated.

"Wait here. I'm going to go talk to the officer in charge."

He makes it about halfway there before he notices Warden starting to circle around the building.

"Jesus Christ not the nutjob with the shotgun again." he mutters to himself and sprints after the man.

"Hey! What are you doing! Stop that!" he yells as Warden forces the door open.

"You're gonna get those people killed you whacko!"

Turning around to face Meteor Man, more than a little annoyed but attempting to stay proffesional he snarks: "Only if you warn them about me first."

Lowering his shotgun, and waving Meteor Man inside, he adds: "Or do you have a plan? then do tell cause we're running dry on time"

"I had planned to leave it to the professionals, but somehow I don't think I can convince you to wait."

"Let me think a second...maybe it would help if I made it impossible to see in there? I could whip up a damn thick fog. They might not want to risk shooting a hostage they can't see."

Atsuko tilted her head slightly, watching as one man suddenly ran around the area, yelling something. That... probably wasn't a good sign. Nobody was being crazy and trying to be a hero in a way that could get the hostages killed, were they?

She frowned a bit, then made sure nobody was watching her and stepped through (specifically, through a direction she couldn't actually describe), trying to follow them and see what was actually going on over there. Light distorted around her at the same time, veiling her from human sight.

Non-Euclidean Passage to get closer. Dimensional Concealment to hide, maintained until further notice.

Warden's Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Warden's Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Warden pries the door off with a loud, brittle crack. Just then, Cliff arrives and the two engage in a little repartee in the doorway. When the two men turn to enter however, find themselves facing a single small room with no obvious entrance into the building proper. It looks like this was once used as some sort of office, but it has long since been converted into storage for unimportant office supplies.

Near the back wall, on the ceiling, Warden spots what appears to have been a trap door leading into the attic. It has been plastered and then painted over, but a faint outline is still visible. It will be difficult to get to, as boxes and even a couple of desks are stacked haphazardly in the cramped room.

When making your post, look for "How to format your text" below, next to a spoiler tag button labeled "Show". Below the general formatting stuff is the syntax for making rolls on this board. If you type in the relevant roll information and then hit Preview, you can see what the roll is going to be and adjust your post accordingly.

"Congratulations, you've got us into a supply closet."

Joe finds his way to the rooftops, stretching and bouncing his way up. From his vantage point, he can clearly see Cliff running after Warden. He spots Anthem crouched where she said she'd be, and extends a hand to tap her on the shoulder and pull her up.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who showed up. That's a huge relief," Joe says once she meets him up top. "Got any ideas? I- did you see where the other two went?"

Warden frowns at Meteor Man beneath the mask, as he begins hurrying back down the staircase. "Homie, the way i see it, we are the professionals in these kinds of situations."

Kicking down the back entrance in short order he turns to Meteor Man "A fog would be pretty cool though, we're going with your plan, now we've got them between a rock and a hard place."

Warden continues his prowl into the bank, Julie raised high in preparation of seeing anyone who remotely looks like a runner. If he doesn't find anyone within 30 seconds to a minute he goes towards the main hall to electrify some grunts.

Sorry folks. Work let out a little later than usual. It looks like we're in a holding pattern with Anthem though. I also need to see what Meteor Man is doing before I move forward with Warden's plan. In the meantime, we can see if he successfully breaks down the downstairs door though.

Athletics: Breaking down a door: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

The door cracks a little around the lock when Warden kicks it. He is about to kick it again when he notices a maglock located directly next to the lock itself. Morning employees likely arrive via this door, using a magnetic keycard to gain entry. The alarm is almost certainly armed and will go off if the door is kicked in without disarming the maglock in some way.

Continue? (Y/N)

How long does Warden estimate it will take him to disable, if less than 20 seconds he'll try to tech it, if more than that he'll punch it. Would it be a technology or sleight of hands roll, and would i be able to apply quickness to it?

It's kind of a tossup on Quickness. If we say that the hardest part of it is figuring out what to do, then yes. (The Mental Limit is what we're looking at here.) In this case, I think that's accurate.

Let's say only half the ranks apply, but you're able to turn an 8-minute disarm into a 30-second disarm. It's quite quick. Go ahead and make a Technology roll against DC 20. Higher degrees of success will mean an even faster disarm. Describe it as you wish.

Cliff takes flight with a whoosh of air, preparing himself for battle. Stormclouds wreath his body as he hovers, waiting for Warden to bust down the door.

"As soon as you open that, I'll flood the place. Be warned, it's thick and cold, kinda like the guys inside. Normal and thermal vision won't work."

Atsuko - watching invisibly from nearby - almost fell over as a guy jumped into the air. That's actually possi- she cut her own thoughts short. Clearly, it was, and she had no business saying anything anyone else did was weird. Not after what had happened back in the University District, when she'd found out that her body didn't want to let her die.

Warden gave the lock a once over. Folding out a screwdriver from his multitool he turned to Meteor Man "Should probably give me a moment to get a view of everything, would rather not have to fire blind."

Warden turned his focus on the lock, in 29.7 seconds precisely he had it in a neat pile lying next to the door. "Here's my plan, I run in, open fire, and the moment they turn to look at me, you sent in the fog. Then you kick down the front door, and have the hostages make a break for it, with any luck they'll be too busy firing at us and trying to score their loot, to hold unto their victims." Opening the door and slowly climbing in he added "It's not a perfect plan, but time is of the essence" He didn't turn to look, he was too focused looking out for grunts.

Warden uses his skill advantage on technology to auto roll 10. ie. rolled 10 + 12 technology = 22

Anthem accepts the hand up and uses her sonic well, touching the glass to try and get a better idea of what was inside the building. As soon as she gets as good a read as she can, she relays the information to Dough Joe.

"Open fire!?! What if you hit the hostages?"

"Come now friend, trust my aim. Oh, and it's only loaded with electric nets, it's not gonna do anything permanent"

Cliff looks leery of the idea, but decides to give it a pass.

"Fine. Let's do this then. I'm heading around."

Cliff flies back out to the front, doing a loop and coming to rest a few inches off the ground near the door.

He mugs for the camera a bit while he waits for Warden to burst in.

As Anthem places her hand on the glass, she gets a sense of the interior. There are eight men in the gang: two watching the hostages, two getting money from the tellers (they're almost done), two in the vault, and two just outside the vault.

But there's something wrong... Anthem's senses don't pick up the leader anywhere in the building.

Just then, all hell breaks loose. Warden cracks the maglock and the rear door pops open. After a moment of arguing, Warden heads inside and Cliff summons a thick, cloying fog. All vision within 60 feet of him is obliterated. It covers roughly half the building, inside and out.

Moving into combat time now. I rolled for Initiative in Hero Lab because it was easier than looking up everyone's initiative mod and then entering all the dice formulas here. The order is as follows:

Dough Joe
Meteor Man
Runner Leader (skip her during this first round though)
Warden
Atsuko
Runners
Anthem

Anyone within 60' of Meteor Man is completely unable to see. If you have alternate senses, like Anthem, you may still be able to function fine. Use the description above and this here map to determine if you are inside the fog and where the various robbers are located. Attacking a target within the fog without access to an alternate sense imposes a -5 penalty to your attack roll. Oh, ignore the ATM on that map. Pretend that's the door that Warden just kicked/hacked.

Dough Joe and Anthem: You may or may not be inside the fog, depending on where you are perched. I'll leave that to your discretion.

Round One. FIGHT!

Shouldn't the fog be 500 feet? It starts at 30, and Rank 4 should increase it 3 steps from there.

If we are using the actual Concealment power (Fog), its area is based on the Area extra, which starts at a mere 30' and you can't afford much. If you want to run it off the Environment power (your basic Weather Control), then yes, the area will be enormous. Still only 120' though. To be honest, I'm not sure the separate Fog power is really needed, as I think Weather Control can basically cover it.

EDIT: Words.

"Whoa, action time! Hope you're good at planning fast!"

Trying the door and finding it locked, Joe rears back and boots the door with his bare foot.
Unarmed Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21
Door Toughness DC 26: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Somewhat underestimating his own strength, Joe's kick blows the door open and knocks it off its hinges. He runs forward and peers over the balcony to try and get his bearings as Cliff swoops in behind him.

If we are using the actual Concealment power (Fog), its area is based on the Area extra, which starts at a mere 30' and you can't afford much. If you want to run it off the Environment power (your basic Weather Control), then yes, the area will be enormous. Still only 120' though. To be honest, I'm not sure the separate Fog power is really needed, as I think Weather Control can basically cover it.

Environment just imparts a very minor penalty to Perception checks in its area rather than obscuring vision entirely. I don't see that as super useful in most cases. Still, 60 feet is plenty for most purposes. A 500 foot radius would be obnoxiously large.

Cliff, unaffected by his own abilities, scans the room through the cover of the thick fog (Though that's almost a misnomer, given they're more like cumulonimbus clouds brought down to ground level).

He picks out one of the men with guns trainedon the hostages and fires.

"Stand down, villain!" he cries in his best "heroic" voice for the benefit of his news crew, and calls down a Thunderbolt on the man, lightning striking him from within the cloud, briefly illuminating a spot within.

I figured it would be cooler if he didn't fire lightning bolts from his hands or whatever, but clouds formed and lightning struck where he wanted it to.

Ranged attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

And Rank 10 damage. Which is DC 25 toughness I believe?

Fair enough on the Fog front. Quick thing though: the hostages are in the customer area on that map (numbered 1). To get there, you need to move across the whole building. With your Flight, you are capable of getting that far easily. I just figured I would point out there are others closer or you should perhaps describe whizzing through the building.

Ah, missed there was a map. According to that though, I should be right there, right? I came in through the front door, not the back. Warden and I pincered them.

So wait, the hostages are on the first floor

Ooooh, I see it. You and Warden both posted while I was writing my post. I missed that you circled. I'm with you now.

There's IS the matter of you getting through the (chained) door. For the sake of argument, let's just say you waited for Dough Joe to kick in the door and flew in that way. Otherwise you'd have to spend a Hero Point to both bust down the door and then attack.

Cliff's Victim rolls Toughness: DC 25: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
And Fortitude: DC 15: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

One of the Runners looks up at Cliff and looks... well, you don't know, really, with the mask and all. One imagines he is worried, right up until the moment that a bolt of lightning from the fog flings him ten feet backward and into one of those stand-up desks people use to write out deposit slips.