dang! You're right.
I could call it Seeds and Stems and have them focus more on rare and obscure, and possibly magical, teas than on coffee.
P. Sherman could be a druid. Like an honest to god druid following the ancient path. His lore came from the old world with his father, who was given the choice of being sent to Australia as a prisoner for treason or burning at the stake for heresy.
P. Sherman, or just Sherman to those who know him, learned much herb lore and ancient rites from his father. He is nearly 100 years old, but seems to be in his late 40s.
Sherman's Seeds & Stems?
Sounds interesting! Could be cool if it has been there for a long time. Originally as an apothecary, then an herbalist, then as laws got stricter moving into 'exotic teas' and 'incenses'.
Does Sherman live there? I see that a druid probably wants a natural area to grow stuff in, like a farm. Maybe he has a daughter he's trying to get into the family business, and they take shifts? If she's younger quite possibly she made her dad change the name from Sherman and Son's Seeds & Stems?
Ok, here's what I've got in mind so far. I'm also thinking 'Bathed in Blood' for the What Shaped you phase. Finding your grandmother devouring other members of your family will kind of shape you up pretty quick when you're in your mid-late teens.
I welcome all thoughts and comments :)
***************************************************
Name: Quinton Banacek
High Concept: Investigative Monster Hunter
In the U.S., Quin was known as (depending on who you talked to) a Bail Enforcement Agent, a P.I., or a Bounty Hunter and he managed to make a decent living at it. He also managed to stash away funds and make investments that allowed him to not worry about where his next meal was coming from. When pursuing a fugitive to Sydney, he developed a fascination with the city and country surrounding it. He pulled what strings he had and got his fugitive extradited and he remained to find what he hoped was a new start.
Trouble: Monsters Everywhere
While Quin has come to understand that not all 'non-mortals' are 'monsters', he's still driven to help against the ones that could be. At the same time, there's something about him that let's them know how he feels even if he's not actively pursuing them. This could lead to the non-mortal taking actions based on their own fight-or-flight instincts.
Background: (Raised a) Southern Gentleman
Being born into an old New Orleans family of some influence was pretty much a guarantee that Quinton would grow up with all the manners and social graces of an old Southern Gentleman. Politeness, honor, tact and standing up for what you believe in was ingrained in him from birth.
Looks good to me!
Do you know what skills you're looking at? Want me to move Nick's skills around a little?
so yeah alans game fell through any need for jack here? or are you full up?
@LL: do you want to roll to see who has stories with who or something?
Updated Quinton's profile with his Shaping event.
regarding connections, is anyone's character from places other than Sydney/Austrailia?
I can see Edmond having a guest starring with Anne pretty easily. His interference with the fight she was having when the Orb shattered could serve.
I am having a hard time coming up with an idea for Edmond's first adventure. He has only been out and about for a couple of months.
@ Quinton: Astrid is from Norway, originally. But that was a looooooooong time ago. I suspect she has traveled a great deal over the years.
@ Edmond: As much as you might want Edmond out a few years, perhaps you could make it a tad longer. So much would have happened I suspect that it might take sometime to adapt. Not to mention lay low enough to figure out what happened and find a job or something to get money.
Perhaps a young woman, Astrid, came across an aspiring and lost wizard, and they came to some arrangement for work. A retainer perhaps. (not sure if I want to use it or not yet, but the
Aspect of Making Something Out of Nothing...)
@ Astrid: One of his main difficulties is that sense of culture shock. Perhaps a couple of months is too much culture shock, but I think a few years would be too long. It would allow too much assimilation. I want him to end up with the stranger in a strange land effect.
As to hiring Edmond, that could work; Edmond's magical specialties are Wards and Veils.
@ Anne: How active would you be in Edmond's affairs after discovering/releasing him?
Hmmm. Am I right in thinking Edmond is pretty much stone broke? he's got some craftmanship, so potentially he could get a "normal" job while he finds his feet. Obviously it would need to be largely technology-free, something where magic could sub for technology, or something where the technology is rock-solid.
I guess working in most stores are out, as is a job in a kitchen (gas stoves are dangerous). Working at one of those small newsagent stands near a station could work - there's little done there with power, and a newspaper now is much like a newspaper then.
Seeds 'n' stalks might be interested in hiring - although given a white council wizard is in the top percentile of wizards, odds are that you will cause far worse maintenance problems.
@Quiton, like Astrid, Anne could have come from any number of places if you'd like a connection. I can quite easily see you and her on any number of missions and meeting up with each other (either by choice, or coincidence)
@Edmond, I'm happy to go either way. I can see an argument for Anne would like to help you with the shock and wizardry, but I can also see that where we are in the timeline would mean Anne is quite busy with her duties. Do you have a preference?
@Nick, Can I guest star in your story somehow?
Anne's first adventure - Black vs White
When people start appearing in hospital with all the signs of being drained by a White Court vampire (white hair, aged and feeble), Anne sets out to prove them innocent. But will Anne succeed when she finds herself pitted against a dark wizard in alliance with the Black Court? When Regina breaks into Anne's home to teach her a lesson, things look black.
Edmond, anyone else?
@Anne, I'm thinking that Quin and Anne first met when Anne was checking into the ritual that Quin's grandmother used to regenerate her youth? and then maybe a couple of times since?
@Astrid, Quin could have, on a couple of occasions, worked for Monoc and one of those could have been the one that led Quin to Australia and Sydney.
@Nick, I'm sure Quin and Nick would have crossed paths at some point. Nick knows how to get information, and Quin has on occasion needed to know information, so... :)
@Edmond, not sure how to make a connection,any thoughts?
@Quin; sure. If you needed someone who could get data out of a captured hard drive then asking around could well lead you to Nick.
Trying to remember this.
We have a story each, right, with two guest stars.
We then guest start in two stories.
So with 5 players we have a total connection.
If LL says J is in, then we have 6 players, so everyone is missing one connection.
That right?
So far we've got;
Astrid's "In bed with Monoc"
Anne's "Black vs White".
Yeah?
@Quin: Is Nick hogging niches Quinn wants skill-wise?
I've been thinking I'd like Nick's story to be soon after the event.
"Who am I?"
Depending on "who's in" in the story would change how answers are extracted.
I'm vaguely thinking of an Aspect like "Product of my time" or "Child of the 21st century".
@Quin: Is Nick hogging niches Quinn wants skill-wise?
I've been thinking I'd like Nick's story to be soon after the event.
"Who am I?"
Depending on "who's in" in the story would change how answers are extracted.
I'm vaguely thinking of an Aspect like "Product of my time" or "Child of the 21st century".
Maybe "You Are What You Eat" ? ;)
@ Astrid: Did some thinking about the severity of culture shock, and you are right about how overwhelming 20?? would be to someone from the 1920s, and I think I will push his rescue from the Orb back to about a year. Enough time to be functional in public, but not so much time as to have lost that sense of being a stranger in his own world.
@ Anne: Since Edmond is 'mostly trained' by this point, all he would need magically is probably some periodic oversight/q&a time. As for the help with culture shock, that could be partly background info. He is still quite agog at all the shiny stuff, but is mostly functional. Anne helped him make sense of things for a while, got him set up with "gainful employment" and a place to live and work
@LL: Are we a group of five or six?
@ All: Came up with a first story: The Damsel in Distress: When a terrified, beautiful, young woman came into Seeds 'n Stems with a horrific story of her fiance eating his own dog alive, then trying to eat her to shut her up, Edmond promised to get to the bottom of things. But is he faced with a ghoul, a very demented man, or something more sinister? Will he survive when the demented would-be cannibal notices Edmond sniffing around?
@Nick, not hogging anything at all. I think I've got skills planned out different enough that will not step on each others toes. :)
@All: I came up with his first story. I see Nick and Anne playing a part.... Thoughts?
What was your first adventure?
Story: Shadows From The Past
(Aspect: Stubborn like a Bulldog)
When his mentor is the victim of a ruthless killer, novice bounty hunter Quinton Banacek is on the trail of the killer. But, when the killer turns out to be just like his grandmother, will Quin find himself overwhelmed with memories of past events or will he find the strength to see things through and do what needs doing?
Maybe "You Are What You Eat" ? ;)
That is a fantastic aspect. Not sure if I can make it apply completely to Nick, but very subtle... will have to think on it.
That is a fantastic aspect. Not sure if I can make it apply completely to Nick, but very subtle... will have to think on it.
Maybe "You Are What You Eat" ? ;)
Perhaps the original Nick's soul was mutated/consumed/used as fuel in your birth/transformation, and periodically his personality/values/etc can influence your actions?
Perhaps the original Nick's soul was mutated/consumed/used as fuel in your birth/transformation, and periodically his personality/values/etc can influence your actions?That is a fantastic aspect. Not sure if I can make it apply completely to Nick, but very subtle... will have to think on it.
Maybe "You Are What You Eat" ? ;)
Yeah - that's what I like about it. On the other hand Nick eats a lot of pizza... but perhaps there I can go with the more mundane interpretation. it seems like a better match for the origin in all honesty. maybe I'll swap it out.
Updated - what do you reckon?
I reckon that looks pretty good.
With all the chat about possibilities I am not sure who I am working on a Guest Star (x2) stories with. Any ideas who is working with who?
All I know is that for Guest Star v1.0 I am playing in Anne's story.
We should get some kind of list of who is playing with whom so that we can finalize.
I will have a bit more refinement done with my inital story soon.
I think we're waiting for LL to tell us if Jack is in this.
I guess we could put together a list anyway?|
I was waiting for him to confirm my participation as well. After AlanM's game went down I talked to him by PM about joining this game. We discussed a few character options, and at the end he chose out a character idea he thought would work the best in this group. I think it was an invitation to join, but could be considered ambiguous. I PM'd him for a confirmation but haven't gotten a response yet. That was Nov 1st till 7th. As I said, I think I was invited, but I apologize if I am forum crashing.
I haven't done much with the concepts on my character yet due to the collaborative nature character generation in this game is meant to employ.
I'm a big Dresden fan, have both RPG books, and have read right up through Ghost Story (which legend says Jim Butcher wanted to call "DEAD" but couldn't get his editors to agree to - it would be a pretty sweet title I think.).
So far Benjamin Thomas (Tommy) York is envisioned as a strange scion. He does not know who, or what, his father was, but it couldn't have been human. Tommy didn't have the most pleasant childhood, growing up in the foster system, running away, learning gangs, and navigating jouvie. However, he discovered that whatever his old man was, it wasn't entirely human, and that left him with a huge leg up compared to other kids in the same situation. York made a very effective problem solver for a wide variety of problems, regardless of whether you wanted to the solution to be whisper quiet, very loud, or requiring a lengthy recovery period with physiotherapy. He was also one of the few around willing to take jobs for patrons, or involving subjects, that were not always what they appeared.
He is a shapeshifter, able to alter his body as needed in order to perform whatever task he might be called on to perform. No one knows who the father was, any more than they had any idea who the killer was. No matter how much he learns about it, about the truth, about the other world that exists right before so many disbelieving eyes, he has never gotten any closer to discovering what HE was, Changeling, Raksasha, Demon, Bunyip, or even Skinwalker, and what he himself must therefore be.
Template: Scion
Supernatural Powers: Shapeshifting: Modular Abilities.
A lot of what he learned through his business contacts that finding out who can be trusted, and who it is worth doing a favour is a big deal. He's not interested in making the big score; he'd much rather run with a crew he could trust. The world is pretty messed up, and when any of those messed up things starts coming for you, you want to have friends who are going to stick around, and friends worth putting your own ass on the line for. The ends may justify the means, and they invariably do, but the ends gotta be something worth fighting for too.
High Concept: Son of a... what?
Trouble: Wanted man.
Hmmm... LL hasn't been back in a week. Anyone had a PM from him?
Not I.
November 3 was my last. I said 7 above, but I was mistaken.
Maybe LL got caught up in Sandy?
@Quinton - I can easily see Anne taking part in that story. Would a useful part be in which Anne does a 'pull yourself together man!' thing for him work? Or would you prefer a more heavy hitter type role for her? I can see she'd do both...
Maybe LL got caught up in Sandy?
@Quinton - I can easily see Anne taking part in that story. Would a useful part be in which Anne does a 'pull yourself together man!' thing for him work? Or would you prefer a more heavy hitter type role for her? I can see she'd do both...
That would be my guess for LL.
I think the 'pull yourself together man!' might be more interesting :) She might be giving this mortal a chance to prove to himself that he has the ability to deal with both people like her (the non-monstrous type) as well as a ghoulish creature like his grandmother.
So, I see Quin first contacting Nick to get some data from his mentor's dead laptop which would lead him to a situation encountering the Ghoul. Quin panics until pulled out by Anne and encouraged to find the strength inside himself to face it down and destroy it. It's a lot younger than Quin's grandmother so Anne knows it wouldn't be as easy should Quin take on his family. She follows to observe and be there just in case, but Quin manages dispatching the creature (although with difficulty).
Thoughts?
Two weeks since his last post. It's not looking good.
So. Anyone interested in running a Dresdon Files game?