GM Sappy's Infiltrators - Dirty War

Game Master Sapiens

Oh I like how you did your background Saashaa. Since Liliya is a Black Chamber operative also, I think I may do something similar, kind of like a personnel file.

@Pierce Brosnan: Yes, gunslingers and those with the Gunsmithing feat can make their weapon masterwork.

About guns and misfire: It might be overexpressed, but jams do happen. If they happen too often or are too strong I'll change them, but right now I'd keep misfires as they are.

@Calista: You get both.

@Saashaa: While I agree with Warhawk that it looks very, very cool, give me a little something to work with XD. Some personality, maybe, or a bit of roleplay.

@Saashaa man I want you to get in just to see how you make use of the 'hidden crotch grenade' lmao. "Is that a grenade in your pocket or are you just happy to--nope that's a grenade."

Updated Liliya's profile with her background and minor clerical errors. Here's a preview of the background.

@Warhawk7 Thanks

@TheSilverDreamer Honestly, it seems like an interesting hiding place. the idea came from my watching of Archer

@GM Sappy The thought that came to mind was that, as part of training for dealing with special targets (magic based) he was mind wiped. He is a very straight-to-the-point person that is always focused on mission success. He is like this because it is all he knows. He has no memory of anything before the OSS.

EDIT: ....shoot!.. I just realized that L is bourne-like. Well, heck, I'm gonna run with it.

Submissions have been updated

I have also finished most of the crunch for my character, Beast. However I have yet to work on any fluff for the guy (and hes hairy!).
He turned out quite a lot like Wolverine or Sabertooth, moreso Sabertooth, but with a nicer attitude :P

•He has claws. These are more like really sharp rending nails then wolverine claws and you would probably wont notice them when hes not using them.
•He has a huge Healing Factor. Something to the tune of 1d8+15 as a standard action or Fast Healing 3 for 5 minutes.
•However he can only heal and affect himself with his abilities.
•Highly adaptable. Can morph keen senses, woodland stride, faster speeds, Lunge, Pounce, Rend, DR ect.
•Pistol sidearm backup weapon.
•When hes pressed to the wall, he can take on a ver feral appearance that seems unnatural (Fey Form) but grants him increased strength and endurance. He does not enjoy "going Savage" and will not do so if he can help it.
•Note: He has Animal Form, where he turns into an animal shape however it doesnt really fit my image for him, so he will never use it.

I am nearly done with Dorfin; a half-elf incanter that was raised inside the laundry.

He is a bit of a dabbler, having never really left the laundry before, but he did study extensively, and volunteered to join in the mission.

His primary focus is on utility, using the creation, illusion and alteration spheres, and he keeps some utility items in reserve as well as a trick up his sleeve (literally)

Normally, he would wear a fitted suit, if at all possible (think "kingsman"), but he will switch this out if needed (either physically or illusiory)

I have updated here Pics and Items, and changed a few small things that where wrong. She is now a lot more like someone who has been around for a long time. With back ground safe houses in London NYC should the team need to use them.

Decided to switch out the Psychic Fortress (Make a wall) blade skill for Panoply Counter (Negate an attack with higher attack roll). It seems more immediately useful.

Alright, so I'm currently thinking of going Fey Adept. For Sphere Talents, I'm not to certain, but I'm currently thinking:

Illusion Sphere (Base)
-Lingering Illusion
-Illusion Sound

Creation Sphere (For carrying things)

Telekinesis
-Limited Telekinesis Drawback (Paper)
-Divided Mind

Divination
-Dowsing
-Expanded Divinations
--Divine Life
--Divine Unnatural
--Ultravision
-Fast Divinations x2
-Limited Divination (Sense) Drawback
-Hidden Magic Drawback

I'm saddest about the Telekinesis sphere being so costly, because I'd love to be able to have the character just be orbited by a field of ledgers. If I could take Limited Telekinesis multiple times, each time getting more specific (Plant matter, to paper, to papers related to accounting) that would be amazing.

In terms of design, I gave her talents that fits her job as a forensic accountant. Illusion to take notes, Creation because, Telekenesis to drag around ledgers, and Divination to parse through ledgers.

My question is, am I shooting myself in the foot here with how I designed her?

Question for DM: Can I swap my casting stat from Charisma to Intelligence?

Presenting Agent Q, Black Chamber operative, master interrogator, and manipulator of fear!

I may have gotten some of the homebrew materials wrong, as adapting them to hero lab is tricky. Let me know if there's anything that need changing.

@Simeon, I think cognizant crystals count as permanent magic items.

@Vagabond: It's hard to shoot oneself in the foot with Spheres of Power, since it's built for flexibility. And I'd say you can get Intelligence, since many other SoP classes can choose their attribute.
The problem with your approach is that if you use your magic talents to only focus into being the pefect magical accountant, you may have a hard time when pressed into combat, since your talents are spread quite thin, especially with you being the Fey Adept, who is very focused on Illusions.
Also there is the question of why the perfect accountant would want to be a field operative when she can be so much more useful to the cause by managing paperwork.
My advice would be, if you still want to be a Fey Adept, to focus on Illusion and either Divination or Telekinesis. Divination will be useful if you want to be more of a support character, Telekinesis is subtle and effective at manipulating the environment to your advantage. Otherwise, switching to Incanter would allow you to focus more on your talents, at the expense of the special illusion abilities.

@Simeon: You haven't taken any of the free feats and I agree with Calista that cognizant crystals are not consumables, and neither is an eternal feather token

NOTE: first recruitment cutoff: after tomorrow, only those who have posted at least a concept will be allowed to run. Just saying "Thinking of a Fighter" is not a concept.

Therefore, all the dotters have a day to jot down a concept.

In order to be thorough; This Character is also crunch-complete (i think), and the basic background is in place as well.

Ah, okay. I'll adjust accordingly. Cool about the free feat, I forgot about that bit.

@Vagabond: It's hard to shoot oneself in the foot with Spheres of Power, since it's built for flexibility. And I'd say you can get Intelligence, since many other SoP classes can choose their attribute.

The problem with your approach is that if you use your magic talents to only focus into being the pefect magical accountant, you may have a hard time when pressed into combat, since your talents are spread quite thin, especially with you being the Fey Adept, who is very focused on Illusions.
Also there is the question of why the perfect accountant would want to be a field operative when she can be so much more useful to the cause by managing paperwork.
My advice would be, if you still want to be a Fey Adept, to focus on Illusion and either Divination or Telekinesis. Divination will be useful if you want to be more of a support character, Telekinesis is subtle and effective at manipulating the environment to your advantage. Otherwise, switching to Incanter would allow you to focus more on your talents, at the expense of the special illusion abilities.

Mostly it's due to the fact that I still want my capabilities to be very solid in combat; If I just went with a full levels in incanter, I fear I wouldn't be as mechanically viable as she can be with Fey Adept.

I actually didn't choose the talents to make her a perfect accountant, I chose the talents that she, as an accountant, would have chose. Stuff with more mundane uses, with Telekenesis for moving stacks of paper, Creation for always having the tool at hand to do a task, Divination to find that dang account payable, and illusion mostly to mark the page. I'd imagine the force has better magical accountants than she (Incanters who spend all their resources on raising their accounting checks). In comparison, she's a lightweight.

I'll probably drop Telekenesis and Creation, thinking on it; Their benefits are useful, but not as viable.

As for why she's been enlisted, it could be that she was drafted. Or that she has family in the east, and wishes to ensure their safety.

I'll get to work with character building, but a few question on feats:

Does Skill Focus (Linguistic) grant proficiency in a language?

Submissions have been updated
Disclaimer: The Submissions page is based off of the observations of another player and as such are not an indicator of the GMs intent. That includes things such as the completeness of a submission. It is usually just a quick glance on my end, not an in-depth study.

@Vagabond?: I really like the Telekinesis Sphere :) However I have built up a 15th lvl Incanter and still had to leave things behind, there is just so much you can do with that sphere (and a talent for each!) :)
Grab something like the life sphere and a lvl 3-4 Incanter could probably max it out already :P
There is also the Unorthodox Casting trait that lets you do exactly that, bonus if the GM lets you do it for free :)
As for Skill Focus (Linguistics) (and Linguistics boosting traits for that matter) they only increase your modifier, they do not grant you bonus languages, sorry :(
However, check out the Cosmopolitan feat!

What am I missing?

@Warhawk7: I don't think you are missing anything, you look complete to me.

@Donfin: if you could somehow expand a bit on the background it wouldn't hurt. A few lined on personality, or a couple quirks.

Also, among those with a background, I'm counting four Black Chamber Operatives, three Independent Contractors, one Special Forces agent and one Laundry Operative. US support going strong after Pearl Harbor, eh?

I'm going to try to work up a Spheres of Power character. Will it be acceptable/feasible to be commanding undead? It certainly fits the "magic is scary" theme.

Chalk me up for Special Forces! ^_^
Btw Beast/Joseph Bonkers/Submissions/Gobo Horde here.

Well I have started to work on backstory and such however I am hampered by my lack of knowledge of WW2 secret services.
Any chance I could get a few extra tidbits of information about the Laundry and how the Special Forces operatives fit within it?

I've updated Agent Q, getting Combat Expertise as the bonus feat, along with a Necklace of Fireballs II and a trapped beverage, basically a bottle of some beverage, that when opened, disgorges a swarm of spiders. I found it very fitting for a manipulator of fear.

From what I remember, the Laundry operates a bit 'closer to the surface' than many of its contemporaries but likes to make liberal use of geasan to still remain under the radar. As such, while the Black Chamber has numerous special operatives of various stripes, the Laundry usually draws upon existing special forces for muscle. In the books I think they tap the SAS as needed.

Considering we're dealing with the time period that first spawned the SAS, muscle would likely be drawn from any of the Commando units. This does include No. 2, the unit that would later go on to become the SAS.

Before Allied forces made any kind of big headway, the Commandos were the ones who consistently bloodied Hitler's nose.

For reference, one of the biggest badasses of WW2 was a British Commando. 'Mad' Jack Churchill was noted for carrying a traditional and using most effectively Scottish broadsword on missions with him, saying "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed." He also has perhaps the only recorded longbow kill in WW2 and is noted for his deadly proficiency with that most heinous weapon, the bagpipes.

I'm going to try to work up a Spheres of Power character. Will it be acceptable/feasible to be commanding undead? It certainly fits the "magic is scary" theme.

No problems from me. This game will not have many alignment components, and undead can be easily seen as just puppets. They will obviously freak people out, though.

Any chance I could get a few extra tidbits of information about the Laundry and how the Special Forces operatives fit within it?

Sure! I can't find the exact history on the books, so I'm slightly ad-libbing.

The Laundry was founded under the orders of Queen Victoria, during the rise of societies such as the Golden Dawn and an increase in unexplainable crimes. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for instance, was based on true events. In the 20s the agency got its nickname because its front was a laundry in Soho, and it stuck so much that it beecame its official name.
The Laundry is an independent agency under the British government, unlike, for example, the Razvedka, which is a branch of the NVKD. Laundry agents are classified as civil servants and provided safe housing and covert identities. Those who are found to have magic capabilities in the British Isles (the newborn Eire could not afford occult intelligence and the United Kingdom could not risk monsters coming up next door, so they made a deal) are recruited in the Laundry and bound to service and secrecy through powerful geases.
Since most practitioners have little, if any, combat practice, most are assigned to R&D, Intel or bureaucracy, so the Laundry had to deal with the military to pair soldiers together the field agents. The top of the top were given the opportunity to serve for the Laundry, protecting operatives, neutralizing targets, and taking care of all those eventualities where skill with a heavy rifle would be more useful that knowledge of demonology. When the Special Air Service (SAS) was established in 1941, the Laundry signed an arrangement allowing them to recruit from the elite corp.
And of course, the Black Chamber would have a similar arrangement with the U.S. military, recruiting volunteers among the best soldiers. In the present day, they'd hire Green Berets and Navy Seals. Same with the Razvedka, although I confess I don't know much about Soviet Union/Russian military.
EDIT: Right, as Han Del reminded me, the Black Chamber has its own task force, and most British Special Forces would come from the Commandos.
It should be noted that there's no way out of Laundry service except going AWOL (and they have tracking magic). A soldier who gets into Laundry service will be bound for life (and likely undeath).

The trait was mainly thought for martial, non-magical characters, but it can fit most anyone who is mainly focused on non-magical combat.
About your character, there may be several angles this could be played. Perhaps he already had his shapeshifting talents while he was in the army, and he was pressed into service. Or perhaps he volunteered for enhancement programs once in service (Canada doesn't have the exclusive on human weapon projects).

There was a lot of new medical technology being implemented in combat situations for the first time in WW2, I could very easily see the Laundry getting behind the effort with a few Commando volunteers.

It may be helpful to skim the Laundry Files TVTropes page. I'll note that we're set before the whole Turing fiasco; the Laundry of 1942 is likely to be a lot more militant than the Laundry in the series.

@Donfin: if you could somehow expand a bit on the background it wouldn't hurt. A few lined on personality, or a couple of quirks

I will; i put down a short version for noe, but the fluff/story isnt complete yet

read more of the setting so edited her background with more Mathamagics.
I have also changed her back to being a Laundry operative.

Submissions have been updated

Disclaimer: The Submissions page is based off of the observations of another player and as such are not an indicator of the GMs intent. That includes things such as the completeness of a submission. It is usually just a quick glance on my end, not an in-depth study.

@Vagabond?: I really like the Telekinesis Sphere :) However I have built up a 15th lvl Incanter and still had to leave things behind, there is just so much you can do with that sphere (and a talent for each!) :)
Grab something like the life sphere and a lvl 3-4 Incanter could probably max it out already :P
There is also the Unorthodox Casting trait that lets you do exactly that, bonus if the GM lets you do it for free :)
As for Skill Focus (Linguistics) (and Linguistics boosting traits for that matter) they only increase your modifier, they do not grant you bonus languages, sorry :(
However, check out the Cosmopolitan feat!

** spoiler omitted **

is unorthodox casting a trait or a feat?

is unorthodox casting a trait or a feat?

Looks like a SoP trait.

I realised i can still select a cantrip to know from the laundry operative trait.
This is a bit tricky; since i have already chosen the "cantrips" spheres feat.

Is it possible to take that feat as the reward for the trait, or to take a 3rd trait without a drawback instead?

(If no, i'll keep looking or accept an overlap in abilities)

Unorthodox Casting is a trait, yes.

About cantrips, the whole feat is a bit strong for one trait, but there are many that are not included: for example Detect Magic, Arcane Mark, Touch of Fatigue, Mending, Resistance...

Fair enough, i didn't expect it to be allowed, but it didn't hurt to ask

Mending i got from the creation tree, and most of the rest i dont see Dorfin using.

Detect magic is a good one; somehow i assumed it was included in the feat, i'll take that one i think. It even makes thematical sense for someone who grew up in the laundry

First Recruitment Cutoff!

Those of you with a concept have until the 10th to complete a fluffy and crunchy profile and iron out the wrinkles. This means:

• Han Del of the Web (Shrike)
  
• Johnny_Panic (Calista)
  
• Whiskey and a Bonesaw (Tomasz)
  
• Saasha (Agent L)
  
• Istme (Donfin)
  
• Simeon (Agent Q)
  
• TheSilverDreamer (Sam)
  
• Warhawk7 (Liliya)
  
• Gobo Horde (Beast)
  
• Arklytte (Irish Rover)
  
• Vagabond? (Accountant Girl)
  
• Lord Foul II (The Sixth Bond)
  
• YoricksRequiem (Mina Wagner)
  

And I can tell already that it will be tough. I may have forgotten someone, though, if so please tell me.

I think, as a whole, we've done pretty well coming up with appropriately dramatic names.

Does anyone want to collaborate on back stories with me?

Does anyone want to collaborate on back stories with me?

Potentially, I've got a couple of less defined bits in my backstory I could tie you into if you'd like. If your character has done wetwork for the Laundry already, he could have been part of Bodkin squad with Shrike on Operation Archery (actual historical operation but fictional squad with occult ties).

In a more pragmatic sense, Shrike's method of dealing with threats is rather distinct and spectacular. Having a more mundane combatant attached as a handler to him could be advantageous. Keeping Shrike leashed until ordered to let loose only when distinctly appropriate could serve to help maintain relatively low visibility.

I have added some more of Dorfins story, and a few secrets

well, Pierce is a sniper specialist with magic powers,

@Saasha, would you be interested in tying together the backstories of Agent Q and Agent L? We're both Black Chamber operatives with similarly mysterious natures.

At the moment, my creativity is coming in spurts. If you would like to tie in L to your backstory, I'm more than happy to adopt it. (with some minor review of course)

I have slimmed down her background, it was a bit long.

It is possible that Pierce and Shrike have met Dorfin before; he has lived in the laundry for a long while, and assisted both in medical duty and with mission briefings.
During the latter, he used illusions like some kind of "holoscreen" to provide visuals where needed

On that note, Lady Calista probably knows both of you. One of her tasks at the laundry is to keep an eye on active agents. She has also spent time behind the counter. Always helpful to have a mind reader at the front door.

@Pierce, Donfin, and Lady Calista
Sounds solid to assume association, just remember Shrike is kept mostly on the outside of the organization to prevent as much damage as possible should his distaste for the organization finally boil over. Trusted agents would likely be advised to keep an eye on him and gather as many observations on his abilities as possible. He was only tapped as an asset very recently at his own insistence and accepted in the face of the German occult threat.

@Donfin
If Donfin has been warming seats for the Laundry long enough, he may have been involved in the post incident interview when he was initially picked up by Laundry agents after he rather messily interrupted an ongoing operation.

@Calista
I would not envy anyone tasked with getting inside Shrike's head. Apart from sporting a solid will save mechanically, I'd imagined his mind as rather headache inducing thanks to the influence of the Damascene Codex. Best way to describe it would be the psychic equivalent to an optical illusion, except instead of a duck that turns into a rabbit depending on how you focus, you've got a well appointed study at one moment that suddenly turns into an endless abandoned battlefield and back again if your attention shifts.

@Shrike
Well, Dorfin was pretty much born in the laundry, some 30 years ago. I guess he was probably called upon to clean the mess made at that point.

Pierce would probably be warned against you then

Submissions have been updated.
Also, I had missed Agent Pierces submission, sorry. Its been fixed.

@James Alwin Shrike.
Yep if he came into the ranks as an asset she would have had the task of checking his head, she would not have been the only one. But if his head is as you say, she would have take a fats look and then made a report. Recommending others take extreme precautions when seeking to go deeper into the Turmoil in his head. Then she would have ever looked again.

In game play she would NOT use reading or affecting the minds on other PCs. I view that as PvP, Just as using Intimate and such is seen as.

@Donfin She would have known from year dot, seeing him around, and watching him grow. Calista is always a little distant and would not seek to be some kind of mother figure. Being so old she find getting too attached lead to heart ache. For Donfin Calista may seem like a fixture of the place, always there and always the same. But he may know she is one of the ones who keep track on Agents, like Shrike.

@Agent Pierce Brosnan. If he is also an agent at the Laundry she would have meet him at some point, may even been part of the vetting team. Other than that she would be to him just another one of the staff there.

One thing about Calista is, she speaks English with a slight Italian Ascent.