MNM Amazing Adventures (Inactive)

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Dot here for Discussion

Dot is indeed here for discussion.

Dow is here also...

... so I'm going to throw you both another curveball. As I've been doing my build with Dukes/Blob a few things kept ringing true:

1. He's (essentially) the prototypical tough lunk that I often play in supers games. Time to break the mold perhaps?

2. While we're fashioning a more "redemption" based story for him and a new origin, the more I've built the less I've felt that he "compliments" Dottie.

3. Blob is much more a PL10 type character - making him Blob-lite (pardon the pun) doesn't do him justice.

So if not him then who?

Dredging through my catalogue of favourite Marvel mooks I came up with a potential Plan B...

... Peter Petruski. AKA Paste Pot Pete AKA The Trapster.

He's a perma-loser in the villain game and a former chemical scientist whose skill set will compliment Dottie's.

My logic here is he has an epiphany whilst in his last stint of prison... He sucks at being a villain. Truly. So why not try his hand at being a hero...

Trapster has comic connections to both Roxxon & Justin Hammer which we can pull over - particularly the Roxxon connection. He's locked horns with Spidey, Daredevil and SHIELD repeatedly over the years, and did time on the Raft.

Love to hear what you think peeps :)

The old adage of “it takes a thief to catch a thief” perhaps will ring true in Petruski's logic. So upon release he's sought out an old cache of his Trapster gear and plans his crime fighting career.

Now the new heroic Trapster might well draw the ire of the heroic community and the ridicule of the villainous fraternity to boot. However Petruski has always been ambitious - perhaps too much so, hence this "face" turn and "all in" approach might work. Perhaps subtly at first - low level as we planned fits well into him testing out his new (old) persona.

Know this is a change of gear after all the back and forth, but really want to build a character (and concept) that compliments Dottie - and I'm just not convinced Dukes is it... Hopefully the Trapster might be?

EDIT: There's also a bunch of inspirational builds out there ranging him in the PL7-9 level so plenty bones to work with in making the MCU Trapster...

I have a bunch of discordant thoughts.

One is that you should play whatever character inspires you, whether it's Pete or Dukes (or someone else). Dottie is adaptive. I can make her work with whatever.

Another is that at this point SuperTumbler may have already been getting the seeds of a plot together and changing to an entirely different character might cause a problem for him, especially since we were about to begin and would now have to wait for you to rebuild and rehash out a whole new character.

Yet another thought is at the same time yes, when you initially posed Blob as a partner to Dottie, I thought that was an awfully odd pairing, and I wasn't sure they could develop a chemistry...

... BUT I was game to try, and I figured at least they would be a good pairing, with brawn vs grace in skillsets.

And then on the other hand there's... well....

You thought, "who would best compliment Dottie, OG Black Widow, Peggy Carter's best enemy, Queen of Cool, and person who snapped her only friend's neck at the age of 12?"

... And you came up with PASTE POT PETE?

I'm starting to feel I did a really bad job playing her in the last game. ;p

Okay, I get that you were trying to think about complimentary skill sets, but really, I don't think there's a skill set that Dottie couldn't work with. Even one identical to hers, she'd just have fun being competitive.

But AFAIK... and honestly I am not familiar with him at all OTHER than in lists of "Marvel's Worst Villains" unfortunately... Pete is mainly a gadgeteer. And I'm not sure why a gadgeteer is a better (or worse) match than a super strong inertia dude. Neither would step on Dottie's toes, so that's neither here nor there.

Moreover, after the prior game, I really feel rather burned out on the idea of Dottie working with gadgeteers for reasons I would rather not go into for the sake of being diplomatic. Plus, every gadgeteer is going to make her (particularly a "where is she now?" take on actual canon-MCU Dottie) think of Howard Stark (She does not like Howard).

But yet, that leads back however to... don't try to make a character that "compliments" Dottie. Because I think that will get you into a trap of ideas that may not actually suit Dottie. If you are worried about how characters suit each other, it should be more about personality than skill set. How will they get along? Will Dottie respect the character? But even there... still.. just make a character you really want to play. If you and the character are having fun, then I and Dottie will have fun.

Even if that character is, heaven help us, Paste Pot Pete. ;)

Hey DQ

Appreciate the input - while I expected a degree of kick back I'm feeling more than a little chastised at the moment... :S

Pending ST's input I've garnered my thoughts on yours:

Agree 100% that it should be a character that inspires and your interested in. Hence the pitch for the Blob (one of my favourite villains in an odd-ball gallery of such characters) - wasn't sure how he would translate into the MCU (which I'm not nearly as familiar with - my opinions on the movies vary immensely and I've only watched the Netflix series' to their entirety).

As I've went through the build process with Dukes I've been consistently stymied by having to lighten his concept, which in turn meant I was over analyzing and rebuilding (which I'm want to do). You end up with inertia and head being overly scrambled trying to create then fit that build's rationale into the equivalent setting. In short it was doing my head in, and with the game's impending start up was then also adding to the need for impetus.

I know ST is likely building the campaign around the pitched pairing - hence why my Trapster detour was just a swerve that I wanted to voice. My intent is not to derail the game from the get-go which I'm getting the vibe that my alternate pitch might be (could be wrong? - most likely am :)

Re: The choice of Paste Pot Pete... Again I've always like truly oddball and obscure characters from Marvel. Trapster was a mainstay in much of my youth reading as part of the nefarious Frightful Four - and I really liked the character redesign when he worked with the Gideon Foundation as a merc. I do see it as a challenge to recreate one of "Marvels Worst Villains" and (attempt) to make them cool. Contrary to popular belief - in the comics the Guardians of the Galaxy were never cool. SHIELD was never taken seriously... but times (and perceptions) change. What was old is new yada yada...

Pete is indeed a gadgeteer - and your misgivings on him blending with Dottie are duly noted. Its not that he's a better fit for the game over Blob - from my perspective he's a clearer fit for the MCU setting.

Not sure where this leads me back to... overnight I was struck with some great creative ideas for Pete - that epiphany that he's could be a better hero than loser villian etc - now I'm kinda feeling deflated and unsure of what (or who) to pitch :(

Still want to play (presuming all this back and forth hasn't soured the game) - am hoping Tumbler weigh in with his thoughts.

As an addendum to above please don't read it as me spitting the dummy - merely me getting frustrated with a concept build and attempting to find a solution that was quick and engaged me (and has potential relevance and application to the game).

Value DQ's input immensely and appreciate fully where she is coming from on the WTF - Paste Pot Pete reaction lol. Like I said I'm a fan of the obscure, downtrodden and misbegotten characters of Marvel :)

If Blob isn't working and Pete won't fit I can cast my net out for another oddball that piques my interest - just conscious of me holding up the game :)

Cheers

BD

I was hoping some humor came through in my post... I'm a little baffled, honestly, but "chastisement" wasn't what I was aiming for, so I am sorry about that.

And to be clear, I don't mind if you want to play him. Your explanation that he would "compliment Dottie" is the only part that confused me. But "complimenting Dottie" shouldn't actually be a priority. (Do note, however, that once she learns of or comes up with the "Paste Pot Pete" moniker, she will never call him anything else, because she is a complete brat.)

If you were having trouble getting a build for Blob to solidify (is that a pun?), that's a legit concern.

I'll leave it to you and Tumbler to agree upon
1) A character that suits the "Netflix feel" of the game we were aiming for, with a focus on anti-heroes. (And given Stilt-Man and the Whizzer are canon in Netflix, you have lots of room there.)

2) A character that does not force SuperTumbler to scrap what he has been building for the start of the plot (bearing in mind he's pretty adaptable), in the restaurant in Brooklyn and having Roxxon as a potential adversary.

I am very adaptable, and the initial plot is more of a set of situations for you to react to, so it won't mess those things up too much.

I'll admit that I was enamored with the idea of The Blob and that whole storyline, but I don't would not want you to play something that wasn't working for you. As far as the timeline for starting here, I'm in no rush to get started.

If it would help to work on the Blob concept together, I'm happy to do that. If we need to talk out other characters, I can do that too. I was bending my thoughts in the campaign a little toward the notion of both characters being transformed by sinister forces as a theme, but I can pivot on that.

Morning All

Ok - did some thinking on this last night, and I'll forge ahead with the Blob.

I'm going to look at him from a fresh angle (regards build) and not take a cue from the established/published stuff on Green Ronin's boards.

Rather than him being an Inhuman - am wondering if we can make him an enhanced human (a la Daredevil) who gained his powers from chemical contact?

Perhaps Rand Enterprises supplied chemical fluids to Roxxon Oil for their drilling operations? With the resultant accident Dukes and Unuscione were the only survivors and hospitalised.

When their "augmentations" began to manifest - Dukes (heightened adipose tissue density and dermal enthropic spring) Unuscione (Repellent field - pheromone based perhaps?) were offered indentured contracts essentially signing themselves over to Roxxon as property. When they refused Roxxon brought neglect proceedings against them both - citing they were to blame for the accident that killed the rest of the crew and caused a toxic spill.

Penniless and made scapegoats, the pair went on a rampage - robbing banks where Roxxon accounts and monies were held. The press dubbed them "The Blob" and "Unus the Untouchable" - names that stuck.

Upon their capture Unus was killed (Police/Roxxon security?) and Blob incarcerated.

If above still fits (ie: dropping the Inhuman element in favour of a more traditional/old school "chemical" accident bestows powers) I'll run with that.

Like I touched on at the beginning (apologies for the length/amount of ground covered - DQ's comprehensive approach is rubbing off on me lol) - I'll build Dukes with a new slant in the spirit of the comic version.

Apologies for the temporary detour - got my Blob mojo back :)

BD

"Chemically enhanced" fits with the Netflix verse--most of the heroes in it except Danny are mutates. And for our purposes, Dottie is too.

I'd suggest that the chemicals were those that were supplied to IHG for their experiments (their chemicals enhanced Daredevil, and they are the ones who enhanced Jessica). Perhaps developed by or stolen by or even just bought by Roxxon to make themselves enhanced workers who could be exposed to the dangerous elements Roxxon wanted to toy with?

If you feel good about playing him, that's the most important thing!

That all sounds great to me. I typed up a bunch of thoughts, but then I realized I was writing things Dukes wouldn't know, so I'm going to keep them to myself. Watching Cloak and Dagger and thinking back through the other Netflix shows, it occurs to me that the characters often have no idea what exactly is going on with their powers, and that is part of the mystery.

That all sounds great to me. I typed up a bunch of thoughts, but then I realized I was writing things Dukes wouldn't know, so I'm going to keep them to myself. Watching Cloak and Dagger and thinking back through the other Netflix shows, it occurs to me that the characters often have no idea what exactly is going on with their powers, and that is part of the mystery.

Should rename the Campaign Journey Into Mystery :)

Question -- I realize it may not factor in much, but we ARE going to be in New York, so where will this story fall in with regard to the Netflix shows? (And any relevant movies)

Like the Netflix shows, I know we're after Civil War, before Infinity War. My dotting in post places Dottie to be just recently escaped from Civil War, which would make it summer of 2016--but I can adjust of course to "time passing" after that.

Luke Cage season 2 seems to take place sometime after November 2016 (the election is briefly referenced). Since some activity DOES happen in Brooklyn (even if in a different part) probably good to be aware of that. Also the movement of the crime families could potentially influence things (or not). But it also definitely takes place before Infinity War (April of 2018). And of course it takes place after the Defenders.

Jessica Jones Season 2 I think very briefly references Captain America being considered a criminal (but I could be making that up) so that also takes place after Civil War. It takes place during the summer (hot weather is referenced).

Both of these happening after Civil War also means the Defenders probably happens just before or after Civil war (so there may be "earthquake" restoration going on in the west side of Manhattan still).

Googling discussions from people even nerdier than I am, I learn that a ticket for Peter Parker's high school is dated September 2016.

So does this sound right:

Civil War (May 2016) > Spider-Man (early fall 2016) > Defenders (mid 2017?) > Jessica Jones S2 (Summer 2017) (Dr. Strange is also I believe Summer 2017 but even though parts of that take place in New York I'm not sure people are aware) > Luke Cage S2 (Summer/Fall 2017?)

(The season 1s of all of the Defenders I assume are prior to Civil War, as is DD Season 2, I assume.)

So where would this be?

Here's my WIP for our MCU Blob - been through a couple of incarnations over the weekend, am mainly trying to find stuff to spend points on lol and reflect the character's abilities.

Currently mulling how to bring into play his immovability - Immunity is what I've plumped for but with no Knockback in 3E I'm struggling to hit upon the right fit.

Like I said its WIP but I'd appreciate some thoughts and input as we go.

Cheers

BD

Knockback can happen as a complication to a good attack/slam roll--the GM can decide you are pushed back a reasonable amount of distance (going through walls if applicable). (I think they removed knockback because it could get abused pretty badly in 2E, even though it makes sense as to why it exists). I guess if one wanted a knockback ability, you could add an alternate "move object" ability or similar effect to a strike power or enhanced Strength effect. Maybe add a feature/custom effect to a strike power that upon success, the target can be moved 5 feet straight back per degree of success, resisted by the target's Fortitude or something. Googling the Atomicthinktank forums shows some good ideas.

I would also make him immune to trip attacks and to being dragged while grabbed.

BTW I'm not sure the "massively obese" situation qualifies as a complication on its own -- that'd be more like a flat flaw modifier to one of your powers. Complications are more story-based situations that allow the GM to manipulate your situation to earn a story point. I don't think you'd earn a hero point just for falling down... but hey, maybe I'm wrong.

Cheers for the input DQ - already doing some re-jigging.

In Power Profiles:Earth Powers they have

Your connection with the earth is strong enough to “root”
you in place and prevent you from being moved if you do
not wish to be. Your rank effectively adds to any resistance
to being moved, typically Strength or Fortitude checks,
but also resistance checks against trip attacks and other
effects which would move you, like certain Afflictions.
Rooting: Feature (Resistance to being moved), Limited to While
Touching the Ground • 1 point per 2 ranks.

Some characters are practically immovable while in
contact with the ground, having Immunity to the aforementioned
effects.
Immovable: Immunity 10 (Being Moved), Limited to While
Touching the Ground • 5 points.

As far as the timeline, I'm looking at after Punisher and probably after Luke Cage Season 2. I like the power vacuums those two series create in the organized crime world. Gives me some space to introduce some villains and maybe a turf war.

Cool. I never saw Punisher but I just (*JUST*) finished Luke Cage Season 2 which is part of why I asked. Yes, that should create some opportunities.

DQ being a nerd and random association time...

In Power Profiles:Earth Powers they have

Your connection with the earth is strong enough to “root”
you in place and prevent you from being moved if you do
not wish to be. Your rank effectively adds to any resistance
to being moved, typically Strength or Fortitude checks,
but also resistance checks against trip attacks and other
effects which would move you, like certain Afflictions.
Rooting: Feature (Resistance to being moved), Limited to While
Touching the Ground • 1 point per 2 ranks.

Some characters are practically immovable while in
contact with the ground, having Immunity to the aforementioned
effects.
Immovable: Immunity 10 (Being Moved), Limited to While
Touching the Ground • 5 points.

Cool - just been working off the SRD, but I've downloaded Power Profiles - some interesting stuff there. Blob 3.0 coming soon :)

BD, how do you feel about Unuscione maybe stealing some of the strange chemicals from Roxxon at some point during the rampage? Gives me an in to get a few more powered individuals.

Sounds a plan :) Perhaps Unus planned to use it at leverage/bargaining chip against Roxxon?

Will get back onto the building of Blob later today - site being down and being under the hammer at work stymied my efforts.

Haven't forgotten about the game or Blob folks - been under the hammer at work, have relatives in town and to be honest re-reworking the build was doing my head in.

Got to a point where I couldn't see the wood for the trees with Blob, and with some other game pitches pending I worked on those in lieu of going slightly mad.

Still committed to getting this started (am acutely aware that I'm holding things up as DQ was ready to rock).

Blob/Dukes is still my preferred character, am hoping taking time away - reading some comics (with Blob appearances) will allow me to come back with "fresh eyes" and a renewed perspective on the MCU version of the character.

Bear with me True Believers :)

Tumbler did offer to help you with the build. If you really are struggling this much, may suggest you take him up on that?

If it's JUST not working for you--and given it's been two and a half weeks since the thread started and longer since the email confab when everything appeared to be ready to go, maybe it isn't--then it's best to also just say so so we can move ahead or move on accordingly. While I'm very much still wanting to play, there is no point in trying to force yourself to play a game or character you're just not feeling. (That was the whole problem with the last Marvel game, and I'm super not keen on repeating that.)

Hey DQ - appreciate the timeline - however not everything was ready to go at that point. I was trying to flesh out a concept whilst sliding it into at the MCU skin (one that I'm not overtly familiar with, nor rate as highly as their comic book counterparts) - and I did flag up the process may take some time early on in the PMs.

Know Tumbler offered his assistance and input - more than acutely aware of that thanks. Call me bullheaded but I wanted to nail the concept myself (good practice and would allow me to join the MCU dots a little better). With Dottie being nailed in stone and my character in a cycle of flux. believe me I feel the pressure to nail this character (especially one that will last the course and work well in tandem with a PC you clearly love and have a lot invested in) - hence where some of my reticence is coming from.

To be honest I look at the exchanges we've had regards my possible alternatives (Paste Pot Pete debacle - a concept I think could still work well in the MCU but hey-ho) and concerns you have highlighted on the urgency of my participation, and think - "I don't need the headache right now, work is doing my head in and indulging my hobby is supposed to be a fun process". Writing emails defending myself is neither fun, nor something I have the patience for at the moment.

DQ/Tumbler -Apologies if you feel I've wasted your collective times - never my intent, but would hate to be part of a game that merely repeats a disappointing history for DQ.

Not sure where this leaves us (and the game) - would like to hear what Tumbler has to say before I make a concrete decision to step away or stay.

Hey DQ - appreciate the timeline - however not everything was ready to go at that point.

Hence my words were "appeared to be." I had the impression it wasn't going to take long from the exchanges I could see between all of us. It seems I was mistaken--but that's not your (or Tumbler's) fault. My misunderstanding.

Tone is really hard to manage in posts like these and I have obviously come off as chiding or judgmental before when it was not my intention. So please let me make it clear that I'm not mad, and I am not trying to yell at you. Nor were you necessarily implying I was, though I get the sense my response has irritated you.

I try very hard to say what I mean and mean what I say--so for example, if I say, "hey, maybe we should abort if this isn't working out for you," I'm NOT saying, "I think we should bail," or "I want out" or "What the hell is wrong with you"... I'm saying, IF this isn't working well, then should we abort?"

I was trying to flesh out a concept whilst sliding it into at the MCU skin (one that I'm not overtly familiar with, nor rate as highly as their comic book counterparts) - and I did flag up the process may take some time early on in the PMs.

If the MCU issue is the problem, we can also address that.

Hell, if Tumbler was okay with the 360 about-face and you wanted to, I'd say let's dig up Good Knight Gracie and Eoten/Professor Aethelward and go medieval on supervillains (if you wanted to). I could re-dig up the Arthurian references that were originally associated with that character concept rather than do the more modern "hero in a suit" sort of thing. The characters were fun and got along well.

I urged Marvel and Dottie because I've got a deep hankering to play Dottie, but I also said I was up for other ideas, and I wouldn't say that if I wasn't.

If I'm following your post right, I may just have to accept I am never going to get to play Dottie in an active Mutants and Masterminds game. I love her to pieces, but she's clearly too hard to work with or work in. From the way things have gone lately, maybe I am too (though I haven't had this kind of trouble usually outside of M&M games, for whatever reason).

With Dottie being nailed in stone and my character in a cycle of flux. believe me I feel the pressure to nail this character (especially one that will last the course and work well in tandem with a PC you clearly love and have a lot invested in) - hence where some of my reticence is coming from.

See, what I read in this is that my having a set character (because all I had to do was rebuild an existing build from the prior game, using a character who was invented for me) is causing the problem and the pressure, so maybe I should just ditch Dottie.

If we wanted to keep it MCU New York, I could always take a crack at Jessica Jones instead. Or come up with an MCU version of Kate Bishop.

To be honest I look at the exchanges we've had regards my possible alternatives (Paste Pot Pete debacle - a concept I think could still work well in the MCU but hey-ho)

Then play Paste Pot Pete! Again, A) my earlier post was intended to come off as partly-humorous and I clearly utterly failed at at that, and B) my only quasi-concern involving myself was your justification of the character as being a "good match" for Dottie, which even there I thought was more FUNNY than anything that's that who'd you'd think of when thinking who'd be a good partner for Dottie (on the upshot, it means there'd be loads of shenanigans in game). I also said that shouldn't be the point. Which I meant and mean. (My other only real was just being sure that the game concept didn't have to be rebuilt from scratch.) I'm so, so, so, so sorry my post was such utter and complete fail you took it as an attack.

Being a good match for the MCU is entirely different and might be the higher priority.

and concerns you have highlighted on the urgency of my participation,

I have never said it has to be urgent. I said if it's taking you three weeks to build a character, is this really something you want to do?

and think - "I don't need the headache right now, work is doing my head in and indulging my hobby is supposed to be a fun process". Writing emails defending myself is neither fun, nor something I have the patience for at the moment.

Which is why I asked this question. The point of this is to be fun. If you're not having fun and feel stressed out by this something is wrong.

If you don't believe anything else I say, please, please, please, please, PLEASE believe this:

What I want is for you to have fun. What I want for any group I am involved in, GM or player, is to have fun. I want you to do what you need to to have fun. Anything I say in a gaming forum is ultimately so we've got our sights on the best fun we can possibly have. Even if I ever sound cranky, it's crankiness in the name of FUN, goddammit! ;) :)

Please do what you need to to have fun. If it's to nail down Blob in whatever time that takes, great. If it's to change concepts, great. If it's to do something else, great.

I'll stop commenting from hereon until you've sorted things with Tumbler. Obviously I've put my foot in my mouth several times here and I am sorry for any distress I have caused.

What I want for myself is to one day play in a fun, regular, active, Mutants and Masterminds game. If that doesn't happen today, it will someday. No pressure from me whatsoever.

Hey DQ - Thanks for the clarity and enthusiastic honesty - am also sorry with my response as well, comes off the back of a very busy phase at work (I supervise offshore teams in Oil and Gas here in Scotland) - am very burned out mentally and every break I have just seems to be one step refreshing before two steps of headaches.

I honestly want you to run with Dottie - think she is a very cool character and enjoyed your handling of her in the last game.

So where does that leave me - well I'm still here and still in. Want to find a character that will be fun to plan, feels "right" for the MCU and has longevity for the game.

Based on my experiences thusfar -I'm not sure Blob is indeed the right pick.

Will have a pow-wow with Tumbler and try and find a direction and a character pitch that works.

I value both of your inputs immensely - part of the fun (and I agree wholeheartedly with your points DQ) is collaboration - so am open to suggestions and notions from you both being more versed in the MCUverse :)

Right onwards and upwards!

BD

Ok, let's ditch the Blob. It sounds like that is not working. I'm not married to anything about our concept. I don't mind starting completely over. Like DQ, I'm totally into this for fun and for good storytelling, so if we have to throw away everything but Dottie and start over, that's fine. Let's find our two characters and build a story around them. What we know is that we have great players and that we are all on the same page about that. Everything else is details and gravy, though we have to figure out what is the base for the gravy.

I had a brainstorm, to take or leave -- if MCU is causing creativity blocks -- have either of you read the recent (or any) Exiles series? You don't have to have, but the gist is it's a team of superheroes from different sectors of the Marvel multiverse joined together to fight some multiversal threat (like in the current series, they are fighting a version of Kang the Conqueror who merged with the essence of Galactus and became an eater-of-whole-realities).

If we did an Exiles adventure, I could keep my MCU version of Dottie (so I don't have to re-reinvent her) and Dow could play a character from any Marvelverse he wanted. (Or make up his own.) It maybe be too potentially high level (although at least in the current run, the heroes aren't necessarily that potent, just more sort of the right group for the job).

The idea just occurred to me. I am not married to it, just a thought.

AND even if we are playing in the MCU, it's still our/SuperTumbler's version, so we don't have to sweat the small stuff as far as details are concerned. It doesn't have to fit any corner of the MCU but our own. And AFAIK Black Dow, you could do an MCU character, an adapted character, or even just an original character (for example, maybe one of the Inhumans accidentally created by the tainted fish oil pills). I may be stating the obvious, but just pointing out that the setting shouldn't feel restrictive (and if it does, then let's change settings).

PS: I get the work stress. I have been on vacation the last week and needed it desperately (part of said vacation has just been mucking around at home because that feels the most relaxing), because work's been nuts (and I am NOT looking forward to the impending email inbox explosion that awaits me on Monday). Hopefully this is something in the end that helps us destress, not the opposite. :)

Okay - done some digging and some thinking (not necessarily in that order) - have mulled a bunch of different ideas and concepts, but wanted to sound you both out on my front runner:

Frank Payne aka Constrictor. He's another mook/jobber villain BUT does have an interesting (and potentially) relevant backstory - was a SHIELD agent who was sent undercover as a "costumed villain" (and the alias of Frank Schlichting) to infiltrate a criminal organisation merely knowns as The Corporation (we could make this Roxxon?).

Operated in said villain persona, but couldn't handle the pressure - had a mental breakdown and went rogue (as an actual villain). Down the line he was swayed back to the path of heroic intent becoming a member of The Initiative, found love with Diamondback before he ultimately died of a terminal condition.

Its his playing of both sides SHIELD and various villainous cabals etc that make him an interesting MCU addition for me. Not sure if the Constrictors cables have featured anywhere as an Easter Egg but he potentially links to the "anti-heroic" feel of our game no? Plus he's locked horns (well cables) with Cap, Iron Fist, Luke Cage previously so there could be links there too. Was Nick Fury who tried to bring him back into SHIELD (working alongside Luke Cage) so again there is the SHIELD intel as well.

Let me know what you reckon gang - am hoping this has fits the mould better than Blob etc.

Cheers

BD

That looks interesting to me. It suggests a more espionage oriented campaign, perhaps, but he could still end up in the same street crime sort of situation if he is without SHIELD's support. Where in that story arc were you thinking of starting? If at the beginning, we could take a totally different direction and have the two of them actually working for Roxxon. I'm not sure what that would look like, or if that is appealing at all.

We could put it later in the story and say that he has already worked against Roxxon and is now a villain in hiding who turns toward "hero" just like we were thinking with Blob.

And speaking of Blob, I'm hoping you wouldn't mind if I steal him since you don't want him. I like the story, and he might make a nice side character at some point.

No issues with Blob turning up chief :)

Working on the Constrictor build...

Has more synergy with Dottie if he's a villain (fallen SHIELD agent) seeking redemption as a hero?

I'll be downplaying his 616 status as an assassin (allied himself with esteemed company like Sabretooth!) as this steps on Dottie's toes - see him more as a leg breaker and enforcer than out-an-out assassin.

Having been double crossed by Roxxon - Payne might not actually be at the stage of revenge as yet. His criminal status has come from being a rogue SHIELD agent and working for Roxxon/crimelords (Cottonmouth)?

Roxxon cut him loose when he perhaps refused to carry out a kill order and he's now out/free and trying to rebuild his life (he has a daughter in the comics which I'd like to carry over).

Food for thought :)

I thought I posted earlier, but I guess I never finished. I think this sounds great.

I'm not very familiar with the character, but it sounds like he'd work well with the nature of the campaign we were discussing earlier, and indeed I can see lots of ways he and Dottie might end up working together or needing one another's assistance.

Where I could see a connection between them beyond SHIELD itself is I have Dottie framed by HYDRA and sent to prison for it. HYDRA vis SHIELD could also have set up Frank to go down a bad path with Roxxon, in order to corrupt a good SHIELD agent? Doesn't have to be, just throwing out brainstorm stuff.

Dottie would also sympathize (secretly and behind several walls of sarcasm) with being forced rogue, as that's what happened with her and Leviathan. Dottie DID in this version of her background leave SHIELD on at least neutral if not good terms, but of course they'd consider her a criminal now because of what happened when she became a mercenary.

All of the snake and poison-named villains seem to having to face down Luke Cage in the MCU, so maybe we could get in his way... :/

Dottie wouldn't be working for the capitalist bastards at Roxxon unless she was trying to infiltrate--which is entirely plausible.

(Dottie's interest in "work" is to provide herself shelter, food, and the opportunity to do what she is good at. Decent equipment is a bonus. Roxxon is exactly the sort of corrupt corporation she'd hate so even offer of good pay wouldn't have her working for them legitimately, but if she saw an opening to bring them down...)

Does this mean I have to take the 2 skill points I invested in baking and have to put them in something sensible instead? :( ( ;) )

Let's just go with the laying low working in a restaurant. We'll dispense with the possible mob connects. I don't think that applies to Frank and Dottie. And the hard luck duo vs Roxxon is more fun, I think.

Hey gang - site issues have been stymieing me something rotten, but think I'm there with the Constrictor build.

Am setting about adapting his background into the MCU (which I'm heartily enjoying as its allowing me to read up on the various shows/corners of the universe I'm not as familiar with).

MCU Origin (Intro): Frank Payne originally was a mid-ranking specialist in criminal cartels within the international extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D. When the organisation mooted sending an agent undercover as an “enhanced” mercenary to infiltrate criminal syndicates [Project: Boa], Frank saw the opportunity as too good to miss and immediately volunteered.

Despite being the father to a young daughter, Frank saw the deep cover operation as one that would ultimately net him prestige and status within S.H.I.E.L.D., and the financial rewards that went with them…. rewards that would secure his daughters (and his own) futures.

Understanding the risks, Frank was outfitted with a battle suit incorporating technology theory utilised in the armour of Ivan Vanko [aka Whiplash]. S.H.I.E.L.D. then provided him with the new identity of criminal enforcer Frances “Frankie” Schlichting - complete with rap sheet and prerequisite underworld credentials.

Would appreciate you both casting your gazes o'er Frank and what I've crunched thus far.

Hoping by the end of weekend to have background in place and get a post up (presuming the pesky boards don't fall over again).

Appreciate the patience and input from you both immensely.

Cheers

BD

YAAAAAY we are back. Paizo's I believe gotten the boards mostly fixed up (as much as they are going to be). The playtest got their code all in a tizzy. The boards seemed to break right around the time I was trying to post to this discussion to make a witty remark about ginger snaps and necks snapping.

A very, very, very tiny nitpick: If male, it's usually "Francis." (My grandmother, on the other, was named "Frances." :) )

Build overall looks good. I'm not sure if I am reading your powers right or if there is an error -- it looks like "snare" is both part of your Coils array and Power Pack array. Or is one separate from the other? I also don't see the whip power/equipment anywhere (is that the damage from the coils). I think I'm probably just not reading the sheet right.

Here's a Nerdy MCU/Agent Carter Fun Fact: the show briefly references an item called the Constrictor that causes involuntary muscle spasms severe enough to break bone (a failed object invented by Howard Stark that was supposed to exercise the muscles), an object Peggy used during a fight with an arms dealer, Jerome Zandow. That could be the ancestral source of his tech. :) (Which probably still could tie in with Vanko as his father and Tony's probably stole a number of things from each other.)

(Oddly enough Zandow was expecting a woman to show up to kill him, but it wasn't Peggy. The mysterious woman who was supposed to kill him showed up and shot him in the face a little while later--gosh, I wonder who that was? Completely coincidentally, that same day, Peggy got a new neighbor.)

Hey DQ - thanks for the input... nitpick away lol.

Frances is now Francis :)

Think its they way I'm laying out the build to be honest

Constrictor Battlesuit has 3 elements:

- Light Body Armour (9PP)

- Constrictor Coils (44PP Array) - this contains Damage 8 which is the coil whip damage (maybe I should make that clearer?)

- Power Pack (4PP)

As the Battlesuit is removable I applied the "removable" flaw (reduced by 1/5 cost) - Again think its more my layout (basically took the Marvel Bio power descriptors then built them).

Very interesting on the Constrictor being a weapon... Perhaps rather than an electrical voltage the cables could inflict the muscle spasms? Mmmm. I'll have a read on it - not sure if it'll affect the build or not? Like this being the source of the tech though...

Yeah, I just think I wasn't reading it right.

I'd keep an electrical damage ability, but you could add an alt power that does Strength damage or Staggers the target or something if you wanted.

The Constrictor item DID end up in the SSR's hands, and so of course eventually SHIELD's.

I think the site may be stable enough to start getting things going here, again. Between the start of school and the outages, all of my games have stalled out, but I would guess there is a lot of that going around. Frank looks good to me as far as background and build.

I've been pondering something that shows up quite a bit in the Netflix shows. Flashbacks! I'm wondering if you guys want to make flashbacks part of the series, and how you might like to use them. I've done it in the past in a few different ways. One is to allow you to spend a Hero Point on a flashback to gain what is equivalent to a flash of insight. You know something about the situation because of something that happened before.

Another is to allow you to have a flashback that gives you some advantage in a scene. This is really just a way to flavor your hero point spend, but it might deepen the character histories. Obviously, we have to get the current story off the ground before it even matters, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

*crosses fingers* I'm around and things seem to be getting going again.

Flashbacks could be interesting (though, like with the series, I wouldn't want them to be overused--I know a lot of people loved the show, but I got really bored of them in Daredevil Season 1). Dottie's 93 years old, we could be in flashbacks all day. :)

But I think it's a good idea, and since both characters have complex pasts it makes sense.

Flashbacks work for me too - like DQ says both characters have chequered pasts so makes sense to tap into that :) Like the game mechanic entering into it as well.

Have a busy first half of the week ahead of me at work, but I should be good to Thursday onwards.

Crap, I forgot to add the Feature power, can chisel marble with her cheekbones to her character sheet.

(Just checking in.)

Those are sharp!

Work is kicking my butt this week. I'm looking to get started on Sunday.

Checking in - weekend is good for me too.

Sounds good to me! Thanks.

Still planning to start tomorrow (well, later today, I guess). Thrown for a loop because I'm watching Iron Fist season 2 and it is stealing my plot for this campaign.

In other news, seems to be a much better show than first season, though I'm only a few episodes in. As much as it is willing to be the Colleen Wing show, I'm in.

Uh oh. :) Well, having watched the whole thing, I have a feeling to some degree the plot will diverge probably from where you were going to take us.

There is some excellent Daughter of the Dragon stuff to look forward to. And Danny eventually stops being frustrating, but it takes awhile.

Honestly, all I want out of the Netflix shows at this point is a Daughters of the Dragon show. I like Coleen more than Danny, and Misty more than Luke (though I do like Luke). I'd also go for a Heroes for Hire show led by Colleen and Misty. Actually, a show with Danny and Luke would be fine, as well. I enjoyed the episode of Luke Cage that was a backdoor pilot for a Power Man and Iron Fist show. Jessica is great on her own, but the others thrive in counterpoint to each other.

No risk of plot spoiling for me chief - gave up on Iron Fist mid-way through the first season. Danny just irritated me and I'm pretty unforgiving in what I watch :)

Seen Daredevil and Jessica seasons, along with Punisher (which I collectively loved). All the rest I started with good intent but drifted away from pretty quick.

Didn't bother with Defenders, Luke Cage S2 or IF S2 - but don't worry about spoiling them - again I don't worry about such.

I agree--they really need to get Colleen and Misty their own show.

BD, Iron Fist Season 2 is overall very good and I strongly recommend it---don't bother with finishing season 1, just watch season 2. There is so much to recommend about it.

(Also, as an aside, there's a character in it who I think would be a good antagonist/ally/foil/wild card to Dottie.)

While Jessica can work very well standalone, I also liked her way better when interacting with Luke in Season 1 and with the other Defenders. Being around other supers keeps her from being irritatingly self-pitying about being cursed with awesome. The Defenders really made me want a Jessica and Matt duo--her detective skills and his legal skills were a good pairing alongside a good mix of personalities and abilities. I also enjoy the somewhat healed (but still totally badass and blunt) Jessica in the comics who is married to Luke with a daughter, and while I don't necessarily think they should get to that point in the shows (mean, like, with a toddler), I'd like to see her moving in the direction toward being healed and more at peace with her life. The comics prove she does not need to be a constant victim to be interesting -- I felt like while season 1 dealt well with her trauma and gave her a good growth arc, season 2 had her stagnate/move backwards and was mainly emotional torture porn, and I'm worried the showrunner doesn't know how to deal with Jessica growing up and moving on (slowly and in her own way and at her own pace). Having her work with others like her helps her in that direction.

And now I'm late to meeting for worship because I can't shut up about stuff like this, apparently.