Monsters and Men Table 2 (Inactive)

Game Master tumbler

You don't need to spend a hero point. You guys can make up basic stuff about the scene. We'll reserve hero point edits for things that give you a significant advantage.

I tweaked John's sheet again.
I didn't like making climbing rolls- it felt like something Odd John would be able to do without rolling.
(I think he's going to like being up high or on roofs.)

So I added 1 rank of wall-crawling, paid for it by reducing climbing skill ranks by 4 and spending an unused point.

I may prep some power stunts (alternate powers) rather than make more tweaks.
It's a good way to have an idea of what a character can do in a special case, but not clutter the sheet up with alternate powers.

It would allow tumbler to yea-or-nay beforehand, rather than springing a new power in mid-game.

Removed 4 ranks from Climb and Swim (7 ranks is above average, I believe) and removed 4 ranks from Drive (even with 0 ranks, I believe Taking 10 is good enough for most NORMAL driving, getting from A to B and whatnot).

Then grabbed that Thermal X-Ray Vision.

Tweak:

I had intended that Animate require touch to activate, but re-reading makes me think the target needs to stay within range to stay animated.

So I'll add Power Feat: Extended Range R6 to give it a 30 ft range. I'll keep touch to start, though.

Driving is a trained only skill, but also says:

Special: Routine tasks, such as ordinary movement, don’t require a skill check and may be done untrained.

I, also, have no ranks in Drive.

I wouldn't think that an Animated Object would require Drive to move...

Tweaks:

Noticed running in that in my current set up I couldn't use my sword while under my veil in order to cut through that fense. As a result, I changed the way it works so that it can be 'charged up,' so that I might be better able to switch to other powers.

Empower Blade Boost 28 (Move Action; Limited: Sword only; Slow Fade2: 5 min/rank)

. . . . . . Infinite Edge (Linked Powers: Damage & Nullify; Affects Incorporeal 2, Thrown)
. . . . . . . . . Damage 7 (Linked, Penetrating)
. . . . . . . . . Nullify 7: All Magical Effects simultaneously (Linked; Touch; Selective)

Also notices that I somehow forgot to include the wizard's Soulgaze. As a result, I added in a version of it to an array that hadn't spent all its points. It's not ideal having it in an array, but I don't have the points to account for it otherwise...

. . . . . . Soulgaze: (Affects others; Limited: Individuals with Souls, Limited: Once per Lifetime, Limited: Eye Contact Required, Permanent)

. . . . . . . . Super Senses 6: Postcognition, Detect Psychic Harm

I think I might be the only one with ranks in Drive...

I have one rank; basically I know how, maybe passed my test, but I don't drive often. No point in owning a car when they break down constantly around wizards. So I tend to cab it everywhere.

But, I could drive in an emergency, if needed.

I have a little drive too. It's sort of needed for his motorcycle. After all, relying on public transportation is bad when the fate of the world is at stake.

I think I might be the only one with ranks in Drive...

Guess who gets to drive the team bus?

Or I could animate it and see where that takes us.

You don't need ranks to do routine driving, the skill is for doing stuff like high speed chases and fancy car maneuvers.

You can still drive a car as any normal person can with 0 ranks.

Under normal circumstances, you are dealing with DC 10 average difficulty maneuvers. The Transporter and the Duke boys are always successful on DC 25.

Much as I like the Transporter (even the tv series!), Aaron doesn't need to be able to do that. =)

I was in a few high speed chases back when I was in the CPD so I learned a few things.

When we're in combat time, can we be a bit more organized? People are running over each other and others are getting skipped.

Sorry, running late today. Latimer was just in shock, I guess. Seems appropriate for him.

Also, I'd like to apologize in advance for all the times I'm going to forget to post under my Alias instead of my username. Not accustomed to this system yet.

When we're in combat time, can we be a bit more organized? People are running over each other and others are getting skipped.

Let's try running the next combat in initiative groups of two pc's each.

Makes sense to me. Just wasn't sure when I should have posted my action.

We may have missed a bet.

Boston covers an area about 1/2 water, and we don't have anyone who does water effects.

Or has a boat.

We didn't know it was Boston when we started. For a while people were talking Vegas, and that's hard on Aquamages.

Had a thought about a M&M character and wondered if it was possible to make. Its a person with dissociative identity disorder who has different abilities based on whichever personality was currently dominate.

I've heard folks pitch that idea before; Alternate Form or Metamorph with multiple versions. Never seen one go all the way through to play though. Often the challenge with that type of character is controlling the how and why of the shifts. To avoid the standard "always has the right tool for the job" challenge for GM's that goes along with shapeshifters, you'd likely need to use a random roll to determine which personality is dominant at any one time, and a list of potential stressors that that can cause a shift in game (waking from unconsciousness, taking damage, witnessing trauma, intentionally going dormant to allow another personality to come forward, triggering memory, etc.), and perhaps a will save to allow the current dominant to stay in control. Could be fun, but presents a lot of challenges.

In regards to Aaron's sword, it does seem very coincidental that the signature perfect sword (a dragon-slayer) for his symbolic quest against the serpent that took his mother should just be found lying around. Of course, the GM could do something interesting with it as a plot element (such as for some long-game plan the Fomor have going in which case they 'needed' it to fall into the hands of just such a hero.

Being as purpose built as finding that sword would be to Aaron, it seems like the kind of thing he would have gone on a quest to locate, and of course that kind of quest is best dealt with in backstory. A split the difference version might be that a lead on this sword of legend, which he had been tracking, was the acquisition he had been in this part of town to investigate tonight. Turned out the tip was in regards to the final location of the actual sword, which Aaron had been tracking for some time.

And GM, if you prefer to keep everything true to character and do the Hero-Fight, it is not necessarily too late, depending on what happens with the kid and the cops.

Nitpicky little thing: Odd John, can you bold your dialogue like everyone else? It REALLY makes everything easier to read and more consistent.

@The sword: A very easy fix would be that was what he was coming to see Frank about (among other things), but the Fomor killed him and took the sword?

I'm not sure one would say "coincidental" when discussing a Knight Aspirant being in the right place at the right time to acquire such a sword. I did imagine the sword fight between the Fomor and our Knight to be a little more exciting, but that crit and concentrated fire trashed him toot sweet.

I can certainly imagine a game of "my sword" playing out, and a variety of possibilities worked out between Aaron and Kishan, but I don't want to make decisions for your characters. I'll kick in my 2 bits plotwise if you want, or I can stay out of it.

There is absolutely a reason Mr. Frog was carrying that sword and a connection to the people in that container.

I played a character who had two forms/power sets/identities. Once was an alliterating captain marvel type cheesehead who would always head in fists flying, calling villains out. Whenever he got into too much trouble his alternate personality would take over. The alternate was dark, based on fear and pocket dimensions. There was a nice room in the pocket dimension where Captain Courage could curl up in a ball while the fear guy took care of his problems, often by sucking people into a dimension of fear. Actually, now I think about it it was kind of like Marvel's Sentry, though before that happened, I think.

If you have a plan, I'm sure we can agree to leave it in your hands, as described.

I will endeavor to bold John's dialogue, not a problem.
Ya'll have been writing so well I wanted to look literary.

In regards to the multiple personalities/multiple powers concept, I have two words.

Captain Trips

(of Wildcards)

Mark Meadows gained different power sets and completely different personalities when he ingested certain drugs.
He changed powers, looks, and even sex and background.

I was thinking oh it being the to some kind of intense trauma in his childhood. As for when he changed personality, it would be during intense distress, such as the rigors is battle or some kind of emotional moment. It would be a GM roll against a Will sage.

I will endeavor to bold John's dialogue, not a problem.

Ya'll have been writing so well I wanted to look literary.

In regards to the multiple personalities/multiple powers concept, I have two words.

Captain Trips

(of Wildcards)

Mark Meadows gained different power sets and completely different personalities when he ingested certain drugs.
He changed powers, looks, and even sex and background.

IIRC there was also "The Sleeper" or some such who changed power sets every time he slept.

Resurrection man gets new powers every time he dies and comes back.

Resurrection man gets new powers every time he dies and comes back.

One iteration of Solomon Grundy did that too, I think.

Yeah, Grundy has lots of different versions, and I think that was used as an explanation at one point to explain why he had been written so many different ways.

I always wanted to build a Grundy whose power levels were based on who he was fighting, to explain how he can be an adversary for Green Lantern or Superman or Huntress, all of whom he has fight.

Don't forget 'Dial H for Hero' for the random-powers-through-a-device character.

There's lots of ways to do the different powers theme.
It's the switch mechanism that makes it tough.

If it's tied to a save, the save should be one that the character fails under the right circumstance, but not one low enough to leave you vulnerable.

And you shift the whole system by improving the save.

You could do a circumstance trigger, like 'when harmed' or at sunrise or whenever the players rolls a set number, but an emotional trigger is tough.

By the way, the Sleeper gained a different power set each time he slept.
There was one short story where he works (with a hypnotist, I think) and can program the powers he'll have.
It works, but requires him to be to much under control of whoever helped him, so he doesn't do it again.
At the end of the story, he mentions certain low powered abilities can stay with him (and proves it by making a glass of water play- the theme from Casa Blanca maybe?)

There's a lot of good stuff in the Wildcards books.

I've never heard of the Wildcard series. Who's the author?

Too many to count. It's a collection of some short and some not so short stories form various authors, including George RR Martin.

George R R Martin. as in the Game of Thrones author.

It's a shared world super-powers setting with a bunch of really good writers doing short stories and mosaic novels, where they work together to do a single, book length story.

I keep meaning to do a list of urban fantasy books, in keeping with the theme.

Like Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift series and its spin off set, both set in London.
Very urban magic, as well as a bunch of systems of spell casting.

Benedict Jacka's Alex Versus books, which Butcher put on his must-read list ("Harry Dresden would like Alex Versus tremendously- and be a little nervous around him."

Rob Thurman's books- I believe we're at 3 series now, at least 2 of them are set in the same world.

Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series.

Anyone interested in more?

I would love more things to read.

The Iron Druid books come from a discussions of what a D&D druid would be like if he survived into the modern world. The god's in the books are different. (The theme of the second book is that everyone thinks Thor is a a@%%&$% and wants to get the druid to kill him or at least one version of him.)

Kat Griffin is a successful teen writer who, I believe, started writing in her teen's. The Swift character is an urban sorcerer who died, joined his souls with the 'spirits in the wires' and was summoned back to life. A theme is 'magic comes from life'. The first book is a bit of a difficult read, as Swift goes back and forth from me to we, but the setting and spell use is well worth it. His life complicates over the next books.
The spin off books deal with a woman coming into the powers of a shaman and building a tribe, in a setting of self-help books and local committees. And her dealing with Swift, now the Midnight Mayor of London.

I'll go through my shelves and list some more later.

I'm beginning to suspect shenanigans with this roller. I only need a 3 or better, and I've gotten a 1 and a pair of twos right in a row. Hopefully it makes it up in a bigger fight sometime, because right now I'm useless.

Try taking 10 whenever possible. It's generally a safe bet with high skill modifiers like you have.

I hope we are friends enough that I can say "smartypants." Strong language, I know.

Also Hero Point Rerolls, though this might not be worth it? Awfully suspicious that Latimer was there and then ran off.

Quick side-note: How do you feel about romance in the game? Don't know why, but I had a sudden flash of Jarrod and Kishan getting a kind of love/hate relationship going on, and end up as on-again/off-again lovers like Green Arrow and Black Canary.

So, I may have entirely spaced on the fact that I can take 10 out of combat. Oops. Still, the Fomor need researching, and Kishan will know where to find him. If Latimer was suspicious enough, hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.

Is that directed just at me? Or for everyone?

I am all about it.

So, I may have entirely spaced on the fact that I can take 10 out of combat. Oops. Still, the Fomor need researching, and Kishan will know where to find him. If Latimer was suspicious enough, hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.

Generally speaking, you can ONLY Take 10 outside of combat. The only reason Aaron can do so in it is because he has Skill Mastery for Acrobatics, Stealth, Climb, and Swim.

Though, actually I'm thinking of changing Climb and Swim to Spot and Sense Motive.

Opinions?

As for romance, as long as it's not as melodramatic and annoying as the love/hate on again/off again relationship can be in some media (looking at you, Arrow), I'm fine with it. Basically do it well or not at all is my opinion.

Did we end up with Latimer in the same building as Aaron and John? If so, we may be back there soon. In any case, don't want to leave you out, so keep us up with what you are doing. If you are working your way out of the container yard, I have some things you could see.