Mutant City Blues Investigations (Inactive)

Game Master DystopianDream


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Detroit, ten years made. Ten years of anything goes, where the paper boy could be a living bomb, or the gossip-crazed landlady hears everything in a five-block radius. Ten years since the Sudden Mutation Event, the world turning on its end a little more every day, stranger and stranger. But even with everything that’s happened, the city still limps on. Not whole, not by a longshot. But something else. Maybe even something more, in between the broken things.

But the lights and the sirens don’t stop--can’t stop. The dark is heavier here somehow, the silence too. The lights wash across broken things all over: windows, stray dogs, lined faces by firelight, as if everything could be fixed just by standing witness. Just by noticing. The lights roll on and soon enough the sun sets everything bare and the city--your city--has endured another day.

The only thing left to believe is that it can do it again tomorrow.

Campaign Information:

This will be a Mutant City Blues game centered around the city of Detroit and the Heightened Crimes Investigation Unit (HCIU) of the Detroit City Police Department. Players create detectives of HCIU and work to clear cases linked to the mutant population of Detroit using forensics, interpersonal skills, and other investigative abilities. And when such times call for it, the detectives use their own powers to even the odds when faced with mutant aggression and violence.

This first investigation is meant to be an introduction to the system and the world of MCB. I will be using one of the cases in Pelgrane Press’s “Brief Cases” for this. The party size can vary from 2-6 players.

Note:There will likely be some combat in this first case, but MCB places the emphasis on investigation first, and combat second. If you are looking for a superhero combat-focused game, you will be disappointed here. That type of game is better handled by other systems.

Character Creation:

Character creation follows the standard creation rules for Mutant City Blues, however, since you will not know how many players will be working on the case when you are creating your character, I ask that you leave investigative abilities blank until players are chosen. If you need to choose some abilities before recruitment ends to realize your character, assume 3 people party size (28 build points). These abilities will largely be determined in the discussion thread after recruitment ends, as there needs to be a good representation of most investigative abilities to progress through the cases. That said, you may place your points into general abilities and your mutant powers using the Quade diagram however you like.

Next, give a short background for your character and explain how they came to be in the Detroit HCIU. All the better if you can tie your general abilities and/or mutant powers into the story.

And lastly, tell me your character’s morning routine. Guide me through the start of your character’s day in a small scene, third person limited point of view, present tense. See with a detective’s eye, and tell me a story through the details around your character. Where do they live? What do they notice first? What does all this say about them? Etc. etc. This little scene and your background will be the two major deciding factors to being accepted into the game. Be descriptive! Be creative! Show me you’re willing to go the extra mile to make the game truly special for everyone involved.

Posting Requirements:
I am expecting all players to be able to post at least a minimum of once every 48 hours. I will be posting every day. I will let players know of any absences prior to them occurring, unless it is an emergency, and I expect all players to do the same.

I will leave this recruitment call open for two weeks, ending on 5/27. This timeframe may be shortened or lengthened by me if circumstances surrounding applications require it. Players will be chosen the day recruitment ends. I plan to begin the investigation the day after recruitment ends. If there is enough interest after this investigation, and everyone wants to keep going, I would be more than happy to continue on with more MCB cases.

If there are any questions about anything here let me know.

My Background/Experience:
I have been a GM for about 7 years now, running a large assortment of games for different groups in meatspace. I am a newcomer to play by post gaming, however, and am eager to learn and create something special with good people.

Thanks goes out to GM Captain Trips for an excellent recruitment thread from which I based the structure of mine off of. Also thanks goes to Painlord's guides as well, and the other sticky guides on PBP gaming, which have helped me tremendously.


Dot


Dot, I shall look at the book and such before I start getting all creative.


dot!


Alright gonna toss out the crunch first so that I make sure I got this game rules right...

Mutant Powers
Regeneration level 8 (Using it as part of the backstory as well as I like a deadpoolesk character. So 4pts to buy, 7pts to bring up to the appropriate level)
Strength Level 4 (4pts to buy, 3pts to bring up to level)
Kinetic Energy Dispersal Level 5 (4pts to move to Limb Extension, 2pts to skip, 4pts to buy, 4pts to bring to level)
Concussion Beams Level 5 (4pts to buy, 4pts to bring to level)
Should be all 40pts
General Abilities
Athletics 8pts
Filch 8pts
Health 8pts
Infiltration 8pts
Surveillance 8pts
Scuffling 6pts
Sense 8pts
Shooting 6pts
Should be all 60pts.

Is that correct for building a character at start?


That looks good to me. The only thing on the general abilities is that you get 1 health level for free, bringing your total to 9. Nice work!


Sounds good, I had an idea for playing an undercover cop with no idea he has powers. Gets his cover blown trying to take down a human smuggling ring with an emphasis on women for prostitution. He was shot 8 times after having his arm cut off. Woke up in the morgue to the doctor opening him up on the table screaming. From there he was put through the works till his other powers were found out. He then was referred to HCIU.

He would begin his day by getting out of bed and starting a pot of coffee. While it's perking, he would do a set of pull ups, push ups, crunches, and push ups. Then take his cup of coffee with a bit of milk and cream, take a shower, dress up in his desk clothes, strap on his piece and sword and then go to the department.


Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

Away on business. I'll get up something awesome before the weekend is over.


Looking at a medically discharged marine who suddenly developed eidetic memory, and struggles with PTSD.

Eidetic memory obviously, then some kinesis and heightened mental calculations. I wanted to get impersonate, but that's all the way across the grid. I'll get stats up tomorrow. His general abilities are focused on ballistics, shooting, and forensic psychology. With other "under cover" style skills as secondaries.

Wouldn't mind being Vincent's undercover handler, if you're ok with that.


I don't see there being a problem with a tie in. I've got an idea on what I'm looking at as far as Investigative side of things. Cause you know, undercover cop gonna be all up in that talking side of things. Trust me, I tried to pull the whole analytic taste into my character SOOO much but it is just too expensive to get there from the "bulletproof" undercover cop.


Ol' boy grew up in Detroit, used to run with the city gangs. He always seemed smarter than his posse, and often was the reason his crew wasn't caught. At 14, his gang forced him to drop out of school, so before it was too late, he got his GED and made it look like he graduated 3 years early. That summer, his older brother came back from his first tour of duty, and convinced Ol'boy to move to San Diego with him, and attend UCLA on a scholarship. Bring one to cover all his bases, Ol'boy played the gang and got his Ol'G's blessing to leave for California.

Ol'boy got his degree in foreign languages, focussing on Russian to cover the white gangs in Detroit, and Arabic so he could have his selection of jobs in the marines. At 19, he graduated from college with his bachelor's inn foreign language and joined the marines. Two years into his service, he watched his brother get killed on leave by a gangbanger in L.A., and Ol'boy came unhinged. He began his descent by joining force recon, then the SEALS. When he was assigned to a team, they began to see his dissociation while on missions. What they hadn't seen was that he'd developed the Eidetic memory power, and he had been reliving his brother's every morning.

When they finally discharged him, they gave the reason of significant mental trauma. While this was correct, it was only half the story. After 3 years of extensive therapy, Ol'boy joined the Detroit Metro PD, and applied for SWAT. While he blew away the other applicants, he was far more suited for the HCIU, and was assigned to the newly formed elite task force.


I was looking at the "way too smart for his upbringing" kind of background.

I have this scene playing out in my head of Ol'boy (calling him that cause I don't have a name yet) taking a video of the crime scene and having to explain that just because I can remember every detail of the scene, doesn't mean that the photographer is any good at getting the whole scene in picture. Lol!


Looking good! Two very noir characters. Keep up the good work!

Phoenix Hunter wrote:
What they hadn't seen was that he'd developed the Eidetic Memory power, and he had been reliving his brother's [murder] every morning.

Very cool use of this power manifesting.


Thank you. I was looking at the powers, I really wanted to go with nondescript, but Eidetic fit the character better, though I'd still like to develop to dissociation as something "A-typical" if you're ok with it, instead of the A.D.D angle that is closer to the eidetic power.


Okay so here is my application for this game. I do not have a name for the character yet, and I apologize now for the kind of lengthy rough draft of the back story.

Mutant Powers:

Spatial Awareness Level 6 (7 points)
Telekinesis Level 9 (13 points)
Teleportation Level 7 (11 points)
Earth Control Level 5 (9 points)

General Abilities:

Athletics - 6 points
Driving - 1 point
Filch - 2 points
Health - 9 (8 points + 1)
Infiltration - 6 points
Mechanics - 0 points
Medic - 2 points
Preparedness - 3 points
Scuffling - 2 points
Sense Trouble - 4 points
Shooting - 10 points
Stability - 6 points
Surveillance - 10 points

Backstory(wall of text):

He grew up in a small home with a family of four. It was just him, his two siblings and his single father. His father had a decent job as a teacher and was able to support all three of the kids, so he had a nice easy childhood. As he grew older he started noticing that when he dropped his pencil in class, it would always been in reach.

His powers really started to come out while he was playing baseball. He was pitching and the ball was hit right back at him. He was able to perfectly see how the ball was moving and was able to catch the ball with ease. He was shocked at the sight as just thought he got lucky. The next time he got up to bat he was able to see where the ball was going, and he found the perfect pitch and hit it. The ball went flying as he took off for first base. He turned his head as the ball went and saw that it was going to be a foul ball, and then as he focused on the ball and moved towards fair territory. He was only thirteen when this all happened.

As he got older he continued to play baseball, and made it onto his highschool team using his abilities as a pitcher. He was the starter for the team and only tried to use his powers when it was needed. During the championship game, he pitched a no hitter for the first eight innings of the game and his team and a 2 run lead. The closing pitcher for their team gave up a three run home run that lost the game. He was enraged by how they lost even though he did everything he could and the ground around him began shaking to the point where people began to lose their balance and fall over. The ground began shaking with such force the bleachers began to creak and some people almost fell off. Once he realized what was happening, he calmed down and saw the damage he did. After that day he stopped playing baseball out of embarrassment at what had happened, but that was not the end of his powers.

His final power manifested just a bit after the earthquake incident. He was going to be late for one of his finals during his junior year of high school, and he knew that if he was late he wouldn't be able to finish the test in time. As he rushed to get ready he walked into the bathroom, and all of a sudden he was in one of the school bathrooms. This final power came as a shock to him, and also a pain as he knew what it mean. After the final, he immediately submitted the required form for having such a power and went through all of the necessary steps. At first he did not mind having some of these abilities, but as they got more powerful he began to regret getting them.

During college he never used any of his abilities outside of where he lived because he didn't want to have to deal with any of the repercussions of people noticing what he could do. He still stayed away from baseball and pursued a degree in economics. There he didn't need to worry about his abilities, and he was just a normal person in college. After he graduated, he was able to land a job only a year or so out of college. He worked there for a few years before the HCIU came to him to recruit him.

Morning Routine:
Every morning is the same. He wakes up in his small 1 bed and 1 bath apartment to the sound of traffic outside his third story window. He gets up and walks towards the bathroom yawning. He takes a quick shower before brushing his teeth. After cleaning himself up a bit, he picks out his clothes for the day and puts them on. As he gets dressed, he makes the bed using his powers to hasten the process. Like every morning before he grabs a box of cheerios from a cabinet and a bowl from another. After pouring the cereal into the bowl he uses his powers once more to open the fridge and get the milk. He then leaves the cereal and milk in front of himself as he enjoys his breakfast.


Character Name: DeAndre “Ol’boy” Holmes:

Standard Abilities (60pts)
Academic
Forensic Psychology: Rating 3
Languages: Rating 2 (Russian, Arabic)
Interpersonal
Bullsh*t Detector: Rating 3
Cop Talk: Rating 1
Flattery: Rating 1
Reassurance: Rating 1
Streetwise: Rating 5
Technical
Ballistics: Rating 3
General abilities:
Athletics Rating 8
Filch Rating 1
Health Rating 10 (1 free)
Mechanics Rating 2
Medic Rating 1
Preparedness Rating 1
Scuffling Rating 5
Sense Trouble Rating 1
Shooting Rating 8
Stability Rating 6
Surveillance Rating 1
Powers
General (40pts used)
Precision Memory Rating 5 (Origin)
Cognition Rating 5
Lightning Decision Rating 4 (+4 for correlation)
Threat Calculus Rating 6
Technokinesis Rating 6
Psionic Blast Rating 6
Reflexes Rating 2 (+2 for jumping)

Investigative Powers (27 pts remain)
Technopathy Rating 1

Character background:

DeAndre grew up in Detroit, and used to run with the city gangs. He always seemed smarter than his posse, and often was the reason his crew wasn't caught. At 14, his gang forced him to drop out of school, so before it was too late, he got his GED and made it look like he graduated 3 years early. That summer, his older brother came back from his first tour of duty, and convinced Ol'boy to move to San Diego with him, and attend UCLA on a scholarship. Being one to cover all his bases, DeAndre played the gang and got his gang leader's blessing to leave for California.

DeAndre got his degree in foreign languages, focussing on Russian to cover the white gangs in Detroit, and Arabic so he could have his selection of jobs in the marines. At 19, he graduated from college with his bachelor's in foreign language and joined the USMC. Two years into his service, he watched his brother get killed on leave by a gangbanger in L.A., and Ol'boy came unhinged. He began his mental descent by joining force recon, then ultimately the SEALS. When he was assigned to a team, they began to see his dissociation while on missions. What they hadn't seen was that he'd developed the Eidetic memory power, and he had been reliving his brother's death every morning.

When the Marines finally discharged Sgt. DeAndre Holmes, the reason was medical: PTSD. While this was correct, it was only half the story. After 3 years of extensive therapy, DeAndre joined the Detroit Metro PD, and immediately applied for SWAT. While he blew away the other applicants, he was far more suited for the HCIU, and was assigned to this newly formed elite task force.

Daily routine:

DeAndre starts his day promptly at 3am, when he wakes up, lights a cigarette, and runs 10 miles on his treadmill. At 530am, He lights a second cigarette, cooks 3 eggs with wheat toast and 4 strips of bacon. At 6am he does 50 pullups, 200situps and 200 pushups. At 630am he showers, shaves, and straps his .45 under his Jacket. At 7am, he lights his 3rd cigarette and drives to work.


Looks good so far. I will be reading these more in depth later this afternoon after work, but from a cursory glance, I don't see anything glaring right now.


Phoenix, I think you may have made a mistake. I belive the general abilities is where the sixty points are, 28 (based on players) is for investigative abilitity, and forty is for mutant powers, including investigative powers...or at least that was how I read character building. If I am wrong I need to do some work on my own character.


I only saw "investigative" in the powers section as a descriptor.

Elsewise, if I can use those 27 remaining points (I used 1 for purchases of technopathy as a prereq for technokinesis) for anything investigative, I'll likely be grabbing more forensic bits (justified by the college education.) I held off on grabbing the mind reading power because I thought it qualified as "investigative".

Dys, can you check to confirm? This was my first time ever reading the book or making a character, and I'd like to have it down so I can use this system in my F2F group inn about 2 months.


Please see below for comments on the completed builds so far. Vincent Fleming, are the posts regarding your character your submission, or is it still a working in progress right now?

Phoenix Hunter & Vincent Fleming:
Yes, Vincent Fleming is right. It's a little confusing, but there is a difference between investigative abilities and investigative powers. Powers are mutant powers, and fall under the 40 point total. Abilities are detective skills. The investigative abilities are derived from the number of players in the game, and are the things like bullsh*t detector and photography. Investigative powers are mutant powers that aid in investigation, and are things like read minds and X-ray vision. In Pathfinder terms, it's like the difference between a supernatural ability and an extraordinary ability. Investigative powers only cost 1 point to buy initially, and 1 point to buy the rating up (instead of 4 pts for first point, then 1 for 1 after for general powers). Anything with an hourglass next to it on the Quade diagram is an investigative power. The 60 points is for general abilities. You want around an 8 in general abilities that are your characters core skills, like say health, stability, and either shooting or scuffling. Right now you've got 43 points spent on general abilities, leaving you 17 to spend. Bumping up those 1's is likely a good idea. In this system, for general abilities, these points act as a kind of pool that you use to add to a d6 for general abilities tests (investigative abilities work differently, but we'll get into that later).

Alfrazar:
  • Good background and morning routine. Your character in his background seemed to shy away from using their powers, however in the character's morning routine, the telekinesis power is used very liberally. Has working in the HCIU changed their mind on their own mutant powers? On the mutant power use of others?

  • Investigative powers are 1 for 1, as you get 1 rank in the power whenever you spend the entrance fee (1 point in the case of investigative powers). Your spatial awareness is either at rank 7, or you have 1 point left to spend.

  • I think then that I have to go back over all of my stuffs to correct my errors. I didn't realize the non-generals were investigative.


    I think...I am now done with the character, just going on the 3 character buy for now.
    Meet Vincent Delaney

    Crunch:

    Mutant Powers
    Regeneration level 8 (Using it as part of the backstory as well as I like a deadpoolesk character. So 4pts to buy, 7pts to bring up to the appropriate level)
    Strength Level 4 (4pts to buy, 3pts to bring up to level)
    Kinetic Energy Dispersal Level 5 (4pts to move to Limb Extension, 2pts to skip, 4pts to buy, 4pts to bring to level)
    Concussion Beams Level 5 (4pts to buy, 4pts to bring to level)
    Should be all 40pts

    General Abilities
    Athletics 8pts
    Filch 8pts
    Health 8pts
    Infiltration 8pts
    Surveillance 8pts
    Scuffling 6pts
    Sense 8pts
    Shooting 6pts
    Should be all 60pts.

    Investigative Abilities
    Bullshit Detector 3
    Cop Talk 2
    Flattery 1
    Flirting 2
    Impersonate 4
    Interrogation 2
    Intimidation 4
    Streetwise 2
    Forensic Psychology 2
    Evidence Collection 3
    Explosive Devices 1
    Forensic Anthropology 2
    Should be all 28pts.

    Morning Routine:

    He would begin his day by getting out of bed and starting a pot of coffee. While it's perking, he would do a set of pull ups, push ups, crunches, and push ups. Then take his cup of coffee with a bit of milk and cream, take a shower, dress up in his desk clothes, strap on his piece and sword and then go to the department.

    Backstory:

    The job was simple, go undercover as the scumbag they had picked up's cousin Vinny. Do a few jobs for the Smugglers till I get the boss's attention and then proceed to weasel my way into his heavier operations. I'd done it a million times before, ok maybe only fourteen but all the same.

    It went well for the first couple of weeks. Pimped a few girls, broke a girl, sampled the wares...you know the usual scumbag stuff you had to do for them to believe you. I kept the money flowing in well and knew where and when to drop off the girls to keep them out of the law's eye. Kinda easy when you are the law.

    Uncle Tony got the word from the higher ups that his little babushca was doing good work and they wanted to meet with me to talk about my future. Little did I know that while we thought we had gotten to Tony, he had already let them know what I was. I went to the meet thinking none the wise, two bit Tony had played me well and I barely got into warehouse before guns were pulled and I remember the first three shots. Then it all went black....

    Next thing I knew I woke up on the morgue table with the poor doc cracking open my chest with a bonesaw. I screamed, she screamed and dropped the saw, I died again, I woke up again, and she went to therapy. Long story short, looks like I was another victim of the change. My own crew escorted me like a prisoner to the HCIU where they explained what I was. Hell, waking up I knew what I was and at first I was beyond happy. I had taken 8 to the chest and lost an arm and no one could tell that. I was clinically dead for two days and got up and killed again and got up that same evening.

    Then came the tests, they shot me, they cut me open and timed me, they put me through the ropes explaining they were looking for the extent of my powers. Turns out, it is really hard to kill me, I got stamina for days, I can stop bullets and knives from hurting me and I apparently am equipped with a can of woop ass in each hand. That's right, I can blast a wave of concussion from my fists. What the f!*&....

    The next day after all the tests were done came a call from my sergeant. Looks like I was overqualified for working the beat with the regular boys. Hell, I was getting bored anyways with the job. I was always itching to get back in the thick of it, the sense of adrenaline of being undercover was like a drug, never knowing if you might be found out or what you might have to do to get by. I was told that I'd be able to scratch my itch no problem at HCIU, hell I might even find myself wanting to take a vacation after a stint there.

    Looks like I get to find out....


    I was going for working in the HCIU, opened him up a bit more to his ablities, so he uses them a bit more. He usually only uses them in his own home and occasionally uses them at the station. He tries to avoid earth control whenever possible, as it is his least favorite part about gaining these abilities.


    I hope my background is good, been watching a bit of Castle, Law and Order SVU, and Bones to really get myself into it.


    Dotting for interest.

    I really like a good detective narrative and this sounds really interesting!

    I had never heard of MCB, so I hope it won't be too much a problem if I'm pretty new. I just picked up the book through DrivThru so I'm giving it a read now.


    Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

    I've got my mutant powers spent... biggest challenge, as all the gumshoe I've played up to now haven't had these, and getting the right balance was tough.

    My concept is a Louisiana Redneck, Named Buford Devereaux, whose father kept a pack of bloodhounds used by the local Parrish sheriffs department for tracking things. When he was old enough, he went along on the hunts, and at sometime realized that he could smell what the hounds could smell... in fact better, sometimes he put them back on the trail... of course he kept this to himself. What a freak.

    As his teen years progressed he became the best hunter in the Parrish, in fact probably the state. He seemed to be able to sneak up on anything, and never missed what he shot at. He joined the local sheriffs department as soon as he was old enough, as the hours left him time for hunting and fishing... and keeping an eye of Lillian Fetch, his Uber-hot next door neighbor. "What did she see in that rat faced Tommy Gunner anyway". Finally, his obsession with "keeping an eye on her" created trouble. When Tommy caught him "observing" her house one night, and called in the authorities, his father, and the sheriff decided it might be wise to get him away from home for a while.

    Sheriff Bates called in a favor from a detective friend of his in the Detroit PD, and got Buford a job on the Detroit PD. He'd been here a year now, and specialized in undercover stake-outs. In addition, he was a member of the SWAT team, when they needed a sniper.

    Mutant Powers

    Spoiler:

    Investigative
    Micro-vision 1 (1)
    Olfactory Center 1 (1)
    Spacial Awareness 4 (4)
    Thermal Vision 1 (1)
    X-Ray Vision 1 (1)

    General Powers
    Invisibility 4 (7)
    Light Blast 2 (5)
    Light Control 1 (4)
    Night Vision 2 (5)
    Telescopic Vision 3 (6)
    Tracking 2 (5)

    Defects
    Voyeurism

    Morning Routine

    Spoiler:

    Buford had always been an early riser, as that's when the best hunting and fishing are, and that remains the case. Never a big believer in exercising (Promising baseball player, but not that interested, so quit when 14). Buford usually gets up just after sunrise, and usually doesn't need his alarm to do so... unless he was out late the night before having a few with the boys. He then leaves his small studio apartment downtown, and stops at the McDonald's on the corner for a quick breakfast burrito. He then walks to nearby Grand Circus Park, and finds a quiet place to read the morning paper, and feed the pigeons, before jumping on the SMART, to the station.

    If winter conditions keep this from happening, he usually just reads his paper in the McDonald's always taking a seat looking out over the street. If things are really bad he just finds a quiet office in the Station, and spends the night there.


    Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

    Buford Deveraux's Profile continued

    Appearance

    Spoiler:

    Buford is about 6'2", and a solid 225 lbs. He's not soft, not cut, but country strong. He has dirty blond hair, and grey-blue eyes. He wears his hair in a buzz-cut, but sports a thick beard and mustache most of the time. He tends to wear camouflage, jeans, and white tee shirts when not in his blues. Worn combat boots complete his ensemble.

    He is armed most of the time with a shoulder holster, with his main piece, and a ankle holster with a small throw down pistol.

    General Skills

    Spoiler:

    Athletics 8
    Health 8
    Mechanics 2
    Preparedness 2
    Scuffling 2
    Shooting 8
    Stability 6
    Surveillance 4

    Investigative Skills

    Spoiler:

    Academic
    Anthropology 1
    Archeology 1
    History 2
    Languages (French) 1
    Law 1
    Natural History 3
    Occult Studies 1
    Research 3
    Trivia 1

    Interpersonal
    Bureaucracy 1
    Impersonate 1
    Influence Detection 1

    Technical
    Anamorphology 1
    Chemistry 1
    Cryptography 1
    Data Retrieval 1
    Document Analysis 1
    Electronic Surveillance 2
    Energy Residue Analysis 1
    Forensic entomology 1
    Fingerprinting 1
    Photography 1


    DeAndre Revamped:

    Character Name: DeAndre “Ol’boy” Holmes
    Investigtive Abilities (60pts)

    Academic
    Forensic Accounting Rating 2
    Forensic Psychology: Rating 2
    Languages: Rating 2 (Russian, Arabic)
    Law Rating 1
    Research 1

    Interpersonal
    Bullsh*t Detector: Rating 2
    Bureaucracy Rating 1
    Cop Talk: Rating 1
    Flattery: Rating 1
    Reassurance: Rating 1
    Streetwise: Rating 3

    Technical
    Anamorphology Rating 1
    Ballistics: Rating 1
    Data Retrieval Rating 2
    Document analysis Rating 1
    Electronic Surveillance Rating 1
    Evidence Collection Rating 2
    Explosive Devices Rating 1
    Fingerprinting Rating 1
    Photography Rating 1

    General abilities:
    Athletics Rating 10
    Filch Rating 8
    Health Rating 10 (1 free)
    Scuffling Rating 8
    Sense Trouble Rating 7
    Shooting Rating 10
    Stability Rating 7

    Powers

    General (40pts used)
    Precision Memory Rating 3 (Origin)
    Cognition Rating 3
    Lightning Decision Rating 3 (+4 for correlation)
    Threat Calculation Rating 1
    Technokinesis Rating 3
    Psionic Blast Rating 4

    Investigative Powers
    Technopathy Rating 1

    Appearance:


    I believe that's completely updated. I'm excited to play!


    Character Backstory:

    In 2015, when DeAndre was 12, his older brother joined the Marines, and left the family. This was the same year that his Father went to help the Ferguson Police contain the riots, the year his father was killed in the line of duty during the riots. That was also the year that DeAndre and his sister moved in with his aunt, and joined a money gang in his hometown of Detroit. He always seemed smarter than his posse, and often was the reason his crew wasn't caught. His crew took to calling him "Ol'boy".

    At 14, his gang forced him to drop out of school, so before it was too late, he got his GED and made it look like he graduated 3 years early. That summer, his older brother came back from his first tour of duty, and convinced Ol'boy to move to San Diego with him and take their sister. When he moved, Charles(older brother) helped enroll DeAndre at UCLA on a scholarship. Being one to cover all his bases, DeAndre played the gang and got his gang leader's blessing to leave for California.

    DeAndre got his B.S. in Forensic Psychology, and minored in foreign language with Russian being his primary. He later learned Arabic after he joined the Marines. At 19, he graduated from college Summa Cum Laude and Was commissioned to the USMC.

    Two years into his service, he watched his brother get killed on leave by a gangbanger in L.A., and Ol'boy came unhinged. He began his mental descent by joining force recon, then ultimately the SEALS. When he was assigned to a team, they began to see his dissociation while on missions. What they hadn't seen was that he'd developed the Eidetic memory power, and he had been reliving his brother's death every morning. When the Marines finally discharged Cpt. DeAndre Holmes, the reason was filed as Medical: PTSD. While this was correct, it was only half of the actual story.

    After 3 years of extensive therapy to deal with the loss of his Mother, Brother and Father, DeAndre joined The DPD Gang unit under the supervision of his Father's old partner. Later that year he applied to the SWAT team and passed with flying colors, but because of his experience in the USMC and Navy SEALS, they assigned him to the newly formed HICU elite task force.

    Notable Relations:

    Jada: Younger Sister; Feels extremely protective towards. Jada is attending Cosmology school, but DeAndre knows she's smarter than that, and has been trying to push her into a real college.

    Auntie Deja: Father's sister; Cared for DeAndre and Jada for 2 years; Still alive and well. Lives in one of the worst neighborhoods in detroit, but refuses to move because she "Remembers how this place used to be"

    Darnell: Cousin; Going to University of Michigan Law school; Not the brightest guy in the world.

    Jamal: Friend; Idiot; womanizer; Typical Comic relief.


    Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

    Just realized I shorted myself on General skills.

    Athletics 8
    Health 8 (10)
    Mechanics 2 (4)
    Preparedness 2 (4)
    Scuffling 2 (6)
    Shooting 8 (14)
    Stability 6 (8)
    Surveillance 4 (6)


    Here is some more feedback on the crunch so far.

    Vincent Fleming:
    You get 1 health level for free, and 2 ranks in Cop Talk for free.

    Does he really carry a sword?

    Phoenix Hunter:
    Looks OK to me right now on the investigative and general abilities. Haven't checked the powers yet. Will do so in the morning and let you know.

    I'll be digging into the rest of the backgrounds and routines in the morning. Good work everyone!


    This is a current list of all the applicants, with their general powers.

    Scranford – Buford Deveraux – Sensory type
    Vincent Fleming – Vinny - Damage Control type
    Pheonix Hunter – DeAndre Holmes – mnemonic Type
    Alfrazar – Name Unknown Telekine

    Potential incoming from Nowear, and Volkner


    Alright so I guess I would be rank 9 for health, I'd probably take those two extra points then and put one into flattery and flirting each.

    I would go with yes on the sword on duty. If I am going up against a guy who can bench press a car or any one of those crazy things, I would think carrying something stronger then a baton would be useful IF I were to lose my side arm and felt my powers would be too destructive to the environment around me. Though maybe a cattle prod instead? Shock Baton...I'm not sure what's in the game as far as equipment goes so I was just fluffing it up in a manner.


    I actually agree with Vincent's assessment of why one should carry a more appropriate weapon. I'll likely be choosing a more appropriate lethal option too in the form of a kerambit

    kerambit


    Carrying a sword makes a certain sense in regards to a personal safety stance. The world is still catching up, though, regarding the things people can do now. The paperwork surrounding it would be nightmarish from a law enforcement point of view. You wouldn't be able to conceal it, as concealed blade length laws (maximum 4" I believe) prohibit this, and any use of the sword would require an amount of paperwork designating the use of this peculiar lethal force necessary. Also, it could be used to cast doubt on any counts of malicious intent if charges of police brutality were ever brought up on Vincent Delaney.

    This doesn't mean you can't wear a sword on duty. The HCIU gives a certain amount of latitude to its detectives, realizing the world we now live in is a dangerous one.

    On the social side of things, your fellow, non-mutant officers may single you out even further, mistaking you for a "goob", a superhero wannabe.

    Scranford:
    Crunch looks good and your morning routine is excellent. A couple questions on Buford's background:

  • Did Buford use his powers to move quickly into detective? How do you imagine the other officers at the DCPD feel about being passed over? Any scuffles or problem areas with certain officers (feel free to make anything up!)

  • As a sniper, did Buford ever have to use lethal force? If so, did he have to injure or kill any mutants in the line of duty, and how does he feel about other mutants?

  • Hmmm, well he's long given up the idea of looking good to others in uniform. The fact that an undercover cop tends to do...unlawful things in their undercover time tends to already have a stigmata against them to begin with. The main thing he is looking at is looking good with his new unit as they are the ones he would consider peers and who are gonna be covering his rear.


    I would also agree that the a sword is a bit outlandish for a police officer to wear. I do see your point in having an alternative weapon to a gun that might be able to handle supers, but there are definitely options that are more "reasonable"


    You've got to take into consideration that HICU is under the scrutiny of the media more so than any other division of the department too. Stack that with fear of supers, accusations of racial profiling (and not mutant profiling), and the fact that our modern ability to produce "combat metals" is largely based on theory over practicality...


    I shall look deeper into the various weapons out there, I did like the idea of a cattle prod if possible.


    I haven't found anything close to an equipment guide out there for this game...anyone?


    No real equipment, it just modifies the d6 roll or does flat damage. Cattle prod or taser I believe does 2 health per round.


    Sounds good, would that be less clique or perhaps a stun baton would be better fit to work with a copper.


    It'd be slightly away from the norm but not outlandish.


    How many players are you willing/able to handle?

    If all the player 'slots' are taken, can I create a character for 'standby'?


    6 players is my maximum. I believe we have 4 at the moment. You are more than welcome to create a character.


    Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

    DM

    Spoiler:

    Buford is pretty disarming in a "Good ole boy" type of way, and the fact that he is still "raising hell buddies" with several of them, on the weekends off, keeps them from being to envious. He did use his powers of observation to quickly ascend the ranks in Detroit, and the family connection didn't hurt anything. Mostly he used his acute observation skills to save a couple of lives, and catch a couple of long outstanding baddies.

    There is one problem though. There is another current detective named Olivia DeJesus who seems to have a problem with Buford. He was only being a southern gentleman when he held open the door for her, and motioned "Ladies First", but she took it a sexist, and has had a chip on her shoulder ever since. When he quickly ascended to Detective (After she had worked 9 years for the same), it only added fuel to the fire. It is doubly frustrating because he kind of has a "thing" for the fiery female officer.

    As far as he knows he hasn't used his sniper abilities to take out any fellow mutants. He's only been called on once since coming to Detroit, and it was to take out a Drug Kingpin's lackey. Several times he used these abilities in his home Parrish, and several surrounding ones, but as far as he knows none of these were mutants... Though that "Earthworm" killer in Baton Rogue might have been. He was never told.

    I'll try to get up a profile tonight, if this game is a go.


    I'll see if I can't get some basic character information up tomorrow night.


    So... I think we are at peak interest here.


    Lorena Jeffers

    powers:

    Phase (6 points) | 9 points 9
    Disassociation.
    Disintegration (skipped) | 2 points 11
    Self Detonation (skipped) | 6 points 17
    Radiation Projection (skipped) | 2 points 19
    Radiation Immunity (6 points) | 9 points 28
    Toxin Immunity (skipped) | 2 points 30
    Regeneration (3 points) | 10 points 40

    general abilities:

    Athletics 16 16
    Driving 12 28
    Shooting 8 36
    Scuffling 8 44
    Stability 8 52
    Mechanics 8 60

    Background in overview:

    Born 1996, Grandmont Rosedale Mi.
    Attended High School (Lincoln High), graduating 2015.
    Declined track/field scholarship to attend University of Michigan.
    Joined USMC, 2016
    MOS: Transport/motor pool.
    Deployed to Syria as part of Operation: Lasting Renown.
    Wounded, and received Purple Heart: January of 2017; at that time her
    powers appeared.
    Served with Special Powers/Special Forces Unit, until leaving corps 2021.
    Joined police academy, graduating 2022.
    Made Detective, Junior Grade, 2024.

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