Panurgic city saturday night news
it as been almost 80 years since the advent of the neo-abled phenomenon. beginning in the early days of world-war 2, where people with incredible new powers rose among the populations, and demonstrated their existence to the world. some choose to fight for "liberty, justice, and the american way", both overseas and stateside, while others turned these new powers to criminal enterprise for profit or pleasure.
After the first "Golden" generation, another shift engulfed the superhuman population, increasing powers, and threats. the new heroes of the so-called "silver generation" did not fight bank robbers and other mere "human" crimes, but instead fought alien invasions, and each other.
But, as if to pop the "heroic bubble" the silver generation inhabited, The incident in Boston, where a young Niall Collins, AKA Quintessece, battled with his archnemmesis Psilence for the life of Niall's good friend Samuel Reed. Samuel died in the altercation, in a moment that defined a generation of superheroes, cut off from the almost make-believe world of the previous generations, an cast into the harsh light of day.
And at the centre of it all has been Halcyon and Panurgic, Back in the 30's, these were just small towns, but strange concentrations of the superheroic phenomenon have cataputed these two towns into becomeing the shining jewels of the east and west coasts, Halcyon becoming the political centre of superheroics, home of the famous Paragon alliance, and Panurgic city becomeing the place to make a name for ourself, with the headquarters of every influential cape-centric media outlet located in one town.
in this game, you will take on the role of a superheroic teen, living their day to day life in Panurgic city, a city centred on superheroes.
This campaign will take place in the same universe and continuity as the other masks table (Found here) but willtake place on the west coast, in Panurgic city. Panurgic city is to Halcyon as LA is to DC. Halcyon is the more politically influential, but most cape-media comes from Panurgic. as such, Panurgics Hero and Villain lines are much harder, as the media tries to aggressively categorize everyone.
Masks is a game about Teen Superheroes, in equal measure. dealing with problems from both worlds. Fighting supervillains, and fighting with your parents, figuring out how to stop a rampaging robot, and figuring out how to tel someon you like them.
okay, onto the system stuff:
stats will go from -2, to +3, and when you roll, your roll will fall into one of 3 categories: a success (10+), where you get what you wanted, and maybe a little more, a partial success (7-9) where you get what you want, but maybe not all of it, or maybe at a cost.
Both of these are classified as "Hits", so when a move says"on a hit..." read that as "on a 7+". then there are misses (6-),
these will introduce complication, and may or may not mean that you don't get what you want. but you mark XP for misses, so it's not all bad!
and the move comes into play, and you follow its directions (usually, you roll + a stat, and then make some choices, or I offer you choices). there are basic moves, which everyone has, and playbook moves, which are unique to certain characters.
A playbook is a collection of moves, choices, and advancements,
all within the confines of a central theme. everyone chooses a playbook (except The GM).
The five Labels are:
Danger: seeing yourself as threatening, strong, bloody-knuckled, and risky. Other people see you as a danger when they think they should steer clear of you because you might bring them harm. You see yourself as a danger when you believe you can take down other dangerous threats, and when you think you yourself are a threat to other people.
Freak: seeing yourself as strange, unusual, unique, and powerful. Other people see you as a freak when they think you’re odd, unlike them, something unnatural or outside of their understanding. You see yourself as a freak when you accept and own the things you can do that no one else can, and when you
think you don’t belong with the people and the world around you.
Savior: seeing yourself as defending, guarding, protecting, and stalwart. Other people see you as a savior when they think of you as noble or selfsacrificing,or a bit overbearing and moralizing. You see yourself as a savior when you think of yourself as a martyr, someone who gladly sacrifices to protect and defend others.
Superior: seeing yourself as smart, capable, crafty, and quick. Other people see you as superior when they think you’re the smartest person in the room, an arrogant and egotistical jerk. You see yourself as superior when you think you’re cleverer than everyone else, and when you know exactly what to say to make the people around you do what you want.
Mundane: seeing yourself as normal, human, empathetic, and
understanding. Other people see you as mundane when they think of you as all too normal and uninteresting, but also comprehending and sympathetic. You see yourself as mundane when you think you’re regular, just a person, not special, and focused on normal human things like feelings and emotions
Some moves will tell you to shift labels (either a specific one,
or generally) either up or down. when this happen, someone tells you to shift one label up, or down (or sometimes you choose to,
if a move gives you that option). if one goes up, another must go down, and vice versa.
Generally, you will shift your own stats when someone else comforts or supports you, and others will shift your stats when they tell you how the world works.
If you ever need to shift a Label and can’t (because the Label is at +3 and would shift up, or is at -2 and would shift down), you must mark a condition, GM’s choice. The entire Label shift doesn’t occur—you shift no Label either up or down.
All the playbooks come with little descriptions, so I'll just put those here. The core Masks are here
The Beacon: You don’t have to do this. You could probably have a safe, decent, simple life. It’d be nice, but…come on. Superpowers! Aliens! Wizards! Time travel! You’re out of your depth, but who cares? This is awesome. Everybody should try it.
The Bull: You’re big, strong, and tough. You know what fighting really is, and you’re good at it. Sure…you’ve got a soft side, too. But you only show that to the people you care about most. Everybody else? They can eat your fist.
The Deliquent: You’ve got these cool powers. But everyone keeps telling you how to use ’em. You know what they need? Someone to give them trouble, to make sure they don’t always get their way.
And hey! You’re the perfect hero to do it.
The Doomed: Something about your powers dooms you. It’s just a matter of time before your doom comes for you. Until then, though...you’ve got a nemesis who needs fighting and a world that needs saving. After all, it’s better to burn out than fade away…
The Janus: Wake up. Breakfast. School. Work. Homework. Sleep. Repeat. It burns you up, being stuck in this life, unable to make a real difference. That is...until you put on the mask. And then, you be someone else: a hero.
The Legacy: You’re the latest in a storied heroic lineage, a family that shares a name and a cause. Now, everybody is watching and waiting to see if you’ve got what it takes to uphold that tradition. No pressure, right?
The Nova: You’re a font of power. Channel it, and you can remake the world into exactly what you want. Unleash it, and you can do miracles. It’s wonderful...and terrifying. Lose control for even a second, and other people get hurt.
The Outsider: You’re not from here. Your home is an amazing place, full of beauty and wonder. But there’s something to them, something special that you’re missing back home. Something…human. So yeah, you’ll be hanging around. At least for now.
The Protege: You proved yourself to an experienced hero. They think you’ve got what it takes. They’ve been training you for a while, and now you have to decide...do you want to be them? Or will you find your own path?
The Transformed: You can recall a time not too long ago when you looked...normal. When you didn’t feel their stares. When you didn’t hear their gasps. When no one thought of you as a monster. Those were the days, huh.
[ooc]Also, there are 5 new playbooks, which are all available, and found here.
The reformed: Villain used to be a way of life for you. Then you saw just what your selfishness and hate created. The supervillain life is a hard one to quit, but you know this best: Sometimes the villain needs saving too
The newborn: You're a barnad new being, created though scientific inquiry, a feat of engineering, or random chance, this world is all new to you, full of wonder and adventure it's not easy though- everyone has an opinion about who you are and what you should do. it's time to find out for yourself who you really are.
the innocent: Time travel is great! or so you thought, until you landed in a strange new world with a dark, broken, damaged, dangerous adult version of yourself, not what you had wanted to become. the question is, now, what are you gonna do about it?
The Star: Being a hero isn't about doing right, it's about being seen doing right.let them think you're shallow for loving the spotlight, and the cameras, and for smiling so much. You'll be a hero in all the ways that matter.
The joined: You'd be nothing without them- your partner, your sibling, your rival, your other half. You're tied to their powers and to them, through and through. the rest of the world only sees you two as halves of a whole, not as two separate people, and the two of you aren't sure if they're right
certain moves will add team to the "team pool". when you help someone else do something, you can spend a team from the pool to give them +1 (more than 1 person can do this for a given roll, but each person can only spend 1 team per roll). you need to be reasonably able to help them.
Team members can also spend Team to act selfishly. When you act selfishly, say how your actions ignore or insult your teammates, remove one Team from the pool, and shift one Label up and one Label down, your choice. You can use this option after rolling to alter the Label you’re rolling with.
If you need a player to round out the team, I'd love to play more in this system.
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Here's what I've got so far for my Innocent.
• Who or what brought you to the present?
In order to secure Mad Moxie's cooperation, the Bad Guys had to kidnap the only person she still cared about: her past self. Since then, no one's been able to figure out how to put me back.
• When did you first meet your future self?
When I was presented as a hostage, I barely recognized her, and she barely recognized me.
• How is your future self the embodiment of a future you never wanted?
Mad Moxie is a slave of some addiction.
• What is your favorite part of life in the future? Your least favorite part?
Snapchat. Drug culture.
• Why are you determined to stay in the present with this team?
Going back is the surest way to repeat the mistakes that caused Mad Moxie.
I could always use more Masks in my life. I'm a veteran of the system.
How many players are you looking for? And what would you rate the game as in terms of content (i.e. G-Rated, PG, PG-13)?
I'm in for a Nova or a Joined right now, though for the latter I'll need someone to pair with. I'd share their background (and more) by the nature of the playbook, after all.
@CucumberTree
Have you looked at the playbooks yet? It ought to be pretty clear which one a given concept would best fit.
Links to each playbook are in "The Playbooks" spoiler in section two. If you want to see them, the basic moves are here as well.
okay, here we go...
Cuke
Like infernal said, it should be pretty clear which playbook a concept fits in. if after reading them, you aren't sure, just ask. And of course I'll help if you have questions about character creation.
Inxpitter
happy to have you aboard. what are you thinking about.
Bastian/Moxie
nice character, as usual.
342
4-6 players, We'll be more Worm and Marvels Defenders than avegers and justice league. probably R for language and violence, and we'll do content warning stuff later.
Infernal
if you're considering the joined, you might want to hold off on char-creation until we've seen more of the cast.
Got it.
Ah, yeah - if anyone's interested in pairing with me, let me know, and preferably give me a little to work off so I know what I'm getting into. As per the sheet, I'm supposed to create my character with you as you make yours. Our characters would be pretty closely tied together, so keep that in mind.
Unless Elsine is willing to work out the specifics of how it works with the rest, I won't be able to pair with non-core playbooks - so I can't pair with a Reformed, Innocent, Newborn, or Star without working the details out with our GM.
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Working on build. I'm very active on the boards. I have a almost 5 year old game on here so you will have me for the long haul. I'm looking to play the "Jock" the active kid, growing up doing martial arts, football, wrestling, baseball, track. All the things. He has to hide his power to keep doing what he loves. He sneaks out and makes money at various underground fight clubs. He would love to be a famous MMA fighter but is afraid his secret will get out. For these reasons he is a bit selfish and has yet to realize he could be doing more with his abilities by helping people and not focusing so much on himself. Kind of a mix between Iron Fist and Luck Cage.
I'd like to try out PbtA game. I have an idea for The Transformed playbook.
One question - the Looks: do we choose from the list only? Or we can create our own?
Ashe
Would that be a Bull, or a Janus, or what?
Madcaster
Create your own, but those are good guidlines.
I'm interested! I'm already playing in one Masks game (hi, CCCXLII and Default!), but I'm up for joining another.
How are you selecting players? Do we need to come up with a character concept first, since I'm happy to do that. But I've noticed so much of the character creation is collaborative.
If I have to stake out a playbook right now, I've been tossing around an idea for a Legacy, but I'm excited to see the new playbooks, too. I might pull one from there. Reformed, maybe?
I have a good concept for a newborn,thought to the classic "robot trying to be human" situation.
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I'm very interested in playing. The only PbtA experience I have was in Monster of the Week and it was a total blast.
I am thinking about a Nova, working on fleshing out a character concept.
I’m pretty late to this party and all my most desired playbooks are already spoken for, so I’ll sit this one out.
Edit: that being said I’ll probably dot in so I can watch the fun. This will be a good group.
Okay, we have too many applicants as it is, recruitment is closed.
okay, here's who we have:
1.)Cucumbertree; undeclared
2.)Inexpiter; the newborn (though, if he was created by a villain or abusive creators, the bull might also fit)
3.)BastianQuinn; the innocent (miss moxie, the 90's hero to ever 90s)
4.)CCCXLII; undeclared
5.)InfernalZero; the Joined or Nova
6.)Ashe; Janus or bull or delinquent maybe?
7.)Madcaster; transformed
8.)Stalwart; Legacy or reformed.
9.)Tundran; The Nova
lets have the characters concept fleshed out a little more from everyone, and I'll work out who's in the group
Oh, a little note about posting rate, once every day or two at the least is the expectation.
It's funny, Infernal Zero posted a timey whimey character, and I had one in mind too. LOL
I was thinking about having a teenage janitor in the far future that gets caught up in time machine disaster. He gets erased from time, and his consciousness broken in two. One sees the entire timeline of humanity and the other is trapped in a physical body on earth. The uber consciousness urges the physical one to alter the timeline to insure humanity will evolve into immortals.
The physical one's limited mind cannot see the big picture due to his minds physical limitations. The physical version, Here after referred to as Under-mind, exists in all points of the timeline...effectively immortal. However, People cannot remember him for more than 24 hours as he erased from history, and continues to be.
Effectively, I see him with the ability to learn/replace any skill by learning it in the past, so that it is available in the present. Or altering the past to change the environment. ie getting a job at a munitions factory and working on the line to sabotage a shell making it a dud, so that a bad guys howitzer misfires.
The timeline eventually heals itself rewriting history to match the current circumstances and erasing Under-mind's actions from history.
The closest I can figure is Outsider
I don't think the system is capable of running that character, it is outside of the scope of the outsider. Maybe try for something a little less complicated/specific, look over the playbooks, see if anything gives you some inspiration.
While the abilities can be interpreted fairly widely, the powers our teen supers have should remain inside those boundaries.
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Me? Moxie's the Timey Whimey one. I'm just...
I'll get back to you once I've actually made something.
I think the big issue is that your concept too heavily focused on dealing with threats and thwarting evil, and doesn't account for the close interpersonal nature of the game. The power level was pretty crazy, and any relationships you had with other people would end up being incredibly one-sided.
You're going to be dealing a lot with the people around you, and especially in your team. You've also got baggage, the general nature of which is dictated by the playbook you pick.
Really, you want to think more about the issues you'd like to explore, than the powerset you'll come to wield. At least, it's the way I've approached character creation, since the playbooks say so much about you.
That too.
3.)BastianQuinn; the innocent (miss moxie, the 90's hero to ever 90s)
Her books def. had D.A.R.E ads. I'm brushing up on my cartoonish Regan-era politics and British Invasion comics...
8.)Stalwart; Legacy or reformed.
Thanks for the PSA! I'm pretty sure I'm actually making a reformed villain, here. Check out what I've got so far:
Here is the start of my profile for my Reformed, Vladia. There's still a few gaps, such as the reason why she has reformed (I'm working on it! Promise!).
Young Valerie Tepe was a sickly girl with a rare blood disease. A mysterious doctor who called himself Dr. Sange offered to give her an experimental treatment. It worked, in a sense. However, she discovered that to stay healthy, she needed to absorb the life force from others. Becoming a vampire of sorts, but with no need to actually drink blood, she was forced to help her family's debt to Dr. Sange. He hired her out to various gangs and criminals who needed to incapacitate guards without leaving incriminating marks. She willingly participated, because it sated her cravings and not only repaid the debts for her family, but made them rich.
The reason why I'm stopping here, is because I wanted to ask you something: The power says she absorbs vitality. I'm wondering if you'll allow a Rogue-style power absorption to go along with that? It's certainly not a deal-breaker, but I think it would allow for her to be a little more versatile. At the very least, I would hope that you'll allow her to get stronger/faster/tougher the more vitality she absorbs.
Other things I'm working on, that may be questions for the Game Master to ultimately answer:
What's up with her family? Options include: She accidentally kills/incapacitates/harms them with her powers -- maybe the reason why she wants to go good; they're still out there, actively villains themselves; they've been kidnapped/killed because of her Heel-Face turn? Or maybe in hiding/witness protection program?
What hero inspired her to turn good? Should it be one of the adult heroes (in which case, should I come up with one, or is there someone you might use from your game), or should it be one of the PCs? If it's a PC, then I definitely need to hold off to see what sort of fun characters are made here.
My instinct is to okay the power stealing, unless someone elses concept centres on power-mimicking. Do you also steal knowledge of how to use these powers? How long do you keep them for? memory stealing too? How under your control is your power?
The family question is totally up to you, but those are all great options, especially the first 3.
Again, totally up to you. there won't be a massive amount of crossover, as you're on different coasts/ if you want it to be an adult hero, make one up. If you want it to be a teammate, work it out with them.
I will have a character up soon, using The Doomed playbook.
@Stalwart and Elsine
You could also do powerstealing by using the "Take a move from another playbook" Advancement to get the Newborn Move "A mind of their own". This would be more in line with Rogue, who was sometimes able to recall powers she had 'stolen' in the past.
CCCXLII here, with my The Doomed entry: Amir Ahmed.
A young man from Pakistan, his family moved to Panurgic City when he was still a child, but not before arranging him to be married when he comes of age. Now, with his 18th birthday not too far away, and with two families expecting him to move back to the middle east and marry a girl he barely knows... Will he go through with it? Will he run away? Will he lose himself? And most importantly, will he finally be able to admit that there's already a girl on the Team that he likes?
I was thinking bull, perhaps protege. Though I'm not sure I have time to throw something together. What is the deadline? When you looking to start. This is the first I have heard of the system so I'm reading and learning though I have played other superhero things.
Bull is good if you want to focus on being tough and emotional, but know that the bull was made as a weapon, and has abusive creators. think X-23
protege would work, it would focus on your character and a mentor trying to teach them to be a superhero (think Tony and peter in Spider Man Homecoming)
Janus might be good for your character as well, if you want to focus on their double life.
@Amir
That is a very unique take on the doomed. I like the almost normal flavor of it, but wonder if the switch to actual death to "personal death" will will carry the same weight.
It is interesting. The thing I'm most concerned about though, is the Nemesis. Namely that I don't really see what influence and impact they have, outside your future.
They just don't seem like they do much. They seem passive, and their effect/influence very narrow in scope. They just seem to lack the presence and impact associated with a Nemesis, and it kind of detracts from their weight.
Just what does your Nemesis do?
I see it as a situation where real-world issues, while not world-ending, are harder to deal with. When Amed can just be a hero and fight bad guys, it's all cool, but his family constantly pestering him to put it behind him and get a "real life" isn't something you can punch into submission.
If we're going for something more like Defenders than Justice League, then it fits the theme.
I can make your family being your nemesis work... just know what you're signing up for [mild evil cackling}
your powers though... those are verging on aquaman levels of utility. maybe expand it a little, give yourself more room to work with?
speaking of Powers, Miss Moxie has "Energy Projection" listed as her power. What does that mean/look like?
In that sense, it kinda feels almost Janus-ish with the real life vs hero life issues.
Moxie projects light-bending force fields, like Susan Storm. She used the power as a magician's assistant to fake levitation, shield herself from blades, and disappear out of cages.
Miss Moxie can generate simple shapes as long as she holds her breath.
Mad Moxie is an evil mime with Green Lantern-level construct abilities.
In case Joined doesn't work out, I'm currently working on my Nova concept.
It only took me two questions to end up writing a page long description of the most traumatising event in his life.
...I'm not sure what's worse, the sheer volume of writing I've managed already for something that ought to be concise, or the devotion I've displayed to traumatising my character.
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In case Joined doesn't work out, I'm currently working on my Nova concept.
It only took me two questions to end up writing a page long description of the most traumatising event in his life....I'm not sure what's worse, the sheer volume of writing I've managed already for something that ought to be concise, or the devotion I've displayed to traumatising my character.
HEY! NO PRE-TRAUMATIZING YOUR CHARACTER! I GET TO TRAUMATIZE YOUR CHARACTER!
COME ON, IT'S A NOVA! THAT'S LIKE TRAUMA CENTRAL! CUT ME A BREAK!
Besides, the more traumas I have, the more you can cruelly exploit them and bring them to crippling levels again! Doesn't that sound fun?
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Oh dearie, looks like Amir sparked some discussion. Here's some answers to the posed questions~~
The rulebook describes "perishing" as The Doomed as not necessarily being death, but absolutely the end of that character's story. So a character who perishes could die, but they could also become a villain/monster with no trace of their original personality, or run away and never be heard from again. In Amir's case, perishing might be him going through with the marriage and never being seen/heard from again, while confronting his doom on his own terms might be going through with it.. but making the girl move in with him in America, versus staying in Pakistan.
Amir's Nemesis is tied very closely to his Doom, and is quite diabolical because, as BastianQuinn points out, it's not an enemy he can just punch away. The Nemesis, his family, does exactly what any normal family would do who's excited for an upcoming wedding. Picture this scene:
*ring ring* Amir's phone goes off. It's his Mom.
If he answers it, he risks "Talking about [his Doom] openly", but he also risks "Frightening loved ones" if he ignores it.
So he answers it.
"Hello? Please don't talk about the wedding. Please please."
"Oh, Amir! Your wedding clothes just arrived in the mail~ Are you free tonight to come over and try them on? I'll make dinner~"
"Well, uh, er... I'm working tonight so... I'm not actually working tonight. I'm lying to you."
"Oh no! But I thought you didn't work on the weekends. Did they change your hours? I'm starting to get worried about you, they work you so hard, and you seem so tired all the time!"And so on.
Really, any kind of interaction with his family, even noninteraction, will force Amir to mark his Doom Track. If things need to get epic and powerful, then his father can step in with his abilities, or even some kind of Ancestral Spirit. For example, if it looks like Amir isn't going to go through with it, *WHIZZAM!* Prince Almajheered Ahmed comes outta nowhere and is all 'BOI YOU BETTER NOT BE DIHONORIN YER FAMILY AND DISRESPECTIN OUR TRADITIONS. DON'T MAKE US SING YOU A SONG.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsAS9lp1W7g
"Don't falter~ At the altar!"
"No. Stahp."
"YER FATHER DIDN'T FALTER, SON, THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE!"
There's a method to the madness behind Amir's power, which lets him only control sand that comes from Arabia/Persia. The Doomed's abilities are supposed to be tied into their doom, and in Amir's case, part of his doom is being forced to move to Pakistan. So not only are his family and traditions telling him to GO TO THE MOTHERLAND, but even his powers are pushing him in that direction (because his powers would be a lot more effective there). That, and, because Amir's sand can easily be taken away, it forces him to take advantage of his Moves and Doomsigns. Later in the game, it may be possible for him to learn to control other sand or generate his own sand, but until then, I'm fine with the current drawbacks :) There's quite a bit that can be done with sand, even if it's limited by how much he can carry around with him.
Janus! Yes, that might've been my second choice. But the Janus is about more than just Mundane v Freak issues. The Janus wants to have two separate lives, and their struggle is figuring out which one is the real them and deserves more attention (as well as actually keeping them separate!). Spider-Man would run off to save everyone, but Peter Parker would let the police handle it and make sure he gets to class on time. Meanwhile, Amir and The Doomed is about circumstance or destiny preventing them from being who they want to be. Raven would love to be hanging out with her friends, but doing so could mean not making progress with defeating Trigon (Her Nemesis), and not to mention the risk of her emotions going out of control and bringing her doom closer.
Amir wants to be the one holding the reins in his life, but tradition and family aren't so keen in letting him have full control.
EDIT: Also! With the description of Miss Moxie's energy projection, it seems there's a bit of overlap between her and Amir's abilities, as they're both construct focused. This could be seen as an interesting and cool thing, as if they're both selected, they have something in common and could help each other with their powers. However, I'm also familiar with the issue of similar abilities causing players to step on each other's toes. So~ No worries! Because Amir is the most recently submitted character, I'll start working on figuring out a new powerset for him.
@ CXXXLIII
With that reasoning, I have to say I love this angle eto the doomed. Kinda reminds me of Miss Marvel with the family issues, and you even made your sanctuary work thematically. Nice job.
@CCCXLII
I take it back. Any Nemesis that would appear and spring a musical number on you without warning is diabolical.
It'd be diabolical with warning. He doesn't even change the damn song.
I do love the idea, and I definitely understood why the Nemesis was nasty. I was just concerned they wouldn't really be felt.
That phone call example, however, is beautiful in its cruelty. It just...damn. It almost seems too easy.
I'm seriously hoping there's more submissions of this calibre. I'm seriously lamenting the fact that all the submissions I might be interested in Joining to are ones I'm pretty sure I can't.
Guess I just have to wait for more to come in.
I don't mind the overlap.
Moxie mostly uses her power to get herself out of the trouble her mouth gets her into. Before she was pulled out of time, she used to be the sidekick of an unpowered PI, and mostly used her powers to hide or stop bullets. Ahmed would be able to teach her finesse.
My instinct is to okay the power stealing, unless someone elses concept centres on power-mimicking. Do you also steal knowledge of how to use these powers? How long do you keep them for? memory stealing too? How under your control is your power?The family question is totally up to you, but those are all great options, especially the first 3.
Again, totally up to you. there won't be a massive amount of crossover, as you're on different coasts/ if you want it to be an adult hero, make one up. If you want it to be a teammate, work it out with them.
Thanks! This should be pretty neat! (I've also changed her name, moving a bit more away from the vampire theme).
I think she'll have a very basic understanding of the power use, but nothing too advanced. I would say she keeps the powers for a scene or two, depending on the power level and the length of contact. Memory stealing is a great idea, and I've worked it into her background below. As far as control goes, I don't think it needs to be completely Rogue-like where it's involuntary, but she actually gains sustenance from other people. If she doesn't absorb energy from someone after a while, she actually starves (and then will lose the control to only siphon a small amount from someone upon contact).
I ended up making her parents pretty despicable, as you'll see. I'm still deciding on where they'll be for the majority of the game, but I think "at large" would be a good option (and give you lots of room to play).
The world sympathizes with a sick child, the Tepes discovered after Valerie was diagnosed with a rare disease that attacked her cellular mitochondria. When the disease confounded local doctors several years ago, Martin and Sonja Tepe explored crowd funding, still in its infancy, to raise money and awareness for their plight. They quickly became enamored of the attention and moderate celebrity, appearing on local talk shows and becoming the topic of various fluff pieces in the media. Valerie became more of an exhibit than a daughter to her parents.
Yet all the donations, fundraisers, and awareness campaigns could not actually cure her, and her health deteriorated. Martin and Sonja became more desperate, taking her anywhere someone would offer up a little bit of fame with an unusual diagnosis. But eventually interest in Valerie's condition waned as the quacks and pseudo-scientific hucksters piled up.
When Valerie turned fourteen and it became evident that she would not see her fifteenth, Dr. Sange arrived out of nowhere, offering a mysterious treatment that would save Valerie's life. He offered no fame, no publicity, only a chance at her continued living. The Tepes had, ultimately, no choice but to accept.
Valerie endured strange treatments, chemical baths, mysterious injections, and esoteric radiation treatments. It was a long, arduous process for her, full of strange sensations, discomfort, and pain.
When the eight-month treatment finally finished, Dr. Sange returned her to her parents, yet she appeared no better. She was gaunt, weak, and anemic, just as before the treatments. Yet, when they invited a childhood friend over for a visit, the moment she touched her, Valerie became instantly better, though Theresa became ill and sickly.
Dr. Sange appeared extremely pleased at this turn of events. Even though Valerie's sudden health began to wane after a few hours, Theresa took weeks to recover. The Tepes were outraged; they couldn't take any fame from Vanessa's unusual recovery if she could only gain vitality by stealing it from others.
When Valerie's parents attempted to confront Dr. Sange, he responded by presenting them a bill for the staggering costs of the treatment. He also quietly demonstrated that he had the resources to ensure that either they paid, or would suffer. It was then that he offered them a means to repay him. After some deliberation, Martin and Sonja Tepe agreed.
* * *
"It's going to be so easy," her mother told her reassuringly. "All you have to do is go with these people to the police station. You touch a few of the police officers, and you'll feel better. They'll go to sleep, and that way, these nice men will be able to recover some property that the police accidentally took. No one will be hurt, and you'll feel so much better." Valerie nodded dutifully as the car door closed. When the vehicle pulled away, she watched her mother and father hugging each other through the window. Then she turned and looked at the men in the car with her. All had been instructed not to touch her skin, so they looked at her uneasily.
Her mother was right. It had been easy, and she felt so much better afterward. She was dropped off by herself near the police station, giving her time to be found by an officer taking a smoke break. Her sickly complexion immediately got his attention and she was brought inside. Then she began to drain the life force from the cops, one by one. By the time she had absorbed half the night shift, she felt great. The men who dropped her off showed up, and she somehow instinctively knew the combination to the evidence locker and let them inside. They emptied the place of drugs, guns and other bits of vital evidence, and Valerie felt well for a whole week.
Dr. Sange came back several times, offering additional debt forgiveness if Valerie would assist various associates of his in the collection of this or that. Valerie would sate herself on security guards, bank employees, computer security chiefs, and others to unlock codes and access restricted areas.
The Tepes prospered. Their debts fully paid, they reaped untold profits by hiring out their daughter to whomever needed access to secrets. They moved from their moderate home in the suburbs to a grand estate in the hills. Living in the lap of luxury, Valerie's parents forced out any remorse for her wrongful acts, continuing to broker her villainous activities for their own profit.
After a little over a year of these clandestine activities, Valerie, going by the code-name of Siphon, went up against her first super-powered individual.
She was brought on to help raid a cargo ship and obtain some black-market weaponry being smuggled in from Santo Elto on behalf of the mysterious Mr. Cane. She was in the process of absorbing the skills and memory of the ship's captain when a costumed do-gooder arrived on scene. In a burst of blue energy, the Azure Avenger appeared, sending the mercenaries scattering. Somehow aware of the smuggled shipment of outlaw hi-tech weapons, he effortlessly knocked around Mr. Cane's goons to keep the shipment out of villainous hands. However, not expecting to see such a young girl with these thugs, Azure didn't react in time to keep Valerie from touching him.
She siphoned off his blue-spectrum powers, incapacitating him and gaining a rudimentary control over Azure's light. Mr. Cane was able to recover most of the weapons, and Valerie sank the ship with the Azure Avenger aboard using his own energy beams. (He got better.)
Suddenly, Siphon was in the big leagues. Her asking price tripled, and that price quadrupled in the days after she had siphoned off one hero's power or another. Any time there was the fear of a super-powered do-gooder who might snoop around, Valerie was called in.
This went on for another year. Valerie was seventeen, and a criminal through and through, thanks to her parents' upbringing and the steady reinforcement by such notable underworld figures as Mr. Cane, Lovelace, and Dr. Cutler. She rarely felt weak, having a near endless supply of people to drain and the occasional superhero.
Then she was tasked with discovering the location of the Codex Maleficus an ancient tome that was lost for centuries. Rumor had it that a seer had enough power to pierce through the cosmos and learn the forgotten and the unknown. She was called Lucidity, and the Cult of the White Demon had kidnapped her, but was unable to get her to divulge what they wanted. So Siphon was called to draw the power from Lucidity and learn what the cult wanted to know.
Siphon entered Lucidity's cell and placed her hands upon her forehead. Drawing the power of true cosmic awareness into her, Siphon saw... everything. The expansion of her consciousness nearly overwhelmed her, but mercifully everything beyond her own life fell away, leaving her to view the pain and suffering she has caused with her powers, and how the path she was on would eventually lead to ruin.
Siphon broke the connection, trying to force away the visions. Lucidity, somehow unaffected by her drain, simply smiled and told her, "That is but one possible future, but made impossible now that you have seen it. You are on a new path. Embrace it." The strange oracle then faded away, leaving a very unhappy cult requiring a refund and reimbursement for the loss of their captive.
Siphon's first true failure was unpleasant. Her parents berated her, and the various villainous organizations began to whisper. Yet despite Valerie's insistence that she'll do better next time and that no one need be concerned, she couldn't help seeing the visions over and over. She realized she never made her own choice, only doing what her parents wanted. Her first thoughts of rebellion began to foment, and soon she decided she wanted to try being on her own. Trying something else. And more importantly, being a hero.
When her next mission involved a group of young heroes, she made her move.
@ Stalwart
I like it, and you even worked your organization in well.
The only thing that I wish was the case is that eventually, Siphon began to enjoy villainy. As is she's more of a villain by circumstance and doing it to keep herself healthy and parents happy.
I'm working on my innocent, but it's taking a bit. Hopefully I'll have something soon.
Cool to see that people like Amir :D And awesome, Miss Moxie, if you're alright with the overlap, then so am I~ Any in-game drama or fun that might arise from it is fine by me.
@CucumberTree
The Nova is a good choice for Time Travel abilities, especially with the Burns/flares. I would have it work like this: you pause, go forward, or go back in time and make a change, but to everyone else, it's as if something suddenly changes or you teleport, etc. I.E. Your powers don't suddenly create a retcon or paradox. This would sort of be like playing a character who has superspeed like The Flash or Quicksilver, with the timey-wimey stuff coming from your Burn and Flares.
'Moat' could be your character slowing down the time of a missile or other threat, so that it comes to a near halt. 'Boost' is manipulating the environment through time travel to help a teammate. 'Construct' is your character producing an object from the past or future (dissolves at the end of the scene, because, well, you have to put it back :P). And 'Elemental awareness' is your character testing or researching something, then going back in time to deliver the knowledge to themselves so they don't have to suffer any consequences ("Yes, it turns out that the door really is booby-trapped!"). So on and so forth.
@Infernal Zero
You can join with whoever you'd like :) You could be Mad Moxie's child, helping Miss Moxie prevent her ebil future. You could be Siphon's twin, with the same disease, and having gone through the same treatment. And if you'd like to be Joined with Amir~~ Then your character can be a sibling/cousin/other relative that doesn't want to move to Pakistan either (the whole family is moving). Amir and them would share the apartment, as their parents push them towards growing up. As for powers, you'd have the same as Amir, "Telekinesis" and "Psychic Constructs", but not necessarily the same Sand Control interpretation. so you could separate the two or turn it into Water/Earth/Fire Control or whatever you'd like.
@Stalwart
Nice read~! I always enjoy reading your work.
I just realised you might potentially call my Nova idea's powerset construct based as well. I mean...his whole skillset revolves around calling things into existence, typically in the form of summoner shenanigans. Come to think, a lot of his almighty power would technically be borrowed, using the abilities of things he called up to enact the effects of many of his flares.
Hmm. I wonder where the similarities between him, Amir and Moxie would be in play.
The reason I didn't consider the likes of Moxie and Siphon possible is that the Joined sheet just doesn't provide options for their playbooks to inform how that works. Of the two, I'd probably be more interested in Siphon, other half wise.
And as for Amir...I wasn't sure how I would fit in? Whether I'd do the idea proper justice? It didn't help that I was seriously mulling over the fact we'd share our doom track and triggers, and as such, pondering a lot over just what the implications might be given the particular doom you have.
I'm definitely more than happy to join with Amir or Siphon, but it would take some working things out either way.
And me to stop overthinking the simultaneous arrival of doom if Amir was my other half. Gaaaaaah.
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The Joined could be the person Mad Moxie betrayed. You'd have a future self and a replacement move.
Maybe a different take on energy projection, or elemental control and we could be smoke and mirrors!
We could be rad together! Totally RAD!!!
@ Stalwart
I like it, and you even worked your organization in well.
The only thing that I wish was the case is that eventually, Siphon began to enjoy villainy. As is she's more of a villain by circumstance and doing it to keep herself healthy and parents happy.
I'm working on my innocent, but it's taking a bit. Hopefully I'll have something soon.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I'm getting pretty excited about the prospects for this game. And inxpitter, I did intend for Siphon to enjoy her villainy. Sorry it didn't come through in the write-up, but yes, she's a villain by circumstance and pressure from her selfish parents. However, she did have fun being bad.