@Yaguar: Looks perfect mate. Great rationale all round.
Stoirm Laird wrote:
Do we all know each other to meet in secret ID at the cafe ?
The cafe is just the rendezvous point - could be Lady Frost has paid the owner to open early/stay late... (night cafe?) and not ask questions. So you can all be there in costume - early morning or late at night.
If you all had shared origin then being in secret/alter IDs would make sense - right now you're a loose affiliation of newly minted heroes who know each other directly/indirectly.
Your first source is from Lady Frost's network and fits the rationale of the scenario - but rest assured I'll be tapping into all the group's backgrounds as the game develops. You'll also come across potential sources to add to a character's network (depending on how you interact with said NPCs).
Also on the subject of campaign content - Golden Heroes traditionally uses the catch-all currency of Golden Pounds or GP...
I give you our version of Golden Pound, a gold Sovereign showing Queen Victoria - draw from it what you will...
No worries - take your time - been patient enough with me folks, so leastways I can return the favour :)
Initial meeting will take place in a London cafe (or "caff" in Londonese) - an East End greasy spoon where Lady Frost's contact'll give us their intel...
You'll also need to start thinking about how you all know each other...
Game will commence in London - where most of you should be operating or at least present in the city (as superheroes) - perhaps you've just moved there, perhaps not.
Lady Frost will be the initial conduit for the opening scenario, so you should have a potential connection to her or be connected to a connection...
Perhaps couple of you have teamed up previously - put your thinking caps on :)
Conscience: ?? She isn't ashamed of her criminal connections/familial ties. She doesn't got out of her way to hide them, but she also doesn't broadcast them to the world. Idk what to rating to give her here. 3 works fine as a kick off
Expression: 4, she's a very public person, despite being wealthy. She's not a 'hide in an ivory tower' sort. I haven't fully decided on the size and status of her family, but there's no bad blood there, and she definitely has a good amount of friends. Agree
Success: 0
Public Response(assuming my Public Status stays as 15): 2
Security: 7-8. Aside from her super powers(which ya know, include some serious toughness), she's wealthy, comes from a respected/feared family, has ties to a gang, etc. She's quite secure in her well-being, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Let's go 7
Current Personal Status Level(pending any adjustments): 13, which I absolutely disagree with, so something's gotta change somewhere. So I'm getting 16 - which is Secure and Normal
She should be at the very least be in the secure range, but probably the confident level. (Yup she is with 16 - she'll be the most balanced out of the group lol)
Even though she has backing 4, she's still maintains her criminal contacts/network. She also isn't above bending the rules, though she does her best to not break them. Unless she *absolutely* has to.
Identification: I'm good with your suggested 3.
Public Relations: 4, maybe 5?
She doesn't 'bend over backwards' per se, but I was thinking she does a lot of charitable work for poor/lower class. Maybe even runs a shelter/soup kitchen or something similar? Given she may use her Shipping Firm as a way to rescue folk or transport those in need or danger - sort of protective trafficking (if that makes sense). So a 4 would work building to a 5 when folk realise how benevolent she is.
I guess you assign us the Practice score, so that stays a 1.
Public Status: That gives her a 15, which isn't great, lol. Unsure about her Heroism being higher though. (Yeah 15 is decent given she's newly minted - easy jump to 16+ after first scenario)
Detective
Methods: 4
She isn't a detective or cop, but she uses her criminal ties pretty extensively along with her general connections and status from her company.
Publicity: 3. I guess this is sorta like practice, where we a get assigned a rating? (Sortof - some characters will court the media while others won't. You all start with 3 but it'll move up or down depending on how much headlines you get (and want).
Approachability: ??
Unsure about this one. It says it should be the same as Identification, but I could see her having a 4 or even a 5. Agree - let's go 4 to sart.
Not only does she have her contacts and such, but she's a fairly notable person, rather attractive, and doesn't go out of her way to be aloof or standoffish.
That said, idk if she would be open about being a hero in her civilian identity, like Stark/Iron Man. Don't know if that would be taken into account here or not. (if she is open about it - then we'd go 5 for Approachability)
Power Use: There's no description for this, so I'm gonna assume 1 for Frost, since none of her powers themselves help with detective work.
Contacts: 10, cuz ya know, she has that ability, lol
Final Detective Points: 21, assuming approachability is equal to Identification. (could be 22 - still means she's a finger on the criminal pulse)
Jack-In-Irons: As a supernatural super-punk with ties to the mining industry would suggest that Jack would have Backing of 2 (local community), Heroism of 2 or 3, Identification of 2 (he's a punk wrapped in chains), PR ??? and Practice 1.
I would agree with Backing 2. He definitely doesn't get on with police. He'd be as likely to fight them as anything.
Heroism 3 seems appropriately average. I think of him as a darker version of early spider-man. The conservative press would think he is a dangerous vigilante. But people on the street would think of him as a sort of dark robin hood figure. He isn't going to catch bank robbers, but he would stop violent muggers. He might defend a working girl who was being attacked by a wealthy client.
2 Seems right for Identification.
As for PR, maybe the system isn't granular enough to do what I'm thinking. I think he is a 4 when it comes to hungry kids, picket lines, little old ladies. He is on the side of the common man, and very much opposed to the system and authority. So he might have bad press.
Practice 1.
Total=11 or 12.
I'd go 4 for PR as its more slanted toward the public - see him showing concern for folk (well most folk - traffic wardens and bank managers are likely to get a chain lashing lol). So total of 12 - which makes sense as many folk (who don't know him) will believe the scurrilous media headlines about him battling coppers or sticking his V's up at authority.
Will play up on that having certain subcultures seeing him as "one of their own" vs a "anarchistic vigilante"
Public Status:
Backing 4 due his background
Heroism 4 because
Identification 3
Public Relations 4
Practice 1
Detective
Methods 3
Publicity 3
Approachability 3
Power Use 1
Contacts 5
Personal Status
Conscience 3
Expression 3
Success rate 0
Public status 3
Security 7. He’s a noble
Like it. Like it alot...
Public Status: 16 - Accepted (would likely make him borderline popular in Bonnie Scotland)
Detective Points: 15 - Relies on Media - makes perfect sense - he's a weather warrior no a gumshoe!
Personal Status: 16 - Secure - again makes sense. Likely the most balanced out of the group lol.
What did you think on the kilted look? Too on point or still awesome?
Sysgofd: Like Whiteface our Welsh Sci-Shadow isn't the most approachable - but he isn't lacking in heroism... Backing ??, Heroism 3... Identification likely a 2 (cloaked in shadow with a bionic arm), PR 3 (?) and Practice 1.
Revamped his logo - like this one more, and same portrait that you loved. Managed to isolate his cybernetic arm more.
@All: Really good way for us to pick through the characters - work out what makes them tick and tweak any power arrays should we see fit. Open forum - interested to see what you all come up with - my suggested ratings are just what struck me at first read-through.
@All 2: Updated the Campaign tab with some more setting info and links to some existing Extranormals of note. Hopefully the fun I'm having world-building is coming across in the glimpses I'm showcasing in content and images.
Whiteface: Think our emponomous Jester of Justice is an anomaly here as for Backing he's likely got a 1 (?), Heroism could be 1-3, Identification is likely a 1 or 2... Public Relations could be anything lol and for Practice I'm going to let him have a 2 (as he's taken down Lord Ramsbottom's burgeoning crime-ring)
As you'll see by his portrait i've tweaked his appearance - given him proper juggling clubs and made his costume patchwork - like he's put it back together (much like himself). The clock belt-buckle is a weird one lol - no idea where that came from...
Finally we have PERSONAL STATUS: Which is a measure of how happy a character is with their prowess as a Superhero; how well adjusted they are to their role in life; and so on.
CONSCIENCE: Has the character ever done anything of which they are ashamed? Is there anything in their life that they do not want others to know?
CONSCIENCE Ratings:
1 Real skeleton in the cupboard
2 Minor secret
3 Average
4 Nothing to be ashamed of
5 Pure as the driven snow
INITIAL RATING: Unless anything in the character's Rationale indicates otherwise, most characters will start with a Conscience Rating of 3.
EXPRESSION: How good is the character at letting their hair down and getting all their worries off their chest? Do they have any friends or family to confide in? Do they bottle up their feelings? Are they lonely?
EXPRESSION Ratings:
1 Total hermit with no friends or relatives
2 Secluded introvert
3 Average
4 Out-going with plenty of close friends and relatives
5 Totally well-adjusted
INITIAL RATING: Most characters will begin with a rating of 3 for Expression. However, in certain circumstances this may vary depending upon the Rationale and Background of the character. For example, if the character's Background states that they are an orphan, then they would begin with a rating of 2.
SUCCESS RATE: This is a reflection of how successful the character is crime-fighting activities.
SUCCESS RATE RATING:
This rating can range from O to 5 since it is simply the number of scenarios, out of the last five that the character took in which they could be said to have succeeded.
INITIAL RATING: A character's Success Rating will always start at O, since they have not yet completed any scenarios.
PUBLIC RESPONSE: This reflects the effect on a character of the public's reaction to them. Consequently, this depends almost entirely on the character's Public Status Level.
PUBLIC RESPONSE RATINGS:
1 Public Status of 5-10: spat on and vilified
2 Public Status of 11-15: mistrusted
3 Public Status of 16-20: average
4 Public Status of 21-25: popular
5 Public Status of 26-30: cheered wildly
INITIAL RATING: The character's initial rating will be the rating
that corresponds to their Public Status Level.
SECURITY: This is the most important aspect of a character's Personal Status and is rated from 1-10. It is a reflection of their mental state. How secure do they feel?
SECURITY RATINGS:
1 Paranoid/fatalist
2 Extremely nervous and insecure
3 Pessimist
4 Why does everything always happen to me?
5 Average
6 Always looks on the bright side
7 Quiet confidence
8 Optimist
9 Very confident
10 Total self-confidence, no harm can befall me!
INITIAL RATING: Most characters will begin with a rating of 5 for
Security.
FINAL PERSONAL STATUS: Once all five areas have been rated, the five ratings are added together to give a total ranging from 5-30 for the character's Personal Status and its effects are detailed below:
PERSONAL STATUS LEVEL:
Status | State of Mind | Effect on Character
5-10 | Jinxed | Private life a mess; loses 2 DUPs per scenario for moping, etc; Resource Level drops; Critical Miss on 1 or 2 (see Combat)
11-15 | Uncertain | Private life unstable; cannot rise in Resource Levels
16-20 | Secure | Normal
21-25 | Confident | Private life enjoyable; Resource Levels increase; Ego value +1 vs. Mental Attacks per point above 20 to a maximum of +5
26-29 | Total Confidence | For every point above 25 the character gets 1 Hero Point
30 | Egomaniac |
Note: The benefits are cumulative. For example a character with a Personal Status of 28 gains +5 vs. Mental Attacks and the 3 Hero Points.
HERO POINTS: Hero Points may be added to or subtracted from any die roll that the character or an opponent has just made, at the player's discretion. Each Hero Point may only be used once per scenario. Thus a character with a Personal Status of 29 and therefore 4 Hero Points could affect four die rolls by +1 or -1; one die roll by +4 or -4; or any combination in between reflects the ability of a true comic-book hero to perform heroic acts because of their faith in what they are doing.
Again much of the above will be driven by previous scores and also how you see the personal/mental state of play of your PC.
These are a measure of how good the character is at investigating crimes, following up on leads, and so on. The more Detective Points a character has, the more likely they are to discover the vital piece of information which will lead to the secret hide-outs of Supervillains, etc.
The five different areas to be evaluated are:
METHODS This reflects how the character goes about discovering information in the solving of crimes during a scenario.
METHODS Ratings:
1 Makes no effort in this area.
2 Occasionally looks for clues, questions witnesses, etc.
3 Average
4 Conscientiously searches for clues, questions witnesses, etc.
5 Does everything possible
INITIAL RATING: All characters should start with a rating of 3
for Methods. However, there may be the odd character whose secret identity is that of a private detective, or they may have been an ex-police detective, in which case you may give them an initial rating of 4 to reflect their experience in this field.
PUBLICITY: This is a reflection of how much attention the media pay to the character. The more the newshounds are following a character, the less likely that character is going to be to work secretly in detecting villains. This is also one that will fluctuate depending on tabloid coverage and what the current slant or sensationalism is
PUBLICITY Ratings:
1 Every action receives a blaze of publicity
2 Regularly reported in the news
3 Average
4 Only mentioned in exceptional
circumstances
5 Totally unknown
INITIAL RATING: All characters start with a rating of 3 for Publicity.
APPROACHABILITY: This is a measure of how likely people with titbits of information are to offer them to the character. The more normal and human the character appears and the more accessible are, the more likely they are to receive information.
APPROACHABILITY Ratings:
1 Shunned by everyone and difficult to contact
2 Occasionally approached by desperate individuals
3 Average
4 Receives fairly steady supply of information
5 Gets hot tips from all over the place and can be easily contacted
INITIAL RATING: Since this rating depends to a large extent on the character’s Public Identification Rating, it should start at the same that rating.
POWER USE: Does the character have any superpowers that would be useful in detective work?.
POWER USE Ratings:
You must rate your character from 1-5 by assessing the usefulness of their powers in this area. Typically useful powers would be Disguise (see Skills), Information spell (see Magic), Heightened Senses, Shapechange, etc.
INITIAL RATING: The initial rating should reflect any powers that are inherently of natural benefit in detecting, not those which the character must deliberately make an effort to use; for example, Unconscious Probability Manipulation, or Heightened Sense rather than Disguise Skill or an Information spell. Most characters will therefore start with a low Power Use Rating.
CONTACTS: This is the most important factor in solving crimes. The more Contacts a character has, the more likely they are to get relevant information and to know whom to go to for it.
CONTACTS Ratings:
1 No contacts whatsoever
2 Occasionally gets minor tips from one unreliable source
3 Few minor contacts of variable degrees of reliability
4 Few reliable minor sources
5 Average - Several reliable sources of minor information
6 Sources for almost all minor information and occasional major source
7 Complete sources for minor information and several major contacts of varying reliability
8 Several reliable major sources
9 Many reliable major contacts within authorities or criminal world
10 Has a total 'in' with either authorities or criminal world
INITIAL RATING: Most characters will start with a rating of 3-5 depending of their Rationale. Having a criminal past does not necessarily guarantee any reliable contacts.
FINAL DETECTIVE POINTS: Once all five areas have been rated, the five ratings are added together to give a total ranging from 5-30 for the character's Detective Points. You will use this rating as a guide to how likely a character is to recognise or know of villains and Thugs, how likely they will be able to trace their hideout etc...
FINAL DETECTIVE POINTS Rating:
Rating | Standing | Effect
5-10 | Streets? | Waits for villains to come to them
11-15 | Above it all | Depends on the media for information
16-20 | Average | Follows up the odd lead
21-25 | Worldly | Usually know what's going on in the underworld
26-29 | Streetwise | Usually one step ahead
30 | One of the gang | Knows who’s who and what’s what in the underworld
Now if we end up with a 4 or 5 only then might revisit this and allow some of you tweaks if you want to be more street-based in terms of powers and skills. Again we're at the early stages so happy to be flexible :)
Tied in my version of his look with Spikes Harvey Rotten from Judge Dredd a little - as I'm an old school 2000AD fan. UK Coal patch is a nod to what he stands for (common man and common justice) - wrapped the chains on him and the logo alot more - kept your original colour scheme.
Benjamin Farn/Yaguar?: Backing 3 (presuming as ex-military he has a respect of sorts for authority), Heroism 1 or 2 - depends how you see him operating... but he has claws and hunts (literally) criminals... Identification is probably a 2 or 3, PR ???? and Practice 1.
I've refined his look a little and given him golden claws - ties in with Aztec myth ascetics a little more (and is more "heroic") Not sure on his final codename so held off on his comic logo. Jaguar? Yaguar (original spelling of word meaning "he who kills with one leap" which I think is really cool :)
Lady Frost: Guess she is probably the most manistream superheroic of the group, albeit she's an ex-criminal lol. Lady Frost's Backing would be 3 or even 4 (depends if she's an "official" rep or hero of her Shipping Company? If latter she'd have 4 rating. Heroism would also be 3 or even a 4. Identification 3, PR ???? and Practice 1. Lady Frost is likely shaping up as the "face" of the team (again ironic given she's a former criminal...)
Not done much changes with her look MG - just tweaked her expression to have a little iciness and made frost/cold forming on her hands more jagged and icicle like.
Stoirm Laird: Heroism is 3 at very least. He's an armoured Highlander - so could be a 4 (but I'm bias lol). Heroism would be 3 or even a 4, while Identification would be 3 (maybe 2?). PR ??? and Practice a 1.
Not much change her also Jubal - although I added a kilt to his look... might be too OTT? Be interesting to see what tartan he wears...
So from above have a review and see what you reckon. Public Relations will be very much based on how you all plan to interact - haven't guessed there although 2-4 would be the gamut we're likely to sit in.
Excellent - right, on with first order of business then...
PUBLIC STATUS This is a measure of how popular the character is with the general public, how likely the authorities are to co-operate with the character, etc.(this is something I will be drawing upon when you all encounter & interact with non-Extranormals.
The five different areas you must evaluate are:
BACKING If the character is known to have the backing of the government or some large and respected commercial organisation, they are more likely to be accepted and trusted by the populace.
BACKING Ratings:
1 No backing
2 Backing of local community group/authority
3 Known to get on with police, etc
4 Full backing of police, government department or large and respected commercial organisation
5 Known to operate with complete government approval
INITIAL RATING: Initially, most characters are presumed to have ventured onto the streets as a Superhero and will be known to the authorities. Therefore each character will usually start with a rating in
this area of 3. However Background & Rationale might change this +/-
HEROISM This is a measure of how close the character comes to the 'heroic' ideal as enshrined in the comic books.
HEROISM Ratings:
1 Anti-hero
2 Vigilante
3 Slightly suspect
4 Regular Hero
5 A real goody two shoes
INITIAL RATING: Most characters will usually start with a
Heroism rating some of 3. In some instances, depending on the character's Background and Rationale or your Campaign setting, this may vary.
IDENTIFICATION This represents to what degree the public identify with the character.
IDENTIFICATION Ratings:
1 Obviously not human (alien, mutant or android)
2 'Different'
3 Average
4 'One of the gang'
5 The person-next-door
INITIAL RATING: If the character is basically a 'normal' person, that is their Superpowers are primarily enhanced Attributes such as Superstrength or their powers are bestowed by special equipment, then they start with a Public Identification Rating of 3. However, if the Rationale of the character is such that they are obviously, or are known to be, a mutant or alien, or their powers are such that they might appear to be startlingly non-human they would start with a Public identification rating of 2 or even 1.
PUBLIC RELATIONS This reflects the effort the character puts into making the public feel at ease. Does the character help old ladies across the street; visit schools to give lectures on road safety; etc?
PUBLIC RELATIONS Ratings:
1 Hates the public and makes it obvious
2 Ignores the public altogether
3 Stand offish
4 Shows general concern for the public
5 Bends over backwards to give the right impression
INITIAL RATIN: Virtually all characters start with a Public Relations Rating of 3. This may vary slightly in rare instances as this rating depends almost entirely on how the player role-plays the character and how they allocate the character's DUPs during the Campaign.
PRACTICE This is the most important aspect of Public Status. Every adventure must have a Practice value from 1 to 10 assigned to it by the SUPERVisor. The Practice value reflects the difficulty of that adventure but you can modify this after the scenario to reflect how likely the public would be to hear about it depending on exactly how the scenario went. The adventure might span one or more scenarios.
PRACTICE Ratings:
1O Saving the world
9 Saving the nation
8 Saving the city
7 Confrontation with a major Supervillain and supporting team of Supervillains
6 Confrontation with a major Supervillain or a team of Supervillains
5 Confrontation with Supervillain or team of minor Supervillains
4 Confrontation with a minor Supervillain or team of organised terrorists or mercenaries
3 Riot, fire or other major disaster or a confrontation with a Thug-like Supervillain
2 Minor crime or confrontation with Thugs
1 The hero makes an appearance
INITIAL RATING: As stated in the section on Backing, it is assumed that the character has already appeared on the streets and tackled a few hoodlums becoming known to the police and public. Thus all characters start with Practice Rating of 1.
FINAL PUBLIC STATUS
[i]Once all five areas have been rated, the five Ratings are added together to give a total ranging from 5-30 for the character's Public
Status. The public's reaction to the character and the effect in game terms is indicated by the Public Status Level and corresponding reactions below.
PUBLIC STATUS LEVEL:
5-10 Who?
11-15 Disliked/Resented
16-20 Accepted/tolerated
21-25 Popular
26-29 National Figure
30 Legendary
No worries mate - am uber busy so pause button on the finishing of the character gens. Will get up to speed just work and family visitors are monopolising my time at the moment.
Might be closer to the weekend before i get some breathing space lads - summer shutdown season is upon me here in the North Sea and I've just kicked off our involvement in an 8 well P&A (Plug and Abandonment) campaign that'll see me and my team through to end of Sep.
Needless to say work is kicking my hairy arse but I'll get back on it once I clear my feet. Your collective patience is hugely appreciated.
You can start with 8 with Rich Advantageous Background.
Cool - I'll get a bunch more Campaign Ratings stuff posted through the weekend. Work's kicked up a notch at the moment with a big offshore campaign we're involved in (I'm in Oil & Gas Operations) so time's been stymied somewhat.
@Jack: I like that... He's probably on the dole (Social Security) but doing "cashers" to top up his coin and live hand-to-mouth.
Characters can raise enough funds to operate at a level of one higher than normal for a one off transaction, i.e., they cash some bonds, take time job, pawn something valuable, or work overtime, etc. When doing so the character must devote 1 DUP (Day Utility Phase) each time.
The type of life the character leads obviously depends upon Financial Resource Level. The table below gives the clothes, dwelling place,
communications and transportation characters with the appropriate Financial Resource Level naturally have available to them. They represent the things the character already has. A character also has access to all aspects of lower Financial Resource Levels.
In some instances, a character may have a life-style that reflects a different Financial Resource Level since it is from the job, for example, rather than from the character’s pocket. In these instances, you should allocate the character a Financial Resource Level and a Life-Style Resource level.
Level 1: Gutter or Doss House/Foot/Grapevine/Rags or Charity Shop
Level 2: Hostel/Public Transport/Letters/What they stand up in
Level 3: Shared Rented Room/Bicycle/All Postal Services/Cheap working clothes
Level 4: Own Rented Room/Moped or Scooter/Public Telephone/Casual Suits or clothing
Level 5: Rented Flat or Council House/Motorbike or Second Hand Car/Private Telephone/Off-the-peg suits or clothing
Level 6: Private Flat or Small House/Average new car or taxis/International Telephone/Superior suits or clothing
Level 7: Large Private House/Limousine/Telex/Tailored suits or clothing
Level 8: Late Private Town House/Chauffer-Driven Limo/Standard with scrambler/Specially designed clothing
Level 9: Mansion/Private Jet/Private with scrambler/Haute Couture
Level 10: Private Estate(s)/Private Yacht, Helicopter etc/Private Satellite system/Personal designer or tailor
[FINANCIAL RESOURCE LEVEL REPAIRS/REPLACEMENTS TO GEAR]
Level 3: Costume rips
Level 4: New Costume
Level 5: Ammunition replacements
Level 6: Equipment renovation
Level 7: Repairs to special vehicle
Level 8: Replacement special vehicle
Level 9: Repair to special building
Level 10: Replacement special building
Characters can hire one-off usage of Material resource levels at two levels lower than their current Financial Resource level (or one level lower if they devote a DUP to raising additional resources) if they know how to use the equipment. If they do not know how to use the equipment, they must also hire technical support. This will reduce the level of Material resources they can afford by one.
For other items characters require, just set a Financial Resource level needed to use it and see if the individual character can afford to use
it.
This essentially is what equipment a character can afford to buy to supplement their starting equipment, what sort of medical care they can afford, whether they can afford to repair damaged equipment, and so on... all of this is determined by their Financial Resources level.
A character's Financial Resource Level is rated on a scale of 1-10.
Initially, you should determine the Financial Resource Level for each individual character. Some characters will have had their initial
Financial Resource Level specified by an Advantageous Background. To rate other characters, simply use the character's Background and Rationale as detailed by the player to determine the character's Financial Resource Level from the table below. For example, if the character were a student, he/she would be Level 2 or 3. If they had held a steady job for some years, they might be Level 4 or 5. However, no character should start with a rating higher than 5 (which itself should be rare) - unless they had an Advantageous Background...
[FINANCIAL RESOURCE LEVEL]
Level 1: Starving - always in debt. You could be destitute or penniless.
Level 2: On the breadline. You barely make ends meet and have little or no spare finances for items beyond the bare essentials. Social support is your lifeline.
Level 3: Marginal. You manage to live on a tight budget and rely on the social system support.
Level 4: Average. You're one of the lower classes - have an income but only enjoy luxuries on special occasions.
Level 5: Comfortable. You have a steady income and can plan for savings or outlays.
Level 6: Well-to-do. You have a income that allows you afford luxuries on a regular basis.
Level 7: Eminent. Your wealth is considerable and you want for little.
Level 8: You enjoy the finer things in life, in every aspect of your life.
Level 9: Your wealth is renowned and you lifestyle reflects this.
Level 10: Tycoon. You are immensely wealthy and powerful person in your chosen circles.
In a Campaign, further attributes and characteristics must be determined for each character to flesh them out. The following covers additional
material ranging from a character's Financial Resources to the refinement of existing Superpowers or the development of new ones.
The characters must be rated by you in these additional areas for playing a Campaign. Guidelines are given for initially assessing the rating for a character. Thereafter, the ratings will fluctuate from scenario to scenario during the Campaign and the ratings will be reassessed the ratings for each character at the start of each scenario taking account of the circumstances of the particular scenario, how the player has been playing the character, whether the player has devoted any DUPs or made an effort to improve a rating, whether they have done enough to maintain a rating, etc, and inform the player of any changes to their Ratings and any other effects, such as Hero Points and a drop in their Finances, etc.
These Campaign Ratings are important since they affect the development of the individual characters. Most of them can be increased or decreased depending on the characters performance, but, equally, they are influenced by events outside the player's control.
Consequently, it will be my role as SUPERVisor to ensure that while your Superheroes are out saving the world, events in their private lives are still continuing apace. A parent might be killed in a car crash, someone might uncover a secret in the character's past, or a someone disguised as one of the PCs might appear in public and commit a small crime in an attempt to blacken the character's name and reputation.
"Oh, Superman, where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow?
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour!"- Land of Confusion, Genesis
Hey All - work and RL have snuck up on me this week with bunch of stuff landing in my lap.
Will have a good look at the game thread situation over the weekend and may have to untether this thread and link to new game thread... see how that plays out.
Once I get that up and running we'll be better placed.
Meantime we can start working on your Campaign Ratings if the PC crunch is all done and dusted.
I'll get something up on this on the morrow.
@ST: All might not be lost... perhaps View has yet to come out :D
Et Al. Will give it another day or so for the Tech Goblins to fix the game thread. If naught happens I'll untether this discussion and recruitment from the current campaign page and set a new one up (and reconnect)... Hopefully that'll work...
1d100 ⇒ 85 Vigour +1d6 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 (Yep makes sense)
1d100 ⇒ 19 Energy attack Type: 1d10 ⇒ 3 (electricity) Cool
1d100 ⇒ 100 Player's choice = energy attack grade+1 Yep
1d100 ⇒ 35 Growth (Strength+1d6 ⇒ 5; vigour+1d6 ⇒ 5) Nice - change of power
1d100 ⇒ 78 Teleportation Movement ability. Check.
1d100 ⇒ 100 Player's choice = energy attack grade +1 Nice - you'll need a gimmick. Was going to suggest Manifestations - he can "charge" his fists or feet with a portion of his voltage to deliver an contact attack that does +1 or 2d6 of his Energy points?
1d100 ⇒ 51 Martial arts 1d6 ⇒ 1 (martial arts) As i touched on previously there's enough Martial Artists in the group so would prefer if you dropped this. Worth considering Energy immunity (Electricity)? Makes sense and you can pick this as an option with Energy immunity 2+...
Have a think on what fits - have a villain I'd also like to tie you in with.
Free Advantageous Background!
Perhaps Previous Training - Ego +2? This could be down to meditation or therapy he completed to manage his new state?
Answers to Benjamin/Jaguar:
You multiply your original speed - so 7m x 19 (STR) = Up to 133m in a round... not too shabby at all :)
So if you charge in (using Speed while on the ground) you'd gain +4 damage mod. Leaping into combat you gain +2 damage mod. So different attack "modes" if you like for him, both netting a damage mod.
No problem with you subbing Claw damage in lieu of the normal hand/foot damage at the end of a charge or leap.
Remember you'd choose where to add the damage mods; could be his leaping claw is 2d6+2HTK, 1d6HTC, while his charge could be 2d6HTK & 1d6+4HTC.
In both cases you'd still need to spend 1 full frame recovering after the attack.
BD, you will have to inform based on the setting, real history, altered history.
I'm thinking Jack-in-Irons is young, like Peter Parker young. 16 or 17. His father was a striking miner, maybe a labor leader. The old man was killed by police in a "riot" or maybe just disappeared by the police.
His mom had cancer and died due to Thatcher cutbacks in public health. I don't know if any of this is quite right for the history and government. You obviously know why this is supposed to resonate.
Jack Redding was evading police after something went wrong at a protest. He ran into a dead end alley, run-climbing up the wall to a fire escape. But he loses his grip on the old iron, falling back to the street. The cobbles give way, and he tumbles into darkness, into an ancient dungeon of Newgate prison.
Wrapped in darkness, bones broken, Jack hears the voices of all of those lost spirits unjustly imprisoned and even executed in the 600 years of the prison's existence. Chains and shackles wrapped around him. The spirits knitted him back together, matching their rage with his.
So i pushed your illustration through the AI sausage machine, then spent more time that I care to disclose fine tuning... got this in the end:
And also came up with couple of versions of your logo:
JIC Logo 1Bit punky with graffiti style and the chains all around...
JIC Logo 2More McFarlane/Spawn/Cenobites vibe. But I guess he is a "horror" character of sorts
Jack-In-Irons:
Looking at his Powers I count 6 allocated with you only taking Pugilism 1 (which I think fits him well - he's a street brawler rather than a seasoned boxer or fighter). Based on his origin I'd suggest Health 1: Regeneration or Fast Recovery?
I love a lot about this.. Cyborg Thatcher, Musical references etc..
But THIS has me extra intrigued
Quote:
[7]: Recently appointed General Secretary Gorbachev has made overtures that an era of Glasnost (“openness”) with the West is something he wishes to pursue. However critics have suggested that the emphasis of the Cold War will merely shift to svéhnormal’nyj (supernormal) tensions.
Could be interesting to see some Soviet supers visit on a 'good will tour'
I zay nichego :)
Brings to mind the Rocky IV quote when the Russian spokesman is talking about Drago:
'As you can see, it highly advanced state of the art equipment and makes a man into a better man, a super, a great athlete into super athlete by harnessing all his strength. Most of the world is ignorant to body chemistry, we wish to educate your country."
Have populated the Campaign Tab with setting info and some morsels of plots to come...
I'll be putting a bunch of material in there over the coming week - idea is to kick off gameplay in a week or so (depending on if gameplay thread is activated by the Tech Goblins) - if not I'll create a new campaign and link this discussion thread to it - have held off trying this incase it all goes "Pete Tong"... so if anyone's tried it successfully before let me know :)
Anyhoo - have a read - look forward to hearing what you think!
@MG: Looks good :) - prefer aliases to be your superhero persona please.
Re: Format nothing preferred. Right now just capture all the pertinent info (re: crunch) for your character and some background/origin info.
Some rough notes on what you'd like to develop would be useful, but we've time to get that nailed down.
Let me also have a play around on a sheet layout and I'll see what makes most sense for me/you guys.
@All: Am working on some campaign notes that I'll start to populate in the Campaign Tab.
Haven't heard back from Crimson_King so might be we're down to 6 in the group - will keep the slot open as I know RL can stymie folk.
Have also got a bunch of non-Golden Heroes material that I'm converting (short adventures/encounters etc - mainly from 3PP for Villains & Vigilantes + M&M) - once I get them all nailed down we'll have a firm plan to kick off the game.
BD, you will have to inform based on the setting, real history, altered history.
I'm thinking Jack-in-Irons is young, like Peter Parker young. 16 or 17. His father was a striking miner, maybe a labor leader. The old man was killed by police in a "riot" or maybe just disappeared by the police.
His mom had cancer and died due to Thatcher cutbacks in public health. I don't know if any of this is quite right for the history and government. You obviously know why this is supposed to resonate.
Jack Redding was evading police after something went wrong at a protest. He ran into a dead end alley, run-climbing up the wall to a fire escape. But he loses his grip on the old iron, falling back to the street. The cobbles give way, and he tumbles into darkness, into an ancient dungeon of Newgate prison.
Wrapped in darkness, bones broken, Jack hears the voices of all of those lost spirits unjustly imprisoned and even executed in the 600 years of the prison's existence. Chains and shackles wrapped around him. The spirits knitted him back together, matching their rage with his.
Hey ST - that totally works. Father is a striking miner - perhaps picket leader (was "supervisor" to the strikers picket lines - who we're heavily targetted by police under Thatcher's iron hand.
Thatcher sought to privatise the NHS (National Health Service) and cuts/bills were really there to hit the poor or those who had saved to enjoy retirement. The fat cats stayed fat.
Mother dying of cancer whilst social care was hit would have had made sense. Young Jack would have likely had to look after her while his Da was on the picket lines. Makes for a heady cocktail of youthful rage and quest for social justice - really like that.
Demonstrations were often just broken up by police with heavy handed verve. Back in the 80s you were just as likely to get pulled into a van (Black Maria - a paddy wagon) and given a "do'ing" to teach you a lesson. So Jack running also makes perfect sense.
Brilliant origin - very on brand for this game mate.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Any pro-wrestling reference gets full marks from me :)
Lady Frost works nicely. Nice to have a female character in the ranks. The gang you mentioned I believe is the Forty Elephants who feature in the Disney+ series A Thousand Blows. yeah bit before our time (last active in the 50s) but we're also rewriting history with Maggie Thatcher as a cold, unemotional cyborg (hang on a minute...) so we've open house so have a female gang still be active.
My brother and I are huge pro wrestling fans, and he's actually a referee on the independent scene(semi retired due to bad shoulder injury). His most famous claim to fame is probably being the 3rd man between Rey Mysterio Jr and Amazing Red in a match honoring Eddie Guerrero, though he also ref'd a match between AJ Styles and Ricochet for the House of Glory world title.
Amazing. Yeah I'm a pro-wrestling mark also. One of my best buddies grew up around Kevin Sullivan in Boston and knew him well - has some great stories! kudos to your bro - that's an awesome anecdote!
And yes, the Forty Elephants were indeed who I were thinking of! I'm gonna do a lore dive into them(and likely watch that series, lol) tonight, and see if I can't get some inspiration.
Out of curiosity, how cool(ha!) are you with altering history a little bit, solely for awesome backstory purposes(though, I suppose my idea could have possible impacts on the actual gameplay if we encountered the right people, lol)??
Fine with that - let me know what your thinking incase it has any implications
@MG: Here's a first pass at a concept piece for Lady Frost - little bit of Eva Green, meets Torrie Wilson drawn by Marc Silvestri lol.
Now some of the rationale comes from the notion that there is another cold based villain in our world - Frosturm - a Swiss cryo-scientist whose a jobbing bad-guy. He does however create some decent freeze-tech - perhaps during a crime your character worked briefly with him (was inspired enough by his equipment to raid his safehouse when the job went sour - perhaps he betrayed your gang?) Anyhoo... the gloves and harness were some of his prototypes which you took as "reparations" - your natural agility and health meant you alone could wear them without experiencing torpor side-effect, and they allow you to blast/ice up your skin...
If above works - we could change Energy Attack 1 and Tough Skin 1 to Cybernetics 2 [Power Simulator for the these powers]. Advantage of device s over innate means a Brilliant Scientist can modify or improve them... Food for thought.
If I'm way off base let me know - as we'd still need to think why she's gone "good" :)
Edit 2: Have also done Lady Frost in a more traditional, yet with slight villainous undertones (in a Frank Quitely style). She looks heroic but her expression is one is disdain and superiority... "Kneel before Frost!"
Right gang - let's look to get profiles up and running (for those who have not got one yet) this week and powers firmed up - so I have a broad overview of the group's capabilities.
We can continue with our background chats and I'll also start tying in characters to the wider vista we'll be operating in (links to organisations/NPCs/Villains etc).
Loving the group thusfar :) - interestingly though no female characters at all... (which is fine but am a little surprised at).
Ya know what, I can make my PC a female. Nothing about my character screams male or female to me, so I'm cool with playin a woman.
In fact, if memory serves me right, there was(possibly long before game start, I forget), a rather badass, violent and infamous all female gang in the UK at one point. Perhaps I have some ties there?
And, in keeping with the theme, I'll borrow the name of an awesome ice themed pro wrestler: Lady Frost
Yes! Yes! Yes! Any pro-wrestling reference gets full marks from me :)
Lady Frost works nicely. Nice to have a female character in the ranks. The gang you mentioned I believe is the Forty Elephants who feature in the Disney+ series A Thousand Blows. yeah bit before our time (last active in the 50s) but we're also rewriting history with Maggie Thatcher as a cold, unemotional cyborg (hang on a minute...) so we've open house so have a female gang still be active.
Also mocked up our crimefighting clown: Whiteface(Would like him more "grubby" looking... in my mind's eye see him as Joker meets Rorschach meets Jack-In-The-Box - decent start I hope tho - see what Ridge reckons of course :)
I like it! I'm sorry I haven't been as responsive as I should have been this weekend, we had a guest over and I'm a bit scrambled of wits and time :)
I can tell you I imagine any hair he has is probably a wig or even part of his cap as I keep picturing it as burned clean by the accident that transformed him. Torn on Grubby looking versus 'Classy faux court garb'... the latter fits his heritage more, but the former might fit the 80s during hard times vibe.
Also, I am thinking maybe you're right and I might drop the Psi powers anyway.
RL is RL mate - we'll tick along nicely til you have time.
I've done a revised version of Whiteface (in a Brian Bolland style) - came out even creepier lol, but I like the battered leather coat with old blood stains on it vs the garish clown costume.
- tipping the nod more to his medieval Jester of Justice moniker and less scary clown tropes. Bit more "superheroey" and much more clownlike that some of the previous "serial killer vibes" lol. Ultimately let me know what's ticking your boxes and what's not :)
Right gang - let's look to get profiles up and running (for those who have not got one yet) this week and powers firmed up - so I have a broad overview of the group's capabilities.
We can continue with our background chats and I'll also start tying in characters to the wider vista we'll be operating in (links to organisations/NPCs/Villains etc).
Loving the group thusfar :) - interestingly though no female characters at all... (which is fine but am a little surprised at).
I think I would prefer Intuition. I put it in my background as the God whispering warnings. So I will stick with that and drop the heightened senses.
Cool - nice rationale and works perfectly. His Heightened Senses may develop as the campaign unfolds ;)
@Oceanshieldwolf: Hah! Great (some would say madcap...) minds think alike - had some plans relating to Ol' Jack-in-Irons - but a link (pardon the pun) to Gyve works well also.
Also mocked up our crimefighting clown: Whiteface(Would like him more "grubby" looking... in my mind's eye see him as Joker meets Rorschach meets Jack-In-The-Box - decent start I hope tho - see what Ridge reckons of course :)
I like it! I'm sorry I haven't been as responsive as I should have been this weekend, we had a guest over and I'm a bit scrambled of wits and time :)
I can tell you I imagine any hair he has is probably a wig or even part of his cap as I keep picturing it as burned clean by the accident that transformed him. Torn on Grubby looking versus 'Classy faux court garb'... the latter fits his heritage more, but the former might fit the 80s during hard times vibe.
Also, I am thinking maybe you're right and I might drop the Psi powers anyway.
RL is RL mate - we'll tick along nicely til you have time.
I've done a revised version of Whiteface (in a Brian Bolland style) - came out even creepier lol, but I like the battered leather coat with old blood stains on it vs the garish clown costume.
Tough Skin 1 & Agility 1: Nice counterpoint to each. You have a decent dodge but can take a lickin' (which is handy)...
Vigour 1: Also damned handy - he's tough but recovers well and can soak up what he's hit with.
Energy Attack 1 [Ice/Cold]: Again - very nice offensive power. It messes with folks Damage Dividers (Energy Attack reduces them by -2). So he's got the other side of the ball sorted also.
Blast folk, keep out of harms way, when it lands shrug it off and blast repeat.
Advantageous Backgrounds:
Contacts: Criminal - keep - no-one else in the group has it and its damned handy. Does he still have a cold hand in the criminal underworld? What was his role? Boss? Capo? Assassin? Fixer? Advisor? Or does he come from a criminal family or his best bud is a crim? Have a think on where this connection is and what it means to him now.
Position of Power - Need to think on what this is. Again could be he still has a role in the criminal world, but that would be at odds with what the group are trying to do. He has aides and a decent financial level. Perhaps living off his ill-gotten gains?? Maybe he's went legit and has his own company or consults for someone... This one is a little more tough to work in cleanly, but I'm sure you'll come up with something creative.
Previous Training: +2 to one ability or +1 to two. Bumping DEX to 18 makes most sense here.
And that's his 7 Power Rolls. Plenty to work with.
Nothing about him suggests tech or inventor. More likely a mutant or supernatural?
Initial thoughts? Perhaps you hail form an overseas part of the British Commonwealth - like Hong Kong? He was involved with Triad gangsters over there and since 1984 when UK signed a pact to secede Hong Kong to China the UK allowed Hong Kong citizens the right to apply to become fully nationalised British citizens. Perhaps you've been sent over to "escape" the life of Triad culture?
Conversely you're someone whose used their ill-gotten gains to go legit or perhaps work as an expensive defence lawyer (hence the Criminal Contacts) - just you use the "insider" knowledge you get to exact revenge as your alter-ego?
Perhaps your an accountant/finance advisor who invests (helps to launder) money for criminal organisations all the while collating dossiers on them - again using the Enemy of my Enemy mantra?? Dunno - just spitballing :)
@Benjamin Farn/Malinor: Intuition also has the whole "right hunch" add-on while to me Animal Senses is more apt and variable (thinking the amount of times Wolverine sniffed out a rat or an ambush o'er the years).
@Ridge: Cool. Might see what I can come up with that's more apt. Could be he keeps his costume clean and tidy - pretty much the only thing he does lol. For some reason I just see him as a full time vigilante - like you said in his origin - sleeping in late and fighting crime with a happy smile by night. Up to you on the powers - Psi does give him something different but does it fit? Still think Unconscious Probability is very slapstick and apt.
@MG: Yeah am happy to delve in mate - guess we need to nail down his codename/alias and take it from there.
@Sysgofd: Thanks man. I can take meagre credit mate - AI is a wonderful tool (in my geeky paws at least). All in the description prompts and source images but I love the creative process and refinements - frustrating at times but editing and tweaking is worth it if you lot enjoy the end result :)
@GMST: Love it. McFarlane's Spiderman... heady times to be a comic-fan (esp a Marvel Zombie)... Gyve it is! In the spirit (and style) of McFarlane here's my take on Gyve's Comic Logo
Also mocked up our crimefighting clown: Whiteface(Would like him more "grubby" looking... in my mind's eye see him as Joker meets Rorschach meets Jack-In-The-Box - decent start I hope tho - see what Ridge reckons of course :)
Given we're playing a superhero game that attempts to honour the spirit of comicbook frames I'm also leaning heavily into art in this PBP and setting. Huge elements of this campaign will be documented via art and images (and I'll say now I'm having a blast realising some of this stuff!)
My latest offerings:
So here's my new and improved version of Sysgofd - managed to get the art to reflect the single cybernetic arm and also give both an ethereal feel to his form (whilst tipping the nod to his dark matter origin). @pauljathome - hope this still works for you?
