[Interest Check] Marvel Heroic Roleplay: The Authority

Started by The Great Triangle, July 07, 2012, 09:06:26 PM

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Primarch

#75
Did a bit more on Adam. If you have any suggestions for the milestones I'd happily take them.

Muse

Oh, dear, what to play. 

Given the spread so far, a guy would likely be welcome, ne? 
A link for all of us who ever had a shouting match with our muse: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

How to set this Muse ablaze (O/Os)

When the little angel won't appear no matter how many plum blossoms you swirl:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=135346.msg16474321#msg16474321 (Major update 5/10/2023)

AKunoichi


Primarch

Quote from: AK47 on July 09, 2012, 10:48:27 AM
We need a midnighter/batmann ripoff

I might be wrong, but I think Colonel Steven Walker is supposed to be filling that role.

The Great Triangle

Currently our roster is looking like:

Solar Powered Energy Girl
The Last Human Being
Sorceress Queen
Pop Goddess (tenative)
The Goddam Terminator
-Engineer Slot-
-Leader Slot-


We still need the character who founded the Authority, or an agreement on how the team got together mutually, and someone to pilot/run the Carrier.  We could always have Col. Walker do that, but do we really want 90s antihero in the middle of a 50 mile long doomsday ship?


Quote from: Primarch on July 09, 2012, 07:01:24 AM
Did a bit more on Adam. If you have any suggestions for the milestones I'd happily take them.

The character sheet is looking pretty solid; thematically, he's basically a giant flying brick who gives Superman a run for his money (unless you use the mutually exclusive limit on your two powersets) but that's reasonably sustainable in this group.  It's mostly a matter of whether people think that telekinetically powered god punches would be too disruptive, which would be a good time to use mutually exclusive.  Final Adam can still be used as a means for the team to contact the entire planet, though, since his telepathy is strong enough for that.


As for Milestones, how about:

History is Gonna Change:

1xp: When you declare that a threat the team is up against caused mass destruction to humanity in your original timeline
3xp: When you discover that an event or person is critical to your own personal history
10xp: When you decide to let things happen as they originally did to preserve your history, or risk destroying yourself with a time paradox to make a better world for humanity by changing your own past.

So Many Threads:

1xp: When you seek out an ally or enemy from your timeline
3xp: When you describe the horrors of the future to an ally or enemy from the present
10xp: When you take actions that either ensure your timeline will come to pass, or delete your timeline entirely, leaving you with no place in this world and no world to return to.


Quote from: Cold Heritage on July 09, 2012, 12:25:26 AM
Taking a lead from Aribeth . . .

Colonel Steven Walker
Character Name: Steven Walker
Code Name: American Psycho
Origin: Super-Science

Appearance: Steven Walker is a tall, white male in peak physical condition. He has blond hair and blue eyes, with pleasant down home features of a mid-western farmboy. The man looks good in a uniform, and on a recruitment poster, although those days are long gone. His blond hair is done in a military regulation approved cut, leaving him with a high and tight. An American flag is tattooed upon Steven's face. No emotions display upon Steven's face, and looking into his eyes, there is nothing remaining but the cold, merciless disdain of a psychopath.

images






Personality: There was once a man of honour, duty, and integrity who wore Steven's face, spoke with his face, and inhabited his body. That man is gone now. All that remains within Steven Walker is an entity that will answer to that name, dedicated to the mission, unconstrained by conventional ethics or morality. He no longer dreams of a better world for himself or others, of a wife, child, and a suburban home host to Sunday barbeques, or any aspect of the archetypical American dream. Those died, and what remains has no use for dreams of idealized civilian life. There are no more dreams for the thing within Steven Walker. When he sleeps, it is only unfathomable darkness. When he awakens, there is only the mission, and the will to see it carried through to the end.

History: Steven Walker was born in the American mid-west. His parents were devout Christians, and in a twist, this meant that they took to heart the values of the religion. They loved their neighbors, helped those less fortunate where they could, and strove to leave the world a better place than they found it. Steven grew up comfortably, played sports, went to college, and enlisted in the United States Army with a naive notion that he would be giving back to the country that gave him so much. Basic training broke him down and then rebuilt him into a cog in the U.S. war machine. Action in combat brought the grim realities of what was necessary to ensure safety and prosperity at home. There was a cost in blood, sweat, and humanity, and Steven paid that price gladly until Steven was just a shell, an idea, and a distant memory.

Killing came as easily as breathing.

Steven was injured by an I.E.D., and left in a comatose state in a V.A. hospital. The extent of the damage made it seem as though Steven would never awaken, and if he did, brain damage would ensure he would not be able to function. His parents elected to pull him off life support, not wanting a shell of a son. As far as they believe, their son is dead. Instead, Steven was augmented and enhanced, then deployed in black operations. For a time, an artificial operating system governed the body. But eventually some remnant of a human being asserted itself, and Steven regained control. He remembered committing acts of terrorism on American soil and abroad, serving the needs of a shadow cabal of global rulers. He could have accepted dying for his country, but this was not to be suffered. He would not be a tool to serve the personal agendas of greedy men of power.

Steven vanished, and when he resurfaced, it as an instrument of vengeance against the corrupt underbelly of the world.

Character Sheet
Affiliation: Solo: d10
Duo: d6
Team: d8

Distinctions: Psycho Killer, Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Black Ops Super-Soldier
A History of Violence

Cyborg Super-Soldier:Psychic Resistance d8; Cybernetic Senses d10; Enhanced Reflexes d8;
Superhuman Durability d10; Superhuman Stamina d10; Superhuman Strength d10; Enhanced Speed d8;
SFX: Nano-Repair Sub-routines: Spend 1 PP to recover your physical stress and step back physical trauma.
SFX: Combat Statistical Outcome Engine: Spend 1 PP to borrow the highest die in the doom pool as an asset for your next action, then step back and return that doom die.
SFX:  The Terminator: Step up your physical stress die and move it to the doom pool. Spend 1 PP to do the same to physical trauma.
Limit: Haunted By The Ghost In The Machine: Step up mental or emotional stress to gain 1 PP.
Limit:  Software Compromised!: When you take mental or emotional stress, change any Cyborg Super-Soldier power into a complication to gain 1 PP. Activate an opportunity or remove the complication to recover that power.

87 Bazillion Guns: Weapon d10; Cloaking Device d8;
SFX: Ultraviolence: Step back the highest die in your attack action pool to add a d6 and step up physical stress inflicted.
SFX:  Full Auto: Against a single target, step up or double a 87 Bazillion Guns die. Remove the highest rolling die and use three dice for your total.
SFX:  Bazillionder: Spend 1 PP or take d6 physical stress to step up or double your Weapon die.
SFX:  Explosives: Against multiple targets, for every additional target add a d6 and keep an additional effect die. For each complication you create using your effect dice, step up that effect die and add d6 to the doom pool.
Limit:  Gear: Shutdown an 87 Bazillion Guns power trait to gain 1 PP. Take an action vs. the doom pool to recover.

Specialties:Combat Master; Covert Master; Menace Master;
Tech Expert; Vehicle Expert; Medical Expert

Milestones:
Eternal Soldier
1 XP  when you make a battle plan with your allies.
3 XP  when you put fellow soldiers into the line of fre for the sake of the mission.
10 XP  when you sacrifice friends or family for the mission, or when you choose family or friends over the mission.

War . . . War Never Changes
  1 XP  when you declare war on an enemy.
  3 XP  when you use a Transition Scene to arm yourself or your allies.
10 XP  when you either take trauma in pursuit of your war or you are captured by the enemy.


I happen to really really like this character, and I see nothing wrong with it, even if the number of guns might be slightly excessive.
Meow!  I'm a kitty; made of fire.

Ons and Offs

AKunoichi

Quote from: The Great Triangle on July 09, 2012, 11:21:27 AM
We still need the character who founded the Authority, or an agreement on how the team got together mutually, and someone to pilot/run the Carrier.  We could always have Col. Walker do that, but do we really want 90s antihero in the middle of a 50 mile long doomsday ship?

Nope.



Also, did you forget Tera?

The Great Triangle

The current incarnation of Tera is a brainwashed, modified pop star capable of mass mind control; she's in development hell right now though, so we're ironing out the kinks.
Meow!  I'm a kitty; made of fire.

Ons and Offs

Primarch

Quote from: The Great Triangle on July 09, 2012, 11:21:27 AM
As for Milestones, how about:

History is Gonna Change:

1xp: When you declare that a threat the team is up against caused mass destruction to humanity in your original timeline
3xp: When you discover that an event or person is critical to your own personal history
10xp: When you decide to let things happen as they originally did to preserve your history, or risk destroying yourself with a time paradox to make a better world for humanity by changing your own past.

So Many Threads:

1xp: When you seek out an ally or enemy from your timeline
3xp: When you describe the horrors of the future to an ally or enemy from the present
10xp: When you take actions that either ensure your timeline will come to pass, or delete your timeline entirely, leaving you with no place in this world and no world to return to.

Looks good to me. I'll slide them in and call him finished.
Looking at the team list, we're like something out of The Authority or The Boys alright. There's another one in my head as well but I can't think of it.

AndyZ

Is there a rule where the plot points you've accumulated at the end of a session convert over to XP?  My group has been using that, but as I look through everything, I can't seem to find it now.  I know there's an XP > PP rule...
It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

Ons/Offs   -  My schedule and A/As   -    My Avatars

If I've owed you a post for at least a week, poke me.

The Great Triangle

Any plot points still left over at the end of an act are wasted.  Try to spend down all your plot points when the act comes to an end. 

(I wouldn't want to use a house rule that encourages players to be anal retentive and useless)
Meow!  I'm a kitty; made of fire.

Ons and Offs

AKunoichi

Quote from: The Great Triangle on July 09, 2012, 11:55:54 AM
The current incarnation of Tera is a brainwashed, modified pop star capable of mass mind control; she's in development hell right now though, so we're ironing out the kinks.

Oh cool.


Maybe you could make the Leader as a GMNPC?

caelcormac

Quote from: AndyZ on July 09, 2012, 12:28:59 PM
Is there a rule where the plot points you've accumulated at the end of a session convert over to XP?  My group has been using that, but as I look through everything, I can't seem to find it now.  I know there's an XP > PP rule...

That rule is in Serenity and many other early Cortex games, but has been gone from later releases like Leverage, Smallville and MHR

The Great Triangle

#87
I've explained to others that I'd prefer for the leader to be a player character, but if nobody is really up to the task of playing such a character, I'll likely just have Jenny Sparks be the leader of the authority. 


For reference, here's how I'd stat up Jenny Sparks:


Jenny Sparks

Affiliations: Solo: d8   Buddy: d6  Team: d10

Distinctions: Spirit of the 20th Century, Chain Smoking Brit, Century Long Lifetime


Queen of Electricity

Electric Supremacy d12, Electrical Teleportation d10

sfx: Thunderstorm: Against multiple targets, add 1d6 and keep an extra effect die for each target after the first.

sfx: Immunity: Spend 1PP to ignore stress, trauma, or complications from electricity or aging.

sfx: Seen it All: Spend 1PP to add the highest die in the doom pool to your dice pool for one roll, then step down the die before replacing it in the doom pool.

sfx: Vesatile: Split electric supremacy into 2d10 or 3d8 when rolling it in a die pool.

sfx: Energy Form: Before rolling a dice pool including electrical teleportation, you may move your physical stress or complications to the doom pool.

limit: Electrical Dependence: In an environment with no electricity, shutdown Mistress of Electricity and gain 1PP.  Spend 1PP or take action against the doom pool to recover.


Specialties:

Business Expert
Combat Master
Cosmic Expert
Covert Master
Crime Expert
Menace Master
Psych Expert
Science Expert
Meow!  I'm a kitty; made of fire.

Ons and Offs

AKunoichi

Hmm, for some reason I prefer Expies to actual canon characters.

Question! Why don't we have a SCIENCE character? Maybe science could also be leader? Like a Reed Richards type?

caelcormac

I am working on a SCIENCE! character to fill the engineer slot

Primarch

Quote from: Muse on July 09, 2012, 07:03:40 AM
Oh, dear, what to play. 

Given the spread so far, a guy would likely be welcome, ne?

Hey Muse, would you fancy playing a leader type?

AndyZ

Quote from: The Great Triangle on July 09, 2012, 12:41:05 PM
Any plot points still left over at the end of an act are wasted.  Try to spend down all your plot points when the act comes to an end. 

(I wouldn't want to use a house rule that encourages players to be anal retentive and useless)

I actually like it: it gives people more of a reason to use their flaws and rack up Plot Points even if you don't have much else you need to do during a scene.  However, if it's not actually in there, it's more my sorrow that it's not.
It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

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If I've owed you a post for at least a week, poke me.

AribethAmkiir

Okay the pop goddess is finally out of development hell.

Idol

Character Name: Talia Constotalvos
Codename: Idol
Origin: Altered human
Age: 22

Appearance: Short hair, most often dark brown with red highlights, perfectly frames soft yet, to most humans, obvious Greek features.  Thin eyebrows hover over intense blue eyes.  Olive colored skin is athletically toned and devoid of imperfections.  Long limbs and flat abs lead to her generous cleavage.  Sexuality exudes from everything does from a simple smile to her gentle swayed walk, and soft sultry voice.  Talia adores fashion and can often be seen in the most recent clothing to come from the runway.

Pictures




Personality: Talia is fairly cynical and distrusting, however, once someone has earned her trust she also gives them her fierce loyalty and friendship.  Talia is extremely insightful and empathetic and finds herself trapped more often than not by this, especially when she considers her past as she feels resentful and angry at the people who manipulated her while, at the same time, understanding why they did it.  Sometimes confused, as she still has trouble differentiating her implanted memories from her real ones, Talia can become agitated, solemn, and withdrawn when this occurs.  Instead of soul searching and dwelling on the past, Talia typically handles her problems by shopping or having fun with the people she knows she can trust.  A residual personality trait of her brainwashing is her relatively low inhibitions.  Because of her natural empathy and insight, Talia has a great sense of morality, justice, and a belief that she needs to help The Authority create a better world.

Brief History: Talia Constotalvos was born on an American Naval base in Greece.  Her father was an American sailor and her mother was a Grecian tour guide.  Having dual citizenship, Talia was raised in Greece where her mother had family.  She had a normal and happy childhood where she excelled at dance and music.  With her grandparent’s encouragement, her mother sent her to a private school that specialized in music when she was fourteen.  By the time Talia turned seventeen, she was a pop icon in Greece and was a star on the rise across Europe and North America.

On her eighteenth birthday, the plane she was travelling in was believed to have crashed near the Bermuda Triangle.  The search lasted for two weeks, but no signs of the downed airplane were ever recovered and the world as a whole believed she and the other occupants had perished.

In truth, a mercenary by the name of Joseph Strider hijacked the plane and made it disappear.  He then handed Talia over to his employers, a group of extremists who wanted to take over the world known as The Trust.

With nearly unlimited funding and unsanctioned methods, they had been experimenting on different methods of mind control for the last decade.  Ready to implement the last step of their plan, they simply had to wait for an opportunity to present itself.  Talia’s flight was such an opportunity.  After Talia was delivered to The Trust, they began turning her into their weapon.  A decade of research had created effective ways of brainwashing and had invented a way to give the human voice the irresistible quality of being unquestionably obeyed.  With full control over Talia, the rising pop star was the perfect vehicle to deliver their demands.

Six months after Talia’s disappearance, a new star began making waves and ripples in Germany.  Disguised with blonde hair, green eyes, and full body reconstructive surgery Talia, now called Heidi, began to develop an unflinchingly devoted following.  Anyone who heard her voice became instantly enamored with her.  The commercials she spoke in created an unbelievable demand on the product the likes the world had never witnessed before.  Eventually, Steven Walker’s task force discovered what was happening, followed the trail back to Talia, and confronted her.  Knowing that her voice was what caused absolute obedience, the team subdued her without allowing her to speak.  When they ran a DNA scan on her, they found that she was actually the missing Grecian pop star.  With the help of Stormwatch, they slowly undid the brainwashing effect on Talia, reversed the reconstructive surgery, and returned her to a semblance of her previous life.

Fearing that she would be abducted again, Talia kept close ties with Steven Walker and the members of Stormwatch who helped her.  She learned to control her ability, attended college, and renewed her singing career.
Character Sheet

Affiliation:   
•   Solo d8
•   Buddy d10
•   Team d6

Distinctions:
•   Voice of a Generation
•   Empathetic Brainwashed Victim
•   Insightful Pop Star

Power Set: With One Voice  
Hypnotic Voice d12
SFX Mass Hypnotism: Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
Limit Conscious Activation: While stressed out, asleep, or unconscious, shutdown With One Voice.  Recover With One Voice when stress is recovered or wakes up.  If character takes physical trauma, shutdown With One Voice until that trauma is recovered.

Pop Goddess Enhancements
Enhanced Senses d8, Enhanced Reflexes d8, Superhuman Stamina d10
SFX: Dance of Destiny: Step up or double a Pop Goddess Enhancements power for one roll; remove your highest rolling die from the pool, and use three dice t o determine your total.
SFX: Second Wind: Before you make a roll including a Pop Goddess Enhancements power, you may move your physical stress die to the doom pool and step up the Pop Goddess enhancements power for the action.
Limit: Deep Conditioning: Step up mental stress or complications caused by intelligence agencies or their directors by +1 step to gain 1PP.

Specialties:
•   Psych Expert
•   Cosmic Expert
•   Combat Expert
•   Business Master

The Hero of Heroes
You're rather insistent on proving that you belong on the team
1xp: When you stand up to another hero
3xp: When you prove that a decision you made was best for humanity, or best for the team
10xp: @hen you stress out the last foe in an Action Scene, or another character acknowledges your assistance was essential in saving the day.


New Goddess of Humanity
That attempt to turn you into the world's first memetically engineered pop god might not have been such a good idea...
1xp: When you are mobbed by adoring fans
3xp: When you allow someone to put their safety at risk out of freely given devotion to you, or refuse to use your powers to help prevent others from getting hurt.
10xp: When you accept leadership of a major world religion, or use your powers in an attempt to reduce the size of your fanbase and allow you to live as a normal human being.


AKunoichi


AribethAmkiir

Is that your character's nasty waste product?  Natural sweetener?  Where's our science guy to test that stuff and make sure it's safe?

AKunoichi

Quote from: AribethAmkiir on July 09, 2012, 03:15:56 PM
Is that your character's nasty waste product?  Natural sweetener?  Where's our science guy to test that stuff and make sure it's safe?

"It is not waste friend, We Apolians beak down all waste products via nuclear fusion. Our nectar is a sexual lubricant and pheromone medium. It is perfectly safe for humans."

AndyZ

What about those of us who would rather drink it right from the source?
It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

Ons/Offs   -  My schedule and A/As   -    My Avatars

If I've owed you a post for at least a week, poke me.

AribethAmkiir

I would still feel more comfortable with some laboratory testing.  :P   Of course, the guys seem to be more than willing test subjects.

Primarch

Quote from: AK47 on July 09, 2012, 03:19:21 PM
"It is not waste friend, We Apolians beak down all waste products via nuclear fusion. Our nectar is a sexual lubricant and pheromone medium. It is perfectly safe for humans."

"In twenty years time it'll be discovered to be extremely carcinogenic. I'm from the future, you can trust me. On an entirely unrelated note, what you want to buy is my all natural caffeine scented shampoo-conditioner. Wear the future now!" 

AribethAmkiir

Oh boy.  We're going to turn into a bunch of capitalistic assholes, aren't we.  :P