Seeking Guided Freeform Superhero Story (full)

Started by AribethAmkiir, January 04, 2012, 02:21:44 PM

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AribethAmkiir

Hello,,

I'm hoping to find a group of people who'd be interested in starting a new game that revolved around Marvel or DC type superheroes.  My idea is 4 - 6 plays and a GM, who form a team and then go on to do what superheroes do.  I'm not picky about the setting.  I would like a fairly even mix of genders, though that's not too important and an all female team could be fun.  I would like it to be held on the forums, and most likely NC though that isn't as important either.


Thanks for your interest.

TheVillain

When you say "Marvel or DC type" do you mean using their characters or just examples of possible characters?

In fact, I'm going to toss up an idea or two- let's see what happens.

---------------

Magic, the Gods, Monsters, Supernatural Creatures- in short, they exist. Sort of. Not all of them exist, and those that do are rarely as big a deal as advertised, but there are more then a kernel of truth to many of them. Magic, for instance- really does exist. However, it's much harder to tease it's secrets then Science and Science is about finding out how the Universe works while Magic is more about getting the rules of the universe to bend in your favor. So Magic and Sorcery are real, but they aren't as powerful as Science. They still can provide an X factor though.

Which brings us to one kind of magical being in particular, the Gods. What exactly occurred is unknown, but it appears that about 6,000 years ago a small group of human beings, scattered all around the world, were either born with or somehow acquired a mutation that is still a complete mystery. What is known is what it did to these people- psychic potential was dramatically increased, their immune systems were dramatically enhanced, their bodies were made larger and much more durable, their healing increased, and their aging either slowed to the barest crawl or stopped altogether. Technically, they aren't immortal- but killing them in a way that sticks is very difficult, if not impossible with the technology present 6,000 years ago. And when you have a few centuries to practice you can become amazingly good at practically everything. They began to see themselves as Gods, and called themselves such- whether to shepherd humanity to greatness or rule with an iron fist depended on the God or Goddess in question.

Humanity did have one advantage over the Gods however, namely breeding. Gods could only breed more Gods with other Gods. The child of a God and a Human was a Demigod, powerful to be sure but not nearly as long lived or durable as a God. And the child of a Demigod and a Human was barely any different from a Human being at all. 2 Generations and your own family could raise up arms against the Gods and side with Humanity.

The end of the Age of Mythology was marked with the revolts against the Gods. It wasn't a solid process, but it's pretty much agreed that it was all over by the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. The Gods may of been much more powerful one-on-one but the Gods and the Faithful were easily outnumbered. The humans wisely decided that while the Gods were out of power, there was some pluses to keeping the surviving Gods around. Strictly speaking, they aren't prisoners or slaves as Gods have a knack for finding out when one of their kind is being abused and reminding the abusers why their ancestors feared the Gods accordingly. But the Gods are. . . encouraged, shall we say, to keep quiet about their natures and to stay out of human affairs.

-----

Tyr

Height: 6'7"
Weight: 312 libs
Age: Unknown, but claims to be the son of one of the original Gods and to be about 4,000 years old. Evidence suggests that he is indeed at least 2,200 years old.
Real Name: Tyr, Son of Odin. Norse God of Justice, War, Soldiers, The Maimed, and the Hanged.

Physical Description: Tyr has trained his body for combat over the course of centuries and it shows. He probably couldn't keep any visible body fat on it if he tried at this point. Legend says his hair is so blond as to be white, but he's been keeping it shaved for centuries. Appears to be a caucasian male over 6-and-a-half feet tall and powerfully built, but with speed in mind. Almost like it was done on purpose, his build is about as muscular as one can get without sacrificing speed and agility. Worth noting is that his left hand at some point seems to have been replaced with a magical prosthetic, he claims he lost it in battle with the demon-wolf Fenrir. As for clothing, he prefers function to form by a long shot- but usually can be found with at least a Desert Eagle 44, a few grenades, and a melee weapon of some kind usually a spear and a shield- but all are picked more for the mission at hand then anything.

Origin: If what he claims is true, the Tyr was born 4,000 years ago. His father was Odin, one of the original gods, and his mother was either Odin's wife the Goddess Freya, or one of the giantesses Grid or Saga. Given his stature, probably the Goddess. 6'7" was a giant of a man in those times, but in terms of Gods he was a bit of a runt as Gods go. Especially when it was discovered that while he had Godly psychic potential he hadn't seemed to develop any outlet for this potential. He would train his body in combat and warfare all the harder to compensate.

Of course, the runt suddenly became a prize when they figured out that Tyr just had no outward outlet for his psychic potential- his powers turned inward. Honing his mind, body, and will into one solid weapon, Tyr would soundly upset his brother Thor for the much coveted title of God of War. The two brothers developed a friendly rivalry after that, collecting titles. Thor would eventually be God of Thunder, Lightning, Strength, and the Storms but Tyr would at first stood proud as God of War and Soldiers. His last three titles would come from a group of villages that were sacked by Frost Giants while the menfolk were out waging a war in his name. He would use his skills and power to avenge the brutal atrocity, earning his three other titles as God of Justice, the Maimed, and the Hanged.

Most Gods become disconnected from Humanity, Tyr never did to that level. He was above it, a God among Men sure- but that didn't make their pain any less real then his own. The runt would side with the Humans in most things- a God who forsook the lofty and fancy gilded halls of the God-City of Asgard to protect the human race. When the God-Revolution and the End of the Age of Mythology came for the Asgardians, Tyr stood for whichever side was more Just in any given battle no matter whom was involved- he's fight with the Humans when against Gods like Loki or Hel and with his follow, if less then completely dedicated, protector of humanity Thor when they came for him.

Asgard didn't so much fall as hide itself deep under Norwegian Ice as a result. A place where the Gods would be hidden away, and the world became a world of Men. Tyr would hardly notice, he agreed to at least try to keep his identity a secret for the uninitiated in order to continue his work of standing for the weak and helpless against those who would threaten them. Mostly against supernatural threats, granted- but he's been there. "Quietly" working in the background. A wanderer who went where he thought he was needed, he still wanders to this day- though he has come to the US often. He finds the ideals it was founded on intriguing, though he finds it falls short of these ideals often. Not everyone is a God of a higher standard after all.

Powers: Tyr is an 'immortal' God and proud of it. Don't be mistaken, it is possible for Tyr to die. It's just not easy. He does not age, does not get poisoned, does not get sick, he heals quickly, and isn't that easy to wound in the first place. Like all Gods Tyr's strength, speed, agility, and stamina are all clearly in the superhuman range. There are better in all categories, but he's superhuman in all of them. By Godly standards Tyr is very high in all of these categories but not to a point it's impossible for them to reach. His brother Thor is stronger for instance. An analogy that comes up often is that he's to the Gods what Bruce Lee was to Humans. It's worth noting that he may be above Mortals physically, Supermortals is a different standard altogether.

Tyr has thousands of years of experience in combat, against opponents mundane and supernatural, and he's made a point of keeping up to date on developments in Warfare. Between this and his extensive training he's as comfortable using fists and feet as he is using swords and shields as he is using 50-caliber mounted weapons on humvees.

Tyr's left hand is a magical prosthetic, and is noted to be able for form shields and simple weapons made from what seems to be magical energy.
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

Robyn Hood

If a group can get together, I'd be interested. I have a long standing superheroine I've roleplayed, Robyn Hood ^_^

AribethAmkiir

Hello, TheVillain and Robyn Hood.

Thank you for your interest.  When I mentioned DC and Marvel, it was more to illustrate the type of characters I was thinking of, and not to actually play canon characters from either organization.  I personally prefer non-canon characters.  In my own opinion, non-canon characters offer more creativity to the players and more freedom to truly shape the character by the writer.

TheVillain, I am enamored with your idea.  I like Tyr.  Is it your idea for everyone to play a God or Goddess or was that simply a lot of setting and back story for your character?  Either way, I'm hooked and think that there are a lot of possibilities with what you've given us.

Robyn, I also enjoy your character concept.  Tentacle monsters was actually in the back of my mind when I suggested the NC forum.  I'd be delighted if you did join us. 

Hopefully we can find a GM and a few other players.

Aybara

I'd be interested to play I've come up with a few hero type characters for games before though I'd likely do a new character. If the game was set in the DC Universe I'd be tempted to make a member of the Green Lanterns, not an established one. Possibly an alien from a nearby world.

TheVillain

No, I wasn't intending everyone to play Gods- just setting the stage so to speak.

And possibly a power gauge. I'd say Tyr will probably be the heavy hitter but far more because he's just that experienced and less for his raw power. Robyn for instance could theoretically do a stealth kill on Tyr- but he's been fighting archers for so long that knowing where the good ambush spots are and catching the incoming arrow is certainly believable, though he's got enough raw speed that it certainly helps.

I appreciate the vote of confidence. Let's see who else turns up.
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

Laughing Hyena


AribethAmkiir

That would bring us up to 5 players.  I know one other is contemplating it.  We'd still need a GM.  Unless people wanted to attempt to Group-GM and just collaboratively story-tell? 

Vaulera

I am very interested in this rp because as a generalization, most superhero roleplays don't attract the attention of a frequent cohort of mine LH. To be blunt, if he's in it, it probably suites my tastes. One thing about the canon character thing, I don't have much objection to the very popular characters being played as they would probably ruin the suspension, but could we use the appearance of a more obscure character for our characters?

AribethAmkiir

Ultimately, I think that would be up to the GM, or the group if we decide to attempt the story that way.   I personally don't have a problem with it, depending on the character.  Tyr is all ready using Thor (in his back story, at least).  I'm not certain what the setting will be, though if it's custom (which is what I'd like) we could easily have a cameo appearance by certain heroes or at least very good facsimiles.

I'm sorry that isn't a more definitive answer.

TheVillain

Thor as I was picturing he'd be for this game would be very little like comic book Thor. More like comic book Volstagg for those who know their Marvel comics. Well meaning, certainly. Superhumanly strong, definitely. Probably able to telekinetically control Mjolnir as well to keep with the whole 'Gods are more like long lived psychic humans with egos'. But also not very bright, and probably more like a bearded red-head by how I picture the guy.

I'd say let's just all agree to not use established characters- but some similarities will be forgiven.
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

AribethAmkiir

I think I misread the question.

I don't see anything wrong with looking like an established character or using a picture of an established character for your own.

Darwishi

I'd be interested in playing a superheroine.  Either new or from the list from my signature. ^_^  Probably only if there's some NC qualities to it thought.

James Moriarty

Tossing my hat in as well.  Bio to follow.

AribethAmkiir

That's 8 players.  I think we should cap it here.

Of the 8 people interested, would anyone be interested in supporting me if I decided to try running this game?  Every time I've ever run something it has failed miserably. 

TheVillain

I don't know how much I can really chip in but I'll definitely help. Think some others probably would too.
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

Robyn Hood

Quote from: AribethAmkiir on January 05, 2012, 06:29:38 PM
That's 8 players.  I think we should cap it here.

Of the 8 people interested, would anyone be interested in supporting me if I decided to try running this game?  Every time I've ever run something it has failed miserably.

I could try and help but I've not really run a game either. I'll give it my best though. Also we don't have to have tentacles and/or monsters in the game. Although that is one of my favorite themes it is not by any means a necessary one.

AribethAmkiir

If we used this as the basis of the setting, would people still be interested in playing?  Psionic potential is the reason for super-human abilities?  It could represent itself as a gene if you wanted, but it kind of boils down the same way, at least the way I'm looking at it.

Quote from: TheVillain on January 04, 2012, 04:20:02 PM
Magic, the Gods, Monsters, Supernatural Creatures- in short, they exist. Sort of. Not all of them exist, and those that do are rarely as big a deal as advertised, but there are more then a kernel of truth to many of them. Magic, for instance- really does exist. However, it's much harder to tease it's secrets then Science and Science is about finding out how the Universe works while Magic is more about getting the rules of the universe to bend in your favor. So Magic and Sorcery are real, but they aren't as powerful as Science. They still can provide an X factor though.

Which brings us to one kind of magical being in particular, the Gods. What exactly occurred is unknown, but it appears that about 6,000 years ago a small group of human beings, scattered all around the world, were either born with or somehow acquired a mutation that is still a complete mystery. What is known is what it did to these people- psychic potential was dramatically increased, their immune systems were dramatically enhanced, their bodies were made larger and much more durable, their healing increased, and their aging either slowed to the barest crawl or stopped altogether. Technically, they aren't immortal- but killing them in a way that sticks is very difficult, if not impossible with the technology present 6,000 years ago. And when you have a few centuries to practice you can become amazingly good at practically everything. They began to see themselves as Gods, and called themselves such- whether to shepherd humanity to greatness or rule with an iron fist depended on the God or Goddess in question.

Humanity did have one advantage over the Gods however, namely breeding. Gods could only breed more Gods with other Gods. The child of a God and a Human was a Demigod, powerful to be sure but not nearly as long lived or durable as a God. And the child of a Demigod and a Human was barely any different from a Human being at all. 2 Generations and your own family could raise up arms against the Gods and side with Humanity.

The end of the Age of Mythology was marked with the revolts against the Gods. It wasn't a solid process, but it's pretty much agreed that it was all over by the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. The Gods may of been much more powerful one-on-one but the Gods and the Faithful were easily outnumbered. The humans wisely decided that while the Gods were out of power, there was some pluses to keeping the surviving Gods around. Strictly speaking, they aren't prisoners or slaves as Gods have a knack for finding out when one of their kind is being abused and reminding the abusers why their ancestors feared the Gods accordingly. But the Gods are. . . encouraged, shall we say, to keep quiet about their natures and to stay out of human affairs.

TheVillain

I think we can be more flexible then that. Psionic Potential is present in everyone, some more then others, but most don't learn to harness it and it isn't the only source of power out there.
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

Darwishi

A lot of my girls are meta or tech related.  Actually the only one based in magic is Silver Lynx, and that's kind of just the roots of the power, it's not fire-ball-throwing magic.

AribethAmkiir

Darwishi, which character are you planning on playing?

You're right Vill.  I think people get too caught up in the word magic.  It's not "magic", you could call it fate, nature, etc.  Science has explained some of it, and if we really wanted we could likely come up with some scientific reason.  Of course, it could also just be an answer to a question no one asked.  Like midi-chlorians. 

Darwishi


TheVillain

I was thinking Magic is real, but it's mostly Smoke and Mirrors. Fitting, no?

But yes- don't fixate on Magic. There's more out there.
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

Laughing Hyena

Hmm. Gonna be a touch odd without any magic origin characters. But its okay. Its not going to make me withdraw.

AribethAmkiir

As Vill continues to say, there's more out there.  If someone had a concept that revolved around a magical amulet or ring, it'd be quite easy to say that the magical object simply awakened the dormant psionic pontential within the person or go so far as to say that the object allows the bearer to amplify and manipulate their innate psionic pontential.  Without the object, they're powerless.

But we don't need to focus on psionic pontential.  There are magical creatures out there, and things that go "bump" in the night (or bump Robyn in the night). 

Just kind of using this time and place to hash-out ideas and see what interests people.  I hope that's all right with everyone?  Please, feel free to through out your own ideas.

It was never my intention to run the game myself but, being the impatient person I am, it looks like that might be what will happen.  So I'd fully like to hear from everyone and create a game we can all get excited about and enjoy RPing in.

Vaulera, did I answer your question adequately?