Potential Teen Superhero Game

[Valerian]

Mm. I've had bad experiences with psychics in RP and I like to make sure that I know what I'm getting into. I have three concerns.
First, your ability to influence the minds of others. I don't like games that have any kind of mind control. Influence is fine and can be very interesting, but any kind of mental enslavement is a major turnoff for me. From your description I don't anticipate any problems on this issue, and I include it mostly to underline its importance to me.
Second, what you can pick up without trying. Strong emotion, weak emotion, vague thoughts, specific thoughts, obsessive thoughts, so on.
Third, what are your limits? Can you read the thoughts of any creature? If so, can you understand the thoughts of different creatures? Are you limited to humans? Can you make yourself understood to an animal intelligence?

Understandable -- I don't like mind control either, and Melanie can't do anything like that.  In the MnM system where she was originally "born", mind control is a totally separate power from anything she has.

Second: Without trying, she'd only pick up strong emotions.  With focus (which would require her to do very little else), she'd pick up weaker emotions quite easily.  Whether she can pick up obsessive thoughts without trying or not, I never really decided, since it didn't come up in the original game -- I'd say no, though, since I always intended her empathy to be her primary ability and telepathy secondary.

Third: Again, not something that ever came up originally.  I'll bow to group opinion/GM decision on this one, but my own thoughts are that though she'd be able to pick up nonhuman thoughts, actually comprehending them would be another matter without a common language.  (A common language would probably be necessary with other humans as well.) She could make good guesses, based partially on the tone of the thoughts and partially on emotional cues, but they'd only be guesses.

As for making herself understood, that would depend on the nonhuman and its experience with human speech.  She could project thoughts, but projecting a warning to look behind you to a wild animal isn't going to do much good.  Projecting emotions isn't something she does, either.

Okay?  I do understand what you mean about psychic characters abusing the ability, and I have absolutely no intentions of doing that.   :)

[Ryvaken]

I don't think I could pass as normal.

Oh, wait. The character. Right. Yeah, Sam could pass as normal.

...I sense the eyes....THE EYES ARE ON ME!!!


And Val, I am not surprised that "it never came up" is part of your responses on those last two. When psychic characters start abusing, I start making reasons why it doesn't work. I've gotten very good at confounding would-be psychics by using "I never thought about that before" against them.

Another question, now considering how to use her skills rather than being worried about them, what's her effective range? Could she act as a communication link if Sam was in a form unable to speak?

[Valerian]

And Val, I am not surprised that "it never came up" is part of your responses on those last two. When psychic characters start abusing, I start making reasons why it doesn't work. I've gotten very good at confounding would-be psychics by using "I never thought about that before" against them.

Another question, now considering how to use her skills rather than being worried about them, what's her effective range? Could she act as a communication link if Sam was in a form unable to speak?

Plus the game only lasted a couple of months.  Heh.  Also, since that was a system game, some of these issues just aren't in the book and had to be decided on a case by case basis.  Again, though, I see what you mean.   :)

As for range... I'd have to double-check on that from my home computer, but I think it was in the neighborhood of half a mile originally.  If Sam is inclined to run off to greater distances, though, it might be prudent to raise that here, just to prevent him getting separated from the group too often.  Again, I'm willing to go by majority decision...

[Ryvaken]

I'm thinking fly off, more like. Also that could be an invaluable asset to use you as a communications hub, in certain circumstances. I presume your projections are not as clear as actual language, judging by your description.

[Valerian]

Yes, that's why I'm thinking the GM may want to extend her range here -- she can be very useful at keeping groups together, or at least coordinated.  The projections can be as clear as speaking, but only in non-emergency situations when she has plenty of time to send, and when there's a need for clarity, because that makes sending harder for her.  Most commonly, they'll be more like the sending of ideas and/or images than an actual conversation.

That's how it was, anyway -- if we haven't scared the GM off, the current set-up can be different if he'd like, of course.   :)

[Ryvaken]

Sounds about right. I have some tangential knowledge in real-world communications and a dozen or so Star Wars novels that feature a Jedi Meld basically identical to what you describe.

[Xerial]

I haven't been scared off yet, but at the moment I am letting things play out here, seeing the collaboration. I just got back from a longer than expected work-day, and have a few things to tend to at the moment, but I will have more detailed observations and responses later tonight.

One thing to keep in mind: the characters aren't super-badass heroes, they are still teenagers, and growing into their powers and abilities. While they're definitly not civillians, they haven't quite grown into the mantle of superhero yet.

[Ryvaken]

Limiting the Sam character is as trivial as setting upper and lower limits on his mass. Other limits might be his metabolic requirements limit him to mammalian creatures and derivitives thereof, or a limit on how long he can stay in a form proportionate to the complexity of the change from human to <whatever> and the amount of physical activity in that form. That last one is tricky since degree of change is hard to quantify.

[Ajoxer]

Oh, I'd figure it's not too difficult if you consider it in terms of genetic change. Think about how close their DNA is to human, and consider that unless you're transforming into a non-mammalian form, the specifics probably won't be too serious.

[Ryvaken]

First, I don't want another "I can take the shape of animals" shifter. I want to be able to shift like a single arm, or create unique animal shapes that didn't evolve in nature, like a centaur or the like. Second, minor DNA alteration could easily result in Sam throwing cars at people with the greatest of ease -- primates arn't exactly lightweights. A bad route to take when wanting to limit the effectiveness of his powers.

[Ajoxer]

Let's not overexaggerate- Primates are strong, chimps are capable of putting out some impressive strength, but unless it's a very small car, or a very, VERY large ape, they probably won't be able to toss a car around, though they'll certainly be strong.

As for shifting a single arm or select parts of the body, that's hardly that difficult. Might require additional concentration to only change part of the body, but I still don't see it being some horrible, game-breaking power, to be quite honest.

And without some SERIOUS mass alteration, there's not too much worry. A hippo won't do much if it only weighs 400 pounds.

I'd say if you want to impose some limits, the most sensible ones would be in terms of mass, as you mentioned.

And remember- It's just a freeform game on an adults-only board, we probably won't need to show our work too much. ^_~

[schnookums]

Myself, I was thinking of playing a Kitsune type...a magical hero with mostly trickster type powers

[Creeper]

C'mon guys!

Radioactive!

Mole-man!

MOLE-MAN!

[Valerian]

Yes, I'm sure the radioactive mole-man is just... adorable.  Heh.

Now Mel does have lots of powers, but none of them are really for combat.  I've got no problem with limiting ranges and the like, just as long as she's all about sensing things that other people can't usually see.  That's the concept I really want.   :)

[Ajoxer]

I figure that for my own character's limits, his psychic power- I figure that should be the orientation- is as strong and controllable as it will ever be. It's effectively a minor uncontrolled psionic trait that erases peoples memories of his actions and him, and replaces it with one of the people around him.

He's currently superhumanly strong, but only somewhat so- A strength limit of somewhere from 2 to 5 tons lifting, good leaping skills- Maybe being able to get as high up as about 20-30 feet with a good running start, and skin tough enough to be unbroken by .22 caliber ammunition, though anything higher will probably cut him up bad. It'd take some heavy wounding to put him down, all the same.

In general, he's still young, but he's reasonably tough. The unmemorable thing is useless in combat- His opponents can see him and shoot him as easily as usual.

[MadPanda]

Rin's stronger, faster, and tougher than she looks (which isn't hard to pull off...) but she's hardly super-superhuman.  ;)  Maybe about Batgirl's level.  She'd certainly surprise anyone who expected her to be 'normal'!  But her main asset is going to be the wide variety of tricks up her sleeve, plus some nice acrobatics and sneaking about potential.

Now if only she'd pay attention in class...

[NightBird]

Just thought I'd chime in here. I'm working on a concept that won't get a whole lot of attention until Friday at the earliest, but Xerial has expressed preliminary interest in the idea. Essentially, she's a Norse variant on Wonder Woman, called Valkyrie (name Elina Michaelsdatter), born on Alfheim to an Alfar mother and human father. Her Alfar grandfather wants to take her into training for service to Frey and Freya, but she wants to try and find her father first. She'll have a blend of personal powers and magic items.

One of her personal powers is mild empathy, but only in the receptive/perceptive sense. She will not have the ability to project.

[Ryvaken]

For the adult angle, I want to be able to turn things into prehensile tentacles and I'm happy. ;D

[NightBird]

With that for a mutant power, Ryvaken, you wouldn't be the only one who'd be happy! *chuckles*

[Ajoxer]

Awww, I'm fairly sure tentacles are game-breakingly powerful in a Hentai game. :-P.

[Ryvaken]

I am aware of this. I was thinking I'd make a 'normal' kid with an IQ in the triple digits and a buttload of gadgets and then the phrase "Bob the Tentacle Sex Demon" came to mind.

[Ajoxer]

Correct me if I'm incorrect, but aren't all decent IQ scores in the triple digits? Of course, anything more than extremely low triple digits would be plenty brilliant, heh.

[MadPanda]

Here's where I'm going with her so far:

Rin's origins are a mystery.  She was abandoned at the gates of a remote monastery not long after her birth.  As is the custom, the monks took her in and did their level best to raise her according to their tradition, even after it was plain and clear that this strange little girl with her white hair and jade-green eyes was too restless and wild at heart to make a proper nun.  By the time she was four, only one of the monks was still willing to spend time and effort on her.  One day, on a whim, he showed her the first movements in a beginning kata in Tiger and Crane style...and to his delighted surprise found that he had a new prodigy on his hands.  From that day forward, Rin trained when she was not doing chores, sleeping, or eating.  She soaked up new moves and techniques like a sponge, delighting in her skills.  She paid rapt attention to Master Tso's lectures on the duty of a martial artist: defend the weak and helpless, uphold justice, and do no harm where it could be avoided.

So her life continued until the sad day when Master Tso, her mentor and father figure, passed on.  Within an hour, the Abbot swept Rin aside and quietly advised her that he had left two things for her: first, his personal manual of martial arts lore from a family style; and second, a letter of introduction to a man who owed him a life favor.  That night, Rin left the monastery for the wider world.

Some months later, she finally found her master's friend in a graveyard in Hong Kong.  By chance, his sons were visiting his grave and were willing to honor their father's obligation to the old monk.  One of them was moving to America shortly for business reasons and offered to 'adopt' her.  She did not think to argue with her good fortune...nor ask what manner of business the man might have.

Thus, here she is, a world away from the tiny monastery, wide-eyed and curious at all the wonders around her.  At first glimpse, she is but an innocent lass late to bloom...but total immersion has brought her English up to speed with ruthless efficiency and she is only too well aware that she does not fit in here any better than she did back in that quiet monastery.  As she grows up, she is becoming aware of a growing rage within at the petty injustices of the world.

Rin is a rather direct person.  She is also prone to interpreting things literally: sarcasm and puns are two things she simply does not understand.  Her preference is to resolve any dispute politely and without fuss, but if etiquette does not work (as it usually doesn't), 'reasonable' force is permitted.  What she considers reasonable can be frightening to innocent bystanders!  

[NightBird]

Correct me if I'm incorrect, but aren't all decent IQ scores in the triple digits? Of course, anything more than extremely low triple digits would be plenty brilliant, heh.

That would depend on your definition of 'decent.' American average is 90, and, as of 1995 (the date of my reference) about three-fifths of adults were measured with scores under 100.

[Ajoxer]

True, but most people with extremely low scores die off much faster than those with extremely high scores, so I'd figure that it's a receding bell curve. The average is at 100, even though the mode is lower than that.