MARVEL UNIVERSE - mundane heroes interest check - Freeform

[SpiralSpider]

World War III had come and claimed the lives of many and these past three years have evened out into what was supposed to be normal. But it's not what it used to be. The "super" heroes have dwindled in numbers. It has been more than seven years since the last known person to awaken to super human abilities had revealed themselves. The rise of the mutants was thought to be a new awakening of human evolution that was here to stay, but it ended up being only a flash in the pan. It's a strange thing for the inhabitants of today to look back and think that only a mere decade ago, humans with extraordinary abilities were starting to become so commonplace that they'd hardly blink an eye at the thought of another one coming to view and now it definitely catches their attention when one comes on the news... though with the rise of crime across America and the loss of potency that the few left seem to be experiencing, it is usually bad news.

Seeing as this is just an interest check at the moment, I'm not going to delve into too much detail. What I'm basically looking for is a small (4-6 other people?) group of Elliquiyans who would like to play through a game with non-super heroes - something rarely seen in the Marvel universe but more present in DC.

The setting is post-war, near-future with some minor changes in world governments. The game will likely take place solely or mostly in the New York city area.

Every player is expected to have a main PC that has heroic ability that does not directly come from mutation, magic,particularly far-fetched scientific experimentation, 'supernatural' or extraterrestrial means. What this leaves is specialized training, access to restricted technology and/or finances, and the rare artifact of power that might come from one of the aforementioned sources. I hope that most characters will have a more mundane source of ability, as your powers being tied to an item is a built-in weakness and I don't want to over use it. Note: You may - if you wish - play villains or neutral characters in stead.

So this means you have two choices if you're looking to have a character who has abilities beyond normal human capacity. 1 - Have access to an item that grants the power or 2 - Wait... A little further in the story, an option will open for the more mundane OCs to get powers. I can't say too much, but it will be there.

Anyone who joins this game with a mundane PC will get to choose one (or more?) canon supers that they would like to play as well (or, conversely, are still alive and functional in the game world even if they do not wish to play the character themselves)

The plot idea I have so far is that these average people are the ones that end up finding out the cause of the decline of mutant ability (and the equivalent - such as why no one can transport between our world and Asgard now). They then will have to decide how they can and if they want to solve the issue.

Keep in mind I am NOT an expert in the Marvel universe and if I GM this game I will not be able to do it alone. This is obviously an AU storyline that would change current events in the Marvel universe and any canon's bio would have to be changed to reflect that. (For instance: As I understand it, at the end of Daniel Way's Deadpool series, Wade regains his previously unscarred body and loses his healing factor. If someone were to play Deadpool in this game - and I hope that happens - they might want to consider omitting that change. It seems to make a lot more sense that he would live through the recent troubles if he were still, well, immortal)

Character Skeleton

Character Name: legal name - "hero" name
Age: (anything within reason)
General Description: Height and weight/build necessary. Images are allowed - make sure to list anything that is different from the photo. *Note: Please let us know what your character looks like in and out of costume, if applicable.
Personality: I usually list likes and dislikes, traits that stand out and my characters' sense of humor.
Brief History: Much can come out in the game, but I'd like to read about where your character comes from and how they came to have their abilities as well as how their lives have changed due to the recent events.
Social Ties: Here is where you would list any agencies (such as S.H.I.E.L.D., the NYPD or a local super hero group) or individuals your character is linked to. Please say how you are connected.
Abilities and Items: I'd rather not have overpowered characters or Mary Sues. Try to balance your abilities out with your number of weaknesses, more or less. You do not have to list mundane items used as weapons, such as kitchen knives.
Weaknesses: Unless you have an item of power that changes it, your character will be mortal and you can list that as a weakness. You can also list any other physical condition - such as nearsightedness, asthma, extreme height (or lack thereof) also list any phobias or addictions your character might have. While some 'weaknesses' might be up for debate (such as height, a significant other or the like) they can be listed because they are a liability or hindrance in some major ways.

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[float=left][img height=300] insert image here[/img][/float][b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]General Description:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Brief History:[/b]
[b]Social Ties:[/b]
[b]Abilities and Items:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]

Sample Character

Character Name: Charlier Stoweboldt - The Jade Spider
Age: 34
General Description: Just under six feet tall and weighing 225 pounds. A lot of her weight is muscle from hard labor working on her parents' farm as a teenager. She has a curvy figure - definitely overweight but pretty well-proportioned. She wears glasses or contacts, has several facial piercings and long red/white dreadlocks.
In costume - Kasumi (Charlier's alias with other heroes) wears largely nondescript, traditional ninja clothing. It is practical and protective (with a layer of padded armor underneath) and so it is not revealing - although one could make out her sex if they were trying. The armor is gray but it is covered with a top layer of pitch-black spider silk that makes up the typical "ninja" outfit. On the forehead of the head mask, a jade green spider is embroidered. This matches the green silk she uses in the grappling hook she carries, as well as her trademark kusarigama. She carries a few other, smaller weapons on her, as well as some smoke grenades.
Personality:
History: Raised in Wisconsin, she eventually moved away from the royal clusterfuck of dysfunction that was her family. She attended art school in northern Illinois and eventually got a job as a seamstress in Chicago after she graduated. She had developed a keen mind through both her education and living in a situation that forced her to be able to study the faces of others in order to judge their intent. The abuse she suffered during her childhood also helped her develop a high tolerance for pain. None of these things would make her feel heroic, however, they were merely coping mechanisms. As was her taking to martial arts after leaving her family behind.

It wasn't until 2012, two and a half years before the onset of the recent war, that Charlier came into the possession of her inspiration for heroism. She had been attending a social event with a friend and was approached by a strange Asian man who proceeded to let her know he had been holding onto an ancient item passed down through generations in his family. This object, a simple earthen flute (or ocarina) was supposedly foretold to have to go to this particular person at this particular place in time and it was an auspicious occasion for them. She asked a few questions but, not wanting to appear rude, took the flute as graciously as she could, though she did not believe in the special powers that he claimed the object had.

Charlier's grandfather had played the flute in his time and though her parents would never dream of buying her a musical instrument when she was younger, she ended up inheriting Grandpa's and so was permitted to join band in school. Though she hadn't played in years, after the man gave her the ocarina, she decided to take it up again. One night, she played in the comforts of her urban apartment and found a Raven knocking on her window. She found the man's words were true - the flute would grant her the ability to communicate with animals - at times even the opportunity to see through their eyes!

It was inevitable that she would end up entering into the trend of "regular Joe" vigilantes who were attempting to make a difference in the greater Chicago area. Even during the time, years ago, when super heroes were more common, the Midwest was often lacking in them, and many people like herself felt the need to step forward to fight crime in ways that the police force just wasn't able to... or willing to. She formed a band who not only thumbed their noses at the authority's command to leave it alone, but they also encouraged people everywhere to get involved. She was the only person in the group with a strange item, her comrades were made up of stronger stuff than she was or had access to technology she could only dream of.

Before the war had began, she helped PG take down a mutant named Volk, a large beast of a man who had been hired by the crime syndicate her group had been fighting.  In order to subdue him, her compatriots researched him as best they could before the confrontation. They found that he had recently had his ass handed to him in New York by none other than the amazing Spiderman and decided to use that knowledge to their benefit. Through a lot of coordination and planning and well-timed threats published in the local papers, they managed to make Volk had to worry about Spiderman even here in the Midwest and, indeed, just about anywhere he would go. They were vague in their letter, implying that the spider's web reached farther than he could imagine. They weren't lying, Charlier's alter ego was called "The Jade Spider" after all and she used green-dyed spider silk in her weapons and clothing. The letter didn't rattle him too much, though it did give him reason to pause and then their all-out attack on the man used pyrotechnics, a booming voice brought about through their homebodied leader - the Grim Peeper - and her ingenious robots. They shot him with a strong-smelling concoction that negated his skill at finding people through smell and then the web tied it all together. He was left wrapped up in spider silk, a gift for the police. Spiderman responded to the repeated questions about whether he was involved by denying it of course, but he sent his kudos along for whoever was. It was one of the best moments in her life.

The war brought about a definite change of tone in the world around her. Crime went down in most areas, though up in some since the economy of the US suffered a bit. Since big-scale evil had dwindled, it had been easier to manage things even though public morale was down. It was easy to let the loss of superhuman abilities go unnoticed in most of the Midwest since it largely didn't affect anyone there, anyway. So Charlier was a little late coming to the realization that something was going wrong. She, as well as the rest of the members of PG, worked hard to stoke the passions of the normal folks around and get others to help out when things started sliding back into normal again. It was a sobering thought that they might have to take matters into their own hands before the balance jerked backward without those who would normally have kept the streets safe. Knowing how hard they were taking it in Chicago, she could only imagine how disoriented and confused the people of the larger cities on the coasts would be faring, they were used to always having their token superheroes to rely on. What's more... she hadn't heard anything about the whereabouts of Spiderman for longer than she could recall. It was time to go East and help in any way she could.

Social Ties:

• Paladin Grade - a group of human vigilantes based in the suburbs of Chicago.

Abilities and Items:

• High Pain Tolerance
• Tactically-minded
• Surprising Dexterity for her size.
• Martial Arts Training - in Aikido and Ninjitsu
• Smoke bombs
• Flexible body armor with a layer of spider-silk spun clothing over it
• Voice-Altering mask - The Jade Spider costume is made to look like a ninja outfit with a green spider on the forehead of the headpiece. In her mask, she has a common technological gadget that helps alter her voice in when she needs to
• Tsuchibue Kusarigama - Charlier's skills are enhanced with music or a discernible rhythm. When not using the ocarina (tsuchibue) directly for its use with animals, she attaches it as the weighty end in a kusarigama - which is a kama (sickle) attached to a chain with a lead weight at the end. This is her primary weapon, though she does know how to use a few others. Woven in and out of the chain part is a length of thin rope made from spider silk. The gentleman who had given her the tsuchibue had said it was completely indestructible. She hasn't tested it to a great extent, but it certainly seems to be so far.
  
  If she swings the chain in a circular motion quickly, it will make a dissonant sound that will make any animals in the area flee. In order for her to use it to actually connect with (and seek the help of) animals for a task, she need  to play on the instrument for some time and have the task in mind. A mental bond is found with animals in the immediate area (if any appropriate ones can be found) and she is able to give them simple commands. In some cases, she can continue to have the mental link with them for some time after they start executing the command, though she usually must maintain playing for this to happen. The animal she originally made contact with - Archaeron, a black bird - stays by her always and she is able to make a very strong mental connection with him.

Weaknesses:

• Mortal - all things considered, she is just a normal human being with all the weaknesses that come with it.
• Near-sighted - She must always wear glasses or contacts. Without them, vision gets fuzzy at less than two feet away.
• Weapon Issues - A kusurigama is not easily concealed, though she does keep it in a backpack metal detectors and magnets will prove problematic as well. Additionally, although the Tsuchibue can be removed and carried around on its own, it is a one of a kind and if she loses it, it's gone. However, it will not work for anyone else.
• Limited Ammo - Her smoke grenades were not something a normal person could purchase on the street. She had a supplier back home, due to the genius of the Grim Peeper, but now she is on her own and attempting to acquire them would be too risky
• Soft-hearted - She will never send an innocent to their doom - this includes animals. If a situation cannot be resolved without keeping those she contacts from danger, then she won't go through with it.
• Slow - Her size does hinder her in this way; She is not at all a fast runner.
• Acrophobia - She has a fear of heights. It's not so severe that it cripples her and doesn't affect her much until she is forty feet (or more) off the ground. She becomes anxious and can't make decisions well. She can also become sick to her stomach.
• Claustrophobia - Anything smaller than a large closet will make her panic.
• Bad family ties - At the moment, she is still safe. One of the benefits to being an average-sized (or larger, in her case) person is that it becomes all that much more difficult to find out your secret identity. However, should her father find out where she was or what she was doing, he wouldn't hesitate to turn her in.
• Preoccupied - A number of things are always on her mind and pose potential for distraction. While her PG teammates have things under hand back home, the moment she hears word that they need her, she will go back. Additionally, her primary reason for being in the New York area is because she wants to help the locals adapt, but she is very curious about what's going on and wants to find Spiderman.
  Also, while she isn't at all concerned about him, she had started the hobby of learning about Deadpool in her free time years ago. She finds him amusing and would be very distracted if they ever were to cross paths, for better or for worse.
  

Here is pic I did of her

*Note: don't feel like you need to list that much history. 

OOC
Characters

[Neysha]

I'm not sold on the premise, but I am intrigued by the concept I suppose. So in short, I'm interested.

[Batman4560]

I am keeping my eye on this. Totally interested.

[SpiralSpider]

I'm not sold on the premise, but I am intrigued by the concept I suppose. So in short, I'm interested.

Thank you for being honest. What is it you're not sure of?

[Neysha]

I guess, I'm not really sure whst kind of heroes or PCs you want. I can see that you want them limited in power and its obviously tested to the narrative you are going for,  I'm just not sure what kind of range of characters to choose from. I guess I'm still unsure of the limits and caveats to put it as simply as I can.

[SpiralSpider]

Hmm... I understand.

Well, I'm still developing this in my mind. I leave it mostly open to interpretation. Anything that follows the rules of Elliquiy and the restrictions on ability I listed above will pretty much be all right.

You could play a policeman who's a crack-shot. You could be a rich girl with a genius intelligence who creates robots. You could be an Olympic athlete with top-notch strength and speed... The DC universe has many heroes and villains that have no superhuman abilities of their own - like Batman, Green Arrow, Bumblebee, Riddler, Deadshot, etc...  (And, yeah, PCs can be villains in stead if the player prefers. I'll add that in the first post)

In my case, I'm going to play an oddball chubby super-heroine whose ability lies mostly in an artifact of power. Mundane strengths of hers are intelligence - particularly in strategic planning - and toughness (a high pain tolerance). I'll have her in a sample character sheet soon.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Was going to say I'm guessing your looking for people like Hawkeye or Black Widow and such.  Though didn't they also get super soldier serum?

[SpiralSpider]

Was going to say I'm guessing your looking for people like Hawkeye or Black Widow and such.  Though didn't they also get super soldier serum?

Black Widow: Yes. Hawkeye: No.

Though Hawkeye uses technology for "trick arrows" (like Speedy and Green Arrow in DC) and I guess there was a story arc where Pym gave him some extra abilities but I'm not really familiar with it.

[Kokaine]

I'm interested.

[SpiralSpider]

All right, everyone. Thanks for the interest. If anyone has any more questions or suggestions, feel free to let me know.

I want to give the heads up that I'll be out of town from tomorrow afternoon through Sunday so if I don't respond right away, please don't think I've given up on this or that I am ignoring you.

Additionally - I think if we get one more person to join we can start working out the details of the game and start playing. ^.^

[TheVillain]

How high of technology are we talking? Because I am kind of interested.

Basic Concept - A stage magician discovers a cache of Quentin Beck's old gear, improves with his knowledge of magic trick design and becomes a new anti-villainous Mysterio.

[BlueEyedBard]

Hi there, so I cooked up a character idea for this RP if there is still room for more players. This character would have sort of a Dick Grayson background in that he was a professional acrobat before he became a crime fighter, and his signature thing are his shock gloves. Originally they were for the show because they caused a brilliant light show when he would touch metal with them but now he uses them in conjunction with a metal staff that conducts electricity for an extra shocking punch!

This is still a rough idea of coarse and things can be changed, and that only matters if there is still room for me.

[Marie Reynolds]

Hmm this is interesting, So what would have been the fate of shield and would OC's be able to be shield agents that have stepped in more to fill the void of the heroes?

[SpiralSpider]

TheVillain - I'll admit I don't know a lot about Mysterio, so I'm doing some research. So far, this character idea seems feasible.

BlueEyedBard - Sounds great!

Marie Reynolds - Yes, I think OC Shield agents are very possible.

[SpiralSpider]

I have added a character skeleton and my girl's bio to the first post. Feel free to send me your characters or just post them here, whatever works best for you. I'll have an OOC up tomorrow - likely in exotic bondage unless anyone thinks I should put it in NC?

[TheVillain]

Character Name: Zachery Gold AKA Mysterio
Age: 28
General Description: Appears to be a male a little under 6 feet tall that keeps in at least decent shape. Not a professional athlete for sure but definitely can hold his own with amateurs. That's all that's known about him as the costume looks kind of like a nice suit with a silvery helmet covering, an updated look for old Fishbowl Head. Out of costume he keeps his hair short, and lately he dresses in nondescript track suits to keep a low profile. A bit of a dusky skin to him he has an impish smile and a relaxed mannor.

Personality: Ever the showman, he grew up a pickpocket and that's never really left him. A bit of a con-artist to survive he eventually came under the wing of a retired stage magician who wanted to help him turn over a new leaf. Now a stage magician by training, he can't help but show it off occasionally.

Brief History: An orphan on the streets, he'd decide to survive best by ducking the system and making it for himself on the streets. As a result he has a rapsheet as long as your arm but most of it is pickpocketing and con games, nobody was ever physically hurt. That is until one day a "friend" talked him into helping with a supervillain bank job. Yeah, he was carrying a gun but at least it wasn't loaded. Interestingly enough he ended up having to use his pickpocketing skills to prevent some of the less mentally stable in the group of robbers from killing hostages, something that went noticed by two in particular.

Apparently the hostages included a retired magician and his daughter, who paid his bail and spoke for him in exchange for training to turn his petty larceny skills into the skills of a proper stage magician. He was good too, learned quick - good enough that when the war came around instead of being made to fight like his record would of suggested he instead entertained the troops. Good thing too, out in the front he ended up learning from them how to engineer and jury-rig new set ups for his tricks.

Getting back from the war, the disenfranchised Gold gave up his career and returned to homelessness - but its there where he found a new calling. Recognizing that the warehouse he was crashing in had been staged for magic tricks, he stumbled upon a safehouse/hideout of the old Mysterio believed killed in the War. Altering the gear to be more toward his needs he would become a new Mysterio out to show the world that there was a new show in town after all. . .

Social Ties:

• Society of American Magicians - The oldest fraternity of professional stage magicians in the world. At its peak it had about 6,000 members world wide though the war brought it down to about 2,000 around the world. Many members that have heard of the new Mysterio do believe that he is a magician, but have no idea which one let alone that he's a member.

Abilities and Items:

• Sleight of Hand - Technically not a superpower, but Zach was a highly skilled pickpocket and conman from the school of hard knocks.
• Cheap Shot - While not trained, he does have a knack of getting in a particularly nasty first blow.
• The Grand Stage - A talented stage magician, he has a knack for prep work to create his illusions. With a little prep time in an area, he can properly stage somewhere without people realizing it or noticing it later without training.
• Master of Illusion - Getting his hands on the old tech of the pre-war villain Mysterio and adapting it he essentially takes his magician skills to a superhuman level. From suction cups to fake wall crawling to simple chemical mists to obscure or to cause hallucinations, the technology is now advanced enough to even be able to generate 3-D holographic illusions.

Weaknesses:

• Mortal - Just a normal human being, with all the strengths and weaknesses that goes with it.
• Alley Fighter - Not very well trained in combat, his "training" was more to get one hard blow in and run away. Beyond that first blow he usually is actually pretty bad at fighting.
• Control Freak - Many of his illusions hinge on how well he can control an area. If someone does something he didn't expect ahead of time it can being the whole plan down.
• Smoke and Mirrors - While his illusions are impressive they are just illusions. There's never as much substance to them as the appearances suggest. Some have none at all - the holograms are just light shows have nothing to actually touch for example.

[Raen234]

And to think i almost missed all this. Lost my access to the site and most of my computer files so i didnt even remember the site. But i am raring to actually try something. It seems like this might be a very interesting setting. Though i would have to admit the post war thing might throw me a bit, depends on the war i suspect. I am a huge comic fan, especially MARVEL. *stares at the 5 stacks nearby* *cough*.

I would definitely be interested, and i could help you with any Marvel questions. I would love the chance to play or partly play Deadpool, i know way too much about him. And to continue your thought on him, he did lose his healing factor, but it was short term before he got it once more.

I have an idea for a character but i am hesitant to suggest since i do not want to overstep or go outside the idea of this story. However i will let others be the judge on it, i was thinking a character who was part of the Nova Corps. (think green lanterns with lower power and their powers stem from more energy manipulation than light constructs. Unlike rings, Novas use helmets, which is actually harder to have on hand, lol)

[TheVillain]

And character sheet up, critique and criticism welcome.

[SpiralSpider]

Raen234 - As far as the war goes, it lasted six years and involved most of the world against North Korea and Russia. China was a contender as well for a while but they were intimidated out of their alliance with the other two due to economic repercussions. Not much has changed as far as the society in the western part of the world is concerned, but Korea is now governed as a whole and Russia and China are bowing down to some hefty human rights demands. Societal change is a work in progress there, so the world is by far not at peace. Here in the US, most citizens are blissfully disconnected and unaware of possible future complications that might arise due to the sanctions placed on the parties that had to surrender.

That's what I have so far. Does that address your concerns? Or did you have questions yet?

You're welcome to play Deadpool if you have an OC in the game and think you can accurately portray him. I know I couldn't, he's very much a wild card. ^.^'

Let me do some research on Nova Corps. I'll get back to you later today.

[SpiralSpider]

I've made an OOC thread as well as a place for you to post your characters. (Don't worry, I'll let you know if I think you need to change anything) Check out the OOC with links here: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=196018.msg9532745#msg9532745

[yasarra]

If this is still open, I'd be interested.  Heroes always interest me, even without the powers.

[SpiralSpider]

Yes, it is. Do you have a character concept in mind?

[yasarra]

I'm thinking a martial artist with a pair of stun gloves and a chameleon suit.  I'm still working out the details since I just noticed this thread less than an hour ago.

[SpiralSpider]

That works. 

[BlueEyedBard]

Two people with the shock glove tool?