We Could Be Heroes; A Sexy Superhero RP 2nd Arc Recruitment! MALES NEEDED!

[Giantmutantcrab]

*LOUD GASP*

CRABBO!!! *hugs*

Welcome, welcome!

So, to get started, you can go ahead and read this post, which is the first post on the very first page. It'll give you context on what we're looking for and the setting of the game. If you like what you see, go ahead and send us a character concept using this template:

Code Select Expand

[b]Sex:[/b] Male / Female / Other?
[b]Position:[/b] Student or Teacher?
[b]Archetype:[/b] Nerd? Cheerleader? Athlete? Bully? Etc etc?
[b]Power Theme:[/b] Give me a quick summary of the general theme of your powers.

For this stage, we're mostly focusing on the power you'd like and detailing that out to make sure it fits within our scope (That is, limited strength and not full on Dr Strange or Superman). We want one power per character, so no "flight AND super strength" it's either flight OR super strength. Once you have an idea worked out, we'll get you to expand on it more and then if Vergil approves, you can move on to the next phase.

Pen!

Hello! It is very very nice to see you away from the confines of the Hill-that-is-Silent!

*is huggled*

(V)^___^(V)

Thank you for making a shy crab feel welcome.

Can he just... I dunno, be good in martial arts? I was thinking of a character akin to Richard Dragon / Bronze Tiger / Iron Fist. Someone who is Defender-level of power, pretty impressive in his own right without necessarily being Justice League-tier. If he absolutely needs to have a superpower maybe he could have the "chi" power? Martial arts seem to be their own superpower in the comic book world so I don't want to seem like the guy who's building his own Ninjitsu Gary Sue.

[PentheWonderful]

Pen!

Hello! It is very very nice to see you away from the confines of the Hill-that-is-Silent!

*is huggled*

(V)^___^(V)

Thank you for making a shy crab feel welcome.

Awww, it's no problem at all, love! I'm happy to see you here and excited at the prospect of having you in this game!

Can he just... I dunno, be good in martial arts? I was thinking of a character akin to Richard Dragon / Bronze Tiger / Iron Fist. Someone who is Defender-level of power, pretty impressive in his own right without necessarily being Justice League-tier. If he absolutely needs to have a superpower maybe he could have the "chi" power? Martial arts seem to be their own superpower in the comic book world so I don't want to seem like the guy who's building his own Ninjitsu Gary Sue.

Aaaah, oui, that is certainly understandable. Well, we do have a few martial artists in our midst, but not exactly a martial arts specialist, so to speak. I love that you're already in the scope we're looking for, but, it'd be a bit difficult for your character to stand out with just martial arts. So, Chi Power? Definitely approved!

So tell me what the implications of his Chi power are! What boosts does that give him? How does it elevate his skill above the average human's?

[Giantmutantcrab]

Awww, it's no problem at all, love! I'm happy to see you here and excited at the prospect of having you in this game!

Aaaah, oui, that is certainly understandable. Well, we do have a few martial artists in our midst, but not exactly a martial arts specialist, so to speak. I love that you're already in the scope we're looking for, but, it'd be a bit difficult for your character to stand out with just martial arts. So, Chi Power? Definitely approved!

So tell me what the implications of his Chi power are! What boosts does that give him? How does it elevate his skill above the average human's?

You won me over with oui. Because I speak zee French honhon.

I saw Chi as allowing him to do things that would be normally impossible. Blocking a blade or a bullet, or punching through a wall. For example. A little like Iron Fist but without the "I can be as fast as Spiderman and strong like Luke Cage because I focus really really good."

So... More like Richard Dragon and Bronze Tiger, as I am re-reading myself.

[PentheWonderful]

You won me over with oui. Because I speak zee French honhon.

Then you might love my little French coquette, Cassandra

I saw Chi as allowing him to do things that would be normally impossible. Blocking a blade or a bullet, or punching through a wall. For example. A little like Iron Fist but without the "I can be as fast as Spiderman and strong like Luke Cage because I focus really really good."

So... More like Richard Dragon and Bronze Tiger, as I am re-reading myself.

Alright, so that's like, enhanced durability and strength then? Unfortunately we already do have that power in use, albeit with a different concept from yours, but it's still too similar for me to let it fly.

I understand that your concept is focusing on Martial Arts, so... How about, enhanced physical prowess? So, complete and utter control of his limbs and movement (for gross and fine motor skill) which increases accuracy and strength control?

Or alternatively, if you'd like to still go with the idea of resisting blades or bullets or being able to punch through a wall, your character could have enhanced healing ability.

[Giantmutantcrab]

Then you might love my little French coquette, Cassandra

Alright, so that's like, enhanced durability and strength then? Unfortunately we already do have that power in use, albeit with a different concept from yours, but it's still too similar for me to let it fly.

I understand that your concept is focusing on Martial Arts, so... How about, enhanced physical prowess? So, complete and utter control of his limbs and movement (for gross and fine motor skill) which increases accuracy and strength control?

Or alternatively, if you'd like to still go with the idea of resisting blades or bullets or being able to punch through a wall, your character could have enhanced healing ability.

Haha, he would shatter his limbs against a wall until it collapsed.

How about superspeed then? Works well with martial arts and allows for the whole "super-precise blows and dodging" without it being Flash-levels of speed.

[PentheWonderful]

Haha, he would shatter his limbs against a wall until it collapsed.

How about superspeed then? Works well with martial arts and allows for the whole "super-precise blows and dodging" without it being Flash-levels of speed.

Lol, basically!

But yes, super speed works fine Vergil is always a bit iffy with super speed, but I think if you can regulate it appropriately, it'll be fine.

So what I need you to do now is to divide this power into 3 stages: Beginner, Intermediate, and Master. Beginner stage would be the extent of his powers after he'd JUST acquired it, Intermediate is after having it for over a few months and practicing it considerably, and Master would be his powers at full potential.

For each stage, I want you to specify the maximum speed he can move in, the drawbacks (what happens if he overexerts himself? What are some weaknesses in his power, or what vulnerabilities does it give him?), and the applications of those speeds.

[Giantmutantcrab]

Lol, basically!

But yes, super speed works fine Vergil is always a bit iffy with super speed, but I think if you can regulate it appropriately, it'll be fine.

So what I need you to do now is to divide this power into 3 stages: Beginner, Intermediate, and Master. Beginner stage would be the extent of his powers after he'd JUST acquired it, Intermediate is after having it for over a few months and practicing it considerably, and Master would be his powers at full potential.

For each stage, I want you to specify the maximum speed he can move in, the drawbacks (what happens if he overexerts himself? What are some weaknesses in his power, or what vulnerabilities does it give him?), and the applications of those speeds.

Ok.

For Beginner, he can move fast. For Advanced, he can be really fast, and for Master he can move REALLY fast.

...

[AyyNaniMoose]

...give this crab a Pulitzer!

[PentheWonderful]

Ok.

For Beginner, he can move fast. For Advanced, he can be really fast, and for Master he can move REALLY fast.

...

Uh... huh.

So, he suffers no repercussions at all from his powers? If he runs really fast, he doesn't get any whiplash, or have any trouble turning, and doesn't get tired at all? He can outrun a Mach 3 no problem? Are his powers even meant for running, or just delivering quick blows and evading things easier in a fight?

How fast is fast, really fast, and REALLY fast?

I'm sorry hun, but I'll need the specific details.

[Giantmutantcrab]

Uh... huh.

So, he suffers no repercussions at all from his powers? If he runs really fast, he doesn't get any whiplash, or have any trouble turning, and doesn't get tired at all? He can outrun a Mach 3 no problem? Are his powers even meant for running, or just delivering quick blows and evading things easier in a fight?

How fast is fast, really fast, and REALLY fast?

I'm sorry hun, but I'll need the specific details.

-----

Seriously though.

At Master, I am thinking of emulating Quicksilver.

Also, I just read Quicksilver's bio from Wikipedia, and Jesus H Tapdancing Christ. Every single superhero with just one power has, like, a dozen sub-powers that go with it, don't they?

Quicksilver was originally presented as a mutant capable of moving and thinking at superhuman speeds. Originally capable of running at the speed of sound, exposure to the High Evolutionary's Isotope E made it possible for the character to run at supersonic speeds of up to Mach 10 and resist the effects of friction, reduced oxygen, and kinetic impact while moving at super-speeds. Also, he has a fast metabolism and can heal more rapidly than the average human. The character's speed allows him to perform such feats as creating cyclone-strength winds and running up walls or across bodies of water. Pietro's mind can perceive information with a photographic memory short term, becoming faster than the speed of thought, because he can shift his thoughts at a speed faster than normal thought.[volume & issue needed] Also, he can cause vibrations in his body to transfer to solid material, and has superior agility and reflexes compared to other mutants.

Well that was a mouthfull.

SO... At Master Level, we have Quicksilver without the snazzy jumpsuit and terrible hairdo. Though anyone who runs at Mach 10 will have a slicked-back look, regardless.

At Beginner level, I'm thinking his top speed should be maybe... Ten percent of maximum Master speed. So, somewhere around Mach 1, or the speed of sound, 1234.8 kilometers an hour. That would be his top speed at the moment. Actually, I think the first barrier for him to "break" psychologically should be the sound barrier, proper. Like, there is a mental barrier there that makes him slow down or refuse to go further, in the same way that someone about to bungee jump will look down and say "yeah you know what, let's not." He might actually be able to sense the sound barrier and him about to break it, but kind of backs off because he has no idea what'll happen.

He would be able to react much faster than someone else, in a way comparable to the Quicksilver scenes in X-Men First Class (of course, not quite as fast as him, since in those scenes he was running around bullets that fly through the air at around 1700 miles per hour). His powers are, for the most part, reactionnary at this moment. He HEARS A LOUD NOISE AND TURNS AROUND. He sees someone about to get hit by a car. He's not thinking, he's reacting. He runs up to the person, tackles them out of the way, and it's like time suddenly moves normally once he and the other person are out of danger. If he's training, he'll gain a sudden burst of speed and hit the bag a hundred times in five seconds. There was no thought process there. But he's not at the *puts on headphones and listens to Jim Croce as he rearranges the whole scene to make police officers punch themselves and align bullets out of the way* yet.

He would also be physically capable of surviving his own power. So he dosen't burn up because of the friction of running at such high speeds, he can survive in low-oxygen, and can see and understand what's going on faster then others. Like a short-term photographic memory. At first he would be hesitant to run faster then 100 miles per hour because... Well, HE'S RUNNING 100 MPH HOLY CRAP HE'S GOING TO FALL APART OR BURN UP OR SOMETHING. So very much mental barriers. Also he might get disoriented because he's not used to his eyes, brain and reflexes to be supernaturally fast. Also he's going to be needing a lot of calories because he's using a lot of energy.

So... yeah.

[Vergil Tanner]

1) Dried oak is a poor analogy. I just meant something that, while stronger than flesh, is still breakable by basic hand tools. Beginner armour may save him from a hammer, but only once before it cracks; and needs time to heal. A good analogy would be a children's bicycle helmet. Breakable if you have a small hammer or pick and a clean strike, but still more than a match for bare hands. Also, the chitin suffers from critical vulnerability to temperature. In freezing temperatures, it becomes brittle and easily shatters when struck by anything. When heated (by flames, concentrated sunlight, or other means), it becomes soft enough to be punctured by a jab with a pencil. These weaknesses never go away; and are the balancing mechanism of the armor.

Hmmm, ok...I can accept that, on the proviso that once it shatters, it takes a while to regenerate. Otherwise, you risk him having an entire suite of powers, y'know?

2) Sure thing! I was thinking the equation could be +0.5x strength= +1x Cost. So 1.5- 2, 2-3, 2.5-4, etc. with bigger ratios being restricted by mastery. Whatever you feel is Balanced!

For the moment, the ratios we have are fine.

4) Ok, so Cast Iron fits the same theme as the helmet. It may be Iron, but it's so impure that one blow from a hammer irreparably shatters the whole object. It may be hard, but hardness is not strength. Thats why diamond... anything, really, is impractical. Unbreakable against the grain, but one whack along it and the whole thing shatters catastrophically. I am aware of what Iron sounds like, but I assure you, this is nowhere near indestructible!

Ok, so what you're saying is that rather than being tough armour, it's enough to protect against one strong blow, then becomes useless for a time. The problem with that is, as the maximum he could take gets stronger, he becomes increasingly immune to the minimum, y'see? So the wearer gets effective invulnerability against anything less than the maximum. EG, say he could take a tank shell and protect the wearer once as a maximum. I hardly think that small arms fire is going to inconvenience the wearer of said suit overly much, right?
How does this differ from invulnerability that has a limit? How do you decide what "Damages" the shell, and what just bounces off? Sorry if you've answered this somewhere before, it's just an odd thing to get my head around so I'm making sure that I understand it before saying yay or naye.

d) Being shot in the head sucks, but unless it damages the nerve core, he's fine. All other tissue damage just reduces his total nervous mass for a while. Like the octopus example from earlier posts, the brain matter is spread evenly through out the appendages, culminating in a high-density nerve core analogous to a brain. Said nerve core is still critical, but individual parts of the body can function without in for a short time. In "Johns" case, it would likely cause damage to his memory and/or social functions. The things that make him him, but not the things that make him alive. You know what I mean?

See...it's that kind of "Secondary Ability." You're saying that he has Deadpool Invulnerability, in that even a shot to the head won't stop him. That's an entirely different powerset that I'm not sure I'm comfortable with him having because that kind of invulnerability and nigh-immortality is an entirely different suite of powers that don't seem all that necessary to his status as a "Symbiote." It feels like you're trying to give him two different sets of powers, when everybody else only has one power. Y'know?



Mutantcrab:
Since Pen has already started with you, I'll let her take you to completion before I take a look at you She knows what she's doing!

[PentheWonderful]

Aaaaaah, now this is much better.

Okey dokey, let's get to work!

Seriously though.

At Master, I am thinking of emulating Quicksilver.

Also, I just read Quicksilver's bio from Wikipedia, and Jesus H Tapdancing Christ. Every single superhero with just one power has, like, a dozen sub-powers that go with it, don't they?

Well that was a mouthfull.

SO... At Master Level, we have Quicksilver without the snazzy jumpsuit and terrible hairdo. Though anyone who runs at Mach 10 will have a slicked-back look, regardless.

Unfortunately, no, that's much too fast and much too Marvel's Avengers level. Remember that we're aiming for Daredevil or Jessica Jones level powers, not Dr Strange or Superman, and sadly this also includes ol' Quicksilver.

You can use the same concept, just scaled down and more specific. Quicksilver had enhanced healing, photographic memory, and increased processing speed, which are three different powers other people might want. So, just focus on super speed.

At Beginner level, I'm thinking his top speed should be maybe... Ten percent of maximum Master speed. So, somewhere around Mach 1, or the speed of sound, 1234.8 kilometers an hour. That would be his top speed at the moment. Actually, I think the first barrier for him to "break" psychologically should be the sound barrier, proper. Like, there is a mental barrier there that makes him slow down or refuse to go further, in the same way that someone about to bungee jump will look down and say "yeah you know what, let's not." He might actually be able to sense the sound barrier and him about to break it, but kind of backs off because he has no idea what'll happen.

Again, please scale this down. Maybe 350 km/hour MAX at mastery level, maybe 400 with extreme exertion and dire recoil (fainting, vomiting, nosebleed, extreme fatigue, etc) which is near the top speed of the fastest F1 ever recorded. The mental barrier concept I really like, but, the ranges are too extravagant for the scope of this game.

That being said, 10% of his eventual top speed (given it's about 350-400) is perfectly fine. Although, how much time would it take for him to reach this speed of 35-40 km/hour from standing still (0 km/hour)?

He would be able to react much faster than someone else, in a way comparable to the Quicksilver scenes in X-Men First Class (of course, not quite as fast as him, since in those scenes he was running around bullets that fly through the air at around 1700 miles per hour). His powers are, for the most part, reactionnary at this moment. He HEARS A LOUD NOISE AND TURNS AROUND. He sees someone about to get hit by a car. He's not thinking, he's reacting. He runs up to the person, tackles them out of the way, and it's like time suddenly moves normally once he and the other person are out of danger.

If he's training, he'll gain a sudden burst of speed and hit the bag a hundred times in five seconds. There was no thought process there. But he's not at the *puts on headphones and listens to Jim Croce as he rearranges the whole scene to make police officers punch themselves and align bullets out of the way* yet.

This is good.
Knee-jerk reactions for beginner and at 10% is acceptable. He'd be able to react to things faster, but not necessarily think at that speed or really process what was going on.

That being said, how is his turning ability? How does he fare on slopes, slippery surfaces, or uneven ground?

He would also be physically capable of surviving his own power. So he dosen't burn up because of the friction of running at such high speeds, he can survive in low-oxygen, and can see and understand what's going on faster then others.

This is fine. He needs to actually be able to use his power, after all. Although, note that this doesn't mean he'll suddenly be able to calculate the cube root of 3412 or 13890x45609 in less than 5 seconds.

Like a short-term photographic memory.

Nope, hard no here, hun. That's already a taken power.

At first he would be hesitant to run faster then 100 miles per hour because... Well, HE'S RUNNING 100 MPH HOLY CRAP HE'S GOING TO FALL APART OR BURN UP OR SOMETHING. So very much mental barriers. Also he might get disoriented because he's not used to his eyes, brain and reflexes to be supernaturally fast. Also he's going to be needing a lot of calories because he's using a lot of energy.

This is perfectly fine.

Alright, so what I want you to do now is arrange all this information neatly into this template:

Code Select Expand

[b]Powers:[/b]

[i]Beginner Level:[/i]
- Specific Abilities
- Limitations
- Drawbacks

[i]Intermediary:[/i]
- SA
- LI
- DB

[i]Mastery:[/i]
- SA
- LI
-DB

And then we'll give it another look :-3

[Giantmutantcrab]

"Like a short-term photographic memory."

What I was trying to describe here is how his mind would basically function. Like, he can't be able to actually use his powers if his mind cannot process information at a coherent, comparable speed. His reaction time (which means both mental and physical) have to be upped to allow him to see/hear what is going on, realise it, process it, and react. If he cannot do that, super-speed is pretty useless since he'll just hear gunshots, turn around and see the dead person and go "...Aw nuts."

Ok well tell me what the max speed can be for Master level and we can fiddle around with the speed at apprentice level?

[PentheWonderful]

Well, I had a small chat with Vergil and he suggested that your character's processing rate and durability be proportionally equal to the speed he's moving in. Otherwise, his processing and durability would just be normal.

As for top speed, we did have a character who wanted super speed before, and the top speed we agreed on was around 350 km/hour as well, if you're okay with that.

Now, since I have my finals next week and the week after, I'll be handing you off to Vergil for a little bit.

[Giantmutantcrab]

Well, I had a small chat with Vergil and he suggested that your character's processing rate and durability be proportionally equal to the speed he's moving in. Otherwise, his processing and durability would just be normal.

As for top speed, we did have a character who wanted super speed before, and the top speed we agreed on was around 350 km/hour as well, if you're okay with that.

Now, since I have my finals next week and the week after, I'll be handing you off to Vergil for a little bit.

Well I was going to bed anyway. So... happy finals? Yay you!

[Vergil Tanner]

Hey there, Crab! Since Pen is studying for Important Stuff, I'm gonna take over

As Pen has said, I'm always extremely iffy about Speedsters because they always end up having about abazillion different powers on top of just moving quickly, and very, very rapidly end up becoming the most OP thing on the planet. Super speed, enhanced agility, super thinking speed, super reflexes, super durability...which is always a nightmare when you're trying to balance them for a game like this. It's possible, but tricky.

Anyway, for Master Level, I would say that 150 - 175mph [240 - 281kmh] at Master Level is the maximum top speed I will allow.

Furthermore, I understand that super agility and processing speed and reflexes and durability are necessary at such high speeds, they also infringe on other characters. EG, super processing speed and heightened reflexes are my characters - Dante's - sole powers, so you'd basically be making a character who makes Dante utterly irrelevant, power-wise, along with making anybody who wants to be super invulnerable superfluous. That's the risk in a game like this with Speedsters.

So, what I want to suggest is that his processing speed, agility, reflexes, etc, are directly proportional to how fast he's moving. They only "activate" when he uses his super speed, as his body adapts to the new speed to cope rather than being "always on." So if he's standing still? He's a normal human. Peak human in terms of reaction speed, perhaps, but he isn't about to be dodging bullets. As he gets up to speed, that changes and his secondary powers activate to keep him from killing himself at those speeds.

That way, he doesn't end up as paste on the side of a building after running into it at 150mph, but he also doesn't overshadow other characters who have similar abilities.

How does that sound?

[AyyNaniMoose]

Sorry to interrupt, but I need to drop this so I can go to bed.
Also Good luck on finals, Pen!

1) Yes, that's exactly it! It take considerable time to heal, and can only do so when unbound from a host. It can still minuscule protection when broken, but it's akin to bits of broken dinner plate.

2) So... which ones exactly? I want to be sure which ones you're talking about.

3) Ok, so a simple hammer from a hardware store can damage and eventually destroy the armor at all stages. The only difference is the number of strikes needed. At the master level, the chitin could still be smashed to bits by just anyone, but they'd have to take a few swings to break a hard point, or one solid swing at a joint. That's something else I've failed to  mention, the major joints are largely unarmored. This means that, in addition to temperature, the armour for a whole limb can still be taken out in one solid swing if you aim well, and strike an inner elbow, knee, armpit, or the neck.

4) Ok, so by surviving, I don't mean like Deadpool. I mean he'd be a vegetable whose body maintained enough nerve tissue and motor function to continue surviving. Like a headless chicken. In fact, IRL there was once a chicken who survived for over a year without a head, being fed by a tube and having its airway cleaned out with a syringe. It's spinal cord had retained enough muscle memory to keep it functioning. Analogies aside, the important thing is that his core does not regenerate. Once his nerve core (I.E, his conscious "self") is destroyed, he, like any other human without a frontal lobe, enters brain death. the only difference is that his body has enough residual nerves to keep functioning; not as an intelligent being, but as a broken record player.
I'm sorry if this appeared to be a power, but it was just a bit of trivia to answer one of your questions. It is not a feature of his powerset, nor should it be considered an mechanic of this RP... I hope. I mean, I at least hope I won't be shot in the head and then made to RP a walking corpse, but you're clearly a better GM than that.

[Vergil Tanner]

Ok, can I just ask...from now on, can you use Quotes? I have to keep scrolling back to see what you're replying to

2) So... which ones exactly? I want to be sure which ones you're talking about.

The ones you suggested last are fine.

3) Ok, so a simple hammer from a hardware store can damage and eventually destroy the armor at all stages. The only difference is the number of strikes needed. At the master level, the chitin could still be smashed to bits by just anyone, but they'd have to take a few swings to break a hard point, or one solid swing at a joint. That's something else I've failed to  mention, the major joints are largely unarmored. This means that, in addition to temperature, the armour for a whole limb can still be taken out in one solid swing if you aim well, and strike an inner elbow, knee, armpit, or the neck.

Hmmm, ok. And what kind of impact would it have on him, as an individual, to have those plates smashed?

4) Ok, so by surviving, I don't mean like Deadpool. I mean he'd be a vegetable whose body maintained enough nerve tissue and motor function to continue surviving. Like a headless chicken. In fact, IRL there was once a chicken who survived for over a year without a head, being fed by a tube and having its airway cleaned out with a syringe. It's spinal cord had retained enough muscle memory to keep it functioning. Analogies aside, the important thing is that his core does not regenerate. Once his nerve core (I.E, his conscious "self") is destroyed, he, like any other human without a frontal lobe, enters brain death. the only difference is that his body has enough residual nerves to keep functioning; not as an intelligent being, but as a broken record player.

Hmmm, ok. And how would one "Permanently" kill this Colony? Hypothetically speaking.

I'm sorry if this appeared to be a power, but it was just a bit of trivia to answer one of your questions. It is not a feature of his powerset, nor should it be considered an mechanic of this RP... I hope. I mean, I at least hope I won't be shot in the head and then made to RP a walking corpse, but you're clearly a better GM than that.

Well, that depends on how much you piss me off. We have had one "death" in this RP thus far.

[Giantmutantcrab]

Hey there, Crab! Since Pen is studying for Important Stuff, I'm gonna take over

As Pen has said, I'm always extremely iffy about Speedsters because they always end up having about abazillion different powers on top of just moving quickly, and very, very rapidly end up becoming the most OP thing on the planet. Super speed, enhanced agility, super thinking speed, super reflexes, super durability...which is always a nightmare when you're trying to balance them for a game like this. It's possible, but tricky.

Anyway, for Master Level, I would say that 150 - 175mph [240 - 281kmh] at Master Level is the maximum top speed I will allow.

Furthermore, I understand that super agility and processing speed and reflexes and durability are necessary at such high speeds, they also infringe on other characters. EG, super processing speed and heightened reflexes are my characters - Dante's - sole powers, so you'd basically be making a character who makes Dante utterly irrelevant, power-wise, along with making anybody who wants to be super invulnerable superfluous. That's the risk in a game like this with Speedsters.

So, what I want to suggest is that his processing speed, agility, reflexes, etc, are directly proportional to how fast he's moving. They only "activate" when he uses his super speed, as his body adapts to the new speed to cope rather than being "always on." So if he's standing still? He's a normal human. Peak human in terms of reaction speed, perhaps, but he isn't about to be dodging bullets. As he gets up to speed, that changes and his secondary powers activate to keep him from killing himself at those speeds.

That way, he doesn't end up as paste on the side of a building after running into it at 150mph, but he also doesn't overshadow other characters who have similar abilities.

How does that sound?

After a short night's rest, I think that perhaps my initial idea of "chi" could be a better match for this type of game. The super-speed power may not be the best kind of concept in a low-level kind of game.

So let's talk chi. And for solid references, let's talk Iron Fist.

Chi as in channeling mystical power to attain results that could not be possible for human beings. Deflecting blades, punching though solid materials that normally you would not be able to, etc.

How would that sound like?

[Vergil Tanner]

It depends on specifically what it allows him to do. As Pen already expressed, if you want him to be able to do a hundred different things with his "Chi" powers, that is probably going to be a hard "No," because this is a one-power kind of game. So whilst I am not opposed to the idea of a Chi-based power, it would depend HEAVILY on what you see him being able to do with that power.

So what I want from you is a specific write up of "This is how the power would work, this is what it allows him to do and these are his limitations." Because as you've just written it, it's extremely vague so I can't say yes or no either way.

[Giantmutantcrab]

It depends on specifically what it allows him to do. As Pen already expressed, if you want him to be able to do a hundred different things with his "Chi" powers, that is probably going to be a hard "No," because this is a one-power kind of game. So whilst I am not opposed to the idea of a Chi-based power, it would depend HEAVILY on what you see him being able to do with that power.

So what I want from you is a specific write up of "This is how the power would work, this is what it allows him to do and these are his limitations." Because as you've just written it, it's extremely vague so I can't say yes or no either way.

Well chi powers are extremely vague. If I take Iron Fist as a specific example he can do the following:

Plunging his fists into the molten heart of the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying infused the dragon's superhuman energy into Rand. This, along with being trained by Lei Kung the Thunderer, gave Rand the power of the Iron Fist, allowing him to summon and focus his chi energy (also called natural energy or life force energy) to enhance his natural abilities to extraordinary levels. His strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, reflexes and senses can all be greatly intensified.

He is able to concentrate his own chi and the superhuman energy from Shou-Lao's heart into his hand, with it manifesting as a supernatural glow around his hand and fist. So concentrated, this "iron fist" can strike with superhuman hardness and impact, while his hand becomes impervious to pain and injury. However, summoning the power required by this feat leaves Rand physically and mentally drained, unable to repeat the act for a time, as long as an entire day in certain instances, though after years of using the ability, it has become less draining.[citation needed]

He can focus his chi inward to heal himself or outward to heal others of injury, as well as to give himself psychic senses and to telepathically fuse his consciousness with another person.

So as a Beginner, I was thinking he could do two things with his chi: deflect stuff that he normally could not / should not deflect with his bare hands (swords and such), and can cause more damage with a punch. Netflix-style Iron Fist. ...Without actually being the Netflix Iron Fist.

His limitations are that he can't use his "mighty punch" more than once a day. Because it drains him. Preventing him from punching holes through walls because it sounds fun.

However I must point out that several different superpowers, even if they are a "one-power" thing, allow for multiple different uses. You can do a ton of different things with super-strength, and that's just "super-strength". You can bust through handcuffs, toss vehicles around, break a gun in your hand, etc etc etc. I'm pretty sure that the super-strength guy will not be limited to "breaking out of handcuffs" and that's it. He can use super-strength. Cyclops' optic blasts are another example. A dozen different applications all stem from one power. I'm not interesting in chi-telepathy or chi-astral projection, but I'm curious as to how restricted power applications will be, concerning which superpowers.

[Vergil Tanner]

Well chi powers are extremely vague.

Well, the point of this process is to make it "Un Vague." I can't approve a power that I don't understand the limitations and capabilities of.

So as a Beginner, I was thinking he could do two things with his chi: deflect stuff that he normally could not / should not deflect with his bare hands (swords and such), and can cause more damage with a punch. Netflix-style Iron Fist. ...Without actually being the Netflix Iron Fist.

Eeeeeh...again, that kind of creeps into the whole "Having Two Powers" thing. You mean to say that he can deflect things (so, super invulnerability) AND has super strength? I get the whole "Can only do it once a day," but if he can only do it once a day, then why does he have it? It doesn't sound like it adds anything to his powerset.

However I must point out that several different superpowers, even if they are a "one-power" thing, allow for multiple different uses. You can do a ton of different things with super-strength, and that's just "super-strength". You can bust through handcuffs, toss vehicles around, break a gun in your hand, etc etc etc. I'm pretty sure that the super-strength guy will not be limited to "breaking out of handcuffs" and that's it. He can use super-strength. Cyclops' optic blasts are another example. A dozen different applications all stem from one power. I'm not interesting in chi-telepathy or chi-astral projection, but I'm curious as to how restricted power applications will be, concerning which superpowers.

I agree. Which is why we tend to say "Only one power," because somebody who chooses that power and is stuck with that power is forced to think of new applications for that power rather than saying "My third power happens to cover this easily!"

My point is that I am more than willing to entertain Chi-Based powers, but I need to understand exactly what he can do with them, how often he can do it, what it costs him to do it and what the limitations are.

EG.

"At Beginner Level, John can concentrate his Chi into his Self to increase his ability to withstand damage. This takes him ten seconds of concentration to achieve, and grants him enhanced durability for up to half an hour (though this does not need to be all in one go). Whilst in this state, John can withstand anything up to and including short range small arms fire without suffering any damage past perhaps a small bruise or two, but larger caliber weaponry or explosions will still injure him, though to a lesser extent than other non-powered humans."

That isn't the thing I want you to adopt, but it's an example. I want you to think about exactly what your power lets him do, and try to be as un-vague as possible, otherwise I can't approve it because I won't understand it or its limitations.

[AyyNaniMoose]

Sorry... I didn't know how to quote! Not certain if I still do, but this is my best shot.

Hmmm, ok. And what kind of impact would it have on him, as an individual, to have those plates smashed?

Pain. Imagine breaking a bone. Now imagine shattering a bone. Now imagine your skin and bones swap places. Imagine wide swathes of your skin shattering. Not fun. Naturally, he'll have to develop quite a pain tolerance, but that's no superpower; and will have to be learned by practice, gory practice.

Hmmm, ok. And how would one "Permanently" kill this Colony? Hypothetically speaking.

Oh that's easy, just wait for it to starve or disintegrate. The colony can't replicate dead cells without a core, so it just starts to decay over a day or two. If you  want it dead faster, just damage it further. Any nerve damage removes more of it's motor skills, so hack away until it stops moving. It won't/can't fight back anymore anyway without a controller sending emergency "this is a threat" signals. Again, strong at it's full potential, but break him even a little, and he falls apart.

Well, that depends on how much you piss me off. We have had one "death" in this RP thus far.

Umm... context? You wouldn't kill sweet ol' me... right?

[Vergil Tanner]

You nailed it

Pain. Imagine breaking a bone. Now imagine shattering a bone. Now imagine your skin and bones swap places. Imagine wide swathes of your skin shattering. Not fun. Naturally, he'll have to develop quite a pain tolerance, but that's no superpower; and will have to be learned by practice, gory practice.

Hmmm, ok. And how does this pain affect him when he's in Suit Mode? Does it disrupt his functions at all? Is it possible to hurt the suit in such a way that it stops functioning at all?

Umm... context? You wouldn't kill sweet ol' me... right?

Eh, he was getting kicked out, he threw a tantrum and had his character killed off to make it all about him.
That's the TL;DR of it, anyway.

So really, it depends on how much you piss me off

[AyyNaniMoose]

Ok, cool!

Hmmm, ok. And how does this pain affect him when he's in Suit Mode? Does it disrupt his functions at all? Is it possible to hurt the suit in such a way that it stops functioning at all?

Pain, while is suit mode, is lessened because the soft tissue inside is mostly inactive. Since the wearer creates the primary motor force, and the suit is only assisting the movement, the suit itself has far less nerve tissue activated, and is accordingly less receptive to pain. It does not go away, however, and "John" will still be in agony once he separates and reengages his own "muscle" tissue. Remember, he must separate from his partner to heal his wounds, so he will always face the consequences of his actions. Just... maybe not immediately; where the loss of concentration could endanger his host. The exception to this is temperature. Going with the theme of temperature being the suits weakness, burning or freezing his soft tissue, active or not, will still hit with full effect. This can break his concentration, and (if he's not careful) force the host to share his pain. they are bound by a shared nervous system, after all, and feedback can be incredibly dangerous.

One other slight thing, damage to adaptations can be dangerous. By this, I mean the bits of the suit that protect the suit from the wearer's abilities; like Ais heatsinks to keep the suit from burning around him, or Graces nerve gloves, to keep her from accidentally influencing "John". Those are only examples, and I have yet to write out he exact adaptations necessary for each, but the point stands. If these were damaged, the user could be just as dangerous to the suit as whatever it's protecting them from.

What do you think?