Dead Ringer: The Answers (Freeform Superhero Original Setting) [Full]

[Totoro]

Dead Ringer: The Answers

Can you find her? Can you catch him? Can you get my diamonds back? Can you protect me from an assassin? Can you rob a criminal's bank vault? Can you stop the mad villain from terrorising our city? Can you find my cat, get him from a tree and return him to me safe and unharmed? Can you save the world?

Whatever the question is, we're The Answers.

A group of heroes for hire who can solve literally any question, for the right price. We might not be operating 'Within the law'. We might not be the most professional heroes. We might not do things as elegantly as some. But ultimately we find a way to get the job done. So now it's just up to you to ask the question.

Game Overview

'The Answers' is a freeform superhero group game set in an original universe named 'Dead Ringer'. Dead Ringer is a reasonably gritty superhero universe, with all information found in the game's world building thread. It will center around a team of superheroes for hire, the self styled 'Answers'. They claim to be able to answer any question when it comes to requests for aid. The team are far from the most famous on earth, but they work well together and ultimately they get the job done. This game will focus on their early days as they start out trying to make a collective name for themselves deciding where their morality rests, who they will or wont work for and how they'll fit in with the police and government. They will be primarily good but also heroes for hire and therefore paid to do their work, with that factoring into moral choices.

The team have only recently met after stopping a supervillain in unison when he attempted to hold a large number of people hostage in downtown New York.. Players will have a good deal of creative freedom for their characters. I will provide background information on the setting, which is based on an alternative version of modern day earth. The setting will feature dark, gritty elements as well as fantastical ones. Aliens, magic and impossible technology all freely exist in this setting, but none are particularly commonplace. The player character's power level can be expected to be middling by superhero standards.

This game is currently full. If you are interested keep an eye on the thread as it may re-recruit in future.

Worldbuilding Thread

What will the game feature?

• A large original setting that accommodates a wide variety of superheroes.
• An active, ongoing and overarching story with 'The Answer' being provided 'Cases'. These will include combat, action, detective work, suspense, occasional light horror and a wide variety of characters, locations around New York and freedom as to how the team solve their problems.
• An Open thread/threads for the team to socialise, try to keep their social, family and professional lives outside of heroics together.
• An active GM willing to create NPC's and story arcs to accommodate player ideas.

The Formation of 'The Answers'

A group of fledgling wannabe superheroes were coincidentally in the same place when a villain revealed he was in possession of both a highly powerful explosive and a mechanized suit of armour. The unfolding chaos in downtown New York was only halted by the fortunate presence of a small group of heroes. After disappearing when the bomb was defused and mech destroyed the heroes met up, getting to know one another and realising something. They didn't possess the resources, influence or raw power to save the world and get paid doing it on their own. But together they could get a lot done. Thus while trying to settle on the name the group wound up calling themselves 'The Answers' and setting themselves up as a 'heroes for hire' organisation, doing the right thing for the highest bidders.

The Members:

The Answers are made up of a group of new heroes. They might not all be young overall, but they are fresh in the world of superheroics. Some of them might have aspirations of doing great good, others might just went the pay cheque that results. Either way they're at least able to work with the others. The group are varied in background, abilities and skills but they compliment one another well. None of them possess godlike abilities despite mostly being superhuman.

Superhumans

In this setting a superhuman is a being capable of achieving things either on the absolute peak of human potential or beyond human possibility. These can be aliens, magical beings, robots or humans enhanced by genetic differences, magical abilities or advanced technology. The nature of superhumans is wildly varied. A low level superhuman may easily be able to conceal themselves among the ordinary population. A superhero is any superhuman who attempts to use their powers for the good of others, most often through fighting crime and combating villainy. A supervillain is a superhuman who uses their powers to harm others, most often for personal gain but sometimes for a cause.

Superhumans are defined in two ways. First by the source of their superhuman nature and secondly by their level of power, or potential danger to the public. This allows the Government and others to better combat superhuman threats to public safety. All known superheroes must register themselves  in order to be accepted to legally fight crime. They are noted on the 'World Register for Superhuman Beings'. Villains are often categorized based on what can be observed. The members of The Answers are not registered.

Sources

Sources

Alien - Any being that originates somewhere other than earth. These are very rare. They are almost always superhuman by nature.
Innate Magic - Any being that exists outside of the ordinary world. The denizens of Atlantis, Atlanteans, are an easy example.
Extreme Skill - A being who has trained themselves to be the best of the best at what they do, whether conventional warfare or unique martial arts.
Technology - A being who uses extremely advanced technology taken by them, given to them or created by them to achieve superhuman power.
Learned Magic - A being who has studied magical arts and possesses the ability to access magic through skill.
Magical Items - A being who is in possession of one or more artefacts of arcane power that grant them superhuman abilities.
Parahuman - Parahumans are mutated humans who were unintentionally created in the 1920's when the first Superhuman arrived on earth.
Empowered - Humans or other beings empowered by some oddity of the universe such as radiation, toxins or energies. Can be Empowered through a deliberate process.

Rules

1. Don't cause or participate in drama. Be respectful of other players.
2. Don't godmode. Exceptions made when both parties have agreed on it.
3. Inform the GM if you will be unable to post for significant time.
4. Write in the third person past tense. A reasonable standard of English is required. (Spellcheck, grammar check, no one liners or overly short posts)
5. Accept your character will sometimes lose fights and/or get injured.
6. Please communicate with others, seek out scenes, be proactive and involved in the game.
7. Respect that this game is not smut focused and save that for appropriate threads.

Character Creation

I'm looking for around 4-6 players at the most for this game, and the game will not be on a first come first served basis. I'll be trying to put together a fitting team with both characters and writers I think will be good and interesting together. Below are a few things I'm looking for for character creation, some basic information on character creation, the character sheet and an example character sheet. The example character is just that, an example, and will likely not feature in the game. Players may have one character each. If you have multiple ideas feel free to pitch a variety. If you're not sure an idea is suitable feel free to give me a rough idea of your concept and I can let you know or help out.

Once finished PM your character sheet to me rather than posting them in this thread.

Please have a look at the world building thread here: Worldbuilding Thread for background information.

• No Mary Sues: Please make sure your character has real flaws and weaknesses. They don't have to be crippling but they have to be there, and they need to matter. Do not try to create a character as a flawless power trip.
• No Godlike Power: As a ballpark we're looking at characters around the lower end of the Avengers, and definitely not the upper end of them or the Justice League. Superman would not fit here. A character can (And hopefully should) have room to grow into a more successful and powerful hero, but right now they're new. The team's strength mostly comes from working together.
• Setting: This game will begin in New York City. There needs to be an explanation as to why your character's there, how long they've been there and what they know about the city.
• Sources of Power: I'm looking for most of the characters to be parahumans, with a maximum of one each of an alien and a magical being. The more variety in power sources the better, so if there are a lot interested in playing either of those then there will be more competition for your character to be approved. The team should have varied skillsets in order to compliment one another, no one character is going to be the star of the show.
• Magic: Examples of magical beings can be found here. Gods are not available as player characters, but demigods are. You are welcome to create your own beings, but they must be discussed and approved by me. Some ideas may not be setting appropriate. Magic users should have their powers and source defined, as should magical artefacts. Feel free to create your own source or artefacts and I can try to help them fit.
• Aliens: Examples of Aliens can be found here. You may create your own Alien species if you like. The Bright are not available as player characters. Original races should have a reasonable power level.
• Parahumans: A run down on Parahumans can be found here. You may use powers that are not listed, those are just the basics.
• Technology: A run down on Technology can be found here. Please feel free to create your own tech such as weapons, armour or more unique tools.
• Ask: If you're not sure about a location, event or general aspect of this setting just ask me. If it's not explicitly mentioned it can be assumed to have worked or work out similarly to the way it did in the real world.

Taken Faceclaims

Taken Faceclaims

Player Characters
Boyd Holbrook - Prowl - PC - Armphid
Bry Jensen - Bohica - PC - BarbaraGordon
Avan Jogia - Mistral - PC - Yarnover
Ineska Taktak - Star Light - PC - Sarita
Aly Antorcha - Narizak - PC - Bekah Boo
Erick Mafra - Karizan - PC - BlueEyedBard

NPC's
Marlon Brando - Brightfall - NPC - Sun Wukong
Vincent Cassel - Killshot - NPC - Sun Wukong
Caylan Hughes - Atlas - NPC - Sun Wukong
Ronald Epps - Cadmus - NPC - Sun Wukong
Idris Elba - Revelation - NPC - Sun Wukong
Kellan Lutz - Brawler - NPC - Sun Wukong
Beto Malfacini - Imperatore - NPC - Sun Wukong
Ralph Fiennes - Torment - NPC - Sun Wukong
Jerome Flynn - The Bright Prophet - NPC - Sun Wukong
Jamie Adenuga & Terry Crews - ZODIAC! - NPC - Sun Wukong
Stefano Cassetti - Dr. Eden - NPC - Sun Wukong

Taken Powers

Taken Powers

Healing and Light Generation
Magical Empowerment
Aerokinesis
Magnokinesis

Character Sheet:

Code Select Expand

[float=left][img height=200 padding=5]http://via.placeholder.com/300[/img][/float]
[u][b]Basic Information[/b][/u]
[b]Name:[/b] Legal name
[b]Alias/Nicknames:[/b] Superhero Alias
[b]Source:[/b] What makes them superhuman? (Parahuman, Alien, Technology, Magical Artefact, Magical Knowledge, Magical Being, Training) Choose main if multiple apply.
[b]Citizenship:[/b]
[b]Place of Birth:[/b]
[b]Occupation:[/b] As they are fledgling heroes many of 'The Answer' have other employment at the moment.

[hr]

[u][b]Physical Description[/b][/u]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Ethnicity:[/b] Can be replaced with 'species' if non-human.
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Weight:[/b]
[b]Eye Colour:[/b]
[b]Hair Colour:[/b]
[b]General Appearance:[/b] How do they style themselves, including their clothing and the way they present themselves. How do they dress for heroics. As unlicensed heroes most of The Answer would have cause to cover their face or otherwise conceal their identities while performing heroics.

[center][img height=200 padding=5]http://via.placeholder.com/300[/img][img height=200 padding=5]http://via.placeholder.com/300[/img][img height=200 padding=5]http://via.placeholder.com/300[/img][/center]

[hr]

[center][u][b]Personality & History[/b][/u][/center]

[b]Personality:[/b] What are they like as a person? What do they like and dislike. Why do they aim to be a hero. How do they feel about their powers. Why have they not registered to become a Government sanctioned hero. Minimum one paragraph.

[b]History:[/b] What's their life been like. How do they deal with their powers. They should only be an amateur superhero at most. Minimum three paragraphs.

[hr]

[center][u][b]Superpowers[/b][/u][/center]

[b](Superpower Name Here):[/b] This section can be used to detail any innate abilities, learned skills, equipment or magic that surpasses the possibility of ordinary human skill, physicality or equipment. Characters should not have more than five superhuman abilities. Abilities do not need strict definitions but need to be 'reasonable'. For example superman's alien biology would go here, or Iron Man's suit. Whereas the Punisher's military equipment and training would not. Barred powers: Chronokinesis, Invincibility, Anything including the word 'Omni', Death reversal.

[hr]

[center][u][b]Skills and Equipment[/b][/u][/center]

[u][b]Skills:[/b][/u]

[i](Skill Name Here):[/i] A skill is a talent attainable by an ordinary person. What is your character good at? Most particularly as a super hero. A character shouldn't have more than five skills.

[u][b]Equipment:[/b][/u]

[i](Equipment Name Here):[/i] Any ordinary equipment that is vital to this person and/or their heroics, but that is not beyond the realm of ordinary human technology.

[hr]

[center][u][b]Flaws and Weaknesses[/b][/u][/center]

[u][b]Flaws:[/b][/u]

[i](Flaw Name Here):[/i] A flaw is a human failing. A generally negative character trait or personal issue. Characters should have at least one flaw.

[u][b]Weaknesses:[/b][/u]

[i](Weakness Name Here):[/i] A weakness is a superhuman failing. What overcomes or troubles your character's superhuman abilities.

[hr]

[center][u][b]Extras[/b][/u][/center]


Example Character Sheet

Basic Information
Name: Jack Johnson
Alias/Nicknames: Static
Source: Parahuman
Citizenship: American
Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington
Occupation: Bartender



Physical Description
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 172lbs
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
General Appearance: Jack's average in height while being well built but not particularly heavy. He keeps fit with a bit of running, smacking a punching bag and his amateur efforts at crime fighting. He bears the scars of a few fights gone wrong, but none are too obvious. He also has a few tattoos on his chest and upper arms, but they're usually covered beneath the leather jacket he nearly always wears. He never really dresses smart, always aiming to look casual and fit in around the rough crowd at the bar he works at. He keeps his hair short, and trims his facial hair regularly. Jack walks and presents himself with a confident swagger.

Personality & History

Personality: Jack's a fighter and a survivor, foremost. He's more than a little rough around the edges, and doesn't tend to mince words or care for politeness. His no nonsense attitude works well in back street bars, where he's done most of his work. He's always loved a good fight, and struggled to take much of life seriously. Sometimes he's not sure if his desire to fight crime is truly about stopping the crime or just brawling for the hell of it. Jack's afraid of taking heroics seriously and the weight of that potential responsibility, and he's never been one who could follow orders or train himself properly, so he'd never register. Despite his issues Jack wants to try and do more, make use of his talents and help people who've had a rough time like he has.

History: Jack grew up in Seattle with a very poor single mother. He had a rough life, learning to get by on next to nothing and frequently acting out in school. He often found himself recklessly standing up for others but unintentionally escalating situations and getting himself into trouble. His mother always encouraged Jack to stand up for himself, and told him she knew his heart was in the right place despite the fact he was often in the wrong situation. He grew up a fighter, struggling more and more in school as he got involved in the darker side of the inner city life while trying to find a way to help his sick, struggling mother to pay the bills.

In his late teens Jack was involved in a variety of petty crime, but eventually a run in with the police forced him to give up on that life. The risk of being arrested and leaving his mother alone was far too great. In retaliation a former friend of Jacks, who was an unstable drug abuser, ended up threatening Jack in his home. When Jack's mom walked in she panicked, becoming hospitalised when she fell and struck her head. Jack almost killed his friend, barely managing to relent and calling the police. Several weeks later Jack's mother passed away due to complications caused by her head injury in conjunction with her sickness. 

The intensity of losing just about the only person in his life caused Jack to take to a vigilante life in some effort to atone for what he saw as his failings. He never wanted to be a hero, but he felt a need to get out, stand up and fight criminals. It was during a very rough brawl that his parahuman powers manifested, blasting a wall of static energy down the street that gave several criminals severe burns. Fearing arrest or the response of other heroes Jack fled across the country all the way to New York City, taking a job as a barman and acclimatising to the rougher side of the city. There he began to fight crimes with a disguise, getting used to trying to use his parahuman abilities to aid his efforts. He was dubbed 'Static' after reports of criminals being stunned by powerful blasts of static electricity began to surface. He's a very amateur hero at best, and still isn't certain he's doing the right thing.

Superpowers

Static Field: Jack is able to generate a static field around his body, and to project electricity from himself. It can cause discomfort, disorientation or even stun anyone exposed to it. At a push he can affect a wide area around himself, up to around ten meters. Jack can discharge bolts of electricity that are extremely dangerous, but they are hard to control around conductive substances.

Skills and Equipment

Skills:

Street Brawler: Jack's not much of a trained fighter, but he's lived a fairly rough life and been in his fair share of fights. He can throw a few jabs, and he knows how to fight dirty if it comes down to it.

Amateur Crime Fighter: Jack has been fighting crime for a few years, but off and on and at a very clumsy, amateur level. He's learned a few things about criminals, brawling and the life of an amateur hero. He's smart enough not to get arrested for his actions, and he's managed to handle a few small-scale investigations himself.

Equipment:

Leather Jacket and Balaclava: Far from a real costume, Jack fights crime wearing a leather jacket and a balaclava. This costume is quick to change into, conceals his identity and the jacket helps take a few punches.

Knuckle Dusters: Complete with his amateur at best costume Jack usually carries a set of knuckle dusters to aid his haphazard street fighting style.

Flaws and Weaknesses

Flaws:

Seriously?: Jack doesn't take heroics seriously. The idea of accepting the full weight of the responsibility scares Jack. He doesn't properly train, and doesn't treat life threatening situations as carefully as he could do.

Emotional: Jack's reason for fighting crime is very emotional, and he often thinks far more with his heart than his head when it comes to his amateur vigilantism and heroics. His emotional state can easily be manipulated, particularly if someone knows his past. Jack will never back down or take the easy option, even if it's a huge risk to himself.

Weaknesses:

Chaotic: Electricity is a chaotic element at best, and when Jack generates his 'static field' it can easily be very dangerous to everyone around him. Jack also struggles to keep the power to a stunning level, and can easily do more damage than he intends to.

Water: As a powerful conductor of electricity water is extremely dangerous for Jack to be around. If he uses his powers near water he'll almost always electrify it, which can be very dangerous to those around him. Jack cannot use his powers while in water, or during rain, without extreme danger to himself and others.

Extras

F.A.Q

Dead Ringer Thread Links

OOC Threads

Recruitment
OOC Chat
Player Character Sheets
Worldbuilding Thread
NPC Archive

IC Threads

Main Story
New York City
Team Base
News & Media
Team Chat
After Dark

[Kadigan]

Definite interest in creating an armored type. Sort of war machine sque.

[Totoro]

Definite interest in creating an armored type. Sort of war machine sque.

Awesome, sounds great to me. Happy to have your interest.

[Armphid]

I would like to Express my interest as well, though as it may be a bit before I can post a character sheet, I understand if I miss the boat.  But I  like the base idea!

I have a character concept that would involve a character given the power of an Animal Spirit/God to be their "totem warrior."  I read the types and the linked magic blurb but am not sure if that would fit the world.

The idea would be that many animal spirits (like capital letter Wolf, Bear, etc) would have these totem warriors and they would be supposed to guard against magical threats and keep the balance between spirit and material worlds.  Though those powers lend themselves nicely to being a super hero too.

Any thoughts?  I totally understand if it doesn't fit.

[Kadigan]

That reminds me of brave starr

[Totoro]

I would like to Express my interest as well, though as it may be a bit before I can post a character sheet, I understand if I miss the boat.  But I  like the base idea!

I have a character concept that would involve a character given the power of an Animal Spirit/God to be their "totem warrior."  I read the types and the linked magic blurb but am not sure if that would fit the world.

The idea would be that many animal spirits (like capital letter Wolf, Bear, etc) would have these totem warriors and they would be supposed to guard against magical threats and keep the balance between spirit and material worlds.  Though those powers lend themselves nicely to being a super hero too.

Any thoughts?  I totally understand if it doesn't fit.

That idea definitely sounds workable. Honestly the core concept of this setting was to create an environment that a lot of different superhero concepts work in.

I would say maybe being empowered by an Aztec God makes sense as far as the established dimensions. But I could create a Native American themed dimension with animal spirits like those, and totems. That kind of theme fits together quite well.



Just as an aside remember these characters are pretty new to heroics, so with the war machine mention and powers from other dimensions remember they're not too powerful yet. But that way an armoured type can improve their suit or get new equipment, and a magical type can learn to better control and advance their powers and/or grow worthier of more.

[Armphid]

I would prefer Native American or just generally Spiritualist/Animist to the Aztecs if possible.  Otherwise I'm going to be ripping out the hearts of lots of guys and I believe that's generally frowned upon.

Understood on power level, these characters are all starting out and will, potentially, grow in power over time.

I do gave a second concept that would fit the Parahuman archetype better if this requires too much shoehorning.   

[Totoro]

I would prefer Native American or just generally Spiritualist/Animist to the Aztecs if possible.  Otherwise I'm going to be ripping out the hearts of lots of guys and I believe that's generally frowned upon.

Understood on power level, these characters are all starting out and will, potentially, grow in power over time.

I do gave a second concept that would fit the Parahuman archetype better if this requires too much shoehorning.   

I think what I'd go for as a source is an animal/spirit dimension as the source of their powers. I don't think it takes too much shoehorning at all. That way this particular dimension can have been interacted with by various cultures like the Native Americans and Ancient Africans.

[Captain Whitebread]

Mr Nobody:  Invisible.  Undetectable to machines.  Motion detectors don't pick him up.  He doesn't show up on cameras, has no detectable heat signature.  Anything he picks up becomes invisible as well.  Clothing, food, etc, it all becomes invisible.

Problem: He can't turn it off.  He hasn't seen his own face since high school.  Terrified of being caught by anybody with the capacity to contain and potentially control him.

[BlueEyedBard]

Hi there, I'm interested in this game and working on a sheet, but where on the "source" spectrum would you put a human struck by "interstellar lightning", and gaining electric themed powers?

[Totoro]

Hi there, I'm interested in this game and working on a sheet, but where on the "source" spectrum would you put a human struck by "interstellar lightning", and gaining electric themed powers?

That's definitely a very good question. Is this lightning magical or a quirk of science? If it's magical IE flying through space but originally exited another dimension, then magic.

If it's intended to be a scientific thing then I might have to add a category along the lines of 'Empowered'.

[BlueEyedBard]

That's definitely a very good question. Is this lightning magical or a quirk of science? If it's magical IE flying through space but originally exited another dimension, then magic.

If it's intended to be a scientific thing then I might have to add a category along the lines of 'Empowered'.

My thought was that is was some kind of, extremely rare, naturally occurring, radioactive, electrical storm from space...

[Totoro]

My thought was that is was some kind of, extremely rare, naturally occurring, radioactive, electrical storm from space...

That's totally doable/makes sense. And it's also a thing I'd missed as a potential source. Call it 'Empowered', I'll add it to the sources list.

[BlueEyedBard]

That's totally doable/makes sense. And it's also a thing I'd missed as a potential source. Call it 'Empowered', I'll add it to the sources list.

Sounds good!

[Amarlo]

><; Gah

Intrigued.... watching... -diez-

[Totoro]

Sounds good!

Should be up now.

><; Gah

Intrigued.... watching... -diez-

One day we'll write in the same game and it'll work out.

[Amarlo]

One day we'll write in the same game and it'll work out.

I've already cursed the game by showing up. >.>;;

[Captain Whitebread]

I thought that was just me.

[indarkestknight]

Parahumans

I know I'm probably the only one who's read the fantastic web serial Worm, but just seeing that word puts a smile on my face.

'Empowered'.

Heh. Empowered.

*toddles off to peruse the worldbuilding*

[Totoro]

I know I'm probably the only one who's read the fantastic web serial Worm, but just seeing that word puts a smile on my face.

Heh. Empowered.

*toddles off to peruse the worldbuilding*

A friend of mine recommended me Worm, but I've never got around to reading it. I didn't realise they used parahumans though. That friend used the term 'capes' if I remember correctly. The idea for Parahuman came from the name of the setting. I was going to call it 'Kindred' based on it being similar to real life but with superhumans, but 'Dead Ringer' came up as a synonym and I thought it had a better ring to it. Then with parallel being in there I figured it works as they're 'parallel' to humans.

[Yarnover]

Hi. I'm interested. Gonna check out the info threads and see if I can come up with a character before your game is full.

[indarkestknight]

A friend of mine recommended me Worm, but I've never got around to reading it. I didn't realise they used parahumans though. That friend used the term 'capes' if I remember correctly. The idea for Parahuman came from the name of the setting. I was going to call it 'Kindred' based on it being similar to real life but with superhumans, but 'Dead Ringer' came up as a synonym and I thought it had a better ring to it. Then with parallel being in there I figured it works as they're 'parallel' to humans.

Capes is the colloquial term for parahumans in Worm. So you'll see those in relationships with parahumans called "cape wives" for instance, while a researcher would probably use the term "parahuman" in research papers or lectures.

EDIT: I could not recommend Worm more strongly, in case that wasn't evident.

[Totoro]

Hi. I'm interested. Gonna check out the info threads and see if I can come up with a character before your game is full.

Glad to have the interest.

Capes is the colloquial term for parahumans in Worm. So you'll see those in relationships with parahumans called "cape wives" for instance, while a researcher would probably use the term "parahuman" in research papers or lectures.

EDIT: I could not recommend Worm more strongly, in case that wasn't evident.

Ah, I see. It's firmly pretty high up in my 'I swear I'll get to that one day' list.

[Batman4560]

Have all the slots been filled yet? A friend told me about this and I'd love to be a part!

[indarkestknight]

Fairly basic question: What level of lethal force by superheroes when fighting supervillains is viewed as acceptable by the setting in general? What level of lethality are the prospective players themselves interested in and comfortable with?