Dead Ringer: Vigilantes (Freeform Superhero Original Setting) [Recruiting]

[Totoro]

Good evening, ladies and gentleman. My name is Exemplar. As you know I head up the team known as Alpha-One. And, in that role, it's my job to keep you all safe. Everyone in New York City. We're the best Harris Defence Services has to offer. Because, let's be honest, you guys deserve the best. New York City! I love this place. It's home to me now. All of us in Alpha-One feel like we belong here, doing what we can to keep your city safe. But not everyone sees it that way. There's a few people out there who don't agree. They see a choice between us, a team of the best hand-selected and purpose trained, and them. A bunch of rag-tag nobodies acting like they're above the law. And they want the thugs. So, come on. Tell me honestly. Do you want lawless vigilantes, or do you want the best heroes America has to offer?

Dead Ringer is a freeform superhero game set in an original universe with its own worldbuilding thread. The setting will be laid out to a reasonable degree but does have space for suggestions. This game is about a lower tier of heroes who are unsanctioned and operating outside the law. They are not a team, just a handful of vigilantes who have connections. They may organically form teams in-character if people want to. The game will be open to various levels of morality when it comes to heroes from very optimistic, naive and hopeful individuals to callous, cold hearted anti-heroes.

I will be managing the city around them including the conventional civilian elements and ordinary human organisations or law enforcement as well as sanctioned, legal superheroes who dislike unregistered vigilantes and the supervillains who oppose them. As such this game will feature a relatively large number of NPC's. These characters will be individuals, recurring, available to build alliances, rivalries and more with. It will be up to characters as individuals what their goals are, who they think the 'real enemy' is and how they choose to operate. Characters can absolutely go after anyone they want and their odds are going to depend on who they can persuade to join in.

This game will be a heavy sandbox environment with open GM ran events, space for player suggestions and a lot of room for the PC's to settle on their own individual goals and work to accomplish them as best they can. There may be moments of failure or defeat depending on the difficulty of the goal, the length of time and how they approach it. This game is about New York City's vigilantes and not it's strongest heroes. Think relatively street-level powers for the most part. Taking down big-name supervillains or superheroes in this game will require a good deal of planning and working together but it can be done. You don't have to be stronger than someone else to take them down, just smarter.

This game will feature a Discord for plotting, planning and general discussion. No IC actions will take place there and joining is not mandatory but will be recommended.

This game is currently recruiting. Feel free to state concepts here or via PM, to ask any questions you may have or to send CS's in. Please send CS's to me via PM.

Superheroes arrived in the 1920's. Since then humanity's learning has skyrocketed, developing into a very complex and challenging relationship with beings more than capable of tearing apart society. After the world's first known superhero, Brightfall, went on a rampage and disappeared after being defeated by other heroes the world sharply adapted it's view. Sanctions came into place and various organisations began to do their best to monitor superhumans. There are countless organisations and teams who range from monitoring to controlling to even profiting from superheroes.

In the modern world, superheroes are idols, stars and celebrities whilst the day-to-day superhumans can be vilified or at least treated with distrust and fear by the majority of people. Unsanctioned heroics are a source of great controversy ranging from aggressive support for vigilantes to calls to label them terrorists. Opinions may often be heavily clouded by personal experiences with superhumans which are wildly varied, with some being genuinely kind-hearted heroes and other being callous, egotistical monsters.

New York City is a centrepiece in all conflict regarding superheroes. One of the world's most prominent cities, a multicultural place filled with conflicting ideologies and a wide range of social class it's long been known for the large number of heroes who call it home, and vigilantes who roam its streets. Alpha-One is New York's most famous resident hero team but they are frequently aided by heroes famous on a national and international scale. None the less those big names often go for the heroics that look good to the public whilst the lower echelons of society are left to suffer.

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 player characters in this game are vigilantes who can be defined either as heroes or antiheroes depending on methods and perspective. They are all unregistered for one reason or another, but attempts to register are an option as an in-character story arc.

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, energies or magical entities. Can be Empowered through a deliberate process.

Rules

1. Don't cause or participate in drama. Be respectful of other players. If an interpersonal issue comes up, PM me if it cannot be resolved.
2. Don't godmode. This rule applies to both other player characters and NPC's.
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.) Posts must be clear to read and understand.
5. Accept your character will sometimes lose fights and/or get injured.
6. Player Vs. Player conflict is allowed in this game. All characters should be on similar enough footing that any outcome is a possibility. Discuss this out of character before engaging. If a dispute occurs try to resolve it amicably, if it cannot be resolved please inform me.
7. Please communicate with others. This game is a sandbox. Be social to other writers involved, try to find ways to make scenes work. Do not be the person shutting down all scene suggestions and then being unhappy about having no scenes. GM NPC's and scenes will be available too.
8. Respect that this game is not smut focused and save that for appropriate threads. Do not lust after anyone character who's writer is not interested.

I am looking for a variety of original characters that fit well into the setting. Ideally street-level characters with a reasonable reason to be a vigilante. Powers can be simple or unusual, but ideally should be different to other approved player characters. Characters should be at least somewhat open to working with other vigilantes or you will find you are limited to only confrontational interactions with other players. So far I'm only looking for one character per person.

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.

There is also a character archive available here: Character Archive to see some other characters created for the setting. Please note many of these are more 'high level' and will not feature in this game, or will only feature as background aspects to give the world depth and events. Reading any of this is entirely optional but can provide an insight into the setting.

• 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. These are vigilantes, not the Justice League.
• No Godlike Power: As a ballpark I am looking for characters at a 'street-level'. Examples include: Wolverine, Batman Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Spider-Man, Punisher, Elektra, Black Widow, Black Panther or Captain America. Superpowers should be reasonably low-key. Their powers can grow in-game. There will be times they have to out-think their problems or work with others in order to defeat a foe.
• 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: If there are an excess of character sheets for aliens or magical beings those sources of power may be placed on hold. Ideally, most character's sources will be Extreme Skill, Parahuman or Technology.
• 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. As much as I've tried to create a living world I can never account for everything, but I'm willing to talk things out and figure them out. If you have a concept you're not sure about; bring me the concept before a full CS.
• Originality: Just about every power now has been used somewhere, by someone. But please try not to use the same powers as someone else's approved character, or to be too similar to theirs. This does not apply to NPC's. There are a lot already and are going to be a lot more. Don't worry about similarity to them, just don't use the same art or faceclaim.
• Faceclaims & Artwork: Regarding faceclaims they must follow all Elliquiy rules. If a character has a human appearance they must use a faceclaim. I would like to encourage people to branch out a little. I may veto faceclaims who I see consistently in too many games. Artwork is not necessary unless your character has a non-human appearance. It may be used to represent alternate forms, appearances or most likely their attire. Artwork may be of a comic standard but high quality, or else it should ideally be fairly realistic. Anime-style art is likely to be vetoed. Over the top appearances will be too. These are vigilantes, not the strongest heroes on earth. Characters cannot use any big-name canon superhero's appearance.

Character Sheet:

Format:

CS Format

Basic Information
Name: Legal name
Alias/Nicknames: Superhero Alias
Source: What makes them superhuman? (Parahuman, Alien, Technology, Magical Artefact, Learned Magic, Innate Magic, Extreme Skill, Empowered) Choose main if multiple apply.
Citizenship:
Place of Birth:
Home: Where do they live in NYC?
Area of Operation: What parts of NYC do they operate in as a vigilante?
Occupation: As they are a vigilante they most likely have some kind of employment as a source of income.



Physical Description
Age:
Gender:
Sexuality:
Ethnicity: Can be replaced with 'species' if non-human.
Height:
Weight:
Eye Colour:
Hair Colour:
General Appearance: How do they style themselves, including their clothing and the way they present themselves. How do they dress for heroics. As they are unregistered vigilantes and criminals in the eyes of the law they have a very strong reason to cover their face.

Personality & History

Personality: Personality can be filled out in one of two ways. Either at least a paragraph loosely summarising the below, or by filling out the two fields below. If you choose a paragraph then delete the below fields 'traits' and 'goals'. Alternatively, you may write a paragraph and fill out the fields.

Traits: A list of their most core personality traits, at least five but ideally more. Simply single words will do.
Goals: A list of 1-3 of their most important goals. Ideally, each summed up with a sentence at most.

History: What's their life been like. They should be a fairly new vigilante at most. They do not have to be one at all, their initial transfer from civilian to vigilante can be played out in-game. Minimum of three paragraphs.

Superpowers

(Superpower Name Here): 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. The Punisher's military equipment and training would not. In a character like that's case their ironclad willpower, tolerance for pain or aptitude for warfare may be so extreme as to count as superhuman. Barred powers: Chronokinesis, Invincibility, Immortality, Anything including the word 'Omni', Death reversal.

Skills and Equipment

Skills:

(Skill Name Here): A skill is a talent attainable by an ordinary person. What is your character good at? Most particularly as a vigilante. A character shouldn't have more than five skills listed here.

Equipment:

(Equipment Name Here): Any ordinary equipment that is vital to this person and/or their heroics, but that is not beyond the realm of ordinary human technology. For example a handgun, laptop used for hacking or a bulletproof vest would fit here. Mjolnir would not.

Flaws and Weaknesses

Flaws:

(Flaw Name Here): A flaw is a human failing. A generally negative character trait or personal issue. Characters should have at least two flaws.

Weaknesses:

(Weakness Name Here): A weakness is a superhuman failing. What overcomes or troubles your character's superhuman abilities. If a character has either no superhuman abilities or almost none, then their weakness would simply be 'human vulnerability'.

Extras

Code:

CS Code

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, Learned Magic, Innate Magic, Extreme Skill, Empowered) Choose main if multiple apply.
[b]Citizenship:[/b]
[b]Place of Birth:[/b]
[b]Home:[/b] Where do they live in NYC?
[b]Area of Operation:[/b] What parts of NYC do they operate in as a vigilante?
[b]Occupation:[/b] As they are a vigilante they most likely have some kind of employment as a source of income.

[hr]

[u][b]Physical Description[/b][/u]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Sexuality:[/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 they are unregistered vigilantes and criminals in the eyes of the law they have a very strong reason to cover their face.

[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] Personality can be filled out in one of two ways. Either at least a paragraph loosely summarising the below, or by filling out the two fields below. If you choose a paragraph then delete the below fields 'traits' and 'goals'. Alternatively, you may write a paragraph and fill out the fields.

[i]Traits:[/i] A list of their most core personality traits, at least five but ideally more. Simply single words will do.
[i]Goals:[/i] A list of 1-3 of their most important goals. Ideally, each summed up with a sentence at most.

[b]History:[/b] What's their life been like. They should be a fairly new vigilante at most. They do not have to be one at all, their initial transfer from civilian to vigilante can be played out in-game. Minimum of 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. The Punisher's military equipment and training would not. In a character like that's case their ironclad willpower, tolerance for pain or aptitude for warfare may be so extreme as to count as superhuman. Barred powers: Chronokinesis, Invincibility, Immortality, 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 vigilante. A character shouldn't have more than five skills listed here.

[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. For example, a handgun, laptop used for hacking or a bulletproof vest would fit here. Mjolnir would not.

[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 two flaws.

[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. If a character has either no superhuman abilities or almost none, then their weakness would simply be 'human vulnerability'.

[hr]

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

Taken Faceclaims:

Taken Faceclaims

Marlon Brando - Brightfall - NPC - Sun Wukong
Vincent Cassel - Killshot - NPC - Sun Wukong
Daniel Craig - Exemplar - NPC - Sun Wukong
Eva Marcille - Khopesh - NPC - Sun Wukong
Scarlett Johansson - Velocity - NPC - Sun Wukong
Zhao Lei - Seven Feathers - NPC - Sun Wukong
Noah Mills - Aqua Knight - NPC - Sun Wukong
Caylan Hughes - Atlas - NPC - Sun Wukong
Idris Elba - Revelation - 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
Mahershala Ali - - NPC - Sun Wukong
Jord Lidell - Tinta Diablo - NPC - Sun Wukong
Daniel Craig - Exemplar - NPC - Sun Wukong
Scarlett Johansson - Velocity - NPC - Sun Wukong
Eva Marcille - Khopesh - NPC - Sun Wukong
Noah Mills - Aqua Knight - NPC - Sun Wukong
Zhao Lei - - NPC - Sun Wukong
Gideon Emery - 'Just Jack' - NPC - Sun Wukong
Tao Okamoto - Baba Yaga - NPC - Sun Wukong
REZZ - D.J Pandamonium - NPC - Sun Wukong

Claudia Black - Bug Hunt - PC - Nowherewoman
Jun Hyoseong - Citali - PC - Amarlo
Jorg Nink - Prowl - PC - Armphid
Massy Arias - Shade - PC - Wolfling72
Unknown Hair Model - Bad Touch - PC - Demifailure
Ryan Destiny - Cyber Demon - PC - TuesdayNight
Marian Ottesen / Mary Ellis - Ragnhilde - PC - Brittlby
Jason Statham - Mister Macabre - PC - Sun Wukong
Sam Robertson - Dr. X - PC - Midnite
Davi Abedeno - The Chill - PC - Xunthrae
Ludi Lin - Wildsmash - PC - thejackdaw

Taken Aliases:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Atlas
Revelation
Brawler
ZODIAC!
Dr. Genesis
Cadmus
'Just Jack'
Imperatore
Charcharadon
Torment
The Bright Prophet
Killshot
Brightfall
Scarlet Scribe
Tinta Diablo
Rampage!
The Sanguine Killer
K.I.A
Exemplar
Velocity
Khopesh
Aqua Knight
Seven Feathers

Bug Hunt
Citali
Shade
Prowl
Cyber Demon
Wildsmash
The Chill
Dr. X
Mister Macabre
Ragnhilde
Bad Touch

Taken Powersets

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Light Manipulation [Parahuman]
Darkness Manipulation [Parahuman]
Alien Tech Enhancement [Empowered]
Mystical Enhancement [Empowered]
Entropic Touch/Teleportation [Parahuman]
Technopathy [Parahuman]
Norse Artifact [Magical Artifact]
Black Magic [Learned Magic]
Telekinesis [Parahuman]
Cryokinesis [Parahuman]
Peak Martial Arts [Extreme Skill]

F.A.Q

What is the tone of this game? Dark. Gritty. Realistic. Villains will commit fairly 'real' crimes with grey motivation. Heroes will do bad things at times. Horrendous things will happen to innocent people. Vigilantes can be killers. That being said despite the fact the game will allow for all of this there is space for more optimistic, positive or naive characters. Not everyone has to be troubled or dark.

What board will this game be placed in? Extreme. Due to the adult nature of the content such as violence, disturbing crimes and graphic descriptions of extreme content. This may often not be sexual in nature. The main story threads will not be for smut scenes, which will be kept to their own threads. Please note, if you are looking for a game in which to play a 'victim' subjected to repeated non-con this is not the game for you.

What level and kind of extreme content will this game feature? It will include a reasonable amount of adult content of a graphic and gritty nature. Villains and criminals will commit crimes up to and including murder, torture, kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, sexual crimes including prostitution and rape. Your character will absolutely never be victim to anything that you have not agreed to. This is not a 'victim fantasy' game and any traumatic events should be treated with respect and gravity. Some content may be avoidable but gore, violence and criminal behaviour are core to the game.

The worldbuilding thread seems a little patchy, why? This is a long term ongoing project of mine. Any gaps that you are especially curious about can be filled quicker. But ultimately in this case, it's an interest check. Further worldbuilding will be done if interest is established.

NPC's in the Archive have power ratings, why doesn't my character? I don't want to encourage any kind of numerical comparisons between players. The power rankings on NPC's predominantly exist for my sake to help try to balance the world. They let me compare NPC's quicker and help me to monitor the kinds of powers I grant them.

Dead Ringer Thread Links

OOC Threads

Recruitment
OOC Chat
World Information
NPC Archive
Player Characters
Inactive Characters

IC Threads

Events
New York by Day
New York by Night
Important Locations
Social Media & News
After Dark

[Nowherewoman]

Flag, planted.

[Totoro]

Flag, planted.

Awesome! What kind of flag?

[Nowherewoman]

Dunno. Probably has a rainbow on it somewhere. And pointed ears. Maybe boobs.  Or not.

LOL I am now hearing Tyrion Lansiter: "Where's the Gods of Tits and Wine?"

[Totoro]

Dunno. Probably has a rainbow on it somewhere. And pointed ears. Maybe boobs.  Or not.

LOL I am now hearing Tyrion Lansiter: "Where's the Gods of Tits and Wine?"

Sounds like a pretty enough flag to me.

And I think his name's Dionysus. Closest I can think of.

[Nowherewoman]

Alas, he's also the God of getting stupid drunk and tearing people apart. Lot less cuddly...

[JessLowell12]

Plants her own interest flag.

I'm thinking magic artifact, gloves with quake powers!

[Totoro]

Alas, he's also the God of getting stupid drunk and tearing people apart. Lot less cuddly...

Sadly a problem with many Gods. It's only a matter of time before they get a lil' gory.

Plants her own interest flag.

I'm thinking magic artifact, gloves with quake powers!

Welcome!

Sounds great to me.

[Nowherewoman]

And slinky costume, like Witchblade?

[Totoro]

And slinky costume, like Witchblade?

Slinky in this case meaning 'almost not there at all'.

[Nowherewoman]

mmmhmmm

[Totoro]

Duly noted. I'll bear that in mind when I see you write anything about things being slinky.

[Nowherewoman]

Oh, I love describing outfits. And finding example pics to link to...

[Totoro]

I love it to a point. Sometimes you have a clear idea and can find no image and that can be a little frustrating.

[Amarlo]

I'm definitely interested. Not sure yet if I want to toss Dara at you or someone else. I'm pondering. ^^;

[Totoro]

I'm definitely interested. Not sure yet if I want to toss Dara at you or someone else. I'm pondering. ^^;

Awesome! Glad to have you back.

I'm comfortable with either.

[Amarlo]

I'm glad to be back! I'm really looking forward to this.

[Totoro]

I'm glad to be back! I'm really looking forward to this.

Awesome. Me too. Lessons learned so hopefully it goes well.

[Gannameade]

Alive and present.  Still fighting with you about the name.   

[Totoro]

Alive and present.  Still fighting with you about the name.   

Names are a pain. My feelings about it aren't that strong, ultimately.

[Gannameade]

Think I have one or two that might be a bit better.  But thanks I am here!!!

[Totoro]

Think I have one or two that might be a bit better.  But thanks I am here!!!

Good to know and glad to have you.

[Nowherewoman]

Wait- we have Dark Elves?

I may need to rethink my character ideas...

[Totoro]

Wait- we have Dark Elves?

I may need to rethink my character ideas...

This is a biiiig setting. I threw the kitchen sink in.

[Nowherewoman]

GAH!  TOOO MANY IDEASSSSS!