[Groqx]

Posting Date: 11-6-12


Game Description:

I am looking for one more player who is willing to join this Mutants and Mastermind e3 game already in progress. There are numerous options when joining the game but anyone willing to play characters created by other players who have dropped out or one of the undefined NPCs (with respect to powers) will have an advantage. Note that the Origin event has already occurred but the characters available have not yet been very clearly defined in terms of powers and such.
Here is the premise:

A large number of friends were on vacation together with their families near the Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado. On their way home to the East coast they separated from their families for an ATV excursion and encountered something that changed their lives, and the world, forever.

Suddenly they were endowed with super powers previously relegated to the fictional realms of comic books. What they found also has global and political implications beyond the matter of granting the PC’s and a few others their powers.

At the beginning of the game there will be others besides these five that will gain powers in this world, set in current-day America. They will face government agencies (foreign and domestic) trying to control them, super villains trying to control the world, a public afraid they are too powerful to be free in society, and possibly even the adoration of public supporters…all while discovering how to use their powers without hurting innocent civilians.

Players start at PL10 with 160 points to use for character creation.
In addition to those 160 PPs, all characters begin with the following 15 more points of advantages and powers that everyone affected by the event possesses and all have in common. More points can be spent above these to improve them further.

Advantage: Attractive 2


Powers: Immunity 3: Age, Disease, Poison.
Senses 5: Darkvision, Extended Vision 1 (x10 range), Microscopic Vision 1 (Dust Size), and Extended Hearing 1 (x10 range),
Quickness 2,
Speed 3.

In addition, the event will change the characters even further in terms of morality. There will be a GM-imposed complication in this regard after the event occurs.

“The character has an inexplicable need to do good deeds, help the helpless, and defeat the bad-guy. This includes a refusal to kill, or take human life. The character receives a fantastic feeling of satisfaction when performing heroic deeds in a selfless manner.”

Your character will be a hero and will act accordingly when the situations present themselves. This motivation complication will likely change as the game progresses.

The event creates heroes as well as villains. But we will see how things turn out in the end.

Based on past experience for this scenario, there will probably be approximately a 80-20 mix of role-play to combat and much of this depends on the players.

I am looking for adult/mature players who are willing to play their characters as if they are real in the world and not simply in a comic book universe. Just like in the real world, bad things sometimes happen to good people, and to innocent people.

For those without powers in the world this is a far more deadly game than the standard MM3e rules allow. A broken limb could take 6 or more weeks to heal for a normal person. A bullet to the chest will kill a normal person or might take a few months to recover from. But the heroes (PCs) and the NPCs and villains with powers will use the standard MM3e rules for recovery, which will represent a standard power (no power points used of course) for all those directly affected by what the characters discover on day 1.

Some of the scenes in the game may be disturbing and upsetting because I will not be holding back on descriptions of battle carnage and the evil nature of the super villains…as well as those normal criminals that the heroes may face. I will have villains that people will love to hate as well as NPCs whose nature will not be readily apparent. This is not a four-color world. Players may also provide such descriptions, but let’s not get carried away.

Graphic scenes of a sexual nature will be deleted. Let’s keep it tasteful.

The game began in today’s world (in as much as this is a super hero game) and on Friday August 3, 2012 and the event occurred at 2:00 pm EST, so it’s a bit earlier than that in Colorado. Here there are no hand-held blasters, no teleportation devices, no anti-gravity vehicles…until and unless they are created within the game as we go along. So no gadget based characters. At first, when we start the game, if there is a device that exists in RL then it likely exists in the game.

Here is the full-powered PC whose player has dropped: He is a Speedster. Super speed is the only power he has shown so far in the game. The game is very new so nearly every aspect of the character can be altered to suit the new player’s ideas and concepts for the character.

Name: Erik Cooper.
Age: Twenty-two.
Gender: Male.

Concept: Computer/science nerd, enhanced physical powers.

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina.

Erik is tall, blond and very handsome. With light blue eyes, fair skin and a shy smile, it isn't difficult for Erik to draw attention. He has the sort of good looks that market very well to young women; his hair is long enough to fall foppishly into his eyes, he dresses conservatively and his eyes have a near magnetic quality - though they tend to dip away whenever anyone else catches them. Erik has a strong jaw line, full red lips, prominent cheek bones and a slender nose. For a relatively unathletic person, he isn't in bad shape - he is slim, but lacks muscle definition.

Quiet and reserved, Erik isn't easy to get to know. He doesn't actively discourage people, but he finds it hard to just talk. To form friendships. When he does, however, they are treasured bonds. He will go to great lengths for a friend if they simply ask. His loyalty is near unshakeable. Erik is also fairly perceptive - its easier to figure things out when you are the quiet one, watching things happening around you. He is very focused and dedicated; if he sets his mind to something, he is damn well going to accomplish it or die trying. That kind of stubborness is useful sometimes... not so much at other times, when he tries to take on tasks beyond his abilities. Erik finds it difficult to ask for help when things like this happen, ironic because he gives help so freely.

Erik didn’t have the most stable life as a kid. His family lived in a very rough neighbourhood. Next door was a drug dealer, across the street was a hooker. The place had a very unwashed feel to it, and Erik’s parents were not much better. His mother was dependent on alcohol and pot. Without one or the other (but usually both) she was essentially non-functional. Erik would often miss school because she couldn’t wake herself without a hit of either. His father was an alcoholic, away more often than not. He also took drugs – usually meth. They were the kind of people that everyone would look at, shake their heads and exclaim they “should never have had children”. Often people said this within Erik’s hearing, never realising that their words could cut like a knife.

Erik had one brother four years older than him, Dominic, and one a year younger, Tom. Their performance in school suffered from continual absences. When Erik was five, his father was pulled over by the cops as he drove around, drunk and high. He was taken in, but only spent a few hours in jail until a friend posted bail. He claimed was the best thing that ever happened to him – he was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. Within six months he was free of alcohol. AA helped him see that he’d been drinking because he was unhappy with his life; he started divorce proceedings with his wife, fighting for full custody.

Unfortunately, as a man with a record and still under legal obligation to attend AA, he lost the custody battle – though he retained the right to have his children stay over with him on weekends. Those weekends were some of the best days of Erik’s life. He and his dad would buy comic books and read them over takeout food. They regularly made trips to the movies, often for double features (and fairly often the same movie twice). It highlighted just how bad their home life was; dirty, dangerous, surrounded by people of questionable morals, always late for school. Their mother would often scream at them for nothing, occasionally even hitting them – not out of any desire to abuse them, but from her own frustrations… which Erik still thinks is little better.

But one weekend, their mother and her new boyfriend didn’t show up. They were often hours later than the arranged time (which their father didn’t mind, giving him more time with his sons). But it reached twelve and she still had not arrived. Erik and Tom were oblivious, but Dominic and their father feared the worst; that their mother had sunk so low she had abandoned her children… or worse. They stayed with their father, and the intense anxiety Erik had been feeling from his home life disappeared almost overnight. With new regular attendance, his scholastic performance vastly improved – he was actually quite a bright young man, but had been ignored because he came from poverty and because he wasn’t even there half the time anyway. Shortly after Erik started living with his father he started high school. It was the chance for him to start making real friends, to get a clean slate with his teachers. He began to thrive, finally. He discovered a talent for working with computers, an interest in science.

Three months later, Erik’s mother showed up. She took the boys out to a park near their father’s house and explained what had happened. She’d been arrested. None of the boys asked what for, but they all suspected drugs. Their parents thrashed out a plan in which the boys would spend equal time with each parent. Erik and Tom both begged their father not to agree, but he had little choice – his mother still had custody, and was only doing this because she couldn’t afford to have three children on her own.

So Erik spent half the time at his mother’s and half at his father’s. Now thirteen years old, he made an effort around their mother’s house. It wasn’t exactly clean, but it could no longer be called a sty. Despite everything, his mother still used drugs like nothing had happened to her. Although Erik loved (and still loves) her, he can’t believe that she uses drugs to this day. It would cause her more trouble later, but nothing shook her off them.

Developing a passion for computer science, Erik got a job and saved up until he could afford his own computer (with a little help from Santa Claus, come Christmas). From there he discovered something; he was something of a geek. He started playing video games, learning how to hack, designing his own gadgets (but never having enough to build them). His other brothers were more athletically inclined, but Erik set his sights on an education. To get one, he’d need a scholarship – neither of his parents would be able to provide financial help. And to get a scholarship, he’d need to study hard. So Erik dedicated himself.

His hard work paid off. Erik was offered a full scholarship to a fair few schools. But his news was overshadowed by his mother being arrested again. As this was her third drugs-related offence (her first being before Erik’s birth), she was sent to jail this time. She missed Erik’s graduation from high school, and didn’t see him move away to university. She wrote letters asking her sons to visit, but none of them wanted to see her like that.

Erik picked UMBC because it was close enough to home that visiting wasn’t too hard. It was a good school, and he liked to be in classes that challenged him academically. He practically lived in the coffee shop on campus – his brothers were fond of joking that he was just as hooked on caffeine as their mother was on pot. Erik laughed, too, but felt a little uncomfortable with the comparison. He has had his father and brothers visit several times, and his mother has visited once after being released. Although they all missed Erik, they could all see how happy he was now. That didn’t stop teasing from his brothers about being a nerd (academia did not run strongly in their family), nor did it stop the strange calls from his mother. For all their dysfunction, they were a supportive family. They might have though Erik’s love for geekish pursuits was weird, but that didn’t stop them trawling game stores for the perfect present for his birthday or finding just the right issue of a comic book. They were good like that, always showing an interest even if they didn’t understand.

For his part, Erik is enjoying life at UMBC. Taking care of himself for the first time was hard – he was prone to anxiety at even small things – but it was also very liberating. With goals and ideas for his future, things finally seem to be settling into normality for him.

Erik is clever. Perhaps not "evil genius, cackling as he builds doomsday weapons" clever, but he has a keen mind. Nor is he an omnidisciplinary intelligence - his focus is on technology and science. He knows very little of other things - history, social sciences, business. Even current events aren't something he keeps up with. But if you need tech support, Erik is your guy.

Erik is loyal. If you are a friend, you're in. He'll devote a huge amount of time and energy to helping you. If something is within his power, its yours. Even those who just show Erik a bit of kindness are rewarded well. If somebody asks for help, Erik just can't bring himself to say no.

Erik is enthusiastic. Whether this is a new pet project of his, a new class, or even just a small get together with friends, Erik gets excited. He gets passionate. He approaches things with verve and spirit.

Erik is stubborn. He hates to be diverted. If he is working, he likes to have long sessions and get lots done. Any interruptions he will not take well. He has been known to not pick up the phone even after it rings hundreds of times, or not answer the door even at urgent knocking. He doesn't intend to ignore people, he just hates to lose focus.

Erik rarely asks for help. Even if he is in over his head, Erik finds it hard to ask for help. He is self-reliant and is going to stay that way, damnit. Only when things are going critical will he admit he can't do something alone.

Erik gets sad. Some things never quite leave you. Erik suffers from bouts of depression. As a child, he felt keen anxiety over his living situation with his mother, and this has manifested as depressive symptoms in his adult life. He has never sought treatment for it, however - that would be asking for help, and unless things got dire, Erik never does that. He typically suffers from fatigue, headaches and insomnia, but can manifest a number of symptoms.

There are also two Top Tier NPCs available that can turn into PCs

Troy Danning, he is a cousin of one of the PCs, Naomi Kennedy. He has revealed some acrobatics, increased ability scores, and some minor jumping powers. Other than that he is pretty much a clean slate to work with to start your character.

Terrence Shaw, he is a relative of another NPC, Corey Brighton. Corey is not available. Terrence teleported out of the opening scenario and that is his only revealed power. So he is also pretty much open to your interpretation.

I am looking for the classic, powers based heroes. Simple, easy to understand superheroes. That being said, there are a lot of heroic themes that do not fit the game:

Power/character type Limitations:
No magic-based characters.
No gadget based characters
No aliens
No mind control or time travel powers.
No dimensional travel powers
No undead characters.
No Duplicates or Minions
No Metamorphs
No Immortals.
No Fantasy characters
No Martial Arts-based characters
No characters that turn into creatures or that have like features (no wings/claws/fur/feathers etc.). There is already one in the game with wings, but that was before my time.
No Creation powers
No Transform powers
No Variable powers


Banned Extras:
Homing
Variable Descriptor
Incurable
Dimensional
Contagious
(For an attack) Increased Range to Perception
(For Healing) Resurrection
*Note, this list is not exhaustive.


Banned Flaws:
Check Required
Side Effect
Uncontrolled
Unreliable
And all flaws that are not actually flaws.

A note on Flaws: The use of skills and advantages to overcome the effect of flaws will not be allowed.

A note on the skills Close and Ranged Combat: These skills are specialized to specific attacks. You cannot assign them to an array for all attacks in an array.

All PCs must look human so no permanent features such as wings, tails, horns, scales, gills, fins, fur, claws or those sorts of thing. Alternate forms are permissible, but they cannot be the primary form of the character, only their heroic form. PCs are limited to non-permanent growth and shrinking powers meaning they can be activated and turned off but cannot not be permanent.

Remember that your character gained his or her power on day 1 of the game and in the spirit of the game, must be able to pass as normal (with the exception of Attractive 2 and possibly increases in Presence). I am not fond of Energy Form PCs in this game, keep that in mind. The one already in the game was, as I said about the wings, before my time.

Please allow other player’s their archetype niches. I will choose the best of each archetype, but I prefer players who can think outside the box and show us something unique and interesting. As shown above, no fantasy based, alien, or extra-dimensional characters since these do not fit the game’s premise.

Character creation considerations: Be careful of what powers you choose and consider how your character’s life will change with those powers. This is not the Marvel or DC universe.

Commitment: 3-4 posts per week preferred, more if possible.

Feel free to contact me with any questions but I prefer to have all questions on the board for everyone's benefit.

SUBMISSION FORMAT

Include the following:
Name, Age and Gender: Aged between 22-26, preferably at the upper end.

Your character in one sentence. (For the Concepts box in the Ad.)

The PCs will be a group of friends living in and around the Baltimore area of Maryland preferably in or near Catonsville.

One paragraph for appearance and another for personality.

Detailed, convincing, and easy-to-follow character backgrounds are necessary for consideration as approved characters. Such backgrounds cannot include how your character became a superhero since this will happen in-game. I prefer characters with social ties to the world; characters with families and friends. I do not like lone wolf types as they may distract from the nature of the game. I will permit only one such character if any at all.

I will likely draw from character’s backgrounds to add a certain visceral realism you might not find in other games. Your character’s niece or nephew, grandfather, or even his recent ex-girlfriend might become an NPC. This game is not for the faint of heart and weak of mind.

So give me good descriptions of family members and friends and the quality of your relationship with them.

Create a real person. Not someone who's hero material from the beginning or "unique." Write to convince not to impress.

Background Tie-Ins: This group of friends are friends because their parents are. Sometime ago three families got together and each created a 'Bucket List' of places to visit in her lifetime. The 'bucket list' has since become a tradition taken up by their children and grandchildren, growing over the years to include more friends and their relatives. As such your characters have gone on these trips many times over their life time. Your parents will become wrapped up in the story as I tie everything in before he game begins.

The character must have living, blood related parents and they will be along on the vacation and have a tie-in to the story. Submitting a character background showing how the character's parents died, or are missing, or are not in a position to come along on the vacation will ensure that the character is not chosen to be in the game.

Throw away assumptions about comic book superheroes and comic book settings. Those do not belong here. Ignore the powers you choose for your character sheet when you write your background. You character will not begin the game with powers.

Create a real person living in the real world. Make someone psychologically believable. There is no need for someone one-in-a-million perfect and simplistic statements to that effect fail to impress. No one in this world lives without wishing they could be rid of problems or could take back some of their choices.

Also, somewhere on the character sheet (not in the background section) describe the cell phone the character has: Smart Phone or not at the minimum, make/model preferred.

Furthermore, I prefer character sheet submissions in .por format. When weighing character submissions for acceptability, all other aspects being equal, the submission in .por (Hero Lab) format will be the chosen application.

List 3 positive qualities and 3 flaws. -

Tell us what your character has to offer and the flaws they (or other people) wish they could be rid of. Something you can act out in-character and that you won't mind others calling your PC out for. Your character might not even know they display these traits.

The purpose of this section is to provide something to facilitate role-playing. Avoid anything unrealistic like "infallible genius" or "beloved by all." Avoid anything that depends on another person's deference like "natural-born leader." Create expectations not demands.

Ruleset[/b] - Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition. (A.k.a. DC Adventures.) http://www.d20herosrd.com/


Miscellaneous Character Creation information:

Defense Class -

The heroes are powerful, but not all powerful. They can still be hurt by some mundane weapons.

The sum of Dodge (or Parry) and Toughness must not exceed 20. E.g., Dodge 14/Toughness 6. Parry 10/Toughness 10.

Resistance Checks - Toughness, Fort and Will capped at 10.

Attack Bonus - The sum of an attack's Attack Bonus and Effect/Damage Ranks can't go over 20. E.g., Attack 16/Strike 4. Attack 10/Move Object 10.


Effect and Damage Ranks - Effect and Damage Ranks capped at 10, a DC of 25.


Arrays - Characters can have no more than 5 Alternate Powers. These 5 may be distributed across no more than 3 separate Arrays and no nested arrays will be allowed.

Please keep concepts simple (you could be creative with the execution) and close to the Archetypes found in the material. Don't neglect Defenses.

Be careful of what powers you choose and consider how your character’s life will change with those powers. This is not the Marvel or DC universe.[/quote]

Originally Posted by Getaway

A bit of advice on priorities:

1. A movement power.
2. Defenses.
3. Skills and/or a utility power.
4. A reliable attack that benefits from Combat Advantages and Maneuvers.

No need to handicap your abilities. You're superhumans and the world will know it. You're able to do things you could only dream of before. What you're not supposed to be capable of is explaining how or why. You're dangerous. You're scary. You have SUPERPOWERS. You may be just as afraid of them.

You will encounter challenges no question. But that will come from the story not your character sheets.

My screen name is Groqx. I am male, and 46 years old. I have role-played (mostly as the GM) since I was 11 years old. I love writing and there will be a great deal of supplemental material in the game concerning the many NPCs and villains. These are not required reading but may add a certain flavor to the game. I like detail and hope the level of detail I add does not become too distracting for you. The game will hopefully take on a realistic feel as it progresses.

I like the Mutants and Masterminds game but am by no means an authority on the rules. If something I am doing is wrong, please do not hesitate to PM me with your concerns. Hopefully I will learn from my mistakes.

If I am not meeting your expectations, please let me know. Part of my enjoyment in running pbp games is creating a realistic setting and writing everything that is going on around the characters. But make no mistake, the game is about the characters. Everything else, all the writing I put into it, is for my benefit but I hope it adds to your enjoyment of the game.

Thanks for your consideration. Please PM me if you are interested and we can open a discussion from there.