Conaldar

4 hours ago, cbenny said:

I still like the idea of Herbert turning himself in for what he believes to be justifiable self-defense and then getting railroaded into a huge trial. Still waiting on some answers about the arrest process before I rewrite the story though.

As for a plan, depending on how long the escape takes I'm pretty sure that Herbert is going to be faking the gradual onset of Aphasia as a result of being stripped of his powers, but that's just going to be a long con to try to trick them into letting him access his powers for a limited time every once and a while to "defrag his brain". Looks like Hecate, Vesanius and Herbert are the only ones with ranks in Deception, which does allow for InnuendoYou can use Deception to send covert messages using word-play and double-meanings while apparently talking about other things. The DC for a basic message is 10. Complex messages or messages trying to communicate new information have DCs of 15 or 20, respectively. The recipient of the message must make a Insight check against the same DC to understand it.. Unfortunately the only ones with ranks in Insight which allows them to understand hidden messages are Herbert, Scylla and Siren.

1. AEGIS used the standard Nullifier-cuff to negate your powers during your arrest, initial imprisonment and court appearances. The team didn't have their powers then so it's been about a year since any of the villains have used their capabilities. 

2. Super-Prisons like Blackstone negate superpowers using Nullifier devices primarily. What's going at at Gaddis is different.

3. The villains were arrested as a team by AEGIS and the Freedom League. They were then tried for multiple crimes your group had committed over the years but were never arrested for. If you need an exact location for the arrest let's say Freedom City.

3 hours ago, Rudolf said:

Are you sure? I certainly don’t want PLAYERS fighting, we should be building agreement on what makes a fun game. But I’m completely fine with CHARACTERS fighting, and none of us are -that- fragile. I imagine kids fighting in the back seat every once in a while. 

As long as you aren't fighting me we're good 😊

Looks like (The) Insurgency wins! I know you all are ready to go I just need to remind everyone to keep within MW guidelines (specifically avoiding real-world religions, politics and moral issues). No profanity or sexual content. Let's keep it PG-13 like the Mods require. Violence is a part of comic books but let's keep it more like Justice League Animated rather than Deadpool 😉 Speaking of combat remember unless surprised (I'll ask for Perception checks if necessary) your characters will always act first so we can avoid waiting for someone to post because it's their turn. To avoid confusion talking to each other OOC or IC helps so you aren't attacking someone who just got clobbered by a teammate. Also to speed things up I'll be posting your opponents' Parry and Dodge so when your character attacks you will know if they succeeded. And again I'm hoping to post combat mapping to avoid confusion (probably on the OOC thread). 

PC-vs.-PC combat: this should never happen unless the players involved have agreed to have some fun with a (hopefully) short battle. There's a few of your villains that have area-based abilities that could harm teammates so be aware of that and make sure you let the group know what to expect. If a player doesn't want to be attacked or affected by your villain please do not do it. This is a cooperative activity not competitive. Thanks.

Planning: we don't always agree this is why COMPROMISE is important unless the plan entails doing things your villain just wouldn't do. In that case changing the plan works in the best interest of the group. Remember "Teamwork makes the dream work" 😁 Now sometimes it's a hard "NO!": Han Solo was NOT attacking the Death Star so he took his money and left. Thorin was determined to fight Thranduil and the others rather than share any of his treasure. But in the end when his teammates needed him most the stubborn hero suddenly appears to aid his allies. Yay! What I mean is try to make your plan work even when it doesn't. 

Finally I make mistakes. Please let me know when I do so I can correct myself. Communication is key. The IC thread begins with a brief open and then your characters begin their first day at Gaddis with your posts. Remember if you have questions or comments please post them.

"The Insurgency" has two (the most) votes. Any others?

Excellent! Thanks everyone for your quick responses to the villains' OOC thread. It was a quick clean recruitment thanks completely to you folks. The OP has a link to Earth-Prime that details the people and places of the (alternate) Freedomverse Earth you're about to transform. I've also posted a link to the M&M 3e rules SRD just in case. I'll be posting more there as the ideas come to me and I'll definitely use it as an abbreviated combat tracker. Due to the pic upgrade on BALDR I'm hoping to post images of combat scenes on the upcoming IC thread to avoid confusion. Most importantly if the story starts going in a direction you don't like (other than your characters being jailed and eventually hunted) PLEASE PM me so I can adjust things more to your liking. This is YOUR tale and it could take years to get it told so I want to make sure your as comfortable as possible for the ride. Because I AM promising a ride 🙃

So how did YOU get here? You guys were on top of the world! After a few years of unprecedented success committing high-profile crimes all across the world you tripped up. I guess it happens to the best of 'em right? Especially when both AEGIS AND the Freedom League team-up to shut you down.

(copyright @ Green Ronin and credit to unknown artist)

Your arrest definitely got the media with reporters and news channels from around the whole world covering the superheroes escorting your crew into Blackstone. Then for nearly a year you went through the legal process of indictment, prosecution and conviction for roughly two years-worth of crimes resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in "damages"! They didn't throw the book at you they slammed a library-full of legal charges at you like a giant bowling ball! But your lawyers did what they were paid to do: get it all reduced to a sentence that caused a massive uproar on news and social media:

TEN YEARS.

The entire planet to include your criminal rivals wanted you buried UNDER the jail! TEN YEARS?!?!?! And as the talking heads shouted about the failures of the current legal system all of YOU had but one thought in the back of your minds as the sentences fell off the judge's lips:

ONE DAY is too much. Every day billionaire oligarchs and corrupt politicians commit crimes that would make the worst supervillain lose sleep over. And what happens when they get exposed? A slap on the wrist soft as a wet kiss. They smile and shake hands and play golf and attend fundraisers and pound a broken system to the point of collapse. 

Sitting in the courtroom watching the DA and the FBI's Special Prosecutor and your lawyers go back and forth. The looks they gave each other that you KNEW were as dirty as the underside of a dumpster. Maybe you had the wrong outfit? Instead of a concealing costume maybe you should have just worn a Brunello suit and bought a membership at Freedom City's Harbor Club. Maybe if you'd only PLAYED ALONG with them. You know? Showed them you could "go along to get along"? Or maybe .........

A famous philosopher once said "War does not determine who is right - only who is left". 

After the sentencing as AEGIS got you up to escort you out for transport - bound and ridiculed - unlike the many who experience the stabbing sensation of regret - you felt war in your veins. Shackled into the transport vehicle by joyful agents you're shuttled off to prison. Then as the van bounced through the streets sirens blaring for whatever reason you fall unconscious! When you wake up your in a 50' x 50' x 50' metal windowless cell with two large robots standing over you as you blink at the lights above! Immediately you move to disable the 'bots but in an instant realize YOUR POWERS ARE GONE! The bots shove you back into your chair and hand you a gray prison outfit. Reluctantly you change understanding that this WASN'T Blackstone or at least not any section of that prison you'd heard of. A doorway you can't remember slides open and another robot enters with a laptop computer that is sat in front of you as the droid clicks it on: 

As the symbol of the Justice Department shows on-screen a female voice says, "Welcome to Gaddis Super-Maximum Security Penitentiary. You have been assigned here by the U.S. Justice System in accordance with your recent conviction for a period of ten years which may be remanded based on your behavior while a Gaddis inmate." The female voice goes on as the screen image shifts (GM notes):

• You are allowed a morning, afternoon and evening meal under Guardbot supervision
• You are allowed a five-minute shower once daily in your cell which will provide soap-induced water
• Any acts of assault or violence will be addressed by Guardbots and the outcome may affect your sentence length
• You are allowed two face-time conference calls with outsiders every day lasting no more than fifteen minutes under Guardbot supervision
• You are encouraged to exercise daily at the Gaddis Biometrics Center under Guardbot supervision
•  You cannot receive any mail or packages from outsiders
• Any and all conversation or interaction will be completely monitored by Gaddis audio/visual sensors
• Gaddis provides 300'-worth of chairs and digital tables in the Main Lobby. Digital tables allow inmates to play various card and board games alone or with other inmates. There are also large-screen TVs positioned at the four corners of the facility that broadcast historical, comedy, drama and sports programming for inmate entertainment. These facilities are like all others available from "Lights On" until "Lockdown".
• Inmates with special concerns may contact a Guardbot or schedule a conference call with Warden MacAllister head of Gaddis operations
• Inmates wanting grooming (haircut or a shave), dental or medical care may visit the Infirmary
• The Gaddis Commissary is available for inmates to make account-based (Wealth) purchases of everyday conveniences 

As the screen goes blank a robot takes the laptop and the three robots exit leaving you alone in the space! Then you again feel groggy and fall unconscious! You awaken in your dual-cells! You can hear the muffled chatter of inmates coming from beyond your cell door - this place has actual metal doors instead of bars like the usual prisons. Definitely easier to sleep. You all share a cell with another:

• Siren and Scylla
• Mammoth and Vesanius
• The Accountant and Dice
• Hecate and Granny (old Gaddis Trustee in her 70's)
• Make sure you note who who bunk with. Coordinating shower times is crucial.

I've tried to cover as much as possible but if I missed something just ask. I have a questions for the players before the IC thread gets going:

What is your team's name?

Please add your character sheet to your first OOC post. Makes it easier than shifting from topic to topic. 

Just the Hive this is the space for player questions, discussion and dice rolls. Please post your character sheet on this thread for easier reference. Please do not start another topic (post on this thread).

Earth-Prime

d20HeroSRD

LUCK:

Siren 1

Scylla 1

The Accountant 1

Mammoth 1

Vesanius 1

Dice 1

Most inmates here will be Dodge/Parry/Toughness 12. Bosses like Hellstorm and Blacktop are Dodge/Parry/Toughness 16. Guardbots are Dodge/Parry/Toughness 20.

The crew:

1. Siren played by Bananaphone
2. Mammoth played by Rudolf
3. Vesanius played by SageBahamut
4. Scylla played by DecoyGirl
5. Dice played by wtaylorjr2001
6. The Accountant by cbenny
7. Hecate played by Oceane

Selected players can shift over to the OOC thread and post your character sheets there. 

44 minutes ago, Handler257 said:

Hi all, if it's not too late I would join you.

I would say as GM it's too late, unfortunately. 

I'm selecting the crew tomorrow morning and posting them on this thread. If you didn't make the initial cut that sucks but you can still get in this if a player drops or maybe if a PC gets captured (again). Even then it would require the current players decide to take on another character. 

This isn't my story it's Bananaphone's and associated players. As GM I'm just a flunkie reacting to what they do. No. Really. 

I didn't expect this wide cast of villains but I thank all members for your participation and hopefully you will change the world. Definitely NOT for the better but it is what it is, right?

Mammoth looks fine once he's converted to PL12. There's a list of Earth-Prime superheroes on the site by Nagirondart.

14 hours ago, Senco san said:

You know, Scion might be a better Solo name for my character Than Hierarchy Gamma XD

Use whichever you like 🙂

10 hours ago, SageBahamut said:

I need to know what's standing between Vesanius and doneness; I thought he was pretty much playable as-is.

He is done. I was thinking of something else.

10 hours ago, cbenny said:

Hello all. Hope I'm not too late to apply.

 

I'm going with a villainous accountant. Anyone who robbed a bank, collected a ransom, auctioned off some stolen artwork, or otherwise just needed to launder a big pile of small bills without the IRS asking any pesky questions has probably worked with him before. He tended to keep his hands clean of anything too big and has managed to remain off anyone's radar. However, unfortunately, he recently got caught up in a incident involving the murder of a popular teenage superhero and found himself incarcerated with the rest of you. Now he's out for revenge, looking to tear down the whole system out of pure spite.

Hi cbenny. The Accountant checks out!

10 hours ago, Jubilant Thunder said:

For clarity he doesn't actually have a 'super' name, he doesn't see the point of hiding behind a pseudonym. It just seemed like a sufficiently dramatic thread title 😄

Gotcha!

Hello Cbenny! The Accountant looks great and I found no issues.

Okay so I'll consider the Great Vesanius the Illusionist complete with "Zone of Terror" dropped. 

I'm suggesting another villain at this point. If that works how can I speed that process up for you? I like the personality you bring to the Hive so you should be an exceptional player. Let me know.

Vesanius the Illusionist is almost done.

Henry "Dice" Cole is almost done.

Siren is almost done.

Enukduanna is done!

Scion is done!

Cyclotron is ... problematic for certain reasons that are my fault for not dealing with Robots better.

Hecate is almost done.

Scylla is done!

Mortal Man needs work.

Mecha Demon is unfinished.

I need characters DONE within the next 48 hours. If that's too fast for you this might not be the story for your villain. Let me know what I can do to help and THANKS!

Feast on Magic: Area Nullify (Magical) with Side Effect; 24 value

Notes: what's the Side Effect?

Quirks (3 personality traits/habits): Eats a lot. 

Notes: she's going to hate the scheduled meals in prison ☹️

Weakness: Her addiction, left unchecked, can quickly turn into a weakness as the being starts affecting her more and more.

Notes: in prison this would be a nagging mental thing that affects her tolerance of others I think. I want it to have an impact but because she's depowered it's more like "I need a cigarette"

Swallowing Shadows: Perception Ranged Movement (Dimensional Travel to the entity's "stomach") Attack (Resisted by Will, DC 11+5); 22 value

Notes: can we NOT have this power. It just looks to dark for the story we're telling. Maybe you could change it to:

• Darkfall: Teleport 10; attack, perception, DC20 Dodge check, accurate, target is 'ported to an area of complete shadow within four miles (a closet is the easiest), medium (shadow), unreliable 2 (three uses daily) [20pp]

If you've saved points after changes adding points to Stealth would work for her from a thematic viewpoint. But that's up to you.

5 hours ago, SageBahamut said:

It only needs to be dropped if you want to use Sense-Dependent. And here I was wanting to terrify everyone inclusively. 😛

But with what? He's an illusionist and the power should have some sensory effect. However you work it out I'm looking to get this story rolling in a day or two before people lose interest so let me know what works. Hopefully within the next 48 hours? 😬

As a Reaction (which makes sense) "Glitch" costs 11pp (I added the Reach modifier).

You're right about Subtle. That needs to be dropped. 

I was thinking about her Claws: are they retractable like Wolverine's? She definitely can't have them in prison. I mean a lot of her capabilities would normally be Innate because they're part of her actual body. Thoughts?

His armor is actually Innate because it's his body which is a problem. 

I didn't see a powersuit listed 🤔

On 6/21/2022 at 2:21 PM, Gan Anail said:

• Haymaker - Rank 12; Strike 0, linked with Weaken - Toughness and Penetrating (24)
• Flurry - Rank 12; Strike 0, linked with Affliction (Dazed, Prone, incapacitated) and multi-attack (1)
• Counter Blow! - Strike 0, Triggered (3 can be triggered twice, and can set the triggering effect each time), linked with Weaken Toughness 12 (1)

The combat array is confusing:

1. does "Strike" mean Damage? What rank is Penetrating (12)? Are both effects rank 12?
2. Does Flurry's multi-attack apply to Strike and Affliction? Are both effects rank 12?
3. Triggered usually applies to devices (like Removable), has to be set (how?) and requires a specific circumstance that would activate the effect (what?). I think Reaction (to being attacked) fits Counter Blow better but I'm not sure if that's what you were going for.

16 hours ago, wtaylorjr2001 said:

Origin

Whatever you've composed for your origin story is yours. I'm not editing that. 

13 hours ago, Niblooey said:

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the ban on Innate powers is there to prevent the villains from having any special powers that can't get countered by the power dampening setup the prison has, right? So any characters with major powers that's hard to justify as being affected by it doesn't work with the whole story conceit, since they wouldn't be locked up in the same prison as everyone else (as this place wouldn't be equipped to deal with them)? Would physical restraints for weirder but stuff work out (like say, a character's naturally super flexible, so they have something that prevents them from folding up into a small ball, or someone else has their superscience prosthetic arm swapped with a normal prosthetic), or are they strictly limited by only the dampeners? Or ah, it better to keep the answer vague and not hard-confirmed this early on so there can be some wiggle-room on your part?

You also mentioned how the prisoners wouldn't be aware of how their powers don't function in this prison (at least until they try and use them), so like, what's the general idea you're looking for in this? Would be nice to get some clarity on what you're going for, cause I see a bunch of implied ideas but they're not like, the answers aren't all in one place so it feels like I'm connecting everything wrong.

Right banning Innate works for the prison. "Hard to justify" powers don't exists because they're either Innate or not. I didn't like the "physical restraint" idea so I went in another direction. Prisons that nullify powers are pretty common with superhero comics so I wouldn't call my responses vague. Now am I going to explain HOW Gaddis nullifies powers? Nope but the villains will eventually figure it out when they escape. It's a puzzle and the general idea is for the players and/or their characters to figure it out so of course I'm not providing an answer 😉

9 hours ago, Jubilant Thunder said:

Hello! Token non-powered human character here 😄

Hello Jubilant Thunder!

3 minutes ago, wtaylorjr2001 said:

@ConaldarCould you check the mechanics of my character, I believe I am done just need to work on the history.

What do you mean "history"?  I gave notes for the overall sheet.

So far we seem to have 3-4 villains ready or nearly-ready for General Population. When we have six I'm moving forward to the Story.