Kelpie the Transformed / Morningstar the Nova

[ManicPixieFatGuy]

Kelpie - The Transformed
-----------

HERO NAME: Kelpie 
REAL NAME: Dan Walker 
LOOK: ( male, white, strange eyes, scaled flesh, no costume ) Dan is a hulking aquatic beast with patterned skin covered in green scales, and various find and barbules adorning his body. His head is now more snout like. Akin to that of a dog or horse with large blockish teeth. He has both gills and lungs. His skin exudes an ooze that lubricates his skin but also makes it insanely sticky. 

ABILITIES: Inhuman Might, Transmuting Flesh

HOW POWERS MAKE YOU GROTESQUE: The curse altered Dan fundamentally. His inhuman might reflected in his size and build being more ape like than a mundane human and larger than the average man. The transmuting flesh is reflected in his bestial and amphibious traits as well as his flesh shifting and altering in response to environmental pressures. 
 

LABELS

DANGER	FREAK	SAVIOR	SUPERIOR	MUNDANE
+2	+3	0	-1	-1

CONDITIONS

⬜	AFRAID	-2 to Directly Engage a Threat
⬜	ANGRY	-2 to Comfort or Support or Pierce the Mask
⬜	GUILTY	-2 to Provoke Someone or Assess the Situation
⬜	HOPELESS	-2 to Unleash Your Powers
⬜	INSECURE	-2 to Defend Someone or Reject Others' Influence

BACKSTORY

• WHO WERE YOU BEFORE? Me? I was nobody before. Still am, just now I’m a big scary nobody. I used to think I was going somewhere, that I was going to be somebody. I was an only child, with a busy single mom. I was on the swim team and worked hard enough at school and on the team that I was going to have a full ride to college as long as I could keep on top of things the way I had so far. I didn’t have a serious girlfriend, but I dated. I didn’t have a rock solid crew of friends, but I was close with the team, and a few kids I grew up with. Nobody that I was close enough with that I was missed after the incident, or that anyone fought to take up for me. I dunno I used to be normal, I used to be what was going to be an underdog success story. Now I have no idea. 

 

• WHEN WERE YOU CHANGED? WHAT CAUSED IT? I changed on my seventeenth birthday… right in my favorite restaurant, Tony’s. My teammates, my friends, and my new crush all right there singing happy birthday, and then bamf. A flash of smoke and light accompanied by a slight fog and the smell of a peat bog. All wetness and that fart smell. When the smoke cleared there I was in all my glory. Some sort of creature from the black lagoon but in XXL. There was crying, shock, screams, and someone called the cops so I ran, and I may have taken the door off its hinges as I fled. I hid in a construction site, where I finally stopped running and hid waiting for things to die down and to try to figure things out. Up until now none of this stuff about super humans, magic, monsters, none of it was real. I mean it was and I saw it daily but it wasn’t actually part of my life just something that happened around me if that makes sense. Even when the aliens came and locked the supers up and everything was chaos. That didn’t affect me. Not my real life. Now I was in trouble, I’d be hunted, and I didn’t even know what happened to me. 
  
  Then a tall man in resplendent and glimmering clothes, pointed ears, an articulated bone mask, bare clawed hands and feet that were black around the fingers and toes appeared beside me. A flash of smoke and light accompanied by that fart smell, then he was there towering over me. 
  He knew my name. Greeted me by my full name and said happy birthday. What the hell. Well it turned out that my dad. My biological father whom I’ve never met, and my mother barely remembered because he was a one night stand. This man of mystery who I have never thought of beyond a dream and a what if. This guy lost a hand of cards to this thing in front of me. He lost a hand of cards and didn’t have what he needed to pay off the debt so now his bloodline is cursed. Old school full on fairy curse. Generational, and permanent. William Black the second a touring musician and general ne’er do well bore the curse of the Kelpie as did all descended from his line for one hundred years. 
  
  He called himself the Prince of Bog and Bone and told me that I was now his vassal and he may occasionally call on me, but until then to try not to eat or drown too many humans because there was an accord and the short lived apes frowned upon such things, and then he was gone in another putrid flash of smoke.
  
  So I guess I’m cursed, cool. What am I supposed to do with that?
   
• WHO, OUTSIDE OF THE TEAM, IS HELPING YOU TO UNDERSTAND YOUR NEW BODY? I’ve met with an emissary of the Prince of Bog and Bone named the tall man. He’s explained some things about the curse and what it means to be a creature of Fae, he’s all business though and I never know when he’s going to show up or for how long. I can’t depend on any of the fae I’ve met. That seems to be their MO though. They are ephemeral and just do as they please. Or appear to. It seems like they have a lot of rules that they have to operate within. Only some of which applies to me… which I think is why they even care about me. We’ll see how that plays out though. 
  
  For awhile there was this chick named Jackdaw. I never knew her real name, but she found me while investigating reports of a monster in the sewers. She was a magical hero and tried to study me, help me that is by studying me. She also helped a lot normalizing things and propping me up. She’s the one that told me I had the power to be a hero and I just had to believe. Also introduced me to a few supers and taught me how to cover my tracks and keep an eye out for the invaders, their drones, and the narcs that work for them. She got caught though. That or she ran and didn’t look back, and who could blame her. If they hurt her though… they’ll pay.

 

• WHY DONT YOU JUST TRIED TO HIDE YOURSELF AWAY? I have, I have and I will. Sometimes it’s just easier to disappear. The storm drains and the sewers are right there for me to disappear into, and there’s nobody there to stop me, or judge me. 
  
  But, nothing gets solved from hiding. At least not in ways I’m equipped to help with. So I do what I can while I can, and hide when I need to. 

 

• WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE TEAM? The team is my new family. There aren’t a lot of people in my life now that accept me and aren’t scared. Sometimes that’s enough. Just not being afraid. It helps that we are working towards something, and fighting the man, but being accepted is enough for me.

 

WHEN OUR TEAM FIRST CAME TOGETHER...

WHO IS IT?

RELATIONSHIPS:

INFLUENCE:
 

MOVES:

Move List

Be the monster: When you frighten, intimidate, or cow others with your monstrous form, roll + Freak. On a hit, they are thrown off and make themselves vulnerable to you, or they flee. On a 10+, choose one. On a 7-9, choose two. you frighten others you had not intended to scare you hurt someone or break something you shouldn’t have you feel like more of a monster afterward; mark a condition (GM’s choice) On a miss, they react with violence, hatred, and paranoia, and you suffer the brunt of it.
Unstoppable: When you smash your way through scenery to get to or away from something, roll + Danger. On a hit, the world breaks before you, and you get what you want. On a 7-9, choose one: mark a condition, leave something behind, or take something with you. On a miss, you smash through, but leave devastation in your wake or wind up somewhere worse, GM’s choice.
Not human enough: When you directly engage a threat in a terrifying fashion, mark a condition to choose an additional option, even on a miss.

 

 

MOMENT OF TRUTH:
 

 

TEAM MOVES:

POTENTIAL:
⬜  ⬜  ⬜  ⬜  ⬜
Every time you roll a miss on a move, mark potential.

ADVANCEMENT:
When you fill your potential track, you advance. Choose from the list below. When you've taken five advances from the top list, you can take advances from the list below the line.

⬜ Take another move from your playbook
⬜ Take another move from your playbook
⬜ Take a move from another playbook
⬜ Take a doom, doomtrack, and doomsigns from the Doomed playbook
⬜ Someone permanently loses influence over you, add +1 to a Label
⬜ Rearrange your Labels as you choose, and add +1 to a Label
⬜ Unlock your Moment of Truth
⬜ Mutate further and reveal another two new abilities (chosen from any playbook)

---

⬜ Unlock your Moment of Truth
⬜ Change playbooks
⬜ Take an adult move
⬜ Take an adult move
⬜ Lock a Label, and add +1 to a Label of your choice
⬜ Retire from the life or become a paragon of the city
 

---

 

                                                                              

Edited March 20, 2023 by ManicPixieFatGuy (see edit history)

[ManicPixieFatGuy]

THE NOVA

HERO NAME: Morningstar
REAL NAME: Trevor Lee
LOOK: man, Asian, normal skin, dark clothing, uniform costume 
ABILITIES: cosmic energies 

LABELS

DANGER	FREAK	SAVIOR	SUPERIOR	MUNDANE
+1	+2	+0	+1	-1

CONDITIONS

	AFRAID	-2 to Directly Engage a Threat
	ANGRY	-2 to Comfort or Support or Pierce the Mask
	GUILTY	-2 to Provoke Someone or Assess the Situation
	HOPELESS	-2 to Unleash Your Powers
	INSECURE	-2 to Defend Someone or Reject Others' Influence

 

 

BACKSTORY

• When did you first use your powers?

 

I was playing with my brother at the old playground behind the abandoned mall when I saw a space ship and a rift in space. A man I  glowing armor with a red visor came out of the ship and some spiders made of purple crystal came out of the rift.. it was wolf as heck. 
 

He fought them until he couldn’t any more. Then they over took him. He died, and I blacked out waking up while I’m a super hero costume and wielding amazing cosmic powers moments later. 
 

I blew up the spiders and my life changed forever

 

• Who was the first person you accidentally hurt with your powers?

 

I hurt my brother, Sam. He was at the playground with me when all the Crystal spiders started coming out of this rip in the sky. The man who died ( I’ve learned since that his title was Captain Quantum ) fought them. He does the power flooded me and I was given direction on how to fight the spiders. 
 

I did… and I went to far. I ruined the playground and part of the old mall and I hurt Sam. I burnt him luckily I’m fast and strong now. I flew him to the hospital and he’s fine. 
 

but nothing has been the same since.

 

• Who, outside the team, helps you control your powers?

 

So along with my link to the power cosmic, the quintessence as they call it, came the uniform, and a telepathic link to the prophet network. An AI like intellectual being that inhabits the energy matrix that the legion access for their power. 
 

My iteration of the prophet AI likes to be called Prof and I’m very worried it is broken lol. It knows stuff though and so far it’s been the biggest help I’ve had. 
 

A being named Nuetrino has contacted me via this same network claiming to be the replacement for the being that died empowering me. They don’t have access to the planet presently due to the occupation, but they have contacted me and continue to occasionally provide guidance and direction. 

 

• Why do you continue to use your powers? 
 

What else am I supposed to do? Those with power have the responsibility to use it in service of those without. I’m a super hero in a world where that’s illegal. It seems to me that that’s exactly why people like me are needed and why I am specifically needed. We need power, we may not have the experience but as long as I’m around we’ll have the power.
 

 

• Why do you care about the team?

They need me.We have a job to do that it doesn’t seem like anyone else can do right now. We’re stronger together even if I favor the direct route more often than they do.

WHEN OUR TEAM FIRST CAME TOGETHER...

 

 

RELATIONSHIPS:

You hang out all the time with __________________ to blow off steam.
You once hurt ________________ when you lost control of your powers.

 

INFLUENCE:

Choose your demeanor: happy facade or locked down.
If you choose happy facade, give Influence to three teammates.
If you choose locked down, give Influence to one teammate.

 

MOVES:

Burn

When you charge up your powers, roll + conditions you currently have marked. On a hit, hold 3 burn. On a 7-9, mark a condition. On a miss, hold 2 burn and mark three conditions.
Spend your burn on your flares. You lose all burn at the end of the scene.

Reality Storm

Reality storm: You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

 

Move

Move: Spend 1 burn to move to any place you choose within the scene, breaking through or slipping past any barriers or restraints in your way. Spend a second burn to move to any place you’ve previously been.

Overcharge

Overcharge: You channel the full capacity of your incredible powers to overcome an obstacle, reshape your environment, or extend your senses. Spend 2 burn to take a 10+ when you unleash your powers.

Elemental Awareness

Elemental awareness: Spend 1 burn and mark a condition to open your mind up to the world around you with your powers. You can ask any one question about the world around you, and the GM will answer honestly.

 

 

 

MOMENT OF TRUTH:

Your mind’s eye opens, and you can see the world around you like never before. You can control it, at will, with ease. Of course, warping reality tends to have ramifications down the line, but in your moment of godhood...how could you possibly be worried?

 

TEAM MOVES:

When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, ask them if there is any fear in their eyes when they look at you. If they say no, take +1 forward and mark potential. If they say yes, immediately shift your Danger up and Savior down.
 

When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, tell them how they could stop you, if it came down to it. Give them Influence over you and clear a condition.

 

 

 

WIP

Edited March 20, 2023 by ManicPixieFatGuy (see edit history)

[ManicPixieFatGuy]

PLAYER QUESTIONS

• What kind of player are you?

I honestly find this question kind of daunting, lol.

 

I try to be a good player and I enjoy bringing a fresh perspective as well as new and interesting ideas to the table. I enjoy collaborative narrative play, and riffing with players and DMs. Story is kind, and doing cool, fun, and engaging things is super important to me. 

 

• Why are you excited for this game?

I’m new to Masks and I’d really like to learn the system. Plus this is teen super heroes under a tyrannical alien occupation. That sounds epic to me.

 

• What are your expectations for this game?

Cooperative and creative play with a group of open minded creative people. Plus I’d like to learn the game and stay active and engaged. 

 

• Why do you think you would be a good fit for this game?

See I’m a little biased, but I’ve been playing via PbP for over a decade, I think I have fun and interesting ideas, and that I’m supportive and engaging when it comes to storytelling / writing / inprov. 

Edited March 18, 2023 by ManicPixieFatGuy (see edit history)