[4e] Outside Vault 37b (Fallout / Gamma World)

[Connor]

 

Name: Alistair
Class (Origins): Mind Coercer - Doppelganger (Gamma World)
Primary Stat(s): Charisma, Intelligence
Race: Human [Psychic]
Occupation: G.O.A.T - Marriage Counselor (Sometimes it's nice having someone to talk to...)
Age: 18

Personality: Shy, but focused on a task with pin-point precision. He tends to close-down when other people push him to open up. He is capable of genuine laughter, but generally enjoys the solemn nature that comes in silence. Alistair can tend to get inside the heads of others during conversations, usually to the chagrin of the opposing speaker. He can have a mean and even defiant streak, but is easily quelled with logic and understanding. He is a man of extremes, generally a bit laid back and in the middle as it were, but when roused he can shift into a domineering know-it-all in a moment's notice. On the other hand, he can tend to have a very apathetic view-point about things that don't truly concern him.

Background: Alistair has always been a shy and focused youth, even as a child. The idea that he 'saw' other kids who simply didn't exist, was lost on his parents and anyone over the age of puberty. To them it was simply a psychosomatic delusional projection. Those were HIS words... his parents simply called it a group of 'imaginary' friends. Suffice to say that he no longer opened up to his family after that explanation. The 'friends' followed him throughout his young life, and often scared him... it wasn't until he himself matured during his own puberty that he realized that the 'friends' weren't simply manifestations of his own mind, but rather fragments of himself that he had duplicated into existence. He, in essence, could be his own friend.

This realization couldn't have come at a better time. He was already smart and top of his class within Vault 37b, a whole year ahead of the other kids... but he wasn't cocky about it. He had been a loner and thus the others simply knew he spent all of his times hitting the books. Losing himself in the fantasy of other vaults, stars, and other outrageous ideas. Knowing now that he could simply rely on himself, Alistair became increasing popular, not just with those of his own sex, but those of the opposing sex as well. he had always been sort of cute in an awkward sort of way... now he was verbose as well as articulate, and he had the added benefit of seemingly being able to be in two places at once. Regardless of his new-founded friendships, he still maintained a level of shyness, if solely for the fact that occasionally he feel back on old habits. A habit of knowing that HE was the only person he could trust unquestionably.

Time came though when he would have to take the G.O.A.T, and no one was more surprised than he when his result was confirmed. 'Marriage Counselor'. Who could have guessed that his ability to 'push' a couple into a predetermined course of decisions would actually become quite beneficial to his career. It wasn't like he was 'telling' them what to think, it was simply a matter of learning what each wanted, and implanting the seed of change along those lines in the other. It also seemed to be helpful that he could invariably meet with several families at once, unbeknownst to them. With the re-opening of the Vault, Alistair decided to give up his cushy life in exchange for a chance to see the world as he had imagined as a young boy, those few years ago. How could he turn down an option like that...

Astrid He had always been a smarter child then most. He wasn't sure how or why, but he always seemed to have an innate ability to see a problem and figure out the easiest way to solve the conundrum. When he had been promoted to a higher class due to his intellect and educational prowess, he was concerned. He was already a bit anti-social, and with that came a lack of respect and friends, as well as plethora of harsh words or thoughts. He had been invited into a Mathematics class a few years ahead of the kids of his usual year, and despite his age, the curriculum was basic and dull. This was the day he first met Astrid. She was a smallish raven-haired beauty who instantly caught his attention. She was apparently having issues with the course and was given Alistair as a tutor. She was smart, but unfocused... usually looking at or talking to the other boys in the class. Alistair wouldn't admit it, but he was likely a little jealous of the attention she gave to the other boys. Despite his obvious crush, and her lack of willing social degradation, they remained good friends with an air of 'more'. To this day, she is the ONE person whom he refuses to use his hidden 'abilities' on. He simply respects her will and privacy too much to spoil what could be an interesting future for the both of them.

[copatt]

Are we restricted to careers that can be achieved through GOAT testing; can we choose others listed below those in the wiki; or can we make up entirely new careers?

[kenneth]

 

Morgan Childress Character Name: Morgan Childress Class: Academic/Smart Hero (Technician) Race: Human Age: 19   Character Description: Morgan likes his alone time, when he can swing it. He'd rather fuss over a twisted piece of junk than speak. When he does talk, he can be a bit intense. He's blunt, undiplomatic, and has no trouble telling folks exactly how he feels. That's not to say he doesn't have a certain charisma. He just tends to be a little overwhelming to the uninitiated. Looking perpetually scruffy is one of his great gifts. His brown hair is cropped short and while it's clean, it almost always needs a comb run through it. There also seems to be about a days worth of growth on his sparse beard no matter when you find him. He dresses to cover, not to impress. As a matter of course, his coveralls are wrinkled, patched and threadbare. There's usually a healthy helping of grease and dirt both on his clothes and under his nails. He's not a slob. He just doesn't think about being clean while he's working, which is most of the time. His light brown eyes smolder under knitted brows. They always look a little angry when he's not conscious of someone being near. He'd say he's just thinking hard, but most people tend to think he looks mean. Those brown eyes of his are already starting to go bad. All the long hours squinting in the dark have taken their toll.   Background: Morgan's parents, Orwin and Gene, had an arranged marriage. Apparently the matchmaker knew what she was doing, because they were perfect for each other. As a couple, people genuinely like them. They get along fine with just about everyone in the Vault. The people they worked with like them. They're active in Vault social activities. Many people think of themselves as their friends. The truth is, they'd prefer to keep to themselves. They both learned long ago, however, to pretend to be social. It's just easier. They love each other very much and they love their three children. Their own folks are well tolerated. Morgan grew up feeling much the same way. He, however, was not encouraged to learn to be social. He was allowed to retreat into books and computers. He has a knack for working at something until it's fixed and he's been allowed to indulge in this behavior from an early age. This left him without certain crucial social skills, among them, tact and guile. He has his friends, but when he gets frustrated or tired, he can be very grumpy. This tends to wear his relationships fairly thin over time. His current best friend is (insert player-character name here.) Most of his old friends still like him, they just like him in small doses. His siblings on the other hand, both younger than he and female, are very social creatures. They learned the art of winning friends and influencing people from a very early age. Vivian, the eldest, is a social climber and leader of her small but influential cliche. Anne, on the other hand, rejects (or perhaps rebels against) the whole social hierarchy of the Vault and deliberately adopts the lowest and weakest as her friends. In spite of these elemental differences, they both seem to really like each other, even if their friends don't mix.   Goals and Objectives: Morgan is mostly concerned with maintaining the machinery of the vault. This is more for his love of working with it than it's value to the people who live there. He also is dieing to find out what is left of the world outside. He has a fantasy about resurrecting the old world single-handedly. As a fiddler and tinkerer he can't wait to get his hands on some old tech. He's also always wanted a motorcycle and dreams of tearing across the blasted countryside. A flying car wouldn't suck either. As a player, I want his story arch to be about him finding a path to maturity. I want him to learn the difference between being an adult and acting like one. I'd also like to see him learn the value of people over the machines he loves to fiddle with. He's a very self absorbed character and getting past it isn't going to be quick or easy. While Morgan might beg to differ, he is not necessarily the hero of this piece. He's one of those interesting characters in the background that drives the story forward. He's the plucky sidekick or the guy who dies tragically so that the hero can look over his shoulder into the camera with that oh so familiar 'now you've gone and made me angry' look. (You might not want to mention that last part to Morgan. He can get a little flaky when he's afraid for his life.)   The Reactor Room "Look, it's a miracle anything runs at all anymore. It was designed to last decades, not centuries." A single ancient incandescent bulb lights the small space making the speaker's face looked sunken and sallow. It's soft electric buzz filled the silence between the two men as one considers and the other impatiently waits. The two men stand in a narrow access room. Pipes, wires and cables run from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Both wear faded blue jumpsuits that are heavily worn, stained and bear a patch with 37b sewn on to it. Finally, the older man nods. He clearly doesn't look happy but the younger man is ecstatic. "I'll put together a team," says the younger man, turning to open an oval bulkhead door. The older man catches his arm. "Now just wait. We have to be smart about this." He continues to hold the young man's arm until he's sure he also has his attention. "If you just tell everyone we're opening the vault, there'll be mayhem. Some won't want the doors opened. They may panic. Others, who have no business toddling around out there, will insist you take them. They'll slow you down and may get you killed." The younger man gnaws his lower lip a bit and a more sober demeanor comes over him. He reluctantly agrees. "We need to decide who'd be best and only tell them," the older man says, moving his grip from elbow to shoulder. "We need to decide what gear can go too; what can we afford to lose." The thought of not coming back hadn't really occurred to the younger man. It had been there, he supposed, somewhere in the vague realms of possibility. But what the Controller had said, about only taking what the vault could afford to lose? That spoke volumes about what he thought of their chances. "I, uh, I'll want Marta. She's thinks quick on her feet. Doesn't panic when things start to go wrong," the young man says with a shrug. He looks sidelong to see the Controller's reaction. The older man nods slowly. "Umm, Micheal. He's tough, you know? If we get in a fight, he'll be good." This time the older man shakes his head no. "He's a hot head. He'll pick fights. You don't need muscle so much as sharp eyes and sharp wits." The Controller runs his hand over the stubble of his chin as he considers. "Levon. He's a cooler head and better with machines. Micheal, bless his heart, is dumb as sewage pump. I know he's your friend, but no." "But what if we actually find the parts we need?" the younger man replies with passion. "Who's going to haul it? Levon? He's older than you..." The older man raised a hand to stop the younger, saying, "He's still plenty spry. You can share the burden." The 'old' comment hurt a bit more than he'd expected it would. He certainly doesn't feel old. Not yet anyway. "Oh, come on." Exasperation was setting into the younger man's tone. "Marta's bigger than I am and she doesn't weigh more than a buck twenty. We're going to need Micheal. I can keep him in line, I swear!" Shaking his head slowly, the older man thinks. "Alright, Morgan, it's going to be your skin out there," he drawls. "But I'm not so sure your the best one to lead this." He quickly adds, "You tend to be bossy when your in charge and you know it. So close your mouth and stop pouting." The Controller blows his breath out slowly, thinking. "So. Who else do we send? Who do we send?"

[Flanders]

Name: Chad Doe
Appearance:

 

G.O.A.T: Shift Manager

 

The popular yet unpopular. The expressive yet inexpressive. Sociable yet unsociable. Kind yet not kind. The kind of background people one sees or not see in the movies of old. The kind of average guy that appears to lighten one's day and disappears. The kind of person Chad is personification of.

Chad is what one would call a shadow. He would appear to join in festivities with unhindered joy, but fade away to his own place on the duller grey days of the typical routine. A recurring secondary character if you compare him to book standards. His school work always stayed in the grey, never low but also never the top. He talked to everyone and have fun with them, but never true friends. He would help others unconditionally until main character appears to overshadow his work. Such was his life of 16 years when he inevitably took the G.O.A.T and obtained the position of Shift Manger.

Being responsible for multiple work schedules and organizing them was something awfully foreign to him, but he got the jist of it in short while. Normally, he's one of the faceless people behind the punch-card counter,which he doesn't take that for granted, but when things don't go as scheduled, Chad is the one who has to correct it. In most cases, the trouble comes from people who try to skip their shift and it's Chad's side job to 'manage' the system and track down the missing people. One would thing Vault security would be taking care of such task but the threat level of people skipping work is too low for such hight brow officers.

Tracking down the people for their shift usually tends to end up as a game of cat and mouse until the manager catches the lazy person or the shift changes, but Chad seemed to have a knack for the game as most don't realized Chad's background presence until his 'manager's pistol' is tapping at their skull. Also, managers were commission small caliber pistols to 'encourage' the caught slacker back to his post.

Goals and Objectives:

 

After so many years of watching other have fun and exploring the vault so much so he has easily made a mental map of the entire complex. Feelings of wanting more have been festering within himself for years. Years of wanting new experiences past the vault. If the vault was ever opened and allowed people to leave, Chad would be the first to go.

hey Sakure! wanna be friends?

[Jocom]

Name: Malphonse "Malph" Blessinger
Age: 17
Gender: Male
G.O.A.T. Result: Assistant Fry Cook ("That's 'Culinary Technician' to you.")
Personality: Nerdy Lump
Primary Stats: Strength & Wisdom

 

"Oh come on, Teach... do we really have to fill out this stupid thing? Shucks, you and everyone else already know my answers as well as I do; why do we even have to apply for the G.O.A.T.? We're all gonna take it anyway."

"Now, Malph, everyone has to fill out their G.O.A.T. application - it will be appended to your permanent profile."

*Sigh* "...fine."

G.O.A.T. APPLICATION, MALPHONSE BLESSINGER 1. Who are your parents and what do they do?

"Really?!"

"Just do it, Malph."

G.O.A.T. APPLICATION, MALPHONSE BLESSINGER 1. Who are your parents and what do they do? My father, Raphael Blessinger, is a refuse-incineration engineer in the maintenance department. He burns garbage all day, every day. I never knew my mother; she died the day I was born. 2. Of the subjects you've studied in school, which have you found most interesting? Chemistry. I'm glad that we know how all 100 elements behave and react with one another. 3. Of the subjects you've studied in school, which have you found least interesting? Gym. 4. What do you do in your spare time? I read and collect comics. So far, I've managed to assemble the entire run of Captain Combustion, including the later ones that were drawn by that hack Rell Framkin, which is why they look so strange. I even have a couple of Grognak the Barbarian, though there aren't many of those to begin with. I'm also thinking about writing my own comic, but I would need to find someone artistic to do the illustrations. Also, I don't know if I could come up with all of the neat and crazy things that happen in comics: twelve foot tall, man-eating lizards? How did they think of that stuff? 5. Of what personal accomplishment(s) are you most proud? See no. 4 6. Who is your role model? Captain Combustion. There's no problem that man can't solve with his patented Burninator Cannon.

"Alrighty. Thanks, Teach. I'm done."

"Very good. I... burninator cannon... Malph, I do wish you'd take this seriously."

"Whatever."

 

Raised by an aloof, ambivalent single father amidst the otherwise claustrophobic 37B community, Malph's has been a typical vault upbringing. Over the years, he's gotten along well enough with his (generally older) classmates, but has suffered the social stigma of being "the garbage burner's kid." Luckily for him, he came into possession of a few of the vault's circulating comic books, which opened up whole new worlds for him to escape to.

Having anticipated being assigned to the maintenance department to work for his father, he met his unexpected assignment to the cafeteria with some consternation. Stranger still, he was put under the supervision of Roger, the hovering Type-I Mr. Handy unit that runs the kitchen with an iron manipulator-appendage. Needless to say, he still dreams nightly of strange and fantastic places to explore and, indeed, of what might lie just beyond the walls of his home.

Being amongst the youngest of his generation, Malph was ungenerously thought to be developing more slowly than the rest of his class. Though short even for his own age, he has always been a husky young man; his size usually saw him through the worst of childhood tussles. In recent years, he's been shedding the flabbiness of youth hauling refuse for the maintenance department, his stout frame developing into a more muscular physique. In fact, it seems he's continued his unofficial work for the maintenance department, occasionally at the expense of his assigned job in the cafeteria: whether the 37B administration has become aware of or concerned about this remains to be seen.

 

Note: Tooltips reflect in-character justifications for mechanical features, derived from the previous two spoiler sections.

Malph would begin life as a Haulin' garbage does a body good!physically strong young man with a good A lifetime of reading comics gives an (albeit unreliable) pool of experience.imagination and intuition, but somewhat lacking in He doesn't know his chemistry as well as he thinks he does.higher book smarts and Social stigma: Janitor's boy. See also: kids are mean little bastards.social graces. Depending on the ability-rolling method used, I would prioritize stats in order from greatest to least: Strength, Wisdom, Constitution, Luck, Intelligence, Charisma, Dexterity. As combat is concerned, he'll start out as a Melee fighter and possibly develop into a user of A flamethrower in particular, if available, in honor of his favorite super hero, Captain Combustion.Big Guns, provided he survives that long. His two other tag skills would be He disliked gym class because it bored him... and because other kids resented his few successes.Athletics and Survival, the latter skill resulting from a lifetime of reading comic books, with serious failures being explained as instances where the comic book author got it all terribly, terribly wrong.

This would be my first time using the Gamma World sets, but I think I would like for Malph to try a Giant/Pyrokinetic build, with his fiery tendencies originating from a heavily-modified, nuclear cell-powered butane torch he swipes from the cafeteria's kitchen, or from the aforementioned flamethrower (either option would require fuel, which would count as ammo).

Gamma Template

 

Having taken his G.O.A.T. and thereby become a functional adult within the stagnant Vault 37B, Malph is just beginning to understand that all he's ever done is all he's ever going to do. Having grown up following the adventures of fantastic superheroes in outlandish settings, he simply assumed that that life would be his when he got old enough. The reality dawning on him does not give him hope for the future.

I suspect he doesn't realize it himself just yet, but Malph wants desperately to escape the mundane life he's seen his father lead. Coinciding with the heroes of comics, his goals have ever been to explore strange places, meet new and unusual people, best whatever horrendous creatures or calamities are inevitably threatening them, and earn a hero's adulation along with a kiss on the cheek from a formerly-distressed damsel. Now, however, he's realizing that none of that is ever going to happen, and that fact weighs on him.

As a player, I'd like to explore Malph's maturation and discover how he comes to cope with life in the Vault, the wasteland, and beyond. The dangers of exploration, the risks of first contact, and the conseqences of conflict would shape a probable journey from idealist to realist, and grant him some much-needed perspective on his life so far.

---

Regarding Vault 37B itself: while brainstorming origins and a Vault-Tec quirk for it, we could take inspiration from the list of known vaults... the possibilities are endless though.

[Mythknight]

I may be interested in this. I loved all the Fallout games but have not read much beyond the gaming material. I should grab a book or two and read up first.

[Sulldawga]

My character's name is Edison Chance.

 

My character's G.O.A.T. would reveal his occupation to be Pip-Boy programmer. He's not much of a smooth-talker, or a physical guy, or a weapons guy. But he loves to tinker, to take stuff apart and rebuild it, to learn and read. (perhaps he was inspired by his namesake!) In the pursuit of stuff to take apart, or parts to use for his inventions, he's become a pretty good thief, too.

Just throwing some first thoughts out there for this guy: he's a 4e mage but his powers are technological and revolve around his Explosives ability. He's modified a paintball gun he designed himself after reading some old magazines he found in the Vault. It shoots mini-grenade pellets that's he's created. Freezing Burst is actually a pellet containing dry ice. Force Orb is your standard ball bearing anti-personnel pellet. Sleep is a pellet containing a powerful anesthetic he "acquired" from the lab. And Arc Lightning is a Taser he strapped to the bottom of the paintball gun. He's got several dry ice pellets (At-Will). He only has a few anesthetic pellets (Daily) so he hoards them and uses them only in emergencies.

His skills are Mechanics, Science, Thievery (gotta get the raw materials for his modifications somehow), and Explosives.

 

Edison is one of those guys who isn't really part of any clique. He's friends with everyone, mostly because when he talks with folks, he lets them talk about whatever makes them happy. He'll talk sports with jocks, comic books with nerds, he's open to anything. Secretly, he thinks you never know when you'll learn something new from an unexpected source, so he just grins and bears it.

For example, he's probably the closest thing to a friend that Astrid has in the Vault, even though his penchant for "gray market acquisitions" should have made them enemies. Part of him feels badly for her, thinking she must be lonely, and part of him just couldn't resist getting access to her rare Pip-Boy model. And he's got no problem hanging out with Emily. He knows that one slip up while he's out "finding lost items" and he's probably burning trash right next to her.

It does help that he's got a reputation within the Vault for being a creative, inventive guy. He built a football throwing machine for the team out of four brooms, some wire, and a fan. He volunteered to repaint the walls in the Vault while he was on school break and rewired a Mister Handy to do the work for him. Doing neat stuff like that gets him access to even more machinery and electronics, the examination and manipulation of which is the thing that brings him the most joy in life.

An only child, his parents weren't super intelligent but they were creative types, and they instilled a love for learning in him. His father was a chef and his mother was a seamstress. Both did jobs that you'd expect to be handled by robots but they carved out a place for themselves in the Vault because of their skill and their ability to surprise people with a unique design.

 

He wants to leave the Vault out of sheer curiosity. He's read all the books in the Vault, taken apart every piece of equipment he could get his hands on. There's a whole world of new stuff to learn outside and he would give anything to see it. In a perfect world, Edison gets to go to a big city where there's a ton of abandoned technology. He gets the raw materials he needs to create and invent for the rest of his life. He doesn't really care about recognition or "getting paid". Just the thrill he feels when he flicks the power switch and his creation comes to life is enough for him.

Edison really has no idea how dangerous the outside world is but he assumes there's a reason why they've been locked inside the Vault this long. He's smart enough to know that the radiation isn't the main problem anymore. This is why he built his custom paintball gun and started hoarding pellets. He wants to be able to defend himself without having the nerve to crack someone's skull with a club face-to-face or be precise enough to hit a target with a bullet from 100 yards away. His pellets just need to come close... a "horseshoes and hand grenades" way of thinking.

What's been in the back of his mind, something he'd never admit out loud and doesn't even like to think about that much, is that his Vault-mates are like his family and he'll fight to defend them, too. He built his paintball gun so he wouldn't feel helpless if they ran into trouble and his companions needed help.

[Nimlos]

As you already know, I'm interested. How long are you planning to keep applications open?

Also ... Does our vault not have a G.E.C.K.?

[Sakure]

Originally Posted by hvg3akaek

The exact make-up of Vault 37b, and the reason they are leaving, is left to the players.

Sounds like if you're accepted, and you're not stepping on toes, you can have whatever you want!

I "asked" for a or football where she's from, but we are in America soccer field!

[Flanders]

hey Sakure, want to be Vault friends

[Flanders]

Ok I'm still too new to pm so either talk here, your wait two days

[Connor]

Completed (Phase 1)

Ready for any insight you might have...

[hvg3akaek]

Originally Posted by copatt

Are we restricted to careers that can be achieved through GOAT testing; can we choose others listed below those in the wiki; or can we make up entirely new careers?

No restrictions, no That's merely an example of what the game offered for the players - you are free to create your own paths (or even 'rebel' against the one chosen for you in the GOAT )

Originally Posted by Nimlos

As you already know, I'm interested. How long are you planning to keep applications open?

Unsure as of yet, probably until the end of the week. That should give people time to get an idea together.

Also ... Does our vault not have a G.E.C.K.?

The GECKs were very rare, but if the players decided they wanted one, I would allow that - with enough reason as to why they would want to get out, of course



I've also made a note in the second post of those expressing interest so far



(aside - Flanders, do you listen to Fear the Boot?)

[Flanders]

No, but after listening to one, they sound kinda awesome. Why? recommending it?

[hvg3akaek]

They are a pretty enjoyable podcast . One host (Chad) was talking about this game (Muscle March - look it up on YouTube), and saying how his name would be great if said with that accent. "Chaddo!!" Your character's name reminded me of it, and I was wondering if it was an allusion, or not