Iron DM 2023!

Palliven · #1 Sep 16th, 2022, 07:10 PM

Thread to finalize characters and address questions on rules.

Palliven · #2 Sep 17th, 2022, 11:34 AM

WELCOME TO HEROES OF NEW LIBERTY!

First things first. Please post your character sheet as best you can define it. Will work from there to get it adjusted, corrected and finalized. I had debated providing a charact sheet format to use but it can be complicated for some folks so decided against it. You can just post in text format.

girlplay · #3 Sep 17th, 2022, 03:00 PM

Profile for Silver Streak

Hero Name: Silver Streak

Name: E.S.P.A. 24 - Enhanced Security and Policing Automaton

Identity: Charlotte was the name given to her by her creator. She believes herself to be an artificial person and desires to be treated as a person, rather than a robot.

Description: Silver Streak is a sentient construct and appears to be an attractive, fit woman made of metal. She speaks French and English. She doesn't wear a costume or clothing. Her anatomical build is intentionally publicly acceptable without clothing.

Character sheet

Complications
Motivation: Doing good. Dr. Le Mans made sure that Charlotte understood that doing good was her role in life. People are worth protecting. Evil must be confronted. Charlotte's role in the world is that of service to others, as an example to others, and doing good deeds herself. Charlotte takes this as an unyielding truth and a goal which she needs to constantly pursue.

Reputation: Between Louise's actions and Charlotte being a robot, many people view her as dangerous and unpredictable, and fear her for not having "Humanity". It's a constant source of trouble in her life.

Power point usage
Abilities: 72
Powers: 58
Advantages: 3
Skills: 2
Defenses: 0

Abilities

Strength: 10
Stamina: --
Agility: 8
Dexterity: 7
Fighting: 8
Intellect: 0
Awareness: 8
Presence: 0

Powers
Sentient Construct: (Inorganic) Immunity to fortitude effects, Innate.

Thrusters: (Technology, kinetic)

Flight 5 (60 mph, 900 ft per 6-second round)
Alternate effect: Super speed (Enhanced Initiative 2, Quickness 4, Speed 4 = +8 Initiative, -4 from time rank to do something, move 30 mph, or 500 ft per 6-second round)

Armored body: (Metal) Protection 10, Innate.

Self-repairing: (Nanites) Regeneration 1

Sensor Suite: (Technology)

Extended vision 1
Extended hearing 1
Darkvision (2)

Advantages
Attractive 1
Languages: English (1) and French (free)
Move-by Action

Skills	ranks	ability	total bonus
Acrobatics	1	Agi (8)	+9
Athletics	1	Str (8)	+9
Close combat	--	Fgt (8)	+8
Deception	--	Pre (0)	+0 (+2)
Insight	--	Awe (8)	+8
Perception	1	Awe (8)	+9
Persuasion	--	Pre (0)	+0 (+2)
Ranged Combat	--	Dex (7)	+7
Stealth	--	Agi (8)	+8
Technology	1	Int (0)	+1

Defenses
Dodge: 8
Parry: 8
Toughness: 10
Fortitude: Immune
Will: 8

Action Stats
Initiative: +8 (+16 while using SuperSpeed)
Melee attacks: +8 to hit, 10 damage.
Ranged attacks: +7 to hit, damage per weight of object?

Crocodile · #4 Sep 17th, 2022, 03:43 PM

The Hero

Questions

1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply?

A long standing love for superheroes is definitely a factor, but the inciting incident which is at the center of this particular setting and the world it has led to, as well as the way in which these events were written, made me want to apply for this game.

There is an optimism at the core of this premise that I would take great pleasure in helping to nurture and expand, working alongside a group of great heroes to see the bright promise for the future fulfilled, especially in the face of whatever forces would wish to bring it all crashing down.

I also like the ideals stated in the Is this game for you? section. Makes me even more certain this game would be a good fit

2. What do you look for in a good GM?

The ability to meaningfully reflect the consequences of a player's actions in their game world and narrative rather than ignore them to keep things on a predetermined track. Though I believe players should definitely work with the GM when narrative points of interest are placed in front of them to engage, there should also be room for players to explore the world they inhabit and make a lasting impression all their own with the tools provided by the setting and all that comes with it. I believe this can make the whole experience all the richer for everyone involved.

Also related, the ability for the GM to encourage and see the game as a cooperative experience rather than an adversarial one, encouraging that atmosphere between themselves and the players as well as between the players themselves. There are very specific games where the goal is to just grind players to dust, and those can be fun when everyone has opted in on that experience, but outside that specific use case, I don't like thinking of a game like this in terms of winning vs. GM. There will be triumphs, defeats, joy, sadness, frustration, and everything in between, but crafting and enjoying this narrative together should be paramount, wherever it takes us.

3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds?

I have played exactly three games in M&M, one 2e and two 3e. And two of them weren't even superhero games, just utilizing the flexibility of the system to simulate a wide range of abilities. I enjoyed them, and yes, the character creation process is very involved, which I love. Honing in on a concept and refining is a great deal of fun, and seeing your character take form, strengths and weaknesses all coalesced into your ideal hero, is a satisfying experience.

HorizonHero Name:

Horizon

Catch-Phrase: "Let's lighten the mood.", "Newton's bobbing apples!", "Science in service is the path to the dawn."

Name: Dr. Emmanuel Igwe

Identity: Known. Emmanuel wishes to be an ambassador for his philanthropic ambitions, and believes that associating freely with his alter-ego is all the better for his goals.

Description:

Personality:

Emmanuel is a man possessed of boundless curiosity and a drive for discovery, a combination which leads him by the nose whenever he comes across anything he does not immediately recognize and thus compels him to take immediate action to understand the subject intimately. This aspect of his character makes him overly eager to engage in scientific discussion with his peers, as he recognizes the value of knowledge outside his chosen fields of expertise. But beyond broadening his horizons, Emmanuel also has something of a competitive streak when it comes to proving his intelligence, capable of turning even the friendliest of discussions into mental jousting matches on which he will not relent until a single individual is proven the victor. He does not see anything wrong with this, seeing it as a way for all parties involved to both expand their knowledge and expose any flaws in their own reasoning so that they can correct themselves and become all the better for it. These interactions have lead to Emmanuel growing a thick skin when it comes to people having a less than stellar opinion of him as an individual, which while not ideal, is tolerable when he is capable of falling back on his concrete achievements. The results of his research always speak for themselves, and he sees those as a greater measure of his contribution to society than the time he very politely implied his lab partner would be better off teaching high school physics rather than designing interstellar orbiting models. Emmanuel accepts this alienation as a matter of course for one intelligent and driven enough to truly make their mark in history, but it is grating that this is the way it has to be.

When not butting heads with others in an attempt to assuage his ego, Emmanuel can be passing charming, observing what most would consider standard social protocols, slow to anger, preferring de-escalation to immediate violence, and enjoying a good bit of humor and levity in his dealings with others, though even he would admit that the quality of his joke telling leaves very much to be desired. He also believes in putting as much into leisure as he does into his work, in a way others might describe as excessive, but which he merely recognizes as enjoying life and making up for lost time. Within recent years, he has also gone through a dramatic shift in his priorities, from a man who was only interested in using his talents to enrich himself to one who sees that there is no higher calling in the world than to utilize one's gifts for the benefit of others. This shift in attitude also comes with an acquired disdain for individuals who use their gifts in ways he sees as wasteful or destructive, and he will always make his opinion on the matter very clear. As if to compensate for his old ways, Emmanuel feels a need to never refuse to give a helping hand to anyone who needs it, though this can also spill into the man offering aid where it is not wanted, simply because he believes he has the answers to the problem at his fingertips. He is very confident in his solutions until they are proven categorically wrong, in which case he will simply study the problem and then come up with another solution that he is even more confident in than the last. One could say that his self-esteem is nearly unshakeable, and that contributes to his need to always look his very best any time he is in a public setting, as he feels that if he is going to represent the promise of the future, he must constantly put his best foot forward and project an image of a man in total control of his life. Also, looking good just makes him feel good, and he will make no apologies for it. Even when he feels slightly less than his very best, he cannot allow himself to show anything less than total confidence to the public, as that would be tantamount to failing to live up to the promise of the ever distant utopia on the horizon.

Goals: Emmanuel wishes to be a living example of how scientific research and innovation can be a driving force for good for the many and not just the few. Whatever the disaster, no matter the villain, he will ply his craft to find the best solution to make certain humanity is safeguarded against the dangers which plague them, and in doing so inspire others to take up the cause of moving humanity forward into a bright future.

He also sees this as part of his personal penance for living his life so selfishly up until now, having only ever done anything for the sake of personal profit and social status until the monumental sacrifice of Silver Halo and Captain Dynamic gave him some much needed perspective.

Powers: Emmanuel has built himself an experimental power suit with the ability to manipulate gravitational fields, originally conceived as a means to efficiently explore deep space environs but ultimately built towards a new purpose.

His considerable intellect is also a powerful asset, which he uses to create and utilize an array of gravity based inventions to help himself and his allies in the field.

Background:

Ever since he was a little boy, Emmanuel had always taken comfort in the night sky.

One child of many, born to farmers eking out a humble existence on the outskirts of Johannesburg, Emmanuel had been destined to live and die by the land his family did not even own, growing food for the masses who would never even give them a second thought. It was in these formative years that the future scientist noticed that there was a stark difference between the haves and the have nots, between those who took and those who gave, between the movers and shakers of the world and the rest who mired in the dirt to support them. The expensive clothes, the fancy, foreign cars, the excessive jewelry, and all the trimmings of modern society which seemed a world away to the boy who's walls were unadorned brick and who's hand-me-down clothes were dirty and worn from many years of service, with not even the practiced hands of his mother being capable of washing out the oldest stains. Every visit to the city was like stepping into another world, full of life and people enjoying pleasures that seemed out of reach to the boy's dirt encrusted hands. They never stayed long after concluding their business in the bustling metropolis, but it never failed to leave the child wanting more, marveling at how humanity had built up such marvels, and wondering why his family had to live so far away from the light.

But there was one advantage to being so far from that sleepless place, and it was the stars. Full and bright with the setting of the sun, Emmanuel would marvel at their splendor when all the chores were done in the time between finishing dinner and when he would be called to bed, laying down in the patchy grass with only the sound of insects as his company. And oh, the questions he would have for why these bright lights ruled the night sky. So many answers, each one a story more fascinating than the last. Kings of the past who had been given a place of honor in the firmament, God's map to lead the lost in even the darkest night, suns for other worlds that we may never know, as bright and warm as the very sun which gave life to the people of Earth. Fact and fiction were rolled into one fascinating whole with each bedtime story his mother told, and though it was simply enough to lull the other children to sleep, it was a call to action for young Emmanuel.

He had to know.

The next few years were spent tracking down every second, third, or even fourth-hand book he could scrounge up, either from pocket change he had saved up from the few times his parents could spare to treat their children, or by begging for any books which would be thrown away otherwise. First came the challenge of language, as he had never been given any formal schooling and as a consequence his grasp on English letters was weak. Fortunately, he had always been clever, surprisingly so by all accounts, so it was of little difficulty for him to find and repair an old television set and vcr which had been left to rot in some scrapyard, carted home in the family wheelbarrow for use. Then came the cassette tapes, bootlegs purchased with a pittance or earned in exchange for technical expertise far exceeding the value of the vhs in question. Then he watched, and watched, and watched some more, always a pen and paper in hand, taking notes and referring back to the books in his ever expanding library. The rest of his siblings were free to watch whatever they wanted just for the novelty of the new addition to their homestead, but he was always present to take notes and improve his English. Before he knew it, he had already gone through all his initial reading material, and was still hungry for more. He had learned so much, his understanding of the world had expanded greatly, but it was too slow at the rate he was currently limited to. There were few resources available to get into Johannesburg on his own, let alone buy the precious knowledge he required. Not if he was to rely solely on what little money his parents could spare at any one time. So he took matters into his own hands. Emmanuel expanded upon his mechanical expertise and began servicing the farm equipment of his neighbors, the cost for his repairs a fraction of what they would have to pay older professionals. People from Johannesburg had even begun to see him for repairs once word had traveled outside local circles. He had never given it much thought, taking apart and putting back together such simple mechanical contraptions, but it was a means to an end, and before long the farmer's son had more than enough money to make regular trips to and from the city to collect any books or materials he wanted. As his knowledge grew, so did his need to put that knowledge to good use. An old washing machine here, a new tractor there, an upgrade to the only radio in the village, now hooked to speakers so that all could enjoy the tunes coming over the waves when they gathered together for celebrations and general community, a solar powered water tower drawing from the sources below ground to replace their now-defunct well and act as a new source of clean drinking water. There was never a moment where Emmanuel was not learning, and the fact that his knowledge was so useful got him more and more exempt from the daily rigors of farm work as the years went by, to the chagrin of his siblings. He paid their jealousy no mind, if they could not see how his efforts were benefitting them too, then that was their loss. But even with all this progress and all that he had learned, Emmanuel still felt so far from reaching the truth of the heavens for himself. His passions were as bright as ever, but he felt stuck. Trapped.

Enter Braham Peck, nationally celebrated South African business tycoon and owner of all the farmland upon which Emmanuel's family and their neighbors toiled. Normally, the man was too busy to bother paying a visit to his less profitable ventures, but recent events had caught his attention. Stories of a boy genius who could repair anything, had learned several languages on his own, and was slowly transforming their humble village into a thriving community. Mr. Peck had never been one to let opportunity slip him by, and considering his plans to expand his business empire further, he saw no harm in taking chances on nurturing this potential asset before he withered on the vine. So he came into town, flashing his expensive clothes and fancy car, throwing around money like nobody's business and acting every bit the part of a successful businessman and magnanimous boss, promising to inject funds into the village and revitalize the local area beyond anybody's wildest dreams, and he also, completely unrelated of course, just so happened to offer young Emmanuel a spot at the University of Wits, if he could earn himself a spot there. No star in the sky shone brighter than the ones in Emmanuel's eyes that day. He was enamored with this Great Man, Mover and Shaker who was promising to make all his dreams come true, and there was absolutely no hesitation from the young man as he sped off to parts unknown to pursue his future, not even the prospect of leaving his family behind acting as any sort of deterrent.

Mr. Peck's investment had gained him more than he could have imagined. Just as he had hoped, the boy was a prodigy. By the time Emmanuel had reached his late teenage years, he had already earned his doctorates in Astrophysics, Aerospace Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, having traveled briefly to America for advanced research that was simply unavailable in South Africa at the time, all funded by his very generous benefactor. He had also created several advances in the field which Mr. Peck had been quick to patent and profit off of, always making certain the boy was well paid for his efforts so that he could keep churning out new innovations. Emmanuel had gained the resources and the backing to make his dreams come true, but the amount of actual wealth he was able to handle for the first time in his life, on his own, was staggering to him, and he was lost in it. He did not want to go back, he never wanted to go back to the boy in dirty hand-me-downs. And so the dream was tainted. The stars were nothing more than a means to an end themselves, that end being Emmanuel's rise to fortune and glory as he spearheaded the very beginnings of Mr. Peck's very own privately owned space program, the dream being to compete with even the leading nations and corporations of the world in commercializing the final frontier. He was Somebody now, and the people beneath him would support his vision, as that was the best they could hope for in their lives. They could not do what he could do, so why should he consider this way of things to be anything but correct? Let the superheroes and their villains play in their silly costumes, Emmanuel would be the one to lead humanity into the future. His future.

The aftermath of Asteroid RX11's fall shattered Emmanuel. It had been impossible. Every calculation, every facet of data, every known and unknown variable one could consider under any scenario, had pointed to the utter annihilation of Earth, and with it, the human race. And yet...

And yet...

Perhaps it had been the wine affecting him (or the bourbon, or... other things), but on that day, Emmanuel had strolled out of his expensive apartment, left behind his fancy car, and just walked. Walked and walked for hours unknown, into the night that never should have come for this miserable world, until he had left behind the trappings of human made paradise and surrendered himself to the still untamed outer wilds. And for the first time in a long time, he looked up into the night sky with his own eyes. No meticulously designed instruments, no computer generated simulations, only the same eyes which had given a boy his dream once upon a very, very long time. He remembered, not only the dream, but the stories. Myths and legends, folktales and fables, science and science fiction, all inspiring, all drawing from that same curiosity in the heavens. In the face of all that, humanity's combined desire to dance and sing among these stars in dreams unending, what was all the gold in the world worth? In the morning light of the rising sun, Emmanuel had his answer.

He tendered his resignation the very next day. Mr. Peck did his best to have Emmanuel reconsider, but the boy who had become a man was now resolute. For the first time in a long time, he knew what he needed to do. Of course, any and all inventions which Emmanuel had invented during his employ with Mr. Peck were the tycoon's property. This was fine. The parting was amicable, and Mr. Peck had provided the resources for these creations. It was only fair. Besides, there was one innovation which had most assuredly not been a part of his work under the tycoon's patronage. More of an idea, given only the barest of thought in the haze of daily excess, but now with a renewed sense of purpose, Emmanuel's focus was crystal clear, and though the fruit born of this thought would be a long time coming, he began to draw up plans for a future where he would have the resources to support his vision. Silver Halo and Captain Dynamic had beaten all odds and given their lives so that the human race would have a chance to thrive. An event which should have rendered all human accomplishment null and void, a catastrophe avoided because The Protectors saw a purpose beyond themselves.

That sacrifice would not be in vain. Humanity deserved the chance to reach for their dreams, and Emmanuel swore that he would use his gifts to give them just that.

Important Persons:

Braham Peck: The billionaire tycoon at the head of the Good Hope Corporation, Braham believes that there is no problem in the world you can't solve by throwing enough money at it. As such, he sees no issue with people using their capital to have their way in this world, no matter what the laws of the land or common decency might have to say about it. Although he plays the part of a good, philanthropic patriot in South Africa, making a show of uplifting his less fortunate countrymen and making strides towards creating a more equal society for the benefit of all, he is loyal to nothing and nobody except his bottom line, always thinking in terms of personal financial benefit with every move he makes, ideas of loyalty and gratitude only going so far as you can help him become even richer than he already is. He is quick to seize on any opportunity which comes his way, and even quicker to snuff out any threat to his supremacy in the business world. For this reason, he continues to be obsessed with getting Emmanuel back into the corporate fold even after so many years apart, incapable of accepting such talent in the hands of anyone but his own, especially after he had spent so much time nurturing the boy's talents. He continues to keep an affable face with Emmanuel, fostering good relations with the man even after his departure and pretending to be one of his closest confidants in this wide world of business relations, but he is always looking for any opportunity to ensure the genius farm-boy comes crawling back to him to complete the great work he had begun at the tycoon's bidding.

Ijemma Igwe: Emmanuel's mother, a woman of near infinite patience who always seems to have the perfect parable for every situation. Though she is proud of everything her son has accomplished, the stories she had heard about his unscrupulous behavior up until recently were a major source of concern, especially when combined with her boy visiting home less and less over the years. His recent turn is something of a relief, but his decision to become a superhero and fly himself straight into danger in some strange, high-tech costume has given her something else to worry about. She is terrified for her son, but proud of his decision to use his gifts to help others, and is always ready to welcome her boy home for some good life advice, asking only that he shows her some mercy and takes it slow with the science jargon. Trying to wrap her head around that sort of thing gives her a headache. She is also constantly acting as a bridge between her son and the rest of the family, with her husband having a less positive view on Emmanuel quitting his position with Good Hope to become some galivanting superhero, and Emmanuel's siblings still feeling abandoned by their older brother.

Navdeep Reddy: As headstrong as she is sociable, Navdeep first joined Good Hope as a sales manager fresh out of university, a position she was more than qualified for which was darkened by the shadow of her own mother's executive position within the corporation. The stench of nepotism followed her everywhere she went, filling her with a constant need to prove herself to her peers any chance she could, meaning that for any target goal she was expected to meet, she not only had to surpass it, but surpass everyone else as well. But her competitive nature was not the only thing that rubbed others the wrong way; Navdeep was constantly butting heads with her seniors regarding the direction of Good Hope and how it's enormous coffers could be put to better use in areas that did not involve generating even more ungodly profit. One of those arguments was how she first met Emmanuel, thinking that if anybody had a clue as to what could be done, it would be the company's very own super-genius Golden Goose. Instead, she found even more resistance wrapped in a know-it-all, uncaring, condescending package. Emmanuel's initial impressions of her were no better, finding her to be irritating, self-righteous and small minded, bringing up concerns that shouldn't matter to either of them when they could just keep enjoying the good life. Though through the years of clashing with each other, the two did develop a grudging respect for one another, both being able to recognize each other's ability in their field, passion for what they love and ambition to drive themselves forward, even if they each thought the other's priorities were completely out of sorts. Not to mention a shared fondness for fine spirits, the pair making a rather infamous drinking duo at any public occasion. All of which was why Emmanuel sought her out the moment he decided he was leaving Good Hope, because as far as he was concerned, there was nobody else he knew who he could trust to help him bring about the bright future he wanted to see. And despite her skepticism regarding Emmanuel's sudden change of heart, Navdeep knew that she was not going to make the difference she hoped for if she stuck around. Combined with the even more enticing idea of finally freeing herself from her mother's circle of influence, she partnered up with her long time frenemy and took one giant blind leap forward into tomorrow.

Writing Prompt
Psychological Evaluation Question: Give a little writing sample for the two scenario prompts below. A few line or a paragraph for each is plenty.

1) Today is a rare day off from your hero duties and you're on your way to meet a friend for lunch. As you walk past the Fifth Street Bank, the alarm goes off just before the door bursts open and Black Ice skates out on a slick of ice he forms on the sidewalk, a duffle full of money strapped to his back and another in his hand. What do you do?

2) Wow, that hurt. Not just your jaw but your pride. You were sure that you and Sergeant Steel could take him down. Man, were you wrong. Not only was this your first defeat at the hands of a supervillain but it was all caught on camera. How do you deal with this?

HORIZON BLUNDERS. MESMER-EYES STILL ON THE LOOSE!

Emmanuel took a moment to look up from his workbench and glare at the headline on screen, the accompanying video once again showcasing his humiliation to the world. He had moved his head too quickly, and winced as his inflamed, purple jaw reminded him just how badly he had bungled what should have been a routine operation. Though Mesmer-Eyes was dangerous, he was hardly what one would consider an A-grade supervillain. His usual modus operandi involved hostage taking using his hypnosis and then using said hostages as living shields as he made his escape with his stolen goods. Sergeant Steel and Horizon had already made certain there would be no hostages for him to take, the pair using their abilities to turn the impromptu battlefield into a walled off arena. All that had been left to do was just subdue the supervillain and then Emmanuel would be free to head back home and enjoy a nice victory martini on his couch.

There was literally one thing, one single thing that could happen to ruin the plan. And lo and behold, Horizon had managed to trip that flag with gusto. All research on Mesmer-Eyes had suggested that his powers only worked with direct eye contact, and fool that he was, Horizon had believed his highly advanced face shielding visor would be more than sufficient to thwart the supervillain's abilities. He didn't get to realize how wrong he was until he was hurling Sergeant Steel through the wall of their makeshift prison with his powers, back out into the open where Mesmer-Eyes could escape in the confusion, and where the cameras could catch in high definition the moment Steel cratered Horizon's head into the ground with a meaty left hook, leaving the mind-warped hero a broken mess on the ground before his partner bounded off to try and catch their quarry before he slipped away. Unfortunately, that had not come to pass, as the headlines and pundits very loudly and very clearly enjoyed to repeat ad nauseum.

And that was why Emmanuel was sat at his laboratory workbench fiddling with his gear, an ice pack taped to his bruised face as he kept diverting his attention between the story of the hour and his broken equipment, giving his helmet special attention as it had borne the brunt of Steel's powerful strike. In addition, possibilities flew by in his mind for ideas on how to prevent this same thing from happening again. He had made an assumption. It was wrong, and it could have cost people their lives. Special shielding on the visor to disrupt mind controlling frequencies? Neural shock diodes to cover a broader range of mind control? Emergency override to shut down the suit if his will is ever highjacked in some capacity? This was a learning opportunity, and there was no way he would ever fail again the same way he had today. It was unacceptable. He had poured too many years of his life preparing for this new chapter in his life to let some low end crook get the best of him.

*Bzzzzt*!

That phone had been buzzing for hours now, and it would most definitely be buzzing for hours more still. Abandoned on another sterile countertop within the laboratory space, Emmanuel had no idea whether the person calling was his mother, Navdeep, or one of several news hungry jackals looking for a quote about his stunning display of ineptitude. It was enough to force the scientist to ignore the device entirely and focus only on repairing and improving his armor. He could not fail again. He would not fail again. The future was at stake.

Character Sheet

JustSomeGuy · #5 Sep 17th, 2022, 04:01 PM

~ Original App/Bio ~

Preliminary Questions
1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply?
First, I have a deep love of Supers and stories involving them. Second, I'm interested in the possible intrigue that could be running in the background with the establishment of a new nation. While the US desperately tried to save face in an election year by allowing the Protectorate to establish Elesia, they were also drooling over MOAR LAND. I'm just saying, Mr. Taylor was lucky that asteroids aren't a known source of oil. Finally, with a system as complex as MnM... I like the idea of starting a little behind the curve and growing into ourselves. I think it shows foresight into some of the potential pitfalls of character creation.

2. What do you look for in a good GM?
I like a GM who is willing to bring as much as they want to take. When they're willing to put in the time, then I feel inspired to do so as well.

3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds?
My Supers go-to game is Masks, but I have run a few sessions of MnM. You're not wrong in saying that character creation is complicated but can be entertaining. Navigating and directing the Crunch is almost a game in and of itself.

Friendly
New Liberty has New Heroes!
...I'm here for you...
Presenting: A Friendly Face

Hero Name: Friendly

Catch-Phrase:
"We're Friends, right?"

"Come on Buddy, maybe you should rethink your plan. Here, I'll hold that gun for you. No, it's not a problem."

"Do you know what would be a Great Idea? You could tell me your plan! Yeah, hey, tell me the code to disarm this bomb before you do. You know, so we have time? Yeah, thanks... I appreciate it."

Name: Morris "Moss" Martingale

Non-Super Alias: Songbird

Identity: Despite being open as a hero, Moss still has a secret identity. His mundane secret identity is the In the vein of Daft Punkmask-wearing musician Songbird. He's the 'face' for a Chillwave band called The Canary Dawn. TCD is gaining steady popularity among enthusiasts of the niche genre, especially with those that catch the live shows. The fact that TCD is threatening to burst into mainstream popularity is, in fact, a bit of a concern.

Description: As an open hero, Friendly doesn't bother with a mask when he's not performing. He's on the thinner side, more graceful than muscular. His wavy brown hair frames a pair of chunky glasses and his perpetual grin is surrounded by a tightly trimmed beard. If he's off-duty, he's usually rocking cargo shorts and sandals. Typically they're paired with band t-shirts from one of the bands that he's toured with or his band. It's a little self-serving, he knows, but Moss is proud of his friends and how far they've come. When he's on patrol, he leans towards a more mil-spec fashion sense. His Costume as Friendly consists of black patrol boots, reinforced fatigues, a vest of many pockets worn over a dark t-shirt, and a long armored jacket. In combat, he's known to occasionally use a "pistol" that's more gadget than a firearm. On stage, he croons into the mic built into his

mask while perched on a swing above the crowd. His stage outfits may vary wildly depending on theme and occasion, but the mask and aerial aspects are a constant.

Personality: Moss fidgets. He has too much energy and not enough space to store it. He'll shift his weight from one leg to another, scratch his chin, run his fingers through his hair, as well as adjust and wipe glasses that aren't dirty or out of position. If he has room, he will pace. Sometimes, he will hum a few bars of the newest song that his band is working on to himself. While on patrol, his eyes rarely settle on one place. Friendly is known to check side streets and watch rooftops. The smiling hero is the first to volunteer to search an area for hidden henchmen or hostages. When he's performing, though, a switch is flipped inside of him. As nervy and energetic as Friendly is, Songbird is calm and collected. If art is a way of decorating space, then music is a way of decorating time. Each moment is accounted for... exactly where they are supposed to be. All of that energy that boils inside rasps out in perfect points and counterpoints. While swinging above the stage, they make wide and sweeping gestures while earning the hearts and undying loyalty of each new wave of fans. That's a concern as well.

Goals: It's not what they want to accomplish with their powers. Even if Morris didn't have the abilities that he had, he would still want to convince people to turn back from dark paths. He would have always watched for the lost and left behind and reached out a hand to lift them up before they fell deeper into the cracks of society. Songbird would always have been a valve for the pressure building inside of him. His music would always have existed to soothe the ragged edges of roughly worn souls. Now, though? Now he has a little extra juice for those aspirations. He can help hostage negotiators defuse tense situations with an understanding ear and a calm voice. He can find himself in situations where he has the opportunity to convince people that it's never too late to turn away from a life of crime. He hopes that by not wearing a mask, he can help people realize the line between Humans and Superhumans might not be as stark as some would lead them to believe.

Powers: An outsider might be tempted to say that his Power was 'Guns' or 'Gadgets' since those seem to be the only visible tools he uses in the field. He's reasonably dextrous thanks to an early childhood studying ballet and gymnastics. Often he dodges attacks like he was fighting Storm Troopers™. His team members know that he's a low-grade psychic that can facilitate mental communication and, of course, everyone knows that he's a likable fellow.

He keeps close to his chest the fact that he's too likable. People who hear Friendly's voice run the risk of growing fond of him. Without even realizing it, they might become loyal friends. The bonds might grow even stronger. Friendly is fairly certain that he has to use this ability on purpose... but he has concerns. He's also got a hunch that the true reason he dodges shots so well is that people don't want to attack him. He's most likely a stronger psychic than he lets on, but so far, he avoids pursuing those abilities openly.

Background: He's always been... Friendly. His parents doted on him, his childhood friends never teased him, and he never saw the bad side of a bully. He grew up with money. His parents brought an amount of wealth over with them and pursued careers in business and research. The family business has been successful for as long as Morris can remember. His father studied the effects and applications of the new meteor mineral and his mother leveraged her keen insight to capitalize on every breakthrough. The two gave him everything he ever wanted, without fail. Those memories, no matter how warm, are tinged with concern now. How many people like Friendly because they have to? It's a thought that often keeps him up at night... a demon that he tries to silence with his music.

Morris finally realized that he was friendly after his parents died. He had been 'walking his feelings' and found himself in a less than reputable part of the city. Turning in an alleyway, just following his feet, he looked up to see a group of armed people with their victims on the ground while they laughed and rifled through a purse. Nervously Moss stammered out, "Can't we just Get Along? We're all Friends here, right?" while he tried to think his way through the situation. He watched their faces as they swung from aggressive and menacing, to friendly, and eventually to a position that still concerns him. A position that might be described as... Controlled.

In the end, the victims got their money and purse back. The perpetrators mechanically followed Friendly to the nearest police station and turned themselves in at his request. He hopes they got their minds back. He still dreams about those blank faces, sometimes. He finally started to put the pieces of his easy life together, and with that clarity came doubt. Did he have perfect parents because he made them subservient? Were his friends simply good friends or was there a more sinister origin to their loyalty? If he was doomed to never know for sure whether someone's loyalty was true, then Friendly's only real remaining option was to be worthy.

~ Important Persons ~

Psychological Evaluation Question (AKA Writing Sample): Give a little writing sample for the two scenario prompts below. A few lines or a paragraph for each is plenty.

1) Today is a rare day off from your hero duties and you're on your way to meet a friend for lunch. As you walk past the Fifth Street Bank, the alarm goes off just before the door bursts open, and Black Ice skates out on a slick of ice he forms on the sidewalk, a duffle full of money strapped to his back and another in his hand. What do you do?

Morris' hand is already moving to his just-in-case fanny pack. As he feels the nervous energy building inside of him, he lets his eyes roam the scene. There is broken glass on the ground. He tries to remember what he can about the thief. 'Black Ice: Ice, Mobility, Hazard Creation and Control... Mid-Range Villain, not afraid of violence.' The sounds of panic coming from inside the bank seem more focused on the robbery than any possible victims. Good.

The young hero's fingers find what he was looking for: a few small pellets, not unlike bath beads. 'Villain is carrying a good deal of money, but that money is insured. First response medical care can wait. His plan crystallizes, 'Priority One is ensuring that Black Ice doesn't get to keep it and use it to do worse things down the line. Priority Two is ensuring bystanders are safe and any wounded are stabilized.'

"Stop!" Morris commanded. "We both know this is a bad idea..." With a quick flick of his wrist, Morris pegs Black Ice in the back with pellet after pellet. They don't do anything special, just puffs of colored smoke... just a handy bit of misdirection for any onlookers. "Why don't you realize how tired you are getting and just give up?" It doesn't work all at once, but the villain's steps have already started to slow down.

"If you turn around and bring the money back of your own volition, you know that they'll go easier on you. Those sleep pellets are already beginning to kick in, right?" As Black Ice stops and begins to turn around, the villain looks tired. Tired and just Over It. Morris gives him his best 'Friendly' smile, "Look, lets bring those bankers back their money... and I'll let you take a nap while we wait for the authorities. I'll make sure to let them know that you regret your actions and turned yourself in without a fight."

2) Wow, that hurt. Not just your jaw but your pride. You were sure that you and Sergeant Steel could take him down. Man, were you wrong. Not only was this your first defeat at the hands of a supervillain but it was all caught on camera. How do you deal with this?

Drones! Why did it have to be Drones? People don't talk enough about how things without minds are effectively immune to telepaths. It's the number two reason that Friendly carries gear with him. Sergeant Steel was doing his level best, too. Steel would win the day with any other partner, but no amount of being likable stops the drones of the Machinist. There's no question about it.

Being beaten, bloody, and bruised was a reasonably regular occurrence for a hard-working hero, but the news media loved to add insult to injury. 'I can see the headlines now: Is New Hero Dead Weight? Powered or Powerless: Is Being Friendly Enough?' He set his face and watched the drones leave with the gear stolen from the research lab. "I might not be able to save this day, but someone can." He pulled a battered cell phone from his fanny pack. Friendly had some calls to make.

~Stats - the Crunchy Version~

Palliven · #6 Sep 17th, 2022, 04:35 PM

@girlplay I took a shot at loading your info into Hero Labs to verify it all. I could have missed something so take a look at what I show and let me know your thoughts.

I come up with 116 or 135 points used, 19 left to use. (Abilities 84, Powers 27, Advantages 3, Skills 2, Defenses 0)
I don't see any combat skills or advantages chosen. Usually would want some (Power Attack, Precision Attack, etc.)
Need to add two Complications
Please think of a Descriptor for your powers.

@Crocodile and @JustSomeGuy - what level of help do you need/want in working up character specifics?

PalladiaMors · #7 Sep 17th, 2022, 04:46 PM

Pandas? Are secretly powerful, mystical guardians? Yes well it isn't any crazier than any other origin!

Hero Name: Pandagirl
Catch Phrase: "What's black and white and way more awesome than you?" *points at self with thumbs* "This girl!"
Real Name: Kiyana (goes by Kia) Taylor
Identity: Secret

Kia is an attractive, twenty-four year old woman of mixed African and Puerto Rican heritage. She's slightly taller than average, but only by a couple of inches, so nothing that would garner attention in and of itself. She has a well-toned build, Kia the athletic sort even before the onset of her superhuman powers. Though she will point out that she has curves where it counts. She has long, black hair that she tries to keep straight (though it is prone to trying to curl) and dark brown eyes. She wears a small amount of jewelry, mostly just earrings, maybe a ring or two, and a couple of necklaces. She has a bit of a southern drawl when she speaks, but nowhere near as thick as most people would expect.

Kia's civilian wear tends to the casual, as she is no fan of dressing up nice and formal. Club wear is about the fanciest she'll go for, though she does at least own a few nice outfits in the event she does need to dress up fancy. What is popularly known as "streetwear" in the fashion biz is typical, but she finds nothing wrong with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt either. Comfort tends to take precedence over fashion choice most of the time, unless of course she's going out with the intention of being noticed.

As Pandagirl her costume consists of a fuzzy white hoodie with black sleeves and fuzzy, panda-like ears on top of the hood, a black halter top, fingerless black gloves, white shorts with a fuzzy, black, poofball of a tail on the back, and black hi-tops. The outfit is meant to mimic the appearance of her nom de panda while playing up an urban look, the dichotomy completely intentional. She adds a couple of black spots around her eyes with makeup that mimic the distinctive panda look but also serve as a makeshift mask, helping to keep her heroic identity secret. She carries no special equipment with her.

Pandagirl has no "signature move" to speak of but her powers produce a distinctive, bright white glow and burst of force when used. Given her complete inability to be subtle with her powers she has instead taken the opposite approach and elected to make a bit of a show out of them.

Kia was born in Savannah, Georgia, the only child to two fairly well off parents. Kia attended a nice school in the suburbs, not having any of the traumatic past or dark childhoods that so many superheroes seem to have, which she was grateful for. She had plenty of friends and did well in school, but this relative affluence served to instill in her a sense of responsibility rather than entitlement. She was raised to be aware of the needs of others and how to help those in need, and has always strived to uphold these ideals. She volunteered for a number of causes to help her community, and being a lifelong animal lover, often made such causes a priority. She served as her high school's vice president, with her best friend Stephanie as president, enjoying a degree of popularity due to her friendly nature but without being one of the "popular" people.

Her success in school combined with her activities and accomplishments outside of the classroom made her a natural for the University of Georgia's veterinary program, Kia eagerly leaving her Savannah home for Athens. Her devotion to helping others didn't stop once she was in college, and she kept up with a number of charitable causes even while taking classes. Not that she was all school and studies, she made sure to have her share of fun both on campus and in the city as well. Kia graduated with a pre-vet degree and began training for her veterinary medical degree, landing a job at the Atlanta Zoo as a paraveterinary technician, a job she was thrilled to have. Not only was it great for her education, but it let her do what she loved in a relatively familiar place. After about a year and a half she was given the opportunity to work with the zoo's giant panda habitat as part of the zoo's research team, which she saw as a tremendous opportunity.

Pandas. Everyone can recognize the distinctive, black and white, east Asian bears. And their behavior and mannerisms are quite well known as well. Chief among these traits is a reputation for being lazy, slothful, and low-energy, which most anyone who knows of giant panda bears can attest to. However, such people are woefully ignorant of the truth. The ancient lands that the panda call home are rich with great, mystical power. And throughout history many creatures have come to be associated with this power - the dragon, phoenix, and foo lions are just some of the more famous examples. Many supers today draw power from these ancient creatures. But great power is not always a matter of great, fiery creatures streaking through the sky. Often great power can come from within.

Long ago the noble panda was chosen by the mystical forces in eastern lands to be bearers of such power. All throughout China's history the panda has been revered, though very few recognize the true reason why. Unknown to most mortals in the world, it is because the panda is itself a powerful bearer of life energy. This latent energy is what instills such feelings of good will among the people of those lands, as well as among people throughout the world. But the true secret is what they do with this life energy. For the truth is that the noble panda is neither lazy nor slothful, but full of boundless energy. This energy, however, is always channeled into a chosen one, a mystical defender of life itself on par with those who channel the fearsome power of the dragon or the majestic power of the phoenix. Always there has been a chosen one who harnesses such power, channeled and granted by the noble panda, to protect the world from dangers both mystical and mundane. But while these protectors are powerful and long-lived, they are not immortal. And recently, the most recent protector, Jampa Sonam of Tibet, passed after a long life of 183 years, the life energy he had harnessed over the course of a long, virtuous life returning to its guardians.

Normally the search for a new guardian would take time, as many candidates would need to be considered and many ancient rites observed. But one thing was certain - the world of today was a far different world than that of 150 years ago, when the last guardian was chosen. Things moved at a much faster pace. The world was in greater danger than ever before. There were now people with abilities far beyond those of mortal men, and though many of them were good, too many of them were not. A new champion would be needed, and there wasn't time to wait. All the training that would normally precede such an appointment would just have to be learned on the go. Such was the decision of the collective panda spirit, voiced by Mei Li, one of the pandas at the Atlanta Zoo that Kia was caring for. There was some dissent, but when the panda spirit chose Kia to be the new guardian, there was little objection. Most of that came from the belief that she was unprepared and not ready for such a responsibility, but the great spirit believed that no one was ever truly ready for such power or responsibility, but a good heart and desire to do good was far more important anyway. And on that evaluation of their chosen candidate, the spirits were agreed.

It was evening at the zoo, Kia just finishing up the job of feeding the pandas before closing things down for the night. She was looking forward to going out for the night, having the next couple of days off, but was surprised when Mei Li reached out a paw to take Kia's hand. "This is going to feel strange, I'm sorry," Kia heard in her mind, shocked to hear such a thing and wondering where the voice came from. She didn't have time to think about it long before everything went blinding white and it felt like she was on fire, yet there was no pain. For a brief moment there was an overwhelming awareness. She could feel the presence of every living thing within a mile just as if she were holding them in her hands, There was a great feeling of pressure from within, as if she was going to explode, and then as suddenly as everything went brilliant, blinding white, everything went black. It didn't take long for her to awaken, but though she had only been out for a couple of minutes she felt like she had been asleep for a week. And then the panda started talking to her, laying everything out and telling Kia all about the mystic secrets and the responsibility she had been given. The panda concluded by telling the new chosen champion of life that she had been talking to a spirit this entire time, and that the spirit would speak to her again before it faded into nothingness.

The brilliant light that shorted out the cameras in the enclosure was blamed on a power surge, so Kia's secret was safe. She spent the next two days having the panda spirit teach her the basics of the powers she had been given, with assurances that she would get the hang of them over time. It was so much to take in, yet deep down, Kia felt it was somehow right. She felt she was meant for something bigger, and was eager to use these new abilities to help people in ways she never could before. Though she returned to work after two days, cameras repaired and no one the wiser, she would spend nights and her free time training with the spirit in the use of her abilities. It has been several months now and she has been told that her place is in Elisia. Kia has recently relocated to the new nation and put in an application for the new super team in Liberty City. Though she impressed the evaluators with her powers and spirit, Pandagirl was a complete unknown at the time. She had never made any kind of public appearance in Atlanta so she's a bit of an unknown wild card. Regardless, she's determined to put her newfound powers to good use, even if she does realize she's largely going to be making it up as she goes along.

Quote:

Today is a rare day off from your hero duties and you're on your way to meet a friend for lunch. As you walk past the Fifth Street Bank, the alarm goes off just before the door bursts open and Black Ice skates out on a slick of ice he forms on the sidewalk, a duffle full of money strapped to his back and another in his hand. What do you do?

"Really? We talkin' like dollar signs printed on the bags and everything? He wearin' one of those bandito masks? No OK, so what do I do? Run like I'm scared and straight get in his way. Make it look like I'm tryin' to get outta his way, but all in a panic, y'know? Just have him crash right inta me. Pretty sure I can take it. Then once he's up close I can hopefully sort out whatever bad's goin' on in his head. Should be pretty cake, not all my powers involve throwin' around big glowy flashes of light. I can use that whole 'connection to life' thing to bring a feelin' of tranquility over him, real zen, y'know? And it's real subtle, so not like anyone would notice. Should keep him zonked long enough for the regular police to grab him, he won't be puttin' up a fight. Bad guy gets stopped, I don't hafta worry about anyone figurin' out my secret identity, and I still make my lunch date. Hey, who's it with anyway? Is it Alex, that really cute guy who works in PR? Y'know, the one with glasses and that throwback eighties hair? Looks kinda like... oh man... Wayne's World but the other guy? Whatever, you know who I mean."

Quote:

Wow, that hurt. Not just your jaw but your pride. You were sure that you and Sergeant Steel could take him down. Man, were you wrong. Not only was this your first defeat at the hands of a supervillain but it was all caught on camera. How do you deal with this?

"Well that sucks. I mean nobody's perfect, if the good guys always won, anyone would be a superhero, right? Long as you look good in the spandex I guess. Important thing, I guess, is that nobody got badly hurt. Nobody did, right? Kinda feel you'd have said so. Means we can do better next time, fix what went wrong. I know Sergeant Steel, kind of a meathead, but he's a good guy. Kind of an ego though, I know he don't like losin'. So I'd probably take him somewhere nice, y'know, cheer him up. Maybe an easy layup bank robber or somethin'."

girlplay · #8 Sep 17th, 2022, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palliven

@girlplay I took a shot at loading your info into Hero Labs to verify it all. I could have missed something so take a look at what I show and let me know your thoughts.

I come up with 116 or 135 points used, 19 left to use. (Abilities 84, Powers 27, Advantages 3, Skills 2, Defenses 0)
I don't see any combat skills or advantages chosen. Usually would want some (Power Attack, Precision Attack, etc.)
Need to add two Complications
Please think of a Descriptor for your powers.

Hm. I'll have to read up on Descriptors.

Abilities should total 74 because not having a Stamina score counts as a -10, per page 231 and 232 (Constructs) of the Deluxe Hero's Guide.

Oh, and I forgot to list her biggest power: Immunity to Fortitude effects, for 30 points. Even then, I count 56, not 57.

As for Advantages like Power attack or Improved Grab or whatever, I avoided those on purpose because Silver Streak doesn't have much training or experience at this point. Using her great strength, etc. is something that she's going to have to learn.

And yes. Complications. I missed that.

Palliven · #9 Sep 17th, 2022, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlplay

Hm. I'll have to read up on Descriptors.

Abilities should total 74 because not having a Stamina score counts as a -10, per page 231 and 232 (Constructs) of the Deluxe Hero's Guide.

Oh, and I forgot to list her biggest power: Immunity to Fortitude effects, for 30 points. Even then, I count 56, not 57.

As for Advantages like Power attack or Improved Grab or whatever, I avoided those on purpose because Silver Streak doesn't have much training or experience at this point. Using her great strength, etc. is something that she's going to have to learn.

And yes. Complications. I missed that.

I still show you having 4PP left to spend. See attached. Thanks for the reminder on the lack of training and how you build that into the character.

https://thegratefuldm.com/wp-content...r-Streak-1.png

JustSomeGuy · #10 Sep 17th, 2022, 10:00 PM

@girlplay - If you got a few stray points, I might suggest adding a touch of Immortality to be extra outrageous.

See Also - The Terminator (except for a weakness to extreme temperatures), and the Iron Giant... I'm sure I could stew up some other examples.

girlplay · #11 Sep 17th, 2022, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palliven

I still show you having 4PP left to spend. See attached. Thanks for the reminder on the lack of training and how you build that into the character.

https://thegratefuldm.com/wp-content...r-Streak-1.png

Ooooh! Movement abilities are 2 power points per rank. I thought Safe-fall was 1. So, I'm a point over. Maybe I'll get rid of safe fall and pick up Senses: Radio.

We're power level 9 characters, right? So, it should be 135 points.
And the work-up you sent me says that she has a Stamina of zero. She doesn't have a stamina score.

And I've been reading about descriptors and powers and such. I'm going to need some help on that. About the only descriptor I'm coming up with for her powers is that they are "technology" based. Maybe her thrusters produce "heat" or "kinetic" energy?

PalladiaMors · #12 Sep 17th, 2022, 11:18 PM

As far as Silver Streak goes, I would offer the following suggestions:

Dexterity as a stat is basically useless for her. It only affects ranged combat, which she doesn't use, and a couple of seldom-used skills which she also doesn't use. It's currently 16 points that are literally doing nothing. Dexterity is rarely raised, and then by thieves and skillmonkey types. Spider-Man doesn't even have it above 2-3 or so. I would drop that stat down to 0, spend some points into combat levels in throwing if you see yourself tossing things around, and save the points for something else.

An Agility of 8 is probably a waste of points as well. All it's really doing for her is increasing her dodge defense and initiative, and it would be cheaper to just buy up her dodge and put a rank into the Improved Initiative advantage. For comparison, an Agility of 8 is entering Spider-Man territory, and she probably isn't that accomplished of an acrobat. Similarly an Awareness of 8 is also excessive. Usually an Awareness that high would be reserved for mentalists or psychics. Even Batman would only have a 5-6 or so, and he's Batman. While it affects your will defense, it's only used for 2 skills, and would be far cheaper to lower it to 2 or so, then use the saved points to increase her Will save and Perception skill. Functionally the same thing but you would get points back that way.

A fighting of 8 is fine for a combat-oriented character, especially if you plan on using many different combat techniques (grab, strike, hit someone with a car, etc).

While it's understandable she wouldn't have much in the way of advantages and skills, there are a few that would fit. Interpose is a fantastic advantage for "brick" type characters - it allows you to use a reaction to intercept an attack made at someone else. You can use it to take hits for teammates, as well as save civilians and other bystanders. And doesn't really take any training, so she could easily justify it. Benefit: Security Clearance might be appropriate as well, given her background. Also Eidetic Memory, to represent internal memory banks. As far as skills, I would suggest taking a few ranks in Expertise: Law since it's presumably something she would have been programmed with. Some ranks in the Technology skill would be good as well, representing a "self-diagnostics" mode that pretty much every robot ever has. Some ranks in intimidate wouldn't be inappropriate, not because she's trained in it, just because robots often are in this kind of setting.

Some powers I would suggest would be the radio sense you mentioned. Also possibly consider impervious for her protection, maybe 5 ranks or so. Immunity: Mind-affecting effects (limited to half effect, only to those that do not specifically target machines) could also be good, it would represent the difficulty that mentalists would probably have trying to affect you since you're a machine. Immunity: Sensory Afflictions (half effect) could represent shielded visual and auditory sensors, making you harder to blind or deafen. Just a few ideas I had anyway.

ArcZero · #13 Sep 18th, 2022, 12:35 AM

Okay first time doing this, so I'll likely have to change some stuff. For now I'll put up what I have and change as I go. I know I'm trying to make some array type powers happen, so let me know Palliven if you think I'm doing anything incorrectly, a flaw isn't appropriate/strong enough, or if there is a better flaw to use instead, etc.

A big thing is should both the Mantle and Titanic have Quirk/Limited (can't be used with the other one) or should only the Mantle have that flaw?
Is Growth a valid "defense" to put Impervious on since it grants Stamina and thus Toughness? Also, how high of Impervious are you comfortable with for PL 9? Impervious 8? 10?

Miss Olympus

Miss Olympus
Aspirant Athlete

DALL-E AI generated and photoshop

Hero Name: Miss Olympus if being professional and Olympia to allies.

Catch-Phrase: "In the name/By the light/ of Hermes!" "You want to get stomped? That's asking for a stomping!" "Hades' comet!" Or "I'll follow you through the Underworld if I have to!"

Name: Damara Baros

Identity: Her identity is absolutely secret. As a busy world class athlete, she has a personal secretary named Evelyn who manages her schedule and helps to spin any confusion over why she flew to x country or left an event or school early.

Gender: Female, Age: 19, Height: 5'9" Weight: 137 lbs. Eyes: Black, Hair: Black
Affiliation: New Heroes of Elisia, Power Level: 9
Power Points Spent: Abilities 38, Powers 39, Advantages 18, Skills 23, Defenses 9 = Tentatively 127. Leaving room based on if flaws are incorrectly calculated.

Abilities
Strength 3, Stamina 4, Agility 5, Dexterity 0, Fighting 4, Intellect -1, Awareness 2, Presence 2

Complications:
1. Motivation - Legacy: Damara will put everything on the line to become the ultimate Olympiad. She will endure any heavily booked physical training and recovery regimen, homework, charity, public speaking events, self-sacrifice and heroic missions if it means living up to her father's hopes for her.
2. Competition: When presented the opportunity to physically compete with someone, friend or foe, Miss Olympus cannot help herself. She will often neglect other mission objectives or the demands of her personal life if it means a worthy, heroic challenge.
3. Power Source: Since Miss Olympus was granted the Wreath of Hermes, she has been pursued by the agents of divine beings to be tested in a Herculean Trial or to be hunted. Vengeful cult members and greedy treasure hunters alike seek to gain the power of her Mantle. But even if they should prove successful, they may find themselves unworthy in a myriad of ways.
4. Identity: Damara wishes to keep her identity as a mutant and agent of the gods secret at all costs in order to compete as a mortal. This often requires her to lay low or take actions that do not contribute to her immediate goals in order to keep Damara Baros hidden.

Attacks
Unarmed +7 (+11 mantle). Close, Damage (3, Titanic 11, Mantle 7)
Thrown Object +0. Ranged, Damage (3, 11, 7)

Defenses: Dodge +1, Parry +2, Will +6
Dodge: 11 (8 in Titanic), Parry: 11 (8), Fortitude: 4 (10 w/ Titanic, 7 w/ Mantle), Toughness 4 (10 w/ Titanic, 7 w/ Mantle), Will: 8 (11 w/ Mantle)
Initiative +13 (Improved Initiative 2)
Speed 2 (3 w/ Titanic, 17 w/ maxed Mantle)

Powers
Titanic (Mutant): Move Action Activation, Free Sustain. Str +6, Stam +6, Intimidate +3, -3 Active Defenses, -3 Stealth, +1 SizeGrowth 6, Brings it to Size +2 or up to 30 ft. and +1 Speed.Growth 2 (Limited to Size and Speed). Strength 2 (Sustained). On what is technically Growth 8 since it is an advantage tied to GrowthImpervious 8. Quirk (Cannot be used with Mantle of Hermes) -1/rank. Increased Action Flaw (Move) -1/rank. Total cost perk rank for Growth w/ Impervious is 3 - 2 =1. Strength is 2-2=0 per rank. Growth w/ Impervious (Limited to Size and Speed) is at 0 per rank. Thus total cost is 6+1+1=8.
I'm applying Limited and Increased Action to each of the individual power ranks and Impervious only to the two Growth powers. Not sure if that's the way to apply Flaws.8 Power Points?

Mantle of Hermes (Divine): Donning the wreath would be a move or action, but if she's already wearing it, it's easy to activate.Free Action Activation, Free Sustain. Speed +15, Quickness 4, Close Attack 4, Move-by Action, Water-Walking, Enhanced Strength 4, Stamina 3, Presence 3 (Sustained). Removable -1/ per 5pp, A faint golden aura and trail when running. Creates an illusory Greek toga while activeNoticeable-1, Quirk -1/rank (cannot be used with Titanic). I think I prefer Check Required to Fading or Unreliable to replicate how there are times the Wreath will work completely and others where it will be partial or just a few ranks of speed and the other abilities. If there is a way to do a "Worthiness Check" that would be ideal.Check Required (Athletics) Flaw to use its full strength DC 15 (-6 flat cost), so DC 30 needed to get full speed. Speed, Quickness, Close Attack and Move-by Action costs per rank are 1-1=0. Water-walking, Strength, Stamina and Presence is 2-1=1. Total is 12+11=23. -5 (23 rounded up to 25) from removable, -1 from Noticeable and -6 from check required= 11pp.11 power points

Speed Rank 2 (Natural): With Extra Effort, this puts her at Speed Rank 3 for a round and reaching world record 100 meter speeds.To represent her being a top tier sprinter. Permanent (no cost reduction).

Oration (Natural): Persuasion 8 (Limited to Prepared Speeches), Permanent (no cost reduction). 2 pp?

Wall-Crawling 1, Fast-Healing 5 (Mutant)

Enhanced Vision (Mutant): -1 Perception per 1000 feetExtended Sight 2, Ultravision, Danger Sense 1, Radius 1 (All-Around Vision). Counters Concealment 5 (Limited to when an ally is adjacent to an enemy?). 8pp

Equipment:
Magnet Shield (Technology, Analog, Metal): Rare Metal Medium Shield, Gear. Enhanced Parry 5, Dodge 5, Evasion and Improved Defense Advantages.
Magnet Pull. Action. Move Object 8, Area (Burst), Selective, Fading, Limited Direction (Towards), Limited Material (Living Organic). Cost per rank for Move Object is 2+2-3=1. Thus Move Object costs 8 and the defenses and advantages cost 12.20 points of powers for 4 ranks of Gear.

Advantages: Attractive, Benefit: Wealth 1 (Well-Off), To get shield repairs from Nolan and help from EvelynConnected, Gear 4, Second Chance (Mind Control).
Wrestling: Fast Grab, Interpose, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Prone Fighting, Takedown.
Track and Conditioning: Diehard, Improved Critical 2 (18-20), Improved Initiative 2.

Skills
Acrobatics +9 (4 ranks)
Athletics +14 (11 ranks)
Close Combat: Unarmed +7 (3 ranks)
Intimidation +6 (4 ranks)
Perception +10 (8 ranks)
Persuasion +6 (4 Ranks) (+14 Limited to Prepared Speeches)
Sleight of Hand +8 (8 ranks)
Stealth +9 (4 ranks)

Important Persons: Evelyn Meyer, her professional secretary who knows the most about Damara's secret identity. Now that Damara is in college and drawing the attention of Olympic scouts, charities and sports media, Damara is overwhelmed by all her responsibilities. Evelyn is absolutely essential in keeping her schedule straight, getting all her training and nutrition squared away, physical therapy, and managing when and where charities and "up and comers of America"-type galas are happening. Additionally, Evelyn helps explain away confusion over Damara's absences from college or other events to keep her identity hidden. Damara's life is literally in Evelyn's fastidious hands. Evelyn wears cat's eye spectacles, retro 1950s style and elegant speech. She can be oblivious to Damara's limits and sometimes overschedules her, requiring Damara to use a little superspeed to keep up with it all. Just a touch, surely that won't get her caught.

Nolan Gardner is a senior at Evelyn's college and intern at VESPR Labs. He witnessed Damara's transformation and is sworn to secrecy, but wanted to help the freshman, so he's responsible for building and maintaining her shield as well as any gadgets she uses. He's hardworking but loves to do side projects and will even put his grades in jeopardy to help Damara, which stresses her out.

Obsidian is a junior villain whose skin turns into a craggy, living obsidian that can reflect even psychic attacks and shoot poisoning fragments of obsidian around him. Of the villains Miss Olympus has faced, he is the most formidable but also the most fair. He attends her college and is the reigning wrestling champ around, so he's also a meathead. The two of them have an ongoing rivalry and will often get distracted from their respective hero or villain work to outlift or wrestle each other. Obsidian and Miss Olympus do not know each other's secret identities and often butt heads in college, with entirely more animosity. Ironically they get along better when fighting as supers! Edit: If Miss Olympus has to relocate to Elisia, conveniently so would Obsidian.

girlplay · #14 Sep 18th, 2022, 01:21 PM

Thanks, PalladiaMors. Silver Streak's design is more about potential than trying to optimize a build. She's physically amazing, but very raw and a "rookie" who needs development. I'm considering not increasing any of her Abilities ever, but just using skills and advantages from here. Like, she can't workout and get stronger. I expect her to try throwing things at enemies too hard to reach, and learning combat tactics like Interpose. Enhancing her armor to be somewhat "impervious" is also something I'm considering for later. Maybe she can learn to use her thrusters as some kind of heat or push attack. Learning about herself and the world will develop her skills. She's still very much a 'child' mentally and emotionally. (Which reminds me, I was going to change one of those Complications.) She's not smart, like Horizon, and didn't learn about technology (she didn't build herself). I see her party role as an "off-tank" with a lot of versatility to do other things, thanks to her Ability scores. Maybe I'll develop her in the way that the team needs. For example, if we need a stealthy character, then she can apply Subtle to her thrusters and take ranks in Stealth. And so on.

Hm... I'm not going to take the Senses: Radio, because if she had that, then she could have been listening in to the real world while in isolation. Maybe there's an extra to a power she already has or another sense thing like Distance or Direction sense that would be better. Or possibly increasing her Regeneration ability to rank 2.

ArcZero · #15 Sep 18th, 2022, 01:50 PM

Yes Silver Streak's automaton nature is reminding me of those implacable robots Superman would fight in old cartoons. I agree that investing a huge chunk (80 points!) into attributes is a great way to show her high starting level of mechanical capability, then she grows into things knowledge related. Or unlocks new subsystems for new powers, thrusters, etc. But some baseline stuff like Technology would be good or Expertise in her own systems.

Are you confused and wondering what is going on here? Check out this YouTube video to get the scoop.

Iron DM 2023!