[PbtA] MASKS: The Underdogs

[Tahril]

Yay Masks! If you don't mind I would like to resubmit my application from last time (with some minor edits). If possible I would also like to request feedback on it this time.

Application for Foxglove Name: Real name: Jade Silva Hero name: Foxglove, formerly Toxia Playbook: The Reformed. (Looks like this playbook is more popular this time around. With some simple rewrites I could turn this into a Scion however) Description: Halcyon City Police Department file: LBX-7683 Subject: Jade Silva Alias: Toxia (Now going by Foxglove) Ethnicity: Hispanic Age: 17 Appearance: Black hair, brown eyes, tan skin. As of right now Jade is incapable of filtering her own breath to prevent exhaling toxic fumes. Her bedroom and other personal living spaces have been fitted with air filters to prevent poisoning her family, but out in the open she must wear a specialized gas mask that traps the toxic exhalations, with the filters needing to be changed every day. Originally a crude design fashioned out of necessity, Panacea has designed one that is comfortable, light, and with a built in speaker to assist in day to day commutations. Dossier: Jade Silva, only daughter of Alonzo and Rosa Silva, is a meta human formerly affiliated with the Supervillain known as EMPeror. Mutations within her genetic code that emerged during puberty granted her the ability to exude toxic gases from her breath and an acidic slime from her skin. She has been involved in no less than 26 cases of breaking and entering, theft, destruction of property, and assault. Apprehended by the super heroine Panacea, she is now on a probationary plan aimed at rehabilitating and redirecting her on the path to be a super heroine. Panacea has personally vouched for her joining the new team being formed by the retirement of REDACTED, both as a means of rehabilitation and publicity in the hopes of showing other villains that they might be reformed and accepted. Personality: Interviews by both police and with Panacea have revealed that Jade is prone to anger and impulsive behaviour. Filial piety and her own personal sense of justice and fairness have been identified as the most likely triggers for her turning to villainy, and her inexperience with her powers made her vulnerable to radicalization. Her betrayal by EMPeror has left her disillusioned with the Villain lifestyle and she now shows an eagerness to right past wrongs and assist in taking down her former allies. Additional notes: Panacea has personally vouched for her and has paid for all damages that have been able to be directly tied to Jades powers. As part of her probation Jade has agreed to provide all information she has on EMPeror however it is the opinion of the Halcyon City Police Department that she remain in custody until she divulges information about her other accomplices. Goals: Why does your character want to be a part of a teenage super hero group? Why are they a hero and not a villain? What is it about this Silver Hero that they might admire? I’ve been down the villain path before, I’ve dabbled in being a bitch. I’m on my second chance here and I am NOT going to blow it. If these guys can help me stay on the straight and narrow, I’ll help them in any way I can. Background: I always wanted to be a hero you know. Come on, who doesn’t? Save people and get famous doing it. Maybe make some money along the way. My parents didn’t have any powers but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t get something. Guess my wish made a finger on a monkeys paw curl back somewhere because I got powers alright...the powers of acidic ooze and toxic gas. Who the hell ever heard of a hero with such dangerous powers? “Don’t worry sir, I’ll save you from that car crash! Just hope I don’t miss with the acid or you’ll be disfigured for life!” I was happy to just sit on my powers, maybe by not using them for a long time they will just wither away and I could have a normal life. Granted I'd have to wear this mask all the time but I can life with that. Those greedy pigs over at Halcyon central bank had other ideas. Never mind that my mom lost her job due to complaints from some jerk who thought his coffee was too cold. Never mind that my dads disability payments stopped coming in despite the fact he still can’t walk. Nope, you don’t pay your mortgage on time and we take your house. Don’t have anywhere to go? Not eligible for our relief programs? Sucks to be you! Well I was going to make it suck to be them a whole lot more. A hood and a mask and a little planning are all I needed to get back at them. My acid can burn through a bank vaults hinges in less than 60 seconds, and I’ve yet to meet the underpaid bank security guard that was willing to charge into a cloud of noxious vapours to stop me. What most people don’t know is that I only stole enough money to keep my family afloat, the rest I dissolved into fumes. Cash, coins, gold, I even melted their filing cabinets whenever I could. No idea what was in them but if it made their lives harder I was all for it. I Didn’t take long before EMPeror pieced together who I was and came by my house to make me an offer. Oh come on, don’t look at me like that. He was just a small time criminal like me back then, how was I supposed to know he would go on to found EXALT? With his ability to short out any electrical system and my ability to melt through any physical obstacle we started hitting harder and harder targets. Casinos, museums, private collections. I know it was stupid but he told me all of these places where stakeholders in the bank and by hurting them I was hurting the bank. And before you ask, no. I had no idea he was stealing valuables with every break in. I just wanted to hurt the bank, I didn’t care about stealing anything. He eventually got together a tight little band. Fellow criminals and anarchists. And no, I’m not going to rat on them. Panacea said I didn’t have to report any of them as long as I helped with EMPeror so I’m not going to. You want to know about Panacea? Well...she’s the reason I’m here right now and not behind bars. Able to counteract any poison or toxin she was called in to deal with our little spree. I’d like to say the EMPeror and me made a heroic stand against her...but the bastard threw me under the bus and made his own getaway leaving me to face the police. I’m glad it was Panacea that took me in though. She was...she was nice. She didn’t judge me when she showed me the case files showing just how much damage I had done, how many people where in hospital because of me, how EMPeror was just using me to aid in his little empire building scheme. She gave me a second chance, vouched for me for a probation period, and showed me how I could use my powers for good. I’ll never forget her kindness, and I am damn well going to make sure to pay it forward! Roleplaying Sample: Here’s a link to a post I made in another masks game. This is the first post I made with the character just as an introduction. For context she was a tech focused Protege. https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...08#post9082308 Why: This is from a player point of view, not your character. So why do you as a player want to play this game? What sort of story narratives are you hoping to explore with your character? Masks is an excellent superhero RPG system, particularly when it comes to PbP. It’s simplified rules and bookkeeping keep the action flowing without bogging it down in stat tracking and modifiers and such. I also love the way damage is tracked through conditions rather than something like HP, it turns a purely statistical thing in most RPGs into a narrative element that can make healing it just as much fun as the fight that caused it! In terms of narrative, this will largely depend on if I go Reformed or Scion. Both should work with this character backstory, just changing the "EMPeror" Character to a family member. The big theme I want to explore with the Reformed playbook is, naturally, redemption, but with a tinge of rose tinted goggles for the bad ol days. Foxglove wants to move on, to be better, but when she’s faced with problems that before she was able to solve with a little villainy, she’s going to have some conflicts... Scion on the other hand presents an interesting theme of basically being a "reverse legacy". Its not about living up to family expectations, its about going out of your way to avoid them. Last time I applied with this there where no other reformed applications but I see two others here now so I may very well go this route to make sure I'm not stepping on any toes.

[GleefulNihilism]

Noticed a few grammer issues and spelling mistakes. Fixed what I found, and would love critique and criticism.

[wodine]

I decided to change to a real hero name, Synthwave. If you've the time I wouldn't mind a review.

[Homestarbaby]

Got a lot of applications using the same playbooks, so I figured I should make it clear that I am not accepting duplicate playbooks. If I take a Reformed or Nova, I am only going to take one. Tried it once with very different characters using the same playbooks before, but it didn't work out well.

I am not trying to discourage anyone or talk you into changing your applications. I just want to make sure everyone knows that they will be in direct competition with every other application using that same playbook.

Got some amazing applications already. Super excited to read through them in greater detail this week!

[wodine]

So I was looking through the Halycon City Herald Collection of new masks, and if those are allowed I'll change Synthwave to a Star.

Sonic control, which is what I was going for anyway, is listed as one of the powers and has all kinds of stuff about like media popularity and stuff.

Much more fitting for a rockstar.

[OsmundCinderholt]

Hero Dossier Name: Pronounced Ta-sheerPrince Tachir Gender: Male Pronouns: He/They Playbook: The Outsider   You can fly, and you’re pretty tough: Prince Tachir can fly, and more often than not levitates in lieu of walking. In combat he can fly at surprisingly fast speeds, leaving trails of golden solar energy as he does. As for his toughness, Tachir has been able to take bullets, super strength punches, and even energy beams from villains and merely get winded. It seems that his Celestial Serpent blood is worth something after all. Heliokinesis: The extent of his powers with his Heliokinesis is about as broad as his imagination. From intense heat blasts, to luminosity, gravitational/magnetic manipulation, bending light to appear invisible. The Prince has to put in immense focus to do this, and naturally he must also have been in contact with a Sun in the last 24 hours. If he's been left in the darkness with no sunlight for a day, his Heliokinesis practically is null. Radical Shapeshifting: Another facet of his Celestial Serpent lineage, is his and the royal family's ability to shapeshift into a multitude of forms. The form most taken and practiced is the shape of large golden dragon of sorts. Resembling the dragons of the orient, Tachir takes this form to fight physically one on one in dire circumstances. Though, they aren't limited to this serpentine form, as again he's only limited by his imagination and concentration. If the Prince wished, he could even shapeshift to copy the appearance of his teammates, but why would he... He's prettier than all of them.   Belong in two worlds: You have the resources that come with your station. Whenever you contact your people, roll + Superior. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. On a miss, hold 1, but your people make an uncomfortable demand of you. Spend your hold 1 for 1 to: Receive a useful piece of alien technology that will allow you to use any ability from another playbook once (choose the ability when you spend the hold). Consult your people’s knowledge to ask the GM a question about the current situation. Clear a condition through the comfort of contact with your home. Alien Ways: Whenever you openly disregard or undermine an important Earth custom in favor of one of your own people’s customs, shift Superior up and any other Label down. Kirby-Craft: You have a vehicle, something from your home. Detail its look, and choose two strengths and two weaknesses. When you are flying your ship, you can use it to unleash your powers, directly engage a threat, or defend someone using Superior. Strengths: Fast & maneuverable, Powerful weaponry Weaknesses: Bizarre fuel source(tritium), difficult to repair. Description: Prince Tachir is a young man of alien origin. While he's near-human enough, his nature is revealed at a more close inspection. Firstly, his slanted eyes are serpentine in nature, with a single black slit in the middle of their pale green orbs. Then of course, starting in a crest on his forehead and running down the back of his neck and shoulders are snake-like scales that are so nearly close to his skin tone that unless you were close you may miss them. However, when he uses his Heliokinetic powers, they raise up and glow golden with solar energy. In addition, constellation like markings appear under his skin during especially high outputs of his energy. He wears robes and sandals that befit the crown prince, and he is adorned with golden trinkets that are both fashionable, but also serve dual purpose. He has piercings in his eyebrows and his upper lips. Some of pieces of jewelry act as translators, others regulate his temperature/climate, etc etc. Tachir grew up wanting for nothing, as being the Crown Prince means that every whim of his was granted. This means that now he is away from his courtiers and servants, he still makes demands like a ruler... but without any of the actual authority to do so anymore. Despite this, he still holds himself with a regality that Earth teens his age rarely display. Charming and conniving, vastly intelligent, yet obtuse when it comes to Earth knowledge, the Prince is constantly at odds with his situation. He has warmed up to teammates, but they initially started practically as foes. Still, the young serpen-teen does his best, royal temper and all. Goals: Prince Tachir wants to spend as much time as possible putting off the inevitable responsibility of him ascending to the Throne. Freightened of the immense pressure of ruling a multi-stellar empire, the reality that he'll have to marry, have children and be a ruthless bastard like his father, and his fathers's father ad infinitum scares him more than super villains. Background: • Where do you come from?   Prince Tachir is the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of the Twin Serpents. Earth astronomers would determine his home to be Alpha Serpentis, or Unukalhai, a binary star system. They are about 74 lightyears away from Earth. The Kingdom of the Twin Serpents is an ancient stellar civilization who have spread across multiple stars and brought their inhabitants under their rule. The ruling class is of a race who derive power from solar energies, and this allows them immense power. Using their Heliokinetics they have fast advanced their technology and are scores ahead of Earth in terms of power. Their rule is rather oppressive, as their religious beliefs being that their race, the ruling class, are born from the sleeping serpents that masquerade as their Binary stars, and ergo are celestial beings, made of the very things that give life to the universe. This gave their Empire a severe case of superiority complex. • Why did you come to Earth?   Prince Tachir is the heir apparent, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of the Twin Serpents. His father, King Solihr LXXII, is dying of a terminal illness, and that means Tachir's own ascension to the Throne is imminent. However, Tachir is terrified of that immense responsibility and was more than happy remaining a Prince. Sadly, the King has no other children or siblings to name heir. To flee from his own destiny, Tachir forced one of their Admirals to give him access to their faster than light capable craft and to set coordinates to a known planet that was inhabitable so that he might hide. The Admiral knowing that defying royalty often lead to one losing their heads, obliged begrudgingly. • Why do you want to stay here (for now at least)?   Tachir wishes to stay here for as long as he can to put off his responsibility. But he knows that he'll have to face the music and return, as his people will no doubt come for him, and if they do that will not be great for him. Should he return on his own, he'd naturally still be in trouble, but he will regardless ascend to the throne. There is also the small problem of the fact that he only had fuel for a one way trip, and while his ship is in tact, it won't break light-speed anytime soon. • Why do your people want you to come home?   Without Prince Tachir on the Throne, the realm will no doubt be put into a succession crisis, and the ancient empire that his ancestors had built will crumble. Roleplay Sample: WIP Why: I've ran and played in two games in my IRL group, and there's something so simple, yet magical about the PBTA system that makes these kind of drama packed games so fun. Plus it's always great to have an excuse to be an angsty teenager, but now have mechanics to go with it! Yay!

[GleefulNihilism]

Well, I thought about it some more and I think the Scion might fit MVP better anyway. Which helps with the playbook popularity issue a bit.

[Acathala]

Originally Posted by Homestarbaby

Still working on updating the list in post 1, but wanted to add a couple of quick notes for everyone applying. Yes, you CAN apply with more than 1 character concept. Just realize that at MOST I will only be picking one of your characters. Also, if you want feedback on your application please let me know. I will do a round of feedback responses later this week for those that want it. And finally, posting rate is once a week. Please make sure you have the time to commit to this schedule. I always feel bad when players get left behind in the story.

I would absolutely love feedback. Also a little sad you changed your Moogle avatar.

[Homestarbaby]

@Acathala - Unfortunately I've not been able to join in a Final Fantasy game since I last played a moogle with you. Will change back when I do!

All - Will be posting feedback for everyone that requested it later today. Please make sure your applications are complete, as giving feedback on incomplete applications is much more difficult. Not saying you aren't allowed to change anything after tomorrow! Just mean that if parts are missing, I won't have much to say besides "add those pieces"

[daikaiju]

I will gladly take some feedback, if there's still time to request it!! ^^

[Homestarbaby]

Nope, not too late!

Feedback is below in SECRET text, so you will have to be logged in and open the hidden Spoilerbutton to read it. If the first post notes that you did not request feedback but you thought I did, I apologize for missing that request! If for any reason you are supposed to receive feedback but cannot see it below in this post, please PLEASE let me know so I can correct the issue!

[GleefulNihilism]

[Tahril]

[wodine]

[Acathala]