[M&M] Heroes of New Liberty

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by Snicker

I'd like to officially declare Wirelass complete.

Like the updated image

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by Snicker

Can you explain why you mean by "empathy/affinity" in this context? If the technology has some sort of sensory device (camera, microphone, etc.) she can tap into that, and if it contains data (like a computer), she can read that data. She doesn't cause the technology to gain intelligence or emotions. If the technology does contain an AI, she would be able to talk to it with her mind, but she wouldn't be able to invoke any exceptional sympathy in it.

Her robotic helpers are just drones. They have no AI, but she can give them "ongoing" orders, such as to hover in her vicinity, so she doesn't have to continuously concentrate on them.

You answered my questions so thanks.

[Palliven]

@Avner Question about his sensors. Seems that they are not part of costume but part of his body. Are they implants? Permanently attached? Removable? What happens if they get damaged?

[Palliven]

Given the high response rate I have moved up the deadline from Oct 1 to Sept 18. Anyone that is still in WIP, please complete application by then to be considered.

[PalladiaMors]

What is Pandagirl missing to be complete?

[Drachenspirit]

Breach   1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply? Been a fan of Marvel and other Superhero worlds/genres before they were mainstream, even played Hero and old school Marvel RPG in the past. In short, RPing a superhero is quite the thrill. 2. What do you look for in a good GM? One who creates an immersive game with both challenges and mystery for the players. One is who is fair across the board and leans more towards story than rules when it comes to character growth. 3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? Have played in several games here on the site - WhovianBeast's long running Arbiters game - and currently RP a Steampunk style machine controller with a "suit" in a game of the same GM. Hero Name: Breach Catch-Phrase: "Once more, into the Breach" - She knows it isn't an exact quote, but it sets the stage for what is coming from her display of her powers. And she thinks it's kinda funny. Name: Aleq - Full Name: Aleqasina Summerset Identity: Aleq is a famous and highly sought after Dancer/Choreographer for all manner of entertainers and celebrities and their projects. She's reached such a status that when she "appears" in something that is released to the media, it's always with some excitement. This nontraditional kind of work has her keeping some odd office hours so when she isn't "seen" for a while, people just figure she's doing some kind of "hush-hush" project that has yet to be released. Description: Breach's costume is about as non-flashy as one can get, aside from the white mask she wears to hide her identity, and the twin pistols she holds. It's a black leather outfit with a hood made for comfort and functionality that lets her move in and out of places quietly. She literally slips in and out of fights and into crimes in progress as she is a teleporter. She is most remembered by her quick quips intentionally misquoting famous people or sayings using a variety of accents - most of them bad, but usually always in some comical manner. Her main signature move is to touch someone and teleport them to somewhere they can't easily get out of or away from. The other signature thing about her is that there is almost always an odd Orb or Portal hovering next to her that her body seems to be 'siphoning' some kind of energy from that creates a protective field of some kind around her. RiftGirl always has time for the Media and cameras after hero work is done, if it is at all possible. Aleq stands 5'9" tall, has brown hair and green eyes. She has an athletic build and is always quick with a smile. She wears simple, but fashionable attire, but mostly work out or dancer's garments for the work that she does. She goes to awards shows, fashion shows, charity events, and definitely any "who's who" events or gatherings. She is famous and known for working hard and working those who have hired her or she teaches even harder. Many famous artists' patented dance moves are her own creation, and it is well known, but she doesn't speak on it or try to diminish those artists. She owns her own business called 'Universal Movements Studios', or UMS, and it is quite sought after and has many employees who do all manner of things that have sprung from her work. It isn't easy to get a meeting with her and even her own staff don't always know what she's up to as she likes to keep her persona private and elusive. She says this helps her image and makes her more sought after. In truth, it makes it easier to live in her Rift Girl hero persona. Personality: Breach is a thrill seeker, chatty - if not intentionally vague at times -, seems to love being in the thick of danger, and seems to always be right about to laugh at someone or a situation. In short, she's a jokester and a Rogue, having the time of her life and tries to always make it at her foe's expense, even embarrassing them if she can. Aleq is polite and nice, but almost a task master when it comes to her work and her craft as a dancer and choreographer. She's not a shrewd business woman, but she isn't one to mess with as she seems to not only be wealthy, but quite connected despite her young age. Goals: She strives to make hurting or doing harm that may kill her foes as a last resort if possible. She wants to give people role models and show them that those who are Criminals, terrorists and the like are not to be emulated. She uses her powers to do this, and stresses that everyone can do their part, whether it was that truck she teleported past the person in the crosswalk, or stopping someone distracted from stepping out in traffic like anyone normal person would. At its simplest, that's her message. Powers: Aleq's powers manifested when she was twelve, and it was only her discipline as a dancer for the past 7 years of her life that helped her figure them out without killing herself or someone else. To the few she has spoken to or revealed her powers to, she calls them, "The Breach" because that's what it feels like to her. She can open and channel this 'Breach' which one scientist she spoke to who has seen her display them believes she is opening small blackholes, or dimensional portals of some kind and using their energy to some extent; especially when teleporting. Her limit in a quick teleport is about nine hundred feet currently, but if she concentrates and takes some extra time she can push that to about thirty miles. She's learned to do this instantly and very quick while changing her speed, appearing in any direction or orientation she chooses, as well as negating a fall. She can also move one person with her even without their willingness most of the time if she can get a hand on them. She read up on different metals and their electrical or magnetic conductivity to see she could affect any of them and figured out that the metal cobalt can be used to channel her ability to channel in some ways. After reading one scientist's test with cobalt fired at high speeds, she had someone create bullets made of cobalt for her; of which they said they'd be practically useless due to the malleable density. After some tests, she's been able to create two interesting and useful abilities with her channeling of 'The Breach.' She can either create a sixty foot long line of damaging energy that affects anything with five feet of the bullet's trajectory out to that distance that she calls a "Breach Jet." Or, she can fire at a point up to eight hundred feet away - most effective within two hundred feet - and create what she calls a "Mini-Breach." This latter effect creates a mini blackhole or portal that pulls everything within sixty feet of it to the point of impact; well, anything weighing up to six tons or less that isn't somehow anchored or bolted down. Her latest discovery is that she can create what she calls a "Breach Horizon", which is the creation of an orb or portal next to her from which she "pulls" energy off the Horizon to surround her like a Forcefield. She's careful with what she can do so far, as careful as she can be, and is still learning. Not too mention having the time of her life doing so. Background:Aleq is the only child born to lower income parents who put her in dance at a young age to give themselves a break. She became a natural at it quickly and loved it all the more as it brought her parents together as they paid attention to her almost always coming out on top. She was already getting professional work as a dancer at the age of 12 when her powers started to show up. She managed and did little with them for several years as she just didn't have the time. She went full on professional with an agent at 16, and started her own Business at 18 once she completed a Associates Business Degree online. She got some lucky breaks and a lot of press in her projects which only helped skyrocket her to a name to a known, if mostly elusive, celebrity. It was just 2 years ago when she was at a music and arts award show that a super terrorist type struck. She slipped back stage, grabbed a simply mask some performer was to use and a solid black outfit with hoodie and faced off against said super "bad guy" in front of rolling cameras and an audience. She made quick work of them and found herself on stage with everyone staring. She turned to the band and quickly said, "Quick, play me off", as often happened when performers were through. The guitar player smiled and said, "I got just the thing" and went into some kind of guitar solo. She ran past him before she teleported away. Not liking what she heard as it didn't suit her at all she asked him, "What was that?" He replied, "I call it, Into the Breach" She repeated it back shaking her head and then teleported out of there. Those close by thought she was giving her name and told reporters when asked what they saw. Someone thought it was "Breach" and it stuck. Not concerned at the time for thinking of a name, she let it go and it stuck. She didn't appear again for almost two weeks because, well... the hype around Breach started to die down. She'd then watch and listen for "pop up" crime and appear to thwart evil and speak to the press afterwards, almost without fail. Given her love of performing Dance in front of audiences, it's not a leap at all for her to be the same as Breach. Important Persons: Her Father, Desmond Summerset. Despite the fact that he could retire on her money, he still operates subways cars and loves it. Her mother, Harriet Summerset. Her mother has a small catering business thanks to Aleq's funding and goes to any and all awards events that Aleq is recognized or nominated in. Dr. Stacey Creech, Scientist and Experimental Physicist. Professor Creech is like a grandfather to her. She approached him not long after she started going out as Rift Girl to see if he could help her get a grasp on what she can do. He is just as fascinated by the science side of what she can do as she is, and has given her more than enough doomsday scenarios on what could go bad if she isn't careful with what she can do. Writing Samples 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? She was about to text her friend to see if she was running late - she was always running late - when Black Ice shows up. Just like everyone else she dove to the ground, but unlike everyone else, she went and rolled under a car. As she was frowning about how her outfit was probably ruined now from street grime, she recalled the 'sight lines' she had taken in as she walked. She'd heard some military guy on a movie set once telling actors about seeing where threats could come from and ways out of your situation and that's what he called it. It was good advice as she now teleported to the inside of the closed business across the way so she could change. It was as quick as it could be and when she reappeared on the edge of the bank roof looking down she caught him sliding away. She teleported in, laying a hand on him from behind and moved them both straight up as far as she could, just shy of a thousand feet from the street. "Do you surrender, or do I keep taking us up?", she said as they began to fall. A few Ice blasts and some higher elevation and he gave up finally. She then moved them both down to a waiting police wagon and gave a short and sweet and charming tale to the press before disappearing. "Sorry I'm late. As you can see, I took cover from that bank robbery thing and I'm a mess" she said not long after as she was suddenly hungry and ready to eat. 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? She stood up, still dizzy and nursing a sore left cheek as she let the Press close in on her after speaking to the Police. She'd promised to pay for the Hot Dog Vendor's cart she'd been slammed through, telling the owner he could drop off the bill at the local police station and she'd drop off cash in return. She'd told Sgt. Steel (he'd moved like he had on steel shoes) to go on and scram and she'd take the heat from the police, public, and press. Standing there smelling like Hot dog water and trying not to gag at the smell she exuded, she kept her composure somehow and said that sometimes these things happen, but she was looking to join a team that could cover each other to prevent such things as what happened today. And evil never truly triumphs, and, well, she forgot most of what else she said before 'porting' out of there. The press hadn't. Truth was, she hadn't thought of joining a team before and now began to think it was a good idea as these temporary team-ups never really worked out. "I'm never gonna get the smell of Hot Dog water out of this suit?, she said and gagged so much she had to pause and plug her nose to continue. No one had told her about this 'glamourous' part of being a superhero.

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by PalladiaMors

What is Pandagirl missing to be complete?

Nothing, I updated to correctly state Complete for Pandagirl

[Seeks]

I will note my sheet is done now, too. Can you give all WIPs a quick list of what they'd need to be Complete? I think almost all of us have everything done, save for two late arrivals.

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by voodoozombie

Color me interested!!! Place holder!

I missed your update to this original post until today. Will add to the applicant list shortly.

[Mitsubachi]

Thanks for the update @Palliven... now it gets exciting!

With so many strong applications have you considered running two separate teams in simultaneous games?

[mystwatch]

Ack. Kinda interested but the two characters I could app... one has very similar powers to one of the apps, and the other I'm not quite sure how to make in M&M 3e (character that scales to opposing threat, somewhat like Hulk?) But hrmmmm. Could always make the leap of faith...

[ArcZero]

Originally Posted by Palliven

Thanks for asking, it made me reread your application and I realized I didn't catch this nuance. I see it a little differently but maybe I'm missing something still. I don't see how Alternate Form fits here. Growth wouldn't be an alternate form, just the Growth power. So would have Growth, Healing, Enhanced Senses and Movement (Wall Crawling) as powers. The Mantle could be Enhanced Equipment based on the Equipment advantage or it could be an Array. Make sense?

Yes that makes sense. Really I am referring to the Alternate Effect Extra (p. 188) that Alternate Form seems to be built off of. So while they aren't really alternate forms (since they have different power sources) it achieves the gameplay I would be looking for, wanting superspeed and growth to be mutually exclusive powers.

But thinking about it I could also see slapping Quirk or Limited onto the Mantle. For example, "Quirk: Cannot be used when Growth is in effect."

[Draidden]

1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply?
I like M&M and have been looking for a game to join. Also, I prefer the HERO side of the game, whereas a lot of the games I have seen have had most of the characters being the dark type that are not and don't want to be hero's.
2. What do you look for in a good GM?
One who realizes that although he is running the game, that everyone is playing and gets a say in the game and how rules are interpreted. Yes the GM has the final say, but I don't care for the ones that say,"I am the GM and my say is all that matters." Best games I have been in the GM listens to the players and then works out a decision.
3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds?
I have played a couple of PBP games. I have Hero Lab and use that to make sure my math is correct. While I know that basics I feel I am still learning the game.

Hero Name: Paragon
Catch-Phrase: Let's get extreme!
Name: Max Booster
Identity: He is famous as a race motorcycle driver and an adrenalin junkie. He is known as a big thrill seeker.
Description: Max is a tall heavily muscled man. He stands 6'5” tall and weighs in at 235 pounds. He has brown hair that is kept cut short and a little spiky on top. His eyes are his most obvious trait, at least since his accident, as the iris's are a glowing violet color. He generally wears shirts with no sleeves to show off his muscular arms and normally has on a pair of loose fitting jeans. His footwear varies depending on what activity he is currently engaged in.

When in superhero mode he wears what looks similar to a race motorcycle drives body suit, minus the arms. His is a bright blue with red stripes up the sides and red shoulder pads.
Personality: Max is a bit of a show off and attention hog, especially when racing or doing other extreme sports. He loves to be the center of attention. He has learned to curb this a bit when in super hero mode and to concentrate on the issue at hand. But after the fight is over, if he is on the winning side, he will pose for photos with his fans and eat up the attention. He is still a bit young and a bit brash, but he genuinely feels a need to protect others.
Goals: One day Max hopes to increase his powers and fill the void left behind by Captain Dynamic. Outside of the super hero gig, he just wants to make money and enjoy life to its fullest.
Powers: Strength, Invulnerability, Enhanced Senses.
Background: Max started out as a normal teen who got into extreme sports. He loved racing motorcycles and became very good at it. It is how he made his living. He developed a big following with his racing wins and with his self made videos of all the crazy things he did off the track. Sky diving, cliff jumping, skiing of all sorts, the list goes on and on. Several people called him crazy for all the risks he took, but he seemed to lead a charmed life and they always worked out.

That was until 5 years ago when he was in the Grand Prix of Motorcycle racing. He was in a fight for third place with two other racers when one of the others bikes slid out from under him on a turn. His bike slammed into Max's and he went slamming into a wall with both bikes following him and upon impact they exploded. Everyone assumed he was dead. The other rider and merely slid a ways until he stopped and aside from a few bruises, he was fine.

At first it was in horror that everyone cried when they saw the burning man come walking out of the flames. This quickly turned to amazement when the flames died down and there stood Max. His suit was almost completely torn or burned off, but luckily there was enough around the waist to prevent any undo exposure. He stood there stunned for a few seconds and then reality kicked in and in his usual manner he struck a pose for the cameras and the crowd went wild.

This then lead to him doing all sorts of ridiculous things on camera to test out his super powers. This went from going around trying to lift heavier and heavier items to doing all sorts of risky stunts that should have ended with him dead, and would have if his skin had not become so dense that most everything just bounced off of it.

After a few months of this Max decided it was time to put his powers to good use and started trying to be a superhero and help the less fortunate. As usual, this was a bit of a mess to start with but eventually he got the hang of trying to take out the bad guy without destroying the buildings and items around him anymore than necessary. At first he just stopped normal crimes, a bank robbery or two. Stopping a few high speed chases. And then he started going after other super powered people who were using their gifts to harm others. And now today here he is about to become a member of the newest superhero group in the city.

Psychological Evaluation Question (AKA Writing Sample):
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?

Max was just walking down the street minding his own business, yeah right! Max was strutting down the street waving high to all the people that were recognizing him either as Paragon or from his online videos of all the crazy stunts he does. Then the alarms at the bank go off and Black Ice comes sliding out with his ill gotten gains.

Being a little late for meeting a friend for lunch and not wanting to get into a big fight right in the middle of all these innocent people, he opts for a quick ending.

Right next to him was an electric company van and the techs had the manhole cover off and were doing some maintenance underground. He reaches over and grabs the manhole cover like it was a frisbee. He calls out his catch phrase, "Time to get EXTREME!" As he spins a throws the manhole cover with a flick of his wrist. The disk flies through the air and Black Ice is turning towards him as the disk hits him right in the gut, shattering the protective ice covering he put over his body, and slamming him backwards into the bank wall where he slides to the ground unconscious.

As the guards rush out of the bank, they retrieve the money and apprehend Black Ice, a crowd starts to form and some are cheering and clapping, others are using phone to take videos and Max just stands there for a moment waving and smiling and posing. "All in a days work!"

He waves some more as he returns the manhole cover to the workers and then continues on his way to his lunch.

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?

As Paragon lays there with a sore jaw, staring up at the building that has fallen on him he can't help but wonder what the heck happened.

Sergeant Steel and come to him saying he had found the hide out of a super-villain duo that had been terrorizing the lower income areas of the city. It was suspected they were working for a larger company that was trying to buy up the area to tear down and rebuild with better, more expensive housing. And they didn't care who they hurt to get it.

The plan was to surprise them, capture at least one of them, and find out who was backing them. As these were low level supers, it was not supposed to be much of a challenge. They smashed into the place and found the two guys as expected. They split and ran, so Steel and he had had to split. He caught his guy and had him pinned when he heard a noise behind him. As he turned, he was hit by something and it hurt! It had been a while since he had felt any real pain and it was something he did not miss. Whatever it was hit him and then he felt himself go through a wall or two and finally what turned out to be a central support beam for the building.

He lay on the ground next to the shattered column, face down. He was starting to push himself up with a groan when he heard the rumbling all around him. His head snapped up and he got a good look of the building as it fell on top of him. At first he just lay there thinking GREAT. Then he realized Sergeant Steel is still out there, or buried in here with him, so he pushed himself up and after some effort managed to break his way out from under all the rubble that had been on him. As he breaks free he finds himself the center of attention as people have gathered and are videoing everything.

To his side a pile of rubble moves. Paragon tenses, not sure if he is ready for a fight in his current condition. He sighs in relief when it is Sergeant Steel that rises from the debris. He moves over to help him up. And that is when he hears some of the people yelling at them and accusing them of destroying the building, like they did it on purpose. He starts to turn and yell back at them when Steel stops him.

There may be people trapped in this. We have to help check.

He hears the sound of sirens as the first responders start to arrive on site. He brushes some of the dust off of himself and agrees. Steel and he spend the next several hours helping the emergency crews search the rubble. They end up rescuing four trapped people who are hurt badly, but should survive. It could have been worse.

Some of the bystanders clap and cheer as they rescue the people, but there are still others yelling that he knocked the building down, even accusing him of doing it on purpose and that he was working for some big construction company in an effort to chase out the lower income people. It is a bit of a shock to him as he is used to being cheered by “the people” not booed and hissed at and called horrible names.

As they leave Steel explains to him that you can't win them all. That every super hero has a bad day and loses the fight. The trick is to try to shrug off the loss and get back into the fight. Max smiles, but it might take him a day or two to shrug this off.

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by Seeks

I will note my sheet is done now, too. Can you give all WIPs a quick list of what they'd need to be Complete? I think almost all of us have everything done, save for two late arrivals.

Done

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by Mitsubachi

Thanks for the update @Palliven... now it gets exciting!

With so many strong applications have you considered running two separate teams in simultaneous games?

I love the idea of it, even the opportunity for two player groups crossing paths and impacting the game at these intersections but unfortunately it takes a lot of extra time. I have done it before and discovered it's not just bolting on another group but it's basically running to completely different games.

At this point I cannot see running two full groups but if my initial short list ends up being one or two more than I had planned, I may consider running two smaller groups.

Thanks for the question and challenge!