[M&M] Heroes of New Liberty

[BlackDragon0]

Heroes aren't there to break stuff. They are there to save people. I think he has the right idea. Unless he can control his weight. If it's straight he's that all the time. Then his idea makes total sense for a hero.

[Tahril]

Hope I'm not too late to apply! Just need to finish the RP sample and background then I'm done!

Application for Shogun/Hime Preliminary questions 1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply? Well thought out premise in a game system and genre I enjoy. The ad is very detailed too! 2. What do you look for in a good GM? Consistent posting rate and making sure everyone at the (virtual) table has a chance in the spotlight. 3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? Most of it is in the character creation side. Was in another game on this site before but that came to an end before I could get a good feel for the system post character creation. MAIN APP In this game you are a HERO. Not a vigilante, vengeance anti-hero, misunderstood villain or anything similar. You have just been selected to join a new super powered team in the city of New Liberty. Exciting times indeed! One of the formalities of the process was your initial application. Please complete the below for the records of the Department of Hero Affairs. Hero Name: Shogun and Hime Catch-Phrase: With honor! Name: Kasumi Kuroda Identity: Known or secret? How do you manage this in your life? Secret: Kasumi intentionally makes Shogun take the spotlight when speaking to media or otherwise making a scene. She takes great care to portray herself as unimportant and forgettable compared to the boisterous and haughty Shogun. Living alone, Kasumi has few issues hiding her hero activities, though she has had to cancel more than a few meetups or dates due to unforeseen dangers. Description: Shogun: Standing over 7 feet and clad in thick crimson armour, Shogun presents a fearsome and intimidating figure. Their stoic white kabuki mask prevents reading any expression they may have, and their voice is a deep baritone that shakes windows when they speak. Shogun is in fact a highly sophisticated combat bot, their every word, action, and thought preprogrammed or directly input by Kasumi. A fledgling AI sits at their core, learning and training to one day take over independently. Hime: The polar opposite of Shogun, Hime is soft spoken, calm, and demure. Dressed in a simple black combat garb with gold accents, she acts deferential and subservient to Shogun, while simultaneously and silently giving him his commands. Her hard light emitters project amber/yellow constructs of surprising durability. Fluorescent butterflies are often seen hovering in her presence. Personality: Shogun: Boisterous and larger than life, Shogun may comes across as loud and proud but it is all an act to mask their true nature as an automaton. Kasumi: Kasumis deference and subservience to Shogun is another part of her act as Hime, behind the mask she is intelligent and considerate, always trying to take the long view into consideration when planning on the best course of action. She can be inpatient with others who do not understand the long term consequences of their actions, which can lead to her coming off as quarrelsome as she refuses to waste her time explaining her reasoning. She nonetheless wants nothing but the best for the people of New Liberty and the world. Goals: Kasumi hopes that the fledgling AI program running in Shogun will learn over time what it means to be a hero, to help the innocent and oppose injustice. Hopefully it will one day fully awaken to sentience and be able to carry on its duties unassisted. Powers: Shogun Sidekick: Kasumis greatest power is Shogun, an advanced and lifelike robot made in the image of Samurai. It’s thick armour plating and wave force weapons, combined with machine precision and mobility make it a more than capable warrior. (Sidekick advantage. Has high fighting, dex, and agility scores. Strike and blast powers, and flight) Hard light emitters: Supplementing Shogun is her own array of hard light drones and generators. An earlier invention written off for commercial potential due to expenses and the rarity of the materials needed to make the emitters, Kasumi repurposed them to serve as a basis for her own powers. Capable of giving physical form to energy, she uses them to create barriers, walkways, containment cubes, or simplified weapons to support her “master” (Create power, additional effect to use as a cone area affect weapon when needed) Butterfly drones: Disguised as simple butterflies, Kasumis drones serve as excellent scouts and scanners, ensuring that neither she nor Shogun is taken unawares from unseen forces. They also are equipped with their own hard light generators. (Senses power: extended senses, analytical, penetrates concealment. Combines with Hard light create power as a medium for perception range power) Background: A key researcher for Shiawase Corporation, Kasumi is part of a team of scientists and engineers tasked with developing a Superhero AI. Shiawase hopes to pair these AI with their already formidable catalogue of battlesuits and combat bots, mass produced to provide heroes to everyone and everywhere they are needed. Unbeknownst to them Kasumi made a breakthrough in this development over 2 years ago, but has hid the discovery from her employers. The AI is only a prototype right now, and requires real time analysis and machine learning to fully mature. Kasumi believes that if she handed it over right now however that it would have just as much potential to turn into a villain as much as a hero. When tying to code a basic set of morals and virtues into the AI, Kasumi turned to the books of childhood that told stories of noble Samurai and their Bushido codes. Weather based in actual history or not was not important, what mattered was that this could server as a simple to code basis for the ethics and codes the AI would abide by. Preparing these codes (both computer and moral), along with feeding the AI over 10,000 hours of curated footage of heroes and their actions, she determined it was time for field tests. She constructed a custom made "shell" for the AI and uploaded it into what she now calls Shogun. Not wanting to leave Shogun completely unassisted yet, Kasumi adopted the masked personage of "Hime", both to prevent Shiawase from linking her to the hero and to provide Shogun some backup if needed. Coopting some of Shiawases prototype technology, Kasumi can assist Shogun through the creation of defensive barriers and scouting drones. Wanting Shogun to learn through action, she largely takes a support role in their operations, occasionally letting Shogun act independently and recording the results for later analysis. Important Persons Who are three people that are important to your character and matter in their life. Shogun: While not a person in the true sense of the word, Shogun (or rather the AI that inhabits Shogun), has the potential to become fully self aware and cognizant. Over the past two years that Kasumi has nurtured it she can swear that there is sometimes more going on in its little calculations than can be seen on a coding screen. The beginnings of a soul perhaps? Only time will tell... Kanzaki Watanabe: Head of research and development at Shiawase, Kanzaki is the one who is pushing Kasumi and her team for results on the Superhero AI project. Reserved and calculating, Kasumi has a hard time determining if he is motivated by the stated goals of the project, simple profit, or something more sinister. In any event, should the true nature of Shogun be revealed, it is Kanzaki who will be the first to take action... Francisco Morales: Between her job and hero work, along with maintaining Shogun, Kasumi has a hard time maintaining a normal social life. Being patient, empathetic, and understanding, Francisco has been able to handle being Kasumis boyfriend for the past 6 months. Being a simple pharmacy tech himself, Kasumi is happy to have someone normal to spend her weekends and days off with. But even his patience for her constant excuses can wear thin... Psychological Evaluation Question (AKA Writing Sample): 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? Between the lab coat and the Hime garb I can’t even remember the last time I wore something normal. No undercover costume, no hidden weapons, I promised Fransisco that this time would be different, that I would make it on time and that there would be no complications. We haven’t been able to go on a date in weeks, if I don’t start trying harder then I know I’ll lose him like I’ve lost everyone else. Fortunately I didn’t hear of any big evil plans about to take place today so I should be able to… *CRASH* Sigh….just my luck. Alright, who have we got? Ice formation…sleek obsidian costume…ice weapons…yep I’m totally outmatched. I’ve already alerted Shogun but he will take at least 5 minutes to get here at full speed. Need to buy time. I’ve got no drones or emitters with me, but I have one last trick up my sleeve… “Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! It’s Black Ice! Somebody stop him! Help!” God I hope nobody is recording this, I sound like a wailing banshee. But if I can keep him distracted long enough I know we can stop him. 4 minutes… Police cars are already starting to pull up, but are quickly frozen in place, their car doors stuck preventing the police from getting out and trying to stop him. 3 minutes… Panicked people start to flood out of the bank. They shiver as they run, taking care to avoid Black Ice. But a few slip and slide right into his legs. Of course he doesn’t fall but it’s enough to delay him… 2 minutes… Bank security starts to come out but Black Ice then seals the hole he just blew in the side of the building. 1 minute… Dammit out of luck and time, gotta act now. Throwing caution to the wind I lunge for one of the duffle bags and try to wrestle it from Black Ice. He’s able to hold onto it with one hand and grabs my wrist with other. Never new ice could feel so damn hot as ice starts running up my arm. It’s inches from my neck when…. “Unhand her Barbarian!” A flash of red and a slight warmth on my wrists let’s me know that I’ve been let go, and I don’t have quite enough of a stable footing to prevent falling over. Rather than be concerned though. The towering steel bulwark standing between myself and Black Ice is all I need to know everything will be fine. He won’t need my backup for this fight. “Your ice is cold Barbarian, but not as cold as my blade! Surrender! Or feel it’s embrace!” Bank robbery isn’t a crime worth death, so after checking to ensure Shoguns codes are properly configured and he’s just bluffing, I turn to flee the scene. Looks like I’ll still be able to make that date after all. ************************************************* 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? Note to self: invest in more drones. Then again what good are hard light walls when your enemy can teleport? Maybe that’s what I should be investing in. Or maybe I should focus on this giant concrete slab currently crushing my leg before I ponder what to do next. Looks like the stasis trap on Shogun is finally wearing off. My link with him was disrupted when it went up, he’s acting on his own now. If there’s any silver lining to be had here it’s seeing how we reacts to a crisis. He’s looking, he sees me and Sgt Steel. Come on, my leg is crushed but he’s almost fully buried, make the right judgement….YES! He goes over to Sgt Steel and starts removing the rubble, tossing the concrete and rebar aside like it was made of tissue paper until the good Sarge is uncovered. Lucky bastard doesn’t look like he even has a scratch on him, he’s still unconscious though. Alright, my turn. He sees the shape my leg, processes, and takes great care in removing the concrete slab. No additional injuries. Outstanding. Now he just needs to help me up, but then he pauses for a good 5 seconds. I know the look, he’s reviewing past information on heroic actions, they are conflicting with his logic processors. What will he do next? After his pause he places his arms underneath my legs and back and proceeds to lift me into a bridal carry. Of course. Never mind it’s an inefficient way of carrying someone, this is what all the heroes do. Welp I’m about to pass out from blood loss regardless and I can see the press and ambulances showing up, it’ll make for a dramatic front page shot if nothing else.

[Drachenspirit]

Riftgirl is complete. I reserve the right to correct my spelling and grammar before the deadline.
Here's the link to the application.

[Draidden]

Originally Posted by GleefulNihilism

Personally, I'm thinking yeah you *could* do that - but why? Seems like half the fun of playing a character that weighs 3 tons is the breaking stuff from weighing 3 tons.

Part of my thinking was that it will come as a surprise to someone that hits him. He looks of normal height and build, if a bit tall, but when someone tries to hit or grab him they find it is not so easy to move him. And then of course if someone does manage to slam him into something, then he is likely to leave a lot more impact and damage than expected.

[girlplay]

GM: What else would you like to see from us?

[GleefulNihilism]

Originally Posted by Draidden

Part of my thinking was that it will come as a surprise to someone that hits him. He looks of normal height and build, if a bit tall, but when someone tries to hit or grab him they find it is not so easy to move him. And then of course if someone does manage to slam him into something, then he is likely to leave a lot more impact and damage than expected.

Maybe, but where’s the Emotional Grip, the Pathos? The better story usually sides with powers having realistic downsides or side-effects.

Just saying if I made a 3 ton character, there would be some broken chairs.

Edit:- Come to think of it, I did do a heavier than normal character once. Basically like Colossus from the X-Men but unable to turn their armored form off for psychological reasons. They sank in water, couldn’t use normal furniture, were a bit extra susceptible to magnetic fields, etc. I thought leaning into it made a better character.

[Runetide]

Is this filled already? Can I throw my hat in? I have TONS of MM3 hero ideas.

[GleefulNihilism]

Originally Posted by Runetide

Is this filled already? Can I throw my hat in? I have TONS of MM3 hero ideas.

As far as I know, you have roughly 5 days before the call is made. So be quick but you have time.

[girlplay]

Originally Posted by Runetide

Is this filled already? Can I throw my hat in? I have TONS of MM3 hero ideas.

Jump on it! The mutant-infested water's fine.

[Runetide]

Okay so here's my entry!

Barricade 1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply? I love Superhero games. Especially ones that let you straight up be a hero! They're rare enough I can't help but jump on an opportunity. 2. What do you look for in a good GM? I just want consistency! The last two M&M games that I was in on the site had the GM just up and vanish on us with no notice! 3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? Pretty good! I have made dozens of heroes and actually know a few people who make official stuff for the system so I feel like I can at least BUILD a working hero, you know? I don't know all the rules like the back of my hand though, so I'll go with whatever I'm asked to roll/etc. In this game you are a HERO. Not a vigilante, vengeance anti-hero, misunderstood villain or anything similar. You have just been selected to join a new super powered team in the city of New Liberty. Exciting times indeed! One of the formalities of the process was your initial application. Please complete the below for the records of the Department of Hero Affairs. Hero Name: Barricade! Catch-Phrase: "Buckle Up!" Name: Billy Bryant Identity: Secret! Barricade has been contentedly helping out as a street level hero for a while, and has only been stepping up his game when the call to form a new high-profile team was made. He is considering this his 'big break' into the public hero life. When not out busting baddies he's working a night job as an insurance claims adjuster for an automobile company. Description: Barricade is a muscular man, tall enough for a normal human but not as big as some of the bricks you see in the news. He's very physically fit, easily an athlete instead of an acrobat, a distinction which is easily seen since he wears a sleek white and blue bodysuit as his costume, alongside the domino mask over his eyes. Barricade keeps his hair swept up, and subtle effects of his powers helps keep it in place. When his powers are active, his eyes glow with an inner icy blue light, changing his normally brown eye color. When on patrol or in battle, Barricade glows with a soft blue light that surrounds his body and fists, allowing him to dish out surprising amounts of damage. His powers seem to be a... unique application of force fields that he bends to personal defense and offence. His signature ability is the 'ground pound' where he slams force energy into the ground around him, blasting enemies up into the air! In his civilian guise, Billy Bryant doesn't seem quite as muscular, nor does he have blue eyes or hair that stands up on its own volition. He is fit, but without the physical enhancements his powers provides he's well within human normal, perhaps gym rat range. Billy, unlike Barricade, wears a business suit, polished shoes, and a bright blue tie, the only color connection between guises! Personality: Barricade approaches situations humbly. He has seen the astounding deeds of the more powerful heroes and knows that he could be in over his head easily, so he tends to approach situations with confidence but not arrogance. Soft humor, mild jokes, and the like before violence, but when it comes to a fight he goes after his targets hard to limit potential casualties. If they're particularly tough or difficult to take out, he'll try to drag/lead them away from innocents. Billy isn't much different, but he does actually act MORE confident as a civilian. Why? Because he knows that if it came down to it, he could pick up the car of the screaming insuree and send if sailing into the bay. Not that he'd do that. His boss would complain. Goals: Barricade wants to try to make a better life for himself. Working the day job is nice and all, but if he could find a way to live 'saving the day' 24/7 he'd rather be doing that. Part of it is the desire to exercise his powers, since he doesn't even know them all that well, but the rest is sheer desire to do good in the world. Powers: Speaking of powers! His powers all stem from his mutation: Within his body is a deep tie to another dimension of pure force energy. Force fields, empowered punches, even suffusing his body with superhuman strength and toughness is because of his learning to control this energy thrumming within him. Think of it as a superpower heart next to his organic one. Background: Billy Bryant is actually a mutant. The gene switched on during summer camp in his early teen years, and it's been a roller coaster ever since! He spent the next 6 years of his life both concealing his powers and trying to learn how to control them. The person who got him a job in the insurance industry actually did so because they suspected he was related to a string of damage claims as long as their arm during Billy's High School years, as they were secretly a superhero themselves. Billy's parents live on the other side of the country, enjoying a nice peaceful life with their 3 cats and his younger sister. Important Persons: His sister Betty Bryant, who lives near his parents but comes to visit all the time. If she had developed a mutant gene, he has not figured out what it is. He's suspicious, though. No one does THAT good on their SAT's. Rowena O'roarke. She's the first person he got to know since moving to the city. She's also his work coordinator and he has a massive crush on her but feels he's already borked the first impression so is unsure what to do now about the relationship. Springjack. A local street level hero in the neighborhood where Billy moved into. He'd mentored Barricade for a while when he was getting a feel for doing the hero thing. Billy feels a strong sense of loyalty to the hero, even if he strongly disliked how much the man smoked. 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? Billy froze for a second, watching the chaos burst out in front of him. The violence was already there, fast and quick. Diving behind a car and rolling up into a crouch, he watched to see where Black Ice was heading. Running past the crowds of panicked civilians, Billy tucks himself into an alleyway where he slaps his mask on before sliding out of his suit. It was a good thing he had these things tailored to be taken off easily if you knew what to do. Underneath, all he had to do was change his boots and... When Barricade leapt off after Black Ice, no one noticed a simple briefcase tucked underneath a nearby dumpster. Following the villain wasn't difficult; there was an easy trail to follow. And Barricade traveled by rooftops most days, leaping from building to building. Finally catching up, he threw himself out in front of the man from a great height. Barricade brings his fist down as he impacts the street, using his signature 'ground pound' just as Black Ice entered into range. Blue force met black ice, and there was an eruption of light and sound. "Ding-dong." Barricade exclaimed, straightening. "Something tells me you didn't check your bank account before making a withdrawal." 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? Sitting up, Barricade rubs at his jaw. "Ah man... for a little guy he sure hits hard." he grumbles, still seeing the occasional star. Staggering to his feet, he walked over to where Sergeant Steel was embedded into the side of a bus and held out a hand. "Anyone get that?" he asked. As he helped the fellow hero down, he turned to see that several people had, in fact, gotten it. Cell phone cameras were so prevalent nowadays. "Ah, great." Barricade mutters. Taking a moment to steady himself, he trots over to the largest crowd of onlookers. "Hey, since y'all had that on camera..." he asked. "Mind if I take a look?" "Dude, you got your ass beat!" some kid in a baseball cap and a smirk on his face spouted. "I know. I was there." Barricade replied, blinking at the kid like they might be the one with a concussion. "But I didn't see what he hit me with, or better, where he went after. Hand it over for a sec... please?"   Barricade Barricade - PL 9 Strength 6, Stamina 6, Agility 6, Dexterity 0, Fighting 4, Intellect 0, Awareness 0, Presence 0 Advantages Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Diehard, Equipment 1, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Interpose, Power Attack Skills Acrobatics 2 (+8), Athletics 2 (+8), Close Combat: Energy Fists: Strength-based Damage 3: 4 (+8), Expertise: Villains 4 (+4), Intimidation 6 (+6), Investigation 2 (+2), Perception 6 (+6), Persuasion 8 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throw 4 (+4), Technology 1 (+1), Vehicles 1 (+1) Powers Energy Fists: Strength-based Damage 3 (force, DC 24; Affects Insubstantial 2: full rank, Penetrating 4) . . Ground Pound: Burst Area Damage 9 (Alternate; DC 24; Burst Area: 30 feet radius sphere, DC 19; Source: Ground) Force-Enhanced Movement . . Immunity: Immunity 5 (Fatigue Effects; Limited: Only for movement powers) . . Leaping: Leaping 4 (Leap 120 feet at 30 miles/hour) . . Speed: Speed 5 (Speed: 60 miles/hour, 900 feet/round) Force-Infused Body . . Enhanced Ability: Enhanced Agility 6 (+6 AGL) . . Enhanced Ability: Enhanced Stamina 6 (+6 STA) . . Enhanced Ability: Enhanced Strength 3 (+3 STR; Limited to Lifting) . . Enhanced Ability: Enhanced Strength 6 (+6 STR) Movement: Movement 2 (Safe Fall, Water Walking 1: you sink if you are prone) Personal Energy Field . . Bubble: Shapeable Area Protection 8 (Alternate; force, +8 Toughness; Affects Insubstantial 2: full rank, Affects Others, Shapeable Area: 30 cft., DC 18, Impervious; Distracting, Limited: Cannot move while using) . . Energy Field Filter: Immunity 9 (force, Environmental Conditions (All), Uncommon Descriptor: Gas, Uncommon Descriptor: Force) . . Impervious Defense: Impervious Toughness 6 (force) . . Protection: Protection 3 (force, +3 Toughness; Impervious) Senses: Senses 1 (Low-light Vision) Equipment Cell Phone (Smartphone), Mini-tracer, 2x Restraints Offense Initiative +6 Energy Fists: Strength-based Damage 3, +8 (DC 24) Grab, +4 (DC Spec 16) Ground Pound: Burst Area Damage 9 (DC 24) Throw, +4 (DC 21) Unarmed, +4 (DC 21) Complications Honor Identity Motivation: Doing Good Languages English Defense Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 8 Power Points Abilities 8 + Powers 88 + Advantages 8 + Skills 20 (40 ranks) + Defenses 11 = 135

[GleefulNihilism]

Originally Posted by girlplay

Jump on it! The mutant-infested water's fine.

And thanks to a few of the entries here, the water itself might be one of the mutants.

[Runetide]

Originally Posted by GleefulNihilism

And thanks to a few of the entries here, the water itself might be one of the mutants.

Coincidentally, my character IS a mutant.

[GleefulNihilism]

How are we defining "mutant"? Just powers due to circumstances of birth or something more specific like evolutionary forces.

For example, Grudge does have powers just by virtue of circumstances of his birth but they're explicitly magical in nature.

[Runetide]

Originally Posted by GleefulNihilism

How are we defining "mutant"? Just powers due to circumstances of birth or something more specific like evolutionary forces.

For example, Grudge does have powers just by virtue of circumstances of his birth but they're explicitly magical in nature.

In Barricade's instance, he had a dormant mutation in his genes that activated at puberty.

[Draidden]

@Runetide, where did you get the image? I am looking for an online sight that lets you customize suer hero's, but have not found one I actually like yet. Just wondering if you did it, in which case nice job, or did you find it?