Sorry, in the last post, I meant to type 'Mal' and not 'Max.' Getting the GM's name wrong is not the best start...
To continue, and in black text again....
Let's take a break from character background and go into actual character creation, I have some rough notes already.
Vaugely following the character creation rules on the Trinity PDF, p. 167.
Origin: Outsider seems best of the list given.
Nature: To be finalized between Architect, Caregiver and Martyr.
Aptitude: Biokinesis or Electrokinesis.
Allegiance: Norca (sympathetic to Aeon Trinity) or Aeon Trinity (sympathetic to Orgotek), depending on Aptitude.
Attributes: Social last whatever Aptitude is chosen (JH is not uncharismatic per se, but is very direct, naive and has no sense of guile).
Physical first, then Mental second if Norca, Mental first and Physical second if Orgotek.
Abilities: Whatever else, JH will try to have some basic ability in spaceflight and navigation to rescue his family (and sometime the team will probably need a pilot).
Backgrounds: to be finalized, but
Citizenship: Minimal, I don't see anyone casually harrassing Aeon (or Norca)
Cipher: Moderate to high, if biokinetic.
Devices: High if electokinetic.
Influence: Low, in either aptitude, JH is not socially-oriented.
Mentor: will probably have one mentor.
Resources: varies, JH's talents make him a lot of money which he spends on expensive research and tech to get home (none succesful so far).
Aptitudes: Crude personal shapeshift, if BK. Biotech interface if EK.
Willpower: A low-willpower psi might be fun to play if the points saved were spent wisely.
Psi: I believe this has been set at 4.
Spark of Life:
How Old?: BK, young-seeming (with the ability to change cells, JH may age differently than others), EK, young (early twenties, maybe even adolescent).
What do you look like?: BK, anything, moment by moment,
EK, average, non-descript.
Did you notice you were different?: Yep, JH would have had some odd experiences (depending on aptitude), but none definitely identifiable as latency (just odd) until informed by Psion talent agents.
Quirks: Added later, at character finalization. As JH is utterly committed to team and mission, he has NO quirks that will endanger the party (they might be annoying, though).
Who is important in your life?: Family, Team (new family) extended eventually to the entire Human species.
What do you own?: JH considers possessions a means to an end. Although he tries to have a high resource score so that he can buy what he needs to save his family.
How do you perceive the Universe around you?: Wonderous but threatened. Eventually the entire Human race will (and should) be Psion. Until then, it must be protected.
How did you meet your team?: Up to GM, most likely ad hoc Aeon Trinity team, with possible Norca liason.
Motivations: Protect family, team and allegiance, and species.
Mal, I like the weaknesses in the Trinity Quick Start Rules but I cannot find them in my rulebook. I would be willing to take one of those weaknesses (with no equivalent advantage needed) if possible.
In 1922, Hammersmith's Telluric Engine malfunctions in London, scattering Z-Rays across the Earth. Near Ground Zero, one of JH's ancestors is Z-irradiated and gets changed.
1923 Aeon Society for Gentelmen founded in Chicago by Max Mercer.
1924, JH's Z-Rayed ancestor joins as an early (but not founding member) of the Aeon Society and has about a decade's worth of adventures before disappearing.
1998 The above ancestor was able to start a family and one of them becomes a Nova. At first a honest hero, the taint warps the Nova into inhumanity and the long-lived Nova disappears with the Aberrants in the late 21-st century.
Notes: I will write more about the ancestors as JH is finalized as I want the ancestors to reflect the current character.
2045 Britain establishes Camelot base on the moon. JH's ancestors were amongst the first colonists allowed.
Late 21st-Century Extrasolar colony Roanoke founded by Camelot' ex-pats. Roanoke is a rural, backwater community that deliberately lives a low level of technology.
2100 JH most likely born at Camelot, family emigrates to Roanoke in JH's early childhood.
2013 JH is discovered as a possible latent, allowed 'psionic' scholarship to Earth-Luna for testing.
I put my character into a character sheet, I was having a little bit too much trouble with putting it all into a text format. I hope that's okay.
A little more information:
Background
For as long as Carlos has been alive, home has just been another part of the FSA, but his grandparents still always called it Mexico. But not the urban sprawl of Mexico City, or the resort beaches, or anywhere else of any consequence. Just a rural farming community, tucked away in a quiet valley, far from the world. The government doesn't bother much with it, as long as they pay their taxes and grow the food that feeds the masses. And the farmers show just as much interest in anything outside the valley. The rest of the world is full of trouble. Why go seek it out?
But for Carlos, there was always something missing. He always wanted to go see the other places that he heard or read about. But there never seemed to be time, there was always work to get done. When he could, he'd hike off into the hills to see whatever he could, but it still wasn't enough.
When they came and found him, he was thrilled. The talk of hidden power and a chance to work for humanity excited something deep in his soul. And it was with joy in his heart that he bid his farewells and left the planet behind altogether. With the ISRA he learned much, and for a while, everything was new. But there was still more to see and more to do. The troubles of the world are something to fight, not something to hide from on a lump of space rock.
When he had learned enough, he moved on once again. Trinity welcomed him, and his enthusiasm. Here he had found a place that gave him the freedom to see the world, and the power to help where he could. He was home.
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
A Norca who is an infiltrator and insist on tactics that splits him from the group is indeed a problem. But you don't have to focus on that. It takes Transmogrify 3 to shapeshift. While it is the signature power of Norca, plenty of Biokinetics are unable of this feat.
A biokinetics can simply be a kick ass martial artist, using his powers to increse reflexes, toughen his body, shape his hands like knives and ignore pain for example.
On the other hand, a shapeshifter can find ways to use his talents without constantly going solo.
Considering Loyalty, a biokinetics could have cut the bridge with Norca and now be a dedicated Trinity member. It's the most straightforward to play it. But the split loyalty angle can be made to work.
And since you insist on spoiler tag for your background :
Spoiler:
Background is cool. The geneaology issue could also crop up in the story.
If you insist on having family on a distant colony, we'll make it the Karroo Mining Colony instead. It has been established by the United African Nation (which doesn't mean only africans live on it) in the Crab Nebulae (over 80 light years away).
When contact was disrupted by the disparition of the teleporters, it had just been the victim of a surprise raid by a mysterious race of aliens; the chromatics... As the campaign start, people are justifiably worried that we'll discover ruins when the first jumpship reach destination. Six years of hostility for an unsuported colony... can't be good, right?
I suggest this particular colony because it is featured in the Darkness revealed saga (if we play long enough!), so that's an opportunity to tie your background with the story.
Also, note that the vitakinetics are now available.
Last edited by Mal Malenkirk; 5th September 2008 at 04:04 AM..
Thanks to you and all of the other players for your continued patience. I am at work and rushed so this won't seem quite so polished.
I want to apologize if I seem like I am insisting on anything, I meant to convey that these ideas are just ideas, ultimately I want to make the best character for the group and game (there are no small roles, just small actors).
OK, I was leaning towards Norca but a VK option could be...
A committed healer forced to realize that he just might have to kill to save him and his (he'd be compasssionate enough to actually mourn the killing of aliens even if it wouldn't ultimately stop him).
As far as the Norca option;
I am cool with either a loyal Norca op or a defector to Aeon, whichever would suit the game more. It might be that JH starts the game loyal to Norca but switches loyalties to Aeon during the game (emotionally, he is half-way there now).
Personally, I love the Transmogrify power. I have a question, though; how much could a starting PC transform (max. points in transmogrify), 'humanly possible' or inhuman combinations? Limited to only human forms, such a Norca would be best as an infiltrator, with inhuman forms, more of a combat specialist. How 'bout this? JH doesn't quite have the control to maintain a shape perfectly, there are constant shifting cosmetic differences that don't affect his combat ability but make him a useless infiltrator (and from the Norca's point of view, pretty much worthless except as an obvious Norca liason).
I am VERY cool with the Karroo Mining Colony, it was secretly my first choice for JH's offworld colony. 'Roanoke' was just a placeholder so I didn't bias the game unecessarily (the Roanoke Colony of course being the both the first and the lost Colony of America, what got me was the 'CRO' the disappeared Elizabethans carved into a tree, it is so like ChROmatics). KMC is a great choice because they just managed to get a garbled distress call off before becoming inacessable (this increases the desparation and survivor's guilt of JH).
Is it possible for the team to OWN a spaceship? I realize Aeon will probably make sure we have access to one.
I think I will be ready to finally make the character after these questions are answered. And again I thank you for your patience.
No, you can't own a spaceship. It's not entirely beyond the scope of a Trinity campaign, but it's both beyond and below the scope of this campaign. It's beyond the scope because operative shouldn't be wealthy enough to own a spaceship. It's also below the scope because the kind of ship a player could own would realistically only have a range of Earh to Moon which is just not enough.
Quote:
How 'bout this? JH doesn't quite have the control to maintain a shape perfectly, there are constant shifting cosmetic differences that don't affect his combat ability but make him a useless infiltrator (and from the Norca's point of view, pretty much worthless except as an obvious Norca liason).
What you suggest is simply a psion who has transmogrif 1 or 2.
At rank 1 you can make gross change to your body such as shaping your hands like knives, armoring yourself or enlarging your feet to the size (and functionality) of miniskis.
At rank 2 you can retain functionality even if your shape should make it impossible. It means that you can flatten like a pancake or fit your arm through a mail slot and open the door from the inside. ACME stuff, basically.
Rank 3 allows for fijne transformation such as shapeshifting or turning your fingers into lockpicks.
It is a progression. If someone can shapeshift, it makes no sense that he can't do the 'inhuman' transformation because that is what he first learned. He wouldn't have become a shapeshifter today if he hadn't first mastered the basics. But the other way around is extremely common. While just about every Norca can turn his hands into knives, I expect that not even 50% of Norcas have Transmogrify 3.
Most of the combat potential of transmogrify is available right there at rank 1
But Adaptation and Psychomorphing are the reasons biokinetics can be so tough in combat if you ask me.
This is JH as a young child soldier, still damp from the tank. I tend to put max points into Psi powers as they are the defining characteristic of a psion. He is a loyal pit bull puppy, currently devoted to Norca as they gave him a chance to fight for his family (and so far Norca has been wise to show him the sunny side of the order until he is in too deep to leave).
It is impossible to move from disillusionment to innocence but not the other way around. This incarnation believes that Norca is necessarily monstrous as that is the only real way to fight monsters. He believes Aeon's goals are worthy but impractical. He may be only one revealation away from switching sides...
Again, this is first blush, I'll change anything to suit the game...
OK, I can't put my hand on a copy of teh book, so I'll make a background tonight and I'll give some guideline to create teh character, but I'll need help.
I'll go as a team player and fill the main lack with a techno electrokintic. Anyway, I'm not attracted to vitakinetic.
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Kookalouris: That's serviceable enough but you are missing one point in social attribute. That five extra points in mode amount to 20 freebie so you are still missing one point as far as I can see.
Psi 4, Willpower 5, add a point in social attribute, spend the extra freebie point and you are set.
Also, are you working full time for Trinity or Aeon? Put a free background point in status with your choice.
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I'll post Velmont's character sunday night.
Folks, we seem damn close to being able to start that campaign! With 5 PC, no less. I'm happily surprised.
Last edited by Mal Malenkirk; 6th September 2008 at 09:52 PM..
I think I can have everything ready to go by Sunday night (when Velmont's character sheet should be up as well).
I'm a little rushed but...
how should a biokinetic buy the appearance attribute, as a decent BK should be able to just WILL themselves into any face (gorgeous or 'nice personality' as mission requirements dictate)?
As much as you can tell me, Mal, what is the Norca's and/or Aoen's opinion of the importance of the game mission as it seems at game start, this will let me decide how JH is thought of to have been on the mission in the first place. (a milk run gets a screw up or a young cadet, a truly important mission get the cream of the Norca youth)?
To be as healthy as they are, a BK is genetically a very young healthy body, but could JH have been an OLD fart before the dunking? And what kind of lifespan can a biokinetic expect (normal, unaging, aging quickkly, does anyone really know as the Psions are relatively new)?
Thanks as always for your help and, don't forget, team, DriveThru is currently having a sale on Trinity .pdf's for at least a few more days...
Appearance : It's a bit more than just being pretty. It's also sheer magnetism and sex appeal. It means having a natural talent for 'presentation'. Notice that the Intimidation and Style skills are derived from appearance. In RL term, I could point out many Hollywood actors and actresses who aren't objectively beautiful people but who are quite dashing on the red carpet. The reverse is true.
So if a Norca with an appearance 1 and Style 0 Shapeshifts into a top-model, she'll have her figure but not her poise. She'll look like a clumsy, hot librarian.
Some men may be turned on, but there will be no doubt that this hottie is no top model and most people may snicker at how gauche she appears and behave. The power might be used to buy one or two automatic success in a seduction attempt, for example, but that's about it; the rest must be generated by skill rolls.
I guess that's a fair warning; there's more to portraying a top-model or copying the CEO of Lumen than just looking the part. You also have to act the part. At first glance, your PC isn't good at it. That's not a criticism; you can't be good at everything, you must make choices! And indeed, the team was a little lightweight in a fight so it's good to have at least two PCs who are very tough out of five. Early on it seems like overkill but later on... Beside, there are many other uses to Transmogrify 3 beside copycat jobs and social infiltrations.
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While I'm on it, not having firearms at all is a little excessive. It's cool to focus on martial arts, but at least be trained in firearms. Sometime, bad guys just aren't within arm's reach and running at them screaming isn't an option...
Maybe just one or two social skills would be good also. Since charisma is your strongest social attribute, a single dot in etiquette and/or savvy could go a long way.
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The opinion of the importance of the mission is extremely low for everyone concerned except the control agent, Hector Ramirez. Given the priority level, this mission could have been assigned to a team of two non-psi agent, or at most 1 psion and 1 normal. But Ramirrez pulled strings to make sure a whole team of trained psion with multiple aptitudes would take it on, even if it meant that most of these psions would be rookies and/or associates instead of senior Trinity agents.
If you are a full Trinity agent, you get the assignement simply because you are a rookie and this is up your alley.
If you are a Norça agent, it might be interpreted as a little demeaning to have been loaned for such a low profile assignement. Usually, it's done for bigger assignment.
Age : Psion are dunked when they are found. If they are mere kids, great. If they are 50+, so be it. That's true in all orders, though Norca is more selective. But if the older candidate is deemed good enough by Del Fuego, he's in.
Psion who aren't killed violently probably have a longer life expectancy than normal humans. But that's mostly because they tend to be healthier (and have easy access to a Vitakinetics). There is no aging rules in Trinity which is usually interpreted to mean that Psion only suffer the effect of aging in their last years.
Last edited by Mal Malenkirk; 7th September 2008 at 06:03 AM..
Kerry et Rich Jospeh are twins. Born from Peter Jospeh and Maria Bishop, two rich owner in the Cap, in South Africa. They have been raise din the sceurity of the family's mansion, with private teachers. They ahd during a long time only themsleves as friends, being isolated from the outside society.
There first true contact with the outside world is when they enter the High Schools. They where both sent to Boston, where an uncle was living. They enter Notre-Dame. At the end of there high school, for the first time of there life, they split, taking each there own road.
Kerry enter the MIT and starts his study in Physics while Rich enter Havard in Technology and Operation Management. They both fare well in there studies, but being split apart most of the days, the twins starts to devellop an individuality of there own.
Kerry finish his bachelor degree and decide to continue with a mastery. The first contact with the Quins just happened and with a lot of motivation, Kerry decide to make his mastery on this alien race and there technology. The establishment of the ambassy the next year help him greatly. During that time, Rich decide to continue his study in Marketing.
In 2011, Orgotek contact the twins. They were interested to have Kerry in there R&D department and Rich in there marketing department. They both accept. But it is a few month later they discover the true meaning of this offer. Orgotek had evaluated the potential of both twins to become Psions. When they have been offered to enter the Prometheus chamber, they took a few days of thinking. For the first time of there life, the twins diagree in there opinion. They had a quarrel. Kerry decide to accept and became an Electrokinetic, but Rich decide to go back to the Cap.
Kerry continue to study the aliens race, and with the apparition of the chromatics, it is not the lack of field of study that was lacking. During that time, Rich was contacted by the Upeo Wa Macho. He accepte there offer and become a Teleporter.
In 2014, it has been now two years that Rich and Kerry didn't talk to each other. During a family reunion at the Cap, the reunite themselves. The feud was forgotten and they become like to finger of an hand, just like old time. But that was short, a month later, all Teleporter was gone and Paris was destroyed.
A year later, Trinity contact him. They wanted his expertise with the Quins technology. They spoke with him about the project Leviathan. Kerry accepted, but at one condition, that he would be part of any mission that would be related to the search of the teleporter. Once agreed, Kerry left orgotek and joined Trinity. The first three years, he worked on the Leviathan project alone, but during the last two years, he was given a black ops agent training, now the Levithan project was well advanced. Now the project is about to finish, he would have more time to spend on some other kind of work. And Kerry hope to find back one day the missing teleporters.
-=-=-=-=
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Here a wish list for my character. As draft. If I have obvious lack in my character, don't hesitate to fill them. I've found a site with some reference, but I am not sure how true they are.
Mal, I appreciate all of your advice and like all your suggestions, I will incorporate them in the final draft Sunday night.
I especially LIKE the idea of a physically perfect but utterly socially inept chameleon, it provides an explaination of why JH doesn't generally operate solo & may offer a rare oppurtunity for comedy.
Never trust a kitten. Sure, they are cute when they are walking on your keyboard but that's just because they haven't yet figured out the NORAD launch sequence.
I don't have the time I had hoped to guarantee the epic (EPIC!!) story of JH, so let me get the bare minimum together tonight so that I don't hold up the game (maybe I can fill in the gaps later).
A re-amended character sheet, again, nothing is cast in stone.
OK, used the extra social attribute point and evened out the social stats.
Spread out the Norca training points to include Firearms and Savvy.
Reduced Awareness and added Ettiquette.
Freebie point spent on Contact.
JH is a member of Aeon. He has decided that finding his family is the most important thing to him. He fully intends to then return to Norca (the skillset in character creation is from recent Norca training. I leave it to you whether they consider him on leave, AWOL, or traitor) and 'make up' any missed duties to his order later. He has not revealed any of the few Norca secrets he knows (which may not make Del Fuego any more forgiving).
I think JH is legal and the game can start. I may amend this before the morning if I can but otherwise I will hold to it.
Next up a brief character background so the game can start.
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