Transcendence Now - M&M Game [Resumed!]

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Edited a disclaimer into the 2nd post:

(Edit-The first issue or two will most likely not be very combat deadly for characters, meaning you don't have to be optimized 100% attack and defense bonus wise, that said, there would be basic self-defense and such courses offered at the facility but most likely not enough to get past a +3 - +4 bonus. I'm going to try to set it up so there's reasonable in-game downtime between issues, so that plausible PP investments can be made.)

This doesn't apply to character like Makenzie who have had previous training in equipment before her transcendence, and I only mention it because some of you have decided to stat out your characters already and thought it might be helpful knowledge.

 

[Tinner]

I'm VERY interested in getting in on this game! I've been reading the M&M 2e book since it came out, but haven't had a chance to play yet.
I'm liking the campaign concept. I'm a little worried about the "Strikeforce: Morituri: vibe I'm getting though!

Here's my initial concept, and some rough stats.

Jeff "Beef" Frank

Background
[sblock]Jeff Frank grew up in a normal middle-class family, went to a normal middle-class school, and lived a normal middle-class life. Everything about Jeff's life was normal and middle class - a trait which often left him feeling overlooked and unwanted.

A thinly built, fragile youngster, Jeff had few friends growing up. Instead he read, and busied himself on his computer. This further alienated his peers, leaving Jeff a lonely child. The fact that Jeff had a sharp and often sarcastic personality didn't help much either.

Jeff hoped things would change when he went to college. Desperate to fit in and be accepted, Jeff made every effort to become "cool" when he went off to college. Alas, a lifetime of bookish behavior, and an unimpressive physique were forces too powerful to deny, and Jeff soon returned to his nerdy ways.

In almost no time at all, Jeff found himself 27 years old, living in his parent's basement, working a dead-end job in a cubical farm, and rapidly becoming a stereotypical 30-year-old virgin. A concept he found so depressing he had already decided to commit suicide if he still hadn't kissed a girl by his 30th birthday.

When Angel and Bastien offered Jeff the chance to finally make some changes to his life, he jumped at the chance! While the treatments were difficult, the months of isolation were easy for Jeff to bear - after all, he'd essentially been isolated his entire life. Once the treatment was complete Jeff was elated! He was strong, massive, even impressive. Wherever he went, people would notice him. Better yet, he seemed to have developed a much better rapport with the opposite sex! Jeff is still getting used to his newfound abilities, but so far, he's overjoyed.[/sblock]

Stats
[sblock]Power Level: 6 (90 power points)

*Abilities: STR 23(+6) DEX 12(+1) CON 22(+6) INT 14(+2) WIS 12(+1) CHA 14(+2)

Skills: Bluff 10 (+12), Diplomacy 9 (+11), Sense Motive 9 (+10)

Feats: Improved Grab, Improved Grapple, Improved Pin

Powers: Emotion Control 4 (F:Limited (Affects women only),Limited (One Emotion - Love/infatuation)), Growth 4 (Fermanent;PF:Innate), Impervious Toughness 4, Super-Strength 8 (PF:Groundstrike,Shockwave,Super-Breath,Thunderclap)

Combat: Attack +2 Defense 13 (Flat-footed: 11) Initiative +1
Grapple: +13 (Attack - +3,Strength - +6,Size - +4)

Saves: Toughness +6 Fortitude +9 Reflex +4 Willpower +3

Lifting: 1,228 tons

* - includes bonuses from Growth

Complications:
Obsession (Escaping his old life. Specifically, being the kind of man he always wanted to be. Powerful, interesting and virile.)

Cost Summary:
Ability 25 + Skills 7 (28 Ranks) + Feats 3 + Powers 35 + Combat 12 + Saves 8 = 90 / 90

Size: Large
Description:
Beef is a handsome well built man. The modifications from the TH Project have swelled his body with power, filling him out to freakishly large proprtions. His pysique rivals most bodybuilders.[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Here's a concept I've been tossing around. Create Object and perhaps Force Field as main powers, edging into just about anything imaginable as her ability increases. Maybe even Nemesis... The nifty part is that the "powers" would/should be built as devices...though not bought with the Devices limit since losing hold of it wouldn't be more than a momentary nuisence...

Lemme know whatcha think!

[sblock=Genesis]Even from the beginning Genevieve Walker had been something of a terror. She'd had a child's inexhaustible curiosity and breathtaking insensitivity to danger, and it had been focused then as now into determining how things worked. The Walkers quickly learned not to leave anything that didn't require tools to take apart anywhere near a child's reach...and to unplug most electronics when not in use. At the same time, they encouraged their daughter's interests with various science sets and so forth. It was with some relief that they watched her become as proficient at putting things together as she was at dissassembly.

In high school Gen struggled through the 'remedial' (as she referred to them) core curriculum, while sailing through electives in shop and electronics with ease. She socialized with some difficulty as well, having a quick, sharp temper and little patience for gossip or smalltalk. After her freshman year, on the recommendation of several teachers, Gen was moved to an advanced program for gifted children. The program cost money, but at first things improved; which was worth it. But over time the difficulties started cropping up again. Genevieve, after an adjustment period, again complained that the material was either irrelevant or self-evident, and the people, including the teacher, too thick to deal with. At this point, things seemed bad. The Walkers weren't rich, and even if they'd had the money, there were no programs availiable beyond this one. At least...not that they knew of.

It was at this point that Angel and Bastien made their appearance, and their unforgettable pitch. Acceptance was almost a foregone conclusion.

After the treatments, Genevieve discovered that she could manifest apparently solid "objects" by an act of will alone...in apparent defiance of several laws of physics. She later came up with a theory that explained the process without lawbreaking. It seemed that Gen was able to access, subconsciously at least, the raw information that defines any area of space...the information layer that causes empty space to have different qualities than space with matter or energy in it. By 'reprogramming' this information, Genevieve could cause an area of emptiness to selectively manifest some of the qualities of matter. Impermeability, for example. Momentum. Inertia. This so-called "fakematter" could then be created in any shape or configuration imaginable...subject only to the limits of her powers.

As she learns to imbue fakematter with more and more of the qualities of real materials, and can manifest greater quantities, in theory there's very few limits on what she will be able to create with little more than the snap of her fingers.[/sblock]

 

[Shalimar]

Here's a concept I've been tossing around. Create Object and perhaps Force Field as main powers, edging into just about anything imaginable as her ability increases. Maybe even Nemesis... The nifty part is that the "powers" would/should be built as devices...though not bought with the Devices limit since losing hold of it wouldn't be more than a momentary nuisence...

So sorta like Green Lantern and his ring? (Well minus the ring part)

 

[Shayuri]

Maybe at first. My goal is that eventually she'd be able to create actual working devices out of thin air....this represented by other powers such as Blast (with an array, most likely) to represent ranged attack devices, and so on. Paying full cost of course, since mechanically speaking, they're not -really- devices. If stolen or destroyed, she can just create a new one.

That would come later though.

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Just want to say off the bat I already feel very spoiled about how many good players/character concepts there are here, and its gonna be a tough decision. Anyone else reading this though should still submit a character concept, I'll give this thread another 2 days before I make a decision.

Shalimar -> A few of MaKenzie's skills are too high. The normal cap is your PL +5 for skills I believe, I don't mind if you go over this amount for skills such as Craft/Knowledge, etc..., but for all applicable combat purposes (bluffing, intimidating, and such) the limit would be +11. That said, taking a whole move action to bluff seems to be a hefty tradeoff for what you get at times, so Fast Acrobatic Bluff seems an okay feat to me.

Kain -> Seems like a solid concept, still I'd like to see what you have in mind for your character's motivations, now that he has these new powers. What type of roles would his personality lean towards?

Samnell -> *thumbs up* on first glance. Story seems quite plausible and fun Still will get back to you on the Wealth rules.

Festy_Dog -> Very nice, the personality seems to fit a familiar niche in the genere. I'm curious though, what applications of Magnetism with regards to the M&M rules would he use? You don't have to give me a strict write-up, so much as a list of potential powers. Would you end up making it a dynamic array, for instance? Color me curious.

Tinner -> To be honest I haven't read that series but I wiki'd it and it seems interesting. Rest assured its not quite the direction I'm planning on heading. As with Kain's character, I wonder what your character's motivations are, now that he's all buff'd up.

Shayuri -> Very interesting power! It's amusing because one of the original 5 I had planned out has very similar powers to your character's. If you get in I might have to revamp my poor NPC depending on what powers you take.

 

[Shalimar]

Makenzie's skills are at PL +5, or the high ones are at any rate. The skill cap and ability cap are actually seperate with both being limited to PL+5. At PL 6 we'd be limited to 11 ranks of any skill, we'd also be limited to a +11 ability modifier to anyone stat (except con and strength which are limited to PL since they are affected by other caps.) The absolute max for a PL 6 character if they went all out to max out a specific stat would be a +22(11 ranks, 11 ability mod).

Currently Makenzie has 11 ranks in acrobatics, the other +4 is from her dexterity of 18. The way I noted my stats was ranks(Total[ranks+ability]).

That was my thought process on why her stats are what they are, let me know what you think.

 

[Samnell]

Samnell -> *thumbs up* on first glance. Story seems quite plausible and fun Still will get back to you on the Wealth rules.

It'll keep. If you're not using 'em I'll just toss my pp into an extra four points of skills.

 

[Tinner]

Tinner -> To be honest I haven't read that series but I wiki'd it and it seems interesting. Rest assured its not quite the direction I'm planning on heading. As with Kain's character, I wonder what your character's motivations are, now that he's all buff'd up.

Motivations?
Well, he's just gone from a puny nerd to a hulking frat-boy.
He's interested in money, sex and power.
I picture Beef as an object lesson in wish fulfillment. What would the stereo-typical gamer geek do if he suddenly became a powerful colossus, irresistable to the opposite sex?
That's a heady trip for a socially backwards young man!
I imagine Beef would revel in his celebrity. He'd indulge in every excess he was formerly denied - a new woman/women every night, lucrative endorsement deals, eating at the best clubs at the best tables.
He's essentially gone from a wimpy nobody to Dennis Rodman and Paris Hilton all rolled up into one decadent package. Kind of like Peter Parker before Uncle Ben's death.
Ideally, Beef will eventually wake up and realize that this behavior is ultimately toxic and destructive. He's got hidden depths he's never explored because he's never had the chance.
Once he settles down and realizes that with great power comes great responsibility, he might be a worthwhile human being. The path he takes to get there will be the interesting part!

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Shalimar -> Ah okay, this is one of those times where I'm still learning the ropes of the rules system I was initially intimidated by a character who can feint in combat 95% of the time but I think I can live with it.

Samnell -> Optional Wealth rules seem good and fine. I think I'll end up using them, although more shady transactions (such as buying weapons and such) will be a bit more complicated.

Tinner -> Cool, thanks