Trinity : Darkness Revealed

Man of mystery...

'Joe Hologram'

What the average Trinity member knows...

'Joe Hologram' is a newly-dunked biokinetic that has been hanging around Trinity facilities recently. The name is obviously an alias and the staff has taken to calling him JH for short (which can also stand for Joanne Hologram, depending on circumstances). The face and form JH has varies over time unless JH is actively concentrating, the young agent doesn't yet have full control and is hesitant to limit his still developing powers in any way. It may be that one day JH will be a perfect doppelganger but that day isn't here yet.

The higher-ups mention that JH is 'on leave' from Norca, which cynical Trinity Ops doubt, the grave is usually the only way to leave Norca. In any case, JH is careful not to reveal too much about himself, keep any one face or leave Trinity grounds unless needed. What is painfully obvious is how much of a young hayseed JH is, no matter how perfect the copy, any disguise is usually picked apart in moments by watching the guileless biokinetic.

While no one has read his mind (at least not openly), the powerful waves of homesickness and sadness in JH can make nearby telepaths cry. No real knowledge of Norca operations has been gained. JH doesn't remember being shown any real secrets (but that could have been a choice, Norca has telepaths too). While his judgement may be questionable, his ability and loyalty to his teammates is not. After all, he has nowhere else to go...

These are quick notes for now...

In short, Tom Hanks character in Big or a slightly more socialized Carrie from Stephen King as a reluctant black ops.

More to come
 

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Kerry Joseph, Electrokinetics

Allegiance skills; I used Trinity : Triton (Academics, Awareness, Intrusion, Linguistics, one learned ability (Investigation, Medicine, Science, Xenology), one technical ability (Computer or engineering).

Triton has a research division and that's where he worked on the Leviathan project.


Strength00

Dexterity 000

Athletics 00
Firearms 00
Melee 0
Stealth 0
Intrusion 00

Stamina 000

Perception 00

Awareness 0

Intelligence 00000

Academics 0
Computer 000
Science 000
Xenology 0
Noetics 0000 (Bioware)

Wits 0000

Appearance 00

Style 0

Manipulation 00

Xenorelations 0

Charisma 00

Etiquette 0


Background

Device 00
Contacts (science and Quin related) 00
Trinity 00
Ressource 00



Psi 00000



Electromanipulation 000
Technokinesis 00

Willpower 00000



---

Xenorelatation replace social skill when dealing with extraterrestrial. Xenology is simply social sciences on aliens (sociology and the like). Noetics (Bioware) is the skill that directly relate to Kerry's field of work.

These stats makes Kerry a world expert on biotech matters (10 dice!). Only the fact that his main contribution to the field has been working on the top-secret Leviathan project has prevented the associated fame. His desire to now do field work and be at the forefront of the research of the Teleporters (and his missing brother) will allow me to fit him nicely on a low profile assignment; Kerry needs the training and Agent Hector Ramirez wants a top notch Noeticist on the case (You'll see why soon enough).
 

Koo; It might be time to give your PC a name other than the placeholder 'Joe Hologram'.

And what about your Cipher background? It's very high. What is known about your PC? Does Trinity even know about his family?

---

We are about set to go. Tomorrow I will post the parameters of your powers within the freeform power system, some directive about posts and perhaps make the first post.
 

Answers coming up...

Mal,

I wasn't sure how much time I had, so I put in a brief placeholder. Joe Hologram is an obvious alias to let people know they are talking to a biokinetic, I imagine BK's have to swap names as much as faces.

I am about to follow with rough drafts (I had hoped to get you more polished drafts) but again time is against me.

JH's real name is Pat McKnight (in some circumstances, it might be Patrick or Patricia) and I am about to follow with some posts.

I am beginning to re-think the high cipher value, I thought a BK would need a high cipher value but now I think a BK can be less worried about their identities rather than anyone else. I would welcome your advice on this.

My apologies to the team for taking so dammed long, I hope to get it all done tonight.
 

Background, PART 1: ROUGH DRAFT

FEEDBACK ON ANY OF THIS IS WELCOME!!!

The McKnights are a travelling clan of nomads that migrate around the edges (in every sense) of human society. In the 22nd-Century, this typically meant extrasolar colonies. Insular and old-fashioned, the clan claims to be descended from actual British nobility. Whatever the truth, the McKnights seems at times obsessed with apparently trivial matters of lineage and bloodline. Currently, given the near non-existence of Britain as a political power, such a morbid fascination with ancestry seems near pathetic to outsiders.

In any case, the McKnight's insistence on living in the past has allowed them to eke out a living making home-made crafts and specializing in archaic forms of entertainment, despite (or perhaps BECAUSE of) the ease of modern manufacturing and the deliberate trending of the modern age. Depending on which McKnight you meet or who you talk to, the McKnight are good but backward people OR con men, carnies and thieves, maybe both at once.

What is known about the Clan McKnight is that they were amongst the first to emigrate to Britain's Camelot lunar base (now colony) in the mid-2000's. When the Aberrant's finally left the Moon for parts unknown, some McKnights went left with them, willingly, or so it seemed. To the eyes of most, those McKnights who left were Aberrant collaborators, and those who remained were Aberrant sympathizers (at the very least). The majority of the remaining clan left Camelot for the first extrasolar colonies as soon as they were opened, the McKnights now learning to keep a low profile and not to stay in one place too long...

(Game possibilities: Like any closed society, the McKnights have their fair share of conspiracy nuts keeping tabs on them, not too many, the group isn't that well-known or THAT interesting minus conspiracies.

The theories run something like this: The explosion of Hammersmith's Telluric Engine in 1920's London (which is possibly suspected, if not public knowledge in the 2120's) irradiated a local Briton with mutagenic Z-Rays, this led to a long and fruitful dynasty with a 'special' member every generation or so. This yet unrevealed 'Inspired' was an early, but not founding, member of the Aeon Society for Gentleman (although not necessarily gentle and/or a man). When the Inspired first child had signs of Z-Ray exposure, the Aeon Society used its influence to get the family into the nobility (using one of the last hereditary peerages granted by the Crown). The kind of family structures that would perserve 'blue bloods' would work very well to keep track of very uncommon blood, indeed.

A century later, it became terribly apparent that the Novas were beginning a slow but inevitable slide into Aberration, the McKnight clan would have a higher chance of Aberrant children. The clan decided to disappear from society at large and to make sure no Aberrant child was ever discovered. Whether pressure from other mysterious groups delivered this decision or the clan decided to 'thin' the herd before someone else forced that decision on them, few know. In any case, there has been no DOCUMENTED Aberrant child born to the clan. Whether Abberant children don't happen or are unrevealed, or just plain 'disappeared' is unknown, the isolation and structure of the Clan does not lend itself to a census.

With the recent discovery of psionic potential, it has occured to the McKnight and others that the clan might spawn a savior psion now and then, not just the rare abberration. True or not, psionic talent scouts, sponsored by the Aeon Trinity would visit the outer colonies once a year looking for potential. It certainly seemed that the McKnights were sure to be visited, no matter how far out in Space they were...)

2100 - Pat

Pat McKnight was born on Luna but was soon travelling with the rest of the clan to faraway colonies. The life was hard, cramped and restrictive, unless you were little and had known no other life.

To young Pat, Karoo Mining Colony was just this side of Heaven, there was always a new tunnel or cranny to explore, a new family to get to know, and the iridescent beauty of the Crab Nebula outside every window.

2113 - The chance of a lifetime

Pat was thirteen when the nice folks from Trinity arrived for their yearly visit but this time was special, but this time, they said that Pat might be 'special' too.
If Pat wanted, there would be a trip to Old Earth itself, a year of testing and even dunking for a luckly few. Pat's family was so proud and the money Pat could send back would be great help even just for agreeing to testing.

The next day, Pat and a few other hopeful students from the outer colonies were 'jumped' to Earth. Of all of the proxies the Trinity represented, Pat favored the Ministry or the Teleporters best. The psi orders said Pat's potential for any order was even, it was simply a matter of choice.

2114 - Pat was at the Trinity base in London trying to volunteer for the resuce mission of Karoo from those...THINGS. The ace card was when Pat threatened to join the Legion, THEY would take any warm body, even a desparate underage latent. Psions of various orders were trying to calm the young latent, even the telepath was having trouble.

There was something on the holonews about a space station. No one paid any attention, the ISRA psion had just enough foreknowledge to scream.

The telekinetic froze solid, the electrokinetic was shocked to death by the nearby biotech, the ISRA rep had already been holding them both. Three corpses hit the floor, one shattering and Pat still didn't understand.

It wasn't until the telepath psi-screamed, putting the pain and agony of 'millions of people crying out in terror and suddenly silenced' into Pat's mind. A horror so terrible most nearby psis suicided. The telepath shut off her mind forever and the nearby Pat was knocked into merciful oblivion and didn't awaken until the shockwave from Paris blew out the windows an hour later...

And the teleporter couldn't be found anywhere.

MORE AS FAST AS I CAN GET IT TO YOU...
 

Part 2 of 2 of background, rough draft...

2115 - Pat stood naked amongst strangers, eyes straight ahead on the mysterious Prometheus chamber. The latent before had spent time floating in the tank with a wide-eyed expression of indescribable transcendence. To the Legionaires around them, this was just the dunk before lunch hour. Soon these would be Pat's siblings in battle. The new psion was helped out of the tank, singing in a kind of ecstatic trance.

It was Pat's turn to leave mere humanity behind. One barefoot step forward and...

"Stop." Pat did, so did everyone else, the Legion Prometheus tank was an assembly line, not to be stopped for any small reason. Everyone turned to face the voice.

"The Karoo rescue has been put on hold indefinitely, it is considered not a ...prudent use of our limited resources." The General said through clenched jaw, he also had family on Karoo. He had also been Pat's sponsor, helping the young latent speed through the recruitment process. There were groans and howls of protest throughout the Prometheus room.

"So," said a young tech, "We're the LEGION! No one can stop us if we want to go anyway."

"We aren't lawless monsters, we follow orders." The general said as evenly as he could. The protest continued for several minutes, as respectfully as protocol allowed regarding a senior officer.

In the din, few people heard Pat say quietly, "You're powerless! No, worse than that, you won't use the power you DO have." Pat turned and walked slowly towards the exit. A few latents gasped in shock at the breach of decorum and protocol but no Legionaire offered the slightest protest of resistance.

As the doors slid open, Pat asked distractedly, the idea had just occured, "General, why didn't you tell me after dunking? You would have had one more Legionaire."

"An angry, undisciplined and resentful Legionaire, bad for us and you."

Pat nodded and walked out of the Legionaire complex, never to return...

That night, Pat lay in bed in the dorm room provided by Aeon Trinity, most of the other latents had either been dunked or been disqualified by now. The Orders would still be interested despite Pat's 'outburst' earlier, even the Legion would still be willing, latents were rare enough. But to what end? The Legion was the least regulated of the Orders, all would follow orders and none of those orders would include freeing faraway Karoo. Pat eventually drifted into a dreamless sleep...

A shimmering display of phospenes cascaded across Pat's eyes which naturally forced themselves open. Standing at the end of the bed was a strange being, bipedal, two sets of eyes, rippling patterns of light across its strange body.

A Chromatic, one of the same monsters that attacked the faraway McKnight Clan!

Pat started to scream, but the creature clamped what might have been an arm around the latent's throat and began to slowly squeeze. "How badly do you want to kill me?" it taunted in an inhuman chitter. "More than anything else!" Pat would have screamed the words if possible, it was a reflex, years of rage behind it. The monster nodded approvingly in a very human way. And then it hit home, Chromatics had never been reported to talk.

It's other appendage went to its strange mouth in what would have been a 'keep quiet' gesture if done by a human being. The other hand didn't release Pat's neck until the confused teenager stopped struggling. And then the Chromatics flesh flowed like a river, sculpting, changing into the mirror image of Pat.

"Maybe it won't have to come to that." winked Pat's new twin.

It took a full minute for Pat to understand and then slowly say, "...a biokenetic,--Norca?!"

"It takes a lawless monster to FIGHT lawless monsters, something no other order understands but us."

"Wait, I heard that today at the Legion Chamber, you were there?"

"Maybe, I have one of those faces that seems to blend in."

That sank in and Pat slowly asked, "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"To give you the one best chance you might ever have to get to your family and fight these creatures, if you want it bad enough. Still listening?"

It took Pat a long time to nod but the two Pat's shook each other hands and the second began to talk to the first...


2119 The young couple on the park bench was so very obviously in love and lost in each other's company that onlookers and bystanders looked away out of respect for their privacy. Which was exactly how the two of them wanted it.

With his eyes closed, Patrick could sense the life all around him, Earth was like no other place he had ever been, here, life simply was. Out there, living things were either human, served a human purpose, were vermin, or the enemy. For now, he scanned to confirm there were no other people nearby.

Content, he willed his flesh to bring the very tiny biochip to the surface of his skin and then Camille took the biochip into herself the same way, the adaptation mode had its advantages.

"Well done," she whispered, "your control is improving, you have held this face for an hour without any noticable drift. I think your eyes are changing color, though." "Not as impressive as being a Chromatic, though." Patrick whispered back. Camille giggled, "The hard part was incorprorating the light-emitting bioware." They both chuckled, the years of working together had been pleasant.

"Do I want to know what you had to do to get this data, would I be jealous?" She teased. Patrick kissed her with more passion. "Are you answering or evading the question?" she teased.

"Whatever it took. It was worth it, I know some of what Aeon's working on."

Camille sighed, "You remembered the data?"

"It was necessary to keep cover."

"I know some friends who can help with inconvenient memories."

"No. Aeon seems to really be committed to the new starships."

Camille gritted her teeth, which were sharpening with her annoyance.

"We've had this conversation before, you will get to be on the ship to Karoo, when the time is right."

"The time is now. I have given the Norca everything. I can't remember my original face and form without a photograph. I will return but I have to go now."

"You don't just leave us!" She hissed, almost loud enough to startle nearby parkgoers, Camille caught herself and looked around warily.

"I'm not leaving, it's a ...sabbatical."

"They won't see that, they will do what it takes." Her fingernails were suddenly claw points on his neck. "I will too, if you force me."

"You won't do anything is this very public place. For now, I will make it out of this park alive and from there I will take my chances. Give my regards to Del Fuego."

And with that, Patrick gave one last kiss to his rarely startled partner and walked away into the night...





OK, that is it for now. Give me Feedback, barring any unanswered questions, I think I am ready to go. Sorry it took so long...

Gerry
 

Well, you're quite the storyteller Kookalouris! That's good stuff and fairly in line with the Trinity Universe. Thumbs up.

---

As you know, we are using the freeform power system. That means that instead of set powers, you can improvise anything that is within the limits of your modes. You tell me what you want to do within these limits and I'll set the difficulty and roll the dice (your psi score). The difficulty is based on the rank required to pull the trick off and on the other parameters such as range, number of people to be affected etc.

If you don't generate enough success -which is usually the case-, you can spend temporary psi points or willpower to makeup the difference, which represent how exhausting using powers can be.

Some effect can be maintained long term and demand the investment of Psi points (Spent psi points that don't regenerate as long as the power is maintained). That's pretty much all that you need to know on the player's end to use your powers.

Since most players don't have the Players guide, I'll give you a description of what's allowed at your ranks and you should probably include it in your character sheet. For the sake of my sanity, I only describe ranks that are relevant to your PCs, obviously!

Remember that it's always more exhausting to use your power toward the high end of your capabilities while rank 1 stuff is so easy that it can be done almost at will.

Biokinetics

Misc.

Investment: Biokinetics can invest psi points more efficiently in order to maintain their powers. After three days of maintaining a power by investing a psi point, they can recover their psi point and still maintain the effect indefinitely. That's how Norcas can change their appearance and maintain it longterm without compromising their effectiveness, amongst other things. There is a lot of GM fiat to what (and how many) powers can be maintained that way so check with me.

Reflexive Technique: A biokinetic can activate a purely defensive Adaptation power reflexively every turn, even when unconscious. That's a free action, in D20 terms. An example would be automatically resisting a drug you have just ingested, or extracting oxygen from water if you've been tossed unconscious in a river.

Transformation Time: While adaptation is lightning fast, the other two mode are normally very slow. Ideally, you need several minutes to change your body. If you need to do this in a single turn, you take unsoakable damage equal to the level of the effect in Transmogrify or Psychomorphing.

Basic Technique; Biosense : A biokinetics can sense life around him in a small radius (Psi/mete) ror directionally (successes*psi meter). It's not some kind of danger sense, you have to focus (A full action in D20 terms) ;).

Transmogrify

Rank 1 : Gross changes. Knife or hammer hands, thick skin, that sort of things. The psion body must remain functional at this level. I.e. He can't adopt a shape that would crush his internal organs or substantally increase the lenght of his arms. For that he needs...

Rank 2 : Preserve Functionality. Basically remove the above restriction. He can flatten like a pancake at that level and still have a working brain.

Rank 3 : Precise Changes. The BK can make minute adjustment which allow copycat shapeshifting or turning his hands into precision tools, for example.

You can't change your mass at these levels so there's a problem if you need to become too tall or small.

Psychomorphing

Rank 1 : Biokinetic Awareness. At this level, all the BK can do is spot biokinetics powers, uncluding residual traces. Useful to spot another shapeshifter, for the most part.

Rank 2 : Internal Adjustment. Allows to fine tune your body. You can alter your physical capabilities though always at the expense of something else (Become much stronger but far less limber, for example). You can also heal yourself by closing wounds and repairing the damage, change your scent to fool a dog etc.

Adaptation

Rank 1: Resistance. Allows to block or lessen the effect of endogens influences. Drugs, diseases, fatigue, heat...

Rank 2: Acclimatization. You can adapt your body to survive in hostile environment. Breath under water, walk on Mars without a suit, become insulated to electricity etc. It could even allow to survive in space without a suit but that would takle a lot of success.

The most extreme effect might require also a sufficient level in psychomorphing and/or transmogrify.

Rank 3: Manual Override. You can heighten or slow down your body's many physical processes. Heighten reflexes, shut down pain, avoid peeing for a week...

---

Clairsentience

Misc.

Perception Range: For many powers, the range is less important than the psions familiarity with the subject. It gets complex to explain here, let's just say that the range of clairsentience can be pretty amazing in some instances.

Basic Technique : The Sight

This allows the Seer to add his rank in his highest mode to his Psi score for attunement test and for determining range (but not vulnearbility to backlash).

Psychonavigation

Rank 1: Orientation. The seer can make basic determination of locations relative to his target or his environment. i.e. My friend is near that bar I like; I'm just in range to shoot my target and barely out of his; to get to the exit I need to make two left, two right, a left, third door on the left and then right...

That sort of things.

Rank 2 : Time. Same as above but you can add a temporal component to the above. i.e. My daughter is at the bar and will be home in about one hour and seven minute. There is a modest amount of predictive ability involved since that estimation account up to a point for future event. You can also start to have a limited 'radar' in your head where you keep track of people moving around you and can, for example, use it to avoid guards as you can start estimating when they will be in sigt of you.

The later trick is a bit limited without Psychometry but is still very handy.

Telesthesia

Rank 1: Heighten Awareness. See in the dark, see as far as if you had powerful binoculars, hear as well as a cat, filter the sound to hear a couple talking fifty meters away... But it has to be based on human senses pushed to extreme levels.

Rank 2: Alertness. Good old danger sense, of course, but it can be used to put yourself on the 'lookout' for specific things of interest beside enemies. An investigator that enters a crime scene with such an effect turned on is unlikely to miss anything, for example. If you use this powers to look for a sniper in a fifty story appartment building, you'll probably see him if it is at all possible. It basically forces the things you are looking for to jump to your attention but you must be fairly specific when statinh what it is you are looking for.

Rank 3: Sensory Projection. Now we're talking! Projecting your sense is the typical seer effect, it's pretty straightforward. But beside seeing in the next house, this level of Telesthesia also allows to gain brand new senses. Sonar, Infra Red, UV etc.

Enough for tonight. I'll finish tomorrow. I'm really close from posting the first post and starting the campaign.

Ithuriel, since you have the PG, I won't post the telepathy description.
 
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Electrokinesis

Misc.

Range: Technokinesis powers normally have a range of touch unless you use the transmit power (rank 3).

Shock: You may shock your friends if trying to do a helpful power on them.

Visibe Effect: Ongoing EK effects aren't the most subtle; flickers of light, small electriuc arc etc. betray the power. High score in Photokinesis can counteract hide this.

Basic Technique : Static Burst. For free you can give a nasty static shock at will. No harm but is rather distracting.

Also: Energy Awareness. You can sense enery pattern around you.

Electromanipulation

Rank 1: Holistic Effect. You can study a living creature (that includes bioware) nervous system as a whole and modestly affect it. Waking up someone instantly (as if he had taken five red bull) or slowing down reactions are examples of this.

Rank 2: Bioelectrical awareness. Honestly, not the best differentiated rank in the book. You can be more specific in your study and fine tune your action on the nervous system. You could use it to gain success on dodge test against one man (you read his reactions) for example or diagnose neurological disorder. Another improvement is that you can see residual trace of creatures who have left or recently died. You can't match psychometry but it can be helpful.

Rank 3: Personal Enhancement. You can affect and improve your own system. (modestly) increased reflexes, raising your intelligence, shielding yourself against electrical effect etc.

Technokinesis

Rank 1: Modify. Very basic stuff: Turn the machine on or off, (blindly) erase data etc.

Rank 2: Tap. You can read the raw data contained in the device and make holistic evaluations and modifications. At that level you can do the whol hacker schtick.

---

Psychokinetics

misc.

Collateral effect; PK powers are not pure creation of the psion and usually draw on the environment. So if you create ice, you suck the surrounding moisture out of the air and there isn't enough, it doesn't work. Same with fire and oxygen.

Extreme Success; result of 10s on the psi roll translate to an extra damage dice when attacking with psi.

Physical Effect: Victims can resist physically direct PK attacks. Might can be used to resist TK, for example.

Pyrokinesis

Rank 1: Heat Distribution. That's mostly used to diffuse heat and therefore protect yourself and your allies from it. I'm sure a clever player can fund other use for it.

Rank 2: Heat Gas. It does what it says. It can be used to do bashing damage by heating the air around target(s) or explode a tire by increasing the pressure (heating the air inside).

Rank 3: Ignite. If there is combustible around you can start a sustained fire but you can simply use the power to do a fireball effect in the air.

Rank 4: Liquefy. You can liquefy solids.

---

Telepathy; Ithuriel has the book so I'll spare you and me the descriptions.
 

Isn't there a rogue gallery forum to post the characters?

Well, PM me a message that combine your stats and your final background (A short version that highlight the important points that might be relevant to the story).

I'm working on the first post of the campaign right now.
 

Post directive;

-Use the past tense

-Use a neutral observer narrator that isn't omniscient; don't describe what the character feels or think. Focus on what he does and how he appears to an observer.

Think of it as a movie or a (modern) comic book. It doesn't mean you don't concern yourselves with the motivations and inner working of the PCs; it just means you have to focus on how this is expressed in their words and actions.
 

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