What If? : X-Men-roleplaying game
- Thread starter Radiant
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Radiant
First Post
for those who asked, yes there are still spots avaialable in the game.
I allreasy noticed that some stated they want to play combat experts of one sort or another. Just realize that I will take only one close combat/martial artist style character like Toki and Tyreus proposed. So I will only take the one I like most, you are moving into a hot competion there.
And as a fair warning, I allready know some players here are really good so I will not claim that they don't have better chances of getting in if there are two characters of the same style competing.
@Velenne: I would go for something less complicated. I don't want this to grow into math homework.
@Mimic: Sounds solid enough for me. But what do you expect to with those claws in shadow form? As the power says you are incopreral so I would asume that you can't touch anyone while in it.
@Velmont: your stats seem good enough but a robot built after Asimov is just too cheesy even for me.
...Yes i realize with people like Count Nefaria running around that sounds strange but I think this is a mood killer. If you want to make a robot that has to obey rules like that for other reasons then it's fine with me.
@Bro Shatterstone: I will read it. ...really...soon... really ...
@Keia: Whith a title like that it would be a shame not to throw in a character
I allreasy noticed that some stated they want to play combat experts of one sort or another. Just realize that I will take only one close combat/martial artist style character like Toki and Tyreus proposed. So I will only take the one I like most, you are moving into a hot competion there.
And as a fair warning, I allready know some players here are really good so I will not claim that they don't have better chances of getting in if there are two characters of the same style competing.
@Velenne: I would go for something less complicated. I don't want this to grow into math homework.
@Mimic: Sounds solid enough for me. But what do you expect to with those claws in shadow form? As the power says you are incopreral so I would asume that you can't touch anyone while in it.
@Velmont: your stats seem good enough but a robot built after Asimov is just too cheesy even for me.
...Yes i realize with people like Count Nefaria running around that sounds strange but I think this is a mood killer. If you want to make a robot that has to obey rules like that for other reasons then it's fine with me.
@Bro Shatterstone: I will read it. ...really...soon... really ...
@Keia: Whith a title like that it would be a shame not to throw in a character
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Keia
I aim to misbehave
Radiant said:@Keia: Whith a title like that it would be a shame not to throw in a character
Okay . . . here is the basic character background . . . actually from a superhero I didn't get to play in a previous Pbp game (hopefully there's no bad karma with him).
History and origin: Brandon Laine worked hard for everything he got in life, including a scholarship to college for both athletics and scholastics. The athletic scholarship was for football, a sport he exceled at in high school as a wide receiver. He earned a starting position on the team after red-shirting his freshman year. Brandon enjoyed the freedom and exhilaration of flying down the field, evaded would-be tacklers, and making the big play.
Unfortunately, the scholastics scholarship required on campus work. But Brandon attacked it with his usual zeal, he earned the position of lab assistant / TA to Professor Albert Vernister, a noted chemical engineer and theoretical scientist. The professor's current work, a more economical, self-sustaining and powerful energy source, had received numerous grants from outside interests. The professor worked off of campus property (the college insurance couldn't handle the risk) developing the energy source known as living fire. As an assistant, Brandon didn't know how it worked or why, he just did as he was told.
On a fateful spring night, Brandon was told to work late at the lab with Professor Vernister when several shady men entered the lab - bypassing the security. Men in dark suits and sunglasses comforted Brandon and the Professor and insisted that they turn over the secret of the living fire. Shouting denials, the professor tried to attack the men and the gun-fight ensured. A stray bullet hit something volatile and the resulting explosion knocked Brandon into the containment rods holding the living fire, breaking the rods and releasing the fire onto Brandon. The burning pain was intense and Brandon blacked out briefly. . . and then the pain went away. Brandon got up and looked around - seeing a destroyed lab and several dead bodies - and seeing his hand on fire! But it didn't burn. He saw a man in a dark suit at the doorway and charged him.
"YOU! You did this to me!" Brandon exclaimed as he pointed at the man - and fire shot forth incinerating the man. More than a little frightened, Brandon fled the lab with all of his well-honed speed . . . and tripped on the steps heading outside. He didn't fall though - he floated on the air. Fear turned to wonder, wonder to excitement as Brandon flew through the air - actually flew. By the time he came to his senses, there was no sign of the men in dark suits and the police and fire had responded to the blazing building.
The next day, Brandon was approached by someone who seemed to know everything that had happened. The hero helped him control his powers, with the aid of containment armor. His old life nothing but ashes, Brandon earned his new life - as Phoenix.
Through rigorous testing and examination, Brandon learned that he was also a mutant . . . which was the only way he survived the experience. He had the mutant powers of heightened agility and regeneration . . . as well as some ability to control fire. The current theories were that either the ‘living fire’ either was living because of Brandon’s powers or was drawn to Brandon because of those self-same powers. The testing yielded no indication of sentience of the fires that burned within Brandon . . . but tests have been wrong in the past . . .
Keia
I aim to misbehave
Radiant said:
I was thinking he was a mutant along the same lines that allowed Wolverine to survive the adamantium process. The living fire is either living or not based on GM decision. It could only be the 'activator' for his mutant powers. Or it could be a Warlock/Cypher symbiosis, or something completely different. The issue being at this time its an unknown.
Plus, think of the fun interaction if the phoenix force doesn't select him (and I didn't build him with that in mind, actually).
"You dare use my name!!! I am universal, eternal, all-powerful . . . you . . . are none of these things . . . and you will die for your presumptions!"
Gulp!!
Radiant
First Post
Keia said:
allright then, that's fine with me. In fact that holds a lot of potential i could use later. Espeicially that "Or it could be a Warlock/Cypher symbiosis, or something completely different" and the living fire.
edit: another thing you should think of is the fact that these powers are exactly the rarest in Marvel Universe, you will share them with two human torches, Firebird, Firestar, Sunfire, Sunpyre and who knows who else. That's no prob at all for me I just wanted to warn you. Except for the two Samurai none of these have much interaction with the X-Men though.
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Zhure
First Post
Cold rain dripped down on the poorly lighted street.
"Great, I need to be wet," Shane thought sarcastically. The plan had been simple, just use a little razzle-dazzle on some tourists, lift a few wallets, no need to find a real job for a couple of weeks if this went through. His left wrist throbbed where the newest tattoo hadn't quite healed. The skin was flaking and itching. Scratching would be bad for the ink. Moving to scratch would be bad for his freedom. The darn cops were only a dozen feet away on the other side of the dumpster.
When the two policemen looked inside the dumpster, flashlights flaring, they expected to get their perpetrator. Shane knew everybody hid inside dumpsters. He was safely ensconced under the dumpster, squeezed in, barely breathing, having a good hard look at their shoes and the rain cascading off the edges of their slickers.
Maybe the rain was good. The constant drizzle drowned out his frightened breathing.
* * * * *
Shane Vilmos, son of Greek immigrants, petty career criminal, escaped capture that day thanks to the intervention of Charles Xavier. When the mental summons went out, the professor's mental powers paralyzed the two police officers and Shane quickly agreed to help the X-men. After all, it had to be a better gig than the one he was currently playing.
Shane grew up very poor, performed passably in public school, didn't get any scholarships for college and at 18 felt he couldn't impose on his parents' hospitality any longer. He made his living on the street, mostly moving from one illegal scheme to another, usually avoiding the law by only a few steps. His one legal vocation was tattooing, but he wasn't 'great' and apprenticing didn't pay any bills.
The personal tattoos Shane acquired, some done by him, a few in lieu of payment during his apprenticeship, were all dragons. Shane's fixation on dragon imagery grew from troubling dreams of flying asiatic dragons, powerful creatures of fire and winds. Over time he acquired a few small dragon tattoos, then finally a full body piece, wrapping from his upper thigh, around the torso, terminating at the shoulders.
When his mutant powers manifested, Shane thought it was like his dreams, only this happened in the daytime. At first, they lasted only a few moments, disappearing in a flash of thunder and lightning. In time he could control them enough to make them appear indefinitely, even maintaining them in his sleep.
While experimenting with his new-found powers, Shane continued to pursue a criminal career, but for some reason didn't ever use the dragons he could summon forth from his body. Secretly Shane felt this would demean his gifts and there's a good chance he wanted a way out of the criminal life he was building. Professor Xavier provided that out.
The 'dragons' are telekinetic manifestations from Shane's mind. They only appear as dragons because that's what his mind is convinced they are. The professor is certain Shane could one day have full-blown telekinetic powers as good as anyone on the planet, but Shane doesn't believe that. The only evidence the professor is correct is Shane can manipulate some small weights with his mind alone, much as Jean Grey does. He has also learned to harness the 'dragon within himself' and physically alter his own form to a dragon's, though he rarely uses this ability.
Name: Effigy PL: 8
Characteristics
10 STR +0
16 DEX +3
16 CON +3
14 INT +2
12 WIS +1
12 CHA +1
Cost: 20
Combat:
+5 melee (+5 base, +0 Str) +8 ranged (+5 base, +3 Dex)
15 Defense (10, +5 base), 16 Mental Defense (10, +5 base, +1Wis)
Hero Points: 4 Cost: 25
Saves:
+5 Damage (+3 Con, +2 Toughness)
+5 Protection
+3 Fortitude (+3 Con)
+3 Reflex (+3 Dex)
+1 Will (+1 Wis)
+5 Mental Protection
Skills:
+2 Bluff (1 rank, +1 Cha)
+2 Concentration (1 rank, +1 Wis)
+11 Craft [create object] (1 rank, +2 Int, +8 Create Object)
+3 Craft [tattooing] (1 rank, +2 Int)
+2 Disable Device (1 rank, +1 Int)
+2/+10 Disguise (1 rank, +1 Cha, +8 Shapeshift)
+4 Drive (1 rank, +3 Dex)
+3 Forgery (1 rank, +2 Int)
+2 Gather Information (1 rank, +1 Cha)
+4 Open Lock (1 rank, +3 Dex)
+9 Sense Motive (8 ranks, +1 Wis)
+5 Sleight of Hand (2 ranks, +3 Dex)
+3 Swim (3 ranks, +0 Str)
24 Skill ranks Cost: 12
Feats
Toughness, Power Immunity
Cost: 4
Powers:
Create Object 8, Extras: Continuous, Shapeable, Animate Object (as Animate Image),
Extra Powers [3 points, 2 extras], Flaws: Signature dragon shape, No range, Only one animation at a
time (30 points)
Power Stunt: Shapeshift 8 (2 points)
Power Stunt: Increased Hardness of Objects +2 (2 points)
ESP 8, only targeted vs animated dragons (8 points)
Protection 5, Extras: Mental (15 points)
Telekinesis 1, Extras: Flight (3 points)
Cost: 60 Total: 120
Weaknesses:
None
[Wrap-around Torso Tattoo] Large. Powers: Energy Blast 8, Extras Area, Flight,
AC: 9, +0 to hit, Hardness 11, Damage +9 STR or Fire Blast +8
[Leg Tattoo] Medium Dragon Form: Energy Blast, Extras: Area, Flight
AC: 10, +0 to hit, Hardness 10 Damage +8 Cold Blast or STR +8
[Forearm Tattoo] Small Dragon Form: Natural Weapon +8: Extras: Quills +8
AC: 11, +6 to hit, Hardness 5, Damage STR +4, +8 Natural Weapon
[Nape Tattoo] Tiny Dragon Form: Telekinesis 8, Extras: Flight
AC: 12, +7 to hit, Hardness: 5, Damage STR +1
"Great, I need to be wet," Shane thought sarcastically. The plan had been simple, just use a little razzle-dazzle on some tourists, lift a few wallets, no need to find a real job for a couple of weeks if this went through. His left wrist throbbed where the newest tattoo hadn't quite healed. The skin was flaking and itching. Scratching would be bad for the ink. Moving to scratch would be bad for his freedom. The darn cops were only a dozen feet away on the other side of the dumpster.
When the two policemen looked inside the dumpster, flashlights flaring, they expected to get their perpetrator. Shane knew everybody hid inside dumpsters. He was safely ensconced under the dumpster, squeezed in, barely breathing, having a good hard look at their shoes and the rain cascading off the edges of their slickers.
Maybe the rain was good. The constant drizzle drowned out his frightened breathing.
* * * * *
Shane Vilmos, son of Greek immigrants, petty career criminal, escaped capture that day thanks to the intervention of Charles Xavier. When the mental summons went out, the professor's mental powers paralyzed the two police officers and Shane quickly agreed to help the X-men. After all, it had to be a better gig than the one he was currently playing.
Shane grew up very poor, performed passably in public school, didn't get any scholarships for college and at 18 felt he couldn't impose on his parents' hospitality any longer. He made his living on the street, mostly moving from one illegal scheme to another, usually avoiding the law by only a few steps. His one legal vocation was tattooing, but he wasn't 'great' and apprenticing didn't pay any bills.
The personal tattoos Shane acquired, some done by him, a few in lieu of payment during his apprenticeship, were all dragons. Shane's fixation on dragon imagery grew from troubling dreams of flying asiatic dragons, powerful creatures of fire and winds. Over time he acquired a few small dragon tattoos, then finally a full body piece, wrapping from his upper thigh, around the torso, terminating at the shoulders.
When his mutant powers manifested, Shane thought it was like his dreams, only this happened in the daytime. At first, they lasted only a few moments, disappearing in a flash of thunder and lightning. In time he could control them enough to make them appear indefinitely, even maintaining them in his sleep.
While experimenting with his new-found powers, Shane continued to pursue a criminal career, but for some reason didn't ever use the dragons he could summon forth from his body. Secretly Shane felt this would demean his gifts and there's a good chance he wanted a way out of the criminal life he was building. Professor Xavier provided that out.
The 'dragons' are telekinetic manifestations from Shane's mind. They only appear as dragons because that's what his mind is convinced they are. The professor is certain Shane could one day have full-blown telekinetic powers as good as anyone on the planet, but Shane doesn't believe that. The only evidence the professor is correct is Shane can manipulate some small weights with his mind alone, much as Jean Grey does. He has also learned to harness the 'dragon within himself' and physically alter his own form to a dragon's, though he rarely uses this ability.
Name: Effigy PL: 8
Characteristics
10 STR +0
16 DEX +3
16 CON +3
14 INT +2
12 WIS +1
12 CHA +1
Cost: 20
Combat:
+5 melee (+5 base, +0 Str) +8 ranged (+5 base, +3 Dex)
15 Defense (10, +5 base), 16 Mental Defense (10, +5 base, +1Wis)
Hero Points: 4 Cost: 25
Saves:
+5 Damage (+3 Con, +2 Toughness)
+5 Protection
+3 Fortitude (+3 Con)
+3 Reflex (+3 Dex)
+1 Will (+1 Wis)
+5 Mental Protection
Skills:
+2 Bluff (1 rank, +1 Cha)
+2 Concentration (1 rank, +1 Wis)
+11 Craft [create object] (1 rank, +2 Int, +8 Create Object)
+3 Craft [tattooing] (1 rank, +2 Int)
+2 Disable Device (1 rank, +1 Int)
+2/+10 Disguise (1 rank, +1 Cha, +8 Shapeshift)
+4 Drive (1 rank, +3 Dex)
+3 Forgery (1 rank, +2 Int)
+2 Gather Information (1 rank, +1 Cha)
+4 Open Lock (1 rank, +3 Dex)
+9 Sense Motive (8 ranks, +1 Wis)
+5 Sleight of Hand (2 ranks, +3 Dex)
+3 Swim (3 ranks, +0 Str)
24 Skill ranks Cost: 12
Feats
Toughness, Power Immunity
Cost: 4
Powers:
Create Object 8, Extras: Continuous, Shapeable, Animate Object (as Animate Image),
Extra Powers [3 points, 2 extras], Flaws: Signature dragon shape, No range, Only one animation at a
time (30 points)
Power Stunt: Shapeshift 8 (2 points)
Power Stunt: Increased Hardness of Objects +2 (2 points)
ESP 8, only targeted vs animated dragons (8 points)
Protection 5, Extras: Mental (15 points)
Telekinesis 1, Extras: Flight (3 points)
Cost: 60 Total: 120
Weaknesses:
None
[Wrap-around Torso Tattoo] Large. Powers: Energy Blast 8, Extras Area, Flight,
AC: 9, +0 to hit, Hardness 11, Damage +9 STR or Fire Blast +8
[Leg Tattoo] Medium Dragon Form: Energy Blast, Extras: Area, Flight
AC: 10, +0 to hit, Hardness 10 Damage +8 Cold Blast or STR +8
[Forearm Tattoo] Small Dragon Form: Natural Weapon +8: Extras: Quills +8
AC: 11, +6 to hit, Hardness 5, Damage STR +4, +8 Natural Weapon
[Nape Tattoo] Tiny Dragon Form: Telekinesis 8, Extras: Flight
AC: 12, +7 to hit, Hardness: 5, Damage STR +1
Zhure
First Post
There's the character concept, in case you have a slot open. If you don't, I still had fun building a character. Our group was playing M&M religiously for awhile, but it got sort of mechanical and un-fun. Mostly because we were building to the PL limit on attack/damage/saves/defenses for darn near all the characters. When it was my turn to run, I ran for a short while, trying a few variants to make the game more enjoyable, but it short-circuited. Even though it was formulaic to make characters, as a GM, it was a PITA to make something 'new and exciting' every week. Far easier to crack open a monster manual and create adventures around that.
Effigy's build is kind of odd, but his main power is derived from "Animation" and "Create Object." There were a couple of ways to do the power concept, but this one seemed the most elegant.
A note on special effects: the 'dragons' aren't terribly realistic, they look sort of like holograms, and are translucent. When he shapeshifts on rare occasions, it looks the same. (The plan is to use it as an escape hatch. Free action end created object, Free action shapeshift, try to bluff them into thinking he's gone and the dragon has taken his place). I don't expect it to work very often, lol.
Greg
Effigy's build is kind of odd, but his main power is derived from "Animation" and "Create Object." There were a couple of ways to do the power concept, but this one seemed the most elegant.
A note on special effects: the 'dragons' aren't terribly realistic, they look sort of like holograms, and are translucent. When he shapeshifts on rare occasions, it looks the same. (The plan is to use it as an escape hatch. Free action end created object, Free action shapeshift, try to bluff them into thinking he's gone and the dragon has taken his place). I don't expect it to work very often, lol.
Greg
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