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Serf
May 5, 2011


quote:

The Pacifica Star sunk. All souls lost. 5 of our best among them. British say fire broke out onboard. Suspect sabotage. Etheric readings are off the charts, growing daily. Something is happening. Arrange different transport, do not announce. Please dispatch Agents ASAP.
-telegraph from League Delegate Dr. Ibraheem Hakim, June 13th, 1923

Background
In the shadow of the Great War, the victorious powers of the world sought a way to prevent such a calamitous conflict from ever occurring again. Over the course of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, academics and politicians built the organization that aimed to make war obsolete; an international body where nations could discuss their differences and arrive at peaceful conclusions.

The idea was ambitious for its time, as it would be the first organization dedicated to enforcing a code of international law. For almost three hundred years the nation-state had been the highest unit of power in the world. National sovereignty had never been overshadowed before. This organization was intended to find ways to make nations cooperate, a radical notion at the time.

They called it the League of Nations.


Headquarters of the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland

As an organization, the League was effectively null from the moment it first convened. One of the primary voices in creating the League was United States president Woodrow Wilson, and it was the burgeoning power of his country that forced reluctant powers like Britain and France to join. But the United States failed to join the League. At the same time, Germany was banned from membership, as the blame for the Great War fell upon them, and Russia was likewise excluded for their new Communist government. With three of the major powers out, the League had little power to pursue its goals.

The League became a dumping ground for political undesirables and troublemakers. What was supposed to be a prestigious position became a punishment, a way for nations to relieve themselves of noisy nuisances or fringe elements. Among these delegates were two who recognized each other, and not for their political work. Zhu Yun of China and Hiram Corbin of Britain had crossed paths years ago in Hong Kong, both of them on the trail of something that had almost cost them their careers.

Zhu and Corbin were both monster hunters, and it was while commiserating over their shared plight that the two hit upon the idea of carrying on their activities regardless of their current assignment. While chasing a vampire in Geneva, the two encountered Lúcia Lobo, a Brazilian delegate to the League, and between them they began to see a pattern. Among the representatives sent to the League were many fellow monster hunters, all exiled for their unusual beliefs and strange activities.

In secret meetings, the monster-hunting members of the League hammered out a new mission for themselves. For the first time in human history, hunters from across the globe were meeting, sharing information and working together. The League is stitching together these separate groups and individuals, and through their union it is hoped that the monsters can be eliminated entirely.

The hunters have co-opted the organization with their agenda, converting those delegates that they can. Those who want nothing to do with the business of monster-hunting are left to focus on the public mission of the League, but within the halls of their Geneva headquarters, the true mandate of the League is an open secret.

In these early days, the League is still expanding, with more and more groups of hunters signing up all the time. With their delegates coming from almost every part of the world, the League has a wealth of resources to draw on but also an unending stream of problems that must be dealt with. As their view becomes more and more global, they are beginning to understand the vast scope of the threats facing the world and not all of them are monstrous. In their shadow war with the monsters, new theaters are opening all the time, and now more human foes are being revealed, nefarious factions who wish the parley the growing power of weird science into global domination. And the more mundane political threats of nations with changing governments and philosophies that threaten the way of life for millions. The Great War is over, but some say an even bigger conflict is brewing on the horizon.

The Characters
You are Agents of the League, drawn from across the world. In real life the membership of the League of Nations varied over time, but for the sake of simplicity we're assuming that you can be from (almost) any nation that existed from 1920 onward. If you want to play a character from the United States, USSR or Germany talk to me first, they are special cases. Nationality doesn't have to determine your character's origin though; take a look at the Interested Parties section below, and you might find another source of inspiration.

Characters are built like standard Atomic Robo characters. In addition to the modes in the book, this game has an additional mode: Occult

quote:

Occult: Notice, Occult, Will

The new skill, Occult, acts just like the Science skill from the core Atomic Robo rules, except that it applies to the supernatural, the secret occult history of the world, and the nature of the various types of monsters. The Science skill covers not only real-world fields, but things like super-science and weird science. The line between the Occult and Science skills can get a bit blurry, but it helps to remember that they are two sides of the same coin. They are both valid and correct, they just can't agree on how things should be codified. A scientist doesn't know why a crucifix hurts vampires and an occultist doesn't understand why x-rays can disperse ghosts but that doesn't change the fact that they both work.

Characters are meant to be two-fisted heroes of action. That doesn't necessarily mean they have to be good in a fight, but they do have to be proactive and willing to take risks to advance their goals. Usually Agents were monster-hunters of some stripe before being recruited, but this isn't always true. Your character may have been a scientist who stumbled into a den of werewolves or an intrepid journalist who discovered that a cult's rituals really were bringing monsters into this world, or you might just be a regular government functionary pulled into this world of monsters and magic. Agents always know the truth (or so they think) about the supernatural, and have at least some experience with it. Every Agent has an impressive array of skills, occult knowledge, or advanced technology to keep them one step ahead of the competition. And not all Agents are mundane humans, more and more people are discovering their own astonishing abilities, and the League often seeks out gifted individuals to turn their talents to the task of protecting humanity.

Weird skills, weird modes and mega-stunts are encouraged, whether you want to represent your Agent's knowledge of magic rituals, strange psychic abilities, or wonder-tech that baffles most scientists. This is a game about fighting monsters and villains while saving the day, and Agents are equipped to deal with the obstacles they face.

Stress: disregard the book, you get 7 boxes to distribute between Physical and Mental

Note: Monster-hunters have long learned that they cannot be picky in their allies. For an organization in the 1920s, the League of Nations is very welcoming, with many women among their ranks. There is no gender bias in the League, though female Agents may still face discrimination in the field. But to hunters, women have been equal in the fight against the supernatural as far back as anyone can remember and that isn't going to change any time soon.

Warning: alt-history incoming
Hong Kong Free City
After the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 ended disastrously for the Eight-Nation Alliance, the Empress Dowager Cixi forced all foreign powers out of Qing China. As a concession to the European powers, Hong Kong was made the gateway into China. Jointly administered by the Qing Empire and the members of the Eight-Nation Alliance, Hong Kong Free City is a port open to all, no matter their origin. Here, shipments of foreign goods can be sold to Qing merchants, who transport them into China on the Imperial Railway or direct them to other ports. It is the only way that foreign powers can sell to Chinese markets and in turn buy from Qing suppliers. The city also has lax laws on immigration and international crime, and is increasingly home to pirates, crime syndicates, banks dealing in ill-gotten money and a host of other rogue elements. So long as Hong Kong itself is not being harmed, anyone can gain asylum here.



After the Qing Empire's support in the Great War, a new deal was negotiated as part of the Paris Peace Conference. Hong Kong was put under the jurisdiction of the League of Nations, as the Qing would allow no embassy to be built on their soil. The transition to League control was recently completed, and Hong Kong is now left as the only city in the world that answers to no government. The League has recently opened a regional headquarters in the city, and has appointed Governor Zama Dindi Mhlongo to oversee their new territory.


The League's Hong Kong branch building

In 1923 Dr. Hakim, one of the world's leading physicists and League delegate from Persia, has detected alarming fluctuations in the etheric radiation around Hong Kong, which has always prefaced occult phenomena. Nothing on this scale has ever been recorded, and Dr. Hakim fears that a supernatural disaster is on the horizon, one the likes of which we haven't seen since the destruction of Pompeii. Five Agents were dispatched on the Pacifica Star ocean liner, which sank within sight of the Hong Kong harbor. Scrambling, the League has gathered a new group of Agents, and intend to smuggle them into Hong Kong to avoid the fate of the Pacifica Star. These agents need to ascertain the nature of this supernatural threat and save a city of 1.4 million people from certain doom.

Interested Parties

The Iron Dragon
A new and bold triad, the Iron Dragon emerged in Hong Kong Free City after the Great War. Some say that its founder, Wong Li, was a Boxer who fought on the Eastern front. Regardless of where Wong came from, he has built the Iron Dragon into one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in Hong Kong. His triad is locked in a struggle with the Demon Circle, another triad that wants to control the Imperial Railway. The triad that controls the railroad controls smuggling contraband into China through Hong Kong. Wong’s war with his rivals leads him to recruit sorcerers and monsters, as the Iron Dragon provides them with what they need in exchange for their services.

The Demon Circle
Once a loose association of seven sorcerers spread across southern China, the Demon Circle now has only one master: the feared criminal, master of the occult and educated scientist, the Devil Doctor Fu Manchu. He has gathered several triads under his absolute control, and while the Demon Circle operates across the whole of Asia, it is centered in Hong Kong. From his base in Kowloon Walled City, Fu’s soldiers deal in drugs, piracy and mercenary work all over the Pacific. At the moment he is feuding with the upstart Iron Dragons, but that is only the barest edge of his organization’s ambitions.

The Thule Society - these German occultists are a recent arrival to the city, though they have kept their allegiances a secret. Arriving by u-boat, the Thulists have set up shop in the caves of Mount Victoria. That's as much as the League knows, as no one has been able to find a trace of them since they went down into the dark.

Global Electric - the Asia headquarters of Thomas Edison's "company" are located in Hong Kong, and the notorious criminal and terrorist has been known to openly ride through the streets, flaunting his presence to the world at large, inspiring lurid headlines in newspapers across the globe. Global Electric was hired by the Qing to help with setting up the power grid for Beijing, and Hong Kong hired him afterwards. Enjoying the fact that his hosts have not tried to sell him out to the United States, Edison spends his summers in Hong Kong.

The Pendulum Group - mysterious in the extreme, the Pendulum Group is a powerful organization that control the holding companies of various corporations. Bankrolled primarily by American financier Oberon Barrett, this organization has proven impenetrable to the League, but its interest in the occult is well-known in the underground. The name of the organization has cropped up in connection to many missing artifacts and sorcerers, and the League believes that Pendulum operatives are responsible for stealing the shards of Tunguska magnetite from Tsarist forces during the October Revolution. Pendulum has recently arrived in Hong Kong, apparently having recruited a local crime lord. Whatever they're up to, it can't be good.

Resurrection Inc - A result of the hard work of American businesswoman Ann Ames, Resurrection Inc is a small but growing company that offers the dream of immortality to the most wealthy citizens of the world. Ames discovered Dr. Herbert West in 1920 in an insane asylum, but she had been chasing the legend of his miracle Re-Agent for years. She coaxed Dr. West into working for her with the last remaining copy of Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s research notes. Combining his Re-Agent with Frankenstein's discoveries, West has produced an electrochemical process that Ames claims can restore life to the dead. The world thought of them as nothing but jumped-up snake oil sellers until industrialists like Carnegie and Rockefeller began investing in them, and now Resurrection Inc is one of the fastest-growing companies in the world. Ames herself has come to Hong Kong to set up their regional headquarters and attempt to pitch her product to the young Empress Dowager Xiang.

I'd like to get between 4 and 5 players for this game. Recruiting will close at 10:00 PM Saturday, August 1st. If you have any questions at all, you can ask in the thread, send me a PM or shoot me an email at tiredserf AT gmail.com.

Serf fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Aug 1, 2015

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The Lore Bear
Jan 21, 2014

I don't know what to put here. Guys? GUYS?!
Tentatively interested. Just to confirm, are we looking at the '20s? '30s?

Serf
May 5, 2011


thelazyblank posted:

Tentatively interested. Just to confirm, are we looking at the '20s? '30s?

Whoops, will add to the OP. Yes, the year is 1923.

Shoombo
Jan 1, 2013
I've been waiting for something like this ever since you first started grumbling about the UN. Definitely interested.

Fuego Fish
Dec 5, 2004

By tooth and claw!
Count me down as a cautious maybe for now.

Bendigeidfran
Dec 17, 2013

Wait a minute...
The Boxers won? Guess I'm making a Bulletproof Communist.

Serf
May 5, 2011


Bendigeidfran posted:

The Boxers won? Guess I'm making a Bulletproof Communist.

This is exactly what happened, sorta! Turns out the Boxers were right, and whatever magic they used rendered them immune to modern weaponry. They defeated the Eight-Nation Alliance and drove them out of China. The Great Qing lives.

Incidentally, something similar happened during the Siege of Ulundi in 1880, which resulted in the Zulu defeating the British and forcing them to recognize their sovereignty. Zululand is an independent nation, and King Dinuzulu has been carrying on his father's legacy of modernization, funded by seemingly bottomless diamond mines and oilfields. Which is weird, because the surveyor reports in Cape Town didn't find anything there before 1880...

RandallODim
Dec 30, 2010

Another 1? Aww man...
Currently I'm considering a local Triad, with the Triads themselves having remained closer to their origins from the Southern Shaolin Temple and thus dealing in occult matters as much as spiritual ones. That's some nice qi flow you've got there. Sure would be a shame if anything were to happen to it...

I also have never done anything with Atomic Robo RPG before, if anyone has pointers on how to best go about it.

The Lore Bear
Jan 21, 2014

I don't know what to put here. Guys? GUYS?!
Alright, have an idea for a French monster-hunter lady, but still working on the details. Probably going to be one who has a natural gift for magic. Definitely a work in progress.



Name: Yvette Bellamont
Concept: Monster Hunter Finding Her Way

Modes:
Good (+3): Sorceress
-Focused (+4): Will, Notice, Transdimensional Summoning (1). Arcane Energies (1), Pyromancy (1)

Fair (+2): Banter
-Focused (+3): Provoke, Empathy (1), Rapport (1)

Average (+1): Action
-Focused (+2): Vehicles (1), Athletics (1), Combat (1)

Sorceress Weird Mode: Pyromancy (Attack, Create an Advantage, Overcome), Aeromancy (Defend, Create an Advantage, Overcome), Will, Notice, Occult (4 points)
Mechanical Note: Technically could make Pyromancy and Aeromancy into a general Xmancy skill, but feel like this way has more flavor/story potential.

Stunts/Mega-Stunts:

Ley Line Inspiration: Can use Arcane Energies to create advantages, assuming there is enough time and focus to open her mind's eye to the natural ley line flows.

Symbol-Weaved Vest: Armor:1, can use Aeromancy to defend against attacks involving projectiles.

The Worker's Struggle: +2 to Rapport when dealing with anyone who would be part of the working class.

Sorceress' Power (3 stunts):

-Unleash: Weapon:2 for magical effects, Weapon:4 at a cost.
-Collateral Damage: Can take Collateral Consequences to increase Aeromancy or Pyromancy rolls, gain bonus based on level of consequence (+2 Mild, +4 Moderate, etc)

6 benefits - 5 = 1 extra fate point for GM's pool

Stress Boxes:
Physical: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Mental: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]


Aspects Summary:
Concept: Monster Hunter Finding Her Way
Sorceress: From The Line of Morgue Le Faye
Banter: Makes Her Words Count
Action: If All Else Fails, There's Always Guns
Omega: La Flamme de Lyon

Yvette grew up being told she was something special, that she had an important story to tell. Her parents told her that she was going to be part of something very big, something the world hadn't seen yet. She was going to fight alongside others just like herself, in the Grand Worker's Revolution! Also, that she was part of a maternal line of people who could use and understand the arcane energies of the world. Her parents were very much focused on the former, while she was more focused on the latter. Luckily for her, while her parents were out fighting the good fight for worker's rights, her aunt taught her the importance of understanding and manipulating the mystical forces, along with the morality that goes along with it. Her parents' political opinions calmed during the war, along with the need to stay safe. Like many children of the day, she lost her father to the war, something that devastated her mother and created a rift between them that nearly didn't recover.

It certainly didn't help that Yvette was spending most of her time trying to find a way to bring her father back. Magic had all sorts of power, certainly it could bring someone back from the dead. Luckily for Yvette, her aunt Cecile was there when Yvette was trying to mess with the walls between life and death. There were rules for magic, and you followed them. Not because someone told you to, but because the consequences were dire if you followed through. Yvette's tiny portal to another side of the world only let through a single spirit, but the damage that one spirit caused nearly killed everyone she still had. When the spirit was banished, Yvette finally let her wishes to bring her father back go. She moved on, making a promise to keep his will alive through her own actions. She moved on to work in exorcisms and seances, although not the hoaxes one expects with them. After a while, the exorcisms became actual monsters with physical form. As she kept fighting, the tasks kept getting bigger and bigger until she finally found the cause of them. An arcanodevice that could sustain portals indefinitely, made by a man calling himself Le Corbeau. While she stopped the device, Le Corbeau escaped and there was a neighborhood in Lyon left in purifying flames.

She needed a way out, and luckily for her, the League of Nations called with a assignment for someone with her skillset.

----

Another question, did you want to avoid wizardly spellslinging of elements all around? Or is that generally cool as a form or subset of magic that PCs should be using? I can run either way, but didn't want to work too much on stunts/weird skills before at least checking if I'm way off here.

The Lore Bear fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Jul 22, 2015

Serf
May 5, 2011


thelazyblank posted:

Another question, did you want to avoid wizardly spellslinging of elements all around? Or is that generally cool as a form or subset of magic that PCs should be using? I can run either way, but didn't want to work too much on stunts/weird skills before at least checking if I'm way off here.

Elemental spellslinging sounds pretty cool to me, go for it!

e X
Feb 23, 2013

cool but crude
Pulp you say? I think I have already an idea:

e X fucked around with this message at 13:21 on Jul 19, 2015

Platonicsolid
Nov 17, 2008



September 22, 1920
Somewhere over the South China Sea

Davidson screamed over the radio "We're under attack! They're all around us!"

"Hold on, Davidson, I'm coming!" Helen answered back, unbuckling her harness and climbing backwards into the rear of the flight deck.

"You're insane" Ming told her. "How do you know that stuff works?"

"This is what you all hired me for," came the reply, accompanied by a rather manic grin. Helen adjusted her jacket one last time and snapped the belt closed. "You'll see."

Helen climbed backwards into the cargo hold, gripping the rails as the flying boat shuddered, straining to gain altitude. Wind whipped at Helen as she flung open the side door. Down in the distance, the lead plane of the convoy let off a trails of engine smoke as fighters zipped by it.Helen did a forward tumble out of the side door, spinnning in an acrobatic tumble. As she flattened out, the rocket on her back lit, sending her streaking off towards the lead plane.


January 9, 1922
A Hong Kong Bar. The super-divey kind.

"Another!"

"Haven't you had enough?"

Helen turned to see a swarthy man in far too nice a suit. Spanish, probably. "Not sure," she said. "Answer might be at the bottom here." She took the glass and downed the shot. "Nope."

"How sad," the man said, pulling out a chair. "So much potential. The Flying Yank of Hong Kong." Helen groaned. "Stupid papers," she muttered. Finally it dawned on her and she waved a finger at the man. "You're Hakim," she said.

"I am," Hakim answered. "At your service." He put a briefcase on the table. "You have quite a reputation in the underworld, Miss Riley."

"Missus" Helen corrected. Hakim seemed taken aback by this, pausing. He had opened his briefcase and pulled out a file, which he leafed through, pushing forward. "Quite a list here. And this is just Hong Kong and Shanghai. Let alone the Jupiter Incident."

The vague smugness on Helen's face dissolved, along with her apparent drunkenness. "Listen you little poo poo," she growled, halfway out of her chair. "Calm yourself,"

Hakim gestured downward. "I'm hardly an agent for the United States Navy. Not particularly fair to you, were they?" Helen picked up her glass and took a drink of the last few drops in dramatic fashion.

"No, they weren't," Helen said. "I ignored your letters for a reason."

"So I surmized," Hakim said. "You are not, I think, an uncaring person. You show that aggressive gregariousness Americans have. You've made friends in Hong Kong, friends you would be in a position to help, if you accepted."

Helen's eyes narrowed. "Ming, and Davidson?"

Hakim nodded. "A pardon can be arranged, if they promise to stay out of trouble."

Helen stroked her chin. "Alright. I'm in."

quote:

Name: Helen Riley

[/b]Modes:[/b]
Good (+3) - Rocket Woman
Fair (+2) - Action
Average (+1) - Intrigue

Skills:

Superb (+5): Athletics, Notice
Great (+4): Combat, Contacts, Vehicles, Will
Good (+3):
Fair (+2): Physique, Provoke
Average (+1): Burglary,Deceive, Stealth

(Specialize one trained)

Aspects:

Concept: Jetpack Adventurer
Rocket Woman:
Action: We Don't Put Up With That Sort of Crap in America!
Intrigue:
Omega: Can't Go Home Again

Stunts:
Give 'em Hell: Use Will to create an advantage when leading others into action

Jetpack
Function: A Rocket Strapped to my Back
Flaw: Hard to Control
Hell & Lightning: During a physical conflict, using a free invocation on an aspect or boots gives you a +3 instead of +2
Dogfighting: +2 to create an advantage or defend with Vehicles when up against conventional aircraft

Sheet needs a bit of work still, and this is my first time with Atomic Robo (although not FATE), so I might be getting it wrong anyway.

Platonicsolid fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Jul 20, 2015

My Lovely Horse
Aug 21, 2010

Very interested in playing either a German occultist or The West's Last Gunslinger brought out of retirement.

Serf
May 5, 2011


My Lovely Horse posted:

Very interested in playing either a German occultist or The West's Last Gunslinger brought out of retirement.

A German occultist has very likely had a run-in with the Thule Society, who have been snapping up as many recruits as possible recently, so I'd suggest working that into their background.

As for the West's Last Gunslinger, I don't see them having any involvement with the United States' anti-supernatural organization. Maybe Majestic-12 attempted to recruit them? Either way, all you need is a reason for them to decide to work for the League, which really has no presence in the US. If they were from Mexico and dealt with the occult, they've probably run across Ambrose Bierce, who is now an immortal vampire working for Pancho Villa. Bierce pretty much runs the supernatural side of Villa's operation, which managed to defeat Pershing's expedition, making him a living legend worldwide.

MiltonSlavemasta
Feb 12, 2009

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
"When you coming home, dad?"
"I don't know when
We'll get together then son you know we'll have a good time then."
What's the relationship between the Thule Society and the Kaiser's government? Could a double agent infiltrate the Thule Society for the Kaiser and then get burned/be living under a fake ID?

Serf
May 5, 2011


MiltonSlavemasta posted:

What's the relationship between the Thule Society and the Kaiser's government? Could a double agent infiltrate the Thule Society for the Kaiser and then get burned/be living under a fake ID?

Sure! The Thule Society in this world is actually a century-old cabal, with the latest incarnation being just a front for the real organization. Back when the monarchy was still around an agent of the Kaiser could have infiltrated them. But with the Kaiser gone and the Weimar Republic in power, they may or may not be in with the Abwehr.

ProfessorCirno
Feb 17, 2011

The strongest! The smartest!
The rightest!
Former Great War medic who now has an addiction to monster blood to come!

Josef bugman
Nov 17, 2011

Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
Okay, planning on either doing a Mr Wu from Deadwood with magic powers (ala what RandallODim was thinking of) or going to do a surviving Zoroastrian sorcerer with an unimpeachable pedigree from China (his ancestors arrived under the T'ang and he wants to make sure everyone knows about it). Either sound good?

Serf
May 5, 2011


Josef bugman posted:

Okay, planning on either doing a Mr Wu from Deadwood with magic powers (ala what RandallODim was thinking of) or going to do a surviving Zoroastrian sorcerer with an unimpeachable pedigree from China (his ancestors arrived under the T'ang and he wants to make sure everyone knows about it). Either sound good?

Both sounds pretty interesting to me!

As a general note: Having connections to Hong Kong/China is awesome, don't hesitate to do that. But the characters will be flying into the city by zeppelin, so be sure to keep that in mind when coming up with your backstory!

MiltonSlavemasta
Feb 12, 2009

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
"When you coming home, dad?"
"I don't know when
We'll get together then son you know we'll have a good time then."
Is it cool to put Occult or Science in your weird mode? The rules don't seem totally clear on this.

Serf
May 5, 2011


MiltonSlavemasta posted:

Is it cool to put Occult or Science in your weird mode? The rules don't seem totally clear on this.

I don't see where it says you can't do this. By the book Science technically costs 0 points, so I could see how it would be abused. I'll say yeah, you can put Science or Occult in your weird mode, but you can only have it in one mode total, so no weird mode with Science and then taking the Science mode. You can still use your free improvements to bump up whatever individual fields of Science/Occult you like.

Shoombo
Jan 1, 2013
Dang, a lot of people are talking about gangsters, which puts a damper on my idea of "guy from Axe Gang in Kung Fu Hustle". I'll need to find some other source to rip off.

e X
Feb 23, 2013

cool but crude

Loki_XLII posted:

Dang, a lot of people are talking about gangsters, which puts a damper on my idea of "guy from Axe Gang in Kung Fu Hustle". I'll need to find some other source to rip off.

Ah, I say stick with it. I'll for a complete Madrake the Magician ripoff, a stage magician who uses illusions to fight evil because Lee Falk is amazing.

RandallODim
Dec 30, 2010

Another 1? Aww man...
What're the circumstances of Shanghai in this world? Thinking that'd be a good port of origin.

e X posted:

Ah, I say stick with it. I'll for a complete Madrake the Magician ripoff, a stage magician who uses illusions to fight evil because Lee Falk is amazing.

Of course, I might also just app The Spectre (aka The Spirit Who Walks!), who has no relation to any other character at all.

RandallODim fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Jul 20, 2015

Fuego Fish
Dec 5, 2004

By tooth and claw!


Name: Dhiren Shah

From the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, the flying boat reigns supreme, and throughout the dens and bars where pilots of these skyborne vessels congregate, there is always one name spoken in hushed tones. Dhiren Shah, known as the Prince of the Sea and Sky, a veritable legend that, like most legends, nobody could be sure truly existed. Some said that he learned to fly in the Great War, and above the killing fields something changed him forever. Others say that he did not truly change until a chartered expedition to find the lost civilisation of Kumari Kandam saw him as the sole survivor, returning in a battered plane with a haunted look in his eye. He has been called a pirate, a rogue, an anarchist, a murderer, a monster, and a myth.

Dhiren Shah does exist, however, and no matter the rumours of his past, his present is working for the League. A solitary sort, he does not often socialise, but those who have gotten to know him will defend him fiercely. There is none more loyal, none more courageous, none more fearsome than the Prince of the Sea and Sky. Just refrain from entering his quarters unannounced, if you value your well-being.

Modes:
Good (+3) Curse (Athletics, Combat, Notice, Physique, Provoke)
Fair (+2) Pilot
Average (+1) Action

Skills:
Superb (+5) Notice
Great (+4) Athletics, Combat, Physique, Provoke
Good (+3) Vehicles
Fair (+2) Contacts

Aspects:
Concept: World-Weary Sky Captain
Curse: Eyes of the Tiger*
Pilot: Prince of the Sea and Sky
Action: Don't Call Me A Pirate
Omega: There's Someone Like Me Out There

Stunts and Mega-Stunts:

Walk With Two Spirits: Can adopt the form of a ferocious black tiger to become absolutely stronger than any human, but loses the ability to speak, and cannot do anything requiring thumbs; Weapon:2 when fighting unarmed while transformed; +2 to Stealth while transformed.

The Beast Within: Use Physique to defend against mental attacks.

Signature Aspect: Eyes of the Tiger

Fasten Seat Belts: +2 to overcome with Vehicles when dealing with adverse environmental conditions.

She’ll Hold Together: Any aircraft you pilot has Armor:2.

Stress and Consequences:

Physical: ☐☐☐☐☐
Mental: ☐☐

This is my first time doing any sort of Atomic Robo thing, so I may have futzed up here and there. But I've tried to follow the book, and copy/imitate what's in there, as best as I can.

MiltonSlavemasta
Feb 12, 2009

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
"When you coming home, dad?"
"I don't know when
We'll get together then son you know we'll have a good time then."
Adalwulf von Hayek


putting the mechanics here, making sure I didn't get anything wrong before doing bio

Modes: (30 Points)

Good (+3): Counter-Espionage (11 points)
Fair (+2): Action (9 Points)
Average (+1): Intrigue (9 Points)

Counter-Espionage Weird Mode: 11 Points
Athletics (2), Combat (2), Notice (1), Deceive (2), Stealth (2), Contacts (1), Burglary (1), Science (0)

Superb +5: Athletics, Notice
Great +4: Burglary, Combat, Deceive, Stealth, Contacts, Engineering
Good +3: Science
Fair +2: Provoke, Vehicles, Physique
Mediocre +0: Empathy, Rapport, Will

1 Point: Focus Engineering +4

Aspects:
High Concept: Literally Burned Spy
Counter-Espionage: The Kaiser's Special Asset
Intrigue: The One You Don't See Coming
Action: I've Been Through Worse
Omega: Still Got That Old Time Blood and Soil

Stunts and Mega-Stunts:
OUT OF NOWHERE: As long as you’re not being directly observed and there’s a reasonable way to
leave, you can disappear from a scene. Spend a fate point later (in the same scene or
a subsequent one) to reappear in an unobserved spot.

EXACTLY AS PLANNED: At any time, you may reveal that you just happen to have precisely the
right piece of technological hardware on hand, whether a weapon or something else.
You can reveal as many pieces of such hardware as you like during the course of a
volume, but their combined qualities can’t exceed your Engineering, and every benefit
must be paid for as usual—by increasing the GM’s reserve.

RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY: Bulletproof, but weak against Fire. You also have Armor:2.

OR I COULD JUST KILL IT: +2 to attack with Combat with melee weapons or with
firearms.

6-5=1 Fate point to GM.

MiltonSlavemasta fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Jul 20, 2015

Bendigeidfran
Dec 17, 2013

Wait a minute...
This is related to RandallODim's question, but how stable is Qing China in general? My original plan for the character was inspired by the Warlord Era but that kind of doesn't happen in this history.

tokenbrownguy
Apr 1, 2010

Going to submit a mad-science research assistant.

Serf
May 5, 2011


RandallODim posted:

What're the circumstances of Shanghai in this world? Thinking that'd be a good port of origin.

Shanghai is one of the most popular ports of entry for foreign goods coming into China and exit for Chinese products on the way out. Due to the amount of trade happening through Shanghai, the locals have begun to skirt the Qing rule, building large docks that extend far out into the water, complete with bars, gambling dens, stores and other businesses catering to foreign sailors. Since technically no outsiders are setting foot on Chinese soil, they claim that this doesn't violate the Beijing Accord and is perfectly legal. The Qing seems to tolerate this for now, and as a result Shanghai is the only other place where Chinese culture is able to mix with the world at large.

Bendigeidfran posted:

This is related to RandallODim's question, but how stable is Qing China in general? My original plan for the character was inspired by the Warlord Era but that kind of doesn't happen in this history.

The Warlord Era isn't really an era here as the Qing has the support of the Boxers, who are able to crush most attempts at insurrection. And public confidence in the Qing is pretty high given that they have managed to secure Chinese sovereignty against foreign influence. But there are plenty of people who are unhappy with the Manchu minority still being the sole ruling power, and while there have been peaceful protests there are rebels out there. They are more like guerrilla fighters, striking against Qing operations and fleeing before Boxer troops can arrive. But Boxers are not immune to melee weaponry, and their immunity to bullets and bombs doesn't make them superhuman fighters. A good fighter with a blade can fight off untrained Boxer troops, and many of the rebellions are fought with the weapons of the past, leading to several Boxer losses. Not all of the Qing Empire is controlled by the Qing, but they've been very good at suppressing that information both to their own people and to the rest of the world. At the same time, there are unconfirmed reports that Boxer troops are being wounded by gunfire on the outskirts of the Empire, leading to rumors that their magic is fading.

tokenbrownguy
Apr 1, 2010

Frank Thompson - Recovering Lab Assistant

(Pictured Left - About to duck and cover)

"For every recluse trying to research unfathomable weaponry, each mad-scientist pushing the boundaries of what man was meant to know, and all the poorly thought-out attempts at harnessing wonder chemicals and super formulas, there's an unlucky assistant risking his life in the name of progress. How many Ph.D's you know that "handle" their own materials? Most assistants don't survive the prototyping phases, even more are lost during the alpha and beta stages, and the lucky few that survive beyond that are inevitably let go with a letter of recommendation and a swift kick in the rear end.

Not me though. I've seen it all - and survived. Been in most of the advanced labs in academia, and worked with some of the most unhinged minds in all of science.

What, you don't believe me? Ever hear of Dr. Brim, chemical mastermind? I was there when he melted his compound into its component parts with The MegaOoze. Professor Xi Hao - radiologist? I was the only survivor of the Great Cockroach Uprising, and I've got the scars to prove it. Worst was that brat Kenny K. the twelve year old who turned our entire laboratory into a micro-dimensional mirror. It was like dodging gunfire from all planes of existence simultaneously! That's just a few examples.

Anyhow, I'm done with that line of work. Too risky. Getting old you see, not many assistants make it past twenty-six. No, Ol' Frank Thompson here's in a new line of work: The Agency. Gunfights, monsters, and rogue "magick" are all waaaay safer than another internship in the Super Scientist community. Way I figure, there's a whole lotta science going on out there that's a risk to regular folks. Somebody's gotta know how to destroy their freak-technologies before they hurt people. That's where I come in. Even got a few toys that survived the old gigs to make my life a little easier.

Yessiree, Frank Thompson's living the easy life from here on out."

Aspects:
High Concept: Recovering Lab Assistant
Science: Been There, Seen the Prototype
Research Assistant: Save Yourself!
Action: What Hath Science Wrought!?
Omega: Stopping Progress for All Mankind

Modes: (25 points)
Good (+3): Science (3 points)
- Specialized: Super-Science
- Focused: Aerodynamics
- Specialized from Focused: Mad-Science
Fair (+2): Research Assistant (13 points)
- Focused: Aerodynamics, Chemistry, Mad-Science
Average(+1): Action (9 points)
- Focused: Contacts
- Specialized from Focused: Combat

Research Assistant Weird Mode: (13 points)
Athletics (2), Combat (2), Contacts (1), Notice (1), Physique (1), Stealth (2), Vehicles (2), Will (1)

Skills:
Superb +5: Super-Science, Mad-Science,
Great +4: Aerodynamics, Combat, Notice, Thermodynamics, Weird Science, Will
Good +3: All-Other-Sciences, Athletics, Contacts, Physique, Vehicles
Fair +2: Stealth
Average +1: Provoke

Stress Boxes:
Physical: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Mental: [ ] [ ] [ ]

Stunts and Mega-Stunts:
-Technobabble: When discussing scientific matters with fellow intellectuals, use Super-Science instead of Rapport to overcome. (1)
-Hand-Held Data Scanner: Spend a fate point and choose any one non-Science skill. For the rest of the scene, treat that skill as if it were a trained Science skill. (1)
-Professor Magnus' Omniblaster (Megastunt): (3)
Function: IT FIRES EVERYTHING
Flaw: All-Consuming
The Shoot-Anything-Gun: Weapon: 4, or Weapon: 6 at a cost
What's the Worst That Could Happen?: +1 to Super-Science or Weird-Science when interacting with energy fields, quantum waves, and so forth.

tokenbrownguy fucked around with this message at 07:11 on Jul 20, 2015

Epicurius
Apr 10, 2010
College Slice
Working on some ideas in my head, and we'll see if I come up with anything.

Shoombo
Jan 1, 2013
Would Occult be used to know about obscure and mystical martial arts schools?

Serf
May 5, 2011


Loki_XLII posted:

Would Occult be used to know about obscure and mystical martial arts schools?

I'm gonna say yes. Just if you want to use Occult to use mystical kung-fu you'll need to have a stunt to justify it.

Also, I've added some more Interested Parties to the OP, including 2 triads since those seem to be big points of interest.

Shoombo
Jan 1, 2013

Serf posted:

I'm gonna say yes. Just if you want to use Occult to use mystical kung-fu you'll need to have a stunt to justify it.

Also, I've added some more Interested Parties to the OP, including 2 triads since those seem to be big points of interest.

I'll probably stick to other skills for the actual use, but good to know!

Sadly I just lost the character I was typing up, and I'm tired. Hopefully I'll have something made tomorrow that I can post.

MiltonSlavemasta
Feb 12, 2009

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
"When you coming home, dad?"
"I don't know when
We'll get together then son you know we'll have a good time then."
Varr, I think you are over-budget. If you do the points-based mode and skill generation, I don't think you also get the free focuses/specializations you would get from no-math generation. I could be wrong though?

tokenbrownguy
Apr 1, 2010

Ah, I think you're right.

unseenlibrarian
Jun 4, 2012

There's only one thing in the mountains that leaves a track like this. The creature of legend that roams the Timberline. My people named him Sasquatch. You call him... Bigfoot.
Current terrible character idea: Amrit Singh, hardboiled Sikh PI, the son of the captain of the all-Sikh division of the Shanghai municipal police, before the foreigners were officially driven out. He, of course, learned a mysterious martial arts style from the unfinished notes of his father's old friend, William Fairbarn. The art of...DEFENDU.

But this may change when I've had caffeine and/or sleep.

Serf
May 5, 2011


unseenlibrarian posted:

Current terrible character idea: Amrit Singh, hardboiled Sikh PI, the son of the captain of the all-Sikh division of the Shanghai municipal police, before the foreigners were officially driven out. He, of course, learned a mysterious martial arts style from the unfinished notes of his father's old friend, William Fairbarn. The art of...DEFENDU.

But this may change when I've had caffeine and/or sleep.

Okay, so this idea is so cool that if you want to write it up I'll modify the history of Shanghai so that it will fit.

unseenlibrarian
Jun 4, 2012

There's only one thing in the mountains that leaves a track like this. The creature of legend that roams the Timberline. My people named him Sasquatch. You call him... Bigfoot.
Not much history needs to be modified! The all-Sikh division of the Shanghai Municipal Police was actually founded pre-Boxer rebellion, in the 1880s, so would have been around up until 1900. Fairbairn's timeline is a little bit sketchier, but I imagine something can be worked out.

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Serf
May 5, 2011


unseenlibrarian posted:

Not much history needs to be modified! The all-Sikh division of the Shanghai Municipal Police was actually founded pre-Boxer rebellion, in the 1880s, so would have been around up until 1900. Fairbairn's timeline is a little bit sketchier, but I imagine something can be worked out.

I'll say that after the Beijing Accord of 1900, the SMP was allowed to continue operating with a special allowance from the Qing, with a plan to transition police control of Shanghai to the Boxers that keeps getting delayed due to internal turmoil. So there is a polite agreement to overlook the presence of foreigners in Shanghai so long as they do their job of keeping the peace.

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