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Stormcrow Stormcrow blinks and looks around as the explosion settles, then back at where Nightwitch landed. "He could do a lot of good things with that power, couldn't he?" He focuses down on Pharma and resists the urge to kick the unconscious man while he looks him over, before turning to rush over to their hurt teammate. "Someone help me with her. We'll need to stop the bleeding. And she may still be on whatever it is that Pharma did to her." He looks over her gauntlets, trying to see if there's an easy way to take them off. Detect weakness on Pharma, fair play etc
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Nov 6, 2015 16:43
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Nightwitch Nightwitch lies there bleeding. It is, at the moment, her most marketable skill. If/when Stormcrow or anyone else starts fiddling with her gauntlets, they may be surprised to see that Nightwitch's dog has returned - and, ears flat, starts growling at them. Leave the gauntlet alone? No growl. Gauntlet? Growl. Otherwise the animal is content to sit beside the unconscious Nightwitch, but he doesn't lick her face, since he can smell Rage Drugs on her and no one wants to deal with berserker dog.
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Nov 6, 2015 17:15
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Prototype Prototype straightens up with her ears ringing and a metallic taste in her mouth. Some kind of warning message is trying to get her attention about power levels in one of her systems. She looks around at the damage from the explosion, taking in Nightwitch and Pharma both down for the count. "Well, that... could've gone better." "Is she going to be okay?" Valerie asks Stormcrow, since he seems to know what he's doing. "And anyone know what happened to the Wall?" Ripley fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Nov 6, 2015 |
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Nov 6, 2015 20:56
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While Stormcrow doesn't feel any great weakness from Pharma, he becomes aware of every quirk and opening in the way he fights, and the way he thinks. Pharma will often give up victory if he has an opportunity to embarrass or humiliate an opponent, and casting aspersions on his intelligence is a surefire way to provoke him into trying to prove you wrong. While most superbeings with powers like his prefer more direct chemicals, particularly powerful acids, Pharma generally eschews them in favor of more esoteric chemical reactions and substances that exploit specific heroes' weaknesses or negate their powers. This too-clever-by-half style tends to leave him open when fighting multiple opponents, as his chosen chemical is usually only especially effective against one of them at a time. (You now have +5 to hit Pharma, basically forever.) Flashpoint remains unconscious, not far from Nightwitch. Stormcrow could analyze him once he made certain Nightwitch was stable. On closer examination, the ice shard has only caused a flesh wound, and the bleeding isn't too bad. (Medical care multiplies the patient's Healing Rate by one-tenth of the caregiver's Intelligence, as long as they have medical training. Laymen multiply it by one-twentieth of their Intelligence. When someone wakes up from being Incapacitated, they normally only get one HP back, but with first aid applied, they'll gain the full modified Healing Rate. In Stella's case, it just goes up to 2 with Stormcrow's help, whereas Groo's Healing Rate would go from 7 to 10.)
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Nov 6, 2015 23:57
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Groo the Eternal Groo drops to a kneel next to Nightwitch and raises his palms, concentrating on re-knitting her injuries. As he does, he responds to the gang member speaking to him. "Yeah, well, I can't speak for the other two's behavior, but if I was you I'd do anything in my power to make sure I'm never near Pharma again. There's a line between being a reckless troublemaker and a dangerous sociopath, and he's crossed it twice in the past two minutes. She'd be in pretty bad shape if I wasn't here. " He glances back down and frowns, realizing that he'd gone a bit farther than he'd intended while he was distracted with his old-man lecture. He stands up quickly and waves to the others. "Okay, the good news is that I've healed all of her injuries, including the minor concussion that knocked her out. The bad news is that I can't do anything about whatever Pharma did, and now that she's not concussed she could snap awake any second now. If she starts coming around, I'm gonna have to paralyze her arms temporarily." He gives an apologetic glance at the Dog and hopes it'll be smart enough to not try to stop him. Flesh Works Heal: 13  Okay, if she starts waking up I'm going to immediately fully paralyze both arms with Flesh Works's contact paralysis, because I'd rather not get frozen and stabbed today. pre:Basic Hits: 5 Hit Points: 31 Healing Rate: 7 PP: 51/71 Damage Modifier: +1 Accuracy: +/- 0 Basic HTH Damage: 1d10 Movement Rate: 53 (265 feet) Detect Hidden: 14% Detect Danger: 18%
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Nov 7, 2015 02:00
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Stormcrow "Could have used you on my team," Stormcrow comments to Groo as he watches the ancient man at work. Leaving him to it, he stands up and moves to Flashpoint, giving the villain a once over for any serious injuries, but more specifically, picking out his weaknesses. WIll use Weakness Detection again when able.
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Nov 7, 2015 02:08
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(Oh, right, there's the contact paralysis move, too. That'll be Paralysis Ray with melee range, because using lots of different columns on the attack chart is kind of neat.) Groo heals Nightwitch, and gets an inherent sense that she's already pretty tired out, it wouldn't be too hard to restrain her. As Stormcrow feels out Flashpoint's weaknesses, he immediately feels the man's impulse control problems. He reacts strongly to even the slightest provocation, usually in the most predictable way possible, though not always aggressively, as seen when he dropped everything to free his friend from Nightwitch's ice, giving up the chance to disable Stella. Luke also sees all of Flashpoint's personal flaws. He prefers using his light to blind people over lasers, using them only when absolutely necessary. He's fond of the visceral thrill he gets from throwing fireballs, the crackling and the heat. He reflexively forms his fireballs to burst, to hit anyone standing too close together, so a good way to force him onto the back foot is to position oneself between his allies, so he has to adjust his fireball or else risk hitting a friend, a risk he'd never take. The adjustment will only leave him open for a moment, but it can be enough to get the upper hand. He also usually won't take to the air until he feels he's at a disadvantage, so lulling him into a false sense of security can keep him in arm's reach. (As with Pharma, this tactical info confers a permanent +5 to hit for Stormcrow. His Low Self-Control was already known, but if it hadn't been, Stormcrow could now share this information with others.)
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Nov 7, 2015 02:57
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Nightwitch EDIT: Consciousness Check: 1d100 6 Okay, passed it. I forgot to make this roll, for I am a dumb. Saving throw: 1d20 20 welp Nightwitch stirs... and can't move her arms. This is, in the end, for the best; she's still really really angry. Turning her head, she sees Pharma's unconscious form on the ground and glares at it, hoping to spontaneously develop the power to murder people with her mind. She does not succeed. So after a few minutes of glaring she turns her attention to one of the gang members - not the one who'd spoken earlier, a different one. "You!" she hollers. "How the hell are you gonna run out and terrorize innocent people without even bothering to stop at a gym? Look at you! Where the gently caress is your chin, you sack of crap? And that haircut! Did you do that poo poo yourself? At least go back to letting your mother dress you or something, you look like an idiot!" Look, if she can't hurt anyone physically she can at least try to hurt people emotionally. She keeps this up for a bit until Dog pads over and promptly sits on her chest; she scowls at the canine and makes angry little squeaking noises at him while he licks her face, grinning a great big doggy grin. DivineCoffeeBinge fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Nov 7, 2015 |
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Nov 7, 2015 14:00
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The gang members shrug at Groo's advice. "Yeah, sometimes he gets a little carried away, he don't mean nothin' by it, he just loves fightin' capes and doin' his supervillain thing. You guys seem pretty alright for new guys, 'specially the robot chick. We're still gonna kick your asses next time, but nothin' personal, just the way it is, y'know?" As Nightwitch berates them, only to be cut off by her dog, they snicker amongst themselves. It's not long before the police arrive. The gangbangers that are still conscious give themselves up without a fight, this clearly isn't their first rodeo. Flashpoint, Pharma, and the guy Nightwitch had frozen are seen to by paramedics and loaded into ambulances. Nightwitch is also loaded up, after being given a sedative, and the paramedics assure the group that she'll be fine after she receives treatment. A policewoman walks up to Valerie, apparently for debriefing purposes. "Hey, I'm Officer Nicole Walker, thanks for the collar, uh, Prototype, right? Captain Houlihan sent out a memo about you guys, said you were the one to talk to. And don't worry about those two freaks, the hospital's got a secure ward for people like them. So, let's see, so far we got these bozos on riot in the second degree," she notices the area where Pharma had caused the explosion, "make that first degree, various counts of criminal mischief, the guy we loaded into the ambulance is going down for possession of a firearm, and, of course, there's assault. Any other crimes of theirs you'd like to report? Oh, and let me know if you have any questions, heard it's your first time, I'd be happy to help you all get settled into the job." She's trying to act professional, but anyone with any sort of training at reading people can tell that Officer Walker's emotions are running fairly high. A similar tension can be felt from the slowly growing crowd of people gathering around the heroes. Scattered cheers and applause come from the group of civilians, though they seem shocked as well as pleased. A well-dressed man with an obviously fake tan and an even more obviously fake smile pushes his way through the throng, trailed by a cameraman and boom operator. At first, they look like they also want to approach Prototype, but seeing that she's occupied, they turn to Michael, and rush him. "Chip Ripley, Channel 5 Action News, would you mind answering some questions for the viewers at home?" It's not long before the others are similarly besieged by journalists. Luke is cornered by one Sandra Feinman of the Detroit Daily Tribune, who scribbles furiously into her notepad with every word he says. Firewall is met by NPR's Don Gonyea, who was actually visiting his hometown on vacation this week, and quickly picks up on the young man's disability, offering to call for an interpreter from the local NPR affiliate. Johnathan Doe is stuck with Uriah Updike, a contributor to Weird Detroit Weekly, a local tabloid focused on bizarre conspiracy theories and crackpot monster stories. Groo, not exactly a media darling, is reluctantly approached by Gloria Templeton, representing the Huffington Post. (Now is when you all mark down the experience I said you'd be getting in the OOC thread. Also, the villains will be sentenced based on what crimes they're convicted for, there's actually a subchapter in the book describing the various crimes in detail, their possible sentences, and so on. Also, yes, the reporter you got stuck with is based on your Charisma. It pretty much goes TV news, newspaper, NPR, Tabloid, HuffPo, though it depends on how many TV stations and newpapers get people on the scene, so if you're lucky, you can avoid the dreaded HuffPo interview even with low Charisma. Speaking of Charisma, jump over to the OOC thread, where I'll explain the extra-special Charisma Rules. See, there's a reason Charisma doesn't affect any of your derived stats, and those rules are that reason.)
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Nov 8, 2015 06:05
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Groo the Eternal Groo, distracted watching the ambulance pull away, doesn't really pick up on the arrival of the journalists until he hears someone clear their throat hesitantly behind him. Still on edge and not thinking, he whirls on his heel a little over-aggressively and immediately regrets it as the reporter gives a little shriek and takes a step back. He gives what he hopes is a winning smile (it's actually pretty terrifying). "Uh, sorry. Can I help you, miss?" Charisma Gain (4+) 1 nobody love groo 
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Nov 8, 2015 06:39
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The mousy-looking woman hesitantly steps closer. "G-Gloria Templeton, Huffington Post. The president said that there were still superpowered individuals out there who could protect us, and, well, you're the first to actually do so. What can you tell me about yourself? Who are you, where did you come from? What about your teammates? Are you local to Detroit, or is this part of a global initiative? Are there any others that you know of?" She rattles off a lot of questions, apparently wanting to know everything about Groo from his powers to his shoe size, but he's been around the block enough times to know from her body language that the only question she's really asking is, "Can we all feel safe again?" (I should mention, giving a good interview can trigger a second Charisma boost roll, so get into the NaNoWriMo spirit and give the press the sort of story they're looking for. Naturally, each of them is looking for a different angle, based on the outlet they're with and their own personality. Gloria, being easy to read, especially for anyone with lots of experience with people, it's clear that she's just looking for anything that can reassure readers online that no, they're not left helpless and at the mercy of supervillains, there are still people with the power and the will to defend peace and justice.)
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Nov 8, 2015 07:02
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Nightwitch Nightwitch mumbles slurred imprecations at the EMTs about how much she hates them and also some more of that morphine would be nice please. Dog, assuming he wasn't allowed into the ambulance with Nightwitch, is going to go to the hospital. Yes, he is a dog and thus bad with directions but he's not going to let that stop him! He's smarter than the average dog! He will find his way to OH LOOK A STRAY CAT RUN RUN RUN CHASE CHASE CHASE okay, now back to finding Nightwitch, she must be around here somewhere. This lasts for several minutes before Dog wisely decides that this isn't the optimal course of action. Luckily there's someone he can ask for help! Someone who clearly likes him and thinks he's awesome, because she gave him pettings and scritches! So Dog pads up to Prototype and bumps up against her leg before sitting and looking up at her and whining piteously.
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Nov 8, 2015 07:15
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(Oh, of course, Dog gains Charisma for his valiant efforts saving civilians. Except, Dog is already at maximum Charisma.  )
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Nov 8, 2015 07:20
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Stormcrow "Well. Basically the only thing I have to say, is that for any in the city who think they have free reign to cause trouble after the heroic sacrifices of those who contained the Eternity Glove? Better think twice. With Detroit's finest and my team here, you won't escape justice for long. I'm Stormcrow." He would drop the mic but that'd be rude. Plus, Sandra just has her notepad. So instead he looks around for the others to figure out how they're getting back. Maybe they can hitch rides with the cops? IPlayVideoGames fucked around with this message at 08:09 on Nov 8, 2015 |
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Nov 8, 2015 08:04
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Appearing only mildly impressed, Sandra writes way more in her notepad than Luke thinks he said. "Excellent, that's great, now, do you have a moment for a photo-op? We need something for the front page." Looks like the floundering print media is more interested in selling papers than getting in a solid report. Maybe giving her something exclusive will do more to get her to portray you well than inspiring speeches. If it's scandalous, even better.
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Nov 8, 2015 08:55
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Stormcrow "Uh, sure. Go ahead," Stormcrow nods, already getting a bit sick of the press, and it's barely been a minute. He's not about to take his helmet off and show his face, of course. But he does give a thumbs up, in what he probably thinks is reassuring or cool or something.
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Nov 8, 2015 09:06
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Firewall As the battle wound down to a close, Firewall stopped to catch his breath, watching the rest of his team clean up the mess. Pulling the void back into him, he shivered. It was always a little unpleasant changing, no matter how many times he did it. As the paramedics took the various supers away, he stood back up, the reporters would be coming soon. Ah, yes, there they were. Shaking off his wounds he watched as the one reporter approached. As the man- Don Gonyea- made the offer to get a translator, Firewall nodded. The text-to-speech was still a little wonky at times, and had issues during long conversations. So having someone to sign to would probably be a lot easier.
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Nov 8, 2015 10:09
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Groo the Eternal Groo relaxes a little. He wasn't too sure what the Huffington Post was; sounded like a local newspaper or something. At least there was no risk that millions of people were going to read whatever he said. He takes a deep breath and starts talking."The name's Groo, and I think we're staying local for the moment, but ultimately, we go where the trouble is. Teams like us, we're the first steps towards getting the world back on track. We can never replace the ones we lost, but we can honor their legacy and their sacrifice by fighting for their cause, any way we can. You don't have to worry; heroism's not dead yet, not while we're around." He pauses for comment, wondering if he hadn't laid it on a little too thick.
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Nov 8, 2015 10:31
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Prototype "Thanks, Officer Walker, sounds like you've got it covered," Valerie says. She glances around at the descending pack of reporters, grateful that she doesn't have to talk to any of them this time and wishing her teammates luck. "I'd keep an eye on Pharma in particular, he seems to enjoy escalating things just for his own entertainment." "I don't really know what standard operating procedure was for super teams before the crisis." True enough, she'd never been assigned to this kind of duty. "Anything we can do to make life easier from your side?" Other than 'don't let your teenage magician get hospitalised' and 'try not to blow up the city', she adds mentally.
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Nov 8, 2015 23:14
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Space Man Mike takes a moment to consider his response to the camera. This mask will only do just so good to conceal who he is from people that haven't known him. What about his wife? His friends? Will they recognize his voice through the news? Will they try to reach out to him? Should he let them? No, he didn't think that was the purpose of this new life he was granted. Somewhere along the line he was saved by something the rest of the Unity crew had suffered. He would have to adapt if he wanted to find out what the purpose of it really was. He resolved to remain stoic though fluid in manner, making his voice as naturally baritone as he could muster. "I'm glad to see you, Gloria. I don't want you or the rest of the city to think of us as just another group of superpowered capes and masks. I want you to think of us as fellow citizens. We are faced with the gravest of challenges, protecting you and everyone you hold dear. This isn't just a call to arms we've answered from the President, this is personal for each and every one of us here today. I'm not going to tell you about who we are or where we come from, because we are from all over the globe and from all sorts of walks of life. What I can tell you is that we have the power, tools and technology to fight this good fight that you and yours can hold your families in peace and safety each night. Through all of the chaos, through all of the wrongs and discord, through all of the pain and suffering, this New Justice will uphold the values of this country. To those who would use atrocity and terror for their personal gain, as political weapons, I say this; your day is over. We will no longer tolerate and we will no longer be afraid. It's your turn to be afraid." -- Charisma: 1d20 20. That saves my Charisma, right? NovaLion fucked around with this message at 22:15 on Nov 10, 2015 |
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Nov 10, 2015 22:08
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Johnathan Doe "We greet you, Uriah Updike", the nanobots say. "We understand that you wish to ask us some questions about the events that have just happened. We will answer you, if we can. We apologize that we are not overly familiar with your newspaper." Charisma (against 8): 1d20 5
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Nov 11, 2015 22:33
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Sandra waves over a young man with an expensive-looking camera, who snaps a few pictures of Stormcrow for the front page. She looks mildly disappointed that he didn't have more to say. The headlines, naturally, would be favorable, but Stormcrow doesn't get much more coverage than just the use of his quote. Don nodded, and made a call to WDET, who already had a correspondent en route who was fluent in ASL, Gonyea's presence being a bit of a surprise. A couple minutes later, they were ready to take Firewall's statement. "So, young man, as I'm sure you can imagine, we're all very curious about this new team of superheroes. What can you tell us?" His even tone of voice makes it sound less like he's looking to be reassured, as most of the other reporters are, and more like he genuinely wants useful information, rather than trite emotional content or gossip. Gloria looks like she might hug Groo, if he weren't legitimately terrifying to behold. Instead she just nods, wiping her eyes, and quietly thanks him before hurrying away to write her story. Largely unbeknownst to him, Groo would be blowing up social media for much of the week. Fortunately, his lack of internet savvy means he will be spared having to see the fanart of him based on the amateur photos being taken by the crowd, including being drawn as a cartoon pony by some deeply maladjusted individual. Of course, with Nightwitch being a fairly typical teenager, it's basically inevitable that she'll see all of it. (Groo gets a roll to gain Charisma. Space Man, you're talking to Chip Ripley, the TV reporter. I'll just act like you got it right.) Chip Ripley and his news crew are thoroughly impressed by Space Man's speech, and also make sure to get his name for when the report is made during the nightly news. It's the top story that night, and the cameraman really got Michael's good side, inasmuch as he has a good side while wearing a mask over his head. (Yes, the high roll means your Charisma is safe. Also, for a good statement, you get to roll to gain Charisma. Same roll, but rolling high increases Charisma, while low does nothing.) Uriah Updike quickly jots down notes in a beat up old notepad. Between the clothes stained with sweat and grease, the scraggly stubble on his face, and the hungry glint in his eye, he's almost stereotypical in how much like a muckraker he looks, not that Johnathan can tell. "So, I was actually across the street during the fight, I saw you do something very interesting. Tell me, just what are you?" It seems he's referring to when John Doe tried to bodily envelop one of the Outsiders. Officer Walker laughs, "If you want to do my paperwork for me, be my guest! Yeah, Pharma's a nasty piece of work, this ain't the first time he's been with us, but when he doesn't escape, he gets off on a technicality. I'm hoping we've got him dead to rights this time, but you know how it is. Though, The Outsiders are far from the worst gang in the country, would you believe they haven't killed anyone yet? Rumor has it their boss doesn't want 'em escalating things to that point. This way, none of them end up with their toes tagged, long as your little friend doesn't freeze any to death." Valerie's aware of the leader of the Outsiders, who's never been seen in person. He often sends letters and messages to local news outlets with pro-mutant arguments, claiming his gang robs and steals out of necessity due to being outcast as freaks. This is odd, because there is no anti-mutant prejudice in the United States, or most of the developed world. (Okay, Firewall and John Doe still need to give statements, and then we'll be moving on.)
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Nov 12, 2015 03:38
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Charisma Gain: 1d20 1. Welp, if it's not one extreme it's the other.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:07
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Johnathan Doe Doe pauses for a moment while he considers the question. "We believe we understand your question. While we have human form, we are not, as you might suppose, actually human. We are, in fact, a collection of nanomachines. While each individual nanomachine is primitive and capable of only basic tasks, much like one of your body's cells, we have developed a neural network that allows us collective action and a collective consciousness, or at least something approaching consciousness. It is our understanding that consciousness is not well understood." "While we know that this may be startling, and, indeed, that much popular genre fiction uses nanobots as a threatening force, we wish to reassure you that we are not at all threatening, and, in fact, that we have a great admiration for humanity. This is why we have chosen to participate in this police project, so that the residents of Detroit may live without fear. Indeed, we feel a great love for the city of Detroit and its people, all 680,250 of them as of 2013, according to census estimates, as well as for the greater Detroit-Windsor metropolitan area as a whole. We hope this answers your question."
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Nov 13, 2015 02:12
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Updike's jaw hangs for several seconds before he starts cackling madly and writing furiously in his notebook. "I found one, I really found one, now they'll have to believe me!" It's around this time that Johnathan's processors finish analyzing the most recently-downloaded information from the internet. The lab he had come from has reported the loss of a minute sample of experimental nanobots, their instruments sensitive enough to detect even small discrepancies, and they are now on the lookout for what they assume has grown into a much larger colony. Based on the tone of the article, it must be concluded that, should they locate John Doe, they will insist on decommissioning his constituent nanobots in order to study the effects of their would-be brief sojourn into the outside world. However, also included in that packet is information on Weird Detroit Weekly and its most prominent contributors. WDW is generally perceived as little more than wholesale deception, and Updike is himself a well-known crackpot. Doe's probability calculation rates the credibility of Updike's inevitable report on his true nature at less than one percent, with a greater than seventy percent chance that nobody from the lab will ever even hear that the report was made. (Updike is so overjoyed to have found an actual paranormal thing that he manages to write such a glowing description of John Doe when reporting on him being nanobots that, despite his reputation, the complimentary language is believable, if nothing else is. Roll for Charisma gain. Also, way to dive headfirst into backstory complications, mark down a hundred bonus experience.)
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Nov 13, 2015 02:34
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Groo the Eternal Well, she seemed happy enough, and that did more to cheer Groo up than anything else had all day. This was what he'd been looking for. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was unambiguously making the world a better place. Charisma Gain (4+): 20 That's more like it. That said, how does raising my Charisma interact with Prejudice? If my modifier is always negative, doesn't that mean I have some kind of weird bell curve where I want to hit +0 for good and evil and stay there?
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Nov 13, 2015 07:18
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(Actually, yes, the book specifically points out that maintaining neutral Charisma is ideal for characters with Prejudice, though, remember, NPCs have an Intelligence% chance to overcome that prejudice and treat your Reaction mods as normal, and the chance increases the more they get to know you. Right now, people are getting to a point of being less scared of you, once you hit the neutral area, everyone's opinion will be pretty meh, which is where you want it. If you get it higher, people will assume by your weird looks and powers that you're up to something, acting so nice. That said, it's not hard to keep neutral Charisma as long as you let the others have the media spotlight, and just in case it gets a little high incidentally, long periods of being out of the limelight can cause higher Charisma scores to slowly reduce back down to a minimum of ten. Also, on a case-by-case basis, I'll open up the option of taking on a personal subplot to overcome a Weakness and eliminate it, though you should state interest now, as it's sort of a long-term deal. Fair warning, part of that subplot would involve reaching fairly high Charisma despite the negative effects on the public's opinion. This goes for anyone else who'd rather roleplay dealing with their Weakness a lot to eventually eliminate it, rather than having it be a constant feature of their character. I mean, everyone is getting a subplot with potential special rewards for a good outcome, based on their backstory, but let me know if you'd prefer removing your Weakness.)
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Nov 13, 2015 08:02
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Prototype "Yeah, as super-powered violent gangs go, they didn't seem all that bad," Valerie replies, smiling. Inwardly she's not feeling so great. How exactly had she ended up on this side of the conversation, being the one in the mask? What made her think she was qualified to be a superhero at all? She barely knew her teammate's names, let alone what they could do - they'd walked into this completely blind and got through it on pure luck. Next time we'll be more prepared, she promises herself. At least nobody had gotten hurt... except Nightwitch. "You know what hospital they'll be taking the kid to?"
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Nov 19, 2015 13:11
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(Since Berenzen said he's busy with RL stuff, I'll just have you guys forge on ahead and say Firewall did okay, but probably just didn't really have enough information to really satisfy the NPR people.) Officer Walker nods, "Yeah, I know where they're taking her. You can ride with me." It's not long before everyone makes their way from the scene to the local hospital, where Nightwitch is being kept under observation. For a while, she's very clearly on-edge, but her earlier hostility seemed to have vanished. After a couple hours, the chemicals work their way out of her system, and she returns to normal. Her injuries are also mostly taken care of, thanks to the advanced technology developed by Earth's many scientist heroes, so she's released immediately, allowing everyone to return to base. (I figured I'd trim out collecting Nightwitch and getting back.) As the heroes enter the base, they find a familiar face waiting for them on the crime computer. Captain Houlihan doesn't look particularly pleased. "Welcome back. I gotta say, even though it was your first time, I never expected you to screw up this badly. I don't know which one of you thought it would be a smart idea to send a dangerous supervillain to a crowded public place, but I want to make sure you know what cutting corners costs. I don't know all the details, sounded like he was having some kinda panic attack, and The Wall blew a guy through a wall. On the sixty-fifth floor. They're still scrubbing him off the pavement. Got that mental image good and seared into your brain? Good. Now, The Wall jumped the river, and he's in Canada, probably headed to Toronto to hide. And a couple of you are going to go after him. I already made the calls. the guys at the border will be expecting you." Finished with his lecture, Houlihan continues on other topics. "Now, on the topic of things that aren't your fault, the museum got ripped off while you were fighting, big surprise. Worse, though, is they took some sorta container dealie, the eggheads said Nightwitch'd know which one they mean, they said it was bad news, though. Now, the good news is, we know who pulled the heist. Bad news is, it was Intercrime. I already called CHESS, they'll send a couple agents to link up by morning. Any questions?" Intercrime is an organization that isn't known to the general public. However, all of the heroes, except Michael (the only person whose job never put him near superpowered activities), have heard of it before, through experience dealing with crime, working with superheroes, or just piecing together large volumes of information. Talking about them openly is a good way to get their attention, and you generally don't want their attention. While they employ a fair number of supervillains, most of the organization is made up of hired goons, soldiers of fortune, and other assorted thugs. Intercrime deals in advanced weaponry through the black market, and are always on the lookout for new opportunities. It's absolutely certain that they intend to weaponize whatever's inside that magical container. CHESS, the Central Headquarters of Espionage for the Secret Service, was formed about ten years ago by the government as an extension of the FBI and CIA, intended to deal with superpowered threats. However, it's since eclipsed both organizations, though it continues to operate loyally in service of the United States. The organization's hierarchy is themed after chess pieces, naturally. The King and Queen are the joint directors of the organization, currently (but not necessarily) a man and woman, respectively. The current directors are Homer Grimsby and Alexandria Huntington. Beneath them are Bishops, the most skilled agents (often likened to superspies from the movies), beneath the Bishops are Knights, direct combat specialists equipped with power armor and other technology, and beneath the Knights are Rooks, the normal field agents and analysts. Pawns are not agents at all, but android body doubles used to foil assassination attempts and (according to rumor) to help superheroes conceal their identities, should the need arise. Pawns had been firmly in the realm of crackpot conspiracy theories up until last year, when the president's life was saved by one during a speech in Tennessee. It was hard to hide the sparking wires from the crowd, and the information went public that evening. (Yes, you guys get to split up for this next adventure. Space Man and one or two others get to track down The Wall in "Six Things to Do in Toronto When You're Dead". Nightwitch and everyone else will be hunting down international arms dealer terrorists in "Mo' Magic, Mo' Problems". This marks the conclusion of the introductory story, "A Robot, a Caveman, and a Witch Walk into a Police Department".)
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Nov 19, 2015 19:23
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Stormcrow Luke isn't about to name names in regards to The Wall. He crosses his arms and frowns a bit, letting the Captain go off. He's seen the results of a few jumpers and knows just what it looks like first hand. "Seems pretty clear that Nightwitch should go help CHESS out, then. Who do you want with you?" he asks the young wizard. He's never been to Canada, despite how close it is. Just one of those things.
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Nov 19, 2015 21:43
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Nightwitch It has been a bad day for Stella. Her head still hurts from all the drugs - Pharma's and the sedatives - and now Houlihan's bitching at them? Yeah, like she needs this. Plus the urn got stolen from the museum - the museum that Professor Park had said was 'the most magically-secure location in the midwest.' That's just friggin' great. During the officer's tirade, she's been sitting in the corner, scowling silently and hating everything; it's only when Stormcrow asks who she wants to go with her that she speaks, sighing. "If Intercrime broke into the museum past all their magical wards - an' I saw those wards, they were badass - I'm betting they had to use some sort of tech, not spells. So I need some tech knowledge. Plus someone that understands how to talk to Feds without getting thrown in jail, and someone who might know more about Phoenician artifacts'n I do. John Doe, Prototype, an' Groo. That means Spaceman, Firewall, n' Stormcrow can go find the Wall. Sound good?" She's so out of sorts that she even finds herself petting Dog rather than just glaring at him; Dog seems quite okay with this.
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Nov 19, 2015 23:55
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Groo winced. He'd known the Wall had done something bad, but this was...well, he'd been hoping that nobody had died. So much for that. He lets the captain cool down, then nods, his face a scarred mask of determination. "I'd like to go after the Wall. Invincible or not, he can't fight back if he's paralyzed. He won't hurt anyone. He won't get away again. Trust me." He glances at Nightwitch. "If you can't do without me, I'll go with you. But I should've called that guy the second I saw him. I feel responsible." Dachshundofdoom fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Nov 19, 2015 |
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Nov 19, 2015 23:55
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Stormcrow "Yeah, sure. I always knew this business would bring me to all sorts of exotic locations," Luke nods and thumbs up to Stella.
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Nov 20, 2015 01:37
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Nightwitch Nightwitch nods to Groo, telling the caveman, "I can understand that. If you've gotta go after him, go after him. Gotta admit, though... I was sort of hoping you'd be around in case I lose my poo poo again." The girl looks down at her gauntlets, sighing. "I should probably explain that, huh? These things... they're made out of the hands of a demon, is the thing, an' there's some... residual nastiness that comes along with that. I can usually keep it at bay, mostly - I'm not this much of a bitch out of costume, honest - but it's tough, an' I have to work at it basically all the time. So when jackasses shoot drugs at me..." She shrugs, sighs again. "Anyways. Not like I can take 'em off; they're too dangerous for that, an' there's no place good to put 'em. I know the Prof had an Etheric Vault he kept nasty magic in, an' I hear other magic heroes had similar setups, but I don't have access to any of those, so... yeah. Doesn't matter, man, do what you've gotta."
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Nov 20, 2015 02:31
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Johnathan Doe "While we admit we would prefer to go to Toronto, as Canada is our home and place of creation and we feel a responsibility to it, we will, of course, accompany you if you request it. Indeed, whatever was stolen from the museum appears to be quite dangerous.", the nanobots say to Nightwitch. The nanobots then pause for a minute, cognitating. "We do, however, have a query.", they inform Nightwitch. Your gloves seem to be a source of great temptation and misery for you. Why, then, do you wear them? WE understand you fear taking them off due to the damage they may cause, but could they not be destroyed? We wish to inform you that we have the ability to disassemble most material into its molecular and atomic components. We can attempt to do so to the gloves if you wish it. Then you would no longer have to fear their evil." Charisma (against 8): 1d20 7
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Nov 21, 2015 05:06
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Nightwitch "Otherworldly materials and terrestrial technology tend... not to mix well," Nightwitch informs John Doe, not entirely unkindly. "The way it was explained to me, there's a kind of energy that infuses most otherdimensional objects, and it's... sticky. Which isn't really the right way to describe it but it'll do for a metaphor. The energy can't be destroyed - energy never can, right? - so it has a tendency to cling to and infuse the technology that's used to destroy the material that it's contained in. In other words, asking you to destroy the gauntlets would be a good way to make it really likely that you get possessed by demons. Which, you know. Would be bad." She shrugs, and while her mouth is, as ever, hidden behind her scarves, she seems to be smiling. "I appreciate the offer, though."
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Nov 21, 2015 05:45
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Groo the Eternal Groo pinches the scarred bridge of his nose and groans inwardly. He knew when he was being guilted. Didn't matter: it was working. His conscience was already gnawing at the inside of his head. "Oh, okay Groo, just send the teenage girl wearing demonic gauntlets after an international criminal organization. She already got mentally influenced and almost died once today fighting a bunch of punks, never mind what Intercrime's capable of, but she isn't going to need a meatshield or medic again, right? Run off to Canada to assuage your own hero complex. Yeah, hunt down one guy while she fights an entire organization. It'll be FINE!" He looks up and shakes his head. "Yeah, when you're right you're right. Looks like I'm heading after Intercrime, with you, then."
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Nov 22, 2015 08:08
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Prototype Valerie looks pretty robotic during the debriefing, staring fixedly at something just behind Captain O'Houlihan's left ear without any apparent change of expression, except for one of her hands gradually balling up into a fist. She's been chewed out by superior officers her fair share of times, and they sure deserve this one - that's the part that makes it sting, though, isn't it? She clenches her fist tighter. This isn't going to happen next time. When it comes to their next assignments, she nods briefly at Nightwitch. "Well, I know jack all about magic, but I do know the feds. Works for me, as long as you guys are okay taking down the Wall," she adds, with a questioning look at Space Man and Firewall. Stormcrow seems confident enough for the three of them.
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Nov 23, 2015 23:02
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Johnathan Doe "As you wish, then", the nanobots tell Nightwitch. "However, we ask that you at least consider the option and inform us if you decide to allow us to make the attempt." The nanobots then ask Groo, "Query? Why do you feel especially responsible for the actions of Mr. Harding? You did not cause him to murder the individual he murdered, and the entire team failed to prevent his actions. Therefore, we suggest that any responsibility for Mr. Harding's actions lie primarily with Mr. Harding, and to a lesser extent, to this group's collective failure. Why, then, do you believe you bear primary responsibility for his actions?""
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Nov 24, 2015 02:06
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Groo the Eternal Groo shrugs. "I should've called him, that's all. If I hadn't been slow to react, he wouldn't have ended up where he did. It's not eating me up inside: I understand on a logical level that it's not actually my fault. But when you've died as many times as I have, well, it just accentuates how valuable other people's lives are. Everyone else only gets one, after all. I don't like people dying on what was supposed to be my watch."
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Nov 24, 2015 03:58
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