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Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
It started off as a day like any other in your lives, you were following your normal routine, whatever that might be, but sometime that day something happened that would change your lives and the world forever. Somehow you discovered that you were different than you were before, somehow a power had awakened inside of you unlike anything you had ever seen in the real world, something superhuman. Where some might use these new powers for the sake of all mankind or to at least fight crime, you are not that person, your intentions are less noble. Whatever the reason, a tragic past, a personal betrayal, or just that you work on Wall St. you’ve decided to use these powers for your own benefit. This is the story of your rise to power, to infamy, this is your very own tale of supervillainy.



Game Premise
This will a superpower game run in a very similar way to the Small Gods Games that have run before here in the forum, as there’s a lot of thematic crossover between that game type and super-powers. So if you’ve read any of the many Smallgod games that have run on the forum you’ll have a good idea on generally how this will work. As for why villains instead of heroes or a mix, that’s mostly just because it’s what I’m more interested in writing for atm, so I’d rather be up front with expectations rather than take a mixed group and struggle to right for one half and not the other. I figure it’ll be a better game experience for all involved this way.

Generally speaking at the start of the game the PCs will be the first superhumans in existence, the world is not prepared, no one even thought this would be possible. That said, there’s no guarantee you’ll be the last or only people with powers, and the world will react to your actions and existence as it goes along.

The how and why of your powers might come up if it ends up seeming as though it’ll be interesting or fun, but the real goal is to chart your character’s rise from the everyday to the extraordinary whether that’s stealing monuments and leaving riddles, building a doomsday weapon, world domination or all of the above. It’s up to you to define what sort of villain you’ll be.

Of note, I would rather not have to lay this out, but it’ll inevitably come up. This is a game, just because you’ll be playing bad guys does not give you license to be an actual IRL creep. I imagine there’ll be a bit of darkness, but let's not go crazy here. I reserve the absolute right to not pick you or even summarily boot you from the game if I think you’ve crossed the line. Basically, don’t be an rear end in a top hat.

Now with that out of the way, onto the actual meat of the game itself.



The World
Like DC Comics my plan is to use a world based on our own with the serial numbers filed off enough to avoid having to do tons of research on real places and having to deal with any sort of IP issues. Same basic layout as our world, 5 continents spread in similar locations, there were 2 world wars and then a cold war, generally speaking people are dealing with the everyday problems of late capitalism, life is pretty much the same as it is now in the real world. It’s just the Atlantica Federation instead of the US and they’re drinking Cola brand cola instead of Coke, I think you get the idea. Feel free to use this naming convention for your backstories and in-game, just check with me before you name anything hugely significant, also no puns. For the sake of simplicity/my sanity I’m going to ask that you all start off somewhere in the Atlantica Federation.



Characters
Your character should consist of [+6] in what I’m calling Mundane Qualities, and a single [+2] Super-Ability. Your qualities can be pretty much whatever you want them to be are you strong, handsome or pretty, have a degree in specialized field etc. It can also represent social connections or material assets. In short it’s anything you might use to get things done be that money, skill, or connections. Obviously these should probably be in some way useful for your upcoming adventure into super-villainy, buy I’m willing to grant a pretty wide latitude here. A CPA can be just as useful to a life of crime as experience with a handgun. Also, these qualities will change over the course of the game as you and your situation changes, so don’t feel too stuck with what you start with.

Your Super-Ability can be nearly anything, as decades of comic books have shown there is a massive variety of potentially useful powers to choose from. However, your powers will be crucial in defining your story and what sort of villain you become so pick accordingly. My advice would be to pick something you think you’ll be able to use, and that will have interesting story possibilities. When in doubt, there’s always the classics super-strength, psychic powers, element based powers, etc.. Also, do not pick a power that will be difficult or impossible for me to resolve in a consistent manner (ex. Time Travel).[/b] If you have doubts or questions come talk to me on Discord and I’d be happy to help you as much as I can.

Lastly, your character should have a two [-2] drawbacks. This is some sort of inherent character flaw. It is important that this be something you would be able and willing to invoke as they’re critical for gaining bonus points (see below). As this is a comic-book setting, feel free to have a drawback tied to your power, however it is not required. You should pick whatever you think will be most interesting and provide the best possibilities for cool stories.



System

I’ll be using PDQ for this game. It’s a pretty simple and rules light system. I’ll be doing all of the DC setting and rolling behind the curtain.

The only major change to vanilla PDQ will be with using drawbacks. When you as a player or I as the GM invoke a character’s drawback, I will give you a bonus point. BP can be spent to add +2 to a future roll. This means it's important to pick drawbacks you’ll be comfortable using. Please note, you start with 0 BP and are capped at having a max of 3 BP at any given point in time.

---

App Format

What I want from you:

A name- I feel like this goes without saying. However, of note please don’t pick a name that is exceptionally long or exceptionally hard to spell. A rule of thumb, if I can’t read your character’s name out loud without a pronunciation dictionary it is not a workable name.

A Picture - While not strictly required, your application will be at a distinct disadvantage without one.

Origin Story - Tell me about your character, what’s your story? This is where you lay out your character’s history, tell me who they are and what they want. Generally speaking, your qualities should be reflected in your background so if you're an master safecracker this is where you lay out why you have those particular skills. As this is a game of super-villains this is also a great place to establish your character’s super-villainous motivation, what did the world do to them that caused them to decide to go to the dark side as it were.

Mundane Qualities - What’re you good at, what sets you apart? Feel free to spread out your [+6] any way you want. Anything your traditional fantasy hero could do can be used as a mortal quality. Do you have a silver tongue, know your way around a gun, can you sneak with the best of them? All of these are potential qualities, ways to define who your character is and what they can do. My only real ban here, beyond superhuman attributes, is no starting qualities that denote major fame or influence. So being a mid-level manager is fine, being a movie star is not. It’s hard to tell a story about your rise to power if you’re already at the top, and while there’s certainly dramatic potential in the double-life thing it’s not worth the complication in setting up and running the game that would involve.

Super-Ability - In the recent past you’ve discovered you possess some sort of ability that is beyond normal human ken. These powers really are super, enough to set you above and apart from your fellow man, something that’d make you the starring character in your own comic book. Despite a potential difference in ranks a Super-Ability will always be more potent than a Mundane Quality, and not by a little. Someone with bodybuilder[+6] may be able to reach the limits of normal human strength, but someone with Super-Strength[+2] will always and everywhere overpower them in terms of pure strength. Even the world’s strongest man can’t lift a 60 ton tank after all.

Drawbacks - What is your character’s biggest flaw, either personality-wise or physically. Make it something you would be comfortable invoking, and know that I reserve the right to invoke it for you when I feel it's appropriate. Also, this can change over the course of the game as your character changes, so don’t feel stuck with this. As this is a comic-book themed game feel free to make one of your drawbacks related to your power somehow, though note it is not required.

What do you want out of the game? - Give me an idea of what sort of gameplay experience you're looking for. What do you want your character to accomplish, what sort of things do you enjoy?

If you have any questions or need advice on Qualities or Drawbacks, feel free to ask me about them.

Other Business

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via PMs. You can also often find me in #ohgod on discord. I’m happy to help with questions about the game or your character.

I am looking for 6ish players. Deadline for apps will be next Friday. I’ll try and have picks up by the following Monday.

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Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
[Reserved for Future Use.]

Rhjamiz
Oct 28, 2007

Interest post. Let's see if I can get back into the swing of things.

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
Real name: Anton McCormick
Villain name: High Gear

well that's the design for the first supersuit anyway

Origin Story: Anton was always rather clever, at least when it came to the mathematical fields of study (he will chew your ear out about how he lead his team to victory in the International Math Olympiad while he was in high school). When combined with the fact that he was not that bad looking and to a degree rather articulate, he could've even been popular. Alas, his extremely abrasive attitude and oftentimes pure, naked derision towards the intellect of others has managed to alienate him from most people he's ever known. In fact, his deep seated sense of utter superiority towards other people runs so deep, that he is often convinced that he would likely do a far better job of basically anything that others are involved in. This is an assessment others would strongly contradict, but Anton doesn't really care, since he was convinced he was too smart to waste his time on other people anyway. All he needed to do was get this engineering degree out of the way, and he'd invent something amazing and change the world all by himself. That'd show them how great he was.

Turns out, he didn't need to wait even that long. With his newfound powers, he could do so much more than merely bring wealth and fame to himself. Yes, he could mold the whole World into a better, superior, more rational place. Sweep out all these unqualified morons from charge, and institute a New World Order, not ruled by the idiot mob, but by the smart and the capable, to bring out a brighter future for all mankind.

...Of course, there was nobody as smart or capable as him, now was there?

Mundane Qualities
Academy Access [+2]: Though insufferable, Anton is legitimately skilled enough to have made inroads with academia. Useful for getting access to information, lab space, equipment and the like.
Schemer [+4]: Anton excels in the complicated scheme and plot. You can expect him to have accounted for a lot, and to have a number of contingencies, as long as he's had his time to prepare them.

Super-Ability
Magitech Prodigy [+2]: Anton's mind has been filled with prodigious knowledge of Magic and especially its mechanical, reductive and more scientific applications. Great for Clockwork Minions and Doomsday Weapons and the like.

Drawbacks
Infuriating [-2]: Being absolutely too full of himself, Anton finds it difficult to make or keep friends or allies.
Resource Dependent [-2]: As someone of rather modest means, actually getting all the things he needs to make his World Conquering Armies might pose an issue.

What do you want out of the game?
I want to build armies of robotic minions and various doomsday weapons in an effort to conquer the world as I try to mold it to my twisted villainous ideals. Also, make arrogant monologues at the heroes as they attempt to stop me in true villain fashion.

Theantero fucked around with this message at 19:01 on May 13, 2018

Yami Fenrir
Jan 25, 2015

Is it I that is insane... or the rest of the world?
Real name: Irene Wagner
Villain Name: Laverna


Origin Story
Irene got stuck in a dead end saleswoman position for years, while her superiors ruined the company with their incompetence. During that time, resentment took root, but as the higher ups replaced her manager and she finally got a promotion, she realized that it wasn't just here. The new manager was just a different kind of incompetent - weak. His superior? Lazy. The CEO? Arrogant to the point of delusion.

She realized she could do it all just so much better! And, indeed, she certainly did. Irene reached the position of Assistant Manager awfully quickly, but not entirely without help. For she had discovered a certain gift. She was considered to have somewhat of a silver tongue. Almost... superhumanly so.

But it still wasn't enough for her. Even now, she has her eyes fixed on much higher positions, ever craving more power, more influence...


Mundane Qualities
Money to Spare: [+2]: While not quite rich, Irene's position has given her access to funds beyond the average person.

Head in the Game [+4]: Irene has a very good business sense. She is quite capable at working in or leading a company at any level.


Super-Ability
Unnatural Charisma [+2] People speaking with Irene find themselves not only listening, but agreeing. Even if the request or command would otherwise seem unreasonable. Not quite mind-control, suggestions planted this way can be resisted if too 'wrong' for the person. However it is perhaps more insidious, leaving a good impression about Irene even after initial contact.


Drawbacks
Arrogant [-2]: Because of her power, Irene not only has an inflated opinion of herself, but also is used to getting what she wants. She is not very fond of being told no, and often does not think too highly of other people, which shows more often in her actions than her words, however.

Non-Combatant [-2]: She sees fighting beneath her, and would much rather flee or sic guards on a threat (more likely both), than fight them herself.


What do you want out of the game?
Interact with other supervillains, perhaps act as a liason between them, and practice villainy in a more hidden, scheming way. Skirting the line of legality, with a legion of lawyers behind me, that kind of thing.

Yami Fenrir fucked around with this message at 05:59 on May 15, 2018

Platonicsolid
Nov 17, 2008

Interesting. Might go for an evil corporate Ozymandius type, or a super-scientist...

Tyrannosaurus
Apr 12, 2006
Interest post

Jossar
Apr 2, 2018

Current status: Angry about subs :argh:
"The most beautiful things are made as a labor of love, but I wouldn't mind the view from a penthouse suite."

Real Name: Janna Anders
Villain Name Clotho



Origin Story:

Janna looked at the complete and utter mess that was her apartment and sighed. How had it come to this? Once upon a time she'd had everything she could have wanted: a loving and supportive family, friends, a scholarship to one of the most prestigious colleges for fashion design in the Atlantica Federation. The sort of storybook nonsense that would have you set for life. But in her last few years of schooling she'd started hanging around with the wrong kind of crowd. No, not a gang, although it wouldn't necessarily be inaccurate to call them a bunch of punks. They called themselves Paradiso - a group of twenty-somethings with aspirations about challenging "the system" and changing the world one community at a time. Part community living project, part radical activist group.

Janna fell for them hook, line and sinker. At first it was limited to hanging out in their group space on the weekends and providing a few of the group members with clothing she'd made herself. But as time went on, Janna moved in and began prioritizing the group over everything else. Her grades began plummeting, she started getting into fights with her parents, but she thought that this was simply part of the grand and romantic struggle that often accompanies fighting for what you believe in. Something that would take a bit of struggle but eventually pan out.

Until everything collapsed at once: Drama increasingly made Paradiso a hostile environment, to the point where none of the residents could stand each other, and eventually the whole thing came crashing down as one of the more malicious individuals informed the authorities that the group house never had the proper legal permits in the first place. Everyone went their own separate ways and having already been performing poorly in school, the stress tanked Janna's performance to the point of flunking out. Not wanting to run back to her parents, she instead found a cheap apartment in the city and started taking whatever work she could.

Coming back to her senses, Janna screamed at the piles of laundry and boxes and papers lying all over the place. She was TIRED. Tired of living like this and tired of the fool mindset that brought her this low. Suddenly, Janna fell to the floor - with the feeling that this resolution had opened some kind of floodgate of new knowledge. Janna somehow knew that if she was willing to drat the world, she could spin a better fate for herself.

Mundane Qualities:
Crafting [+4]: Janna was pretty active when it came to working with her designs, wanting to see them translated into the real world before presented to others. Also got used to messing around with more practical construction for dealing with everyday issues. By virtue of this, can be used in a complex manner for crafting relating to clothing, or an everyday manner for other projects.
Communication [+2] Janna was pretty good at convincing the powers that be not to drop her until the point at which her life fell apart. So she can be a smooth talker when she wants to be.

Super-Ability: Skein of Fate [+2] Janna has obtained the ability to "weave" fate/luck/probability as easily as one tailors a vest. If not more easily. This is both limited in scope and requires careful balancing. At least as of right now it can only operate in an area within Janna's immediate field of vision and an equivalent and opposite degree of backlash must be transferred to another target within Janna's line of sight. For particularly large modifications of fate this will cause personal backlash to Janna.

Drawbacks:

Attracted by Aesthetic[-2]: Janna's appreciation of fine things never went away, although now it's a bit more greedy in character.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy [-2]: Once upon a time, Janna was willing to give up everything for what she believed in. It cost her dearly, and now she's much more of a pragmatist, especially when dealing with high concept matters.

What do you want out of the game? A number of good setpieces appropriate for displaying villainous behavior (including one liners), with strong character interaction, and perhaps a sprinkle of investigation into motivation.

Jossar fucked around with this message at 02:23 on May 14, 2018

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled

Real Name: Robert Thomas Kurth
Villian Alias: Kyrus



Origin Story: Shoes. Robert sold shoes. He had a normal life mostly, a mom and dad who loved him. Average grades, graduated high school and went to college. Dropped out due to a lack of funds and was trying to make ends meet while paying off the original student loan. It was taking years. He had no friends, no significant other, sure mom and dad were supportive but the economy was bad and they couldn't help Robert out.
He didn't mean to get hooked on Red-Rainbow. He had found some when one of his customers had dropped it after buying some expensive boots. He had seen it on the news, glowing red crystal that reflected the light like a prism. His life was poo poo. Why not?
Like all stories, this didn't end well. Robert got hooked, tried other things. Fell behind on bills and soon started stealing from work. After his inevitable firing Robert ended up on the streets. Petty crime and theft kept him in many different kinds of booze, and when he had the money it got him some better designer stuff.
He was on the streets soon enough. Eventually his parents had him tracked down. A television show called "Loser Rehab" had offered to send him for free to get better. His parents took the deal.
It was humiliating. He was sent (more like kidnapped) to THE FACILITY. A place where they took those who hit rock bottom and broke them down for the cameras. Situations (some depraved) were engineered for the show and it was a ratings success. The drill sergeant like proctors abused the reforming junkies behind the scenes. Most cleaned up just to get out. Others escaped.
Robert and a few of the others had figured out how to brew up some bathtub booze in an old utility closet. They were mostly clean but needed something to softeb their reality for a while.The producers of course knew about it. Planned a TV special edition to bust them all.
It would be great for ratings!
The eve of the show, Robert and his friends were going to have a taste, it was ready. Then the proctors raided the room.

The stress of the situation may have done it or maybe Robert could always do it. But he pushed back. All of the electronics went dead, the power sent out. Each Proctor had simultanious brain aneurysms and each of his friends went unconscious, the iron in their blood being scattered like buckshot on a microscopic level and causing internal damage to their bodies that they couldn't heal. Robert himself fell unconscious.

He awoke later with a headache. The show had been canceled, the facility shut down over the incident due to protests from the families of the dead. An investigation yielded nothing. Robert was back at his parents' home. Clean. Sober.

He could do things.

He would command respect. He would have everything the world owed him. He wasn't Robert Curth anymore, loser. He was...no he is:
Kyrus


Mundane Qualities
Great Endurance [+2]: Most dosages of (normal)alcohol, drugs, poisons etc that would kill most people are like a normal hit to him.

Criminal Knowledge [+2]: Robert can find out the who's who of an area of given enough time. Good to find a fence, make a deal, or contacts.

Engineering Knowledge [+2]: Robert was studying to be an engineer before dropping out of college due to money. He has knowledge of design, building, and the math to do such things but nothing too extraordinary.

Super-Ability
Electromagnatism Manipulation (link) [+2] Its a +2 version on the spectrum, not +12.

Drawbacks
"Thirsty" [-2]: Each plan accomplished or any setback makes him want more. The next hit. Taking risks beyond what others would rationally take. The smart play is sometimes cast aside and could lead to defeat and even downfall.
Self-Medicating [-2]: Dealing with superpowers is hard, the life of a villain either up or down takes its toll. Like rockstars or the downtrodden. Using his powers can give him headaches, tire him, or even lose consciousness. To mitigate this his has taken to unhealthy habits. Drugs, alcohol, anything to dull the pain or keep him going.

What do you want out of the game?
Adventures in villainy, taking that path and seeing where it leads. World and universal, then multiversal dominion!

I am Communist fucked around with this message at 16:09 on May 23, 2018

LupusAter
Sep 5, 2011

Real Name: Ivar Isaksson

Origin Story:
The son of immigrants from the Old World, Ivar chose early in his life to show his pride in his heritage by learning as much as possible about it. This attitude led him to a degree in History, and then to freeze his rear end off on dig sites scattered around the northern side of the world, following his Northern ancestors's seafaring trails in pursuit of his PhD. It was on such an occasion that Ivar found the item that set his life on a new course: a length of sleek black rope, wholly unremarkable if not for the blood-red runes painted on its surface and the fact that it was found completely intact, in the innermost sanctum of a temple dug into the fjords centuries if not millennia ago. He was the first one to see it in generations, and yet there it was, new and shiny like it was woven just days before. He immediately felt a connection, and smuggled the rope away without reporting the find, hiding it among his climbing gear.

Once he was back in his apartment, he proceeded to study his find more carefully: he knew from the other objects found in the site that it was a temple sacred to Vanargandr, the shackled wolf-god of the hunt. Driven by some otherwordly instinct, he proceeded to wrap the rope nine times around his left arm, then nine more times around his neck, and nine final times around his right arm, as this was the correct way to present sacrifices to the Shadow-Lurker. He immediately felt a great consciousness becoming aware of him, and knew that great power was at his beck and call, ready to bring a new Dawn of the Gods. To do so, he'd have to hunt down more sacred relics that were stolen by unworthy fools in times past.


Ivar's new patron god.

Mundane Qualities:

Historian [+4]: Ivar knows a lot about the past, even outside his area of specialization. He is accustomed to discern the precious grains of truth from the chaff of old stories, and knows how to read the signs that time leaves on items.

Outdoorsman[+2]: Ivar has camped in many hostile locales while on a dig. He has the physical skills. the equipment and the know-how to survive far from civilization.

Super-Ability: Avatar of the Wolf-God [+2]: The rope Ivar found enables him to partake of the powers of Vanargandr, The Wolf Who Hunts In The Shadows. They mostly consist of the ability to turn into an huge, supernaturally tough and strong wolf, and an uncanny ability to hide and stalk prey in the shadow. He can control how much power he accesses, going from simply gaining a wolf's enhanced senses to a full-on transformation. He usually keeps a bipedal form, for the sake of having opposable thumbs.

Ivar, calling on Vanargandr's power

Drawbacks:
Proud: Ivar can't stand seeing the items he seeks in the hands of those unworthy of them, and will do whatever it takes to obtain his quarry, consequences be damned.

Fettered: The sacred rope gives Ivar power only as long as it is wrapped around his person, and each loop is important. If it comes undone, he becomes less and less able to access Vanargandr's blessings.

What do you want out of the game: Get my hands on various relics of the not-Norse Gods, reenact scenes from myth in my pursuit of power, butt heads with other megalomaniacal larger-than-life figures.

LupusAter fucked around with this message at 08:52 on May 18, 2018

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
Real name: Elia Green
Villain name: Restitution


Origin Story: Elia Green always had a keen sense of fairness, which is a terrible thing in a world as unbalanced as this one. She became an activist at an early age, full of idealism and a belief she could change the world for the better. She marched, she protested, she campaigned, she contacted her representatives in the Atlantica Federation parliament. The idealism was eroded by more and more repressive policies, greater and greater injustices, ever more obvious corruption, graft and outright, explicit evil. Billionaires purchasing elections and politicians, enforcing the enactment of policies that would ruin the world. The belief she could change the world for the better, however, never went away, even as her heart grew bitter and full of hate for those who would sacrifice the whole planet for shortest of short-term gains. Her protests grew more strident and less legal, but soon she ended up incarcerated for it. It was in prison, subjected to clandestine and illegal experimentation, that something wholly unexpected occurred: She stopped being in prison and started being somewhere else...

Mundane Qualities
Social Awareness [+2]: Elia has a great read on society as a whole. She has championed a great many causes and comprehends why they matter, and can apply that knowledge.
Anarchic Connections [+2]: Fighting the good fight is often a lonely activity but not always. As she went deeper and deeper into the darker side of the dissenting movements, she picked up a great many friends, contacts and fellow travellers.
Indomitable Will [+2]: Elia has been through a great deal as a consequence of her beliefs and stances, but none of it has broken her or reduced her determination.

Super-Ability
Teleportation [+2]: Elia can transport herself instantaneously across considerable distances, with a precognitive sense to ensure she never arrives inside objects. She can also teleport objects from point to point. No luck with teleporting other living things yet.

Drawbacks
Bitter Heart [-2]: She has grown cold and vengeful, easy to provoke, swift to be drawn into hate and anger. Her enmity is easily earned, which can make her manipulable.
Known Fugitive [-2]: On the one hand, no prison can hold her. On the other, her face, her biometric data, her bank accounts and home are all on record, because the powers that be believe one should.

What do you want out of the game?
Teleportation for fun, profit and social change! Bank robberies by going directly to the vault or emptying lockboxes without opening them. teleportation assassination attempts on the untouchably wealthy. Attempting to bring about a fairer world by taking out the least fair people. Telefrag the rich!
Perhaps a subtle progression from teletheft to telesabotage to going directly against the powerful.

AJ_Impy fucked around with this message at 04:04 on May 14, 2018

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
Real Name: Taiki Nakamura
Villain Name: Blindside


Normal appearance


"Work" suit

Origin Story

Taiki was a kid raised in a society higher than he wanted-his parents were young debutantes who rubbed shoulders with people in various scientific fields. Taiki himself found all the parties and glass-clinking interesting, but what he really loved was the places they were at. He loved the art, the sculpture, the furniture, the architecture.
He hated the people who owned all of them, because they usually fell into two categories: money-loving CEOs who would probably shoot a subordinate in the head if it meant they made a quick buck, or nerdy science guys who made a killing creating things that killed people, like rockets and guns. Once he graduated college, he decided he was going to kick down those kinds of people-even, if, in a few cases, they didn't deserve it. He discovered his power soon after he first started pulling off heists, planting bombs in factories, taking money from safes behind paintings, and stealing art from museums, and it improved his ability to pull them off immensely.

Mundane Qualities
Kendo Training [+2]: That katana? Taiki took Kendo over the years, and he is quite good at using it.
Social Engineer [+2]: Sometimes, the best way to scope out a place is to investigate it beforehand by being in it. Taiki has read books and practiced a lot of the art of getting a person to reveal more than they should with the right questions, like "How would you unlock this door" or "How big are the vents" by disclaiming it with explanations like "I'm writing a book" or "I'm asking for a friend".
Sneaky [+2]: Taiki is also skilled at deception and stealth, having practiced how to lie effectively and how to hide incredibly effectively.

Super-Ability
Super Speed [+2]: Taiki is fast. Very fast. Running, he can reach the speed of a car with ease, and if he really exerts himself, he can reach the speed of a train. But it's not just for movement, he can do highly precise movements in a few seconds or quick sleight of hand for distraction.

Weaknesses
Cocky [-2]: Sometimes, you just want to rub someones sudden lack of wealth in their face. Sometimes, you want to leave a funny, snarky calling card in their safe. And sometimes, you get overconfident in your abilities.
Sucker for a Pretty Face[-2]: Taiki has one physical weakness: Women. A pretty face (or nice rear end) can totally wreck his ability to concentrate in a mission. And sometimes it can even short out his powers.
What do I want out of the game?
In a word, cleverness. I want plans that require lots of parts and things that could go wrong, but are effective. I want both planning and improvisation to be a big part of it.

Junpei fucked around with this message at 18:05 on May 13, 2018

KhediveRex
Jul 11, 2016

A poster to surpass Bifauxnen!
Watch this spot for a White Mage.

KhediveRex fucked around with this message at 01:29 on May 15, 2018

JamezBfod
Jun 13, 2003

there may be people who
find a blender sexy - I
would do well with a more
humanoid model, myself
Real name: Drake Long
Villain name: Currently none


Origin Story:

Long ago there was a band of Viking warriors who claimed descent from a shape-shifting dragoness. Through the shifting sands of history their descendants included a particular bloodline in Sicily. This bloodline, like many others, eventually became involved in Organized Crime in the US. One daughter of a Boss of this line had an eventful night with a mysterious stranger from the East who even their rivals in Chinatown seemed to have a special reverence for.

Drake Long did not care for the romanticized story of his mother's one-night-stand until his late teens. He had always had a scaly red patch on his back, and a lighter one on his belly, but it began to spread. His farsightedness got much, much worse, and his finger and toenails began growing large and fast. It was a lot to keep up with, but with it came some impressive skills. He could almost smell and taste money. Good deals, great investments, even what team was going to win a match. He never did track down his father but he did manage to get his MBA from a prestigious school and make some smart investments during a particularly bad recession that made him independently wealthy by his late twenties.

Mundane Qualities

New Money +2: Good investments over the past decade have given Drake a nice but not inexhaustible cash flow.

Hoard Holding Company +2: As managing his own investments became a part time job Drake decided to hang out his shingle and start his own company. It's him, a computer, and a phone line at the moment.

Underworld Contacts +2 Through his family Drake has a seemingly endless association with shady characters.

Super-Ability

Dragon ( [+2]: As he gets older his "Birthmark" has spread over more of his body. A suit or his clandestine attire will cover it for now, but his senses are heightened and his physical attributes are slightly boosted. It doesn't seem to exceed human abilities physically yet, but his money sense is definitely somehow the first ability online. (Instead of starting with being a physically powerful dragon I thought I'd start with being a physically vulnerable human metamorphosing into a dragon. The money-dar sense being the first potent part of the set.)

Drawbacks

Avarice [-2]: Drake Long loves his money. He loves gaining more money and will find it difficult to concentrate on other things when an opportunity arises. Woe be unto those who steal from him.

Increasingly Inhuman [-2]: He holds a precarious balance between hiding his true nature and revealing himself. A little makeup to hide the scales on his neck, a mani-pedi daily to keep the claws in check, and a special set of contacts to make his eyes look close to normal.

What do you want out of the game?
A literal dragon. In modern times. Hoard is his investment portfolio, minions are on his payroll, the whole works.

Speleothing
May 6, 2008

Spare batteries are pretty key.
Interested. Thinking about a unibomber type, but need to decide on a good power for him to discover.

KhediveRex
Jul 11, 2016

A poster to surpass Bifauxnen!
((Mistakes were made...))

KhediveRex fucked around with this message at 16:26 on May 13, 2018

KhediveRex
Jul 11, 2016

A poster to surpass Bifauxnen!
I'm really sorry. I meant to edit to edit that post but, I'm on my third martini. Nothing works out on your third martini.

Vicissitude
Jan 26, 2004

You ever do the chicken dance at a wake? That really bothers people.


Bernhardt Geist is a man ahead of his time. Already on the cutting edge, he's doing his level best to move beyond it and into new and exciting fields. Quantum computing is the next big thing to solve. Mathematicians have theories out the rear end about it and Bernie is out to prove them either right or wrong. His latest break through was something of an accident, as most great advances are. A suit able to use quantum superposition to pass slightly out of phase with this level of reality. The first time they turned it on, the prototype fell through half a dozen floors at Geist Enterprises, scaring the hell out of the secretary pool in Accounting. That kind of thing is hard to keep under wraps, though. Word got out. It wasn't long before someone decided they wanted it. Evelynn was working the day a team stormed the building and tried to take the suit. Three people were killed, including her mother as the R&D team tried to hide in the vault. The intruders didn't get what they came for, but they took enough data from the servers to possibly piece it together. Eve promised she would get it back, and avenge the death of her mother. But it's going to take time and resources to find out who's responsible, resources she can't take from the company legally. But there's always competitors. They don't have any security that can stop her now...

Name: Evelynn Geist
Code Name: Wraith

Power:

Intangibility [+2] - Eve can, thanks to the tech developed by her father, pass out of phase with this dimension and pass through ordinarily solid objects.

Mundane:

Cat Burglar [+4] - Corporate security is something drilled into every major heir on the planet. Every family has secrets and some of them are extremely valuable. Learning how to protect something is the first step in learning how to steal it.

High Society Dame [+2] - As boring as it is, the upper crust must be navigated carefully. The rich and powerful can make problems disappear with alarming ease, and talking them up for a favor takes more than a dazzling smile.

Adrenaline Junkie [-2] - Eve is reckless, her way of striking back against the rigid ordered life she ordinarily lives. She never misses a chance for a bit of excitement.

Draining [-2] - The tech suit is still just a prototype and not very efficient. Eve's father has been trying to enhance its longevity and efficiency, but in the wake of the data theft he's back to working from square one. The power core isn't long-lasting, and must recharge between uses. On top of that, being out of phase with the rest of reality she's used to is taxing on the body and mind.

Desire: Vengeance. Eve wants to find out who stole her father's work and led to the death of her mother. When she does, she's going to phase them into a solid wall and leave them there forever.

Vicissitude fucked around with this message at 10:04 on May 15, 2018

A Great Big Bee!
Mar 8, 2007

Grimey Drawer
Interest post, reserving for later.

e: Have a few character ideas, is a rogue AI allowed or would you prefer to keep it human(ish)?

A Great Big Bee! fucked around with this message at 17:06 on May 13, 2018

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
Alan Cornell



There was nothing particularly noteworthy about Alan's life. He worked in a mundane job at the office of the local telecommunications company, where he looked after the computers for their stores. No one really took much notice of him except to thank him for fixing their word processor at the Christmas party, or when their left mouse button was a little sticky and oh if he could just find a spare mouse that was good. It was thankless but there was not a lot of responsibility involved. At night he would watch television or movies, sometimes playing whatever game was on his cellphone. He called his mother twice a month.

Before the end of last year he had applied at Nova Technologies, one of the larger manufacturers and developers of electronics and machinery in the Atlantica Federation. Although much of the consumer electronics manufacturing had been outsourced decades ago, Nova had re-branded from the defunct Skye Electronics and re-established themselves as cutting edge developers of military and specialist electronics and machines. The application had proceeded well, and Alan had done well in the code analysis and fundamentals testing. However they had decided that his folio demonstrated a lack of creativity and ambition. Alan has not forgotten or forgiven them, especially when his work commute to and from work takes him past one of their R&D buildings; a walled, alarmed and guarded building that looks more like a fortress than an office space.


On the 7th of March an object was observed heading towards the Earth. Scientists calculated the trajectory of it and decided that based on that, its mass and composition that it would burn up in the atmosphere above a local metropolitan centre. On the 22nd of April there was a meteor that burned up in the atmosphere above the town where Alan lived. It fragmented in the atmosphere, with the various pieces burning up. However one landed in Alan's yard, who woke up and went to check it. The chunk of extraterrestrial matter had burrowed a little beneath the surface, but when Adam shined his torch he could see that it was strangely moist. Knowing better than to touch what was potentially molten rock, he took some photos and went back to bed.

That week Alan had a terrible sickness. His doctor prescribed him a course of antibiotics after a blood test revealed extremely high white blood cell counts and gave him some painkillers. After eight days Alan began to feel better again, and things seemed to be back to normal until one day when the weather was a little warm and humid. Going to the fridge and idly thinking about how it would be comfortable to just sit in it, Alan was shocked when he touched it and the fridge flowed through his arm and chest as though they were just a kind of mud. The fridge was reassembled into a weird thermal armour, with the heat coils venting the warmth out of his back and keeping Alan a little colder than he expected. While the fridge was ruined by the process, and that night the coffee machine as well, Alan seemed fine. Fantastic even. It seemed like a good time to sneak into the local junk yard and see if he could practice with this new ability...


Mundane Qualities

[+2] Fit - Alan is in okay shape, he is not going to win first place at track or field events any time soon or be drafted to a sports team but he can handle physical exertion more comfortably than many others in IT. Dates are a little easier to get when you aren't ashamed to be seen in a tee.
[+2] IT handyman - While not his favourite job in the world, Alan knows a lot of basic information about a lot of different sorts of computers and electronic devices. He is also familiar with most programs and can use this to piece things together quickly when he needs to. Hates Pear computers.
[+2] Clever - Alan is good with numbers and logic. He did well until college in his STEM subjects, and only a lack of focus and issues with laziness and procrastination let him down. Alan could do well in a number of STEM related fields if he would just apply himself. (This is focused around logical deduction and mathematics)


Super Ability

[+2] Technografting - Alan can absorb almost any kind of machine or electronic device into himself and repurpose it temporarily in some manner related to its original function. Mechanisms too simple or too large cannot be absorbed, and Alan is not eager to experiment with anything with radioactive or toxic elements in it. Alan cannot absorb too many things simultaneously but can discard them as need be. When he is finished with something, it will either be damaged or ruined depending on how dramatic the process of integrating it was.

Drawbacks

[-2] Shortsighted - Alan does not think things through well. Through a combination of naivete and a lack of planning, the results of what he does or says can go very differently to what he expected. There's a reason why he's still dating, and the reason is Alan.
[-2] Addictive personality - Alcohol, drugs and Alan do not mix well. Or rather, they mix too well. Currently Alan is clean, but that could all go downhill very fast if he's not careful.


Game Goals - Alan is an opportunist. He thinks that he means well, and that he is at heart an idealist. What he actually is though may surprise him and others around him. The power and his personality are based around this concept of impulsive action. He is naive and does not think things through, so I anticipate him ruining his life and being forced into crime soon. He personal petty hatred of Nova Tech might become something more, or he might manage to convince himself that he is just a misunderstood vigilante for a while. Sooner or later things will come crashing down.

HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 03:53 on May 21, 2018

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Ok, first round of feedback. Please note, I’m only doing formal feedback on completed apps.

Theantero posted:

Real name: Anton McCormick

Backstory: Seems fine, decent motivation.

Mundane Qualities
Organized [+2]: & Schemer [+4]: It’s not clear to me how these are meaningfully different from each other.

Super-Ability
Magitech Prodigy [+2]: Seems fine.

Drawbacks
Infuriating [-2]: Seems fine.
Resource Dependent [-2]: Is this meant generally or is for more exotic materials?



Yami Fenrir posted:

Real name: Irene Wagner

Backstory: Seems fine.

Mundane Qualities
Money to Spare: [+2]: Seems fine.
Head in the Game [+4]: I’m not 100% clear on what this does? It seems to be both business sense and manipulation, can you rewrite it to make it a bit more straightforwardly laid out.

Super-Ability
Unnatural Charisma [+2] Seems fine.

Drawbacks
Arrogant [-2]: Seems fine.
Non-Combatant [-2]: Seems fine as long as you’re aware that this will get invoked anytime your directly in combat.


Jossar posted:

Real Name: Janna Anders

Backstory: Seems fine.

Mundane Qualities:
Crafting [+4]: Seems fine with the proviso that outside of clothing construction you won’t be able to really use this to build advance or complex stuff that would require specialized knowledge or training. So it’d be fine for basic home repair level stuff, but you won’t be able to design a suspension bridge, etc.
Communication [+2] Seems fine.

Super-Ability:
Master of Arms [+2] An interesting power, but I’m not sure your Qualities are really setting you up for success with it. If picked you’re going to have to rely heavily on out of the box thinking.

Drawbacks:

Attracted by Aesthetic[-2]: Seems fine.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy [-2]: Seems fine.

I am Communist posted:

Real Name: Robert Thomas Kurth

Backstory: Mostly fine, keep in mind the game starts almost immediately after you get your powers which sort of conflicts with what you’ve got here.

Mundane Qualities
Great Endurance [+2]: Seems fine.
Criminal Knowledge [+2]: Seems fine.
Natural Sense of Direction [+2]: This seems… not super useful? Can you lay out what you see this being used for?


Super-Ability
Electromagnatism Manipulation [+2] Magneto, seems fine.

Drawbacks
"Thirsty" [-2]: Seems fine.
Self-Medicating [-2]: Seems fine as a power side-effect. I imagine the bigger your use of your magneto power the worse the headaches?

LupusAter posted:

Real Name: Ivar Isaksson

Backstory: Seems fine, clear motivation.

Mundane Qualities:
Historian [+4]: Seems fine.
Outdoorsman[+2]: Seems fine. A good mix between the two.

Super-Ability:
Avatar of the Wolf-God [+2]
: Seems fine, to be clear does he turn into a wolf or a werewolf?

Drawbacks:
Proud: Seems fine.
Fettered: Good fit with your power.

AJ_Impy posted:

Real name: Elia Green

Backstory: Seems fine.

Mundane Qualities
Social Awareness [+2]: - So is this the ability to read people or superior understanding of sociology because those skills aren’t related and your sort of making it seem like it’s both.
Anarchic Connections [+2]: Seems fine.
Indomitable Will[+2]: Seems fine.

Super-Ability
Teleportation [+2]: Seems fine with the proviso that the precog bit will be entirely unconscious and you won’t be able to use it separately from not teleporting into a solid object..

Drawbacks
Bitter Heart[-2]: Seems fine.
Known Fugitive [-2]: Lots of good potential uses for this.


Junpei posted:

Real Name: Taiki Nakamura

Backstory: Seems fine.

Mundane Qualities
Kendo Training [+2]: Seems fine.
Social Engineer [+2]: Seems fine.
Sneaky [+2]: Seems fine.

Overall a good mix.

Super-Ability
Precision and Analysis [+2]: To be honest, I’m sort of meh on this power. Its use seems fairly niche and to rely heavily on me adding lots of extra details to your posts. Might want to switch to something a bit more active.

Weaknesses
Cocky [-2]: Seems fine.
Flirtatious [-2]: Sort of meh on this, due to the game being about villains I’m trying to stay as far away from anything sexual as is possible.


JamezBfod posted:

Real name: Drake Long

Backstory: Mostly fine. Generally the idea is that your powers are a recent thing, not something you’ve had long term.

Mundane Qualities
New Money +2: Seems fine.
Hoard Holding Company +2: From what you’ve described I’m not sure this is at the level of quality yet. Insofar as I’m not sure what you’d use this for.
Underworld Contacts +2: Seems fine.

Super-Ability
Dragon ( [+2]: Seems fine.

Drawbacks
Avarice [-2]: Seems fine.
Increasingly Inhuman [-2]: Some good potential drama in this one.


Vicissitude posted:

Name: Evelynn Geist

Backstory: Meh, I’m generally trying to keep the world at game-start pretty realistic so there being a super-scientist running around for years sort of messes that up. Motivation seems a bit weak.

Power:
Intangibility [+2] - Seems fine.

Mundane:
Cat Burglar [+4] - Seems fine.
High Society Dame [+2] - Seems fine.
So the general gist is gentlelady thief?

Drawbacks:
Adrenaline Junkie [-2] - Seems fine.
Tech Dependent [-2] - Mixed feelings on this, some potential good uses, but I feel like having to spend descriptive time on all the upkeep you have to do will get old quick.


HiKaizer posted:

Alan Cornell

Backstory: Seems fine. Maybe give me a little bit of a hook to work with in terms of the slide to the dark side.

Mundane Qualities
[+2] Fit - Seems fine.
[+2] IT handyman - Seems fine.
[+2] Multilingual - Seems fine as long as you’re ok with this being a bit niche.


Super Ability
[+2] Technografting - Seems fine.

Drawbacks
[-2] Shortsighted - Seems fine.
[-2] Addictive personality - Seems fine.

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled

Valhawk posted:

Real Name: Robert Thomas Kurth 

Backstory: Mostly fine, keep in mind the game starts almost immediately after you get your powers which sort of conflicts with what you’ve got here.
We can take it from his awakening. No issues here!

Valhawk posted:

Mundane Qualities 
Natural Sense of Direction [+2]: This seems… not super useful? Can you lay out what you see this being used for? 
Can I use it as in, he will know where he is and can navigate anywhere due to the link perhaps to his powers? Everything could have it's own electromagnetic signature etc?
If not I can re-work this. I may have another idea here.

Valhawk posted:

Super-Ability 
Electromagnatism Manipulation [+2]Magneto, seems fine. 
Yes! it's not yet at the level of reprogramming a sentinel or anything but that's the general idea. Even trees are magnetic but that level of control is far off.

Valhawk posted:

Drawbacks 
Self-Medicating [-2]: Seems fine as a power side-effect. I imagine the bigger your use of your magneto power the worse the headaches? 
Yes tiredness, headaches. The strain and greater use will make it worse.


Ok made some edits

I am Communist fucked around with this message at 18:22 on May 13, 2018

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

Name: Merryl Dawson
Alias: Lady Lunargent


(This but with silver flame instead of green.)

Backstory: Somewhere in mid Atlantica, there was a small religious community, The Sanctuary of Virtue. They lived secluded from the rest of the world, which they considered sinful. And in that community was a firebrand preacher, Jack Dawson, his wife Carol Dawson anddaughter, Merryl Dawson. Merryl Dawson was obedient, faithful and dilligent. She never knew much of the terrible world outside, and didn't want to get involved in its sinfulness, seeking to keep herself pure. But in her 19th year, all changed when, without any warning or reason, Merryl's started being covered in a silver flame. Lacking control over it, the fire ignited their house. Merryl made it out, as did Jack. But Carol never did.

The community, Jack at its head, considered the girl possessed. And the frightened girl found herself bound and exposed to harsh rituals meant to exorcise the devil within her. When she was starved, hurt, emotionally beaten and desperate, she became aware of a presence far off. One that saw the world with all its filth, and would burn the filth away, so they who lived might live free of sin. Its name was Asemir. But it would need a guiding light to find this world. A beacon. A beacon that she would light. And so, she started a fire.

The first responders found several dead, though Jack Dawson survived with heavy burns. Several of the community had left with the woman that now styled herself. Few information was given to the authorities, who the community considered sinful and part of the corrupt world. A world that Lady Lunargent now walked into, with one purpose. Lead Asemir to this world.

Mundane Qualities

Cult Leader [+4] Lunargent grew up within a cult, and her father was one of its leaders. Between her knowledge of manipumation, her manic devotion and the use of her powers to further impress would be followers, she usually manages to gather a flock wherever there are people who are dissatisfied with the state of the world.

Survivalist [+2] The cult she grew up in kept far away from any kind of civilization, and learned to be far more self sufficient than most people in modern society. Lady Lunargent can hunt, kill and skin a quarry, than find a well covered campsite with clean water to cook it, and prepare the skin for use.

Super Ability
Silver Flame [+2]: Lunargent commands the silver flame, which she can summon and control. These flames can set other matter on fire, though the resulting flames are just normal fire and not within her control.

Drawbacks
Fanatic [-2]: Lunargent very deeply believes in her sacred mission, refuses to denounce her god and reacts with anger and often violence to those who insult her faith.
Uneducated [-2]: Being raised and home schooled in an insular community did not do wonders for her education.

Game Goals: Lady Lunargent's goals are to expand her cult, and start massive fires. The larger and long lasting the better. Whether Asemir is a figment of a broken mind or an actual extraplanar entity, I have deliberately left ambiguous. I want to make an inherently unstable villain, who waxes and wanes in power. As soon as she amasses enough followers, she would cause massive damage, to no real 'earthly' purpose and likely lose some as cultists get busted. She might even end up spending some time in this world's version of Arkham.

Shogeton fucked around with this message at 18:41 on May 13, 2018

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....

Valhawk posted:

Organized [+2]: & Schemer [+4]: It’s not clear to me how these are meaningfully different from each other.

Actually yeah, that's a fair point. I'm changing Organized to this:

Academy Access [+2]: Though insufferable, Anton is legitimately skilled enough to have made inroads with academia. Useful for getting access to information, lab space, equipment and the like.

Valhawk posted:

Resource Dependent [-2]: Is this meant generally or is for more exotic materials?

It's more of a context dependent flaw. At first he's likely going to have issues with even the normal materials, unless he manages to somehow loot an entire scrapyard. And if he's making something more specific, then yeah, exotic materials can be a problem too. What would a villain be without having to chase their macguffins after all :v:

In more general terms, this is meant to be a flaw that is likely to get changed later on after HG has an actual base of operations and does not need to scavenge quite as much anymore.

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker

Valhawk posted:

So is this the ability to read people or superior understanding of sociology because those skills aren’t related and your sort of making it seem like it’s both.

Fair, edited out any reference to reading people, purely sociological now.

Valhawk posted:

Seems fine with the proviso that the precog bit will be entirely unconscious and you won’t be able to use it separately from not teleporting into a solid object..

Exactly that, it's exclusively the 'arrives safely' part of the teleport even without line of sight or location foreknowledge.

Jossar
Apr 2, 2018

Current status: Angry about subs :argh:

quote:

Crafting [+4]: Seems fine with the proviso that outside of clothing construction you won’t be able to really use this to build advance or complex stuff that would require specialized knowledge or training. So it’d be fine for basic home repair level stuff, but you won’t be able to design a suspension bridge, etc.

Sounds about right, edited.

quote:

Super-Ability:

Master of Arms [+2] An interesting power, but I’m not sure your Qualities are really setting you up for success with it. If picked you’re going to have to rely heavily on out of the box thinking.

Yeah, was worried about this. Did a bit of thinking and tried editing for a different, more thematically/character appropriate power involving luck draining.

Dinictus
Nov 26, 2005

May our CoX spray white sticky fluid at our enemies forever!
HAIL ARACHNOS!
Soiled Meat
Real name: Franklin Delano Rynn
Villain name: Komodo


Origin Story:
Doctor Franklin Delano Rynn was an idealist. He was a molecular biologist, a forerunner in the field of gene therapy to improve the human condition, to treat illnesses and to bring the gift of health to the world. But he found himself worn down, hard and fast, by the stark reality of his field. Money doesn't come easily to experimental research, even if the underlying science shows promising results later. Medicine and treatments are ultimately subject to strict testing procedures, controls and regulations. And from up top, he has come to realize that no medicinal corporation truly wants to treat, cure and abolish a disease - after all, they can't get money off of a malady if it is all but treated, don't they?

He worked alongside his peers on a governmental research project, the Komodo project, that could have, and by all rights should have been brought to the general public. Sea crocodile and komodo dragon markers could have been used to better treat wasting muscular degenerative diseases, imbibe tissues with better means of producing superior leukocytes, and basically give all but immunity to many bacterial infections. He would learn, however, that this was only going to have military use. Then the naked moneygrubbing of Lyman Pharmaceuticals happened, gouging already helpless and oftentimes close to destitute families to the brink of helplessness, forced to pay all the more for medication for diabetes, antibiotics, and leukemia. Rynn could do nothing, himself, to prevent his ailing wife's deteriorating health. Despite his best efforts to continue to afford healthcare to his Lenore, the cancer that ate away her white blood cells and her marrow would eventually claim her.

Rynn snapped. He became obsessed with his losses, and by proxy, the losses of others even less fortunate than himself had suffered day by day. After the burial of his wife, his life would take on a steady, dripfed infusion of targeted hatred. Day by day he recited the names of the greatest CEO's hauling in billions upon billions, hoarding their wealth. He recited their net worth and what was shown in the news recently as they grabbed every stinking dollar they could by denying people basic wages, decency, food. He hated these modern day dragons atop their mounds of gold. And after enough months, enough anguished howling and revenge fantasies planned out in his head, Rynn acted on his desires.

If the world would suffer under dragons atop their mounds of gold, he would tear the beasts from their perches, and loving smother every single one of them in their own hoards.

His supervisors were either stupid or uncaring about his plight, and ignored the threat he could have posed while still working on the Komodo project. Having lost all hope and having fully given in to a righteous indignation against the richest, the most powerful, who would deny the least below them basic healthcare, wages, loving food on their plates, Rynn dug into the primary development and infusion labs, and sealed himself in for the genetic therapy treatment. He underwent the therapy. All of its stages. Every experimental enhancement. After thirty-six hours of targeted genetic infusions and transcriptions, of fighting against the pain of rapid musculoskeletal growth and his acute loss of mental capacities, out stepped not a man. Out smashed a monstrous, eight foot tall reptilian hulk. His rampage, for as much as it could be called such, of the laboratory facility was a short one. He took what little remaining canisters of muscular enhancer were left, and a box of scrawled, confusing instructions and production notes, and moved to flee. His colleagues were not actively sought out to be harmed, though he wasted no kindness on them if they stood in his way. Security could not hold him.

The reptillian monstrosity fled the laboratories, seeking out the safety of beneath the city. And from there, with damaged samples, with moistened notes and instructions, the great dragon plots and prepares. He needs to become much bigger if he wants to bring down the modern day dragons of today. But he will become the biggest dragon of them all. Of course, his ability to develop genetic therapy regiments that improve the capacities of the human body are stymied only by his own exile, lack of equipment and his ever diminishing intellect, but it still shines like a bright, spiteful star in his thick skull.

Mundane Qualities
Aquatic Juggernaut [+2]: Rynn's body is surprisingly well adapted for moving around watery environments. His thick limbs are used in lieu for a tail's serpentine wave, and his stamina can carry him far.
Brute [+2]: Rynn never was a slouch, physically speaking. But now he stands taller than life, and stronger to match. He moves and acts like he is in charge. Might makes right, after all. Large and in charge.
Raw, Animal Cunning [+2]: Having undergone the Komodo procedure himself, his mind is sharpened to a thin, sharp blade. His massive, monstrous body belie responses that have become swifter, belie his capacity to react to danger and changes better than he could have done before he became that monstrous reptilian.

Super-Ability
Monstrous Size [+2]: Rynn has become a hulking monstrosity of scales, sinew and muscle. Now, as the monstrous Komodo, he leaps further, maneuvers faster, smashes harder. And if it were up to him? He will only grow further.

Drawbacks
Single-minded [-2]: Komodo is a beast of impulses. He needs to make a new lab, as well as he can. But he now also hungers, as all that muscle requires a lot of fuel. Lab equipment comes at a premium, doubly so for a fugitive inhuman monster. But above all, he wants to destroy the pillars of the modern day dragons, to become the greatest dragon there ever is.
Dumb, Dumber [-2]: Add to that, Komodo has to struggle with his faltering mental capacity. He will lose his higher reasoning capacity. He will lose his mantra of hatred against Biff Jezof, the Doch imperium, Löwing Aircrafts, Lyman Pharmaceuticals. He just hopes he doesn't lose his goal, or all of this would have been for nothing.

What do you want out of the game?
I want this Lizard-meets-Bane, or Killer-Croc-meets-Bruce-Banner to become a true monster. He is earnest about his goals, he wants to bring low corporations and their figureheads in a rampage of targeted destruction. But he will have to work hard to find the means to become bigger, larger, stronger. He may become just muscle for others to string along while he tries, tries in vain to become the next biggest dragon. Or he may become the next Godzilla, waging a mad war until he is finally put down.

Dinictus fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Jun 12, 2018

Ambivalent
Oct 14, 2006


Ambivalent fucked around with this message at 12:12 on May 20, 2018

Rhjamiz
Oct 28, 2007


Real name: Vincent "Vince" LaBrea
Villain name: ???

Origin Story:
Born to Dolores and Nicholas LaBrea at Empire City Central Hospital, Vince was taken into state custody at the age of five after his father murdered his mother during one of his drunken rages. The state of Alderney sentenced him to death. Since then, Vince has alternated between any given foster home and the Juvenile Correctional Facility. Eventually, at the age of fifteen, Vince dropped out of high-school entirely, and disappeared from the Alderney State Child Services system. He spent the rest of his formative years on the street, learning the ins and outs of criminal life.

Vincent LaBrea was twenty-six when he was arrested in connection to an armored car robbery, but the evidence was purely circumstantial. Vince had fallen in with organized crime, running with a crew known for drug smuggling and theft. Heavyweights in their league, they were responsible for a number of high-profile jobs, including the Burlington Vault Heist and the infamously bloody Global Trust Bank heist. Despite their successes, they only operated on the periphery of organized crime, and with the explicit blessing of the crime family controlling the east coast. Vince in particular was in deep with the mob, and nearly every cent he made went to bookies and loansharks, with whatever was left usually going right up his nose. There was no getting out for Vince.


Vincent LaBrea, age 33, is currently serving a fifteen-year sentence at the Alderney State Correctional Facility for armed robbery and racketeering. Vince was finally picked up after Bobby Tillings, a former member of Vince's crew, turned state's evidence and testified against Vince after the SecuriTech Armored Car heist.

Mundane Qualities
Blue-Collar Criminal [+2]: A life of crime has given Vince experience in pretty much every street-level crime you can think of.
Fit [+2]: Prison has given him time to work on his fitness. He lifts. He boxes recreationally.
Underworld Contacts [+2]: He knows a guy who knows a guy.

Super-Ability
Illusions [+2]: Vince can create illusions to deceive the senses. They seem entirely real, and they can hurt like the real thing, but leave no lasting injuries or effects, save whatever the deceived do to themselves. When he leaves, the illusions fade. Vincent can only create what he understands or can imagine.

Drawbacks
In Debt to the Mob [-2]: Vince is in deep. A few bad bets, a lot of living large, and more than a few loans.
Not So Ex-Con [-2]: Vince has a rap sheet a mile long, his mug shot and prints are in the system along with every alias he's ever used. Furthermore, he is currently incarcerated at Alderney State Correctional Facility.

What do you want out of the game?
To take a relatively simple street-level, drug-fueled criminal and give him the power to carve a path of mayhem in his wake. Vince is very much a "let's play around" sort of character ruled by his passions rather than lofty goals and world-spanning ambition. Basically, I'm giving a member of the PAYDAY gang superpowers. Let's click cops.

Rhjamiz fucked around with this message at 04:57 on May 17, 2018

Tyrannosaurus
Apr 12, 2006
edited out. have a different idea.

Tyrannosaurus fucked around with this message at 02:32 on May 15, 2018

Yami Fenrir
Jan 25, 2015

Is it I that is insane... or the rest of the world?

Valhawk posted:

Mundane Qualities
Money to Spare [+2]: While not quite rich, Irene's position has given her access to funds beyond the average person.

Head in the Game [+4]: Irene has a very good business sense. She is quite capable at working in or leading a company at any level.


Super-Ability
Unnatural Charisma [+2] People speaking with Irene find themselves not only listening, but agreeing. Even if the request or command would otherwise seem unreasonable. Not quite mind-control, suggestions planted this way can be resisted if too 'wrong' for the person. However it is perhaps more insidious, leaving a good impression about Irene even after initial contact.


Drawbacks
Arrogant [-2]: Because of her power, Irene not only has an inflated opinion of herself, but also is used to getting what she wants. She is not very fond of being told no, and often does not think too highly of other people, which shows more often in her actions than her words, however.

Non-Combatant [-2]: She sees fighting beneath her, and would much rather flee or sic guards on a threat (more likely both), than fight them herself.

Changed Head in the Game to be strictly about business stuff, and yes, the intent is that she isn't good or interested in fights. Irene would much rather try and talk her way out of it.

Yami Fenrir fucked around with this message at 05:58 on May 15, 2018

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Feedback for character's posted since my last round. I'll get around to responding to the 1st round responses in a bit.

Shogeton posted:

Name: Merryl Dawson

Backstory: Seems fine.

Mundane Qualities

Cult Leader [+4] Good fit for the backstory and goal.
Survivalist [+2] Seems fine.

Super Ability
Silver Flame [+2]: So this is basically just regular flame control with a color swap? The flames don’t have any special properties right?

Drawbacks
Fanatic [-2]: Seems fine.
Uneducated [-2]: Seems fine.


Dinictus posted:

Real name: Franklin Delano Rynn

Origin Story: Seems fine.

Mundane Qualities
Genetic Genius [+2]: Ok, I get what this is, but you need to clarify better on how this interplays with his general intelligence level. It seems like they’re in thematic conflict especially how this trait sticks out from the rest of your app.

Brute [+2]: Seems fine.
Raw, Animal Cunning [+2]: Seems fine.

Super-Ability
Monstrous Size [+2]: Seems fine, though tbh he’s probably not gonna grow too too much bigger because at some point he’d stop being playable.

Drawbacks
Single-minded [-2]: Seems fine.
Dumb, Dumber [-2]: Seems fine

Overall a good app, fairly different from the rest. However, playing the brute in a game full of masterminds means it's almost certain your guy is gonna get manipulated and maybe even end up as a minion (if a top level one) to one of the other villains. I just wanted to make sure you’re cool with that and you’d still have a fun time even if you end up dancing to some other player’s tune.


Ambivalent posted:

Naomi Rao

Backstory Fine for the most part. Seems a bit light on a clear motivation other than going after the billionaire. Why is she a villain and not an anti-hero, especially since you’re setting up Quinn as a bad guy in his own right.

Mundane Qualities
[+4] Outstanding In Her Fields - I get what the intent is here, but the name could use a bit of work as it’s a tad overbroad. You can work on it a bit, it needs to clearly delineate which fields. A good quality name should let me know what it’s for when used with just the name.

[+2] Hot-headed - Seems fine. The name reads more like a drawback, but from what I’m reading this is basically meant to represent a strong will?

Super Quality
[+2] The Earth Is My Body - This is a thematically potent power, but you also need to be aware that it’s going to make doing normal stuff extremely difficult, like 120f is hot enough that extended contact will result in 3rd degree burns and from a direct source is almost hot enough to cause cotton to self-ignite. So there are gonna be a lot of side-effects to this.

Drawbacks
[-2] Inhuman - See above.
[-2] Vulnerability: Concentrated Cold - Thematically appropriate.

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Ok, time for feedback response feedback.

I am Communist posted:

We can take it from his awakening. No issues here!

Can I use it as in, he will know where he is and can navigate anywhere due to the link perhaps to his powers? Everything could have it's own electromagnetic signature etc?
If not I can re-work this. I may have another idea here.

Yes! it's not yet at the level of reprogramming a sentinel or anything but that's the general idea. Even trees are magnetic but that level of control is far off.

Yes tiredness, headaches. The strain and greater use will make it worse.


Ok made some edits

Ok, concerns addressed, everything looks good.


Theantero posted:

Actually yeah, that's a fair point. I'm changing Organized to this:

Academy Access [+2]: Though insufferable, Anton is legitimately skilled enough to have made inroads with academia. Useful for getting access to information, lab space, equipment and the like.

It's more of a context dependent flaw. At first he's likely going to have issues with even the normal materials, unless he manages to somehow loot an entire scrapyard. And if he's making something more specific, then yeah, exotic materials can be a problem too. What would a villain be without having to chase their macguffins after all :v:

In more general terms, this is meant to be a flaw that is likely to get changed later on after HG has an actual base of operations and does not need to scavenge quite as much anymore.

Ok, I get what you're going for with the drawback. Changes look good.

AJ_Impy posted:

Fair, edited out any reference to reading people, purely sociological now.


Exactly that, it's exclusively the 'arrives safely' part of the teleport even without line of sight or location foreknowledge.

Changes look good.

Jossar posted:

Sounds about right, edited.


Yeah, was worried about this. Did a bit of thinking and tried editing for a different, more thematically/character appropriate power involving luck draining.

Ok changes look good. I like how the luck power needs for the books to add up. Lots of interesting potential there.

Yami Fenrir posted:

Changed Head in the Game to be strictly about business stuff, and yes, the intent is that she isn't good or interested in fights. Irene would much rather try and talk her way out of it.

Ok, seems good. Don't forget to edit it into your original sheet.

Tricky Dick Nixon
Jul 26, 2010

by Nyc_Tattoo


Before metahumans, there were people that imagined that the limits of human capability were just another barrier to break through. Seven nations, including the Atlantic Confederation, created a joint project in secret to study unusual phenomena, but it was primarily an academic endeavor filled with crackpots and given a lot of black budget money on the slim possibility it might have some military applications, especially as the world order started to crumble after the cold war. Called the ODIN Initiative, it originally screened adults and then young people, "indigo children," through a battery of tests. There were few real candidates, but those that showed some promise or sensitivity, according to the researchers such as world-renowned biochemist and project director Dr. Virginia Bloom, they attempted to promote further "psi" development for study through the use of a psychotropic pharmaceutical regimen. The intent was to induce a reaction that would activate what was theorized to be a function of the pineal gland or "using 100% of your brain" or something of the like. For the most part, it was the boring sort of failure that millions of dollars in black budget gets sunk into, but in this case, there was one particular success that ended up costing them a billion more. That "success" was Aden Flint.

He had already shown the potential to move things with his mind, minor feats of telekinesis that he manifested unwitting, like a poltergeist. Then there was a reaction. Whether it was the psychological abuse, the cocktail of drugs, or just really bad luck, the floodgates crashed open in a big way. There was literally no force physical or otherwise that could restrain him, and it only got worse when they started to lighten on the serum. The Initiative was completely shuttered, though Adensuspects it still exists, just in secret. With no mundane authorities equipped to deal with his particular powers, he broke his way through and all but accidentally fell into villainy, finding his somewhat easily manipulated volatile emotions manipulated by more cunning individuals that promised him something he wanted: money, vengeance, or shelter. Some good Samaritans tried too, but invariably the well was poisoned due to one too many failures to re-integrate. Disappointment stings almost as bad as loneliness.

But now it's about time he starts thinking about himself. It's time that Alex stops getting pushed around, it's time for him to do the pushing. Time to grab the clutch and turn it into high gear.

Name: Aden Flint

Alter-Ego: Clutch

Mundane Qualities

[+2] Tough as Nails: Theoretically his power can slap away certain forms of harm, but he's not bulletproof. He is however tenacious and able to suffer through a lot more pain that others would not simply consider. This asset goes beyond the physical as he doggedly tries to prove himself to whatever mob boss or mastermind he thinks can help him get what he wants.

[+2] Nobody's Fool: Though his grief and paranoia can be easily redirected by someone's manipulations, it's actually very hard to fool Aden for long. His tenacity and suspicious nature outside of his own delusions means he'll pick apart and barrel through traps made for him, so he is highly unpredictable to those who rely on use of misdirection or cleverness. He'll usually get trapped or tripped up the first time by someone, but once he's been betrayed or tricked once, he adapts quickly and he never forgets a slight, even when he decides he has to go back to working together.

[+2] Smash and Grab: In his criminal career, enhanced by his ability to breeze through most physical obstacles, Aden has become something of a specialist in robbery. He has gained enough experience to know where to hone in, when to make the hit, and how to deal with the crowds and fuzz afterwards. He doesn't go out of his way to keep collateral damage from hurting people, but he isn't in it to just inflict pain. He's trying to snatch what he can, that he feels he deserves after getting such a bad lot in life.

Super Quality

[+2] Psychokinesis: Flint can manifest massive psychokinetic projections of his hands that can tear through any physical objec!t with ease, literally embodying unstoppable force. He can propel himself, not so much flight as a straight shot charge of force, throwing himself like a bullet fired from a gun. True to his namesake, once he gets a hold on something (or someone), almost nothing can pry it out of his strangling grasp, save if he is provoked and chooses to do so, or is otherwise distracted.

Drawbacks

[-2] Paranoid: To say Aden has trust issues is an understatement. He assumes the worst in everyone and is constantly looking for an excuse to believe that he has been betrayed. He is liable to assume that someone is working to betray him, so he'll start immediately figuring out the best way to do it before he gets hit, often ruining a working relationship. Even those who are attempting to understand him and reach out find only open hostility and the most intense suspicion of all, and he surprisingly works best with people that do little to try and be friendly with him, and that means he often trusts exactly the wrong kind of people despite his paranoia.

[-2] Punk Kid: Aden Flint is twenty years old. He can't even legally drink yet in some countries. He would never freely admit it, but when the initiative took him it, it disrupted his entire life, taking him away from his peer group and leaving him socially maladjusted. He barely has a middle school education (though he's certainly not stupid, just uneducated), and often finds it demeaning when other villains (or heroes!) use language or concepts he just doesn't really follow. It's hard for a lot of authority figures, whether in the mundane world or the criminal one, to take a kid seriously, forcing him often to have to resort to violence to make his point, creating a bad feedback cycle.

What do you want out of this game?

Nobody wants to play the mook or the henchman. The big bruiser or bully doesn't often come naturally. I think there's a lot of layers you can peel back from that archetype, and it naturally lends itself to collaborative storytelling. Like any good comic book villain, falling in and out of alliances and being a volatile wildcard that has a very useful power that is much more useful when directed by a schemer means one can be in the immediate fray of all those schemes, or when provoked throw a wrench in it. My limited experience with PDQ godgames and the like is that it's easy for each player to become isolated into a bubble, and I'd like Clutch to be someone who crashes through each bubble and brings a little chaos, helps them out, and then betrays them at some point down the line when his Volatile Drawback lands him in hot water. That is, after I have some discussion with them before hand about what they want! I'd rather help them build a narrative, even if in that narrative I'm knocking over some sandcastles.

Tricky Dick Nixon fucked around with this message at 01:06 on May 16, 2018

Tyrannosaurus
Apr 12, 2006
Real Name: Sam Sharpe
Villain Name: tbd


Origin Story:
The Chrissy Pearson case. People love to ask him about it. They can’t seem to help themselves. As soon as they realize who they’re talking to, as soon as they learn that they’re sitting next to the real Sam Sharpe, they’ll start working up the courage to say something to him. Respectfully, of course. Open up with a Thank you for what you did or a You’re a real hero, Mr. Sharpe or a I can’t believe it’s really you this is amazing. And then, even though it was in the news and all over the internet, then they’ll ask him.

What was it like? How did it go down? Can you tell me about it.

Sharpe loves to tell people about it. He always gets a free drink or two when he's done.

***

Four year old Chrissy Pearson-- the darling, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, front-tooth-missing epitome of upper-middle class innocence-- disappeared from her backyard in broad daylight. No suspects. No clues. And if it hadn’t been for him and his partner, Dino Mazzanati, she might not ever have been found.

Crazy neighbors, it turns out. That’s who took her. A husband and wife who were unable to have children and who became obsessed with little Chrissy. They had plans to sneak out of the country. Raise her as their own. They’d already contacted a coyote and everything. Had liquidated their savings into cash. They were on their way out of town.

But they stopped at the wrong gas station.

Sharpe will always lean in close, lower his voice in a conspiratorial manner, and explain that sometimes you can just tell when a man is evil. That there is just a look. That you can feel it when something is truly wrong. His audience always nods.

Officially, the report reads that Mazzanati had pulled into the station in order to purchase gum. While he was inside, Sharpe recognized the husband as one of the Pearson neighbors and became suspicious of the man’s strange and erratic behaviour. As he approached the vehicle, the husband-- without discernible provocation-- unholstered a 9mm pistol and opened fire. The wife produced a second handgun, a .38 revolver, from the glove compartment and also opened fire. Both were killed in the ensuing shoot-out. Sharpe was shot twice and Mazzanati once. Fortunately, they were both wearing bulletproof vests and were unharmed. Chrissy Pearson was then discovered, tied up but unharmed, in the trunk.

Sharpe has become very good at telling this story. He lays out the scene like an expert. He’ll walk his audience through every terrifying step. He’ll describe everything down to the most minute detail-- from the pungent smell of burnt nitroglycerin to the fevered beating of his heart. He’ll go beat by beat through the gas station parking lot firefight. Then he’ll play the bashful bride. He’ll deflect credit. Humbly insist that he only did what any officer would have done. And, of course, his audience will reply No, no, you are a hero and then offer to buy him a drink.

Almost all of it a lie.

***

Sharpe and Mazzanati aren’t heroes. They aren’t even good guys. Hell, they’re barely even good cops. And that’s saying something given the wretched state of the precinct. Prior to the Pearson case, they were under investigation by Internal Affairs for embezzlement and corruption. And they were probably going to be fired if not outright charged but... you can’t really do that to the detectives who saved a missing four-year-old via a shootout, now can you?

Of course, there wasn’t even a shootout. Sharpe executed the kidnappers and then they faked a crime scene. The husband wasn’t acting suspiciously. Sharpe only knew Chrissy Pearson was in the trunk because he read the husband’s mind.

It was the first time he ever did that. It won’t be the last.

Super Ability
Telepathy [+2]:
Sharpe can read minds. And when he’s in someone’s head, he can change their memories, too. Sometimes.

The brain is a funny organ. Memory making is an inherently flawed process. People rarely record minor details. Did you lock the front door? Did you leave the water running? Do you still have eggs in the fridge? Where did you place your keys? All small, inconsequential stuff that is easy to mess up. And that makes it easy to alter.

Unfortunately, given the nature of how memories are formed, it’s almost impossible to edit anything major. He can’t make someone think their wife’s name is Kathy when it’s really Theresa because there are too many other things that are connected to a name. Too many memories. Too many correlated, intertwining synapses. But small stuff? Sure. As long as it’s not too deeply questioned or the person is presented with truth, it’ll hold up.

Mundane Qualities
Police Detective [+4]: A career on the force gives you a lot of stuff: experience, training, a partner, a gun. But in a lot of ways, the most important thing it gives you is authority.
Local Celebrity [+2]: His fifteen minutes of fame are up. Sure, earlier this year, he was invited to one of those television daytime talkshows and, yeah, he’s done his fair share of radio interviews across the country. But celebrity culture moves fast. So outside of the city people might not know his face anymore. Inside the city, though, he’s still pretty well-liked.

Drawbacks
Greedy [-2]: It’s kinda funny, you know? Those kidnappers had withdrawn all of their money from all their bank accounts. Yet only, like, half of it was found in the car. The rest just… disappeared... Weird...
Dino Mazzanati [-2]: Sharpe’s partner and best friend. He's the one who knows where all the bodies are buried (sometimes literally). And he's the one that Sharpe truly trusts. The only one. If there is honor amongst thieves, this is where you could find it. And if you need a way to get to Sharpe, this is where you could go.

What do you want out of this game?
As per our talk, I’m looking to make an information broker kinda guy. I also tried to include “synergistic mortal qualities and a motivation related to organization building.” Short term, I could see him “cleaning up the streets” by robbing the gently caress out of criminals and and maybe the not-so-criminal and using that to move up the ranks of the police force. Long term, I’d like to take over the police department and… well… advance in power from there. Probably run for political office if the game goes long enough. Also, hilariously, could potentially be tasked with investigating crimes committed by his fellow villains. That could be very fun. Especially if he develops this public persona of being a hero (which he is 100% not).

Tyrannosaurus fucked around with this message at 04:33 on May 16, 2018

Quornes
Jun 23, 2011

Real name: Nicolas Danger Williams
Villain name: The Fox
Organization name: R.O.S.E. Research and Ordnance Solution Experts. "A R.O.S.E. by any other name can't beat our quality or prices!" - sales pitch / motto

Origin Story: Nicolas was born into a rich family and his future was practically handed to him. Good schools, good grades, and a guaranteed spot at an Ivy League college. After graduating with his MBA he used his family connections to get into a top Fence Ave company, starting in the mail room to prove himself and working his way up the corporate ladder slowly. By 25 he was a mid level manager and making six figures, before bonuses! Hostile takeovers and corporate shakedowns propelled him to new heights and executive powers were soon his. Top of the world and all that.

Of course, he had his vices as well. High end business like this is stressful and while his boxing regime helped him vent steam, Nicolas found cocaine to be a wonderful way to sit back and cut loose. That, is where his back story starts to peak. You see, after a disastrous trip to Las Vegas that cleared out almost all of his cash, Nicolas went on a legendary three week cocaine binge and brought about his downfall. To say it was bad was...an understatement.

High as a kite, with an empty bank account, and no measure of self restraint, Nicolas found himself suddenly at the companies helm as the acting CEO when the real CEO had a heart attack and was hospitalized. The details of the horrific business deals and triple levels of convoluted transactions would serve as lessons in business schools for decades to come and be subject to no less than 20 dissertations on high level economics and business ethics. Sufficient to say, the DOW sank 15% by the end of it and nearly a third of the financial institutions on Fence Ave had to take emergency measures to avoid bankruptcy. The real miracle here is Nicolas managed this entirely legally. That didn't save him from being sacked and blacklisted almost world wide.

Cutoff and depressed beyond measure, Nicolas turned back to coke and and increasing assortment of drugs and dangerous trips taken to get them. One involved....he can't really remember. There was a doctor who was looking for test subjects, unlocking human potential and yadda yadda but a friend told him they really gave an amazing high so he took some. He thinks...? Its hard to recall. There was a dragon...a boat...two midgets fighting in a taxi? Oh dear lord what was that donkey doing? And just who was that Muffin Man? His mind felt beyond fried, freed from earthly bounds and tripping across a galactic roadtrip. Slowly it started to come back and sank into his body...where Nicolas suddenly startled awake and found himself in a bathtub full of vodka and a single pair of cherries...in New Jersey.

While he can't really recall anything of the incident itself, it quickly became apparent that his mind has changed. Looking at the cab driver as he drove Nicolas back home revealed a complex picture of a man. Details popped up he never would of noticed before, like he had learned cold reading but at a level beyond what a mortal man was capable of. A couple questions and responses had the cabby convinced Nicolas was a psychic and had talked to the poor mans mother, giving him absolution. As he stood in front of his house, Nicolas realized that his new Hyper Intuition had opened up quite a few possibilities. While the business world would never take him back, the underworld was wide open. And from his working experience, he knew the arms market was a lucrative field waiting for a man of his talents...


Mundane Qualities
The Fox of Fence Ave [+2]: Nicolas spent years working the corporate ladders, greasing wheels, and making shady backroom deals on Fence Ave. While no financial institution would ever hire him after the stunt he pulled, he has kept all the business skills hes learned and knows what palms to grease and which ones to clasp in friendship. (uses: Sensing and capitalizing business opportunities, bribing the right guy, making lasting connections)

Golden Gloves[+2]: To work that executive powersuit to its fullest, its got to fit. One to two hours at a boxing gym per day does wonders for your physique and cardio. He even came close to winning the New York City Golden Gloves. He hasn't competed since then, but a boxing workout regime has kept him in great shape. (uses: Cardio for running, good physique for health, boxing keeps the average mugger away)

Upper Management [+2]: Climbing the corporate ladder is about being ruthless and cutthroat, outmaneuvering your rivals and sucking up to the right people. It's also about taking care of the rungs below you. Nicolas is used to managing people below him and keeping special projects going. A good judge of character and assessing your underlings loyalty to keep them from stabbing you in the back like you stabbed your bosses is key.(uses: Managing minions, judging loyalty, keeping projects going smoothly, etc.)

Super-Ability
Hyper Intuition [+2]: Whatever the hell he was given, Nicolas's brain now possesses amazing intuitive abilities. Minute details, facial twitches, abstract pieces come together and tell a story. Its hard to tell a lie or fight a guy who can read you like an open book. Complex market moves paint a simple picture of when to buy and when to sell. The subtle tells of bodyguards at an arms meet tell if they plan to double cross you or deal in good faith. Small sounds and body movement show where a punch will go or what angle a gun will be fired at. (uses: any social situation, good for figuring out puzzles or cryptograms, helps give him an edge in fights, acts as low level dangersense against threats a normal human could sense but wouldn't normally put together)

Drawbacks
Infamously Blacklisted [-2]: Nicolas is like a nuclear hot potato in the legit business world. As much as he is free to dally in the black market, establishing legitimate ties or covers will be hard. The grey market is more receptive but any buyer/seller will be wary of him.

Arrogant [-2]: When you've been born with a silver spoon in your mouth and everything handed to you, you tend to be arrogant. Even after his misdeeds, Nicolas did not think of making amends or being a better person, only how to make more money. Those pesky people in his way? Insignificant. It doesn't matter if he tells them his master plan or underestimates them because they'll never be able to match him.

What do you want out of the game?
Nicolas wants to become the next Lord of War. I'd love to play a coked up business man that can tell if you're lying to him and almost read your mind through cold/hot reading. Quickly expand your shadowy syndicate, keep people loyal by firing(executing) anyone you find disloyal. Which is easy when they can't lie to you without you knowing. Eventually sell and develop weapons worldwide, possibly invade and takeover North Korea or a South American country no one cares about.

Edit: Changed Snow Blower to Infamously Blacklisted. Still in theme and in keeping with his backstory, shouldn't get tired too quick. Can be invoked for most major or stressful social situations, and eventually could be bought off or changed to keep it fresh.
Added in the name of his future organization and a villain name. Changed Wolf of Wall Street to The Fox of Fence Ave after discord feedback, since this not-USA and Wall Street would be something different, in this case Fence Ave.

Quornes fucked around with this message at 03:17 on May 16, 2018

Vicissitude
Jan 26, 2004

You ever do the chicken dance at a wake? That really bothers people.
Edited my sheet to make a clear goal and changed up the background a little.

Vicissitude
Jan 26, 2004

You ever do the chicken dance at a wake? That really bothers people.
Edited my sheet to make a clear goal and changed up the background a little.

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

quote:

Silver Flame [+2]: So this is basically just regular flame control with a color swap? The flames don’t have any special properties right?

Yep, the only effect of the flame's silver colour is that those are the flames she's controlling, and could do things like 'keep burning on concrete' and 'form a perfect circle around some meddling unbelievers'. But they just burn like regular fire. Once they light something else on fire that'll just be normal fire that isn't really taking any orders from Lunargent.

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Zeppelin Insanity
Oct 28, 2009

Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn
Hope this isn't too far out. Comic books are full of aliens! :v:



Diplomatic Special Agent Krix-Narr
Earth Villain Name: Viper

Krix-Narr is what you'd call a true believer. Being a soldier is not just his occupation or his duty, but a true force for good. Hundreds of his victims scattered across a dozen planets might disagree, but that's because they're narrow-minded. And dead. Granted, in a one on one situation he might be considered a monster, but that's missing the big picture. The only way to galactic peace is through creating a united, tolerant, multi-cultural society. Most species are too xenophobic to accept that. On average it takes between one and three hundred years after forceful integration for them to realise the benefits. Those that never do simply have to be removed to prevent further bloodshed in the long term. As the Great Intelligence teaches, it is simply logical. Krixx-Narr can't argue with that.

He takes this logic further. To minimize death and suffering in the galaxy, quick, brutal and ruthless action is required. Every death's effect must be maximised, so that fewer are required in the long run. Some critics call him and his tactics dishonorable. He does not understand this. What could be more honorable than acting against your base instincts in order to preserve peace and life? He has few friends, especially within his species. Some are put off by his "alien loving" ways. Always being quick to admonish anyone critical of different species would make him a poor fit in regular military units. That's why he is part of the Reconnaisaince and Sabotage Wing.

Although he is lonely, the Intelligence finds his perofrmance satisfactory, and that is validation enough. Recently, he has been promoted to the rank of Diplomat - a special agent tasked with finding new civilisations and initiating first contact. Earth is his first find.

Humans simultaneously repulse and fascinate him. A species that revels in war, cruelty and self-destruction. A species that has brought itself to the brink of annihilation, and did not blink. A species that routinely practices limited genocide on itself. Quick breeding, short lived and barbaric. They might make truly fearsome shock troops.

The Combined Army is always seeking promising species for integration into it's ranks. His task is to find out more. To watch and learn. To prod and test. If humanity proves worthy, he will prepare them for the Great Examination - a limited and carefully managed invasion designed to let a species show it's fighting spirit, to unite them and teach them about real warfare.

It is beautiful here. Perhaps one day he will retire on Earth, maybe spawn a brood, maybe even open a Diplomat academy. But first he must prove to the Intelligence that Earth is worth having.

Mundane Qualities

[+2]Combat training: Sometimes, direct action is necessary. Even without alien technology and the element of surprise, Krix-Narr would be a capable, though unspectacular, combatant.

[+2]Field agent: His race form the premiere recon units in the galaxy for a reason. Camouflage, infiltration and hostile environment survival are his bread and butter.

[+2]Intelligence Officer: A veteran intelligence officer, Krix-Narr can easily assimilate knowledge, recognize patterns and draw conclusions from limited information. also it might be funny if bad rolls result is dumb conclusions

Super Ability
[+2]Agent of the Combined Army Limited access to advanced alien technology. A standard Diplomat toolkit - small arms and explosives, multi-spectral camouflage, medicines, devices for interfacing with indigenous technology and a communications link with sector command.

Drawbacks

[-2]Alien physiology: Certain kinds of clothing can conceal and technology can help, but there's no getting away from the facts: humans have half the number of arms, their knees bend the wrong way, not to mention the whole "mammal" situation. Vocal cords are not used to human sounds. Pretending to be a human is possible in optimal circumstances, but certainly very difficult.
His actual appearance is shorter and slightly more spindly than human average. Two main arms and two smaller "helper" arms (Not a mechanical advantage, just a narrative thing), a tail, digitigrade legs (yes I know technically that isn't backwards bending knees), fingers and toes ending with short, retractable claws. Skin is reptilian, scaly but soft. He is cold blooded.

[-2]Cultural ignorance: Human social interactions and cultural backgrounds are complex and require extensive research to fully comprehend. Wrong conclusions can be drawn, and actually navigating a more complex situation is a minefield requiring preparation, focus and luck.

What I want out of the game:
Sleuthing, both spy style as well as military recon. Some combat. Some Predator. Super ability advancement through supply drops and reinforcements, culminating in an X-Com style limited test/teaching invasion. Definitely will be extremely interested in testing Supers, and if things go that way might present himself as a threat to see if he can get them to cooperate against him, and how. Potential fish out of water hijinks if/when it's time to lighten the mood a little.

I want to interact with other players often, as an external threat much more so than a fellow schemer. The point wouldn't be so much to throw a wrench in the plans (though that may happen), but more to challenge the villains and "help" them develop through conflict.

Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 20:39 on May 15, 2018

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