OOC

Welcome to the game!

Lets get this party started!

You’re all invited to introduce yourself, and share your character concept (if you have one already). I included very basic information about character creation, but it doesn’t include the power and talent descriptions because I didn’t want to rip the entire core book. I can help suggest which powers/talents would be most appropriate for your concept, and share the text for them.

If you’re not familiar with the rules, the quickstart covers them all.

We also need to decide on our home city. Most of the major characters from the series/show operate out of Baltimore. Which is why I suggest you pick another major U.S metro so you are the local team, we can have different heroes/villains show up, and have you take the spotlight. Once your powers grow, your reach would as well. But, if you prefer, we can start the story at Baltimore itself as well. Thoughts?

Thank you for the invite, I’m really looking forward to it!

For a locale, why not St. Louis, MO? You have a couple of riverfronts, old style neighborhoods, colleges, pro Baseball and Football, East St. Louis across the river for a rundown, aging region and even riverboat Casinos for high rolling social life. Not to mention Anhauser-Busch and Budweiser for adult beverages. Up the road in Illinois there are the Cahokia Mounds which just scream of supernatural things, an I’m sure I’m missing a few valid points…
LOL

Also, one concept I have in mind involves having the ability to Increase or decrease the character's Density. Decrease is easy as it's Intangibility. Increase on the other hand is an issue.

Several abilities could be used, but one I'm thinking of is Size Alteration with a custom limits: something like Only Mass. This would result in adjusting the STRENGTH/AGILITY as normal and the affect of Immunity to Knockback/Slam, but losing the elevated targets and grappling immunity. Shrinking mass would not give the -x dice for attacks against you but might allow you to move more easily or gain the ability to Glide/Air Walk. Maybe in conjunction with the Protection power?

Any thoughts on that or another way to simulate Density Increase?

Hello folks! Wasn't sure if I'd make the cut given my lack of experience with supers games. As for location discussion I'm gonna side with whatever sounds interesting. I'm usually playing fantasy games with made up locations so if you got a preference that's probably fine by me.

I don't have a nailed down concept yet. But I had one idea of a guy that has Venom like power utilizing mysterious tattoos that start small and grow with his power. Two name ideas: Inkredible and Demonink. It's a first pass idea, but it sounds cool.

Hey everyone! I appreciate being selected and look forward to playing with you all!

I really like the St. Louis idea! I've never been, personally, but from what you've described (and what I've heard about the city from some friends), it seems like a pretty diverse place with a lot to offer in plenty of respects, which I think would serve a game like this very well. I would be willing to consider other ideas too, but as of now I think St. Louis has my vote.

For my character concept, I'll preface this by saying I actually have the digital core rulebook for this game, so I've gotten a bit of a head start here. I'm thinking of playing a sharpshooter type of hero (think someone in a similar vein to Hawkeye or Bullseye) with some theatrical Wild West flair and a bit of a supernatural twist.

To achieve this, I'm leaning towards sacrificing a couple of attribute points for a 3rd power to get Blast, Quickness, and Dimensional Travel. The Blast + Quickness combo feels like a pretty good way to capture the sharpshooter aspect, and I think some dimensional travel could be a fun extra layer. I would also very likely be taking the "Specific Dimension" limit as well, in case anyone just got worried about the headache that would be keeping track of all sorts of dimensions lol. Any thoughts on this idea so far? Still working on some of the finer details, but wanted to make sure the general idea was good before getting too far into the weeds.

Hi everyone! I'm looking forward to playing with you all. Love the concepts you thought of, i'm sure we'll have an exciting game.

Saint Louis seems like a great place to start. It's large, metropolitan, with several recognizable landmarks that can be demolished featured in dramatic fights.

Knighthawke; density control looks like a very useful power, with lots of utility and potential for upgrades. Reskinning Size Alteration with some light modification seems like the best way to go about it. You would still need to buy the glide/protection powers separately, maybe with a limit on which forms they can be used?

Gearspark; looks like you nailed down your power source. How did your hero get those mysterious tattoos, and what do they allow him(her?) to do?

SleepSavant; a gunslinger with a supernatural twist sounds cool. Should probably limit the dimensional travel to a specific domain, though. Or alternatively, find a reason why this specific alternate dimension is so important, over all others.

Hi everyone!

Thank you very much for the invite!

St Louis sounds great!

I have the rulebook, but haven't read it fully yet.

The concept I've got at the moment is an Anti-Super Experiment of some sort with Mimicry, Nullification, and Duplication.

I'm looking forward to playing with everyone!

Welcome to the game, Lowate. Cool concept, waiting to see what you'll come up with.

I think we settled on St. Louis as our City. Once everyone creates their characters, we can flesh it out a bit with a handful of NPCs and fictional landmarks.

If anyone needs my help to get started with your characters, let me know. I'll try to create a character template for us in the meantime..

I've been looking into creepy stuff for that area. Apparently there are the 7 Gates of Hell (in Illinois, but apparently it gets visited by folk of StL so meh). It's a series of railroad bridges that supposedly when passaged in order and reaching the final one at midnight causes devil dogs to appear and drag you to hell. Lots of graffiti along the "gates". Figure this character, a guy, maybe young or at the time, touched a strange marking along the final gate and found the surface still fresh with "paint". That material is what formed the tattoo(s). A stain that wouldn't wash away.

What does it do? I figure some sort of physical enhancement initially. Strength maybe? Over time I can add other abilities and have it reflected in the markings growing more complex and spreading. I dont have the full rules so once you've got time I would appreciate help figuring that stuff out. My inspirations are Spawn/Venom/The Darkness. But given starting out might not have a full powerset figure strength is an easy starting point.

@Delirium - Something like this?

Thanks, Knighthawke. I added the template to the character creation thread.

@Gearspark; that is a very cool and original idea for a power source, and Hell does exist in the setting (though it doesn't feature prominently). In fact, I believe 'Spawn', did make a brief cameo appearance in a crossover once (both titles were from Image Comics).

Anyways, there is no 'superstrength' power, per se. You simply buy up the Strength attribute, as high as you can afford to. Our starting limit is '6', which will allow you to casually lift a metric ton. Future increases to attributes would be possible using Karma after the game starts, so you could increase your strength even further. Likewise, you can increase 'Agility' to represent supernatural quickness.

For powers, you can start with something like Summoning (for ,'Darklings', or other creatures), Protection (gives you 'Armor' to resist damage from attacks), either Strike, which enhances physical damage, or Blast, for long range attacks. You could pick 'Regeneration', 'Elongation' (allows you to stretch your limbs), maybe Shapeshifting to allow you to grow wings, or make other changes to your body. That's probably good to start with. If you want to represent Spawn's magical abilities better, there are Powers that can do that too.

@Lowate,@SleepSavant; let me know how you're doing, and if you need any help with character creation.

Hi! So just needing a little help using Gamers Plane as it's my first time here. I went to the Character Creation thread, and used that template to create my PC. Is that visible on your side now or do I need to do something to add it to this game?

Go to the game details page: https://gamersplane.com/games/5331
Scroll down, you'll see a 'Submit a Character' section. Select the character you created, and press 'Submit'. I will then be able to see it, and once I approve it, you will be able to post as your character as well

Thanks! I've submitted it!

I've made a good amount more progress, and I think I'm getting close to a more finalized idea. I slept on the Dimensional Travel idea and decided to actually swap that out for Teleportation instead. I'd still like to keep the flavor of the idea intact, though, so as of now I'm going with the "dimensional shortcut" explanation the book suggests for how it works. Part of the reason is I'd still like to keep the door open for the dimensional travel idea in case I revisit it in the future (maybe as my character gets stronger, they gain the ability to actually stay in this other dimension for some time rather than just hopping through it?).

As for the dimensional angle, I agree that it should be a specific domain. I don't know how much it'll matter with teleportation, but just in case, I'll say I was thinking of the Shadowverse being the pick. From the start, I'd been imagining it being somewhere weird, alien, and kinda dangerous, and the Shadowverse seems to fit that best among the established options. The Flaxan dimension came to mind too, but... idk, it just didn't feel quite right for this character.

There's another new idea I got that I'd like to throw out there. I'm thinking of trying the "Criminal" occupation for this character. Now, I don't imagine this character being an active criminal, but someone who's since reformed and is now looking for a new start on the other side of the law, coinciding with their newfound powers. I was also looking at drawbacks and thought "Targeted" could make for an interesting one. My idea right now is like a former henchman or something for a criminal organization who left, and now this organization either wants my character back or out of the picture (new powers + change of heart + inside knowledge of the org could make for a concerning combo in their eyes).

Finally, looking at power sources, I wanted to keep it fairly straightforward for the most part. I plan for Blast to be done via firearms (or whatever ranged weapon my character has at the time) and for Quickness to be attributed to rigorous training with those weapons as part of their criminal background (if we go with that). Teleportation gets a bit more complicated. Currently, I like the "Freak Accident" idea the book suggests. Maybe a job went wrong, culminating in an accident that caused the teleportation ability to later manifest via mutation? A near-death experience like that could also help explain their desire to leave the criminal life behind.

I wanted to get some thoughts on all this before putting it down, so if you don't find these ideas to be very fitting, then I'd be open to changing to something else. The good news is I should be about done with character creation once I've got the above aspects sorted.

@Lowlate; your character looks ok. Please drop one of the 'Targeted' Drawbacks you selected. The organization targeting you is a 'significant presence in the game', and used actively to 'cause trouble for you at least once per adventure'. Having two such organizations would be narratively complex and risk diverting too much attention from the other characters (not to mention the very considerable risk). Other than that, you're good to go.

You should also select a portrait for your character. Click on the red pencil at the top-right corner of your character sheet, and then 'change avatar'. BTW - make sure never to press 'save' before the sheet is fully loaded. Otherwise you will save a blank sheet to the DB, and there would be no way to restore it. I recommend to keep a copy somewhere.

@SleepSavant; an ex-criminal background story works fine, as well as the Targeted drawback. Your initial power source looks mundane. Keep in mind that 'Blast' is pretty powerful. Even at a Basic level, it's equivalent to an assault rifle. (see gear on page 95). You could still keep them mundane if you want, but you would have to narratively explain why they are so powerful if you ever choose to upgrade them. If you're looking for ideas, your pistols could high tech weapons, be drawing energy from the Shadowverse, from Hell, an alien weapon, powered by your own mystical energies, or anything else you can think of. The origin of your guns could be tied to your teleportation/dimensional travel abilities, if you chose to.

Thanks, I've removed the second Targeted Drawback and added an avatar for the PC.

Just to confirm, I would still need a second Drawback to pay for the third Power I have for this Upstart hero? If so, for the second Drawback would Reliant: Anti-Viral Booster be okay? Basically she'd need regular doses of this booster to help her immune system hold the virus back.

Yes, changing the drawback to 'Reliant' is just fine. You're good to go then ;)

Thanks! Looking forward to playing with everyone!

My PC is Anne-tibody, a Scientist with the Powers of Mimicry, Nullification, and Duplication.

@Delirium - I was playing around, trying to figure out the best way to do the Density Increase and this is the result:
Thoughts? It's pretty much a rewrite of Size Alteration

The write-up of Mass Alteration looks good. I accepted Flux into the game. Please complete the 'Power' section, the 'combat values', and pick a portrait for him.

Thank you!

I’ll get those sorted in the morning along with his background.

Really looking forward to this! :)

@Delirium
Good point about the Blast power source. I really like your idea of Shadowverse energy empowering the weaponry to explain the damage it can deal. Maybe it could be a situation where, when she uses Blast, she's really using her gun as a conduit to channel some of the Shadowverse's energy into the projectile, which helps separate it from just a normal shot. So, basically, the bullet itself ultimately doesn't end up being the only problem, but rather what's coming with it. Thanks for that suggestion!

I've also gone ahead and filled out the character sheet almost in full. I believe the only thing I have left is Key Relationships, which I'm hoping to have done today. Otherwise, the rest should be good to go unless I've made some errors or overlooked something, in which case please let me know.

Edit: I also added an avatar, admittedly a little rough as it was cobbled together in an old flash character builder lol, but I think it at least gets the idea across for now. Will see if I can find something better in the near future

Showstopper is approved!

Each of you should also pick one key relationship with another PC. Talk it over and decide how you met each other, and what the bond is, and what you already told the other person about your background (if anything).

We also need two other decisions:

• Team name
• Base of operations

You are Upstarts, so your starting base is small and a little improvised. The example from the book were: 'unused library wing, top floor of an arcade, tattoo parlor basement, forgotten university science lab'. You can come up with your own ideas, but it needs to be a place similar to the suggestions.

So my PC, Dr Annette Brody, is in her 30s and a Scientist currently researching a cure for the experimental virus in her body.

What's everyone's PCs?

I don't have any suggestions for Team Name or Base yet.

Yesterday was busy for me. Gonna try to work on stuff today.

Same, will be finishing up Flux and considering the other items. :)

Flux is Nicolas Adrian Reyes. To his mother, a scientist researching Crystal harmonics, he’s Nico, to everyone else he’s Adrian. He was diagnosed at 8 with Brittle Bone disease, so was homeschooled the last 10 years. His mother recently had a breakthrough which she felt would help her son, so brought him to the lab for a treatment that would improve his bone density.

The lab was attacked when he was taking the treatment and a powers surge caused and overload and collapse. Shortly after he woke up in the hospital he discovered he had indeed been cured, but it gave him the ability to alter his density.

Now, for the first time out and about he’s a student actually at college and working part time as a lab assistant.

@Knighthawke Oh wow! Perhaps that's how Anne-Tibody and Flux know each other? Either as colleagues, or through Flux's mother?

Anne-Tibody's powers are created by her immune system reacting to an experimental virus she created for a place called The Institute, but she didn't realise until too late that they were developing it to be an anti-superhuman weapon to destroy all superhumans, so she used the only copy on herself and fled.

Maybe she thought she was working on something that would help Flux.

She's currently working on a cure for herself, for the virus still in her body, and needs to take anti-viral boosters to help her immune system keep it back.

That is definitely an interesting power source. :)

I could see his mother being the connection, and Anne having helped him find an assistant position with "flexibility" to help him do his hero thing as much as possible. :)

For a Team Name, what about "The Power Posse"? And for a Base, an abandoned Riverboat Casino, or ooo... a hitherto unknown cavern under Lemp Mansion?

I think I got the images I want for this character and his names (Inkredible/Shawn Bright) figured out. Right now I just have him as like a factory worker. Nothing really special just pays the bills. Possibly a supplier for the Institute? Just thinking of connections. The actual sheet stuff I haven't gone into yet. Day had a lot of distractions in the form of a hyper six year old. I did wanna ask more about the shapeshift power. Is that like a full body thing or can I like use it as almost a morphing mullti-tool?

To summarize what I have so far, Showstopper's real identity is Carolina Blythe. She's a 25-year-old college dropout who found being an underling for a criminal organization to be more financially rewarding than the degree she was pursuing, but never really felt great about it. After an assignment went badly, led to a near-death experience, and left her changed (the Shadowverse stuff), she couldn't avoid the reality anymore that her current way of life wasn't working and is now trying her best to build something new and honest for once.

As for a PC connection, hmm... you know, a part of me immediately thought, "What if Carolina was part of the attacking force on the lab?" and it could also double as the mission gone wrong that changed the course of her life. But at the same time, I'm at a loss trying to explain how she could possibly go from that to being on the team lol.

@Knighthawke; Do you think it could make sense for Carolina to know Adrian from college? I know I just said earlier that she's a dropout, but I could see her taking a couple of classes again to try and work on herself (or maybe just sneak into lectures here and there to learn something new lol).

As for team name and base location, I'm kind of terrible with team names lol so I'm struggling with suggestions, but I think Power Posse could be fun! Of the base suggestions so far, I'm torn between the Lemp Mansion idea and the forgotten university science lab. I like the connection to an actual landmark with the mansion, but an abandoned lab also makes sense to me, with 2 heroes having some science themes to them.

Tentatively, so far we have:
- The Power Posse
- Based in a secret cavern below Lemp Mansion (which is currently in real-life a restaurant and overnight lodging).

With possible connections as:
- Nicolas has brittle bone disease and his mother developed a treatment but their lab was attacked.
- Carolina is a college dropout and knew Adrian in college. Carolina worked as an underling for a criminal organisation and was part of the attack on his mother's lab during treatment for his brittle bone disease.
- Annette was once a colleague of Nicolas' mother. Annette worked with the Institute to develop a virus she thought would help Nicolas' brittle bone disease, but she discovered it was really an anti-superhuman virus to kill all superhumans. She helped Nicolas get a job.
- Shawn is a factory worker who works for a supplier of the Institute.

@Gearspark ; Shapeshifting allows you, as a full action, to 'alter your shape to assume the form other creatures or objects, taking on their appearance and physical traits for a few hours or until you are broken. You can grow wings, allowing you to fly up to 2 zones in a single (quick or full) action. You can use this to impersonate another character, although people who know the original well get to make an INTUITION roll to notice that something is off. A character with ENHANCED SENSES automatically sees through your disguise.

Possible Boost: Potent Form. While shapeshifted, your STRENGTH or AGILITY increases by 2.
Possible Limit: Specific Form. You can only transform into one form that needs to be specified when you create your hero.'

I think it's less like a 'multi tool'. If you want a shape shifting that can grant you additional abilities/powers, we can reskin 'Sorcery' (Sorcery allows you, as a full action, to give yourself the ability to use any single Power at a 'Basic' Level).

---

Everyone else; what we need is a Key Relationship with another PC, not (necessarily) a connection. This is someone you can open up to, come for advice, a friend or a companion that can support you through difficult times. You could have formed that relationship after you all came together as a team. so don’t feel like you need to invent a complicated Connection. Think instead about who your character trusts and relies on when things get tough.

Also, remember that interacting with your Key Relationship is the primary way to recover Resolve, so having these relationships gives you a reason to seek out personal scenes with each other. Social scenes are kind of 'baked' into the rules this way. All of this goes for your Key Relationship with an NPC from your background as well. Make sure those people are someone your character wants to engage with. Someone they trust, and is a major part of their lives.

@Knighthawke How old is Nicolas?

I'll put Nicolas down as someone Annette trusts and relies on when things get tough for her.

I decided to buy the pdf to make this easier. Gonna submit what I have so far, but still like many need to get relationships with a PC and an NPC. Probably gonna be a union rep on the NPC side.

19, but if didn’t know would pass as mid 20’s

Sounds good! I've got Nicolas down as Annette's Key PC Relationship, but of course Nicolas might have someone else for his.

Annette's 30, so maybe she didn't have a family and idolises Nicolas' mother as a mother figure and kind of sees him as a brother, someone she can talk to, whereas she's trying to impress Nic's mother. Probably why she worked on that virus with the evil Institute. She probably feels really dumb for that.

That could work. She might have been there when he was registering and they hit it off. He would have had kind of an awkwardness about him because it was going to be the first time since he was 9 that he was going to actually be in a classroom.

I think the Key Relationship for Adrian is going to be his mother. They have a lot of friction because she wants to keep him safe and protect him like she always had. Now though, when he's got a lot on his mind, she's the one that can always help.

@Gearspark; Inkredible is approved! Besides the Key Relationships, you also need a 'Drive', and a character 'Flaw'. The templates in the core book has some suggestions under each 'Archetype' (page 37+), and you can also make up your own if you don't find something suitable.


It looks like we're good to go, for the most part. I'm going to start us on our first scene in a day or two. Hang tight ;)

Updated my Key Relationships, and with that, I think Showstopper is pretty much done. Looking forward to seeing how the adventure starts out! :)

First post it up!

We're going to have our first action scene soon enough, and I want to propose a few house rules to help everything run more smoothly.
Because this is a play-by-post, and because Invincible lets you spend an available action to defend as a reaction, I suggest the following:

• Initiative: I will draw the initiative for everyone. Heroes all go together, opponents will also act as one side. This way, we don't have to wait on personal turn order. If it's the Hero turn, whomever posts first, goes first.

• Enemy attacks: I will roll for your opponents, and will tell you what will happen if the attack hits (damage/conditions/other effects). It is up to you to decide if you want to spend a reaction (assuming you have a quick action saved) to defend or not. At any case, you will be responsible to narrate the result of the hit. If you are Broken, roll the critical yourself, apply it, and tell the table what happened to your hero. Likewise, you will roll for your hero's action, and I will narrate the results, based on the antagonist defense roll (if they've chosen to spend the reaction).

The point is to speed things along. Try to minimize the 'wait time', and keep the scene moving.

Thoughts?

Okay. Got drive and flaw in. Kinda unsure which PC to pair with. Maybe I'll decide when we see them in play. Hard to base it on loose ideas and backstory.So, write up to the attempt and you will fill out the aftermath and we do the same when you attack? Sounds fine to me.

I haven't played Invincible before, but those sound like solid steps to reducing the wait time during combat.

I present Adrian and his alter-ego. :)

@Delirium Wow, Man-tis is just horrible! lol Didn't expect that!

Can Annette sense what Powers he has to see if any are worth copying or if he's using any now to nullify?

I will preface it by saying that it's not always possible to know what powers someone has just by looking at them.Otherwise it would give you an unfair advantage of always knowing what exactly you are facing.

However, in this case it is pretty clear that the Man-tis has some sort of Armour (protection Power), Strike, since it's forelegs are like sharp swords, and since it has wings...probably leaping/limited flight. It's also pretty big, so size alteration ('always big' limit) applies as well. Extra Limbs. I think that about covers it.

Do be careful; the Man-tis is clearly dangerous, and you would have to get really close to mimic it's powers. Choose wisely...

Makes absolute sense, GM!

Since Mimicry is also applicable to Attributes, can I also reasonably assume that Man-tis has a high Strength Attribute, just by looking at him and his size, etc?

Yes, it definitely has a high strength rating. Also likely a high Fighting and Intuition ratings, due to its natural instincts.

I think I spaced on writing a post last night. Took a half day off work and did a few hangouts that ran up to me going to bed. I'll aim to get a post out earlier today, but I have a concert tonight and can't promise I'll be able to followup if activity is high. Back to normal schedule after that.

No worries, Gearspark

@Lowate you still have the teleportation power mimicked. You can teleport two zones in one quick action, 4 if you spend 1 stress.

Ah! Okay, thanks for letting me know! In that case I will use a Quick Action + 1 Stress to teleport 4 zones, then use a Full Action + 1 Stress to duplicate a crowd of Annettes to get the monster's attention.

I'll delete that post and write another up for this

Does Adrian need help getting around? I'm thinking stress (I dont think that counts as pushing) to get us close on a rooftop (E5) then fastball (if youve less than 5 strength) to toss you at the buggy bastard. Thoughts?

Trying to get more targets between you and the monster, huh, Gearspark? Sneaky sneaky ;)

And yes, using stress to move faster using 'swinging' doesn't count as pushing the roll (which is good)

@Delirium Just to confirm, since Man-tis posted, it's our PCs' turn again, and therefore I can post again for Anne-Tibody?

No, I'm waiting for all the heroes to post. THEN Mant-is will have his action, and once round 2 begins, you can go again.

Sweet, got it! I'll let you tell us when a new combat round is for the PCs!

Thats gonna be my loose plan (the movement and toss in) assuming it is agreed. If not..maybe I'll get on the roof and toss something. Would that be wrecking the scene?

I'm sorta out of time before the event so if I post itll be during downtime. Also I kinda wanna make a joke at this big thing when I get there. Fingers crossed I have a decent one when I write it.

Yes, starting to tear things up to toss at something would be wrecking the zone (see page 90). You need a minimal strength for it, and usually it's '6' for street zones, but we can go for '5' if you're on a rooftop of some building. It will give you a +2 bonus for your attack -but be aware that is is bad karma to wreck a zone!

I have a quick rules question that I'm having trouble finding an answer to in the book: Is there any rule against using the same power twice in one turn (assuming someone has the action points for it)? Like, if a power requires a quick action to use it, could someone theoretically use their 2 quick actions in a turn to do the same thing twice? Or can any power only be used once per turn, regardless of action economy?

You can use your actions to do whatever you want, even twice in a round. So yes, you could use your two quick actions to teleport twice if you want. Btw, you can also spend 1 resolve to teleport 4 zones instead of 2 using the same quick action. This should already be enough to get you in range and use you full action for something else, like shooting the creature.

@SleepSavant; moving from I2 to G4 is also only 2 zones of movement. You can move diagonally.

Oooohh my mistake, I didn't think to move diagonally lol, I'll edit that turn then if that's alright

Sure, go ahead!

Okay I'm home. Since no answer gonna just not do the toss in part. You either get to the roof with me or do your own thing.

Waiting on you, @Knighthawke

@Delirium So... if Anne uses Mimicry on Man-tis' size with her Duplicates out, narratively do they all increase in size as well?

Yes, if you use Mimicry it would effect the duplicates as well, the ones that are out as well. I don't think you have any left now though...

Round 2 starts, all Heroes can post their actions

Omg! 5 damage! Yeah, taking away the +3 Copy Bonus for Duplication first, it brings her down to 1 Health. That would mean the creature's STR is around 9 or 10, yeah? Half STR is damage done, I think.

Puts things into perspective! lol

No, it's strength isn't that high. But it does have the Strike power, due to its blade like forearms, which increases Slugfest damage.

@Lowate
you don't actually have to spend 2 quick actions for that, since you still have the teleport power you mimicked (you haven't copied any other power since). That could leave you with your full action, which you can take before or after you move.

Ahhhh! Shoot, sorry forgot about that, I've been writing other possible posts yesterday and today while I waited in which I copied either Man-tis' Strength or Size and still had that in my mind, lol

I'll delete this and write another one, taking taht into account

@Delirium Actually, decided to use the 2 Quick Actions for movement, keep Man-tis' attention on the last moving snack.

@SleepSavant; that was an incredible hit! 2 '6' means you can also select a stunt (see page 93)

@SleepSavant Nice shot!

Also, what's it like travelling through the Shadowverse, especially for someone who is not as experienced with it as Showstopper is? Annette's teleported twice so after this battle I should include some sort of reference to that.

Welcome to the game, @Nellancholy !
Do you have a character concept in mind?

@Nellancholy Hiya! Looking forward to playing with you!

My PC is Anne-Tibody, Dr Annette Brody, a Scientist who gets her powers of Mimicry, Nullification, and Duplication from her immune system interacting with an anti-superhuman virus in her body. Her Attributes are 2-2-2-6-2-6.

Alright,I'm here. It seems the situation hasn't progressed too far yet. @Delirium Would I be dropping in or only joining during a break in the action?

Also,a brief rundown on your heroes' attributes would help me identify if there's a role I need to fill.

Character ideas I might want to select:

1) Third generation successor of a heroic heritage; the second successor was killed by [villain] and had their public-facing assets taken over, leaving this hero devoid of resources. The first two generations were unpowered, Darkwing type heroes, but the third one has had to receive cybernetic augmentations from a back-alley mad scientist to stay competitive.

2) Adult child of a corporate-sponsored, power-suit wearing veteran superhero who got juiced by a kaiju in a prior mission. Has to impersonate the hero in the suit in order to fulfill the contract. (Though if we're starting with a low number of powers, it might not make sense to inherit a fully-appointed suit?)

3) Celebrity heroine who has the persona of a masked wrestler (but never actually performed as one). Appears to be able to accomplish awe-inspiring feats of strength and durability, but actually manipulates gravitons on contact with matter to control weight and density. (That would be the Matter Control power, I believe?)

4) Unpowered vigilante, aspiring comedian and street artist. Skates around, shoots dudes with paint bombs and a crossbow, gets into trouble.

5) Considerably less serious idea: horse girl. Model student/athlete who unexpectedly activates a latent mutation and shapeshifts into a range of horse forms, eventually equalizing into a satyr-like body structure. Does every thing a horse can, not much more, and is thankfully not as fragile as one.

I recommend to think a bit more epic. We will be using the fast advancement rules, and your powers and abilities will quickly increase until you reach the 'Global Guardian' level. Options (2) and (3) are good because they have lots of growth potential. But you can choose the others and maybe add an additional power-source later on. Go with what you would enjoy playing most.

Regarding when you can drop in; that depends if they manage to put the monster down (if they're able) before you're ready. You can join whenever you are done building your character.

Sorry! It’s been a bit overwhelming with work last couple of days. Will get a post up in next couple of hours when I get more of a break!

Inkredible is sorta a mix of Spawn/Venom/TheDarkness but maybe with some confidence and talk like a Deadpool/Spiderman/Flash. If that makes sense. I kinda havent fully landed on how things will shift or darken (a vague thought if he survives is building corruption) but that's where he is. Right now he is mostly physically strong with some almost web slinging swing ability.

@Delirium a couple questions about character creation. I'm working off an online copy of the core book that seems to be missing page reference numbers,so excuse me if I don't have any details quite right?

If I play the wrestler,could I take the Telekinesis power with a unique drawback of Requires Touch? Matter Control technically makes more sense in context,but it explicitly only affects non-living objects,which would make it hard to "throw" enemies she's in hand to hand combat with. Also,do shooting attacks with the Telekinesis power use Agility as their attribute?

If I play the power suit user,could I get away with using Gear Dependent as the drawback for her powers or do I have to take the specific Power Suit drawback? Mainly because I was going to incline her stat distribution towards Reason/Presence and I think it makes a little less sense to cap those when she's not in the suit. (plus the caps are like,very tight)

@Nellancholy; you can take Telekinesis with a 'required touch' Limit if you want. And yes, shooting attacks would use Agility as an attribute.

'Super Suit' halves Strength, Fighting, and Agility when you're not wearing your suit, not any other attribute. Your Presence/Reason would stay the same in or out of the suit. ''Gear Dependent' doesn't even halve any of the attributes; instead, if you lose your gear, you lose access to your Powers.

Gearspark; please post your action so we can conclude Round 2.
SleepSavant; let us know what kind of extra hurt you're putting on the Man-tis due to your extra success.

I guess this isn't in the version you're using then?

I'll take that into account.

Yes, it was changed. Super Suit now halves your physical attributes only. There is another drawback called 'Alternate Form', which does reduce your three highest attributes.

@Delirium alright,I've submitted Brawndo Man for your consideration,do check to see that everything lines up mechanically. I'll furnish any finishing touches and details needed.

(To be clear, Margaret is publicly recognized as the "liaison" of Brawndo Man, who hides and "summons" him when he is needed.)

Good to see using my quick action for those extra dice actually paid off haha

@Delirium I'm going to go with the Double Damage stunt!

@Nellancholy Welcome in! To give a brief rundown of my character: Showstopper is a Wild West-themed gunslinger with a supernatural connection to the Shadowverse, which allows her to teleport and empowers her weapons (aka lets me use Blast lol). Her attributes are 3 fighting, 4 agility, 2 strength, 3 reason, 5 intuition, and 1 presence.

@Lowate Given it's only being used for teleportation (so far), I imagine the time spent actually in the Shadowverse feels very brief. When Showstopper warps, she probably gets a couple of seconds in this other dimension and has the time to run (or drift) a little bit in the direction she wanted to go before she loses her grasp of this other domain and gets sent back to Earth. When she really focuses on staying in the Shadowverse, she can buy herself an extra second there to cover more ground (aka when I take a stress to warp more zones). As for the Shadowverse itself, I've been imagining it pretty much just like the book describes it: a vast, impossibly dark void where distance traveled seems to work differently than it does back on the heroes' normal plane of existence. It is said to not be completely empty, with mysterious (and likely dangerous) entities lurking in this realm, but given the short time she spends there with each teleport, I doubt either of us is likely to see more than maybe a glimpse of one. Overall, it's a pretty unsettling place to be, even for someone who's been there multiple times, but it has its uses. I'll leave it up to you if you want Annette to interface with it the same way or not, but that's what I've been imagining so far :)

Questions first: Does strike just modify slugfest or does it require an action to use on its own? Also, is this a huge creature?

Strike doesn't cost an action to use. It increase the Slugfest damage. The creature isn't considered huge

Sweet! Got my post out. This is usually the time I'll be able to post if that helps for future reference.

@Nellancholy: Brawndo Man is approved! Add a portrait, and join the fight if you'd like. Choose any zone from which you arrived, and we can assume you could have also moved during 'round 2' to get you as close as you can to the action.

@Lowate, please add a Presence roll for the Nullification attempt. It's going to be an opposed roll.

Oops, yeah I added it now

What a great Give Orders roll!

@Delirium Can I push that Nullification roll?

sure! Go ahead and roll

That reminds me: do you take 1 stress just for pushing,or only stress for each 1 you roll after a push?

@Delirium Now that I think of it, which zone would you say the wounded police officer is in? Same as the school bus or somewhere else?

Also wow yeah, that give orders roll was insane. Way to make an entrance lol

You take 1 stress for pushing, plus 1 stress for each '1' you roll after a push.
the dowend officer is in zone E5

I'm going to add a 'Status Tracker' thread, which I will update after every Hero/Villain action.
It will include the map, everyone's position, which round it is, and who has yet to take their turn. If you're in doubt, you can always check that thread. Right now, I'm waiting for actions from SleepSavant, Gearspark, and Knighthawke

@Delirium Ah! So I take 2 Stress, not 3. 1 for Pushing, and then the 1 I rolled with the Push.

Yes, you should only have taken 2 stress.

Yeah sorry it was a mixed day of chores, parenting, and trying out WoW Forever with a friend. Let's see what I can do.

So, in using Save Bystanders, should I roll Agility or Strength? Reason’s an option too, but that seems more for mind powered assistance.

Also thanks for the status tracker, that’s gonna be a big help!

You can use Agility/Strength to get him out of the way, or Reason to maybe bind his wounds before he bleeds out.

My apologies all....

I got to getting back into things and had a family medical issue.. has thrown me off a lot..

I'm just trying to play with my irl friends and daughter while I have time on weekends. Still plan to post, just later.

Got it, ended up using Agility and updated my earlier post to reflect the roll (not that it ended up really accomplishing anything lol)

Is the GDA a public agency, or a secret? Just wondering if we know about them.

It's public. Anything in the 'Setting' thread are either public, or personally known to any member of the team.

Can I reply as Annette or is that too many posts?

You can; you are on your own now anyhow

Loved the "Call us the Brawnies!" lol

Finally fall weather and I immediately get sick. Skip me today. Gonna focus resting and maybe scheduling for a test sometime tomorrow. I think if we want to pursue further evidence we could check for any cameras that caught the drop in the garbage. Otherwise we can maybe regroup at GDA and utilize their capacity (and maybe our own local knowledge from Anne) to locate the Institute and ask them very politely to explain.

Came down with something today too :(. I usually make it like a few weeks into the fall before getting sick but no such luck this year I guess. Also I know this is late, but I see what you mean with the Daft Punk comparison lol. Always thought their helmets were sick so I’m a fan of the look haha

I like the sound of both ideas, maybe we start with checking for cameras in the area and then go to the GDA with a (potential) lead on what the suspect(s) may look like?

Gearspark, and SleepSavant : Rest up and feel better soon!
@Knighthawke; I hope your family's medical situation isn't too severe. Speedy recovery, and keep us posted.

I think that's 1 stress for every 1 rolled, + 1 for pushing the roll. So 4 in this case. But fret not! There will be an opportunity to recover before the next action scene. Unless someone else wants to give it a go, it will take a few days for the police to find a lead for you.

Do you take stress just for rolling 1s,or only if you push?

no, you don't take stress for rolling '1's unless you push the roll

We have some downtime now while the police/GDA are tracking down the suspect using the leads you've given them. If you want to recover some resolve by interacting with your key relationships, now is the time. You can initiate by posting on the thread, narrating who you met and where, and we'll take it from there. If you want to add a portrait for them, add it to your character sheet and I will use them when posting. You should each also have a PC key relationship, so you can start a short scene between yourselves as well.

I might be rising from the dead soon. Sorry for the delay. Good news it's just some random viral thing (ironic?). Nothing I gotta take meds for.

I kinda honestly wanna make my PC connection Brawndo Man..but at the same time I dunno. Anyone want to chat up Inkredible for their recovery?

@Gearspark I assume it's a bit early for the secret to come out to anyone just yet.

What I think is: Margaret is going to continue to pretend to be her dad,by giving his name and history.

Regardless of how much Inkredible buys it,that's what he's getting for now.

Does that sound good to you?

You do you, but I'll probably roll on detecting bullshit..if thats a thing. I don't want the tension to be too big regardless, but gotta play the suspicion out some.

@Delirium Speaking of Connections, my NPC Connection was the Meticulous Grant Officer for Annette researching a cure, but if she's now using the GDA's labs for that research, perhaps the NPC Connection needs to be adjusted to be some sort of GDA liaison officer/scientist overseer instead? Either the one I had (Matt Cullis) or Agent White herself?

Alright I think I’m back. Sorry for the silence everyone, illness got worse and kind of wrecked me for the past day and a half. It feels like the worst of it’s behind me though, so I should be back to regular posting.

Happy to hear everyone is doing better.

@Lowate, you can swap your Key Relationship of you want. Just keep in mind this is not supposed to be (only) a professional contact, but someone Anne is emotionally invested in. Anne doesn't have to stay at the GDS lab 24/7, so she can leave if you want to run a short scene. Or even have a long phone call. And yes, you can swap it to Agent White, or to another NPC working for the GDA. Whatever works for you.

@Delirium Thanks! I originally chose the "METICULOUS GRANT OFFICER. They look for every excuse to not approve the application." option from the Scientist occupation but now I'm not sure how I'm supposed to have an emotionally invested conversation with them to regain Resolve. Does an argument count?

Sure, it can. Some people find arguing stimulating and energising. I'm fact, there are relationship examples from the book that read more like rivals than friends.

Awesome!!! I think having Agent White as her NPC Key Relationship makes sense, especially since Agent White seems to doubt Annette, but Annette wants the GDA's resources to find the Institute. Whether they get along or not, working with the GDA is important to Annette.

Welcome back. I'm still congested as hell, but my head feels clear enough to think out posts. Maybe we got the same bug. Fall is a vibe, but I hate getting sick during.