Scars - An AC

Lighthearter · Feb 17, 2017

It's been five years since you, for your various reasons, took up cape and cowl and began your reign as an empowered vigilante defending your home city. Since then, your horizons have broadened - you've made new friends, capes and otherwise...and new enemies. But the light has outnumbered the dark, and steadily you've found your world growing brighter and brighter.

Culminating in what happens today. Today is an affirmation of promise, and of the broad horizons expanding before you. Today, no one loses anything, and the world only gains.

Today, no one has scars.

...except maybe those hostage-takers in the train station mid-town...

***

As you might have gathered, this is a superhero AC in which absolutely nothing will go wrong. Nothing at all.

First things first: Game is played in the usual place. Right here.

Now, the general concept: you are a superhero operating in Hamilton, a burgeoning city on the coast. You've been doing so for several years at least, and as part of a group of heroes calling itself the Watchers. You all know each other, and each others' secret identities. You're friends, with and without masks.

This game is a fusion of caped and noncostumed gameplay. There will be entire non-RP episodes that take place in civilian clothes, and the choices you make there will be just as influential or more so than the ones you make in costume.

Every episode is structured around one or more major choice that the team must make that will affect the future plot. No choice is unacceptable to me as the GM, and the plot will change based on the decisions you make. I'm going into this game with only a few preconceptions, almost all of them vague and easy to move around, so based on your characters, allies, bios and early decisions, the later plot will take shape.

Here's the character sheet, and how to fill it out:

Name: (Your name, out of costume)
Alias: (The name you go by behind your mask)
Description: (What do you look like? How old are you? Do you use weapons? Details!)
Biography: (What's your origin story? How did you get here?)

Damages: (When injured physically, mentally or morally, you take a "damage" appropriate for the attack, its severity dependent on what the rolls looked like. If you take too many Damages, you will be unable to continue fighting or doing whatever it is you are doing, and further ones will kill you. There is no ironclad HP system, but certain skills can increase your capacity to take Damages without falling.)

Powers: (Here is where you list your powers and other traits. There is no limit on what powers you can and cannot have, just reasonable common sense. If you want to play a normal, this is where you list any special traits of yours - an iron will, being rich, a mastery of archery...anything.)
Skills: (Your skills define what you are and are not good at in game. See the spoiler below for a list and details on how to fill this section out.)

Spoiler :

Allies: (You must supply at least one allied NPC. I encourage a fellow cape, but I will accept a non-superpowered character who could provide plot benefits. There is no law saying you may only provide one, and in fact I encourage you to supply me with as many as you want!)
Enemies: (You must supply at least one rogue of yours. This can be a character with powers, a mob boss...anyone who opposes your costumed persona, or someone who opposes you as yourself. As with allies, please give me as many as you want!)

And...that is that. There's just one more thing.

Story Points make their return in this game, but in a much nerfed form. The party has one Story Point at game start, and it does not regenerate. The party as a whole gains one SP every time it successfully navigates a major choice. PCs can also convert Character Points they have not spent to SP, but this permanently consumes the point.

A Story Point is used as a one-use boost to all your abilities. It allows the player using the point to simply state how the action they wish to take transpires(within reason - you can't use it to instantly win an entire episode's fight scenes or reveal the entire plot). They cannot be used in reaction to enemy attacks. Major enemy bosses might have them as well.

Episode List:

EPISODE ONE: Pilot
EPISODE TWO: Cassandra
EPISODE THREE: The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
EPISODE FOUR: Ashes Fall
TBA

Lighthearter · Feb 17, 2017

Allies:

Spoiler :

Rogues:

Spoiler :

Neutrals:

Spoiler :

Celticfury · Feb 17, 2017

Name: Alexandra Bennet
Alias: Vigilance
Description: Alexandra is a tall, brunette woman of 28 years. She keeps her hair relatively short, and has hazel eyes. Her costume consists of a dark colored outfit, with padded armor and a cloth that covers her lower face.
Biography: Basic synopsis: Alexandra was born into a life of luxury, the heiress to a wealthy fortune based on banking and shipping. Raised in a very controlled and insular environment, Alexandra always felt that she was being stifled, treated like a fragile object. When she was 24 years old, she was kidnapped by a group of unknown assailants while in France, only to be rescued by De Havik. Inspired by her savior, she spent the next year tracking down De Havik, and convinced the vigilante to train her, so that she would never again be so helpless. Over the course of her training, she learned about De Havik’s crusade against The Waking Storm, and while she did not join her mentor, she became determined to use her skills to make her home city of Hamilton a safer place.

Powers:

Martial Arts Training
Acrobatics/Parkour
Escape Artistry
Stealth and Infiltration
Wealth
Charisma
Dance
Decorum

Skills:

Fight: Level 3
Aim: Level 0
Powers: Level 0
Persuade: Level 2
Perception: Level 0
Will: Level 2
Strength: Level 2
Dexterity: Level 2
Contacts: Level 3
Gadgets: Level 0
Reputation(Self): Level 3
Reputation(Cape): Level 0
Intelligence: Level 0
Restore: Level 0

Allies:

Angelien Dreyer (De Havik): Dutch vigilante and Alexandra's mentor. Little is known about the reclusive redhead’s life before she donned her mask. She first started operating in Europe several years ago, where she became involved in combating a series of seemingly random crimes across several countries. A common thread between tem seems to be a connection to a mysterious group called The Waking Storm. A master in infiltration and hand to hand combat, her skills are augmented by heightened senses and an increased resistance to harm. She has recently come to Hamilton, tracking a lead on some new plot The Waking Storm is planning.

Enemies:

Simon Janvier: The leader of the secretive organization known as The Waking Storm. Claiming to be descendant from a long line of psychics dating back to the Carolingian Empire, Janvier is a skilled telepath and telekinetic, as well as a keen strategist. INTERPOL and Europol have linked him personally to dozens of crimes throughout the European Union, not counted those committed by The Waking Storm. Charismatic and cunning, he has worked tirelessly to gather followers to his cause, and has recently set his sights on the city of Hamilton, for reasons unknown.
The Waking Storm: Despite claims that they has existed for centuries, the earliest recorded incident of activity involving The Waking Storm dates back to the Second World War. Though the secretive organization tends to operate rather clandestinely, they have at times made their presence, and message, known. They believe that it is their duty and destiny to usurp the governments of the current world, and establish a New World Order with themselves at the helm. While a global organization, their strongest presence has so far been seen in Europe, where a majority of incidents related to them have occurred.

Kinich-Ahau · Feb 17, 2017

Name: Thaddeus Kevorkian
Alias: Bloodbath
Description: Charming, cheerful, and compassionate, Thaddeus strives to see the positive in any situation. He is excessively friendly and adventurous, and has a habit of defusing tense situations with humor. He does not bother keeping his identity a secret, and only wears a costume and uses a moniker because 'It's what heroes are supposed to do, and is a lot of fun.' Due to his powers, he does not need to eat or fear disease, and so he has no job; instead he travels the country, filling up all the blood banks in a city before moving on to the next one. All of his money comes from private citizens who donate in gratitude for his lifesaving efforts. He has green eyes, a black mop-top, and an exceptionally well-groomed neckbeard. He is slightly taller than average with moderately well-defined muscles.

Spoiler Biography :

The son of an Armenian circus performer and an American political heiress, Thaddeus grew up in a very eccentric, cosmopolitan household and became a very eccentric, cosmopolitan person. His parents donated blood as often as they could, and often gave generous sums to blood centers and other charitable organizations. He donated for the first time when he was 16, and donated platelets for the first time when he was 19. He attended a single year of college before dropping out and joining an all-bagpipe orchestra.

He scraped by for a year or two before his life changed forever. He was donating platelets when the villainess Mitochondrion pumped the blood center full of an experimental drug. At the same time, the mysterious entity Despoiler attacked the place, infecting the doctors and donors there. The combination of Despoiler's taint and Mitochondrion's drug killed everyone at the center- everyone, that is, save for Thaddeus. For you see, Thaddeus was one of the extreme minority of the population who was capable of serving as a permanent vessel for Despoiler's taint, and the interaction between Thaddeus' uncommon genes, Mitochondrion's drugs, Despoiler's taint, and the saline solution used to fill out the returning blood caused the young musician to black out from the pain. When he awoke, the blood center was in shambles; Mitochondrion was locked in combat with Despoiler & its thralls for ruining her experiment, and Thaddeus had somehow been forgotten in the whole process. He attempted to move, whereupon he discovered why, exactly, he had been ignored: his blood vessels were all on the outside of his body, and he was covered in blood. No doubt they thought him dead. Thaddeus managed to creep and slither his was to freedom, not sure at all how he was moving or why he wasn't dead, the villains too engrossed in combat to notice him.

He managed to coax his veins & arteries back into his body and carefully got to his feet about 120 m from the blood center, before collapsing into an alley in exhaustion. He did not awake until 3 in the morning, and was very surprised to discover that, though he hadn't eaten since before the donation, he did not feel hungry at all. He dragged himself back to his apartment, notified the Hamilton Philharmonic Bagpipe Orchestra that he would be sick for the foreseeable future, and set about discovering the way his body now worked.

Through careful experimentation, he was able to determine that he no longer needed to eat or breathe, and with time, he could move his blood vessels around inside and outside his body at will. He learned to vary his blood pressure, and how to shoot blood. He has yet to determine any upper limit to the blood he can lose, but after turning an isolated tributary of the Hamilton river red without any issues appearing, he decided to just assume he could lose any amount and be fine.

Now that he knew he was individual with abilities both extraordinary and useful, he know what he to do, he knew he had to help people. That's right, he decided to put his seemingly unlimited blood supply to use donating nonstop. He contacted one of his coworkers and was put with touch with an expert forger, who made him 6 fake ids, which he paid for with a loan from the bank. Donning a series of disguises that were ridiculous, yet somehow clever enough for fool the staff at the blood center, he used those disguises to donate many, many more times than one would normally be allowed to, and paid back the loan by selling items he acquired though the Hamilton blood center donor advantage program on craigslist.

He did not use his powers to fight crime until about eight months later, when a domestic terrorist took him and several other individuals hostage which they were in an elevator at a bank. The terrorist threatened to blow his hostages and the building to smithereens unless his demands were met. Thaddeus, however, recalling a time when his best friend Pádraic had shown him various bombs he found during his employment as a private security officer, recognized the bomb as one that would fail to detonate when wet; he knew what he had to do. His veins popped out of his skin and he unleashed of torrent of blood at the terrorist, soaking him and his bomb. There was so much blood it filled up the elevator. The sight inspired one of the other hostages to write a story about it on the internet. Needless to say, the bomb failed to go off, and the terrorist, soaked, disgusted, and confused, was picked up by law enforcement soon afterwards.

That was the moment when Thaddeus decided that donating a stupid amount of time was not the only way to help people with his powers. He adopted the alias Bloodbath, and started policing the streets of Hamilton between donations. About a month after he started heroing, he outed himself to Pádraic, who soon suggested that he engage in donations and heroics full time. He joined the Watchers soon afterwards, and became well known and well loved around the country for going above and beyond the call of duty re: blood donations.

He fought alongside Murena, Hyphae, Pádraic, and the Watchers during the Near-Apocalypse of 2017, after which he took in Hyphae as a sidekick. He has been kicking around bad guys and helping the common man ever since, though lately he has had a sneaking suspicion that his life is about to get strange. Well, more strange.

Damages: N/A

Powers:

Overdrawn at the Blood Bank: Bloodbath has an unlimited amount of blood inside, the pressure of which he can alter at will
A Bloody Mess: Since Bloodbath can alter the pressure of his infinite blood at will, he can of course blast his enemies with multiple firehoses worth of blood.
Paint the Town Red: That wouldn't be of much use, however, if Bloodbath had to contort himself into odd shapes so he can point whatever part of his body blood happens to be pouring out of at the moment at his foes. Luckily, his blood vessels are fully prehensile, and he can project them from his skin to aim at his foes, or even to just use the vessels as weapons directly. He can also connect them with the blood vessels of other beings, effectively forming one united circulatory system.
Thicker than Water: Of course, an unlimited amount of blood would doom anyone to a horribly painful death, since there is no way to efficiently oxygenate that much blood, and any blood that is oxygenated would likely be lost among the millions of gallons of unoxygenated blood. How fortunate, then, that all of the blood in Bloodbath's body is always fully oxygenated and carrying the ideal combination of nutrients, ensuring that Bloodbath never suffers the effects of starvation or oxygen deprivation.
Blood Oath: Bloodbath's blood type is O- (universal donor, for those not aware)
Ludicrous Gibs: Bloodbath can heal himself and others with his blood, because... uh... mutters about bloodstuff... His blood also destroys all blood borne toxins, parasites, and pathogens on contact.
First Blood: An unlimited amount of blood at an arbitrary pressure in a normal person's body would cause them to explode. Thankfully, Bloodbath is immune to the negative effects of odd pressures on the inside of his body, and highly resistant to odd pressures on the outside.
Draw Sword, Draw Blood: Bloodbath has invented a new martial art derived from Hapkido for use during crime fighting, which he calls Hemokido.
Bloodless Carnage: Bloodbath is a very skilled bagpipe player.

Skills:

Fight: 1
Aim: 3
Powers: 3
Persuade: 1
Will: 1
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 0
Contacts: 0
Gadgets: 0
Reputation (Self): 0
Reputation (Cape): 2
Intelligence: 1
Restore: 3

Spoiler Allies :

Alias: Murena
Name: Gilda Guerra
Gender: Female
Powers: Lamprey based, including swimming, blood-drinking, the ability to breath underwater, enhanced sense of smell, a flexible, cartilaginous skeleton and a radial, jawless mouth.
Description: Born to two Brazilian immigrants, Murena’s birth name was Gilda Guerra; she and her twin sister Graça Guerra were inseparable for most of their lives; they liked the same things, excelled at the same subjects, and studied together in the same classes at the same university. They were interested in nursing, and got student jobs together, caring for the animals in the laboratory of Hamilton United Medical University. One day, while Graça was caring for the mosquitos and Gilda for the lampreys, tragedy struck; the supervillain Mitochondrion had stolen a sample of Bloodbath’s blood- held by the university to see if they could replicate it- and used it to make an airborne illness, which she pumped into the building occupied by the Guerra sisters. Everyone in the building died, save for the twins, who collapsed shortly after breathing in the infectious gas. Gilda fell into the lamprey tank, where the agnathes went to work feeding.

When the sisters awoke, they found that they had taken on some of the traits of the animals they cared for; Graça now had several distinctly mosquito-like features, and Gilda resembled a human-lamprey hybrid. They also discovered that they were no longer capable of digesting anything but human blood. The twins hid in the forest outside Hamilton, holding out for as long as they could, but instinct and hunger eventually forced them to act. Even so, however, at first they did not try to attack anyone, instead approaching several old friends and seeing if they would be willing donors. Their response was less than warm, with their ‘friends’ fleeing at the site of them and calling them freaks. With that, the sisters decided that if man would not embrace them, they had no reason to embrace man. They fed on their old friends and proceeded to go on a blood-draining spree, leaving many in the hospital and one dead. Gilda was never quite comfortable in her new role, and compulsively left clues of their next victims at the sites of their feedings. Using these clues, the Heroes of Hamilton & the Hamilton police managed to ambush the sisters, capturing Gilda while Graça was able to escape. Gilda was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

When order was restored following a prison riot- that Gilda did not participate in- that left the facility under the control of the prisoners and cut off from the outside world for two weeks, Gilda was on the verge of starvation. To prevent her from attacking any of the guards or prisoners, and to prevent a prisoner from dying on his watch, the warden contacted Bloodbath to see if he would provide aid. Bloodbath agreed, and generously provided Gilda with nourishment. The two struck up an odd friendship, and when Bloodbath learned that no one ever visited Gilda he decided he would visit her from then on.

During the Near-Apocalypse of 2017, where <a whole bunch of villains> nearly took over the world, the heroes of the world found themselves severely overstretched. They could not effectively fight in all the theatres they were needed in, and <the bad guys> were slowly but surely pushing them back. In desperation, the Heroes recruited several individuals who had previously demonstrated powers but hadn’t taken up the life of a super for one reason or another, and Bloodbath suggested that Murena be released for the duration of the apocalypse. Times were desperate, so the government agreed and Murena fought alongside Bloodbath and his allies in her prison uniform, where she distinguished herself by knocking Beholder out cold and saving a whole bus of school children that had fallen into the bay after the bridge they were on was bombed. After the Near-Apocalypse was over, she went back to prison (she did kill a dude, after all), but with her sentence reduced to fifteen years down from life, and she was given ‘Hero Privileges,’ where, if the Heroes truly believe she is needed, she is temporarily released to fight alongside them, with her sentence decreasing for every life she saves.
Alias: Hyphae
Name: Theirn De La Fuente
Gender: N/A, but usually appears male
Powers: Shapeshifting (not 'true' shapeshifting, he can just rearrange himself into new forms; no increasing or decreasing mass), extreme flexibility, control over fungus, vast scientific knowledge
Description: A human-shaped mass of sapient fungus (Don't go thinking I copied the virus girl, Patchy; this guy is one of my old ones & I decided to bring him back since I'm going for a medical/biology theme for most of my characters. Link to first appearance.), Hyphae is the 'son' of Dr. De La Fuente. The result of an experiment succeeding beyond the wildest dreams of the scientist supervillain who created him, one of Theirn’s first actions was breaking his ‘mother’ out of prison. Mitochondrion came to regard Hyphae as a son of sorts, and they formed a dynamic duo of experimental evil. Mitochondrion trained her son/weapon in crime, combat, and science, which Theirn took to eagerly, lacking the experience or understanding to know that what they was doing was wrong. The ignorant bliss of childhood cannot last, however, and eventually he came to understand just how morally reprehensible the actions of him and his ‘mother’ were. Leaving her in the dead of night, Theirn set out for Hamilton, hoping to apprentice himself to one of the Heroes there to atone for the sins of his former family; he met up with Bloodbath, who was prepared to give the odd being a chance, and they have worked together sporadically ever since.
Name: Pádraic O'Barrfhionn
Gender: Male
Powers: Extremely skilled with firearms or a nightstick, he is a novice investigator and has a passing interest in forensics
Description: A private security officer at the 1st Hamilton Blood Bank, Pádraic has been friends with Thaddeus since the two were small children. He was one of the first people to learn of his powers, and was also the one who convinced Bloodbath to quit his job and save people publically and full-time. As the best friend of a well-known superhero with no secret identity, he has of course been involved in more plots and super shenanigans that he can count, which has forced him to become an expert in combat. He is far more skilled and competent than his position as a humble security guard would suggest, and at times has offered valuable insight into problems that stumped people who are seemingly far smarter than he is. He crashes on the couch at the headquarters of the Watchers when between apartments.
Name: Calanthia Kevorkian
Gender: Female
Powers: A highly competent and renowned public speaker and legislator. Brews novelty wines in her spare time.
Description: Bloodbath's mother and a senator of <Whatever state Hamilton is in>. She has sponsored numerous pro-super bills and donates a lot of money to charity.

Spoiler Enemies :

*Note: Villain threat is on a 1 to 5 system*

Alias: Despoiler
Gender: N/A
Powers: Can infect those around it with the taint, temporarily driving them mad and bringing them under its control. Those afflicted by the taint have their bodies twisted into grotesque mockeries of their former selves and gain random powers, generally themed around some class of drugs. Its victims’ powers and appearance will fade with time, but a very small percentage of the population is capable of accepting the taint for good. These permanently tainted individuals do not experience the physical defects normally associated with the taint and are not under Despoiler’s control, but do have their personalities twisted to emphasize all their worst traits. Humans are not the only animal susceptible to the taint; chimpanzees, elephants, orcas, crows, and various other species- including several members of the taxa Cetacea, Psittaciforma, and Cephalopoda- are also susceptible, though none of them has ever demonstrated the ability to be permanently tainted.
Puns per minute: 1
Threat Rating: 5
Description: Despoiler is a philosophical zombie; it behaves as though it has consciousness and puts up a very convincing front of intelligence, but is nothing but an empty construct, not even alive, (and it isn’t a virus either). Since Despoiler has no mind it has no desires either, but it consistently behaves in a way similar to that of an infectious disease, inflicting the taint upon creatures for seemingly no reason. It tends to pop up in areas with a high population density of a susceptible species and poor hygiene. It is capable of speech and normally looks like a Caucasian male of average height with blond hair & black eyes, but it has been observed in elephant form at sanctuaries in Africa and once surprised tourists at an aquarium by leaping out of an octopus’ tank and attacking them.
Alias: Beholder
Gender: Male
Powers: He can emit hallucinogenic compounds at will, which he uses to 'enlighten' those who do not think as he do. He has an exceptional willpower and is very charismatic. All of his body fluids are also hallucinogenic.
Puns per minute: 2
Threat Rating: 3
Description: An ultra-reactionary Jehovah's Witness, he campaigned tirelessly for the abolition of blood banks and blood donation centers, and for the jailing of blood donors and medical professionals who used donated blood. When Bloodbath started appearing on news organizations, he regarded his prolific donation habits and frequent, public calls for the public to emulate him & donate often as evidence that Bloodbath was a demon who sought to keep the Truth from humanity. He tracked Bloodbath down and attempted to destroy the hero with prayer. As Bloodbath was not a demon, this failed, but it did provide the villain Despoiler, who was engaged in combat with Bloodbath at the time, with the distraction he needed. He cast his blight on the entire street, forcing Bloodbath to abandon combat to treat the injured and allowing Despoiler to escape. The future Beholder was one of those infected and subsequently saved by Bloodbath. When the zealot learned of this, he was disgusted by his 'impurity' and regarded himself as no longer fit to join the ranks of the anointed ones. While in this state, he was found by Despoiler, who, sensing opportunity, lied to the future villain; claiming to be an angel sent to Earth to put a stop to Bloodbath, he apologized for being unable to stop the demon from contaminating the Witness, and offered to share some of his 'Divine Power' so long as the fanatic agreed to use it to put a stop to Bloodbath at all costs. The Witness agreed, accepting Despoiler's taint into his soul, and was reborn as the villain Beholder, determined to 'purify' the world in preparation for Armageddon and to prevent 'demons' like Bloodbath from tempting humanity into wickedness.
Alias: Culex
Gender: Female
Powers: Mosquito based, including flight (via wings), blood-drinking, walking & clinging to walls & ceilings, enhanced sense of smell, arthropoid compound eyes and an extra pair of insectoid arms.
Puns per minute: 3
Threat Rating: 2
Description: Born to two Brazilian immigrants, Culex’s birth name was Graça Guerra; she and her twin sister Gilda Guerra were inseparable for most of their lives; they liked the same things, excelled at the same subjects, and studied together in the same classes at the same university. They were interested in nursing, and got student jobs together, caring for the animals in the laboratory of Hamilton United Medical University. One day, while Graça was caring for the mosquitos and Gilda for the lampreys, tragedy struck; the supervillain Mitochondrion had stolen a sample of Bloodbath’s blood- held by the university to see if they could replicate it- and used it to make an airborne illness, which she pumped into the building occupied by the Guerra sisters. Everyone in the building died, save for the twins, who collapsed shortly after breathing in the infectious gas. Graça fell against the mosquito tank, breaking it and allowing the insects to swarm around her.

When the sisters awoke, they found that they had taken on some of the traits of the animals they cared for; Graça now had several distinctly mosquito-like features, and Gilda resembled a human-lamprey hybrid. They also discovered that they were no longer capable of digesting anything but human blood. The twins hid in the forest outside Hamilton, holding out for as long as they could, but instinct and hunger eventually forced them to act. Even so, however, at first they did not try to attack anyone, instead approaching several old friends and seeing if they would be willing donors. Their response was less than warm, with their ‘friends’ fleeing at the site of them and calling them freaks. With that, the sisters decided that if man would not embrace them, they had no reason to embrace man. They fed on their old friends and proceeded to go on a blood-draining spree, leaving many in the hospital and one dead.

Graça took to her new life far better than her sister did, and was endlessly frustrated by her need to leave clues at the scenes of their crimes. When law enforcement and the heroes caught up with them, Graça was the only sister to escape. She made numerous attempts to break her sister out of prison, but after a failed attempt that nearly resulted in Graça being captured and her sister tearfully declaring that she didn’t want to leave because she though they both belonged in prison, Graça disowned her sister and abandoned her last tie to humanity, her name, taking the moniker Culex instead. Ever since, she has wandered the country, seeking out communities with rich blood and poor defenses for her to gorge herself on.
Alias: Mitochondrion
Gender: Female
Powers: Generic super strength, super speed, & super toughness. Also a genius with vast medical and scientific knowledge, but that is not part of her powers.
Puns per minute: 4
Threat Rating: 4
Description: The daughter of a Cajun Smuggler & a Poacher from Cádiz, Alexia De La Fuente cannot be said to have had a normal childhood; born & raised in the bayous of Louisiana, she learned deceit & violence at a young age through meticulous observation of her parents' criminal activities. After the death of her father & imprisonment of her mother during a police raid, she became a ward of the state & was shuffled through various foster homes for several years, before finally being adopted by a family in Homestead, Florida, where she quickly became involved with local gangs & would occasionally sneak into the Everglades, where, following in her biological parent's footsteps, she would capture & sell exotic animals.

Unlike her true parents, however, she was able to keep her less than legal activities a secret, and despite her history with the foster system & in the gangs, she was a stellar student who excelled at the sciences. Graduating from Homestead High School with full honors, she left the state to enroll in Rutgers University at the age of 17, where she developed an intense passion for research & discovery. And yet, even with her life as fulfilling as it had ever been, she found she could not leave crime behind, though it did take a backseat to her studies during her time at University. Earning her Doctorate in a mere eight years, Alexia felt prepared to use every tool at her disposal to advance the cause of science.

Unfortunately, not all her peers felt the same way; her upbringing prevented her from developing a sense of empathy, and while she could be fiercely protective of those she considered close, her aforementioned lack of empathy ensured that almost no one ever got that close, with the rest of humanity drawing indifference from her at best. She therefore had no qualms with performing illegal experiments on unwilling human subjects, using the criminal skills she had learned throughout her life to conceal her unethical research. And for a time, it worked- but all good things must eventually come to an end, and Alexia’s work was inevitably brought to light.

Killing the officers sent to bring her in, she found she had no choice but to go on the run. Unwilling to cease her research, but at the same time lacking a secure location in which to store kidnapped test subjects, she was forced to turn to self-experimentation. It was during such a fateful round of testing that the supervillain Mitochondrion was born: an experimental treatment killed her- but then brought her back. She had discovered a way to treat death itself, and was many times stronger, tougher, and faster than even the top 1% of normal humans. Gleefully using her newfound abilities to great effect, she went on a rampage, kidnapping & experimenting upon dozens of innocents, driving away the police every time with a combination of intimidation tactics, a booby-trapped hideout, & sheer brute force. Finally capturing the attention of the Heroes of the world, she was hauled off to jail after a daring raid on her base of operations deep in the Louisiana swamps, but not before the completion her greatest experiment: A living, thinking, loyal, weapon.

The weapon, a shapeshifting fungal warrior, managed to avoid capture by the Heroes and broke its master out of prison. The weapon, which had dubbed itself 'Hyphae' in the interim, became inseparable from Mitochondrion, and soon a bit of a parent-child rapport developed between the two. Mitochondrion & Hyphae enjoyed a new period of success, and many experiments were carried out. But the good times could not last, for Mitochondrion had made her weapon too intelligent; Hyphae developed a conscience, and, plagued by guilt over its actions, betrayed its 'mother' to the Heroes. Once again, Mitochondrion was defeated, captured, & hauled off to jail, this time with no ace in the hole to break her out.

But no penitentiary designed to hold mere mortals can shackle a supervillain for long, and so, collaborating with other prisoners, Mitochondrion staged a prison riot, taking and holding the prison for two weeks and escaping during the chaos that was the recapture of the prison by the Heroes. Soon after she set up a new base of operations, though no one knows where, where she continues her twisted experiments to this day.

Dem Taqat · Feb 19, 2017

Name: Dr. Emily Lésiane
Alias: Remote
Description: A short woman with brown hair, Emily's upper arms are marred by cybernetic implants. The delicate features of her face also play host to a series of small scars around the rightmost of her gray-green eyes, the covering of which is the stated purpose of her darkened glasses. She regularly sports some form of jacket in her everyday life, and, other clothing being sufficiently comfortable, often fails to change when taking up her seat as Remote.
Bio:

Spoiler For Bio :

Born in France, Emily's relatively normal childhood was marred only by the separation of her parents. While always considered intelligent, it was not until her mid-teens that Emily encountered her true calling with computers; rapidly outstripping her peers and even teachers in her understanding of them. By the time she was old enough to attend university her prodigy in this field had been recognised, and she had no problem getting a place in Hamilton, where the up-and-coming Vanderveer corporation was sponsoring an excellent computing department. Two years into her time in the city, Emily had completed her first masterpiece; a functional artificial intelligence she designated 'FRED', who she quietly applied to assist her with the work of her studies as she branched out into other fields of research.

Of course, one can only live in Hamilton for so long before the paranormal makes itself comfortable in your life, and an advanced computing institute with Vanderveer contacts was not perhaps the safest place to spend time. Emily was caught up in the first appearance of the villain who would later be known by the name of 'Clockwork', but despite the seeming inevitability of grievous harm to herself and her fellow researchers, they were saved by the intervention of the Hero commonly referred to as 'Shimmer'.

Emily found the experience enlightening; noting that with her understanding of technology the fight between the two could have been made much simpler; and resolved to provide such assistance whenever she could. Of course, without Shimmer's teleportation powers she would have to find some way to protect herself in the act, and so was born the concept of the suit. Emily's suit combined all the best of her knowledge, mixing improvements on such old technology as thermal imaging with an internal computer for her AI, and experimental anti-gravity technology.

Emily's forays into the world of superheros initially proved incredibly successful; after intervening in two more fights between Shimmer and Clockwork she found herself dubbed the popular heroes Guardian Angel, a name she would hold for some time. Together she and Shimmer helped form the front-line of the eclectic mix of disorganised Heroes that made the city their home, villains coming and going as a rough equilibrium formed in the forces of good and evil.

Then, in some cruel twist of fate, Shimmer was killed. The supervillain Mitochondrion had developed a substance that rendered him incapable of teleporting, and with his usual defence mechanism gone, he was rendered helpless against the attacks of her hired mercenary; Colossus. His powers however, were not done entirely, instead exploding into a magical fallout that fused with Mitochondirions gas and blasted out across the bystanders; including Emily herself, who had been desperately attempting to help him. Successful beyond expectation, the various villains withdrew, celebrating, and left the city to deal with the consequences.

One such consequence was a wave of sickness among the hundreds of people who had been present for the event, leaving many of them bedridden for months, and with several reported supernatural occurrences both around them and the site of Shimmers death. Emily was one of the many who fell sick, and found herself increasingly frustrated at how limited it left her. Her response of course, was technology, both as an escape and as an attempted fix.
While she threw herself into her work, the other heroes were reacting in their own way to the tragedy, with Frost and Varden leading the creation of the Watchers.

Emily's sickness was not over when the Watchers first found a crisis for which her talents were ideally suited; the appearance of 'Honest John', causing chaos across Hamilton. Although Emily had only minor problems securing her own systems, her illness prevented her from setting out across the city to combat the various problems being caused, and she was forced to come up with a more creative solution. The result were the BIRDs; anti-gravity equipped drones which could be sent out across the city and give Emily 'direct' access to the infected machines without having to travel there in person.

These drones would prove useful for more than just the one crisis however, and as time went on Emily found herself adapting them to more and more situations; pushing the limits of what she could accomplish from her home. As she sent them out with the Watchers time and again, the drones began to be recognised as the tools of a distinct hero, dubbed 'Remote', even as Emily's previous identity fell into disuse. However, what little brainpower she might have devoted to mourning this was consumed by a far bigger realisation; the fledgling powers surely related to the circumstances of her illness. Although her new telekinetic abilities were weak by the scale of superpowers, Emily delighted in them regardless; for they were more than enough to function as an extra pair of hands while she worked, greatly increasing what she could do. The ability to work on multiple things at once in particular proved useful, for The Great Disturbance of 2017 pushed the Watchers to the limit, forcing Remote to expand the capacities of her little station even as she operated her drones.

By the time The Great Disturbance was over, along, by some freakish coincedence, with her schooling, Emily was well aware of her limits as a hero. Fortunately, she had a plan. One of the AIs she had coded, ALEX, specialised in biology, and combining his knowledge with hers, Emily was able to draw up bluprints for a series of cybernetic implants she could use to give herself an edge. The only problem was that this would not be cheap, and for all her genius, Emily had no interest in the kind of work it would take to make her inventions commercially viable. She prefered the university; where she could continue working on her own projects, and where she had no problem finding a job in her former department. To fund her plan, she instead took a series of increasingly-well-paid consulting jobs with Vanderveer Industries, who were quick to notice her talents and took every possible opertunity to take advantage of them.

-'guardian angel' is never seen again after shimmers death and em takes up the mantle of remote (with only the heroes knowing they are the same) as part of the watchers
-basically shes oracle with robots now

Skills:
Powers: 1
Persuade: 2
Will: 2
Perception: 3
Contacts: 1
Gadgets: 3
Reputation (Self): 2
Intelligence: 3
Restore: 1

Powers:
Discipline-Defying Doctorate: Emily's impressive range of knowledge includes robotics, software programming, and engineering, which she puts to extensive use in her role as Remote.
Hacking: With the assistance of her AI's, Emily has become incredibly gifted at accessing computer systems she should not, manipulating or data-mining them to assist with the Watchers operations.
Drone Assistance: Seldom being physically present anymore, Emily uses numerous small drones for scouting and other tasks during operations.
Multi-Tasking: With the assistance of her technology and powers, Emily is capable of dealing with several things at once, including holding multiple conversations simultaneously.
Cybernetic Augmentation: Emily has installed limited cybernetics in order to assist her in operating the various technology with which she surrounds herself more efficiently.
Telekinesis: Emily's has developed extremely limited telekinetic powers, limited in range to a few meters and in force to little more than her own hand, which nonetheless prove incredibly useful to her.
The Suit: Although it has not been used in years, Emily still keeps her old suit around, although her occasional upgrades are done more for entertainment than any real expectation of need.

Spoiler For Significant Figures :

I'll fix the rest of it later. Possibly in bite-size chunks but who cares.

DT

Patchy · Feb 19, 2017

Name: Maya Vysander
Alias: Marvel Yellow
Description: A young latina about 14 years old. When in costume wears a domino mask and a bright yellow leotard that has smart tape wrapped around it haphazardly. Has a slightly oversized utility belt that Vysander makes her wear.
Biography: General gist: Parents dead, taken in by Vysander officially as his adopted Guatemalan daughter. In cape form she has become widely well regarded due to powers focusing around giving normals the ability to fight back against evil.

Powers: Grants willing people around her increased physique and protection in a force-field, as a result she can telekinese them to form giant objects covered by a force-field to use in battle. Can heal those under the effect of her power.

Gadgets: Smart Tape - a specially made adhesive tape that is extremely powerful but detaches instantly when Marvel Yellow needs it to.

Skills:

Fight: Level 0
Aim: Level 0
Powers: Level 3
Persuade: Level 3
Will: Level 0
Strength: Level 1
Dexterity: Level 1
Perception: Level 0
Contacts: Level 0
Gadgets: Level 1
Reputation(Self): Level 1
Reputation(Cape): Level 3
Intelligence: Level 0
Restore: Level 2

Allies:
Commissioner S.L. Jackson - Hamilton's Police Commissioner, a serious, well built man who commands the respect of his subordinates and the capes he works with. Has become a Marvelous One twice before.
Detective Hess - Massive cape nerd who, unsurprisingly, gets along well with Marvel Yellow. Has become a Marvelous One on no less than twelve separate occasions.
Officer Sanchez - Competent officer who is much more mature than his superior, the definition of gets horsehocky done, also concerned for Marvel Yellow's well being. Has become a Marvelous One six times although he finds being a construct unnerving.
Alicia Jackson - Commissioner Jackson's daughter and superhuman with strange biology that allows her to eat anything and super-heat anything that touches her body to degrees approaching the surface of the sun. Laid back to a fault and an Actual Pacifist; she uses her powers to blow glass and make sculptures. Indisputably Maya's best friend. Has never become a Marvelous One.
Enemies:
Tinker - Genius inventor and master of gadgets who has declared total war on all criminals, aiming to kill them all in revenge for his son who was murdered after they got mugged leaving a theater.
Emperor Washington - Ferrokinetic with the ability to sense anything touching metal so long as he is also touching it, a good hand to hand fighter as well. Believes the democratic system to be utterly corrupt and aims to become America's first emperor, and first step to that is to remove the Watchers who stand in his way.

Lighthearter · Feb 20, 2017

All currently created PCs are on the spreadsheet. I've added several new NPCs as well to the information list.

I am currently in the final stages of negotiating/setting a time for the AC. If I have my way, I would like to run at 5PM EST on Thursdays. However, since Celt's game is currently scheduled there, I can't promise that without talking to him. Until such a conversation happens, and until further notice, the game is scheduled for 5PM EST on Tuesdays. I will post an update if I confirm the time switch.

There was an error in the skill list. "PERCEPTION" is also a skill, governing notice and investigative skills. I've updated the OP.

Lighthearter · Feb 20, 2017

Confirming that Thursdays works. Come one come all!

Lighthearter · Feb 23, 2017

Episode One - Pilot is complete!

The team responded to hostages being taken in the midtown train station, and after a quick fight against the Angels of Death mercenaries, it was just them versus Azrael and Comet. Comet went down quickly, but Azrael put up a fight for several turns. In the end, she was defeated, despite Varden's insistence that Frost not participate in the battle.

Later, the team gathered out of costume for Victor Vysander's wedding - to Annette Carter! And the revelation that Annette is pregnant with a baby girl!

So it made the strange visions that filtered in during the ceremony rather odd. All four PCs saw some combination of fire and death, as well as hearing a woman's voice shrieking "YOU HAVE TO STOP IT! YOU'RE OUR ONLY HOPE!"

Annette and Victor suspect Annette's sister. They have given little other information, but you'll be heading out to meet with her next time, out of costume. During the reception, Dr. Vanderveer approached Emily and asked for her assistance in a project to decode superhuman DNA in an effort to depower/empower individuals deemed unworthy/worthy of superpowers.

We are moving our mission time to Tuesdays at 5 EST. I apologize for the rapid back-and-forth, but I've been made aware of scheduling conflicts for Thursday. I'll see you then.

Bios updated: Comet, Azrael, Annette Carter/Frost, Victor Vysander/Varden

Lighthearter · Mar 1, 2017

Episode Two - Cassandra is complete!

The team visited Annette's sister, Cassandra, revealed to be The Foreseer, seeking clarity on the visions they received during the wedding. Over the course of the conversation, it became clear Cassandra has at least some precognitive abilities, as well as being able to generate pheromones that attract men(and women she's touched) to her, though she can't control when she emits them. She seemed quite friendly, if bizarre - and she revealed she did not send the visions, but suspects she WILL, in the future, as a result of some terrible thing that will come to pass because of Victor and Annette's wedding. Cassandra has made it very clear she wants to see them broken up, and Annette and Victor are annoyed by her.

Later, the team responded to a break-in at Vanderveer Labs, and met the Fearsome Four, who had brought a hostage and were demanding a ransom and plane tickets to Turkey(why Turkey? No one ever asked). The team was able to talk them down and find out that the inciting incident that led to them taking up supervillainy was an accident, and they negotiated a peaceful resolution to the situation.

Hamilton is truly entering a bright era.

The Team has successfully navigated a major Choice. +1SP for a total of 2SP.
Over the next two weeks or so in-universe until the next mission, all PCs have a chance to hone their skills and develop their abilities. The Team as a whole gains +2CP that can be awarded to any combination of PCs you all see fit.

Our next mission will be Tuesday, March 7, at the usual time. It's going to be intense.

Bios updated: The Foreseer, The Fearsome Four

Dem Taqat · Mar 1, 2017

Remote could use a boost to Contacts or Restore, and I feel like boosting anybody's Will or Strength to 2 would be an okay plan. We could also get any single level 2 skill to a 3; the option which most jumps out at me for that is boosting Vigilance's Fight, given that every other character has Powers or Gadgets at 3 for when they are in combat.

DT

Celticfury · Mar 3, 2017

I certainly wouldn't say no to boosting Vigilance's Fight up to 3, though only if the rest of the team is good with it. If not, then I'd say maybe boost Remote's Restore and Marvel's Will.

Patchy · Mar 6, 2017

Vigilance Fight to 3 sounds good.

Marvel Yellow's Will of 0 is very deliberate, getting remote on par with the rest of the healers would be good though. Especially since there arent any limits on that one unlike Marvel Yellow's.

Lighthearter · Mar 14, 2017

Episode Three - The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is complete!

After initial RP, the team received a call from Hyphae that Varden was missing, at the same time as Frost called for emergency backup on the other end of town. Sending Hyphae and De Havik to investigate Varden's disappearance, the team deployed to reinforce Frost and rescue her from Culex and Colossus in a pitched battle downtown.

Unfortunately, after they finished, they received a frantic call from Hyphae that unknown assailants had taken De Havik and Varden both. Hyphae was discovered during the conversation, and his fate, like theirs, is unknown.

The Team has successfully navigated a major Choice. +1SP for a total of 3SP.

There has been a scheduling problem, so(I apologize for getting this up so late, life) I will not be running tonight. I am rescheduling the next episode(Ashes Fall) for Thursday at the usual time. See you there

Lighthearter · Mar 28, 2017

Well, I'm sorry about this, but I have to postpone again. I'm out of state on vacation at the moment, and though I have internet I would rather spend my last night at the beach...at the beach. I'm going to run Thursday at the usual time. If I postpone that for any reason, this game is dead(But I'm planning on running, don't panic!)

I'll see you then.

Lighthearter · Apr 8, 2017

I'm too lazy to post a full update, but the gist of it is "well done, we kicked butt, team's awesome, bad thing that dude died, Vanderveer's gone rinky-dinky-nutsy."

Team has 3SP and, as a whole, has earned 4CP as of last time. Divide them up as you see fit and I'll see you Tuesday.

Lighthearter · Apr 11, 2017

A thing has come up and I am helping my parents with yard work today. I may be back in time for mission and I may not. If not(and I doubt I will) we will run Thursday. Spend that CP!

Kinich-Ahau · Apr 11, 2017

If no one else wants the CPs I'll take all of them for aim; if another player does want to use them, however, then I am requesting 2 to increase my Fight

[I am assuming the costs stack; ie, cost to upgrade to 3 is 1(base)+1(rank 2)+2(rank 3)]

Celticfury · Apr 11, 2017

I am fine without any increases at this time, and am also ok with boosting Bloodbath's AIM. Though I am pretty certain you only need 2 points to bring AIM up to 3, which leaves 2 left that can be distributed. We only needed 2 to bring Vigilance's Fight up to 3.

Dem Taqat · Apr 11, 2017

As Celt said, upgrading a skill from rank 2 to rank 3 costs 2CP, and all other upgrades cost just 1CP. That said, I am perfectly happy for Kinich to take 2 CPs for the AIM upgrade, although I would personally like one CP to boost Emily's Will. It seems fair at this point to throw the last CP at Patchy for the stat of his choice; with the possible intent for the next two points to be split between him and me so we have all been equally leveled. If he preferred to hold off for a level three skill then I wouldn't mind sticking a point into reputation or even AIM, but neither of those are particularly urgent.

DT

Scars - An AC

President of the United States

President of the United States

King

#JustGoomyThings

Bladespawn

Emperor

President of the United States

President of the United States

President of the United States

President of the United States

Bladespawn

King

Emperor

President of the United States

President of the United States

President of the United States

President of the United States

#JustGoomyThings

King

Bladespawn

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