Author Topic: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents  (Read 560826 times)

Cthuluzord

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #240 on: March 22, 2011, 10:37:48 PM »
Out-of-character: I'm voting for "The Realists." It don't get more real than what went down in that damn particle collider.  Failing that, "The Arcadians" or "The Achaeans," maybe.

As much as all our characters were affected by Shift's BADASS death, commemorating it with the name "New Ideal" might be a really bad idea. Consider the fact that the Ideal was wiped out by some kind of gigantic space explosion, whereas we were almost wiped out my a single crime family.  I don't think we want to up-sell our abilities too much and have the government expect us to stop a meteor or something.

But that's just me!  Here's what Norm would have to contribute to the name debate:

"..."

(sound of a beer can being opened)

"..."

(sigh)


BenignSpy

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #241 on: March 22, 2011, 11:54:26 PM »
"So I think we should name the group The New Ideal in honor of its last survivor dying to save us. You will be missed, Shift. It was an honor calling you friend."
~The Martyr

I'm touched, but that's not really needed.
Who Dares, Wins

BenignSpy

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #242 on: March 23, 2011, 01:15:57 AM »
Aliases: Faceman
Name: Vlad

Description: Whatever I want

Occupation: KGB Agent

Loyalty: In progress
Passion: Remaining Unknown

Stats
Body: 3
Coordination: 4
Sense: 5
Mind: 4
Charm: 5
Command: 3
Base Will: 8

Skills
Endurance: 3
Dodge: 3
Drive (motorcycle): 2
Lock-picking: 3
Stealth: 3
Empathy: 2
Perception: 2
Scrutiny: 2
Security: 3
Lie: 3
Acting: 1
Interrogation: 3
Intimidation: 3
Stability: 3

Source: Genetic
Permissions: Power Theme
Intrinsics: Globular

Powers:
Shapeshift (Dead Ringer & Sizeshift[attached & booster]) 2HD

Endless powers 4HD
Regen (No engulf)
Light Armor

Harm (-1 Touch +1 Penetrate) 5d+2WD

Zeroed - Useful - Permanent - Self Only - Always on - If/Then (only applies to mundane investigation abilities) - 2 HD - 4 points

304 Points
« Last Edit: March 23, 2011, 03:57:33 AM by BenignSpy »
Who Dares, Wins

Jason

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #243 on: March 23, 2011, 10:45:49 AM »
Out-of-character: I'm voting for "The Realists." It don't get more real than what went down in that damn particle collider.  Failing that, "The Arcadians" or "The Achaeans," maybe.

As much as all our characters were affected by Shift's BADASS death, commemorating it with the name "New Ideal" might be a really bad idea. Consider the fact that the Ideal was wiped out by some kind of gigantic space explosion, whereas we were almost wiped out my a single crime family.  I don't think we want to up-sell our abilities too much and have the government expect us to stop a meteor or something.

But that's just me!  Here's what Norm would have to contribute to the name debate:

"..."

(sound of a beer can being opened)

"..."

(sigh)



I don't really care for "The Achaeans" because it really doesn't fit and seems too archaic for the average citizen to grasp. And "The Arcadians" seems too obvious and would eventually fit poorly with our group when we become a national or global band of heroes. The only reason why I suggested "The New Ideal" was because it was one of Zero-Shift's goals to establish a "New Ideal," and I thought it would be ironic and yet rewarding that his death accomplished this very act.

However, I do like "The Realists" because it fits fairly well with our characters' power sets and our actions thus far. We've been attempting to fill the hero gap left vacant since Ragnarok, and we are very much an amateur hodgepodge of, let's face it, wannabe heroes. It's luck that brought us together and kept the bulk of us alive as we were thrown into situations we really aren't prepared for. While Median still wants a normal life, he realizes how absurd it has become (which is what I love about him). The Martyr, on the other hand, thought it would be about helping the helpless; instead, he found the job far from easy. Friends have died, and many actions had far-reaching ramifications. Still we are doing the best and making the most of it by thwarting those who would take advantage of the power vacuum anyway we can. Our characters have come to realize that being a hero is not simply about stopping a bad guy. We have to make tough calls and form unlikely alliances in order to gain victory. Sometimes a situation isn't so morally clear, and we may have to blur those lines. Our decisions have made us "The Realists."

Jason

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #244 on: March 23, 2011, 03:27:18 PM »
Oh by the way guys, the Arcane Switchboard ended up being more expensive so I reduced the amount of dice to 2hd. It cost 24 points total, so each of us should spend 4 points instead of 5.

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« Last Edit: April 08, 2011, 05:23:40 PM by rayner23 »
I'm from Alaska. About Fifty miles south of Ankorage there's a little fishing town, maybe you've heard of it, it's called fuck your momma.

Jason

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #246 on: April 08, 2011, 05:06:25 PM »
I don't know maybe if we throw in a little hot rod red...

No, I like it.  I think Aaron should actually have random tools strapped to him...he could be the walking Mr. Fixit.

clockworkjoe

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #247 on: April 12, 2011, 04:59:50 PM »
probably going to base the limits of fabbers in the campaign after EP fabbers http://www.firewall-darkcast.com/theeye/expanding-role-nanofabrication

Cthuluzord

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #248 on: April 19, 2011, 01:00:41 AM »
(Googling the Trail of Median)

Your search terms have found 1 result

STRANGE BURGLARY AT JEFFERSON MALL
Fort Benjamin, AR

by Rebecca Tomlinsonburg

Police responded to silent alarms at the Jefferson Outlet Mall on Tuesday. Upon further investigation, two stores had been robbed, Shock Shack Electronics and Golden Years Senior Accessories.  Both appear to have been entered through the employee entrances at the back of the outlet mall.

The employee entrance doors, which were steel-reinforced and set in concrete, required key cards to open. Handles were not even included on the outside. Both doors appeared to have had massive holes blown through their locking mechanisms by some unknown force.

"I've not seen anything quite like this before, I'll give him that much," said Police Chief Kyle Bale. "There were no scortch marks, so he couldn't of used an acetylene torch.  No man could have forced his way through that metal with a pry bar, but it seems like the steel around the hole got pushed inward, like some sort of lance or cone that tapered wide at the end was stabbed through."

Police are currently investigating as to what method could have been used to both penetrate the doors and destroy the security cameras, all of which were installed two-stories up on the lampposts in the employee parking lot. Lab technicians from Fort Smith have been called to analyze the scene for any trace evidence more sophisticated police procedures might be able to turn up.

Thankfully, both businesses experienced minimal losses during the break-in.  Shock Shack Electronics reported the theft of a laptop, some cable, a variety of audio/video softwares, and batteries.  Golden Years, an overstock location for a catalogue catering to a number of assisted living facilities, claims only to be missing a number of dialing wands.

Chief Bale added, "It certainly is a unique modus operendi.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see a string of these crimes in the future, but this joker's not going to think himself so clever when he sees his day in court."


Flawless P

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #249 on: April 19, 2011, 02:28:27 PM »
Tomlinsonburg
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I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #250 on: April 19, 2011, 04:13:09 PM »
The Journal of ...  Year XXXX.2

Chirop made a deal with the government. In exchange for lifetime probation and monitoring, he has become an attack dog for any federal law enforcement agency that desires him but only on occasion. It took months for the arrangement to be worked out but as I find legal proceedings to be quite boring, I must confess I didn't pay much attention to them. Perhaps I missed some things but I find it interesting that he doesn't question his arrangement. Given his criminal background, he has probably learned not to ask many questions as a matter of survival. The government knows of his propensity for murder so I suppose they will only use him when they don't really want the suspect alive.

The thief, Wayfarer, finally made contact with other metahumans - the heroes of New Arcadia no less. An outbreak of Luyten fungal growth in the city drew all of them together to investigate. They found a teleport pad to one of the secret US bases maintained by the Ideal double agent, IT. LEVIATHAN, the prison, had run out of food and the prisoners had broken out of their cells. The group learned of IT's betrayal, part of his agenda and even managed to lure one of the anti-meta black ops squads run by the US to the prison. The heroes had freed Consequence, a powerful empath. Consequence killed the black ops soldiers and captured their leader. The heroes interrogated the officer, learning about GOLDEN CALF, a secret program to destroy Sanctuary in case Avalon ever went rogue and needed to be blackmailed back into compliance. GOLDEN CALF self activated and is currently ticking away. Less than a year remains before it detonates, wiping out all the refugees the Ideal spent so much effort protecting.

Median is on a personal quest, wandering the country to gain answers to questions he doesn't want but must ask.

The ghost has found a human shell to occupy for now. A blank Pangloss clone, no less. Her consciousness remains dormant as only the base Hivemind instincts were imprinted on the shell. But the Hive is still active and the others will be reaching out to the ghost quite soon. Will the trinity be reformed or will the ghost remain dominant? Furthermore, the ghost must perform a favor for Charon. To be in debt to such an entity is not a fate I would wish for my greatest enemy.

The doppelganger known as Face has ingratiated himself with the heroes of New Arcadia, taking part in the LEVIATHAN excursion.  Ever the cypher.

Knight Errant has formed a heroic group called the Knights of the Globe. They focus on organized crime and serious criminals. They care not for social policy or politics and act as discreetly as possible.

The Martyr's younger sister, Melissa, has received the recessive genes from her father that mean the difference between human and metahuman. Of course, without the treatments he received, she will be crippled as her body changes.

The Ideal base, TIN CAN, has phased back into reality. Undoubtedly many in the metahuman underground will hear of it and seek to gain entrance. It is relatively untouched and as a communications hub, offers unique technology. Quite the prize.

Consequence has established himself as a minor crime lord in New Arcadia due to his unique powers. The Knights of the Globe were wise enough to not attack him.

Since Ragnarok, magic has surged. It is easier to learn and practice magic than ever before. Thousands of itinerant geomancers have appeared - learning it intuitively and using to heal the sick and cleanse pollution. A gathering in New Arcadia has drawn the attention of the authorities. Soon, they will crack down on the gathering. how will the heroes of New Arcadia respond?

The calm has ended. The storm comes.


Cthuluzord

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #251 on: April 19, 2011, 10:56:19 PM »
(Googling the Trail of Median)

Your search terms have found 1 result.

HUMAN INTEREST: DOUBLE-AMPUTEE BUILDS GAZEBO, INSPIRES COMMUNITY
Perry County, KS

by Feldman Hungbottom

When Perry Baxter posted an ad at the local hardware store for help building a gazebo in his daughter's backyard, he knew it was anybody's guess who would respond.

"I've seen all types in the last few years," said Baxter, who has been hiring additional help for his home improvement projects since retiring. "Sometimes they don't speak English. Sometimes they show up drunk. I either deal with it or send them down the road. I'd never seen nothing like this though."

What Baxter had never seen before was the man that showed up Friday afternoon in dirty rags, sporting a raggedy beard and backpack. "He looked homeless," Baxter remembered, "but he seemed polite enough and like he needed the money, so I let him in. That's when I noticed his hands."

Rather, what the Puma Springs resident noticed was the man's claws. Baxter says that both of the man's arms were metal prosthetics. When asked, the man, who called himself Norm, would only say that he lost them in the war, that people had died, and he'd rather not talk about.

Embarrassed, Baxter took the man out back and immediately began showing his employee the job site: "The entire time I'm thinking 'What the hell am I going to do with an armless carpenter?' But by then I'd already made a damn fool of myself asking about the poor boy's accident; hell if I was going to turn him away."

But Baxter, and the entire neighborhood of Knolling Street, soon found themselves pleasantly surprised. By the end of Friday afternoon, the ground for the gazebo was cleared, the framing was done, and the concrete set. "The boy was working me to death!" Baxter exclaimed, relating the events of that weekend to a crowd of curious neighbors and this reporter from the finished Gazebo on Sunday. "The fellow was an old hat at building, and he worked them arms of his like he was born with him. I couldn't keep up with him!"

By Saturday, word had gotten out about the armless artisan. Children were crowding around to watch the gazebo go up like a it was a summer afternoon of America's golden years. The pair of men found themselves practically tripping over husbands come to help and wives offering drinks.

"I could tell it made him uncomfortable." said Marisa Baxter, proud owner of the new gazebo. "He'd reach out a pincer for a hammer and find ten folks offering to do the work for him. He kept on reminding everybody that he was the one supposed to get paid for this."

Puma Springs First Presbyterian pastor Harley Lacker was in attendance at the impromtu gazebo-raising festival and attempted to gift the man last week's collections out of gratitude. When asked how the offering went, Reverend Lacker responded "Brother Norm told me that he didn't need the charity. That he was just a man looking for honest work and trying to figure some things out. I took it for pride at first until I saw him checking email on his laptop at lunch break." Baxter joined in, "He had quite the tech set-up in that bag of his, and he could type pretty well for having metal fingers too!"

By the end of Saturday, the community's help saw the gazebo almost entirely finished with only a few finishing touches left to do on Sunday. The congregation secretly planned a potluck for the backyard structure's grand opening, but come the fateful day, the community found themselves without their guest of honor.

"Norm had come to me the night before, asked if we could settle up," Baxter explained remorsefully, "I could tell he was shy around all that attention, and since I was the cause of it all, I couldn't see how I could say no. He was gone by morning."

Still, the deacons and the church kitchen committee had made too much food (again), and there was some work still to be done on Marisa Baxter's gazebo. Despite the disappearance of the mysterious stranger, a picnic sprung up around the work site that lasted well into the evening. An improvised ribbon cutting ceremony was even held as work was completed and what had turned into an all-day block party came to a close.

"It's really amazing," remarked the Reverend, Lacker in a prayer that brought festivities to a close, "what that man's example did for this community. His humbleness, his fearlessness in the face of adversity, has brought this street together in a such a spontaneous, beautiful outpouring of love, on that truly proves that God does work in mysterious ways."



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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #252 on: April 20, 2011, 03:50:13 PM »
(Googling the Trail of Median)

AWESOMESAUCE



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"It's heresy. Burn the heretics." - Ross Payton NEVAR FORGET
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Cthuluzord

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #253 on: April 20, 2011, 10:46:51 PM »
(Googling the Trail of Media)

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INFAMOUS KILLER CAPTURED UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES
Associated Press
by Leona Shulman

MISSOURI--For the first time since the case opened three decades ago, federal agents have arrested a suspect in the Route 64 Slasher case.

So-called for abandoning the bodies of his victims by the state highway of the same name, the 64 Slasher was first identified in the 1983 after a string of coeds were found dead by roadside clean-up crews. He was responsible for one of the largest non-metahuman manhunts in Missouri's history and remained one of America's most elusive serial killers for years.

Most active in his early years, the Slasher was notorious for his resistance to profiling. Initially, all the victims were young, college-aged women attacked on the way home for holiday break. This pattern informed police investigation until '85 when two elderly victims were discovered. The pair was strangled rather than slashed, male rather than female, and found at the northernmost/southernmost points of the state, dropped in Route 64's drainage ditch right before crossing the border.

"For many years, the 64 Slasher was one of the FBI's greatest shames," said FBI Director Jeff Espinoza on a press conference Sunday. "Just when we'd be looking for a knife, he'd use a gun. When we'd launch awareness campaigns against children accepting rides with strangers, he'd murder some poor housewife. All that remained constant was that same stretch of empty road, mocking us."

By the mid-90's, Missouri State Highway Patrol had caught a number of copycat killers seeking to use the Slasher's reputation as cover. "There were a few years there when we had mobsters driving in as far as New York just to dump a body," said Drowe County District Attorney Budd LaGrass. "It was a prosecutorial nightmare. If we had caught him, trying to figure out which murders were his would have taken decades." Locals began referring to Route 64 as "blood alley."

By the turn of the century, the FBI had all but closed the case. Six years had gone by without a recognizable pattern in victims. It appeared that the 64 Slasher would go down in history as the one that got away.

Until Saturday night. Drowe County Sheriff's Deputies responded to multiple reports of a stalled vehicle in the early hours of the morning. They found the White Ford Ranger...and quite a bit more.

Deputy Kent Draper, one of the first officers at the scene, said, "When we approached the vehicle, both doors were open and the engine was running. After establishing that no one was inside, we heard a sound coming from over a hill southeast of the road. We moved to investigate."

What the officers found was Tillman Green, a resident of Pikeville, MO and employee of the Missouri Department of Corrections, trapped in an inexplicable, transparent ball. "It appeared to be made of a sort of crackling, yellow light" explained Draper. "It was like a bubble of static. The suspect was facing away from us, towards the treeline, screaming and stabbing at the ball with a hunting knife. It had no effect. It appeared to be some sort of forcefield trapping him."

Police claim that the "crackling, yellow light" disappeared as officers crested the hill. Green, suddenly free, saw the police and alledgedly launched into a "screaming, enraged charge." Drowe County Deputies quickly subdued the man with tasers and pepper spray. The woods were searched for the source of the yellow light, but nothing was found.

After his arrest, the Ford Ranger registered to Green was searched. A variety of weapons and a photo album were found inside a toolbox. Prosecutors promise that the photo album contains pictures from the locations of nearly every Route 64 Slasher killing, each taken before police arrived.

After filing papers to fast-track the Green's trial on Monday, Federal Prosecutor Becky Irvine addressed the press on the Drowe County Courthouse steps. "Tillman Green, a once-trusted employee and son of the state of Missouri, was taking pictures of the road crews in his charge as they discovered his bloody handiwork. For years, he abused his position as a transportation officer for probationary work crews in order lure unsuspecting motorists and hitchhikers to their deaths, all for the sake of recording people's reactions to his grotesque displays."

When asked how the prosecution would be proceeding with this evidence, Irvine replied, "Out of respect for the victims' families, the United States of America will be seeking a speedy trial that concludes in the maximum penalty allowed under law."

Though declining an interview, Green's attorney has said that the defense will be seeking a mis-trial on the basis of unsanctioned transhuman vigilantism and supernatural evidence tampering. No more details were provided.

At the formal declaration of the charges on Tuesday, Green seemed visibly agitated, far from the coldly calculating monster suspected of haunting the highways for decades. He was twice warned to retake his seat during the proceedings and eventually had to be physically escorted from the courtroom. Before bailiffs could drag Green back to holding, he was heard screaming, "He tricked me with his long-sleeves! He was actually a robot from space! Never pick up a man without thumbs! He had metal arms and claws! You can't stab a golden robot wanderer out of the West! He will come for you! Come for you all!"

Though many details of the case warrant further investigation, judicial experts agree that the damning nature of the physical evidence and testimony of officers at the scene ensure a conviction.  When questioned about the more alarming details of the arrest, Director Espinoza had this to say: "I'm certainly no expert in the types of things that were mentioned in that initial police report, but I can ensure everyone that Mr. Green's rights were in no way violated by the U.S. government. If he is looking for some explanation as to his capture, I suggest he blame karma."

Jason

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Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« Reply #254 on: April 20, 2011, 10:54:56 PM »
Thought I'd post this so we could keep track of it this time.

Arcane Switchboard  2hd

Magic Mouth: Useful (2), Range, Booster (+3), Duration (+2), Secret (+1), If/Then - Speak Current Password (-1), Focus (-1), Bulky (-1), Willpower Bid (-1)
Panic Button: Useful (2), Range, Booster (+3), Endless (+3), Secret (+1), Exhausted (-3), If/Then - Press Button (-1), Focus (-1), Bulky (-1), Willpower Bid (-1)