Gods Amongst Man Epoch (3e M&M Recruitment to 07/27)

[EpicEclipse]

May have been, but the official reason given was low ratings.

Anyways. That was more the image I had in mind, less about villain of the week beat downs and more how reality changes for the characters when they obtain supernatural powers. How it changes their lives, how it changes their very perceptions of the world around them. What changes when you have the power to get away with things you never would have before? How do you think about the consequences of flexing those new powers?

This is meant to be open ended in how you guys go about things, but still plot-based as the plot reacts to your decisions and doles out consequences for them.


And if you get the chance to, check it out. There's some stuff, including some full episodes, you can find on YouTube. It'll give you a good idea of the tone I am aiming for; rooted in reality with selective comic book physics. Serious, but with bright colors. Reality isn't always pretty or fun, but then again, sometimes that's exactly what it is.

[Spectrum]

I may need to dig out my old Kyle XY videos. Would that be along the right lines?

[jmucchiello]

Never seen that show before, but then again, we hadnt had capable in years. I recognize the the name at least.

It was on ABC.

[EpicEclipse]

And CTV for Canadians (like myself)

[nowhereman2]

I loved NOF when it was out. Actually, thinking about NOF, I think I need to flesh out Robert's relationship with his family. He hasn't seen his family in years, but surely they might suspect something when rumors of a guy with fairy friends makes their way to them.

[mrdent12]

Just working out the numbers now for my character. I have all the fluff finalized and powerset theme figured out. I'll get him posted here either tonight or tomorrow.

[CaptainChaos]

Is this still recruiting or is it full? I've been thinking about this game for a couple of weeks and finally decided what type of character I wanted to do.

[Spectrum]

Last I heard, we are in recruiting for another month while Epic's work schedule resolves.

Glad to see you on board CC.

[EpicEclipse]

Yeah. The only people that have an in are from my vigilantes game. I still expect quality characters from them of course, but yeah. Still accepting a few more to flesh out the cast all the same.

As for when I'm going to pick, it'll most likely be once I have a store manager in and am not doing all the store manager stuff myself. Hopefully not a full month but I'll keep things posted.

Feel free to ask questions or run ideas.

[mrdent12]

The fluff for Rick Jones is here viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1211#p79542. I might have a few typos, but it gets the idea across. Powerwise, I am building based off the Crow and adding some stares to confuse, dishearten, and so on.

[mrdent12]

Rick Jones
PL 12
PP 200

Age 50



Background

Rick Jones was a normal guy. Had a run of the mill job in town, been a model citizen for the last few years since moving into the town, and largely kept a low profile. Underneath it all is a man with a dangerous past. Back in New York, he worked as an enforcer for the mob and got a reputation for someone you didn't want collecting on your debt. He tended to take it out on your body. A dead man can't pay off debts after all. As he got older though and met a girl, there is always a girl, who saw the better part of him. Turning states witness, he got a pass on his crimes plus a new identity in return for ratting out his bosses resulting in the mob family being taken down by the feds. The woman though suffered. The son of the mob boss who was taken out killed her in a failed hit against Rick. Grief stricken, he left the country to start a new life. Little did he know how new it would be.

New York could be a rough place to live if you aren't well connected, rich, or both. Organized crime was still flourishing under some family boss or another with protection rackets running wild when Rick was a child. His father, Matthew Jones, was an honest guy who just wanted to run his corner store to provide for Rick, Ricks mother Mary, and three brothers. It was a right of passage in the family to help out at the store since Matthew couldn't afford to pay employees proper. This always confused Rick. Every day, there was plenty of patrons who all seemed to be paying well enough. What Rick didn't see was Matthew taking a third of the money out of the cash register every night to pay off the local crime family that was given the area to run by the bigger family.

One day, Mathew just didn't have the money because of a snow storm keeping most patrons inside. Rick was working that day and saw first hand the "tough guys" as his father called them first break Matthews left arm with a base ball bat then smash up the store. The arm never recovered. Insurance covered the damage to the store because it was possible to be attributed to the storm, but all that money went off to keep the protection paid off. As Rick watched his father limp on the floor, he told himself he would never be like that. The "tough guys" were so strong and confident while all his life Matthew had only ever looked meek in Rick's eyes.

Rick stopped helping at the store. Instead, he grew farther and farther away from his family as he tried to ingratiate himself with the local crime family boss. First as a kid the cops wouldn't pinch for transport. Next, as he grew in size and muscle, a low level enforcer for small time things such as simple collections from old men and whatnot. Slowly, he worked his way into being one of the main "tough guys" of the local family and his skills of mixing threats of violence with calm arguments that could be taken as compassion got him noticed by the big family who took him into their own ranks.

Putting his family behind him, Rick started living a life where he didn't need to eat beans for a week in a row because that was all his family could afford. His clothes weren't twice hand me downs. When people looked at him on the streets they no longer saw a poor kid, but a guy who with one look could make you defecate if he wanted. In the eyes of his new family, he was invaluable because of his loyalty and skill in getting people to pay up. During his whole criminal career, he never killed anyone, but sometimes wished he would have killed them. Rick became that guy who was sent to collect when the first attempt didn't work.

On one particular job, Rick was sent to collect from three guys who owned a small corner store that had refused to pay up. Upon arrival, the store registered as his fathers store and the three guys his three brothers. Rick had been away from his family for so long that he never knew his parents had both passed. His brothers never tried to contact him. Unphased, as he knew what failure meant, Rick did his job. By the time he left, his brothers were laying fetal on the ground with no money left in the register or safe Rick knew about. That night, he enjoyed a steak dinner and a 20 year old glass of scotch with some lovely ladies that didn't let him sleep that night.

Time wore on and Rick became a minor local celebrity. Cops would try to pin stuff on him, but the judges were paid off and even if they weren't witnesses willing to testify were scarce. In return, Rick made sure everyone who owed the family paid becoming the chief collector. His position made him privy to all sorts of orders and family business without becoming a fully made man. He even buried a few of the bodies. None of the bodies his of course because he had killing as his line in the sand. Rough people up, cripple them, or take all they have for the debt was all fine with him. Taking their life, was too far. Ultimately, that is what saved him from jail.

Organized crime was under relentless assault by the authorities and the family he worked for needed a scape goat to save one of the made men. No amount of money was going to pay off the judge or jury of the trial where the guy got sloppy and killed an under cover cop. Rick was the perfect fall guy. At the same time, Rick was getting older and looking back at this life. No regrets, but the standard reflection around midlife. This was also prompted when he met Margaret and was dating her for over a year before finally getting the ultimatum to propose or move on. Neither was getting any younger. While stewing over it, the cops busted through his door and dragged him in as a cop killer base don some doctored evidence from the family.

This was the second time he turned on his family. Upon realizing he had been made a fall guy, Rick cut a deal for immunity and witness protection if he gave the feds everything they needed to bring down the family. Thinking they could dissuade Rick from testifying, the family killed Margaret and left rats by her body. It only emboldened Rick. He sang like a canary and the family fell one by one as he sat in a new hotel every night under guard. One of the agents took pity on Rick who had list everything and told him they caught the guy who killed Margaret. It was the bosses son. Rick snuck out from protection that night and made sure the son couldn't move anything below his neck ever again.

With the trials over, Rick was given a new ID, setup in a small apartment in North Dakota, and given a number to call if he ever needed help. He was over being a rat, enforcer, and working for others however. He needed a new start and he couldn't think of a better place to do it than another country. Getting citizenship wasn't terribly difficult given his bank account size and pull from the U.S government. Not content to simply retire, he bought a small local bar and even took to Melissa Beck, one of the long time waitresses. They say an old dog doesn't change. In Ricks case, the fact he also took up loaning money to those banks wouldn't proved it. Rick went from the enforcer of the mob to just some small time bar owner and loan shark. That was until he changed forever...

Character Sheet

Abilities 58pp:
Strength 8 Stamina - Agility 5 Dexterity 2 Fighting 12 Intellect 0 Awareness 3 Presence 4

Skills 20pp:
Deception 8(+12), Streetwise 12(+12), Insight 6(+9), Intimidation 15(+19), Perception 6(+9), Persuasion 13(+17)

Powers 98pp:
Regeneration 5 5pp
Immunity 31(Fortitude Effects, Aging) 31pp
Protection 12(Impervious 8) 12pp
Leaping 2 (30 ft) 2pp
Speed 2 (8 mph) 2pp
Penance Punch: Damage 4(Strength Based, Extras: Secondary Effect) Linked Affliction 12(Will Save; Vulnerable, Defenseless, Paralyzed) 36pp
Terrifying Visage: Afflicliction 12(Will Save; Impaired, Stunned, Paralyzed; Extras: Perception Area Vision +1/rank, Cumulative +1/rank) 1pp(36pp)
Terror: Affliction 12(Will Save; Entranced, Compeled, Controlled; Extras: Perception Area Vision +1/rank, Selective +1/rank, Cumulative +1/rank; Flaws: Limited to run away or cower) 1pp(36pp)

Advantages 8pp:
Well Informed*, Daze(Intimidation)*, Power Attack, Evasion, All Out Attack, Fearless, Startle*, Skill Mastery(Intimidation)*, Ranged Combat 4
*Free from pPresence

Offense:
Initiative +3
Ranged +6, Close +12

Defense 16pp
Dodge 12, Fortitude -, Parry 12, Toughness 12, Will 12

Total:
Abilities 58 + Skills 20 + Advantages 8 + Powers 98 + Defenses 16 coming to 200pp

Complications:

Motivation(Justice): While not concerned with legalistic right and wrong, Rick sees the powers he got as a chance to use his skills for collecting on moral debts of people who go too far and cross the line.
Enemy(Former Criminal Affiliates): Rick wasn't a choir boy. Especially after turning states witness, he has more than a few people who would like to see him suffer.
Honor(He won't kill): Dead men don't pay debts.
Relationship(Melissa Beck): Rick is starting to get serious with Melissa Beck, who he has been dating for six months.
Dark Side: Rick has a very dark and violent side that can come out. It served him well in his previous profession, but he keeps it in check now.
Reputation(Loan Shark): He is known as a guy people can come to for loans when all hope is lost with other avenues. He operates out of small bar called Jacobies. Doesn't mean it doesn't come with a hefty price though.

Personality

Rick is a nice guy. He is also scary when he wants to be. This duality served him well when working as an enforcer for the mob. See "reason" and he was your best friend. Persist in being stupid and he got physical. Generally though, he is a pleasant guy who regrets losing his two families and is trying not to make too large of a new one. He has his own sense of right and wrong such as honoring commitments, don't go over board with things, don't kill, don't hurt or threaten children, and such. Other crimes such as robbery, running protection rackets, etc he views as just another business.

Notes

Powers wise, he is based off the stronger, faster, dead but not dead type with a dash of fear mixed in. Skill wise, he can be quite scary, he can also be very persuasive.

[CaptainChaos]

I am thinking of either an energy controller (think Green Lantern without needing a ring) or an element controller with some limitations. For the element controller I am thinking of either transform similar to similar (solid to solid, etc) or limited only on certain materials.

[pathfinderq1]

In terms of mechanics, do you want us to stay within the standard +3/-3 trade-off levels? (attack bonus/effect, defense/toughness, etc.)

[Doctor Malsyn]

Adjusted skills slightly. He has at least 5 in all non-int and interaction skills. Decided to leave the talking to others, while keeping him as a general skills monkey for everything else. Gave him the Tactics expertise. His highest INT skills are rank 5, but still at absurdly high bonuses due to his raw intelligence score. With Eidetic memory, he could in theory still roll for any sort of expertise skill.

[EpicEclipse]

In terms of mechanics, do you want us to stay within the standard +3/-3 trade-off levels? (attack bonus/effect, defense/toughness, etc.)

Not overly concerned so long as no-one gets abusive.