The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - (Full) - OOC

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pathfinderq1
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by pathfinderq1 »

Doctor Malsyn wrote: Sun May 19, 2019 8:26 pm Thanks Flynn, that actually helps put things all into perspective. Hmm... Maybe I should go with the danger sense version instead...
Danger sense? But... You are the Danger! I mean, Vampire, right?

Also, after much fiddling about, I have (quite suddenly been hit with the solid idea I needed. Will be doing the background and sheet soon-ish.

"I'm Selina Kyle- people call me Cat. And I'm a Slayer."
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Doctor Malsyn
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

"That's so strange, why does my danger sense keep going off whenever I'm next to Cat?"

:lol:
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jmucchiello
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by jmucchiello »

Ooops, need to update my character. I switched her to PL8 but left her attacks as PL9 balanced.

Oh, are we going with the shared Bodega background?
kirinke
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by kirinke »

Alright, Flynn was very helpful in looking over my character sheet and made some great suggestions. So I changed alot of her stuff and basically turned her into a psychic/cold controller as we already have a fire controller. I know it's not an exact match to the game character, but we can always say it's due to the quirks of the Merge.
Kirinke's Compendium of Wondrous Creatures
Kirinke's Conversions (D&D Items to M&M3E Rules)

Battle Init
Viv: 24
Ren:22
Peekaboo: 20
Deutschritter: 19
Amy: 15
Angrboda: 15
Adeleth: 14
Thugs: 12
Lilly: 7
Alma: 5
pathfinderq1
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Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:04 pm

Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by pathfinderq1 »

Final Girl

"I know what you are thinking- 'Slayer', right? Strong, fast, tough, armed with a wooden stake, or maybe a crossbow... Maybe that was enough, in the old days where you had a few lonely B-strain vamps, maybe a werewolf or a Turok-Han for variety. Not anymore. I mean there are things out there now that move too fast to even see, things that simply can't be hurt without magic, horrors that make anything in the Slayers Handbook look like fluffy little bunnies. Times have changed, the world itself has changed- but there are still monsters out there, and SOMEBODY needs to deal with them. Sometimes that is just a stake and some muscle, sometimes it is a 357 with silver bullets, sometimes it is a flamethrower. We find it, we figure out what makes it tick, we end it. Just look at the best of Us, the role models- Ellen Ripley, Laurie Strode, Sarah Conner. It doesn't take Slayer Strength to get the job done- it is Will, and Luck, and the right weapon at the right time."

PL 8/ PP 150 (Unspent 0)
-HP: 1

Real name: Rowan Catherine McKenzie
Codename/nickname/other aliases: Cat
Concept/archetype: pre-Merge native (empowered/altered); Slayer, Bad-ass Bookworm
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Height- 5'8"
Weight- 145
Hair- Dark brown bob/page-boy cut)
Eyes- green/gold (cat pupils)


GAME STATS:
Abilities: (56 pp)
STR 1 / STA 5 / DEX 2 / AGI 4
FGT 6 / INT 5 / AWE 3 / PRE 2

Defenses: (17 pp)
Toughness: +5 (+6 with Defensive roll)
Parry: +10 (FGT 6, +4pp)
Dodge: +10 (AGI 4, +6pp)
Fortitude: +5 (STA 5, +0pp)
Will: +10 (AWE 3, +7pp)

Immunity: (Fear)
Immunity (Half effect): Natural aging, Need for sleep, Disease, Poison
Awareness: Merger, Chaos, Supernatural creatures, Danger
Senses: low-light vision, direction sense; Insight +12, Perception +5

Offense:
Initiative: +8
Close attack: +7
Ranged attack: +9

>Specific attacks:
-Unarmed/martial arts/improvised weapon: +7, DC 16+ (+1+)
-Staff: +13, DC 18 (+3), bludgeoning; wood/cold iron/silver, reach 1, double
-Kukri: +7, DC 18 (+3), cutting, Crit 18-20, silver
-Heavy pistol: +12, DC 19 (+4), Crit 19-20
-Hunting rifle: +11, DC 20 (+5), Crit 19-20
-Shotgun/other ranged: +9
-Throwing: +9


Skills: (17 pp)(Non-combat 36/12; +Combat 10/5)
>Trained: Acrobatics +5 (1sp); Athletics +5 (Mastery; 4sp); Deception +3 (1sp); Insight +12 (9sp); Investigation +8 (3sp); Perception +5 (2sp); Persuasion +3 (1sp); Sleight of hand+3 (1sp); Technology +6 (1sp)

>Combat skills: Ranged combat (Handgun) +12 (3cSP), Ranged combat (Throwing) +10 (1cSP); Close combat (staff) +12 (6cSP)

>Expertise skills: Supernatural creatures ("Critter lore") +8 (3sp); Ritual magic +8 (3sp); Pop (Geek) culture +6 (Horror fandom +12)(1sp); Occult/supernatural community ("Who's who") +6 (1sp); Streetwise +6 (1sp); Tactics/CQB +6 (1sp); Firearms/gunsmith +6 (1sp); Military/heavy weapons +6 (1sp); Arcane lore/ Magic +6 (1sp)

>Untrained: Intimidation +3, Stealth +4, Treatment +5, Vehicles +2
>Other expertise uses (Untrained, through Jack of all trades and Eidetic Memory): Current events, Slayer (job skill), Sports/fitness, Folklore/mythology, Survival

Advantages: (41 pp)
>Base: Ritualist (Uses Expertise- Ritual magic; Stunt- Artificer); Beginner's luck; Benefit x1 (Ambidexterity); Close attack x1; Deadeye(*); Defensive roll x1; Eidetic memory; Equipment x5 (HQ, gear, vehicle); Equipment x9 (Weapons); Evasion x1; Favored foe (Vampires); Fearless; Improved critical x1 (handguns); Jack of all trades; Languages x2 (Spanish, Latin); Luck x1; Move-by action; Power attack; Quick draw; Ranged attack x7; Skill mastery- Athletics; Tracking

>Free x2 (from PRE, campaign bonus): Connections (favors, Persuasion); Well-informed

>Enhanced Advantages (bought as Powers): Assessment; Improved initiative x1; Improvised weapon x1, Throwing mastery x1; +Great endurance
>Other/Special: Holding back x2 (Uncontrolled, Host- Chaos; acts as a Complication)

POWERS: (19pp total)
>Merge sense:
-Awareness (Merged), Detect (Merged; touch/Acute)(0pp)

>Can't get lost:
-Senses 1: Direction sense (1pp)

>Hard-earned ability:
-A morning run: Speed 1 (1pp)
-Situational awareness: Senses 1- Danger sense (1pp)
-Final girl: Enhanced Skill 2- Expertise/ Pop (geek) culture +6 (Limited- Horror fandom)(1pp)

>Still a Slayer:
-Slayer sense: Senses 1- Awareness (Supernatural creatures)(1pp)
-Slayer basic training: Enhanced advantages 4- Assessment, Improved initiative x1, Improvised weapon x1, Throwing mastery x1 (4pp)
-Slayer durability: Regeneration 1, Persistent; Immunity 4 (half effect; Natural aging, need for sleep, disease, poison); Enhanced Advantage 1 (Great endurance)(5pp)

>Came back different:
-Cat's eyes: Senses 1- low-light vision (1pp)
-Like calls to like: Senses 1- Awareness (Chaos)(1pp)
-Warp touch: Feature 2- dimensional pocket 1; Affects insubstantial 2 (Normal STR/touch; Limited- Left hand only) (2pp)
-Gatekeeper: Enhanced advantage 2- Holding back 2 (Host- Chaos), Uncontrolled (Acts as Complication- can't be used BY her, but might need to be fought down)(1pp)



BACKGROUND:
-History: Rowan McKenzie was born in southern California- her mother was a fitness instructor and her father was a computer programmer (they were also both hard-core geeks, having met while LARPING and being regular Comic-Con attendees). From an early age, Rowan was a gymnastics prodigy- by the time she was six she was competing regularly and her parents moved to San Francisco to study with a well-regarded coach. Rowan enjoyed the physical rush of her activities, and she really wanted her parents to be proud of her (she also REALLY wanted a kitty, but their apartment building was strictly No Pets Allowed). She qualified for Level 10 for the Junior Olympic program just two weeks after her 9th birthday (the legal minimum), and soon enough her name started to get serious recognition. But she was rarely happy anymore, and her parents (especially her father) began to resent the amount of energy they were spending on her "career". They still loved one another, though, and there were some pleasant times- one of her last genuinely happy memories as a whole family was going to see the premiere of the MCU Avengers movie, with all of them in costume (Mom as Black Widow, Dad as Captain America, and young Rowan as a Hawaiian-shirted Hulk).

And, all of a sudden, everything changed. No, not the Merge- not yet. Rowan and her parents were driving home from a meet in LA, late on a rainy night, when a drunk driver in a semi knocked their car of the road. Rowan's father was killed, but her mother was unhurt. Rowan herself was badly injured- while she would certainly walk again, her competitive career was over. After a few months of therapy, Rowan and her mother moved north to Bodega Bay to live with her mother's family- they had visited there often over the years, and it was a laid-back comfortable place to start over. Rowan even (finally) got the pet cat she had wanted for years.

Her mother started a beachside yoga studio, mostly for the tourists, and started coaching cheerleading at the nearby high school in Tomales. One of the other coaches taught Tai Chi and Aikido, and after a bit Rowan started learning those as part of her physical therapy program. The soft styles did not stress her body overmuch, and they brought back the freedom of movement she had once loved. In time Rowan even started to something like a normal teen life- without the endless pressure for perfection, she even made few friends, a luxury she had never had before. Time passed, nearly two years in fact... Mother and daughter began to bond- especially over the sorts of movies and TV that her mom had always loved- Classic Buffy, the evolving MCU, and even a new show called Gotham. For Halloween in 2014, they both dressed up as Black Widow, and as they entered 2015, Rowan started taking capoeira. While she had some problems at school, being bullied wasn't one of them.

They both missed Rowan's father but really, after all, they would probably been okay in the long run. But the Merge had other plans.

The immediate aftermath of the Merge was a madhouse- hills rose out of the ocean west of town, and a brand new bay swallowed a lot of real estate to the south and east. And, of course, there was a brand new mega-city just across that bay, a brilliant rainbow of lights blazing through the fog. Rowan and her mother were luckier than most- neither one of them was hurt, or visibly goblinized, and their house was on the edge of safe territory. Just in case, they were shuffled off to an emergency shelter at the local high school, now perched on a bluff overlooking the bay. Rowan woke up the next morning to a strange feeling- or rather, the lack of one. The low-level nagging pain she had carried for years was simply gone- in fact she felt stronger, better than she ever had before. Over the course of a few weeks, she explored the limits of her new abilities- she was at least as agile as she had been before her accident, and she was MUCH stronger, strong enough to make her sensei cautious.

Weeks went by, months... Rowan and her mother moved back to their house as soon as the FEMA teams declared the area safe- and they watched as new construction began to sprout throughout the area- by the New Year, the town was twice as big as it had been, and still growing. Some of their old neighbors moved away (and her grandparents, headed for a more remote and peaceful locale), but many others moved in, drawn by the proximity of San Fransokyo. Other things began to move in as well- where the prey was numerous, the predators began to gather. And sometimes Rowan could tell that a new neighbor, or a new classmate, wasn't quite right (or, in fact, human). Rowan binge-watched the entire series of Buffy, and Angel, and Supernatural (just in case)- and she began to prepare. The first time she got caught bringing a stake to school "just in case" she got suspended, and things would probably have gotten worse- but then the visitors showed up, and everything changed AGAIN.

The woman who knocked on their door was tall, with a lean, almost feral look to her- but the woman beside her was instantly recognizable, not quite Alyson Hannigan. Invited inside for tea, Willow introduced her escort as Dani, a pre-Merge native like Rowan- and like her, also a Slayer who had been activated when the universes Merged (Kennedy, it seemed had NOT crossed over, and this version of Willow knew nothing of the comics follow-up continuity). Rowan signed on even before Willow had finished her recruiting pitch- something BAD was about to happen, and all available Slayers were needed. Once her mother signed a very old-fashioned permission slip, Rowan was sent down to Sunnydale, CA to join the other new Slayers for training, while Willow and Dani continued their recruiting drive.

The assembled Slayers trained up- many of them had been Natives, activated by the Merge, and many of them had never fought before. And, of course, there wasn't nearly enough time to prepare, as the Chaos Incursion began to gather momentum. Ready or not, it was time for war! Willow took most of the strongest Slayers with her, but Rowan and most of her 'classmates' were dispatched to the awakening Hellmouth in Cleveland- they were led by the Wizard Harry Dresden and his second-in-command Karrin Murphy (who was, in fact, a Slayer herself in the Merged world). The battle went as well as could be expected- that is to say, TERRIBLY. Between Dresden's sheer power and Murphy's tactics, the team managed to hold out until the Hearthstones could do their work, but it was at a terrible cost. Many of the young Slayers in particular, on the front lines of the battle, were killed or simply GONE. Others (Slayers, combatants, and innocent bystanders) were warped or altered by the Chaos creatures and the energy around them. Rowan was lucky, in a manner of speaking. At the height of the battle, she had been partially absorbed by a creature of formless chaos- but her strength of will and the durability of a Slayer kept her at least partially intact for a crucial extra moment, long enough for the torn edges of reality to seal shut. So she lived, and with the effort of some of the mages on the battlefield, she was even (mostly) restored- though not without cost. Her body was put back together, but the supernatural strength and speed of a Slayer was gone- the supernatural vitality burned to fight the effect of the Chaos within her, in much the same way a person fighting the flu might be sleepy and weak. And her mind, her strong memories of herself and her will, augmented by the mages, was mostly salvaged, though traces remained of some of the other beings who had been absorbed with her (mostly a female police officer, and a cat- the familiar of one of the wizards who had perished). Dresden and Murphy evacuated the survivors to their home base in Chicago, where they might be able to heal. Some of them didn't make it- the physical or emotional trauma of the Chaos proved too much. Rowan did survive, though it took a great deal of adjustment. She had dealt with long-term pain before, and she remembered life before she had gotten the Slayer strength- and she refused to give up.

Recovery was a long process, and most of the important people had other work to do. Rowan had a few training sessions with Karrin Murphy (assessing how much Rowan had lost of her strength and fighting skill, and learning the basics of firearms and CQB), and one of the other wizards began to teach her the basics of ritual magic, which almost anyone with strong will and a speck of talent could learn (and which would be far safer for her- even if she COULD have learned "real" magic the Chaos that lingered within her might have tainted the evocations). Rowan began, so very slowly, to walk the new path that lay before her. Even without the Gifts of a normal Slayer, she was still one at heart- and there was still work to be done. She started calling herself "Cat", a new name for a new life, and her mantra at the start of each day is " eight more to go".

Since then she has kept moving, taking training wherever she can. Mages who have examined her think that her Slayer strength might come back, in time, but it is currently being burned as fast as her body can restore it, fighting the taint of Chaos within her- healing could take years (if in fact it EVER happens). So she has to work with what she can get- and since Buffy and Willow hate guns, it means working outside the Slayer hierarchy. But then again, most monsters know how to fight a traditional Slayer- they have a harder time with one who uses online research and divination rituals, and who fights with blessed hollowpoints and incendiary grenades...

Rowan draws some of her strength for the continuing fight against the Chaos within her from the supernatural strength of a Slayer, but also some from her will and strong sense of self. On the advice of some friends and counselors, she has decided to head back home to Bay Shore- to see her mother again, and to draw from her own memories of the place.



Complications:
-Came back wrong: While Rowan survived the Chaos Incursion, she was not unscathed. Much of the superhuman strength and speed that marks a normal Slayer is gone, spent to fight the Chaos within her- physically she is comparable to a normal woman of her age and build who is fairly well trained and in good condition (though she does heal far better than normal). Her strength and speed MAY come back in time, but it could be years (or never). In addition, there is still a seedling of Chaos within her soul, kept mostly at bay by the Slayer energy. While it can do little under most circumstances, it is a constant struggle- the right situation might lend the Seedling power (See the Gatekeeper power/Complication above)- and killing her might release it instead of destroying it. It manifests as a physical mark on the palm of her left hand (covered by a glove)- beings which can sense Chaos might notice her, and wards or spells which target Chaos beings might work on her as well (though at a lesser degree).

-Slayer: (Motivation/responsibility) In the aftermath of the Chaos Incursion, Cat isn't a typical Slayer- she is durable enough, but neither as fast or as strong as a normal Slayer. But she is one nonetheless- she feels a strong bond with the other members of that elite sisterhood (especially now with their numbers greatly reduced by the battles of the Incursion, and the ongoing war with supernatural beasties of every sort), and she is dedicated to the task, almost like a compulsion. In addition, some supernatural beings can sense the presence of a Slayer, just as she can sense them- and with no love lost, to say the least. In addition, the blood of a Slayer can be a valuable resource for dark wizards or similar malcontents.

Slayer's duty (Prejudice/responsibility): In addition, A Slayer's profession is putting down things that need to be killed (or otherwise dealt with)- some of which look disturbingly like normal humans. This can make some people, especially law enforcement and capital-H Hero types, very unhappy. It also carries a heavy burden, especially if you can't forget- what happens if you Choose wrong?

-Relationship (Mother): Rowan's mother still lives in Bay Shore, and still teaches yoga and coaches cheerleading- she has tried very hard to keep her life the way it was. Even though she loved movies and comic books and so on, she is deeply disturbed to see such things made manifest and walking in the "real World". Rowan still loves and respects her mother, and her return to town might be good for both of them- or it might not.

-MGS: Rowan has a very mild case of MGS- only one other 'version' Merged into her, and that one was very, very similar, causing almost no distortion. Unfortunately there are several other 'remnants' in her mind now, beings who were absorbed into Chaos with her, but were not strong enough (or complete enough) to be recovered. One of them was a military veteran and policewoman, the other one was a Cat, the familiar of a now-deceased wizard. At this point they are almost entirely passive passengers, but their "voices" have been heard before...

-Power loss (ammunition): Rowan depends on specialized weaponry and equipment to make up for the Strength she has lost- some of it VERY specialized. While she is unlikely to run out of normal guns or bullets, she might run out of dragons-breath shells, or holy water, or silver bullets. Some of these she can make, while others may require her Connections, who may need something in return.

-"Show me the magic" (Accident): Rowan's changes have exposed a talent for magic, which she has begun to develop as another tool in her arsenal. For the most part she sticks to the "slow and steady" path of ritual magic, where she can be sure the spells are properly constructed and "safe". But a dire situation might make her use faster, more risky energies. She can Stunt 'quick' magic from her Warp touch, but anything she uses will be prone to Chaos taint (Side Effects or random GM choice). In a truly dire situation, or if under mental influence, strange Chaos magic effects might simply happen, outside of her choice or control (this is a lesser version of her Holding Back complication).

-Helping out/Doing good: (Motivation) Even outside of a Slaying situation, Rowan likes to do good deeds and help people out. It might be as simple as helping an elderly neighbor carry their groceries- or it might be putting her life on the line to help an innocent in danger. While she has no qualms about Slaying things that need it, she has a deep concern for victims and innocent bystanders.

-Methodical, Disciplined, Stubborn, Relentless, Merciless

Description: Rowan is just a bit taller than average for a woman, with the lean build of a distance runner. She has dark hair, typically worn in a bob or page-boy cut and a healthy California-girl tan. Her eyes are unusual- green and gold with the split pupils of a house cat (a detail she keeps hidden behind sunglasses). She tends to dress in comfortable utilitarian clothes, usually in dark colors, and she almost always has a jacket of some kind (from a light windbreaker to her preferred "Bad-ass long coat"). She rarely wears make-up or obvious jewelry, and makes an effort to appear plain, modest, and "normal". She almost always has a book with her (could be a battered fiction paperback, could be an Army training manual), and is almost always armed.


Point Accounting: Abilities 56pp; +Defenses 17pp; +Skills 17pp; +Advantages 41pp; +Powers 19pp= 150/ 150pp

Future planning: 1. Improve equipment (specifically weapons)

>Equipment List (in progress):
-HQ/Vehicle/Gear (25ep total)
Merge-surplus black Chevy Suburban (SUV, hidden compartments)(8ep)
HQ component- Library (+1ep)
HQ component- Workshop (firearms/gunsmith)(+1ep)(HQ Components are "in storage" until she gets an HQ to put thme in- either her own space or a shared HQ)

Smartphone (with Camera, GPS, police scanner, Encrypted)(6ep)
+AE: "Batphone" (Encrypted smartphone, used for Connections)(AE, +1ep)
+AE: cheap burner phone (for gunrunners)(AE; +1ep)

Flashlight
Restraints
Flash goggles
Multitool
Long coat with extensive pockets
Tool kit (Ritualist)
Holy water (5 uses)
+0 ep stuff: Duct tape, Ball of string, wooden stakes (6 or so); messenger bag, tactical gloves

>Weapons (43/45ep):
-Staff: STR +2, close/bludgeon, Reach 1, double, Counts as iron, silver, hardwood (2); Collapsible/takedown (7ep)
+AE: Kukri: Str +2, close/cut, Dangerous 2, Silver (5; +1ep)
+AE: Spike: STR +0, close/pierce, Dangerous 2, Precise, Concealable, Silver (5; +1ep)
+AE: Sap gloves: STR +1, close, counts as unarmed, Concealed (3; +1ep)

-Assault rifle: Ranged damage 5, Multiattack 5, Accurate x1 (+2)(16ep)
+AE: Hunting rifle: Ranged damage 5, Accurate x1 (+2), Dangerous x2 (aimed shot only), Improved aim, Scope (Rangefinder, Extended vision 1/ x10)(15; +1ep)
+AE: Heavy pistol- Ranged damage 4, Penetrating 4
+AE: Heavy pistol ammunition (Silver)- Ranged damage 4, counts as silver
+AE: Heavy pistol ammunition (Gel round)- Ranged Affliction 4, Resist- FORT 14, Recover- FORT 14, Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated
+AE: Hold-out pistol- Ranged damage 4, Concealable 2 (10; +1ep)

-Pump Shotgun (flechette): Close, Cone 1, damage 5 (piercing)(10 ep)
-AE: Shotgun ammunition (solid slug): Ranged damage 5 (10; +1ep)
-AE: Shotgun ammunition (stake slug/sabot)- Ranged damage 4, piercing, wooden stake (9; +1ep)
-Shotgun (sawed off double)(Dragons breath ammo): Close line 1, damage 5 fire (2 charges) OR Close Cone 2, damage 5 fire (1 charge)(gun destroyed after charges are used, must be replaced)(AE; +1ep)

TO add:
-Grenades (Frag, Incendiary, flash-bang, Concussion, smoke)
-Crossbow (high tech, Dixon-style)
Improve Truck (Armor, comms, etc. +AE- motorcycle)
HQ component- Workshop (Ritualist/Artificer)
UV light +lenses, pistol mount
Rebreather
Lightsticks
+Stakes, ++holy water
Lockpicks
Steel cuffs
Tactical helmet/headset (handsfree phone, eye/ear protection)
+More weapons and/or ammunition (Maybe a Variable for Weapons/Equipment only, changed/replaced through Connections ?)
Last edited by pathfinderq1 on Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:47 pm, edited 14 times in total.
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Doctor Malsyn
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

19? Hmm, imagine if she and Eli were friends in high school before the vampire/slayer dynamic cropped up.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
kirinke
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by kirinke »

All of the younger characters could potentially be school-mates. Either being friends or knowing of each other.

I made some further edits on her character and added a 'return scene' for fun in her background to explain some of her complications and why her powers are a bit different than her game character.

Note: Alice only hunts the monsters and nightmares that don't 'obey the rules'. That is the ones who actively hurt or kill people. Generally speaking, by the time she gets there they already have a provable body count to their names.
Kirinke's Compendium of Wondrous Creatures
Kirinke's Conversions (D&D Items to M&M3E Rules)

Battle Init
Viv: 24
Ren:22
Peekaboo: 20
Deutschritter: 19
Amy: 15
Angrboda: 15
Adeleth: 14
Thugs: 12
Lilly: 7
Alma: 5
jmucchiello
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by jmucchiello »

Is 19 too young for the group to have known each other? 19 means M-day happened when a 19 year old was a freshman in high school. That doesn't leave a lot of room for having any adult time in your background. I set my char at 25 (without really thinking about it). If she were 15 on M-day, she'd still be working on her GED since she would have dropped out during her asylum 18 month stay. I had figured she was college age on M-day.

I'm not saying your char can't be 19 but I'd prefer that mine wasn't so what links them (all) in the past?
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Doctor Malsyn
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

What links us, is that we've all at least lived for a time in what was once a small town. So even if we didn't go to the same school, we've had plenty of time over our lives in the town to have interacted at least once or twice. Like say, yours is 25, yeah? You may've heard gossip at the local supermarket about that English-woman who recently started housing a young girl, and the doubts they'd have of some waitress raising a little girl all on her own.

You know, the kinda things that happen when you live in a small town. Not that I've had experience with it personally, of course...
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
jmucchiello
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Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:59 pm

Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by jmucchiello »

I thought we were supposed to have a tighter relationship than just hearing of one another. I thought the idea was we were closer to friends than strangers on the relationship axis. Isn't our past relationship supposed to be why we get together in the future. The OP says:

"Maybe you all went to the same school, maybe you served together in the army (refugees or escapees could fill out the ranks if you don't all want to be military) or you all worked for the same company"

Serving together in the army is going to create a much more tight knit bond than "Oh, yeah, John Smith, I think I've heard of him."
kirinke
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by kirinke »

I don't have a problem with upping Alice's age.
Kirinke's Compendium of Wondrous Creatures
Kirinke's Conversions (D&D Items to M&M3E Rules)

Battle Init
Viv: 24
Ren:22
Peekaboo: 20
Deutschritter: 19
Amy: 15
Angrboda: 15
Adeleth: 14
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pathfinderq1
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by pathfinderq1 »

As was mentioned above, small towns breed a bit closer ties, if you want them.

For the three 19-year-olds, it is easy. No matter how long they lived in town, they would be in the same class, and there is only one school, and one local high school. Even if we didn't have any interests in common, we would know each other pretty well- and we might, in fact actually have some shared interests.

Fire's background so far leaves plenty of room to tie in. Maybe she lived in town and, while she was older, was still IN town in a role where younger kids might know her- worked as a lifeguard at the beach, was home from college and worked in a local store we frequented, that sort of thing. Or she was famous (or infamous) for something she had done in school and one or more of us kept getting compared to her- in a town that size, it doesn't take much, and if she stayed in town, that kind of reputation is hard to change. Maybe she even did something crazy and some of the younger kids idolized her... Or, given an age of 20-21 immediately post-Merge, maybe she moved to town to help relatives, or was a Red Cross volunteer in the emergency housing while things got sorted out- even a short-term connection then might build a strong connection as happens in times of stress.

For the older characters- Pratfall and John Smith, things are just as easy with a little modification. Maybe John Smith worked in San Francisco before, but commuted from his family home in Bodega Bay- post-Merge his employer ramped up operations in San Fransokyo instead (a much shorter commute). And maybe he ran a small (informal) computer repair gig in town (too small to have a real business, so all the locals went to him), or taught a course or two on the side at the high school. Pratfall is listed as a wage slave, and age is not specified- his day job might have been as the teacher no one respected at high school- or he did his hired clown gig in town, and all the kids used the same clown for their birthday parties and so on- because there wasn't anything better locally. Or again, post-Merge he might have been part of the local relief efforts (keeping people happy/laughing in the face of disaster, etc.)

Or maybe I should just shut up and go back to working on my own character.
kirinke
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by kirinke »

Those are all sound ideas actually.
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pathfinderq1
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by pathfinderq1 »

So, quick timeline question:

-The Merge happened on June 5th, 2015. This game looks to be set roughly now. When did the Chaos Incursion happen, in terms of date and time? (Prologue to Annihilation is a LONG thread, and I'm not confident in my ability to sift through it correctly). Essentially, my character Came Back Wrong from that series of events, albeit on a smaller stage, and I want to know how much therapy/recovery time she has had.
jmucchiello
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Recruiting

Post by jmucchiello »

That works for me. I was just updating Fire so that she was popular in High School (yes, she has low presence now. But pre-merge, she was all that. :) ) I'll be updating her back story soon.
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