just an idea. with this 6th person it would make it so that we have enough for one special forces team. that being operations (team leader), assistant operations/Intel, Weapons, engineer, communications, and medical. although having their own specialties they all cross train. even though there are more birthed and mechanic NPC's around it would be better if they were tasked out in small groups. just have to figure out positions.
Good point, the military is what we are after all; "We are Weapons of War?"
As the world approached a new century, the government approved funding for a clandestine project called only by the nickname "SKINTIGHT". This was the start of extensive research into the areas of nanobot health and enhancement methods, as well as developing weaponized systems and literally turning humans into robots. Disregarding ethics and morals, the scientists began to dig deeper. A growing interest in the use of nanobot technology in the military, combined with the ideas of a few mad scientists, gave birth to the project's most daring experiment. A way to "make" the perfect soldier--to grow machine and human right alongside each other, starting from conception.
It would be reckless not to allow any of the Birthed to at least understand the ethic the Scientists believe in; of course, the Birthed are able to alter that view to the same extent teens find they are allowed alter the ethics taught by their school and parents.
I would like to mention that I did design Trey to be more of a tank and a heavy hitter than a frequent speedster. He only has so much fuel in his body at a time and it's important for him to be careful when he uses his rocket engines.
...
I don't mean to be negative or argumentative, but I did design him to be a birthed tank unit since I he was most likely to see combat than mechanics and be deployed in the field not as much of a flanker.
I was picturing it more of a case where when combat started Nightmare would be slow and heavy, and so would have to move towards the enemy as best he could, providing cover for the softer members of the team. Since Trey has a speed boost, he'd be able to dart ahead and establish a second front. This would either cut off an enemy's retreat or divide their resources as they attempted to target two locations rather than just a single group of approaching hostiles.
EDIT: I'm picturing this as squad level tactics, so Trey would at worst by twenty to thirty meters away from the rest of the party. Just far enough out of range to not be eaasily suppoortable in close combat, but still within range for fire support.
Once the perimeter was secured, Trixie would provide ranged cover with her support drones, backed up by Kiki's telepresence calling out targets and disrupting enemy communications and equipment. At this point Trey could either remain where he was, drawing fire and harrassing the enemy's flank, or could push in to get into close combat, depending on how well the engagement was going. His speed boost could then be used to close distance or move between cover if absolutely required, but he'd most likely just be relying on his polymerised skin to protect himself as he made his way through the enemy ranks.
The reason I called him a 'flanker' was that he'd be the one getting into combat from the enemy's flank. If anything right now he'd be the main hitter for the squad, the one who actually went in and took down targets with precision while Nightmare provided covering fire and defence for the main part of the team.
If you need twenty men to all duck at once, send Nightmare. If you need one guy taken out, send Trey.
If you need twenty guys taken out, send Trixie, but make sure someone's got a whole load of cash to cover their bar bill afterwards. :p
Also, this is exactly the time to be negative and argumentative. Any problems are best sorted out before we get into the RP properly so that we're all on the same page and not causing problems for each other later. :D
@ReusableSword So the team would break down something like...
I hear what you're saying, and I totally agree; I think the idea of a collective unit is much more interesting and honestly makes more sense when you take the setting into account.
but it's okay if there's overlap, isn't it? as long we can use each unit and make sure everyone gets a fair share, it's okay if we have the two tanks as their abilities are different.... victor can easily be worked into a more long-range explosives unit. also, @Genni is absolutely right; best get the worries and questions out of the way before we start rping! :)
I will add that Fiore is much more skilled in the human side of medics, not the mechanic side. Trixie would be a better candidate if you're looking for a mechanical partner, though it looks like she's kinda taken already.
and the only reason i didn't jump on the trey-mechanic idea is because i contacted @Fabricant451 early on and asked if they wanted to collab with me on a childhood friendship birthed/mechanic team. sorry ^^;;
please, don't hesitate to voice your complaints or anything else! i want to make this rp as fun as possible.
I've had my eye on this roleplay for a while, written a few sheets, but I think I'm finally going to post one because that's a good idea.
I'm fully expecting a glaring error though, so there's that. If there is, I'll fix it up as soon as I can. Like in particular, I'm not really sure about if the abilities are alright, for one. If they aren't, I'll fix those too.
If you have a problem with his nanobot hair then I have a problem with you and that's that
Picture: Age: 16 Height: 5’6 Weight: 119.2 (Varies, depending on Class) Eye Colour: Black Hair Colour: Blue Gender: Male Role: Birthed Interests: Books, discovery, children's entertainment programs Personality:
Kal, as the self-proclaimed ‘youngest’ of the group, is very, very impressionable, fittingly enough for someone whose whole schtick is Adaption. One particular schtick of his is trying to incorporate elements of what others do into himself. For instance, if someone he knows has a catchphrase… he might even begin to say it.
Kal isn’t good with emotions, in any sense of the word, especially regarding showing them. He has trouble reading other’s emotions unless they’re blindingly obvious. As for Kal himself, he’s prone to saying how he feels. In particular, telling Kal jokes will not go well – as they’d likely fly right over his head.
Kal is very curious, and is keen on learning more about the world that he lives in. Unfortunately, though, Kal is also very gullible and naïve, prone to believing the most ridiculous things. It’s best to be literal with this Birthed, lest he take it completely seriously. One phrase you might want to avoid is ‘I’m dyin’ here!’
Kal heavily looks up to his brothers and sisters, along with the Mechanics who take care of them. He’s fine with doing almost anything they ask, from errands – to even having them change his appearance dramatically. Essentially, he lives to serve.
In terms of worldview – it is yet another field that Kal can prove quite naïve in. He sees the world in white and black, good and evil… and he sees he and his friends in the right. He sees little wrong with killing those who oppose him and his friends, believing that his enemies are evil.
Abilities/Weapons:
“I really hope I can be of use, everyone."
Combat-wise, Kal is essentially a jack of all trades, thanks to his main ability – the Class system, allowing him to tinker with his stats, and even weapon to fit the situation. While he can serve various roles, he won’t be close to matching the others in sheer effectivity in their set roles... it's in his potential versatility that he shines.
Adaption Module: Node Absorption: Kal’s main ability is the Adaption Module, which focuses on the creation of objects called Command Nodes – small, disc-like objects that hold various forms of information – which can affect various elements of his person. These discs can give Kal access to new attributes, created via code… and they can even change elements of his person outside battle, from hair and eye colour – to even his personality!
Nanoweapons: Kal’s weapon of choice is the Nanoweapon. Like the rest of Kal’s design, the Nanoweapon is designed to be highly configurable. Normally, the Nanoweapon is a small, hilt-like design attached to his shoulders. Depending on his current Configuration, the weapon will change. How the weapon functions is by transferring an excess of Nanobots in Kal’s body to the inactive Nanoweapon, the Nanobots themselves can form metal blades, hammers, shields, and even guns – which fire off other nanobots, taking the form of bullets. In total, Kal has two Nanobots – which he can either dual wield, or combine to create one larger weapon. However, Kal can only use certain weapons per Class.
Adaption Module: Class System: Kal reconfigures his body in various aspects, and begins using information from a selected Command Node in his body. Taking information from a Node designed for taking damage would allow him to withstand more damage, of course, while a Node based on speed would give him faster reactions, but weaker defences. These are Classes. Currently, Kal only has access to one, though using Command Nodes – Kal can gain more and more classes, to further augment his effectivity.
However, these Classes aren't dramatic changes. While they will change Kal's appearance, they won't allow him to say, fly, or use unlisted abilities here. His classes simply change the form of his Nanoweapons, his physical characteristics (speed, strength, the like), and appearance.
Listed below are Kal's available Classes.
- Class: Blade Gunner: Kal’s default Class Augmentation is a jack of all trades – this is his regular Class. In this form, his Nanoweapons take the form of a sword and a pistol, respectively, allowing him to damage foes from range, and up close.
Background: “Hi. My name is ‘Kal’. I am an Adaption Unit. I am pleased to meet you.”
The Adaption Units were one of many conceptual ‘robotic human’ designs. As their name suggests, they were designed to adapt and evolve, much like various experimental AI. Progress on these units was made by a small team of hobbyists, who put in work on the project. Over the course of three years, a man known as Kal Riers within Project SKINTIGHT and his team created the very first ‘Adaption Unit’, nicknamed ‘Rojo’, which started as an emotionless person in a foreign world they didn’t understand. Over time, though, Rojo changed entirely, now capable of expressing various emotions and holding full conversations.
But that concept, fittingly enough, evolved. The Adaption Units showed potential… what if they were to become highly configurable house assistants – or if they were to become customizable weapons of war? The main draw for the new series of Adaption Units were the Command Nodes, small discs that could be inserted into an Adaption Unit to change various aspects about it, or even give it knowledge – or even commands! The plan was to release the Adaption Units, then also release Command Nodes with various information – so that buyers could upgrade their robotic new pal… for a price. And, in terms of battle, these Adaption Units were able to shape their very own Nanobots to create weaponry, while with their sheer customization – they could fill many roles on a battlefield. In concept, these were versatile soldiers, capable of many things… though not to the level as super-soldiers created via nanobots.
And before these new Adaption Units could see the light of day, they were confiscated – as SKINTIGHT was forcibly shut down. However, various documents regarding the creation of these units remained. However, the scientist Kal Riers was not seen from that day forth.
With the creation of the Project BIRTH, though, one more Adaption Unit saw the light of day. This was the Kalth Birthed, dubbed ‘Kal Riers’, in respect for the man. However, Kal found himself in a foreign, strange world… one he didn’t understand. But as an Adaption Unit should, he began to adapt to such an environment, learning various things among the way and even managing to create a personality for himself. Even today, he seeks to learn more about the world… to adapt.
Other: Kal is highly configurable! If someone wanted to, they could very well create a command node to change Kal’s hair and eye colours. How is this possible? Why, as it turns out – Kal’s hair is actually fake, and is created from an excess of nanobots! Due to this, his hair feels somewhat metallic and does not move.
Does the Class system change Kai's physical form at all, for instance would the durability Node cause his skin to become visibly rocky or metallic, or would the speed Node make his legs become more muscular and powerful? Would he be able to form 'wings' to act as a parachute, or gills to breath underwater? Or is it limited by the maximum potential of his natural body, so using the Nodes would push his endurance to that of an Olympic athlete instantly, or give him access to the full strength of his muscles when activated?
How many different forms can the Nanoweapons take? Is there a set limit, or can Kai reconfigure them on the fly depending on what he'd need in each different situation? How quickly can the weapons switch modes, could he toss a rocket launcher in the air, do a back flip and catch two pistols as they fell into his hands?
You said "...which fire off other nanobots, taking the form of bullets" Does this mean Kai's nanos can become depleted if he's required to engaged in an intense or protracted gunfight? Can he recover bullet nanos from neutralised targets, or regenerate them over time?
How volatile are Kai's personality changes? Is it a case of multiple personalities constantly battling for control, or would he have to choose to 'upload' a new personality if he wanted to change who he was? Do old personalities get comjpletely wiped when a new one is installed, or is there a 'bleed effect' between different programs which would require a total system shutdown and defragmentation sweep to clear?
Thanks for the questions! I knew I'd miss a few things, so I'll elaborate on those. And sorry about all these issues in my form, and if some things here don't make sense. Wrote this post pretty late, so I'm a little out of it.
Class System: My bad on this - I probably should've went a bit more into detail. While his appearance would change, I feel like it would be limited to armour and equipment, depending on the class, while his physical body underneath stays the same. As for how they enhance Kai's abilities, I feel like it'd be closer to the second suggestion you stated there, that it pushes his body further in terms of ability, allowing him to run faster in a move-oriented class, or take more hits in a defense-oriented node... though, of course, not to such a degree that he'd outshine anyone who specializes in either of those abilities.
On the topic of wings and gills, if he can create a gun, I guess those would be possible and maybe even fitting for an Adaption focused Birthed, but I'm not sure if that would be making him too powerful. Though, if he wanted to use gills or wings, he'd have to switch to an appropriate Class equipped with either, provided he has enough time to switch.
Nanoweapons: In each of his classes, Kai has a set weapon or weapons. In the class in his sheet, he's only capable of using a sword and a gun in that class. If he wants to reform his weapons into something else, he'd have to wait ten seconds to shift into another class. In terms of what weapons the Nanoweapons could become: I'd imagine it mostly being ordinary weapons like swords, axes, lances, bows, the like, along with a few more uncommon ones like boomerangs and even staves. I could make a list, if needed.
Nanos: Yeah, his excess nanites can be depleted via this method - kind of like an ammo system, now that I think about it. Bullet nanobots can be recovered and reduced to regular old nanobots, though they regenerate over time... very slowly, though. I'll address these in an edit, sorry about that.
Personalities: I might actually get rid of this whole 'configurable personalities' part - now that I look back, it's a little unnecessary. But, yeah, the original concept was that a new personality would be added, and someone would be able to forcibly swap Kai between them, depending on how they're feeling. Though, this detail ended up being more or less Adaption Unit flavour text, now that I look at it. Not sure if I'll keep it... but if I do, I might just have to go through with the bleed part.
Depending on how this goes, I might completely rework the abilities. I'm a little iffy on this set of abilities, now that I think about it - it feels a little too broad, I guess.
Also, his name was originally Kal, but I really like Kai as a name, so I think I might just have to take that up as his new name.
Class System: My bad on this - I probably should've went a bit more into detail. While his appearance would change, I feel like it would be limited to armour and equipment, depending on the class, while his physical body underneath stays the same.
On the topic of wings and gills, if he can create a gun, I guess those would be possible...
The way I'm reading this is that Kai would basically have five forms he could switch between. Speed, Strength, Defence, Air and Aqua. These would appear on his body as pieces of equipment, such as powered boots for speed, gauntlets for strength, body armour for protection, glider wings for flight and a rebreather for underwater breathing.
While any one of these can be active at any time, he wouldn't be able to combine them so if he chose to have his 'running shoes' on he'd be able to move quickly but would have less protection and wouldn't be able to bring as much firepower to bear.
His weapons would also be linked with these modes, with perhaps the sword and pistol his baseline choice and things like a pair of pistols for his speed mode, a heavy doublehanded sword, axe or warhammer for his strength mode, and so on.
Could he possibly switch between them for interesting combination effect though, for instance using speed and running off a high cliff and then switching to the glider in midair to float a fair distance, before switching to the strength mode to power bomb an enemy? Or would it be more a case of him having to completely shutdown one class before using another; so he'd use speed to boost himself off a cliff, then deactivate and freefall for ten seconds before activating his glider to move into position then shutdown again and start to plummet towards the enemy and activate his strength mode just before 'landing' to maximise his impact?
Personalities: ...and someone would be able to forcibly swap Kai between them...
It'd be an interesting feature to work with if you did keep it, especially from a roleplaying standpoint. You could even make it that each of his different modes had a distinct personality associated with it, similar to the way Ben 10 transforms into new creatures with their own personality traits, but all of whom are still 'Ben' at the same time.
He'd have to be really careful about what he said around Kiki though, unless he wanted to have his personality randomly shifted for a few hours with a wave of her hand.
Also, his name was originally Kal, but I really like Kai as a name, so I think I might just have to take that up as his new name.
My bad (or good..?) I'm working off a smart phone right now and the screen's a little small. Misread Kal for Kai. :)
@AGenericUser thanks for giving all that info haha. it's very helpful. I have a few questions of my own as well!
--you say Kai (I like kai better than kal lol) was a Birthed unit, but he seems to be of a different breed than the other test subjects--is there a explanation for that? did Kal (the scientist) alter/start his own experiment? was the "adaptable unit" tech used in the project Birth? because the Birthed are human--well, half human, but they were born, after all! Kai comes off as more like a robot. If you'd rather go the "a.i robot" route, that's fine, just don't get the half robot confused with the full robot.
--in the village, is there a specialist who makes those "disks", or was Kai only given one upon birth, maybe one saved from the earlier adaption units? I don't know if we have anyone skilled enough to create those disks (as it seemed to be a very specific operation and the scientists working on it are dead/missing), maybe Trixie & Kiki can try to develop something, but idk how successful they'd be...
--I don't mind the nanobot system, that's very similar to the birthed's general tech area; it's easy to see how that can work in combat (and now i'm thinking of fire emblem haha), but this is sci-fi... I don't know how effective swords and lances would be against robotic minions. unless they were augmented, which makes some sense, considering the technology.
also, nanobot hair! now we have two characters who like to change their hair color... the personality swap thing might end up being a little hard to handle; you've already got the class system, no need to overburden yourself.
...maybe Trixie & Kiki can try to develop something, but idk how successful they'd be...
Trixie: "I guarantee at least 60% chance of him not instantly blowing up as soon as he boots it up, and a 15% chance of doing what we intended it to." :D
You know I actually realized today while at work that Kiki, Audra, Trey, and Trixie (considering her explicit backstory) would know each other rather well at this point if they were all growing up on base together, and any new birthed units added post this comment as well.
I'm gonna love pretending that there's a whole history that they can draw on from knowing each other so well since Trey's more of a sunshine optimist that loves his friends and involves himself everywhere he can lol
We still playing the angle that they haven't met the mechanics yet? Or do I get to make vague references for everyone?
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But for real if anyone wants to help me get some small friend building for me to work with for my character let me know it would be a big help in playing him right!
@Spirit exactly! I love making up history and playing already-friends characters, it's likely most of the villagers knew each other (including fiore; her and audra are best friends!) and that definitely changes the story! as of right now, most of the characters were either born or lived most of their lives in the village except possibly victor, so... you can play with that as you like :3
fiore's friendly with most of the villagers, she probably knows trey somewhat. that depends on who you think trey's close to.
vague references would be fine, as long it's like "this is a scientist who worked with ___ and was quite well known in the village" or whatever. the mechanics come from a large variety of backgrounds, so there would probably be more that we haven't met yet!
vague references would be fine, as long it's like "this is a scientist who worked with ___ and was quite well known in the village" or whatever. the mechanics come from a large variety of backgrounds, so there would probably be more that we haven't met yet!
I was planning on referencing really small things that hinted to a subtle history between the characters like inside jokes about chickens or vague references to incidents that happened in the past that he may have been around for.
It's pretty important since I'm trying to take the caring good/best friend angle or if you prefer the "big brother" troupe with his attitude. I want him to care about the birthed pretty deeply on a platonic level so it may even come off as him being a little less serious than he likely should be in certain scenarios lol
The only person besides the older mechanics I can see that troupe swaying away from is Trixie since while she is more like the birthed than most mechanics having grown up there and being only 5 years older than the birthed, she's still older than him and could very easily hold seniority over him. If he were to have one friend he didn't feel obligated to try to be the optimistic type with it'd have to be her considering her circumstances. Not quite part of the adults that look after all the birthed, but also more of an example that they grew up watching. I would sum it up to a more childish admiration and respect for her?
So far that's what I'm seeing his character playing out as, with a slight distrust of the other mechanics except Fiore since she's 16 and would have grown up with the Birthed too. So she'd fall into that category of playful nonchalant attitude of Trey's personality.
ic character post coming... soonish. I need to think about it. in the meantime, @AGenericUser and I can iron out some wrinkles and get that CS ready for rp :D
Vague references would be fine, as long it's like "this is a scientist who worked with ___ and was quite well known in the village" or whatever.
I'm hoping that Trixie would already have a reputation as 'that kid' around the Village, in the same way Naruto Uzumaki was at the beginning of the manga/anime. Kinda a troublemaker, but with the best intentions. Just don't let her try and fix your toaster for you, unless it want it to start singing show tunes, while doing the fully choreographed dance moves to go with it.
I was planning on referencing really small things that hinted to a subtle history between the characters like inside jokes about chickens or vague references to incidents that happened in the past that he may have been around for.
Trixie: "For the last time, that chicken was on fire when I got there!?!"
...but also more of an example that they grew up watching. I would sum it up to a more childish admiration and respect for her?
Trixie as a role model? Damn, that kid's gonna get himself in tonnes of trouble.
@Genni perfect. i'm sure there were tons of shenanigans going on in the village, maybe trixie roped kiki/audra into it as well... then they all came home with bruises and fiore chews them out afterwards
@Genni perfect. i'm sure there were tons of shenanigans going on in the village, maybe trixie roped kiki/audra into it as well... then they all came home with bruises and fiore chews them out afterwards
If there were shenanigans, Audra probably was part of it once she started understanding about friends and whatnot.
To answer a simple question. Victor has known about the village for about a month and only arived the day prior to the opening post. He hasnt met anyone other than scientists yet.