Legion of Heroes

[Lurking Shadow]

Hey, long time lurker/player, first time GM (for something that is not a tabletop at least) coming with a superhero plot me and @Lyla hope to find interest for.

In a bustling metropolis which has seen an influx of criminals for years, from petty thieves to costumed maniacs. Similarly, there has been in increase of heroes rising from to help ensure the peace is kept and that the law is upheld. The city has proven a place where villains can try and stake a claim to a piece of the world and heroes can prove their mettle. Recently however, there have been major moves in the criminal world, the villains have been working together and a major wave of crime has strained the resources of law enforcement. Banks have been robbed, cutting edge technology and curious artifacts have been stolen. Something big is brewing and if the villains are uniting together, so too should the heroes.

This is a RP where the players are up and coming heroes trying to make their mark. They could be still trying to master their powers, or perhaps they want to take a step up from fighting everyday muggers. Either way, they are generally inexperienced or a rookie. The villains are working towards fulfilling the grand plan of some unseen mastermind, something that would be too much for a single hero alone to face and thus bring the player characters together. There will be plenty of nameless goons to beat up, secrets and twists to be revealed, plans to thwart, and a potential apocalypse to avert. Optionally, you may even create a arch-enemy for your hero.

Let me know of any interest or questions/clarifications on anything. I'll be happy to answer and provide more information if asked.

[Crimson Flame]

Tentatively interested

[Lyla]

Hey! You know I'm interested of course! Has a lot of potential to become a great plot. I like the already established "hey, there are things already happening in the city" idea - let's characters have a backstory in the city itself a bit!

[Crow]

Tentatively watching.

EDIT: I guess there's one thing I want to ask - is the setting fixed power system (e.g. everyone has special gene, everyone has Quirks, whatever) or is the setting anything goes (characters can have magic, tech, mutations, whatever origin or power source they want).

[WXer]

I'd be up to join.

[King Cosmos]

I'm tentatively interested in this. What kind of tone were you looking for?

[Lurking Shadow]

thanks for the interest everyone, even if tentative.

@Crow Powers can come from any source. characters could be using a enchanted/magical talisman, genetics, accidentally fell in vat of mystery goo, tome of spells, just about anything really. There might be restrictions if it interferes with the plot but I'll deal with that on a case by case basis, can't think of any restrictions currently.

@King CosmosI'm largely open on any sort of tone you want to take with a character. The story is a bit pulpy/campy but you don't need to follow suit with your character.

[Martian]

Interested in this, but I don't have a character concept immediately jumping out at me.

[Unkown58]

Hi! This sounds pretty fun, so I would just like to state my interest.

[Vega7285]

This seems neat, especially with the freedom to have whatever origin one wants. I tend to think that's much more fun and true to the spirit of the genre than enforcing a common origin for every character.

I probably shouldn't join as it's another plate to keep spinning, but I'm interested. At the worst, maybe I could contribute some NPC villains or something.

[Lyla]

I have a vague concept in mind... trying to see how I can draw inspiration from Supergirl, Wonder Woman, She-Ra, and the Arthurian legend.

[Crow]

Is anyone else planning to have a character with a tokusatsu or magical girl motif? While it'd be nice to represent them, I don't want to overfill a niche.

[Lyla]

@Crow I think She-Ra is technically within that realm, but if you mean specifically the transforming aspect then no - my girl isn't going to have two "forms" or anything like that!

[Crow]

@Lyla I guess that niche is still there for me to ponder about then.

[Lurking Shadow]

This seems neat, especially with the freedom to have whatever origin one wants. I tend to think that's much more fun and true to the spirit of the genre than enforcing a common origin for every character...

@Vega7285

Personally, I do like offering the freedom as it can make for more interesting and creative characters and interactions between them, especially with the different backgrounds and perspective they would have. Like sure if everyone fell in a vat of mystery goo that would be a common bond to unite them, but that would also leave one less avenue to explore as far as writing goes since it would be something all the characters already know.

Ideally you'd be able to join, if you think you can afford the time without letting anything else suffer that is, but I would not turn down contributing NPCs/ideas.

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@Crow I am not too familiar with 'magical girl' as a trope beyond the very little i know about sailor moon (I am not big on anime or manga in general so most of those terms will probably fly over my head for future reference), so i did a little bit of research. I do like writing characters with another form/appearance, though I go for more of a monster-y sort of thing. something akin to Cu Chulainn, Fafnir, or lycanthropes. I am considering on doing something along those lines but It won't really overlap that much with your idea if you want to fulfill that niche.

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And for those considering a character, here is a quick sheet with the basics. This is not the final CS as I might think of some new sections to add, but will serve handily for now as a format

Hider

Name:

Superhero name: (if applicable, your character may choose to forgo a persona)

Gender:

Race: (If not human, otherwise feel free to skip. They can be alien, demon/angel, just about anything. But if they are not human, they probably do not originate from Earth or at least not one of this dimension/plane. be sure to list any sort of traits they may possess over a human in the power section)

Age:

Appearance: (picture, description or both)

Power: (What can they do? Ex: manifest fire generated from the body and control its shape/size/movement. If applicable, be sure to also put the applications of their ability here, ex: can ‘throw’ fire balls)

Limitations: (Restrictions and weaknesses of the character. Ex: cannot manifest fire in an environment void of oxygen. Fire dissipates quickly after losing physical contact. Susceptible to cold temperatures.)

Skills/Talents: (something ‘mundane’ that they are proficient in. Ex: Lockpicking, cooking, responsible financial management.)

Background/bio:

[Drifting Pollen]

I'm also interested! It seems like superhuman abilities are a focus here, but would a Batman-esque no-powers-but-many-skills archetype be workable as well?

[Vega7285]

@Crow I was considering magical girl-y things, but I've got a few other ideas, if there's concern of overlap. This really isn't the place for me to go full Nanoha, chances are.

@Lurking Shadow
I'll definitely keep an eye on things and see what comes to me. I do have a question about things, though. We're definitely starting more at the "street" sort of level, it seems like, but are there plans to end up at higher levels of character power/influence? Sort of going up to Justice League and dealing with cosmic threats and other such things some of the time. Though, that might be too long-term to worry about, anyway.

I do have some general character ideas more on the cyborg/technology powers side of things, and might need to figure out just how much ridiculous scientific progress is likely to end up acceptable.

And on antagonists, one fun thing a tabletop superhero game ended up doing is sort of every player had one bad guy associated with their character that they cooked up, and one that someone else did, which was a pretty fun little exercise.

[Crow]

Possibly my final question before I prepare my application later tonight: Is this a one-character-per-person RP?

[Lurking Shadow]

I'm also interested! It seems like superhuman abilities are a focus here, but would a Batman-esque no-powers-but-many-skills archetype be workable as well?

@Drifting Pollen

Yes, it would work fine. To have someone be on par with their powered peers through sheer determination, effort, and perhaps some sweet 'toys' would play well into the pulpy feel I am attempting with the plot.

We're definitely starting more at the "street" sort of level, it seems like, but are there plans to end up at higher levels of character power/influence?...

@Vega7285

I do intend on there being opportunities for the characters to grow in some way. Perhaps with time they have found new ways to utilize their abilities, perhaps their abilities may have just gotten stronger, perhaps they might have 'branched' a little into supporting abilities to complement their main one. The current plan for the plot is that it will either 'end' somewhere around 'cosmic level threat' or 'threat for the b-team'. Depending on how everyone wants to go about it, we can fight the threat before or after it is 'too late'. The focus at the start is the street level for sure but I am willing to alter the pace to some degree to ensure everyone enjoys the RP.

I do have some general character ideas more on the cyborg/technology powers side of things, and might need to figure out just how much ridiculous scientific progress is likely to end up acceptable.

As I have mentioned, Pulpiness is a core trait to the story so there is room for 'weird science'. Whether it be reverse engineered alien tech, future tech, or even combining tech with magic (the ghosts always laugh till they realize you got enchanted bullets). How ridiculous it is only means how creative you will need to be to explain it. In most cases, rule of cool takes precedence over reality. So long as I don't need to ignore too much of what is plausible (as far as hard concepts like the laws of physics go), it should be fine.

And on antagonists, one fun thing a tabletop superhero game ended up doing is sort of every player had one bad guy associated with their character that they cooked up, and one that someone else did, which was a pretty fun little exercise.

Optionally, I am encouraging everyone to custom bake one villain to be their 'core' antagonist (I will provide a specific CS for them later). ideally someone their character has had history with. I am thinking that later down the line PCs will get an additional stronger antagonist as they grow in power/influence. But to have someone else craft the second antagonist might be a good idea.

[Lurking Shadow]

Possibly my final question before I prepare my application later tonight: Is this a one-character-per-person RP?

@Crow

I want to say yes for the purpose of avoiding having too many characters clutter up the thing, but I am not hard set on that. Is there any particular reason or significance as to why you would want more than one? or is that a question in general. I admit the possibility of having more than one character did not cross my mind so I am not fully decided on yes or no.