[OOC] Ace High Straight (A Wild Cards (realistic, world driven superpowered) Casual/Adv. RPG)

[Oak7ree]

@Nightraider I've done some edits and revisions on the Wolfman. Among other adjustments, he's now a British American and lives permanently in New York. What's your verdict?

[Ermine]

Also not finished (barely at all, I think...), but thought I'd post her anyway. Seems to be the thing. Obviously, input would be appreciated.

Yulia Romanyshyn

Name: Yulia Romanyshyn
Gender: Female*
Age: 23
Nationality/Country of origin: Ukraine, but now a citizen of the US
Ethnicity/Appearance: Caucasian, but also perfectly average. She no longer remembers exactly what she looks like before her "edits", and since she can't emulate specific people, she can't even change back to how she originally looked. This means she looks...completely generic. The only thing that sets her apart from a nat -- and this is only because she chooses to express this -- is whatever her "feature of the moment" is. Honestly, without that and her distinctive black-trenchcoat-bordering-on-pink-mohawk cyberpunk wardrobe, she'd blend in with any crowd. She'd hate that.

Wild Card Status: Ace
Power Gain:
Alias: None.

Abilities/Deformities: Modular Shapeshifting. Replaces body parts with proportionally-sized animal equivalents, like bear arms with working claws, vestigial wings (the shift would be pretty dramatic to allow flight) replacing her arms, a prehensile tail, or cheetah legs. These don't alter her natural build too much; bear arms on her would only possess her strength, for example. She cannot produce poisons. She can switch out with human body parts, too -- we're monkeys who don't believe we're monkeys, and lie a lot -- but not with those of a specific person; often the result is the average of her experience with whatever she's trying to emulate. Most of the time this means nothing, but she is sterile as a result of messing with this too much.

Weaknesses: Most changes are cosmetic, and at best only enhance what she can already do. Even her "base" form is cosmetic. All her powers are based on her memories of and experience with whatever animal she's switching parts for, amnesia and false memories could easily affect how her powers work, or negate them entirely (at least for a while).

Public presence: While she always has some part of her changed -- she almost always has a fox tail, and occasionally cat ears -- she tries not to make her ace nature any more obvious than that...unless she's surrounded by Jokers, when she goes all out.

Personality: Dry, black humor. Anti-establishment. Too poor to own a computer, but too resourceful not to have used one. Not the most feminine of girls, but she was never the most masculine of boys when she considered herself one, either. Likes to stand out, but doesn't like to be the, as she says, "only lit streetlight." If something goes down, her fault or not, she doesn't want credit for it, good or bad, nor does she want to take the heat. Also, she doesn't share personal information unless she absolutely trusts someone.

History: Born male, and while her parents have accepted that she has trouble staying male and that they can never get their boy back because of how her power works, they're not really cool with it and still usually refer to her as her birth name, Yuri. If they were particularly religious, she would have been disowned. Since she ran away and smuggled herself to the US them after she drew the ace nine years ago, she has maintained only minimal contact with them.

She did not complete school, but has spent a lot of time in libraries since she "taught herself" English (as she sees it) with extensive help from a small group of other foreigners. She gained citizenship at 18, while living with her boyfriend at the time. They ended the relationship as a matter of convenience; his minor power of being able to poke his fingers one inch through any material ended up being useful in the medical field. Imagine that.

Relationships:
-- Mother -- nat
-- Father -- nat
-- ex-boyfriend, friend -- deuce

Base of operations (bunker, warehouse, their apartment etc): Ex-boyfriend's house, if you can really call it a base. The local library would be more useful.

Why do you want to play this character?: That question is far too difficult to answer beyond "I gave birth to her, and now she deserves time to be alive." Also, for fun.

[Nightraider]

Added some new sections titled "The Meta Science" and the "Power Crutches" if they are of any help to anyone struggling to write or are still fiddling with their CS. Also if anyone is interested in the lore of the world, give it a glance. I know there's a lot of reading in there but...well there's a reason this is in Advanced.

[UrbanEvolution]

@Nightraider

My main concern is the magnitude of which the powers will be judged at. I help manage Verthaven, another superhuman RP. And I've managed them for many years prior. I have a lot of experience with people being... People. I just dont want to make a character that'll be walked all over by everyone else's.

For instance, @The Mad Hatter 's character, while not yet accepted (to my knowledge), has a very powerful ability with no weakness other than smoke. Which wont be an issue in open areas unless of course his power can be used for so long that it can pollute the air. He could theoretically drown the planet in a fireball the size of the sun because he doesn't have any limits to his fire. There's no limit to how hot he can make it burn and he's immune to all the negative side affects that would come from making a fire that hot. The character also runs fevers so hot they burn people. I dont know about you but Im pretty sure I'd die from dehyration really fast if that happened. But that's not an issue covered either.

I'm not trying to call anyone out. I dont have a problem most of the character other than the power. It just sets a bad precedent because it lacks boundaries. Which are not at all Hatter's fault. They're not covered very well in the rules section. If anything I feel that area of the OP should be reviewed again.

I apologize in advance for spelling errors. Typing on my phone.

[Nightraider]

@UrbanEvolution Nice to have you lurking. I do enjoy a good lurker.

@Oak7ree that looks a little better. Try flesh it out a bit, think over what makes him tick, what are his goals, his end game.

Interesting turn out so far, we've a gay and "trans" character. Just remember guys, this is the 1980s so you'll have to play to that time period @The Mad Hatter perhaps you could draw on further parallels with the 80s AIDS Scares that the books alluded to around this time? Or is that your intended goal anyway?

[The Mad Hatter]

@UrbanEvolution
I completely left out the "Weaknesses" section of the CS. Thank you for pointing that out. I'll get right on that (as soon as I have the time, anyway).
Out of curiosity, is there any way that my character's power would become more balanced to you? Do you have any suggestions to weaknesses that would make him acceptable toy you? I am always up for editing to fit the needs of other players; not just the GM.
.:EDIT:.
Oh, and I do plan on adding to the "Weaknesses" section that he does need to both eat and drink a lot (will elaborate more on it in the CS), especially while "running fevers". I just simply forgot about it, I guess.

@Nightraider
I did plan on something of the like, yes. I just felt that his sexuality shouldn't be made too much of a deal for the CS. I can elaborate on it in the History section, if you wish.

I also have a question on the whole "Power Crutches" thing you added to the OP.
Sissy doesn't have one. How much a "crutch" does he need? Does it need to be something physical, like having to cup his hands to form a flame (and then have it "spread" from there) or could it be something more mental, like having to imagine the flames or something along those lines?
Does the "crutch" get greater as the powers do? Like, the more power they have, the more extensive is their "crutch"? If that is the case, would something like cupping his hands to generate flames be too small of a "crutch" for such a massive power?

[Defacto]

@UrbanEvolution unfortunately, there's a lot of powerful characters in Wild Cards, such as Little Fat Boy who, if he loses control of his emotions due to intense pain or fear, can cause an explosion equal to that of an atomic bomb. Also I don't think that balancing power (heavily) is fun, in certain cases. There's a few number of mind control characters in Wild Cards, not to mention Righteous Djinn who can absorb other's powers, etc. Balance must exist but, must be in its own pace.

Also, Croyd got crablike claws once, just like @The Mad Hatter's character, I think.

[UrbanEvolution]

@UrbanEvolution
I completely left out the "Weaknesses" section of the CS. Thank you for pointing that out. I'll get right on that (as soon as I have the time, anyway).
Out of curiosity, is there any way that my character's power would become more balanced to you? Do you have any suggestions to weaknesses that would make him acceptable to you? I am always up for editing to fit the needs of other players; not just the GM.
.:EDIT:.
Oh, and I do plan on adding to the "Weaknesses" section that he does need to both eat and drink a lot (will elaborate more on it in the CS), especially while "running fevers". I just simply forgot about it, I guess.

@The Mad Hatter

Nah man, you're just fine. In terms of weaknesses, you might was to go in depth as to just how hot his body can get. Because past 100C water starts evaporating and that gets really bad, really fast if you're losing that much water. There's also the issue of just how much heat he can stand. If you've ever stood next to a camp fire you know that within about two feet your eyes start to burn and it gets really uncomfortable. If his fire burns really hot, you could state that it starts really messing with his ability to see, and it's really uncomfortable in general to do for more than a few seconds at a time. Heat also makes it hard to breathe. So being in such a close proximity to something so hot could make him start coughing and make him generally unwell. Among other things.

You dont have to add all of these. Hell, you dont have to add ANY of them. Final say isn't mine and probably never will be mine. Whatever [Nightraider] is okay with, run with.

@UrbanEvolution unfortunately, there's a lot of powerful characters in Wild Cards, such as Little Fat Boy who, if he loses control of his emotions due to intense pain or fear, can cause an explosion equal to that of an atomic bomb. Also I don't think that balancing power (heavily) is fun, in certain cases. There's a few number of mind control characters in Wild Cards, not to mention Righteous Djinn who can absorb other's powers, etc. Balance must exist but, must be in its own pace.

@Defacto

You misinterpret my whole issue, and have told me things I already know. Honestly, I think that could've been explained to me via Skype (considering you added me a few days ago) and I would've told you right out that that's not my concern. You have it, use it!

My issue isn't with balance or with the power level of the characters. I want to know what level character I should be running in comparison to everyone else's. I have things from relatively normal people with slight enhancements to a character you have not seen named Matt who is an Omnikinetic (i.e: Can manipulate EVERYTHING, the degree of which is explained, but that doesnt matter right now).

TL;DR: Yes, it must be at it's own pace. But I'm trying to figure out what that pace is, you damn horse enthusiast!

[Nightraider]

@Nightraider
I did plan on something of the like, yes. I just felt that his sexuality shouldn't be made too much of a deal for the CS. I can elaborate on it in the History section, if you wish.

I also have a question on the whole "Power Crutches" thing you added to the OP.
Sissy doesn't have one. How much a "crutch" does he need? Does it need to be something physical, like having to cup his hands to form a flame (and then have it "spread" from there) or could it be something more mental, like having to imagine the flames or something along those lines?
Does the "crutch" get greater as the powers do? Like, the more power they have, the more extensive is their "crutch"? If that is the case, would something like cupping his hands to generate flames be too small of a "crutch" for such a massive power?

@The Mad Hatter

It was merely a suggestion or guess. I'm not telling you how to play your story out (at least, not yet). If you wish to elaborate more, by all means.

As for the "Crutches", it'll depend and differ per character but I'll give you some examples. So a character I introduced in the IC post, Peregrine, has these huge, angelic wings on her back and she can fly. However, she flies using telekinesis, not using the wings. But, because she believes that her wings are the reason she can fly, if they are pinned or tied off or prevented from being used in some way, then she can't actually fly.
Another example would be the Turtle. He has amazingly powerful telekinesis, but that power does not work as powerfully (or at all) when he outside his metallic shell. Another would be Popinjay. He has the power to teleport anyone, anywhere as long as he can mentally visualise it. His "crutch" is that he must be able to point his index fingers at the target, similar to a pistol. If his fingers are bound (or in once case, removed) then he cannot use his power at all. I believe there is another Ace whose (name escapes me) "crutch" is that in order to summon a giant flaming sword, she must say a specific prayer aloud. Now I'm sure if she concentrated, she could in theory, summon it without the prayer. But because she believes that's how it is called to her, then without it, she believes the power is useless, so therefore it is.

In essence, consider the philosophical saying "I think, therefore I am". That applies to anyone with a power. If they think this is how their power works, then that is how it works. As for what the "crutch" can be, that's up to you. It can be something mental or physical. Might I suggest maybe a Zippo lighter or something akin to that? That he must have a certain talisman in order to activate it? And yes, I would consider it appropriate that if you create an exceptionally powerful character, that you would have either a debilitating drawback or they have a power crippling "crutch".

@UrbanEvolution I understand, you don't wanna wade in until you know how deep it is.

At the minute, I'm carefully reviewing each suggestion that everyone has brought to me so far and weighing up what weaknesses or limits to try and get people to impose on each. So far, everyone seems to be following common sense and creating fairly baseline characters that have some wild card affliction that doesn't turn them into Galactus. What I will say it that I won't be accepting any exceptionally strong/powerful characters (i.e. Superman) without 1) a very exploitable weakness/limit or 2) a debilitating "crutch" as explained above.

One of the players from another Int Ch thread PMed me a list of powers they'd like and one really caught my eye. They'd created a character that could heal any affliction, wound or sickness, Wild Card-based or not. Pretty powerful, right? The weakness, and this is what caught me, that the character would then suffer from that injury. So if they fixed a broken arm, their arm would break in place of it. How interesting a story is that?! Imagine having the power to cure anything but knowing that it would afflict you? So terminal diseases and fatal wounds? A big no-no. Imagine the torture that character would go through, watching all the people suffering and dying, having the power to save them and not being able to actually help?

That's what I'm looking for from the powers, not just "how powerful are they?" but "does this power, with this character, make for an interesting story?" Also, as a kind-of aside, I'm using the "Mutants and Masterminds" Core Rulebook to look up powers similar to all these and see if there are any suggestions or tips I can gleam.

TL;DR : Powers are limited to one major change to a character, nothing insanely powerful, anything approaching that kind of ideal will either be rejected outright or heavily modified to incorporate weaknesses, if an agreement can be reached. Mostly, are they an interesting character that fits the world's theme?

[UrbanEvolution]

One of the players from another Int Ch thread PMed me a list of powers they'd like and one really caught my eye. They'd created a character that could heal any affliction, wound or sickness, Wild Card-based or not. Pretty powerful, right? The weakness, and this is what caught me, that the character would then suffer from that injury. So if they fixed a broken arm, their arm would break in place of it. How interesting a story is that?! Imagine having the power to cure anything but knowing that it would afflict you? So terminal diseases and fatal wounds? A big no-no. Imagine the torture that character would go through, watching all the people suffering and dying, having the power to save them and not being able to actually help?

As interesting as that sounds, the ability is fairly useless (because all you will be doing is taking damage for a few people you care about). Yeah, I guess you have the power to help and you have the whole thing going where you cant help and all that, but that's it. Like, yeah, you're about as useful as the average joe at helping and you could seriously hurt yourself if you try and help.

That's... not a lot. It'd be interesting if played right in the first few posts (and I doubt any of us would be able to play it that well. Being honest I would totally skim over it). But it'd lose it's shine really fast because there wouldn't be any difference from issue to issue. The only time where I could see it picking back up again would maybe sacrificing him/herself to save another person which is only temporary because now that 'healing' character is dead.

What I do know is that we can probably come up with some stuff that's better done than that.

[Ermine]

Do I need more of a crutch?
Does the fact that my character pretty much made up a new identity in the new country help the trans thing? Because that's pretty much what happened. Not saying it won't come up at all (by all means, drama drives plot), just that it's not particularly obvious. I'd think being an ace in such a religious country as 80s America would be just as big of a deal. Double the abomination. O_o

[Nightraider]

Sorry for the disappearing act guys, been busy with a new job. I'll be posting any and all acceptances of Characters over today and tomorrow.

@UrbanEvolution I get what you're saying. I guess I'm coming at this from a purely story point of view. If you do think we can do better, then by all means, throw out a suggestion. I'm never one to shy away from criticism

[FantasyChic]

Sorry, I've been busy too, doing a lot of things. I'll post my sheet when I get home from work today.

[Nightraider]

Sorry, I've been busy too, doing a lot of things. I'll post my sheet when I get home from work today.

@FantasyChic

That's OK. I've been hella busy myself with my new job.

[FantasyChic]

Natalia Rorchev

Name: Natalia Rorchev

Gender: Female

Age: 28

Nationality/Country of origin: American, but parents came from Russia.

Ethnicity/Appearance: Caucasian. Due to the Wild Card effect, she has become deformed, her skin has turned red and her hair has become disheveled and almost completely gone, save for some scraps covering her head in small, blonde clumps. She has light green eyes. She has an average frame for a young woman, standing at 5'10'' and 130 lbs. The effect has left marks over her red skin, small blood gashes that, while aren't painful, look like they should be killing her.

Wild Card Status (Ace, Joker etc): Ace-Joker

Power Gain (how did they attain their abilities/deformities?): She had the virus in her from birth, but the deformities and powers manifested when she was inside a bank when it was being robbed. One of the robbers took her hostage and the panic transformed her into her current state. She didn't know she had powers until a while later, until then she just assumed she was disfigured. After this, she assumed the role of Alicia Daniels and took over her life. In her parent's eyes, Natalia died in the robbery.

Abilities/Deformities: Natalia has the power of Bio-Morphing, or turning into any other living being. She has to touch the person in order to be able to get their appearance. Due to the virus, her skin has turned red and gashes have appeared on her skin. She also has lost majority of her hair. She maintains her morph to be able to walk in the world without being stared at.

Alias: Due to her powers, Natalia has taken on the alias of Alicia Daniels, a young, wealthy heiress who lives in a penthouse apartment in New York City. Natalia has taken out Alicia and assumed her identity.

Weaknesses: In her normal state, Natalia is pretty weak all things considered. She doesn't like her normal form and, while in it, it causes her pain, both physically and mentally. Natalia also needs to be able to touch the person to be able to morph into them, and that comes with it's own sets of problems.

Public presence (public, secret id, doesn’t use powers at all yet etc): She goes out in her different forms. Rarely, if ever, in her normal state. She doesn't morph publicly, only a select few people know.

Personality: Natalia is very appearance driven, this was true before her mutation and is even more true after. She likes to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle due to growing up in lower class. She is vain and manipulative, not afraid to get her hands dirty in order to maintain her lifestyle, which has led her to a life of crime.

History: WIP

Relationships (friends, family, other aces/jokers): Natalia has very few friends she trusts. She has one friend who is a Joker named Cole who has mutated and can turn invisible, but has become deformed in his face and the left side of his body. Despite this, the two have become friends and they help each other out, Cole helping Natalia with her "missions" to take out people and support herself, and Natalia for providing Cole with a safe haven he can live in since he was kicked out of his parents home. As her alias Alicia, she has friends in the higher ups of high class that she can't stand, but they don't know her secret and she puts up with the charade to be able to live her life normally.

Base of operations (bunker, warehouse, their apartment etc): Alicia's penthouse apartment in New York City serves as her headquarters. It is a safe haven she can run to and resume her life if she needs to.

Why do you want to play this character?: It would be a new change of pace for me in terms of character and story. I began reading the book recently and I am liking it a lot, it's not a typical superhero story we've all come to know. It takes a new spin on it by making Jokers and Nats into the equation. Not everyone is a supermodel or an Adonis, the powers come with a risk of being deformed or having your life spun out of control. After all, only 1% of the population is an Ace.

I got most of it done finally. I am still working out the history, but you can get a brief form of it in the other answers. I also didn't know if we would all be in the same city, so I made her base in New York City, but I can change it if need be.

[Ermine]

Thought I'd say I'm out. Lost interest (for a few reasons).
Just so you know.

[The Mad Hatter]

My sheet is (finally) finished. I added how hot his body gets, the Zippo lighter being his crutch and that his flames eat oxygen and doesn't mind suffocating him. And his appearance, of course.

Here it is.

[Nightraider]

Hey guys,

So I'll cut to the chase. For personal reasons that I'd rather not get into right now, I'll have to step away from this. It's not something I could have foreseen or planned for and I'm very sorry for wasting your guys time and creativity. I wish that this was something that could be done with in a few days but honestly, it'll be a few weeks before I could probably step back on here and even muster up the enthusiasm to get back into roleplaying.

Once again, I'm very sorry guys. I hope to see some of you in a few months and maybe get this rolling again.

Peace.

Nightraider.

[The Mad Hatter]

@Nightraider
Shit happens, bro. I'm sorry if something bad happened and I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you for letting us know instead of just vanishing, like people tend to do.

I'll be here, waiting for your safe return, so when/if you do decide to start this back up, send me a message.

Sincerely,
The one Mad as a Hatter