Clever Hans

Scion: A modern Odyssey

I am working on my sheet. I should have it up sometime tomorrow.

Scion: A modern Odyssey

This sounds fun.

Should characters be a realistic human age, or can they be hundreds of years old?

How powerful is "too powerful?" Do you mean minor abilities like seeing in the dark or conjuring a breeze, or somewhat-more powerful abilities like lifting a car over your head, or telepathy?

All Together Now (Superhero Team RP)

OK, here we go...

Lupo

Name
Leonardo Fantoccio

Secret Identity
Lupo

Gender
Male

Age
37

Date of Birth
July 17, 1982

Themes
Disillusionment, cynicism, ethics vs. pragmatism, redemption, fear of uncontrollable change, survival in a hostile world

Appearance
Leonardo is a tallish man of Italian decent, with a lean, sinewy, athletic build. He has blue eyes and short dark hair & beard, both with touches of gray. There are definitely wolfish aspects to his appearance: his overall countenance is wolfish: a narrow face with pointed chin, prominent cheekbones, ears somewhat pointed (and rather hairy when he doesn't shave them), and prominent canines. He is rather hirsute, and his feet have tough, claw-like toenails.

Costume
Lupo wears a combat outfit stolen from U.S. Army R&D. It's a Kevlar-reinforced full-body suit with artificial chromatophores that can adjust to be camouflage for anything from night actions to Arctic missions. (When not activated, the suit is a uniform charcoal gray.) It has many pockets for miscellaneous gear. Lupo prefers to go barefoot.

Personality
Leo can come across as tense and world-weary, peppering his conversation with cynical observations. He can be charming in a rugged sort of way, but has flashes of a foul temper and a despondent outlook on life. He is slow to trust anyone, but also wishes to re-establish "normal" relationships with people that he largely left behind as a result of his work. He is strongly protective of those he sees as defenseless.

Backstory
Leo grew up in a small Missouri college town. Both his parents were professors with a strong love of the outdoors that Leo developed as well. Times got tougher for Leo when he was twelve, when his dad suddenly left. He spent much more time wandering the wilderness outside of town, sometimes even camping by himself overnights. Leo and his mom stayed close even through his tough teen years, and the combination of school sports and outdoor activities were important outlets for the frustration and anger he felt towards his father. Leo wanted to attend college, but money was a problem. He joined ROTC as a way of affording school and serving his country.

Leo did very well in the ROTC program, and showed a natural talent for reconnaissance and covert missions. After his term of service expired, he was recruited by the Defense Intelligence Agency, and entered the world of espionage. While initially not as exciting as he'd imagined, Leo trained hard and was eventually made a covert field agent. He felt he was doing what was best for the U.S., and that the work he did was rough, but ultimately honorable. He earned a reputation for being tough and smart, and was especially prized for his ability to thrive indefinitely in wilderness areas

This feeling began to change after a mission in Venezuela that involved capturing Miguel Villahermosa, a leader of a terrorist faction that the U.S. wanted for interrogation. Both the faction and the Venezuelan secret police both preferred that Villahermosa be dead than interrogated, and he and Leo had to hide out in the jungle for several days. During this time, Villahermosa told stories about interactions between his organization and various U.S. covert agencies. Sometimes they received aid in the form of money and weapons. Sometimes, they were sued to launder illegally funds. Sometimes they were hunted to near-extermination. It all depended on the particular agency and the politics of the moment – or worse, the caprices of operations leaders.

While Leo told Villahermosa that his stories were lies, ultimately, he released him, only to see him killed by his own men shortly afterwards. After that, Leo started keeping his ear to the ground more, and began hearing rumors of illegal activity sponsored but the DIA. Leo wanted to collect evidence that there was corruption in the agency, but before he could amass anything of value, the course of his life swerved drastically.

Leo fell victim to an IED in Estonia. Weak but whole, he awakened in a hospital where he discovered that he had been in a coma for several months. To his horror, his body had begun changing while he had been comatose. He was kept in isolation while anonymous military doctors attempted to figure out what was happening to him. Tests showed a whole range of physical improvements: speed, strength, reflexes, senses, immune system. His capacity for physical exertion was nearly limitless.

In spite of these amazing improvements, Leo felt revulsed by the changes in his body. He was much more hirsute than he had been; his feet were tough, clawed deformities; his ears were kind of pointed and furry; and his teeth… Leo felt as if he were slowly turning into an animal, and the doctors had no idea if his transformation was a one-time thing, or a slow, ongoing process.

After more months of tests, Leo was pronounced fit for duty, and assigned to a new section. His handler, Lt. Colonel Glenford Banks, had a reputation for ruthlessness that bordered on depravity. He and Leo disliked one another on sight. Banks assigned Leo progressively more brutally difficult missions, some of which seemed to be suicidally hopeless. Leo always prevailed due to his new abilities, which seemed only to further aggravate Banks. His only ally was a former Army tech, Lydia Jupiter, who Leo had once saved from certain death. She now worked for a firm that developed advanced combat tools for the military, and she had enough pull that Leo was often assigned advanced equipment to field test.

Leo's final mission was in The Ukraine, where he was assigned to lead an assault on a terrorist cell that was planning an attack on an international economic summit in Kiev. The group's hideout was hidden in a forested area, disguised as a church. It was only after the attack was underway that Leo realized that the intel had been wrong: it really was a church, and Leo, unable to stop the men on his team, had to resort to attacking them to stop the massacre.

The attack and its aftermath ruined Leo's career, especially as Banks made him the scapegoat for the disaster. Leo has since gleaned tidbits that Banks sent him to the church intentionally, but he does not have any proof.

After a thorough debriefing, Leo resigned from the DIA, under the condition that he report regularly back to the agency's hospital for tests regarding his condition. Leo returned home, to contemplate the next stage of his life. Unfortunately, he wasn't given much time.

The first assassination attempt came less than a month after he returned to Missouri. Returning from a camping trip, Leo's car was run off the road. Although dazed, Leo was able to exit the car after it hit a tree, and was ready for the operatives who approached to ensure his death. The second attempt nearly killed both him and his mother, and only his keen sense of smell enabled him to detect the presence of explosives seconds before the bomb went off in their car.

Leo knew he needed to leave home and lay low for a while, to try to get a handle on who was trying to kill him. By this time, he had gotten sick of the abuses of power he had experienced and decided he needed to do something about it. Using gear "borrowed" from Lydia Jupiter's R&R shop, he began wandering the country, fighting crime, interfering with illicit government operations, and occasionally doing favors for other current or former operatives. As a nod to his Italian heritage, he took the name Lupo (Italian for "wolf").

As much as he enjoys a life of solitude, he also craves companionship, along with a chance to redeem himself from his clandestine service, much of which he now looks upon as having been villainous. There are many questions he wishes answers for: how did he get his abilities? Will he continue to transform physically? Who exactly is after him, and why?

Superpowers

Endurance – Lupo's greatest power his ability to sustain physical exertion. While he is not truly tireless, his stamina is many orders of magnitude higher than that of a trained soldier. He can run at full speed for over an hour, and jog for many hours at a time. He has done thousands of push-ups at a time. He is also extremely resistant to pain and is difficult to knock unconscious. Lupo still needs sleep, but he can stay awake for more than three days before suffering any adverse effects.

Strength – He is strong enough to tip over a bus, but not strong enough to lift one over his head.

Speed and reflexes – Lupo can run about 30 MPH, and his reflexes are very quick. He is also extremely stealthy.

Enhanced senses – Lupo's hearing and eyesight are extremely keen, and his sense of smell approaches that of a canine's. He has good night vision, but cannot see in absolute darkness.

Health – While not a regenerator, Lupo heals more quickly than the typical person. He is extremely resistant (though not immune) to invading micro-organisms (he has resorted to eating carrion in the wild without ill effect). He is resistant to extreme weather conditions.

Chromo-suit – Lupo's combat suit, as described above.

Talents and Interests

Outdoorsmanship – Leo was a skilled outdoorsman prior to his transformation, and he is quite capable of living without supplies or gear in a wilderness environment for an extended period of time (given such basics as access to water and some sort of available food, of course).

Soldier skills – Leo is a trained soldier, and is capable of identifying and using a variety of military items and weapons. He is familiar with military tactics and procedures.

Espionage skills – Leo is a trained covert operative, and is familiar with principles and stratagems of the trade, along with equipment, geopolitical systems, and a working knowledge of "who's who" in the espionage world.

All Together Now (Superhero Team RP)

Definitely has my interest.

Will you be using a system, or is this freeform?

West World RP

@Assallya

One quick answer (regarding weapons) is "It works the same way as in ShogunWorld." Swords, arrows, spears... however that technology works for ShogunWorld.

In greater detail:

1. The waivers guests have to sign are many pages long, and include things like "if you trip and impale yourself, we're not liable." This would only apply to the more violent parts of the park, of course, as the family-oriented adventures are extremely and noticeably nerfed (and "cheaper").

2. I'm thinking that the weapons in this park have sensors and/or magnetic shielding that causes them to veer away from a human, or lose enough momentum to stop short of violating the integrity of a guest's body. Each guest has something in his/her outfit that provides the "I'm a human" signal. In addition, the androids' programming prevents them from delivering injurious blows, both by adjusting their overall combat responses to that of the human they're fighting, and by "pulling a punch" when they sense that they would take out a human.

3. Magic is a bit more problematic, but it works like this: wizards are given wands or staffs, and priests holy symbols. These items are programmed to provide holographic displays corresponding to "spells" they're given a list of beforehand. It's all essentially laser tag, but with very convincing-looking effects. Android magic-users? Well, they'd be rare, anyway, but instead of throwing fireballs, they'd be raising undead, or causing environmental effects (darkness, or localized earth tremors, things like that). Some might have spells that would seem to damage the party's horses, or take out android NPCs.

West World RP

Bump. Wow, is absolutely no one interested in RPing in a Westworld-inspired game?

West World RP

Only an interest check at this point. This is a budding idea with a few salient points in my head so far that would require some significant time to develop into a playable game. But with a two-year wait for season 3, I thought maybe there are others jonesin' for some WW goodness who might want to do some RP in the meantime. 😊

The rough idea so far: A separate company has developed (stolen?) technology similar to that of Westworld and opened their own theme park. Their notion is to run a D&D-style park where guests can take on various stereotypical D&D roles and go adventuring, alone or in groups.

Like Westworld, the park is designed for the super-wealthy. There are safer areas for families and beginners, and rougher (and potentially depraved) areas for those who want that sort of thing.

Players would take on the roles of mid-level employees dealing with problems in the park. I'm thinking there would be some room for sandboxing, but there would be large-scale plotlines progressing. One such ongoing plot might be that the company has recently introduced "non-human" hosts (typical D&D-style humanoids), and complications might arise from their programming.

I would likely use a minimalist system for resolution, possibly Freeform Universal with a few modifications.

This would likely be "high casual," so longer posts would be welcome but not required.

I'd rate it as PG-13. Doubtless there will be unpleasantness, but the really grisly/adult stuff would need to be suggestively faded to black before becoming too graphic.

So. Interested?

Court of Mythic Creatures

@Raging Fenrir Done.

Court of Mythic Creatures

Darthem Doriat

Name: Darthem Doriat (Grandohmus)

Title: Marquess of Northcliff

Species: Manticore

Age: 44

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Human: Doriat appears as a taciturn young man in his 20's. He is tall with a wiry build. His hair is black and receding somewhat, cut short with a widow's peak. His face is narrow and chiseled, with a prominent nose and high cheek bones. His eyes are black difficult to read.

Mythic: A Spell for Chameleon-style manticore, with the body of a large lion, a human/lion hybrid head, bat wings, and a scorpion's tail. His fur is golden with a reddish tinge, as is his mane. The tail is red, and the wings are black.

Outfit: Like most of his race, Doriat does not go in for bright colors or flashy accoutrement. His knee-length formal coat is of black velvet, with some silver piping of simple geometric designs along the seams, pockets, and cuffs. It has a medium-high collar, no lapels, and fairly tight sleeves. The brocade waistcoat peeking out from beneath is of muted green and silver. The lace of his shirt is simple and not excessive. The knee-length pants match the coat. Simple silver stockings and black shoes complete the outfit.

Jewelry/Accessories: Doriat carries a gentleman's walking stick [this would be a sword cane unless such things are banned from court] topped with a massive knob of polished but uncut emerald. His only adornment is a jet signet ring.

Mythic Abilities:

Flight – From a physics perspective, Grandohmus' wings are not large enough to lift him off the ground; thus, magic is what propels him, while the wings do the job of course correction. While in flight, Grandohmus can outrace a fast horse.
Poison – Grandohmus' tail can deliver two kinds of toxin: one can paralyze a human for 8-12 hours, while the other is a deadly poison that can kill a human in under five minutes.
Generate winds – By flapping his wings, Grandohmus can magically produce hurricane-level winds.
Powerful jaw – Manticores have large mouths with teeth whorls similar to that of a shark. Their jaws can easily crunch bone and wood, and even deform low-quality metal.
Enhanced senses – Manticores have an acute sense of smell and hearing, and they can see well in the dark. They also have a general sense of magicalness around them, though it is non-specific and directional only in proportion to the power of the magic.

Human Magic:

Flight - While not able to fly in human form, Doriat can enhance his movements, making him very agile and fleet of foot.
Poison - This ability has no human analogue.
Generate winds – Doriat can conjure light breezes ("He seems never to sweat") and quick puffs of wind that can blow out candles or lanterns.
Powerful jaw – Doriat has strong jaws and teeth, for a human. He can take a punch better than a prizefighter.
Animal senses – Similar to his mythic form, but to a lesser degree.

Backstory: Grandohmus comes from a long line of manticores charged with defending a part of the northern border from barbarian invaders. Much of the time, they prefer to keep to themselves, guard the northern marches, and avoid the sometimes-unwanted attention of their erratic emperor. Grandohmus is very much his father's son, and shares their general disdain for emotional outbursts, frippery, and attention-seeking. The primary instruction he was given was to not incur the wrath of the emperor – in other words, don’t go overboard in trying to win, and concentrate more on trying not to lose. Grandohmus has a bit of a competitive streak, though, and it remains to be seen how he approaches the games…

Entourage: In keeping with his race's austere lifestyle, Grandohmus brought just one servant: Eton, his personal aide-de-camp and valet. In human form, Eton appears as a man in his late 60's, with silver hair and wizened features. In his mythic form, his abilities and appearance are similar to his master's.

Court of Mythic Creatures

Or, I write it up over lunch and submit today. :D

Name: Darthem Doriat (Grandohmus)

Title: Marquess of Northcliff

Species: Manticore

Age: 44

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Human: Doriat appears as a taciturn young man in his 20's. He is tall with a wiry build. His hair is black and receding somewhat, cut short with a widow's peak. His face is narrow and chiseled, with a prominent nose and high cheek bones. His eyes are black difficult to read.

Mythic: A Spell for Chameleon-style manticore, with the body of a large lion, a human/lion hybrid head, bat wings, and a scorpion's tail. His fur is golden with a reddish tinge, as is his mane. The tail is red, and the wings are black.

Outfit: Like most of his race, Doriat does not go in for bright colors or flashy accoutrement. His knee-length formal coat is of black velvet, with some silver piping of simple geometric designs along the seams, pockets, and cuffs. It has a medium-high collar, no lapels, and fairly tight sleeves. The brocade waistcoat peeking out from beneath is of muted green and silver. The lace of his shirt is simple and not excessive. The knee-length pants match the coat. Simple silver stockings and black shoes complete the outfit.

Jewelry/Accessories: Doriat carries a gentleman's walking stick [this would be a sword cane unless such things are banned from court] topped with a massive knob of polished but uncut emerald. His only adornment is a jet signet ring.

Mythic Abilities:

• Flight – From a physics perspective, Grandohmus' wings are not large enough to lift him off the ground; thus, magic is what propels him, while the wings do the job of course correction. While in flight, Grandohmus can outrace a fast horse.
• Poison – Grandohmus' tail can deliver two kinds of toxin: one can paralyze a human for 8-12 hours, while the other is a deadly poison that can kill a human in under five minutes.
• Generate winds – By flapping his wings, Grandohmus can magically produce hurricane-level winds.
• Powerful jaw – Manticores have large mouths with teeth whorls similar to that of a shark. Their jaws can easily crunch bone and wood, and even deform low-quality metal.
• Enhanced senses – Manticores have an acute sense of smell and hearing, and they can see well in the dark. They also have a general sense of magicalness around them, though it is non-specific and directional only in proportion to the power of the magic.

Human Magic:

• Flight - While not able to fly in human form, Doriat can enhance his movements, making him very agile and fleet of foot.
• Poison - This ability has no human analogue.
• Generate winds – Doriat can conjure light breezes ("He seems never to sweat") and quick puffs of wind that can blow out candles or lanterns.
• Powerful jaw – Doriat has strong jaws and teeth, for a human. He can take a punch better than a prizefighter.
• Animal senses – Similar to his mythic form, but to a lesser degree.

Backstory: Grandohmus comes from a long line of manticores charged with defending a part of the northern border from barbarian invaders. Much of the time, they prefer to keep to themselves, guard the northern marches, and avoid the sometimes-unwanted attention of their erratic emperor. Grandohmus is very much his father's son, and shares their general disdain for emotional outbursts, frippery, and attention-seeking. The primary instruction he was given was to not incur the wrath of the emperor – in other words, don’t go overboard in trying to win, and concentrate more on trying not to lose. Grandohmus has a bit of a competitive streak, though, and it remains to be seen how he approaches the games…

Entourage: In keeping with his race's austere lifestyle, Grandohmus brought just one servant: Eton, his personal aide-de-camp and valet. In human form, Eton appears as a man in his late 60's, with silver hair and wizened features. In his mythic form, his abilities and appearance are similar to his master's.