Looking for GM

[techmaster-glitch]

   While I was on the chat, I got talking about a character concept I had. One thing led to another, and now there is a group of players all mutually interested in a particular kind of RP, and here's what it is; A superheroes/superpowered individuals RP, but with a bit of a twist; it's more of a "low-powers" kind of RP, in that every superpower must have one of the following--

  =The power must have some large or obvious drawback, such as a character who can initiate telepathic contact, but anything they can do to the one person's mind, they can do back.
  =The power exists by itself, and doesn't have any Required Secondary Powers supporting it, such as someone who can fly, but doesn't have resistance to air pressure/altitude changes, and can't go too fast without air friction burning them up.
  =The power is played realistically, such as a character who is invisible by bending light around them, but blind themselves while doing so.

  --but probably not more than one. We're not looking for useless powers that have no positive benefit when used, just powers that are more difficult to use and require more thought than your average supers setting.

  After a long session of brainstorming (which is still ongoing), there are enough players interested in this to get a game going; Myself, Toric, OminousShadow, Drathorin, and maybe even Janus Whitefurr. Problem is, since I want to actually use the character concept I came up with, we are rather GM-less right now.
  So, this is a Call for Interest and Concept Discussion thread (but NOT an OOC thread). We are primarily looking for a GM willing to take up running a game like this, though there is plenty of room for other players. However, one note is that since I was the one to initiate the ideas, I might be on as a sort of Co-GM or advisor, to help with building the setting and judging of balance. It is plot, story, and actually running the game that I cannot/will not do. Once someone steps forth to be a GM, we can work together to get the real game set up.
  Concepts for powers can be discussed here as well, go ahead and toss anything out there (you don't have to use it) and as much as you want, though this is not a place for actually posting character sheets.

  I suppose I'll also open up with my power concept (I've got dibs on the electricity powers ). My concept is a character that is a "realistic" manipulator of electricity, in that the character can't actually manipulate electricity directly, he can only manipulate electrons (as electricity is oly the physical manifestation of electrons in motion), and only in two specific ways; the character can absorb electrons from objects and his surrounding environment (from a distance, though the effect dimishes the further away something is), and he can shoose when to release them from his body (and also where from his body). Net effect is a character who is basically a walking static generator, and though he can accumulate enough electricity to release a sizable lightning bolt (really just a big static electric discharge), the only way he can control where it goes is if he focuses on a target first and strips them of all their electrons, making them hopefully the most electrically attractive object in the vicinity. He also doesn't have immunity from his own power; if he were to release a full lightning bolt from his hand, it burns and damages his hand as bad as his target. For this reason, he always carries around a metal rod to conduct his bolts through. Bottom line, no magic "lightning can do anything" for this guy!
  And no, stepping in water has no effect on him

  The other players I mentioned earlier might post their concepts and ideas soon as well. Let the ideas flow!


EDIT: one last note to anyone interested in joining; here is a link to the chat where the abovementioned players sometimes hang out, and where we did out inital brainstorming. However, this is not "our" chat per se, as it is used by other people most of the time. We also aren't always there, so stop by if you like, and see if one of us are in. If not, try some other time.

[Ashen Star]

So questions...

Do you want this set in Furrae... furry earth... or human earth?

Second.  Do you strip off unaffiliated electrons (the kind responsible for static electricity and lightning), valence electrons (the kind responsible for electricity in powerlines and chemical bonds), or bound electrons (the kinds filling up full electron shells)?  The difference between them is the difference between making lightning and shocks, making people spontaneously explode or turning their blood into acid and giving them cancer.  If you stripped a person of all their electrons you'd kill them instantly.  Just making sure because some times simple descriptions can lead to not so simple messes.

Thirdly, are you looking for black-white superheroeing?  Gray gray morality superheroes?  Black black?  What's the flavor you guys want in your game?

Props for using TV tropes, btw... love that site.

[Magic]

Hi! I'll be an observer and will serve as counsel to the GM. I'll help answer questions.

1) Last I heard from tech; modern human earth. Furry only if your power comes with it. I'd avoid it, IMO, but there's no stopping you.

2) Pass. Not the point, anyway.

3) We're a bit undecided. We're hoping the GM can also think of a setting.

In before anything else--

The most important thing is:

Your power must have some large or obvious drawback

Course we'll probably have to work with powers that don't absolutely cripple you.

Bad example: "Nonexistent Man! With the power of having absolutely no one recognize his existence! Able to sabotage any operation but never take credit or be blamed for anything." -- would be plausible in theory but that would entirely suck from an OOC point of view as you'll essentially only just play with yourself and the GM. It would get boring after a while.

Try to think of drawbacks that won't easily be exploited, either. The spirit of the roleplay dictates that your power should have a drawback that you can't easily cover for.

Bad example: "Silent Man! Able to ruin enemy communication and verbal components to villainous spellcasters but is silenced himself!" If your one drawback is the inability to speak but you have a voice synthesizer (like Stephen Hawking) anyway, that kind of defeats the exercise.

The key is moderation. The GM, myself and the rest of the players help work out your power, if need be.

That is if we can find a GM. Don't look at me, I have an erratic schedule.

[techmaster-glitch]

Do you want this set in Furrae... furry earth... or human earth?

As Magic says, modern human earth. I suppose furries could be worked into the setting if there was a serious demand for it, but for now, it's normal humans.

Second.  Do you strip off unaffiliated electrons (the kind responsible for static electricity and lightning), valence electrons (the kind responsible for electricity in powerlines and chemical bonds), or bound electrons (the kinds filling up full electron shells)?  The difference between them is the difference between making lightning and shocks, making people spontaneously explode or turning their blood into acid and giving them cancer.  If you stripped a person of all their electrons you'd kill them instantly.

Aha, so there is a difference. Yes, the power can only manipulate these "unaffiliated" electrons, the ones responsible for static electricity. I was also wondering how I was going to explain him not being able to simply draw from current electricity, I guess this is good enough.

Thirdly, are you looking for black-white superheroeing?  Gray gray morality superheroes?  Black black?  What's the flavor you guys want in your game?

Again, as Magic says, this hasn't been decided yet, and is kind of the reason we're looking for a GM. No real setting or story has been developed, it's only the concept of not having easy superhero powers that we're all onboard for.

[Ashen Star]

Well...

One idea would be a resistance.  If your powers are illegal, feared, or both then the group could be drawn together for survival, support, and security. This is the prototypical 1980's X-book set up: the heroes are secret and while they do good deeds its often either at odds with their own safety or unrequited.

Second idea is that of men in black.  You get your powers and you work for someone to protect someone or something.  Maybe aliens.  Maybe monsters.  Maybe terrorists or other governments.  Whatever.  Idealists would be at odds with the gritty reality of doing what needs to be done.

Third idea is that of super heroes.  The bunch of you hang out together and fight crime because the cops are complacent, incompetent, or corrupt.  This is more DC comics faire. 

Any of those strike a chord?

[techmaster-glitch]

Those are all good ideas, and believe it or not, I've already toyed with a few of them, but we need a real GM for that.

We are not setting-building right now. We are only looking for a GM, and other players to discuss powers and power concepts with.

[OminousShadow]

Hey. Just posting my concept for a character, one that I will be using.

A Hero that can create barrier for either protection or say trapping villains. The drawback to the power is the barrier has a feedback problem that causes any damage done to it to be felt by him. There would be no physical trauma but the pain would still be felt. Like say someone tries shooting the barrier, the bullets won't dent it but the hero would still feel like he was shot.

[Ashen Star]

::shrug::  I can do it.  My own attempt hasn't netted any players for a variety of reasons.  I have the time and I'm well bored enough to fill it.  I like the genre, and I'd like to think I'm creative enough to fill the time with something interesting.  So its better for me cause it's better than doing nothing.  Better for you too as I'm an unknown agent.

Of course if you'd rather wait and see if someone more established ponies up to the plate then that's good too.

As for the barrier power, seen it often enough so the particulars will be how it works and what's the drawback.  I like the idea of him paying for it with his own life, perhaps on a 1/10 scale... IE, one bullet won't cause his brain to explode but ten times that will.

While I really like a stat system in place, I can work freeform as well.  I'm flexible.

[techmaster-glitch]

::shrug::  I can do it.  My own attempt hasn't netted any players for a variety of reasons.  I have the time and I'm well bored enough to fill it.  I like the genre, and I'd like to think I'm creative enough to fill the time with something interesting.  So its better for me cause it's better than doing nothing.  Better for you too as I'm an unknown agent.

Of course if you'd rather wait and see if someone more established ponies up to the plate then that's good too.

If the other players agree, then yeah, I suppose you could be our GM. The fact that you thought of similar ideas I did I think counts in your favor All of them would have to voice their yays or nays, first.

As for the barrier power, seen it often enough so the particulars will be how it works and what's the drawback.  I like the idea of him paying for it with his own life, perhaps on a 1/10 scale... IE, one bullet won't cause his brain to explode but ten times that will.

Actually, I think the way he has it set up right now is pretty good...so long as he plays up the pain part well enough. We'll see about it.

While I really like a stat system in place, I can work freeform as well.  I'm flexible.

Yeah, no stat systems, please. Especially with the kind of twisted superpowers we're going for, it wouldn't fit at all. I'm also certain no one here would agree to anything like that anyway (while I could be wrong, I really doubt that I am in this case.)

[OminousShadow]

I'm ok with Ashen being GM

[Ashen Star]

KK so Glitch and Shadow... who are the other 4 people?

[Magic]

Ashen, it might be a good idea to toss tech a PM instead. The main chat is just generally for comic/general discussion. tech probably just told you to go there so you can catch him or any of the potential players. (When actually most people on the main chat can be away or dead for hours at a time.)

[Keleth]

I still haven't nailed down any character power yet. Too many ideas, too many. . . bad ideas xp

Edit: Oops, forgot to say I'm fine with you being a GM Ashen. I'm willing to give everyone a shot at it.

[techmaster-glitch]

On Mowser's reccomendation, I elaborated a bit on the chat link, and also moved it up to the first post.

[Toric]

WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE!?

I'm in on this. My character concept: Mr. Clear. Power: Invisibility field around himself and his clothing, activated and deactivated at will. Drawback: While invisible, no light reaches his eyes. As a result, he is completely blind when his power is in use. Superhero costume: brown suede suit and bowler derby, with opaque glasses and wooden cane.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm fine with Ashen Star GMing this. Good luck and godspeed to you, sir.

[Janus Whitefurr]

No one expects the Janusian Inquistion! So hey, I'm in on this stuff. After lots of brainstorming and some chatting with Toric just now, I think I've ironed out just what sort of character I'd run in this sort of game. This is of course, a summoner-type, who can conjure up creatures, people and objects seemingly at will, however...

a) Energy expenditure is relevant to the size of the object: a hamburger is no problem, a person/wild animal is tiring, a house is possible but would cause him to pass out.

b) The objects actually have to exist. No conjuring them from subspace. This means that, say, conjuring a friend in the middle of the night might bring you a naked person interrupted in the middle of nookie. Or a lion from the zoo that 's in the middle of a nap,  and may see you as dinner.

c) Summoning is limited to line of sight appearance. He could summon something in front of himself, or several feet up in the air, but not inside something he couldn't see. Based on this point, he couldn't say, summon someone's heart or internal organs, nor could he summon things inside of people.

The primary problems with the power would be the energy expenditure and primarily the fact the objects have to exist. Since most summoners get to pull magical creatures and things out of the hat, having him limited to what really IS... seems flawed enough to me, coupled with requiring significant energy to expend. If you can think of a more reasonable flaw for it? Fire away!

[techmaster-glitch]

Alright, looks like Ashen's vanished. Not sure if they'll return, but for now, I suppose the GM position is once again open, just in case.

So, anyone else out there want to be the GM of this thing?

[WhiteFox]

I can GM a game like this.

I've run more then a few tabletop games using V:tM and W:tA, (so I'm used to working with modern settings with supernatural elements) and GURPS, (which is based on fully balanced and realized mechanics).

I put together a little write up for a setting; see what you think.


This is not a world of super people doing incredible things. This is a world where normal people, with normal jobs, do incredible things to make life super.

Approximately one in twenty people on earth have some sort of power, usually simple or minor tricks. About one in a hundred of those have more robust abilities. Powers are common enough that people don't panic at the sight of them, but rare enough that having a power makes you special. The science behind them is fairly well understood, just as neurobiology or nuclear physics is. The average person on the street would have an understanding of super powers about par with their understanding of a nuclear power plant; they have a general idea how they work, and may see them on occasion, but a complete understanding of the principals behind them is left to people with university doctorates. If they really wanted, they could look it up on Wikipedia.

The world as we know it is much the same, in terms of government, economics, and technology. Science advances based on the work of a large community of people. Empowered people have made many discoveries and breakthroughs, but just as many have been made by normal people using perfectly natural human intellect.

If empowered people are breaking the law, SWAT rolls out and deals with it. Chances are, they have empowered people of their own. Since powers are fairly unique  and uncommon, a criminal using their powers to break the law are leaving evidence as good as fingerprints and hair follicles. You aren't required to register a power, but if you have an arrest record it will end up in the system right along with your fingerprints. Even without records, it's not hard for a detective to beat the streets looking for a guy who shoots purple lasers from his fingertips. There is a federal agency that deals specifically with empowered matters, ranking alongside the FBI and ATF. (They are not MIB's. I find agencies like those only restrict players)

There is no specific medical field for powers. If you have a power that affects your skin, you see an epidermist. If you have fangs, you might see your dentist quite often.

This is a world of everyday heroes. They don't wear spandex, capes, and underwear on the outside. They don't fly around on evenings and weekends. They are people who use their powers to the best of their ability to do their job well. A beat cop with a perfect sense of smell, who can pick up the faintest trace of crack or cordite. A university professor who can do multiple tasks simultaneously, researching, marking tests, and tutoring at the same time. An artist who can shape pure metals as though they were clay. Maybe they have an eccentric mode of dress, or wear a uniform. Sometimes they're well known in the community, sometimes they're media darlings. Whether they go by a moniker among friends, a flamboyant title hyped by the media, or the name given to them at birth, their names are well known.

In the end, powers alone do not make someone a hero. It's how those powers are used, and whatever duty or responsibility you take on, it's your dedication and aptitude, your drive to make a difference, that makes you a hero.



I will need to know the following things about the characters if I will be running the game:
1) Your name, your power, and a description. Badass-normals, people with amazing skills rather then powers, are acceptable. Costumes and pseudonyms are optional, though if you do not have a pseudonym at the beginning of the RP you may end up getting one. It may not be flattering.
2) How well known you are, and by who. You might be the head of the neiborhood watch, the go-to guy at the office, or the best detective in the city, or unknown entirely.
3) Your day job. Unlike most hero settings, neither your heroic persona nor your mild mannered identity is an alter ego. There are no alter-egos. If you have a super power, and you're a reporter, your power makes you a super-reporter. If you are not a famous hero, your power may simply make your job easier; if you work at a burger joint, and can speak and hear radio waves, you get stuck on drive-through a lot.

Secret identities are optional, and most heroes will not need them. You'll have to worry about a super-villain breaking down your door and kidnapping your girlfriend as often as you will have to worry about burglers stealing your car stereo. If one is necessary, they come in two varieties; hard, and soft. Hard identities give you alternate ID's for everything; birth certificates, drivers licences, the whole deal. Unless you work for a government agency, your ID's are fake, and highly illegal. A soft identity is a name you have used enough that you are known by it. It is legal to use an alias for bank accounts, apartment leases, talking to reporters, and among social circles. However, a proper background check by a bank, employer, or private detective will identify you.

Your power is only half the picture; how you use that power is the other half. A given power could be used in any number of different ways, and you will be known for what you use your power for, not the power itself. Even minor talents, applied in the right way can have amazing results. Even humble jobs, like secretarial work or taxi driving, can make peoples lives better.

[Janus Whitefurr]

Hmm. That's an interesting take on the setting, I have to say. It adds an extra layer to the initial concept of having powers that are restricted in some mild fashion (which still remains the original intent I would hope, as it was a draw for a lot of the creative talking about it).  The fact superpowers are well known and it's not all heroes and spandex is nice - but at the same time it gives room for people to be unknowns who haven't really shown off their power that much.

I'll have to ponder the day job, names and identities and suchforth, but I think I can work with that.

[WhiteFox]

The fact superpowers are well known and it's not all heroes and spandex is nice - but at the same time it gives room for people to be unknowns who haven't really shown off their power that much.

The idea of a super hero being a social outcast is a great theme, but it can get awfully restrictive. If a player has to be paranoid about being discovered, they aren't really free to do, like, superhero stuff. Having to  be super-famous is also restrictive. Maybe someone wants to be an average joe doing good deeds.

You don't have to pick a job, but it would make things more interesting. It also makes being a super-hero part of your daily life, so you don't have to worry so much about juggling your social, professional, and heroic commitments.

Besides, it adds variety. Clark Kent is a reporter, Superman is a crime fighter. Mat Murdock is a layer, Daredevil is a crime fighter. Stark is a businessman, Iron Man is a crime fighter. Maybe they fight different sorts of crimes, but they're still crime fighters. What about super-taxi drivers ("Help! My wife is having a baby!")? A construction worker super team, building eco-friendly tidal power generators? A super-politician, fighting for the rights of the little man and upholding the standards of respectable government?

If things go awry, and you to have to stomp some heads to get the job done right, well... that's all part of the job, isn't it?

[Keleth]

I'm still working on what actual powers he'd have. . .  But I have the idea for a character.


HERE IS ROUGH POINT FORM! Until I finalize everything, then I can write backstory and tings.

- Frank Thomasson is a mechanic who grew up in the countrysides of New Hampshire.
- Couldn't finish grade 12 due to being suspended, So he's a "kill all suns ova bitches. Dems my ficial instructions' kinda guy
- Works at a automotive/bodyshop.
- Outgoing

I'm thinking his powers have something to do with mechanics, maybe almost like a 'spark' from girl genius? Thinking he can pull almost 'mad science' like things with what he could build but with high chances of explosions/failure. Only problem that kinda power is kind've retarded to roleplay with, i liked the idea though.

I was thinking of something like that, or perhaps some sort of powers involving bending metals to his whim, making him valuable in the car body shop.

I really don't know, I'm really indecisive


Also, I really like whitefox's setting idea. It sounds nifty keen.

[WhiteFox]

I'm thinking his powers have something to do with mechanics, maybe almost like a 'spark' from girl genius? Thinking he can pull almost 'mad science' like things with what he could build but with high chances of explosions/failure. Only problem that kinda power is kind've retarded to roleplay with, i liked the idea though.

I was thinking of something like that, or perhaps some sort of powers involving bending metals to his whim, making him valuable in the car body shop.

I really don't know, I'm really indecisive


Also, I really like whitefox's setting idea. It sounds nifty keen.

Your character sounds nifty keen. Super-skills are probably one of the most viable powers a person could have, actually.

[Janus Whitefurr]

Rough ideas typing go! Rip me to pieces! 8D

Name: Sebastian Wilkins (He hates being called "Sebbie" but his friends do it anyway.)

Power: Object Summoning. Restricted to items he has seen/touched before, or been shown high-resolution images of. The object cannot be larger than a car, and cannot be a living thing. The summoning itself is restricted to anywhere within line-of-sight (he cannot summon into places he cannot see, and would be effectively powerless if blindfolded) and things that actually exist, so there's no pulling magical things out of a hat. (If something he wants to summon has been destroyed for example, he could no longer summon it, for obvious reasons).

The effective range of the power is safely limited to the size of an average city - going outside this range require extra output, and if the required energy would kill him, the summon fails. Likewise, a summoning will fail if the object in question is tightly bound to another object that cannot be summoned as well. Summoning an object is a committed act and should he willingly abort he will suffer a backlash (energy loss and spatial disorientation) - if he is interrupted, the object is displaced to the general area near its point of origin, with a chance of a catastrophic backlash instead.

Description: A laid back and easy-going character, Sebastian doesn't react well to panic and stress, because it has an effect on his ability to focus his powers. Has dark green eyes and long brown hair, commonly tied back in a ponytail. Physically, he could be called a pretty normal individual, as he is neither particularly tall (standing a shade under the six foot mark) nor particularly large (his physique description at best is 'healthy but average).  When on the job he wears a longcoat to affect the image of a classic detective, and rose-tinted glasses to affect an air of mystery, but he knows it probably just makes him look a little silly.

Morally, Sebastian is a straightforward and fairly honest fellow. He's not a puritan and is more than capable of lying to get out of trouble if he thinks the truth is more dangerous. But he's no criminal, and certainly not a supervillain, and is probably best describable as a laid-back rogue who deep down has his heart in the right place.

Public/Social Ranking: Relatively well known in the community in which he lives. Beyond his home city he would probably be an unknown, but is popular with local friends and law enforcement as per his day job. He'd be on public record and known enough that if someone in the area asked about the local supers, his name would probably come up.

Day Job: Self-employed as a 'lost and found' service, running out of a small office on the main street sort of deal ("Professional Item Finder extraordinaire!" *cough*). People come to him with high-res images of things they've lost, and he brings them back. Because of the nature of this power, his office is a very obvious and exposed location, to lessen the chance of criminal types trying to get him to say, smuggle drugs for them.

[Keleth]

Name: Frank Schultz

Power: The ability Frank possesses is the power of  Intense concentration. Helping him quickly learn his passion of mechanics and engineering. He can diagnose an engine by listening to it, notice metal fatigue by looking at it. He can work with almost any mechanical device. This concentration allows him to move and work more quickly than normally possible, to the point of moving faster, stronger, better than the average joe, even allowing his hands to keep up with his the steps in his mind.

Because he is so easily focused it is incredibly easy to get drawn into his work, completely ignoring other people and losing track of time. Immediately collapse when he finishes a long or grueling job. Due to this he consumes a large amount of food, and sleeps like a log. A deep sleeper is an understatement, it takes a very active attempt to wake him. However, when rested he's up at the crack of dawn.

Description: Frank is a even 5'7, a slight muscular build due to hauling around various car parts and getting engrossed in his work.  Light brown eyes twinkle with confidence and dirty blonde hair folded over in a lazy man's combover. Usually wearing a stained t-shirt and jeans that bear the marks of past mechanical experiences. A wrapped sweater around his waist that he wears when welding, it doubles as a rag and is covered in stains.  He loves working with machinery and tinkers in his spare time, thinking of objects to create or modify. Always bearing a mischevious grin and a slight swagger, he's known to be a smug SOB.

Community Status: Frank is loved in his local hometown, people usually bring over their vehicles to be welded or fixed, usually bribing him with doughnuts or a coffee as payment. He works at a local mechanic shop, where he tends to argue a bit with his boss over quality work vs speedy work. Tending to hang out with some of the mechanics down at the pool hall every week-end for beers and laughs. While his work and his mechanical inclanation are extraordinary, he isn't considered to be a 'super' so much as a single-minded invidual. He's popular enough with the locals that he can get a favor from almost anybody. As everybody owes him a favor through mechanical work.


Edit since nobody else has posted:  I am going to be gone as of thursday morning up until Sunday/Monday. So, Tech I am not MIA. I am on vacation

[WhiteFox]

Alright... I've gotten enough signups and passed characters that I can run the RP. This thread, however, was not really meant to be an OOC thread. Furthermore, the setting information I posted was mainly meant to gauge interest, and is a little incomplete.

So I'm going to fix both problems at once. I'm going to post an OOC thread with more complete information on the setting, and people will have a little time to discuss changes by me if they want. Finished character sheets  are to be posted, or re-posted, there.

Once the OOC thread is posted and character revisions are finished, I will do one-on-one chat sessions with some of the characters to bring them into the plot and start the game (I say "some" because there may be characters who enter the game by being approached by other players). After that, most everything will be done on the forum.

Drathorin: Your sheet is fine, but I'd appreciate it if you could do a second draft to smooth out some of the sentences. Some of the wording and grammar is pretty choppy. Not bad, mind you, just rough.

For those who are curious, Janus has been thoroughly ripped and his character has been finalized.

[Ashen Star]

I was in a car wreck.  Sorry for not getting back sooner.  best find some one else for the time being.

[techmaster-glitch]

I was in a car wreck.  Sorry for not getting back sooner.  best find some one else for the time being.

Oh geeze, um...wow. Glad that you're alive, at least...

And yeah, we did find someone else. The RP now goes by the name "Supearth".

[Ashen Star]

Thanks.  Got T-boned in an intersection by someone who forgot that ice = do not slam on brakes when you won't make that light.  Pretty beat up but nothing missing.  Did a real number on my spine so I dunno.