Savage Worlds: Sanctuary City [OOC]

[Hack Writer]

So here it is: the Sanctuary City OOC thread! all out of character chat and non-game banter goes on here; a separate thread will be set up for dice rolls.

Can all players involved in the Sanctuary City game import their character sheets to this thread, please? Paste them into a new post below, including any links to mythweaver sheets you might have - and pictures of your characters, if you've got them. Oh, and choose a colour for your character's In Character speech.

I'll use this first post as reference point for any house rules we use, status effects your characters might be suffering, and a general overview of the current scene - much like this fine example here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247271)

Bennies: All characters begin with three Bennies, and more can be earned through heroic deeds - as per the setting rule. Here's the totals:

Rattle: 3/3
Black Blur: 3/3
Silence: 4/4
Barnaby: 3/3
Redeemer: 2/3


D20 Combat Initiative: We're swapping out card draws for a flat d20 roll and counting the '20' as an Joker. Edges work basically the same way except Level-Headed (or Improved) allows roll 2 (or 3) dice and take the best, and Quick allows re-rolls on a 5 or less. A 20 counts as a Joker.

Setting Rules:These are the rules modifications we're using for the campagin; details can be found in the Super Powers Companion book.

Inherent Power: Superpower Edge for free.
Inherent Bravery: No Guts skill; players use their Spirit for all Guts-basic checks they’re required to make.
Baseline Environment: the default power level of the game.
Knock Back: Damage of a d12 or more causes opponents to fly backwards
Recurring Roles: characters are incapacitated for d6 hours instead of dying.
Heroic Bennies: Everyone receives the Heroic hindrance; players receive Bennies for performing exceptionally heroic deeds during play.
Unarmed Defender: an armed attacker doesn't receive a bonus for attacking an unarmed opponent.

World Encyclopedia: a living document for the world's canonical fiction, including a timeline, places of note, NPCs and other important topics related to the campaign. This'll be updated a lot, so stay tuned.
Places
Sanctuary City
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/6/66303/2130173-photo_dec_18__12_49_12_pm.png

Established by English puritan settlers as a haven for religious freedom in the New World, Sanctuary City grew steadily into a thriving metropolis of three million inhabitants, its prosperity built upon the foundations of a brisk shipping and export industry, backed up by a burgeoning post-war boom in commercially applicable high technology that continued to generate wealth for its people throughout the latter half of the 20th Century.

Located on the coast of the United States’ eastern seaboard between Wilmington and Virginia Beach, North Carolina, fortunes of the prosperous little metropolis took a turn for the worst however after a one-two combination of earth shattering catastrophes struck the city in less than twenty-four hours. The first came when the villainous mastermind the Atomic Brain utilised powerful world-shaping technology to create the island nation of New Plutopia four hundred miles off the United States’ eastern seaboard; the resultant series of tidal waves, two hundred feet high and racing at a speed of five hundred miles an hour, hit the Bahamas, Cuba and just about every inch of coastline between Jacksonville and New York, saving the worst for Sanctuary City. Streets drowned, homes washed away; great and storied institutions like Sanctuary City’s famed Protestant University, its antebellum Museum of Antiquities and the docklands that had supported the city’s burgeoning economy had, in less time it took to blow out a candle, been utterly – if not irrevocably – destroyed.

Still reeling from the Atomic Brain’s maniacal plot, the second blow to Sanctuary City’s fortunes came barely a day later when a second super villain – the apparently limitlessly powerful and hubristic I, Monarch – and the heroes of the international super team The Assembly decided to use Sanctuary’s flooded streets as the backdrop for their final dramatic showdown. What hadn’t been drowned or flooded or turned to flinders by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean were very soon reduced to the consistency of chalk dust in the resultant superhero slugfest that captured the fearful attention of just about every inhabitant of the globe with access to a TV set. Long story short, the good guys won – just.

Three years later, reconstruction in Sanctuary City has been slow but determined. Most of the city’s pre-crisis population still haven’t bothered returning to their homes, and those that remain live largely in government-run refugee camps on the city’s outskirts. A few hardy citizens still resident in the less damaged boroughs to the north and west of the city, and generous reparations and a concerted program of civic reconstruction by private contractors on behalf United States government have encouraged a few more to give life in the city one more shot.

To America and most of the free world, Sanctuary City stands as a metaphor for human perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. To villains like the Atomic Brain, the unscrupulous multinational businesses that offer reconstruction assistance in return for under-the-table payoffs, and the legions of super-powered crooks that slink through its washed up remains, Sanctuary City is little more than a resource ready to exploit.

Faces
Atomic Brain: Genius atomic theorist Abraham Bauer served the Allied war effort in World War 2 as a leading head of the United States’ atomic weapons program. Following the war, he spent a brief period concocting technologies to keep the commie menace in its place, until an accident in the laboratory left his (now atomic-powered) brain floating in a sealed jar of life-preserving fluid. Over the long decades of his incarceration, Bauer’s personality transmuted into something infinitely more sinister than the humble physicist he had once been: he became…the Atomic Brain!

His glowing green brain housed in a suit of battle armour of his own devising, the Atomic Brain has remained a perennial threat to global security for the best part of half a century. A megalomaniac with a jaundiced worldview coloured by cynicism for the double standards exhibited by modern nation states; the Atomic Brain’s chief obsessions involve creating a kingdom over which he can exert his own peculiar brand of benign authoritarianism.

Until recently, those plans have remained little more than a perverse pipedream to give his empty existence some meaning. He came close to realising his ambition in 1990, but was stopped short by The Assembly before he could finish the job. His second chance came twenty years later when, having travelled to the primordial Antarctic island of Evolutia, he returned to America with world-altering technology stolen from the Amazonian warrior women that serve as that island’s guardians. This powerful life-creating science was a remnant of the cosmic world technology used by the intergalactic being known as the Conceiver, and the Atomic Brain used his newfound discovery to create an entire landmass off the eastern coast of the United States. He even gave it a name: New Plutopia.

Now the undisputed ruler of his own island kingdom, the Atomic Brain has busied himself with solidifying his rule over its people and extending his will to the neighbouring islands of the Caribbean. His intellect occupied with the task of shoring up his nation’s defences, the Atomic Brain doesn’t appear too interested in further conquest of the United States… yet.

I, Monarch: What would happen if Superman went bad…I mean, if he went really bad? You’d get Karl Kenner, known to the world as the irredeemably evil alpha villain I, Monarch.

Raised by a upright and honest Kansas farming family, Karl Kenner was actually the last surviving progeny of the autocratic star-spanning empire of Tryos. Tryos’ king, Araxor, was forcibly deposed by a coalition of rebels drawn from the ‘thousand-thousand spheres’ that made up his empire. Whisked away by space capsule to the fringes of the Milky Way upon his father’s death, Araxor hoped his son would one day return to his birth world and retake the throne. Karl Kenner, learning this after a period of self-discovery in the frozen wastes of Greenland, intended to do just that, right after subduing the nations of Earth and turning its population into the vanguard of an all-conquering army.

Mightier than any meta-human before or since, I, Monarch attempted to bring the people of Earth under his heel by destroying the governments of every nation in the world - a feat he almost achieved during his villainous début. In the span of less than twenty-four hours, I, Monarch single-handedly wiped out the standing superhero teams of China (the Prodigious Fifty), Europe (Europower), the United States (the All Americans), and very nearly The Assembly (four of the seven were killed, two were severely wounded). But his wrath wasn’t reserved solely for superheroes: Hourmazd the Immortal, the superhuman tyrant-ruler of Qu’rac was slain by I, Monarch in a titanic battle above his capital city of Kuresh. The seemingly unstoppable super villain’s conquest was only ended when the Atomic Brain turned the technology of the Conceiver’s life-shaping device to reverse the unmatchable villain’s atomic structure, vaporising him before he could complete his maniacal mission.

Three years on from I, Monarch’s defeat, the world is still in the middle of recovering from his diabolical whirlwind campaign of destruction. The Assembly has disbanded, its remaining members opting for retirement or careers as solo heroes; the Prodigious Fifty, Europower and the All Americans are still trying to restaff their under strength rosters, though the going is slow and issues of domestic reconstruction make the process of drafting new members even slower. Some theorists believe I, Monarch’s incredible powers of rejuvenation are sufficient to reform his molecular structure, effectively restoring him to life. Others claim it’s impossible, that the super villain’s dead and the world should just move on. Whatever the truth, his shadow is sure to hang heavy over the people of Earth for many decades to come.

[jolinaxas]

Isaac Blackstone ("Rattle")

Stats:

(Items in parentheses are after super-stuff, in case he gets nulled)
Race: Human (Start with an Edge, like everyone else)

Agi d4
Sma d8
Spr d8
Str d4
Vig d6 (d10)

Agi:
Fighting d4 (d6)

Sma:
Investigation d8 (d10)
Taunt d6 (d12+2)
Streetwise d8
Notice d4 (d6)

Spi:
Persuasion d8 (d10)
Intimidation d6 (d12+1)

Pace: 6 / Parry: 4(5) / Toughness: 5(7)+1 armor = 6(8) / Charisma: 2

Edges:
Noble (+2 Cha, Rich, has obligations)
Investigator (+2 to Investigate/Streetwise, Notice when looking for evidence)
Strong-Willed (+2 to perform and resist taunts/intimidation)

Hindrances:
Heroic (Free)
Curious (Maj)
Loyal (Min)
Pacifist (Min)

Powers: (Trapping for the first four: Dedicated Training)
(1)Gifted - Untrained skills not penalized
(3)Super Skills x6 (+1 Taunt, +2 Notice, +1 Investigation, Persuasion, Fighting)
(1)Heightened Senses - +2 Notice
(2)Super Attribute II (Vigorx2)
(3)Device: Frightening Voice Modulator (+4 ranks to Taunt and Intimidate)

Equipment: 2670/3000 Spent - $330 in starting cash.
500 - Duraweave Suit
600 - Ablative Armor, Tac Helmet, Stun Wand (the "it just got real" kit)
100 - Autograpnel
250 - Handheld Computer
20 - Urban Camo Fatigues
1000 - Med-Stim
200 - Formal Clothing
0 - Commlink


Background: (work in progress, and subject to GM oversight)

Isaac is the only son of Joshua Blackstone, CEO/Owner of Blackstone Investments, a real estate and construction company that made a lot of money buying up land with wrecked property on it after the disasters, weathering out the initial down period after the attack, and then re-selling it at colossal profit once things began to normalize.

Wanting for nothing, he was approached for a social column piece by a reporter during a party and was taken aback by the vitriol that many of Sanctuary City's residents had for his father's company - claiming harassment in many cases. After a little research himself, he discovered that things weren't all above board - a significant amount of collusion between Blackstone and Sanctuary City Zoning and Planning officials was needed in order to get approval to buy up as much as the investment firm had.

Unfotunately, most of the evidence (city councilmen living way above their means, the lack of usual and sane opposition to a real estate monopoly, et cetera) was circumstantial, and Isaac wouldn't ever have enough evidence to make any changes in court (especially since "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" evidence rules made most of his findings, which were discovered "illegally" inadmissible), so he decided to make changes at the street level.

A pacifist by nature, Rattle prefers to taunt criminals into making crucial mistakes and intimidating them. He resorts to physical violence only when absolutely necessary. To this end, he paid an acoustics engineer from out of town to design a voice modulator that uses certain frequencies studies have shown to cause discomfort and fear. Aside from that, his ability comes mostly from a lot of training after taking up the mask.


Appearance

Of average height, with a fit, if slight, build. Brown hair/eyes. Caucasian.

Wears a mask with a programmable front "face" that can be altered at any computer, given an appropriately formatted image file. It lacks the definition and texture to accurately portray real faces, so he mostly uses it to aid in scaring people.

Other than that, just duraweave-laced casual dark clothing when he's in-"costume."

[Wargor]

Redeemer (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=572690) -I choose Blue.
Background
You may call me Redeemer. I had another name, but it would mean nothing to you, it is in a language none from your planet have ever heard uttered. Why have I taken such a name? Because that is precisely what I aim to be. A redeemer. I seek ways of paying for the sins of my people. To somehow make up for what we did. And if that means I pay the ultimate price? So be it.

It all started during the time in your history known as the 1950's. My people, the Quelexians, were a peaceful race of scientists and engineers, never prone to anger or aggression. The feline Rakashans on the other hand were a war like people, my planet faced the threat of imminent invasion, and despite our technological superiority, we would surely be destroyed. So our leaders hatched a bold plan, to use our advances in genetic modification and advanced engineering to breed an army mighty enough to withstand the Rakashan aggressors. Research ships were dispatched to find samples that would enhance us in the right ways, give us the aggression and physical abilities required to win the war. And so, after much searching, they came to Earth.

Many of your people were taken, and many samples collected. They then, of course, released them, for my people were not barbarians. I have heard since that many of these “abductions” that people claimed occurred to them were blamed on insanity and alcoholism; this amuses me. With these samples, our most accomplished scientists worked their wonders, splicing the DNA together to create the perfect blend of our two species. Where before we were short of stature, us hybrids were capable of growing to far larger sizes, our physical capabilities were increased greatly. They outfitted us with the most advanced weapons of war they could create, and unleashed us on our foes. The effect was devastating. I shall not go into detail, but the war ended far more swiftly than we could have dreamed of. The Rakashans were crushed mercilessly. But we did not stop there. Soon other aggressors rose, or maybe we attacked them, and more wars began. By the time my brother and I were grown, we were on the back foot. An alliance had formed, and we Quelexians were losing against the combined force.

I was away from the home world when it happened. Most of us Hybrids were. That's why we're all that's left. A device, smuggled on planet somehow. When it was activated, the planet simply imploded. All of our leadership, our scientists, our civilians were simply gone. After that, the war was over. We drifted on, a pointless people without any sort of direction. I gave up. I locked myself in a Cryo-Pod and fired myself off into the void. It was only when my Pod was almost out of energy that's it emergency settings started working, it's Bio-Scanner locating and aiming the Pod towards the closes DNA match to my location. It found Earth.

I crash landed in Sanctuary City, amid the carnage. As I crawled from the pod, I looked around me and saw my chance staring back. My redemption.

[Obscurejones]

The Black Blur
Race: Human (Start with an Edge, like everyone else)

Agi d8
Sma d8
Spr d6
Str d6
Vig d4

Agi:
Fighting d8 (d12)
Lockpicking d8

Sma:
Knowledge(Superhero History) d8
Streetwise d8
Gambling d8


Pace: 6 (48) / Parry: 8 / Toughness: 4 / Charisma: 0

Edges:
Quick
Martial Arts
Hindrances:
Weakness Ice (Major)
Bad Eyes (Minor)
Enemy (Minor)
Heroic (Free)
Powers:
Trappings for the first three(Moving so fast he blurs at the edges)
(5) Speed
(3) Extra Actions
(1)Super Skill Fighting
Trappings (Studying at Super Speed)
(1) Gifted
Equipment
(500 )Duravweave armor +1 HA

Background
"He seemed like a nice guy. You've got to understand me on this. He was just a sweet old guy. So I help him up the stairs some days. Or I help him carry his groceries. We'd talk some times. He'd ask how school was going, I'd ask how his weekly bridge game went.

...When I found the mask I thought it was just a prop. Or a souvenir, you know? I mean not even the villains use just a straight domino mask anymore. It's archaic. But when I asked... The Black Blur. They say he fought in the second world war. That he outran the Blue Blitzkreig. That his last fight with the White Whiz circled the earth so many times that Calculust lost track. He's a legend.

When a guy like that tells you that you've got potential you listen. And maybe you don't think to question it when he says he's had some of his old suits refit. Or when he hands you a mask with prescription lenses in it, a prescription you're sure you never told him. Or he starts teaching you to fight. To hit the streets. How to do the little things that make sense and the little things you never thought a hero'd need to know. And when he hands you a bubbling black vial... You don't question him. Because he's a hero isn't he?

And now I'm here. The new Black Blur. And I hear there's a few rouge speedsters in Sanctuary City. And the old man says that's the cost of the job. We handle the problems the other supers can't catch up to."
Appearance
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/kpenguin222/Avatars/Black-Blur.gif
The ____ ____
The Black Blur hasn't noticed it yet, but since he's taken on the mask he's become a bit of bad luck. First burglaries went on the rise in the first town he publicly heroed in. Then there was a rash of vandalism. Now that he's in Sanctuary City they've graduated to murder. The crimes have all been notable for being nearly impossible for the police to work out a timeline of. The houses were only empty for a few moments, artwork sprang up seemingly from nothing, the murder victims were last seen only minutes before their bodies were discovered.

Whoever's been following the Black Blur it's becoming clear they they're a Speedster. Now the question becomes who? Is it one of the original Blur's nemeses pulling the old tights out of storage? Have they found protegees of their own? Or is it some entirely new malevolent malcontent working their way up to their greatest crime of all, killing the Black Blur? Only time will tell. And time passes so quickly, even at a high speed.
The Blue Blitzkreig
The White Whiz
The Scarlet Sprint
The Taupe Tornado
The Green Gazelle
The Daffodil Dash
The Red Runner

Addendum to The _______ ________
The exact nature (and color) of the enemy speedster are as of yet unknown to Blur. The few witnesses who've survived report sudden winds, a high pitched whine, streaks of scorched rubber left in the villain's wake. Those clues that they have left have had a suitably dark tenor and have begun to make it increasingly clear who they're planning to attack. Early Grafitti left a stylized pair of Bs on walls in high end financial districts, while recent murders have left bodies with the same elaborate design on their chests. Early victims were killed quickly and painlessly, a single punch moving across their jaw at speeds high enough to snap their necks. The villain apparently didn't even slow down. More recent attacks show them starting to come into their own in terms of brutality, flurries of sudden blows leaving victims with ruptured organs and punctured lungs.
The Dynamic Origin of the Black Blur!
Being a relic of the truly Golden Age, when superheros were just starting to figure out that being able to outrun a bullet meant you probably weren't a pulp hero but something new and exciting, the Black Blur's powers come from Mystic Secrets of the distant and slightly blurry wilds of Africa and/or Asia. When the current Black Blur told his predecessor that it seemed somewhat racist to imply that all people from outside Europe and the United States of America were at least thirty percent magic the original Black Blur told him to, "Shut up and take your medicine." Whatever the strange bubbly concoction that granted the Black Blur his powers was, three things are known for certain. The labels on the packages that were dumped into the stove top saucepan were illegible. It smelled like turpentine. And it looked like India Ink.

The Black Blur washed it down with a Gingold Soda.
Who Was That Mysterious Old Man?
The original Black Blur, now retired.

[thejoshie]

Silence

Race: Human (Female)

Attributes:
Agility d8
Smarts d8
Spirit d6
Strength d6
Vigor d6

Skills:
Fighting d10
Lockpicking d8
Notice d6
Stealth d10
Throwing d6
Tracking d6
Swimming d6

Charisma: +0
Pace: 6
Parry: 7
Toughness: 5 (7)

Gear (60/1000 Remaining):
Autograpnel (100)
Kevlar (250)
Cell Phone (100)
Handheld cpu (250)
Urban Camo (20)
Forest Camo (20)
Commlink
Throwing Knives x4 (200)

Hindrances:
Heroic (Major),
Code of Honor (Major)
Wanted (Major)
Enemy (Former Clan)
Loyal

Edges:
Arcane Background (Super Powers)
First Strike
Luck
Thief

Super Powers:
• Attack, Melee (3): Nonlethal.
Str+1d6. Heavy Weapon (nerve
strike).
• Awareness (3): No penalties due
to bad lighting, fog, or other
obscurement (Zen training).
• Heightened Senses (1): +2 to Notice
rolls (Zen training).
• Super Skills (2): Lockpicking +2
steps, Stealth +2 steps (special
training).
• Wall Walker (1): Can move on any
surface (special training)




Appearance (Large Picture)
http://www.clarencealfordphotography.com/MyFavorites/Some-of-My-Favorites/i-tt2NhPg/0/L/Ninjette2-L.jpg

[Hack Writer]

So the first post of the OOC thread has been updated with the setting rules and the background fiction ported over from the recruitment thread; we're pretty much ready to start, right after Gull posts his character sheet and indicates he's aware of the game's status. But that doesn't stop me explaining to you how the game's going to work.

I know that some of you aren't familiar with Savage Worlds, and that the mechanics can be a little difficult to fathom if you're coming from a background of, say, Mutants and Masterminds or Champions. That's why I plan to run each character individually to start with, each with their own introductory scene that contains a couple of opportunities to test out the game's mechanics and explore your characters' personalities. But my time for forum games is limited and promises to become even more so once my internet access at work is restricted come Thursday, so the first half of the adventure may run a little lower than I'd like; apologies in advance for this. We'll get there though, I'm certain.

None of your characters will begin the game knowing one another; the team as I envision it will come together over the course of the adventure, influenced by your collective desire to defend the people of Sanctuary City from the plots of evildoers who infest it (and there's a lot of 'em, for sure!).

Ask any questions you'd like before the game begins, I won't start until Gull's character sheet is up.

[thejoshie]

Well, since we can ask any questions:

What's the non-numerical meaning of life?

[Wargor]

How are we going to handle initiative? Also I'll get a physical description up at some point.

[Obscurejones]

Who put the bop in the bop sha bop sha bop? Also, if we're using a d20 iniative system are 20s an Ace or a Joker?

[Hack Writer]

Sheesh! guys, don't take me so literally. I'll answer what I can where I can, though the answers to some of your questions remain elusive to even me:

@thejosie: Wikipedia doesn't have an answer, so I suspect there isn't one to be found anywhere in the whole of existence.

@Wargor: flat d20 roll instead of card draws; Jokers are 20's, which is a little statistically off but, oh well. It's a good enough approximation and keeps with the Savage Worlds mantra of 'fast and furious fun'.

@obscurejones: I'm a GM, man, not a musicologist! Aces could be treated as an 18-19 roll, but there are very few occasions where it'll ever be an issue in play, perhaps for a few Edges or some of the funkier super powers. Same with suits, though that can be solved with a single d4 roll where required. Edit: I think i got where that second question's coming from; looking at my other game's rules again, I see the word Ace is where the word Joker should be - that's a fallacious lie planted to make me seem less than capable. Jokers are 20's, as I said.

@Gull: A question rather than an answer, my friend. Could you post your character sheet in this forum? Ta.

[Gull]

Sorry friends, was working all day today and must have missed this update.

Karpos Dionysides, blue-collar demigod
(http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=570165), speaks in Siennnnna
Karpos pitches in.

Sanctuary City, Seagraves, the Local 342 picket line.

“You boys go on home now,” said the metal man as he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. White shirt, black suit, chrome skin. Shock of platinum hair. Steel “X" pinned to his lapel. Around him, the picket line had pulled back in fear at the sight of the striking factory worker, one of them, who the metal man had put to the ground, bleeding and unconscious. “Knock this foolishness off. Get back to work, or I’ll be back. And I’ll tell you what, I won’t have such a soft touch next time, you-”

He was cut off by a shatter of glass and drench of alcohol as a thrown bottle broke over his steel head, turning his threat into an indignant squawk of feedback.

“You’re putting me off my drinkin’ with all this. So tell me: just who in hell you think you are, you strike-breaking *****?” asked the huge man who loomed across street from the metal man. He was enormous and dark, body crossed with white scars from years and decades and centuries. A barbarian assassin in blue jeans and a polo, dark curls shot through with grey snugged under a tweed flat cap. Scuffed brogues and irises the shocking purple of old wine. He reached up to park the cigarette clenched between his massive fingers in the corner of his mouth and came to a halt in front of the metal man.

“Was wondering when you were going to show up,” said the metal man. “You can call me Billy Talos, and I represent Basileus X. Maybe you heard of him.”

The huge man pinched the cigarette from his mouth and blew smoke on the metal man. “Never heard of him. Sounds like a punk.” He took another drag, then flicked the cigarette off Talos’ chrome forehead. “Sound like he heard of me, though.”

“Yeah,” said Talos. “Karpos Dionysides. Said that you were an old drunk who spent all his time in bars telling boring stories.” Electricity began crackle around his clenched hands.

“Well,” mused Karpos, “he ain’t wrong, except for the boring part. Fr’instance, the time I scuffed with the real Talos. Here, lemme illustrate it for you.”

After that, it was all biff, pow and zap.

***

Talos’ electricity surged through Karpos’ body, making his ancient heart flutter and his muscles threaten to lock up, but with a roar of rage he shook it off and followed through with the pankration hold he had on the metal man’s arm, tearing it from his shoulder, shirt suit jacket and all. He guushed out a breath as the shocks stopped, then shook himself as Billy Talos clattered to the ground.

“Now the Talos, the Talos, he had a vein that ran top to bottom.” Karpos illustrated with Talos’ own arm, pointing first to his throat, lifting his stubbled jaw up, then tapping his ankle. “Ichor of the gods. Neck to ankle. Kept his bronze ass running, tossing rocks at ships. You know, the things he would do.” Karpos tossed Talos’ arm over his shoulder where it rang with the harsh sound of metal on metal as it crashed against the legs that Karpos had already torn off.

“You’re de- Karp-” Billy Talos tried to say, hefting himself on his remaining arm, voice corrupted by feedback and damage. “Gon- -ill you, you ol- ba- -ard!”

“So that’s why I started with your legs. Old habits. If you pulled out the nail in Talos’ ankle that stopped up his vein, then that was it. Kaput. I didn’t know this at the time, course. Medea, that crazy, beautiful bitch, actually was the one who put him down.” Karpos crouched on his haunches beside Billy Talos. “Seems like that’s all we did in the old days. Find new things. Kill ‘em. Whoever bagged the most, well, he was the best. Arete, you know?” Karpos tapped one finger on Talo’s head, hard. The metal man collapsed again, his one remaining arm skidding out from under him. “It means ‘excellence’.”

“Kill ‘im, Karpos!” one of the strikers called, seeing their tormentor on the ropes. Karpos’ head swiveled to meet his supporter.

“Nah. Not this time. I killed more’n enough in my time. Besides, this one has to take a message back to his boss, this ‘Basileus X.’” Karpos straightened, gripping Talos’ arm in one huge hand. Talos’ tried feebly to activate his electric arcs, but it fizzled as Karpos hefted his metal body into the air, grunting as he swung him against the brick wall of the factory. Talos collapsed, a sound like an old modem coming from his mouth.

“You and any other mob strike-breakers, and that includes Basileus X, hear this.” Karpos lit a fresh cigarette and rubbed at a blackening eye.

“Stay outta the Seagraves, you bums.”

Edit: Scrapped an edge to give vigor a bump for extra hard-assedness.

[Hack Writer]

Cheers for that Gull, I think we're all set.

Guys, I'll set up the In Character and Dice roller thread during my lunch break today, as well as post IC scenes for each of your characters. As I said, you'll be starting alone in the city, but it shouldn't take you too long to meet up; maybe a week of real life play, depending on how much access I have to my computer. As I said, this is the last day I have with internet access from work.

[Wargor]

That's cool, I can't really post at work either. And trying to do an IC post on my phone is just hard!

[Hack Writer]

In-game posts should be up within the next half hour, I'm just finishing writing them up on google docs now. I'll ink to the In Character thread with this post.

[Hack Writer]

@Gull: what's the name of the bar Kapros likes to hang out in? I know you'e mentioned it before, just can;t find it now. If I can't find it, I'll improvise.

EDIT: Big Payback! Got it, writing your scene now.

[Hack Writer]

The In Character Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284699) is up, guys. Have a read, post questions here, and roleplay your characters in the scenes I've given you.

Have fun everybody! Right, I'd better do some work before i'm noticed.

[thejoshie]

...now I'm tempted to do a Yuri Lesbian Romance angle. Thanks, Hack. >_>;

Seriously, thanks for the idea. I was looking for a way to establish Silence as a bit of a rebel within her clan, and this is perfect. Will explain within the post.

I can also see this will be fun already. :p

[Hack Writer]

@thejoise: glad you liked it, run with it any way you want. Keep any potential sexual tension to a minimum though, just to conform to forum standards. Oh, and make this NPC your own.

[thejoshie]

@thejoise: glad you liked it, run with it any way you want. Keep any potential sexual tension to a minimum though, just to conform to forum standards. Oh, and make this NPC your own.

Ohhhh. So I should have Dove respond as well, gotya.

The post might be good as is, though. Silence, seemingly, leaving her old past behind. Which then lead to the question: what will she do now to make a living? Full of potential subplots there. Establishing a secret identity (so she can at least walk amongst people, getting a job (so she can at least eat food without resorting to theft or mercenary work), etc.

Down, out, and homeless in Seagraves. Something tells me that's not a good thing. >_>;

Also: This will be the closest to sexual tension I will get to. This is more of a motivation and drive thing then eroticism (the typical "Assassin falls in love and question his/her lot in life" trope).

[Hack Writer]

@thejosie: I'll play out the NPC's action; I've got a story in mind I want to see you go through (plus, npc's are how I get my fun). Just feed me all the information you want want to share, then I'll run with it.

[Hack Writer]

argh, double-posting! Sorry, my grubby fingerprints are all over this thread already. Just a few words regarding the posts you guys have put up:

first thing: Love 'em all, just the right amount of internal dialogue and actual 'doing stuff'; that's the sort of approach I was hoping for. Sure it'll wane eventually, but for the moment it's a great start.

@thejosie: Could you choose a colour of Silence's speech, one that hasn't been used already? I think blue, indigo and sienna have been taken, but any of the others are all yours. I'll reply to your IC post later, too.

@Wargor: for purposes of drama, yes, Redeemer would make the descent from the roof without a problem. No trait checks required for now.

@Gull: Kapros is playing hard to get? Well, we'll have to do something about that.

As I mentioned before, internet is going to be an evening ritual for me for the foreseeable future, and that means I won't be able to update the game every day. Weekends are usually good (unless I'm off practicing my antisocial behaviour routine somewhere), as are nights, provided I'm not being 'all domestic' or trying to keep up with my real life stuff. This weekend look like it'll be pretty free - and I get three days off to boot! Expect all the posts to be answered by at least Friday night, though I'd like to give obscurejones and jolinaxas the opportunity to respond too.

Also, any OOC questions you have relating specifically to your characters' actions in-game can be posed to me via spoilers in the IC thread:
Like this!
Saves us clogging up the OOC thread with single-question posts.

[thejoshie]

I choose RED!

I was thinking of WHITE, but that is too ninja like, which was why I was considering it. :p Joking, of course.

From this point on.I will limit my OOC posts to responses, Complicated questions/debates, and the occasional observation/offhand comment. :)

[Gull]

Haha Karpos isn't necessarily playing hard to get, but when you enter the castle to speak with the king, you don't expect him to get off his throne to come visit, you know?
Also, as befitting the son of the the wine-god, I think I will change Karpos' speech to dark red if that's ok.

[Hack Writer]

@jollinaxas: Rattle's decent Notice check finds two possibly entrances into the factory from his position, both pretty near to hand and out of sight of the guards outside: one's a small metal stairwell leading up to a closed fire escape about two floors up; the other's a busted old air vent on the ground floor, large enough to accommodate a single person if they crawl. Which one does Rattle opt for?

@Gull:Dark Red? Good choice. I've noticed that I've been calling him Kapros instead of Karpos - that shall be amended. My mistake!

@thejoshie: And I've forgotten the h in your name - sorry! Don't worry, your post was good, but I'll probably condense the NPC's reply down to encompass all the statements Silence made. So the new girl's name is Dove, right? Just checking, before I sit down to write it.

@Wargor: make an Intimidation or Persuasion check, whichever you prefer.

@obscurejones: can you take a Notice check for me, please?

Will try to update tonight but no guarantees, will probably be tomorrow night.

[Obscurejones]

@obscurejones: can you take a Notice check for me, please?

Would that just be a smarts check?

[Hack Writer]

I forget, are you familiar with the rules? If not, I'll paraphrase the procedure for you.

You always roll two dice for the checks you make: your attribute/skill die, plus your Wild Die. The Attribute/skill die corresponds to whatever die type is listed on your character sheet; the Wild die is always a d6. In order to pass a check, you need to score at least a 4 on at least one of the dice, modified by circumstances. Rolling the maximum possible number [naturally, before modifiers] on a given die allows you to roll that die type again and add the total to your roll [called rolling an ‘Ace’], which may increase the success of the task you were trying to accomplish

The Black Blur doesn't have Notice on his skills, so that's considered an unskilled check. If your character doesn't have the skill listed on his character sheet he can still perform it at 1d4 [plus the 1d6 for the Wild die], but each die roll takes a -2 hit to their totals [you don't roll add add them, you roll them separately]; that means that in order to succeed in an unskilled check, you need to roll a 6 on the Wild die and a 4 followed by at least a 2 on the d4.

To summarize a rather long-winded response: roll 1d4 and 1d6 [separately] and deduct -2 from each score.

Clear as mud, yeah?

oh, and roll 'em here.

[Obscurejones]

I have the Super power that removes the -2, so I'll just roll the d4 and d6.
[roll0]
[roll1]
It would appear I've noticed something.

[Obscurejones]

Rolling Ace
[roll0]

[Hack Writer]

yeah, I noticed.

ha, good move! I'll get your post up tomorrow, along with everyone else's. I'm just reading through the IC thread at the moment, drawing up the next bunch of gm responses.

[Hack Writer]

@obscurejones: I just fathomed what the Black Blur said. I'll be honest, it made me snort into my cup of tea. That, I want more of that!

[Wargor]

I'll roll my intimidate here I guess, this is gonna go badly. :smalltongue:

[roll0]
[roll1]

EDIT:...Didn't even know that was possible!

[Hack Writer]

@wargor: I'm not going to sugar coat it for you - that's bad, like, really bad. I should've mentioned it before, but everybody starts with three Bennies, they can be used for re-rolls.

Does Redeemer want to re-roll that result?

[Wargor]

Screw it, I'll go with one re-roll.

[roll0]
[roll1]

EDIT: I actually detest the forum roller... :smalltongue:

[Hack Writer]

@wargor: Whisper nice things in its ear, see if that does the trick. For now, Redeemer's going to have to take the hit and roll with it like the alien-man-thing that he is. I think this just makes the scene more interesting.

[Wargor]

Hey, he's an alien. He probably used complety the wrong tone. :smalltongue:

[thejoshie]

Unless I'm missing something, shouldn't Silence have FOUR bennies due to her having Luck?

[Hack Writer]

@thejoshie: she should - and I should've put another post up, too. I'll remedy the first now, the second will come later today. Well spotted. See, you know the rules better than I do already!

[Hack Writer]

Okay, the next crop of IC posts are up, barring Rattle's.

@jolinaxas: can you tell me which of the two entrances Rattle wants to use to access the factory? There's the air vent and the fire escape. Tell me, I'll write up his next scene.

@Wargor: Redeemer's fluffed Intimidation check caused the three thugs to attack him. We'll play out a short combat between the four of you now, and I'll explain how it works, here:
- Initiative draw: I'll roll a d20 for each group involved in the combat; the thugs will be one group, you'll be the other. Wild Cards are usually rolled for separately, but the thugs are just extras.
- Actions: you can either post your tactics OCC and roll the dice, or you can post IC, in suitable written tone, and add the dice rolls to spoilers. I'll try to list modifiers etc. for the scene at the start of every new round, but I do occasionally forget! If I do, feel free to remind me.

Give me a moment to edit the IC post with details for the combat. I just need to look up a few rules.

[jolinaxas]

The Air Vent.

[Hack Writer]

Got it. Give me a bit; I'll write it up after I've completed some other stuff.

[thejoshie]

Will respond after work. Interesting situation with a somewhat obvious outcome.

And how can one be mean to such a lovable assassin like dove? :p

[Wargor]

Shall I do my IC post now? Or did you want to add anything else in? Sorry, didn't want to post before checking.

[Obscurejones]

@Hack Writer

In the future when you're writing the Black Blur try to keep in mind that he's got quite good lockpicking and has super speed. So locked doors are unlikely to slow him down.

[Hack Writer]

@Wargor: I've been tardy and not set up the combat yet, so bear with me.

@obscurejones: Black Blur can attempt to lockpick the door. The posts I write aren't (big emphasis on that) the final solution to a character's questions; just because the Black Blur's standing at the alley, that doesn't mean his chance to lockpick the door is gone. If you want to pick the lock instead of going down the alley, make the roll in the OOC.

I want to wait for Gull to respond to the post I put up for Karpos, just so that I've got everybody's relies in. Then I'll sit down and write them all.

With the exception of Redeemer's combat, which I'll start on now.

[Hack Writer]

@Gull: thanks for explaining Karpos's background a little better; that helps. Just one thing you might want to consider: if Karpos has been around in the city for so long, he'll have been there during both the flood and the confrontation between I, Monarch and The Assembly (basically this world's Avengers, now all deceased or retried). Give some thought to what Karpos did during that time, how he helped people out. Given Karpos has been alive for so long, there'll probably be a reason for why he's pretty street level in terms of power - maybe he was stripped of his divine mantle for some reason? Maybe he gave it up willingly? Just give it some thought for now, there's no need to explain it all.

@Wargor and everyone interested in the combat procedure:

Okay, so this is going to be a simple combat: three non-Wild Card minor criminals taken straight from the back of the Super Powers Companion (page 133, stats). I’m want to run this quick with the least amount of fuss (and Savage Worlds is great for that sort of thing) thus, they’ll act as a single group on one initiative draw (d20 roll). Two are armed with knives (str+d4), one with a pistol (2d6, AP1).

My general policy when running combat on these forums is to have a player explain his/her intentions in an OOC spoiler in the IC thread, roll the dice in a second spoiler or on the OOC thread itself, then write the action up in the same IC post you’re using. That’s the general rule, not a sacred one. So, I’ll get started now by writing Redeemer’s first combat post with the Initiative roll included.

Expect this first combat to be a bit of an experiment, feeling out the rules and explaining them to anyone that isn’t sure. Ask questions if you need to, all of you.

I'll put the combat post up now.

[Wargor]

So seeing as I'm going second, shall I let you write their actions first or shall I go ahead and post my actions?

[Hack Writer]

@wargor: I'll write up their actions here, then transfer them to the IC post as a in-character write-up; don't declare your actions yet, because things might change for you when you see what happens.

Below are detailed the combat actions for the three thugs currently fighting Redeemer, including dice rolls. I'll edit-in the results into the IC thread after. Sorry but, this is very long-winded. It's the first combat, so needs to be thorough.
gun-wielding thug: he's shooting at Redeemer, using his Shooting score of d4, plus 2 because of the Joker.
Shooting roll [with +2 added]
[roll0]

in case of an Ace [if the d4 roll is a natural 4, you roll again - without the bonuses]
[roll1]
[roll2]

assuming it hits, here's the damage:
[roll3]

Next, his companions will close in and attack Redeemer, one at either side; they receive a ganging up bonus of +1 for this, because they outnumber Redeemer:
first thug: [roll4]
second thug: [roll5]

in case of an Ace
[roll6]
[roll7]

damage [with +2 for the Joker]:
[roll8]
[roll9]

Sorry, Wargor, but Redeemer's proving to be a bit of a guinea pig for showcasing the unpredictable nature of the Savage Worlds combat. After calculating the scores, Redeemer suffers a single shaken result from the gun-wielding thug, plus 2 wounds from the subsequent attacks of his companions. Redeemer can try to soak these wounds however, by taking a Vigor check and following the rules for soaking damage, as per the Savage Worlds Revised core (page 70, according to my copy). I take it you'd like to give it a shot?

I'll write up the thugs' actions now, In Character, and wait for you to get back to me.

Everyone else, I've got your replies in and I'll be writing up follow up posts tomorrow, so stay tuned.

[Hack Writer]

@obscurejones: I'm going to let you decide how many Notice checks you want to make; you can make up to a maximum of five or as few as just the one. Post each roll here (remembering to roll for Aces, should they occur).

@Wargor: I forgot to say, you receive a Heroic Benny for deciding to aid the old guy in the first place, which means you're back up to three. That's lucky.

[Obscurejones]

I'll go with three to represent how many extra actions Black Blur can make.
1
[roll0]
[roll1]
2
[roll2]
[roll3]
3
[roll4]
[roll5]

[Hack Writer]

Okay, I think I've got everybody's replies in bar Wargor's, but he's in combat so that too crucial. I'll start writing the posts now, maybe get them up tonight, depending on how inspired I am by reading your posts.

[Wargor]

Sorry, been out all day, I'll try and my IC post up tonight. How does it work exactly with spending those bennies? With soaking damage especially.

[Hack Writer]

Okay, I think I've got everybody's replies in bar Wargor's, but he's in combat so that too crucial. I'll start writing the posts now, maybe get them up tonight, depending on how inspired I am by reading your posts.

@wargor: I'd reply directly but want to get the posts written before I go to bed, so I'll just cut and paste the section from the Revised Core. It probably does a better job than I could at explaining things anyway:

character can spend a benny to automatically eliminate a Shaken condition (see Shaken, below). If the benny is spent immediately after taking one or more wounds from a single attack, you may make a Vigor roll as well. A success and each raise on the roll reduces the number of wounds suffered from that attack by 1. If the character is left with any wounds from the attack however, he’s still Shaken as usual. Don’t count the wound modifiers you’re about to suffer when making this roll.

A character may only make one soak roll per attack. If a soak roll eliminates 2 of 3 wounds, for instance, a hero can’t make another soak roll to eliminate the third wound. (The hero could spend a second benny to reroll the Vigor roll as usual, however.)

If a character suffers multiple hits on the same action card, he needs to spend bennies and make soak rolls after each result—before the next “set” of wounds is soaked.

Example: Buck gets attacked and hit twice in the same round by two crocodile cultists. The first attack makes him Shaken, and the second causes 2 wounds. Buck takes the first result and is Shaken. He knows if he completely soaks the second, he won’t be Shaken anyway. Now he makes a Soak roll against the two wounds and gets a 5 on his Vigor roll. That negates one wound, but he remains Shaken. He could now spend another benny to be unshaken, but can’t negate the remaining wound.

[Hack Writer]

Just to keep you all informed, I'm back at work tomorrow and won't be able to keep this game running at the same intensity it's been going at so far. Thankfully my working week will be pretty short, and I'll get round to posting again by Friday.

The exception to this is Redeemer's combat; I want to keep it running lest I end up forgetting what I was supposed to be doing during his scene - combat's a potential killer (pun kinda intended) for forum-based games, and I don't want to run the risk of leaving him high and dry without anything to do.

[Wargor]

Sorry bout this, a bit of sun-stroke knocked me out for the rest of the day. I'm not going to be able to make a detailed post IC till tomorrow evening. Sorry again!

[Wargor]

Quick question, does being Shaken mean you can't defend yourself? If not, shouldn't the two thugs have had to have rolled over my Parry score? If that is the case, sorry, just wanted to quickly double check.

[jolinaxas]

Spending a benny to re-roll that snake-eyes.


Add 1 to the results here for his camo clothing, and any appropriate +mods for ambient darkness.
Skill Die: [roll0]
Wild Die: [roll1]

[jolinaxas]

and the ace on that 4

[roll0]

[Gull]

New post up soon, just reading through Irredeemable so I have a handle on the I, Monarch situation and what Karpos was doing at that time.

[Hack Writer]

Guys, I’ll update the stories of everyone who’s posted so far tomorrow night, until then hold tight and keep the faith. This week’s been busy; I don’t have a whole load of free time. Weekend’s free again however, so you’ve got me if you want me.

@Wargor: Yes. Yes, you’re right; for some strange reason, I set the target number to four, probably because I’d just come off the back of rolling to hit with the first thug’s shooting attack. Redeemer’s Parry of eight should be the number required to hit, and that means neither thug landed a blow on you. You’re still shaken (no wound modifiers), but a Benny or a vigor roll can be expended to scrub that, then you’re back in the fray. Thanks for keeping me honest.

@Gull: Do it; you’ll be a better man for it. Irredeemable is a good, solid, well-worked comic, maybe a little lacklustre with some of its delivery, but a great premise nonetheless. Whatever you decide to do with Karpos’ back-story, try to keep him as a spectator to events rather than an active protagonist in them. Karpos could’ve rescued locals from the ruined buildings and kept them safe and ensured the locals hoods didn’t loot the stores after the battle, but not have been one of the superheroes sent to confront I, Monarch – that’s too much limelight for a single player character to have without first earning it.

@thejoshie: Dove’s not a shrinking violet; she’s a capable woman, a ninja - like you. You and I will need to work together on establishing the pair’s relationship. One thing: love’s course never runs smooth, and that counts double for comics. Don’t become too attached to the idea that the pair will live happily ever after, at least not yet. Wait for my next post tomorrow.

[thejoshie]

@Hackwriter

Can't wait. :p

As far as discussion on their relationship, feel free to drop me a PM (when you're less busy, that is) with any ideas.

[Wargor]

That okay! Just wanted to clarify, I plan to run a game with this system at some point soon. I'll get an IC post up tomorrow evening, sorry for the delay in that actually.

[Hack Writer]

I'll put up the next set of posts now for those that have replied to their previous ones; I think that's thejoshie, Wargor and jolinaxas. Those that haven't posted yet, I'll wait until you get back to me (Gull and obscurejones).

@thejoshie: read this next post then PM me a brief idea of how you'd like to see Silence's relationship with Dove develop. I'll be honest with you now, you won't get it entirely your own way. I want to put you through the ringer first, and I also want to present you with a few more relationship choices.

@wargor: No worries; my lifestyle's pretty manic at times, so I understand if you don't have the time to spend on forum games like this. It's nice you're thinking of running a Savage Worlds game, I think it's a great system.

@everyone else: get your posts in as soon as possible so that I can reply to them.

[Hack Writer]

@Wargor: Redeemer's move provokes an attack of opportunity from each of the thugs he' was adjacent to before pulling away; they're standard attacks, without the ganging-up bonus normally applied. This is sort of out of sequence - but I'm not too bothered; if a situation arises later that hinges on the rules being interpreted as written, I'll retcon the action to fit. But that's for the future.

Here's the two attacks, hitting against a target score of 8; they don't get a ganging up bonus, but do receive the +2 skill check bonus for drawing a Joker/rolling 20:

roll 1:
[roll0]

roll 2:
[roll1]

in case of an Ace:
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

damage:
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]

EDIT: neither hit - Redeemer's safe! Huzzah! Right, I'll set up round two for you in a bit.

[Gull]

Sorry for the interval between posts- it took me a little while to decide on which episode of Karpos' extensive life to focus on. Troy remains one of his greatest shames though, so I thought I would zero in on that.

[thejoshie]

PM sent. ^_^

[Hack Writer]

Sorting through everybody's posts now and going to try to get something up for each of you before the end of the day. Post lengths may vary a bit between you all; some characters are caught in critical junctures at the moment, so that'll require a bit more writing, other might just get a line or two.

@obscurejones: roll Notice for me with a -3 modifier, please.

@thejoshie: caught your PM and reading through it now, I'll reply back soon.

[Wargor]

@HackWriter I'm really liking the system so far, and all the different optional rules and mods you can do to it really make it shine for me!

[Obscurejones]

Hoping for an ace. :smallwink:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Obscurejones]

Rolling for the Ace. [roll0]

[Hack Writer]

I'm writing everyone's posts now, hoping to get them up for tomorrow. Some will be shorter than others, but that's no reflection on your respective characters' impact on the game so far.

@Wargor: best to re-roll that using a Benny, otherwise you might end up here all day. Bennies are the essential currency of Savage Worlds, so don't be afraid to use them. There's always more around the corner.

[Wargor]

Oh can we use them to re-roll damage? In that case I will!

[roll0]

EDIT: ... Why did I bother?

[Hack Writer]

Post'll be up in a minute, but I won't be able to post again until Saturday or Sunday. My intention is to have you all meeting up fairly soon, so these separate one-shots are starting to crank up a gear now.

@wargor: Yep; if the damage is being inflicted via a Wild Card's Trait (i.e. if it's a strength-based melee attack), you can always re-roll using a Benny (attacks that don't rely on Strength can't be re-rolled, however). Still, it didn't make any difference at all in this instance - dratz! Probably something to do with the subtleties of Earth's gravitic pull.

[Wargor]

Of course, I'll blame it on that. :smalltongue:

[Wargor]

I assume I get my Joker bonus still? Should I be getting that to damage as it's my trait being rolled? I won't add it for now as I'm unsure.

Fighting - [roll0]
Wild die - [roll1]

Damage [roll2]

EDIT: Eugh.... :smalltongue:

[Hack Writer]

Weekend's here and I'm back at the game again, so I'll be posting responses to those that have already put something up. I'll answer the few outstanding questions here:

@Wargor: your bonus for rolling a Joker still stands, so you get the +2 to your rolls to hit and to damage. I'll calculate everything and post the other thugs' actions soon.

@jolinaxas: I have a few rolls to make but your plan's solid, so we can go for it. I'll post Rattle's next scene soon, too.

@everyone else: I'll reply to your posts as and when I receive them. No particular need to hurry your posts if you want to prose them up a bit.

[Hack Writer]

Guys, I've been really, really busy, but getting round to writing your posts now.

EDIT:
@obscurejones: You've got knowledge: super hero history, right? Make a check against that for me.

[jolinaxas]

Stealth (Add 1 to rolls, plus environmental mods)
Skill:[roll0]
Wild:[roll1]

Tracking
Skill:[roll2]
Wild:[roll3]

In case of aces:

Skill:[roll4]
Wild:[roll5]

Skill:[roll6]
Wild:[roll7]

[Obscurejones]

Let's see what I know about people with capes...
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Hack Writer]

@Jolinaxes: that's a failiure on both one count - the tracking. Want to re-roll that with a Benny?

@Obscurejones: you do know something about the mysterious maid with the medal. I'll fill you in on the rest.

@wargor: I forgot that I hadn't calculated the damage on that last attack! I'll rectify that now.

[jolinaxas]

I'll let this one go - don't want to solve the whole case in the first issue. :smallbiggrin:

[Gull]

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l168/sharkskintuxedo/karpos003_zpsd6341978.jpg

Didn't quite capture the his character the way I wanted to, but I'm pretty out of practice. Still, moderately pleased.

[Gull]

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l168/sharkskintuxedo/rattle001_zps54ba6f5c.jpghttp://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l168/sharkskintuxedo/rattle002_zps5cfa7b2c.jpg


Am apparently on a roll. Proportions are all bollixed, I didn't notice till I was too far along to care to redo them.

[Wargor]

Those are awesome!

[jolinaxas]

Nice, man.

Gotta have the trenchcoat for billowing around while brooding.

[Gull]

Hey friends, it appears we're back, so here is my new dude.

---

The case broke when the fourth-floor window did: at the moment Barnaby Caldwell, Vampire PI (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=913172) was thrown through it.

In typical form, a simple missing person case had snowballed into something much, much weirder. Barnaby had followed the trail of the missing girl to the 112s in the Seagraves, followed the gang’s runners taking the abducted kids to the Sanctuary branch of the mob, and then to the Green Dons.

The damn alien mafia. Typical. Typical typical typical.

This last tidbit of information had come moments before a burly made man had gripped Barnaby by the lapels of his motorcycle jacket and thrown him bodily through the fourth floor window of a posh apartment building in West Falk where the mob’s men had been meeting with the alien capo. Barnaby hadn’t even had time to pull his roscoe before he found himself sailing through the air, just enough time to think one word before his body hit the taxi cab parked outside, four stories down.

Typical.

His body shattered the taxi’s roof light and dented the roof in. Barnaby’s signature Ray-Bans broke in two and skittered across the concrete. The panicked taxi driver clawed himself out of the cab and was already dialing, but stopped as Barnaby’s body racked with a cough, spitting blood, and then sat up.

“You’re alive?” he said incredulously.

“Nah,” said Barnaby as he rolled his head and shoulders, feeling everything pop back into place. “But who really is these days?” He shakily pulled himself off the dented cab, the broken glass of the window crunching and squeaking beneath the leather soles of his loafers. He ran a hand through his hair to fix it, shrugged to settle his jacket, and then looked at the driver.

“You might want to get out of here,” Barnaby suggested as he plucked the cabbie’s folded sunglasses from his breast pocket and pushed them over his eyes. “I’m about to do some housecleaning.”

He pulled his .357. “And I’m bringing a hell of a broom.”

---

Barnaby Caldwell is Sanctuary City’s only vampire detective, a young man who describes himself as a “haemovore-American.” Afflicted with the curse of vampirism and having watched far too many detective movies, Barnaby is the last of an ancient breed- the old-school PI, the dummy who stands up for the little guy, the hard-boiled, hard-nosed, hard-luck gumshoe who gets results. Barnaby is not the smartest shamus in Sanctuary City, but he’s tough and tenacious and at times, a little bit clever.

Barnaby is a pale young man with dark hair pomaded back and combed. He wears sunglasses at all times and a black leather motorcycle jacket, a white oxford, trousers and oxblood leather loafers, coming off a cross between a 90s goth rocker and a 60s TV detective. Barnaby house-sits the fashionable West Falk condo of Eddie ‘Red’ Death, lead guitarist of the currently touring Blackhawk Orchestra after Barnaby solved The Case of the Haunted Master Tape. Barnaby drives a glossy black 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible (a souvenir from The Case of the Seagraves Saucer-People) and spends most of his time hanging out at Famous Family Sports Bar across the tracks in East Falk, annoying his friend Umberto “Famous” Famoso.

---

Trying out a different tone and a different environment, less Season 2 of The Wire, more Rockford Files mixed with a Sisters of Mercy video (http://youtubedoubler.com/?video1=ROnXv7Z7v28&start1=0&video2=yg1Cx26-928&start2=0&authorName=barnaby). If for Karpos, Sanctuary City was blue-collar Baltimore (ie the Seagraves), for Barnaby it's weird 70s LA/Hollywood (ie West Falk).
Also have the Green Dons as the enemy for now, but will probably come up with something more personal.

[Hack Writer]

Yes, it looks like the Sanctuary City pilot garnered enough favour with the networks to earn itself a full season! That's good news. Bad news is, it's on Syfy. At 1am. Still, I'm sure we can make it work.

Returning actors are Gull and ObscureJones, but Karpos has been dropped (something about negative audience feedback) and in his place is Barnaby Caldwell, Vampire PI.

Light-hearted refrains aside, I'd like to start the game Tuesday or Wednesday or next week, depending on how you both feel. There's still the potential of the others returning to join the fun, but I won't put the game on hold on the strength of a possibility. For the Black Blur, he'll pick up from where he left off; Barnaby will enter action after his own introductory post (which you, Gull, can write up, but make sure it's in Seagraves, at night, and you're skulking around somewhere).

If you've got questions, ask 'em.

[Hack Writer]

To those who are playing, the game starts as soon as Barnaby -- our new guy, played by Gull -- makes his introductory post. I plan to throw you all into the action right from the get-go, figuring that the sooner we hit the action, the better.

[Hack Writer]

in-game posts are up for the restarted Sanctuary City! Adding Baraby to the first post of this thread, then going to do some work.

EDIT: Here's a nice little photo explaining what you're up against:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v20/Arcademan/Arcade/robby.png

[Gull]

Strength roll, I guess, to open the fire hydrant with a tire iron, what modifiers should I take into account?