Enderlord's Random Banter #230 (Friendly warning: Might teleport. Don't get wet.)

[Lord Raziere]

Okay Rater, so you want to be something super-soldiery that has been kidnapped and transformed against their will, and you care more about that than the setting.

Got it.

I don't have a specific concept for that, but super-soldiers like that are things I've made in the past and found interesting so I'll let you whenever I come up with one I want to play. though just a warning: a lot of that creative brain space has been taken up by making sure Sounditp is as high quality as possible so.....don't your hold your breath, I don't want to get your hopes up by making a half-baked concept and messing up by not being interested enough again.

[Rater202]

Okay Rater, so you want to be something super-soldiery that has been kidnapped and transformed against their will, and you care more about that than the setting.

Got it.

I don't have a specific concept for that, but super-soldiers like that are things I've made in the past and found interesting so I'll let you whenever I come up with one I want to play. though just a warning: a lot of that creative brain space has been taken up by making sure Sounditp is as high quality as possible so.....don't your hold your breath, I don't want to get your hopes up by making a half-baked concept and messing up by not being interested enough again.

Honestly my brainspace got shifted to Marvel 2099. I may have sniped you with an edit.

I'm not set on anything, I've just got ideas.

My head's jumping around to much right now to settle on anything.

[Lord Raziere]

I'm not set on anything, I've just got ideas.

My head's jumping around to much right now to settle on anything.

Yeah, I know that feel. sometimes the thoughts just don't settle and they keep going and going without any direction or logical sense and I just wish they could make up my mind y'know? worst part is despite being filled with idea it often doesn't lead to any of them actually being written down or anything well thought out or useable. can be frustrating.

[Rater202]

Yeah, I know that feel. sometimes the thoughts just don't settle and they keep going and going without any direction or logical sense and I just wish they could make up my mind y'know? worst part is despite being filled with idea it often doesn't lead to any of them actually being written down or anything well thought out or useable. can be frustrating.

Yeah, probably best to focus on the stuff we're already doing.

Though I'm probably gonna think of ways to flesh out the "Young woman turned into a Cyborg using biotech made from that piece of Carnage that Alchemex pulled out of Goblin Chylde eighty years becuase they didn't learn their lesson from injecting a piece of Venom into a girl" idea that popped into my head just because the idea is already half-formed.

[Anonymouswizard]

Rater, I don't know Marvel to that degree, you want me to play superheroes I got to be able to play whatever I want. I don't go to straight supers to have limitations on what I can make.

Meanwhile I saw the pitch, and immediately saw that the setting would support jacking up my speed/reflexes, grafting on some robot limbs, and going all winter soldier super soldier type (not that I know that much about the actual character beyond the basic details). Maybe throw in some slower wolverine-style regen from gene tweaking.

[Lord Raziere]

Meanwhile I saw the pitch, and immediately saw that the setting would support jacking up my speed/reflexes, grafting on some robot limbs, and going all winter soldier super soldier type (not that I know that much about the actual character beyond the basic details). Maybe throw in some slower wolverine-style regen from gene tweaking.

Sure thats reasonable.

But my brain doesn't work like that. I don't think "oh hey thats an archetype I want to repeat/emulate" or "put these tweaks together to get this". I go "Oh thats already been done. I need/want to make my OWN thing". Making a character with this kind of mindset is doable a more limited setting with blank or unexplored spaces. but when its something like a superhero setting with decades of crowded even contradictory continuity that I don't know? and Rater is insistent on sticking to that canon and a theme? basically becomes impossible.

[Anonymouswizard]

Sure thats reasonable.

But my brain doesn't work like that. I don't think "oh hey thats an archetype I want to repeat/emulate" or "put these tweaks together to get this". I go "Oh thats already been done. I need/want to make my OWN thing". Making a character with this kind of mindset is doable a more limited setting with blank or unexplored spaces. but when its something like a superhero setting with decades of crowded even contradictory continuity that I don't know? and Rater is insistent on sticking to that canon and a theme? basically becomes impossible.

Sure, I have serious concerns I'd clash with Rater in-game because my view of canon tends towards the BBC approach ('everything is canonical, bit accessibility is more important').

Plus, well, jacked up speed/reflexes is my default for supers, I once tried to build a brick and broke the sound barrier (and if I build a telekinetic or the like they'll have done Ability that lets them go from normal use of their powers to human rocket). Heck, if I have leftover CP in any RPG with rules it goes straight into fast-talk and reflexes.

[Peelee]

I'm aware of the reference you're making, but that's going into character rather than appearance and...

It's both. She's fictional. She looks, acts, etc. according to how whoever is in charge at the time wants her to look, act, etc. Anything and everything about her is based on what some person decided. If someone decides next issue /episode/series that she's going to start looking more physically attractive for whatever reason, she will. That was the point I was making with that rather pithy statement (and what I largely suspect was the point that WFRR was making as well when they came up with it).

[Rater202]

It's both. She's fictional. She looks, acts, etc. according to how whoever is in charge at the time wants her to look, act, etc. Anything and everything about her is based on what some person decided. If someone decides next issue /episode/series that she's going to start looking more physically attractive for whatever reason, she will. That was the point I was making with that rather pithy statement (and what I largely suspect was the point that WFRR was making as well when they came up with it).

There's "draw them more physically attractive" and then there's "draw them as if they're a completely different person."

[Rogar Demonblud]

*coughSunspotcough*

[Peelee]

There's "draw them more physically attractive" and then there's "draw them as if they're a completely different person."

... A teenager has spider-based superpowers and fights a guy with mentally controlled super flexible and strong mechanical limbs and a lizardman.

Prerty sure they can give her a human face for whatever reason if they want. They gave Peter four arms at one point. Comics work based off of whatever the writer wants to happen. "I don't want to cure cancer, I want to turn people into dinosaurs" was "I, the author, want this to happen, so I'll use any excuse to justify it. The excuse doesn't matter. All that matters is I want a story about turning people into dinosaurs".

[Rater202]

Sure, I have serious concerns I'd clash with Rater in-game because my view of canon tends towards the BBC approach ('everything is canonical, bit accessibility is more important').

Plus, well, jacked up speed/reflexes is my default for supers, I once tried to build a brick and broke the sound barrier (and if I build a telekinetic or the like they'll have done Ability that lets them go from normal use of their powers to human rocket). Heck, if I have leftover CP in any RPG with rules it goes straight into fast-talk and reflexes.

Again, Marvel 2099 has been rebooted enough that I'd be comfortable playing fast and loose with it.

The only concern is if you can come up with a character that logically makes sense to have access to those kinds of cybers and gene mods, becuase while the technology exists how common it is?

And party balance and character-speciation: If we do something 2099 based and I use the character that's been stuck in my head since last night, that's gonna be two Cyborg Ladies whose body mods are built around physical enhancements and probably cutting things.

...Unless I misjudged your interest and you were focused on the Weapon V one.

(Maybe expand that to Weapon Plus in general?)

For the record, the Winter Soldier's deal is... It's not what was done to him, it's who he is under the cybers and brainwashing: If they had used anyone other than Bucky Barnes--the sixteen year old with no powers who could none-the-less keep up with Captain America and even do black-ops wetwork crap by himself becuase Cap couldn't be seen doing that stuff--he would not have been as effective.

So when it comes to a Winter Soldier Type, the exact mods don't matter so much as who they're applied to. As far as I know, Bucky's cyber arm was his only enhancement until Fear Itself, and the Cyber arm is just a limited amount of superhuman strength in one limb--it's basically just a really good prosthetic.

@Peelee: Well, Itsy hasn't been seen in over there years despite a promise that we'd see her again "soon" so I think it's a moot point. I don't think anyone wants to pick her up again.

[Anonymouswizard]

Again, Marvel 2099 has been rebooted enough that I'd be comfortable playing fast and loose with it.

The only concern is if you can come up with a character that logically makes sense to have access to those kinds of cybers and gene mods, becuase while the technology exists how common it is?

And party balance and character-speciation: If we do something 2099 based and I use the character that's been stuck in my head since last night, that's gonna be two Cyborg Ladies whose body mods are built around physical enhancements and probably cutting things.

...Unless I misjudged your interest and you were focused on the Weapon V one.

(Maybe expand that to Weapon Plus in general?)

You say 'cyberpunk' and expect me not to put four centimetre razor blades in my fingers? Plus physical body mods are easy to come up with.

Plus I'd probably focus on speed and reflexes over power, not in a 'oh girls aint strong way' but in a 'this is how I view X-punk mods' way. Hit a notch below peak human in power and durability, the ideal way as I see it is to nab low level regen so you can use more muscle power, and than lower that reaction time as far as you can go. Some other mods in my standard razorgirl package would likely have to go, as laced bones leads to this becoming uncomfortably close to 'wolverine, but with tits'.

I'd also likely go for a bunch of smaller mods over one big one. Reasons below.

For the record, the Winter Soldier's deal is... It's not what was done to him, it's who he is under the cybers and brainwashing: If they had used anyone other than Bucky Barnes--the sixteen year old with no powers who could none-the-less keep up with Captain America and even do black-ops wetwork crap by himself becuase Cap couldn't be seen doing that stuff--he would not have been as effective.

So when it comes to a Winter Soldier Type, the exact mods don't matter so much as who they're applied to. As far as I know, Bucky's cyber arm was his only enhancement until Fear Itself, and the Cyber arm is just a limited amount of superhuman strength in one limb--it's basically just a really good prosthetic.

I know little about Marvel canon, But what little I do know includes that the Winter Soldier backstory, in broad strokes, is great for a super soldier.

So girl somewhere in her teens is acting as sidekick to a hero, maybe in some sort of war or something, and gets captured in the 2070s or 2080s by a Mega. Said Mega proceeds to use her as one of the test subjects for a super infiltrator/saboteur/assassin, trying to splice in some shapeshifting powers, wiping most of her memories and installing some new ones, and shoving a bunch of tech mods in her. Things don't quite work, shapeshifting is limited, it mostly manifests as a healing factor and the implants mess with it when used on anything but hair, and at some point she escapes/gets dumped (possibly because she's starting to break down).

[Rater202]

You say 'cyberpunk' and expect me not to put four centimetre razor blades in my fingers? Plus physical body mods are easy to come up with.

Plus I'd probably focus on speed and reflexes over power, not in a 'oh girls aint strong way' but in a 'this is how I view X-punk mods' way. Hit a notch below peak human in power and durability, the ideal way as I see it is to nab low level regen so you can use more muscle power, and than lower that reaction time as far as you can go. Some other mods in my standard razorgirl package would likely have to go, as laced bones leads to this becoming uncomfortably close to 'wolverine, but with tits'.

I'd also likely go for a bunch of smaller mods over one big one. Reasons below.



I know little about Marvel canon, But what little I do know includes that the Winter Soldier backstory, in broad strokes, is great for a super soldier.

So girl somewhere in her teens is acting as sidekick to a hero, maybe in some sort of war or something, and gets captured in the 2070s or 2080s by a Mega. Said Mega proceeds to use her as one of the test subjects for a super infiltrator/saboteur/assassin, trying to splice in some shapeshifting powers, wiping most of her memories and installing some new ones, and shoving a bunch of tech mods in her. Things don't quite work, shapeshifting is limited, it mostly manifests as a healing factor and the implants mess with it when used on anything but hair, and at some point she escapes/gets dumped (possibly because she's starting to break down).

Oh yeah, that would be right up Alchemex's Ally, too.

In various versions of the 2099 canon, they're basically all over that kind of thing either becuase they want to build up an army of super-soldiers with which to take over the other corps or cement their monopoly on the privatized police or becuase there are various cults that worships heroes from the modern-day* and want to "bring them back" in order to manipulate those people.

The corp getting their hands on a successor Hero during the dark times and tinkering on her works surprisingly well for the setting.

In this case, character speciation would be a matter of "more experience and precise" versus "enthusiastic brute strength". With what I'm thinking "Evelyn 'Lyn' Kassady"(no relation) was just a random young woman who was horribly maimed in a freak accident and Alchemex offering her experimental treatments that would restore functionality to her broken body. The cybers are just proto-types, they're not really meant for combat... If only the scientists weren't stupid enough to be tinkering with symbiote goo for them. The "bio-organic circuits" that hook directly to the nervous system and allow for natural control full sensation and "endo-sym mesh" that allow the cybers to repair themselves fuse with Lyn's body, compel her to go on a rampage through the building to absorb the rest of the "cell culture" they were made from and now "Red Goblyn" who is pissed off that he was used as a test subject and now she's stuck with a basic but murderous intelligence is committing violent acts of Vigilante Justice against Alchemex and other Corps party ou of vengeance and partly to sate the bloodlust she's stuck with.

I imagine that she's not really good at "subtly." I imagine that she just smashes and cuts things and/or sets them on fire.

If we can find one more person I'd be comfortable starting a thread for dedicated discussion.

[enderlord99]

Does anywhere real have Lacrosse as its National Sport?

[LaZodiac]

Does anywhere real have Lacrosse as its National Sport?

Canada, it's our summer sport. Japan also kinda likes it.

[enderlord99]

Canada

Oh, okay. So-

it's our summer sport

I said "real"

[Peelee]

Canada, it's our summer sport. Japan also kinda likes it.

Lacrosse was first declared the National Game of Canada in 1859. In 1994 Parliament passed the Canada's National Sport Act which declared lacrosse to be "Canada's National Summer Sport", with hockey as the national winter sport.

Just a little fun fact I learned when you said that. Cool to know lacrosse has been going strong for over 160 years in the Great White North!

[Bartmanhomer]

I love dark elves and also high elves as well.

[DataNinja]

Lacrosse was first declared the National Game of Canada in 1859. In 1994 Parliament passed the Canada's National Sport Act which declared lacrosse to be "Canada's National Summer Sport", with hockey as the national winter sport.

Just a little fun fact I learned when you said that. Cool to know lacrosse has been going strong for over 160 years in the Great White North!

Yep. It means I get to be bad at both national sports.
(I could never properly get the hang of skating beyond a beginner's level, and lacrosse was... uh, an adventure during PE classes...)

[Rawhide]

Yep. It means I get to be bad at both national sports.
(I could never properly get the hang of skating beyond a beginner's level, and lacrosse was... uh, an adventure during PE classes...)

Did it make you cross? And if you had to play it in Quebec, would you have been la cross?

[Peelee]

Did it make you cross? And if you had to play it in Quebec, would you have been la cross?

Hating on the Quebecois... as if they didn't suffer enough from being called Quebecois.

[enderlord99]

Are you ignoring my (obviously pre-planned) "Canada doesn't have a summer" joke because it wasn't funny or because you didn't catch it? In before "yes."

[Mystic Muse]

I love dark elves and also high elves as well.

What kind of Dark Elves? Daughters of Khaine? Drukhari?

I'm not as fond of the High Elves. The Lumineth Lightlords look neat, but aren't really my aesthetic.

Plus, Morathi just looks cooler than Teclis.

I know you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, these are Warhammer characters. Google the minis, they look really cool.

[Rater202]

Do amalgamations of multiple dark elves count as a dark elf?

Becuase if so, I'm intrigued by this freak.

Spoiler

Show

This is about a dozen dark elf warriors, each bonded to a small piece of Venom, who willingly Cronenberged themselves into that thing when they realized they weren't a match for Thor's Step-Mother.

[Bartmanhomer]

What kind of Dark Elves? Daughters of Khaine? Drukhari?

I'm not as fond of the High Elves. The Lumineth Lightlords look neat, but aren't really my aesthetic.

Plus, Morathi just looks cooler than Teclis.

I know you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, these are Warhammer characters. Google the minis, they look really cool.

Chaotic Good Dark Elves.

[DataNinja]

Did it make you cross? And if you had to play it in Quebec, would you have been la cross?

Nah, I just wasn't good at it. Though, really, I wasn't good at anything in PE besides, like... Badminton. And I guess Dodgeball, on account of it was the only activity where it was a good thing to be unable to make contact with the sports equipment.

[Rockphed]

Lacrosse was first declared the National Game of Canada in 1859. In 1994 Parliament passed the Canada's National Sport Act which declared lacrosse to be "Canada's National Summer Sport", with hockey as the national winter sport.

Just a little fun fact I learned when you said that. Cool to know lacrosse has been going strong for over 160 years in the Great White North!

Lacrosse was invented in the 1600s by a French missionary based on the ritual war games the natives engaged in. Its name means "the stick", as a reference to it being played with sticks. And it is a better game than baseball, basketball, and football (either variety).

[Rater202]

What are your ideal super-powers?

Like, not from any given setting, just in general if you get to custom powers what do you pick?

Most of mine are quality of life things--eternal youth and eternal perfect health, enough superhuman flexibility to be able to be in any position indefinitely without pain, injury, or discomfort, total self-sustenance(don't need to eat, drink, breathe, sleep, or excrete, nor would I feel the need to do so) a body that repels filth, and adaption to extreme temperatures—no matter where I am or hat I'm wearing I never feel more uncomfortable or suffer problems due to temperature, immunity to disease, various toxins, radiation sickness, to be able to instantly adapt to changes in gravity or atmosphere pressure...

Basically, I want tardigrades or Deinococcus radiodurans to look at me and call bullcrap.

I'd also like to be able to summon and banish an indestructible futon, set of sheets and blankets, and a tent that's inside is always big enough to comfortably fit me and any or all possessions I acquire and can be used as storage when banished, intuitive awareness of the cardinal directions and where I am in regards to national borders, local landmarks, and direction from where I want to be, and a "Somebody Else's Problem" type effect that I can turn on and off as needed.

Not so good at fighting crime or anything like that, but altogether it drastically lowers the bar needed to have a good quality of life.

[Lord Raziere]

I'm not about practicality, I'd mostly want powers that be fun:
travel to other universes/teleporting, time stopping, shapeshifting, illusions to screw with peoples heads and tell people stories, at will intangibility, luck manipulation, Super-lying and persuasion, item conjuration and/or transmutation, MHA Gentle's power, things like that.