[M&M3e] Tomorrow Comes Today - OOC

[Sailor OOC]

I want people to stop posting in here until things are sorted. Please.

[Sailor OOC]

Okay...

It seems that I have allowed serious overlap due to well feeling like I had to make snap decisons.

I will hold the start of the game until we got our collective acts together. Mine included. There probably will be changes made across the board. I am not asking for concepts to be completely destroyed, but I am thinking that a lot of considerations to who does what on the team may occur.

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So... let's start this process now. Once we are sorted we can begin with who we have.

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First... what do you see your character doing in the group, and how could you best fill the positions that might be expected for the team.

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What I was thinking is that the group would need a general communications support, a field command specialist, someone who was security for a team, one technician, and then some extra characters that can support the others. This concept is flexible to the player's needs.

[z011]

I've adjusted Dahlia to be more healing focused. I think that and the change of character Long is making will take care of most of the frictious character overlap. Please, other players, please speak up if I'm wrong.

[Sailor OOC]

I am liking this. And you are sticking with the HQ based character? Practically what you have done is build the team patron with this. Not that I'm complaining, you actually are making my job easier. (One less NPC to make).

[Sailor OOC]

I have a proposal.

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To assist in getting people's heads into character, would people be adverse to doing prelude threads after all? To set up what their characters are doing before Issue 1?

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I can help run solo fictions, while group fictions I can assist where needed. After all we know the fate of our heroes and heroines, but it is fun to write. I think this would be a good idea, and it can help me warm up.

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Who's on-board for this?

[Gabriel Stone]

I'm game.

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A note on overlap:

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Overlap is not a bad thing, in fact you want some overlap. Take the Avengers for example. Iron Man, Thor and Hulk all overlap. All have exceptional strength, Thor and Iron Man can Fly, and both Thor and Iron Man have energy powers... what sets them apart?

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Hulk is the powerhouse. He is THE strength of the group and all around their mad berserker brawler who gets in the thick and keeps then enemies on him while the others do their thing.

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Thor is the Paragon. He has vast amounts of strength and wide array of powers that he can bring to bear while the Hulk is running crowd control. Lightning, super strength, using his flight to off air support.

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Iron Man is the Suit. While not as strong as the other two, he IS strong, so he's not bad in a brawl. What makes him really useful is the unending array of weaponry he brings into the field to support the other team members. Best of all, he's the thinker. He's the brain where the other two are all brawn.

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Three characters. Three examples of overlap. Three examples where none of them are stepping on each others toes, instead they are helping to compliment the team member's weaknesses. My point with Cade, since I didn't get a chance to elaborate, was that he simply could do it ALL. He was the fastest, strongest, and had enough attack arrays that negated concealment that he was literally a one man army. There was nothing Psychic about the character aside from him calling himself a Psychic. That was my only point and I wasn't trying to be a jerk about it. But seriously, all Bastion would've said is "Have Cade do it." all the time, because it's only logical to let him do it, he's the most qualified.

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Let's look at what we have now...

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Bastion, Blaize, Watch Woman.

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Bastion is strong and invulnerable. That's pretty much it. He's not a thinker, he's not a ranged support... he hits things until they quit moving.

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Blaize is strong in a single element: fire. She has good ranged attacks, immunity to heat and fire, and can provide excellent cover fire. Bastion can keep her safe while she's watching his back.

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Watch Woman. This gal is a thinker. Something the two previous PCs really... aren't. With those two doing their thing, a character like Watch Woman compliments them both by keeping them organized while she supports the both of them. She's not super tough or strong, so staying behind a guy like Bastion is a good idea, but keeping Bastion where he's supposed to be is what makes her shine.

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Just like an MMO... Bastion collects and keeps all the aggro, Blaize DPS's the shit ouf it while B taunts, and WW is right there to keep the group organized and support the team as needed with her multitude of awesome gadgetry. Dalila is there to res us when we die and prevent us from embarrassing corpse runs... see? It's not hard, and it's not a competition. You don't win anything if you happen to have the highest scores or the prettiest character. It's a team. Compliment each other.

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What would be nice? A psychic who moved all those points in Lifting 20 over to something useful, like forcefields to protect the entire group from tidal waves, or a horde of hungry nano machines, y'know, like Green Lantern does with the fancy wedding band of his (married to corps, hoo ha!)? Or psychic with Mind Control, or Telepathy so you can communicate with the whole team even when your comm is broke?! Y'know, MIND powers... cuz the on ewe had was nothing but every single sense in the book coupled with teleportation and ways to blow things up. Honestly, we got that covered.

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Also... Page 45 of the Hero Handbook has a ready to use PL10 Psychic.

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Mental Awareness: Senses 2 (Mental Sense, Radius) • 2 points.
Telekinesis: Move Object 8, Accurate 4 • 20 points.
Telekinetic Field: Protection 12, Impervious, Sustained • 24 points.
Telekinetic Levitation: Flight 5 (60 MPH) • 10 points.
Telepathy: Mind Reading 5 Linked to Area Mental Communication 2 • 20 points.
• Telepathic Illusion: Illusion 4 (all senses), Resisted by Will, Selective • 1 point.
• Mental Blast: Perception Range Damage 5, Resisted by Will • 1 point.

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Damn good selection if you ask me. That's just my 2 cents to help this process along. Overlap is not bad, it just needs to be useful, team oriented overlap... we didn't have that and that's what I was trying to point out.

[Sailor OOC]

Good insight, Bastion.

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Also I'll see how the others call the prelude idea. I'm going to run this proposal democratically.

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I heard from Mike that he is planning with Carv on a Djane/WW prelude story, and I am going to let them do that without my nose in it.

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I know that at least from looking at where we are right now and where we are headed for the official start, there will be little suprise. But... then again as I know the eventual outcome I can see how your characters operate, while seeing where I may need some work on the rules or what-not before we take it to the house.

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Now the one character that might be a paradox in this is Mala's character, as she is at the mid-point of the First Issue paralyzed (I still don't know if she is sticking with that, I sort of hope so as I did like the idea of a disabled super-heroine) but it would be interesting to see the character of her character.

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Heh... yo dawg I heard you like characters...

[z011]

I altered her character sheet, so that she's primarily providing the HQ, a very nice healing goo courtesy of some work she and Blaize did pre-game (Blaize mostly giving blood samples and Dahlia synthesizing a powerful panacea compound based on Blaize's metahuman properties, if that's a fine "how we got to know each other" for you Kamiko), and a "Sonic Screwdriver"-esque little tool for Watchwoman for her in-the-field MacGuyvering needs.

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Re:Dave's points on overlap

My concern about overlap came from talking to Carver. Dahlia and Watchwoman specifically were trying to fill nearly the exact same roles, like having two Bastions in the game. That's why I took off the two devices I had that were an Affliction and a Weaken off and pumped up the healing, refocusing Dahlia on the healing aspect. I left the multitool because the idea really tickled me and it was a way for the remaining overlap between Dahlia and Watchwoman to be a positive, working with each other kinda thing.

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On a side note -

Carver, are you fine with the single skill point of Investigation Dahlia has having come from some training from Serene? It makes logical sense and I like the idea that the time they've spent together pre-game resulted in Serene helping Dahlia figure out how to coherently sort through all the information she can take in now and Dahlia making her the multitool as a thanks.

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Further on that side note and just about Dahlia in general as a character:

If this were a TT game, Dahlia would be an awful character to play. She's confined to home base and never in the thick of the action unless the HQ gets invaded or she gets kidnapped or something on one of her public appearances. As a PbP game, we can run side fics of time at the HQ, what people do when not out heroing that she can participate in, and in mission threads she's a great coordinator, information gatherer (as in googling shit and pulling up maps, getting local police/media out of the way or warning civilians from an area), etc. It's a different ballgame. I want to see how it works and if I find myself bored or frustrated, I'll dump some PP into her figuring out nanotech or somesuch that'll allow her to get out of the wheelchair.

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As the long-term, large scale inventor, think of Dahlia as the team's techie (Q, I think, from Bond?). If I find that playing the wheelchair spider-in-the-web entertaining, then there will be muchly of the PP for her to make toys for everyone. Right now Watchwoman has one and whoever wants to be holding the Kolto Darts has another (I'd suggest Djane right now, might change depending on Long's character), and both are Easily Removeable, so passing them around the group if necessary should be as simple as handing them off or tossing them (have good aim, please! ).

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Kamiko - I'd like to have Dahlia's discoveries also out there in the general world (talking about some side fic stuff and world building here). It would make it easily traceable that she's supporting the efforts of the hero team in Mill City, but could it be left muddy in the public mind that it's anything more than letting the heroes have first crack at the use of her inventions? Since she doesn't run about the city with them, she has no 'hero' identity, and she wouldn't really be able to live with herself if she withheld something like the Kolto goo from hospitals for use on patients. The multitool is a little less a thing, as it's really only a generation or two ahead of real life 3-D printers, in miniature. Which I think we should all take a second to think about just how awesome that is. Real 3-D printers can, especially on the bio-tech front, do more complex printing that the Create power allows in the game. Think about that. Real life is reaching the point that superhero and sci-fi games are struggling to come up with more fantastic abilities than what we can currently or very soon do ourselves (the transport apple => applesauce problem not withstanding ).

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Back to background ties, I'd love to have some with the other players as well. I'm sure Djane and Dahlia can meet and be awkward around each other at some point (if Djane tells Dahlia her story, Dahlia would offer to take her to a priest and see if they could exorcise the demon-ness out of her to turn her back into a real girl!). I'm up for Dahlia having a boyfriend, if Dave or Justin want that sort of character tie. Oh, does Bastion play video games? Dahlia is a gaming nerd (as the 'Kolto' on her healing device might denote) and has a sweet-ass supercomputer to inappropriately commandeer for MMO and FPS joint play. Lemme know what you guys think!

[Sailor OOC]

We can have the gadgets as a "Prototype Testing" through the heroes, before being given to the general public. After all, if Heroes use it, it's gotta be great for the general public, right?

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I would wager that the development of your medical equipment would be delayed a bit because the FDA's gotta FDA.

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But this IS something I like to see. Collaboration! What am I doing right so I can keep it up?!

[Blaize Fairview]

If I may make a suggestion

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http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/88698/Mutants-%26-Masterminds-GM%27s-Kit?cPath=1487&filters=0_0_1400_0_0

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This is a great tool for M&M gm's and players, though it does cost $10 but I consider it the best of the various support books, it also includes several templates the main book doesn't, like the summoner, the supernatural creature and the totem.

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I created Blaize from it, using the energy controller template, then adding my own touches to it.. it's better then the main book IMO, because all of the templates include different options, rather then just giving you a generic template and telling you to figure it out.

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It also includes a roll up option, which is really good for GM's looking to create NPC's quickly, or players struggling to settle on a concept, and they are generally a bit more balanced between each other, IMO.

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Powers are usually separated between combat, utility and defensive.. and each character gets some of each, for example, when I was making Blaize, this was the suggested list of defensive powers.. you can either roll or pick, but I see it as a group of suggestions, so I picked out what seemed most appropriate to her power set, and made a few adjustments.., and if you look at Blaize, I shifted the points around on the Energy Shield a bit, lowering the dodge and parry, but increasing the protection a bit.

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Energy Immunity: Immunity 5 (Energy Control type damage) • 5 points

Roll 1d20 once and record the result.

• 1-5 Energy Absorption: Enhanced Strength 10, Fades; Enhanced Stamina 10, Fades • 20 points
• 6-10 Energy Shield: Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry5); Impervious Protection 5, Sustained • 20 points
• 11-20 Force Field: Impervious Protection 10, Sustained • 20 points

[Sailor OOC]

*blushes as that is how I make NPCs... most the time...*

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Thanks for posting that up. I find that thing incredibly useful.

[Rubio OOC]

A quick-set of power packages for a system as in-depth and crunchy as MnM 3 certainly does seem useful...

[Sailor OOC]

Yah.

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When in doubt, Pull out the Emergency Character Creation Device as I call it.

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No shame in using it either for a quick-gen, then mod the final result.

[Sailor OOC]

There seems to be some confusion on the timeline of what happens before the start.

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So, to make it easier on everyone the game will start one year after the disaster. Watch this post for a map of the disaster areas.

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Here is the map: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zGlvFMTNd15Q.kNh4sf6mXSMw

[Dave ST]

I need some help with senses. How does someone get the ability to hear for miles around and where is x-ray vision? Can't seem to figure the math on those, can someone field them for me?

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

To hear for miles, buy Extended (p. 125 of the M&M Core book), for hearing/auditory sense, which increases the increment for range-based penalties by 10 for each rank (so three ranks increase your effect range by 1000). For X-Ray vision, buy Penetrates Concealment (p. 126) For Sight/Visual sense, which lets your sense work through concealment from physical obstacles, like opaque walls for sight. You could also buy it for Hearing, so your dude can hear clearly regardless of intervening walls or soundproofed materials. However Penetrates Concealment costs 4 ranks (4pp) per Sense.

[Sailor OOC]

Thanks. And that is correct.

[Dave ST]

Ugh, seems awfully expensive just to see through walls and clothes.

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

In theory, you could but a limit or flaw on it, like Distracting, conveying that Bastion has to focus a good portion of his attention to see through things. Distracting is a -1 flaw, but since Senses cost 1pp/ranks, that would change the cost to 1pp/2 ranks, so it would only cost 2pp to see through anything.

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Or you could make an array of Super-senses, indicating Bastion doesn't have them all active at the same time, since so much sensory input could be bewildering, and instead has to focus on one enhanced sense at a time.

[Sailor OOC]

Yeah... I believe they did that to make such senses on characters rarer as a power like that could be a plot breaker. Of course by limiting it in a way where it cannot penetrate certain materials can help. Sadly just lead is a complication... but something like steel or wood is something common enough I'd think to warrant the Limited flaw in my campaign.

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Oh, and what the helpful Sargent said.

[Dave ST]

I only have 5 platinum pieces, I don't think that's enough for an array. I do want his natural state of sensory input to be 'natural', so his super senses are something he has to activate and then filter out the unwanted stuff (hearing) or focus on a particular area (sight).

[Sailor OOC]

Hmm... then again, you are a PL 10 Superman. So there are things you'll probably have to "grow into". Perhaps one very specific frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum you can see right now, then you can expand it. Or you can set up a hearing sense like that. You can then expand from there.

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

5pp is enough for a small array, probably. What super-senses are you thinking of, Rev? Just the super-hearing and the x-ray Vision, or anything else?

[Dave ST]

Yeah, I dont mind growing into it. I did think that x-ray would be pretty useful for finding one lone Dahlia, buried amidst the wreckage of an entire hospital.

[Dawn OOC]

It would be 4 PP for the Provides Concealment to his eyes, then another PP for him to buy any another power that costs 4 PP that Kami will allow. Then he'll switch around between them. It'd look something like:

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Senses: Senses 4 (Penetrates Concealment: Visual)

. . Senses: Senses 4 (Alternate; Extended: Hearing 4: x10k)

[Sailor OOC]

Yes, the points I give for Nemesis/Background apply to the sheet immediately. Which means that pretty much everyone starts at 155 PP not 150 PP.

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

What Carver suggested is close to what I would have, with the addition of adding either the Distracting or Concentration flaw to Penetrates Concealment to model needing to focus, meaning it would cost half as much - you could add another 4 ranks of senses - I'd suggest Infravision, Ultravision, and Extended: Sight 1. For the Hearing power, I was going to suggest adding the Activation flaw, either -1pp to activate as a move action, or -2pp to activate as a Standard action, then suggest adding Ultra-Hearing and/or increase Extended: Hearing further.

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Here is my suggestion, in a neat array like Carver's. Could also replace Extended: Visual 2 with Darkvision instead and/or replace Distracting (meaning you are Vulnerable when using this power) with Concentration (mean to need to spend a Standard action to maintain the power each round).

Powers
Senses: Senses 8 (Extended: Visual 2: x100, Infravision, Penetrates Concealment: Visual, Ultravision; Distracting)
. . Senses: Senses 5 (Alternate; Extended: Hearing 4: x10k, Ultra-hearing; Activation: move action)

[Dave ST]

So I understand this... Both of those arrays (Carver' and Asa's) cost only 5 plat?

[Bombshell]

Yes. Carver's uses just the Sense power options as is, mine adds a few Flaws to take into account some of the flavour you mentioned, giving you a few extra virtual pp to play with.

[Dave ST]

And how far is 10k hearing?

[Sailor OOC]

And how far is 10k hearing?

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The way it works, is for every 10 feet, you suffer a -1 to your perception checks to hear something. Now, the 10k multiplies that increment by 10,000, so instead of every 10 feet, it's every 100,000 feet! Just about 19 miles! (18.939394 to be exact)

[Dave ST]

So... are we doing any meeting fics or anything like that? Kinda eager to get all supah.

[Sailor OOC]

We can in the preludes. I'm not sure if I want to pull the trigger right this second, as WW/Djane are currently doing a PM thread that will probably be posted on completion. That and I was going to write up a prologue that has some of the feel I want for the game to share with the rest of the group.

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And as I offered earlier I am happy to help with solo fictions that need a little GM oversight... I mean we do know we all make it with our characters into the start of the campaign, so it's more of a matter of having some fun as we discover our characters and I get a little stretching in before the main workout of the campaign.

[Sailor OOC]

Okay... I got a question...

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would you guys like to start fairly soon, and just get the prelude stuff done on the side? Or do we want to get through preludes first to get our characters straight?

[Blaize Fairview]

I'd good with starting when everyone is ready, but I don't want to rush into things too quickly either.

[z011]

I'm fine either way, but like Dave, I would like to get started posting somewhere.

[Sailor OOC]

Okay, once Cade and Heri is set, we should get the preludes rolling when I start.

[Sailor OOC]

Okay, Mala just dropped some wisdom, as I was trying to figure out where to start with preludes... well... she laid it on me.

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[Malachite] 10:05 pm: Kamiko - Unless you're going to direct these preludes, why don't you say that players -can- do preludes in that year period, if they wish and possibly for extra PP?

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So... here is what I will do.

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The preludes will be set after the disaster in Minneapolis, up to the 1-Year mark. I'd like to have all preludes completed by the 21st. For doing these preludes, I will grant 1 PP for doing a prelude, and extra for the quality and length. These will be added to your character background, but you post these as separate threads as [TCT-Prelude]. As you will be writing these. In the process, to make sure you guys know I'm doing my work, I will be doing a write-up as well that will give some more of the tone of the game. As well as posting locations and other things. Of course as it'll be boring to look at wrecked cityscapes, at least think of what I post as "Architect Plans" as to what those buildings will look like when completed.

[Sailor OOC]

I am banning the Alternate Resistance extra for use with Parry or Dodge.