Mutants & Masterminds: StarGate Freedom - Welcome to the Resistance

[z-Servant of Ra]

I am starting a new game. This one is an M&M game, using that system, but not the setting. It will also not be utilizing the mood. This is not a super-hero game (though it is heroic). The use of the M&M system is largely to duplicate the technology – very few PCs will find themselves with powers, especially to start. Most of the ‘powers’ in the game will be from Devices, though a device may grant a permanent power.

The posting speed for this game will depend on the PCs, largely. I’m setting it up in “missions-style” chunks with time passing in between them. Fictions will be worth xp, and are where personal interactions and stories can be the focus. “Missions” (and let me state that they are not necessarily missions, just what I’m calling them ATM) will be where major plot happens. This will let people build their own story, while having directed plot. Fictions will be woven into the main story as much as possible; therefore, while I’m not building the fictions, I reserve the right to edit or adjust the fictions as needed.

Participation in “Missions” is not required if you are not interested in joining the main arc. If that’s the case, I accept that, but you may find that you are passed over for the more interesting stories. The focus of the game is the rebellion against Ra, and while I’ll try to make fun side adventures, the focus will be on the uprising.

I’ve adjusted the timeline, mostly because I don’t want to go all the way back to 1994. Since I’m messing with canon, I might as well go all the way, right?

IC Setting

Halloween, 2009. It’s been less than a week since Colonel Jack O’Neill led a team through the mysterious ring called the StarGate. There has been no news from him or his team, and no way to verify that he was able to carry out his mission.

Satellites pointed out into space pick up the first contacts; massive forms that race through the Solar System at speeds that humanity has never achieved. The world goes on high alert. Scientists and Military gather, nervously speculating.

The first pictures arrive. The spaceships are massive pyramids, girdered around with metal frames. Tensions rachet higher, as each country struggles to figure out what is happening.

The moment of truth arrives when the largest of the ships enters the atmosphere, setting itself down on the peak of Cheyenne Mountain as if it belonged there. A message filled all of Earth’s airwaves. “I am Ra. And you are the conquered.”

PC requirements

Power Level: 12

PP to start: 90 PP (60 PP pre-prologue, 30 PP granted during/after the prologue)

The odd way of handling PL and PP is to keep the game low-powered, but allow for higher saves, ability scores, etc. This also emphasizes the epic scale; enemies and devices are starting stronger than you, but you can grow to match them, in time. While you might be tempted to max out your Attack, Defense and Toughness Saves, I encourage making more balanced characters to start, and trust that I’ll not try to kill the PCs (without good reason, of course).

Most PCs will start as normal humans with no specialized knowledge of the greater mythos of StarGate (general knowledge such as what would be found in the real world or science fiction is fine). The exceptions to this are those in the military (whose knowledge will be capped by what is known in the early part of the movie) and those who will be allowed to start as an alien race. I will limit the number of these that I allow, and in the case of multiple requests, I’ll have to choose between the hopefuls. The amount that I allow in will be based on my total number of players.

Role-play will be emphasized over roll-play. The prologue will start with individual or linked small-group threads. They will close after their introduction and the fictions will be free-form.

Keep these numbers in mind as you build:

An ability of 11 is average; 15 is well-above average; 21 is best in a nation; 25 is best ever.

A skill with 4 ranks means basic training; 8 is sufficient for professional training; 12 ranks is an expert; 15 is virtual mastery; beyond that is unsurpassed mastery and probably the best in the world.

Experience

Fictions will be worth 1 to 3 PP each, depending on length and character development. Missions will be worth 3 to 10 PP each, depending on length, character development and danger level. PP will also be awarded at my discretion, for whatever reason I deem it to be appropriate. The more effort you put in, the more you will get out.

Latecomers, Replacement and Changing Characters

Should your character die, you can replace them with the 90 starting PP plus 90% the earned experience from the previous character. If you get bored and decide to change your character, you can change with permission, but the new character will be built with the 90 starting PP plus 80% of the earned experience of the previous character. Latecomers (unless otherwise said by me, as RL circumstances may waive this) will start with the 90 PP, plus 90% of the average PP earned by the other PCs in ST-run missions. Fictions will not count toward that average, as they are ‘extra’ work and rewarded as such.

Metagaming Policy

Metagaming is one of the most annoying things to deal with in a game. Metagaming is any situation where a PC uses OOC knowledge to gain an IC advantage. You'll lose xp when you metagame, as much as I feel is appropriate. And since I'll likely be pissed when it happens, 'appropriate' will vary.

[z-Servant of Ra]

Character FAQ

Here is the OOC FAQ for character creation and the game.

What kind of character should this be?

Build an ordinary person. Try not to think too hard about what ‘powers’ they’ll get. I’ll provide powers and such because they’re fun for you guys, but acquisition will be at a measured pace. A better strategy will be to form contacts and trading partners through Benefits, to gain access to acquire more stuff faster.

Please remember, ordinary people have advantages and drawbacks, and I’m not talking about mechanics of the game. The most heroic person could be sexist; the smart guy could be hydrophobic. Sometimes, flaws define characters better than their powers ever could, and I doubt I’ll approve a character who I couldn’t see being a real person. I’m not interested in Superman or even Batman; I want to see a story of real people rising to meet a terrible challenge, striving to win against all odds. M&M is a superhero system, but this is a game about people, heroic and flawed and beautiful in their imperfection. These are the kinds of characters I’m looking for.

Will we see the canon characters from the game?

Of course you will. In what form you’ll see them is a big question. I have found the canon characters from the TV show to be too heroic to be on par with the PCs to start, so I’ve built three ‘canon’ NPCs. They will not be the stars of the show, but their stories will show the variety of experiences available. Their opening fictions and their stats will provide you with an idea of what I’m looking for in PCs.

How young/old can I be?

However you want to be – within reason. Again, the character should be a freedom-fighter at heart, but there are many roles within the rebellion. For practical reasons, no younger than twelve; no older than sixty.

Where do I submit the character?

To the Servant of Ra account; it is a dedicated account for this game. Build a 60 PP M&M character; 30 more PP will be provided during the prologue for building and buying things that aren’t available at game start.

What should I know about the game?

The general theme is one of rebellion against a tyrannical overlord. Your character should be interested and deeply motivated on a personal level to free people from the false-god Ra. As such, some concepts are going to be unsuitable for the game and will be denied. While other motivations and focuses might work in the game, expect to be left out of many things if your character is determined to be self-interested at the cost of freedom-fighting.

This game will sometimes have adult themes, such as sexual deviancy, severe torture and depraved behavior of all types. The mood of this game is grittier and less campy than StarGate. [Mature] tags will be required on any thread that would garner an NC-17 rating or higher.

How detailed should my background be?

As detailed as needed. While family will not be around much, you might have interactions with them over time. If your parents are particularly skilled, they might be taken off-planet, with the possibility of a chance meeting later.

I cannot emphasize this enough: the more information you give me, the more plots and hooks I can apply to your character, and the more will center around you. These plots include family, friends, surprise twists – anything I can use to tell a story and have fun.

Will you allow reboots of other characters?

For alternate PCs of the current SGU game, yes; all others on a case-by-case basis. I will require that players put identifying information in their signature, however, so I urge new accounts for the characters.

Uh… will you be playing your SGU character?

Olivia may show up as an NPC. I honestly haven’t decided; in part, that decision will be based on the skill set of PCs (in other words, would her skills be needed?), requests for ties to her and how comfortable the other PCs are with her being around, given my statements about her favored PC status.

What IDing information do you mean?

Identifying information is: height, weight, hair color, eye color, high (16+) physical stats, high (16+) Charisma and ranks of Attractive. In addition, notes about your character's appearance and ethnicity are appropriate here. These are really, really, really handy for the other players to help them 'see' your character. If you absolutely can't put them in your sig, then you should amend them to the end of each post.

[z-Servant of Ra]

House Rules

Rules:

Money: We’re using the Equipment feat to emulate having ‘stuff’. We’ll not be using the Wealth system.

Languages: Alien languages cost 2 ranks instead of 1. Goa’uld, due to its close ties to Earth, is exempt from this rule.

Reputation: (Mastermind’s Manual, pg. 86) We’re using this system. Base reputation is Current PP divided by 40, rounded down (so 1 for the PCs during the Prologue, and 2 after). We’re using the Low-Profile and Renown Feats (Mastermind’s Manual). Anyone who needs the mechanics for either of those feats should talk to me.

Devices:

I will allow you to have devices to use temporarily that you do not have to pay for with PP. You will have use of them for one chapter. After that point, you will have to pay for the item with PP or willingly discard it. If this doesn’t happen, the item will cease to function at some point in the following chapter. See ‘Layaway’ for purchasing something that you can’t afford yet.

Skill Synergy: (Mastermind’s Manual, pg. 37)

If two skills work well together, they have a Synergy. Mechanically, this grants a +2 bonus to any synergetic skills; if you have five ranks of Bluff, you can add a +2 to Diplomacy checks. The benefiting skill must either be usable untrained or have one rank in it. Skill synergies are determined by me, though suggestions are welcome.

Advancement:

Abilities progress due to in-game use. You can add one to your score if you spend a month of downtime working on that ability.

Skill ranks can be learned at the rate of one per week. Extraordinary circumstances can negate this learning time.

Feats can be learned at the rate of two weeks per rank.

Powers will vary; a new power learned without assistance (if that’s even possible) may take several weeks for the first rank, or may just pop. Improving powers you already possess will likely take a week per new rank to learn. Added feats to powers usually take a week. All of this depends on the power and what you already know.

Feats:

Jack of All Trades is just not allowed. Way too powerful, as it gives you essentially infinite numbers of skill points.

Attractive is capped at 2 ranks for humans.

Layaway

If you acquire a Device in the course of the game, but can’t pay for it with banked PP, I may allow you to retain the Device so long as you pay all your PP toward the purchase. This permission will depend on final cost, the ongoing and future plots that might be derailed by this Device and other considerations. Layaway can only be applied to Devices.

Custom Creations

New/Changed Skills

Computers: This skill remains, but is split into two new skills. Computers (silicon) and Computers (crystalline). This covers the silicon-based computers, like you’d find on Earth, as well as the crystal-based computers you find with the goa’uld systems. You will need permission to have ranks in Computers (crystalline) to start.

Craft (Mechanical): This is split three ways. There is Low Tech Mechanical, which is primitive tech such as water wheels and simple blacksmithing. There is Earth Tech Mechanical, which is technology that is equivalent to modern Earth's. And the last is High Tech Mechanical, which covers anything above Earth-level tech.

Astrogate: new skill, Int based

New knowledges: Alien Culture (choose one, such as Goa’uld, Tok’ra, etc), Alien History (choose one)

New Drawbacks

Tok’ra fidelity (-3) – your first loyalty is the Tok’ra. No matter your personal needs or desires, if they demand that you do something, the symbiote inside of you will be hard-pressed to disagree with them, especially when it involves the Tok’ra’s goal of overthrowing the Goa’uld.

Symbiote dependency (-3) – Major, loss of the symbiote drains -1 off all ability scores every three hours [Jaffa only]

Primitive (-1) – You are from a low-technology world, and some things are therefore more difficult for you. The following skills are unavailable at the start of the game: Computers, Craft: Chemical, Craft: Mechnical, Drive, Knowledge: Behavioral Sciences, Knowledge: Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Knowledge: Physical Sciences, Knowledge: Technology and Pilot. In time, you can buy off this Drawback by exposure to technology and a willingness to learn it.

New Benefits

ATA Gene (3 PP) You possess the ability to activate and use restricted Ancient Techology.

Previous Goa’uld/Tok’ra Host (3 PP) You were once a host to a goa’uld or tok’ra, but have somehow been freed. You have the ability to activate and use Goa’uld tech without having the pesky host still in your head. You should detail your history with your host and their current status.

[More of these New items will be added as people ask for them. I will adjust these as needed.]

[z-Servant of Ra]

This is a template you can use for your character submissions, both to me and in their profiles. Feel free to add, but this is the basic information.

Name

Appearance

Description

Other traits (ticks, habits, mannerisms)

Background

History

Personality

Capabilities

Attributes

Skills

Feats/Other

Click to reveal.. (Character Sheet (Optional))

Character Sheet - Optional

Click to reveal.. (Secret Knowledge (Optional))

Secret Knowledge - Optional

Code:

[align:center][size:17pt]Name
[/align]

Appearance 
Description 

Other traits (ticks, habits, mannerisms) 

Background 
History 

Personality 

Capabilities 
Attributes 

Skills 

Feats/Other 

 Character Sheet - Optional 

 Secret Knowledge - Optional