The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - (Full) - OOC

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kirinke
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by kirinke »

The Alice build is pretty open to her knowing the others before if we go the home town route. She'd be about 16 or so when she was changed.
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jmucchiello
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by jmucchiello »

I suspect the best way these people know one another is pre-merge. So, since most merge origins discuss what happened on M-day, that should make it easier to be known to one another.

How well known are we talking? Should there be a few friendships among the PCs?
Flynnarrel
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by Flynnarrel »

Cool. Home town, knowing each other.

John Smith was... exceedingly average growing up. He was around but was so easy to overlook as 'bland' and 'unremarkable'. He wasn't even bland enough to be particularly stealthy. It was easy to notice him, he was nice enough when engaged but easily dismissed as a non-entity. Boring.

Then the Merge happened. And M-day changed the world! And the mild, boring John Smith suddenly... didn't really change at all. It did nothing for him. No green skin, no laser eyes, nothing. He was still the same bland, boring person he'd always been.
Except... well... every world had a John Smith. Every one had that average, in-the-background kind-of guy. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions. And now they were all one boring guy. But sometimes, when he concentrated, he could split up again; flooding the world with John Smiths.

Background: John Smith has always been a low level tech-support person. In Bodega Bay he was the guy you called when your cable was on the fritz or you wanted Wi-Fi set up or a tourist was complaining that their Air B&B place's cable went out. People may vaguely remember him as 'that guy with the geekmobile who fixes stuff. In the non-tourist season Mr. Smith served as a local high school Computers and Technology teacher (In addition to setting up the Computer lab). He recently got hired by the banking corporation and did a couple contracts in San Francisco, always coming back to his parent's home in Bodega Bay, Especially when the large banking firm started opening up a branch in Bodega Bay.

Complications:

Secret (Powers) - John Smith doesn't want it known generally that he has Super Powers or was affected by the Merge in any way. He's gotten so used to his boring, overlooked life that he's scared to change that. He rationalizes it by saying that he isn't super strong or tough, can't fly or run across the state in a blink. And the uncreative John Smith hasn't really tapped the potential that being the walking focal point of hundreds or thousands of John Smiths (none of them more creative than he is) can do.

Job - John Smith is a freelance tech-support guy with both a private practice and a contract with a large bank corporation. He maintains/sets up the Network system and computers. Occasionally they need him to troubleshoot the database system and he's oftentimes on site fixing a problem. Mostly he is overlooked as long as everything is running fine. He still has a side-business of troubleshooting local problems in Bay Shore/Bodega Bay/ SanFranSokyo.

Voices in his head - The amount of random noise in John's head from the host of other Johns in there is staggering and somewhat distracting. Mostly it all blends into white noise but a particularly loud John Smith's thoughts can be distracting at inopportune times.

Mouths to feed - Although he doesn't eat as much as would be needed for hundreds of individual bodies his caloric needs are much higher than for just one person. And though never a heavy drinker it requires so much alcohol now if he wanted to maintain a buzz that it's usually not worth it. All this food takes money.

Relationship (Elderly Mom) (dad passed away several years before the Merge). Martha Smith owns a house in Bodega Bay/Bay Shore. John lives in the converted garage. He parks the 'Geekmobile' in front.
pl 9/135

Attributes [30pp]
Str 1
Sta 2
Fgt 2
Agi 2
Dex 2
Int 2
Awe 2
Pre 2

Defenses:
Toughness 2sta+2def.roll+4equipment = 8
Dodge 2 +6pp = 8
Parry 2+4pp = 6

Fort 2+6pp = 8
Will 2+6pp = 8

Advantages [8pp]: Teamwork, Interpose, Equipment 4, Defensive roll 2,
from powers: Jack of All Trades, Evasion 2, Eidetic Memory,
free social: Well Informed "One of me has heard of this.", Connected "One of me knows a guy."

Skills [10pp]: Technology 6(+8), Perception 3(+5/+10), Investigation 3(+5/+10), Insight 3(+5/+10), Persuasion 2(+4), Deception 2(+4), Stealth 2(+4), Athletics 3(+5), Acrobatics 3(+5), Vehicles 3(+5)

Equipment: Protection 4 (4ep), Light Pistol (blast 3) [AE: Stun gun (Affliction 5, Daze/Stun/Incapacitated), AE: Chain Str-based Damage 2, Imp.Grab,Imp.Trip, Reach 2] (8 ep),
SUV (Size-Huge, Str 8, Tough 9, Def 6, Speed 5 (up to 60mph), Features: Computer & Communications (as headquarters) (+2ep) (Total 8 ep)

Powers

Multiple selves: Enhanced Advantages: Eidetic Memory "One of me will remember.", Jack of All Trades "One of me has done this.", Evasion 2 "One of me pops in to push the other out of the way." [4pp]
Enhanced Skills: Perception +5, Insight +5, Investigation +5, [5pp]
Help Hitting; Enhanced Advantage- Close Combat 6, Alternate effect: Enhanced Skill- Ranged Combat(Guns) 9, & Improved Aim & Precise (Ranged Cover/Conceal) [7pp]

Many Minds;Second Chance, Will save vs. Affliction Effect w/ Mental descriptor [1pp]
Second Chance, Will save vs. Damage w/ Mental descriptor [1pp]
Many Bodies; Immunity Poison, Disease, Sleep, Environmental radiation (Half effect) [2pp] {John's body can cycle through many John's a second. Physical effects are spread out among the hoard.}

(free) Detect Merger, Acute, Analytical

Duplicates Array [36base + 3AEs +3DynamicAEs = 45pp]
Base: A thousand punches; Damage 8, Multiattack, Penetrating 4, Secondary effect, Accurate 1, indirect 4 {Attacks come from any direction}, Improved Critical 2, Homing 1 (36)
{Several John Smiths surround the target from all sides and punch as one to better the opponent from all sides. Due to the imperfection of timing this could result in some John Smiths 'late' and still mid punch the following round for an additional chance to hit or even additional damage.}
AE: Flood of Me; Move object 5, Close, Area-burst 3, Perception, Selective, Damaging, Precise (36)
{John Smiths run to or appear at any number of targets within range, usual a few at a time. They coordinate a strike or disarm, grab or trip.}
AE: Concentrated Flood; Move Object 9, Close, Area-Shapeable 1, Damaging, Sustained (36)
{In a much more concentrated area many John Smiths seek to overwhelm targets in a frenzy.}
AE: Pile On; Affliction 10, Cumulative, Extra Condition 2, Limited degree,(Str to resist/overcome, Impaired&Vulnerable&Hindered, Disabled&Defenseless&Immobilized), Reach 3, Split, Precise (Close, Conceal/Cover) (36)
{Ghostly images of John Smiths dog pile a target.}
DAE: More of Me; Summon 6 [2/r], Active [+1/r], Horde [+1/r], Multiple Minions 3 {8 total minions}[+6], Mental Link[+1], Feedback [-1/r], Subtle, dynamic (26) {8x90pp minions}
{Just as the human concentration, like memory, can focus on 7+or-2 things, John Smith has empirical evidence of this and has found himself still able to function when 9 of him are fully in existence at one time. The 'duplicates' are nearly indistinguishable from the original [Subtle]. The 'original' John still has some duplicates [10-points worth]. (Persistent-Move.Action-Restorative-Self-Healing 3, or Quickness/Speed/Leaping ranks). Note: Duplicates do not have any part of the array available but DO have the powers outside of Array as part of their 90 points. When the other John Smith's are damaged (and thus Incapacitated following Minion Rules) John Smith has to make a Check +6 against the damage's DC, a kind of psychic backlash that could take him out quickly. [If a single grenade takes out 4 duplicates, John Smith has to make 4 d20+6 rolls vs. the grenade's damage effect making this a risky combat power.]}
DAE: Spread out the Damage; Healing 10, Action-Move, Restoration, Persistent Limited-Self Only {John shifts to a less-injured version of himself}, dynamic (31)
{John Smith who is hurt can quickly swap out for a John Smith who is less hurt.}
DAE: Many hands make quick work; Quickness 20, Linked Enhanced Advantages - Inspire 5, Leadership, Beginner's Luck, Luck (HP only for activating Advantages) 4, Quirk: Advantages Can't be dynamic. Linked Speed 4{500ft/mv}, Linked Leaping 2{30ft}, all dynamic [30pp]
{John Smiths pour themselves onto a task, completing it in record time. Alternatively, John Smith's can support other characters [a manifestation of Inspire 5], or administer First aid [a manifestation of Leadership] or even help John muddle through a task [Beginner's Luck]. The appearance of John's popping into existence in rapid succession can even propel John Smith forward at a moderate rate.}

Attacks:
Initiative: +2
Light Pistol +11 to hit, DC18 Toughness, Precise Cover/Conceal, Imp.Aim * usable while duplicated
Stun Gun +8 to hit, DC15 Fort Affliction *usable while duplicated
Chain +8 to hit, DC18 Toughness, Reach 2 *usable while duplicated
A thousand punches: +10 to hit, Close, DC 23 Toughness, Multiattack, Penetrating 4, Secondary Effect, Indirect 4,[crit 18-20] Homing 1
Pile on: +8 to hit, Close, DC20 Str vs. Affliction, Reach 3, Split, Precise Cover/Conceal
Flood of me: Area-120ft burst, DC 20 Toughness, or Str 5 effect Disarm, Trip, or Grab
Concentrated Flood: Area - shapable, 6 adjacent 5-ft cubes, Dodge DC20, DC25 or 20 Toughness or Str 10 (or 5) effect Disarm, Trip or Grab

Attributes 30 + Defenses 22+ Advantages 8 + Skills 10 + Powers 20 + Powers duplication array 45 = 135

Defensively PL7 to 8
Offensively PL6ish.close/7.ranged when duplicated, a few PL 9 attacks when not duplicated
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Last edited by Flynnarrel on Wed May 22, 2019 6:42 pm, edited 12 times in total.
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Doctor Malsyn
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Elizabeth Walsh

Post by Doctor Malsyn »


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"How many people did she... Did I kill?"
Power Level: 8; Power Points Spent: 150

Abilities: 0+0+8+0+8+2+4+2= 24
Strength 8*, Stamina 8*, Agility 4, Dexterity 0
Fighting 4, Intellect 1, Awareness 2, Presence 1

Advantages 18
(Pre)Attractive, (Pow)Eidetic Memory, Accurate Attack Evasion, Fast Grab, Chokehold, Equipment 1 (Gas mask) Improved Critical 1 (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Move-By-Action, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge, Diehard, Instant Up, Great Endurance, Interpose, Agile Feint, Hide-In-Plain-Sight, Power Attack

Skills 17 (51/51)
  • Acrobatics 4 (+8)
  • Athletics 0 (+8)
  • Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8)
  • Close Combat: Grab 4 (+8)
  • Deception 4 (+5/+7*)
  • Expertise: Police Procedures & tactics 3 (+4)
  • Insight 3 (+5)
  • Intimidation 5 (+6/+8*)
  • Investigation 0 (+1)
  • Perception 8 (+10)
  • Persuasion 4 (+5/+7)
  • Ranged Combat 0 (+0)
  • Sleight of Hand 0 (+0)
  • Stealth 12 (+16)
  • Technology 0 (+1)
  • Treatment 0 (+1)
  • Vehicles 0 (+0)
Powers 85 | 3* (Free)

The R-Strain 2+10+6+15+1+8+9+10+20+4= 85
  • Blood's Allure: Senses 4 (Acute Accurate Extended Olfactory (-1/100 ft. Radius), Limited: Blood 2
  • Your life for mine: Persistent Regeneration 10(-1 Every Round), Source: Blood 10
  • Predator: Senses 6 (Penetrates Concealment Tracking Infravision 6
  • Living Dead Immunity 11 (Life Support, Aging), Quirk (Still needs to drink); Immortality 10 (1 Hour), Limited: Beheading or Immolation15
  • Immortal Memories: Enhanced Traits 1 (Eidetic Memory) 1
  • Skin like marble: Impervious (12) Protection 4, Limited: Not against blessed weapons or magical weapons 8
  • Stalker: Movement 4 (Sure-Footed, Trackless, Wall-Crawling 2), Passive Auditory Concealment 1 9
  • Deadly Quick: Superspeed 2 (Init+8, 60ft./4mph, -2 to time rank of routine tasks), Leaping 4 (120ft.) 10
  • Ultra-dense Musculature:Permanent Growth 8( Strength +8, Stamina +8, Mass +2, Speed -1) Does not change size, Power Lifting 4(100 tons) 20
  • Feast: Strength Based Damage +0, Linked to Grab-Based Weaken Stamina 8, 4
The Merge 3*
  • Detect Merger: Senses 3 (Danger Sense, Detect Merger 2) 3*
Equipment 5/5ep
  • Gas Mask 1
  • Flash Goggles 1
  • Cell Phone 2
  • Fire Extinguisher 1
Offense
Initiative: +12
Unarmed: +8 DC 23 19-20
Grab: +8 DC 18
Feast: +4 DC 23, Grab-based Weaken Stamina


Defense 0+0+0+6= 6
Dodge 0 (+4), Parry 0 (+4), Fortitude 0 (+8), Impervious 12*, Toughness 8* (+12), Will 6 (+8)

Power Points
Abilities 24 + Powers 85 + Advantages 18 + Skills 17 ( 51 ranks ) + Defenses 6 = 150/150

-------------------------------------

Birth Name: Elizabeth "Eli" Walsh
Age: 18
Height: 5'9
Weight: 520/ lbs.
Ethnicity/Nationality: English American
Distinguishing Characteristics: Pupiless red eyes, Permanent fangs (top+bottom)
Languages: English(native)

-------------------------------------
Description
Eli is a taller then average woman with pale and utterly imperfection-less skin. Her body is built like a runner's underneath her clothes, her muscular density hiding her true monstrous strength at a glance. Of the over 500 pounds she now weighs, 4/6ths of it is dedicated entirely to her muscle mass. Light brown hair flows in an unevenly around her shoulders, framing the woman's intimidating red eyes utterly devoid of pupils. Four fangs, inch length, sit in her mouth, two in the top and two in the bottom, both sets accompanied by perfectly white teeth that are sharper in general.

When she can, she prefers to wear a gasmask to help hide the sent of blood and prevent her from lashing out and biting people instinctively.
-------------------------------------
Background:

She was born in Leeds, in the early spring of 1306- No, no that's wrong. The year was 2001. She turned eighteen just a few months ago. Not seven hundred and thirteen. That was the other Elizabeth Walsh. She, the real Elizabeth, grew up an ambitious young girl who always wanted to follow in her father's footsteps as detective. He was always the one she looked up to, even before her mother divorced and moved away to the Americas. Every evening he would come home from work, pull her up onto his knee while bestowing upon her his hat, telling her all about how he helped saved people from the bad guys that day. To that young girl her father was a true man of justice, a shining pinnacle of goodwill who would always do the right thing. A superhero.

Even at the man's funeral as she clutched his hat in childish hands, trying her hardest to be strong in front of her grandpappy she told herself just how much of a hero her father was, right up to the very end. The desire to grow up and be just like him never wavered for an instant, not when the preacher closed his book, not when the dirt started to fall, not even when she placed flowers down before any of his friends could. One day she was going to become a hero too. Her mother disagreed.

Gone for years only to show up when the girl was at her lowest, stealing her away at the behest of her grandfather. She knew he couldn't take care of her forever, after all. He had a bad leg and couldn't keep up with his spritely grandaughter like he used to, as much as she knew he wished to have her there. Instead her mother came to pick her up with papers in hand, taking her all the way to the little town of Bodega Bay, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city she used to know. It was at long last that Eli learned she didn't very much like her mummy that much after all. Not with the way her dreams of becoming a police officer were squashed at any turn, or the way she would often come home from her job at a roadside bar to pass out on the couch without so much of a hello.

Didn't take long for the neighbors to notice and spread rumors which would follow her even into her first year of high-school. She had always done her hardest to ignore it all, focusing on keeping her grades up during class then throwing herself into her training as part of the trackteam after. No matter how hard her mother tried to stop her dreams, she would always hang onto them. Nothing would ever stop them. Nothing could. Not until the Merge struck.

It brought about chaos in many ways, but for Eli, it brought along the nightmares. The dreams of her chasing down a man in the dead of night, fully aware that she could tackle him in an instant yet taking perverse pleasure in letting him think he could actually escape. Ones where she breathed out in ecstasy even while her clothes stained red with that of her former lover. Nightmares where she stood in front of the mirror, her reflection smiling knowingly at the terrified girl before it. It was an experience she would suffer from nightly for months in the shelters, waking up in the dead of night with tears down her cheeks as she desperately checked to verify that she was still human. It was only the other people she could find here that had similar dreams of people who were them but not which helped keep her sane. Never would she forget their help, even after her mother pulled away once again.

Over the next few years, she felt herself starting to change, little by little. Becoming stronger, moving faster, and being tougher then a girl her age should rightly be. There was not enough time to ponder as to why, before her jaws started to ache, and a pang started to sing in her chest. Before her sense of smell grew sharp, focused on one thing only. When she finally lost control and tore into a stray dog, streams down her cheeks, the knowledge of what she was sunk home. Ignorant of Eli's general wellbeing as her mother was, even she could see the truth right before her eyes, and abandoned her for the last time.

Now. Now she was back. The savings she had worked up over the years were enough to lease out a cheap studio apartment in one end of San Fransokyo for a year, where she could finally start chasing her dream. Vampire or not, she was going to become an officer of the law, a hero just like her dad was. It might just be in the academy, but maybe... maybe it'll be somewhere else.

-------------------------------------
Complications
Motivation; Responsibility: Just how many people has that other Elizabeth killed, the number of those that she tortured for days on end for the sheer pleasure of it? Eli shudders to even consider their true numbers. Yet here and now, she can make things right. Saving people as she can to make up for the lives her other self has taken. It's what she's always wanted to done, but now, now she needs to.

Vampiric Weaknesses: Her skin, pale as it is, is especially sensitive to sunlight and when weaponized can be deadly. Under normal daylight hours it makes her feel somewhat lethargic, and her eyes are need to be covered by sunglasses to prevent discomfort. The blood of an R-strain vampire is flammable, and as such Eli is vulnerable to flaming attacks. With her sheer density, it's almost impossible for her to swim through water under even normal circumstances, though it's not directly harmful.

Gestalt Syndrome: The other version of herself was a cruel, sadistic, and vindictive woman who reveled in her monstrous nature. Memories which haunt her dreams as if they were nightmares of her committing murder and feasting have been a common occurrence ever since the merge.

What flows red and sweet: As a vampire, Eli must sustain herself on several liters of blood a week. Freshness has no effect on how filling her meal is, yet it tastes most sweet when drawn from the source. While animal blood can fulfill this role, human blood is the most sustaining. Her thirst however, is never fully sated, only dulled. The instinct to feed is a strong one, and she sometimes has difficulty resisting the urge to lash out at others. Open wounds make this effect even worse. For these reasons she has taken to wearing a gasmask which fully covers her nose and mouth, blocking out the scent of blood and making it harder for her to loose control.

The Night War: Regardless of her involvement, let alone knowledge of the conflict, just by being another vampire she's considered another participant.

The San Fransokyo Police Academy: Having been accepted into the program, Eli is expected to attend classes and maintain her grades if she wishes to one day graduate as an upholder of the law. The training is harsher then she expected, but she has been chasing her ambitions too long to fail here.

Here we go... I'm not sure what strain to consider her having, as I didn't build her with any specific setting's vampire in mind. The Stoker-Strain appears the most 'generic' vampire to me, so she'd likely be lumped into that category. I've built her up as this overly efficient 'huntress of the night', very tanky, and more then capable of dishing out heavy damage when needed. Primarily an unarmed fighter, though she does have the ability to latch onto victims and drain them if she's willing to risk it. I wasn't sure if I should make her mask specialized equipment or not, but for the moment it's just considered 'part of her costume'.

I've left her background out for the moment until we settle on our unifying factor, but most of her complications are ready to go.

And yes. She's very heavy. Please don't point it out to her. ;P

Edit: Updated her to having the Rician Strain, or at least a similar enough version to it. Also finished with a complete backstory and complications which tie her to Bay Shore.
Last edited by Doctor Malsyn on Wed May 22, 2019 6:25 am, edited 28 times in total.
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Neo-Paladin
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by Neo-Paladin »

Hometown would have been my suggestion as well :) Not sure how to build up my char, though as I am unsure what powers he should have. I do want to put some points into skills and advantages as he's a socially oriented character. Plus, a healthy dose of mental and physical attributes (devotion to Superman's ideal would mean he'd work out to stay fit and strong)...now, what powers should he have and from where...?
kirinke
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by kirinke »

Hmmm. So the John Smiths are mainly a descriptor right? You can have Duplication as a main power then alt the rest.

Oh, I lowered her PL from 9 to 8 to take into account the rules of the game. :D
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Kirinke's Conversions (D&D Items to M&M3E Rules)

Battle Init
Viv: 24
Ren:22
Peekaboo: 20
Deutschritter: 19
Amy: 15
Angrboda: 15
Adeleth: 14
Thugs: 12
Lilly: 7
Alma: 5
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by pathfinderq1 »

Quick setting question (for GM mostly or others knowledgeable on the Merge setting): Did San Fransokyo replace San Francisco or is it in addition to San Fran? That is, is "Old" San Francisco still there, or is there a small town/city based around the Presidio, and most of the old city Merged into San Fransokyo in the new location a bit further north?

>ALL: Once I have this answered, I'll post up a proposed background for the town of Bay Shore (formerly Bodega Bay) as a possible shared background point (pending GM approval and potential player votes. Should have something up today, but I must do some actual work first.

>Also: Character-wise I WAS thinking a Buffy-style Slayer, but that seems like a poor choice with an actual vampire proposed. May re-skin as an empowered martial artist, or go with a fire controler.
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by FuzzyBoots »

So, are you opening this for recruiting, then, or just examining interest? :) That makes a difference to me as to whether I put his on the list of recruiting games.
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by Neo-Paladin »

Good question....since Fransokyo was someone else's idea, it would be nice if that person could quickly note if it was a superposition (like what happened in New England with Arkham or France with Auvergne/Averoigne) or an additional city with an additional landmass (like Metropolis and Central City)?
jmucchiello
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by jmucchiello »

The MGS document (linked in the first post) says San Fransokyo is located 40 miles north of San Francisco. Both exist and have oddly similar coastlines.
Neo-Paladin
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by Neo-Paladin »

Ah, yes, the latter. I ought to peruse the setting document at times again. This setting has gotten a bit away from me ;) For which I am very grateful, I like team efforts.
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by pathfinderq1 »

Okay then- I saw the reference but missed the detail, specifically how much of "Our" San Francisco survived the changes of the Merge. Either way, I wrote something up for Bay Shore, CA, formerly Bodega Bay, CA. It should be flexible enough to allow for most people's background choices, and the original area was small enough that we could all have known one another fairly easily (as much or as little as we might like). It also notes that some people stayed in the (new) town, some moved into San Fransokyo, and others have moved out into the wider world- until something plot-y draws them back.

Anyways:

>PROPOSED BACKGROUND SETTING (Please vote or comment, especially the GM). Once we have a starting point people can finalize background stuff.

Bay Shore, CA

Before the Merge, the town of Bodega Bay sat on the California shoreline, about an hour north of San Francisco. Bodega Bay (and the even smaller town of Bodega, just inland) were, for the most part, sleepy little communities, far enough away from the Big City to have their own identity, yet close enough (connected by the Pacific Coast Highway, state Route 1) to allow easy access. The town subsisted mostly on tourism and as a vacation/bedroom community, but held a remarkable sampling of people among its relatively small populace (1,077 residents, as of the 2010 census). It was certainly small enough for most residents to know one another (if they were so inclined), but also welcomed those who were a bit more eccentric, or simply valued their privacy- like the leftover hippies growing weed up in the hills or the Russian family who ran the garage and used car lot (who were probably in the Witness Protection Program, everyone agreed).. A number of movies had been filmed there over the years, including most of The Birds, and the picturesque shoreline was a major draw. Dot’s Seafood Diner was right down on the docks, and it was a prime destination for foodie tourists.

All of that changed with the Merge. In the course of one night, the mega-city of San Fransokyo coalesced out the fog just south of Bodega Bay. The entire geography of the area warped to support the new city, and the former shoreline town found itself on the inland side of a range of scrubby hills- the smaller inland town of Bodega was almost entirely altered, becoming the island of New Alcatraz in the middle of a spontaneously-formed Bay.

Disaster services did what they could- FEMA, the Red Cross, and a few newly-arrived beings lifted straight from the movies or comic books. Most of the residents of Bodega Bay (and all of the former residents of Bodega) were sheltered in a resettlement camp until the new geography stabilized. There were support groups, temporary schools, and all manner of temporary friendships and connections over the next few months. But in time, life settled down again. Some people drifted away, either into the new city just across the (new) bay, or farther out into the world at large. Some people stayed, and with a booming new population, they formed the town of Bay Shore- several times larger than Bodega Bay had been, the town quickly grew into an artsy, bohemian retreat of sorts, very similar to the role that Sausalito played to “Old” San Francisco. There was still a Dot’s Seafood Diner down by the docks, just like there used to be- but that dock now served a commuter ferry rather than a few stray sailboats, and Sergei and his family still ran a garage, but now they also rented cars and ATVs for excursions up into the hills along the Pacific.
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by Neo-Paladin »

I like it a lot and vote for an inclusion into the setting document....Bladewind? ;)
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by FuzzyBoots »

I'm kind of tempted to throw Pratfall (clown superhero) into the submissions, as I've had some lousy luck in actually getting to play him. Alternately, I have a costumed superhero from a Batman single-player game that never started, based on the idea of a Robin who got her start as more of a merry prankster, with an additional detail that she has a Duela Dent kind of vibe where she went through several different costumes that subtly (or not-so-subtly) riffed on other superheroes or supervillains. By your leave, I could modify that so that she's kind of all of those personas, with the only "power" involving shifting her costume (largely cosmetic changes) and a small Variable for her utility belt being a bit more flexible than most.

:-P That is, if we're at the point of recruiting.
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Bladewind
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Re: The Merge - Gestalt Syndrome (M&M 3rd ED) - Interest

Post by Bladewind »

pathfinderq1 wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 12:17 pm Quick setting question (for GM mostly or others knowledgeable on the Merge setting): Did San Fransokyo replace San Francisco or is it in addition to San Fran? That is, is "Old" San Francisco still there, or is there a small town/city based around the Presidio, and most of the old city Merged into San Fransokyo in the new location a bit further north?

>ALL: Once I have this answered, I'll post up a proposed background for the town of Bay Shore (formerly Bodega Bay) as a possible shared background point (pending GM approval and potential player votes. Should have something up today, but I must do some actual work first.

>Also: Character-wise I WAS thinking a Buffy-style Slayer, but that seems like a poor choice with an actual vampire proposed. May re-skin as an empowered martial artist, or go with a fire controler.
Addition - about 40 miles north of Francisco

Character wise - well, Buffy and Angel worked together...
Thorpocalypse wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:01 pm Building to be comics "accurate" is different than building to run a PC or building something to challenge a group.
Bladewind's 3ed M&M Builds
The Merge Setting document
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