pathfinderq1, welcome! I'm going to blast a few bits and pieces at you to get you caught up, and we'll be good to go. Just so you know, the setting is 1992 (I may have written that wrong somewhere).
To start off with I'm going to get you caught up with the first test. If I can get you do please do me a dexterity check (DC 5 to catch). If your strength is 4 or greater you hold the item up no problem. If your strength is lower, then the difference between the weight rank (4) and your strength rank is the damage you will potentially take. If your character isn't strong enough you can potentially avoid the damage with a resistance check.
The next bit is the current test, which will need 5 dexterity checks to represent your character trying to hit the target with the balls. If you have any powers relevant, you can use them. If you intend to use any ability, active defence etc to dodge on your turn as the target, you can also use that as well, otherwise that will be based on your base dodge.
Sorry to throw all this at you in one go, but after this we'll be back up to speed.
CaptainKaulu, no worries, real life does come first. If you just post when you can that'll be fine, and thanks for letting me know in advance.
First off, I'm going to post the actual character sheet (in the next post). I was having a bout of "letting perfect be the enemy of done", so I'm going to use the revised version of my original pitch (AJ Sullivan, aka Charger). I sanded off almost all of the alien influence and framed her as a flying blaster- she is also somewhat of a brain, more involved in science and research than in technology and building things. She retains a bit of the tomboy angle, but doesn't have much time for sports and stuff.
Year-wise, I was going from the first In Character post, which said 1997, but changing to 1992 doesn't make a difference for her (though it does make me glad I didn't pick a more tech-centered concept).
For the first test, she will try the "Catch" with her Move Object rather than base STR. For the second, she will be using some of her Flight-based maneuverability powers. I'll get the rolls out once I've posted the sheet- I'll probably come back here and edit them in when I get a minute.
Charger (Small Town Heroes variant- Revised)
PL 8; 120pp; base stats at -1, except 1 at 0; normal cost for Skills.
Real name: Allison Jane Sullivan
Codename/nickname/other aliases: AJ, Rusty (AJ mostly for friends and family, Rusty mostly by those who are NOT her friends, or friends of her family); Maglev
Concept/archetype: flying blaster, science wiz
Gender: female
Age: 15
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 112 lbs
Hair: Auburn (more red than brown), tied back in pony tail or single braid to mid-back)
Eyes: Green
Skin: Pale, freckled (doesn't sunburn or tan)
-Looks like: Sadie Sink
GAME STATS:
Abilities: (40 pp, +)(Base stats= -1, except INT 0)
STR -1 / STA 5 / DEX 0 / AGI 2
FGT 1 / INT 5 / AWE 2 / PRE -1
Defenses: (10 pp, +powers)
Toughness: +5 (STA 5, +0pp)(+6 force field)
Parry: +4 (FGT 1, +3pp)(+6 Force Field; Up to +10 enhanced/flying)
Dodge: +4 (AGI 2, +2pp)(+6 Force field; Up to +10 enhanced/flying)
Fortitude: +5 (STA 5, +0pp)
Will: +7 (AWE 2, +5pp)
Immunity: Fear
Immunity (Half effect): (6) Disease, Poison, Radiation, Starvation/thirst, Need to breath (all/2)
Offense:
Initiative: +2
Close attack: +1
Ranged attack: +1
>Specific attacks:
-Basic unarmed: +2, DC 14 (-1)
-Cosmic bolt: +10; DC 21 (+6); Ranged, (Split x1)
-Cosmic strike: +8; DC 23 (+8), Crit 19-20, Split x1, Close
-Cosmic pulse (Narrow): +8; DC 18 (FORT Affliction); Split x1, Ranged
-Control field: Burst area 1, Close: DC 14 Dodge for half; DC 19 (+4)(or half, DC 17/+2)
-(AE) EM Field Analysis: Senses 7 (Detect- Electromagnetic energy spectrum 2, +Ranged, Acute, Analytical, +Precise, +Tracking 1); +Senses 5 (Radio- base Acute, ranged, radius; +Analytical, Precise, Extended x2); +Senses 2 (Distance sense, Time sense), +Senses 2 (Infravision, UV vision); (7+5+2+2= 16pp; +1pp/AE)
BACKGROUND:
History: The Sullivan family has been living in and around Bass City for generations, and AJ has a bunch of cousins and other relatives scattered throughout the county. Her father Ted left town after he graduated from high school and joined the Air Force as a mechanic- he had always loved to tinker, and cars just weren't impressive enough. AJ's mother Cindy was from West Texas, and she was in the Air Force as well- she was a very good pilot, though women weren't allowed to fly in combat yet. The two of them got married and moved from base to base over the years. After their first child (a son named Mack), AJ's mom mustered out of the service, dissatisfied at the thought of flying cargo planes and tankers for the rest of her career. Shortly afterwards, she was approached by a secretive aerotech research company that hired her as a test pilot. In fact, they were developing a whole new airframe and propulsion technology system, converted from equipment "acquired" after a UFO crash- and Cindy's reflexes and physical abilities made her a prime candidate; she jumped at the chance. Within a year the family was living full time at a research facility in the Southwest- Cindy had been flying the new prototype for several months before she realized she was pregnant (company doctors SHOULD have noticed it beforehand, but didn't). It is entirely possible that the energies released by the drive system altered AJ even before she was born...
Cindy was back in the cockpit less than two months after AJ was born, and Ted handled most of the housekeeping and child care (though the company handled some of the duties as well, through a string of nannies and other minders (anything to keep their best pilot happy). While AJ was a child, her father would sometimes bring her along when he visited the "Lab"- a lot of the complex was off limits, especially to a kid, but there were all kinds of interesting details, and AJ shared her father's interest in cool technology. As AJ grew older, though, she was allowed into the lab less and less- she was VERY curious, and some of the instrumentation tended to glitch more often when she was around. Over the years, AJ had rare mild seizures, but medical tests found nothing conclusive (since the hospital's instruments were calibrated for normal energy sources), and the symptoms faded as she grew up.
Unfortunately by then AJ's life had changed rather radically. The aerotech company that her mother worked for had seen years of problems, and they were desperate for a success to justify further research on the project (or, for that matter, to justify all the time and money they had already spent). A likely objective was proposed, but the process was rushed and a number of shortcuts were taken. Expecting a significant breakthrough, the company had AJ and her family front-and-center to watch, and a number of reporters were there as well (not mainstream press, but people from a number of aviation and technology outlets). When the prototype aircraft vanished in a flare of silvery light, one of the Aviation Quarterly photographers was in the perfect spot to get a picture of young AJ's terrified expression. The bad publicity and the loss of their only functional prototype (as well as their best pilot) drove the company to the brink of bankruptcy, though a number of smaller units were split off and sold to other aviation companies. Ted Sullivan went back to work as an aviation mechanic, working for Lockheed, Boeing, and Grumman for short stints as he tried to provide for what was left of his family (and as a government investigation into the crash and the company's research dragged on).
Finally things got to a breaking point, and Ted moved back home to Bass City, taking his two kids with him. Mack went straight into regular high school, and AJ went to the local middle school- Ted went back to work for his older brother, at the family-owned auto salvage yard (though he actually spent most of his time in the garage, restoring classic cars for wealthy collectors. Handsome, personable, and a star athlete, Mack had a great time in high school, despite his family's reputation. AJ, with her grease-smeared jeans and soft Texas drawl found middle school to be far less welcoming- she didn't make any real friends and spent most of her spare time at the garage with her father
Life moved on. Finally Mack graduated from high school and went to Texas A&M on a football scholarship, and AJ managed to muddle through middle school. She was still a tomboy, but she didn't have a lot of time for sports- she was also really smart, and seemed to have a real aptitude for science, reading through high school and even college textbooks on physics and other, more esoteric, disciplines. It was never too early to start thinking about CalTech or MIT, was it?
As she started the summer between middle school and high school, though, AJ started having seizures again, this time accompanied by headaches with the sort of visual aura associated with severe migraines. These quickly became crippling in their frequency and intensity, and her doctor scheduled an MRI. When she got to the hospital and they slid her into the tube, it quickly became obvious that something was very wrong. out of nowhere, AJ developed a headache so bad she started screaming- and outside the MRI the scanners fuzzed out and a surge of energy started crackling around the device, and then the room, like ball lightning or St Elmo's Fire.
For AJ, everything went blank for a moment, as a stunning bolt of pain shot through her head- mercifully she passed out almost immediately. She woke up a few minutes later- only to find herself wreathed in a strange glowing aura. Both her father and her doctors freaked out (rather understandably), and certain phone calls were made, to certain government agencies (including the Department of Energy, and whichever agencies oversee superhuman affairs). Over the course of a couple of days, there were meetings with all kinds of official and semi-official people (scientists, doctors, government representatives- even the local school board). After extensive analysis, AJ was assigned to one of the two "Super schools" in town for the start of the next school year (despite the flashy and possibly useful nature of her powers, she was assigned to the less-prestigious school, because of her family's reputation). She has, in turn, spent most of the summer practicing- she wants to do her best, and to make the most of the opportunities she has been given...
Complications:
-Alien energy 1 (Accident): The energy that AJ produces seems to behave like a part of the electromagnetic spectrum, but it doesn't correspond to any traditionally known terrestrial wavelength- it doesn't even precisely match the energy from the experimental engine on her mother's plane (but it is close). From time to time, her energy signature can interact unpredictably with other nearby energy sources or detection systems. She might generate a "false positive" from a radiation badge or geiger counter, and other sensitive equipment might get a wash of "static". In addition, certain energy fields have unpredictable effects on HER- especially magnetic and gravitic energy sources. They might reduce her energy level- or cause her powers to spike out of control. She should not ever be put in an MRI machine, for example... In addition, the energy she creates has a faint silvery glow- while this is most noticeable while she is actively using her powers, she does accidentally glow (especially around her hands or eyes) at random times, most often if she is excited or emotional.
-Alien energy 2 (Power loss): AJ's body produces a slow but steady output of her unique energy, enough to power some of her minor abilities on a constant basis. It also stores the energy in a fairly efficient fashion- but the storage is not infinite. If she uses her powers at a higher level for an extended basis, she might run out of energy and need to recharge. (Basically, she can use her non-array effects essentially all the time, but using her array at full power will deplete her reserves sooner or later).
-Junkyard dog (Prejudice): Of course AJ doesn't actually LIVE in the junkyard- in fact, she and her family are fairly comfortable in a financial sense and they have a fairly nice house (with an extensive workshop/garage out back). But the Sullivans have owned that sprawling junkyard, and the towing company, for generations now and everyone in town thinks of them as poor junk-rats. The disdain of the local adults is bad enough- AJ and her family can pretty much tune out THAT static (though it does contribute to the reasons she was assigned to the less-prestigious school in town). But kids being kids, AJ can't avoid it in school or around town- nearly all of her peers (even those whose families are in worse shape) look down on her and treat her as poor white trash; AJ has been tagged as a "junkyard dog" in school, and spiked collars or dog biscuits are often left for her. While she is on the Shop class/ vocational tech track in school, she is also in the honors science classes- her status isn't helped by the fact that she genuinely enjoys technical and mechanical work, and she does spend a lot of her free time at her father's garage...
-Do good/ help out (Motivation): AJ was raised with the classic military ethos of serving her country and her community- in addition, on a personal level, she is a genuinely nice person and likes to help out when others are in need (or in danger). This can be as simple as holding the door for someone or helping them across the street- or it could mean leaping into a dangerous situation without hesitating... She is also quite a straight arrow personality-wise. She is honest, trustworthy, and (mostly) well-behaved- enough for it to be a noticeable trait, and for other kids to give her grief about it.
>"Let's try this!" (Motivation- adventure/experimentation) AJ is very smart, but her judgement and sense of caution aren't always the best, and she is prone to trying out ideas "in the field". When presented with a problem, she will work out a possible solution- and dive right into it. She also tends to prefer plans that get right to business- confronted with the legendary Gordian knot, she would be inclined to break out the blade on her multitool.
>RP hooks (Guidelines, not full Complications):
-Relationship (father): AJ's father Ted has his good days and his bad days. On his good days he is almost like he used to be, a hard-working mechanic that AJ enjoys spending time with. On his bad days, fueled by trauma and alcohol, he varies wildly from neglectful and withdrawn to overly strict and critical, almost to the point of being abusive- those are the days when AJ would rather be ANYWHERE except at home.
-Relationship (brother): Mack Sullivan is handsome, well-spoken, and a star football player- he graduated from the "normal" high school and took a football scholarship to Texas A&M. While he loves his father and his sister, he doesn't get along to well with the rest of the Sullivan clan- to be honest, he probably doesn't plan on coming back to Bass City in the future. He is also used to being the favorite child, and the Big Star in the family- he isn't too happy with AJ's sudden and obvious superpowers.
-Relationship (other family): The Sullivan family is a fairly large one and they are rather thick on the ground in Cape May county- everybody seems to know the Sullivans, either from getting their car towed out of a ditch by Sully's Towing or drinking in a dive bar with some of the more typical representatives of the family name. For the most part they tend to get along (though there are a few exceptions) and to watch out for one another (both a blessing and a curse at times). While superhuman abilities tend to be very common in the modern world, they are fairly rare in the Sullivan family- and the ones that do crop up tend to be pretty minor. AJ is the first Sullivan to go to "Super School", and the first overt super since her great-grandfather whose superhuman durability allowed him to survive service in WW 2. Nobody knows quite how to treat her- but some cousin or another might need a favor... (A future source of Connections)
Description: AJ is about average height for her age, with a lean build (don't call her "scrawny"). She has reddish-brown hair (more red than brown), worn long but usually tied back out of her way. She is moderately attractive in a wholesome, girl-next-door sort of way with a ready smile and a broad, expressive face. She has dark blue, almost storm grey, eyes and pale skin lightly dusted with freckles (though pale, she never seems to tan or sunburn, even though she spends a lot of time outdoors). She dresses in plain comfortable clothes- usually jeans or cut-off fatigue pants with battered tennis shoes, and a flannel shirt over a tee shirt, as well as a denim or leather jacket and a baseball cap. While most kids her age favor sunglasses, she usually has a tinted pair of aviator-style goggles, but they are more likely to be perched on top of her head instead of being worn 'correctly'. At school she carries a battered leather backpack, more suited to hiking than a classroom. While she tends to slouch or sprawl about when alone or with others her age, she always stands up straight when adults are around.
When she is "powered up" AJ is surrounded by a faint silvery glow. This energy field (and any energy she projects, like her blasts or the contrail of her flight) are laced with a faint fractal tracery, almost like dark colored lightning.
>Equipment: BMX bike (2ep), multitool, toolkit (Mechanic; Fine quality, +2 to rolls, but usually kept at home; 2ep), cheap cell phone, flashlight, flash goggles; +2EP unspent
>Update: So I got locked out of the site for most of last night, just after I put the sheet up. From the Site Update thread it wasn't just me, but it did mess up my planning. I will get a post up in a bit for some IC intro and backgrounding, then I'll do something else tonight after I get home with actuall rolls attached.
Should be able to fit her testing sequence in without retconning anybody's reactions or anything.
Saving some rolls here, until I can get an IC post together- will edit them in once I've got a moment.
>First test:
-Dex check (DC 5) 1d20+1= 8 (Pass)
-Move Object 4 with her Control Field active, that is strong enough to hold/catch a widget
>Then switch Array to Maneuver Drive for the second test:
(Part 1)
Throwing attack (Accurate attack 2, since anyone can do that)(5 times)(I guess against targets in the order that they are linked in the first thread post, since I forgot to specify)
1d20+4= 20 (Vil)
1d20+4= 7 (JD)
1d20+4= 5 (Sarah)
1d20+4= 22 (Maya)
1d20+4= 7 (John)
(So, using the numbers from Erin's 'place in line', as it were, that should hit Vil and Maya (just barely), and miss everyone else
>Rolls: https://orokos.com/roll/754509
(Part 2)
Defense rolls (5 times)- She will be using the Defense action, and the 'Maneuver Drive' slot of her array, with all resources allocated to defense. In this case, that is +10 (base Dodge 5 +1 Force Field +4 Aerial agility), +2 Improved Defense (and +2 Favored Environment, also a Circumstance bonus- I think they stack, but I'll list separately just in case) So total +12 or +14.
1d20+12= 13 (so 23 or 25)(1)(Vil)
1d20+12= 21 (so 31 or 33)(9)(JD)
1d20+12= 21 (so 31 or 33)(9)(Sarah)
1d20+12= 13 (so 23 or 25)(1)(Maya)
1d20+12= 21 (so 31 or 33)(9)John
>Also using the rolls against Erin, this means that Vil and Maya hit outright, and Sarah hits because she rolled a crit
(Just add 2 to these if circumstance bonuses do stack)
>Rolls: https://orokos.com/roll/754512 (Well THAT was pathetic- two natural 1s and nothing above 10- okay I guess given that active defense adds 10 to all those single digits and a 1 isn't an auto-fail, but still...)
I just figured that was easier than making everybody make new rolls just for me. PbP scheduling can already be a hurdle, no sense making it worse when there is a solution at hand.
Characters can be a 15 year old freshman if it is explained ic, I don't have a problem with it.
pathfinderq1, nice intro, and that works fine for Pemberly in that case. With your throws, you hit Vil and Maya, but miss the others. In defence, Vil's and Maya's attacks do connect (seems like fitting vengeance :p).
And with that, the second/third test are concluded! I will be sorting the next test out tomorrow, at latest Monday. I think the next one will focus on stamina, possibly linking fighting into that. If you guys want, this is a good opportunity for a bit of rp interaction so characters can get to know each other more.
Ok, so for the purpose of this test, it will be working on the assumption that the hit from the piston is an automatic success (I'm assuming characters won't be jumping out of the way). The test will require a toughness check from you guys, vs a total damage rank of 17. If I am correct that should potentially be achievable by everyone, but should hit the middle ground of the party pretty well. I hope that sounds alright to everyone.
Sorry, I forgot to mention, I am using the knock back rule from the GM guide (that's partly how they're gauging success in this test). It will be on a smaller scale for this test (AJ did not fly 900ft back after the hit), but in future combat it will be on the regular scale.
JD still does not budge at all (absolute unit), and AJ is thrown back into the mattresses from the impact. Should have said we were using this rule set, my bad.
Pathfinderq1, the check is only DC17, as opposed to DC 32 (which would be a knock back of something like 4,000 miles, man this system is insane), so it is only bruised for AJ.
That's going to hurt. The hit makes Sarah bruised and staggered. Does she also take damage from the knockback? (I don't the the GMG handy.)
I'll put this in the IC after others have gone since Sarah would not volunteer to go first. Though she would not be staggered if only she had powered up.
