AEGIS Squad, Region 2 (OOC)

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Arkrite
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by Arkrite »

Out of curiosity, the intent is is less of a Super Hero Team run by AEGIS and more of AEGIS Squad of agents who happen to have super powers?
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kenseido
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by kenseido »

This is more superhero team with AEGIS ties. The premise is that since they had no budget to rebuild their forces and equipment, they recruited heroes with powers and put them through basic AEGIS training.
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by RainOnTheSun »

I'll see what I can come up with for a character, then! There's a couple earlier character ideas I've tried that would be easy enough to convert over, FWIW:

https://echoesofthemultiverse.com/viewt ... 6ba#p71982

Psychic kid with "mind bullets" who I could scale up to PL 10 easily and age up a bit, and:

https://echoesofthemultiverse.com/viewt ... 6ba#p27083

A reformed villain idea I've used briefly a few times. Instead of a refugee from Anti-Earth, she'd probably be a former Shadow or Labyrinth agent. I'd have to rework her statistics to be less Presence-heavy, but that wouldn't be too hard.

If a team is forming and seems to need a psychic or a brick, or if either of those ideas particularly appeals to you, I could convert them without too much trouble. Otherwise, I'll try and think of somebody new.
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kenseido
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by kenseido »

RainOnTheSun wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:36 pmIf a team is forming and seems to need a psychic or a brick, or if either of those ideas particularly appeals to you, I could convert them without too much trouble. Otherwise, I'll try and think of somebody new.
Both characters have potential and there aren't any actual submissions yet. So I can't really say which would be a better fit.

As for submissions, I don't look to fill specific roles on the team. I base my choices on how interesting the character is and if I know anything about the specific player.

My games tend to run with main stories which in comic terms with the team book. In between adventures, there are interludes which act as the individual hero's own comic book. Sometimes the players write their own interlude, and sometimes I run something for them.

I say all of this so that you understand what I think is interesting. If your character has lots of material for interludes that I can tie into the stories, then that is more appealing to me than the most perfectly built team character with a generic, boring background.

In other words, story and roleplaying over numbers. If the team ends up missing some "key" niche, then challenges will be adjusted so that doesn't screw you. For example, if the team ends up with no techie type, then you won't face a story where winning depends on passing a lot of Technology checks.
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Yeah, "need" probably isn't the right word. If somebody submits a character that I think either of them will interact with especially well, I'll see about making a version of them. Seeing what other people make is usually good inspiration.
mrdent12
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by mrdent12 »

I may regret it depending on how things shake out next week, but I am thinking of putting together a reformed super criminal "Cool" Luke formerly part of Fire and Ice mid level criminal team with "Firey" Jake being the other half. Jake resisted changing in prison, but Luke had his family pushing him to reform. Now Luke wants to prove he's reformed by doing good, but sometimes fails or gets tempted by former criminal associates. Jake is also a possible enemy or lure back into criminal life of he ever gets out of prison.

Not sure power wise what sticks out to me. Standard ice or cold controller is easiest, but I'll have to noodle on it.
Flynnarrel
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by Flynnarrel »

Ever since I read about an external procedure that can alter one's morality (http://news.mit.edu/2010/moral-control-0330) I wanted to explore a super-criminal having this happen to them by a well-meaning criminal-psychologist. I've always wanted to see how her story would play to completion. I've also been fascinated by the nature of duality and the idea that the original psycho personality is in there and watching this do-gooder in horror. Will she earn redemption? Will some villain find away to cause the original to resurface or pull it out entirely to a separate being prompting a fight like in that Superman movie (with Richard Pryor) we all pretend doesn't exist? Who knows?

If anything on the build is concerning please let me know. I'm more interested in the story than the powerset.
Last edited by Flynnarrel on Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
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kenseido
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by kenseido »

Flynnarrel wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 6:17 amIf anything on the build is concerning please let me know. I'm more interested in the story than the powerset.
The background is a bit problematic, in that AEGIS wouldn't rely entirely on the testimony of a doctor who performed an unauthorized, non-approved procedure on an extreme psychotic. Other psychiatrists would not sign off on her.

The powers are problematic in that they would necessitate massive property damage to use which is definitely something AEGIS would not be keen on occurring. And as for putting it back together, you can't just put shredded metal back together.
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by RainOnTheSun »

So, something to just put out there... one of the ideas I've had for a little while is the idea of an invulnerable reporter or cameraman. Sort of like Clark Kent without the secret identity, or She-Hulk as a journalist instead of a lawyer. Someone who can go almost anywhere to get a story and can't be intimidated into dropping it. So I'm thinking, maybe this person is suspicious of superheroes and the potential for abuse of power, and someone at AEGIS says, you know what, you've got powers, why don't you try out for it yourself and get the full picture? And they do, and they're accepted.
Flynnarrel
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by Flynnarrel »

kenseido wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 6:40 am
Flynnarrel wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 6:17 amIf anything on the build is concerning please let me know. I'm more interested in the story than the powerset.
The background is a bit problematic, in that AEGIS wouldn't rely entirely on the testimony of a doctor who performed an unauthorized, non-approved procedure on an extreme psychotic. Other psychiatrists would not sign off on her.

The powers are problematic in that they would necessitate massive property damage to use which is definitely something AEGIS would not be keen on occurring. And as for putting it back together, you can't just put shredded metal back together.
Ah, the powers could have been modified but the character background is what I wanted to explore. I shall withdraw her then.
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Tony Jones
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by Tony Jones »

Here my character idea that I'd like to put before the court:

Penitent (Alejandro Olavarría)
Power Level 10, 150 points

Hero Points: 1
Current Condition: Fine

Background

Alejandro Olavarría is the son of poor Puerto Rican immigrants to the USA. He grew up poor in the East Tampa district of the city of Tampa, Florida. His parents, Maria and Antonio, were poorly educated, worked minimum wage jobs, and were poor parents to him and his four siblings so they grew up in an unstable, violent environment.

Studious and intelligent, despite his best efforts to hide it, he was picked on and bullied by his less intelligent siblings and home, and through school, and he almost inevitably grew up bitter and angry.

But the local criminals had a use for someone intelligent, and he was willingly recruited to by the local drug lord to help with production. His intelligent let him make better and better drugs and so rise through the ranks until he became chief chemist for the gang, rich and powerful. And able to have revenge by doing his best to ruin everyone who had ever picked on him.

But it was not enough. He still felt vulnerable. And so turned his considerable intellect on the problem. Over time he expanded his knowledge of science, and magic, and developed his Smarts, Strength, Speed Formula (the S3 Formula). Using it he gradually grew into a super-intelligent, super-strong speedster.

He took over the gang and began operating it for his own benefit. But uninterested in fighting he instead shifted what he made from pure drugs into a mercenary technology provider to fund his transhumanist experiments under the alias of Doctor B. A. Betterman.

He was not personally a murderer. But he did provide enhancements and equipment to those who were, regardless of who they were. All he cared about was whether they could pay.

But over time the enhancements he had given himself improved them – made him less psychologically damaged and more empathic - to the point where his conscience would not let him do any more harm.

He needed to repent, and get out of the criminal underworld. Make life better for others, not worse. He did not turn to religion; his enhanced intellect saw no benefit to doing so; only he could save himself.

So he secretly donated his riches to good causes, then handed himself, a fully documented confession, and all he knew over to the authorities. And as he wished, was punished with a life sentence of jail time in the Blackstone Federal Penitentiary for it.

Kept away from technology and in magically warded areas, his past still haunted him.

Truly penitent for what he had done, in jail he did his best to help other prisoners with advice, counselling and so on, and earned a number of degrees during his time there, in medicine, psychology and psychotherapy among other things. At the same time he did his best to avoid criminal retribution for his act of betrayal, something that still returns to bite him from time to time, and from which he still bears some scars.

Until the forces of the Star Khan invaded, and attacked the prison wanting to release the prisoners, both for the challenge of combat with them, and for possible recruitment. As they rampaged through Blackstone he feared for his life, but more he feared for the lives of the guard and other innocent members of staff in the place.

He did what he could to help, treating injuries and jury rigging technology to help people escape, until the power failed and the magical wards were dispelled by … something. Using a rushed magical ritual he was able to transform water into a crude copy of the S3 Formula, which allowed him to evacuate and rescue Warden Drummer and enough other staff to turn the tide against the attackers, at the cost of injuries to himself.

The attackers were beaten back out of the prison, at which point he felt the ersatz S3 Formula wearing off as he was jumping in front of an attack meant for a guard. Then there was pain and darkness.

Waking up in the prison infirmary some time later, he found that as a former criminal legitimately trying to reform, whose actions during the attack had spoken louder than words, and with a recommendation from Warden Drummer, he was a clear choice for one of the new AEGIS super-teams.

As such he was recruited out of jail to the Region 2 (Gulf Coast) team under his new nom de guerre of Penitent. AEGIS have provided him with a lab to produce more of the S3 Formula, but his supply is very much under the control of AEGIS, not him. He accepts this as part of his penitence.

Description

Penitent is a dark-skinned man apparently in his thirties, of average height and athletic but not exceptionally muscular build. His eyes are very dark brown, almost black, with a sad and regretful look to them. His greying hair is close cropped and he has a neatly-trimmed slightly greying beard. He has a few scars here and there, from both before and after his time in prison. He speaks with a Florida accent and does not smile much.

His costume is a black hooded coat with the AEGIS logo on the chest, over a grey top and trousers. He wears gold-tinted goggles over his eyes. On his belt are a number of pouches containing first aid supplies and other useful things.

Image

He reads voraciously, mostly scientific textbooks and journals, but other non-fiction too, and a smattering of fiction in many genres.

--

Points Expenditure: PL10, 150 PP

ABILITIES
Strength 10, Stamina 10, Agility 0, Dexterity 0,
Fighting 0, Intellect 14, Awareness 10, Presence 0
Total: 88 points

SKILLS
Athletics 2 (+12), Expertise: AEGIS Officer 2 (+16), Close Combat: Unarmed – 10 (+10), Expertise: Biological Enhancement 6 (+20), Ranged Combat: Guns 2 (+2), Technology 4+2 (+20)
Total: 10 points

ADVANTAGES
Benefit 2 (AEGIS), Eidetic Memory, Equipment - 3, Improvised Tools, Improvised Weapon - 1, Interpose, Inventor, Jack of All Trades, Move By Attack, Ritualist, Well Informed
Total: 9 points

POWERS
Enhanced Physiology (9 points)
Immunity – 2 (Ageing, Sleep)
Protection – 2, Regeneration – 5

Speed Powers (18 points)
Speed – 10 (4 miles per round, 2000 mph)
Movement – 3 (Wall Crawling – 2, Water Walking – 1, Limited: Only While Moving)
Quickness – 5 (32 x faster)

Total: 27 points

DEFENCES
Dodge +8, Parry +8, Fortitude +10, Toughness +12, Will +10
Total: 16 points

OFFENCE
Initiative +0
Unarmed +10, Close, Damage 10, Critical 20, DC25 Toughness
Thrown +0, Ranged, Damage 10, Critical 20, DC25 Toughness
Blaster Pistol +2, Ranged, Damage 5, Critical 20, DC20 Toughness

COMPLICATIONS
Motivation: Doing Good: To atone for the bad he did – and the bad people he helped – he wants to do good to make up for it.
Power Loss: His powers mostly come from the Smarts, Strength, Speed Formula (the S3 Formula), a mixture of science and magic; without it every day his powers start to fade, with Strength, Stamina, Speed powers and Regeneration eventually dropping to zero; their Int drops no lower than 8 and they still do not sleep or age.
Enemies: People from his previous life still resent his turning hero, and may want new or repaired equipment. Or revenge!
Reputation: His past as a former criminal still haunts him from time to time.

POWER POINT TOTALS
Abilities 88 + Skills 10 + Advantages 9 + Powers 27+ Defences 16 = 150
Items in italics are free from the AEGIS package.

EQUIPMENT
First Aid Kit, Armoured Uniform (Protection 2), Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), commlink, handcuffs

Languages Spoken
English
Last edited by Tony Jones on Sat Jun 19, 2021 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kenseido
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by kenseido »

Tony Jones wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 2:12 pmHere my character idea that I'd like to put before the court:
He could potentially work if you add something about him defending people (even the jail) during the Invasion.
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kenseido
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by kenseido »

RainOnTheSun wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 7:48 amSo, something to just put out there... one of the ideas I've had for a little while is the idea of an invulnerable reporter or cameraman. Sort of like Clark Kent without the secret identity, or She-Hulk as a journalist instead of a lawyer. Someone who can go almost anywhere to get a story and can't be intimidated into dropping it. So I'm thinking, maybe this person is suspicious of superheroes and the potential for abuse of power, and someone at AEGIS says, you know what, you've got powers, why don't you try out for it yourself and get the full picture? And they do, and they're accepted.
There is some possibility, but it would have to be someone they think won't question every order in the field. Doing so could put a lot of lives at risk.
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Tony Jones
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by Tony Jones »

kenseido wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 3:16 pm
Tony Jones wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 2:12 pmHere my character idea that I'd like to put before the court:
He could potentially work if you add something about him defending people (even the jail) during the Invasion.
Sounds like a good idea. I'll add something in to that effect.
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Sakuro
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Re: Recruiting - AEGIS Squad, Region 2

Post by Sakuro »

Here is Evelyn Gracen. An AEGIS Captain who has been endowed with the abilities of an alien invader after a violent confrontation. Her powers are all about controlling metal.


EVELYN "BULWARK" GRACEN

Image
(Image of actress Jaimie Alexander.)


PL: 10 PP: 156

ABILITIES:
Str 1 Sta 2 Agi 1 Dex 1 Fgt 1 Int 1 Awr 2 Pre 2

SKILLS: Athletics 7(+8), Deception 3(+5), Expertise: AEGIS Officer 7(+8), Expertise: Military 7(+8), Insight 6(+8), Intimidate 3(+5), Perception 6(+8), Persuasion 6(+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 2, Stealth 7(+8), Technology 2(+3)

ADVANTAGES: Accurate Attack, All-out-Attack, Benefit 4 [AEGIS Officer 2 (Captain), Security Clearance 2 (Top Secret)], Equipment 3*, Interpose, Melee Attack Focus 7, Ranged Attack Focus 7, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack

POWERS:
"Metal Control" Transform 10 [Any Metal into Any Shape ; Extras: Continuous Duration (+1/r), Dynamic (+1 pp)] * 41 PP
DAE - Move Objects 12 [Flaws: Limited to "Metal" (-1/r) ; Extras: Precise (+1 pp), Subtle (+1 pp)] * 2 PP
DAE - Move Objects 10 [Flaws: Limited to "Metal" (-1/r), Close Range (-1/r) ; Extras: Precise (+1 pp), Subtle (+1 pp), Shapeable Area (+1/r)] * 2 PP
DAE - Str Based Damage 11 [Flaws: Quirk "Requires Metal" (-1 pp) ; Extras: Variable Descriptor "Metal Weaponry" 1] * 2 PP
DAE - Protection 10 [Flaws: Sustained Duration (+0/r), Quirk "Requires Adequate Quantity of Metal to Act As Armor" (-1 pp) ; Extras: Impervious 11] * 2 PP
DAE - Heal 10 [Flaws: Limited to "Metal Objects and Own Ranks of Protection" (-1/r) ; Extras: Affects Objects (+1/r)] * 2 PP
DAE - Create 10 [Flaws: Quirk "Requires Metal to be Present" (-1 pp) ; Extras: Continuous Duration (+1/r), Precise (+1 pp)] * 2 PP
DAE - Flight 8 [Flaws: Platform (-1/r), Quirk "Requires Metal" (-1 pp)] * 2 PP

"Metal Sense", Senses 5 [Accurate (2 pp) Radius (1 pp) Mental Detect Metal (2 pp)] * 5 PP


EQUIPMENT:
AEGIS Gear
Armored Uniform (Protection 2)
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5)
Commlink
Handcuffs


DEFENSES:
Dodge 8 [DC 18] Parry 8 [DC 18]
Fortitude 9 Toughness 2(4/ AEGIS Uniform, 12/w Metal Control) Will 9

OFFENSE:
Initiative +1
Unarmed Attack +8 (DC 16 Tough)
Ranged Attack +8
Move Objects +8 (DC 27 Tough)
Shapeable Move Objects DC 20 Dodge (DC 25 Tough)
Metal Control Weaponry +8 (DC 27 Tough)
Blaster Pistol +10 (DC 20 Tough)



Abilities 22 + Skills 24 (4 free)+ Advantages 22 (5 free) + Powers 60 + Defenses 28 = 156/156


COMPLICATIONS:
Vulnerability (Magnetism/Electricity) - Evelyn's abilities can be disrupted by strong magnetic forms. When she is encased in metal she also becomes vulnerable to magnetic and electrical effects.

Rival Agency (Shadow) - As an agent of AEGIS Evelyn has made enemies in the ranks of Shadow during her career.



BACKBROUND:
Evelyn's mother died shortly after giving birth. Her father didn't know anything about raising a girl, so he raised her like the son he had wanted. Instead of playing with Barbie dolls or playing dress up Evelyn was playing sports and rough housing as a child. Her interest in pursuing a career in the military began in middle school history class and classic literature from works such as Homer's Iliad. Then she had the fantastical idea of glory, honor, and service to a cause. Hearing exploits of meta-human heroes and vigilantes on the news growing up sparked a measure of envy in her and she saw the military as her way to achieving something of that greatness. This was encouraged by her father, who told Evelyn about members of their family who had served in the armed forces.

After highschool Evelyn enrolled at West Point. During her time there West Point came under assault by a criminal wearing power armor, an exe-student with a vendetta against one of the instructors. Together with a handful of her fellow cadets Evelyn held the attacker at bay, using cunning traps and diversions to stall the antagonist until AEGIS arrived to capture him. It was Evelyn's first exposure to the group and while it served as an interesting story to tell, she didn't give much thought to AEGIS at the time. But she was on their radar.

When Evelyn graduated from West Point she entered the infantry branch of the armed forces. For the next five years Evelyn spent most of her time overseas embroiled in the War on Terror. Time an again she encountered hostile meta-humans. Almost as if she were drawn to them, or them to her. Sometimes things went bad, but for the most part Evelyn overcame the disadvantage of being a normal human being in a world with superpowered villains. At the age of thirty Evelyn was prepared to take the next step major in her military career when AEGIS reached out to her.

Initially she was frustrated on joining AEGIS. Rather than advancing in rank as she would have if she stayed in the army, it was almost as though she was standing still. She had things to learn, however, and adjustment to the extremes AEGIS operated under was not easy. An unsettling amount of her time in AEGIS was spent in a protracted strategic duel with opposition forces in Shadow. She earned her share of hatreds, enemies, and rivalries that waned and grew over the years. The dangerous dance came to a crashing halt with aliens invaded Earth.

She was "Captain Gracen" when the Star-Khan came with the alien hordes seeking their next conquest. During the invasion Evelyn lead a company of AEGIS assets in defense of the Gulf Coast area, acting as a rapid response team working in conjunction with air forces. They saw a lot of rough action, having been sent to counter and controls key leadership in the xeno's ground forces. Towards the end of the conflict Evelyn and her company came into contact with a creature that could psychically move and shape metal. It was one of the commanding officers they were sent to take out. In an urban environment, fighting it was a nightmare. In the end Evelyn detonated an experimental explosive rigged up by one of her scientist assets assigned to her company specifically for that mission. It was suicidal maneuver, made in an effort to cover her team's retreat when things got out of control.

Sometime later Evelyn woke up in a hospital. Against all odd she had not only killed the xeno officer but survived the explosion. That wasn't her only surprise. Evelyn's recovery was rapid and, beyond that, she began to demonstrate abilities akin to the creature she had slain. Somehow they had been transferred to her. Over the course of the next year she had worked on getting well and understanding her new meta-human qualities. Preparing for the future ... to help the rest of the world recover as she had.
Last edited by Sakuro on Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:17 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
Storyteller for In the Shadow of Imperator
Storyteller for Geneforge: the Created
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