@Fantasy Liver: That's fine by me! Jason certainly would take advantage of being able to do his thing since Batman is MIA, but at the same, would be wondering what the heck is up.
The ambiguity of other baddies they fought is good for me too! And yeah, Jason wouldn't be the same without his character building crowbar beatdown.
Edited by Darkomega245 on Jan 6th 2022 at 7:05:22 AM
I'm proposing an AU version of an Amalgam character, reworked so he doesn't lock out any other existing characters.
- Name: Peter "Pete" Ross, aka Spider-Boy (aka Way-Cool Spider-Boy, Outrageous Spider-Boy, Awesome Spider-Boy)
- Age: Chronologically only a few years, biologically late teens/early 20's.
- Sex/Gender: Male
- Personality: A royal smart-aleck, Pete takes basically nothing seriously. An eternal jokester and master of sarcastic quips, he's rather famous for never shutting up during a fight...or any situation, really. Despite this, Pete has a strong sense of right and wrong, taking it upon himself to fight and protect people as Spider-Boy. He is, however, still somewhat vain, using his status as a superhero to live a celebrity lifestyle and take photos for publicity. Though he's also using his good image to give people hope and protect his real identity (nobody would believe a celebrity superhero's real identity was some news reporter who looks nothing like him), he does indulge a bit and feed rumors that he's dating any given superheroine or supervillainess a reporter might ask him about. People he's claimed (falsely) to be dating include:
- Insect Queen
- Catwoman
- (Why is) Gamora
- Wonder Woman
- Ghost Spider
- Equipment:
- Web Pistol Having returned to the organization that created him, Spider-Boy was outfitted with a pistol that can shoot a synthetic web fluid.
- Web Fluid: Web fluid is a shear-thinning liquid (virtually solid until a shearing force was applied to it, rendering it fluid) whose exact formula is unknown, but is related to nylon. On contact with air, the long-chain polymer forms an extremely tough, flexible fiber with extraordinary adhesive properties. The web fluid's adhesive quality diminishes rapidly with exposure to air. (Where it did not make contact with air, such as at the attachment disk of the web-shooter, it remained very adhesive). After about 1 hour, certain imbibed esters cause the solid form of the web fluid to dissolve into a powder.
- Disguise Watch: As part of his job fighting threats to public safety, Peter was given a watch that can alter his appearance. When activated, it changes him from his natural black-haired appearance to a blond façade. In this identity, he works as "Peter Ross," a reporter for the Daily Bugle.
- Assets:
- Crappy Apartment: Speaks for itself.
- Government Living Quarters: Spider-Boy has his own living arrangements, separate from the "Peter Ross" identity. Pete tends to switch around where he's staying on seemingly a whim.
- Powers/Abilities: (I'm going to expand slightly on his powers due to his slightly altered backstory and the fact that this character only appeared in like...two issues in 1996. I'm also expanding more on the Kryptonian aspect of his character, which Amalgam itself barely even acknowledged.)
- Personal Gravity Manipulation: Peter is able to alter his own personal gravity for a variety of effects. In addition to walking on walls and ceilings, Peter can lower his own gravity to leap far distances, shift his momentum in midair, pull smaller objects towards himself or even increase his physical strength.
- Spider-Sense: Though his is underdeveloped due to his relatively young age and mixed physiology, Peter possesses the same precognitive sense of impending danger as other similarly-empowered "Spider People" (i.e. Spider-Man, etc.)
- Super Strength: Peter's unique genetic makeup grants him the proportional strength of a spider, but he can alter his own gravity to further increase his strength to levels rivaling (though not quite matching) a pure Kryptonian. However, lack of exposure to sunlight (or exposure to Kryptonite) will nullify his ability to do this, limiting his strength to his baseline "Spider Person" level.
- Enhanced Agility: Peter's mixed genes grant him increased agility relative to a normal human, enabling him to perform flips, acrobatic maneuvers and of course web swinging that a normal human would be incapable of.
- Healing Factor: While not to the same level as Wolverine or Deadpool, Peter's injuries heal significantly faster than a normal human's, even more quickly if he's exposed to concentrated yellow sunlight.
- Being A Smart-Ass: If asked, he'd count this as a superpower. It is not.
- Appearance: In his civilian appearance, Peter Ross is an unassuming blond reporter who favors button down shirts.
◊ As Spider-Boy, Peter wears a mostly red-and-blue, web-patterned costume with a mask covering his eyes. His hair also changes from blond to black, though it can appear dark blue in some lighting.◊
- Backstory: In an attempt by Project Cadmus to create their own super soldier in the same vein as Captain America, blood samples taken from Spider-Man and Superman (without their knowledge or...consent) were mixed into a clone. The experiment, however, was a failure. The samples were lost and the clone exhibited no Kryptonian powers whatsoever. Feeling bad for the newly-created kid, Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, who was overseeing the project, adopted the boy and named him "Peter," taking the name from the reporter whose Spider-Man pictures always hit the front page of the Daily Bugle (it seemed appropriate, since Spider-Man was the kid's genetic donor). Peter lived happily with his "Uncle Gen" until a few years later, tragedy struck in the form of a mugging. Peter, being a kid, wasn't paid much mind by the mugger. "Uncle Gen," however, was shot dead in an alleyway. Resolving to never allow this to happen to another innocent person, Peter returned Cadmus (in the comics it was Cadmus, but at GM discretion it could also be SHIELD or another comparable organization) to become a superhero in his own right. After working as a vigilante for quite some time, Spider-Boy's reputation has begun to rise to celebrity status, with the young hero receiving interviews, photo ops and the obligatory tabloid rumors about him. While he tries not to let the fame go to his head, it's easy to see that Spider-Boy definitely isn't doing anything to stifle his growing reputation. Working at the Daily Bugle as Peter Ross, he's also all too happy to write obviously-inaccurate, two-bit stories about himself, since rumors sell papers, get people talking and can boost Spider-Boy's genuine reputation.
Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Jan 7th 2022 at 8:22:41 AM
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Lucha Libre goddess
Not sure if I could commit, but, out of curiosity, what is the policy on characters that are considered high level like kryptonians or lanterns?
Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.
So with enough people signed up now, I think I'll be launching this thing soon. Do people prefer Discord or the Tropes forum itself for the actual RP?
@darksidevoid - Sure they can have that stuff but if you want, you can make it a goal to achieve as well. Up to you.
@darkomega - Cool beans!
@Zodan - I am hesitant to include Amalgam characters but I actually love what you've done with this here and think it fits in nicely with the setting. Consider him accepted.
@Fallen Legend - They're fair game although a character like Superman or Green Lantern may struggle morally in the current city of Gotham City as it's pretty corrupt and crime ridden right now. Not necessarily a bad thing as it could present some fun roleplaying opportunities. Also, if your character is super strong, they may feel a bit bored or not utilized properly fighting street crime versus international or even intergalactic threats so that might be something else to keep in mind.
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
I prefer the forum for the RP itself, as I find it easier to do prose as opposed to just lines of dialogue that way, but I do prefer Discord for communication and coordination, as opposed to a discussion thread.
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
AKA Nixer
Ditto; prefer Discord for game chatting but forum for actual R Ping
bork
Legend...is that you?
Anyways yeah, I second the above motions.
The only potentially significant thing I left out (that I can recall atm) is that Peter is apparently a “Living Nexus of Realities and Timelines.” Aside from that one time Kang the Conqueror tried to rip him apart at a molecular level to absorb his life energy and take over reality, it really hasn’t factored into his life at any point. If asked about it, he’d just answer “whatever that’s supposed to be.”
…Seriously his second issue just drops that reveal, has a brief Kang fight and then moves on like nothing weird just happened.
I also second RP’ing on TVT and chatting on Discord
Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Jan 7th 2022 at 5:46:04 AM
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Popcorn, Get Ya Popcorn!
I'm very interested in this RP, and will post a character sheet tomorrow. I'm thinking Clock King or Riddler, some pattern-obsessed villain.
Popcorn, Get Ya Popcorn!
I decided to go with Jason Blood/Etrigan.
Name: Jason Blood (human)/Etrigan (demon)
Age: 1,400+/1,900+
Sex/Gender: Male/Male
Personality: Jason Blood is methodical, dedicated to protecting those he deems innocent, though when roused to anger can be extremely violent. Etrigan loves violence, boasting, and indulging his impulses, though he can be surprisingly intelligent and crafty with a plan when he puts his mind to it (which is virtually never)
Equipment: Dark ritual implements
Assets: $$$, sanctum (large house)
Powers/Abilities:
- Agelessness: Jason Blood ages at a vastly reduced rate due to the dark magic that infuses his being. He has aged minimally in the last millenium and a half.
- Dark Magic: Jason Blood has access to a great deal of dark magic spells, but they universally come with some kind of cost or trade off, ranging from dripping of blood to sacrifice of living beings. Additionally, Blood's magic is often ritualistic and takes a lot of time and preperation to cast properly; rushed casting is not really an option. Similarly, Etrigan has powerful dark magic, but he can spontaneously and quickly cast spells, unlike Blood, as well as perform rituals as need be. Casting powerful spells quickly drains his resovoire of hell power, though, and so can't be abused at length without weakening the demon greatly.
- The Restoration of Marbas: A healing ritual that takes Blood about 45 minutes to cast. Extremely draining to cast: it takes all of his strength to cast it more than once in a day. His record was three consecutive times during the Siege of Verdun.
- The Buffeting Winds of Ulthoon: A defensive spell meant to keep enemies at a distance and shield the wielder. Embedded in the wards of Blood's house.
- Azazel's Conveyance: A short ranged teleport spell that can teleport people around Blood's house. He's embedded it in the wards, and uses it sparringly, usually to disorient any unfortunate burglars.
- Gate of Shadow: A transportation spell that allows Blood and several compatriots to travel from a set up shadow gate to another shadow in the city close to a location that Blood knows. The issues with this spell are that it is less precise the less well Blood knows the location he's trying to go to, travel through the Shadow-realm is fairly uncomfortable, and costly in the way of magical debt with Hell.
- Demon Physiology: Etrigan is super strong (can consistently lift 10-15 tons), fast, endurant, etc., etc. innately due to being a demon. He can further enhance his streegth, speed, endurance, etc. from their natural levels by drawing on the power of hell, but doing so drains him in proportion to how much he empowers himself. At his peak, he can fight off superman (canonically), but that would be insanely taxing to do so.
- Hellfire: Etrigan's most powerful weapon is his hellfire, which he can blast from his hands and mouth. It can burn even the souls of man. His hellfire hurts people in proportion to how sinful they have been.
Appearance: Jason blood is a tall, dark-haired, caucasion man with a streak of silver hair running across his scalp. He is of medium build and has a spooky vibe. Etrigan is a tall (seven feet+, but often slouches severely) demon with sallow yellow flesh, hellish red eyes, great horns, massive, shark-like teeth, and razor-sharp, big honkin claws. A real beast of a demon.
Backstory: Jason Blood was in some fashion in service to King Arthur and the Wizard Merlin, and volunteered to be the vessel to bind Etrigan, a high-ranking demon in Hell, so that he might be constrained from hurting innocents. Etrigan, meanwhile, is the spawn of Belial, a Duke of Hell, and has had a lifelong enmity with the greater nobility of Hell, especially his father. Jason Blood has been around for over a millenium and a half, and Etrigan is even older. Recently, Jason Blood moved to Gotham in the '60s, seeing it as a place rife with people that need help. He fought crime throughout the '60s and '70s, eventually partnering up with Slam Bradley senior. Blood took a trip "out of state" during most of the '80s, and returned to a Gotham in the throughs of a very dark age. He struggled to acclimate to such a changed city, and eventually spiraled into a very bad and brutal place, sinking down instead of rising above, something that he still feels very guilty about. He vanished again at the beginning of the 21st century, reappearing in the late '00s-early 2010s, and has rededicated himself to limiting bloodshed and destruction, helping the innocent, and restraining Etrigan's (and his own) worst impulses.
Allies: Slam Bradley— Old Cop friend from back in the day. Retired nowadays. Slam Bradley Junior— Though allies who appreciate eachothers' abilities, there's some distance in between them due to Etrigan and Blood's lack of restraint in the 90s.
Universe: (if from another universe or dimension): Baseline Universe/Hell
- Extra— Weaknesses: Jason Blood is, putting aside the dark magic and decreased aging, just a physically normal guy. Etrigan, meanwhile, must return to hell every 66 days to regenerate his strength, which wanes the longer he stays from hell. This deadline can be moved up depending on how much he overextends himself. As a minor, additional weakness, Etrigan can only speak in verse/rhyme, and must make a Herculean effort to not do so.
Edited by Greydoom on Feb 2nd 2022 at 2:31:14 AM
@Greydoom - Etrigan looks good. I'll say accepted although by universe, I meant more does he reside in the "standard" Justice Avengers verse we'll be RP'ing in or is he from an alternate dimension or universe? Given your signup, I'd imagine you meant the former.
Also, can everyone PM me their Discord names so we can set something up since Discord seems to be the preferred avenue of chat. Then I'll hopefully be able to set up the RP thread proper either tonight or tomorrow! Hooray!
Discord is being wonky right now and not letting me send invites. So for all in the game, here is the link below. Server is set up. Work's been a bit crazy so I hope to have the actual game up tomorrow.
First post is up here
Lucha Libre goddess
@Hey there Liz so awesome to see you! I got some grest memories from playing with ya.
Don’t know if I will get the time to commit to this game, but do know that I think you were not just a fantastic GM, but my first one aswell. Thank your for being an amazing one :’)
@Fl Thank you,
Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.
The Ice Queen
Name: Caitlin Snow/ (Killer) Frost
Age: 25
Sex/Gender: Cis female
Personality: For someone with such a cold exterior, Caitlin has a surprisingly warm heart if you get close enough to her. She's highly intelligent and surprisingly empathetic. Despite putting up a front of confidence bordering on arrogance, her self-esteem is actually quite low.
Equipment: She doesn't really need any; the only things that come to mind are her JLA Transmatter Token, which lets her teleport to the Hall of Justice; and a thermal suit of her own design, which helps her to store the heat she's absorbed for longer than it would normally last.
Assets: None. Being a disgraced scientist turned serial killer doesn't leave you particularly well off even if you are affiliated with the Justice League now.
Powers/Abilities:
- Unique Physiology: Her new state is very basic, almost primal. Her body is completely encased in permafrost. She is not made of ice, per se, but she generates organic ice-like cells which make up her changed genetics.
- Cryokinesis: She can generate ice spikes to spear her opponents, kill an ordinary human with her freezing kiss and/or create a ice storm powerful enough to freeze everything, killing multiple people.
- Heat Absorption: Frost is a so called "Heat Vampire"; to stay alive, she must regularly absorb heat. The most efficient way to satiate this "hunger" is to absorb the body heat of others. Her new state also grants her the ability to sense people by their heat signatures, similar to how pit vipers locate their prey.
Abilities
- Genius Level Intellect: Science: She was S.T.A.R. Labs' youngest and brightest scientist. She can solve difficult equations in a single day's time, as well as repair and operate heavy, energy generating machinery.
Appearance: Ice, ice, baby!
Backstory: Caitlin Snow was a researcher assigned to work in the arctic outpost for S.T.A.R Labs on a machine that broke the laws of thermodynamics to create perpetual motion. Nobody expected the machine to actually work, least of all her colleagues who were being paid off by H.I.V.E to stop the machine from being completed so they could secure their interests in the energy market. However, Caitlin got the machine to work. This led her colleagues to throw her inside of it and turn it on.
What they expected to happen was for Caitlin to die and them to explain it away as a lab accident. What actually happened was the machine made Caitlin essentially become a heat vampire. She gained the ability to generate ice and remove heat from other people's bodies. However, it also robbed her of her ability to generate heat, meaning she was slowly freezing to death and the only cure was to drain the heat from other people. This pushed her into becoming a murderer and a supervillain, but recently she has turned over a new leaf and joined the Justice League of America.
Universe: N/A
@Fallen Legend - hey hey good to see ya
@Spottedleaf - Looking good but a couple questions. Is the Justice League cool with her having to kill people to sustain herself? How does she get around that particular aspect while being a hero? Is she an active member of the League? What brought her to Gotham specifically and what does she hope to do there?
The Ice Queen
Ah, guess I should clarify since this particular description doesn't make it clear: she's since learned that while it's easiest to sustain herself by killing people, it's entirely possible to just sustain herself through prolonged human contact- she learned this while imprisoned in Belle Reve. She's been doing that more frequently and there's been occasional injuries from her feedings but as of now, no new deaths.
As for what attracts her to Gotham specifically, the place is essentially Mos Eisley. The reason she became a scientist in the first place was a desire to help people, and Gotham needs all the help it can get.
Edited by Spottedleaf on Jan 18th 2022 at 11:57:04 AM
Gotcha. And is she an active member of the League at this time? On reserve? Taking a leave of absence? Either one is fine
The Ice Queen
Reserve member, similar to the role Plastic Man, Vixen, or Green Arrow often play.
Name: Andreas Strucker/ The Swordsman
Age: 28
Sex/Gender: Male
Personality: Growing up as a Strucker means many things. Fear. Respect. Pride. Hedonism and indulging any whim. A near-sociopathic disregard for others. And hate. Andreas is a man who desperately wanted the approval and love of his father, a legendarily cruel and brutal Nazi and head of HYDRA. Andreas and his dear sister Andrea traveled the world living off Baron Strucker’s name and reputation while trying to build his own organization, but Fenris was always a joke. They battled mutants, advocating hate against homo superior and anyone else they deemed “lesser” but were defeated each time. No matter his plans, the only thing Andreas received from his father was cold disappointment and rejection.
But these days, Andreas believes he’s a changed man. He’s experienced a new feeling-humanity. People he used to spurn as less than human showed him respect. They treated him like a hero, and Andreas wants more of it. He still on occasion acts like the snooty and superior “young Baron”, but the hate and abrasive behavior are largely gone. More physical than previously, Andreas seems to enjoy close combat now.
Equipment:
Armor: His outfit has strike plates and a Kevlar lining. The helmet has a small air supply and radio receiver.
Swords: Andreas usually carries two longswords along with an assortment of knives hidden on his person, and each blade is an adamantium alloy. They’re equipped with a line for use in grappling. Each also has a handle with a piece of special leather around it (see below).
Assets: He has a cool motorbike, a hotel suite, and a few nice suits.
Powers/Abilities:
Concussive Beams: Before he was born Andreas Strucker was genetically engineered to be able to fire concussive blasts when he was in contact with his sister. Since she’s dead, he has strips of her tanned skin on the hilts of his swords to allow him to fire the beams. He can also channel it into the blade to provide light or just for intimidation.
Master Swordsman: Andreas has undergone grueling training to become one of the best swordsmen and knife fighters in the world, as well as a dangerous and highly skilled martial artist. During his younger years and in-between terrorist attacks, Strucker was educated (at only the best schools, mind) in boxing, fencing, and equestrianism as well as French, English, and German). His time in HYDRA and Thunderbolts further improved his skills and added shooting, first aid, and other unarmed combat. Andreas also has a deep knowledge of various criminal and terrorist organizations (though he’s not pleased about it).
Appearance:Swordsman!
Backstory: Andreas and his twin sister were the (they thought) heirs and only children of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, a Prussian nobleman and member of the Nazi Party. He engaged in several operations on behalf of first the Third Reich and then HYDRA, such as attempting to place a sympathetic figure on the throne of England and battling various costumed heroes as well as Nick Fury. The emergence of superpowers and mutants inspired him to commission his own children for genetic alteration in order to grant them powers (in their case destructive blasts while they were in contact) as well.
Unfortunately, the young Struckers didn’t seem to have their father’s drive or talent for conquest. They traveled all over the world attempting to make Fenris a name to be feared in criminal circles, and while there were a few successes and notable events (such as nearly killing a young Ororo Munroe) they squandered his name and in general behaved like rich, spoiled Nazi brats. On occasion, they did team up with their father, but these schemes likewise were usually failures.
In a pitched battle against the hero known as Citizen V, Andrea discovered that he was secretly the infamous villain Helmut Zemo. He quickly murdered her in order to keep his identity unknown. This drove Andreas into deep despair, and he became easy pretty for the Purple Man a few years later. Under his mental compulsion and brainwashing, Andreas Strucker reinvented himself as the new Swordsman and the operative of the Purple Man. Strucker was also forced to flay his sister’s corpse and tan her skin in order to ensure that he could still have access to his powers. As a puppet of the Purple Man, Andreas seemed at ease in his role as a thrill-seeking adventurer, confident in his actions, and never shying from a fight. When he was eventually freed from the Purple Man’s control, he became more serious, embracing the change that he’d already undergone.
Furthermore, he was determined to continue it, displaying an earnest desire to become a better person, which he generally defined as the opposite of what he had been. Strucker was “enlisted” the Thunderbolts and worked as a government-sanctioned enforcer with few knowing his real identity. He enjoyed his time working in a “legitimate” job being a hero (as murky and black-ops as it was) but was attacked and nearly killed when the group of former criminals and malcontents inevitably imploded. Drifting, he’s wound up in Gotham City without a purpose, and is unsure whether to fall back into being Fenris, or continue working to be a new person.
Universe: Base
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
@FantasyLiver: Added the explosives we talked about earlier to the Inner Demons' arsenal, and defined various types of Inner Demons, as requested! Let me know if anything needs changing!
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
@Spottedleaf - Approved then.
@Booky - Approved.
Both of you feel free to join the discord and start posting
@darksidevoid - Nothing comes to mind yet but I'll PM you on Discord if it does
It looks like that Discord invite is expired?
Edited by Booky on Jan 20th 2022 at 3:47:16 AM
@FantasyLiver: Sounds good to me! Before it slips my mind again, though, I did want to ask about adding something I forgot to Martin's sheet. Namely, aside from firearms and melee weapons, the Demons gang would also have access to explosives (beyond rocket launcher ammo, I mean), such as C-4, dynamite, or Semtex. Is that alright to include, or should I make obtaining a good amount of it a goal of Li's?
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs