OOC: Phoenix Rising, Out of Character thread for the runners Options

[Shalimar]

Thats 135k without me shaving off my Binding skill, so hopefully that would be enough.

[bmcoomes]

If he thinks that enough that fine.

Thanks,
Brent

[Shalimar]

Bellevue, Decker Residence, Basement. 7:21 AM, PST

Charlie let out a long slow breath, it was time to start. Over the past few months she had summoned a half dozen spirits to practice, all here in the unfinished section of the basement that she had converted into a magical workshop. This though was going to be something different, this wasn't going to just be summoning very weak spirits for practice, this time she was going to stretch herself and someone a spirit as powerful as she could.

"A big step. An important step considering I'm doing all of this on my own." the teen said to herself. She made another check that she had all of the supplies she would need, it was the 5th such check in as many minutes, an obvious if only internally so sign of her nervousness. Finally she nodded, all was in readyness.

Charlie discarded her robe, hanging it up on a hook and out of the way. She thought this first binding was a special occasion and Wiccans were generally very uh...uninhibited about religious occurances being observed sky clad, especially in the privacy of one's own home.

"Note to self: Self, turn the heater on in the basement the night before you sit on the cement floor buck ass naked." she commented, shivering lightly. The girl took up a lighter and lit a quartet of large fat candles, placing each in the chalk outline designated for it. The blue for water, red for fire, white for air, and lastly brown for earth. Once the four candles were lit and in place she took up a smaller brown candle. This candle she lit as well, focusing all of her concentration upon it.

Next the young mage began to speak, putting her hand to the locket that was dangling down between her breasts, cupping it in her hands and feeling its increasing warmth. "Earth, the bringer of life, symbol of strength of protection. I have need, please come to me, come to my call. Please grant me your strength."

[ Spoiler ]

Summoning Force 5 Earth Elemental:
To Summon: 10 dice, 1 Hit
Elemental's Resistance:
To Contest: 5 dice, 1 hit
Result: Spirit is not summoned

Drain Resistance: 10 vs. 2 DV
To Resist Drain: 10 dice, 2 hits
Result: No Drain

Charlie feels the power of the spirit and struggles with it trying to entice it, but it seems that this spirit might be just out of her league at the moment. Sagging breifly for a moment after the struggle Charlie caught her breath.

"Just have to try harder." she said aloud, but it was a bit of a let down on the next steps toward becoming a great mage. "Ok, this time your mine great spirit." She settled in and once again focused her will on the candle to call forth the powerful spirit. This time there was a real response, the room filled with a musty odor and the Earth Elemental appeared, looking like a man with golden brown skin the size of troll as wide as it was tall.

[ Spoiler ]

Summoning Force 5 Earth Elemental 2nd Attempt:
To Summon: 10 dice, 5 Hits
Spirit's Resistance:
To Contest: 5 dice, 2 hits
Result: Spirit is summoned, owes 3 services

Drain Resistance: 10 vs. 4 DV
To Resist Drain: 10 dice, 5 hits
Result: No Drain

"Yea, I'm bad!" she shouts, rising and dancing around. Today was a good day. The next thing to do was to try to bind a spirit, but she wouldn't dare try that with something as powerful as this was. She did like to jump right in, but even she wasn't quite nuts enough to bind a spirit this powerful without at least having practiced with something a lot smaller first, she hadn't even gotten the summoning right the first time and binding was supoused to be a lot harder. It would take a few months of practice learn to bind spirits, and she wasn't even sure she liked the ethical connotations of binding all that much at all.

Charlie blew out the candles and then beamed at the towering troll-sized spirit. "Today is going to be a busy day, I want to pick up a few things."

[Coldhand Jake]

Shalimar> As an eclectic urban primitive myself, that reminds me of alot of my Wiccan friends, though, they tend more towards the theatrical, invoking the Watchtowers of the four Directions...but all in all, if you're more chaote than Gardnerian, that was a fine, simple Neopagan ritual. It seems you already have a basic grasp on Wiccan concepts, but I'd happily offer RP advice if you like. Though, it makes me smile to see someone trying to add more real-world religious awareness to their magical storytelling in SR.

Okay, that does it, if Jake bites it, I'm bringing in a follower of The City. Chaos Magic tradition, with the Soul of the City as his mentor. I've been away from magical concepts for two editions now, and that scene entirely sparked a bunch of interest.

[Fuchs]

Edited the sheet to account for the changes for the vehicle, and added the Lined Coat DD bought in Seattle, as well as details about her apartment.

[Oenone]

Bah! I just realised I gave Etoile a set of Lock Picks without giving her the skill to use them.

Doh. Will shift a point from Escape Artist into Locksmithing. Background and personality info should follow shortly, would have written it up last night but I ended up going out for some after work drinks and sleeping on someones couch.

[Shalimar]

Shalimar> As an eclectic urban primitive myself, that reminds me of alot of my Wiccan friends, though, they tend more towards the theatrical, invoking the Watchtowers of the four Directions...but all in all, if you're more chaote than Gardnerian, that was a fine, simple Neopagan ritual. It seems you already have a basic grasp on Wiccan concepts, but I'd happily offer RP advice if you like. Though, it makes me smile to see someone trying to add more real-world religious awareness to their magical storytelling in SR.

Okay, that does it, if Jake bites it, I'm bringing in a follower of The City. Chaos Magic tradition, with the Soul of the City as his mentor. I've been away from magical concepts for two editions now, and that scene entirely sparked a bunch of interest.

I was considering invoking the watch towers, but that would make it really long.

I've finalized Charlie and wont be making any more changes come hell or high water. I dropped her spell casting prodigy, dropped binding since it would probably be against her religion, and to reflect the fact that she hasn't done it at all yet. With those points I did a bit of a shuffle and bumped her power focus up to force 4, now hopefully I wont need to ever worry about upgrading it.

Now the only things to spend Karma on are Spells, and Initiating, and Summoning, and Binding, and spell defense, and that last skill point of Spell Casting, and negotiations, and... oh boy.

[bmcoomes]

Ok is everyone ready to run? I'm ready to kick this off.

Thanks,
Brent

[Shalimar]

I'm ready to go, and I have a nice force 5 Earth Elemental to back me up till sun down, which is why I'm betting we aren't doing anything until after dark (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Fuchs]

I am ready. Just a few things I need cleared still:

So, we all met through Jake, and he's sort of the core of the team? DD probably would see him as a leader anyway.

Also, do we have a fixer in Seattle set, or can I just pick a name for DD's contact?

[Tarantula]

I'm good to go. Kinda drawing a bit of a blank on the background, but with the dayjob I was thinking he works as a parttime detective, and based in seattle.

[Coldhand Jake]

Ready to go. Fuchs, let's let the team flow. Part of the fun of any job is meeting the fixer and the Johnson involved. Jake's an experienced runner, and makes friends easy. No need to force positioning, he'll end up having his voice heard either way.

[Divine Virus]

I don't have the vehicles done yet, but can have them finished some time tonight. I am sorry to be holding everyone up. Fuchs and DWC, any ideas for how we might of met or how long our characters have known each other?

[Shalimar]

I have a fixer in Seattle, there isn't any loyalty there, but he is connected (3,1). He works out of a strip club in Redmond. His connectedness and loyalty arent all that great, but he might give us a shot if no one has someone better.

[bmcoomes]

Don't worry about the fixer to much I have an angle for that. In fact once we start if you haven't names your fixer you can use the one I'm going to give. The vehicles will be fine if you finsh them tonight or tomarow. Sounds like most of use are ready so I'll start the IC Thread.

Thanks,
Brent

[Oenone]

I just need to throw together the background and have some details for her contacts approved. Plus I'm still not entirely sure how to link Etoile in with everyone else but I guess this can be done ICly if nothing else. Edit- meeting people for the first time reduces the chances she'll have had to seriously offend anyone anyway.....

Oh and I decided to work out a Runner Companion lifestyle after reading CHJ's one. Posted below for GM approval.

[ Spoiler ]

Etoile lives in a converted loft space above a moderately successfull cafe on the edge of downtown run by a French expatriate called Alain who rents the space out 'off the record' to friends of Gérard one of his most frequent customers. The business mostly caters to European expariates and the occasional tourist after a good French style breakfast.

10LP Total.

Comforts Squatter - 1LP

Entertainments - Low - 2LP

Necessities - Middle - 3LP

Neighborhood - Low - 2LP

Security - Low - 2LP

Qualities - Net cost of 0LP
Escape Tunnel Costing 3LP - When the loft space was switched over for residential use a mishap with a sledge hammer left a hole into the loft space of the adjacent property. With a bit of exploration by enterprising tenants it was discovered this allowed a flexible individual to travel several buildings along and leave via a multi-story parking garage.

Green Plan Giving 1LP - Although the cafe downstairs might have fully functioning electricity the loft conversation above has to make do with power from the solar panels stuck on the roof.

Poor Condition Giving 1LP - In order to make space for someone to actually live in the loft space most of the insulation material was removed. Meaning the place tends to get very very cold in the winter.

Network Bottleneck Giving 1LP

And here are her contacts in a bit more detail.

[ Spoiler ]

Gérard - Human Fixer - Connections 3 / Loyalty 1.

Gérard is a fixer who specializes in personal security. Mainly the hiring of runners or more professional types for body guarding work, arranging for discreet and effective electronic security and occasionally he dabbles in setting up safe houses - both for his more regular employees and for Johnsons who need to disappear somewhere quiet for a while.

Nancy Hewitt - Elven Snitch - Connections 1 / Loyalty 1.

Nancy is a college kid working her way through a sociology major. With most of her time spent attending various college parties she tends to pick up a remarkable amount of random information. It wasn't long before she realized she could sell this info to help pay for her tuition fees.

Mr Herrmann - Troll Arms Dealer - Connections 3 / Loyalty 1.

Mr Herrmann is very much a strictly business sort of Troll, specializing in imported weapons (mainly European with the occasional crate mass produced Chinese knock offs) he earns most of his money from finding guns less common in the Seattle scene.

[Fuchs]

I don't have the vehicles done yet, but can have them finished some time tonight. I am sorry to be holding everyone up. Fuchs and DWC, any ideas for how we might of met or how long our characters have known each other?

Well, DD met Jake at his Club, and things probably rolled from there I'd say. I'd assume our characters don't know each other for that long, since we don't have much background info so far.

@Coldhand Jake

I was asking because I'd like to avoid getting pushed into roles, or assuming something wrong about a character.

[crizh]

I'm at work tonight and posting on my Nokia so I won't be able to make a huge contribution.

Still working on background but otherwise ready to go.

Strangely Alain was the name I was thinking of for my room-mate and mentor. He has to have learned Parkour and Savate from someone of French extraction....

[bmcoomes]

Oenone: It looks good run with it.

Fuchs: I'm not too worried about we all get toegther just fine.

Crizh: Not a problem, if it's fine do what you can, if not catch-up when you can. in other words your there with the team.

thanks,
Brent

[Oenone]

Strangely Alain was the name I was thinking of for my room-mate and mentor. He has to have learned Parkour and Savate from someone of French extraction....

Well, I don't mind them being one and the same if you don't? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I hadn't really got any details in mind for him aside from the stuff above, it all depends on how much detail you've got worked out for your planned room-mate / mentor figure? If him owning a cafe and renting an (unofficial) room to runners is fitting then perhaps that gives us a suitable character link.

[Divine Virus]

I want to run a bit of my tradition by you, Brent.
Winston isn't very smart. He has an almost negligible understanding of physics. Which is fine because he tends to defy physics with his adept powers. Some of his explanations for what he does tends to defy physics as well. Now, he gets massive damage rating for his thrown stuff (w/power throw strength 15 for purpose of throwing stuff). Meaning I get 10P damage for your basic throwing knives, 8P or 9P (I need to double check) for improved thrown things. Which means that him throwing a pencil does as much damage as an assault rifle with ex-explosive rounds. So I want to have fun explanations, which don't exactly obey physics. For example, Winston is in a bar. He gets into a fight, the fight gets messy, and someone pulls a gun. He grabs peices of broken glass from the floor, and throws them. In flight, the glass grows red from friction with the air. By the time it strikes the person, it is a white hot and razor sharpHe would later explain that he just through it really, really hard so it would hit the air hard, without throwing it fast, 'cause he didn't want to make a sonic boom. Hitting the air so hard made it melt, and naturally the outside of the glass melted and rolled away from the edge, making the edge even narrower, and thus sharper. Now, event, and that explanation would drive anyone with a normal understand of physics crazy, of course, but Winston is a physAd, and he really doesn't know any better.
It is very cinematic, but not really... realistic. Any thoughts?

[bmcoomes]

Divine Virus: I'm fine with that, I'm not to worried about the realisum especialy with magic back on sence. So your good to run with it.

thanks,
Brent

[Oenone]

Starting cash for Etoile.

Low Lifestyle = 3d6 x 50.

Erm... Invisible Castle seems to be broken for me atm. I only get 'Error' as my dice result. Doh!

Suffice to say she should have at least 150 Nuyen... I'll update as soon as the stupid site actually works for me.

Edit

Starting Nuyen (3d6=17)

Giving a total of 850 starting Nuyen. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Coldhand Jake]

I want to run a bit of my tradition by you, Brent.
Winston isn't very smart. He has an almost negligible understanding of physics. Which is fine because he tends to defy physics with his adept powers. Some of his explanations for what he does tends to defy physics as well. Now, he gets massive damage rating for his thrown stuff (w/power throw strength 15 for purpose of throwing stuff). Meaning I get 10P damage for your basic throwing knives, 8P or 9P (I need to double check) for improved thrown things. Which means that him throwing a pencil does as much damage as an assault rifle with ex-explosive rounds. So I want to have fun explanations, which don't exactly obey physics. For example, Winston is in a bar. He gets into a fight, the fight gets messy, and someone pulls a gun. He grabs peices of broken glass from the floor, and throws them. In flight, the glass grows red from friction with the air. By the time it strikes the person, it is a white hot and razor sharpHe would later explain that he just through it really, really hard so it would hit the air hard, without throwing it fast, 'cause he didn't want to make a sonic boom. Hitting the air so hard made it melt, and naturally the outside of the glass melted and rolled away from the edge, making the edge even narrower, and thus sharper. Now, event, and that explanation would drive anyone with a normal understand of physics crazy, of course, but Winston is a physAd, and he really doesn't know any better.
It is very cinematic, but not really... realistic. Any thoughts?

Two words. "Marvel's Bullseye."

[bmcoomes]

I was thinking the samething Jake.

Brent