Hi all.

I've currently got an idea for a story (or campaign if you will) that I wouldn't mind running on Dumpshock. However because it's a bit more unusual than others I thought I'd put up a lot of the details now to see if anyone is interested.

This will consist of a series of 5 chapters, starting at chapter 1 (duh) entitled "Three Sisters". I mention this because due to the chapter structure some railroading will occur. Not much (I hope) but those that prefer their full autonomy this may be irritating.

The whole series will actually begin with some railroading as you will start in the middle of a run. So I"m just warning you.

This series will be much more epic than normal, actually pretty big stuff (of which I do not say). Anyone who likes a street focus will be disappointed. The characters will be getting involved in events that could change the world. Also I will be breaking some parts of canon. Purists need not apply.

One new mechanic I will be using is the Destiny Pool. Characters begin with a Destiny Pool (DP) of 5. This pool can be used to buy successes at the cost of 1 a success, re-roll all your dice for the cost of 1, cancel a wound at the cost of one per step (from serious to medium etc.) or to make an unarmed attack or stunning melee attack do physical damage (at the cost of 1 again). DP points can also be used to pull off an impossible stunt at the cost of 1 (think the sort of things they do in Hong Kong action movies. And before you ask no you can't dodge bullets).
Once spent the point is gone until the whole pool is refreshed so be warned. That happens only periodically. Extra DP points can be earnt through achieving major goals or fulfilling big things.

As you can see this campaign has a much greater "epic" feel to it, less gritty than your standard run and much more larger-than-life.

This is open for six characters, determined by best character backgrounds. All characters are useful but mage types in particular will come in handy as the campagin progresses. That said there will be something for everyone.
Character creation will be 140 points. Initiation is not allowed but extra cash can be purchased past a million as the scale gets "reset" ie. you can buy along the money scale again (2 million would be 60 points for example I think). Metatypes are allowed as are albinos (unusual characters can apply, just not too unusual). I will allow *one* shapeshifter or ghoul character made with the standard rules. Drakes no as I don't hve the rules. I also don't have Rigger 3 or SOTA: 2063 so anything coming from those will have to be explained to me. And don't take all of that as an excuse to munchkin. As larger-than-life this campaign is, it's for role-playing. So there.

Apart from that go wild. I want characters with lots of plot hooks that I can make use of. The characters are a part of this series in every way, so make it so.

Like I said, this is mainly to get things rolling. As I have tests in about a month I won't be able to post as much then. Apart from that I should be keeping this thing running pretty regularly.

So, destiny pool is like an extra karma pool that you dish out as you please?

Can I play a magical Satyr using Bull's rules for the satyr? Are Sphynx's rules available, or not?

What is your view on SURGE?

*begins pondering a SURGEd magical satyr...*

I intentionally picked questions that could potentially disrupt the nature of your game, the line seems to be: good background, official magic rules, don't go overboard. Nothing too limiting.

Hello,

What about a magician's way adept? You're not allowing initation, so what about the 20 karma per point rule; is that in effect to allow advancement of the magician's power or other powers? I've had a strange idea about someone who always wanted to be a mage -- grew up trying to cast spells but never succeeded. He was disheartened and went into the medical profession (he wanted to be a magical healer, but settled for a traditional medicine). Then, years later halfway through med. school he "awakened" into the adept's magical path and realized he could cast spells but not in the same way as others.

I haven't decided on skills yet, but definately biotech which is what he was studying as well as others. I haven't decided why he's running the shadows, but I'll decide that after you answer the two questions above.

-- Dashifen--

I'm interested, I just have to determine a good character and history.

Question... would it be too much to have a character who has tapped into the Big D's will? *has a concept, one with a unique (for SR) power, would spend big for it*

Digital, just be sure to include the kleptomaniac satyr your character met in the woods who followed you to the city and helps on runs in exchange for "cool toys".

Not my final character, but it is a thought.

Well, upon reading the Big D's will... I got to thinking about how much the foundation could do for one they granted a wish, and I got to realizing that they have a lot of hidden knowledge... the character in question was a Psyad working security for Ares, in charge of a counter-runner squadron... when the will came out, her SIN was listed upon it (I need to re-read the will for that exact SIN) detailing that if she went in she would receive a wish... she held off for a while, until her boss (an ex-lover) tried to burn her on a mission... she went in seeking a new start after cutting her ties from Ares, and came out with a unique little talent... already able to see dragonlines (mana/ley/feylines), she was taught a technique by which she could travel them... basically she steps in one section, and steps out another (the drain'd be a bitch tho)... she's since then entered the shadows herself... becoming what she used to hate, and quite bitterly...

*g* Very cool... mind you my books are in New York, and I'm on Vancouver Island... but I've got the character somewhere accessible... would just need a touch of tweaking... *nod*

I have a character that I'd love to play (he was being used in another game here, but the game got cancelled).

He's a former military man that ended up being equipped with a boatload of cyberware in a half-assed effort by Ares to create the ultimate soldier. He's kind of a Wolverine-esque tortured soul kinda guy.

How's it sound so far?

Nah it was another game.

Lemme find the file.

Also, how do I PM you?

Howdy. I'm curious if you're willing to take on a newbie, namely me.

Its not that I'm new to SR or anything, just RPing. No one around here plays, and the only stores that cater to it went out of business.

The other online games I've tried here have fallen through, and the only good bit of experience was in a verteran AD&D3e group for about 8 months.

DM of 20+ years experience, at least two people with a decade behind them, a couple others who were so-so, and another newbie (moreso than myself).

As for books I've read, they include Sr3 main, CC, MM, a decent chunk of MITS, and SRComp. Its been about a year or so since I've given them a good read but it won't take long to refresh myself, especially if you say yes...because I have until next thursday to do this, at which point I head back to school.

So if you're willing to let me tag along (and I figure a group of 6 shouldn't prove a problem here) I'll give you a background concept in the next couple days. I've been toying around with a concept for the past couple days, so I don't think it'll take long for me to give you something.

Is there still room for one more? If so, what do we have so far?

I'll try to give Gray Fox (my name for the character) a little more distinction in terms of personality and role-playing. I can't really quantify it in words right now, but I think I can make him more gripping than the archtypal (sp?) samurai.

Yeah, it wasn't the "street sam" label that prompted that post, but the term "archetypal" used to describe him.

Just clearing that up.

One additional thing I forgot to mention because it's how I usually play.

I encourage the dramatic. When the game does start make your descriptions of events interesting and dramtic, even if they do push the bounds of realism. I want a game of epic dramatic action, not a game of gritty realism.

What this amounts to is that I give bonuses (in the form of bonus dice usually) for actions that are memorable or dramatic as opposed to what is sensible. If you're going to disarm someone I would prefer it done with some really fancy move as opposed to the more conventional "I grab it". I would grant bonuses for the first, not the second. This applies to all things, firing guns, stealth, athletics, even social and technical things could get these bonuses.

If you're familiar with the RPG Exalted then this is along the lines of stunt dice.

Just so you know.

One other thing (grrr). I'll be awarding karma at a much larger scale than usual, probably around double the standard amount plus various bonuses for excellent RPing, best stunt, MVP award, stuff like that.

At the moment I'm thinking a rigger or a decker. Possibly both. Any need for any of those in the campaign?

Since I was able to establish a noteable background in a short time, I'll post it here so we can try to figure out why/how we ended up on this run. A bit of GM provided information about who hired us might help as well.

Question: Is there a limit on the backgrounds? I've already got 2 and 1/3 pages done but that's just for question 1 of the 20 questions that the SRComp has. If there is, I need to cut back...

Okay poor phrasing on my part with initiation. What I meant it to mean was no initiation at character generation. The mechanics I know of are really unbalanced.

I don't really mind the length of a background. A long background tells me more about the character and has more plot hooks to use, but one that is too long gets hard to read. I know that isn't a concrete answer but it's difficult to apply a broad generalisation to such a unique topic.

Well, I want to go down the decker/rigger route so here's the basic background. More background, a desc and stats to come.

Background for Angelus
Angelus was born under the name Hack. He doesn't know why. His mother picked it and then died from bleeding during childbirth. Oh yeah ... and he's an ork. If that isn't bad enough, he's also looks very nearly human. Why is that a problem you ask? Well, the poor bastard was born in the underground.

Growing up with his father, Hack didn't realize that he looked different from other orks. When you're a kid, you don't care. But when he got to school, the others teased him for looking too much like a human. His skin didn't have the greenish cast theirs did, and his tusks were far smaller. The only thing that gave his true race away were his eyes -- they had (and still have) the characteristic larger pupil of those who can see well in the dark.

Facing the others in school became a chore and Angelus grew up with perhaps the oddest form of reverse discrimination: ork vs. human-looking-ork. As a result, in a bold move by his father, Angelus was transferred to an aboveground school populated by mostly humans and elves. Angelus was naturally intelligent and fit into his studies well. And, as long as he didn't smile and reveal his tusks, he just looked like a particularly ugly young man.

School aboveground was good for Angelus and his home life with his father was also positive. The problem was between the two. The orks he passed on his way home would still harass him and his old, orkish schoolmates would also make his way home miserable. After a while, Angelus had only one wish: that he could make everyone blind to his freakishness. He wished, hoped, and prayed for the ability to cause blindness in others, but to no avail.

Feeling that he should be able to cause magical acts to happen despite his failures, Angelus began to seek out shamans of the underground and try to learn from them. He learned meditation and focusing techniques to calm the mind and body. He also began to learn Tae Kwon Do in conjunction with those techniques, but magic still illuded him. The shamans could see a magical power within him, but he could never reach it.

Soon, Angelus graduated from high school and decided to go onto college for pre-medicine. He had always had an interest in healing and helping those who were injured and if he couldn't do it in a magical way, then, by god, he was going to do it in the mundane way. Attending college, Angelus got involved in the Archery team. It was there that his magical nature began to show itself. Even as a beginner, Angelus was an expert marksman. Further, due to his orkish burliness, he could often win in the distance competitions as well. Between his friends on the Archery team and the others at in his Tae Kwon Do training, Angelus was beginning to feel good about himself. The old disappointment over his inability to cast spells was soon replaced by a pride in his marksmanship and his high marks in studies.

College went fast for Angelus, he enjoyed applying himself to his Biology and Chemistry studies in preparation for med-school. And med-school happened in short order. Attending a highly rated school for three years and receiving a sought-after residency at an acclaimed hospital, Angelus was happy with the way things were going. Which, of course, should have been a warning to him.

He began to date a human woman with whom he worked. Angelus had never really dated in college, focusing on his studies and his athletic pursuits. However, now he had more time to himself and he was getting lonely. After a few weeks of dating, he felt that he should be honest with his girlfriend and he told her of his childhood in the underground and his racial heritage. This proved to be his undoing. Once she learned he was an ork, his girlfr .... well, ex-girlfriend .... filtered it around the hospital. No one was overtly nasty to Angelus, but he began to notice that he was not given the charts of new patients and was left to do follow-ups and routine data-entry for the computer systems. He confronted his ex over the change in the work place, and after referring to him in a number of less than complimentary phrases, she told him that the hospital couldn't afford it if a "beast" like him were to screw up and harm a patient.

He was outraged. More than outraged, he was murderous. Getting himself under control, he stared at his ex and said very simply, that he wished she were blind. All the rage and hatred he had felt towards others in the underground came bubbling back to the surface and -- it finally worked! His ex was struck blind, for a moment. Screaming in terror, she began to back away from him in the hospital. Others began to take notice. Becoming scared, Angelus lost focus and the spell was dropped. His ex could see again and began to yell that he had attacked her. Angelus, not knowing what to do, ran.

Now, he lives from month to month in a small, one-bedroom apartment. During the day he provides medical services to the less-than-wholesome. Looking for the money to get himself a better place in a different city and to continue his schooling, he fences used cyberware on the side. Day-to-day life is only made better by his awakening magical abilities. Handling the power of magic is a joy to our unfortunate protagonist, perhaps the only one he has left.

---------

Ronin: feel free to jam into this background what ever you need to connect him into the story line for the team. I don't know what you have in mind. Also, I have a finalized .sr3 file for him that I did in NSRCG 3.6c. Should I email it to you?

-- Dashifen --

Okay both those backgrounds are good. As for how they all connect as a team, I've got a few ideas.

Send any character sheets or anything like that to kartzoffs@bigpond.com. When I've got them all and backgrounds (I think I have a background from everyone barring Digital Heroin - You out there DH?) we can begin.

(BTW I'll get back to your PMs soon Cursedsoul - I'm just about to leave for school so I don't really have the time at the mo )

I'll get my character's stats to you soon, Ronin.

Ok, I've got stats for him, barring vehicle mods, his deck and contacts. Which are probably the most important parts thinking about it. Should be done by tonight.

Ok, I've got stats for him, barring vehicle mods, his deck and contacts. Which are probably the most important parts thinking about it. Should be done by tonight.

Are you still accepting applicants? I have a really neat Moon Shaman that I've been dying to play. Her history took me almost 2 years (no lie) to figure out so I've been holding her back for just the right adventure. This sounds like it might work well..

Let me know and if you are still looking for Characters, I can email her character sheet and background. I think she has about 14 karma earned up already and I think I initiated her, but I can easily scale her back to starting.

Our heroin hasn't showed up for 2 days, so there might be an opening, just send it to Ronin.

Hiya Blitz! Long time no see.

Anyways...

Still working on the background. About half-way done. I'm holding back somewhat until i've got my questions straightened out (and it seems like the major ones have been answered).

Figured I'd check in with the official topic.

Sorry 'bout the long replies... I'm restricted to 'net cafes for the moment... so feel free to fill the spot...

Ok, do you want us to post Character sheets here at all?

For those interested in the beginning of my character, here it is:

It covers birth up until the cause of his condition.

John was born August 21, 2038 in the Seattle Sprawl that so many love, and even more loathe like a cancerous growth. He was a happy, bouncing human baby boy. No different than you or I. Unfortunately his mother died giving birth to him, so John was left in the care of his father and two older siblings; his sister Mary and his brother Tom. Mary was the oldest of the three at 5 years old, with Tom in the terrible two’s. Because his father was a mid level executive for Electronico, a company whose specialty was dealing in the legal (and otherwise) purchase needs of the average UCAS denizen, John and his two siblings were in the care of their aunt Carol; John’s father’s sister. She was firm but fair, and made sure to school the children in all the religious hogwash that they could stomach; her being a minister and all it was only natural.

Fast-forwarding to when John was 10, he was taught all the tricks of the gambling card games his father knew. His “lessons” involved sitting in at a table in a smoky room while his father and a few buddies puffed cigars, whined about their aches and pains, and of course, gambled their hard earned corp scrip away. Mary filled in the role that Carol had when they were younger, because she took to the religious schooling like a duck to water. She also decided to become a nun, one of the hardnosed ruler toting nightmare types. Needless to say, John and Tom had their fair share of housework to do and discipline enforcement that made Nazis look like teddy bears.

Unfortunately at this time goblinization finally hit the Skylar home when Tom’s genetic code decided that being an ork would be more fun, and quickly goaded John’s into doing likewise. Needless to say this both repulsed, horrified, and mystified their father, who like all loving parents had them locked away and tutored till he could make sense of the issue, or force himself to forget it ever happened. John got off lucky, because his body didn’t fully mutate, and could still pass for inspection, especially with the lack of tusks; removed at his father’s insistence. Tom was not so lucky and ran off to join the ork gangs that had since formed in the Barren parts of town. His father was happy to see him go, because now he only had one child to hide from work.

Its not as if his father didn’t love him, its just that Electronico was a bit strict on their anti-metahuman sentiments, going so far as to ban employees married to, or parents of metas. Fear for his job prompted not only an increased habit of smoking, but considerable worry because this was all his father knew.

John didn’t mind so much as long as his father brought home “spare parts” for him to tinker with and showed him enough affection to convince him that daddy still loved him with all his heart, no matter what. It would take a rather unfortunate slump in the electronics business to show him otherwise. Now 15 years of age, and just a little bit of a rebellious pain in the ass that teenagers are, John began questioning more and more. This was needless to say, aggravating for his father who was now jobless because Electronico went belly up, like so many other corps. It was here that his father thought the idea of a professional gambler was the best idea he’d had in years. It would not prove to be.

His father did alright for about a year, but some “previously unpaid expenses” incurred in one night of being on fire at the tables, getting drunk, making the mistake of gambling more, and losing it all at a shady gambling hall put their life on hold, and on the line. Fearing for his life, his father pleaded with the toughs who were not regularly threatening his life and absconding with his property, that his son would make a good worker.

They agreed and John was sold into slavery in return for his father’s debt being erased. Needless to say, John the 15 year old pain in the ass was not happy and just a little bit confused. Not helping the matter was his father not telling him about this deal, waking up one night while being stuffed into a burlap sack, and driven off to parts unknown. Once he came to John quickly set to work making his new “owners” miserable.

Showing the typical lack of insight and forethought of teenagers, John got himself into hot water, VERY hot water and in a VERY short amount of time. After cursing out his “employer” he was promptly taken out back to experience what has become a recurring nightmare for him.

John was brutally assaulted on a wintry, rainy, crappy night. He was stabbed, slashed, and pummeled to within an inch of his life. Fortunately for John his natural ork toughness and will to survive kicked in and he was able to crawl to the street corner, where he promptly passed out cold, wet, and nearly dead.

He awoke in a hospital with a person he had never seen before in his life leaning over him. Identifying himself as Carl Jenkins, he quickly related to the groggy, disoriented, and very much in pain, Jonathan that he found him on the road and called an ambulance. John mumbled a muffled “thanks very much” from beneath his heavy bandages before quickly passing out again. When he came to, he found himself on an operating table as some doctors were congratulating themselves heartily for having saved John’s life. When he regained control of his appendages, he ran his hands along his face and chest. The skin was bumpy, rough, and very much disquieting. He demanded a mirror and was horrified by what he saw.

Scars. All over his face, and covering his chest, back, and shoulders. No discernable pattern except that of complete and utter carnage. It looks like John went through a meat grinder, and was nearly the case but the thugs got tired and left him for dead. After dropping the mirror and exclaiming “my God” a few dozen times, he calmed down and stared up at the ceiling for several minutes trying to find a handle. What he found was the ceiling moving rapidly, the sound of a door opening and closing, and upon leaning up he found himself in a sunny room with a view of the outside. Also in the room was Carl, asleep in a chair in what must have been the worst possible position for one’s neck. After waking him up with a cry of “what happened?” Carl explained to him that the surgeons had been spending all night and a good chunk of the morning hours, trying to save his life. John freed himself from his bed and quickly took a seat next to Carl where he commenced to thank him properly for saving his life. Two things happened next.

First, Carl realized that the man he saved was actually an ork, albeit a rather convincingly human looking ork, and second, that he could use a good stiff drink because staring at someone this badly scarred square in the face reminded him of why he liked drinking so much. The two men chatted idly while they tried to think of what to do next.

It turns out that a doctor entering the room and telling John that he was free to go was it. After wrapping his head in a conveniently placed scarf and dressing himself in clothes that Carl thoughtfully acquired, the two set out in search of a bar. It just so happened that John “knew a place” and off they went.

Hmmm, do you still have any spots open?

Okay people, I have character sheets from the following people:

Dashifen
Blitz
HMHVV Hunter
Cursedsoul (basically)

I still need two more. After that I can get this thing running. Interested parties are:
Dark Scrier
Voorhees
Herald of Vergidom (or however you spell it )

I hate to do this but I suspect it might be a first-come first-served for the remaining two spots (I hate that but it's the only real way to get anywhere). Just to tell you all. After that, we can start!