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Geist: The Discarded (Character development)

No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To FearBut Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
edited December 2009 in Critical Failures
Here's your teaser you bastards:
It is a World of Darkness...

Geist: The Discarded

Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things. ~Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus puerisque, 1881

The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied...but written off as trash. The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing. ~John Berger

*

Hello, I'm Dianna Navaro. Tonight on our continuing story on the city's poor population, we examine the trends and causes that has led to the highest concentration of homelessness and poverty in the city's history...

...are calling it a full on depression, unemployment is up by 6%, and hundreds of New Yorker's have lost their jobs in the last...

...despite millions of dollars spent on urban renewal and increased police presence, the drug epidemic running rampant in the cities' poorer neighborhoods has not abated. Gang violence fueled by competition over new designer drugs is on the rise...

...are asking for leads in the suspected abduction of eight-year-old Darnell Wilkes while walking home from school Wednesday afternoon. This is only the latest in a string of juvenile disappearances to rock Red Hook in the last few months. The mayor's office has declined...

...three days later another body was found near the entrance to a storm runoff drain in Washington Heights. Police are refusing to comment about rumors that the bodies were severely mangled...

*

A city that never sleeps will have the most restless spirits of all.

The city of New York is crumbling. As the economy fails, hours are cut, jobs are lost, and mortgages fail, the people of New York are crushed beneath mountains of debt. The privileged few; those barons of industry whose excesses helped create the problem in the first place, coast through life either ignorant or uncaring of those beneath them. Drug use is rife as citizens turn to narcotics to escape the grind of their daily lives. This is in turn leads to crime, as the desperate and the unscrupulous attempt to make money any way possible. Crime begets violence, and violence begets death, as gang members and police engage in running battles in the streets. Entire tenements and housing projects become informal fortresses and drug labs.

The misery of the poor seems unending, until they finally die....then it gets much, much worse.

OK, just so we're clear we can take this nice and casual. I know this is a hectic time of year for everyone, so there's no need to rush when that would likely just smash this thing into the ground.

Signups CLOSED
Here's who's currently on the list of maybes/ will dos:

Crobar-
Sevorak-
Carmady and MoosehatIV - you two are both in if you want. I'm not going to squash one of you out after you both came up with good concepts.

For SHEETS- http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/ On the left side of the page click on the "NWOD" tab, and then Geist. From there pick the Version 2, two page sheet. You can send it to me as an attachment in a PM.

Obviously this would be an urban campaign. Expect some combat, negotiations, and NYC Underworld (both the literal and figurative ones spelunking.) We can hammer out the details later, for now lemme hear what you guys and gals have.

UPDATE- 11/03- My local gamestore called, and my copy of Geist: Book of the Dead is in! :3

UPDATE- 11/ 06- Well they messed up something fierce, the book is NOT out yet and god knows when it will be. That kinda took the wind out of my sails a bit, but don't worry I've been reading your ideas and I'll have some commentary soon.

UPDATED- 11/8/09- Lotsa stuff, OK the Book of the Dead won't be out for 2 weeks or so, sucks, but no biggie.

UPDATE- 11/11/ 09 I got my grubby paws on Book of the Dead :3

UPDTAE- 12/ 29/ 09- Hope you had a good holiday, just posted the blurb, you'll have a few things coming at you soon

- Added Mr. Gone's patented sheet-builder to OP.
- I've made a few posts offering some commentary for your characters.
- Post #16 is important because it gives you some more info about what I'm looking for background-wise. I'm hanging around the forums pretty often, so if you PM me you'll likely get a response before too long.
- Now that we have a (mostly) finalized player list we'll have to discuss time constraints, availability, and what not.

As we have 4 players now, the Krewe members can really flush out various roles in the krewe.

Here's some suggestions based on what I've seen so far, feel free to disagree-

Crowbar- (Veritas) - All-round smart-guy, he can handle the mental heavy lifting
Carmady- The Man- I think he would work well as a "Face" for the group
Sevorak- Lotsa of ways to go, we could use a tough guy, and the "wimpy kid turned avenger" line could work well
Moose- thief/ swindler

As for the sheets here's some skills and how useful they'll be

Mental:
Academics, Computer, Investigation, Occult- Very useful,- City history, geography, the underground, gangs, crime rates, the Underworld, murders etc
Medicine- You won't be fighting constantly but there will be a few scraps
Crafts- Variable, you guys might come up with something.
Politics- Useful. Don't want to suggest any specialties till we're further along
Science- Not really

Physical:
Anything but Drive is a good choice (sorry Carmady.) Survival should be oriented toward NYC underground and the Underworld as well.

Social:
All but animal ken, if it does come up I'll use another skill.

No-Quarter on

Posts

  • CarmadyCarmady Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Conceptually, I'm going for a counter-culture character, the kind of guy you'd see at a wild protest rally. The character would have some various illegality-related skills (To Hell with peaceful protest), some decent political understanding (The better to know who's at fault for the latest injustice), but little in the way of social niceties. He'd have died when the building which he chose to squat in (perhaps as part of a protest?) was demolished, making him one of the Forgotten. The Geist, ironically enough, would be The Man, the representation of those who'd died in the name of Progress. The Sin-Eater would have have the Keys of Stillness and Industry, the better to represent the slow but steady pull of modernization.

    I'd give you a sheet, but I don't know how you want it.

    Carmady on
  • SevorakSevorak Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Concept:
    Justin Lockheart lived in Buffalo his whole life.
    Until he died, that is.

    In school he was always the weird kid, the kid that you'd find in the library during recess, and, as is usually the case, the kid that got picked on a bit more than the average. But no one ever thought it would kill him. During the winter of his Senior year of high school, less than a year before he was set to go to Columbia for pre-law, some of the "popular kids" invited him to one of their parties and Justin jumped at the chance to finally be accepted. He never expected that they would take him out to the hills and push him out of the car. Of course, they never expected the worst blizzard of the year to come that night, and they certainly didn't expect him to die in it.

    But he did. At least for a little while. Until the Howling Man came to him after he curled up under a tree, too cold to go any farther. With ice crusted all over his bare body and a voice that sounded like the wind keening through the trees during a snowstorm, the Howling Man made him a deal. And Justin accepted.

    They almost looked surprised when he showed up at school the next Monday. They definitely looked surprised when the police showed up. They never were convicted of the crime they committed, "boys will be boys," "no harm done," and all that jazz, but everyone knew what they had done.

    Justin graduated high school and moved on to Columbia. But the Howling Man came with him. In the big city he saw so many shades of people who died from the same torment that afflicted him. The bullied, the homeless neglected in the alleys. He couldn't just stand by and leave them to their sorrows. He had to do something.

    Sheet to come later.

    Sevorak on
    steam_sig.png 3DS: 0748-2282-4229
  • CrowbarCrowbar Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    So No-Quarter, do you think my Angelo Veritas character would fit in all right?

    Crowbar on
    Geist beelongs too meeeee.
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    You get 50 free exp. Just type the sheet out and we'll work from there.

    No-Quarter on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    For your character sheeting needs- http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/

    Use the 2nd version of the 2 page interactive sheet. It's pretty good.

    EDIT: Here's a more specific link:

    http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/pdf/GtSE/Geist2-Pagev2_Editable.pdf

    No-Quarter on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Carmady wrote: »
    Conceptually, I'm going for a counter-culture character, the kind of guy you'd see at a wild protest rally. The character would have some various illegality-related skills (To Hell with peaceful protest), some decent political understanding (The better to know who's at fault for the latest injustice), but little in the way of social niceties. He'd have died when the building which he chose to squat in (perhaps as part of a protest?) was demolished, making him one of the Forgotten. The Geist, ironically enough, would be The Man, the representation of those who'd died in the name of Progress. The Sin-Eater would have have the Keys of Stillness and Industry, the better to represent the slow but steady pull of modernization.

    I'd give you a sheet, but I don't know how you want it.

    Ok, so I take it you want the relationship to be openly antagonistic, then? As in The Man thought your PC would be a pushover and get to wear him like a meat suit, only your boy isn't having it?

    No-Quarter on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I don't know why I am doing this (seeing as you are technically my competition for the last spot), but I think it would be really cool to make "The Man" more of an Old Guard style business man. A suit who pulled himself up by his bootstraps in the great depression. He would have had to fight tooth and nail for every dollar, but finally created an empire that helped revitalize the country. But now that he sees these new yuppie punks who were born into wealth dismantling everything he ever loved by ruining the economy he helped create and bulldozing his buildings (the one the protester was squatting in could have been one of his) he is coming back with a vengeance. While a young firecracker upstart might not be the first choice, he knows that the smallest spark can start a wildfire with the right gumption.

    This would also help explain why "The Man" is only good with old school technology.

    Just my two cents.



    ... now to actually figure out a character for myself...

    MoosehatIV on
  • CarmadyCarmady Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    No-Quarter wrote: »
    Ok, so I take it you want the relationship to be openly antagonistic, then? As in The Man thought your PC would be a pushover and get to wear him like a meat suit, only your boy isn't having it?

    Pretty much, although the Geist would be supportive of the character's more ambitious acts. The Geist's actual intentions are something I'd like to leave a little open, although The Man would wave away any questions on the matter (likely in some belittling manner, i.e. "Someday you'll understand").
    MoosehatIV wrote: »
    I don't know why I am doing this (seeing as you are technically my competition for the last spot), but I think it would be really cool to make "The Man" more of an Old Guard style business man. A suit who pulled himself up by his bootstraps in the great depression. He would have had to fight tooth and nail for every dollar, but finally created an empire that helped revitalize the country. But now that he sees these new yuppie punks who were born into wealth dismantling everything he ever loved by ruining the economy he helped create and bulldozing his buildings (the one the protester was squatting in could have been one of his) he is coming back with a vengeance. While a young firecracker upstart might not be the first choice, he knows that the smallest spark can start a wildfire with the right gumption.

    This would also help explain why "The Man" is only good with old school technology.

    Just my two cents.



    ... now to actually figure out a character for myself...

    Funny you should say that, I actually intend to have him dying in the '20's. He'd have been a business shaker, who had used any (and I do mean any) means to get his pet projects through. The building idea is something I'll definitely have to consider; it builds a pretty sweet connection.

    I pegged the old-school tech deal as a measure of how exposed to death an object had been.

    Looking forward to seeing yours, eh?

    Anyhow, sheet...
    Name: Ted Higgs
    Geist: The Man
    Virtue: Hope
    Vice: Pride
    Archetype: Gatekeeper
    Threshold: The Forgotten

    Intelligence - 2
    Wits - 3
    Resolve - 2
    Strength - 3
    Dexterity - 4
    Stamina - 2
    Presence - 2
    Manipulation - 2
    Composure - 2

    Crafts (Autos) - 2
    Investigation - 1
    Medicine - 1
    Occult - 1
    Politics (Scandal) - 2
    Athletics - 1
    Brawl - 1
    Drive - 2
    Firearms - 1
    Larceny (Lockpick) - 3
    Stealth - 2
    Weaponry - 3
    Persuasion - 1
    Streetwise - 2
    Subterfuge - 1

    Fast Reflexes 1

    Psyche - 3

    Keys - Industrial, Stillness

    Oracle 1
    Rage 1
    Shroud 2


    - Exp -
    Str 2-3 : 15 xp

    Athletics 0-1 : 3 xp
    Firearms 0-1 : 3 xp


    Oracle 0-2 : 18 xp

    (This leaves me with some xp left, I know. If the characters are considered to be in a Krewe, they'll probably go towards that. If not, it'll likely go to Haunt.)



    - Equipment -
    (I used Armory for this, let me know if that doesn't fly)

    Keystone - Switchblade
    Industrial, Stillness, Persuasion

    Carried:
    Lockpick Set (Say, +2 Bonus?)
    Digital Camera

    Not carried:
    .38 Special (Not registered in Ted's name, should that be an issue)

    Mid-Size Car (In Ted's name)

    Carmady on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe I'll dig out Geist and make a character. I had a couple of ideas a while back for one. I'll whip up something tomorrow if I do at all. Maybe I'll ping you on gtalk if you're on, NQ.

    Oh wait, you're only going for three and I'd totally have to bump someone else out. Nevermind. I shall just watch and see if I'm into Geist enough to get something going when I have the time.

    Rainfall on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Carmady wrote: »

    I pegged the old-school tech deal as a measure of how exposed to death an object had been.


    Oh, I agree. That is generally the reason used for why, but I figured that a geist that was supposed to be the constant pushing force of modernization would most likely want to be using a laptop, not a WWII typewriter.

    But that is just me. I just love tweaking ideas.



    Anyways, I should be throwing together a character today after work. Working on a concept for an earth type guy with a geist who was sealed up behind a wall.

    MoosehatIV on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    EDIT: This is Crowbar's character- Angelo Veritas from the main WW thread:

    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=11781574&postcount=823
    So as I've mentioned, my guy is a Forgotten Gatekeeper. He worked as a historian in a museum, partially to deal with the emotions and sensations he was beginning to feel around ancient objects. I also wanted to portray him as an intrapersonal kind of guy: he doesn't hate people, but he doesn't find them as interesting or worthwhile as his job at the museum and (increasingly) his duties to the krewe.

    One idea I was thinking of is that he's aware of how much of a loner his duties are making him, and he struggles sometimes with his Geist over how much time is spent policing the barriers. So his Vice here would be Envy. Before his death, he envied the people around him with better lives than he had. Now, he envies the Sin-Eaters who get along better with their Geists.

    I was thinking about Sloth (his lack of interaction is him not putting in the effort to make friends, and he cares little for the desires of the dead/living), but then I realized that he had two dots in Allies.

    OK, this guy was made up for the other game CJ was going to do, and with a little tweaking he can fit right into this one.

    First off, how did this guy die again? I couldn't find the post where you said it.

    As a historian, Veritas could be useful in researching the areas of the city that the PCs will have to trek through. A little knowledge will likely go a very long way. I assume that stat-wise you would be modeling him as the krewe's "Brain"? That would be quite useful for the krewe.

    Manifestation/ ceremony-wise I would go with stuff that directly affects ghosts. Summoning/ banishing/ fighting etc. The Stigmata Key could be explained in that Veritas poured his blood, sweat, and tears into his work. Pumping up his Psyche would also be a good idea, we could work out how it works with their Synergy rating later.

    Speaking of which, have you any ideas for the geist? Perhaps a historian from the Renaissance, writing on parchment of skin with a quill dipped in blood? Keep in mind the theme of the chronicle, too.

    As for sloth as his vice, you could still have allies in that Veritas is a useful (if not well-liked) person to have around.

    No-Quarter on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I really wish someone would do a Persona-esque Geist game (CJ!) ... but I think others are a tad more invested and I wouldn't why to try for the last spot... Even if my theoretically chances aren't that good :)

    Egos on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Alright! Concept is ready! Sorry, I started writing a little intro and it got a tad long.
    Marcus died doing what he did best. Stealing. He was a thief, simple as that. Mind you, not a very good thief, but a thief none the less. He also managed to die the same way every thief would like to go. Surrounded by money. However, the problem with dying rich is that reaper cannot be bought.



    I could have left you to die inside that bank vault, Marcus.

    Marcus let out a deep sigh and pressed his forehead against the cool metal of the safe before looking over at the figure that constantly followed him. “And I am grateful. I really am. But do you really need to be bothering me right now?”

    The Dead Man's Gold let out an exhalation of phantasmal air, making the molten gold that poured from his mouth splatter and turn to mist before striking the ground. The twin rubies that had been heated and allowed to sizzle into his eye sockets held nothing, but boredom and contempt for everything around him. However, he remained quiet.

    “That is what I thought.” mumbled Marcus as he turned back to his work. The combination that they had received from the tattered essence of some old biddy of a ghost had been shoddy at best and a the last number had to be guessed, but what can you expect from an old lady who's last task keeping her from the grave was for someone to look after her “precious Mr. Mittens”? After dumping the cat with some relatives, Marcus had returned to her abandoned home to reap his rewards. After all, the dead don't need their valuables, do they?

    12-32-7-56 … no... 12-32-7-57... no...

    You know, when I acquired my wealth I could have bought have bought manors, estates, even a small castle. What can a safe in an old womans run down home possible be to be worth our time. Can't you pick a better target?

    “By “acquired” you mean “stole” and look what happened to you.”, said Marcus angrily turning back to his work “You were tortured, bound in chains, and buried alive for Christ's sake! I think one can learn from your mistakes and decide not to steal from people who can dump molten gold down your throat!”

    … You need not remind me. The sentence was puntuated by rivulets of the molten yellow liquid streaming down his chest, over the thick rusted chains, and through the thick clumps of dirt that still clung to his once fine clothes before hitting the ground and steaming into a ethereal mist.

    “Well then you can stop bothering me for give seconds while I-” CLICK

    With a triumphant sound the handle clicks open, letting the safe door swing forward. Inside are a dusty passport, an old silver gravy boat, a massive photo album of a cat wearing different hats, and less than a 400 dollars in musty money.

    Well, now we can retire from this life of crime...

    “Shut up, Gold. Just shut up...”

    TLDR

    Marcus was a small time thief who tried for the big time in a vault robbery. However, he ended up locked inside an underground bank vault for nearly two weeks before a very surprised worker found him. With no food or water they found him inches from death in a nest he had constructed out of money.

    During his time in the vault the Dead Man's Gold came to him and offered him a second chance. Gold was a swindler from a forgotten age. He stole noble's gold and their daughter's hearts. When he finally got in over his head, a coalition of embittered wealthy men put a stop to him once and for all by burying him alive.

    After a speedy trial and a short sentence (With good behavior), Marcus was back on the street. And with his new partner, his is ready to stop stealing from the living. The dead however, have a lot of money they aren't using.


    Crap. That got long too. This might be a trend.

    MoosehatIV on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Sevorak wrote: »
    Concept:
    Justin Lockheart lived in Buffalo his whole life.
    Until he died, that is.

    In school he was always the weird kid, the kid that you'd find in the library during recess, and, as is usually the case, the kid that got picked on a bit more than the average. But no one ever thought it would kill him. During the winter of his Senior year of high school, less than a year before he was set to go to Columbia for pre-law, some of the "popular kids" invited him to one of their parties and Justin jumped at the chance to finally be accepted. He never expected that they would take him out to the hills and push him out of the car. Of course, they never expected the worst blizzard of the year to come that night, and they certainly didn't expect him to die in it.

    But he did. At least for a little while. Until the Howling Man came to him after he curled up under a tree, too cold to go any farther. With ice crusted all over his bare body and a voice that sounded like the wind keening through the trees during a snowstorm, the Howling Man made him a deal. And Justin accepted.

    They almost looked surprised when he showed up at school the next Monday. They definitely looked surprised when the police showed up. They never were convicted of the crime they committed, "boys will be boys," "no harm done," and all that jazz, but everyone knew what they had done.

    Justin graduated high school and moved on to Columbia. But the Howling Man came with him. In the big city he saw so many shades of people who died from the same torment that afflicted him. The bullied, the homeless neglected in the alleys. He couldn't just stand by and leave them to their sorrows. He had to do something.

    Sheet to come later.

    This is good, there's a lot of ways you could go with this. For his Archetype you have some strong seeds for Reaper, Gatekeeper, and Advocate. What's the Threshold going to be, Silent? Forgotton? You could even swing a Cold elemental-based Torn (Justin and the Howling Man's anger is so hot it's collllllllllllllllld.)

    No-Quarter on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    @ Moosehat

    Great work, don't apologize for the length, the more you give me, the more I can give back to you. Now, get you're sheet together! ;)

    @ Carmady- Good foundation, there's a lot to work with. Now do you think you could/ would want to specialize him as more socially oriented? Instead of a charmer, though, he could be a browbeater. As for your sheet take a look at the OP for some more concrete guidelines.

    @ Everyone-

    The scene that Moose typed out is a great attachment to a main brick character background text/ stats, because it shows me a typical "day in the life" of Moose's Sineater. It also displays both his relationship with his geist, and how it manifests/ acts. Moose's Archetype (Bonepicker?) is presented strongly as well.

    If it's not too much trouble, I'd like everyone to type up a small little scene to accompany your sheets. It doesn't need to be more than a paragraph or so, but the more detail you give me, the more I have to work with. Show, don't tell. Try and feature both Archetype and Threshold, as well as a typical Bound/Geist interaction. Along with your list of Manifestation dots, could you also give a little mention as to what the most common ways your character would use them? You don't have to go Key by Key, Mani by Mani, just a basic little primer.

    No-Quarter on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Bonepicker for life, yo. What's the point of having powers if you can't profit?

    I am still tossing my sheet together. I am trying to figure out exactly what keys I want to use. I am debating using Passion and Stillness which might sort of gimp me combat wise.

    Sorry bout my slowness, work + caught a cold + the new monkey island came out

    MoosehatIV on
  • SevorakSevorak Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    No-Quarter wrote: »
    Sevorak wrote: »
    Concept:
    Justin Lockheart lived in Buffalo his whole life.
    Until he died, that is.

    In school he was always the weird kid, the kid that you'd find in the library during recess, and, as is usually the case, the kid that got picked on a bit more than the average. But no one ever thought it would kill him. During the winter of his Senior year of high school, less than a year before he was set to go to Columbia for pre-law, some of the "popular kids" invited him to one of their parties and Justin jumped at the chance to finally be accepted. He never expected that they would take him out to the hills and push him out of the car. Of course, they never expected the worst blizzard of the year to come that night, and they certainly didn't expect him to die in it.

    But he did. At least for a little while. Until the Howling Man came to him after he curled up under a tree, too cold to go any farther. With ice crusted all over his bare body and a voice that sounded like the wind keening through the trees during a snowstorm, the Howling Man made him a deal. And Justin accepted.

    They almost looked surprised when he showed up at school the next Monday. They definitely looked surprised when the police showed up. They never were convicted of the crime they committed, "boys will be boys," "no harm done," and all that jazz, but everyone knew what they had done.

    Justin graduated high school and moved on to Columbia. But the Howling Man came with him. In the big city he saw so many shades of people who died from the same torment that afflicted him. The bullied, the homeless neglected in the alleys. He couldn't just stand by and leave them to their sorrows. He had to do something.

    Sheet to come later.

    This is good, there's a lot of ways you could go with this. For his Archetype you have some strong seeds for Reaper, Gatekeeper, and Advocate. What's the Threshold going to be, Silent? Forgotton? You could even swing a Cold elemental-based Torn (Justin and the Howling Man's anger is so hot it's collllllllllllllllld.)

    I'm was going for an Advocate Prey when I wrote the concept. I'm going to go over the archetypes again before finalizing a choice though.

    Sevorak on
    steam_sig.png 3DS: 0748-2282-4229
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    MoosehatIV wrote: »
    Bonepicker for life, yo. What's the point of having powers if you can't profit?

    I am still tossing my sheet together. I am trying to figure out exactly what keys I want to use. I am debating using Passion and Stillness which might sort of gimp me combat wise.

    Sorry bout my slowness, work + caught a cold + the new monkey island came out

    It's cool man. Don't forget you have 50 free exp so you could totally spend 10 on another Key. Don't worry about being some super soldier, either, challenges will be scaled with your abilities. Focus more on what you specialization would be- thievery. If you have any questions lemme know

    @ Sevorak- I forgot about Prey, yeah that works better lol.

    No-Quarter on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Alright, I think I finally threw this bad boy together. Give me a dnd character and I can have one in 15 minutes, try to make me create a WoD character and I suddenly become an idiot child.

    Name: Marcus LaGrange
    Geist: The Dead Man's Gold
    Virtue: Prudence
    Vice: Greed
    Archetype: Bonepicker
    Threshold: The Silent

    Character Sheet!

    Intelligence - 1
    Wits - 3
    Resolve - 3
    Strength - 1
    Dexterity - 3
    Stamina - 3
    Presence - 2
    Manipulation - 3
    Composure - 1


    Investigation - 1
    Medicine - 1
    Occult - 2
    Larceny (Lockpicking) - 3
    Stealth - 3
    Weaponry - 2 (raised by 1 for 6 exp)
    Persuasion (Fast talk) - 4
    Socialize - 2
    Streetwise (Black Market/Fencing) - 3
    Subterfuge - 2


    Psyche - 3 (3 merits + 16 exp)
    Synergy - 7

    Encyclopedic Knowledge (****)


    Keys - Passion, Stillness, Grave Dirt (10 exp)

    Caul - 3
    Shroud - 2 (18 exp)


    - Equipment -

    Keystone - Heart of Gold (A wooden walking cane capped with a golden skull)
    Passion, Stillness, Subterfuge

    Carried:
    Lockpicks (Concealed)
    Pocket Knife

    Not carried:
    Shotgun (Nick name: Mr. Shotty)

    Transportation:
    Aging Porsche (Recent acquisition from a job)

    Marcus LaGrange
    Marcus looks like any other soul on the street. Simple black fashionable attire, what little jewelery is acceptable on a man, and occasionally sunglasses at night. Tall, and slightly wiry, he is far from a football player build, but has definitely taken his share of beatings during his life. He learned early on that a quick tongue can get you out of trouble just as quick as it can get you in. Armed with his wits, a high school education, and a keen knowledge of locks he set out into the world to make his fortune at 18. After many failed attempts and a lengthening criminal record for petty crimes he decided to reconsider his life.

    Marcus is the type that is always looking for that one big score to end them all. He wants the big time. He wants to live the life, drive the cars, and swing with the best of them. Coming from a life poverty and nothing he is constantly trying to raise his station in life towards a goal that is always just out of reach.

    The Dead Man's Gold
    The Dead Man's Gold appearance differs each time he appears. Only a couple facts remain the same each time. He is always bound in chains, has beautiful gemstones for eyes, and he is constantly leaking some sort of molten precious metal. Despite these rather unseemly hindrances he always portrays an aura of class and dignity. His clothes are those of someone from the upper class, though they constantly cycle through fashion trends of a forgotten era. All of his jewels, gold, and fine clothing remain so despite being caked with a layer of thick dirt that constantly crumbles off of him as he moves about. This dirt tends to match the color of the region since whenever he appears he tends to slither out of the ground like a metal bound serpent. If he appears within a home or building he tends creep from within the walls, the boards or stones pulling back to reveal the hole he had seemingly always been hiding in. Even when Gold is silent, Marcus can still hear him slithering through the walls.

    When manifesting his powers the chains around him shatter and drape around him like a royal cloak. Passion tends to make his gemstones and finery shine, while grave-dirt tends to enhance his more subterranean features.

    MoosehatIV on
  • CarmadyCarmady Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Whoa, I thought I was getting e-mail updates on this thread. Yikes.
    No-Quarter wrote: »
    @ Carmady- Good foundation, there's a lot to work with. Now do you think you could/ would want to specialize him as more socially oriented? Instead of a charmer, though, he could be a browbeater. As for your sheet take a look at the OP for some more concrete guidelines.
    Okay, I've got this:
    It's not like it was the first time I'd sneaked into the morgue. Definitely not the last. But it was the first time they'd changed the lock on me. I must've been standing in the rain for a good twenty minutes, fiddling with the damn thing, before I gave up and juiced the door's lock. I can feel The Man's displeasure. He doesn't like breaking and entering. Tough beans.
    From there, it doesn't take too long to find the body of Miss Maria Amber. At least they still file the same. I pop the door open and roll out a chilled corpse. I try not to vomit. They'd tried to clean her up, but there was only so much they could do. Somebody cut her up good. I pull up the Oracle, and touch her cleaner shoulder lightly.
    I feel pain. Complete, total, pain. I feel something stick into my back. I feel lungs flooding with blood, a choking, gagging, cough...
    I remove my hand. Getting stabbed has a distinct feel to it.
    See, five years ago, this guy named Otto Lutz cracks. He starts talking about how the dead are watching him, telling him to do things. Maybe he was a sensitive. I don't know. Anyhow, he figures they're lonely. So he makes them friends, mostly by stabbing people. And to make sure they don't watch him too, he tears the hell out of their faces afterwards.
    Sound reasoning, right?
    Anyhow, the mayor denies that they've got a serial killer on the loose. The media does the opposite. The police won't comment. Meanwhile, people are dying. It's about three months before Lutz is caught. He gets a lethal injection, of course. Only reason I know any of this is that a friend of mine and I chatted while we took some golf clubs to the mayor's car. But for different reasons. Nobody really liked him.
    Back in the present, I roll the tray back into its cubby and shut the door, turning to come face to face with a startled looking security guard. We stare at each other for a moment before he slowly raises a radio to his face.
    "Tony, I've got some... punk in storage. You wanna call 911?"
    The Man is amused. I'm not. I look towards the lights, and will the lights to die. It takes me a few tries, but soon the fluorescents flicker and fade. I hear the guard fumble and curse. Soon, he pulls out a flashlight, and the beam jumps around the room.
    I'm not there.
    At least, so it looks to him. In reality, I haven't moved. But the Caul does its work, and all the guard sees is rows of shelves. Shocked, he runs to a door, opens it, and swings the light around. Apparently concluding that I had gone that-a-way, he sprints through the doorway. I listen to the squawking of his radio fade before I leave the way I came. As I walk through the rain back to the hotel room, I feel The Man beside me.
    Who is Lutz possessing?
    It was a pointless conversation. He knew everything I knew. But he liked to talk, and I indulged him.
    "I don't know. I think he's switching it up."
    What will we do now?
    "I think I can find where he is, or where one of his hosts is. I just needed to know it was him doing it."
    And if we find Lutz...
    "We find his tags and burn 'em."
    His anchors?
    "Whatever."
    But if it's a host...
    "We talk to 'em. Find out whatever we can about Lutz's habits."
    His hosts, should they be in anyway aware, will consider themselves murderers. They'll admit nothing.
    "They will."
    I feel something cold in my hand and find the switchblade. I think I'm losing control of it. It keeps appearing when I don't want it. I hold it up anyhow.
    "Can't be too hard to convince them to talk, right?"
    The Man was pleased. We were moving forward, no matter the cost.
    I wouldn't normally do this sort of thing in first person, but it seemed to fit the scenario best.

    Name: Ted Higgs
    Geist: The Man
    Virtue: Hope
    Vice: Pride
    Archetype: Gatekeeper
    Threshold: The Forgotten

    Intelligence - 2
    Wits - 3
    Resolve - 2
    Strength - 2
    Dexterity - 4
    Stamina - 2
    Presence - 3
    Manipulation - 3
    Composure - 2

    Crafts (Jury Rig) - 2
    Investigation - 1
    Medicine - 1
    Occult - 1
    Politics (Scandal) - 2
    Athletics - 1
    Brawl - 2
    Firearms - 1
    Larceny - 2
    Stealth - 2
    Weaponry - 3
    Empathy - 1
    Intimidation - 3
    Persuasion - 1
    Streetwise (Rumors) - 3
    Subterfuge - 1

    Fast Reflexes 1
    Fighting Finesse (Knives) 2

    Psyche - 3

    Keys - Industrial, Stillness

    Oracle 1
    Rage 1
    Shroud 2


    - Exp -
    Str 1-2 : 10 xp
    Res 1-2 : 10 xp

    Investigation 0-1 : 3 xp
    Medicine 0-1 : 3 xp
    Occult 0-1 : 3 xp
    Empathy 0-1 : 3 xp
    Subterfuge 0-1 : 3 xp

    Fighting Finesse (Knives) : 6 xp
    Haunt (Fluidity 1) 0-1 : 2 xp

    Oracle 0-1 : 6 xp (Did that way wrong earlier)

    (49 xp spent.)



    - Equipment -
    (I used Armory for this, let me know if that doesn't fly)

    Keystone - Switchblade
    Industrial, Stillness, Persuasion

    Carried:
    Lockpick Set (Say, +2 Bonus?)
    Digital Camera

    Not carried:
    .38 Special (Not registered in Ted's name, should that be an issue)

    Carmady on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Good stuff guys I'll go over it more thoroughly later, one question, is there something wrong with the character sheet maker? Why aren't you using it?

    No-Quarter on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    It keeps telling me I can't save anything so I just copied the other guy. Blame him.

    MoosehatIV on
  • CarmadyCarmady Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    MoosehatIV wrote: »
    It keeps telling me I can't save anything so I just copied the other guy. Blame him.

    Nice.

    I'm just doing this for a rough draft; I was going to send you the sheet when we got to the final copy. If you want the current version, it's all written out.

    Moose, you can use Foxit (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/) to save PDF edits.

    Carmady on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Perhaps we should have done this sooner, but we need to start speaking about timezones/ availability and whether we will be playing PbP, IRC chat, a mix, or something else entirely.

    On a happier front, I've really been inspired by Book of the Dead so I think I've got some good stuff for you all.

    No-Quarter on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Carmady wrote: »
    MoosehatIV wrote: »
    It keeps telling me I can't save anything so I just copied the other guy. Blame him.

    Nice.

    I'm just doing this for a rough draft; I was going to send you the sheet when we got to the final copy. If you want the current version, it's all written out.

    Moose, you can use Foxit (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/) to save PDF edits.

    Just getting in character. 8-)

    Alrighty, sheet is all sent.

    I am on the west coast and i work weekdays generally 8 till 4ish. I am free M-Thurs evening generally but I am generally out debauching myself on the weekends. Sunday is a wildcard.

    MoosehatIV on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Hmm. I'm on the East Coast, so that makes 2 players so far (Sevorak and Moose) who're on the West Coast. I think we could try this as PbP, if combat becomes an issue we can streamline it or omit it.

    I'm looking over your sheets, the PCs are shaping up nicely. Now let's talk about the Krewe. I think the PCs should know eachother and be an "informal" krewe. (We can work out the relationship later.) It gives us room to expand as we RP into a true ceremonial krewe.

    No-Quarter on
  • CarmadyCarmady Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Yeah, I'm Eastern. Any suggestions on how they meet?

    Carmady on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Woah, I blacked out there for a minute. All I remember is dancing menorahs and angry gods.


    As for how they all know each other, we could just simply say we are some of the more powerful sin eaters (What with the 50 exp and all) and we have seen each other around the flesh fairs. If we all live in the same area (or even city) we would most likely be able to call in favors with one another to get help with a particularly nasty spirit. ("Marcus, I didn't want to have to bring this up, but you threw up in my car last month after Deb's Party. Time to pay up")

    But that of course is the simplest solution. I am down for something more elaborate if we all feel like it.

    MoosehatIV on
  • SevorakSevorak Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I got this to NQ a few days ago, but here's my sheet for everyone's perusal:
    Name: Justin Lockheart
    Geist: The Howling Man
    Virtue: Justice
    Vice: Wrath
    Archetype: Advocate
    Threshold: The Prey

    Intelligence - 3
    Wits - 2
    Resolve - 3
    Strength - 2
    Dexterity - 3
    Stamina - 2
    Presence - 2
    Manipulation - 3
    Composure - 2

    Academics (Research) - 3
    Computer - 2
    Investigation (Crime Scenes) - 3
    Occult - 2
    Politics - 1
    Athletics - 2
    Brawl - 1
    Firearms - 2
    Stealth - 1
    Survival - 2

    Contacts (Columbia Faculty) - 1
    Resources - 1
    Eidetic Memory - 2

    Psyche - 2

    Keys - Cold Wind, Primeval

    Boneyard 2
    Shroud 2

    Ceremonies - Pass On, Final Vision

    - Exp -
    Shroud 1-2 - 12
    Animal Ken 0-2 - 9
    Pass On - 2
    Final Vision - 2
    Composure 1-2 - 10
    Persuasion 2-3 - 12
    Brawl 0-1 - 3

    50 spent

    - Equipment -
    Keystone - Canteen
    Cold Wind, Primeval, Firearms

    Not carried:
    .38 Special

    Sevorak on
    steam_sig.png 3DS: 0748-2282-4229
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    OK so. Yeah. How do they meet up? Moose had a good idea, another might be to tone the EXP down a bit. It's up to you guys, when I first floated that number I was just thinking about dice and mechanics, and now that I'm seriously reading through the Underworld stuff, you'd need to be crossing at least 3 rivers before you'd come to a Dominion that could actually pose a threat. - And again,. that's the Lower Mysteries, that's completely skipping the Autochonous depths. :D

    EDIT: like, do you guys think 50 is too much? I just noticed the section where it gives exp listings, and it has 35 exp as "established Sin-eaters" I had you guys envisioned as not being new on the street, but at the same time not having much influence (which was part of what our game would be about). If anyone here has some more experience with the systems, let me know, again this is my first time GMing.

    You know what screw it. We're good with these sheets. I'll just up the stats for everything else. OK, we can say that the krewe knows eachother by reputation and occasionally working together. You all have your own little niches in the Bound Community, but until now you haven't seen any reason to to try and join another krewe.

    I'll be giving each of you hooks (prolly in a PM) and your opening scenario soon. Hopefully all the sheeting and what not will be done by Monday. I'll prolly throw up some mroe flavor text soon to prep you for your first Chapter. :3

    No-Quarter on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Hooray! Lookin forward to the starting.

    And remember, if you ever think something is too easy you can just beef the thing up a bit. I am a big fan of rule zero.

    Also, before you do that too much remember my main combat tactic is pointing a shotgun at a beastie, saying "oh god oh god don't eat me", and then firing wildly in its direction. :P

    MoosehatIV on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Sorry guys, I'll try and have those hooks and such for you by Monday, a lot of personal shit came up. I sent a PM to Crowbar and I haven't gotten anything yet so it looks like it'll just be the three of you, which works fine because that's the # I wanted anyway.

    No-Quarter on
  • MoosehatIVMoosehatIV Saw a blimp once Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I am heading Eastward for the holidays. I will still be around, but just givin' yall a heads up.

    MoosehatIV on
  • No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    He was going to die down here.


    The thought reverberated through Travis Walker's skull as he turned a corner and found another dead end. Through clenched teeth and shivering jaw, he couldn't help but chuckle at the morbid absurdity of what was happening to him. How had he gotten down here? His head pounded with vague memories of... meeting someone. Someone with an offer.


    His momentary clarity passed as barks and growls echoed farther down the sewer passage. They were close enough now that he could make out the scraping and skittering of padded feet and claws on stone. Pumping his already burning legs with all the blood he could muster, Travis ran toward what appeared to be a familiar stairwell leading back up into the tunnels, back up into the land of the living.


    He didn't make it.


    He was brought up short as something cold and sharp slid into the meat of his back. His vision dripped as he fell to the concrete. Through a fog he could hear voices, their words indistinct. There was disapproval in their tones, a dissatisfaction. The scraping and padding had slowed and stopped. There was a pause, and then the pain in his back exploded as something was withdrawn.


    He screamed.


    The pain gave him a moment's clarity in which he heard a voice. The voice was icy and it was calm.


    “Let's have done with this and go home, shall we?”


    It wasn't the last thing he would hear. It was close, but the last thing Travis Walker would hear before his flesh and muscle were consumed piecemeal was the sound of rats and laughter. Hundreds of rats, flowing over him like a river. The laughter burrowed inside him and clawed straight for his core. It made him angry...very angry.


    He would carry it with him to the other side.

    No-Quarter on
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