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[pbp] City of Mist - V is for "Going Viral"
Mahou So-so
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
In the shadows of shiny skyscrapers and derelict residenntial blocks, ancient stories and urban legends assume physical form, choosing mortal beings as their Gateways to this world. But the Mist, a mystical veil known only to a select few, prevents the unwitting denizens of the City from ever acknowledging the mircales they witness daily, hiding their true nature from one another. Distracted by their everyday hopes and fears, the people on the streets remain oblivious to the clash of mythical forces that drive and control the very life of the city.
You were ann ordinary person--until the seed of the legendary awoke within you. Now you seek answers to questions about your powers, but the truth always seems to elude you. Yet at the same time, you still want what every human being wants: love, money, power, peace of mind. Together with your ragtag crew of gifted individuals, you work to reveal the powers operating in the dark smoky alleys of the City, just as those very powers seek you out for what you are. You will hit the streets in search of the strange cases, loose ends, and unsolved mysteries that will lead you to the truth, inevitably clashing with other legends in mortal form, agents of the powers beyond the Mist.
Be warned--the truth is as dangerous as the forces that hide it. Only when you find yourself sacrificing that which is dearest to you will you truly learn the answer to the ultimate question: ‘who am I?’. But will it be worth it?
Overview
City of Mist is a role-playing game of film noir investigation and super powered action. It is set in a modern metropolis rife with crime, conspiracies, and mysteries. The protagonists are Gateways, ordinary people who became the living embodiment of a legend, their Mythos. While your Gateways may seek to strike a balance between the mysterious nature of their Mythos and their mortal aspirations, the powers within them always threaten to tear their lives apart. They have unwittingly become a part of a secret world of clashing stories, and soon other legends will come looking for them with demands.
The System
City of Mist is Powered by the Apocalypse, with just a dash of Fate. It uses the standard 2d6 we've all come to know and love, but it discards standard stats in order to allow the players to call on various 'tags' to gain pluses to their rolls. Damage also takes the form of these tags in something call "Status Spectrums" that build up seperate types of effects to penalize rolls and eventually take characters and enemies out.
Here's a link to the free Starter Set Rulebook which has everything you need to play. I'll also do a follow-up post in case anyone either can't download/read the book but still wants to play.
And here's a link to a separate Character Moves List
Characters
Examples of characters from the starter set:
Salamander, a vigilante with the power of liquid fire.
Excalibur, a Rich Old Dame whose jewelry just happens to be the Ultimate Weapon.
Mitosis, an ex-boxer, horribly disfigured, who can adapt at the cellular level.
Post-Mortem, an undead assassin who acts an an Angel of Vengeance.
Declan L'estrange, an antique dealer and gunslinger seeking the truth.
Flicker, a Hipster Girl who saw the future and is now struggling to stop it.
Kitsune, a Fox Spirit, sort-of ninja who fell in love with a boy.
PCs are made up of 4 themes, separated between Mythos and Logos. Mythos represent a characters supernatural abilities and the questions they have about the unknown, while the Logos is who they are and what they can do as an ordinary person, as well as representing what they stand for, care for, or believe in.
A character must have at least one of each, but other than that the mix is up to you. For example, in the starter set there are various sample charactures--one, Kitsune, is a spirit, a servant of Good Fortune. It has 3 Mythos and 1 Logos, the Logos representing a human that it has fallen in love with. Meanwhile, Excalibur is a rich older woman who has discovered a bracelet that is the embodiment of the legendary weapon. She is represented by 1 Mythos (Excalibur) and 3 Logos, representing her family, her desire for social justice, and her status as a rich old woman.
However, how characters choose to balance their Mythos and Logos during play will result in changes. If you turn on back on the Identities of your Logos, they will eventually be shed and replaced by a Mythos. If you turn your back on an opportunity to explore the mystery of your Mythos, then it will eventually fade and be replaced by a Logos. However, if you would ever lose your last Mythos or Logos, you become either an Avatar of pure power (losing last Logos) or a focal point of the Mist (losing last Mythos) for a short period of time, leading to a drastic character change.
A character is made up of 4 themes. Each Mythos theme is a supernatural ability, followed by a Mystery that the character is driven to solve. The theme has 3 power tags, and 1 weakness (the major method of gaining experience). Logos themes are much the same, except they are mundane abilities (Flicker, for example, is a "Hipster" and has "Mad Hacker Skills" as her Logos themes). Instead of mysteries, Logos have an Identity that represents your characters core tennets.
However, how characters choose to balance their Mythos and Logos during play will result in changes. If you turn on back on the Identities of your Logos, they will eventually be shed and replaced by a Mythos. If you turn your back on an opportunity to explore the mystery of your Mythos, then it will eventually fade and be replaced by a Logos. However, if you would ever lose your last Mythos or Logos, you become either an Avatar of pure power (losing last Logos) or a focal point of the Mist (losing last Mythos) for a short period of time, leading to a drastic character change.
A character is made up of 4 themes. Each Mythos theme is a supernatural ability, followed by a Mystery that the character is driven to solve. The theme has 3 power tags, and 1 weakness (the major method of gaining experience). Logos themes are much the same, except they are mundane abilities (Flicker, for example, is a "Hipster" and has "Mad Hacker Skills" as her Logos themes). Instead of mysteries, Logos have an Identity that represents your characters core tennets.
CREATION NOTE: When creating a character, here is something to think about with your tags: Think in terms of "Specific" and "Broad" tags. Specific tags are useful in 1 of 3 arenas (Investigation, Action, Social) (or 2 of 3 arenas if they're "extra" specific, in that they're only sometimes useful in each and very specific in when they fire). Broad tags are useful in 2 of 3 arenas. You should aim for only 1 Broad tag, while all the rest should be Specific. That's not to say you might not suddenly think of a way to use a Specific tag outside the theater that you intended, but don't go creating your tags with that in mind.
Here is a link to the Starter Set Characters
The Crew
All of the player characters know eachother and are working together. The majority of you will have at least 1 job done together (though its fine if someone wants to be the "new guy".)
As a group, there are 4 basic archetypes you will likely fall into: Pros (hired guns), Vigilantes (crime fighting superheroes), Dabblers in the Mist (seekers of knowledge/power), or Conspiracy Busters (seekers of truth)
The Crew will have its own Identity and power tags that your characters will interact with.
How I Roll
Just a quick note about me. I'm very much about playing together. I will give you guys a lot of input into the world and what happens. I ask a lot of questions.
But, at the same time, while I consider myself very player-friendly, I'm not about to let anyone abuse the system in insulting ways. An example: one of the complaints I've seen leveled against this system came from a post regarding the fact that "Kermit the Frog would be better in a wrestling match than The Rock!" because "The Rock would just get +1 from being strong, and Kermit would be "stealth green", "long arms", "powerful legs", and "Big eyes" always giving him a +4!" And just... no. That's not how I'm going to let things play out. Ignoring the fact that the Rock would have plenty of other tags that would be applicable to turning Kermit into paste, Kermit himself would not be allowed to use those traits constantly (or at all). Wtf is being green going to do? Sure, I'll give you the long arms, but your legs aren't going to help in most attacks, and your eyes definitely won't help you throw a punch or perform a choke hold or whatever.
So, yeah. Play to the spirit of the rules and for the sake of everyone having fun, and we should get along shiny.
The Resources
Starter Set Rulebook
Starter Set Characters
Character Moves List
The End
I'm looking for 3-4 players! No need to use the starter characters--feel free to make your own, and post if you have any questions/suggestions!
Mahou So-so on
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Posts
A long-time Aware character who is only now, in what should be middle age, realizing that they also don't seem to be aging at all.
Someone responded! Yay! lol.
What were you thinking his Mythos would be? Is he something where Regeneration is just a side power, like Wolverine? Or is dealing with aging like his main thing and he can effect the ages of things he touches?
The idea was less Wolverine and more Dorian Gray-style ageless, so tags like Forever Young and Unchanging would maybe be appropriate. It'd probably be a one-Mythos three-Logos character; I was thinking he might be a lawyer, or some other profession where looking young might be a mixed blessing depending on just how young.
That could definitely be cool. Are you thinking relic, ala Dorian Gray, (like, do you have a Polaroid picture of yourself that is the gateway for the picture of Dorian Gray?) Or is your character himself the Gateway for the concept of Immortality or the Fountain of Youth or something like that?
I'm leaning towards the character-as-Gateway angle, with the initial Mystery being "Why aren't I getting any older?" as I think this guy has only recently realized that something's not normal. He may not yet know what happened, but I'm going to do some googling of eternal youth-related stories tonight and pick one to adapt.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Yeah, the Fate / PbtA hybrid this has going where you're literally ground-up designing a playbook threw me a bit of a loop too, but it does look like a cool game. The back-and-forth in terms of your own skillset was what got my attention.
Probably 3 Logos, 1 Mythos. Smart, Burly, and Dedicated - but also like he has a 'Guardian Angel' that gives him that extra edge...
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
That sounds a lot like someone whose mythos might literally be Perseus, whether they've realized it yet or not.
E: You could probably go to the Chivalric or Romantic mythos, and definitely the Celtic ones, for other options there, but Perseus came immediately to mind.
You could definitely do that! You could even be a Guardian Angel, essentially. Your first Mythos could be something like "Aura of a Guardian" or something that allows you to protect people and yourself. Then, if you decide to open up more Mythos, you could full on take on wings and then a sword of light. Lots of options.
That is definitely a cool approach.
Eternal Youth
Mystery: "Why aren't I getting any older?"
Tags: Forever Young, Quick Recovery, Unchanging
Weakness Tag: Hard to Take Seriously
Logos: Occupation
Contract Lawyer
Identity: "I'm a professional negotiator."
Tags: Legalese, Persuasive, Professional Contacts
Weakness Tags: Everyone Hates Lawyers
Logos: Personality
Health Nut
Identity: "Make yourself the best version of yourself!"
Tags: Excellent Diet, Gets Lots of Exercise, Relentless Positivity
Weakness Tags: Ridiculous Practices
Logos: Mission
Mist Investigator
Identity: "I've seen a lot of weird stuff since the 90s."
Tags: Long-Term Aware, Cryptozoologist, Widely Read
Weakness Tags: Credulous
I'm also totally open to tweaking starter tags if/when we get going, as it's no fun to get stuck with something only to find out you can't use it at all.
@Mahou So-so - What year/era is this taking place in?
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
That's definitely a suggestive name.
I've decided that my guy's desk is clearly covered with Hesperides brand herbal supplements and extracts, and he eats just a ton of fruit.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
A million times yes.
So I hope I did this right:
Det. Charles Francis Maine
Mythos: Expression
Divine Grace
Attention ○ ○ ○ | Fade ○ ○ ○
"What is this light? A blessing or curse?"
Tags: Holy Fire, Aura of Light, Healing Touch
Weakness: Overwhelming Zeal
Logos: Occupation
PD Detective
Attention ○ ○ ○ | Crack ○ ○ ○
"I'm a good cop, in a bad city."
Tags: Department Resources, Investigation, Authority
Weakness: Corruption on the Inside
Logos: Personality
Lawful Good
Attention ○ ○ ○ | Crack ○ ○ ○
"Always the Boy Scout."
Tags: Honest, Inspirational, Loyal
Weakness: Stubborn
Logos: Training
Hardboiled
Attention ○ ○ ○ | Crack ○ ○ ○
"I work in the gutter. Seen the evil people are capable of. Not gonna let that stand..."
Tags: Tough as Nails, Dirty Fighting, Marksmanship
Weakness: Seeing Red
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
For 'Smite' - What I had in mind was just having that extra edge vs evil beings. Like a demon, who might normally be immune to like a punch, or a gun, etc. would being effected by the divine power if I was the one punching/shooting.
I agree with Detect Evil. So I think that maybe some kind of Divine Aura? Something that might literally make me shed light, while giving people with me some kind of extra pep, or sense of bravery?
And with Lay on Hands, would changing that to like "Healing Touch" make it more broad/general?
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
As for the rest of it, it looks good except for one thing--your Logos shouldn't have mysteries like your Mythos--they aren't questions, but rather statements of who you are and how you act. So:
Lawful Good could have "By the Book" or "I AM the Law!"
Cool. I will make edits.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
If you look at the sample guys they have potential other tags; keep Divine Aura on deck at least imo.
I think mechanically the roll your Mythos to investigate might cover what the Detect Evil tag is for?
Made some changes.
Smite -> Holy Fire
Detect Evil -> Aura of Light
Lay on Hands -> Healing Touch
Do we need to define our Mythos outside of what we've done here? I have more details and ideas for some things, but is that clarified in game?
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Logos: Defining Relationship
“My Creator”
Knows me inside out (repair)
Home is where the heart is (recharge?)
?????
Mythos: Expression
“More than Meets the Eye”
Stronger than I look
Hidden blades
I could do this all night
-Don’t know when to stop
Mythos: Bastion
“Hard to Kill”
Painless
Resilient
Immune
-Limited repair options
If we're talking cybernetics,
Mythos: Divination
“Jacked In”
I know stuff
Scanning area
Bypassing security
-May get hacked
but if you prefer something more mystical, then maybe
Mythos: Adaptation
"Shapeshifter"
?????
As for your character, I like it! The only thing you're missing is the Mysteries for your Mythos themes, and the Identities for your Logos.
And then, for your Creator, are you looking for him to be an actual person you know of? Or maybe you don't know him and that could be one of your Mysteries--to find out who made you?
Being on the 1 Logos side of things I would be concerned about it bleeding too far into Mythos.
My initial thought is 'Creator as father/mother figure.' I have an image in my head of 50s-mom-who-always-has-freshly-baked-cookies-but-also-makes-awesome-robots right now.
In keeping with the setting, I imagine that they believed they were human until quite recently, this would likely involve either false or transplanted memories (depending how dark we want to get).
This would also help avoid the "What are these things you call feelings?" trope.
I have some ideas regarding Mysteries/Identity, but they may be a bit too generic.
"What is my true purpose?" in the philosophical sense?
"What am I becoming?"
"I am what my creator made me."
More later.
Anthony Ball, Esquire
Mythos: Bastion
Forever Young
Attention 0/3, Crack 0/3
Mystery: "Why aren't I getting any older?"
Tags: Quick Recovery, Unchanging, Vigorous
Weakness Tag: Hard to Take Seriously
Logos: Occupation
Contract Lawyer
Attention 0/3, Crack 0/3
Identity: "I'm a professional negotiator."
Tags: Legalese, Persuasive, Professional Contacts
Weakness Tags: Everyone Hates Lawyers
Logos: Personality
Health Nut
Attention 0/3, Crack 0/3
Identity: "Make yourself the best version of yourself!"
Tags: In Great Shape, Relentless Positivity, Push Harder
Weakness Tags: Ridiculous Practices
Logos: Mission
Mist Investigator
Attention 0/3, Crack 0/3
Identity: "I've seen a lot of weird stuff since the 90s."
Tags: Long-Term Aware, Urban Explorer, Head on a Swivel
Weakness Tags: Credulous
Michelle ‘Shelley’ Murphy
Logos: Defining Relationship
My Creator
Attention: o o o Crack: o o o
“I am my mother’s daughter.”
+ Knows me inside out (Repair)
+ Trusted advisor
+ Your loved ones are your strength
- Your loved ones are your weakness
Mythos: Expression
More than Meets the Eye
Attention: o o o Fade: o o o
“Am I becoming a monster?”
+ Stronger than I look
+ Hidden blades
+ I could do this all night
- Don’t know when to stop
Mythos: Bastion
Hard to Kill
Attention: o o o Fade: o o o
“Is the world better with me in it?”
+ Painless
+ Resilient
+ Immune
- Limited repair options
Mythos: Divination
Jacked In
Attention: o o o Fade: o o o
“What is wrong with our world?”
+ I know stuff
+ Scanning area
+ Bypassing security
- May get hacked
Seriously though, I am a Detective, so what kind of neighborhood does everyone live in? Would it be plausable to be investigating a murder, or missing person in the proximity of one of the other players apartments?
I probably have a decent apartment in a middle class area of town. But I don't know about everyone else.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Yep, we got room! This is more Apocalypse Engine than Fate, but familiarity with Fate will still probably help due to all the tags. The setting is pretty open, there's only a few things that are concrete--the city is isolated for some mysterious reason, there's something called The Mist that keeps people from realizing weird shit is going on, and weird shit is definitely going on in the form of myths and legends and just random powers manifesting through people.
I was definitely pointing this guy more in the direction of Dabblers in the Mist or Conspiracy Busters than the Vigilante option, in particular.
Detective Maine seems like he makes the most sense in a Conspiracy Busters team, given his Lawful Good Logos, since there's got to be something dirty and supernatural going on somewhere; Shelley is definitely more of a Shadowrun-like character and might fit best in a Pros set-up.
I think the easiest in, not to make myself the leader-leader, is for us to start as Dabblers In the Mist, with the Detective and Shelley being the other supernaturally-influenced people Anthony's encountered while he wasn't getting any older who he actually gets along with. Maybe one of them noticed before he did, even.
Conspiracy Busters with Shelley as our heavy is probably also a pretty reasonable direction to go, with Detective Maine the driver on getting us together in his capacity as a cop. My guy is pretty explicitly not involved directly in the criminal justice system now, but that may not always have been true; maybe Detective Maine and Anthony go back a ways?