The RPG.net Comic Project

Characters

Apex

Played By: Drkrash

Stats

Peter Petrovich AKA Apex

SOLO d8 PAIR d10 TEAM d6

Big-Hearted Scientist ROOAARRRR! There Has To Be a Way

Superhuman Strength d10 Superhuman Durability d10 Big Teeth d10 Enhanced Stamina d8 Enhanced Senses d8

SFX: Rampage: Step up or double any RAGING THEROPOD power for one action. If the action fails, add a die to the Doom Pool equal to the normal rating of the power die.

SFX: Multipower: Use two or more RAGING THEROPOD powers in a single dice pool at -1 step for each additional power.

Limit: Giant Dinosaur: Earn 1 PP when affected by dinosaur-specific complications or limitations.

Limit: Conscious Activation. If Stressed Out by mental or physical stress, asleep, or unconscious, shutdown RAGING THEROPOD. Recover RAGING THEROPOD when stress is recovered or you awake.

WEAPONS PLATFORM

Autofire Blaster Cannons d8 Rocket Pods d8

SFX: Area Attack: Target multiple opponents. For every additional target, add a d6 and keep +1 effect die.

SFX: Unload: Add Autofire Blaster Cannons and Rocket Pods to your next roll, then shutdown WEAPONS PLATFORM. Take an action vs. the Doom Pool to recover WEAPONS PLATFORM.

Limit: Overload: Shutdown highest-rated power to gain 1 PP. Recover power by activating an opportunity or during a Transition Scene.

Limit: Conscious Activation. If Stressed Out by mental or physical stress, asleep, or unconscious, shutdown WEAPONS PLATFORM. Recover WEAPONS PLATFORM when stress is recovered or you awake.

Combat Expert d8 Menace Expert d8 Science Master d10 Tech Master d10

DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

1 XP – When you use your powers to give a support asset to an ally.

3 XP – When you take the lead on a mission or go solo in order to keep your allies out of harm’s way.

10 XP – When you abandon an ally in serious trouble in order to successfully fulfill a mission objective.

DINOSAUR BODYGUARD

1 XP - When you take Stress by putting yourself between an ally and harm.

3 XP - When your allies leave you using your Solo affiliation against a major foe or threat.

10 XP - When you stay with an ally, risking failure in regard to some bigger objective, or when you bravely suffer defeat at the hands of your opponent, but bought your allies time to formulate a plan and fortify their defenses.

Story

Dr. Peter Petrovich was called in as a consultant to work with Dr. Katherine Neumann on project to bring back extinct species through the transformation of animals. It was never intended to be used on humans. Peter and Katherine tried the process on various species of lab animals and found that the closer species on the evolutionary tree had the most likelihood of a better transformation (i.e. not turning into a blob of goo or having arms and legs growing in all the wrong places). However, the higher order species handled the transformation better psychologically (i.e. didn't go crazy and try to kill things).

After much experimentation, the Advanced Predator Experimental Project produced a test subject that was fully successful physically: a new dinosaur. But then the creature went berserk and rampaged through the lab, heading towards a populated area.

Forced to make quick decisions, and with a new compound ready at hand, Peter realized that a thinking subject was going to be the only chance of a successful transformation. In order to stop the rampage, and to Katherine’s horror, Peter injected himself in order to become the weapon needed to stop the escapee. What ultimately happened in the lab was covered up and the project was reported as a costly, dangerous failure.

Once the crisis was averted, there was the problem that Peter was still a dinosaur. Dr. Neumann, the nanotech specialist on the project, went to work on a protocol to reprogram the nanobots in Peter’s system to allow him to transform back to his human form. When this occurred, no longer was Peter the 140 pound lab rat; he reverted to a much improved physical form, a side effect of the nanobots’ action.

This was the formal end of the APEX project. Both scientists were chastened by what had occurred and resolved to use this strange new gift for the benefit of others. Katherine later designed the nanotech weapon harness for Peter, and Peter began his new avocation as Apex.

Shrike

Played By: Blacksheep

Stats

Solo d8, Buddy d10, Team d6

Distinctions: Reformed Criminal, Not Just A Pretty Face, Deafened Tinkerer

SALVAGED GEAR
Sonic Blasters d10
Powered Gauntlets d8
Jump Boots d10
Radar Headgear d8
Enhanced Durability d8
Enhanced Reflexes d8

SFX: Danger Sense (spend 1PP to add/step up Radar Headgear and reroll all dice on a reaction)
SFX: Multipower (use multiple Salvaged Gear powers in a pool at one step down per additional power)
SFX: Burnout (double or step up Sonic Blaster for one action, or spend 1PP to do both; if the action fails, shutdown Sonic Blaster, recover with opportunity or transition)
SFX: Collateral Damage (add d6 to the doom pool to create a Salvaged Gear stunt)

Limit: Gear (shutdown a Salvaged Gear power and take 1PP; recover with action against the doom pool)
Limit: Vulnerability (step up stress inflicted by sonic attacks to earn 1PP)
Limit: Deaf (earn 1PP whenever hearing difficulties cause a complication)

Acrobatics Expert d8
Criminal Master d10
Combat Expert d8
Covert Expert d8
Technology Expert d8

Milestone: Reformed Criminal
1XP - Reference your criminal past
3XP - Break the law in the pursuit of heroic goals
10XP - Your former life becomes exposed and you are punished or absolved

Milestone: Mind Games Survivor
1XP - Refuse to do what someone tells you
3XP - Overreact violently to being manipulated or lied to
10XP - Let someone get close, or shut them out completely

Story

Thrash and Shred were the henchgirls of a supervillain known as Death Metal, rocking the establishment and merrily causing mayhem. It was years before Thrash came to realise that he was influencing their minds through his soundwave technology, leaving them hopelessly devoted to an increasingly callous criminal. In desperation she broke free by turning a sonic weapon on herself, deafening herself in the process, and went into hiding. When Death Metal was brought down, she raided his equipment caches and put together enough gear to reinvent herself as the superhero Shrike, hoping to redeem herself for the sins of her past.

Jack Lewis, 'Lightning Jack'

Played By: Estragon

Stats

Affiliations: SOLO: D10, BUDDY: D6, TEAM: D8

Distinctions: MASTER OF (SWEET) SCIENCE, CAN'T DO IT THE EASY WAY, YES I REALLY AM THAT SMART

Power Sets: QUANTUM TRANSPORTATION: TELEPORTd8, INTAGIBILITYd10

SFX: Flurry - Add d6 and keep one extra effect die for each additional target after the first. SFX: Disruption - When Using INTANGIBILITY to attack a tech-based target, add a d6 and step up the effect die by +1 Limit: Exhausted - Gain one PP to shut down QUANTUM TRANSPORTATION. Recover this power set by activating an opportunity or during a Transition Scene.

SUBATOMIC DENSITY MANIPULATION SUPERHUMAN DURABILITY D10, ENHANCED STRENGTH D8, FORCE BLAST D10, AIRWALKING D6

SFX: Constructs - When using SDM to create assets, add a D6 and step up the effect die by +1. SFX: Reactive - Spend a PP to add a SDM power to another player's die roll before they roll. If the other character takes Physical Stress, take D6 Mental Stress. SFX: Versatile - May replace FORCE BLAST with either 2d8 or 3d6. Limit: Conscious Activation - If stressed out, asleep, or unconscious, shut down SDM. Recover the power by recovering the stress of awakening.

Specialties: SCIENCE MASTER D10, COMBAT EXPERT D8, TECH EXPERT D8, MENACE EXPERT D8

A WIDER WORLD:

1 XP when you aid a hero for the first time.

3 XP when you either ask to join a team or refuse another's offer to join a team.

10 XP when you either accept leadership of a team or leave your current position.

NOT JUST A BRAWLER

1 XP when you first reveal a new stunt based off of your Science or Tech Specialties.

3 XP when you successfully defeat a threat with your Science or Tech Specialties.

10 XP when you either ignore a critical situation to finish a project or abandon your project to help out a teammate.

Story

At age 9, Jack Lewis' school science fair project - a scale model of a nuclear fuel reactor - won him first prize after the panic died down when the model began glowing.

At age 12, Jack was routinely defeating the old men in the park that played chess. His parent insisted that Jack finish high school at the same pace as the rest of his classmates despite the college textbooks he had been carting home from the library, or the bruises from the bullies. They wanted to be sure that Jack wouldn't be seen as not 'paying his dues', that he wouldn't be seen as having earned his place when college came calling for him. And they were certain that he was going to go to college, the first of his family to do so.

Seeking a way to deal with the other, rougher kids in school, Jack found the gym and boxing. Training his mind came easy, the work in the ring was a challenge that he found he had been missing. The licks he took in the ring - and on the schoolyard - became another way for him to pay his dues.

Going to college on a scholarship in their physics program, Jack excelled academically while he continued to work in the ring as a way to keep himself challenged. There he met Clay Briggs, another physics student with a similar interest in martial arts. The two bonded over their shared interests, becoming frequent sparring partners as well as working in the lab.

It was their collaboration that led to the accident that changed Jack. Working with an experimental particle accelerator on a project they believed could change the field of subatomic theory, they were caught in an explosion when the accelerator overloaded. Jack had tried to get Clay out of danger, and the resulting energy discharge changed him. Jack found that he was able to manipulate the density of subatomic fields in objects, creating powerful force fields or greatly enhancing the force of his strikes. Further, Jack found that he could teleport, disassembling and reassembling himself in an instant.

The accident forced both Jack and Clay out of the program and the university, something that Clay blames Jack for. With the resentment Clay felt souring their relationship, the two of them have drifted apart. For his part, Jack has been trying to find a way to use his new abilities to make a positive difference in his home city, cleaning up the streets and working to protect the residents. The falling out with Clay troubles him, but any attempt he's made to reach out to his former friend has gone unanswered so far.

Nyx

Played By: Stattick

Story So Far

It started with her great grandfather, Robert Hamilton, during WWII (now deceased). He was an American who'd volunteered after Pearl Harbor, and went into the Marine Corps. His family had the money and political clout to have swung him into virtually any job in the war, but instead, he was island hopping and going through the meat grinder as a "Devil Dog" in the Pacific. His previous experience and knowledge of Japanese proved to be more valuable for interrogating POW's than his skill with a rifle, so in time, he was eventually reassigned to working at one of the POW camps. He was well liked, even by the prisoners, and eventually made lifelong friends with some of them.

During the Battle of Okinawa, Robert was running a POW on the island itself. One night, he was taken captive by a Japanese man who'd expertly snuck into the camp. The man, who identified himself as something called a shinobi (but whom Robert suspected was actually a ninja), believed the Imperial propaganda that the Japanese prisoners were treated horribly, tortured, and executed. The "shinobi" was there to try to save as many of the prisoners as he could. It was when they refused to escape, citing that they were treated honorably, and that Robert was a friend that the mysterious warrior realized how he'd been misled. He surrendered. And he was treated honorably.

Ishitani Masato (now deceased), the shinobi (ninja) who'd surrendered instead of continuing to fight a lost cause, and Robert became friends in the camp. After the war was over, and Japan surrendered, Robert was asked if he'd volunteer to stay over and help with the post war transition. He was happier to do that work than the work he'd done before, and worked closely with both governments, military and civilian. He remained friends with many of the former POW's that had been in his charge, and made a lifelong friend when he returned the Ishitani's katana after the war. It was the shinobi family's honor sword. In thanks, and hoping to foster greater understanding between the Japanese and Americans, Masato offered an exchange for each generation going forward: that the two families choose one person from each generation to be raised and taught by the other. The two men agreed. The Japanese kids learn about American culture, business practices, and so forth. The American kids learn about Japanese culture (modern and traditional), and get trained as ninjas.

1955 was the year of the first exchange. John Hamilton, Robert's second eldest son, was sent to be raised by the Ishitani family. Masato became the boy's legal guardian and raised him much as a son (truth be told, he was a little easier on the little blonde gaijin boy than on his own son). John stayed in Japan from the age of ten until he was eighteen, and then went back home. He understood the Japanese far better, but didn't have much appreciation for what he'd learned until later. He eventually became the head of security for the family's corporate holdings (which is true... but his real worth is that he's the head of corporate espionage and insider trading).

1975 was the year of the second exchange. Jacob Monroe was the cousin sent to Japan. He was also ten years old when he departed, and came home shortly before his 20th birthday. He spent a few years bumming around the country and world, on the family's dime, until he got "a talking to" by the family's patriarch. He was given a choice: either work hard for the family, or have his trust fund cut off. He did try to work for the family, but didn't care for the work. He ended up taking some sort of government job shortly afterwards, probably after the family pulled some strings for him. He's still hard at work, doing whatever it is he does for the government. He keeps a packed bag, and sometimes gets phone calls in the middle of the night, and then has to leave for periods of time. He's been shuffled from one alphabet soup agency to another from time to time. His longest stint was with The State Department. He doesn't talk about his work, or say much about the countries he visits. The family figures that he's some sort of spy.

In 1995, at the age of nine (she's a Scorpio and a Tiger), Maia Hamilton (my character), was sent to Japan. Sending her was a last minute decision. The primary choice through a temper tantrum and refused to go "without being tied up first" at the last minute, and his backup had just been in a serious car accident that had left him facing years of physical therapy to be able to walk. There wasn't another back-up. Maia was sent, with little preparation, and without knowing the language. It was a rough transition for her, getting used to a new culture, a new family, a new language, being a minority (gaijin, and having to take remedial courses in school to try to catch up to the more advanced learning pace of her new school. And then there was the ninja training. Nearly every spare moment, more ninja training. It was exhausting. But Maia adapted.

Her adopted "father", Ishitani Hikaru, saw that Maia had a lot of strength in her. And the girl refused to be treated "special" because she was a girl or gaijin. She wanted to prove that she was just as good as everyone else. And so he gave her that opportunity. She did not disappoint him. And unlike her cousins, when her eight years were up, and she was eighteen, she asked to remain, so she could master the arts. Hikaru was happy to have her stay on. She remained for another ten years.

Maia fully adopted Japanese culture, and even received dual citizenship. In Japan, she goes by the name Ishitani Maya (Kanji: 真夜, true night). She has been formally adopted by Ishitani Hikaru. In a sense, she truly has two homelands and two families.

In Japan, she was raised in the mountainous Iga provence, one of the traditional homelands of shinobi. Across the valley is Kōga, the traditional homeland of the other most famous shinobi clan. Each clan is organized into a number of guilds, and the guilds into dozens of families. It was in this way that it frequently happened that outsiders would hire ninja from one family, their enemies from another, but in truth, both families were members of the same clan. Even in conflicts with many different participants, frequently a single clan would unknowingly be hired by all sides. The Ishitani family is one of the branches of the Iga Clan.

The shinobi lifestyle seems to be slowly coming to an end. People seem to be leaving the lifestyle. There's fewer calls for hiring shinobi and other sorts of mercenaries. The government has tried to suppress the shinobi and samurai for quite some time, and especially under the watchful eye of the US in the post-war period. Appearances can be deceiving. Especially when dealing with people whose stock and trade are deception and misdirection.

Only the two clans ever gained any kind of notoriety, the Iga and Kōga (often rivals, sometimes allies, such as when they worked together to defend the Iga Republic in feudal Japan. There are three more clans that date back hundreds of years, each associated with one of the classic Buddhist elements. The Iga are associated with Void, while the Kōga are associated with Water. All five of the classic clans are doing well. Additionally, there are a number of other, smaller clans. Some have been established by Japanese ex-pats in other countries, escaping persecution (and some of these are centuries old). Furthermore, Japan is far from the only land that has a tradition of mystical mercenary assassins.

There's work to be had. It's often unsavory or dangerous. But the world has never ran out of a need for mercenaries, spies, or assassins. If anything, the modern world, with it's masked vigilantes, and others outside of the reach of traditional law enforcement, is in greater demand for ninja and their ilk then the medieval world was. The shinobi just keep a relatively low profile.

As said above, Maya stayed on to finish her training in the ways of the shinobi. This includes the mystical training (which her cousins missed out on), which she showed a talent in. She also eventually came to accept that she was a lesbian. Marrying a man was just never in the cards for her. She was worried that her adoptive father wouldn't accept it, but she did eventually come out to her. It was awkward for a few months afterwards, as he poked and prodded at her, hoping that she was just going through a phase (in her early 20's). But he did, in time, accept it.

Upon reaching Master status in her late 20's, she came back home to the US, which she's visited from time to time, but didn't know terribly well. She made the mistake of coming out to her (very rich, very conservative) family as a lesbian, and immediately got disowned. There's are "immorality" and "tarnishing the family name" clauses in her trust that were used as an excuse to cut her out of the family fortune. Some of the family do accept her, especially the younger generations, but no one was willing to overtly help her for fear that they too would be cut out. Strapped to pay the bills, few marketable skills you can actually put on a resume, no capital to set up a dojo (teaching a... sanitized... version of the art), she eventually became a stripper to pay the bills. It's unsavory work, especially when you don't like guys (and have to pretend otherwise), but it pays very well, and she can work a stripper pole like you wouldn't believe. There was also the advantage that with a phone call, you could disappear from work for days or weeks on end, with a quick audition you could get immediate work in almost any city, the hours are flexible... and everyone just naturally assumes you have a substance abuse problem, so no one bats an eye when you're flaky in your social life... it was almost ideal for supporting a super-heroine. (Her adoptive father did offer to "send a plane" for her, so she could return home to Japan if she wanted to. But ever being headstrong, she refused. She's mastered the physical and mystical arts of the shinobi. She's now intent to take her eventual place in the family, and to earn at least a master's degree in business, as is the way of her people... but it's a little disheartening to be facing a master's at 28 years old without a college credit to her name. Hikaru did send her around $20,000 to help her get established in her new life. It was enough to get a car, apartment, furniture, and other basics... She paid him back in less than six months.)

Really, she's just a ninja that happens to be a lesbian and a stripper (for now, until something better comes along - and she is working on that degree... her first semester starts in June). The three really don't have anything at all to do with each other. Would be a fun character to play, once you deconstruct it, with an eye toward breaking away from the bad lesbian stripper ninja stereotypes.

Crucible

Played by: frankcastle1975

Stats

D10 Solo/D8 Buddy/D6 Team

Wielder of Xeno Crystal A The son of the American Dream and Northern Lights “One side everybody…. I’ve got this”

Power Set: Xeno Crystal A D12 Blast D10 Flight D10 Durability D10 Cosmic Energy Control

SFX: Area of Attack: add 1D6 per extra target and keep one effect die per target Beserk: use doom pool die and return it one step up Unleashed: step up or double XCA die, if it fails add die to doom pool Second Wind: move physical stress to doom pool and step up XCA power Multipower: use second power at one step down

Limits: Growing Dread: opportunities on 1 and 2 Uncontrollable: use power as complication gain PP, recover via opportunity or transition scene Exhausted: gain 1PP to shut down a power, recover via opportunity or transition scene

Specialties Combat D8 Crime D8 Cosmic D8 Mystic D8

Milestones

Stand back and see how it's done!

1 XP When you enter Solo affiliation against the advice of other heroes in the scene.

3 XP When your reckless actions still prove successful, and you......

10 XP When you learn a lesson in humility at great personal cost to you, or when you manage to succeed yet again despite your reckless abandon, and you sever all ties to the heroes you once worked with.

Living up to expectations

1 XP When you wonder what your heroic parent would do in a given situation.

3 XP The first time in a scene you take on the same or a similar mantle as your parent, and you specifically call attention to your parent's legacy.

10 XP When you defeat a threat that is as great, if not greater, than anything your parents faced, or when you find your parent's mantle too daunting to uphold, and you renounce any claims to your parent's legacy and heroics in general.

Story

John Brockington son of the American Dream (Captain America type patriot hero) and Northern Lights (female light controlling Canadian hero).

AD and NL were scientists working at the North Pole when they came across one of the fabled meteor fragments (that people had mentioned as a possible alien invasion artifact). Inside the meteor they found a radioactive crystal that gave them their powers.

AD and NL became notable heroes and teamed up with many heroes.

Along comes John. The military brat equivalent except instead of going from base to base he followed his parents from team to team.

At a very young age, John's powers manifested themselves when he came into contact with a sealed meteor fragment. While still too young to talk..... it was assumed that this was an accident. But in reality the crystal fragment had been communicating with him.

As John got older he seemed to learn things quickly (thanks in part to the crystal that was now imbedded in his chest which speaks to him). He also took pleasure in learning things from whichever heroes were willing to take the time to teach him.

The overall impression was that while his enthusiasm and courage were admirable, his impatience and arrogance were seen as a concern.

His powers developed faster than his maturity and his desire to join the crime fighting world was met with repeated "you're not ready" type comments.

Eventually through enough badgering he was allowed to join a team. With mixed success and some view him in a negative light as the kid who got the position because of mommy and daddy.

At the present day John is 21 and his parents are definitely winding down as heroes in an active capacity but still advise and interact with other heroes.

The Knight

Played by: chaotechnician

Stats

Solo d8, Buddy d10, Team d6

Knight in shining armor "I'll figure it out as I go" Studier of the archetypal

Alien Armor

Superhuman Durability d10

Weapon d10

Enhanced Strength d8

Leaping d8

Shapeshifting d8

Stretching d8

Swing and Glide d8

SFX: Multipower

SFX: Second Chance

SFX: Focus

Limit: Fatigue

Combat Master d10

Psyche Expert d8

Acrobatic Expert d8

New At All This 1XP: When you experience an important part of being a superhero for the first time.

3XP: When you learn a vital lesson that will impact how you go about being a superhero.

10XP: When you either decisively prove that you now know what you're doing, or are forced to accept that superheroism isn't the sort of thing someone can master.

Important Thread Links

Initial Interest Thread[1]