Wonder Woman - Year Zero

[mcr]

Let's talk character creation. Some concerns in terms of power levels: This is an origin story, for one thing, so it makes sense for characters not to be at full-power. I imagine a Wonder Woman at this stage in her career being legitimately challenged by hungry/angry dinosaurs in tests of raw strength, and her training and intelligence are what give her the edge in that fight. For another thing, the more potent a character gets, the more potent I need to make the challenges to keep the characters interested. Last, to the extent that people would be deterred from street-level heroes like Green Arrow, I want to make sure that the power scales are more or less balanced across the board. The more potent your character "needs" to be, the greater the gulf would inevitably be (at *some* point, no matter how skilled he is, Green Arrow won't be able to keep up with Wonder Woman).

Given these constraints, here's what I'm suggesting as a baseline: 40+10 white stones a piece, with the caveat that I'm known to ignore the mechanics when necessary for the story. If your character *needs* more stones, and you can placate some of my concerns, I'm happy to work with you.

I also wanted to highlight as a special note how I plan to treat magic. Magic as a source of power will feature somewhat frequently in this story. We would need a Wonder Woman, and dunecat3d wants to do Captain Marvel. My plan is to treat Magic as just another flavor to other Actions, Modifiers, and Equipment. One stone of magic lightning isn't going to substantively different than a 1-stone taser. If you're intent on making a Mastery of Magic character, front with me how you plan to use it. My thinking is that for practical purposes, it shouldn't be substantively different than a Mastery of the Elements in terms of what you would do it with it.

Edit: WildKnight, I imagine Diana being a younger adult, but it's really up to you, within the constraints of the idea of an origin story. She shouldn't necessarily be a grizzled veteran of war, but that doesn't mean she can't be old(er).

[Black Sam]

That answers some of my questions. I'll need to follow WK's background points for my own. I kind of see a young Solomon Grundy as a Severus Snape to Lilly (Whateverhernamewasbeforepotter) -- not necessarily in love, but an unlikely friendship. Or maybe he is in love, but it's unrequitted.

Background: he is the son of Jewish concentration camp survivors. He did not survive -- years later, his still greiving parents conjured the child's spirit and fashioned a body for him. He's a golem but he doesn't know it; a nod to one of Wonder Woman's origin stories. He will dabble in magic. Perhaps things get dark for him when he starts dabbling in darker magics, foreshadowing his eventual corruption and zombification.

I am thinking about Mastery of Magic, but nothing specific. More thoughts to come...

[Gris]

Good, I'll work on fleshing out the concept and making a tentative CAD tonight/tomorrow.
In case someone is wondering, this is the initial raw pitch I made:

SPOILER: Click to show

May 4, 2015 17:56:25 GMT -5 Gris said:

Blood dripped from her head, plinking on the ground. The night covered the surroundings with a warm embrace, a feverish heat could be tasted in the air. The girl kept running, even if she didn't know why. Driven by the fear of the unknown, she couldn't stop even if she didn't knew what she was running from. Her head hurt, and deep into the maze-like environment she was in there were no signs about where to go. Strange lights flashed around, tall artificial constructs blocked both view and path, and the noise... one couldn't escape from that growling noise in the background. Ending with her back against a dead end, she finally faced her chaser, a dark figure, more beast than human. A fast movement caught her eye, an arrow the color of the beloved forest, landing between the beast and her. Artemis herself had come to save her? Would the goddess turn hunter into prey?

As the shadowy predator escaped, blending into the night, the girl could see that the goddess hadn't come to her aid. Nothing other than a man, clad in green belonging to a lush forest, out of place in that artificial construct, came into the light. "I should chase him, but first things first" he said, picking up the fired arrow and storing it in his back. "That cut doesn't look as much, but a head injury is no joke, there is a hospital not far from here. I can take you there" the man in green offered a hand, and the girl accepted it, dazed and confused. Where was she? Who was that man? What kind of beast was chasing her? "Thank you" she managed to say, her voice sounding born to sing, two mere words echoing deep feelings of gratitude, confusion and discomfort. He seemed to understand her just fine, as she didn't say much else during the short trip to the hospital.

The streets next to the place were covered of man-made vehicles traveling atop black roads, people swarmed like ants on these main lanes. This wasn't home, but then again, she had the feeling of not having a home anymore. Medical personnel crowded next to them as they stepped in, people clad in white, contrasting with her black clothes. Black clothes... those meant something, something bad. Why was she there? Why was she wearing black? Her head hurt so much... but still beamed a ray of conscience, black was the color of the ones who were exiled. What had she done? Wouldn't she be able to return home? The doctors plagued her and the man in green with questions that she didn't pay attention to, until he looked back at her. "...the truth is that I don't know" he looked at her, worried. "It's kind of a private thing, even if you need it..." added, back at the doctor. "Wha... what's going on?" she asked, leaning on the man on green, she seemed to trust him. "I'm sorry, but we need your name" the doctor answered.

And the girl fell mute, as she couldn't remember her own name.

---

Of course there are a lot of details that can be worked on, but I wanted to sort out an approach to Black Canary trying out the feel you shared without falling into specifics. An amnesiac exiled amazon (reasons undetermined, maybe Green Arrow related) with an extraordinary talented voice. And I mean it, instead of falling into the usual brawler Black Canary, I want to try something a bit different (specially considering that there will be a Wonder Woman covering all the punching needs) and focus on her voice prowess. Beyond her usual Canary Cry, she could have some kind of supporting powers based on how she sings/screams, from a force field to mesmerism (don't know, there are many possibilities). So yeah, hope you liked this first raw approach, all feedback is welcome.

Oh, this is part of what I was listening as I was writing, and I liked to share, found the lyrics inspiring.

Kato v san neprobuden Sas tchii otchi nanuvam Tchii e tozi lik obretchen Smaten glas mi se pritchuva I otekva s vik dalechen Kak da zarna da progledna Tachujdi obraz da pregarna Na litseto mi smuteno Griah v nadejda da prevarna Sas sartesto mi shte diria Pat v sadbata nepoznata Niamam maitchina zakrila Niamam nishto na zemiata Dojato namerja uteha vyv Noshitite Biagam ot sebe si Potavat mi siedite Kato v san neprobuden

As if from a deep slumber... From whose eyes do I see? Who does this cursed face belong to? I can hardly hear the vague voice calling Like a scream echoing from afar Will I ever understand? How to embrace This unknown face And turn sin into hope? With my heart, I'm seeking A path through my uncharted fate I have no mother land I have nothing on this earth Until I have found a Redemption In the hearth of the night I run from myself My feet sinking As if from a deep slumber...

[WildKnight]

I think I'm going to go pretty straightforward with Diana. Might scrap Flight (or wait to pick it up later) and go with the core stuff initially; strength, durability, and a cool lasso. If I were going to go for any kind of more subtle power I'd probably do something unusual with the character and give her some kind of ability to speak with or even command animals, etc.

[Gris]

Lets see, a cleaned straight up background and later the CAD, instead of writing a scene. Spoiler tagged to save space:

SPOILER: Click to show

---

Her amazon name matters no more, as nobody remembers it, nobody will voice it, for now she's Dinah. The judged. And guilty she was found, enamored of the cities of the man, the customs of the man, the music of the man, and the man himself. Dinah never was the strongest of them, gifted with a sorcerous voice capable of prodigies, her talents never lied on fighting. But she still felt limited on Themyscira, her gift and the music itself knew no boundaries, and she soon escaped to not only see the world, but also partake on it. The amazons could forgive the mistake of a young one, the curiosity natural to her age, as long as she vowed to never do so again. But she couldn't, oh the things she had heard, watched and tasted. The places she went, the people she met, how could they forbade her from coming back to it all? How could keep her away from him?

If the world of man was what she ached for, the world of man was all she would get. The name of the canary of Themyscira was banned and forgotten, and clad in black, the color of the exiled one, she was left to roam the world of man, dazed and confused. With time she would recover most of her memories, and even with the pain of the loss of her home, she found a new place to belong. This was a world of heroes, of legends, and maybe she could fit in, merging in the city night. Dinah, the judged, the black canary, the girl without a name.

---

And now, the CAD (40+7). I don't know if you favor it, but I went with the usual split Durability rules. Even then, the three values are the same, so there is no problem making it traditional Durability. I made her way better than a peak human, since she's an amazon even if she's not a specially strong one, so she should be way weaker than Diana on that front (and adjustable as needed). I presented her gifted voice on two fronts: A simple force blast (since I didn't want to get tangled in a messy mastery) and a version of Telepathy that is based around her voice. She could command people with her voice or exchange whispers with someone far away. And even if she can project her voice far away, it wouldn't have any effect on deaf people (or ones that are using ear plugs or headphones), and it's unusable if she's somehow muted or gagged. Left some of the challenges space unused so she's able to grab a new challenge during play.

As always, any feedback is welcome.

Abilities: 15w Intelligence 3 1w Strength 4 2w Agility 4 2w Speed 3 1w Health 5 3w Energy 5 (15) 3w Regeneration 5 3w Actions: 26w Acrobatics 3 (1w) * Agility Bonus. Close Combat 3 (1w) * Agility Bonus or Weapon Modifier. * Specialties: Traditional Greek Weapons, Self Defense, Hand-to-hand. Social Skills 5 (3w) * Specialties: Streetwise, Charm, Persuasion, Singing, Themyscira Language and Culture. Canary Cry 8 (9w) * Sonic Force Blast. Mesmerism 8 (12w) + Control Others (Includes Illusions) +2CL + Distance Communications +1CL - Requires the ability to speak and being heard -1CL - Can't read minds -1CL

Challenges: 7w Conflicting Interests (5w): She's enamored of the world of man, but also knows that it's corrupted and far from its potential, so she wants to help correcting it. She can't help but miss Themyscira and her amazon sisters too, what hurts double since they rejected her for her own choices. Psychological (2w): On-off romance with the vigilante known as Green Arrow. Some weeks they fight together and love each other, some weeks he's too busy with his crusade and she's busy acting tough.

Modifiers: 6w Reflexive Dodge 2 (3w) Toughness 2 (3w)

[Black Sam]

I like it, Gris! Cool take on Canary.

[Black Sam]

So what I need to know is where will all this take place. Are these going to be college students since they're going to be college-age? What's Diana's cover story? How long has she been around? I want to build Solomon Grundy around Diana's background, but it occurs to me their connection could only be recent, not a childhood thing. Unless his magic was involved, being a magical child and all -- maybe they shared a dream or something fruity like that?

[mcr]

For clarity: I imagine the first arc to be focused on Themyscira. I want to say that the initial theme is that the world is a jungle, and before Diana is ready for the jungle of the world, she must first conquer the jungle at home. The first issue will be tentatively called

WONDER WOMAN

AND

THE ISLE OF THE AMAZONS

I think it's fine that characters may have branched out and potentially had other backgrounds, but are being drawn back for whatever reason. Just a heads-up, but I'll be in touch with Gris after work to fine-tune the CAD. I love the concept, and I think a few tweaks might be appropriate, but it's a serviceable CAD as written, with the caveat that RAW may not necessarily apply to some of those 8 ANs.

[Black Sam]

Gris, what if Black Canary is determined to return to the only thing she remembers -- the Island -- and takes drastic measures to get there? Maybe commits an act of desperation? I'm trying to think of ways to tie together her, Solomon and I assume Mary or Billy (?) into arriving on Themyscira uninvited. Ideas?

[dunecat3d]

I`ll be running Billy I think! Also a method of pulling all of them together to get onto the island is probably an excellent idea

[shenron]

Any more room? I could do a Hawkeye

[Gris]

May 15, 2015 10:33:13 GMT -5 mcr said:

For clarity: I imagine the first arc to be focused on Themyscira. I want to say that the initial theme is that the world is a jungle, and before Diana is ready for the jungle of the world, she must first conquer the jungle at home. The first issue will be tentatively called

WONDER WOMAN

AND

THE ISLE OF THE AMAZONS

I think it's fine that characters may have branched out and potentially had other backgrounds, but are being drawn back for whatever reason. Just a heads-up, but I'll be in touch with Gris after work to fine-tune the CAD. I love the concept, and I think a few tweaks might be appropriate, but it's a serviceable CAD as written, with the caveat that RAW may not necessarily apply to some of those 8 ANs.

Good. I'm hitting the bed when I'm done with this post (timezones and all that) and will get a look at what you send me when I get up. Any changes that need to be made are no problem. Just one thing, considering that my character is exiled from Themyscira, playing there would be hard unless we change that (or gets exiled during the issue/when it ends).

May 15, 2015 12:24:19 GMT -5 Black Sam said:

Gris, what if Black Canary is determined to return to the only thing she remembers -- the Island -- and takes drastic measures to get there? Maybe commits an act of desperation? I'm trying to think of ways to tie together her, Solomon and I assume Mary or Billy (?) into arriving on Themyscira uninvited. Ideas?

She (depending on when we start) should slowly remember most of her life soon enough (basically everything but her old name) and I don't think that she'd be desperate to return until some time has passed and something had gone terribly wrong either in the city or in Themyscira, prompting that desire. As I said above, is probably better for her to be exiled during or just after that first issue. The other chance, as you said, would be smuggling her there, but the penalty for such a thing for an exiled amazon would be beyond harsh, I figure. I'm open to anything, really.

[mcr]

May 15, 2015 18:10:00 GMT -5 shenron said:

Any more room? I could do a Hawkeye

Plenty of room. If by Hawkeye, you mean Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, that could work. If by Hawkeye you mean Clint Barton, this may not be the right setting...

Black Sam Once you've got a working idea, let me know. I'll figure out a way to bring each character individually to the Island. Suffice to say deus ex machinae may be involved.

[mcr]

To be edited before the game proper, mostly to work with you all as your CAD building continues, but just to give you sort of an idea of how you end up where you are. Incorporating Dinah, Billy, and Diana so far, and will incorporate the others as the concepts become firmer. We would pick up from everyone meeting Billy, whoever Travis is playing, and if Shenron joins us, I'll work in his character as well.

WONDER WOMAN

AND

THE ISLE OF THE AMAZONS

The one now called Dinah Lance had vague visions of vines strewn across the jungle, thick weeds and thickets at every turn. The howls and whispers of dark things lurking in the shadows. The Amazon was almost a Labyrinthine, living thing of its own, designed by some force greater than any Man could imagine certainly. A force with one aim: to keep what it claimed within its confines. At its heart, Themyscira. The "capitol city", if it could be called that. The last bastion between the Order within and Chaos without. It was whence Dinah had left behind her home, and whence she was forbidden to return.

Or so it had been told.

Guards with pointed spears stood tall at the gate. Dinah knew that several other archers lurked nearby, weapons at the ready should she make a move. And there also was the Princess, clad in the vestments of battle.

A majestic, man-sized owl flitted in gracefully from above, carrying a glowing scroll, briefly catching the sun as it landed before the gate, taking human form. A voice magically spoke, as if from the scroll, not from the messenger itself, for it was not the Goddess, but Her emissary, as she read it aloud:

Athene: "Hail Diana, sister, princess of the Amazons. This is to be your initiation. Your commencement. For Our Father has chosen you to lead humanity against the forces of Chaos. But be warned that the path is not easy. The world of Man is treacherous. We will answer if you call, and render aid as We see fit. But this is to be your test, your mantle, and one that must be earned."

Gesturing to Dinah, the scroll disappeared, and the messenger spoke alone:

Emissary: "The Goddess has brought you this one who stands before you on your Rite of Initiation. She was the last to pass it, and so earn her freedom. Several of our sisters have not returned from their patrols. This troubles the Goddess, and it shall be your first task to find out the source of their absence. Return not until it is complete, and your next task assigned to you then. Survive your tasks, and the Gods will deem you fit to lead not just our People, but all of Humanity against the coming Darkness."

The emissary gestured again towards the jungle, it seeming to open up as if luring Diana into its clutches, the guards at the gate crossing their spears symbolically to close off entrance.
============================================
- Meanwhile -

A dusty old rock with raw etchings carved into it seemed to almost stare at Billy Batson, the latest discovery sent to him by his parents. Almost like a homework assignment, they had also sent several texts and other artifacts, to run the writings through multiple translations into modern English. And last, a handwritten note, though not in his parents' hand:

"Speak the word aloud."

Billy had finally deciphered the word: Shazam. When he spoke it, the world disappeared into a void, and Billy with it. When light returned, he was in a jungle of entirely foreign make, nothing of his old world remaining but the stone. Even he felt different. And he heard the song of birds nearby, birds he had never imagine before, almost sounding human.

Footsteps approached. Billy heard the mud nearby boil, gurgling as if the earth itself were ready to belch something out. Gaia, the Old One, protecting her own. What lie beneath?
===========================================
- Meanwhile -

Solomon Grundy's night was a restless one. Ever tossing and turning, he felt a strange heat, almost as if it were a fever, but within his heart, something burning within. A pair of voices whispered to him in unison. One he recognized as his mother. The other, new to him, but familiar all the same:

Athene/Mother: "Child of Creation, you whom We have breathed unto life, now is the hour of your awakening."

An image flashed into his view, one all too familiar. Darkness, with the occasional spark lighting the night. A young girl watching in awe as her uncle played by the fire, making various shadows for her:

Athene: "Father says we shan't play with the Fire. It is too wild and reeks of Chaos. This "burning" smell. The others are afraid, save Hephaestus. He always was on odd one."

Prometheus: "My brother cares for you, Athene. But look, fire can bring beauty and joy, not just harm and destruction. I have made a doll for you."

The mud boiled, gurgling as if the earth itself were ready to belch something out. A spew of fire and earth erupted, cooling rapidly until it hardened.

Prometheus: Shall you name it?

Athene watched in awe as the shape took form, not unlike her own:

Athene: But it does not do anything. It is a dumb thing, standing mute."

Athene trickled some of her magic into it, and it started to move and take on life:

Athene: "That's better. What should you name it, uncle? It is your creation as much as mine."

Prometheus: "Man. Name it Man."

The earth swallowed Solomon then, or perhaps it was the Dream. When he awoke, he found himself in a jungle, the magic of the earth all around him.

[WildKnight]

Hey guys, so sorry, I'm the hold up on this. mcr sent me a PM over the weekend but I rarely do anything on the computer that takes more than 5 minutes or so on weekends because I'm either with my family, or my family is using the PC so that I can't. I should have worked on this yesterday, but it completely slipped my mind. I'm going to put a CAD together right now