Electra

Wander relaxed a little at his noncombative posture, and turned to deal with the matter at hand. "The park is full of people at this hour, we need to stop them before they get there and cause a panic. I need to get close up to have a chance of dealing with them." She looked at him and tried to remember what she knew of his fighting style besides "uses a sword." "Can you fight them from here, or do you want me to throw you at them when they get close enough?"

Wander gaped for a moment as she studied the bees, bees the size of tanker trucks, bees whose stings could impale a regular human. This was not good. She leapt to the nearest roof to study the approaching menace, pulling out and opening her bat as she went. She was trying to decide the best way to tackle giant bees when a soft paft noise on the roof behind her alerted her to the fact that she was not alone. She turned to see Jack of All Blades just landing from his grapple line, and resisted the urge to wince. She generally appreciated any backup in a fight, but the last thing she needed was a dismissive adult with a bad attitude. Fulcrum said he wasn't all bad, but she wasn't really interested in listening to a standup routine right now. She watched him, wondering what he was going to do.

It was not a good day to be out patrolling, Erin decided as she leapt off a building and into the outskirts of Liberty Park. It was August-hot and humid despite the pretty sky, and her ears were still buzzing annoyingly after the recent auditory assault on them. Still, it was good experience, and it was better than spending one more minute with her calculus book. Since it was daytime and there were people around, she kept to the treetops, bouncing across the tops of the trees as she kept an eye out for muggers and purse-snatchers. As she traveled the park, she noticed that the buzzing in her ears actually seemed to be getting louder. It wasn't just in her ears after all. That was weird. Checking her bat, she headed in the direction the noise seemed to be coming from.

Erin sucked in a startled breath of air and took a step back, incidentally tugging the sunglasses all the way off and baring Trevor's face. "Oh my God," she murmured. "Your eyes... Trevor, have you seen your eyes? There's something really wrong with them." They don't look rotten, she told herself firmly, they don't. Even if they were blackened and looked almost bloody, it wasn't the same. It was still profoundly disturbing though.

Erin gave Mark a look that said she wasn't entirely sure of his culinary prowess, but most of her attention stayed on Trevor. "You can go to the infirmary and they'll give you something for it," she suggested, then leaned in, looking almost as though she were going to kiss him. Instead, she studied his eyes through the dark sunglasses. "Did you do something to your eyes?" she asked. Normally she wouldn't have done it, but concern overrode politeness and she reached up to carefully tug down his sunglasses.

Erin clapped her hands over her ears as the room filled with thick, greasy smoke and a searingly high-pitched note tore its way into her ears at the same time. Suddenly she couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything. The Grue were there in the dark, and she had no way of knowing where or when they were coming, no way to get away... Her breathing escalated into short sobs of panic that she could not hear as she clutched her bat like a talisman and turned uselessly in place, trying to see into the blackness. "Trevor!" she thought she called, but she couldn't be sure that the words weren't inside her mind only. "James? Mark? Trevor?" Suddenly the Grue was there, right on top of her, reaching for her throat! She screamed, in terror or defiance, and brought her bat to bear against it, using its weight and momentum against it to slam it to the floor. Or she thought she did, she couldn't hear the impact, and when she leapt after it, it was gone! She turned in place, waving her bat like a blind woman to try and find it before the next attack. Her bat hit something, and she lunged at it, but stumbled over something unseen and unheard and tumbled to the ground. Dropping the bat, she put her hands over her head in a vain attempt to fend off whatever was coming next.

First the Fort Save re Dazzle: 1d20+10=14 Not so good. Erin is still deaf. Next is the big one, the Will Save re Mind Control: 1d20+7=12 Ouch. Erin is still mind controlled as well. For her move action, Erin is going to extend her bat and begin waving it around. She knows that the Grue who was emulating James is somewhere nearby still, so she'll spin and wave till she hits something with it, then immediately smash it as hard as she can. Her Skill Mastered notice is 27. When she finds something, presumably James, she will attack it with a full action all out power attack. 1d20+14=15. Well then. That misses handily, and leaves Erin blind, deaf, and basically without any viable Defense for the remainder of the round. Stop her before she stops you. :D

Erin gets a 50, and her modifier is better. James is the grappled one now!

Okay I'm Here, Now What? A Guide to Building and Starting a New FC:PBP Player Character Welcome to Freedom City Play by Post! Or if you’re not new and are making a new character anyway, welcome back! Building a character for our site can be fun, but it can also be a little frustrating, trying to figure out all the rules and templates you should be using. Then when you’ve gotten your character finished, what do you do with it? This is a quick reference guide for how to get your new character up and running. If you have any questions, please drop into chat and ask. Drop into chat anyway, it’s fun! Getting Ideas Maybe you have the perfect idea all fleshed out and ready to build, and that's great. If you don't, there are resources to help you get some ideas. A great place to look is in the Heroes Bank, which is where you will find sheets for all the currently active heroes in the game. You can have a look and see what other people are playing, and also figure out what the finished sheets ought to look like. Don't be discouraged if someone else has an idea similar to yours in play. People come and go frequently from the game, and what is a popular archetype today may be totally empty three months from now. If you are a little uncomfortable with the rules system, you may want to start with an Archetype Character Sheet. These sheets are pregenerated version of popular hero types, which you can customize to suit your character. That's often easier than trying to stat a new character out from scratch. If you are not sure what you want your character to look like, or how your characters stats square up with the look you want, consult the Photographic Height/Weight Chart, where you can see people who have the build you're thinking about. Building a Character Character Template: This is the starting point for every new character. All characters must be built to conform to this template before they are posted for approval in the Character Bank. Your character must also be totally complete in both the statistical portions of the sheet (the crunch) and the description and history portions (the fluff.) If you want to get approval for something or have a partial sheet you need help with, you can post in Character Building. Getting Started With Your Character So you've gotten your character written up, statted out, and approved. Great! Now what do you do with it? The best place to go to find threads to put your character in is the Campaign Discussion forum. People who are interested in running threads post to look for players, and people who are interested in playing post to look for threads. If you do this and go into chat at least a few times to meet people, your chances of finding a thread quickly are very good. It still may take a few days, though. In the meantime, there are plenty of things to do for your new character. There are a few activities you can do for your character right off the bat that will earn PP and don't require you to wait around for other people. These are the HellQ, the Twenty Questions interview, the Character Reputation table, and the Wiki page. The biggest, meanest, and baddest of these is called The HellQ. This is a very long questionnaire that will make you think of all sorts of things you probably never considered about your character. You may think it is entirely ridiculous, but in fact, this is a version that was shortened and tailored for the site a few months ago, so you can take comfort in the fact that it actually used to be even worse. You may answer in first person or third person as you see fit, but all questions must be answered, even if it's with an "I don't know," or "That question doesn't really apply." The HellQ, because it is so large, is worth 2pp. You can post it in your character's thread in the News Forum. A shorter, more storylike version of this is the Twenty Questions interview. You set up an interview between your character and an interviewer in some plausible circumstance, such as an interview for a job, a debriefing, a newspaper or television interview, etc. The interviewer can be an NPC you write as well, or if another PC is willing to conduct the interview, that's fine too. The interviewer will ask twenty questions of your character, preferably questions that aren't directly addressed by the HellQ, and the character answers them. Some sample questions can be found in this thread to get you started. The Twenty Questions Interview is worth 1pp. If it is between two characters, it can be posted as a thread in the appropriate location forum, otherwise it can also go in the News Forum. Every character in the game has a Reputation, which is to say, there are things that can be found out about that character with use of the appropriate information gathering skills. You can make a chart of what various DC checks of various skills will net a character who is looking for information on your character. If several different skills could find out different things about your character, you can make charts for all of them. This makes things much easier for other characters and GMs, and will also net you 1pp. The Reputation Thread is where your charts should be posted, and is also the place to go to see other characters' reputations and get an idea of how to do it and what information should be added. Finally, if you have a firm enough handle on your character and enough free time on your hands, you can build a character page on the FCPBP Wiki. This can include things like character artwork, pictures of people who look like your character, an expanded backstory, creation notes, and details of your character's ongoing adventures. It should not be a copied-and-pasted version of your character sheet, it must be substantially more than that to earn you 1pp. Look around the wiki at other completed character pages for ideas on what they should look like. There are a few other fun things you can do with your character as well. We have a locally-hosted copy of Hero Factory, which you can use to make a character picture if you are not artistically inclined. It is unfortunately all in Portuguese and there is no English version, so you may have to use some trial and error. Be aware that there is no way to save your portrait within the program! Fechar does not mean save! You must take a screen cap to save your work. Alternatively, we have several artists who have been willing to share their talents. You can post in Alderwitch's thread or Carbon_Copy's thread to request character artwork. The muse is a tricky thing though, so it may take a long time. If you are an artist and would be willing to draw for the site, you can earn site-service pp for that, as well. It shouldn't take too long to get the hang of how things work around here, everything's pretty standardized and most everyone you talk to will be willing to give newbies a hand. Don't forget to join the FCPBP Yahoo Group, so you will be notified of site downtime or any big changes. Be friendly, use the best grammar and spelling you can, and tell good stories, and you'll hopefully find this a fun place to hang out and play. Good luck! Useful Links: Ecalsneerg's Archetype Character Sheets Photographic Height/Weight Chart Character Template The HellQ. Sample 20 Questions Reputation Thread Hero Factory Alderwitch's Art Request Thread Carbon_Copy's Art Request Thread FCPBP Yahoo Group

Also, since I don't think these ever got posted anywhere else, here are some sample questions for the Twenty Questions Interview. Players can choose any questions they like, but it can be hard to get started. These twenty questions were adapted for the Freedom City setting from the 7th Sea character creation process. 1. Where is your hero from? 2. How would your hero physically describe him/herself? Is this different from how others would? 3. Does your hero have distinguishing speech characteristics or recurring mannerisms? 4. What is your hero's motivation? 5. What are your hero's greatest strengths and weaknesses? 6. What does your hero love? What does your hero hate? 7. How would you describe your character's mental and emotional state? 8. What does your hero fear the most? 9. What is your character's greatest ambition? 10. How does your hero feel about the state of the world and his/her place in it? 11. Does your hero have any prejudices? How does he/she get along with others? 12. Where do your heroes loyalties lie? In what order? 13. Does your hero have a lover or partner? How do they feel about the hero now? 14. Does your hero have a family? What is the relationship there like? 15. How would the people closest to your hero describe him or her? 16. Is your hero a role model? 17. How spiritual is your hero? Does your hero follow a relgious tradition? 18. Is your hero part of a team, or would he/she like to be? Why? 19. How does your hero feel about the place of metahumans and aliens on Earth? 20. If you could give one piece of advice to your hero, what would it be?

"Mark, can't you just, you know, make all the taffy you can carry?" Erin asked, setting aside her book and rolling gracefully to her feet. "Then you could be sure you wouldn't get any of the gross flavors, either." She nodded a greeting to Eve, then walked over to Trevor. "You're looking pretty rough," she told him, sympathetic despite the bluntness. "Maybe you could use a nap more than more coffee right now. Are you feeling okay otherwise?"

"I'll carry the taffy for you," Erin offered laconically. "But you might want to wait till tomorrow, we really do need the rain." She had a sneaking suspicion that if Mark decided to spend the day outdoors, it would not rain despite the heaviness of the air and the weatherman's predictions. "And it's pretty overcast out right now, but a little sunny, I guess." She sat up and got a better look at Trevor, concern crossing her face. "What time did you get in?" she asked.

Erin was in the common room already, and from the look of it hadn't gone to bed the previous evening. She was laying on the couch with a stack of textbooks next to her, but she was reading a paperback mystery novel instead of looking at any of them. As noise and voices approached, she looked over long enough to ascertain that she knew them. "Morning," she said with a wave. "We're gonna get rain today. Better walk with Mark if you don't want to get wet."

Erin listened quietly as James laid out what he wanted to do and why, and then while the others made their decisions. He made a good case for it, explaining all their strengths and how they would work together, what his plans were, how urgent the need was. Still, at the end of it, part of her wanted to grab her teleporter beacon and go home as fast as the speed of light would take her. James had been to bad dimensions, he knew the nasty things that were out there, but he hadn't lived there, gotten down in the blood and the muck and the dirt of a world where everything had hit rock bottom. Maybe if he had, he would understand a little more why it seemed so unsafe to leave the lights of Prime for other worlds, even if it was supposed to only be on a visit. He'd promised to always bring her home, but anything could happen when you did hero work, and there were no real guarantees in life. She ran a hand uncomfortably through her hair, aware that she was the only one who hadn't given an answer, and that the silence was stretching. Even though she wasn't sure she wanted to, maybe she had to. She had been rescued by heroes reaching across the dimensional divide and helping her when there was only risk and no benefit in it for them. That was surely a debt that needed repayment, and maybe this was the way. "I want to do it," she finally said aloud, awkwardly, "but if I need to opt out of some missions, you have to let me." She knew James would understand what she meant.

We're not in rounds anymore, according to AA.

Wander: Spending 3 pp on another rank of Device for the bat Put the points to: Extended Reach 2 (10ft) Improved Critical 2 Add 1 rank Autofire Done by AA

"Look, you said you'd wear it if I gave it to you," Erin said irritably. "If you don't want it, I'll go... I dunno, put it in an incinerator or something. I was trying to do something nice for you, which is a lot more than you deserve. Some people don't want to be reminded of things, and you don't have any right to go around digging those things out and tossing them in peoples' faces." She held out a hand. "Just give it back and I'll leave."

Erin's eyes were much wider than usual as she stared at her teammates, with whites showing all around and the pupils dilated. She activated her communicator with a brush of her hand even as she opened her bat. "It's the Grue!" she shouted to her trapped teammates. "They're here!" One of the Grue started shouting at her, still using Mark's voice, which was just absolutely infuriating. She went for him first, turning a dizzying series of flips to confuse and distract him, then suddenly slamming her bat as hard as she could into that red alien hide, first one end, then the other, then grabbing it in both hands and ramming the center into his midsection. It wasn't as difficult as she'd expected, honestly. The Grue went flying backwards into the impervium wall with a deafening thud, slid down it, and lay still. Spinning, she hefted her bat to deal with the other two.

Okay, Edge's talking to her got Wander's attention, though not in the way he might have liked. She's attacking him first. Acrobatic bluff for the move action, to catch him flat footed. He can't beat the DC 28 check. Bat power attack on Edge: 1d20+9=25 Since she's using the bat, she has autofire, which adds +3 to the DC for a total of 37. Since he's unconscious after the knockback, she will not surge to hit him again.

And the rest: LoneStar: Kid Cthulhu Fresh Plots Hanging With the Thing that Should Not Be Fast Food Calamari Mad Dog Pound Poppies And Ozoe: Powerhouse Recruiting

Posting for Alder: Psyche A New Year Shall We Dance Meet the Roommate At the Mountains MAWS Save Tonight I See What You Did There A Different Kind of Hero High Noon Cold Case Old Friends, New Friends Ink Blots Of Martyrs and Men Phantom Training Wheels The World of Darkness A Clandestine Encounter 1.21 Gigawatts Expanding the Mission T'aint Funny, McGee Reckoning A Case of Mistaken Identity One Year Later Bananaphone Three Generations Anklebiters A Meeting at the Park Bombshell Concert Auditions, Second Floor 2B Troubleshooter All Things End The Legacy of Al-Kazar: Happy Grimday The Shadow Falls All The News That's Fit The Long Arm of the Law What Was Old is New Again Out of the Past One Last Wager GM The Shadow Falls

Erin goes on 17. That's about as low as it gets for her, so be grateful and act quickly. :D

As soon as Trevor threw his smoke pellets, Erin took a second to memorize the location of the invaders, then leapt across the open space between platforms and came down swinging in the darkness. It was a shock when he bat encountered only air! Every muscle tense, she made herself hold entirely still for several seconds, listening for the slightest breath of motion that might alert her to the presence of her enemies. But as the smoke began to clear, it was apparent that she was alone. The invaders must have used their teleportation technology to vacate the area. Immediately, she began swinging through the trees, looking for Trevor and for any more of the bad guys.

Erin took the napkins somewhat awkwardly and tried to eat the ice cream cone quickly without making any more of a mess. She was almost used to the spaceship by now, as much as she thought she'd ever be used to it, and was more curious than ever about the purpose of the meeting. "I think we're all fine for refreshments," she told Persephone, then turned her attention to James. "So what is it you want to talk to us about, anyway?"

"Fully functioning!" Persephone assured Eve with a smile, appearing on a full-length wall screen next to the group. The AI's projection was that of a willowy blond girl with sparkling blue eyes and a generous figure, clad in the distaff version of the uniform Hell-Ion had worn in the parallel universe. "I'm programmed to run the ship and see to James' needs, of course, but aside from that, I'm my own woman!" Suddenly, she stepped out of the wall-screen and into the real world, holographic projectors in the walls flashing momentarily as they picked up and projected her image. "It's so nice to see you all again! I'm so excited about all this! Would any of you like some refreshments? I've got tea, soda, lemonade, cookies..." She noticed Erin's drippy ice cream, and with a very slight supercilious look, added "napkins?" A little black servo robot that was basically a squat column on treads with four arms rolled up and presented Erin with a pile of napkins. "The ship is fully stocked to meet any of your needs!"