Vahnyu

As the students continued making their way towards the Field Museum, Serge noticed that Elias had gone awfully quiet during the last half hour or so. Feeling that he should do something to cheer him up, he approached him from the side, and in between snacking on some deliciously crunchy Maltesers, he said to him "Would that I could give a couple of hundred dollars for your thoughts, Eli! What's on your mind, man? Don't tell me travel by train makes you ill or something..." he jested, while flashing him an honest smile. "We'll soon be hitting the museums, at mister Landis' behest, but is there something you would like to see? Something that would really excite or entertain you?" Serge asked, as he tried to make small talk with his classmate. "Come on, brother, you can tell all to uncle Serge!"

Hronos wordlessly watched with mild amusement at John Smith's petty attempts to belittle him, to justify his actions, and to patronize Velocity in his own personal sanctimonious little way. Truth be told, he had no problems with tampering with time; certainly, the ability to do so was hardwired in the universe. But intimate knowledge of the mechanics involved with time travel still eluded even the most learned of people, and as with everything, caution should be taken when treading on uncharted waters. In fact, even Hronos himself, who was designed for the express purpose of guarding the integrity of time itself, had quite a few blindspots in his knowledge of the matter. The Essence of Time itself, though, acted as a potent guiding hand on such occasions, and Hronos had come to greatly rely upon it. Caution ranked low on John Smith's priorities. That much he had proven when his experiments brought about a dinosaur in the middle of Liberty Park, and a small 16th century spanish army on Wharton State Forest. With practically no safety measures to speak of, right in the middle of frequently populated areas. Still, when the man asked for the parts, it was time, the Mechanodynamis deemed, to interject. He placed his hand upon Velocity's shoulder, and told her "This problem is closer to you than it is to me, and while you may not be able to make a purely objective assessment, you still have a more complete understanding of the problem than I do. As such, the decision lies with you, Velocity, and know that I trust you completely on this matter."

"Have a good evening, John Smith. I trust you have been faring well enough." Hronos greeted him formally. "I understand that my frequent visits to you may not have been the most pleasant experience for you, but worry not; I am merely acting as a guide." Indicating at the Freedom Leaguer with him, the Mechanodynamis continued "This is Velocity, well known superhero and member of the Freedom League, though I imagine that you are already aware of that. Nevertheless, she would like to ask you some questions. Velocity, this is the man I spoke of, John Smith." Stepping back, Hronos decided to let Velocity take the lead for the rest of the conversation. The simple fact that she was human meant that she would be more well-versed in reasoning with the millenium-old gentleman.

GM Post On Carmen's words, Tom flew up instantly, as if he was suddenly awakened from his sleep, and slurred a "Whuzzat?!" Angelica remained more relaxed, and though still half-asleep, she mumbled "At ease, Tom. You'd just fallen asleep on the watch, 'sall..." "Oh?... ahh..." Tom slowly returned to his leaning spot, remembering to ask after a few seconds "And what about you?..." Angelica, with a long-drawn yawn, said "HUAAAAAAAaaahhhhhhhh... Me? I wuz jus' watching to make sure you didn't fall asleep on the job... which you did." Scratching the back of his head, Tom responded indifferently "Ah, ok, cool." They both fell asleep on the spot. The rest of the sailors didn't take long to get up. While they were still mildly tired, they weren't exhausted any more, and they could force a simple march up against the hill. They could even fend off any threat that would meet them on their way. "I can only begin to imagine what it must be like for you, miss Canto. Holding yourself responsible for the survival of two seperate groups of people... That way lie ulcers, you know, hehe." She jested, trying to lighten the mood. "But at any rate, you are correct. Barring Tom and Angelica over there, we are all at full capacity, and them, we can carry. Plus, even though the hail persists, it's pretty clear that the sun is up, and the place is bright, or at least, brighter than during the night. We'll have an easier time being alert." Soon everyone got out. Tazel, though still out of sight, dutifully ran to his master, as soon as she left the holy ground, and letting Carmen swallow him whole. Once inside he reported to her. And a good morning to you, Master! As you can see, no demonic activity is present at the time, present company excluded, of course. The coast is clear as the bottom of a lake. Nor did I detect any threats throughout the night, as you instructed me; a couple of screams and guns firing in the distance, but nowhere near close to the vincinity, rest assured. Hehehehe He told her with malevolent glee. The hail raged still, but it was very evident that it was morning. No sound of demons, guns, or fighting could be heard.

After a moments consideration, Hronos nodded his head in agreement. "I understand the situation. There is no doubt that your reasoning is sound. It is unfortunate that your teammates cannot assist you with this situation, but I certainly do not blame you for your chosen course of action." "As matters are at the moment, we have very few options available to us. As you have surmised yourself, John Smith is probably our most certain line of inquiry. Unfortunately, he has proven to be much less cooperative with me than what would be desirable. I suppose he holds a grudge against me for preventing him from reuniting with his long deceased wife. Perhaps you would be more successful in convincing him to cooperate, though." Hronos said, musing that perhaps the similarity of Velocity's predicament to John Smith's would be enough to appeal to John Smith's better nature... if the man does have one.

While resting, Carmen has healed of her bruises Pitch: 14 (7 HP)

GM Post The fire flickered through the night, as anxiety and alertness finally gave way to fatigue. Tazel frequently made rounds around the holy place, noting that the other demons made certain to keep their damn distance away from that toxic for them enviroment. Every so often, though, it could pick a scream coming from the distance, or a few shots getting fired. This sounded like the kind of thing his master would like to know, rest or no rest. Too bad that it wasn't part of his orders, the little troll laughed inwardly with glee, savoring the thought in the process. As for the people inside the church, what with the flames next to them, the hail outside, the furious wind, the fatigue, and the fact that they were inside a building, no one could hear a thing. And so, the day went. What was meant to be an exotic combination of vacation and an interview, had now twisted to become a perilous quest for survival and answers... Abandoned Monastery: Saint George the Dragonslayer Church 8:36 Of the ones who had fallen asleep, Carmen was the first one to gain consciousness. As she woozily tried to open her eyes, though, a bright light had engulfed her, and the only thing she could make, before hastily shutting them down, was what appeared to be a pair of wings. A second later or so, the feeling of the light, disappeared, and the only other persons who seemed to be active, were Tom and Angelica, both of whom were wearilly nodding their heads as they struggled to keep awake while keeping watch.

Hronos (10 Posts total) >Stopwatch 2: Prototype (7 Posts) >Stopwatch 3: Collapse (3 Posts) Net Fly (1 Post total) >Field Trip: Chicago (1 Post) GM (15 Posts total) >Devil in the Dark (15 Posts) All GM posts go to Hronos (25 Posts total)

Hronos didn't take more than an instant to fully process this information. He had met lord Robert the same time that he had also met Velocity, and he was aware that the man, through no fault of his, was a magnet for danger. Certainly, that, and the fact that Velocity was part of Freedom City's, if not Earth's, premier team of Superheroes, lent credence and weight on Velocity's words. "The premise that lord Harrow was kidnapped by the time agents, given the established events that I witnessed occuring, appears to be the most likely one to have occured. I am saddened to hear that, miss Velocity. Furthermore, and given the nature of this incident, I understand why it would be necessary that I lend you my assistance. However, I should note that, regardless of the course of action we choose, we will most likely end up dealing with the time agents on their own terms, in a location in which they have the advantage over us. We will require as much help as possible, if we hope to succeed."

GM Post The captain of the S.S.Gadelica listened to Carmen carefully, but she stayed silent, refraining from responding. Finally, when Carmen asked about food and the crew, the captain responded: "The rest of the crew are all fine. A few bruises, a mild concussion, but nothing that appears to be life-threatening, so far. As for food, we've got a couple of things we managed to snag from the ship's kitchen, but we've already eaten, so there's no need for us to-" "-Uuuh, right, Captain?" One of the nearby crewmembers interjected. "-... tsk, *sigh*... well, I suppose a brief snack won't hurt. At least, it would help calm the spirits somewhat, and make taking a nap a mite easier." The crew beamed at her, and they all took some of their packed provisions out. Canned meat, bread, water, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, as well as some sault and oil. Some made Sandwiches, others made salad, but they all shared the food. In order to stave off the cold, and dry up their clothes, they had to make a fire inside the building, breaking some chairs and using their wood as fuel. Thankfully enough, the church itself was made of marble, stone, and cement, rather than wood, so there was little to no danger of the fire going out of control and spreading thoughout the entire building. It was now nearing 3, and the groggy crew members were falling asleep one after the other, curling in their blankets and trying to generate as much heat as they could. Of them, only the captain, Angelica, and Tom were still awake at this point.

"That is understood, miss Velocity. I will be joining you on the designated location with all haste." Hronos replied, before hanging up. It would be a nigh-impossible task to live in Freedom City for more than a few days and not be aqcuaintanced with the Freedom Hall and its location, much less so if you've lived for almost a year, as Hronos has. After thanking Jerry, Hronos flew out of the Daily Word building, and in a few minutes, he had arrived at the fabled fulcrum of Freedom's finest. Once there, he followed the necessary procedures in order to validate his clearance, and meet up with Velocity. Truth be told, he got the impression that Velocity had exhibited a very urgent tone, on her request to meet with him. Seeing as this felt far too formal for a simple visit, he wondered whether something stopwatch-related had happened.

That's a reasonable assumption, Thevshi. I suppose Velocity kept at least one Stopwatch herself, too.

1. If one views a role playing game as mix of role-playing (story telling focus) and game (tactical challenge focus), what kind of mix do you like? 50-50 is a poor approximation, but it will have to do. Depending on how the mood strikes, a proverbial dungeon-crawl could be more desireable at one time, while a breather episode of social interraction and character development may be more desireable at another time. However, at no point should either of those parts be completely absent. As such, a maximum of 50% variance margin towards either side feels about right, to me(That is to say, 25-75 in favor of roleplaying, or 25-75 in favor of game). But whether it's role-playing centered or it's game centered, it should be engaging, first and foremost! 2. Our site operates a policy that no PC should die without player permission. Failure, however, is another matter. A villain could get away, an innocent (or beloved) could die, calamity could happen, your PC could get the snot beaten out of him and humiliated (publicly or privately). How do you feel about the prospect of failure? What chance of failure would you like, and what type of failure would you tolerate, expect, or indeed wish? As we are roleplaying superheroes, bad things are bound to happen. As a rule though, the PC must eventually overcome those setbacks one way or another, whether by sheer force, wits, planning, luck, or whathaveyou. It may not happen immediately, or even in the same thread, but a failure at success should always be a promise for a second chance at a later time. Given, the Player and the GM could very well endeavor to work things out in order to make the failure a permanent thing for the PC, a force that has far-reaching consequences(such as the death of a beloved), but that should be done with the explicit consent of the Player. Overall, a 5 to 20% chance throughout the PC's entire career should be a reasonable expectation. 3. Superheroes have great power, the power to impose their will upon the world. This can mean the chance to escape the moral complexities of the world, or it can mean even greater moral complexities. What do you want? Do you like your antagonists as well defined, clear-cut evil, or your antagonists (and protagonists) to be more ambiguous, greyscale and three dimensional? (we should note that this site does not condone vigilantes or the like) There's a place for the madly cackling villain, and there's a place for the cold, calculating visionary of noble intentions yet highly questionable practices. Villains should be able to work within the intended narrative of the story. As for the protagonists, it matters little how many dimensions a PC has, as long as she has her heart in the right place, and striving to be as true to the paragon-of-heroism model as she can. There's beauty in simplicity, and there's investment in complexity. 4. This site is unambiguously about superheroes. However, within those parameters, there is a fairly wide canvas. Three main categories that formed are the combat focus, The investigative focus, and the Social focus (which does not necessarily mean just chatting and making friends, but social conflict too). There are other themes and sub-themes, too many to mention here. Do you have any thoughts or preferences about themes? How much combat would you like in a thread, for instance? How would you feel if combat could be avoided by a subtle approach? Themes should match the archetype the PC fulfills(or approximates). A typical Powerhouse may find herself far more often playing detective than she can handle in a fun and believeable way for her abilities. A typical Costumed Adventurer may often find that she can't contribute meaningfully in cosmic adventures. A typical Gadgeteer may find that her technological skills are unsuited for consistently dealing with supernatural threats. Of course, PCs rarely are typical, and even then, they have plenty of room to grow and adapt, but they should still expect a reasonable percentage of challenge geared towards their particular set of skills. Unless of course a particular Superhero was explicitly conceived with having "fish out of water" as their character concept, of course. Threads don't HAVE to have combat, but they must certainly have to present opportunities for the PCs to expand on their Powersets as well as their character. Players should endeavor to resolve combat in a manner reflecting the PC in question. A hot-tempered Superhero may decide to subdue enemy combatants as soon as possible, without giving them room and chance to threaten non-hostiles, while a pacifist may try to reason with them, even to the point of avoiding bringing physical harm to her enemies. And of course, as the strategist will note, the most efficient victory you can gain is the one you get by winning the fight before it starts. 5. Finally, do you have any other comments on what your priorities or preferences are in playing a RPG, and more specifically, a superhero RPG? Growth. RPGs are all about growth. Character growth. Power growth. Social enviroment growth. Not forced growth, of course, but organic and natural. As for Superhero RPGs, in particular, they are also about arcs. Most usually, multiple Super-Villain arcs(that is to say, a superhero may be expected to encounter a couple of reccuring villains, one at a time each, or even many at once), but Character arcs are not unheard of, and can certainly be engaging on their own right(example, the Neo-genetic Nightmare arc, from Spider-Man:the Animated Series, which was more about Peter Parker dealing with his unstable at that time powers, while trying to deal with various other characters of the universe, each of whom had their own agenda).

GM Post While everyone had jumped at their guns, pointing them at Tazel, the Captain of the ship held her hand high, in a sign telling them to hold. Giving a hard appraising look at Carmen, she told her crew "At ease, everyone. We have to get our wounded inside." "Uhhh, Boss?" Tom went, uneasily. "We are NOT having this conversation, is that clear? Get the others inside, NOW!" The Captain responded, pulling all the rank she could muster in an as much authorative tone as possible. "Yeah... Yes, Captain." Tom agreed and the crew was soon inside the church. The Captain, for her part, turned her attention fully to Carmen. "Look, I get it. Lots of things I don't know about you Superhero folks in general, and even more about you in particular. You've already saved our hide, and you've been keeping an eye out for all of us. I GET IT. So please understand that the crew members, me included, are a bit jumpy with all that's happened these last hours. What I'm trying to say is..." Giving a pause to sigh and throw the tension out of her body, she continued "We trust you... But don't betray our trust in you." With that, she turned and went inside the building. Tazel observed all of this, with great glee. However, his orders were clear, and he could not even make an attempt for a laugh. Carmen would pay for that lost opportunity... eventually...

GM Post Tazel had a few choice words to say about them going to the monastery, but despite that, it obliged Carmen without a second thought(not that it could, mind). The sailors, for their part, followed along, making sure their pace matched hers. Quite a few demonic creatures still stalked the group, but they were keeping a distance far longer than they had when Carmen was heading to the Pier. In fact, they appeared to be making sure to avoid the crew, as if a force was keeping them at bay, if not outright repelling them. Abandoned Monastery: Saint George the Dragonslayer Church 02:08 On the inside of the gate, and outside the holy building, a statue of a man riding a horse and attacking a dragon with his spear was the first thing that greeted the S.S.Gadelica crew and Carmen. Carmen, for herself, felt sick to her stomach, while standing just a meter outside the monastery's gate. Tazel, for his part, felt even worse.

Hronos had managed to subdue a gang of criminals before they managed to escape with their loot. Certainly, it wasn't much of a challenged, but it still provided with a good test run for the repairs he had conducted on his left arm and right leg. Half a month ago, he had encountered a giant monster with a powerful bite, not unlike that of a tyranosaurus, and he proceded to fight it. Hronos had emerged victorious, but not before losing half of his limbs to the creature. Normally, in order to deal with such a serious wound, he would have resorted to making a local temporal rewind, that would restore his body into a previous state. Unfortunately for Hronos, however, the Essence of Time had actually diminished from its normal operational parameters. It appeared as the source had been drained to a great decree, living him only limited capabilities. He had suspected that perhaps the Stopwatch he held was responsible for this, acting as a sponge and feeding off of his temporal energies. Or perhaps, the Essence itself was willingly withholding power; it DID exhibit a level of sentience, way back when Hronos was still acting as a fully active Wielder of Time. At any rate, having to perform the repairs manually was no fun endeavor, but Hronos managed to scrounge up the necessary parts for his repairs. Now, after that test run, he headed back to the Daily Word. It was interesting, as Hronos had realised, but the Paper was a valuable information hub, and he had found that most of the staff was all too eager to share it with him, and even act as a cultural translator of shorts. As soon as he entered the building, Jerry, the Receptionist at the loby entrance who was currently on shift, greeted Hronos immediately, and informed him of the call Velocity had made. Calling her back, Hronos informed her of his current whereabouts, at the building of the Daily Word, and indicating that if she desired, they could alternatively meet in Liberty Park.

GM Post ... No response could be heard, nor could Carmen make any signs of the boy's pressence. The way ahead appeared completely devoid of life, at least, from what she could tell on a quick looksie, but there indeed was a faint hint of... of... something?! The crew, for their own part, eyed Carmen worryingly. "Uhhh, Guys? Who is she talking to?" One of the awake sailors said, indicating at the rock journalist. The sailor who had managed to avoid the Spidermouth's legs replied "Dunno... I think she's talking to herself? Now that I think about it, she's been doing it ever since that demonic creature bought it." He added with concern in his tone. "Perhaps she saw something we didn't, or couldn't?" Angelica chimed in helpfully. "Well... that... that's not too far off, come to think of it..." The Captain said, thoughtfully, and then re-addressed the crew as a whole "Nevertheless, our benefactor, miss Canto, has a point. The church is not a lot of distance away from here, and we could definitely catch our breaths there, at least, until we can move out at full capacity again. Gather the injured, everyone! We move out as soon as possible." She ordered, in an authorative tone. The rest of the crew, for their part, were eager to follow her instructions and promptly get to a safehouse. Angelica then approached Carmen. "We're ready to go, miss Canto." She informed her.

GM Post The boy smiled at Carmen, and he said "Don't worry. Everyone here is alright and safe." He then looked at the mansion with a faraway look, and Carmen could have sworn that the boy looked sad, as he spoke "Please... you HAVE to help my brother... he has been ridden with sadness for many years, and that sadness has blinded him. Please... for everyone's shake..." He then disappeared behind the tree, next to which he was standing a few moments ago. Angelica, who was already awake, remarked at the captain. "Well, Captain, 3 people are still unconscious. We'll have to carry them ourselves." "Damn!... We'll be like sitting ducks if we stay here, and if we push forward, we'll be nigh-defenseless..." Hobson looked at Carmen, who had been looking towards the boy "What's the matter, miss Canto? Why the long look?" "Would you be a bit more grateful to the woman who saved your sorry ass, Tom?" Another member of the crew said. "Hey, I'm asking out of concern here!"

GM Post The sailor looked uncertainly around him, and after a while, he finally lowered his hands from his ears. As if to confirm the situation, he said "Is that it? Is it over?" He didn't get any immediate responses, leading his heart to skip a few more beats, but his voice finally registered, signaling to him that the silence effect that had been suppressing all kinds of communication in the area had been lifted. As if on cue, the hail's bombastic sounds returned in full force, and the sailor found himself feeling relief at that, much to his surprise. "AHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! AHHH thank the heavens!" he shouted triumphantly. "-and then I'm gonna feed that creepy ball to its own mouths, teach it to scare the Belzebul out of m-...." Tazel went, before catching himself after realising that his thoughts could now be heard by Pitch normally. The downed sailors breathed heavily, but one by one, they started comming back to their senses. A few of them were still out cold, but that was more out of the shock than any serious or lifethreatening wound. Meanwhile, Carmen noticed something with the corner of her eye. Looking towards the direction that the light that incapacitated the feet had immerged, she noticed a young boy, no older than 10 or 14 years old, smilling at the group. Few details could be made out, but his clothing looked proper, if a bit old fashioned.

Notice Check vs DC12

GM Post In its haste to beat the sailors and Carmen down to a bloody pulp, the Spidermouth overexerted itself, and by the time it had stopped to take a breath, it was already too late for it to realise that, thanks to Pitch, it had no breath to take any more. Convulsing violently, it finally collapsed on the ground, leaving only one final terrible shriek. "KlrgwII!! AHRraaark!! llrredhjjJk-koff" However, while the Spidermouth's body had stopped squirming, its feet looked all too alive. Coiling like snakes, the detached themselves from their jailer, and started moving around blindly, in vain search to find something to devour with their greedy mouths. A few of the downed sailors were close to a lot of those feet, and it looked doubtful that Carmen would be able to protect them in time. FFFFFLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!/// A blindingly bright flash comming from way behind the remaining trees suddenly flared up. As soon as it stopped and Carmen regained her vision, she saw that the legs had been rendered paralyzed or knocked out, and unable to so much as move.

Con Save +2 vs Suffocation 1d20+3 → [5,3] = (8) And it fails. The Spidermouth is rendered unconscious, finally.

Tagged!

GM Post The Spidermouth wouldn't succumb to Carmen's imposing pressence, but it was struggling to stay on its feet, and it took all its willpower to remain conscious. The sailors were fast to capitulate on that fact, and as one more managed to regain control of her body, they all opened fire. This time, the infernal creature was able to control its body and handilly managed to dodge most bullets come his way, but Angelica managed to put a bullet to the creature at the base of one of its feet. "KwEEEHAAaaarrrghhjjJk" It screamed incomprehensebly due to the pain. "Khhhgkkkggghhhfoood... gghgfjffjjfooodshooould...." However, it started untangling its 50 feet, and in a furious assault, the demonic Spidermouth spinned in a whirling pattern, causing its legs to flail wildly and indiscriminately at all angles and in enormous speeds, hitting everything and everyone on its path, and causing a big part of the trees surrounding the clearing to become shredded into pieces, while roaring "FOOD SHOULD STAY DOOWWWWN!!!". Only one of the S.S.Gadelica crew managed to withstand the attack, and he was still clutching his ears.

Initiative Order Spidermouth Demon: 30 (NPC, Bruised x2, Suffocating) Pitch: 14 (7 HP) Sailors: 8 (NPCs, 5 Paralyzed, 2 Slowed) x10 Spidermouth will use Mouth Appendages: Area Cover Radius 250ft Reflex Save vs DC20 Area Effect (For Half Effect) Toughness Save vs DC25 Damage Sailors' Reflex Saves: 1d20+5 → [19,5] = (24) 1d20+5 → [6,5] = (11) 1d20+5 → [18,5] = (23) 1d20+5 → [1,5] = (6) 1d20+5 → [13,5] = (18) 1d20+5 → [11,5] = (16) 1d20+5 → [5,5] = (10) 1d20+5 → [6,5] = (11) 1d20+5 → [15,5] = (20) 1d20+5 → [16,5] = (21)