Teen Champions, another campaign. any interest?

[ahduval]

Welcome to the Madison Academy.
As a 'special' student, you have been recruited, voluntarily or not, to the 'independent studies program'.

Looking to run a teen champions campaign, but first wanted to find out if there was any interest here.

Planning to run on discord, if anybody is interested discord tips would also be welcome as i have never used discord in this way.

 

if players have advice on other platforms, they will be considered.

 

also looking for one player to assist in keeping the flow going.

 

more details can be provided if asked.

 

[Barton]

Maybe interested, the problem is when you run the game. My schedule is somewhat full.

I could assist if you.

 

Suggest roll20.net for the battle map.

[ahduval]

Thank you for your interest. i understand how scheduling is always a problem, currently planning the majority of the game to take place over text to avoid time zone , work schedule and other conflicts. 🙂

Edited November 28 by ahduval

[ahduval]

some points about the campaign - just off the top of the head.

 

Students are a part of a secret super program at a private school. the majority of the school does not know the students are special.

 

The school is on Anticosta Island (a real island in the eastern St. Lawrence Seaway). Liberty City is home to a university w/ rumors of strange science happening, a college w/possible mysterious or arcane books in the library, a military base that has many rumors. also in this game world , the city is home to the United Nations.

 

Tech is current earth standard, therefore the archetype of powered armor is not available.

 

also should not ask to run silver age/modern Superman, Green Lantern types, or Phoenix types. in other words i am asking for characters that cannot do everything .

 

active powers 60 points. 

More information to come...

[Sketchpad]

Nice. Are you local to the St. Lawrence area? 

[Hermit]

I'm curious to know more.

[ahduval]

am i in the St. Lawrence area? no i am near the center of the world, which is in Ohio.

 

I picked Anticosta because i love DC Comic's fictitious cities (especially Opal City, but Gotham has its own personality), but i don't like how they affect the real world cities. the island in the real world only has about 200 people, so i figured i can place the campaign there and generally not impact other cities.

Also if anyone has any questions, please ask. more questions make a better game.

[ahduval]

a digression, proof the center of the world is in Ohio, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_the_World,_Ohio

 

one of the new students at the academy:

Elizabeth Cordelia Wooding

Gender: female

Age: 14

Group: Students

Nationality British

Skills, Perks, Talents

Very Skilled at Violin and music, knowledge of history 14<=
languages English,French, Irish, Welsh
British Passport
Perfect Pitch

Powers­

Red Lightning energy blasts from her hands, the electricity arcing around her hands before releasing the blast. Elizabeth is surrounded by a red glow (force-field), and has the ability to teleport, stepping into a red disk and appearing elsewhere.
*additional powers are not known by her. Source of power is unknown to Elizabeth

Physical Appearance

Short (4'10”) and very slight. Pink eyes are seen thru round glasses. White straight long hair with bangs,the hair reaching to mid thigh. Large pointed ears can be seen thru her hair.

Her appearance is neat and clean, but typically wearing older clothes.

Personality and interests

Elizabeth has little experience interacting with people, especially kids her own age. Shy and nervous in many social situations.

History

Elizabeth was born in Imber,England 14 years ago.At 4 years she was placed under guardianship of her uncle. Years later she was told that she was with her uncle because her parents died in a car crash. She spent the next years traveling with her uncle around the world.
Recently her uncle sent her to Liberty City and enrollment in the James Madison Academy.

[Hermit]

11 hours ago, ahduval said:

am i in the St. Lawrence area? no i am near the center of the world, which is in Ohio.

 

I picked Anticosta because i love DC Comic's fictitious cities (especially Opal City, but Gotham has its own personality), but i don't like how they affect the real world cities. the island in the real world only has about 200 people, so i figured i can place the campaign there and generally not impact other cities.

Also if anyone has any questions, please ask. more questions make a better game.

 

A few questions then..

1)I'm assuming 6th Edition? How many points etc? I noticed the 60 AP limit for powers themselves, which is quite generous for a teen campaign.

2) Are you going more for light hearted, grim dark, or somewhere in between? Is this say Bronze age comics wise? How heroic is the vibe?

3) Are aliens from other worlds around even if mankind as a whole doesn't know about them?

4) How common are superhumans in this world? Are superhero teams plentiful etc?

 

[ahduval]

answers: 

1. yes 6th edition. base 300+ complications ( starting with Soc Lims of Minor, Secret ID, and some sort of code vs or reluctance to killing), books and you have convinced me to change to 50 AP. no power frameworks. please don't create a character that is completely crippled mentally or physically.

fudging is allowed. mystery disadvantages if more points are needed are allowed as long as we're talking only a few points.

2. somewhere in between, but from my favorite New Mutants (is bronze the 80s-90s, than yes bronze), had demons, the whole team being killed by the Beyonder, and a second rate villain killing off Cypher. i don't plan on doing most of these. Bronze age, yes heroic. I am not planning on tricking anyone, for example, the characters will inherently know how not to kill their opponents.

3. no aliens. i figure with mutants, science accidents, mystical, or magical, and highly trained people (or combinations of previous sources) and any source that i've forgotten,  i don't need to deal w/aliens.

3a. distinctive features in non superhero identity is fine, but nothing too extreme , a npc should say that person is strange looking, not that person is a 10' tall humanoid w/o a head. (to give one example)

 

4. how common are superhumans? common enough that a school was built to help train them. there are other teams, but not hugely plentiful.

especially if one wants to create a legacy character, but somehow the pc team will be the only available for the current situations.

5. While i might borrow from the Hero universe, and other publications, this is not the Champions universe. if you're character is hunted by Viper (for example), you will find its not the same org as the official.

7. hope the above made sense.

Edited December 1 by ahduval

[Hermit]

24 minutes ago, ahduval said:

answers: 

1. yes 6th edition. base 300+ complications ( starting with Soc Lims of Minor, Secret ID, and some sort of code vs or reluctance to killing), books and you have convinced me to change to 50 AP. no power frameworks. please don't create a character that is completely crippled mentally or physically.

fudging is allowed. mystery disadvantages if more points are needed are allowed as long as we're talking only a few points.

 

HA, that'll teach me to open my mouth.

 

 

Quote

 

2. somewhere in between, but from my favorite New Mutants (is bronze the 80s-90s, than yes bronze), had demons, the whole team being killed by the Beyonder, and a second rate villain killing off Cypher. i don't plan on doing most of these. Bronze age, yes heroic. I am not planning on tricking anyone, for example, the characters will inherently know how not to kill their opponents.

3. no aliens. i figure with mutants, science accidents, mystical, or magical, and highly trained people (or combinations of previous sources) and any source that i've forgotten,  i don't need to deal w/aliens.

3a. distinctive features in non superhero identity is fine, but nothing too extreme , a npc should say that person is strange looking, not that person is a 10' tall humanoid w/o a head. (to give one example)

 

4. how common are superhumans? common enough that a school was built to help train them. there are other teams, but not hugely plentiful.

especially if one wants to create a legacy character, but somehow the pc team will be the only available for the current situations.

5. While i might borrow from the Hero universe, and other publications, this is not the Champions universe. if you're character is hunted by Viper (for example), you will find its not the same org as the official.

7. hope the above made sense.

 

 

Makes perfect sense and thank you for the answers, they're most helpful.

 

I do have another question. You plan to have this on Discord, which I have been on before though I'm no expert. Are you requiring working Mic and voice? Mine set up doesn't have that working and I'm a bit shy anyway. If you prefer it I totally understand but I thought I'd ask.

[ahduval]

i am planning it to be mostly text. i don't do voices/accents (besides my own). i think text is better for suspension of disbelief that the various npcs of various ages will be more convincing in text.
Also my 9-5 job is being available to speak to people, and i like to separate my fun and work.

for those who want, i will eventually be available for short voice sessions, but not always.

 

along that line. i will be avoiding the phenomenon that i encountered once on Herocentral (long ago), i think i spent over a 2 weeks in combat where i traded blows w/one opponent.

 

therefore, unless otherwise convinced, most battles i will tell you  how many hits an opponent can take before they drop. i feel this allows for narrative flexibility and more dramatics.

 

2) body and endurance are more like cosmetic things, i won't necessarily keep track of, but if it fits a character you can use it in the descriptions (for example character w/a mega blast but a side affect that damages them as well, they could describe the affect on their pc)

 

similarly all the heroes have the same speed as i am not dealing with the speed chart while doing combat thru text. speedsters will have  to find other ways of showing their quickness.

[Hermit]

Okay... well, I suppose I better work on at least a concept for your consideration.

 

That is to say I'm VERY interested and thank you

[Barton]

Please reconsider this:

 

2) body and endurance are more like cosmetic things, i won't necessarily keep track of, but if it fits a character you can use it in the descriptions (for example character w/a mega blast but a side affect that damages them as well, they could describe the affect on their pc)

 

Many great PC and NPC have power(s) that use END like popcorn. This means managing your powers [especially defense vs. offense] is crucial. Teen champions characters could have powers that are taxing to use, but after practice less so [END x4 cost and the like]. IMHO this leads to better characters as the player must make hard choices and role playing can come into play more often.

[ahduval]

thinking it over, i have reconsidered. end and body will need to be kept track of.

however, i reserve the ability to revisit if it slows the game down.

This does not change that i will not trick players into accidentally killing NPCs.

[Hermit]

Okay. I've begun work on a fire projector... is the Unified Power limitation okay?

[ahduval]

yes, unified power lim looks ok

[ahduval]

if i didn't mention earlier, the 'special' students should be able to pass among the other students, minor physical quirks and anime coloration is fine.

 

i think i mentioned this but my memory is like one of those objects used to strain pasta.

Edited Monday at 07:10 PM by ahduval

[Hermit]

Leon Milton Draper

 

Spoiler

Background/History:

 

Leon Milton Draper's father is a hero, just ask Leon. Leon is a disappointment, just ask Leon's father. Mister Eric Draper is a rugged fireman, emphasis on the MAN part. Eric is macho to a fault, and has never been impressed with his tubby softie of a son. The fact Leon was obese was embarrassing enough, but Leon was a sensitive sweet boy with no real interest in sports, combat video games, fishing, car repair, or anything manly. Leon seemed to like girls, but he also liked what Eric considered girlish things.

Particularly theater! It was all so effeminate Eric basically washed his hands of the boy in disgust. At least the boy learned first aid. Probably got that from his mother. She was a doctor before she was taken from them.

It should be obvious that Leon's father was fearless against fires, but a rather narrow-minded jerk but Leon blamed himself, always feeling like he came up short. He threw himself into school events to distract himself from his increasingly cold family life.

Then, one night, the fire came IN the House, from Leon's bedroom. Leon woke up on fire, yet unhurt. He freaked a bit, and drapes caught as well. Later, others, including his father, suspected he had started a fire to get attention. It wasn't, but didn't matter, Leon's dna had finally kicked in with his latest growth spurt. With experimentation, Leon began to realize he was the source of the fire that night, but not in anyway he expected. He practiced hard for a week to get control before being ready to show his father..

It never got that far. His father was embarrassed how his son's arson had 'humiliated him' and didn't understand and didn't want to listen let alone give Leon a chance to display his powers. His father was livid and threatened to send his son to boarding school. Exactly how James Madison Academy found out about the incident is still a mystery to Leon. They approached his father offering to teach the boy on a 'very special program'.. and his father didn't even hear half their talk before he told them 'Maybe YOU can make a man of him' and that was that.

 

Personality/Motivation:

When you're a fat kid who can't seem to shake the weight no matter how many diets or how much exercise you try, you get teased a lot. You can respond with sullenness, anger, or .. try to be the funny affable guy. Leon went with the last, and to this day is eager to please. The fact his own father scorned him has left Leon with a craving for attention, one of the reasons he dreams of becoming an actor.

When his powers came to, however, Leon's priorities changed a bit. His father was a hero, maybe they'd finally have something in common? Also, his mother was a doctor before she died. BOTH were in the life saving business. It's not just his family calling, saving lives FEELS right!

Leon always tries to be cheerful, always tries to be there with a smile. His father taught him no one wants to hear his whining, so he tries not to, even when he feels terribly lonely or like ####.  Eventually this is either going to lead to depression or open anger if he doesn't find a friend or two to open up with.

 

QUOTE: "You sure you want to get into a real flame war with me? I warn you, I've got calories to burn"

 

Powers/Tactics:

Leon is a fire projector, able to send a powerful if brief burst of flame against a foe to great effect. He wreathes himself in flame for his own protection and laying hands on him can be painful if he chooses. His favorite power has to be flight, somehow the flames lift him up into the air and it feels wonderful. The power he's most proud of is that he can snuff other flames out but it is taxing and at a short distance.

 

Campaign Use:
Leon is a standard fire blaster type with great potential.  Right now his basic tactics are to save innocents, blast bad guys, and snuff out fires; in roughly that order. Ironically being put in super heroic training and real danger in Liberty City is going to be a lot better life for him than the scornful father he left. At least as long as folks don't give him too many jokes about his South Carolinian accent or his weight for too long.

While neither the smartest nor the dumbest guy in the room, if his PRE and social skills go up he might make a good 'face' for the group eventually

Eventually as he matures complications may change, and more come to light.
His social limitation of minor will eventaully be replaced, likely by a hunted. You see, his mother isn't dead, but rather lost her memories and, with her own powers active, is now a superhuman supremacist. (Obviously nix this if it is too soap opera for you). If her memory returns she may decide her son should join her cause.

Leon may become less eager for positive attention from just anyone, in which case he may just enjoy showing off period, or perhaps remove it entirely. It is possible that he'll fall for a girl and take her as a DNPC.

As for power development, eventually he may end up getting a multipower array when one is allowed with more fire tricks etc. But it's a long way to go before that

 

Appearance:

Leon doesn't know it, but he's in an Ugly Duckling towards Swan phase. Right now he seems a sweaty fat kid. His unique nature was as much to blame for his excess weight as anything else. He eats a lot because it helps power his super metabolism. Now that his powers are in use however, he's going to lose weight, a lot of it and rapidly. In his case, he burns calories LITERALLY and his body is being forged by itself. He may even become quite the hunk.

Otherwise, he's a white kid with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and a wide smile. Leon wears shirts that celebrate movies (Some of them retro) and Broadway musicals. He likes bright colors as a rule.

 

 

 

[ahduval]

Leon Milton Draper is very interesting.

 

The Discord Server is : https://discord.gg/3hYygVqY

 

if anyone else is thinking of joining, even if their concept is somewhat incomplete Please post it here. its going to be a little time before any powers are necessary.  and further refinements can be made in the course.

[ahduval]

The channel that i am posting the first part in is called: welcome-to-the-academy-hope-you-survive-the-experience

 

Sorry, some cliches are just to good to avoid.

[Hermit]

I hope you like him

 

Oh others can look at the spoilers too, I did that more to save the 'wall of text' effect than for 'ooo my character is so secret'

[Hermit]

ahduval is still looking for other players folks, but is too nice to be pushy

[Cygnia]

How often do you want players to post on Discord?  And how will dice rolls be handled?

[ahduval]

currently dice rolling is on the honor system, either your favorite online dice or actual dice

How often, as often as you feel comfortable and keep your character in the scene. combat scenes will probably require more activity.