WWYCD: Quantum Leap

[Maccabe]

Your character is given the ability to travel into the past and change any 1

major event of human history;JFK being assassinated, Pearl Harbor, etc

What event would you choose knowing it won't cause any sort of paradox

or otherwise harmful effect on you etc.

[Sundog]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Terminus isn't from this timeline anyway. He'd just go back and find the landing sites of all of the Disruption personnel who escaped to this universe...and kill them.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

While knowing it wouldn't cause a paradox or negative effects on him, War Wolf would be leery of playing around with the past like that simply because of unintended cascade effects. He'd simply refuse, though he'd feel a fair amount of temptation.

 

Quantum Kitsune would save her mother's life. Maybe not major as far as world history goes, but major to her (and she's pretty self-centered).

[Funksaw]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Extend the Maginot line to cover the border with Belgium.

 

Here's my reasoning.

 

If more territory in France could have been held, defeats in Germany would have come quicker. This would allow American forces to redeploy to the Pacific theatre sooner, and there might not have been a need to develop the American atomic bomb.

[David Johnston]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

I'm a little foggy on how a superhero is going to extend the Maginot line.

In truth, this discussion might be better if held in NGD. It's not really a potential game situation and most heroes given this opportunity would leave well enought alone or simply choose to prevent or alleviate whatever most recently caused a large number of deaths as opposed to trying to trying to play god with all of human history and turn the world into something unrecognisable to him. Superheroes are, by and large, about preserving the status quo and when they try to change history, it's usually in minor ways like trying to change the events of the last few days or trying to save the lives of one or two particularly important people to them. The exceptions are the ones who actually live in horrible dystopias where just about anything has to be better than what they've got, like "V", or Rachel Summers.

[Great Beyond]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Natasha has been running around with a time machine for years now, so really all the sightseeing she's ever wanted to do has probably been done. She'd probably jump back to England about 1972 and find her way to the BBC archives. There she'd stop them (either by convincing them or the "Gimme that!" method) from junking the television masters from the last 20 years. Doctor Who would be the top of her list, of course - but she'd probably feel guilty about the rest getting fragged too. So she'd walk out of there with a trunk full of film canisters.

 

Great Beyond wouldnt prevent an event, but would get the real story about a major event - like what caused the Tungusga Blast in 1909, or who really killed JFK - that sort of thing.

[Springald Jack]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Hexslinger Says,"'You must not hcange one thing not one pebble until you know what good and evil will follow that act. The world is in Balance, in Equilibrium. A Wizard's Power of Changing and Summoning disrupts that balance. It is dangerous that power, to light a candle is to cast a shadow.' Ursula K Le Guinn who despite not being a Wizard herself displayed a keen insight into the ethical ramifications of my kind. Begone!"

[Wormhole]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Most of my characters would think twice about going for something like this, even Wormhole himself. The only possible exeption...

 

Air Raider: Would at least be tempted to go back, find the 9-11 highjacks, capture them and shoot them all dead before they could even reach the airport. The Twin Towers was one of Jason's favorite landmarks.

[Thrakazog]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Hard Eight: He'd travel back in time to September 25, 1980, and stop John Bonham from choking to death on his own vomit.

[Amber Nytstar]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Luna Moth: She'd probably go back to when she was 8 years old and prevent her younger self from being poisoned by the Medusa's Tear. Luna may still end up becoming a phantom thief, but now she's more likely to return all of the jewels she stole to their rightful owners.

(I know it's not a major event in world history, but to Luna it's an important enough fiasco to change.)

On the other hand, Luna may become interested in the mystery of the Amber Room and go back to investigate. If does look like the Room really was destroyed during the War, then Luna would find some way to steal all of the room's artwork and bring it back with her so she can donate it to some Russian museum

 

The Flying Kittens: Probably wouldn't know enough about world history to do anything. Definitely would not accept in any case.

[HeroGM]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

The U.S. forces taking over Berlin instead of allowing the Russians to.

[TheRavenIs]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Traveler, a Time-Hopping, Dimensional-Hopping Hero, he's already altered the past of so many time-lines he'd more than likely already done something like this in a lifetime that extends over 10,000 yrs. He would accept the blame as usual and be punished by he's bosses-----again.

[Guest daeudi_454]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Firedrake: Would travel back to find this St George fellow and give him a good lecture on racism. Or fry his ass, whichever came first.

Quantum Cat: Would try to prevent The Library from being destroyed, and teach the ancients the phrases: Backup Copies and Remote Servers.

Ion: Positive: Would travel to 1392 and teach the Tsalagi their own alphabet, and papermaking. And give them a Cherokee copy of the Bible. Then the whites would not be met by 'savages'. Negative: Would destroy Edison's life, and then ensure the dominance of Tesla... Just to see what would change.

The PC: "Haven't we done this once already? The Shattered Mirror campaign. Oh, any time I want, huh? Fine.

I go back and tell DaVinci what is wrong with his inventions. Step by step, every little detail.

 

 

I bet I get my frelling Flying Car now!"

[JackValhalla]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Snow Leopard is here for precisely that purpose. He's trying to find a way to keep the younger version of himself from accidentally destroying the world. He's pretty sure that if he assassinates his past self then it will destroy the whole universe. So now he's running all over the world trying to find a way to shut down the chain of events without dying or shattering all causality.

[Drhoz]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

whee! Vitus gets to eliminate another world from reality by screwing around with time travel! (the last one was his home universe)

 

Vitus's main problem in these circumstances would be his rather conspicously non-human nature. In most parts of Earth history he'd get killed as a monster.

 

That might give him a horrendously egocentric idea

 

1) Arrange for himself to be used as the basis for a new genetically diverse group of his own species - he knows a few likely geneticists that might be able to pull it off.

 

2) gather them together along with tools, books, maps, magic components, mining equipment...

 

3) Open a time gate back far enough to given his artificial children a chance to flourish (20 million years should do it)

 

4) start a technologically skilful magic-using society of gnolls, long before the rise of the hominids.

 

 

After all, no-one is going to miss Homo sapiens - they turn up *everywhere* anyway. And the civilisation of Auran Gnolls will be born anew!

[Blue]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Anthem would head back to prevent the demise of her best friend and fellow hero, Aces High. During said encounter she'd discover that Anthem's own father (a minor supervillain) was responsible for the girl's death. The scenario would end up putting her Code vs. Killing to the ultimate test, having the horrible choice: Kill him or let her friend die. She'd break her CvK, and probably end up retiring as a hero once she returned to her own time (If the ripples of her actions don't do something to change her in other ways).

 

Uncle Slam would prevent the death of Arch-Duke Ferdinand, thus pre-empting WW II. The war would happen anyway, but later and for other reasons. Then he'd have to find a way to go back in time to stop himself

 

Audra blue would go back to the night that her mentor and father figure, Nolan Brisbain, died in his sleep. She'd be ready with all kinds of means of reviving him. His life would turn around; He'd become focused again and set to fixing all the things that had gone wrong to that point. He'd recreate the Sentinels team himself. Audra would never develop her agoraphobia. She'd develop a power-suit to go out and fight alongside the others. The campaign would look completely different.

[Sundog]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Uncle Slam would prevent the death of Arch-Duke Ferdinand, thus pre-empting WW II. The war would happen anyway, but later and for other reasons. Then he'd have to find a way to go back in time to stop himself

 

I think you mean World War One...

[Marketeer]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

I think you mean World War One...

 

...behold the ripples in time caused by Uncle Slam's failed attempt to stop World War IV!

 

[Blue]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Hehe. Indeed I did. Don't worry, he's smater (and types better) than I do.

 

Rep goes to Marketeer though for coming up with the equivalent of the Marvel "No-Prize".

[Metaphysician]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

The only really interesting one, as the others would do the standard four color refusal of such power. . .

 

Hermes: The power to change the course of history, without inducing a paradox? This is what won't even admit to himself he dreams of. The main limiting factor is, there are so many possible ways it could be used, and Hermes *knows* he doesn't know enough about them. However, assuming it does not have to be exactly per se in the past from his home time. . .

 

. . . he would alter the course of a battle he visited in the future, so Darius' friends did not die there. It is, perhaps, a smaller change than many he could do. Nonetheless, it is perhaps the best pick, as its the hardest thing to change otherwise.

[Whitewings]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Liane would try to prevent the Kent State Massacre, which more than any other event put an end to the extreme and wide-spread social activism of the 1960s.

 

Faye would see if she could arrange for Hilter's fall from power, after he got the German economy back on its feet but before he invades the Sudetenland. Stopping the Holocaust is very high on her list of things to do, but Hitler's kickstarting the German economy almost certainly shortened the Great Depression. The irony of Hitler being regarded as one of history's great leaders will not escape her.

 

Ika is from 80,000 years ago. I'm not even sure she could grasp the concept of time travel. But if she could, and assuming that she's learned about them by this time, she'd go back and introduce her tribe to basic inoculation techniques. They'd be crude (take blood from someone who's survived a sickness, put it in a gourd, spin it around, and prick people with thorns dipped in the clear part at the top), but better than nothing.

[Dr. Hercules]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Um... that's why Tomorrow Boy is here in the present. To warn the Defender's of some major threat they have to stop.

 

Now if he could just REMEMBER exactly what that was..

[nexus]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Tao, at her current state of development would change nothing. Her sense of morality and judgement are quite simple at the moment and espite being quite intelligent, her outlook is simple. These things have already happened, why change them? The possible variations they would create, if not nessecarily "negative" for her would be nearly endless. Without in the implicit assumption that we are supposed to change something (like in the 9/11 thread) she'd leave what happened alone since the results are beyond her ability to calculate.

 

If allowed, she might go to another team mate and ask for assistance in this matter, like Major Victory (he is the leader and she understand to extent that he is wiser than she) or Statuequse because she is currently one of the closest she has a to a friend.

 

Eve, much like Tao is childlike in outlook, perhaps even more so but would be would be more aggressive and look to stop the obvious "bad things" in his history taking the most direct route to do so. So, not to be to cliched, that would probably be Hitler's rise to power. Her plan to do so might be extremely convoluted but the goal would be simple. The "Twilight Zone" backlash clause would probably save her metallic backside in this case but she might end up changing some important things about her life that, while not "negative" could be profound. Her "father" is German after all...

 

Ivy, after much soul searching and angst would probbly use the abilty to prevent her own origin, particularly since it won't turn out "badly". She'd be well awaare of the inherent self centeredness in considering someing in her life a major event in human history. If whatever granted her this power didn't allow that, she probably wouldn't change anything. Like others have said the potential snowball effects are just too unpredictable. It might not effect her in a negative since (and what exactly does that mean?) but what about the rest of the world. If force to choose she'd probably try to stop or mitigate the events of 9/11. They are the most recent events that she has any chance of stopping or reducing with most of the others beng natural disasters that she has no chance to stop and where warning would most likely go unheeded.

[Stormraven]

Re: WWYCD: Quantum Leap

 

Checkmate and Guardian would leave it alone - neither is interested in trying to make things 'better'.

 

Macha, on the other hand, or Fianna, would very likely go back to Britain just before the Romans showed up and try very hard to get the tribes working together in time to shatter any Roman incursion into the Isles.