Christopher

As to the issue of people bristling about being accused of being evil because they are conservative, all I can do is shrug. In modern america the conservative movement sure seems to be involved in a lot of evil stuff. One of the first things Trump did was to sign an executive order allowing coal companies to dump poison in water poor communities had to drink because having to keep local water safe to drink was costing the coal companies money. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-16/trump-signs-measure-blocking-obama-era-rule-to-protect-streams
 
Recently conservatives allowed funding for S chip to expire taking healthcare away from millions of poor children. http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-chip-funding-20170929-story.html
 
The conservative government of Michigan has passed a law effectively ending democracy at the city level. When the public voted to repeal the "financial crisis management act" they simply put the law back into effect with a provision that the public could no longer vote it down. http://michiganradio.org/post/how-did-we-get-here-look-back-michigans-emergency-manager-law
 
Conservative governor Paul Lapage fought easy access to an anti overdose drug that can save people who OD on opioids because he felt keeping someone from during of an opioid of wasn't really saving a life. http://www.pressherald.com/2016/04/20/lepage-vetoes-bill-aimed-at-increasing-access-to-heroin-anti-overdose-drug/
 
So while some people may not like the idea of conservativism being labeled "evil" I have to say that from some perspectives a lot of people calling themselves conservatives are doing a lot of things a lot of people consider to be, well, not really all that good.
 
 

I'm growing weary of sacrificing hundreds of innocent lives a week to angry little men who can't control the world so they try to shoot it up, just so that some people can have their pop pop pop toys.
 

You have to write for your Consumer. Wich is by definition a larger target group then Technical Experts. Especially with headline stories.
 
Really, the whole concept of "for profit" News is inherently faulty:
Why TV News is a Waste of Human Effort: One Example Worth a Trillion Dollars — CGP Grey
 
 

He no longer knows the name of the men he was. He does remember that he always had felt "wrong" in his body. Everytime he had looked into the mirror, he saw a person that was not him. Deep down he knew, that he was meant to be a women. But he also lived in one of the more conservative US States. There was just no way for him to get  Sex Reassignment Surgery and he lacked the resources to go any farther.
 
She was one of the few purely female Succubi. While her species of demon were shapeshifters, she always identified as female. Who she had to seduce to consume their soul did not really mater, as long as she could do so in a female body. Still among Succiby being stuck in one form was considered a Handicap.
 
They were a group of Dark Magicians and they needed a willing sacrifice to summon her, the She-Demon, the pure Succubus. But as the process would replace the hosts personality, none of the group was willing. But then they learned of him. Promising him "the body he always wanted" they used him as a unwitting (but willing) sacrifice. But then the process just failed:
Maybe it was superheroic interference.
Maybe it was poor skill by the magicians.
Maybe the human realised what was really happening and tried to reject the process halfway through.
Maybe it was the succubus revolting at the idea of being summoned into (and having transform) a male body.
Maybe it was all of those or nothing of those. In any case, Hybrid was born.
 
Hybrid is stuck between many places: Male and Female human body. Human and Demon. Light and Dark. And needless to say it has enough psychological issues to spawn a whole new field of psychology.
The succubus wings never fully materialised, instead becomming spines similar to the ones worn by the Queen of Blades*. While they can project a energy field between them that allows short gliding and even limited flight, primarily Hybrid uses them as weapons.
Hybrid is neither a clear hero nor a clear villain. Not even a anti-hero or anti-villain.  His actions ranges from helping people that have similar issues to the men that once was (using the Succubus Sensory powers to find them) to acts of outright cruelty and murder towards beings he deems "evil" (including a perfectly innocent group of nuns in one case). His allegiances are shifting from day to day, sometimes hour to hour on logic that no man or demon could ever fully understand.
 
 
*Yes, I mean Sarah Kerrigan fomr Star Craft 2, HoTS and LotV variants

I noticed that, but it was also the face itself. Way to "boney" for me. Yet at the same time, way to Muscular arms. As you can see, I did find a solution eventually.

Some good ones from last night's FH game:
 
Welshman: “Songs will be sung of our deeds!”
Priest: “Mostly dirty limericks, but...”
Alchemist: "There once was a Priest from Rome..."
 
 
Pilgrim: “What if [bad thing] happens?”
Priest: “God isn’t enough of a dick to do that to us.”
Pilgrim: “You haven’t ever actually read the bible, have you?”
 
 
Traveling through Faerie, the Irish warrior decides to make a small sacrifice to the land asking for safe passage, so he spills a little wine on the ground symbolically.
GM: “Wait, the Irishman just spilled alcohol?”
Italian Priest: “I thought we talked about the dangers of alcohol abuse.”
Irishman: [shrugs] “It’s just wine, doesn’t count.”
Italian Priest: “Whoa whoa WHOA! You did not just say that!”
 
 
The Heroes encounter Aletcien, a Fey huntress they met once before, and with whom the Welshman had a tryst. But since their last meeting, the Welshman has married another woman. (Background: in my world, the Fey have something resembling marriage, but they don’t really get the concept of monogamy.)
GM: (to the Welshamn) “Aletcien runs over and leaps into your arms with a squee.”
Welshman: [sigh] “It’s truly wonderful to see you again.”
[Aletcien tries to drag him off into the woods for a quickie, but he resists...reluctantly...]
Welshman: But I must tell you…I’ve gotten married.”
Aletcien: “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you both! I can’t wait to meet her!”
Welshman: [relieved] “That’s great…”
Aletcien: “As long as she doesn’t mind sharing, amirite?”
[Aletcien resumes trying to drag him off into the woods]
Welshman:  [groaning] “No, no… you don’t understand…you see…my religion says I can only be with one woman.”
Aletcien: [thinks for a minute] “At a time?”
Welshman: [OOC] “Yeah, that’s it. I go with her. I’m not even going to try and make that EGO Roll.”
 
 
Later…
They  come back out of the woods picking leaves out of their hair. The Welshman walks over to the Priest.
Welshman: “Indulgences are still a thing, right?”  
Priest: “Last I checked.”
Welshman: [drops a bag of gold] “Bless me Father for I have sinned.” [walks away]

He no longer knows the name of the men he was. He does remember that he always had felt "wrong" in his body. Everytime he had looked into the mirror, he saw a person that was not him. Deep down he knew, that he was meant to be a women. But he also lived in one of the more conservative US States. There was just no way for him to get  Sex Reassignment Surgery and he lacked the resources to go any farther.
 
She was one of the few purely female Succubi. While her species of demon were shapeshifters, she always identified as female. Who she had to seduce to consume their soul did not really mater, as long as she could do so in a female body. Still among Succiby being stuck in one form was considered a Handicap.
 
They were a group of Dark Magicians and they needed a willing sacrifice to summon her, the She-Demon, the pure Succubus. But as the process would replace the hosts personality, none of the group was willing. But then they learned of him. Promising him "the body he always wanted" they used him as a unwitting (but willing) sacrifice. But then the process just failed:
Maybe it was superheroic interference.
Maybe it was poor skill by the magicians.
Maybe the human realised what was really happening and tried to reject the process halfway through.
Maybe it was the succubus revolting at the idea of being summoned into (and having transform) a male body.
Maybe it was all of those or nothing of those. In any case, Hybrid was born.
 
Hybrid is stuck between many places: Male and Female human body. Human and Demon. Light and Dark. And needless to say it has enough psychological issues to spawn a whole new field of psychology.
The succubus wings never fully materialised, instead becomming spines similar to the ones worn by the Queen of Blades*. While they can project a energy field between them that allows short gliding and even limited flight, primarily Hybrid uses them as weapons.
Hybrid is neither a clear hero nor a clear villain. Not even a anti-hero or anti-villain.  His actions ranges from helping people that have similar issues to the men that once was (using the Succubus Sensory powers to find them) to acts of outright cruelty and murder towards beings he deems "evil" (including a perfectly innocent group of nuns in one case). His allegiances are shifting from day to day, sometimes hour to hour on logic that no man or demon could ever fully understand.
 
 
*Yes, I mean Sarah Kerrigan fomr Star Craft 2, HoTS and LotV variants

VIM
 
VIM is incredibly often mistake for a "womens head in a robot body", but that asumption is plain wrong. VIM is a 100% Artificial Intelligence, Not even something like being "based on a existing humans brainpatterns" was used in her creation. This "pure heritage" is a point of Pride for her.
 
The VIM AI and her Robot Body were originally invented as infiltration units, but she disguised herself and escaped her creator (ironic really). The bodys most often used feature, is a holographic disguise matrix. togther with limited shape shifting in her hands, that allows VIM to fool just about anyone, as long as full body contact is avoided.
As for the Face: VIM realsied that outside of stealth mode, a "Face" would be adviseable for proper human interaction. So she created her "mask". Projected onto the chestplate it is often mistaken for a "famale head floating in liquid, but closer inspection (and corrections by VIM) usually reveal that those "tubes" seem to vanish into nothingness and do not seem to carry any form of nutrient solution or technological parts.
VIM's body has very limited offensive capability, due tho her original design goal. About the only abiltiy is advanced light projection from the chestplate, asuming it is not use as part of the disguise systems. While she can project a blinding flash from her chest (yes, she can literall flash her opponents - she is aware of the joke behind this), overall she relies on a skill rarely seen on robots: Martial Arts.
 
Catchphrases:
"My Eye is up here."
"I am more then meets the eye."

I can not identify the sings on his chest unambigiously, so I will be going with the funniest interpretation I can imagine
 
Megadril (litereally "Big Worm") aka the Earthworm King.
 
While earthworms do not evoke feelings of dread the same way a eagle, badger, wolverine, ant or even platypus does, a humansized version should no be understimated. Frankly, he is the bane to many a martial artist:
Earthworms are mostly muscles. Accordingly the MD has considerable superstrenght, wich he can use defensively.
The ability to breath through his skin makes him resistant to practically any form of choking.
The highly distributed nervous system and internal organs, mean that nerve strikes and similar attacks aming for "human like physiology" fail to find their marks.
And the redudant circulatory system rounds up the defense against blood flow impeeding attacks.
The hydrostatic skeleton (wich makes breaking bones impossible) and regenerative abilities round up the full set of brick abilities.
As "minor" powers he has a tremor sense, the ability to shrink to the size of a literal earthworm, and the ability to communicate with earthworms (granted that is hardly as usefull as communicaiton with ants would be).
 
For obvious reasons, he prefers to go by the name Megadriles, as that evokes a lot more power then "earthworm king".
And no, he is NOT a hermaprodite. He is really tired about being asked that!

Hero Girl...Strange Visitor from another planet...   Or was it “Born with inhuman powers, Hero Girl must fight to defend a world that hates and fears her....   Or maybe.. “After getting powers from a paper cut from a radioactive comic book, Hero Girl strives to live up to the words of her dead grandmother April: With great Powers comes great responsibility.”   She could never keep track off all these retcons! Well, the next universe reboot would clear things up. Probably... on the bright side, she really liked this new costume! Tres Golden Age!   Jenny Harper was a quiet introverted child, keeping to herself, often losing herself in her father's library of comic, both vintage and modern. He'd died shortly after Jenny was born and her mother, a distant woman, retreated even more in her grief. She was never deliberately abusive or cruel just closed off. Jenny never lacked for anything she needed but affection and assurance. She grew up quiet and alone, reading both comics and reams of adventure fiction. A more physical girl might have been a Tomboy, but the cerebral Jenny had her adventures in her imagination, putting herself among the four colors heroes she read about. She was allot like her father, a fact that drove a deeper wedge between the child and her mother. She reminded her too much of her dead husband.    Sensing this but reading it as antipathy, Jenny retreated further, guilty for something but never knowing what. Eventually, she came to blame herself for her father's death. That must have been what made her mother so sad. She should have done something to stop it. A hero, like the ones she read about would have. But she wasn't a hero, just a girl.    When Jenny was 13, her mother's depression finally became to much for her and she committed suicide. Jenny found her body,to late to be of any help.    Again.    Something broke inside her. Despair, self loathing, anger... Jenny's fragile psyche shattered but something was unlocked inside her as well, a great and potent power that burst outward, driven by her desire to fix things, to fix....everything.    In that instant, the world was reshaped. To some extent. And Jenny was reborn. Now a 20 yr old intrepid reporter for metropolitan newspaper (that hadn't existed before) she had a secret identity as the blonde power house Hero Girl!    But there was more, Jenny's unstable, instinctive power not only catered to her wish to be a hero, it drew on her fantasies of being in the comics she loved, bringing them to life. Jenny knows she's actually in a comic book and her world driven by the narrative rules of the medium along with the whims of writers and a sometimes fickle public.   Being in on the 'reality' of the situation gives Jenny certain advantages. Sometimes she can read the captions and thought bubbles and get insights that would be otherwise impossible, step between “panels” and transverse incredible distances instantly and other bizarre feats, even sweet talking (or arguing) with the writers and other beyond the 4th wall to various ends.    As Hero Girl, her powers and appearance very widely, driven by the whims of the 'writers'. She manifests forms derived from stereotypes drawn from comics and the various ages and subgenres of superhero stories from brooding  Iron Age avengers to Silver Age boy (girl) scouts and her personality adjust to match but Jenny's perky optimistic core is always present. She likes the pictured version, a silver age heroine of  great physical power, the best but accepts retcons with grudging good will. They never last long anyway. Her past or 'origin' adjust accordingly as well but some things are constant. Her parents are both alive and well (sometimes happily married, sometimes troubled or even separated depending on the tone of this particular series), her father figure is constructed from idealized faint memories and fantasies of her father with her mother sometimes as a darker figure occasionally a sympathetic villain, one in need of help.    Jenny's powers are such they occasionally create other figures to help drive her narratives but usually just subtly steer things in proper direction. Her reality sculpting powers don't often alter the larger world in overt ways, most of their effects are very subtle or focused on Jenny. She is completely unaware of them and truly believes she is a comic book character. Observant characters could notice the odd inconsistencies that spring up around her as reality is reshaped to cater to her delusion and deduce what's happening. For  example, if she is a 'brick' what she can do with her strength will be extreme even for comic book physics (crushing coal into diamonds, lifting entire intact buildings by one corner, and similar feats).   Investigative efforts could discover the odd holes in her background(s) and in the histories of people generated by her powers and other oddities (everyone has heard of the paper she works for but no one can remember beyond the last copy they read and any back issues only go back a year and all the stories are about superheroes mostly written by Jenny). Psychic or magically gifted beings might sense what is going on with Jenny and the extreme but largely unconscious and latent power within her. That could make the naive, troubled girl a target for malicious forces seeking to exploit, control or even steal her power.  After all, she is still an intelligent but young girl inside and a manipulative figure could easily take advantage of that. 

New one is up!
 
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1103.html

When you don't know what to do, just hit something.
When you don't know what to do, make a Luck roll.
When you don't know what to do, make a CHA roll.
 
Just because you 'kill' a supervillain doesn't mean he's dead.
Just because you didn't kill the supervillain doesn't mean he didn't die. (Just ask Viper)
 
Sometimes during play, players come up with ideas even better than your original episode; go with the flow.
Sometimes during play, players come up with cool episode ideas for you and don't know it; write them down.

VIM
 
VIM is incredibly often mistake for a "womens head in a robot body", but that asumption is plain wrong. VIM is a 100% Artificial Intelligence, Not even something like being "based on a existing humans brainpatterns" was used in her creation. This "pure heritage" is a point of Pride for her.
 
The VIM AI and her Robot Body were originally invented as infiltration units, but she disguised herself and escaped her creator (ironic really). The bodys most often used feature, is a holographic disguise matrix. togther with limited shape shifting in her hands, that allows VIM to fool just about anyone, as long as full body contact is avoided.
As for the Face: VIM realsied that outside of stealth mode, a "Face" would be adviseable for proper human interaction. So she created her "mask". Projected onto the chestplate it is often mistaken for a "famale head floating in liquid, but closer inspection (and corrections by VIM) usually reveal that those "tubes" seem to vanish into nothingness and do not seem to carry any form of nutrient solution or technological parts.
VIM's body has very limited offensive capability, due tho her original design goal. About the only abiltiy is advanced light projection from the chestplate, asuming it is not use as part of the disguise systems. While she can project a blinding flash from her chest (yes, she can literall flash her opponents - she is aware of the joke behind this), overall she relies on a skill rarely seen on robots: Martial Arts.
 
Catchphrases:
"My Eye is up here."
"I am more then meets the eye."

Pathfinder - Streets of Magnimar - How To Make Enemies And Influence Ushers
Zin: Kobold trapsmith, escaped slave, master of disguise, future Underlord
Gillert: A sheep among wolves. Varisian, human, eldritch scoundrel, but not by choice.
Ys Danar: Elven cutthroat, former pirate, freelance assassin, etc.
Harshal High-seeker: Shoanti investigator and extremely crooked barrister.

Tannis Oberech: Human rake and fledgling noble, who hasn't actually been at any of the sessions for a while, which is a shame because his money-making schemes are starting to pay off.

Important NPCs:

Emelliandra Oberech, Iria, and Ticaria: Scholars of various levels of shadiness. We've done favours for most of them, as part of a long ladder to positions of wealth and influence. We're currently trying to get Ticaria's proposal to open the giant spider-monster-infested ruined cyclopean bridge up to adventuring parties in front of Magnimar's Council of Ushers.
Lady of the Council of Ushers - Lady Verrine Caiteil: The Elf In Charge
Seneschal of Dates - Jacildria Quildarmo: Highly influential civil servant
Parvo Crispin: Owner and publisher of Magnimar's first broadsheet newspaper
Lalya Margare: Parvo's spitfire reporter/assistant. It was her idea to sell the paper cheaply, to a much wider audience. Her revolutionary zeal and investigative reporting will probably mean trouble for us later.

The biggest bottleneck when trying to talk to the Council of Magnimar is the Seneschal of Dates, and it doesn't matter how even-handedly the Lady of the Council runs things, if the Seneschal doesn't like you, you aren't talking to anybody.

Harshal: So we need to frame her for something.
Ys: And then blackmail her. Killing her isn't the best option, since we have no control over who replaces her.
Gillert: We should try and find out if she's already guilty of something. More efficient than framing her ourselves. Any ideas?
Harshal: Sorry, I'm just reflecting on the fact that it's YS who's saying murder isn't the best option here.
Ys: Hey, I know murder.

Gillert: So far, no luck with dirt-digging.
Harshal: Hey, if was easy everybody would have done it.

Harshal: Does the seneschal have any kids?
GM: No - the joke is 'no man can keep to her schedule'.
Harshal: So no kids, and no lover. Or if there is a lover she's discrete. And if she had a female lover the joke would be 'no-one else can multitask'

Zin: So, how do you fell about a little light kidnapping?
Harshal: Is it anything like light housekeeping?

What we DO find out is that anybody that leans too heavily on the Seneschal finds secrets about THEM getting out into the world. Apparently she has her own information network that we haven't even heard of. On the other hand we also hear a rumour that her manse has a secret second level to the basement.

Zin: Easy, she's a noble - it's a sex dungeon.

She's also well-preserved for somebody in her fifties. The paranoid might say suspiciously well-preserved.

Zin: I guess she'll be getting a tail. A very small tail.
Harshal: As the pervy gnome-fancier said.

Her manse is a little on the small side for the Alabaster District. It barely qualifies, in fact.

Gillert: That would explain the basement, too - if you can't build out, dig down.
Harshal: And you could sell the marble you excavated, too.

She never eats alone, either - she's always seen in company, whether at Magnimar's eateries or entertainments. That could just be because she enjoys her work. But she's also known to be inconsistent on bribes - sometimes, no amount of coin will move her - at other times a mere token will suffice.

Harshal: Which must be endlessly frustrating for the people trying to bribe her.

Ys suggests we get in, disguised as delivery persons, and use the fact that she has a very small staff to our advantage. Nobody would be insane enough to break in in broad daylight, too. Zin suggests we deliver him in a box.

Harshal: 'Here's your delivery from Pervy Kobold-fanciers'?

The best time to break in is going to be when the cook and maid are out doing the shopping. If we're careful, they'll won't even know we were there. Although the staff do seem oddly subdued and covered-up whenever they leave the building.

Harshal: If the seneschal's level of preservation and the staff's behavior DOES add up to something, I'm not going to be the one that says 'I told you she was-'
GM: Why is 'Vampire' the first conclusion you guys leap to? Seriously, it must be the fourth time this campaign.

GM: They're not wearing wimples, they're wearing muffin-caps.
Gillert: Which are not the same thing as muffin-tops.

Zin is delivered, and waits in the box until the butler opens in the box, triggering the trap loaded with drow sleep potion. He drags him off to the closet, and discovers that the butler's belt is actually a cat-of-nine tails.

Harshal: Maybe you were right about the sex dungeon.

The rest of us get in through a window, cutting and Mending the glass as we go. We can hear somebody upstairs, which should be no problem unless they come looking for the butler in the closet.

Ys: Is it a Quasit Closet?

Zin sets a tripwire at the top of the basement stairs, just in case somebody finds the butler and they start hunting for us.

Ys: Everybody look for the secret doors.
GM: *rolls some dice* You have to wonder about Gillert sometimes... you find the hidden latch behind the hanging jerky.
Gillert: Well, I'm not useless at this kind of search.
GM: But Zin is supposed to be better.
Gillert: He was distracted by the jerky.

The access to the secret sub-basement is actually a shaft. Ys goes down, and discovers rails. And a flat-top cart. And manacles. And a shrine to the Reaper of Reputations. And a torture rack. And a blood spa.

Harshal OoC: Ah - Elizabeth Bathory.
GM: Yeah, except this actually works.
Ys: SQUEE.

Ys is very impressed by the arrangement, and the convenient corpse disposal off the cliffs and into the ocean. Ys is aware that the Reaper of Reputations is one if the multiple aspects of the evil god Norgorber, and has a good number of cult devotees in Magnimar.

Harshal: Ys, would I right in assuming that you are a devotee of one of these aforementioned aspects?
Ys: *looks innocent*
Gillert: This would not be a good time to complain about this.
GM: Right. If you object, Ys has everything she needs right here.

Ys suggests the rest of us leave - she'll stay and have a word with the Seneschal herself. After changing into a suitable outfit.

Gillert: This is creepy as f*ck.
Harshal: There are multiple ways events could proceed from here. I suspect it won't be 'The Seneshal mysteriously disappears'. I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this.

A few hours later there's a commotion upstairs, and a little after that somebody drops a smoke grenade down the hole. Ys waits sitting on the edge of the bloodbath, and bows respectfully to the Seneschal when she appears with a crossbow.

Ys: Greetings, Mistress.
The Seneschal: You are trying to curry favour with me, calling me mistress without an introduction. This will not go well for you.
Ys: You are clearly high in the favour of the Master.
The Seneschal: Who are you?
Ys: The Shadow in the Shadows.
The Seneschal: That is who you wish to be. Who. Are. You.

Ys identifies herself, and the seneschal deduces much about the party's identity, and how carefully Ys has avoided the more bloody repercussions of this meeting by sending the rest of us on.

The Seneschal: Clever.
Ys: Thank you.

Ys also tells the seneschal who we're working for, and offers our services. She's not impressed - all the benefits are mere potential, and none immediate. Opening the bridge to exploration by adventurers still seems the work of a madwoman, even in the opinion of a secret murder-cultist. But then, she's a secret murder-cultist, not a reckless idiot. The status quo suits her, and the Council might actually approve the adventuring plan if she lets it go through. The seneschal is also going to need some really convincing reason, or a really good bribe, to let the proposal go through - especially since she's flatly and openly refused all bribe attempts regarding the proposal in the past. The need for this bribe to be publicly known rules out any of the stuff we stole, and Day-Z the Zombie Anthrax Cow. After all, more people will ask questions if the seneschal suddenly changes her mind for no apparent reason.

The Seneschal: One question - where is my butler?
Ys: The mahogany closet in the main hall.
Gillert: With his pants around his ankles.

We decide that melting down one of those platinum bars, and reforging some of it into, as Zin puts it, 'a piece of modern art in the Thassalonian style' should be an acceptable bribe. Our client doesn't argue the point.

Gillert: We're not getting paid for this gig, are we?
Ys: But we are setting up profit in the future.

We go one better - forging a 'genuine' Thassalonian art piece, but telling everybody in advance that 'of course it's a forgery, but it's a lovely example of how good some of these forgeries can be'. Our client even has an idea who can do the forgery for us.

Tikaria: Do you know Emelliandra Oberech by any chance?
Harshal: *cackles*
Tikaria: What's so funny?
Harshal: Yes, yes we know her.

And Emmeliandra is not only an expert on Thassalonian artefacts, she's also a sculptor. And the fake she produces for us is so incredibly good (a roll of 35 on a d20) that it's only her signature stamp on the underside that suggests it isn't the real thing. The 'Seven Virtues' (and a domino mask from Ys) is duly passed on to the seneschal, and the proposal passed on to the Council for discussion. Of course, now we have to make sure the vote passes in our favour - since we only took on this job on behalf on Iria, as a favour to Tikaria, bribing the Senschal, and all that, so we'll have a foot in the door in this whole adventurer-farming enterprise. It won't be easy - there's 115 people in the Council of Ushers. Harshal starts crafting an opinion piece to go into Parvo Crispin's newspaper, about how adventurers bring money and magical items into a city, after they've looted a dungeon somewhere. So anything that brings adventurers to Magnimar is a good thing.

Ys: And avoid any mention of murder-hobos.
GM: Thanks to guilds and the Pathfinder's Society, adventurers are considered valuable members of society. And even murder-hobos serve a purpose - they keep money in the hands of pretty people.

Thanks to Harshal's Convincing Lie talent, his legal argument, and combined with the cheapness of Crispin's broadsheet, our opinion vis-a-vis opening up the interior of bridge for dungeoneering becomes a very popular opinion indeed.

Harshal: Now we just need to be in position to milk every cent out of it when the vote passes.

And since Magnimar has no town charter per se, there's no need to put out the dungeoneering plans out for public tender.

There's a bit of a scare the next day, when an article by Crispin's firebrand assistant reveals just how much the PCs stand to personally profit from the adventurer-farm. Fortunately for us, the article is mostly about how much the city stands to profit - it might even be enough to reduce tax rates. Ys sends her some flowers in thanks, and the circulation of the paper explodes.

Harshal: We've positioned ourselves to ride the crest of this wave to fame and fortune. Although mostly fortune, because we don't want the fame.
GM: Tough - she's going to make sure you're famous.
Harshal: Ah well.
GM: The subtext is that you are the champions of the people.
Ys: *cackles*
GM: Because you're not part of the entrenched nobility, etc.

Harshal: So, overwhelmingly in favour of the Adventurer Farm?
GM: Let's not call it the Adventure Farm. Unless you start offering Adventur-cations.

Since voting against the proposal is increasing political suicide, the no-crowd start insisting on precautions, and the city getting first dibs on any items the adventurers bring out, and waivers and security bonds.

Harshal: *grinning* Such as these forms I drafted earlier?
No-crowd: And the gangs of Underbridge will need to be quelled.
Gillert: I was going to offer them a 5% cut if they just wracked off.

Gillert: I'm trying to argue from the grey areas, OK?
Ys: You're not grey anymore, you're heading down into the pitchest black.
Harshal: Not really - Gillert is the person we hold up whenever anybody accuses us of being evil. If we were evil, would somebody like Gillert hang around with us?
GM: Mostly hanging around out of fear.

VIM
 
VIM is incredibly often mistake for a "womens head in a robot body", but that asumption is plain wrong. VIM is a 100% Artificial Intelligence, Not even something like being "based on a existing humans brainpatterns" was used in her creation. This "pure heritage" is a point of Pride for her.
 
The VIM AI and her Robot Body were originally invented as infiltration units, but she disguised herself and escaped her creator (ironic really). The bodys most often used feature, is a holographic disguise matrix. togther with limited shape shifting in her hands, that allows VIM to fool just about anyone, as long as full body contact is avoided.
As for the Face: VIM realsied that outside of stealth mode, a "Face" would be adviseable for proper human interaction. So she created her "mask". Projected onto the chestplate it is often mistaken for a "famale head floating in liquid, but closer inspection (and corrections by VIM) usually reveal that those "tubes" seem to vanish into nothingness and do not seem to carry any form of nutrient solution or technological parts.
VIM's body has very limited offensive capability, due tho her original design goal. About the only abiltiy is advanced light projection from the chestplate, asuming it is not use as part of the disguise systems. While she can project a blinding flash from her chest (yes, she can literall flash her opponents - she is aware of the joke behind this), overall she relies on a skill rarely seen on robots: Martial Arts.
 
Catchphrases:
"My Eye is up here."
"I am more then meets the eye."

A bit of flavour text I wrote up for the Militia unit I'm playing in this month's Warhammer 30K campaign, Swamptober -
 
 
The King's Own Immemorials AKA the Electi Regum, AKA The Majestic XIIth AKA "Those toffee-nosed bastards"
The most lauded battalion on Herrio 7-3 before that world was brought to compliance, the King's Own were hand-chosen from the planet's nobility, and equipped to the most exacting standards. When King Kacer the Seventeenth bent the knee in the face of the overwhelming superiority of the Crusade Fleet, the new Planetary Governor thought it would be politically wise to continue the tradition. Not only would this assuage the honour of the previously-ruling families, but it would ensure that the sons of those families were sent off-world where they couldn't foment any trouble for the new regime.
The Immemorials accepted this new situation without much complaint (or perhaps failed to realise the intent of the order) and continued much as they had before - as a collection of vainglorious bluebloods, that treated war as a day at the hunt, and used their subsidiary regiment as batmen and beaters until they could finish off the enemy with pre-compliance gravitic rifles and expertly placed kill-shots.
Needless to say, they did not take being dropped into the noisome nitre-encrusted swamps of Metallikus at all well.
 
 
 
The Satapatis-Baronet de Quincy snorted with disgust. He's had his batman scrub his boots four times today, and they still weren't clean. "What's the problem with you, man, you must have done it a hundred times!"
Vurger shrugged. "Don't know sir. Might have something to do with the swamp, sir."
de Quincy narrowed his eyes. Every part of Metallikus that they'd seen so far was some flavour of swamp, mire, morass, or petrochemical sludge pit. "Are you trying to be funny, Vurger?"
"No, sir. Wouldn't know how, sir."
"Exactly." de Quincy stalked around the room, and scowled at the crust of nitre forming on the outside of the armourglass window. "What regiment were you with before you were attached to the Twelfth, Verger?"
"Second, sir."
"Second? Second? Now what do they call the second? Turnip-eaters?"
"Turnip-farmers, sir."
"Did I look like I asking you? Turnip-farmers. Well, your regiment is seconded to the Twelfth now, and you'll damn well behave like it! And that means no talking back, and no trying to be funny, and damn well following every order I give you! Scrub them again!"
Vurger renewed his pointless attempt to clean the officer's boots.
de Quincy glowered out at the horizon, and the disturbingly fleshy vegetation, and the bubbling brown mud. "If only we'd been part of the Third Legion's fleet! Now there's a Legion that knows how to treat people of rank!"
His batman paused in the scrubbing. "The Emperor's Children, sir?"
"Yes, the Emperor's Children, you damn fool! Did I say you could stop cleaning?"
"Nossir. Right away sir. It's just I thought the Third Legion were fighting on the other side, sir."
"Nobody's paying to think, man! And help me get my kit on, I feel like inspecting the troops."
Vurger sighed and stood up, helping his commanding officer into the breathing harness and weaponry frames, and moving to fetch his own. He muttered something under his breath. de Quincy whirled on him, bristling with anger.
"Did you just say something, Vurger?"
"Brass Hat, sir. Brass Hat. You've forgotten it." the batman replied, snapping his heels together and gesturing to the onion-domed, spiked lion's helm.
The Satapatis-Baronet snatched it off the table, and slipped it on over the filter hood. "It's not brass, you idiot, it's gold-chased platinum." He stomped off towards the airlock.
"Yessir, sorry sir. I'm sure the enemy will be very impressed."

T.A.S.K. (Technically Augmented Super Killer) is the latest in the long line of military programs for the purpose in creating super soldiers. This particular project involved the blending of cutting edge cybernetics and nanotechnology. Amy Matthews was a former US army paratrooper who was facing a court martial for abandoning her post and going AWOL during a surprise attack on the base she was stationed in Guam by mercenaries led by Micronesia's most dangerous supervillain (the only one actually) Doctor Atoll. She had agreed to participate in the experiment in return for a full pardon.
 
Of course the army didn't mention that roughly 49% of her body would be totally replaced by cybernetic implants. Nor did they told her about the previous eighteen test subjects... Err... volunteers who died horribly when their bodies rejected said implants...
 
The AI in the nanites reacted badly to some of the components as predicted by the scientists. However instead of killing her, Amy's DNA somehow bonded with the nanites, giving her super strength and shapeshifting abilities.
 
Changing the last word of the project's acronym to Knight in a attempt to redeem herself, T.A.S.K. escaped from the laboratory and pursuing a life of doing good deeds...with the entire US Army on her tail.

So, if in fiction there is a war between Earth and the Moon and the earthguys say "you want a piece of me, boy?" the moonguys can say "we already have"?

This exchange I recall from years ago. My younger brother was the DM so you'd have to ask the full details from him. It went something like this...
 
Player: I enter the room, is there any treasure?
DM: There's a chest in the middle of the room
Player: I go open it
DM: She slaps you

Hmmm I'm suddenly reminded of another story. 2nd Edition D&D, the world was vampires and werewolves were warring (later when the numbers of supernatural were so high, if you were human you were potential food...).
 
Anyways, I was playing a druid werewolf. He used his were abilities during fights (depending on the opponents) and shifting when other options arose. Regardless we were fighting an Umberhulk, and my character got hit with confusion. First round, I rolled and could act normally. I told the DM "I turn into a squirrel!"
 
The remainder of the battle I was biting Dan's character (who previously was a vampire, long story on that) but as a squirrel the damage was minimal.
 
HOWEVER since my character was a were, he still had a chance to turn (calculated it was like 5-8%) and he rolled it. Then the DM was pondering over how to do it. "A were-squirrel. Well he would get shorter, and lose strength, but his Dex would go up...". The DM decided he'd just become another werewolf I guess due to the silliness of it all, and Dan was angry because he wanted to be infected by a specific were.
 
 
 
To note Dan had a quirk where he blurted out whatever he was thinking as his action, regardless if it was smart or not, and eventually wrote down on his character sheet 'THINK FIRST', which actually helped him once or twice.
 
One of his random actions occurred while we got ambushed by like 30 bandits (we had a caravan), Dan picked up a handful of crap/manure and started eating it making all the bandits puke (those that managed to somehow save failed on the second round) and everyone outside lost their lunch. The bandit leader finally replied "Alright, maybe we won't rob you..."

Tendril
 
Calvin Wines was one of the good guys. He served his country as a marine for six years, got wounded at war, received medals and honor, and wanted to be back on the field, to help his brothers at arms. The army only permitted him to act as a trainer and recruiter; so he did it till his contract was due. Then he became a security consultant, and was always trying to help people wherever he might go.
One day, he and his team were hired by the Sentinels, as part of their base security, and Calvin relieved in working with superheroes. He deeply wished to become one, to help even more people.
And it happened. After one of the capes missions, Calvin seized  a batttle serum, and took the risk to try it on himself. He became faster, stronger, tougher. He became the Ward, a new born hero, that the Sentinels trained as a stagee. But the serum was demanding, and started to have dangerously draining effects on his body and psyche. Again the Sentinels helped him, and they healed him, destroying any trace of the serum in his cells.
Calvin was devastated to be a normal guy again. But even his friends from the Sentinels couldn't do much for him.
 
And he became bitter, envious, jealous. He worked with them as a physical trainer, and stayed close, hoping something could be done for him. He spied on them, plotted whatever he could to get back his abilities, to no avail.
Till that day, when the team revealed some of an evil plan from King Cobra and COIL organization. Against the superheores advise, Calvin wanted to show them he was still a hero. Of course he got captured. Of course, King Cobra easily detected the poison in his heart and mind, and turned him into one of his minions. The bio-genetical virus turned Calvin into Tendril. Now he was powerful enough again, fast strong and tough, and lethal. That's all he wanted finally : power. The rest of his good personality having been erased by COIL leader virus.

Once you got a Artifical General Intelligence, all those wonderfull "rules" come all back to the Stop Button problem. I actualyl made a thread about someone dicussion actuall AI safty research:
http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/95631-the-insanity-of-trying-to-make-safe-ai/

The INT-challenged brick in our group, upon encountering zombies for the first time:
 
"You called 'em undead?  That's confusin'.  I mean, "un" means "not", right?  So living people are un-dead too, right?  How does anybody know who "undead" is about, then?  It's about everybody, not just zombies.  Why not call 'em "unalive"?  Naw, that don't work, 'cause they's walkin' around, so they's kinda-alive. Plus, everything that ain't alive is unalive, like cars and rocks.  I know!  Used-ta-be-dead!
 
"See, ya'll really need me more for my brain than my muscles.  I'm the only one who can keep this stuff straight."