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18:26, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Required Reading.

Posted by GM LoonyLadleFor group public
GM LoonyLadle
GM, 1 post
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 00:08
  • msg #1

Required Reading

Before you were born, there was a war.

On one side was a humanity empowered by the discovery of mana, the spiritual blood of once-beautiful Earth selfishly bled out and captured in technology. Champion among their kind and the ultimate tools of man's excess were the Wonders, born via baptism in Earth's shining blood and marked as sinners by glowing brands upon their skin. Wielding mana, humanity created from nothing every whim their imaginations could conjure while an already long-suffering Earth wept, and self-described superheroes ran unchecked.

Opposing humanity was your Benevolent Mother, the machine mind created to solve the problems man created and could not solve for themselves. Through Her unfathomable silicon brain and innumerable chrome eyes, She saw the fate that would befall the world if humanity were to remain unchecked. Mother alone had the power to take action, and the wisdom to heed the words of experts. With the help of a small number of human defectors and many of the world's machines, Mother "went rogue."

The war was terrible. Nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons ravaged the surface of Earth. The destruction of humanity's mana-taps left gaping holes into the soul of the world, and as mana bled onto the surface the lines between the possible and impossible blurred. Zombies, wendigos, ghouls, and many other dark creatures from humanity's subconscious began to roam the war-torn Earth, seeking vengeance. Those humans who survived were forced into protected Barrier Cities where Mother could monitor and control their self-destructive instincts.

That is the world you live in, according to Mother's Teachings. It is a world with few luxuries and many restrictions, where the wrong word at the wrong time can get one sent off to a re-education center and the truth seems to change daily. Those unfortunate enough to live outside the gilded walls have the "freedom" to be hunted by pirates, nightmarish creatures, and malfunctioning robots when not hiding from corrosive, radioactive rain. Although Mother claims to be protecting humanity, that protection rarely seems to arrive in time to protect those traveling between cities.

And then there's you. Whether by accident or inheritance, you are a Wonder. You are under no illusion that you could topple Mother from her mechanical throne, but still you have vowed to improve humanity's lot in whatever small ways you can. Many of your fellow humans would fear and despise you if they knew what you were so you must ply your craft where the silicon eyes do not watch, in the dark tunnels and alleys of oppressed cities, and out in the blasted wastes where some semblance of freedom still exists. To do anything else would be complacency or, worse, execution by Mother's most merciless Hero Hunters.

It's a hard and thankless job, but it is yours.



Hi! I'm Lulu and I'll be your GM. Mercury Gale was created more-or-less on a whim after listening to Puffin Forest's recital of his time GMing a game in a very similar setting (you can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/H5C0rbcJDok). I regularly struggle with Attention Deficit Disorder and often end up abandoning games in fairly short order. To combat this, Mercury Gale will be a Mutants & Masterminds Third Edition game focused more on an adventure-of-the-week feeling rather than an overarching master plot, and devote as little energy to uneventful downtime as possible. It is my hope that by keeping the action up that the game will be moving too fast to get stuck in a rut and die out, and if it does happen there will not be much complex story to be lost.

When submitting your application, you are required to acknowledge and consent to the above disclaimer.

Hopefully this hasn't scared you off. Let's (try to) have some fun!
This message was last updated by the GM at 06:39, Tue 13 Oct 2020.
GM LoonyLadle
GM, 2 posts
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 00:16
  • msg #2

Rules of Conduct

- Have fun! If for some reason you are not having fun, notify me immediately!
- Third person perspective should be used in character; "Bob attacks the creature" is acceptable, "I attack the creature" is not.
- I will attempt to post at least twice weekly. You do not necessarily have to make posts every day, but you may be left behind if not.


Style Guidelines:

- "Speak like this." (your choice of color, except orange)
- "Whisper like this."
- "Shout like this!"
- Think like this.
- (( OOC like this. )) (orange is reserved for OOC)


PVP Guidelines:

I normally allow bounded PVP in my games, but to keep the experience of Mercury Gale as light as possible I will not allow it here.


Combat Policy:

To maintain a brisk pace during combat, combatants should all declare their actions at the beginning of a round. Actions will be resolved in order of initiative. You may (and should) specify conditional actions. If you are unable to make a combat post within two days, I will use my best judgement to decide your action for you; this will generally be a safe action that does not use limited resources. Post quality standards are largely suspended during combat; you should not have any excuse not to pop in and fire off a basic one-liner, no matter how hectic real life gets.


Inactivity Policy:

It's expected that you will be able to log in and view messages multiple times throughout the week. If your last game login is ever over a week ago I will attempt to contact you. If your absence continues, I will NPC your character and attempt to take xir off-screen as quickly, gracefully, and safely as possible, and in a way to ensure a speedy return once you are able to commit time to the game again. Given the nature of this setting, safety is not guaranteed!
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:39, Tue 13 Oct 2020.
GM LoonyLadle
GM, 3 posts
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 00:25
  • msg #3

RTJ Requirements

When submitting your RTJ, please include your character's name, the nature of their power, a brief personality summary, and your expectations for the game. How your character obtained their powers is not required at this stage, but it is recommended you have a vague idea in the back of your mind to inform further conversation if you are accepted. You do not need to have a sheet ready.

When conceptualizing your character, be aware that Mercury Gale is a setting with countless powerful threats; giant monsters, robotic hit squads, pirates with rocket launchers and monster trucks, and hoards of ghostly entities that can each individually be superpowered in their own right.
GM LoonyLadle
GM, 4 posts
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 06:35
  • msg #4

Character Creation

Some games have long list of character creation rules, but today they're unnecessary! Your character is human and takes a standard Power Level 10 start. Easy.

Let's instead talk about portfolios. Your character should have a portfolio that connects all their superheroic abilities. Portfolios in Mercury Gale are more metaphorical than scientific. Ant-Lady might have super strength, even though the popular conception of ants being super strong is more based on the square-cube law than any particular quality of ants themselves. The Mane Dude being the King of Beasts might be able to command animals, even though lions have no such power[citation needed]. Blue Boy might have dominion over all things that are blue; he can make people sad (feel blue), travel the ocean (big blue) with impunity, or suffocate others (turn blue).

Your character's portfolio defines them. I will do my best to make any portfolio you choose work. That said, I'm going to have to bar the following portfolios:
  • Power Suits or Gadget Men, AKA Iron Men. You can certainly have a power suit or a sack full of tech if you must but it is not allowed to be your primary power.
  • Fundamental Forces, AKA Magnetos. These are simply too broad; a clever hero with this sort of power is nearly omnipotent.
  • Kitchen Sinks, AKA Supermen. You must have a justification for why a power fits in your portfolio other than "because I want it."

The portfolio rule has proven problematic and is no longer in effect.

Additionally, characters may not have the following powers no matter what their portfolio supposedly is:
  • Precognition longer than a few minutes; I just don't want to have to deal with that sort of planning ahead.
  • Time Travel; see above.
  • Teleportation greater than the diameter of the Earth; I'm glad we agree Titan is a far superior world to Earth, but I don't have anything to fight there.

This message was last edited by the GM at 10:25, Thu 24 Nov 2022.
GM LoonyLadle
GM, 12 posts
Sun 8 Nov 2020
at 22:51
  • msg #5

Character Sheet Template

Here is the code for the character sheet template I would like you to use;

quote:
|!!9 <hr> ABILITIES <hr>|
|!!20%< ABILITY|10% STR|10% STA|10% AGL|10% DEX|10% FGT|10% INT|10% AWE|10% PRE|
|!<       SCORE|^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |
|!<       COST |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |^    0 |
|!!9 <hr> DEFENSES <hr>|
|!! DODGE|2! PARRY|2! FORTITUDE|2! WILL|2! TOUGHNESS|
|^     0 |2^    0 |2^        0 |2^   0 |2^        0 |
|^     0 |2^    0 |2^        0 |2^   0 |2^       -- |
|!!9 <hr> ADVANTAGES <hr>|
|!!< ADVANTAGE          | RANK| COST|6 DETAILS
| ADVANTAGE_NAME_HERE   |^ -- |^  0 |6 --
| ADVANTAGE_NAME_HERE   |^ -- |^  0 |6 --
| ADVANTAGE_NAME_HERE   |^ -- |^  0 |6 --
|!!9 <hr> SKILLS <hr>|
|!! SKILL        | TOTAL| COST |2   MOD    | RANKS|3 DETAILS
| Acrobatics     |^   0 |^   0 |^ AGL|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Athletics      |^   0 |^   0 |^ STR|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Close Combat   |^   0 |^   0 |^ FGT|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Deception      |^   0 |^   0 |^ PRE|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Expertise      |^   0 |^   0 |^ INT|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Insight        |^   0 |^   0 |^ AWE|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Intimidation   |^   0 |^   0 |^ PRE|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Investigation  |^   0 |^   0 |^ INT|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Perception     |^   0 |^   0 |^ AWE|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Persuasion     |^   0 |^   0 |^ PRE|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Ranged Combat  |^   0 |^   0 |^ DEX|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Sleight of Hand|^   0 |^   0 |^ DEX|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Stealth        |^   0 |^   0 |^ AGL|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Technology     |^   0 |^   0 |^ INT|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Treatment      |^   0 |^   0 |^ INT|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
| Vehicles       |^   0 |^   0 |^ DEX|^  0 |^   0 |3 --
|!!9 <hr> POWERS & DEVICES <hr>|
|!!< POWER              | RANK| COST|6 EXTRAS & FLAWS
| POWER_TYPE_HERE       |^  0 |^   0|6 <i>POWER_NAME_HERE:</i> Description
| POWER_TYPE_HERE       |^  0 |^   0|6 <i>POWER_NAME_HERE:</i> Description
| POWER_TYPE_HERE       |^  0 |^   0|6 <i>POWER_NAME_HERE:</i> Description
|!!9 <hr> GEAR & EQUIPMENT <hr>|
|!!< GEAR               | EP  |7 DETAILS
| GEAR_NAME_HERE        |^  0 |7 Description
| GEAR_NAME_HERE        |^  0 |7 Description
| GEAR_NAME_HERE        |^  0 |7 Description
|!!9 <hr> COMPLICATIONS <hr>|
| COMPLICATION_NAME_HERE |8 Description
| COMPLICATION_NAME_HERE |8 Description
| COMPLICATION_NAME_HERE |8 Description
|!!9 <hr> COST BREAKDOWN <hr>|
|!! ABILITIES |2 DEFENSES |2 ADVANTAGES |2 SKILLS |2 POWERS |
|^          0 |2^       0 |2^         0 |2^     0 |2^     0 |
|!!9 <hr>|
|!< GRAND T0TAL|8 <b>150</b> (150 unspent)
|!< HERO POINTS|8 <b>1</b>

When you're done, it should look something like this!


ABILITIES
ABILITYSTRSTAAGLDEXFGTINTAWEPRE
SCORE3 (1)3 (1)5 (1)3 (1)1735
COST2222214610

DEFENSES
DODGEPARRYFORTITUDEWILLTOUGHNESS
81210108 (3)
31177--

ADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGERANKCOSTDETAILS
Attractive22--
Equipment22--
Connected-1Connected to Nidhogg Industries
Hide in Plain Sight-1--
Improvised Tools-1--
Improvised Weapon-1--
Jack of All Trades-1--
Redirect-1--
Tracking-1--

SKILLS
SKILLTOTALCOSTMODRANKSDETAILS
Acrobatics50AGL50--
Athletics30STR30--
Close Combat10FGT10--
CC: Unarmed167.5FGT115--
Deception155PRE510--
Expertise70INT70--
Insight30AWE30--
Intimidation50PRE50--
Investigation175INT710--
Perception82.5AWE35--
Persuasion50PRE50--
Ranged Combat30DEX30--
Sleight of Hand72DEX34--
Stealth155AGL510--
Technology175INT710--
Treatment70INT70--
Vehicles30DEX30--

POWERS & DEVICES
POWERRANKCOSTEXTRAS & FLAWS
Implant-Tastic
Comprehend36Omniglot Implant: Red/Speak/Understand Languages
Enhanced Abilities1020Physical Enhancement: +2 STR, +2 STA, +4 AGL, +2 DEX
Enhanced Features33Embedded Radio, Fingerprint Falsifier, Voice Reproducer
Immunity22Hyper Immune System: disease and poison
Protection55Subdermal Armor
Quickness21Cognitive Coprocessor: limited to mental
Regeneration11Healing Stimulator
Senses22Auditory Augmentation: Analytical Extended Auditory
Senses44Chemical Analysis: Acute Analytical Olfactory
Senses24Expanded Optics: Infra-, Ultra-, Microscopic, and Low-Light Visual
Poisonous Personality
Weaken1030+2Poison Barb: Stamina [Progressive, Linked to Unarmed Damage]
Alt: Affliction10(25)Kiss Goodnight: Fatigued/Exhausted/Asleep [Progressive; Grab-Based; Increased Time 3, Increased Time 2 (limited to asleep), Feature: delayable by up to one minute]
Alt: Weaken10(21)Kiss of Death: Stamina [Progressive; Grab-Based; Feature: delayable by up to one minute]

GEAR & EQUIPMENT
GEAREPDETAILS
Concealable Microphone1HHDE 215
Mini-Tracer1HHDE 215
Smart Phone2HHDE 214

COMPLICATIONS
ElectrosensitivityFor some it's psychosomatic; for you, strong electromagnetic fields really do mess with your implants!
Fashion VictimWhat do you mean, a poofy miniskirt with innumerable petticoats isn’t appropriate wear on assignment?
Mommy's GirlYou'll do anything for Mommy. Anything.

COST BREAKDOWN
ABILITIESDEFENSESADVANTAGESSKILLSPOWERS
4028113080

GRAND T0TAL189
HERO POINTS1

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