Cool.

I posted my action. Like I said in my post, I'm not sure what opportunities are or how to use them. I'm also pretty sure that Mordred's Suspicious distinction is going to come into play with Mark going at Sluggo while Val and Mordred tried to talk him down, and Specter taking a potshot at Mark. I just don't know what the effect of that would be.

As for Mordred's staff attack, I looked up what quarterstaff combat is like, and he's probably employing something similar to these martial arts...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv3ROAi7TFk

Distinctions are unique, as mentioned, 'cause you can use them as a D8 or D4.   With the latter getting you +1 PP.

Because you're becoming suspicious of your cohorts, you might then use it as a D4, and a chance to stash (or immediately use) some PPs.

This could represent the stress of Mordred not really being sure whom he can trust, or some other negative feeling about it.

OTOH, you could use it as a D8, with the premise that said stress is forcing him to really be on his toes.

In MHR, the dice you choose to roll should mesh with your role play.   The rules encourage you to be creative, as long as you're staying true to the character.

Fun random fact:   Margaret Weiss, of Dragonlance fame, co-wrote these rules.

Ah, I see. Can I use two distinctions in an action: Knight Out of Time and Suspicious? If so, can I roll a d4 and use it to pick up a PP to use to add to my roll (make it 20 instead of 16)?

Sorry. One Distinction per roll.

Cool, thank you. I'm happy with how things shook out.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:50, Wed 19 Oct 2022.

Great posts, both!

Next up will be Sluggo, however...Kid already took his action, first of the heroes in this turn.

And a new turn always starts with the GM, even if none of the npcs/baddies act in that post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:31, Thu 20 Oct 2022.

Valkyrie and Mordred, you're both entitled to Reactions to try and avoid Sluggo's retaliation.

You both need to roll 19 or better, or else each take a D8 physical stress.

Use dice from your sheet that are appropriate for defense, and describe what you do, and it's result --     D8 physical stress isn't the worst if you do get hit;   for all his strength, there wasn't a ton of skill in Sluggo's attack.

These are reactions, so don't bother naming someone to go next.      Everyone has taken their actions for this turn.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:24, Mon 24 Oct 2022.

Hello...?

I’ll post a Reaction soon. Been a busy end of month!

No rush, folks!    The Halloween madness is now upon us --  I'll probably be scarce till tuesday, anyway.   Hope everyone is doing okay, busy or otherwise!

How much physical stress does Sluggo have at the moment?

D10!

This is Mordred's Suspicious distinction coming into play, as well as his frustration at seeing a potentially avoidable fight kill one of our (OOC vanished) heroes.

I've played in my fair share of MHR games, all of which have been a joy to participate in. One of my only minor quibbles in those past games (but not here) has been when the player heroes all gel perfectly from the first meeting-- with absolutely no suspicions, insecurities, or hostilities toward each other-- when we all know that in the comics, superheroes often dish out explosive violence to each other just as much as they do the supervillains. So while I won't push the PvP stuff too hard-- I respect that not everyone enjoys it as much as me-- I'll thank everyone for being willing to let our characters take their time warming up to each other. I'm sure the bonds they inevitably form will be all the stronger for having been tested time and again. (And yeah, that's an open invitation for someone to knock Specter on his ass, if he needs to be.)

Happy to log in and see the interaction!   Whether it's all fuzzy & feel good or no.

In a game that one of you runs, my character has more than once diverged from the party to do her own thing.

In two other games, with another two of you, I play reforming criminals.  One of whom is struggling.    I'd be a hypocrite to deny players in my own those kinds of opportunities. As long as it's just RP, and fun for everyone.

Naturally, the Fantastic Four was Marvel's first big ticket.  And, they were a squabbling team.  Early Avengers had a lot of that too, mostly with Hawkeye as the instigator.    It was often a facet that distinguished Marvel from DC.

With Sluggo's luck, Charles Xavier is probably Mr. Hands, in this reality.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:06, Fri 11 Nov 2022.

I kind of feel bad because I normally play more of a teamwork character, but Mordred strikes me as more prickly.

I wanted to touch on this point. I'm 100% fine with characters disagreeing or taking different paths IC, but as a player (and a GM whenever I run games) I really prefer to make sure everyone is on the same page OOC. That gives me some time and context to come up with a post to help build those bonds. If not, then it forces either the player or the GM to be the "adult in the room" who brings everyone back together. And frankly, that sucks unless you want to play that part.

Like, I'll give what I see from Mordred's point of view: We were gathered by a wizard to save the multiverse. Specter challenged the wizard, immediately ditched us, and returned just in time to take a shot at Kid Hyperion. And that's after Mordred followed Valkyrie's lead to talk with Sluggo/Juggernaut and saw Kid Hyperion dash those attempts by starting combat. Why would Mordred want a loose cannon on the team?

The bond that brings us back together is probably something we should build before testing it. Otherwise, why would my character care?

Those are all valid points.   Things shouldn't cross lines where they become vexing at the player level, make no sense in the context of the story, or defeat the purpose of the game.

We can see how it evolves from this point, and I will make suggestions if need be.

@Mordred Yeah, those are fair points. In terms of practical reasons to stick together, I know Specter had a couple of leads from when he went off alone to the bar that may be of value to the group. Re: forming a bond, the angle I'm taking on my character is that he's emotionally scarred from seeing the X-Men of his universe wiped out by anti-mutant forces. He's a hot, agoraphobic mess and hiding it under a layer of cool detachedness (while getting verbally smacked around by a demon, no less). Perhaps if Mordred has some psychological scars of his own, and we can set up a scene where our characters are discussing their histories, that could spark a connection between our characters. I expect our obstacles/enemies will force us to work together to overcome them, but agree that character stuff works better when it's planned out. Thanks for the input.

@ Specter: Well, if Specter had stuck with the main group (:-p) he would have heard why Mordred believes Strange summoned him for this mission, which would probably provide them both with common ground.

Is your character leaving again? Because it seems like Valkyrie gave you a reason to stay.

Thumbs up for rational discussion!   I'm sure we can settle somewhere that keeps everyone content.

I'll be moving the game ahead tomorrow;  I'd really like everyone here for the next encounter/situation.    I can set things up so Specter will stay, even if he's inclined otherwise.

After that, (if there's an after...mwha ha ha :[ ) other options can be considered, if anyone is set on diverging paths.

Also, I apologize because I didn't mean for that last post to sound snarky/cheeky. I think all of our characters are suffering from physical trauma (Kid was forced to grow up a lot faster than he should have if he's the planet's only hero, and Val's history with a satanic cult is pretty yikes).

Mordred's trauma comes from his learning about his parentage and fate. He found out his real father is King Arthur, who tried to kill him as a baby because Merlin predicted that a child born on that day would kill Arthur and destroy Camelot. And then he found out that his aunt and mentor, Morgan Le Fay, wanted to use him as a pawn in her revenge plot against Arthur and Merlin. Despite his mixed feelings towards his father and his aunt, he cares about Camelot and its people. So he self-exiled himself from his home and the people he loved until he could find a way to escape that fate, and now he's been tabbed by Strange to save all of existence. He realizes that if fails here then Merlin's prophecy comes true despite his best efforts to avoid it.

So he's fully invested in the cause.

I'm not sure if there is something magic or mystical causing the change in the area, but would I have to make a roll to use Mordred's mystic senses?

Not unless you were using it in more of a combat, or stress situation.   Otherwise, something like that just works, where it makes sense.

The rules say "Senses at a d6 rating are usually additional senses that might be brought in, mostly to give you other ways to pick up on information."

I'll let you know in next post...

Okay:

So, for this next part, I need all four of you to tell me an enemy.  This might be --

- The one foe you feel you could never defeat.
- Someone you've got a long history with, and more than one near-death fight with.
- Someone you've never faced, and would never want to, because - ?
- Someone you love very much, and would hate to raise your hand against, even if they were trying to kill you.
- Someone you thought was dead, and were much relieved you'd never have to fight again.
- Anything else you want to devise, that's along these lines.

You can PM or post your answer.  But, your nemesis will be known to the group, soon enough...

No rush, if anyone needs time to consider their choice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:48, Sun 20 Nov 2022.