So, how much regarding the Spider-Cast is set in stone? Like, if the would-be villains are actually reasonable or reached early enough, can they be prevented from going full villain or would it just be "a friend of mine until they turned evil"?
Like there's Otto and maybe Cindy as potential villains, Eddie Brock can't really do much without effectively gaining powers.
I think I'll keep it pretty open-ended. If you want to keep a particular guy from going down the wrong path, you should be able to make an attempt. But that doesn't mean the villain goes away - it'll be someone else, someone who you haven't been paying attention.
I think I'll keep it pretty open-ended. If you want to keep a particular guy from going down the wrong path, you should be able to make an attempt. But that doesn't mean the villain goes away - it'll be someone else, someone who you haven't been paying attention.
Hmm, for the more animal-themed villains, one could basically say "You stopped that man from becoming the villain- but you didn't stop the villain altogether." Though I'm not sure what quasi-mystical/metaphysical reason would be behind, say, Sandman still happening without Flint Marko.
Hmm, for the more animal-themed villains, one could basically say "You stopped that man from becoming the villain- but you didn't stop the villain altogether." Though I'm not sure what quasi-mystical/metaphysical reason would be behind, say, Sandman still happening without Flint Marko.
Well, of the many Marvel continuities, often things happen similarly even in alternate universe. Time favours its original course, could be the explanation.
Wasn't thinking about Sandman, tbh, more of the people close by. You can't affect Flint Marko, from becoming Sandman - you don't even know the guy. And even if you did, why would you care?
Wasn't thinking about Sandman, tbh, more of the people close by. You can't affect Flint Marko, from becoming Sandman - you don't even know the guy. And even if you did, why would you care?
Really more of an example, of making a distinction between Animal-Totems and "normal" people. Like, there are literal supernatural entities going around making Spider-Heroes/Villains. So... blame it on the cosmic deities making sure there will be a Doc Ock/Sandman/Green Goblin/etc so the resident Spiders have others to fight?
@asphaltus I know we could stop someone from becoming a supervillain. But, what about making someone become a Superhero? I mean we have the technology focus. I'm sure, we could build some gadgets to at the very least make someone a sidekick.
More of a cosmic multiverse alignment thing - that in each universe in which a Spider-man exists, there'd be a tendency to have similar villains - Ock, Goblin, Venom, Vulture, Chameleon, Mysterio - in lesser or greater forms.
@Totadileplayz I hadn't thought of that. I won't rule it out, but I'll definitely wait on it for a while.
If you're introducing sidekicks, then their dynamic must be explored fully. You'd want them to be their own characters, and there has to be some drama going between the mentor and the mentee. There's also the fear of them going rogue, whether simply not cut out for hero job/value system misalignment/ killed by the Joker. Really, sidekicks open up a lot of plots and require some planning. I'm not averse to the idea, but I'll put it off until everyone's given it some consideration and there is some sort of consensus.
Interludes are an aside from the main story, to show things from a different perspective. In this quest, they also have the added application of adding FATE POINTS.
Fate Points are the narrative conceits that super-hero or villains get to use to show off. In a story, every character has a narrative momentum. The addition of interludes and fate points are meant to represent the narrative momentum of the character in question.
Fate Points for Interludes do not strictly get used by the character per se – they are used by me, the QM for that character's behalf. Fate Points can also be transferred if they are defeated/killed (only applicable to NPCs). A Character has to use Fate Point in order to intentionally kill another important NPC character.
2. Stats, Skills, Talents and How the Quest Works
The quest has three main axes of approach – Physical, Social and Mental. The physical and social are easy to see – you use them to beat people up with fists/words. The mental axis is a bit more subtle. It works behind the scenes, giving a boost to the other two (and also magic).
Stats are the most basic, broad and raw way of bettering your approach. If you increase a stat, it means an extra dice for all the skills governed by it. The bonus affects a lot of things, but not anything in particular.
Skills are a little more focused than stats, and hence are cheaper. Picking up a skill is easy – improving it is harder. But if you find yourself using a particular skill very often, it is worth it. Upgrading a skill will generally mean replacing a d8 with a d12 – and the faces of the new die is overall better. It also unlocks and increases the chances of Triumphs (Critical Success) which you want a lot of.
Talents have three uses –
Unlock specific manuevers/moves/actions for Physical, Social and Mental conflict.
Sub-skills for some skills.
Add some kind of modifiers in a particular situation.
It may seem a little counter-intuitive – are you saying you can't jump over a guy's head without a talent, even if my AGILITY is 4 and Athleticism is 3? Well, you could, but you have to pass a skill check. Having it as a Talent means you've got the move down properly it's like second nature, with guaranteed bonuses.
In social conflict, talents are there to help tailor your argument to your strong skills, exchanging stats, forcing gambits and whatnot.
In other cases, Talents work as a sub-tree for complex skills. For example, the Talent Arcane Knowledge adds 2 success to any Knowledge: Esoteric check, is like a sub-skill for Knowledge skill.
In mental/magical combat, talents are even more important – you have to get them to power up your magic and unlock new moves.
It was at dinner-time when Flash decided to broach the topic. "Mom, about the tutoring thing…" He paused, wanting to be as diplomatic as possible. "I'm not going to do it."
"Eat your dinner, Eugene." She gave him the look and changed the topic, her usual tactic when didn't want to hear him out. Timmy snickered quietly; he always enjoyed his brother's misfortune. Jessie and Dad glanced around to take stock of the situation and then decided to stay out of it.
He waited a while before starting again. "I'm serious, mom. I'm busy with stuff, and my grades aren't that bad. Mr. Paxton has already agreed to give me a B if I submit the assignments by Friday. You didn't have to ask Parker – I'm fine on my own."
"Eat your vegetables, Timmy. You don't want me to take away the gamebox, do you?"
She was ignoring him. "Mom?"
"Jessica, don't use your phone at the table. How many times have I told you that?"
"Mom!"
"What?"
Her voice made him wince, but he wasn't going to back down. "I'm going to tell Parker I canceled." He declared.
"You will do no such thing!" She banged her hand on the table. Everyone fell quiet – he had gone ahead and done it. "Now, you listen to me, Eugene, about what's going to happen. I've already asked, and therefore, you're going to go. You will learn from him, and you will pass your classes. You will make no excuses, and don't even dare think of ditching. I will ask, and I will know."
"But mom, I don't -"
"No! Do you want to fail, be a bum? Because that's what will happen if you don't – and I'm not ready to let that happen!" She banged again. "Dear," Dad placated, but she shook him off. "No! Don't you dare! Do you know much of an embarrassment you are? What people say about you in the neighborhood?" Her fingers gripped the spoon so hard they appeared bloodless. "What they say about me?"
"Mom, I –"
"No!" She cried. "You don't know, because you don't care! All of them – look down on me! 'Nelly is a wonderful pianist', 'Peter just won a science competition', 'Esha is acing her classes', and what do I have to say? My boy broke his arm playing baseball, and he's been a failure ever since?"
He blinked. The words cut through him, and the pain was immediately overwhelming. A bitter heat rose within him. It was hard to breathe, and his vision swam for a few seconds. The heart drowned all other sounds; he was alone and drowning.
"I'm a failure?" He repeated. "Is th-that what you think of me?" He had trouble speaking; his tongue had suddenly gone dry.
"Oh, don't act all innocent now! You don't think I know what you do? Drinking, smoking, hanging out with criminals – and you think I wouldn't know? There are pictures, Eugene! I'm not blind!" She was crying now. Dad took her hand and comforted her. They were all silent; Flash said nothing. She thought he was a failure. He didn't know why the words hurt so much, but it did.
"Peter's a good kid." His mom spoke after sometime, wiping away her tears. "I've asked many, but he's the only one who agreed. Even though he hesitated, he said yes." She sniffled. "He'll be a good influence on you. I know you've had your differences – but you can make it up now. Learn from him, Eugene."
Because you're a failure on your own. She left those words unsaid. He couldn't stand it any longer.
"I'll be in my room." Eugene got up and left.
******
A League of His Own KyleDann
Eugene Thompson is a 7th grader at Auburn Junior High, and his favorite sport is baseball. He has always been a fan of the sport, he says, and wants to go pro someday.
Those dreams may not be far off, after the match at Forest Meadow on Saturday. Eugene pitched 54 perfect balls, a complete shutout, and led his team to a historic win against the Orcas. His fastballs were a record 55 mph, a number which didn't dip even at the end.
"He's always been fast – the first time he threw a ball, it flashed right past me. I actually had to teach him to slow down." His coach, Daniel Caruthers continued on his praise for the boy.
Eugene is a resident of Forest Hills and has been playing since four. His dad, Harrison, a veteran NYPD detective, was the one who introduced him to the sport.
The newspaper clipping was framed by his bed. They had been proud of him then; a reminder of better days. He wanted to go pro. He was good at the sport. He loved playing it. And he paid the price for it. And just like that, it was over.
At least they hadn't come to talk down to him. He was grateful for that. He needed time to think. His own mother thought that he was a failure; that Parker was better than him. It was obvious in hindsight – Parker was the brilliant wunderkind, the golden child, perfect in every form. And he – well, it was absurd to compare. That was it, wasn't it?
My boy broke his arm, and has been a failure ever since.
So that's the way it was. How come he had never realized it?
When had it happened, again? What day was it? There had to be a moment when the damage was too much. A moment where things could've been better if he had stopped. A moment where things could've been different. The desire to know overwhelmed him. Which game had it been? Which pitch was it?
It didn't matter. He had failed, and that was all it took. Nothing else mattered in their eyes. Now he was going to be the failure forever. No, that wasn't right. He had been the failure he lost – he simply hadn't known. Mom had made it clear today. The world preferred Parker over him.
Fuck. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
********
Hope it wasn't a lame surprise. Here's your 1st interlude. Flash Thompson gets one fate point. His relationship with Peter is set to Unfriendly.
... So, Flash as a Potential Villain if we screw up somewhere? Hmm, unless the Venom Symbiote is the full on "malicious and evil" version, we could not reject the symbiote and have them go full yandere. Alien space goo is Best Girl. /semi-joking
But that just means his Potential Villain Identity isn't immediately obvious. Hmm...
... So, Flash as a Potential Villain if we screw up somewhere? Hmm, unless the Venom Symbiote is the full on "malicious and evil" version, we could not reject the symbiote and have them go full yandere. Alien space goo is Best Girl. /semi-joking
But that just means his Potential Villain Identity isn't immediately obvious. Hmm...
Aunt Rosie truly was a force to be reckoned with. Peter hadn't expected him to show up, but he did. "You really came."
"Shut the fuck up." Flash flopped down on a chair. "And let's get on with this shitshow."
Peter saw Jean's eye twitch in surprise. Should've told her about this guy. No, this is better. You can tell him to stop cursing and assert yourself. Jean will be impressed, Flash will be intimidated. This is your time. You can do it. It'll work out perfectly.
"What?" Flash glared.
"You're right, let's get on with it."Or maybe I won't. "Jean, this is my friend, Flash. Flash, Jean."
"What's up?" he said.
"Right," Jean replied.
Jean-104 has shot down Flash-1! Completely destroyed in a matter of seconds! "We're not here to chat – nobody wants to waste any time." Peter smoothed things over. YES! YES, YES, YES! TAKE THAT! "So I was thinking – we'll go through Physics first, cause that's the subject you both have in common. After that, she can leave, and we'll work through the others. Okay?"
"Sounds good to me," Jean said.
"Alright." Flash slouched back.
She said three more words to me than him. Life is good. "So, where should we start?" Peter spoke with a broad smile. "I was thinking about starting where you guys messed up in the tests, fixing that, and then moving on to the other topics which you have problems with. Sounds good?"
"Right."
"Wait a sec – how far ahead are you?" Jean was perplexed.
"I took that course in my freshman year." Peter boasted a little. "I know it all."
"I thought you took Environmental Studies last year?"
"No. I took three science subjects last year – ES was just one of them." The declaration was met with silence. "What?"
"… How many subjects did you take last year?"
"Ten. Well, three were semester-based, so it was just seven at a time."
That was met with further silence. Jean simply shook her head; clearly, she was seeing him in a new light. (Hopefully, the light looked good on him). Then Flash decided to burst his bubble. "Alright, you've proven you're the Nerd King of New York City. Can we move on?"
Well, at least I'm not the loser man … from loser…ville.
...I need to work on my insults. Maybe's there's a book out there. "Okay, enough talk. Let's begin."
******
"No, you're doing it wrong – you are supposed to multiply the vectors here."
"Isn't that too complicated?"
"Well, it wouldn't be a 5-point question otherwise."
"I see…"
"Sorry to interrupt – but what's vector?"
*******
"When you have the acceleration at the beginning, and you have the speed at the end, it's easy to find the distance and time."
"…Uh, how?"
"Acceleration is constant, and the initial speed is zero. That is enough data – now you got to simply plug them in the formula."
"Ah, that's right."
"So… this t1 and t2 are they different or same?"
*******
"G is not the same as little g."
"I know."
"I know you know. I just said it."
"I knew it before too."
"Because I said it earlier. Didn't I say it earlier?"
"…"
I said it three times already."
"Right."
"Repeat it with me. That's how you will remember."
"No – I'm not gonna -"
"Repeat it!"
*******
"No, Allie's the name of the brother – the sister's Phoebe."
"Ah… that's what got me. I thought with a name like that, it had to be a girl."
"Or, radical idea… you could've read the book."
"Nah, it'll be fine. I'll watch the movie."
"…There's no movie for this one, Flash."
"…You serious?"
"…"
"Dammit!"
*******
"Okay, pretty good, but you made a mistake. ΔABD is not the same as ΔADB."
"Uh… come again, chief?"
"It's not the same triangle, okay?"
"What? No! Look at it. It's the same!"
"The order which you write it matters, alright?"
"This is bullshit. What the fuck? It's the same triangle!"
"It's not."
"It is."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It's not."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"WHO MADE THIS BULLSHIT!?"
*******
"To be fair, they did give us several warnings," Peter spoke as they walked out of the library. "Still, it's amazing they actually kicked us out. Never happened to me before."
Flash had his bag slung over his shoulder, and he looked a lot less jovial. "Right."
"What?" Peter asked.
"Tell me the truth – what are my chances?"
"You've some ways to go, but –"
"I'm fucked, right?"
"Well…"
"Just say yes or no, will you?"
"Okay. Yeah."
Peter didn't want to be the one to say it, but now that Flash had thrown it out there, he sort of had to agree. The guy had slept through everything - he had spent most of his time explaining the basics rather than actual important stuff.
"Listen – I've got a favor to ask," Flash said softly. He looked disheartened. Peter had never seen him like that before.
"Just… help me pass, okay?" He reluctantly spoke.
"What do you mean? That's what I am doing."
"No – you're trying to get me to learn, something I'm no good at."He shrugged his shoulders, trying to shake off whatever he was feeling. "I just wanna pass. You know the usual questions right – let's focus on that, and see how the dice shakes out. What do you say?"
Peter sort of understood his appeal. Test-taking skills were different from actual knowledge. If he gave up teaching and just focused on getting Flash to pass, he would definitely have a better result overall. But he wouldn't be learning – there would be no understanding. Of course, that guarantee didn't exist in teaching him either – but wasn't that the point of education? They were supposed to learn new things, not just pass tests. Weren't they?
"I'll consider it," Peter said.
ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ Midtown High, Afterschool
"Ah, you wanted to see me, Mr. Flannigan?"
"Right. Come in, Peter. Take a seat."
The office was small, and the cluttered desk took most of the space. Mr. Flannigan, Peter's guidance counselor, sat behind it with an unflattering mustache and a beaming smile.
"What's this about?" Peter asked.
"Oh, you know, about your future." The chair croaked as he leaned forward. "I was worried, you know – what with your loss and all, but you've proven yourself to be very resilient." He paused, giving Peter the chance to speak, but continued on when he didn't. "So I thought, now that you're getting back into the swing of things if you'd like to join a club. If you're comfortable with it, of course. No pressure."
"I quit the Acadeca team. I don't think they'll want me to back." He shifted in his seat. Academic Decathlon had made him a trivia machine, and he didn't want to show off just for the sake of it.
"Well, yes, but there are other clubs who are willing to take new members even now. I've talked to a few of them and made a list for you." He slid forward a sheet.
"The Robotics Club looks good," Peter commented as he scanned the list.
"It is, but don't discount the others." He folded his hands in front of him. "Peter - you've already proven yourself brilliant academically. Colleges will like that. But they also prefer someone… more rounded, you know? And having different experiences outside of your comfort zone will help you grow."
"So… the School newspaper. Fashion. World debate. And Peer leaders."
"Newspaper club's good. They're always looking for new members, it's flexible scheduling, and you'll have no lack of variety there. Fashion is new, but they're planning a lot of things, and it never hurts to know how to sew. World debate – Mr. Engel's pet project. You'll be representing countries, arguing policies… I didn't understand it all, but he was very inspired. Peer leaders – helping out your fellow students, organizing events with alumni and under and upperclassmen, tutoring your peers… uh, why what's wrong? "
"No, nothing." He gave a weak chuckle. "The last one sounds like a tough job."
"They all are. But as I said – it's worth it."
"So you're not recommending anything?"
"No. I want you to choose for yourself – something you like to do. And…" He reached into his drawer and pulled out another sheet of paper. "Because I know you like extra work – here's another list for your consideration."
"What's this?"
"Well, every year we get applications for new clubs. These are the ones that are stuck in limbo as they don't have any members. If you like any of them – well, you can meet with the people, and try to form it." He leaned back. "It will take work, sure. You'll have to step up, get members, and inspire people. But it will be a very valuable experience for you, more than the others. Being a leader is not for everyone, but you, Peter… I think you have it what it takes to be one."
"…Wow. You're really selling this, aren't you?"
That got him to laugh out loud. "No, I won't force you. But don't you see? You already have a flair for it. So if it interests you, meet and hear them out."
"Sure, Mr. Flannigan." Peter nodded as he turned to leave. "And thanks for the vote of confidence."
ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ
Home, Night.
Peter had a lot to consider.
ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ
Peter has 3 exp.
About Flash…
[X] [FLASH] Peter agreed to just get him to pass.
[] [FLASH] Peter was going to teach him everything.
About Clubs
Peter decided to join one of the existing clubs.
[] [CLUB] Robotics Club
[] [CLUB] Newspaper Club
[X] [CLUB] Fashion Club
[] [CLUB] World Debate Club
[] [CLUB] Peer Leaders Club
Peter decided to check out one of the unformed clubs.
[] [CLUB] C-Pop Club
[] [CLUB] Film Club
[] [CLUB] HEMA Club
[] [CLUB] Tabletop Club
And about tomorrow…
[] Peter talked with Uncle Ben after his visit to the doctor.
[] Peter went to school
- [] Peter tutored his friends
- [] Peter made his first visit to the club.
[X] There was a neighborhood barbeque going on
[] Peter met with Eddie Brock and listened to his job offer.
[] Peter worked on planning his crime-fighting initiative.
ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ
Now that's what you call an update! Am I right or am I right? Heh, I want to see if you surprise me with your choices. In the meantime, I'll work on the talents and tidying up the informational post. See you!
