Holding Out For A Hero: An Original Superhero Quest

[X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
[X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
 
[X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
[X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
[X] I'm glad that the cop was willing to look the other way.
 
[X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
[X] I made it back alive. That's always a good night.
 
Vote Tally
Adhoc vote count started by Agent 99 on Jun 22, 2018 at 7:31 AM, finished with 36 posts and 11 votes.

  • [X] Use your magic to attack the woman before she can get away. (Roll for Mystic Arts)
    -[X] Fireball
    [X] Hold your breath and run into the gas and get the officers out. Hopefully, the gas is only dangerous if inhaled.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I made it back alive. That's always a good night.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [x] I'm glad that the cop was willing to look the other way.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [x] I'm glad that the cop was willing to look the other way.

Adhoc vote count started by Agent 99 on Jun 22, 2018 at 7:32 AM, finished with 8 posts and 6 votes.

  • [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I made it back alive. That's always a good night.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [x] I'm glad that the cop was willing to look the other way.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [x] I'm glad that the cop was willing to look the other way.
 
[X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
[X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
 
...
You know that you're going to need to work in increasing your list of spells. You've managed to do well with what you have, but if you're going to take on people like Stampede, or hell, even a dozen mooks, you're going to need to be better prepared.

Problem is that magic is a somewhat rare power, and most people what teach Martial Magic are working for the government, training their people. While you may be able to find a tutor, they can be expensive. That, and if they saw the new Vigilante breaking out the spells they taught you, they may put 2 and 2 together.

You could also try to find some books or something online. It's never as effective as finding someone to teach you personally, but you can still learn a lot of interesting spells without having to answer any awkward questions or breaking the bank.

Granted, you could try to teach yourself through trial and error. You've heard of a few people who went that route, and you even taught yourself how to create your barrier. Though you've also heard of people fuck up tremendously.

But for now, you need to focus on finishing the metal skull. It's 8:30 when you finish the skull. As you pack it up in its box, you can't help but feel a bit of pride from a job well done. The thousand dollars you get for finishing your commission won't hurt either.

You carefully pack up the skull to get ready to ship, your phone starts to ring. Glancing at it, you see that it's Jasmine. You haven't spoken that much since, well, the first time you went out. You've spoken a few times, once or twice online. But you've been talking about mundane things. What I thought of that movie I took Gwen to see. Is she still dating that that guy, normal things It was like that night never happened. I answer the phone with a quick "Hey Kells, you alright?"

"Sure, but I'm right outside the workshop. Could you let me in? She asks. You hear a knocking on your workshop door. You hang up the phone and move to let her inside. When you open the door, you see that she's standing there, wearing a gray "San Antonio Saints" shirt, faded blue jeans with the holster holding her revolver build into her brown belt, and worn black shoes. Her dark hair, that was once messy, has been done up neatly, with her bangs covering one eye. In one hand, is a bag from a nearby fast food place. And in the few seconds that it took you to get to the door, she's already back on her phone, browsing the internet. When you open the door, she looks up at you and smiles. "Mind if we talk inside?"

----------------------------------------------------

When you get back inside, you're sitting at a desk where you keep the laptop you use to manage your commissions. Jasmine is sitting on your couch.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, but don't you have work in…" You look at your phone. "An hour and a half ago?" You pause and take another look at your phone. The phone still says 8:32. And you know that Jasmine starts work at 7. This is a woman who, when her car broke down on the highway, got out and ran to work, and actually cried when she was two minutes late, even when her boss didn't notice she was late. "What are you even doing here?" You ask, confused.

At that, Jasmine frowned. "Our office got destroyed. Stampede went through it when fighting and… well needless to say, we were sent home until the office gets repaired." You don't have any idea who Stampede is, but that isn't important right now, so you decide to let it go for now. Jasmine sighs before continuing "So... about that thing we did last week... well, I wasn't sure about it when we started, but... well it was fun" She starts. "And I wanted to say is that-"

You chuckle. "Damn, you're making it sound like we had an affair!"

At that, Jasmine's cheeks turn a bright red. She opens her mouth as if to try to say something, but all that comes out is air. Suddenly, she buries her head in her hands. "C... can I try that sentence again? I fucked up. I really fucked up..."

You gently punch Jasmine in the shoulder. "I'm just messing with you Kells. Go on. What were you saying?" You still resist the urge to laugh some more.

Jasmine sighs. "Alright, well, I mean... what was I saying..." Jasmine pauses before she continues. "Right, I was saying that, if you're heading out to do your thing, I'm gonna help you any way I can. We already know that. But if you need any help with any, well, Vigilante stuff, just ask" She gives a determined smile.

You're still smiling because you're trying not to laugh, but even if you weren't, you'd still smile at Jasmine. "Well, I'm not exactly going to turn it down! Thanks, Kells"

With that, Jasmine gives you a thumbs up. "Just don't ask me to do anything too crazy, and everything'll be fine." She takes a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm going to the movies catching up with a few friends, then going back to work. You have any plans, Sunny?"

You think about it. You're going to fix your armor and finish your commissions. That's a given. But you need to think about what else you're going to do with your time.

Pick 3

[] Go forth and stop evil! Or at least patrol to see if there are any crimes to fight.
[] Swing by the gym and work out. (Increases Strength or Speed)
[] Take public speaking classes. (Increases Charisma)
[] Take yoga classes. (Increases Dexterity)
[] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[] Train with a sword and shield. (Increases Melee)
[] Train in unarmed self-defense. (Increases Brawl)
[] Look up information on Villains in this city.
- [] Especially the one you saw last night. You don't think you've seen her on the news.
[] Get as much information on the Capes in the city as you can.
[] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[] Do research on more spells.
- [] Try to find a mentor.
- [] Try to look up books on magic.
- [] Meditate and practice your magic on your own.
[] You don't go downtown enough. Head downtown and enjoy yourself.


Jasmine has time to help this week, ask her to…

[] look up information on heroes.
[] look up information on villains.
[] look up information on vigilantes.
[] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
[] Write in.
 
[x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[x] Do research on more spells.
- [x] Try to look up books on magic.

[x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
 
[x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[x] Do research on more spells.
- [x] Try to look up books on magic.

[x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.

I am in complete agreement with getting better at spells right now for increased versatility.
 
[X] Take yoga classes. (Increases Dexterity)
[X] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[X] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[X] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
 
[x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[x] Do research on more spells.
- [x] Try to look up books on magic.

[x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
 
[x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[x] Do research on more spells.
- [x] Try to look up books on magic.

[x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
 
Location: Unknown
Date: August 24, 2015

Doctor Lussac was not a humble person. She was proud of what she had accomplished in her life. The difference was that the world didn't agree, and had sought to punish her for the failings of others. At least, that's what she would say. As she removed the gas mask, she looked around at what had come to be her temporary lab.

She had cleaned it up as best she could. After all, when testing with dangerous chemicals it's important that there's as little cross contamination as possible. However, though there was little visible dirt and grime on the walls and floor, the decay that had set in through years of neglect was apparent. Opposite of the door, the wall was riddled with bullet holes, a souvenir from the bastards that tried to steal from her.

"How did it get to this..." The doctor muttered to herself as she carefully placed the bullet riddled briefcase on one of the tables. Unlocking the briefcase, she opened it.

"Those bastards had better not have broken anything..." She said. Inside the briefcase were several dozen vials of a clear liquid, each with a simple paper label on them saying "Compound 356", each vial secured in the briefcase, and none of them suffering even a crack.

"Excellent" She said, picking up a vial and examining it closely. "Now, I just need to get some new subjects, and testing can get back on track."
 
Last edited:
You know it's a proper evil lair when crime is visible on the walls and floor. :V
Well, there are the bullet holes on the wall. :p

Full of bullets, yet not a single vial was broken. Forget Compound 356, I want to know where she buys her briefcases!
Well, it's not so much bought, as much as stolen.
Adhoc vote count started by Agent 99 on Jun 24, 2018 at 7:00 PM, finished with 19 posts and 8 votes.

Adhoc vote count started by Agent 99 on Jun 24, 2018 at 7:01 PM, finished with 19 posts and 8 votes.

Adhoc vote count started by Agent 99 on Jun 24, 2018 at 7:02 PM, finished with 19 posts and 8 votes.

  • [x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
    [x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
    [x] Do research on more spells.
    - [x] Try to look up books on magic.
    [x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I made it back alive. That's always a good night.
    [X] I saved lives and caught some of the bad guys. I'm fine with that.
    [X] I'm going to need to work on my magic. A few more kinds of spells would really help.
    [x] I'm glad that the cop was willing to look the other way.
    [X] Take yoga classes. (Increases Dexterity)
    [x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
    [x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
    [x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.

Adhoc vote count started by Agent 99 on Jun 24, 2018 at 7:03 PM, finished with 10 posts and 5 votes.

  • [x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
    [x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
    [x] Do research on more spells.
    - [x] Try to look up books on magic.
    [x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
    [X] Take yoga classes. (Increases Dexterity)
    [x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
    [x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
    [x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
 
[x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[x] Do research on more spells.
- [x] Try to look up books on magic.
[x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.
 
Alright, I need someone to roll a d20 to see how well the meditation goes. As usual, lower rolls are good.

20 …
17-19 No changes
12-16 Increases Mystic Arts my 1
5-11 Increases Mystic Arts by 3
2-4 Increases Mystic Arts by 5
1 Increased Mystic Arts by 5 + Temparary +5 Buff
 
Beyond the Self
[x] Meditate and study magical theory. (Increases Mystic Arts)
[x] Most Vigilantes end up dead, retired, or in jail within 6 months. Try to find information on those who aren't.
[x] Do research on more spells.
- [x] Try to look up books on magic.
[x] Find a place in the city where you can practice your spells.

It's late Wednesday when you take a moment to meditate. It's Adrian's turn to pick up Gwen, so you have the time to focus. You're in your workshop, sitting cross legged on the floor. With steel and statues around you, you take a deep breath.

1, 2, 3, 4, inhale 1, 2, 3, 4, exhale, 1, 2, 3, 4, inhale, 1, 2, 3,

You get into a routine several times. You don't know how long you're sitting like this, but little by little, you shut out the world as you retreat inward. First, you stop perceiving the sounds coming from outside. The sounds of cars passing, the chirps of birds, it all fades into nothingness. Then, you stop being aware of your workshop. Your workbenches, your statues, the couch, the radio, the suit of armor that you just fixed, it all just fades into nothingness. Suddenly, you lose your sense of self, you lost track of where your body ends and where the world begins. The only thing that matters, is your breathing.

1, 2, 3, 4, inhale 1, 2, 3, 4, exhale, 1, 2, 3, 4, inhale...

You don't physically open your eyes, but you can see. You are in the middle of a black void. Darkness above you, darkness below, darkness to the side. There's seemingly no end to it. In front of you, there's a white and purple light.

You feel your being reaching out to the light, but it moves as you're about to touch it. You can feel yourself reach out further, but it gets further and further away. As you move to catch up with it, it starts to move further and faster. You follow the light going faster and faster and faster, the light staying just out of reach. You feel parts of yourself fading away, breaking off as you go faster and faster. But as it does, you get closer and closer to the light. But then with one final effort, you reach out, you stretch your very being out, and touch the light.


Your eyes snap open, and you're back where you were, in your workshop. The sun's gone down. Your head feels... clear. Like you're more focused. You slowly back to your feet, but your body has gone stiff, and you feel a little dizzy. As you climb to your feet, you plop your way onto the couch. Your body still feels like it's moving a million miles an hour, even after sitting down. "That... that was..." You haven't meditated a lot in the past. Hell, you'd only started recently because you had heard it could boost your magic prowess, something you'd need considering your... second job. But you've never gone through something like that. And the tapes you'd bought never mentioned chasing lights at a million miles an hour.

Was it because you can use magic? Was that how it was when your magic became more powerful? You don't know, but maybe you should rest a little before trying that again. Maybe actually read up on magical theory before you try that again.

Mystic Arts + 3​
 
Research
You're taking a break from your metalsmithing, you staring at your laptop. There's no new commissions, and right now, you have a few statues that are cooling off.

Name: Henrico Petresino
Alias: Operative
Powers: Shapeshifting
Skills: Conventional Weapons. Unconventional Weapons. Acting. Electronics.
Appearance: Variable. Base form is of a Caucasian Male in his early 40's.
What you know: He was a former undercover officer. While details are sketchy, he ended up being fired from the force after "Conduct unbecoming of a member of the Hartford Police Department". From what you can tell, he infiltrates criminal organizations and sabotages them from the inside, often taking on multiple "roles" for each organization.
Area of Operations: He operates all over the city and the surrounding towns, so whether you'll meet the guy is a crapshoot.

Name: Unknown
Alias: Kachuusha
Powers: Flight, Light energy blasts, teleportation.
Appearance: She's a Korean woman in her early twenties. Her costume changes nearly every other week, though they are generally bright with various pastel colors, with something covering her face.
What you know: She's a former a member of the AK-100B, a large K-Pop group, of over 100 members. She left the group because she was tired of bring "Just another face in the band" and wanted to gain fame, or infamy on her own. Refuses to give her real name, because of the harsh stigma of Vigilantes in Korea. Identity unknown because even though she's mentioned what group she was a part of, her description of at least four current members and at least 21 former members. While the records of a person with her combination of powers exists somewhere in South Korea, said records are sealed, and no one as of yet has put on enough pressure to access them.
While some of the information you've gotten about her was from various news sites, some of the information was from her own sites. Twitter, Facebook, at least half a dozen other social media sites, she's been putting her crime fighting exploits on there for all to see, including surprisingly well shot videos. You don't know who the poor bastards she got to follow her with a camera, but you kind of feel sorry for them.
Area of operation: From what you're able to see, she mostly fights downtown, sometimes in Roanoke Junction.

Name: Unknown
Alias: Gangbuster
Powers: Durability. Healing Factor. Possible More
Skills: Skill in handling assault rifles and other small arms. Possible military training.
Appearance: A tall, muscular black male, mid twenties. Black hair, usually unshaven. He often wears militaristic clothing.
What you know: The first action tied to him was a triple homicide, two men and one woman, all killed by gunshots. What followed were a string of homicides. Originally thought to be gang violence, several witnesses, or survivors of his rampages managed to give a description. He has been targeting members of the various gangs operating around the city, often killing several of their members before escaping. It's been reported that several innocent people have been injured, or even killed as a result of his attacks.
Area of Operation He operates throughout the city, but the last articles have hum behind four murders in a Battery Park Tenement, just north of where you live.

Names: Unknown
Aliases: Zihger and Majra
Powers: Enhanced Strength (Zihger) Enhanced Agility (Majra)
Skills: Armed, and unarmed combat.
Appearance: A male and female team of possible Middle Eastern decent, both seen wearing green, bodysuits with green hoods and black masks. They both wear gray chest armor and gray armguards. The left ring fingers on both suits have a gold band around them.
What you know: They're never seen without the other. Despite the names, they both use archery to fight criminals, regularly firing multiple arrows in one shot to neutralize enemies. Zihger uses larger and heavier arrows that would be impractical for people without enhanced strength to wield. Majra uses her agility to fire even more arrows at their opponents.
Area of Operations: They seem to operate in the Eastern parts of the city. Roanoke Junction, Magnolia, and Casa Esparanza.

Name: Anthony Araujo
Alias: Inquisitor
Powers: Pyrokenesis, Electrokenesis
Appearance: He wears a red set of robe, similar to those of a Cardinal. He is an older man in his early 50's, but is surprisingly fit.
What You Know: He was formally a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. However he abdicated his position to come to Hartford. He says that he has sensed a great evil here. While most people agreed with that assessment, it was thought that he would try to start his own church, or start a campaign promoting Christian morality. However, he instead took to the streets and started to fight criminals personally. He has been urged to stop by the Church, but as of right now, there seems to be some jurisdiction issues as to who exactly is responsible for bringing him in.
Area of Operations: He has appeared throughout the city in seemingly random locations.

Name: Katherine Wheeler
Alias: Stampede
Powers: Enhanced Intelligence.
Skills: Mechanical Genius. Uses a large powered suit to fight.
Skills (Suit): Mechanically enhanced strength and durability. Lasers. Grenade Launcher, able to use jets in the boots to jump limited distances.
Appearance: Katherine is an averaged heighted woman in her early thirties with pale skin and dark brown hair.
Her suit is large, standing at over 10 feet tall. It's large and bulky but offers great protection from physical trauma and environmental stresses. It's painted a bright purple and silver color. The forelimbs are disproportionately large, compared to the rest of the body.
What you know: She was recently released from prison for good behavior. The appeal had apparently taken some time. But now, she's doing the same thing that got her put in prison in the first place, acting as a Vigilante, and causing property damage from being a Vigilante. Her suit is strong. Stronger than anything you could throw at it, anyway. But, she was arrested after suit ran out of power in the middle of the street and the police cut it open after 5 hours. On the other hand, she's had 15 years to fix any design flaws.
Area of Operation: She moves all over the city, but considering that she destroyed Jasmine's office yesterday, she apparently is operating in Southlake for now.

You also read one off stories. Vigil-Andy, a guy who dressed in a lycra jumpsuit and "Took on crime" with a cattle prod, who is currently in the hospital after trying to jump from a roof. A speedster who wan into a wall, a few others that were killed in the crossfire between the police and a gang. A "Living Shadow" fighting crime in Southlake, which you haven't seen but aren't discounting. A hydrokinetic teenager that stumbled on a mugging. He didn't have any water, but managed to use a large amount of beer in a nearby bar to subdue the criminal. In a city of over a million people, you have a feeling that there are more Vigilantes running around, but you can't find any more information on them right now. You close your laptop after taking some notes and get back to work. However, as you get back to work, you find yourself thinking about...

[] Operative
[] Kachuusha
[] Gangbuster
[] Zihger and Majra
[] Inquisitor
[] Stampede
[] Whether I'm going to cook dinner when I get home, or am I going to get some fast food.
- [] Write in why
 
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Stampede sounds like a jackass. Not sure if she's full-on Shadow Stalker, but the rampant and repeated mass destruction makes it sound like she's just picking 'acceptable targets' and is a nominal hero at best. Gangbuster sounds like he's missing a few screws, and Operative probably has something going on, although I don't really have enough information to make a judgment. Inquisitor honestly sounds like a badass and thematically we'd be good partners, as well as practically. He'd probably be able to teach us about magic, assuming that's what he's using, and we'd be able to act as a Tank to his squishy Wizard. The less serious Vigilantes like Kachuusha, Zihger, and Majra would probably be better suited for us at the moment, as well as it being easier to find them. Eh, Inquisitor might be a gamble but it's one I'm willing to take.

[X] Inquisitor
 
[X] Whether I'm going to cook dinner when I get home, or am I going to get some fast food.
 
[X] Kachuusha
Might be useful to get to know, if only because someone who runs around with a camera crew might have some useful advice for how to fight while minding civies she doesn't want squished. Useful for a vigilante Mom who's sooner or later going to end up using her powers to defend her family from peril (that's how these things go right?)
 
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