Fair enough, even though I think it would be best to start with it. But, if you would get rid of the group mind block and place that into the master class version of Electrokinesis I would be cool with your plan.
Why do you think master class Electrokinesis is so crucial, out of curiosity? The energy absorption sounds very nice and it probably boosts our Electrokinesis rolls too, buuut three things: no one should be stupid enough to go tossing energy at us in the first place (so energy absorption will have relatively limited utility unless we happen to have a generator handy), we'll still be super lethal without the boost, and we have built-in justifications to pick it up later because it's the cap for an existing core ability. Overall, I don't see the urgency.
That said, I'd defer to @ThatGuyWithIdeas on that score; it might be based on my plan, but he's the one who modified it to have Mind Block and Group Mind Block, so I think it's only fair to let him make the decision on something that would remove one of his modifications. Also, would want to make sure @Derek58 is alright with it.
Why do you think master class Electrokinesis is so crucial, out of curiosity? The energy absorption sounds very nice and it probably boosts our Electrokinesis rolls too, buuut three things: no one should be stupid enough to go tossing energy at us in the first place (so energy absorption will have relatively limited utility unless we happen to have a generator handy), we'll still be super lethal without the boost, and we have built-in justifications to pick it up later because it's the cap for an existing core ability. Overall, I don't see the urgency.
I want it for the power, plan and simple, no big reason on that end. The group mind block, while good, I feel will land us in trouble as it shows that our character has the potential to influence other individuals minds and I think that will frighten our superiors and fellow soldiers. I believe that any external mentalism should wait until we have built up some trust.
I want it for the power plan and simple, no big reason on that end. The group mind block, while good, I feel will land us in trouble as it shows that our character has the potential to influence other individuals minds and I think that will frighten our superiors and fellow soldiers. I believe that any external mentalism should wait until we have built up some trust.
Hm. I don't think that should happen, given that it's obviously defensive in nature. Things like Speed Reading and Total Recall are Mentalism, too. Heck, by that standard, we should be treated that way even if we have no Mental powers-- given the rules as stated, any Master Class Psychic can eventually develop mind-influencing powers if they're so inclined. That said, humans have been incredibly counterproductive out of paranoia in far more inane and unlikely ways. @VagrantHero?
I want it for the power plan and simple, no big reason on that end. The group mind block, while good, I feel will land us in trouble as it shows that our character has the potential to influence other individuals minds and I think that will frighten our superiors and fellow soldiers. I believe that any external mentalism should wait until we have built up some trust.
Hm. I don't think that should happen, given that it's obviously defensive in nature. Things like Speed Reading and Total Recall are Mentalism, too. Heck, by that standard, we should be treated that way even if we have no Mental powers-- given the rules as stated, any Master Class Psychic can eventually develop mind-influencing powers if they're so inclined. That said, humans have been incredibly counterproductive out of paranoia in far more inane and unlikely ways. @VagrantHero?
It was just something that I thought of. As it is not that far-fetched that a fearful officer would think that it is not too much a leap from protecting minds to invading them. Things like speed reading and total recall are more internal while group mind block is an external ability.
Could also mean we encountered mind control effects before we entered the military. Seems improbable in comparison, though; Kansas is in a decently isolated area-- a state or two away from the heretical mage faction and several states away from the new political states around the Great Lakes. Unless we get attacks from the ash-covered lands of the west, I suppose, which... is entirely likely.
Could also mean we encountered mind control effects before we entered the military. Seems improbable in comparison, though; Kansas is in a decently isolated area-- a state or two away from the heretical mage faction and several states away from the new political states around the Great Lakes. Unless we get attacks from the ash-covered lands of the west, I suppose, which... is entirely likely.
Hm. I don't think that should happen, given that it's obviously defensive in nature. Things like Speed Reading and Total Recall are Mentalism, too. Heck, by that standard, we should be treated that way even if we have no Mental powers-- given the rules as stated, any Master Class Psychic can eventually develop mind-influencing powers if they're so inclined. That said, humans have been incredibly counterproductive out of paranoia in far more inane and unlikely ways. @VagrantHero?
Why do you think master class Electrokinesis is so crucial, out of curiosity? The energy absorption sounds very nice and it probably boosts our Electrokinesis rolls too, buuut three things: no one should be stupid enough to go tossing energy at us in the first place (so energy absorption will have relatively limited utility unless we happen to have a generator handy), we'll still be super lethal without the boost, and we have built-in justifications to pick it up later because it's the cap for an existing core ability. Overall, I don't see the urgency.
That said, I'd defer to @ThatGuyWithIdeas on that score; it might be based on my plan, but he's the one who modified it to have Mind Block and Group Mind Block, so I think it's only fair to let him make the decision on something that would remove one of his modifications. Also, would want to make sure @Derek58 is alright with it.
You are free to make a plan with Master Electrokinesis instead of Group Mind Block, but the version of your plan that I've put forward is not changing. I believe that having Group Mind Block from the start to be a better idea than Master Electrokinesis, but that's just me.
You are free to make a plan with Master Electrokinesis instead of Group Mind Block, but the version of your plan that I've put forward is not changing. I believe that having Group Mind Block from the start to be a better idea than Master Electrokinesis, but that's just me.
Bruh, was just about to close the vote. Slippin in at the last moment, you lucky man.
The Mind Block version of "A Certain Psionic Railgun" is the clear winner of this vote, with 4/6 votes cast for it. Now, I shall finalize the character writing I've been doing and begin the story in earnest.
Bruh, was just about to close the vote. Slippin in at the last moment, you lucky man.
The Mind Block version of "A Certain Psionic Railgun" is the clear winner of this vote, with 4/6 votes cast for it. Now, I shall finalize the character writing I've been doing and begin the story in earnest.
[X] Faustian Bargain Bundle
-[X] - Conan Faust
-[X] - Male
-[X] - Ontario and Quebec (Ontario, Quebec, wilderness)
--[X] Ontario
-[X] - Well off. Effects: No social modifiers, bonus to starting wealth and education.
-[X] - Day dreaming. So many things to think about. +1 Intelligence. Potential insights.
-[X] - Physical activities. The outdoors are fun! +1 to physical attributes, +1d4 to Acrobatics and Climbing and Stamina, +5 Tempo.
-[X] - MASTER CLASS PSYCHIC - The exploration, practice and expansion of your Psionic abilities. At the time, you didn't know they were abnormal, or different. +1d4 to use of Psionic Powers. Potential bonus to Willpower.
-[X] - Prankster. Made some people laugh, pissed some people off. It's just a prank, bro! Bonus to ???
-[X] - CS Special Forces - Psi Operative (Recommended) Will further develop your psionic potential with rigorous testing, greatest effect. Potentially extremely dangerous. Granted special interactions with forces you are attached to. Will rank up fast as Enlisted.
So some dude named Faust lives in Ontario somewhere, likes to daydream (is absentminded), walking outdoors (man smell that fresh wasteland air!), and likes to play pranks (it's just a prank, bro!). Was out one day and happened upon a weird looking cave, and decided to go in.
Turns out, he was the one who got pranked that day.
Long story short, he ran into the Devil (or one of his associates) and made a deal in exchange for his soul: Become the ultimate prankster for a soul. He didn't read the fine print (who the hell does?) and gets transported to the swamps of Louisiana to look for a soul. After a decade of soul-searching, he became well equipped to fight the evil spirits of the swamp, and his pranks have become lethal.
He smells bad, but he is always looking for the next killer prank.
[X] Plan Witch of Oz
-[X] - Abigail Dorete
-[X] - Female (-3 to Strength, +2 to Charisma attributes)
-[X] - The New Frontier (the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma)
--[X] - Kansas
-[X] - Well off. Effects: No social modifiers, bonus to starting wealth and education.
-[X] - Day dreaming. So many things to think about. +1 Intelligence. Potential insights.
-[X] - Socializing for fun. The other kids always liked me! +1d4 to Social Skills.
-[X] - MASTER CLASS PSYCHIC - The exploration, practice and expansion of your Psionic abilities. At the time, you didn't know they were abnormal, or different. +1d4 to use of Psionic Powers. Potential bonus to Willpower.
-[X] - Write-in: Challenging yourself. You love nothing more than to test your skills, especially against a worthy rival. Core character trait.
-[X] – C.S. Special Forces - Psi Operative (Recommended) Will further develop your psionic potential with rigorous testing, greatest effect. Potentially extremely dangerous. Granted special interactions with forces you are attached to. Will rank up fast as Enlisted.
[X] Plan "A Certain Psionic Railgun" (Mind Block version) by DeepWaters, edited by ThatGuyWithIdeas with 4 votes
-[] Telemechanics
-[] Machine Bond
-[] Levitation
-[] Telekinesis
-[] Telekinesis (Superior)
-[] Telekinetic Acceleration Attack
-[] Telekinetic Body Field
-[] Telekinetic Enhancement
-[] Electrokinesis (2)
-[] Mind Block
-[] Group Mind Block
Abigail Dorete was born to a well off household in the Pre-Apocalypse city of Concordia, Kansas, on December 22, 84 P.A. Many took this particular detail to be a strong omen, though whether for good or ill, the same folk could never agree. Perhaps this was inevitable, for although these days around Christmas were formerly auspicious days and well celebrated, understandably, they took on a much more somber tone around this time. Or so Abigail thought, currently 10 years old - almost 11 - and entrenched in her musings as per usual, comfortably laid out under one of the trees in the artificial forest planted by volunteers from the C.S. Air Force out of McConnell Air Force Base, down Interstate 81 by in Wichita. From her quaint throne in the quiet forest, she pondered the universe and her place in it, as well as other important issues, such as the planting of her apple tree a few years back, monitoring its' growth at regular intervals, the daily dramas with her various friends, associates, and supposed peers of neighboring households, none of whom could really seem to match her in the things she challenged herself in. And I'll show the ones that can, soon. She got along quite well with those she befriended, all of them offering something useful or unique to draw inspiration from, and the occasional insight, but quite frankly, none of them were interesting. None of them could do what she could.
Oh, the things she could do. After a few incidences with machinery being mysteriously optimized around her house, strange electrical burns in random areas, and other weird happenings, her father, Mr. Dorete, or just Dan to friends, which I guess I'm not, bleh, had eventually figured out who was behind it. And it isn't like I was trying to hide it, either. How unobservant. This thought was punctuated by a rather respectable arc of lightning bouncing between her two hands, radiating brilliantly within the confines of her leafy domain. She had become quite skilled at generating all sorts of fields. She even had another trick that she was working on, but that was a secret. But no, back to the family. They'd been discussing sending her off to Chi-Town with some government folks, "to better hone and refine her abilities for the good of America," and she could see arguments for and against, but she hadn't quite made a decision yet. Momentous, to be sure.
It was at about that time that she realized she'd heard something strange. A rhythmic cracking sort of noise, as if from far off. A few moments later, she knew what she was hearing. Gunfire. Not uncommon around here, what with the vehicular and foot patrols from the Army Garrisons and Fort Leavenworth, and the overhead flights from Offutt and Lincoln AFBs. But this was different. She'd talked with some of the soldiers about how they did their jobs, curious, and though they mostly dismissed her due to being so small, she had learned about the perimeters they established at regular intervals from Norfolk, and this was well inside the closest one. With a sinking feeling she couldn't quite place, Abigail started running back home through the widely spaced trees.
"You're all scum, scum and government lap dogs working to crush the common man beneath the boots of petty tyrants! The people have had enough!" shouted a voice, off beat and hoarse, echoing through the roads and towers of Concordia. From her hiding spot, she saw the man walking, soldiers marching behind him, gunning down everyone around in bursts of light and fire before turning their weapons on themselves. As he approached another group of people, standing like they're frozen or something, she felt the incursion on her mind like one of those big service doggies tackling her. Reflexively, she fought back, until she felt secure. Abigail knew she had to do something, something she'd never done before. As the man looked towards her hiding spot and began to shout some not very nice things, she lifted her hand, and turned the sky white.
20 people were alive because of her, because of something she didn't know that she was doing. The Rodgersons, Mrs. Lindsey, that mean old math teacher whose name would not be mentioned, Tom the silly boy. My family. One man was dead because of her. Surreal is the word for it, she thought. Surreal that this actually happened. And she knew what it meant, of course she knew. Just because she's a child, doesn't mean she can't understand. That night, mother and father let her sleep in their bed, where she definitely didn't cry.
A few days later, Abigail overheard her father talking with a big, scary government man in a suit, large black gallon hat on his head. Somehow, she knew this was about her powers again. The government man left twenty minutes later, and father avoided speaking with her for a few days after that, in one of his moods again, as mother, Elana, would say. Finally, father spoke with her and presented her with a choice.
"Abigail, y'know I love you, and I don't wanna see you go nowhere, but I think it'd be for the best if," he said, using that tone of voice he always used when he was trying to reassure someone.
"If what, father," she eyed him.
"If you took up that man from before's offer. Government training and tuition. Your talents are wasted in this place, Abby. You're only 11 and smarter than both your old folks by half. You've got a bright future 'head of you."
Abigail knew what the real reason was, now. A clever diversion, but the truth was starker for it. Before, father never would have tolerated sending her away, anywhere. He fears me, now. They all do. But perhaps this was for the best. She had held life and death in her hands, the destinies of almost 2 dozen people. Killed a man with powers most couldn't fathom. Her thoughts were running almost too fast for her to keep track, breathing unsteady.
[] - Agree to leave [reasons why]
[] - Fight to stay [reasons why]
This took longer to write up than expected. What started as a couple rolls to see how childhood went for Abigail (the rolls were bad) turned into something quite dramatic. Introduction to your first Empath, combined use of Hypnotic Control (Betray your allies), Empathic Transmission (Despair), and knowledge of patrol routes caused quite a bit of damage. Also, 19 Intelligence at age 10 is scary.
Yes! Viva la Revolution! Hopefully a magical kid doesn't come and wreck you-- oh wait.
[X] - Agree to leave [reasons why]
-[jk] fuck this place, fuck you, fuck all this!
-[X] I'll have to live with my powers, now that the truth is out. Will need to learn to control them.
-[X] I wanna meet people like me, people here seem so scared right now.
[X] - Agree to leave [reasons why]
-[X] I'll have to live with my powers, now that the truth is out. Will need to learn to control them.
-[X] I wanna meet people like me, people here seem so scared right now.
-[X] I can save more people next time if i learn how to use my powers.
[X] - Agree to leave [reasons why]
-[X] I'll have to live with my powers, now that the truth is out. Will need to learn to control them.
-[X] I wanna meet people like me, people here seem so scared right now.
-[X] I can save more people next time if i learn how to use my powers.
Yes! Viva la Revolution! Hopefully a magical kid doesn't come and wreck you-- oh wait.
[X] - Agree to leave [reasons why]
-[jk] fuck this place, fuck you, fuck all this!
-[X] I'll have to live with my powers, now that the truth is out. Will need to learn to control them.
-[X] I wanna meet people like me, people here seem so scared right now.
[X] - Agree to leave [reasons why]
-[X] The government has other people like me, right? I want to meet them. They can teach me more than anyone here can, and there has to be someone there who can give as good as they get!
--[X] Maybe the people there are used to people like me, and they won't be afraid of me? I don't want to be around people who are afraid of me all the time.
--[X] I saved a lot of people with my powers. If I learn to use my powers better and save more people, maybe they'll see that I don't want to hurt anyone, and they'll stop being afraid of me?
-[X] Even if he's lying, Father is right. I'm different from everyone else. Better. I would never have been satisfied staying here. I don't like the way it's happening, but this is what I wanted... right?
--[X] I can still visit, anyway. They wouldn't take me away without ever letting me see my family again. The government wouldn't do that. My father wouldn't let them do that. Right?
Had a bit of trouble following what was happening. Was the hoarse voice the empath, or one of the people they were controlling? In any case, I'm a little skeptical that we would fixate on needing to better use our powers to save more people. Do we know how people other than our father reacted? What about our mother, or our friends, or the other people we saved? That seems like pretty important information. In the meantime, I'll put in a slightly tweaked version.
Also, why are we in Nebraska? The change isn't that important (Abigail is already many steps away from Dorothy, anyway), but my plan did specify Kansas.
