Well, one idea could be that we're a Dullahan or Headless Horse(wo)man. So instead of killing people with a guillotine, it looks like we were killed by a guillotine but stay as an undead.
There are also Draugr, a type of undead from icelandic myth who can have all sorts of magical witch-like powers, ranging from controling the weather, making it suddenly dark, forseeing the future, turning into seals or cats, cursing people with bad luck, etc. Some of them are headless and some (particularly ocean draugr formed from people who died at sea) had their heads replaced with lumps of seaweed. Anyway, while some draugr have a thirst for blood, others seem perfectly fine drinking alcohol and getting into fights with ghosts.
So... we could be some kind of weird headless undead with unspecified magical powers. Or a witch who lost her head in an attempt to gain immortality... and now find that drinking beer isn't as fun when you have to use a funnel to get it into your stomach.
Here's my attempt at cobbling together a character concept. Basic idea is that we were summoned up as some young necromancer kid's familiar spirit "Familiar of Zero" style with the twist that they can use magic to augment our abilities or appearance like the Find Familiar spell. So... we have potential for a wide variety of ghostly powers, but they're dependent on our Master casting the right spell. It also depends on us actually talking to our master, which is it's own problem. Sooo... it's probably like a situation where our master summoned us for a specific job at one point but can't un-summon us (or tasked us with making money or something) so our criminal endevors are mostly just us running around doing odd jobs on the many days when our master doesn't know what to do with us. They're probably also the one who gave us our cool villain name even though it doesn't fit our everyday look. We look like a biker for normal paying jobs that a supernaturally durable undead goon can do, but every once in a while when someone really needs to put a headless ghost woman in a fancy french dress, they know who to call.
Feel free to suggest changes to this abomination.
[X] Plan Summoned Spirit of Sinister Slicing
-[X] Violence or the threat of it. In a world haunted by magic and royalty, everything eventually comes down to this. [You're the Hitter. +2 Skirmish, +1 Command]
-[X] Adaptation(broad and mercurial)| You are a vengeful ghost summoned by a half-ass necromancer and now you're stuck doing work for them somehow.
--[X] A: The necromancer who summoned you can alter your form or grant you different powers using a big spellbook.
--[X] B: They're kinda bad at it and every attempt at changing your shape either turns you into an animal or a person with no head.
--[X] C: You're hindered by the necromancer controlling you being some dumb emo teen who's afraid of anyone finding out their identity while simultaneously asking you to get them stuff.
--[X] D: You've picked up a nasty drinking habit, a cavalier attitude towards dying (since they can just re-summon you), and you've kinda forgotten what that unfinished business you might have had was.
-[X] Inhuman: automaton, vat-grown horror, elemental spirit, or an immigrant from Somewhere Else.
--[X] Your "master" claims they called your restless spirit from Limbo. You kinda forgot who you were in life... or just don't care anymore.
-[X] Hunt: 1
-[X] Attune: 1
-[X] Prowl: 2
-[X] Casslyn, a somewhat dishonest lawyer (Contact)
-[X] Andrel, obsessive guard at the Hellhole (Rival)
-[X] Stupor: You seek oblivion in the abuse of drugs, drink to excess, getting beaten to a pulp in the fighting pits, etc.
--[X] Faith: You're dedicated to an unseen power, forgotten god, ancestor, etc. (You think you were religious in your previous life, but obviously that didn't turn out so hot if you're a ghost. Occasionally you're drawn to whatever counts as a church in this city but something always prevents you from actually stepping into one).
-[X] Pronouns: She/Her
-[X] Civilian Name: Ituasmi Darla Oberen (your laywer friend helped with this)
-[X] Face: An empty spot where your head should be, occasionally has a flickering flame hovering above your neck... usually after you've been drinking alot.
-[X] Costume: Jeans, a dark sort-of biker looking jacket, and a motorcycle helmet to cover your lack of a head. Your 'Master' has some kind of butt-ugly french theater dress they forced you to wear for your fist mission. You've refused to wear it for serious jobs.
-[X] Adaptation(broad and mercurial)| You are a vengeful ghost summoned by a half-ass necromancer and now you're stuck doing work for them somehow.
--[X] A: The necromancer who summoned you can alter your form or grant you different powers using a big spellbook.
--[X] B: They're kinda bad at it and every attempt at changing your shape either turns you into an animal or a person with no head.
--[X] C: You're hindered by the necromancer controlling you being some dumb emo teen who's afraid of anyone finding out their identity while simultaneously asking you to get them stuff.
--[X] D: You've picked up a nasty drinking habit, a cavalier attitude towards dying (since they can just re-summon you), and you've kinda forgotten what that unfinished business you might have had was.
First off, I'll say that I liked the idea of a witch that beheaded herself to gain immortality more (maybe using the blade that beheaded her as some kind of phylacterium), it also cuts out the extra hassle in having to deal with a seperate Master NPC that honestly sounds like a pain in the ass.
Beyond that, we only need one power downside question, not all four from my understanding. There's also the question of how broad a F lister power should be, so personally I'd go with a power like:
[ ] Relic(enchanted artifact or mad science)| Soul Storing Sword
-[ ] D: I had to decapitate myself with it to transfer my soul.
I'd also maybe change background and vice to wealth, because I like the mental image of some rich kid trying to extend their life of luxury to eternity only for it to backfire horribly and it could make for a nice dynamic with the Fawkes who seem pretty interesting so far, but I'm willing to compromise there.
Eh, might as well turn the other headless idea into a plan myself at this point. Although, I can't really go search up pictures, or a theme song right now, so at least the music will have to be added once I can.
[X] Plan: Off with my head.
-[X] Secrets. Learning them, keeping them, using them against your enemies. Everyone has a secret that will lay them low, one way or another. [You're the Gumshoe. +2 Hunt, +1 Survey]
-[X] Relic(enchanted artifact or mad science)| Soul Storing Sword
--[X] D: I had to decapitate myself with it to transfer my soul.
-[X] Wealth: A trust-fund kid, overseas royalty, scion of a fallen house, etc.
--[X] A daughter of royalty that strived to extend her hedonistic life of luxury into eternity. While she ultimately succeeded by hiring the people with the right magical know-how and picking up some knowledge herself along the way, the results left her marked. As a result, her parents found out about her experiments and the exorbitant amount of money she spend on them and exiled her from the family.
-[X] Consort
-[X] Attune
-[X] Study
-[X] Sway
-[X] Cyrene, contact
-[X] Morlan, rival
-[X] Luxury: Expensive and/or ostentatious displays of opulence.
-[X] Pronouns: She/Her
-[X] Civilian Name: Abigail Axton
-[X] Your unmasked face: A round face with face with beautiful features, make up perfectly applied to hide the paleness of death and framed by flowing golden hair. It's now enshrined in Abigail's hideout as a display of vanity. In its place, her neck is adorned by a mass of shadows that resembels the shape of a head with only the barest hint of facial features and long strands of darkness cascading down her back as a mimicry of hair.
-[X] Villainous costume: An old ball gown, slightly worn with time and a Venetian volto mask to imply facial features.
I'll be honest, given the F-lister theme, I didn't exactly try to make an optimized character. That's going to need a different plan.
Although, as far as power assisted information gathering goes, one idea I did have is that part of the sword's ability to store souls could be to chip away at other people's souls to take a part of their mind/memories/secrets. Three words only give that much room for describing the full extend of a magical artifact though, so the exact limits would ultimately be up to the QM.
@Rossum
I greatly appreciate all the detail, but you only need one power flaw right now. This is gonna be difficult enough without handicapping your character three times over.
@Edgedancer
You are indeed correct that your character is not optimized, but in my opinion that just makes for a more interesting story. As you and the rest of the team level up, you'll have the option to gain new powers/abilities.
I love everyone's ideas so far. I've built this world/system to support reader creativity as much as possible, and I'm very glad to see that that's working.
"I" You say, whipping your scarf around for effect(and to cover your severed neck) "am Madame Guillotine, undying queen." You grip the executioner's blade at your hip, ready for the coming onslaught of questions on your powers, your dark and mysterious origins, why your head appears to be formed from swirling shadows, and how such an obviously aristocratic personage was forced to-
"'aight" Says Sally, turning to Fawkes. "So, we're all introduced. What's the job?"
"A bank, of course. Please follow."
You begrudgingly follow the herd as Fawkes unfolds a blueprint so large it almost spills over the edges of the table.
"Harmony central?" says Glitz, rubbing her forehead. "You don't start small, do you? You realize that villains have been trying to rob this place for years? After each attempt they've buffed up security. The First Citizen's house probably has less defenses."
"Orur target is not the vault. Anyone dumb enough to rob a bank," you give him a look that would probably translate better if you had eyes. "present company excluded, always goes for the physical money and safe deposit boxes. We're hitting the digital accounts. The discreet digital accounts."
Ah. You've been in this blasted city for only a couple of months, but even you know that Harmony Central Bank handles mob money. They practically advertise it.
You shove Cog-nito(gods, that name) out of the way so you can get a better view of the bank floorplan. You have no idea what these little lines mean(not that you'll let on to these peasants).
"I don't see how that's much better." You say, tracing a gloved finger across the blue paper. "I can't imagine their computers are any less protected then their vault."
You lean your sword against the table, trying not to sigh with relief. You can barely carry the damn thing, it's a miracle you were able to decapitate yourself with it.
"In cyberspace?" Fawkes says. "Their network is crawling with bound deamons and protective sigils. Their actual server room? Not so much. We just need to get access to it. Which is why I need your help."
He places an armful of heavy-looking plastic bags on the table.
"What's this?" Glitz says, peering into one of them. "Guns? Equipment?"
"Snacks. And sticky notes. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. I suggest you get comfortable, because now comes the boring part. We're about to plan a heist."
You just about stop yourself from cradling your head in your hands. You were a princess, royalty, you were destined to rule your own country. And now you're reduced to this, conspiring in abandoned factories with thieves and vagabonds. It's almost enough to wonder if it was worth it.
You massage your throat, gently tracing your finger along the perfect cut where your neck was severed. Across the city, under a silk sheet in the darkness of your apartment, your skin still aches across the same cut.
Almost.
Planning Phase| You and the rest of the merry band of scoundrels you've been saddled with, spend hours looking at scrawled maps, whispering plots and schemes, bickering about the best approach, lamenting the dangers ahead, and lusting after the stacks of cash you just might get your hands on if you pull this off. What do you eventually come up with? Pick a plan, and then write-in the specific detail.
[ ] Assault| Do violence to a target.
-[ ]Detail: the point of attack
Examples: blow up the front door, break through the wall, drop in through the ceiling.
[ ] Deception| Lure, trick, or manipulate.
-[ ] Detail: the method of deception.
Examples: nobody notices the cleaning crew, new guy at IT, safety inspectors, bomb threat, bank manager's cousin.
[ ] Stealth| Trespass unseen.
-[ ] Detail: The point of infiltration.
Examples: sneak in through the sewers, turn of the power, crawl in through the vents.
[ ] Occult| Engage a supernatural power.
-[ ] Detail: the arcane method.
Examples: make a deal with a demon, have Hot Hail blow stuff up, hire a geomancer, ask Cyrene to build you something.
[ ] Social| Negotiate, bargain, or persuade.
-[ ] Detail: the social connection.
Examples: bribe a security guard, blackmail a clerk, owe the mob a favor.
[ ] Transport| Carry cargo or people through danger.
-[ ] Detail: the route and means.
Examples: plant a virus-carrying phone in an employee's pocket, bulldoze through the bank in an armored car, steal the gods-damned server room.
I can say that I'm pleased with how the humor is shaking out here. Although, now that the vote's setteled, I am somewhat curious what your default for the character would have been. (Also noticed the character sheet is missing the dot in consort.)
As for the plan, not sure if I can draft up something complete given that it's the end of a long day for me over here, but to throw out some thoughts:
Probably the option least likely to work, given that it ultimately relies on the team's fire power and besides Hot Hail, the team isn't exactly remarkable in that regard. F Listers and all that.
For this it's good to keep in mind that half our team looks remarkably not normal and Philo probably isn't the most nondescript person around big money people like the employes of a major bank either. Possibly workable, but would need some roundaboutness.
This has a lot of potential, if only because the supernatural is pretty vague by its nature. It does leave us plenty of room to come up with stuff. Although, the Cyrene mention does strike me more as something to support another plan than something to build the entire operation on.
We do have a decent pool of resources to pull on between the Consort ranks of ourselves, Fawkes and apparently Glitz. Add in our Gumshoe angle to figure out who's susceptible to bribes/blackmail with some help from the team (Philo comes to mind for this, but Sally is apparently a Grifter, so maybe she can help somewhat with spotting a mark at least). We also have that one point in Sway which might count for something. The team's hardly an oiled machine when it comes to this kind of stuff, but it probably has a better chance of working than trying to slam headfirst into what's apparently a so far unpenetrated fortress. We don't even need to go all the way to bribing someone into letting us steal the data, something like pushing them into giving Cog-nito a job while not paying too much scrutiny to his credentials could work to give him access that lets him do his sneaky stuff, possibly with a distraction added on top.
Just ramming in there with a car probably won't work, but maybe we can smuggle Cog-nito in there somehow? Although a server room is unlikely to exactly have transporters going in and out, so there's a lot of open room in that idea.
I'm basing this quest on an unholy hybrid between the Blades in the Dark system and City of Mist. The beauty of the Blades planning mechanic is that you're not supposed to go too much into detail. Just have a basic idea and we'll cut to the action.
[X] Deception| Lure, trick, or manipulate. -[X] Detail: Sneak in Cog-nito as an "employee." Then make a distraction for him by causing a scene by having Madame Guillotine pretend to be an entitled customer with Glitz and Sally acting as her henchman.
Let's be honest, Madame Guillotine has the energy, so we might as well embrace the roll as well as our team's attention grabbing appearances and hope F-listers aren't too recognizable. Not sure wether to specify how to sneak Cog-nito in, like just having him dress up as cleaning staff, or bribing someone to actually go through the process, but that's mostly the lead up anway. Can't hurt to keep Hot Hail in reserve as a big distraction in case things go south either.
[x] Assault| Do violence to a target. -[x]Detail: OBLITERATE the target's infrastructure. We're talking sewerage, water, electricity, internet. THE WORKS. Overflow the sinks! Detonate the traffic lights! Ye gods, detonate a god damn EMP!
Let's see them try to handle anything when ALL THE TOILETS IN 5 KILOMETERS ARE OUT OF ORDER! If all the services can be shut off at once, I'm sure we can figure something out in the ensuing chaos. Also, good luck calling help when your phones don't work!
Surely a good place to start would be a substation. Cause enough damage quick enough and the whole CITY will have cascading blackouts! Sure, they probably have backup generators but the idea is to cause absolute chaos.
11: 45
15 minutes until meeting time. I've never been much of a gambler, yet here we are. We'll see if I'm right about certain universal truths about humanity.
1: 31
That went shockingly well. Only one assault, which was actually a somewhat ingenious prevention tactic. It appears my assumptions on Ms. Sally's personality are at least partially correct. I'll talk to her after the mission(assuming A: we aren't all killed/arrested, and B: aforementioned gamble pays off).
2: 43
Various plans have been proposed. Much bickering on all sides, especially between Ms. Glitz and M. Guillotine.
Note: create better encryption for notes. M. Guillotine was looking over my shoulder at one point. Substitution cypher not nearly adequate.
Anyway, I've compiled a very rough list of which of the general plans being workshopped best fit the skillsets of each member of the team.
Assault: Ms. Glizt, Mr. Hot Hail, and Ms. Sally are our the most dangerous recruits, although both Ms. Sally and Mr. Hail have problems with collateral damage, and Ms. Glitz has her own issues she thinks I haven't noticed.
Deception: Madame Guillotine is good at attracting attention to herself(she claims the physical signs of her ritual shouldn't be a problem for social encounters, but I remain unconvinced). My training should help as well, although my strengths lie in social engineering rather than outright manipulation. Half of all the world's security systems crumble to dust before one man holding a clipboard and looking annoyed. Judging by their negotiating skills, Ms. Sally and Glitz also have some minor talent in those areas, although Ms. Glitz prefers to rely on the intimidation factor of her appearance and reputation.
Stealth: Mx. Cog-nito is an excellent stealth operative, even with the malfunctions of their equipment. Frankly, their biggest hang-up is their lack of certainty in their own abilities. This also warrants further discussion. I suspect also has talents in this area, judging by how well she's managed to melt into the background while Ms. Glitz and M. Guillotine verbally lambast each other. I believe I might have to-
3: 28
Note: I had to defuse a potential altercation. Operational hazard of working with supervillains.
Occult: this plan wasn't much supported by anyone at the table, for obvious reasons. These people know more than anyone how unpredictable magic can be. Mr.s Hot Hail and Shieldwall have the strongest arcane potential of the group, but the least actual practice using it. Apparently both of them were Imbued by an outside force. In any case, none of us have any connections to arcane powers, and gaining one would entail it's own mission. M. Guillotine apparently knows an artificer who might be willing to build some sort of device for us(and a fee), which could be useful in the future. But, as has been already pointed out, a magitech device of unknown function from a fabricator of unknown quality is too risky to build an entire heist around.
Social: As mentioned previously, several members of the team including myself have a bare minimum of what is the word competence at social encounters, but we're lacking the proverbial "inside man." Gaining a social connection will require it's own sub-mission, which is doable but adds unnecessary complication.
Transport:...While it is hypothetically possible to hijack the bank's own armored car, crash through every wall between the loading dock and the server room, load the physical servers into it and drive away, something deep within me dies at the thought of trying something so absolutely lunatic. The worst part is, it could hypothetically work on paper(the bank's cars are plated with adamant. Their interior walls are very much not). Please see about about unnecessary complications.
In all seriousness, our the best driver(Mx. Cog-nito) has apparently never driven an "oil-burner" before. Our The runners-up are Mr. Hail, who's medical condition is not suited for high-stakes getaways, and Ms. Sally, who has made it very clear how bad an idea it is for her to be in an enclosed space for any amount of time.
My next words will either be written atop a metaphorical pile of money, or from the bars of a prison cell. Or a coffin. Depends on how homicidal the heroes are feeling on the day. Wish us luck.
And how would that help the heist? Seems like a tedious way to raise our wanted level for no benefit.
[X] Deception| Lure, trick, or manipulate. -[X] Detail: Sneak in Cog-nito as an "employee." Then make a distraction for him by causing a scene by having Madame Guillotine pretend to be an entitled customer with Glitz and Sally acting as her henchman.
Quite a lot of your childhood was spent underneath silk tablecloths, hiding away from yet another fancy party in yet another mansion. Royal children are exclusively brats(except for you, of course. You were an angel), and your parents kept forcing you to interact with them in the hopes of an eventual marriage alliance.
This a long-winded way of saying that Harmony Central Bank was the most ridiculously extravagant palace you've ever seen. Giant marble columns rose from the bronze-tiled floor, merging into the lower torsos of this nation's barbaric Pantheon, who were themselves holding up the domed glass ceiling. It was architecture that can only exist with the aid of magic, and only then at ridiculous expense.
All this gilding for a glorified coin chest. You'd almost think the gods themselves brought their money here. You're glad your robbing these idiots, they deserve to be put down a peg.
Now, where were you? Ah yes, your favorite pastime.
"HOW DARE you talk to me like tHAT!" You scream at the top of your lungs.
Putting peasants in their place.
The young girl behind the gilt bars of the teller's station looked like she was about to cry.
"I'm sorry m'am, but you don't have an account with us. If you'd like I could open one for you-"
"Don't give me that." You stab a bright red fingernail against the solid marble countertop. "I'll have you know you are talking to royalty. In any civilized country, such as the one I will one day rule, such insubordination would never be tolerated."
You imagined your face was twisted in a terrifying snarl, but you're having to make do with aggressive body language, a dark and mysterious veil, and a voice you've been told could blunt silverware.
One of your "ladies in waiting" clears her throat. You resist the urge to snarl at her. Isn't it enough that Glitz and Sally are wearing your back-up dresses and veils, without critiquing your acting prowess? You're half convinced Fawkes stuck them with you to act as some sort of protection detail, as if you weren't perfectly capable of taking care of yourself.
"You might want to check your phone, your 'highness'." Says Sally. Under your veil you can't help but imagine an infuriating smirk.
Indeed, once you fish your sadly out-of-date Uphone out of your handbag(princesses do not use pockets), you see that Cog-nito has indeed messaged the group.
C-N: I'm in. I've stashed the uniform, what now?
P-F: You know where you need to go, and what to do when you get there. There is not currently a time limit, so you can prioritize stealth over speed. Trust in the plan we've developed.
You (metaphorically)wrinkle your nose. This Cog-nito boy(you think? You've never seen him outside of that strange clockwork suit) better not screw this up. You aren't about to spend your immortality languishing in a concrete box.
"Um, m'am?" says the teller.
You whirl around to face her.
"I-I mean your highness." She says, stumbling over her words. "That is, your majesty. Would you like to talk to the bank manager? He might be able to clear up any problems with-" she leans forward, voice a conspiratorial whisper. "'Missing' accounts. Things you might not want to discuss in open company."
Your eyeless gaze wanders up to the giant glass windows set high up in wall, where you can just make out the silhouette of man.
PF: MG, are you in position? CG needs your assistance.
You roll a number of six-sided die equal to the dots you have in the relevant action. The highest roll determines the result of what happens next.
1-3: failure. Something prevents you from achieving your goal.
4-5: mixed result. You succeed, but at a cost.
6: you succeed at your goal.
Multiple sixes: critical success. You succeed so well you get a bonus.
Rolls also have situation-based modifiers that govern how much you succeed or fail.
Effect determines the extent of a success. The more effect a roll has, the better the outcome of a success.
Position determines the extent of a failure. The more position you have, the lower the severity of a consequence.
You can never have more than a +3 bonus or -3 debuff to effect or position.
This world hates you and will do it's darndest to doom and/or destroy you. It won't pull it's punches, so you shouldn't either. If you want to beat it, you'll have to use magic, Stress, and cleverness to stack the deck in your favor. Good luck.
What do you do? Choose one.
[ ] Meet the bank manager. This bank moves money for gangs and villains, yes? Perhaps you could set up an account. Or sell your allies down the river…[Sway roll. 1d6. No modifiers]
[ ] Time to go. You've done your part, Cog-nito is in position. It's on him(her?) to finish the rest. Now all you need to do is pretend to be offended and storm off in a huff. [Sway roll. 1d6. No modifiers.]
[ ] The better part of valor: this could go very wrong very fast. Keep an eye on the exits and be ready to leave in a hurry. [Survey roll. 1d6. +1 Effect(Gumshoe).]
[ ] Write in. What do you do, and what Action do you use?
[ ] Create a commotion. If they want to get rid of you, they'll have to throw you out. And you suppose that means less security-men patrolling the bank. [Aid: Cog-Nito(+1 Effect to Prowl roll)][Consort roll. 1d6. -1 Position (Power flaw: necessarily headless). -1 Position(Armed guards)]
[ ] Start a fight. Enough of this subterfuge nonsense, you're didn't cut off your mortality to play dress-up. Let's see how good this bank's "defenses" are. [Aid: Cog-Nito(+2 Effect to Prowl roll)][Skirmish roll. 0d6. -1 Effect(High-Quality Defenses). -1 Position(Armed gaurds).]
Use an Item: you didn't come here empty-handed. You'll have to declare your Load first.
Load is an abstract measurement of how much you're carrying. During the operation, you may say that your character has an item on hand by checking the box for the item you want to use—up to a number of items equal to your chosen load. Your load also determines your movement speed and conspicuousness, so choose carefully:
[ ] 1-3 Load| Light: You're faster, less conspicuous and you blend in with citizens.
[ ] 4/5 Load| Normal: You're obviously a supervillain, ready for trouble.
[ ] 6 Load| Heavy: You're slower. You look like an operative on a mission.
[ ] Use an item: write-in what you're carrying, how much Load it takes up, and how you use it. (Large objects, such as heavy weapons or heavy pieces of equipment, cost 2 Load, while some very small items, such as a small vial or a single bullet, cost 0 Load.)
Examples: a first aid kit[1 Load], drilling equipment[2 Load], your Phylactery sword[2 Load], a tracking bug(0 Load).
Stress| would you like to give of yourself?
Madame Guillotine has very low stats and very weak powers. She can choose to increase her odds by spending Stress, a special resource that represents a combination of luck and composure. Stress is easy for a character to gain, but hard to get rid of. Gain too much, and that character receives a Trauma, a permanent mental hang-up. Once a character gains 4 Trauma, they can no longer continue the life of a villain and must retire.
[ ] Push Yourself| Spend 2 Stress to buff one of your rolls. Choose one of the below.
-[ ] +1d
-[ ] +Effect
-[ ] +Position
Flashback| Thank goodness you planned for this, right?
Your unlikely crew of villains and vagabonds spent hours, if not days, hashing out this plan. Along the way, you did something in the past to prepare for this. What was it? The more convenient the flashback is, the more it costs. Particularly difficult or unlikely flashbacks might require a roll.
[ ] How did your prepare for this and what Action did you use to do it?
Spotlight| Your Crew is an ensemble of characters. You can choose to keep seeing and acting through the POV of Madame Guillotine, or you can move to another character. Each other member of your Crew has their own goals and drives, and will automatically perform Actions if you don't have the Spotlight on them. The more time a character spends in the spotlight, the more XP they earn, which eventually leads to them leveling up and getting powerful magic and/or better stats. Choose 1 of the below.
[ ] Keep the spotlight on Madame Guillotine
Or, move it to someone else next turn:
[ ] Cog-Nito| Currently Prowling through the bank to the server room. [Prowl roll. 2d6. +Effect(invisibility suit), +Effect(Thief), -Position(only while still), -Position(Bank defenses)]
[ ] Glitz| Currently intimidating the bank teller with her Commanding presence. [Command roll. 2d6. +Effect(Hitter)]
[ ] Sally| Currently Surveying the room, ready for when things inevitably go to hell. [Survey roll. 1d6. No bonuses]
[ ] Hot Hail| Not in the scene. Write-in where he is(in the bank? The getaway vehicle? The roof?) and what Action he's gonna do next.
[ ] Shieldwall| Not in the scene. Write in where he is and what Action he's gonna do next.
[ ] Fawkes| Not in the scene. Write in where he is and what Action he's gonna do next.
So, looking at our options, I can see us taking things in three directions.
1)
[ ] Meet the bank manager. This bank moves money for gangs and villains, yes? Perhaps you could set up an account. Or sell your allies down the river…[Sway roll. 1d6. No modifiers]
Trying to play for gains. Although, I'm not really interested in selling out our amusing group of misfits and I'm not sure if we're really going to have the funds until after we finished the bank robbery and being in the manager's office can only make the escape harder in case things go south.
2)
[ ] The better part of valor: this could go very wrong very fast. Keep an eye on the exits and be ready to leave in a hurry. [Survey roll. 1d6. +1 Effect(Gumshoe).]
Playing things more safe. Avoid creating more risks than is absolutely necessary and try not to get overwhelmed by the potential fallout.
3)
[ ] Create a commotion. If they want to get rid of you, they'll have to throw you out. And you suppose that means less security-men patrolling the bank. [Aid: Cog-Nito(+1 Effect to Prowl roll)][Consort roll. 1d6. -1 Position (Power flaw: necessarily headless). -1 Position(Armed guards)]
Taking a pretty sizable risk to help the heist as much as is possible. I have no interest escalating this to a full on fight though (and seeing how Cog-nito apparently already has +2 Effect as a default, the additional bonus from a brawl would be wasted anyway) and with all the negative position it might be worth picking up a bit of stress... or maybe not, but if there's a time to experiment with the mecahnics it's now at the start.
[] Plan: Low Investment
-[ ] The better part of valor: this could go very wrong very fast. Keep an eye on the exits and be ready to leave in a hurry. [Survey roll. 1d6. +1 Effect(Gumshoe).]
-[ ] 1-3 Load| Light: You're faster, less conspicuous and you blend in with citizens.
-[ ] Use an item: Occasionally glance at your enchanted Uphone (see below) to help get a better view of the situation.
-[ ] Flashback: You set down together with Cyrene to enchant your phones to connect to a couple of small mirrors to act as a easy to set up surveilance system. Then the team went to set them up, mostly on the outside of the building to overlook the surroundings, or spy into the building through the windows/ceiling, but you'll take what you can.
-[ ] Keep the spotlight on Madame Guillotine
Starting off with what would admitedly be a more convenient flashback, but if we're otherwise playing things safe, we might as well test out how far we can push that mechanic. Anyway, we already had the Uphone in the scene, so I imagine pulling it out again would be 0 load?
[X] Plan: High Investment
-[X] Create a commotion. If they want to get rid of you, they'll have to throw you out. And you suppose that means less security-men patrolling the bank. [Aid: Cog-Nito(+1 Effect to Prowl roll)][Consort roll. 1d6. -1 Position (Power flaw: necessarily headless). -1 Position(Armed guards)]
-[X] 1-3 Load| Light: You're faster, less conspicuous and you blend in with citizens.
-[X] Push Yourself
--[X] +1d
-[X] Flashback: You spend most of your time on coaching Glitz and Sally to make sure you're on the same page on how much attention you want to draw to yourself, when you should stop escalating things to avoid starting a brawl and when it might be a good time to start an coincidental fire to outshine the amount of heat you've drawn to yourself.
-[X] Keep the spotlight on Madame Guillotine
I already feel bad for the poor girl having to live through the customer from hell, but I'd feel worse about not pulling our weight for the job... and given that she's not real I might anticipate that I'll enjoy the ensuing chaos. I can understand why people might want to play it safe though, so I at least drew up a plan for that.
What I do know is that I want to stay in the perspective of our MG until at least a fight breaks out. The comedic note makes her entitlement weirdly endearing (as long as you don't need to interact with her in person). That being said, I am kind of amused by the idea of an exacerbated Fawkes looking at an option that's playing it more safe and decides that he'll have to create a distraction himself, so he parachutes in through the glass ceiling. Not like I think that should actually happen, but the thought amuses me nonetheless.
