Sunday, April 20, 2014

America's Avengers - Unlockables and Milestones - Super Tuesday Arc

Steve Rogers, after discovering his abilities are no longer what they were, decided to serve the country by running for President. He's assembled a new set of Avengers to protect the country while he's on the campaign trail. He's also asked a couple of friends to help him out along the way.

5/10 XP: Unlock Hawkeye
Hawkeye is officially retired, but when Steve got this crazy idea, he knew he had to help. For 5 XP,  you've spent some time training with him. You may call for a brief flashback scene detailing. When you do, step up an Asset created from an Oppotunity. For 10 XP, you convince Hawkeye to come off the bench and join the team in the field. Once per round, Hawkeye lends an aid dice to any pool.



Milestone: First Among Avengers
1 XP: when an Avenger follows your lead or advice
3 XP: when you aid another Avenger in combat
10 XP: when you are chosen as the leader of the new team or walk away, claiming the team isn't worthy of the name.




5/10: Unlock Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff is happy to get her hands dirty for Steve. As his campaign manager, she wants to make sure he gets elected and is not afraid to play dirty politics. For 5 XP, The Widow will remove the highest rolling Doom Pool in any roll against the Doom Pool, including the campaign roll at the end of the session. For 10 XP, her digging reveals a scandal that eliminates one of the other candidates from the running.




Milestone: Double Agent
1 XP: when you use your Solo Affiliation
3 XP: when you do something that causes suspicion among your teammates
10 XP: when you prove your loyalty to Natasha by eliminating a rival candidate or you prove your loyalty to another candidate by eliminating Natasha.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Datafile - Cannonball

Affiliations:

Team: d8
Buddy: d6
Solo: d10

Distinctions:

Kentucky Coalminer
Off Like A Rocket
Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

Power Set 1: Thermo-Chemical Propulsion

d8 Energy Blast
d10 Superhuman Durability
d10 Supersonic Flight
SFX: Blasting. When making an action that includes Supersonic Flight, you may add
an additional Thermo-Chemical Propulsion power die to your pool. If the action
fails, add a die to the doom pool equal to the smaller of the two power dice.
SFX: Invulnerability. If your reaction dice pool includes Superhuman Durability, spend
1 PP to ignore physical stress or trauma.
SFX: Reactive Power. Spend 1 PP to add a Thermo-Chemical Propulsion power to another
character’s dice pool before rolling. If that character takes physical stress,
take d6 mental stress.
Limit: Explosive Propulsion. In order to use any other Thermo-Chemical Propulsion
power, you must use Supersonic Flight in the same dice pool.
Limit: Mutant. When affected by mutant-specific complications or tech, earn 1 PP.

Specialities:

Combat Expert: d8
Psych Expert: d8
Vehicle Expert: d8

Milestone: Heartbreaker

1 XP: when you talk about an old girlfriend
3 XP: when an old girlfriend shows up to complicate your life
10 XP: when you reconnect with your old flame or you break their heart to be with someone new

Milestone: Worldshaker

1 XP: when you use two or more Thermo-Chemical Propulsion dice in a pool
3 XP:
10 XP:

Datafile - Iron Fist

Affiliations:

Team: d6
Buddy: d8
Solo: d10

Distinctions:

Billionaire Playboy
Living Weapon of K'un-Lun
Young Dragon


Power Set 1: Heart of Shou Lao

d8 Enhanced Reflexes
d8 Enhanced Speed
d8 Enhanced Stamina
d8 Enhanced Strength
SFX: Iron Fist. Double or step up Enhanced Strength for one action. If that action fails,
shutdown Enhanced Strength. Recover power by activating an opportunity or
during a Transition Scene.
SFX: Chi Focus. In a pool including a Heart of Shou-Lao die, replace two dice of equal
steps with one die of +1 step.
SFX: Chi Healing. Add Enhanced Stamina to your dice pool when helping others to
recover stress. Spend 1 PP to recover your own or another’s physical stress or
step back your own or another’s physical trauma by –1.
Limit: Conscious Activation. While stressed out, asleep, or unconscious, shutdown Heart
of Shou-Lao. Recover Heart of Shou-Lao when you recover that stress or wake
up. If you take mental trauma, shutdown Heart of Shou-Lao until you recover
that trauma.


Specialities:

Acrobatic Master: d10
Business Expert: d8
Combat Master: d10
Covert Expert: d8
Mystic Expert: d8
Psych Expert d8

Milestone: Immortal Weapon

1 XP: when you use your Combat or Mystic Specialties to aid another hero.
3 XP: when you first defeat an opponent in a Buddy situation using your Iron Fist SFX.
10 XP: when you either nominate another hero as your replacement and give up your
title or defeat another hero to prove your status as the true Iron Fist.

Milestone: Hostile Takeover

1 XP: when you use your Business Expert in a conflict.
3 XP: when you exploit another character’s business holdings or resources.
10 XP: when you choose to either seize another character’s business assets or surrender

your own to them.

eXtradimensional - Milestones and Unlockables - Quantum Shuffle Arc


Though it may seem that Fuse is randomly jumping the team through dimensions, the truth is far more complex. Her abilities are part of the tug of war between the entity currently known as the False Phoenix and a new entity calling itself Akashika. The unlockables and milestones for this arc reflect the battle between these forces.

5/10 XP: Unlock the Phoenix Force
Jumping through dimensions bathes your team in the power of the Phoenix Force. The False Phoenix now whispers to everyone on the team, though only a few heed its call. For 5 XP,  you may steal a power from someone in the scene and use it in a roll you make. When you do, add a die of the same size to the Doom Pool. For 10 XP, you may add a Phoenix Force die of any size to any roll involving a Power Set. When you do, add a die of the same size to the Doom Pool.



Milestone: Whispers of the Phoenix
1 XP: when the False Phoenix appears to you
3 XP: when you stress someone out of a scene through mental or emotional stress
10 XP: when you sacrifice yourself to weaken the False Phoenix or become her vessel to claim the Phoenix Force for yourself




5/10: Unlock Akashika
The Akashika functions as something of a hive mind, allowing mutants willing to open their minds to work together as one. 5 XP allows you step up an asset die created for a teammate thanks to your psychic coordination. 10 XP allows you to spend a Plot Point to give an ally a dice from one of your Power Sets that can help.




Milestone: Power of the Akashika
1 XP: when you speak to someone with your brain instead of your mouth
3 XP: when your newfound psychic gifts cause more trouble than expected
10 XP: when you give yourself over to the Akashika to allow a fallen mutant take over your body permanently or reject your connection to reclaim your identity.


Saturday, April 5, 2014

Datafile - Stark/Stane

Courtesy of the Noto Archives
Most of the first generation of Marvels came across their powers by accident. Only one built his abilities by hand. Tony Stark, founder of Stark Industries, took on the persona of Iron Man to originally escape a kidnapping attempt. Stark soon became the personification of the swinging superhero. He enjoyed the celebrity that other Marvels often found uncomfortable. Stark Tower parties often rivaled the Playboy Mansion for eclectic mixes of people.

Tony's hard partying caught up with him fifteen years later. A battle with alcoholism weakened his control on Stark Industries. Much of the 80's was spent in a mixture of the boardroom and battlefield, fending off rival companies, buyouts, and a new wave of Marvels looking to make their name by taking down one of the few unafraid to reveal their secret identity. Stark stood tall through most of the battles, but they wore him down to the point where, in the mid-90's, he stepped down from both the company and his time in the suit. Stark Industries found a new leader in Tony's son, Shane Stark.

Shane Stark leaving a nightclub in London
Shane eliminated most of Stark Industries rivals by fighting fire with fire. He aggressively pursued them through buyouts, hostile takeovers and legal actions. Perhaps it was seeing his father driven to drink by the stress of being a CEO and a Marvel, but Shane's doggedness matched that of his father. With the merger of Stark Industries to long time rival Stane International in 1999, Shane began to build his own legacy. A legacy that didn't include being a Marvel. Shane never took on the Iron Man mantle and has commented in public several times that he has no interest or intention to step inside the suit.

Iron Man instead has become the public face of Stark/Stane, which continues to primarily manufacture technology for military organizations, SHIELD, and the Fantastic Foundation. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Citizen Iron, the reality show where contestants vie for a chance to be a Marvel for a year. While none of the Iron Marks have gone on to notoriety (outside of the tragedy that claimed the life of Iron Mark VI), every year thousands of hopefuls line up at tryouts across the USA hoping for a chance to step into the suit.

Tony Stark at Jim Rhodes's retirement party
As for Tony Stark, the toast of the town has now become the billionaire recluse.  Rumors of a falling out with Shane persist. He is rarely seen outside his mansion. The life of the party has been notably absent from retirement and funeral events from the first generation of Marvels. Tony Stark was once of the best and brightest humanity had to offer. But his demons may have finally defeated him.