You're about to post to the online forum game for MJ Young's science fiction based role playing game (which is, as you know, nothing related to Multiverser (which doesn't exist) or dimensional travel). Unfortunately, MJ hasn't gotten to your post just yet, so you go to use the bathroom and hear a crashing sound; you return to find that your computer has EXPLODED, for apparently no reason. You walk over to it, thinking how lucky you are to have not been sitting there when that happened (Ok, you're really thinking, what the f just happened to my computer, not revelling in your good fortune), and see a golden liquid seconds before your fingers touch what was left of the tower to your computer. You are fried, and the last thing you smell is your own burning flesh and hair. The end.//// Or is it? You feel yourself waking up slowly. The air smells musty, like mothballs, and feels somewhat cool with a breeze, between sixty and seventy degrees. The ground under your back feels soft with a firmness behind it, life a carpet over a floor.
Oh, But It Is Still Kansas - Brock begins play
(48 posts) (2 voices)-
(simple agi check: 9) As you go to stand, the ground heaves, but you manage to keep your balance. You see to be in someone else's living room, the color scheme of everything in here is black and white, and wind is rushing in the windows in quite uncomfortable quantities.
Tue Oct 5 2010 10:16 am # -
You seem to be within a tornado. A small, bushy haired dog, looks to be a terrier of some type, is flying just within arms' reach, and you see a stern looking woman riding a bicycle as if she hasn't noticed that the twister has carried her into the sky; everything outside, including the dog and woman, is black and white, and the objects on the ground, what looks to be a farm, are very tiny in perspective to your location.
Tue Oct 5 2010 11:13 am # -
Brock
Member"Well," I say aloud. "Not exactly a dream I ever thought I'd have. Well, let's roll with it."
I brace myself, grabbing something that looks sturdy, knowing that sooner or later, the house will fall. Unless, of course my surmise is wrong, but since my character believes it too, that is what he is expecting.
Somewhere...Over the Raaaaaainbow!
Wed Oct 6 2010 2:08 am # -
(Well, I know what I was going to do as well as you do; but let's make sure the dice agree: 29 ge roll says this is not as good as you might be thinking, but I have a backup plan for a direction here) (bonused agi check for balance: roll 38, effective 28; where is your "dice luck"?) You do yourself fall again; but it's because the house stops rising. It's a moment that seems like an eternity as the house floats in the sky, unmoving; then, freefall. You become bouyant along with the other items in the room, and, unfortunately, it seems that which goes up, must come down. /// (Flx check; 14) You are dreaming about being underwater, swimming, deep sea diving, even, with the pressure forcing down on top of you. You wake up further, and that's exactly where you are. You pass out from lack of oxygen./// (Flx check: 11) You're wide awake this time, you think, but with a headache; of course, that could just be because you're in the vacuum of space. POP./// (Flx check: 13) You are standing this time, standing and wet. There's a large, irregular rectangular box in front of you getting bigger, and a loud, familiar sound is emanating from it. On instinct you try to get out of the way, (walking skill checkl 96) trip and fall. It's too late to try to crawl out of the way, and getting run over by a bus full of people on the interstate hurt much more than falling on the rainy pavement. ///(flx check 14) You don't wake up. You're fully cognizant, standing on the edge what looks to be for all intents and purposes an inactive volcano. The sun is shining, bright and warm in the sky above and beyond the gaping hole in front of you there seems to be an ocean. (Go ahead and add four skill marks to your Will Power; if it's up to 1@6, that's 4 points, 1@7 to 1@9, boost to 1@10, 1@10 to 2@9, 1 point. Your tolerance of pain has risen significantly with your experience. Stage 5)
Wed Oct 6 2010 1:27 pm # -
Brock
MemberI only have dice luck when I am the referee; I roll whatever makes for a good story, every single time. When I am a player, I fail every roll that the DM does for me, and take very high damage from attacks. I have gremlins.
"Go ahead and add four skill marks to your Will Power. Your tolerance of pain has risen significantly with your experience."
4 marks? That bumps it from the 1@8 I have put down to a 1@10 mark II if I remember how it works aright.
Did I really just die 5 times in a row? Wow. That's a brand new record for...any game i've played, really.
As soon as I am cognizant again I let out a quite embarassing "Gaaaaaahhhh!" noise from the pain and surprise of that unpleasant experience.
"The hell was all THAT?" I mutter to myself, then turn and look around. I try to see if I can recognize where I am. After I look around, I'll look for a way down and head that way.
Sun Oct 10 2010 11:24 pm # -
(Yes, 1@10 +2, and yes, you just died five times in a row, counting your initial scriff infection... doesn't leave much room for question, does it?)Being as there are two suns shining down from the sky, NO, YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE ANYTHING. Other than that, there isn't really anything alien about your surroundings; it looks like a tropical volcanic island. You find a footpath down from the peak with some difficulty; it happens to be in the same direction as a strange "pulling" sensation you are feeling, similar to when you have left something somewhere and you have a general idea of where. As you walk, you come across a gurgling stream running across your path; there are now two feelings, one along the stream's bank and one across the water.
Sun Oct 10 2010 11:54 pm # -
Brock
MemberIC THOUGHTS: Oh, wonderful. A trek through the wilderness after numerous hallucinations of my own death. I'm either in a very vivid nightmare, or I've broken from reaility and I'm twirling in some psych ward right about now. *sigh*.
I'll head down the bank of the stream first. What do I see?
Mon Oct 11 2010 5:38 am # -
Not too much for the first twenty feet or so; palm trees here and there, rocky terrain, the gurgling stream next to you; you round a large rock, and see about thirty feet in front of you, a caucasion boy of maybe ten or so sitting by his lonesome by a pool of water that the stream you have been following flows into. He is wearing black clothing, and has a black bag with a drawstring in his lap, under a dark grey pole slightly shorter in length than his own height. He doesn't look in your direction, but sighs to himself exasperatedly after you appear from around the bend.
Mon Oct 11 2010 1:13 pm # -
He responds, "Yeah, a volcanic island. I've been here before, except last time there were five suns, and the time before that only one. The gist of it is, eventually, the volcano erupts and we die. Or, you survive, but there isn't any other land, so eventually you die anyway."
Wed Oct 13 2010 2:33 am # -
Brock
MemberBoy, this dream just gets wierder and wierder...
I let out a nervous laugh, then say:
"Shot to death. Fantastic. That happen every day to you, then? I can say it's happened to me. But then, I generally try not to die. Not goor for my health."
After that comment, I turn and run my gaze over the area again, and try to identify what the strange pulling sensation was, turning back to him if he responds.
Thu Oct 14 2010 4:44 am # -
The strange pulling sensation seems to be coming from him. He laughs, then looks at you quizically, and responds, "You are joking, right? No?" He sighs. "You don't know what's going on, do you. I guess I'll have to teach you. You died, ok? At least once. Problem is, you're probably never going to get to the afterlife however it was explained to you by normal dying; there was probably an electrical accident the first time you died, and there was some gold stuff that got into your system and now because of that stuff, every time you die you're going to wake up in another universe. You won't age anymore and you can't have kids. There are others like us out there, but you probably won't often meet them. Eventually this volcano will erupt, and we will die, but we'll be on our way to the next universe. The way I see it, there's food here, and water, and since there's nothing we can really do here except sit and wait for the volcano to erupt, we might as well see to it that in the next world we're at least well fed."
"I've usually died from being shot to death; I like my freedom, and it usually turns out that I end up on the wrong side of the local law enforcement."
"I should mention so you're prepared. The number of worlds out there is unfathomable; some will have starships, others will have wizards, some might have been fictional places you've read about. As to why, don't bother to ask me; I was nine years old when I versed out, and I honestly have spent much more of my life in the verse than I did in the world where I was born. Ask another verser and you'll get another answer, but I'm just taking my life one day at a time, living life on life's terms."
Thu Oct 14 2010 11:41 am # -
Brock
Member"Uh...huh. Well, I do recall being in several places it wasn't possible to survive in...Still, that sounds just a bit fanatastic don't you think? Then again, being inside the house in the tornado from the Wizard of Oz was hardly normal..."
"So...a multiverse of worlds encompassing every idea and every possible world, is that the gist of what you are saying?"
Thu Oct 14 2010 7:49 pm # -
"No. It means your things are that way. See, this stuff that's in us, this golden 'scriff,' is drawn to itself, so you can feel the pull of it to a certain extent. With your stuff, it has the same exact scriff as you in it, so you can feel it however far away from it you might be; with other sources of scriff you might have to be completely on top of it before you can sense it."
Sat Oct 16 2010 1:31 pm # -
Oh, right, I haven't got a character paper for you yet, do I. Haaa. Well, you know the drill,
Persuasion
Charisma
Animal MagnetismStrength
Stamina
Agility
ResistanceDensity
Flexibility
Hand/EyeIntellect
Education Level
Intuition
Will Power(think that's it off the top of my head) Any of these you're in the top ten percent of.
The last grade of high school you completed.
Your highest bias technological skill.
Any combat skills you have.
Any skills you have that you consider psionic or magical. (I may be out of my mind, but I'm not stupid.)
Up to twenty pounds of equipment. -- er, two hundred, I mean. Forgot to move the decimal point.
Right now I specifically need to know about anything large or bulky, any weapons, and any containers or items used to carry things.
§
You find your equipment with several hours walk and little difficulty. At this distance, you don't feel the sense of where the boy is, but you don't have much trouble retracing your steps. By this time, you're beginning to get a bit peckish.
§
edit: if you do have a current character paper, just go ahead and copy it here for me. Sorry for the trouble.
Sat Oct 16 2010 8:12 pm # -
Brock
MemberOh, you didn't see it? I posted it in Taking Players. Let me go get it.
Edit: here it is. It is my old sheet with some recommended changes.
Name Brock Anthony Petersdorf-Nelson
genericfantasyname: Internet handle
ohconan: Internet handleAttributes -changes
Persuasion 1@8 -1@5-I figured out the reason people trust me so easily is An-Mag, it's a first impression thing.
Charisma 1@7
An-Mag 1@5 -1@8-see persuasion addendum
Strength 1@6 -1@7-I have been working out and losing weight since then
Stamina 1@4
Resistance 1@9
Density 1@1
Flexibility 2@1
Agility 1@10 -May have increased a "mark", but perhaps not the whole point
Hand/Eye 2@5
Intellect 2@1 -not sure when this increased. I think MJ raised it after interacting with me for some time. I thought it used to be a 1@10. Hmm.
Intuition 2@1 -1@8-this was more a skill, not pure talent, but MJ didn't really want to change it over a few points. See enhanced awareness skill.
Edu-Level 1@10
Will Power 1@8 -Huh. I thought this was higher. I'd like to go at least 1@10; discuss.Averaged Attributes -may change from above changes
Ranged Strike Value 2@3
Martial Strike Value 2@1
Target Value 1@7
Damage Value 1@6Best Relevant Attributes
Tech 2@1
Psi 2@1
Mag 2@1
Bod 1@10Bias
Tech
Psi
Mag
BodWeaknesses
I have very minimal use of my nearsighted right eye that requires me to close the left one to focus it at all, but it has always been that way, so my depth perception is not that bad, I know how to compensate. I am overweight, at 166% (now 153%) optimal weight. Borderline asthmatic, has to catch breath after exertion.
Description
18 years old, b. 11/27/90 ambidexterous, short cropped dark brown hair, brown eyes, currently heavyset but gangly when not overweight. 6"1Skills
Tech
1@8 Survival: Forest T0@1 includes edible plants
1@5 Tracking T0@1
1@5 Simple Fire Skills Package T1@X
1@8 Ignite Fire from Spark T1@2
1@3 Use Bow T2@1
1@7 Electronic Repair T10@3
1@10 Use Computer T11@0
1@4 Computer Programming T11@1
1@1 Build Function Machine (Robot) T12@2Psi
familiarity: mother+10
1@9 French P0@0
1@1 Read Minds P1@1
1@8 Aura Reading (Empathy) P1@1 identifies emotional state of visibly observed subject +10SM (must see subject)
1@5 Enhanced Concentration P2@0 focuses attention on single task of any sort, giving +10SM to performance of that task but shutting down awareness, -10 penalty to intuition checks while it is functioning. If used with awareness or sensory enhancing skills, restricts such enhancement to the focus and excludes awareness beyond that.
1@5 Heightened Awareness of Surroundings P3@1 enables user to know general layout of buildings or other structures, locations of entrances and exits, location of individuals and identities of those familiar, and other information, without searching.
1@1 TK Pulse P4@1 (used to control coin flips)Mag
1@5 Harmonica M0@0
1@1 Flute M0@0Bod
1@10 Stealth B0@6 includes stalking, unobtrusive presence
1@8 Tumble to Erect Position B4@4
1@10 Fall Impact Absorption B4@6
1@1 Tae Kwon Do T7@1
1@10 Brock's Vital Area Style B7@1 fast defensive weapon-utilizing poke style RF2 -20 def SM
1@10 Use Staff B7@1 martial arts weapon skill
1@6 Brock's Staff-based Martial Arts Style B7@1 weapon-dependent vital area style fast aggressive RF2 +10 att SM -10 def SM
1@3 Knock Out Blow B7@7 special damage base annoying damage (+DC for style), opponent must make stamina check RS=S/D/N to remain conscious, -10 to attack but +20 bonus for surprise.
1@8 Pain Inflictor B7@7 attacker strikes any of several known sensitive points causing the defender great pain and requiring a successful will power check (RS=S/D/N) to take any action besides howling and protecting the injured location, for RS/10 minutes, sacrifice initiative.Equipment-the last year hasn't been kind for me in terms of equipment. Here is what is left. Not everything here will be in my pack, but that's where it will end up.
-Backpack, 60 liter, divided into two main sections and a small frontal section
-4 t-shirts with witty slogans like "by reading this you have given me temporary control of your mind" (black, white, and blue) in backpack
-2 Black t-shirts in backpack
-2 pairs of blue jeans that barely fit
-a pair of blue jean shorts that need a belt to not fall down
-1 belt
-2 pairs of socks
-4 pair boxer shorts in black in backpack
-4 Journal-type notebook with various notes on a RP system I was making, a book I have been writing, random thoughts, and reminders to do things
-2 pictures of my little half-brother William, one where he first walked and one where he was drawing
-Wallet, contains a five dollar bill, 3 one dollar bills, 9 quarters, 3 dimes, 7 nickels, and 3 pennies, state ID card (printed vertically to show I am a minor, even though I am now 19, it's a bit old), high school ID showing my student number and school related info, a food stamp card containing 93 dollars, and a money tree card allowing me to cash checks at Money Tree made out to me without my ID (that might be useful in Earth similar worlds!), in pocket
-Pair of grey boxer shorts on person
-Pair of blue jeans on person
-Bag of dice in my equipment. 5 D20s, 4 D12s, 4 D10s and their match for d100s, 4 d8s, 48 d6s, and 6 d4s. 4 of each type are matched color sets in clear w/blue flecks, opaque aqua, and transparent jade green, while 12 d6s are matched marble and 10 are matched black and red
-Pair black shoes that fit adequately, size 13, leather-like, bad condition
-Red blanket with quilt pattern on one side
-PillowSun Oct 17 2010 8:54 pm # -
I did see it, I stated, I think, that you're to take the higher of all attributes you had a discrepancy on.
I have no issue with the psionic abilities you've posted. I'd like to see the coin toss thing in action (keep using it and practicing with it and use you to make myself a millionaire in the casinos at the roulette wheel, haha), but I'm not going to argue over it for game purposes.
There wasn't an in-game response present, so I'm still waiting on that.
Sun Oct 17 2010 9:16 pm # -
Brock
MemberIt's a sort of bump it one way or the other thing. You have to be paying extreme attention to the coin as it falls, and visually identify which way it needs to be pushed while it still in the air. Not the easiest task. For all I know, it's a mag luck enhancement. Whatever the case, when I do it, I have an 80% Heads-Tails ratio in my favor. Consistently. Over years of trials.
Very well then. If I take the Higher will 1@10, then apply the four marks you awarded me for my multi-death thing, that puts it squarely at 2@1, correct?
On my way back, I look around for any soft fruits I recognize. If i see one, I will rip it open and check that the inside looks the way it should too. If it appears the same as a normal fruit of the type I think it is, I will harvest some and bring 'em back with me to the boy who did not introduce himself after I did (I assume he is the original Verser Ky, right? Who went to Nagaworld, and learned staff fighting, became the Psientist, and all that?). Upon getting there, I will show them to him, and ask if he has any methods of verifying they are not poison. Just because the fruit seems the same doesn't mean it is.
If I do not find any fruit that appears analogous (is my spelling of analogous correct?) to fruits I know, I return without them, and ask the boy if he has identified anything edible on this island.
Mon Oct 18 2010 1:53 am # -
Your assumption as to who he is is correct, but not on all counts. The Psientist and the Kid With the Stick are different kids; one focused mainly on psionic abilities, the other mainly on martial arts. Not divergents; brothers.
I see no problem with the spelling or usage of analogous.
§
You find pineapples, coconuts, and some form of plantain which resembles a banana. The bananas seem edible enough by smell; as for the others, unless you have some way to get through the exterior, I don't see how you could know, much less eat them.
When you arrive back where the boy is, he is eating fruits of a similar nature that he has gathered. In response to your question, he swallows and says, "Yep. I'm verifying right now. If they're poisonous, I'm going to get really sick soon."
He seems dead serious.
Mon Oct 18 2010 12:43 pm # -
Brock
MemberOh, really? I didn't know that. I know only the bare bones of the old adventures.
"Wow...All right, I think i will wait and see. I don't particularly want to die another time in the span of a couple hours."
In my mind, I'm wondering if it is a particularly good idea to hang around this crazy kid. He might snap and eat me for dinner at any moment. On a good Intuition check, he may notice I am nervous.
Tue Oct 19 2010 3:26 am # -
Brock
Member"Uhm...nooooooooooo...."
"I'm just a bit unsettled by your fatalistic attitude, really...That, and I dunno what to do with myself now..."
"See, I think the chance of this being a dream is pretty low, since they generally don't last this long. If I had went insane, and I'm sitting in some asylum, then what are the chances I'd end up in a stable alternate reality in my mind?
"What are the chances that your story is true? I don't know. It sounds like you believe it, at least. Didn't you say you have been somewhere similar to here before?"
Tue Oct 19 2010 6:00 am # -
"I have been places like this, yeah. Mostly I get shot to death. The point of being a verser for me isn't dying, though. It's surviving; isn't that the point of all life, to live? So, I try to better achieve the goal of staying alive.
"I'm not going to hurt you if you don't attack me, so you can calm down at least until the volcano erupts. If it makes you feel more at ease, I can tell you my name. It's Ky.
"You know, there was a world I went to where the popular philosophical belief was that everyone was actually a brain in a vat of fluid, being fed sensory information by an alien presence in order to gauge their responses. I guess if you want to live your life that way, presuming that everything is a dream and your actions don't really effect anything, you could; but such discussion has always bored me. The way I see it, it doesn't matter if it's reality or not; it's happening either way."
Tue Oct 19 2010 12:53 pm # -
Brock
Member"Well! I certainly doubt I'm a brain in a vat! Sounds like an odd world."
"All right. Nice to meet you Ky." I stand and dust my pants off, then look into the distance (towards the ocean, if I can see it). "So, have you explored the island at all?" I then turn back to face him for his response.
Thu Oct 21 2010 12:00 am # -
Brock
Member"All right. I'll leave my stuff over here. Be back if I survive." I offer a quirky smile, then walk off towards the eastern side of the island. I leave all but my staff and the contents of my pockets.
Once there, I'll head north along the beach, keeping an eye out for...anything noteworthy, really. Landmarks, other people, wildlife, etc.
Thu Oct 21 2010 12:09 am # -
Brock
Member"Such an interesting place, eh?" I mutter to myself.
I look for a nice place to sit, such as a large boulder, or a patch of soft-looking ground, or something. Then I stare at the ocean for awhile (an hour?). Afterward, I return to Ky.
I ask him, "So, what do you do with your time in these situations?"
Sat Oct 23 2010 4:21 am # -
When you get back, he seems to be fighting an invisible group of adversaries with a beautifully crafted lajatang (not every day you see one of those, so if you need a description, I can provide one). He finishes what you assume must have been a martial arts form, bows to no one, then to you, and then says, "I practice and I wait, when I get hungry I eat, when I get thirsty I drink, when I get tired I rest; when it rains, I get wet." Thankfully, there aren't any clouds in the sky.
He starts doing vertical pushups; his shirt falls up. He doesn't seem to have a centimeter of fat, and his muscles are built on more muscles.
Sat Oct 23 2010 1:32 pm # -
Brock
MemberIt's a staff with two crescent moon shaped blades at each end, right? I think I've seen pictures on the net.
"You must be very...focused. Dedication is an admirable trait."
What time of day is it now? If it's getting late, I think I'll turn in. If not...I think I'll go for another hike, just to get some exercise, returning when it begins to get dark.
Sat Oct 23 2010 7:01 pm # -
It is getting late, indeed, so you sleep for the night.
Ky is awake when you go to sleep and awake when you wake up. He motions toward the peak, saying, "Check it out."
You don't see any difference.
He tells you, "Oh, while you were asleep, it started steaming, but it stopped again. That's a sign that we're going to be leaving in a few hours.
"Excited?"
Sat Oct 23 2010 10:50 pm # -
Brock
Member"Anxious is more the word, really. I'd rather not have my flesh burnt off." *sighs*
I look around for any spot it looks like lava might choose to bypass in the area. I suspect not many will be around. Any enormous outcroppings that would channel the lava in a different direction so as to protect someone in the right spot?
Sun Oct 24 2010 5:03 am # -
Well, that would depend on the force and quantity of the eruption. Ky sees you looking around, and tells you, "It's not uncommon for large eruptions to wipe entire islands this size off the map completely."
You feel a small tremor in the ground; Ky says, "Feel that? The pressure's building."
Sun Oct 24 2010 12:47 pm # -
Ky starts walking towards the peak.
"I've always wanted to fight an entire planet. I'm not about to just let it kill me."
He's carrying a black bag with a drawstring inside of which he has at least his lajatang, and using his plastic? stick as a walking stick, leaving the bulk of his equipment here.
Sun Oct 24 2010 9:35 pm # -
Brock
Member"Going to stab the lava, eh? Might as well. What else can be done. I don't see a way to survive this anyway."
I'll follow him, trotting up to the top of the mountain. I leave my stuff behind, except for what is on me. I also leave my staff, which is usually on me.
At this point, I am positive it is either a dream, or what he says is true. How the hell else could all this stuff have happened? I'm in the middle of a volcanic island with no way of getting here and all the stuff I keep in my room. Either way, it is obvious I am not going to find a way to survive this.
Mon Oct 25 2010 2:18 am # -
You reach the peak.
The ground begins to tremor and heave, and Ky waits patiently for the right moment. The heaving subsides.
About an hour passes, with the tremors growing progressively worse and closer together. Finally, Ky nods, walks backwards about five feet, gets in a martial arts style, runs, and performs what looks like a Leaping kick with perfect execution down into the volcano as the first wave of heat, ash, soot, and molten rock come jetting upward like a geyser.
Are you going to do anything special here?
Mon Oct 25 2010 3:28 am #
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