The Character Generation Thread · Page 2

Based on your answers on the computer graphics skill, I'm noting that you've got a 2@5 Visual Arts M0@1, a 2@5 Use Computer T11@0, and a 1@9 Computer Programming T11@1.

It also appears that you designed and built at least one robot that was capable of gathering data from the environment and compare the information to a program to select actions according to that program. That's called a "Decision Machine" in the rules, and the design of such a device is a T12@5 skill. We'll give you a 1@3 Skill Ability Level in this, but it's good for your tech bias.

I'm listing 1@10 Speak in Tongues M+7@1.

Let's put down 1@8 Trance Visions P12@5 character can initiate visions which might reveal scenes from any time or place, but has no control over what he sees or whether it is relevant to him, reduced awareness of immediate surroundings inherent in skill, +20SM. That will cover the visions adequately, I think. Technically that's a vague precognitive skill, but there's no reason it can't cover present and retrocognitive visions as well.

Your enhanced sensory sensitivity will be listed pretty much as such, 1@10 Enhance Sensory Sensitivity P3@1. I think we'll remember what that means.

Obviously, your unfamiliarity with the new spell that expels illness from your body makes it more difficult for me to list; however, I think we can agree that you've learned and used it once, so it's a simple 1@1 skill ability level of whatever it is. My inclination is to list it thus: 1@1 Remove Disease-related Fatigue M2@1 1:00 TF focus on trapping wrong energies within right energies, then expel wrong energies with powerful exhalation, increases healing/medical skills of any bias area by +RS and accelerates natural healing RS%. 1:00 TF means it takes a minute to do; +RS means that if the roll is successful, the number rolled is added to the chance of success of any effort to cure you (whether tech, psi, mag, or bod based). Since the chance of success is increased, and Multiverser uses a relative success system, it means that higher more effective rolls become possible.

1@5 Bonus Running M+1@4 petition Rittiw to get second wind and increased speed when running, gives +RS/5 SM to chained running skill check and +RS/5 damage mod for calculation of speed for RS minutes, TF 1:00.

The petition to Tarec strikes me as something of an anti-aggressives variant, that the impact is to prevent people from acting toward you in a harmful or aggressive manner. That would mean 1@5 Protection from Aggression M+5@1 petition Tarec to cause others to act in a safe and unaggressive manner toward and around the caster and a 10' radius around him 1:00TF.

For Rexol, I'm thinking 1@5 Stationary Shield M+5@2 petition Rexol create RS=SM shield against physical or energy attacks or damaging influences (not against psionic or magical energy itself) for RS/5 minutes, 1:00 TF.

1@5 Hide in Spiritual Darkness M+1@9 1:00 TF petition Chostine, Guardian of the Dark, to be hidden from scrying or from recognition of anarch spirits, makes alliance magic more difficult -RS while in effect, RS=SM against attempts to scry user, +10SM.

1@5 Relieve Disease M+2@4 petition Comyndria to reduce symptoms of diseases in self or others TF 2:30 does not cure disease but temporarily reduces any penalties stemming from the disease.

I am still confused concerning the relationship of Comyndria to the protection in the storm; it seems that you are in that case calling on the same spirit but bringing a distinctly different petition. Your usual petition relates to the reduction of symptoms in a disease; this has something to do with the protection of a shelter during inclement weather. I understand Rexol's place in this, as a shielder against physical attack, but Comyndria is about healing. Is this perhaps a petition for "healing" of a house, that is, that any breaches in the protection would be sealed? Or were you perhaps praying that Comyndria would heal and strengthen Rexol, so that Rexol could stand against the power of the storm more effectively?

My thinking concerning Abraxas is that a magical protection against magic is relatively simple, but a magical protection against psionics is considerably more difficult. On the other hand, if this is strictly a power against curses, narrowly defined, it would be easier to combine all curses as one. A curse, generally, is a magic or psychic influence that stays on the targeted character and causes harm over a long time, which must somehow be removed. It would not include direct attacks, such as psychic mind-to-mind attacks, possession or control attempts, magical fire or missiles, and other "actively attacking" skills. So the question at this point is whether you mean that Abraxas aids you against magical and psionic curses, or whether you mean that Abraxas defends you against all magic or psionic attacks generally. I can, if you wish, do the latter all as one skill, but it would be a higher biased skill than that magic protection skill, and would not work in as many worlds. Your call.

1@1 Pa Kua Chang B7@1 slow defensive RF1 -25 def SM uses open hands and feet to deflect and redirect attacks.

1@1 Taijiquan B7@1 no combat use at current skill level, but includes training forms and some medicine skill

I've put most of these on your sheet, but if you want to make changes/corrections, please do. Note that 1@5 is the "average amateur" level of ability, and I've got several of your skills so listed, but that's mostly so I could enter something on the sheet. If you think any of these skills are higher or lower, let me know.

There are a few questions still in this post, but I believe we can cover them pretty quickly, so go ahead with the equipment, too.

--M. J. Young

First, a few skill corrections before I address the new questions/clarifications.

1. Calling upon Rittiw takes under 5 seconds (two lines of spoken verse and mental imagery while already running), but appears to only be useable once or twice a day at most. I don't know whether this is a limit he imposes on his aid, or a need for my body to recover from the strain his aid places on it before he will again help. There's never been a sense or impression of him speaking to me like Tarec and Chostine have.

2. Calling upon Tarec likewise takes under 5 seconds when done by itself. When he's just protecting my person I don't need to do anything to maintain the protection, but when he's asked to protect a vehicle I'm in there is a continual mental effort, like lifting a heavy weight behind my eyeballs. Calling upon Tarec and Rexol together also involves this sense of weight while setting up the parameters of the protection over a single place, but once the circle is closed the sensation of effort/weight fades away.
Calling on Rexol isn't as fast, despute the short invocation, but doesn't bring about the feeling of effort (most of the time - there have been exceptions).

3. Calling on Chostine is as fast as calling on Rittiw, but there seems to be a need for some degree of reverence or respect in my mind when calling. I doubt that her darkness would make calling her or her brothers (Alinbak and Kelistan) any more difficult, nor hide someone from them, since the three share priests.

4. I'm not sure how long it takes to call on Comyndria, but 2:30 is quite a bit too long, unless I was using a ceremony or ritualized entreaty.

And on to the questions/clarifications...

1. Abraxas' influence doesn't seem to behave like protection. It's like he's altering the targeted spell itself, exchanging two variables within it. Caster becomes subject, and subject becomes caster. It works on already-present magic, not on something yet to be cast, and definitely not on instantaneous effects like a bolt or missile. Again, the time factor looks to be much larger than how long it takes me to call upon him. Gestures of an appropriate nature seem to greatly help this particular spell (more so than any other spirit I invoke, actually), but it can still be cast without them.

2. Comyndria and the storm... that was an odd event. I'd heard the drip of water overhead, and walked through the house trying to pin down where it was. At the spot where the sound was clearest, something inspired me to raise one hand over my head, parallel to the ceiling, and to rattle off the verses for both Comyndria and Rexol in rapid succession. It felt like she was trying to repair/heal the house, and I suspect Rexol's invocation renewed or replenished his shield over it. That sense of weight occurred for a short time after I finished the verses, too, without my doing anything in particular to consciously maintain it. Thinking back, I wonder if I really cast that one at all, or if they were the ones using me as a channel to do the task?

First, a few skill corrections before I address the new questions/clarifications.

Excellent. We'll get this straight.

1. Calling upon Rittiw takes under 5 seconds (two lines of spoken verse and mental imagery while already running)....

I can do this. Let me clarify, for the sake of understanding, how the system works and what I'm doing with it.

Spells have either a time factor (TF) or a repeat factor (RF). A Time Factor means that it takes this long to cast the ritual; sometimes the spell effect is running concurrent with the casting, but usually it begins upon completion of the ritual. A Repeat Factor means that the spell works like a weapon, that it happens "immediately" but that it takes a certain amount of time before it can be cast again--like pulling the trigger on a gun, or shooting an arrow. "Immediately" in Multiverser is, technically, six seconds for an amateur, half that for a professional, and a third of that for an expert. Always time factors are divided and repeat factors multiplied by the skill ability level of the skilled user. The theory is that you can perform the ritual faster but still accurately as you get better at it.

There are hundreds of skills listed in the rule book, with what are called "baselines". A baseline means that someone doing at least this much "ritual" will get this much "effect". Usually the baseline includes a time factor or repeat factor, often a range, area of effect, amount of damage, duration, and other details (and there are defaults for some of these if the spell description does not include them). The system then allows you to customize each spell by trading ritual, efficacy, and probability of success. Each doubling or halving of any spell component in your favor costs you 10 percentage points on the success roll; each doubling or halving against you gains you 10 percentage points. Thus if the baseline says 1:00 to cast and you say 2:00, you gain +10 on your chance to succeed; if you want +20, you must double it again to 4:00. Similarly, if it does damaging (1-5) damage and you want dangerous (1-10) damage, you take -10; if you want lethal (1-20), that's -20.

It's evident that there are advantages to RF over TF skills--they happen quickly, you can do them immediately. There is a -20 penalty for converting a time factor skill to a repeat factor skill, in addition to the penalty for the time. That is, if you take a 1:00 TF and turn it into an RF 1, both are done one time per minute, but the TF skill hits at the end of the first minute and the RF at the beginning; if you also want to make it twice a minute (RF 2), that's an additional -10 for increasing the rate.

You commented that you pray this while already running. I'm stretching a bit here, but if already running is a necessary part of the skill, there's a bonus for necessary physical action. (This would mean, for example, that you could not use the skill if you were "already swimming" or "about to run" or "already climbing".) I'm also inclined to bonus you for "not more than twice a day"--however, I've some questions about that, too.

The big one is, how long does the effect last? Obviously, "no more than twice a day" is not much of a limitation if it lasts twelve hours, but a serious limitation if it lasts sixty seconds.

The second is like it, whether you can "chain" it, that is, whether you could cast it again immediately on it lapsing or have to wait some time after that.

Similarly, if the prayer fails (all sometimes do), when can you try a second time, and does that prevent you from trying yet again later? That is, is it limited to two attempts or two successes, and does failure prevent you from trying again immediately?

Given that, I can form this, probably at the baseline, maybe with a slight bonus if the running is a necessary component.

Calling upon Tarec likewise takes under 5 seconds when done by itself. When he's just protecting my person I don't need to do anything to maintain the protection, but when he's asked to protect a vehicle I'm in there is a continual mental effort, like lifting a heavy weight behind my eyeballs. Calling upon Tarec and Rexol together also involves this sense of weight while setting up the parameters of the protection over a single place, but once the circle is closed the sensation of effort/weight fades away.

I think I'll keep it simple and ignore the weight. I could give you a bonus if I decided that the maintenance of the effect prevented you from performing other skills, but then I'd have to split the self from the vehicle into two skills (because they do not work the same way, but have different limitations) and would have to figure out what the limitation is, exactly.

I can do the TF to RF conversion on this, but it will make it -20 for success on the skill, unless you've got something to balance that penalty that I've not noticed. You did not suggest that it has the sort of limits per day as the other, and it does not seem to involve any physical aspect (for which I should penalize you already, if it's only verbal, as the baseline assumes that all skills have at least two of the three possible components of speech, physical involvement, and material objects (which can include something like a holy symbol or prayer book that must be held)).

Calling on Rexol isn't as fast

Does this mean that we'll leave the 1:00 TF in place, or did you want to shorten it?

Calling on Chostine is as fast as calling on Rittiw, but there seems to be a need for some degree of reverence or respect in my mind when calling.

I realize that this is important, but it does not seem to have any game impact--that is, "my character assumes a state of reverence and calls on Chostine" takes no more time than "my character calls on Chostine", unless we specify that "assumes a state of reverence" is a time-consuming part of the ritual, that it will take some period of time to compose yourself into that state. Thus if we include that as part of the ritual, we keep the 1:00 TF with the spoken part "at the end of it", and assume that this restricts your ability to do other things in that time.

If I'm not getting it, clarify for me.

I doubt that her darkness would make calling her or her brothers (Alinbak and Kelistan) any more difficult, nor hide someone from them, since the three share priests.

I certainly understand that she would be able to see you when she hides you. You've not mentioned her brothers to this point, and I might want to consider whether making them accessible opens the floodgates, as it were. As it stands now, you've indicated no prayers to them; but if really they could do everything for which you normally call on another spirit, then there's not much point to saying that this is a limitation. On the other hand, assuming that they are limited (your spirits all seem to be limited to power within their own spheres) I can see how including them in the "accessible" category would make sense. What do they oversee?

I'm not sure how long it takes to call on Comyndria, but 2:30 is quite a bit too long, unless I was using a ceremony or ritualized entreaty.

As I recall, I actually cut a 10:00 TF in half twice to get that, which I balanced against +20 for a cure that doesn't actually eliminate the disease but only mitigates it temporarily. I can cut it again, particularly if there's some physical involvement to balance it. Remembering that TFs are supposed to be divisible by 6 seconds (so that they can be cut by two and by three as you advance), how long do you recommend?

I should mention, for all cases, that I've given you amateur, usually high amateur, skill ability levels. If you have a professional skill ability level, that automatically cuts the time in half (and doubles/halves in your favor another factor to which we agree), in which case we would list it at the time an amateur would take and recognize that as a professional you take only half that long.

Abraxas' influence doesn't seem to behave like protection. It's like he's altering the targeted spell itself, exchanging two variables within it. Caster becomes subject, and subject becomes caster.

Sometimes I suprise myself--I actually have this listed under M4@8 Manipulate Magic: "Some of these redirect magic to the source or an alternate target." That sounds like what you're saying.

The problem, though, is it puts me back to two skills: that works on magic, not psionics, so I would probably need a separate skills (M4@10 Energy Control NOS) to deal with powers that are psionic/psychic in nature. That's not a problem for me, but you seemed to think they should be the same skill. I can incorporate the two as one, but they would have the higher 4@10 bias and a -10 penalty for combining skills; since the baseline for such a skill might be as short as 0:12 I can make it 0:24 to eliminate the penalty--just under half a minute. Does that work for you?

Comyndria and the storm... that was an odd event.

O.K., since it is a unique event and one you don't fully understand yourself, and since we're talking petitions to a spirit, I think I'll ignore this for the moment. Neither of us are quite sure what it does. If we come to a point where you want to do the same thing in game, remind me that you did it before, and we'll construct the skill then, because we'll have the conditions to say "this is what it does and how to do it".

There are still a couple questions above, but most of them are simply for you to confirm or clarify, so again, feel free to start on your equipment post.

--M. J. Young

Rittiw - Running is definitely necessary, since if I slow down to a walk or stop, he leaves immediately (wind spirits, go figure). Duration... let's call it one minute for simplicity, since he's never stayed longer than a quarter of a mile. And again for simplicity's sake, make it a repeat factor of two attempts per day, as if I failed to get a spirit's aid the first time I usually don't try again, I try to do things as best I can on my own or try a different spell. I'm not entirely sure if I've gotten his aid twice in a single day or if my memory is confusing two different days together.

Rexol - Leave it as is.

Chostine - That seems like a good idea, making so the verbal petition is at the end of the spell, with setting up the required state of mind coming first. I hadn't mentioned her brothers before, because I rarely call upon them.
Alinbak is also called The Prayer Burner; he witnesses religious events and provides strength to leaders. His followers conduct religious ceremonies, but the ritual tools are consecrated to Kelistan, not to Alinbak.
Kelistan, called the Giver of Taint, sees the misdeeds staining someone's soul and the guilt plaguing their conscience. He sets the price to be paid for evil, and his followers are caretakers of places of worship.
All three together emphasize learning, especially knowledge of the dark and the evil, as a means towards seeking the meaning of life. Their (shared) holy day is February 2nd, and their preferred sacrifice is a dove or lamb. They especially oppose groups or people who try to force ignorance on others, and despise the practice of human sacrifice. I hope I won't get in trouble for telling you this much.

Abraxas - I'm not sure what to say. Let's wait until it comes up in game.

And I agree, these spirits are not major entities (my Abraxas is a far lesser spirit than the being of that name in medieval texts, more like a puckish fairy), and are typically connected with certain spheres or classes of effects related to their natures or (in the case of Chostine) their theology.

Coming up next, luggage and boarding.

O.K., I'm sorting through our discussion and posting here what I think is the final form of what we've agreed.

• 1@5 Bonus Running M+1@4 petition Rittiw to get second wind and increased speed when running, gives +RS/5 SM to chained running skill check and +RS/5 damage mod for calculation of speed for 1:00, RF 1, must be running to use, effect ends immediately if running stops, maximum twice per day.
• 1@5 Hide in Spiritual Darkness M+1@9 1:00 TF begins with period of silent reverence with brief petition at end, petition Chostine, Guardian of the Dark, to be hidden from scrying or from recognition of anarch spirits, makes alliance magic more difficult -RS while in effect except in relation to Chostine and her brothers Alinbak and Kelistan, RS=SM against attempts to scry user, +10SM.
• 1@5 Protection from Aggression M+5@1 petition Tarec to cause others to act in a safe and unaggressive manner toward and around the caster and a 10' radius around him RF1 -20 SM.

I'll post the whole sheet once we've got the equipment done, but that should finish the starting skills.

--M. J. Young

Name: Joseph Ross Heldmann
Nickname: Shia (my friends say I look like him, but I don't), Se
I think I'm:
Persuasion: 1@6
Charisma:?
Animal Magnetism: 1@3 (better with animals than people)
Strength: 1@10 (was lineman in highschool football,
Stamina: 1@8 (the position I played required me to go against the strongest players on on the opposite repeatedly)
Resistance: ?
Flexibility: 2@1 (I can touch my toes and put my foot in my mouth)
Agility: 1@3 (took me 9min and 42sec to run a mile
Hand-Eye: 2@1 (I no-scoped a monitor from across the map in Valhalla with a Spartan Laser; Halo 3)
Intellect: 1@8 (I went from Intro to bio to Chemistry Honors in one year)
Intuition: 1@9
Education: 1@9 (Dave got the same)
Willpower:?
Weakness: Allergic to pollen, fear of sharks

Fear of sharks huh? Me too, seen Jaws one too many time.

I don't often do this, but because of your athletic ability I'm putting your stamina at 1@9 and your agility at 1@5, above where you put them.

It has been a while since I did one of these, but didn't you overlook your physical description? Never having seen you, I can't really guess it; also, for what it's worth, I've never seen Shia and have no idea who that would be.

Otherwise, take the next step at your leisure.

--M. J. Young

Name: Kurt Joseph Wright
aka Krillis (online)
1. Animal Magnetism is big on my part. It's sort of weird. At places where there are unfriendly animals, I just sort of look it in the eyes softly, and approach slowly and they kind of warm up to me quickly. The most it's taken for an animal to warm up to me has been an afternoon. I even convinced a wild cat to come out of a tree and I held it a while. His name's Harry and he's still part of the family.
Stamina is low of me, because of athsma. Still, even with athsma, I never have attacks. It just lowers my endurance.
Intellect is something I believe I'm outstanding at. I'm such an underacheiver... I keep up with all of the other advanced people who study tons while I study like...5 minutes before class begins, if at all. I'm excellent at utilizing this to memorize information and keep it retained for about two hours flawlessly, degrading until I ultimately forget most of it with sleep. I can also control how much of my intelligence I'm using, by boosting my attention to things. It kind of feels like I'm thinking over a longer period of time while it's really the same amount. My proof of such things is getting summa cum laude (gold medals) on all the National Latin Exams I've taken, and how easy it was to reach my educational level. I, without effort, was ranked 8th in my class.

2. I tend to hang around a highly intuitive group, but I never ask anyone how they know anything, because I usually saw the reasons already consciously. Sometimes I get intuitive feelings, as much as the next guy, but I wouldn't consider myself special when it comes to intuition.

3. Most recently, I've graduated highschool. I'll also include that I've taken and passed AP United States History, AP Latin: Vergil, AP English Lit&Comp, AP Calculus, and AP United States Government. I've tutored in AP Calculus.

4. I have athsma, which results in lowered endurance. Do you want fears as well, or not?

Physical Description
-Height: 6'1
-Weight: 180
-Hair: Blonde with a Buzz Cut (long for a buzz cut)
-Age: 18, but I've been told I look older-around 21
-Eye Color: Hazel
-Facial Hair: I shave regularly, so none.
-Birthmarks: None.
-Tattoos: None.
-Unusual Markings: I have one scar on my entire body, on my face. It's on the skin between my mouth and nose. If looking at me, it's right under the right corner of my nose, going down about half an inch. It doesn't touch my mouth.
-Other: I'm white, a little on the pallid side (even though I get sun).

Your animal magnetism explanation is impressive. I need to ask how well it works with people--the two are sort of bunched together. I'm still giving you a high an-mag, but it will be higher or lower depending on whether you are also the person to whom other people are drawn.

We will note a 1@4 Stamina.

I'm uncertain how to quantify your intellect, so I'll place it at 2@2--one in a hundred. I could be persuaded to up it a notch or two, but I don't really have much reference--like, eighth in a class of fifty is not as impressive as eighth in a class of five hundred.

I'm going to give you a 1@7 intuition because you've hinted that you can often see intellectually what others see intuitively, and the only way I can compensate you for that is to up your intuition a bit above average.

If I'm understanding aright, your five AP classes are the equivalent of college freshman courses, and that would mean that although you have not been to college you have begun a college level education already. On that basis, I'm putting down 2@1 (I wouldn't normally do this for a high school student with advanced courses, but you've got five of them and you taught one, and since I give a bonus for having taught that's plenty of justification to treat you as an undergraduate).

I don't usually do "fears" unless they're on the order of "phobias". If you've got some you think I should know up front, let me know; if we stumble into them in play, tell me then.

Address the couple of questions and move to skills.

--M. J. Young

I'm comfortable in groups and it seems like others enjoy my company in those situations. The only other thing I can think of would be that people have confided...very confidential things to me in the past; moreover, I've helped people at school with depression and emotional problems. I helped 4 people with chronic depression, one of which I stopped from continuing masochistic behavior. I'd rather not go into detail of the things people told me, and leave it at that-whether or not it makes a difference.

I graduated 8th in a graduating class of 402 seniors. One third of the seniors didn't graduate. I don't hold the highschool I attended in high regard at all, though, so I'll trust you with whatever you put down.

On to skills!

1. I believe I'd be able to teach the Latin language on a highschool level (not sure about college, because I haven't been there yet). That would be the only thing that I could qualify in as professional. I submit my four national latin exam gold metals, my national competition, and frequent placing ribbons in Latin-based academia on regional, mid-state, and state levels. These are competitions only for students; however, the people who compete have abilities far above student level, in my opinion. We point things out teachers don't know and have to look up.

2. Um...nope. None. Typing, being able to install programs (using the beginner's way) and...playing Free Cell are all the skills I have with electronics.

3. Magic and psionics... I'm going to go with I have none of these; however, I have an open mind about such things. I have friends who believe adamantly in such things, and I've listened to their reasonings and everything. Even though I don't practice such things, I still remain these peoples' friends just like anyone else and even get into metaphysical discussions with these people. This probably doesn't count, but I do have an open mind.

4. I have no skills in these things. I played some tennis in highschool and was a natural at it-joined my senior year and was placed in the top six in the team (there were more than six people on the team-unsure of how many, but it probably wasn't a substantial number, somewhere around 20 tried out for the team).

Interestingly, 8 in 402 comes pretty close to 1 in 50; of course, you say you did this without trying, and presumably some of those above you and many below you were trying, so that suggests a bit more. We will go with the 2@2, one in a hundred, for intellect.

I will go with a 2@1 An Mag. Usually high an mag makes you the center of attention at parties, but your other aspects compensate significantly.

I'll go with 2@1 on Latin. The complication, of course, is that native speakers of a language are usually average professionals--2@5--and it is difficult for a non-native speaker to match a native, especially in vocabulary. Latin makes it tougher, as there are no native speakers today. That is a P0@0 skill. P is short for Psi which is short for Psionic; it is psionic because it involves communicating thoughts to others (by means of language).

Being a natural at tennis suggests you have an above average hand/eye--the ability to hit the ball with the racket falls into that category. It probably also means an above average agility. We'll make the Hand/Eye 1@10 and the Agility 1@8.

I think that brings up equipment.

--M. J. Young

Two hundred pounds (About 91 kilograms) of things that you personally own, or that you know someone would not mind you taking without their permission. MJ posted your skills and whatnot, I was just explaining what the equipment was. I would recommend a firearm or two, and ample ammunition, Any jewelery and/or precious metals and gems that you have (money) and a good knife and camping gear. Just a suggestion.

I just want you to know that I'm not shunning your advice in this at all, John. It's just that I don't have any attachment to firearms or knives, or camping for that matter. I'm rather poor when it comes to marksmanship, and I quit the cubscouts early. They just aren't realistic enough for me to have.

Personally, I believe my cat would come with me. Harry-my 20 lb. lactose intolerant tabby cat. Considering I'm the one that found him, how he associates with me and practically shuns everyone else, and my animal magnetism, I think that he'd be able to come, right?

Other than that, how about...
Backpack: It's red and has two large pockets in it (the main areas of normal school backpacks) closed by zippers. It also has two pouches in the front, one above the other, which are also closed by zippers. There are also two easily-accessible pockets on each side of it.
Spiral College Ruled Notebooks (4)
Sketchbook
3 Pens
High School Ring
Latin-English Dictionary
Wallet, with driver's license and $75 inside.
Oh, I almost forgot. Just in case... (Just saw Hitchiker's Guide, btw)
1. A towel.
2. A handrag, for Harry, if he can come.

I know I could bring more, but that's all I think I want to/would be likely to bring.

Skills:
- 2@1 Archery = I can hit 10 out 10 bullseyes using a composite bow and a makeshift bow out of bamboo at 120 yards
2@5 Tackling = Once, i tackled a big guy, approximately 5'11, 9 times in one game. I know how to counter-tackle and i know what to do when attacked from the side.
2@1 Piano = Sonatina, Opus 36 #6
- 1@10 Tech Skills = my father is a mechanical engineer, and he taught me most of what he knows about engineering
- 1@10 Genetics = I got a 100% on a biology genetics test
-1@10 Psy When angered large amounts of psi-power is gained.
I did Tae Kwon Do, and on quite a few occaisations i had become what my bro said was the red hulk. Whenever, I got infuriated or hurt i would get really red and beat the crap out of whomsoever caused me to become infuriated.
-1@9 Singing = I'm the school choir
-1@10 Hunting = Once brought back 4 buck, 5 duck, and a moose using my 1938 Red Ryder

John--

I would prefer you not make recommendations to people as to what you think they ought to bring. What they ought to bring really is whatever they think they ought to bring, and advice from others ultimately confuses the issue--I am relying on their honest posts about what they thing they would bring to give me hints on where to take their games.

It's different if someone asks you for advice on the matter, or asks generally of the players, in which case it's perfectly acceptable for you to answer. If he asks me for advice, my advice is already given: tell me if you're bringing anything large or bulky, describe your suitcases and other carriers for me, and let's discuss anything you think you might use as a weapon. I do not give more advice than that, because I do not wish to prejudice the answers.

*****

Kurt--

Your cat can come on the first world as twenty pounds of equipment. Thereafter I will consider making the cat an associate verser--a being that follows you because it wants to follow you, but might change its mind if it doesn't like the way you treat it (which, for a cat, can include where you take it, even though you don't have control of that). Count Harry as equipment for this first verse, and then we'll move him. I will have to put together a character sheet for him, but unless he has some remarkable skills or attributes I think there's no rush.

On the backpack, does "two easily-accessible pockets on each side of it" mean what it says (two on each side) or does it mean "two, one on each side"?

*****

Joseph--

I am not persuaded that you gain an "psi power" in the manner you describe. This seems rather to be an intensely physical bod event, the release of adrenaline or something like it. However, I am open to consider otherwise. What I would want to understand is what it is that you do with this psi power? If it is psionic power, it must be used in psionic ways.

You mention Tae Kwon Do in your example, but don't list it as a skill even though martial arts is specifically mentioned. What's the deal there?

I think that hunting probably should be split into at least two distinct skills--stalking, a bod stealth skill that enables you to move and hide in the wilderness, and operate rifle, the ability to fire a gun at a target. Care to assess your strengths with each of them?

Thanks.

--M. J. Young

Harry is bigger than most cats (bigger boned, as well). That basically means nothing in comparison to a dog. Other qualities of the Incredible Harry... He's not afraid of dogs, and he's fairly intelligent (though he's stumped when it comes to lazer pointers). Another thing-he doesn't like being held. If he thinks we're taking him in a car, he pees himself on us (another use of the handrag).

I means two, one on each side.

Sorry MJ. As they say, my opinion and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee. I'll keep that in mind for the future, though. Feel free to take down the post if you would like.

Kurt, this is what I have for your sheet:

Name Kurt Joseph Wright
a.k.a. Krillis--screen name

Attributes
Persuasion
Charisma
Animal Magnetism 2@1
Strength
Stamina 1@4
Resistance
Density
Flexibility
Agility 1@8
Hand/Eye 1@10
Intellect 2@2
Intuition 1@7
Education Level 2@1
Will Power

Averaged Attributes
Ranged Strike Value
Martial Strike Value
Target Value
Damage Value

Best Relevant Attributes
Tech
Psi
Mag
Bod

Bias
Tech
Psi
Mag
Bod

Weaknesses
Asthma reducing endurance, no attacks to date.
Description
6'1, 180#, Blonde lONG Buzz Cut, 18yo mistaken for 21, Hazel eyes, clean shaven, no birthmarks or tattoos, Scar on face between mouth and nose, right under the right corner of the nose, going down about half an inch, does not touch mouth, white, a bit pallid.

Skills

Tech

Psi
2@1 Latin P0@0

Mag

Bod

Equipment
Backpack, red, two large main areas closed by zippers, two pouches in front, one above the other, closed by zippers, easily-accessible pockets one on each side.
Spiral College Ruled Notebooks (4)
Sketchbook
3 Pens
High School Ring
Latin-English Dictionary
Wallet, with driver's license and $75 inside.
A towel.
A handrag, for Harry

Stage 1

World List

Assuming that works for you, let's get started with New Players Posting In.

--M. J. Young

I'm Court Michael Potts, a.k.a. Ryven on some internet forums, Maltrich on others. I believe the first instance of “Ryven” as a public name was on the longest-running forum RP I've been in to date, which was based on Sailor Moon, of all things. “Maltrich” first appeared as the name of my thief character on Ragnarok Online. Also, when I was a kid, I thought the name “Ted” was cool, and tried to go by that. I managed it for a whole week at a day camp.

Ryven is the name I'm most comfortable with on the internet, and it's probably also the name I'd use if I found I'd suddenly become a world-hopping immortal - the only thing that keeps me from using it right now is the fear that people would feel even more distanced from me than usual, because of the obvious affectation.

I used to have a really long Discordian holy name, but I've forgotten it, and don't care enough about the joke/philosophy/religion any more to bother with it. It involved Mad Maltrich, the Patron Saint of Pop-Tarts, Most Especially the Cherry Ones in it somewhere.

I might be top one out of fifty intelligence, but I wouldn't know how to tell. If test scores are relevant (which I don't trust them to be), I got a 2200 on the new SAT, and 4's and 5's on several AP tests, and one 3, I think. (I don't remember which ones are which any more, but I know I took Mirco- and Macroeconomics, World History, U.S. History, English Lit, English Language, French Language, Chemistry, and Calculus AB.) That might be more along the lines of education, though. I got a merit-based free ride at University of Texas Dallas, which I guess means someone thinks I'm smart... I guess they use test scores, because my high school grades were abysmal (I didn't do much of the actual work). Everything else I'm probably average at, except for intuition (next paragraph), animal magnetism, of which I have almost precisely none, and strength, of which I have precious little.

I would say I'm not very intuitive, in general. The things I can glance at and get a “feeling” for are pretty much limited to... computers? Some video games? I'd say I'm actually pretty far below average at intuiting things like other people's motivations, what's happened in a room, etc. I don't really get hunches, and when I do they're usually wrong, and possibly based on wishful thinking.

I've just finished my freshman year of college, as a computer science major. I bombed several classes by not caring enough. In the interest of getting myself back on track to retaining my scholarship, I'm changing degree plans to literary studies, where I won't as many courses that drain me because I have no real interest in them (math, mostly).

My only “weakness” in the sense that you ask about is that I'm very nearsighted, and require glasses to read anything more than six inches away. I can get around a room without them, but driving is scary, and I can't recognize faces out to more than about fifteen feet (distinctive hairstyles and clothing help a lot).

I'm nineteen years old this July, a little under 5'9”, and fairly slight (a little under 120lb.), of uncertain European lineage, and lightly tanned, with dark brown hair that's growing down my neck and over my ears again, finally, after I unwisely decided to cut it to a “respectable length” and see how I liked it. In slight contrast, my (unkempt and scruffy) facial hair is black. I have a goatee-plus-mustache, accompanied by patchy sideburns that can't decide if they want to grow in all the way (which makes me wonder if I have some Native American or Asian ancestor). My eyes are blue-green, and my glasses are kind of rounded rectangles, with a gunmetal frame.

My only distinctive marking is a scar on my right forearm, only a little darker than the rest of my skin and barely visible. It's a souvenir of an incident I don't remember from when I was a very small child (two or three, perhaps), in which I pulled a plugged-in curling iron off a counter and it fell on me.

Sorry if I rambled a bit. I don't usually have such a good excuse for autobiography as “I'm writing character history, for myself.”

A question about equipment: are we packing, knowing we're going on some kind of trip, or are we just listing things we're likely to have with us?

Welcome to the forum, Ryven! I wish you remembered your holyname; this is precisely the sort of thing it's for. Even if you are a heathen blasphemer (everyone knows the blueberry ones are best), you'll help me feel less like a minority just by being here, so I'm glad you've come. Moreso than usual for a new arrival, I mean; we're always glad for fresh blood.

And don't worry about rambling. It's all useful sometime, and I doubt you'll ever be quite as longwinded as I am. MJ is always getting steadily busier, but he should be along soon to . . . process you. Heh.

As for the equipment: of course, you'll be doing skills first, so MJ will have a chance to talk with you before you have to decide, but I think the answer to your question is "both". You must list the things you have on your person when you begin writing up the third step, and you may list anything else you like up to the weight limit. You have no idea where you're going or how long you'll be gone, but given that, you're free to choose whatever you think will be useful.

Have fun,
Pope William T Wodium, Lord of Odium, Poo-Bah of Podium, Prince of Rhodium, Sultan of Sodium, and the Eldest of that Name; Editor-in-Chief of Discombobulated Phrases; Grand Calif of California (until that deceased personage sees fit to reclaim his title); Episkipos of the Furst Church of Ripley the Cat; and Keeper of the Secret of St. Tibbs' Day

Blueberry? Blueberry? You can't be serious. I mean, joking.

I can always just get a new holy name if I want one... I'm the Pope, after all. I like how yours rhymes. ^_^

Aren't purposeful rhymes blasphemously logical?

Deliberately blaspheming earns extra brownie points.

O'Sevens - you're confusing creative order with destructive order again. That's almost as bad as mixing up the disorders. (When doctors do that, people die!)

And Wodium's come up with the most madcap method of magicifying his whacked out holy symbol. MJ needs to drop him into a world where thats the normal way of doing it to freak him out.

And Wodium and I came up with a very cool Eris ruled 'world' setting which unfortunately has been eaten by the archives. It involved floating islands of Law in a sea of Chaos.

So welcome from the independent Baptist.

And as everyone knows, when you say "Independent Baptist" you've just said "Independent" twice.

Welcome, Court. I will probably annoy you by calling you Court, because I address people on the forum by their real first names at least in their game posts. You can call yourself whatever you like, and I do try to remember in play if someone has introduced himself by some other name, so that the NPCs use the name they were given.

I'm giving you 2@2 Intellect, which puts you in the top 1%. I'm listing 1@3 Intuition and Animal Magnetism (an-mag), below average, and 2@1 Education Level (ed lev) for some college. The other scores we'll ask when we need them, and the rest is pretty straightforward.

To clarify your equipment question, you are not "packing". That is, you do not get to fill your canteen with water, or put your clothes in a suitcase, or detach your monitor from your computer. You get to decide what goes with you, but it will arrive as it currently is. You don't get to pack until you are in your next world.

But first, you have to do the skills posting.

--M. J. Young

Your equipment should be what you would take if you had to leave your home at a moment's notice, with no warning, you knew you would never come home, and you didn't know what was awaiting you in the near future. Good luck.

Okay then, on to skills!

I don't have any professional or expert skills that I know of, but I have a few skills I might possess at a useful level. Computer operation, building, and some programming come to mind. I'm no 31337 h4xx0r, but a basic understanding of Java and C++ never hurt anyone, and I can construct a working computer from its component parts (although that's really nothing of note, as most anyone can, after being shown once). Sometimes I like to think I can write, but I've never attempted to be published in anything more important than a collection of local poets that I was in like six years ago, so I'm going to say that one isn't going anywhere.

I have no skills on the cutting edge of technology.

Although I'm an avid consumer of occult literature, I have no exceptional psionic or magical power of my own; certainly no more than everyone does. My impatience with ritual is probably the primary contributing factor to my not having developed any magical ability: I'm very lazy. I've managed a few things I can't replicate over the years (some of them by accident), but nothing really consistent. The most notable was probably the time I, after reading The Living World of Faerie by R. J. Stewart and recklessly deciding to bypass the introductory exercises, managed to meet a malicious entity in the faerie world the book describes, and spent the next two weeks delusional. (Or at least, some parallel world – I wasn't there long enough to see if it matched the author's description.)

Other than that, I've had some measure of success with a Discordian good luck charm I picked up in some book (the Metaclysmia? Apocrypha? Book of Eris?), and rather less success reading Tarot, although I know the theory.

I have studied Shorin Kempo Karate, and achieved the rank of junior black belt. I moved overseas before I was sixteen and could test for my full black belt, then never went back to training. It's definitely a defensive art, but I'm not sure about the slow/fast distinction. In addition to extensive bare-handed training, I received some training with the bo, sai, tonfa, and ring dagger.

I am putting you down for 1@10 Read & Write Program T11@1 Java, C++.

I am also listing you with 1@10 Shorin Kempo Karate B7@1 junior black belt
1@3 Bo Stick B7@1
1@2 Sai B7@1
1@2 Tonfa B7@1
1@1 Ring Dagger B7@1
This is on the assumption that you're not even average amateur with any of the weapons but you listed them from best to worst; if you think that's not correct, tell me where I'm wrong. I'll have to discuss the style with you in more detail, but I'm late and it's tired, so I'm going to delay that until we actually have occasion to use it.

And that means you can start on your equipment.

--M. J. Young

Sorry I didn't post sooner - I had family visiting, and I couldn't find time to sit down and seriously ponder what to bring. Here's the list.

Worn on person, as I write:
-100% cotton pajama pants, blue, black, and white plaid, just a tad long, loose-fitting, drawstring at the waist, two front pockets (empty).
-Terrycloth bathrobe, red, black, white, gray plaid, fits well across the shoulders, sleeves just barely short of my wrists with arms extended, comes down to the middle of my shins. Has a belt of same material, 70.5 inches in length, which threads through one loop of fabric on the left and one on the right of the robe. Two pockets (empty).
-One pair of slippers, in the adorable shape of black bears, complete with paws. A small yellow and purple tag on the back of each marks them as “FUN FEET!” brand. The original soles have been reinforced with synthetic leather, after wearing out.
-One pair of glasses, rounded rectangular, gunmetal frames.
-Mickey Mouse wristwatch, on left wrist. Leather band is not original. Battery powered. Gift from late great-aunt.
-Silver chain bracelet, right wrist. Gift from grandfather.
-Silver Christian cross with symbol of dove, on silver chain necklace. Gift from grandfather.

Items to be taken:

Container:
-A blue and black duffel bag, with one front and two side pockets in addition to the main space. Has the words “Asheville School” on the front in white. Has those lockable zippers, but no padlock. I've not tested whether or not it's waterproof, but it seems unlikely that it would be.

Clothing:
-Two pairs dark blue jeans, well-worn, well-fitting.
-One belt, black one side, brown the other, with reversible metal buckle.
-Tie-dyed T-shirt, large peace symbol on front with small letters below: “Joe's Crab Shack, San Antonio.” On back, says “Peace, Love, and Crabs” in large letters, then “Joe's Crab Shack” again, smaller. Slightly too large for me.
-Purple T-shirt advertising a fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Association with a logo on front of two stick figures walking, silhouetted against a rising yellow sun. “Memory Walk 2001 Alzheimer's Association” it says in green text, with the year in orange. On the back, white sponsor's logos. This shirt is very large and comfortable.
-One hooded blue jacket with black lining, thin from wear. 100% nylon shell and sleeve lining, with 100% polyester upper body lining. Two pockets with zippers, one inside pocket with Velcro tab that doesn't hold well, but also doesn't make as much noise as Velcro usually does.
-One pair New Balance cross-trainers, model 470, size 10½. Well-worn.
-One pair of sandals, leather straps with Velcro, rubber soles. Soles are beginning to peel away at the edges from use.
-Four pairs briefs, white, elastic bands have thin blue stripe.
-Two pairs crew socks, white with gray tips.
-Two pairs crew socks, black.
-A blue plastic wristband that says “the games of your life.” Gift from best friend.
-A pair of prescription sunglasses. Large, round lenses.

Food:
-An opened 12-pack of Dr. Thunder, with nine cans still in.
-A bottle of water, 24oz., Aquafina.
-Two boxes of Little Debbie's Zebra Cakes (ten cakes per box, wrapped in twos).
-One can Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs.
-One can Chef Boyardee Ravioli.
-One can Bush's Baked Beans.
-One partly-eaten loaf of bread.
-One jar of creamy peanut butter.
-Three apples in a tied-off plastic bag.
-Two forks, stainless steel.
-Two knives, one long and thin, one broader and slightly shorter, stainless steel. (These are the only things I'm carrying that might pass as weapons. Single-edged, less than a foot long, standard kitchen cutlery. I've never used them to cut anything harder than a pumpkin, so I don't know how they'd hold up. Also, I have no experience as a knife fighter, so it'll hopefully be somebody else using them that way if it ever comes up.)
-A can opener.

Electronics:
-Dell laptop, “Inspiron 2650,” circa 2001. Black carry-case, which also contains an extra battery (currently uncharged), a length of phone line, the Dynex Wireless G card-slot wireless adapter, the power cord, a small mouse, and a black pen. Mobile Intel Pentium 4 1.80 GHz processor, 256MB RAM (not further upgradable), 28GB hard drive (6.1GB free), 3.5 inc floppy drive, CD/DVD reader, two USB ports, a dial-up modem, a port for the old-style keyboard and mouse jacks, a hookup for a full-size monitor, a long serial port (for late-nineties printers?), headphone and mic ports, and an Ethernet port.
-1GB USB thumb drive, on a lanyard.
-40GB external USB hard drive, with separate power cord.
-A cellular phone, black, Motorola, cheap, color, no camera, Cingular SIM card, number (979)204-4749.
-Charger for the phone.
-My Blade Runner DVD. I just bought it, and haven't watched it yet.
-My DVD Star Wars Trilogy.
-The first season of Rurouni Kenshin on DVDs, with English subtitles by someone who doesn't seem to speak Japanese OR English as their native language.

Books:
-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Omnibus Edition, in paperback.
-The Lord of the Rings, in one volume, and The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. All paperback.
-The Thirteenth Tale. (Only because I'm still reading it.) Paperback.
-leaving reality behind: etoy vs. eToys.com & other battles to control cyberspace. (Ditto.) Hardcover.
-Ghosts, a collection of ghost stories. Bound in black leather, embossed gold cover.
-The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Three volumes, hardback, display case. Easily the heaviest item I'm bringing, at 20 pounds.
-AD&D 2e Revised Editions of the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monstrous Manual.
-Three volumes of Lovecraft short stories, including the excellent At the Mountains of Madness and Herbert West: Re-Animator stories. Paperback.
-MegaTokyo, volume 3. Gift from best friend. Paperback.
-The Book of Lies, a collection of essays about or by twentieth-century occultists. Paperback, large.
-The Satanic Rituals. Pocket paperback.
-The Bible, King James Version. Blue cover.

Other gear:
-A flashlight, black, ridged plastic. 2AA batteries.
-A wallet, black leather, containing two ones, a penny, a Massachusetts state quarter, and a dime.
Also:

• -an expired Borders Rewards card,
• -an expired GameStop More Card,
• -a used-up Visa $25 gift card,
• -a hotel card key from Oklahoma,
• -my Texas driver's license (expires 07-20-13),
• -a military ID card stating that I'm my grandfather's ward, and that he's a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force,
• -a card with my grandfather's name, address, phone number, e-mail, and LtCol USAF – Retired, Texas A&M University – Retired written on it,
• -the (now expired) paper license I got last time I renewed my driver's license,
• -a photograph of my grandfather,
• -two Double Dave's “every ninth meal is free” cards, one has eight stamps on it, the other one.
• -a Travelodge hotel card key with a Papa John's advertisement on it,
• -a card stating I'm a member of Boy Scout Troop 977 through February 2008,
• -a Visa debit card from First National Bank, Bryan, TX,
• -a card stating I'm an honorary member of the Arctic Brotherhood of Skagway, AK,
• -my passenger card from the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise liner, May 23, 2008,
• -my college ID,
• -my academic advisor's business card,
• -my Bryan-College Station Library Card,
• -health and dental insurance cards in my grandfather's name.

-A key ring, with a key to my green Cavalier, a Kroger savings card, a blue Tom Light Chevrolet key fob, a key to the back door of my grandfather's house, and a Masonic Lodge “if found, drop this in a mailbox and we'll get it where it's going” medallion.
-A deck of playing cards, bound up with a rubber band.
-Scaventure, a scavenger hunt card-game, with rules and cards in original box.
-A deck of Tarot cards in a small purple box that claims to be a “complete kit,” accompanied by a completely unhelpful reading guide that gives a single, vague meaning for each card and doesn't describe layouts. The cards are square, have stylized and light-hearted artwork, and have seen more use playing Arcana than telling fortunes.
-Ten d10s in a red bag with the Ordo Dracul skull from the New World of Darkness on it. The dice are mottled red and black, with numbers 1-7 in black and 8-10 in gold.
-One set of D&D dice in a clear plastic box – 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, a percentile die, 1d12, and 1d20. Maroon, with gold numbers.
-A fluffy, dark blue towel.
-A thin binder, with notebook paper.
-An acoustic guitar I can't play, in a soft black carrying case, with spare picks, one set of spare strings, and a battery-operated tuner.
-A half-empty package of Duracell AA batteries. Six batteries remain.
-A hairbrush.
-A silver-colored tooth brush.
-A mostly-used tube of mint-flavored Colgate toothpaste, which claims to be extra-freshening and is the translucent gel, rather than the opaque paste.
-A stick of deodorant. SpeedStick, “Irish Spring.”
-A bar of soap, slightly used.

I estimate my total load to be something like 65-75 pounds, and everything except the guitar should fit into the duffel bag, just barely, if I discard the cardboard box the Dr.Thunder comes in and stuff them in by hand, and I can shove some of the flat items into the guitar case. Hauling the duffel won't be fun, but I have no clue where my hiking backpack is. (When I paused while typing “where,” OpenOffice suggested “wheelbarrow.” It doesn't seem to have much confidence in me. ^^;; )

A blue and black duffel bag, with one front and two side pockets in addition to the main space. Has the words “Asheville School” on the front in white. Has those lockable zippers, but no padlock. I've not tested whether or not it's waterproof, but it seems unlikely that it would be.

Is it nylon, canvas, or something else?

Purple T-shirt advertising a fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Association with a logo on front of two stick figures walking, silhouetted against a rising yellow sun. “Memory Walk 2001 Alzheimer's Association” it says in green text, with the year in orange. On the back, white sponsor's logos. This shirt is very large and comfortable.

Do you remember where you got it? Nevermind--it's not important.

The first season of Rurouni Kenshin on DVDs, with English subtitles by someone who doesn't seem to speak Japanese OR English as their native language.

O.K., you made me laugh.

card stating I'm a member of Boy Scout Troop 977 through February 2008,

Just to give me a rough idea of your scout skills, what rank did you achieve, did you earn any of the unusual awards (mile swim, fifty miler), and how much wilderness camping did you do?

An acoustic guitar I can't play, in a soft black carrying case, with spare picks, one set of spare strings, and a battery-operated tuner.

Are there good batteries in it currently?

This actually looks pretty good, and I think we can start you. You'll join the game in progress near the bottom of the first page of New Players Coasting In.

--M. J. Young

The bag is nylon.

I got my Eagle rank, although I forgot most of the basics over the years. I remember a good deal of first aid (bandages, splints, CPR) and I can start a fire with one match (if I ever knew how to start friction fires, I've forgotten). I can (or could - I haven't really been involved very much for about three years, and haven't tried any of these recently) cook simple campfire meals, canoe and kayak, lash together archways and bridges, and find my way with a map and compass. We didn't do a lot of wilderness camping, really. The longest backpacking trip I went on was actually not with the scouts, but with a group from my school that went to Chile to do a couple service projects and climb Villarrica, which was something like fifteen to twenty miles from trailhead to snow camp. (By the way, that was one of the best trips I've ever taken. Mountain climbing is awesome.)

I thought about bringing survival gear (pocket knife, compass, heavy clothing) but most of it can't come because I have no clue where it might be.

I just checked the flashlight and tuner - both have batteries that are functional, at least at the moment, but the tuner takes AAAs, of which I don't have any spares.

EDIT: That's interesting. I just noticed that in my previous post, tabs don't actually indent items, so there's no clear distinction of what's in my wallet and what's just lying around. I guess I should do it the right way, and make it an unnumbered list.

I'm not sure how/when it was overlooked, or who it was overlooked by, but I figured it'd be easier to just post my clothing right here.

Jeans, white shoes, and a black t-shirt. I have white socks and plaid boxers on if that's important as well, lol.

Thanks--and generally, yes, things that are hidden but still with you matter.

I see no jewelry (glasses, watch, ring, necklace). I know these are things people often overlook, so I'll mention it in case you've done so.

--M. J. Young

I don't hold any personal value to any rings and I never wear anything like those things.

So I wouldn't verse with any.

For those reasons, I guess I'm just in my clothes, and plaid boxers, of course.

Does Harry, meaning the cat and not the other player, also need to have a character generation thingy or not? I'm just curious-because he has his own strength, intuition, et cetera that might come in handy, right?

Technically yes, the cat needs a character sheet. Usually with pets I fill this in as needed, but if you'd like to address his attributes and skills, that would be good. He does not have equipment unless he is wearing it (e.g., a collar)--since he was taken as equipment, only that which is attached to him comes with him. Assuming he transitions to being an associate (which in Harry's case seems likely) he will have his own weight limit, and be able to bring his own possessions, but he gets to decide what those are (which means you can offer him stuff, but you can't decide that he is bringing it).

--M. J. Young

Um...things to address for Harry...

I'm looking at him, laying down with his head not layed down at all...with his eyes closed...snoring...

Other than his loyalty...

Well the only thing I can think of is that he's good with dogs, lol. We used to have two huge (at least compared to him) german shepherd/husky mixed pups. He grew up with them and even used one as a chew toy (she didn't even feel it, of course, with her thick skin) and he played with that dog. He's not afraid of dogs, and he's lived with plenty before.

Still, he can be cold to both people and other animals. He absolutely hates our friendly cat, Don.

I'd like to say that Harry's smart... It's just that I consider Don as stupid, yet he figured out the laser-pointer thing immediately while Harry is still chasing the little red dot, lol.

Other than that, Harry is big-boned (not just fat), and he's stronger than most cats. He could probably take on an adult chihuahua or palmeranian, lol.

I suppose that really is all I have to say, other than his ability to sleep in VERY weird positions...

Can I play this game starting with 'zygote challenge'?