TherealBrickwall
One Thousand Club
I decided that it would be fun to make a Heroic Mortal game where you play professional killers. In a world as dangerous and powerful as Creation, you'll be relying on your preparation and resourcefulness to get the job done without death or worse.
I can work with any number of players. I may split you up if I get too many.
Q&A
Are we starting with any XP?
Probably 50, but if I notice that everyone's characters are really incompetent, I'll increase it to 100
Oooh, can we spend it on Backgrounds?
Yes, but there are still limits on the backgrounds you can choose as mortals. Artifact is highly restricted, Cult and Manse aren't viable at all. In this game, I am not allowing Influence, Face, or Destiny either.
Oh, and you all start with an unincreasable Backing 3 in your assassination organization which I'm detailing later. You can take other Backings, however.
So, where are we working and who are you working for?
You are based in Chiaroscuro, and will be doing much of your work there. Even your other travels will stick to the South (Firetongue, High Realm, Low Realm, Riverspeak and Old Realm are useful languages). Your patron organization is an extremely small one. It has only fifty-some members who know its purpose, and only a couple hundred who work uninitiated. You're initiates, but that's as high as you've gotten so far. This means you have finally met the head of the organization, a Delzahn outcast named Hej'amal. She's retired from field work, but is not far enough into age to have dulled physically or mentally.
Why am I working for a secret organization?
Your parents were associates of Hej'amal who decided to allow their children to be raised as assassins. Whether they tossed you at her doorstep, or raised you as assassins themselves, or anything else, you've been training for this job since birth. You've only been recently found ready to work, and it's possible you've never even killed before. And you might not have to. You'll have jobs that only involve espianoge or recovery.
Say, what do these guys do anyway?
Hej'amal works for a divine power. Your rank is not high enough to know more. It's pretty obvious that you're not part of a Yozi or death cult, though.
Okaaaay...this is sort of sounding familiar. Wasn't there a-
Shush.
Right. Sure. So, why are we working together?
You'll be dealing with powerful enemies. I won't lie, your first target is a Terrestrial, and it will only get harder. You'll need to work together to prepare, find the perfect opportunity (or, likely, make one), manage to actually kill them, and get away alive without revealing your organization. You'll need skills of all kinds, and I do mean that every single one will be useful. You can't ask that of one person. This will be a stretch for even a team of people, but that's why you're awesome.
So we can have any skillset?
If you don't have any dots in Stealth whatsoever, you're sort of boned, but you needn't even be able to fight. Anything else, though, can assist your group in taking out powerful foes. Mental skills can help you find the perfect weapons or ways to strike at your enemy. Social skills can get you where you need to go, acquire information, and even unconnected (and probably unwitting) allies. Physical skills have obvious applications.
Wait, so we have to do all that? Don't tell me we have to roleplay out some huge investigatory phase?
Yes and no. I won't be making you go into excruciating detail at any time, but a lot of times, I'll be detailing the process of getting to information sources, or setting up the scenario. Usually this is because the details of the scene are important. It may be important exactly how you interact with your informant. The person you spy on might come up later, even if they don't spot you. The rare herbs you buy for your specially crafted poison could have broader implications. If nothing significant happens, I'll have you do a roll and I'll detail a single scene of the result. I might even have you do many rolls and do a montage, depending on what you try to do.
So we're pretty mechanically free, right?
Yup. I won't be allowing awakened Essence, but otherwise, most things are cool. If you want a high Compassion, go ahead. Just remember that your Willpower is a valuable resource, as you have no other roll enhancers. Yes, I'm allowing some Merits and Flaws. You should be capable of basic function (movement, manipulation, personal interaction, identity), but you're humans, and you can have issues. Just remember to limit them to what is possible for a lowish-ranking member of a powerful, if small, secret organization. You can have a Rival, but an Enemy is too much of a risk to the organization not to have been killed before you got inducted. You really couldn't have an outstanding Debt, and Wyld dependence would make you non-functional. If you're not absolutely positive that something's okay, just ask. Remember, flaws can be non-mechanical. Don't go grasping at bonus points. Your deficits will be compensated by working with other people.
What's my motivation?
As heroic mortals, you have ambitions. That's what makes you so good. Your ambition need not be aligned with the organization's goals, or even related to them (it'd be hard to do that anyway, as you don't know what they are). Perhaps you wish to succeed Hej'amal. Perhaps you wish to overthrow her. Perhaps you wish to escape. Perhaps you wish to wed one of the Terrestrial Host. Perhaps you wish to find your long-lost sibling or other relative. As long as your Motivation will not make the orders of your organization unacceptable, it's probably fine. You don't even need an Intimacy related to the organization. It's just your job, after all, even if it's important and time-consuming. That said, feel free to look up to Hej'amal as a mother, or the organization as a force of ultimate good. Oh, and do please have a Motivation. Have a goal in life, even if it is one your character cannot or will not put to words. Many have been trained, but you are one with drive. Where there's a will, there's a Way.
So you're sure this isn't based on something?
Yes, I'm sure.
Not even a little?
Not even a little.
Because it sounds a lot like a-
Shut up.
But-
SHUSH!
...
...
Assassin's Creed
GODDAMMIT! Fine, yes, I like Assassin's Creed. This game will be pretty different from that, though. For one thing, your colleagues, superiors, and agents will not be whiny incompetents. You are not the best assassins for your organization. You are not killing Templars, or even anything similar. Completely unconnected plots. You will not survive 500-foot jumps into 4-foot piles of hay, or any amount of hay. You are not in an Animus. I was inspired by the theory behind Altair's methods, but not the practice. Remember the opening cutscene, where he has this perfectly-planned assassination and escape? Do that kind of thing. Don't murder guards throughout the entire city. Be careful, be quiet, and be deadly.
Happy now?
...
...
Dork.
Shut up. You never get to do Q&As again. Ever.
I can work with any number of players. I may split you up if I get too many.
Q&A
Are we starting with any XP?
Probably 50, but if I notice that everyone's characters are really incompetent, I'll increase it to 100
Oooh, can we spend it on Backgrounds?
Yes, but there are still limits on the backgrounds you can choose as mortals. Artifact is highly restricted, Cult and Manse aren't viable at all. In this game, I am not allowing Influence, Face, or Destiny either.
Oh, and you all start with an unincreasable Backing 3 in your assassination organization which I'm detailing later. You can take other Backings, however.
So, where are we working and who are you working for?
You are based in Chiaroscuro, and will be doing much of your work there. Even your other travels will stick to the South (Firetongue, High Realm, Low Realm, Riverspeak and Old Realm are useful languages). Your patron organization is an extremely small one. It has only fifty-some members who know its purpose, and only a couple hundred who work uninitiated. You're initiates, but that's as high as you've gotten so far. This means you have finally met the head of the organization, a Delzahn outcast named Hej'amal. She's retired from field work, but is not far enough into age to have dulled physically or mentally.
Why am I working for a secret organization?
Your parents were associates of Hej'amal who decided to allow their children to be raised as assassins. Whether they tossed you at her doorstep, or raised you as assassins themselves, or anything else, you've been training for this job since birth. You've only been recently found ready to work, and it's possible you've never even killed before. And you might not have to. You'll have jobs that only involve espianoge or recovery.
Say, what do these guys do anyway?
Hej'amal works for a divine power. Your rank is not high enough to know more. It's pretty obvious that you're not part of a Yozi or death cult, though.
Okaaaay...this is sort of sounding familiar. Wasn't there a-
Shush.
Right. Sure. So, why are we working together?
You'll be dealing with powerful enemies. I won't lie, your first target is a Terrestrial, and it will only get harder. You'll need to work together to prepare, find the perfect opportunity (or, likely, make one), manage to actually kill them, and get away alive without revealing your organization. You'll need skills of all kinds, and I do mean that every single one will be useful. You can't ask that of one person. This will be a stretch for even a team of people, but that's why you're awesome.
So we can have any skillset?
If you don't have any dots in Stealth whatsoever, you're sort of boned, but you needn't even be able to fight. Anything else, though, can assist your group in taking out powerful foes. Mental skills can help you find the perfect weapons or ways to strike at your enemy. Social skills can get you where you need to go, acquire information, and even unconnected (and probably unwitting) allies. Physical skills have obvious applications.
Wait, so we have to do all that? Don't tell me we have to roleplay out some huge investigatory phase?
Yes and no. I won't be making you go into excruciating detail at any time, but a lot of times, I'll be detailing the process of getting to information sources, or setting up the scenario. Usually this is because the details of the scene are important. It may be important exactly how you interact with your informant. The person you spy on might come up later, even if they don't spot you. The rare herbs you buy for your specially crafted poison could have broader implications. If nothing significant happens, I'll have you do a roll and I'll detail a single scene of the result. I might even have you do many rolls and do a montage, depending on what you try to do.
So we're pretty mechanically free, right?
Yup. I won't be allowing awakened Essence, but otherwise, most things are cool. If you want a high Compassion, go ahead. Just remember that your Willpower is a valuable resource, as you have no other roll enhancers. Yes, I'm allowing some Merits and Flaws. You should be capable of basic function (movement, manipulation, personal interaction, identity), but you're humans, and you can have issues. Just remember to limit them to what is possible for a lowish-ranking member of a powerful, if small, secret organization. You can have a Rival, but an Enemy is too much of a risk to the organization not to have been killed before you got inducted. You really couldn't have an outstanding Debt, and Wyld dependence would make you non-functional. If you're not absolutely positive that something's okay, just ask. Remember, flaws can be non-mechanical. Don't go grasping at bonus points. Your deficits will be compensated by working with other people.
What's my motivation?
As heroic mortals, you have ambitions. That's what makes you so good. Your ambition need not be aligned with the organization's goals, or even related to them (it'd be hard to do that anyway, as you don't know what they are). Perhaps you wish to succeed Hej'amal. Perhaps you wish to overthrow her. Perhaps you wish to escape. Perhaps you wish to wed one of the Terrestrial Host. Perhaps you wish to find your long-lost sibling or other relative. As long as your Motivation will not make the orders of your organization unacceptable, it's probably fine. You don't even need an Intimacy related to the organization. It's just your job, after all, even if it's important and time-consuming. That said, feel free to look up to Hej'amal as a mother, or the organization as a force of ultimate good. Oh, and do please have a Motivation. Have a goal in life, even if it is one your character cannot or will not put to words. Many have been trained, but you are one with drive. Where there's a will, there's a Way.
So you're sure this isn't based on something?
Yes, I'm sure.
Not even a little?
Not even a little.
Because it sounds a lot like a-
Shut up.
But-
SHUSH!
...
...
Assassin's Creed
GODDAMMIT! Fine, yes, I like Assassin's Creed. This game will be pretty different from that, though. For one thing, your colleagues, superiors, and agents will not be whiny incompetents. You are not the best assassins for your organization. You are not killing Templars, or even anything similar. Completely unconnected plots. You will not survive 500-foot jumps into 4-foot piles of hay, or any amount of hay. You are not in an Animus. I was inspired by the theory behind Altair's methods, but not the practice. Remember the opening cutscene, where he has this perfectly-planned assassination and escape? Do that kind of thing. Don't murder guards throughout the entire city. Be careful, be quiet, and be deadly.
Happy now?
...
...
Dork.
Shut up. You never get to do Q&As again. Ever.
