Vs The Elements: Sign-up

[Aerozord]

Premise: On a parallel version of our modern Earth you are a half-blooded elemental, known as an Elemental Metamorph. Your life is filled with hatred and superstition, few even know your kind exist. However something has pulled you out of hiding, a cry for help from White Shield, an international anti-terrorist organization that seeks to maintain the uneasy peace of this world. A great threat is looming, and they want your help.

Setting: Earth has never left the feudal era. Instead it is broken up into hundreds of city-states joined by non-aggression and mutual aid pacts. While occasional war pops up here or there most nations keep to themselves save for trading. This means globalization has never occurred. Internet does not exist though computers do. Instead of cellphones are "comms", self contained communication devices. Comms are proximity based with high end models having a range of 100 miles. They also have the ability to form networks of open communication between them. Gameplay this means you have your own personal private communication device, more on par with walkie-talkies then cellphones.

Over all science is the driving force in this world. Most believe its physics and chemistry that manipulates the elements, while in fact they just influence semi-aware elementals. Meaning sometimes nature acts in ways they have trouble explaining, but humans have a talent for inventing explanations when need be.

You are the half-child of an elemental. You can turn into, generate, and manipulate your parents element. This also grants you a high level of regeneration which will be discussed later. If you've seen One Piece, you are like a logia user.

Elemental Metamorph Life-Cycle:
You were conceived when your mother was "embraced" by an elemental. This means exposure to the raw element for several minutes, for this reason survival is rare. With the additional trauma of birth its nearly unheard of that the mother survives. Leaving the child an orphan.

Early childhood is normal for a human, however at around age six the cravings set in. You begin to hunger and thirst for things to facilitate your power, fire craves oil and coal, lightning craves salts and conductive metals, etc. This usually alienates the child, many are killed because of superstition and fear.

Their nature becomes obvious during early teens. Your body began chaotically phasing into your element, that climaxed in a complete transformation. The superstition of people like you bringing disaster mostly comes from this as the transformation is very violent, normally killing anyone near you at the time.

For several years you were disembodied, only aware enough to keep from getting out of touch with the world. Near where you first transformed your body regains its shape and you are now a full grown adult with basic control over your powers.

FAQs
Can I have more then one element?
Nope

Whats the power level?
Fairly high, it takes military grade weapons to be a credible threat to you

How does regeneration work?
Regenerating takes effort and time in proportion to the amount. Small weapons fire is fairly trivial, instantly heals and is more of an annoyance then a threat. Higher caliber weapons take a moment and take some effort, will tire you out if forced to heal it too frequently.

Enough damage to remove or mangle a limb takes several seconds to regenerate. Performing this more then a handful of times will tire you. Worst is full body damage (eg; jumping on a grenade, direct missile hit). Taking thirty seconds to a minute its difficult to even hold a human form and clear they are injured while regenerating. Even after fully healed you'd be winded.

Recovering from this depleted state takes more then just time. You will remain weakened until you consume food like those mentioned in life cycle section. However time will eventually let you recover it takes alot longer, days in fact.

How can I die?
Two ways, and combination of them. First is just taxing their regenerative powers. They have limits and eventually the metamorph will collapse with exhaustion and unable to survive more damage. Other is to take advantage of their elemental nature, using their anti-thesis to strain their powers. Normally they can just revert to human form, so requires environment human cant survive either. Submerging a fire element in water. Combination is most effective.

Aging is unique, metamorphs never seem to grow older as their powers regenerate them. However this strains them the older they get, weakening their ability to heal.

What elements are available?
I am being very loose with what I consider an element, though disallowing light and darkness. Basically if you've ever seen it used as an element, then its ok.

CHARACTER SHEET
Name:
Gender:
Appearance:
Element:
Diet:
Bio:

Esoteric Techniques: (choose two)

Esoteric Techniques, or E Tech, are abilities that access things tangently or metaphysically linked to your element. An example of each from water, cooling something with a touch or accelerating biological healing. Will get more as the story progresses.

[Astral Harmony]

Well, here's me trying my best. Let me know if I did anything wrong.

Name: Alice Wheeler
Gender: Female
Appearance: 19 years old, 5' 7" tall and weighs an average of 97 pounds. Has long black hair and hazel eyes that turn a fiery red when her passions flare. She wears a dark brown trenchcoat, blue jeans, red t-shirt, black sports shoes, and black leather fingerless gloves.
Element: Fire
Diet: Wood, combustible liquids like gasoline and oil, hot geothermic areas, and spicy foods.
Bio: Alice was born unto Vanessa Wheeler, who was burned to death so badly as to be unrecognizable as human as a result. Never knowing her father or mother, Alice was picked up by her aunt and uncle, Naomi and Phil, and lived there until her nature began to surface at the tender age of six. Whenever Alice's nature surged, Naomi and Phil had to find a way to keep it quiet, and even had to move a few times.

This trail of terrible events climaxed when Alice's powers did, burning down over a hundred acres of forest during a camping trip. The results were more tragic for Alice than just the forest. Naomi and Phil, who Alice depended on so much, moved one last time...and didn't give Alice any chance of relocating them.

On the run with little chance of surviving on her own, Alice was all to happy to join White Shield. Desperate to make things right and repay her aunt and uncle for all the help they did provide despite abandoning as well as honoring her mother by being a lifesaver, Alice has overthrown her own depression of her tragic birth and adolescense and fights with a passion as inhuman as she is.

Esoteric Techniques
1. Ignite: A touch skill that sets things on fire. Used from providing illumination...or explosions...whichever.
2. Heat: Turns water and ice into steam and heats the air. Can also be used to dry out wood and clothes, making them more susceptible to ignition.

[Menarker]

Just popping by to say that AB's character named Wheeler and having the fire element smacks of Captain Planet!

I'm vaguely interested all the same, but I'm already in quite a few RPs...

How exactly are you planning on dealing with elementals taking damage from physical stuff like bullets if the elements they choose to take is more or less amorphous? Like water or air or fire bodies. Or should we assume that the characters have human bodies that still suffer from damage like most humans do (but to a much lesser extent?) For that matter, can our characters freely malipulate our shapes to an extent?

I was thinking of an air elemental with some branching out into sound-based attacks/malipulation since sound is basically vibration in the air. Of course, I would wonder what sort of restrictions or limitations such an elemental would have. After all, that element is pretty copious, so it might seem too easy to regenerate if more air was all that was needed.

EDIT: Also thinking electric powers and thus magnetism by extension. Then again, that's probably too easy. One could try to roleplay as a Magneto clone. ^^;

EDIT EDIT: Or heck, I'm thinking to try make an evil-ish character by making a poison type! Sludge body, gaseous form, produce a variety of chemicals, acids, poisons and toxins... poison breath, toxins to apply to weapons or poison people's food, be a plaguemaster who spread diseases and illnesses, become a walking wasteland with advanced decompostion ability... ^____^ Hell, I should watch Tim Curry's performance of Hexxus for inspiration. (From Ferngully) Hell, I'm wondering if I can use certain external rules to make alcohol count as a type of poison since for some reason immunity to poison also seems to translate to immunity to drunkeness. ^^ Sweat boooze! And I can eat certain trashs that have chemicals inside, raid the pharmacy or chem lab or just enjoy eating junk food. :3

[Astral Harmony]

We still have human bodies. We're only half elemental, after all. Were elementals? Demi elementals? Whatever ya call 'em, that's what we is.

And damn it, he caught on to me!

Alice: "Protect the environment, or I'll fucking kill you! Captaaaain Planet!"

[Overcast]

Decided to go the electric route, lets see how this turns out.

Name: Alex Bucci
Gender: Male
Appearance: 21 years old but looks like he is still 16, about 5'4" and 110 lbs, he has short black hair that seems to always be gravitating up and brown eyes that seem to glow blue when his emotions start to run. He wears various plaid button ups and jeans along with a beanie to hold down that terrible hair of his and day by day switches between Chuck Taylor type sneakers and boots.
Element: Electricity
Diet: Graphite, dirty water, most metals, and sour foods.
Bio: Alex was born from miss Vanessa Bucci, a poor technician who fell to a bad incident that had her shocked till she was an absolute vegetable on the job. When he was born it was his grandparents that had to raise him. The pair were ever loving but very strict on the poor boy, and when he first surged and shut down the entire electronic infrastructure in the town they had to tighten that grip even further. Despite the fact that they were doing this out of love and his best interests Alex could not stand being forced into solitude for the way he was born, and began plotting how to escape from the grip of his dear grandparents and into the world at large. Honestly the only thing really holding him back was, despite how he felt, he still did love the old codgers and wouldn't hurt them if they caught him, and somehow they always did.

Until this time. This time was when he met the folks at White Shield. With them he was offered a life with many like himself using his powers to their fullest potential. Something he had been dreaming about for most of his young life. How could he say no?

Esoteric Techniques:
1. Potential: Alex can hold a voltage potential in his body, or can charge that potential into various conductive objects. Produces a quick nonlethal shock that can knock most people off their feet.
2. Current: When Alex is touching something and can create a perfect circuit back to his body he can run current through it, which can ruin electronics and cause some serious damage to many living things. It can also be used to jump start electronics or people depending on the situation.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Damnit, Overcast took my lightning guy idea. Now I'll have to think up something new.

[Overcast]

Hey the name's Overcast, it was either this or water.

[Aerozord]

AB and overcast you are fine, except one thing with overcast which will be explained below.

Incidently, both your characters moms had the same name


How exactly are you planning on dealing with elementals taking damage from physical stuff like bullets if the elements they choose to take is more or less amorphous? Like water or air or fire bodies. Or should we assume that the characters have human bodies that still suffer from damage like most humans do (but to a much lesser extent?) For that matter, can our characters freely malipulate our shapes to an extent?

yea i really should have explained that better. Normally you are for all intents and purposes, human. An example of how your regeneration works using our first PCs character as an example. Enemy points a shotgun at Alice's head and pulls the trigger, but instead of a bleeding neck stump he gets a puff of flame. The flames recollect and expand into the shape of a new head that then rematerializes into human form.

To use your powers you must convert part of your body into the element, E. Tech is a way around that limit and why weaker but discrete powers are nice. Now while you could say, double your size, it would mean Alice for example transforming into a large fire version of herself.

I was thinking of an air elemental with some branching out into sound-based attacks/malipulation since sound is basically vibration in the air. Of course, I would wonder what sort of restrictions or limitations such an elemental would have. After all, that element is pretty copious, so it might seem too easy to regenerate if more air was all that was needed.

EDIT EDIT: Or heck, I'm thinking to try make an evil-ish character by making a poison type! Sludge body, gaseous form, produce a variety of chemicals, acids, poisons and toxins... poison breath, toxins to apply to weapons or poison people's food, be a plaguemaster who spread diseases and illnesses, become a walking wasteland with advanced decompostion ability... ^____^ Hell, I should watch Tim Curry's performance of Hexxus for inspiration. (From Ferngully) Hell, I'm wondering if I can use certain external rules to make alcohol count as a type of poison since for some reason immunity to poison also seems to translate to immunity to drunkeness. ^^ Sweat boooze! And I can eat certain trashs that have chemicals inside, raid the pharmacy or chem lab or just enjoy eating junk food. :3
to answer in order. Direct contact with your element will not replenish you. This is mostly a balance issue as some are alot easier to get to then others. Air would be things that embody or create air. Leafy plants, bacteria, and I hate to toss this one out, beans

Well main issue with someone toxin based is, if you are a walking plague you'd be the kind of guy White Shield would hunt down. The power isn't the issue, as most are inherently destructive, but if your character intentionally spreads poison you wouldn't get recruited
Damnit, Overcast took my lightning guy idea. Now I'll have to think up something new.

For what its worth there is no rule saying only one per element, but I'm betting you'd rather come up with something else then be a second lightning character

[Overcast]

So what were you trying to say to me Aero? That I must change the E?

[Aerozord]

no, I mean you cant respire with a live current

[edit] before I forget, proper term for people like you is "Elemental Metamorph". Most however incorrectly call you elementals

[Menarker]

Is there a sort of maximum health or stamina thing for these Metamorphs regarding stamina? Like do these people probably bring along health kits or trace of their favorite foods to replenish their stamina? Or do they never really stop gaining power if they have a ready access to a supportive element?

As for the poison character, I'm tempted to join the bad guys (at least at first)! Or perhaps hired by White Shield only because my character can be bribed to behave for a period of time and is otherwise incredibly difficult/dangerous to attempt to eliminate. (As seen by real life difficulty in removing trash/waste for good)

[Aerozord]

Is there a sort of maximum health or stamina thing for these Metamorphs regarding stamina? Like do these people probably bring along health kits or trace of their favorite foods to replenish their stamina? Or do they never really stop gaining power if they have a ready access to a supportive element?

Careful not to think of stamina in too human terms. While fatigue feels the same and cumulative with normal human fatigue its a very different source, it comes from your body losing its ability to produce your element. Think of it more like two seperate stats that give a cumulative penalty when low.

As for gaining power, upon reaching adulthood you already hit your max on raw power. Its why you start the game with such destructive potential. All special diet is, is put you back at normal. Though you do still grow in your techniques, which allow you greater control and manipulation of your powers. Without them all you can really do is spew raw form of your element at people.


As for the poison character, I'm tempted to join the bad guys (at least at first)! Or perhaps hired by White Shield only because my character can be bribed to behave for a period of time and is otherwise incredibly difficult/dangerous to attempt to eliminate. (As seen by real life difficulty in removing trash/waste for good)

PvP presents alot of potential problems, most notable is the possibility PCs might just kill you.

[Arcanum]

Just realized something. How does clothing work for us? Like, do we have a special type of clothing that turns into our element with us? Or do we end up stark naked after every transformation?

[Aerozord]

clothing transforms with you. In fact same is said to items you have on you too. Combined with E. Tech can lead to some interesting moves

[Menarker]

Heck, I'll give it a try. See how long my interest lasts (or how long I live) :3


CHARACTER SHEET
Name: Grevan Sahr
Gender: Male
Element: Poison and its substances, related fields and application.
Appearance: 20 years old. Slightly shorter than most athletes at 5'7 but has a strong thick build of muscles (and a little fat). His long black hair is shiny and seemingly perpetually moist, as if he bathed his entire head in hair gel. Despite his poison element, when he is in public, he has a mostly excellent sense of hygiene because the chemicals in deodorant and other such products doubles as a revitalizing influence. His teeth, however, is somewhat stained due to the excessive amount of junk food and chemicals he consumes. Not as much as would be expected from a poison elemental though...
Diet: Junk Food, oil, chemicals, poison, smog, certain types of trash like batteries and stuff like that. Even cleaning items like bleach is good for him! He REALLY is at home in a completely urbanized city especially one that doesn't care about the environment. At least he never has to worry about his food being poisoned by a nemesis. :3
Bio: Grevan was a 3rd child born to a mother, Trisha Sahr, who died in childbirth due to "mysterious circumstances" which was discovered to be poison. His father, Devan, sued the hospital for malpractice successfully and ended up with millions of dollars to help raise the family. Grevan looked little like his father, and due to Trisha's death, Devan had mixed emotions about raising this boy. As much as he loved his wife and wanted to treasure any of her children, he couldn't help the thought he might have been cheated on, or that this child was a constant reminder of his wife. Ultimately, Grevan was raised with the other two children, but Devan never gave him the same sort of affection and adoration as his other elder son and daughter. Grevan's appetite for junk food was easily stated, but his perchance for attempting to eat paint and glue in kindergarten made him one of the "weird kids" at school. Years later, in high school, Grevan had the accidental misfortune of taking two courses... Home Economics and Chemistry. In an unknowing series of student illnesses, the victims all having sampled his food, there was a series of inquiries and probes and Grevan became a suspect due to always taking Home economic class right after Chemistry, and supposably failing to adhere to safe hygeine and food preperation conducts like wearing gloves and washing one's hands. In reality, Grevan's growing latent ability bypassed through such meager preperations like wafer thin gloves and temporary hand-washings. Facing vengeful threats from his peers, their guardians, authorities and the unsympathic reproach of his family, Grevan fled the scene and was never successfully found...


Esoteric Techniques:
1. Spontaneous Excrement: He can ooze or emit practically any sort of natural or manufactured ooze, oil, chemical, poison/toxin or gas from any part of his being and can fling it like a sludge snowball, coat weapons or bodyparts with them, poison food/water supplies or things like that.

2. Gas Form: A method of fairly fast flight and evasion/invulnerablity, making it very difficult to catch him or harm him. He cannot expel extra gas (has to use his own poisonous gas body) and thus has limited offensive capability (Cannot use his other ability) although he can swiftly change from one form to another. He cannot shift form as a "counter-defense". Basically, if he has the presence of mind to be aware he needs to change form, he can. For example, he can't be caught aware and attacked and then POOF, he is in gas form the moment he would be hit and really took no damage. That's bullshit. Vulnerable to strong flames (sets him on fire and aborts his gas form), and forces of wind like gusts and suction.
Just leaving this here in case I need to have this as an esoteric ability to have it...

2. Aggressive Rot: By touch (any body part), Grevan can cause severe deteroriation of physical objects like floors, walls and other structures in general through the combined power of acid/rusting/poison/toxin/illnesses and can spread out a fair distance. Is VERY potent on wood and other natural objects. Also can be used on living things like plants, animals and humans.

[Overcast]

Remember Mern, the esoteric techniques are supposed to be things we do when we look like normal people.

[Menarker]

K, I edited bio, although I left the other one there with a strikethrough in case I need to select it to have it.

[Arcanum]

Name: Ox
Gender: Male

Appearance: Ox, at age 43, stands six feet tall with defined muscles but not so much that he looks like his namesake. He has shaggy black hair, a short and wiry full beard, and dark brown eyes. His skin is lightly tanned and he usually wears blue jeans, a black shirt, and a green plaid jacket. Yes he's been called a lumberjack before and no, the other guy didn't walk away with all of his teeth.

Element: Metal
Diet: Rocks with high mineral content, scrap iron, graphite, charcoal

Bio: Ox's powers fully manifested when he was 14, reducing everything metal within a square kilometer to vapor, and freezing himself into a distorted, shapeless steel statue. Many who were exposed to the vapors were killed, and even more were poisoned. The local government, after doing their best to minimize the damage and provide aid, took Ox to a storage facility, not knowing what he really was. It took ten years before Ox gained some control over his power, but it was only enough to reduce himself to a cloud of metallic dust. He then spent the next six years wandering until he returned to his home and regained his human shape.

However, spending sixteen years in an elemental state, only partially aware of what was happening, caused some mental instability. Ox couldn't remember anything about the first 28 years of his life, and he only had a vague recollection of the past 2 years. Not knowing who or what he was Ox found a job at a car factory, where he earned his new name thanks to his unnatural strength. He worked at the factory for five years before a co-worker saw him eating the leftover metal from the molds, where fear and paranoia blew everything out of proportion. Ox was driven out of town by an angry mob, only they had guns instead of pitchforks.

Ox spent the next six years wandering from town to town, not wanting to stay too long, afraid someone might find out what he was. Then he got lucky, and met a White Shield agent named Reggie Bondy in a bar one night. Ox was too drunk to care what anyone thought of him, and when he couldn't pay his tab he nearly cut the bartenders hand off. Reggie froze Ox in place, literally, and hauled him out of the bar. Once Ox sobered up, Reggie offered him a chance to earn a job at White Shield, which Ox graciously accepted. He's been working for them ever since.

Esoteric Techniques:
Strength: Metal tools give us the strength to preform tasks we couldn't preform otherwise. Ox doesn't need tools.

Decline: In Wu Xing the Metal element represents the decline of matter. Ox can make this a reality by aging any non-living object he touches. Aging what is immediately touching him is trivial and almost instantaneous, reducing concrete to dust in seconds. However parts further away from the point of contact take either more time or more effort. Aging a section of wall 10 feet away from where he's touching would take either double the effort or double the time, or a mix of the two. Also, aging an entire section of wall at a uniform rate would take as much effort and time as aging the furthest part of the wall.

-------------------

I know my Decline E-Tech is similar to Mern's Aggressive Rot, but it was one of the main concepts of my character (the other being the Metal element itself) before he even posted his character :P

[Menarker]

I know my Decline E-Tech is similar to Mern's Aggressive Rot, but it was one of the main concepts of my character (the other being the Metal element itself) before he even posted his character :P

But you never actually said anything like that, even in the interest thread! For all we know, you could just be saying that now.

Anyhow, your ability is similar in some way, but different. Yours works on aging, so it probably won't be effective against things that don't change much with age. (Although it would be useful against living things, perhaps more so than my rot ability)


On a side note, I'm tempted to make my character from Australia, the continent with so much poisonous animals. ^^;

[Arcanum]

Yeah I know it's my fault for not saying anything, which is why I'm not pinning all the blame on you (just most of it :P). Also mine works strictly on non-living things, staying in line with the whole metal/non-organic theme.

Another way our abilities differ is that Decline is more of a utility technique instead of an offensive one since it won't work on humans and takes time and effort to properly age something.

[Aerozord]

First I want to say, E Tech doesn't have to be something you do in human form, its just the only way you can do stuff in human form.

Now first Menarker, there are a few issues with your character some minor some not. A few issues with diet, you are confusing unhealthy with toxic. Junk food is not poisonous, bleach technically isn't either as its just very acidic. Some work, battery acid, venoms, smog, are all fine.

Issues with your E Tech, first one you dont have to coat weapons with it. As I mentioned you could convert the weapon itself into your element. Like shooting bullets made of cyanide.

Your original number two, I still would have denied but for a different reason. You already can do this. It doesn't make you invulnerable though, you still have to exert effort to keep the form together, but it can have perks. Arcanum for example, if in metal for would take alot less damage from being cut with a knife. A character of smoke, while a missile passing though them would need to be healed, better then getting hit with the blast too.

Your rot though is perfectly fine. In fact might I suggest going with element of smoke instead? It still embodies everything you want but works better on a thematic scale. Say poison and most have just a vague concept, but smoke is instantly pictured and understood which is what you want with elements. Its like comparing heat to fire.

Finally, honestly having trouble figuring out how to work you into the story. I just dont see much reason for them to interact with you its why I made PCs members of the same group. so, if you have any suggestions please share.

Now Arcanum, think you got the right idea with diet in that you need composite materials of metals like ore, as opposed to refined final product. My only issue is your decline power. You are thinking too small scale with your power. Destroying a man-sized hole in concrete should take but a few seconds and be fairly trivial.

[Menarker]

Now first Menarker, there are a few issues with your character some minor some not. A few issues with diet, you are confusing unhealthy with toxic. Junk food is not poisonous, bleach technically isn't either as its just very acidic. Some work, battery acid, venoms, smog, are all fine.


Well, I saw AB's character have Spicy Food in the bio and acted accordingly. As for bleach, my mindset was, if I can't eat or drink it in real life and the reason for it is not because it's physically sharp or pointy or oversized, then it would count. :3


Issues with your E Tech, first one you dont have to coat weapons with it. As I mentioned you could convert the weapon itself into your element. Like shooting bullets made of cyanide.


Ah, ok. The technique is still useful in itself though and coating weapons could still be useful if I want to persuade an ally (willing or otherwise) to fight on my side. Or poison someone's shaving razor. :3


Your original number two, I still would have denied but for a different reason. You already can do this. It doesn't make you invulnerable though, you still have to exert effort to keep the form together, but it can have perks. Arcanum for example, if in metal for would take alot less damage from being cut with a knife. A character of smoke, while a missile passing though them would need to be healed, better then getting hit with the blast too.


Good to know and even better to hear that I already have it.


Your rot though is perfectly fine. In fact might I suggest going with element of smoke instead? It still embodies everything you want but works better on a thematic scale. Say poison and most have just a vague concept, but smoke is instantly pictured and understood which is what you want with elements. Its like comparing heat to fire.

Well, Smoke doesn't sound useful at all. It is easy to picture yes, but not really do much. Ever played pokemon? Just think of a elementalized version of Muk, Weezing and other pokemon pokemons that aren't based on real life poisonous animals (Although Grevan could use their abilities too with his first ability). Heck, Muk is easy to visualize, along with any other representation of sentient sludge or whatnot.


Finally, honestly having trouble figuring out how to work you into the story. I just dont see much reason for them to interact with you its why I made PCs members of the same group. so, if you have any suggestions please share.


Easy enough. Too dangerous to let roam unchecked (or hired by lawbreakers), willing to do some dirty and dangerous work in exchange for immunity to law and all the money and chicks he can handle. :3
Think of him like a mercenery or someone like Belkar from Order of the Stick. His abilities can be bought to use his pretty useful but otherwise inhumane powers for the greater good. Just don't expect him to be moved by patriotism or anything that doesn't directly satisfy his avarice.

[Arcanum]

Now Arcanum, think you got the right idea with diet in that you need composite materials of metals like ore, as opposed to refined final product. My only issue is your decline power. You are thinking too small scale with your power. Destroying a man-sized hole in concrete should take but a few seconds and be fairly trivial.

Alright. I've had issues with GMs in the past regarding aging/time powers which is why I had it weakened from the start. I'd rather be told it's too weak and beef it up than told it's too strong and tone it down.

Easy enough. Too dangerous to let roam unchecked (or hired by lawbreakers), willing to do some dirty and dangerous work in exchange for immunity to law and all the money and chicks he can handle. :3
Think of him like a mercenery or someone like Belkar from Order of the Stick. His abilities can be bought to use his pretty useful but otherwise inhumane powers for the greater good. Just don't expect him to be moved by patriotism or anything that doesn't directly satisfy his avarice

From what I understand, White Shield is the kind of group that hunts down people like your character. With Elemental Metamorphs at their disposal (as well as means to deal with Elementals) I think it's safe to say they could capture or kill all but the most determined Elementals. They don't seem like the kind of group to hire the people they are trying to hunt down.

At least, that's the way I see it.

[Aerozord]

Well, I saw AB's character have Spicy Food in the bio and acted accordingly.

Thats because it hits on a conceptual level. The chemical in spicy food literally triggers the sensation of fire. Its why your instinct is to drink something. Junk food is not toxic nor does it represent poison. As I said unhealthy does not equal poison.

Well, Smoke doesn't sound useful at all. It is easy to picture yes, but not really do much.
neither does earth or metal, not all elements are dynamic. Besides, doesn't do much? You actually valued becoming smoke so highly you wanted it to be one of your techniques. You do not have infinite versions of your element to become. If you feel Muk is a good visualization then you can be a pile of sludge. I just personally find highly viscus goo a step down from dynamic highly caustic gas on the desirability scale

From what I understand, White Shield is the kind of group that hunts down people like your character. With Elemental Metamorphs at their disposal (as well as means to deal with Elementals) I think it's safe to say they could capture or kill all but the most determined Elementals. They don't seem like the kind of group to hire the people they are trying to hunt down.

At least, that's the way I see it.

basically yes, this is true

[Arcanum]

Edited my Decline ability. I made it so it's more devastating as a direct touch ability, while making sure he couldn't reduce a skyscraper to dust in mere seconds.

I also like it better this way, since it makes sense that the closer something is to an embodiment of The Decline of Matter the faster it declines.

[Menarker]

neither does earth or metal, not all elements are dynamic. Besides, doesn't do much? You actually valued becoming smoke so highly you wanted it to be one of your techniques. You do not have infinite versions of your element to become. If you feel Muk is a good visualization then you can be a pile of sludge. I just personally find highly viscus goo a step down from dynamic highly caustic gas on the desirability scale

Smoke, especially smokeform as a specific ability and an extension of poison is awesome. But Smoke as the defining element of a character doesn't seem awesome to me. I thought as an elemental I could switch from sludge or gas or what not. Just trying to show that poison as an element is fairly easy to visualize.


As in regards to joining White Shield, Grevan just wants to have a comfortable hedonistic lifestyle. He never intended to go criminal, but being slapped the criminal label and having to go on the run changes people. He'll definately be criminal if society and the law won't let him be. But he isn't trying to turn the country into a wasteland or be a plaguemaster to elementary school kids or stuff like that. So he can be employable if given incentives.
Naturally, or rather presumably, there will be people in White Shield who feels that a poison elemental has no value of any sort. One does have to consider that there will be idealistic and forgiving and sympathic people in an organization (presuming there is no brainwashing) who will be willing to give him a chance and there will be people who are so bent on law and order and procedures who will be on breathing on Grevan's back and looking at his every actions trying to find some excuse to label him a criminal again.


Also, I like Arc's changes to Decline for not effecting Living things. I'm willing to humor that Metal is viewed with mystical properties in some cultures, although it does make me think that other elements could do the same like fire viewed as healing in some culture (including ones that employ the phoenix as a legendary animal) or water for divination like some mythical druid focus. Poison is more directly focused on corruption either of body (poison) or objects (acid), so naturally my rot ability should be more diverse and similarly potent. (Although Steel has many other useful properties.)


^^ Anyhow, I predict that I'll probably have a reluctant partnership with AB's character Alice. Some poison gases and oils and such are incredibly easy to ignite and with explosive properties!

Then again, Alice can also partner with Ox with some sort of "Forge" combination.

[Arcanum]

As in regards to joining White Shield, Grevan just wants to have a comfortable hedonistic lifestyle. He never intended to go criminal, but being slapped the criminal label and having to go on the run changes people. He'll definately be criminal if society and the law won't let him be. But he isn't trying to turn the country into a wasteland or be a plaguemaster to elementary school kids or stuff like that. So he can be employable if given incentives.

Ok this I can understand. In all fairness Ox was on the verge of being hunted by White Shield. He just got lucky and was stopped and offered a job first.

I think that if you work what you said into your bio so that you are already working for White Shield before the game starts then everything will be dandy. But once again that's just my take on things :) (Sorry if it seems like I'm intruding on your shtick Aero)


Then again, Alice can also partner with Ox with some sort of "Forge" combination.

I don't think Ox would take too kindly to having parts of his body super heated. Fire is actually one of the elements that are a serious threat to him, since all metal is made and unmade in fire.

[Menarker]

I didn't mean a body part. The setting has some decent technology based on metal.

[Aerozord]

arcanum, you are approved now
Smoke, especially smokeform as a specific ability and an extension of poison is awesome. But Smoke as the defining element of a character doesn't seem awesome to me. I thought as an elemental I could switch from sludge or gas or what not. Just trying to show that poison as an element is fairly easy to visualize.


you are the element, not the actual material. Its why water element cant become ice or steam. More over you are what people associate with the material. Using Arcanum as an example again. He'd be non-descript metal with properties associated with the material, magnetic, conducts electricity, heavy, durable, these do not describe all types of metal but its what springs to mind when someone says its metalic.

Anyways I see you are thinking of it backwards of what I would be. Smoke is not an aspect of poison, poison is an aspect of smoke. Smoke represents poison, destruction, death. It invokes idea of polluting factories, smoldering ruins, and out of control fires.

Now I know you wont change your mind, just that poison is actually the more limiting choice as poison only represent biological destruction while smoke is destruction period. But I guess with arcanum you got both covered, so whatever.
As in regards to joining White Shield, Grevan just wants to have a comfortable hedonistic lifestyle. He never intended to go criminal, but being slapped the criminal label and having to go on the run changes people. He'll definately be criminal if society and the law won't let him be. But he isn't trying to turn the country into a wasteland or be a plaguemaster to elementary school kids or stuff like that. So he can be employable if given incentives.
Naturally, or rather presumably, there will be people in White Shield who feels that a poison elemental has no value of any sort. One does have to consider that there will be idealistic and forgiving and sympathic people in an organization (presuming there is no brainwashing) who will be willing to give him a chance and there will be people who are so bent on law and order and procedures who will be on breathing on Grevan's back and looking at his every actions trying to find some excuse to label him a criminal again.

well we could do it like a parole thing, giving him a chance to lose that criminal label and prove he can be helpful to society, plus be a good excuse to get him to same place as the other characters.

Also, I like Arc's changes to Decline for not effecting Living things. I'm willing to humor that Metal is viewed with mystical properties in some cultures, although it does make me think that other elements could do the same like fire viewed as healing in some culture (including ones that employ the phoenix as a legendary animal) or water for divination like some mythical druid focus. Poison is more directly focused on corruption either of body (poison) or objects (acid), so naturally my rot ability should be more diverse and similarly potent. (Although Steel has many other useful properties.)


like I said above you dont really "poison" inanimate objects. Poison is much more associated with living things. Upside is it does also include weakening conceptual things, relationships, businesses, ect. So if you'd like to be good at destroying social interactions there you go.

^^ Anyhow, I predict that I'll probably have a reluctant partnership with AB's character Alice. Some poison gases and oils and such are incredibly easy to ignite and with explosive properties!

Then again, Alice can also partner with Ox with some sort of "Forge" combination.

yes over all true, but I wanted to point this out for everyones benifit. You do have elements that are the bane of your own. I mentioned before this is a way to get around regeneration issue. Yes toxic sludge is flammable and leads to some nice combos, but it also means his elemental body is flammable. Not just him obviously, so keep that in mind everyone, getting hit by some enemies will be alot more damaging then others.

[Astral Harmony]

yes over all true, but I wanted to point this out for everyones benifit. You do have elements that are the bane of your own. I mentioned before this is a way to get around regeneration issue. Yes toxic sludge is flammable and leads to some nice combos, but it also means his elemental body is flammable. Not just him obviously, so keep that in mind everyone, getting hit by some enemies will be alot more damaging then others.

In other words, Grevan needs to make sure that he doesn't have a direct link with those flammable/explosive gases when having Alice ignite them. Otherwise...

Grevan: "God-fucking-damnit, Alice! How many times is this?! How many times?!"
Alice: "You said you were done."
Grevan: "Yes, I was done gassing the area! But I wasn't clear yet! I told you that I'll say 'clear' and THAT'S when you're supposed to do it!"
Alice: "Okay, look, that's no reason to snap at me."
Grevan: "You set me on fire and you're telling me there's no reason to snap? Are you out of your fucking mind?!"
Alice: "Well, maybe you should explain it with us all one more time so I don't confuse 'done' with 'clear'."
Grevan: "Oh...my...god..."
Alice: "Hey, somebody call Smokey the Bore here a whambulance. Hit up a restaurant on the way there for some whamburgers."
Grevan: "...Urge to suffocate...rising..."

[Menarker]

Hehe. Exactly

Parole idea works although Grevan does behave rather like a mercenary. He expects to be well paid. :3

I figured Poison element might effect objects if I was using acids, which tends to be corrosive. Hence, I thought the poison element had a side aspect of destruction. Not nearly as potent as fire or earth element or such. Those tend not only to be very powerful but are destructive on a wider scale or AOE. Poison I could see as damaging on a much smaller scale (concentrated on a smaller location in order to be destructive to objects). You said you approved Aggressive Rot, which decayed objects, so I thought this was ok.

[Overcast]

He does have the choice of being good or being murdered by his teamates. That seems like a fair bargain, and quite worth it's weight in gold.

[Menarker]

You should all be very afraid. :3

I'm researching all sorts of toxins, acids and poisons for this RP. Hell, I'm very fond of the Geographic Cone Snail. One tiny tiny portion of that and you nigh instantly suffer...

"Paresthesias of the lips and tongue are followed by sialorrhea, sweating, headache, weakness, lethargy, ataxia, incoordination, tremor, paralysis, cyanosis, aphonia, dysphagia, seizures, dyspnea, bronchorrhea, bronchospasm, respiratory failure, coma, and hypotension. Gastroenteric symptoms are often severe and include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Cardiac arrhythmias may precede complete respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse."

There is no cure for the cone snail's venom, and treatment is simply based on how long your rescuers can keep you alive while your body pisses, shits and vomits the toxins out. If the people saving you haven't already fled the scene of your body exploding from every orifice, their CPR is simply meant to keep you breathing until you've shat the last little bit of venom out.


And that's not even the most potent one! (Easily the most embarressing though!)

^______^ Hehehehahahahaha!

I'm looking forward to this...

So... am I accepted yet?

*Smiles*

[Astral Harmony]

So, I, uhhh...I wanna light him on fire, don't I?

Whenever I think of a poison character, I keep thinking of a Spine Scrapper from City of Heroes. Just poking and lancing and slicing into people with those toxin filled spines and throwing green shit everywhere. No other superhero or villain makes a messier fight than they do.

[Menarker]

In reality, that's pretty ineffective, since the victim is bleeding out all the toxin in the blood. Hence why the more effective poisons that enter the bloodstream tend to be ones with little to no wounds like darts. (Especially poison dart frogs which is also INCREDIBLY potent, although just plain skin contact will work with that toxin for the point of this RP, especially if I start slinging balls of poison when the amount to kill is an amount the size of 2 salt grains.)

[Overcast]

We are all elemental metas, what do we have to fear of biological degeneratives?

Nope nothing to fear, but I am realizing I'm going to miss mass communication. I mean if everyone were connected like they are now my character could probably transport himself to anywhere in the world via telephone.

[Aerozord]

We are all elemental metas, what do we have to fear of biological degeneratives?

yup while in elemental form you are relatively free of biological needs. Also, to parrot this again, you do not turn into specific poisons, you turn into generic poison. Forming specific ones from your generic elemental form is a E Tech.


Nope nothing to fear, but I am realizing I'm going to miss mass communication. I mean if everyone were connected like they are now my character could probably transport himself to anywhere in the world via telephone.
land lines are mostly phased out, are electrical lines still, but just so you know using them as transport is an E Tech. Can turn into lightning itself to get around, but its very noticeable and requires line of sight. Also keep in mind you have properties of electricity. You do not want to hit a lightning rod

[Overcast]

I don't think it'd be too bad hitting the rod, most of the time that just puts the electricity into a neutral ground, but if I am a fully sentient element I should be able to force my happy ass out before I get to ground. This is why I chose electricity, it is an element I am rather familiar with.

[Menarker]

Also, to parrot this again, you do not turn into specific poisons, you turn into generic poison. Forming specific ones from your generic elemental form is a E Tech.


Which I have. My first E Tech is specifically dedicated to this.

[Aerozord]

I don't think it'd be too bad hitting the rod, most of the time that just puts the electricity into a neutral ground, but if I am a fully sentient element I should be able to force my happy ass out before I get to ground. This is why I chose electricity, it is an element I am rather familiar with.

yea but thats still draining, and sure you realize actually going into the ground in a pure elemental form is a death sentence as it would spread your being over the entirety of the planet.

well think everyone is ok so I will close sign-ups sometime tomorrow evening. So if you still want in this is a heads up to get a character finished.

[Aerozord]

thread up (http://nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?p=1115855#post1115855)

Since I didn't address this earlier I will do so now, elements that trump yours, such as AB's vs water. Basically when hit its the same as when you are human. For example, even if you took form of pure fire, a fist of water will still hit you as if solid. Worst of all, elemental metamorphs have a very low pain tolerance from their years of nigh-invulnerability, you haven't felt pain in about a decade.

Sorry about making you the first to deal with an opposing element, but I figured you could handle it

Any time this comes up I will mention it, so there is no guess work on how an element interacts with yours. On the opposite end, lightning will really mess her up

RP side, feel free to plan how you will handle this mission, then go at it whenever ready. If I feel its not moving I'll think of something to get you in gear