The Golden Age of Comic Books: A Mutants and Masterminds campaign. Interest and OOC here!

[Kirby Krackle]

On April 18th of 1938, something wonderful happened. It was Action Comics #1 hitting the newsstand, triggering the beginning of the Golden Age of Comic Books. It was the dawn of the superhero as we know it today. Oh sure, there are centuries of literature and folklore that set the stage. Classical myths are a thing. The Scarlet Pimpernel gave us the concept of the secret identity. But the concept of the superhero? We can thank two sons of immigrants for that, during a time when the American way of life couldn't be bleaker.

These stories were a diversion. They had to be. Those days, you were likely to be displaced by the Dust Bowl or buying war bonds for the boys overseas. Because of this, the books were fun and cared little for the idea of moral turmoil or continuity, instead focusing simply on good triumphing over evil. But that doesn't mean the worlds crafted by Siegel and Schuster and Kane and Kirby weren't rich and colorful and full of love and hate and daring and danger! Oh, far from it! And the call to adventure was everywhere. Billy Batson was just a child when he called out his first SHAZAM! Jim Corrigan and Denny Colt were recently deceased. Britt Reid and Eel O'Brian were wanted criminals. Even Uncle Sam himself, the very spirit of America, walked tall and swung bare-knuckled against tyranny. Wouldn't you love to run around in a world like they did? Well, good news.

First off, this RP will have ponies. I don't think I needed to clarify that, but let's be thorough. Secondly, and here's the important bit, this RP will be using the D20-based Mutants and Masterminds 2nd edition rules to build characters and handle things like untangling traps and vanquishing villains. I will be more than happy to provide tips and tricks to those unfamiliar with the system. I invite those already versed to join in helping the not-so-versed. There will be some house rules at the end of this long-winded essay. But before that, I want to talk about setting. While details will be revealed in the official thread, some broads strokes about where your ponies in capes will run around are as follows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The House Rules

I'm looking for a team of six. Myself included, that means five other players. That's maximum. I feel comfortable running around with three others, if that's what I can get.

To join, submit an application. Pluck it straight from the Mane RP on this very site. It's a good application that makes for rich and flavorful characters. Definitely write more instead of less. Speaking of more, I'm adding a few things.

First, your character has two names. Pony name and hero name. For instance, oh, I dunno, maybe Curtain Call is a mild-mannered actor of a struggling theater by day but by night he answers to Masquerade. Secondly, in that character history, I want to see an origin story. There must be a reason they do what they do. Try to keep this bit within the flavor of the setting. For instance, acceptance in a cruel and intolerant world sounds fine and dandy, but the X-Men were a product of 1963. And, while with great power comes great responsibility, the guilty conscience didn't push Peter Parker to become Spider-Man until 1962. I'm not saying you can't use these progressive themes! But try to be clever about how you work them into your individual origin. I am a sucker for a good story.

Come to think of it, that's pretty much the mantra of what can and can't fly in this game. I am a sucker for a good story. There is a distinct possibility that I will bend the rules, both Green Ronin's and mine, for the sake of comedy and tragedy.

Something I'm banning storywise is the Power Ponies. This just isn't the right setting for them and they technically don't even exist in this universe. Does this mean I'm banning Speedsters, for example? Heck no! Just Fillisecond.

Mechanically speaking, we are beginning with Power Level 6 characters. It's below the average of 10 because these ponies are just starting their superhero careers. They won't be that strong, that fast, or that skilled. Yet. Though I feel I should set the bar for 'not that strong'. A level 6 character's maximum allowed Strength stat is 32. A 32 Strength character's maximum load is in the ballpark of two tons. Soooooo, yeah, have fun with that.

So, along with your official Canterlot RP application I should see with it an official Mutants and Masterminds character sheet all stated out. As I mentioned, I am more than willing to help with both! So I give you this, spoiler tagged for your benefit, the application.

Name/Alter Ego:

Sex:

Age:

Species:

Eye Color:

Coat:

Mane/Tail:

Physique:

Residence:

Occupation:

Cutie Mark:

Costume:

History:

Character Summary:

Abilities:

Skills:

Feats:

Powers:

Combat:

Saves:

Equipment:

Minion/Sidekick:

The races I am allowing are Earth Pony, Unicorn and Pegasus. That means no Griffin, no Dragon, no Minotaur, no Hippocampus (shoo be doo), no Changeling, no Alicorn (maybe). No Zebra either, and for that, I'm sorry. But we know nothing of Zebra culture other than Zecora. As time goes by, I may be open to new opinions but for now, banned. I'm boring, I know, but the Big Blue Boyscout was the only alien on the scene for a while. But then again, I am a sucker for- anyway. Each of these races gets a little racial bonus with no charge to your power points. They are as follows:

Earth Ponies

Magic: Uncontrolled, permanent (5 pts gets ya 12)

Plant Control 8 (8 pts)

* Limit: growth and health only

* Limit: Slow results

* Subtle

* Progression 4: 100 ft per rank (total 800 ft)

Unicorn Ponies

Magic: 5 (limit: Free horn) (5 pts gets ya 10)

* Telekinesis 2 (4 pts)

** Precise (1 pt)

** Progression (control 2 objects) (1 pts)

** 4 points to spend on (element) control, telekinesis, or force field

Pegasus Ponies

Flight: 2 (Limit: unbound wings) (2 pt)

Super movement: Cloudwalk (1 pt)

Control Weather: 2 (limit: Touch range only) (2 pts)

Take note of those limits, those of you who wish horns and wings. Pegasi, if you're trussed up like a turkey, no flying for you. Unicorns, woe to you to try and cast if your horn is otherwise occupied. If your powers involve them at all, make note on your character sheets. Keep in mind though, only 'Pegasus flight' and 'Unicorn magic' are limited in this particular way. The Green Lantern Alan Scott only needs a charged up power ring to do his thing.

Moving on to age. With this, sky's the limit! Got a blank flank foal? No problem! Johnny Thunder and Captain Marvel are around that age, not to mention Robin the Boy Wonder! Heck, the Golden Age was the birthplace of the kid sidekick!

But enough about what I'm not allowing. Onto what I am!

This RP will be inspired by the Golden Age of Comic Books. Naturally. Our setting will be an urban one, Thoroughbred City, fallen into a sorry state of disrepair thanks to...

Nightmare Moon.

The first days of a millenium long banishment are still fresh in the minds of ponies everywhere as they deal with the aftermath. The Elements of Harmony did what they could in the restoration process, but Princess Luna's descent into darkness damaged the magical land of Equestria more than Princess Celestia had predicted. Farms are struggling to undo what cold and sunless skies have done. The weakening of the Royal Family is causing uproar among the citizens. Some are organizing and arming themselves, taking what they could be sharing. Rumors float around the underworld of other nations seeking to strike at this now weakened kingdom. This is a time of great unrest. But, as Herbert Hoover once said, prosperity is just around the corner.

Families are picking up the pieces. Science and Magic work hoof-in-hoof to improve the lives of every pony, from agriculture to the motion picture to instant noodles. And, in some neighborhoods, the threat of crime and violence is being addressed not by the police force or royal guard, but by the individual pony dressed in cape and cowl, true identity a mystery. These strange visitors will be a beacon of hope, the light in the darkness and save their friends, their families, their kingdom, and maybe even their world. Fight on, brave heroes!

[RainbowDaringDash]

Okay, i am interested in joining this though i dont know that rule system your talking about. Am i still able to join?

[Bramble Rose]

Well, I had a number of ideas: A sweet little foal that summoned a tricksy and boastful genie. An earth pony that literally controlled the earth under his hooves. However, our gamemaster requested I use the following concept for the group's Paragon. (Paragon: A super-strong character with extra abilities who represents the pinacle hero. Superman, Thor, etc. The demi-god.)

Short version: A college student who has a magic artifact to turn into an alicorn themed to justice. Phenomenal Power. No control. No combat experience whatsoever.

Application and Character Info

Spoiler

Name/Alter Ego: Bravado / Morning Glory

Sex: Male / Female

Age: Young Stallion / Ageless

Species: Pegasus / Alicorn

Eye Color: Gold / Orange

Coat: Grey / Dark Green

Mane/Tail: Dusky Blue / Red and orange

Physique: Strong and quick / Tall and delicate

Residence: Thoroughbred City / It's a mystery!

Occupation: Research Assistant and college hoofball / Superhero!

Cutie Mark: A gold trophy / A rising sun

His gold trophy came along with his first little junior-hoofball cup. He loved being the center of attention, he loved when ponies cheered, but most of all, he loved how, even though lots of ponies were sad and stressed out a lot of the time ... when it came time to enjoy the game, they cheered and had huge smiles on their faces. He could do that for them.

Costume: Letter Jacket and a strange pendant / Hoofguards, golden Roman-style helm and breastplate, billowing blue cloak and skirts

History:

Bravado was always good at everything he put his hoof to. Clever, good at school, a hero on the playing field. His life was AWESOME. But when he hit college, suddenly the small town hero found not everything was coming quite so easily to him. He had to really work to beat out the other small town heroes on the field. He had to really study, to keep his grades up. And the division between the smart ponies and the sports ponies became a little more apparent to him, as he was stuck there in the middle, not wanting his sports buddies to know what an egghead he was, but getting the cold shoulder from his more bookish friends for not standing up for them.

And as if he didn't have enough extra work, he managed to land a junior research assistant position for the renowned Doctor Pyrex Stein, a brilliant unicorn inventor. He considered it a greater honor than any of the sports awards he was up for, and yet, while he bragged about any and all of his sports achievements, he kept this one mostly silent, playing it off as 'just a job.' But if he didn't need the sports to afford college, he'd have happily given it up to pay more attention to this work.

Doctor Stein's crowning achievement and life's work was her desire to level the playing field for all ponies by creating an artificial horned helm that would allow Earth Ponies and Pegasus Ponies alike to use Unicorn Magic. Due to Discord's recent banishment soon before Princess Luna turned into Nightmare Moon, there were pockets of chaos and discordant artifacts all over Equestria. She had gotten her hooves on one of these discordant artifacts and was working to try to convert the chaos magic into unicorn magic, sealing it into the horned helm.

Bravado was working with Doctor Stein that evening when the chaos magic awoke and started going haywire. Doctor Stein stayed in the lab to try to contain it long enough for the building to evacuate, but Bravado refused to leave her alone, and put on the unfinished helm to try to use it to help her control the chaos. It was not enough - reality split open as Discordant Energies flooded outwards, warping everything. There was an explosion of chaos ...

Time flowed differently for Bravado, as he visited an otherworldly place full of visions of his past, his present ... and brightly dressed supervillains rampaging through Thoroughbred City in the future. He was given a choice ... to stay himself, and let ponies die ... or take on the responsibility of Morning Glory. He was given Doctor Stein's unicorn magic, and returned to the warped and chaotic lab as the alicorn hero, with Doctor Stein's voice in his ear, advising him and guiding him as he worked to rescue the other scientists from the doomed research lab, pulling them from walls trying to eat them, flying them up out of floors turned into quicksand, and rescuing them from attacking beakers and test tubes. It wasn't until the crisis was over that he realized what he had changed into - but when he removed the helm, it turned into a pendant, and he turned back into himself.

Now, he tries to live three lives - the jock, the egghead, and the hero, but is finding it increasingly difficult to do this, even with Doctor Stein's spirit living in his magic amulet, helping him with his homework and guiding him in practice with his alicorn magic. But no matter his tight schedule, when danger threatens Thoroughbred City and Equestria, and there is nopony else to turn to, Bravado slips off to a nearby alleyway, holds aloft his magic pendant, and recites, "For Loyalty, for Justice, and for Equestria!" and undergoes a spectacular transformation into the mare of justice, the mighty Morning Glory!

Character Summary:

Bravado is just a simple and everyday pegasus pony, with no special powers. He is struggling to balance his sports responsibilities, his schooling, and his job helping to clean up the chaos mess still infesting the research lab. He requires the amulet to transform into Morning Glory.

The amulet can turn into the Helm of Themis, and enhances Morning Glory's unicorn magic. However, it can also change into the Nemesis Sword, a mighty blade enhancing her pegasus flight, and a powerful weapon so long as it is never used to strike one who does not deserve it. It can also become the Shield of Tyche, which enhances his earth pony strength and magic, and is said to be utterly invincible.

Character Sheet: Bravado

Spoiler

Abilities: (34 PP)

Strength: 16

Dexterity: 18

Constitution: 16

Intelligence: 18

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 16

Saves: (11 PP)

Toughness 0 (+3)

Fortitude 3 (+6)

Reflex 3 (+6)

Will 5 (+5)

Combat: (4 PP)

Attack 1 (Melee +3, Ranged +1)

Defense 1 (Dodge adds 2)

Skills: (21 PP)

Acrobatics: 6 (+12)

Bluff: 2 (+5)

Concentration 2 (+2)

Craft: Chemical: 4 (+8)

Craft: Mechanical 8 (+12)

Diplomacy: 4 (+7)

Disable Device: 4 (+8)

Gather Information: 2 (+5)

Handle Animal: 2 (+5)

Intimidate: 6 (+9)

Knowledge: Arcane: 8 (+12)

Knowledge: Arts: 2 (+6)

Knowledge: Physical Sciences: 4 (+8)

Knowledge: Technology: 4 (+8)

Medicine: 2 (+2)

Notice: 6 (+6)

Perform: Sports: 6 (+9)

Perform: Singing: 2 (+5)

Sense Motive: 6 (+6)

Swim: 4 (+7)

Feats: (11 PP)

Accurate Attack

Artificer

Attack Special(Unarmed)

Attractive

Connected

Dodge: 2

Endurance

Improved Pin

Precise Shot

Teamwork

Complications: (-10 PP)

Struggling (-1)

Involuntary Transformation (When Morning Glory is NEEDED. Usually it's something major - a massive and city-destroying threat. Sometimes, however, it's something minor, where her personality, more than her powers, are needed.) Frequency: Uncommon. Intensity: Major (will save) (-3)

Normal Identity (full round action to change): (-4)

Vulnerable (Chaos energy) Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Moderate (-2)

Powers: (3 PP)

Flight: 3 ranks (limit: Unbound wings) (3 PP)

Super Movement (Cloudwalk) (1PP)

Weather Control: 3 ranks (limit: touch range) (3PP)

Alternate Power: lightning Blast (limit: needs storm cloud) (1PP)

Racial Automatic: (-5 PP)

Gadgets:

Alicorn Amulet (blue with silver setting) 7 ranks, easy to lose, Limit: full round to activate, 3 alternate powers (17 PP)

35 device points total

Summon Minion rank 4 (Doctor Stein) (4 points) Permanent, Limit (cannot leave amulet)

31 ranks of magic (Limit: speak to activate) means 62 points to spend on magic powers

Alicorn Form: 20 ranks (Duration x2: Instant) Innate, Alternate Power (Pegasus Form: Back to normal!)

Generates 100 PP to spend on Alicorn Form.

Character Sheet: Princess Morning Glory

Spoiler

Plain English:

As an Alicorn, Morning Glory does not age. She is physically enhanced, and is gorgeous.

Pegasus magic is faster flight, better weather control, and even more enhanced speed and agility when flying.

Unicorn Magic is quite powerful telekinesis, basic blast and bubble-shields, and the special and rare talent of healing.

Earth Magic is the ability to pull up walls and shapes from the ground, but not to 'float rocks around her' or anything like that. Her strength and stamina is also enhanced when her hooves are on the ground. She also has increased subconscious plant growth abilities, and it's NOT slow like normal earth ponies - but as it's uncontrolled, the GM is left to decide when flowers suddenly sprout around her as soon as her hooves touch the ground.

I have declined to spend 33 points, as I pretty much purchased everything I wanted for base alicorn form. The 37 points unspent represents that "She has not yet reached her true potential." This lets me buy all sorts of stuff later as she grows into her powers.

Numbers:

(remember that these numbers include Bravado's natural pegasus powers, and are not added to them.)

Abilities: (with powers, in air)

Strength 21

Dexterity 26

Constitution 21

Charisma 26

Abilities: (with powers, on ground)

Strength 26

Dexterity 20

Constitution 26

Charisma 26

Powers: (including Bravado's pegasus powers)

Enhance Strength 5

Enhance Dexterity 2

Enhance Stamina 5

Enhance Charisma 10

Immunity Aging (1)

Protection 6 (Impervious, limit: does not add to toughness save)

Flight 5 (Limit: Unbound Wings)

Super Movement (Cloudwalk) 1

Weather Control 5 (limit: Touch range) Alternate Power: Blast 5 (limit: needs stormcloud)

Pegasus Magic 3 (Limit: Only in air) Enhance Dexterity 6

Unicorn Magic 14 (Limit: Free Horn)

Telekinesis 3 (Precise, Progression: lift 2 items)

Blast 3 Alternate Powers Forcefield (Area: Shaped)

Healing 4 (Total, Persistent)

Earth Magic 4 (Uncontrolled, Permanent) Plant Control 4 (Limit: Growth/health, Subtle, progression 5)

Earth Magic 13 (Limit: touching ground) Earth Control 4 (Limit: Controlled earth must always be touching ground) Enhance Strength 5, Enhance Stamina 5, Super-Strength 6

Royal Canterlot Voice:

Sonic Control 1 (Limit: Only RCV, Sense Dependent, Range: Perception, Linked: Air Control)

Air Control 1 (Limit: Only RCV)

Minion/Sidekick: Doctor Stein

Spoiler

Doctor Stein is a ghost - unable to leave the artifact, she acts as Bravado's mentor in unicorn magic, and helps out in other little ways that don't involve actually doing anything. A voice of brilliant genius in the scientific fields and awkward and inexperienced social advice in all other matters. She can speak to his mind, but she can also speak out loud - which sometimes gets confusing, as her voice is the same as Morning Glory's.

Abilities: (-4 PP)

Strength: 0

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 0

Intelligence: 20

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 8

Saves: (6 PP)

Toughness 0 (-5)

Fortitude 0 (-5)

Reflex 0 (+1)

Will 6 (+9)

Combat: (0 PP)

Attack 0

Defense 0

Skills: (17 PP)

Concentration 3 (+10)

Craft: Chemical: 9 (+14)

Craft: Mechanical 9 (+14)

Diplomacy: 4 (+3)

Disable Device: 4 (+9)

Knowledge: Arcane: 9 (+14)

Knowledge: Physical Sciences: 9 (+14)

Knowledge: Technology: 9 (+14)

Medicine: 4 (+7)

Profession: Academia: 4 (+7)

Feats: (16 PP)

Artificer

Connected

Eidetic Memory

Equipment (Lab and office at college)

Environmental Adaptation (Mental Landscape)

Favored Environment (Mental Landscape) 10

Ritualist

Well-Informed

Complications: (-5 PP)

Disabled: No Unicorn Magic

Powers: (29 PP)

Alternate Form (Ghost) 14

* Permanent (-1 per rank), Cannot Leave Artifact (-2 per rank)

* ( Invisible 4, Insubstantial 4, Immunity 40: All physical damage)

Telepathy 1 (Only with wearer of artifact)

Device Sheet: Helm of Themis

Spoiler

Device 7 (Limit: Full Round Activate)

Summon Minion 4 (Doctor Stein)

Unicorn Magic 31 (Limit: free Horn)

Telekinesis 2 (Precise, Progression x3)

Blast 2 (Alternate Power: Forcefield 2, area: shaped)

Healing 2 (total, persistent)

21 device points / 42 magic points left unspent

Device Sheet: Nemesis Sword

Spoiler

Device 7 (Limit: Full Round Activate)

Summon Minion 4 (Doctor Stein)

Enhanced Dexterity 6 (limit: only when flying)

Strike 11 (Limit: Not against the innocent, accurate, penetrating)

Alternate Powers: Blast (Wind) 6, Stun (Lightning) 6

Weather Control 1 (Limit: touch range)

Alternate Power: Blast 1 (Lightning) (Limit: needs stormcloud)

3 device points left unspent

Device Sheet: Shield of Tyche

Spoiler

Device 7 (Limit: Full Round Activate)

Summon Minion 4 (Doctor Stein)

Earth Magic 4 (Uncontrolled, Permanent)

Plant Control 2 (Limit: Growth/helath, subtle, progression 5)

Earth Magic 7 (Limit: touching Ground)

Earth Control 2 (Limit: Can't float - earth must touch ground)

Enhance Strength 6

Enhance Stamina 6

Shield 6

16 device points left unspent

Arcane Comics

Issue 1:  A New Morning Dawns

Part 1 2 3

Issue 2:  Where There's Smoke...

Part 1

 

Art: 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

[Kirby Krackle]

Hey. I wanted you to use the foal but you had more ideas for the Paragon!

As for you, Daring, I can't let anyone join officially unless both sheets are filled out. But worry not! Work on your concept. We can help with the sheet. Meanwhile, do please try and familiarize yourself with this system. We will be using it heavily. The official site is conveniently www.mutantsandmasterminds.com.

[RainbowDaringDash]

I know, i didnt do the sheets as i wondered weather i could join even though i have no idea about what the system thing is. Oh, before i do them can u use a changeing?

[Blueblood]

Hm, I am initially intrigued, and my other experience in system RP on the boards (BrambleRose's Exalted Equestria thread) has been positive enough for me to consider trying another, but I really don't like the idea of shelling out 20 bucks for a PDF I may only use once.

[stormchaser1991]

i want to join i never try this version but i am familer with the d20 system being a exp D&D player

[Kirby Krackle]

I know, i didnt do the sheets as i wondered weather i could join even though i have no idea about what the system thing is. Oh, before i do them can u use a changeing?

Sadly, no Changelings or other exotic races allowed. Just the EUP to keep things simple. And no, I need both character sheets before I approve of anyone joining. We can help you work on both!

Hm, I am initially intrigued, and my other experience in system RP on the boards (BrambleRose's Exalted Equestria thread) has been positive enough for me to consider trying another, but I really don't like the idea of shelling out 20 bucks for a PDF I may only use once.

Bramble Rose endorsement is a golden ticket to Wonka's factory with me. Should you desire, I can provide you with the PDFs via PM.

i want to join i never try this version but i am familer with the d20 system being a exp D&D player

D&D is half the battle, my friend! Again, I can provide PDFs and walk you through the potentially dizzying character building process.

[Blueblood]

If you would be so kind, I'd appreciate it!

[stormchaser1991]

yea i belive i could do it but if you could help it would also help

[Kirby Krackle]

I would like to point out a little detail now that we have some investors. I DO have my character ready. Bio and stats and everything. For the sake of drama, he will remain unknown to you until the time is right. It'll add a little spice to the campaign.

[Blueblood]

Ah, it's ready now!

Character Description

Name/Alter Ego: Quill Pusher / Pagemaster

Sex: Male

Age: Adult stallion

Species: Unicorn

Eye Color: Goldenrod

Coat: Powder Blue

Mane/Tail: Blue-black

Physique: Average, but Spry

Residence: Thoroughbred City

Occupation: Government Functionary and Bureaucrat/Superhero and Chaos-troubleshooter

Cutie Mark: A ream of paper, stacked in the "Out" box

Schools, then and now, gave out what can only be called an unfair amount of homework; a whole stack of worksheets, math problems, and essays to be finished and carted between home and school. If there was any pony who stood in danger of being buried under the load, Quill Pusher always had a half-hour to spare, having generally completed his before anypony else. Soon, he was able to recruit a few "clerks" from the student body to help in his efforts, and from there it was pretty easy to see that his destiny lay in the mastery of paperwork...

Costume: As Quill Pusher, he's usually seen wearing a somewhat old-fashioned brown business suit, with a yellow waistcoat and purple tie. As the Pagemaster, he wears an old black Frock Coat cut so that the tails billow like a cape, with with a black bowler hat, a white undershirt and papier-mache mask.

History:

Quill Pusher was a clerk and bureaucrat, coming from a long line of clerks and bureaucrats. Most ponies tend to think of such workers as generally soulless, joyless, obsessed with order, punctuality, and adherence to every jot and tittle of the rules. Growing up, however, he knew better. True, those qualities sometimes show up in that of work, but Quill's father passed on a dry sense of humor along with an old-fashioned sense of respectability, and his mother the idea that the paperwork is there to smooth things out rather than trip ponies up, although it wouldn't have been to unkind or inaccurate to say that she was very particular about things being tidy and in order. They both stressed a need to look at the less utilitarian side of the materials they worked with, encouraging a foalhood interest in origami and calligraphy.

Due to this, he was at school regarded as a nerd, but a particularly useful one to know, as his rapid reading and writing speed made him the go-to colt for any last-minute homework assistance. He was appointed, to no one's real surprise, Secretary of the student council, where he mostly took notes and interjected wry commentary into the proceedings and debates. Graduation was more or less a smooth transition into secretarial and later bureaucratic work at City Hall, officially as Public Notary, though his willingness to do extra work, and his impatience with the slower pace of his colleagues, gave his office more access and responsibility.

It is entirely likely he would have spent his life as a quiet civil servant, except for quite unexpected accident. Thanks to an uncaught error on one of his colleague's forms, a recently-discovered and unstable Grimorie was mailed, not to the Royal Canterlot Library, but the office of Thoroughbred City's Mayor, who opened it and let all Pandemonium break loose! Almost everything and everypony in City Hall was suddenly hit with a burst of magic, with things randomly flying, magnetizing, and spells of all sort firing off at random in such a way that Discord would have been proud!

Quill Pusher's office, in particular, became a storm of paper, with index cards flying like shuriken, forms and documents folding and unfolding into all manner of shapes, from flying ships to fierce tigers, and books literally flying off the shelves, and with a most un-literary appetite.

He wasn't having any of that. Today was just going to be too busy without all this magical nonsense; Celestia knew, there was enough of the non-magical sort written on all those sheets! The burst of magic had caught him as well, and as he sought to tame the paper maelstrom surrounding him, he began to tap into a deeper connection with the substance that had surrounded him his whole life. The weight, texture, and composition of it, so important in origami, the color and responsiveness, so essential in calligraphy. As he reached out magically to the enchanted paper in his office, he found that he was not having to fight the power invested in it, only to channel it into becoming an orderly office once again.

Of course, there was still the rest of the Hall to take care of, and he was, like many times before, the only pony there who had it all together enough to do something about it. The only thing he could wield was paper, but, as he was soon to learn, paper was the only thing he would need. Used creatively enough, it could form a barrier that not even an animate statue could break through and an edge keen enough to chop overgrowing office plants down to size.

It is not too much to say that he was an office hero for that. The mayor later called him into his office for a private chat. Things had started to happen in the city; criminals growing more powerful, Discordian power running rampant. Thoroughbred city would definitely appreciate it if there were among it's civil servants those who could resolve such issues.

So, Quill Pusher was given a new job: adopt a persona of heroism, and use his newfound skills (along with a few of his bureaucratic tricks) to put a crazy city back in order!

Character Summary:

"You think it strange that I fight with paper? My family has done so for generations. I fight for paper, and all it represents. For the persistence of knowledge, as in books; for the persistence of social bonds, as in letters; for the persistence of all honor and obligation, in everything from treaties to tram-tickets; for the persistence of everything that makes our lives anything but a chaotic nightmare, to which we have given the convenient name of 'civilization'."

Character Sheet

Abilities:

Strength: 8

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 23

Wisdom: 20

Charisma: 14

Skills:

Profession- Government Bureaucrat: 11

Craft- Artistic (Origami and Calligraphy): 10

Concentration: 10

Knowledge- Civics: 10

Knowledge- Business: 7

Knowledge- Current Events: 7

Gather Information: 6

Investigation: 7

Feats:

Precise Shot (2 Ranks)

Security Clearance

Attack Specialization (Paper) 3

Dodge Focus 2

Powers:

Magic 5 (Limit: Free Horn)

*Telekinesis (10, Limited: Paper [For Levels 3-10])

**Alt Power: Blast 5 (Auto Fire)

**Alt Power: Blast 5 (Cloud Area)

*Paralyze 3 (Ranged, Alt Save: Fort)

*Snare 5: Tether

*Force Field 4 (Flaws: Ablative, Extras-Affects Others)

*Create Object 5 (Limit: Paper)

*Animate Object 5 (Limit: Paper)

Saves:

Will +3

Reflex +1

Equipment: N/A

Minion/Sidekick: N/A

Drawbacks:

Power Loss (Fire) 2

Power Loss (Water) 3

[Kirby Krackle]

A Papermaster. I... I have no words...

*joyous sobbing*

Edit: I have a decent template for what this guy might be capable of. You're looking at something like automatic fire of index cards, reams of office paper becoming effectively a swarm of knives, engulfing a target entirely? That sort of thing? I can do that.

[Bramble Rose]

Updated my post with Bravado's character sheet. I seem to have managed to mixmax the BEJEEBERS out of this system, a little by accident. I finished the math and went, "Wait, that can't be right." Then redid the math three times before realizing that yes, I did actually manage to create that many points out of thin air.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Uh... where are the rules on the official web page?

[Kirby Krackle]

Regrettably, the core rule book is only for sale. I can provide the PDF should you so desire.

[Bramble Rose]

I've added Morning Glory's sheet to the application post. I kinda ran out of things I wanted to spend points on. I *could* have maxed out her abilities, and ... just kept giving her powers, but I don't want to. I've got a concept I'm satisfied with, so I'm leaving 41 points unspent representing that "She has not yet reached her full potential." Again, she's ridiculously powerful, but has little control as of yet. She'll eventually start learning spells and other unicorn magics, and enhancing her pegasus and earth pony powers as well ... but for now, she's still learning the basics.

Hee hee hee. It's kinda like how early Superman got new powers every week that never showed up again.

Jeez. I've never run out of points to build a character with before. Can you believe this is my first time using this system?

I'll add Dr. Stein's stats and the Artifact stats later. ... I'm almost at a loss as to what to spend them on. Almost.

Also, wonderful. I know another person who's stating out a guardsman. So Princess Morning Glory has a guardsman and a chamberlain. Question: Is the paper control for Pagemaster a matter of his unicorn magic (making him essentially just a talented normal) or can he use it even when his horn is disabled (making him a super)?

[Blueblood]

@ Kirby: I'd like to take a look at that template; I didn't get the time to finish the character-building I thought I would today.

@ Bramble: Yes, he's a "Normal," insofar as that word means anything when applied to a unicorn. His powers are attached to his horn and are a kind of supercharge to his natural magic. The idea I was going with is that Quill Pusher essentially "maxes out" his special talent of dealing with paperwork, so that it extends into the metaphorical realm. It sounded pretty Golden Age to me, plus it fits with the MLP world, too, since all of the things Pinkie Pie is able to do tie back to her Element (Laughter) interacting with her talent (partying), which allows her to do impossible things, as long as they are funny (in my headcanon, anyway).

[Bramble Rose]

That works just fine! Just don't forget to take the 'normal identity' feat, since a unicorn with unicorn magic is considered normal in this world!

[Kirby Krackle]

@ Kirby: I'd like to take a look at that template; I didn't get the time to finish the character-building I thought I would today.

Telekinesis (Limited: Paper) 10. Feats: Precise, Alternate Power Blast 5 (Extra: Auto-Fire [+1]; Alternate Power: Blast 5 (Extra: Cloud Area), Paralyze 3 (Extra: Ranged, Alt Save [Fortitude]), Snare 5 (Feats: Tether)

All that noise is 18 points. In terms of paper, you can now lift... *math* ...24 tons of the stuff. Precise handles the delicate stuff, like using a rolled up bit of receipt tape to pick a lock, for instance. Auto-fire is your machine gun. Cloud is your swarm of paper airplanes. Paralyze is engulfing and weighing down the foe so they can't move. Some words on that. Paralyze is usually a touch attack. Not for you. Also, they have a chance to bust out of it physically, instead of willing themselves free, which is silly. Snare + Tether = Spider-man. Bind them and reel them in.

Finally, unrelated to that, I suggest this: Force Field 4 (Flaws: Ablative, Extras: Affects Others). I suggest it because a) you wanted it, b) it puts your toughness pretty close to the cap for this level. It's also enough to stop anything short of shotgun fire. Ablative is there because it's a logical discount, making your wall of comic books slightly weaker each time it's hit, because, y'know, paper. Affects Others is there so you can share the +4 bonus to the squishier members of the team along with yourself. It's only good for one other target and you have to touch, so use it wisely. That costs you an extra 4 points, so 22 in total, leaving plenty for Skills and Feats and maybe a Secretary. More powers too, should you so desire. Something like Create Object would make sense, for instance. Just off the top of my head. We'll talk.

Hope these work!

[Kirby Krackle]

A minor bump and a slight question. Is that Paperkinesis something your horn is controlling or something you have to touch? I could do either. Also, there is a kind of sense I could whip up: allowing you to know if paper is nearby, much how Magneto knows where the metal is. It could come in handy if you're ever out of index cards.

[Blueblood]

Everything ties to his horn; it's the reason his backstory involves a grimoire affecting his magic (I love gameplay/story integration, when I can get it). I was just thinking I could take the Conjure Materials (can't remember what it's called exactly) power to ensure a supply of paper.

And sorry character sheet is taking so long, again. This week's been busy, and it's only going to get more so; starting a new job after the 4th of July weekend.

[Kirby Krackle]

Cool. Horn. And to answer your question, Create Object is the power you were looking for. Animate Objects (making Paper golems to fight for you) might be cool too.

Also, no worries! Plenty of sheets are being worked on, including NPCs on my part. Nothing but love from me, friend. And besides, I work at a movie theater. July 4th will be nuts for me.

[Bramble Rose]

Paper Golems would more likely be 'summon minion'.

[Blueblood]

I was actually thinking that he would make little origami creatures, and have them come to life, so "Animate Object" would probably be a more accurate choice.