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Yeah, as I recall Nate Gray was basically a step below the Phoenix in terms of raw power, able to fight Gladiator and such. TK in general is a tricky one.

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edited 24th Feb '16 3:40:33 AM by OcelotPrime

Hrm. Well, it's a unique backstory, a bit dark for my tastes but to each his own. The trouble is, it contradicts with Mary Marvel's origin, which has taken place in-game. Therein, Mary was lead by a shadowy stranger to a magical train, and taken to the Rock of Eternity to meet the wizard, and be blessed with godly powers. On the way there, she was given a few visions of her birth parents, a car accident, and a maid carrying herself and her brother as infants.

Now, it could be that since the Rock of Eternity sits outside of time, it was a future version of the wizard that got attacked and possessed a baby. But you would have to excise the bit about the wizard inadvertently killing their father, and possibly the part about the Enemies of Man being scattered about.

Yeah, but Legend hasn't shown up in a long while.

Nevertheless, his character stuck around long enough, and had enough impact on the world around her, that I think it's worth preserving the stories she was part of as canon.

'course, it also means I'd be happy to find a way to make this Shazam fit in somehow, if only for the chance to bring Mary back as supporting cast.

edited 17th Feb '16 1:49:08 AM by LizardOfAus

Hey! I'd be happy to make any changes to fit with the canon. I actually agree with you on how dark that ended up getting, but I think the saving grace would be that, in the face of all of grit, Billy is still a happy-go-lucky optimist. Truth be told, I'm a sucker for an old-fashioned origin story, but I really wanted to do something different...I guess it just got darker than I expected. Otherwise, I await your decision, oh wise GM

edited 17th Feb '16 2:08:22 AM by OcelotPrime

While these character reinventions are interesting, I'd like to point out that the main thrust of this game is the interaction between the Marvel and DC universes. So, I think than rather than invent so much material out of whole cloth for a character's background, it is better to use facts from the comics, especially combinations from both universes. For example since Marvel swiped so much from Kryptonians for the Kree, it is impossible not to assume that they must be connected in some way in a shared universe.

I'm not saying the characters have to be identical to the comics, either- there MUST be some creative room, both for the players to express themselves, and for the game to develop them. But if you change a character too much, they become In Name Only versions. For example, the Codak version of Superman sounded more like the Martian Manhunter. In which case, why not play the Manhunter instead? (That's another thing; in-between both universes, we have thousands of potential characters to play. Isn't it better to find one that already fits our vision than changing an existing one? Superman expies alone are a dime a dozen.)

As usual, this is just my opinion, and that and a dollar will buy you a coffee at Starbucks', at the most. Just thought I'd share it here.

I totally get what you're saying, and if everyone would like, I'd be more than happy to do a makeover to the background (or even app another character if it's too much of an issue), but I actually inspired a lot of this version of Marvel by mixing Magik's and Billy's origin albeit with a much more regretful Shazam, and I tried my hardest to incorporate other Marvel U. things into it (I.E. One-time Sorcerer Supreme, Billy being a huge Cap. fan) but I'm always up for writing more and changing things around if you believe it'd fit better in the universe!

edited 17th Feb '16 2:21:41 PM by OcelotPrime

I'm glad to see that you're still interested in playing, you sound very creative and I'm sure you would contribute a lot to our games. My best advice would be that you ask about the character you wish to play first, then if available, discuss your plans, and then post the full Entry. It will make the process easier for everyone.

I have an idea for Billy that'd I'd really be interested in discussing, would I bring this in the the discussion thread, here, or in some kind of private message with the GM?

Depends on whether or not it's something that would be kept secret while the character's in play. If not, then it's up to you where to post it.

Ah, I see, I sent you a message detailing my idea. I apologize if I'm holding up this board, or your time!

You're not intruding on anyone's time, don't worry.

I've got a few characters I'd like to write (though doing three may be too much):

Firstly: Husk, from the X-men/Generation/Corps. Her power is "peeling off her own skin". That's just so weird that I could see her being either a hero or villain in NY, West Coast, or Hub.

Second is Shocker. He and Sandman were always my favorite Spider-baddies, and Hub doesn't really have any of those.

Also Ultra Boy, just because I love his twist on the Flying Brick powerset, but Time Travel is such a bear to work around, so perhaps not him.

edited 22nd Feb '16 9:04:40 AM by Booky

Any one of those guys could potentially work. We've actually got Husk's brother as an NPC over at Xavier's.

Ultra Boy? Isn't he from Malibu?

Nah, Ultra Boy's a LoSH kid.

edited 22nd Feb '16 9:34:16 AM by LizardOfAus

He means Ultra Boy, from the Legion of Super Heroes [1]. And time travel isn't such a big deal, there have been Legionaries who had adventures in the Present, such as Karate Kid (who is in fact currently appearing in our Hub City.) In any case Malibu characters could be used since Marvel folded them into their multiverse, like Dc did with several companies'.

Btw didn't someone already use Husk in the game? Or wanted to?

edited 22nd Feb '16 9:40:11 AM by Sijo

Someone might've expressed an interest, but I don't think anyone's actually played as her.

Rogue should bump into Cannonball-it would be a useful power to have, though I don't know what she has currently.

Name: Husk

Real Name: Paige Guthrie

Gender: Female

Age: Teenager

Appearance: (Until I find a decent picture.) She has short blond hair, blue eyes, and a wiry frame. She usually wears t-shirts or goes sleeveless to show off her "husks" and wears shorts.)

Alignment: Good

Personality: Paige is a friendly and outgoing person, always looking for new information or experiences based on her background. She’s actually pretty happy being a hero, seeing it as proof she’s special, and therefore her responsibility to help the less fortunate (i.e. normal folks). She also enjoys using her powers, especially to fight (and can be hotheaded), since she wasn’t always allowed to do so growing up. She’s very aware of the “ooky” aspects of her gift, and likes learning new ways to use it (and the fact that the power she wished for makes people uncomfortable when she uses it has made her become somewhat cynical and snarky). Subtlety is not her strong point-but she’s a teenager with superpowers! Why be subtle?

Powers and Abilities: Paige the mutant ability to change her physical form by shedding her outer layer of skin to reveal a new layer or shape underneath. She can become any solid that she has studied (including glass, wood, rubber, brick, diamond, granite, and even in theory adamantium, though not something that’s unique/weird such as Cap’s shield or unstable molecules, or an enchanted item). These forms take on new physical abilities or qualities appropriate to the form, such as increased weight, strength, or durability. Paige may one day gain some ability to take on forms with energy powers. She has the capability to blend in with surroundings, but in order to do so, she would have to study the texture she seeks to mimic first (though she can mimic a transparent substance such as glass without concern for her eyesight). She can husk away minor injuries, but deeper ones will stay with her. She’s learned how to “husk” a new face under her own-these can look like someone else if she’s familiar with their face, but it won’t be a perfect match; at best, a mask (This can be something she learns later alongside energy if you like). Paige is a decent boxer and dirty fighter, and has a nose for sniffing out information online from her efforts to learn more about Xavier and mutants.

Weapons and Equipment: Usually carries a taser, just in case, and a change of clothes.

Origin: Paige Guthrie grew up a girl surrounded by three brothers. Her mom was a guide and ranger on the Appalachian Trail, and her dad a worker in a smelting plant. Young Paige enjoyed both the great outdoors and traveling to the city with her dad-she learned both all of the best swearwords and how to throw a punch from the guys on her dad’s crew, while her mom taught her to be polite, but firm, and never take crap. Both told her that she was special, and would one day find her place. That last one was a lesson she never quite took to heart. Her brothers looked after her, and she after them; exes were approved of or “checked out” as siblings do for each other. She especially looked up to her brother Sam, as they were close in age.

The appearance of powered people caused a minor stir in the community-the inevitable bigots on one side, and the few “live-and-let-livers” on the other. The general consensus was that mutants and “freaks” were a big-city problem, and big-city folk could deal with them.

Everything changed when the accident happened. A spill of white-hot steel put the workers in danger, and Sam (who had been caught by her sneaking out of the house late at night recently) demonstrated his gift for flight, managing to rescue all of the endangered people. The lives he had saved were enough to quiet the uproar at his new status as a mutant, and an uneasy peace settled on the town; the Guthries were well-respected. A group of community leaders put forth a petition that Sam never use his powers again, but the boy refused and his family stood behind him. A few days later a strange man showed up to talk to Sam while she was at school, and apparently he’d had to leave.

Paige was heartbroken. Sam was her favorite brother. He’d helped her with her homework, visited her at work, and he was a local hero who could fly. She would have given anything to go with him or (though she would never admit it) that he’d never developed the powers that had clearly caused him to leave home. In a teary rage she set out on his old motorcycle to catch up with him, but a storm caused her to lose control and slide. She came to a few moments later and was sure she was dead-until she looked down and saw her limbs gleaming like steel. She was a mutant.

Sneaking back home, she decided that her goal hadn’t changed. She was gonna follow Sam, she was gonna learn all there was to being a mutant, and if anyone didn’t like it, that was their problem. After a few weeks of hoarding money and practicing with her new gifts, she set out, telling her parents (who likely had a fair idea of what was going on) that she had a job offer in Pittsburgh. Her mom hugged her and gave her an old Army backpack that Mrs. Guthrie had kept from her own father. Paige’s dad handed her the keys to Sam’s old bike, repaired and refurbished.

edited 23rd Feb '16 9:46:53 AM by Booky

All seems pretty good to me. The mask thing I don't think is too much of an issue, but maybe it could be something that starts off crude and gradually improves as she practices her power. Other than that, I'd dare say Accepted.

Yeah, I was really just throwing that out as a brainstorming idea for her powers. The wiki is awfully vague on how strong and tough she gets when she "husks"-how do you generally handle that kind of thing?

edited 22nd Feb '16 4:06:26 PM by Booky

Her powers were always vague, if I recall. She's one of those characters that writers used for their flexibility. As long as you remember to keep her abilities balanced, she should be OK.

Speaking of which: Since when is Husk a hacker and a boxer? I admit I haven't read about her in years, so maybe she learned over time, but at first she was just a farmgirl. (If this just an addition of yours, it's OK.)

edited 22nd Feb '16 4:56:51 PM by Sijo

Yeah, in the comics she eventually learned a bit about computers, but I suppose that doesn't make sense having just come from a small town, and you're right about it-I'll delete it. I thought the boxing thing made sense from a "blue-collar growing up around brothers" standpoint. If not, I can drop that too.