A Becoming-Heroic Suspense Thriller [recruiting]

[Aluco]

"I'll miss the sea, but a person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken."

-- Duke Leto Atreides, Dune

The Story

The characters are young researchers (graduate students, or young professor-types) commissioned to an Imperial research team. Now, because I am no big fan of metagaming, I will only go as far as to say that this shall be a suspense thriller, with horror and ghostly situations. I will try to keep things from going B-movie, or kitsch, though early on things might lean that way a tad.

The year is 12 BBY, and though set in the Star Wars universe, I intend to steer clear of Star Wars formulas. There are still clone troopers, and the ships and technology of the era will be remain consistent. Importantly, this will be a story about characters' transformations, their personal discoveries, and party choices will weigh heavily on plot trajectories. In fact, character backgrounds will even be essential to the opening situation.

Leveling

The characters will begin as level two non-heroics. These can be adapted from pp. 281, 319, and 345 RCRB or pp. 277-278 Saga Core, and will be limited to noncombat skills to start.

In exchange for this commoner start, I will give one level of Noble for free after the first waypoint. Characters will also be awarded one level per 18 non-dialogue posts. It would be no fun if two players decided to capitalize on this idea by having a chat with each other. Posts that develop character or significantly advance the plot will count as two of the player's 18. This is in addition to levels gained at chapter/way points.

System

I'm leaning toward Saga at the moment, but I'm open to discussion.

Opening Scenario

Though the story is now outlined, and NPCs are conceptualized, the opening situation shall depend on the PCs' backgrounds. There shall be some co-authoring in other ways, I'm sure.

Post 'em if You Got 'em

I'm looking for two players. Please post character concepts if you're interested. We can start talking about a preferred game system, too.

Also, if you have any feedback on the proposed leveling system, please see, and post comments to, my poll, here:

http://holonet.swrpgnetwork.com/show...hreadid=488492

[Ronin]

Could you tell us a little more about this Imperial research team. It is military-aligned? Corporate? Can you tell us what planet it's on/what region it's in?
Are there any particular fields you would like covered? Either science-wise (biology�cxenoarchaeology�castrophysics, etc) or role-wise (are we going to need a ship pilot or Piloting skill reflecting a basic speeder driver's license will suffice? )

I want to get my teeth into this, but need a little more info on what I'm biting

Oh, and Saga is fine by me.

[Aluco]

The Research Team

Well, it is an Imperial project, so you might guess that, being grad student/assistant professor types, what you're told the facility is for (and the work you would be doing), may be a far less than what is actually going on there. You are told it is work "for the betterment of Imperial subjects and citizenry."

It would certainly make sense that you've been chosen because you've shown promise in the "right" field. So, I should say that xenobiology, and archaeology would each have a place in the projects. It's probably best to stick with one per player.

The Research Facility

Your work is for the Imperial government. There shall be a light military presence at the facility, nonetheless. Your specific department will depend some on the characters' backgrounds.

The director of the operation is a human physiologist of some notoriety, Dr. Gregor Halkus. He began his academic career at the University of Corsucant in 40 BBY, where he excelled. He earned his doctorate at University of Sanbra, before serving as a surgeon in the Clone Wars. Most recently he has taught and published on surgical techniques from his offices at the Imperial University at Thené, on the planet Marngar III. For the past three years, approximately, his whereabouts have been unknown by the academic community.

Your immediate supervisor will be department specific, dependent on character background.

Planet

It obviously makes sense that the PCs will know where they're going before the actions of the story. I'm just worrying over metagaming. Yes, characters should be appropriate for the situations they find themselves in. Yes, a warrior finding him/herself on a battlefield makes sense. Yet, a jeweler who must outwit a street-hardened burglar, now, that moves in the direction of interesting.

I hope I'm not turning anyone off with this line of reasoning. Please understand, I want the PCs to be successful -- absolutely! It's just that it's of little surprise when Boba Fett subdues a Wookiee. I guess it goes without saying (my old writing professor winces when I say that: 'Then why say it,' she says ) that a little irony, a little tension, makes for a good story. Please trust in the fact that I'm rooting for ya.

I will say that your team supervisor will have told you to pack for cold weather. Oh, and you start with 3150 credits. Apart from what you might expect for cold weather, any expedition-type gear will be provided upon your arrival.

Alright, alright, fine: The research facility is on Ando Prime.

Transportation

A standard speeder license will be sufficient to start. You'll be traveling to the facility in a clone flown Theta-class shuttle.

Thanks for the questions, and I hope this helps! Now, I'm getting a bit more excited about this!

[Aluco]

I almost forgot!

Ability Scores

Sorry about the double post. I was simply hoping to quickly get the attention of anyone following this before they got too far along.

For ability scores, I'd like folks to start with 23 points on the planned generation table of p. 18 of the Saga book. I realize this is two shy what's on that page, but I'm trying to keep the whole non-heroic feel, especially at start.

These limits will be balanced as the characters grow, I promise!

EDIT: Above I specified xenobiology and archaeology as probably favorable to the facility's needs. I'm thinking astrophysics/physics would work, too. I'm sorry if I seemed to be too restrictive on this. After all, every university expects their students to be specialists who have a universal knowledge, especially in their own area. So having a little cross-field knowledge is reasonable, I'd say. Hope I'm not too late, looking forward to any submissions, and hope you all had a great weekend!

[Ronin]

Okay, how about this guy...

A (recent) graduate of the University of Byblos with a degree in Astrophysics, Calisia Aramathus is a keen swimmer (though was never good enough for the U-of-B team) who spends time in the pool to clear his mind after a hard day in the lab.
Secretly, he is a member of the Fellowship of Kooroo religion, as his parents are, though practices in secret. He has never been able to make a pilgrimage to any of the order's temples (the outbreak of the Clone Wars stopped his parents' plans and the Jedi rebellion forced them to hide their beliefs for fear of association). Occasionally, while thinking deeply, he has a tendency to hum hymns.

Calisia `Cali` Aramathus
Human Nonheroic 2
Init +2; Senses +3
Languages Basic
Defences Ref 11 (flat-footed 10), Fort 10, Will 12
HP ??; Threshold 10
Speed 6sq
Melee unarmed +1 (1d4)
Ranged per weapon +2
Base Atk +1; Grp +??
Atk Options none
Special Actions Burst of Speed
Abilities Str 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10
Feats Burst of Speed*, Skill Focus (Knowledge [physical sciences], Use Computer), Skill Training (Endurance).
Trained Skills Endurance +6, Gather Information +6, Knowledge (physical sciences) +13, Swim +6, Use Computer +8.
Skills Acrobatics +2, Climb +1, Deception +1, Initiative +2, Jump +1, Knowledge (other) +3, Mechanics +3, Perception +3, Persuasion +1, Pilot +2, Ride +2, Stealth +2, Survival +3, Treat Injury +3.
Possessions 2005 credits, commlink (short-range), datapad w/10 cards, glowrod, holorecorder.

* from Scum and Villainy page 21.

One question: how about HP? Max at first level? Max-2 for subsequent?

[Aluco]

Thanks, Ronin! Cali looks great. Nice touch with the athleticism, and religion.... That's the kind of creative problem solving I hope will make this a good story; it gives me a little something to work with, and a few complexities to work around.

Any mentors, or professors worth mentioning from this youngster's background? Any projects of note, or inspirations that brought him to his field? Or may I take a few liberties in bridging him into the current story? I have an idea that will work well for getting this guy into the story, but I don't want to over-stretch your vision. Meaning, I don't want to get carried away with anything of my own I might use in getting Cali drafted onto the facility.

Sorry about the oversight on an HP stipulation. Here 'tis:

Max HPs for both non-heroic levels, then max -2 for levels beyond.

Looking forward to having you along!! I'll go ahead with ann OOC page between tonight and tomorrow, so please post Cali there with any edits when you can.

I'm thinking, if no one else posts before Monday, I will go ahead with the IC around that time.

[Ronin]

Thanks, Ronin! Cali looks great. Nice touch with the athleticism, and religion.... That's the kind of creative problem solving I hope will make this a good story; it gives me a little something to work with, and a few complexities to work around.

You're welcome. I figured it'd be cheating to give him any weapon proficiencies (plus I simply didn't want to: more of a challenge for myself)�cso he'd better be able to run bloody fast! Plus putting in swimming (a rare skill in my experience) I thought it might inspire some opportunities to use it. The religious aspect is something I often have in RPG character but rarely in SW ones (beyond Jedi) so I thought I'd give it a try.

As for the rest of his background: feel free to embellish it/weave it in to the story as you wish. I'm flexible

I'll put in his HP and post him in the OOC page when it's up.

[Aluco]

Actually, Ronin, would you mind simply posting your update in a PM? I'll then post him in a quote box in the OOC. I see you and others do that, and it looks so darn professional.

EDIT: I should also say, we have room for one more committed player! I'm hoping to get the IC up early in the coming week.

[Vice Man]

Could I get in on this? I am working on a character which i will post later today. this looks to be a interesting game.

[Vice Man]

Ronin after looking things up I think you need to add another feat, beucase on page 277 says "they gain feats normally as they advance in level as shown in table 3-1: Experience and Level dependent benefits (pg. 37)." since you are human you get one, and non-heroics start with three that is four so table 3-1 says you get another, at least thats how it looks to me.

[Ronin]

Originally posted by Vice Man
Ronin after looking things up I think you need to add another feat, beucase on page 277 says "they gain feats normally as they advance in level as shown in table 3-1: Experience and Level dependent benefits (pg. 37)." since you are human you get one, and non-heroics start with three that is four so table 3-1 says you get another, at least thats how it looks to me.

I do actually have four, just I guess it's not written so clearly:
Burst of Speed*, Skill Focus (Knowledge [physical sciences], Use Computer), Skill Training (Endurance).

Burst of Speed
Skill Focus (Know.[physical sciences])
Skill Focus (Use Computer)
Skill Training (Endurance)

Vice Man, haven't seen you on here in a very, very long time! Good to see you back!

[Vice Man]

thanks, i decided to come look in on things although it looks kinda dead i am glad some things are going on.

What i meant to say is that you need 5 feats not 4.

3 from non heroic class
1 from being human
1 from being first level acording to table 3-1 and on page 277.

3+1+1=5

[Ronin]

Ah! You're right! Thanks Vice Man.
Aluco, I'll add another feat and PM you it.

[Aluco]

Yup, nice catch, Vice. Thanks!

Also, Ronin that Grp is a little tricky. Looking at Cal last night I remembered scratching my head over that when putting together a character or two back in '08. It made me want to see a 2nd edition of the Saga Core.... ANd to have had a whack at serving on the editorial team.... Not because I know better, but because it would have been fun, and fulfilling to be part of that project; consolidating some of that stuff. Anyway.... enough of my blathering on, there.... I don't know if something like this was posted in the forums, but this helped me last night:

Grp is one of the most common questions, and it stands for "Grapple" and is equal to your Base Attack Bonus + Strength or Dex modifier (whichever is higher) + size modifier (Obi-Wan is a medium being, so this is 0). (See page 153 of the Core Rulebook for the grappling rules.)

I made that change, then, accordingly.

Also, I'm working on the opening crawl at the moment.... Vice, please do submit something. I'll look at any submissions. I'm hoping for some regular posters. Having been away myself, I know how RL can get in the way of contributions. I am hoping for a steady pace of about one post per 9 days.

I'll check my PMs directly, Ronin, and edit Cal asap.

[Vice Man]

Rick grew up helping his father in his repair shop that was located in the outskirts of a major starport in a system that was along a major trade route and two minor routes.
Once when he was 10, Rick got lost in a forest on a family camping trip he stumbled upon a stone ruin with many artifacts inside. After many hours of looking around the ruin he found his way back to camp and telling his father what he had found. The finders fee from the find was enough to expand the shop and hire some more people helping the family immensely.
When Richard was 13 his Father told him he had to start getting outside more. This was after Ricks Father saw him do nothing but research on the net for a solid 24 hours.
This got rick into running and swimming for exercise. which much to his astonishment he enjoyed.
During ricks teen years he got a job as a maintenance and repair tech at the star port part time. While he was there he talked to the many star ship captains that came into the port as they regaled him with tales of the places they had been and the things they had heard about weather true or not.
Just before Rick went off to the University, his father showed him a family heirloom. a Slug thrower pistol and a knife that had been handed down through many many generations. His father also told him of the history behind it. Ricks father Ben then gave him a repilca of what he had showed Richard. he then closed the presentation case and gave it to rick. he also warned rick that until he could use either effectively he was to only practice with it until such time he became proficient.
At the university with a major in archaeology and a minor in galactic history and lore he was busy. But a realization slowly seeped into his mind until his mind rubbed to neurons together and in a flash of understanding he came upon the fact that all past cultures had some sort of story about how the galaxy came to be. And while they differed in who, and how many which could be anywhere from 1 to 20 or more, there was always one that started things going. So although not religious, He often Talks to the "Almighty?" that created everything whenever he has privacy and even then its almost sub-vocal which he does becuase of what others may think of him.
Now after many years of school, which he has helped pay for by maintaining the university's computers and working at a repair shop, he is on one of the last steps he needs to do before graduation. To go out and find, explore a ruin or go help in a dig. and that is when Ricks dissertation adviser calls him into her office one day with an opportunity...
Rick likes to listen to music while doing research and often records thoughts and notes on his audio recorder when something that may be useful later comes up.


Richard "Rick" Johnson
Human Male Height:5'10'' Weight:170
Non-heroic 2
Init: +2; Senses: +3
Languages: Basic, Rodian, Sulustese
Defences: Ref 11 (flat-footed 10), Fort 10, Will 12, Ref 12
HP: 8 ; Threshold: 10
Speed: 6sq
Melee: unarmed +1 (1d4)
Ranged per weapon: +2
Base Atk +1; Grp +2
Atk Options: none
Special Actions" None
Abilities Str 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10
Feats: Skill Focus (Knowledge [Life Sciences], Skill Focus (Use Computer), Skill Training (Endurance), Skill Training (Swim), Skill Training (Mechanics)
Trained Skills: Endurance +6, Gather Information +6, Knowledge (Life Sciences[Archaeology]) +13, Knowledge (Galactic Lore[Galactic History]) +6, Swim +6, Use Computer +13, Mechanics +8.
Skills Acrobatics +2, Climb +1, Deception +1, Initiative +2, Jump +1, Knowledge (other) +3, Mechanics +3, Perception +3, Persuasion +1, Pilot +2, Ride +2, Stealth +2, Survival +3, Treat Injury +3.
Possessions: 900 Credits, Datapad w/10 cards, Utility belt(Comes with tool kit, food capsules, medpac, power pack, energy cell, glow rod, com-link, liquid cable dispenser with grappling hook) Chronometer, 4 ration packs, Glow rod, 2 rolls mesh tape, audio recorder(three filled memory modules with recorded notes and thoughts are stored in a small shielded storage box along with the empty data cards, Energy cell, Knife(k-bar), slugthrower pistol (1911 .45) +3 magazines, Space rated, corrosive resistant watertight presentation box (metal), concealed holster, satchel. (also change of clothes ,regular shoes.) music player with music(like an ipod).

Some of the things listed above do not have a price anywhere so I just charged myself what the might worth which comes to about 235 altogether, I hope that is reasonable.