Question 11

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Where in the thread does The Panda first appear?

[Blackhoof]

Question: does his danger sense count as a PI? so is it powerful enough to basically guarantee his survival from most attacks?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Question: does his danger sense count as a PI? so is it powerful enough to basically guarantee his survival from most attacks?

Not if it's like Spider-Man's and fails when the plot needs it to.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Here's a new condition: Force fields are cast and moved relative to his current position. That means that the maximum velocity is relative to his velocity. If Crush was riding in a car, he could cast a 5x4 force field moving at 10 Mph plus his current velocity of 70mph ( I think that's kind of important to establish in fights where he'll be flying)

I have a question. It's been a while since I read Firefight and I can't quite remember: how does Prof( and Crush) use them to fly? Does he run across them or what? Smasher can jump and then have his fields expand rapidly, pushing his feet. Jag can also use that.

 

Here's the setting summary:

 

Two years before the action of the RP, an Epic named Koschei the Deathless attacked The Dalles. Koschei was a healer, capable of healing others from any wound. However, once he'd healed a wound he could cause the same injury to reappear at any time. Koschei gathered a gang of Epics and began brutally murdering countless people, using his power to practically raise them from the dead and demand their loyalty.

 

Koschei managed to completely gain control of The Dalles, wresting control from the National Guard unit stationed there. He began rule as a ruthless dictator, plotting to take over the whole of Oregon. Before his plans could be fully realized, however, a normal man named Remington Springfield discovered his weakness. Springfield shot and killed Koschei in a stand-off that has become legendary in part because of its significance, and in part because no one knows for sure what happened during their battle.

 

Remington Springfield became a folk hero, but he quietly left the city to live with his in-laws in Portland. With Koschei dead, the National Guard moved back into town, and the commander of the unit declared martial law over the city.

 

This commander was named Stephen Vondra. Vondra had no powers himself, but he and his soldiers managed to gain secure control over The Dalles. This control is maintained in part by the small team of Epics employed by the Guard, who are prohibited from using their powers while not on active duty. The corruption still manifests in these Epics, but as of yet all members of this team have remained loyal.

 

There are other factions afoot in The Dalles, however. The Epic Quicksilver is a former hitman with the ability to manipulate metal, which he has used to devastating effect countless times. Fortunately Quicksilver has little desire to rule, and instead reigns as the king of the city's criminal underground. His gang is known as the Slivers, who are widely feared and hated in the city.

 

For two years an uneasy peace has existed in The Dalles, but at the current time a chaotic and unpredictable element has been inserted. The city has been invaded by the Panda, an Epic with the power to control any organic matter. He is also afflicted with the delusional belief that he's been tasked by "The Radiant Panda" to create a utopia for panda bears--which he intends to accomplish by eradicating human settlements and filling them with his creations. He leads armies of once-ordinary men who have been mutated into horrendous panda-human hybrids, which wield wooden weapons created by their dark master.

 

The Panda's armies run rampant through The Dalles as we speak, opposed by Vondra's Epic teams and a handful of newcomers to the city's political scene. The city stands at an important crossroads of its history--will Vondra succeed in creating a utopia for normal humans, freed from the widespread tyranny of Epics? Will the Panda take the city as his own, ruling not just the lives but the very flesh and blood of its inhabitants? Or will the city be torn asunder by the conflict?

 

 

Well, that's the Question, isn't it?

 

 

There are a lot of new players who have wandered into the city as random and unaligned Epics, but hopefully that gives all the essentials still.

Frequency was one of Koscei's supporters who worshipped him as a deity. After Koschei's death, Freq fled the Dalles. Now, he's back, with some help from NPCs, to take back the town.

 

That sounds like Jain

That it is.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Question: does his danger sense count as a PI? so is it powerful enough to basically guarantee his survival from most attacks?

 

Umm... Well, I was thinking of it just being that he could sense when someone was about to attack him, be it a sniper or a mugger or something. Not, like, Fortuity danger sense.

 

I have a question. It's been a while since I read Firefight and I can't quite remember: how does Prof( and Crush) use them to fly? Does he run across them or what? Smasher can jump and then have his fields expand rapidly, pushing his feet. Jag can also use that.

 

Crush just pushes himself with the front end of the force field. Once he's in motion, the field carries him automatically, since its position and velocity are relative to him. To stop, he sets up a field with its back end facing him, then pushes it towards him. The second field cushions him and stops his motion (honestly, what I think you guys should be worried about is the back end of the fields. It's so versatile. If Crush set up a 20 foot diameter circle around him, with the back end facing up and a hole in the center for him to stand in, people would be unable to run or walk on it because not enough force would be reflected back onto their feet as per Newton's 3rd law. That's one potential use.)

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Didn't you say that his forcefields can push through skin? So wouldn't that kill Crush? Especially when he's smashed between two of them going incredibly fast, since the faster he moves, the faster he is propelled, which moves him faster in an endless loop.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Didn't you say that his forcefields can push through skin? So wouldn't that kill Crush? Especially when he's smashed between two of them going incredibly fast, since the faster he moves, the faster he is propelled, which moves him faster in an endless loop.

 

He can only have one up at a time, so the one pushing him would dissipate as soon as he cast the stopping one.

 

I stated that he could have 3 up at a time originally, but then realized that that would mean that he could use one for mobility, one for defense, and one for offense, which would make him nearly impossible to kill. Even 2 would be impossible to kill (aside from Epics that attack telekinetically,) since he could use the fields to move and defend simultaneously

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Okay, but can't even one push through skin? It doesn't have to, but if they do, he should probably have some type of unbreakable skin power.

[Voidus]

Okay, but can't even one push through skin? It doesn't have to, but if they do, he should probably have some type of unbreakable skin power.

That'd be 2, nearly 3 PIs.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Okay, but can't even one push through skin? It doesn't have to, but if they do, he should probably have some type of unbreakable skin power.

 

Hmm.. even when dealing with organics, the front end simply exerts force as if it were any solid object. I don't think it would really cut unless he shaped it into a wedge (which is something he can do so long as he casts it within a foot of himself.) 

 

The back end can't really hurt you unless you hit it with a ton of force (I'm not going to bother with the mathematics of the back end, since it defies the laws of physics anyway)

 

Here's what I imagine his attacks would usually look like, if it helps (rendered in beautiful HD perfection):

 

For the first 3 fields, he's pushing them into him (he has to push them into him in order for them to touch him, because otherwise they would move with him.) The last one is not pushed. Since the fields exert force like normal objects, the fourth one stops once it hits the ground and loses its momentum.

 

Note: Have I mentioned wind resistance yet? Let the record show that the fields are affected by wind resistance.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Oh, I see. I was thinking of them as bubbles still. This makes more sense. The one issue I still have is that any forcefield that would come to stop him from his flying,p would smack into him hard, right? Or would that be the "soft" side?

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Oh, I see. I was thinking of them as bubbles still. This makes more sense. The one issue I still have is that any forcefield that would come to stop him from his flying,p would smack into him hard, right? Or would that be the "soft" side?

 

Yeah, the front end is the "hard" one, and the back end is the "soft" one. The back end could be thought of as "not exerting an equal and opposite force when pushed upon." Again, it breaks the laws of physics (how would he come to a stop if the reflection of the force of him hitting the field isn't bringing him to rest?) but then again, so does Newton from Babilar (who can bounce across rooftops when she should theoretically be breaking through them instead,) so I'm not too worried about it.

 

The point is: so long as you hit the back end, the force exerted on you from impact usually won't be enough to hurt you seriously. You'd need to be going really fast to get broken bones or something.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[Voidus]

Yeah, the front end is the "hard" one, and the back end is the "soft" one. The back end could be thought of as "not exerting an equal and opposite force when pushed upon." Again, it breaks the laws of physics (how would he come to a stop if the reflection of the force of him hitting the field isn't bringing him to rest?) but then again, so does Newton from Babilar (who can bounce across rooftops when she should theoretically be breaking through them instead,) so I'm not too worried about it.

Well just being twice as heavy isn't exactly going to break through a rooftop, Edge and I can be picky about Epic physics sometimes but I'm sure we could work something out.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Well just being twice as heavy isn't exactly going to break through a rooftop, Edge and I can be picky about Epic physics sometimes but I'm sure we could work something out.

 

I thought that Newton was reflecting all force back onto any object she hits. Shouldn't that create an infinite loop? I figured she could create a literally unstoppable force with that (now we just need to find an immovable object)

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[Blackhoof]

I think she can control it to some degree.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

I think she can control it to some degree.

 

I suppose that would make sense. I was a little confused when she burst through the wall in her last scene, but didn't do the same to the roof she was jumping on earlier in the book.

 

EDIT: Alright. I'm pretty sure I understand the Panda situation pretty well after reading for a few hours. Not sure how to start, though.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[Edgedancer he/him]

New AMA responses: 

 

Mailliw:  Can an Epic be given powers that are permanently countered by their weakness? Ex: Being able to breathe underwater, but whose weakness is water?

 

Brandon: I'm going to say no on this one, unless the weakness is something more specific. (I.E, you can breathe under water, but your weakness is water with food coloring in it.) The weakness can relate somehow to the powers, but not in a way that if every time you use the abilities, they're automatically negated.

And that's the absolute nail to the fear of being an Epic nonesense.

 

 

Mailliw73:

Are powers such as being able to negate others' powers or being immune to Epic powers possible?

 YES.

 

So  Corpsemaker and Sirce's Bane are both canon.

 

Meta powers confirmed... excuse me for a second.

 

How I feel seeing all these AMA answers: 

 

We have several things we know are on the verge of noncanon already so *shrugs*

 

Now, for the matter of Edgedancer's bribe. I wasn't sure exactly which pictures would convince him to spare us from Nighthound Jr., so I gathered a few. Do you think he'll like….

 

 

A pug enjoying Pringles? 

 

Three female pugs realizing they're gorgeous? 

 

 

A younger pug meeting his doppelgänger? 

 

 

Or Minnie and Max looking through vacation photos? 

 

 

If none of these please you, Edge, I have a video of a pug puppy eating lettuce.

Very appeasing, very. You are indeed better at paying your bribes than Kobold is. Which reminds me, Kobold, you still own me a bribe you know what happens if you don't pay up.

 

Well he's played by Lightsworn Panda, so...

Is he still? Last I heard you wrote for him and Lightsworn hasn't been around since.

 

Not if it's like Spider-Man's and fails when the plot needs it to.

Spider-Man really has more of a plot sense.

 

Hmm.. even when dealing with organics, the front end simply exerts force as if it were any solid object. I don't think it would really cut unless he shaped it into a wedge (which is something he can do so long as he casts it within a foot of himself.) 

 

The back end can't really hurt you unless you hit it with a ton of force (I'm not going to bother with the mathematics of the back end, since it defies the laws of physics anyway)

 

Here's what I imagine his attacks would usually look like, if it helps (rendered in beautiful HD perfection):

 

For the first 3 fields, he's pushing them into him (he has to push them into him in order for them to touch him, because otherwise they would move with him.) The last one is not pushed. Since the fields exert force like normal objects, the fourth one stops once it hits the ground and loses its momentum.

 

Note: Have I mentioned wind resistance yet? Let the record show that the fields are affected by wind resistance.

With the fourth forcefield, how does that whole stopping and going downwards work? Are his feet just glued to it or would he fall again? Any limit to how much crushing power the forcefields have?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

And that's the absolute nail to the fear of being an Epic nonesense.

 

We have several things we know are on the verge of noncanon already so *shrugs*

 

Very appeasing, very. You are indeed better at paying your bribes than Kobold is. Which reminds me, Kobold, you still own me a bribe you know what happens if you don't pay up.

 

Is he still? Last I heard you wrote for him and Lightsworn hasn't been around since.

 

Spider-Man really has more of a plot sense.

 

I think that's the best part of that answer, really. Seriously, that "twist" would have literally made David allergic to himself.  

 

True. It is kind of exciting to have things we thought weren't canon confirmed as canon, though, which makes the prospect of it working the other way mildly nerve-wracking. 

 

Excellent. I shall continue stockpiling pug pictures for when they are needed most. (PAY THE BRIBE, KOBOLD! PAY OR SUFFER NIGHTHOUND JR.! ) 

 

I haven't heard from Lightsworn in months.  

 

He really does. And you know, if they just went with the danger sense and wrote the stories to compensate for that, even if they did it poorly, I'd be fine with it. I understand how much of a challenge that can be; I'm currently worldbuilding for a story centered on a precog who can chart out possible futures up to a month in advance, and it definitely adds a layer of difficulty to the plotting. So I understand wanting to find ways of negating it, or working around it, because a danger sense pretty much removes any possibility of said character being ambushed. But the way it's usually handled, it's around when it's convenient or makes for a better scene, but the second a plot twist hinges on Spidey being surprised, his danger sense vanishes, only to reappear three scenes later with no explanation for its absence.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

With the fourth forcefield, how does that whole stopping and going downwards work? Are his feet just glued to it or would he fall again? Any limit to how much crushing power the forcefields have?

 

He had the third force field shove him downward, quickly accelerating to maybe 180-200 mph, then cast the fourth force field below his feet just before he hit the guy, accelerating that relative to him as well (perhaps the diagram wasn't so great at showing that.) The fourth field was moving with him, hitting the guy at roughly 200 mph. His feet would have hit the force field after it hit the guy, because it would slow down after exerting force on the target. The field definitely wouldn't have been able to continue into the ground.

 

Yeah, there is a limit to the crushing power. They work the same way as normal objects, so they exert a force equal to (mass x velocity) Let's say that each square foot of force field is... 10 kilograms?

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

He really does. And you know, if they just went with the danger sense and wrote the stories to compensate for that, even if they did it poorly, I'd be fine with it. I understand how much of a challenge that can be; I'm currently worldbuilding for a story centered on a precog who can chart out possible futures up to a month in advance, and it definitely adds a layer of difficulty to the plotting. So I understand wanting to find ways of negating it, or working around it, because a danger sense pretty much removes any possibility of said character being ambushed. But the way it's usually handled, it's around when it's convenient or makes for a better scene, but the second a plot twist hinges on Spidey being surprised, his danger sense vanishes, only to reappear three scenes later with no explanation for its absence.

 

I'll admit, I don't really think that Danger Sense adds a whole lot to this guy. I should just give him a really kooky secondary ability instead.

[Voidus]

I'll admit, I don't really think that Danger Sense adds a whole lot to this guy. I should just give him a really kooky secondary ability instead.

Do you need help deciding on the secondary?

If you need help I'm right here.

Just here if you need any help.

I've got plenty of ideas if you need any help with it.

Just let me know.

If you need help that is.

Because I can help.

With powers.

Or new Epics.

Do you want a new Epic?

You probably do.

I'm going to draft up another 50 now.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Do you need help deciding on the secondary?

If you need help I'm right here.

Just here if you need any help.

I've got plenty of ideas if you need any help with it.

Just let me know.

If you need help that is.

Because I can help.

With powers.

Or new Epics.

Do you want a new Epic?

You probably do.

I'm going to draft up another 50 now.

 

Er... Well, I was thinking that maybe he could, like, make vending machines work without putting any money in or something like that.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[Voidus]

What's that? You need help and want a massive list of ideas for weird Epic powers?

Well if you insist I suppose I'd better get to work then.

[Blackhoof]

Er... Well, I was thinking that maybe he could, like, make vending machines work without putting any money in or something like that.

 

hahaha delightful

 

or maybe he projects orange spraypaint from his fingertips?

or can shatter glass with a touch?

or can invert the colours of any object he touches, like put them into negative?

[Voidus]

Sight inversion: Can see the world upside down.
Analogification: Can turn digital clocks into analog clocks
Invisible transparency: Can make glass invisible.
The ability to turn margarine into butter.
The ability to open automatic doors
Temperature inversion: The ability to feel cold as hot and hot as cold.
The ability to merge a spoon and fork into a spork.