Archer

You could add some skills to the Aleva bio, if you wanted to. You have points to spare. (I scored these two in the quote boxes.) If you do change either of them, give us a shout, because I'm adding them to the list now. (I know I just said I was handing this over to Meeker, but I was in the neighborhood, so...) Sunbringer, I'll look forward to seeing the updates then.

I hate pinging people. And necroing threads. But I'm about to do both, because I would like to finish off the fight @Kidpen and I started. Kidpen, could you please post something lethal so Mace can die? If you're too busy, or I don't hear back from you, I can just gloss over your role and have him fall on Detran's sword, but I'd rather not have to do that. Thanks in advance.

Sure it does. Now you can hide things twice, pin and feature posts, and have twice the workload. Good luck! EDIT: @Sunbringer Did you want your bios updated to give your characters glassweave jackets?

This is a really good idea. I'll edit this onto the OP2. Given its similarity in strength to regular armour, I've always treated it as being common and weak enough not to be worth attributing points too. I could see adding 5 or 10 points for them, but I didn't have plans to. ***** While I'm here, I'd like to take this opportunity to update you about how this thread is going to run going forward. As you know, Voidus and the leaders of this sub-forum have edit privileges. They are the ones that can add or edit bios on the list. In past, I've been the point-man on that front, but I am handing over that responsibility to @Lord Meeker. AV mods may still add in bios if they happen to stop by, but it will be assumed that if no one else does, Meeker will do it. No pressure, Meeks. The character submission process will remain the same. Post your bios here, then someone will authoritatively explain why they think it is acceptable or not. The Index should help keep this process consistent. The final say will still go to the mods, but speaking from experience, it's really nice when someone dissects a bio for you. I appreciate the input that people take it upon themselves to provide. If you're submitting a bio and Mac, Itiah, Kenod, or any other fantastic person quotes you and shares how they scored it or makes comments about how it could be improved, I encourage you to listen to them. That's what this thread is about: sharing your idea with the community so you can get as many eyes on it as possible before it becomes official. Don't be afraid to bounce ideas off of people, or to pick the brains of experienced RPers. Additionally, Snipexe has been coerced convinced to cover the graveyard shift. Expect to see him commenting on bios as well. Once the details are sorted, you should tag Meeker, not me. It should also go without saying that PMing me with bios is a futile endeavor. It's easier if you post your bio here instead anyway, not just because it gives you the opportunity to get feedback from other people, but it also keeps everything character-related in one place. There are other ways to make the mods' life easier as well. Format and spell-check your post before submitting it. Also, work a lot of context clues into your sentences, and be clear about what your referencing. It's easier to locate a bio, or even an old train of thought, if you drop hints about who the Hoid you're talking about and why we should know them. Finally, be patient. Due to volume of submissions, IRL events, and other commitments, you may not get a response for a few hours, or even days. If Meeker posts after you and doesn't mention you, then you may have been accidentally missed. It happens. If it happens to you, quote your old post and ask what's up. Chances are your request was lost in the sea of other text they were sifting through. Thank you all for your cooperation. I know going through this process can be tiresome sometimes. Y'all are troopers, and the prep work you put into your characters has made my job so much easier this past year. Try not to break anything while I'm gone.

You try writing your death scene in third person. It's disconcerting. Narrator Archer instinctively squeezed the trigger of the gun in his hand, shooting Narrator #Voidapple in the head too. Then Archer died, a maniacal grin plastered on his face.

Unexpectedly, Archer reacted by switching to first-person narration. I set down my fork, gazing at the pistol the ghanderflaffle had placed on the table. I suddenly became very aware of every background noise that I'd previously tuned out in the crowded restaurant. "If you kill me," I said as calmly as I could, "you won't leave here alive." Seemingly unperturbed, the ghanderflaffle allowed his fingers to tip toe towards the gun, caressing its sleek metal body, before tightening into a firm grip around the hilt. He raised it so that it was level with my eyes, then slowly clicked off the safety. "And if you kill me," he responded, "no one leaves here alive." Three heartbeats later I blacked out.

Hold up. Why am I just finding this out now? Also, I am slightly less impressed by your ability to write princess POV scenes. (But your extensive research into dress neckline cuts seems significantly less creepy now, so that's that.)

@I think I am here. We won! Kind of! (But Ashspren is very intentionally ignoring you. It's probably a sign that he hated your roast and wants to boil your puns in acid.) Taan's Returned name will be Tome Raider. It's funny because books.

Skills are scored based on years of training/experience. So please be very explicit and detailed about that when you write up your bio.

Why ever not? It's such a nice bio. May I add it to the list?

Yes! Aim for the level of a third ideal KR or a twinborn with a few years experience in two subjects. Or just look at the points values on The Index in the second post of this thread. Thats the same post that I am on my way to edit right now because I forgot to add Snipexe's characters to the list. (Sorry. It looks good, Snipexe. The marksman skill is balanced by the big weakness. I l Iove the backstory too. The only change I'll make is to remove the art note.)

*misses reference* In practice, the Alleystorm conveniently comes by whenever people need to refill their spheres. Also, everyone and their dog has spheres handy, so unless you're in a duel, lack of stormlight is rarely a problem. Except For Warhammer 40 000 And Other Community Approved Exceptions! My take on it is that before this character entered the Alleyverse, time-travel and unraveling universes did not exist. By introducing the character, you introduce that element, regardless of whether or not the character is directly 'responsible' for their existence. Additionally, you, as the RPer, would have the chance to decide when these elements crop up, and what effect they have. That's a big step to make. A question about the shardgun: What's its rate of fire? Silva, I'll add Pry to the E3 list. Mac, if you want to overhaul the Index, be my guest. I'll admit that there are some inconsistencies that need fixing.

Darth retracted his request for community approval, so I am treating this as a regular character bio. All I’ve sought to determine is if this character is OP. But Voidus raises a valid point. A majority of voters voted to agree to allow the Jackal character in principle. However, I would rather that this character be adjusted so that it is not over-powered, than let it stand as is, Darth. The benefit is that then there are less restrictions on your use of it. Only a small amount of nerfing is required to adjust it. The TL;DR on this is that this character has 20 more skills points than I’d like. I would like to see a full bio before commenting further. I believe this character is over-powered. Below you can find a breakdown of my reasoning. Furthermore, I would like some more detail on some sections. I realize that this is just a bare-bones outline, so Darth, what I recommend is that you take my advice and comments into consideration, go make a full bio for it, then come back with that so I can properly assess it. Under these circumstances, I reserve the right to change my final score based on the details that are presented in the complete version. Right now, I’ve speculated a lot. I tried to account for every comment that was made. The information was spread out over three pages, so it was tough. I’m sure I’ve made mistakes in places, so go ahead and tear this post to pieces. My goal wasn’t to get everything right, it was to give you a rough idea of whether the character is OP. With that in mind, here’s my notes on The Jackal: Tin Misting: +40 +35M based on Index score for Level One misting. I’m assuming they are not a compounder. +5 to 10 for savantism, which is a strength, not a weakness. While this does make them more vulnerable to noise-based attacks, they aren’t significantly more vulnerable than they would be if they weren’t a savant. Division: +10M +45M based on Index score for Division fabrial. -35 for being quote ‘very, very, very weak’. Based on the provided example, ‘if he presses his hand to someones face, he sends a surge through their head, destroying their head, and he can blow up a thin wall,’ he has limited control, but a fair amount of power. Reaction time: +30M (filler score) ***I don’t know how to score this. Anywhere from +15 based on Index score for Warrior’s Lenses to +50 based on Index score for steel misting. All I’ve got to go on is ‘enhances his response time a startling degree’. Physical Attributes (He is incredibly strong normally, and the mask assists him): +15M +15S (filler score) ***Anywhere from +15 based on Index score for Warrior’s Lenses to +45 based on Index score for pewter misting. Split the points into magic and skill ones based on how much each contributes. If his strength is half magic, half natural, split them 50/50. I’m assuming the ‘he is over 60 years old’ feature does not make his body any worse than the average human’s, based on his abilities, so I’m not attributing any score to it. Rage: +20M ‘His mask's eyes radiate hatred. Anyone who looks into them feel a deep burning rage that they can barely control.’ This is similar to the power of a zinc misting, except it only affects a single emotion. The Index scores rioters as +35. I’d drop that down to +20 because it only does one thing and is pretty easy to counter (you just look away). If the range, strength, or amount of potential victims is higher than a rioter could achieve, the score should increase. The effect it has on the user is considered later. Staff: +30S (filler score) +20-75 depending on how long they’ve trained with it for. Darth scored it at 20 when he scored it, so I will assume that they only have 11 months of training. ***I would like to add points for his ‘invincible obsidian staff he can control with his mind, split in two, and reform,’ but I need more detail about all of that to score it properly. Actual Skill: +80S (filler score) ***I need more detail in order to fairly score this. Darth said the character is ‘one of the best fighters in the entire Alleyverse,’ but didn’t offer many details. I will interpret this section as being about combat skill and give him the maximum score for assassination as a filler. I need to know what he trained in and for how long. Political Skill: +25S (filler score) ***I need more information to properly score this. Does he have increased intelligence? Does he have scholarly abilities? I will assume that the answer to both of those is yes and put in a filler score reflecting that. Additional points may be added for knowledge of military tactics and battle strategy. Armor: 0 The mask has the obvious benefit of protecting the user’s face. But I don’t usually add points for armour unless it unnaturally strong or has special enhancements. If it’s on par with regular armour, it needn’t be considered. Personnel Rage: -10 ‘Anyone who looks into [the eyes of the mask] feel a deep burning rage that they can barely control. He is always looking through those eyes.’ He is ‘completely filled with rage from him looking through the helmets eyes, though he can control it and it doesn't affect him that much, and most of his powers come from the mask.’ This is a bit like being an electrum ferring, except it’s constant. While it would make him a more aggressive (and effective) fighter, it comes with drawbacks, such as the mental toll it has on him and how it would make him impatient. If it doesn’t affect him much, it’s more of a strength, but I’ll take away 10 since it’s a mixed blessing. Bad at, well, being a good person. This means that he will shun people, and will generally not make them like him: -15 This is a weakness I’ve seen a few times in character bios. My usual score for it is -10 to 15, but given more details, it could be bumped up to -20. Since you included it, Darth, does that mean he sometimes takes off his mask? If he always has it on, fewer points should be subtracted for this. The radiation of rage thing would have the same effect. Likes to Play with his Food, Meaning he will Refrain from Finishing his Enemy off, if he can Practically do so, to Lengthen their Suffering: -10 This weakness wouldn’t come up very often. When it does, it could leave him vulnerable to counter-attack, but unless it’s indicative of a greater character flaw, I can’t see how it would be a serious hinderance. There are enough asterisks on that statement that it’s a low-level weakness. While he can predict the movements of his main enemy, he fails at predicting third parties, which allows him to be surprised (Thrawn Syndrome): -25 This is a loaded statement. On one hand it is implied that he is good at predicting other’s movements, while on the other, he is bad at an aspect of that skill. In the RP, I could see how this could be detrimental, even fatal. I’ll assume his tin enhanced senses and his entire strategy are vulnerable to this. I can picture him getting into a hand to hand fight with one person, then zeroing in on them and completely ignoring other people who might be threats. (At this point I’m just spit-balling, coming up with ways this could dock his power level from that of a regular person. Correct me if that’s not how this weakness works.) Mask That Grants his Powers Meaning Removable: - 35 When the mask is removed, he loses about half of his overall powers, but only a fraction of his weaknesses. It being removable has its benefits, allowing him freedom to choose if he wants to be enraged, but it’s mostly a liability. This score, more than the others, comes down to how you RP it, Darth. You have to be consistent about how much damage the mask can take, and how easy it is to grab and pull off. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s as easy to pull off as a normal helmet is. However, it’s a helmet on an expert fighter who can destroy your skull with a headbutt. One thing I considered was how different having the power tied to a mask was from the other restrictions on powers. Normally, to have division you’d need stormlight. To enrage, you’d need zinc flakes. To be stronger, you’d need lenses or pewter flakes. While those are harder to remove than a mask is, it’s not a distant comparison. And how different is it from some of the other tools that grant powers that characters use? With all that in mind, I’d put this at -35 to 50. He cannot show anyone any clues to his identity: -5 Is this still a weakness? It was mentioned earlier, but not in the last write-up. -5 to 10. Total: 115M + 150S - 95W = 100M + 70S

Firstly, wow. That was a doozy of a post. Secondly, I based my tally for that part off of the Index's scoring system for spikes (which is hidden in the Tech and Tools spoiler tag): I interpreted the line that said they had the ability to 'store physical strength and speed' as being they had hemalurgically granted F-iron and F-steel, which would give them a score of 110.

That's a good point. I scored it from a practical perspective (in practice, no one in the RP is ever bothered by the availability of stormlight) but the ramifications of allowing it should be thought through. I should probably ask that there be explanations provided for the exceptions. Specifically, the surge combo, time travel, and the stormlight. By the way, for the record, anything outside of this forum is non-canonical. If your character exists elsewhere (eg. Knights Awkward) it has no bearing on your Alleyverse incarnation.

While the final score on this comes out to only 170*, they're all magic points. We made it so that everyone could only have a certain amount of magic, but that less invested people could have extra skills to compensate. Unfortunately, this character has too many magical abilities. The quick nerf is to remove the spikes. Or, you could add more weaknesses. I really think that time travel is an element that needs to be further discussed before it's added to the RP. If anyone who's reading this wants to throw their two cents in, I'm open to second opinions. If we do add it, I believe points should be added for having that ability (so budget for that).

I'm uneasy that your character gets to make the sole call about when it's time for a universe to be split (it's an element you're adding, so in practice, you'd be the one deciding when to do it). I feel that something of that magnitude shouldn't be in the hands of a single person. Additionally, it could create plot problems (paradoxes, need for retcons etc.). It's a big element to add to the RP. When scoring weaknesses, I need details. How unreliable is it? Once a day it fails? Half-the time? The more unreliable you indicate it is, the higher I can score it. The notes I added were how I scored powers/weaknesses. If you look at the Index (thanks for posting it, Snipexe) you'll find what everything is worth. I use 'M' to denote magical abilities (of which you can have up to 100 points of, and 'S' to denote skill points. You get 150 points. 100 of them can be used for anything, 50 are set aside for skills alone. '-' means I subtracted from your total, '+' means I added to it. EDIT: @Lord Meeker I'd treat the recently posted one as a copy. Edit the one in the second post of this thread please, that's the official version. I stopped calling them drafts after we made a 'final' version (the one that's posted where I indicated).

I'm going to take this as my cue to add Toa to the list. If you opposed to this, or would like to make any changes, let me know. I think this an interesting bio. It was fun to read, the link was too. However, I believe that this character is OP for Era Three. This era, we've trying to lower the power level of characters (see the second post in this thread for details). This character is too powerful. The time traveling and ability to make alternate universes is the biggest issue. The surgebinding was difficult to score as well. I remember having this debate the last time this character came up, but that was in a different context. It's going to be hard to justify having a character with this one's abilities as being on par with the other characters that have been submitted. I know that it would fundamentally alter the character, but I recommend nerfing them. The power level needs to be brought down if they're to be used in this era. Or you could cannibalize and start fresh. EDIT: I see you've already started RPing with her. While we get her power level sorted, I recommend not using any of her powers. That way we won't have to retcon anything. It's a short bio, but it's got what it needs to have. I'll add it to the list. I'm going to call her Morning. If you want to call her something else, tell me.

I'm a bit of a lame duck at the moment, so I've decided not to give my personal opinion on this character. I'm not going to be interacting with it, so it's your guys' opinions that matter the most. If Darth submits a character bio to the Character Thread then I'll claim jurisdiction, but it appears that he wants approval of the idea so he knows whether or not to begin planning plot-lines and flushing out the details for it, so it's not my call. What Darth is asking for is for his character to be exempt from the rules regarding power level. For Era Three, we're asking people to go through this process whenever they want to significantly increase their character's power level (eg. acquire a shardblade). You, as the community, get to choose whether you want to allow it. You have to decide if having this OP character is what you want for the RP (by voting in the above poll). This process was designed to allow for plots with super-villains to be put into play. The idea was that a group of people would sketch out a plot, whether in a thread like this one or a PM, and meta-game a general outline for what will happen. Then, they approach the community and say 'here's our idea, do you guys want to do this'? This would provide a higher level of organization for our main plots. Alternatively, you could use this same process to ask permission to do some character development that increases their power level, rather than resubmitting their bio and re-balancing the character when you do so. I've put the Jackal bio in the OP for reference. A poll has been made. We usually get at least 20 people vote, minimum. Please, choose an option, then have your say in a post if you want to. Feel free to ask clarifying questions too. I'm sure Darth would be happy to answer them. Thank you! Below is a screenshot of the old poll:

*cracks knuckles* 1. Cats or catapults: which would you rather have a bucket of? 1. How much of the world's fresh water supply to you think Steelheart ruined? 1. Do you think that the voting age should be lowered? I'm split between the benefits of early exposure leading to higher turnouts and the costs of encouraging advertising to children. 1. You've recently acquired six plots of land, and a short road that connects the two buildings that you have placed at the center of each set of three properties. Half of your holdings are just farmland. The rest is uncut woodlot. If you build another building nearby, you can claim more land. But to avoid exorbitant property taxes, you must build your next structure at least as far apart as your current two buildings are from each other. To get to a new location, you'll need to build a road. You've got the wood to do it, but need some bricks. Do you barter with your neighbor to use some of his bricks, or do you spend you resources on upgrading your current establishments? (There is a right answer to this question because Hoid help me I will fight you if you try to steal the Longest Road title.) 1. How do you pronounce 'MacThorstenson'? Pleasesaythewayit'sspelled

Fine! Mace has been out-OPed. But Kidpen's taking his time killing him, so I still have the chance to make him the most overpowered character! Oh, really? I'll add the bio to the list. Despite Mac's objections, I'm approving this and dooming us all.

Thanks, GK! Looks great so far. Off the top, one thing I'd like to know is what to call the location these are from. On the Index, would it make sense to make the heading Milky Way Galaxy (Warhammer 40,000)? What was the decision on E3 teleportation technology? I think we were allowing it. (If anyone who kept minutes from the last meeting could nod confidently, I'd be reassured). I'd argue that the Belisarian Furnace that allows for the rapid regrowth of tissue, bone and muscle should raise the point allotment for organs by 10 or more, but that's based off a quick skimming of the wiki. There may be other factors at play. It's a hard call whether or not to score the weaponry. We tend to score one's ability to use a weapon, not the weapon itself. Weapons that are commonplace don't add to a character's score. I think you could make the argument to add for the chainsaw because it's easy to use and effective, unlike a regular sword which only works if you have the skill to use it. Same goes for the plasma gun. I like how you've scored them, but am open to implementing Meeker's suggestion. How much baseline skill does a marine have? I assume they have better ability to use their tech than the average human, but if they come with some skills built-in, those should be accounted for. That line of thought circles back to Kenod's question. If they are RPed similarly to a Pewterarm, they should get points for that. (Although I assume some of those would be included int he armor score). If people are to avoid RPing them in a certain way, a footnote should be included, in case someone who doesn't know that wants to RP a marine. Somebody raised a similar question back around the second draft. What was decided then was that the extra aspects would count as adding skills and intelligence to them. It wasn't included on the list because it's not technically a magical power. However, when someone (I think it was Mr. Mafia) submitted a Leeds-like character, I decided to score it differently. You've start with your base abilities and intelligence for the person. Then for each new aspect, you add points for how much extra intelligence/points they give you (eg. +25 for scholarly ability, +10 to intelligence for mentor-ship), but subtract from that aspects score the amount of points you feel the addition weakens them by. If the maximum they can manage is 10 total aspects, the first could be worth +40, the third +35, the eight +10, the eleventh -5, the fifteenth -15 and so on. How much you take away depends on how many the handle, and how having them affects the character. Additionally, since having aspects is slightly less helpful than having the skill in a regular manner, the score should be adjusted. I didn't add a section in the Index because of the many different ways the power can be RPed (due to differences in aspect caps, helpfulness of aspects, experience in dealing with them, ability of the character to learn quickly), but if you want to take a shot at putting some numbers to things, I won't say no. Just remember to change the 'last updated' date beside the title of the Index on the Character Thread OP2 when you do.

Narrator Archer pointed out that he'd survived, so what was there not to be excited about? Then he went to put out some of the dozens of kitchen fires and nuclear reactor meltdowns that would inevitably kill off at least a quarter more of the universe. DIDN'T THINK OF THAT, DID YOU TH- FORUMLURKER?

YESSSSSSS! Narrator Archer was so excited he forgot to use quotation marks.

Thanks for posting this, Meeker. TUBA's point-man for government matters will be @Karnatheon. I'll leave registering the guild to him, as well as possibly adding a few new members to our official tally. Additionally, if anyone wants to contact our guild to hold behind the scenes discussions, he's the man to message. Good luck governmenting, everyone!