Luminous Beings

The Reckoning of Lesser Men

Skills

SKILLS

Skills are your character's talents. While your skills are partially dependent on your attributes, they're also somewhat independent of them: as I've stated before, this RP's stat system will be holistic at times. If I feel your character deserves skills that aren't necessarily reflected by their Attributes, I'll change it-but these cases will be RARE. I will assign your Skill values. If you have a serious problem with them, I'm open to discussion, but for the most part, I'm not going to be changing skills around too much. Again, your character should not be good at everything, and that's okay. This RP is meant to be team-based, and having to rely on your fellow RP'ers is not going to be that bad. Probably.

Your skills are determined from your attributes,but these are also flexible. If, say, your character is a tough, 6'6, 400 pound hoss, and you're using a big machine gun, I may use Strength and Dexterity to determine your marksmanship instead of Dexterity and Wisdom. So on and so forth. This is on a case-by-case basis, but the attributes aren't necessarily set in stone. Furthermore, I know there are skills that aren't listed here. Like, say...cooking. These more obscure skills will be determined on an as-needed basis, so don't worry about it. Now, your Attributes may not necessarily affect the values. For instance, Dexterity and Intelligence both affect Operating and Explosives. If your character has a 5 in both of those, but was a civilian pilot their whole life before coming to the Dreads, then their Explosives stat is still going to be pretty low. Again, the stat system's fluid. Don't try and game it, because even I'm not following it that well. I'll take into account your character's bio and such in addition to their attributes. If your character has one arm, I don't care how high their Strength is, their Unarmed is probably a little lower.

MELEE SKILLS
Because shooting commies just isn’t as much fun.
Melee Combat, Finesse (Con+Dex): Melee Combat based off grace and precision. If you were, say, using a butterfly knife, then your combat would be determined by this.
Melee Combat, Brute (Con+Str): Melee Combat based off haymakers and raw force. If you were using a two by four, then your combat would be determined by this.
Unarmed Combat, Finesse (Dex+Con): Unarmed Combat in the style of martial arts and quickness. Some 80 year old karate guru would fight like this.
Unarmed Combat, Brute (Str+Con): Unarmed Combat in the style of punching the fuck out of things. Andre The Giant would fight like this.

WARFIGHTER SKILLS
Because you played too many violent video games.

Marksmanship (Dex+Wis) From gunslinging to sniping, this is the measure of how skilled a shot you are.
Explosives (Dex+Int) The use of explosive devices, from land mines to rocket launchers. Explosives can, if you're desperate, be jury rigged from household materials. PM me if you wanna know how!!!
Tactics (Int+Wis) The devising of strategies and ways to gain the upper hand in combat. Also, helps you kick ass at Risk.
Operating (Dex+int) Your ability to operate military vehicles, whether it's an APC, helicopter, or that claw thing you scoop up toys with.

NON-COMBAT SKILLS
Because God made you smart enough to stay away from people who want to kill you.

Medicine: (Int+Wis) Everything ranging from applying band-aids to brain surgery. Hope that your squadmates lean more towards "brain surgery"
Sneaking (Dex+Con) Moving quietly and going about unnoticed. Higher level Sneakers may be able to utilize cardboard boxes as camouflage.
Mechanics (Int+Dex) Proficiency with repairing mechanical devices. Jumpstarting cars or hotwiring tanks fall under this category.
Camouflage (Con+Int) Ability to paint yourself pretty colors and not get noticed. Like Peeta!
Survival (Int+Wis) Ability to harness the nature around you for the purposes of not dying. Identifying poisonous plants, starting fires, Boy Scout stuff.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Because in the RP full of badass mercenaries, you wanted to be the HR guy.

Persuasion: (Cha+Int) A measure of how good a smoothtalker you are.
Intimidation (Str+Con) For when you're not in the mood to beat somebody's ass, but you need them to do something anyways.
Lying (Cha+Int) This is what determines how well your character can juggle.
Regulation (Cha+Wis) This is what helps you calm others and keep them collected. Also, the Lying thing was supposed to be a joke, I dunno if it was good or not.
Leadership (Cha+Wis) Your ability to inspire faith in others. Those with Higher Leadership will boost the morale of those around them.

FLUID SKILLS
Because, like, everything changes, man.

These stats are named “Fluid Skills” because they are in constant flux. Different factors or events may change these stats-your attributes will affect how resistant to change they are. Someone with a high Constitution will lose Stamina more slowly-someone with a high Wisdom will keep their Morale higher for longer.

Willpower (Wis): A measurement of how determined your character is. Strong resolve, morale, and tenacity will affect this. Things like torture might bring this down a little. Willpower is also a reflection of your character’s mental fatigue. After taking a grueling, six hour exam, this stat may be lowered.
Morale (Wis): A measurement of how motivated your character is. Rallying pep talks and liquor will boost this, while getting shot down by hot chicks and torture will lower this. Morale determines your efficacy as a soldier and resistance to psychological warfare.
Stamina (Con): Stamina is a measure of how exhausted your character is. As your Stamina drops (10 being fully refreshed, 1 being totally burned out), your physical capabilities will suffer. Those with low Constitutions should avoid prolonged strenuous activity, and extended fighting may cause your Stamina to drop, resulting in bad things (for example, shaky arms while firing).
Health (Con): A measure of overall wellness. Things like bullets, knives, and falling off tall places will bring your Health down. The lower your Health, the more crippling effects you'll receive. These are normally only able to be removed through medical care, so don't be a dick to the medic. If you suffer a severe wound, you may suffer from nasty things like internal bleeding. If this happens, your Health will continue to drop until you're treated. Otherwise, you'll die and stuff. Try and avoid that.

Specializations

SPECIALIZATIONS

Okay so if you're upset about not getting to pick your own skills or whatever, I'll let you choose one field for your character to specialize in. This will be a Skill, with a subset of said skill. For example, let's say your character is a sniper. Your Specialization could be "Marksmanship: Bolt Action Rifles". This field will need to be quite specific. This will be your one, super-awesome-tastic field. The benefits of this I haven't figured out quite yet-it may be a solid boost to all your Checks, or maybe a situational thing. Who knows. Regardless, decide what your character's one best trait is, and list it as this.

Fate Points

FATE POINTS

Now, we're not going to be using the Fate system, mainly because I don't really know what it is. However, there is a system we'll be blatantly plagiarizing: Fate Points. Every character will have ONE Fate Point. These points can be used to appeal to me for a different outcome. For example, let's say you're a dumbass and you run out into the thick of a firefight right as the RP starts. Normally, your ass would look like hamburger meat as a result. However, you decide that in order to avoid dying in the first page of the RP, you're going to use your one Fate Point. This can be used for a moment that, otherwise, would only be possible through Fate or Destiny or Divine Intervention. Maybe you come out of that firefight totally unscathed. Or someone holds a gun to your head, pulls the trigger, aaaand it jams. Now, bear in mind this can only be used ONCE, and I'm averse to hearing the specifics of the situation. I'd rather hear: "I would like to use my Fate Point to save my character from dying right here". I'm open to general ideas, but don't get carried away. This is going to balance out the fact that this RP will otherwise not be very merciful on your characters-you're going to need to stay close and work as a unit. We're fighting dangerous enemies, and the risk of your character being killed is pretty high. Play cautiously and use your Fate Point only as a last resort. There's no way to earn more.

The Stat System

THE STAT SYSTEM

“But, Shade, how does it even work?”

Hey! You waited for me to finish. Good on you. There’s hope for you yet. Now, I’m not big on math and I worked this out, so if you’re not fond of numbers, don’t worry. If any of this starts confusing you, please don’t let that deter you from this RP-I will be handling all of this. You will RP like you normally would, with me throwing wrenches into your best laid plans throughout.

Now, the Stat System in this RP has three components: the Check, The Roll, and the Modifier. Whenever you go to do an action in this RP-something that’s actually worth it, not like, taking a piss or something, you will have to roll for it. The difficulty of the action will be represented by the Check: a number between 1 and 20 that rates how tough it is. Cutting through butter would be a check of 1 because it’s super easy. Cutting through concrete would be a check of 20 because it’s difficult.

So let’s say you are trying to shoot someone who is a hundred feet away, standing still. Clear conditions or whatever. This isn’t supremely difficult, so we’ll put the check at 10.

Now, in everything you do in life, there is an element of chance. Some more obvious examples of this would be playing roulette in Vegas, or taking those painkillers from that shady-as-fuck-trenchcoated guy that stands on the corner. However, that same element exists in everything-even in something as straightforward as shooting that motionless guy (we’re gonna name him Joe for simplicity’s sake). Maybe your gun jams. Maybe you accidentally left the safety on. Maybe Joe gets an itch on his leg and leans over at just the right moment.

That’s why we’ll be rolling the die. For that impartial, uncontrollable nature of real life that’s missing in some RP’s.

So, we’ll randomly roll a dice (with 20 sides) to determine what your value is. If your roll is equal to, or greater than, the Check, then you have successfully done whatever you were trying (SUCKS TO BE YOU JOE). If you have a roll that is lower than the Check, then you will not successfully do whatever it is you were trying to do (YOUR LUCKY DAY, JOE).

“But, Shade!” you protest. “I’m noticing a glaring flaw in all of this! It isn’t pure chance! Surely skill plays into this as well! Wouldn’t a trained Navy SEAL Sniper have a better chance of shooting Joe than, say, Hellen Keller?”

Indeed you would! That’s where the Modifier comes in. Your Modifier affects your original roll, taking into account your skills and attributes. This is where your character’s stats, attributes, and such will come into play. So, let’s say you only roll an 8, even though you need a 10 to shoot Joe. Well, if your character has nothing that would help them make the shot, they’ll miss. But, if you’re a trained marksman, your modifiers may bump that up high enough to make it work. Whoop Whoop!

Of course, this can cut both ways-in some rare circumstances, you’ll suffer penalties to these stats. Say your 6’9, 400 pound bodybuilder is trying to sneak somewhere. While he may have crazy bonuses to punching people and being swole, he may not be as skilled in moving around quietly or gracefully. This, however, is a natural tradeoff of the system-don’t sweat this.

I know this is a lot to take in, but there’s a few things left. Just as there’s an element of chance involved in whether or not you manage to do something, there’s also an element of chance in how successful you are.

Let me explain that. Let’s say that Joe is standing right next to a wall. And instead of you being a hundred feet away, you’re ten feet away. The check is still at 10. In some situations, you’ll have more possible outcomes than just “Success” or “Failure”. Just like in real life, things can go catastrophically wrong-or unpredictably well for you. Some examples.

You roll a 0.. Critical Failure. The bullet misses Joe, hitting the wall behind him and ricocheting back to hit one of your teammates. Way to go, Annie Oakley.

You roll a 9. Failure. The bullet misses Joe and goes through the wall. Out of sight, out of mind!

You roll a 10. Success. The bullet hits Joe. What the fuck man? Joe was cool.

You roll a 20. Critical Success. The bullet passes through Joe’s eye socket and out the wall on the other side. Joe, as it turns out, was standing guard next to a fuel depot. The room explodes, somehow not harming you, but taking out several enemies on the other side of the door.

Now, these sorts of different turnouts won’t always happen. More than likely, it’ll be in high-intensity situations, or in situations that have the capability to go horribly, hilariously wrong, or ridiculously well for you. Like, say, trying to shoot a terrorist who’s using a human shield. Or trying to use that robot claw to pick out the stuffed animal you want but there are a bunch of stupid ones next to it you might get. You get the idea.

As for the actual numbers, this is it. Those who think STEM sucks, feel free to skip on until you stop seeing numbers.

Check VS {[(Relevant Skill/2)+(Relevant Attribute/2)] x (Relevant Fluid Stat, Scaled)} + d20

Let me give you a few examples to illustrate how this works. You are trying to snipe someone a mile away, which, being a reasonably difficult feat, has a check of 17. Your Relevant Skill, Marksmanship, is at 8, and your Relevant Attribute, Dexterity, is at 6. Your Relevant Fluid Stat is Fatigue, which is at 7. You roll a 13.

17 VS [(4+3) x (1)] +13
17 VS 7+13
17 VS 20

You pass the check and shoot the guy successfully. Hurray for you. Now, you’re probably a bit confused about the Fluid Stat part. 7 is a baseline value for all your fluid stats. With a Morale/Health/etc of 7, your modifier (the Relevant Attributes and Stats/2) is the exact same. With a Relevant Fluid Stat (RFS from here on out) of 8, 9, or 10, your character has a superior amount of whatever that is: maybe they’re very well-rested physically, super-amped psychologically, or crazy focused on the task at hand. You get the idea. They will receive a bonus of their modifier being x1.1, x1.2, or x1.3. All figures are rounded up, also. The flipside to this is that if you’re below 7, your character is sub-par in that stat. Maybe they’re exhausted from fighting all day, broken from days of torture, etc. They will then suffer a lessened modifier: a RFS of 6 gets them x.9, 5 is x.8, all the way to x.4. Try and avoid that, mmmkay?

So, let’s say that this time, you’re making the same shot, but you’re incredibly exhausted-on the verge of passing out, even-and your Stamina is a measly 1.

17 VS [(4+3) x (.3)]+ 13
17 VS [(2)]+13
17 VS 15

A relatively close shave, but it illustrates my point nonetheless. You miss the shot and do not kill the guy you were aiming at. Hurray for him. As you can see, Fatigue, Morale, etc, will play an important role.

For clarification…
RFS
10 (the absolute max your character could have: incredibly well-rested, in a berserker-like fury, etc)= x1.3
9 = x1.2
8 = x1.1
7 (baseline: normal, neither good nor bad.) = x1
6 = x.9
5 = x.65
4 = x.4
3= x.3
2 = x.25.
1 = x.2
0 (at zero, your character would likely immediately fail whatever check it was, as well as suffer from some dire repercussions. a 0 in Health would be entering critical condition or outright dying; a 0 in Morale would result in a psychological breakdown; a 0 in Stamina would result in your character passing out from fatigue; a 0 in Willpower would result in your character’s admission of defeat and simply giving up, likely dragging your Morale down with it.)

Hey people who don’t like numbers resume reading here

Now, some of you may be wondering how certain actions outside of this system are handled. For instance, communicating. In the RP, when you have access to the Dreadnaughts' comm network, talking will be a free action that can be done in the OOC. So, if your group turns the corner and sees a tank rolling towards them, you can just go in the OOC and hash out what you're going to do, then your next post in the IC you can sum it up pretty quickly ("Carl, the squad leader, reacted first, barking an order for everyone to play dead") instead of taking like sixty IC posts to discuss it, and trying to pad those IC posts to a paragraph with fluff. This is, IC, explained away by both the synergy of your team and the headsets in your helmets. Now, if you're in a situation where your helmet has been irreparably damaged, or maybe you're busting out of a POW camp and don't have it, this will not be the case, and you'll need to actually talk in the IC (similarly, I'll imagine that's how you want to handle more meaningful conversations in the IC). While you have access to the comms, you can also contact the lovely Maria for support-or any other adviser-type characters who are at the Dreadnaughts' HQ. They'll be able to survey the battlefield through satellites, spy planes, etc, and offer their advice for what you should do. You can also coordinate efforts with other RP'ers this way-for instance, if someone's a sniper, half a mile away, you can request they pop a cap in an enemy for you. Again, this feature's only available when you have access to a helmet, or a satellite phone or whatever. Teamwork and synergy will be necessary to stay alive in this RP , so make sure you work out issues diplomatically as RP'ers, even if your characters are busy with their own violent brand of diplomacy.

The Reckoning of Lesser Men

Tayibe, Iraq (Currently Under Control of the Islamic State)
November 9th, 2015
3: 27 P.M., Local Time

For a moment, there was a second sun in the Afghan sky.

The howls of men and dogs alike were silenced. Everyone stopped, arched their necks back, and uttered, in a variety of tongues, "Oh, sh*t".

The Dreadnaughts' helicopter was six million dollars with of machinery that was about to become six cents worth of scrap metal. The communications lines of the elite mercenaries it up with panicked queries for Belroth, manic cursing, and the equally loud silence of total shell-shock. The helicopter began tilting to the side as it very quickly slurred between flying and falling. It smashed into the ground, sending thunder rolling down the small, dusty alleyways of Tayibe and coughing up a cloud of black smoke not three hundred yards from where the Dreadnaughts had fast-roped in.

The city-if Tayibe could be called that- was in the middle of nowhere, about fifty or sixty miles from the nearest village, and its residents were as apt to die from dehydration and heat exhaustion as they were the Dreadnaughts' bullets. The village was a cluster of sun-bleached houses and a general feeling of dereliction-while there was a training camp for insurgents not far from the village, there was no doubt that this particular piece of Iraq was dying more quickly than the rest. Faces of the villages were scarred and weathered hands callused and shaky, and eyes dim and faded from years of the harsh desert sun. There were perhaps five or six thousand people in Tayibe, with a pretty uneven age divide: the constant influx of young men to the local camp made sure of that.

And, as of ten minutes ago, their demographics had changed. The Dreadnaughts were sent in on a very simple mission: somewhere inside Tayibe was a prisoner that the United States was willing to pay a hefty sum for. The Dreadnaughts were to come in, find the prisoner, and get back out. Simple! Just like the Battle of Waterloo and Operation Barbarossa were supposed to be. Unfortunately, some ISIS fanatic with an RPG had made that plan somewhat unfeasible. There was a very ominous change in the tide of the battle, as the Afghans, no longer beleaguered by Dreadnaught air support-and knowing their enemy had no means of escape-began shouting chants at the top of their lungs, loud enough to drown out the cacophony of gunfire. The Dreadnaughts very quickly found cover as seemingly the entire city of Tayibe began to descend on them; within a minute, things had gone from entirely-as-planned to being one of the roughest failures in the Dreadnaughts' history.

But this is what they got paid for.

A Look At The Dreadnaughts

The Dreadnaughts. Much like the city of Tayibe, they are entirely fictional, and much like the city of Tayibe, they are very deadly. They're unparalleled in the military world, an elite group of perhaps six to seven hundred mercenaries of peerless skill. All have come from dozens of countries around the world, ranging from special forces groups to the most prestigious hospitals to cutting-edge R and D departments. Regardless of where they hail from or who they hail to, they have one thing in common: They are damned good at their jobs. Charging exorbitant rates for equally unbelievable results, the Dreadnaughts have quickly cemented their reputation as the prime PMC amongst many others. Frequently getting contracts from The United States, Russia, China, and many other major players in the political arena, The Dreadnaughts have emerged as a small but nonetheless powerful blip on the global radar.

The Dreadnaughts, as you may have surmised, are who you'll be playing as in this RP. I have no idea why your character has joined forces with them: perhaps it's for the paycheck, which is...well, there's not a single Dreadnaught that needs to work a second job. Maybe it's for the prestige: there's a certain appeal to being a member of a group that even Delta Force and the Spetsnaz are impressed by. Maybe it's for the power-there's no doubt the Dreadnaughts are going places, and there's a lot of people out there who want to be on the winning team.

Regardless, you have one boss now: a man by the name of Belroth Daemond. Intelligent, charismatic, and a skilled strategist, he's carved the Dreadnaughts over the last nine or ten years into an elite group, and earned the respect of both his soldiers and world leaders alike in the process. An undoubtedly wealthy man, Belroth's origins are mysterious (the most that anyone has been able to deduce for sure is that Belroth was in some form of covert Cold War organization, and that he's in his fifties), likely because he changes his backstory every time he's asked about it. Belroth is a well-educated man who typically directs his troops from the front lines, normally overseeing his soldiers from a bird's eye view (aside from more sensitive, stealth-related missions, obviously), a stratagem which has proven to be unwise recently. However, he's certainly a skilled tactician, and is generally admired by the troops-but, given their paychecks, admiration is pretty damned easy to attain.

Some Frequently Asked Questions, Courteously Answered by the Dreadnaughts

But where would such a wealthy and professional mercenary organization set up their home base?

The Dreadnaughts' headquarters is located in the Alands Island in Finland. Belroth is attempting to negotiate the secession of the island from the Finnish government, to secure the islands as the Dreadnaughts' own private nation state, but there has been little progress on that front. They are, however, afforded a degree of semi-autonomy, as the Dreadnaughts' presence is both an (admittedly, minor) deterrent to the Big Bad Russian Wolf next door, and the copious bribes donations made to the Finnish government.

Do the Dreadnaughts have street cred with the United Nations? Don't they get get checked for human rights abuses and other silly things?

Belroth, through clever diplomacy, substantial donations to humanitarian organizations, and a strict policy on war crimes (any of his combatants that commit war crimes are extradited to their home country to stand trial) has managed to dissuade too much scrutiny from the United Nations. However, several bodies do routinely come by to check things out, but Belroth's superb management keeps things running smoothly. He may not be able to fight as he once could, but he's a handy administrator- owing heavily to the bureaucrats he's recruited as actively as he has soldiers and snipers.

Can I really be a soldier from ANYWHERE?

Indeed. Belroth has only two requirements of his soldiers-that they pull their own weight and that they leave any differences in nationality, religion, and politics at the door. Israelis and Palestinians, Indians and Pakistanis, all are held to the same standards. Provided you have a clean past (in terms of war crimes-depending on the crime and your skill level, Belroth is willing to consider felons, but he tends to reject rapists or murderers) and the necessary skill set, you're in. Be a US Marine, a Russian Spetsnaz, a Zimbabewean...whatever it is they have.

This deal sounds great, and in no way could possibly backfire, but I have to ask, what kinds of benefits are we looking at? Do you cover dental?

Belroth's insurance package is pretty generous. Owing to the exorbitant rates he charges and the several bankers he has keeping the Dreadnaughts' reserves constantly growing, your healthcare will be excellent. Similarly, Belroth can get his hands on whatever weaponry or gear you feel necessary for your job. If you want a 17th century rifle or one that, according to the CIA, doesn't even exist, he can find it for you. Again, this assuming you get the job done. As such, your character can be outfitted with whatever gear they feel is necessary (but, just for practical reasons, don't go crazy. If you have something idiotic, like twenty Desert Eagles and no clothes but a loincloth, I'm just gonna laugh when your character dies). Additionally, soldiers are allowed to opt out of missions they don't feel comfortable with, and there's considerable vacation time. Normally, you'll come in for a job, and then you're able to fly back home or stay at the HQ until the next job.

Any weapon, right? So I can use-

No. No katana.

But you said-

Fuck you that’s what I said. Look, I did say any weapon. However, be reasonable. If everyone starts going for purely Rule-of-Cool based weapons then, hey hey, you’re all going to get muskets and water pistols. Feel free to go with whatever your character would find the best tool to get the job done-but ensure it is, in fact, the best tool to get the job done. There is not going to be a situation where your character’s ninja stars or 2nd century weapon is somehow superior to state-of-the-art gear today. Likewise, if your character has two M60s, one for each hand, a flamethrower, and a portable railgun for their loadout, I’m going to be equally annoyed. Remember, you’re a professional soldier here (or maybe not). True badasses can make any weapon they use badass-Bruce Lee would be just as intimidating in bunny slippers as he would be in that yellow jumpsuit. Also, please don’t take that as an invitation to try and be the most badass person ever. Wow, I got derailed on this one. Next question.

This all sounds great, but what if I get stuck with a nightmare boss? You know, like Michael Scott?

The chain of command's pretty fluid. Given the expertise of all the parties involved, most are capable of handling themselves-especially given that missions tend to rely on small groups working cohesively and effectively. However, Belroth will appoint leaders on an as-needed basis: no one has a higher ranking than anyone else, save for the Big Man himself. As such, you may all get chances to call the shots, but it will likely settle on whoever has better Leadership and Charisma, or maybe who's more experienced and combat savvy. Or maybe you guys will have secret agent types, I dunno. Stop asking me questions. I'm tired.

Attributes

ATTRIBUTES

Attributes are the core values that determine your character's broadest capabilities. These, along with your bio, described skill set, and so on, will determine your SKILLS, which are more specific applications of your Attributes. Let me put it to you this way: martial arts would be a skill, something you hone and work towards, whereas your potential for effectiveness with martial arts would be determined by your physical strength and quickness. Actually, I think that just confused it more. Whatever.

Note that your Attributes should accurately reflect your character's abilities. This system is designed for you to be unable to be good at everything. If you want to be a physical juggernaut, buffing up Strength and Constitution, that's totally cool-but you're going to suffer accordingly. This is not to discourage you from making a specialized character-no one in life is good at everything. There's something that everyone sucks at, and even amongst the elites of the Dreadnaughts, you're going to have some weak points. I would, personally, avoid a jack-of-all-trades character, but also avoid having crippling weaknesses.

STRENGTH

Strength is an indicator of raw physical power. No finesse, no focus, just brute force. Someone with a lot of Strength would be best suited for wrestling or football.Those with high Strength will find tasks involving muscle and power much easier-this can range from carrying more ammunition (think: two belts, over your chest, like a boss, and you so swole you don't even feel that shit on you) to being able to pick up and carry your weaker, less-manly comrades when they get hurt. Why'd they get hurt? Because they can't lift half as much as you can. Because you're strong. Because you picked up Bane in one hand and Mike Tyson in the other. Because you piss pure testosterone. Need I go on? No, I don’t, because all these words are hurting your underdeveloped brain.

Strength, in short, will affect tasks that require brute force-melee and unarmed combat, how quickly your character fatigues, what weaponry they’re capable of using easily, etc.

DEXTERITY

Dexterity is a measurement of coordination, precision, and reflexes. Someone with Dexterity would be best suited for gymnastics, marksmanship, or, the most prestigious of all sports, parkour. Those with high Dexterity will find tasks involving accuracy or speed to be much easier-by the way, speed here is more like reflexes or moving quickly, not a faster mile time or anything. Dexterity will be necessary for gunslingers and infiltrators alike, and also anyone who wants to be able to help their squad win the Dreadnaughts Annual Beer Pong Competition. While your more sluggish, tortoiselike comrades are busy getting shot and suckerpunched, you'll be standing in the center of the hurricane, seeing the world in bullet-time.

Dexterity, in short, will affect tasks that require precision and reflexes-quick draws, marksmanship, and defusing bombs are examples of tasks you want to be Dexterous for.

CONSTITUTION

Constitution is a measurement of health, physique, and durability. Someone with high Constitution would be best suited for rope-a-dopeing their enemy in boxing, or maybe cross country running. Because college is not going to pay for itself. Those with high Constitution will find that they get tired more slowly, that those poison darts they just got hit with don't really seem to be doing anything, and that if you miss those vaccines you're supposed to get every few years, you'll still turn out okay. Constitution's important for anyone who doesn't want to get left behind during daily PT will want to invest a few points here. When your platoon gets hit with toxic gas, the little bitches you are contractually bound to call "squadmates" are gonna be passing out. You're the sort you can eat six steaks a day and not gain a pound, although maybe that has something to do with the twelve back-to-back three minute miles you run each morning.

Constitution, in short, will affect tasks that require physical wellness and toughness-resistance to disease, injury, and poison, your endurance, and your resiliency are all factors that are determined by Constitution.

CHARISMA

Charisma is a measurement of charm, social capabilities, and rhetoric. Those with high Charisma would be best suited for stealing your girl while you're busy playing football or running cross country. Those with high Charisma will find that they can smoothtalk even the most stubborn of adversaries, analyze the insecurities of the people they're talking to, and never go home alone after a night on the town. Charisma will influence your ability to win over others, boosting morale and subtly influence their behavior. After all, why get yourself shot when you talk some dumb bastard who dumped all his points into Strength into doing it for you? You'll be at the base, asking (read: ordering) Belroth for a raise while he shines your shoes

Charisma, in short, will affect interpersonal tasks: persuading others to join your case, selling elaborate lies off the cuff, and leading your flock of sheep-like comrades into the fray are all skills affected by Charisma.

WISDOM

Wisdom is a measurement of life experience, discipline, and sagacity. Those with high Wisdom would be best suited for being team captain of any sport, finding that they could apply themselves to succeed in any situation. While the Charisma guys are off making the chicks swoon and the Dexterity asshole is throwing playing cards into a brick wall, you'll be sitting in your room, quietly contemplating the nature of warfare. Is a mercenary's role just, or are you merely an extension of the military-industrial complex? Also, like, what if the color blue that you see isn’t the same as the one I see? Those with high Wisdom are patient, natural leaders, and unshakable in even the most high intensity of situations. They're the sorts of people that others turn to during stressful times. Also, they can say the most bullshit things ever, but as long as they stare off into the distance and say it in a really Zen way, people will totally buy it. Probably even get it tattooed on their chest or something, too.

Wisdom, in short, affects your calmness and clearmindedness-those with a high Wisdom are more resilient to psychological trauma, more capable of helping to calm others and keep them focused, and more disciplined and focused on the task at hand.

INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence is a mensuration of one's intellectual capabilities. Perchance the lesser combatants of the Dreadnaughts paramilitary organization lapse into monosyllabic churlishness when they endeavor to convey their eloquence and cognitive-okay, I'm getting sick of this shit. Intelligence. You might get your ass kicked by the football team, but you've got Ivy Leagues as your fallback schools. Those with higher Intelligence will have superior problem-solving skills, more knowledge to draw from, and unparalleled analytical abilities. Also, you'll be crippled by student debt, but fuck it, when you're a neurologist who serves as the President's translator on the weekends, you'll pay that shit off in no time. Maybe, in a combat situation, everybody else will be firing wildly and running for cover. You'll be sizing up your surroundings like a modern-day Napoleon, maneuvering through the battlefield like a shark maneuvers through a sushi bar. And you kick ass at Jeopardy.

In short, Intelligence affects mental and analytical skills-problem-solving, strategizing, and comprehending advanced concepts like internal medicine or engineering.

The Reckoning Of Lesser Men. (Conspiracies. Soldiers of Fortune. Interest Check. Open.

Always room for more, TheChancellor. Actually that's a straight up lie, we'll eventually get too many people, but for now there's always room.

And as for the drone, Beowulf, I must say I like the idea although I can make no promises as to how usable the drone will be in some regions we'll go to. My advice would be to make an EOD specialist who uses the drone whenever the terrain/nature of the mission allows. Obviously for a sneaking mission Howard's not gonna be the most helpful. I tried to find the article about drones but I couldn't-essentially, they were starting to find a large number of soldiers growing strangely attached to their specific robot. They'd risk their lives to go and retrieve it, take it out drinking, etc. Interesting stuff. I know they use them for checking out IEDs and defusing bombs-there could definitely be a place for him, although again, not making any promises. He may not get a ton of action, but we haven't had a drone used in any of this RP's incarnations. I believe Maxx had an attack dog once, that was cool.

Synthorian, this is a cool idea for a character but it needs some tweaking. Given how many scars she has, I feel like being "quite a looker" may be unattainable at a certain point. I'd commit fully one way or another. While Belroth's willing to take people of criminal background, he may not feel the risk of harboring a well-known hitwoman to be worth her asset-especially if people were currently looking after her. Running a PMC/attempting to establish his own nation-state, Belroth wouldn't want to risk entangling with the mob or national law enforcement agencies. If she dropped off the grid entirely/faked her death and constructed a new identity, then he may be willing to consider it. Or perhaps if she did some job for the government in exchange for amnesty. He might make use of her services through proxy but probably not directly. And to be in the Dreadnaughts, she'd need formal training (they conduct their own, and you're usually not considered for a frontline position/in the field position if you haven't already had a considerable amount), meaning she couldn't really do the gun kata thing. It's too reckless and risky. Her weapons are okay, although I'll warn you even with a suppressor the Vector's going to make noise unless you use subsonic ammunition, which is significantly less powerful and slower. Usable, but only from very close, and with little stopping power/penetration .You'll have to decide if that tradeoff is worth it. The bowie's also a little big for a infiltrator-something smaller might be a little better suited. It's close to a foot long, which might make drawing and using it quickly tough. Overall it's an interesting concept but a few things will need to get ironed out before she could fit in the Dreadnaughts.

Anywho, I'll be making the OOC shortly, so we can move our enlightened, scholarly discussions from here to there. I'll also make a character vault, where sheets can be submitted.

The Reckoning Of Lesser Men. (Conspiracies. Soldiers of Fortune. Interest Check. Open.

Glad to hear, Beowulf and Synthorian! As far as technology, it's more or less on-par with what we have today-I set it a year in the future mainly for the purpose of nothing coming up and contradicting what we have/allowing for a little wiggle room in terms of realism. However, I don't think a very functional prosthetic leg would be out of the question, particularly if he lost it while working for the Dreadnaughts. I'm not intelligent enough about prosthetics to know for sure, but I imagine (for someone with our characters' budget) it's not unreasonable at all. Dreadnaughts have a handful of drones, along with a limited air fleet (a couple of helicopters, a jet or two). A drone operator would actually be a fun character for someone to have, now that I think about it. As far as fun new toys in the realm of small arms, I'd say anything that's on the market today, or any prototype you know of that's being tossed around at the moment (which could be developed by a year in the future or simply acquired by Belroth and friends).

I'll probably put up the OOC later tonight. Take your time on character sheets-there's no rush.

The Reckoning Of Lesser Men. (Conspiracies. Soldiers of Fortune. Interest Check. Open.

Lookin' forward to it. I'm working on the sheets people have submitted thus far and may put up an OOC later. T

Don't know if the attributes are confusing anybody, but Maxx cooked up this system for helping if anyone needs it.

a 1 in an attribute is barely competent. Someone with a Constitution of 1 would be horribly out of shape (maybe not necessarily fat, just out of shape), an Intelligence of 1 would be a more-or-less dumb individual (not necessarily at a Forrest Gump level, just not bright).

a 2 is below-average. If you work out occasionally, but not often enough to justify a real physical job, you'd be here for Constitution. 2 for Strength might be someone with a little force behind them but not a whole lot-for instance, an elderly grandmother might be a 1 Strength while a spry 9 year old might be 2.

a 3 is average. Nothing exemplary but nothing damning. Just middle of the road.

A 4 is above average, proportional to how below average 2 is. So someone with a 4 Intelligence might be valedictorian of their high school but nowhere near the top of their university. Or perhaps a 4 Charisma is a very charming individual but not able to skate by purely on Charisma (we all know that one asshole that does that).

A 5 is superior-at the level they could find a career based solely off that one stat. A 5 in Charisma could do well in politics, a 5 in Constitution or Strength could probably do a professional sport (maybe not on the NBA/NFL/NHL level, but a step down from that-and do well), so on and so forth.

A 6 is extraordinary. Olympian. Someone with a 6 in Dexterity would be Annie Oakley, or a 6 in Intelligence probably a few IQ points shy of Stephen Hawking. I'm going to put "7" as the "Legendary" status, so any famous historical figures you can think of would fall there for their relevant stat (Marilyn Monroe and Bill Clinton would be 7's in Charisma-hey, regardless of your political views on the guy, he's a suave suave mofo; Usain Bolt would be a 7 in Constitution; Einstein would be a 7 or maybe an 8 in Intelligence, so on and so forth).

Hope that helps give you a frame of reference. Remember you don't need to be good at everything, and it's okay for you to have a character with crippling Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma if you're going for a physical powerhouse-and vice versa. The Dreadnaughts only take the best, so if you're signing on as an analyst and still trying to keep all your stats good, I may start asking questions. Optimize towards what you're gunning for, and then decide if you want to go all the way or leave just a bit of a buffer on your weak zones. I can help give suggestions if anyone needs them.

The Reckoning Of Lesser Men. (Conspiracies. Soldiers of Fortune. Interest Check. Open.

This looks pretty solid to me. Personally, I'd find a point from a stat other than Strength to buff up Dexterity to 4 (what self-respecting dancer has a Dexterity of 3?), but overall the sheet checks out. Belroth will have another Finn to chat with, haha.

The Reckoning Of Lesser Men. (Conspiracies. Soldiers of Fortune. Interest Check. Open.

Plagiarism is such a strong word. I prefer "took unreasonable amounts of inspiration from". Glad to have you back! If it's any consolation, I don't intend for the Fate points to be a major component of the RP, just to serve as your one Get Out of Jail Free card.

Glad to see some interest in this! If a few more people express it we'll set up an OOC.

The Reckoning Of Lesser Men. (Conspiracies. Soldiers of Fortune. Interest Check. Open.

Hey now. Pictures like that are spoilers. Now they all know about [hider] the abrupt end of the RP, where the substance-dependent Dreadnaughts must pass a Willpower check to cope with their PTSD[/hider]

City of Gold OOC

May

If May had more in the way of ferocity than she did felicity, then Baron's leg brushing against her may have been eerily reminiscent of waking a grizzly from its hibernation. Luckily for Baron, May was pretty damned far from a grizzly-although she may have been fit, in another life, as a teddy bear. Where Baron glanced into the car-if he were to focus on the up-close reflection of the window and not the further-in plush leather and sleek design, he'd see a face. Perhaps disturbingly, not his own. A girl's-hard to place exactly how old, but it would be a fair guess to say she was old enough to buy cigarettes but not alcohol. Her features were round and smooth, a born-with-it grace adorning her features with more ease than any plastic surgeon or makeup artist could ever craft. Fading streaks of blonde clawed their way up from the wavy tips of her hair, the dye wearing thinner as it reached her roots. Been a while since she'd seen a hairstylist, perhaps. Smokey eyes were blurred and runny-presumably, from tears-and there was a brief look of desperate, I don't want to believe in case it doesn't work out hope on her features. Nervous teeth chewed into the bottom lips as her brown eyes watched Baron's with eager hesitance.

But that was the beautiful thing about May. Baron might not even notice it. He could lift up his leg, walk off, and never again cross paths with the supernatural Thunderbird that lie before him.

Of course, that was assuming May had nothing to say about it. Baron had perhaps run across a telepath in the past-being a psychologist with an interest in metahumans, it wouldn't be far-fetched. But had he ever heard of the term, he'd surely be able to figure out what was occurring-a voice, crystal clear appearing right in his head, sounding from everywhere and nowhere. The vague, almost-electric sensation of touching the car, of being dangerously close to a live wire-or, perhaps, just a human soul. The car, when touched, seemed to be alive, a force of nature or wild beast rather than cold steel sitting unoccupied on a Friday night in Mendel. The curves seemed natural and organic, the lazy glint of light off the well-polished wax job mirroring that of a light dancing off someone's eyes.

And all the while, May would not shut the hell up. Her voice was a strange mix of throaty and high-pitched: one got the impression she was perhaps a singer, or at least had vocal training of some sort, although she clearly wasn't employing it for the purposes of everyday conversation. The periodic hiccup of someone who's just finished crying interrupted her soliloquy, which raised the question of how the hell a car hiccuped, or needed to hiccup. Mind over matter, as they say. She chattered out words like a machinegun, some frenzied stream-of-consciousness conversation that probably would've continued just as fluidly had Baron not been there.

HEY! Oh my God thank you Jesus finally somebody. Please please please pretty please don't let go. Like don't move away from the car. Just keep touching it okay? Please? It's been so long I don't think I can-oh I sound clingy I shouldn't do that. Um. Hi. Please don't let go. I'm May. I'm the car. Well I'm not the car I'm like more than the car but currently I'm in the car. No not in the car like I'm not inside of it but like I'm possessing the car? No possessing sounds scary. I'm not like a demon or something. I'm a person. Who's in a car. Who is a car. I don't really know. Look please don't let go okay um I'm sorry if I'm freaking you out or something but I promise this is all on the level okay? I just haven't had anybody to talk to in a while and I'm just...uh...listen um listen I can make it worth your while, okay? Like do you need a ride somewhere? I can drive for you in case it hurts your leg-oh sorry I just saw you had the brace on and I like wasn't prying or anything i just thought maybe you might like that? Not that like you need help or anything just in case I thought I'd offer. Um. We can take your friend to? Also I'll like cover gas and stuff and drop you off wherever you need to go I really don't mind like it'd be cool we could go hang out for a while or just you know ride somewhere i don't...um...the car's, like, really nice? I don't want to sound like I'm grandstanding cause I mean it is my car and all but like it's totally vintage and I've just kept it in good shape and all? It's like really super killer-diller you know and maybe uh if you wanted to ride around in it I could just take you wherever. Oh I already said that didn't I? I'm sorry. I'm just nervous. Really nervous. I....um, please don't...please don't let go. The Thunderbird, at this time, let out a sharp huff from the exhaust pipe as if it was entirely out of breath and trying to catch its wind back. Oh I haven't even introduced myself yet have I? I'm so silly. My name's May. Sorry if I'm talking too much. I talk too much when I get nervous sometimes. Not that you're making me nervous you're totally cool I just I dunno I get nervous sometimes you know I don't have like any problems or anything so don't think I'm crazy. I just. Uh. Oh no I'm scaring you off aren't I? I'm sorry. I should just go.

The Reckoning Of Lesser Men. (Conspiracies. Soldiers of Fortune. Interest Check. Open.

Well Hey Hebaboh I think I'm interested in you

Glad to hear it. Leonerdo will be serving as moderator/Co-GM/resident bridge troll so feel free to subvert authority by annoying him however you desire.