Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web.

While unregistered users are able to browse the forum on a basic level, registering an account provides additional forum access not visible to guests as well as the ability to join in discussions and contribute yourself! Registration is free and instantaneous.

Join our community today!

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Ultimate SSU: History, Info, and Sign-up
Topic Started: Jan 21 2013, 07:03 PM (4,199 Views)
Kamidio
Member Avatar
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
I am the Clocksmith. I have traversed the entirety of time and space. I have seen the beginning of things, and I have seen the end. I have seen all of the universe and its splendor. I have seen other universes as well. All of them. I know every detail about them, in and out. I am the Clocksmith. Guardian of Time. Protector of Space. I am history repeating.

I am here to offer you an opportunity. An opportunity unlike any other. I have the desire to see a new universe. But I wish to be surprised. I will not interfere, but I will give you a basic structure from which you can build the ultimate universe.


You shall begin life on Earth. It's history is relatively the same, with minor differences. This Earth is incredibly similar to yours, to the point where you could spend an entire lifetime without finding one. This is where you come in. I want you to fill the planet with changes and alterations. Nothing too drastic. I want differences that, with time, will give rise to a drastically different future.

I want you to make superheroes. Supervillains. Anti-heroes. Anti-villains. Everything in between.

There is a section labelled 'character allignment'. Basically, there is a grid on which you allign your character. There is Good and Evil scale, and there is the Lawful and Chaotic scale.

Here's a sample, with several recognizable people from other universes, along with flavor text.

Spoiler: click to toggle


I shall provide a template with which you can build a life.

Quote:
 
Character Name/Secret Identity:

Character Description:

Character Allignment:

Character Bio:

Powers:

Weaknesses:

Character Music:
[flash=800,200][/flash]



I shall provide a filled out template with a character to help you get started.

Quote:
 
Character Name/Secret Identity: Snakebite / Sean Penn

Character Description: A tall, thin man. His cheekbones are high, his eyes sharp. His skin is pale, and his mouth is wide. Thin lips, a long, split tongue, and long canines. Piercings and tatoos all over his body. The mere sight of this man brings to mind the primal fear of serpents. This man is a snake.

Character Allignment: Neutral Good; Snakes don't care about Chaos or Order. They just bite anything that's big enough for them to eat and has a pulse.

Character Bio: Born into a family known for their conformist demeanor, Sean is the black sheep of the family. Rather than get tanned skin, bleached hair, and do what's popular, Sean bleached his skin, darkened his hair, and did things he found good. He listened to what he wanted, modified his body as he wished, and worked out not to look good, but for strength.

He also took an interest in the sciences of herpetology and genetics. While on a lab tour in a famous college, Sean broke away from the group to use the restroom. Unbeknownst to him, an genetically modified snake had escaped earlier that day. As Sean emptied his bladder, the snake bit him from it's hiding place in the corner.

Venom coursed through his veins. Rather than kill him, the bite hospitallized him. While in intense care, his body changed. His jaw gained another hinge. Another row of teeth grew into his mouth, hidden between his cheeks and his normal teeth. He became part snake. Now with the ability to fully defy his family, Sean escaped the hospital and vanished into the night.


Powers:

Mouth of a snake: He can eat things much larger than his head, due to hinges, and the second set of teeth in his mouth. Among these teeth are a set of gigantic fangs capable of delivering a venomous bite. He's capable of digesting everything but solid metal and plastic, so he is perfectly capable of smuggling things and erasing evidence.

Enhanced senses: His senses of smell and taste are enhanced to the point that a single flick of the tongue can let him track a target for miles. He can sense heat, like a viper. He also has a 'tremor' sense. He can sense vibrations in the ground, which makes it hard to sneak past him without flying.

Enhanced strength: He is much stronger than the average human, capable of tossing a VW Beetle across a two-lane street with ease.

Tech: Due to his own connection with the scientists of the lab, he's managed to procure a mechanical tail complete with a rattlesnake rattle. He's also got a special set of boots and gloves that allow him to scale vertical surfaces without footholds, called 'Gecko Gloves'.


Weaknesses:

Antivenom: Due to the fact that his venom is the same as that of the Eastern Diamondback Rattler, his venom can be counteracted by shooting him in the salivary glands with the antivenom.

EMP: His tail is purely mechanical in nature and can be shut down foricbly with an EMP. It is also possible to shut it down via hacking, cutting off the power source, or by knocking Snakebite unconsious.

Fear: He has a crippling fear of animals that feed on snakes, such as arachnids, eagles, coati, and mongooses. Things that resemble those four are enough to scare him.

Heat: He is naturally drawn to sources of heat, so he can be drawn in to traps involving fire and lava.



Character Music:





Remember, I want to see a brand new universe. Create something original and break the mold!
Edited by Kamidio, Jan 21 2013, 08:53 PM.
SSU:NC - Finding a new home.
Posted Image
Quotes
WAA
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Replies:
Ebervalius
Member Avatar
Transhuman
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
I'll join this.
The Sirens of the Land of Fire
Codex Ebervaliorum

Spoiler: click to toggle
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Another question, what's the character limit?
F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
dialforthedevil
Member Avatar
Frumentarii Administrator

I'm up for this, for story can it just be villains coming up with evil plots (nothing over the top yet), heroes trying to stop them etc. I think that will be good fun and make for a good RP. A truly non-linear one, but keep it within a single city like New York so the action is condensed.

I'll kick off the application then!

Character Name: Nicholas Leaze

Character Description:
Posted Image

He knows he's better than you. He's got everything going for him, wears designer everything, even his socks. The watch he wears on his wrist probably costs more than the house you were born in.

Character Alignment: Is there one for couldn't care less but would happily bleed you dry for a quick buck?

Character Bio: Born in Louisiana, Nick wasn't like the other kids he lived around. Nick always assumed that somehow he was going to make it big, no matter how. As Nick grew up people began to notice how certain chemicals were being stolen from the science labs and ending up in the hands of meth addicts, and how each time those chemicals were stolen Nick would have a brand new bike, or watch, and when he started to attend school in designer suits. Things his parents clearly couldn't afford. Nick was eventually kicked out of school when he attempted to bribe the teacher into turning the other way after he and a group of boys were collecting the tithes from younger pupils as part of their 'protection money' from the boys in Nick's employ.

Nick left home as soon as he could and moved to New York, eventually becoming a stock broker for a large firm and earning a fortune in the 80s. Nick had everything the model wife, the dream sports car and the perfect house. Along with a cocaine addiction, but then everyone did in the 80s. However when the markets crashed Nick lost it all, the house, the car, the wife; still kept the addiction though (life's a bitch). Living on the streets, an idea that horrified Nick he tried desparately to find a way out. Eventually he became a human guinea pig for a new serum which was meant to slow down the onset of wrinkles, the cream failed to prevent the onset of wrinkles largely, however Nick suddenly found that he had regenarative powers when two muggers shot and stabbed him to no avail as he walked home that night. Realising the profits he could make from this new power Nick burnt down the lab it was created and temporarily mutilated his face so that he could sue the company for gross misconduct (of course he healed rapidly and so had to leave the court early after his dramatic appearance for 'family issues'). The only memories he has of his parents and childhood is the drawl accent which he hates with a passion slipping through his sneering trans-Atlantic accent.

With the money he obtained from from the drugs company he came out to the world as the 'Immortal Man', and began to sell an anti-aging drug which was brewed from Nick's own blood apparently (In reality Nick is terrified of needles, but that's no bad thing since a heroine addiction is the last thing he needs). People flocked by the thousands to buy the cream, and the FDA seemed to turn a blind eye to his miracle cream. Of course by the time people started realising that his ointments were a hoax he had already bought up most other drug companies and so didn't care much anyway. These days Nick is the ever selfish prick he was back in the 80s and he's only ever interested in increasing his profit margins even if that dabbles into the illegal.

Powers: Nick has minor regenarative powers, he can't regrow new limbs but his body can rejuvenate in the space of an hour from major burns, gunshot wounds, stabbings etc. He doesn't quite know whether he is truly Immortal, but he never seems to age.

Weaknesses: Nick cannot regenarate whole limbs, he learnt this after he bet his hand in a drunken game of poker, he lost and chopped off his own hand. The stub healed within the hour although the hand never did, in fear that people might realise his weakness he comissioned for an ultra realistic prosthetic hand to be built for him. After that the people who made it for him mysteriously turned up dead and the company was bought up by Gatz Pharmaceuticals.

Nick has a really bad cocaine addiction. It's become even worse a long with his smoking and drinking once he realised he can never get cancer.

At the end of the day though Nick believes that if he earns enough money his old wife will come back to him, he wishes the world was like the 80s again. She never will though.

Character Music:


Edited by dialforthedevil, Jan 22 2013, 12:29 PM.
Please come visit A Scientfic Fantasy http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3433014/1/

ALSO!!! JOIN THE NEW RPG SITE!!! FOR ALL MEMBERS!!! IM GOING TO RUN MA GLOBAL SIMULATORS THERE!!! http://s4.zetaboards.com/jasonguppy/index/

Join the Campaign to save minotaurs from extinction!!! (include this in your signature to show your support!)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Canis Lupis
Member Avatar
Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

I really really like that character dial. Seems awesome (as does the idea about the RP just being heroes fighting villains and foiling their plots).
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
If we have a main city, I would like it to be fictional one, as to avoid the confusion that the last RP suffered from.
F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Kamidio
Member Avatar
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Dial, accepted. His alignment would be Chaotic Neutral, because of his disregard for laws, but he doesn't come off as truly vile or purely good.

There might be some hero-villain conflicts at first, but there will be an over-arching plot hinted at.
SSU:NC - Finding a new home.
Posted Image
Quotes
WAA
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Kamidio
Member Avatar
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
trex841
Jan 22 2013, 08:58 AM
Another question, what's the character limit?


I would make the upper limit three.

One gets in via acceptance by moi. The other two get in via a vote from these members: Dial, Canis, Me. Now this isn't to say they're mods, but it is saying that they're trusted.


Three characters will allow for someone to have a tic-tac-toe of alignments.


The city, due to the similarity in theme choice by Dial and I, will be built on Rock 'n' Roll.

The city will be circular and shaped like a record, with major features shaped like other forms of music entertainment, like a-tracks, cassettes, and CDs. The various districts will be named after famous musicians or bands.
SSU:NC - Finding a new home.
Posted Image
Quotes
WAA
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Ok I have 4 or 5 ideas right now, so I'm going to have to do some fat trimming.

While I’m on that topic, I’m having some trouble with coming up with character back-stories and power origins. How often can the “born with it” card be played?
F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Kamidio
Member Avatar
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Once per person.
SSU:NC - Finding a new home.
Posted Image
Quotes
WAA
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
dialforthedevil
Member Avatar
Frumentarii Administrator

It helps to start with what sort of person your character was before they got powers, then decide what makes sense in that context for them to obtain said powers. Then roll with how that character reacts. That's what I did with Nick.

A made up city, but themed on Rock and Roll? Could it be on references only, I don't want that theme too obtrusive. Couldn't we just have something similar to a made-up New York?
Please come visit A Scientfic Fantasy http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3433014/1/

ALSO!!! JOIN THE NEW RPG SITE!!! FOR ALL MEMBERS!!! IM GOING TO RUN MA GLOBAL SIMULATORS THERE!!! http://s4.zetaboards.com/jasonguppy/index/

Join the Campaign to save minotaurs from extinction!!! (include this in your signature to show your support!)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Kamidio
Member Avatar
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
It'll only affect location names, like Dream Boulevard or Highway Tunnel No. 666.
SSU:NC - Finding a new home.
Posted Image
Quotes
WAA
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Ok, I have my characters set up. I wanted to use these 2 first, but I might make a 3rd, have to see. Anyway, I have these two in order, so they should be judged in that order, please.

Quote:
 
Character Name/Secret Identity: Morton Graves

Character Description: Teenage boy, roughly 18 years old, in typical biker garb. Leather jacket, torn jeans, the works.

Character Allignment: Don’t know if angst falls into lawful neutral or lawful good

Character Bio: Mr. and Mrs. Graves wanted to have a child, but the odds seemed agents them. After many a failed attempt, Mrs. Graves finally became pregnant. Everything seemed to be looking up. But then fate played its cruel hand once again. They were informed that there child was going to miscarry. The Graves were crushed, but there was one hope. An experimental new drug could save their unborn child. They accepted, and a few months later their son was born. Horribly misshapen, the child was presumed dead. To the shock of every doctor there however, the child was very much alive. The medicine had an unexpected side effect. It was meant to aid in the development of fetuses that would be malformed, but in the Graves case, it cause the baby to be born with a controllable, but unstable biomass.
Over the years, the child, named Mort, gained control over his shifting powers, but their gory nature made growing up difficult. Most people were scared away by his nature, and the few people that did stick around aren’t exactly the nicest bunch. All this crap throughout his life formed his negative outlook on life, constantly broody and angst filled. However, one thing in his life keeps him on the positive track…
Powers: Shifting biomass. He can morph his body into many different shapes and forms. He can strengthen his muscles to the outer limits of human strength, or run at the top 26 MPH. He can form bone clubs, intestine lassoes, bat wings and more. He also has higher regenerative properties and immunities to poisons and infections.

Weaknesses: Mort only has the biomass that’s on him to work with. He can’t make more to grow, or loose some to shrink. While injuries such as stabs and shots can be healed quickly, losing a limb is a serious deal. If they don’t act immediately, he can’t get it back. Any loss of biomass can be regained, but it takes time. Months, maybe even years.

Character Music:



Quote:
 
Character Name/Secret Identity: Hilda Reznik

Character Description: Teenage girl, roughly 18 years old, fond of baggy gray clothing. Long blond hair with walleyes to match.

Character Allignment: Lawful good, I think. Not to good with this.

Character Bio: Hilda was born with a gift. Unfortunately that gift came in a package that wasn’t big enough for it. She was born with various eye-based powers. Super sight, lasers, you name it she probably has it. However, whatever caused the powers also caused some faulty wiring in the visual center of her brain, causing her eyes to wander and other problems with her power. She was made fun of because of it, and all though it did hurt her, she eventually learned how to deal with it. One thing that helps her cope is her childhood friend, Morton. He protected her from any of there shared bullies she provides the bubbly cheer that counteracts his angst. They make quite the odd duo.

Powers: Heat vision; Freeze vision, X-ray vision, Concussion beams, enhanced sight, Hypnotic fear stare and various other eye-based powers.

Weaknesses: The heat and freeze vision have a tendency to cancel each other out. Her walleyes can force her attacks to fire in the wrong directions. Her X-ray vision can activate without warning, leading to some embarrassing moments. The fear stare only works when she is really mad.

Character Music:

F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Kamidio
Member Avatar
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Morton is in. He'd most likely be Neutral Good.


Hilda needs a bit of reworking. While vision is a good theme, I suggest refining it down to a few specific powers. Also, a person can adapt to life with eyes facing different directions all the time, because it'd be normal for them, so it is unlikely she'd go around bumping into walls or anything. If anything, the off-track eye would expand her range.

I like the idea of her vision-based powers, but due to THE STARE and the fact that her description makes her sound like a certain mail carrier, I'm afraid you have to go back to the drawing board with her.



SSU:NC - Finding a new home.
Posted Image
Quotes
WAA
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
trex841
Member Avatar
Entity
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
While she might be a bit of a klutz, I didn't have it as bad as all that. She can walk around just fine, it's just when trying to aim her lasers or something like that when things can go haywire.

I suppose I could replace the stare with her being damn scary when she’s mad.

And I don’t know what you’re talking about. Any similarities to other characters, real or fictional, is completely coincidental.


“They aren’t buying it”

Shut up!
F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Kamidio
Member Avatar
The Game Master of the SSU:NC
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Nope. Not buying it at all.

Spoiler: click to toggle
Edited by Kamidio, Jan 22 2013, 08:03 PM.
SSU:NC - Finding a new home.
Posted Image
Quotes
WAA
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Enjoy forums? Start your own community for free.
Learn More · Register for Free
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Café Cosmique · Next Topic »
Add Reply