Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks 52 Characters from 52 Sessions of the DCRPG Campaign: Part III

(+) Yeah! (+)

The latest great Vostok moment imo was the saga of the auto-chef.

Our auto-chef, designed to produce perfect portion, was actually producing slop, poison! Through investigations from Lush, Ferdinand, Saoirse, and Pepper (I believe) it was discovered that the problem was our incoming food had issues. One of the things immediately agreed upon was this, do not tell Vostok until there is a solution in place.

Once they had their solution, they went to Roz'etta to begin to execute it, and have her design food purifiers. With everything complete, it was time to go to Vostok, who was furious about this problem not being found earlier, only to warm up...slightly, when Roz'etta showed off her designs that would purify all the incoming food.

It shows how much respect, or fear, Vostok has gained since the start of the campaign, and just the entire Vostok cycle.

As for this HM...

I'll go with Jim Rook.

Oh Val, you're great

Oh, and we need more scenes of Vostok happily cleaning Brennus's face.

Undrafted mention I am going to guess Donna Troy

Honorable Mention: The Knight
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/5/1/AAJ38fAAEFSr.jpg
The man who would be #114.

Come on, Dad! Cyril Sheldrake is the second Knight, partnered to the chipper young Squire, an identity he himself held alongside his father, the original Knight, until his death. Like his father, Cyril is also the Earl of Wordenshire. More importantly, however, as the Knight, Cyril is the equivalent of Britains Batman, a Dark Knight Detective that is embedded in grave, grim aspects of London, helping to keep the city safe from the more unhinged threats of the city. Though Cyril is a legacy hero, many see the modern Knight as the greatest of Britains heroes. Perhaps, this is why the recent bad fortunes of the Club of Heroes is so disappointing - with London in an ideological battle for its very soul, the Knights impotency in trying to rally other heroes may have contributed to the rise of Adam Susan to prominence. However, after an attack by the Club of Villains and Checkmate left Big Ben obliterated and Squire injured, Knight was jolted back into action, and he has begun to roam the streets of London once more. Perhaps this will be enough to spark a change within the people of the grand old town.

When I was exploring the conditions of the Batmen of Many Nations, I was concerned with providing each of them a unique voice, a unique culture to their brand of Batman - and not one entirely beholden upon their nationality. When you think about these great international heroes, too often they are solely patriotic or nationalistic totems of iconography. The Knight is far less that, and my hope is that each of the succeeding Batmen will carry on that trend, a trend focused on intimacy. Batman is propelled by a need, an insatiable necessity, to wage a war on crime. The Knight, too, feels this compunction. Both Bruce and Cyril are driven by the ghosts of their fathers, after all. Words echoing to this very day. Of course, Cyril's father is literally haunting him. In exploring my options for the various Batmen, I began to consider that each of the most important Batmen might be portrayed by one of the major actors of the Batman film franchise over the year. For the Knight, I felt that to offset just how grim and frustrating Cyril is, it would be necessary to pick an easily digestible personality. And given that his looming father figure leaves Cyril in a state of arrested development, is there any wonder I chose Will Arnett? Anyways, that's a little taste of how I slap together these characters in the campaign. Whether it's a good system or not, that's up to you.

Honorable Mentions wrap up for the time being with a character who deserves a Top 50 placement but has been abandoned since her introduction.

Poor Midge

I had faith from the beginning that the Knight would be fine so long as we could get him and his Robin on the same page. It was really rewarding to have Squire pull him out of his funk.

That sounds like a Jessica Midnight?

Knight as Will Arnett was great because a lot of the players hadn't seen Arrested Development - which means they had less context when Knight, Squire, and previous Knight all demonstrated what they thought a chicken sounded like.

That seen had me in absolute stitches, by the way. I about died.

As for this...Jessica Midnight sound right-ish, but so does...Olapet?

Or Maris Verdugo?

This might be Whisper actually

Honorable Mention: Jinal Ne' Comar
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/1/AAJ38fAAEEep.png
The woman who would be #113.

The Barren Earth. Imagine the legacy of Lex Luthor. A life spanning nearly a century, the greatest foe of Superman gave way to a daughter, a woman who, in her position starkly opposed to the influence of her father, gained instead an enemy. And when Luthor conspired to see his daughter eliminated as a threat to his universal dominance, Jinal found herself flung into the far past and a far place, the uncharted continents of Skartaris. It was here that Jinal witnessed what her father's careless, callous lust for power created - destruction, devastation, an apocalypse. What I love about Jinal is that her response is as a survivor, a member of the continent of which she could have lived as a stranger in a strange land. She bonded with those people and, like a natural Luthor, took lead, seizing the reins of power, but in this case, to guide them to a new world. Jinal reminds me of a Luthor - but more than that, she reminds me of both of her parents. Actually, all three of them. But I guess, you know, I can't talk about that yet. We haven't, you know, conquered that aspect of the campaign in full. There's more to come, after all. Miles to go before the entire tale of the maybe-daughter of the Society's most powerful member takes shape.

Chalk this ranking up as one that is predominantly built on my personal excitement. Jinal Ne' Comarr and her band of refugees-turned-navy have the potential to turn over not just the state of Skartaris but to upend the campaign as well. Anchored on the bombshell revelation that, sometime in the future, Lex Luthor will have a daughter, and that he really fucking hates that daughter, the Barren Earth Fleet ties such an isolated, distant world to the very real, very close realm of the surface world, where Lex Luthor currently stands as a second-in-command to Darkseid. So how will these two tales ultimately unite? I can't wait to see. This is such an open-ended story, and with diplomacy winning out among the Skartaris party's first encounters with Jinal, what will come next will be a delicate balancing act, as two worlds collide, the people of two continents now condensing into one. For me, the driven determination of Jinal may seem protagonistic, but the moment Tara Morgan enters the picture? I see fireworks in our future. And boy howdy, do I love a good catfight, especially when the fate of the world is at stake.

Top half time! #50 wasn't drafted - but if you know the characters I LIKE, you really should have picked her early on.

Jinal is super cool! I'm excited to get back to Skartaris - we just were focused on Starsa and got to space, and since then there's been a little apprehension since Jennifer is a captive of Deimos and all.

I'll admit, I considers using my free nat 20 on a convincing lie to Tara Morgan. Now... I'm a little scared to return, lol. But Saoirse doesn't know the full truth!

Roz'etta talking to Waller about Jinal was such a big moment for that relationship. It was one of the first times Roz'etta went to Waller as both a student and a protector of sorts, for The Wall's connection to the Salvation Run that ruined Jinal's life.

This sounds like a Xanadu.

How the Jinal and Tara relationship develops is one of the things I am most looking forward to in Skartaris. I'm invested in knowing what he deal is off the just one real meeting.

Xanadu is a good guess for this one. Whisper fits this one too!

Didn't Brennus draft Whisper?

He's MI not Brenns and no he did not

Whisper was undrafted.

#50 - Manhunter
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/4/8/AAQcMAAADeZk.png

Kate Spencer, attorney-at-law.

The vigilante Manhunter is known as such for her willingness to track down the most violent, dangerous meta-criminals and put her staffs energy right through their skulls. But in reality, this began as a measure borne out of desperation - Kate was Los Angeles star D.A, but when a quartet of criminals (including Deadshot) were to be released on an evidence misfiling technicality, Kate decided that the law was only working so far for her. She donned her costume and equipped weapons that were provided to her by a former witness and longtime friend, Dylan Battles. Manhunter was one of a new generation of heroes, but her fledgling career was cut short when she was captured in the Battle of Metropolis and turned into a Prime Fury in Leesburg. After a brief encounter with Checkmate agents, Kate was injured, but left alive, she vowed their next meeting would go very differently.

Woo boy, did it ever.

Utilizing the powerful weapon once possessed by the False Mad Hatter known as the Control Band, Checkmate took the opportunity at the Battle of Leesburg to release Kate from the hold of the programming instilled by Desaad and the Equation. Suddenly, Kate was in possession of her faculties once more, and she used the opportunity to assist the party during the most pivotal battle of the campaign thus far. Refugees were whisked away to safety, Hush was captured and God was dead. But the real meat and bones of Kate's story has only just begun, mon frere.

For, you see, Kate's greatest bond is with her son. A son that has been a part of Z'onn Z'orr's populace for over two years now, by my reckoning. Ramsey Robinson was first met in Los Angeles, in Kate's home, where he was contemplating putting a bullet into his own father's skull. After all, sleeper OMACs come in many shapes and sizes, none more devastating than the sort that resembles your father in every way except one: that at any moment they could be switched to On Mode and become subject to the whims of Simon Hurt. Fortunately, Ramsey wasn't forced to make such a life-altering decision; instead, Pepper protected him from this terrible fate and spared the young lad his first murder.

Since then, Ramsey has been groomed to take on a significant role within Checkmate, joining Pepper's infiltration team and occasionally training with her for field work. But his ultimate triumph has been, in the wake of his mother's arrival in Z'onn Z'orr, nursing her recovery and attempting to find a way for her to blossom into her old self. Kate's struggle to rediscover her purpose, her very personhood, has been fraught with peril - her mind often rebels against the control band, resulting in terrible bouts of physical agony and pain. Yet Kate is a mother first and foremost, she's a lawyer second, and beneath it all, she underscores heroism. Kate's sheer will is the stuff of comic book legend - her fight never diminishes, her courage unflappable. With a son like Ramsey fighting for her his mother every step of the way, it's become clear that Kate may well be a reservoir for Checkmate's dire need for stability.

Of note: recently, Kate Spencer broke up a fight between that rascal Brennus and his archenemesis Ari Dzerchenko in the library. Threatening both with jail time, Kate managed to manipulate the situation, forcing them to accept a police-imposed punishment where they will be forced to spend a day locked in a room with each other. Kate is proving to be something of a clever manipulator, and I think even Brennus respects how she handled the library blow-up (second of its nature in as many RP weeks). To me, Kate is a mom, through-and-through. But she's also savvy, a fighter, and tough as nails. Combine that all together, and for my money, she's proven to be one of the most compelling characters in the campaign. And what, with her desire to tear down the entire order of Furies across the country, I have a feeling we'll be seeing far more of Kate as our tale progresses.

#49 was undrafted, and I didn't see this one coming at all.

Kate was not high on my list just because I did not think she did enough or had enough of an impact on the campaign. Should have included Scarlet factor

Roz'etta's goal of clearing the Equation is going to lead her more and more to Kate, and I can't wait.

As for this one...could it be Jesse?

Kate is bae.

She's having trouble figuring out the control band and her mind but she's a good test case, considering we duplicated the control band and have another one

I like Kate but I'm not sure how Saoirse fits in with her - if there's any rapport there, it comes through Our Mutual Friend (not Lizzie Hexam), Damon Mathews.

Oh guess is Oracle

Oh, and Roz'etta needs to talk to her about the Manhunters, whom she has a connection to!

So much Kate I need to get to...

While Jesse and Oracle are good guesses, the hint points me to I, Spyder

#49 - Madame Xanadu
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/8/4/AAJ38fAAEGbE.png
Didn't see coming.

The Lady of the Lake. The lover of Aztar. The all-seeing eye. Madame Xanadu was and remains one of the most crucial cogs in the magical machine that has been turning for centuries up until its destruction at the hands of the Spectre. Early on in the Spectres persecution of all things magic, he visited Xanadus shop in Greenwich Village, taking her eyes, burning them right from her head with his divine fury. Speculation is rampant as to why she was among the first to be attacked by the untethered Spirit of Vengeance, but theories are mostly twofold: firstly, that Xanadu was a lover to the Spectre for many, many years, and their strange, ancient relationship was unsettling to the Spectre and his newfound desire to eradicate the sin of the arcane from the universe. The second reason is this: Xanadu was the most powerful fortune teller on the planet, and to eliminate her foresight was to give the Spectre ample time to hunt down wizards and witches in peace. Whatever the truth, however, Xanadu was left bleeding from her eye sockets, collapsed on the floor of her sparse, humble store - it would take her weeks to eventually manage to craft a spell in darkness to escape to Oblivion. Xanadu no longer can truly see the future and the destinies of her newfound allies in Checkmate and the Shadowpact, but she possesses an untold amount of wisdom that likely could turn the tide in the battle for survival against the Spectre. However, her words are forged into riddles, a tactic that is likely intentional - Xanadu seeks a new pair of eyes, and she will dangle her wisdom above the heads of her new allies as a reward for finding them.

Madame Xanadu exists as an enigma. Inscrutable, her tarot cards held close to the chest, anytime our lady chooses to speak, all are wise to listen. Perhaps my favorite aspect of Xanadu is that she is a prime candidate for the Star Sapphire Ring. She's a perfect match - and that begins with her lvoe for the Spectre. But more than that, Xanadu has a deep, resonating empathy that echoes out towards any party member willing to devote even a modicum of their time to her. She will grab you and hold you and clutch your hand so tightly that her nails will dig into your palms until they bleed. But she only does so because she is so governed by passion. In her way, Xanadu falls in love with everyone she meets. Their futures, their fates she reads, become hers. All she can see is the murky path of an untrodden future - as such, perspectives become mixed, and I think that demonstrates why Xanadu is so entirely distant. A soothsayer and fortune teller who can't see the present around them relies on the lives of others to provide illumination, and that is Xanadu in a nutshell.

After this list was made, Data 7 visited Xanadu. I greatly enjoyed their conversation. After Data 7 willingly sacrificed his love for a dear animal acquaintance, Corduroy, Xanadu retreated to gentle understanding. For, you see, Corduroy has a place in the grander scheme of magic's unsure future. To allow him to be let go may well see Corduroy excel to heights unheard of by otterkind. But only if Data 7 can release him. Xanadu, in her much younger days, was forced to adhere to this same principle, releasing the Spectre to his fated divine provenance. I hope that this shared understanding will draw these two very disparate being closer together. We shall see.

In the meantime, only the blind matron of Oblivion has a hint of what's to come. Great darkness shrouds the empires of Earth, and it's up to the Shadowpact, and their prophetess, to unleash a new age of magic across this fallen sphere, imprisoned in red and green.

#48 was also undrafted, though I halfway saw that coming this time.

Knowing that Xanadu and Roz'etta have a little bit in common with regards to love is a big shocker as a player. Even though I've very, very rarely gone to see her, she really does steal the scenes she's in.

This one...J'see?

I want the gauntlets I took from Fury Kate back still :weary:

Ugh this is either Jesse or Deathstroke

Xanadu is really great..I think the nature of her, being in mystery and as a witchy fortune teller type makes her a little less approachable - but when she is approaches it's always great.

Saoirse took Bunny to her recently, and Xanadu told Bunny, in no fancy words at all: "You are not a burden."

It was really touching.

Xanadu is one of my favorites, she was top 10 in my list just now. I've wondered how it is she has an extra set of eyes though. Did she see what was to come and knew she needed a backup? Then why let it happen at all? Here mysteries really will shed a lot on the battles we will have with The Spectre.

My bad guess for this one is Doctor Mid-Nite

I picked a bad few days to fall behind, so many new rankings!

Squire, Stargirl, Lono, Arisia, Vostok...lots of characters I liked getting ranked and mentioned honorably.

hombad46 posted...

The draft gets brought up a lot, so for the sake of the readers here it is:

Thanks for sharing this!

HanOfTheNekos posted...

Knight as Will Arnett was great because a lot of the players hadn't seen Arrested Development - which means they had less context when Knight, Squire, and previous Knight all demonstrated what they thought a chicken sounded like.

That seen had me in absolute stitches, by the way. I about died.

This might be my favorite anecdote I've heard yet by the way, I think I would have been in tears if I were there in the moment.

Finally caught again!

Lots of good characters and writeups.

#48 - Jesse Custer
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/7/AAOJ0pAADYC_.png
The preacher.

Jesse Custers long and storied history began in Texas, where he pastored a small church to irrelevance before being coopted as a host for Genesis, the so-called Voice of God. Jesse spent years meandering across the world alongside his girlfriend Tulip and his Irish companion Cassidy, searching for meaning in the chaos of life. For a spell, he led a congregation in No Mans Land, even. Eventually, Jesse tricked the Saint of Killers into killing God - or so he claims. And with his mission at an end, Jesse prepared to ride off into the sunset with Tulip - until A-Day through the world into chaos. Now without Genesis, Jesse has spent his time fighting the establishment in Warpath until the city was run over by the Society. Following this, he returned with some old friends to Zonn Zorr, where he serves as its only spiritual leader.

In Campaign 1, Jesse had yet to really begin his journey. In Campaign 2, it's a journey completed for our preacher friend, and boy, what a journey it seems to have been. After all, God is dead. So how do you reconcile a life of spiritual ministration with the complete destruction of everything you swore to uphold? Jesse plays quite a balancing act philosophically and religiously in a world that has no hope. Ultimately, this means that Jesse's gruff, violent attitude is underlined by a surprisingly humanistic approach; in some ways, Jesse embodies a very active, in-your-face hope. The sort of hope that causes someone to shake their friends by the collar and slap the doubt out of their face. Jesse has been unbound by what he seems to have experienced in the intervening years between campaigns, and I think that makes him either dangerous or inspiring.

In addition, Jesse has been roped into the story of Uncle Sam as well as Susie. Roz'etta's interplay with Jesse has become the predominant source of Jesse Custer content in the campaign, and as such, it's interesting to watch arguably the softest, most inoffensive member of the party rely so heavily on a minister torn in two wildly disparate directions. A major facet of Jesse's personality is crafted around that rugged self-determination, but also a compunction to kill to defend not just Jesse himself, but to preserve some sense of justice.

Most people could not live up to his codes and he is usually rough against those with failings. He treats kindness with kindness, and not much can surprise him in life. In some manner he does follow the Ten Commandments, although his hand is sometimes forced to break them in self-defense or in order to follow his code. That really measures the line drawn between John Wayne and Uncle Sam, two of Jesse's predominant influences. As the tale of Uncle Sam wraps itself around the heart of this campaign, Jesse Custer represents a transition from the old order of Americana value to a new, unsteady set of principles - and all the while, holding tightly to the knowledge (and perhaps guilt) that Jesse Custer may have partially doomed the world by allowing his code of ethics to see God destroyed. Forever.

#47 sees Hombad earn some points!

Jesse is a character who I think would benefit greatly from us pursuing his personal story. He's always had such a great voice - taking him to the field to find Tulip would make for a pretty special time.

I'm glad he's been getting involved with Sam stuff. I know we have a huge cast, but it's interesting how different the campaigns have been in terms of our characters going to Jesse - he really was one of the leaders and inspirations that we could go to in campaign 1, and here he hasn't risen to the same role despite being accessible early.

I wonder if it's a case of wider cast, or something to do with the nature of the world - campaign 1 we were always looking for leaders we could rely upon and trust - here, we have the leaders already. Or at least, we're the leaders. It's a curious difference.

Jesse's a fun character and was one of the top favorites in campaign 1, where he had a sort of rivalry going on with Obrov. They eventually settled things, but I still enjoyed their interactions.

If I'm earning points here I'm gonna say.... Kobra.

hombad46 posted...

If I'm earning points here I'm gonna say.... Kobra.

My boyfriend!

love me Jesse and Roz'etta, who should be enemies, being such close friends

oh, and for those who followed the story of Jesse in my topic and wondered what happened with the 'God is a boy named Wally' story...

Well, Leesburg was saved, but Wally was killed by The Spectre, thus proving that Wally, despite his immense knowledge, was not God.

Varra was a big fan of Jesse in Campaign 1. Brennus is having more of a crisis of faith, so talking to Jesse might be fun if I ever find the time for it.

#47 - Pawn 905. Jason Burr. Kobra.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/7/1/AAOJ0pAADa_L.jpg
Never smile at a crocodile.

From the day they first arrived, the Checkmate field teams found friendship in Pawn 905. Whether it was helping to install Minervas medically-necessary sleeping pool, teaching Data 7 how to use the new elevator system, or providing Bloodfruit with a brief understanding of how the strange computer terminals operated, Jason was there to support his allies in the war against Darkseid. But Jason held a dark secret - he was the twin brother of the original Kobra, and upon the death of his brother Jeffrey, he took on the trappings and mangle of his brother. Worming his way into the echelons of Checkmate, Jason lay in wait, poised to strike at its most vulnerable moment. Taking in all of the information they uncovered, Jason decided to break loose from the chains that were holding him down in Checkmate, and he unleashed chaos alongside his two sleeper agents in Checkmate - Abe Crane and Jack Wyznowski. Nearly murdering everyone in Zonn Zorr, Jason stole the Nemesis and made his way, almost alone, to the location of his next target: Qurac, where he plans to destroy the warring factions of the League of Assassins. In his wake, he has left destruction, both physically and emotionally, leaving an irreparable scar on the resistance against Darkseid, and now, him.

Dewormers were wrecked. Captain Lash hanged. Prisoners in Holding ended up slaughtering before their own slaughter. And Saoirse? Well, Saoirse learned in the most brutal of ways that even the most superficial of physical connections can have the worst ramifications. After biting off her lip and poisoning her, Jason left Saoirse for dead.

For a great deal of time, the story of Pawn 905 was a retroactive one. Jason, of course, had been in Z'onn Z'orr from the very beginning, and his existence - combined with preestablished history with each character - was meant to be a comforting one. Yet, quickly, suspicions were raised by some players. Ultimately, they bore fruit - a snake lies in wait, preparing to strike when its prey is at its most vulnerable point. Jason, obsessed with the destruction of the world in the name of Kali Yuga, is that snake. He has proven to be a remarkably talented, remarkably confident and remarkably deadly foe who will stop at nothing to see Earth's final destruction in the name of his Death Cult. Of course, this puts him in diametric opposition to Darkseid, so where will that ultimately lead?

Kobra has since been encountered on multiple continents, the agenda of its servants to wreak havoc, gather power, and prepare for the return of Yuga Khan.

In terms of all of the villains in the campaign, no one has made it as personal as our old friend, Pawn 905. And that earns him this spot on the list.

#46 was a bottom-half draft pick!

I'm going to kill him.

scarletspeed7 posted...

Yet, quickly, suspicions were raised by some players.

Plural? I don't recall anyone else being suspicious of him.

hombad46 posted...

Plural? I don't recall anyone else being suspicious of him.

Yeah, there were some, but they went along with it anyway.

War, I will destroy all Dewormers if they get in my way.

To build off of this... Jason was a silly character. He was this guy that was retroactively added into scenes, and it was a great vision just imagining the video of seeing scenes we've already seen but with him in there... Like a Forrest Gump type deal.

Anyway, Jason ended up being somebody... Almost a rebound of sorts for Saoirse... And I was happy to have everyone get some more screentime with him. But something was going to come at some point...

I fully expected Jason to die. I thought he was going to get killed or turned by OMAC's. I did not expect him to be the problem... And that betrayal was just so sweet.

Saoirse has had this issue with putting him off... And it's been on my list to do more about him, but I started with "we can't blindly chase him down even though I want to". So I kind of need to gain ground with those feelings again... It's a little messy but I'm doing my best.

Also interesting is that Saoirse just was driven by anger to defeat Ragnar, and given the opportunity to let Iolande kill him, Saoirse pleaded for mercy. So what happens when she gets her claws into Kobra? Can she let herself be driven by rage here?

It's a fascinating study with my character, and I wish I didn't let it sit for so long.

When Spirit first met Jason (or at least the first time he actually remembers), I had him go along with it and say he remembered seeing him before. This was described as a lie, so I figured next time we spoke I just wouldn't play along with his games. Spirit was totally honest that the next conversation was the first time they've done more than exchange greetings, and Jason asking a bunch of probing questions was uncomfortable. Jason called him an asshole lol.

Clearly, Saoirse has the most reason to be angry at Jason and want him dead, but I think Brennus is right behind her. In Hong Kong, he was the one that Kobra's agents were the angriest towards and struck against first.

For the readers, when Jason revealed himself and attacked Z'onn Z'orr, he offered to take Brennus with him. He is after the League of Assassins and with everything the League has done to Brennus' family, Brennus had a reason to go with him. Brennus played along for a while, before ultimately deciding against it, but as I told scar during the session I was very, very close to letting Brennus go with him, rolling up a new character and seeing what came from that decision...