Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks the Top 52 Characters of the Last 52 Sessions in the DCU RPG Campa

(+) Yeah! (+)

Look, Brennus isn't smart.

#29 - Mister Ives
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/7/7/AAUHRBAAEQ61.png
Bedraggled and well-loved, eyes made of buttons that could use new stitching and an ear that inevitably loosens a little more freely with each stretch of his threadbare head, a massive, life-sized teddy bear trundles towards you on soft, powder-puff paws, a toeless foreleg waving gently in your direction. In Manchester, this was the experience of the party as they encountered a trail of refugees that would go on to become the passengers of the Railway to Hogwarts. I would imagine there is nothing quite so reassuring as a friendly, cuddly stuffed animal to have at your side as you brave the unknown, and Mister Ives lives the role to perfection - he's far from aggressive, sweet, slow to any form of anger, and perhaps even a little fearful of this adventure into the unknown. However, he is never without the patience and capacity to offer quiet encouragement.

As with everyone on the Story Line, Lizzie Hexam has picked Mister Ives for a reason. Narratively, there is some hidden possibility in his past that creates doubt, and in that doubt Lizzie has found room for the Story Line to inch closer towards Hogwarts. But unlike each other passenger, who appear one by one, the further the party delves down the train's various cars, Mister Ives has been carefully guarding that secret from others. Though other passengers who have arrived later than Mister Ives seem ready to impart their tales to the party, whatever Mister Ives holds close to his furry, cotton-filled chest... he's not ready to share just yet.

There's a very sweet vulnerability to Mister Ives, but those white-buttoned eyes aren't real ones, and they do well in hiding away whatever dark secret lurks behind the aged teddy. Just how much of Mister Ives' disposition is genuine and how much is exquisitely and intricately crafted? Behind the soft, smothering hugs and the gentle pats of reassurance, who knows what awaits.

Hint: After suffering a significant loss in the commencement of reaching a Snapper beacon for teleportation, the party rescued this new arrival to Z'onn Z'orr, a doctor providing mentorship to Spirit.

I had to avoid mentioning too much regarding Black Lightning during my Marlus write-up, but yeah. Him getting captured just destroyed us, and created the tension in the room when the Satellite started. What I want to mention though, is how we ran into Black Lightning. We were following a lead, but we didn't know if the lead was going to take us to an ally or an enemy. We saw someone inside a bit of a trench, but it was pretty open and daylight. Minerva tapped into a fish that gave her advantage on Sneak rolls, making her the best person for sneaking up on someone on the mission (and we needed to stay hidden from Justifiers that were marching along the street). Since there wasn't much to hide behind, Minerva had Rosetta shapeshift into a trashcan to cover her. After getting close enough, we were thinking that this person might be on our side considering he was hiding from Justifiers likely. So we made a noise to alert him and upon realizing it was Black Lightning, Minerva poked her head out of trash can'zetta. Started to think of ways to get him on their side and just pointed down with: "This trash can is Rosetta" (Because Rosetta was working with Amanda Waller between campaigns, so naturally the hero who is also a politician would know who she is).

For another that I've interacted with in the past, Onomatopoeia. I'm obligated to mention with his appearance something that happened in Campaign 1. As mentioned, he only talks through business cards and... well, onomatopoeias. In Campaign 1, he was the personal bodyguard to Victor Zsasz in a territory filled with some of the worst people one could imagine. After beating both him and Zsasz to finish off that territory, Onomatopoeia handed us a business card that mentioned like "if found, turn over to a particular people that I don't remember." And then we took him to Blackgate Prison. Riev still wanted to get some information out of Onomatopoeia, so he tried to think of a way to get the man to communicate. He brought a chalkboard and some chalk to the prison, much to the prison warden's grief as it was warned that even chalk was a weapon in Onomatopoeia's hands. But Riev figured this could get Onomatopoeia to write down a message. Instead, he drew a picture with the only words being even more onomatopoeias to indicate what he wanted. I felt so defeated in the moment.

I knew we'd have a new write-up in the time I was typing that whole thing about two characters. Mister Ives is so lovable, I want to hug him too.

Is the clue obvious because the question is which of the two doctor mentors it is, or is it going to be a swerve? Hmm.

TotallyNotMI posted...

Is the clue obvious because the question is which of the two doctor mentors it is, or is it going to be a swerve? Hmm.

Well there was a significant loss for both so... yeah unless there's some weird technicality there it's a coin flip.

WickIebee posted...

I had to avoid mentioning too much regarding Black Lightning during my Marlus write-up, but yeah. Him getting captured just destroyed us, and created the tension in the room when the Satellite started. What I want to mention though, is how we ran into Black Lightning. We were following a lead, but we didn't know if the lead was going to take us to an ally or an enemy. We saw someone inside a bit of a trench, but it was pretty open and daylight. Minerva tapped into a fish that gave her advantage on Sneak rolls, making her the best person for sneaking up on someone on the mission (and we needed to stay hidden from Justifiers that were marching along the street). Since there wasn't much to hide behind, Minerva had Rosetta shapeshift into a trashcan to cover her. After getting close enough, we were thinking that this person might be on our side considering he was hiding from Justifiers likely. So we made a noise to alert him and upon realizing it was Black Lightning, Minerva poked her head out of trash can'zetta. Started to think of ways to get him on their side and just pointed down with: "This trash can is Rosetta" (Because Rosetta was working with Amanda Waller between campaigns, so naturally the hero who is also a politician would know who she is).

For another that I've interacted with in the past, Onomatopoeia. I'm obligated to mention with his appearance something that happened in Campaign 1. As mentioned, he only talks through business cards and... well, onomatopoeias. In Campaign 1, he was the personal bodyguard to Victor Zsasz in a territory filled with some of the worst people one could imagine. After beating both him and Zsasz to finish off that territory, Onomatopoeia handed us a business card that mentioned like "if found, turn over to a particular people that I don't remember." And then we took him to Blackgate Prison. Riev still wanted to get some information out of Onomatopoeia, so he tried to think of a way to get the man to communicate. He brought a chalkboard and some chalk to the prison, much to the prison warden's grief as it was warned that even chalk was a weapon in Onomatopoeia's hands. But Riev figured this could get Onomatopoeia to write down a message. Instead, he drew a picture with the only words being even more onomatopoeias to indicate what he wanted. I felt so defeated in the moment.

I love reliving these stories. The second in particular was such a triumphant moment... for Onomatopoeia.

I'm good guessing dog!

TotallyNotMI posted...

Is the clue obvious because the question is which of the two doctor mentors it is, or is it going to be a swerve? Hmm.

It's Soranik. The loss was Iolande's arm.

Mister Ives is a very good teddy.

Mister Ives probably has one of the most relaxing voices of the campaign. It's so easy to just sit back and get lost in his little, calm comments.

HanOfTheNekos posted...

It's Soranik. The loss was Iolande's arm.

scarletspeed7 posted...

the party rescued this new arrival to Z'onn Z'orr

hmm, I don't think so.

scarletspeed7 posted...

reaching a Snapper beacon

Also don't think so

This is mid-nite

Lush helped sew up Mr. Ives. He was happy

Crime Doctor

#28 - Crime Doctor
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/6/3/AAUHRBAAERCb.png
In Campaign 1, the Crime Doctor might have had the largest impact of Spirit of any NPC. Coopting the young boy into his sidekick and mentee, Crime Doctor instilled much of his practical medical knowledge - and some of his moral sensibility into John, helping to inspire his burgeoning career as a young Doogie Howser. From his willingness to treat anyone regardless of their crimes to the gift of Dum Dums after every successful operation to the patient, Spirit picked up more than a few trademark tricks of the trade, and when it came time for Crime Doctor to escape Gotham before his doctorial crimes became a subject of interest to a reintegrated Gotham and its federal law enforcement community, the pair bid farewell.

But as we've learned as of late, the story doesn't end there.

While you won't get rankings from other special RP sessions that happened as a result of hitting our 100-week anniversary mark (those characters have yet to be officially introduced in the campaign), you will get this little tale. For you see, the night of Spirit's kidnapping (which would lead to the beginning of Campaign 2), he was performing his residency at Gotham General. And wouldn't you know it, his new fellow doctor, the older, wiser "Gabriel Homes" was there as well. The pair had begun to really form a unique bond. Spirit had his moral quandries, as any young doctor does, and Homes had answers. At the end of the night, mere moments before Spirit would be tranquilized and en-tubed for weeks of suspended animation, Homes even offered Spirit a place on his yet-unrealized team for a diagnostics department, and Spirit certain seemed ready to accept.

Then Spirit went away for a while. And Gabriel Homes, who was revealed to be the assumed identity of the Crime Doctor, disguised and watching his onetime pupil, might never have seen Spirit again...

Fast forward to much more recently, where, at West Point, Spirit ran into Crime Doctor once again. It was a tense reunion - after all, the party was facing down the Society's most dangerous and Prometheus. Out trots Crime Doctor, and to stick the dagger into the heart, he callously tells his allies to throw his once young protege and his friends into cells for torture and interrogation. But in the hubbub, he actually let loose a whispered secret - he wanted out of the Society, and this was the only way he knew how to get it. The teacher now turned to the student for aid. And the student, who has ever been firmly in the camp of trusting a man CALLED THE CRIME DOCTOR began to move heaven and Earth to ensure a breakout of not just his fellow compatriots but the man who inspired his medical career, who had helped him firm up his own identity, calcify his very soul. Without Crime Doctor there would be no Doctor Davison, after all.

In the end, there were casualties, there were injuries physically and emotionally, but the Crime Doctor returned to Z'onn Z'orr - perhaps the first truly major betrayal of the Society party line. And now, the Crime Doctor works as La Dama's personal physician in Z'onn Z'orr.

Spirit has always been defined by his teachers. Still only fourteen (almost fifteen!), these great forces that exert influence on his life still play a pivotal role in his development. In the last six months especially, the normally moody and depressed young teen has finally found some healthy outlets of trust and compassion, such as Patroklos and Zoe. But maybe none is more influential than the Crime Doctor, that first and longest guardian to a young orphan who never knew a mother or a father.

And what's more, it's good to see a son of sorts return the favors from that pseudo-father, protecting him now the way the Crime Doctor did in the days gone by.

Hint: The daughter of a notable supervillain.

There are a surprising number of those. Tattooed Mans daughters arent heroes or otherwise metas, right? If so, then Im guessing the Sinestro daughter from Korugar, who I keep thinking is named Soliantu, even though I know thats the merged tribe from Survivor: Marquesas.

I'm going with Trish

Crime Doctor just being ready to swap sides on a dime was great. Helped that he could help bring Silhouette back to life, but

What's interesting is that Spirit has such positive influences on himself as a Doctor right now - Rex and now Dr. Mid-Nite. Crime Doctor was so core to Spirit, and was willing to jump ship like that... but does Spirit have room for ol' Homes now?

HanOfTheNekos posted...

What's interesting is that Spirit has such positive influences on himself as a Doctor right now - Rex and now Dr. Mid-Nite. Crime Doctor was so core to Spirit, and was willing to jump ship like that... but does Spirit have room for ol' Homes now?

I'll try to make more time for him, but he doesn't work in the medbay with Spirit so I have to go out of my way to see him unlike Mid-Nite.

It sounds like Z'onn Z'orr is flush with medical professionals now.

Espeon posted...

who I keep thinking is named Soliantu, even though I know thats the merged tribe from Survivor: Marquesas.

This is a deep cut, lol.

Characters that this hint could refer to...

Soranik
Liseth
Trish
Zoe Lawton
Naomi Singh

Lucifer isn't a supervillain
Huntress's father isn't super

I'm guessing Naomi Singh

also it should be noted that the only player character who knows about Gabriel Holmes being Crime Doctor is Roz'etta, a fact she is trying to use in her work as student of Amanda Waller (at Waller's direction) to further ensure his loyalty.

It uh....might work out?

yolanda montez's father certainly is a villain of any poor doctors who must examine his wife, but it's probably someone more reasonable like Soranik

In sad news, Black Lightning ranking for Hombad and Mr. Ives ranking for Ermine ensures that JB only drafted one correct pick, I believe.

Eros, Willoughby Kipling, Malvolio, Zor the Time Tailor, Zilius Zox, Sugar Plum Fairy, and House that Cannot Sing will all be unranked.

Pour one out for Really JB.

:Brennus: :hearts: :Bloodfruit:

Naomi would be nice to get me some more points, but it's likely Soranik or Trish?

#27 - Liseth Vok
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/2/3/AAUHRBAAERGf.png
A destiny unsure. Liseth Vok is the daughter of the Korugaran Sinestro and the Ungaran Arin Sur, as this image plainly shows. Right down the middle, she is split, torn twain between two destinies. First encountered as an acolyte to Malvolio, tyrant of the planet Ungara, Liseth had only recently come to know the truth of her parentage, and that dual legacy had played havoc with the young woman psychologically. Easily manipulated by a spark of the Starheart itself, Liseth was preyed upon and used, for she seems to possess some hidden talent, some secret hidden ability that not even the party has come to recognize yet.

Functionally captured and then convinced by a team of Terrans to take a good long look in the mirror, what came next was a roller coaster ride filled with ups and downs. Liseth met her cousin in earnest for the first time. She discovered her mother's killer, who offered her a Lantern ring. She forgave Iroque for the murder of the mother she never had the chance to know. And she ultimately was responsible for firing every single missile in her home planet's arsenal, crippling but not destroying the waiting flight of Thanagarians.

All of this is to say that Liseth has been having a rough go of it as of late, and if your head wasn't dizzily spinning from all of these revelations, then you'd be rather heartless. But for Liseth, all of this has become prelude, heralding a greater future to come. Now a resident of the party's expanding hotel and bar on Oa - Warriors - Liseth may represent, once again, a new generation, an untold and unexpected way of doing business. There are far more questions than answers for the young woman, but all of them lead forward, to the future. What will be next for a girl who has a hand in the color, smeared with a bit of green, yellow, indigo and red so far? I can't wait to find out, personally. And judging by how quickly the shy, soft-spoken girl has been lifted up and made their own by the party so far, I have no trouble believing that the players can't wait either.

Hint: Which character is next? Can you name them? And who will earn points for this ranking?

With that, we're halfway through!

#52 - Jimmy
#51 - Ham
#50 - Floronic Man
#49 - Patroklos
#48 - Hooty
#47 - Greg Briggs
#46 - Morisca
#45 - Thunder
#44 - Paul Lincoln
#43 - Mera
#42 - Air Wave
#41 - Marlus Randone
#40 - Bleez
#39 - Tanakata Z
#38 - Bat-Boy
#37 - Baphomet
#36 - Sentinel
#35 - Tomcat
#34 - Prince Henry
#33 - Jemm
#32 - Black Lightning
#31 - Onomatopoeia
#30 - Little Miss Hollywood
#29 - Mister Ives
#28 - Crime Doctor
#27 - Liseth Vok

If people are interested, I might throw in some more honorable mentions next, but if not, I'll pick up with #26, and the first to fall on the top half of the list!

I'm interested in more honorable mentions, also this sounds like Bandit.

Bandito

I was really excited that Liseth got brought back. I was jealous that I wasn't on session with her. I was like "Saoirse thinks this girl looks so cool"

Ooooh dang, I was hoping Liseth might break the top 20.

Liseth is great, she feels like she is giving to be a cornerstone of space in time

Ermine has TAKEN THE LEAD

I would like honorable mentions assuming they don't crush my dreams

Liseth is another one I liked a lot for a session I wasn't on!

How about this for an Honorable Mention? It's...
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/2/8/AAJ38fAAEFF0.png
Bronagh

Aboard the Story Line, an untold chapter of Data 7's story pertains to those last lingering days in the transition from No Man's Land to... Man's Land, I suppose, where Gotham is fitted with all of the trappings of a city returned to its greater state and country. In these final, uncomfortable hours, Data 7 has been called upon by his old acquaintance Trish McKenzie to obtain a pair of socks from a number of cats who live in Oracle's clocktower and worship Data as the consort to their goddess. And thus, new doors open on the Story Line as Data and the party participate in the hottest new game show in the world, "Get That Cat!"

It's... a lot to explain. But, functionally, the only way to save the world in the present appears to be hunting socks in the past. As one does.

One of the cats that appeared in this sequence seemed to really win the hearts of a few players. And if you look at that sweet, overwhelmed little face for a moment, you'll see why. Bronagh! She's so dramatic. Though she was not the culprit of the sock-robbery, Bronagh seemed entirely put off by... everything. Ever. Suffering a case of the cat-vapors, this feline troublemaker has since, despite only having a cameo status, become a recurring reaction face in our campaign, posted all over our server. Prissy, well-kept, a princess to a fault, Bronagh is exactly what you would expect from a herd of cats that will eventually become spies in high places for Ra's al Ghul. She's taken on a life of her own!

Bronagh!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/7/4/AAea9EAAERW6.jpg

Bronagh not even the best cat~

bronagh is one of the good cats

I appreciate having some understanding of that sticker now

You didn't know about GET! THAT! CAT!?

I knew about the game but not about specific cats

Best cat:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/6/0/AAOJ0pAAERjM.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/6/4/AAUHRBAAERjQ.png
Big Lou Maroni

A really good Kid summon - or at least my perception of one - is a very self-contained, pocket narrative. Usually, the focus is on capturing a specific flavor of history in a particular moment. With Nefertiti, for example, there is, I believe, a clear sense of arrogance at her perceived divinity. With Juliet, there was a presentation of pitiful rage, railing against the indignity of having dirty laundry aired incorrectly by Shakespeare. Big Lou was different, however - this is a character deeply rooted in COMICS history rather than history itself. As such, I thought that it would be a unique challenge in presenting an entirely fictionalized accounting of the lifestyle of an entirely fictionalized city, Gotham.

Lou Maroni was the father of the infamous Sal Maroni, responsible for the disfigurement of Harvey Dent (which has since led to his becoming Two-Face). For Big Lou, life as a crime boss was an almost noble profession. There was a sense of honor involved; you pay off the cops promptly. You keep your men in line - there are places and times where you murder your rivals. It's not in the streets, not like those punks like the Joker with no sense of discretion. Big Crime is an orderly affair, and the less time you have to spend on the day-to-day, the more you can enjoy your gardening, your wine tastings.

In fact, to hear it from Big Lou, Batman busted down the dam, and in flooded the crazies that Gotham's mobs and mafias never had to compete with. I think, for me, Big Lou was a success because he managed to really convey an old school position on how the world works. There are always going to be crimes committed in any society. Why not profit from controlling the flow and direction of crime itself? What Batman has done is try to change the nature of humanity. Lou works with the natural intricacies and iniquities of mankind, and as a result, he profited from it, sure. But so did the mayor, the police, the rich and the poor, in his mind. Lou would support seat belt laws, you see. You don't ban a car, you just curb its more dangerous consequences because we've all gotta drive.

And that's Big Lou in a nutshell.

I hope the players enjoyed Big Lou as much as I did! It really helped firm up my vision for a pre-Batman Gotham, a sort of black-and-white movie rooted in the movies of the 30s and 40s, where hard-boiled mobsters and detectives fought things out, and Big Lou reigned supreme over Gotham.

Lou was great. Lots of fun. He was on my list for a potential draft.

Big Lou might be my personal favorite Kid summon. It's very close between him and 2nd...who might be on the list for all I know.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/2/7/AAUHRBAAERo7.jpg

THE GORIAK LlKES THIS POST.

For me to explain this Honorable Mention further is a disservice to the Goriak.

Minerva pets the Goriak.

Marvin the Martian
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/1/2/AAUHRBAAERu8.png

A case of the voice winning the day. I would never in my wildest dreams consider my silly little voice choices in our sessions to be particularly impressive - I do put in as much effort as I can to provide them emotion and some level of uniqueness. But in the case of Marvin the Martian, I practiced, I labored and ultimately I feel as though I succeeded in recreating the unique, stuffy tenor of this iconic classic.

Marvin the Martian was, as you might not imagine nor even believe, a prisoner in Area 51. In possession of some rather bizarre weaponry and eventually possessed by a Venusian mind worm (see Mr. Mind), Marvin's brief appearance tickled the party in an otherwise taut, deadly thriller of a session that saw an entire contingent of the Society ally with Checkmate's PC party members to invade the world's most famous forbidden destination and extract the valuables from within. Ultimately, though, Marvin, like most of the relics of this place, was mind-controlled during a storm whipped up by the Sand Superman, and the party was forced to leave him behind.

Moments where I can take a little pride in a simple accomplishment - like manufacturing a famous vocal mannerism - end up meaning a lot to me. That's really all this is. Nothing else to see here.