Sacerdos

However, just to be clear, if I want a character who's, say, a playboy billionaire--complete with really cool sports car, Armani suits, a mansion, etc.--and who is also just filled to the brim with Diplomacy, the house rules around here don't allow me to do it. Is that true?

Thousands! Okay, more seriously... Um, I dunno. Somewhere in the 3-6 range?

Thunder's in.

You're not "just not using" the ranks. You're just hitting the ceiling, beyond which points are wasted. Wealth has other game effects, after all, in that it allows you to have a certain lifestyle in game. Those effects would still be in use, and would be missed if one was forced to drop them due to competency in a few Skills.

A party? Thunder's always up for a party.

How the heck is anyone supposed to get that from such an obscure thread title?! ( :oops: )

Yes.

Hope you had a shiny one, Doc A.

Hmmm... Coulda sworn I replied to this. I'd like to spend Thunder's pp to add a second rank of Takedown Attack.

Out of curiosity, couldn't you have both Wealth and high (i.e. capped) Skill ratings? Sure, the Wealth bonus would be wasted in that case, but why ever would you be forced to be poor just 'cause you're highly adept at what you do?

I'd like to spend Thunderstanding's lone pp to add a second rank of Takedown Attack. Done by Sandman XI

May 23rd, 2009: Thunderstanding attends a family reunion after a day spent failing to track down the source of a mysterious arms shipment.

Thunderstanding “What the--?!†Alicia’s head whipped about to look back the way she’d come. Her new mount’s tail flicked about in annoyance at the sudden movement. Beyond it stretched a wide lane between twin rows of houses and shops. In the open front of one of the nearer buildings, a blacksmith toiled over an anvil, pounding at a red-hot sword to be. His dwarven companion worked the bellows at the forge in back. “How?!†The muscular heroine quickly looked ahead of herself again, her jaw hanging open in stupefied amazement. She cocked her head to stare in wonder at the ogre’s retreating back. Her horse turned its head and gave her a condescending stare, apparently wondering what the hold-up was. “Huh?!†Some basic part of Alicia’s psyche was moving slowly toward blind rage. Fortunately, a more rational part took hold before it could get there, limiting the impulse to surly annoyance. She shook her head and beetled her brow, vowing to find whoever was responsible for whatever had happened and beat them until they made it right. Though, she had to admit, that was likely to be easier said than done. “Hey, you!†she called to a large man in a heavily patched long tunic. “Where the heck am I?â€Â

I like the idea, and playing Thunder in it would be very fun. However, a fair amount of martial arts is mental. Nailing down what does and doesn't transfer would be a PIA with her unless comic book pseudo-science were invoked to make such things clear.

Eight hours previously, a warehouse in Greenbank: Thunderstanding leapt rapidly among the stacked boxes and shelves, lashing out with her fists, elbows, and feet against the horde of gun-toting thugs she’d unexpectedly uncovered in the place. She moved gracefully, using her opponents’ numbers against them, denying them fields of fire as she took them down. In a little over a minute, she whittled thirty goons down to four. “Give it up, boys,†she commanded, “You can’t take the Thunder.†Three of them hesitantly started to raise their hands. The fourth screamed and charged her with a large knife in his hand. With a laugh, she jumped straight up and kicked him in the head three times. The force of her blows sent him sprawling on the floor and her flying into an aerial somersault. The muscled heroine landed in a three point stance, her right fist slamming the ground with a spectacular boom as it shattered the cement. Crates bounced about, the stacks shuddered loudly, and the thugs lost their footing. Standing, a crooked smirk on her lips, Thunderstanding cracked her knuckles. “So, what are you losers doing here?â€Â

The afternoon of May 23rd, 10832 Kimota Avenue, the Whiting residence: The knife beat a staccato rap against the well-worn cutting board as Alicia chopped a handful of celery stalks into thin half-moons. Next to the board was a plate full of potatoes, tomatoes, okra, and zucchini which had already been sliced and diced, ready for the cooking pot. The boiling water on the stovetop and the knife’s tap-tap-tap obscured some light jazz and loud conversation coming from the next room. Shandra, Alicia’s mother, pushed the rice pot to the back of the stove with her slender, graceful hands. She looked up and smiled as the dog--a useless ball of long hair only slightly larger than an adult’s foot--suddenly bolted for the front door, yipping at the top of its little lungs. “Sounds like your brother finally got here,†she announced happily. The brother in question was Sam, one of the Whiting family’s middle children. He was up for the long weekend, taking a break from the demands of medical school. Tall, lanky, and handsome, he took after his mother’s side of the family. The raucous noises of the rest of the clan greeting him came from the living room.

Probably not much need for this, as this is just a short solo story, but I'll put it up here just in case.

Ditto!

Ah, okay. That makes muy sense, MarkK. Thanks! And, yeah, what I had in mind was a single narrative arc.

I updated this thread's first post with sundry info.

Good to have you back, MarkK.

So... I'd have to run the storyline through three threads, linking one post to the next. Hmmm... That's awkward, as it leads to me essentially writing a short story in three volumes, with the odd numbered chapters in volume one and the even chapters spread across volumes two and three. :| Time to rethink the plan. Thanks for the responses, Sand and Doc A. I'll eventually know all the ground rules hereabouts. :)

I want to do an interleaved story, with one part taking place entirely at Thunder's parents' place in Lincoln at the end of a long day and the other ranging from Greenville through a few places in Southside over the course of that day. Scenes from one part would alternate with scenes from the other part.

The various storyline threads are broken out by the portion of the city in which they occur. What should we do with a storyline that crosses multiple city sections? Do we just put the thread in the place where it starts?

Sweet. Let's then switch those points to give Thunder an HQ identical to the Abandoned Warehouse from the core book. She'll start with the house that I was going to have her buy down the road. Updated by Doc.