CYBER KEY PLOT WRITEUP
Already briefly went over this with Leah, but here's the official pitch. Please let me know if there's any elaboration wanted/needed on things.
In Vector Prime's original canon source (Transformers; Cybertron), there was a gimmick called the 'Cyber Keys'. Essentially, these were shards of robot god's that plugged in to the Transformer and unlocked a particular power from them; it could range from a boost in speed to extra weapons to just giving them bling. Suffice it to say it was there primarily to sell toys, and there were typical anime esquences to unlock their power; shouting "CYBER KEY POWERRRRRRRRRRR", ect ect ect.
I've been playing Vector that he's been doing a lot of research/minor experimentation in to the dimensional structure of this dimension. Assuming the plot is approved, he's going to come to the conclusion that a Cyber Key would totes be able to help him out even though he isn't quite...a robot...right now, but that's okay he's certain he can adapt the technology if he has their power linked to something else.
(While it was pointed out how exactly could be handwaved, I'm OCD on planning like this. My current thought is that he uses Advanced Robot Demigod Science to like, tap in to the energy field of Earth, not unlike how we can tap in to solar power/electricity. It would be essentially a very mundane thing - no 'magic' [unless you count very advanced technology], nothing that couldn't hypothetically be done on another planet [though I'm sure the fact Earth has so much life helps], bluh bluh it'd also be a relatively passive powertap so it's not like Earth would suddenly be drained.)
Moving on. Cyber Key is built! Vector cues it up in a test over Antartica or something because the magnetic pole has something to do with how 'easy' it should be to activate/sync/actually do things. ICly, he's also doing it because he believes being in the City gathers the Porter's attention easier than being out of it. Also it ends up kind of...exploding...and giving a rather nice light show as shards go ZOOM over the world and what the hell were those were those meteorites.
Cue sheepish Vector asking for assistance in hunting the things down. And then, like Transformers Cybertron - QUEST MODE. (While I haven't decided where all of them land, I can totally do this before plot if asked. Basically, though, one's gonna land in Egypt, one under the Ocean, one on a Mountain...all different terrain 'types', all not necessarily the easiest to find. Because Vector can't sense them [not without one to construct a scanning radar], he needs to get that help.)
This won't necessarily be /that/ easy, because the Cyber Key Shards...can still power up a person. Just holding one imparts the knowledge/impulse that screaming CYBER KEY POWERRR (dramatic pose optional, heavily suggested) allows them to temporarily tap in to said power! While in Transformers this varied from character to character, here we're just going to decide the powers ahead of time so we don't have to go UHM every time it happens. We'll cover those in a minute, though. Suffice it to be said that if you have one of them, you'll have the urge to be dramatic over the top anime style yeah.
Adding to the uneasiness, I'm going to encourage some villains to be the ones to grab a couple of these shards. They can either use the power to go on a rampage or just hide/study them, but once Vector has his scanner he'll be hunting them down, and there's going to be /some/ sort of confrontation. I am assuming he will have his team of Awesome to assist at this point, but the villains are more than welcome/encouraged to team up as well if they want.
I'm thinking it will take about a week, give or take, to collect all them back together. From here Vector reassembles the Cyber Key, merges them again (through properties of the Cyber Key itself, not through magic), and preps to do it again. The thing is, that whole breaking thing from earlier?...not so much a miscalculation, as the fact that the dimension can't take that sort of thing, even with how careful he's been. So while it does seem like it's working for a minute, there's weird spacetime warps around it - and, in fact, also the spots across the world that the Shards had landed in, residual imprints if you will - that Vector realizes as Bad (capital B), and he has to destroy it. B'aaaw. :(
(If people want to make another go for the Key at this point, that could totally work, too. FAITU~!)
Plot itself covered, let's get in to specifics. As mentioned, the Shards will have pre-determined powers, and there will only be seven of them. And as they are imperfect, they also have side effects if they are not respected and still in use when the ‘timer’ expires. The powers are as follows;
1) Shielding - user of the Shard will be surrounded by a physically impenetrable (barely visible) shield that's only an inch or so off their body and anything they're wearing during activation. It will also stop things like electricity/fire/ect, though magic is fair game to pass. Hypothetically they could also go underwater/in to space with it - the pressure inside would stay the same, and there's enough air so long as they aren't panting heavily - though it's, uh, kindof suggested that they come back to safety before it's over because otherwise it's going to really freaking suck for them.
2) Speed Boost - GOTTA GO FAST User of this power will be granted superspeed, able to reach speeds of up to Mach 1. For the sake of ease, their clothing and shoes (assuming they wear any such) will also be granted this power, so they don’t suddenly disintegrate. They will also be given quicker reflexes so that they do not crash in to walls. If they are in motion when the power wears off they’re going to stay in motion...but be unable to stop...and have no more reflexes.
3) Feral - Physically, the user of this Shard not exactly changing in to an animal but they definitely take on animal characteristics - the specifics can be up to them, but the power itself remains the same. They’ll have an increase of strength and speed that will equate them to about a tiger, as well as senses akin to a wolf’s. Their mind, however, will be a lot more primitive/animistic. And the more they use the shard's power, the longer the primitive mind will linger afterwards; if they pump themselves constantly, then they can be looking at a day of animistic tendencies afterwards.
4) Mass Shifting - Basically they can either rise up to 30 feet tall, or down to about a half foot, give or take an inch or so. Laws of physics that would suggest they move slower/be crushed by their own weight/ect do not apply, and they can control at will how big they are. However, if they shrink, it is again suggested they come back to safety before the time limit goes up because otherwise...well...messy.
5) Metal Shaping - When this Shard is used, a gauntlet of metal covers the user’s arm - and it can will bend, flow, and reshape itself to their though will. It will not necessarily become more durable but they can force it so if they mentally want it to, but that would require a redution in size; a smaller, higher-mass piece on average can take more than a thinner, lighter piece. But they could turn it in to a shield or sword or armor or whathaveyou. They can also come in to contact with more metal and absorb it in to the mass, but, again, they should probably not be covered in it by the time the time runs out or else they’ll need some tools to remove it.
6) Physical Empathy/Regeneration - This Shard will grant someone the power of rapid healing...and of taking on other’s injuries through touch. Basically, they take someone’s broken arm by touching said arm/focusing the power - and then they rapidly heal it. That example will take about three-four minutes, smaller ones will heal faster, larger ones will take longer. The thing to remember here is that once the power is up? The wounds, or what’s left of them, are still there.
7) Energy Manipulation - Not so much electricity as general energy, though the former can be used as the latter. But, well, they can use it in a similar way of Metal Shaping; it reacts to will, they can create energy sword/shield/armor/whathaveyou, and will also get a ‘base’ amount to work with. In this case, though, once their time is up, if they’ve absorbed any more, it’ll simply explode out from them in a burst.
The powers of the (imperfect) Shards will last about five minutes, and require a few hours' cooldown time. As they get to the last minute or so they'll feel a draining sensation, suggesting that their time limit is almost up. I'm looking to early September to run this, with, again, about a week's time to do so.
In Vector Prime's original canon source (Transformers; Cybertron), there was a gimmick called the 'Cyber Keys'. Essentially, these were shards of robot god's that plugged in to the Transformer and unlocked a particular power from them; it could range from a boost in speed to extra weapons to just giving them bling. Suffice it to say it was there primarily to sell toys, and there were typical anime esquences to unlock their power; shouting "CYBER KEY POWERRRRRRRRRRR", ect ect ect.
I've been playing Vector that he's been doing a lot of research/minor experimentation in to the dimensional structure of this dimension. Assuming the plot is approved, he's going to come to the conclusion that a Cyber Key would totes be able to help him out even though he isn't quite...a robot...right now, but that's okay he's certain he can adapt the technology if he has their power linked to something else.
(While it was pointed out how exactly could be handwaved, I'm OCD on planning like this. My current thought is that he uses Advanced Robot Demigod Science to like, tap in to the energy field of Earth, not unlike how we can tap in to solar power/electricity. It would be essentially a very mundane thing - no 'magic' [unless you count very advanced technology], nothing that couldn't hypothetically be done on another planet [though I'm sure the fact Earth has so much life helps], bluh bluh it'd also be a relatively passive powertap so it's not like Earth would suddenly be drained.)
Moving on. Cyber Key is built! Vector cues it up in a test over Antartica or something because the magnetic pole has something to do with how 'easy' it should be to activate/sync/actually do things. ICly, he's also doing it because he believes being in the City gathers the Porter's attention easier than being out of it. Also it ends up kind of...exploding...and giving a rather nice light show as shards go ZOOM over the world and what the hell were those were those meteorites.
Cue sheepish Vector asking for assistance in hunting the things down. And then, like Transformers Cybertron - QUEST MODE. (While I haven't decided where all of them land, I can totally do this before plot if asked. Basically, though, one's gonna land in Egypt, one under the Ocean, one on a Mountain...all different terrain 'types', all not necessarily the easiest to find. Because Vector can't sense them [not without one to construct a scanning radar], he needs to get that help.)
This won't necessarily be /that/ easy, because the Cyber Key Shards...can still power up a person. Just holding one imparts the knowledge/impulse that screaming CYBER KEY POWERRR (dramatic pose optional, heavily suggested) allows them to temporarily tap in to said power! While in Transformers this varied from character to character, here we're just going to decide the powers ahead of time so we don't have to go UHM every time it happens. We'll cover those in a minute, though. Suffice it to be said that if you have one of them, you'll have the urge to be dramatic over the top anime style yeah.
Adding to the uneasiness, I'm going to encourage some villains to be the ones to grab a couple of these shards. They can either use the power to go on a rampage or just hide/study them, but once Vector has his scanner he'll be hunting them down, and there's going to be /some/ sort of confrontation. I am assuming he will have his team of Awesome to assist at this point, but the villains are more than welcome/encouraged to team up as well if they want.
I'm thinking it will take about a week, give or take, to collect all them back together. From here Vector reassembles the Cyber Key, merges them again (through properties of the Cyber Key itself, not through magic), and preps to do it again. The thing is, that whole breaking thing from earlier?...not so much a miscalculation, as the fact that the dimension can't take that sort of thing, even with how careful he's been. So while it does seem like it's working for a minute, there's weird spacetime warps around it - and, in fact, also the spots across the world that the Shards had landed in, residual imprints if you will - that Vector realizes as Bad (capital B), and he has to destroy it. B'aaaw. :(
(If people want to make another go for the Key at this point, that could totally work, too. FAITU~!)
Plot itself covered, let's get in to specifics. As mentioned, the Shards will have pre-determined powers, and there will only be seven of them. And as they are imperfect, they also have side effects if they are not respected and still in use when the ‘timer’ expires. The powers are as follows;
1) Shielding - user of the Shard will be surrounded by a physically impenetrable (barely visible) shield that's only an inch or so off their body and anything they're wearing during activation. It will also stop things like electricity/fire/ect, though magic is fair game to pass. Hypothetically they could also go underwater/in to space with it - the pressure inside would stay the same, and there's enough air so long as they aren't panting heavily - though it's, uh, kindof suggested that they come back to safety before it's over because otherwise it's going to really freaking suck for them.
2) Speed Boost - GOTTA GO FAST User of this power will be granted superspeed, able to reach speeds of up to Mach 1. For the sake of ease, their clothing and shoes (assuming they wear any such) will also be granted this power, so they don’t suddenly disintegrate. They will also be given quicker reflexes so that they do not crash in to walls. If they are in motion when the power wears off they’re going to stay in motion...but be unable to stop...and have no more reflexes.
3) Feral - Physically, the user of this Shard not exactly changing in to an animal but they definitely take on animal characteristics - the specifics can be up to them, but the power itself remains the same. They’ll have an increase of strength and speed that will equate them to about a tiger, as well as senses akin to a wolf’s. Their mind, however, will be a lot more primitive/animistic. And the more they use the shard's power, the longer the primitive mind will linger afterwards; if they pump themselves constantly, then they can be looking at a day of animistic tendencies afterwards.
4) Mass Shifting - Basically they can either rise up to 30 feet tall, or down to about a half foot, give or take an inch or so. Laws of physics that would suggest they move slower/be crushed by their own weight/ect do not apply, and they can control at will how big they are. However, if they shrink, it is again suggested they come back to safety before the time limit goes up because otherwise...well...messy.
5) Metal Shaping - When this Shard is used, a gauntlet of metal covers the user’s arm - and it can will bend, flow, and reshape itself to their though will. It will not necessarily become more durable but they can force it so if they mentally want it to, but that would require a redution in size; a smaller, higher-mass piece on average can take more than a thinner, lighter piece. But they could turn it in to a shield or sword or armor or whathaveyou. They can also come in to contact with more metal and absorb it in to the mass, but, again, they should probably not be covered in it by the time the time runs out or else they’ll need some tools to remove it.
6) Physical Empathy/Regeneration - This Shard will grant someone the power of rapid healing...and of taking on other’s injuries through touch. Basically, they take someone’s broken arm by touching said arm/focusing the power - and then they rapidly heal it. That example will take about three-four minutes, smaller ones will heal faster, larger ones will take longer. The thing to remember here is that once the power is up? The wounds, or what’s left of them, are still there.
7) Energy Manipulation - Not so much electricity as general energy, though the former can be used as the latter. But, well, they can use it in a similar way of Metal Shaping; it reacts to will, they can create energy sword/shield/armor/whathaveyou, and will also get a ‘base’ amount to work with. In this case, though, once their time is up, if they’ve absorbed any more, it’ll simply explode out from them in a burst.
The powers of the (imperfect) Shards will last about five minutes, and require a few hours' cooldown time. As they get to the last minute or so they'll feel a draining sensation, suggesting that their time limit is almost up. I'm looking to early September to run this, with, again, about a week's time to do so.