Sample of play (ICONS, pt II)

SYSTEM: ICONS

When last we left off, it was with an origin. The second scene is later, once they have their powers. In ICONS, where they were originally rolled, they look like this:

Midden (formerly Dr. Ivey)			Little John (John Seward)
5		Prowess	5
6		Coordination	6
5		Strength	4/7
6		Intellect	3
3		Awareness	6
4		Willpower	4
9		Stamina	8/11
2		Determination	*
Weapons (Guns)		Specialties	Science (Master)
Plant Control	6	Powers	Growth Extra: Phasing Limit: Only when grown	7
Life Support (eat, sleep, pressure, radiation)	4
ESP Limit: Medium (plants)	6
Teleportation Limit: Medium (Plants)	7
The right thing to do is the hard thing to do Mute plant-mound monster Smart about science, dumb about people		Qualities	Career criminal Telepathic link to talk to Midden, under Seward's control Pulls wings off flies, too

For our purposes, Seward has already discovered he can "talk" to Ivey, who cannot talk out loud.

Narrative	Mechanics
Because of their close nature, Seward knew that Midden can teleport, but that he required plants, so he carefully put Ginger on top of a nearby building. Seward refuse to tell Ginger that her fiancé was still alive, because it tortured him more.	Mythic: Is it a residential house? Chaos 5, critically no. Call it a mall near the correctional institute, two stories tall.
Put her down! Midden commanded.	Midden: Determination 2, Stamina 9
If you insist. She has a fifty percent chance of surviving a fall from this height, but if you`re willing to take the risk… replied Seward, still in his giant form.	Little John: Stamina 11
Put her down safely! Oh, safely. Well, why didn't you say so? Seward pounded a hole in the pavement and placed Ginger in the pit.	I say the asphalt is Material 6 for this sort of thing; Strength 7 (+6) vs the ground, which I'm going to say is Strength 6 (+1) Effect 6. He does. There's a nice giant fist-sized pit.
The pit was too deep for Ginger to climb out, even with the rubble at the bottom. The walls were earth and gravel. Seward pulled out his massive hand and laughed. "What power!" he said. "And you can't stop me." Ginger didn't know if he was talking to her or the police; his mumbling through the trip here showed that he was not particularly sane. She huddled out of his sight. Lying there amidst the smells of earth and asphalt, she heard the hissing. Her first thought, insanely, was Snakes. But no; the giant man—Seward—had broken pipes that ran beneath the surface of the road. With luck, she thought, one of them was pumping out water: then she could swim up to the lip as it filled. She searched for the source of the hissing noise. Not water: gas. Gas would fill the hole and she would be unable to breathe. She would suffocate in the hole. She was about to yell when she realized that she didn't want to fill her lungs with this mixture of gas and air. Breathing shallowly, she looked frantically for a different way out. There was a root jutting out, at about waist height. It was crusted with dirt but looked maybe two fingers wide. With luck, she could get her foot on it— It snapped. It was too small to bear her weight.
Ginger was safe. Ivey turned his attention to Seward. Maybe I can't stop you. But I can slow you down. Plants grew wild and swiftly over Seward's feet and legs.	Midden tries to grab Little John with his Plant Control power. To hit is Willpower against Coordination (5+4 vs 6+2). It hits, but it’s only a moderate success. Little John is now -2 to actions (as Wrestling). Midden: 2 Determination Points.
Little John, however, was willing to struggle against the plants.	All he needs is a moderate success to escape this partial hold. Str 7+1 vs Binding/plant control 6+1. Moderate success, so he's free. (He could have shrunk down and escaped that way, but he was relishing the power.)
He pulled and tugged and broke the plants, with the scent of sap released as he tore free. He grinned. Idiot, thought Ivey to himself. Of course he's strong. What if we fight big with big? He teleported to the tree near Little John, but instead of coming out of the tree, he became the tree.	Midden stunts growth off his plant control, using a DP and his Smart about Science aspect. He's now 24 feet tall and nearly as strong as Seward (strength 6 instead of 7).
Seward launched a fierce attack. Midden's plant-like nature diffused most of the blows but the cumulative result was that, for the first time, Midden hurt. His new body could be damaged—	Seward gets to act. He punches Midden: Prowesses and relative sizes are even; Growth grants its level in damage resistance, so Midden has resistance 6. It’s a marginal success, which is half damage, but Midden’s damage resistance soaks that up.
Midden swung and missed, surprised by pain. Seward roared with laughter and attacked again, but Midden was prepared this time, and none of the punches landed.	Bad rolls.
Meanwhile, in the pit, Ginger was surrounded by the stench of gas. Gas is odorless, she thought inanely. They add mercaptans for the smell, and the pit stank. She dimly realized this: You scream or you die. She screamed. She didn't know if each breath she took was air or gas. Had she waited too late? Unconsciousness blanketed her. Midden heard the screams and turned. Seward kicked him hard.	For abandoning the fight to go save his fiancé, Midden gets a Determination Point. Seward hits, and manages a moderate success, so Midden takes 1 Stamina. Midden: Stamina 8, Determination 2
Midden reached for Ginger—but she was unconscious, huddled on the floor of the pit, and his large leafy body was too clumsy to pick her up. He feared all he was doing was pushing her into the ground. Seward took the opportunity to kick him again.	Seward would miss if Midden were paying attention to him. Midden: Stamina 7, Determination 2.
Midden teleported out of the giant body and to the bottom of the pit. He gently picked up Ginger and made his arms grow to gently lift her out of the hole.	Now Midden tries a maneuver, using his Science specialty to think about what plants need to grow, and succeeds spectacularly. He stunts stretching, growing his own plant body.
Seward chuckled like boulders colliding and picked her up again. So long as he carried her, Midden would follow. Seward began to walk away.	Ivey gets a Determination Point for going with his scientist/man nature.
No! He was no further than he had been at the start of this fight: Seward had Ginger and was walking away. Because you're fighting him like a superhero. Fight him like a scientist. Of course. First he had to get Ginger away from him. He remembered the intangibility trick that Seward had pulled back at the apartment complex. All he had to do was attack— Ah. Like that.	That's another maneuver, using his Smart about Science aspect; only a moderate success, so he can't use the Advantage until next page.
He skipped after Seward, teleporting plant to plant, going blocks at a time, pushing himself farther than he had known he could travel. Finally he was ahead of Seward, as Seward was about to pass a tree that was an easy fifty feet tall. Midden appeared in it, and dropped onto Seward. That's your big plan? asked Seward, as he turned intangible. I beat that before. Ginger fell through his intangible hand.	The Advantage is letting him do a Teleport and a catch (next bit).
Midden had been waiting for this: he teleported beneath her—and caught her.	This is a teleport and a catch, so it's difficulty 3+1 for the catch, and Ivey's going to burn a determination point for a +2. (He can, because it's not like he gets a second chance.) This is a Coordination roll. He rolls a +5, for a total effect of 6, a massive success. (It turns out he doesn't need the extra effort, but the Determination Point is still gone.)
Seward tried to stomp them but there was a mass of plants there and he couldn't quite reach them.	Mechanically, Seward just missed, but Midden's reaction roll was high enough that I wanted something to be justified by it.
Ivey set Ginger down and finished weaving the hut of trees and grasses over her.	This is a straightforward use of plant control. The hut has a hole so she can get out, by the way.
Seward, frustrated, kicked at Midden again, but the plants were still in the way.	Seward missed his roll.
Now Ivey looked at Seward and reached out to touch the man’s foot.	Ivey uses tactics: he’s accepting a -2 to being hit for this Advantage, and uses it to stunt Affliction.
A pain stabbed Seward's gut. It grew like a fire, a ball of bright anguish in his stomach.	Seward fails the strength roll. Seward loses 6 Stamina; he's got 5 left.
Seward tried to crush Midden, but the pain was too great—he toppled over when he lifted his foot. Midden watched. No emotion was evident on his monstrous face.	Actually, he just missed, but by enough that I'll grant the falling over.
What--? asked Seward. Your gut fauna. I made them grow. Your body needs to be in balance. There were sirens in the distance. He waved his hand and the hut crumbled away. Ginger would be safe, now. Ivey—now Midden—left.	Seward fails the Strength roll versus the Affliction again, bringing him to -1.