Character Critique

[rayoman]

I am posting a link to a few characters that I have created in the last few months. I have not written any backgrounds for them, but most of them have their disadvantages already picked. I will give a brief concept for each character in this post, as well as the link to where you can view each character. Note: The website is just a bare bones thing that I put together so I could easily show 6 characters to the boards.

EDIT: D'oh! I guess the link would have been nice.

http://www.geocities.com/rayoman/

Brass: a down on his luck, out of work auto worker who was turned into a living brass statue. Every living thing that he touches turns to brass.

Copy Cat: mutant, shapeshifter who can assume any humanoid form. She can also mimic someone's powers that she has touched.

Marksman: vigilante crimefighter whose family was killed in a Viper crime. His motif is that he uses a crossbow with gimick bolts. NOTE: This character needs to be rewritten because he should have a vehicle that he uses to get around with.

Puma: To the best of his knowlede, Puma, is an ex-Special Forces member who left the Army when his service had ended. He now works as a Bounty Hunter for a bailsbondsman. Puma thinks he is a mutant. NOTE: Puma does not know that he was captured by VIPER and experimented upon. His genes were spliced with that of a Cougar. VIPER brainwashed him and set him free. Why? Don't know, but it would be good stuff for a good GM to use in the campaign.

Tempest: a mutant psychokinetic who is devoted to finding a way for her father to walk again.

Wildcore: mutant superpatriot who is virtually immune to Kinetic damage.

Anyway, I am posting this mainly to get help with Puma. I need to spend 41 more character points and come up with disadvantages for him.

I threw the others in for comment because I don't know when I will get to play or run a Champions campaign. I would prefer to play. I have been familiar with Champions since 1983-1984 and I have only played ONCE in a single adventure.

[Redmenace]

here are some quick suggestions

Acrobatics to denote being able to land on his feet from a fall

Some of the martial maneuvars that incorporate movement like flying dodge or running strike might be useful and give him a sense of feline grace and strength.

Keep climbing and add clinging at normal strength.

Contortionist to allow for feline flexibility.

Hunting ks or survival: urban


Disads:

A lot of advanced senses so a 1 1/2 vulnerability to flashes from the Vision and taste smell groups.

Berserk or enraged tied to animal instincts like when cornered, when attacked by fire or injured.

Psych lims based on animal atavistic qualities asserting themselves, like overly aggressive when someone moves in on a female he is attached to or courting.

Psych lim attached to slowly recovered memory of his background, alternately could be skills or reflexes he doesn't know he has until a situation arises where he needs them.

A viper recovery team hunted or a team of Viper techs observing him as a watched.


Do you have the Millenium City SB? Puma has several hings in common with special agent Kodiak that might be worth exploring in a roleplaying context.

[Redmenace]

Odd, I replied but it doesn't show up.

[rayoman]

Red, both of your posts showed up. Thanks.

any comment on the other characters? I will be updating the characters based on comments from the board. I just don't see a need to create a background if I don't get to play or run the characters.

Thanks.

[Redmenace]

I'll take a look and send my sugestions. I was on call today so I'm going home to watch a tape of the Superbowl, so any comments will be posted tomorrow at the earliest.

No players in your area Rayoman?

[rayoman]

Well, there are a few people from these boards that live in the area. Unfortunately, when you have three kids and a wife that works night shift then gaming gets a little harder to do. I am 100% willing to host a game at my house as long as I don't have to GM it.

I currently DMing a DnD 3.0 game that we started about 3 years ago. I am getting bored with it, but my players want to do it. After this current adventure I told them I am shutting it down. I want to do a Champions game, but 1 player said if I do that he will take a break because he doesn't want to play a supers game. This is the same guy that causes most of the cancellations in our group.

Hopefully, I will get to game with Dave M. in the near future.

[Redmenace]

Good luck with the nascent Champs campaign. It's clear from the character write ups that you have affection and a good grasp of the genre, which I can only assume would come through in the game. Maybe you can win over the holdout player and if not maybe you're saving yourself some grief.

I'm impressed you can game with three kids, do you include them in?



Back to the chr write ups, again these are just off the top of my head suggestions.

Would you mind if I use some of these in my own campaign? Puma would make a good rival to one of my player's pcs.


Puma continued, (sorry I missed the AK Millennium City. I'll do better.)

A low level superleap, enough to make a standing jump up to a second or third story window or fire escape. Not sure M City has those now that I think about it.

I was thinking that a compliment skill for his streetwise might be interesting. Area Knowledge Local dives, (local being the Lake Michigan coastal towns) or something.

I forget if normal smell is inherently discriminating or not. It might be useful if he has to pick up a bail jumper who belongs to an organization. As an example, if he had to walk into a biker gang's base of ops and pick out his specific quarry.


Something to think about- If the chr is ever injured to the point of incapacity, a responding EMT might call Dr. Silverback in. he'd most likely detect Viper's genetic markers or a similarity to MC's own Kodiak.

Finally, as he's a hth combatant, I'd consider upping his stun a bit. 15 rec will put him back in the fight soon but it is something to consider.

[Redmenace]

Marksman
(I thought the air concussion bolt-dispel vs darkness was clever)

Reading between the lines, do the Chem and Physics skills indicate that he is the builder of his gimmick bolts? If so, he should have Inventor, if not he might have a source, perhaps his mechanic, a retired gadgeteer hero or repentant villain (either of whom might share his dislike of Viper.).

His hunteds don't seem to be particularly violent criminals. Considering his driving psychological out look I'd think he'd have a hunted who represents the opposite. Blow torch from CKC, someone who endangers innocents as casually as can be, might fit this. Again it is only a suggestion but the more driven a character the more opposite the arch enemy.

His cv is pretty good but considering he calls himself the Marksman, you might up it with some levels. If you don't want him to be too good maybe they could be Trick shot or difficulty countering only. Alternatively, the Ranged martial arts from UMA might give him something to spend xp on.

He sounds like the sort of guy who goes out looking for problems, maybe a AK "usual area of patrol" or something.

Ks: Street gangs or organized crime, kind of covered by his streetwise but he sounds like he couldn't let a violent group go about there usual business.

[Redmenace]

Tempest

With an EC adding TK powers is going to be costly and relatively rare so you might give her a Telekinetic tricks multipower.

Possible entries: Life support, area effect, usable by others with a limit on duration to simulate making a bubble of air around team mates and bystanders.

Extra limbs, to simulate being able to psychokinetically levitate many items. They'd only be at her normal strength but she'd be able to lift many many objects.

An esper sense, clairsentience, touch, that can feel into solid objects or through barriers. with her paramedic skill she'd be great at diagnosing internal injuries without harming the patient. Lots of uses. Let me be totally honest and say that the idea comes from Larry Niven's Gil "the arm" Hamilton stories. (as an aside, George R. R. Martin also uses TK in innovative ways such as a reactionless drive in zero G.)


The next two are more main EC slots.

A exploding. energy blast, personal immunity to simulate using TK to push everyone around her away.

A forcewall would be useful and in keeping with her power.


On the disad side here is an idea, you have her in fine shape and you don't really need it but here goes.

A berserk or enraged built as her tk going wild, as a poltergeist kind of effect, when she is flashed or ego blasted while using her power.

I was going to suggest a Psych lim about her desire to have her father walk again but the DNPC really does that as is.

Characteristics:
She burns End pretty fast, I'd give her more Rec and Endurance.

[Redmenace]

Copycat

Pretty solid. Does she mimic the bad side of powers as well? As an example if the Mimicked target had 2x endurance on a power, does she inherit that to? That should give you a limitation and as that is the most expensive thing on the character sheet it would drop the cost a bit.

Does she have the target's level of control? If not it might require a skill roll to use mimicked powers effectively though that could be part of the fun of playing her.

Along similar lines, Does she retain the ability to "recall" powers of anyone she's ever touched? I'm going to assume not, which should net her a disad, or if I'm wrong, she should get on down to Metropolis. (Or hope she can survive getting close to Viperia should it ever come down to that.)

These should free up some points but I am at a loss as to what to spend them on. She seems very "ready to play" as is. I assume with Marksman's cash that he'd pay for a base and or team vehicle. My call would be to up her Vpp as much as you can so she could dupe a little bit more powerful abilities. With the Vpp and control cost that shouldn't be too much of a difference.

it relies on one of those coincidences that could only happen in a comic book but what if the team is protecting someone from assassination during a public event. ( Millenium City would be agreat place for a 2004 campaign stop, particularly with the incumbants relationship to George Bush sr. or as one of the partie's conventions.)

Copy Cat would be disguised and mingling when she brushes against someone in a large crowd, She picks up a new power set but doesn't know which one of the people it was. That should raise the immediate tension especially if it is a area effect killing attack, mind control (poor secret service) or worse.


I'll post on Wildcore and Brass later, or cease and desist if this isn't working out.

[Redmenace]

Wildcore and Brass suggestions

wildcore-
Does Viper use energy weapons in your campaign? I'd think that he'd be upagainst them very often considering the frequency that Viper has been taken by the grup as a hunted. That is not a criticism but he'll have to put his tactics to good use. He seems like he or marksman would be the nucleus of the team.

I'd reccomend some running but otherwise I'd say he is good to go.

Brass-
I like the pathos angle. Does he live on the streets himself? If so he might have a unofficial guardian of the homeless disad. wether you'd want to pay for it or roleplay it would be up to you.

The brass touch is distinctive. Is the autofire automatic or can he make three quick touches? If it's automatic you might buy it with the Beam limitation (-1/4), it won't save you much but the power eats up more than a quarter of your points as is. I don't want to discourage the power as it really makes him distinct.

He might have flash defense becouse of the shininess.

He might also have life support vs pathogens due to his brass touch.


All in all it looks to be a tight and unified group.

[rayoman]

I can't take credit for that. The multipower comes from the Champions genre book.

I actually wrote up Marksman for an online game a few years back in 4th edition. I lost the character sheet so I have been trying to redo him for 5th edition and teh CU. Instead of trying to remember each slot I went the quick and easy way by using what was written in Champions.

Thanks for taking the time to critique. Oh, use the characters if you want in your own campaign.

I plan on redoing the characters using input from the boards. I'll probably start on Friday.


Originally posted by Redmenace
Marksman
(I thought the air concussion bolt-dispel vs darkness was clever)

[rayoman]

Thanks RM.


Originally posted by Redmenace
wildcore-
I'd reccomend some running but otherwise I'd say he is good to go.


I had some help with this guy. Dave M. was helping me get him ready to play his campaign, but things didn't work out initially for me last year.


Originally posted by Redmenace

Brass-
I like the pathos angle. Does he live on the streets himself? If so he might have a unofficial guardian of the homeless disad. wether you'd want to pay for it or roleplay it would be up to you.


ATM, yes he would until an actual team was formed.



Originally posted by Redmenace
The brass touch is distinctive. Is the autofire automatic or can he make three quick touches? If it's automatic you might buy it with the Beam limitation (-1/4), it won't save you much but the power eats up more than a quarter of your points as is. I don't want to discourage the power as it really makes him distinct.
He might have flash defense becouse of the shininess.
He might also have life support vs pathogens due to his brass touch.


You know I don't remember adding Autofire to the power construct. I may have had some suggestions from this board when I built Brass.


Originally posted by Redmenace

All in all it looks to be a tight and unified group.

Thanks. Some of the characters were part of a group that I ran through some Marvel SAGA adventures.

I appreciate the comments.