Michael Hopcroft
Jan 2nd, '06, 11:17 PM
I'm trying to build as a Teen Champions character a guy called Kid Whiz. Hew's basically a super-normal kid with access to a few special things. And one of them is the SuperSonic Skateboard.
It isn't actually supersonic -- even superhero-world phsyics has some limits -- but it is faster than almost all cars. The problem is that it is limited. Kid Whiz can't do anything while riding it that would severely unbalance him, or he'll fall off. He'll also fall off if he takes ANY knockback in combat, meaning he'll have to wait to start using it again until it comes back to him (it'll usually go on for two or three phases before the onboard chiop realizes there's nobody standing on it and returns to the homig beacon on hbis wrist) and takes an action to climb back on.
This also raises the question of how to model a focus (and the skateboard is clearly a focus for Running or a smiliar power) that requires a high degree of specialized skill to use effectively -- in other words, you don't dare lend it to one of your friends because they'd be dangerous to everyone around them if they tried to use it. There are innumerable examples of this: a 24th-century Starfleet officer operating as a super on 2006 Earth would not want to give a hand phaser to one of his friends without some careful training...
It isn't actually supersonic -- even superhero-world phsyics has some limits -- but it is faster than almost all cars. The problem is that it is limited. Kid Whiz can't do anything while riding it that would severely unbalance him, or he'll fall off. He'll also fall off if he takes ANY knockback in combat, meaning he'll have to wait to start using it again until it comes back to him (it'll usually go on for two or three phases before the onboard chiop realizes there's nobody standing on it and returns to the homig beacon on hbis wrist) and takes an action to climb back on.
This also raises the question of how to model a focus (and the skateboard is clearly a focus for Running or a smiliar power) that requires a high degree of specialized skill to use effectively -- in other words, you don't dare lend it to one of your friends because they'd be dangerous to everyone around them if they tried to use it. There are innumerable examples of this: a 24th-century Starfleet officer operating as a super on 2006 Earth would not want to give a hand phaser to one of his friends without some careful training...