Name the Hero Contest! [Archive] - HERO Games Discussion Boards

Crimson-Hawk

Feb 27th, '03, 05:59 PM

HERO System 6th Edition (code name BARNEY) is secretly already in the R&D stage of development. A secret coaltion of supergenius monkeys, bloodthirsty vigilantes, and raving party-goers are hard at work playtesting various aspects of the system as we speak. Though I cannot compromise the anonymity of my source, I have it on good faith that BARNEY might feature the following changes.

Consistent Characteristic Point Cost: All characteristics will cost 3 cp (like DEX currently) each and all of their derivative effects will tier in steps of five (like STR currently). Hence, Max Lift will double every five STR, OCV/DCV will double every five DEX, STUN will double every five CON, etc.
Universal Powers: All powers will all be based off of two univeral Powers, Incremental Power and Fixed Power. If the effects of a power is incremental in die value, such as Energy Blast or Flash currently, the character will buy Incremental Power and apply the appropriate modifiers to the cost. If the effects are constant, such as Extra Dimensional Travel or Desolidification currently, then the character will buy Fixed Power and apply the appropriate modifiers to the cost.
No Disadvantages: Characters will not be required to "purchase" Disadvantages just to gain points. Instead, GMs will be encouraged to invent devious weaknesses for their characters based on the background stories that will now become a required part of character creation.
Portability: The core rules will be shortened to a mere 98 page rulebook. However, in order to take advantage of the more luxurious aspects of the system (such as Skills, Perks, Talents, and Powers), you will need to purchase the Skills Companion, the Perquisites Companion, and so on....
Roster Modification: There will be several changes made to the roster of the Champions Universe. Though my source didn't mention many, I do know that Doctor Destroyer will be shelved in favor of a more versatile and insidious villain than Doc D ever was... Mr. Vimes. Similarly, Foxbat will be discarded for ChaosLiege and Menton will be discarded for Monolith.

BARNEY is slated for publication in 2015. At present, I understand the delayed release date is due to the fact that the hyperintelligent monkeys are having trouble deciding which amongst them are actually the smartest. The rumor that the bloodthirsty vigilantes have threatened to kill first the monkeys and then the ravers just on general principle is completely unsubstantiated.

[P.S. If you take any of this seriously, you need to check yourself into an asylum, and quick! :D]

Hermit

Feb 27th, '03, 08:42 PM

My mind's eye now has this image of a sugary purple dinosaur where once glorious and green Hex-Man stood!

The Horror, the Horror....

Hermit

Mar 3rd, '03, 02:07 PM

So, anyone got Sabre-wolvy whatzit written up and submitted already?

Ben Seeman

Mar 3rd, '03, 03:06 PM

Sorry for the delay in the juging for the man in Black and Gold. There are quite a few good submissions that we need to go over. The winner will be announced no later than Wednesday.

In the meantime, send in your submissions for the latest hero.

GradonSilverton

Mar 3rd, '03, 03:31 PM

Originally posted by Ben Seeman
Sorry for the delay in the juging for the man in Black and Gold. There are quite a few good submissions that we need to go over. The winner will be announced no later than Wednesday.

In the meantime, send in your submissions for the latest hero.
Uh, yeah... well.... I was planning on entering, but when I went to give the character another look over... I saw that the deadline has come and gone for wolfy dude....

So, uh Ben... what gives?

:)

Ben Seeman

Mar 3rd, '03, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by GradonSilverton
Uh, yeah... well.... I was planning on entering, but when I went to give the character another look over... I saw that the deadline has come and gone for wolfy dude....

So, uh Ben... what gives?

:)
That's called having too much to do and only one brain cell to run the whole show.

I have fixed the date issue... and I've updated the page with the winner! CONGRATS to Denver Mason and his submission "STALKER".

GradonSilverton

Mar 3rd, '03, 04:02 PM

WHO HO! Honorable mention! So what does that get me? Honorable Mention? Thats my reward right? Do I a get a cookie or anything else? Oh well.... Honorable Mention is good. I'll just have to win the next one... now that the deadline has been changed.

PS.
If I do get a cookie, Chocolate Chip is my preference! :)

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
Cookies!

Monolith

Mar 3rd, '03, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by GradonSilverton
WHO HO! Honorable mention! So what does that get me? Honorable Mention? Thats my reward right? Do I a get a cookie or anything else? Oh well.... Honorable Mention is good. I'll just have to win the next one... now that the deadline has been changed.
I think you get that used set of Juggernaut armor. :)

GradonSilverton

Mar 3rd, '03, 04:33 PM

Originally posted by Monolith
I think you get that used set of Juggernaut armor. :)
I'd rather just have a cookie please... I'd even settle for oatmeal. :)

Crimson-Hawk

Mar 3rd, '03, 04:56 PM

w00t!!!!

I got "Most Amusing Utility Belt"!!!

I'd like to thank the Academy for this award. I'd also like to thank my parents, who have supported me this entire time. I'd like to thank all of my fans... it's only because of you that I have this award now. And most of all, I'd like to thank God for being with me!

Heh! At least I got something. Then again, Bastani Knight is probably going to get me banned from the boards, but that's beside the point. ;)

Hermit

Mar 3rd, '03, 09:24 PM

Originally posted by Ben Seeman

I have fixed the date issue... and I've updated the page with the winner! CONGRATS to Denver Mason and his submission "STALKER".

My entry won?
*Faints* *revives, and faints again*
*moments later*
really?
*looks again*
Paint the devil blue because it just got cold down there... Wow! The ninjas worked!!!!

I definitely feel a 'waa hoo' coming on...
WAAH HOO!

There, that's better...
uhm, not to push my luck, but can I have a cookie too? :)

Crimson Arrow

Mar 4th, '03, 12:48 AM

Congratulations to Hermit.

As it seems to be the time for secret IDs to be revealed (very JLA), I'd like to thank the judges for another honorable mention.

I was a bit worried that The Keeper was a little too dull in terms of powers. I ran out of points, but had to keep many of his skills, as they defined the character. Most of his powers got relegated to the campaign use section on how to make him more powerful. He can't of been that bad, I suppose.

Thanks to Lord Liaden for pointing out the typo in "El Aguijon". I think Ben changed the wrong letter, though! ;)

Onwards to the next round, HEROdom. I have to say I think my next effort is NOT going to be noteworthy, but I'll give it a shot (or should that be stab?)

Ben Seeman

Mar 4th, '03, 09:16 AM

Heh, I did, didn't I? :|

Hermit

Mar 4th, '03, 01:08 PM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Congratulations to Hermit.

As it seems to be the time for secret IDs to be revealed (very JLA), I'd like to thank the judges for another honorable mention.

Opps.. *Slips mask back on* How to cover this...
*holds out little device with red light on it* If you'll all look this way?

AlbertDeschesne

Mar 4th, '03, 06:14 PM

Ben, is it all right to submit more than one name/idea for a character?

GradonSilverton

Mar 4th, '03, 06:26 PM

Originally posted by AlbertDeschesne
Ben, is it all right to submit more than one name/idea for a character?
It says the LA Area under your name... you sure that shouldn't be somewhere near Palm Beach, Florida?

Wait on it.... wait on it....

wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhahahahhahahahahahahahah!

:)

I'll be here all week! And everyone remember to tip your waitress!

AlbertDeschesne

Mar 4th, '03, 06:30 PM

Originally posted by GradonSilverton
It says the LA Area under your name... you sure that shouldn't be somewhere near Palm Beach, Florida?

Wait on it.... wait on it....

wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhahahahhahahahahahahahah!

:)

I'll be here all week! And everyone remember to tip your waitress!

Did you know that the word Remember in your sig is misspelled? :p

GradonSilverton

Mar 4th, '03, 06:31 PM

Originally posted by AlbertDeschesne
Did you know that the word Remember in your sig is misspelled? :p
ah shlit!

shlit on me! shlit on me!

uuhhh... wait a second........

No its not... see!

:)

AlbertDeschesne

Mar 4th, '03, 06:33 PM

Originally posted by GradonSilverton
ah shlit!

shlit on me! shlit on me!

uuhhh... wait a second........

No its not... see!

:)

Hehehehehe And he lobs 'em right back!

Lord Liaden

Mar 24th, '03, 04:51 PM

The March deadline for Hero 5 fast approacheth!

I'll be interested in seeing how many concepts people came up with that don't look like "Saberine". ;)

Ben Seeman

Mar 24th, '03, 05:03 PM

Aparently his name should be Amnesiac becasue it seems as though everyone has forgotten all about him. I have received ZERO submissions this month.

If you have submitted a character I obviously did not receive it so please send it again. If you haven't... WHY HAVEN'T YOU?

Hermit

Mar 24th, '03, 06:34 PM

Well, I haven't because I look at it and go "Wolverine Clone", I mean, his claws are metal. His hands look vaguely hooflike on the pic, but that maybe just the gloves, but if it's some deformity, why a mask in the first place? There's just nothing that I see as original or logical (Well, as logical as super heroes get *S*) coming to my muse on this one.

Who knows, a thunderbolt of inspiration might strike soon, but I doubt it. :( Sorry

GradonSilverton

Mar 24th, '03, 07:47 PM

I am forcing myself to not make him into Wolverine, etc... In fact, I'm going with a completely different "Mutant" area...
No details as of yet (There are spies everywhere!). I am running into some power creation problems... trying to under stand if I should use a compound power or a MP with a link from a external power.... but I've got nothing yet....

Hey, Can I use a compond power within a MP? hhmm?

Crimson Arrow

Mar 25th, '03, 01:17 AM

I am working on one, but have reached a bit of an impasse in terms of points. I have some nice ideas (well I think so), but even after ditching a lot of abilities, I am still about 20 points over the limit. I have already had to drop a few of the slightly more interesting powers, as they were less essential to the conception than others. They'll go in the section on making the character more powerful though.

I hope I can sort something out in the next couple of days.

You'll be relieved to learn that he is not a mutant! There is a "tip of the hat" to Wolverine/Sabretooth though. The former was deliberate, the latter accidental.

Talon

Mar 25th, '03, 06:51 AM

Is the deadline the 28th as posted or the end of the month?

Mavnn

Mar 25th, '03, 06:55 AM

I was thinking that...

Enquiring minds would like to know :)

Michael

Ben Seeman

Mar 25th, '03, 09:14 AM

The end of the month. I'll fix that on the page.

Lord Liaden

Mar 25th, '03, 12:24 PM

Originally posted by Ben Seeman
The end of the month. I'll fix that on the page.

Might be worth noting in the next Weekly Update on the homepage, too, Ben; people who saw that March 28 end date might assume that they don't have time to finish their entries. (We seem to have a fair number of last-minute-Larrys around here.) ;)

GradonSilverton

Mar 26th, '03, 12:52 PM

Quick question Ben.... I've never seen a preference so....

In what form/format would you like the Characters submitted?

Ben Seeman

Mar 26th, '03, 01:57 PM

Originally posted by GradonSilverton
Quick question Ben.... I've never seen a preference so....

In what form/format would you like the Characters submitted?
Ultimately I prefer a character sheet exported by Hero Designer. While ANY format is accepted (as long as it is readable) that is my preference.

Mavnn

Mar 27th, '03, 12:47 AM

How about just attaching the Hero Designer file?

Michael

Ben Seeman

Mar 27th, '03, 11:02 AM

Originally posted by Mavnn
How about just attaching the Hero Designer file?

Michael

That is perfectly fine, but it would make it easier for me to already have the exported file. Just one less step I have to take in compiling all of the entries.

BobGreenwade

Mar 27th, '03, 11:56 AM

Does WordPerfect format work for you, Ben?

Ben Seeman

Mar 27th, '03, 01:30 PM

Yeah... I use Word and it doesn't have any problem opening up those files, at least as far as I can recall.

GradonSilverton

Mar 31st, '03, 07:57 PM

Just made it...10:48pm, 3/31... and its on its way.... I was worried I wouldnt get him completed in time.... anyone else waiting to the last minute? Well, just to remind you, we're pretty close to the last minute!!!!

I'll be back tomorrow to post the concept, I'd like to know some details on the direction others went...

Talon

Apr 1st, '03, 04:53 AM

I'm curious to hear how many submissions made it in...sounded like this was going to be a light one.

JmOz

Apr 1st, '03, 05:27 AM

Mine was sort of last minuite, I had done about half, then got busy, and remembered last night in the chat, so I started to organise the thoughts I had on him into something coherent.

Out of curiosity for those who entered, did any of you NOT make a Totem/Wolverine type guy? Mine was a No range mentalist with default computer as the mind (In otherwords his powers were designed to connect to computers via a universal interface unit...sure looks like a spike to me)

GradonSilverton

Apr 1st, '03, 08:30 AM

I went the route of a mutant... and I guess he has a nod from the Wolverine form... After looking the character over, I went with a Snake/Scorpian like mutant with the "spikes" actually representing the mutated form of fangs, offensive powers centered on the fangs with "venom" attacks, and a set up "mutant snake" abilities.

I think my design was solid and the background was great.... I'm concered with the Super Name though and might have come up lacking in that department.

I agree with Geoff... I'd like to know the entry number this time myself... I know I started early this month (middle of the 1st week) and tailed off when things started happening in Iraq, and then had to rush to finish (incluiding a redesign on concept).. SO I'm concered others might have been in or near the same boat.

Anyone else have the same problems?

Crimson Arrow

Apr 1st, '03, 09:02 AM

For once (except December, when I had to submit early due to the holidays, which explains a lot about my "inventive" (wrong) use of Analyze)), I actually got mine in a few days before the deadline (on Friday to be precise).

I like the idea of a data spike, a bit like Robocop. A snake fits fairly nicely with the wrist things too.

Bearing in mind the terms of the contest, how much info on our designs are we allowed to post, Ben? I am sure no one would stick up the numbers or anything, but how much background and especially power detail can we divulge?

Ben Seeman

Apr 1st, '03, 09:08 AM

Feel free to talk about your character design, background, etc...

I'll be posting the winner on Friday

Hermit

Apr 1st, '03, 12:09 PM

I'm afraid I missed the boat on this one. :( by the time a concept I could tolerate came up (Really, some of them popping into my head were just awful) I found myself too far behind to do it up right. Essentially, I had "The Claw" really be a Hollywood actor who was faking being a real super hero with wolverine like powers (Make up injuries healing fast, etc) and claws in his gauntlets.

Funny thing is, I did actually manage to write up the background. It got a bit long, and I realized I was more in short story mode than character creation mode. :o So I stopped.

Ben Seeman

Apr 1st, '03, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by Hermit
Funny thing is, I did actually manage to write up the background. It got a bit long, and I realized I was more in short story mode than character creation mode. :o So I stopped. \

I hope you didn't stop writing the story... sounds to me like you were in a groove, and grooves should never be halted. :)

GradonSilverton

Apr 1st, '03, 05:05 PM

Originally posted by Ben Seeman
\

I hope you didn't stop writing the story... sounds to me like you were in a groove, and grooves should never be halted. :)

Hey, Ben knows....

I mean look at the picture.... it speaks for itself...

LOOK AT THE PICTURE!!!

Hermit

Apr 1st, '03, 05:15 PM

Too short to be a real short story, too long (I think) to be a good background. I cut size font down so it wouldn't bore others as much. Apologies if I hurt someone's eyes. :)

Background/History:
The criminals ran through the dark alley, fear clearly evident in their eyes. A garbage can wobbles loose, causing the thug on the left to scramble in his panic. They come to the end of the alley, only to see him!
"G'day, scum." With twin slicing motions, the costumed man tears open the money bags of the would be heisters, "You're next." He replies.
One kicks, but his blow is neatly dodged, the other falls back...
and accidentally knocks a wall over.
"CUT!"
'The Claw' let loose a groan, "For crying out loud. Can we get a set that holds up a little bit more?" One of the prop guys started to apologize, but Daniel cut him off with a dismissive swipe of his hand. "I'll be in my trailer."
The fur trimmed star huffed off, trying to lose his agent, Stephen. No dice.
"Daniel, what the hell's wrong with you? You almost lost the accent."
Daniel popped open a beer, and glanced at it. Even the beer he had was Australian. He took a drink, then turned to Stephen, and snapped with accent attached, "And a G'day to you too, you bludging bastard." The accent dropped like a brick, and he smirked, "That better?"
"Loads," Stephen sighed, "Just remember, you maybe America's favorite new prime-time superhero, but those guys on the set don't necessarily like you. One of them might sell you out in a minute if they found out you were ..."
"A fake?" Daniel let his eyes narrow just a bit.
"Well, yes Daniel, you pretend to have powers, you're not Australian, and your whole crime-fighting career is paid for. The public doesn't know that, but that's okay. You're SUPPOSED to be fake, this is show business."
Daniel took another drink, he realized Stephen was right. He did sign up for this once Stephen told him the plan. It had paid off. Daniel's study of Kali had translated well to the claws provided him, and his training with a stunt man made him seem to take hits stronger than he could actually survive. A little spin, a little magic, and they had him faking near supernatural senses and recuperative powers as well. The excuse being his fighting style was nothing more than 'animal instinct'. Not true of course, but he could fake it, just like he faked the accent. It was decided being from another country would make Claw more exotic.
Daniel glanced over at the new load of fan mail he'd been sent. It always cheered him up to hear the praise of how cool he was, how he could kick this hero's butt, or nail that villain to the wall. Other times, it just served to remind him just how many they'd fooled.
"You're thinking about it again." Stephen warned.
"Mmm?" Daniel came out of his reverie. "What do you mean?"
"You're not a super hero. Don't ever try to BE a super hero. Do you want to ruin what we've got? Do you want to be the Milli Vanilli of the spandex set?"
"Fine." Daniel said through gritted teeth, "I'll be out in five."
................
Daniel walked through the alley way. Millennium City was too high tech sometimes, too impersonal. He preferred Hollywood. Sure, it didn't care for you either, but it tried to look that way, and right now Daniel could sympathize with a fellow actor. The shoot earlier had been grueling, and despite Stephen's protests, Daniel was enjoying the city solo. Not like too many would recognize him out of the costume. Or so he hoped.
There was a scream. For one surreal moment, Daniel was sure he was on the set again. Then he ran towards the sound as fast as he could. He banged up against a garbage can, trying not to curse as he did so. He turned the corner to see a little girl with a knife to her throat. The hostage taker was a big man that stank faintly of garlic.
"Just back off."
Daniel fell into character, "Easy there, Mate. Not my bizzo I know, but let's not be a dill. You know who I am?"
The girl apparently knew, her eyes widened, and Daniel thought he saw something there, hope. The hostage taker knew as well, but the reaction wasn't what Daniel hoped, "The Claw? You ain't taken me in man, you ain't taken me in..." The assailants's breathing grew panicked, and he looked at the girl again, "Not when you need to take this kid to the hospital!" The knife at the girl's throat started to slice forward.
Only to have another knife thrown to intercept and disarm. Smoke filled the alley, there were several thumping sounds. When it cleared, everyone in the alley could finally see each other by the straying lights. There was the girl (who flew to Daniel's arms), the thug ( who was unconscious), Daniel (who was confused as heck), and Nighthawk.
The hawkcowled figure shot a withering glance at the actor, "Your attempts to be a real hero nearly got this girl killed, you moron."
Daniel felt like taking a swing at the arrogant vigilante, but the sniffling of the girl holding to him held him back. He almost lost the accent again though, "Look Galah, you know who you're talking to?"
Nighthawk replied coldly, "You're the actor who plays Claw. You, or someone working on your behalf, occasionally pays some ex-stronghold con to lie and say you beat them. Yeah, I know who you are. Every super hero does. We can't do much about it without facing some lawsuit, and no one would believe us any ways, but we do know who you are."
"That's not true!" the girl yelled at Nighthawk, "Claw's the greatest hero ever, don't you talk to him like that!"
The super hero looked at the girl, then at Daniel. His voice filled with disgust for the latter, "You're not worthy of the trust she shows in you. You've got nothing." There was more smoke, and Nighthawk was gone.
"You okay, Claw?" The girl asked eyes shining.
Was he okay? This girl had nearly been sold on some sick slave market, and she was asking if he was okay? The show, Daniel thought, must go on. "I'm fine." He smiled, "let's get you home." The smile, was fake. Then again, Daniel mused, it seemed a lot of things were.
.............
The next day, Stephen droned on in the limo they shared, "Okay, when you get out at the rally, remember you've got to play up the sex appeal... raw animal magne..." The limo stopped, and Stephen pressed the com button and asked the driver, "Hey, what's the hold up?"
Daniel fidgeted in the costume, popping the claws in and out. These gauntlets were the real deal, the fans would be too close to fool with some break away material.
The chauffeur's voice responded, "Sorry sir, it's all over the news, Mechanon is in town. Looks like the Champions and a lot of other heroes are banding together to take him down. This whole street is being detoured for public safety."
Stephen sighed, "Great, what else could go wrong, eh Daniel?"
There was no response, the Claw was no longer in the car. Stephen felt his throat dry out as he read the note in the seat were a moment ago his meal-ticket had been.
It said: Gone to see what I've got-Claw

GradonSilverton

Apr 1st, '03, 05:16 PM

Short story all the way.... good stuff!! Too good for a background bit...

Nice writing!

Hermit

Apr 1st, '03, 05:32 PM

Thank you :) Hope I didn't offend anyone putting it here.. it was related, even if it was narcistic of me to do so. :o

Crimson Arrow

Apr 1st, '03, 11:38 PM

Nice story, Hermit.

As Ben has kindly responded to my question, I'll let you have some details of my submission for Round 5.

My character was a prehistoric shaman who, along with a rival from another tribe, ended up surviving until the 21st century (a bit silver age, I know). He's discovered on an archaeological dig and ends up a minor celebrity in Millennium City.

I moved away from combat skills with this character and focussed more on his shamanistic powers (just to avoid a Wolverine clone). Mind you, if I'd had the points, he would have been a combat monster too. :)

Hermit

Apr 2nd, '03, 07:48 PM

A shaman from the past... VERY cool.

Wish I'd thought of it. :)

lemming

Apr 2nd, '03, 09:30 PM

Nice story Hermit.

Crimson Arrow

Apr 2nd, '03, 11:38 PM

Thanks, Hermit. Your idea was good too. Shame you ran out of time for "The Claw". Maybe you'll stat him up at some point.

The prehistoric thing came about from a conversation with a friend. He talked about how there were three "human" races alive at one point and then homo sapiens became dominant.

I was working on El Aguijon at that time and went to check something in "Champions Universe" (I was looking for the list of comic-book sciences and couldn't remember if it was in there, or "Champions"). What did I see, but a reference to exactly the same thing!

Originally I was going to have him just be the tribal champion, but he was still a bit "Sabretooth". I then got the idea that he was a shaman as well as a warrior and that gave him a lot more variety in what he could do.

Hermit

Apr 4th, '03, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow

I was working on El Aguijon at that time and went to check something in "Champions Universe" (I was looking for the list of comic-book sciences and couldn't remember if it was in there, or "Champions"). What did I see, but a reference to exactly the same thing!

Well, you went and won it again :) Congrats!

Centurion

Apr 4th, '03, 03:39 PM

Originally posted by JmOz
Out of curiosity for those who entered, did any of you NOT make a Totem/Wolverine type guy?

Not exactly non-totem, but a little different. OT at work precluded me from doing a full write-up, but since I think the pic feels more dashing than my idea, I didn't mind.

Emil was one of Moreau's experiments who left home to study veterinary medicine and through happenstance came to specialize in dental hygiene.

After a number of dinosaurs at the Millenium City Zoo died from mysterious causes, it was discovered that plaque breaking off into the blood streams was causing heart attacks in the animals. Unfortunately the giant animals couldn't be sedated on a regular basis for the necessary cleanings without compromising their health. It was at that point that Doc Phero volunteered to work on the dinosaurs while they stayed active. Using an industrial grade dental pick and his natural agility Emil would hop from one dino to another as he picked away at tartar.

Eventually, the animals grew more accustomed to Emil and most came to ignore him. Seeking the adrenaline rushes he had experienced earlier on, he turned to taunting new prey; the villians of MC.

Other than a high DEX/SPD/COM he would've had a decent bunch of pheromone sensing abilities.

Glen Sprigg

Apr 4th, '03, 04:16 PM

I haven't had an entry for the last two months, simply because neither character picture really inspired me. Like most people, last month's screamed 'Wolverine-clone' at me, and I just couldn't get past that. Possibly it's due to the fact that I can't stand Wolverine, or vigilantes. My subconscious told me to stay away from them, I guess.

However, I do have plans for the next two already, especially Ms. Twin Peaks. Beware, for your respite has been brief...I shall return...in TRIUMPH! BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

And, of course, congrats to Johnathan for making it to the top again. I'll be joining you there shortly. :-)

Glen

MarkusDark

Apr 4th, '03, 04:27 PM

I haven't had the time to sit down and bang out the stats. My original thought about this last guy (along the suggestion of the powers that be to try and make something different from its actual photo) was to create a psychologist who actually didn't have any real hand to hand abilities. He was actually a mentalist but developed the 'wolverine-esque' costume so that those who'd normally just go in and pummel mentalists would keep their distance. Give em some defences against the ranged attacks and that was it.

The Claws? Actually they are probes that create a missile deflection field and/or force wall

AS for the next one, I am dying to see if any of the top five actually has the 'invisible Harley' as his mode of transportation.

Lord Liaden

Apr 5th, '03, 02:25 AM

Congratulations, Jonathon! Can't wait to see Raaktor statted out.

Originally posted by MarkusDark
AS for the next one, I am dying to see if any of the top five actually has the 'invisible Harley' as his mode of transportation.

It's interesting how elements of a character illo can slant ideas for a concept, particularly in the case of "Squatting Man" here. In his original CU cover drawing, his left arm and leg are obscured by Witchcraft in the foreground, so whoever posted the picture must have flipped the right ones and grafted them, creating his now-distinctive stance. When I saw the full illustration, I got the impression of someone directing some kind of force into the ground, like seismic waves a la Vibe from an older incarnation of the Justice League. (I'm not doing a writeup for this round, so anyone who likes that idea should feel free to run with it.):)

As a bit of a trivia note: the CU cover picture of the Man in Black (now officially "Stalker") is obscured by other characters to an even greater extent: parts of both legs, and both of his arms are completely covered. Not only must they have pieced his legs together like a jigsaw puzzle, but if you look closely, you'll see that his arms are actually the same drawing as Squatting Man's. When you think about it, it's kind of Frankensteinian. .:eek:

Hermit

Apr 5th, '03, 02:34 AM

Nice break down. I've already got a concept for our squatting fellow, but your suggestions of the 'Vibe' effect sound good.

Our lady for May is the one I think I am most looking forward to though :)

Lord Liaden

Apr 5th, '03, 02:43 AM

Originally posted by Glen Sprigg
However, I do have plans for the next two already, especially Ms. Twin Peaks.

Why has almost every reference to "M Woman" on the boards had to make it sound like "M" stands for "mammary"? She's no more busty than the other women on the CU cover, and definitely less so than Sapphire. She isn't even showing any cleavage.

Maybe we gamers really are a bunch of arrested adolescents, but do we have to hammer that point home? :rolleyes:

(This isn't a criticism of you in particular, Glen; you're just the latest link in a chain that's perturbing taken as a whole.)

Hermit

Apr 5th, '03, 02:46 AM

I think a lot of it had to do when we had the informal contest to see what names would be the WORST or sure fire losers for the official contest.

Stalker, for example, was known for a time as "Stumpy, the Ninja Boy" ... and Lady M was called "My eyes are up HERE" Woman. :)

Glen Sprigg

Apr 5th, '03, 07:05 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
Why has almost every reference to "M Woman" on the boards had to make it sound like "M" stands for "mammary"? She's no more busty than the other women on the CU cover, and definitely less so than Sapphire. She isn't even showing any cleavage.

Maybe we gamers really are a bunch of arrested adolescents, but do we have to hammer that point home? :rolleyes:

(This isn't a criticism of you in particular, Glen; you're just the latest link in a chain that's perturbing taken as a whole.)

I thought up the name when I tried to think of likely words that start with 'M'. 'Mountain' came to mind, and the rest was just a natural extension of that. :cool:

I was trying to do something different, really. But some things just happen.

Glen

Crimson Arrow

Apr 7th, '03, 12:36 AM

Thanks for the congratulations and thanks to the judges too.

I agree with Lord Liaden that Heroes 4 and 6 have been cobbled together and that this has also altered things like the stance of Number 6 (he is not a number...). When I did my entry for the hero who is now "Stalker", I was not sure whether to take any notice of his wristbands, as they'd been copied from Hero 6.

Like Hermit, I've already got my idea for the next Hero, but, it's a nice idea about the "Vibe" effect. Let's hope he doesn't go the same way (although he is wearing a red shirt...).

I also agree with LL about Hero 7, she's no worse than the standard and certainly less so than Sapphire on the same cover. However, I think the reason why she attracted the jokes is that Hero 1 is actually a normally proportioned woman and Hero 7 just looked big in comparison. The perspective of the figure (flying towards the viewer) also makes her chest seem larger than it would if she were standing. Sapphire wasn't included on the "Name the Hero" page, so she never got considered (and the jokes).

BobGreenwade

Apr 12th, '03, 03:35 PM

Well, after procrastinating for too long on the previous two heroes, I got my entry in for Hero 6 a couple of days ago. Even if my version doesn't win, I think I'll stand a good chance for a mention as Most Amusing DNPC. :D

I actually did start with the "doing something to the ground" idea, even going off the original illo rather than the one on the web, but I ended up going a completely different direction. Of course I did poke some fun at the metal shields over his shoulders, but that's another different direction.... ;)

While I'm on, I think I'll cue you guys in on what I'd been preparing for Heroes 4 and 5, and you can tell me what you think.

Hero 4 (now officially named Stalker) was to be Night Shadow, a shadow-powered thief (yes, he's actually a supervillain) who gladly shows up to help heroes during a major public crisis. He's good enough with his powers that he can get away after the crisis is over, so he doesn't have to worry about much -- but he is a major headache when he's on the other side of the fight.

Hero 5 (now officially named Raaktor) was to be Puncher, a former pro wrestler who quit the ring and became accountant after learning that his strength wasn't due to exercise and normal human hornomes, but to mutant super-physique powers that he'd never really noticed. His powers aren't enough for him to take on supervillains on his own, but a little extra martial arts training and some special multi-weapon gloves his sister made for him make up the difference. His quote: "Oh, goody -- robots! I just love shredding robots!"

AnotherSkip

Apr 18th, '03, 08:29 PM

It's an "M"!?!?!?!?!?!!?

I thought it was a "W".....

WEll that's what I get for not looking that closely at the womans endowments......

Lord Liaden

Apr 18th, '03, 10:20 PM

Originally posted by AnotherSkip
It's an "M"!?!?!?!?!?!!?

I thought it was a "W".....

WEll that's what I get for not looking that closely at the womans endowments......

Congratulations on managing to praise your own virtue and insult your own intelligence at the same time. ;)

Hermit

Apr 21st, '03, 06:49 PM

I had almost finished the entry for this month, very name oriented... then by chance, I noticed... the name had been taken already by a govt hero.
Oh well...
Back to the drawing board, uhm writing board.

Lord Liaden

Apr 22nd, '03, 01:18 AM

I feel your pain, Hermit. Any chance that hitting the ol' Thesaurus for a synonym might salvage your design?

Hermit

Apr 22nd, '03, 08:19 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
I feel your pain, Hermit. Any chance that hitting the ol' Thesaurus for a synonym might salvage your design?
The design, mayhaps, but the background would have to be rewritten a great deal. I do have another possible way out, but we'll see.

TheEmerged

Apr 24th, '03, 07:39 PM

I've been saving up for #7 (M-lady) myself. It's the only one I really had a good and serious idea for...

Lord Liaden

Apr 24th, '03, 09:23 PM

Originally posted by TheEmerged
I've been saving up for #7 (M-lady) myself. It's the only one I really had a good and serious idea for...

Sounds like you're ready to pop the question. ;)

I have a suspicion that as the contest draws toward its end, interest and entries will rise again. One character a month may have dragged it out a little too long for the fans to maintain high enthusiasm.

M-Lady really is one of the sharpest looking of the group of eight, isn't she? She has that classic Supergirl dynamism.

Hermit

Apr 25th, '03, 12:26 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden

M-Lady really is one of the sharpest looking of the group of eight, isn't she? She has that classic Supergirl dynamism.

Agreed there. She stood out quick for me as well. I already had a concept ready months ago... though power wise I may not be terribly original. I think there will get a lot of submissions for her.

Crimson Arrow

Apr 25th, '03, 01:00 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
M-Lady really is one of the sharpest looking of the group of eight, isn't she? She has that classic Supergirl dynamism.

I think she had just enough about her to spark ideas, without putting her into a pigeon hole.

By this I mean she's flying and looks quite muscular (in a toned way), but she could be a flying brick, an energy projector, a mystic or something else. Similarly, the costume is non-specific enough to allow lots of scope, but give you a few ideas (what does the "M" stand for?)

She was the first one I started writing up along with Hero 1 (now officially Lady Liberty). I never quite finished Number 7, as I needed to get the first entry sorted out, but at least I have her background typed up (mine tend to be quite lengthy) and her characteristics and powers formulated.

I agree with Hermit - there will be quite a lot of entries for Round 7. I wouldn't worry much about her powers not being too original; from what the judges have said previously, her background details are more important.

Oh, and Lord Liaden, exactly which question do you think TheEmerged wants to pop?;)

Talon

Apr 25th, '03, 06:42 AM

Alas, I think my time in the contest may be drawing to a close. GenCon prep and my Orbital Mechanics Hero article (ala The Article That Would Not Die) will be taking up most of my Hero-related time for a bit. I'm sure you all will do a good job on M-woman and the rest of the crew!

BobGreenwade

Apr 25th, '03, 07:55 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
I have a suspicion that as the contest draws toward its end, interest and entries will rise again. One character a month may have dragged it out a little too long for the fans to maintain high enthusiasm. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I'd rather like to see the contest continue with the characters on pages 70-80 of the new Champions genre book. Albert did his usual fine job with these, and they're all iconic enough that I'm sure folks would have no problem coming up with ideas (I already have a couple for the speedster and the patriot).

TheEmerged

Apr 25th, '03, 02:58 PM

Har har, LL :D Truth be told this one was only one of the bunch I felt I could do something halfway unique with -- my main fear is that it will get disqualified for "metagame" reasons. Hopefully I get a chance to fire off an email to Ben about it this weekend...

Lord Liaden

Apr 26th, '03, 09:06 AM

Originally posted by BobGreenwade
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I'd rather like to see the contest continue with the characters on pages 70-80 of the new Champions genre book. Albert did his usual fine job with these, and they're all iconic enough that I'm sure folks would have no problem coming up with ideas (I already have a couple for the speedster and the patriot).

That's an interesting idea, Bob, but for my part I wouldn't have much enthusiasm. For one thing, IMHO the contest has gone on for too long already. As I indicated in an earlier post, I think it needs to have a definite end approaching to renew interest. For another, I think that Albert did his job too well in the Champions genre book; the character illos are all highly "generic", which is absolutely how they should be to illustrate the appropriate archetypes, but I find that they lack a sense of individual style and personality that would inspire me with character ideas. Of course, I may just be an unimaginative sod. :o

AlbertDeschesne

Apr 26th, '03, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
For another, I think that Albert did his job too well in the Champions genre book; the character illos are all highly "generic", which is absolutely how they should be to illustrate the appropriate archetypes, but I find that they lack a sense of individual style and personality that would inspire me with character ideas. Of course, I may just be an unimaginative sod. :o

Ummm... thanks? Do you mean individual style in the art? Or individual style in character costume design? I was going to make their costumes all the same (like the FF) that way you could use them as a team, but was discouraged from that.

Lord Liaden

Apr 26th, '03, 01:00 PM

Sorry, Mr. Deschesne, I guess that could sound like a back-handed compliment, when I meant it to be praise.

What I meant was that the characters looked purely like embodiments of a particular archetype, without details that would imply and limit them to a certain background, gimmick or mindset. Take the Martial Artist, for example: he's executing a perfect flying kick, but there's no indication of whether he's angry or excited, what his ethnicity is, or of any cultural reference in his costume. Or my favorite, the Patriot: exactly the kind of costume and pose you'd expect a patriotic super to have (American patriot, anyway), but there's no implication that this is a patriotic Brick, Mentalist or any other power set.

For me, that's just what I would want in an archetype illustration. :)

Hermit

Apr 29th, '03, 08:36 AM

Well, it was up to the deadline, but i sent Hero number 6 in.
*Knocks on wood*

Time to get to work on #7 and then some. :)

Smeazel

Apr 29th, '03, 10:16 PM

Well, I hope that "before April 30" was inclusive... I just sent my entry for Hero 6 in about an hour ago, but technically it was slightly after midnight in North Carolina (though still April 29 where I am).

For the record, I didn't go with any "doing something to the ground" concepts; his pose could just be posturing. The main thing I used for inspiration was that big gold V thing on his chest. Looking forward to seeing how my entry does; I thought it turned out kind of interesting...

Steve Long

Apr 30th, '03, 03:43 AM

Time in NC doesn't really matter for this contest, Smeazel -- the entries go to Ben, so it's San Fran time that counts. ;)

Hermit

May 4th, '03, 10:43 AM

Does anybody else wonder if one of us went with the Invisable Motorcycle design? ;)

Derek Hiemforth

May 4th, '03, 12:05 PM

I didn't get a character submitted, but that's certainly what I would have built if I had. :)

Lord Liaden

May 4th, '03, 04:43 PM

Could just as easily be an invisible horse, or bird which would go with those winglike shoulder thingies.

If I'd gone with my seismic power notion, I'd have had him riding the crest of a small earth wave, rather like Iceman and his ice-slides.

Of course we could combine the notions and have him mounted on an invisible sandworm. Hmm, think his last name could be Atreides? ;)

Hermit

May 4th, '03, 04:52 PM

Mmmm, +30 PRE, only for Defense (-1), Incantations (Must chant "I will face my fear, I will let it pass through me!";-1/4)

I like it ;0)

Hermit

May 6th, '03, 12:05 PM

Already the crowds gather with bated breath (Take a mint)
Who, they wonder, wil #6 become?
Will it be "Stillman: The Living Stance"?
"Bjorntu B. Wilde, rider of the unseen Harley"?
"Insanely jealous of cyclops for stealing my mask idea-man"?
"DO-Gooder, champion of hair gels everywhere!" ?

or
"Bob-My wife makes me dress this way, it gets her in the mood"?

Today we will learn

TheEmerged

May 6th, '03, 12:30 PM

/* cackles evilly

Ben cleared my concept. Now all I have to do is... an insane amount of legword :rolleyes:

Ben Seeman

May 6th, '03, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by Hermit
Already the crowds gather with bated breath (Take a mint)
Who, they wonder, wil #6 become?
Will it be "Stillman: The Living Stance"?
"Bjorntu B. Wilde, rider of the unseen Harley"?
"Insanely jealous of cyclops for stealing my mask idea-man"?
"DO-Gooder, champion of hair gels everywhere!" ?

or
"Bob-My wife makes me dress this way, it gets her in the mood"?

Today we will learn

I'm woikin' on it! I'm woikin' on it!

Ben Seeman

May 6th, '03, 04:57 PM

Um, yeah. Uh, sorry guys. I won't be posting the results until tomorrow.

*ducks and hides*

Hermit

May 6th, '03, 05:08 PM

Originally posted by Ben Seeman
Um, yeah. Uh, sorry guys. I won't be posting the results until tomorrow.

*ducks and hides*
Hmm, clearly this crazy idea of giving Ben days off has it's drawbacks...

;)

Lord Liaden

May 6th, '03, 08:00 PM

Hey, maybe this means that the entries were all so great, it's impossible to call a winner!:)

Or else they all just sucked really bad...:(

Hermit

May 6th, '03, 09:02 PM

I actually don't expect mine to win. I did it more for myself... both to try out a certain personality, and a certain set of powers. He might be TOO specialized.

Plus, I'm sure I left a typo in there or three. Got to stop cutting it so close to the wire.

But from the Praise we kept getting sent collectively our way... I doubt it's that they suck. ;) Either that, or Darren butters us up to keep us submitting more...sly fellow.

:D

Smeazel

May 6th, '03, 11:52 PM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
Hey, maybe this means that the entries were all so great, it's impossible to call a winner!:)

Or else they all just sucked really bad...:(

Or that Ben had to spend the entirety of May 6 battling an evil six-armed monster from another dimension, with the fate of the entire universe at stake.

Hey, just throwing out the possibility...

Smeazel

May 6th, '03, 11:59 PM

Originally posted by Hermit
Plus, I'm sure I left a typo in there or three. Got to stop cutting it so close to the wire.

Eh... I realized after the deadline was over that I'd made some mistakes - or at least design flaws - in my submission. His SPD and CVs are rather low for a superhero; I probably should have increased them a bit. (Though I'm not sure exactly where I would have gotten the BPs from... there are no other disadvantages I want to add, and I really don't want to remove or decrease any of his skills and perks... Well, I probably could have removed the Breakfall skill, maybe decreased his Persuasion a level or two, and possibly added a limitation to one of his powers...) Ah, well. I think I came up with an interesting background, so maybe the judges will overlook his low characteristics...

Hermit

May 7th, '03, 12:34 AM

Hmmm, they might even find the low scores refreshing. :)

Lord Liaden

May 7th, '03, 07:56 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
Hey, maybe this means that the entries were all so great, it's impossible to call a winner!:)

Or else they all just sucked really bad...:(

We all know I was just kidding, right? :o

(Bad taste runs in the family - you should have heard my dad's toast at my brother's wedding.) :rolleyes:

Killer Shrike

May 7th, '03, 09:14 AM

Originally posted by Smeazel
Or that Ben had to spend the entirety of May 6 battling an evil six-armed monster from another dimension, with the fate of the entire universe at stake.

Hey, just throwing out the possibility... Wow; I thought Spiral had returned to the Mojoverse for good!

Hermit

May 7th, '03, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
We all know I was just kidding, right? :o

No, I'm an American, we don't get irony and other subtle humor.

;)

misterdeath

May 7th, '03, 11:08 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
(Bad taste runs in the family - you should have heard my dad's toast at my brother's wedding.) :rolleyes:

I wouldn't know. I don't think I've eaten a member of your family. I'll take your word for it.

D

lemming

May 7th, '03, 11:54 AM

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
We all know I was just kidding, right? :o

(Bad taste runs in the family - you should have heard my dad's toast at my brother's wedding.) :rolleyes:
My wife's family might be related. Her mom and she made pate' jokes in the last stages of her mom's cancer. Her liver had gotten rather large. :rolleyes:

Ben Seeman

May 7th, '03, 12:05 PM

The results are in!

Congrats to Denver Mason for his second winning submission. There were a lot of really good write-ups, but Steadfast took the prize.

Smeazel

May 7th, '03, 12:53 PM

Ah, well; at least I got honorable mention...

Smeazel

May 7th, '03, 01:09 PM

But hey! Inspiration just struck for Hero 7! (Up until now I'd really been stuck for a good idea for her.) Maybe I'll have better luck with her... ;)

misterdeath

May 7th, '03, 01:15 PM

Congrats to the Hermit. Way to go brother.

D

Lord Liaden

May 7th, '03, 01:22 PM

Hey-hey! Even doing the last minute shuffle, the Resplendent One still has the chops. Way to go!

Did changing your guy's name to "Steadfast" require a significant concept alteration, after all?

Hermit

May 7th, '03, 01:32 PM

Thanks all! Heck, I really am surprised because, like I said, I didn't think this one was going to win. That said, well, I'm shallow enough that this ego boost really just made my day.

Lord Liaden, I really didn't change the concept after all, but put the name difficulty 'IC' as it were. When it comes out in DH you can decide for yourselves if I did it well. It went smoother than I thought it would.

I also couldn't help but be either curious or impressed by the names chosen in the runner ups. I liked them. :)

Killer Shrike

May 7th, '03, 02:32 PM

Originally posted by Hermit
Thanks all! Heck, I really am surprised because, like I said, I didn't think this one was going to win. That said, well, I'm shallow enough that this ego boost really just made my day.

Lord Liaden, I really didn't change the concept after all, but put the name difficulty 'IC' as it were. When it comes out in DH you can decide for yourselves if I did it well. It went smoother than I thought it would.

I also couldn't help but be either curious or impressed by the names chosen in the runner ups. I liked them. :)
Congrats (you rat bastich) ;)

allen

May 7th, '03, 04:42 PM

Originally posted by Killer Shrike
Congrats (you rat bastich) ;)

So this question goes out to Killer Shrike:

Did the MOD drive an invisible moped?

Hermit

May 7th, '03, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by allen
So this question goes out to Killer Shrike:

Did the MOD drive an invisible moped?

Indeed, inquiring minds want to know :)

Killer Shrike

May 7th, '03, 07:04 PM

Originally posted by allen
So this question goes out to Killer Shrike:

Did the MOD drive an invisible moped?

How could you really tell if he were? Maybe he's just a really talented mime... ;)

Actually, no invisible vehicles or beasts of burden were used in MOD's design.

Im not sure how 'for your eyes only' the character write ups are supposed to be, but a few basic details shouldnt hurt.

He's basically a super-athelete from Texas with a reved up physiology, backed by a respectable 'cinematic brawler' martial arts package and Regen from Death.

Conceptually, the photographer that snapped the now famous shot 'The Champions and Friends Battle Mechanon' caught The MOD in mid-leap, having just landed from one leap and about to pounce on Mechanon with another prodigious jump.

Of course in my CU, The MOD is really interested in finding out why this Steadfast fellow aped his costume. Identity theft is a crime!

Hermit

May 7th, '03, 10:09 PM

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

Of course in my CU, The MOD is really interested in finding out why this Steadfast fellow aped his costume. Identity theft is a crime!

Heh, you just made me think of a new 1 point perk: Trademarked Costume

:)

Crimson Arrow

May 8th, '03, 12:31 AM

Congratulations (again) to Hermit.

I am sure you didn't mean that my character name was intriguing, but Heatwave was a (surprise!), heat using energy projector. A side-effect of his powers is a build up of heat in his body and the weird golden metal thing was part of a heat dispersal mechanism. It is the thermals produced by that device which makes his hair move! He also had minor speedster powers (heat being molecular movement, he can internalise the power and speed himself). Comic physics - dontcha just love it!

I'd be interested to hear what ANVILS was.

Hermit

May 8th, '03, 12:38 AM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow

I am sure you didn't mean that my character name was intriguing,
No, that was one of the ones that was impressive though. Some were both. :DI've always liked "Heatwave", though it's not used that often. ;)

And Darn, nice way to explain the hair. That was one part of that picture that I couldn't explain (Well, that and why he stole Stalker's wristbands ...)

Killer Shrike

May 8th, '03, 01:37 AM

Originally posted by Hermit
Heh, you just made me think of a new 1 point perk: Trademarked Costume

:)

Actually, Id go for the 3 pointer Archetypal Image.

Just like anyone wearing cone-brassiers is assumed to be imitating Madonna or anyone with retractable claws and kind of feral is automatically dubbed a Wolvie-clone, someone with this Perk absoulutely OWNS a certain style, look, or schtick in the minds of the public and anyone else is derided as an imitator.

In fact, I just bought that perk retroactively for The MOD, so now it's official; Steadfast was either a) only wearing the MOD's costume in an effort to confuse Mechanon (The MOD, sans his famous threads, was sneaking up on Mechanons actual base to head off his replacement production while the rest of the strike force, including Steadfast in The MOD's duds, distracted old Mecha-Im a Angst Ridden Robbie the Robot-non) or b) Steadfast got dizzy by the terrifying thought of fighting Mechanon and horked on his outfit so The MOD lent him his spare or c) Steadfast should really be called Stealfast, cuz that dirty thug would swipe a used paper plate; dudes a clepto, thats what it is.

Im thinking 2, but 1 is feasible as well. Steadfast always did have a delicate digestive tract. Note even in the picture, it looks like he just finished hurling for the NTeenth time. No more shellfish for him, thats for sure. Also, the MOD says to tell him that if he got any vomit on the spare outfit, to get it drycleaned before returning it......

:)

:cool:

Crimson Arrow

May 8th, '03, 04:48 AM

Originally posted by Hermit
No, that was one of the ones that was impressive though. Some were both. I've always liked "Heatwave", though it's not used that often.

Yes, I was aware it wasn't amazingly original, but I looked at the eight characters as a whole. Not a team exactly, but it struck me that Pat was trying to depict a number of archetypes. Hero 1 was a Patriot, 2 was a Mentalist etc.

When I went through and got my initial ideas (which changed a bit in a couple of cases), I allocated different archetypes to the characters, even where it was not obvious what powers they had. Hero 6 was one where he had no immediately apparent powers and, as there were no obvious Energy Projectors - that's what he became.

The heat thing was based on his costume colours and the hair "wave" (geddit?) just popped to mind. The speedster stuff came to mind when someone suggested he could be running in the picture on the book cover and indeed Speedster is another archetype not immediately obvious in the picture. The costume is in "Flash family" colours, so I worked in the hokey stuff about molecular excitement allowing him to speed himself up.

Besides, didn't Stalker steal Steadfast's wristbands?:) Or was it The MOD's wristbands? ;) Hey perhaps The MOD needs to go after Stalker as well, just like Iron Man went after all the people that were using Stark's technology in their battle suits! :D

Killer Shrike - I hope The MOD wore an alternative costume while sneaking up on Mechanon. Heroism in the buff might distract some villains, but not Mr "I Hate Organics"!:D

Smeazel

May 8th, '03, 08:38 AM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Heroism in the buff might distract some villains, but not Mr "I Hate Organics"!:D

Are you sure about that?

"Aarghh... so... much... organic... matter... so... repulsed... but... can't... look... away..."

Smeazel

May 8th, '03, 08:39 AM

Personally, I may still end up using my hero concept for something, and just giving him a costume change. He wasn't all that intrinsically tied to the costume, anyway; there was a reference to that gold shield thing (which I interpreted as a highly stylized falcon symbol) and to his visor, but I could always give him a different costume and still use the hero...

BobGreenwade

May 8th, '03, 09:19 AM

Originally posted by Smeazel
Ah, well; at least I got honorable mention... And I didn't. :( When my DSL is reconnected, maybe I'll share with you the story of Adam Smasher. ;)

Hermit

May 8th, '03, 09:22 AM

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

In fact, I just bought that perk retroactively for The MOD, so now it's official; Steadfast was either a) only wearing the MOD's costume in an effort to confuse Mechanon (The MOD, sans his famous threads, was sneaking up on Mechanons actual base to head off his replacement production while the rest of the strike force, including Steadfast in The MOD's duds, distracted old Mecha-Im a Angst Ridden Robbie the Robot-non) or b) Steadfast got dizzy by the terrifying thought of fighting Mechanon and horked on his outfit so The MOD lent him his spare or c) Steadfast should really be called Stealfast, cuz that dirty thug would swipe a used paper plate; dudes a clepto, thats what it is.

What about option D?
Steadfast had come to Millennium City for a Convention, and dressed up as his favorite Hero MOD... then the fight broke out, confusion galore :)

Hermit

May 8th, '03, 09:24 AM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Originally posted by Hermit
Besides, didn't Stalker steal Steadfast's wristbands?:) Or was it The MOD's wristbands? ;) Hey perhaps The MOD needs to go after Stalker as well, just like Iron Man went after all the people that were using Stark's technology in their battle suits! :D

Hmmm, In the spirit of the great story lines of yesteryear, the DOJ brings you.... Fashion Wars!

:D

Hermit

May 8th, '03, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by Smeazel
Ah, well; at least I got honorable mention...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And I didn't. When my DSL is reconnected, maybe I'll share with you the story of Adam Smasher.

Oh, trust me... been there. Defiant didn't get an honorable mention... and I began to realize I was being short changed for my Rivalry with Bolt. He was clearly worth 5 more points :)

Then I made C.E.R.E.M.A.K. (short for Cerebally Enhanced Recombinant Engineered for Mental Abilities and Knowledge), a MODOK homage to reflect ARGENT's AIM Like nature. Again, no mention. I was really disapointed in myself... though I knew logically I shouldn't have been with so many creative people going at it.

I, decided, win or lose, I was going to keep trying. What's the worse that could happen? I end up with 7 characters for NPCS? :)I had good feelings about Gadfly (And besides which, he made me laugh), and was rewarded with an honorable mention! Whew!

Then Stalker won. I was, incredibly pleased. Actually, at first I was incredibly doubtful. Smelling salts revived me after my shock, and I was filled with the well being that only shallow victory can bring. :)

As if to punish me for my budding hubris (or maybe God doesn't like the Voodoo pins I had been using on the rest of you) , I looked at 5 and went 'Wolverine Clone=Block'... nothing came to mind in time.

Then Steadfast... I am still surprised he won, especially given some of the innovative ideas I'm hearing. I guess putting my soul in the pawnshop was a good idea!!

:)

So keep trying, and remember, if you must use the dark arts to confound your competition, do so sparingly.

(Gosh darn it, I feel positively inspiring today... hope no one hurts me for it)

Killer Shrike

May 8th, '03, 04:34 PM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Killer Shrike - I hope The MOD wore an alternative costume while sneaking up on Mechanon. Heroism in the buff might distract some villains, but not Mr "I Hate Organics"!:D [/B] He went wearing nothing but a Rainbow wig and a jock strap, for the "Shock and Awe" value of it all. Plus, it served as a decent disguise; no one would believe that The MOD would stoop to such a tactic. The other heroes said "IT WOULD NEVER WORK", but they were oh so wrong.

Killer Shrike

May 8th, '03, 04:44 PM

Huh, I didnt realize there were so many people submitting characters. None of the characters pictures really interested me too much so I didnt bother with submissions, but everyone was bad mouthing the "Steadfast dressed up like The MOD" (:) ) picture, so I thought Id do something to stick up for the underdog.

I might do something for the bendy dude <h1>Commando Rubberbando!</h1>

Crimson Arrow

May 9th, '03, 12:31 AM

Originally posted by Smeazel
"Aarghh... so... much... organic... matter... so... repulsed... but... can't... look... away..."

From what Killer Shrike said, it looks as though your guess was on the money.

Better that than, "Activating targeting systems. Activating Image Enhancers. I said Activating Image Enhancers. Oh they were activated. Going to x100 magnification. Going to x1000 magnification. Going to..." :D

I loved the "Commando Rubberbando" name. Secret ID Felix "Flex" A. Peal. :) Go for it KS.

Killer Shrike

May 9th, '03, 04:22 PM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Better that than, "Activating targeting systems. Activating Image Enhancers. I said Activating Image Enhancers. Oh they were activated. Going to x100 magnification. Going to x1000 magnification. Going to..." :D

{Clear throat, adjust the various mikes so that they dont obscure my face}

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, thank you for turning out for this statement on such short notice.

The MOD has asked me, as his agent, to refute the statements of the putative hero "slash" vigilante, the Crimson Arrow regarding The MOD's, shall we say, physical endowments or lack there of.

The Crimson Arrow's puerile conjecture is yet another baseless insult forwarded by insecure detractors jealous of the MOD's phenomenal good looks, perfect hair, and unmatched physique.

To put this nasty rumor to rest, the MOD would like me to point out that as a side affect of his superhuman "adaptive physiology", his body will adapt itself to whatever configuration is most beneficial/efficient for whatever his current endeavor might be; and that this benefit extends beyond the battlefield and into the boudoir, pun intended. For corroboration, I refer you to UNTIL file UN-M-999342-B.

He further asks that all interested HWP females between 21 and 37 that are considered 'attractive' to forward thier info to LoverMOD@hotmale.com and he will respond to them in the order in which their emails are received. Current wait is 3-4 weeks; attached pictures may cause a submitter to be given special consideration (or dropped from the list completely).

Thats all, no questions at this time.

Hermit

May 10th, '03, 03:58 PM

Reminds me of the IC Classified threads we had on the old boards...
"SWM mad scientist seeks female mad scientist to terrorize villages together with..." :)

Killer Shrike

May 11th, '03, 01:16 AM

Originally posted by Hermit
Reminds me of the IC Classified threads we had on the old boards...
"SWM mad scientist seeks female mad scientist to terrorize villages together with..." :)

The MOD isnt quite ready for a steady relationship yet; he's still "sowing his oats". Of course, with his longevity factored in, the sowing of the oats phase has stretched for a decade more than is normal for young men and is still going strong. It might be another 50 years or so before he ages into his middle span and seeks to settle down, get a house & a dog, etc ;)

Its no doubt this aspect of The MOD's mystique which causes impressionable young heroes like Steadfast to seek to emulate him. ;)

Crimson Arrow

May 12th, '03, 12:20 AM

Originally posted by BobGreenwade
Hero 4 (now officially named Stalker) was to be Night Shadow, a shadow-powered thief (yes, he's actually a supervillain) who gladly shows up to help heroes during a major public crisis. He's good enough with his powers that he can get away after the crisis is over, so he doesn't have to worry about much -- but he is a major headache when he's on the other side of the fight.

Bob, I realised that no one ever said anything about your ideas, so here's my 2p worth.

I like this one, there's certainly precedent for it in the comics. You haven't said much about his powers, but presumably he has stealth-related stuff. The problem with this idea that the contest wanted heroes. I don't know if factors like the fact that he's a villain with a good side might have skewed things. Perhaps Ben can shed some light on this.

My own submission for this one had committed some crimes, although mainly because he wanted to protect his loved ones, rather than because he was a career criminal. Also, I think my one would have been impossible to play, due to his MO in stopping crimes (really wouldn't have worked well in a gaming session, but once I had the idea, I had to go with it).

Hero 5 (now officially named Raaktor) was to be Puncher, a former pro wrestler who quit the ring and became accountant after learning that his strength wasn't due to exercise and normal human hornomes, but to mutant super-physique powers that he'd never really noticed. His powers aren't enough for him to take on supervillains on his own, but a little extra martial arts training and some special multi-weapon gloves his sister made for him make up the difference. His quote: "Oh, goody -- robots! I just love shredding robots!"

Sounds fun, especially quitting pro-wrestling to become an accountant. The wrestler known as D-Lo Brown was a CPA who became a "sports entertainer", I believe. He accidentally paralysed another wrestler (Droz), by dropping Droz on his head/neck during a move. Perhaps an injury like that would be motivation to quit wrestling, especially if it was caused by his powers. The only thing I'm not sure about is the name. "Puncher" sounds like a boxer rather than a wrestler.:)

Crimson Arrow

May 12th, '03, 12:28 AM

Originally posted by Killer Shrike
The MOD has asked me, as his agent, to refute the statements of the putative hero "slash" vigilante, the Crimson Arrow regarding The MOD's, shall we say, physical endowments or lack there of.

Hey, just funning with The MOD. After all, I did say that what happened was better than the alternative, so I never actually alleged any lack of, um, endowment. Sorry if that touched a nerve with The MOD. Hey, is that one of The MOD's disadvantages? 2X Effect From Insults About His, Um, You Know. :D Even if they are not justified and could never be, of course.

I hope The MOD never runs into Zig-Zag. Double Z could end up on the wrong end of a whuppin' if he makes inappropriate jokes!

The Crimson Arrow should like to take this opportunity to extend the hand of friendship to The MOD who is, of course, known for his good sense of humour, along with his other impressive attributes. :D

BTW, Hermit, is Steadfast a speedster?

Hermit

May 12th, '03, 01:38 AM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Originally posted by Killer Shrike

BTW, Hermit, is Steadfast a speedster?
In someways, quite the opposite. :)
And I dare not tell more lest a DoJ Power that Be manifest and rap my knuckles.

However, one thing I can tell you is apparently he and the MOD have similar tailors :)

Killer Shrike

May 12th, '03, 11:56 AM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Originally posted by Killer Shrike

Hey, just funning with The MOD. After all, I did say that what happened was better than the alternative, so I never actually alleged any lack of, um, endowment. Sorry if that touched a nerve with The MOD. Hey, is that one of The MOD's disadvantages? 2X Effect From Insults About His, Um, You Know. :D Even if they are not justified and could never be, of course.

The Crimson Arrow should like to take this opportunity to extend the hand of friendship to The MOD who is, of course, known for his good sense of humour, along with his other impressive attributes. :D

Off the record, between you and me, The MOD was slightly amused by the allegation, if only in a sardonic "thats obviously so untrue sort of way". He does, as you say, have a sense of humor as amazingly developed as the rest of him.

However, as you know from your own recent troubles with the media after the '12 Year Old Shoots His Brother In The Head With An Arrow, Emulating His Hero Crimson Arrow's "William Tell Special" Manuever' incident last year, a Hero's image has to be maintained. The Daily Journal-Gazette for example just loves to take stuff like that and run with it in thier supers-bashing "tell-all" columns.

I mean, we both know that The MOD has enough problems with jealous lovers trying to smear him after The MOD is through with them. I mean, what do these girls expect? Most of them literally get issued a number, targets of opportunity aside. He has them on a rotation schedule, posted on the official web site (www.TheMOD.com, under Personal Details->MODETTES). Some of them just seem to think that they are going to be THE ONE thats going to be so spectacular that he'll settle down with them and make little The MODs between villainy-stompings. :rolleyes:

The MOD has asked me as his agent to return your gesture of a mutually non-smearing friendship. Further, he indicated that he heard about your exploits, defeating the Vermillion Revenger and his sidekick Kid Revenge singlehandedly. Though The MOD generally does not approve of putative heros that use weapons, he recognizes that not all would be hero's have his amazing physique and impressive natural talents, and need some surrogate to achieve an equal stature with villainous scum.

Also, The MOD would like me to extend a dinner invitation on July 30th to The MOD's 5th annual Young Hero's invitational. As a guest speaker of course, not as a 'Young Hero'. He hopes that you will accept the invitation to be the keynote speaker for "Applications for Hyper Accuracy in Crime Fighting"; sadly the slot is currently unfilled, the originally scheduled speaker Talonhawk having been crippled by Grond back in December.

As a gesture of good faith, The MOD is willing to appear in a public service announcement with you and a few other notables warning children not to attempt to imitate the heroic and daring stunts they sometimes see superheros doing on TV, despite the negative publicity attached to you from the above mentioned incident involving children with arrows.

Please RSVP at your convenience....

Killer Shrike

May 12th, '03, 12:22 PM

Originally posted by Hermit
However, one thing I can tell you is apparently he and the MOD have similar tailors :)
The MOD has directed me, as his agent, to notify the young hero Steadfast of the following:

The MOD accepts that Imitation is the truest form of flattery, and has learned to live with his legion of emulators. The MOD only asks that some differntiating be employed. The MOD has invested quite a bit of time and money into branding his image so that young fans can be assured that when they buy The MOD action figures or The MOD underroos the likeness depicted is an accurate one.

The MOD trusts that someone with such good fashion taste as Steadfast can understand this and will do the right thing without need for legal action.

Further, The MOD would like to extend to Steadfast an invitation to The MOD's 5th Annual Young Hero Invitational. As Steadfast no doubt knows, this event occurs on July 30th in Millenium City and is a gala event for up and coming super heros. There will be an august panel of keynote speakers comprised of respected veteran heros, who will give the benefit of thier long experience on a variety of subjects. It is also an excellent opportunity to rub elbows with and meet peers from all over the country. Unofficially, a number of super hero romances have allegedly been started by a chance meeting at one of the last 4 Invitationals which may be of interest to Steadfast if he is currently unattached.

Please RSVP......

Crimson Arrow

May 13th, '03, 06:05 AM

Originally posted by Killer Shrike
However, as you know from your own recent troubles with the media after the '12 Year Old Shoots His Brother In The Head With An Arrow, Emulating His Hero Crimson Arrow's "William Tell Special" Manuever' incident last year, a Hero's image has to be maintained.

Yes, that was an unfortunate incident. Lucky it was only a target arrow and that the kid hadn’t built a replica of my shaped charge arrow or (gulp) the buzz saw arrow. I visited the little guy in hospital and gave his brother a lecture. You know the sort of thing, “Bows don’t kill people. Bows jam up their guns, handcuff them, then take them out with a boxing glove to the jaw.”

Though The MOD generally does not approve of putative heros that use weapons, he recognizes that not all would be hero's have his amazing physique and impressive natural talents, and need some surrogate to achieve an equal stature with villainous scum.

In fact, as a world-class heavyweight boxer/karateka/jiu-jitsu practitioner, there is nothing wrong with the Crimson Arrow’s physique. Don’t forget how much upper-body strength is needed to use a longbow. There’s nothing wrong with Crimson Arrow’s lower body strength either, if you get my meaning, so that’s one more thing in common with The MOD.

Also, The MOD would like me to extend a dinner invitation on July 30th to The MOD's 5th annual Young Hero's invitational. As a guest speaker of course, not as a 'Young Hero'. He hopes that you will accept the invitation to be the keynote speaker for "Applications for Hyper Accuracy in Crime Fighting"; sadly the slot is currently unfilled, the originally scheduled speaker Talonhawk having been crippled by Grond back in December.

It was a shame about Talonhawk. Is he on solid foods yet?

I’d be delighted to accept The MOD’s invitation. As it’s a gathering of both new heroes and some more experienced ones, I just hope that nothing bad happens like, oh, a mass attack by various supervillains trying to take advantage of so many of their enemies being in one place together. My bad. Of course that would never happen, don’t know what I was thinking.

I am happy to do the public service announcement too. Let me know some possible dates and I'll see if I've got a window in my busy crime-fighting schedule.

TheEmerged

May 20th, '03, 03:25 PM

So far my lone submission is coming nicely except for one snag I expected by still haven't worked out. There's got to be... wait, that would give it away...

Hermit

May 27th, '03, 05:44 PM

Originally posted by TheEmerged
So far my lone submission is coming nicely except for one snag I expected by still haven't worked out. There's got to be... wait, that would give it away...

Tell! Tell!

:)

Has everyone got Hero #7 submitted? Only a few days left...

TheEmerged

May 27th, '03, 06:28 PM

I got my snag worked out, feverishly working to finish in time. And if you knew the concept, you'd know why it involved feverish amounts of work :D

Crimson Arrow

May 28th, '03, 05:29 AM

Mine's gone out now.

I seem to recall a lot of people saying they had no inspiration for Heroes 4-6, but had ideas for Number 7.

How many so far, Ben?

Blue

May 28th, '03, 10:48 AM

I have such trouble focusing. I actually have five different ideas for #7, but can't finish any of them because once I get into one, I like another better. Such is the story of my life. I've never been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, but I suspect...

Hermit

May 29th, '03, 12:28 PM

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Mine's gone out now.

I seem to recall a lot of people saying they had no inspiration for Heroes 4-6, but had ideas for Number 7.

How many so far, Ben?
Yeah, I had ideas for #7 pretty much at the start. Really, I think it's my favorite drawing out of the lot.

And I'm curious as to how many have submitted as well. :)

Hermit

May 29th, '03, 12:29 PM

Originally posted by Blue
I have such trouble focusing. I actually have five different ideas for #7, but can't finish any of them because once I get into one, I like another better. Such is the story of my life. I've never been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, but I suspect...

I usually end up mixing and matching if I can when it comes to that, but yes, I know what you mean.

Good luck to us all!

TheEmerged

May 29th, '03, 01:01 PM

Must... finish... on time!

Ben Seeman

May 29th, '03, 01:02 PM

At this moment I've received 5 submissions.

TheEmerged

May 29th, '03, 03:02 PM

I'm thinking as fast as I can, honest :cool:

Hermit

May 29th, '03, 03:10 PM

Okay, considering the praise we've all given this lady's pic, that surprises me.

Someone give Emerged some caffiene, he may have to pull an all nighter.... we need more submissions!

Ben Seeman

May 29th, '03, 03:16 PM

Now it's six. But that total doesn't include the dozens of one-namers that had no charcter write-up what-so-ever. Are the directions really that difficult to understand?

Blue

May 29th, '03, 03:52 PM

I've got one! I've got one. Now to rush home and read the submission guidelines so I can format properly.

Killer Shrike

May 29th, '03, 04:18 PM

Well, im in the final throws of prepping for my wedding Saturday while also trying to finish converting all the 5th level Arcane Spells in the PHB, but Ill try my best. ;)

TheEmerged

May 29th, '03, 04:20 PM

Dude, I'm a second-shifter. For me, they're called "All morning sessions" :D

I'm reasonably sure I'll get done... I'm still scared Ben will end up having to disqualify it despite the go-ahead.

Ben Seeman

May 29th, '03, 04:39 PM

Originally posted by TheEmerged
I'm reasonably sure I'll get done... I'm still scared Ben will end up having to disqualify it despite the go-ahead.

Go-ahead? What did I give you permission to do?

Hermit

May 29th, '03, 04:49 PM

Originally posted by Ben Seeman
Go-ahead? What did I give you permission to do?
You remember, he wrote #7 up as HeroTina with you as a Hunted... or Hunts.. I forget which...

:D

TheEmerged

May 29th, '03, 07:19 PM

Basically, I emailied you a note explaining what my concept was and why I was concerned that it wouldn't be admissable for "meta" reasons (and this is a functionality thing, not a naughtiness thing). I also asked if I submitted it a "certain way" if that would be okay.

Your reply was
Tom, that sounds like an interesting idea and way of presenting it. Please submit it like that.

Ben

Oblique I know, I don't want to give the concept away publicly until I've submitted it. Speaking of which, I must get back to work...

Crimson Arrow

May 30th, '03, 12:29 AM

I'm slightly surprised it's a fairly low number of entries so far, but then apart from Round 2 and this one, I don't think I've ever got a submission ready more than a day or two before the closing date. I think a lot of people are the same, so I wouldn't mind betting the number of (valid) entries at least doubles by Saturday night.

Let's hope Blue, Killer Shrike and The Emerged all get theirs done in time; the more the merrier. :)

Ben, I was not surprised you got lots of entries with literally just a name when the contest started (it is called Name the Hero rather than Design the Hero), but I suppose people are skipping the small print and heading straight to the pics. Blame Pat Zircher for drawing such nice characters.;)

Killer Shrike

May 30th, '03, 01:35 AM

OK, I sat down and designed <h2>MISS MIGHTY!</h2> immortal but young child of the ancient hidden city of Herapolis in about 2.5 hours. Im sure spelling mistakes and poor sentence structure abound, but thats all the time I could wedge. :mad:

I sent it off a moment of ago, then caught two spelling mistakes immediately thereafter. Oh well, its something anyway, warts and all. :)

Hermit

May 30th, '03, 08:13 AM

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

I sent it off a moment of ago, then caught two spelling mistakes immediately thereafter. Oh well, its something anyway, warts and all. :)

BAD SPELLERS OF THE WORLD-UNTIE!

You have nothing to lose but your conse... consan... those non-vowels!

Blue

May 30th, '03, 08:42 AM

I got around to re-reading what I sent in last night. There is one sentence that makes absolutely no sense! I mean, enough so that I'm not even sure what I was trying to say!

I almost sent a correction, but nah. I blew it. Just gotta let it go. [deep breath][/deep breath]

Hermit

May 30th, '03, 09:11 AM

Careful, Blue. The last two folks who were sure they weren't going to win and publically stated so on this thread actually won :)

You could be 'Reverse-jinxing' yourself ;)

Blue

May 30th, '03, 11:29 AM

If that's true then you just reverse-reverse jinxed me.

I think we've been reading too much of the "whammy power" thread.

Killer Shrike

May 30th, '03, 11:54 AM

Originally posted by Hermit
BAD SPELLERS OF THE WORLD-UNTIE!

You have nothing to lose but your conse... consan... those non-vowels!
Yeah, Im one of those annoying perfectionists that constantly finds mistakes in past work and feels compelled to revise it. My fiance tries to stop me from reading through my old notes and material, because I start frowning, whip out a red pen, and start correcting it, even though its usefulness is long passed. :rolleyes:

Hermit

May 30th, '03, 12:51 PM

I wish I had your discipline on it then. I don't care for editting, though it's a must. It's about as enjoyable for me as a dental drill. I'm trying to knuckle down on it more and more though.

Blue

May 30th, '03, 12:55 PM

It's a total ego thing, but if I enjoy something I've written, I can read it all day :D . The unfortunate side effect is that I spot errors in spelling, grammar, and I just think of a better way I could have said something.

TheEmerged

May 30th, '03, 04:26 PM

Only 15 to go, but I've discovered that tonight is effecitvely my deadline for real-world reasons. I think I can, I think I can...

RE: Self-editting. I'm notorious for this; I rarely make a board post for example that doesn't get editted at least once -- usually right after I hit "submit".

Added 9:01pm. 2 hours left, 9 to go.

TheEmerged

May 30th, '03, 08:00 PM

Right under the wire, less than 3 minutes before my real-world deadline, the email goes out!

Ben, attached should be 2 files. I realize one of them is a Word document, but I assure you I'm not sending you a virus as far as I know :D

I also want to make 1 thing completley clear. If for some reason AlphaBeth still has to be disqualified, I understand and will consider it my own fault for not sending you a draft well in advance. Still, this was a lot of fun to work on -- I'll have to put the effort into her properly someday. Hey, I've got a PC in my group with 16 multiforms, what's 26?

Update: I decided to send the Word file in .RTF (Rich Text) too just in case.

Killer Shrike

May 30th, '03, 08:52 PM

AlphaBeth huh? I take that theoretically we would be seeing "M" depicted in the picture if that character were AlphaBeth then?

Thats pretty funny. :D

Hermit

May 30th, '03, 08:54 PM

Glad you got it in, Emerged :)

TheEmerged

May 31st, '03, 02:14 AM

Originally posted by Killer Shrike
AlphaBeth huh? I take that theoretically we would be seeing "M" depicted in the picture if that character were AlphaBeth then?

Thats pretty funny. :D

About 1/26th of the time ;)

JmOz

May 31st, '03, 05:57 AM

Originally posted by TheEmerged
Right under the wire, less than 3 minutes before my real-world deadline, the email goes out!

Ben, attached should be 2 files. I realize one of them is a Word document, but I assure you I'm not sending you a virus as far as I know :D

I also want to make 1 thing completley clear. If for some reason AlphaBeth still has to be disqualified, I understand and will consider it my own fault for not sending you a draft well in advance. Still, this was a lot of fun to work on -- I'll have to put the effort into her properly someday. Hey, I've got a PC in my group with 16 multiforms, what's 26?

Update: I decided to send the Word file in .RTF (Rich Text) too just in case.

Tell me you did not just send bend 26 or 27 characters via multiform (27 if there is a basic character)

TheEmerged

May 31st, '03, 04:43 PM

Originally posted by JmOz
Tell me you did not just send bend 26 or 27 characters via multiform (27 if there is a basic character)

I did not just send Ben 27 character sheets (base form plus 26 multiforms). That would almost certainly have been disqualified as being too large of a submission to print in Digital HERO -- that's the "meta" issue I've been worried about from the beginning.

That was the purpose behind the original email. I happened to be looking through European Enemies late in April and saw Sir Galahad's writeup and thought to myself, "You know, this concept could be done right now via Multiform and Accidental Change/Forced at certain times of the day."

Inspiration struck. Had I just stumbled onto a way to submit AlphaBeth in such way she had a hair's breadth of a chance getting passed the invalidation hurdle? I emailed Ben and suggested that I send the main form writeup, and then a file explaining the changes each multiform made -- designing Alphabeth's 26 mutliforms to differ primarily (but not solely) in how they spent the 100 points the main form spent on the multiforms.

He replied as I quoted above. The main hurldes turned out to be time and the fact that for the life of me I couldn't find a good choice for "X is for..." without cheating.

But at the end of the day? AlphaBeth has 26 multiforms, one for each letter of the alphabet -- and six unused potential forms paid for if the GM wants to expand her into punctuation marks, symbols, or somesuch. That was the "unique concept" that she was the only one I felt was worth submitting.

Lord Liaden

May 31st, '03, 05:46 PM

So, this is like the "Dial 'H' for Hero" concept, only with specific abilities for each letter?

That is so brilliant it's frightening. :D

If it wouldn't give away too much - does each form look the same except for the letter on the chest, or do they appear differently? And what does the "M" stand for?

(No hard feelings if I have to wait for the DH article.) :)

Hermit

May 31st, '03, 05:53 PM

That's an excellent concept, from what tidbits you've been dropping.

Naturally, good sport that I am, I am now green with envy for not thinking of it myself ;)

She sounds like she's a Legion all unto herself.

JmOz

Jun 1st, '03, 08:09 AM

Well it is to late now BUT X is for X-ray, give some vision powers and some Energy Blast type powers (Maybe flight/FF)

JmOz

Jun 1st, '03, 08:10 AM

By the way my concept, that I never got written up was Majestic, a flying brick with a twist, while she used the "brick" form option she was actualy a mage that used playing the superhero for kicks

Blue

Jun 1st, '03, 09:14 AM

Concepts I never finished: Manhunter, a criminologist who accidentally stole her superpowers from a group of villains she was tracking. This gave her four completely different powers (Think Superskrull) Maelstrom, a brick with the ability to get even stronger through drain, but with a side effect of adopting a disadvantage of the person she drains.The others are barely worth mentioning, except for the one I finally submitted.

Hermit

Jun 1st, '03, 01:40 PM

Well, let's see.. somewhere in the back log I have the story for "The Claw", who If I hadn't been so blocked at the start I might have sent in for #5

Hero #1 almost became "Unknown Soldier" , a patriotic mystery lady who could turn invisible (I took the missing legs seriously *S*), but it just didn't seem to fit.

Hero #3 Was almost an Alien, but we'd been warned to stay away from such concepts (or at least that's how I took it) and I didn't know the Alien races IN the Hero Universe to feel confident.Oddly, Gadfly, who I did submit still had the cosmos to thank for his powers :)

TheEmerged

Jun 1st, '03, 02:33 PM

RE: X-Ray. I felt I couldn't use this because it had the letter X hyphenated at the front. Same reason I felt Xacto (extremely sharp claws) was cheating. I ended up using Xenomorph, for shape shifting.

RE: M is for.... Momentum, originally "Mass" but that was too close to something phonetically suggestive. Since the character's backstory is that she's a former elementary school teacher and currently a "child's celebrity" ala Mr. Rogers, I worked to avoid things like that. In hindsight and the rush to finish, however, I let an obvious one slip through (V is for Vibration).

Momentum is built around density increase and flight. Her flight has a limitation that she can at most reach 10" off the ground, -1" maximum altitutde for every level of density increase active. So at full speed she can only get 1" off the ground -- explains why she's flying so low.

Dail H. This was in fact the inspiration FOR the inspiration. As I've mentioned before, one of my players has "Hexadecimal" as his PC -- main form plus 16 multiforms. Except in Hexadecimal's case the modes are very different -- full writeups.

What Changes. Her uniform color, eyes, and the streak of her hair differ from form to form; the outfit in general does not (although sometimes the white areas are instead black). Sometimes her disadvantages change too, although I avoided this to lessen the load on Ben.

One omission. I purposely avoided giving her a "mentalist" form because, given the amount of work I put into her, I wanted to use her in my campaign. Mentalists face open prejudice in my campaign world and as such even someone who could *become* a mentalist wouldn't be viewed as a hero(ine) for long. What's more, technically "Psi" is a greek letter; GM's that wanted her to have a psionic mode could fit it in that way via the 6 "paid for but unused" slots.

I also tried to avoid anything related to focus, so there is no "trick archer" mode.