Team Help: The Pride

[winterhawk]

I am a total fan of motiff teams such as the Serpent Society, The Royal Flush Gang and the Death Throes (don't ask). I've decided to create/rip-off my own theme based on The Pride mentioned in GURPS SuperScum. Any suggestions from the learned panel? Going off archetypes:

Brick
Energy Projector: Snow Leopard, only one I'm sure of
Martial Artist: Like to stay away from the obvious
Mentalist
Metamorph
Mystic
Powered armor
Speedster: Cheetah - too obvious?
Weaponmaster

As always, thanks in advance.

[Lord Liaden]

Interesting challenge: many of these archetypes have no obvious feline parallels. Let's see what comes to mind:

The obvious Brick cats would be Lion or Tiger - I'd say Lion has more implication of raw force. Perhaps something alliterative, like Iron Lion? Of course the Smilodon was the biggest catlike predator of all, but I'm not sure how that would sound to you, and Sabertooth has already been done.

A Weaponmaster would probably take the name of a cat's natural weapons, Fang or Claw. Maybe jazz it up a little e.g. Steel Claw.

A Mystic is actually pretty easy, if we can go beyond real world animals: Sphinx. Or if a female, named for the Egyptian cat goddess, Bast.

Mentalist... hmm. Best I can come up with would be something implying hypnosis: Catseye. Maybe requiring eye contact?

For a Metamorph, perhaps someone who can change from human to feline form, possibly several different types/sizes. This might be a stretch, but how about Missing Lynx? ;)

Powered Armor is a real stretch - cats aren't known for their tough hides. My earlier suggestion of Iron Lion would work here, though.

To avoid a stereotypical "tiger" Martial Artist, consider taking one from another tradition and a cat native to another region. How about a Brazilian capoerista called Puma or Jaguar?

[The Monster]

This isn't much, but it's tired and I'm late....

Weaponmaster might be named for a maneuver - "Slash(er)"
Or "Clawmaster"

"Cheshire" is a possible name - implying invisibility, but metamorph could fit also (nothing is quite what it seems)

A savage brick might simply go by "Growl" (either the word or the sound)

"Mouser" evokes the Fritz Leiber stories too readily, but it's a potential for a thief or martial artist

[McCoy]

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
Missing Lynx

[Hermit]

Originally posted by winterhawk
I am a total fan of motiff teams such as the Serpent Society, The Royal Flush Gang and the Death Throes (don't ask). I've decided to create/rip-off my own theme based on The Pride mentioned in GURPS SuperScum. Any suggestions from the learned panel? Going off archetypes:

Brick
Energy Projector: Snow Leopard, only one I'm sure of
Martial Artist: Like to stay away from the obvious
Mentalist
Metamorph
Mystic
Powered armor
Speedster: Cheetah - too obvious?
Weaponmaster

As always, thanks in advance.

Some good suggestions already, other options that I can think of:


Brick: Bengal (Or some other subspecies of Tiger?)
Martial Artist: Want to skip the traditional tiger and such eh? How about Tomcat or Stray, make him a bit of the Artful Dodger type, very streetwise.
Mentalist: I liked the Catseye, but another name that might suit the same FX is Calico. Make sure Calico would be female though :)
Metamorph: Crimson Claw or Red Claw (As in "Red in Tooth and Claw")
Mystic: Jaguars are always good for an aztec type feel mystic.
Powered Armor: M.A.N.E. (Multi Armed Nullifying Exosuit?)
Weapon Master: 9 tails, who uses, guess... a Cat of 9 tails.

[McCoy]

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
Missing Lynx

[Lord Liaden]

Ooh, some interesting stuff here. I dig "Clawmaster", Monster - might use that myself.

Bengal might suit the missing archetype, the Patriot; that region of India has a long independent history.

M.A.N.E. is very clever, Hermit. But it strikes me that "Tomcat" is also the name of a fighter aircraft, so that would be quite appropriate for flying powered armor.

"Crimson Claw" - whoa, GSVC flashback! ;)

[McCoy]

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
Missing Lynx

Should I throw things, or steal that?

OK, I'm going to do both, but which first?:D

[Crusader108]

Brick: a bio-mechanical bipedal Tiger ---C.A.Taclysm
Cybronetic Attack Tiger

Weaponsmaster: Whipmaster--Nine Tails (as in Cat of 9 Tails)
Good suggestion, Hermit

Martial Artist: The manipulative Invisible M.A--Catspaw

Power Armor: German Battlesuit--Steel Panther

Mentalist: Male Seductive Empath--Stray Cat or Tomcat

Mystic: spellcraft accident human/feline hybrid--Familiar

[altamaros]

Brick :

CAT-erpillar, the mechanical cat (stop the tomatoes please!)
Machairodont, Dinofelis ? (subgenders of prehistoric cats)

Energy projector:
for female NPC : Sekhmet (lion-goddess of heat/fire in egypt)
Clouded panther (with darkness powers?)
Korat (a race of cat from thailand); this race is supposed to be able to call rain. (weather-related powers)

Martial artist
Manekineko ("lucky cat"): it's the cat statuette, symbol of prosperity, you can see in every asian restaurant. I don't know the term chinese use for the same thing.

Metamorph
? do you want a werecat or something a la Mystique ?

Mystic
"Magic Paw", "Witch-Cat", "graymalkin" are obvious.

extract from a site about japanese myths :
"Cats were supposed to grow up to become nekomata, or "goblin cats", unless their tails were cut off. When it grew older, a cat could become an obaké-neko, or literally "ghost cat", as well as any cat that had been mistreated."

powered armor
There's a Bronze Tiger in every universe (including in Champions 4th, see one of the Dark Champions SB "Justice not Law" IIRC).
Golden Cat ?
Kitty-Hawk ? (flying armor with a Wright brothers theme)

weaponmaster/gadgeteer
why not someone using cat toys as weapons (strings of wool as strangling ropes/entangles, balls, mechanical mouses etc...) , cat-mobile, cat-plane, etc...

Patriot :
take some domestic cat race, a lot have a name related to a country and/or culture :
Persian; siamese, Burma, etc...
My personal favorite is "Russian Blue".

(and for inspiration for the feline crimelords behind the team, just rent "Cats & dogs" :) )

[C_Zeree]

If you need a villain for a team to fight with a cat motif, or this is a villainous band then...

Rakshasa, demons from indian myth.
Bodies strong, but bent like an ape, with fur and heads of tigers.

They were known sorcerers and shapechangers.

[Crimson Arrow]

Catechism (mystic with a religious twist),
Caterwaul (sonic powers), Catamaran...OK I'll stop now.

Cat's Cradle, Mouser, Fearful Symmetry ("The Tyger", by William Blake), The King (lion-man with an Elvis fixation?).

One thing that occured to me was to take names from "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". You had Growltiger (he'd be the brick or martial artist), Macavity (the mystery cat - teleportation and flight judging from the poem), "magical" Mr. Mistoffelees (desolidification to go through cracks, summoning (seven kittens), plus sleight of hand and ventriloquism), Old Deuteronomy, Gus, the theatre cat (shapechange anyone?), Bustopher Jones, Skimbleshanks, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer. If you thought the last one might not work, try the Rum Tum Tugger! There are a few others as well. As you can see, some are more suitable for supers than others.

[Jhamin]

You can also draw on the ever-popular Egyptian theme for cat characters, they are pretty strongly identified:

Pharoah - Catman Brick (almost has to be the team leader)
Mafdet - Egyptian goddess in panther form. A good stealth/ninja/mystic type.
Then there is the everpopular priestess of Bast for your team sorcerer

[winterhawk]

Wow, some really good suggestions so far...

I'm thinking the team is formed by the destroyer goddess Sekhmet, which will give me the Mystic.

Tiger seems to be the concensus for the brick...perhaps Siberian? Kinda like the ring of that.

Tomcat for the Powered Armor...kind of a Mach 1 from Thunderbolts groove to it. Not bad.

I love the idea of the cat's toys as gadgets. Any suggestions for a name?

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep 'em coming.

[BNakagawa]

Old characters (mostly) from long ago:

Thundercat (brick)
Panzer (Powered Armor)
Shadowcat (guess)
CopyCat (shapeshifter)
Mittens (wussy cat)
Angora (lap cat)

[MisterD]

I have two cat motif cahracters on my site.

FELION: A feline Lycanthrope/Anthromorph
C.A.T. Cyber Augmented Tech-Suit (Sorry. Still working on it.)

[Crimson Arrow]

Originally posted by winterhawk
Tiger seems to be the concensus for the brick...perhaps Siberian? Kinda like the ring of that.

Tomcat for the Powered Armor...kind of a Mach 1 from Thunderbolts groove to it. Not bad.

I love the idea of the cat's toys as gadgets. Any suggestions for a name?

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep 'em coming.

Maybe you should ask Siberian Tiger first (haven't seen him post in a while, come to think of it)! Seriously, good choice, as is Tomcat.

For a gadgeteer, you didn't go for Cat's Cradle or Catspaw, so how about "Boots", after the very clever cat in the story "Puss in Boots"?

[Doug McCrae]

Originally posted by winterhawk
I am a total fan of motiff teams such as the Serpent Society, The Royal Flush Gang and the Death Throes (don't ask).Me, too. I love the Royal Flush Gang.

[Doug McCrae]

Tiger claw - Kung fu martial artist. The 'Tiger claw' refers to a particular style or school of kung fu which is real AFAIK.

Wildcat Strike - Energy blaster, or flying brick. Maybe a strong speedster? Anything that hits hard and fast.

Catnap - Induces sleep.

Kilkenny - Very tough determined fighter, like Wolverine or the Thing. Refers to a story about the 'cats of Kilkenny' that fought so hard they killed one another.

Catamount - Wild, savage fighter. Again probably like Wolverine.

The Nine-Lifer - Something to do with cats being reputed to have nine lives. 8 duplicates? Has reincarnated 8 times with full memory and possesses all the skills and knowledge of previous lives? Like Triathlon but with the power of nine men instead of three?

[Powerhouse]

Using the nine lives motiff, how about a character that makes 8 other duplicates for nine lives altogether?

[Stephen Mann]

I started creating (but never finished) another version of The Pride for an adult superhero game (adult meaning possible romance and intimate moments). The leader was Smilodon, a light brick/martial artist with some magical abilities. In reality, he was the Lord of Cats, a semi-divine figure who was the next best thing to a Cat God without actually being a God.

He used to his control of felines to mind-control several female villains with cat themes/mutations. With new costumes and names, he presented them as the Pride. When off the battlefield, they were his harem, intended as mothers for a new race of powered cat people.

Smilodon was intended as a moral quandry for the heroes. While on the one hand, his use of mind-control was bad, he was using it to rehabilitate the women.

[Powerhouse]

Smildon doesn't sound like that much of a moral quandry. He's using his powers to rape women through mind control. Any group I ever worked with would have been climbing over each other to take him down.

[Doug McCrae]

Originally posted by Powerhouse
Smildon doesn't sound like that much of a moral quandry. He's using his powers to rape women through mind control. Any group I ever worked with would have been climbing over each other to take him down. Hey you gotta sympathise with the guy. Who wouldn't want to have their own harem of sexy catgirls? I sure do.

[Powerhouse]

"Hey you gotta sympathise with the guy. Who wouldn't want to have their own harem of sexy catgirls? I sure do."

Well.. not if it took what he had to undergo, no.

[Stephen Mann]

Originally posted by Powerhouse
Smildon doesn't sound like that much of a moral quandry. He's using his powers to rape women through mind control. Any group I ever worked with would have been climbing over each other to take him down.

Yup, and that's what I was hoping for. On the other hand, a number of the catwomen he enslaved were pretty heinous villains; mass destruction, multiple murders, etc. I wanted somebody to take the other side of the argument and see how successful they were.

[Powerhouse]

"Yup, and that's what I was hoping for. On the other hand, a number of the catwomen he enslaved were pretty heinous villains; mass destruction, multiple murders, etc. I wanted somebody to take the other side of the argument and see how successful they were."

For one, that is the realm of the legal system, not this idiot even if he is some kinda of cat god. (BTW, idiot refers to the character, NOT the poster. PLEASE do not misinterpret).

Second, mind controling them in some fashion to not committ these acts I don't think necessitates becoming his sex slaves.

So, Smildon with the players that I've gamed with would have no problem turning him into kitty litter.

[OddHat]

Originally posted by Powerhouse
"Yup, and that's what I was hoping for. On the other hand, a number of the catwomen he enslaved were pretty heinous villains; mass destruction, multiple murders, etc. I wanted somebody to take the other side of the argument and see how successful they were."

For one, that is the realm of the legal system, not this idiot even if he is some kinda of cat god. (BTW, idiot refers to the character, NOT the poster. PLEASE do not misinterpret).

Second, mind controling them in some fashion to not committ these acts I don't think necessitates becoming his sex slaves.

So, Smildon with the players that I've gamed with would have no problem turning him into kitty litter.

There's a long tradition of super-heroes "reforming" villains with mind control (Doc Savage performed brain surgery on them), and a long tradition in four color universes of the police being completely incompetent when it comes to keeping even known killers in jail for more than a few days (any silver age Batman villain). It's the sex slaves thing that makes this character 100% a villain.

[Crimson Arrow]

Can I just double-check something? Did he Mind Control them into not being villains and then because of his sex appeal they were his harem, or is it (as I think is the case), that their participaton in his harem was directly due to Mind Control?

I was wondering about this because of that old Marvel villain called Mandrill whose pheromones basically made women his slaves. Now that would be a quandary, if this power could not be turned on and off. The character couldn't help being incredibly attractive to the opposite sex, but the effects could be bad. Even if he were a hero and never did anything about this effect, how traumatic would it be? You'd never know if the person really liked you, or was just another slave to the pheromones. Even someone who took advantage of this might eventually begin to have doubts about him or herself.

Was there a female DC character who had a similar effect? Crimson or Scarlet Fox, something like that?

Sorry, gone a bit OT. I don't think Mind Controlling people into not committing crimes is particularly heroic (see the "Squadron Supreme" mini-series). It's better than prison (at least it might to the average member of the public), but it has unsavoury connotations.

[OddHat]

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Sorry, gone a bit OT. I don't think Mind Controlling people into not committing crimes is particularly heroic (see the "Squadron Supreme" mini-series). It's better than prison (at least it might to the average member of the public), but it has unsavoury connotations.

I liked that Squadron Supreme story arc. Very well done (in a four-color with shades of grey kind of way).

That said, look at the other side; Is it "heroic" to beat, threaten and bully people into reforming? To warehouse them in prisons where they're subjected to daily brutality and atrocious living conditions? Prisons where they learn to be better criminals? Isn't it more "heroic" to simply free them of the psychological damage and misplaced drives that have turned them into criminals, and let them pay back society for the damage they've done? ;)

<The preceding message brought to you by the Committee for Peace, Harmony and Purity. If you question the message, please report to a re-education center at once.>

[Crimson Arrow]

True, prison doesn't sem to work much in terms of reforming criminals. However, it is the legal punishment (which should be important if you are upholding the heroic ideal). Many heroes would have problems with forcibly changing someone's mind permamently, even for ostensibly good reasons.

[OddHat]

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
True, prison doesn't sem to work much in terms of reforming criminals. However, it is the legal punishment (which should be important if you are upholding the heroic ideal). Many heroes would have problems with forcibly changing someone's mind permamently, even for ostensibly good reasons.

Just arguing the other side. Thus the smiley. :)

It all depends on how "realistic" your campaign is and the moral tone you chose to set. Real world morality tends to be a bit more complicated.

[Citizen Keen]

Black Panther for the Metamorph. He could meld with shadows - Desolidification, Teleport through shadows, grow and shrink as a shadow, susceptible to light, etc.

[AnotherSkip]

Hmmm a few suggestions from the past
Chat Noir (V&V published character)
martial artist with Luck powers (black Cat in french)

of course you could do a Robo-Cat (many a cartoon)
for most of the open slots.

How about Kitten as a Sidekick?

of course you caould have Kitty Pride as the backer.....

uhhm had one for the mentalist but lost it.

[Dr. Anomaly]

I can't belive no one has suggested "Sabertooth" yet.

Make the Weaponsmaster a character who uses a pair of long, curved knives and call him Sabertooth.

[Stephen Mann]

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Can I just double-check something? Did he Mind Control them into not being villains and then because of his sex appeal they were his harem, or is it (as I think is the case), that their participaton in his harem was directly due to Mind Control?

Right. He performed psychic surgery on them, changing their values and habits, and added "willing and enthusiastic servants of Smilodon, and mothers of the new catpeople race".


Sorry, gone a bit OT. I don't think Mind Controlling people into not committing crimes is particularly heroic (see the "Squadron Supreme" mini-series). It's better than prison (at least it might to the average member of the public), but it has unsavoury connotations.

Actually, that's debatable. Or, at least, I hope it is. That's why I created my version of The Pride.

[winterhawk]

Thanks for the suggestions, here's what I'm going with:

Lioness: Mystic Avatar of Sekhmet.
Siberian: Brick
Snow Leopard: Cold EB
Tomcat: PA
Boots: Toy wielding Gadgeteer.

[Crimson Arrow]

Originally posted by Stephen Mann
Actually, that's debatable. Or, at least, I hope it is. That's why I created my version of The Pride.

It certainly is, but note I said "unsavoury connotations", not "wrong".

The suggestion is that it is acceptable to alter someone's ways to make them a beneficial member of society instead of a criminal. Leaving aside the question of whether it can ever be justified (which really is open to debate - there isn't a "right" answer IMHO), what do you make someone believe?

Should you make them follow Christian values (or cat people ones)? Islam? Scientology? Atheism? Humanism? As soon as you start altering beliefs, values and morals you have to decide what they will do. Does a good member of society only use violence as a last resort? Define "last resort".

The unsavoury connotations I was thinking of stem from the fact that there is no entirely right way to behave (there are definitely wrong ones, though) and if you say it's OK to alter some personality traits, where do you stop, assuming some degree of realism (ie you can't just tell people to "stop being bad").

[Crimson Arrow]

Originally posted by winterhawk
Thanks for the suggestions, here's what I'm going with:

Lioness: Mystic Avatar of Sekhmet.
Siberian: Brick
Snow Leopard: Cold EB
Tomcat: PA
Boots: Toy wielding Gadgeteer.

Sounds like a good mix there, Winterhawk. Thanks for telling us what you went for.

[Siberian Tiger]

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow
Maybe you should ask Siberian Tiger first (haven't seen him post in a while, come to think of it)! Seriously, good choice, as is Tomcat.



Just to give you a bit of background on the Siberian Tiger that I created for one of my players in my campaign.

As a small boy, the South Korean plane in which he was travelling with his parents was shot down over Siberia in my remaking of the 1983 KAL007 incident. His father was a British industrialist working on oil pipelines in the region.

When the Soviet authorities found the wreckage of the plane, they discovered that all passengers were dead except for one young boy who had managed to survive the perils of the cold winter night. Suspecting he had metahuman powers, they took him in for training and development - which involved considerable brainwashing. Although he registered as a metahuman, no powers manifested. He was however a very athletic and strong young man, and was trained/brainwashed to become an assassin.

His first job was to kill a dissident in London. On returning to his homeland, his memories of his true identity manifested and he sought to escape from the KGB. When confronted by his opponents, he fought long and hard but to little avail against overwhelming odds. Just when it looked as if he was beaten, he somehow produced a shield of ice to protect him and the a ray of cold to paralysis his assailents.

He sought sanctuary with the British authorities, revealing what he knew of the Russian superhuman programme. He became a government operative and became well-known in the martial arts world. He keeps his superhuman powers a secret and uses them as a last resort as a final ace in the hole.

He later discovered that his father was actually an alien from another planet - using a scenario published in the old Superhero UK and Fantasia magazines - do any Brits remember those publications. If the campaign had continued, he would have discovered that his mutant ice powers came from his mother's bloodline. He would also face his nemesis from a parallel dimension - Snow Leopard.

[Powerhouse]

When someone mentioned the Black cat (in French) with luck powers, I wonder if that was bad luck or good luck. Inflicting bad luck on players, maybe with a wierd VVP, could be fun.

;)

"I liked that Squadron Supreme story arc. Very well done (in a four-color with shades of grey kind of way)."

Great read. I found Power Princess' view interesting. I think she mentioned something about a criminal not having the right to control his or her mind any more. She did a 180 when the Golden Archer used the mind control to make his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend Lady Lark a slavishly devoted lover.

"That said, look at the other side; Is it "heroic" to beat, threaten and bully people into reforming? To warehouse them in prisons where they're subjected to daily brutality and atrocious living conditions? Prisons where they learn to be better criminals? Isn't it more "heroic" to simply free them of the psychological damage and misplaced drives that have turned them into criminals, and let them pay back society for the damage they've done? "

Heh... you and Lady Silver would get along great. ;)

Anyway, I think that it is heroic to stop a criminal from breaking the law or hurting people. Of course, you need to store them some place where regular people are safe from them and will hopefully be so horrid that they will NEVER want to committ a crime again.

As for the alternative, I feel that criminals are evil people who choose to do wrong. They don't have major psychological problems. Those who do, like all of Batman's enemies, might benefit from some psychic surgery to cure them of their insanity.

For a normal person however, I would see this type of intrusion as nothing short of mental assault and violation. Where would it end?

Edit: btw, I make a distincition between the truly insane and those who choose to commit crimes. The former are slaves to impulses and deranged mental states. The Joker thinks that it's all just a big joke. On the other hand, the latter can make a choice, they just make ones that hurt people and they don't care aboutt he evil of their actions though they know that it will inflict injury.

[st barbara]

Like the idea "Crimson Arrow" ! Could "Rumpleteaser" be some sort of shape shifting seductress, perhaps with mental illusion powers (or even images) ?

[Crimson Arrow]

Originally posted by st barbara
Like the idea "Crimson Arrow" ! Could "Rumpleteaser" be some sort of shape shifting seductress, perhaps with mental illusion powers (or even images) ?

Thanks. I felt that some of the names are a bit too wild for most people's tastes, but as I'd had the idea, I thought I'd post it.

I think shapeshifting might cross too much with the theatre cat, but perhaps they are really one and the same? You might not want to use Gus, anyway. Perhaps he is a much better actor, has fencing and other skills he's learned from watching plays and has a great Disguise skill/power (perhaps built as Shape Shift), while Rumpleteaser Shape Shifts physically into a suitable form and is high on Seduction and Persuasion. Maybe they work together sometimes on cons.

I had Mungo Jerry and Rumpleteaser down as a pair of acrobatic MAs/Thieves, but I didn't give it too much thought (no Jerry Dorsey jokes, thanks). The Illusions power is good and makes for a nicer spread of powers.