View Full Version : The Kryptonite Alternatives
Clonus
Sep 15th, '08, 10:36 AM
I was thinking about Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex yesterday and how the original premise for Hancock involved it. This caused me to think that it would have made a lot more sense for the Guardians of Oa to have yellow power instead of green. What better reason for a trick weakness to be built into an awesome weapon than to make sure that if it goes rogue, those who built it will be best able to neutralise it?
Wonder Woman's trick weakness was being unable to break bonds being put on her by a man. Sure, sure "punishment" for "being foolish". Really though considering Moulton's peculiarities I'm surprised that it wasn't instead a vulnerability to being bound by a woman. It just would have meant that all the male villains she went up against would have had to have at least one hench wench. Note that for a while Valkyrie as Marvel Universe echo of Wonder Woman had a version where other women were her kryptonite. She couldn't hit them and if she tried, it would be all "Agh, I'm so weak, I can hardly stand up".
Unfortunately the idea of alt-Superman being depowered by sexual arousal, while it makes perfect sense in a Woman of Kleenex sense, is a better premise for superhero pron than it is for gaming. OK here's a bizarre idea. How about making a character vulnerable (in the depowering sense) to the simple proximity of his DNPC? That would pose some interesting rescue problems.
Korvar
Sep 15th, '08, 11:56 AM
Wonder Woman's trick weakness was being unable to break bonds being put on her by a man. Sure, sure "punishment" for "being foolish". Really though considering Moulton's peculiarities I'm surprised that it wasn't instead a vulnerability to being bound by a woman.
Good lord, no. Being bound by a woman was always a good fine lovely thing, according to Moulton.
obTopic: I like the "powers don't work near DNPC" idea...
Clonus
Sep 15th, '08, 12:06 PM
Good lord, no. Being bound by a woman was always a good fine lovely thing, according to Moulton.
That's more or less what I meant. Since the Paradise Island party line was that you should be willing to submit to women, not giving the power to break free when that happens fits.
Dr Archeville
Sep 15th, '08, 02:58 PM
This caused me to think that it would have made a lot more sense for the Guardians of Oa to have yellow power instead of green. What better reason for a trick weakness to be built into an awesome weapon than to make sure that if it goes rogue, those who built it will be best able to neutralise it?
I'm not quite sure I follow. The GL Corps should've had Yellow rings instead of Green, so that in case one of them goes rogue, they can... not affect the guy, because none of their rings can affect anything yellow?
LoresLost
Sep 15th, '08, 04:12 PM
I'm not quite sure I follow. The GL Corps should've had Yellow rings instead of Green, so that in case one of them goes rogue, they can... not affect the guy, because none of their rings can affect anything yellow?
I don't think that is what he meant, I think he said that the Guardians should should have designed the rings to use one energy (green) while the Guardians use the weakness energy (yellow) energy. Personally I would think that the Guardians as a group could shut down the ring of a rogue member. But then again they haven't done that. (Write induced stupidity I truly believe).
To Make the comment on the topic, That might work actually for a "thing" like hero, A monster to all except around his lover/friend. ..
Clonus
Sep 15th, '08, 05:07 PM
I'm not quite sure I follow. The GL Corps should've had Yellow rings instead of Green, so that in case one of them goes rogue, they can... not affect the guy, because none of their rings can affect anything yellow?
No, the GL Corps would have green rings. The Guardians would have yellow power.
Acme
Sep 15th, '08, 10:43 PM
In the first "Angel and the Ape" miniseries (at least I think it was the first - the Phil Foglio version anyway...) an Amazon would lose her power to a man who "conquered" her, by which they meant "conquered her heart." Basically she couldn't exert her full strength against the man she loved. (This solves the "Woman of Steel, Man of Kleenex" problem)
Egyptoid
Sep 16th, '08, 05:16 AM
some heroe's powers are shut down if they are completely covered by cosmic ray shielding
SSgt Baloo
Sep 16th, '08, 08:51 AM
some heroe's powers are shut down if they are completely covered by cosmic ray shielding
On occasion, I've had heroes who temporarily lost their power(s) because I forgot they had them (and so did the GM).
"Hey, don't you have that life support?"
"Oh! Yes I do! I wonder why my character fell asleep anyway? :o
Nagisawa Takumi
Sep 16th, '08, 12:48 PM
I don't think that is what he meant, I think he said that the Guardians should should have designed the rings to use one energy (green) while the Guardians use the weakness energy (yellow) energy. Personally I would think that the Guardians as a group could shut down the ring of a rogue member. But then again they haven't done that. (Write induced stupidity I truly believe).
To Make the comment on the topic, That might work actually for a "thing" like hero, A monster to all except around his lover/friend. ..
No, the GL Corps would have green rings. The Guardians would have yellow power.
That would imply that the Heroes that the Guardians chose were not trustworthy. I don't know about you, but if I were a Hero chosen to be a protector of the universe (Or at least a section of) and find out that my bosses have a method to shut down my fellow members...
What does that tell one about the level of trust they have in their own 'employees'...?
Clonus
Sep 16th, '08, 03:06 PM
That would imply that the Heroes that the Guardians chose were not trustworthy. I don't know about you, but if I were a Hero chosen to be a protector of the universe (Or at least a section of) and find out that my bosses have a method to shut down my fellow members...
What does that tell one about the level of trust they have in their own 'employees'...?
The same thing that police departments having IA divisions does?
Nagisawa Takumi
Sep 16th, '08, 07:11 PM
The same thing that police departments having IA divisions does?
That's real life, not Super Comics where Heroes DON'T kill. It also assumes a universe devoid of things like mind readers, clairvoyants and other people who are superior judges of character.
Clonus
Sep 16th, '08, 07:30 PM
That's real life, not Super Comics where Heroes DON'T kill. It also assumes a universe devoid of things like mind readers, clairvoyants and other people who are superior judges of character.
The specific context, however is one in which their first attempt at interstellar cops went drastically awry, and which the specific explanation for not using a yellow-immune ring is that it would give them such a feeling of invincibility that they would be corrupted by it.
LoresLost
Sep 16th, '08, 07:44 PM
That would imply that the Heroes that the Guardians chose were not trustworthy. I don't know about you, but if I were a Hero chosen to be a protector of the universe (Or at least a section of) and find out that my bosses have a method to shut down my fellow members...
What does that tell one about the level of trust they have in their own 'employees'...?
I mentioned in my previous post that the Guardians could shut down a ring. In fact now that I think about it The Guardians DID shut down three rings in the series 52, and killed three Green Lanterns so that the Alien force that was invading the universe would not corrupt the rest of the Corps. So there is no reason for the Guardian not to shut down a rogue member (hopefully leaving lifesupport active...)****(this was an Iron age story, If you do not want your Interstellar Cops to have an off switch then you make the Guardian homage in your campaign like the silver age like or better yet more Yoda like[ Cool that would be])
Also there were two failed policing attempts before the GLC by the Guardians, the Manhunters and the Psion, Both of which the Guardians leave to there own devices unless they leave there assigned 'prison' regions.
Matt the Bruins
Sep 19th, '08, 07:38 AM
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) has proven capable of muting another Lantern's ring effects or drawing power from their rings by sheer force of will. One would assume that alien living power batteries who are billions of years old and reputedly the most powerful telepaths in the universe would be able to do so far more effectively.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.0 Copyright © 2012 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.