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Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central


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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Detective Luminous

 

Okay, before I start my feedback on the stats, I wanted to bring up something that my wife (Miracle's player) pointed out about your background.

 

"So, he's a light-wielding superhero who has a public ID, and he's a detective..."

"No, he isn't."

"What?"

"You can't be a detective with a public ID. How do you speak to informants? Go around town talking with people to gather information? Even when you're interrogating suspects, you're going to get funny looks."

 

(For reference, my wife is a social worker who has worked with cops and detectives.)

 

So, that's a bit of a concern. Granted, your original proposal had the character with a Secret ID, and you may be shooting more for the Sherlock Holmes style than a modern detective, but it is something to consider. That's why I was suggesting dropping 'Detective' from the superhero name, and just use the skills without calling attention to them in your Hero ID.

 

Now, on to the character sheet...

 

Characteristics: No problems. In fact, since you have innate powers instead of being a gadgeteer or other 'normal' human, I have no problem with going past 20 in CON...maybe even DEX. Of course, with the END reserve, I think you can get away with an 18 CON. Going from 18 to 20 nets you 4 END and 1 STUN. You don't need the END, and you could buy up STUN separately. DEX could go to 23 - you may not be moving as fast as light, but you may have a superior reaction time to a normal human. My one concern would be the higher DCV in combination with your invisibility.

 

Powers: 10 points is a lot of Flash Defense, but light is your thing so I don't see a problem with it. The nitpick on the END reserve is the limitation only goes on the REC (saving you 3 pts), not the entire power. 100 END is pretty high...but if you can't recover in darkness than I can see why you'd want it high. Later, you may want to take Absorption versus energy (light attacks only), that would put absorbed points into your END reserve.

 

As for the elemental control - I would have said the combination of DCV and defenses (PD/ED) is on the low side of average...but you have full invisibility in your EC which will make you very hard to hit. However, you need to switch from Costs END only to activate to 1/2 END on the FF and Invisibility, for the same reasons I gave Engram.

 

The multipower looks good. The two flashes are going to be pretty rough on villains, but I don't have any cause to say no - they're within the rules, fit your concept, and aren't abusive. Desolid could actually take 1/2 END and still fit in the multipower. Or (since you actually take on a light form) you could use Costs END only to activate. However, I am a bit leery about the Images, and I also think they could be constructed better. I'm not seeing how you get Hearing and Radio when none of your other powers utilize those aspects. I also think you should make the size larger than 1". My concern with Images is that I've seen them abused in the past, especially when there's a large penalty to PER rolls. Here's how I'd do it:

 

Make Images: Sight Group Images Increased Size (8" radius; +3/4), +/-3 to PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (38 Active Points) (uses Personal END)

 

That's enough of a penalty to make the average person's roll drop from 11- to 8-, and you can get other modifiers based on what illusion you make. No sound or radar...but that just means you need to be a little more creative.

 

Skills/Perks: These look good. However, if you raise your DEX to get your OCV higher, you'll need to drop an equal number of levels with light powers to offset that increase.

 

Disadvantages: Unlike other superhero worlds, 'mutant' isn't a separate category from other superpowered beings. Sure, Hiroshima could be classified as a mutant by the classic definition, but the source of your powers doesn't matter as much as how dangerous they are to others, and how you use them. That eliminates the first Distinctive Feature. The Dependence is fine, but we should define how much light you need. I've already talked about the Public ID above, which affects your Hunteds. The mob isn't that powerful in this world, and only very determined hunteds will pursue a character beyond an 8-. 11- means they've got some deep grudge against you, and 14- is a nemesis who constantly makes himself known. Your social limitation of "always looks for the good in people" should be a psych lim. Finally, as I mentioned with Engram, I prefer when people take the full 50 pts of psych lims, as they help define the character.

 

Final Thoughts: Overall, the character is pretty good. I think there are a few things that need to be fixed...but we're moving along quite nicely. I'm going to have some tough choices to make (as there are several people applying for this game), but if your character doesn't make the cut, there's still hope. Zac is hoping to run a Hero Central game once he has a chance to experience Hero Central as a player (a month or two under his belt). The game would be set in the same universe, with the same guidelines. There may even be crossovers between the two games. If you miss the cut this time, I'm almost positive you'd make the cut for the second game.

 

Changes made. I still need more psy disads.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Here another submission for you. Still working out a detailed back story. But basically she ran away from home at 13 when her powers manifested, because of her father and was eventually taken in by a Pastor and his family.

 

Black Arachnia

Alexandria 'Alex' Drake

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

25 STR 15 14- Lift 800.0kg; 5d6 [2]

30 DEX 60 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 10

20 CON 20 13-

15 BODY 10 12-

15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3

15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

16 COM 3 12-

 

10 PD 5 Total: 10 PD (10 rPD)

10 ED 6 Total: 10 ED (10 rED)

6 SPD 20 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

12 REC 6

52 END 6

50 STUN 12 Total Characteristic Cost: 173

 

Movement: Running: 9"/18"

Gliding: 15"/30"

Leaping: 5"/10"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Swinging: 15"/60"

 

Cost Powers END

50 Web Slinging: Multipower, 50-point reserve

5u 1) Web Ball: EB 10d6 (50 Active Points) 5

5u 2) Web: Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF (50 Active Points) 5

5u 3) Web Net: Entangle 2d6, 3 DEF, Area Of Effect (6" Cone; +1) (50 Active Points) 5

2u 4) Webbed Fists: HA +6d6 (30 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) 3

5u 5) Web In your Eyes: Sight Group Flash 8d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (50 Active Points) 2

3u 6) Web Wall: FW (10 PD/8 ED; 3" long and 1" tall) (49 Active Points); Requires Anchor Points Power does not work in Common Circumstances (-1/2) 5

3u 7) Get Over Here: Stretching 10" (50 Active Points); Conditional Power Power does not work in Common Circumstances (Only to Grab People or Objects; -1/2) 5

 

24 Web Movement: Multipower, 30-point reserve, (30 Active Points); all slots Physical Manifestation (-1/4)

2u 1) Swinging Along: Swinging 15", x4 Noncombat, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Physical Manifestation (-1/4)

1u 2) Web A Chute: Gliding 15" (15 Active Points); Physical Manifestation (-1/4)

10 Tougher Than Normal: Damage Resistance (10 PD/10 ED)

10 Enhanced Agility: Missile Deflection (Bullets & Shrapnel) (15 Active Points); Requires A PER Roll And A DEX Roll (-1/2)

10 Wall Crawling: Clinging (normal STR)

6 Good Runner: Running +3" (9" total) 1

 

Talents

3 Ambidexterity (-2 Off Hand penalty)

 

Skills

3 Acrobatics 15-

3 Breakfall 15-

3 Climbing 15-

6 KS: Bible 15-

3 Lockpicking 15-

3 Paramedics 12-

3 Shadowing 12-

3 Sleight Of Hand 15-

3 Stealth 15-

3 Streetwise 12-

 

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 177

Total Cost: 350

 

200+ Disadvantages

20 DNPC: Pastor Jacob Wagner & Diane Wagner and their children Malachai & Esther 8- (Normal; Group DNPC: x4 DNPCs)

5 Distinctive Features: Spider Tattoo on left Shoulder (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

25 Hunted: Unnamed Crime Family 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)

10 Physical Limitation: Wierd Bio Chemistry Requires Special Medical Attention (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

20 Psychological Limitation: Devout Christian (Common, Total)

15 Psychological Limitation: Feels the Need to prove herself (Common, Strong)

20 Psychological Limitation: Will Not Kill (Common, Total)

15 Social Limitation: Legal Minor (Frequently, Major)

15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Very Frequently, Minor)

5 Unluck: 1d6

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 150

 

 

Appearance: Alex is an attractive 16 year old girl with red hair and green eyes. Her normal street clothes are jeans and a t-shirt.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Guardian

 

Characteristics: I'm concerned about having so many characteristics bought through the suit. The main character is on an athletic scholarship, so you can get away with making him a physical prodigy and buying higher stats. I'd be inclined to suggest 15 STR, 17 DEX, 18 CON. I'll cover the suit stats under Powers, below.

 

Powers: Let's start with the suit stats. I'm not a fan of having a focus buying primary characteristics without the No Figured Characteristics limitation. Yes, this means you get hosed when buying up CON, but if you have an 18 base CON then you won't have to buy it up very far, if at all. Aside from that, the stat levels are fine.

 

As for the rest of the endoskeleton, you may want to start a bit lower with the Life Support and work your way up. As written, you can take the suit into space on day 1. The flight speed seems a bit low...but you have ranged attacks to balance that out. Lots of PD/ED matched with Damage Resistance is fine, but it seems more thematic (and the same point cost) to just buy Armor.

 

The power battery is a problem. 150 END with a 15 REC means you can push attacks by 10 points all day long, effectively getting +2 DC with every attack. I expect the average combat to take between 1 and 2 turns, which is 5 to 10 phases. I consider triple-digit END to be overkill for that amount of fighting.

 

The weapon multipower exceeds the limits I stated for a 23 DEX, 5 SPD, 25/25 PD/ED character. You should have nothing more than 11 DC (11d6). Now, some specific comments on the powers:

  • Point Defense System - I can see Deflection...even deflection at range (which you don't have). Reflection, however, is a big stretch.
  • Reduced Energy Blast - I'd ditch this for now, and pick it up when you get more proficient with the suit.
  • Multi-Blast - I'd suggest dropping to the +1/4 version of Autofire, which allows 3 shots instead of 5. With the reduction of the pool to 55 pts, the attack would be too low to be useful when paired with the +1/2 version.
  • Force Field Bubble - It's pretty advanced tech to maintain a force field without a power source. I'd suggest describing it as shooting a small emitter with the bubble, that powers the field for a few minutes.
  • Force Field Projector - Drop Costs END only to Activate, and replace with 1/2 END.
  • Hologram Projector - This is almost identical to what Luminous submitted, and my feedback to him applies here as well. Plus, unlike him, this isn't a strong thematic power for you. I'd like to see this dropped.
  • Intense Hologram - There are at least 3 other characters (including one who has already been accepted - Tempest) who have Flash attacks. I'd prefer not to give every villain special mirrorshades because the heroes blind them with multiple AoE flashes on the first phase of combat. Since this isn't a special niche of your character (like the Flash attacks are for Luminous), I'd prefer this be dropped as well.

 

The Heads-Up Display suite of powers is overboard. The rules talk about being wary of a character that has defenses versus every attack, and Enhanced Senses are a type of defense. 70+ Active Points of Enhanced Senses is way too much. I can accept 360-degree radar and nightvision. The range modifiers should be lower or dropped entirely, and if kept I'd prefer an even number to make adjusting for range easier. The High Range Radio Perception can stay, but I don't see why you need a mind link that is basically a duplicate of what HRRP can do - just take System Operations (or even buy the skill through the suit) to scramble your transmissions.

 

Aside from the senses, 10 points of Flash Defense is pretty tough for a starting character. I let it go on Luminous because he's a light-based character. I'd drop this down a bit. I'm okay with the range finder, chronometer, hard drive, and math coprocessor...though if you need points you could trim any of them and get them back later. In particular, I would suggest a delayed activation on the Eidetic Memory, because it would take Josh time to retrieve information.

 

Skills and Perks: Perks look good, though you could reduce the Nerd Squad by making some of them DNPCs (with useful skills). Whether you take them as DNPCs or not, their involvement with your superhero career means they'll eventually be in the line of fire, so you may as well get the points for it.

 

So I guess what I'm saying is' date=' if you think he needs more non-combat skills, I have no problem coming up with the points to get them (although not sure what I'd spend them on unless I really did get rid of the Nerd Squad, maybe a lot more Fam's).[/quote']

As someone on a sports scholarship, I see some missing skills - Teamwork being the most obvious. Many "jock" skills could be included easily, including Acrobatics, Climbing, Combat Driving (sports car), Martial Arts, Navigation (for hiking outdoors), Paramedics (first aid), Riding, and Survival. Many others could be added if you wanted - Conversation (chatting up the cheerleaders), Gambling (betting on yourself), Mechanics (shop class), Oratory (if you're the leader of a sports team), Persuasion (intimidation), and Seduction (again, cheerleaders).

 

Disadvantages: Overall, they look good. Keep in mind, a 20-point Code Versus Killing is a TOTAL commitment - it's the classic Superman code where he won't kill even to save the world...he'll keep trying to find another way. It's very heroic, but I want to make sure you want that level of commitment. The Dark Secret could be dropped to a minor, particularly after you've proven your commitment to pick up where the hero left off. Also, the Reputation could be dropped to an 8-. Reputation always gives you that rep, while the roll is to get added information. As a new hero, this shouldn't be very high.

 

Background: I'd probably want to change "Lord Havok" to some villain already in the Catalyst universe, but we can talk about that further if the character is accepted.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Rhino Beetle

 

Here are my general comments. Mechanics aside, I see two big problems. The first is playing a ten-year old. I've had the experience of a kid superhero in my game before and it had its share of problems, even played by a person I knew extremely well. Adults tend to freak out when they find out kids are being put in dangerous situations.

 

The second problem is that you're playing a monster. A big, scary, alien monster that will never have good social interactions with the populace, especially since the character has difficulty speaking. When that is combined with the mindset of a child, I see very little for the character to do outside of combat. You can't interact socially in hero form, you can be knocked over with a stiff wind in your kid form, and you can't let people know that the monster is actually a child.

 

These comments are before I even look at mechanics. Being able to sweep every phase without penalty is like buying a cheap version of AoE on an 11d6 attack, which would take you over campaign limits. Furthermore, your noncombat skills are the lowest of any proposed character in this thread. Because of these factors, I'm going to need a lot of convincing that this is a playable character, and there will need to be some major reworking.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

The post that got eaten by the forum spam blocker (:confused:) is now outdated anyway, since I've done a bit of revising. If it does show up here some day, I suppose I'll just delete it.

 

Cagliostro

 

Every kind of power requires a sacrifice. What did Alessandro di Cagliostro pay for his? Why is there a one year gap in centuries worth of perfect memories?

 

Living as a professor of Sanskrit, Alessandro Pizzatti leads a simple life. Other than a small number of graduate students that depend on him to edit their translations and approve their theses, he sees almost no-one, choosing to spend his time among the underground stacks of the university's libraries. Within the oldest books in the collection, he sees something that nobody else does. That no other translator could. Magic. It sings out to him across the silent rows of books, from across the room, down the halls of the university and across the city to his apartment. Power in the books, that could be his. But power has a price.

 

Unlike his ancestor, Johann Faustus, Cagliostro avoided the power that was treacherous and dark. The price, he knew, was too high. But even the higher powers demand something in exchange for their gifts. For every piece of the great puzzle, he enters a contract. With every spell comes a burden. For the power to protect himself, he must pledge to protect others. To extend his life, he has sworn never to take another's. That is the nature of magic.

 

Content as he is to stay hold up with his books, beholden to no-one, Alessandro Pizzatti might ignore the pain of the innocent, might keep his power only for himself. But bound by the covenants of his magic, Cagliostro must heed the call of the spirits when they come to collect their due!

 

Characteristics: 110

STR 10

DEX 10

CON 15 (10 pts)

BODY 15 (10 pts)

INT 30 (20 pts)

EGO 30 (40 pts)

PRE 20 (10 pts)

COM 30 (10 pts)

PD 2

ED 2

SPD 2

REC 10 (10 pts)

END 30

STUN 30

 

Powers: 197

 

Cloak of Merlin: Endurance Reserve (200 END, 5 REC)(25 Active Points); IAF (Extremely Difficult to Obtain New Focus, -1½), Limited Recovery (Ritual, -2). Total Cost: 6

 

Levitation: Flight 10" (10 Active Points); Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½). Total Cost: 15

 

Charm of Protection: Force Field (20 PD/20 ED), Protects Carried Items (+10), Half END cost (+¼)(63 Active Points); Gestures (Both Hands, -½), Incantations (-¼). Total Cost: 36

 

Intervention of Destiny: Luck 4d6; Total Cost: 20

 

Scholar's Discipline: Mental Defense (10 points plus Ego/5); Total Cost: 10 points

 

Arcane Surge: Energy Blast 10d6, BOECV (Target Chooses Defenses, Range Applies +½) (75 Active Points); Activation 14- (-½), Gestures (Both Hands, -½), Incantations (-¼). Total Cost: 33

 

Sorcery: VPP 50 points (25 Control), Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (+½), BOECV (Target Chooses Defenses, Range Applies +½)(100 Active Points); IAF (Extremely Difficult to Obtain New Focus, -1½), Gestures (Both Hands, -½), Incantations (-¼). Total Cost: 81

 

Skills: 41

 

Magic 15 (3)

Analyze 15 (3 pts)

Conversation 13 (3)

Cryptography 15 (3)

High Society 13 (3)

Knowledge (history) 15 (2)

Knowledge (mystical) 20 (12)

Language (Sanskrit) 15 (4)

 

Talents: 5 points

 

Eidetic Memory (5)

 

Disadvantages: 150

 

Graduate Students: DNPCs 11-, Normal (+5), Unaware (+5), 8 smart but useless students of dead languages; 40 Character Points

 

Smells Strongly of Incense: Distinctive Feature, Not Concealable; 15 Character Points

 

Illuminati: Hunted 11-, More Powerful, NCI; 25 Character Points

 

Protector of Life: Compelled to protect all living beings, human or other. (Common, Total): 20 points

 

True to His Word: Bound by magical pact never to break confidence. (Common, Total): 20 points

 

Proud: Overconfidence (Very Common, Moderate): 15 points

 

Secret Identity: 15 points

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

I did some minor changes on "Dryad"'s sheet. First off, I changed her name to Hesperides and then changed her Bark Skin's construction. Here's her current sheet.

 

Hesperides

Sarah Perkins

 

Player:

 

Val Char Cost

15 STR 5

23 DEX 39

30 CON 40

21 BODY 22

20 INT 10

12 EGO 4

12 PRE 2

14 COM 2

 

8/25 PD 5

8/20 ED 2

4 SPD 7

15 REC 12

60 END 0

44 STUN 0

 

8" RUN 4

2" SWIM 0

3" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 154

 

Cost Power

12 Plant Based Physiology: Life Support (Eating: Character only has to eat once per week; Expanded Breathing; Immunity: Nerve Gases; Longevity: 400 Years; Sleeping: Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week) [Notes: Expanded breathing is CO2

Eating is the same nuetriants that plants need]

17 Plant Like Regeneration: Regeneration 3 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (52 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2), Requires Sunlight To Use (-1/4)

11 Vine Swinging: Swinging 6", x4 Noncombat

29 Bark Skin: Armor (17 PD/12 ED) (44 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Visible (-1/4)

55 Plant Manipulation and Generation: Multipower, 55-point reserve

2u 1) Vines: Stretching 5" (25 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (No fine manipulation; -1/2)

3u 2) Pollen Spray: Energy Blast 4d6, Area Of Effect Nonselective (9" Cone; +3/4), No Normal Defense (no need to breathe, holding one's breath, force field, force wall; +1) (55 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Limited Power Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (Not in strong winds; -1/4)

3u 3) Thorn Spray: Energy Blast 6d6, Area Of Effect Nonselective (7" Cone; +3/4) (52 Active Points); No Range (-1/2)

3u 4) Rapid enhanced plant growth: Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, Takes No Damage From Attacks Limited Group (+1/4) (50 Active Points); IIF (must have ambient plant life; -1/4), Cannot Form Barriers (-1/4), Only When In Contact With The Ground (-1/4)

Powers Cost: 135

 

 

Cost Skill

5 SS: Botany 14-

3 Deduction 13-

5 KS: Mythology 14-

5 Bureaucratics 12-

3 PS: Botanist 12-

5 KS: Gardening 14-

3 SS: Chemistry 12-

3 SS: Organic Chemistry 12-

5 KS: Taxonomy 14-

Skills Cost: 37

 

Cost Perk

5 Money: Well Off

Perks Cost: 5

 

 

Total Character Cost: 331

 

Pts. Disadvantage

15 Social Limitation: Secret ID (Frequently, Major)

10 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Cold attacks (Uncommon)

20 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Fire (Common)

10 Social Limitation: Weirdness Magnet (Occasionally, Major)

10 Psychological Limitation: Fear of fire (Common, Moderate)

15 Psychological Limitation: Reluctant to kill (Common, Strong)

15 Psychological Limitation: Lust for knowledge (Uncommon, Total)

10 Psychological Limitation: Must help those in need (Common, Moderate)

10 Distinctive Features: smells like a plant instead of a mammal (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Uncommonly-Used Senses)

15 Susceptibility: complete darkness, 1d6 damage per Phase (Uncommon) [Notes: the 1d6 is a speed drain.]

5 Susceptibility: defoliant exposure (until complete drenching to get rid of it), 1d6 damage per Minute (Uncommon)

15 Physical Limitation: plant physiology requires specialized medical care (better a gardener than a doctor) (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

Disadvantage Points: 150

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

My character' date=' who's been knocking around in my head since I first looked at the rulebooks, is Cagliostro the Alchemist. He's either an amnesiac with unusual powers or the true Count di Cagliostro, master occultist of the 18th century. He spends nearly all of his time translating ancient languages as a university research professor, going by the name of Alessandro Pizzetti and maintaining a low profile. In truth, he uses his access to the university's library to continue his research into the arcane.[/quote']

I'd like to see more on this character. Now, given that heroes only became public as of 1986, and there weren't that many supers before then (even in World War II), I'm very wary about the character being the actual Count. A descendant...sure. Or maybe an alchemical potion somehow gives this person some of the Count's memories. There's a lot of ways to tie this character to the Count without actually making him the Count.

 

Owing to the nature of the character, most of his psychological limitations are going to be supernatural proscriptions, obligations that he's gradually assumed in exchange for power. With every bit of arcane knowledge that he gains, he assumes a little more responsibility. I like the idea of a hero with slightly more complicated reasons for doing what he does than the typical revenge story. He's a well-meaning, amicable fellow, but without the various Powers he's made deals with over the years nagging him to take a greater interest in the world, he'd probably never get involved. Over time, of course, he'll start to see the kind of change somebody in his position can cause.

This concept is really cool, and I'd like to see a full background on him.

 

I'll probably make a lot of mistakes with the crunch side of things, so even if I'm not accepted the critical process will likely be good for me. :)

There are several people here that can help with mechanics (including me, though the feedback I've been giving is taking a lot of my free time). I am wary of Variable Power Pools, so hopefully we can find another way to write up the character's abilities.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Okay, technically Ledon is next, but I'm going to skip to Hesperides, because of some parallels between the character and Rhino Beetle.

 

Feedback - Hesperides

 

First, I have to say that the background is...light. Botanist having a bad day and exposing herself to plant DNA is the seed of an idea (pardon the pun), but not a full background. So there definitely needs to be some work here. I need to know more about what makes this character tick besides what is listed on the character sheet.

 

Characteristics: Stats are okay, though I think the 4 SPD is too low considering the power of your attacks. I'll cover that in the next section.

 

Powers: Hmm, where to begin? The powers are thematic, but the character is going to have major problems in combat. For example, a single suit of Armadillo Armor (which is the equivalent of an elite agent in my game) can laugh off nearly anything this character can throw. Sealed suit stops the Pollen Spray, 18/18 defenses nearly bounces the Thorn Spray...the only attack that can slow down Armadillo Armor agents is the plant growth, and they can blast out of that fairly easily. To be combat effective against more than a segment of the superhero population, your attack powers will need to be adjusted, or new powers added. Also, the combat move is only 8" of run or 6" of swim...every other candidate in this thread is faster than you.

 

Skills and Perks: Passable, though very specialized in an area. You should use Skill Enhancers, and get some of the secondary skills that would compliment your scientist background. It's very easy to expand on skills with a little looking - take a look at my feedback for Guardian as an example.

 

Disadvantages: 2x STUN from Cold and Fire, when you only have a 20 ED, means you will be knocked out nearly every time you're hit by those attacks. A standard 11d6 attack does an average of 77 STUN after doubling, which would take you from full stun to -6. The other disads are okay, though I've found Weirdness Magnet to be a lot of work for the GM...

 

Final Thoughts: The biggest problem with Hesperides is the flipside of the problem with Rhino Beetle. You can do noncombat stuff, but I think you're going to be relatively ineffective in combat without a serious revamp of your offensive powers. The NND is good until you come up against someone immune to it...and many will be immune. I'm going to have to see a sheet revamp and considerably more background on this one.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Okay, technically Ledon is next, but I'm going to skip to Hesperides, because of some parallels between the character and Rhino Beetle.

 

I'm thinking on ways to get around that- at least one form talks properly, and considering the character's background it might not be that difficult at all to exchange Minor for something else.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Ladon

 

This is a difficult one for me to give feedback on. First, as a 'whelp', you run into some of the same problems as Rhino Beetle. Second, I haven't actually seen the dragon form, so I don't have a full picture of the character. The character sheet given appears to be the noncombat form (16/16 defenses, no attacks beyond a 30 STR and 10 AP Flash). Skills are good, I like the cantrips and minor abilities (save for using a Focus for Luck)...but all this still doesn't give me much of a feel for the character, and how I can integrate it into a fairly typical Bronze Age supers game.

 

Really, I think the problem is that since this is my first Hero Central campaign, I'm trying to find characters that are going to be fairly easy to integrate into a team. I'm not seeing that with this character. I'll hold off on further feedback, since you mentioned that you're still working on a few things.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Black Arachnia

 

Here another submission for you. Still working out a detailed back story. But basically she ran away from home at 13 when her powers manifested' date=' because of her father and was eventually taken in by a Pastor and his family.[/quote']

Peter Pastor? :)

 

I joke, but there is a lot of similarity between this character and a certain web-slinging female that is the daughter of a person named Peter (I have three graphic novels of the series that will be ending at #30). Black Arachnia doesn't have martial arts, but she does have most of the web tricks, the clinging...about the only other thing missing is Danger Sense. Not that I have a problem with homage characters, but I don't want it to be too obvious...

 

Characteristics: 10 total PD/ED, even fully resistant, means that you are CON-stunned and take BODY from the average supervillain attack (11d6 is 38 STUN, 11 BODY). Your DEX is high, so you can avoid some hits...but you run into the classic Artful Dodger problems mentioned in the Champions sourcebook.

Powers: Focusing everything into the webbing seems a bit much...especially the webbed fist. I'm not really buying the doubling of your HTH damage from a bit of webbing over your hands. Even if it makes you a bit more like the character you appear to draw inspiration from, I'd suggest adding martial arts for HTH ability. Also, with a 6 SPD, I'd limit your HTH damage to 10d6 even in melee combat. I've already mentioned the amount of Flash attacks in another feedback post...suffice it to say that if you need to drop a slot, this should go first.

 

Skills: Seem a bit light, but not too bad. I'd rather see the KS: Bible at a lower level, and a related KS added (Religions of the world?).

 

Disadvantages: Will Not Kill at Total is the same as the Code Versus Killing (Total), which I discussed with Guardian. She's older than 10, but I'll still be watching the youth angle closely. The rest I can't really comment on until I see a full background.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Hm, well, let's see how this does- I've run some tweaking. As a magic-using character in any capacity, he should have Luck; I decided to not make it a Focus, but he still thinks the dang pendant is lucky.

 

I got rid of Minor entirely, opting instead to have his Detect turn up as Not Concealable. Not that it's impossible, mind- another mystic could do it- but he doesn't know how yet.

 

If all else fails, you can use him as a tragic villain, I suppose.

 

Ladon

 

Player:

 

Val Char Cost

30 STR 20

20 DEX 30

18 CON 16

14 BODY 8

23 INT 13

18 EGO 16

8 PRE -2

15 COM 3

 

16 PD 10

16 ED 12

5 SPD 20

14 REC 8

36 END 0

38 STUN 0

 

6"/10" RUN 0

2" SWIM 0

6" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 154

 

Cost Power

70 Multiform (325 Character Points in the most expensive form) (x2 Number Of Forms)

5 Dragon's Eye Charm: Luck 1d6

7 Damage Resistance (7 PD/7 ED)

6 Attacking Two Souls: Mental Defense (10 points total)

8 Run Like The Wind: Running +4" (6"/10" total)

7 Minor Cantrips: Multipower, 10-point reserve, (10 Active Points); all slots Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2)

1u 1) SMILE!: Sight Group Flash 2d6 (10 Active Points); Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2)

1u 2) Light Fire: Energy Blast 2d6 (10 Active Points); Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2)

1u 3) Summon Extinguisher: Dispel Fire, One Hex At A Time 3d6 (9 Active Points); Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2)

1u 4) Bind Wounds: Healing BODY 1d6 (10 Active Points); Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2)

10 See Magic: Detect Magic 14- (Sight Group), Discriminatory

10 Stable in Instability: Power Defense (10 points)

Powers Cost: 127

 

 

Cost Skill

3 Acting 11-

3 Breakfall 13-

3 Scholar

2 1) KS: Action Figures (3 Active Points) 12-

1 2) KS: Dragons (2 Active Points) 11-

1 3) KS: Math (2 Active Points) 11-

1 4) KS: Monsters (2 Active Points) 11-

1 5) KS: Primes (2 Active Points) 11-

1 6) KS: The Third Eye (2 Active Points) 11-

3 Linguist

4 1) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)

3 2) Language: Russian (completely fluent; literate) (4 Active Points)

3 3) Language: Spanish (completely fluent; literate) (4 Active Points)

0 4) Language: Unknown Language of Uncertain Origin (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)

3 Lockpicking 13-

1 Power: Draconic Abilities 8-

3 Power: Flight 13-

3 Power: Magic 14-

3 Climbing 13-

3 Deduction 14-

3 Persuasion 11-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Streetwise 11-

4 Survival (Mountain, Urban) 14-

Skills Cost: 58

 

Cost Perk

6 Contact: Dragoness (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources, Contact has significant Contacts of his own) 8-

Perks Cost: 6

 

 

Total Character Cost: 345

 

Pts. Disadvantage

20 Accidental Change: 1/2 Body or less 14- (Common)

20 Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing (Common, Total)

5 Psychological Limitation: Doesn't Know How To Relax and Have Fun (Uncommon, Moderate)

10 Distinctive Features: Blue Hair (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

10 Distinctive Features: Detects as Magical (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses)

10 Social Limitation: Relic of a Bygone Day (Frequently, Minor)

15 Hunted: Dragoness 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching)

15 Social Limitation: Secret ID (Frequently, Major)

15 Hunted: The Third Eye 8- (Mo Pow, Capture)

10 Psychological Limitation: Despondent after going Enraged (Common, Moderate)

15 Psychological Limitation: Feels Guilt About First Use of Powers (Common, Strong)

Disadvantage Points: 145

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

 

The other forms. First, the form he prefers, the Hybrid. This one's much more MA than brick, and while a little dumber than Ladon is in his normal ID, still a little cunning.

 

The Dragon Hybrid

 

Player:

 

Val Char Cost

40 STR 30

23 DEX 39

16 CON 12

16 BODY 12

18 INT 8

14 EGO 8

20 PRE 10

18 COM 4

 

13/23 PD 5

13/23 ED 10

5 SPD 17

11 REC 0

32 END 0

50 STUN 6

 

6" RUN 0

2" SWIM 0

8" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 161

 

Cost Power

30 Draconic Hide: Armor (10 PD/10 ED)

25 Wings: Flight 16", x4 Noncombat (37 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2)

3 Hardened Knuckles: Hand-To-Hand Attack +1d6 (5 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)

13 Knockback Resistance -10" (20 Active Points); Requires A Flight Roll (-1/2)

10 Stability in Instability: Power Defense (10 points)

7 Attacking Two Minds: Mental Defense (10 points total)

Powers Cost: 88

 

Cost Martial Arts Maneuver

The Dragon's Fist

5 1) Defensive Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +3 DCV, 8d6 Strike

4 2) Martial Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort

4 3) Martial Escape: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 55 STR vs. Grabs

4 4) Martial Strike: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 10d6 Strike

3 5) Martial Grab: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Two Limbs, 50 STR for holding on

Martial Arts Cost: 20

 

Cost Skill

18 +6 with Martial Maneuvers

3 Power: Flight 14-

3 Interrogation 13-

3 Streetwise 13-

3 Shadowing 13-

3 Stealth 14-

3 Breakfall 14-

3 Linguist

4 1) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)

3 2) Language: Russian (completely fluent; literate) (4 Active Points)

3 3) Language: Spanish (completely fluent; literate) (4 Active Points)

0 4) Language: Unknown Tongue of Uncertain Origin (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)

3 Climbing 14-

3 Deduction 13-

Skills Cost: 55

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 324

 

Pts. Disadvantage

15 Distinctive Features: Horns on the Head (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

15 Distinctive Features: Bluish Skin (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

10 Distinctive Features: Clawed Feet (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

20 Psychological Limitation: Code Vs. Killing (Common, Total)

10 Psychological Limitation: Despondent After Going Enraged (Common, Moderate)

5 Distinctive Features: Detects as Magical (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses)

Disadvantage Points: 75

Base Points: 250

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

 

And finally the Full Dragon Form. Remember all those Psych Lims about being despondent? Yeah, it's liked to this nasty piece of work. While the Hybrid is largely under control, and he feels remorse for what this monster does, Ladon is afraid of the full dragon, and thus has little control over it (hence, why Dragoness is watching him- she probably wouldn't hesitate to take him down.) Note that Ladon's base form is the form he reverts to. He's not a dragon who can turn into a human... He's a human who can turn into a dragon. How and why this came about are excercises for the GM's sinister mind.

 

The Dragon plays like 'the monster within'- While Ladon can (hopefully) keep it under control, it's difficult at the best of times and has a tendency to rage when injured. As this is the form he goes to when his AC goes off, you can begin to see the problems inherent with letting this guy anywhere out of a supergroup's sight.

 

The Frost Dragon

 

Player:

 

Val Char Cost

60 STR 50

19 DEX 27

22 CON 24

23 BODY 26

13 INT 3

10 EGO 0

30 PRE 20

6 COM -2

 

13/31 PD 1

13/31 ED 9

4 SPD 11

22 REC 12

44 END 0

66 STUN 2

 

6" RUN 0

2" SWIM 0

12" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 183

 

Cost Power

32 Flight 24" (48 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2)

24 Frozen Breath: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6, Area Of Effect (7" Cone; +1) (60 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), No Range (-1/2)

54 Scaled Hide: Armor (18 PD/18 ED)

10 Draconic Resilience: Power Defense (10 points)

3 Mindless: Mental Defense (5 points total)

6 Knockback Resistance -3"

5 Tail: Extra Limb (1), Inherent (+1/4) (6 Active Points); Limited Manipulation (-1/4)

Powers Cost: 134

 

 

Cost Skill

3 Climbing 13-

3 Concealment 12-

Skills Cost: 6

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 323

 

Pts. Disadvantage

20 Enraged: Takes BODY damage (Uncommon), go 14-, recover 11-

15 Physical Limitation: Unwieldy Body Shape (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

20 Distinctive Features: It's a DRAGON (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

15 Physical Limitation: Heavy: 400 KG (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

15 Physical Limitation: Giant: 4m tall (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

Disadvantage Points: 85

Base Points: 255

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

Yes, the Full Dragon form is not meant for anything but combat. I know that's sort of a big no-no, but it's hard for me to think of another way to show that yes, Ladon does have some major issues.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Black Arachnia

 

 

Peter Pastor? :)

 

I joke, but there is a lot of similarity between this character and a certain web-slinging female that is the daughter of a person named Peter (I have three graphic novels of the series that will be ending at #30). Black Arachnia doesn't have martial arts, but she does have most of the web tricks, the clinging...about the only other thing missing is Danger Sense. Not that I have a problem with homage characters, but I don't want it to be too obvious...

 

Characteristics: 10 total PD/ED, even fully resistant, means that you are CON-stunned and take BODY from the average supervillain attack (11d6 is 38 STUN, 11 BODY). Your DEX is high, so you can avoid some hits...but you run into the classic Artful Dodger problems mentioned in the Champions sourcebook.

Powers: Focusing everything into the webbing seems a bit much...especially the webbed fist. I'm not really buying the doubling of your HTH damage from a bit of webbing over your hands. Even if it makes you a bit more like the character you appear to draw inspiration from, I'd suggest adding martial arts for HTH ability. Also, with a 6 SPD, I'd limit your HTH damage to 10d6 even in melee combat. I've already mentioned the amount of Flash attacks in another feedback post...suffice it to say that if you need to drop a slot, this should go first.

 

Skills: Seem a bit light, but not too bad. I'd rather see the KS: Bible at a lower level, and a related KS added (Religions of the world?).

 

Disadvantages: Will Not Kill at Total is the same as the Code Versus Killking (Total), which I discussed with Guardian. She's older than 10, but I'll still be watching the youth angle closely. The rest I can't really comment on until I see a full background.

 

Ok I will give her a few tweaks and repost her for you. Actually I have not read any of the Spider-Girl comics, what little I know about her is from reading the Wikipedia page on her.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

I'd like to see more on this character. Now, given that heroes only became public as of 1986, and there weren't that many supers before then (even in World War II), I'm very wary about the character being the actual Count. A descendant...sure. Or maybe an alchemical potion somehow gives this person some of the Count's memories. There's a lot of ways to tie this character to the Count without actually making him the Count.This concept is really cool, and I'd like to see a full background on him.

There are several people here that can help with mechanics (including me, though the feedback I've been giving is taking a lot of my free time). I am wary of Variable Power Pools, so hopefully we can find another way to write up the character's abilities.

 

I've been trying! The forums have eaten every other post, and since I'm not sure what exactly is causing that to happen, I can't do much to prevent it.

 

I'm going to try attaching the character information rather than posting it outright. Perhaps it's the length of my posts that the spam blocker is objecting to.

 

What I have so far does involve a Variable Power Pool, but I don't think I'm well-versed enough to come up with a viable alternative on my own. My own solution, even before learning of your reservations, was to restrict the VPP with limitations on use and focus. Let me know what you think.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Alright, I just tried a short post with attachments instead of a long one with the stat and background. And, of course, the forum spam blocker ate that too. I have no idea how to get around it. I feel completely handicapped by this thing. :(

 

~Gabriel

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

I don't understand. I tried to post another, updated, version of Cagliostro, and that one got eaten by the spam-blocker too.

 

I'm cursed. :(

 

~Gabriel

maybe it 's NOT the spam blocker

it started delaying my posts because my original sig had the capitalized phrase" pulp hero " in it which i later changed to pulp adventurrer since you sig is your real name that wouldn't activate the blocker since its to the best of my knowledge only programmed to block ads

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Rhino Beetle

 

Here are my general comments. Mechanics aside, I see two big problems. The first is playing a ten-year old. I've had the experience of a kid superhero in my game before and it had its share of problems, even played by a person I knew extremely well. Adults tend to freak out when they find out kids are being put in dangerous situations.

I agree. I have changed his background to make him playable.

The second problem is that you're playing a monster. A big' date=' scary, alien monster that will never have good social interactions with the populace, especially since the character has difficulty speaking. When that is combined with the mindset of a child, I see very little for the character to do outside of combat. You can't interact socially in hero form, you can be knocked over with a stiff wind in your kid form, and you can't let people know that the monster is actually a child.[/quote']

Agreed. I expanded his non-combat skills and got rid of the secret identity so that he can be much more interactive outside combat.

These comments are before I even look at mechanics. Being able to sweep every phase without penalty is like buying a cheap version of AoE on an 11d6 attack' date=' which would take you over campaign limits. Furthermore, your noncombat skills are the lowest of any proposed character in this thread. Because of these factors, I'm going to need a lot of convincing that this is a playable character, and there will need to be some major reworking.[/quote']

Ouch...it sincerely was not my intention to look for cheap way to get exceed campaign limits. My intention was to build an alternate to Grond's rather unwieldy (+SPD with an Activation Roll) build. Also, I think there may be a misunderstanding. Two-weapon Fighting only offsets the penalties for one extra Sweep attack. Additional attacks incure normal penalties.

 

I tried to balance the character's damage against Miracle. Two 11d6 attacks (rolled separately, the second attack only being rolled if the first hits per Sweep) will do slightly less damage than one 13d6 attack against someone with her defenses. This assumes I hit with both attacks about 50% as often as I hit with one, which statistically should happen when facing an opponent with a comparable CV.

11d6 x ~3.5 = ~38 - 26 defenses = 12 damage

12 damage x 1.5 = 18 damage

13d6 x ~3.5 = ~45 - 26 defenses = 19 damage

If we are both hitting someone with higher Defenses (American Steel with 30 PD, for example), my damage falls slightly further behind (12 vs. 15).

 

As above, I changed the background and expanded the character's non-combat skills to me him more interactive and playable. Thank you for your consideration.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Guardian

 

Characteristics: I'm concerned about having so many characteristics bought through the suit. The main character is on an athletic scholarship, so you can get away with making him a physical prodigy and buying higher stats. I'd be inclined to suggest 15 STR, 17 DEX, 18 CON. I'll cover the suit stats under Powers, below.

That sounds good, I can make that change.

Powers: Let's start with the suit stats. I'm not a fan of having a focus buying primary characteristics without the No Figured Characteristics limitation. Yes' date=' this means you get hosed when buying up CON, but if you have an 18 base CON then you won't have to buy it up very far, if at all. Aside from that, the stat levels are fine.[/quote']

I can live with that. I used to always added No Figured, but then realized I was buying up the points anyway, and could just not add that disad. The -1/2 (OIF) on everything makes pretty cheap, so that seems fair.

As for the rest of the endoskeleton' date=' you may want to start a bit lower with the Life Support and work your way up. As written, you can take the suit into space on day 1.[/quote']

The logic behind this is that the suit comes from an established hero. The limitations and the "newness" comes from Josh not knowing how to use the suit. The systems that basically take care of themselves, like life support, would be included. He may not know it has that capability, and would avoid those situations.

The flight speed seems a bit low...but you have ranged attacks to balance that out.

The suit can actually fly faster, Josh just can't control that well so they've put a type of govenor on it.

Lots of PD/ED matched with Damage Resistance is fine' date=' but it seems more thematic (and the same point cost) to just buy Armor.[/quote']

Yeah, cost comes out the same, it just looked better to me going down the list of Characteristics.

The power battery is a problem. 150 END with a 15 REC means you can push attacks by 10 points all day long' date=' effectively getting +2 DC with every attack. I expect the average combat to take between 1 and 2 turns, which is 5 to 10 phases. I consider triple-digit END to be overkill for that amount of fighting.[/quote']

If fights are going to be that short, it is a bit of overkill, and have no problems reducing it, just to give you an idea of my thought process, assuming I attack every phase, and fly, I'll use 8 END per phase, or 40per turn - 15 REC = 25 per turn lost. In my experience combats lasted around 4 turns. That gave me a 50 END buffer because END Reserves can ONLY recover on phase 12. You can't just rest and take a recovery when you get low.

 

If you see combats only taking one or 2 turns this obviously won't be a problem.

 

The weapon multipower exceeds the limits I stated for a 23 DEX, 5 SPD, 25/25 PD/ED character. You should have nothing more than 11 DC (11d6).

Missed that. I'll fix it.

Point Defense System - I can see Deflection...even deflection at range (which you don't have). Reflection' date=' however, is a big stretch.[/quote']

The concept came from the old Robotech cartoon (Macross Saga) where a circle of energy comes and intercepts in incoming projectile. I added an effect from an old Sega Genisis game called Shadowrun. There was this power (when you went into the virtual world to hack computers) that would form an energy shield that would bounce a projectile back. That's where the idea came from, if you want me to drop the reflection, I'm okay with that.

Reduced Energy Blast - I'd ditch this for now' date=' and pick it up when you get more proficient with the suit.[/quote']

Sounds good.

Multi-Blast - I'd suggest dropping to the +1/4 version of Autofire' date=' which allows 3 shots instead of 5. With the reduction of the pool to 55 pts, the attack would be too low to be useful when paired with the +1/2 version.[/quote']

That works.

Force Field Bubble - It's pretty advanced tech to maintain a force field without a power source. I'd suggest describing it as shooting a small emitter with the bubble' date=' that powers the field for a few minutes.[/quote']

Wow I like that SFX a lot better.

Force Field Projector - Drop Costs END only to Activate' date=' and replace with 1/2 END.[/quote']

I hate that limitation as a GM too. It's used so often now, I've stopped trying to fight it, and just roll with it. I'll make the change

Hologram Projector - This is almost identical to what Luminous submitted' date=' and my feedback to him applies here as well. Plus, unlike him, this isn't a strong thematic power for you. I'd like to see this dropped.[/quote']

This is actually one of my favorite powers. I see what you mean though about stepping on someone else's toes. It does bring up some questions though. While I can see changing things for characters that are already approved (the flash), should I be making sure I don't step on potential players toes? Or is Luminous already approved?

Intense Hologram - There are at least 3 other characters (including one who has already been accepted - Tempest) who have Flash attacks. I'd prefer not to give every villain special mirrorshades because the heroes blind them with multiple AoE flashes on the first phase of combat. Since this isn't a special niche of your character (like the Flash attacks are for Luminous)' date=' I'd prefer this be dropped as well.[/quote']

No problem. Without the hologram projector this makes less sense anyway.

 

 

The Heads-Up Display suite of powers is overboard. The rules talk about being wary of a character that has defenses versus every attack' date=' and Enhanced Senses are a type of defense. 70+ Active Points of Enhanced Senses is way too much. I can accept 360-degree radar and nightvision. The range modifiers should be lower or dropped entirely, and if kept I'd prefer an even number to make adjusting for range easier. The High Range Radio Perception can stay, but I don't see why you need a mind link that is basically a duplicate of what HRRP can do - just take System Operations (or even buy the skill through the suit) to scramble your transmissions.[/quote']

I'm not sure I understand your point here. The one enhanced sense that would be useful as a defense is the one you said you're okay with. The 360 degree radar is proof against most Darknesses and Flashes. The Telescopics were more for flavor. I have no problems dropping them.

 

The Mind Link was to ensure no one could listen in.

Aside from the senses' date=' 10 points of Flash Defense is pretty tough for a starting character. I let it go on Luminous because he's a light-based character. I'd drop this down a bit. I'm okay with the range finder, chronometer, hard drive, and math coprocessor...though if you need points you could trim any of them and get them back later. In particular, I would suggest a delayed activation on the Eidetic Memory, because it would take Josh time to retrieve information.[/quote']

That all sounds good.

Skills and Perks: Perks look good' date=' though you could reduce the Nerd Squad by making some of them DNPCs (with useful skills). Whether you take them as DNPCs or not, their involvement with your superhero career means they'll eventually be in the line of fire, so you may as well get the points for it.[/quote']

Yeah, I just thought that the Nerd Squad was too useful to be covered by a limitation.

As someone on a sports scholarship' date=' I see some missing skills - Teamwork being the most obvious. Many "jock" skills could be included easily, including Acrobatics, Climbing, Combat Driving (sports car), Martial Arts, Navigation (for hiking outdoors), Paramedics (first aid), Riding, and Survival. Many others could be added if you wanted - Conversation (chatting up the cheerleaders), Gambling (betting on yourself), Mechanics (shop class), Oratory (if you're the leader of a sports team), Persuasion (intimidation), and Seduction (again, cheerleaders). [/quote']

I did add some of thess skills in the second edition. With the reduction of the multipower, I will probably have points left over to add more.

Disadvantages: Overall' date=' they look good. Keep in mind, a 20-point Code Versus Killing is a TOTAL commitment - it's the classic Superman code where he won't kill even to save the world...he'll keep trying to find another way. It's very heroic, but I want to make sure you want that level of commitment. The Dark Secret could be dropped to a minor, particularly after you've proven your commitment to pick up where the hero left off. Also, the Reputation could be dropped to an 8-. Reputation always gives you that rep, while the roll is to get added information. As a new hero, this shouldn't be very high.[/quote']

For the CvK, he's a college student trying to be a True Hero, I think it fits.

 

Do you think the Dark Secret should be bought down with XP, since he's still new to the suit?

 

I thought the roll was to see if the rep was recognized too? I thought it appropriate since one of his things is trying to fool people into thinking he's the original. When he gets asked a question I was picturing him asking the Nerd Squad, and they'd squable over the answer while Josh tries to stall the asker until the Nerd Squad figures it out. That's why I made the Rep so high.

Background: I'd probably want to change "Lord Havok" to some villain already in the Catalyst universe' date=' but we can talk about that further if the character is accepted.[/quote']

Yeah, that name was just a place holder really.

 

All that said, I've been trying to come up with a different concept since there is already one power armor character. I came up with a Vixen concept (from DC Comics). His skill set sort of steps on Hesperides (although more Animal than plant). The other concept I was thinking about was a winged character. Fast, agile, Martial Arts. My first back up was a Dazzler homage character, but with Luminous, that would be very redundant.

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Aha! It would seem that my little problem got fixed. The posts that I attempted earlier all seem to have appeared at the appropriate places over the last several pages of the thread. :rolleyes:

 

Here is the last and most relevant of them. I'm looking forward to getting some feedback.

 

~Gabriel

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Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

 

Feedback - Cagliostro

 

Okay, looked over the background - it's decent, though I would like to see a bit more detail. Then I looked at the character sheet and...it has problems. You have him written up more like a Fantasy Hero mage (if a very powerful one) than a superhero mage like Dr. Strange or Dr. Fate. Here's the biggest problems:

  • A 2 SPD. It's going to be hard to participate in combat, even with your VPP. The 10 DEX makes it worse, since you'll go last on the phases when you can act.
  • 22/22 Defenses and a 15 CON. You will be Con-stunned by the average 11d6 attack...and given your 2 SPD, you may not act again before being knocked out.
  • Gestures and Incantations on everything. Fine for a fantasy mage, not so hot for the superhero mage. I would say that Dr. Strange has Incantations, but can get away with not gesturing. Dr. Fate has been shown to get away without either.
  • Variable Power Pool. Here's my problems with a VPP. First, it's basically giving Variable Advantage/Variable Special Effect on every power. Ice creature? Fire blast. Can't hurt the big rock creature? NND EB (defense is not being a big rock creature). Second, you have to know the rules very well to use a VPP, and you've already stated you're not that well-versed with the rules.
  • Skills. For being a dedicated researcher, I thought the skills were actually rather light. I expected more Knowledge skills, as a minimum.
  • DNPCs - As I mentioned to Engram, if you have a lot of DNPCs under one disadvantage, and I roll for each one...you're going to have at least one in danger or about to uncover your Secret ID all the time.

 

If you want help redoing the sheet, I'm willing to give it a shot. But I need some sort of theme for the magic, so I know how to structure it. Even saying it's all alchemy is pretty broad, since I've seen alchemy cover a wide variety of effects (especially when watching a few episodes of Full Metal Alchemist).

 

Finally, I thought I'd share what a web search came up with for Cagliostro...maybe you should add Conversation and Persuasion to the skill list.

 

Alessandro, Count di Cagliostro

(Giuseppe Balsamo) 1743-1795

 

by James Dilworth

 

Count Cagliostro was born Giuseppe Balsamo on June 2, 1743 in Palermo, Italy. Early in Cagliostro's life his father died and because his mother was unable to support him, he was sent to live with his uncle until he ran away after which he was sent to a seminary and he again ran away. Finally Cagliostro was sent to a Benedictine monatery, where he discovered a talent for medicine and chemistry. Although he was a very good student he tried to look beyond the basic information he was given . After several years Cagliostro once again ran away from the monastery joining a band of 'vagabonds', that committed petty crimes as well as murders. Constantly in police custody thanks to his association with the vagabonds, it was only thanks to his uncle that he wasn't sent to prison for his crimes. As quickly as he had become involved with the vagabonds, when at the age of seventeen he began to feign interest in the occult and alchemy when a goldsmith named Marano arrived in Palermo and became associated with Cagliostro.

 

Marano met with many alchemists who had claimed to be able to transmute metals, but he believed that Cagliostro alone had the power to do so. Seeing that Marano believed in him, Cagliostro asked for sixty ounces of gold (a very large sum, considering that one ounce costs nearly $300 today 9/99) to conduct magical ceremonies and then would show Marano the location of a large cache of treasure hidden near the city. With some hesitation Marano gave Cagliostro the gold and at midnight that night he was led to the field some distance from Palermo. The only thing awaiting Marano were some thugs Cagliostro had hired to attack him. Soon after, Cagliostro fled Palermo and began his world travels.

 

Cagliostro traveled throughout the world, visiting Egypt, Greece, Persia, Rhodes, India and Ethiopia, studying the occult and alchemical knowledge he found in those countries. In 1768 Cagliostro returned to Italy first going to Naples, where he met one of the thugs who helped him attack Marano. The two men went to Naples and opened a Casino, to cheat wealthy foreigners out of money. Neapolitan authorities quickly discovered their plot and forced the men to leave. Cagliostro went to Rome where established himself as doctor, making a very good living. While in Rome, he met and married Lorenza Feliciani, called Serafina. The couple lived in Rome until members of the Inquisition began to suspect Cagliostro of heresy. Quickly they both went to Spain, where they spent several years and then returned to Cagliostro's home town of Palermo, where he was arrested by Marano. Cagliostro was saved by a nobleman, and after cheating an alchemist out of 100,000 crowns (about $1 million) the man and wife went to England in the 1760's, claiming to have discovered an alchemical secret.

 

Cagliostro met the Comte de Saint-Germain in London, who initiated him into the rites of Egyptian Freemasonry, as well as the recipes for the elixirs of Youth and Immortality. After establishing Egyptian Rite Masonic Lodges in England, Germany, Russia and in France Cagliostro went to Paris in 1772, where he again sold medicines, elixirs and began to hold séances. King Louis XVI became interested in Cagliostro, and was entertained by the Count who held magic suppers to entertain the court at Versailles. For many years Cagliostro was a favorite of the French court, until 1785 when he was involved in the Affair of the Necklace, one of the major events that led to the French Revolution in 1789. Thanks to his involvement in the scandal, Cagliostro spent six months in the Bastille and then was banished from France.

 

Cagliostro went to Rome with his wife in late 1789, taking up the practice of medicine and séances once more. All went well for several years until he attempted to found a Masonic Lodge in Rome, after which the Inquisition arrested him in 1791, imprisoned him in the Castle of Saint Angelo (originally the tomb of Roman Emperor Hadrian in ancient times) in Rome and held a trial, accusing him of heresy, magic, conjury, and Freemasonry. After eighteen months of deliberations, the Inquisition sentenced Cagliostro to death but his sentence was changed by the Pope to life imprisonment in the Castle of Saint Angelo. Cagliostro attempted to escape, but was easily overpowered. Then, he was sent to the solitary castle of San Leo near the city of Montefeltro, one of the strongest castles in Europe, where he died on August 26, 1795. The reports of Cagliostro's death were not believed throughout Europe and only after a report commissioned by Napoléon did people accept the fact Cagliostro was actually dead.

 

Cagliostro is said to be one of the greatest figures in occult, although since the late 19th century he has been considered by many to be a charlatan. Many wild stories have grown up around him, which have obscured the true facts of his life, which are more unbelievable than the fiction.

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