How to create a weird Science character

[GOmezy3k]

How would one go about creating a character who uses what I call "Weird Science". In other words able to create inventions that defy the normal rules of science. Something along the lines of the professor in back to the future, his time machine, or some of his other gadgets. Back years ago I played a game called TORG that had something similar in the Nile Empire. Think back to the 1930's and 40's where there were lots of scientists who created all sorts of strange inventions. Anyway, I want to try and create a similar type character for our Champions game but have no idea how to do it.

[Steve Long]

Since this is a "how to" rather than a rules question, I've moved it to the Discussion board where anyone can reply.

[steriaca]

Importantly, you need the Power: Wierd Science skill. Secondly, you need a Variable Power Pool defined as "Wierd Science". And, that is it. You don't need no stinking Science Skills.

[steriaca]

And, well, the VVP is optional. You could describ the character's powers as "wierd science".

 

For example, the villain Darkion's (remember him?) power is defined as creating "Darkion Particals" to create darkness. You might generate anti-gravitons which when harnesed, repell gravity. Or "hot ice", ice which acualy burns with heat.

[massey]

"Weird science" is just the special effect.  I.e., it's just the description of your powers.  You have to decide what you want your powers to actually do.  Anything can be defined as "weird science".

 

Let's take a look at an example character:

 

Emmett "Doc" Brown is the scientist from Back to the Future.  He's an eccentric old man who only had one invention that ever really worked, the flux capacitor.  Over the course of 30 years, Brown finally managed to construct a time machine.  He's a trained scientist, he understands electronics and mechanical systems, but he doesn't produce gadgets left and right (not ones that work, anyway).  In the first movie, Doc Brown is a character with fairly normal characteristics (he may have an 18 or 20 Int, he may not), a decent number of science-related skills, and a Vehicle.  That's really all you need for him.  Doc has the knowledge to build a new time machine (see the train at the end of the series), but really all that we see there is once the Delorean was destroyed, he got the points he spent on it back and reinvested it into the train.  All the other cool stuff we see Doc Brown using, from Mr. Fusion to the hovering car, is really just stuff he swiped from the year 2015.  Whether he has to pay points for that stuff or not depends on the campaign.

 

 

 

So, it's entirely possible to have a genius inventor that can't actually do any in-game inventing.  He invented the time machine off-screen, and from that point on he doesn't invent anything else.  You could easily have a character who buys a gadget or a vehicle and just relies on that for the rest of the game.  That's one way to do it.  The same could be said for a lot of inventors on TV or in film.

 

If you want your character to come up with multiple inventions, sometimes even during a game, then you need to go about things differently.

 

A Variable Power Pool (VPP) is a pool of points that you effectively set aside during character creation.  You determine how frequently and in what conditions you can use these points.  A VPP allows you to change your powers on the fly during the game.  So you could start with your points in a laser pistol, a rocket pack, and a force field belt.  Then, halfway through an adventure, you decide that what you really need is a gravity gun.  So you use your VPP (it may have restrictions like "can only change powers in the lab") and you grab the gravity gun that you just so happened to be working on and didn't tell anyone about.  You use the points that used to be assigned to "laser pistol" and swap it over to "gravity gun".  Or you can use the force field belt, or the rocket pack, or maybe you need the points assigned to all 3 of them if the gravity gun is really expensive.

 

 

 

There are different ways to do mad scientist characters, what exactly were you envisioning?

[dsatow]

As others have said, "Weird science is just an effect", though I would class that as a family of special effects, kind of like Technology and Magic are special effects with more subtle classes under them.

 

If you are new to the HERO system, I'd stay away from Variable Power Pools.  The reason is not because the rules are complex, rather, in the flow of a game, it generally requires you to know the costs and associated advantages and rules for those items.  You could look all those things up in the book, calculate it out and implement it correctly, all the while, you are breaking the tempo of the game.  Some will say, well, you can do a lot of pre defined powers for the pool, at which point, you might want to think about using a multipower instead.

 

I have several gadgeteers using weird science as an effect.  The multipower effectively becomes a large group of tools he carries with him.  From phasers to sonic screw drivers to light sabers, anything which will end his phase is in the multipower.

 

I would suggest saving experience and after you get a lot of experience ask the GM if you can change the multipower a variable power pool.

 

That said:  Here are some things you might want to buy beyond the high int.

 

3 Scientist - a skill enhancer which drops science skill costs by 1 point.  Then buy at least 3 or more sciences/mad sciences.  The generic sciences include Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.  Weird sciences would be like Telluric Energy or Steam Power.

3 Scholar - a skill enhancer which drops knowledge skill costs by 1 point.  Then buy at least 3 or more knowledge skills.  Something like Other Mad Scientists, Major Science Institutions, and the Mating Habits of the Yeti (well you need to have some fun )

Depending on your character, you might want to also get the skill enhancers Linguist and Traveler.

For steampunk games, mechanics is probably a must.  

Electronics is usually a good selection.

For some reason, many fictional scientists are good with paramedics and or Medicine (a science see above).  If your concept allows these skills, Forensic Medicine is not far behind.

Take the power skill, base it on INT and rename it as gadgeteering or inventor.

Security systems and systems operation would also fit.

Computer programming and cryptography are nice if your background/campaign fits it.

Deduction is a must have.

Many super scientists seem to be criminology experts.

 

After you buy all those INT based skills.  Buy some levels with INT based skills (probably 5 point levels).  One or two Overall skill levels wouldn't be too bad either.

 

If you are an Indiana Jones style scientist, you might thing of martial arts in the form of what consider the heroic maneuvers (Flying grab, Flying dodge, martial escape).  For two fist action, buy fast or martial strike, block, and counter strike.

 

Common super science talents usually include Eidetic Memory, Lightning Calculator, and Speed Reading.  

 

You might want to buy up your perception by one or two.  

 

A cool power to have is Aid Variable Effect (+1/2), Can Add or remove adders(+1), Delayed return rate per 20 min(+1 1/2),  major side effects that affect the recipient (-1/4), Only applicable to technology (-1/2), extra time (extra phase) (-3/4), Gestures: Complex and requiring two hands (-3/4).  This defined as you improving some device by modifying it.  The major side effects would vary depending on the GM but would include burnout, side effects, making a focii bulky or fragile, etc.

"I've upped the power of your laser rifle, but the extra power might cause it to burn out."

 

Mental Defense is a good thing, especially with egotistical scientists.

 

Movement powers usually include jet packs or transmat devices or both.

 

Enhanced senses of all types are useful to scientist type characters.

[GOmezy3k]

Thanks for moving the post. I wasn't sure where to put it. And thanks for the replies. What I was envisioning was a guy who is a cross between MaCGyver and Doc Brown (but all his inventions really work, sometimes doing things he didn't intend doing) creating things like cold fusion or warp engines or a cane that can change into a crossbow, or a gun that encased people in ice, shoes that let people walk up walls, and other sometimes useful and other times not so useful inventions...

[bigdamnhero]

Yep, that sounds like a VPP to me, with Power Skill: Weird Science to swap out gadgets and/or Inventor to create new ones. Play with the modifiers on the VPP to model things like how long it takes him to make new things, whether he needs access to a lab or can pull stuff out of his tool belt, etc.

 

dsatow's not wrong tho about VPPs having the potential to really slow things down if not handled properly. Try to stat out as many "common" inventions as you can ahead of time so you-the-player has them ready to go, even if your PC isn't actually carrying them. Or invest in a copy of the Equipment Guide, which has a whole section on Weird Science gadgets. When I GM characters with VPPs, I make it clear you're expected to be working up whatever gizmo build you need before your Phase comes up; if I call on you and you don't have the stats ready, well clearly your character hasn't finished building it yet - better luck next Phase.

 

Edit: You did say this was for a superheroic game, right? The answer might be different if you're talking about a Heroic game where everyone else gets their equipment for free.

[bigdamnhero]

Here's another recent thread on the same topic with more examples of how you might want to build that.

[segerge]

Another thing to consider for your weird scientist would be the speed with which he can improvise a solution (like, say, converting a toaster into a Gauss Gun with the help of this handy VIPER pulson rifle I just happened to have with me...).  To do this while minimizing penalties you might incur on the Time Chart, you can buy it as follows:

 

Fast Thinking: +x with all Intellect Skills, Only to counteract penalties for rapid performance (-1)

 

This will end up costing 2 points per level purchased, and directly influences any penalties you would otherwise incur from the Time Chart. 

 

(I could have sworn I got this idea from a 6th ed book or supplement, but I'm drawing a blank right now on exactly where I found it)