Creating the Super Mage

[Powerhouse]

Writing up some of my character concepts right now. I tend to write more than play when it comes to Champions since I like to use the rules to create characters that I'd like to write one day in a comic (presently working on a novel though).

 

Anyway, one character is lady Silver who I must admit is a little bit of a plain vanilla super mage. I think her personality and background is ok for now. She's the daughter of a powerful wizard and a normal woman. She grew up in dimension where many mystics of old resided when fear of magic drove them away. Seeing the sorry state of the world, she left her home forever (with special exceptions, the gate is one-way) and decided to become champion here. Her inheritance was enough to start a charity group and she's a hardcore bleeding liberal who wants to make the world a better place and prefers to reform villains rather than hurt them. She's also one of the few mystic defenders.)

 

Getting back to the point, her powers currently are pretty standard:

Powers

 

Cost

Multipower (63 pts)

10d6 EB: ½ END (+ ¼) mystic bolts

5d6 Ego attack: ½ END (+ ¼) soul strike

3d6 STUN drain: Cone Affect (+1) dragon's slumber

3.5d6 Flash vs sight group: explosive (+ ½), ½ END (+ ¼) blinding light

3d6 Entangle: Area Effect (3†radius) (+1) conjured fetters

2.5d6 Entangle: Based on ECV (+1), No damage from physical mystic binding

attacks (+ ¼), works against ego, not strength(+ ¼ )

10d6 Mental Illusion: ½ END (+ ¼ ) illusions

14d6 Dispel: any magic power one at a time (+ ¼ ), counter spell

½ END (+ ¼):

10" Teleport, 2 floating locations, X8 mass, X512 NCM, gate

NCM only (-1/2)

 

Force Field (15 PD/15ED): ½ END (+ ¼) mystic shield

Power Defense (8pts), (only vs magic: -1)

Mental Defense (5 pts, 10 pts total)

Mage Sense

2d6 Transform: Cosmetic Change (set of clothing into

costume) Limited Target: clothes (-1/2)

 

Total 172

 

Any advice to escape the rather generic power set? She's intended to be a general mage but that doesn't mean that she can't be interesting. I'm thinking of having her be able to manifest armor and sword but that might step on the toes of the Green Latern homage who has a knight motiff.

 

Thanks!

[Vorsch]

My advice would be to define what type of magic she has.

 

People like Dr Strange tend to be western hermetic mages with chanting gestures spell books and candles. ( not necesarilly limitations, just atmospher)

 

Shamens have good background option, gaia worshipers, spirits (summoning) talkers,

 

Voodoun types who chanel spirt power ( see Gurps Voodoo, shadow war brillient background)

 

Even DnD magic is different enough to make her stand out.

 

God worship magic, maybe The God of magic.

[Lord Liaden]

The first thing I'd suggest would be to add some style and flavor to her spellset. For a super mage, fancy alliterative spell names are practically de rigeure. How interesting would Dr. Strange's mystic combats be if he just flung an Entangle instead of calling on "the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak?" So, try making your Mystic Bolts "The Thunderbolts of Thorun," Dispel Magic "Sandavar's Spellsdeath," things like that. Have the character call out the names of the spells as she uses them - that will get her noticed.

 

How about how the spells look while she casts them? Does she chant arcane phrases, weave strange patterns with her hands? Do they form geometric patterns of light, or do the silhouettes of the entities she calls upon appear around her? For super-mages these usually represent pure S/FX without really Limiting them in any way (they always seem to find a way to cast spells even if bound and gagged, for example), but they add distinctiveness to a mage. OTOH Dean Shomshak suggested in The Ultimate Super Mage that mages can take Variable Limitations on their spells to represent that they have to do something to cast them, but that that something can vary with circumstances so that they are much less constrained.

 

Consider what the source of her power is; that may imply some interesting background and even Limitations to add to her character sheet. Are her spells bestowed through the influence of more powerful godly entities? Maybe these beings Watch her, place some restrictions on when and how she uses her spells, or even call on her sometimes to do "favors" for them in exchange for using their power. Are her spells elemental in nature? Perhaps she has Vulnerabilities to contrary elements, or perhaps her personality reflects the element she commands - fiery temper, restless as the wind, patient and reliable as stone, etc. Do her spells draw from her own personal spirit/will/mana? Perhaps using them too much has some detrimental effect on her, or renewing them requires meditation or ritual which she doesn't always have the chance to perform. (END Reserves with Limitations are good for this.)

 

Finally, I'd suggest picking up The Ultimate Super Mage .pdf from the online store. It's a vast source of inspiration and background research, discussing sources of magic and providing many sample spells and artifacts, looking at other dimensions and the entities who inhabit them, examining the history of "real-world" magic and mainstream Western occultism, providing quite a few NPCs, and more. You could also look for a copy of the 4E sourcebook Mystic Masters, which covers much of the same material but with a narrower focus, although it gives you more campaign-based materials that you can run "out of the box."

 

I hope that was some help to you.

[Powerhouse]

"People like Dr Strange tend to be western hermetic mages with chanting gestures spell books and candles. ( not necesarilly limitations, just atmospher)"

 

Of all that you mentioned, I would say that her style is closest to Dr. Strange. BTW, I still nede to read the other long post... looks like some good stuff though!

 

Thanks.

[Lightray]

Advice to choose a style of magic is good. If you're looking for Hermetic flavor, try googling for "Arbatel of Magick" (special K included, I think). It'll give you lots of names and such that you can steal.

 

Another thing I've been doing for supermages in my campaign is to design them as more flexible than other heroes. In addition to unique spells they know, I've given most of them an array of Naked Advantages and/or Variable Advantages.

 

Circe, thus has her Transforms, Illusions, Necromancy, Weather Magics, and such. But also has Mystic Bolts that are Affects Desolid or Line of Sight or Penetrating or Transdimensional, and her Mystic Binding likewise has a naked Variable Advantage she can use.

 

You end up with a supermage whose attack DCs are less than Power Guy's, but the supermage is much more flexible in power uses.

[Metaphysician]

It seems to me that the best way to build a supermage is to give them both a VPP and a multipower. The multipower contains the mages most powerful signature spells, while the VPP is used for the many and sundry somewhat weaker magics.

[Powerhouse]

"It seems to me that the best way to build a supermage is to give them both a VPP and a multipower. The multipower contains the mages most powerful signature spells, while the VPP is used for the many and sundry somewhat weaker magics."

 

That's a good idea. Not sure if I want to seem as if I'm copying Witchfire though. Still it might work well.

 

Also, I'm considering using a EB or entangle with Variable SFX/Advantage. This represents her at the starting point in her career though it would be interesting to see what 200 exp will yield.

[Powerhouse]

Hm... quiet so far. Well, I'm considering adding a -1/2 variable limitation. Normally it'd be Gestures and Incantations but in other situations something else would do. It would help simulate the comics I suppose in thaty Dr. Strange gestures and incants quite a bit but at times he's gagged and still cast spells. Perhaps instead one takes increased time or endurance to show that manipulating magic without these guides is more difficult.

 

Listening for more stuff!

[Lightray]

One thing I was considering for a Hermetic-style supermage but have not yet implimented:

 

Spells with no limitations for gestures, incantations, etc. He can use them at will. Active Points would be slightly below campaign levels.

 

Aid with Variable Effect, and Incantations + RSR. This is to model his calling upon Higher Powers to work his magic. He'd have separate Power skills for each Higher Power he can call upon -- Hyperion, Phoebe, Themis, etc. -- and each one would aid only specific special effects (e.g., call upon Hyperion to aid solar or light magic).

 

That way, your supermage can use magic even when bound and gagged, but is likely to be incanting up a storm in normal circumstances.

 

... I didn't do it because of the need for math each time you Aid, but if you go with Standard Effect it might not be too bad.

[Metaphysician]

Cool idea.