WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

[Argus]

You show up at your weekly, or so, game and the GM hits you with a New Super Mage Villain.

During the Combat a terrible storm brews up outside and at a point when it looks like the Heroes are winning a bolt of lightning strikes the room you are sitting in.

 

Smoke clears and you find yourself waking up as your Superhero. You quickly learn that a 15d6 Energy Blast Hurts. When the Super Mage blasts you and teleports out.

 

What would you do now. You’ve played this character for some time and you know what he can do. You also know what is hunting you.

 

A.

[Chuckg]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

I am unavoidably reminded of one of Matt's best lines from DORK TOWER:

 

"Why is the line between 'good roleplaying' and 'paranoid schizophrenia' so uncomfortably thin?"

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Well, I'll take a stab.

 

1) Use OOC info gratuitously. I know many things my PC's don't...

2) Do things unimpeded by 'good roleplaying'. Those psych lims just _vanished_.

 

Specifics:

Flippant - Random chance just gave _me_ the ability to travel through dimensions? Excuse me while I go HOME. With superpowers. Gee. Do I need to elaborate?

 

Sludge - His biggest problem is he's uneducated and tends towards thuggishness. I just 'play him smart', get some money, enjoy being a STR 40 brick... and see if the Hero Boards exist in his universe.

 

Neither 'me' would explain the switch to the people around them, mind.

 

Oh, and Sludge-me would hope he never saw that Supermage again...

[Blue]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

If I'm Anthem then I'm having a Gender Identity Crisis! (Somewhere a comic book editor is writing down the title "Gender Identity Crisis" for his next series).

 

Seeing as how I don't have my character's knowledge skills, I 'd have to rely on my out-of-character knowledge of the villain. This is, after all, REAL life and death. So I wouldn't feel bad at all about exploiting knowledge I as a player have about the villain.

 

I'd use his psychological weaknesses and vulnerabilities to put him in a bad position, then the team would pounce like cat on nip.

[devlin1]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

I'd look around for a short, balding, white-haired old dude in red robes. Dungeon Master has to be around here somewhere!

 

Also, does it have to be a bolt of lightning, or can it happen while at a local amusement park on the "Champions!" ride?

[farik]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Well if I'm Husky I'll have to try and change into Kenneth and see what it's like to be super intelligent enough to make power armor out of kitchen appliances.

[Hermit]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Wow, Meta gaming taken to the ultimate "I took the wrong color pill" step...

 

 

The answer is the same for all of them, if somehow such a reality is real, and then so are the characters, if they really have lives, what I would HAVE to do is seek a way to get me back in my world and body so the real heroes could carry on and have their lives back.

 

Apex got his powers from a being known as Dream Weaver. Recluse, Grand Mother Spider... so there's two. Wildcard would be harder, but he knows a mentalist.

 

Assuming all was restored, I would return to this world unable to game again convinced that I was now hurting some other dimension's heroes with my GMing. I would run screaming through the streets going "Stop it! You don't understand! Soylent Champions is PEOPLE!"

 

Err, or something like that

[SKJAM!]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

The Mask of Justice: Hoo boy. The good news is that I have all sorts of useful future information. The bad news is that I don't have any of Nick's skills, making me unable to keep his job or fight effectively. And thus far the Golden Age campaign doesn't have anyone that can get us switched back...

 

Rock Bottom: I've got his physical brain, right? As that's kind of needed for some of the powers for certain characters. I've just had a radical change in sexual orientation and apparent "race," in addition to becoming a living statue. I sure hope I can contact one of the GGU's supermages.

 

Calculus: I'm now smart enough to figure out how to get *myself* back; the real difficulty will be covering the secret identity stuff, like dealing with Brian's wife.

 

Kira Midori: "Aaagh! I'm a girl! Doctor Wyrd, help meee!" Again, the physical brain will cause some emotional dissonance....

 

Talion: "NOOOOOO!!!!" Sadly, Talion's life is just an exaggeration of my own.

[Argus]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Well, I'll take a stab.

 

1) Use OOC info gratuitously. I know many things my PC's don't...

2) Do things unimpeded by 'good roleplaying'. Those psych lims just _vanished_.

 

 

I expected more post like this.

I would imagine most people given the superpowers of the favorite character would end up using them completely opposite then the character they created.

 

A.

[OddHat]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

I expected more post like this.

I would imagine most people given the superpowers of the favorite character would end up using them completely opposite then the character they created.

 

A.

 

Depends. Many of my characters pretty much share my personality and "psych limits" (such as they are). In the same situation, with the same abilities, I'd take the same actions. There are only a few that are radically different from me in personality, usually because they are exploring a theme.

 

On the other hand, if I dropped a real person into a comic book situation ("Ha! I've killed over a dozen people and intend to kill more! Now turn me over to the police for a week long vacation before I escape!"), well, I'd be surprised to see codes versus killing held to that strictly.

 

As to how I would react in that situation, I agree with Hermit; If I am my character, that means "he" had a real life. I'd try to switch us back.

[caris]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Also some characters are wish fullfilment fantasies. I suspect that for a lot of us there is a desire to play out a life lack that for real.

[farik]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Husky and Kenneth are 2 extremes aspects of my own personality embued with powers so I'd probably act the same since their powers encourage their diseperate personality traits. I'm not a person motivated by material possesions though so I'd probably play the role of judgemental overconfident unstoppable hero.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Wow, Meta gaming taken to the ultimate "I took the wrong color pill" step...

 

 

The answer is the same for all of them, if somehow such a reality is real, and then so are the characters, if they really have lives, what I would HAVE to do is seek a way to get me back in my world and body so the real heroes could carry on and have their lives back.

 

Apex got his powers from a being known as Dream Weaver. Recluse, Grand Mother Spider... so there's two. Wildcard would be harder, but he knows a mentalist.

 

Assuming all was restored, I would return to this world unable to game again convinced that I was now hurting some other dimension's heroes with my GMing. I would run screaming through the streets going "Stop it! You don't understand! Soylent Champions is PEOPLE!"

 

Err, or something like that

 

 

Hmm. Good point.

 

Thing is... I assumed I _died_. Therefore, I can't switch back. Lightning has certain physical properties, after all.

 

That said, the Flippant 'go home' plan would tell me if I was right or not. As for Sludge... I don't think he _deserves_ powers, and besides. Even OOC, I can't figure out who he'd talk to TO get switched back.

 

Some past characters:

Wraith, Robot: These were pretty wish fulfillment. They're largely me, so I think we could live each other's lives well enough. Both of them would be happy enough to give up their powers, as written. (Wraith... sees dead people. Robot... has died. heck, maybe _I_ will want to swap back.).

 

Yeah.

[OddHat]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Hmm. Good point.

Thing is... I assumed I _died_. Therefore, I can't switch back. Lightning has certain physical properties, after all.

 

That's a good point as well.

 

So:

 

Style - I'd still try to switch back; he could physically get to "my" Earth and find out if "I" was still alive. Besides, Style is doomed to die foiling the plans of The Dragon, and I'd like to avoid that. If my body was dead, I'd bring my wife to Babylon.

 

AnimeGai - An emotionless AI, so I would feel no guilt over displacing him. I'd still look for a way back.

 

Really, with all of the others I'd still try to make it back to this Earth and find out what was going on with my body and family.

[Badger]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Personality-wise Badger was basically me, so it would be a lot like I woke up with superpowers. I would want to get back. But with apparently no way to do that. Just have to make the best of it. One thing that would change would be I would definitely be less reluctant to charge into battle.

[SKJAM!]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Now, assuming a mind switch, rather than real world death, let's look in on how my characters would react....

 

Mask of Justice: "The year is...2004? And the Japanese won? Great Scott!" Eventually he would figure out he's not in an Axis-won parallel Earth, but it is curious that no one seems to remember any of the masked crimefighters of WWII. He's stuck without his powers, in an out-of-shape body, and 60 years behind the times, but Nick still has all his fighting knowledge, and he's a really sharp investigative journalist. He'll make it somehow.

 

Rock Bottom: Is in an "old", out of shape white straight guy's body, which will cause him no end of disorientation. Worse, he has none of his powers, and his skills aren't really all that useful in the real world (he was just starting college.) He's going to be hurting.

 

Calculus: Has just for the second time of his life gone from supergenius to "normal". No powers, no wife and kid--but on the bright side, no one trying to kill him, and his skills are eminently marketable, even without superintelligence. He's going to be miserable emotionally, but fine physically.

 

Kira Midori: Yow. She's suddenly in an out of shape white straight guy's body, even more disorienting than for Rock Bottom. And she's suddenly mind-blind, which is like being profoundly deaf and legally blind for her. Yes, she has her police officer skills, but with the high probability of her being locked in an asylum for a while until she reorients herself, who'd hire her?

 

Talion: Will find my life marginally better than his own, and resist going back.

[OddHat]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Now, assuming a mind switch, rather than real world death, let's look in on how my characters would react....

 

This is more interesting.

 

Style - No magic, an odd woman who says she's his wife, no skills useful to the body's job, vast amounts of useless knowledge, but good social skills and no one trying to kill him . . . He'd end up writing new age books and working as a therapist.

 

AnimeGai - He'd go insane from suddenly having real emotions. If he recovered, he'd make good money as a programmer.

 

Flesh Gordon - A body infinitely less attractive and weaker than his own, and no skills that would be useful. He'd end up in an institution or living on the streets, at least for a while. On the other hand, he is strong willed. If he could lose sixty pounds, he could find a job running a gym or some such. That strange "wife" person might help support him.

 

Indomitable Will - Vast lists of skills and unlimited will power. Even without his powers, he'd never give up. If it were possible, he'd get back home.

 

Thirteen: Even without his Super Skills, he's still very well educated. He'd need to adjust to not being able to do almost everything perfectly, and to a body he'd consider half blind and crippled, but he would adjust.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Now, assuming a mind switch, rather than real world death, let's look in on how my characters would react....

 

Mask of Justice: "The year is...2004? And the Japanese won? Great Scott!" Eventually he would figure out he's not in an Axis-won parallel Earth, but it is curious that no one seems to remember any of the masked crimefighters of WWII. He's stuck without his powers, in an out-of-shape body, and 60 years behind the times, but Nick still has all his fighting knowledge, and he's a really sharp investigative journalist. He'll make it somehow.

 

Rock Bottom: Is in an "old", out of shape white straight guy's body, which will cause him no end of disorientation. Worse, he has none of his powers, and his skills aren't really all that useful in the real world (he was just starting college.) He's going to be hurting.

 

Calculus: Has just for the second time of his life gone from supergenius to "normal". No powers, no wife and kid--but on the bright side, no one trying to kill him, and his skills are eminently marketable, even without superintelligence. He's going to be miserable emotionally, but fine physically.

 

Kira Midori: Yow. She's suddenly in an out of shape white straight guy's body, even more disorienting than for Rock Bottom. And she's suddenly mind-blind, which is like being profoundly deaf and legally blind for her. Yes, she has her police officer skills, but with the high probability of her being locked in an asylum for a while until she reorients herself, who'd hire her?

 

Talion: Will find my life marginally better than his own, and resist going back.

 

Oooh.

 

Okay. Flippant will take a while to deal. He just lost a heck of a lot of physical ability, but he might be able to find a field of sporting endeavour my body could excell at... and that would make him happy.This is AFTER he gets over the shock of being in a different world and suchlike. Oh, and being in a different country.

 

Sludge: Ulp. He just got as bit older, a lot less powerful... oh, and he'd probably get instutionalized and/or killed finding out exactly what happened.

 

Estatua: Would adapt. He'll be trying to figure out how to get back, but he'll try and do good here too. H's smart enough to figure out what's going on... and he will probably be a litttle freaked by the fact that I have a description of him, plus game statistics, on my computer. (the other two, might never find that.)

[Badger]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

My character aint gonna last long im my body. He now has slowed reactions. He cant fly, and has to drive (he learned to drive before he developed his powers enough to fly, but might be rusty at it). And with his temper and love of fighting will probably get mad at the first motorist that cuts him off, ends up trying to fight said motorists and 10 of his friends, and w/o his superabilities will get the living beep-beep kicked out of him. He also doesnt have too much in the way skills needed for day-to day life, so hopefully this woman who say she is his "mother" will continue to let him live there (which want be a problem if she doesnt find out about the switch)

 

Note: Course mothers seem to know EVERYTHING

 

 

Maybe if he can get his body in shape he can be a policeman, though he might quickly be booted for brutality.

[Argus]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

An interesting turn in the WWYCD discussion.

 

Not what I expected, but keep it up.

A.

[Dust Raven]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Oh dear god!

Cobalt: Okay, so I'm an American extravert trapped in the super powered body of Japanese introvert. I'm wondering what the game world would do when the emmaculate anal-retentive Ken Yoshida is seen in public with mussed hair wearing a t-shirt and jeans. I'm also wondering what his friends will do when he starts using his powers casually (Cobalt has a psychi lim: avoids using powers).

 

Meanwhile... my girlfriend is in for a surprise as "I" suddenly start keeping the apartment neat and tidy, quit my job and start working for Honeywell when no one thought I was even close to being quallified.

 

Vantage: So, basiclly I look like me, and I've become a character that basically acts like I would if given powerful telepathy and telekinesis. The game world would never notice (except that I'd suddenly developed a strange form of "clairvoyance" as I exploit my OOG knowledge of the campaign world and events).

 

Meanwhile... After a fit of depression as being me, Vantage would probably start drinking, get me fired, and atempt to get a job as a performer somehow.

 

Zectron: I'd be the pentumtimate superhero of my universe. I'd try my hardest not to crush his reputation as a good guy when using my more ruthless tactics, but certainly have fun being a superhuman superball.

 

Meanwhile... Zectron, despite a lack of powers, would probably seek to fight crime, getting me killed in a local gun fight he tried to stop.

 

Kristian Rolyat: The other "me" character. Only now I have cybernetics and professional musical skill and real martial arts training. I might even be able to cope with the cybernetics (I'm the player who put them there after all). Able to cope, I could dig myself out of my depressive rut and start a musical career with my alien friends and use my publicity to avoid being messed with by my hunteds.

 

Meanwhile... Free of cybernetics, in a body not being hunted by a corrupt corporation, Kris would be at his happiest. With his skills as a musician he'd have no trouble finding a band and making the big time, perhaps working his way into acting as well.

 

Okay then, I guess it's obvious which one I'd prefer to have happen if there was an inevitable switch back...

[Descant]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Descant: Wow. So, Nightblade is real, and knowing this particular universe, actually going to escape Stronghold eventually. I guess she'd learn to live without sleep. On the other hand, she'd be much less paranoid about her growing attraction to and tentative relationship with Crystallis. Heck, with his light powers, she'd probably suggest they start sleeping in the same room (Nightblade always hated light- Ninja/used to have incredible Dark powers). I'd certainly have a time with keeping the team running smoothly, but I'd continue things. As for "telling", probably only the team (eventually) and my younger brother (to help me fill in the gaps on my life, to "reconnect", and to find out what else I need to know about stuff the GM won't tell me.

 

Madison, on the other hand, might actually have an okay time trying to be "normal". Without her criminal past haunting her, and her evil uncle plotting revenge, the only thng she'd really miss was her powers (and Crys and the rest of the team). Wonder what Raven would do if I was suddenly more cynical than he was?

 

 

Amethyst: Okay. Rock in my chest, kid in my custody with a deathwish, fabulous empathic and healing powers, glowing my favorite color, looking like my (former) birthstone. Hm. I'd probably love being an Auden, since it's the part of our Universe I have gotten the most "into".

 

Tracy would immediately change my major in college, and get me a PI license as well. She had originally been planning to do what she does without the powers... she'd still, after recovering from her loss, want to do it. She'd go nuts if there was no mystery to solve, no criminal to figure out and pursue. And Raven would wonder why I was spending so much time away from the apartment...

 

 

Touchstone: Between a bend of gender and extremely heightened senses, I'd have a LOT of physical coping to do initially. After that, I would HAVE to meet Boss and continue trying to figure him out. Just to bait him, I'd probably write in my journal about the body swap, throwing in some irrefutable reference somhow, and see if he writes back THIS time, the sneaky @$$! Then, I'd have to deal with all the in-game stuff! *migraine*

 

Mason would find it interesting (though rather creepy) to be a girl, although initially, with the hormonal change in the female body, and the quasi-claustropohobic reaction from suddenly having all his senses WAY dulled, he'd probably have the biggest inexplicable nervous breakdown Raven has ever seen me have. After coping, however, I'd suddenly be REALLY good at fixing all the stuff that breaks around here. Maintenance would think we vanished!

 

 

Nich Trevelian: Wow. Me as a man. ...And an alien. ...And a powerful psychic. Mentally, this switch would be the least noticeable, although relating to my friends might be very interesting, considering how close one of them is to my then "former" boyfriend in mundania. I'd love actually working with a version of Raven who actually knew how to play the keyboard!!! And I'd absolutely revel in the set of powers that, given the choice, I'd most like to have.

 

Nich would be facing the second, and even more weird, displacement of his young life. Although Raven would wonder how I got so good on the guitar so fast! In a fully female body, having known Kris, he'd probably also be the one who could adapt (although slowly!) best to the roommate circumstance as well (he seems to kinda go both ways as it is in my mind anyhow). But he would definitely make Raven follow through on those singing and piano lessons!

[Amused]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

You show up at your weekly, or so, game and the GM hits you with a New Super Mage Villain.

During the Combat a terrible storm brews up outside and at a point when it looks like the Heroes are winning a bolt of lightning strikes the room you are sitting in.

 

Smoke clears and you find yourself waking up as your Superhero. You quickly learn that a 15d6 Energy Blast Hurts. When the Super Mage blasts you and teleports out.

 

What would you do now. You’ve played this character for some time and you know what he can do. You also know what is hunting you.

 

A.

 

So you are saying I just got turned into a fairy with a 20 comliness a pair of mayfly wings who's biggest problems is the fact that she has two brothers to take of, a bit of a ditz and has Capt. Hook after her?....

COOL!!

 

The ditz problem would go away because, while on occasion I do have ditz like qualities it is not my general personality.

 

I think eventualy I would end up trying to find a way back home, after a few weeks (maybe less) trying to deal with the super hero lifestyle. ( kind of interesting because that is what my character is actually half trying to do at this point in time, expect her home is Never Land not Arizona...)

 

Of course the problem would be, does Tink get her body back if I did mange to get home. ( that brings up, do I keep Tink's body when I (hopefully) get back home?... Which would be a whole nother set of problems (No records, nobody knowing who i am, way to cute to be real... )

 

Of course that begs the question of while I am in Gwen's body is she in mine?.... That would be interesting to watch...lol...

 

Interesting Problem...

 

~Amused~

[Drhoz]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

Hmm. Okay.

 

Well, for one thing Zero, the mentalist, and "I" would promptly spiral in a complicated argument with myself about meta-gaming, and the possibility that this is all the result of some magical attack that's merely making the real Zero think he's been replaced by a 'gamer' personality who only thinks he's real.

 

Zero, finding himself in Perth, and powerless, would promptly panic and probably find himself commited, would would be a shame for my wife, especially after the house gets repossessed.

 

Me in Vitus' body would have some major problems - I'm lousy at remembering game mechanics, whereas Vitus' spells all have very complicated rules, gestures, and incantations. Would immeadiately appeal to the locals for any way to change back. I couldn't even profit from the experience, since any mental knowledge would be setting specific, or more likely not work but in our law of physics. I might even assume that I'm actually in a delusional state or coma, without even the benefit of a David Bowie soundtrack

 

Vitus, in a human body where magic doesn't work, would go berserk. See Zero's reaction above, but add a few homicides.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero

 

TheQuestionMan would learn everything he could about Riot (the superhero formerly known as Nemesis6). Then meet with Riot's UNTIL Contacts and Dr. Black & Dr. White of UNITY and explain the situation from his point of view.

 

Assuming TheQuestionMan retains all of Riot's powers, skills, and resources. He would seek powerful magical help from The Mystic World. In the mean time he would pursue reorienting himself with Riot's life and hope that he was in turn taking care of TheQuestionMan's life.

 

 

Finally, enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.

 

 

QM