WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

[SKJAM!]

Your character has been asked by a teammate or friend what sort of funeral arrangements they want, should the worst occur.

 

"But I'm immortal."

 

"Just in case, okay?"

 

So, what sort of sendoff would your character like to have (and what's likely to happen instead?)

[OddHat]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Style – Will probably die his true death in the jaws of the Dragon. Asks to have his body, if it can be recovered, placed in a tomb rather than buried, just in case he’s coming back. He has had to claw his way up from under the Earth before, and he didn’t like it. “My worldly goods should be donated to a young mystic who can use them. Witchcraft might like some of my books, and the Whistler will want access to a backup copy of my files. Any mage who can gain access to the Tick-Tock House is welcome to it, but keep an eye on it for me. If you see the House trying to reject its new owner, please give it a hand.â€

 

Flesh Gordon – “I’d like a full state funeral, banners flying, processional through the heart of the city, and the funeral services can be performed by the Pope. Or Father Guido Sarducci if you can get him. He was so funny. I remember once when me, Sarducci, and Mahatma Gandhi were in this little bar, I think it was in Budapest, just chilling and downing a few. No one could put it away like the Mahatma, God that man loved his Schnapps. Anyway, Hitler comes in, and he’s got this saxophone, and he starts wailing away, complete monster but the man could play, and Gandhi starts getting all morose. So I ask him what’s up, and he looks at me, and he turns into a bird. Man, what a night.â€

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Well.

 

Wraith: Just died in the last scenario. He _wasn't morbid enough to plan, sadly.

(asks his spirit)

He says "Many religious ceremonies. I've seen a LOT of restless spirits (comes with my powers), and I bloody well would like to rest, thankyouverymuch. Oh, and please, not too many people."

Now, to wait and see what happens...

 

Flippant:

Keep my secret ID. Somehow. Have two ceremonies or something. I want to be remembered well. You'll know what I mean. Oh. And talk to my parents. They'd know how to follow family practices.

 

Others:

Dunno.

[Hermit]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Apex- "I've already designed my own mauseleum, but it would be a complete waste of wealth. Just bury me next to my wife in my secret ID. Make sure my daughter is okay. "

 

Astro-Knight: "Look, I don't know what will happen to the suit, but I suspect it might go to the next person to touch me after I die. Tell whoever it is to take me to outerspace, and let me go. Drift me towards the sun if need be."

 

Recluse- "I...err, do we have to talk about this?" Goes into denial... though his life insurance coverage is excellent.

 

Wildcard- "I would like Amazing Grace sung to the tune of Gilligan's Isle, cuts down on the length of the surface." *Smeck*"Don't tell anyone I'm dead, you nut! You want the crime rate in Atlantic City to tripple?!"

[BcAugust]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Cyrande is... unlikely to die, but I'm sure that she'd go for a simple memorial ceremony amoung her friends, and there would be a formal, tradition laden ceremony on Malva.

 

Nox, well she's already nearly died once. "If there's anything left of my body, just bury it somewhere. Other then that, well, I hope it's heroic enough that you can put my name up." (She's referring to the memorial to Chicago's fallen heros.)

[farik]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Husky would leave the simple instructions "give my body to the Clarkebots."

 

The Clarkebots would devote themselves to the singular task of bringing Kenneth Clarke back from the dead while keeping his death a secret. Kenneth/Husky will return possibly as a clone or maybe an android with Kenneth's memories implanted. Worst case scenario the Clarkebots collectively become a "supervillain" as they resort to theft, extortion, and kidnapping to acquire new technology and information in pursuit of their goal to bring back Kenneth Clarke.

 

This assumes Husky dies in the next few years if he matures more then things could be quite a bit different.

[S7Michelle]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Sailor Io, “If at all possible, I think my parents would like to have the chance to bury my body with the usual ceremony.†Her gaze goes to Sailor Saturn, “But, if circumstances make that impossible, you know what to do. Either way, let my family know what happened, don’t leave them to wonder. At least they know the truth now, we won’t have to hide it from them.â€

 

Preferred funeral: A small traditional Japanese ceremony with all of her family and friends there. And perhaps later, a second smaller ceremony at her grave with those friends who for whatever reasons weren’t able to attend in secret id (the animal companions, Sphinx, possibly some of the friendly mystical allies who just aren’t comfortable around humans).

 

Likely “funeralâ€: Sailor Saturn says a few solemn words over the fallen Sailor Io’s body ending with the statement that she is certain that Sailor Io will be reborn into a better life. The other Senshi weep around her. Magnus has to restrain a devastated Bladestar as Saturn releases a blast of energy, destroying Io’s body. Bladestar, and the others, seek a painful retribution against whoever killed Io. An empty coffin is buried in the family plot after a traditional Japanese ceremony. And there is a better than average chance that some of the other’s Senshi’s families will be burying them too. Also, with his beloved Io dead (and not around to help him restrain it), Bladestar's dark side is likely to come into dominance. I'm not quite sure what that will mean for the world, but doubt its going to be a good thing.

 

 

Cannis, “I never really thought about it. Something nice, with plenty of music and flowers. I'd like for my pets to be there if that could be arranged.â€

 

Preferred funeral: A non-religious ceremony for her secret id with all of her packmates (both human and animal) there. Her family has already passed away and she doesn’t have a lot of friends outside her pack, so it probably will be a fairly small. She’d enjoy something somewhat lavish with lots of music and flowers and a nice coffin.

 

Likely funeral: Very similar to the one she would prefer. Considering Adam is both a multibillionaire and very fond of her, lavish may be an understatement. Later at her grave site, she will be told that the person who killed her is dead, and that his body will never be found.

 

( This was depressing. Especially the Sailor Io one.)

[Metaphysician]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Microman II: ". . .I have not even considered this matter before. I will have to ponder upon it."

 

Not sure what he'd eventually conclude. I will have to ponder further. . .

 

Diomedes: "Standard Christian funeral, preferably small and private. Precautions should be taken, if my identity has not become public, so that my parents can attend without being revealed; some of my enemies might not be willing to let the grudge die with me."

 

"Oh, and if one or more owls decide to perch nearby and warch, leave them be."

[JeffreyWKramer]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

I'm just getting ready to start *playing* Malleable Man... I don't want to think about him being dead yet!!

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Both The Shield and Uncle Sam look at the person asking the question for a moment, then look at each other, then turn their attention back to the questioner.

 

"You are joking, right?" Asks the utterly unaging man permanently encased in an impenetrable force field.

 

"You know I'm fine as long as America persists, right?" asks the Living Embodiment of the American Dream.

 

Sorry... funerals are not really in the cards for either of these men.

[Blue]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Anthem would want a traditional Catholic burial. She's the only hero I have who goes to church.

 

Uncle Slam would expect to be buried in traditional military fashion at Arlington, alongside the many traditional soldiers he fought with. His tombstone would look no different than the average soldier there.

 

Audra Blue would want to be cremated and thoroughly scattered. She's had a friend come back from the dead (and not in a good way), and would want to be scattered far and wide; possibly from an airplane, so she spreads in the wind. As for the cybernetics, which likely wouldn't burn, she'd ask they be crushed or otherwise destroyed.

[Chuckg]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Starguard: "... umm... err... the kind where you bury me? Just leave enough room on the headstone so if you ever do find out who I really was, you can come back and carve it on."

 

Dr. Pain -- "The funeral? Ahh, just go traditional. Try to keep the TV cameras to the minimum.

 

But I absolutely *demand* you guys have one king-hell Irish wake! Whaddya mean I'm Polish? Get hammered anyway!"

 

Baron von Darien -- "Funerals are not for the benefit of the dead, they are for the benefit of the living. Make whatever arrangements or ceremonies will help you cope as best you can, I will be beyond caring."

[SKJAM!]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

The Mask of Justice: "A Greek Orthodox service, if you would. And Sam, since you're likely to outlive us all, I want you to hide my mask somewhere it's going to take years to find. Decades, if you can arrange it."

 

"I thought you said the mask was just a normal hunk of cloth, son."

 

"It is, but people don't need to know that. I figure, whoever finds the mask, he's going to be at just the right time to put it to good use."

 

 

Rock Bottom: A small, nondenominational memorial service. He's willed his body to science. His father will refuse to come to the service, or to the memorial statue.

 

Calculus: Would like his colleagues, if at all possible, to pretend that Calculus isn't actually dead. That will free up Brian Rockwood's family to mourn in private. If it's unavoidable, then a quiet church ceremony.

 

Kira Midori: Cremation after the traditional mainstream Christian funeral, complete with dinner in the church basement. Various souvenirs and knickknacks will be distributed among her friends, her advanced technology to be given to the team gadgeteer.

 

Talion: "Make sure I'm really, really, no fooling this time dead, okay?" He's dug his way out of graves once too often. (Usually shallow ones.)

His preferred funeral: A lavish public ceremony at which world dignitaries and the cream of the metahuman world eulogize Talion, followed by the dedication of a massive statue in his honor.

Likely reality: A moment of silence in the team's break room, followed by renewed squabbling over who gets Talion's stuff. The body, if any, is dumped in a shallow grave with no marker.

[assault]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Assault:You mean, they found the body?

 

Whatever memorial gathering the survivors feel like, but strictly no religious content.

 

And make sure there's a revolving door on his grave, just in case.

[Katherine]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Both The Shield and Uncle Sam look at the person asking the question for a moment, then look at each other, then turn their attention back to the questioner.

 

"You are joking, right?" Asks the utterly unaging man permanently encased in an impenetrable force field.

.

 

Impenetrable? How did you do that? Isn't that character hard to threaten/challenge?

 

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Stopwatch doesn't like to think about Death. She unconsiously avoids it and would probably just crack some sort of joke and change the subject as quickly as possible.

 

Pinnacle would want a quiet ceremony with friend and family and to be interred at her family's plot in Kentucky. She would hope to be remembered as hero and role model.

 

Menagerie would hope she would be worthy of have her genetic code added to the Gene Pool, a conglomerate organic preservation mechcanism for particularly worthy biological material which will be used to create future members of the One Race once the baseline threat has been contained.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Impenetrable? How did you do that? Isn't that character hard to threaten/challenge?

 

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Stopwatch doesn't like to think about Death. She unconsiously avoids it and would probably just crack some sort of joke and change the subject as quickly as possible.

 

Pinnacle would want a quiet ceremony with friend and family and to be interred at her family's plot in Kentucky. She would hope to be remembered as hero and role model.

 

Menagerie would hope she would be worthy of have her genetic code added to the Gene Pool, a conglomerate organic preservation mechcanism for particularly worthy biological material which will be used to create future members of the One Race once the baseline threat has been contained.

 

IIRC, The Shield has a house rule of a power (100% DR).

And it's not that hard to challenge someone who is 'merely' invulnerable; I mean, there have been enough good _Superman_ stories over the past decades to keep the brand going. Being 'merely' invulnerable leaves all kinds of tricky things open:

-Hurting people you care about.

-Doing enough KB to take you AWAY from the fight.

-Entangling you so you just sit and watch.

-Flashing you so you don't know _what_ to do about things.

-Making the floor slippery.

 

After all, most good villains don't aim to smack down the heroes. Actually, this power makes it _easier_ to challenge the hero;l there's no pesky risk of KO or Kill to screw up your plot.

 

[Chuckg]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

After all' date=' most good villains don't aim to smack down the heroes. Actually, this power makes it _easier_ to challenge the hero;l there's no pesky risk of KO or Kill to screw up your plot. [/quote']

 

I have to ask -- has he ever approved that power for anybody /else's/ character?

[Katherine]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

IIRC, The Shield has a house rule of a power (100% DR).

And it's not that hard to challenge someone who is 'merely' invulnerable; I mean, there have been enough good _Superman_ stories over the past decades to keep the brand going. Being 'merely' invulnerable leaves all kinds of tricky things open:

-Hurting people you care about.

-Doing enough KB to take you AWAY from the fight.

-Entangling you so you just sit and watch.

-Flashing you so you don't know _what_ to do about things.

-Making the floor slippery.

 

After all, most good villains don't aim to smack down the heroes. Actually, this power makes it _easier_ to challenge the hero;l there's no pesky risk of KO or Kill to screw up your plot.

 

 

Even Superman can be hurt. Magic, Kryptonite or just enough main force can injure him. This guy can't be knocked out or even stunned. Flashes last a few segments. A movement power takes care of knockback and Strength, which would work against Entangles is cheap. A "mere" 35 Strength and you could get out of 60 points of Entangle. I just don't think I'll allow a character that was Invulnerable to everything...

 

Sorry, I'm thread jacking, I'll shut up.

[Chuckg]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Well, you could always use MegaScale Throwing (it's in Ultimate Brick! It's legal!) to launch the sucker on a one-way trip to the Oort cloud, but that's a bit too final in the other direction.

 

Seriously, even Superman is not *totally* invulnerable. He's tough enough to soak nukes, yes, but you start breaking out things like Pre-Crisis Darkseid and/or planet-smashers, and he bleeds like anybody else. He just has really really high defenses, and/or the 'White Knight' damage reduction/absorption combo -- *not* total immunity to all damage.

[Pendaran]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

is the Shield at least vulnerable to mental attacks?

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Well, you could always use MegaScale Throwing (it's in Ultimate Brick! It's legal!) to launch the sucker on a one-way trip to the Oort cloud, but that's a bit too final in the other direction.

 

Seriously, even Superman is not *totally* invulnerable. He's tough enough to soak nukes, yes, but you start breaking out things like Pre-Crisis Darkseid and/or planet-smashers, and he bleeds like anybody else. He just has really really high defenses, and/or the 'White Knight' damage reduction/absorption combo -- *not* total immunity to all damage.

 

Yes, but Superman has these nufty add ons. Like being really, really, really strong. And stupidly fast. (I say stupidly, because he seems to be pretty stupid about it a lot of the time. )

 

And the comparison still holds; there are interesting stories about conflicts between Superman and those who literally cannot hurt HIM. Because pain and direct injury really is NOT what it's all about. (unlike the hokey pokey)

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

I have to ask -- has he ever approved that power for anybody /else's/ character?

 

He's never turned it down (AFAIK). I can't claim to have read even most of the CS's.

 

And it's been removed in one of the later revisions of the house rules; probably because few GM's wanted the headache of dealing with true invulnerability, making it an appendix.

[nexus]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Yes, but Superman has these nufty add ons. Like being really, really, really strong. And stupidly fast. (I say stupidly, because he seems to be pretty stupid about it a lot of the time. )

 

And the comparison still holds; there are interesting stories about conflicts between Superman and those who literally cannot hurt HIM. Because pain and direct injury really is NOT what it's all about. (unlike the hokey pokey)

 

Speaking as a GM who has used an Invulernerable character before. They can be interesting, but not for long term play. Essentially the character ends up being unstoppable in any encounter that is not specfically designed to take him down. And he can spend experience to make that harder and harder. Superman's stories are interesting because of a lot of the intangibles and characters focus. These can work in an rpg but, particularly in a group game, there's not as much time to delve into them and focus on them. It might be simplistic, perhaps I am a poor gm, but being able to actually "Hurt" the PCs can be an important aspect of game play in maintaing some sense of dramatic tension in a battle.

 

and, IIRC, The Shield did/does have superhuman strength and respectable CV, so he wasn't that lacking in combat compared to the other characters that actually could be hurt.

 

That's all I'm going to say on the matter, because I don't want Worldmaker to think I am attacking him. Its his game and the character worked for him.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Even Superman can be hurt. Magic, Kryptonite or just enough main force can injure him. This guy can't be knocked out or even stunned. Flashes last a few segments. A movement power takes care of knockback and Strength, which would work against Entangles is cheap. A "mere" 35 Strength and you could get out of 60 points of Entangle. I just don't think I'll allow a character that was Invulnerable to everything...

 

Sorry, I'm thread jacking, I'll shut up.

 

Of course, all of _those_ powers _also_ require points. Actual invulnerability is bloody expensive (as per the rule, 240pts for rPD/rED)

 

If the villain achieves their objectives, still being conscious is small consolation.

 

Really. How many times does it _matter_ if the villains can beat all the PC's into a coma or not?

[nexus]

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Of course, all of _those_ powers _also_ require points. Actual invulnerability is bloody expensive (as per the rule, 240pts for rPD/rED)

 

If the villain achieves their objectives, still being conscious is small consolation.

 

Really. How many times does it _matter_ if the villains can beat all the PC's into a coma or not?

 

How many times has it mattered that villians actually be able stop the PCs? Quite a few in experience. An unstoppable hero, in many combat situations can't fail as he can just keep pounding until the villians go down without regard. I don't get the idea that in most combat situations being able to hurt you opponent doesn't matter.

 

Its 120 points in an EC, which, IIRC, The Sheild had. Impenetrable Force Feild. So that was 230 more points for other abilities. Even without the EC thats 110 points and that is assuming a 350 point game. Enough to get some fairly decent attributes and damage output as you likely can skimp on some things like PD, ED and Con without much risk.

 

There's also the matter of cost. 240 points for what amounts to Infinite PD and ED is pretty cost effective.