Character Ideas

[drkkittygoddess]

Hi! I'm quite new to Champions and one of thoes who didnt grow up around D&D and Champions because my parents would think it was evil - anyways - I need some ideas for character ideas that arent bricks because our game is full of them - keep in mind i wasnt interested in comics and stuff like that till just this last year and even then champions showed up like a month ago

OK the problem - i keep getting my characters rejected and need some ideas mainly for powers and stuff like that.

Please help me out!

[levi]

Re: Character Ideas

 

What reason is the GM giving you for rejecting your characters?

 

You've recently become interested in comics so what character(s) got you hooked?

 

Maybe answering these questions will help us help you.

[Trebuchet]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Welcome to Hero!

 

Since you don't want to run a brick and are new to Champions, I would recommend you run an Energy Projector as this is a fairly simple type to run. This is a character that attacks at range, usually with an Energy Blast or a Killing Attack - Ranged. The Human Torch of the Fantastic Four is a classic Energy Projector.

 

Other common Energy Projector powers include Flight and Force Field to provide mobility and defenses.

 

If you're going to make an EB, first you need to consider the "special effect." Is it fire? Electricity? Gravity? Lasers? Sonics? Once you've decided that, additional powers might suggest themselves.

[Crimson Arrow]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Hi there.

 

What sort of characters have you tried so far? Why was each of them rejected? Does your GM have particular rules for characters? If so, what are they? What HERO source material have you seen? I'm guessing that you haven't seen 'Champions' or 'Champions Universe'; am I right?

 

I'd agree with Trebuchet about running an Energy Projector. There are lots of different types of characters, but EPs are a good counter-balance to Bricks, without involving too many complicated rules.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Character Ideas

 

There are several character-laden threads floating around here, like the Hero A Day thread. Skim through those to find an idea you like.

[drkkittygoddess]

Re: Character Ideas

 

I did an energy drain character and have played a thief/sneaky person in a campain that was made up on the spot for a day with friends.

Plus we have computer nerds, bricks, one elemental, sharpshot, mentalist, the flyer (guy with big wings)

i didnt have fun with the drain char cuz i never did enough damage and when i made her orgionally i didnt realize how much i didnt like playing her - like i said kinda new at making characters

[drkkittygoddess]

Re: Character Ideas

 

BTW where is the Hero-a-day thread?

[Trebuchet]

Re: Character Ideas

 

I did an energy drain character and have played a thief/sneaky person in a campain that was made up on the spot for a day with friends.

Plus we have computer nerds, bricks, one elemental, sharpshot, mentalist, the flyer (guy with big wings)

i didnt have fun with the drain char cuz i never did enough damage and when i made her orgionally i didnt realize how much i didnt like playing her - like i said kinda new at making characters

Mentalists and martial artists take a pretty good understanding of the rules to play successfully. They tend to be lightly defended and if they don't use their speed and maneuvers to avoid getting hit they get hurt pretty easily. Bricks and EBs tend to be not only slower (reducing the number of actions a new player must try to figure out what to do) but also tend to be tough enough to survive a few hits if they make a mistake.

 

You are right not to play a type you are not enjoying. Why play if you are not having fun? This is a game.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Character Ideas

 

BTW where is the Hero-a-day thread?

 

Try these:

 

Hero A Day (sorta)

 

Character Posting Game

[Crimson Arrow]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Drain characters are a bit reactive, aren't they?

 

It sounds like quite a large group.

 

You still haven't explained why you've had characters rejected, though.

 

Would it help to list the archetypes? You seem to know a fair bit, but it's hard to know what the problem is.

 

How about playing a Mystic?

 

He has a Multipower with various spells, plus a cape which allows him to fly and a magic staff which can project light (Images, maybe a light ray Energy Blast), strike with great force (Hand to Hand Attack), blow through walls (Tunneling) and perhaps do some other cool stuff (probably a second Multipower build into an OAF).

 

It's a bit derivative, but if you aren't experienced you don't want anything too weird or complicated and it still gives you lots you can do..

 

He'd need some defences, but that could be a magic item, or what he does with his personal magic Multipower, while using the staff to attack. If he loses that, he might have to take a risk and drop his defences in order to attack. It could be very heroic. Don't forget to give him appropriate KSs in magical fields. I'd make him a Scholar and scoop up lots of Knowledge Skills.

[CBikle]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Here's a basic Elemental Control for fire powers.

22	Fire: Elemental Control, 66-point powers, (33 Active Points); all slots Limited Power Traditional fire limits ( Not underwateror in vacuum, can potentially ignite flammables, etc) (-1/2)
23	1) Super-Fiery Form: EB 3d6+1, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Damage Shield (Offensive; +3/4), NND (+1), Continuous (+1) (68 Active Points); Limited Power Traditional fire limits ( Not underwateror in vacuum, can potentially ignite flammables, etc) (-1/2)
24	2) Fire Stream: EB 12d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (75 Active Points); Limited Power Traditional fire limits ( Not underwateror in vacuum, can potentially ignite flammables, etc) (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4)
22	3) Fiery Trail: Flight 24", Position Shift, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (66 Active Points); Limited Power Traditional fire limits ( Not underwateror in vacuum, can potentially ignite flammables, etc) (-1/2)
23	4) Fiery Field Of Fiery Fire: FF (15 PD/20 ED/5 Mental Defense/5 Flash Defense: Sight Group), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Hardened (+1/4) (67 Active Points); Limited Power Traditional fire limits ( Not underwateror in vacuum, can potentially ignite flammables, etc) (-1/2)

This is very basic and your GM really shouldn't have any problems. If the GM asks, your Force Field generates a heat-induced hazy aura which slightly reduces glare and

makes it slightly harder for mentalists to pinpoint you (this is why your FF has flash and mental defense built-in.).

[drkkittygoddess]

Re: Character Ideas

 

That sounds like fun - never heard of a mystic but sounds like fun

my first char im not having fun with, second i wanted a little girl like 13 that carries a big sword - found a pic off an anime website - he didnt like that either. last one was an energetic lesbian who is tech smart and clumbsy. i can copy and paste the email here....

 

20,000 words...BLEEEAGH! (repeat)

 

the group is already chock full of computer types, and I just don't see anything in this that really works for the game/campaign as far as personality/heroic motivation/interaction.

here's what I would like to see:

name/age/yadayadayada....

occupation/relevant skills

a brief personal history

motvaion/personality/goals

and even a few ideas for what sort of .of powers would be nice but not neccesary...

and lastly, try not to conflict with another PC's skills/powers.. the team is FUll of bricks and hand to hand types...

 

this is what i got - if you have any messengers we can chat that way if it would be easier than the reload button all the time -

yahoo - drkkittygoddess@yahoo.com

aim - drkkittygoddess

[Sketchpad]

Re: Character Ideas

 

DKG, what kind of comics do you read? Usually that's a good place to start as well

[drkkittygoddess]

Re: Character Ideas

 

My B/f's parents - accually more his dad has gobs of comics and if i read them i dont know what happens next more or less because they are so scattered - Most of the ones i like we have in the group - im thinking i kinda like starfire from the cartoon network version of teen titans but wanna look at the origional teen titans' powers - wouldnt be a bad place to start - anyone know what the powers are for them?

[red_eagle123]

Re: Character Ideas

 

What? Huh? Did someone say my Activation Word (That's Teen and/or Titans btw).

 

Starfire from the cartoon and Starfire from the comics are fairly similar. They both fly and shoot starbolts from their hands. The major difference is that the comics Starfire (originally, it's sometimes ignored/downplayed) was trained to be a super butt-kicking warrior woman, on par with the Amazons. In Champions terms she'd have flight, and probably a small multipower for her energy bolts, and some damage absorption/damage reduction vs. energy based powers.

 

you stated you wanted to look at the Original Teen Titans powers. I'm not sure if you meant the powers of the individuals that comprise the Original Teen Titans (aka Fab Five), or the original comic version of Starfire or something else.

 

The Fab Five were simply lesser versions of their adult counterparts.

Robin - lesser version of Batman, don't think a description is needed

Kid Flash - Lesser version of the Flash, can run really fast and do various speed based tricks

Speedy - Lesser version of Green Arrow, used a bow to fire trick arrows at enemies

Wonder Girl - Lesser version of Wonder Woman, strong warrior woman, basically a brick

Aqualad - lesser version of Aquaman, can swim, and command fish (was also kinda brick-like too)

 

 

Based on your description of the team, some possible places for a new character to shine are:

Area of Effect specialists - Always nice ot have someone who can affect large areas, although your overall damage is likely to be less than other directed attacks

Transportation - You have a flyer, but can he/she carry others?

Skill monger - Batman or Captain America for example, although hard to do for modern campaigns without being good with computers

A sympathetic Elemental - If your existing elemental is Earth, how about a wind controller, or fire controller?

A limited mentalist - Someone with Telekinesis based powers? Or limited one-person at a time mind control?

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Howabout a support character? Teleport with extra mass, or desolid that can affect others?

 

"Oh no, Dr. Annihilator is about to cream us all with his Uberblast !"

 

*touch, touch, phase out*

 

"Or not..."

[MikeyMitchell]

Re: Character Ideas

Hi! I'm quite new to Champions and one of thoes who didnt grow up around D&D and Champions because my parents would think it was evil - anyways - I need some ideas for character ideas that arent bricks because our game is full of them - keep in mind i wasnt interested in comics and stuff like that till just this last year and even then champions showed up like a month ago OK the problem - i keep getting my characters rejected and need some ideas mainly for powers and stuff like that. Please help me out!

If all you have is bricks in the game, then you'll need some additional functionality. How about a transport specialist? Someone with AE Flight, UAA, or lots of extra mass on a Teleport? Good for rescuing normals who get in the way.Bricks tend to have trouble with characters that can stay at reasonable range and pop off with ranged attacks. Your GM should be using that against them. So, perhaps someone, like an Energy Projector (EP) that specializes in ranged attacks. (Someone else has already come up with that suggestion.) That would give the group some balance.How about unusual attacks? Drains, Transforms, Entangles, etc.? I have a character who has a Drain against STUN and END as a damage shield. (He's still a quasi-brick, but he flies and has some additional abilities as well.)Another cute idea is a character who can animate objects around him and use them to attack. Thorn, from Conquerers, Killers, and Crooks, has the ability to Summon plant-creatures from ambient plant life. You could have a character who could do something similar, only using ambient machines, or buildings, or rocks.Essentially, what you should try to do, in general, is come up with a concept. What would this character be like in the comics? What kind of comic book characters do you typically like? Then, try to figure out how to build him using the various Powers. You can get ideas from comics, or from published HERO products. We call that "working back from the effect to the cause." It's often the best way to come up with a good concept.

[AlHazred]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Maybe it would help to take a look at a character you're familiar with. Michael Hopcroft's Starfire writeup (on this thread; Nexus' version of her shows up later in the thread) is based on the Cartoon Network Teen Titans cartoon, but should be a good starting point. You can always take one of those writeups, file off the serial numbers, and ask for your GM's approval.

[Sketchpad]

Re: Character Ideas

 

I'm with Red Eagle on this one Titans (especially in conjunction with Teen) have always been one of my favorite comics. I agree with the file down, but before you completely create the character, take a look at the following links:

Teen Titans (Early)

New Teen Titans (circa 1980)

Titans & Team Titans

Titans (Arsenal's Team) Teen Titans (Atom's Team)

Titans Reformed!

Current Teen Titans & Outsiders

 

And of course, this is Starfire's Bio

 

Hope this helps Titans Tower is the best resource for Titans info anywhere !

[Crimson Arrow]

Re: Character Ideas

 

A Starfire clone would be a great character for that campaign. HERO’s flagship Champions characters are (surprise, surprise) the Champions and one of them is an Energy Projector called Sapphire, who could provide a starting point, if you have access to her character sheet.

 

A mystic is a character who uses magical powers. They might be spellcasters (wizard types) or they could be people who use magic items. The suggestion I made is a combination of the two (as are the comics characters Dr Strange and Dr Fate). It can also be stretched to include creatures of a magical origin, like a vampire.

 

You like the idea of a sword-wielding girl, so how about the character has a magic sword which produces light, shoots energy, etc. instead of a staff?

 

Personally, I think you should go with the Energy Projector, although I think you could perhaps put more of your personality into something a little more unusual.

 

As to the other information you’ve been asked for, you’ll need to give us more detail on what skills these other characters have. Clearly there are PCs with things like Computer Programming (interesting that the GM notes they don’t really fit with the campaign). What I think you need to come up with is what does your character add to the group.

 

If you go with the Mystic, then she will have knowledge of magical things and strange events. The Energy Projector could be almost anything.

 

Does she have a job too? It could be fun playing a schoolgirl who has amazing powers, so what does she like studying at school? Is she a superpowered cheerleader type, a hard-working student, or quiet and unassuming? Maybe she’s a girl scout with a great big magic sword, or a well-behaved student who loves science, but got zapped by an experiment and can fly and project bolts of stellar energy. If she’s a bit older, does she have a glamorous job, like a model or actress, or something more steady, like an accountant, or a lawyer?

 

Is she attractive, maybe beautiful? What are her weaknesses? Is she vain, unsure of herself, manipulative, too trusting, aggressive, a show-off? These are questions it’s very difficult for us to answer without more from you, because you want a character you’ll enjoy playing. Once you have a better idea of where you are going, we can offer something more concrete.

 

One other thing. I note that you’ve never heard of a Mystic before, which suggests you haven’t seen the list of archetypes. Not every character fits cleanly into an archetype, but it might help you to decide what you would like to play. Some of the archetypes overlap with each other!

 

The Brick: You know what that is, of course.

 

The Energy Projector: Manipulates some kind of energy. This can be a bit more flexible than ‘energy’ in the strict sense and can include ice, earth or weather. They can usually attack at a distance and often have some kind of movement power associated with the energy (for example Flight, 'Running' on ice, Swimming or Tunnelling).

 

The Gadgeteer: This character builds incredible devices, such as jet packs, laser pistols and scanners. He might have a set of powers he always uses, or might be able to change them around. For example, he might swap his laser pistol for a sonic disruptor, then the next adventure use a cold gun. This can get complicated, so my advice is to avoid this one.

 

The Martial Artist: They do martial arts! They might have strange mystical powers too, like walking on sand without leaving a trace, or vanishing into the shadows. As mentioned above, it’s possibly best to steer clear of this archetype for now.

 

The Mentalist: The character is uses mental attack to stun his opponents and uses various other mental powers to confuse and frighten the opponents, they also use psychokinetic powers. They usually have a high EGO and PRE, not to mention the points spent in their powers. Raven from the Teen Titans is like this.

 

The Metamorph: These people can change their shape in some way. The main two kinds are the ones which can stretch themselves and the ones who actually become different animals, or sometimes other things, like elements or even forms of water! Elastigirl from ‘The Incredibles’ is an example of the former, while Changeling from the Teen Titans is an example of the latter.

 

The Mystic: Mentioned above.

 

The Patriot: Not really an archetype in my opinion, more a theme. They espouse some kind of belief, such as patriotism towards a country, or a desire to further a religious or political system. Captain America is a Patriot, but in game terms, he’s really a Martial Artist/Weapon Master.

Power Armour: Wears a suit of armour which protects him and usually offers greater strength. Can often project energy too (so kind of like a cross between a Brick, an Energy Projector and sometimes a Gadgeteer too). The armour is usually advanced technology, but sometimes is mystical in nature.

 

The Skill Monger: Has lots of skills. This means they aren’t always as effective in combat as people who spend a lot of points on powers, but this isn’t always the case. Detective characters often have a lot of skills, but scientists in comics often master a dazzling array of disciplines. Something tells me you wouldn’t enjoy this type of character, at least not right now. They usually have some other powers too, often Martial Arts. Batman and Robin would both fit into this category.

 

The Speedster: They move really, really fast. It’s usually running, but some can fly. They rely on moving too fast to be hit easily and usually inflict damage by adding velocity to their punches, or by hitting a target lots of times quickly. The Flash is the most famous Speedster.

 

The Totem: A character whose powers are based on an animal. They might have claws, wings, the ability to run fast, heightened senses, that sort of thing. Spider-Man’s probably the best example. They often have a range of powers which overlap a bit with other archetypes. For example, Spidey has super-strength, but isn’t as strong as the Hulk; he’s fast, but nowhere near as quick as the Flash.

 

The Weapon Master: Really a subset of Martial Artist (for hand-to-hand weapons) or Energy Projector (for ranged weapons). Examples include Green Arrow and Hawkeye (both of whom used bows).

[Bengal]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Last night, I was thinking about non-archetypal characters, some of whom break the mold, so to speak, and some who have some precedent in the comics.

 

 

Broadcast Empath: This person can sense and instill/remove emotions in his or her target. This character could give people courage, inspire them to love, calm them down, bolster their self-image... or the opposite.

 

Android: A humanoid robot character. Strives to be more human. Possible powers include increased durability (both defenses and con/body/stun), flight, a high SPD, interesting sensory powers, magnetic powers, some type of energy blast or RKA,

 

Nature Elemental: May have barklike skin, grow tendrils to simulate Extra Limbs with stretching or Entangle, enhansed movement (carried aloft by the trees themselves), have some sort of toxic spores or Mind Control spores, throw spines from its body, excrete sap with some biochemical power, call on the strength of the forest (added STR, costs END), or Summon "plant people" to help it.

 

Liquid metamorph: This character can turn his body into some sort of liquid. Damage reduction, Desolid, a "smothering" attack, or even Shape Shift like Mystique from the X-Men.

 

Cyber kinetic: Someone who can control machines with his or her mind. This character might overlap your computer character PC.. but imagine someone with the power of intuitional hyper-invention, and a bag of spare parts. Poof! Any gadget you may need! Well-simulated by a VPP. Add TK, Only Useable by Electronic/Mechanical (-1) with the Fine Manip adder, and Missile Reflection with the same lim (you can make enemies' weapons misfire or shoot their owners!), and you have a rounded support and combat power set.

 

 

And never, never underestimate the pure power and utility of swingin with the Megascale advantage.

[CBikle]

Re: Character Ideas

 

Another option if you have the Champions sourcebook, just

randomly roll up a character.