DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

[ParitySoul]

Anyone remember DarkHawk from Marvel? He even recently made a reappearance in Runaways.

 

At first we thought he was gaining a costume and super powers, then some strange transformation. But in the end we discovered he was mind swapping with a body transfer into a cybernetic form.

 

If I was going to simulate this with an item that anyone could use what are you suggestions?

[MitchellS]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

Duplification with the original body being inert as with the astral projection power.

[ParitySoul]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

Duplification with the original body being inert as with the astral projection power.

 

Would this run into problems if say BIG BAD villian picks up the item...or psionics? Any way to limit things here? What about the low percent chance of you waking up in your original body back at 'base'?

[MitchellS]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

I'd go with something like this:

 

Duplification, altered duplicate: +1, OIF [cybernetic body]: -1/2, leaves real body behind: -1 plus ranged recombine: +1/2, trigger: +1/4 [being KO'd], activation 8-: -2.

 

If the big bad villain picks up the cybernetic body while it is in the base then the charcter is not in it he can get it back just like any other focus. If the character is KO'd there's a chance with the trigger/activation that he might resort back to his real body, leaving the cybernetic body behind.

[Kristopher]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

ITYM "Duplication".

[Alverant]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

Anyone remember DarkHawk from Marvel? He even recently made a reappearance in Runaways.

 

At first we thought he was gaining a costume and super powers, then some strange transformation. But in the end we discovered he was mind swapping with a body transfer into a cybernetic form.

 

If I was going to simulate this with an item that anyone could use what are you suggestions?

 

Yes, he was one of my favorite heroes. I tried writing the power in 4th edition. Since the unused body was kept on a spaceship in another universe and for all practical purposes out of reach. Also the cybernetic body was quickly repairable when it wasn't being used, even to the point of reforming when it was totally destroyed. (It happened leading up to the issue 50 climax, the cybernetic was destroyed and the mind was instantly returned to the human body. Shortly thereafter (an hour or less) the cybernetic one was rebuilt.)

 

I don't know how Duplication would cover that. The duplicate would need regeneration when not being used. I asked for ideas on the appropiate limitation for a similar concept and got a wide range of suggestions from a -1.5 to 0.

 

Actually the story behind the Darkhawk project was very pragmatic. An interstellar villian was tired of having his best agents die (training them was expensive) so he had scientists develop several android bodies his agents can change in and out of more easily than they can change their socks. If an android body was damaged or destroyed, the agent didn't die. He simply waited for the android to be rebuilt or used another amulet that linked him to another android.

 

In the story, the scientists rebeled. The villian took one the most powerful amulet but his real body was destroyed, trapping him in the android. Two of the scientists escaped to Earth with one amulet where the main character found it.

 

In the end what we have is a disposable hero. Blow his hand off? No problem, change back to human form, wait a second, return to Darkhawk and the hand is back. So if we went with Duplication, we'd need to set aside 50 points for Regeneration with the Ressurection adder. Maybe even two duplicates to simulate the rapid healing process. Change between Darkhawk A and B to let each one recover independently. How about including "cannot recombine" and Extradimensional Movement (useable by other) to go from the outerdimensional ship to where the amulet holder is?

[JmOz]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

I would say Multiform:

 

IIRC except for one story the body would EDM to another dimension and be safe while Darkhawk ran around. To me this sounds like an F/X

 

 

See rant: Astral Projection thread for my opinions on the official way

[Jhamin]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

I have to disagree with duplication.

 

If the game effect is that the normal wimply guy is there one phase, and the super form is there the next, it doesn't really matter where the super came from.

 

- If you can stop the character in some way, then the hero form is bough OIHID.

 

-If the different forms have widely different minds/skills/psych lims, you could probably use Multiform.

 

- If he changes no matter what, it's just a special effect.

 

IMHO Duplication is appropriate if multiple bodies are avalible at one time (I agree with JmOz about the astral projection "duplication"). From what others are saying about Darkhawk, it sounds like he just has a really intricate back story for his OIHID.

[Alverant]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

IMHO Duplication is appropriate if multiple bodies are avalible at one time (I agree with JmOz about the astral projection "duplication"). From what others are saying about Darkhawk' date=' it sounds like he just has a really intricate back story for his OIHID.[/quote']

 

What was said? The part about how the Darkhawk and human bodies are totally seperate. OIHID means damage is carried over from one form to another. Shoot the human body in the leg and the android is also shot. Blast the android and the human would be scorched. That does not happen here. Remember the idea of disposable androids who can be destroyed without the controlling agent getting killed?

 

With OIHID and Multiform, what happens to one form carries over to another. Since this doesn't happen, how would this be done? Does Hero have any rules about remote controls? I was thinking to build Darkhawk with Extradimensional Movement to where the amulet is, Mindlink with whoever is holding the amulet, and the appropiate Limitations and Disadvantages to simulate an android who is totally slaved to the amulet holder and the side effect the human is unconscious. Now all we need is a way to rapidly repair the android when it's not being used. That could be done with a vehicle power since he doesn't do it himself.

[Jhamin]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

I'd just buy a bunch of healing, Only when switching bodies (-1).

 

Once again, the power is that damage is cured. The special effect is that it's a seperate body. If he never gets any benefit from being in two places at once, why make him pay for it?

[Alverant]

Re: DarkHawk: Body Swapping.

 

I'd just buy a bunch of healing, Only when switching bodies (-1).

 

Once again, the power is that damage is cured. The special effect is that it's a seperate body. If he never gets any benefit from being in two places at once, why make him pay for it?

 

Except the android body can be rapidly healed. I've never seen him change into Darkhawk and have Darkhawk be wounded. That kind of total healing (and presumably having any drains or transforms countered) is way too expensive. That part would have to be scaled back for the sake of game balance. But you're right, if he doesn't benefit from having 2 bodies why should he pay for it?

 

Here's my new idea, build two seperate characters; one human one Darkhawk. Give each one ExtraD movement and make sure Darkhawk has the human's skills. Let the GM him have a base or vehicle to represent where the unused bodies are stored and give THAT the healing power. Actually that's how it worked in the comic too.