"Shallow" Purchases

[Hermit]

So you have an extra 3 points to spare, and even though it isn't in concept, it's not against it either, and you pump it into COM because hey, if you can't be good looking in real life, might as well be a hottie in game.

 

Or you buy well off and figure your character got a windfall, besides, extra cash is nice, even if it doesn't affect your game play much.

 

Your mystic has everything he wants, so you put "Summon Sexy Demoness looking mystic being, Totally loyal" in a slot. "Bring those grapes over here, would you dear?" The female members of your team make oink sounds, but you don't care.

 

You work out how much a 'holo deck' would cost, and have it installed in your character's base just because HDTV is SO last year.

 

and so on...

 

What are some of the 'shallow' purchases you've made for your characters in the past? And why?

[Zed-F]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Is this with XP, or during construction?

[Hermit]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Either.

"Shallow" is very much in the eye of the beholder, so I leave it up to you guys to decide when you made a shallow purchase.

[Zed-F]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

I routinely give characters a point of wealth so they can afford to replace lost cellphones, pay for car repairs, or what have you, without breaking a sweat. Does that count?

 

I guess I'm not sure where to draw the line between 'flavour' and 'shallow.' Probably because I rarely design a character who is shallow.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

I do somethings like that. I'll drop spare point in extra COM, or buying some wealth.

I tend to get extra little perks or talents too....

 

Media Darling as a perk, just so the character has an excuse to have good press.

Drop points into Time Sense, Range or Bump of direction for no real reason.

 

In fantasy settings, I usually play mages, and have a nifty little spell just for that...

Weathercloak - 1/1 FF + LS Heat and Cold only vs weather effects -2.

No matter the weather the character is of comfortable temp and doesn't get hit by rain dust blown by wind.

[OddHat]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

I almost always sink some points into COM.

 

I often buy a base, even though in pure munchkin terms you're better off without one. You could make a case for a base having some practical value, but I see it as a pure vanity purchase; The GM will always allow you a place for your character to sleep for free, and most GMs will let you get access to labs and such wothout requiring you to put out points. Still, it's cool to have your own trophy room, super-equipment storage chamber, etc, etc.

 

I like a lot of KS, some of which may never see use in the game, just to fill out my idea of what a character should know.

 

Some versions of Flesh Gordon get his Fabulous Strato-Ship and Amazing Wave Motion Gun, and other silly gadgets, even though the min-maxer in me knows that he should just sink those points into direct combat powers.

 

Thinking about this, almost any non-Combat Monster build is a vanity purchase.

[Powerhouse]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Definitely COM for the female characters. Two have 24 com and the other 16 (though I might boost that too).

 

Most male character can "bet by" with a 14 com.

 

And wealth is always nice if just to justify who paid for the base and team vehicle.

 

Your mystic has everything he wants, so you put "Summon Sexy Demoness looking mystic being, Totally loyal" in a slot. "Bring those grapes over here, would you dear?" The female members of your team make oink sounds, but you don't care.

 

That's HYSTERICAL and is SO going into the MP of one of my mystic bad guys (Lord Malfice). Although it would be more fun (and seen more often as a running gag) to let a sorta good guy have it.

[Duke Bushido]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Well,

 

I never actually did anything like that-- spent points out of concept, or whatever you wish to call it....

 

But I _did_ do something 'vain', kind of on a lark, back in the early 80s.

 

We were still using those character sheets with the outlines on which you could draw a picture of your character.

 

We were playing a non-super campaign, so all characters were 'normals,' at least after a fashion.

 

I got bored looking at my character in the same get-up, so I mimied about ten blanks of the same pose and made a series of cut-out suits for him (he was a proffessor by trade), and took to paper clipping a different one on to the sheet every game day.

 

Mostly, it was done as a joke, and it was well-recieved.

 

But decidely vain!

 

[Badger]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Hmm, I usually dont like high COMs for my male characters. It does get too cliche to have good-looking superheroes.

 

Course next time I play a female character in anything (i usually dont as I dont understand women in real life, and dont feel i could do it properly) I might give high COM.......so I can imagine some eye candy.

 

 

Note: remember to add the "summon sexy demonness" to all future characters. Thanks Hermit:eg:

[Whitewings]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

One of my characters has PS: Cheerleader, and another has PS: Singer, PS: Drummer and PS: Flautist. I'm thinking of buying "Expert: Music" for her.

[wcw43921]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Your mystic has everything he wants' date=' so you put "Summon Sexy Demoness looking mystic being, Totally loyal" in a slot. "Bring those grapes over here, would you dear?" The female members of your team make oink sounds, but you don't care.[/b']

 

That's HYSTERICAL and is SO going into the MP of one of my mystic bad guys (Lord Malfice). Although it would be more fun (and seen more often as a running gag) to let a sorta good guy have it.

 

 

That sounds like it could almost be a PC--the character is a normal who has the adoration and obedience of a gorgeous female spirit (demon?) who's a cross between I Dream Of Jeannie and Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt. Of course you'd have to figure a way around the whole "Follower-cannot-have-more-points-than-the-character" thing, but that shouldn't be too huge a problem--should it?

[Badger]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Aww, man. Now I have to figure out a way to have Jeannie as a follower. Come on, think Badger. Think.

[TheTemplar]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

For pure vanity, COM and INT. For some reason, I just can't handle the thought of playing the big, dumb ugly guy. For cheesy concept-stretching ridiculousness -

 

Inertial Barrier: FF 10 PD/ 0 ED Red. END (0; +1/2), Only Versus Move-By/Move-Through Damage Inflicted On Self (-1/2)

 

The special effect was that my speedster ran so fast when he was charging at someone that he actually built up a "shield" of displaced air pressure in front of him. Cheeseball, yes. But, it DID keep him from KO'ing himself on more than one occasion.

[Metaphysician]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

That sounds like it could almost be a PC--the character is a normal who has the adoration and obedience of a gorgeous female spirit (demon?) who's a cross between I Dream Of Jeannie and Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt. Of course you'd have to figure a way around the whole "Follower-cannot-have-more-points-than-the-character" thing' date=' but that shouldn't be too huge a problem--should it? [/quote']

 

The usual way around that is to treat the human as a "Follower" for the genie, mechanically. Kind of like how multiforms go on the biggest individual form, even if its not your "true" form.

[Zed-F]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

I like a lot of KS' date=' some of which may never see use in the game, just to fill out my idea of what a character should know.[/quote']

I tend to do this sort of thing as well, but I'd call that flavour rather than shallow.

 

I guess my dividing line is buying stuff that doesn't really help the character much but is important to the concept is flavour. Having a massive com when your character is a professional model and has pheromone powers is not necessarily shallow -- it's in concept, and just because she's a model doesn't mean she's a bimbo. Having a ton of money when your character is a gadgeteer or powersuit guy who builds his own stuff is flavour, not vanity. I'm all for flavour in characters.

 

On the other hand, taking COM or wealth for no reason at all could be considered shallow. I usually don't take more than a point or two of COM (if that) unless I have reason to believe my character ought to be better-looking than average. I'll take a point of wealth so I don't have to worry about minor cash needs or about holding down a job, but I don't usually have a character who has lots of green stuff but doesn't use it for superheroing. So by that definition, I generally avoid shallow purchases.

[Tiree]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Languages old dead, and hardly used like esperanto and useless 8- skills like Basket Weaving.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

That sounds like it could almost be a PC--the character is a normal who has the adoration and obedience of a gorgeous female spirit (demon?) who's a cross between I Dream Of Jeannie and Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt. Of course you'd have to figure a way around the whole "Follower-cannot-have-more-points-than-the-character" thing' date=' but that shouldn't be too huge a problem--should it? [/quote']

 

OT, but the way I've done it in the past is to just give the character a large Multipower with the special effect of 'the powers actually come from his genie/demon/magic teddy bear/whatever'. Often with the limitation Incantations on the MP, as you've got to tell them what to do. I guess I could also do an OIF for the lamp, if one such is needed.

 

Does that sound game-legal to any of you?

[Hermit]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

OT, but the way I've done it in the past is to just give the character a large Multipower with the special effect of 'the powers actually come from his genie/demon/magic teddy bear/whatever'. Often with the limitation Incantations on the MP, as you've got to tell them what to do. I guess I could also do an OIF for the lamp, if one such is needed.

 

Does that sound game-legal to any of you?

 

 

I'd allow it.

[Zed-F]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Does that sound game-legal to any of you?

Absolutely. Reasoning from effect works just fine.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

My COM scores are usually set from an early point. I'm pretty visual when concieving the character, and throwing a couple extra points in there can throw everything off. Likewise INT. I find that when I have a few extra points they usually end up as Knowledge Skills, Enhanced Senses, or minor movement enhancers.

 

Then, once that is decided, I look at the entire thing as a whole, editing and revamping, basing the entire character omn that minor purchase, pumping it up, losing points elewhere, having a few points left over...and the whole thing begins again.

[Cancer]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Most of my "shallow" purchases have come at character creation, and unintentionally so: things that I thought were going to be useful and/or keys to the character's success. After that it's all desperation purchases of stuff trying to dig the character out of door-stop-hood.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

I've used a lot of weird shallow purchaces (and a few not so shallow ones, like my FH character with 20+ points in PS's, just to be considered "An Ildanach" i.e tha many talented).

Things like a KS: Quotes to justify a characters habit of using appropraite movie and music quotes as catchphrases (something my main champs character does a lot).

 

But my biggest semi-shallow purchaces if I have points left over are almost always either Cramming or 1 die of Luck. Both come in handy for driving along the story when things bog down.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Shallow? That really depends on your definition, I guess. I suppose any of these could qualify:

 

18 COM (Yes, it's only 4 points. I just really like the idea of being handsome.)

 

Dr. Anomaly is a super-genius scientist/sorceror, so the 24 Sciences and 17 Knowledges probably wouldn't count. The 57 languages, though, might.

 

Wealth - 13 points. But then again, he is supposed to be the one bankrolling the team...

 

Eidetic Memory and Lightning Calculator could be part of the "super genius" bit, but Absolute Time Sense and Speed Reading x1,000 aren't, really.

 

 

This one, though, was done just for the "gee, neat!!" effect:

 

Nothing Up My Sleeve: Extra Arms (2), Inherent (+1/4), Fully Invisible (+1); Always On (-1/2)

[Badger]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Your speed reading would be a great way to explain why you have knowledge in some many Sciences and stuff.

 

Umm, Absolute time sense? Cant help explain that one.

 

57 languages??

 

Da-yum, just buy a protocol droid, will ya.

[Lumbering Ox]

Re: "Shallow" Purchases

 

Getting a summon Amorophous Horror spell for your Demonologist so you have someone to walk your poodle.

 

Caimpaign never did get off the ground though.