Presence in your campaign

[largosama]

Could you give me examples on how you use Presence attacks in your campaign? I don't mean what dice to roll, when I can use them, etc... just how you used them.. 'Mr. X yelled nasty things at Hero Blaster causing him to lose his next phase' or things like that.

 

I've been running my HERO campaign for a few months now and I'd like to use more presence attacks. I'd like to see more examples of how they are used before I start using them more.

[Hermit]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Situation: Gaze wants to find things out from a super villain they've defeated. He has mind control, but no telepathy. Gaze, after once wiping a crimelord's mind clean, is now reluctant to use his mind control outside of battle unless he must. So instead he tries to PRE attack the guy for the info. However, he does use his rep for having mindwiped a guy to his advantage.

 

"Do you know me? I am the Gaze. You can tell us all we want to know, or I can -make- you say it. If you are fortunate, VERY Fortunate, my touch on your mind will be gentle... but I have slipped... once. Make your choice."

[garou]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Example: final battle in the campaign's season #1. It's us vs. Black Paladin, and the media is everywhere - which means lots of potential hostages and innocent bystanders. Bloodclaw, a cybernetic tiger humanoid leaps into the middle of the press corps, roaring at the top of his lungs and teraring apart a tripod-mounted camera. Next phase, when their action comes up, the entire press corps goes running away from Bloodclaw (and, coincidentally, Black Paladin).

 

It was one of those "We'll deal with the bad PR after the battle - if we survive" moments.

[Legendsmiths]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Sitrep: The group (mostly merc types except for face character "Saint") were walking through the barrens when a truck full of gangers rolled up and stopped in the intersection in front of them, demanding tribute.

 

Saint: Look, the way I see it is it will cost us each 30 cred each replace the ammo we will expend by not paying. So the way I see it, if you give us 150 we'll let you go and nobody ends up perforated. Deal?

 

Needless to say the gangers suddenly changed their tune facing down an apparently unarmed and well dressed Saint flanked by 4 unflinching mercs. They tossed some of the cash and some bullets (they didn't have a lot of cash) and sped off. Later when the group had to deal with the gangers on a business level, this interlude set the tone for that meeting.

[Blue]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Ran scenario 1 from Champions Battlegrounds, and our high Presence Character (Judge LAW) performed a PRE attack to calm the fleeing citizens so they'd leave the park calmly. It was a simple, "Everything is fine! We will handle things. No need to panic." speach.

 

While interrogating Ogre, the villain tried to stand. Our 80 STR hero put his hands on Ogre's shoulders and tried to force him back down into his seat. After a brief STR v. STR roll, won by the hero, I suggested a PRE attack and the hero rolled sufficiently well (with bonus dice) that I had Ogre remain seated the rest of the questioning.

[Sketchpad]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

One of my players in a past game (who incidently posts here as well, so I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong ) played a character who could grow. While being attacked by gang members (or was it Viper Agents?), he grew and snatched a dumpster, smashing it in his hands. Not only did it stun the opponents, but they had to change their pants after being arrested.

[st barbara]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

"St Barbara's" greatest "presence attack" moment came when she was working as an assistant at a college helping to print some examination papers for a lecturer for an upcoming exam. One of the students faked an accident while his friend ran off with the papers. "St Barbara" (as soon as she realised what was happening) took off into the sky. flew over the top of the building that the thief was running around and descended slowly into his path with her arms folded and a "peeved' expression on her face, then asked him to return the papers ! Which he did, once he had picked his jaw up from around his knees ! "St B" diesn't have a "secret I D" but it was not well known at that point that shye had super powers !

[Ghost Archer]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Years ago a new player asked what a Presence attack was. I was sitting at a gaming table in a local hobby shop, surrounded by a bunch of people, some experienced, most not. I looked across the room out the front window of the shop and spotted a kid about 14 or so that came in all the time to play the video games. As he opened the door I stared hard at him and said with a growl "Get out". There was a look of shock on his face and he instantly retreated. I said to the new player "That is a Presence attack." Of course I ran out after the kid and got him to come back in.

[Nucleon]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

The mighty Thane and the Shadowmancer were in a situation loathed by most heroes; A hostage crisis. As soon as they move a finger towards Razorwind, he would slice his hapless then fight to the death. They needed a diversion.

 

Thane the mighty seized the situation; A nearby cop shouted orders around; Thane did quite a display of power at that moment, stealing thunder from the skies as the poor cop learned how much Hyperborean immortals like to be bossed around. Even Razorwind laughed...

 

... until he was stopped by the Shadowmancer, that is. The lady feinted from stress; the poor cop had a week's vacation.

 

[Gummibear]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

It may be too easy but research fiction, particularly cinema.

 

Any of the recent Batman or Batman animated series shows.

Flass: [to interrogate Flass, Batman lays a snare-trap which yanks Flass by his leg 70 feet into the air] I never knew! I swear to God!

Bruce Wayne: Swear to *me*!

-needless to say Flass told him all he knew.

 

Keeping in mind that Batman is not a "super" as such, and thus has very close to normal characteristic max, one of his largest powers is that he has a reputation as a psychotic vigilante. Add to this his imposing visage, dangling a suspect by a thread-thin line and dropping him frequently-seemingly to his doom, and you've got a helluva presence attack.

 

Also presence doesn't always make people run, but frequently makes them cower.

 

From Dirty Harry, when inspector Callahan is facing down a robber with a shotgun. The shotgun is pointed right at Harry.

 

Harry Callahan: I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

 

Arguably this could be referred to as the greatest, if not one of the greatest presence attacks in cinema. Made all that much better due to the fact that Harry was empty.

 

As an adendum to the cowering reference-presence attacks are great for showdowns, especially those at hi-noon. Each of the cowpokes gets to stare the other down. During this time no words are spoken(at least in most of the great ones) and there is nothing but raw presence flitting back and forth. Each gunslinger sizes up the other by that stare and in fiction, that stare is sometimes the little tiny flinch that lets one guy be faster than the other, and frequently far less dead.

[Dr Archeville]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

In the Gaalctic Champions game I'm in, my character (Dead Head, a zombie) shambled into a room and let out a terrifying moan/scream/roar. The bad guys -- six "faceless Stormtropper mook-types" -- all fell prone in horror.

 

The GM made me reduce my PRE after that But it's all good

[Theron]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

We had a guy in one of our campaigns who was playing a character called Charon. Yeah, as in the Greek boatman of the dead. Except, he looked like your typical Mediterranean playboy. His powers, as far as we could tell, were pretty much just your garden-variety brick, and his attitude was anything but charnel. Whenever we'd ask the player about it, he'd just say, "That's his name," and go about playing this slightly idiotic character.

 

Until he got captured by a mad scientist and shackled with chains strong enough to hold him while the scientist threatend his unconscious DNPC. Very quietly, the player looked at the GM, said, "It's time to slip this mask." He then pulled his skeletal limbs right out of his flesh, and peeled the skin from his leering skull, revealing to all and sundry that he was far more than he'd been letting on.

 

The ensuing bonus dice left the Mad a gibbering wreck. The description had only a slightly lesser effect on the players. Fortunately, Charon's DNPC didn't wake up until he'd restored his appearance.

[Black Rose]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

We had a guy in one of our campaigns who was playing a character called Charon. Yeah, as in the Greek boatman of the dead. Except, he looked like your typical Mediterranean playboy. His powers, as far as we could tell, were pretty much just your garden-variety brick, and his attitude was anything but charnel. Whenever we'd ask the player about it, he'd just say, "That's his name," and go about playing this slightly idiotic character.

 

Until he got captured by a mad scientist and shackled with chains strong enough to hold him while the scientist threatend his unconscious DNPC. Very quietly, the player looked at the GM, said, "It's time to slip this mask." He then pulled his skeletal limbs right out of his flesh, and peeled the skin from his leering skull, revealing to all and sundry that he was far more than he'd been letting on.

 

The ensuing bonus dice left the Mad a gibbering wreck. The description had only a slightly lesser effect on the players. Fortunately, Charon's DNPC didn't wake up until he'd restored his appearance.

That is so friggin' sweet, man! I can almost see it now - in-game and at-table - and that must have been great!

[Enforcer84]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

We had a guy in one of our campaigns who was playing a character called Charon. Yeah, as in the Greek boatman of the dead. Except, he looked like your typical Mediterranean playboy. His powers, as far as we could tell, were pretty much just your garden-variety brick, and his attitude was anything but charnel. Whenever we'd ask the player about it, he'd just say, "That's his name," and go about playing this slightly idiotic character.

 

Until he got captured by a mad scientist and shackled with chains strong enough to hold him while the scientist threatend his unconscious DNPC. Very quietly, the player looked at the GM, said, "It's time to slip this mask." He then pulled his skeletal limbs right out of his flesh, and peeled the skin from his leering skull, revealing to all and sundry that he was far more than he'd been letting on.

 

The ensuing bonus dice left the Mad a gibbering wreck. The description had only a slightly lesser effect on the players. Fortunately, Charon's DNPC didn't wake up until he'd restored his appearance.

I too, love that. Rep at thee.

[tkdguy]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Once my superhero blasted a supervillain while my PC was invisible. When the villain recovered from being stunned, the GM gave him a Presence attack by flying slowly and threatening to seriously hurt whoever clobbered him while melting nearby cars with his glowing fists.

 

Another GM gave an NPC, a woman with a COM of 30+ a Presence attack by having her disrobe.

[garou]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Not in a game, but another RL example of a PRE attack:

 

Years ago, back when I was in HS, there was a kid from a rival school with a strange habit. Now, almost everyone gets pre-race jitters, and this kid was no exception. Most people try to get through them by stretching, doing another warm-up lap, fiddling with their laces, but not this kid. Before he ran, he'd stop off in the restroom and puke. Couldn't help himself.

 

One meet, he'd arrived late, and had barely changed before being called out to the track for his event. He's out there, nervous as all heck, and the ref is holding up the starting gun. Kid realizes that he hasn't puked. He says "Wait a sec, ref", leans over, and pukes. Most of it lands to the side of the track, but not all, and there's spatter on his shoes, on the track. Everyone is just staring at him, stunned.

 

He finishes, spits a couple times, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, looks at the ref, and says "Okay, ready."

 

For some reason, he did quite well that race.

[Kirby]

Re: Presence in your campaign

 

Generally, presence has been used to scare the villains, intimidate the thugs and spook the agents into surrendering early.

 

I, however, have used it to cover up a blunder. In my first Champions campaign with my first character (4E), the GM was running an intro scenario where VIPER was robbing a bank. My character had desolidification and energy blasts, among a couple other powers. Anyway, my character has phased through the walls of the bank and took out an agent in the restroom. Then he went into the lobby and shot another agent; however, this alerted everyone since his blasts weren't silent. A VIPER agent grabbed a female hostage and held her in front of him, threatening to shoot her if I didn't leave. Well, being a first time player in Champions and really hating the hostage scenario, I became angry and decided to try and shoot the guy anyway. I fired, missed horribly and hit the lady. Fortunately for me, I rolled pitiful damage, but it was still enough to knock her out. Also, I was wearing a full face mask, so my expression wasn't seen. I quickly recovered and said "That was 'stun.' Do you want to know what 'kill' feels like?" Thankfully, he surrendered.