Character Concept help.. Herophiles unite!

[Bluefire]

I have a player that wants to have an ability that doesn't quite fit in the structure of how HERO is set up.

 

He wants to be able to walk up to an object and mimic its defensive properties when he touches it. He also thought that it would be cool to do the same to a villian, making him easier to take down.

 

Either way you slice it, I see adjustment powers coming into this. I made a mock power up to see what it might look like and it blows the top of the active point cap by a factor of about 2.5.

 

I ask you, fellow Herophiles, please assist me with an easy power (that a new player can understand) that would fit this requirement. If you want an example, he kinda wants a mimic of the comic character Grunge from Gen13.

 

Thank you in advance

 

-Bluefire

"I'm getting to old for this..."

[TheTemplar]

Re: Character Concept help.. Herophiles unite!

 

Now, when you say he wants to mimic it's defensive properties, do you mean that if he touches, say, a mailbox, his skin replicates mailbox material (possibly a PD/ED increase) or if he touches a character with desolidification he can take on that defensive power?

 

What's the AP limit in your setting?

 

I created a power mime NPC along the lines of Rogue - I'm not too familiar w/ Gen 13, so I'm not exactly sure what Grunge is capable of. But, this might help:

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37855

 

You could add Limited Class Of Powers Available (Defensive Powers) for an additional -1/4 to -1/2 depending on how limited you rule that category is (personally, I'd think -1/2.)

 

If you're worried about giving a VPP to a player new to the system (which I don't think anyone would disagree is a valid concern) then it depends on whether or not his power actually takes the defensive power away from the target. If it does, go with a Transfer (with variable from and variable to - you'll have to GM rule as to whether this ability would allow him to acquire a new power that he didn't already have by transferring it.) If it doesn't actually take the power from the target, I think you're looking at an Aid.

 

Good luck!

[KA.]

Re: Character Concept help.. Herophiles unite!

 

I have a couple of questions, since I too am unfamiliar with Grunge.

 

1) For the Character's Defenses, you could buy something like Armor, with the Variable SFX and Variable Advantage Advantages, and the Variable Limitation Limitation (does someone hear an echo in here?)

That way you would know how much Armor you actually had, but you could use the SFX, Advantages, and Limitations to model any differences that would make sense, and a Limitation of "Must touch X before using Power".

Example:

You touch Ice.

You form Ice Armor.

It has the SFX of Ice.

It has an Advantage of Hardened.

It has a Limitation of Ablative.

(This was just off the top of my head but you get the idea.)

So you have icy armor that is hard to punch through because it is really a bunch of thin layers of ice, but it also tends to chip away over time.

You would want to come up with these sets of effects ahead of time for common items, so the entire gaming session isn't spent deciding what effect "Cheddar Cheese" Armor has.

 

2) For other people's defenses.

What do you want to be able to do?

Are you talking about turning Dr. Destroyer's Battle Armor into glass so that it is easy to shatter?

For that you are either going to need a whopping Transform or you could just use it as the SFX for Find Weakness, Armor Piercing, etc.

If you want to be able to take away someone's defenses just by touch, then it should be whoppingly expensive.

If you want a cool explanation of why your character can penetrate most forms of armor, without allowing his friends to, then Find Weakness/Armor Piercing, etc. would be the way to go.

You could have a Limitation on the Find Weakness that you had to touch the character in question for it to work, and SFX would do the rest.

 

KA.

[Chuckg]

Re: Character Concept help.. Herophiles unite!

 

Alternately, you could explain the situation to his fellow players (that Adjustment Powers cost extra to work on Defenses) and give him Special DM Permission to exceed the AP cap of your game, just this once.