Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

[Susano]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

At this point' date=' I'd just say do time stop as a humongous AE Transform, 'Zone where time advances' to 'Zone where time doesn't advance' ... I mean, seriously, at this point ... [/quote']

 

No, no. Extra-Dimensional Movement.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

If you didn't pay for the ability to stop things from falling, you don't get it for free by claiming that gravity is a function of 'the earth' that has a finite SPD that can be suppressed or dispelled.

 

It would be fair and right to say that if the SFX of a SPD Drain was slowing time down for the target, then the target stops moving (including falling) when he reaches SPD 0. So you would have paid for the ablity. You're just using this mechanic to define it. Of course, mister synaptic inhibiter's SPD Drain doesn't do that; instead it might keep the target from being completely aware of his surroundings instead. Falling (or the lack of it) is a relatively minor effect in most cases, and one that requires finesse to take advantage of, so there shouldn't be a problem with it in this case.

[Zeropoint]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

Just tack on some Flight, UBO (or UAA), Only to Float In Place.

[David Johnston]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

It would be fair and right to say that if the SFX of a SPD Drain was slowing time down for the target' date=' then the target stops moving (including falling) when he reaches SPD 0. [/quote']

 

Personally I don't give regularly used mechanics for free to people based on special effects. Falling objects have no SPD and so can never reach SPD 0. So what are the alternatives?

 

A megascale transform big enough to envelope the planet? Some people will be immune thanks to power defense.

 

An Elemental containing

 

Teleport: Usable on Others At Range, only to where you could physically transport them. Area effect selective?

Regeneration: Makes you hungry and sleepy. Costs extra END

Change Environment: The changes you could make if you had a few hours to rearrange things. Makes you hungry and sleepy.

Extradimensional Movement: To a dimension just like one you left, except that everything is frozen and to the exact second you left.

 

Maybe?

[dstarfire]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

I once made the mistake of actually trying to build this one: the changelings from star trek: DS9. You know, the kind that can turn into mist; be any size, shape, color, etc.. Oh yeah, and VPP's are right out.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

Steve Long himself answered the question of stopping time (throughout the universe; it could be scaled down) in Digital Hero #8.

 

This ability weighs in at 7,517,759 points.

 

Yup. Over seven million points.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

Personally I don't give regularly used mechanics for free to people based on special effects. Falling objects have no SPD and so can never reach SPD 0. So what are the alternatives?

 

A simpler alternative: TK, 0 END, Uncontrolled (shuts off when target regains positive SPD).

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

Steve Long himself answered the question of stopping time (throughout the universe; it could be scaled down) in Digital Hero #8.

 

This ability weighs in at 7,517,759 points.

 

Yup. Over seven million points.

 

So, buy it through a Follower's Base's Vehicle ...

[Ndreare]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

So' date=' buy it through a Follower's Base's Vehicle ... [/quote']

 

You know (incert GMs name here) "followers" in Giant Robot "Vehicles" are a common staple of many game worlds.

[transmetahuman]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

Well, I wouldn't call it a nightmare but Power Absorbers/Duplicators like Rogue or Mimic tend to be a real pain in the *** to model. The builds are semi complicated and you need to spend a simply INSANE number of points (or hand wave a lot of stuff).

 

Lets face it. Rogue can touch anyone that isn't a god or some such and copy all their characteristics, powers, skill and memories. This typically KO's the person she touches and that person usually loses their powers completly while she borrows them. She has, on two occassions now, touched people and permenantly taken their powers, as well as copying their memories, skills and personalaties. She even went through a phase where she was able to manifest every power she had EVER absorrbed and she has had a few occasiosn when she has used the powers of a whole team of X-Men at once.

 

Needless to say, having potential like this tends to take a LOT of points and it's a PITA dealing with that many points shifting around in mid combat, often in strange and unexpected ways.

Ooh, ooh, whose was the second powerset she permanently stole, after Ms. Marvel's? Do you know offhand in which issue(s) of which book she went through the "manifest anything i ever absorbed" phase? My (usually quite tame and suppressed) power-hungry dark side just sat up and drooled; I wanna go look up the synopsis on uncannyxmen.net.

 

Rogue is a problem even in GURPS 4th, which has an advantage/enhancement combo that might have been designed specifically for her. The problem is, it only steals powers, not physiological stuff or skills/memories. For the points you need to make her in either system, she ought to be more effective than the rest of the team put together (even when she's not effectively "the rest of the team put together"). On the other hand, the Mimic is actually a little easier to do in Hero, I think, and much much more expensive in GURPS.

[Robyn]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

So' date=' buy it through a Follower's Base's Vehicle ... [/quote']

 

Oh, good. Now it only costs slightly over 60,000 points

[Mike W]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

I think the most difficult characters to design are almost invariably the ones that fit one of the following categories(or god forbid more than one):

 

A. Have powers that mess with another character's abilities/personality. Unusual adjustment and mental powers tend to be very problematic. A typical mentalist isn't too hard. But how many different versions of Ghost Rider's "penance stare" do you think we would get - and how much EGO would you give Ghost Rider since he never seems to miss with the thing but isn't a true mentalist?

 

B. Have powers that interact or depend upon one another. Absorption/Transfer/Aid aren't too terrible to deal with. But if they have several such powers, especially that work in conjunction, it can get messy fast(not to mention the bookkeeping headache). Sort of like the Black King in X-Men; he has tons of absorbtion which feeds all sorts of stats, including his absorbtion.

 

C. Characters with just plain funky powers that don't necessarily have an obvious construction method. For instance, the Flash's ability to read an entire book in a few seconds. It's not eiditic memory because he can't actually remember everything perfectly. His SPD helps, but even at 6 times the normal reading rate(a 12 SPD), he would still need an hour or so finish a 300 page novel. How do you mimic something like that? Or what about the fact that he can fix a flat tire on his car in about 1 second flat? Do you give him Change Environment? Minor Transform? How do you define it? Or do you just call it a special effect of being ridiculously fast?

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

For instance' date=' the Flash's ability to read an entire book in a few seconds. It's not eiditic memory because he can't actually remember everything perfectly. His SPD helps, but even at 6 times the normal reading rate(a 12 SPD), he would still need an hour or so finish a 300 page novel. How do you mimic something like that?[/quote']

Talent: Speed Reading, x100,000

 

Cost: 12 points.

[Susano]

Re: Characters that give you nightmares trying to design

 

Just watched Slither... there's a fun character to try and design....