Challenge: 150-pt Elementals

[BenKimball]

So I'm playing this Standard Superheroic character with a 45-point "Elemental Magic" VPP. I'd like to add summoning to his repertoire, and because I'd like to use the +1/2 "Loyal" advantage on the Summon, that leaves me with the ability to summon 150-pt creatures. Elementals seem the most in-character for my PC.

 

Here's the trick: the elementals in the HSB, while very cool, are more like 500 points. So I'm trying to come up with cool 150-pt elementals to summon without making them totally one-dimensional and abusive.

 

Here's one idea I had: a "Lesser Wind Elemental" who is basically the Tasmanian Devil but never stops whirling. A sentient dust devil. Fast movement, good STR, some physical damage reduction (weapons get blown off track when they strike it), and he focuses on doing move by, grab by, and disarm attacks. (Keeping in mind that in a room full of 350-pt PCs and even more powerful villians, my little elementals are not likely to be useful taking on foes toe-to-toe.)

 

Anyway, I'd welcome other suggestions, either for Wind or the other four elements in our campaign: Stone, Water, Fire, and Nirvana (nothingness/void).

 

Cheers!

Ben

[Crimson Arrow]

Stone - (Sorry about this next pun) How about a mini brick character? Strong, resilient, perhaps able to tunnel. Earthquake power if you have the points. Call him a Rock-Beast or a Kobold or Gnome.

 

Water - Water Weird - a snake-like being, desolidification, HKA affecting the real world, swimming, perhaps invisible in water.

 

Fire - Salamander - resistant to heat, breathes fire, clinging or

Flame Tongue - a mini fire elemental - desolid (affected by energy attacks), killing Damage Shield affecting the real world, so he has to move into someone to harm him.

 

Nirvana - Not sure what your campaign says about this element, but Nirvana suggests a light being, rather than the usual association.

 

Halo - light being, flash and light attacks, flight and possibly desolid (but you'll need to watch out for damaging the real world and there are a lot of other forms which are desolid already).

 

Shadow - darkness being, desolid (affected by light attacks), stretching, strength affects real world, perhaps a Drain (affects real world) to STR, CON, BODY or STUN to reflect a chilling touch. Probably can't cause darkness itself, except maybe by enveloping a target.

[BenKimball]

Here's what I came up with for a Lesser Air Elemental (a sentient mini-tornado). What do you think?

 

Lesser Air Elemental

 

Val	Char	Cost
40	STR	30
10	DEX	0
10	CON	0
10	BODY	0
8	INT	-2
10	EGO	0
20	PRE	10
6	COM	-2
8	PD	0
2	ED	0
3	SPD	10
10	REC	0
20	END	0
35	STUN	0

0" RUN-120" SWIM-20" LEAP-8Characteristics Cost: 24

 

Cost	Power	END
15	Aspect of the Wind: Elemental Control, 30-point powers
15	1) Body of Air: Invisibility to Sight Group, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2) (30 Active Points)
15	2) Windrunning: Flight 10", Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2)
15	3) Whirling Dervish: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points)
15	4) Hard to Target: (Total: 30 Active Cost, 30 Real Cost) Lack Of Weakness (-15) for Normal Defense (Real Cost: 15) plus Lack Of Weakness (-15) for Resistant Defenses (Real Cost: 15)
10	Elemental Body: No Hit Locations

Powers Cost: 85

 

Cost	Martial Arts Maneuver
	Air Fu
4	1) Air Slam: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, -2 DCV, STR +2d6 +v/5 Strike, FMove
5	2) Spinning Vortex: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +4 DCV, Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove
5	3) Thieving Gust: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Disarm, +10 STR to Disarm roll; FMove
5	4) Tripping Wind: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, STR +v/5; Target Falls; FMove

Martial Arts Cost: 19

 

Cost	Skill
10	+5 with Flight
12	+4 with Air Fu

Skills Cost: 22

 

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 150

 

Val	Disadvantages
20	Psychological Limitation: Flighty (Very Common; Strong)
30	Susceptibility: Vacuum 3d6 damage, per Segment (Uncommon)

Disadvantage Points: 50

 

Base Points: 100

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

[Guest C_Zeree]

Wind is always dexterous & nimble. You can't break a stereotype!!!

 

Although seriously, more Dex would mean better combat overall, but you do have the +4 to Air Fu to compensate. From your descrip it seems he will always be slugging it out close up, so it could work out. Not so great if people start shooting whatever at it though...

 

Just some thoughts.

[BenKimball]

Well, my thought is that he would spend all of his time doing grab-bys and move throughs, stuff like that. Notice his Air Fu is composed of all Full Move actions. I have, however, dropped one Flight skill level to bring his DEX up to an 11, giving him a CV of 4 (8 with Air Fu).

 

Ultimately I agree with you, I just couldn't get the powers I wanted without sacrificing SPD. So he won't act often, but when he does, he'll move fast and hit hard. I hope.

 

BTW: Nirvana in our game is the ultimate nothingness/oneness of the universe (my character is a Zen Buddhist monk). So I'm thinking about lots of mental attacks, the sort of thing that might happen if you were to see something physically impossible that your brain just couldn't assimilate... folded space, manifestations of higher dimensions. For example, look at something. Now, without moving your eyes, notice the highest thing you can see in your peripheral vision. Now: what's above it? Nothing. True nothingness: not black, not white, just nothing. Should be fun, though I don't know how to build it yet.

[JmOz]

Despite Herodesigner, you can't sell back Leaping (It is a phys limitation)

 

Second go with a higher dex, (I would aim for at least 23, speed of 5), drop Strength down)

 

Your EC is definatly into the "GM approval thing" and would not fly in my game most likely

 

I question the need for invisibility (but would probably keep it personaly) and I would get rid of the Hard to target, because really how common is Find Weakness in your games, and at what ungodly numbers? I have only ever once seen someone get hit with FW with a -5 LoW

 

I would also get some DResistance on him as well

[BenKimball]

Originally posted by JmOz

Despite Herodesigner, you can't sell back Leaping (It is a phys limitation)

 

Ah! OK, cool.

 

Second go with a higher dex, (I would aim for at least 23, speed of 5), drop Strength down)

 

Your EC is definatly into the "GM approval thing" and would not fly in my game most likely

 

Any particular reasons for the above suggestions? I don't envision a tornado as being particularly dextrous. I'm interested in why you'd disallow the EC.

 

I question the need for invisibility (but would probably keep it personaly) and I would get rid of the Hard to target, because really how common is Find Weakness in your games, and at what ungodly numbers? I have only ever once seen someone get hit with FW with a -5 LoW

 

Hard to Target is in there not because Find Weakness is common in our game but because it made sense to me; how can a normal character find a weak spot on a mass of moving air? The levels are high, I admit, but reducing them doesn't save any points.

 

I would also get some DResistance on him as well

 

Again, I'm interested in why you'd do this. I'm not saying it's a bad idea at all, just wondering why you chose it.

 

Thanks!

Ben

[Guest C_Zeree]

I agree with JmOz about the lack of weakness.

It might not be lack of weekness, but Lacks Hit Locations I think is sufficient for "feel".

 

A tornado might not be the most agile, but its better than a pile of brick.

 

20 STR (Still Arnold Strong) -20 pts

20 DEX (quick and agile) +30 pts

Drop hard to target by 10 pts -10 pts

 

I guess I just don't conceptually follow you. To me grab bys and move throughs sound brickish.

 

Air to me is/has the possiblities of stealth, flowing, obscuring, hampering, and annoying.

YMMV

 

Do as you will.

 

Sorry if I keep picking. I like the concept of low point elementals, and lower points in general. Trying to keep the flavor with minimal to work with. Struck a chord with me.

 

Edited for reality

[BenKimball]

Originally posted by C_Zeree

Sorry if I keep picking.

 

No, no, not at all! Pick away! I wouldn't have posted it if I didn't want constructive criticism. It's only the second or third character I've built in HERO.

 

Thanks again!

 

Cheers,

Ben

[SirViss]

Well, as to Lack of Weakness, if the elemental in question is invisible it is hard to make the FW rolls. Don't you have to be able to see what you are aiming at?

 

As to the invisibility, I might suggest the "Bright Fringe" limitation (-¼). It would save you some points and, usually, you should be able to keep it more than the 8" away from the PCs. That would let you say that every once-in-awhile they spot something out the corner of their eyes, just before they get smaked.

 

With that last limitation though, you may want to take the Lack of Hit Locations. (there go the points you saved! Easy come easy go... )

[JmOz]

By the rules if a power costs no endurance to begen with (as is LoW and Damage Reduction) it should not be placed in an EC (With out GM approval).

 

My problem is that with the invisibility is that it should be persistant (thus again out of the EC), leaving one power (Flight), as you need two powers for an EC the EC goes away

 

As for the Dex/Speed, I see it fast, your description was Tazmanian Devil like tornado, which IIRC was quite quick, also I think it has to do with the fact that you plan on using it in a "speedster" type of way, and as such I see it as being faster than stronger, this is also the issue I have with invisibility (I would recomend the Bright Fringe)

 

have no real problem with the Lack of Weakness, however I do find it on the insainly high side, I would also point out that a tornado would be "vulnerable" to attacks at it's center

[BenKimball]

Great points, guys. I especially like "bright fringe." Or I could do it the way HSB does, with the -1/2 limitation "Only when not attacking" on Invisibility. The special effect would be that when the tornado "touches down" to come smack somebody you can see all of the dust and debris it creates, just like a real tornado, but when it's not attacking it isn't raising dust.

 

Including JmOz's suggestions RE: EC, here's another version.

 

Lesser Air Elemental

 

Val	Char	Cost
15	STR	5
21	DEX	33
10	CON	0
10	BODY	0
8	INT	-2
10	EGO	0
20	PRE	10
6	COM	-2
3	PD	0
2	ED	0
5	SPD	19
5	REC	0
20	END	0
23	STUN	0

0" RUN-120" SWIM-23" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 49

 

Cost	Power	END
15	Aspect of the Wind: Elemental Control, 30-point powers
8	1) Body of Air: Invisibility to Sight Group, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2) (30 Active Points); Only When Not Attacking (-1/2), Bright Fringe (-1/4)
15	2) Windrunning: Flight 10", Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2)
20	Whirling Dervish: Physical Damage Reduction, 50%
10	Elemental Body: No Hit Locations

Powers Cost: 68

 

Cost	Martial Arts Maneuver
	Air Fu
4	1) Air Slam: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, -2 DCV, STR +2d6 +v/5 Strike, FMove
5	2) Spinning Vortex: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +4 DCV, Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove
5	3) Thieving Gust: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Disarm, +10 STR to Disarm roll; FMove
5	4) Tripping Wind: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, STR +v/5; Target Falls; FMove

Martial Arts Cost: 19

 

Cost	Skill
8	+4 with Flight
6	+2 with Air Fu

Skills Cost: 14

 

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 150

 

Val	Disadvantages
20	Psychological Limitation: Flighty (Very Common; Strong)
30	Susceptibility: Vacuum 3d6 damage, per Segment (Uncommon)

Disadvantage Points: 50

 

Base Points: 100

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0