Character Curveballs

[AdamLeisemann]

Here is a thread for the wierdest characters you have ever created for a champions game. All you need is a name, description, and whether they are a hero or a villain. Here is an example:

 

K. Dogma: A dog with intentions to rules the world and create a new world order for dog-kind. Too long, the dogs of the world have submitted, and now it is time for them to cast off their chains and rise up against the humans. Many dogs consider him crazy, though, but he has gotten himself quite an army, and access to a rare gen that boosts his psychic potential. Obvioulsy a villain. Think of him, power-wise, as a canine M. Bison.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Here is a thread for the wierdest characters you have ever created for a champions game. All you need is a name, description, and whether they are a hero or a villain. Here is an example:

 

K. Dogma: A dog with intentions to rules the world and create a new world order for dog-kind. Too long, the dogs of the world have submitted, and now it is time for them to cast off their chains and rise up against the humans. Many dogs consider him crazy, though, but he has gotten himself quite an army, and access to a rare gen that boosts his psychic potential. Obvioulsy a villain. Think of him, power-wise, as a canine M. Bison.

 

I am going to state, for the record, than that is one of the coolest things I have ever heard. Win Quote: "My favorite bone is in your leg."

[Bloodstone]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

I find it ammusing that you posted that specific example. The first character I thought of was our team mentalist, a lop eared bunny with a genius level intellect and vast psychic powers that spends most of his time hiding under my hat while defending the world from the forces of evil! Either that or in his cage back at my appartment. Or in the study of his mansion, wich very few of us believed he actully owned until quite recently.

 

However, Special Agent Bunny lacks a legion of furry supporters, as most rabbits are dull and unsophistocated yokels with no real apreciation for the finer things in life! Then again, the same could be said of most humans. But humans have opposable thumbs and pockets in which they can store yogurt covered treats. And humans make tasty psi carrots (don't worry, he only he only nibbles a memory or chomps at a dream here and there).

 

Course, I'm sure he would gladly have a legion of slavishly devoted animals, but there is that small detail that Special Agent Bunny's telepathic powers don't actully work on anything except humans. He can't even talk to a fellow rabbit or convince the team cyber dog to stop chasing him unless he resorts to using his positivly brutish TK powers.

 

He does have a harem of moderatly mind controlled slave girls who tend to his every need however. Most of them are stunningly attractive and think he's just the cutest thing! I suppose when it comes down to it, he'd probably be a super villian were he not so damn lazy. And the fact he's positivly terrified of at least two members of the team helps too...

[teh bunneh]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Apparently, psychic animals are pretty common. In a Marvel Super Heroes game (FASERIP), we had a character named Simber Wellington Mouseripper, a powerful psionic cat from a dimension where cats ruled the Earth (so... not really much different from our own).

 

During battles, she would sit on a nearby fence or on top of a garbage can, cleaning herself and mentally sniping at enemies. The badguys never figured out who the mentalist on our team was.

 

Bill.

(And Bloodstone, I love Special Agent Bunny. That's just too cool!)

[Bloodstone]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

I figure animal mentalists are common in RPG's as it's a good excuse to be small, inconspicuous and have several low physical attributes without being confined to a wheel chair. I see a lot of kid mentalists too, probably for similar reasons...

[Blue]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

I don't do anything nearly that sophisticated.

 

I have one player who runs a time traveler (in a game where I said "No time travelers or aliens" and wound up with an alien and three time travelers). He decided to buy resurrection under his heal power, so I decided to play with him a little. I created an advisor who pops in and nobody else can see (a la Quantum Leap), but he doesn't know if he can trust this person.

 

So the advisor pops up with a grave warning about the time lines. He can't pinpoint who, but if someone in the next 24 hours gets resurrected, the timeline will become irrevocably damaged for the worse. Chaos, Disorder, Mass Hysteria, Dogs + Cats, etc.

 

So naturally I had 3 people die that session. Sure it was mean, but it was appropriate. I thought for sure by the time we reached the third one that he'd break his self control and res them, but he held himself in check while saying OOC: "Damn you!"

 

[Edit: Oh, and there were definitely repercussions if he rez'd the second one. I picked that one becuase I figured it was the one he was least likely to rez.)

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Sparky (who has shown up in a few WWYCD threads). A seeing eye dog in a Teen Champions game who happens to be a mutant; he's as intelligent as the average human, and can shoot electrical blasts. He's very protective of his Mistress (the blind girl he was picked up to help), brave, loyal to his 'pack' (the team), and going through high school as best he can.

 

He also has to take a lot of time writing out what he wants to say with electrical bursts; very tiring.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

He does have a harem of moderatly mind controlled slave girls who tend to his every need however. Most of them are stunningly attractive and think he's just the cutest thing! I suppose when it comes down to it' date=' he'd probably be a super villian were he not so damn lazy. And the fact he's positivly terrified of at least two members of the team helps too...[/quote']

 

Y'know... I'm reading this, and I can't help but think that Bun-Bun (of Sluggy Freelance fame) would approve, and probably be glad to work with him to deal with the rest of the team.

[The Souljourner]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Animal characters seem to be the order of the day. I made a Parrot mentalist with the ability to summon an automaton pirate to ride around on. To everyone else, it's a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder. The pirate speaks and interacts with people, and most people don't know it's just an automaton created by the parrot, who is literally the only brain the two have.

 

I find it's hard to come up with truly off the wall character ideas that would also be in any way useful in a Hero group.

 

-Nate

[ChibiTemplar]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Apparently' date=' psychic animals are pretty common. In a Marvel Super Heroes game (FASERIP), we had a character named [i']Simber Wellington Mouseripper[/i], a powerful psionic cat from a dimension where cats ruled the Earth (so... not really much different from our own).

 

During battles, she would sit on a nearby fence or on top of a garbage can, cleaning herself and mentally sniping at enemies. The badguys never figured out who the mentalist on our team was.

 

Bill.

(And Bloodstone, I love Special Agent Bunny. That's just too cool!)

 

I once put together a hero for a villain campaign I was running that was essentially a psionic Nermal (from Garfield). It's main power was a large autofire Ego blast that would typically take down the group's brick (whom Nermal was created to be the nemesis of) in a couple seconds. Very amusing, actually.

[Arkham]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Bingo. Bingo the Clowno

 

Bingo. Bingo the Clowno.

A detective for the Institute of Circus Investigations.

Bingo is a clown.

Bingo is a master of Clown Fu.

Bingo can inflate his feet into massive trampolines that others can leap off of.

Bingo can inflate his head, have a propeller pop out the back, and float around like a blimp. But a clown.

Bingo can grow to be a GIANT CLOWN.

Bingo can shrink to be a tiny clown.

Sometimes his head explodes with glitter and pinwheels making sight, hearing and even radar impossible.

His arms shoot out like party blower things.

He can shoot a single rocket out of his belly button.

He has a circus in his pants. No, really, an actual Circus. Acrobats, animals, and micro-clowns on bicycles start running around, being entertaining, but really being in the way...

[Arac-4105]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Sometimes all it takes is a little tweak to a classic character idea.

 

Mythic: magic-wielding centaur... in a modern, 20th century superhero campaign. Teenager, descendent of a powerful wizard, still learning from his ancestor's spellbook. Spells include magic bolts, shields, invisible hands and illusions. Young hero in training.

 

The GM loved him, amazingly enough. I thought it'd get thrown out.

[Haven Walkur]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Koala Jack -- highly intelligent, talking koala. Mentalist member of hero group A.N.Z.A.C. He had (amongst other things) a massive Drain vs INT and EGO coupled with an *ss-kicking Mind Control. Yes, people really got all "goo-goo" over Jack's amazing koala-cuteness and soft-as-silk fur (and those Drain powers). And when Jack started making suggestions, no-one could refuse him.

Quote (with an Aussie accent, naturally): Go on, you know you wanna.

 

Safety Leech and the Killer Rabbit -- pair of high-school heroes; Safety Leech was a bright, nerdy boy, a kinetic absorber (he "leeched" away speed, thus making things "safer"), and Killer Rabbit was a popular, pretty mall-princess with Superleap, Martial Arts and a one Pip Killing Attack (Penetrating)...her fingernails.

 

None of the popular crowd at the high-school could understand what Desirée (Killer Rabbit's Secret ID) saw in Bernie (Safety Leech), but the two were devoted friends and partners. Bernie was -- naturally -- desperately in love with Desirée, but didn't think he could tell her. And Desirée -- somewhat atypically -- was desperately in love with Bernie, but didn't think she was "good enough" for him.

[Pogo]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

A friend created The Solipsist, a master of ego, PD, and ED drains. He convinced his opponents they didn't really exist. His defences had the SFX that what didn't exist couldn't hurt him, including his opponents. Never give a philosophy major a character sheet at 2 AM.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

*sigh* we too had a mentalist housecat. It was my cat Waggotts, that my friend and I turned into a bored superhero/mentor to our inexperienced super heroes.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

In my case, I'd have to say some of the wierdest characters I've ever created would have to be Attorney-Eater Lad, Quantum Amoeba, and Citizen Cane.

 

Oops...kinda left out the 'description' part, didn't I?

 

Attorney-Eater Lad gets his powers from 'consuming' attorneys...the more he's 'swallowed' at any given moment, the greater his Power of Attorney™!

 

Quantum Amoeba is a superintelligent amoeba possessing great power, based on various nuclear-level effects. He's serious and civic-minded but has difficulty getting people to believe he exists, because he can't be seen with the naked eye and appears to be just a voice coming from empty air.

 

Citizen Cane is a former WWII-era superhero turned into a mahogany walking stick by the spell of a dying Nazi sorcerer. Even though he's now just a hunk of wood, he's not given up the Fight Against Evil™!

[Weldun]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Animal characters are go!

 

The Swarmling is a collective entity that is spread over 250 separate bodies. 250 New York Sewer Rats, to be precise. These rats can come together to form a vaguely humanoid form than possesses immense strength and endurance. With so many minds, the Swarmling also possesses telepathic powers, that allow it to communicate with humans and animals, and shields it's own overmind from others.

 

It's a pity that no GM will let me play this unusual hero. In it's dispersed form, it makes an excelent investigator. In it's combined form, it makes for a low-level brick who is surprisingly resistant to mental powers.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Animal characters are go!

 

The Swarmling is a collective entity that is spread over 250 separate bodies. 250 New York Sewer Rats, to be precise. These rats can come together to form a vaguely humanoid form than possesses immense strength and endurance. With so many minds, the Swarmling also possesses telepathic powers, that allow it to communicate with humans and animals, and shields it's own overmind from others.

 

It's a pity that no GM will let me play this unusual hero. In it's dispersed form, it makes an excelent investigator. In it's combined form, it makes for a low-level brick who is surprisingly resistant to mental powers.

 

Darn it!

 

I have approved Ant for a Bay City game that is, uhm, currently suspended until I get enough players.

 

Ant is a sentient Ant Colony. He's been sentient for several years now. He thus consists of every Ant in the Bay City area, having waged war and won against the rest.

 

Growing Brick.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Well, let's add another example:

 

From the controversial WWYCD stalker thread, we have Reinard the Fox, or Renn Fox. He is a living cartoon fox from another dimension. And he was made as a serious character (kinda Bronze-Agish, though originally made for an Iron Age setting). He's currently in a campaign that is currently on hold until the GM graduates and gets a job.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

K. Dogma: A dog with intentions to rules the world and create a new world order for dog-kind. Too long' date=' the dogs of the world have submitted, and now it is time for them to cast off their chains and rise up against the humans. Many dogs consider him crazy, though, but he has gotten himself quite an army, and access to a rare gen that boosts his psychic potential. Obvioulsy a villain. Think of him, power-wise, as a canine M. Bison.[/quote']

 

Steve and Darren need to create a whole sourcebook around this character. He is seriously cool.

[Arkham]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Here's another one, also not animal related.

Helped a friend write it up for a higher powered game set in the 50's...

 

Jedediah "Jed" Smith, aka Farmer Dead.

He's the ghost of a Puritan Farmer.

His powers revolve around being dead, aside from his Ghostly Pitchfork which unless he spends END to suppress his Desolid and Invis ( 15 End a round ), he can't use except on other ghosts.

His ghostly powers however do include Possession, and a small amount of TK Affects Physical.

Farmer Dead

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Steve and Darren need to create a whole sourcebook around this character. He is seriously cool.

 

Well, if anyone wants to pitch in, we could create an organization book for Dogma. Of course, it would have to be a joke supplement and we'd need permission from the HERO folks if we wanna publish it, even for free I think.

[Lucius]

Joining the Herd...

 

Might as well join the pack...herd...whatever. As long as we're talking animal characters....

 

Destrier was a magickal horse. The essence of his powers were the ability to go ANYWHERE, taking up to two people along for the ride. This meant every movement power there was, basically, including extradimensional and faster than light. He was designed as a "partner" character; he would seek out the hero who most seemed appropriate for a magickal steed, taking a form appropriate for that person (i.e. a white warhorse for a paladin type, a pinto for a Native American shaman, etc.)

 

Maybe I should tell you about Can Opener....

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary asks after that Taoist monk...what was his name? The one with Desolid because he had transcended the illusionary reality everyone else was involved in?

[Shaddakim]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Australian Heroes and Villains - 100 points each (50 +50):

 

The Great Barrier Reef - villain brick, "I will break you!"

Platapussy - villainess spy a la Octopussy. Leader of the villain team.

The Dingo - nemesis of Duckmaster and handy with a roll of duct tape. See Duckmaster below to understand why this is important.

Armageddon Man - Hero with 4d6 RKA radius, no range, global radius. His entry into Australia is prohibited by law. Leads the hero team via his sidekick's cell phone.

Gabriel - Armageddon Man's sidekick. Has a cell phone and a trumpet.

Bullet Boy - Flight and a pointy helmet, specializes in move throughs that tend to knock himself out. His opponents are often asked, "Pardon me. Is that Bullet Boy you're wearing?"

Wildcatter - Tunneling, usable against others, at range, only straight down. If he was feeling mean (or just had a hang over) he'd close the tunnel behind you.

Duckmaster - son of Earth's Sorceror Supreme, his only ability is to summon ducks to do his bidding. (Why? "'Cause ducks is cheap!") Imagine Doctor Strange wearing a Donald Duck hat. Attack power - summon duck with live grenade in its mouth and order it to go quack at the target. Movement power - summons many ducks, grabs their legs and tells them to fly.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Character Curveballs

 

Let's see ...

 

Possibly the weirdest character I ever created was an old 2nd Edition D&D Wild Mage named Marik The Mad, who I played by simply doing whatever the second idea that came into my brain was, after drinking a couple of screwdrivers. He also had a flare for casting Nahal's Reckless Dweomer, which let you mimic any spell in your book, but with an automatic Wild Surge in the process. His brain broke when he reincarnated a half-elf/half-ogre fighter/magic-user with a Nahal's, got 'double effect', and brought them back as a mind-linked full-elf magic-user and full-ogre fighter.

 

The weirdest character I ever *played*, but did not create, was probably Quantum Kitsune, a Maverick reploid on a Mega Man MUSH. A spoiled diva in classic Hollywood style, she was convinced that she was blacklisted out of showbiz because of human anti-reploid bigotry (rather than the fact that she was a colossal pain in the ***). Her favorite trick was using rapid teleportation to be in three places at once, and she frequently had conversations with herself in the process. In addition to light-based attacks and some Green Lantern-esque solid-light constructs, her attack list included such entries as:

Silly String

Itching Powder Bomb

Razor Yo-Yo

Shaving Cream Bomb

Acid Squirtgun

Exploding Mousetraps

Rubber Chicken Whip (my personal favorite)

Exploding Whoopie Cushion

Joybuzzer of Doom

Seltzer Spray

Seat-Seeking Missile (a rocket that homed in on the target's butt)

Stooge-Fu

Random Stereotypical Anime Attack (usually Hadokens or Kamehamehas)

 

After the first year or so I played her, I came to an odd realization ... I had more fun losing than winning when fighting with her (which also worked with her 'making fool of self' skill). This became a point of contention later on as the twink population of the MUSH increased, and I eventually left because 'winning' became more important than 'having fun'. I keep thinking about doing a Champions-style conversion of her, but there just aren't enough points.