Supervillain (Plasma) for review

[Trebuchet]

I'm going to trust Mentor and Blackjack not to read this, plus I'll selectively edit out her Disads and some other info...

 

She's the EB for an all-female European team in a Standard level game; not in the Champions universe BTW.

 

Anyway, I'd appreciate constructive criticism.

 

Plasma

 

Player: GM

 

Val	Char	Cost
8	STR	-2
14	DEX	12
18	CON	16
12	BODY	4
13	INT	3
14	EGO	8
15	PRE	5
24	COM	7
4/20	PD	2
4/28	ED	0
4	SPD	16
8	REC	4
36	END	0
32	STUN	7

6" RUN02" SWIM01 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 82

 

Cost	Power	END
32	Plasma: Elemental Control, 80-point powers, all slots: (40 Active Points); Not Underwater (-1/4)
15	1) White Hot Body: (Total: 108 Active Cost, 26 Real Cost) Change Environment 2" radius, -2 Points of Damage, 4 Temperature Level Adjustment, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (58 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), No Range (-1/2), Explosion (-1/4), Nonselective Target (-1/4) (Real Cost: 14) plus Blinding Glow: Darkness to Sight Group, Infrared Perception, Ultraviolet Perception and Nightvision 1" radius, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (50 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Limited Power Not vs. 5+ points Flash Defense (-1/2), No Range (-1/2) (Real Cost: 12)
9	2) 2500 Degrees, Baby!: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (vs. ED), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Damage Shield (+1/2), Offensive (+1/4) (82 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), No STR Bonus (-1/2), -2 STUN Multiplier (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4)
15	3) Wall of Heat: Force Field (16 PD/24 ED), Hardened (+1/4), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (90 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2)
32	4) Heat Rises: Flight 20", Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (80 Active Points)
70	Heat Powers: Multipower, 70-point reserve, all slots: Linked to White Hot Body (-1/2), Greater Power is Constant or in use most or all of the time (+1/4), Lesser Power need not be used proportionally to Power with which it is Linked (+1/4)
6u	1) Plasma Blast: Energy Blast 13d6 (vs. ED) (65 Active Points)	6
4u	2) Focused Plasma Blast: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6 (vs. ED), Penetrating (+1/2) (67 Active Points); -2 STUN Multiplier (-1/2), Beam (-1/4)	7
7u	3) Heat Wave: Energy Blast 8d6 (vs. ED), Reduced Endurance 1/2 END (+1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2) (70 Active Points)	3
3u	4) Steel? Wax? What's the difference?: Tunneling 1" through 20 DEF material (62 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost 2x END (-1/2), No Noncombat Movement (-1/4)	12
14	Life Support , Safe in Intense Cold, Safe in Intense Heat, Self-Contained Breathing
10	Flash Defense (8 points) (Sight Group), Hardened (+1/4) (10 Active Points)

Powers Cost: 217

 

 

Cost	Skill
8	+1 with All Combat
15	+3 with Ranged Combat
7	High Society 14-
5	Seduction 13-
3	Disguise 12-
3	Linguist
3	1) Language: English (Native) (4 Active Points)
2	2) Language: Italian (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)
2	3) Language: French (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)

Skills Cost: 48

 

Cost	Perk
15	Money: Filthy Rich

Perks Cost: 15

 

Total Character Cost: 362

 

Background: Caroline Wellesley was born to a wealthy British noblewoman in 1980. A decendant of the famous Duke of Wellington, she chafed under the strict role of her aristocratic family and longed to break free of the stuffy constraints of British high society. When her father passed away in 1998 and left her an estate worth over £200 million (~ $300,000,000+), she moved to the continent. In late 1999 she mysteriously acquired superpowers which gave her the ability to generate a superhot plasma around her body. [Edited to remove critical info]... That would require billions of dollars, so Fujiko and Caroline formed Force 10 (Named after Caroline's now-sunken yacht, the Vive Tempete, "Strong Gale" in Italian.), Europe's first all female supervillain group, to steal enough money to allow Fujiko to build the computer. In between jobs for big bucks, they'll raid high-tech sites for advanced components for the project.

 

Personality: Caroline is a thrillseeker with a determination to prove herself important in her own right. Possessed of an explosive temper, she has a nasty tendency to over-react to percieved slights. While she would never deliberately kill anyone, she has injured many people badly. She is not above powering up and melting the car of someone who merely cuts her off in traffic. She'll usually regret her impetuosity shortly thereafter, and often attempts to make financial amends such as buying her victim a new car or house or paying for medical treatment.

 

Powers/Tactics: Her superheated form provides Plasma with both formidable defenses and even more formidable attacks. Her superhot body glows so brightly it requires the equivalent of welder's goggles to even see her clearly, and water within a few meters of her will begin to boil in just a minute or so. Even getting close to her can cause damage, and actually touching her white-hot form can cause third and fourth-degree burns. Since none of the Powers in her EC require END (Indeed, except for her Flight she cannot even turn them off except by changing back to Caroline), Plasma tends to simply hover and shoot opponents at range. Despite her skill with her powers, she is not a good tactician. However, since in combat Jokyoshi (Fujiko Shimada) keeps the team members in contact telepathically, Caroline will generally follow tactical instruction given to her by Jokyoshi or Scarab. She'll generally use her Heat Wave or Plasma Blast; but against characters with high defenses she'll use her Focused Plasma blast. She can melt her way through almost anything given a little time, even heavy armored vehicles such as tanks.

 

Appearance: A tall and lovely redhead with a stunning figure, Caroline is a sharp dresser and usually wears designer clothing. Proud of her appearance, she prefers risque clothing with short hems, plunging necklines and/or sheer fabrics. Since transforming to Plasma instantly incinerates or melts anything she is wearing at the time, she tends to go through clothing and jewelry rather quickly. (She has been unable to find any clothing her body will not destroy, including asbestos cloth and steel chainmail.) However, her inheritance is more than enough to handle such trivial details as destroying 5,000 Pound designer dresses on a regular basis. She does get tired of being naked after every escapade (More because she has no way to carry credit cards than because nudity bothers her; she often hangs out at nude or topless beaches in Europe and Rio De Janiero.)

 

In her Plasma form she is (if you can see her at all since she's as bright as the glow from an arc welder) a glowing white female figure with long flowing white hair and black eyes.

[TheEmerged]

I'll touch mostly on the "crunchy" bits.

 

#1> 10 points of Flash Defense isn't what it used to be. Under 5th Edition flashes seem to be coming in 2 varieties: the "full power slot" Flash that probably figures around 12d6 but can hit 15d6, and the "tack on" Flash intended to be used in a mutliple-power attack -- typically in the 6d6-8d6 range. If you're intending her to shrug off the "tack on" but still take a hit from "full power", you're right where you need to be. Otherwise, put this closer to 15 points of FD.

 

#2> Common oversight, but give it a second thought. You've given her three languages -- so she can buy Linguist for "free".

 

#3> Regarding the "linked" aspect of the multipower -- the power this is linked to has No Conscious Control. You do understand that means she can't turn her powers on (or off) at will, and that they can turn off when she wouldn't want them to? Because your description seems to indicate she can power up whenever she wants.

 

If so, then maybe a -1/2 linked is called for. However, based on what I *think* is your intention -- not only is the NCC inappropriate but so is a full -1/2 limitation for the link. If someone is going to be using the "focus" power regularly, it's not worth a full -1/2 limitation. This is only about as limiting as an "only in HERO ID" for -1/4.

 

#4> Related to the above -- you realize with NCC that her damage shield is going to turn itself on and off, right?

 

#5> Just part of my own design parameters kicking in here: she lacks any kind of enhanced senses. Her area efffect could help bypass this limitation against invisibility and darkness, though, so if it's against your concept don't worry about it.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by TheEmerged

I'll touch mostly on the "crunchy" bits.

 

#1> 10 points of Flash Defense isn't what it used to be. Under 5th Edition flashes seem to be coming in 2 varieties: the "full power slot" Flash that probably figures around 12d6 but can hit 15d6, and the "tack on" Flash intended to be used in a mutliple-power attack -- typically in the 6d6-8d6 range. If you're intending her to shrug off the "tack on" but still take a hit from "full power", you're right where you need to be. Otherwise, put this closer to 15 points of FD.

 

#2> Common oversight, but give it a second thought. You've given her three languages -- so she can buy Linguist for "free".

 

#3> Regarding the "linked" aspect of the multipower -- the power this is linked to has No Conscious Control. You do understand that means she can't turn her powers on (or off) at will, and that they can turn off when she wouldn't want them to? Because your description seems to indicate she can power up whenever she wants.

 

If so, then maybe a -1/2 linked is called for. However, based on what I *think* is your intention -- not only is the NCC inappropriate but so is a full -1/2 limitation for the link. If someone is going to be using the "focus" power regularly, it's not worth a full -1/2 limitation. This is only about as limiting as an "only in HERO ID" for -1/4.

 

#4> Related to the above -- you realize with NCC that her damage shield is going to turn itself on and off, right?

 

#5> Just part of my own design parameters kicking in here: she lacks any kind of enhanced senses. Her area efffect could help bypass this limitation against invisibility and darkness, though, so if it's against your concept don't worry about it.

 

1) That's about where I want her.

 

2) Yes. And her Native language should be free, but I don't know how to make Hero Designer do that.

 

3) No, she can only turn her EC on or off, not selective parts of it. If she gets knocked out or injured no one can help her until she changes back involuntarily. She can't turn off her Damage Shield to help a comrade. It's all or nothing with her powers.

 

4) See #3 above. She cannot regulate the power levels in any way. I think that qualifies for both NCC and for the Link.

 

5) Roger that. It violates my general design philosophy too, but I think she's powerful enough with letting her see a fly at 200 meters.

 

Any thoughts on the general concept of this villain?

[lemming]

"Steel? Wax? What's the difference?"

Nice power description.

 

TheEmerged has some good points, though if she's English why does she need to buy English?

She might want to have a bit of Portugese for Rio though.

 

I'll second the NCC argument. It looks to me like it's Always On, Only in Hero ID. Which kind of means -1/4. Also, the not underwater lim: I would think that whatever water you enveloped her with would just be broken down to Hydrogen & Oxygen.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by lemming

"Steel? Wax? What's the difference?"

Nice power description.

 

I'll second the NCC argument. It looks to me like it's Always On, Only in Hero ID. Which kind of means -1/4. Also, the not underwater lim: I would think that whatever water you enveloped her with would just be broken down to Hydrogen & Oxygen.

 

Thanks, I liked it myself.

 

I'll consider changing the NCC. I'm not really concerned about the points; she's a villain and I use points only as a rough gauge of power. I have two characters in my game (One PA, one brick) that could take her on quite easily and another that could do it if he's careful. Needless to say, she's not a good opponent for martial artists.

 

I used the "Not Underwater" lim because it would be an obvious thing for an opponent to try, just as when fighting werewolves one looks for silver candlesticks. Of course, they'll need a lot of water; a bucket or hose won't cut it.

 

And superheated water = steam.

[Gary]

Yeah, get rid of the no conscious control. It's most certainly not worth -2 the way you have it set up. Also the damage shield needs the continuous advantage.

 

Otherwise nice character. Very low DCV though. She's an easy target for most heroes.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by Gary

Yeah, get rid of the no conscious control. It's most certainly not worth -2 the way you have it set up. Also the damage shield needs the continuous advantage.

 

Otherwise nice character. Very low DCV though. She's an easy target for most heroes.

I'll re-examine how to approach the NCC; it may be sufficient to buy Always On and Villain ID Only. I may need to lower the effects of the Change Environment, but that's OK. As for the Continuous, right you are. I couldn't get it to appear in Hero Designer. Turns out I had to uncheck Persistant first, then Continuous appeared and I rechecked Persistant.

 

Per your suggestion I've added a couple more points of DEX to give her a 7 DCV and 3 Skill levels with her Multipower. My game has several PCs with 8 or 9 OCVs, plus Plasma normally fights at range so it should balance out, especially with her high defenses against energy attacks. And besides, she's part of a well-balanced villain team which by an amazing coincidence has an analogue for every superhero on the PC team.

[aylwin13]

Originally posted by Trebuchet

2) Yes. And her Native language should be free, but I don't know how to make Hero Designer do that.

 

All you need to do is open up the Language Skill, and add in a Custom Modifier for minus the number of points needed to bring it to 0. Problem solved.

 

By the way, great character. I think I might need to "borrow" her (or at least some aspects, anyway) for a villian group I'm putting together.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by aylwin13

By the way, great character. I think I might need to "borrow" her (or at least some aspects, anyway) for a villian group I'm putting together.

Thanks, feel free to steal anything you find useful. I'll probably post an updated version this weekend.

[Trebuchet]

Incorporating suggestions from this thread, I've done a bit of revision. So here, without further delay, is the new improved version of...

 

Plasma

 

Player: Steve Willson (Trebuchet)

 

Val	Char	Cost
8	STR	-2
20	DEX	30
18	CON	16
11	BODY	2
13	INT	3
14	EGO	8
15	PRE	5
24	COM	7
4/24	PD	2
5/35	ED	1
5	SPD	20
8	REC	4
40	END	2
32	STUN	8

6" RUN02" SWIM01 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 106

 

Cost	Power	END
33	Plasma: Elemental Control, 100-point powers, all slots: (50 Active Points); Only In Villainous Identity (-1/4), Not Underwater (-1/4)
18	1) White Hot Body: (Total: 84 Active Cost, 31 Real Cost) Change Environment 2" radius, -2 Points of Damage, 5 Temperature Level Adjustment, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (64 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Explosion (-1/4), Nonselective Target (-1/4), Always On (-1/4) (Real Cost: 28) plus Blindingly Bright: Darkness to Sight Group 1" radius, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (20 Active Points); Limited Power Not vs. 7+ points Flash Defense (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Always On (-1/4) (Real Cost: 9)
19	2) When you're hot, you're hot!: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (vs. ED), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Damage Shield (+1/2), Offensive (+1/4), Continuous (+1) (112 Active Points); No STR Bonus (-1/2), -2 STUN Multiplier (-1/2), Always On (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4)
28	3) Wall of Heat: Force Field (20 PD/30 ED), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (100 Active Points); Always On (-1/4)
33	4) Heat Rises: Flight 25", Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (100 Active Points)
50	Heat Powers: Multipower, 75-point reserve, all slots: (75 Active Points); Not Underwater (-1/4), Only In Villainous Identity (-1/4)
5u	1) Plasma Blast: Energy Blast 12d6 (vs. ED), Reduced Endurance 1/2 END (+1/4) (75 Active Points)	3
3u	2) Focused Plasma Blast: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6 (vs. ED), Penetrating (+1/2) (67 Active Points); Beam (-1/4), -1 STUN Multiplier (-1/4)	7
4u	3) Heat Wave: Energy Blast 10d6 (vs. ED), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2) (75 Active Points); No Knockback (-1/4)	7
3u	4) Steel? Wax? What's the difference...?: Tunneling 1" through 20 DEF material (62 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost 2x END (-1/2), No Noncombat Movement (-1/4)	12
9	Life Support , Safe in Intense Cold, Safe in Intense Heat, Self-Contained Breathing (14 Active Points); Not Underwater (-1/4), Only In Villainous Identity (-1/4)
12	Flash Defense (10 points) (Sight Group), Hardened (+1/4) (12 Active Points)
3	Enhanced Perception (+3 to PER Rolls for Normal Sight)

Powers Cost: 220

 

 

Cost	Skill
9	+3 with Multipower
3	High Society 12-
3	Seduction 12-
3	Disguise 12-
0	Language: English (Native)
3	Language: French (completely fluent)
3	Language: Danish (completely fluent)

Skills Cost: 24

 

Cost	Perk
10	Money: Wealthy

Perks Cost: 10

 

Total Character Cost: 360

 

I think her current CV should be enough (with the OCV penalty from her "Brightness Field" she should be difficult for most characters to hit without special senses), plus several Skill levels with her Multipower should make her own attacks more likely to hit. The REC penalties for 5 levels of increased temperature in her Change Environment should run many heroes out of juice if they get too close. I've also upped her SPD to 5. She won't be able to attack for long without taking a recovery, but all of her defenses are 0 END cost.

[Gary]

Treb, if you want to guarantee that the villain group wins the first encounter, you can do something extremely cheesy but justifiable in Plasma's case. Buy a slot in the multipower, +75 pre, justified by her blinding glare. With a 90 pre for presence attacks, it'll give her entire team basically a free action.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by Gary

Treb, if you want to guarantee that the villain group wins the first encounter, you can do something extremely cheesy but justifiable in Plasma's case. Buy a slot in the multipower, +75 pre, justified by her blinding glare. With a 90 pre for presence attacks, it'll give her entire team basically a free action.

Nah, these are established villains that have already fought the PCs twice. (1-1) I'm just updating them to 5th Edition, plus adding a couple of new ones to the team to compensate for changes in the PC roster. But Plasma and her lover Jokyoshi ("Sweetheart" in Japanese) are the core of Force 10. Jokyoshi is a powerful mentalist, although she won't be quite as effective now that MidGuard has it's own mentalist, Prodigy, run by Mentor. He's more powerful but his 90 point VPP takes time to change, she operates from a Multipower so she has tactical flexibility plus a couple of tricks up her sleeve. It'll be a good matchup.

[Enforcer84]

About the Native Language in HD.

What solution did you go with?

 

I generally use a custom adder -4 points and call it "Native Tongue".

If you do give her linguist, make the adder -3.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by Enforcer84

About the Native Language in HD.

What solution did you go with?

 

I generally use a custom adder -4 points and call it "Native Tongue".

If you do give her linguist, make the adder -3.

I ended up going the Custom Adder route. It was good to know that, since most of my characters (both PC and NPC) are multilingual. Since our campaign is based out of Europe, almost all the PCs speak 2 or more languages. Even my little 20-year-old MA speaks Russian, English, and Norwegian with fluency (3 pt. level).