Truthsayer Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Ok, I just got the Turakian age book but I didn't find Kal Turak in there! Am I supposed to write him up on my own? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Not necessarily. Here's the thing: according to remarks Steve Long has made on this subject here on the boards, Kal-Turak is intended to be the great menace looming over Ambrethel, much the same as Sauron looms over Middle-Earth. Like Sauron, he's not meant as a foe for the heroes to fight directly, at least not before the climactic battle of the Turakian Age. PC heroes may thwart Kal-Turak's plans or defeat his servants, but it's assumed that facing the Ravager of Men will be beyond the strength of anything less than the united free peoples of the world. Now as you've probably read in Turakian Age, Kal-Turak was eventually slain, but returned mightier than ever as Takofanes the Archlich. In the Hero Universe Takofanes actually endures to the contemporary era, and there's a full writeup for him in the Champions sourcebook, Conquerors, Killers And Crooks. If you really want to use the character in your fantasy campaign you could adapt his stats from that book. I must caution you, however, that that version of Takofanes is designed to threaten whole teams of powerful superheroes, and will effortlessly squash just about any heroic-level characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garou Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Now as you've probably read in Turakian Age' date=' Kal-Turak was eventually slain, but returned mightier than ever as Takofanes the Archlich. [/quote'] Really? In CK&C, under his background/history it says: [Takofanes]awakened to a world far different from any he had ever known -- one in which his powers, though strong, were weaker than they had once been. I always interpreted that to mean that he is not (at the time of Champs) at full strength, and that, at some point, he may become even more powerful. Or should it be read that his powers are stronger, but, relative to the increased technology, presence of superhumans, etc, is "weaker" than what he had in the Turakian age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Hiemforth Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Why is this thread in Hero System Discussion instead of Fantasy Hero...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Really? In CK&C, under his background/history it says: I always interpreted that to mean that he is not (at the time of Champs) at full strength, and that, at some point, he may become even more powerful. Or should it be read that his powers are stronger, but, relative to the increased technology, presence of superhumans, etc, is "weaker" than what he had in the Turakian age? No, you're right, but so am I. If you read back over Takofanes' history in CKC, you'll see that after his death during the Turakian Age "he returned as a sere lich, steeped in necromancy, more powerful than ever." (p. 32) He ruled his empire as the Archlich until finally being cast down. However, in the modern world his magic is indeed objectively less than in the ancient past, because the level of ambient magic on present-day Earth is lower than during the Turakian Age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Why is this thread in Hero System Discussion instead of Fantasy Hero...? Because it's cross-genre-ational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Hiemforth Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Because it's cross-genre-ational.The OP wasn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garou Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Because it's cross-genre-ational. Genre-ally speaking, it is, and the questions in this topic could be debated for genre-ations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eosin Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Re: Kal Turak The OP doesn't have a huge number of posts. This and the thread on the A'dam both belong to the Fantasy Hero topic but no harm - no foul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Re: Kal Turak I wonder if we'll ever get an official writeup for Sharna-Gorak? I'm not certain which one would be considered the Hero Universe's greatest occult villain. We could settle it with a cage-match between S-G and Tak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrosshairCollie Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Re: Kal Turak We could settle it with a cage-match between S-G and Tak. Yeah, but then Firelord and Spider-Man would wander by and -- *gets shot in the face* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Yeah, but then Firelord and Spider-Man would wander by and -- *gets shot in the face* *waits for Keith to come by and say "Cap wins, unless Batman has time to prepare"* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Re: Kal Turak I always interpreted that to mean that he is not (at the time of Champs) at full strength' date=' and that, at some point, he may become even more powerful. Or should it be read that his powers are stronger, but, relative to the increased technology, presence of superhumans, etc, is "weaker" than what he had in the Turakian age?[/quote'] I tend to disregard the whole "waxing and waning of magic" thing as the transparent shoehorn that it is, and I really don't like Tacoface much anyway, considering that he's the poster-child for metagaming the powers of villains (Dude, Takofanes wins in an instant, all he has to do is use his VPP for an NND BODY Drain linked to a BOECV BODY Drain linked to an RKA all with Megascale!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrosshairCollie Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Re: Kal Turak I tend to disregard the whole "waxing and waning of magic" thing as the transparent shoehorn that it is' date=' and I really don't like Tacoface much anyway, considering that he's the poster-child for metagaming the powers of villains (Dude, Takofanes wins in an instant, all he has to do is use his VPP for an NND BODY Drain linked to a BOECV BODY Drain linked to an RKA all with Megascale!)[/quote'] Like Destroyer can't do that? I find that argument farcical given that such an event would only occur in a game run by a rookie or very poor GM, which doesn't reflect on the character or its build, but simply the inexperience or craptasticness of the GM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaGeek Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Re: Kal Turak In the Hero Universe Takofanes actually endures to the contemporary era' date=' and there's a full writeup for him in the Champions sourcebook, [i']Conquerors, Killers And Crooks[/i]. If you really want to use the character in your fantasy campaign you could adapt his stats from that book. I must caution you, however, that that version of Takofanes is designed to threaten whole teams of powerful superheroes, and will effortlessly squash just about any heroic-level characters. Which would probably be appropriate if he is supposed to be a Sauron-class villain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Re: Kal Turak Like Destroyer can't do that? I find that argument farcical given that such an event would only occur in a game run by a rookie or very poor GM, which doesn't reflect on the character or its build, but simply the inexperience or craptasticness of the GM. I take it you missed the Thread That Dare Not Speak Its Name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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