fwcain Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 I've been writing up a new superhero PC. His schtick is that he's a mutant with an extra pair of arms who's learned various martial arts. He's got a gadget that can become different weapons/tools -- it's ordinarily a baton, but it can instead become a nunchaku, a tonfa, a quarterstaff, or a grapnel with line and winch. My question is, what do I call the gadget? (I'm asking for your help in coming up with a cool name.) If it helps, here is the write-up for the gadget. 18 Whatchamacallit: Multipower (37-pt. reserve), OAF (-1) 01 [u:30] Baton/Staff/Tonfa: HTH +4d6, 0 END (+1/2), HTH Attack (-1/2) 01 [u:31] Nunchaku: HTH +3.5d6, Indirect (+1/4), 0 END (+1/2), HTH Attack (-1/2) 01 [u:06] Baton/Nunchaku/Tonfa: +2 OCV w/ Block/Disarm/Takeaway 01 [u:07] Staff: Stretching +1", Combat reach only (-1/4), No velocity/growth bonus to damage (-1/4) 02 [u:37] Grapnel-Line: Swinging 25", 0 END (+1/2) 02 [u:37] Grapnel-Line and Winch: Leaping +25", 0 END (+1/2) == 26 Final Cost Thanks in advance! Franklin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Mhoram Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Multi-stick Morphstick are ones that come to mind. And of couse variations - Multistaff ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldun Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Step One. Thanks! Step Two. "Tub Thumper?" Just to keep them guessing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silbeg Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! I've been writing up a new superhero PC. His schtick is that he's a mutant with an extra pair of arms who's learned various martial arts. He's got a gadget that can become different weapons/tools -- it's ordinarily a baton' date=' but it can instead become a nunchaku, a tonfa, a quarterstaff, or a grapnel with line and winch. My question is, [b']what do I call the gadget?[/b] (I'm asking for your help in coming up with a cool name.) I guess I would have to ask what the character's name is, and some other background stuff. Did he create teh "stick", or is this somethign that was given to him in the past? I could see the character just referring to it as his "Stick", or something like that... but the media may have given it a "fancy" (i.e., 4-color) name. Not coming up with anything concrete, yet... but... Ok, the cheese, now... it is his "Schtick Stick"??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Ok' date=' the cheese, now... it is his "Schtick Stick"??? [/quote'] For a more lighthearted hero, I could definitely see it. At first I thought of a few obvious ones, like "Switch Stick." I've also always been fond of the "Havoc-Staff" wielded by Skeletor in the old He-Man cartoons. But then I hit my thesaurus looking for synonyms for "staff," and found something that sounded both appropriate and catchy: Supplejack, a walking stick made from the wood of the climbing plant of the same name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldun Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Your "Opinion Pole?" "Rod of Righteousness?" "Pain Re-Scepter?" "Crook Crook?" "Cane of Pain?" Lord Liaden's not the only one who can use a Thesaurus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwcain Posted July 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! OK, some background... I came up with the idea for this hero while playing around with HeroMachine. I came up with this image: [ATTACH]22435[/ATTACH] I thought, "That's pretty cool, now let's make a character to go with it." The only power I could think of was "Well, he's got four arms...Mutant?...What else...Something else...Anything else?...Drawin' a blank here." So, I gave him STR 45 (really low for a brick, rather high for a non-brick) and some Damage Resistance for his 10 PD/10 ED (natural/base DEF; not including any for his padded costume...), and then started on his martial arts maneuvers. ("Hmm...four arms...good at wrestling? Yeah, that works...A bit of karate also; image does show nunchucks and staff...") Then I wrote up the gadget. I figure, he had it custom-made by a weaponsmith/gadgeteer that he knows (someone who's either for hire to all, or else part of a local hero team). I still haven't come up with a name for the hero himself, either. I hope this additional info is helpful. My thanks to all who've contributed! Franklin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldun Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Actually, the more I think about it, the more I like "Opinion Pole." Yeah. That's my official suggestion. (Don't you just hate it when something starts out as a joke, and then ends up being okay? Sort of like Foxbat.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! switch stave combicane battlejack multistave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwcain Posted July 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! battlejack multistave Looking at these two gave me "Battle-Staff." Unless some other suggestion looks even better, that's probably what I'll go with. Thanks! Franklin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marketeer Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! If the character has an offbeat sense of humor, and/or if the character is a fan of the webcomic 8-bit theatre... "Staff-Chucks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! "You are no match for my Arsenal staff!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Three Section Staff (a real weapon that can be used similarly to yours, though without the grapnel) The Big Tonker Iro Iro Tsuae (Vari-Staff, with the generic "staff" as the final character rather than the weapon to reflect its use as a tool) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattingly Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Re: name this gadget! I'd call it the Slap Stick. Because it's whack-y. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 13 Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! The Arm-ament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveZilla Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! I've been writing up a new superhero PC. His schtick is that he's a mutant with an extra pair of arms who's learned various martial arts. He's got a gadget that can become different weapons/tools -- it's ordinarily a baton' date=' but it can instead become a nunchaku, a tonfa, a quarterstaff, or a grapnel with line and winch. My question is, [b']what do I call the gadget?[/b] (I'm asking for your help in coming up with a cool name.) If it helps, here is the write-up for the gadget. 18 Whatchamacallit: Multipower (37-pt. reserve), OAF (-1) 01 [u:30] Baton/Staff/Tonfa: HTH +4d6, 0 END (+1/2), HTH Attack (-1/2) 01 [u:31] Nunchaku: HTH +3.5d6, Indirect (+1/4), 0 END (+1/2), HTH Attack (-1/2) 01 [u:06] Baton/Nunchaku/Tonfa: +2 OCV w/ Block/Disarm/Takeaway 01 [u:07] Staff: Stretching +1", Combat reach only (-1/4), No velocity/growth bonus to damage (-1/4) 02 [u:37] Grapnel-Line: Swinging 25", 0 END (+1/2) 02 [u:37] Grapnel-Line and Winch: Leaping +25", 0 END (+1/2) == 26 Final Cost Thanks in advance! Franklin 1. You might want to look at increasing the Stretching to 2". 1" of stretching is, according to Steve, just the adjacent hex. 2. Name: SelectaStaff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwcain Posted July 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! You might want to look at increasing the Stretching to 2". 1" of stretching is' date=' according to Steve, just the adjacent hex. [/quote']Actually, the 1" Stretching is to get past the adjacent hex (which you can already reach) to get to the next one out. In tUMA, that's how they built Staff and other Polearms, with just 1" of Stretching. Thanks for the feedback, though! Franklin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loraxxx Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! omni-staff? multi-pole? multi-rod? dickum-stick? rod-of-wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Frisbee Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! My personal selection for your gadget is: The Multi-Bonker! But can slice, dice and make juliene fries? Matt "From-Wham-Ko" Frisbee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! The Swiss-staff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APE Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Over-Elaborate Ninja Weapon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveZilla Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Actually, the 1" Stretching is to get past the adjacent hex (which you can already reach) to get to the next one out. In tUMA, that's how they built Staff and other Polearms, with just 1" of Stretching. Thanks for the feedback, though! Franklin No problem! I don't have my UMA here with me (at work), but this is found in the revised FAQ: Q: Since HTH Combat range is already the character’s hex or any adjacent hex, does that mean a character with Stretching 1” can actually reach 2” away from himself? A: No, that’s not the intent of the rule. While I didn’t create the initial HTH Combat range rules, here’s what I think is intended and how I interpret things. The idea that someone in a hex can reach/touch/hit someone in any adjacent hex is, on its face, illogical and unrealistic as an absolute statement. That would imply that any given character has a reach of as much as 13 feet (assuming he were standing on one edge of his hex and his opponent was on the far edge of a hex on the opposite side). The “hex you’re in or any adjacent hex” is intended to allow for several situations: 1. A character’s ability to make a quick two or three steps to reach his target as part of his attack. The movement rules of the HERO System don’t generally allow for explicit movement in conjunction with a HTH attack, but they implicitly allow for it via this rule. 2. The situation where someone is standing on the edge of a hex and his opponent is standing over the edge — in another hex but clearly within arm’s reach. A rigid rule that “the characters must be in the same hex” would be grossly misinterpreted and abused by the rules lawyers and min-maxers among us. 3. The inherent extra reach granted by using small and medium HTH weapons. What Stretching 1” allows is for a character to reach anywhere in an adjacent hex without having to move at all — without having to make that “quick two or three steps” mentioned above. It’s a little illogical, given the rules about HTH range, but I think it makes more sense to interpret it that way than to start reading it as X+1”. Which I can see. IMO there is a difference between being able to hit a target in the adjacent hex, and being able to reach anwhere in that hex. But you and your GM are free to house rule it as an extension to regular reach (which makes a character with Stretching and Growth really, really effective ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzMike Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Weapon? Grabatonfa Chakastaff? That just about covers it. How about giving the character the name Mr Blitz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrakazog Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Rod Of Lordly Might I had a PC with a similar device. Jock, who played every sport known to man, had his Jock Stick. It could transform from cricket bat (HA) to hockey stick (HKA) to tennis racket (missile deflection) to pole vault (leaping) etc. ad multipowerum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Re: name this gadget! Swiss Army Nunchuk! Actually, my first thought was "Polearm". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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