Fogilioverse HERO

[Michael Hopcroft]

Some various HERO writeups from the various universes of Phil Foglio -- artists, fantasist, and self-described "gentleman pornographer" (and, surprisingly enough, local PTA officer!)

 

[b][size="5"]Avery Tarr[/size][/b]
Val	Char	Cost	Roll	Notes
18	STR	8	13-	Lift 303.1kg; 3 1/2d6 HTH damage [2]
18	DEX	24	13-	OCV: 6/DCV: 6
16	CON	12	12-
16	BODY	12	12-
13	INT	3	12-	PER Roll 12-
13	EGO	6	12-	ECV: 4
18	PRE	8	13-	PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6
18	COM	4	13-
10	PD	6	Total: 10 PD (0 rPD)
8	ED	5	Total: 8 ED (0 rED)
4	SPD	12	Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
10	REC	6
40	END	4
33	STUN	0	Total Characteristics Cost: 110
Movement:	Running: 6"/[Noncombat]"
Leaping: 3 1/2"/[Noncombat]"
Swimming: 2"/[Noncombat]"

Cost	Powers	END
50	Ever-Loaded Twin Peacemakers: Killing Attack - Ranged 2 1/2d6, Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; Magically reload themselves instantly when fired; +1) (90 Active Points); OAF (His guns are from his world; he cannot replace them in this one; -1)	0
7	Bar-Room Brawler: HA +2d6 (10 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)	1

Martial Arts: [Martial Art Name]
Maneuver	OCV	DCV	Notes
5	Offensive Strike	-2	+1	7 1/2d6 Strike
4	Sacrifice Disarm	+2	-2	Disarm, 28 STR to Disarm
3	Sacrifice Throw	+2	+1	3 1/2d6 Strike; You Fall, Target Falls
5	Joint Break	-1	-2	Grab One Limb; HKA 1d6 +1 , Disable
4	Choke Hold	-2	+0	Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND
3	Flying Tackle	+0	-1	3 1/2d6 +v/5 Strike; You Fall, Target Falls; FMove
Talents
3	Absolute Range Sense
3	Ambidexterity (-2 Off Hand penalty)
8	Combat Shooting
6	Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
14	Fearless

Skills
5	Accurate Sprayfire
2	Animal Handler (Equines) 13-
3	Climbing 13-
5	Deadly Sprayfire
3	Deduction 12-
3	Conversation 13-
9	Fast Draw 16-
2	Gambling (Faro, Poker) 12-
3	Interrogation 13-
1	KS: American Constitutional Law 8-
3	Persuasion 13-
5	PS: Lawman 14-
3	PS: Camp Cooking 12-
2	PS: Ranch Hand 11-
7	Riding 15-
5	Rapid Attack (Ranged) 
5	+5 with any single attack with one specific weapon
5	Survival (Desert, Temperate/Subtropical Plains) 13-
3	Tactics 12-
5	Tracking 13-
10	Two-Weapon Fighting (Ranged) 
1	WF:  Early Percussion Firearms, Unarmed Combat
4	+2 with Riding

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 209
Total Cost: 319

200+	Disadvantages
15	Distinctive Features:  Obviously not from "around here" (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
20	Psychological Limitation:  Never starts a fight and always gives an enemy a chance to back down (Common, Total)
5	Physical Limitation: Can't Quite Hold his Liquor:  (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Will Not "Murder" (Uncommon, Total)
20	Psychological Limitaton: In Love with Sooja:  (Very Common, Strong)
20	Social Limitation: Stranger in a VERY strange land:  (Very Frequently, Major)
5	Social Limitation: Owes fealty to Lord Whibble:  (Occasionally, Minor)

Total Disadvantage Points: 319

 

Background/History: Avery Tarr is a man out of time. A lawman in the Wild West, somehow he found himself transplanted to a strange world of magic, elves, wizards, warriors, Gods, Demons, and treasure-hunting dungeon delvers. He attached himself to one such band, who have helped him cope with his new world, and now he finds that he is more at home there than he ever was in the West.

 

Personality/Motivation: Avery was in his own time a bit of an oddity; he was almost completely devoid of the racial prejudice that was pandemic in his time, and was constantly being "called out" for stopping lynch mobs and the like. Even so, the mores, dress and manners of his new world have required some adjustments on his part. Still, he is a protector at heart, and he will continue to do what he sees as his duty no matter how strange his surroundings get.

 

Although his protective instincts extend to his entire group, he has a special relationship with the sorceress Sooja; although they do not expect exclusivity, they are lovers in all the senses that matter.

 

Quote: "Awright, you, nobody wants any trouble. Iffn you just turn around and walk away, we'll all be a lot happier."

Powers/Tactics: Avery is the ranged combat specialist of the team, and is alarmingly good at it (much to the rest of the party's chagrin, because he can dispatch so many foes so quickly that they don't always get in on the action). Whatever magic brought him to this world enchanted his Colt Peacemakers so that they have an unlimited supply of ammunition. Since he is both a fast shot and a very accurate one, this makes him frighteningly efficient against masses of low-level foes. In close quarters, he'll use his fists, where he is an unscientific but effective brawler. Although he carries a Bowie knife, he rarely fights with it, viewing it as a tool rather than a weapon.

 

Avery will never start a fight, and has enough respect even for monster life that he will try to defuse a confrontation whenever possible. However, if you start a fight with him he WILL finish it.

 

Campaign use: The timelost lawman is almost never seen outside the company of Sooja and the rest of their "party", who are his guides to his new world.

 

Source: XXXenophile Graphic Novel #6 ("Heart of Stone")

[Black Rose]

Re: Foglioverse HERO

 

I really liked this story; granted, all of Phil's xXxenophile stories are great IMO, given that Phil has just the right amount of sardonic wit to suit me. But this one was longer than the others (obviously) and actually had interesting character growth. I wanted to see it continue. If I can call anything Phil does a flaw, it would be that.

 

And Sooja was a very sweet lady, who definitely deserved someone who could see past her eyes (read the graphic novel, you'll see what I mean).

[Susano]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

I have a package deal for Girl genius Madboys/Girls on my website.

 

Hmm.. now I can't find it.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

GG is full of great gamable stuff, so much so that the Foglios are working on a GURPS-based RPG (all the while continuing the series, which is one of the web's hottest comics that isn't Order of the Stick).

 

I can't wait for the chance to convert Giesterdamen, Von Pinn, Bang Dupree, Othar and -- of course -- those terrifyingly lovable Jagermonsters -- who are perhaps one of the most intriguing fantasy races and cultures created for the comics in recent memory. There are moments when the Boyz have made me laugh out loud, and others when they've moved me to weep openly.

[Susano]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

Funny... I had the exact same idea.

[nexus]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

It wasn't Sooja's eyes I found distracting...

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

The weird thing about that story (in which a God's stone-encrusted libido causes all kinds of trouble) is that as a result of this the entire main cast (including the villain) finds love, not just lust. Although exclusivity isn't to be expected from a XXXenophile cast, Avery and Sooja do form a relationship (with the imp familiar as an unavoidable interloper), Feljikk and Mowbri acknowledge and accept feelings that had been brewing for quite a while, and even the cleric Otaz realizes the true nature of her relationship with her deity (even though she agrees to have the memory wiped temporarily).

[nexus]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

I didn't think that was so unususal for the XXXenophile stories; they often featured romantic sex/love as well as more casual enounters. They were varied storiesand were generally light hearted and allot of fun, IMO.

[nexus]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

Out of pure curiosity, I'd like to see a write up Agatha from Girl Genius. I don't really follow the comic but I have friends that swear by it so I have allot of second hand information.

[Susano]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

Out of pure curiosity' date=' I'd like to see a write up Agatha from Girl Genius. I don't really follow the comic but I have friends that swear by it so I have allot of second hand information.[/quote']

 

I'll wait until the GURPS book.

[Kristopher]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

The Jagerkin are really intriguing. Really tough, too.

 

And every time you think you have them figured out, the gain another layer of depth.

[Susano]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

The Jagerkin are really intriguing. Really tough, too.

 

And every time you think you have them figured out, the gain another layer of depth.

 

They are a heck of a lot smarter then they let on.

[Kristopher]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

They are a heck of a lot smarter then they let on.

 

Yeah. Especially the independent Jagers we've seen.

 

 

We've been told that they're immune to the slaver wasps. They were evidently created by the Heterodynes' less-than-nice ancestors. We've only ever seen one character who might be a female Jager. And it's possible that they're interfertile with humans, based on the inept bard that one of the Jagers calls "grandson" during the raid on the castle to rescue Agatha.

 

[Susano]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

We've only ever seen one character who might be a female Jager.

 

I think they need a whole new definition for "badass" for her.

[Kristopher]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

I wonder how they're going to do a complete RPG setting without at least a few spoilers -- there are things we don't know about certain things yet that a GM would need to know, unless he wants to answer those questions on his own.

[Susano]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

I wonder how they're going to do a complete RPG setting without at least a few spoilers -- there are things we don't know about certain things yet that a GM would need to know' date=' unless he wants to answer those questions on his own.[/quote']

 

Perhaps they hope to have answered many of them by the time the book comes out?

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

Yeah. Especially the independent Jagers we've seen.

 

 

We've been told that they're immune to the slaver wasps. They were evidently created by the Heterodynes' less-than-nice ancestors. We've only ever seen one character who might be a female Jager. And it's possible that they're interfertile with humans, based on the inept bard that one of the Jagers calls "grandson" during the raid on the castle to rescue Agatha.

 

 

And they also have a highly-developed sense of loyalty and honor -- which two particular pages express especially beautifully, both involving the "Boyz" -- a trio of highly charismatic Jaegers who attach themselves to Agatha, who had volunteered to seek the Heterodyne heir they thought did not exist as a way of allowing the remaining Jagerkin to honorably accept service to Baron Wulfenbach. Then there is this powerfully moving page that illustrates what jagers truly value.

 

The general public considers the jagerkin terifying beasts. the reality is, while they are indeed fearsome, they are anything but bestial.

 

[Kristopher]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

And they also have a highly-developed sense of loyalty and honor -- which two particular pages express especially beautifully' date=' both involving the "Boyz" -- a trio of highly charismatic Jaegers who attach themselves to Agatha, who had volunteered to seek the Heterodyne heir they thought did not exist as a way of allowing the remaining Jagerkin to honorably accept service to Baron Wulfenbach. Then there is this powerfully moving page that illustrates what jagers truly value.

 

The general public considers the jagerkin terifying beasts. the reality is, while they are indeed fearsome, they are anything but bestial.

 

That page did get to me a little.

 

What was the other page (you mentioned two and posted one link)?

[Black Rose]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

I have a package deal for Girl genius Madboys/Girls on my website.

 

Hmm.. now I can't find it.

 

I feel humbled, and not a little scared, that not only could I find something Susano couldn't, but I found it on his website.

[Susano]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

I feel humbled' date=' and not a little scared, that not only could I find something Susano couldn't, but I found it on his website.

 

The last update I did showed there are 4,005 files on my website. 'nuff said.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

The last update I did showed there are 4' date='005 files on my website. 'nuff said. [/quote']

Is that all? Slacker.

[Markdoc]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

They are a heck of a lot smarter then they let on.

 

Well, remember as noted, the jägerkin we see most of are different from the rest: they are gradually geting smarter by being away from other jägers. The generals are also pretty smart - which is what our favourite jägerkin mght end up growing into...

 

cheers, Mark

[nexus]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

Man, that comic is popular.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

Phil Foglio is reporting that Kaja is going to be hospitalized for several weeks due to a recurrence of a long-standing ailment, which is probably going to affect delivery of new Girl Genius pages.

 

Kaja describes her experience on her blog briefly, but it sounds extremely unpleasant.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Fogilioverse HERO

 

Good news; not only is kaja out of the hospital, but Girl Genius was updated on schedule both night even while she was there (she used a laptop to letter and code the pages IN HIS HOSPITAL BED and upload the files before throwing it back in her husband's face so she could rest.)

 

It looks like there won't be any insurance problems either that the Foglios are mentioning, meaning we are speared the need for a Kajathon.

 

And an intriguing new character who has been introduced -- the young man who virtually runs Mechanicsburg from a coffeehouse table and wouldn't have it any other way. Imagine a young, thin and handsome Mycroft Holmes, physically lazy but mentally sharp and uberalert 9and, thanks to all the coffee he drinks, probably in a continued state of wiredness).