"Batman, but with..."

[Richard Logue]

I have a major NPC in my Champions world named Arcangel. To my players I describe him as "Batman, but with sorcery instead of gadgets." It is a rather simplistic description, but it gets the point across.

 

Thus far, Arcangel has remained an enigmatic and intense NPC that the PCs haven't had any personal interaction with; he has just been background material for the setting.

 

Now has come the time to utilize him in a scenario, and I've never sat down to write up his stats. However, creating sorcery-type characters has never been a strongpoint of mine. So, I'm hoping to get some ideas from you folks on that, or possibly even some assistance writing up some power blocks.

 

My players, fortunately (and unfortunately) don't read these boards, so we're safe with hard numbers and character secrets.

 

The current Arcangel is the fifth individual to have worn the name and mantle. The first one was in the 1920's and was a fairly straight-forward pulpy sort of two-fisted hero wielding a tommy gun. He slinked around at night and fought the mob a lot and earned a reputation as a grim, dark vigilante. But, of course, his methods were effective.

 

The second Arcangel was the first one's son. He more or less played up the same role during the early Golden Age era, and a lot of people questioned whether it was the same man under the mask or not. One thing he did do differently, though, was fight a lot of cults and occultish villains as opposed to "the mob." In doing so, he had to learn a lot of things about them, and he often had to resort to using some of their own methods against them... fight fire with fire, so to speak.

 

The third Arcangel was the second's daughter. This left no doubt in the public's eye that this was a different person under the hood. She took her father's interest in the occult and made it her own. She actively pursued it, and as Arcangel, openly used sorcery in her Arcangelling. It was the Silver Age, and she was the leader of a world-known hero team. She was very enthusiastic about her powers, but her naivete about its power was her downfall, and she mistakenly allowed some "bad things" to happen in the city.

 

Her son became Arcangel (IV) when she retired in depression after having only moderate success in fixing what she messed up. He was an unpopular Arcangel largely because of what his mother had done. (Keep in mind, the identities of the Arcangels have always been kept secret from the public. Not knowing IV was the son of III made no difference. He suffered from guilt by association.) His tenure was brief, however. He wasn't a sorcery user. Instead he went old-school like his great-grandfather. He ended up being crippled by a bullet in his back early on.

 

The fifth Arcangel, the current one, was introduced to his legacy from an early age, and he always knew that he would become the next Arcangel. His father, and his aging grandmother, both agreed that young lad should embrace the idea of using sorcery as Arcangel. but he should be careful to learn all he could about it and about the pitfalls it could create. The family was extremely wealthy and they sent him to people all over the world to be trained in mystic arts. When he came of age and was responsible enough to take on the role, he became the newest Arcangel.

 

The current Arcangel is very subtle about his use of sorcery. He's not flashy like Dr. Strange might be. People kinda know he's a sorceror, but he's gloomy and enigmatic enough that its not a proven thing. So, just as Batman uses gadgets as a tool or a means do accomplish his work, Arcangel uses sorcery to do his work. Like Batman, Arcangel slinks around at night and scares the bad guys. His primary concern is low-level (and sometimes insane) meta-villains, street thugs that get too powerful for the street, and shadowy cults and secret societies that threaten his city. He leaves the flashy, uber villains to the flashy, uber heroes.

 

And I need help writing up his stats. Point limits aren't a huge concern. As an NPC, he costs as many points as is needed, and no more. But I have little to no experience with creating sorceror-type characters.

 

Thanks ahead of time!

 

Richard

[Greywind]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

Fast and dirty, set up his stats how you'd like and dump everything else into a VPP Magic Pool.

[Korvar]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

From the sounds of things, he shouldn't have a large Magic Pool (if pool he has); it should be relatively small - gadgets rather than superweapons.

 

One possibility is that he isn't a sorcerer himself, in that he doesn't cast spells as such, but he uses magical items instead of technological gadgets. Scrying orbs rather than hidden cameras, that kind of thing.

[JmOz]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

OK,

 

From the description he should have some "fear Based" spells

 

Some ideas of the cuff

 

Extra presense

A mental Illuison (Only to create what they fear)

Change enviroment (Spooky)

Entangle (BOECV)

 

some other useful spells would include

Invisibility

teleportation

darkness

some kind of attack spell (Small EB, but the F/X is questionable, probably some kind of Dark Energy)

Probably a HA as well

 

The sttat line should be something akin to

 

Str 15

Dex 26

Con 25

Body 14

Int 18

Ego 18

Pre 20 (Plus more from spells)

Com 14

 

PD 10

ED 10

Speed 5

Rec 8

End 50

Stun 35

 

A few magic items as well

 

A medalion providing Armor (5/5) IIF

Some kind of travel power, traditionaly a cloak, maybe w/life support

 

A Base (With Clairsentience)

 

Skills should include a MA, traditional wizardry skills, lots of "street" skills like KS: Mob, KS: Home city Underworld, etc...

 

Contact: Previous Archangels, police, criminals, bartenders, etc..., probably some level of wealth

[OddHat]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

1) Martial Arts abilities, one or two steps under the best "human" martial artist in your campaign: If your best human martial artist has STR 30, DEX 30, +10 MA Levels, and +6 DCs with MA, then a mystic Bat Clone gets STR 25, Dex 26, +8 MA levels (total, including any HtH or Overall levels), and +5 DCs with MA.

 

2) Detective / Savant abilities, probably the best possible for a human in your campaign. INT 28 or better (depending on where you set your cap), many Detective, Knowledge, Acrobatic and Interaction skills at a base 18- or better to take advantage of the Extraordinary Skills rules on 5thER p.47 and in the Ultimate Skill book. Remember that skill levels and complimentary skill rolls can be applied to Extraordinary Skill use, so long as the base skill starts out at 18- or better.

 

3) Luck, and lots of it. Stands in very well for subtle magic.

 

4) An actual magic pool, mostly in gadgets, with active point levels at 1/2 the campaign limits or less. In other words, if your campaign's Sorcerer Supreme has a 120 point cosmic VPP, your Mystic Batman should have around a 40-60 active point limit on his gadgets; enough to be effective, not enough to challenge for the Sorc Supreme title.

 

Here's a 350 point Mystic Batman type I used in my New Circle convention games: http://www.killershrike.com/NewCircle/Night%20Hunter.HTML

 

Here's the same character at 750 points: http://www.killershrike.com/NewCircle/Night%20Hunter_750.HTML

[Richard Logue]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

All wonderful ideas. Thank you. Keep 'em coming.

 

I hesitate to simply use a VPP because then I don't have boundaries of what he can and cannot do. And I know it is simply deciding the parameters and making a list of tricks he can do, but somehow having it a VPP makes it too open-ended in my head. Does that make sense?

 

Oddhat's suggestion that a VPP for him should be roughly half of my world's "sorceror supreme" character is a nice reference point. It gives me an idea of his reletive power base. (Of course, I have yet to stat out that character either.) Also, the use of Luck is a cool point.

 

I definately don't want to use foci with Arcangel. Everything he does is through use of spells. To me, magic gadgets are still just gadgets, and that would make the character too much like Batman. He is, afterall, an homage character to Batman, but I don't want it to be so overtly obvious.

 

I'm wondering.... Should I put his major stunts and tricks into an Elemental Control or Multipower and then give him a small, but useful VPP for more utilitarian spells? Or is a construction like that more clunky than useful?

 

Richard

[OddHat]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

I hesitate to simply use a VPP because then I don't have boundaries of what he can and cannot do. And I know it is simply deciding the parameters and making a list of tricks he can do' date=' but somehow having it a VPP makes it too open-ended in my head. Does that make sense?[/quote']

 

For a GM run NPC, a list in a VPP of 8-12 common tricks plus the knowledge that I can come up with more when or if I need it works fine for me, especially if the VPP includes limits like "Only Known Spells" (meaning that anything not on the list requires him to spend some time doing research) or similar. That said, a Multipower plus Power Skill is a valid, legal construct. The Multipower contains his every day spells, and a roll vs Power Skill gives him access to one off spells that you may decide to add to the MP later.

[pinecone]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

All wonderful ideas. Thank you. Keep 'em coming.

 

I hesitate to simply use a VPP because then I don't have boundaries of what he can and cannot do. And I know it is simply deciding the parameters and making a list of tricks he can do, but somehow having it a VPP makes it too open-ended in my head. Does that make sense?

 

Oddhat's suggestion that a VPP for him should be roughly half of my world's "sorceror supreme" character is a nice reference point. It gives me an idea of his reletive power base. (Of course, I have yet to stat out that character either.) Also, the use of Luck is a cool point.

 

I definately don't want to use foci with Arcangel. Everything he does is through use of spells. To me, magic gadgets are still just gadgets, and that would make the character too much like Batman. He is, afterall, an homage character to Batman, but I don't want it to be so overtly obvious.

 

I'm wondering.... Should I put his major stunts and tricks into an Elemental Control or Multipower and then give him a small, but useful VPP for more utilitarian spells? Or is a construction like that more clunky than useful?

 

Richard

 

Yeah, the differance btween a VPP and a big multi is not real huge...I'd go with a VPP, and limit it to prewritten spells so it is not a time killer, but he can add in special spells to battle specific foes as needed....

 

I like it, instead of electronic bugs he uses magical beetles etc....

[Clonus]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

1. 
   
2. Invisibility
   
3. Presence Drain
   
4. Teleportation
   
5. Mind control versus supernatural entities "Begone".

[Richard Logue]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

Thank you for all your ideas. I'm working on the stats now and will post it up when I'm finished. And of course, I will appreciate your critiques on it.

 

Of course, further ideas and thoughts are always helpful!

 

Richard

[bjvargas]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

From the sounds of things' date=' he shouldn't have a [i']large[/i] Magic Pool (if pool he has); it should be relatively small - gadgets rather than superweapons.

 

You could set up a large pool so that he has lots of spells (gadgets), but let each individual slot have an AP cap.

[freakboy6117]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

I think you need to boil down the character to the fundamentals and then substitute mystical flavour

 

I see the core of The Batman concept being

Superbly trained but mortal man like all the best mages

All those Wonderful high tech toys would become

Potions fetishes and amulets

World’s greatest detective could also be a

Scryer diviner and fortune teller

The Master tactician might be

Master of arcane combat

The uncanny Stealth could be

Wards cloaks of shadows and the power to cloud men’s minds

 

 

Knowing that there was much work to be done to undo the mistakes of the past and that someone must be ready to carry on the legacy of the archangel and most importantly of all to conceal the child from his many enemies (including the one that had already taken the Child's mother from him)

The fourth archangel with great sorrow entrusted his new born son to his mother the third archangel. The archangel would not see his son again for many years.

 

While the archangel strove to save the city and sometimes even the world from the forces of darkness .the boy’s grandmother had trailed him around the world always one step ahead of his enemies. He had learnt a dozen languages both living and dead, visited places thought lost to mankind he been taught the secret techniques of masters of the mundane, mystical and martial arts. A precocious and brilliant child he showed a veracious appetite for learning taking any opportunity to learn a new skill. But it was a secret talent that most amazed his grandmother when she discovered it his mystical vision the ability to see the truth of things the magic within and his innate grasp of crying and prognostication these abilities she knew would make him the greatest of the lineage she desperately hoped he would be able to repair the damage she had caused.

 

It was shortly before the end of their 18th year of travels that the fourth archangel was badly injured by one of his enemies grand mother and son returned to watch over him and mother and son argued she believed him ready but his father did not and they fought bitterly but he knew he was ready to take his father’s place and stole his father’s armour donning the mantel of the archangel he thwarted the villain that had crippled his father and thus proved himself worthy of the title.

Since that day he has fought the armies of darkness assisted by his grand mother and father

Wrapped in his cloak of shadows and the mystical armour of the arch angel he carries an ancient leather pouch that contains many artifacts of great power that he accumulated as gifts and spoils during his travels and many adventures

But his greatest strength is his foresight and intellect with his prognostic skills and powerful intellect he always seems to find the right technique to defeat his foes.

[Korvar]

Re: "Batman, but with..."

 

You could set up a large pool so that he has lots of spells (gadgets)' date=' but let each individual slot have an AP cap.[/quote']

 

Yes, I think that's what I would have realised I meant had I thought about what I was typing Rep for you!