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Breaking Personality Stereotypes for the Archetypes


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Originally posted by Supreme

The character's name was Demise, IIRC.

If its Demise dont look in his eyes.

 

Massive Ego Attack Does Body Requires Eye Contact, Massive Regenerate Regrow Ressurect, and a big PsyLim "Fatalistic", with lots of Unluck too.

 

Wild Cards is a great source for counter-types, 3-dimensional villains (that unlike in comics sometimes win big), and heros with clay feet. :D

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Originally posted by Dog Soldier

I think you may have created new archetypes. A Martial Artist, well, s/he studies Martial Art. Someone that doesn't train but relies on some "knack" for fighting may be very effective but that's not a Martial Artist. Gadgets are defined as handy devices, that's what gadgeteers make. Huge, kludgey "Junkyard Wars" things aren't very handy. Again, this would be a new sort of archtype. Interesting:D

Karnak of the Inhumans is similar to the former, and there was a character from X-Men 2099 similar to the second, although he wasnt so much a gadgeteer as a brick. He rebuilt his body with spare parts IIRC. His name may even have been Junkyard. Just about unkillable IIRC.

 

However, both of the ideas still fall with in the MA and Gadgeteer archetypes. The archetypes define the concept/ends, not the means. A shift dodgy toe-to-toe fighter is still an MA regardless of thier schtick. A dude that makes gadgets, magic items, taskable programs, whatever is still a gadgeteer. Reasoning from effect and all that....

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Originally posted by Killer Shrike

That sounds familiar. Was that from the series with all the screwed up "heroes" and thier more screwed up sidekicks?

If I remember correctly, Hooded Justice was from Watchmen. One of the old mystery men.

 

I can't remember him having a schtick like that, though - enjoying getting beaten up, that is. There was, however, someone that two of the heroes talked about, who took on a villain persona in order to get beaten up. The female member said that she gave up fighting him when she realised that he was breathing heavily.

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Originally posted by Supreme

My biggest beef with the way MAs are so often played is that people think that only exotic locales, such as Southern Asia are fit places for super-types to study martial arts. Hasn't anyone ever heard of boxing? How about wrestling? How about gymnastics? HERO's current system of martial arts is simply the best I've ever seen in over 20 years of RPGing. It's incredibly flexible.

 

There's even been some talk that Oriental Martial Arts were influenced/inspired by Greek pankration, spread by the armies of Alexander the Great into the middle east and from there trickled into India and China. Who knows?

 

But yeah, MAs can be ANYTHING from Ancient Shaolin Solar Sun Stance types to Begby-esque bar room scrappers to palookas to just naturally talented fighters. Its whatever you want it to be. Ive always had a lot of fun with the MAs in the HERO System; I think its the best system for representing MAs that Ive ever run across; much better than Ninja's and Superspies frex IMO.

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Originally posted by Lupus

If I remember correctly, Hooded Justice was from Watchmen. One of the old mystery men.

 

I can't remember him having a schtick like that, though - enjoying getting beaten up, that is. There was, however, someone that two of the heroes talked about, who took on a villain persona in order to get beaten up. The female member said that she gave up fighting him when she realised that he was breathing heavily.

No, that wouldnt be what Im thinking of. There was a short series of dark comics about a bunch of really messed up "heroes" and the psychological damage they inflicted on string of sidekicks. One of the characters was a Batman-like avenger of the night who was also a homosexual pedophile; his sidekick was his catamite. Another was a femnazi man-hater; she pulled a great expectations mind-screw with her young impressionable sidekick, turning her to manipulate and hate all men. Another was a tweaker speedster with a flying car who hopped his sidekick up on amphetamines and put him on a flying skateboard to fight crime. And finally another was a Punisher like character that wore a hood that was kind of wink wink like a KKK mask (except it was black), and he was a diehard genocidal bigot with some S&M elements suggested IIRC -- thats the one I thought might be Hooded Justice.

 

Very strange series. Ill be damned if I can remember the name of it.....Sidekicks maybe?

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Originally posted by Crisis

Energy blaster--here's a conundrum. Cyclops is often seen as the prototypical energy blaster, but powers wise i think he's definitely atypical. I would love to see more energy blasters whose only power is an energy blast. No flight, no force fields, no energy manipulation, just the blast.

 

All excellent ideas Crisis. For a focused blaster character without the usual Multipower of EB, Flight, FF I direct you to:

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6160&perpage=20&pagenumber=3#Rebound

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Originally posted by Killer Shrike

Karnak of the Inhumans is similar to the former, and there was a character from X-Men 2099 similar to the second, although he wasnt so much a gadgeteer as a brick. He rebuilt his body with spare parts IIRC. His name may even have been Junkyard. Just about unkillable IIRC.

 

His name was Junkpile. He's a Mutant whose powers enabled him to create replacements for missing body parts with... junk. Every time someone shot off an arm or a leg, his powers would assemble a new one from whatever scrap metal was available. Eventually, he ran out of 'meat' to replace and is all metal now.

By the way, Junkpile was a Brick. In fact, he held the Juggernaught role in X-Men 2099: the evil 'brother' of the team founder who wants to do in said founder and can take anything the X-Men can throw at him.

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Originally posted by Killer Shrike

There was a short series of dark comics about a bunch of really messed up "heroes" and the psychological damage they inflicted on string of sidekicks. .... Ill be damned if I can remember the name of it.....Sidekicks maybe?

 

Sounds like Brat Pack to me, but it may have been done more than once. I can't remember most of the details of the series.

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Originally posted by Old Man

Sounds like Brat Pack to me, but it may have been done more than once. I can't remember most of the details of the series.

 

Was this the one where all of the supers had regeneration based on a blood transfusion from the "Superman" of the setting? Ends with "Superman" returning from space and draining the life force back out of all the "heroes?"

 

Good and very twisted series. I remember the first book of the prequel, with the infant "Superman" acting like a normal infant, throwing temper tantrums and growing up to be an (almost) uncontrolable monster. Never got the rest of the books.

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I think only the pedophile Batman clone had gained a limited Regeneration via a Blood transfusion from the superman -- they had been lovers at one point IIRC. The Batman dude gave transfusions to his sidekicks, but it was diluted/not as good. In fact, I think his prior sidekick got caught in a bomb and blown to hell and gone along with the other previous crop of sidekicks, and his weak regen kept him alive, but horribly messed up and hideous.

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Originally posted by Killer Shrike

I think only the pedophile Batman clone had gained a limited Regeneration via a Blood transfusion from the superman -- they had been lovers at one point IIRC. The Batman dude gave transfusions to his sidekicks, but it was diluted/not as good. In fact, I think his prior sidekick got caught in a bomb and blown to hell and gone along with the other previous crop of sidekicks, and his weak regen kept him alive, but horribly messed up and hideous.

 

Maybe so. It's been a long time. :)

 

I can't see anyone trying to run that as a campaign. :eek:

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The Fringe

 

I'll edit this more later, but here you go, a brief synopsis of each personality of (hopefully) personality sterotype breaking NPC hero group- The Fringe! I'm sure folks will see pretty clearly on many of them where I took your collective ideas for the inspiration. Thanks again ;)

 

 

Ajax (brick): Adam Jackson, aka Ajax is one of those lucky few who had Kelverite blow up in his face, but in a good way. Before his transformation into a muscle bound behemoth of a man, Adam was quite the nerd. So much so, that he can't understand why folks think of cleaning products rather than greek myths when they hear his super hero name. He still is quite the geek; able to debate for hours over which Trek captain was best, which movies jumped the shark, and the value of Linux over windows and why AOL is the devil. Despite taking the name of such a formidible warrior, Ajax still forgets sometimes that he's super powered now. With the majority of his life spent suffering taunts, wedgies, and being stuffed into a locker; his instincts prefer flight over fight. There are exceptions, of course; he won't leave his teammates behind, and, well, there was that one time they had to pull him off Bulldozer when the villain tore up his Seeker #17!

 

Quote: "Man, that thing is even bigger than the worm in the Empire Strikes Back, which, if you ask me, was the best of the trilogy..."

 

Southpaw (Energy Projector): Lou Macken is an average joe. Oh, he made the shot at bigger dreams, but like many people, they never came to pass. While a good pitcher, he never made the majors. Now, he works the wrecking ball with a small time company and plays pool in his free time. He's taking the strange alteration to his left hand well, and the fact it can shoot kinetic energy is, as far as he's concerned, just another tool. He's laconic where other heroes bluster or brag, and is more concerned with accuracy than firepower. Southpaw is probably the most pragmatic of the bunch. Hell, he's only doing this stupid hero thing for his family. They deserve a better neighborhood, so he's working on cleaning up the whole city.

 

Quote: "That's the target? Got it."

 

Boomstick(Gadgeteer): Like many other gadgeteering heroes, Dana Deborah Tweedmeer has a gift for technology. However, her reasons for being a superhero have little to do with some grand techno-utopian vision. While she DOES find science wonderful, and enjoys creating devices; mostly she just likes blowing #$#% up. Nothing appeals to her more than using her latest invention to smack the some evil doer across the street. The great thing about such villains is they're remarkably durable, and unlike lab animals, you don't feel guilty when you inject them! The brilliant young woman excells in physics, chemistry and engineering. Her superhero name comes from her favorite device, the "boomstick" a tube like rod she can carry in one hand,yet has more fire power than some tank shells and is far more versitile besides. She worships Bruce Campbell, but sadly he's yet to have the courts lift the restraining order that keeps her at least a mile away from his home. While a Canadian citizen, Dana does most of her superheroing in the USA.

 

Quote: " I LOVE the smell of Science in the morning!"

 

Triumph formerly "Kid Triumph"(Martial Artist): Hit with the experimental "perfection beam" while snooping in a WW2 military project, young Billy Baxter ended up at the height of physical perfection. He was soon dubbed "Kid Triumph" and was made the sidekick to "Major Victory!". Billy was trained in hand to hand combat and given various gimmick devices to use in his personal arsenal against villainry. They fought the good fight during the golden age, when the Major died nobly sacrificing himself on the back of a rocket. Billy was devastated. The government spun the sacrifice for all it's worth, then the communist scare hit, and the sidekick found other golden age heroes brought up before hearings during McCarthy inspired paranoia. He would have been up on charges himself except, he was still a kid. Somehow that 'perfection beam' had slowed his aging. Billy soon realized that it also made all that excercise stuff unnecessary, after all, how are you going to get better than 'perfect' anyways? So screw it. Triumph has finally aged to legal adult hood, and if not for the Fringe, would be drinking and chasing women 24/7. He still keeps his hands in studying martial arts, but only the practical application. To him, there's no damn difference between "monkey steals the peach" and "nail the villain in his groin hard." While he seems not to care about much anymore, even now that he's over his disillusionment about the US govt; the truth is Billy has a romantic side. One he dares not express. He loses himself in mindless pleasure because a meaningful relationship with a guy who ages super slow can only lead in tragedy. #$#$$ that.

 

Quote: "You made me drop my beer. MInd you, it wasn't a good beer... but that's neither here nor there. You're still getting your butt kicked."

 

Mentaur (mentalist): From the area of space occupied by the constellation we call Taurus, N'shok De'ro's people are "psychically very well endowed". When N'shok ended up marooned on Earth, he made the best of it. He learned English from deep probes, and curbed some violence via mental domination. To this day, Mentaur doesn't see anything wrong with using his "Creator given senses" as long as he doesn't over ride the free will of a non-criminal. Indeed, the hairy alien is very proactive and often forgets to ask permission before reading or sending thoughts. He stops crimes before they even happen... that sort of thing. One the reverse side however, Mentaur can be quite kind in helping curb nightmares, or aiding people to fix phobias or addictions. Quite aware of his own physical fragility, he tries to always take the inititive in battle before his foe can retaliate.

 

Quote: (thought)"You want me to stop using telepathy in public as it MIGHT offend? Tell me, when among the blind, do you gore out your eyes?"

 

Makura (metamorph): Physically she is most often two dimensional, but the shed shadow of a demon is anything but humorous. Jude created her accidentally with a variation of a spell that is meant to turn one's shadow against one's self. Since it was a demon and not a mortal being she was ripped from, she turned out being somewhat "good" to its evil, or at the very least, not that bad. Cool, seemingly compasionless, Makura can slash with her razor thin extremities from across the room, and if not for the others insistance, might do so more often. Things traditionally of light-laughter, joy, kindness, are a mystery to her; perhaps even painful. Yet, Makura realizes that without these alien traits, the team would have turned her over long ago back to her previous owner or banished her entirely. Thus, she studies this, hoping to learn their worth.

 

Quote: (an intense glare and narrowing of slit eyes in her shadowy form)

 

Jude (mystic): A devout man who believes the magics he practices could lead to his damnation if he is not careful, the mystic of the team seeks to save the innocent from the supernatural world that is all too eager to devour them. Except for his crucifix, there is nothing about his spandexed costume that looks particularly mystical- Which is how he intends it. He dreads the thought of encouraging that which he must fight. He is particularly versed in demonology, for those are his most prevelent foes. Of course, the more he learns of the dark arts, the more he endangers his own soul. Truly, stemming the dark tide (both within and without) seems a lost cause, but then, like his patron Saint, Jude specializes in lost causes.

 

Quote: "I have found the demon's name my friends, the pentagram is set, and we shall soon bring the beast to our lair, but first... let us pray."

 

Informer (Patriot): Informer does indeed have red, white, and blue in her costume. However, folks rarely see the costume, or her for that matter. She can go invisible easily and seems capable of staying that way all day if need be. Informer lives up to her name, making sure the truth gets out anyway she can. The government has had more than one shadey deal exposed to light, and would see her as anything but a patriot. However, that's how Informer sees herself. Without the facts, how can a democracy survive? She's blunt, tactless, and above all, brutally honest in almost all things except perhaps her own story. Informer doesn't talk about how she got her powers, but she'll happily explain to you which of your political reps are corrupt, and which ones are just harmless cross dressers.

 

Quote: "Somehow I don't think Whiplash will be staying in jail long. The D.A. loves women in leather... if you know what I mean?"

 

Destructmaster Z (Powered Armor): Toby Kendall possesses some of the most powerful alien tech ever to fall to Earth. It is attuned to him now, and summonable from sub space by his very will. He loves to test the "suit" to it's max, and has gotten quite good at it. Destructmaster Z (D.Z. for short) loves to rocket rings around less agile fliers. D.Z. is the glory hound of the group, and hotdogs every chance he gets. Rampant speculation goes on about what he looks like under that armor, but no one has yet guessed that Toby is only 13 years old. There are days he could just bust with the secret, but if the others found out, they might not let him hang with them- and duking it out side by side with super heroes is a lot cooler than English.

 

Quote: "Hey, loser...ready to go a few rounds with the king o' chrome? Nah, you just THINK you are..."

 

Whirl (speedster): A spinning top type speedster. The world seems still to Whirl, and the inequity between her near constant motion and the world's lethargic response threatened to destroy her sanity. Fortunately, years ago, someone recommended meditation to the young mutant. Now, a student of Zen and other philosphies, Whirl almost always thinks things through, and seeks harmony. After all, when one moves as fast as she does, one can afford to consider all perspectives, not just the 360 she'd be physically limited to.

 

Quote: "This very violence you perform is merely a symptom of stagnation within."

 

Cutter (weaponmaster): Cutter's personality is changing all the time, but that's because only one half of that personality is constant. Cutter is a sword; what type depends in part on the wielder, for it has some shapechanging abilities. One day it might be a two handed monstrosity, the next a slim rapier. Even as a person hold the blade, the blade holds them. It grants the wielder supernatural skill with itself. The sword seems to be jovial, a joker as well as a warrior, and this (along with a desire to be a 'good guy') always infects its wielder/host as well. Beyond that, anything is possible. Exactly who made the sword originally, and for what purpose is unknown... though Cutter has complained bitterly to the rest of the team about spending time in the bottom of a British lake for WAY too long.

 

Quote: "Call me Cutter. Heck, you're cute enough... call me when you get out on parole."

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These are all very well done! I like Jude and Destructmaster the best. Great names!

 

I like Informer's concept and story, but the name had primarily negative connotations. Whistleblowers tell on big institutions, informers tell on the little guy to the authorities.

 

Of course there's no white Canadian Reggae song called Whistleblower, so what do I know.

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Originally posted by Killer Shrike

That sounds familiar. Was that from the series with all the screwed up "heroes" and thier more screwed up sidekicks?

Hooded Justice is from "The Watchmen."

[post-edit]

Just read your post on the ultra-whack pedophile comic. NO IDEA what comic that is, but the Hooded Justice I was referring to was from Watchmen.

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Originally posted by Lupus

If I remember correctly, Hooded Justice was from Watchmen. One of the old mystery men.

 

I can't remember him having a schtick like that, though - enjoying getting beaten up, that is. There was, however, someone that two of the heroes talked about, who took on a villain persona in order to get beaten up. The female member said that she gave up fighting him when she realised that he was breathing heavily.

If you read the in-story letters and such at the end of each chapter in the Watchmen (or in the back of each issue, if you're collecting the comics) you'll pick up on a correspondance between Sally Jupiter's agent and someone else about how Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis are "squabbling like an old married couple" and how that's disrupting the team meetings. Later on there's a reference to Hooded Justice "messing around" with some younger guys and how there was some "rough stuff" and how they don't want a repeat of the "incident" with the Silouette (who was outed). There's also the fact that when HJ beats up the Comedian for raping Sally the Comedian accuses HJ of enjoying it. This stops HJ cold and the Comedian laughs at him saying "I've got your number."

 

Remember the 80s?

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Originally posted by Killer Shrike

There's even been some talk that Oriental Martial Arts were influenced/inspired by Greek pankration, spread by the armies of Alexander the Great into the middle east and from there trickled into India and China. Who knows?

 

But yeah, MAs can be ANYTHING from Ancient Shaolin Solar Sun Stance types to Begby-esque bar room scrappers to palookas to just naturally talented fighters. Its whatever you want it to be. Ive always had a lot of fun with the MAs in the HERO System; I think its the best system for representing MAs that Ive ever run across; much better than Ninja's and Superspies frex IMO.

Yeah, the trouble with that theory is that the first written records in China that refer to martial arts predate Alexander by about 200 years. Yeah, its possible that prankaton (sp?) still had an influence, but anyone who's ever studied either Shaolin Kung Fu or Yoga will notice that there are moves common to both disciplines. Any influence that prankaton had on Kung Fu is nothing compared to the influence of Yoga, which would have been brought into China by Bodhiharma, the primary Buddhist missionary to China (also called the 13th Patriarch of the Buddha).

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