Matter Mimicry

[fredrik_nilsson]

I'm helping a player that is new to the system to create a matter mimicry guy. How would you construct such a guy without the use of VPP:s?

[assault]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

I'm helping a player that is new to the system to create a matter mimicry guy. How would you construct such a guy without the use of VPP:s?

 

What do his powers allow him to do?

 

Seriously. That is the question you should be asking. And you shouldn't be asking us - you should be asking your player.

[McCoy]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

I'm helping a player that is new to the system to create a matter mimicry guy. How would you construct such a guy without the use of VPP:s?

Open ended Multipower, HUGE pool, lots of linked powers.

 

Air: Desolidification plus invisibility

 

Steel: Lots of STR plus Armor

 

Rubber: Damage reduction, PD only, plus streching

 

and so forth.

[Prometheus]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

If the GM is willing to be lenient, you can put it together on the cheap.

 

With a player who's new to the system I'd recommend simplicity over utility. Assuming you could narrow down the properties a character can mimic from a material to just a few powers, you drop them into a Multipower. The idea here is to keep the builds simple and general. Armor, Desolidification, Energy Blast, Stretching- those should cover most things with the simple addition of Variable Special Effect. You can spice that up a bit with a few more powers (Darkness, Density Increase, Flight, just to name a few), or Variable Advantage on an attack.

 

The Power skill is also handy if the player knows what he wants, is willing to be a little creative, and the GM can accept that the player is learning the system. Power: Matter Mimicry, even at a high roll, is cheaper and easier to understand than a shopping list of powers. The player just needs to have a firm grasp of the limitations of the Power skill.

[fredrik_nilsson]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

What do his powers allow him to do?

He wants to be able to copy the properties of any solid material he touches, and be able to travel through (or even merge with) the touched material. Think Marvel’s character Sandman and you have a general idea of what he wants.

 

Open ended Multipower' date=' HUGE pool, lots of linked powers.[/quote']

I tried to do that, but it became too expensive for a newly created character (200+150 CP, 60 AP and 12 DC cap).

 

Air: Desolidification plus invisibility

 

Steel: Lots of STR plus Armor

 

Rubber: Damage reduction, PD only, plus streching

I tried to do something similar, but I used the Body Of “X” from the USPDB.

 

and so forth.

Hmmm, to be able to copy the properties of any solid, without using a VPP it might be good to limit “any” to a fixed number of materials common in an average American metropolitan city. Have I missed some important material in the list below?

 

• [*]Earth

[*]Glass

[*]Metal

[*]Plastic

[*]Wood

 

I guess we could simplify the character even more by assuming that asphalt, brick and sand has the similar properties as earth. Grass and flowers can be assumed to be similar enough to wood.

 

What do you think?

 

If the GM is willing to be lenient' date=' you can put it together on the cheap.[/quote']

On occasions I’ve been nice, and I think this might be one of them.

 

With a player who's new to the system I'd recommend simplicity over utility.

That is especially true with this player. For him character creation is a complete bore compared to actual play.

 

Assuming you could narrow down the properties a character can mimic from a material to just a few powers' date=' you drop them into a Multipower.[/quote']

I thought about giving him both an EC and a MP. In the EC there could be powers available in all forms, and in the MP there could be a more clear material difference.

 

The Power skill is also handy if the player knows what he wants' date=' is willing to be a little creative, and the GM can accept that the player is learning the system.[/quote']

This is another good idea.

[gmurie]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

If you were willing to do the extra work I'd do a Multiform, and keep it generic and dead simple on the implementation of each form. If he's willing to restrict it to solid substances that his unboosted form can touch safely it's dead easy.

 

Overall I think you could probably simplify/reduce it down to four to eight forms.

 

Strong, Heavy, and Solid (Stone, Metal, Concrete, etc...)

Flexible Rubbery and Bouncy (Plastic, Rubber, spring steel)

Strong, Splintery/Rough, Floats (Wood, Pumice)

Light, Glides, Bends and Distorts (Fabric, Wall Paint)

 

Then the player just has to switch around to different character sheets rather than keep track of a mass of MPP powers.

[assault]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

If you were willing to do the extra work I'd do a Multiform, and keep it generic and dead simple on the implementation of each form. If he's willing to restrict it to solid substances that his unboosted form can touch safely it's dead easy.

 

Overall I think you could probably simplify/reduce it down to four to eight forms.

 

Strong, Heavy, and Solid (Stone, Metal, Concrete, etc...)

Flexible Rubbery and Bouncy (Plastic, Rubber, spring steel)

Strong, Splintery/Rough, Floats (Wood, Pumice)

Light, Glides, Bends and Distorts (Fabric, Wall Paint)

 

Then the player just has to switch around to different character sheets rather than keep track of a mass of MPP powers.

 

Good idea. Repped.

 

Add gaseous, fluid and explosive/corrosive, and you've got most forms you would probably want.

 

I might "borrow" this idea.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

Hmm...a couple of things:

 

I think you mean the Absorbing Man, not Sandman.

 

http://www.marvel.com/universe/Absorbing_Man

http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/a/absorbingman.htm

 

Other than that, I would say, it seems like most of the effects would be the same regardless of the "material" the character was imitating, with only a few effects being particular to a specific type of material. I mean most substances encountered in everyday existence are harder but more brittle than flesh, and some things are heavier than others, and thats about that.

 

 

On the other hand you can go more stylized and run with a comic booky theme. I had a player that wanted something kind of like this based on the idea of "elemental alchemy" of metals. We sat down and listed metals and assigned some effects to them based upon their believed alchemical properties (with a very broad latitude)...here is the result:

 

Alliage

[fredrik_nilsson]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

He, he...

 

I agree in that the Absorbing Man would have been a better example, but I (or rather my player) actually said Sandman. He thinks it would be cool to transform in the same way (making the hands into weapons, and such).

 

I'm not even certain that he's heard of the Absorbing Man (he doesn't read comic that much).

 

Copying material was (for him) a way of trancending Sandman.

[fredrik_nilsson]

Re: Matter Mimicry

 

If you were willing to do the extra work I'd do a Multiform' date=' and keep it generic and dead simple on the implementation of each form. If he's willing to restrict it to solid substances that his unboosted form can touch safely it's dead easy. [/quote']

I shall consider it. The amount of paper might scare him at first, but the it’s a good idea.

 

Overall I think you could probably simplify/reduce it down to four to eight forms.

This is also a good idea. I will probably not take it as it is, but I will certainly use the spirit of the idea.

 

Then the player just has to switch around to different character sheets rather than keep track of a mass of MPP powers.

If it’s possible to achieve “good enough” with a simple MPP I’ll run with that, otherwise I’ll run with your idea.