Help with a concept

[Tech]

It's one of those times when I have a picture but only vague concepts of any powers/abilities/tomatos/whatever/etc. to go with the picture. The basic concept is that of a billionaire teen girl (16-17) who is joining the ranks to help fight crime.

 

Okay, that's all I've got. It's possible she will not wear a costume but that's not set in stone. I will throw out some of my ideas about this heroine but I have nothing solid to go on.

 

Now, I've debated the idea of giving her superpowers or not. This is an important step. In some ways, this seperates a lot of concepts from each other. Most of my thoughts have been that she doesn't have superpowers and doesn't have an armored suit, ala Iron Man and so many other suit-wearers.

 

If she does have superpowers, I've thought about earth powers after seeing Avatar on Nick but not earthbending: I'd appreciate ideas on earth powers since my last earth-powered hero lasted a few episodes years ago and I've never forgotten how that hero could have been so much better.

 

Now, for non-superpowers ideas. Someone with inobvious gadgets is very possible as well as a suit that looks like ordinary clothes. Obviously, martial arts is very possible but nothing like a trained martial artist like Iron Fist. As for skills, I don't think I'll need any help since a billionairess can have contacts and skills others don't - although if you do suggest skills I won't object.

 

I'm sure you can tell my thoughts are all over the place with this concept. Any help is appreciated.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Help with a concept

 

Before you get the powers rolling, I would figure out why this ultra-rich girl is going to be fighting crime and not be a Britney Spears/Lindsey Lohan clone. Personally, I like my heroes having some kind of super powers, even minor ones, to set them apart from the masses. So if I were making this character I would go for a background like this:

 

Billionare girl inherits her money when her folks die in some terrible (probably supervillian precipitated) tragedy. She is furious that all her money can't get her parents back. Or can it? She starts investing money in a scheme to get her parents back, either some high-tech time/dimension travel thing or else occult magic, depending on your tastes. Either way her plan doesn't work and literally blows up in her face, leaving her with superpowers, or at least enough occult knowledge to cast various magic spells. If you want closure for the parent grief, maybe she manages to contact them just long enough to realize they loved her and exchange some last words. Once she realizes resurrecting her parents isn't going to work, she turns her new-found powers and abilities to helping others people so that no one else will have to go through the grief she did.

 

I love speedsters, so I would be inclined to go with the time travel option and give her some minor time manipulation abilities. But I think the occult angle works well too because you will end up with a character who has both magic and high-tech gadgets, which could complement each other nicely (how on earth did she manage to conceal a plasma rifle in that tiny purse?) especially if it is widely assumed that she only has one set of powers or the other.

 

So figure out where she came from so you know where she is going. If you have any signature powers that you really like, try working those in to her background, and take it from there.

[pinecone]

Re: Help with a concept

 

It's one of those times when I have a picture but only vague concepts of any powers/abilities/tomatos/whatever/etc. to go with the picture. The basic concept is that of a billionaire teen girl (16-17) who is joining the ranks to help fight crime.

 

Okay, that's all I've got. It's possible she will not wear a costume but that's not set in stone. I will throw out some of my ideas about this heroine but I have nothing solid to go on.

 

Now, I've debated the idea of giving her superpowers or not. This is an important step. In some ways, this seperates a lot of concepts from each other. Most of my thoughts have been that she doesn't have superpowers and doesn't have an armored suit, ala Iron Man and so many other suit-wearers.

 

If she does have superpowers, I've thought about earth powers after seeing Avatar on Nick but not earthbending: I'd appreciate ideas on earth powers since my last earth-powered hero lasted a few episodes years ago and I've never forgotten how that hero could have been so much better.

 

Now, for non-superpowers ideas. Someone with inobvious gadgets is very possible as well as a suit that looks like ordinary clothes. Obviously, martial arts is very possible but nothing like a trained martial artist like Iron Fist. As for skills, I don't think I'll need any help since a billionairess can have contacts and skills others don't - although if you do suggest skills I won't object.

 

I'm sure you can tell my thoughts are all over the place with this concept. Any help is appreciated.

 

I'm voting for the crime fighter teen heiress who dosen't wear a costume! What? you knew I was a perv. when you let me in...why complain about it now?

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Help with a concept

 

Before you get the powers rolling, I would figure out why this ultra-rich girl is going to be fighting crime and not be a Britney Spears/Lindsey Lohan clone. Personally, I like my heroes having some kind of super powers, even minor ones, to set them apart from the masses. So if I were making this character I would go for a background like this:

 

Billionare girl inherits her money when her folks die in some terrible (probably supervillian precipitated) tragedy. She is furious that all her money can't get her parents back. Or can it? She starts investing money in a scheme to get her parents back, either some high-tech time/dimension travel thing or else occult magic, depending on your tastes. Either way her plan doesn't work and literally blows up in her face, leaving her with superpowers, or at least enough occult knowledge to cast various magic spells. If you want closure for the parent grief, maybe she manages to contact them just long enough to realize they loved her and exchange some last words. Once she realizes resurrecting her parents isn't going to work, she turns her new-found powers and abilities to helping others people so that no one else will have to go through the grief she did.

 

I love speedsters, so I would be inclined to go with the time travel option and give her some minor time manipulation abilities. But I think the occult angle works well too because you will end up with a character who has both magic and high-tech gadgets, which could complement each other nicely (how on earth did she manage to conceal a plasma rifle in that tiny purse?) especially if it is widely assumed that she only has one set of powers or the other.

 

So figure out where she came from so you know where she is going. If you have any signature powers that you really like, try working those in to her background, and take it from there.

 

 

Given the rather grim (possible) background you've presented here, the "Puma

Sisters" schtick just might be the thing to keep this billionaire neophyte super-

heroine from becoming a Batman clone in drag. Just imagine the reaction of

your average supervillain and his flunkies when this girl in a skintight costume

suddenly whips out some 4- or 5-foot long BAG (Big-A$$ Gun) from out of no-

where and starts shooting at them:

 

"Judas Priest!! Where in the hell did she manage to hide THAT?!"

 

 

Major Tom

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Help with a concept

 

It's possible she will not wear a costume but that's not set in stone.

*raises a finger, about to say something*

 

*thinks better of it*

 

Aaaaaanywho... maybe if we saw the pic, it would help?

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: Help with a concept

 

For the non-superpower superhero:

 

Weaponmaster/Gun Bunny - a la the Punisher: guns, guts, and glory. Much more in a Dark Champions: the Animated Series vibe, though.

Anime chick/Heroic Brick - with lots of low-level Willpower "I will not give up!" effects. they seem to be able to beat up even highly-trained martial artists, just so long as it's funny.

Vehicle-based: Give her an M1A1 Abram. She'll be good to go.

Oracle/Hacker - give her a bunch of computers and let her hack stuff. Let her be the "gal in the van"; telepresence and EM support for the rest of the team.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Help with a concept

 

Non-powered, gadget-based concepts in addition to those from Kevin there (good ones, BTW):

 

Explosives Expert - a variation on the Weaponmaster, she doesn't need huge numbers of skill levels to go along with her weapons, because she straps down with anything she can find that has an AoE/Explosive advantage on it. Has the advantage of rarely being used, being incredibly versatile (especially in a supers game, with funky bombs that can justify 'Selective'), and you've got the perfect excuse to be packing a "Demolitions" skill that's high enough to defuse just about anything (just remember: Security Systems, Electonics, and Mechanics are also handy - they let you *reach* the bomb.)

 

The Cyborg: Technically, they're powers. However, particularly if she's willingly accepted these implants in order to 'compete,' they may as well be gadgets... especially if she can swap them out (Multiform).

 

The Gadget-Mage: A gadgeteer who got his Engineering degree at good ol' Miskatonic U, the Gadget-Mage can't cast a spell to save his life... but, fortunately, he's got himself a very nice selection of ordinary, everyday objects that would set off magic detectors in Hong Kong if they pointed them his way.

[Half Baked]

Re: Help with a concept

 

It's one of those times when I have a picture but only vague concepts of any powers/abilities/tomatos/whatever/etc. to go with the picture. The basic concept is that of a billionaire teen girl (16-17) who is joining the ranks to help fight crime.

 

Okay, that's all I've got. It's possible she will not wear a costume but that's not set in stone. I will throw out some of my ideas about this heroine but I have nothing solid to go on.

 

I think you just have to ask what Paris Hilton would have done if she decided to fight crime as a teenager. What I think you'll get out of that approach is she definitely would not have worn a costume

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: Help with a concept

 

This type of build also justifies "Charismatic Leadership" type powers: low-level (ie, 5 point) EC's with lots of different effects, all with the "Only with a successful Teamwork/Leadership/Planning roll". There have been a couple of threads like that on this forum.

[Tech]

Re: Help with a concept

 

I had said 'she may not wear a costume', not 'she may not wear clothes'. Enough said on this.

 

To those who suggested ideas, thanks but I'm putting this concept on the shelf for now.