Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

[Legatus]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

I have to admit I incorporated Adonis and his girls into my gaming universe from the moment they appeared in the other thread. They are great adversaries for my female team The First Ladies!

[Sketchpad]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Reminds me of a character that someone ran when I was in High School

[gmurie]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Well, I admit, I didn't have as much time as I thought I did to work on him it seems.

 

Uahum, sorry.... (Looks down uncomfortably. Kicks the dirt.)

 

Well, so far you don't like nearly anything about the character build it seems between all you want to drop here and the pheromones.

Sorry to hear it.

 

I like him quite a lot. I tried to rep you for it, but I need to spread the love around a bit more. I'm uncomfortable with his girls not being 100% voluntary followers, and with him having so many powers that exclusively and effectively target women.

 

If you make only one change, I think he should be at least PRE:40. Get lot more of that Alpha Male going on, and give him a huge base roll on his PRE based skills.

[nexus]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

I think this is a wonderful character and I'll be using him at some point. He's tongue in cheek but just a little disturbing when you think about it thus a perfect fit for Capes!. On the powers and style issue, I wouldn't worry about it unless you have players that are sensitive about the issue. Few people would look askance at a female "temptress/manipulative" character who's powers at almost exclusively effected men. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander goes both ways. I think you're being wise to consider how his powers might annoy a player with a female character though.

[OddHat]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

I think this is a wonderful character and I'll be using him at some point. He's tongue in cheek but just a little disturbing when you think about it thus a perfect fit for Capes!. On the powers and style issue' date=' I wouldn't worry about it unless you have players that are sensitive about the issue. Few people would look askance at a female "temptress/manipulative" character who's powers at almost exclusively effected men. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander goes both ways. I think you're being wise to consider how his powers might annoy a player with a female character though.[/quote']

 

I think he should become a stalking victim of Pretty Sailor Bulldozer.

 

 

 

 

 

What?

[Hermit]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Some plot seeds for

Adonis

1) My ladies need their best friends- It's an international gem display, and security is tight. However, one of the security chief's daughters, smitten with Adonis, tells him everything she can about the layout, codes, and what else she knows. Adonis is certain that his girls deserve the best of everything, so sends them forth to collect the goods. Yet, if the heroes interfere, the women focus on retrieving one gemstone in particular even though others are worth more. Why? Is its additional value sentimental? Or is there some secret encoded within the cut itself?

 

2) The Dangers of Macho Beer- Beer commercials often play on rough humor, sex appeal, and unrealistic situations...no harm, no foul. But when Macho Beer discovers that it isn't selling among women, it decides it can't alienate them much further anyway, so begins a campaign of commercials that goes beyond (in the view of many) the pale, hinting that wife and girl friend abuse can be funny, and telling how REAL men do two things- Keep their b*****s in line, and they drink MACHO beer! Sadly, it seems 'no press is bad press' and sales go up. Deciding to take a page out of another villains hand book, Adonis has his women infiltrate the factory, and adds a secret ingredient to all shipments of MACHO Beer... twenty four hours after drinking it, any man begins convulsing violently, and within an hour...his XY turns into an XX, the man has become a woman right down to the cellular level. Hundreds maybe changed before Adonis hits the airwaves and explains just how this is happening, and why. There is a way to reverse it, but he will only release it if MACHO beer closes down forever, and pays $30 million dollars. He wants to buy his girls some nice things and maybe donate the rest to various feminist organizations (Who will no doubt have mixed feelings about the source of the donation)

 

3) Paging Doctor Adonis- Adonis and his ladies are in a battle with the authorities, not just the superheroes, but an organization (You pick, local police, UNTIL, or PRIMUS) when one of the PC's female DNPCs ends up trying to help the hero (It is best if she knows his secret ID, or is romantically involved) and she gets caught in the crossfire. She's hurt BADLY...Amazed at her courage, Adonis offers to heal her, if the heroes will just trust him, even as he calls the girls off. If the heroes allow him to tend to her ,she will indeed be healed, better than new, and with super powers! Will the hero PC feel indebted? How will the DNPC react to a hot new body and powers so that she can finally be an equal to the PC? And, despite Adonis' assertions, has he planted a mole into the hero's life?

 

4) You're the one! And the many aren't happy- Adonis meets a female PC, and falls madly, deeply, in love with her (or at least he believes he is), yet she seems immune (or at least highly resistant) to his charms. He begins to suspect she is Aphrodite's avatar on Earth, and he must do anything to please her...except, it seems, give up crime. Her hunteds are hunted by him, rivals for her affections are challenged, and grandiose gifts (Most of which are stolen) are laid before her. This would be annoying enough, until Adonis' women decide enough is enough, and this ungrateful wench doesn't deserve Adonis love. It's one thing to share, but when he fixates entirely on her, they begin to feel neglected. They decide to save their Master the only way they can, by taking out the Jezebel (That would be the female PC being slandered there) by any means necessary, preferably without their boss ever finding out.

[Hermit]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

 

I'm uncomfortable with his girls not being 100% voluntary followers...

 

Well, they are Volunteers. At least as I envision it. The pheromones may make them feel things for him, but they're just as likely to sigh and decline. Perhaps I SHOULD get rid of that.

 

If you make only one change, I think he should be at least PRE:40. Get lot more of that Alpha Male going on, and give him a huge base roll on his PRE based skills.

 

I may take off that variable SFX off the followers as per two suggestions now, and use the extra points to buy up the PRE even more. Or the ditch the pheromone powers and use them for it instead/as well.

[OddHat]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Well, they are Volunteers. At least as I envision it. The pheromones may make them feel things for him, but they're just as likely to sigh and decline. Perhaps I SHOULD get rid of that.

 

I may take off that variable SFX off the followers as per two suggestions now, and use the extra points to buy up the PRE even more. Or the ditch the pheromone powers and use them for it instead/as well.

 

One interesting option: Make his PRE 35, for a natural 18- for all interaction skills, and then give him 6+ levels in Seduction, Persuasion, and Acting. Allow a COM roll (with his 35 COM) as a complimentary skill roll when using interaction skills on women. Using the Extraordinary Skill Rules, most NPCs will be complete putty in his hands, and even PCs will have problems if you require them to roll EGO vs Interaction Skill the same way NPCs have to. And now his girls haven't been mind controlled into submission; they've been seduced by a sleaze ball, something much easier to relate to, and far more frustrating.

[nexus]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

I think he should become a stalking victim of Pretty Sailor Bulldozer.

 

 

 

 

 

What?

 

I apologize if that came off as preachy. I guess you could be more PC if you phrased his powers as working against "the appropriate sexual orientation". It's a double standard that I've never liked but maybe I should take it to NGD.

[Hermit]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

I think this is a wonderful character and I'll be using him at some point. He's tongue in cheek but just a little disturbing when you think about it thus a perfect fit for Capes!. On the powers and style issue' date=' I wouldn't worry about it unless you have players that are sensitive about the issue. Few people would look askance at a female "temptress/manipulative" character who's powers at almost exclusively effected men. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander goes both ways. I think you're being wise to consider how his powers might annoy a player with a female character though.[/quote']

 

Thanks. And I know a bit what you mean, to this day I can't stand Moondragon for similar reasons as you mention.

[BcAugust]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Well, as a female myself, I'm actually fairly comfortable with this character. Even with the pheromones. At the very least, it's not open mind control, and his psych lims and play suggestions make him much more tolerable then, say, Telios.

 

Heck, he would have been a great villian for the Street Level Nox's game.

[Hermit]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Well, as a female myself, I'm actually fairly comfortable with this character. Even with the pheromones. At the very least, it's not open mind control, and his psych lims and play suggestions make him much more tolerable then, say, Telios.

 

Heck, he would have been a great villian for the Street Level Nox's game.

 

Thank you, though, really, almost anyone is more tolerable than Teleios

[nexus]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Thanks. And I know a bit what you mean' date=' to this day I can't stand Moondragon for similar reasons as you mention.[/quote']

 

and there's Telios, a guy that makes sapient (but non verbal) sex toys as playthings then "recycles" them once he tires of them. Adonis, loopy as he is, actually does care something for his Followers.

[BcAugust]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Thank you' date=' though, really, almost anyone is more tolerable than Teleios [/quote']

 

 

Truth. Though, really, quite comfortable with having him face most of my characters, if any I had now would be suitable for such. The problem is, most male "seducers" tend to be written as such complete...hmm, scum?... that it's hard to see the line sometimes. Whereas I don't have a problem with sexual or romantic complications, it can be hard to find the right tone for such. But Adonis is quite on the right side of that line for me.

[Hermit]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Folks, let me know what you think of the plot seed ideas, since they are on the table.

[OddHat]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Folks' date=' let me know what you think of the plot seed ideas, since they are on the table.[/quote']

 

"The DNPC gets powers but may be a plant" looks fun. It fits the theme of the character, and hints at possible greater depths beyond the Dr. Hugh Heffner surface.

 

Didn't much like the museum robbery, not because it's bad, but just because the magic McGuffin in the museum is one I've been doing for over 25 years. Could be fun if it turns out the one jewel is only special because it used to belong to one of the girls.

 

Macho Beer felt off as a scenario. Adonis does have the Hugh Heffner "I'm a feminist, really" thing going, and it does fit that, but I don't see him going this route to demonstrate that aspect of his character. Maybe it's the whole "I love women, so I'll turn macho men into women" thing, but it crosses the line from silliness to creepy kink for me.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Folks' date=' let me know what you think of the plot seed ideas, since they are on the table.[/quote']

 

Seem fine, though some you might have a hard time having the heroes deign to interfere with ("Macho Beer"). Might have to introduce Macho Beer several episodes earlier, let it become a running joke in the campaign, then use it. Even better if a macho PC takes a liking to it.

 

Some other possibilities:

 

*Cyrano deAdonis - Adonis learns that one of the heroes is having problems with "the ladies" or with a particular lady and decides to "help" him. At least at first, the hero likely won't know who's doing it. Presents sent on their behalf, "coincidentally" encountering women Adonis thinks would be a good match, etc. Eventually Adonis may have to take a more direct role, offering to take the hero under his wing and cheerfully ignoring refusals. How the hero - and their potential love interest - might react to his new "coach" is a matter of conjecture.

 

*Hate Potion #9 - Somehow Adonis' pheromone powers start backfiring. Not only do his associates no longer have special hots for him, they and any other women he comes near start hating men in general, and him in particular. Unfortunately in his panic Adonis forgot to think about what effect this might have on the female members of the superteam, who quickly join the escalating man-bashing madness engulfing the city. Can the heroes protect him long enough for a cure to be found, or will Campaign City devolve into a massive War of the Sexes?

 

*Tryouts - depending on how Hunted Adonis is by the authorities at the time, this could be more or less public. Adonis decides to hold open auditions for the position of his newest henchwoman. Contestants are initially sorted out by genetic potential, personality and attractiveness then run through a series of contests, potentially with immoral and/or illegal aspects. The winner gets amazing power and the opportunity to hang with Adonis himself...baby. If the contestants are already super-powered, could be even more interesting/dangerous. Combo various dating-game shows like "The Bachelor" with The Great Super-Villain Contest.

[Hermit]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

"The DNPC gets powers but may be a plant" looks fun. It fits the theme of the character, and hints at possible greater depths beyond the Dr. Hugh Heffner surface.

 

I imagine it's particularly tricky on the PCs who are torn with the conflict of conflicting "I wonder what he did to my girlfriend/wife that I don't know about?" with "oh my #$#$, I've got a superbabe, she's at least up 5 COM and one cup size...YAY... uhm, if that's okay with her that is, of course."

Didn't much like the museum robbery, not because it's bad, but just because the magic McGuffin in the museum is one I've been doing for over 25 years. Could be fun if it turns out the one jewel is only special because it used to belong to one of the girls.

Yeah, hard to get an original take on it, I admit. I like your suggestion btw.

 

Macho Beer felt off as a scenario. Adonis does have the Hugh Heffner "I'm a feminist, really" thing going, and it does fit that, but I don't see him going this route to demonstrate that aspect of his character. Maybe it's the whole "I love women, so I'll turn macho men into women" thing, but it crosses the line from silliness to creepy kink for me.

 

Fair enough. Perhaps he should instead have temporarily empowered some outraged women who were protesting. Thirty or more women with pocket brick powers could probably scare the #$#$ out of the Business owners.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Fair enough. Perhaps he should instead have temporarily empowered some outraged women who were protesting. Thirty or more women with pocket brick powers could probably scare the #$#$ out of the Business owners.

 

"You want to 'take back the night'? Here you go..."

[Hermit]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Seem fine, though some you might have a hard time having the heroes deign to interfere with ("Macho Beer"). Might have to introduce Macho Beer several episodes earlier, let it become a running joke in the campaign, then use it. Even better if a macho PC takes a liking to it.

The poor sap... I mean, yeah

 

*Cyrano deAdonis - Adonis learns that one of the heroes is having problems with "the ladies" or with a particular lady and decides to "help" him. At least at first, the hero likely won't know who's doing it. Presents sent on their behalf, "coincidentally" encountering women Adonis thinks would be a good match, etc. Eventually Adonis may have to take a more direct role, offering to take the hero under his wing and cheerfully ignoring refusals. How the hero - and their potential love interest - might react to his new "coach" is a matter of conjecture.

 

Heh heh... I like this one.

 

*Hate Potion #9 - Somehow Adonis' pheromone powers start backfiring. Not only do his associates no longer have special hots for him, they and any other women he comes near start hating men in general, and him in particular. Unfortunately in his panic Adonis forgot to think about what effect this might have on the female members of the superteam, who quickly join the escalating man-bashing madness engulfing the city. Can the heroes protect him long enough for a cure to be found, or will Campaign City devolve into a massive War of the Sexes?

I did a WWYCD that was similar, though it wasn't so much hate as just aggressive belief in GRRRL power that soon would go to extremes. This one could have a lot of variations, and the bit of a villain coming to heroes to beg for aid is a classic bit. Nice.

 

*Tryouts - depending on how Hunted Adonis is by the authorities at the time, this could be more or less public. Adonis decides to hold open auditions for the position of his newest henchwoman. Contestants are initially sorted out by genetic potential, personality and attractiveness then run through a series of contests, potentially with immoral and/or illegal aspects. The winner gets amazing power and the opportunity to hang with Adonis himself...baby. If the contestants are already super-powered, could be even more interesting/dangerous. Combo various dating-game shows like "The Bachelor" with The Great Super-Villain Contest.

 

Mmmm, and if a female PC decides to go 'undercover' to bust this wide open (complete with nose plugs if we keep the pheromones) it could have even more hooks.

 

Thanks for the suggestions:thumbup:

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Plot seeds for Adonis

1) My ladies need their best friends

I like this one. I don't see it as a Magical McGuffin so much as a mystery for the heroes to figure out.

 

I have a villainess in my campaign (Diamond Kitty) who likes stealing diamonds, is one PC's Hunted, and often likes to drop taunting hints about her next crime to the PC. Having her going after the same stone at the same time as Adonis' girls would be a good scenario to introduce them to my campaign world.

 

2) The Dangers of Macho Beer

 

I could see Adonis doing this if his girls got *so* pissed off about the commercials and the resulting success of Macho Beer that it was either plan something himself or risk one of his girls doing something off-the-cuff and possibly getting arrested or hurt.

 

On a personal note, before it all goes down I'd have Macho Beer send the heroes a few cases along with an offer for them to do a commercial. All legit, and it won't be the Adonis Special Reserve brew, but it would sure make the heroes sweat a bit when things come to a boil.

 

3) Paging Doctor Adonis

 

If I ran something like this, it would be with the codicil that the super powers are short term, perhaps with Adonis offering to make them permanent if the DNPC so wishes. Give the player some roleplaying opportunity trying to talk her out of it.

 

4) You're the one! And the many aren't happy-

 

I really like this one and would run it as is.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Some other possibilities:

 

*Cyrano deAdonis -

 

Really like this one, and know just the right PC to pull it on...

 

*Hate Potion #9 -

 

Another cool one, and like Hermit I like the idea of the villain crawling to the heroes for help.

 

*Tryouts -

 

Too late, unfortunately, for me to run this. In my last campaign I had a group, the Femmes Fatale, that had tryouts for their Boy Toys (their agent-level stud muffins), mostly as a way to trick the PCs and PRIMUS into fighting with all of the Femmes' Hunteds that of course showed up to the tryouts. It turned into a real free-for-all.

[DataPacRat]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

I think this is a wonderful character and I'll be using him at some point. He's tongue in cheek but just a little disturbing when you think about it thus a perfect fit for Capes!. On the powers and style issue' date=' I wouldn't worry about it unless you have players that are sensitive about the issue. Few people would look askance at a female "temptress/manipulative" character who's powers at almost exclusively effected men. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander goes both ways. I think you're being wise to consider how his powers might annoy a player with a female character though.[/quote']

 

I'm not really sure /what/ I should say here, as I am, in fact, in the middle of proposing a female character /for/ Capes!. I suppose a simple, "Well, if I didn't want things to happen to her, I'd just write my own fiction about her instead of role-playing," would suffice...

 

The "You're the one" plot has some interesting possibilities, given the PC I'm thinking about here can be described as a succubus. On the other paw, "Tryouts" could be a bizarre-but-interesting way to bring her into the game in the first place...

[gmurie]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

I really dig Cyrano deAdonis and Tryouts. Paging Dr. Adonis and the Offer of Power are good ones too. It's got more finesse to it than dangling the DNPC from a cable or rope in a skimpy dress every movi... I mean scenario.

 

The other scenarios are neither good nor bad.

 

Another Plot Hook Suggestion:

 

A night on the town. With their PRE, COM, and Distinctive looks when Adonis and his lovely ladies go out clubbing it's almost a city-wide emergency. Snubbed Boyfriends/Husbands/Girlfriends/Wives are everywhere. There's outbreaks of violence when certain males get too forward, and at some point Adonis or his girls might see something pretty that they simply MUST have. Can the PCs keep the mayhem of dozens of domestic disputes and nightclub riots contained?

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen)

 

Okay, I'm gearing up to use Adonis and his ladies in my campaign today, and to that end was writing up Kyu-To (since I didn't have the official Hermit version ). I just thought I'd share a few of my thoughts (don't have time to put in my full writeup).

 

Thinking about her being younger, and presumably a bit shorter, plus her martial arts skills (with associated MA weapons), I decided to take a page from Marvel's Dr. Henry Pym. I made her a shrinker (only down to about 7" tall, or doll-sized), with the additional ability to shrink and unshrink her weapons. So hidden on her person are tiny katanas, nunchaku, bo staffs (actually, she wears them as hair sticks), war fans, etc., all in a Multipower for her to unshrink at will. So she has a rather lethal charm bracelet...

 

I doubt this is the direction that Hermit was going to go, but just thought I'd share my idea with y'all.

 

Attached are the pics I plan to use for Glamazon and Kyu-To. Found both on Deviant Art's website.

 

Wish me luck tonight.