nexus Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Do you like your bricks based on “pure muscles” that is they have super muscles that let them do super things, laws of physics, body mechanics, etc be darned, darned all to heck or do you prefer some pseudo scientific rationalization to explain their abilities, the “skin tight invisible force field, Tactile psychokinsis or the currently popular “reality manipulation” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I prefer both... LOL When I reimagined by first Champions character Sunburst. He was designed with tactile telkinetic field Super Strength instead of Inherent Super Strength. While Nemesis my Duplicating Brick Detective was designed as a mutant. Prior to 5th Edition, my old Brick characters were designed with Inherent Super Strength or Powered Armour. I think it had a lot to do with how I design characters and character concepts than anything else. LOL QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Samson Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I'm with Question, I like em both. As a HUGE Brick fan, I love the stereotypical walking wall of muscle but I also love concepts that break the mold (i.e. are "super strong" through atypical means). My favorite non-muscle bricks include: Growers and Transformers (i.e. can turn into stone or metal). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general In general, the bricks I play are in the "stereotypical walking wall of muscle" category, as DocSamson put it. The only times I really get into any kind of pseudo scientific rationalization to explain their abilities is when technology is involved as the source of their strength; e.g., powered armor or cybernetics. Oh, and I like Transformers and Growth/Density Increase bricks, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Blue Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general Do you like your bricks based on “pure muscles” that is they have super muscles that let them do super things' date=' laws of physics, body mechanics, etc be darned, darned all to heck or do you prefer some pseudo scientific rationalization to explain their abilities, the “skin tight invisible force field, Tactile psychokinsis or the currently popular “reality manipulation”[/quote'] I prefer my mega-brawn not to be based on esoteric frills. Miracleman tinkerbell field: good, Hulk strongest one there is: better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I'm not a big fan of technobabble of any sort. I prefer things to just work the way I say they do. That said, I don't have any real problem with Marvelman/Miracleman and the Byrne era Superman's funky explanations. I just wouldn't bother with them myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narratio Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general Yep, I'm with assault on this. If you want an explanation, well explain it away to your hearts content, whatever makes the PC happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilkmanDan Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general It pretty much has to be a handwave for all of it, IMO. I don't need a "rational" explanation for things that are effectively coming out and taking a big dump on the laws of physics. Super-strength, firing laser beams, super-hearing, whatever, it just happens because it happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Shephard Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I tend to do a little of everything. One of my favorite characters (not mine but one of my friends) is a midget muscle man. His special effect is density fields not the “pure muscles” type of character you mentioned earlier. The power of the HERO system shines when it allows the player to imagine his own SFX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond_J Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I don't mind non descriptive origins for bricks I just find it boring. I like flavour when I design characters. I find bricks are a fairly basic concept; without some kind of unique descriptor they feel generic to me. Once you come up with a cool reason for Super strength you have license for other powers and a well rounded, well thought out character. I made a character Ken Kincade who was an archaeologist working on a grant from the US government. He had been charged with the excavation of a new Island; one that mysterious appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. While examining a cave on the island, seismic activity caused a cave in. He was split from his dig team and wondered the cave for some time. While searching the caverns for an escape route he happened across a miraculous artifact. This artifact contained a blue jewel that appeared to be filled with liquid. Inside fluttering about this opalescent gem was a living creature. Examining the artifact closer he was suddenly bathed in a brilliant light. Ken loses consciousness briefly when and when he recovers finds himself changed forever. That's the condensed version of the story just for context. Paragon as the character was known was the recipient of a symbiote living in his head. The creature stimulates his brain granting him tactile telekinetic powers. In addition his mind and body were stimulated to peak physical/mental condition, hence the name Paragon. "Whoever be worthy of this gift unto him grant the gift of mind and body, a virtual Paragon among men." His strength PD and ED were all bought as normal that's how innate his force field was. The symbiote is just a power descriptor, but it made all the pieces fall into place and gave me ideas for other abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrosshairCollie Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I can go either way. I subscribe to the 'superpowers are convenient' line of thinking, so you don't need a TK field to explain how you can pick up a battleship or pick up and move a building without it falling apart under its own weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodstone Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I tend to like the pseudo scientific rationalization just because it helps me further define (and often limit) the character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general Big and Brawny....to me that's a Brick. Granite is just that...he's made of Granite....yeah he got it from an experimental steroid of liquid stone.....then there's Large Marge....a mutant who works as a Super Model and can grow to Amazonian size and strength. Anger was the same way. She was a "villan" of sorts who grew out of the stress of a meek and mousy "librarian type" who if under duress of any kind when she went to sleep or was somehow knocked unconcious, Anger would take over and go on a trashing spree...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general Its all handwavium - furtive hand-gestures. That's all good, and it can make the character come alive, or fit with the setting. But in the end, its a comic book. Gamma bomb powered, powered by the yellow sun, or turns to metal all pretty much does the same thing. As for style - I've played both. I actually like moderately athletic bricks more than walking walls of muscle, chick bricks you would never see coming, or techno-bricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general All flavors of brick are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shocker Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general All flavors of brick are good. QFT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BNakagawa Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I prefer when bricks are unalloyed with other types. A classic brick is an archetype. A brick martial artist with mental powers is munchkin bait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general I prefer when bricks are unalloyed with other types. A classic brick is an archetype. A brick martial artist with mental powers is munchkin bait. No Martian Manhunter For You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general No Martian Manhunter For You! Or Wonder Woman. Or Captain Comet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusterBoy Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general The best explanation for how powers work? "Arrangements are made" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Prophet Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general Any kind of brick is okay in my game, as long as it has a respectable and non-swiss cheese background... If the player wants to say that flying space monkeys help him/her keep the ship/building they're lifting, then so be it... When I'm a player, as long as the team brick(s) keep the enemy occupied long enough for me to set up some of my extended activation powers I don't mind the fuzzy physics... All bets were off when I was running a "Rising Stars" style game in another system, but that was real-world with heroes... Never thought I would use physics out of school... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenAge Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Re: about bricks and possibly super powers in general Or Wonder Woman. Or Captain Comet. Note: Captain Comet's strength has been greatly reduced as of his resurrection. He's mostly a pure TK god with Telepathy, Teleportation, Far Sight, and extreme intelligence now. However, they did leave the door open for him to regain his strength and invulnerability. As for me... I've incorporated both types of Brick into my campaigns since the 80's. I love them all; from the muscle bound, mystically transformed or psychokinetically altered to the force field protected and telekinetic beat-sticks. You just can't go wrong with a good Brick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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