Champions Babies

[SKJAM!]

Your character's team (or the people they most often hang out with, if not on a team) is fighting a fairly powerful but not overly bright villain. Naturally, he's losing. He reaches into a belt pouch, and pulls out a glowing sphere. "Ha! Good thing I came prepared. This'll put paid to--"

 

At that moment, a (stray?) shot hits the sphere, causing it to detonate. The villain barely has time to say "Oh CRA--" before the explosion.

 

When the smoke clears, the effect of the sphere is clear. The villain, having been at the epicenter of the blast, has been transformed into a newborn infant. The heroes, slightly further away, are now kindergarten-aged. This is a magitech effect, so affects beings that didn't actually ever have a childhood (but 30+ points of Power Defense will prevent the effect.)

 

The victims retain their personal memories, but have lost their post kindergarten education, and will react to their memories with the perspective of pre-schoolers. Their statistics and powers are now kiddie-sized (even if their special abilities were gained as adults.)

 

Any relevant tests indicate that the transformation will wear off with time, but it's not clear how much time.

 

What would your character do in either of these scenarios:

 

a) Your character is the sole member of the group unaffected.

 

Your character was the only one close enough to be affected.

 

If clarification is needed, let me know.

[bubba smith]

Re: Champions Babies

 

try to enjoy the moment

[hfergus]

Re: Champions Babies

 

If Olorin were unaffected, he could transform everyone back within 4 hours. He'd be tempted to have the bad guy be a baby normally aging to give him a second chance. Any others unaffected would try to contact mystics to have the tranforn reversed.

 

If all were affected, Volt and Olorin would just wait (they were always patient kids). Olorin got his powers as education, so he'd have no choice. Black Tiger would either have a temper tantrum or start crying. (More likely the temper tantrum.) Futurian would be a problem. He'd still have his powers in any case without an adult to correct his boo-boos. Get him into the wilderness - NOW! He's awlays been a bit impulsive, so mechnical gizmos could go wild.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Champions Babies

 

If affected Cosmo Knite would start looting foci off everyone.

 

White Knite wouldnt know what to do. At that age he wasnt much of a man yet. probably he'd start sidekicking along with the biggest hero that showed uplater.

 

Sandor the Mystic would start hitch-hiking to Katmandu, try to meet the Dalai Lama or something contemplative.

[BcAugust]

Re: Champions Babies

 

If affected Cosmo Knite would start looting foci off everyone.

 

White Knite wouldnt know what to do. At that age he wasnt much of a man yet. probably he'd start sidekicking along with the biggest hero that showed uplater.

 

Sandor the Mystic would start hitch-hiking to Katmandu, try to meet the Dalai Lama or something contemplative.

 

Hitchhiking? As a five year old? You'd be lucky not to be turned over to child services. Or, rather, lucky not to be picked up by someone who's planning something quite worse. Hmm... The weird thing is, this could actually happen in our Aberrant campaign, I can even name you the power construct. So... Artemis: Unaffected, she likely turns into the group's "babysitter", both because she loves kids, and because she's likely the only one tough enough and fast enough to deal with their powers being used as kids would. Heck, she'd likely get to like Quetz a lot better. Affected...huh. That would be hard for the rest. Though, White Crane would likely enjoy it, maybe take the chance to have her dress up "properly" by making it a game.

[Fireleaper]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Avatar: Unaffected would botch up any babysitting attempts as he has little experience with dealing with kids a d does not know what to expect. But will likely be patient and wait till everyone grows up, it probably will only take a century or two right?

 

Affected see above, he recently has undergone a rebirth so is technically a child still, otherwise he would go back to his earlier build. either way I believe he is turning 4 at some point in the campaign.

 

Orca: Unaffected would find the best babysitter he could, and stick around to help any superpower "boo boo's" might even be able to find someone who could help but has very little experience in magic/technology aside from 1+1=boom.

 

Affected: would likely go catatonic from a) the sudden sensory deprivation and all the memories which include so much sensory information that the normal human brain is not wired up to handle. Oh, and he would look human again, which is a plus since he naturally mutated when he hit puberty.

[Drhoz]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Hmm... Vitus as a cub again. sans magic, since he was taught all that when he was older. (Unless the combination of de-ageing, natural talent, and confused memories results in wild magic, in which case he'll probably be setting things and himself on fire)

 

He'd certainly be a lot cuter without all the scars - baby hyenas are very cute, except when they decide to bite hold of your ear and not let go - but would look pretty silly with all the earrings still in. At least he wouldn't be defenseless - the magical rings would automatically shrink to fit, so he'd probably survive his first tantrum.

 

Likely behavior - standing there trembling amidst his crumpled clothing and equipment, and bawling for his mum. Vicious all-out playground brawl with the first de-aged colleague that tells him to stop being such a baby. Teeth will be used.

 

If he was far enough away to escape the effect, rapidly be reduced to a neurotic mess. It would probably stun his teammates to learn this, but Vitus is actually quite fond of children, and tried to send his nephews and nieces good presents when he could, back on Aura. But a half-dozen super-brats would rapidly strain his patience - off to the Orphanarium with you! Oh, and steal all the villains stuff.

 

Zero would probably go sit under a table and draw disturbing stick-figure drawings of himself, and his parents. Mum as a fanged arm-waving ogre in a dress, and his dad as Indiana Jones.

 

Unless he wasn't affected, in which case he yell for help from anybody he could trust. Which isn't many.

[Fireleaper]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Zero would probably go sit under a table and draw disturbing stick-figure drawings of himself, and his parents. Mum as a fanged arm-waving ogre in a dress, and his dad as Indiana Jones.

 

Unless he wasn't affected, in which case he yell for help from anybody he could trust. Which isn't many.

 

You mean there are some?

[Drhoz]

Re: Champions Babies

 

You mean there are some?

 

Well, he trusts his girlfriend. And that supercavitating-mega-hearing-psychic-dolphin was nice. As was FRED. Just unfortunate that one's in a coma, ones a marine mammal, and the third is a crazed new-born hybrid intelligence currently hiding out at the bottom of the Marianas Trench

[Amused]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Tamlyn would become a whole lot friendlier. Probably hit Tarot with one of her powers in a tantrum and play around with her shapeshift (look Faerie! Look Kitty!).

 

Lauren would become the most adorable little girl you ever seen and if you ever try to leave the room she would look at you with big brown sad eyes.

 

Gwen... would be be pretty much unchanged, except that now she looks like an six year instead of just acting like one.

[fiducia]

Re: Champions Babies

 

What would your character do in either of these scenarios:

 

a) Your character is the sole member of the group unaffected.

 

Iron Alloy: Having no prior experience with children, IA would promptly panic, pull herself together and do her best to care for her team members and the baby-fied villian. She'd then put in a call to her superiors, Golden Avenger DJ for HELP HELP HELP HELP!!! Oh and she'd tap the Justice, Inc. reserve list for babysitters. *grin*

 

Darkness: Would stand dumbfounded for a full minute before leaping into reluctant action and herding the super babiez using her shadow arms. She won't actually touch them...cuz cute is catching...but she'd care for them as best she could, complaining about it the entire time until they changed back.

[Wanderer]

Re: Champions Babies

 

When the smoke clears, the effect of the sphere is clear. The villain, having been at the epicenter of the blast, has been transformed into a newborn infant. The heroes, slightly further away, are now kindergarten-aged. This is a magitech effect, so affects beings that didn't actually ever have a childhood (but 30+ points of Power Defense will prevent the effect.)

 

Well, Nova has 20 points of PowDef. Does he get hit in full, or partially transformed into a somewhat older child ?

 

a) Your character is the sole member of the group unaffected.

 

Well, he has a Body Transform power, not a Mind one, so in order to cure his teammates, he is now stuck with the burdensome chore of rounding up and being nanny to an handful of superpowered preschoolers, and bring them to a powerful mentalist or magician to have their mental ages reset to adulthood. Not his preferred way of spending an afternoon. Probably grumbling and cursing all the way. He doesn't like little children too much, and he's not that great as a father figure, too much of the eternal adolescent himself.

 

Your character was the only one close enough to be affected.

 

Hehehe. All his powers are inborn, so now his poor teammates are stuck with an impulsive, curious, trouble-loving, arrogant pre-schooler pest with the (thankfully scaled-down) powers of a little Superman/Silver Surfer, whio wasn't the best to keep powers under control even as an adult. Likely running around making dangerous superpowered practical jokes of all kinds. The city is going to have a very bad day, if you ask me.

[OctoberRaven]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Not the baby:

Mr. Nonsense: Tell the tots a bedtime story about the evil trash cans...

Shift: Hopes this is temporary and gets them to a daycare.

Emerald Dragon: "...Please, PLEASE tell me we're in an alternate dimension again and this isn't real!"

October Raven: Can probably magically reverse it.

Tetsuhana: Leave them with his wife.

 

Being the baby:

Mr. Nonsense: Mr. Nonsense is the very embodiment of chaos and insanity. Give him an infantile mindset... hoo boy.

Shift: Interesting... he can still teleport, and now that he remembers he can do it, anyone who is keeping him will have a hard time doing so.

Emerald Dragon: Hope they get this fixed soon.

October Raven: Was a pretty intelligent child, so he might be able to use his magic to fix himself.

Tetsuhana: See Emerald Dragon

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Nemesis throws multiple tantrums before calming down. (Damn it I had almost 100pts in Skills.

 

LOL

 

QM

[Colossus]

Re: Champions Babies

 

An interesting role playing chance. Good example are the orginal X-Babies (the X-Men turned to babies, a late 80's annual) or the Star Terk: TNG episode when Pacard and three minor characters were turned into 12 year olds. Always wished Data had been in the effect and turned into the Robot form Lost in Space "Danger Will Ricker"

[Wanderer]

Re: Champions Babies

 

An interesting role playing chance. Good example are the orginal X-Babies (the X-Men turned to babies' date=' a late 80's annual) or the Star Terk: TNG episode when Pacard and three minor characters were turned into 12 year olds. Always wished Data had been in the effect and turned into the Robot form Lost in Space "Danger Will Ricker"[/quote']

 

Yes, but IMO the definitive comics treatment of this subject came with the "Sins of Youth" storyline from DC back in 1999-2000.

[nexus]

Re: Champions Babies

 

This has actually been a running gag/possible storyline with our group, so much that our resident artist did pictures. Here's the group shot.

 

In Order Left to Right

 

The Face: Master of Disguise/Intelligent Operative

Bushi: Martial artist

Eastern Knight: Mystic Swordswoman

Henutsen: Egyptian sorceress

Major Victory: Patriotic Flagsuiter

Statuesque: Stone skinned brick

Tao: Genetically engineered supersolider

Polaris: Power armor wearing mutant

[Blue]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Anthem - Unaffected, gathers up all the children. She has experience with babysitting. She'd find it all pretty amusing but with this being over her head, she'd seek out someone who wasn't affected who might be able to look into the effects.

 

Affected, she'd throw off any clothing and dance around the room.

 

Uncle Slam - Unaffected, calls in PRIMUS to sit the kids while he looks into the villain's recent activities to figure out what on earth it was that he had that caused this, then he'd backtrack it to the source to get the cure.

 

Affected, he'd build a sandcastle. When he got bored with that, he'd eat it by the handful.

 

Audra Blue - Unaffected, would call someone, anyone to take the kids off her hands. Just not a baby person. Then she'd search her many databases for instances of this sort of thing happening previously. Hopefully, she'd find out the cause then call in someone else to do the footwork.

 

Affected, she'd draw squiggles, butteflies, and smily faces on everything around her.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Champions Babies

 

If Unaffected Cosmo Knite would call up Child Protective Services, and whatever department handles mutant kids. Unless something was on fire, or in immediate danger, he might have to duck the responsibility for this one and let "Reed Richards" or equivalent find the solution...

 

 

White Knite would use the Power Source to transport all the babies to somewhere safe, like a PRIMUS facility that handled mutant runaway children, and then the detective work would begin in earnest.

 

 

Sandor the Mystic would babysit personally. he'd mind all the children in a nearby lobby of a building, get them water and snacks. he'd use his transforms to make little toy for all of them, magically clean up any boo-boos, tell tales, summon guardians, etc. He'd be entirely confident that some uptight hero would come along later and do the expected "right" thing. and then said uptight hero would ask Sandor something stupid like "How can you just sit here while...."

and he'd reply, well, the children were right here.

[Gnaskar]

Re: Champions Babies

 

Mechano, if unaffected would get JACK, his personal AI, to watch over them while he tries to fix it.

If effected, Mechano would sit and do math, or build robot toys.