Hermit Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Let's see, Alan Moore couldn't use the Charlton characters, so he adapted them for this Graphic Novel. The Question was replaced by Rorschach (and later, Vic Sage would announce in a comic that Rorschach sucks ) Blue Beetle II got replaced by Nite Owl II (Though a lot of Batman in this guy) Captain Atom was replaced by the clothes disparaging Dr. Manhattan Filling in for the Peacemaker (with a touch of Nick Fury) was Comedian Silk Spectre while originally based on Nightshade apparently drew even more from the likes of Black Canary and Phantom Lady Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt inspired Ozymandias So I ask, has anybody been inspired either by the Watchmen or the characters they are loosely based on? If you like, make one now, and tweak in some small or major way. Maybe your guy in a trenchcoat with an odd mask actually has a super power, or maybe your Night Owl/Blue Beetle guy would have a different animal as inspiration. I think I'd definitely shove them more into the classic Bronze or even silver if I were going to use homages, which is a MAJOR difference in itself at least from the Watchmen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? good question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed-F Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? For my own roster, sadly no. But Random, one of the characters in Outside People on Hero Central, is pattened after a somewhat more limited Dr. Manhattan. He still has a cosmic VPP but it's limited to self-only powers and is quite a bit smaller than what Dr. Manhattan shows; no teleporting crowds home for Random. Still it's enough to do many of Dr. Manhattan's stunts as portrayed in the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I was always rather partial to the basic premise of Thunderbolt, "unleashing the power of the mind," which Ozymandias took to a more literal level. In comics you rarely see a character with both peak-human physical and mental faculties. There are lots of neat abilities that one could give a character whose mind functions faster and more accurately than normal, beyond the usual scientific or investigation Skills. You can justify more than one type of Analyze Skill; Cramming, Deduction, and Tactics are a must; Absolute Range Sense/ Time Sense; Danger Sense (recognizing subtle clues); Eidetic Memory; Lightning Calculator; various Resistances; Speed Reading; Find Weakness (calculate junctures/ stress points)... that's just off the top of my head. Combine those abilities and plenty of intellectual education with exceptional natural physical prowess and training, and you'd have a very effective, well-rounded character who's still within the range of the humanly possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I was always rather partial to the basic premise of Thunderbolt, "unleashing the power of the mind," which Ozymandias took to a more literal level. In comics you rarely see a character with both peak-human physical and mental faculties. There are lots of neat abilities that one could give a character whose mind functions faster and more accurately than normal, beyond the usual scientific or investigation Skills. You can justify more than one type of Analyze Skill; Cramming, Deduction, and Tactics are a must; Absolute Range Sense/ Time Sense; Danger Sense (recognizing subtle clues); Eidetic Memory; Lightning Calculator; various Resistances; Speed Reading; Find Weakness (calculate junctures/ stress points)... that's just off the top of my head. Combine those abilities and plenty of intellectual education with exceptional natural physical prowess and training, and you'd have a very effective, well-rounded character who's still within the range of the humanly possible. I always imagined that, with a few serial numbers filed off, Telioss' character sheet wouldn't make a bad stand in for Ozymandiass' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split Decision Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I am almost pathologically enamored with costumed crime-fighters, mystery-men, martial artists, detectives and science heroes who are extensions of the possible for normal humans. I'm inspired partially by the Watchmen, of course, but no moreso than people like Captain America and Batman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I am almost pathologically enamored with costumed crime-fighters' date=' mystery-men, martial artists, detectives and science heroes who are extensions of the possible for normal humans. I'm inspired partially by the Watchmen, of course, but no moreso than people like Captain America and Batman.[/quote'] Those are generally my favorite sorts too, maybe with some "minor" powers fom time to time and superskills. Unfortunately, that level doesn't seem to be very popular for gaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? Those are generally my favorite sorts too' date=' maybe with some "minor" powers fom time to time and superskills. Unfortunately, that level doesn't seem to be very popular for gaming.[/quote'] IME it's harder in a game to convey, or even quantify, what makes Batman, Captain America, or Rorshach seem cool in comics or (better) movies: their presence, intimidation, force of will, power of command or leadership. How much you can lift or how many dice of damage you can throw seems to be easier for most people to grasp as part of a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I do have to say that, while I generally prefer high-powered characters, Dr. Manhatten takes the concept too far. Supers who can do virtually anything tend to be boring to me, because the essence of drama is challenges to overcome, and there's little that can realistically challenge such a character. Dr. Manhatten comes across even worse in that regard than he otherwise might in a different comic setting where he faced comparable opposition. His Charleton Comics inspiration, Captain Atom, never had the incredible breadth of abilities that Dr. M has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I tend to think that challenge has little to do with drama. It's the human element that makes RPing interesting for me, and that can be maintained regardless of the powerlessness or omnipotence of the PCs so long as they care about someone. ~Gabriel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split Decision Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I can't even put Dr. Manhattan in the "character" box. Through his portrayal, I inferred that nobody had free will- it was just that he was aware that he had no free will. Although he did not always know exactly what was about to happen, he always knew that what was about to happen was knowable with certainty. Which means he didn't have the illusion of free will, and free will is one of the illusions that we need to have to have a character be a character. If a certain object, no matter how character-like a game object may be, if it cannot make its own choices, then it is not a character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I do have to say that' date=' while I generally prefer high-powered characters, Dr. Manhatten takes the concept too far. Supers who can do virtually anything tend to be boring to me, because the essence of drama is challenges to overcome, and there's little that can realistically challenge such a character. Dr. Manhatten comes across even worse in that regard than he otherwise might in a different comic setting where he faced comparable opposition. His Charleton Comics inspiration, Captain Atom, never had the incredible breadth of abilities that Dr. M has.[/quote'] Don't worry for what it's worth Doctor Manhattan comes off just as bored as the player would be, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? IME it's harder in a game to convey' date=' or even quantify, what makes Batman, Captain America, or Rorshach seem cool in comics or (better) movies: their presence, intimidation, force of will, power of command or leadership. How much you can lift or how many dice of damage you can throw seems to be easier for most people to grasp as part of a game.[/quote'] I haven't run into that issue so much as people don't want to play "losers and chumps" and you're not playing a "real" superhero unless they can tip over mountains, fly through the Sun and save the world every scenario Yeah, I'm being hyperbolic but there's allot of pent up bitterness. When I do get a group together that's willing to give it a try the results are usually positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? Don't worry for what it's worth Doctor Manhattan comes off just as bored as the player would be' date='[/quote'] LOL Well done, sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I tend to think that challenge has little to do with drama. It's the human element that makes RPing interesting for me, and that can be maintained regardless of the powerlessness or omnipotence of the PCs so long as they care about someone. ~Gabriel Challenges can and should be internal as well as external, I agree. That's Dr. M's problem, too; he has nothing to aspire to that he can't achieve -- at least nothing within a human frame of reference, which for purposes of reader/audience identification is just as frustrating. And his ability to care about anyone human is rapidly waning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? Don't worry for what it's worth Doctor Manhattan comes off just as bored as the player would be' date='[/quote'] Yes, a blow struck for verisimilitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I find it amusing that Alan Moore has expressed such public frustration that Rorshach became so popular a character among comics fans. Moore tried to make him as unlikeable as possible, to illustrate his (Moore's) position on extreme convervatism plunging into fascism. Sadly for him, Moore inadvertently tapped into the Iron Age trend to equate badassery with coolness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? Don't worry for what it's worth Doctor Manhattan comes off just as bored as the player would be' date='[/quote'] *snicker* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I came up with a character inspired by The Question and Reed Richards, named Enigma 7. One version of him was a guy in a faceless costume made out of "unstable molecules" that could turn slippery, sticky, stretchy or bullet-resistant as needed. The other was a faceless android made out of the same stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? Ahem: "I homaged an homage and it went back to normal." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? Although Fallout often get's accused of being a Doctor Manhattan tribute he really isn't. The only true tribute character I've done was Vile a send up to the Scuzz from DP 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodstone Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? I have a pretty decent Dr Manhattan homage sitting on a hard drive somewhere, though the origin is quite a bit different. Of course, he was built on way less points, wasn't quite so Deus Ex Machina and had a bit more personality. But I did want to play up the idea that he had a hard time relating to humanity. He was an extremely powerful psychic and one of his major points of difficulty was relating to people that only had five senses. Had a bad tendency to accidentally treat everyone around him like they had some kind of handicap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? Okay, not one of my proudest moments but here... Doctor Long Island Val Char Cost Roll Notes 20 STR 10 13- Lift 400.0kg; 4d6 [2] 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 20 CON 20 13- 20 BODY 20 13- 30 INT 20 15- PER Roll 15- 25 EGO 30 14- ECV: 8 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 18 COM 4 13- 4 PD 0 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD) 4 ED 0 Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 0 Phases: 4, 8, 12 8 REC 0 40 END 0 40 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 149 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 4"/8" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers END 33 Long Island Powers: Elemental Control, 66-point powers 13 1) Regeneration: Healing 1d6, Can Heal Limbs, Resurrection, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (70 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 ¼), Self Only (-½) 0 Notes: No Healing Max (see FREd p. 120). 34 2) He can give you cancer: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, Continuous (+1), Does BODY (+1), Attack Versus Limited Defense (+1 ½) (67 Active Points) 7 33 3) Total Life Support: Life Support (Eating Character does not eat; Immunity All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Immunity All terrestrial poisons and chemical warfare agents; Longevity: Immortal; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing; Sleeping Character does not sleep), Usable By Other (+¼) (62 Active Points) 0 42 4) And he can turn into a car: Multiform (350 Character Points in the most expensive form) (Instant Change) (75 Active Points) 0 25 Science Guy: Variable Power Pool, 15 base + 10 control cost, Cosmic (+2) (36 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available Very Limited (Skills Only; -1) Talents 3 Absolute Range Sense 3 Absolute Time Sense 5 Eidetic Memory Skills 10 Not All there: +2 with DCV Total Powers & Skill Cost: 201 Total Cost: 350 200+ Disadvantages 35 Mystery Disadvantage 25 Distinctive Features: Big Blue Guy (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 15 Watched: US Gov 14- (Less Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching) 25 Psychological Limitation: Bound by Logic (Very Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Doesnt Hurry (Very Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Subject to strong media rumors about his moral character (Uncommon, Strong) 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity Frequently (11-), Major 10 Social Limitation: Famous (Frequently, Minor) - - - Based on the Saturday Morning Watchmen... no I would not allow this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? On the visual side I got bored and did this. Still working on fleshing out the concept behind him mind you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Re: Who homages the Watchmen or those the Watchmen homaged? On the visual side I got bored and did this. Still working on fleshing out the concept behind him mind you I like the costume. Very Doom Patrol-ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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