This Power Armor suit [Shas'o R'myrs]

[Baneon]

 

Okay so I have this very nice Forgeworld model that has struck my fancy as being a nice power armor super hero, beyond the color scheme which is meh. Unfortunately I have NEVER built a working Power Armor super hero and nothing I've seen so far has struck me as wow I gotta include that. Right now I'm kinda at a loss as to how to build a character around this model. Background/Skills/Playstyle I can handle but the power set has been driving me completely bonkers. As far as I've gotten with a week of brain storming is maybe an MP with one barrel variable effect and the other barrel being variable advantage, while cool isn't meaty at all. I was thinking of the name S.P.A.R.T.A.N.

 

So basiclly What Would you Build and a massive HEEEEELP!!!

[BobGreenwade]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

It strikes me as more of a mech than a powered armor.

[Baneon]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Interesting thought, hadn't considered that. What would the ramifications be in a normal Champions still game of a Mech instead of a Power Suit?

[薔薇語]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

It strikes me as more of a mech than a powered armor.

 

Interesting thought' date=' hadn't considered that. What would the ramifications be in a normal Champions still game of a Mech instead of a Power Suit?[/quote']

 

On the occasions where I have felt the need to create a full body suit character, akin to the ladies of Bubblegum Crisis. I will build it as a vehicle over that of just individual powers with the focus lim. I find it smooths out the creation process quite a bit. But it alters cost as well. So you can for example build a very powerful powered armor hero for less points if you use the vehicle rules. So keep that in mind.

 

La Rose

And for all those interested. Attached are pics of the BGC 2040 girls.

[CoreBrute]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Might I recommend you look at Devastator in the Champions, the genre book? He more or less fits this role, and has appropriate weaponry for the job (Configurable blaster, weapons suite, tangle web projector) If you need more ideas, the Warlord from Conquerors killers and Crooks, who is a stronger version.

[Split Decision]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Yeah, the looks like a vehicle, honestly. Is it for a Superheroic rules or Herois rules game? That would make some difference.

[The Hawk God]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Personally, I would *never* allow a vehicle mech as the fighting 'togs of a superhero. The cost break is just too much for play balance. I have seen it done, and in fact was awarded the Gold Brick (Oz -munchkin reference) for a tricked out vehicle/mech build and I think it stinks of smelly foot cheese when put in a "regular" superhero game.

 

The image is just that, an image, just because it looks really big does not mean it has to be 10-30 feet tall and weigh in at 55 tons. It could be an even 8 with 1200 mass. That is oh say 1 level of growth and DI. My advice just build it as an OIF (or OHID if you don't want the GM to screw with your powers too much.)

 

YMMV

[Baneon]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Straight super heroic 200/150 builds. And I agree, if the point break is going to be that extreme I'd rather stay in the normal power build instead of going with a vehicle. And yeah the model might look big but it's only maybe x2-x3 the other models we are using so well within the power suit build size IMHO.

 

I drafted up a bare bones background for him and an Idea on how at least his primary power is going to work.

 

When Marcus heard of his father's mysterious death in the blackened ruins of their family estate, which doubled as their personal laboratory he knew something was up. Marcus had been attending college for the past several years working on a Doctorate in mathematics and Quantum mechanics. He was preparing to begin working with his father on their Meta-Physical and Hyper Spatial research. When he received a No Return address package with his father's hand writing he suspected foul play, when he opened the package and discovered the prototype SPARTAN gauntlets he knew something had gone monstrously wrong. Suspecting that his father had learned of an attempt to steal his research and sent the prototype to Marcus for safekeepings. Suspecting that either those hunting their research had destroyed the lab and killed his father in a fit of rage or his father learning the truth had destroyed everything before being killed he didn't know. What he did know was that whoever was hunting the Meta-Physical/Hyper Spatial gauntlets would quickly be coming for him and he would need to hide till he learned the full workings of the gauntlets.

 

Primary power is a Multiform **SPARTAN Meta-Physical Manipulation Guantlets**(350 Character Points in the most expensive form) (Instant Change, x8 Number Of Forms) (90 Active Points); Activation Roll 14-, Jammed (-1), Nonpersistent (-1/4), Only aware of one 'Form' (-1/4)

 

Of course the 'one form' he's aware of is the above image. It phases the armor in around in when actived thus the Instant Change but one of the disadvantages is Accidental change when struck by electricity due to the prototype nature of the device.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Interesting thought' date=' hadn't considered that. What would the ramifications be in a normal Champions still game of a Mech instead of a Power Suit?[/quote']See page 7 of The Ultimate Vehicle, under the heading "When Is A Vehicle Not A Vehicle?"

[Ice9]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

It's a significant price break, but IIRC, a vehicle can be stolen/destroyed, so it's comparable to buying all the armor suit powers as OIF, Independant, which would be only ~8.5% more expensive. Still not necessarily what you want - an alternative is something like:

 

Mech Builder - Summon X-point Mech, Slavishly Devoted, Extra Time, RSR, Requires Tools and Materials.

 

Which would allow you to rebuild the Mech if it was destroyed - however, this can in fact give you even larger cost reductions, so use only when appropriate.

[薔薇語]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

It's a significant price break' date=' but IIRC, a vehicle can be stolen/destroyed, so it's comparable to buying all the armor suit powers as OIF, Independant, which would be only ~8.5% more expensive.[/quote']

 

I seem to be a little confused here. I don't think points spent on vehicles are akin to Independent powers. That if by some means the item is take away then your out. I understand them to be more like Focuses in that they can be taken away (heck that can be the focus of a story arc), but ultimately they come back to you. Sure Batman can have his car stolen, but ultimately it is returned.

 

La Rose

[薔薇語]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Although I tend to agree that a vehicle based suit of armor when placed into a standard Champions game is unbalancing. I also think that when it comes to meshing game mechanics with special effects, that that avenue of approach is about the most smooth way to deal with it. It gives you easy mechanics for determining how to, in system, deal with malfunctions. Or destruction of individual components, etc. IMO, it would be the most fitting way to mimic Iron Man's suit. Edit　Also I think it is conceptually easier to view things like Comps or AIs existing in a vehicle over an amalgamation of various MP, VP, EC, Linked, and single powers. Again that is a matter of conceptualization then absolute necessity but I think it is an important one. End Edit

 

What this is all getting to is that, with an experienced GM and a long hard look at builds it would be a feasible idea to have a vehicle build in place of various OIFs. A generally easy way to get the point values more in line is to build both versions of the suit (OIF and Vehicle) then determine the real cost of each. So if I build Iron Man and he cost 80 real points and I build V. Iron Man and he cost (prior to the point scaling) 240 points (which would normally scale to 48 at 1:5), I now know that my scaling should actually be more in line of 1:3. And use that as a base line for determining cost. The biggest problem in this is making sure that the two suits are truly equal in game mechanic terms. And every once and a while go back and recheck the calculations after gaining a significant amount of EXP. Unless major changes have occurred the ratio should be still be in line. If not then bring it into line.

 

La Rose

[Ice9]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

My mistake, I was remembering it wrong. That is a rather low price then, although comparable to Summon (not that that's saying much). I think the alternate ratio idea would work though, when it's even necessary - often the campaign limits define the power level more than the CP total.

[Hawksmoor]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

It's a significant price break, but IIRC, a vehicle can be stolen/destroyed, so it's comparable to buying all the armor suit powers as OIF, Independant, which would be only ~8.5% more expensive. Still not necessarily what you want - an alternative is something like:

 

Mech Builder - Summon X-point Mech, Slavishly Devoted, Extra Time, RSR, Requires Tools and Materials.

 

Which would allow you to rebuild the Mech if it was destroyed - however, this can in fact give you even larger cost reductions, so use only when appropriate.

 

You do not lose points for having a vehicle or base destroyed, I cannot find the reference in the RAW, not have I heard of a game where the GM skrewed his players in such a fashion. Vehicles should not be used in leiu of powered armors *except* in the case of genre giant Mechs. In all other cases IMHO Foci or OIHID should be used.

[Kestrel]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

My usual guideline is size. If something is relatively form-fitting, I call it powered armor and build it as OIF or OIHID. If it's something a person climbs into, I call it a mech and build it as a vehicle.

 

Even though vehicles look like a good deal, they certainly have their drawbacks. Especially if you have the person take disads/lims that signify needed maintenance. If you've ever seen the comic Appleseed, the main character had a massive armored exoskeleton called a landmate. After every combat, she had to have it checked out and repaired. Most of the time she told the mechanic to just fix what was absolutely necessary, because she had to pay for her own parts and repairs. There was a disad in some mech game or whatever called "Hangar Queen". It signified a vehicle that had to have a high degree of maintenance and spent more time in the garage than in combat.

 

Also, vehicles have other problems. Such as your hero has to get out of them sooner or later. And when he does, he better have something to protect his pretty pink hide. Or be someplace safe, where it doesn't matter.

 

Judging by what I see of the pic, I'd say it could go either way, depending on size. Personally, considering the way the vehicle rules work, I'd go with the less complicated option of building it as a powersuit.

[Baneon]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

Well I don't have easy access to the Vehicle book nor am I overly familiar with the Vehicle rules. That being said though the GM has a very good grasp of vehicle rules but I'm thinking he'll lean more to having it as a suit of power armor instead of a mech though I REALLY like the hangar queen idea. Him constantly tinkering with the armor (or armors in this case whenever he finds the others) will be a significant part of the character. And just for a size reference the picture show is 2-3x the size of a normal 'human' figure, but it's all relative as we use stand ins and such allot.

[Vestnik]

Re: This Power Armor suit [shas'o R'myrs]

 

When I made a 40K Tau Crisis-suit-based character, I gave him lots of Leaping and a plethora of ranged attacks. Not great defenses though. Very much a long-range fighter.