Lame or awesome?

[Matt Holck]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Re summoning rats: check out either version of the movie Willard, if you want to see how useful, dangerous, and terrifying an army of obedient rats can be. Or any large swarm of small creatures -- ants, bees, birds (Hitchcock anyone?)

 

Single big beasts can be powerful and scary, but you only have one thing to take down. Oncoming hordes of little beasts that are effectively unkillable and immune to fear are arguably even scarier.

 

AofE 1d6 RKA

[Ranxerox]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Wolfen has claws made of unobtainablium

 

Lame: "They cut through everything" HKA with Penetrating

Awesome: "Whirling death machine" HKA damage shield, restrainable

Awesome: "They cut through walls" Tunneling, only barriers a foot or less thick -1/2

Awesome: "I can use them to climb" Clinging

Awesome: "I can use them to block" Missile deflection vs. thrown objects and non-gunpowder projectiles

[assault]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Aquaman is one of those "environment based" supers; limited on land' date=' devastating under water.[/quote']

 

In a world of masked boxers and geeks who prematurely invented the mobile phone, he's not all that limited on land.

 

If all that a superhero needs is a snazzy costume and a good right cross, he's just fine.

[Marcus Impudite]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: I have fangs.

Sort of Awesome: They give me the edge when bobbing for apples at Halloween parties.

Awesome: I also have venom glands.

Awesome: Those venom glands can produce reserves of both deadly poison and a fast-acting tranquillizer.

Awesome: I can bite your neck open and completely drain you of blood in a matter of seconds.

[GoldenAge]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: I'm made of rubber :-(

 

Awesome: SEE YA! I can ooze through any perceptible opening no matter how minute (Desolid - affected by attacks/cannot pass through solid objects)

Awesome: YOU ASKED FOR IT!!! I can form my hand into any weapon (HA or HKA), of any size (AoE Hex), WITH SPIKES!!! (AP/Penetrating)

Awesome: SHUT UP!!! When I grab your face (nay, your whole head) with my hand you cant breath/see/hear or speak! (NND + Darkness: sight/sound)

Awesome: BEHIND ME!!! I can stretch my body to become an impenetrable wall of safety (Force Wall - feedback/no range)

Awesome: GOT YA! My hand becomes a net (Entangle) A BIG NET (AoE)

Awesome: GET OVER HERE! I can grab you 60' away (Stretching) (see net above)

Awesome: UP, UP AND AWAY!!! I can coil myself into a spring (Leaping) and float down as a parachute (Gliding)

Awesome: DUDE! I'M RUBBER!!! You cant hurt me with that gun (Damage Reduction) and I'll live forever (Life Support)

Awesome: I'M RUBBER YOU'RE GLUE! Whatever you send at me I can bounce back at you! (Missile Reflection/Damage Shield)

Awesome: I'M A LAMP!!! I can turn into ANYTHING!!! (Shapeshift)

Awesome: MY HANDS ARE SHOVELS! I can dig like a Backhoe! (Tunneling) or make my legs into jackhammers! (AP)

 

AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON...

 

(NOTE: My next PC is PHENOM - Guess what powers he'll have )

[BNakagawa]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Wasn't there a character from DC's Legion of Substitute Heroes who could cause things to change color? Sounds pretty lame, doesn't it?

 

Now extend that ability to mixing colors, shades, and patterns. Suddenly you have a master of camoflage. He wouldn't even need to change his own skin color -- just wear a full body suit.

 

Make his ability work on discreet portions of an object and in fine detail, and he could turn the lenses of an opponent's eyes solid white and opaque to light.

 

Lost in the Arctic and out of water? Turn a patch of snow black and watch the sun liquefy it. If his power worked on a large scale, that could melt a frozen river to prevent pursuers from following him across it. Or conversely, make open earth or grass metallic white to blind those pursuers with reflected glare.

 

One must always take into consideration the context of the character in question.

 

Bear in mind that in the world of DC comics, color is meaningful beyond the frequency of light that it absorbs and reflects.

 

Color kid can change red kryptonite into green kryptonite into gold kryptonite ad nauseum, with the corresponding change in effect on superfolks. Alternately he could change the empowering rays of yellow sunlight into red sunlight while both of them were flying and watch formerlysuperman make a crater.

 

Or he could make a bullet yellow and kill GL.

[Matt Holck]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

I'm a spider. My legs are pipes.

 

Blood pumped through my legs

expands and contracts joints at my hip knee ankle toe

and gives my legs mobility.

 

I have many muscles through which I pump blood.

 

If you lost your heart, perhaps you can borrow one of mine.

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: I'm made of rubber :-(

 

Awesome: [extensive list of Awesome powers removed. Go back and read the OP if you need to. I'll wait]

 

AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON...

 

(NOTE: My next PC is PHENOM - Guess what powers he'll have )

 

Quite repworthy, but I seem to be out.

 

I'm a spider. My legs are pipes.

 

Blood pumped through my legs

expands and contracts joints at mt hip keen ankle toe

and gives my legs mobility.

 

I have many muscles through which I pump blood.

 

If you lost your heart, perhaps you can borrow one of mine.

 

 

What Hero system powers would you suggest to do any of those?

[Matt Holck]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Quite repworthy, but I seem to be out.

 

 

 

 

What Hero system powers would you suggest to do any of those?

 

heal restore heart

stretching

[Drhoz]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Okay' date=' and for my inner geek statement Cthulhu is not a sea creature disputed what later publications said. If he was why would it be imprisoned under water and need others to free it?[/quote']

 

*shrugs* There's always hordes of deep ones, Father Dagon, Mother Hydra, assorted Star-Spawn, giant albino penguins, Elder Things.... and Shoggoths

[Matt Holck]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

hydra

duplication no range

but if the player wants a cacophony

followers no range

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: I have fangs.

Sort of Awesome: They give me the edge when bobbing for apples at Halloween parties.

Awesome: I also have venom glands.

Awesome: Those venom glands can produce reserves of both deadly poison and a fast-acting tranquillizer.

Awesome: I can bite your neck open and completely drain you of blood in a matter of seconds.

 

I created a vampire variant for a Digital Hero article whose fangs inject a venom increasing the power of her mental domination of her victim (Major Transform to give the target Vulnerability to the vampire's Mind Control).

[Matt Holck]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

or ego drain return 1 per day only verses the vampire

[assault]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: I have no superpowers.

Awesome: I don't need superpowers.

Beyond Awesome: I'm the g*dd*mn Batman.

[AnotherSkip]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Funny you should use that example. I'm creating a character with the ability to summon packs or rats. They provide him such powers as Tunneling, Clairsentience, and Armor. (How creepy would a cloak of rats be?)

 

One I've always thought was lame was Angel of the early X-Men. He's got wings. Yippety-skippity. "I got this cool idea for a character. He's got wings, so he can fly." "And?" "... and he can glide." "And?" "... okay, I got nothin'."

 

Granted a little creative use of powers and environment, and you've got a limited range Wing-Flap attack, Change Environment (kicking up dust), maybe even... okay, I still got nothin'.

 

Erm.. try +"Enough DCV to nearly never be hit"?

 

Besides before he joined the X-Men he had a knockout gun.

[AnotherSkip]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Prehensile hair is a good example--"I can make my hair move." "So?" "Did I mention I can extend it 20 feet' date=' throw cars, tie up bad guys, choke people, and use it as a shield?"[/quote']

 

Built one guy with Clinging, Gliding, Missile Defelection And a wind like set of powers

[JmOz]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

On the subject of Aquaman...he actualy can't control sea life, he can TALK to sea life, they do what he says because he is their king.

[Matt Holck]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

buys entire population of sea creatures as followers

[Duke Bushido]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

[/i]

 

Humans have had arms and legs broken by wing-strikes from angry swans. A normal-sized human with wings to scale (more than 6' long -- much larger if you require "realistic" lifting capacity) could break a man's spine. Not to mention perform quite a Sweep Maneuver on multiple targets.

 

I really don't think it was just a wing strike, but years ago I got knocked completely off my bike at the drag strip by an errant turkey buzzard. I was in full-tuck and running about 105 mph when he clipped my shoulder.

 

Dislocated shoulder, cracked collar bone, and two busted ribs just from the strike, a bit more damage from the meeting with the pavement and the slide.

 

I am told that before I was even loaded into the ambulance, the buzzard had managed to fly away....

[Duke Bushido]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Awesome: "I can rescue a sinking ship with the aid of sea creatures!" Telekinesis, megascale, 1hex radius, only to prevent things from sinking/people from drowning. SFX: "I summon whales, porpoises, tuna, etc. to push up on anything in the affected area to keep it from going under."

 

 

While I totally like, enjoy, and respect what you're doing with this thread, I have to say that in this case, I think you've manage to give a slightly larger scale to "lame."

 

Sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry.....

 

I can't help it.... "Ocean powers" just....

 

other than "swim fast" and "breathe water," there's just no way to un-lame them, no matter how many pointy things you use to replace hands....

 

But hey--

 

rep for trying, just as soon as I am able.

[Jagged]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

All the "talk to animals" stuff reminded me of Krosp I--Emperor of all Cats from Girl Genius. He is an intelligent cat designed to rule over all cat-kind. Which worked except that trying to get cats to work for you is like ... well ... herding cats!

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

I really don't think it was just a wing strike, but years ago I got knocked completely off my bike at the drag strip by an errant turkey buzzard. I was in full-tuck and running about 105 mph when he clipped my shoulder.

 

Dislocated shoulder, cracked collar bone, and two busted ribs just from the strike, a bit more damage from the meeting with the pavement and the slide.

 

I am told that before I was even loaded into the ambulance, the buzzard had managed to fly away....

 

I had a friend whose dad was riding his Gold Wing along a 2-lane highway that went through a marsh. He was doing about 60 on cruise control when he suddenly experienced chest pains and, inexplicably, found himself on the back seat of his own bike, still cruising at 60, but unable to reach the controls.

 

Carefully, he ass-walked forward until he could grab the controls and bring the bike to a stop at the side of the road. A truck pulled up behind him and the driver got out, asking "are you all right?"

 

The motorcyclist said "I think i'm having a heart attack!" The truck driver had seen everything and was able to explain that a duck flew out of the reeds at the side of the road just in time to smack the motorcyclist in the chest (and immediately disintegrate). My friend's dad had a big bruise on his chest for a week or several after, and avoided riding through marshes from then on.

 

Lame: I shoot ducks at my enemies.

 

Awesome: (However many dice) EB, Indirect, any direction. SFX: High-speed duck collision.

[GoldenAge]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: Aquaman???

 

Awesome: STRENGTH OF THE DEEP! (Total of 40 STR/60 Underwater + Increased Density)

Awesome: NO PRESSURE! (50% rPD/rED Damage Reduction + 15/15rPD/rED + Increased DEX/CON)

Awesome: ATLANTEAN HALF-BREED! (Life Support - Expanded Breathing: Underwater; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in Intense Cold)

Awesome: IN MY DOMAIN! (Swimming up to 10,000 ft/second - Megascale? + Ultravision + SONAR!!!)

Awesome: KING OF THE 7 SEAS! (Billions of creatures at my command! Clairsentience in and around all natural water sources/command aquatic life from Zooplankton to whales, giant squid and all of Atlantis + Atlantean Technology + Can commune with the Gods of the Sea + Mental Defense and a huge EGO/PRESENCE)

Awesome: BEEN HERE SINCE THE BEGINNING! (Enough skills to fill an entire page)

 

TOTALLY AWESOME: MERMAIDS LOVE HIM AND CALL HIM LORD!!!!!!!

[Duke Bushido]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: Aquaman???

 

Oh my yes. The first example I think of, actually, when someone asks me "why is it ocean powers give you hives?"

[IKerensky]

Re: Lame or awesome?

 

Lame: "Super speed" (Lots and lots of SPD)

• Awesome: "I can wash a car in seconds." (Cosmetic transform, change environment, SFX: "I washed the car".)
  
• Awesome: "I run to Hong Kong for takeout." (transform: nothing into food, SFX: "I ran to Hong Kong for Takeout and came back in just a phase or two".)
  
• Awesome: "I dodge bullets, etc." (Missile deflection or force field or armor. SFX: I dodged the bullets, rolled with the "punch", etc.)
  

 

 

Wich mean that, basically you need to design the Super Speed as a VFP Cosmic so you can achieve any effect you desire and will need...

 

Why dont just write on the character sheet : Superspeedster... and be done with all this rules overweight...

 

 

----

Awesome: "I dodge bullets, etc." (Missile deflection or force field or armor. SFX: I dodged the bullets, rolled with the "punch", etc.)

 

or, or, or... that at least already 3 different power for the same thing = the guys is so fast he can dodge thing... wouldn't it be nicer if SPD will provide for PD/DCV ?