Black Falcon 3.5

[Ranxerox]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

OK' date=' so a Magic word [u']will[/u] work, I just don't need to buy Multiform. I can delete that part. A gag can prevent my hero from appearing.

So let me go back and change that. Fixed.

 

Yes, it works without the multiform. A gag will prevent Black Falcon from appearing. So will someone putting there hand over her mouth, dunking her head in water, darkness to sound depending on how it is defined, knocking her unconscious before she has an time to change of putting her in a situation that she can't do the change without blowing her secret ID.

 

I'm just enumerating ways that the transformation can be block, to point out that all these things are fair game for your GM and you should accept it gracefully when he does these things. Black Falcon doesn't have to accept it gracefully, and indeed should use every bit of her ingenuity to find some way to say her magic word while protecting her secret ID. It is just you the player that shouldn't argue when the GM says she falls into the water before she is get her magic word out of her mouth.

 

Sorry to lecture but like most GMs I have had experiences.

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Agreed.

OK, but bottom line here, would you as a GM accept the character in a starting 400 point, 60 active point campaign?

[Checkmate]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

when you are not in your hero ID

you are much easier to sandbag and get captured

I view that as cost enough

and villains figure out secret Id's all the time

Not really, if there's no way to stop your OIHID, the only way a villain can take you out is if they attack from surprise out of combat...which would take out most heroes too. As far as secret ID's that's that why you get points for the Secret ID complication. A character without the OIHID also has to worry about keeping his ID a Secret.

 

Yes, it works without the multiform. A gag will prevent Black Falcon from appearing. So will someone putting there hand over her mouth, dunking her head in water, darkness to sound depending on how it is defined, knocking her unconscious before she has an time to change of putting her in a situation that she can't do the change without blowing her secret ID.

 

I'm just enumerating ways that the transformation can be block, to point out that all these things are fair game for your GM and you should accept it gracefully when he does these things. Black Falcon doesn't have to accept it gracefully, and indeed should use every bit of her ingenuity to find some way to say her magic word while protecting her secret ID. It is just you the player that shouldn't argue when the GM says she falls into the water before she is get her magic word out of her mouth.

 

Sorry to lecture but like most GMs I have had experiences.

Exactly, remember you're taking this limitation, and you're saving TONS of points with it. This is (or should be) something that really defines the character. It should be something you think would be fun to play out her trying to say the magic word.

 

Let me try to further explain the difference, let's take Billy a.k.a Captain Marvel, and compare him to Colossus of the X-Men.

 

Quite a few times you see Billy unable to say SHAZAM for one reason or another, or people stopping the lightning from hitting him. Captain Marvel should absolutely take the OIHID limitation. There are stories about it, which would correlate to the player playing out that type of scenario.

 

Compare that to Colossus. As far as I know, no one has been able to stop him from transforming into Colossus. There aren't any stories about him having to figure out creative ways to power up. Sure he's been taken out a couple of times in "civilian mode", but call that more of GM fiat.

 

If you don't want to play out the SHAZAM thing, Colossus is the way to go. If you do like the idea of playing that out, OIHID is for you... Does that make more sense?

 

Now to differentiate your civilian ID from your hero ID, this is how you write it up:

 

8/15 STR -2

10/21 DEX 0

13/30 CON 3

 

etcetera down all the stats. Then in the powers section you have:

 

+7 STR OIHID -1/4

+11 DEX OIHID -1/4

+17 CON OIHID -1/4

 

Like that. The number before the slash is non-powered state, the number after is powered state. The cost next to the characteristics is the cost of the non-powered state. The powered state cost will be in the powers section.

[Ranxerox]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Agreed.

OK, but bottom line here, would you as a GM accept the character in a starting 400 point, 60 active point campaign?

 

Well, lets see. By my math, you saved 84 points by using OHID on your powers and stats. So part of the time Black Falcon is a competent normal and the rest of the time she is a 484 point character.

 

Without seeing the other player's characters or knowing structure of the campaign, it is impossible for me to say for sure. If all the other characters were monsters too or if the campaign set up was such that I felt that I could force Black Falcon to spend a lot of time in her secret ID without messing the flow of play, I might allow her. However, in most campaigns that I have run, I would ask for a different build.

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Exactly, remember you're taking this limitation, and you're saving TONS of points with it. This is (or should be) something that really defines the character. It should be something you think would be fun to play out her trying to say the magic word.

 

Let me try to further explain the difference, let's take Billy a.k.a Captain Marvel, and compare him to Colossus of the X-Men.

 

Quite a few times you see Billy unable to say SHAZAM for one reason or another, or people stopping the lightning from hitting him. Captain Marvel should absolutely take the OIHID limitation. There are stories about it, which would correlate to the player playing out that type of scenario.

 

Compare that to Colossus. As far as I know, no one has been able to stop him from transforming into Colossus. There aren't any stories about him having to figure out creative ways to power up. Sure he's been taken out a couple of times in "civilian mode", but call that more of GM fiat.

 

If you don't want to play out the SHAZAM thing, Colossus is the way to go. If you do like the idea of playing that out, OIHID is for you... Does that make more sense?

 

Well' date=' lets see. By my math, you saved 84 points by using OHID on your powers and stats. [b'] So part of the time Black Falcon is a competent normal and the rest of the time she is a 484 point character. [/b]

 

Without seeing the other player's characters or knowing structure of the campaign, it is impossible for me to say for sure. If all the other characters were monsters too or if the campaign set up was such that I felt that I could force Black Falcon to spend a lot of time in her secret ID without messing the flow of play, I might allow her. However, in most campaigns that I have run, I would ask for a different build.

AH. NOW I understand.

I was a player in the 90s, and not a GM. OK, at last the light has turned on.

This is what I needed.

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

New build lower down the page.

[Checkmate]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

This is how I would build her. Some of your costs are off (according to Hero Designer which you should absolutely buy the second you can afford it), and I've added Unified Power limitation to your Multipowers meaning if you get hit with a Drain they all go at the same time (although you do have 20 Power Defense to mitigate this A LOT), and you still have 17 points for the rest of your skills.

 

Personally if this were my character, I would drop the Power Def to 10 points, drop the STUN to around 45, drop the BODY to 10 (characters in Champs rarely take body, use XP to buy this back up later). The attack powers you use the most only take 2 END, and you have some powers that only cost END to activate instead of every phase.

 

Black Falcon

 

 

VAL CHA Cost Roll Notes

15 STR 5 12- HTH Damage 3d6 END [1]

20 DEX 20 13-

30 CON 20 15-

13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-

10 EGO 0 11-

15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

7 OCV 20

7 DCV 20

3 OMCV 0

3 DMCV 0

5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

5 PD 3 5/25 PD (0/20 rPD)

2 ED 0 2/22 ED (0/20 rED)

15 REC 11

50 END 6

15 BODY 5

50 STUN 15

 

Movement Cost Meters Notes

RUNNING 0 12m/24m END [1]

SWIMMING 0 4m/8m END [1]

LEAPING 0 4m 4m forward, 2m upward

FLIGHT 30m/60m

 

 

TUNNELING 10m/20m

 

Characteristics Total: 163

 

Cost Powers

34 Dark Armor: Resistant Protection (20 PD/20 ED) (60 Active Points); Perceivable (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) - END=6

25 Wings: Flight 30m, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (37 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) - END=1

20 Power Defense (20 points)

5 Sight Group Flash Defense (5 points)

5 Nightvision

 

45 Dark Prowess: Multipower, 45-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (56 Active Points); all slots Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4)

2f 1) Shadow Punch: Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6 (40 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4), No Knockback (-1/4), No Body to Living Things (-1/4), Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=2

4f 2) Dark Touch: Blast 6d6, Attack Versus Alternate Defense (???; All Or Nothing; +1/2) (45 Active Points); Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=2

3f 3) Blast 4d6, Area Of Effect (8m Radius; +1/2), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (???; All Or Nothing; +1/2) (40 Active Points); Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=2

 

48 Darkness Realm: Multipower, 60-point reserve, (60 Active Points); all slots Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4)

5f 1) Darkness to Sight Group 8m radius, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Costs Endurance Only To Activate (+1/4) (60 Active Points); Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=5

5f 2) No Barriers: Tunneling 10m through 25 PD material (60 Active Points); Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=6

4f 3) Black Tentacles: Entangle 4d6, 4 PD/4 ED, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (50 Active Points); Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=2

3f 4) Corrosive Aura: Drain BODY 4d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4) (60 Active Points); Only vs Non-Living Things (-1/2), Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=2

3f 5) Drain BODY 6d6 (60 Active Points); Not vs Living Things (-1/2), Unified Power (Darkness; -1/4) - END=6

 

Powers Total: 211

 

 

Cost Skills

9 +3 with Multipower

 

Skills Total: 9

 

 

 

 

Base Points: 400

Experience: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

Total Character Cost: 383

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

OK, Let me take a gander at that one, Checkmate. This is what I did today. I gave up the idea of fighting under a cloud of darkness I can EXPs for that later and got what I wanted under one Multipower.

 

This has few if any limitations and still stands out as an unusual scrapper type.

 

Black Falcon ---Try this one

Characteristics:

10 STR

18 DEX …………..16

30 CON .………..20

13 INT ..……………3

10 EGO

15 PRE ………5

7 OC……………..20

7 DCV,…………..20

3 OCMV

3 DCMV

5 SPEED……….30

5 PD….…………..3

2 ED

24 REC…………20

60 END.…….8

15 BODY.……..5

50 STUN……..15

 

 

165 Total Characteristics

 

60 Dark Armor 20 Pd/20ED

10 Power Defense

20 Flight 30M, Wings Restrainable -1/2

 

5 Flash Defense

5 Night Vision

 

60 Multi-Power Dark Prowess,

3) Shadow Punch 12D6 E Blast Darkness, Does NO Body or Knockback to living beings, no Range

4) Dark Touch 6D6 NND. Defense is Darkness powers or LS vs poison –No Range

6) Dark Aura: 4D6 NND area effect 8M. Defense is Darkness powers or LS vs poison

6) No Barriers: Bought to show her ease at moving through walls.

10m Tunneling through 25 PD Materials. Does not fill in afterwards

6) Shadow Tentacles: A Black Portal opens and shadowy tentacles entangle the victim. 4D6 Body 4 PD/ED + 1/2 Attacks do not damage This is a ranged attack!

5) Corrosive Aura: 4D6 Body Drain/Area of Effect 4M --only vs Non living things—cannot effect the living

5) Dark Aura 6D6 Body Drain Not against living beings

 

185 total Powers points

 

Talents and skills

 

1 Wealth $ 100,000

15 +3 CSL with Dark Prowess Multi Power (10 OCV)

2 KS Archeology/ancient civilizations

2 KS Magic artifacts, history of magic

2 KS History

1 Conversational Arabic

1 Conversational Greek

1 Conversational Latin

2 KS Campaign city 12-

2 Navigation, Air 12-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Computers 12-

3 Shadowing 12-

3 Breakfall 13-

3 Concealment 12- First honed on archeology digs looking for lost artifacts/Search

3) Oratory 12-

3 Climbing 13-

 

185 total Powers points

165 characteristics

350 total

+50 Skills

400 Total Points

Complications:

10 Distinctive Features: MUTANT & MAGIC Not concealable always noticed. Detected only by unusual senses.

20: Hunted Genocide (or whatever it’s called now, IHA?) Giant robots!

15: Hunted, As Pow, Frequently, Harsh kill. Flying Brick type, made for aerial battles across the cityscape. Possible magic origin.

15: Secret ID

20: Susceptibility: 2D6 every phase when mind controlled (uncommon)

[Checkmate]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

You're still paying too much for your skill levels:

 

15 +3 CSL with Dark Prowess Multi Power (10 OCV)

 

That should cost you 9 points not 15.

 

I would still add Unified Power to your Multipower and add 1/2 END to all of them, not sure why you're avoiding that so much.

 

Where does your armor come from? Is it a costume that you wouldn't wear in civilian ID (i.e. OIF) or is it your skin? Can people tell you have Armor on (i.e. Perceivable)?

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

You're still paying too much for your skill levels:

 

15 +3 CSL with Dark Prowess Multi Power (10 OCV)

 

That should cost you 9 points not 15.

 

I would still add Unified Power to your Multipower and add 1/2 END to all of them, not sure why you're avoiding that so much.

 

Where does your armor come from? Is it a costume that you wouldn't wear in civilian ID (i.e. OIF) or is it your skin? Can people tell you have Armor on (i.e. Perceivable)?

1) My read of CSLs was 3 points were for a few powers, 5 were for a bunch. 7 slots in my multipower is a bunch to me.

2) I'm hesitant to add limitations cause I was accused of being cheesy. and now I'm afraid to use unified because I have a 10 Power defense. The first thing I'm buying is Power defense back up. (Ya live by the Drain, you die by the Drain...)

3) I don't need to watch my END, I've got 60 and a 24 REC. Falcon is built to be knocked down and to get right back up again. I want a 30 REC but that would freak most GM's out.

4) Armor. Its now natural armor. Since I was paying full cost, I thought even if she is down, I want the 20 PD/ED going, so its straight armor. No shadow effect at all.

 

So bottom line I wanted a Black Falcon where I could be scary, and not have much for a GM to say anything negative about it. I really want to hear a GM say, "OK, I would accept that in my game." If I can get some of these hard line guys to say that, then I have a character that can work anywhere.

 

BUT. Now I want to buy Hero Designer.

[Checkmate]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Cheesy is taking limitations that don't fit the conception. My first thought when I see IIF on top of OIHID is cheese. That doesn't mean I'm right, and I would have to talk with the player to see where they were coming from to see if they were following a conception or scrounging for points.

 

Would I call Captain Marvel cheesy for taking OIHID? Absolutely not, it fits the conception and is an element that the player wants to play out.

 

Would I call the Black Knight cheesy for making his sword an OIF? No because he could teleport the sword to his hand, but it could be stopped by magic and force fields, and the player wanted to play out losing it sometimes.

 

I would call Iron Man cheese if he tried to buy his armor as a OIF though. Iron Man never has his armor taken from him, and only breaks with GM fiat, this is at most OIHID.

 

If the limitation fit what you want from the character, add the limitation in. Do your powers all come from one source so it would make sense if that source gets weakened (drained) all your powers go? Or are your powers separate? Think of the conception, and take what matches the conception

[Greywind]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Point of contention: Iron Man has had his armor taken from him or otherwise had it rendered inoperable numerous times.

[Checkmate]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Point of contention: Iron Man has had his armor taken from him or otherwise had it rendered inoperable numerous times.

That may have been the wrong example then, but hope my meaning comes across.

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

OK, I found the perfect villain for BF...

http://genzoman.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d31kczh

 

I really ought to write him up, buts that's really a secret GM thing. This guy wouldn't really be Anubis, but he would have an artifact that lets him transform into this shape, and so he has taken the name...

***and ya know this picture just screams Pulp Hero as well

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Black Falcon, First Sighting.

Photo by Jimmy Olson

[The Arc]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the biggest pair of juggs I ever seen.

[Cardinal]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Pizza Man - Are you the artist for the BF pics? They are great. I am not familiar with Deviant Art, is it just a comic book fan / art site?

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

No, I'm not the artist. I commission people to do the art. Look at my gallery on DA, and you will find the links to every artist I did business with.

Paying for art varies wildly in price. The pic on page one with BF on a black field was just $20. I have another in the works that I paid $150 for. The one above was just $30.

 

Its free to be a member on DA, so join. I like to surf around and I find a LOT of commissioning artists that way. I great way to surf is to look at people's Favorites gallery. Look at mine. each one will have a link to an artist and to the guy who paid him. and then hit up the Favs gallery of those guys...its a great way to explore a massive data base of art.

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

More Black Falcon. Click on the link to my DA gallery, its bigger and better.

And now I have to wait till my favorite colorist gets back in April...this is gonna be so cool!

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

See post #33. Would you as GM accept Falcon as a starting character?

I never did get an answer to the final write up...

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

[The Arc]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

Somebody got a little fresh with Black Falcon.

[Christopher]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

With the words of Solomon Grundy:

"Nice birdy"

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

[Pizza Man]

Re: Black Falcon 3.5

 

PG13 version of my latest commission. The Long Hard Day. BF relaxes with a Brewski.

To see the risque' version you will need to click on my gallery (in my sig, below). You will need to be a DA member to see BF in all her glory...