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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO


Zeropoint

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Hi, folks.

 

After seeing so many music videos and movie trailer mashups with the new My Little Pony show, I decided to have an open mind and watch the pilot . . . yep, I got hooked.

 

One of the things which attracted me is that the show depicts a world with wild untamed areas, dangers, and monsters--in other words, a world suitable for gaming. Accordingly, I'm trying my hand a writeup for the three main types of ponies.

 

The Physical Complication: Quadrapedal that I'm using is supposed to reflect that while the ponies can use their front hooves to manipulate things, they still need all four legs to walk or run properly, and also the fact that their body plan makes certain things awkward.

 

Anyway, here goes:

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Earth Pony:

 

Physical Complication: Quadrapedal. Infrequently, Slightly. -10

 

+3 Strength 3

+4 Constitution 4

+1 Physical Defense 1

+1 Energy Defense 1

+2 Recovery 2

+5 Endurance 1

+3 Body 3

+6 Stun 3

 

Total complication value: (10)

Total attribute value: 18

 

 

Pegasus:

 

Physical Complication: Quadrapedal. Infrequently, Slightly. -10

 

Flight, 16m, Restrainable(-1/2) 11

Extra Limbs, Limited Manipulation(-1/4) 4

Cloudwalking: 5

Naked Advantage: Affects Desolidified, Clouds Only (+1/4)

For up to 20 STR

 

Total complication value: (10)

Total ability value: 20

 

 

Unicorn:

 

Physical Complication: Quadrapedal. Infrequently, Slightly. -10

 

Telekinesis, STR 10, No Range(-1/2) 10

Unicorn Magic (Pick 10 AP worth) 10

 

Total complication value: (10)

Total ability value: 20

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I wouldn't bother adjusting the "cloudwalking" ability upward for the occasional Pegasus with more than 20 strength, myself--I'm using the system in "toolkit" mode here to create a new ability.

 

Anyway, that's my first draft. Comments and suggestions would be very welcome!

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

So what exactly is cloudwalking? Something that lets other ponies walk on the clouds? I think I would go with Flying, usable by others, only on clouds, limited to running speed.

Do they need extra limbs for the wings? Do they ever actually do anything with them, like bonking the bad guys on the head?

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

So what exactly is cloudwalking? Something that lets other ponies walk on the clouds? I think I would go with Flying, usable by others, only on clouds, limited to running speed.

 

In the show, Pegasus ponies have the ability to interact with clouds as though they were mostly solid objects, like a pile of cotton batting or snow. They can walk on them, curl up on one for a nap, push them around, kick them out of the sky, or squeeze weather out of them (which I figure is more of a setting feature than a special ability). Using a limited form of flight was my first thought, but it seemed odd to do that for something that could already fly. Then it occurred to me, they're treating something not solid as though it were, and there's an advantage for that.

 

Do they need extra limbs for the wings? Do they ever actually do anything with them, like bonking the bad guys on the head?

 

That's a good question . . . now that you mention it, the only time I can remember wings being used for anything but flying was a couple of guards extending their wings to block a door. Maybe I could drop this and tone down the Earth Pony stats.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

In the show, Pegasus ponies have the ability to interact with clouds as though they were mostly solid objects, like a pile of cotton batting or snow. They can walk on them, curl up on one for a nap, push them around, kick them out of the sky, or squeeze weather out of them (which I figure is more of a setting feature than a special ability). Using a limited form of flight was my first thought, but it seemed odd to do that for something that could already fly. Then it occurred to me, they're treating something not solid as though it were, and there's an advantage for that.

 

OK, so it's something they only use themselves. Unless they are picking up clouds and bonking bad guys with them, or building cloud bridges that other ponies can use, I don't think I'd bother making them pay points for that.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

OK' date=' so it's something they only use themselves. Unless they are picking up clouds and bonking bad guys with them, or building cloud bridges that other ponies can use, I don't think I'd bother making them pay points for that.[/quote']

 

I think they should pay points somehow - possibly just as a "special effect" of making the Flight 0 END, or possibly just as a 3 pt Power Skill.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

My Little Palindromedary

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

I would have Power Skill: Clouds for 3 points. Occasionally Rainbow Dash will use it to clean someone, make them wet, scare people, etc. It seems like a generic enough ability to be a Power Skill.

 

Also, I'd have your package include 3 points worth of skills related to their cutie-mark

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

Also, I'm not convinced Earth Ponies are any stronger or tougher than their Unicorn and Pegasus counterparts. Pinkie Pie demonstrates many powers (teleportation, stretching, precognition, super speed, building a gyrocopter out of candy) but better physical stats don’t seem to be among them. I think Earth Ponies are the standard.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

OK' date=' so it's something they only use themselves. Unless they are picking up clouds and bonking bad guys with them, or building cloud bridges that other ponies can use, I don't think I'd bother making them pay points for that.[/quote']

 

The weather control abilities are still useful. I can easily see Pegasi supporting friends in physical conflict situations (very little real combat seems to go on, especially since few ponies can use weapons) with some Change Environment effects like making it rain only on their adversaries, reducing their footing and hampering their vision. A determined group of Pegasi can turn long treks into miserable experiences.

 

I also think that the telekinetic ability may not be limited to Unicorns: they are more powerful and do the flashier effects, to be sure, but if you have hooves instead of hands a lot of what goes on behind the scenes can only be done with weaker TK. I'm talking about things like cooking (which all ponies can do) and building complicated objects and machines (like carts, turntables, and worked metal objects such as trophies). Most ponies can read, so they probably need mild TK to handle books.

 

This is another reason mini-dragons like Spike are so useful. Spike has usable hands and opposable thumbs, so he has a much easier time than the ponies doing detail work like writing longhand. Ponies can write, and build and use printing presses, but Spike has an easier time taking dictation. That he can read letters aloud is mainly a benefit to the audience, of course; the other ponies are more than capable of reading letters (and the mail system must bring new meanings to the word "Pony Express".)

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

Can you foul a Pegasus' wings and can they fly if you do? If the answers are yes and no that would be a limitation to their Flight power. In the four-and-a-half episodes I've now seen I have yet to see any evidence that that has been done -- it hasn't happened to Rainbow Dash yet. But I also imagine entangling a Unicorn to be an exercise in futility unless you're using powerful magic.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

I also think that the telekinetic ability may not be limited to Unicorns: they are more powerful and do the flashier effects' date=' to be sure, but if you have hooves instead of hands a lot of what goes on behind the scenes can only be done with weaker TK. I'm talking about things like cooking (which all ponies can do) and building complicated objects and machines (like carts, turntables, and worked metal objects such as trophies). Most ponies can read, so they probably need mild TK to handle books.[/quote']

 

Not necessarily. Just don't take the "Limited manipulation" complication and they can use their hooves (or their tails) as hands. :D

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

Not necessarily. Just don't take the "Limited manipulation" complication and they can use their hooves (or their tails) as hands.

 

That's what I was trying to get at, in part, with my "Quadrapedal" Physical Complication--in practice, a pony can manipulate things with their hooves and mouth just as well as we can with our hands (how do they do that with their hooves? don't ask, it's just part of the setting). For instance, on a few occasions, a pegasus pony is shown writing with a pencil in her mouth. However, they also need all four legs for walking. A pony could use a clipboard and pencil to take notes, but could NOT do so while walking. A pony can't use a two-handed weapon--and indeed, when the Apple family is preparing to defend their farm, they're shown holding farming implements in their mouths.

 

Also, compared to a human or other biped, they'll have a little more difficulty walking and climbing.

 

Pinkie Pie demonstrates many powers

 

:D Pinkie Pie is a special case, in that she . . . is not bound by the laws of time, space, or reason. Twilight Sparkle can teleport; Pinkie Pie just sort of already is somewhere.

 

Can you foul a Pegasus' wings and can they fly if you do? If the answers are yes and no that would be a limitation to their Flight power.

 

You know, I can't recall any specific examples of a Pegasus getting her wings fouled, but a Restrainable limitation seems reasonable to me.

 

Also, I'm not convinced Earth Ponies are any stronger or tougher than their Unicorn and Pegasus counterparts.

 

It's a tough call. When Applejack and Rainbow Dash compete, it's clear that Applejack is stronger and faster (on the ground) (and slightly less agile), but she's also had a lifetime of physical labor to develop her muscles. Part of my motivation for giving earth ponies all those stats was to make the packages balance a bit better; I'm not entirely certain that necessary or even a particularly good idea.

 

By the way, my thanks to all of you for participating in this conversation.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

Now that I've seen a few episodes I'm thinking about a few of the individual ponies. I started trying to write up Pinkie, but she's so random that it's hard to tell what abilities are things she can use reliably and what are just part of the aura of kookiness that surrounds her everywhere she goes. Nowhere else would PS: Party Planner come in quite so handy....

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

You know' date=' I can't recall any specific examples of a Pegasus getting her wings fouled, but a Restrainable limitation seems reasonable to me.[/quote']

 

I think I did see the unicorn mage Trixie tie up Rainbow Dash's wings with a spell and spin her silly, ruining her equilibrium and sending her off in some random direction. So Pegasi seem to be vulnerable to anything that alters their sense of balance and hampers their ability to control their flight -- further, this weakness is well-enough known that it can be taken advantage of by any moderately-prepared foe with the ability to do so. If Trixie had been truly vicious instead of merely full of herself she could have done a lot of damage. (She did a lot of damage anyway, of course, but most of it was unintentional.)

 

If a pegasus is thrown into the air off-balance, she will apparently tend to careen in some random direction until she hits something. This too has happened to Rainbow Dash. Fear effects also hamper flight and can even bring down a pegasus.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

Hi, folks.

 

After seeing so many music videos and movie trailer mashups with the new My Little Pony show, I decided to have an open mind and watch the pilot . . . yep, I got hooked.

 

I've been dissing the ponies since I've been here but your opening line here cut me to the quick...so I watched the pilot and the first few episodes...dang it. I'm hooked as well!

 

As for the unicorn TK...it does not have the no range limitation. TK most defiantly has range in the show. And it seems to range in strength from 10 to even 20 STR depending on the unicorn. Twilight's is much more powerful than the white one with purple hair.

---Further, unicorn TK has Fine Manipulation.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

I've been dissing the ponies since I've been here but your opening line here cut me to the quick...so I watched the pilot and the first few episodes...dang it. I'm hooked as well!

 

As for the unicorn TK...it does not have the no range limitation. TK most defiantly has range in the show. And it seems to range in strength from 10 to even 20 STR depending on the unicorn. Twilight's is much more powerful than the white one with purple hair.

---Further, unicorn TK has Fine Manipulation.

 

Rarity (the white unicorn with purple hair) appears to be a bit of a dilettante. Looking good while she does her thing is really important to her. And she has other irons in the fire as well, like her fashion obsessions.

 

Twilight, on the other hand, is focused to an intense degree and practices magic constantly. At one point it was stated that she knew 25 different spells, and she's picking up new ones all the time. So she would combine a high EGO with genius-level INT. Her downfall is her relative lack of social skills -- before coming to Ponyville she was a virtual hermit and she still tends to cocoon when given the opportunity.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

As for the unicorn TK...it does not have the no range limitation. TK most defiantly has range in the show. And it seems to range in strength from 10 to even 20 STR depending on the unicorn. Twilight's is much more powerful than the white one with purple hair.

---Further, unicorn TK has Fine Manipulation.

 

The 10 STR, No Range TK was intended to be a minimum, that all adult unicorns would have. I wholeheartedly agree that it can be much, MUCH more powerful--Twilight's being an extreme example, as you pointed out--but it seems that not every unicorn bothers to develop theirs to that extent. I think you're right about the Fine Manipulation, though.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

Oh crap ... Pinkie Pie is a Q!

 

'Let's have a party, Jean-Luc!" :)

 

It's kind of hard to think of a game-world reason for what Pinkie Pie does so often, from randomly doing exactly what the group needs to proceed with their quests (she has a habit of finding vital information even Twilight can't locate -- in her own library -- seemingly by accident) to suddenly just being where she wants to be to playing havoc with the "fourth wall" that none of the other ponies notice.

 

As it is, my writeup of Pinkie is stymied somewhat by her sheer randomness. Most of what she does is so chaotic and random that it looks like a nebulously-defined VPP that only works to do kooky, cartoony things.

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Re: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic HERO

 

Pinkie Pie can easily eat up a lot of points. She would not look unusual with a cosmic power pool.

Add Luck. and clairvoyance (see into other dimensions, breaking that 4th wall).

 

Powers from her cosmic or varied power pool:

Change environment: Party.

Major transform: conjure sweet things to eat from other dimensions.

 

If Pinky wasn't so crazy, she would be scary. Maybe its the fear of thousands of little girls in another dimension know all about her, watch her, and find her adorable...maybe that is what broke Pinky's fragile sanity.

 

Or maybe she is a reincarnated mouse who was already insane, working to take over the world.

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