Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

[TheNaga]

I need help with making my first character which is originally Heroes Unlimited. The character is an evil immortal Cecaelia-like mutant. I want it to have the abilities and senses of cephalopods. It can attack with its tentacles, clawed, hands, lobster pincers, and bite (the bite attack is not a must). I also want it to be able to breath underwater, survive the pressures found at all depth, immune to intense cold, have greater strength and durability underwater, walk on land, never ages and anyother sense that would help the character underwater.

What are some suggestions on making a good history of the character? I keep think it was born in the ocean. Also can I do to make the character original?

A tall male creature that is nine feet tall comes in. You notice from the waist up he is a human male with four arms. A finned crest runs along his head down to the middle of his back. His large eyes have orange irises and red scleras. Very serrated razor-sharp curved teeth line his mouth. The lower arms end in crab-like pincers while its upper arms are more human like, but they end in sharp hooked claws. Below his waist are six nightmarish looking black tentacles. Each tentacle measures ten feet in length.

[Christopher]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

Ill try:

5 Extra Limbs, Inherent (for as many as you like; have normal reach, strenght and manipulation ability)

 

Stretching, No Noncombat Stretching, Only Limited Body parts (for however many meters 10 feet translates; remember that 1m is free)

 

Grabbing with Tentacles is sometimes build as Entangle with Feedback Limitation (see 6E1 224), but you could just use the Strecthing rules to "drag" the into the range of the crab-claws.

 

Bite is a simple HKA. Maybe thing like Penetration or some other advantages help to make it "better" than his Claws?

Claws most likely another HKA, maybe linked with a really tough entanlge, feedback.

Alternatively you could give the claws extra ED/PD for the additional armor, Only For Crab Arms (-2) and Grab targets normally

 

Life Support:

13 Expanded Breathing (Underwater), High Pressure, Intense Cold, Extended Lifespan (Imortality)

 

Usefull for underwatter:

Increased Swimming

Evironmental Movement

6E2 has some things about fighting underwater, might want to pack CSL/SL/Penalty Skill Level for to negate anything that is listed there.

 

For additional Senses:

The already have good sight and scent. Maybe a set of "Ampullae of Lorenzini" helps? (it's just a 10 Point Detect; take Spartial Awareness as example and Define it as passive radio Group Sense)

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

How do I keep from having him look like the Dreugh from Elder Scrolls or Karkull from the Animated Superman Cartoon Series which are pictured below? What do I do to his to description make him more monstrous in appearance? How would I go about making him being a member of race of beings that have been around for 750,000 years? What reasons would he have for coming on to land?

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

How i fix this bio so it fits with this character? Also what skill could you see this character as having?

 

He was born on September 11, 1985 in unknown military base located in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. He was a test tube baby. He never knew who his parent were. Project X-95 had selected him from birth to be a part of their project.

Project X-95 was trying to create Homo Aquaticus, a human that can breathe underwater with out the use of SCUBA gear. At the age of eighteen, they started combining his DNA with the DNA of fish.

The scientists working on Project X-95 had succeeded with in a year of the start of his DNA being manipulated and combined with the DNA of fish in order to create a being that could breath underwater but with consequences to his body. The first thing they found out was he now could only breathe air for a short time. They also found out that his DNA been so hideously abused by the experiment that he was no longer human but now considered a new life form. That now made him sexually incompatible with human genetic material.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

How do I keep from having him look like the Dreugh from Elder Scrolls or Karkull from the Animated Superman Cartoon Series which are pictured below?

 

You describe him differently. If you have an artistic bent, draw him differently.

 

What do I do to his to description make him more monstrous in appearance?

 

See above.

 

How would I go about making him being a member of race of beings that have been around for 750' date='000 years? [/quote']

 

Describe same in your character description.

 

What reasons would he have for coming on to land?

 

To conquer the world? To save the world? Curiosity? Knowing something of the character's personality would be much more helpful than knowing his stats for this issue.

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

The reason he came on land is curiosity. He is a warrior.(city military) from an underwater city found in the Pacific Ocean.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

How i fix this bio so it fits with this character? Also what skill could you see this character as having?

 

He was born on September 11, 1985 in unknown military base located in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. He was a test tube baby. He never knew who his parent were. Project X-95 had selected him from birth to be a part of their project.

Project X-95 was trying to create Homo Aquaticus, a human that can breathe underwater with out the use of SCUBA gear. At the age of eighteen, they started combining his DNA with the DNA of fish.

The scientists working on Project X-95 had succeeded with in a year of the start of his DNA being manipulated and combined with the DNA of fish in order to create a being that could breath underwater but with consequences to his body. The first thing they found out was he now could only breathe air for a short time. They also found out that his DNA been so hideously abused by the experiment that he was no longer human but now considered a new life form. That now made him sexually incompatible with human genetic material.

 

Given the bio you've given for your cross-dimensional traveler, you draw a big "X" through this background and write the new one underneath it. They have pretty much nothing in common (other than that "my characters are typically hideous monsters" meme you keep drawing on).

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

Given the bio you've given for your cross-dimensional traveler, you draw a big "X" through this background and write the new one underneath it. They have pretty much nothing in common (other than that "my characters are typically hideous monsters" meme you keep drawing on).

What do you mean by what you said? I keep with the originaly way i was going with character except for making a good character instead of an evil so I can play as him he was born in the Pacific Ocean.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

One background says

 

He was born on September 11, 1985 in unknown military base located in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. He was a test tube baby. He never knew who his parent were. Project X-95 had selected him from birth to be a part of their project.

 

Project X-95 was trying to create Homo Aquaticus, a human that can breathe underwater with out the use of SCUBA gear. At the age of eighteen, they started combining his DNA with the DNA of fish.

 

The scientists working on Project X-95 had succeeded with in a year of the start of his DNA being manipulated and combined with the DNA of fish in order to create a being that could breath underwater but with consequences to his body. The first thing they found out was he now could only breathe air for a short time. They also found out that his DNA been so hideously abused by the experiment that he was no longer human but now considered a new life form. That now made him sexually incompatible with human genetic material.

 

The other says

 

The reason he came on land is curiosity. He is a warrior.(city military) from an underwater city found in the Pacific Ocean.

 

These are two entirely different back stories. Neither one provides any insights into the motivations or objectives of the character, which would be the primary determinant of whether he is hero or villain. Both just say "here is a character who is a hideous alien monstrosity who has little or no experience interacting with human society". Neither seems any more or less likely than the other to produce a stalwart hero, a scheming conqueror or a bloodthirsty killer.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

Meadyaon, my friend, you have a lot of interesting character concepts, but it may help you to think about what this particular Cecaelia-like mutant can actually do. There is no 'right' answer here, because you COULD (for example) have someone who floats about on tentacles but does not use them for anything other than looking cool. If that is the case it is probably just SFX of flight. If he (she/it) can use them to grab several people at once then it probably requires Extra Limbs, or AoE Entangle, or (if you can do it at range) maybe TK.

 

How strong or tough it is is also up to you: two people can build from the same broad description and come up with very different characters. The important thing is to list everything you want the character to be able to do, then translate that into game mechanics using the character building rules, adding or trimming if the points do not match. Most starting characters can not do everything you want them to, so build with future XP in mind.

 

What the character actually looks like may come first or last in the creative process. You could build a character with SuperStrength, Flight and SuperToughness (high defences/Stun/body) and the character could LOOK like a 5 foot version of SuperGirl or a 10 foot Praying Mantis: the Complications would be different but the mechanical build of the character could well be virtually identical. If you have a vision of the character, then that often suggests appropriate powers or abilities, and it is a good idea to write out in plain language what those 'core abilities' are. For example if you have a Fire Elemental character in mind, then it may be able to hurl flame (Blast or Killing Attack) and Fly and avoid damage by being highly resistant to energy (perhaps High Resistant ED) and largely ignoring physical attacks that pretty much pass through it's energy form (perhaps 75% Physical Damage Reduction).

 

It may be useful to ask these questions:

 

1. How does it get about?

2. How does it attack in combat?

3. How does it avoid attacks/damage?

4. Are there any other defining powers?

5. Have I thought about skills and Talents as well as Powers?

6. What Complications does the character suffer due to Physical/Mental/Social quirks?

7. (If you still have points) What else would be cool?

 

That gives you a structure - not the only one*, but certainly a starting place - on which to begin allocating points to the various aspects of the character. You will find (and probably have) that we are a friendly bunch and always willing to help if your creative juices dry up or if you can not think of how to do something in particular, but it is always easier to respond to a specific query than it is to suggest an entire character build from scratch.

 

I do not know if you have Hero Designer (available in the Hero Store) but I would highly recommend it - it makes character creation (and more importantly, often, character editing) a breeze as it does all the calculations for you instantly, allowing you to crack on with the creativity.

 

 

 

 

*You will probably find several 'character building guide' threads on these boards if you are interested, which go into far more detail than this brief note

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

You could build a character with SuperStrength, Flight and SuperToughness (high defences/Stun/body) and the character could LOOK like a 5 foot version of SuperGirl or a 10 foot Praying Mantis:

You made think of my dwarf-sized character with super strenght.

 

I know that attack wise right now has tentacles, pincers and claws. The character has sense adapted to live under water He swims when in the water and walks using his tentacles when he is on land.. Since I want him to actually be be a member of an actual race of aquatic being he now how to fight with the weapons used by his race. He has knowledge of the history of his race. I would like him to have some knowledge of the surface world. I keep think he is that i would like to be have greater strength and endurance underwater

 

Complications:

0 Dependence: Sea Water Takes 2d6 Damage (Very Common; 1 Week)

25 Distinctive Features: Half human half octopus with crab-like pincers and clawed human-like hands (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY fire and heat (Common)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN fire and heat (Common)

 

I would like to know how much it would be to ma make it evern thought it may not come up at all carnivore (lack the physiology required for the efficient digestion of vegetable matter; he even gets sick eating plant matter)

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

"Carnivore" sounds a lot like simple background. Most characters require certain limited foodstuffs (good luck surviving by grazing on grass or trying to absorb sunlight), water, oxygen, etc. Unless these requirements are likely to be unavailable in game on a fairly regular basis, they don't create complications and aren't worth any points.

 

In essence, they would be built like the Dependence you have drafted which is not sufficiently problematic to grant any points.

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

This is what I am using when making him. The reason he came on land is curiosity. He is a warrior.(city military) from an underwater city found in the Pacific Ocean.

 

How would I go about figuring out why he is a hero?

[Tasha]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

This is what I am using when making him. The reason he came on land is curiosity. He is a warrior.(city military) from an underwater city found in the Pacific Ocean.

 

How would I go about figuring out why he is a hero?

 

Ask yourself why this Monsterous Warrior would help people and save them from danger. On the surface this guy doesn't seem to have any reason to help surface dwellers. Perhaps he has a code of Honor that requires that the protects Innocents. Perhaps he has a Human parent that gives him a reason to give a darn when Surface dwellers are being harmed.

 

What people are trying to say is that this character is yours. What motivations he has comes from your imagination.

 

One thing that helps me to understand my characters is to base part of their personality on my own. It helps me to understand the characters better. They aren't a carbon copy of me, because the character has gone through different things than I have which has shaped in different ways.

 

I think people are assuming that you are creating Champions Characters. It does seem to fit what you are trying to write up. It would be clearer if these posts were on the Champions board and not the generic Hero Thread. The Hero System Discussion is more about discussing the rules and the way they are used. Characters are usually put on the Genre Board that fits the character.

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

As a city guard he has to protect the innocent. What could I look at for some ideas why his curiosity brings to the surface? I would like him to have to rescue a human family and have that family teach him about the surface world.

 

His look is some what based off of me. The tentacles come from the fact I like cephalopods (the class of mollusks which scientists classify octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses). The squid is one of my favorite animals.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

As a city guard he has to protect the innocent.

 

I accept establishing that this character has the motivation to protect the innocent, and considers it his duty as a city guard. It would be equally reasonable to suggest that, as a city guard, he feels a duty to remain at his post, despite his curiosity about the surface, and to kill all who approach without the proper authorization to enter the city in accordance with the laws of his people. The motivation to protect the innocent seems a lot more conducive to a viable player character though.

 

What could I look at for some ideas why his curiosity brings to the surface?

 

You could look inward. What could cause such curiosity, and what would give him the opportunity to exercise it. And, for that matter, what is different about him that causes him to be curious, and to exercise that curiosity, when the rest of his culture does not? If I, or anyone else, provides the answer, you're not really playing your character any more - you're playing our character.

 

I would like him to have to rescue a human family and have that family teach him about the surface world.

 

Sounds like possible contacts or DNPC's, and some more of that background.

[TheNaga]

Re: Creating a immortal Cecaelia-like mutant

 

He has been told about the surface would and would like see if what he has heard about the surface world is true or not. He is the most curious out of his race about the surface world.