Common superhero types you've never seen in play

[GoldenAge]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Usually it's shrinking in conjunction with other stuff' date=' like flight and energy blast. [/quote']

 

Back in the old days of Epic City we had a shrinking PC named Override who could shrink and also had tactile based mental powers... She was like some kind of awful mind tick!!! (BTW: Rex... She's still around)

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Hey Rex, how do you think the developing Phenom + Goo Boy thing relates?

 

For everyone else:

Phenom is something of a Martian Manhunter homage (minus the invisibility and mental powers). His powers are (secretly) based on the destruction of the atomic bonds holding him together (or something rubber sciencey like that) by a nanite infection. The more time goes by the more "stretchy" Phenom will get until he eventually turns to goo and dies.

 

Now, we just got a new player who cleverly introduced a character that represented the successful culmination of the nanite infection. This yet unnamed hero (that we all call Goo Boy for lack of a better name) is a pure metamorph created through a derivative process of the one that is killing Phenom. Fun part... No one knows that Phenom is dying, just that he has increasingly cool powers. All the while Goo Boy may possess the answer to stabilizing his nanite deterioration.

 

So... Is Goo Boy a legacy character of Phenom's?

 

We call him, Kid Flubber. Would count as something of a Legacy IF, he adopts the Legacy.

 

~Rex

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Back in the old days of Epic City we had a shrinking PC named Override who could shrink and also had tactile based mental powers... She was like some kind of awful mind tick!!! (BTW: Rex... She's still around)

 

Yeah one of my Nightmare 4th Ed players, Shrinking, with Transfer End to PD, Stun to ED. Nobody laughed at the Parasite very long..... I love shrinking characters, especially if they are of the mold of Ant-Man or The Atom, and one of my Favorite set of Characters of all Time, The Original Atom (Al Pratt), and Puck (Eugene Judd) are great examples of making SHORT characters.....Don't see to much of that unless said Short Character has PILES of some power like Density Increase etc ......

 

~Rex

[GoldenAge]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Don't see to much of that unless said Short Character has PILES of some power like Density Increase etc ......

 

~Rex

Hey, is that a knock on WHITE DWARF???

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

I'd also like to see more characters Like this.....

 

~Rex

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Hey' date=' is that a knock on WHITE DWARF???

 

White Dwarf is fine. Besides if you knock on him it would hurt. I see a LOT of White Dwarf types though. Not to many Eugene Judd's .....

 

~Rex

[GoldenAge]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Puck was the best! (early Puck, that is)

EC had a 4-armed Puck called Flea. He's still around too (in The Fringe).

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Puck is back to being Awesome....same for the Rest of Alpha Flight actually. Great Comic but then, it's Greg Pak......

 

~Rex

[casualplayer]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Meh. Most of the Legion of Super-Heroes has "just" one power. Guess that's why they are such pushovers. Cripes, Zatanna has just one power.

 

That was one of the few good things about Elemental Controls. Everyone understood that they were "just" one power, with a half dozen applications. I wish more characters focused their powers more instead of the swiss army Multipowers I see most characters packing.

 

Evidenced by the Atom Syndrome, I don't see enough Nimble Distractions, characters whose purpose is to set the enemies up and let someone else take them out. Characters who feel useful even though they don't swing the biggest stick. Characters that may best serve as scouts, medics and rescuers. Most of the lamented characters mentioned fall in this category. Angel used to draw fire, evade it then set you up for Cyke's optic blast or Beast's ginormous instep. Nightcrawler ports behind you, distracts you then sets you up for Cyke's optic blast or Colossus' wallop. Pete couldn't hit the broad side of a barn back in the day unless Kurt painted a target on it for him. Robin, Jack-in-the-Box, Phantom Girl, Invisible Kid, the list goes on and on.

[Ice9]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Evidenced by the Atom Syndrome' date=' I don't see enough Nimble Distractions, characters whose purpose is to set the enemies up and let someone else take them out.[/quote']I think a contributing factor there is that HERO combat just takes too long if you do anything to extend it. I know that I've made characters with the intention of acting in a support/hindrance role, and then later switched to more direct offense because I wanted the fights to end in less time. Same reason you don't see many low-SPD characters - too much real-time between turns.

[GoldenAge]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

...I don't see enough Nimble Distractions' date=' characters whose purpose is to set the enemies up and let someone else take them out. Characters who feel useful even though they don't swing the biggest stick. Characters that may best serve as scouts, medics and rescuers. Most of the lamented characters mentioned fall in this category. Angel used to draw fire, evade it then set you up for Cyke's optic blast or Beast's ginormous instep. Nightcrawler ports behind you, distracts you then sets you up for Cyke's optic blast or Colossus' wallop. Pete couldn't hit the broad side of a barn back in the day unless Kurt painted a target on it for him. Robin, Jack-in-the-Box, Phantom Girl, Invisible Kid, the list goes on and on.[/quote']

Oddly enough, in our current Epic City roster the Nimble Distraction (WHISPER) is usually the guy that takes out the big bad guy.

After the powerhouses go at it for a while he usually appears from out of the deep shadows to make the called shot that only a skilled martial artist like him can.

[casualplayer]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Oddly enough' date=' in our current Epic City roster the Nimble Distraction (WHISPER) is usually the guy that takes out the big bad guy.

After the powerhouses go at it for a while he usually appears from out of the deep shadows to make the called shot that only a skilled martial artist like him can.

 

Pre-zactly! Most do it with Find Weakness but I usually prefer Conditional Skill Levels based on Analyze Style for called shot havoc. Watch, dodge, wait, evade, lurk, STRIKE!

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Whisper does it, the old fashioned way. Sneakily, then Brutally, Accurately, and repetitively. As the team Speedster is wont to say, "Fetch me my Throwing Ninja!"

 

~Rex....note a few of the complications actually combine things to save sheet space. Shredded lack of Shadow also counts as Style Distinctive Feature etc ....

[Fryguy]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

PCs which have the ability to fight in and out of costume. Most of the write ups I get from my group are strong on the offensive if they are OIHI or in the super-suit, etc. But if I catch them out of their super tech jammies or in normal id they are fodder. I constantly have to remind them about skills and such OUTSIDE their her identities. Also....jobs. I get that doe-eyed look when I ask "what does your character do when he/she is not fighting crime?" A-"uh, I dunno? Working at a fast food joint?"

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Yeah Good point. Jobs and such are important in my mainstream game because I don't Ever Charge Character points for Normal Equipment (Break out the Req Points and EQ access levels though), even at the Super Heroic levels. Actually gives things like Money a Use, as well as a few other nifty things in the actual play I've found beneficial.

 

If the Player Wants to though they can spend points per usual and get EQ that isn't subject to Reality and GM's that noticed you haven't cleaned your assault rifle or fed your dog in 5 weeks. Keeps the bad stuff away, and SUPER Equipment, still needs to be paid for in points....

 

So yeah, Income that makes sense at ends lower then Lex Luthor or Tony Stark/Bruce Wayne types to be more specific. Nice to see that.

 

~Rex....has such on his Character Stuntmaster, but most folks are either, Nothing, or Richer then the Most Excellent Super Bat (And being Rich IS his power, heh)...

[Lucius]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Another Build I'd like to see more of.

 

Darkness using characters. Not just, Blasters with the SFX of a Dark Bolt of power, but actual Darkness...... Guys like The Shroud (one of my favorites), Dr. Mid-Nite, that kinda thing..... I build 'em, but I rarely see them.

 

~Rex

 

Well OF COURSE you don't see them. They're hiding in darkness.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

I see a palindromedary

[Hermit]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

PCs which have the ability to fight in and out of costume. Most of the write ups I get from my group are strong on the offensive if they are OIHI or in the super-suit' date=' etc. But if I catch them out of their super tech jammies or in normal id they are fodder. I constantly have to remind them about skills and such OUTSIDE their her identities. Also....jobs. I get that doe-eyed look when I ask "what does your character do when he/she is not fighting crime?" A-"uh, I dunno? Working at a fast food joint?"[/quote']

 

Both of these can be problems. My face to face group usually has abandoned focus reliance to a large degree, at least solely, but are still fond of "Only in Alternate Identity". As for professions? While it is very common in comics, sometimes I do get tired of all the rich folks I see putting costumes on in games I run. Get a job, you trust fund brats!

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Both of these can be problems. My face to face group usually has abandoned focus reliance to a large degree' date=' at least solely, but are still fond of "Only in Alternate Identity". As for professions? While it is very common in comics, sometimes I do get tired of all the rich folks I see putting costumes on in games I run. Get a job, you trust fund brats! [/quote']

 

Admittedly, as the only person in my group who knows how to make HERO characters a lot of this is my doing, but I've rarely given a character concept that calls for Only In Hero ID. Now, in the first Champions game I ever played in, everybody had either Hero ID or Focus on their powers, because it was a 250 point game with 18DC attack caps. You needed to shave those points to have a halfway decent character.

[Hermit]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Oh, i'm guilty of it to. As a player, I tend to create low skills characters. I think "PS: Accountant" for 3 points is all I need to make a living. The rest often goes into the 'fun stuff', like powers, and more power..mwhahahaha.

 

So if I end up in a campaign where the GM goes "I want at least 15 to 25 points of non combat skills for each concept" , suddenly "Only in Alternate ID" becomes more appealing.

 

The bitterness about Trust Fund babies is probably partially jealously inspired. Anytime I'm playing a group, that niche is quickly taken before I can snatch it up myself

[Bloodstone]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

PCs which have the ability to fight in and out of costume. Most of the write ups I get from my group are strong on the offensive if they are OIHI or in the super-suit' date=' etc. But if I catch them out of their super tech jammies or in normal id they are fodder. I constantly have to remind them about skills and such OUTSIDE their her identities. Also....jobs. I get that doe-eyed look when I ask "what does your character do when he/she is not fighting crime?" A-"uh, I dunno? Working at a fast food joint?"[/quote']

 

Oddly, I've occasionally had GM's complain that my characters are too effective in their civilian ID's and that I was thus trying to get around one of the classic weaknesses common to the genre for OIAID and Multiform characters.

 

Mostly, it just depends on the character concept though.

 

Chimera was an incredibly athletic martial artist before he discovered his powers. He's not Iron Fist level out of heroic ID, but he can handle himself pretty well without having to change. He can reliably take on a few Agents and win, it's just going to take longer and he's probably goign to take a few shots in the process. Playing him on a higher point total, he would have been Captain America/Batman level in human form and more like Spider-Man level in hybrid form. So pretty bad ass either way. He's mainly a scientist/doctor though and tries to avoid confrontation when in human form, as it might give away his secret ID (Distinctive Style)

 

Speed Demon is an ex-football player in a rock band in his civilian ID. He's still a quick and strong former athlete that can handle himself against total mooks, but he's probably not taking on Agents and winning because he's stuck in a wheel chair. Not too many useful skills, but a ton of useful experiences and contacts. But he'd give Thor or Superman a run for his money when in Heroic ID, so it kinda balances out...

 

Jack Ellis/Oliver Kale/The Beast Within - Jack's practically useless in a fight, being a skittish occult detective (he's got mad skillz as a detective too). He mostly dives for cover and hides til the fighting is over, though he'll occasionally try to risk his neck to protect someone else. This usually ends in disaster.... Oliver is everything Jack isn't and can take on a room full of agents or solo a some lower powered super villains. The Beast Within is a huge demonic winged Brick that is somewhere between the Thing and the Hulk in terms of both raw power and combat savvy (he's the brick with the bullet proof wings that I mentioned up thread)

 

Special Agent B is a super genius who uses his advanced technology to enhance his otherwise minor psychic powers to almost god like levels. He's also a small black lop eared bunny that rides around in Jack's hat most of the time. In a fight, he's really pretty much harmless without his power enhancing OIF collar. I mean, he's still a super genius, but he's only got 5 STR TK and has to communicate entirely by Mindlink (the collar has speakers so he can talk normally with it on). Good thing the bunny has a high DCV and some decent movement... plus since he rides around in Jack's hat most of the time, many foes assume Jack is actually the psychic

 

While I designed the bunny, I didn't actually play him (one of the other players or the GM did)

[Hermit]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Oddly, I've occasionally had GM's complain that my characters are too effective in their civilian ID's and that I was thus trying to get around one of the classic weaknesses common to the genre for OIAID and Multiform characters.

 

Ok. That IS odd, at least to me. I've had muggers try to take on superheroes when they were in plains clothes, and it could be very entertaining on all levels, with a side dish of 'How much will you risk your secret ID if you fight back?' (assuming they had one, of course).

 

I even had one player happily rip off the "I've been working out" line from Superman II

[Burrito Boy]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

The biggest (non-Superfriends) problem with Aquaman is that his Silver Age version did actually rely on his talking to fish powers.

 

If he needed to do something that involved super-strength, he'd get whales to do it. If he needed a ranged attack, he would get octopuses to shoot bows and arrows, or something equally ridiculous.

 

Aqualad was the same.

 

60s-70s JLA and Teen Titans stories were cool, but Aquaman... wasn't.

 

That said, I would happily play an Aquaman style character. After all, even without superstrength, he can fight just as well as any other red-blooded superhero, and even a non-cheesy version of his powers wouldn't be completely useless.

 

If you ask me, getting an octopus to shoot a bow and arrow is freaking awesome!

[mattingly]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

One archetype that I don't think I've ever seen is the constantly wandering hero, a la Bixby Hulk. But that's more a function of campaign/GM limitations than player concept.

[RexMundi]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Heh, my whole Mainstream Campaign team is the Wandering Bixby Hulk type (crime they didn't commit, Not much in the way of public heroes etc), but yeah that's more a campaign set up....

 

~Rex

[Greywind]

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

 

Ok. That IS odd, at least to me. I've had muggers try to take on superheroes when they were in plains clothes, and it could be very entertaining on all levels, with a side dish of 'How much will you risk your secret ID if you fight back?' (assuming they had one, of course).

 

I even had one player happily rip off the "I've been working out" line from Superman II

One of my main characters is a blaster. He also has a hefty dose of MA tossed in, just in case.