Mathew Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 A bit of an obscure one, but I wanted to write up an accurate Superman character sheet based on the George Reeves Superman TV series. One thing that completely stumped me was his ability to follow phone messages. YOu see in one episode he finds that a criminal boss has a private direct phone line from his hideout to where he's keeping hostages. So Superman has the police inspector pick up the phone and count numbers out loud. Meanwhile Superman takes out and follows by using his super hearing to listen to the phone line and "hear" the speech. Obviously this is a take on the old wives-tale that you can hear a telephone conversation by listening to the phone poll... but he does it. So what power do I need to give a Superman character to let him do this? Simply a discriminator ranged "detect phone conversation" based on hearing? 4th or 5th edition rules please on your power build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: How to do one of Superman's powers in Champions... Copper lines I would be willing to let this go with just super hearing. Don't recall the episode, was the receiver off the hook? If so, I'd say he was actually listening for the Inspector's voice on the other phone and "following the phone lines" was just showmanship. If you want to be a little more hard physics about it, there is a slight EM field generated by pushing current through a wire and old copper phone lines were not shielded against this. To detect that would be a very sensitive Radio Hearing. Modern digital fiber optic lines? Fergetabouit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: How to do one of Superman's powers in Champions... from: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/68869-The-Classic-Justice-League-starting-members-on-350-points?p=2119889#post2119889 see the following VPP Slot: 0 Super Hearing 14) Clairsentience (Hearing Group), +2 to PER Roll, MegaScale (1" = 1 km; +¼), Mobile (+1); Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate, Delayed Phase, -½), Limited Power Affected by Adjustments as an EC (-¼), Limited Power Not in the presence of Kryptonite or red solar radiation (-¼) Real Cost: 24 5 END Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsatow Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: How to do one of Superman's powers in Champions... I'd give n-ray to his senses and lots of bonuses and add the rapid modifier for his senses, both sight and sound. He probably has about 6 levels of rapid to sort through 1M people talking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted August 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: How to do one of Superman's powers in Champions... from: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/68869-The-Classic-Justice-League-starting-members-on-350-points?p=2119889#post2119889 see the following VPP Slot: 0 Super Hearing 14) Clairsentience (Hearing Group), +2 to PER Roll, MegaScale (1" = 1 km; +¼), Mobile (+1); Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate, Delayed Phase, -½), Limited Power Affected by Adjustments as an EC (-¼), Limited Power Not in the presence of Kryptonite or red solar radiation (-¼) Real Cost: 24 5 END I don't think this would work in my case, because we have stablished that he didn't hear sound, he heard the the electrical impulse. Also, I don't think the Kryptonite thing counts in this setting. There were only 2 episodes of this series with Kryptonite, not enough to count as a disad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Re: How to do one of Superman's powers in Champions... HRRP with Descriptive's (Since you have him just "hearing" the radiant impulses, and add Tracking to it, so he can follow it along..Could get fancier with it if you want and toss in more stuff.....It should still work out cheap. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Re: How to do one of Superman's powers in Champions... I don't think this would work in my case' date=' because we have stablished that he didn't hear sound, he heard the the electrical impulse. Also, I don't think the Kryptonite thing counts in this setting. There were only 2 episodes of this series with Kryptonite, not enough to count as a disad.[/quote'] So you have a quibble with the value of a Limitation on a VPP and the consctruction of a slot within said VPP. The former is a simple matter to adjust. And the latter? It's a fricken' VPP! If the GM doesn't have issue with the character having the ability, build Clairsentience with the radio group. That part doesn't change the cost at all. This is far simpler than having to buy HRRP outside the VPP. Clairsentience is the only standard sensory power making it legal to go inside a framework like MP or VPP, the rest of the sensory powers are all special powers which are illegal without gm permission (which if allowed makes shtick preservation arguments that much harder). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Re: How to do one of Superman's powers in Champions... He pulled it off once, so in 6E this could just fall under a use of the Power Roll. In fact his "Make Diamant from Coal" Trick from one movie is a example for usisng the Power Roll to get "one time powers" taht would normally fall under Mayor Transform with little game effect. When he wants to use it more often than "once or twice a campaign" he would either need the VPP or buy it normally (depending on Version). Well limiting your obersation to only one show makes it somewhat easier, but overall Superman has be in use for so long that he is a one form Swiss Army Hero: Brick, Flyer, Speedster, EP, Detective So he tends to be a prime example for when to use a VPP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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