What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

[Steve]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

For my characters, one thing they always seem to have in common is attractiveness. At least one or more levels in Striking Appearance (6th Ed) or a 16+ COM (1st-5th Ed). Some kind of martial arts ability is also pretty much essential.

 

Since I haven't played but only handled the GM duties for an all-male group for many years, that means a lot of my main campaign NPCs tend to be attractive women.

[Orion]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

I ignore the forum for a weekend, and miss out on this wonderful thread. Anyway, my trademarks are:

 

1. Concept and history first, and then I might bother statting them out. Statting is also usually done in the easiest and most obvious way - tweaking builds is something I never bother with. The description is more important than the stats, and takes precedent if needed. Rules are ignored or handwaved it they cannot support the concept.

 

2. Code vs killing is almost unknown to my characters. I'm much more likely to play a deadly vigilante than a 4-color hero. If code vs killing is used, it is a defining part of the concept. Very few are casual killers - most approach it with a soldier's viewpoint. Killing a villain is considered acceptable, and even heroic, at times.

 

3. They must be combat capable to be a primary character. They don't have to be the best in the group at combat, but usually are.

 

4. Many genre conventions are ignored, as they aren't a writer's favorite or an intellectual property necessity to protect them. No high DCV or pretend armor to model Hawkeye not getting pulped every combat, for example. Gadgeteers and martial artists are never taken, as they just wouldn't live long enough to matter.

 

5. As a player, I love puns and goofing off during play, but every character is serious. No practical jokers. No Spiderman-style running off at the mouth in combat. It's a dangerous job, not fun and games for them.

[Bloodstone]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

About the only things that are important for me are my ability to contribute to the story in some capacity and I like to be able to connect with the character I'm playing in some way. I'll gladly play something that doesn't naturally appeal to me just for a challenge or change of pace though.

 

As for what normally appeals to me:

 

I have a tendency to play characters that are versatile, as I hate sitting around with nothing to contribute. Even characters that are incredibly specialized will have something else they are at least competent at.

 

My characters tend to be talkative and social, because sitting there brooding and talking out of character the whole time kinda sucks for me.

 

I also gravitate towards fast, agile characters, usually with acrobatics and/or martial arts, often with a predilection for sharp things. This is my real life intruding on the game world, as it's easier for me to play things I know well and understand.

 

Other people have observed that I'm quite likely to play characters that look inhuman, monstrous or at least odd in some way. Even when playing an otherwise completely normal looking person, I will often give them an unusual physical feature, quirk or manner of dress.

[sinanju]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

As someone with a lot of experience with VPPs, I want to point out an oft-overlooked issue with VPPs. Namely, that flexibility comes at a price. My most recent Champions game was a "round-robin GM" sort of game. Each of us players took a turn as GM for 1-3 sessions before turning the game over to the next GM.

 

It was a very high-powered game, with the PCs acquiring 25 (TWENTY-FIVE) XP per session. We all rapidly became obscenely powerful (and our opponents equally so). And it soon became evident that my character, flexible as she was, was NOT the heavy hitter in the group. ALL of the other characters were more powerful in their niche than I could be. They were stronger, or faster, or tougher, or could dish out more damage than I could. I could duplicate their powers, yes, but always with a significantly reduced pool of points after having bought the VPP and the Control pools for my character.

 

Which is not to say I didn't have fun, and wasn't effective. I was. But I wasn't able to steal anyone's thunder.

[Ragitsu]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

No one else has high mental strength as a character trademark ?

[Bloodstone]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

No one else has high mental strength as a character trademark ?

 

Well, now that you mention it, I've got a LOT of characters that are strong willed and/or fearless.

 

But it's by no means a must have for me, so not really a trademark.

 

I enjoy playing characters that are prone to moments of weakness, that will occasionally give in to temptation or who can be easily subverted or tricked.

[phoenix240]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

 

No offense intended.

[phoenix240]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

Which is not to say I didn't have fun' date=' and wasn't effective. I was. But I wasn't able to steal anyone's thunder.[/quote']

 

Maybe I'm not playing with people as efficient at character design but I haven't found this to be the case. Even when the VPP person wasn't "as powerful" as some of the other charcters their flexibility more than made up for it and even then they weren't lacking by much.

[Christopher]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

Maybe I'm not playing with people as efficient at character design but I haven't found this to be the case. Even when the VPP person wasn't "as powerful" as some of the other charcters their flexibility more than made up for it and even then they weren't lacking by much.

Perhaps we are talking about different Controll Cost and Pool Limits for the VPP?

I naturally asume my character would loose effectiveness for having a VPP(it may not go to near to the AP limit for example) and there is this big skill roll penalty to change them in combat....

[Blue]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

A wise man once said Powers make combats but Disads make for characters. What? No one said that? Then I'll take credit.

 

It's all about the disadvantages to me. Without writing a background, if you look at a character's disadvantages and can gather a picture but only enough to make you want more, then you're on the right track.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

No one else has high mental strength as a character trademark ?

 

Not usually. I rarely go higher than a 14 EGO unless I'm playing an actual telepath. Mental Defense usually wanders in ... but I've rarely seen an Ego roll of any stripe called for in decades. If there's an enemy telepath, they usually just rely on Ego Attack instead of stuff like Mind Control.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

No one else has high mental strength as a character trademark ?

 

not usually - it all depends on the character. My Martial artist (Black Cat) is almost mentally invulnerable, my two mages have fairley strong ego and defence. The speedster is okay, and Meeb has no mental defence and strength to speak of.

[aylwin13]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

My characters are all heroes - Boy Scouts to some degree (even any female characters). They protect normals, avoid killing, etc.

 

They are also what I call "Swiss Army Knife" characters. No matter what archetype they might be, the builds allow the character to be moderately good at most everything. They have attacks, movement, defense, a variety of skills, etc.

[Burrito Boy]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

A wise man once said Powers make combats but Disads make for characters. What? No one said that? Then I'll take credit.

 

It's all about the disadvantages to me. Without writing a background, if you look at a character's disadvantages and can gather a picture but only enough to make you want more, then you're on the right track.

 

What Blue said. I always start with Disadvantages. I may have power ideas in my head when I start but I always write down the Disadvantages first because I care most about the character's personality and background.

[Opale]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

1 - A high Comeliness

2 - A skimpy/sexy/seductive/provocative costume (choose option(s))

3 - Silky hairs

4 - an attitude and some sex appeal, humour and good manners

5 - A huge desire to be famous in some way

6 - Any kind of powers as long as it doesn't get amongst the precedent points

[Gent]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

My characters tend to be non-human in some way, and are often devious. Also, they tend to have high DEX, SPD, and CVs, martial arts, and lots of noncombat skills.

[hfergus]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

Background and character origin/personlity are always a must. Yes, they can have a memory gap, but I know the basics of it.

 

And as to VPP - if it is not instantaneous in combat, it's never been a big problem. In this case, I't only powerful when you know what you are facing - which is great for first contact, you lose and later, especailly after digging, then you win. One of my characters is like that - and even has a 0 limitation - must be on list. (0 because it is a rather large list. - and can be added to with gm permission)

[GoldenAge]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

Skills. Mad Skills.

 

~Rex

 

His current Star Wars character certainly proves this point!

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

I usually take the following skills: Paramedic, Teamwork, KS: Police Procedures (so as not to muck up an investigation/crime scene/evidence), KS: Supers. Basically, enough skills to show the character is taking superheroing seriously. May or may not have investigative skills beyond that list, depending on concept.

 

I tend to favor bricks or demi-bricks of some sort. Often, very combat capable, but almost always try to talk things out first. The last one I played took down Ogre by offering him some ice cream. No need to wreck the city if all the villain wants is some ice cream. Or if you can convince him that that's what he really wants.

[phoenix240]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

I usually take the following skills: Paramedic, Teamwork, KS: Police Procedures (so as not to muck up an investigation/crime scene/evidence), KS: Supers. Basically, enough skills to show the character is taking superheroing seriously. May or may not have investigative skills beyond that list, depending on concept.

 

I tend to favor bricks or demi-bricks of some sort. Often, very combat capable, but almost always try to talk things out first. The last one I played took down Ogre by offering him some ice cream. No need to wreck the city if all the villain wants is some ice cream. Or if you can convince him that that's what he really wants.

 

Cool, I like creative solutions.

 

It would have been really classic if your character calmed him down with a Hostess fruit pie.

[drunkonduty]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

Trademarks:

Multipowers. Mostly this is for the low cost for versatility benefit. I like the idea of the character being able to learn/develop new powers fairly cheaply and having a small arsenal of attacks/powers to use. I'm particularly fond of doing up things like sensor arrays and weapon systems for power armour types.

 

I also give them some skills for their normal life. Professional skills, knowledge skills, that sort of thing.

 

Some sort of tactical weakness. For all that I want versatile characters I don't want someone who is omnicompetent. There should be something there for the GM and a cunning villain to exploit.

 

VPPs:

I plain don't like 'em. This is because I've seen them abused far too much. Both with overshadowing other characters and with taking up too, too much time at the table while the player number crunches some extremely complex power to the nth degree. I'll reluctantly allow a Gadget Pool because, well, there's no other way to really do a gadgeteer. But I allow them with the caveat that I may disallow it later if I see it turning abusive.

 

High Mental Strength:

Not a trademark. Usually present but unlike versatility it doesn't make my brain itch when I have a character without a strong mind.

 

phoenix240 wrote:

It would have been really classic if your character calmed him down with a Hostess fruit pie.

 

I nearly snarfed when I read that.

[Christopher]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

Trademarks:

Multipowers. [...]I'm particularly fond of doing up things like sensor arrays and weapon systems for power armour types.

Aren't all Echanced Senses Special Powers, and thus unavalible for Frameworks? Afaik the only Sensroy Power you can take in a Framework is Clairsentience. What's the caveat with them that the GM allows them?

[drunkonduty]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

Was not aware of the caveat on multipowers/special powers. But I'll look into it and see what the deal is. As to special GM permission: I almost always GM and I'd still allow players to put senses in a Multipower (although now I write this I realise that I actually meant to say Elemental Control! Do'h! Does this change make the conversation moot? Don't have rule books handy.)

 

The characters I draw up are almost never played. :-( So if rules are occasionally bent a little in their design, meh, no harm done.

 

cheers.

[The Main Man]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

I like to give my characters Super-Skills regardless of genre. I think that they help ground a character to the real world in vague ways. Brawler + Looks Worse Than It Is or Can Take A Punch go a long way to ground an otherwise fantastic character in cinematic realism in my opinion.

 

Similarly, I love to build Powers with Requires A Roll so that I get more mileage out of various Skills.

 

Another "trademark" I've been adapting lately are bonus CHAR with OIAID. I call them "Hero Mode Characteristics," which are meant to simulate how, for example, Bruce Wayne generally seems easier to incapacitate than Batman regardless of resources.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: What are YOUR character trademark(s)?

 

The rule is no Special Powers in Frameworks.

 

from 4e, page 122:

Power Frameworks cannot be used with any of the Special Powers or Talents, except with special permission of the GM.

from 5er, page 311:

Characters cannot purchase Special Powers and Talents in Power Frameworks, except with the GM’s permission. For example, characters generally cannot buy Flash Defense or Enhanced Senses in a Power Framework — but most GMs would allow a character who had a “Gadget Pool” VPP to do so if he defined the Special Power as an appropriate, commonly-available object (such as sunglasses or a telescope).

from 6e1, page 400:

Characters cannot purchase Special Powers and Talents in Power Frameworks, except with the GM’s permission. For example, characters generally cannot buy Flash Defense or Enhanced Senses in a Power Framework — but most GMs would allow a character who had a “Gadget Pool” VPP to do so if he defined the Special Power as an appropriate, commonly-available object (such as sunglasses or a telescope).

I used to skirt this issue in the past but have found that if it is not generally enforced it results in every character with a Multipower or VPP having an easy mechanical shortcut to those abilities (with sfx being the only limiter, instead of the longstanding rule mechanic). The argument used to be that "it makes it too expensive to make a Superman-like character on starting points". I think I have successfully dispelled that myth.