Material Girl

[phoenix240]

Material Girl is a mutant with an unusual power. At will she dematerialize her organic body and move her psyche to the closet mass of relatively homogenous inorganic material and animate it into a replacement body. This new body will have abilities based on its composition usually but not always including superhuman strange and resistance to damage commiserate with the material's integrity and immunity to environmental conditions that would affect4 most living things.

 

 

If her new body is destroyed, Material Girl will snap back where she first dematerialized and reform, stunned and suffering some physical trauma. She can return to that spot at will without trauma whenever she chooses to release her animate body. Material Girl has control over what matter she animates and can use this effect to damage things like creating a hole in a wall by animating a section of it and stepping out.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

OK. Awkward. How about:

 

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[TD=class: header, bgcolor: black, colspan: 3, align: left]POWERS[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]Cost [/TD]

[TD=width: 100%, align: left]Power[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]32[/TD]

[TD=align: left]Perceive into a single other dimension with Sight Group, Hearing Group, Smell/Taste Group and Touch Group (40 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (Only from POV of animated body; -1/4)[/TD]

[TD=align: center]0[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: center]90[/TD]

[TD=align: left]Telekinesis (60 STR), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Transdimensional (Single Dimension; +1/2) (157 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Animation only; -1/2), Limited Power Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (Requires appropriate material; -1/4)[/TD]

[TD=align: center]6[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: center]35[/TD]

[TD=align: left]Extra-Dimensional Movement (Single Dimension), Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger requires a Turn or more to reset; Activating Telekinesis, deactivating Telekinesis and Telekinetic body being destroyed; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (35 Active Points)[/TD]

[TD=align: center]0[/TD]

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[TD=align: center]157[/TD]

[TD=colspan: 2, align: left]Total Powers Cost[/TD]

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PLUS

 

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[TD=align: left]20[/TD]

[TD=colspan: 2, align: left]Physical Complication: Stun set to 0 and stunned if animated body destroyed (Frequently; Greatly Impairing)[/TD]

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So you have the power to use telekinesis, which requires a material 'base' to use. activating that power puts you in a pocket dimension that you can perceive your material animated body from and continue to use the TK. Switching the TK off returns you to your starting point. Destroying the material body whilst you inhabit it forces you back to your starting point and stuns you and reduces your Stun to zero.

 

I think that covers most of the bases, but it would definitely need GM approval.

 

The 'stats' of the material body are up to the GM and you to thrash out, but the material Body is limited to 60 STR. You can animate a bit of wall, and, if you are strong enough, tear yourself free of it.

 

probably needs a bit of work

 

I also thought of using some sort of multiform or duplication, but that has baggage that does not seem to fit some of your requirements.

[Christopher]

Re: Material Girl

 

That sounds really powerfull (propably to the point of inbalance), but I think there are some ways:

Summon + Posession (APG I 74)

Summon a body and posess it. Steer it around at leisure.

For her normal bodies defense while being in the Ersatz-body you could use Persistent Desolidification.

Maybe use a Posession that is linked to Desolidification (you have to "merge" with the target body). But then you have to think of a SFX that can affect the real her while she is merged.

 

Alternatively Multiform with a ton of alternate forms, Resurrection Regeneration for all and "Seperate State" Advantage (APG II 31). That way she conceiveable can take the same form twice (she simply has more than one "animated wall form").

 

As I see it most of her "alternate bodies" will be Automatons with full automaton powers.

 

Be aware that there is pertty much no way you can have "animated bodies" of equal power level as the character. There is simply to much unbeatability in there to allow that on any point budget and with any kind of Active Point caps.

If she is supposed to be a NPC that can chalenge a normal super in her bodies or maybe a group she probaply needs to be around the powerlevel of Gravitar or Grond.

[phoenix240]

Re: Material Girl

 

Material Girl is actually an NPC in a Teen Champions style campaign. She's not that powerful. First there has to be enough material for her power to work at all and then she gets a "body" that as tough and strong as whatever the material is. Might be steel might be wood or plastic depending on what's the immediate vicinity. When animating a Golem as she calls them she feels pain and injury as normal (takes Stun in game terms).

 

My initial thought was a VPP for nothing but Multiforms limited to Compenents of opportunity with a maybe an NND RKA vs Inanimate objects and/or Tunneling to represent the damage she can to objects if she take material for a Golem from them.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

You can limit the strength and the resilience of her animation and use some sort of feedback limitation so that she take Stun, but the reason I did not suggest a duplication is that the set up clearly contemplates the animated form being periodically destroyed, or killed, which could make it difficult to animate another and multiform is also problematic because the character can be killed in 'animate' form, as the animate form IS the character.

 

Of course you can buy twice the number for +5 points so replacing lost forms with new XP is possible, if not exactly elegant.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

That sounds really powerfull (propably to the point of inbalance), but I think there are some ways:

Summon + Posession (APG I 74)

Summon a body and posess it. Steer it around at leisure.

For her normal bodies defense while being in the Ersatz-body you could use Persistent Desolidification.

Maybe use a Posession that is linked to Desolidification (you have to "merge" with the target body). But then you have to think of a SFX that can affect the real her while she is merged.

 

Alternatively Multiform with a ton of alternate forms, Resurrection Regeneration for all and "Seperate State" Advantage (APG II 31). That way she conceiveable can take the same form twice (she simply has more than one "animated wall form").

 

As I see it most of her "alternate bodies" will be Automatons with full automaton powers.

 

Be aware that there is pertty much no way you can have "animated bodies" of equal power level as the character. There is simply to much unbeatability in there to allow that on any point budget and with any kind of Active Point caps.

If she is supposed to be a NPC that can chalenge a normal super in her bodies or maybe a group she probaply needs to be around the powerlevel of Gravitar or Grond.

 

 

Wouldn't automatons be immune to mental powers, like possession? (6.2.182)

[phoenix240]

Re: Material Girl

 

You can limit the strength and the resilience of her animation and use some sort of feedback limitation so that she take Stun' date=' but the reason I did not suggest a duplication is that the set up clearly contemplates the animated form being periodically destroyed, or killed, which could make it difficult to animate another and multiform is also problematic because the [u']character [/u]can be killed in 'animate' form, as the animate form IS the character.

 

Of course you can buy twice the number for +5 points so replacing lost forms with new XP is possible, if not exactly elegant.

 

Good points. Maybe a Slavishly Loyal Summon?

[Christopher]

Re: Material Girl

 

Material Girl is actually an NPC in a Teen Champions style campaign. She's not that powerful. First there has to be enough material for her power to work at all and then she gets a "body" that as tough and strong as whatever the material is. Might be steel might be wood or plastic depending on what's the immediate vicinity. When animating a Golem as she calls them she feels pain and injury as normal (takes Stun in game terms).

 

My initial thought was a VPP for nothing but Multiforms limited to Compenents of opportunity with a maybe an NND RKA vs Inanimate objects and/or Tunneling to represent the damage she can to objects if she take material for a Golem from them.

What about dirt/grassland?

 

If we have stun propagation:

Multiform

Triggered (Megascale) Teleport to "starting point" when Multiform ends (a Fixed Location).

Give the alternate Forms Resistant defenses Limited to "only to prevent true form from taking body damage and body damage from sticking". In the unlikely case that some attack is still stronger, then the feedback was strong enough that some body got through. Same with unusual body affecting attacks (Mental Blast, does body) - they jsut attack her self in a way that a strong body can't prevent.

 

How is she affected by mental powers while in a golem? How easy is it to figure out her "return point" while she is in a golem?

 

Wouldn't automatons be immune to mental powers' date=' like possession? (6.2.182)[/quote']

Not unless they take a complciation to be affected (common with undead and robots).

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Material Girl

 

Christopher, to be immune is to not be affected. I think you need to re-read his question and your response...

[Christopher]

Re: Material Girl

 

Christopher' date=' to be immune is to not be affected. I think you need to re-read his question and your response...[/quote']

Immunity is not possible in hero or only works with big downsides - like way to high point costs or being unable to act.

And the next best thing to immunity is having high enough defenses not to care.

[patransom]

Re: Material Girl

 

Golem (CV 2) has a very similar power, wherein he can posses and animate a statue. This is built as a summon, Slavishly Devoted (+1), Incapacitated And Helpless While Statue Is Animate (-1).

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Material Girl

 

I would use Duplication. The "Duplicate" is built on more points than the base character. Those additional points go toward a Variable Power Pool for the Duplicate. Maybe a 60 point pool or so. The only powers ever used in that pool are Desolidification and Multiform. The Desolid is the characters Astral Form. This can be affected normally by mental and perhaps some magical powers. When the character finds the material she wants to merge with, then the pool changes from Desolid to Multiform and since this is a VPP, the Multiform can be different every single time it is used.

 

A 60 point Multiform can make a 300 point character, which should be enough to generate a nice body from. You might need more if your campaign is higher powered. I would write up several character sheets with some typical materials (soft wood, hard wood, concrete, glass, Iron, steel, water, gas etc). Powers can vary depending on the material from high characteristics (STR, Body, defenses) to desolidification (water, gaseous) to NND blast with no range (oxygen displacing gas) to killing attack (Magma or lava!). Go nuts.

[Grailknight]

Re: Material Girl

 

I would just use a large multipower with variable slots. Look at the max possible def she will get from surrounding objects and then the max possible attack. Add those plus another 25-40% for misc movement and set your reserve from that. Movement, desolid and all other misc powers will not be in full use most of the time. The rest is all special effects from an OIHID form that she can be damaged out of with a linked teleport(?) for snapping back to initial location. Variable power pool would also be an option but Multiform and Duplication would be too rigid to me. (right material for max of a power may not be present but something of lesser quality is available).

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Material Girl

 

Wouldn't automatons be immune to mental powers' date=' like possession? (6.2.182)[/quote']

 

Not unless they take a complciation to be affected (common with undead and robots).

 

Christopher' date=' to be immune is to not be affected. I think you need to re-read his question and your response...[/quote']

 

Sean asked if automatons were immune to mental powers. You responded "not unless they take a complication to be affected". You basically just said that they would not be immune (would be affected) to mental powers unless they took a complication to be affected. Or to rephrase it, you said "they would be affected unless they took a complication to be affected". That makes no sense and is what I was trying to point out.

 

 

EDIT: Unless I'm on crazy pills and totally mis-reading something here. Anyone?

 

Immunity is not possible in hero or only works with big downsides - like way to high point costs or being unable to act.

And the next best thing to immunity is having high enough defenses not to care.

 

Although it comes down to GM permission, I think Immunity can be done in Hero on a campaign-by-campaign basis.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

One stipulation in the original post is that the MG can cause a hole int he material she animates by, well, animating a bit of it and 'stepping out', leaving a hole behind. The 'Animate with TK' allows you to do that (if the TK is strong enough to damage the material), but multiform/duplication would not, unless the GM handwaved it or you built an additional damaging power to put a hole in the material you animate.

 

Christopher: although you CAN buy automaton powers for a character (which, presumably, does not automatically confer immunity to mental powers and PRE attacks), the Automaton rules in the second book stipulate that Automatons are immune to those effects - presumably as they do not have a mind or an ego to affect, they are technically not alive/animate, even thought hey are clearly, well, animated.

 

As a GM I might allow you to summon something with automaton powers that was not an automaton, but I would want some sort of limitation or complication along the lines of 'mental powers/PRE attacks affect you even if targeted at your summoned thing'. Of course you could buy extra defensive PRE/mental defences for your summoned creature as YOU are not being threatened directly. not essential, but it seems to fit the concept.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

...............

EDIT: Unless I'm on crazy pills and totally mis-reading something here. Anyone?

 

 

No crazy pills: you divined my meaning exactly. mind you I'm often accused of being crazy, so you may not be out of the wood yet.

[Christopher]

Re: Material Girl

 

I would just use a large multipower with variable slots. Look at the max possible def she will get from surrounding objects and then the max possible attack. Add those plus another 25-40% for misc movement and set your reserve from that. Movement' date=' desolid and all other misc powers will not be in full use most of the time. The rest is all special effects from an OIHID form that she can be damaged out of with a linked teleport(?) for snapping back to initial location. Variable power pool would also be an option but Multiform and Duplication would be too rigid to me. (right material for max of a power may not be present but something of lesser quality is available).[/quote']

Using a framework is also a good idea, especially a VPP.

All that would need to be done is apply some extra Defense (Only to prevent the damage from sticking) and a Triggered Teleport outside of the Framework. Maybe some tunneling as well.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that "mundane" materials are not really that though in a superhuman world. With the words from Avengers Animated Series:

"I can be anything I touch, even stone."

*hulk punches off Absorbing Mans arm*

"Stupid. Hulk smash stone!"

 

Sean asked if automatons were immune to mental powers. You responded "not unless they take a complication to be affected". You basically just said that they would not be immune (would be affected) to mental powers unless they took a complication to be affected. Or to rephrase it' date=' you said "they would be affected unless they took a complication to be affected". That makes no sense and is what I was trying to point out.[/quote']

I meant "Not if you apply a complcaition".

 

And when you talked about immunity I thought you meant "being immune to the body damage the golem takes", wich is not fully server by taking "extra Defenses, Only to prevent body from sticking.

 

One stipulation in the original post is that the MG can cause a hole int he material she animates by' date=' well, animating a bit of it and 'stepping out', leaving a hole behind. The 'Animate with TK' allows you to do that (if the TK is strong enough to damage the material), but multiform/duplication would not, unless the GM handwaved it or you built an additional damaging power to put a hole in the material you animate.[/quote']

 

Christopher: although you CAN buy automaton powers for a character (which' date=' presumably, does not automatically confer immunity to mental powers and PRE attacks), the Automaton rules in the second book stipulate that Automatons are immune to those effects - presumably as they do not have a mind or an ego to affect, they are technically not alive/animate, even thought hey are clearly, well, animated.[/quote']

Yes, Automaton Powers and the Automaton Template (6E2) are unrelated in 6E. And it is the Automaton Template that gives you immuntiy to mental powers.

 

As a GM I might allow you to summon something with automaton powers that was not an automaton' date=' but I would want some sort of limitation or complication along the lines of 'mental powers/PRE attacks affect you even if targeted at your summoned thing'. Of course you could buy extra defensive PRE/mental defences for your summoned creature as YOU are not being threatened directly. not essential, but it seems to fit the concept.[/quote']

When you posess something, your "mind" is of course fully exposed to mental powers, Presence Attacks and Interaction skills. After all your mind is "in" there.

 

 

To get to a final version, we need to figure out how what part of the power works:

How is Stun Damage to the Golem handeled?

So far I think: Golem none, Controller full

 

How is body damage against the Golem handeled?

So far I think: The Golem takes full, the Controller Nothing

When the Golem is destroyed, the controller recives massive feedback

 

How are mental powers against the golem handeled?

So far I think: The mind of the Controller is fully exposed while inside the Golem under her normal mind class.

 

How attackable/detectable should the controllers true body be, while controling a body?

So far I think: Not at all. The body is not there, neither physically nor mentaly.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

This from the guy who thought my suggestion sounded powerful to the point of imbalance? You're suggestion is made up of optional rules and handwaves. At least I was able to build my one with HD3. Not saying I got it right, as there clearly is no right (no absolutes in Hero!), but it does everything that is required (including damaging the base material).

6.2.182

In fact, there’s an entire category of Powers, Automaton Powers, that are intended primarily (if not exclusively) for Automatons (see 6E1 145 for more information).

 

Yes, you can buy Automaton Powers for a character (with GM permission) but Automatons and Automaton Powers are not unrelated (the clue is in the name).

[Christopher]

Re: Material Girl

 

This from the guy who thought my suggestion sounded powerful to the point of imbalance? You're suggestion is made up of optional rules and handwaves. At least I was able to build my one with HD3. Cool.

Without the stun feedback or the exposed mind it would certainly be extremely inbalacing.

 

Also, where is my lasted interpreation based on "optional rules and handwaves"? It's not even rules I cite, it's only to make certain I and phoenix talk about the same thing.

[Ice9]

Re: Material Girl

 

Be aware that there is pertty much no way you can have "animated bodies" of equal power level as the character. There is simply to much unbeatability in there to allow that on any point budget and with any kind of Active Point caps.

I agree that it's a powerful concept, and should be considered carefully by the GM, but I don't think there's a problem fitting into a normal amount of points. Using a variation on the first method suggested:

 

1) Summon Material Construct, Slavishly Devoted, Expanded Class (any material)

2) EDM, Triggered (by summoning, or ending the summon)

3) Transdimensional for senses, as above.

4) Transdimensional Mind Link, with the summoned construct, possibly Triggered.

 

Total cost - not all that much (somewhere around 200p, I think), because the most expensive power (the Summon) doesn't need Transdimensional (you summon it while still present, which is what triggers the EDM to leave).

Alternately, you could base it around Desolidification instead - either replace the senses with Clairsentience, or add Clinging, Affects Physical World to ride around inside your construct.

[Wolfgar Lyles]

Re: Material Girl

 

Summon+Desolidification (Projection, Merging)+Possession. Done.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

I am uncomfortable with this because Summon already has a specific number of uses or tasks that you can require of the summoned being/thing and a method for controlling it. I think that once you have made the summoned being perform the required number of tasks (however you have done it, including possession) it is 'free'.

 

Also any summoned being would have EGO and possibly mental defences and would have to be of the right 'class of mind' - although if that was all you used Possession for, that is perhaps not a problem. Buying a 1 EGO summoned being is cheating.

[Wolfgar Lyles]

Re: Material Girl

 

Also any summoned being would have EGO and possibly mental defenses and would have to be of the right 'class of mind' - although if that was all you used Possession for, that is perhaps not a problem. Buying a 1 EGO summoned being is cheating.

 

It really isn't. A Summoned Being with low EGO is easily controlled by the summoner, but is also extremely easy to influence by others with any kind of mental powers. Likewise for this build she'd be vulnerable to having others kick her out of her construct with competing mental powers.

 

 

It also appears to be possible you can just buy the thing as Antagonistic at a low level and skip the tasks altogether, although if you have a ready method of controlling it anyway you should get -0 for the limitation.

[Christopher]

Re: Material Girl

 

The main reason we tend towards Summon is that Body damage (and other negative effects like Drains) do not carry over normally - neither to the main body, nor to later Golems.

We already know that stun does go over.

That mental powers affect her mind normally in the Golem as in her real body seems logically.

 

So the only things we would need to cover are Body and Drain Transfer.

Just buying Multiform and giving both her Real Body and her Golem Alterante Forms some "Resistant Defenses, Only to prevent effects from affecting the other Forms" seems a simple solution for me.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Material Girl

 

It really isn't. A Summoned Being with low EGO is easily controlled by the summoner, but is also extremely easy to influence by others with any kind of mental powers. Likewise for this build she'd be vulnerable to having others kick her out of her construct with competing mental powers.

 

 

It also appears to be possible you can just buy the thing as Antagonistic at a low level and skip the tasks altogether, although if you have a ready method of controlling it anyway you should get -0 for the limitation.

 

Normally, yes, but the addition of possession effectively substitutes your mind for that of the summoned being, so others will struggle to control it.