Do your versions of Superheroes Have an Off Switch?

[Cassandra]

Does your version of Superman lose all his powers during Kryptonite/Red Solar Radiation Exposure?

 

Does your Wonder Woman lose her strength when her bracelets are chained together by a Man?

 

Is your Green Lantern helpless in a yellow box (Silver Age), or wooden cage (Golden Age)?

[st barbara]

Not quite an "off switch" but "St Barbara's" powers (which mostly simulate fireworks), are useless in water (or at least most of them are). I have yet to find out what a really heavy rainstorm might do to her powers.

[assault]

* Does your version of Superman lose all his powers during Kryptonite/Red Solar Radiation Exposure?

My version of Superman only loses some of his powers during exposure to Kryptonite. His invulnerability stays on.

He loses all his powers during Red Solar Radiation exposure.

 

* Does your Wonder Woman lose her strength when her bracelets are chained together by a Man?

I've never built a version of Wonder Woman that I was happy with.

 

* Is your Green Lantern helpless in a yellow box (Silver Age), or wooden cage (Golden Age)?

Silver Age: yes.

Golden Age: my version is strictly based on the very earliest Green Lantern stories, which was before his weakness against wood had been defined as such. So, no.

[steriaca]

Humm... Jon "Sunburn" Roberts: His defense are useless against attacks of "elemental darkness". Originally most of his powers also 'turn off' in darkness (the environment, not the power). I believe he still gets 'physically hurt' in a pure darkness environment. Lady Heart: Heck yes. But not a total depowerment. His/her power levels are based on the environment. Basically s/he is more powerful at locations associated with love, and depowers in areas associated with hate, sadness, and more dark emotions.

[Enforcer84]

I avoid off switches, most of my direct write ups are tailored to my tastes and I'm not a fan of what I consider stupid. Yellow was stupid.

My kryptonians have vulnerability to Kryptonite though, but not so rapidly as to make them useless immediately. ie, Supes could grab the rock and if not quite toss it into space, the next county.

However, as a death trap item Kyrptonite is golden. It also occasionally makes appearances in weaponized form and can be very damaging to him.

 

My Wonder Woman lacks the binding issue and I dance around the resistant defenses issue as well.

[Cassandra]

Follow up, do you use Susceptibility for Kryptonite?

[assault]

Yes. My Kryptonite effect is a combination of effective paralysis, and gradual death through a Susceptibility.

[Cassandra]

Yes. My Kryptonite effect is a combination of effective paralysis, and gradual death through a Susceptibility.

Is the Paralysis psychological such as "Must make Ego Roll to take action during Kryptonite exposure?

[psyber624]

Personally I am not a fan of off switches for my Champions characters. The simple fact of the matter is that when I am building a character to play I know that my complications will come into play (and hopefully I *WANT* them to come into play) and a character that is "shut off" is not much fun to play (especially in a team environment where the rest of the team is fine to keep going so my "plight" doesn't receive the same amount of "screen time" it would in a solo game.)

 

Susceptibilities tho are one of my favorite complications. They are dangerous enough that the character/team can't simply ignore them, can offer interesting conundrums with a devious enough GMs, and generally speaking usually tie in to a "backstory" in some way. I just have to trust my GM/Team not to turn them into Off Switches ("Oh, you take 3d6 per phase from Unobtanium? Sorry bud, the evil mastermind's base is lined with the stuff, guess you have to sit this one out" says GmFail.)

 

If you were talking solely about actual Superman/Wonder Woman builds then I don't normally bother pointing up characters like that, but if I DID (and it was supposed to be a "true" representation and not merely an homage character) then yes to Superman (he has always been depicted like that) and possibly no to Wonder Woman (while the latest incarnation MAY still loose her powers from that I haven't seen it happen, but then I am not really a follower of her comics. And frankly that happening would be rarer than Kryptonite by a LARGE margin so would likely be worth no points.)

[Greywind]

...unless she likes it.

[assault]

Yes. My Kryptonite effect is a combination of effective paralysis, and gradual death through a Susceptibility.

No, although that's an interesting idea. Basically, it's all his powers except his invulnerability switching off, along with lots of his characteristics - including REC, END and SPD. He doesn't act very often, and can't do much before he runs out of END. His BODY doesn't switch off, of course, as the idea is that he is dying, but doesn't actually die.

 

The Ego Roll thing could allow greater selectiveness in which powers switch off. In the Silver Age stories I analyzed, not all his powers switched off immediately, and there's even sometimes an implication that he could use superbreath or heat vision to get rid of a small enough piece of Kryptonite before he was completely incapacitated.

[Cassandra]

My take on Kryptonite is that is doesn't take away Superman or Supergirl's powers, but they can't use them against it. They can't use superhuman strength or heat vision to destroy kryptonite. Red Solar Radiation takes away all their powers, but they aren't effected by the poison effects of the Kryptonite radiation.

 

As I currently build low level versions (250 Points, 5th. Edition) I use Kryptonite, Red Solar Radiation, and Magic as Vulnerabilities. If Luthor wants to kill Superman he can spend the points on a death trap using Mental Paralysis, and an NND KA that only effects those vulnerable to Kryptonite, which should have a (-2) Limitation.

[psyber624]

Meh, to each their own as always but what's the point of "building" Superman if your not actually going to build him? Superman, in almost every continuity I have seen him in, looses his powers (or at least has them drastically drained) in the presence of Kryptonite. If you don't build that into Superman thats like leaving off Super Strength(or Flight, or Invulnerability, or Heat Vision) and calling him Superman.

[assault]

The most obvious example of their powers cutting out is their flight. Kryptonite usually causes them to crash to the ground. On the other hand, the fall doesn't splatter them, which is why I don't have their defenses switching off. Nor do they immediately suffocate when they are exposed to it in space.

 

Mechanically, using Kryptonite and Red Sun Radiation as limitations bumps up Kryptonians relative to other characters on the same point totals, which is important in a world of Martians and Green Lanterns, not to mention mooks in power armour.

[phydaux]

Susceptibilities are mostly Golden Age and mostly DC. My character inspirations are mostly Bronze Age and mostly Marvel.

[Hyper-Man]

Does your version of Superman lose all his powers during Kryptonite/Red Solar Radiation Exposure?

 

Does your Wonder Woman lose her strength when her bracelets are chained together by a Man?

 

Is your Green Lantern helpless in a yellow box (Silver Age), or wooden cage (Golden Age)?

 

1. Eventually. I give a -1/4 Limitation for the combination of Kryptonite & red solar. Flavor like that in the source material is encouraged.

2. No. This was mostly a golden age complication. I have not seen a comic book reference to it in 20+ years.

3. If intended for those eras, yes. My posted non-goldern age versions (5e & 6e) model the 'green energy' as a VPP on the ring as an AI with a limited # of programs allowing it to access it directly. It's main ability is to grant use of the VPP to the wearer of the ring. One of the benefits of this approach is that each GM can decide for themselves exactly what all the hard coded 'programs' are which can include not allowing the energy to be used directly to kill or affect "the color yellow".

[Hyper-Man]

Fast forward to 3:21 of this clip from episode 5 of Superman:TAS.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eOG0S-1DS4

 

[Hyper-Man]

Does your version of Superman lose all his powers during Kryptonite/Red Solar Radiation Exposure?

 

Does your Wonder Woman lose her strength when her bracelets are chained together by a Man?

 

Is your Green Lantern helpless in a yellow box (Silver Age), or wooden cage (Golden Age)?

 

1. Eventually. I give a -1/4 Limitation for the combination of Kryptonite & red solar. Flavor like that in the source material is encouraged.

2. No. This was mostly a golden age complication. I have not seen a comic book reference to it in 20+ years.

3. If intended for those eras, yes. My posted non-goldern age versions (5e & 6e) model the 'green energy' as a VPP on the ring as an AI with a limited # of programs allowing it to access it directly. It's main ability is to grant use of the VPP to the wearer of the ring. One of the benefits of this approach is that each GM can decide for themselves exactly what all the hard coded 'programs' are which can include not allowing the energy to be used directly to kill or affect "the color yellow".

I also use Unified in addition to the combo krypto/red limitation but I only apply it to Supes' VPP. It allows for a simple differentiation between krypto and red solar. Krypto forcibly replaces/drains his kryptonian powers. Since the VPP has Unified it is affected much more quickly than the rest of his more static powers like his 'basic' invulnerability. Once he's been exposed long enough to lose his kryptonian physiology powers* he would be Stunned (*the loss of +30 STUN bought as a power). Red Solar just keeps him from recharging his powers. It took hours for Felix Leitner's solar filter to affect Superman's power level. Basically a LTE type of effect.

[assault]

The "Kryptonite allows normals to beat Superman up" effect was generally absent from the early Silver Age sources, but is more common later on.

 

I would handle it in one of two ways:

(a) Kryptonite negates Superman's defenses just like his other powers, which causes problems when he falls out of the sky, or is affected in space, but allows normals to beat him up like in the TAS clip; or

( his defenses have a "not against Kryptonite based attacks" type limitation, which prevents that from happening, but allows someone like Metallo or Luthor to punch his lights out. Of course they're not actually hitting him with a bit of Kryptonite, so the wording might be a bit tricky.

[Tasha]

I don't really care for off switches on Champions Characters. It's something that can be used to create tension, but can be overused and become not fun for the Player or group.

I think that's why only really Supes still has his off switch in the N52DCU and it's been de emphasized even there. Also, I see more PCs that don't take things that will shut down every power. They don't think that being powerless is a fun way to play. Now I do like taking extra End costs tied to what would be an "off switch" that allows the character to still function, but burn 4x or more endurance to use any powers. It just feels more heroic to be weakened by something, but have the character overcome that thing and still be able to save the day. Perhaps even burning stun for End (body? for end). Collapsing after helping to save the world against their foe.

[Christopher]

If I would built a superman clone:

"Suceptibiliy (Drain) Towards Red sun and Kryptontie Radiation, only 'Kryptonian super powers'"

plus

"Succeptibilty (1d6 Damage/Phase) Towards Kryptonite Radiation""

 

It should be noted that even without his superpowers, Kryptonians are often depicted as being stronger then humans. Afaik this is part of them being from a high gravity world. So he would not fall to be a total human, but would not be able to fly in Red Sunlight either.

 

If I use such complciations:

My first Brick Landslide had two stages of power:

First was midly superhuman, the second was true brick powers.

But she could not use her second stage when it was cold. And I mean "below comfort level" of Temeprature (as defined in 6E2, Environmental Effect). Add to it her secodn stage powers destroyed all clothing but here uniform. She also took damage from cold, but not much. And a succeptibility from Cold.

 

The idea was to have an off-switch, while also still being able to go everywhere (like the arctis) if she wore a themal suite and did not power up to full strenght.

 

 

After that I only used anything in the direction of off-switch when I needed a complciation. I prefer to not take them:

Grey Angel had a Weakness to Sonic attacks (Crystalline Armor/technology) and a "Affected as Machien Class of mind" on her list of possible Complcaitions (her powers were in part controlled by a Neural Implant, making her Vulnerable as a machine). Both were things I though about buying off fast.

 

There was my Green Automaton for a DC-like game, she was a mix of Green Lantern and a different approach (very adavanced machine).

As it was likely there would be another more classical GL in the team, I made her a melee Character (using green light Constructs for melee weapons) and I ruled that she had a prototype GL-Battery built into herself (no Ring, no dependence on a Central Battery). That way she was distinct enough to not follow whatever limitations/design the other player wanted to use for his GL (the Yellow Weakness, Charge Limitation or whatever). She also did not infringe on his Shtick this way.

Unfortunately the game never got of the ground.

 

Edit: I Do think such limtaitiosn where mostly implmented so the Solo Hero (who is built on much more points then the group version) could still have challenges without pulling another superhuman out of the hat. Supermans Kryptonite weakness plays a much less pronounced role in group adventures then in his solo titles.

[Escafarc]

Once. It didn't end well. I fully expected at some point to have a depowered character, but what ended up happening was a extreme case of lead poisoning.

[Cassandra]

It would be ironic if Superman was exposed to kryptonite but died from lead poisoning.

[kahuna's bro]

Once. It didn't end well. I fully expected at some point to have a depowered character, but what ended up happening was a extreme case of lead poisoning I think escafarc used" lead poisoning " euthamistilaclly to describe being shot to death.

[st barbara]

I notice that the title of the thread and the question asked by the originator of the thread are slightly different. I answered the former. Oops ! My bad.