Campaign Setting: Inspired by Batman Arkham Asylum

[CptPatriot]

Hello, everyone. I am hoping to have a discussion and eventually settle upon a Campaign Setting inspired by the Batman Arkham game series. The goal behind it is to choose points for starting characters and guidelines for powers in the rare case of metahuman abilities.

[Ninja-Bear]

Low powered is a good starting point, especially keep defenses low.

[phydaux]

5th or 6th?

[CptPatriot]

5th or 6th?

I'm saying 6th as that is the current edition and I'd like this to be accessible to potential new players using Complete Champions.

 

Low powered is a good starting point, especially keep defenses low.

So, Superheroic, Low-Powered (300 with 60 in complications) and how low should we go with the defenses. I think the basic assumption is that they need to be able to be hurt by normals. Defenses are likely based on body armor, which should stop a knife and bullet resistant to handle most pistols.

[Ninja-Bear]

Guideline in fifth rev has def at 12/6r. For my martial art/DC game I went upto 15 pd as that is listed as human max.

 

Damage classes I kept around 10. 12 was max.

[phydaux]

An average roll of 10d6 is 35 stun and 10 body.  That's blowing PD/ED of 12/6r out of the water.  Even at 15 PD that's almost a guaranteed CON Stun.  

 

If the PD/ED is going to be at 15/8r then the DCs should be around 6. That will allow for a 2d6 RKA (The Shadow carried two 1911s).  That will be enough to put a hurting on a PC but not drop one into a coma in one shot.

[assault]

8 DCs would be fine for a 15 PD game. Even 12 PD might be OK.

 

8 DCs (normal attack) averages 28 Stun, 8 Body. Ignore Body.

 

On average, then, that's 13 Stun above 15 PD, 16 Stun above 12 PD. Nasty, but a character with 18-20 Con and reasonable Stun should be able to take a couple of such hits without having to take a recovery.

 

To me, that sounds about right. It's a "avoid being hit" rather than "soak up damage" setting.

 

Conveniently, an Offensive Strike and 20 Str does 8 DC.

 

10 DC hits would be nasty, but they should be.

[phydaux]

So it looks like Campaign Norms would be 300 character points with 60 points of Complications, Norman Human Characteristics Maximums (including SPD & CV), 15 PD & ED, and 45 active Points/8DCs cap on powers.

 

Sounds really "street" level.  Basing this on Arkham Asylum or Watchmen?     Are the PCs the heroes or the villains, 'cause I'd REALLY love to play Harley Quinn.

 

Now I just have to post a write up of Harley Quinn that matches these norms.  Good thing the weekend is coming up.  

[assault]

So it looks like Campaign Norms would be 300 character points with 60 points of Complications, Norman Human Characteristics Maximums (including SPD & CV),

 

 

Why NCM? I can't see why it's either necessary or desirable.

 

Characters are already crazy fragile. Making them slow and clumsy as well seems like a bad idea.

[TheQuestionMan]

Resources: 

 

Bedlam City by James Thomson 

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/55497/Bedlam-City?term=Bedlam+City 

 

New Bedlam Asylum by Chris Avellone 

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/61509/New-Bedlam-Asylum 

 

Widows & Orphans by Chris Avellone 

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/61508/Widows-and-Orphans 

 

Cheers 

 

 

QM 

[Ninja-Bear]

An average roll of 10d6 is 35 stun and 10 body. That's blowing PD/ED of 12/6r out of the water. Even at 15 PD that's almost a guaranteed CON Stun.

 

If the PD/ED is going to be at 15/8r then the DCs should be around 6. That will allow for a 2d6 RKA (The Shadow carried two 1911s). That will be enough to put a hurting on a PC but not drop one into a coma in one shot.

I wasn't perhaps clear. Its 15 pd / 6rpd but since the resistant defense is almost always bought as armor, the total defense for stun is max 21 pd and CON can go as high as 30 since 30 the human max so no CON Stun isn't guarrentted.

[Ninja-Bear]

Why NCM? I can't see why it's either necessary or desirable.

 

Characters are already crazy fragile. Making them slow and clumsy as well seems like a bad idea.

I only used the NCM as a guide I didn't have my players pat for it though.

[phydaux]

Working on Batgirl and Harley Quinn.  Post later.

[phydaux]

BATGIRL

 

 

5  STR 15

10 DEX 15

5  CON 15

5  INT 15

5  EGO 15

5  PRE 15

10 OCV 6

10 DCV 6

-  MOCV 3

-  MDCV 3

20 SPD 4

10  PD 12/18*

10  ED 12/18*

4  REC 8

2  END 30

5  BOD 15

5  STUN 30

 

SUB TOTAL 111

 

 

Powers

 

4 Martial Dodge Abort, +5 DCV

5 Front Kick +1 OCV, +3 DCV

4 Side Kick +0 OCV, +2 DCV, +2d6

5 Roundhouse Kick -2 OCV, +1 DCV, +4d6

3 Throw +0 OCV, +1 DCV, +v/10 d6, target falls

 

22 45 pip Multipower, OIHID, Restrainable, Range based on SRT (16m Standing)

3 6d6 APEB 16 Charges

3 4d6 Entangle 16 Charges

3 9d6 Flash 16 Charges

3 4d6 NND (Tazer) 16 Charges

3 7d6 AOE EB 4m Radius 16 Charges

3 3d6 AOE Entangle 4m Radius 16 Charges

3 7d6 AOE Flash 4m Radius 16 Charges

3 2d6 AOE NND 4m Radius (Gas) 16 Charges

3 Darkness Sight Group 4m Radius, Cont. Charge 1 Turn, 16 Charges

 

 

12 6rPD/6rED OIF Costume

 

6 +6m Running, (18m total) (1)

4 +8m Leaping (12m total) (1)

6 18m Swinging, OIF Grapnel (1)

 

3 Night Vision, OIF Visor

3 5 pip Flash Defense OIF Visor

 

1 Extended Breathing, 1 END/Minute OAF Rebreather

 

 

 

SUB TOTAL 105

 

 

 

 

Skills

 

3 Acrobatics

3 Acting

3 Breakfall

3 Charm

3 Climbing

3 Concealment

3 Contortionist

3 Conversation

3 Deduction

3 Demolitions

3 Lockpicking

3 Paramedics

3 Persuasion

3 Security Systems

3 Shadowing

3 Stealth

3 Streetwise

3 Teamwork

 

2 AK: Home City

2 KS: Superheroes

2 KS: Supervillians

- LS: Native

2 PS: Superhero

- TF: Automobile

 

SUB TOTAL 62

 

 

Perks

 

3 Striking Appearance

 

SUB TOTAL 3

 

 

Disadds

 

20 Secret ID

20 Code Against Killing

10 Hunted by Joker

5 Rivalry - Nightwing

5 Love Interest - Dick Greyson

 

 

SUB TOTAL 60

 

 

STATS 111

POWERS 105

SKILLS 62

PERKS 3

UNSPENT 9

 

TOTAL 291

 

DISADDS 60

[phydaux]

HARLEY QUINN

 

 

5  STR 15

10 DEX 15

5  CON 15

5  INT 15

5  EGO 15

5  PRE 15

10 OCV 6

10 DCV 6

-  MOCV 3

-  MDCV 3

20 SPD 4

10  PD 12/18*

10  ED 12/18*

4  REC 8

2  END 30

5  BOD 15

5  STUN 30

 

SUB TOTAL 111

 

 

Powers

 

4 Martial Dodge Abort, +5 DCV

5 Jab +1 OCV, +3 DCV

4 Hook +0 OCV, +2 DCV, +2d6

5 Upper Cut -2 OCV, +1 DCV, +4d6

3 Throw +0 OCV, +1 DCV, +v/10 d6, target falls

 

20 8d6 Hand Attack, 0 END, OAF Giant Mallet

 

22 2d6 HtH KA 0 END, OAF Kabar Knife

 

11 3d6 RKA 1 Charge, OAF Bazooka

 

12 6rPD/6rED OIF Costume

 

6 +6m Running, (18m total) (1)

4 +8m Leaping (12m total) (1)

 

 

 

SUB TOTAL 96

 

 

Skills

 

3 Acrobatics

3 Acting

3 Breakfall

3 Charm

3 Climbing

3 Concealment

3 Contortionist

3 Conversation

3 Deduction

3 Demolitions

3 Lockpicking

3 Paramedics

3 Persuasion

3 Security Systems

3 Shadowing

3 Stealth

3 Streetwise

3 Teamwork

 

2 AK: Home City

2 KS: Superheroes

2 KS: Supervillians

- LS: Native

2 PS: Superhero

- TF: Automobile

 

SUB TOTAL 62

 

 

Perks

 

3 Striking Appearance

 

SUB TOTAL 3

 

 

Disadds

 

20 Public ID

20 Reputation - Casual Killer

10 DNPC Joker

5 Other

5 Other

 

 

SUB TOTAL 60

 

 

STATS 111

POWERS 96

SKILLS 62

PERKS 3

UNSPENT 28

 

TOTAL 272

 

DISADDS 60

[phydaux]

Tale of the tape with these two is fairly straight forward.  Babs has the ranged FYB powers to shut Harley down.  Once she is incapacitated by a Flash or an Entangle then it will be easy for Barbara to beat Harley into submission.  

 

But that's in a stand-up fight.  Harley is a natural ambush predator.  If Harley uses her Stealth and lures Batgirl into looking for her, then there's a chance that Harley can get an attack from surprise for X2 STUN, CON Stunning her, and follow that up with a savage beat down (Possibly breaking her spine?  Too soon?).

[SteelCold]

I can't imagine the Joker being anybody's dnpc.

[Ninja-Bear]

Phydaux do you have for characteristics value and cost switched? Typically its listed asvalue characteristic then cost.

[phydaux]

Yeah I do cost first, then value.

 

I do my characters in Notepad.

[CptPatriot]

Is it just me but Batgirl and Harley are weaker than normals?

[phydaux]

Campaign Setting inspired by the Batman Arkham game series.

 

Now I've got to be honest, I've never played the games.  How would the campaign work?

 

Is the idea that the PCs are hunting through Gotham, looking for the escaped villains?  Working their was through the henchmen and then finally fighting the boss, looking to capture him and bring him back to Arkham?

 

So if the PCs are going to be built on 300/60, then IMO their needs to be three levels of bad guys - Henchmen, Lieutenants, and Bosses.  Henchmen should be around agent-level, ~100 points, built to fold after 1-2 hits.  And there should be LOTS of them.   They should routinely outnumber PCs at at least 3 to 1.  Well built Henchmen can give PCs FITS.

 

Lieutenants should be built on the same number of points and to the same standards as the PCs.  Classic tropes, Brick, Power Projector, Martial Artist, Gadget Man with FYB powers, and Weird, although in this setting, with these PC power levels, I'd double up on the first three, and only bust out the Weird infrequently.  A fight between five PCs and five Lieutenants should be a tough fight unless the players are experienced gamer and play well together.  But it they ARE, then you should be fielding a Weird.  

 

Bosses should be built on 400 points and should exceed every campaign norm.  A boss against a single PC should be an easy win for the boss.  Against a team of PCs playing in a random and uncoordinated way, the Boss should still win or at least stalemate/escape.  It should take a team of PCs playing well together with good teamwork to take down a boss.

[phydaux]

Is it just me but Batgirl and Harley are weaker than normals?

 

Ninja-Bear already addressed this.  I did the characteristics as Cost-STAT-Value, not Value-STAT-Cost.  So they don't have CVs of 10 and a SPD of 20.  

[phydaux]

Now I've got to be honest, I've never played the games.  How would the campaign work?

 

Is the idea that the PCs are hunting through Gotham, looking for the escaped villains?  Working their was through the henchmen and then finally fighting the boss, looking to capture him and bring him back to Arkham?

 

So if the PCs are going to be built on 300/60, then IMO their needs to be three levels of bad guys - Henchmen, Lieutenants, and Bosses.  Henchmen should be around agent-level, ~100 points, built to fold after 1-2 hits.  And there should be LOTS of them.   They should routinely outnumber PCs at at least 3 to 1.  Well built Henchmen can give PCs FITS.

 

Lieutenants should be built on the same number of points and to the same standards as the PCs.  Classic tropes, Brick, Power Projector, Martial Artist, Gadget Man with FYB powers, and Weird, although in this setting, with these PC power levels, I'd double up on the first three, and only bust out the Weird infrequently.  A fight between five PCs and five Lieutenants should be a tough fight unless the players are experienced gamer and play well together.  But it they ARE, then you should be fielding a Weird.  

 

Bosses should be built on 400 points and should exceed every campaign norm.  A boss against a single PC should be an easy win for the boss.  Against a team of PCs playing in a random and uncoordinated way, the Boss should still win or at least stalemate/escape.  It should take a team of PCs playing well together with good teamwork to take down a boss.

 

Also, will you be using Batman villains, Champions Universe villains, or home brew?

[CptPatriot]

Well, I'd be making my villains as most CU villains are out of the league of characters designed for these campaign guidelines. As I'm using these guidelines as being inspired by, as opposed to, playing a game in the Batman: AA universe.