Steampunk/Clockwork hero

[GCMorris]

A member of our group is a scientist who focuses on clockwork gadgets, potions and such. He is struggling with powers/abilities that can be explained in this manner. He also has the problem of all his powers (aside from resistant defense built into his clothing) take time to put into play. Any advice? I really like his character and want him to work.

Thanks.

[bubba smith]

shouldn't this be in pulp HERO ?

[BoloOfEarth]

If he doesn't already have one, I'd suggest a Variable Power Pool, but NOT having 0 Phase to Change, representing gadgets he can create. 

 

Really, in a Champions game many of the same powers can come from bleeding-edge nanotech as from steam-powered gadgets and potions.  It's just special effects.  (And if another player complains, I'd want him to give a detailed, scientific explanation on how his mutant / psionic / whatever powers work.  Why should one player's powers have to fit reality while others' powers are hand-waved away?)

 

If the player hasn't seen Warehouse 13 before, I'd suggest he catch a couple episodes.  A chunk of their equipment has a somewhat steampunkish feel (tesla pistols, Farsnworth communicators, analog password decoder), while others are more mystical.  Here's a couple links:

 

http://warehouse13.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Warehouse_equipment

 

http://warehouse13.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Artifacts_and_Gadgets

 

I've attached a steampunkish Teen Champions character I created for a 5th edition game.  Not a huge number of points, so not terribly powerful, but it might give you some ideas.

[BoloOfEarth]

In my current Champions campaign, one PC (Maker) has a VPP of gadgets she can change as a half-phase action.  In reality, nobody could design and build a new device in seconds.  But this isn't reality, it's a comic-book game.  So the "explanation" is that she's a technopath who actually empowers her gadgets; if someone were to take one of her gadgets and map out the circuit pathways, they wouldn't quite make sense -- and yet somehow, they work for Maker.  When she stops empowering it (in other words, changes her VPP so she's not spending points on it), the gadget stops working.

 

I'd look at a steampunk / clockwork character the same way.  A Tony Stark type would look at his gadgets and say, "There's no way that should work!  What are those gears made of?  How could they possibly handle the torque?!"  And Captain Steampunk would shrug and say, "They just do.  Has to do with the analog differential coupling combined with the teleforce field generated by the phasic generator.  I wouldn't expect you to understand."

[Doc Democracy]

A member of our group is a scientist who focuses on clockwork gadgets, potions and such. He is struggling with powers/abilities that can be explained in this manner. He also has the problem of all his powers (aside from resistant defense built into his clothing) take time to put into play. Any advice? I really like his character and want him to work.

Thanks.

 

Are you asking for examples of powers, as Bolo suggested with Warehouse 13, the naming and description of the powers (tesla pistol) is pretty important to the character 'feeling' right??  Or are you asking for a mix of advantages and limitations that would reflect the nature of those powers (such as the time to put a power in play - wind it up etc)??

 

The build of powers is really key to getting the feel right but then you need to make sure that it is on the character sheet in a way that does not rob it of its colour...dont have it sitting there as 10D6 EB - clockwork -1/2, takes ages to use -1/2, unwieldy focus -1/2, etc...  Use lots of descriptive words, get the mechanics onto the back of the sheet and the colour onto the front....

[Christopher]

(One of the)first rule(s) of building a Hero power is:

Always model the game effect first. Special effect last.

Never let the special effect decide anything about powers, not even limitations.

Just build him like any other "Gadgeteer Hero" with Clockwork Special Effect.

 

Big selections of powers are usually done with the Power Frameworks - multipower and Variable Power Pool (VPP).

Multipower let's you write them down beforehand and buy each "Slot" properly, but as upside costs a 0-Phase Action to change slots by default.

VPP can take "every imaginable power within the Ruleset". But comes at steep cost and a default "Needs Skill Roll and Full Phase to switch" rule (that can be bought off, +1 Advantage each).

[Doc Democracy]

(One of the)first rule(s) of building a Hero power is:

Always model the game effect first. Special effect last.

Never let the special effect decide anything about powers, not even limitations.

Just build him like any other "Gadgeteer Hero" with Clockwork Special Effect.

 

Big selections of powers are usually done with the Power Frameworks - multipower and Variable Power Pool (VPP).

Multipower let's you write them down beforehand and buy each "Slot" properly, but as upside costs a 0-Phase Action to change slots by default.

VPP can take "every imaginable power within the Ruleset". But comes at steep cost and a default "Needs Skill Roll and Full Phase to switch" rule (that can be bought off, +1 Advantage each).

 

ooh!  How interesting.  I go about it exactly the opposite way.

 

I describe the power, work out how I want to see it work in the game, the way it feels the way it reacts to stuff etc.  I need a picture of it.

 

Only then do I try to model the mechanics of it.  I find if I try to come up with powers by game mechanic the whole thing feels a bit lifeless and I suffer from a severe lack of imagination and the powers look (and feel) vanilla.

 

Doc

[BoloOfEarth]

VPP can take "every imaginable power within the Ruleset". But comes at steep cost and a default "Needs Skill Roll and Full Phase to switch" rule (that can be bought off, +1 Advantage each).

 

One clarification - if taking between 1 Turn and 1 Minute to change slots in a VPP, you don't need a skill roll (6E1:411).  You only need to make a skill roll if you're going to be changing slots in combat.

 

As to cost, depending on the Limitations, a Multipower with a lot of slots may actually be more expensive than a comparable VPP.    This is generally more likely with less Limitations (e.g. no Focus), so it probably wouldn't apply to a steampunk character.

 

Personally, I'd go with a Multipower for his standard suite of powers, perhaps with "Multiple OAF" as a limitation on the Multipower pool.  Then have a VPP for his gadget pool.  Keep the Pool cost relatively low to start but have a decent Control amount, figuring that any high-point gadgets he makes will be OAF, on limited Charges or cost extra END, and have other Limitations.  For example:

 

Steampunk Gadgets:  VPP (20 Pool, 60 Control); Only Change Between Scenes (takes hours; -1/4), Slots must be OAF (-1).  Costs 33 points.

 

As examples, he can then build stuff like:

 

Durational Spectrometer:  Retrocognitive Clairsentience (Sight Group), Mobile Perception Point; Retrocognition Only (-1), plus Images (Sight Group), AoE (8m Cone; +1/4); Only of scene from retrocognition (-1/2), Linked (-1/2); both powers are OAF (-1), Activation 14- (-1/4), 1 Fuel Charge of 20 Minutes Duration (-1/4).  45+12=57 AP, 13+3=16 RP

 

Electromagnetic Gloves and Boots:  Clinging; OAF (wires leading to boots and gloves can be easily removed; -1), Only to metallic objects or structures with internal iron beams (-1/2).  10 AP, 4 RP

 

Polyphasic Decoupling Ray:  Dispel Desolidification 16d6, AoE (2m Radius; +1/4); OAF (-1), 4 Charge (-1).  60 AP, 20 RP

[GCMorris]

Bubba Smith its not in Pulp Hero because the hero (and others) are men (and women) out of time in the modern era fighting super villains. The player was asking about "time" bombs, little clockwork bombs that can slow or speed time. I suggested to build it as area effect SPD drain. This was after I told him to choose the powers he wants his character to have and I would help him build it.

[Doc Democracy]

Time bombs are one of those things that can mean many things. I would ask the player what it is he wants to achieve when he uses one.

 

Messing about with SPD gets messy and bureaucratic in game. If he wants extra attacks, a time bomb could simply add autofire to his attacks.

 

If he wants to move about the battlefield it could provide teleport.

 

Actually, if you were confident enough, time bombs would be a decent SFX for a VPP as it is likely he wants to achieve different things.

 

It would be best however to sit down with him and run through the various things he reckons those time bombs might allow him to achieve. Don't stray into game mechanics, keep it strictly narrative until you have a decent list. THEN you can think of how to achieve that mechanically.

 

Doc

[GCMorris]

Ah. I see now. Thank you all for the replies. I'm way too inexperienced at this to be the GM. After thinking about it I think an Entangle may be best for freezing an opponent in time but I'm still unsure about how to SLOW the opponent.

[Christopher]

Bubba Smith its not in Pulp Hero because the hero (and others) are men (and women) out of time in the modern era fighting super villains. The player was asking about "time" bombs, little clockwork bombs that can slow or speed time. I suggested to build it as area effect SPD drain. This was after I told him to choose the powers he wants his character to have and I would help him build it.

You can use SPD drain.

But you ideally should not. The drain mechanics in general are "that rule" of Hero you should ideally avoid:

http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0233.html

http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0343.html

It is over 10 pages just general Adjusment Power rules. That are cut down to 1-2 pages for most shorter books.

Changing SPD has added complexity on top of that. Not the best place to start as a new GM

 

While you can build just about anything, keep in mind that some special effects can do what no balanced hero power should be allowed to do (Gravity Powers come to mind as the ultimative example; but time is a close runner up).

 

Simpler alternatives:

Instead of affecting SPD, how about affecting other stuff? Like OCV and DCV? If the actions and reactions are slower, it is harder to dodge and easier to be dodged. You can basically do inverse matrix fighting (where the enemy is slow, while you are not).

Roll for Cover should be unaffected (after all the attack has to enter the "slowed time" zone.

Drain movement or Enviromental Change (to reduce movement) might fit as well. But you can just leave that out for now.

[Doc Democracy]

Ah. I see now. Thank you all for the replies. I'm way too inexperienced at this to be the GM. After thinking about it I think an Entangle may be best for freezing an opponent in time but I'm still unsure about how to SLOW the opponent.

 

We all started somewhere and we only learned the system by having to solve issues and problems, more often getting them wrong the first few times til you work out what works for you and your group.

 

Again it all depends on what you mean by slow the opponent.  Like Christopher suggested, slow does not necessarily mean fewer actions, it can mean each action moves more slowly and is thus easier to dodge and moves so slowly they find it harder to block your moves. That could be done through a drain (OCV and DCV) or any other number of ways.  

 

Like I said before, you need to sit down with the player and talk through a hypothetical fight, asking them what they expect the attack to do, how that should change the nature of the fight and what might people expect to have that would help them resist the effects of the attack.  Would the attack be all or nothing - are the effects cumulative - do they wear off gradually or just disappear - what would partial success look like?

 

You have an advantage over me in that you have a community of desperate opinion givers ready to unload those opinions at a moment's notice.  feel free to use and ignore as you want - it really does accelerate the learning process.

 

:-)

 

Doc

[GCMorris]

I really like this group of characters but some of them are using abilities we neglected when I last played 20 years ago

[Doc Democracy]

I really like this group of characters but some of them are using abilities we neglected when I last played 20 years ago

[GCMorris]

The clockwork guy has several gadgets which use time as the special effect. This one allows him to have more than one if himself active at one time due to being in two places at once.

 

The magician creates a simulacrum of herself which is sort of a solid illusion, not a living person but she takes a percentage of the damage if the simulacrum takes damage.

 

Very hard on an inexperienced GM but I love the drive of the players and want them to explore their imagination.

[Doc Democracy]

Clockwork guy is an obvious candidate for duplication. I am wondering how far in front/behind thus duplicate comes from. Either way, one of them gets a peek into the future...there remains a conversation to be glad if you want to go into this in some depth...

 

I am not sure about the magician. Does the simulacrum act independently? If so the duplication is indicated, if not you are tending to Summon. If the actions the simulacrum can take are limited then you might be moving to other things. I can see a simulacrum able to do one task being a mix of continuous uncontrollable powers with physical manifestation and possibly some other custom bits and pieces.

 

I like the idea of a physical manifestation of a power 'holding' some of a casters STUN and/or BODY. The power does a particular thing for a time. It can be restrained and/or destroyed before it runs out of END. If destroyed the caster loses the STUN and/or BODY invested.

 

:-)