Single Power Ideas

[Duke Bushido]

7 minutes ago, archer said:

Sorry for getting your hopes up that there was some additional early Champions content that you weren't aware of.

 

 

It's all good, Archer.

 

Gave me a reason to re-read some of that stuff.  Ever notice once something becomes so second nature to you, you don't go back to the sources like you should?  

 

I had totally forgotten that Dive for Cover was a maneuver since 2e, for example.  

 

So hey-- not only no harm, but you forced me to squeeze something fun on a personal level into my schedule.

 

Thanks!  

 

 

 

[Gauntlet]

How about the ability to change one's skin color (such as to blue or orange or red, etc). 

 

Shape Shift (Sight Group, limited group of shapes), Persistent (+1/4), Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (26 Active Points); Only to change skin color to another single color (-1) 13 Points

[archer]

2 hours ago, Gauntlet said:

How about the ability to change one's skin color (such as to blue or orange or red, etc). 

 

Shape Shift (Sight Group, limited group of shapes), Persistent (+1/4), Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (26 Active Points); Only to change skin color to another single color (-1) 13 Points

 

One character from the Wild Cards universe had that power. He was a singer whose act consisted of singing songs like "When the Red, Red Robin Comes a Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along" and "I Found My Thrill on Blueberry Hill" while changing to the song-appropriate color.

 

As he was being prosecuted by HUAC in the 1950's for having a superpower and therefore presumably communist sympathies, he observed that if they were going to refer to the prosecuted superheroes who were infected with the Wild Card virus as being "Aces" that he must be a "Deuce". Thus the term "deuce" for someone who had a useless power came into common usage.

[Duke Bushido]

Ah--

 

the bump jogged my memory: this one was from years and years ago.

 

Had a player with a DNPC elderly grandmother.  As GM, it was left to me to do the write-up for "Nana."  Typical elderly person with a sharp mind and failing body, with a minor super-power:

 

Nana had a feel for traffic.  Born of her long years of practice and patience, she always knew just which line to stand in at the market, and just when you should switch lanes-- and to which one-- on the way to and from the market, periodically even when to take a different route entirely.

 

It stopped short of being a "useful" power, but was a lot of fun to just "do" during secret ID scenarios.  I whipped that gag along for nearly two years-- Nana saying "no; not that one, Dear; go to number two: he looks like he's paying with cash!"  and "you see poor condition of that car?  And the dent in the rear fender when he passed us?  He's not a careful driver, Dear.  Move over another lane, so we don't get caught up with him...."

 

And of course, periodic noticing that Nana had given sage advice: the lane you were headed for features a teenaged boy trying to figure out who to write a check while arguing about his coupon" or "you ease past the logjam in the two rightmost lanes, and see that same little blue Datsun T-boned into a squad car..."

 

It took about two years-- Nana happened to be nearby when the heroes had to evacuate their base while being chased by the mastermind of the current arc-- of course they're all out-of-costume, attempting to blend in, blah-blah--- 

 

Nana's creeping by in her car; the heroes' jump in-- Let me drive, Nana; it's an emergency!  These are my friends and we're in trouble!"

 

Weird chase scene ensues, during which-- thanks to much advice from Nana-- they actually manage to completely lose their pursuer all while driving a thirty-year-old Caddy and half the posted speed limit.

 

David has a snap, breaks character, and stares me in the eyes, his own bugging with revelation:  "It's a goddamned super power, isn't it?!"

 

The others bugged eyes for a minute, and suddenly everyone was rolling.

 

 

Man, that was a flash from the stone ages, right there....

 

 

 

Duke

 

[Gauntlet]

15 hours ago, archer said:

 

One character from the Wild Cards universe had that power. He was a singer whose act consisted of singing songs like "When the Red, Red Robin Comes a Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along" and "I Found My Thrill on Blueberry Hill" while changing to the song-appropriate color.

 

As he was being prosecuted by HUAC in the 1950's for having a superpower and therefore presumably communist sympathies, he observed that if they were going to refer to the prosecuted superheroes who were infected with the Wild Card virus as being "Aces" that he must be a "Deuce". Thus the term "deuce" for someone who had a useless power came into common usage.

 

Yea, this is where I got the power from. We are on the same page. I just didn't bother to mention it so that I could look like I thought it up myself.

[dsatow]

On 8/12/2019 at 12:37 PM, BoloOfEarth said:

 

Bob "Bunny-Boy" Benson, whose legs are disproportionately powerful.  He can leap great distances, and has a pretty amazing (double-knockback) "rabbit kick".  But don't tease him - he loses his cool pretty quickly.  I guess you could say he has a "hare trigger."  Tee, hee, hee!  I slay me!

 

 

Is this based on Wes Cassidy from Spiderman (see http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/wcassady.htm)?  He's a favorite one-shot of mine from the Spiderman comics.

[theinfn8]

We were having a discussion during my last supers game about comic book combat and collateral damage. We figured the City employed a guy that has the singular most useful power in a superhero universe. "Restore Infrastructure". Basically, Transform damaged infrastructure into undamaged infrastructure.

He's antisocial, so works nights only, and as the City, why wouldn't you let him? He saves you a crap ton on demolition and building materials every time he does his thing. He doesn't care about taking credit and he just wants to work till he can get his pension. Half the super team didn't believe he existed.

[Matt the Bruins]

Hmm, but how many repair crews would he put out of work by doing his thing so quickly and cheaply? And we all know who's behind construction work in big cities...

[theinfn8]

On 8/25/2019 at 11:02 AM, Matt the Bruins said:

Hmm, but how many repair crews would he put out of work by doing his thing so quickly and cheaply? And we all know who's behind construction work in big cities...

Suppose there are always things that are vaporized and can't be repaired. Maybe structures that are too big to repair easily. Imagine the BODY for transforming part of a six story building. Plus there's always new construction.

The guy disappearing could be it's own organized crime subplot. If I were the mayor I would probably send the guy out with a security detail.

[ScrewySquirrel]

Tina Smith, Police Detective.  

all the usual police skills, plus N-Ray Vision.  JUST N-Ray Vision

 

 N-Ray vision on its own is fantastic for police.  She can spot hidden weapons or drugs, which for her is 'in plain sight'.