Champions Now Character Builds

[PeterLind]

Champions Now is out on PDF.  If you will, please post your character builds here . . . 

[PeterLind]

This is a write-up/conversion of Crusader, from the 3E rulebook to Champions Now:

 

3d6 STR 5 pts.

3d6 PRE 5 pts.

15 DEF 5 pts.

0 Resist DEF 0 pts.

12 Body 20 pts.

4 SPD 30 pts.

14 DEX 30 pts. 

12 INT 10 pts.

11 EGO 0 pts.

12 REC --

12 Stunned --

24 Knockout --

36 END --

Total Char: 105

 

Detective Work 5 pts.

Stealth 5 pts.

Acrobatics 10 pts.

Martial Attacks 10 pts.

Martial Moves 10 pts.

Find Weakness (Martial Punch) 10 pts.

Luck 1d6  5 pts.

Skill Level: +1 w/ Martial Punch 5 pts.

"Shield" - Missile Deflection 1x (OF Shield -1) 10 pts.

"Glider Wings" - Flight (as gliding) 10 hexes (OF Wings -1) 10 pts.

"Boot Jets" - Flight 10 hexes (as flight) (IF Boots 1/2, Burnout 11- till recharge -1/2) 10 pts.

Total Skills & Powers: 90 

 

Total Points: 195

[PeterLind]

This is a write-up/conversion of Starburst, from the 3E rulebook to Champions Now:

 

2d6 STR 0 pts.

2d6 PRE  0 pts.

10 DEF 0 pts.

0 Resist. DEF 0 pts.

13 Body 30 pts.

3 Speed 20 pts.

13 DEX 20 pts.

11 INT 0 pts.

11 Ego 0 pts.

13 Recovery --

13 Stunned --

26 Knockout --

39 END --

Total Char: 70

 

Computer Programming 5 pts.

+1 Skill Level with Blast 5 pts.

 

Multiform 65 point reserve = 65 pts.

Slot - Blast (light energy) 9d6 = 9 pts.

Slot - Flash vs. sight 3d6 Explosion (+1/2) = 9 pts.

Slot - Flight 45 hexes = 9 pts.

Slot - Force Field 18 DEF = 9 pts.

Slot - "Starburst" - 6d6 Blast + 1d6 Flash Explosion (+1/2), Burnout 11- (-1/2) = 8 pts.

 

Special Defense vs. Flash 5 pts.

 

Total Skills & Powers:  124

 

Total Points 194

 

[PeterLind]

This write-up or build is based on Brick, which appeared in the Viper's Nest scenario.  I have taken liberties with this build, as if I was creating the character for myself to play . . .)

 

Sierra (yes, different name)

 

9d6 STR 35 pts.

4d6 PRE 10 pts.

15 DEF 5 pts.

5 Resist DEF 25 pts.

15 Body 50 pts.

2 Speed 10 pts.

12 DEX 10 pts.

11 Int 0 pts.

11 Ego 0 pts.

15 Recovery --

15 Stunned --

30 Knockout --

45 Endurance --

Total Char: 145 pts.

 

Climbing 5 pts.

+1 skill level with punch 5 pts.

 

Multiform 20 reserve = 20 pts.

Slot - Density Increase 2x (+5 DEF, +1 Resist DEF) = 4 pts.

Slot - Growth 2x (+2d6 STR, etc.) = 4 pts.

Slot - Tunnel 2 hexes vs. 6 DEF = 4 pts.

 

Life Support vs. Gases = 5 pts.

 

Special Defense vs. Knockback = 5 pts.

 

Total Skills & Powers: 52

 

Total Points: 197

[PeterLind]

This is a new build.  I decided to try my hand at a mentalist-type build.  This is one is based on Marvel Girl:

 

Wisp

 

2d6 STR = 0 pts.

3d6 PRE = 5 pts.

10 DEF = 0 pts.

0 Resist. DEF = 0 pts.

12 Body = 20 pts.

3 Speed = 20 pts.

12 DEX = 10 pts.

12 INT = 10 pts.

14 EGO = 30 pts.

12 Recovery --

12 Stunned --

24 Knockout --

36 Endurance --

Total Char: 95

 

Detective Work = 5 pts.

Mental Discipline = 10 pts.

Awareness (mental/psychic) (IF Amulet -1/2) (Burnout 11- -1/2) = 10 pts.

 

Multiform 45 reserve = 45 pts.

Slot - Telepathy 9d6 = 9 pts.

Slot - Telekinesis 45 STR = 9 pts.

Slot - "TK Force" - Blast 6d6, Ego-Based (+1/2) = 9 pts.

 

Special Defense vs. Ego = 5 pts.

+5 Non-Resist DEF (IF Amulet 1/2) = 3 pts.

 

Total Skills & Powers: 105

 

Total Points:  200

[Pariah]

Great work so far!

[assault]

An obvious point: no Situations. Situations are one of the most difficult, and important, parts of a character.

[unclevlad]

5 minutes ago, assault said:

An obvious point: no Situations. Situations are one of the most difficult, and important, parts of a character.

 

I presume that, by and large, the 3E ports would carry Situations over from the original complications, or close.

 

But yes, in the various videos Ron posted, and in the book, the concept comes first.  This won't give *all* the Situations but it'll be a start.  He wants the focus on the concept and character first.

[PeterLind]

A couple of comments on the "Situations."  Yes, I did not include them in the builds because this is an area where they may greatly vary, from player to player.  As a GM, I usually do not require them to be all that defined in the first game.  I am content with having them become more and more defined as play proceeds.  

[nitrosyncretic]

My character from the Legacy playtest. Adapted from beta rules to final. One of the artist contributed a picture of him on page 41.

Power*Star v3.0 (Mike Mandella)

100	Situations
15	Secret ID, Mike Mandella.
10	Public ID, PowerStar, legendary protector of former era.
20	DNPC: Dr. DarkStar. 10 Public ID: imprisoned reformed(?) supervillain; 10 Psych (Rare, Irrational): black list, a list of people who “deserve consequences.”
5	DNPC: Aaron Mandella, Younger Brother. 10 Psych (Occasional, Functional): Wants Mike to use money for nonprofit.
5	DNPC: Michelle Mandella. Aaron's wife and Mike's former girlfriend. Psych (Occasional, Functional): Doubting her marriage, might still love Mike.
20	Hunted: The Dark Cohort (formerly led by DarkStar). Small Group (5) Superpowers (10), manipulative (5).
10	Hunted: Monica Stewart, journalist, ordinary (0), manipulative (5).
20	PsychLim (Frequent, Irrational): Everyone deserves a second chance.

Characteristics and Powers

Str 3d6, Pre 3d6, Dex 13, Int 12, Ego 11, Speed 4 [1,3,5,6] (70 pts)

Def 12/2r* (* See Teslasuit below)

Body 13**, Rec 13, Stun 13, KO 26, End 39 (** See Tesla Tap below)

		End
10	Shotokan Karate: Punch +0/+1 +3d6; Kick -2/+1 +6d6	3
10	3 known Transceiver Pads, Memorized locations, Immobile -1/2
	Teslasuit
20	Tesla Tap. +3 Body (BC30). Inobvious Focus -1/2. Taps power from generator in Power*Cave.	0
10	Resistant Fabric. 2 resistant defense
10	Higgsfield Planing. Surfaces: Airwalk	By move
	Tesla-Darkstar Field Mediator
50	50 pt Multiform
4	(20) Tesla Transition. 10” Teleport	2
4	(31) Enhanced Transition. Teleport, 2xMass, Regional scope +1/4, Only between established transceivers -1/2.	2
6	(28) Distortion Pulse. (17) +1d6 Flash, Adds to Martial Punch +3/4 (11) +1d6 Blast, High Impact +1/2, Adds to Martial Punch +3/4	3
6	(30) Higgsfield Vortex. 2 def, 2d6 Entangle. Area: 1 hex +1/2	4
130	Total

Grand Total: 130 + 70 = 200 (+ 14XP unspent). Total AC = 215: Ratio 1.07

Edited February 26, 2020 by nitrosyncretic
Correcting end cost.

[Pariah]

I've just completed my first Champions Now build. The character is named Morningstar. I've now built her for 5th, 6th, and 3rd Edition Champions, as well as Champions Now.

 

Mary Marcus was at a party her parents had told her not to go to when they were murdered by Genocide. She discovered her own mutant abilities when she was attacked by a street gang one night after she'd broken curfew at the group foster home. She cleaned up her act, and after graduating from high school, began her career as the superheroine Morningstar.

 

Morningstar

 

Situations:
15 Identity: Secret (Mary Marcus)
30 Hunted: Genocide (Organization, superpowers, ruinous)
15 Hunted: Local street gang (Small group, ruinous)
5 Unusual Looks: Mutant (Roll 8-)
20 Psychological: Protects the innocent; punishes the guilty (Happens a lot, irrational)
5 Psychological: Hates drugs & alcohol (Happens sometimes, stated opinion)
10 Susceptibility: Flash attacks (Uncommon)
Total Situations: 100 points

 

Characteristics:
3d6 Strength 5 [3]
4d6 Presence 10
17 Defense 7
13 Body 30
 · 13 Recovery
 · 13 Stunned
 · 26 Knockout
 · 39 Endurance
3 Speed 20
13 Dexterity 20
11 Intelligence 0
12 Ego 10
Total Characteristics: 102

 

Skills:
10 Martial Attacks
10 Martial Maneuvers 
5 Detective Work
5 Luck: 1d6
Total Skills: 30

 

Powers:
10 Biokinetic Energy: Elemental Control, all Slots 20+ points
10 Biokinetic Shield: Force Field, +4 Resistant Defense, No Endurance cost (+1) [0]
10 Biokinetic Propulsion: Flight, 10 hexes [2]
7 Biokinetic Redirection: Missile Deflection, 13-, Costs Endurance (-½) [4]
16 Biokinetic Strike: Blast, 6d6, High Impact (+½), Focus (Mace, OF, -1), Tricky (First use, -¼) [9]

 

15 The Mace: +3d6 Strength, No Endurance cost (+1), Focus (Mace, OF, -1) 
Total Powers: 68

 

Total Characteristics, Skills, and Powers: 102+30+68=200

Ratio: 118.5
 

[Echo]

I didn’t back the kickstarter, but these profiles look interesting. Is the PDF due for release to the general public?

[nitrosyncretic]

7 hours ago, Echo said:

I didn’t back the kickstarter, but these profiles look interesting. Is the PDF due for release to the general public?

 

It will eventually be available from the hero games store online. Not sure when though.

[nitrosyncretic]

Here's an alternate build for Morningstar's Elemental Control. First, I'll just mention that powers in an EC in Champions Now must cost endurance (p. 93).

 

10 Biokinetic Energy: Elemental Control, all Slots 20+ points
10 Biokinetic Shield: Force Field, +8 Resistant Defense [4]
10 Biokinetic Propulsion: Flight, 10 hexes [2]
7 Biokinetic Redirection: Missile Deflection, 13-, Costs Endurance (-½) [4]

12 Biokinetic Strike: +3d6 Blast, High Impact (+½), Strike (adds to martial punch) +3/4, OF -1 [7]

(6d6 martial punch with +3d6 high impact for a total of 9d6. And the drop the +3d6 strength and invest the remaining points in body to up your End.)

 

 

 

 

[unclevlad]

15 hours ago, nitrosyncretic said:

 

12 Biokinetic Strike: +3d6 Blast, High Impact (+½), Strike (adds to martial punch) +3/4, OF -1 [7]

(6d6 martial punch with +3d6 high impact for a total of 9d6. And the drop the +3d6 strength and invest the remaining points in body to up your End.)

 

 

 

 

 

Is that 7 END?  The advantages don't increase the END cost, so *this* part of it is only 3, right?  

And to emphasize...the High Impact ONLY applies to the 3 dice from this strike, not to the whole thing.  So, yes, you have to segregate them for that purpose.  One thing I actually really like is that, with a single unified defense score, you can toss in a "taser punch"...3d6 electrical damage.  Can't do that with a 6E HA, and that's always bugged me.  

[nitrosyncretic]

Hm. I've skimmed the pdf for rules on end cost and don't find anything that says Advantages don't cost endurance. This would be a change from the Beta edition. Can you give a page number?

[unclevlad]

nitro, go back to Update 39 in the Kickstarter when there was the extensive editing discussion, and a LOT of things were tweaked.

Q:  END clarification...Advantages do NOT increase END costs?
 

Ron's answer in short:

Correct. Huge difference in rules right there. It's the one place where my design choice actually dropped Endurance costs rather than increased them or prevented reducing them. 

 

It's near the bottom of that thread if you want to read the entire answer.

 

EDIT:  also of note, recognize that no END cost is ever mentioned for an advantage, nor does it mention "END cost == 1 per X Active Points."  In the Powers, it's explicity 1 END per X Power Points.  Power Points don't count advantages...that's Active Points.

[nitrosyncretic]

Well, cool! I see that now. Wow.

 

Hey did Ron ever clarify the end cost of pushing to add an advantage? I think the text says one pays a 1d6 end for each 5 points in the power to add an advantage for one shot. This is different from pushing to add effect, which is only 1d6 end for every 1d6 effect added. Is that your understanding?

[Pariah]

18 hours ago, nitrosyncretic said:

First, I'll just mention that powers in an EC in Champions Now must cost endurance (p. 93).

 

I'd noticed that. Does this mean that a power that normally costs Endurance, but is bought with the No Endurance Cost Advantage, is now ineligible for inclusion in an EC? I didn't see any commentary on that one way or another.

[Pariah]

A quick question before posting my next build: American Dream is a Captain America knockoff homage. He has a shield (obviously) that I built as a Multiform: one slot for deflecting bullets and such, one slot for extra Defense, and one slot for bashing bad guys with. It looks something like this:

 

10 The Shield: Multiform, 20 point Slots, OF (Shield, -1)
 · 2  Shield Block: Missile Deflection, 14-
 · 2  Shield Defense: +4 Defense, Resistant
 · 2  Shield Strike: +2d6 Strength, No Endurance cost (+1), Constrained: Only with Martial Punch (-½)
 

Any difficulties with this build?

[nitrosyncretic]

Just now, Pariah said:

 

I'd noticed that. Does this mean that a power that normally costs Endurance, but is bought with the No Endurance Cost Advantage, is now ineligible for inclusion in an EC? I didn't see any commentary on that one way or another.

 

That's how I interpret the rule. I don't think there's any further discussion of it outside of what it says in the Elemental Control rules, which is simply "Powers in the Slots must require Endurance." 

 

[Pariah]

18 hours ago, nitrosyncretic said:

Here's an alternate build for Morningstar's Elemental Control. First, I'll just mention that powers in an EC in Champions Now must cost endurance (p. 93).

 

12 Biokinetic Strike: +3d6 Blast, High Impact (+½), Strike (adds to martial punch) +3/4, OF -1 [7]

(6d6 martial punch with +3d6 high impact for a total of 9d6. And the drop the +3d6 strength and invest the remaining points in body to up your End.)

 

Okay, but I don't want it to be something that adds to her hand-to-hand attacks. I want it to be a purely ranged attack that imparts kinetic energy at a distance. It's harder for her to do, powers-wise, so she needs the Mace as a way to focus her power (and/or concentration) in order to use it.

 

Thoughts?

[nitrosyncretic]

RE: multiform. The only downside is that changing the configuration is a half phase action now.

[Pariah]

Yeah, that is potentially problematic. I figure the extra Defense will be the default slot, with him changing to Deflection or Bashing mode as needed.

 

If I ever end up actually playing him, that is. I have no gaming group at present.  

[unclevlad]

3 hours ago, Pariah said:

 

I'd noticed that. Does this mean that a power that normally costs Endurance, but is bought with the No Endurance Cost Advantage, is now ineligible for inclusion in an EC? I didn't see any commentary on that one way or another.

 

Reading it literally?  It doesn't cost END, so, no, it's not eligible.  And I think that's the intent.  You get a price break to mix/match what you've got up... you can't use it to get a big break on a wide variety of powers...especially, say, Strikes.

 

I'm pretty sure the intent is to interpret NARROWLY.  It's much closer to "that which is not explicitly permitted, is denied" than the converse.  It makes up for it with saying the SFX are entirely up to you and your GM...and that the SFX *matter*.