Emerald City Empire -- Example game development

[nitrosyncretic]

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In this thread I'll lay out an example of developing a Champions Now game. This comes from a game I GMed early in 2019 using the Beta rules. As time allows, I will post each player character in a separate post. Then I'll write about developing NPCs and villains based on their Situations. Then, I plan to post a number of important villain character sheets. I'll be copying some of the material I wrote on the Adept Play forum last year, but leaving out the actual play summaries and a discussion on emergent plot. You can find those at Champions Now Beta playtest--Seattle and Champions Now Beta playtest--Emergent plot?

 

Making Characters

We had an initial character development by email, a face to face session of finalizing development. I followed the game setup in the Beta document closely. To start, I emailed my players the portion of the Beta rules that explains the Person, Problems, and Powers approach. I said we're creating our own superhero book, right here, right now, with no reference to any other cannon. I asked them to create humans who have relationships in Seattle – no aliens or amnesiacs. For powers, I encouraged them not to think in terms of mechanics, but rather how they would appear in a comic. I also kept initial development separate, so they didn't get into extensive world building in advance.

 

Here are the Two Statements I sent:

• Techno-wondrous discovery.
• Fraught personal lives and the political history of Seattle.

 

I designed the powers to conform with the players' visions for the characters.  I did most of the mechanical character and power creation in the interests of time, with the exception of Breakthrough, whose player has some Champions experience. I've updated all of the character builds to conform to the final rules released in 2020.

 

[Edit: I just noticed that the final rules recommend 200 point starting player characters, so I just replaced Breakthrough, Radioshack, and Gray Wraith is 200 point versions. The hardest part of dropping the cost was cutting back on situations!]

 

NEXT: Breakthrough II, Radioshack, and Gray Wraith, Rebels of the Emerald City.

 

[nitrosyncretic]

Breakthrough II (A.J. Bassil)

DEX 12-, INT 11-, EGO 11-, SPD 3 [30]

STR 8d6, PRE 3d6, BODY 14, Def 20/3r [97]

REC 14 STUN 14 KO 28 END 42

Cost	Power	End
5 30 10   10 7 10	Stealth (DEX) Life Support: total 1 Body Regeneration   Elemental Control: Nanite repurposing of body Slot: 10” Flight [20], Constrained to superleap -1/2 Slot: Surfaces: Clinging +4d6 Strength [20]	2 5
72	Total Powers

Total = 127 + 72 = 199 Total AC = 202 Ratio = 1.02

 

Disadvantages: 100 pts

10 DNPC: Ava (Psych: career mother, sometimes, irrational)

15 DNPC: Ellie (Physical: middle school child, all the time, limiting)

15 Hunted: Dept of Defense secret super-soldier program (small group, extensive, manipulative)

20 Dependence: must return to family home daily to recharge. End reduced 3D6 until charged.

10 PsyLim: post-combat stress symtoms (sometimes, irrational)

10 PsyLim: soldier's duty, protect the innocent (sometimes, limiting)

15 Secret ID: Breakthrough II

5 Unusual Looks: alien prosthetic arm and leg, 8-

 

Background [lightly edited from the player's original]

Amos Jacob Bassil is a 30-something Iraq war vet with missing leg and PTSD. His ancestors are originally from Armenia [editor note: I may have this wrong], but he grew up in Seattle and his parents are solid middle class. His mother was Breakthrough I a couple of decades ago. He lives with his parents in their house in Ravenna district even though his wife, pursuing her high-powered executive career has moved her and their 13 year old daughter, Ellie, to Capitol Hill. He has to stay near his childhood home because he is dependent on daily exposure to an alien artifact under the house. His excuse is that his parents need him. So far he and his wife are staying together despite this strain. He works as a mobile mechanic, driving his workshop truck from job to job.

 

Breaththrough got his powers after returning home for Iraq missing a leg. The alien artifact under his house colonized him with nanites and gave him a cybernetic leg. They also provide superstrength, superleap, and super healing. When a bullet or flying blade hits him, the nanites eat the incoming projectile and heal any wound. Aside from punching or tearing things apart, his primary attack is a superleap move-through. A US Government agency is hunting for the alien technology that powers him.

 

The visual for all powers is the same as his regeneration: a brief glimpse of an artificial "dark matter" as the alien nanomachines enhance or repair his body.

Edited March 4, 2020 by nitrosyncretic
Replacing 240 pt build with 200pt build.

[nitrosyncretic]

Radioshack (Leif Solheim)

DEX 12-, INT 11-, EGO 11-, SPD 3 [30]

STR 3d6, PRE 3d6, Def 14 [14]

BODY 12 [20] REC 12 STUN 12 KO 24 END 36

Cost	Power	End
35   13 13     5 5 5       20 40	Technosense: Awareness, Outside ordinary senses, Analyze (Computer or Security skill as appropriate) Technotelepathy: 4d6 Telepathy [20], Only vs electronic machinery -1/2 Technokinesis: 2d6 Telekinesis with fine work (Computer or Security skill as appropriate) [20], Only vs electronic machinery -1/2   Computer Programming (INT) Security Systems (INT) Techno-Manipulation 11-   Variable Power Pool: Techno-Manipulation Influence or create things out of electronic parts. Control Cost Pool (See list of configuration ideas below)	4 2
136	Total Powers

Total = 64 + 136 = 200 Total AC = 214 Ratio = 1.07

 

100	Disadvantages
15	Secret ID. Lief tries to keep his technopath powers a secret to avoid being hunted/"recruited" by Amazon.
25	Hunted: Amazon is hunting Lief, and all other technopaths, to add to their army of developers. Large organization (10), superpowers (other technopaths) (10), manipulative intent (5).
10	DNPC: Hazel, Sister. Age 22. Youtube fashion channel diva. Knows secret ID but wants to get Lief dating. Public ID (10)
40	DNPC: Byte. Artificial Intelligence in an old PDA. Out of touch with current trends. Used to have important job but can't remember. Psych: Amnesia (15), Phys: No limbs (20), Unluck 1d6 (5)
10	Hunted: Anti Amazon group. Small group, ordinary, manipulative (recruit) Distributed, unorganized, opposed to surveillance and Amazon.

Background

The player provided this background information: Leif is a 28 year old technopath. Leif works in a computer recycling shop and lives with his sister, who makes a living posting cosmetic reviews to youtube. She knows about his secret ID and his need to avoid internet contact, but she also want so fix him up with dates. His power is the innate ability to communicate with and command technological machinery, including animating it and shaping it into things useful for himself. Things created with technopathy tend to look like jumbles of electronic junk, hence the name, Radioshack.

 

Technosense allows him to “see” all the wires, servos, microprocessors, nanites, etc. within normal perception range, even inside walls. This allows him to target electronic nexuses with technotelepathy and technokinesis, using those to send/receive data and manipulate switches and programs remotely. If an item was paid for with points by a character in the game, he will have to make Ego attacks against the owner to have effect. Otherwise, inanimate objects are considered to have an Ego defense of 6 and no special defense.

 

Technosense also allows him to orient himself in the dark, based on the shape of wiring in walls or under roads, and to target technologically armed opponents. Flash and Concealment, however, do obscure this sense.

 

The techno-manipulation variable power pool uses technology as it's special effect. All applications must be either made of technological parts or affect such parts. He needs to always have access to a pile of parts in order to configure or reconfigure his power pool. He routinely carries around a backpack of parts for this purpose. If he somehow loses access to parts, he can use the technophage configuration of his power pool to destroy nearby devices, freeing up parts for use. I [the GM] ruled that these features were too flexible to qualify for a limitation.

Variable Power Pool Configuration Ideas

Cost	Modular Options (Mix and Match)	End
10 10 10 10 20 30     10 10   10   10       20   20	Mechanical Enhancements Armor +2 Resistant Defense (AC 10) Armor +10 Defense (AC 10) Extra Limb [AC 10] Exoskeleton: +4d6 Strength, [AC 20], OF -1 Electrocannon: 8d6 Blast [AC 40], OAF -1 Taser: 6d6 Blast, Severe +1/2 [45], No Range -1/2.   Movement Clinging. Surfaces +2d6 Strength [10] Wings. 8” Flight, Regional Scope +1/4 [20], OF -1   Technophagy, 3d6 Blast, only vs technology not part of a character -1/2 [AC 15]   Animate. 3D6 Telekinesis [AC 15] Only acts through technology in the environment -1/2   Anti-Battlesuit Powers Frozen Servos: 3D6 Entangle (AC 30), Only against targets that rely on technology for movement -1/2 Scrambled Sensors: 3d6 Flash (AC 30), Only against targets with technological sight enhancement -1/2	0 0 Str Str 8 6     2 2   3   3       6   6

Edited March 4, 2020 by nitrosyncretic
Replaced 240 point build with 200 point build.

[nitrosyncretic]

Gray Wraith

DEX 13-, INT 11-, EGO 11-, SPD 4 [50]

STR 4d6, PRE 3d6, Def 17/2r [30]

BODY 11 [10] REC 11 STUN 11 KO 22 END 33

 

Cost	Power	End
10 10   10 5 5 5 5   12 7   13     * * 13   15	Martial Arts I: Punch, Kick Martial Arts II: Block, Dodge, Throw, And Out   Acrobatics (DEX) Stealth (DEX) Security Systems (INT) Detective Work (INT) 1d6 Luck   Parkour, 9” Flight [18], Must end movement on surface or handhold -1/2 Swingline, 5” Flight, Swinging -1/2   Goggles, Awareness: Night Vision [20], Inobvious Focus -1/2   Stealth Suit - Padding, Normal Defense +5 - Kevlar, Resistant Defense +2 - Active Camo, Invisibility [20], Low Light only -1/2   HandShocker: +2d6 Blast, Strike: Adds to Martial Punch +3/4, High Impact +1/2, [22], Inobvious Focus -1/2.	2   1                   +3
110	Total Powers

Total = 90 + 110 = 200 Total AC = 284 Ratio = 1.19

 

100	Disadvantages
15	Secret ID: Isaac Wiles, age 28, Electrical Engineer at a startup.
30	DNPC: Gregory Wiles, father, formerly "Doctor Samson." Phys: Wheelchair bound (All the time, limiting, 15pts). Psych: Old school enforcer, striving is good for you (Frequent, Functional, 15pts).
15	Psych: Convinced he is better prepared than other neophyte heroes. (Frequent, Functional)
20	Hunted: Amazon's supervillain enforcers (Small group, supers, manipulative)
20	Hunted: Mind Master, Doc Sampson’s old foe who’s recognized GW’s tech. (Individual supervillain, manipulative.)

Background

The player provided this background: Wraith is Isaac Wiles, an lonely engineer who has a job and spends a lot of time tinkering in his father's super-hero workshop. Isaac is son of Gregory, who was Doctor Sampson, a two-fisted, old school superhero. Dad retired in the 90s after being paralyzed from the waist down and went on to make a fortune in the dot com boom. Gregory is a DNPC with psychological limitations that make him critical of Isaac's “softer” approach to heroing and also a desire to mold his son into a business success. Gregory and Isaac know each other's secret Ids.

 

While Doctor Samson was a two-fisted old-school hero who enforced rules and cooperated with police, Gray Wraith is a martial artist who has doubts about simply enforcing law. He's also a Parkour pracitioner, His technological powers are a stealth suit that makes him invisible in low light and an electroshock palm taser that adds to his martial punch.

[nitrosyncretic]

Conversion Notes: Beta to Final

The final rules recommend 200 point starting player characters, so I had to shave 40 points from the builds we had for Beta. The hardest part was cutting back on situations!]

 

Breakthrough originally designed his superleap and clinging powers through a multipower. As the new rules for multiform require a half action to switch slots, I thought an elemental control would work better in play.

 

Radioshack's technopathy originally operated around the Awareness power. In beta play, because the power was limited to technological objects, I allowed the Awareness power to act as a channel for data transfer and remote computer and security system skill use. In converting the character to Champions Now final, I decided that the intent of the rules indicated that the communication and manipulation elements should be represented with telepathy and telekinesis.

 

Greywraith originally had his night sight goggles and hand shocker as obvious foci, but I found that build exceeded the 1.19 ratio of active to real cost. To address this, I changed the foci to inobvious -- so now they are gadgets that require some effort to identify.

[nitrosyncretic]

Creating Background and Villains

Radioshack's situations painted the Amazon company as the major villain in Seattle, with Jeff Bezos as a kind of Lex Luthor mastermind. Amazon's goal is to use technopathic individuals to expand its empire. In the game's Seattle, Amazon has built towering structures in the South Lake Union part of downtown and has pressured city hall into allowing flying drone delivery systems. In addition to delivering packages, the myriad drones provide surveillance of the city for Amazon's secret security arm. There are also numerous secret research facilities seeking to understand and exploit the powers of technopathic individuals.

 

APEX

As the player left the exact nature of the Amazon hunters to me, I conceived of a group of supervillains working under the umbrella of a nominally legal security company called APEX. APEX is owned through a series of shell corporations by the mastermind Bezos. Each APEX villain has some connection to the technopathic phenomena. Arachnon and Steelwing are natural technopaths who use their sense to control battlesuits, Robokhan creates and controls robots, and SpinMeister's shapechanging is a product of experiments in technopathy,. SpinMeister's Secret ID is a lawyer who gets APEX employees out of trouble. Most of our sessions concerns something about the actions of APEX or the Amazon secret research facilities.

 

The Supersoldier Program

For Breakthrough's hunted, I created William Blake, a government agent who just happened to be an old army comrade. For the supersoldier program, Blake was hunting the source of Breakthrough's powers, but Blake also had a cover job, working for the federal Technology Oversight and Security Service (TOSS), a sort of superpower oversight agency. In the sessions we played he showed up more as a liaison with TOSS, having, ironically, not made much progress in identifying Breakthrough's power source. 

 

The Vell and the Von

The alien device below Breakthrough's house suggested aliens. After a few sessions, I invented them, even though they weren't specifically a hunted. I designed them as another angle on the theme of use of technology. The Vell and the Von were two factions of the same star-faring species who disagreed about how cybernetics should be integrated into the species. The Vell were purists, eschewing body modification and producing robot slaves, while the Von believed in bodily assimilation of technology.  A Vell Princess crash landed on Earth, pursued by a Von Hunter. She was searching for a power source that would let her make an interstellar call for help -- which happens to be Breakthrough's alien artifact.

 

Mind Master

I had notes for Gray Wraith's hunted, but he never made it on stage.

 

Crisscrossing DNPCs and NPCs

In looking at PC and villain situations, I intentionally looked for connections and crossovers.

 

Breathrough's daughter, Ellie, and wife made appearances in most episodes, mostly as obligations causing stress when he is being called to action. When I created Arachnon, I gave him a daughter who was a friend of Ellie's. As I mentioned, William Blake was also an old army comrade.

 

Radioshack's DNPC, an AI with amnesia who had an unknown past was ripe to be an escapee from APEX technopathic research, so that's what I created. Searching for ways to trigger the AI's memories, 'Shack stumbled on a mothballed APEX base in the first session and this led to adventures that drove almost every subsequent session.

 

Radioshack's other hunted -- the anti-Amazon activists -- made one appearance in the final session -- trying to kidnap Arachnon's daughter and taking Breakthrough's Ellie by mistake. 

 

Gray Wraith's father showed up frequently to be judgmental about Isaac's performance as a superhero. Later it turned out that Doc Sampson, the father's old super identity had spent time on Vell and knew the Vell Princess. He also had connections with TOSS, which proved useful. 

 

 

[nitrosyncretic]

APEX Security

APEX is a technically legal security company that employs supers to serve the interests of the Amazon empire. Here are the four that got fully developed. I've rebuilt them to conform to the final rules version, based on 220 points, so they are each a bit tougher than the 200 point heroes. Here's the first:

Arachnon

DEX 13-, INT 11-, EGO 11-, SPD 3 (40)

STR 3d6, PRE 3d6, BODY 13, Def 20/3r, (62)

 

https://youtu.be/jGP5NxcCyjE

 

Cost	Power	End
25     8   *   10 10 10   30 10 15	Technosense: Awareness, Nonstandard. “See” electronic circuits.   Arachnid Exoskeleton Technopath Defense Net: +2 Dexterity [20], Conditional: Only to defend against Technopathic Special Effects -1, Inobvious Focus (cable nexus) -1/2 +10/3r Defense   Elemental Control: Arachnid Exoskeleton >Hydrolic Limbs: +4d6 Str [20] >Scissor-joint expansion: Growth x2 [20], 4xMass, +2d6 Str, +2d6 Pre, +4” run, +2 Knockback defence >Extra Limbs x4, +4 Offense [40] >Clinging, +4d6 Str [20] >Tunneling, 2”, 6 Def & 2xMass [25]	+4 4     4 2
118	Total Powers

Total = 102 + 118 = 220 Total AC = 232 Ratio = 1.05

 

120	Situations
15 10	Secret ID: Shon Lansey, 40 year old African-American Master Mechanic. Physical: Exoskeleton always weights 4xMass (Occasional, significant)
15	DNPC: Emma Lansey AKA Interlace, Wife, White, Painter/Master Technopath for the group, Psych: Better living through technology
25	DNPC: Angel Lansey, 13yo Daughter. Hunted: Bullies, Physical: Awkward Teenager
15	Psych: Society doesn't work for me (Frequent, Opinion)
15	Psych: Protective of bystanders (Frequent, Opinion)
25	Hunted: the player characters (small group, supers, ruinous)

Arachnon in Play

Shon Lansey is married to Emma, AKA Interlace, the primary technopath of APEX. Shon mainly supports the Ultranet agenda because his wife does. His 13 year old daughter, Angel is a mirror of Breakthrough's daugther Ellie and the two go to the same school. Angel has trouble with bullies at school.

 

Shon's personal hotbuttons are systemic racial injustice, which he takes as targeting him personally, and a desire to defend the innocent and less powerful.

 

He is a natural technopath, having innate awareness of technology around him. He uses this sense to directly control the Arachnon exoskeleton. When tunneling, he orients himself by sensing buried cables and technological devices on the surface.

All powers listed as “Arachnon Exoskeleton” are part of the massive exoskeleton that was created for him, but they do not take a focus limitation, so he will rarely be found separated from the exoskeleton for long. The 4xmass element of the growth power is considered to always be on, but no the knockback defense or other features. When growing the exoskeleton extends scissored extensions that connect the legs to the power cage Shon wears. The only other real weakness in his powers is the inobvious focus that provides increased defense against attacks defined by the technopathic special effect.

[nitrosyncretic]

Steelwing

Dex 13-, Int 11-, Ego 11-, SPD 4 [50]

STR 3d6, PRE 3d6, BODY 13, Def 18/3 [50]

REC 13, STUN 13 KO 26 END 39

Cost	Power	End
10   8       12 13 12   30 6 6 6 6	Acrobatics (Dex)   Technopath Defense Net: +2 Dexterity [20], Conditional: Only to defend against Technopathic Special Effects -1, Inobvious Focus (cable nexus: 4 def, 4 body) -1/2   Elemental Control: Steelwing Battlesuit Wings. 10” Flight, Regional +1/4 [25] Wings. 12” Flight [24] Claw Hydrolics: +5d6 Strength [25], Only to grab or lift -1/2   Multiform [45], Weapons Array, Inobvious Focus: Control Nexus ½ - Blade Storm: 6d6 Blast, Piercing, [45], IF ½ - Buffet: 4d6 Blast, High Impact +1/2, Area: 2” Cone +3/4 [45], IF ½ - Slice-By: 5d6 Blast, Severe +1/2, Replaces Move-By +1/4 [44], IF ½ - Chaff Caster: 4 x Concealment, 3”x8” trail [40], IF ½	2 2 +5     5 4 6 8
119	Total Powers

Total = 100 + 119 = 219 Total AC = 261 Ratio = 1.19

 

121 Disadvantages

15 Secret ID: Gina Bates, Afghanistan War Veteran, Former drone pilot

15 PsychLim: Seeks thrills to avoid feeling: frequent, functional

10 PsychLim: None of my team gets left behind, rare, irrational

15 PsychLim: Resents authority: frequent, functional
(was ordered to destroy target while friendlies were still on site.)

20 Dependence: Ultranet Virtual Reality

20 Hunted by TOSS

25 Hunted by the Player Characters

Steelwing in Play

Steelwing has only rudimentary technopathy. She was a drone operator in the Afghanistan anti-terror action who burned out after too many missions where she could see woman and children running for cover. After psychological discharge, she lost herself in thrill seeking until she was recruited for APEX, where her experience made her ideal for the Steelwing battlesuit. He role is primarily support, transporting team members in the suit's claws and laying sight-obscuring chaff clouds.

[nitrosyncretic]

SpinMeister

DEX 13-, INT 11-, EGO 12-, SPD 4 [60]

STR 4d6, PRE 3d6, BODY 12, Def 15/3r [58]

REC 12, STUN 12 KO 24 END 36

 

Cost	Power	End
20 10 10   5 5 5 5   20       22	Martial Arts I and II Find Weakness with Martial Punch Acrobatics (DEX)   Climbing (STR) Disguise (INT) Stealth (DEX) Security Systems (INT)   Technomorph Shapeshift: Instant Change: Any clothes, Any humanoid form [20]. Requires Disguise Skill roll to duplicate a specific person. (Prefers male forms to help hide her secret ID).   Violation Glove: 6d6 Telepathy, Lethal +1/2 [45], Requires contact to initiate -1/2, Inobvious Focus -1/2	Str                 0     6
102	Total Powers

 

Total = 118 + 102 = 220 Total AC = 243 Ratio = 1.10

 

120	Situations
15	Secret ID: Leona, 31 year old, hotshot Amazon Lawyer, Defender of Supervillains
20	DNPC: 10 year old Daughter. PsychLim: Wants mom home more. Frequent, Irrational.
10	Unusual Looks 11-: Undisguised form is nude woman covered in mobile micro-scales that scintillate like beetle wings.
20	PsychLim: Fears revealing her true self. Frequent, Irrational.
15	PsychLim: Yearns to be loved for her true self. Frequent, Functional.
15	PsychLim: I will be accepted when everyone is part machine. Frequent, Functional
25	Hunted by the PCs

SpinMeister in Play

Leona is a mutant whose scaly, morphic skin emerged at age eleven. She believes her mutation arose because her mother worked on early technomorphic experiments. She came to see herself as a monster and has used her doppelganger powers to live several different lives and commit numerous crimes. When she gave birth to her daughter, she attempted to create a “normal” life for herself and her daughter. She has some worries that her daughter might be destined to manifest the same mutation in a few years. She has since become a hotshot lawyer, defending super-hirelings of the AMZN conglomerate.

 

Her super-persona is male, the better to maintain her secret identity. She is an important member of the APEX security team. APEX provided her with the violation glove, a product of technopathic research that allows her to extract security codes and personal information that may aid in impersonations..

 

(SpinMeister was inspired by Mystique from the X-men and her shapechange powers have the scaly visual effect used in the movies.)

 

[nitrosyncretic]

Robokhan (Jason Bland, 17yo video game wiz)

DEX 13-, INT 12-, EGO 11-, SPD 3 [50]

STR 2d6, PRE 2d6, BODY 12, Def 15 [25]

REC 12, STUN 12 KO 24 END 36

Cost	Power	End
13   13   5 5 10     28 70   (25)   (25)   (68)   (44)   (47)	Technosense. Awareness [20], Constrained ½: Only to see through eyes of technology Technotelepathy: 4d6 Telepathy [20], Only vs electronic machinery -1/2   Computer Programming (INT) Security Systems (INT) Robot Creation VPP Skill 12-   Robot Creation Variable Power Pool Control Cost [35], All powers must take focus or be separate (¼). Pool [70] Pool Configuration Ideas Service Drone. 2d6 Strength, 5” Flight, Separate +1/4 [25], 4 def/4 body, 12 End (Add one unit per +5 points) Flying Eye. 10” Flight, Separate +1/4, [25], 4 def/4 body, 12 End (add one unit for each +5 points. Assassin Drone. 5” Flight, Separate, [12] 5d6 Blast, Piercing, Destructive, Separate, [56], 10 def/ 10 body, 30 end. Phalanx Bot, 5d6 Strength, High Impact +1/2, Separate +1/4 [44], 7 def/7 body, 21 End (add one for +6) Dynamo Joe (battlesuit). 9d6 blast, +3 rDef, 10” Flight [70], Inobvious Focus ½: hidden weak points.	0   4
142	Total

Total = 75 + 145 = 220 Total AC = 247 Ratio = 1.12

 

120 Situations

15 PsychLim: Information wants to be free (Common, Functional)

15 PsychLim: Thinks of the world as a video game (Common, Functional)

20 PsychLim: Resents being manipulated/presence attacks (Common, Irrational)

15 Enraged when mocked about age (Common) 11-

25 Hunted: the player characters

20 Hunted: National Security Agency, Large, Extensive, Manipulative organization.

10 Hunted: Mother, Father, Sister (Small group, manipulative) “You're too young to be on your own!”

Robokhan in Play

Jason is a technopath with the ability to command technological parts to move and assemble themselves into robot forms that follow his orders. His power lets him see through any unshiilded cameras in the general area and mentally exchange information with electronic systems. Unlike RadioShack, he doesn't have the ability to actually manipulate switches and integrated circuits remotely--or at least he's not conscious of the ability--something must be going on when he commands a pile of junk to form up into a robot guardian and follow his orders.

 

Jason is a rebellious teenager who developed a video game addiction at an early age to avoid the dysfunction in his home. He's always been a nerd and hates being mocked. He's done some hacking and come to the attention of the NSA.

Should news or social media ever connect one of the player characters with Robokhan, Jason's parents or adult sister may approach the indicated superhero and ask for help finding the teen and encouraging to return to his family.

 

Jason participates in the group for the money, the feeling of power, and scoring “points” against people he sees as trying to control him. He likes to hang in the background and let his robots do the work. In public he often has humanoid robots take the appearance of popular armored superheroes or supervillains to conceal their nature.

[nitrosyncretic]

APEX Group Tactics

Arachnon and Steelwing usually work as a team. Steelwing will often transport Arachnon, then lay a line of obscuring chaff before dropping him into the field. Sometimes he will use the cover of the chaff to tunnel under the street and surprise the opposition. As he engages the enemy on the ground, she will harass them with buffets and slice-bys. When it comes time to exit, she can lift him off the field.

 

Robokhan and Spinmeister tend to hang back to start, preferably blending into a crowd to start. Spinmeister will guard Robokhan while he operates surveillance drones and provides situational information to teammates. Both of them will try to enter combat by surprise: Robokhan converting his current pool configuration into Phalanx robots to engage opponents while Spinmeister poses as a bystander, perhaps luring a hero into a trap where she can strike from surprise.

 

During missions of infiltration, Spinmeister usually takes the lead, disguising herself, using the violation glove to extract information, backed up by Robokhan's drones as overwatch.

 

Arachnon and Steelwing saw the most action in our game and proved pretty challenging for the three heroes. Spinmeister mostly influenced the players indirectly by springing her teammates from jail using her secret id lawyer skills and also, at one point, kidnapping someone from protective custody as a cutaway scene while the player characters weren't present.

 

I had almost no chance to test Robokhan's effectiveness, so I make no claims.