jwpacker

Re: Characteristics as Powers that Always Cost END To be honest, I'm still beating on this one to figure out how to best make it work. It got very, very expensive with a large END reserve and making them cost end. Working backwards from effect, I am trying to create a set of powers that duplicates those possessed by Angel Dust, one of the Morlocks in the Marvel Universe. Her mutation impacts her adrenal glands, giving her the ability to increase her strength, endurance and durability for short periods. I've looked at continuing charges, I've looked at END reserves with really tightly controlled REC stats. I'm still not sure what the best solution is. How much of a limitation is it to have "4 Continuing Charges, 1 Minute each, subsequent charges can not be triggered until one hour after the previous charge has been exhausted"

Re: Characteristics as Powers that Always Cost END That sounds perfect to me. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.

Re: Characteristics as Powers that Always Cost END How would that impact STR? Would the character have to pay *again* if he used the STR he has already paid END for, to punch/kick/lift?

I'm really lost on how to make this work: If I buy +25 STR as a power, with no other modifiers, I pay END when I *use* the extra STR, that is, when I punch or kick or lift. If I buy +10 DEX as a power, with no other modifiers, I never pay END for it, period. I'd have to attach a limitation to cause it to cost END. What if, on the other hand, I want to buy a whole pile of characteristics as a power, in that they are only in effect when I kick the power on, and I don't want to have to burn any END to *use* them, I want to have to pay END to maintain them. That is, my STR, DEX, PD, ED, even my STUN - I pay END for on each of my phases. Specifically, I'd like to associate them with an END reserve, so that I can kick myself into overdrive periodically throughout the day, based on the size of the END reserve and the REC associated with it, but that it won't last forever and that I can't use it as many times as I might want or need to use it. I'm sure I must be missing something, or misreading something, but I can't find anything useful on this situation.

Re: Utility Belts Exactly my feeling. If you, as the GM, think the utility belt is getting out of hand, make the player justify it with a good backstory or explain how it all works. Rubber science ought to be sufficient.

Re: Help me Flesh Out Shutterbug I'd not be overly concerned about a lack of a ranged attack - he is a brick, after all, and with 15" of leap, he's is own projectile. That said, if you're concerned about alternative attacks, a damage shield, bought as an electrical field put out by the armor perhaps, would make him even more unpleasant in close range. If you're keen to keep him on the periphery, then some nice supporting powers would be beneficial - things to keep his team's opponents off guard, like entangles, flashes and the like. And Jeff Dee...holy cow, it's been a long time since I've seen much of his work. I owned the first release of V&V, back in the day...

Re: Damage Shield and Entangles Thanks guys. Illuminating as always. The OP came up because twice now I've seen magic wielding characters being told that they have a huge weakness in their inability to do much of anything without Incantations or Gestures or both, and that a relatively light weight Entangle could put them out of action for an entire battle. So while I got around that myself by using Variable Limitations, allowing me to sub in some concentration or extra time for the G&I, the thought occurred to me to purchase myself a damage shield based spell that specifically didn't require G&I.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Unfortunately no. Something about Valentine's Day is conspiring against me attending. Where exactly do you guys meet when you get together? I'm a little south of Brighton, m'self, but were the drive shorter than I'd been thinking, might be convinced to make the trek northward from time to time.

Just out of curiosity - if I have a damage shield that does BODY damage, and I'm hit with an attackable entangle, does the DS automatically do it's damage to the entangle on each of my phases? And has anyone had somebody build a power, say a spell, that was a KA with the DS advantage, and a limitation "only against entangles" as a sort of "breakout" ability?

Re: Peace and RE: Peace And Peace, a hand resting on his compadre's shoulder responding, "I wish you hadn't been there in the first place..."

Re: Peace and RE: Peace I'm pretty sure of two things - one is that he wouldn't use his powers on his friends unless they were trigger-happy. The other is, the first time he saw that his powers were hurting Q like that, he'd have to rethink how he interacted with the guy - and that he might have to resort to just plain ol' Persuasion. I think they could work well together, in a sort of buddy-cop-movie sort of way. Well, honestly, who doesn't love a palindromedary?

Re: Peace - the Hippie Hero

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central I tinkered with these significantly. I wound up increasing CON at the expense of DEX, which allowed me to keep the +3 DCV bonus later, without an activation and not go totally out of bounds on CVs. Shouldn't hinder me overmuch, as I will use EGO to determine combat order with my powers. Saw that one coming, and have reduced it significantly. I took you up on that offer. I eliminated both of these. I think I'm happier with the nebulous identity anyway. It did leave me a little short, so I added two more 5 point disadvantages that you may or may not agree with. I was so out of ideas at that point that, if you don't like them, we can swap them out for a rivalry or some unluck. I'm okay with that. If you're happy enough with how Engram has turned out, I'm not wed to being in Colorado. I can work with alternate settings easily enough. Here he is in version 3.0 Characteristics: 119 8 STR 18 24 DEX 18 26 CON 23 0 BODY 10 8 INT 18 20 EGO 20 5 PRE 15 0 COM 10 1 PD 5 0 ED 5 22 SPD 5 2 REC 10 2 END 50 1 STUN 32 Powers: 188 50 MP: Mental Manipulation (50 Point Pool) 5u 1) Mental Hands: Telekinesis - STR 26, Fine Manipulation (49) - 5 END 5u 2) Mental Strike: Ego Attack - 5D6 (50) - 5 END 4u 3) Mental Paralysis: Entangle - 2D6, Based on ECV, vs EGO not STR, No Damage from Physical Attacks, Cannot form Barriers (50) - 5 END 3u 4) Alter Emotions: 10D6 Mind Control, Only to Alter or Inflict Emotions (50) - 5 END 2u 5) Empathic Healing: 5D6 Simplified Healing, Only on Others, Side Effect - Takes 1/2 of damage that is healed (50) - 5 END 20 EC: Mental Powers (40 Active Points) 20 1) Mind Reading: 8D6 Telepathy (40) - 4 END 16 2) Mind Finding: 5D6 Mind Scan, Cannot Attack Through Lock, plus +8 ECV with Mind Scan (41) - 4 END 20 3) Telekinetic Shield: 16 PD/ 16 ED Force Field, 1/2 END (40) - 2 END 13 4) Telekinetic Levitation: 16” Flight, 1/2 END, 25 meter maximum altitude (-1/4), No Noncombat Multiple (-1/4) (40) - 2 END 15 Precognitive Dodge: + 3 DCV 15 Mink Link: Any One Person - 0 END Skills, Talents and Perks: 43 3 Scholar 2 KS: American Literature, 12- 1 KS: English Literature, 11- 2 KS: American History, 12- 1 KS: Modern European History, 11- 2 KS: Known Supers, 12- 3 Conversation, 12- 3 Persuasion, 12- 3 Streetwise, 12- 3 Analyze: Mental Powers, 13- 3 Deduction, 13- 3 Scientist 1 SS: Biology, 11- 1 SS: Biochemistry, 11- 1 SS: Metabiology, 11- 1 SS: Psychology, 11- 2 AK: Denver/Boulder Corridor, 11 3 Language: Spanish (Fluent, slight accent) Everyman Skills 0 1) Acting 8- 0 2) AK: United States 8- 0 3) Climbing 8- 0 4) Concealment 8- 0 5) Conversation 8- 0 6) Deduction 8- 0 7) Language: English (Idiomatic, native accent) (4 Active Points) 0 8) Paramedics 8- 0 9) Persuasion 8- 0 10) PS: Cook - Mexican Food 8- 0 11) Shadowing 8- 0 12) Stealth 8- 0 13) TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles, Small Rowed Boats 1 Computer Link: Metahuman Studies Database 4 Contact: Director of Metahuman Studies Department (Good Relationship, Major Institutions, Useful Skills, 8-) Disadvantages: 150 15 DNPC: Dr. Tamara Masterson (Normal, 11-) 10 DNPC: Big Sister Esmerelda (Normal, 8-) 50 Multiple Hunteds: Mystery 10 Psych Lim: Open and Trusting, assumes the best in people (Common, Moderate) 15 Psych Lim: Monophobia, fear of being alone, worse when he’s unable to make telepathic/mind link contact (Common, Strong) 15 Psych Lim: Gregarious, overly talkative and outgoing, always trying to make friends (Common, Strong) 10 Psych Lim: Rolemodel, sees himself as a role model for young hispanic men, carries himself as such (Common, Moderate) 15 Vulnerability: 1.5xBODY,2xSTUN from Sonic Attacks 5 Social Limitation: Minority - Hispanic, 8-, Minor 5 Distinctive Feature: Active Telepath, Not Concealable, Very Unusual Senses Noticed and Recognizable

Re: Peace - the Hippie Hero

Re: Looking for a name for my "fate points" Or for equal autre points, how about wierd

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Y'all need to post something irresistible - I'm trying to get up the gumption to volunteer to join you, and make the regular hour and a half drive up from Brighton to play!

Re: Peace - the Hippie Hero I had to go Google that to see what you were talking about, and still came away with only a vague notion of who American Dream is. I think the idea came from reading The Champions Universe, in the 50's and 60's section where they talked about the split between heroes who were for and against the war in Vietnam. I'm sure it's ground that must have been covered before.

Re: Peace - the Hippie Hero

Re: Peace - the Hippie Hero

Lord, help me. This guy popped into my head first thing this morning, and would not leave me alone. I spent my work day periodically jotting down notes to ensure I didn't forget anything. Now that I've created him, and posted him, maybe he'll go away and let me focus on something else for a change. Peace '60's Era Hippie Hero [b]Characteristics:[/b] 104 Points 15 STR 5 4/25 PD 1 15 DEX 15 4/25 ED 0 20 CON 20 5 SPD 25 18 BODY 16 8 REC 2 15 INT 5 40 END 0 15 EGO 10 36 STUN 0 15 PRE 5 10 COM 0 OCV/DCV: 5 ECV: 5/9 [b]Skills, Perks & Talents:[/b] 43 Points 12 +4 with Groovy Magic 6 Combat Luck: 3PD/3ED 3 Acting, 12- 2 Animal Handling, 12- 3 Concealment, 12- 3 Conversation, 12- 3 Scholar: 2 KS: Classic Rock, 12- 2 KS: Writing Music, 12- 2 KS: Horticulture, 12- 3 Persuasion, 12- 2 PS: Musician, 11- [b]Powers:[/b] 203 Points 80 Multipower: Groovy Magic (80 Point Pool) 8u 1) Turn On - 8D6 Mental Illusions, Area Effect Radius, Limited Effect: Hallucinations, good trips only, no control of content (8 END) 4u 2) Love Your Mother - 3D6 Major Transform: Pollution into Plant Life, Area Effect 1 Hex (Changes back by being polluted again) (4 END) 7u 3) Flower Power - 5D6 Major Transform: Weapons into Flowers (Heals normally as flowers die) (7 END) 5u 4) Cool Out: 8D6 Mind Control, Cumulative (144 Max), Only to make everyone peaceful, sensible and cool to each other (8 END) 6u 5) Everybody Must Get Stoned: 4D6 DEX Drain, Usable at Range, Delayed Return (5/minute) (8 END) 4u 6) Age of Aquarius: 8D6 Sight Group Flash (4 END) 20 Elemental Control: Far Out Powers (40 Active) 20 1) Riding Rainbows: 20" Flight, SFX: Leaves a rainbow trail with stars, moons and peace signs in it (4 END) 25 2) Can't Bring Me Down: 18PD/18ED Force Field, 1/2 END (2 END) 24 3) My Brother's Keeper: 10PD/6ED Force Wall, 3" Wide (4 END) [b]Disadvantages:[/b] 150 Points 20 Dependence: Marijuana, Mental Addition, Powers acquire Act 14- 10 Distinctive Looks: 60's Era Flower Child 25 Hunted: US Military, MoPow, NCI, Watching, 8- 25 Hunted: FBI, MoPow, NCI, Watching, 8- 25 Psych Lim: Total Commitment to Not Killing 15 Psych Lim: Out of Touch with Current Culture 10 Psych Lim: Child of the World: everyone gets the benefit of the doubt that they're cool 15 Social Lim: Public Identity - Peace, the Hippie Hero 5 Reputation: Anti-war hero of the '60's, people old enough to remember, 11- Background: A child of post-war years, Christopher Wilson was the fourth child of a former GI and the Belgian woman he brought home to be his bride. Unbeknownst to Chris’s dad, Miranda Wilson came from a long line of magic wielders. She never exercised her powers once she came to the States, wanting as normal a life as possible. None of their first three children showed any aptitude for the arcane, but Christopher was different. By the time he was fifteen, his mother was trying to steer him away from misuse of his gifts without giving him too much in the way of inspiration. It was pretty easy, given Chris’s slow migration into the Hippie counterculture. He was always working at cross purposes to his older brothers, all of whom entered the military in time for the Vietnam conflict. The My Lai massacre in ’68 began to radicalize Chris, and pushed him even further into the Hippie lifestyle. He left home and joined a commune, and his powers began to solidify around the persona he chose to adopt, and the name that everyone came to know him by - Peace. He never had any intention of being a super hero or fighting crime, but the events of the day, and the events of the Summer of Love led him to be one of the minor spokespeople for his generation. He fought mostly conventional criminals, while at the same time defending anti-war protesters and ensuring that their voices were heard. By the time of the Kent State incident, he was spending time with notorious Black Panther supers as well, and would have been likely to get involved with other radical elements if other incidents hadn’t intervened. During a protest march that mated anti-war sentiment with pro-civil rights marchers, Peace found himself face to face with several government sponsored supers. Before their argument could escalate beyond heated words, however, someone - Peace never did find out who - hit him with some sort of ray that created a time rift and pushed him through it. Peace woke up in the same park where he’d been hit, but things were radically different. He found the world utterly changed - some for the better, and some for the significantly worse. The year was 2008, and he was a stranger in a strange land. Peace’s powers seemed antiquated and out of fashion, along with his choice of music and clothing. But he went back to doing what he did best - protecting people who wanted to voice their opinions, helping people who work towards his own liberal agenda, and, along the way, trying to learn his way in the new world he’d found himself in. Quote: The Man and I don’t always see eye to eye, but robbing banks and taking hostages? That’s a drag man. A total bad trip. Appearance: Peace continues to wear butterfly collars and a leather vest, along with denim jeans and moccasins. He also usually wears John Lennon-style glasses and a headband covered with real turquoise beads. He is unshaved, his full beard and long, bushy hair making him look a good deal like Jim Morrison in his prime. Campaign Uses: I'll be damned if I know...

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Not sure if out here in public is the best venue for this, but we've all been so up front about things that I'm sure it'll be okay. Armando really doesn't like his emotion control power very much. He's a firm believer in free will, and would never, ever use that power on someone he considered a friend or a "good guy" under any circumstances. He's already worried that he's accidentally, unconsciously used on someone he's close with, Tamara Masterson, and when worry keeps him up a nights, that's one of the worries that plagues him most. I see him using it most to instill apathy in someone who is searching for him to harm him or his team. Or a sense of futility in a group of criminals, in hopes that they would surrender. Or even remorse in someone he knows has hurt people in the process of his evil deeds. As for telepathy, he's had that power for ages and he's learned his lesson well. You don't read the thoughts of your friends and colleagues. You don't really want to know, most of the time, what they're really thinking, and it's only the thin veneer of little white lies that lets us all live together in peace in the first place. I'd like to think that, as he is joined by team mates, he would take the time to explain his telepathy, and explain to them that he will never read their thoughts without announcing himself first with a sent thought, and then only at the surface level. Deeper scanning is for bad guys, to try to divine their tactics or suss out their plans. He'd never shy away from using his mind scan abilities, however, to find a missing or lost team mate, but again, he'd announce himself immediately if he were to establish a connection. And if a team mate decided they didn't want to communicate with him in that fashion, he would honor their decision. He'd be hurt by the lack of trust, but it wouldn't be the first time, and certainly not the last.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Hey, I must have missed that. I still kept the family around as DNPC's. Thinking maybe I ought to fix that.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Okay, here's version 2.0. I thought I'd need more time on his Disads, but they're here now Do you know, I never knew about the other Advantages and Limitations in that part of the 5th Ed rules until today? I've been missing out! I always turn right to the section on Limitations when I wanted to look one up, and had no idea there was this whole trove of other limitations. Anyway, here he is, one more time. One question I definitely have - I sacrificed some EGO for SPD. I'm curious if you think the points are better spent that way... Characteristics: 124 8 STR 18 30 DEX 20 16 CON 18 8 BODY 14 8 INT 18 20 EGO 20 5 PRE 15 0 COM 10 1 PD 5 1 ED 5 20 SPD 5 0 REC 8 7 END 50 0 STUN 32 Powers: 183 50 MP: Mental Manipulation (50 Point Pool) 5u 1) Mental Hands: Telekinesis - STR 26, Fine Manipulation (49) - 5 END 5u 2) Mental Strike: Ego Attack - 5D6 (50) - 5 END 4u 3) Mental Paralysis: Entangle - 2D6, Based on ECV, vs EGO not STR, No Damage from Physical Attacks, Cannot form Barriers (50) - 5 END 3u 4) Alter Emotions: 10D6 Mind Control, Only to Alter or Inflict Emotions (50) - 5 END 2u 5) Empathic Healing: 5D6 Simplified Healing, Only on Others, Side Effect - Takes 1/2 of damage that is healed (50) - 5 END 20 EC: Mental Powers (40 Active Points) 20 1) Mind Reading: 8D6 Telepathy (40) - 4 END 16 2) Mind Finding: 5D6 Mind Scan, Cannot Attack Through Lock, plus +8 ECV with Mind Scan (41) - 4 END 20 3) Telekinetic Shield: 16 PD/ 16 ED Force Field, 1/2 END (40) - 2 END 13 4) Telekinetic Levitation: 16” Flight, 1/2 END, 25 meter maximum altitude (-1/4), No Noncombat Multiple (-1/4) (40) - 2 END 10 Precognitive Dodge: + 3 DCV, Activation 14- 15 Mink Link: Any One Person - 0 END Skills, Talents and Perks: 43 3 Scholar 2 KS: American Literature, 12- 1 KS: English Literature, 11- 2 KS: American History, 12- 1 KS: Modern European History, 11- 2 KS: Known Supers, 12- 3 Conversation, 12- 3 Persuasion, 12- 3 Streetwise, 12- 3 Analyze: Mental Powers, 13- 3 Deduction, 13- 3 Scientist 1 SS: Biology, 11- 1 SS: Biochemistry, 11- 1 SS: Metabiology, 11- 1 SS: Psychology, 11- 2 AK: Denver/Boulder Corridor, 11 3 Language: Spanish (Fluent, slight accent) Everyman Skills 0 1) Acting 8- 0 2) AK: United States 8- 0 3) Climbing 8- 0 4) Concealment 8- 0 5) Conversation 8- 0 6) Deduction 8- 0 7) Language: English (Idiomatic, native accent) (4 Active Points) 0 8) Paramedics 8- 0 9) Persuasion 8- 0 10) PS: Cook - Mexican Food 8- 0 11) Shadowing 8- 0 12) Stealth 8- 0 13) TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles, Small Rowed Boats 1 Computer Link: Metahuman Studies Database 4 Contact: Director of Metahuman Studies Department (Good Relationship, Major Institutions, Useful Skills, 8-) Disadvantages: 150 15 DNPC: Dr. Tamara Masterson (Normal, 11-) 25 DNPC: Family (Parents, Six Siblings, Normal, 8-) 20 Hunted: Mystery 10 Psych Lim: Open and Trusting, assumes the best in people (Common, Moderate) 15 Psych Lim: Monophobia, fear of being alone, worse when he’s unable to make telepathic/mind link contact (Common, Strong) 15 Psych Lim: Gregarious, overly talkative and outgoing, always trying to make friends (Common, Strong) 10 Psych Lim: Rolemodel, sees himself as a role model for young hispanic men, carries himself as such (Common, Moderate) 15 Social Lim: Identity - Secret or Public? Not sure what fits best with the campaign 10 Social Lim: College Student: Nearly always broke, supposed to be in class several hours a day, homework, dorm supervision (Minor, 11-) 15 Vulnerability: 1x5xBODY,2xSTUN from Sonic Attacks