Citizen Keen

Re: Origins Award Voting Now Open! Went to vote, no Best Roleplaying Adventure category. Is that only for members of the Academy?

Re: Character Transformations This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks much, AngryBug! Any more?

Re: Ncm:15 Haven't tried it, but can you tell me where it is suggested in Fantasy Hero; want to check it out. Thanks!

Re: I've Gone Totaly Mental! At the end of the day, I think the difference in cost is this - flexibility. Energy Blasts and Killing Attacks can be used for one thing - Damage. Granted, if the target is standing on the edge of a cliff, you could use your EB to push them off. Great. But Mental Powers... Aha! These can be used for many things. I once saw a writeup for a Brick/Mentalist who would make enemies use their Healing/Aid on him, and then punch them. That's a lot better than an EB, and that's still thinking combat.

Re: Hero A Day...Sorta... I am infinitely amused by the power Weakness Proofing.

Re: [Campaign World] Clockwork Fantasy Everyman Skills (8- for free) Acting Climbing Concealment Conversation Deduction Native Language (4 Points Worth, no literacy) Paramedics (Healing) Persuasion Shadowing Stealth One PS at 11- One KS at 8- One AK at 11- Whilst I like the idea of Everyman skills being based upon a character's background, none of the ones presented on page 84 of Fantasy Hero seem to work for me. (This is not a criticism of Steve in any way - he did a fantastic job on the whole book.) Cultural Everyman skills, for me, should be built into a Cultural Package Deal. Kingdoms, for me, are generally part of a Culture. Race doesn't work for me, also a Package Deal. And Region and Religion doesn't sit well with me, either. For me (and purely for me), if all characters in a Kingdom or Region would know how to use a boat and have TF: Small Windpowered Boats, then that should be reflected in their Package Deals. For me, Everyman Skills should be skills anyone raised in a given world should know. I think. Anyway, above is the list of Everyman Skills for my campaign.

Re: [Campaign World] Clockwork Fantasy Five Example Shaman Spells - At long last! Here are descriptions of each of the five Aspects, along with five Shaman spells, one from each Aspect. Elemental The Elemental Magic of the Shamans is a far cry in power from the Elemental Magic of the Titans. However, the Elemental Magic of the Shamans is elemental magic, and confers the caster mastery over the four elements of the world, able to summon them up to do their bidding. Generally, Elemental magic is forceful and is used to exercise power directly. Although the Elemental Shaman Magic talent does grant the caster the ability to use all four elements, most shamans will stick to one or two. Flame Burst: Energy Blast 4d6 (20 Active Points); Requires a Shamanism Roll, -1 per 5 Active Points (-3/4), OAF - Shaman's Staff (-1), Incantations (-1/4); Total Cost: 7 points. Range: 100", -4 to Shamanism Roll Shoots forth a burst of fire to damage the caster's foes. Nature It is from the Shaman's Nature Magic that the Dark Elfs have gained there Druidic Magic. However, the Dark Elfs have taken their magic to far greater heights. Nature magic grants the shaman the ability to control plants and weather, and is generally the Aspect of Shamanism with the greatest scope. Grasping Weeds: Entangle 6d6, Only 3 DEF, Takes No Damage From (Physical) Attacks (+1/4), Area of Effect: 6" Radius, Selective (+1 1/4) (112 Active Points); Requires a Shamanism Roll, -1 per 5 Active Points (-3/4), OAF - Shaman's Staff (-1), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures, 2 Hands (-1/2), Limited Range: 100" (-1/4), Vulnerable to Fire and Cutting (-1), Only Works When There Are Lots of Plants Around (-1/4); Total Cost: 22 points. Range: 100", -22 to Shamanism Roll Plants such as grass and weeds grow up out of the ground and wrap around the shaman's foes. Even though it is only grass, it grows at a phenomenal rate, binding attacker's hands and feet. Animal Of all Shamanism Aspects, Animal is the most personal, generally affecting only the caster and people they wish to imbue with power. At earlier levels, the spells imbue the shaman with the characteristics of the animals. At later levels, shaman's can summon or even transform into different species of animals. Bestial Roar: +25 PRE (25 Active Points); Requires a Shamanism Roll, -1 per 5 Active Points (-3/4), OAF - Shaman's Staff (-1), Incantations (-1/4), Only to Make Presence Attacks (-1), Costs END (-1/4); Total Cost: 6 points. -5 to Shamanism Roll The shaman throws back their head and roars, invoking the spirit of the Bear, Lion or Tiger (or whatever roaring animal the shaman is familiar with). Spirit Spirit magic is the most nebulous and mysterious of the Shaman Aspects. Used to invoke and influence the Spirits of the world, both Dead and Natural, Spirit Magic mixes Necromancy, Divination, and other magics. Ethereal Burst Energy Blast 3d6, BOECV w/ Range Modifiers (+3/4), AVLD: Power Defense (+3/4) (37 Active Points); Requires a Shamanism Roll, -1 per 5 Active Points (-3/4), OAF - Shaman's Staff (-1), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4), Side Effect: Shaman Always Takes 3d6 STUN (-1/2); Total Cost: 10 Points. -7 to Shamanism Roll. Range: 185" A dark bolt, the collective misery of the suffering dead, bursts for from the shaman's hands, striking the victim and exposing them to the horrors of eternal suffering. However, this spell drains the shaman, and can knock them out if they're not careful. Totem The magic of the barbarians, Totem Magic is the ability to make Totems - carefully crafted items of great magical power. A defensive magic used to protect communities, and to augment warrior parties, Totem Magic does possess enough versatility to aid almost any adventuring party. Screaming Totem Skull 25 PRE (for single Presence Attack), variable Trigger (+1/2) (37 Active Points); Requires a Shamanism Roll, -1 per 5 Active Points (-3/4), OAF - Shaman's Staff (-1), OAF - Skull Totem (Very Difficult Expendable, Arrangement, no Benefit for Base OAF) (-3/4), Costs END (-1/4), Increased END x5 (-2); Total Cost: 6 Points. -7 to Shamanism Roll The shaman places a skull on top of a staff, stuck in the ground. The skull is adorned with feathers from a bird of prey, and the ground around is laced with rocks and the blood of a small grazing animal (such as a rabbit). When approached by someone who does not possess the appearance of a member of the shaman's tribe, the skull emits a high pitched wail echoing from the afterlife, and the feathers combust. Used to warn neighboring tribes of trespassment. (NOTE: I'm aware that this would also be an images, but in HERO, it's about the special effect, right? I did not include the Delayed Effect Advantage because I did not want to raise the Active Point total, which would raise the Skill Roll penalty. To make up for this, I also did not include the Extra Time - 20 Minutes Limitation. This will apply to all further Shaman spells, and to all Arcane spells, including the "Arcane Light" spell described above.

Re: What are the limits of superhero martial arts?

Re: Need help with some goofy villians Disco Power: Roller Skates: Lots o' Running And as a play on Mommy Mary - Soccer Mom Minivan: Super powered Vehicle with Missiles to move the vilain team around Don't Do That!: Mind-Control, only to prevent character from doing one action, ("Stop Hitting Him!"), also could use a variation - Put that Down - Mind Control to make a character drop something. Eyes in the Back of My Head: 360 Degree Vision Spanking: Massive HA, requires a sucessful to-hit roll on the ass. Ability to manage children: Stretching, only to grab something. Ability to manage children II: Increased SPD, costs END. MomsALWAYS know: Lots of Telepathy Overall, just build her as a Speedster/Mentalist

Re: Starship external weapons pods Thanks much for the writeup!

Re: [Campaign World] Clockwork Fantasy Maybe I don't understand the finer points, but I've never understood the difference between 'Elven', 'Elvish', and 'Elfish' (I have seen all three, listed in order of frequency of occurence). I decided in this campaign, since the Elfs are going to be slightly different from the Elfs of generic Fantasy campaigns, but still Elfs, that's I'd stick to the word that my players probably see the least. So, the 'feel' that I'm tryin to convey is that it's similar, but not the same, and I want to convey that from the physical description to the way they act, all the way down to a linguistic level. Hope that helps!

Re: Generation Ship Campaigns What if the ship worked fine, and there were no mutants. No explosions, no loss of culture, every body remembered where they were. But let's say a religious cult begins spreading amongst the newer generations. This religious cult believes in growth through punishment and deprivation. They detect a desert planet with breathable atmosphere, and decide to take over the ship and land it on the desert planet. So you have espionage escalating to all out war for control of the various parts of the ship - engines, power, navigation. The campaign can end in a climax with the cultists threatening to destroy the hydroponic farms that are needed to keep the colony alive. Eh, eh? Anybody like?

Re: [Campaign World] Clockwork Fantasy The Shotu Daga The Shotu Daga is a large grassland in the eastern parts of my mainland continent (I really need to come up with a name for that soon). It is bordered by other grasslands, but is distinct because it belongs to no particular nation, but rather, is split up amongst four nations. None of the nations exerts any boundaries over the land, but they do generally claim things like 'water rights' and 'grazing rights'. Also, for the most part, each of the nations respects the others burial grounds. To find out where a given nation (or clan within a nation) is at a certain time of year, one must succeed at an AK: Shotu Daga, which will tells you the migration patterns of the people. The common language of the Shotu Daga is Ha'Mai, which means Talk of the Horse. In Ha'Mai, Shotu Daga means Bountiful Emptiness. The Po'Mai Horse People The Po'Mai are a nomadic horse people, of relatively primitive technological level. The Po'Mai (which means People of the Horse) believe that technology interferes with the growth of the spirit. They are a proud and noble people, who are masters of the horse and follow the great herds of buffalo that traverse the Shotu Daga. They generally hunt with Bows and Axes, and their axes are often carved from stone. Seven clans of Po'Mai wander the Shotu Daga. The Po'Mai are practicers of ancestor worship, gaining guidance from their ancestors imparted by their shamans. The Po'Mai generally wear little in the way of clothing in the summer due to the heat of the plain. In the winter, they wear thick buffalo hides. Men generally wear short loincloths, and women wear loincloths that reach down to their ankles. Both genders generally go topless. The exception to the rule is the dress of the shaman women. These women wear painted buffalo hides in any weather. Both men and women use an elaborate system of paints to decorate and express feelings. Be it war, or a festival, or hunting, or simply a day of rest, Po'Mai use face and body paint to indicate what they plan on doing for the day, and what their general mood is. Men are hunters and warriors, while women are homemakers and gatherers. Some women of the tribes of the Po'Mai are recognized as having the potential to commune with the spirits and are trained as shamans. (All Po'Mai shamans must take the Spirit Magic Talent.) Men cannot be shamans, ever. Even if a shaman recognizes the ability to commune with the spirits in a boy, the most he can hope for is clan leadership. The Dak'ha Daga The Dak'ha Daga (which means the Dogs of the Emptiness in Ha'Mai) are a violent and primitive tribe of Halflings who live in the Shotu Daga. Of the four groups who live in the Shotu Daga, the Dak'ha Daga are the only group who have any concept of territory. They are not very nomadic, and they can generally be found in the northwest part of the Shotu Daga. The Halflings of the Shotu Daga have a very different outlook on the world, and this causes them to be viewed with distrust and even hatred; most people familiar with the grasslands view them as savages. One of the differing views the Dak'ha Daga have of the world is their view on death - the Dogs of the Emptiness are cannibals. They believe that eating the flesh of their enemies gives them the virtues of their enemies. They are often called 'the Dog Children', although this is usually viewed as a mortal insult. The Dak'ha Daga ride dogs that they raise - hence their names. They generally fight with shields and short spears (being Halflings, very short spears). The Dak'ha Daga wear buffalo skin clothes, full breaches and jackets. They wear their hair short, both genders. The Dak'ha Daga do not recognize sexual orientation. Virtually all Dak'ha Daga are what modern western society would consider 'bisexual'. Women are allowed to fulfill all the positions of the men; they are treated as equals. The Dak'ha Daga do not have anything against technology, but their perceived savageness generally prohibits them from procuring it. The Dak'ha Daga do not value education, so magic isn't very powerful in their community. The Daga Centaurs - NPC The Daga Centaurs are a nomadic tribe of Centaurs who live in the Shotu Daga. They are the kind of Centaurs who give all Centaurs a bad name. They are vicious, honorless murderers. They make frequent war against the Dak’ha Daga, and occasionally mount long campaigns against the Po’Mai. They do not obey the same division of the buffalo as the other peoples of the Shoto Daga – they attempt to kill the buffalo year round, and they war against the other clans for their buffalo. When they hunt the summer buffalo (when the mothers are with young), the Po’Mai and the Dak’ha Daga bring the war to them. The Daga Centaurs generally fight with javelins and short swords. (The Daga Centaurs are meant to be an NPC group.) Va'Nihrim Invilto - NPC The Va’Nihrim Invilto (which means the Bastard Buffalo Children of the Dark Elfs in the Illna language of the nearby Light Elfs) are a very small tribe of Buffalo Beastmen that travel after the buffalo of the Shotu Daga. They do not travel with the buffalo, but are generally a day or two behind, always. They watch over the herds, and have very potent Shaman magic. They are treated as cousins by the Dark Elfs in the Nihrim Naha (Wood Elf Woods in Illna), and as respected elders by the Po’Mai. The Dak’ha Daga do not understand them, but obey and respect their wishes. The Va’Nihrim Invilto are viewed by many as guardians of the buffalo herd, and fight the Correñolan Frontiersmen against poaching. Also intended as an NPC race, but I'd be more lenient, if the player had a good character conception. I'll throw some Package Deals up in the vaguely near future.

Re: Gate Stations If I remember correctly, with the exception of some of the larger ships like the Agamemnon, ships can't really go anywhere they want to in the real world (were you to build it with Extra Dimensional Movement). You have to stay on the course of the hyperspace beacons, and if you don't, you get FUBARed. And since the normal gates tend to be protected by miltary powers, I really wouldn't build it with the +5 Adder, since the limits of where you can go are there. But the Agamemnon, being able to drop out of Hyperspace pretty much anywhere they want to, would have to pay for the Adder.

Re: Character Transformations I guess what I'm talking about is... Completely rebuilding your character. What if an alien symbiote bonded with Nighthawk? What if Defender's laten mutant gene triggered and he developed super healing powers and absorbed his armor under his skin, becoming this monstrous brick? Just completely rebuilding a character, you know? (I don't own Champs Universe, so I don't know if Defender or Nighthawk actually have powers or not.)

Re: What are the limits of superhero martial arts?

Re: A Hero Shopping List Generally, I like to purchase Genre Books (such as Champions or Ninja Hero), then books that are applicable to many settings (such as Beastiary or TUV), and then books that apply to only one setting (Turakian Age or Spacer's Toolkit). And I will continue that pattern. So, when I get back, I'll get Sidekick and The Ultimate Brick and the Ultimate Vehicle Sourcebook, then I'll get Alien Wars and Turakian Age.

Re: Dont' have USPD yet? Those Powers, they're like Spells, without the Limitations!

How often have you had your characters go through a transformation? Not multiform, but rather, a characters powers are completely transformed, so that they are, combatwise, a completely new character. Same memories, but new powers. Something like Jean Grey to Dark Phoenix to Phoenix. Not Normal Beast into Blue Beast (that's really just aquiring a new Distinctive Features), but something more significant. Do you ever do it?

Re: [Campaign World] Clockwork Fantasy The Beastmen One aspect of the Dark Elfs' druidic magic (which I have not finalized) is the possibility of non-humanoid offspring. The druidic magic of the Dark Elfs allows for the Dark Elf to shapechange into an animal, and sometimes the druid will breed with a normal animal. Their offspring are known as the Beastmen (dependent upon the language), and in addiiton to the wide variety of species, come in three large categories depending on the nature of their parentage. The Mother-Born When a female druid mates with a male animal and is impregnated, the mother gives birth to a normal looking Dark Elf. However, that Dark Elf child has the ability to shapeshift, at will, into the animal of his parentage. Fine control of this is generally not gained until puberty (around 25 years of age), frequently leading to some awkward childhood moments. However, Dark Elf children do not tease Mother-Born Beastmen - generally, these Dark Elfs are the leaders of groups of children, or are left alone. The Father-Born Beastmen sired by a druid and born of an animal are born humanoid, but with the heads and features of their animal mother. Their feet are frequently those of their mother, and if their mother has scales or fur, they generally do to, in parts of their body. Bull mothers bear classic minotaurs, lizard mothers bear classic lizardmen, and hawk mothers generally have humanoid children with long wings with hands at the ends. Father-Born Beastmen generally die, as their animal parent does not know how to take care of them. However, large communities of a given species of Beastmen will generally intercept and raise a Father-Born Beastman. Sometimes, though not usually, a male druid will step in and raise his own child. The Lost Ones Druids who spend too much time in a given form will eventually lose their personality and spend their lives as animals. Children born to these lost druids (be the druid male or female) always take the form of Father-Born Beastmen, but they have only an animal intellect - they do not have th Dark Elf intelligence of their parents. These Beastmen wander the countryside, if they live, trying to survivie as an animal. Frequently, they will return to a pack or herd if their is one, and become a member, fighting for dominance. All forms of Beastmen can mate with their own kind, and usually do. Beastmen can generally not mate with an animal. Beastmen who mate with a humanoid will generally produce children who look normal, with no physical animal characteristics. However, they will frequently have the characteristics of animals in their personality. Dark Elfs do not view sex with animals when in druid form cheating; however, families will usually not accept Father-Born Beastmen into their families.

Re: Achoo . . .. Would it necessarily Affect Desolidified? I mean, can a spell make ghosts sneeze? Just a thought, maybe it can.

Re: Character Design help, Men In Black I'd ditch the BOECV. Really, it seems like a DEX base would be better. I mean, a normal psychic power, it doesn't require which way you're faced. But the Neuralyzer won't work unless you're looking right at the light. Right at it. I mean, other people in the Cafe see the flash, but aren't looking at the bulb. So, get rid of the BOECV, it's a physical effect that just happens to work on your mind.

Re: How many ways can you do this? And if you're a gadgeteer like Nighthawk, then... Maybe a collapsable shield that you would throw and expand? (Armor, Acitvation Roll, UBO)

Re: Genetic Tribalism? Granted, but then, this is Science-Fiction. Anything is possible! Just talk to the Dean of the Rubber Science Department at Cambridge! I had been toying with a similar idea myself (playing Space Opera where there are no aliens, just the thousands of human spinoffs created during the Gene Wars), and until my players had me switch to Fantasy, the idea was panning out beautifully.

Re: Achoo . . .. Could you make it a Drain SPD that has an Increased Recovery Time? So, basically, they lose a Phase?