Publius

Re: Gay and Bisexual Superheroes Don't look Margret!

Re: Party! I simply have to either get involved in a PBeM or talk one of my players into being a GM for me for a session or two so that I can make a character and participate in these discussions. Just for giggles though, here are what some of the players in my games have mentioned to me: Minuteman, brick ex-Actor and more or less Open-Secret/Semi-Public ID, spends a lot of time with his DNPC ("Momma" think a combo of Mrs. Poole and Carrie's Mother, it has a Mrs. Presley vibe to it the way he obsesses over her). He also is trying to get back into the movies, but because he is a known metahuman none of the movies he tries for can get insurance (Plus he literally cannot act, skill 8-, but what is stopping a lot of name actors there eh?) When not doing either he enjoys his celebrity and goes on local talk shows and the like, always protesting "But of course on I'm not really Minuteman" sometimes adding "on the advice of my lawyer" to the beginning or end of that statement. Whisper has an "Obsession for Crimefighting" disad, so he unfortunately spends a lot of his non-adventuring time combing the city for evildoers and that kind of thing (hoo hum, actually this is one of the aspects of the character that has driven the player to create a new PC for the next session). He rarely mentioned his girlfriend/reporter DNPC so I had a sub-plot where she actually deliberately gets into danger in order for him to rescue (i.e. notice) her. Kind of like Xander from Drawn Together.

Re: The Meta X MR Wild Card Gene Syndrome Virus is Female Dominant!

Re: Why super tech never goes mainstream

Re: Why super tech never goes mainstream In my campaign setting, supertech (and magical artifacts) are called Neotech and they can only be operated by individuals with the metahuman gene. There is however a side benefit of Neotech, as drugs produced by Neotech can still heal the sick, alloys produced by Neotech still work as excellent building materials etc. So some differences are starting to emerge in the game world from the "real world" (titanic building projects, cures for some diseases etc.). I did it that way so that bad guys can still use blasters and whatnot, but regular cops and troops use regular guns. Also, most of the badguys that the PCs face (and a few PCs) are a lesser form of Metahuman who can use this technology, but are otherwise mundane humans (i.e. no laser beam eyes etc.)

Re: Favorite Pulp Character Doc Savage is very cool, I downloaded a bunch of the pdfs of the originals serials when it was still possible (along with the Shadow). I wish that Conde Nast would allow them to be distributed or use them in an actual product rather than just let them fade into nothing. My only problem with Savage and other pulp types is their omnicompetence. Their insipid perfection gets grating after a while. Newer pulp characters like Doc Shidhe, Amazon Anne (http://home.comcast.net/~clayburnham/shadows.htm) and the Frazer character in the Mummy are all good too.

Re: Point/Effectiveness Ceiling Now that is a very good way to moderate speed in the game. Do you do anything similar for CVs? I basically made the first draft characters for my players using their descriptions, then allowed them to modify the characters extensively. I ask for simple stuff (no speed past 5, low PD/ED, DC12 maximum on most of their attacks etc.) in order to provide a uniform "feel" for the game. These are given as suggestions, not commands, and the bad guys comply with them as well as the heroes.

Re: What Do You Look For In A City Setting? I use made-up cities, it's just easier and more flexible that way. When I have time I do one or more of the things you mentioned, eventually the city kind of evolves. It is hardly the best way, it has some advantages (the aforementioned flexibility for example) and disadvantages (the fits and starts, sometimes oddly juxtaposed elements etc.); but it is sometimes the only thing that I can really do when real life gets in the way of my gaming habit. I generally like to map these cities out, but this takes time. I usually don't do any specific NPCs, but create them as needed. I almost always designate certain areas which have a unique character in some way ("Brickstreet" and its older buildings, "Brimstone Alley" and the magical types that seem to gravitate there, "The Garden" which is a rough area of town)

Re: Background Cliches I agree wholeheartedly. But being exposed to radiation (in the original example) or some other potentially deadly stimulus simply is a very common element in most superhero fiction. I didn't say it was bad or anything. Heck, I use a lot of these. I've had settings before that used a genetic factor for basic superhuman abilities and they were activated through a rather complex scientific procedure. All supers were "made" as a result, not gained through accidents (as my present campaign setting uses almost exclusively). That creates a whole different vibe. Some of the others (like registration) are being actively discussed in the campaign setting by NPC politicians in the background. There are a lot of issues involved, and there is an active debate to that effect. Do I "agree" or "disagree" with its functionality/rationality/practicality? Who cares, lots of stuff happens in the real world that I don't like or think is irrational/unconstitutional/impractical. I just wanted to draw the players into that situation (through an upcoming event in whihc their actions will be made very public) and see what happens. In other words, make them pivotal on how that situation will turn out.

Re: Background Cliches add "... or some other freakish event (chemical spill, bite by genetically enhanced spider, etc.)" p.s. I don't think this one got numbered. #19 (or 20). Some uncommon/rare genetic component makes one person possess superpowers after said radiation exposure while another individual without this "X Factor" just gets radiation sickness and dies.

Re: Show me the PC I'm actually with Arkham on this one: I have been the primary, and in many cases only, GM for my groups for the last 18 years or so of gaming. In a way, I don't really mind terribly much, I've been a GM so long I tend to get bored when I am a player. Some of the other players in my games do a one-shot, but rarely more than that so I get to play maybe once a year or so outside of the occasional con (when I usually spend at least half the time GMing anyway). Would you mind if I posted a PC I might like to play?

Re: Suddenly... a new and better you No actually it is a good idea, something I really should put into my games. So many times the little things get left out, heck stuff I have done in the past with very great results I have stopped doing as my gaming becomes less and less frequent. In fact, this weekend I am playing for the first time with a new player so this might be something of an "origin" session; and I might very well integrate this sort of thing into my game. In my game world supers (Elites) do suddenly manifest powers, and it is noted (at least in the background) that it makes them more physically and mentally capable people. Having the NPCs notice it as well is a definite plus.

Re: Who's the most nearly-invulnerable... My only "problem" is the fact hat doing this way is 15 points cheaper. I'm not certain what you mean by "limitations", a custom adder possibly? Were I using your 25% and "+50%" route, I would possibly try using a custom adder to make the combination of the 25% and 50% point-equivalent to a 75% R. Now, the only sticky wickett is which one (25% or 50%) to apply to adder to: if you apply it to the 25% you do not get the -1/4 limitation, if you apply it to the 50% you would then take the -1/4 off. As the difference is only 3 points it might not seem consequential, but that might be another power in the powerpool or something. Not having been in the situation, I have no idea what I might do when you ask me flat-footed. Another possibility is to take 75% Resistant Damage Reduction with the -1/4 disadvantage "Doesn't Apply to Dark Matter", and then take a 25% resistant Damage Reduction that applies "Only to Dark Matter" for a what? say -1... Depending on how you add the 15 point adder from the above, the two methods (each using both energy and physical) come out only a few points different (only 2 if you do not take the -1/4 limit on the 15 point adder, 8 if you do). Throw another limitation (or assess more than a -1) on the "only to Dark Matter" side of the equation and the number would probably balance out completely.

Re: Character Creation WHOOPS! Yeah I guess in the Rubber Boy situation, that is probably the best way to go; that also goes better with the "Whoops" supposition that this thread started with. Often these kinds of transmutations can become the basis for great story ideas. I was thinking more along the lines of the fine attunement of a particular character. That was why my players have to stick with what gets used in the game (the effects, i.e. outcome not the specific build). If you find out that your tunnelling is not what you had really intended on (because of some rules interpretation or whatever the player was unaware of) or a better way to construct some ability for neat effect rather than crass advantage. If a speedster later realizes that flight with "must be in contact with a surface" lets the character run up walls, over water etc. I'll be sympathetic and allow the change because that is an example of cool stuff that speedsters are known for. On the other hand when someone says "If I add this limitation I can get an extra 2d6 damage to my megablow and be the most powerful guy on the block" they have just megablown their chances.

Re: Character Creation WHOOPS!

Re: 1970's slang A LSH campaign sounds very neat, I'm jealous. Were they still using "Peace" in the 70s? Heck I was a kid in the 70s, but I seem to remember it was still in some use (in fact, one of my firends still uses it). That reminds me: "Dude", "Cool", etc. are still pretty commonplace now, but they were used then too as I recall. Not everything has to be "vintage 70s" in the sense that it was unique to that time. There are also some things other than langauge: She might talk about the energy crisis and the sense of mistrust for the government that had come out befoire (and most certainly after) Watergate. There were some pretty widspread Litter campaigns then as well as I recall. Some products might be handy too, "I just wish they had some V-8 in this century" Cheiro is right too, nobody has called me a honky in some time but it was rather well used in that time period.

Re: VPPs: Your experiences

Re: VPPs: Your experiences

Re: The Clocktower Club 2 Actually the Lovecraftian Fishermen is a good suggestion. For a similar game set during this era I used the classic arch villain Dr. Nikola, some say he was the basis for Fu Manchu. Ultraconvoluted plots really seem to match the character, and are neat for gaming prospects. I actually found the first Nikola book online (it is out of copyright) and glanced through. Nikola cannot do anything simple, he has these horribly complex plans to accomplish his goals. Plot holes abound, but he made a very good bad guy. You are doubtless already familiar with the Victoriana website (Nikola can be found under "D" for "D"octor Nikola) but other folks here can peruse and maybe help mine the site for some good ideas.

Re: Jane's Superhumans

Re: Jane's Superhumans

Re: Sex as a skill Again, I said there are some areas that the skill system does not convey well. Some. As in a few selected things. As in "One of these things is not like the others/ one of these things is just not the same" That help? Criteria? read the post. if you consider sex and dancing to be the same you do not get to dance with my girlfriend.

Re: Jane's Superhumans

Re: VPPs: Your experiences

Re: VPPs: Your experiences Are VPPs a "rule-buster"? Not in my experience, but I keep a pretty tight hold on VPPs, some good successes: I once had a Fantasy game that I was running where I used a low-point VPP as a "Cantrip Pool", that was very useful and because the point value was set very low it did not get abused too badly. For some reason my PCs don't play Gadgeteer types. NPC villains on the other hand do. I try to make my villains just as rounded as the PCs and thus rather than give them the death-ray machine as hand-waving, I try to fashion such stuff as a rather significant gadget pool that maintains the "theme" of the bad guy ("only weather-related gadgets" or "Only for use as the villain's Plot Driving Secret Weapon" i.e. rather than as a utility belt for several useful lower-point items). OKay so this sometimes get costly, and in the end hand-waving would be practically the same, but it is always nice as an intellectual exercise. I have been experimenting with True Shapeshifting as a Multiform-based VPP, but I haven't worked the kinks out yet.