Beazulbob

Re: Experience and multiform Ok - but say a MF character with 4 forms gets 5 xp. He spends all of it on his main form. Can he spend a 2 points on his MF power and treat it as xp/points for the other forms (say a 250 form, spend 2 points on MF, making it a 260 form)? I agree that the other forms should be capped at the level the primary form is. Assuming the above. 4 250 forms, 5 xp to the prime form. 1 pt goes to mf (so each of the MF becomes 255), with the remaining 4 points being spent on the primary form. If done this way, the forms will stay about equal with other PCs, though the primary form will slowly lag behind since he has to keep putting points into MF to allow the other forms to keep up with the other forms.

Re: Experience and multiform If only xp is given to an individual form, does that mean that if more then 1 MF takes action in the game, they receive xp seperately?

When you get xp, how do you apply it? Do you get a single allotment that you must apply to forms singularly. Does it apply to your primary form and you can increase the MF forms (put 5 points into MF, add 5 to each form?), or a third option I hadn't thought of. If you can only apply it to a single form, the character will quickly grow weak compared to PCs who are not dividing their xp. Ideally, it seems that the xp spent on the prime form is static w/ the xp, with a limitation on how high you can build up your MF (not more then the prime form +xp, less the cost of MF), but I think that's my home rules, not the official one.

Re: Multiform I have a similar character, though I bought it differently. The character body jumps, leaving his the prior body behind as a bulky focus. I did this as multiform and megascale teleport. If it is time to leave a body, he has to take a move action to teleport and is stuck going to where the body he desires is. In game, when I'm expecting stuff to happen, I have to ship my bodies around so they are in the same county as where I am. The one exception is the satallite man, who is hidden inside a satallite and acts as a central point of reference for all the bodies. The one weakness to the build is the damage stays with him. The teleport has a trigger, but I lack the points to buy healing on a trigger so that the new body is fresh.

Re: Dodging a Mental Power While the rules don't come out and say you can, I'd allow it. Mental powers are powerful enough without some sort of ability to defend yourself. You can haymaker with mind control, so why not dodge. Dodge specifies that it works for DCV, but I think that is more of a legacy issue - the concept wasn't there yet. EB wasn't able to by haymakered originally, either. While this interpretation works against us in the Sentries game, I'd allow him to mental dodge.

Re: Yellow Jacket He's not used to his new strength (was 10, now 3x strong at 18), and was always disliked physical confrontation. Learned Judo to defend himself/avoid being grabbed. They taught throws, but he didn't apply himself to any form of offense. Once he gets used to his higher strength, he'll re-visit martial arts. His dislike of physical contact dates back to his childhood. If he avoids getting thrashed in hth and experiences his higher strength, he'll change the limit to overconfident. As to not being a full security guard - yep! He does a near minimum wage position guarding a low risk area. He calls in if anything happens, but he doesn't get physically involved. Not the best guard, but about what they expect for what they pay him.

Re: Yellow Jacket His martial arts focus was in defending himself, so while he did the drills for throws, he focused entirely on escape and defending himself. Since the change, his strength has gone up. Once he gets used to this, he'll probably apply himself to his martial arts training and learn takedown and or martial throw. His security job is slightly above minimum wage. The site he's guarding is not a high risk location. He's the kind of guard who will call in when he spots something, but not where he will tackle offenders. Neither of his jobs is intended for a longterm job - they are both side jobs done part time. I'm sure his employers expect him to be more confrontational, but at his pay rate, they can not enforce it (and are not likely to know he disfavors hand to hand). If he were to lose his job, a new security job would be easy to get. I plan on changing his mental limitation against HTH, but not until he's had a chance to discover he's about three times as strong (from 10 to 18 strength) as he was before the change. Once he does that, and assuming he doesn't get used to mop the floor, he'll develop overconfidence. He'll retain his disdane for bragging though. If he gets beaten up in melee before his confidence grows, he'll stay afraid of melee.

Re: Summon: Am I missing Something Here...? The power is balanced by reason and GM approval. It is a stop sign power, after all. You could also do obscene things with transformation, multi-form, duplication, hell - even a 12d6 NND for the points you are talking about. Your proposed droids would not be allowed to be called in that number, would need a good reason to exist, and if too potent, the GM will simply say no.

Re: Yellow Jacket Sadly, he is a character without a game. I'm hoping to use him in the next game I get into online. I don't expect I'll be torn asunder, but it's only 5-6 points in the EC - just not a high priority.

Re: Yellow Jacket

Re: Yellow Jacket 20 Questions 1. Parents? Parents: unknown. Mother died at my birth, and my father blamed me – putting me up for adoption. The closest I have to parents are the foster parents who put me up for the final three years in the system. I left on amicable terms, but not at all close to them. Campaign point – which parent did I inherit my abilities from? 2. Friends and siblings? I had some friends at the orphanage, but as people got adopted or moved to foster homes, friendships became tenuous, then faded away entirely. I have no idea if I have any siblings. The closest friends I have are the fellow orphans from the foster home. It has been three years (I’m 21 now), and they have all either graduated out of state care or been adopted. I’m still friends with two of them, Charlene and Bruce. Neither of them were adopted either. Both live in the same city as me - I see them once or twice a month. Campaign point – Charlene and Bruce are an item, and I’ve always had a crush on Charlene. 3. What sort of childhood did you have? I had an alienated childhood. Something about me is just off, making it very difficult to make friends. With work, I managed to make it into groups of friends, but only on the periphery of the dynamics. I spent a lot of time at the library, YMCA, and taking extra electives to have fun. Learned Judo at the YMCA. I learned mimicry and ventriloquism through books on the subject and a single summer course. My interest in caving grew out of a single field trip to the local caves with my fellow orphans. 4. Role model(s)? The real world super heroes – people who put their lives on the line to make the world a better place, inspire me. I hope to emulate them. He doesn’t have any personal heroes to model his civilian life on, he doesn’t have much contact with people to choose a role model. 5. What do you do for a living? Were you trained or have a mentor? I work as a security guard (current post is at an out of business mall), and retail at a camping store. I learned Judo while at the YMCA and my powers developed naturally on their own. I have no mentor. 6. What are your ethical beliefs? Moral beliefs? People should be free to do what they want so long as they don’t interfere with anyone else doing the same thing. There is a God, I’m just not sure of much about him (agnostic). I believe killing is terrible. The only people who deserve to get killed are killers. People are basically good. 7. Do you have any unusual habits or physical traits? When nervous, he brushes his hair back. He shakes hands enthusiastically. 8. If you meet someone for the first time, what is your general reaction? I am hopeful that I’ll make a friend, but nervous because I expect to be rejected. 9. How do you feel about killing? Do you have any true enemies? I became opposed to killing from attending church (Lutheran) as a child. Combined with my favorite super hero’s code (comic book), I’ve never really questioned my position. I’d kill if failure to do so would get someone else killed, but he hopes to never come to that bridge. 10. Detail some of your relationships? Do you have any close friends? Any bitter rivals? I’m friends with Charlene and Bruce, both from the orphanage. They are happily dating, something I’m glad for and jealous of. I have acquaintances at both jobs I’ve gone out to lunch or dinner with, but no close friends at either. My best friend is Daniel, a fellow I worked with at a temporary job (he is a permanent employee) at a phone sales company. We ‘hang out’ sporadically. 11. What sort of things do you have bad reactions to? Do you have any phobias or intense dislikes? I don’t handle more then moderate criticism very well – I already feel judged, and it makes me feel attacked. I get angry but keep it bottled up. I avoid people who criticize me, going so far as to look for a new job, even if my current job is stable. I can not stand people eating with their mouths open. 12. How quickly can you learn to trust somebody? How fully do you trust people? I can learn to trust people fairly quickly; I am an optimist and expect that most people are nice. Unless I have a reason not to, I’ll happily share personal information with friends and acquaintances and hope they feel comfortable enough to do the same. I do not loan people money. 13. Describe your physical appearance. Just under 6’ tall, he has a well-developed physique and a light complexioned Caucasian. He stands straight, with wide shoulders and a chiseled jaw. He has large hands and feet. He has blond hair, kept short, and is clean-shaven. His eyes are hazel brown and empathic. 14. Do you have a daily routine? How do you handle interruptions and changes to it? My security job is Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7am to 3pm. I work my retail job from 8am to 3 pm Monday through Thursday. Both jobs occasionally ask me to work extra hours, and I switch shifts with co-workers occasionally. My spare time is spent reading and caving. He is flexible to changes in his schedule. 15. Were you present for any major event in the world, historical or otherwise? I wasn’t present for any major world events, though I’ve witnessed several crimes and watched a super hero capture some bank robbers. 16. Is your lineage, ancestry, or family name known for anything? Not that I know of. My last name was changed when I was a child, so I don’t know my real last name, let alone its past history. 17. Where are you from? I do not know, outside of the fact that I grew up in an orphanage and foster home. 18. What are your dreams and/or ambitions. I have always wanted to go to college. I didn’t have the money to attend Jr. College, and working 52 hours a week doesn’t leave me much time. I’ve toyed with online courses, but the cost seems even higher. I’d like to get a steady girlfriend. I’d like to become a famous hero and have a large group of friends like they show on TV. 19. What are you doing to seek to obtain them? I’m saving up money to pay for a quarter of school, though I haven’t figured out what major I’d like to pursue. I’m thinking of making my initial effort being education that could get me a better job then I have now – then I’d get paid more and have to work less hours. I’m hoping going to college will give me a better chance to meet girls. I’m stuck between cutting down on my hero hours to make school time available, and increasing my hours as a hero so that I can become famous. Until I have enough money to go to school, it doesn’t matter. 20. How do you feel about the women, marriage, and kids? I’ve dated several women, but I find most of them alien to me in mindset. Priorities are very distant from mine and they seem to find me weird. I do try to be a gentleman, opening doors for them, but my low budget prevents me from taking them out for drinks or dinner. I’m hoping to meet girls with more in common with me. I’m not sure I want to get married – it would be nice to end the loneliness, but I’m afraid that given time I’d alienate them and the marriage would end in divorce – worse then never marrying. I do not want to have kids – at least not until I understand my own biology first.

Re: Yellow Jacket

Re: Adamas 6E Writer's block is a bitch. Is it inability to think of what to write, or a feeling of redundancy (my personal favorite) - that what you write is too much like earlier material? If it's the second, try writing up something entirely different from your normal preferences. Make a sleazy martial artist / mentalist with delusions of adequacy. Make a shape shifter who doesn't remember what his original form (or race?) is. Do an alternative background for this character (not necessarily to use), just to get the creative juices flowing. He hates his family, is maladjusted, and is a borderline persona. What if he's trying to make it as a detective instead of as a hero, just to spite his family? This sort of thing could be his brother instead, but writing it up will define your family better. Hell, your brother could be Obsidian.

Re: Yellow Jacket Ohhh, I should buy some scent abilities. Any suggestions? I thought of ranged scent, perhaps even discriminatory. Could be weird and have targeting scent! Hmmm, that sounds good. Also, 2 more abilities for MP when I get the xp! Cantharidin (from the blister beetle): con drain Catalytic enzymes (from the bombardier beetle): explosive cone flash with knockback Now, being able to drain a dozen stats doesn't do much in combat. A single drain used repetively accomplishes more then uses a variety of drains on someone. I just like using a variety of poisons on the PC sheet. I'm trying to figure out if their is a better way to get variety without so much redundency.

Re: Yellow Jacket Thank you, sir!

Re: Adamas 6E A combat monster (I like him!), he's resistant to most things, but average on damage (fine balance point - something I'm guilty of tripping over constantly!). You didn't skimp on the skills/perks (123!!!), I hesitate to mention that he would have a contact or two with primus. I didn't think you could do PSL for offsetting manuever penalties. If it is ok, I'll have to let my group know, as I told them they couldn't do it. As to conceptual... How does he get along with his family? Are they a functional unit or living seperate lives?

Re: Yellow Jacket The re-write is a 7 instead of 8 speed - but yeah, kind of a speedster. I imagined him flying circles around his target, zapping him left and right. Are his defenses too high for being a speedster? Also, I should get him (with xp), flight w/ no turn radius. Missing from the speedster schtick is move by/through attacks and a high movement, instead just buzzing around at 18". I can't imagine him going too fast - what would you think would be the maximum flight speed for a human bug? I was thinking about naming the MP Entomologics? Oh - what do you mean too combat focused? Any suggestions?

Re: Yellow Jacket Ok - I've gone back to the 250 and brought him to 350 with an eye towards not maximizing everything (bad habit!). His MP did not get stronger, simply bought off a bunch of limitations. I also didn't increase his stats like I had on the earlier 350 version. I've added some skills (37 points worth, not counting 3 levels with MP). He works retail (I haven't figured out where yet) and as a security guard at a closed mall. I still need a decent name for my 'bug offense MP' I just realized, I need another 50 points in disadvantages too. Argh.

Re: Yellow Jacket Yikes - I think I got carried away with him! He was initially a 250 character that I just scaled up to 350 for fun. I think I'll go back to the drawing board... In fact, I'd better check his 250 form to make sure that one isn't too powerful too. Sigh. I'll fix and repost him.

Re: Yellow Jacket Background: Larry Perkins was born in a bath of blood – his mother didn’t survive his brutal birth. His father couldn’t get past thinking his son killed his wife, so Larry was put up for adoption. Unaware of his origin, he grew up desperate for attention; scaring away prospective parents with his intensity and a hard to define feeling of being ‘off’. He left his foster parents home at 18, still without family. Living alone in a cramped studio apartment, he made his living working retail and security. Not having many friends, he spent the majority of his time at his hobby, caving and spelunking. It was during one such daylong sojourn that he fell down a steep talus slope and into a lower section of a cave. Unable to climb out, and with no one aware he was caving, he knew he was in trouble. He searched the cave but found no means of egress. He settled in for the night. The next day he searched again, and again tried to climb the slope – to no avail. Now out of water, Larry began to panic. The next morning he found himself outside the cave, following a night of strange dreams. Unsure how he escaped, he vowed never to go caving again without alerting someone as to where he was going. The dreams continued every night; in some he was tiny, in others he flew through the air. Finally, he woke up one morning, shrunken down in size and covered with blankets with the world looking off. He struggled in the sheets when suddenly he reverted back to normal size. Nonplussed, the world still looked strange. The coloring was off and he was seeing too much. He ran to the mirror and beheld his compound eyes. While staring into the mirror at his visage, he shrunk again, though this time he stayed at the same height – using the wings that sprouted from his back. He called in sick that day. Larry practiced his strange new powers while ‘sick’, watching daytime TV during his breaks. He watched a show about heroes and villains - I’m one of them now, he thought. Not a new concern, he had new reasons to wonder who his parents were. That weekend, while working security at a closed down mall, he witnessed a car-jacking take place. Running towards the car, he switched to his alternate identity without thinking about it, shrinking as he went. When he got to the car, he released a swarm of stingers at the car-jacker, knocking him out and inflicting serious injury. The carjacking victim was still on the ground, holding her head and watching the whole thing with horror. Larry flew back to his post and returned back to normal, hoping he hadn’t killed the crook. A news report that night mentioned a new hero or vigilante, they were unsure at that point, who stopped a car-jacking. The crook survived and was taken to jail and the lady he rescued had a message of thanks for her rescuer. Larry was hooked. That week, he put together a costume and began patrolling the streets in his spare time. Personality: Yellow Jacket never really considered being a villain – his life experience had guided him away from that choice. He idealizes his parents as heroes and tries to live up to how he imagined them. He still has a hard time accepting that heroic parents would put him up for adoption – he tries out various excuses in the back of his mind. He has yet to be hit by a foe, so he is nervous to find out how tough he really is. One fear is being squashed, so he is particularly cautious around bricks and martial artists. He tends to trivialize his heroic efforts, downplaying what he does for fear of coming across as a boor. He hopes to join a group of heroes – gaining friends he can not seem to accomplish in his mundane life. Power/Tactics: Yellow Jacket spends almost all of his hero time shrunken, with armor and wings expressed. He typically flies around his foes at 2-3 hexes up and at 3-5 hex distance away from his targets. He typically uses Tetrodotoxin near the end of a turn, and either necrotoxin or neurotoxin during the other phases. When faced with a group of foes, he prefers to start things off with his Urticating Bristols, and then follow it up with a swarm of stingers or necrotoxin. He uses his silk against focus using foes. Against an especially tough foe, he’ll blast them with Cytotoxin. His high speed and high endurance cost powers leaves him spending a phase or two every turn recovering.

Yellow Jacket is in need of some feedback. Some problems: not enough skills. At a loss as to what skills a 21 year old retail/security guard would have. Rename the MP: I do not like the temporary name I've given it (Bug Offense). Worried that the background is too boring. Looking for suggestions on powers to modify/improve/better fit the concept. Would you allow him in your game? Too powerful/too weak/just right. Comments in general. [ATTACH=CONFIG]43742[/ATTACH]

Re: Sunburst (HC Shattered 3yrs Later) That sucks. Any paticular method you use to get past writer's block? My wife says "Take a piece of paper and start writing anything until you come to the end of the page. Like brainstorming without a pre-planned subject." At least that's what she does. Me, I just take something I've written and go over it with a fine-tooth comb, making micro corrections or evaluating what I'd written in the past.

Re: Sunburst (HC Shattered 3yrs Later) How old is he now? What is the Primus code of honor? The campaign has very few surviving heroes/villains - should you have a Pulsar hunted? (Is he a survivor?) I like the character mechanics. I like the history, though I'd like to have more info on his past/personality/description of powers/the 20 questions

Re: Redux: Man o' War I was treating it as a common susc, as it happens at least once per game if he wants to use that MP. Also, he can not just leave it on, as the aura is bright, follows him around, and is injurious to others. Typically, he turns it on as soon as he knows combat is coming.

Re: Redux: Man o' War Mental awareness is free if you have mental powers Yeah - I'll switch the recovery to an aid Brutal - he'll hit you when your down, he's willing to break the arm of an agent in his way. He's a nasty fighter. He will use his sword an cut you. He doesn't kill unless has no choice, though. He draws the line there. Yeah, he's a bastard. Susceptibility: he takes 2d6 to take hero form. 3d6 if his aura is dispelled. The nasty part is, his hero form is defined as extruding the aura. If it gets dispelled, he takes 3d6, then another 2d6 when he brings it back out... that, or not use that MP for the rest of the battle. I didn't get the background joke (hey, I'm slow) 255: I managed to play the PC once at Kublacon. Damn, there should be more champions games at these cons! PS: Yes, this helps a lot! Thanks QM!