Beazulbob

Re: The Zodiac Virgo: 10d6 earth blast x2 knockback, 12" tunneling Libra: desolid, density 8 lv, 40 strength telekinesis Scorpio: 2d6 dexterity drain, 6d6 strength drain, 12/12 FF end to start

Re: The Zodiac Gemini: +9 dexterity, 255 pt duplication, easy recombine (0 phase), 5d6 HA 0 end, 10/10 FF end to start Cancer: 10/10 mental/power def FF end to start, 12/12 armor hardened, +35 strength, +4 constitution Leo: 12d6 fire bolt red end, 2d6-1 HKA off dmg shield end to start

Re: The Zodiac 5th edition - so far: 150 pt mp, unified (1/4), 14- to switch slots (1/4), 1/2 phase to switch (1/4). Aries: +25 strength, +10 con, 3d6 absorb phy (stun), 15/15 armor, 2d6 hka 0 end Taurus: +10 strength, +6 dexterity, +5 constitution, 13/13 armor, 4d6 ha 0 end, +11 run x8 non-cmbt

Re: The Zodiac Some initial thoughts Aries – goat swordsman Taurus – bull charging speedster Gemini – twins duplicating martial artist Cancer – crab hvy defense & claws Leo – lion fire sign/powers Virgo - virgin earth sign/powers Libra – scales density Scorpio – scorpion poison touch Sagittarius – centaur w bow bowman Capricorn – half goat/fish mentalist Aquarius – man w jug air sign/powers Pisces – fish water sign/powers

Back in high school, I made a character named The Zodiac. He had a huge MP with 12 slots. Each slot was to represent one apsect of the zodiac (naturally enough), with literal and metaphysical abilities. Aries weilded a great big sword Aquarius granted control of water Taurus granted physical might and a charge attack Gemini was duplication and martial arts Sagitarius was the bowman ... Times have changed, as is a legal build. I was thinking about rebuilding this character and thought I'd canvas the crowd at herogames for what they think would be a good interpretation. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces

Re: Mindstorm (First 6th edition character) It looks like she needs some endurance and some recovery. Iff she is supposed to be a master villian, she'll need a higher speed. With a 4, she will find herself physically threatened before she can use her powers against a decent group of heroes. I like the 2 seperate pools - forget the points, it makes her easier to interpret with a glance. I love the background

Re: Man o' War I've re-written his personal info - Background: Atticus was born with enhanced physical attributes and an immense psionic potential. These traits, though, didn’t begin developing until he turned 12 years old. From birth, though, he showed signs of a borderline personality and obsessive/compulsive traits. He had a difficult time emotionally relating to other people – including his brother and his parents. He slowly grew in power, but he withheld knowledge of his powers from his family and friends. He reveled in his power and debated with himself how to use his powers – what to be. He decided against being a villain, luckily, and instead focused on what being a hero would require. By the age of 15, Atticus began using his mental powers to incapacitate criminals – mostly shop lifters and thugs. While initially exciting, he felt he was missing out on what was the most satisfying aspect of crime fighting, physical combat. While he was very strong, he had no fighting skills. To eliminate this weakness, he enrolled in martial arts classes and obsessed about perfecting himself. By 17, he physically interrupted a crime, a group of three thugs beating a forth man. It was a resounding success. He was thrilled with the rush of adrenaline and the physical exertion. He continued to fight crime, alternating between his mental powers and physical assaults. He didn’t mind the fact that those who resisted him occasionally ended up with fractured or broken bones. Any consequence they suffered was the result of the criminal action they precipitated. Graduated from high school, Atticus found himself facing adulthood. A college education was a desperate bid to avoid having to face a job, ultimately bound to fail (you can’t go to college forever), it bought him time to contemplate what he was going to be. Attending logic and philosophy classes, he was taken with how, while a society can strive for, but will always fail to achieve, justice. This, he felt, was wrong. Governments may not be able to dispense justice, but someone should. There is a right and wrong and far too many slip through the laws grasp. He found his focus – both as a hero and for what degree he would pursue – law enforcement. At 21, he graduated from college and began working as a police officer. Aware that justice was beyond his ability to dispense while ‘on the job’, he used his resources as a cop to identify criminals he would ‘visit’ as a hero. The month before he turned 23, he was tracking a drug dealer in his secret identity when nausea struck, dropping him to the ground, heaving. It took him over 2 minutes to finally expel the Man o’ War field, time spent filled with pain and dizziness. Horrified, he tried to get away from the field, only to have it follow him. He attempted to fight it, only to pass through it with no effect. Finally, after some experimentation, he found himself able to control it. The drug dealer got away that day. He thought that his aura looked like a jellyfish – and so he named it Man o’ War, the only jellyfish he knew by name. Still without an identity as a hero, he adapted it as his secret identity as well. Unable to sew and having no resource for the fancy suits that other heroes wear, he decided to wear a martial arts gi with a hood. Inspired by the equipment he wore on his belt as a police officer, he developed his own utility belt. Personality: Man o’ War believes in justice and he sees himself as its avatar. He fights crime and enforces the law in both his secret identity and as a police officer, but his higher calling is creating justice – usually done separately from enforcing the law. He obsesses on justice and agonizes over the proper methods to dispense it. He takes his true calling very seriously and strives to prevent his own personal feelings to interfere with his interpretation. He has ‘adjusted’ evidence from crime scenes twice now, in order to ensure that the guilty were punished, though since then he has reprimanded himself and now sticks to the letter of the law while acting as a police officer. While he wields a sword in battle and has grievously wounded foes, he has never killed another man. This remains the one step he has yet to take in enforcing justice. Killing is reserved for when no other action will stop the opposition. Mayhem, on the other hand, is firmly embraced. He enjoys brawls and inflicting bone breaking strikes. He tends to be disappointed when a foe opts to surrender. He has been caught on film using excessive force and has developed a reputation for his brutal tactics. He is tenacious, pursuing his enemies and preventing escapes. The one tried and true method to prevent him from doing so is creating havoc among the civilians, forcing him to rescue innocents. He is a bit grim and almost always serious. He has a hard time interpreting emotional issues and sticks to the facts when in doubt. He does his best to be a social chameleon, though he tends to come across as a stick in the mud rather then a non-descript persona. When involved in a setting of camaraderie, he smiles a bit too much and agrees too often, all in an attempt to blend in with the other people. He’s not aware of this, but he barely passed the psychological test to become a police officer. He owes this more to his ability to determine what answers people want then to honest answers. Powers: The Man o’ War field is expelled from his body – now with practice in single phase, rather then 2 minutes. The act of expelling the field is painful, inflicting damage to him. Re-integrating the field does not cause damage and is done over a phase. He can overlay his body with the field, allowing him the option of absorbing incoming attacks, radiating an aura that blinds or chokes foes, can be used to lift him in the air (flight), and if he shrinks the field over his body, he can even pass through solid objects. He can enfold another creature (he is unable to use his field for anything else while a foe is entangled), and he can ram the field against a foe, burning them. By holding onto the edge of the field, Man o’ War can glide. While it is on or adjacent to him, it anchors him to a single location, resisting knockback. Campaign: Unusual for a mentalist, he loves to get into melee with his foes and bash them with his sword and his Man o' War field. His love of battle and his dislike of leaving before winning a fight is as much a weakness as it is a character trait.

Re: Man o' War [ATTACH=CONFIG]43157[/ATTACH]I forgot, not everyone has HD, so here he is in acrobat.

Re: Man o' War Initial Concept: The image reminded me of a giant jellyfish behind the martial artist, which gave me the name Man o' War, and led to a force construct that protects him or envelops his enemies. His ability to manifest a force construct led me to him being a mentalist, though I've avoided the standard MC/MI/Telepathy mix of powers. He just seems like he should be unusual/non standard. I'm not sure what led me from having a sword to a utility belt with weapons, but it just seemed like a good idea. Background: Atticus was born with mutant abilities that put him ahead of the curve his fellow humans were stuck behind. Starting at 15, he began fighting crime, limiting himself mostly to mentally bashing criminals. He decided this wasn't enough, so he began training in martial arts, something he continues to this day. Combined with his superior strength, he had another outlet for stopping crime. Having focused his life so much on justice, he couldn't bring himself to work a regular job - so he became a cop and fought crime at work, too. His two lifestyles don't leave him with much free time, but as a hobby and a job, he finds it quite fulfilling.Just this year, he discovered his ability to exude the Man o' War field. It remains painful to do, but he finds it grants him a dizzying array of options in combat. Personality: Man o' War fights crime because he enjoys it. While he does occasionally use deadly force, he has yet to kill a foe - something he's proud of. He enjoys a good battle, whether it is physical or mental, and rarely backs out of a fight. In his civilian life, he's still trying to make detective, though both his youth and his constant multi-tasking interfere with him making the grade. One of his battles against a villain was caught on film. Unfortunately, the foe kept getting back up, so Man o' War struck him while he was down to keep him there. This earned him his reputation for using excessive force. Since then, he has learned to be more cautious when camera crews are within sight. Man o' War believes in justice, and that it is a higher calling then law. He's also aware that enforcing justice is difficult, and impossible while he's acting as a police officer. He does his best to mete out justice when he is active as a hero. Some say he is too serious, and if someone were to know him in both identies, they would call him monomanical. He needs to find another outlet for himself and learn to enjoy life - but currently he only has this one aspect of his life to focuse on. His fellow police officers find him too serious. Power/Tactics: Man o' War is not straightforward. He's a demi brick (30 strength) martial artist who uses a Katana. He's a mentalist. He's... something else - he is able to produce a jellyfish-like field that follows, surrounds, and sometimes strikes from him. He has OIHI for this field, which he must painfully extrude (taking 2d6 damage) to express it in the physical world. He either maintains a defense in both MP (a force field in the mentalist MP, a damage field in the Man o' War MP) and fights with his sword, or will use an attack from either MP and a defense from the other. He doesn't like to back out of a fight and enjoys getting into them - it's takes a lot of arguing or a decidedly superior force to make him consider exiting the battlefield.

This character was inspired by a picture I found for the villians and vigilantes character, Night Stalker. I don't know what the write-up of this character is, but it triggered an idea in my head that led to this character - I think it looks like a giant jelly fish behind the guy with a sword. He isn't for a specific campaign right now, but I was hoping to get some feedback/suggestions regaurding him. Is he too powerful? Does he need finessing? Is Timmy stuck in a well? Also of interest is his personality & past - While I've got a preliminary write-up, I'm not satisifed with him yet. It could just be that I need to give it more time to gel, but I'm hoping to make him a solid persona. Please, fire away. [ATTACH=CONFIG]43111[/ATTACH]

Re: Befuddle Loyalties I should mention that this is a demonic spirits power - to create a fog of war where people hurt their friends and/or people are afraid to take decisive actions.

Re: Befuddle Loyalties Yes - the concept is that discriminatory goes out the window. You know how many creatures are in the area, but telling who is who is no longer possible. I didnt' think this would be within the power scope of images. Do you have a build in mind?

I'm wondering what people think of this power and my interpretation of it: Darkness, sight, sound, touch, smell, -1/2 does not prevent basic senses, just ability to identify friend from foe, identify friends (you note that people are there, just not who is wearing the blue shirt, whose been a friend since childhood, which of the 4 people in the area has a gun and talking doesn't help. You know people are there, but you couldn't say which is the child, the mother, or grandfather. Just bodies - and not mass or shape. Attacks are at full CV. Does this sound kosher? Too much? Too little? Too weird?

Re: The Chessman - a re-write Actually, the pawns are a summons for the king (100% loyal). The current plan is for them only to exist when he's the king, though I could make it so they stay, but only fight for the king or to protect his daughters (so the other forms don't get their service to boost them in combat).

Re: The Chessman - a re-write Well, the King is a PC - and I'd never get someone on the web-site to allow me duplication - 100% different, to have all my pieces with me at once, so I have no hope of matching the queen in your sample. He refers to his ex wife as the black queen, and her coven provides the other pieces for her side of things (what a cheat!). As is, I'm hoping that when I do apply to a game, I don't get denied for having the pawns with the king.

Re: The Chessman - a re-write I do plan to buy the king TK once I get xp. In fact, I'm going to add 1 slot for each piece. I suppose I could get change environment to limit the move rate (everyone slows down on my chessboard!), but it doesn't quite fit the king. Did you have something in mind when you wrote that?

Re: The Chessman - a re-write [ATTACH]42600[/ATTACH] I've been making some alterations King 29/29 & Rook 34/34: DCV 9 Bishop 16/16 & Knight 16/16: DCV 13 I could take the +5 body and switch it to con.

Re: The Chessman - a re-write This character is being built for the next opening for a game on hero central. The game itself hasn't formed yet, so there are no campaign averages. I'm just trying to settle the character in the midst of a 12d6 350 game.

Re: The Chessman - a re-write I'm sort of stuck. If I beef up the defenses, it will increase the Rook & King's defenses. The DCV is high (13), but I was hoping that would offset the low defenses. What would you suggest?

Re: The Chessman - a re-write The PC is not set for a specific game, I'm trying to anticipate a game with a character. I took the 2 levels of DCV and bumped up the bishop and knight. The defenses are 15/16 for bishop & knight, while the king & rook avg 32/32. The knight and bishop are indeed 13 DCV.

Re: The Chessman - a re-write The general consensus seems to be that MF characters are too powerful (taking the best form for each encounter makes them optimal). I don't think the'll find this PC too optimal (he's trying to be too much and so is not great at any one thing. I'm less powerful then a pure brick, lack a real energy projectors flexibility of powers, not that capable of a speedster, and a very narrow mentalist. I think I'm on par with a PC mage (a little of everything). I had to give up the extra speed - too expensive and a hog for active points (points have to do as much work as possible for all 5 bodies in one). One minor thing I'm pleased by is that out of hero form, he is a competent normal (4 speed, 20 dex, 6d6 martial arts attack).

Re: The Chessman - a re-write Ah, my original post with the multi-forms... http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/87654-The-fractured-mind-of-the-Chessman

Re: The Chessman - a re-write The rook had that limitation (straight lines only) when he was multi-form. I’d need an extra slot to duplicate the running he shares with the bishop to add it. Ironic that it will cost more to add a limitation, eh? I’ve always imagined the bishop as a speedster (running). The original multi-form was that way. I’ll think about switching him to flight, though the end result is he’ll be slower (same hard cap on movement points, now without adding the base 6 for running. I’d love to add clairvsentience to the knight (or buy safe teleport), but I couldn’t afford a horse. A jump is a straight move and as close as he can get to castling. Still, I agree with you, just couldn’t think of a 20 point power in the MP for the rook to take. Multi-form characters are not hard to write up, but the web-site I’m going to play the PC on generally doesn’t like multi-form characters (or duplicating ones). The king was an obscene mentalist when I was able to spend a whole 350 on him. Sadly, he is greatly reduced in the single body MP instead of MF.

Re: The Chessman - a re-write The challenge is taking a 4/5 body multiform and converting it to a single character. Each body is a different archetype – brick, speedster, energy projector, mentalist, and normal. The reason – people are not fond of multiform on the herocentral website. To make the Chessman a viable character for that site, I need to condense the PC to one flexible character. Some sacrifices have to be made – the worst being the defenses. I could take the levels DCV and expand it to more defenses, but that will increase the defenses of the king and rook, too. Doing so will raise the defenses to 16/15, but the king will have 31/30 and the rook will have 34/33. Also, KR: Knight & Bishop 6/6, king 26/25 and the rook 16/16. I’m not too happy with the results I’m seeing. I’ll have to work out the defenses better. The King’s end of the MP: other then the pawns being a complete single slot (all 100 points), he chooses one of 3 mental attacks and maintains his FF. He has 5 of 16 slots to play with. The Bishop’s end of the MP: choose either circle punch or full running, or spins, and 2 slots (DCV & running), he chooses one of three speedster and maintain his regular speed bonus & dodge. He has 5 of 16 slots to play with. The Rook’s end of the MP: Density, armor, and either jump or leap. He has 4 slots of 16 and only 2 mixes (either a move) The Knight’s end of the MP: 2 attack powers, and 3 20 point slots (only enough points for 2) of DCV, teleport, or jumping. He has 5 slots of 16, 2 are moves.

Re: The Chessman - a re-write Peter Lamash, the human behind the chessman, had his mind blown while on acid and participating in a witches circle. He heard the sounds of creation and it was beyond his ability to contain. He split into 5 people: the original (now insane), and 4 chess pieces. The King is a mentalist with control issues, the Knight a teleporting energy projector who handled reality by not dealing with it (chivalry determines his actions so he doesn’t have to), the rook a brick who could swap places with others and who bows down to authority, and the bishop was a speedster sex maniac unable to accept any responsibility. Each form was intended as a psychological case with his own theme. A multi-form, the central person (#5), would eventually regain sanity – until then the other forms left him locked up in his mind, putting together large chessboard tiles in an unending mental realm. The only as hero is to divide his 5th body (the real man), from the individual aspects. They may not mix chess piece powers means only the king can have a force field and mental powers, only the bishop can run at mega speed, only the rook can be dense. I tried to put a little variety, 4-5 slots for each form – one or two at 60 and a few at 20. I pegged it at 1/4, about on par with limited power 1/4 of the time. The high dex & speed mostly fit the original forms (the bishop had an 8 speed, the knight had a 6 speed, with +6, only for 1/2 move teleports. The other forms had around a 6. The bishop and the knight have 11/10 defenses, the king has 26/25, and the rook has 29/28. He only has 28 points in non-combat skills, with another 35 points in combat skills. He also has 28 points in martial arts (hth & ranged).