Pteryx

Definitely alpha. I GM often mainly because I have very high standards for GMs. As a player, I'm very much a back seat GM. That said, I've rarely played actual leaders. More often, you'll find me in a strong supporting role -- the type that everyone else leans on. Depending on the style of game, though, my characters may have different IC roles. In a hack-and-slash, you're more likely to see me go with the flow, so long as there is a flow in the first place. -- Pteryx

If I were in this game, I'd seriously consider creating my own child of Hyperion as a PC. Sunsuit: Born in 1976 from a fling with the genius mystic Erudite. She has no powers at all and hates this fact, as she felt the drive to dive into the world she was born from and help mankind. Fortunately, she turned out to be just as bright as her mother and ended up building a solar-powered super-suit which lets her be on par with your typical "real" superhero. ...fills one other hole. -- Pteryx

My avatar is a pallete-swap of Monica from Romancing SaGa 3, picked out for her resemblance to me. Thus, a writeup of my avatar would also be a writeup of myself, a notion I've only toyed with. (Running sold back to 5", but +2" Running, Non-Combat Movement Only, x2 END Cost is the only thing that sticks out in my mind. EDIT: Oh yes -- +5 PRE, Only Via the Internet. Don't ask me why, but it seems to be true and others have observed the same...) That's called a VPP, Ben. Though also keep in mind that we're talking about four different characters here (I don't count Zero as a Mega Man); considering that your avatar is X, I'd expect him to be the one you wrote up. ...Too bad he'd probably also be the hardest. -- Pteryx

My understanding of the difference between the Transforms: Cosmetic Transform 6d6 (metal into differently-colored metal), Partial Transform (+1/2) (45 Active Points); Limited Target (metal, -1/4) (36 real points) Minor Transform 5d6 (metal into simple nonviolent tools made of the same metal; forks, shovels, screwdrivers, ball bearings, etc.), Improved Result Group (simple tools, +1/2) (75 Active Points); Limited Target (metal, -1/4), Cannot Alter Mass (-1/2) (43 real points) Major Transform 4d6 (metal into metallic weapons), Improved Result Group (weapons, +1/2) (90 Active Points); Limited Target (metal, -1/4), Cannot Alter Mass (-1/2) (51 real points) Basically, to my mind, Minor Transforms should have small mechanical effects on the order of the kinds of stats everyday household objects would have. They can force rolls (I consider object to ice-coated object a MInor Transform), counter minor environmental effects (Minor is enough for T-shirt-to-parka for me), etc. I'm betting you want a Major Transform so you can make weapons with this power. "Cannot Alter Mass" I just now made up on a guess. Oh, and "ferrous metal into magnetized metal" also counts as a Minor Transform to me, if you were wondering about that. -- Pteryx

A license, or direct ripoff, of the better of the two old Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon from the early 90's. You know, the one with Sonic, Princess Sally, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters struggling against Robotnik, who wanted nothing more than to turn the world into a polluted metallic hell under his control. (A ripoff would probably be a better idea; Sega has shown time and again that it doesn't really "get" that universe...) -- Pteryx

Another simple example Here's a small flamethrower: HKA 2d6, Area of Effect (one hex, +1/2), Continuous (+1) (75 Active Points); No Strength Bonus (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (1 minute, -3/4), Obvious Accessable Focus (-1) (21 real points) An HKA costs 15 points per die. 2d6 BODY is plenty to seriously injure an ordinary human being; thus, 30 base points. Area of Effect (+1/2) plus Continuous (+1) plus 1 (because any number times 1 is itself) equals 2.5; 30 times 2.5 equals 75 Active Points. No Strength Bonus (-1/2) plus No Knockback (-1/4) plus 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (1 minute, -3/4) plus Obvious Accessable Focus (-1) plus 1 (because any number divided by 1 is itself too) equals 3.5; 75 divided by 3.5 equals about 21.43, which rounds down to 21 real points. -- Pteryx

Given the choice (which he likely wouldn't be given by his superiors), stay out of the way unless Villain A wins, at which point he'd do whatever he could to keep him away from the DNPC -- attack him, snag her, whatever. Once that was past, what he'd do next would depend heavily on the nature of the DNPC. -- Pteryx

First, be amazed that the spirits could establish reception that good, even if it is just to him. Then wonder why they went to that much trouble and didn't just carry the message on their own. Then hope it wasn't just to him, as even these days, when he's taken a bit more seriously, his family would err on the side of not believing something like this. Regardless, though, he'd tell the others that he was mystically warned away from that building and doesn't know if that also applies to anyone else -- taking care to not outright contradict orders, provided he even has the choice to contradict orders in the first place. I'd say there's about equal chances of his being made to specifically sit out or being made to specifically come along. -- Pteryx

If there was a #25, I missed it... but anyway. A rather grey scientist-type claims that she managed months ago to convince a "malfunctioning", good-hearted sapient robot minion of a mad scientist (who has quite a few sapient robot minions, most naturally on the evil side) to have her back him up. The original minion has since been reprogrammed, but the grey techie has built her own version and fed the programming back into it, feeling that "he" deserves his own life. However, she can't make sense of the error message she's getting, and has called for your help in puzzling it out and taking whatever action is necessary: "Error. Numinous functions not found. Please insert the love and faith from a demon's heart and try again."

Jump several feet up in a startle reaction, then land behind his chair and conjure a crystal short sword, mace, or similarly-sized one-handed weapon and stand ready to attack if need be... wait... and then finally realize it's the computer. Close eyes, another pause as he half-consciously tries to "sense" anything relevant, come to the conclusion that there's nothing supernatural going on and no one else in the cave-like room... then finally lower his newly-made weapon and call for one of his more technically apt brothers to help out. -- Pteryx

As far as gunpowder goes, Uncle Figgy's Guide to Good Fantasy provides a good answer to the question of why a fantasy world would have no guns or gunpowder -- wizards make them impractical. Water makes it necessary to repellet gunpowder, and fire... well, you do the math. The printing press (more specifically, moveable type) or an equivalent spell is more difficult to explain the absence of, as such a thing would remain useful even if you couldn't make magical scrolls with it. For that matter, I don't off the top of my head see why there aren't all kinds of different alloys made possible through magic like there are magical hybrids. Of course, in one setting of mine, alloying of this sort has been invented -- specifically, a mithril/silver alloy that's effective against lycanthropes yet isn't too soft for everything else. -- Pteryx

Whee! I downloaded it and tried it out. I needed to increase the memory requirement to 4096 K, but otherwise it works on OS 8.6. Thank you! -- Pteryx

If there was a "werewolf" running around, probably just about nobody would believe it, most of my character's robotic "family" included. Most likely he'd be searching alone or with only one or two of his closer brothers, and even then they'd be working off of the assumption that it was some wolf-form sapient robot from one of the other factions making a ruckus in their father's captured lands. My character doesn't have a DNPC per se, but there is a handy substitute here: his creator, the mad scientist would-be dictator of the world. Anyway, his first reaction would be utter shock and horror. Could this even be possible? Do his senses deceive him?! (That's not a pleasant thought.) If he were alone, he'd probably kneel by his creator, cradling him and concentrate, trying to allow the answer to come to him (read, let the scanners that sit below his conscious level do their work). If he registers as a robot, well, that's that -- a very bizzare robot double, possibly an experiment of his own creator's gone awry, to be brought to headquarters for examination. If he still registers as organic... well, things really have taken a turn for the bizzare. If any others were with him (I pray the single closest would be there), he'd discuss observations and rumors with them in order to try to piece things together, then talk about just how to prove what they've seen to the others -- after all, no one would believe it. If my character were on his own, he'd be thinking more about the proof part and only in the process of that start trying to piece together what little evidence he has. Either way, probably the idea of having the dual medic examine him would come up somewhere along the line (fortunately, s/he's also one of the group closer to my character). What happens next would depend primarily on the results of the examination. If it turns out to not be him at all, probably the poor sap would be executed post-haste and there's nothing my poor character could do about it. If it seems like it is their creator but his DNA has been tampered with, or like it's a modified clone of their creator... well, depending on just how quickly enough of the rest of the dozens of sapient robots that make up their family could be convinced, sooner or later they'd be battering down the door of Dr. DeVry and loudly, violently demanding their real creator back, or a cure for his condition. And if it wasn't him, there'd be a rampage until they found out just who was responsible. (The faction is widely considered a bunch of villains for a reason...) And if, by some breach of his particular setting's milieu, his DNA were the same?... Well, he'd be amazed (and a bit disturbed) to discover that true werewolves do exist after all and wonder what the heck is causing their reemergence now, and probably ask the spirits why his creator was so cursed. There's no way in heck he could convince anyone else of the truth of things; he himself would just be seen as having relapsed into crazy pseudo-mystical nonsense, and any eyewitnesses would just be accused of hanging around him too much. Therefore, it'd be necessary to try to set up other eyewitness accounts... say, suggesting a month later to the one among them created as their creator's bodyguard to take him out for a walk at night, arguing that the full moon is plenty of light to see by... Meanwhile, he'd pull together legends and lore and try to determine just what parts of it all wuld be useful in helping his creator. Since there's so much to go on, he'd ask very little to nothing of the spirits when it comes to aid -- they've got enough problems. -- Pteryx

Unfortunately, this is a very, very likely situation for my character, seeing as most of his teammates are rather lacking in morals. Firsty he'd try to grab the offender. "Have you any concept of what you're doing, brother?! These are Father's citizens!" (At least, I would presume so for the situation to happen in the first place.) If that didn't work, just what would happen next would depend on the reactions of the others around. There might be a firefight between them while the villain looks down and laughs, he might be shouted down by the majority and left with nothing to do but grieve, or if he's lucky, he might actually be able to work alongside his robotic kin and figure out a plan (with or without the offender being trapped in a lump of crystal). Likely the plan would be some kind of dirty trick involving making the fiend think they've surrendered... time to actually roll against his PsychLims for once. -- Pteryx

...only it turns out to be OS X only. Darn it. -- Pteryx

Run up to him and kneel next to him. "Brother! Are you all right?!" (What? Almost all of his creator's robots are designed to be male.) He'd shake off any snarky remarks from anyone around concerning him obviously not being all right, then pick him up to carry him back to a nearby teleporter or vehicle in order to bring him home for refueling and repairs -- only then noticing the socks. He'd find this very strange and wonder about it the whole time, but probably not say anything right then and there. Instead, he'd wait until he had free time to meditate on it and the like, and eventually ask that particular brother what happened. -- Pteryx

*stares* "....Dear spirits... perhaps not all that I conceived of as a fluffy bunny* was entirely nonsensical..." After spending some time meditating, re-evaluating his picture of reality, etc., he'd start pleading that the spirits aid him in returning to his own world. If, after several hours, he obviously wasn't home yet, he'd conclude that direct aid in this case is more than the anemic spirits of his reality could handle and trust that they're doing what they can while he looks for any apparent opportunity to leave. Any sock-sized portal that opened close enough would get his hands stuck in it, for better or for worse. *fluffy bunny, n.: 1) A Pagan who believes that Paganism and the proper nature of reality itself are all sweetness and light. 2) Any less than serious Pagan who just doesn't get it.

Mac user here. I'll look at the Mac version of your program later today. -- Pteryx

Unfortunately... ...my character is a robot who requires daily refills of a rather particular fuel and can't create it himself. He can incinerate stuff ingested for energy, but not very well. Barring him stumbling upon a means to get back by himself within a couple of days or major divine intervention (for him, a non-zero possibility -- 3d6 Luck), he'd need to be rescued. -- Pteryx

What's the special effect of his EB? If it fits that and his personality, maybe a Flash of some variety would work. Would a second EB of a different but related special effect work? Would it be sensible to put an "Aid Powered Technology Powers, one at a time" or the like in? I'm assuming you've already bought most stuff down to 0 END, considering the character concept. -- Pteryx

Oh yes... IIRC, the All materia didn't force you to use it; instead, its limitation was Recoverable Charges (starting at one, topping out at five). I remember finding that an interesting system. -- Pteryx

In addition to the Life Support, I wouldn't be all that surprised if your waterbear-based character also had high Energy Defense. Done any research beyond what you caught on The Most Extreme? -- Pteryx

Wouldn't Eye Drops be Flash Healing? Don't forget Independent materia and Command materia. The Counterattack independent materia would probably be a Triggered attack that has an Activation roll that's bought off gradually, just off the top of my head... -- Pteryx

I don't think the cat stats are out of line... but then, I'm a cat person too. It's easy to think of stats for things you're deeply familiar with and enthusiastic about (heck, when I started statting out a favorite character of mine, I came up with 50-something points worth of skills alone). You guys are right, though, that the dog stats are ridiculous. Not to mention that you aren't provided with any dog modification options in the book at all when dogs vary a heck of a lot more than cats. Hopefully the next Bestiary that's written will have at least a quarter-page of dog options. -- Pteryx

In my character's honor... ...I have to pipe up and suggest crystallography. Look a little into crystals, geology, and optics (the way light behaves when it passes through a crystal is important enough in their study that your character would probably have a Familiarity). I recommend Simon and Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious Stones. Real crystals are actually pretty fascinating (and eminently stealable!) and fantasy crystals are a staple of many, many genres -- I'm sure you and your GM will have plenty of material to work with. Your lab would be stocked with equipment for growing various kinds of crystals as well as gemcutting tools and the like. -- Pteryx