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Peregrine

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Posts posted by Peregrine

  1. Fading Stars...when and why should superheroes retire?

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Fading Stars...when and why should superheroes retire?

     

    Simple psychological maturity - it is the natural cycle to pass from action to leadership to mentorship, allowing those reins to pass in turn to those who come after. Honestly, I think this is being explored in the Batman, Incorporated story that DC is running these days. Bruce Wayne is standing fully in the second phase, and moving into the third. While he has not completely left the first (due to metastory marketing concerns), his overall perspective has shifted from "This is my fight, and I must fight it; anyone who wants to stand with me must be extensions of myself, so that I can control them, because this is my fight." to "I have a family who are, each in their own way, committed to this fight. They look up to me, and I have to honor that. It's our fight, and my role has changed because of them."

  2. Atlantis found...

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: Atlantis found...

     

    Why does the linked article strike me as opportunism based on the recent disaster? "I know, let's do a tsunami-related article and generate a lot of search engine hits, even though it is completely unrelated to the actual event that everyone is paying attention to!"

  3. An odd request

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: An odd request

     

    As the GM, ask them one question: "Why?" Their answer will speak volumes about whether or not you want to go through with the work of converting and running them. Also, if it is just one player, ask the others - C.L.O.W.N. seems to be a "love'em or hate'em" situation - there are few if any who are less than adamant at either extreme. And if you have a "hate'em" in your player group, disaster will result...

  6. Whatever happened to the Golden Avenger

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Whatever happened to the Golden Avenger

     

    On a related note' date=' whatever happened to the Red Shield? Wasn't he related to Kaufman too; or was he just a random Silver Avenger turned commie?[/quote']

     

    Lyndon Johnson Kaufman; Robert Kaufman's nephew. Most recent write-up was in the 4e Classic Organizations; I don't recall any other mention of him since the 4e PRIMUS e-book, and that was simply a nod to Classic Organizations.

     

    There were two other Avengers who left PRIMUS in 4e - Kevin Armstrong, aka ViperX, prominently mentioned in the 4e and 5e VIPER sourcebooks as well as the 5e PRIMUS e-book and still a major element in Krait's history in 6e; and Darin Falswell, who joined Genocide and took the code name Vengeance - also mentioned in passing in the 5e PRIMUS e-book.

     

    Not to beat a dead horse (too much...), but the lack of a 5e PRIMUS sourcebook left a lot of holes, though I understand *why* there never was one. Here's hoping that a PRIMUS sourcebook of the caliber (and general tone) of the 5e VIPER and UNTIL books will make its way into the 6e product line.

     

    Soon. :D

  7. Whatever happened to the Golden Avenger

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Whatever happened to the Golden Avenger

     

    Kaufman's death is from previous editions. He's not listed as dead in any 6th edition book that I've seen -- I checked Champions Universe -- and he's alive and well in Champions Online, as authorized by the current license holder.

     

    Unless Steve writes him out in a later book (and there's certainly precedence for divergence, as Violette Boudreau is listed as murdered in Champions Universe 6th edition, but alive and well in Champions Online's Demonflame pack), the safest assumption is to go with Champions Online lore, rather than directly contradicting what's in game. Whe Cryptic signs off on the divergence, then it's safe to assume it's PnP canon.

     

    Which, of course, a GM can mangle to his heart's content.

     

    That's why I missed it - I have no access to Champions Online. *shrug* Thanks!

  12. athlete, genius and other.

    in Dark Champions

    Posted

    Re: athlete, genius and other.

     

    First, get over the ideas that "gymnast = ne plus ultra of DEX" and "DEX and STR are mutually exclusive". Even if you can't let go of the former, some of the strongest athletes in the world (pound-for-pound) are male Olympic gymnasts, and that's exclusive of the cinematic context that is the default for Hero.

     

    Second, understand how your game is scaled. As noted above, the absolute human max is 30 for STR, DEX, etc. while the explicitly optional characteristic maxima are actually cost breakpoints, and not maxima at all. Now, a local gaming group can house-rule all of this to be otherwise, so take any such house rules into account.

     

    World/international class athletes will have physical characteristics in the top of the range for the campaign/setting, plus relevant skills, including one (or more, if the athletic competition is a major part of the campaign) PS covering the sport. As for a polymath, literary precedent (Doc Savage, Richard Seaton [skylark series], Batman) says that such characters have both world-class physical characteristics and mental characteristics to match, plus a plethora of skills of all kinds.

  15. Campaign Damage Caps, Code vs. Killing & Pulling a Punch

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Campaign Damage Caps, Code vs. Killing & Pulling a Punch

     

    I think a focus on restraint would be very consistent with the source material, and a very interesting game could arise from a premise such as "Your characters are among the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Their powers could easily be deadly against thugs, agents and even many other Supers. While the characters will have high powered attacks, it is a campaign expectation that they will use judgment and restraint in the exercise of those powers, lest they injure or kill others, even their opponents."

     

    It requires players adopt a different mindset from the usual "I paid for 15d6, the game is designed around 15d6 and I will use 15d6" approach. It also requires the GM carefully design scenarios for the occasional target against whom full power is appropriate. If the result of exercising restraint is that the heroes have their heads handed to them, and the villain succeeds in his plans, then they will not soon exercise restraint again. If the result is that, after a period of getting nowhere, they realize this opponent can take it, and they rally to a hard-fought victory, restraint continues to be encouraged. Perhaps the more difficult scenario to pull off is getting their heads handed to them, at a plot point where this is not devastating, and returning with higher power for the ultimate rematch, and a hard-fought victory, then returning to restrained power levels against the next group of opponents.

     

    Practically, if most scenarios require full power to achieve victory, then restraint quickly vanishes.

     

    This. It would probably be easier for a GM to get players to go along than it would be for one or more players to get a GM to go along.

  18. My character building technique (How to build Hero System Characters)

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: My character building technique (How to build Hero System Characters)

     

    My solution to that is simple. Once the "switch" part happens I stop playing. I don't generally have much interest in gaming with people who I cannot trust. Nor for that matter with people who trust so little in my ability to separate my knowledge from my character's knowledge that they don't feel like they trust me enough to tell me what the game is about.

     

    Agreed. I find that this kind of GM behavior usually comes from a GM who is a frustrated writer and wants a captive audience for the story they want to tell.

  20. CU Character Study: Gravitar

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: CU Character Study: Gravitar

     

    Just as a tangent to the above' date=' Gravitar and Istvatha V'han are almost polar opposites in terms of their motivations and methods. Gravitar wants the status of mistress of the world without the hassles of actually running it; V'han truly wants to rule, and rule well. Gravitar is among the most personally powerful supervillains, and wants to prove it by conquering without assistance. V'han is less mighty than most villains in her class, but has practically unlimited resources, which are her primary instruments of conquest. Gravitar tries to crush any potential opposition through brute force, whereas V'han always offers prospective new subjects a chance to submit to her voluntarily. (Of course if they refuse, out come the invading legions.)[/quote']

     

    Catfight!

     

    Seriously, that contrast sets up one hell of a rivalry...

  21. Champions Universe: Character studies

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Champions Universe: Character studies

     

    The Project Sunburst from Champions Universe (5th ed) says it took place in 1994 and the goal of the program was to measure the effects of nuclear war. I'm ok with this' date=' I guess but nuclear war seemed to be a more common theme in the late 80's when the program was first discussed in the Enemies book(s). I think if I were to run a Project Sunburst-themed campaign I would go full-on super soldier program.[/quote']

     

    Actually, Project Sunburst always reminded me more of the early nuclear tests of the 50s and 60s, and thus seemed to be very anachronistic - especially since the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty prohibited aboveground testing after the earlier tests were complete.

  22. Alternate Marvel Universe

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Alternate Marvel Universe

     

    Charles Xavier: Merciless bullying by his older step-brother Cain Marko resulted in an accident that deprived Charles of the use of his legs. Consumed by hatred' date=' Charles swore revenge against Marko. When his vast telepathic abilities developed, Xavier tracked Marko down outside a lost temple in Southeast Asia, where Marko was working as a mercenary. Xavier destroyed his mind, leaving him a vegetable. Attracted to the strange temple, Xavier discovered the Ruby of Cyttorak, which transformed him into a being with the physical might to match his mental abilities. Freed of his crippling injury, and drunk with power, Charles Xavier decided that an Overman such as he had become had the qualifications and the right to rule the world.[/quote']

     

    I thought this was an alternate universe? :D

  23. The 20 Henchmen of the Sinister Skull

    in Pulp Hero

    Posted

    Re: The 20 Henchmen of the Sinister Skull

     

    I would urge the creative minds on this thread to keep one key thing in mind - the game, and the story, is supposed to be about the PCs, not uberkewl NPCs. High quality NPCs definitely add to the story (and thus the game), but they shouldn't overshadow the PCs. And, in the end (especially in Pulp), the PCs need to be able to prevail.

     

    I fear that sometimes the above gets overlooked in the rush of creative juices.

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