McManus

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game Anyone have any characters on Virtue. That is where my main, Pukha, is (l46 MA/Regen Scrapper). If not where are the majority of hero gamers gaming? Champion? Under what names? Always looking for a good team and I like playing support types (tanks, defenders) best.

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game That makes sense. I much prefer teaming to soloing, as long as it is a good team. Will have to see what I can do about that, once I find out which server Pukha is on.

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game Thinking hard of reactivating my account. I have been out since just after CoV opened. My highest is a Lvl 46 scrapper. I would love to get him to 50 to unlock the post50 archetypes (aliens...forget their names). This weekend might be the right time to do it. Anyone know of a good way to get those last levels for a MA/Regen Scrapper? I hate grinding which is why I stopped playing. I forget which characters I have on which servers, but there are a lot of them at all levels except the highest. I would love to play with other Hero types. Will post my global if/when I get back on and find out what it is.

Re: Building a Hero... Hero or villain? Hero in Las Vegas might not take the camera as a theme. He might take a gambling theme (Roulette or Blackjack both make good hero names). A villain (the Shutter Bug or FreezeFrame) could have camera based powers. I picture a comic book cover with the villain peeling off the picture backing to show a print with the hero on it as the hero, chained to the set, begins to disappear. Or a Puppet Master kind of villain with the Photo Gallery of Doom. If I was going to do a camera themed hero I might do flashbulb grenades, boxing glove cameras (Smile for the picture! WHAMMO!), paralysis, laser lenses, enhanced senses, even teleportation (stepping through the frame).

Re: Multiform & Point Balancing: What am I missing? To me the real abuse is that Legion, a 350pt Base character, could be a 125pt extra-competent normal (Secret ID) that could turn into any of 32 1000pt (1000/5=200pts +25pts of doubling) characters at will. Or it could be Sluggo the -25pt UnterNormal with a 375pt Multiform that can transform into 1875pt LordgodalmightyMan. We might never see poor Sluggo again. The only thing stopping this is active point caps in a campaign or a GM being experienced enough to disallow this obvious abuse.

Re: Multiform & Point Balancing: What am I missing? One rule I have seen is that you say the form with the most points is the "Base" form and has to pay the cost for the multiform power. If you have several 350 point forms you pick one to pay the cost and the others are limited to 350 or less. This allows for a character that has lots of forms, but is bad for designing a Billy Batson or Etrigan character because you basically have to pay points to be less powerful in your secret ID. Or you could simply say that no form can be built on more points than the campaign limit (350 or what ever).

Re: Champions or Hero System v5 ??? My recommendation is that which books you get depend on whether you want to play in a published setting or you want to create your own super world and develop your own NPCs. I prefer to do the latter. I very seldom run from published settings. If you want the published setting you can either use the setting details in the earlier Champions books that you already have, but spend time converting or creating NPCs in the current rules, or pick up the newest version of your favorite setting. If you like creating your own setting and characters then the big black book (Hero System Rules) is all you need, but books like Ultimate Skill or Power Database will make creating your own easier. All of this is just my opinion.

Re: best ever reason to be a Sidekick(hero support) Or end up being a super ninja assassin guy after being toast for half a century.

Re: Best ever reason to NOT be a superhero... Nothing to see here...move along.

Re: Superheroes as firemen rather than cops? Maybe that is the reason there are so few comic book super heroes with healing powers. Characters that have those powers don't put on the tights, they put on the scrubs.

Re: The Inconceivables! Atomic Zombie is a wonderful character idea that could only be pulled off in fiction or a PBEM. For the villain option make him a Nietzsche fan. Must spread rep . . .

Re: The Inconceivables! Ohhh...Yeahhh...

Re: Character Critique Corner I will get this started. I am looking to join an ongoing campaign. When I asked the current players what sort of character they could use to help round out the group I got several different suggestions. They were Mentalist, Gadgeteer, and Buffer/Debuffer. I took it as a challenge and decided to try and design a playable character that filled (at least somewhat) all those roles. Thus was born Feedback. He is a Mentalist (though he doesn't call himself that) and Gadgeteer. His powersuit boosts DEX and SPD rather than STR. His telepathy and other mental powers are no range. He has a Battlestaff that lets him do buffs and debuffs as well as attacks. But he is not powerless without it. His biggest lack that I can see is not having a real travel power. I figure he hitches a lot of rides. Tell me what you think. Feedback Roman Herzog, aka Gabriel Stewart Cost Characteristic Value Roll Notes 5 STR 15 12- Lift: 200.0kg; Dice: HTH Damage 3d6 END [1] 30 DEX 20/29 13- / 15- OCV 7/10 DCV 7/10 26 CON 23 14- 10 BODY 15 12- 18 INT 28 15- PER Roll 15- 20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7 0 PRE 10 11- PRE Attack: 2d6 0 COM 10 11- 2 PD 8/18 8/18 PD (3/13 rPD) 0 ED 8/18 8/18 ED (3/13 rED) 10 SPD 4/6 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12/2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 4 REC 10 Mental Defense: 6 0 END 46/80 Running: 6" (12" NC) 0 STUN 35 Swimming: 2" (4" NC) Cost Powers END 20 Synaptic Manipulation: Multipower, 50-point reserve, (50 Active Points); all slots Auras must overlap throughout use of power (2cm range) (-1), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (1/2 DCV; -1/2) 2u 1) Synaptic Synchronization: Telepathy 10d6 5 2u 2) Synaptic Realignment: Mind Control 8d6, Telepathic (+1/4) 5 2u 3) Synaptic Disruption: Ego Attack 2 1/2d6, Continuous (+1) 5 11 Synaptic Reinforcement: (Total: 11 Active Cost, 11 Real Cost) +6 Mental Defense (10 points total) (Real Cost: 6) plus Power Defense (5 points) (Real Cost: 5) 1 Synaptic Refresh: Life Support (Sleeping: Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week) 0 Mental Awareness: PowerSuit, all slots OIF (Powersuit; -1/2) 20 1) Kevflex: Armor (10 PD/10 ED) (30 Active Points); 18 2) Reaction Enhancers I: +9 DEX (27 Active Points); 13 3) Reaction Enhancers II: +2 SPD (20 Active Points); 11 4) BioElectric Capacitor: +34 END (17 Active Points); 8 5) JumpJets: Leaping +12" (3"/15" forward, 1 1/2"/7 1/2" upward) (12 Active Points) 1 7 6) Bonding Pads: Clinging (normal STR) (10 Active Points); 25 Feedback Staff: Multipower, 63-point reserve, (63 Active Points); all slots OAF (; -1), Only on Humans (-1/2) 2u 1) Synaptic Degrader: Drain DEX 3d6 (standard effect: 9 points) plus Drain SPD 3d6+1 (standard effect: 10 points) 6 2u 2) Synaptic Enhancer: Aid SPD 3d6+1 (standard effect: 10 points) plus Aid DEX 3d6 (standard effect: 9 points) 2u 3) Synaptic Overload: Hand-To-Hand Attack +10d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (62 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), 2 2u 4) Synaptic Lockdown: Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF, Cannot Be Escaped With Teleportation (+1/4), Takes No Damage From Attacks Physical (+1/4), Works Against EGO Not STR (+1/2) No Range (-1/2), Cannot Form Barriers (-1/4) 6 2u 5) Synaptic Regeneration: Healing STUN 6d6 (60 Active Points); 6 13 BioElectric Gauntlets: Multipower, 40-point reserve, (40 Active Points); all slots OAF: Charge Crystal (-1), Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), 8 Charges (-1/2) 1u 1) BioElectric Sting: Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6 2u 2) BioElectric Blast: Energy Blast 8d6 Talents 5 Eidetic Memory 6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) 4 Speed Reading (x10) 4 Martial Dodge 1/2 -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort Skills 3 Acrobatics 13- (15-) 3 Conversation 11- 5 Cramming 3 Electronics 15- Everyman Skills AK: Home country or region 8- Acting 8- Climbing 8- Concealment 8- Deduction 8- English (idiomatic; Literate) (4 Active Points) PS: Inventor (Everyman Skill) 11- Shadowing 8- Stealth 8- TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles 3 Inventor 15- 3 Mechanics 15- 3 Paramedics 15- 3 Persuasion 11- Scientist SS: BioChemistry 15- (3 Active Points) SS: Biology 11- (2 Active Points) SS: Biophysics 16- (4 Active Points) SS: Psychology 11- (2 Active Points) SS: Cybernetics 15- (3 Active Points) SS: Neurology 15- (3 Active Points) 200+ Disadvantages 20 Hunted: Cabal (Appropriate psi group) 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 20 Hunted: Mystery (Scientific Group From Parents' Past) 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 5 Money: Poor 10 Physical Limitation: Altered Physiology (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing) 20 Psychological Limitation: Code v. Killing (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Emotionally Unstable (Very Common, Moderate) 10 Social Limitation: Buried Identity: Roman Herzog (Occasionally, Major) 15 Social Limitation: Secret ID: Gabriel Stewart (Frequently, Major) 15 Susceptibility: in Strong Electrical Fields, 1d6 damage per Phase (Uncommon) 20 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN From Electricity (Common) 0 Experience Points Characteristics Cost 125 Base Points 200 Powers Cost 166 Disadvantages 150 Talents Cost 15 Experience Points 0 Perks Cost 0 Total Points 200+150+0 Martial Arts Cost 4 Skills Cost 40 Total Cost 350 Hair Color Black Eye Color Brown Height 1.82 m/6' 0" Weight 78 kg/172 lbs Background Roman was born in 1980 in East Germany before the fall of the wall. His parents were both scientists for the DDR government. In 1983 they, along with Roman, successfully defected to the West and ended up in the US. In 1985 they were both assassinated by an unknown killer. Roman was raised by an American associate of his parents, a biophysicist named Dr. Felicia Moss. She was kind, but some what distant. Roman always felt like she was waiting for something that never happened. Moss never spoke much of Roman's parents. When he was a teen and started searching to find out more about them all German records were lost during the Reunification, and the American ones were classified at the highest level. Other than these trials Roman had a fairly normal childhood. When he was 18 and preparing to go to college he was stricken with an unknown malady that caused tremors, palsy, and other neuro-muscular symptoms. Moss took Roman to a series of doctors, none of whom were able to diagnose or treat the problems. One neurologist suggested a somewhat experimental form of EEG biofeedback, a therapy technique that presents the user with realtime feedback on brainwave activity in order for the user to gain conscious control of brainwave activity. The system worked with unprecedented rapidity and with apparently complete success. In less than two months Roman was completely recovered. When Roman was hooked up to the EEG he gained almost complete conscious awareness of his body's neurological activity, not just in his brain, but throughout his body. He found that with an effort he could not only trace the individual and aggregate neural impulses, but could control them as well. He was able to correct the synaptic imbalances in his body. Over time he realized he could achieve this level of awareness without the use of the EEG and other equipment. Eventually Roman discovered that when in very close proximity to another person he could sense their neurological impulses. He was working with his doctor when he realized that by mapping the doctor's brain patterns in his own brain he could understand what the doctor was thinking. With practice he learned that he could actually match the memory patterns from the doctor's brain in his own, learning what the doctor knew with out studying it. Over the course of his treatments, Roman gained the equivalent of a M.D. with a specialty in Neurology from his physician. Roman spent the next several months recovering from his treatments at home with his adopted mother. During that time Roman explored the possibilities of his new found power. He studied meditation and biofeedback techniques and reordered his entire nervous system, bringing it to the limits of human perfection, and possibly beyond. He learned to perfect his memory so that he never forgot anything. He improved his reaction time and his reflexes to human peak. He lessened his need for sleep and increased his cognitive input capacity tenfold. During this time he also delved into his mother's memories learning a great deal about biophysics and biochemistry. He discovered that his mother worked for a secret government agency, the same agency that had sponsored his real parent's defection. She had adopted Roman because she suspected that he had been the subject of his parent's experiments in biophysical enhancement while in utero. She had not told anyone of her suspicions. She now assumed his condition was caused by his parents failed experiments. She was depressed because she had little hope of the breakthrough she wad once dreamed he represented. When Roman requested he be given his college fund to enable him to spend some time traveling and completing his recovery, Moss agreed, closing the book in her own mind on what she saw as the end of her own dreams of scientific success. From 2000 to 2003 Roman executed his plan to make himself rich and give his life stability. He traveled the country attending scientific conferences and lectures, gleening knowledge of science and engineering from the minds of the world's experts. From these he designed and built a number of devices which he patented and licensed to biotech and medical technology companies. He built up quite a portfolio and was getting a little bored. Without a formal education he was refused entre in to the society of scientists he now considered his peers. During this time he had discovered that not only could he map the synaptic patterns of others onto his own mind, he could reshape their synaptic patters causing them to think, feel, and remember what he wanted them to. He began to contemplate using this ability to force the world to give him what he wanted. In 2004 Roman's world collapsed around him. While strolling through the minds of the attendees at a high tech conference, Roman chanced upon a mind he could not access. Worse the person was an evil telepath, part of an organized cabal of telepaths who did not appreciate one who they considered a rogue. This group began hunting for Roman. He was able to resist their mental commands by reinforcing his own synaptic patterns, but was forced into hiding. After a months-long chase around the world, where the Cabal was able to steal his savings and patents and cut him off from all support, Roman faked his own death in a very public fashion. His controlled pawns had a body cremated in his place. The Cabal thought him dead, for the moment. Roman realized he needed to find a place to hide and allies should the Cabal resume their hunt. He decided to take on a new identity, a very public one, as a superhero. Using the last of his savings built himself battlesuit and weapons. He controlled mid-level civil servants to create a new identity and planned a way to win his way into the Champions. With them at his back, the Cabal should not be a problem. Personality Roman is a strange mixture of all-American boy and manipulative mad scientist. He pictures himself as just a guy like any other, just one with a short-cut to get what he wants. His absorbed brain patterns from so many older scientists have affected his base personality. The idea of becoming a superhero and gaining public recognition and acclaim appeals to his some what emotionally stunted ego and he has put his considerable mental energy towards making it happen. But even that he approaches with a somewhat detached and clinical mindset. His growing tendency to get what he wants by controlling people is beginning to corrupt him. The stress of the long ordeal with the Cabal has also taken its toll on him. Finding his mother looked upon him as a failed experiment, arranging his own death, seeing himself cremated, and being reborn as a new person has all left him very confused. He is looking for something, someone, to show him the way out and bake to a "normal" life. Quote I am NOT a telepath! Powers Roman has the ability to perceive and control neurological impulses and activity, both his own and those of others. He has used this to restructure his mind, granting himself superhuman intelligence and near human maximum reflexes and reaction time. He is a master of several scientific and engineering fields. He has created a battle suit that offers protection and further enhances his coordination and reaction time and a weapon that allows him to boost his synaptic control capabilities. With it he can affect neurological efficiency. Effects include an increase or decrease in coordination and reaction time of himself and others, repairing temporary neurological shock, imposing palsy, and overloading a target's neurological system causing temporary damage. As Feedback, Roman has developed an acrobatic combat style that incorporates jump jets and bonding pads to make it possible to close on an opponent while avoiding attacks against himself.

Hey all, I wanted to set up a place where anyone could post a character to be critiqued, improved, lauded or laughed at. The idea is pretty basic and there a re numerous single character critique posts. I thought it might be nice to try an d centralize that activity so we could all benefit from others expertise. So post a character or critique someone else’s. Have fun. Learn something. And play nice.

Re: Islam replaces Christianity This sounds like Baron Munchausen and his cronies were not there to stop the Sultan from taking over Europe. Maybe they were still stuck in the whale or never came back from the Moon, or the Halls of Hephaestus. Then the Sultan simply marched from the Bosporus to the English Chanel. Many Europeans fled to the new world. But as everyone likes a winner they eventually converted to a more liberal or cosmopolitan form of Islam. The Torturer's Apprentice was adopted as the national anthem of …. nah, that could never happen.

Re: Islam replaces Christianity Why would you have an Islamic US? Would the Europeans even have come to the "New World"? Might China, or some other group have conquered? Or perhaps the Native Americans would have risen and made contact with the "Old World"? Hard to say without more background.

Re: Islam replaces Christianity You might also want to consider areas of the world where Islam has already spread. The most populated Islamic country is Indonesia. It is very different in culture from Saudi Arabia or Egypt, which are in turn somewhat different from each other. Or Uzbekistan, Kosovo, China, etc. Islam is by no means mono-cultural today. In a world without Christianity I would imagine it being a coating (or veneer) over regional cultures. What would a predominantly Muslim Scandinavia be like? Or Peru?

Re: New to Champions and I have a question See that is funny to me. I have been playing Champions on and off since the mid1980s and I never found I needed anythign beyond the current core rules book. I have others but seldom used them. But I have never played in a CU campaign, always some original world. So I would say get FRED and don't worry about the rest, unless you want them.

Re: City of Heroes (Champions of Champion) Is there anything in the new issue worth coming back for? I am almost to the point where i would be willing to do so...need new game.

Re: City of Heroes (Champions of Champion) I went from COH forums beong born through early beta for COH to the COV beta and then basically dropped out. I enjoyed the game A LOT for a fairly long time...then lost all interest. Still looking for a good replacement.

Re: Name Help Tandem Or go the opposite way - Singularity

Re: The 2006 Mopee Awards! I too have the complete JLI/E era collection. And it is definitly my favorite time for the JL.

Re: The best retcons of all time I was just reading that Hypertime has been officially disavowed at DC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertime). I am curious where they will go from there.

Re: The best retcons of all time I never really understood the difference between Hypertime and the Multiverse? Can anyoen help me with that? Thanks.

Re: Help with a character name Variation on Blindside is Blindslide - to get the teleport stuff in.