Powerhouse

Re: Creating the Silver Age Team Notes: Originally, I was going to have Doctor Atomic's fiancee die in the explosion and then introduce a new female character. So when the Nuclear Nightmare's true self is revealed, you have DA torn between his old love (who there seems to be no cure for) and a possible new love. I thought it was a little too much angst though. I'm wondering if I edit out his occasional uncomfortable feelings in his new role (Superman never did that) but I think it might help to distinguish him a bit from big blue. It could just crop up every now and then so you mostly have this true blue hero who at least seems to know what he's doing. In general, going for a silver age feel and I'm being a little tongue in cheek with the alliterations. The first apperance of Doctor Atomic is based on the Man of Steel first appearance of Superman where he rescues a space shuttle as it falls to Earth.

Re: Creating the Silver Age Team Hi everyone! I decided to work a little more on my Silver Age team. One thing I did was incorporate some feedback and expand the backgrounds/ personalities/ supporting casts a bit. First up is Doctor Atomic. It's kinda a slog to rea through to be honest but it's intended to be exposition so feel free to skim. I'm trying to capture what might have been created in a Silver Age comic so it's a bit corny. History: With the close of World War II, a new age was dawning for man: the atomic age. It would be a time of achievement, progress, and hopefully a better life for the world as the power of the atom itself was unlocked and controlled. There were few who wanted to see this better day come for mankind than young Kevin Arnold. Exceptionally bright if also shy and awkward, he studied hard to achieve his goal. Along the way, he made few friends but one of them was John Connor. Also a scientist, the pair found that they had much in common and became fast friends. They even combined their research together and were both awarded their PhD's from MIT. The pair was quickly snatched up by Omni Corp, a research conglomerate with extensive ties to the US government. Their first assignment was the creation of a super-reactor. Ten times more powerful than uranium, it was hoped to be a major breakthrough. Heading the project was the brilliant but arrogant Luther Cole. Quickly determining that Kevin his equal, Cole berated the man frequently. Not very forceful, Kevin would back down often even when Cole cherry picked from his work to make himself look better. John stood up for his friend, leading to several confrontations which their supervisor. The conflict came to a head when Luther sabotaged the Kevin's work so that the reaction would burst out of control and kill him. Arrogant as always, he boasted of the nefarious deed out loud, unaware that John Connor was within earshot. Horrified, the scientist raced to the lab just as the experimental reactor went online. Pushing Kevin aside, John scrambled to shut down the machine only to be caught in a blast that disintegrated her immediately. The remaining radiation washed over Kevin and he collapsed into a coma. For weeks he was at death's door but eventually recovered in what some considered a miracle. In truth though, as Kevin would soon discover, he had more than recovered. Supercharged with atomic energy, he was now one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Kevin wrestled with his new powers and the tragedy that accompanied them as he recovered. Were they a gift to benefit man or a curse to remain him of his lost friend? Could he use them effectively or was such power beyond a mortal man? His musings came to an end when he sensed a surge of radiation from several miles away. Snatching a radiation suit to mask his face, he flew towards the source of the energy: a plummeting aircraft. Quickly he righted the spiraling plane and helped it glide down into a nearby field where he helped the crew from the craft. As Kevin examined the craft and welded the radiation leak, the military rapidly descended on the area. At its head was a blustering man in a lab coat who screamed at the masked Kevin, "I am Doctor Matt Murdock! How dare you interfere with my project! It could have landed itself!" "Not without power." Gesturing to the craft, he explained how the neutron dampeners were shoddily made with second hand material and thus had failed; causing a surge in power that ruptured the shell that in turn leaked radiation into the atmosphere. "You were probably pocketing the money you saved and endangered the lives of these men and the whole city!" As he was handcuffed, the lab coated man screamed, "how could you know this! There's not a dozen nuclear physicists in the country that could have discovered that!" "That's because I'm Doctor A-" Kevin froze as he almost revealed his identity. Standing tall, shoulders straight, he proclaimed, "I'm Doctor Atomic, master of the atom and protector of those who need me." For a moment, the world seemed still on the words… and then the craft's pilot stepped forward and offered his hand. "Well we needed you today Doctor Atomic, thank you." Kevin excused himself and sped back to his hospital bed where he decided that he could not ignore his abilities. Together, he and John had wanted to change the world. Now, he would have to do the work of two men and it was to be as two different identities, so be it. And thus, was Doctor Atomic born. As Kevin Arnold, he still works for Omnicorp alongside the demoted Luther Cole who was blamed for the explosion. A replacement for John Connors, the beautiful Lisa Lennan, was hired and the trio work under the stern supervision of Percy Whitman, a crusty old scientist who cut his teeth on the Manhattan Project. When clad as Doctor Atomic (aka the Man of the Atom, the Plutonium Protector, Nuclear Wonder, and Atomic Avenger) Kevin is one of the world's greatest heroes. He is the symbol of a new age and hope as well as the herald of a new generation of costumed heroes. Personality: A good man at heart, Kevin wants to make the world a better place. Although he had never considered himself a brave or forceful man, he can not turn away from the responsibility foisted upon him by his powers not the tragedy that compels him to compensate for the good work that he feels his dear friend John could have accomplished. Doctor Atomic is still trying to reconcile himself as a superhero. He means well but feels overwhelmed at times and wonders how the previous heroes of the Golden Age managed. He tries very hard to project the image of a strong-jawed and noble hero without realizing that it's less of an act that he thinks. He is far braver than he realizes and seems to grow into the role every day. With a strong sense of ethics, desire to protect people, and dedication to his fellow man, he is a shining example of this new generation of heroes and others often look him up to him. Out of costume, Kevin is a true scientist to a fault who doesn't always quite understand why everyone else isn't interested in why uranium needs to be enriched for a nuclear reactor. He can lock himself up for days working on a problem until an outside force batters its way into his little world. Lisa is one such force… Powers/Abilities: The radiation accident supercharged Doctor Atomic, raising his strength and durability to levels not seen even in the Golden Age of heroes. He can also project the radiation outward to provide flight and energy blasts. In combat, Doctor Atomic prefers to use offer his enemies a chance to surrender because it's the right thing but also he worries that he could really hurt someone. That is also why he tries to outthink his opponents which is more fun anyway. Appearance: Kevin is tall at 6'4" with broad shoulders but otherwise normal build. Exposure to radiation filled him out quite a bit and he tends to hide his more powerful physique with a lab coat. That, along with an old tendency to hunch, helps to disguise him. His costume is white with a blue half mask and cape. A classic atomic symbol adorns his chest. Supporting Cast: Luther Cole: blamed for the accident, he is bitter at Kevin and continues to scheme against his rival. Although he is careful to not be caught for his acts, he is nevertheless very dangerous and would not hesitate to conspire with super villains (including giving them tech or support) if it fills his pockets or gives him an edge. Lisa Lennan: as beautiful as she was intelligent, this scientist had made quite an impact on both Doctor Atomic and Luther Cole. Kevin is attracted to her but also tongue-tied. He tried to court her but often loses to the more charming and confident Luther. Lisa enjoys the attention but believes that there is more to Kevin than he reveals and finds his kindness appealing but finds that she often needs to intercede on the man's behalf. She wishes that Kevin could be more confident and stand up for himself. Rogue Gallery As one of America's greatest heroes, Doctor Atomic has a vast array of foes to test his might and intelligence. A common, but not exclusive theme, is scientific knowledge or nuclear power. Some of the more notable ones are: "Mad" Matthew Murdock: the discredited scientist, he blames Doctor Atomic for his downfall and has vowed to destroy him. His weapons of choice are atomic powered robots and nuclear weaponry that employ Argonite Nuclear Nightmare: a pile of radioactive waste with animal-like intelligence. Nearly invulnerable to physical attack, it also thrives on radiation and seeks out more of it. It is a foe that Doctor Atomic can only defeat by outwitting it. What he does not know is that creature was created in the explosion that empowered him and scattered among its pulsating mass is the shattered mind and spirit of John Connor. Captain Communism: a Soviet soldier empowered by Russian nuclear tech, he is Doctor Atomic's physical equal. More skilled in combat than Doctor Atomic, his ignorance of science is a weakness that has been exploited against him in the past. Role: Doctor Atomic is a silver age Superman with emphasis on atomic power since radiation-induced powers was quite common. As a new hero, he is still learning the ropes but shows signs of what he will become: the greatest hero of the Silver Age.

Re: WWYCD: The Famous Guy Hypotheticals Good points by Zi'F. I was just wondering. My Silver Knights are this world's equivalent of the JLA/Avengers so I guess that's why they aren't over-awed. Starknight has the Overconfident Disadvantage as well so that doesn't help. Regarding Sentinel, he's basically Solid Snake who's been assigned to baby-sit the spandex crew so he's used to dealing with egos and people who can kill him by staring hard.

Re: WWYCD: The Famous Guy Hypotheticals Off on a tangent, I love some of the responses here but I wonder if they are "realistic." Yeah, a funny term for the comics. Bats does this all the time with outsiders and he's supposed to be, as Superman says when written by Morrison, "the most dangerous man on Earth." Just curious since none of my characters are shaking in their boots themselves either so I wonder how much of this is player knowledge vs character knowledge since I guess alot of supers might be aware that Batman doesn't kill. Thanks and keep going with the responses, they're fun!

Re: WWYCD: The Famous Guy Hypotheticals Lady Silver: "With all due respect, I have as much right to be here as anyone else. I would welcome your aid greatly though. *as the DA continues to stare grimly, she smiles disarmingly* Look, you know your city and the Heckler but it's my responsibility to bring him back. I wouldn't try to cut you off from New York if the situations were reversed so I ask for the same courtesy. Come on, this isn't a contest. Let's work together to make sure that no one gets hurt. Starknight: "Who the **** do you think you are? I fly across the galaxy, beat on cosmic gods, and blast small mountains to dust - a freak in tights isn't telling me jack!" *after taking a second look* That's some cute buns in those tights though. Hey, are you doing anything later tonight? Come on dark and brooding, if you looks half as good under that mask as the rest of you does I just *might* be able to put a smile on your face. Alternatively: Go **** yourself! *while waving an energy construct in the shape of a middle finger* Sentinel: *displays his badge* You've got a costume and utility belt. I've got the backing of the federal government and half a dozen idiots in spandex back at the base. No let's try again where you offer to help me out. Tyr: "Dark Avenger, I have heard of thee and know you to be a kindred spirit in the pursuit of justice. Let us join forces in common cause so that together we can bring this foul creature to justice!" Revenant: as an undead avenger of the night, this would be interesting. After some thought and a staring contest to beat all staring contests, he would hand the DA a card with a number on it. "I don't know your city. 24 hours. If I don't hear from you, I'm coming in."

I'm sorry if I put a crappy title up. Basically, most teams have a hook, outlook, or function that lets them stand out. Doing some thinking, I have so far: Best of the best: the guys that you have to kill, imprison, or otherwise put down if you're going to take over the world. Fortunately for the world, these are usually the most powerful (or among the most powerful) heroes. Examples are the JLA and Avengers. Teen Team: often, but not always, a group of sidekicks who take after their mentors. As the sidekicks, they are looked down upon and underestimated; often they fight silly villians are save, at most, the city. But there are also great stories to be told as the team members mature and learn life lessons. Examples are the Teen Titans, New Mutants, early New Warriors, and Young Avengers. Outlaws: the group that is misunderstood and sometimes hunted. Members are often freaks and clearly no longer human. Some are very angry and may lash out but fortunately the team helps to give them a positive outlet for their pathos. Often, these teams are the most heroic since they fight and die for the common good with little of the credit and glory. Examples include the Doom Patrol and X men. Tired for now. Please post your own comments as well as explore what makes up each team such as what's vital to them in terms or tone or members. Thanks! Other teams to come would be the mystic defenders and the proactive team.

Re: Who Would Your Character Be? Your C becomes an autobot? Lady Silver: Arcee Tyr: probably Optimus Prime since they are both noble and powerful heroes. Speed Demon: Blurr. Easy enough Starknight: Sideswipe since both are always up for a good fight Sentinel: Prowl. Both have cam shafts up their... you know.

Re: WWYCD: Crisis of Champions! I'm not sure how much silliness I can have for my Pre-Crisis Knights since my Silver Age and Modern Age heroes are pretty well delineated. Hmm... we'd probably have three Earths: Earth-1: Home of the Silver Knights (Lady Silver, Nova, Sentinel, Titan, Tyr, Speed Demon, and Star Knight) Earth-2: Home of the Sentinels of Justice (Doctor Atomic, Athena, Archer, Blue Bolt, Hornet, Stranger, and Glamour), the Silver Age team Earth-3: Home of the Golden Age Liberty Legion like American Eagle, Fighting Victory, and the Living Comet. They are still active though slowly being supplanted by the new generation of legacy heroes (Black Eagle, Inferno, and the new Silverbolt). Post Crisis, the Earth-3 heroes mostly retired while some of their descendants go on to join the Sentinels. Strangely, the Earth-1 hero Tyr appears in all three teams, a type of link across the decades to the three teams. Other Golden Age legacy charaters also go on to create a new team, the Legion of Honor. Can't think of too much silliness still. Hmm.. Lady Silver: spends alot of time trying to find the PERFECT pair of shoes or falls in love with cute boys who are the bad guys (kinda like the Silver Age Supergirl). Also, she's never taken as seriously (and certainly never leads the Knights! Might have something to do with spending all that time in Fairyland. Nova: was sent to Earth following the destruction of her world. Surprisingly, she'd not all emo about this terrible event. Maybe it's because every time you turn over a rock, yet another survivor pops up! Starknight: she's more powerful than ever! Not only can she project energy blasts, create forcefields, and fly but she can phase through walls! And travel through time! And wipe minds of memories! Only problem is that her powers don't work on anything that's aluminum... or colored paisley. Tyr: travels back and forth from Asgard with ease and always has a tall tale to regale his team with, yet always swears they are true! After all, the Norse god of truth can't lie! Fortunately, he is also the god of courage which he needs whenever mischievious Loki shows up to humilate his fellow god (Thor is too stupid to know when he's being made fun of). With Plot Device Magic, he is too powerful to defeat directly as he fills the Library of Congress with comic books or animates the Statue of Liberty or dance a jig while singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy!" Fortunately, the impish god can be defeated if made to laugh so hard by another's joke that he loses concentration and dispells his own magic. Hey, this is kinda fun!

Re: WWYCD: Crisis of Champions! I can't use Wizard in this one. There's no way that Oz Incorporated would play on that level in the first place. Lessee, other characters... Feel free to use Wizard. You don't have to have Pre-Crisis Superman powers to make a difference. It can be the lightest feather that breaks the back of the strong camel.

Re: With your combined powers, nothing can stop me! Galactic Champions has a character named Echo I believe who has this ability. Basically, he has a HUGE VPP with a certain set of limits. I think that the UNTIL Database book might touch on this as well. To boost defenses and toughness, consider letting stats be additive to a certain extent. For example, Amazo isn't just as tough as Superman but Superman, Wonder Woman, AND Martian Mahunter as well. Thus, higher defenses and stun. Rather than just having higher PD/ED, this can justfiy damage reduction.

Re: WWYCD: Bodyparts Away! This remains me of the song "Detachable Penis." I'd have written this in about five minutes ago but I couldn't stop laughing!

Re: WWYCD: Crisis of Champions! Sentinel: I'll elaborate a little more later but he'd want to be assured that his son and ex-wife would make it through no matter what. Otherwise, borrowing a line from Supegirl: Many Happy Returns which inspired this thread, "othewise, all reality can to hell." It'd probably be the first time they ever saw Sentinel cry. Otherwise, he'd just spend the day with his son and ex-wife although not tell them why. Just simple stuff like going to dinner, throw the baseball around, and remember the good old days. It'd probably end with a renewed hope of reconcilation which would be so sad: what he wanted was there all along had he only let go of the anger, bitterness, and arrogance and told his family how much he missed them, loved them, and was sorry.

Re: WWYCD: Crisis of Champions! StarKnight: she would be floored and refuse to believe. She loves life, partying, having fun, and being popular. Dead and forgotten do NOT compute. She'd call in the Celestial Order and do the cosmic thing with its mentor/spirit guide. He'd confirm it based on the current revelations albeit with sadness. Her fellow Knights, even the ones who never liked her, would give their sympathies and several would try to warp in to give her some added firepower. Once collected, she'd decide to go all out for her last night with a whirlwind tour of the world: snowboarding in Colorado, dancing in Brazil, wining and dining in Paris, and a one shot in a million gamble in Monte Carlo with all of her worldly assets. Somewhere in between, she'd use her powers to strip naked a jerk at work and dangle him in front of her co-workers and call in a favor from the Dark Templar to fight by her side. Also, she's gonna look through her black book for the best sex she's ever had and hook up with him (or her) and Titan at the same time.

Re: WWYCD: Crisis of Champions! Thanks for the responses so far! And especially to Raven for the rep. Lady Silver: would be stunned but quickly recover. While she doesn't want to die, let alone be removed from continuity, her life has always been about service to others and she could accept it. Being a mystic gives you some idea of your place in the grand scheme of things anyway. Nova would probably take it even harder and threaten the Spectre if not outright attack him. She'd probably spend about an hour in meditation to steel herself, followed by saying goodbye to old friends, try to get affairs in order, etc. While she knows that these actions will be erased, she'd hope they would still have an effect in some way, just as her place in the battle must happen for the universe to continue. She'd also reveal herself to her uncle, a mean spirited man who owns a large pharmaceutical company and try to bring him to the light one last time. Besides that, just some quiet times with the Knights and a few other mystics who are her true family before going off to battle. Despite it all, she will fight with her last breath, confident that she will see the ones she loves, in one form or another, when it's over. In this life or the next, one plane or another, even if only as a feeling and memory that slips through your fingers no matter how hard you try to hold onto it. Tyr: would be unfazed. As the Norse god of war and justice, he can think of no better fate than to die in the cause of protecting the universe while in noble battle. Indeed, in dark humor he would note that it would be strange for him to complain:he has already survived Armageddon twice (once in Ragnorak and coming back from his death in the battle that he must relieve). Surely, the universe is fair to ask that he not continue to avoid his fate. "Weep not my fellow warriors: no greater epitah is there than 'he died with friends in battle fair for a cause just.' Though these words may only be carried in your hearts though you have forgotten why, they will serve eulogize me far better than I could have ever asked. Let us untap kegs of strong mead as I compose a song that I will carry on my lips into battle. Listen well, for you will only hear it once and soon will forget it." Ironic that he would find a strange joy in this yet he is a warrior god who has sought rest. If his wife was still alive (background: after Ragnorak, he survived because he was worshipped/idolized due tohis exploits on Earth as a superhero but he was so shattered that he was in mortal guise with no memories until the new wave of heroes. His wife, another hero, knew who he was and married/took care of him since she had fallen in love), he would thank her for her care, love, and devotion. Although not a passionate love, it was a love nevertheless.

Yet ANOTHER WWYCD thread! These are fun! Warning: SERIOUSLY melodramatic! I'm in one of those moods! Anyway, I kinda touched on this before where your characters might have 24 hours to live and what not. After reading Supergirl: Many Happy Returns (an incredible read), I came up with something: For weeks now, stuff had been happening that's just plain wierd: eclipses come and go in violation of the almanac, strange lights in the sky, and brief flashes of people who are similar to you and people you know... yet not. As the days go on, you find yourself on an Earth like your own yet different and yet utterly familar as if a dream forgotten. Spells and tech have not shown much progress in resolving the mystery except that things aren't... right. Mystics detect subtle shifts in the earthly plane while techies find their sensors burnt out (if calibrated to detect such stuff) by excessive chronal energy. As you and your team (or close associates) gather to discuss, the Champions equivalent of the Spectre, Phantom Stranger, or Watcher appears and looks grimmer than usual. As he speaks, you start to remember a universe different from now: perhaps there were two Defenders from two different Earths or Captain Power moved planets. Or something about talking gorillas... You also remember a great battle against a terrible foe powerful enough to shatter worlds, snuff out stars, and wipe out civilizations. You, your team, and many other supers fought this creature and won. You played a large part in stopping the enemy, whether it was your strength, an idea, being in the right place at the right time, or rallying the defenders when hope seemed lost. But it cost you your life. Moved by your nobility, the Spectre equivalent manipulated the reality that formed after the battle so you would live. This was the fatal flaw in the new order though and the universe itself will unravel into nothingness unless the battle is refought and you take your rightful place among the fallen so that the universe will be recreated as it was. And you will be forgotten, wiped from history as if you had never existed. To your deepest loves, fastest friends, and most bitter foes you will have been nothing. The final battle happens in 24 hours so what do you do with the time given to you, and how do you feel that you will have never been? On a more fun note, what kinda whacky stuff existed in the pre-reboot universe?

Re: WWYCD: Dare to be Foxbat Repped on behalf of Raven... besides I think it's cool too!

Re: Yet ANOTHER WWYCD: Against your team Lots of great responses, thanks! Let's see, what would my team do? Lady Silver: team leader and mage, pretty versitale (sp). She's try to break the control with words and spells to not luck before teleporting away as quickly as she could. Realizing that she is going to have to beat everyone, she'll play hide and seek as much as possible, while exploiting her spells which are more mental based. She'd stay grounded since most of the others fly, and they are faster/more maneuvuerable. First, she'd cast an invisiblity spell to cloak her presence. She'd concentrate on Speed Demon first just because his speed can be hard to counter. That said, he's be most likely to zip out ahead and fall victim to a mental illusion that covers a large hole or brick wall. After that, it's using illusions, ego attacks, and telporting to her advantage. She would not go toe to toe since she has less raw power and persistent defenses. Nova: would also try to break the control, especially on Lady Silver. The BBCB might even has to push a little with a slap across Nova's face to get her to take the hint. As one of the faster members, she'd also back away and try to hide among the buildings to collect herself. She'd definitely snipe as much as possible but also be ready to bolt in really quickly and unload on more vulnerable members. If forced to engage, she'd try to use her speed to her advantage and manuveur around buildings only to change directions and blast away to wear down her opponents. Basically hit and run, strafe ground targets as much as possible, and don't get in over her head. Her biggest threats would be Star Knight, Titan, and Tyr (think GL, Iron Man, and Thor) since they all fly and are powerful but she's faster than any of them. Sentinel, a soldier, and Speeddemon are not too worrisome but Lady Silver would be a problem with her spells. Starknight: tough and smart, she'd actually like this fight in a way. She'd IMMEDIATELY blast Lady Silver, hoping to get a quick knockout on her. With the spell caster out of the way, she can deal with the others much more easily given her power and combat training. She's bolt into the city, blast her way into the sewers to divide and conquer, before popping out of a sewer hole and start goin to town. Against Titan and Nova, she'd try to slow them down with entangles as she works her way into hand to hand combat range. Although both are stronger than her (Titan has 60 str and Nova 30), she'd a much better hand to hand fighter and is an expert at combining her constructs with her martial arts. She would stay away from Tyr though and play cat and mouse, blast him at a distance, lure him into a building and drop it on him, etc. Sentinel: on the negative side, he's a normal soldier. On the positive side, he's also a sneaky SOB. Think of Solid Snake. Unlike the others, he wouldn't be as inclined to pull punches:he just doesn't like his teamates that much and he's the ultimate survivalist. He's also a pretty good tactical person and figures that the team will go after him as follows: Speed Demon (alone) Tyr (alone) Nova and Lady Silver Titan and StarKnight Speed Demon he sets up a decoy connected to a flash grenade. As the speedster is stunned, proceed to hammer him until he stops moving. Next, leave the stunned speedster in visible spot and wait. If it works as he hopes, Nova and lady Silver shows up next. If possible, it's time for another flash grenade. Otherwise, slap a chokehold on LS and use her as a shield while taking potshots at Nova. After that, he is kinda out of options except to lure the others into danger places (gas tanks, buildings that could collapse, etc). Tyr: Ironically, the Norse god of war shows the least amount of tactics. He tries to beat the BBCB to no effect before declaring that if he must fight his friends, he will do so with honor. Thus begins the big pile on. Tyr is the team's most powerful member (think Thor), but no one on the team is a slouch. He would restrict himself to non lethal combat (no sword or spear). This would just be a major slugfest with Titan and Starknight slugging it out with him while Nova hits him from a distance, Speed Demon hits and runs, Lady Silver casts spells, and Sentinel waits to see how he can help. As usual, Lady Silver is a prime target because she can bypass physical defenses to strike the soul. Of course, Tyr is a god and not as subject to magic as mortals. Still, best to be sure, After that, try to kill as many birds with one stone, like using Titan as a club. If Tyr does win, his battered self will look at the BBCB and proclaim that he is next. Not sure about Titan and Speed Demon. Titan is DAMN smart though. He'd probably hack into the team's communicators and use it to track them/send false information.

Re: Boogiemen that are actually /scary/... for the boy eating spider buy it as a distictive feature something like subtle wrongness only noticed by children and a multi form to turn back into the spider form The boy eating spider, is that something that the original poster made up or is it in that novel? Thanks.

Re: Yet ANOTHER WWYCD: Against your team Wow, lots of responses and kind words, Thanks! Good God, my PC vs her team? Gamma Girl is a member of the Legion of Superheroes...! In that case, you might want to limit it to the normal super team size, say 5 - 7 other teammates. Feel free to choose who although you might want to stay away from the Kryptonians and Daxamites. I'm going to have to think about this one for a bit longer. Good scenario, Powerhouse. Provocative. Repped. Thank you very much.

Re: The Things I've Learned Playing a Var.Power-Pool User Do it with Style! Anyone can have an energy beam... not everyone can summon a 10 foot tall day-glo version of the Doom Marine with his BFG! Yeah, Kyle was my favorite GL.

Re: Yet ANOTHER WWYCD: Against your team Dolphin Sits in lotus and does nothing. First, believes none of his teammates can hurt him (is wrong, Iron Will can if given enough time find an NND he hasn't adapted to yet). Second, suspects that all of his teammates will have been given the same speech, each one believing they are the only one not mind controled. If he is right, when they see him not acting according to BBCB's script they may be inclined to talk. Good point on the "same speech" thing. I was wondering whether it was better to have it one against the team or just seem that way, ie every hero for him or herself. I got a bit of a headache on how to manage it though. Also, not sure what I like more: the free for all or the fear of one against many.

Re: Yet ANOTHER WWYCD: Against your team A little more info please? I need to know if the BBCB, changed them in any other way, did it alter the powers? ie DEF's, Weakness, etc.... Nope. Same power levels, flaws, and merits.

Re: A contriversial "Would your character...?" Wow... that's hardcore. The closest I've gotten to that during an invasion of Earth by Skarn the Shaper. In the background, it's a massive battle between Earth forces and Skarn's as Lady Silver (Earth's Archmage) and the Shaper go toe to toe. Since it's on Earth, Lady Silver is tapping alot of power while Skarn was aware from the Congeries and thus deprived of a good part of his power. Still, she starts to lose and get hurt but she will NOT BACK DOWN! Presented by this beautiful and brave warrior who is battered, bruised, but neither broken, bowed, nor beaten (do I have enough "b's" in there?), Skarn falls in love on the spot and decides that a merging of their worlds would best be accomplished with a merger of its two champions, he and Lady Silver in marriage! Cut to the chase, a deal is brokered where Lady Silver is officially a consort albeit one waiting until marriage to properly consumate the relationship. Although she can refuse marriage, she must give Skarn an honest change to woo her. This isn't to say that Skarn wouldn't accept a refusal lightly or might not restart the invasion in anger but, it is a truce. Fortuantely, Skarn has about a 100 other consorts and other dimensions to catch his eye. And with the stipulation that Skarn can neither kill nor conquer for Lady Silver's affections, he's kinda at a loss on how to woo her.

This is a first draft that might get changed. Also, inspired by an old Xmen title when Cyclops had to fight the other Xmen who thought that he was Phoenix. Ok, you and the team are at the meeting of the week when the Big Bad Cosmic Baddy (BBCB, patent pending!) shows up and whisks you away to a bombed out city in Africa. Long abandoned by people, it's a massive labyrinth of tunnels, warrens, and rooms through which twisted streets snake through. It turns out that BBCB is bored and wants to be entertained by heroes fighting but he also wants to spice it up a bit. The rest of your team is mind controlled to hunt you down. Of course, being sporting (yeah right), BBCB is giving your a 15 minute head start. Rules are simple: 1. If you can either take down, knock out, or restrain beyond their ability to escape a team mate, they are taken out of the game with no harm to them beyond what you inflict. 2. Your teammates want to kill you, so giving in ain't exactly an option. 3. The entiriety of the city (large enough to support about 100K) is yours to hide in and use but it's cut off from the outside world, including teleporting. 4. You can hide and run but the game isn't going to end untill either you win or your friends kill you. 5. Any powers that allow for easy tracking by your teammates: mindscan, life sense, cosmic awareness, if blocked. Tracking scent and what not are ok though. That's the first draft. Too heavy handed? I haven't decided yet how intelligent your team mates will be btw, suggestions? I'd like them to be smart and tactical as they would normally be. Edit: an alternative might be that your teammate's preceptions are changed so that they think you are some type of bad guy and they need to take you down to save the world. If they suceed though, either it means death to a large scale populace or perhaps just instant death to you. The change of perceptions might be better since you would have your teammates operating at top efficiency. Comments?

Re: WWYCD: Fundamentalist against non-tech supers. Lady Silver: she would be one of the foremost opponents and critics of this preacher. Heck, it might even sell tickets as left winger vs right winger! Anyway, she would make some speeches and press conferences refuting this hate and intolerance. An actual debate would be quite likely as well although facts often fail to sway fanatics. As a well known mage, she would be a prime target no doubt. Her response, in addition to above, is to note that her actions speak very loudly of her good intentions. Nova: be bewildered, but not surprised, at such a lack of logic on Earth. She'd also be a prime target as an obvious alien. She would need to be kept on a short leash given her short temper and tendency to lash out. Sentinel: would mutter that yet again, his job has gotten tougher (ie babysitting the spandex crew). In public statements, he would note that the Silver Knights are sanctioned by the government to be a law enforcement group (among other things) and all were rigorously screened. He would also note that he respects the preacher's freedom to believe as he does although the Knights have a stellar reputation (the last he'd have to try REALLY hard to deliver with a straight face). Within the team, he would drill them to stay on their toes to not get sucker punched and everyone, ESPECIALLY Nova, need to keep themselves in check. Tyr: Norse god of law and justice, he would find this beneath contempt and state rather loudly that he felt this fool's rhetoric is pure folly and devoid of any reason or logic. Goodness is not limited to one religious POV. Also, he would note that the law makes the preacher quite possibly liable for acts that his followers carried out based on old KKK cases. It would depend in part on whether he either directly exhorted them to violence or lead them on a path to that. He would also note that he would see that those who committed such henious acts as killing heroes (or those mistaken as such) were tracked down and brought to true justice. Sentinel would at this point double up on his antacid. Starknight: would blow the whole thing off except to state that she doesn't give a flying f*** about religious bigots and if they want some, come get some... and Sentinel is now overdosing on antacids.