OddHat

Agreed. My Super Skills VPP character compensated by building the "skills" as powers (e.g. gliding with change position instead of acrobatics, clinging instead of climbing, HA instead of MA maneuvers, etc.). The character ended up as well ballanced in play as any other VPP user, and the pure skill based players didn't feel overshadowed. Even then, he couldn't simulate sciences or knowledge skills (though a character with the Science! VPP might).

"I am the Maltese Falcon, Master of all Birds! Fear my migh....Why are you laughing?"

True, as long as the skill pool is limited. Even unlimitied pools aren't a problem in most four color game play. It only becomes a problem if the other players get upset when they realize that they sunk 150 points into skills for their Streetwise Martial-Artist Gadgeteers and the Skill Pool guy got effectively the same thing for around 30 points. In a skill heavy game, the skill pool guy may steal other player's thunder. That said, many characters in comics and fiction are well represented with VPP skill pools.

True, but I've never seen a Thai Mastermind. French might be fun, or Belgian. "Yes soon I, Hercule Poirot, shall be Master of the World!" Maybe not.

A) In a game where hell exists, he could be opening a real portol into hell. Your players will not thank you for introducing a villain that can essentially kill one or more of them each phase, with no defense for most characters other than not getting hit (and not even that with the right advantages on the attack power). C) You'll be very unhappy when your VPP toting player says "That's a great idea!" and starts dropping every major villain in the campaign into The World of Pain. Not to say you can't or even shouldn't design this power, but you'll have to think carfully about its limits, especially as far as who can use it is concerned.

I agree with Monolith's solution, and I'd add some suggestions from my games and the Until Super Powers Databse for a mimic poll. The limits might be physical skills only (-1), may only copy skills from caharacters in LOS and within 10" (-1/2), copied skills may not be retained (-1/4). In this case, that last limiter means that after he copies "over" a skill, he won't be able to get it back until he sees it demonstrated again. To shift the pool in combat, add 1/2 phase to change (+1/2) and a Power Skill: Reflex Memory or some-such. I've had a great time recently with a character using a VPP, Cosmic(+2), only Super-Martial Arts and Chi Powers (-1/4, with a fairly broad interpretation of Chi powers). If you let him place anything other than STR or DEX based skills in the pool, I'd suggest asking him to buy cramming, speed reading, and eidetic memory outside of the pool. If you let him make it a 6 active point Cosmic skill pool (skills only for -1/2), you'll essentially be giving him mastery of every skill for 14 points. You'll have to think carefully about whether you'd allow that.

Noy Thepsouvan was tired of the westerners acting as though they were the rightful lords of the Earth, sick of the Chinese and Japanese with there smug belief that they were destined to be the masters of Asia, and most of all enraged by his fellow Thai's acceptance of the roles of merchants and entertainers in place of the spirit of Imperial Destiny that had once guided their land. Now, with the power of dream spirits long neglected and technology forged by his own genius, Chao Naai Fan (Master Dream) will lead his people to greatness!

Re: Re: The Dragon Squad And of course when nearly defeated they all merge into one being, MEGA-DRAGON-ZORD-Z!

The shared world thread has a group of Western AD&D style draconic villains (Red, Black, Green, White, Blue) lead by a woman who is the unknowing avatar of Tiamat the Dragon Queen. A group of leather winged fire breathing aliens might create a human agent or group of agents who happen to look like humanoid dragons. The Books of Magic series had a number of magic using dragons who assumed human foorm to pass un-noticed in modern society. A Jurasic Park type set up with a geneticist trying to create fantasy type creatures could work ("Fantastic Park"), especially if it was a front for a grander plot (Telios from CKC could be behind it). He might have turned a trio of minor crooks into a dragon, a manticore, and a hydra just to see what would happen, and now be using them for his grand scheme. They'd obey to keep up their supply of the drugs they now need to survive.

Does Invisibility to the mental sense group protect against the effects of Mind Scan or Tellepathy? Or does it only protect against enhanced senses defined as mental senses? I.E. Tommy Psion wants to be undetectable to mind scan. Is Invisible to Mental Senses the way to go, or should he just purcase a huge chunk of mental defense, only vs. mind scan?

For a somewhat different fantasy setting, I'd suggest David Gemmell's worlds (the Druss the Legend or Stones of Power books). You can set the point totals as high as you like (Legend features at least 350 point characters), as long as you restrict special effects, advantages and limitations. Try this: 1) Few magic items available. Those that do exist either have side effects (the axe Snaga cursed its weilder with bloodlust and drove him berserk) or an End reserve / charges that never recover (the Danniel Stones End Reserve never recovers, but that limit could be traded for Side Effects, turning them into Blood Stones). 2. Direct damage spells and spells that have a visable manifestation (i.e. EBs, RKAs, Summon, etc.) can only be cast through (rare) magic items, in the Other World, or with greatly increased END costs. PC mages casting in the physical world mostly use spells with invisible power effects or Ego Powers. 3. Keep point totals around 150 for starting characters. 4. Most spells require concentration and a skill roll. 5. No elves, orcs or other tolkienesque races. Monsters are found in the Other World, or (rarely) brought into ours. Some human-animal mixes are created through sorcery, and generally have a very short life span (though at least two books feature such characters as "players"). Hero is a very flexible system, and you can controll the "feel" of your game world quite well by choosing the right source material.

Fixed the TK shield, altered the origin story very slightly and spell checked (something I don't often do with Hero Designer). I agree that invincible characters are a mistake, for players and GMs. No weaknesses (or too specific weaknesses, aka the Kryptonite factor) make for a dull or "unfair" game. Diana-Bol is a standard brick vulnerable to energy projectors and mentalists. Milos can be hurt by almost anyone, and his powers can be blocked by a good pair of sunglasses. The King is mostly offense (his best defense is exhausting) and can be overwhelmed by a superior fighter, and Zardoz is a wimp once you spot him. That said, he is almost as optimized as possible for 100 points; I'm not used to FREd yet, and I wanted to see just what you could do in the low point ranges. Also, nothing is quite as scary as a sniper.

Thank you sir. Re: Telekinetic Shield For some reason I was thinking 30 real cost for flight + 30 real cost for Force Field = One 60 point slot out of a 120 point pool. I'll fix it. Originally his Telepathy, MC and Mental Illusions were all double penetrating. Almost no-one outside of an all mentalists campaign buys double hardened Mental Defense...including Unger. When I spotted that, I upped the effect to 2d6 per phase and dropped the ability to burn through mental shields. I see that it's still in the origin section though; I'll fix that.

The Most Dangerous Man In The World Combat Information Page Character Name: Zardoz Alternate Identities: Kalidas Gupta Player Name: CHARACTERISTICS CHARACTER IMAGE Val Char Base Points Total Roll Notes 8 STR 10 -2 8 11- HTH Damage 1 1/2d6 END [1] 8 DEX 10 -6 8 11- OCV 3 DCV 3 8 CON 10 -4 8 11- 8 BODY 10 -4 8 11- 13 INT 10 3 13 12- PER Roll 12- 10 EGO 10 0 10 11- ECV: 3 8 PRE 10 -2 8 11- PRE Attack: 1 1/2d6 8 COM 10 -1 8 11- 2 PD 2 0 2/12 2/12 PD (0/10 rPD) 2 ED 2 0 2/12 2/12 ED (0/10 rED) 3 SPD 1.8 12 3 Phases: 4, 8, 12 4 REC 4 0 4 16 END 16 0 16 16 STUN 16 0 16 5" Running 6 -2 5" 2" Swimming 2 0 2" 1 1/2"/0 1/2"" Leaping 2 0 1 1/2" -6 Total Characteristics Points EXPERIENCE POINTS Total earned: 0 Spent: 0 Unspent: 0 Base Points: 50 Disad Points: 50 Total Points: 100 MOVEMENT Type Total Run (6) 5" [10" NC] Swim (2) 2" [4" NC] H. Leap (2") 1 1/2" V. Leap (1") 0 1/2" APPEARANCE Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown Height: 5' 4" Weight: 200 lbs Description: Short, fat, soft, poorly groomed, wearing expensive but badly fitting street clothes. DEFENSES Type Amount Notes Physical Defense 2/12 Current BODY: Res. Phys. Defense 0/10 Energy Defense 2/12 Current END: Res. Energy Defense 0/10 Mental Defense 20 Current STUN: Power Defense 0 COMBAT INFORMATION OCV: 3 DCV: 3 Combat Skill Levels: +5 with Psionics Multipower COMBAT MANEUVERS Maneuver Phase OCV DCV Effect Block 1/2 +0 +0 Block, abort Brace 0 +2 1/2 +2 vs. Range Mod. Disarm 1/2 -2 +0 Can disarm Dodge 1/2 -- +3 Abort, vs. all attacks Grab 1/2 -1 -2 Grab two limbs Grab By 1/2 -3 -4 Move and Grab Haymaker 1/2* +0 -5 +4 DC attack damage Move By 1/2 -2 -2 STR/2 + v/5 Move Through 1/2 -v/5 -3 STR + v/3 Set 1 +1 +0 Ranged Attacks only Strike 1/2 +0 +0 STR or weapon COMBAT MODIFIERS Range 0-4 5-8 9-16 17-32 33-64 65-128 RMOD 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 POWERS Cost Power END 53 Psi-Powers: Multipower, 120-point reserve, all slots: Requires A Skill: Psionics Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll +0) (120 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect only affects the environment near the character -3/4), Concentration 0 DCV (-1/2) Notes: When Khalid fails to keep careful control of his powers, frightening and dangerous poltergeist phenomena can result. These range from telekinetic "ghosts" (summon) to wild swirls of psionic energy (change environment and/or telekinesis). These phenomena rarely directly effect Khalid. 3u 1) Psionic Mask: (Total: 60 Active Cost, 27 Real Cost) Shapeshift (Mental Group; Instant Change), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2) (15 Active Points) (Real Cost: 15) plus Force Field (18 Mental Defense), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (45 Active Points) (Real Cost: 45) Notes: I am nobody special. 3u 2) Sonokinetic / Eletrokinetic / Psyschomorphic Shield: Invisibility to Sight Group, Hearing Group, Mental Group, No Fringe, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2) (60 Active Points) Notes: Do not mind me. I am somebody else's problem. 3u 3) Telepathic Manipulation: Mind Control 2d6, Telepathic (+1/4), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Cumulative (x8 max.) (+1 1/4), Invisible Power Effects, Hide effects of Power (Fully Invisible; +2) (60 Active Points) Notes: You will be doing as I say now. 3u 4) Projective Telepathy: Mental Illusions 2d6, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Cumulative (x16 max.) (+1 1/2), Invisible Power Effects, Hide effects of Power (Fully Invisible; +2) (60 Active Points) Notes: Look at that over there! 3u 5) Telekinetic Bubble: (Total: 60 Active Cost, 26 Real Cost) Telekinetic Flight: Flight 10", Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2) (30 Active Points) (Real Cost: 30) plus Telekinetic Screen: Force Field (10 PD/10 ED), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2) (30 Active Points) (Real Cost: 30) Notes: Farewell and goodbye. 3u 6) Telepathy 2d6, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Cumulative (x16 max.) (+1 1/2), Invisible Power Effects, Hide effects of Power (Fully Invisible; +2) (60 Active Points) Notes: You can tell me your problems. 71 Total Powers Cost SKILLS Cost Name 11 Power: Psionics 15- 15 +5 with Psionics Multipower 2 PS: Criminal 11- 1 KS: Psionics 8- 2 KS: Metahuman World 11- 1 KS: Science Fiction 8- 3 Language: English (Hindi is native) (completely fluent) 35 Total Skills Cost DISADVANTAGES Cost Disadvantage 15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Very Common; Moderate) 10 Hunted: Menton 8- (Mo Pow; Watching; Extensive Non-Combat Influence) 15 Hunted: The Champions or other Hero group 8- (Mo Pow; Mildly Punish; Extensive Non-Combat Influence) Notes: There is no proof that Zardoz has used his mind control and other powers for illegal purposes, but some suspect the truth. 10 Hunted: PSI 8- (Mo Pow; Watching; Extensive Non-Combat Influence) 50 Total Disadvantages Cost Height: 5' 4" Hair: Brown Weight: 200 lbs Eyes: Brown Appearance: Short, fat, soft, poorly groomed, wearing expensive but badly fitting street clothes. Personality: Greedy, petty, lazy and undisciplined, Kalidas sees his powers as his ticket to the good life. They may well be. Unfortunately, he has once again come up with a plan that will inevitably involve him in conflict with Metahumans, a conflict in which he could easily get killed. He is starting to realize that. Kalidas has not yet started developing the paranoia and megalomania common among those with similar abilities, nor has his mother's early training in the virtues of living a moral life entirely left him. Under the right circumstances, he could yet become a monster, or reform, perhaps even join the heroes. Unless someone puts a bullet in him first. Quote:"Hello sir. How may I help you on this fine day.""Now you will be leaving, and you will not return." Background: The most dangerous man in the world stood behind the counter of the 8-10 mini-mart. The man in the trench coat looked him in the eye."Witchcraft rents an apartment under the name of Bethany Duquesne," said the dangerous man. "Here's the address." "Security?" "None. She has a cat named Sunshine. She thinks it's her familiar." "Good. Now..." "You won't kill me," said the dangerous man. "You'll pay me what you promised, and then you'll leave. You won't come back, and you won't attack me later." Surprised, the man in the trench coat did as he was told. Kalidas Gupta, the most dangerous man in the world, managed to keep from colapsing in terror until after Tachyon had left. There had to be a safer way to do this. He stepped over the unconcious body of the store clerk and waddled out of the building. Kalidas Gupta was born in New Delhi, India, to a middle class family struggling to make a better life for their children. Kalidas, much to his mother's disappointment, was neither clever nor aggressive, performing poorly in school and doing only the bare minimum of work when employed by one relative or another. Finally in disgust she packed Kalidas off to America. Perhaps there he would make a better life. He did. Kalidas discovered his talents in his late teens. Frightened by the destructive poltergeist phenomena that their use often provoked, he practiced them only in secret. In America he became bolder, quickly gaining skill. His mother wanted him to be a store clerk, or an office worker, perhaps slave before a computer all day, but Kalidas knew that his power could gain him easy money, everything he ever wanted. So he came upon the Plan... Taking the name Zardoz, Kalidas began a one man crime spree. He simply walked into banks, shops and strip clubs, waited a few minutes to build up control of his target, and demanded whatever he wanted. The Champions caught him in less than a week. He didn't have a chance. Nothing could be proved in court, and after he was released Khalid came up with a better plan. This time he quietly wandered into a bar he'd heard of and waited until a fat man in an expensive suit sat in a booth near the back. He then established control over the man and sold him the secret identity of Defender. Since then Khalid has stolen secrets right and left, selling them to any who might be willing to pay. His memory is not perfect, and his power isn't always reliable, but Khalid has made quite a mark in his short time as an information broker. Aware that he still isn't entirely suited to his chosen profession, and terrified of many of his clients, Khalid has heard of an agency for talented people called Enforcers Inc. Perhaps they might prove a safer source of contracts... Meanwhile, both PSI and Menton have heard of a surprisingly competent Telepath... Powers/Tactics: Zardoz can be shockingly effective in the right circumstances. He will normally conceal himself in a crowd, either using his S.E.P. shield (invisibility) to remain entirely unseen or his Psi-Mask to appear to be an innocent bystander. He will then start using his fully invisible telepathy on his target, building up the effect as long as possible, attempting to learn something of value for his customer. If hired as back-up, he will attempt to slowly gain control of the most powerful looking Brick or Energy protector. Once his control is established, he will send his puppet after any other mentalists and begin working on his next target. He will also use mental illusions to cause his targets to attack one-another. If he fears capture, Zardoz will flee invisible from the scene. If caught, he will surrender, then start working on the person who captured him until he has them fully under his control. Zardoz may use any two slots of his MP at once. Campaign Use: Zardoz can serve as a dirty trick or deus ex machina in most campaigns. He can provide the heroes darkest secrets to their most deadly foes, turn the tide of a battle while remaining unseen, arrange to free the most obviously guilty super-thug by sitting quietly in the back of the courtroom (remember, fully invisible power effects), and generally make the PCs believe they're up against Menton himself. Speaking of whom, when Menton, PSI or one of the heroes whose secrets he has stolen finally tracks Zardoz down, there will likely be interesting times for all concerned. Add fifty points to his stats, especially his speed and Ego, and Zardoz becomes dangerous in combat. Drop his psionic effects to 1d6 per phase and add double penetrating and he can pierce any mind shield. Raise his point totals to 350, remove the Concentration limit from his MP and add a few slots, and he could become a very powerful villain...or hero. Character created with Hero Designer (version 1.47)

Well done on Breakneck. The world's fastest purse snatcher.

Dr. Chau would be more than glad to encourage young Chinese Psionics to study the science of the Westerners. It was isolationism that allowed the West to temporarily gain a technological edge over his homeland. Of course, the families of these young Psionics would be granted many priviledges based on the continued success and loyalty of their children... Meanwhile Japan would doubtless have a string of successful schools for metahumans of it's own.

The relationship you have with the players makes all the difference in a game. I set limits as guidelines to let players know when their characters have "enough" of a given ability, and to let them know where they stand in relation to the campaign. If a player wants to create the worlds fastest man, that player should know roughly what the fastest Supers out there can currently do, and should be able to trust me not to stamp on his idiom (i.e. not to have him meet an even faster speedster in every adventure). OTOH if a good player comes up with a good concept that goes past those limits, we should be able to work something out. And if the character doesn't work, I can always drop an asteroid on him.

Re: Re: 100 Con for The Machine?!? Now you're making me wonder if I should upgrade one of my 100 point supers to the point where he could hold out against a Standard Hero...

Currently I'm happy with a very standard superhero set-up, 350 points for a hero, around 8-12 DC for most attacks, specialists allowed up to 16DC. I'm also fairly flexible about character design, with the standard caveats; 1) Your Limits Mean Something. If you have restrainable PD and ED defined as rolling with the blow, expect to run into situations where you can't roll with it. Buy all of your stats from Power Armor and expect to run into situations where you're caught without it. And those nasty -1 Side Effects will hit you eventually. 2) Your Disads Mean Something. I only allow one or two Hunteds and one Watched, because that's how many I can keep track of. No, you can't get points for double damage from "Kelverite" Weapons, as I don't have any NPCs who are likely to carry them. Double Damage From Silver is on the other hand fine for a Werewolf. 3) Adult Gaming Is Not (Only) About Naughty Tentacles. My campaigns are character driven, and I only game with a small group of friends. If a player starts trying to turn it into a hack fest, we'll talk it over. If he doesn't like the game's style, he can GM next time, or just not participate. In the few pick up games I've run recently, I handed out pre-made characters; that cut down considerably on most abusive design tactics. I've also run 100, 150, and 600 point Champions campaigns that were a blast to play. A good game is always much more about the players than the ground rules.

Doesn't matter, so long as they let the team slap the handcuffs on before the strip-search.

Doh! I was thinking of the old organization from Dr.Who. Sorry.

United Nations Inteligence Taskforce iirc. But my group would scare villains more.

Unbelieveably Naughty Teens In Leather.

Hermit, well done on Prof. Anasai. Meanwhile, in the fractured land that once was China... Chau Sing-chi has been called many things in the west. When he fought the British opium peddlars who had fractured his country they called him a criminal, naming him Doctor Manchu in their ridiculous fictions. When he fought the Japanese as they raped an pilliaged their way through his beloved Manchuria the westerners called him "rebel" and "monster." Later, when the Japanese turned on their American masters the Americans tried to name him "Ally," but the brilliant Doctor, still young and strong despite nearly one hundred years of war, would have none of it. Now in 2003 "Doctor Chau" uses his mastery of Kung-Fu, western science and Chinese magic to hold together all of Southern China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Communists still hold the North and trade through the free city of Shanghai, and petty Chi-fueled warlords holds much of the country's center, but Dr. Chau is not discouraged. His immortal life is dedicated to one China, one Emperor, and he will achieve that dream.

All good ideas. The first gives a more silver age feel, and the second raises another question: Is there magic, and if so how is it different from whatever other sources of power heroes have? Personally I favor all magic, Psionics are Magic, or No Magic settings to settings that try and draw a distinction between Psi and Magic, but that's just the sci-fi fan in me.