OddHat

There's a long tradition of super-heroes "reforming" villains with mind control (Doc Savage performed brain surgery on them), and a long tradition in four color universes of the police being completely incompetent when it comes to keeping even known killers in jail for more than a few days (any silver age Batman villain). It's the sex slaves thing that makes this character 100% a villain.

A 6d6HA with Double Knockback, O end, Focus: Staff used by someone with 30 STR would do 12d6 damage and average 17 inches of knockback. That's quite a nasty attack for only 47 points real cost (27 for the staff, 20 for the str). IIRC, HA allows a number of dice of STR damage equal to the number of dice in the HA to use advantages other than O end for "free." Checked this in the FAQ a few weeks ago.

Re: The Rough Mechanicals Excellent book! His Expecting Someone Taller, Faust Among Equals, and Who's Afraid of Beowulf? were also very good. Any of them would make a good setting for a tongue-in-cheek Champions campaign.

A martial arts weapons multipower is often a good choice. Add a slot with the focus "weapon of oportunity" and you can simulate an ability to fight with anything you can grab. A weapons element for your MA might be appropriate. Don't buy more than one or two Strikes; from a point efficiency point of view, it's much better to specialize. Extra DC for your MA are useful, but if you find yourself sinking points into PD or REC you might want to consider just purchasing more STR instead. Combat Luck is useful if your character isn't going to be (a) wearing armor or ( equipped with some other resistant defenses. As to the purifying-the-couch ritual, the cheap way to do it would be a cosmetic transformation attack, or maybe even just a change environment. That wouldn't stop Clairsentience from working on the object, but it would allow for an in-game explanation of why your character is no longer being bothered by it; a special effect to counter a special effect. Making objects invisible to clairsentience would be fairly expensive.

http://www.irishabroad.com/yourroots/mythology/ Fin MacCumhail. Can leap thirty miles at a bound, high STR, DEX, and Speed, some INT skills and/or an INT boost based on sucking his thumb, followers, more. See Here: http://www.irishabroad.com/yourroots/mythology/olstory.asp?article=1864132

Background/History: Herman Finkle, comic book store owner, has spent his life delving into the mysteries of the occult. Well, actually he's spent most of his life delving into the mysteries of comic book and sci-fi fandom, but in his spare time the occult has definitely been a top priority. His big break came when he answered an add for Master Kalzor's Real Magic Kit from an old Issue of Amazing Tales of Blood. The kit worked! Overnight Herman became Zardoz, Master of Magic! The world...remained unimpressed. Herman did manage to attract the attention of both Demon and the police. Demon made him an offer he didn't want to refuse, and the police frightened the beejeezus out of him. Herman converted his Comic Book store into a Comic Book and Occult Goods Emporium and decided to continue his quest for that which man was not meant to know a bit more quietly. Personality/Motivation: Think the Simpson's Comic Book Store guy as an Occult Book Shop owner. Herman willingly serves Demon and any magician who can teach him anything at all, talks endlessly with anyone he can about his theories, loves attention, and would sell his own mother's soul to the devil for a complete set of mint condition 1326 Talismans of Abu-Akaar. Quote: "Please, call me Zardoz, Master of Magic, Knower of secrets, Mighty and powerful...where are you going?" "Don't hurt me!" Powers/Tactics: Surprisingly competent outside of combat, Herman can use an endless array of minor magics to make the lives of those he dislikes very unpleasant. In combat (which he wishes to avoid at all costs), Herman will assume a body of mist and flee at the first opportunity. Campaign Use: Perfect as a snitch or contact in the occult world, Herman could also be used as a minor league enemy. Appearance: Short, fat, bald. Always wears oversize black T-shirts and jeans.

Next Up: Creepy Book Store Owner ZARDOZ Herman Finkle Player: Val Char Cost 10 STR 0 10 DEX 0 10 CON 0 10 BODY 0 13 INT 3 14 EGO 8 10 PRE 0 10 COM 0 2 PD 0 2 ED 0 2 SPD 0 4 REC 0 20 END 0 20 STUN 0 6" RUN02" SWIM02" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 11 Cost Power END 56 Variable Power Pool (Magic Pool), 40 base + 16 control cost (60 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available Slightly Limited (-1/4) [Notes: All of Herman's Spells require at least a -1 limitation, usually in the form of Extra Time, Concentration, Gestures, and Incantations. ] 0 1) Zardoz's Mighty Path of Mist: Desolidification (affected by Fire, Wind, Magic) (40 Active Points); 1 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute each (-1), Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-1/2) Real Cost: 16 0 2) Zardoz's Clever Un-see-able-ness: Invisibility to Sight Group, No Fringe, Reduced Endurance 1/2 END (+1/4) (37 Active Points); Concentration 0 DCV (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) Real Cost: 18 1 0 3) Magic Circle of Protection: Force Wall (7 PD/7 ED; 2" long and 2" tall), 1 Continuing Charges lasting 6 Hours each (+0) (39 Active Points); Extra Time 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power (-1/2), Character May Take No Other Actions (-1/4), Only Works Against Limited Type Of Attack Limited Type of Attack (-1/2), Restricted Shape (-1/4) Real Cost: 16 [Notes: Only blocks attacks by Demons, Spirits, and Summoned creatures] 0 4) Meet Girls Through Hypnosis: Mind Control 6d6, Telepathic (+1/4) (37 Active Points); Eye Contact Required (-1/2), Concentration 0 DCV (-1/2) Real Cost: 18 [Notes: Good for forcing kinda wimpy people to do one's will.] 4 0 5) Summon Demon: Summon 200-point (40 Active Points); Concentration 0 DCV (-1/2), Character is totally unaware of nearby events (-1/4), Strong-Willed +2 on EGO Rolls (-1/4) Real Cost: 20 [Notes: This spell calls forth a relatively powerful and difficult to controll Demon. ] 4 0 6) Calling Forth Helpful Spirit: Summon 115-point, Amicable Devoted (+3/4) (40 Active Points); Extra Time 1 Minute, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power (-3/4), Character May Take No Other Actions (-1/4) Real Cost: 20 [Notes: This spell summons an extremely minor spirit that will cheerfully do the bidding of its master. Good for impressing the chix and getting the house cleaned.] 4 Powers Cost: 56 Cost Skill 2 PS: Store Owner 11- 3 PS: Magician (INT-based) 12- 3 Inventor: Magic Spells 12- 3 Trading 11- 2 SS: Magic Theory 11- 3 Linguist 1 1) Language: Latin (basic conversation; literate) (2 Active Points) 1 2) Language: Greek (basic conversation; literate) (2 Active Points) 1 3) Language: Klingon (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points) 3 Scholar 1 1) KS: The Occult World (2 Active Points) 11- 1 2) KS: Occult History (2 Active Points) 11- 1 3) KS: Comic Books and Science Fiction (2 Active Points) 11- Skills Cost: 25 Cost Perk 5 Money: Well Off 3 Fringe Benefit: Member of Demon: Membership Perks Cost: 8 Total Character Cost: 100 Val Disadvantages 15 Hunted: Demon 8- (Mo Pow; Watching; Extensive Non-Combat Influence; PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find) 15 Hunted: Law Enforcement Agencies 8- (Mo Pow; Watching; Extensive Non-Combat Influence; PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find) [Notes: As a known Demon member, Herman is often under the eye of law enforcement agencies.] 15 Psychological Limitation: Obsessed with that which man was not meant to know (Common; Strong) 5 Reputation: Real Deal Occultist 11- (Known Only To A Small Group) [Notes: Known in the Occult World and to law enforcement agencies] Disadvantage Points: 50 Base Points: 50 Experience Required: 0 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0

Thanks Tiger, looks excellent. How would you use him in a campaign? DNPC love interest for a heroine? Joker-Ace thief in a Wild Cards game?

I'd just buy 5 or 10 penalty skill levels for dex skills, or even just for Acrobatics. That should let him perform any of the tasks you've mentioned.

I like a real-world-with-powers setting. In my longest running campaign, I ended up with: The Meta-Affairs Division. Every municipal police force that can afford it maintains a few metahuman cops (usually low-powered) and a group of highly trained normals with heavy weapons. They're theoretically answerable on the federal level to... The MIB (Metahuman Investigative Bureau) with their signature black-suited metahumans and extremely well trained normals. The MIB attract most of the higher powered civic minded supers that don't end up working in private industry or for the military. The CIA, FBI (which theoretically oversees the MIB), Army, Navy, Airforce, NSA, and Secret Service all have their own Metahumans as well. Most of these Metas are low powered, but all are well trained and (where necessary) well armed.

Good point this. Remember Demise from the Wildcards books? Killed people by looking in their eyes. The police could never convict him, as they couldn't prove he'd been involved.

Sorry, I'm still a little new at this web boards thing. I yearn for Usenet.

Background/History: Trainer Dan was a wannabe, and he knew it. Not quite smart enough to get to the top in the hard sciences, not quite good enough to get to the top in bodybuilding, not quite shrewd enough to get to the top in business. He just couldn't succeed, but not for lack of trying. Step by step he slipped out of academia and into petty victimless crime, eventually making a good living as a steroid guru, helping athletes and bodybuilders prepare for competition and beat the drug tests. That might have been his life, but then... DNP. It was potentially deadly, but a legal herbal form might be the key to a billion dollar weight-loss empire! Tribulous testeratis. A natural testosterone booster. Together they could be the bodybuilder's legal dream stack! Add a little tiger's penis, some bull's testicle, some fungus, monkey semen, creatine, ribose, this that and the other...Dan plotted and planned, brewed and schemed, mixed and matched, and finally came up with The Juice! It would make him rich, but first, it would make him huge! Dan was right about the "Hyooge" part. Dan sunk all of his cash into an infomercial for the perfectly legal Juice, and demonstrated the Amazing Powers it had granted him in exciting and only slightly edited before and after shots. Millions of dollars poured in! A half dozen more people became Hyooge...and several dozen died. Three exploded. Dan was ruined. All of his money went to paying lawyers and settlements, and his chances of breaking into the supplement main stream were shot. Currently Dan works for bodybuilders and athletes again, and tries to figure out what went wrong with The Juice. One day, he will be rich again. Personality/Motivation: Trainer Dan wants nothing more than to be rich, loved, and respected. Mostly rich. If he can get what he wants legally, great. If not, well, he can deal with that... Quote: "Now with twice the power!" Powers/Tactics: Dan is a simple soul. If forced into combat, he'll grow as large as he can and hit somebody. Not very sophisticated, but it works more often than you'd think. Campaign Use: Dan makes an excellent surprise for heroes who break into a villain's secret lab. Dan could also show up working for an NPC hero or villain team as a trainer, or as an independant "hero" promoting a new product. His temper will eventually get him in trouble; at that point the heroes might be asked to bring in a very large science geek. To make Dan more powerful, a "Drugs" VPP gadget pool would fit the character. Next Challenge: An Indian (i.e. from India) super with powers that have nothing to do with Hindu Mythology or Tantric Magic.

TRAINER DAN Dan Conte Player: Val Char Cost 30/80 STR 20 14 DEX 12 28 CON 36 18/23 BODY 16 13 INT 3 11 EGO 2 20 PRE 10 20 COM 5 12/41 PD 6 12/41 ED 6 4 SPD 16 12 REC 0 56 END 0 48/53 STUN 1 6" RUN02" SWIM06"/16" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 133 Cost Power END 72 Rock Hard Muscle: Armor (24 PD/24 ED) 25 Long Term Side Effects: Healing 1 BODY (Can Heal Limbs, Resurrection), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (70 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2) 31 Pump Me Up: Density Increase (3200 kg mass, +25 STR, +5 PD/ED, -5" KB), Reduced Endurance 1/2 END (+1/4) (31 Active Points) 1 31 I'm Huge: Growth (+25 STR, +5 BODY, +5 STUN, -5" KB, -2 DCV, +2 PER Rolls to perceive character, 4 m tall, 2 m wide, 3,193 kg mass), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (31 Active Points) 2 Powers Cost: 159 Cost Skill 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Training 13- 3 Persuasion 13- 3 Seduction 13- 9 +3 with Steroid and Bodybuilding Skills 15 +5 with Puch, Grab, and Throw 5 Inventor 13- 3 Scientist 1 1) SS: Steroid Pharmacology (2 Active Points) 11- 1 2) SS: Pharmacology (2 Active Points) 11- 1 3) SS: Biology (2 Active Points) 11- 1 4) SS: Physiology (2 Active Points) 11- 1 5) SS: Body Building (2 Active Points) 11- 1 6) SS: Dietary Supplements (2 Active Points) 11- Skills Cost: 50 Cost Perk 5 Money: Well Off 3 Reputation (A small to medium sized group; 8-) +3/+3d6 Perks Cost: 8 Total Character Cost: 350 Val Disadvantages 20 Hunted: US Law Enforcement 11- (Mo Pow; Watching; Extensive Non-Combat Influence; PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find) 5 Reputation: Steroid dealing Super 8- 10 Reputation: That guy from the Infomercial! 11- 10 Physical Limitation: Needs daily doses of illegal drugs or severe withdrawl symptoms (Infrequently; Greatly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Very Common; Moderate) 20 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident (Very Common; Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Compulsive Conman (Very Common; Moderate) 10 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Drugs (Uncommon) 10 Distinctive Features: Huge Buff Bodybuilder (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 5 Dependent NPC: Bodybuilder Girlfriend of the week 8- (Normal; Useful noncombat position or skills) 15 Social Limitation: Public ID (Frequently; Major) 15 Enraged: If challenged or insulted (Very Common), go 8-, recover 14- Disadvantage Points: 150 Base Points: 200 Experience Required: 0 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0

Just an opinion, but in most of the USA in the Real World, you're justified in using deadly force in rightful defense of yourself or another. If the thugs were pointing machine guns at civilians and threatening to use them, anything up to killing them would be legal, though you might have to go into court and testify over it. If the thugs threw down the guns or ran away and were then attacked, then the thugs would have a good legal case to bring against the heroes. Excessive force isn't an issue as long as the thugs are pointing guns. Still, your campaign is your campaign. Do as you will.

In pure rules terms, it seems to me that you'd need to spend the points for "may not be escaped through teleportation" and "may not be escaped through desolidification" if you wanted the effect. GM's call and all, but that's how I'd call it.

Background/History: "Big Red" Mark Carter was born and raised in the great state of Texas. A good boy with a temper and none too bright, he might have gotten into trouble if it weren't for his love of trucks. He became a trucker, and not a bad one. One night while driving a load from Atlanta to Pitsburgh, PA things went wrong for Mark, way wrong. A couple of supers were pounding the heck out of each other in the road. Mark stopped in time, and stayed to watch. He couldnt believe it when one of the freaks lifted his truck and threw it at the other. He couldn't believe he survived. He couldn't believe it when he crawled ot of the wreck bigger, stronger, and tougher than any normal man. Finally, he couldn't believe it when the freak who'd thrown his truck one punched him into unconciousness. Mark is back on the road again, trying to live a normal life, trying not to be bitter, and most of all trying to convince the insurance company to stop hounding him for the costs of replacing his old truck. Personality/Motivation: Mark would love to be a Super-Hero. Heck, he'd love to be a Super-Villain. Unfortunately, his few attempts to go one on one with Supers have taught him that he doesn't have what it takes. He doesn't have the brains or people skills to be a cop, he doesn't want to be a thug, and so he goes on driving. He hopes to one day find a way to use his strength to make his living, but he hasn't found it yet. Quote: "You ain't half my size boy! Back down before you get hurt!" Powers/Tactics: Big Red will usually open with a PRE attack, assisted by breaking something. Against ordinary folks this is often effective; he is after all 7 feet of solid muscle. Supers and trained fighters are rarely impressed.

First Up: Big Red BIG RED Mark Carter Player: Val Char Cost 30 STR 20 11 DEX 3 13 CON 6 12 BODY 4 10 INT 0 10 EGO 0 15 PRE 5 10 COM 0 6/18 PD 0 3/9 ED 0 3 SPD 9 9 REC 0 26 END 0 34 STUN 0 6" RUN02" SWIM06" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 47 Cost Power END 27 Tough Hide: Armor (12 PD/6 ED) 9 Heals Damn Quick: Healing 1 BODY, Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (20 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4) Powers Cost: 36 Cost Skill 2 PS: Truck Driver 11- 3 Mechanics 11- 6 +2 with any three maneuvers or a tight group of attacks 2 Language: Spanish (fluent conversation) 2 AK: American Highways 11- 2 AK: American Cities 11- Skills Cost: 17 Total Character Cost: 100 Val Disadvantages 10 Distinctive Features: Bright Red Skin (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Psychological Limitation: Boastful (Common; Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence (Common; Moderate) 10 Enraged: When Insulted (Common), go 8-, recover 14- 10 Physical Limitation: 7' tall, 300 pounds (Frequently; Slightly Impairing) Disadvantage Points: 50 Base Points: 50 Experience Required: 0 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0

This idea is stollen from the old GURPS boards, and has probably been done here before. The Challenge: What kind of Supers can be made for 50 base points + no more than 50 points in Disadvantages. No selling characteristics back for extra points, and every character should have at least one or two skills they could use to make a living. Use of Such Characters: These characters can be used as competent normal DNPCs, colorful agents and/or thugs, minor NPC villains and heroes, minions of tougher characters or as the basis for a very low powered campaign. Any takers?

Rules Question: You have the VPP set up to change as a half phase action, but you don't have "does not require skill roll," and you didn't buy a "speedster tricks" skill. Unless I'm missing something in the VPP rules it looks like he'll be rolling against a characteristic -4 every time he wants to switch tricks. I'd go with the MP instead.

It happens to everyone. Some things I've found useful: 1. Keep the character's background story short and clear. Anything over two or three paragraphs is going to be tough for your fellow gamers to keep straight anyway, and probably more than they want to hear. Write more fiction about your character later, after the sheet has been written up. 2. Keep powers and skills concistent with the background story, and resist the urge to make characters who can do everything. Specialists are usually more interesting anyway. 3. Know the campaign limits and stick to them. 4. Don't plan for every possible situation. Batman has lasted 60+ years without an Affects Desolidified Objects Area of Effect: Radius Sellective Effect Bat-Grenade. Your character doesn't need one either. 5. Batman could run back to his lab and make the above weapon. Make use of low power Gadget Pools and similar structures when building characters who really do need to be able to pull new tricks out of their hat in every game. 6. Similarly, remember that a few 1 or 2 point knowledge or profesional skills plus a few skill levels can represent a characters history just as well as giving him every skill he could possibly need. Example; PS: Private Eye by itself is more than enough to cover the real world work done by most PIs. That plus two or three investigative skills is a much more point effecient build for a PI than giving him every investigative skill in the book, unless being Mr.Everyskill was the character concept from the start.

IMO, if the mind stays the same then it's OIHID. Banner into the Hulk under the current rules might be a multiform; most of the time in the comics they weren't the same person. Pietor Rasputin into Colosus looks like OIHID; same person, powers only work when he's made of metal. Beast Boy into his beast forms is probably Multiform, but you could still do it as a bunch of powers with OIHID and different special effects. Captain Trips into his different super-forms is definitely Multiform. Multiform saves you a ton of points, and lets you ignore some of the campaign limits if the GM permits it. OIHID saves fewer points, but you don't have to keep re-buying your skills and the design is simpler.

Re: Exactly If you don't like his rules, you can always GM your own campaign. ;-) That said, when building a campaign world you should ask yourself how powerful the characters are and how many characters that powerful there are in the setting. In four color worlds that's less important; every frickin' hero in the world can live in the same city. In a more "realistic" game you have to ask how many Avengers level characters you want wandering around. The 1 in a million rule leaves you with 6000 "supers" in the world; yet in most comic book worlds supers are constantly running into eachother in the supermarket. The demographics are screwy. That's why I like the 1 in 10,000 rule and plenty of very low-end supers. It creates the potential for comic-book conventions like super powered street gangs without having to worry about why the heck they're earning a few thousand a month through petty theft when their powers could be making them filthy rich legitimately. Personally I don't charge points for real-tech beyond the wealth needed to buy it and perks points, but that's the GMs call. Want a cool mansion? Buy enough wealth to pay for it. Same with your car or your (realistic) gun collection. House rules. R2D2 is tougher; how much of a robot or android is a 0 point trait and how much needs to be paid for will vary by campaign.

Re: Spider-Man How do you want to write him up? What stage of his career? What are you going to make him pay for and what does he get by GM fiat? The Spidey just out of high-school with low-level Super-Characteristics or the movie Spidey could be done on 350 points or less, so long as you set everyone's Dex and Speed low enough to leave Spidey near the top end. Try to give him every skill and power he's displayed over the 40+ years since the character first appeared and you'll probably need to spend over 500 points.

13. Wronged Rebel out for vengence. Doesn't matter if the crimes committed against his people are real or imagined, but more pathos if the crimes were real. Add to any of the above archtypes. Example: Last member of an exterminated race, Leader of a slave rebellion, Terrorist defender of an oppressed people. 14. Messiah, out to save us all whether we want it or not and punish the wicked. Sub-group for a sci-fi campaign: Intergalactic Crusaders or religious fanatics ("No one expects the Xulcavian Inquisition").