Marcus Impudite

It's another fine day in Campaign City when you notice two men in ski masks, carrying shotguns, rush into a nearby convenience store; very likely intent on robbing the place. Only a few seconds later, the two robbers run back out of the store without their weapons, fleeing as if from something big and menacing. Shortly after, Pedro, the store owner's pet chihuahua, emerges giving chase, barking and growling at them all the way. WWYCD?

Meh. I'll give 7th a look if and when it's ever published. 5th Ed comes as close to my ideal system as any edition of Hero ever has, and 6th shortly thereafter went in exactly the wrong direction as far as I'm concerned. If 7th fails to make a favorable impression on me, I'll naturally be sticking with 5th Ed.

Q: What was that thing that just came out of the ground and ate the mailman? A: Kali Linux

Maybe Reid Richards made it? He's created some pretty weird contraptions and gizmos in his time...

Q: You still using that surefire pickup line of yours? A: Normally I'd make a drinking game of something like this, but I'd rather not to die of alcohol poisoning.

Q: Do you think it'd be okay for me to marry Paris Hilton? A: Jar Jar Binks being tossed out an airlock.

I like how you think.

Perhaps it would depend on the size of the banks in question? The smaller local banks and credit unions probably wouldn't care to spend the money on upgraded units as some have already pointed out, though the bigger banks might consider it if too many of theirs get smashed up in too short a time and someone makes a strong enough case for it at the next meeting.

Going through my copy of Villain Amok recently, I took a look at the stats listed for an ATM machine in bank robberies section of the book and had a thought: While 4 BODY and 5 DEF is definitely nothing to sneeze at in our reality (and I do realize those stats are meant to be what most ATM machines would realistically have), in a world that for some time has had people running around who can launch devastatingly powerful bolts of energy from their hands and/or bench press 18-wheelers, wouldn't you think the companies that make ATMs might at least consider ways of making their products a bit tougher? Hell, even someone like Pulsar could become a nightmare for the banks if he went around blasting their ATMs open and stealing all the cash inside. Not to mention, on top of all the stolen money, I don't imagine it would be cheap to repair/replace (replace seems more likely) a machine that's been breached by said supercriminal. Any thoughts?

Q: Do you think hotel manager is on to our scheme to steal all the towels? A: I am nowhere near drunk enough to suspend my disbelief on something like this.

Q: What did the reviewer mean when he said the new Terminator movie would be a blast? A: Apparently, the new password is, "Open the damned door, you asshat".

Q: Who would be better at reading and understanding the Constitution than all the politicians in Washington D.C.? A: You're clumsy, you're reckless, and you cloak yourself in false bravado... dispatching you will be a trifle matter.

Q: What do you think of Miley Cyrus? A: That was less of a "Fus Ro Dah!" and more of a "Fus Ro D'oh!"

Looking at Black's sheet, I'm amazed none of his underlings have pulled a Starscream on him yet; 150-point VPP or not. Cut him off from any supplies of human sacrifices he may have, wait for him to run out of mana, and then trash the life support machines that are keeping him alive; that would be the end of him PDQ.

Q: Why is it so cloudy and gloomy today? A: We have one in back, but I think it's broken.

Politians are like diapers: both need to be changed frequently, and usually for the same reason...

Let's say some group built them a base with fenced in grounds in what used to be an industrial area far outside the city proper. In eight (8) strategic locations on the base's grounds are sentry turrets that can rotate a full 360 degrees. For each of these turrets there's an operator's station in the security office; i.e., a person sits at a station and controls that particular turret and its armaments remotely. Each turret is armed with a gun that can fire either regular bullets or rubber bullets (controlled by a selector switch on the operator's joystick), and a net launcher with four (4) capture nets. Each turret also has a loudspeaker and a searchlight the operator can use. There are clearly posted warning signs about the turrets on every section of the fence and the gates, in multiple languages. Always assuming these turrets would even be legal to set up on the property in the first place (admittedly it does sound iffy), could there be any significant legal issues with using them against would-be intruders attempting to break into the facility?

At last, I'll be able to wrestle that queen xenomorph

40......Bureaucracy-Themed Weapons: Multipower, 60-point reserve; OIF (Multiple OAFs; -½) 3u......1) Red Tape Gun: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF; OAF (-1), 10 Charges (-¼) 2u......2) Ink Bottle(?)-Shaped Grenades: EB 8d6, Explosion (+½); OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 3u......3) Flurry Of Paperwork: Darkness To Sight Group, 6" Radius; OAF (large stacks of paper;-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 15 Charges (-0) Total: 47-points.

Or an HKA papercut... The Darkness idea sounds good, I'll work with it and put in the MP.

This is for a wacky theme villain on the drawing board (we'll call him "The Bureaucrat" for right now). Each device may be up to 60 Active Points (they're going to all be ultra slots in a Multipower) and 5th Ed write-ups are prefered (though I can probably reverse engineer 6th write-ups if I must). I already created the most obvious weapon, the infamous "Red Tape Gun" (Entangle, OAF, Charges), for this arsenal and I'll also be giving him some grenades shaped like something else bureaucracy-related (ink bottles? better suggests definately welcome for this one); I just need ideas for the remaining 3-4 bureaucracy-themed devices. Thus far, the Multipower looks like this (I'd add in the suggestions I like best as the thread progresses): 40......Bureaucracy-Themed Weapons: Multipower, 60-point reserve; OIF (Multiple OAFs; -½) 3u......1) Red Tape Gun: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF; OAF (-1), 10 Charges (-¼) 2u.......2) Ink Bottle(?)-Shaped Grenades: EB 8d6, Explosion (+½); OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) Total: 44-points.

Okay, you've piqued my curiousity. Who are your PCs, and in particular, which one of them is the heavily armed psychokiller who's a closet Brony?

Your character and some associates managed to sneak into the headquarters of a villain team while they were all out. Most of what you find is fairly standard villain base stuff, though you have had the unique opportunity to explore their living quarters... Room #1: This room is kind of spartan: the bed and other furnishings are nothing too fancy. There's a mini-refridgerator and microwave in one corner, and the fridge is stock mostly with beer. On brackets on one wall is a HUGE collection of pistols, rifles, and heavier weapons. A computer on the nearby desk is a Windows machine and mostly has first-person shooter games installed on it. A notebook next to the computer is full of photos of people with Xs drawn through their faces in red marker and the words "BOOM! HEADSHOT!" also written in red block letters on them. In the closet are assorted casual civillian clothes, old military uniforms, and (surprisingly enough) a small collection of My Little Pony toys and paraphenalia pushed way far into the back of the upper shelf. Room #2: This room seems to have been furnished as the boudoir of a seductress: Black satin sheets on the bed, mood lighting, and a luxurious en suite bath with its own jacuzzi. A sound system in the room seems to be playing Enigma's The Principles Of Lust in perpetuity from the moment you entered. The closet and dressers are mostly stocked with lingerie and sleepwear from Victoria's Secret. Tucked away in the bottom drawer of one dresser is a collection of handcuffs, riding crops, and other *ahem* "adult toys". Room #3: This room is bone-chilling cold, the walls are painted an icy blue, and the floor has white carpet. One whole wall consists of a mural of a frozen tundra, polar bears, and an igloo. In place of a bed is what looks like a cryogenic chamber of some sort. Gathered around the cryo-pod is a collection of plushie penguins and snowmen. Some dangerously sharp icicles are hanging down from the ceiling above. Room #4: This room features a MASSIVE electronic entertainment center taking up one whole wall from from floor to ceiling. Several shelves around the room hold an equally impressive collection of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray Discs. If you pick up the remote sitting on the bed and press the power button, you will damned nearly be blown to the opposite side of the room by the huge, powerful speakers. Room #5: This room has a lot of Victorian Era furnishings, shelves stocked with an entire library of old books, and a fireplace. An old Victrola is on a small table next to a high-backed dark leather chair. Several trophy heads of wild animals (mostly from Africa) are mounted on one wall, along with numerous old black and white photos of a man in safari gear and a monicle standing victorious over various game animals he's shot with a long rifle. What group of villains live here? WWYCD?

The whole point of the Perk is that the character has indeed spoken to the "off-shore guru" and already has the secret account (or accounts) set up. As stated above, the minuses from each level applies against whatever Skill rolls (Forensic Accounting, etc.) the authorities would use to try and find and freeze the account. In other words, the more secure the account is against being found and seized, the more points the Perk costs. It's related to but not necessarily part of the Money Perk as the character may not have put all of his/her money into that one secret account. Hell, it's not unheard of for someone to have multiple such accounts so if one of them gets compromised by investigators, they won't lose everything (i.e., the character spent points for more than one such Perk and put small portions of their overall money into each account for safe keeping, "don't put all your eggs in one basket" and all that jazz). As for what kind of campaign this Perk is for, all I'm at liberty to say is it's a world with a lot of shady dealings going on. Let's say for the sake of this discussion that a Caymen Islands Bank Account is 3-points and gives a -3 for purposes of the assets put into it being discovered and siezed, and we'll go ahead and say a Swiss Bank Account is 2-points and gives a -2 for purposes of being discovered and sieze (it's a well estabished fact that the Caymen bankers make their Swiss counterparts look like stool pigeons), how would other forms of Anonymous Holdings measure up? Would, for example, a Cryptocurrency Wallet realistically be more secure or less secure than the Swiss and Caymen accounts?

The idea is a character who takes this Perk has stashed a portion or all of his/her money in some form of anonymous holdings (i.e., Swiss Bank Account, Caymen Islands Bank Account, Cryptocurrency Wallet, etc.). It would be costed based on how well hidden the account would be from tax authorities, each level of the Perk giving a -1 vs. the Skill rolls said authorities would bring to bear in an effort to find and freeze the account. I first need to decide what is a fair cost per Level and second need some good real world bench marks for the Perk (what level would a Swiss Bank Account likely be? How would the Caymen Islands Account and The Cryptocurrency Wallet compare?) Thoughts?