Jump to content

Bloodstone

HERO Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    7,790

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Bloodstone

  1. Resistant mental defense?

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Resistant mental defense?

     

    Same here. The only time in my life I'd ever even heard of the idea of Resistant Mental Defense was in reference to a game of the powergamiest powergamers that ever powergamed a game of power. A 4e game where 250 point characters could' date=' and would, drop the high-end write-up of Dr. Destroyer. And that's solo, not as a team.[/quote']

     

    The RKA, BOECV, Does Body back in 5E never seemed like anything out of the ordinary to me. It was even an example in the books.

     

    So Resistant Mental Defense wasn't all that uncommon in my games. We have several characters that have it.

     

    By contrast, I have never seen a build that would target Resistant Flash Defense that didn't trigger my GMing Danger Sense...

  3. Would you allow this?

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Would you allow this?

     

    Yes, I would allow it. I would give some fair warnings to the player that it may, at times, be frustrating though.

     

    But there's also going to be times when the villians will go out of their way trying to harm him, just to prove that it can be done, thus playing right into his shtick. There will be plenty of guys that are too stupid to realize just how toguh the palyer is (your Grond/Ogre types). Others simply won't know him by reputation and will have to figure out that he can't be harmed through trial and error.

     

    I've seen more than my fair share of Immortal/Invulnerable types in comics - Britt, Buterball and to a lesser degree guys like the Mr Immortal or your typical Highlander knockoff. You also have Bulletproof over in Galactic Champions as an example form the books, thoguh I don't think he has all the exoitc defenses covered. A lot of those types seem to end up being leader/skill monkey as well (especially if they have age and experience on their side).

     

    Did the character in question have any skills of note or did he spend all his points on being "invulnerable"? If the former, he could easily fill several roles out of combat...

  5. Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

     

    Oh' date=' from the reaction we got to people expressing a wish for more LGBT representation in published character write-ups I think there would be a handful of forum members who'd go on foaming-at-the-mouth rants about what an outrage and betrayal it is that a risqué thread not catering to their particular heterosexual white male demographic was posted. But thankfully they're an extreme minority, and I imagine most folks here would have a live-and-let-live reaction despite having no interest in the subject matter.[/quote']

     

    Good point. I should have said "I doubt many posters here..."

  7. Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

     

    Given the lack of a' date=' "gun guys" thread, the borderline-pornographic nature of some of the pictures, and the, "Ooh-lala!" vibe I get from the responses to said pictures, then I feel confident in saying that [b']yes, it is sexist[/b].

     

    Ok, I'll bite... In what way is it sexist?

     

    Keep in mind that the woman that raised me was cast in the sexually liberal feminist mold, so my views on sex aren't exactly of the puritan variety to begin with...

     

    Personally, I don't see the lack of a "gun guys" thread as an indication of sexism. The forum population is overwhelmingly heterosexual males. I doubt anyone here would object if such a thread were started, but if I had to guess, it would probably get way less traffic...Mind you, I'm not actually sure that the straight ladies or our homosexual male posters necessarily desire to see the combo of guns and hot dudes, but that's besides the point. If such a thread (or any similar beefcake themed thread) were created and then trolled, that would be an indication of sexism in my eyes.

     

    "Borderline-pornographic" is also not an indication of sexism, it's just an indication of sexality. A woman in a burka is potentially way more sexist than a woman in a bikini.

    There's plenty of very tame/respectable pictures in that thread, including ones like this:

     

    your-comment-about-the-kitchen-your-comment-about-the-kitche-demotivational-poster-1272358354.jpg

     

    Now I will absolutely grant that "borderline-pornographic" imagery can lead to a type of sexism, in much the same way as showing women cooking, cleaning or raising children can also lead to a type of sexism. But this is not because any of the above acts are inherently sexist.

     

    The sexism comes from the thoughts and reactions that follow viewing such imagery.

     

    As such, the comments made in the thread in question are probably where you can score the most points here. I tend to see most of them in a pretty playful light, but it's over 100 pages, so I can assure you I have not read every post nor would I remember them all if I had. A comment like "I'll be in my bunk" is a reflection of geek culture and quite likely little more. I very much doubt the majority of posters that have uttered it have actually followed through on the act alluded to in the quote... and if they have, nothing wrong with that either :sneaky:

  9. Do you consider Batman to be a Gadgeteer or something else?

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Do you consider Batman to be a Gadgeteer or something else?

     

    Only if you consider those "arts". :whistle:

     

    Well, as a boxer and wrestler holding advanced rank in a variety of different armed and unarmed martial arts styles my educated opinion is "Yes they are".

     

    Alternatly:

     

    "You have insulted my honor! Prepare to die!!!"

     

    :P

     

    If anyone actually wants to debate this, I'll be more than happy to do so in some other thread. It's been a bit of a hot button topic before though.

     

    Now, that said, Ben's boxing and wrestling skills are often underplayed and aren't necessarily a core part of his character the way they are with somone like Batman or Iron Fist, so I can see the argment against as well.

  10. Do you consider Batman to be a Gadgeteer or something else?

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Do you consider Batman to be a Gadgeteer or something else?

     

    What archetype do you think he fits best?

     

    Don't think he fits neatly into any one archtype any more than I think Superman is primarily a Brick, Energy Porjector or Speedster.

     

    Batman is a Martial Artist, Gadgeteer, Waepon Master, with occassional trips into Power Armor, Patriot or Mentalist territory.

     

    In otherwords, a Power Gamer in Normal Human clothing...

     

    :P

     

    Bashful Benjy is a brick. Nothing but a brick. Even when he's depowered he's a brick.

     

    Considering his skills in boxing and wrestling, one coud argue he's a Martial Artist as well.

  12. Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

     

    I mean the entire Gun Girls thread' date=' for example, is inherently sexist. As are all the other scantily clad pictures posted around here, and that's just the pictures.[/quote']

     

    Is it?

     

    I don't find anything "inherently sexist" in looking at scantily clad pictures.

     

    I would think the judgement on if something is sexist would really depend on the attitudes and reactions of the individuals doing the looking...

     

    Not even sure what to say. Men are creeps. Beginning to think we should bifurcate the country give one half to each gender and permit no one to cross the border. There may be benefits to women of having men around, but they do not outweigh the drawbacks Given that reproductive technology means procreation no longer requires physical contact, this is not a barrier to sustainablity. Child contracts arranged by matching services, payment to women who agree to have sons to ship back across the border. I could be worked out. Women would not have to put up with male creeps, and men would no longer have the chance to be creeps to women. With modern technology we could even go back and modify literature and movies and such so that children growing up in either state would never even be made aware of the other gender until after high school.

     

    I think I've read that story...

  15. Things you never see in a comic book

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Things you never see in a comic book

     

    I seem to recall that in the New 52' date=' Lois and Clark are not married. I'm not saying "not any longer." I'm saying, "in the new continuity, they never have been. Yet. And Supes is putting the moves on a certain Amazon Princess, so you never know if they'll get together at all."[/quote']

     

    Yes, Clark and Diana are the new power couple, which they have been hinting at for over a year now.

     

    But up until the line wide reboot, Clark and Lois were stable for many years.

     

    Their relationship wasn't the only victim of the New 52 either.

  17. "Neat" Pictures

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: "Neat" Pictures

     

    Yeah' date=' that would be an awesome team, maybe one for the Annihilators or GOTG to run into. Incidentally, I think they should put the original Super-Skrull on one of those teams.[/quote']

     

    Agreed!

     

    I really missed his presence on those teams after his build up in the Annihilation and Conquest mini's.

     

    I was also ticked at the way PAD wrote him in She-Hulk during the Secret Invasion, which was really the last big story I think he had :(

     

    Always had a soft spot for Kl'rt thuogh. And the Mimic. Just love me some team buster villians. Oh the goofy tales I would tell with those two if they would give me a book about them!

     

    Not a huge fan of Adaptoid, but he could make a good straight man ;)

     

    (I'd put Taskmaster in the mix, but I need him for a seperate pitch....)

  18. Attractiveness - Comeliness Vs. Striking Appearance

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Attractiveness - Comeliness Vs. Striking Appearance

     

    That is a bit out of context: Hugh and I were talking about game mechanisms and I was suggesting that any effect that appearance has should be consistent between two specific individuals' date=' because whatever you perceive someone's looks to be today, you will almost certainly see them the same way tomorrow.[/quote']

     

    Somone has clearly never experienced the beer goggles! :P

  21. Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Interesting article about Sexism in Geek Communities

     

     

    Damn. She has my sympathy and I agree this kind of crap needs to be stopped.

     

    However:

     

    Frankly if you are a woman on the internet you might as well have a sign on your back that says, “Troll me”. If you have an opinion or focus on a commenting in a male dominated field, you probably double your chances.

     

    This isn't unique to being a woman involved within a male dominated field, though I'm sure it feels that way given her situation and the targeted nature of these attacks.

     

    Frankly, this can happen to anyone, especially if they hold an unpopular opinion or rock the boat in a highly public way.

     

    I have a friend that has been trolled for YEARS for the comments he's made within his field. Some of the stuff is really mindblowig... "raving lunatic" type posts directed his way... the threats have on occasion been incredibly violent, including murder and rape. Yes, faceless trolls on the internet have threatened in graphic detail how they plan to rape a grown man that they disagree with about sports...

     

    Frankly, it ruined his business, several aspects of his personal life and he pretty much hates the Internet with a passion now (and I can't say I blame him).

  22. Gadgeteer vs. Powered Armor vs. Weaponmaster

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Gadgeteer vs. Powered Armor vs. Weaponmaster

     

    Brick is an Archtype, Speedster is an Archtype. But power armor? Never felt like it was quite the same thing to me... Same with Patriot.

     

    IMO, most weapon masters are either Martial Artists or Gadgeteers. Of course, many are both, especially in comics.

     

    Forge is a Gadgeteer, though he's got some mystic mojo as well. Madison Jeffries uses his powers to create gadgets and power armor pretty frequently, though obviously his powers are able to do a lot more than just that. Wiz Kid is also pretty much a pure gadgeteer.

     

    Valeria Richards, Amadaus Cho and Dr Nemesis have their moments as well.

     

    Can probably think of a lot more villian's that are essentialy pure gadgetters, like Toyman.

  24. Things you never see in a comic book

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Things you never see in a comic book

     

    A happy marraige ? (at least nowadays.....)

     

    I'm not the biggest Superman fan, but Clark and Lois seemed pretty stable...?

     

    Of course, Reed and Sue have had their differences, but they've always worked past them. Not sure if that counts or if it has to be constant on pannel bliss to be considered happy... depends on how you define it I suppose.

  25. Focus others can activate

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Focus others can activate

     

    Actually ben FREQUENTLY turns off the omnitrix outside of the first season' date=' but :P not worth arguing over.... (although i did just argue it there didnt I? bleh, )[/quote']

    Yes, as a teenager he frequently can revert to his human form. But it’s a situational ability…

     

    In the original Ben 10 series, he has virtually no control over the Omnitrix. He frequently assumes the wrong form, something he blames almost entirely on the watch malfunctioning. He doesn’t know how to take it off or turn it off. He primarily reverts to his human form when the watch times out. Generally, he can only change forms by reverting to his human form and waiting for the watch to recharge. There are episodes featuring specific plot devices that circumvent these problems, but they are few and far between.

     

    In the first season of Alien Force, Ben demonstrates incredible control over the Omnitrix. There are virtually no accidental transformations in this season, Ben is able to change freely from one alien form to another and he is able to consistently revert to his human form by manipulating the dial. There are also numerous situations where he seems to revert to human form by mental commend, but I have been assured by the writers and editors that this is just supposed to be the watch conveniently timing out…

     

    The second season saw an attempt to return the series to it’s roots a bit. Vilgax returned as the main enemy, Kevin was turned into a monster and Ben’s attitude returned in force. Ben was also way too competent and was subsequently nerfed. After a failed attempt to hack the Omnitrix, the watch returns to it’s previously glitchy ways, resulting in a return of the iconic accidental transformations of the first series. Ben can still change forms and revert to human form when necessary, but now there’s a catch. When the Omnitrix gives him the wrong form, he’s stuck that way til the watch times out, just like in the original series. To do otherwise would negate the drama, comedy and disadvantage of the situation. These rules/ limitations on Ben’s transformations remained the status quo through the rest of Alien Force and all of Ultimate Alien. It has already been shown that they will continue to use these rules in Omniverse, though that could change later.

     

    Now, I’m not about to go through and count all the times when Ben could or could not freely turn off the watch, but the way I figure it in 9 season of TV spanning four different series, he’s got 1 Season of near perfect control, 4 seasons of moderate control and 4 season of virtually no control at all.

     

    Whether this warrants my off the cuff comment of “most of the time” I leave for you to decide ;)

×
×
  • Create New...