Chuckg

Re: Ridiculous things in comics that you don't mind.

That is exactly why I never use nanotechnology in my campaigns. There's no effect that can't be justified by enough nanotechnology. It equates to magic.

Actually, there's several effects that can't be justified by nanotechnology(1):

* Transmutation of elements

* FTL travel

* Teleportation

* etc, etc.

If you have a player who tries to snowball you with the possibilities of nanotech, throw chapter 10 of _Engines of Creation_ at him.

(Entire book available online for free.)

(1) All of these effects are known to comic book science, of course... but they've been done with NON-nanotech machinery, decades before the concept even made it *into* SF. i.e. -- if the DM rules that such effects aren't possible with tech of any kind, that also includes tech of the nanite kind.

Re: Is defeating a Master Villain sometimes counterproductive?

*reps Pendaran*

Re: Captain Atom?

Note also, at the end of the 'Janus Directive' storyline in SUICIDE SQUAD, Captain Atom destroyed Kobra's giant orbiting spaceship by vaporizing it. In a thermonuclear event large enough that people like Firestorm were scrambling like hell to get miles away from the blast radius(*) before zero time.

So if Captain Atom takes some time to wind up "wave motion gun" style, he can let off a No Range Explosion (that he has Personal Immunity to, natch) of literally strat-nuke proportions.

(*) Fortunately, being up in space and all lets you have room to throw these kinds of booms around.

Re: [GM Advice] PC's Buying Defences vs. Adversaries Attacks

For instance' date=' and of course YMMV, but look at Cap's Shield. It's unbreakable, right? Shouldn't that mean that it's impossible to Dispel/Suppress/Drain? So then it has scads of Power Def? Hardened and all that rot?[/quote']

 

Actually, in 5e, Unbreakable Foci get all of that for free -- but only to protect the Focus.

Re: Is defeating a Master Villain sometimes counterproductive?

I don't think they count mystics either, only mutants and radiation accidents.

Not to mention that if CU is contradicted by later source material, well, later source material wins.

Re: Ridiculous things in comics that you don't mind.

[sarcastically annoyed grumbling]Because as we all know' date=' [TECH'] handwavium is oh-so-superior to mystic mumbo-jumbo handwavium.[/sarcastically annoyed grumbling]

 

Sorry, I do understand the reasoning, both in-story and out, but this kind of thing is nearly as bad as transporter tricks on Star Trek.

Well, actually, nanites that restored just enough nerve function that she can wiggle her toes, and *might* someday walk on crutches again with enough physical therapy, actually /does/ come across as more realistic than Zatanna just going "teG tuo fo taht riach dna ecnad!"

Re: Is defeating a Master Villain sometimes counterproductive?

And pre crisis darkside would be toasted by silverage superman

Actually, no, it was the Silver Age Superman that Pre-Crisis Darkseid used to play pinata with.

Note, one of the most impressive scenes in 'Great Darkness Saga' is where a weakened PC-Darkseid, at only a fraction of his power, is still manhandling Pre-Crisis Superboy, Pre-Crisis Supergirl, and Pre-Crisis Mon-El like a Green Beret beating on crippled infants.

Re: Captain Atom?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Atom

Re: Ridiculous things in comics that you don't mind.

Or when obvious solutions get ignored because they lead to bad implications. Honestly' date=' how many phone calls would it take for Barbara Gordon to find someone in the DC universe who could heal her spinal damage? It doesn't bother me because I really don't want to see Zatanna show up every time someone gets a hangnail [/quote']

 

Errr, actually, the Barbara Gordon point has been addressed, by several writers...

 

* "Why not just use the same chip that Ravan got put in his spine in SUICIDE SQUAD to let him walk again?" Answer: she looked into that, her spinal damage was more extensive than his. (Ostrander's SUICIDE SQUAD run)

 

* "Why not get more advanced or more extensive cybernetics?" Answer: she's afraid of the humanity loss in becoming part robot. (JLA #19.)

 

* "Why not get a Mother Box?" Answer: New Genesis won't give her (or anybody else) one unless the fate of a whole lot more than just herself is on the line, and the one time that condition applied in her personal storyline, too much else was going on to concentrate on making the cure stick. (JLA: "World War III")

 

* "Why not get Zatanna/Dr. Fate/et. al to fix it?" Answer: healing magic requires the recipient to not be doubting it, and Babs is a strict rationalist. (BATMAN: THE CHALICE, guest-starring the Holy Grail itself.)

 

Granted, that last one is a bit of a stretch, but it's not *too* much of a stretch to make computer-savvy, ultra-logical, whiz kid control freak Oracle into a strict rationalist, yes? (Also note, Babs has never been a direct teammate of any magic people.)

 

(add) Besides, as of BIRDS OF PREY #85, Babs has gotten enough nerve function back to be able to wiggle her toes, with the possibility of being able to walk w/ crutches after some months, if she does her physical therapy. This is probably related to a temporary possession by Brainiac nanites she had in immediately prior BoP issues.

Re: What would Dr. Destroyer *really* do?

A list of ye personality disorders can be found here:

http://www.mentalhealth.com/p20-grp.html

Re: What would Dr. Destroyer *really* do?

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Diagnostic Criteria

 

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

 

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

3. believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

4. requires excessive admiration

5. has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

6. is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

From our "Aberrant in the Bronze Age" game -- Hermes, a young Chosen (nova) known for his speed, is speaking to Artemis, a nature goddess who has been raised in the wild and only recently come to civilization. They're on their way back from having consulted a rather gloomy and naysaying oracle.

Hermes -- "See? I can angst after all."

Artemis -- "I was /not/ angsting." *looks at him* "What does it mean, by the way?"

Hermes -- "... you know, I'm actually not sure."

Re: Ridiculous things in comics that you don't mind.

I wasn't aware of our giant purple Moslem-hunting robots.

Re: Ridiculous things in comics that you don't mind.

I trip over that whole "recognizing people out of context" thing in real life all the time. In fact' date=' if they'd ever said something about Clark using Super Voice Modulation or something to disguise his voice when he's in costume, I actually wouldn't have to suspend disbelief very much at all... except the part about him keeping his distinct voices straight 100% of the time under stressful conditions.[/quote']

 

There actually *was* a mention in Superman comics sometime in the 90s about him doing that. Not a superpower, though, but simple voice acting.

 

Also, they mentioned that when Clark appears as Clark Kent, he deliberately slouches and rounds his shoulders, while when he appears as Superman, he keep a very erect posture, shoulders thrown back. And IRL, doing that kind of thing can change your *apparent* height by several inches... it's an old stage actor's trick.

Re: WWYCD: Another Run In With Blackthorn...

... I ask the DM if he could possibly have been slightly less obvious re: his source material.

Re: Power Question: Purple Man

Well, Doom did seem to resist it on a naked EGO, so yeah.

Re: Ridiculous things in comics that you don't mind.

Unstable molecules, or as Champs genre book puts it, "Near-Magical Costume Material".

Because even if they're all hotties, I still appreciate it when they can keep their clothes on.

Re: DC's Best Martial Artist

Actually Superboy gets all goofy whenever he's around her' date=' even though he's pretty much going steady with Wonder Girl. And Coldcast in JLE was very interested also, with the other male team members appreciative of her tight little bod (whattaya expect from Green Arrow?)[/quote']

 

Superboy has had that Psych Lim re: a wandering eye since his character's inception, so that's not so much her Mary Sue-ness as his horniness. Besides, despite his temptation, Cassandra once made a direct pass at him and he reluctantly turned her down, so definitely no Mary Sue aura here.

 

As for Wildcat -- she's eighteen, fer gossake. Who do you think he is, Green Arrow?

Re: [Campaign] UNITY Prime

Thank you. Uploaded.

Re: [interest in an online game?] Avengers: Generation 3

Hrm.. I'm not sure how exactly you'd express summonable armour..

If the armor is instantly summonable, cannot be taken off of you, and will re-appear on you at will, then you simply buy Armor, no limitations, and call it a special effect of the power. (The fact that you are visibly a man in armor does not, by itself, qualify for OIHID at -1/4, that requires an additional limit as I briefly outline below. For more details, check yer 5e revised under "Only In Hero ID" for the full rundown.)

If you can conceivably be prevented from summoning the armor (such as by covering your mouth so you cannot speak the summoning word), *or* it takes you a full-phase action to summon it, but it can't be taken off of you without prolonged effort out of combat, then it qualifies as Only In Hero ID (-1/4).

If the armor can be taken off your unconscious body /and you can't resummon it until you get it back physically/, then that might quailfy for an additional -1/4 limitation, 'Physical Manifestation'. But that one's a DM call. (Technically, so are the first two, but they're DM calls likely to be granted in most campaigns as they're 'default' usage of the disad in question, straight from the book.)

Re: [Campaign] UNITY Prime

HTML versions of characters now up.

Trebuchet, you still need to get Azure's finalized sheet to me. Bc, you haven't let me know yet whether it's ok to post Scathach's.

Re: This equipment will self-destruct...

Well' date=' you shouldn't make the characters pay points for a cortex bomb. Its not like they are ever going to trigger it themselves! [/quote']

 

You mean your Evil Overlords *don't* have fanatically loyal minions who will happily accept suicide missions?

Re: This equipment will self-destruct...

In most official Hero Games supplements that I've seen, self-destruct systems get statted. OTOH, those were self-destruct system for automatons or vehicles, not just foci.

Given that a class of foci exists that can only be used by a designated user -- Personal Foci -- and it costs zero points, I'd rule that self-destructing gear was a special effect for Personal Focus. OTOH, to be fair, I'd also allow the PCs to try and beat the SFX of the self-destruct... for example, if you write down privately "the gun's circuits will melt if the fingerprint sensors in the grip detect the wrong fingerprint", then if the group's gadgeteer comes up with a way to hack a fingerprint sensor (Security Systems roll after first correctly identifying what kind of sensor needs to be hacked, pulling an Images vs. Fingerprint Reader out of his gadget VPP, etc.), voila, the gun is intact for reverse-engineering.

Now, as for killing the *agents* -- again, two ways, One is stat it out (Triggered No Range RKA, Only Affects Character), and the other is to abstract it (Phys Lim: Dies If Captured (Infrequent, Greatly)), and adjudicate whether the PCs can stop it as a question of their SFX vs. your SFX.

Re: Marvel's Best Martial Artists

Eh, I won't say I've *never* pirated anything (just ask my mp3 collection *cough*), but I like to have *limits*...

Re: DC's Best Martial Artist

Interview vs. What's Actually In The Comic = Interview loses.