Lord Liaden

Re: Build Me A Villain Team I was actually thinking of Mechanon as the secret mastermind behind my Cy-Force suggestion above, but he was one of the villains Scott Bennie specifically requested be excluded from this exercise. However, Mechanon might suppress his hatred of organics enough to work with beings who are at least partly machine; and using organics to kill organics would probably appeal to him.

Re: Build Me A Villain Team Do you think that Interface and the Engineer might collaborate? I always liked theme teams, and an updated "Cy-Force" could be interesting. You could throw in Ripper and Halfjack from VIPER, and Cybermind from CKC. I'll see if I can think up other appropriate members.

Re: Turakian Priestly END Reserves? Maybe a vial of holy water? Nice visuals (pouring of water to "fuel" the spell), and good justification for Limitations on recovering the END expended.

Re: Archetype Twists Ever take a look at Omlevex, from Z-Man Games? An overall fun and creative book, but your example reminded me of the setting's premier hero, "American Gargoyle."

Re: New Power build: Supernatural Invisibility First off, the Online USPD hasn't actually been taken down from the website, but apparently the links to it for other pages have been removed. I assume that's because it has been pretty much incorporated into the published USPD II, along with lots of new stuff. However, you can still access the online archive, here. Secondly, I don't think Selective works that way with Invisibility by default, since Invisibility doesn't require any kind of targeting roll. My suggestion would be to give the angelic character a Detect enabling them to perceive beings like themselves when Invisible (several published mystical characters have this, defined as "Astral Sight" or "Astral Awareness"), then apply the Usable On Others Advantage to that Detect.

Re: Build Me A Villain Team All very valid points. I just had trouble seeing Samhain as part of a team with the coherence and longevity that you indicated you were looking for. As I have nothing further useful to add on that front, I will cheerfully drop it.

Re: How would you use Takofanes? No pardon needed. Thread necromancy seems to be popular today. Creepiness does seem to add to the mood, but I have no problem with such a child playing the innocent to keep people off balance. There should still be moments, though, when out of the corner of your eye, when he thinks no one is looking, you notice an expression of frustrated rage and utter hatred flicker across his face...

Re: Give me your ice power ideas! Naturally the two UNTIL Super Power Database(s) contain lots of cool options for these SFX. Assuming you don't currently have access to those, though, I recommend the Online USPD and looking up "Ice And Cold Powers" and "Fire And Heat Powers."

Re: Another possible origin of Mechanon... (Warning: Long) In that case, perhaps the loss of that "insulation" could be what allowed the Qliphothic energies to overwhelm Mechanon's programming. Perhaps he's not just malfunctionning, but actually corrupted by the Shining Darkness. Perhaps Mechanon is the missing fifth member of DEMON's Inner Circle.

Re: Your favorite team flavor... Where were all you people three and a half years ago?! I hope Keith "Death to thread necromancy!" Curtis doesn't spot this.

Re: Build Me A Villain Team Scott, I can see the scenario you describe playing out that way, although of course you'll need a background explanation for how a modern cyborg gained the ability to communicate with an antique demon. However, what you're describing makes Samhain sound like a reserve member, called upon only for particular circumstances. The way you presented your lineup gave me the impression that he was to be a core member of the team. If I was mistaken I apologise. But look at the trouble Interface has to go through just to dicker with him, and how repulsed he is merely talking to Samhain. Mentalla's already threatening to fry his brain. And I'm not entirely clear on what "sport" Samhain could get out of tagging along with this crew that he couldn't have operating on his own, i.e. what's in it for him. As a reservist I could accept Samhain's involvement, but if I were a GM looking to use this premade team and saw Samhain as one of the regulars I just couldn't buy it. No disrespect intended and of course YMMV. BTW Samhain would more properly be called "Antlerhead."

Re: Build Me A Villain Team Marmoo is a second-rate bug-loving punk. I went with the Murk. Abyssal darkness and big teeth rule, baby! I certainly did tinker with Samhain in various ways, but that would be a departure from the spirit of this thread. Which I've probably derailed more than enough.

Re: Another possible origin of Mechanon... (Warning: Long) People always forget to rustproof. It just seemed like a connection that could be fun to play up. There's also potential here for a NPC or even PC hero origin, too, because if the drone on Earth survived, some on other planets might have done so as well, with their benevolent programming intact.

Re: Archetype Twists I once had a player who created a mystic powered armor character, wearing an enchanted suit of plate armor. He had all the typical occult insights and "you're not ready to know the truth" attitude, and lots of small but useful spells; but he could and would also take to the front lines and start knocking heads.

Re: Build Me A Villain Team This is an excellent breakdown of teammate categories with which I am in complete agreement; but IMHO in most cases Samhain is not going to make it to #3 without reinterpreting the character, which goes against the spirit of what you're trying to achieve here. Mostly because of one pesky Psychological Limitation on his sheet: "Utterly Evil, Can Never Perform Kind Or Unselfish Acts (Very Common, Total)." In a group whose overall malevolence approaches his own Samhain might count as a #3, maybe even #2, but I find it hard to see villains with even a modicum of human decency putting up with him for any length of time. Or him putting up with them, for that matter. It wouldn't be long before he was openly everyone's enemy. However, as part of a team of monsters, especially if he's the one setting the agenda, I could see Samhain being very effective. He's smart, he's charismatic, and his powers have great team support potential.

Re: Another possible origin of Mechanon... (Warning: Long) You know, we've never gotten a definition of what the "Golden Hunters of Malva" that fought against the Elder Worms (mentioned in Terran Empire) actually were. It would be pretty cool if they were the originals of what became Mechanon.

Re: Another possible origin of Mechanon... (Warning: Long) I could see this scenario playing out a little like Kirk and Nomad in that classic Star Trek episode. BTW Firewing already has a Hunted by Mechanon, so this is bound to happen at some point.

Re: Another possible origin of Mechanon... (Warning: Long) I call this a solid, imaginative piece of work. A good use of various canon elements of the Champions Universe to create a consistent background for ol' tall, steel an' scary that could readily be inserted into a CU-based campaign. In case you're interested, we've had other threads discussing possible origins for Mechanon, with many other creative suggestions: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12908 http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37502

Re: Homebrew Cosmic Setting (bit longish) Cool stuff. After reading it I did have a few thoughts: I would assume that the ZJA are the "good guys" of the setting, to which the PCs will likely belong? If so, who are the Zolar Council who employ them? Cosmic entities? An alliance of worlds and races? What is the source of their authority, and what's their motivation and agenda? If these issues haven't been clarified yet, I think they'll go a long way to contributing to PC background and characterization, and to potential plots. I'm also guessing that the Guardians of Tomorrow are another group of cosmic supers who could potentially be allies or enemies of the ZJA, depending on circumstances. If so, same issues as with the Zolar Council. What's the history of the setting? Is the galaxy mostly at peace, or in conflict? Are there major interstellar civilizations, factions, or organizations? Who are the major races (potential origins for PCs)? I would suggest that the setting needs a few federations and/or empires to broaden the range of opponents that the PC heroes may confront, preferably with super champions of their own. A major pan-galactic conspiracy wouldn't be out of place either, one with less benevolent intentions than the GoT. What is Tauron's origin? Is he the only being of his kind or power class in the galaxy, or are their other "kindred" to him? Other cosmic entities with different agendas than Tauron would offer different types of challenges to the heroes. Appropriate archetypes include the racial experimenter, the collector, the gamesman, the passive chronicler, and the trickster (although it sounds like Myraloo may have that role covered). I'm not quite sure as to the function you foresee for Aurora. As described she just seems to show up to hang around people she likes, but otherwise doesn't do anything. If you don't have it yet, I would suggest that Aurora should have a motivation and/or agenda behind her wanderings, which could be used as the springboard for a PC adventure. For that matter, what is this "force of annihilation" that Tauron is preparing for? I'm guessing that you're setting things up so that the PC heroes may be forced to ally with Tauron in the future, but in the meantime, might there be lesser minions of this force that the heroes could be forced to oppose? That might help convince them that they must side with Tauron when the big bad shows up. Going back to the history of the setting, your Star Stealers' Infinite Construct would seem to imply that there are incredibly advanced artifacts in the galaxy. That begs the question of who or what built it. Would this have been left by some ancient, now-vanished race? Are there other examples of this technology around, providing the basis for hero or villain origins, or perhaps some automated terror that might be loosed into modern space? That's all I have for now. I hope some of it is helpful.

Re: 4th Ed. Veteran looking for advice on 5E Welcome, OEM! (Try not to bump into anything.) I'm sure you'll be glad you made the upgrade to Fifth Edition - it's the most complete and coherent one yet as you've seen, and there is more cool stuff for HERO out now than ever before. I think you'll like these discussion forums, too. Our community is large, creative, enthusiastic and pretty welcoming and helpful to newcomers. 1) Many people who post here say that they still often use the old 250 pt. starting standard, but I find I prefer 350. Like lots of other folks I follow the precedent of published Champs characters, where those extra points don't actually boost the power level of starting characters. They tend to go toward "flavor" Powers, Skills, Perks etc. that help to round out a character according to the concept you want to play, which was sometimes difficult with 250. 2) My players tend to be more creative and varied than that (which may be sheer luck on my part), and do tend to go for more variety. Still, 12 DC appears to be a common starting character average in campaigns and the published sourcebooks. The characters in my games usually range between 10 and 14 DC for their largest attack, with the faster/ higher CV characters usually trading those abilities for a lower attack DC and total Defense, and the reverse being true for the high-DC characters. 3) Again, the new point totals don't necessarily require that your bricks buy more Speed. That hasn't been the trend in my games, where as I said, those points go more toward rounding out the characters. For most of my players, given a choice between pulling a Tim Allen power grab and more fully developing their characters, they prefer the latter. Hope that helps, and that we see you again around here.

Re: DEMONS! How to keep them interesting... Actually, there's something very much like this in the HERO System Bestiary for the entry on Demons. The entry for "Lesser Demon" on pp. 54-56 includes several power templates to add to the basic Lesser Demon writeup, for Fire Demons, Foulness Demons, Frost Demons, Guile Demons, Power Demons, Quickness Demons, Strength Demons, and Torment Demons. You could also add the creature templates on pp. 21-30 to the Lesser or any of the other Demon writeups. Conversely, you could add the Demon Powers templates to any of the animal and other creature listings in the Bestiary. Pp. 215-25 has several examples of creatures customized this way, such as the Aquatic Guardian Ape, Divine Griffin, and Infernal Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Re: Build Me A Villain Team Well, there's no Limitation on Samhain's Presence saying that it has to be fear-based. Besides, fear plus an enhanced prospect for reward is usually a good way to keep the minions in line. It works well for Dr. Destroyer, and most other "alpha male" types. But really, just look at the rest of the lineup I suggested. These are all literal monsters, who would enjoy the suffering that Samhain brings nearly as much as Samhain himself. That prospect alone is motive for them to follow him. In turn, Samhain does have a "special reason to value the fear of other mortals over the terror he can induce in his team mates." The fear he might engender in other horrors like himself could never compare to the delicious fear from innocent, vulnerable, corruptible humans, and this crew can help him spread that more widely than he ever could alone. FWIW I used Samhain as part of my recent campaign-ending story arc, in which he was one of six of the most powerful demonic beings residing upon the Earth, bound to service by Takofanes, including the Murk, the Living Sphinx, Survalesh, Li Chun the Destroyer, and Eclipsar. Samhain covertly helped the PC heroes discover how to break the binding, but after Takofanes was defeated Samhain was still able to persuade the other demons to continue to work together.

Re: Build Me A Villain Team

Re: [storytime] Birth of RAVEN That's pretty much the way I would run it. The organization's reaction to the PCs as they become more prominent and persistant should be comparable to that of a man confronted by a fly buzzing around his head, then a mosquito trying to bite him, then a bee threatening to sting him, then a swarm of bees. For a group like VIPER which is well known in the game world, the dynamic is slightly different. Once the heroes realize that they're facing VIPER they know pretty well what magnitude of foe they're taking on. OTOH for RAVEN it should be a gradual realization of how deep the manure pile that they've stepped in really is.

Re: [storytime] Birth of RAVEN Meta, you've raised some very pertinent points, thank you for your contribution. I agree with the weaknesses in RAVEN that you've defined. As a GM I quite like them. I've never cared for perfect villains or perfect conspiracies. PCs should have some chink in their opponent's armor that they can exploit. That would include leaving Zorran among the leadership of RAVEN. For various reasons conflict between Lemuria and RAVEN would be inevitable in that case, and it could be handy if heroes confronting one of these menaces had secret assistance from the other. Arvad the Betrayer may consider Zorran to be his pawn, but the Artificer is certainly no fool, and he would have very formidable backing including perhaps the only mentalist in the world mightier than Arvad. I would still expect Stingray to be welcomed as a member of RAVEN, probably a high-ranking one. I always intended the leaders of the group (or the "Seventh Mystery," to borrow the ranking system from An Eye For An Eye) to be supplemented by other paranormals in various positions of authority; as many of them as they can persuade to join, in fact. And Atlantis would certainly remain one of the group's objectives if they have a legitimate claimant to the throne that they could install. As far as potential enemies for RAVEN, absolutely. Once it's discovered it would be treated like any other major criminal organization in the Champions Universe by its rivals and by law enforcement. That might take a while, though. Unlike VIPER or Dr. D, and even moreso than DEMON, RAVEN attempts to hide its very existence. It might be useful to recap the structural innovations that Steve Long instituted for his revision of RAVEN in AEFAE. The group is organized into seven ascending "Mysteries" to evoke the sense of an antique secret society. "Initiates of the First Mystery" are those drawn into the various innocuous-seeming front organizations that RAVEN uses to recruit members. Those "Initiates" aren't even aware of that name - it's only used by full members of RAVEN. Suitable candidates may be initiated into the Second Mystery in which they are told of the "true motives" of the group they've joined, but those are lies too. They think they're joining a radical political or religious movement, organized crime gang, racial extremist group, etc. This provides RAVEN with a cadre of willing dupes to use as grunts in their projects, with no apparent connection to the parent organization, and as patsies to take the fall if those projects are discovered. Only those who earn a place in the Third Mystery and above are privy to knowledge of RAVEN's existence and true purpose. Certainly patterns are discernable, but in most cases you have to be looking for a pattern in order to find it, so you have to know it's there. Who would have reason to believe that Holocaust and Zorran are working together, or that either of them are helping prop up Joseph Otanga, or that a black magic cult and a high-tech group trying to custom create superhumans are part of the same organization as the masterminds of Russian organized crime? Of course as GM you should make sure that the pattern is noticeable to the PCs when the time is right for them to notice it.