Lord Liaden

Re: How would you use Takofanes? You know, I was just rereading this, when I remembered that the Empyreans already have a major enemy in the Lemurians, and one with significant magical resources. IIRC Arvad the Betrayer, ruler of Lemuria, was around when the Empyreans attacked Tak's stronghold; he might come to the same conclusion as you about the Archlich's attitude, and try to ally with him. Arvad may just be arrogant enough to believe he can manipulate the Undying Lord. And Takofanes would probably be the, uh, entity best qualified to get the Mandragalore working again. Takofanes, King of Lemuria. Commanding the Mandragalore.

Re: How would you use Takofanes? Now that's an interesting twist... the other Crowns of Krim being used to control the Dragon Crown, instead of the other way around. As I mentioned on another recent thread, [MY PLAYERS STOP READING NOW! I MEAN IT!!] I'm planning on ending my current campaign with a world-devastating plot featuring Tak and the Crowns of Krim. The Archlich finally succeeds in capturing the Crowns, but rather than simply taking their crowns or binding them to his service, he uses them for a ritual to summon something even worse: six of the most powerful and destructive demonic entities abiding on the Earth (culled from various Champions sourcebooks).

Re: How would you use Takofanes? Well, according to The Mystic World, [spoiler!!] "Krim's heyday passed tens of thousands of years ago, it seems. So far as anyone knows, the demon-god now exists only through the Crowns and their wearers." (TMW p. 55) So, Krim may not be in a position to do much for Takofanes. Moreover, the current wearers of his other Crowns are mortal enemies of the wearer of the Dragon Crown.

Re: How would you use Takofanes?

Re: How would you use Takofanes? I actually suggested something similar to this once, although it required the assistance of Mechanon. It was in response to an observation from (IIRC) ZootSoot that Mechanon and Takofanes might be willing to work together, since they're both prepared to see all life on Earth ended. (I doubt those two egos could coexist for more than a brief period, but that part of the discussion isn't relevant here.) Anyway, I tried to think of a scheme that would fit both their motifs, but also their implied limitations, so that it would require their shared resources. Considering their dual megavillain status it would have to be something globally devastating. What I chose was an alchemical formula Takofanes knows for turning water into mercury, or something equally lethal. Mechanon would provide an orbital delivery system to saturate the atmosphere with the formula. Presto! World-wide mercury rain. One nice thing about constructing the threat this way is that it gives PCs a chance to stop it in time.

Re: How would you use Takofanes? The issue may fall within the realm of SFX. Just because there's nothing on a character's sheet to say that he can't do something, doesn't necessarily mean that he can. When you look at the sample spells for Takofanes in CKC, they tend to come with Limitations that aren't "necessary," strictly speaking; but they do imply that there are some restrictions to his sorcery, so that he can't simply whip up any construct tailored to the metagaming peak of efficiency. Not enough to really count as a Limitation, but a factor nonetheless. But you're right, this discussion really doesn't belong here. I should start up another thread on it.

Re: How would you use Takofanes? Make for an awfully short campaign. Logically, though, apart from a GM deciding that no, Takofanes simply can't do that... if the character had such a capacity, wouldn't he have used it back in the Turakian Age?

Re: Just thinking. A possible enemy of zombies. Thing about most scavengers is, they tend to avoid carrion if the carrion is still moving, especially if it's fighting back.

Re: Who's In Charge Here? Well, based on that description, I'd say that any of the proposals you describe in your first post would be valid. It would come down to the one that feels best to you. Not much help, I know. I will add that regardless of how you do it, it sounds as though Theodore should have some Psychological Limitations reflecting his malleability to Carrot Sticks's suggestions or orders.

Re: Thoughts on the Speed Zone Sounds like the construct has some balancing factors already built in. But I shouldn't put in any more opinions until I have the book in my hands. Sadly, since my game-book budget isn't unlimited and I'm already working on a backlog, that may take a while.

Re: How would you use Takofanes? Oh Lord, please let's not start that one again! The other thread has barely gone back into hibernation.

Re: Who's In Charge Here? Okay, we're going to need a few more details of how you see this effect working. For example, does Carrot Sticks control Theodore directly, i.e. like a puppeteer controls a puppet? Or is it just that Theodore simply does whatever CS tells him to? Just how does the puppet's summoning work? Can Theodore call him from Hell or wherever, anytime he wants, and the demon takes possession of the puppet at that time? Or is the demon's spirit always occupying and animating the puppet? Just what do you mean by "Resurrection" ability? Do either of these characters have the ability to restore the other after that other has been "killed," either literally or figuratively?

Re: How would you use Takofanes? I've noticed that several other people seem to be taken with the notion of Prof. Muerte being reanimated by Takofanes. I guess it's the irony of the name that really sells the concept. There have been a few attempts to write up some of those top-of-the-line, 800-pt. undead that the Archlich is able to Summon. Probably the easiest method within a supers campaign would be to base them on superbeings that Tak has raised from death, who retain their previous powers and maybe gain a few undead abilities, paid for with Disads like "Must Obey Takofanes." That would allow for great variety among the Ravager's minions, while also setting a practical limit on the number of 800-pointers he could have access to at one time; there simply aren't a lot of Cosmically Powerful supers running around most campaign worlds.

Re: Thoughts on the Speed Zone Hmm... well, the point that was raised earlier on the thread still carries weight for me: if a villain's Defenses are too tough for the speedster to penetrate normally, getting attacks against an undefended target via the Speed Zone isn't really going to change the relative relationship of the speedster to the villain. Under those circumstances I don't think the villain's credibility would necessarily be impacted by whether he has such a power-squelching ability or not. Ultimately it may come down to restricting some other abilities for characters who can also use the Speed Zone effect. Like lots of other elements of HERO, it's the especially efficient combinations that you have to watch out for.

Re: How do I build werewolf & vampires? Pretty good. Perhaps garlic could also be the agent to stop the Continuous part of Transform, since there's supposed to be some fairly obvious way to do so. To keep with the botanical precedent for your vampires, I'd go with wolfsbane for the werewolves.

Re: Thoughts on the Speed Zone I haven't read Ultimate Speedster yet, but I think I get the idea behind the Speed Zone. Very interesting concept, useful for some speedster designs, and yes, potentially very dangerous to allow to PCs. However, in a world where the Speed Zone was a known quantity - like DC's Speed Force - I would expect the equivalents of Dr. Destroyer or Takofanes to have invested in "Suppress: EDM (Speed Zone)" gadgets and spells.

Re: Space Master by ICE Willie, check your email. The DOC file should be there.

Re: How would you use Takofanes? The last time I used Takofanes, this is what I did. I rationalized his murderous rampages as sacrifices, part of a ritual to restore the past. My PCs were close to him when the spell took effect, so they were the only ones who remembered the world the way it was; although they themselves were transformed into their TA analogues. That's actually a plot seed for the Devil's Advocates from Arcane Adversaries - a plot by them which Takofanes twists to his own use.

Re: How would you use Takofanes? A sleepwalking lich - that is cool. Then it becomes a matter of where Tak's "mind" is. Another buried chamber like the one he was imprisoned in? Some mystic artifact, maybe in the possession of a supervillain, or hero? Maybe someone is unknowingly the reincarnation of Takofanes, merely awaiting the arrival of his true physical form to restore all his memories. Perhaps the lich form of Takofanes would merge with this person, restoring his living body. (Oooh... I just got visions of Tak's mind in the body of a small child, like Damien from The Omen. In fact IIRC someone on the boards once suggested that he'd be like Stewie Griffin from The Family Guy.)

Re: How would you use Takofanes? Templar, if DEMON were a significant fixture in one's campaign, that would be a great tack to take. Repped. Actually, I don't think that's officially in any book now. Something along those lines was included in the playtest manuscript for The Mystic World, but it was apparently cut before the book went to print. I can understand why; while it makes for one explanation for Takofanes' erratic behavior since his return, it greatly limits what one can do with him. That's why I was trying to develop him in ways that would also explain his official history. Very reasonable and justifiable courses.

For one of the Champions Universe's supposed master villains, Takofanes doesn't seem to get a lot of respect. Oh sure, everyone is afraid of him; when he shows up he causes incredible devastation. But none of the published sourcebooks actually describe him doing much else, or provide any major plots for him to be involved in. Dr. Destroyer has gotten a fair bit of action in adventures and CU updates; Teleios's activities and experiments have been worked into several books; Menton has his whole hidden manipulator schtick going; by the year 3000 Mechanon turns into the Death Star! But Takofanes doesn't seem to be much involved in the major events of the Champions Universe to this point, certainly not to the degree that a villain of his power and motivation would be expected. Yes, there have been plot seeds mentioned for him, but nothing that's really major. Several of us fans have contributed more plots for him, but what's really lacking IMHO is a grand overall scheme for Takofanes: organization, long term goals, world-shaking plans. The kind of things that would inspire someone to make Tak a major recurring villain in their campaign. After all, the guy has been a fixture in the 5E CU for almost twenty years - he must have been doing something besides decimating Oklahoma. That's the sort of idea I'd like to solicit from you creative folks. How would you use Takofanes in your campaign? Have you used him already, and what did you do? Plot seeds are great and I would welcome them, but I think that "big picture" suggestions would be helpful to other folks who are thinking of running the Archlich. Ideally they should fit without too much stretching with Takofanes' established history and concept, but some folks may prefer a radical reinterpretation of the character, so let's have any and all ideas. For starters, I would say that Takofanes should stay in the background for the early stages of a campaign. He's very powerful and works best as a climactic confrontation, but he has enough of a reputation that beginning heroes should dread the thought of meeting him. If necessary to engender the proper fear, they can hear about the aftermath of one of his rampages, perhaps that powerful NPCs they know have been slaughtered by him. The real stickler for Takofanes is what he's been doing all these years other than killing people and raising them again as undead. If we go by the precedents of his previous career during the Turakian Age, Takofanes should have been patiently building his power base in the modern world. Perhaps his bouts of destruction have been to "recruit" undead minions. High-profile attacks would draw the attention of superheroes, which may have been the Ravager's reason for staging them; once "zombified," supers would make powerful servants. Takofanes may be building an army of undead superbeings to support him when he eventually makes his play for conquest. Running into some of those would definitely be a disturbing discovery for heroes who were once friends or teammates of the deceased. OTOH some supervillains might willingly serve the Archlich, especially if they were formerly deceased. These could be opponents for the PC heroes earlier in the campaign, ultimately leading them to confrontation with their master. Perhaps a former foe of the heroes could return, now with even more supernatural power. Takofanes should have a base of operations. The most logical location would be where his original fortress once stood, which would probably be far to the north of North America. Perhaps the foundations of his fortress, and some of his artifacts of power, are still there buried far beneath the earth. Naturally neither Canada nor the United States would accept a major supervillain openly setting up shop on North American soil, but the Archlich should have spells to conceal his base from prying eyes, especially in such a sparsely inhabited region. Even if his fortress was discovered, Dr. Yin Wu has successfully defended his home castle for decades against the military and superheroes of China. OTOH there could be lesser sites of his former power that the Ravager has discovered, and sent minions of his to uncover or occupy, that the PCs could stumble across earlier in the campaign. It would make sense for the Ravager of Men to establish some measure of temporal influence in the contemporary world. He's been out of touch for a very long time, and needs minions with an understanding of modern practices and power structures. If I were Takofanes, as soon as I discovered the existence of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon I would attempt to subvert it to my purposes, either covertly or overtly. The members of the Circle have the necessary knowledge, and vast influence in world affairs, but the magic they command would be no match for Takofanes. It would be even more horrifying for PCs to discover that the labyrinthine conspiracies of the Scarlet Moon would ultimately lead them straight to the Undying King! Once those foundations have been laid, you could launch one or more major plans by the Archlich. Some that I think would be appropriate: leading his army of undead supers in a march of conquest south across the continent; assassinating the world's leaders, then reanimating them under Takofanes' control; staging epic rituals to turn the world back to the Turakian Age, with Takofanes as ruler; using a terrible spell or weapon to slay everyone on Earth, so that Takofanes can bring them back as unliving subjects (he doesn't really care whether those who serve him are alive or dead). Well, those are things that come to my mind. What's in yours?

Re: Best Superhero Magic Supplement The other books mentioned, collectively, would probably give you as much if not more about comic-book magic than what you have now; but it would be mixed in with discourses on real-world magic traditions, magic in other genres, and world elements unique to the Champions Universe, as well as organizations, characters, spell books and artifacts and the like, with lots of HERO System writeups. You wouldn't need a lot of that for a supermage campaign, especially if you're using Mutants and Masterminds instead. For your purposes what you have is more directly useful and easily accessible.

Re: Keep Caught Weapons Assuming the Special Effects of the MD and attack Deflected would make sense for the weapon to be caught, I would allow this with a penalty to a character's Missile Deflection attack roll, adjusted for the size of the object that you're trying to catch. If it were just a one-time stunt, I'd probably allow it through use of the Power Skill with any applicable Power whose SFX could be extended to fit this effect.

Re: Idle thinkings on BattleTech Since I don't have firsthand experience with either Battletech or Mechwarrior, I'll just direct you to the HERO conversion work that's already been done for it: Character conversion notes: http://herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20856 Mech conversion suggestions and notes: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15903 Mech design guidelines, and writeup for Elemental Armor: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18441 Heat sinks: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16364 Writeups for sensor arrays: http://www.starherofandom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=65&sid=11a0a3ad296a8df9d79ba05dda9ca32d Writeups for weapons: http://www.starherofandom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66&sid=11a0a3ad296a8df9d79ba05dda9ca32d More weapons, and other gear: http://www.starherofandom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=64&sid=11a0a3ad296a8df9d79ba05dda9ca32d The following links are to writeups of various Battlemechs. Atlas: http://herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32231 Awesome: http://www.starherofandom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56&sid=11a0a3ad296a8df9d79ba05dda9ca32d Highlander: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16434 Locust: http://www.starherofandom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55&sid=11a0a3ad296a8df9d79ba05dda9ca32d Warhammer: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16308

Re: How do I build werewolf & vampires? Thanks to the prolific Mathew Ignash, here are Package Deals for Underworld vampires and lycans: http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/pavampire4.html http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/pawerewolf2.html