Nero's Boot

Re: Well, I finished reading Conquerors, Killers and Crooks, and...

The earth is not the whole galaxy' date=' and in many respects is almost a dimension unto itself. Malvans in the past and future have high tech, but it's considered well below superhero tech up to 2020.[/quote']

 

...somehow, the ability to create ships that can violate Einsteinian physics somehow does not allow Destroyer to build a mind-transferal machine, without the use of ambient magic?

 

--something's wrong here NB

Re: Well, I finished reading Conquerors, Killers and Crooks, and...

Supertech in the Star Hero era is far below that of the Champions era. It's all connected by the magic umbilical cord.

See my above post for a counter-argument to that idea.

--it makes no sense why Destroyer just "croaks," when supertech not dependent on magic obviously must exist NB

Re: Well, I finished reading Conquerors, Killers and Crooks, and...

You can always ignore the meta-setting or the ambient magic hand-waving it entails and have him survive into the GC era if you want. There's no reason not to.

All I'm saying is this: If ambient magic is the sole determination whether or not truly high tech machines can exist, then space empires prior to the Star HERO era could not have existed.

--thus contradicting the idea of Malvans in the Champs era being an ancient star-faring people NB

Re: Well, I finished reading Conquerors, Killers and Crooks, and...

In the CU' date=' supertech depends on the ambient level of magic. When the magic drops low right before the cyberpunk era, Dr. D's armor fails along with its life-support and the octogenarian dies with a cough and a gasp.[/quote']

 

That sucks. Destroyer deserves a better end than that. Maybe a band of cybernetic street samurai, in the Cyber HERO era, pull the old bastard down and kill him! (Heck, it's better than Zerstoiten just dying without any glory. The guy is so evil, he deserves a fitting end.)

 

That doesn't mean someone in the GC era couldn't style himself as Destroyer's heir.

 

...or maybe Destroyer returns, having hidden his consciousness inside an alien psi-crystal, a piece of technology that does not rely on high magic levels! Mwuahahahahaha, let the galaxy beware!

 

--you know, if all supertech relies on magic being prominent, then the Star HERO era couldn't have happened NB

...all I can say is, WOW. I loved the sourcebook, and almost all of the villains therein were cool as can be. Dr. Destroyer was everything I imagined he'd be, and seeing stats for Takofanes was pretty mind-blowing as well.

A few questions about Dr. Destroyer: Does he survive to the Galactic Champions time period? After all, it should be a simple matter for Zerstoiten to transfer his intellect into a machine format, and thereby cheat the Reaper...assuming he doesn't get a hold of Captain Chronos and use his technology to defeat his little aging problem.

Are there any other villains, not listed in Conquerors, Killers and Crooks, that he's created and/or sponsored? For some odd reason, I keep wanting to say Destroyer is behind the transformation of Teleios, as well as the creation of Mechanon. (Hell, in my Champions Universe games, Dr. Destroyer did create these two villains...)

Why is Destroyer's intellect below that of Teleios'? This seems a bit odd, that the most dangerous gadget villain in the entire universe is dumber than a "mere" geneticist. I'm assuming this is either a misprint, or there's some reasoning behind it...

--that's all for now, folks NB

Re: Paranoid HERO

Friend Computer has requested a manuever known as a "bump."

--the exact nature of this "bump" is above your security clearance, Friend Citizen NB

Re: Conquerors, Killers and Crooks

Also' date=' someone like Destroyer is a good foil in terms of the PC's stopping his plans but never quite defeating him.[/quote']

 

Agreed. Dr. Destroyer makes an excellent villain to always plague the party, not matter how powerful they get.

 

--which is yet another reason why I love both Dr. Destroyer and Takofanes NB

Re: Conquerors, Killers and Crooks

Lord Liaden, I am a big believer in giant, cosmically-powerful NPCs as a source of adventures and campaigns. Call it the "trickle-down theory" of superheroic adventuring. Essentially, you have some cosmic villain like Dr. Destroyer; some see in Destroyer a campaign-ender that cannot be used in most campaigns, due to his obscene levels of power. Thus, they refuse to use the "good" Doctor, in preference for lesser villains.

However, my "trickle-down theory" states the exact opposite: That villains like Takofanes and Dr. Destroyer are perfect for campaigns of all sorts. Say Dr. Destroyer is searching for an alien weapon with the power to trigger solar flares, in his latest bid for world dominance. 350-point PCs can easily get involved in such a plot, as they unknowingly smash Destroyer's henchmen searching for the device, in a campaign that takes them all across the Earth, the stars, and beyond. Meanwhile, completely off-screen, higher-point-total NPC heroes keep Destroyer occupied, until by the time the Doctor realizes it, Our Heroes have found the solar flare triggering device, and have annihilated it.

--presto, instant campaign NB

I am a huge fan of Aberrant by White Wolf Game Studio (though not of the d20 crap they recently released, using the Aberrant setting), and I think it's probably the single best cosmic-powered supers game on the market. I own all the sourcebooks and modules, and still play the game on a fairly dependable basis.

However, now I'm starting to really get into HERO 5th and the entire 5th edition Champions line. While the Storyteller version of Aberrant will always hold place of pride in my heart, I've been giving serious thought to converting the thing over to HERO 5th. Granted, point totals for average PCs would be obscenely high, and NPCs like Divis Mal would eat guys like Dr. Destroyer for lunch without breaking a sweat, but I think it'd be fun.

--has anyone else either done this already, or at least thought of it? NB

Re: Conquerors, Killers and Crooks

All of the Doctor's superhuman abilities are derived from his incredible battlesuit and other gadgets. However' date=' since his battlesuit can't be removed against his will (not built as a Focus), and Destroyer never removes it except in private when he's in his most secure facilities, it's functionally the same as innate powers.[/quote']

 

Wicked. Maybe he never takes the damn thing off...

 

A significant part of Dr. D's points are devoted to a staggering array of Skills, Talents and Perks. OTOH he's also explicitly given carte blanche to have whatever Bases, Vehicles and Followers he needs for a given plot, without having to pay for them.

 

Wicked, again. Nothing quite beats a supervillain with unlimited followers and nifty gadgets.

 

Takofanes is built on 1,943 points. This includes a 150-pt. cosmic VPP, plus other major Powers; his largest Power is well over 500 Active Points. Like Destroyer, he's assumed to have any Bases and Followers necessary.

 

Well, duh. The guy's an undead god.

 

--Takofanes and Dr. Destroyer intrigue me more than any other Champions villains NB

Re: Paranoid HERO

Awwwww, come on!

--surely someone wants to stat up The Computer NB

Re: Ghelspad campaing setting

The titans, should anyone stat one up, would have absolutely insane point totals. You know, these 13 guys and gals would have the power to stomp Dr. Destroyer into the ground. The 8 main gods would be just as bad.

--though, to be honest, I'd love to see HERO stats for the Momus NB

Re: Conquerors, Killers and Crooks

Well, to be more correct, Mechanon wants to cleanse the world of organic taint. Ruling it is strictly a by-product of his insane crusade.

Question: Does Dr. Destroyer have any actual powers, or is his godly might solely restricted to his armored suit and, what is most likely an obscene gadget-related VPP point total? (As a side note: I find it highly ironic that a guy thousands of years younger than Takofanes can kick the Archlich's ass, and doesn't even have any actual powers...)

--also, what point-base is Takofanes built on, if it's OK to mention here? NB

Re: Conquerors, Killers and Crooks

2' date='516[/quote']

 

 

--I think I just soiled myself NB

Re: Conquerors, Killers and Crooks

He is physically much more powerful.

Out of morbid curiosity, how many points is Destroyer built on?

--if he's not at least 600 points, I'll be horribly disappointed NB

I just purchased Paranoia XP from Warehouse 23, and have been reading through it since Thursday. I've finished reading the setting sections, and now am ready to begin learning the rules. This game is everything I remembered from its 2nd edition incarnation: Funny, dark, and steeped in intraplayer treachery! But, also being a fanatic about HERO 5th, I was wondering if anyone had done any conversions for Paranoia, be it 1st edition, all the way through to the XP edition.

--The Computer is your friend, trust The Computer NB

I just ordered Conquerors, Killers and Crooks from Warehouse 23, and, thanks to choosing to have next-day air shipping, I'll be getting it on Tuesday. Now, I'm wanting to know if it were permissable for someone to tell me who the six master villains in the book are. I know Dr. Destroyer is undoubtably one; I take it Dark Serpah, Gravitar, and the others mentioned in Champions Universe are the six master villains? After all, we already have Mechanon's stats in Champions...

--and how in the heck is Dr. Destroyer a bigger menace than the dimension-conquering chick? NB

Re: Swaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarm!!!

Thanks, guys! As I am still a total HERO virgin, I was bound to make collossol mistakes!

As to my bee-man (yes, the idea came from Swarm, Spidey's old foe), no, there is no skeleton within. The guy is literally a swamr of bees/flying roaches/beetles/whathaveyou. He's one consciousness inhabiting a swarm of much smaller insects.

As for the Desolid, yes, Devlin, you are correct, Desolidification requires it to have one thing that can affect it. D'oh! I'd say that, yes, fire and pesticides should be effective against our Ur-Swarm villain. As for Linking, I see your point, now that I think about it!

I'd prefer RKA, for the simple fact this guy can shoot pieces of himself at others. Perhaps an Energy Blast with the Area of Effect (cone) bonus, perhaps Linked with a few dice of RKA? Perhaps add in Charges to reflect the fact that bees die in each ranged attack Ur-Swarm makes?

--thank you so much for the feedback! NB

How would I do a supervillain who was, in essence, a hive-minded swarm of insects? I'm starting to tinker with the idea of a Champions campaign, but I'm still learning the rules, and am a bit unclear as to how to simulate a character like this.

Would it be best to take Desolidification, Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects, Does Not Protect Against Damage, with a RKA LInked to it? Or would the HERO pros here suggest something else?

--thank you for your time NB

Has anyone converted either Thomas Covenant trilogy (by Stephen Donaldson) over to HERO? While Covenant himself is an ass who deserves what he gets, the Land itself and all the lands beyond the Land (tongue-tied yet?) are fascinating and would certainly make for good gaming.

--I'm assuming Findail the Appointed and Vain both have interesting VPPs NB

Being a HUGE Jovian Chronicles fan, as well as a huge supporter of all things SilCORE, I've begun to wonder if anyone has done either a generic SilCORE-to-HERO conversion, or more specifically, has done a JC conversion for the HERO system.

--a fan of both Silhoutte CORE and HERO NB

Re: Daleks??

The day someone puts up a Dr. Who HERO webpage is the day I dance a jig.

-- NB

Has anyone put any thought towards converting the extremely cool quasi-OOP game Space: 1889 for HERO? Space: 1889 was one of the THE best roleplaying game products ever produced, as far as I'm concerned, and it deserves more than a meager reprinting by Heliograph!

--has anyone done this yet? NB

Has anyone put any thought towards Zombie Survival Horror HERO, perhaps as a free pdf? Considering how All Flesh Must Be Eaten is one the single best horror games out there, I was wondering if anyone's either done this already, or is willing to do it.

--All HEROes Must Be Eaten NB

Re: Leto II and Neo

Wow, thanks for the stats, guys! I really appreciate them. Considering that my megatonnage of HERO books will be here tomorrow, I'll finally be able to actually comment on the stats you've written up!

--one comment: If Presence is "charisma," then Paul ought to have a bunch more NB