Solomon

Re: The cranky thread Thank you all for the sympathy. I'll upload some pics of the tiny fluffy kittens soon - not to this thread of course, kittens and crankiness don't go hand in hand.

Re: The cranky thread My old cat, Ciccio, passed away today, because of a degenerative disease. I take some confort in th fact that he sired three gorgeous kittens, now a month old. One of them is his spitting image.

Re: The Italian Connection * With a bang and a puff of smoke, Solomon materializes, unable to resist the Call of the Tribble * Hullo, Xtian! Nice to see a fellow countryman here. So, what's this "connection" project of yours?

Re: Make Your Own Motivational Poster First try... EDIT: Ok, so I'm dumb. Is there a way to thumbnail externally linked images?

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Lunàtico - Gotan Project

Re: A Thread for Random Musings Today is the Ides of March! 2050 years ago, Julius Caesar was assassinated... Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Cæsar. The noble Brutus Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious; If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Cæsar answer’d it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,- For Brutus is an honourable man; So are they all, all honourable men,- Come I to speak in Cæsar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff: Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And, sure, he is an honourable man. I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, But here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love him once, not without cause: What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason. Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar, And I must pause till it come back to me.

Re: Darkseid? I've only read a few stories about Darkseid, but isn't PRE 30 a tad low for the fellow?

Re: The Kid Gloves Are ... on? Some more ways: - Bribe your GM into waiving penalties for Pulling Punches, as suggested by 5er. - Buy some Levels only to offset Pulling Punch penalties. - Buy your attacks as a Multipower (Normal and Stun Only). - Peg "can swith between Normal and Stun Only" as a +1/4 advantage and call it a day. EDIT: Prestidigitator beat me to it.

Re: "Look, up in the sky! It's Super Saint!" Christian-themed heroes It sounds twice as wrong if you look at CandidGamera's avatar while you read it.

Re: "Look, up in the sky! It's Super Saint!" Christian-themed heroes Yeah, as in "out of fashion", dude. Togas are sooo gauche.

Re: How to spread Rep? Remember that you can only rep five posters in a 24-hours period, and you can only rep a specific poster once every 20 posters you rep. Also remember that rep has several well-known medicinal effects.

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions Lesser characters in "A few hours before dawn". Unknow with Assaf and Fat'mah ASSAF 6 STR 8 DEX 8 CON 8 BODY 10 INT 10 EGO 13 PRE 10 COM 2 PD 2 ED 2 SPD 3 REC 16 END 15 STUN Abilities: Acting 12-, CK: Marrakech 13-, Concealment 12-, KS: Marrakech Underworld 11-, Language: English (basic conversation; Arabic is Native), Language: French (basic conversation), PS: Beggar 11-, Sleight Of Hand 11-, Streetwise 12-, Survival (Urban) 12-, Trading 8- Disadvantages: Physical Limitation: Lame; Money: Poor; Psychological Limitation: Reckless. Notes: Assaf is a lame street urchin making a living in Marrakech from begging and performing small favors for tourists. He’s energetic and friendly but rather naive and reckless, but he knows the city like the back of his hand. Given time, he can find almost anyone or anything. He has little concept of how much his services are really worth – he’ll start by asking outrageous prices but they can be easily bargained down. FAT’MAH 6 STR 6 DEX 8 CON 6 BODY 10 INT 8 EGO 10 PRE 8 COM 2 PD 2 ED 2 SPD 3 REC 16 END 13 STUN Abilities: Animal Handler (Canines) 8-, PS: Garden tending 8-, PS: Housewife 11-, Paramedics 8-. Disadvantages: Money: Poor Notes: Fat’mah is an ageing Moroccan lady that makes a living renting rooms. She is a motherly, friendly and empathic person with a traditionalist mindset. She thinks of adventurous types as reckless children who really ought to grow up, settle down, and raise some children. PIERRE DUVAL 8 STR 10 DEX 8 CON 8 BODY 15 INT 10 EGO 10 PRE 8 COM 2 PD 2 ED 2 SPD 4 REC 16 END 16 STUN Abilities: AK: Benelux 11-, AK: France 12-, AK: Morocco 11-, Acting 8-, Bribery 11-, Bureaucratics 11-, Forgery 12-, KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 11-, Language: Arabic (fluent conversation; French is Native), Mechanics 12-, PS: Mechanical Engineer 12-, PS: Smuggler 13-, PS: Terrorist 11-, SS: Chemistry 8-, WF: Small Arms, False Identity, Fringe Benefit: Criminal Rank; Money: Well Off. Disadvantages: Hunted: French Law Enforcement Agencies 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture). Notes: A French engineer turned terrorist, Pierre left Europe to join M’Barek’s gang when the police began breathing down his neck. He is responsible for the trans-Mediterranean side of M’Barek’s operations. He is also Eliza’s lover and has absolute trust in her. HARRIS 8 STR 8 DEX 10 CON 12 BODY 18 INT 11 EGO 13 PRE 10 COM 3 PD 2 ED 2 SPD 4 REC 20 END 21 STUN Abilities: Bureaucratics 12-, Conversation 12-, Criminology 13-, Deduction 13-, KS: Criminal Law and Procedure 13-, KS: Organized Crime 11-, KS: The Espionage World 13-, KS: The Law Enforcement World 13-, KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 13-, Language: Arabic (basic conversation; English is Native), Language: French (fluent conversation), PS: MI-5 agent 12-, PS: Researcher 13-, Security Systems 8-, 10 points' worth of Contacts in various law enforcement agencies, Fringe Benefit: Espionage Rank, Fringe Benefit: Security Clearance. Disadvantages: Hunted: MI-5 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching), Social Limitation: Subjetc to Orders. Notes: Harris is a British agent (most likely a member of MI-5) coordinating an international investigations on arms dealers. He is plump, polite and unassuming but very efficient. TAGI 10 STR 14 DEX 13 CON 11 BODY 13 INT 11 EGO 15 PRE 14 COM 4 PD 3 ED 3 SPD 5 REC 26 END 23 STUN Abilities: +1 PER with Sight Group Perception rolls, Bureaucratics 12-, CK: Marrakech 12-, Combat Driving 8-, Concealment 12-, Conversation 8-, Criminology 12-, Deduction 12-, KS: Criminal Law and Procedure 12-, KS: Marrakech Government 11-, KS: Marrakech Underworld 11-, KS: The Law Enforcement World 12-, Language: French (completely fluent; Arabic is Native), PS: Police Officer 12-, Shadowing 12-, Streetwise 12-, WF: Small Arms, 10 points' worth of Contacts in city government and the street, Fringe Benefit: Law Enforcement Rank, Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers, Fringe Benefit: Weapon Permit. Disadvantages: Hunted: Marrakech Police 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching), Social Limitation: Subjetc to Orders. Notes: Tagi lives in a corrupt city and he knows that. He is aware that being an honest cop in Marrakech is like treading on thin ice and he acts accordingly. He works strictly by the book and doesn’t like to cut corners. He has little respect for politicians and government officers but he knows that, in this city, he wouldn’t last long without their support. M'BAREK'S GANG Notes: A crew of (mostly) Competent gangsters. Left to right: Rashid and Djedid (first image); Selim, Youssef, Saif, Basim, Maruf, Hasan and Khalif (second image). Next update: Unknow's second story arc, "Largo delle Tre Api" and "Death in Rome" and a handful of villains.

Re: "Look, up in the sky! It's Super Saint!" Christian-themed heroes Though I am an Agnostic (lapsed Catholic) myself, I like religious themes in my games. Let's face it, religious narrative is powerful narrative and it can add a lot to a game when dealt with properly (ie with due respect). I tend to use religious themes in my horror games mostly. I've never made a religion-based character for my Champions campaign, though, because the focus of the game is psionics and high-tech.

Re: No ENDURANCE campaign I haven't played anything of the sort. It's fairly easy to see that powers that normally cost END would become more effective. There's little point in buying Armor if Force Field doesn't cost END, for instance. You might consider increasing the cost of powers that don't normally cost END. CON would become slightly less useful and STR slightly more useful (I can hear the "STR is too cheap" crowd roaring already ). All considered, I think it wouldn't be much of an issue in Heroic campaigns, but it would affect Superheroic campaigns more.

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions YOUSSEF M'BAREK [b]VAL Char Cost Roll Notes [/b]10 STR 0 11- Lift 100.0kg; 2d6; [2] 11 DEX 3 11- OCV 4 DCV 4 13 CON 6 12- 11 BODY 2 11- 18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13- 15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6 10 COM 0 11- 4 PD 2 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD) 3 ED 0 Total: 3 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 9 Phases: 4, 8, 12 5 REC 0 26 END 0 25 STUN 2 [b]Total Characteristic Cost:[/b] 50 [b]Movement:[/b] Running: 6" / 12" Swimming: 2" / 4" Leaping: 2" / 4" [b]Perks[/b] 3 Business Rank: Head of a minor import/export firm 3 Criminal Rank: Caid, Gang Leader 25 Followers (up to 16 Thugs, 25 Base Character Points) 10 Money: Wealthy 2 Reputation: Powerful and respected (Known Only to Marrakech residents) 11-, +2/+2d6 3 Well-Connected 20 Various Contacts and Favors [b]Skills[/b] 4 +2 with Pistol 3 Bribery 13- 3 Bureaucratics 13- 4 CK: Marrakech 14- 5 Conversation 14- 3 High Society 13- 1 Language: English (basic conversation; Arabic is Native) 3 Language: French (completely fluent) 3 Oratory 13- 3 PS: Businessman 13- 4 PS: Smuggler 14- 3 Persuasion 13- 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Arab Literature (3 Active Points) 13- 3 2) KS: Marrakech Underworld (4 Active Points) 14- 1 3) KS: Moroccan politics (2 Active Points) 11- 2 4) KS: Sahara caravan routes (3 Active Points) 13- 1 5) KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World (2 Active Points) 11- 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Trading 13- 2 WF: Small Arms [b]Total Powers & Skill Cost:[/b] 125 [b]Total Cost:[/b] 175 [b]100+ Disadvantages[/b] 5 Enraged: When orders are not followed properly (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14- 10 Hunted: Moroccan Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching) 10 Psychological Limitation: Greedy and ruthless (Uncommon, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Mistrusts followers (Common, Moderate) 5 Psychological Limitation: Quotes poetry at inopportune moments (Uncommon, Moderate) 5 Reputation: Gang leader, 8- (Extreme; Known Only to Marrakech Residents) 30 Experience Points [b]Total Disadvantage Points:[/b] 175 Background/History: Youssef M’Barek was born in Marrakech from a wealthy and influential family and enjoyed the fruits of pampered upbringing and fine education. Unfortunately, he chose to devote his considerable intelligence to crime. Running an import/export firm specializing in chemicals and engineering equipment, over years M’Barek developed a network of international contacts. Nowadays his legitimate business hides the real source of most of his wealth: smuggling and arms dealing. M’Barek illegally imports arms from Europe. His political ties allow him to arrange for convenient distractions such as street riots when he needs to divert the police’s attention from his “goods”. He then proceeds to move most of the arms to Central Africa thanks to Bedouin caravans. M’Barell also deals in contraband diamonds, which follow the opposite road – from Central Africa to Marrakech and then to Europe under cover of legitimate business trips. Personality/Motivation: Despite being a villain of the worst sort, M’Barek fancies himself literate and a poet. He loves classic Arabic poetry and will quote from it almost constantly. He knows that the police is harboring suspicion on his activities, so he will try to present a respectable facade in public and he will be cautious not to be linked to any violent criminal action. He only respects his henchmen that show some wits and charms (such as his lieutenant Basim), but he shows nothing but contempt for his thugs. He doesn’t trust most of his followers and spends much time thinking about how to protect himself from his own henchmen. Quote: “Quoth the poet: ‘But I do not fear him: if he wants to wage war, I will march against him’”. Power/Tactics: M’Barek isn’t much of a threat by himself. What makes him dangerous are his Followers and his Contacts. He rarely leaves his well-guarded villa. Whenever anything goes wrong, his top priority will be to cover his tracks and avoid being targeted by police investigations. That, of course, involves eliminating anyone who knows too much about his operations. Campaign Use: While M’Barek rarely leaves Marrakech, the international scope of his dealings makes for a lot of good plot hooks. Characters might stumble into his operations while passing through Morocco, or they might travel to Africa to confront him after finding evidence of his crimes in some distant country. Also, documents in M’Barek’s villa might lead PCs to other criminals in Africa or Europe. M’Barek’s gang is fairly small and not terribly powerful, but they are part of a much larger smuggling ring. Anyone who messes with them is likely to become the target of a far-reaching vendetta. M’barek will ruthlessly Hunt down anyone who endangers his operations. He likes to kills his enemies with his own hands, so he will try to have them abducted and brought to his villa if possible. M’Barek isn’t much of a combat threat. To make him more dangerous, just give him more and stronger Followers. To make him less of a threat, reduce his Followers and eliminate his international Contacts, making him a free agent. No changes are necessary to make him suitable for a present-day campaign. Appearance: M’Barek is a tall, thin Arabic man in his forties. He has sharp features and a piercing gaze. He keeps a short beard and usually wears well-made traditional Moroccan clothing. Next update: Secondary characters from this story.