Fedifensor

So, I'm working on a villain idea. The character is a mentalist who creates psionic duplicates (literal faceless minions) who can each telepathically "whisper" suggestions at a target. With multiple duplicates targeting a single foe, weaker minds can be swayed into complying. A hero with even a small amount of mental defense would be basically immune to this. I was thinking the base power would be a 2d6 Mind Control, Telepathic, Cumulative, with increased maximum effect. However, I don't think different characters can contribute to the same cumulative effect, unless there is something I am missing. Is it legal for foes that have the same Cumulative power to combine their efforts?

Er, VIPER? Seriously, though, the original adventure series had VIPER Teams (Undercover, Aerial Cavalry, Assault, Heavy Weapon), Supervillains (Brick, Bluejay, Cheshire Cat, Dragonfly, Howler, and Icicle), and (in the final adventure) the Nest Leader. The revised adventure in the 1994 VIPER book added Shadowfist, Hammerhead, Blindside, members of the Crusher Gang (Pulsar, Powerhouse, Shrinker, Howler, and Icicle), the Snake Pack (Pack Master, Coral, Massasauga, and Kufi), Damage, Gravity, Phaze, and members of the Serpent Syndicate (Python, Komodo, and Hiss). There is no mention of Bluejay, Cheshire Cat, or Dragonfly...though I could have missed something when skimming through the module. There's a lot more variety in the types of VIPER agents, including mech pilots.

They've said that Cryptic owns VIPER as part of the MMO deal, but DOJ has a license in perpetuity to use it. Honestly, if VIPER's Nest is available, an intro campaign book becomes easy. You already have the adventure writeups and maps...pretty much all you need is to convert the villains to 6E and create sample characters for the players to use.

So, I found my early 1990's VIPER book, with the Viper's Nest scenarios. I'm surprised that this hasn't been updated already - they are good scenarios, and it wouldn't be hard to make them 6e compatible. Presumably the company has the rights, since it's already been republished once.

Er, compare the original Shrinker with 6th edition's version. The system may have improved, but that doesn't always carry over to the writeups.

I like the other ideas, but I don't think you should go anywhere near the Avengers, homage or otherwise. Aside from Disney being a bit trigger-happy about their intellectual property, you're trying to sell these people on Champions. If you use VIPER, use heroes from the Champions Universe, or create a new hero team and put it in the Champions Universe. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Work out a deal with Heroic Publishing so some of their characters are used in the adventure, and in return the PDF includes links to Heroic Publishing's website. (It would be even better if you could get a comic illustrating the events of the adventure, but you can't have everything...)

I would recommend doing that for the sample heroes handed out to the players, but then have the full sheets available for the GM.

I found Viper's Nest after some diligent searching. It was copyright 1982, so this is really old-school. However, the adventures in it hold up, and it could easily be modified into an introductory Champions campaign. The three adventures in the book are as follows: * Assault On The Tanghai Tower - Experimental superconductor stolen by Nazi agents was hidden in the cornerstone of a building now scheduled for demolition. Takes place on the demolition site, with a base team of 4 Assault agents. * Combat In Christopher Park - VIPER agent has gone AWOL and plans to go to UNTIL. The meeting between the ex-VIPER agent and the UNTIL agent takes places in Christopher Park. VIPER plans to capture both men, and sends a base team of 4 Undercover agents. * Cleaning Out The VIPER's Nest - Having found out the location of the VIPER's nest, the heroes lead an assault to break VIPER's hold upon the city. Their goals are to 1) capture the crystal communications link to VIPER's central Serpentine computer, 2) capture the Nest Leader, 3) capture the supervillains, and 4) capture the VIPER agents. The nest has a LOT of agents - to give you an idea of how big this is, UNTIL (if cooperating with the heroes) sends 100 agents (with only 10 or 20 around the heroes at any one time). If I were doing an introductory campaign book, I would use the VIPER's Nest scenarios, but start with an added scenario called Escape from VIPER. The setup is that VIPER has a lab (separate from the Nest, for security reasons) where they conduct human experiments (like they did on Ogre). If doing a shared origin, the heroes are test subjects that have the opportunity to escape during a power malfunction. Otherwise, heroes learn the location of the lab and move in to shut it down. You can also mix and match, with some heroes being test subjects that choose to side with the other heroes when the attack happens. Information that one of the test subjects overheard leads into the second adventure (Assault on the Tanghai Tower). So, the overall setup of the book is as follows: Chapter 1 - How to Run a Champions Campaign Chapter 2 - Sample Heroes - one each of Brick, Energy Projector, Martial Artist, Powered Armor, Speedster, and (for more experienced players) Mystic. Include suggestions on how to modify each sample hero (changing the energy used by the Energy Projector from fire to ice, for example). Chapter 3 - Character Creation Tips - tips on how to make characters that meet campaign guidelines (Rule of X, etc) Chapter 4 - Adventures (Escape from VIPER, Assault on the Tanghai Tower, Combat in Christopher Park, Cleaning Out the VIPER's Nest). Chapter 5 - NPC Writeups (UNTIL agents, VIPER agents, Nest Leader, Brick, Bluejay, Cheshire Cat, Dragonfly, Howler, Icicle)

This question arises out of a thread on RPGnet: Is "Champions Complete" Keeping The Game Alive? http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?775575-Hero-System-Is-quot-Champions-Complete-quot-Keeping-The-Game-Alive Champions Complete did a good job of condensing the needed rules into a single volume, but it doesn't have the tools a new GM needs to start a campaign. It only has 5 villains, and they aren't really beginner-friendly writeups - whoever thought Shrinker's writeup was a good idea for a beginner book needs to rethink their approach. What a new GM needs is some material to work from - VIPER agents, a few super villains, and a super villain team that is suitable for a beginning group to fight. An introductory campaign book, preferably with VIPER as the centerpiece, would fill this need. Have the first section be advice on how to create heroes, and have several pregen, SIMPLE characters filling the classic archetypes (Brick, Martial Artist, etc)*. Don't use complicated powers, flexible multipower slots, or Variable Power Pools. That gives the GM the ability to hand out characters, or at least have generic heroes the players can use as examples when making their own. The rest of the book should be a series of linked scenarios. Start with a scenario that has options for doubling as an shared origin, in case the GM wants to have the characters all get their powers from the same place (VIPER experimentation?). As the players hunt down the villains over multiple scenarios, each encounter can introduce new elements. Maybe the first scenario is just an agent fight, then later VIPER has a super villain like Brick with the agents, and eventually the group fights an entire super villain team. Include noncombat challenges as well, where the heroes have to use their skills and wits to uncover VIPER's nefarious plot. * This is one of the things Mutants and Masterminds did right, with their archetypes in the core book.

Sure, no problem. (...since it will definitely be funded before Sunday...)

One hour in, 15% funded. Not a bad start...

It's live. I think I was the second person to back it (the total was $56 when I did so, which sounds like a Luster package + shipping). I ended up going with Lightrune, mainly because I wanted a book along with all the digital stuff.

Hopefully, the stretch goals will make available (in PDF format?) some of the massive amount of Aaron's writing for the campaign that didn't make the cut for the main book.

So, based on the responses, it looks like this is something that could use to be developed further. I'll have to see what I can come up with...

So, there is an archived version of this topic from 2007, but I was wondering if there are any products or fan creations that have done something similar. Basically, something on the order of the Professional Template: Policeman on pg 208 of the Champions Complete book, but covering a wide variety of possible professions. Here's the list from that archived thread, as an example of what I'm looking for: Anchorman - Archaeologist - DONE Artist - Athlete - Bail Bondsman - Bartender - Burglar/Thief - Businessman - Celebrity - Charity Worker - Circus Performer - DONE Congressman - Coroner - Crime Boss - Day Care Provider - DONE Doctor - Driver - DONE EMT - Fire Chief - Firefighter - Gambler - Handyman - Inventor - Investigator (P.I./Police) - Lawyer - DONE Librarian - DONE Martial Arts Master - Mechanic - Medium/Psychic - Military Officer - Network Administrator/Programmer - DONE Occult/Paranormal Investigator - Performer - Police Chief/Captain - Police Officer - Politician - Priest - DONE Professor - Reporter - Shop Owner - Stage Magician - DONE Support Personnel - Teacher - Valet/Butler - Here's the specific ones that were done in the previous thread: Archaeologist Required: PS: Archaeologist, KS: Archeology, KS: (specific field's) History Recommended: AK: (specific field's) Country, KS: (specific field's) Culture, KS: (specific field's) Theology, Language(s): (ancient and modern for specific field's country) Related: KS: Library Research, Conversation, Persuasion Notes: Contacts (other academics/archaeologists), Passport Circus Performer Required: Acrobatics, Breakfall, PS: Circus Performer Recommended: PS: Specialty Area (Aerialist, Clown, Jongleur, Animal Tamer, etc.), AK: Locations visited (cities, regions, etc), Climbing, KS: Circus History Related: Bureaucratics (contract negotiations), also see similar professions (such as Stage Magician) Notes: The Traveler enhancer is commonly taken, along with Perk: Passport Day Care Provider Required: PS: Child Care, Paramedics (First Aid/CPR, for licensed providers) Recommended: Instructor, KS: Children's Entertainment, PS: Housekeeping Related Skills: See Teacher for other possible skills. Notes: Perk: Licensed Child Care Provider is required if you are caring for more than six children, DNPC is a standard disadvantage. Driver Required: TF: (chosen vehicle type), PS: Driver, Perk: Drivers License Recommended: Combat Driving, Mechanics (car repair), KS: (chosen vehicle type) Related Skills: Conversation (for drivers that carry passengers), Systems Operation (CB Radios, familiarity), Language: (local languages), Shadowing, Streetwise Notes: Cab drivers may take WF: Small Arms and/or Martial Arts, depending on how dangerous the neighborhood is. Bump of Direction is a useful Talent, though few drivers have it. Lawyer Required: Bureaucratics, Conversation, Oratory, PS: Lawyer, Fringe Benefit: License to Practice Law Recommended: Criminology (familiarity), Deduction, Interrogation, Persuasion Related Skills: Acting, High Society, KS: (area of speciality) Notes: Interrogation is used by particularly aggressive lawyers when trying to extract information from an unwilling individual (cross-examination!) Librarian Required: PS: Archivist/Librarian, Research, KS: General Knowledge, KS: Cataloging & Classification Recommended: KS: Specialty Area (Reference, Youth Services, History, Government, etc.), Bureaucratics, Conversation Related: Computer Programming (becoming more prevalent), Deduction, PS: Teacher Notes: High-security libraries may have Perk: Access, Scholar Enhancer is common, as is Cramming and Speed Reading Network Administrator/Programmer Required: Computer Programming, PS: Administrator or Programmer, KS: (chosen computer language) Recommended: Additional Knowledge skills for computer languages and network protocols, Bureaucratics, Persuasion Related: Cryptography, Electronics, Inventor, PS: Entrepreneur, SS: Mathematics, Security Systems (keycard and scanner systems), Perk: Access (for organizations with high security), Perk: Wealth Notes: Often, one person will have worn both hats throughout their career, and there is a lot of skill crossover. Unemployed programmers may have Disadvantage: Money instead of Perk: Wealth... Priest Required: PS: Priest, KS: (own religion), Oratory Recommended: Conversation, Persuasion, KS: Theology Related: High Society or Streetwise (depending on social status), SS: Psychology (familiarity) Notes: Most priests should take Fringe Benefit: Right to Marry and Membership (the clergy). Social Limitation: Vow Of Celibacy optional, depending on religion in question. Stage Magician Required: Sleight of Hand, Oratory, KS: Prestidigitation, PS: Magician Recommended: KS: Specialty Area (Grand Illusions, Close up magic, escapism, card tricks, etc.), Concealment, Lockpicking, KS: History of Magic Related: Stealth, KS: Ventriloquism, KS: Stagecraft Notes: Rivalry: Other Magicians is common (it’s a very competitive business), famous magicians may have Perk: Money and/or Perk: Reputation

I just bought Dynatron and Sky-Q, since I'm handling character creation for a new Champions campaign. I doubt I will use either as written, but they are good sources for ideas. It's definitely worth the price - roughly $0.10/page makes it an easy purchase. Side note - I also bought SMASH. Very reminiscent of Turtle Armor, something I use a version of in my game (Armadillo Armor, created by the now-defunct Defensive Design Industries of Amarillo, Texas). When I update Armadillo Armor for 6E, I'll probably steal a few ideas from SMASH.

I also use set dates...well, as best as I can remember. For the most part, I narrow things down to the year, and perhaps the season if it's relevant (Chill the demon blanketed Middleton, Texas in snow...in the middle of summer). Fortunately, most people chose younger characters in previous campaigns (which all use the same game world), so I can still keep them active as NPCs 20+ years later.

The physical part of the power is physical, and the mental part reacts to the target's expectations of what should happen. So, if the grass grows longer and traps the target, there is an actual physical substance (dream-stuff, protoplasm, or the like) that restrains the target. It might not be as strong as if an actual druid entangled the target with plants, but because the target believes that is what happened, it's just as tough for the target to break out. First off, the character has to remain within 8" of the images, because that is the size of the area of effect. Second, they aren't invisible - at best, they can try to hide within the illusion, but there's a roll to see through those. That means foes are likely to see the character. Third, if they do see the character...he doesn't have Invisible Power Effects. He does have Indirect, so the blasts or entangle won't come directly from him, but people watching will see him concentrate, and perhaps make some sort of motion in order to direct the attack.

Well, we added another multipower slot... 4f It's Real To Everyone Near Me: Mental Illusions 9d6, Area Of Effect Nonselective (8m Radius; +1/4) (56 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) Note that it is nonselective, and the character is in the radius. Though extremely unlikely (20 EGO, 10 pts mental defense), there is a potential for the character to believe his own illusion is real! The game hasn't started yet, so we're still ironing out the details. However, the character appears to be a drug user who is rarely in his right mind. The real story is that he is an undercover cop, who is an expert at establishing a convincing cover identity. His powers expand on what he was doing before he got them...though that's just the starting point.

After a long break from HERO, I've been asked to run a superhero game. One of the player concepts is a person who can create phantasms - illusions that are semi-real. They are partially in the mind, but partially physical. So, here's my first stab at it. 39 Phantasm: Sight, Hearing, Mental and Touch Groups Images, +/-3 to PER Rolls, Costs Endurance Only To Activate (+1/4), Area Of Effect (8m Radius; +1/2) (59 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) 56 Phantom Manifestations: Multipower, 56-point reserve 5f It's Real To You: Mental Illusions 11d6 (55 Active Points) 5f Believable Attack: Mental Blast 4d6+1, Indirect (Source Point is the same for every use, path is from Source Point to target; +1/4) (54 Active Points) 6f Phantom Manipulation: Telekinesis (30 STR), Indirect (Source Point is the same for every use, path is from Source Point to target; +1/4) (56 Active Points) 5f Phantom Attack: Blast 7d6+1, Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX; +1/4), Indirect (Source Point is the same for every use, path is from Source Point to target; +1/4) (55 Active Points) 5f Phantom Entanglement: Entangle 3d6, 4 PD/4 ED, Indirect (Source Point is the same for every use, path is from Source Point to target; +1/4), Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX; +1/4) (52 Active Points) Basically, the character forms a phantasm out of his mind, which manifests near him (and has to stay within 8m). He can make the phantasm more real to a person, stun the person with an illusory attack from the phantasm, make the phantasm solid enough to apply physical force or damaging force, or even manifest protoplasm in a form consistant with the illusion to restrict their movement. I theoretically could have applied additional limitations regarding the effects only coming only from the phantasm, but I figure we can handle that with roleplaying. So, is this the right way to go?

Storn, feel free to post the picture you did for me. I don't think any of the other players in my group's Lords of Gossamer and Shadow game read these boards, so some background info is okay.

Re: Starfall - A Gamma HERO campaign Part of the material originally posted here has been compiled, edited, and posted as an article on the Gaming Security Agency website. So, for those interested, feel free to follow the link and take a look: Starfall - Rise of the Gamma HERO

Re: Cyberpunk 2077 In case anyone has the song from the trailer on their mind...

Re: Champions BYOB - Character Review Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Dave, I'll see you at GenCon!

Re: Champions BYOB - Character Review Miracle VAL CHA Cost Roll Notes 45 STR 35 18- / 22- HTH Damage 9d6/13d6 END [4] 18 DEX 16 13- 25 CON 15 14- 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 13 EGO 3 12- 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 7 OCV 20 6 DCV 15 3 OMCV 0 3 DMCV 0 5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 26 PD 12 26/30 PD (12/16 rPD) 26 ED 12 26/30 ED (12/16 rED) 16 REC 12 60 END 8 13 BODY 3 54 STUN 17 Movement Cost Meters Notes RUNNING 0 12m/24m END [1] SWIMMING 0 4m/8m END [1] LEAPING 0 4m 4m forward, 2m upward FLIGHT 0m/30m/0m/60m Characteristics Total: 206 Cost Powers 45 Multipower, 45-point reserve 6v 1) Heroic Strength: +20 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points) - END=0 1f 2) Heroic Resilience: Resistant Protection (4 PD/4 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (15 Active Points) 1f 3) Heroic Accuracy: +3 OCV (15 Active Points) 1f 4) Heroic Evasion: +3 DCV (15 Active Points) 6v 5) Beyond the Bounds of Earth: Flight 30m (30 Active Points) - END=3 3f 6) Hypersonic Flight: Flight 15m, MegaScale (1m = 1 km; +1) (30 Active Points) - END=3 45 Invulnerability 1: Resistant Protection (12 PD/12 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (45 Active Points) 3 Invulnerability 2: Hardened (+1/4) (3 Active Points) applied to PD 7 Enduring: Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END per Minute; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum) 3 Invulnerability 3: Hardened (+1/4) (3 Active Points) applied to ED 8 Steadfast: Knockback Resistance -8m 5 Boundless Power: Power Defense (5 points) 5 Strong-willed: Mental Defense (5 points total) 5 Lucky: Luck 1d6 - END=0 Powers Total: 144 Cost Skills 12 +1 Overall 3 Conversation 12- 3 Criminology 12- 3 High Society 12- 3 Oratory 12- 3 Persuasion 12- 2 CK: Silverstone 11- 2 KS: Criminal Law 11- 1 KS: Organized Religion 8- 2 PS: Policewoman 11- 2 WF: Small Arms Skills Total: 36 Cost Perks 5 Money: Well Off 2 Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers 5 Contact: Police Chief (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 11- 2 Positive Reputation: Celebrity Superhero (A large group) 11-, +1/+1d6 Perks Total: 14 Value Complications 15 Social Complication: Public Identity Frequently, Major 10 Social Complication: Celebrity Frequently, Minor 5 Hunted: Local Law Enforcement Very Frequently (Less Pow; NCI; Limited Geographical Area; Watching) 5 Unluck: 1d6 15 Psychological Complication: Fearless (Common; Strong) 10 Psychological Complication: Reluctance to Kill (Common; Moderate) 10 Psychological Complication: Cynical (Common; Moderate) 5 Psychological Complication: Distrusts Organized Religion (Uncommon; Moderate) Complications Points: 75 Base Points: 400 Experience: 0 Experience Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 400 Background: Eve Carpenter comes from a third generation Irish family. She is the oldest of five children. Her grandparents came to America fleeing the ongoing conflict in Ireland between Catholic and Prostestant religious sects. Her mother married into a Baptist family and became deeply involved in the church,as her husband was the pastor. Eve's parents divorced due to the husband's infidelity; after this, Eve and her mother left the church and Eve's mother reverted to Catholicism. Eve threw herself into education and would eventually became a police officer. Eve Carpenter was a decorated veteran of the Silverstone police force when she was shot in the line of duty, paralyzing her from the waist down. She was on disability for a year and, afterward, returned to the police force as a dispatcher. While receiving a medal for her valor at a 'Hometown Heroes' event, a supervillain named Hiroshima attempted to kill the person next to her, and she pushed herself out of her wheelchair and into the way at the last moment. It is unclear if her superpowers were given to her as a result of the radioactive blast, or if some hidden potential inside her awakened at the last second. However, she survived the blast with nothing more than a few scratches, and went on to drive off Hiroshima with the help of other superheroes. Personality: Eve developed a strong sense of responsibility as the oldest child in a large family. She has become accustomed to taking care of her brothers and sisters, as their mother became distant after she threw herself back into Catholicism. Eve's experiences in life have conspired with her time as a police officer to make her a cynic. She is more likely than not to look for alternative motives in people who approach her and to look for evidence to back up statements that are made to her. Eve believes in the law but is experienced enough to know that there are many loopholes in it. She also has a very dry (some people say demented) sense of humor. Quote: "I'm no saint, but I can put the fear of God into you..." Powers/Tactics: Miracle's powers come from an unknown source, but the effects can be measured by both technology and magic. Her cells radiate energy that shares many properties with cosmic microwave background radiation. Cosmic microwave background radiation, or CMB, is a form of electromagnetic radiation that fills the entire universe and is associated with the Big Bang theory. This cosmic energy is utilized by her body to give her incredible toughness, strength, and the ability to fly. In addition to these base abilities, she can harness the excess energy in her cells to amplify her existing abilities in a specific area, becoming stronger, more coordinated, or tougher. By focusing on flight, she can even fly at supersonic speeds. By default, Miracle keeps her strength, armor, and flight slots active in the Multipower (15 active points in each), adjusting slots as the situation requires. Her Overall Level normally goes to OCV, as she has the defenses to withstand several hits. Appearance: Blue bodysuit with short sleeves and fingerless gloves. Belt vaguely reminiscent of a policeman's belt, without the gun or baton. Boots. Long red hair is usually pulled back in a simple low pony tail. Blue eyes. Eve can often be seen with a smirk or a lopsided smile on her face.