Fedifensor

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central It was deleted off my hard drive right after reading your original request to do so. And I don't appreciate being called a liar. If you have the superpower of seeing the content of my hard drive, I think the government would like to hire you.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Okay, I've done my best to be diplomatic, and I'm only going to say this once. Only the last few paragraphs are specific to ghost-angel, though his post did bring about this response. Between preparing material, reviewing characters, offering advice, and all the other things that go into getting a campaign off the ground, I've put two to three hours per day into Catalyst for at least the past month. That's like having a part-time job. I don't expect this campaign to be for everyone, but apparently at least 6 people were satisfied enough with what was offered to join the game when I contacted them with the news that they were accepted. For them, at least up to this point, that "very specific style" works. If you don't like that style, fine. No hard feelings, good luck in your next endeavor. All you need to say is that the campaign doesn't match what you're looking for, and move on. That's the polite way of leaving. But to stay around and do nothing but complain about the tone of the game ("gag me with a spoon", indeed) or harp on why the campaign guidelines are violating the rules (Hint - HERO is a toolset, not a bible) when you're not even going to be involved is just raining on someone else's parade. Ghost-angel, you may want to look at how you're phrasing things. If you start a sentence with "Your constant emasculation of Characters for no rational reason...", all you're doing is burning bridges and being petty. Would you say that to a person's face and expect anything other than anger? While I appreciate all you've done with reviews and your other contributions to the HERO system, I have to say that after your recent posts I don't like you very much. You've said what you have to say - move on and let us game in peace. Your image has been deleted...and was the first time you posted about it. If you're that concerned about your artwork being misused by others, then you probably shouldn't be posting it on a public board in the first place. I'm just glad that Storn doesn't share that attitude. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled campaign discussion...

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Okay, I will say up front that I'm not that concerned about Life Support giving a character too much protection against unusual attacks. However, I have to say that your statement was uncalled for. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I think Zac is a rational person, and one concern every HERO gamemaster needs to keep in mind is the character that buys a lot of special defenses (I know that statement is in the book, but I don't have time to do a search for it). When you have a character with a PD/ED at campaign limits that is fully resistant and hardened, with Flash Defense, Mental Defense, Power Defense, Lack of Weakness, and a comprehensive Life Support package, the character may be legal by campaign limits but can only be defeated through raw damage, no finesse involved. It is this situation that Zac is trying to prevent. Furthermore, he has shown a willingness to negotiate on those powers. He even recommends special defenses for certain characters, so they won't be put in an untenable situation during his game. I think you prefer a different style of gamemaster, who is a bit looser with the power constructions and adapts on the fly when these situations come up. However, since Zac and I are sharing villains between the two campaigns, this is a bit more difficult than it would be with a single GM. Based on that, and your previous comments, I think you would prefer a different style of game. I'm going to assume your statement is a withdrawal from consideration for the campaign. Take care, and I hope you find what you're looking for.

Re: You. Make. The Call. ...particularly DP 7 and Psi-Force, though the latter got a bit grim and gritty in the later issues. Anyway, my thought is that the Force Wall is the biggest game-breaker. Place it in such a way that all but one of the villains is trapped...then the rest of the team concentrates fire on the lone villain outside the wall. Rinse and repeat until the bad guys are down. If one bad guy has a way around the wall...make sure he's the one on the outside when your teammates attack. For some strange reason, I thought of an idea for a Duplication character called Thunderdome. One duplicate has a powerful Force Wall, the other is a gladiator build...and his quote is "Two men enter, one man leaves..." Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Well, it's your choice if you want to withdraw your application. Zac runs the Thebes game, which is a separate city...but it is in the same game world. If you don't think Hiroshima's speech is Bronze Age, I have to wonder what comics you read from that era. Because the Magneto of the late 70s/early 80s would have used a very similar speech (substituting mutants as the victimized people). Hiroshima, being a master villain, is going to be one of the more over-the-top NPCs...but if you don't like the style, then it's best that you find another game.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central I'm not going to make a habit of copying Hero Central posts over to this thread, but since this is the first public post for the characters in the Silverstone game, I thought I'd share it with everyone. It's taken about a week to get all the characters in the right spot for this, and I hope the payoff is worth it. The Second Coming Lex Stevens, the anchorman for Channel 8 news (the only local newscast on television at 2:45 in the afternoon) turns to the screen and says, "And now, a special report from Channel 8's news reporter, Bruce Dolan. Bruce?" Bruce Dolan appears on the screen, apparently standing in a hallway. "Good afternoon, Lex. I'm reporting to you from North Hollow Medical Center, where we have an exclusive interview opportunity. Nearly a year ago, the founder of the Prime Interdiction Taskforce, also known as PIT, resigned her position and went into the private sector. Beth McIntyre's quick rise to prominence, first at the CIA and then with PIT, is highly classified and little information is available. During her tenure, many controversial decisions were made...none moreso than the execution of the supervillain Hiroshima. Today is the anniversary of Hiroshima's death, and thanks to dilligent investigation we have discovered that Beth McIntyre now resides in Silverstone. She is at North Hollow today to see Dr. Rosenthal, a noted expert on nerve and spinal damage. As you may recall, her right leg was crippled after the PIT offices were attacked by Hiroshima in 1990. Today, we hope to find out more about why she left PIT, and if she feels responsible for the destruction of the government lab that was tasked with carrying out Hiroshima's death sentence." Bruce turns and heads down a hallway, past a few doors, and into a large waiting room. Several people look up in various states of surprise and alarm, and the camera swivels to home in on Beth McIntyre. As the camera shifts, you get a brief look at the others in the room - two men in business suits (one with a Blackberry), an Oriental man peeking out from behind a newspaper, a father who is startled out of sleep, sitting up in his chair as his two children look to him. Sitting next to Beth is a woman in a wheelchair, holding a magazine on gardening as she looks up in surprise. Next to the woman in the wheelchair is another middle-aged woman, who appears to have been talking to Beth before the camera appeared. Beth looks up, and the mike picks up her instinctive reaction upon seeing Bruce Dolan and the camera. "Oh, $&!^..." Beth McIntyre is a woman in her 50's, a cane laying on the empty seat next to her. The cameraman focuses tightly on Beth's face, ignoring the others in the room. Bruce Dolan moves up next to his cameraman, and immediately starts the impromptu interview. "Ms. McIntyre, this is Bruce Dolan with Channel 8 news. Today is the anniversary of Hiroshima's death, and we are responding to a Newsline 8 tip about you. Can you tell us your thoughts about that dark day?" Beth appears torn for a moment, but decides to go the diplomatic route. "Certainly, Bruce. Hiroshima was the greatest threat the United States has ever faced. Even during the Cold War, calmer heads could prevail, but Hiroshima was blinded by an obsessive quest for vengeance. Despite the bombing of Hiroshima having taken place 40 years before Hiroshima's first appearance, he persisted in blaming individuals who weren't even in politics when the incident occurred. He was tried and convicted of multiple counts of murder, including the murders of a US Senator and one of the Joint Chiefs. Because of his...unique powers, special equipment was required to carry out the court-mandated death penalty. Regretably, Hiroshima's death released all the stored energy in his cells to catastrophic effect, destroying the facility and killing many patriotic men and women. While the loss of life was unfortunate, I remain convinced that had he lived, he would have escaped even the restraining cells at the Metahuman Prisoner Lockdown Facility, and killed far more than those who lost their life that day." Bruce Dolan replies immediately to Beth's words. "Little public information has been released about the specifics of the execution, and I imagine you'll tell me those details are a matter of national security. However, our Newsline 8 tipster states that the execution device required a final approval from the central PIT facility to activate. Tell me...were you the one that gave the final approval?" Beth looks at Bruce Dolan in surprise, and there is pain in her eyes. A long pause occurs, then she says, quietly. "Yes." The reporter, like a lion pouncing on its prey, quickly adds, "Which means you're responsible for the death of over 100 people...who went through with the execution because your agency assured them it was safe. Was it the guilt over those deaths that drove you to help design the Good Samaritan act, a Constitutional Amendment that turns over much of the enforcement of Prime criminal activities to unlicensed individuals who dress up in outlandish costumes? An Amendment that hamstrings our legal system to this day?" While Bruce Dolan has always been hard on Primes...he's an investigative reporter who's hard on everyone. It could be that he has a grudge against Primes. More likely, however, his words have simply been chosen for the maximum effect upon his target, and his style has shifted to become more interrogation than interview. Beth is about to reply, her face heated, where there is a commotion in the hall. Two Oriental men, apparently Japanese, throw a third man into a nearby stairwell, and a loud bang can be heard as one of the Japanese men kicks and bends the doorknob. The two thugs then rush in at two individuals in business suits, quickly grappling and subduing them. Two other thugs are at the doorway, guarding it. The cameraman turns around to catch the action just as another individual walks through the door. He is wearing a trenchcoat (with the collar turned up) and a hat. He turns toward the far wall as he enters, but a white face mask can briefly be seen. The man in the trenchcoat speaks. Though he has a Japanese accent, his English is perfect. "America never changes. You believe the world can simply be bought with your immense wealth, that your so-called democratic rule is the only way a nation should be governed. Even today, your troops occupy many foreign lands, because force is the only language you know. And you still believe that the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people from the atomic bombs dropped on Japan over 60 years ago were justified...that it was the only way. When Hiroshima came to your land to teach you the error of your ways, you could not bear the shame of your past sins that he brought to light. It drove you to convict him of crimes against your nation, instead of realizing that his only crime was giving a voice to the fallen. And you, Beth McIntyre, were the instrument of his destruction, the only one I am able to reach." Suddenly, a corona of energy radiates from the figure, burning off the outer layer of his clothes, and revealing a white bodysuit. "The others will have to wait. You, however, will pay for what you have done. I have given you the opportunity to confess your crime...your entire nation will hear the words you have spoken. But while you have killed a great man, you have not killed his legacy. All you have done is delay the inevitable. Behold, America..." The figure turns, and a distinctive rising sun logo can be seen on his chest. The corona of energy about his form is now clearly recognizable, and several in the room gasp in fear. "...Hiroshima has returned."

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Tempest's player has given me permission to post the first part of the character's background. Enjoy! Tempest's Background (Part 1) "I can't believe we have to move again," Jade said, trying to move one of the boxes stacked in the back of the garage and failing. "Ooof… this one's heavy." "You'll make new friends," her uncle reassured her. He lifted a box that looked like it should be too heavy for his wiry frame and carried it out to the rental truck. "Why bother?" she asked when he returned, "We'll just move again, and I'll lose them too." She threw her weight against the cardboard box, all ninety-something pounds of it, and it refused to budge. "Seriously, what's in this thing?" "Leave that one until your parents get home from the airport," he told her, measuring the stacks of boxes that remained by eye, trying to solve the puzzle of packing them in the truck as tight as possible. "I seem to remember you said the same thing in Bayport." There had been less teenage drama, then, and more tears. She shook her head, embarrassed. Some of the same boxes, too. She was willing to be some of them hadn't been opened since Middleton. Or maybe New York. She picked at a piece of peeling tape on the heavy box. It was so dry it broke off. "Besides, I didn't think you liked here," her uncle said. "I didn't, but just when I'm finally getting used to Thebes, they're all 'oops, sorry, we're moving to Colorado!' What's next, Florida? Wyoming?" She stomped once. It didn't make as much noise as she'd hoped it would. It made it hard for him not to laugh, she suspected. She peeled more tape back, and opened the box a little. He didn't seem to notice. "Think of it as getting to live more places you'll learn to like." He took his glasses off, exhaled on them and started polishing with the corner of his shirt. "Besides, your father is the only child, he needs to be close to his parents right now." "Would you move to China if Grandpa and Grandma Shen got sick?" "I will, when the time comes." He finished the right lens and started on the left again. The box was full of—sand? She pushed it around, sifted through it. There was something else in there, metal, cool to the touch. "Of course, I'd come back to see my favorite niece," her uncle said finally. And when that didn't get a reaction, he added, "I'd bring presents." She was still trying to find the edges of the metal object and wasn't really paying attention, but she knew the moment he finally put his glasses on and looked up. "Oh," he said. "Oh, Jade." She froze, one hand almost elbow-deep in the sand. He walked over slowly, gently lifted her hand out of the box. "Go put some water on for tea, will you? And then we'll talk." She nodded and ran into the house. The kitchen was mostly packed up, but a few essentials had been left for last, and with Uncle visiting, that included the essentials for tea. She waited for the water to boil, let the tea steep for three long minutes, and then, since he still hadn't come inside, she took the tray out to the garage. Uncle had unpacked another box and now it was half full of sand, and a few other boxes had been opened. He was sitting on one of them holding something that looked like a geiger counter and clicked occasionally. "It's safe," he said. "This box is almost as old as you." She hesitated, until he waved her closer. She gave him a cup of tea. "Thank you." He sipped it, still too hot for her to do more than blow on. "Your mother's never told you about what our father did during the war, has she?" She shook her head. "She talk about our sister?" "Not much. She died in a car crash before I was born." "Maybe it's just as well you're leaving Thebes," he said. "Why?" He made a face and sipped again. "Nothing. I'm allowed to be superstitious." He finished his tea and contemplated the leaves left behind. "Let me tell you a story…" "The man who became Qíng Tiān Pī Lì (thunder from a clear sky) inherited his powers over thunder and lightning from his mother. It has always passed to the eldest child. Thunder is dominant when the child is male and when female, lightning. "There are those who believe the line can be traced back to Lei Kung (the duke of thunder) and Tien Mu (the mother of lightning) and that that the Ministry of Storms actually existed, either as actual deities or what people now call 'primes.' "Whether this is true or not, I do not know. What I know is that when China was invaded by the Japanese, my father–your grandfather–wielded the power of storms in defense of his home. He was assisted by his brother, who crafted for him a suit of armor and a spear that enhanced his powers. They fought in secret at first, but eventually my father joined the Nationalist Army and later fought beside the Allies, who called him "Thunderbolt." I believe his brother had been killed before then. "Near the end of the war, one of the American soldiers, codenamed "Overmind" gave him a phone number to call if he was ever in his country and needed help." "When the Japanese surrendered, Qíng Tiān Pī Lì put away his spear and armor and tried to be merely Shen Yóuxiá again. He married a woman–your grandmother–from his home province. "But while the invaders had been defeated, the Civil War continued, and Shen had tasted enough death and destruction. When the government fell he did not join them in exile. Instead, he and his wife left China for America, where he used the money and English skills he gained during the war and my mother's talent for cooking to open a restaurant. "In time they had twins. This was unexpected. Never in memory had twins been the firstborn children. Eventually, the elder daughter exhibited the power of lightning... but none of the thunder as would be expected. While your mother, the younger daughter, had the power of thunder, but none of the lightning, and her gift seemed weaker in her than in our father, as it was meant for a male heir. "My sisters were taught to control their gifts—and to keep them secret, as generations before had done. But naturally, both used them. Your aunt found her father's armor and called herself Stormfront, though she was never revealed to the public. And your mother took up our father's spear. Both of them kept their actions hidden from our father. Though in time, both came to trust me with their secret. "In 1986, in front of the world, Hiroshima threatened to destroy the Statue of Liberty. "Some twenty primes joined forces to stop him. Thunderbolt and Stormfront were among them, fighting together for the first—and last—time. She was killed during the fight. Father brought her home, and called the number Overmind had given him years before. They faked the accident and kept that secret, even when so much else had been revealed. "Your mother was in the hospital, in labor. You were born later that morning, in the hours before dawn." Jade stared as her uncle lifted a suit of bronze armor out of the box. "This was his armor... later hers," he said. Jade saw it was curved like it had been reshaped for a woman's figure, ornate plates over rings, and beneath that dusty black layers of leather, linen and silk. A strange reddish metal she wasn't familiar with. "Copper?" "Bronze. A special kind of bronze the English call gunmetal. They used to make cannons out of it." "Can I touch it?" He nodded. It was cold under her fingers and she shivered, though that had little to do with the temperature. There was a fissure in the breastplate, the metal discolored and partly burned away. "That was where Hiroshima's radiation lance pierced her heart." And ours, his eyes seemed to say, full of tears that never fell. She yanked her hand back, instinctively. "I'm sorry." "She'd have liked you, I think. You don't resemble her the way your mother does, of course, but you remind me of her." Jade bit her lip. "I'm the eldest." Eldest and only child, and likely to stay that way, as far as she could tell. "Does that mean—" Her uncle sighed. "The armor would have reacted to your touch." "Oh." He smiled, just a little. "How do you think I felt growing up? It's not you. Your parents weren't born in China, and even there... well, sometimes it skipped a generation. Those without the full gift might have a minor gift for magic or predicting the weather—which is more important to farmers than you know—but for most of us, the family line isn't so exciting," here his voice turned serious and he tapped the edge of the ragged hole in the armor, "which is our good fortune." She shivered again, and nodded. "Why didn't mom tell me?" He shook his head. "You'll have to ask her that yourself sometime. I don't think she's ever told your father what really happened, either. Maybe it still hurts too much to talk about. But now it's your secret, too. "Now come on, let's clean up this mess before I have to explain it to your mother."

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Background is interesting...though there is already a villain named Blitzkrieg in the campaign. I see where you're going with the powers, though I have a few suggestions on the writeup that may help. For example, if you don't take Knockback Resistance, your invulnerable body will bounce around like a ping-pong ball if a truck hits you. You could also have a layered defense - armor for your resistance at the subconscious level, and a 0 END Force Field for your conscious resistance. The latter could be put into an EC (Psychokinetic Field) with Tunneling and possibly Running.

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon Here are the ones I can remember offhand: The Gravy Train - Coined by Mastiff, a character in one of our superhero campaigns who was a brick with 75% Physical Damage Reduction, 80 STUN, Regeneration and *6* PD. He also had a 65 STR and 25" of running, with levels in Move-Through. Mastiff would take damage (including BODY damage) from nearly anything. However, the Gravy Train could take out nearly any villain in the campaign, and became a general phrase for any really powerful attack. Captain Whitebread - Used to refer to idealistic characters. Especially popular when referring to superpatriots. Pulled a Kathy - This refers to my wife, who would fall asleep (because we often gamed late) and wake up just in time to use the item that saved the day. Two examples of this are as follows: We were fighting an iron golem that just killed one party member in a single hit (it was using a Maul of the Titans), and I remembered that she had a magic item called 'Rust Dust' that she picked up...so I woke her up. She gets the situation described to her, has her character throw the rust dust on the golem...and the golem dissolves into rusty iron shards. We were fighting this half-demon that was tearing through the group. Kathy's character was on autopilot because she fell asleep, and she wakes up just as her turn has come around again. "What's going on?" "We're fighting a half-demon." "Don't I have an arrow of demon slaying?" "Um...yes." "I use it." She nails the bad guy with the arrow, and he explodes. Swallowed some demon - Related to the example above, the mage had a staff of telekinesis with no range (you had to touch the target to lift it). Just before we found out about the arrow of demon slaying, the mage burned a ton of charges on the staff to grab and lift up the half-demon, yelling for someone to hit it. Kathy did...and the mage's mouth was still open when it exploded. Also related - You got some demon in your throat... Angstmeister - Used for a player in our group who always played angst-filled characters. Pulled a Wagashi - A player's character in Living Arcanis who is munchkined out to the max. Wagashi uses overwhelming firepower to take out a situation...such as the maximized empowered fireball that did 75% of the hit points of the entire encounter (as in, half the bad guys dropped immediately, and the ones left were below 50% HP). The campaign is still active until Origins 2009, the character is now 19th level, and his favorite opening spell is a spell-shaped (Archmage ability to avoid hitting allies) Wail of the Banshee with a DC 31 Fortitude save. Other notable examples of Pulling a Wagashi are sharing a spell called Gaze of the Medusa with his familiar (so he can make gaze attacks with a save DC in the high 20s twice per round) and casting Magic Jar to spend the entire adventure in the body of the most powerful foe on the battlefield (the most recent being an elder Earth Elemental). Don't Fireball The Nuns! - I'll just note this was said to Wagashi, and move on...

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central (Posted from my G1 phone) Point of fact - Inertia's Enraged is when someone is murdered, not just when someone dies. That's why I bought it as Uncommon. It has to be (or appear to be) an intentional act by the attacker.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central (Posted from my G1 phone) Shards of Wood: 2d6 RKA, Autofire (3 shots), 1/2 END (52 active points) OR Shards of Wood: 2d6 RKA, Autofire (5 shots), +1 Increased STUN multiplier You could also add Reduced Penetration, but that's up to you.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central I think Zac's going to have a problem with a power that can destroy virtually any breakable focus in one hit. However, if you add a limitation like "Only versus living creatures", he may let it fly. When most characters have a 10 to 15 BODY, doing 1d6 BODY through all their defenses is extremely nasty. Personally, if Inertia was hit with a Does BODY AVLD, he'd strongly consider using his Escape Velocity power...like most characters, he has absolutely no defense versus that attack, and 3 or 4 shots (even at 1d6 per hit) will drop him to negative BODY. Remember, Catalyst doesn't have a lot of death in superpowered battles, and a power like this goes a bit against the grain. Remind me to have Zac tell the story of Mournblade, a character that got retroactively edited out of the Catalyst universe after I realized how nasty it was to have a Public ID police super with a BODY drain...using his power in the same situations where a cop would use a gun.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central I thought the Enraged fit pretty well. Maybe just buy down the occurrence and buy up the recover chance? STUN only, as written.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central I have one concern about Kuan Ti...the RKA. Aside from the fact that it steps on one of Inertia's specialties (AP RKA), combining Increased Stun Multiple with Armor Piercing is extremely nasty. With average rolls (7 on the 2d6, 3 or 4 on the 1d6 multiplier) you do 21 or 28 STUN versus 1/2 defenses. That's better than my 2d6+1 AP RKA for the same point value (average 16 or 24 STUN versus 1/2 defenses), and nearly the equivalent of an 8d6 AP EB (which is 60 AP). Plus, you have a better chance of scoring big on the STUN lotto (a theoretical max of 72 STUN versus 1/2 defenses). For a 6 SPD character, this seems to be a bit much. However, I have a suggestion. The beings of Chinese mythology have already been established in the Catalyst universe as having magics that can partially bypass any defense. How about this: Shard of Wood: Energy Blast 7d6 (vs. PD), Penetrating (+1/2) (52 Active Points) This would be a magical wooden shard that would hit the target. The impact damage isn't that high (average 24 STUN)...but it will do a minimum amount of damage (average 7 STUN) to anyone without hardened defenses, no matter how tough they are. Basically, the shard penetrates enough to cause pain. Considering you have an Enraged, it's probably better to have this than a power that will rack up a bodycount. Alternatively, you could just do a straight 3d6+1 RKA for 50 points. One other question - I assume your Elemental Control is some form of Chi magic, which means it would be affected by magic-based drains. Is that correct?

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Silverstone players...I'm ironing out a few things with one character, which is why things are progressing slowly in the individual threads. I hope to have everything resolved by this weekend...so don't panic if you haven't seen a post in your individual thread for a few days.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central It's a delicate balancing act. You could keep your DEX as is, since your higher damage attack lowers your DCV. It's cheesy even if Steve Long does it...and you can quote me on that. I took a crack at the character, but it's incomplete, and I didn't want to do any rewrites on your background. Here's what I came up with. I dropped Missile Deflection (completely redundant when you have Martial Dodge), fixed a few things in skills and perks, upped the multipower, and brought you to the highest STR possible while keeping martial arts and following campaign guidelines. Disads still need work, and I'd suggest looking at the other elements - wood is rather interesting, for example.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Feedback time! I'm going to give brief feedback on each of the characters I mentioned in my earlier post. Talwar Characteristics - there's a few things you can do if you want to be more point efficient., but nothing to raise a red flag. Powers - The Transform...maybe I'm misreading this...but without a limitation, you can transform anything into any metal, instead of one metal into another. The Micro EMP is okay...though I'd switch the limitation to "electronics or targets vulnerable to EMP attacks". Also...do you really need the Damage Resistance versus PD? 24 rPD is better than tank armor. Even the brick for the Silverstone group maxes out at 16rPD (with her multipower in Armor). Skills are...okay. A lot are going to be of limited application (you bought up AK: India beyond the base INT roll?). I'll leave this one to Zac to examine in more detail. Disadvantages - You have glory hound, melodramatic, and vain...these all seem to cover similar territory. Maybe they should be combined into a single, more encompassing Psych Lim? As far as the "poor" disadvantage...I find it hard to believe a guy who can lift a tractor-trailer can't find a job that pays rent...especially when you also have acting skills. By comparison, Miracle (in the Silverstone game) has no performing skills and is only slightly better looking than average, and she's a well-off celebrity. You should have some dice of Unluck if you go that route. Background - Seems okay, but your ties to India seem to be stronger than your ties to Thebes, which could be a problem. Raider Characteristics - Training can take you a long way, and justifies a 6 SPD...but 29 DEX is high. Anything beyond a 27, in my opinion, means you have superhuman ability related to your powers. 29 is a speedster-class DEX. INT is pretty high...but I'm getting a Batman vibe. More on that when I examine skills. CON is also a bit high...but if you're pushing the top edge of human capability, it's within reason. Powers - All of these look fine. Martial Arts - You have a 11 DCV while using your 8d6 melee attack, and a 10 DCV while using your 10d6 melee attack...before counting in your overall level. Even the offensive shot does 10d6 at range while maintaining a 9 DCV (10 DCV with overall level). I would suggest lowering DEX to 26, which would balance things out. You may even be able to convince Zac of allowing a second Overall Level if the DEX is lowered, and 2 levels can be used to up damage by +1d6. Skills - All decent, though I was expecting to see a few more knowledge skills (perhaps combined with scholar). Also, if you contributed to the Sentry Initiative...I'd consider looking at Computer Programing, Electronics, Mechanics, and/or Inventor. Same thing applies if you made your own utility belt. You have a few skills you could skip (or drop to 8-) if you need points...Seduction tops that list. Disadvantages - Enraged (son threatened)...I certainly understand that as a father, but that's pretty strong. Basically, if a mugger pulls a knife on your kid and tells you to hand your wallet over, you'll flip out and possibly kill the guy, CvK or no CvK. You may get your kid killed in the process, and get brought up on charges for excessive force. One good roll with a 10d6 attack will take a mugger to negative BODY. Since you've gained 15 disad points from it (20 including the DNPC), the situation WILL come up. I'll let Zac comment on the rest of the disads. Ao Kuang To be honest, I liked him better as a brick with some martial arts and elemental abilities than a martial artist with elemental abilities. The former seemed more interesting to me. Also, if you're worried about overlap with Haven Walkur's character, would you be willing to switch your element from water to something else? Characteristics - Pay the extra 2 points to take CON to 23, and you end up saving 5 points on secondary stats. Or drop CON to 18-21 to save a few points. DEX is high...see my comments to Raider. However, at least your main attack gives a penalty to DCV. Everything else seems fine. Powers - If you're short on points, you could drop the leaping to x4 noncombat. I'm really not thrilled with buying Does Knockback on an attack that has a base cost of 3 points/die...seems to be an obvious powergaming move (versus buying a double knockback EB). If you really want an attack that knocks someone back, put a few more points in the multipower and make a 6d6 double knockback EB for 52 active points. Same average KB, and does a little damage as well (which makes sense for a water blast). The higher-point multipower also lets you improve PD on your Force Wall, and makes the TK a bit more useful. Martial Arts - You could take the attacks up +1d6 and still be acceptable, since you have no combat levels and drop DCV to 8 with your high-damage attack. It's on the edge, but I'd allow it. If you drop DEX to 26, not only would I allow it...I'd highly recommend it. Skills - A lot of your noncombat skills are tied up in languages and weapon knowledge. I'd personally recommend dropping the Defense Maneuver to a lower level and getting a few more points in noncombat skills. Disadvantages - I haven't dug through the Master List of Limitations, but offhand I think "Reformed Criminal" is a Social Limitation, and "Detached from Humanity" is a Psychological Limitation, not the other way around. Bounty and Escaped Felon is double-dipping (or triple-dipping with Reformed Criminal as a Social Lim). Jade appears to be your kryptonite...but is a bit more common than a rock from outer space. Overall, I think you need to go back and do some more work on the disadvantages.

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central

Re: Catalyst: A Champions campaign on Hero Central Okay, finally home from work... I'm going to disagree with Zac - I don't think the SPD/Defenses combo is unbalanced. There are two primary areas for balancing. The first is attacks - higher SPD must be balanced versus higher Damage classes, with OCV taken into account as well. Attack power, attack speed, and attack accuracy are the three parts that need to be examined. In this case, the high SPD is balanced by a 10d6 main attack (which is melee) and a 5 OCV with no levels. This is balanced...in fact, considering the average DCV is 8, this character will only hit the average supervillain on an 8-. I would personally find that frustrating, even with 7 chances to attack per turn. The second area of balancing is defenses. Yes, the character has 30/30 defenses...but only a 5 DCV. This character will be hit, and hit often...often enough to justify the defenses. Yes, the STUN is near brick levels...but that's still not enough to make things unbalanced. There are also less concrete factors, such as the lack of ranged attacks, and the multiple special defenses. I think they balance out for the most part. That is certainly your choice. My opinion is that I don't think the character is unbalanced mechanically. The larger concern I have is a concept...why is the character so fast, yet (for that level of reaction time) so clumsy? 7 SPD but 15 DEX? There's nothing in your background on how you got your powers, and this seems extreme enough that it needs to be explained.