Bengal

Aren't we talking about superheroes? If they want to wait until the... last... possible... moment, they should be able to do that. In many situations, it's dramatically appropriate. On the other hand, if you get one (or a group) of these players who make up a pile of points to aim (over the shoulder of the captured DNPC) at the bad guy... it's probably more a player problem than a rules problem.

Trebuchet nailed it this time... which is hard for such an innacurate siege weapon (pause for groans). If a player can figure out how to do it, and it's in character for that particular character, then really you oughtta let them do it, even if it's going to mess up a perfectly-planned strategy on the part of the NPC enemies. Doing clever and unexpected things should be encouraged- it makes for some of the most memorable times around the table. I was running an adaptation of an old Dragonlance adventure for my group, and the group came upon an old long-dead warrior, frozen and preserved nicely for centuries in a glacier. Because the adventure was for a larger number of lower-level characters than we had, there was no contingency for a Speak With Dead spell... which the cleric cleverly cast! It was a boon for the party, and required a ton of extra planning for me. They were able to disrupt a large part of the adventure simply by (legitimately) learning some things that the module didn't want the players to know yet. But to this day, enarly 3 years on, it's one of the best-remembered moments in our campaign.

If you need it, make it up. Just make sure the GM knows you need it first. You bought the book- it's yours to play with as you wish.

The official superhero team in the Savage Dragon's world is the S.O.S.- Special Operations Strikeforce. May be appropriate here. Or you could call them the North American Guard and the World Guard. Or FORCE Team 1 and 2. But I can't recall what I had FORCE stand for. I think the F was "Federal" so it may be a moot issue. You may think about calling them SWORD teams. Special Weapons and Ordinance Recovery Division... or whatever.

Yep, this is a multiform- good call Vandie. I made up Dr Henry Pym in the same manner- Ant-Man, Giant-Man, "Dr. Pym = MacGyver" Dr. Pym, and Yellowjacket, all Multiforms, all accidental change only, all personality loss... a number of things. But if you want your hero to have distinct identities and more than one of them has superpowers, Multiform is the way to go.

Ooh, "cool" power. I'm gonna have to bust this guy out in our Captain Carrot game.

Oh, hell, and don't forget the Belle Reeve Superhuman Penitentiary not far fom city limits.

If you want to play with some flavor, but not necessarily with a horrid stereotyping, you may wish to take the character concept of the Black Rapier (from Astro City) and make him into a southern belle, a glamorous super-fencer who wears black and keeps to the rooftops. A Fencing helmet, with the mesh faceguard, is a nice costume idea the original Black Rapier uses, very mysterious but also with a touch of nobility and the Old World. Swamp-Thing, Solomon Grundy, the Ratcatcher from Batman's rogue's gallery, a mutant dinosaur, ghostly heroes and villains fighting titanic battles in the swamps which will never end, a frnch-canadian style fur trapper themed superhero, The Saint (dressed in black and gold like the football team) who has a vaguely religious theme... lots of good choices. Just took me a few days to get my thoughts together.

The first time I was introduced to champions was in grade school, probably 6th or 7th grade, by a friend of mine who was an RPG fiend... and not a terriffic GM. I didn't know much about superheroes, and so he and I sat down an \d modelled Spider-Man, who I knew a little about. On 250 points, he was fairly weak, and not exactly what I wanted to play, either. I quickly decided to roll up a new, unique (I thought) superhero named Bulldog. He was a brick with cybernetic enhancements, such as a silver jaw for biting through things, and springs in his legs to make superleaps. I think he would have been fun to play, except my friend was also a pretty lousy GM. I didn't get a chance to play Champs much in the next few years, and I didn't have a book or anything to learn from. I bought the BBB when it first came out on the advice of the old creepy RPG shop owner, and then sliced out the pges to put in a three-ring binder, since the first few print runs had shoddy glue holding the pages together. I never had a chance to play with his group at the store, for whatever reason. In 1999, another shop I went to started to have RPG nights, and I finagled a Champions night, where we played for about a year. That was a lot of fun, and I really was able to develop my alter-ego to a good extent. At the time, I mainly played a character named Nighthawk (I ripped the name from the old Defenders character... much to my suprise, so did the devs for their own superhero!), a martial artist patterned roughly on Daredevil, but without the altered senses. Since he was sometimes busy with legal wranglings stemming from his sidekick, a young woman who he had rescued from an alternate dimension and therefore not documented in this one, I had a chance to throw a few other superheroes into the mix from time to time. The main thing I learned from this run, where I also took a turn GMing, is that the ideal number of players for a Champs session is neither 10, nor 2. It's probably somewhere in between. The second thing I learned from this session is not to give the 650-point brick character to the powergamer. But that's a tale for another thread.

Steve intentionally pulled two specific, important battles forth for his examples of this maneuver in use. Although you're technically allowed to use this attack every time, I think it is outside the spirit of the game to make it your PC's default maneuver. It's more of a dramatically appropriate plot contrivance the way I read it. In any case, if your campaign has a bunch of murderous Image heroes in it, by all means- go for it. I'll be disallowing this attack I think except in very specific circumstances. I mean, why buy Autofire now when you can get a similarly strong "advantage" for a much smaller penalty?

Bobcat started out as sort of a clone of Wolverine. This was maybe in 1989 or so and he's really come a long way conceptually. His powers come from Warlock's old Transmode virus. I have decided that his new mutated transmode strain will allow he or she who is infected to basically make up their own powers as they see fit. This meshes well with the malleable nature of Warlock and his race bqack before they thought it was a neat idea to bring him back, andallows for a whole new sort of superheroic reverse-vampirism as a plot device to introduce new NPCs and in some circumstances, PCs. Bobcat pts Char val 20 Str 30 45 Dex 25 26 Con 23 16 Body 18 0 Int 10 0 Ego 10 3 Pre 13 0 Com 10 10 PD 16 10 ED 15 25 SPD 6 0 REC 11 0 END 46 -5 STUN 40 Characteristics cost: 150 pts Ability END/Roll 15 Elemental Control: Transmode Virus Powers 18a Shape-Shift, one form (Man-beast), Sight and Touch Groups. Instant Change, Cellular, Costs END Only To Transform, Limited Effect: Only affects normal sight and normal touch. 4 10b 2d6 HKA (Claws) 4d6 w/STR, reduced penetration, no knockback 3 or 6 11c 4d6 Major Transform, Standard Effect. Limited Target: Formerly sentient beings, transformed to its former state of life (Heal back: Be killed again) with the addition of the following physical limitation: "Subject to powers and abilities that affect only humanoids and those which affect only machines (al the time, slightly)," 15 pts, with no additional character points gained. Extra time: 1 hour. Major side effects: 3d6 STR Drain. "Transmode Infection" 6 10d 10 PD and 10 ED armor, not versus magnetic or electrical attacks (-1/2) 18e 18" running, all 0 END 24f 3d6 Mind Control, Cumulative, Max cumulative points = 144, Only versus robots, computers and other machines, No range, plus +8 ECV with this attack (ECV = 11). 56 1d6 Regeneration Healing, 0 END Persistent, Extra Time: 1 Turn, Self Only, can regenerate limbs, and ressurect. 20 +4 hand-to-hand combat levels 3 Stealth 14- 5 Acrobatics 15- 5 Breakfall 15- 15 15 points Power Defense 12 12 points in perks applicable to the campaign. Abilities cost: 200 Characteristics cost: 150 Total Cost: 350 points. Disadvantages (200+) 15 Social Limitation: Secret ID Steve Tungsten 15 Physical Limitation: Subject to powers and abilities that affect only humanoids and those which affect only machines (al the time, slightly). 20 Susceptability: 3d6 Str Drain per turn from intense magnetic fields 20 Susceptability: 3d6 Dex Drain per turn from intense magnetic fields 20 Susceptability: 3d6 HKA (and subsequent EC) Drain per turn from intense magnetic fields 10 Reputation: Known Mutant 8- ext (but in reality untrue) 20 Vulnerability: 2x BODY from magnetic or robot-only-affecting attacks 20 Physical Limitation: Unique physiology requires special medical care 10 Hunted: Campaign Mutant Group, 8- (Good or evil; GMO) 150 total disadvantages plus 200 base = 350 points.

This Just In Newsflash: If you go to the emergency room, and you need health care, they give it to you. Free of charge-- to you. Doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, or whether you need an aspirin or open heart surgery. Don't bother thanking me, I really like paying for someone else's health care.

Yep, as far as generic battlesuit heroes go, Windshear was pretty cool. Which is to say, not as cool as either Iron Man or Storm, but much cooler than Northstar and his dopey sister.

You know what? Is this what they teach you at Vanderbilt? Enough with the political rhetoric in my Champions game.

LOL he is sort of his own action figure, isn't he? He usually sits on the shoulder of one of the other heroes and sticks there with his Perching ability. Movement isn't the issue- it's his attacks that are nonexistent- but that's nice too since it forces me, the player, to work out other interesting ways of being useful. Or I can just go get a snack when everyone else is fighting.

So no one ha sthe info to copy into this thread? Maybe with a picture? Some buttweasel permanently borroed my CE years ago, but I seem to remember there being a picture of her too.

Nope, no crime here. And where Bengal is from, child brides are fairly common. I can't imagine this would even register as a crime to him.

That's so true. Until recently, she never was supposed to be quite in control of her power, and yet it almost always functioned perfectly and saved the day. I think that Wanda alone would give the Avengers an edge vs the JLA despite the great disparity of their relative power levels.

I have a few viable (I think) characters, in the 350 point range. I have not played them all in games, but that has more to do with how busy the player is rather than anything about the characters. I'll post original versions, without XP, since it'll be easier to parse them like that. Midget-Man was the victim of a horrible accident which reeeeduced his height to 6 inches permanently. But he doesn't let any of his super-friends know that this isn't actually a power, so that they might take him seriously as a crime-fighter. His motto is, "Desire is 80% of achievement," and he is more likely than not to accept any challenge that comes his way, partially becase he needs to prove himself but also because it was in his nature before to be competitive and successful. Prior to his acident he was a scientist at a high-end research lab where he fell into an experimental cyclotron that divorced most of his mass from his 'essential bio-pattern', whatever that means. They were able to turn off the machine after a few minutes, but the damage was already done. He maintains a lab on the premises, but is no longer truly employed by the company- it was part of the settlement deal he struck with them out of court. There he maintains his miniature equipment, and has a secure hard phone line for other superheroes to call him where he can't be found... at least, not without someone trying very hard. pts Char val -30 Str -20 24 Dex 42 15 Con 10 10 Body 0 20 Int 10 15 Ego 10 10 Pre 0 16 Com 3 10 PD 14 10 ED 7 6 SPD 26 8 REC 18 30 END 0 33 STUN 26 Characteristics cost: 136 pts Ability End/Roll 90 4 levels Shrinking -30 O End Perisitent Inherent Always On -10 -5" running no NCV -2 -2" Swimming (can only float around) 11 1" Swinging x8 NCV O End OAF Tiny Line Gun 7 Cling@Str, Perching Only 3 Scientist 2 Physics, 13- 2 Electronics, 13- 2 Inventor, 13- 2 Biology, 13- 2 Virology, 13- 2 Neurology, 13- 2 Chemistry, 13- 2 KS: Kites 11- 5 Deduction 13- -9 Helmet Suite, all OIHID Tiny Helmet 39 HR Radio Hearing, Absolute Time Sense, Bump of Direction, Eidetic Memory, Lightning Calculator, Universal Translator 15 5 PD/5ED resistant Armor -5 OIF Costume Total abilities cost: 114 Total point cost: 114 + 136 = 250 Disadvantages (200+) points 20 Physical Limitation: Always 7" tall, nearly weightless, subject to wind gusts, etc. (Always, Greatly) 20 Distinctive Features: As Above 10 Physical Limitation: Tiny voice, no louder than a whisper 10 Psychological Limitation: Likes to lead, often gives advice and orders 20 Psychological Limitation: Code vs Killing standard 20 DNPCs: His mother, father and brother 11- (Normals, know of his dual identity, group DNPCs) 15 Social LImitation: Secret ID: Leeland Boyd Total Disadvantages: 115. Total points: 315. His Disadvantages don't equal his point total, but they all seem to make good sense so I left them all in. I'll post more, including my namesake, if anyone's interested.

I don't have the sheet in front of me, but this is how I wrote it up last night: WF: Escrima Sticks +2d6 H2H Attack PD OAF (6D6 w/strength, 8D6 w/martial strike) plus 1d6 NND Does Body, Defense is full-coverage Hardened Resistant PD or having own Chi Powers (+2) OAF total cost 11

You know, I don't think you can actually define what she does perfectly and specifically- it seems to me what she can do changes from target to target. In the latest issue of Avengers, she turns snow into steam for a nice little Change Environment... but she could have just as easily turned the ground to muck to Entangle her prey... I think I'd have to write it up as a Cosmic VPP, Transforms Only. At the level she controls her powers now, you'd probably need a 125+ point pool to simulate what she can do. And of course, my favorite avenger is Emma Peel.

Nah, chief Jay Strongbow was a pro wrestler.

This doesn't really sound like a disadvantage at all, and if it is one, make it a 5-point Distinctive Feature. It's not going to actually hinder the characters at all I don't think. Great idea though!

I have to tell you: If you're looking for rationale scientific-ish rationale for superpowers, you are probably not playing a game which has much in common with the Silver Age. Nothing against either science or the Silver Age, but they don't mix well. That having been said: Radiation accidents are still the leading cause of both horrible disfigurement and superpowers. The difference between the two is luck, a force of will, predestination, underlying genetic superiority, whatever. But just don't try to think too hard about it. Otherwise, you might as well be playing Star Hero (also a fun game, but not the same one as we're talking baout here). Addendum: One of my favorite super-hero character concepts is one by Bob Burden for a character called The Strangler. He has super-strong hands. He got his powers, and recharges them at intervals, by bathing in the radiation of a weird fruitcake he got in the mail anonymously one day. He never questions the origin of the fruitcake, its construction or initial purpose, who sent it to him, or why only his hands gain power upon recharging. Those things are outside the realm of his origin. This may be in some respects unsatisfying to you, so if you were playing The Strangler, you might wish to seel answers to these questions. But the answers are not necessarily part of his origin. Again, you don't NEED to think too deeply about these things- you can get around to the explanations as part of the adventure should you really want or need to. All you need to get started is radioactive fruitcake.

Hm. A pigeon hunt scenario where the villain was, actually, the pigeon after all. Bengal would have probably been the on eto do the killing, so it's hard for me to answer how he would have responded to someone else doing it. I can't imagine he would feel too remorseful about stopping this guy. Had it been someone else though, he would probably just make a mental note never to turn his back to the offender.