Haven Walkur

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat You Don't Know Witch Hunter Jack -- Jack the Ripper is sent forward in time by H.G. Wells to aid the witch-hunters in their efforts by tracking down psychic prostitutes.

Re: What's in a Name? Oh, and the next name...Gandydancer, take a bow.

Re: What's in a Name? As a child, Franklin Lyle had often been confined to bed with chronic broncial infections. He hadn't minded much, as it meant he got to do a lot of reading...and dreaming. His favorite books were stories of strong, capable heroes doing all the dashing and dangerous things Franklin was certain he'd never be able to do. He read the adventure tales of Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and Rudyard Kipling; he devored tales of Robin Hood and King Arthur. But when he discovered the Three Musketeers series by Alexandre Dumas, he fell in love with all things "swashbuckling". Franklin abandoned his former fantasies for elaborate new dreams of joining Athos, Aramis, Porthos and D'artagnan on their adventures. In these dreams, the odd trefoil birthmark Franklin had on the back of his left shoulder marked him for glory and fame as a musketeer. Franklin's dreams stayed with him throughout grammar school and university, leading him learn French and study French history. He also studied the theory and history of fencing, and starved to buy a collection of blades on his student stipend...blades that he wouldn't be able to use because of the bronchitis that still plagued him. Several times opportunities to visit the land of his dreams -- France -- came up through the university, but Franklin was never able to afford to go. Franklin had finished one degree in European History and was a year into his advanced degree in the History of the Code Duello when news of a new study on lung disease began circulating at the university. Hygaea Industries wanted student participants with lung illnesses of various sorts, and they would pay well -- well enough that if Franklin signed up, he'd finally be able to afford to go to France. Of course Franklin signed up. Hygaea was a well-known company, the money was very good and who knows, perhaps they might actually be able to do something about his bronchitis. It didn't seem like much of a risk to Franklin...and besides, Hygaea Industries was high-profile and monitored by the usual government watchdogs. They weren't about to do anything dangerous or illegal. But it wasn't Hygaea Industries. In the aftermath, that was the only conclusion investigators could come to. Exactly who it was that had posed as Hygaea Industries and used the mutagenic chemicals on 250 unknowing student participants -- killing 236 of them -- was never established. Of the 14 survivors, 2 disappeared soon after the incident, 8 were diagnosed with long-term genetic/neurological damage, 3 appeared unaffected -- and 1 went home, packed up his swords and flew to France. Without a plane. The mysterious "treatments" actually did cure Franklin's chronic bronchitis, but they did much more than that. Now, Franklin has discovered that not only can he fly, but he is faster, more graceful and stronger-winded than he ever was before...more than most humans have ever been before. He has applied for and received a student visa, and is working as a teaching assistant (a sous-professeur) at the university of Paris. Able at last to fulfill his swashbuckling dreams, Franklin spends most of his euros and all his spare time training and practicing with his collection of fencing blades; epée, sabre, rapier and assorted others. He's discovered that when he uses the rapier, any particularly good strike with it will cause a kind of "light show" to blossom out around the blade, a kind of trefoil pattern of blue and silver light. It didn't take much imagination see the resemblance to his birthmark, and Franklin has always been very imaginative. In fact, as a child, Franklin was imaginative enough to find a further resemblance, this one between his birthmark and the Fleur de Lis, symbol of the kings of France. But as an adult, he's eschewed claiming that for his "swashbuckling" name, feeling that he doesn't have any right to it. After all, he's not even French, he's English. Instead, Franklin Lyle plans to sieze this opportunity to become a modern-day musketeer, enforcing the peace, protecting the people and acting as the hero he's always wanted to be under the name of 'Fleur de Ly' (for 'Lyle'). Franklin remains worried that the mysterious imposters who posed as Hygaea Industries will track him down somehow.

Re: Liefeld's Titans Don't mean to be ingenuous, but I don't see it; the "man boobs", I mean. Certainly Mr Liefeld has drawn Captain America with a chest like a barrel, but I'd say that's in keeping with the concept of the character as a muscular super-soldier and physically perfect human being. A bit exaggerated, perhaps, but this is _Captain America_! He should be barrel-chested and slab-sided. Thanks for the pic in question, Dave.

Re: Worst Fear! Worst fears? Here are my thoughts for three of my characters: Gamma Girl, Hidden Dragon and Wildfire. Gamma Girl "I'm still in love with you, Clark, that hasn't changed." Gamma Girl struggles to smile, to keep her voice light and casual through the knot aching in her throat. "But I'm cool with it." "You don't need to worry, Haven." Superboy shakes his head, smiling at her. His eyes are intensely blue, matching the highlights in his unruly black hair. "You don't need to worry about loving me." "Clark?" Barely a whisper, Gamma Girl's voice. Hope hits her like a deep breath of brandy, like the intoxicating fumes of a liquor she'll never be able to drink. It makes her head swim. Her chest tightens like a drum around her pounding heart. "What...what do you mean?" "Just this." Superboy moves close to her, reaches out as if to stroke his hand down the invisible skin of her forcefield. "You don't ever have to worry about loving me." Gamma Girl lifts her head, craning up for Superboy's touch. With his super-strength, he reached through her forcefield to the girl inside, a girl who, in 18 years, had never known the touch of another person -- until Superboy touched her. Until Clark touched her. And now Haven wants his touch as a flower wants the touch of the sun, as grass wants the touch of the rain. Her whole soul is yearning upward towards Clark's outstretched fingers in elemental need, for a touch vital as sunlight or water. But Superboy's hand stays just out of reach, steady in midair, almost but not quite brushing Haven's nearly-inpenetrable forcefield. He shakes his head quickly. "Don't worry about loving me, Haven, because I don't love you." Superboy's blue eyes look suddenly very dark as he frowns and drops his outstretched hand to his side. "You're not worth my love. You're not even worth my attention! Heck, the Legion should never have let you join in the first place. It's just as well you're bottled up in a forcefield...it keeps you out of the way of the real heroes. "In any case, I'll certainly never touch you again." ...never touch you again ...never...again And Gamma Girl realizes there are some forms of damage that go right through her forcefield. Gamma Girl is my most recent character but one. She's from a Champions-based "Legion of Superheroes" game run by Dr Anomaly. Hidden Dragon Joanna's worst fear would be learning that her suspicions are right, and her divine father isn't the Willow Dragon of ancient China. Her worst fear is that her divine father is really Darkseid, Lord of Apokalips. Hidden Dragon is an older character is from the same Champions-based "Legion of Superheroes" game, but considerably further on in the timeline. Wildfire Does anyone remember the Champions 3D supplement? Sheridan's greatest fear would be returning to the hideous reality of "Horror World", the world overrun by the mosquito-like Anopheles, man-sized monsters that preyed on humans. There was also an assortment of Lovecraftian nasties lurking in the shadows everywhere...and Earth wasn't falling into ruin and despair, it was already fallen. Wildfire is my oldest Champions character. She's from a straight CU game also run by Dr Anomaly.

Re: A D&D paladin in my Marvel Avengers campaign. My current Champions character is Pendragon, a WWII British flagsuit (brick in armor). As she's a _female_ descendent of King Arthur, she hides her gender behind full-plate armor and sometimes illusions. Anyway, she rides a flying horse, and I decided that this was the same warhorse -- 'Leaping Silver' -- that Arthur rode in the legends. The warhorse (a mare) has Extradimensional Movement (linked to Flight) to allow her to return to her stable in Avalon, the Isle of the Blessed. Perhaps something like that would work for your paladin's warhorse? With Extradimensional Movement, your warhorse could go to the realm of your character's god when you don't need her, and be pampered and cared for by divine grooms and stablehands. Ex-D movement also means the warhorse is always just a call away, and your character won't have to worry about shelter, food or safety for the warhorse.

Re: Liefeld's Titans "Man boobs"? On Captain America? Oh my word! Link please, Hermit.

Re: Liefeld's Titans Yes, I'm for real, Hermie-wermie. I've been here for years, lurking, collecting pics and occasionally interjecting unpopular comments. I'm the one that wrote the anti-Liberal rant on the NGD Board some time back...ringing any bells yet? And yes, I really do like Liefeld's work on Titans.

Re: Liefeld's Titans I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE IT! I've never knowingly encountered Rob Liefeld before, but I've loved the Teen Titans since the mid-80s. And personally, I think Mr Liefeld's done a wonderful job with his new images of the team. His Titans look magnificent, powerful, larger than life; they look like demigods! In an era when too many comicbook artists are making a mockery of the heroes they're drawing -- based either on their attempt to "reinterpret" the characters, or their basic hatred of superhero comicbook characters -- it's good to see Mr Liefeld taking his heroes so seriously. I don't think Mr Liefeld's illustrations are any more stylized than is usual with comicbook supers. (As if, say, George Perez or Dave Cockrum never drew a stylized illustration of a character!) I also didn't notice the flaws most posters objected to most strenuously; small hands and feet, extra teeth, taut muscles. And as far as large boobs are concerned, I don't agree that Mr Liefeld has Double-D Disease. As I'm an adult woman and the unfortunate possessor of a rather large frontage, I always look with suspicion at the bust-lines drawn on female superheroes. And Mr Liefeld's ladies didn't bother me. At all. I think that Mr Liefeld's work is so dynamic, so energetic and full of motion that the characters (particularly Robin and Wonder Girl) leap to life on the page. Mr Liefeld's "larger-than-life" style is well-suited to the Teen Titans, a league of godlike young heroes for whom the sky's the limit, and I'm glad to have him illustrating their adventures.

Re: Just testing interest:Would you would you be interested in this game? Oh yes, I'm interested. And I'm that rarest of creatures, a female roleplayer who actually _likes_ combat.... ;-}

Re: Essence of the Golden Age Thanks for responding, people! This is _exactly_ what I was looking for. (Of course, my character's British, so brings a slightly different perspective to the War Effort...or were Golden Age heroes _always_ American?)

I'm about to start playing in a Golden Age Champions game, and I'm very concerned about keeping my character's attitudes and actions "in genre". So can anyone give me a simple litmus test for determining Golden Age-style conduct and characters? How do you define Golden Age (other than chronologically)?

Re: If You Draw It...They Will Come I like your artwork, especially poor Doc Power that you malign so unfairly. His pic is sleek and active, full of movement. I thought Lightspeed was very attractive -- from the neck down. His face lacked detail, and was almost a caricature "bad guy." Ugly like a slab. But it's not just a "handsome character" prejudice on my part; I _loved_ the obese hero someone suggested naming "Bullfrog." Very imaginative character, and a well-executed and well-proportioned fat man. Are physically imperfect characters harder to draw than perfect people? So what about Rabid? I like what you've got so far, though I agree, the claws don't seem to fit the image -- and Wolverine has pretty much cornered the market on claws (of all sorts). _I_ really like the straps-and-buckles effect, and would put them around his thighs and ankles as well as his wrists and upper arms. Perhaps some lengths of broken chain, too? No, I'm not projecting my (admittedly well-developed) kinky side onto your innocent character -- but ask yourself, what do you have to do with something that is rabid? You destroy it, or failing that, you _bind_ it...hence the straps, buckles and chains. Rabid's costume should suggest that he has broken loose and is out of control. The costume should say, "This man is dangerous and should be locked up." Perhaps instead of just the standard jumpsuit/bodysuit, Rabid could wear a fitted canvas jacket over it; a stiff white jacket with dangling straps. Yup, I'm talking about that traditional symbol of raving insanity, the strait jacket. Of course, it wouldn't actually _be_ one, but it would look similar enough to make onlookers think uneasily of uncontrolled madness. Rabid creatures -- and this includes human being -- become vicious and mindlessly aggressive. They tend to foam at the mouth and bite. Without treatment, rabies is invariably fatal. It's a deadly disease endemic to much of the world. So perhaps a big bio-hazard symbol in the middle of Rabid's chest might be appropriate? Or perhaps a skull or skeleton, to represent the death that follows? Just my thoughts on Rabid. Oh, and I love the name.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings I'm actually closing in on 100 posts.... I'm not really a net/chat board enthusiast, but I _am_ extremely competitive, so this pleases me. I also want more rep, but it looks to me, cynic that I am, like rep goes to them as has it. -----------------Anti-Liberal criticism follows----------------------- I was born English, and lived the first 4 years of my life there. I conceived a vast loyalty and attachment to my own Romanticized notion of England, composed of (amongst other things) King Arthur, Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, the English language, heroism and victory in WWII and football. In 1992, after _many_ years of residency, I became a naturalized U.S. citizen...and I have never felt the need to condemn my adopted country for all the evils, real and imagined, of the entire world. That's something many natural-born Liberal U.S. citizens canNOT refrain from doing, whether from naïvety, transference of personal guilt, desire to be fashionable or simple ignorance. I find that Liberal ingratitude and disloyalty digusting! If the Liberals believe that other nations are morally superior to the U.S., that the people of other nations are leading less restricted, freer and more ideal lives than the people of the U.S., then let the Liberals _immigrate_ to those other nations. I'll watch the airports for the vast exodus of Liberals heading for Iraq, Iran, France, Germany, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Korea -- but I think I'll be waiting a looong time for any signs of the American Liberals putting their money where their (big) mouths are. Hypocrisy, thy name is 21st Century Libralism.

Re: Physical or Psychological Disadvantage? Gary's sig file: Kinky is with a feather, perverted is with the chicken. And if it's with Gary?

Re: A Thread for Random Musings I'm just testing out my new sig file. I actually feel more strongly about that issue than my mildly-worded sig might indicate.

Re: Creative use of superpowers Dr. A (of Hero Board fame) raves over what he calls the "granularity" of the 5th Ed. What he means is that over-arching powers and effects can now be broken down and bought in appropriately-priced pieces. He's my Champions GM, so I've heard his opinion expressed several times, and while I agree generally that granularity is good, as a player, I don't like it. When you have to break a power into pieces and pay seperately for every variant effect, the power quickly becomes very expensive. And a great many things that were previously "taken for granted" as part of a power's effects suddenly have to be spelled out and paid for seperately--or worse, are suddenly just disallowed! The "power stunts" skill just doesn't adequately address the problem. Now there's a NEW layer of debate, over whether or not a certain use of a power comes under the "power stunts" definition, or whether it's been used too often, and now has to be bought as a power...still more drags on the flow of combat, followed by still more "number crunching." Creatively, 5th Ed. does discourage creative _player_ play. I can understand why GMs like it--it gives them a more detailed understanding of what the PCs can do, and more _control_ over it--but as a player, I hate it! Imagine this scene: A hero, beaten to her knees by the villain, suddenly, in desperation, hurls a nearby bucket of water on her. The villain begins to smoke and screech: "You wicked child, I'm melting, I'm--oh, no, wait, did throwing the water count as a power stunt?" Hero: "Uh, no, it was just there, so I threw it." Villain: "Well, how often have you done that in the game?" Hero: "Thrown water? Look, I really don't know. A few times, maybe." Villain: "Multiple times...so you need to buy the "throwing water" power. Or do you already have it?" Hero: "Thowing water? No, I don't have that! And it's not a power--" Villain: "Ah, but you used it as an attack, so...." Might as well surrender, Dorothy. We're using FRED.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat *ding dong* Hello, I'd like to talk to you about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.... New Topic: What to do when the new Doctor Who is American--and a chick!

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat Every last scrap of chrome off an 18" trailer hitch, baby!

Re: Pls Suggest Names for a South/Central American Superhero Group Smoking Mirror(s) ...nickname of Tetzcatlipoca, from one of the Central American pantheons. Also appeared as a jaguar. (Sorry about any mis-spellings.) Hero Twins...Xabalanque--the Evening Star--and his brother, Hunapu--the ballplayer...and their heroic companions. (Again, apologies for spelling.)

Re: What's the most ridiculous PC you've ever been subjected to? lili9 !!! It's GOT to be lili9, for sheer effrontery in spamming the Hero board!

Re: Gamma Girl pics And you certainly did do something! Wow oh wow oh wow oh BOY! Chimpira, thanks for the sketch; it looks fantastic! Can't wait to see it finished and inked. And I knew exactly who all the people in it were, even if some of the Hero Board didn't! Even in the sketch, the figures were clear enough for me to recognize the other Legionnaires. You rock, Chimpira!

Re: Somebody PLEASE build me a wombat!

Re: Somebody PLEASE build me a wombat!

Re: Somebody PLEASE build me a wombat! See, Kirby, I didn't forget! Novice Legionnaires have good memories for random kindnesses.