Crimson Arrow

Re: Yet Another "Name This Character" thread. Xolotl was the Aztec god of lightning and was apparently viewed as the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl. He was also the lord of the evening star and pushed the Sun at sunset towards the ocean and guarded it during the night, when it passed through the Underworld. He also guides the dead there. So, as your character has an interest in the culture, how about calling himself Xolotl, or even Dr. Xolotl. He would inevitably be nicknamed 'Dr. X', of course! The Aztecs also had a god called Chac, but while he was lord of lightning, his primary speheres of influence seem to have been rain and vegetation.

Re: Girl Fight: The Talent Scout I note it's a special arena. Special in what way? The environment will greatly help certain characters. If it's like a jungle gym, then an acrobat might have an advantage over a brick (all other things being equal). Also, are characters from Digital Hero allowed? I suspect not, because you've referred to supplements. Off the top of my head, I can't recall too many 350 point female characters in the books.

Re: Effective Concepts Your GM WON'T Allow. I hope he's got Personal Immunity (or No Sense Of Smell). What, no Eggman? Did they get by with a little help from their friends? Sounds like a fun group, a little reminiscent of the Crazy Gang from Excalibur.

Re: Effective Concepts Your GM WON'T Allow. Yes, quite so. My character was a little different, in intention (people would be subconsciously reluctant to hit her), but your way is good. Bet her teammates try to keep their distance, though (unless they are robots, aliens, etc). I agree. She could be good in a 'Mystery Men' campaign, for example.

Re: Need help with modern pirate concept It's Dirty Infighting you want surely? Buy some moves for that and for Fencing. Allow him to use Clubs as well as Blades and you've got a great basis. I'm not too good with vehicles, but really you should be able to build something perfectly serviceable using the 5th Ed rules. As to Skills or skill-like Powers, consider Environmental Movement: On The Water, possibly even In The Water, some extra Swimming, TF with types of water craft, PS: Sailor, KS: Sailing, possibly Oratory (he's the cap'n), maybe some underlings (no matter how good he is, he'll need some back-up), Acrobatics, Climbing, possibly Systems Operation, WF with a variety of weapons, including ship-mounted ones, possibly Seduction, maybe Gambling (card games and/or dice). That's kind of a mish-mash of old-fashioned and modern day superhero pirates, though. There are lots of pirates still. They are indeed a bunch of very nasty people and a distant relative of mine was involved in advising on ways to tackle the problem. Because he only ever attacks other pirates, or, as was suggested above, because he's sponsored by a local government.

Re: Effective Concepts Your GM WON'T Allow. I have a similar construct in mind for a character, except it's built as DCV levels. For 10 Active Points, you get the +2 DCV (functionally the same as applying -2 OCV to everyone). It applies to people outside the area, doesn't cost any END and you can still apply the Limitation to it that it only affects people who'd care to drop the Real Cost to 5 points. Your one would work even if the person were unconscious, I suppose, but then how tough is it to hit someone who's out cold, even with a -2 OCV? Another advantage is that it wouldn't strictly count towards the maximum DCV in the campaign, but that would be a bit of a munchkin point. I don't think The Voice is such a terrible character, because people would start using automata, or take him out up front, before he makes his PRE PRE Attack. I wouldn't allow him because he's a one-trick pony and not in an interesting way. He'd make an interesting villain, perhaps. There was, of course, a villain called just this in the 60s, except his was more Mind Control than a PRE Attack.

Re: The Ultimate Mystic:A Subjective Review I sympathise more with this, but then there is 'The Bestiary' and magical characters in other products (in different genres). I think having a scattering of samples would have been nice. I never got 'The Ultimate Super-Mage' because it wasn't available in hard copy in my game store, so I'm pleased to be able to get something similar, at long last.

Re: X-men on 350 You can free up some points by making use of the Everyman Skills. I'm inclined to agree that he can't have two lots of DF, at least not on this basis. What you are effectively saying is that because he feels different as well as looks different, he can have two lots of DF for effectively the same, but I can't say that I agree. The accent seems wrong as a DF to me too, but it would depend on the campaign. I'd drop the rapier and give Kurt some other form of Martial Arts, reflecting his X-Man training. Nightcrawler didn't carry round a sword as a matter of course in this period, that I can recall (but I didn't read many comics then). If you like, allow him to keep the ability to fence, but incorporate that into his unarmed MA (for example, the Block Maneuver could be used armed or unarmed), as can the Dodge. I wouldn't bother with Takeaway at this stage of his career. I'd say Disarm was more the sort of thing Kurt did, but that's just quibbling on my part. I can't remember a lot about the Image Inducer, but is it really a form of Shape Shift? I suppose it works quite well, though. It's a good write-up.

Re: Computer Programming Maybe I'm being stupid, but why can't there be a PS: Technical Support, which covers all the day-to-day aspects of doing the job? You can even have KS: Computers and Operating Systems (or something along those lines), if you want to get more specific. Anyone whose job (such as a lawyer, or architect) would normally have a familiarity with the basics of relevant packages, such as word processing, CAD, sending e-mails, that sort of thing. A secretary would know more about WP, than the lawyer (probably), but still knows much less than the people in the IT department. I can't see much justification for a brand new Skill. I really don't know that much about the field, but is there really anything which couldn't be handled by a PS?

Re: Blake's 7 Avon wasn't killed in the firefight and it's possible no one was. I seem to recall there was a radio series later where Avon and Villa got up to some scheme or other. However, there had already been some major cast changes throughout the series, for one reason or another. Roj Blake himself left the group after two series (or was it three?). It would be a great campaign setting for just the reaons you specified. However, the players might find it a little frustrating not being able to make much of a difference. The best things were Avon, a spectacularly louche mathematics expert and the person who effectively took over as leader after Blake left and Orac, a super computer (actually more of an artificial intelligence) who was extremely clever and knew it. Orac was originally portrayed with stochastic capabilities and able to predict the future, but this seemed to get dropped, presumably for the same reason precognition causes problems in games; it doesn't half make it difficult to have surprises.

Re: Ultimate Thief/Scout Actually, I forgot to mention Power alternatives to the skills in the fifth part of my earlier post. Shapeshifting is the obvious Power to allow for a super disguise (it could even be built as a Super Disguise skill, as per 'Mission: Impossible' or 'Darkman'). For PRE-based Skills, Mind Control could work well, as has since been mentioned. One of the nice things about HERO is that there are some powers which can create a similar effect, but all slightly different. For example, a stealthy character could have Stealth, Invisiblity, Images, Mental Illusions, Change Environment or Darkness as ways to avoid (or reduce the chances of) being seen.

Re: Need help with a "Forge" power set Actually, that's a great point. I'm not sure it's necessarily a Psych Lim; it could be that he simply doesn't have the Sciences at very high levels (or maybe at all), but has Inventor bought up.

Re: Early "What do you want to see?" for Teen Champions

Re: Name Help: Teen Legacy Hero How about Sprawl (like an urban sprawl)? In the UK, if people add a bit onto their houses, it's called an extension. That ties in with buildings and stretching, but I don't know if it's a term used in the USA.

Re: Need help with a "Forge" power set If he’s an intuitive gadgeteer, try for a Power Pool without the restriction that changes can only be made in a laboratory, just as Metaphysician suggested. I suspect that was what you had in mind anyway. I’d also consider giving him Overall Skill Levels. There’s no reason why his DEX should be amazing, but I bet he is a crack shot with guns he’s created, plus the Levels will help him with his other Skills. I like some of the other ideas people have posted, especially being able to upgrade other devices and talking to machines, as Lightray said. Don't forget to give him Weaponsmith and maybe the 'Super Sciences' detailed in Champions (unless he's never going to build things like size changing rays, or you think that's too much for a guy with essentially no training).

Re: Ultimate Thief/Scout It rather depends on how you want to go. First, there’s the out-and-out super-powered scout. As mentioned above, this is likely to be someone who can turn invisible or, even better, teleport or turn desolid. Then there’s the ‘super-skilled’ characters. These are outwardly normal people, whose skills are so good that in HERO system terms they are built as powers. This is the amazing ninja who can vanish into the shadows far more easily and effectively then the Stealth Skill could ever allow (a form of Invisibility), or someone like Mr Miracle, who can walk through security arrangements and pick locks as though they aren’t there (a variation on Desolidification, perhaps, although that wouldn’t allow anyone else to follow him without some Advantages and then the Power gets very clunky). Then there are characters who have Skills appropriate to thieves and scouts. In a superhero campaign, the rolls for these are likely to be high. The characters might have Overall Levels to bump up their chances with any one skill or even to allow them to take out that pesky security guard. In some respects, this is better than super-skills, because, for example, if Mr Miracle opens a door using his Lockpicking 21- (plus his five Overall Levels), it stays open and there are no peculiar rules effects. In a supers game, it is quite possible that the characters will have such Skills as well as ones based upon powers. Your answer to which type of game thief you want nudges you in the way to go (in HERO terms). However, the abilities I consider essential to a good thief/scout for the purposes you have described are ways to avoid being seen or heard, ways to get to the place in question (and away again), ways to get past or around security devices (including locks), ways to record and/or pass on the information found and ways to deal with guards. In the first category, you are looking at Stealth as a Skill and Invisibility as a Power. There are other options, such as using Images to ‘cloak’ his presence. In the second, some kind of Movement Power would be good, ideally Teleport, but it could be anything. For Skills, you are looking at Transport Familiarities and maybe Combat Driving/Combat Pilot. You’ve got to get to that island somehow. The third category involves Skills such as Lockpicking and Security Systems. Related Skills such as Electronics and Mechanics can help. If you have to get past cameras, you might need to Disguise yourself. In terms of Powers, Invisibility, Desolidification and Teleport are very useful. However, there’s mileage in things such as Stretching (to reach switches over the booby-trapped floor), Darkness (to hide from cameras or guards), Images, or Gliding (to walk over the floor without actually touching it hard enough to set off the trigger). Be imaginative with Powers! Enhanced Senses to spot infra-red beams or hear ultrasonic alarms might be useful too. The fourth set of things would cover Eidetic Memory, Mind Link and maybe Telepathy. These can be built as gadgets if need be (cameras, sound recorders, radio headsets) and you could even have High Range Radio Listen and Transmit to allow you to broadcast things in a more conventional fashion. The final set of abilities covers attack powers. You’d generally want things which are fairly quiet, such as silenced guns, gas attacks and quiet Martial Arts moves (Choke is great for this). However, it also covers being able to talk your way out of trouble (Persuasion, maybe Seduction), paying off the guards (Bribery), or fooling them (Acting, Disguise). Realistically, your thief isn't going to be able to do everything. He will have an MO and largely stick to that, be it tricking his way in, or Teleporting into the basement.

Re: Name Help: Teen Legacy Hero High-Rise Hightower If he's got stretching powers, what about Condominium? (Sorry, couldn't resist). Actually, some idea of his background might be useful.

Re: New player needs help translating character ideas into game terms Some great ideas there, but there's one thing I'd like to check. Do you envisage being able to Drain people who are held in the Grab? If so, then the whip needs to be worked a little differently from AlHazred's version (which was great). I have to agree that most supers won't be affected much by being dragged along the ground, but it's certainly a classic move in Westerns and sometimes fantasy genres, so go for it. Hmm, you could always Drain their PD as they are dragged along. There was an old villain called Bruiser who hit people and their defences would diminish. That might be a little too complicated, though (not to mention a tiny bit villainous).

Re: What to do with a winged ex-heroine? First, it's a 4 color campaign, a bit like Astro City (excellent). Second, your players like surprises and clever 'bits' (also excellent). Third, you actually have some players who like to roleplay (also good). Fourth, you'd like something heroic and final for Ladyhawke. As I see it, there are three ways for things to be final. Of course this is a comicbook universe, so 'final' is kind of relative. 1. She dies. 2. She loses her powers. 3. She vanishes for good and isn't coming back (eg she seals a dimension forever, or is sent into the distant past or future). 3 is too like what happened before and also doesn't really make a huge amount of sense (why is she gone forever?). 2 is OK, but of course might not really be final enough, because the character is still alive, just without powers. Perhaps she is regressed in age to be a baby again and this time will have a chance to live her life peacefully. 1 is the classic heroic option, but therefore also a little clichéd. Perhaps an innocent must die to activate the spell needed to defeat the demon and she kills herself. She could fall in battle, making one last effort to save everyone else. If you went with my idea (yes, I am plugging it to death), how about the characters eventually find a way to free her from the armour? She can now leave Hell. However, just before they all head for home, up pops a nasty devil. Without blinking, Ladyhawke grabs up her sword and attacks, even though she no longer has the same protection. Without her magic armour, she is mortally wounded, but buys the players enough time to flee, or to get their act together to defeat the big bad guy. She should, of course, hang in there just long enough for a touching death scene. She can now die free from Hell, die free as a bird. (Anyone who started humming the Lynard Skynard song loses an experience point ) The characters have saved her soul and defeated the big villain with her sarcifice, so they've achieved something, but the victory will be tinged with loss.

Re: Character Ideas A Starfire clone would be a great character for that campaign. HERO’s flagship Champions characters are (surprise, surprise) the Champions and one of them is an Energy Projector called Sapphire, who could provide a starting point, if you have access to her character sheet. A mystic is a character who uses magical powers. They might be spellcasters (wizard types) or they could be people who use magic items. The suggestion I made is a combination of the two (as are the comics characters Dr Strange and Dr Fate). It can also be stretched to include creatures of a magical origin, like a vampire. You like the idea of a sword-wielding girl, so how about the character has a magic sword which produces light, shoots energy, etc. instead of a staff? Personally, I think you should go with the Energy Projector, although I think you could perhaps put more of your personality into something a little more unusual. As to the other information you’ve been asked for, you’ll need to give us more detail on what skills these other characters have. Clearly there are PCs with things like Computer Programming (interesting that the GM notes they don’t really fit with the campaign). What I think you need to come up with is what does your character add to the group. If you go with the Mystic, then she will have knowledge of magical things and strange events. The Energy Projector could be almost anything. Does she have a job too? It could be fun playing a schoolgirl who has amazing powers, so what does she like studying at school? Is she a superpowered cheerleader type, a hard-working student, or quiet and unassuming? Maybe she’s a girl scout with a great big magic sword, or a well-behaved student who loves science, but got zapped by an experiment and can fly and project bolts of stellar energy. If she’s a bit older, does she have a glamorous job, like a model or actress, or something more steady, like an accountant, or a lawyer? Is she attractive, maybe beautiful? What are her weaknesses? Is she vain, unsure of herself, manipulative, too trusting, aggressive, a show-off? These are questions it’s very difficult for us to answer without more from you, because you want a character you’ll enjoy playing. Once you have a better idea of where you are going, we can offer something more concrete. One other thing. I note that you’ve never heard of a Mystic before, which suggests you haven’t seen the list of archetypes. Not every character fits cleanly into an archetype, but it might help you to decide what you would like to play. Some of the archetypes overlap with each other! The Brick: You know what that is, of course. The Energy Projector: Manipulates some kind of energy. This can be a bit more flexible than ‘energy’ in the strict sense and can include ice, earth or weather. They can usually attack at a distance and often have some kind of movement power associated with the energy (for example Flight, 'Running' on ice, Swimming or Tunnelling). The Gadgeteer: This character builds incredible devices, such as jet packs, laser pistols and scanners. He might have a set of powers he always uses, or might be able to change them around. For example, he might swap his laser pistol for a sonic disruptor, then the next adventure use a cold gun. This can get complicated, so my advice is to avoid this one. The Martial Artist: They do martial arts! They might have strange mystical powers too, like walking on sand without leaving a trace, or vanishing into the shadows. As mentioned above, it’s possibly best to steer clear of this archetype for now. The Mentalist: The character is uses mental attack to stun his opponents and uses various other mental powers to confuse and frighten the opponents, they also use psychokinetic powers. They usually have a high EGO and PRE, not to mention the points spent in their powers. Raven from the Teen Titans is like this. The Metamorph: These people can change their shape in some way. The main two kinds are the ones which can stretch themselves and the ones who actually become different animals, or sometimes other things, like elements or even forms of water! Elastigirl from ‘The Incredibles’ is an example of the former, while Changeling from the Teen Titans is an example of the latter. The Mystic: Mentioned above. The Patriot: Not really an archetype in my opinion, more a theme. They espouse some kind of belief, such as patriotism towards a country, or a desire to further a religious or political system. Captain America is a Patriot, but in game terms, he’s really a Martial Artist/Weapon Master. Power Armour: Wears a suit of armour which protects him and usually offers greater strength. Can often project energy too (so kind of like a cross between a Brick, an Energy Projector and sometimes a Gadgeteer too). The armour is usually advanced technology, but sometimes is mystical in nature. The Skill Monger: Has lots of skills. This means they aren’t always as effective in combat as people who spend a lot of points on powers, but this isn’t always the case. Detective characters often have a lot of skills, but scientists in comics often master a dazzling array of disciplines. Something tells me you wouldn’t enjoy this type of character, at least not right now. They usually have some other powers too, often Martial Arts. Batman and Robin would both fit into this category. The Speedster: They move really, really fast. It’s usually running, but some can fly. They rely on moving too fast to be hit easily and usually inflict damage by adding velocity to their punches, or by hitting a target lots of times quickly. The Flash is the most famous Speedster. The Totem: A character whose powers are based on an animal. They might have claws, wings, the ability to run fast, heightened senses, that sort of thing. Spider-Man’s probably the best example. They often have a range of powers which overlap a bit with other archetypes. For example, Spidey has super-strength, but isn’t as strong as the Hulk; he’s fast, but nowhere near as quick as the Flash. The Weapon Master: Really a subset of Martial Artist (for hand-to-hand weapons) or Energy Projector (for ranged weapons). Examples include Green Arrow and Hawkeye (both of whom used bows).

Re: What to do with a winged ex-heroine? That's a bit harsh, Oddhat. Good if they want a dark storyline, though. I have a few extra thoughts on my idea about Ladyhawke being trapped in Hell. First, the armour allows for some surprise when they find her. I don't think they should be looking for her, just have to go to Hell for some other reason. Second, they might have to leave her in Hell (assuming no one can break the spell in some way), which might offer some nice roleplaying opportunities. Third, they can then keep their eyes open for ways to free Ladyhawke in the future. The quest to get her away from the magic armour could provide some future plot ideas and bring the PCs into conflict with Demon or other mystic foes. Depending on how well they respond to her coming back as an NPC, you can keep her in Hell, kill her off (in a heroic manner, I hope), or even eventually have her return to Earth. She might even ascend to some higher plane, after killing so many demons. Has anything said so far by anyone sparked ideas red_eagle123? If not, what's the tone of the campaign? What are the players like? What sort of stories and events do they respond well to (not necessarily enjoy)?

Re: Character Ideas Drain characters are a bit reactive, aren't they? It sounds like quite a large group. You still haven't explained why you've had characters rejected, though. Would it help to list the archetypes? You seem to know a fair bit, but it's hard to know what the problem is. How about playing a Mystic? He has a Multipower with various spells, plus a cape which allows him to fly and a magic staff which can project light (Images, maybe a light ray Energy Blast), strike with great force (Hand to Hand Attack), blow through walls (Tunneling) and perhaps do some other cool stuff (probably a second Multipower build into an OAF). It's a bit derivative, but if you aren't experienced you don't want anything too weird or complicated and it still gives you lots you can do.. He'd need some defences, but that could be a magic item, or what he does with his personal magic Multipower, while using the staff to attack. If he loses that, he might have to take a risk and drop his defences in order to attack. It could be very heroic. Don't forget to give him appropriate KSs in magical fields. I'd make him a Scholar and scoop up lots of Knowledge Skills.

Re: Character Ideas Hi there. What sort of characters have you tried so far? Why was each of them rejected? Does your GM have particular rules for characters? If so, what are they? What HERO source material have you seen? I'm guessing that you haven't seen 'Champions' or 'Champions Universe'; am I right? I'd agree with Trebuchet about running an Energy Projector. There are lots of different types of characters, but EPs are a good counter-balance to Bricks, without involving too many complicated rules.

Re: What to do with a winged ex-heroine? I'm not sure about the winged characters. It sounds all a bit too contrived to me. How about she becomes an avatar or maybe servant of the Greek goddess Nike ('Winged Victory')? This was mentioned above, but she needn't actually become that being. (It's Nike, not Niki). It sort of ties in with the minotaur character becoming Taurus. As such, she could be a bit like a guardian angel, turning up for an important scene, but wouldn't have to be around all the time. "Who's this winged warrior woman with the sword?" *Ladyhawke removes her helmet* "But, but, it can't be YOU!" Maybe she just finds some magic armour and a sword and fights demons on her own. She cannot leave Hell because she's too busy foiling demonic plots, or because the armour is cursed and, while it warns her of demons (Danger Sense and Clairsentience) and has extra protection against demons and fire, it was made for a paladin who vowed to rid the multiverse of demons and had the armour enchanted so she could never go back on her pledge.

Re: I need a certain type of catastrophe I knew there was a lot, but not that much. Is a large amount of that is unsuitable for use in technology? I still prefer the EMP/solar flares idea. Perhaps there are transmitters on Earth, broadcasting something which jams electronics. DC has done something along these lines with the JLA twice in recent years, although in neither case was it an EMP being sent.