Crimson Arrow

Lord Liaden's right of course, but I didn't enter the argument last time. In the legends, Mjolnir was magical. It was forged by dwarfs in a contest to produce magic items for three of the Norse gods. Even taking into account the differences between Marvel Thor and the mythological one, the hammer is obviously magical. It allows Thor to travel dimensionally, always returns to his hand and can summon lightning (in the comics). If Cap used the hammer, maybe he could not knock down a building, but isn't the test how much damage Mjolnir does compared to another similar-sized hammer wielded by the same person? You could say it's only because it's made of uru, or whatever and is therefore heavier and harder than the materials used in an ordinary warhammer, but I think the dwarfs would have been pretty slack not to make it a great weapon. As to the magic wand. I think some writers would hold that it did hurt Superman. I don't think I would, but Mjolnir is a magic weapon, designed and enchanted as such. They may have changed this (I have barely read any Marvel stuff for 10 years), but the Marvel version of the hammer used to be able to project an energy beam from the hammer itself. I am pretty certain that would be a magical attack. I have been wondering if Superman should not be written up with a multipower or VPP of some description. He never seems capable of using superspeed at the same time as using ALL of his strength. His battles with Doomsday seem to evidence this. While Doomsday is very fast, I do not think he has speed like Superman's, yet Superman never seems to outpace Doomsday. As to WW's sword, Superman's probably so used to handling sharp objects with impunity that he is not careful around them. Just my 2p worth!

Well, if you want a corny name (or at least an appropriate one), Schrecken is German for terror, and Shreck means fear. IIRC the actor who played the lead in "Nosferatu" went by the name of Max Schreck. I have no idea if it is a real German name though; it seems unlikely. Have a look on the internet for sites about German surnames. The first one I found was http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/germname.htm. However, perhaps you want something about names for nobility, which might require a little more work. How about extra PRE, just for causing fear? Mental Illusions, only to make the subject see his worst fear. I seem to recall one of the books has a power like this; it might be FREd itself. Ego Attack, defined as making people faint with fear? Transform, to give people phobias, nervous ticks or perhaps make their hair go white (as happens in "Dracula"). How about he can give people phobias, but it takes a bit of time? Important people are kidnapped, only to turn up a couple of days later, apparently unharmed. However, the Baron can now control them through their fears (which would have to be fairly obscure things like the Northern Lights, or frogs - see the excellent "Fear Itself", by Ken Zieger, given away as a free Digital Hero article). The plot could come to light when one of the victims is accidentally killed by a phobia-induced heart attack, for example at the aviary of the zoo, when his fear of owls gets the better of him. What's his second (missing) KS? While not vital, it makes sense to give him Scholar and Linguist. What about some knowledge skills such as horror fiction? Should he have relevant sciences (with or without "Scientist", such as psychology (causes and effects of fear), chemistry (chemicals inducing fear), biology (the physical causes of fear)? PS: Cult Leader? Nice idea for a character, by the way!

In response to a recent question http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=3186 Steve talked about the business of being an actor. I think his response was spot on (I bet Steve's really relieved I agree with him ), but Harry asked about KS: Acting as well (at least in the heading of his question). I suggest that PS: Acting is not only the business of being an actor, but also other practical things such as learning your lines, knowing stagecraft (or television or film etc) and being able to take direction. KS: Acting would cover theoretical or anecdotal knowledge about different methods of acting, famous actors, acting schools, great performances etc. Actually it is possibly more than merely theory or anecdotes, but covers knowledge rather than practice. I think there is a bit of blurring here between a PS and a KS, but I can't see it causing any real problems, except with a very fussy GM. I suppose this distinction applies to some other skills as well, for example Combat Driving is the ability to handle a vehicle which moves in two dimensions in difficult circumstances. PS: Racing Driver is the business and the practicalities (pit stops, race tactics etc.), while KS: Motor Racing is about the sport, the competitors etc. Anyone got some interesting ideas about what a PS (I think that KSs are reasonably self-explanatory) might add to a non-background skill. Some are pretty obvious (PS: Doctor over Paramedics), but maybe some of you have some thoughts?

Well, there are a few of the other posters who are pretty up on Egyptology and I am just going from memory, but here are some ideas:- 1. Children of the Pyramids/Beastmen. Basically just men with the heads of animals and birds, but there are quite a lot of them. If you make them warriors, they might be able to give your character a tough time. There's something like this in "Call of Cthulhu", or more precisely one of the supplements. 2. Evil High Priest. He might be a mummy or he might have one as his slave. Not all mummies are swathed in bandages and some might even appear entirely human. The high priest should have creepy powers involving summoning flesh-eating scarabs, packs of jackals, undead crocodiles etc. as well as your more standard comic book magic. For feel, though, necromancy would work well too. I suggest seeing the most recent version of "The Mummy" for some ideas (though I could not work out why an Egyptian was able to invoke the curses which afflicted his race). Other versions, such as those produced by Universal and by Hammer could also yield some good ideas. Often there is some character manipulating or controlling the mummy. Sorry to use such blasphemy, but D&D (especially Ravenloft stuff) has lots of information on Necromancy and mummies (I think they call them "Ancient Dead" in the Ravenloft setting). 3. Set, Seth or Sutekh (same guy, different names). I think he was jackal-headed and was very evil, murdering Osiris and cutting the body into pieces. Your villain need not be the actual god, perhaps just an avatar. Maybe there's a mask which transforms the wearer into a servant of evil. Perhaps it was discovered by your character's rival and has subsumed his personality. 4. The Devourer. A mythical beast containing the worst elements of a crocodile, lion and hippopotamus (IIRC). It waited while people were judged as to whether or not they had led worthy lives and ate those who failed the test. It could be a great "beast" villain, just like comic-book gods often face. That's all I've got for now.

Isn't a large part of this argument simply about what one means by "average"? 1. There are NO average people in the real world. 2. For the sake of gaming, you have "average" characters. 3. Everyone acknowledges that IF you want, you can easily tinker round the edges of an "average " character, to reflect differences you would find in the real world. This may involve giving characters extra points, skills, levels etc, or possibly giving them extra disadvantages or slightly lower stats (the out-of-shape cop or the one who's scared of heights). Of course you can do both at the same time. 4. Decide what you are trying to simulate. Is it the average cop from films, comics etc., who is often portrayed as incapable of dealing with bank robbers, or is is more like how a policeman might be in the real world? The answer is likely to depend on your genre. D-Man's argument is about what cops are like in reality. He may well be right; he has real world experience. As long as you remember that what's true in real life is not always what should be shown in a game, there's no problem. Others are basing their arguments on the former option, which is entirely valid for game purposes, but might be a little harsh on cops in the real world. There are certainly going to be lots of ones at the lower end of the spectrum, though. Of course, part of the reason police often seem ineffective in fiction is because they are following procedures designed to safeguard people and their rights. Heroes are maverick cops, private detectives, vigilantes or superheroes who ignore those rules. It being fiction, they normally get away with it. I think for most genres, cops should not be built on very many points, so that the PCs can shine. There will always be more or less competent ones and even outstanding beat cops and detectives (just like the Gotham P.D. in the Batman comics). Alternatively, just PLAY them as bound by the rules etc., so they SEEM less competent. Just my views, of course YMMV.

This could be done like the "Tower of Babel" storyline from JLA. Foxbat (or whoever), creates a machine which prevents the operation of the part of the brain dealing with humour. Supreme is spot on about the effects of an inability to laugh. It could actually prove quite dangerous. Perhaps even Foxbat himself realises the enormity of what he's done (and he misses not being able to laugh at old Warner Brothers cartoons), but can't switch the machine off, for some reason. It could be that some other agency is responsible (one that hates organic life?) Of course, the scenario would have to be called "No Laughing Matter".

My recollection might be faulty on this, but I think there was a scenario for "Call of Cthulhu" (in "Blood Brothers 2"), which was based on silent German expressionist films ("The Golem", "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" and "Nosferatu" to be precise). That much is certain, but IIRC, there were supposed to be cards on which people wrote their dialogue. I don't think they were forbidden from speaking as themselves, just in character. This fits right in with "Metropolis", of course.

I think for pro-wrestling, you can keep the idea that submissions can knock someone out, even if in real life that wouldn't necessarily happen. For lesser amounts, just have an EGO roll, penalised as you suggest. Don't forget that Pushing in heroic-level campaigns is more restricted in superhero games. You can't automatically do it (or am still thinking 4th Edition?). Have you considered making size a disadvantage? Rather like how an elephant is huge. This has some good points, but also bad (like an inability to fit into cars). You could come up with campaign specific ones, such as crusiserweight (bonuses to dodging and high-flying, but easily lifted, thrown and not so good at power moves, even if they have the STR) and giant-sized (tall and/or fat), which makes them hard to lift, but reduces their ability to move quickly, climb turnbuckles and do acrobatic moves. An alternative (or one you could use in conjunction) is to have specific NCM for different sizes. It depends how rigid you want it to be. By having NCM limits at different levels, players can still have agile big men and powerful small ones, it will just cost a bit extra. I am not sure I'd bother with this though, so long as the players understood what was involved in the genre. Having the arms in a hit location for a choke slam could make sense. It reflects the victim landing in a way which minimises the damage, by "catching" himself. It might even be a botched landing, with the guy ending up with a broken arm. However, pro-wrestling is very theatrical; I am not sure I'd bother with hit locations at all. You can easily say that "so-and-so" move always targets a certain areas, eg a piledriver always does damage to the head/neck. As to moves, it's easy to come up with lots. One way to reflect different moves is by applying the characters' combat skill levels in different combinations. For example some suplexes might be easier to apply (bonuses to OCV), whereas others might use the CSLs to add to damage. However, you still have just one or two basic suplexes (sacrifice throws or takedowns), instead of half a dozen.

Sorry, Knightraven, I did not read your question closely enough. As it stands, I think tapping out is essentially a roleplaying thing, as Fur Face suggested. If the character cannot get out of the hold, he will tap out, unless he has some kind of psychological limitation (not necessarily a disadvantage) which means he would not give up. This could apply to choke holds as well as other types of submissions. However, what I think you want is a specific rule. Off the top of my head, how about some kind of EGO roll modified by the Resistance talent and by a penalty for each 5 or 10 points of damage done? Perhaps –1 to the roll for every 5/10 points of damage that gets through, which means that the Crush manoeuvre (or even regular squeezing from Grabs) could also make someone submit, which is not unreasonable. I always imagined that Crush was supposed to simulate bearhugs and similar moves. I don’t think you should wait until the victim reaches 0 STUN before applying the EGO roll; at that point they pass out. I am fortunate enough to have never been in a Boston Crab, so I do not know if you would never pass out. Wouldn’t this make a lot of joint locks useless in a fight, unless you badly injured a limb (or the person’s neck or back) and prevented them from fighting either from destroying their will to fight, or making it physically impossible? Otherwise, you could never stop the hold, because how would you be certain you had won? Any martial artists out there who can deal with this? Perhaps a rule saying that every Joint Lock does BODY would help, simulating damage to a limb? An armbar maintained for long enough might tear muscles and tendons, for example. Regular Grabs and Crushes might cause BODY anyway. The obvious problem is that allowing an attack to have NND Does Body might be unbalancing, without altering the cost of Joint Lock. This might also be an incentive to someone tapping out! Perhaps it is –1 to the EGO roll for every point of BODY that gets through.

I haven't got the book with me, but this sounds like the Joint Lock from The Ultimate Martial Artist. This applies NND damage, but maintains a hold on the opponent. It's rather like the Choke Hold, but the NND special effect means that it has different defences (rigid armour on the joint is one, I think). Are you building a wrestler or perhaps a shootfighter or submission fighter? Has anyone written up a pro-wrestling MA that uses more wrestling moves than the one in UMA? The version in the books is very "old school", to a degree, but misses out on submission holds and suplexes IIRC. I have toyed with the idea myself, for a particular character, but wondered if someone had come up with something already.

I have just read this thread and I think Blue's latest costume design is great. I love the Hal Jordan/Reed Richards grey hair. What sort of powers does Dr Meridian have? Does he have any followers? My guess would be that he has magnetic powers, as the meridian passes through both poles of the planet. Magnetic powers would be suitable for the 50's as they would be "invisible" and could be simulated by moving things round on wires. That doesn't necessarily mean he needs Invisible Power Effects, though. Perhaps ordinary police were ineffective against Dr. Meridian because he could deflect their bullets (yes, I know that they aren't ACTUALLY ferrous, but this is 50's tv) and then take their guns away (like Magneto in the X-Men movie, but on a much smaller budget). He could have "Magna-Vision" which lets him see through metals as though they are translucent. That might not sound like much, but it makes him a great safe breaker. Don't forget blasts of "Magnetic Energy". As "meridian" can also refer to a high point in the heavens, I think flight is also appropriate and it could tie in with his magnetism powers. Perhaps Monochrome can't fly until he recovers his cape. That would be why Meridian keeps it - he can take to the skies to escape his nemesis. Sorry if I have gone way off here; you'll probably say Dr Meridian has super strength or something.

Thanks for the information about Puzzle Master. One problem you might have is neutralizing the heroes' abilities. As you have quite a large group, they might "cover all the bases". You could Drain everything, but it seems a bit over the top. It would be much more in keeping with this character to make their powers useless. Super-tough materials stop characters from ploughing through the maze walls, etc. Their powers might be useful in other ways, though. I've had a think about this and have some suggestions, but these are generic, so you can tailor them to your group. 1. Word games and puzzles. Anagrams, crosswords, acrostics, word searches are all options. Perhaps the highlighted letters of a crossword form an anagram, the solution to which will open the next door. You might need to put some time pressure on them (flooding room, lava, moving walls, you know the drill). 2. Mathematical problems. This might be a chance for the villain to really show off, but it's probably best to keep this as "what number is next in the series". Make sure there are penalties for mistakes. 3. Logic tests. Finding the missing shape or colour, or working out which door is safe by following clues. 4. Children's games. I think adapting these is a bit more sinister than just using a computer game. How about "hunt the thimble" in a room full of junk? The heroes might regret never buying microscopic vision. If you can black out their sight entirely, you could have them play a game in the dark. Perhaps they have to identify the next object in a series, only by touch. You might even be able to arrange it so the players themselves have to do this. You could have a deadly game of musical chairs, where one chair each time is trapped (got this idea from a very old Dr Who story). One hero has to sit down on the chairs and each time, the chances of getting a dangerous one increase. Another idea is "statues", with guns linked to motion detectors. If anyone moves, they get shot. Jack Straws, where the characters have to move certain sticks (perhaps for heroes they are telegraph poles), without disturbing others. Maybe a bomb will trigger if the stack collapses (got this one from the Avengers comic book mini series - the Britsh tv series, not the Marvel characters). You can buy greetings cards which are like blank jigsaws for messages. The characters might get one piece for every task they complete (target practice, perhaps, or maybe just completing the other puzzles and games). When the puzzle is complete, the picture reveals a major clue, such as that the exit is in the floor, or something like that. Perhaps the completed puzzle forms a key which will open an exit.

I think a good starting point is deciding certain approaches to this character. I have one called the Gamesman who is a bit like this. 1. Is he into puzzles, games or both? If both, you'll have much more variety, but in a way that could make it difficult to concentrate on a theme. My character liked games and had supervillain henchmen with powers based on games. At a wild guess, you one should perhaps be more puzzle-based, but with some games too. 2. Why does he do this? Is he compelled to show off how much cleverer he is than anyone, does he hate heroes and want to humiliate them, was he never allowed puzzles as a child, were puzzles his only companions? If the last, why? Was he an invalid, were his parents scientists in the arctic circle etc? Does he simply show off with his puzzles, does he like the thrill of matching wits, does he only like winning, is he compelled to give the heroes clues to his crimes, does he have a sense of honour about handing himself in if the heroes win? 3. How do you want the characters to react? Is it going to be like the Batman tv series, where the heroes only made it to the Riddler's latest robbery just too late to stop him, right up until the last crime? Do they have to play him at his own game (perhaps they have to run a gauntlet), or will they only catch him by thinking laterally? 4. How do you want the players to react? You mustn't have the players frustrated, even if their characters are. Do you want the players to try and do the puzzles (fun, if you have the right players), or are you going to roleplay it? Even one player who doesn't like puzzles might be bored with the former option. Try and accommodate everyone. Perhaps you can give characters clues based on appropriate skill rolls. Now's also the opportunity to make use of obscure knowledge skills. Obviously, you can make the games combat-based, to interest other players with no interest in problem-solving. Even puzzles can have physical elements, such as giant sliding block pictures or memory tiles.

Hey, Hermit, your character wasn't going to be called "Ben D. Sinister" was he? I like Super Squirrel's character idea. There was a character in "Creatures of the Night: Horror Enemies" for 4th Ed. who had the ability to warp people into demons. He was some kind of fundamentalist preacher IIRC and he "exposed" the demons masquerading as normal people. All he was actually doing was using his Transform power. I can't remember if he knew that's what he was doing or not. The idea was that the heroes would end up looking demonic, but their minds were unaffected. The gateway in the chest thing reminds me of "Master Pandemonium", a West Coast Avengers villain. Again, my memory of him is not brilliant, but I think he had a hole in his chest shaped like a downward pointing star, from which he could summon demons. I also have a vague recollection that his four limbs were actually demons and could be detached. I think a lot of the other posters have come up with great ideas on what can be considered "sinister". Lord Liaden's quite right about corruption. Perhaps that should be Demon King's trait. Does he corrupt them bodily, spiritually or both? I think that choice would very much alter how he operates. Is he obvious, turning people into monsters, sneaky, warping their personalities, or does he go the whole way? An even more scary option would be if he can do all three. Imagine the surprise if the players assumed all he could do was warp their bodies, only for one of their teammates to stab them in the back. As a further note, I have a dim recollection that Master Pandemonium kidnapped the heroine Shooting Star and replaced her with a shapechanging demon. Just an idea.

Taking "7th Sea" as a guide, how about faerie characters for the UK, shapechangers for Russia, (possibly werebears, to avoid overlapping with the US) and witches for Italy? I'd suggest faerie magic users, or people using legendary items for the UK, rather than faerie characters. That seems to sit better with a war. If you opted for shamans instead of werewolves, you could have a bit more variety in the shapechangers for Russia, but you could still have wereboars, ravens, maybe even something strange like sturgeons (for naval operations). The witches could be your common or garden variety, or could have tarot based powers. Perhaps they are fortune tellers, who really can see the future, or you could make them stereotypical gypsy types, giving people the "evil eye" and cursing them.

Worldmaker has come up with some excellent stuff. Sorry if I duplicate anything in Champions of Kinetik's sheet - I haven't got any books with me. Hand to Hand Attack - just a flat out hyper speed punch. This is basically what the Flash did to Zum when he ran so fast his mass increased. You could have different levels of this - level one, just a speed of sound punch which could be done from standing, levels above that extra dice of HA, but the character must be travelling at certain velocities. EB or RKA - throwing edged or pointed objects would be an RKA (suitable for a villainous speedster). This could easily be an Autofire or Area of Effect attack (the speedster blankets the area in attacks). Another version would be the sonic boom attack (referenced by Acroyear). You can build this all sorts of ways, but I'd probably do it as an explosion (you might want to consider personal immunity). A hyperspeed finger snap could have a similar effect, but maybe just a 1 hex advantage (I've just read vol. 2 of "Animal Man" and Buddy Baker does something similar by imitating the pistol shrimp). Another possibility would be some kind of friction-based attack. Perhaps a line of fire erupts behind the speedster, but it could be tricky to precisely match the hexes to how far the character moves. Missile Deflection - not only batting away shrapnel, but even catching bullets or just plain dodging the attacks (which would allow Deflection vs. energy attacks). Flight - to simulate creating a "cushion of air", but with the limitation that the character can only move up and down, or hover. Flight usable against others could simulate the "tornado effect", where the speedster runs round the opponent and causes him to lift into the air. Change Envirnoment or Area Effect Telekinesis could represent other "tornado" effects. All of these tornadoes might require a limitation that the character must epend a half move to represent running round the area affected. Aids, Drains and Transfers - the Flash has been known to steal velocity or lend others velocity. Watch out if you have two forms of "running" e.g. one is Flight, only in contact with a surface. Desolidification - as described by Worldmaker. This could be usable by or even against others. You could consider some form of NND attack based on this. An extreme example is the way the Flash vibrates Amazo's brain from his body in "The Nail". Invisibility - either moving so fast he cannot be seen or vibrating so he is out of phase with people's perceptions. You will want to consider whether there is a perceptible fringe. Change Environment - as with Transforms, there are lots of effects that can be simulated by using this power.

Those name changes are really strange. At first, I thought it must be because "Mandroid" is an invented word, so it could be copyrighted, but "Quasar" is an astronomical phenomenon and could not be protected. However, that does not explain "Tempest" and "Warlock". I would have thought that the Marvel Quasar was at least as well known as Tempest (a member of the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard with electrical powers IIRC) or "Warlock" (hadn't he been dead for a while?). Sorry if I've gone wrong on dates/ facts for the Marvel characters. I am sure someone can (and will) correct me, if I've made a mistake. I am not too familiar with The Protectors ("To Serve and Protect" came out when I didn't buy a lot of game product, except Marvel Superheroes:) ), but they look great and seem like a team.