Hawksmoor

Re: Is Power Girl/Kara Starr the DCUs Gladiator? Alright back to the point of my original thread. I am getting JSA Unclassified #2 this week. I just read #1 I am back at my original thesis. Powergirl can do whatever she wants to do... Her unbridled self confidence, and the resultant powerloss when she is shaken imply that he mind has a lot to do with her powers. Hawksmoor

Re: Concept help! Hair Powers My response is only to look at the only male character I have ever seen with the Prehensile Hair Power - Slipnot. http://www.globalguardians.com/characters/playersst/slipknot.php Hawksmoor

Re: Silence - character for critique Oddly, my comments are more to the build. Buying your END down to 0 and buying everything at Zero End is a bad build. You spent more points than you gained. Plus you are now only able to push by taking STUN. If you don't push in your games, me I *never* do...just a thing I have, but if you do PUSH you are going to run into problems. Also a Foci is not normally considered a Distinctive Features. Yes, you carry a sword hilt, and yes it can define you, but that is covered under the FOCI limitation. I would buy Telepathy or something with the points you have remaining after scrapping the Tireless Death costs and mimicking the whole bolded black speech balloons common in the comics for creepy supernatural types. Hawksmoor

Re: I don't quite grok the Multiform rules. Which is why the Hulk is a OIHID and not a multiform... sometimes... OK when he is the Professor. Hawksmoor

Re: I should know this... Yes and it is addressed under Persistent powers. So yes Always On is a valid limitation for say Armor. Most GMs will probably only allow it at -0 and require a Physical Limitation though. Hawksmoor

Re: Missile Deflection question Nah TRL it is not ugly. Aikido and Krav Manga have moves designed to take force and redirect it. Block and Missle Deflect operate on the same ruleset (OCV vs OCV targeting) The difference is that MD is a power...meaning that no matter how good you are you cannot Missile Deflect an arrow or a bullet. Unless you in an appropriate Genre and can buy a power. Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty No, I am stating catagorically, without exception, one hundred percent of the time, that role playing games are a consentual collaborative endeavor. It is the job and responsibility of all parties to contribute to the success of the shared endeavor. It really doesn't go much further than that. In that context a certain contract is made. One of the rules is not to disrupt the game. I only point out that some actions disrupt the game. In the context of this thread it is questioning the idea of the current plot as a reasonable game. So the villian says 'save me in 72 hours', all it is a dramatic storytelling device, having a character refuse to play along is disruptive to the game. "Nerfing a shot vs. Not taking the shot at all." Hawksmoor

Re: A reason to play a 'straight' MA I have said it before and here is the rehash: Martial Arts are the most easily abused mechanic in the game and no PC or NPC is going to be allowed to take it without a damned good reason. Good at combat you say? Buy Skill Levels. Hawksmoor

Re: Group based DNPC or Follower Ah that is dangerous unless you are giving out scads of points to players as XP. After all they want to buy things to improve their characters too. Hawkmoor

Re: Phases based on EGO not SPD? You miss read it. A mentalist can choose to act on his EGO rather than DEX score. Speed stays the same in any event. Actually there is a trick power called +x SPEED (only for mental actions -1/2) that Menton and some other written NPCs use. Most of the time mentalists are forced by simplicity to have the same EGO as DEX score so that the character is considered to 'move' at the same time they 'attack'. This is important since 'attack' actions end your phase. See the silliness? IMO Ego and Dex are interchangable for determining actions in a phase. EGO 23 and DEX 23 take all actions mental and physical at the same time. This reduces the clubbing effect your mentalist recieves as his character points are spent wildly on things that help him very little...like a 23 DEX when the character conception says 18 DEX is good enough. Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty Thanks Whamme^2 Sometimes I think that kids are smarter south of the Equator. Yah know Chuck there is a difference between 'deliberately blowing the shot' and 'not taking the shot at all'. That is the difference between derailing a plot and not derailing a plot. We commonly hear about Players that steadfastly refuse to quit chasing a villian...we also hear about GMs that refuse to let any villian be captured. There is a middle ground to be had. To find it Players and GMs have to work hard to find it in the context of the game. So the Batman tells Robin that the Joker will be back, now we have to get his Victim to the ICU for recovery. Robin says I'll do it, you go after him. To which the Batman must say "No, we both have to do it, besides Joker can run but he cannot hide...his madness won't allow it." How is that stupid? Yes it is a tactical mistake, a mistake that is very Silver age/Bronze age, and is thus not a mistake but a story driven decision. Hawksmoor

Re: Null Characteristics replaced by negative CHAR rules? I would build the character in question as an AI Computer. Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty I fail to see your point. Sauron did not guard Mount Doom with a Balrog did he? Encircle it with forces nigh unassailable? Sauron did not send thousands of troops to crush the shire upon hearing the name "BAggins" did he? No, he expected the ring would be used against him because of the folly of men. Mistakes were made so drama could be created. Player characters have the same obligations. They go on missions assigned by mysterious travellers, they give up dangerous alien technology to government top men, and they let the bad guy walk out of the room with the knowledge that they will meet again. Drama. Hawksmoor Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty I am sorry your GM failed you. A) and are my personal banes as well. Which is why I hate mysteries/puzzles (some like them I do not) and keep my NPCs mostly out of important situations. That could be done right. Chances are it won't be. But in the end your character is only as real as you imagine him to be. Replicant HERO can be just as heroic as the original though. Point is what the character should know compared to the player, and how the character should act compared to how the player should control that character. In any event take Lex Luthor and Superman. Superman knows Lex is dirty...very dirty, he just can't prove it. Regardless Superman does not lock up Lex on an asteroid prison using tech taken from the Watchtower. It is not in character nor does it advance the story. Keep your eye on the story and do what you can to advance it. Derailing it is poor gaming. Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty Let's just for yuks and grins spell out a portion of the Evil Overlord text. I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues to my Master Plan in the form of riddles for my enemies to find. I will see a competent psychiatrist and be cured of all unusual phobias or bizarre compulsive habits which could prove to be disadvantageous. I will always dress in bright, cheery colors... Mostly soft pastels. Wearing nothing but black is too depressing, while wearing all white is too boring. I will be neither chivalrous nor sporting. If I have an unstoppable super-weapon, I will use it as often as possible instead of holding it in reserve. I will make it quite clear that I do know the meaning of the word "mercy"... I just choose not to show any. I will only employ assassins and bounty hunters that work for "the money". Those who work for "the thrill of the hunt" tend to do stupid things, like even the odds to give their victim a sporting chance. I will maintain plausible deniability at all times. I will not indulge in the practice of maniacal laughter, despite the proven stress-relieving effects of such behavior. When so occupied, it is too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more alert and attentive individual would notice. I will not grow a goatee. Yes, it is true that in the old days they made you look sinister. Unfortunately, these days they only make you look like a disaffected member of Generation X. I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to demonstrate how evil I am. Loyal service should be rewarded... Which is how it becomes "loyal" service in the first place. And besides, honest messengers are hard to come by when you are in the Evil Overlord business. I will never utter the sentence "Before I kill you, you should know..." I will never turn into a giant snake, no matter how much I might want to, because it never helps. The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the mountain of despair beyond the river of fire guarded by the dragons of eternity. It will be locked up in my safe-deposit box. The same can be said for the artifact that is my one vulnerability. When my troops invade an unsuspecting country, I will direct the attack from the safety of my stronghold. If I absolutely must ride into battle myself, I will certainly not do so at the forefront of my army. Nor will I attempt to seek out my opposite number among his army for personal combat. In my view the very thing the series rails against is Drama. If you never make 'mistakes' you will have a very bad game. Sorry but that is the truth.

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty Not predestination just in general against torpedoing plot because that is what the character would do if he was played 'smart'. 'Smart' is ensuring everyone has fun, including yourself. It is not much fun if the whole plot of the game is abruptly tanked because the lynchpin was pulled too early. Players are not part of the game they are part of a story. The onus is to tell the best story possible. The opposite and equal rule is that the GM does not kill Player Characters out of hand. Every reasonable alternative is taken to prevent that outcome. Yes, drama is the character's pushed to the limits, but just like in the source material the characters are not killed. They are put in Deathtraps. ;D Just as an aside I am a very loose GM. I have vague ideas where I want to go with a game, not scenario flowcharts. Adlibbing is my speciality! That doesn't make any part of what I say untrue. Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty No you are missing the point. Make mistakes. (they are not really mistakes but you'll see.) It is your *job* as a player to move the story along cooperatively. It is your job to make certain that the game continues. So for instance Chuck playing PC X figures out that the bad guy is actually the mayor. PC X does not kill, incarcerate or blow the plot just because Chuck figures out the fact that the Mayor is the big bad. The plot has to ripen. It isn't about being stupid it is about being a part of the game and a member of a colaborative team. Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty Or the Scott Evil version? Or the Authority version? I maintain that if playing *your* character the way *you* think he should be played is *destroying* the game for others (the GM is included in this) then just perhaps *you* are playing the character wrong. Be messy. Make Mistakes. The more mixed things up are the better the solution! Hawksmoor

Re: Supervillains and the death penalty Then you have no sense of drama. One thing to remember is that you are trying to portray a brain damaged idiot. The "If I were the Hero or If I were the Evil Mastermidnd" lists are bad. If to advance the plot you have to be a whitless idiot then you play a witless idiot. Batman lets the Joker go because he is supposed to, same goes for you and your characters. IF you don't there is no drama. Hawksmoor

Re: OK! Now I got it! This character is better! One thing you might want to do is tone down the wishlist. I personally would love a game without points, but those are rare. 99.9999% of the time you are going to have to build a PC on a budget. That means that you strip them down to the barebones of the concept. Dr. Dawn for instance does not get Martial Arts because his spell powers cost him too much even with a few frameworks tossed in for good measure. Go to the OnLine store and plop down some money (or your parents if you don't have a credit card...ask first!) and download the PDFs for cheaper! Good Deal there! Check out the Global Guardians website at http://www.globalguardians.com or Hero Central here for online games to get your gaming jones fixed. Hawksmoor

Re: Rant - Quit yer whinin' about Crisis! Universities are made of colleges. Going to college is so so so community college! Before anyone jumps on me I spent the first of my 6 years at college at OCCC (I remember when it was SOCJC or Sock-Jock!) and Rose State College in OK! Hawksmoor

Re: Your vehicle pictures

Re: Your vehicle pictures The following are the vehicles made for the Global Guardians Universe. The Miranda As large as an aircraft carrier yet capable of supersonic speed, able to range to near orbit and to the oceans depths, the vessel called Miranda is as spectacular as the individuals who call her home: the famous Dawnstars. Miranda was originally designed by a Russian engineering team at the fabled Star City facility in Kazakhstan, USSR. Like so many of the former Soviet Union’s weapon systems it was designed to be as much as a symbol as a viable unit. It had to be bigger and more impressive than anything previously used on the fields of battle. Displacing over 100,000 tons the Miranda equals the size of the largest aircraft carriers. Her enormous cargo holds can carry a full squadron of aircraft or an armored division across the world in a matter of hours. The Miranda class transport would have been amazing for all that but her plans were far more ambitious. Since no airport landing strip ever built could survive her massive bulk, the engineers took the liability of needing water berthing and turned it into an advantage. By reinforcing the hull with an experimental structural integrity force field the team was able not only to allow the Miranda to safely lift off from the surface of the ocean, but dive deep beneath its surface. The Miranda and her sister ships were to be the crowning jewels of the Soviet Union’s military. Alas enormous cost overruns incurred by development of such new technology as well as the vessels sheer scale prevented the project from being completed before the ‘fall’ of the Soviet Union. Incomplete, she sat in her hanger until a German military developer purchased the hull and plans for a pittance from the cash starved Yelstin administration. That company spent the greater part of a decade refitting the Miranda with updated avionics, and installing specially developed ramjet impellers. These impellers were better designed to push both air and water through the complex turbines, and incorporated special sound dampeners to ease the enormous noise pollution created by the arrays of ramjets required to get the Miranda airborne and keep her there. But like everything in the Miranda’s history success seemed to be followed by failure. This time the German company that had purchased her, rescued her from rust and decay and rebuilt her collapsed under enormous debt in early 2001. The Ziani Group, the major debt holder of the company, was given the Miranda as an asset in bankruptcy arbitration. The Ziani Group was at first uncertain what to do with the Miranda. This condition did not last long. When the new Dawnstars venture was finalized, the Miranda left her berth in Stuggart, Germany and was flown to Venice. There moored beyond the harbor she was readied as the new base of operations for the Dawnstars. Her vast interior remains virtually empty. Her large carrier deck and hangars echo with every dropped tool. But her living and operations facilities have been given a thorough very Italian makeover. Fine furnishings and materials can be found everywhere. The chairs are hand stitched buttery leather. Control surfaces were redesigned by Ferrari engineers. Careful reproductions of famous Italian works of art and ingenuous modern retellings can be found nearly everywhere. After all this time, and after hundreds of hands shaping her, and crafting her the Miranda is exactly as she was always meant to be a shining symbol of what man can do when he sets his mind to it. MIRANDA Val Char Cost Notes 20 Size 100 Length 101.59", Width 50.80", Area 5160.64" Mass 104.9 kton KB -20 110 STR 0 Lift 104.9ktons; 22d6 14 DEX 12 OCV 5 DCV -8 33 BODY 3 10 DEF 24 3 SPD 6 Phases: 4, 8, 12 Total Characteristic Cost: 133 Movement: Swimming: 2" / 4" Flight: 15" / 30" Cost Powers END 24 Fusion Power Reactor: Endurance Reserve (200 END, 40 REC) (60 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2) 0 30 Ramjet Impeller System: Flight 15", Variable Advantage (+1/4 Advantages; Limited Group of Advantages; Invisible Power Effects (hearing), Megascale, Usable Underwater,; +1/2) (45 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) 4 12 Submersible/Atmospheric: Life Support (Safe in High Pressure; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing) (15 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) 1 4 Communications System: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Sense Affected As Sight and Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group [very common Sense] (-1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2) 1 18 Sensors: Clairsentience (Sight Group), x32 Range (3200") (45 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2) 4 5 Active Sonar Array: Active Sonar (Hearing Group) (Hearing Group), Increased Arc of Perception (20 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2), Sense Affected As Sight Group As Well As Hearing Group [very common Sense] (-1/2), Linked (Sensors; -1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2) 2 8 Passive Sonar Array: (Total: 17 Active Cost, 8 Real Cost) +4 PER with Hearing Group (8 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) (Real Cost: 4) plus Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) (3 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) (Real Cost: 1) plus +4 versus Range Modifier for Hearing Group (6 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) (Real Cost: 3) 0 11 Surface-Search Radar System: Radar (Radio Group), Increased Arc of Perception, Telescopic (+18) (38 Active Points); Does Not Work Underwater (-1), Sense Affected As Sight Group As Well As Radio Group [very common Sense] (-1/2), Linked (Sensors; -1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2) 4 14 IR Sensing System: Infrared Perception (Sight Group), Increased Arc of Perception, Telescopic (+18) (28 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) 0 Talents 1 Absolute Range Sense (3 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2) 1 Absolute Time Sense (3 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2) 1 Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2) Skills Laboratories 3 1) Criminology 9- 3 2) Cryptography 9- 3 3) Electronics 9- 3 4) Mechanics 9- 3 5) SS: Physics 9- 3 6) SS: Chemistry 9- 3 7) SS: Weapons Design 9- 3 8) SS: Cyrogenics 9- 3 9) SS: Biology 9- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 156 Total Cost: 289 215+ Disadvantages 20 DNPC: Nefise Quelennec 14- (Normal) 20 Distinctive Features: Huge Flying Craft (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 20 Hunted: The Ziani Group 14- (As Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching) 10 Hunted: European Aviation Authorities 14- (As Pow, Watching) 5 Hunted: The Media 11- (Less Pow, NCI, Watching) 0 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 289

Re: Character (Powered Armor Brick) for review - advice welcome Another technical issue is that with OIHID you do not have to take No Figured Characteristics on your Stats as Powers. You have already done the field work so to speak and included Kinetic Absorbers. You save yourself some points and get possibly higher stats. Also the Armor level is too low for my taste. Big honking plates speak 18-20+ rPD and rED to me. YMMV. Hawksmoor

Re: Introductions and a question about jumping. True but without you see really strange things like "So I can't throw myself 12"? OhhhhKaaaaay! I'll go play M&M now." Personally I have never disliked the figureds for leaping since I can see where it is based in genre. Do like the skill: Jumping though. Perhaps used like Hoist to supplement a character's leaping to maximum effect. Remove the penalties for inaccurate superleap or extend the leap by a few inches on a successful roll. Hawksmoor