Descant

Re: The UnMentalist... Hmmm... All good ideas so far. I liked the writeup Oddhat had for the empathic manipulation... I also appreciate all the input from everybody else... esp. Lord Liaden! You always put a lot of thought into your posts... thanks for that. I've been trying to think of what to write in response, to let everybody know I've been reading and thinking... but I haven't really decided what angles i like best. There's just so much suddenly in front of me for options and ideas. I suppose after a bit more time, Dust raven and I will try to formulate a writeup, probably using several of the ideas here. By the way... kudos also to David Blue... I hadn't thought a lot about heroes who weren't traditional in the biological sense... mutants and aliens, yeah, but stone and iron men had not crossed my mind... I just knew he would not be able to do much with robotic assailants. You're right... the character would most likely recover more or less instantaneously after the change, his shift having reset his body to functional norms, and after which Sapphire could do little else against him. (Might even think of a few ways to get around that for the concept, in case he's not with a team all the time! Makes me think... good going!) As for the rest of the wonderful suggestions, until my mind clears more and I can thank you all properly, I appreciate all the input.

Got a character concept I wanted to drop on you guys... I welcome power ideas, writeups of frameworks, powers, advantages, and even disadvantages... I've seen some very keen minds here, and I'd like to see various people play with this. Dust Raven and I were talking tonight about the sense discussion elsewhere on the boards, senses as opposed to other bodily processes, etc., and I brought up Sapphire. He's not a rock-star turned superheroine working with the Champions... he's a red-headed British sci-fi author who bonded unexpectedly with the Sapphire Auden Stone and acquired bio-manipulation powers. He is able to control the neural and endocrine impulses of the body. He can cause physical pain, paralysis, migraines, tinnitis, nerve-blindness and disorientation. He can affect emotions by altering body chemicals, especially adrenaline, which also theoretically could aid strength and dexterity/speed as well... he is capable of a lot of different effects, seemingly limitless... and I originally wrote him up with a VPP to that end. (He can also aid and affect his own bio-processes, and could defend himself by raising his adrenaline levels (STR, DEX and CON boost) and causing any number of other effects.) The catch is, I want his powers to work like mental powers, to some extent (bypassing armor, not easily dodgable, etc.), but I don't want them based on EGO. The effects cannot be fought off by willpower alone... it's more CON-based, wearing off as the body tries to reset the imbalance. No amount of chitchat or mental conditioning can correct some forms of depression or bipolar disorder... the person literally cannot control how they feel. Prescription drugs alleviate the symptoms by correcting the imbalance... that's kind of how his powers work. He can aid and hinder others on the biological level, and that's not EGO. So... how do you think I should go about this, guys?

Re: Flash: Inner ear/ Sense of Gravity/ Sense of Balence That's not a bad point... many things can be done to senses in HERO... while it may be a SENSE that's being affected, and it may have the appearance of "FLASHing" it... it may not actually be written up that way. Can these senses be affected by other sense-affecting attacks? Hmmmm..... (Invisibility to hunger.... *intrigued*)

Re: Why that costume I have two characters with very deliberate costumes. The first, Amethyst, shares an origin-type with Cobalt, and her costume (via Instant-Change) springs from her subconscious. She was always a big mystery fan before her powers came to her, and was a librarian for quite some time. The costume is two-toned violet, like an amethyst stone, and consists of the standard my-boots-are-connected-to-my-leggings, with a flowy-sleeved blouse, and a darker violet jumper over that, that fits nice and trim, with the skirt slit up to the hip on both sides, so the leggings show. (Credit where credit is due... This was a 'ripoff' from the incredible work of JM Linsner... it is slightly modified from the outfit worn by his character Adelle in the Lucifer's Halo comics, part of his larger Dawn universe. The neckline was raised a bit, so the jumper part came above the breasts, making a more modest-looking neckline that better framed the Amethyst stone in her chest, and the reddish color was swapped for a dark violet. I thought it looked like a good librarian-turned-superhero-P.I. outfit, and used it. I love his work... it's a bit controversial, but well-worth a read if you're in the mood for something a little different!) My original creation, though, and my favorite costume I've done for one of my own characters is Descant of the Defenders... she wears a black bodysuit that fades along the arms and legs into a vibrant purple color... then fades out again in stripes that go around her wrists and ankles... since the lines circle her limbs, it gives the effect of her having 'rings' or 'waves' of sound vibrating down her body, which after I created it, seemed to really fit the sonic character. Eventually I'll have a pic posted of her on Dust Raven's site. I just love the way the effect turned out. (Now if I just had the patience to recreate that on my miniature!)

Re: Flash: Inner ear/ Sense of Gravity/ Sense of Balence Not to complain, as I kind of like exploring where this is going, but as far as game mechanics are concerned, I think we are losing track of where this original discussion was aimed. If you break it down to the simplest elements, there are two points I would like to make. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, of course, and I hope not to incite any flames here, but I think the obvious is being overlooked in favor of theories and speculation. 1) As we have been defining the term in my college Psychology class, the function of senses is to assist us in perceiving the world around us. If we could not see, hear, feel, small, or taste, we would, as living beings, be in serious jeopardy of not surviving. I throw my lot in with those that differentiate a "flashable" sense as being externalized, rather than the internal workings of the human body, most of which go on without our notice, and are automatic. Internal pangs are not so much a sense as it is our bodies telling us to do something (not about something). Hunger tells us to eat, or we will fall down. Weariness tells us to sleep, or we will be fatigued and overwork ourselves. Bladder control tells us to relieve ourselves of waste, else we will poison ourselves. "Senses" in the definition I prefer, don't tell us to DO something... they tell us ABOUT something, usually outside of ourselves, that we can interact with, or that is interacting with us whether we like it or not. 2) Does this mean that we cannot deprive a person of the internal "senses"? Of course we can! We're evil, cutthroat players and GMs! But we lose track of the fact that we're playing a GAME when we try to rationalise SFX based on what they relate to in real life. Depriving a person of a sense will rob them of information. That's a FLASH. Depriving a person of a bodily function will have a physical RESULT... that variable is what needs to be defined in game terms, not the condition. If a person's sight is FLASHed, he cannot see what is around him. If a person's equilibrium is compromised, he WILL FALL OVER, or at least become clumsy. THAT is what needs to be defined here... HOW he becomes clumsy is just SFX... the CLUMSINESS is what has to be bought and paid for. As always, just my opinion.

Re: tickle Okay... here's another question for those in favor of randomizing which NPCs are ticklish on an 11-... Any good GM would give as good as get. Heaven forbid some wacked-out villain (Foxbat, CLOWN, etc.) come up with an attack with that particular SFX... How would you handle it for player characters? Just asking players is a big clue for them to say, "Ummm.. no! No, I'm not." Would you still make it random? Newly discovered disad? Be nice and allow the players to decide? Pick on a player's character concept in some cases? Since it's a standing thing once determined, what would you GMs do? Gads, as if I don't think about enough background traits for my RPG characters... now this thread is making me think about even more! (And Dust Raven is posting to this, too... *shudder*)

Re: A Tale of two disads I am tending to throw my lot in with the "GM should make balance happen" crowd. By the way, kudos for the comments about varying the types of attack... using more AOE is a great idea, since the fringes tend to do less damage. Not every shot is a straight shot, after all! Then again, this thread in general shows a lot of thought. I feel surrounded by geniuses at times. Why aren't all MY GM's this contemplative? Very cool.

Re: Call Me "Sandy" And I'll Crush You So... What can a pile of sand do? Can it eavesdrop? Can it talk? Can it blow a small flurry of itself into somebody's eyes before they see anything coming? Can it drift of its own accord? Would the wind be able to blow it away? What if a kid came up and dumped a pail of water on it and started building a sand castle?!? *snicker*

Re: How would you build a racial package for NIMH Very interesting...! A few things need to be addressed, and although I'm not really as into mechanics as Dust Raven is, I can spout off a few ideas to get the proverbial ball rolling. First, how much of an impact are human characters, or even larger creatures like cats and pigeons, going to have on the game? If it's not much, then size would not be an issue, nor would social limitations/advantages (Nobody expects that kind of behavior from rats, after all.) The rats of NIMH were victims of experimentation, and so could possibly have unusual vulnerabilities, susceptibilities, or dependencies... you could get creative with this. Decide how it works with the game world you are designing, and you could have any number of unusual plots surrounding an unusually large availability of a debilitating chemical, or the hoarding by one gang of a substance all NIMH rats are now dependent on for comfort and sanity. Lots of plot possibilities, there, and it adds to the atmosphere of being former lab rats. Also, there could be lots of PsyLims related... assign each one a specific Phobia having something to do with their past (humans, sharp objects, cages/grille-like barricades, the smells of certain chemicals, etc.). There were also a lot of lasting side-effects like nightmares and the like, or even actual mental illnesses, but those would be better character-specific traits. Their overall CON and DEX were raised, but most notably, their intelligence is extremely high... the rats were never taught to read after the chemical experiments; they learned by themselves! Also to reflect this, you might state that each NIMH rat character must spend a certain number of their points on Skills to reflect their accelerated learning. Back to Disads again, there would, of course, be things like Hunted:National Institute of Mental Health, which could even be a combat-breaker if somebody related to that hunted were to show up in the middle of a gang fight... EVERYBODY would run! You might even use that to spawn a one-shot teamwork adventure where rival gangs are forced to work together to throw NIMH off the track. In the book to some degree, and more notably in the Don Bluth film, the rats seemed to favor electricity as their preferred technological medium. You could create a number of basic electrical foci like weapons, tools, and "flash"lights (pun intended) based on this... nothing is cooler than unexplained flickers of color in a dark underground world! Lastly, of course, there is the fact that they are rats. Certain heightened senses, attacks based on claws and teeth in addition to the electrical weapons, accelerated movement (including running, tunneling, and climbing)... all these are viable and vital options. Also think about immunity to disease as well, given the world they live and forage in. Sorry if I have rambled, but this was one of my favorite stories, and this idea sounds really unique! I hope to read more on this thread!

Re: tickle

Re: WWYCD #81 A True Test of a Hero Descant: Wow. So, Nightblade is real, and knowing this particular universe, actually going to escape Stronghold eventually. I guess she'd learn to live without sleep. On the other hand, she'd be much less paranoid about her growing attraction to and tentative relationship with Crystallis. Heck, with his light powers, she'd probably suggest they start sleeping in the same room (Nightblade always hated light- Ninja/used to have incredible Dark powers). I'd certainly have a time with keeping the team running smoothly, but I'd continue things. As for "telling", probably only the team (eventually) and my younger brother (to help me fill in the gaps on my life, to "reconnect", and to find out what else I need to know about stuff the GM won't tell me. Madison, on the other hand, might actually have an okay time trying to be "normal". Without her criminal past haunting her, and her evil uncle plotting revenge, the only thng she'd really miss was her powers (and Crys and the rest of the team). Wonder what Raven would do if I was suddenly more cynical than he was? Amethyst: Okay. Rock in my chest, kid in my custody with a deathwish, fabulous empathic and healing powers, glowing my favorite color, looking like my (former) birthstone. Hm. I'd probably love being an Auden, since it's the part of our Universe I have gotten the most "into". Tracy would immediately change my major in college, and get me a PI license as well. She had originally been planning to do what she does without the powers... she'd still, after recovering from her loss, want to do it. She'd go nuts if there was no mystery to solve, no criminal to figure out and pursue. And Raven would wonder why I was spending so much time away from the apartment... Touchstone: Between a bend of gender and extremely heightened senses, I'd have a LOT of physical coping to do initially. After that, I would HAVE to meet Boss and continue trying to figure him out. Just to bait him, I'd probably write in my journal about the body swap, throwing in some irrefutable reference somhow, and see if he writes back THIS time, the sneaky @$$! Then, I'd have to deal with all the in-game stuff! *migraine* Mason would find it interesting (though rather creepy) to be a girl, although initially, with the hormonal change in the female body, and the quasi-claustropohobic reaction from suddenly having all his senses WAY dulled, he'd probably have the biggest inexplicable nervous breakdown Raven has ever seen me have. After coping, however, I'd suddenly be REALLY good at fixing all the stuff that breaks around here. Maintenance would think we vanished! Nich Trevelian: Wow. Me as a man. ...And an alien. ...And a powerful psychic. Mentally, this switch would be the least noticeable, although relating to my friends might be very interesting, considering how close one of them is to my then "former" boyfriend in mundania. I'd love actually working with a version of Raven who actually knew how to play the keyboard!!! And I'd absolutely revel in the set of powers that, given the choice, I'd most like to have. Nich would be facing the second, and even more weird, displacement of his young life. Although Raven would wonder how I got so good on the guitar so fast! In a fully female body, having known Kris, he'd probably also be the one who could adapt (although slowly!) best to the roommate circumstance as well (he seems to kinda go both ways as it is in my mind anyhow). But he would definitely make Raven follow through on those singing and piano lessons!

Re: What would you character do... Descant: She'd get hold of Crystallis and go visit Major Thomas (Silver Avenger in Seacouver), and see a) what PRIMUS thinks of this whole thing, and if he or any of his organization knows of any other active teams of ultras that might form a loose association so that they could all gang up and deal with these guys if and when things get way out of hand (if they haven't already). "Yeah, yeah... I know you PRIMUS guys don't get along too well with freelancers, but you at least among your buddies is smart enough to know when desperate measures are necessary. Figured I'd ask..." Once she found out Cobalt was staring to do this already, she'd just help him out. Amethyst: Probably she'd contact the other Auden through the network and find out if they've decided to act, and how serious they think this is, then go and try to find out as much information about every single person involved as she could dig up (and that's usually a decent amount) and try to deduce why they acted when and how they did, and where they're likely to strike next. Touchstone: Ask Boss. He knows. Probably. Nich Trevelian: Being new to this world, there would be little he could do, and little he knows to put it in perspective, but after talking to the others, he'd likely try to stay as far out of it as possible. The last time he got mixed up in something like this, he got stranded on a backwater alien world. (Earth) Torque: As long as they steered clear of her town, she'd probably just curse loudly about obnoxious ultras and how they all think they're such hot $#@+! and run around doing whatever they want, long as it makes headlines.

Re: What Would Your Character #72 (or so) Descant: "Uh..." "You know, you guys either must be confused, or haven't even managed to do your homework as well as Major Tom over at PRIMUS... which is kinda sad. Your team? No, thanks... dealing with Crystallis is enough for me." (prepares to radio for backup, since somebody has obviously done something cosmically BAD to this team) Amethyst: She would clarify that she works solo, then ask for details... obviously one or more of the evil Auden has been spotted by them, and the Council (no, really... I'm solo) would want to know about it immediately. Touchstone: "Look, I know most of the team is a bit shady, but if I'm the one person of the team you'd pick to join you, I gotta wonder about your information. My team's not all that bad, and I'm by far not powerful enough to handle what you guys take on. So why don't you just tell me what Whisper did this time, and we can call it even?" Nich Trevelian: He'd be just about certain that this has something to do with those overly powerful, self-righteous backstabbing Lantessians that, last he saw, were attacking his homeworld, and he would probably freak out and run for TJ and Kris and find a better place to go into hiding. Torque: "Okay guys, listen up a minute. I don't work with nobody but myself. If those crazy ultras are up to something, go harass them about it, and leave me and my neighborhood alone, huh?" (grabbing for a wrench)

Re: Code VS Killing Poll In response to a chat with Dust Raven off the boards (good to have roommates!) and to your post, I have discovered Descant actually has not changed her position. Had she a chance to kill him, had she planned gotten herself into a position where she could take him out of this world with little repercussions, it is actually likely that when the moment came, she could probably not do it. My only remaining concern is whether or not she could actually bring herself to intervene if another ghost from this guy's past showed up and wanted to kill him. If the Law of Consequence brought the chemist face-to-face with an enemy he made through his won transgressions, it would be the one time it would actually be VERY hard for her to stand up and stop the potential killer. She knows a few personally who have lost loved ones and had their way of life ruined by this man. She may not have the impulse to do it herself when it came down to the wire... but could she take it away from somebody with a different moral code? Normally, yes. She'll do anything to stop a killer. But in this case? It would depend entirely on how the scene played out. And if she did intervene, it would probably only be for the benefit of the one victimized by the criminal, to spare them from becoming "just like him". Like I said... the issue of CvK disads is not nearly as cut-and-dry as one might think. It gets very hard in a good game to sort out feelings towards those who don't feel the same about life and death that your character does.

Re: Code VS Killing Poll This has been a very interesting read for me, since I am soon to be reviving a character from a campaign that has been in mothballs for a bit, and I have been trying to figure out how to do her disad on her to-concept rewrite. Descant is an ex-villain. She used to work with her family as Dischord, under the direction of her megalomaniacal uncle, Nightblade. She focused on enjoyment of her newly-gained (stolen serum) powers rather than dealing with the issue that she was, in fact, a robber and a criminal, as she felt she had no choice but to follow orders (when a parent/guardian is in charge of a bunch of superpowered minors, and he has stronger powers, it's a hard habit to break!). She finally risked her own health and quit the team and ran away because Nightblade murdered two guards during a botched museum heist, and seemed not to care he had taken life. She couldn't deal with this, and finally found the courage to leave. Her disad was listed, when I began playing her, in the good ol' #1-#2 range... techincally at the former (Common/Total). Never has Descant had any desire to use her sonic powers to kill another human being... not even the more than irritating insane vigilantes and the pesky, always escaping villains... not even Nightblade himself. But now, she has found the common thread to her past... a chemist who devised, reworked, and experimented with the serum her family all ingested. This man has taken the lives of many, he has mutated unwilling subjects into horrific murderous beasts, he has warped the minds of more than one group of young teenagers and turned them against society, he has ruined the lives of several people she's met, and even a few she's worked with... and there's not telling when he will stop, or if he can be made to. He has many people working for him, many contacts, and lots of connections. And if he stays alive, it is a guarantee more people will pay the price... death, or in some cases even worse. ...And Descant wants to kill him. As of this time, he's the only person in the entire universe who is on her hit list. And she's not even sure she could do it herself if it came down to it. But she wants him dead. She has thought long and hard about this, dealing with Nightblade and her past, and she has determined she would not lift a finger to save his life if given the opportunity. She might even, in a snap-decision moment, kill him herself, and would not even blink if the life of even one innocent were in immediate danger if he lived. But is he the sole exception to the rule, a sadistic figure from her haunted past who is one of those "angst-ridden plot-twists" in comic books where supers don't/VERYrarely kill, or is she actually at a different level of this disad? Or is it a judgment call worthy of debate? Hard to say. Ultimately it is between the GM and myself, and I will follow his rule; this thread certainly made me think a lot about it though. Kudos to the many intelligent people who participated (even despite the small moments of flaming) in a very intriguing discussion!