Kirby

Re: Question about mind control and enrage

I would definitely say the mind control would work against your brick. Under Enraged, FREd says, "A character with this Disadvantage tends to become extremely angry and lose control of himself when confronted by certain situations or stimuli. When a character is Enraged, he mindlessly attacks.... He attacks with no regard for...[self, team, others]." (p.217)

Well after her body guard attacked my character I went enraged and started fighting him. ... Since I was enraged at this guy switching targets would be something I would not want to do. ...but I am not doing what I was hired to do. So my disad was working against me. I would have prefered to grab the girl and superleap out of there.

It wouldn't be a Disadvantage if it worked out your way.

Depending on how the Mind Control worked, would -in my opinion- determine how long it affected you. If the Mind Control was "attack Johnny, he hit you," I'd say your enraged would still be strong and your brick wouldn't know the difference. If the Mind Control was "attack your buddy," then as soon as your next phase came around, you could start making rolls to recover from the Enraged, since you were no longer focused on it. However, if your buddy attacked you, then your enrage would have a focus....

The only way to "counter" something like this, would be if you bought a Psychological Limitation along the lines of "code of the mercenary" or "intent on completing mission." Though, this would run counterproductive to your Engraged and you might be coming out of them sooner than you liked.

On a side, I think it's safe to admit you bought the Disadvantage as a way to save points on a power (STR & defenses "only when enraged," right?). Now it's come to bite you. Maybe you can save some XP and buy Mental Defense, with Limitations such as "only when enraged" (-1/4) and "only versus Mind Control (-1/4 to -1, depending on GM)."

As an aside, if I were the GM, I would definitely exploit this Disadvantage and fast, since, for the most part, it is an actual advantage to your character (or seems to be to me). One day you're about to perform a mission when a bully bumps in to you. He shoves you and says something rude. Enraged may just go off, since you're being attacked. Maybe a teenage girl starts cussing at you: verbal abuse. Maybe you're in a bar where two people are in a heated argument. Person A throws a beer bottle at person B, but misses and hits your character. With an Enraged of 14- for being attacked, your character has to be hot tempered. A brick versus a normal with only 2-8 PD isn't going to last a turn. Even though you're a villain, you'd now be a murderer (or attempted murderer in their eyes) and have even more heroes after you. But that's just me. (Or is it?

As another aside, I once had a PC hero (Golden Age) who was part of the Greek Pantheon named Orion. He was a flying brick, and a darn good one, for 250 points that included the Greek package requirement. Anyway, he had an Enraged when innocents were threatened but a Beserk when innocents were hurt. Well, there was this one time when the bad guys hurt an innocent by shooting her. My character went Beserk (recovery 8-) and trashed the bad guys. Still no recovery. Then I started attacking those weird chariots that were screaming, aka police cars. One of my teammates tried to stun me with a sleeping drug. It hit, but didn't penetrate, so I went after him and the vehicle he was in. He was smart enough to get out of there a.s.a.p. and take his girlfriend -another teammate- out of there. Unfortunately, this girlfriend was a doctor and a semi-mentalist. While I was trashing the vehicle, she came up and used her mental powers to try and calm me down. Not being the wisest, she hit me with an Ego blast. Unfortunately for her, I had Mental Defense (about 10 points or so) *and* Mental Awareness. She became my next target and left with a broken arm, if I recall correctly.

So, after a trashed group of gangsters, two destroyed police cars, one damaged hero vehicle, two beat up teammates (one w/a broken arm), one ally (not alley) cat knocked into the next neighborhood, my character was ko'd by a powerful mystic who hit me with gas attacks. Then I started buying off that Beserk the very next time we received XP. Part of it was because of the GM's evil laughter when we once discovered a flaw the villains could use (quick, shoot the hostage and everyone fall down!).

Re: Shrinking + IPE = Desolid (Sort of . . .)

Hey there,

I had a weird idea for how to simulate a limited form of "Desolidification".

 

What I wanted was:

1) Some ability to avoid damage, but not absolute invulnerability. And a way to decide how much "avoidance" I wanted.

2) Something for characters that could not pass through solid objects, but could pass through things like a jail cell or a chain link fence.

3) A way to have these lesser benefits without having to buy "Affects Real World" on all my powers, since I wouldn't really be "Desolid", just harder to hit.

 

What does everyone else think?

If you don't mind going an alternate route, my suggestion is to buy teleport in the amount of running your character has, with a limitation of "visible," as well as line of sight (maybe?) and not through solids.

To make you harder to hit, maybe buy some DCV levels linked to the telporting (so it'll be active the phase you teleport up to your next phase). This way, you won't get the DCV just for standing around being an average Joe, but if you use your teleport/desolid in combat, your 'harder to hit' aspect would make more sense that way.

Finally, to lessen the damage, I suggest buying Damage Reduction 25% three times, and probably for both PD & ED. One on a 14-, the second an 11-, and the last on an 8-. With these, you'd only roll 3d6 once. If you rolled a 15-18, no reduction; if you rolled 12-14, then 25%; 9-11 would be 50%; and 3-8 would be 75%. You could also buy this as "visible," so if someone shot you with an energy blast, some might hit you, while a bit might phase through you. The same with physical blast like a bullet. Some hits, some fragments go through. This could also be described to a person hitting your character as maybe "like punching water." If you only wanted the damage reduction to apply after teleporting, buy it as "linked," or if you only wanted it during combat, maybe buy it with "costs END."

Dang, I like this idea, I may have to use it! I hope you like it too, though, or that something from it helps.

Re: Title for the next HERO villains book

...Enemies: Leftovers (the tons of [villains] which ICE said to Steve "We Have No Room For Them" [during] the ICE/HERO era)...

I like this concept. My biggest disappointment with 5E is the lack of continuity from many 4E and prior supplements, almost all of which were ICE products. While I comprehend the legal issues that can be concerned with this, it is still saddening. Of course, the customers can include this material all we want, but ugh, the converting time.

My two favorite villain groups, the Seven Horsemen and VOICE aren't included as well as a good module To Serve and Protect. Some of the other titles I will miss include: Villainy Unbound; Enemies for Hire; and Enemies: The International File. Two books for good guys include Target Hero and Allies. Hopefully we'll have some more books like these to keep us all happy. (I have only three 5E books now, so the ones I'm looking for *may* be out there.)

Re: from little plot seeds, mighty games do grow: Share you ideas!

Not only is it plausible' date=' but I've used it before almost as it's written.[/quote']

"As it's written" doesn't mention any method, which is what the questions I asked mainly dealt with.

 

The spoiled rich girl hired a cadre of mercenaries to capture a villain.

This was not in Steriaca's write-up. Had he done so, it would have been more plausible. Your additions to the scenario added the following: a cadre of mercenaries, the villain as a puppet, and daddy's influence. None of these were listed in Steriaca's submitted version. Your version is much more plausible; however, Steriaca's version "as it is written" doesn't contain any of these. That and his villain called for help instead of being a puppet.

 

 

Your evaluation of his spelling notwithstanding' date=' it was an idea he proposed and I think you were overly harsh, Kirby. Unnecessarily so. [/quote']

He proposed it and I thought it lacked sufficient information to be useable as-is. Harsh by asking questions?

 

 

I wrote: Wouldn't you rather have people respond to the topic of your posts than the spelling and grammar usage?

Yes. So why didn't you?

In case you didn't realize this, part of my reply was to his posting.

 

If it bothered you that much you should have ignored it and moved on.

Try this analogy and see if it makes sense to you. If you see a man about to walk off a cliff, you have four basic responses: 1) Ignore him. 2) Try and help him or warn him. 3) Insult him because of what he's doing. 4) After he walks off the cliff, peer over and look at the aftermath.

 

I have no desire to ignore him right now, as we are both subscribed to some of the same threads. I have no need to insult him as that serves no purpose. Being apathetic and waiting until the damage is done helps no one. I chose to try and help him. In case you missed it, I corrected every misspelled word I found (the same as would have been done with a spellchecker had he used one) as well as grammar usage. I didn't berate him on any individual misspelled word, nor type any derogatory comments on Steriaca himself. The closest you could argue would be horrendous when describing his spelling (which means horrible, or shockingly dreadful) and yet I didn't degrade him as a person. If you argue about my statement on him not being willing to correct it, he informed "I am not going to waist [sic] my time doing my replies to messages twice...."

 

I would've bypassed this entirely if you hadn't critiqued both his spelling and his idea' date=' Kirby.[/quote']

And?

 

The first was unnecessary. The second was completely out of line.

That's simply your opinion. To me, it is not constructive to tell someone "you're making mistakes" and leave it at that. He may not realize just how many mistakes he's making. He may, and truly not care, but that will be determined later.

One of the aspects of making posts is to be critiqued; it is delusional to think otherwise. I have yet to notice anyone who has made a post that hasn't been critiqued. You live and learn.

 

 

I wrote: Take care. I hope this helps.

I don't see how it could.

Unfortunately, that is obvious.

 

Beating a man with a hammer because you don't like his tie would have been more helpful than your reply.

This is floccinaucinihilipilification.

 

To summarize, I corrected Steriaca's grammar and spelling and asked questions about what seemed to be an unplausible write-up as was given. I also put down that I had previewed my post five times. It wasn't to do a "I am so great" Bart Simpson impersonation, it was to show that a first-run post will have errors in it. I not only found some errors, but oversights as there were pieces I wished to add, change, and remove as well.

 

You initially wrote: "...I won't pass judgement," though this is what you did to me. And that's fine. Free will gives us the ability to judge what we do and do not like. It would have been more appreciated if you had been on-target with what you were referring to.

Re: from little plot seeds, mighty games do grow: Share you ideas!

Thank you. My problem is' date=' of course, that I am using a public libarie computer.[/quote']

library

No, your problem isn't with the library; it lies within yourself. Your spelling is horrendous and you're not willing to correct it.

 

And did anyone test my Fent rules?

What or who is Fent? Are you talking about a deceptive movement? If so, that is feint .

 

...I basicly used the spellcheck program on there word proserer.

basically

There is location such as here or there; your word should be their, which shows possession.

processor

 

And' date=' basicly, I am not going to waist my time doing my replies to messages twice (since my time on theas computers are so limted).[/quote']

basically

Waist is that part of your body below the ribs and above the hips. You should have used waste.

these

 

Anyways' date=' back to the ploting...[/quote']

Anyway

plotting

 

(For any non-violent suppervillian)

supervillain

Supper is a meal.

 

For The Girl Who Has EVEYTHING...:

everything

 

The heros haven't seen there old nemisis in a while.

The word heroes is the plural of a person that is a hero.

The word heros is the plural of a hero sandwich.

nemesis

 

Just when nothing seems to be hapening' date=' the nemisis calls the heros.[/quote']

happening

nemesis

heroes

 

It seems that he has been kidnaped by this rich girl who always wanted her own supervillian.

supervillain

(kidnaped is technically correct, though rarely used, kidnapped is the more common usage)

 

And too make maters worse' date=' he has to wear a special collor which blocks any of his powers.[/quote']

to is proper. Too refers to excess (as in too much) or also.

collar

 

 

Can the heros help him? Will the heros help him?

heroes

 

 

Will the nemisis be her pet forever and ever?

heroes

 

 

Cue theam to Tiny Toon Adventures...

theme

 

Now, to your spelling and grammar usage (or lack thereof), the lack of time isn't really a credible excuse. You have three basic options that can help you. The first is the cut and paste for spellchecking that has been mentioned, and that will not take long at all. The second is to click Preview Post instead of just Submit Reply. After you've previewed and proofread your post, then submit it. Finally, bring a dictionary with you. Not everyone on the list know how to spell all the words in the English language (American version ), but when they or I spellcheck by one method or another, we're learning from our mistakes or oversights; you can do this to if you make the effort.

 

As to your rich girl post, it doesn't seem plausible as mentioned. How did this rich girl capture the heroes' nemesis? Did she hire another super to do the job? If so, is this super still on retainer? If not, how is she keeping the villain trapped? If the rich girl was able to hire one supervillain to capture another, why doesn't she just "keep" the supervillain she hired instead? Several villains are listed as mercenary status. If she wanted her own, why not just hire one of them? Alas, what is the heroes' motivation? Are you expecting them just to free the villain, or would they "free" him just to take him to jail?

 

Finally if you don't have the time or inclination to correct your own posts, why do you expect us to view or review them? You are wasting our time by having to decipher what you mean. Look at how many corrections I found on these two posts. It isn't like you average five to 10 posts per day. Take the time out to show us some courtesy by correcting your own post, else you may find that people tire of reading them and don't respond. And where is the fun in that? Wouldn't you rather have people respond to the topic of your posts than the spelling and grammar usage?

 

Take care. I hope this helps.

(Reply previewed five times before submitted.)

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

BTW you did know that Dark Seraph is an English baronet with an estate there' date=' right? [/quote']

Um, yes? Well, I remember the English part, but not the estate. Besides, what would my American heroes be doing in Europe? Vacationing?

Re: Learning from mistakes

The biggest problem was it hurt the PC's - and to a degree the player's - pride and served as less fun for the player. Not that the player wants to win all the time. In fact he has very reasonable dramatic expectations. But this was one of those situations where it just wasn't very dramatic or heroic in retrospect. I didn't think much about it as I tend to let chips fall where they may. But we talked about it - and I'm glad. There are many ways I could have played it.

You didn't explicitly state who won. Was it the villains? This was my first thought after reading your post (from the information on the latter half), though when rereading it, it seemed like the heroes may have (from the info on the upper half).

Since you talked with the player after the game, I think you did everything pretty well. I just have to options that might help the player and his PC, but you'll know better than me. Both are on the theme of rematch.

1) If the heroes won, then the next time the PCs are fighting a villain group of hired muscle, said NPC nemesis is one of them. He boasts he'll take care of said PC " 'cause he's a lot softer now." Those two go one-on-one; your results may vary.

2) If the heroes lost, then during some other plot you are running. The villains show up out of the blue because they want another go-around with these "creme puffs." Their first attack (maybe by surprise) is to entangle the main PC. Not an entangle that will keep him out of all combat (though they think it will), just a phase or two. "We want to save you for dessert, pretty boy!" Then the group goes one-on-one with everyone else, with the extra (if any) "guarding" said PC. The guard is either the weakest member, the one most susceptible to said PC's attacks, or his nemesis. Unfortunately, by "guarding" the villain's definition is to have his back turned to the PC while watching the fight, cheering his teammates on. This way, when our underdog escapes the entangle, he gets one heck of a surprise move on his opponent, and maybe he can turn the tide of the fight.

2b) If the "guard" was not his nemesis, then his nemesis sees the beating of the guard, breaks off the fight who he's with and yells that he's going to squash our mentioned hero. This way, hero should be relatively fresh with villain slightly worse for wear and both seeking retribution of some sort. Plus the *other* hero that was fighting the nemesis can take a recovery or go help someone else.

Just my thoughts. I hope they help.

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

When it comes to characters with these kinds of Vulnerabilities and Susceptibilities' date=' I've long ruled that any characters that either are or are empowered by worshipped supernatural entities, from any source, of essentially benign motivation, are classed as wielding "holy power." Any artifacts or sites consecrated to such entities would count as well. As you pointed out, Kirby, comics are full of these.[/quote']

Absolutely. Unfortunately, I haven't seen enough of these. Maybe CU will have a counter to Anubis down the road I'll have to pull out my Mystic Masters to Luathan to see if I'd want to use him.

 

Now, if Chuckg's "son of the ancient Turakian sun god" could make its way to CU or the board....

 

Someone else in one of the previous discussions Hermit alluded to' date=' suggested that existing sites sacred to another faith from an earlier age might have an equally detrimental effect on the "sacredly challenged." Dark Seraph is unlikely to follow you into a Christian church, but maybe you could lure him to the middle of Stonehenge. [/quote']

Could be a difficult trek from North America. Maybe someone could create a mass teleport ( "MEGA SCALE!") to go to Central or South America to some of the Aztec or Mayan sites. Hey, maybe that's one reason these evil villains aren't seen often in South America! Of course, Dr. D may be another reason, but still....

 

Wait a minute! If Takofanes was found in Oklahoma, maybe there is a plot deep in the recesses of some GM's mind where the PCs find a holy Turakian site. Maybe? I'm ignorant of the Turakian Age, so I don't know if I'm off-base or not.

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

Could also buy him a Force wall' date=' with the idea that he can't attack through it either (sanctuary). That way he could protect people.[/quote']

Yes, Pinky! {Ahem} I mean, very nice. The multipower concept was floating within me. Dang those points, dang them.

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

So what are the odds that a post on creating "Holy Ground" for a Paladin' date=' one of the few religious topics I would ever post to, would turn out to be number 666?[/quote']

The odds? Maybe 1 in 666? Heh. While it probably is just a major coincidence, I'm convinced God has a sense of humor. (Hey, look at giraffes and the platypus.) But I did notice that on the post; it just didn't click for me, despite the fact that I started this thread.

 

Take care.

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

How about "Change Environment : Holy Ground" ?

Based on the description in Fred, it looks like you could do some type of "consecration" with either temporary or permanent effects.

Handy against things that take damage on Holy Ground, or shun it, etc.

You could build it into one of the Multipowers.

I think you can even have it do tiny amounts of NND Killing damage to certain specific types (Undead?)

Oh, a wonderful idea! Now, where are the points? Bring me my points!

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

Campaign I'm in right now' date=' our team leader is the son of the ancient Turakian sun god. (The character combines elements of Black Adam, Nuada of the Silver Hand, and Thor.) He's pretty much a walking Holy Smite, and he predates Christianity by about 68,000 years.[/quote']

I always did like the Black Adam character (probably because I liked Captain Marvel and Hawkman a lot ).

 

I like this, especially since the character is Turakian, an opponent for Takofanes (yeah, I'm not a fan of that one, can you tell?). Rereading Takofanes bio, it stood out that he was in Oklahoma 70K years ago. Isn't that like 40-45K years before humans came to North America? But hey, in the comics genre, that's doable! "[A] walking Holy Smite," that rocks.

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

The only problem I see is his lack of being able to do anything once his focuses are taken away.

Yeah, I didn't like this part either, which is one reason I was trying to make his HtH attack via gauntlets. Maybe I can work on buying him martial arts (probably 'comic book' style) for those occassions.

I would expand his personality a bit' date=' have him "protect innocence". Fights evil, keeps kids out of R-rated movies, and drinks milk.[/quote']

I love this! I probably would have never thought of it before he was able to be in a game. Thanks!

 

 

Don't like the flight. Fighting evil should not be a chase scene. Give him a vehicle' date=' and the ability to drive and modify it (mechanics). Could also buy him a Force wall, with the idea that he can't attack through it either (sanctuary). That way he could protect people.[/quote']

The flight was more for his method to get to the battle, as opposed to chasing. Also, I built this character off of Black Paladin's template in CE. I didn't think teleport would be a good transportation method (as flight he could at least rescue someone without paying 5 extra points) and a "stop that watertower from falling on the innocents" kind of thing where he could fly up to it. Also, teleport would have been too weird (or funny) when he faces Black Paladin. Can you imagine both people doing 1/2 move teleports before attacking? If he DEX gets to 24, the same as BP, then that might lead to some frustrating (though funny) scenes of simultaneous teleporting 'behind' or 'next to' their opponent, only to wind up out of HtH range.

 

I assume he is coming from some alternate reality' date=' with only 3 points of [E']nglish.

Ah, um, no. That was a misclick by me. I'll correct that. Thank you for spotting that.

 

Perhaps he could have the ability to sense dimensional distortions?

I like it. Now, where to find the points to pay for that?

 

For extra disadvantages:

~Enraged at corruption, lust, or any of the seven deadly sins (allow evil into the world)

~DNPCs: shelter he works at/protects

~Rivalry: Law enforcement, that do little to fight evil/demons

Good thinking, especially the DNPCs.

 

Has anyone ever run a scenario' date=' where Takofanes stomps the heroes, and is defeated by a mob of nuns wielding holy relics?[/quote']

Not exactly. I did have some PCs run into a church when being trounced by my Speed Demon (the only 12 SPD character I've ever created). It tried to complete its victory, but taking susceptibility damage every phase or segment (can't remember which now) was too much for it. Besides, it had already accomplished its mission for Legion by obtaining a blood sample of all the PCs.

Re: All this evil without a Champion to oppose

Could a warpreist of Odin (the name for the religion has completely slipped my mind at the moment) banish the demon as easilly as a warrior for Christ?

I would say "yes." One of the areas comics (and Champions) have been able to produce heroes from is the B.C. myths. Marvel and Champions (3rd or 4th E) had Thor, DC had Hawkman and Hawkgirl who were originally reincarnated Egyptians, and Champions under ICE had The Olympians. It would be easy to create a warrior from one of these and designate it as "holy" for special effect and complimentary background.

Hello everyone,

Okay, here's what's been going through my mind. (And no, I won't let the doctors extract it.) We have lots of evil (and I mean EVIL, as from the village E-Ville) NPC villains that plague Champions Universe. We have Anubis, The Crowns of Krim, DEMON, Morningstar, Shadowdragon, and Takofanes who have either susceptibilities and/or vulnerabilities to holy items/places/attacks, along with (in my opinion) Black Paladin, Leech, and Slug who should. I have yet to see any character written up that would apply to these weaknesses, and a Disadvantage that isn't used ever in gameplay is like a limitation that doesn't limit. Has anyone created either a PC or NPC to "fight evil" of these types?

I have tried to create a 350 point hero just to see what kind of beacon of hope I could create. I'm still contemplating changes and open for suggestions. I still have one point left, as I'm trying to eliminate the "flat of the blade attack" for a HtH attack with gauntelts. Who knows?

Name: Paladin (or Champion, or something else good)

Val Char Base Cost

25 STR 10 15

23 DEX 10 39

25 CON 10 30

15 BODY 10 10

15 INT 10 5

15 EGO 10 10

20 PRE 10 10

16 COM 10 3

8/26 PD 5 3

8/26 ED 5 3

5 SPD 3.3 17

10 REC 10 0

50 END 50 0

41 STUN 41 0

6" RUN 6 0

2" SWIM 2 0

5" LEAP 5 0

-------------------------

STR Roll: 14- Run: 6"

DEX Roll: 14- Swim: 2"

CON Roll: 14- Leap: 5"

INT Roll: 12-

EGO Roll: 12-

PER Roll 12-

-------------------------

Pts. Power/Skill/Perk/Talent END

Helmet of Salvation

2 1) Sight Group Flash Defense (4 points) (4 Active Points); OAF (-1) 0

2 2) Hearing Group Flash Defense (4 points) (4 Active Points); OAF (-1) 0

24 Breastplate of Righteousness: Armor (12 PD/12 ED) (36 Active Points); OIF (Magic Armor; -1/2) 0

23 Flight 15", x4 Noncombat (35 Active Points); OIF (Armor; -1/2) 3

25 Sword of the Spirit: Multipower, 50-point reserve, (50 Active Points); OAF (-1)

5u 1) Energy Blast 10d6 (50 Active Points) 5

2u 2) Flat of the blade: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6, Penetrating (+1/2) (37 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) 4

4u 3) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (3d6 w/STR), Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2) (45 Active Points); No Knockback (-1/4) 4

9 Demonbane magic: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6 (2d6 w/STR), Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2),

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); OAF (Sword; -1), Custom Modifier (Only vs. Magical and Evil creatures; -1/2),

Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) 0

28 Shield of Faith: Multipower, 50-point reserve, (50 Active Points); all slots OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4)

3u 1) Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack), Missile Reflection, Reflect At Any Target (50 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4) 0

1u 2) Armor (6 PD/6 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (22 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4) 0

37 Danger Sense (general area, any danger, Function as a Sense) 12-

5 Iron Will: Mental Defense (8 points total) 0

7 Power Defense (7 points) 0

10 Shape Shift ( Group), Instant Change 1

6 +2 with any three maneuvers (EB, HtH, HKA)

3 Deduction 12-

3 KS: Code of Chivalry 12-

0 Language: English (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)

2 Language: Latin (fluent conversation)

3 Paramedics 12-

Disadvantages Pts

Custom Disadvantage 35 (Fancy way of saying "I haven't figured these points out, yet")

Hunted: Black Paladin 11- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 20

Hunted: Dark Seraph 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 15

Hunted: Anubis 8- (Mo Pow, Mildly Punish) 10

Hunted: Morningstar 8- (As Pow, Mildly Punish) 5

Distinctive Features: Mystical Aura (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 10

Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing (Very Common, Strong) [Notes: Does not apply to unholy creatures/beings] 20

Psychological Limitation: Code of Chivalry (Very Common, Strong) 20

Physical Limitation: Chaste (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 15

XP 0

150 : Powers Cost

54 + Skills Cost

145 + Characteristics Cost

349 = Total Cost

Some things I'm still not happy with are his few skills, his lack of non-lethal yet effective melee attack, I wanted him to be able to 'detect' evil people in his presence, should I give him a secret ID or public, and his hunteds. I wanted to capture the theme of the lone good guy versus overpowering baddies (sort of like the paladin class in D&D as the one who is destined to go up against multiple enemies or a single powerful one and he has a chance with his divine abilities.) He has 50 points of Hunteds, and that's *without* DEMON. I put them at 8- rolls because I didn't want them flocking together to deliver a brutal beating (also why he has Dark Seraph as opposed to all of The Crowns of Krim). Black Paladin has 11- because of his adamant anti-Christian views and I've always like him as a villain. I purposely did not give him any vulnerabilities to evil/unholy magic/attacks which would be the one big factor in his favor, i.e. they are more powerful than he is, but they are vulnerable to his attacks.

Well, what do you think? All non-bashing critiques welcome.

Hello everyone,

Have any of you either allowed, or been allowed to use an NPC as your PC and build the character up? For example, say in a 250 point game either a player or you as the player wanted to actually be Seeker from the Champions and was it allowed? How do you as GMs feel about this and have any of you as players wanted this?

The next loop to the scenario is to ask instead of a hero, to play a waivering villain, such as Icecicle, or some other NPC who could go either way? Then finally, what about a normally misunderstood villain, like Grond? Basically, if a player wanted to play Grond (and he hadn't been used in your campaign yet) and would follow his 4E write-up mixed with his 5E stats in a 350 point game, with possible minor tweaking (raising the ego and intelligence slightly and lowering strength 10-20 points)?

Finally, what if the player asked if his character could be a clone of someone (generally works best for bricks or energy blasters) and yet the mental aspects and skills were a bit different?

How would you feel if a player asked something like that? As the player, are there villains or "neutral-ish" characters you would like to play if the GM allowed, as long as you followed the campaign guidelines?

Thank you for your time.

Re: Scaling Villains?

However.. I felt that the Undying King needed to be scaled back....

Absolutely! That thing is just grossly powerful. Good for you, I say. Or should that read: "Good for you," I say.(?)

Yes, I've scaled back a few villains, but it was more for subplot reasons. The most recent example I can think of was scaling back the 4E Viperia. When the PCs first encountered her, she had been *released* from Malachite. (Basically, she was a preteen child in an 18-year-old body and Malachite didn't want her anymore.) She still had more points than the two characters that showed, though it was really more of a parlay situation than melee. The players actually did good conversation and nearly convinced her to let them help her in her panicked state. Unfortunately, when the police sirens came close, she asked if they could protect her and prevent her from going to jail. They were starting off by saying something like "No, but we can talk to the police for you and help you out," but she only heard the "No," failed her EGO check and fled.

In essence, I generally keep the villains as written with minor changes (usually skills) to make them fit. Of course, I give them experience for each visit.

...most Hero villains don't need to be scaled back. I'd say...more often...they need to be tougher.

Ack! Say it isn't so! In my experience, there have been very few villains I used that I thought were a bit weaker than their write-up (usually a lack of skills, combat or otherwise) but essentially liked how they were. I've been in games where the GMs have effectively used groups such as VIPER, VIPER teams, COIL, Eurostar, Card Shark, Zodiac -even when doing one-on-one fights, as well as the "lower-end" villains like Howler, Icicle, and Ogre. (These were all in 250 pt. games). While I only have VIPER, CKC and Champions Battlegrounds as resources for 5E villains, I have to say that most of them are high powered compared to 350 pt. character games.

On the flip side, I even like it when some villains are purposely low-powered, such as Ack-Ack McCleary (sp?), Thunder & Lighting, Bulldozer.

Re: The original Jewish Superman!

Just when I think I'm an expert on the subject... I've never heard of this.

Ditto, though I'm no expert. What hasn't been mentioned that I've heard -about 15 or so years ago- was that the reason for creating Superman (as opposed to the inspiration behind it) had to do with Hitler's talk about creating ubermensch [which I believe he got from Nietzsche] proving/creating Aryan Germans as the superior race. The author didn't want to hear about *that* and so created his own as an ideal of what people could achieve (sans super powers).

Anyway, it was on a show about DC Comics that I saw a *long* time ago.

Re: "Grond smash!" and other Grond plots

IAs well as shorting out his suit, I decided to have some fun. I switched minds (which fit nicely with the cover... although I didn't plan on it at first).

 

Grond was now in the PC's body (with a broken suit) and the PC in Grond's body.

Very well done! This has great potential for all types, speed characters, mentalists (oh, that would be funny!) energy projectors, etc. Maybe let the player be "Grond" for a week or so.

Re: "Grond smash!" and other Grond plots

The heroes never did look at [Grond] the same way after that.

I like plots like this. I do find it very entertaining and challenging when the GM throws in a villain that could change his/her ways with some good interaction with the PCs.

I was in a campaign where this theory happend, twice. In the first, we rescued Icicle and she became a good super (but only after her homework was finished .) Then, one of the players (who always managed a way to screw things up for us) decided he wanted to show he could do the same thing. He asked the GM if he could bring in a teen DNPC that he wrote up a background for. It turned out his background for her included being a test subject for a new assassin brainwashing technique. So we had the joy of trying to change this. Pile on to this that the player rarely took time to educate outside of anything but combat (and he was horrible on tactics to boot).

Re: "Grond smash!" and other Grond plots

1. Grond and five whacky friends frequent a NY coffee house for 11 years participating in whacky hyjinx... at least 3 years longer than anyone cares for.

Heh, aside from the silliness of the post, I think this one could sort of work with some changes. Maybe work it so that one of the PCs is accused of a crime and there is video proof. The PC is taken to Stronghold and finds out that on his level, there are just a few prisoners who actually get along sitting around on the couches each day and Grond is one of them. Instead of "Friends," it could be called " 'Mates." Maybe?

Re: "Grond smash!" and other Grond plots

I think the actual name is Echidna....and it comes from a monster in Greek mythology.

Hmm... (looking up echidna in the dictionary) "Also called spiny anteater." That's not it, I hope. (Looking further in the definition.) Ah, here it is: "Echidna a mythical creature which gave birth to the Hydra and other monsters [from] Gk echidna , akin to echis viper."*

Very interesting. I have The Olympians sourcebook from 1990. I am now contemplating a plot idea: Grond and some PCs are engaged in conversation/destruction/something when some people shouting Greek just appear. Everyone disappears in a flash. What's going on? Grond & the PCs appear in the midst of a battle. It's the Olympians versus the Titans, and both sides are trying to get Grond on their side (the PCs are mostly inconsequential in this bidding war ).

What will Grond do? What will the PCs do? It's just like Ragnarok. Except that no one is Norse. And if you die you don't go to Valhalla. And other minor inconsistencies.

Of course, if you don't have access to The Olympians is just doesn't matter.

*Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, 1996 (p. 617)

Re: "Grond smash!" and other Grond plots

*Grond has been reported battling mystical supervillianous elements--he's wrecked several DEMON-hames' date=' sent Zorran the Artificer fleeing for his life, and even forced Temblor of the Crowns of Krim to retreat. No one can explain it until an archeological expedition to an ancient temple discovers a sealed room with a staute of Grond in it that is found to be several thousand years old. Inscriptions on tablets found in the room speak of a "demon-slayer demon" --a monster invoked for the purpose of fighting other monsters. Perhaps Grond is more--much more--than a mere freak of science. . .[/quote']

Ooooh, I really like this one. I was trying to do a San Angelo game (no aliens, VIPER, PRIMUS, UNTIL, nor Mechanon or Dr. Destroyer; however, there was going to be DEMON) and this would work perfectly for it. If I'm able to start up a campaign again (either in San Angelo or somewhere in the CU), I'm definitely going to keep this one on the burners.

Re: Mister Magnum for review

Ignore the points spent for the Sample Kata VPP for the previous post.

Roger that. Hey, MisterD, I think "Mr. Magnum" has come along way from your first posted draft. He looks really good now! Being able to see his disadvantages helps me actually get a feel for his personality. I'm glad to see him with some armor, too. I must say that my favorite aspect that you created for him was the Never seems to run out of ammo Endurance Reserve.

I think he's great now for a "starting out" character and my suggestion is to start spending some well-earned experience points on those everyman skills! Especially, climbing, concealment, paramedics, shadowing, and stealth. Little by little, and you'll get there. (At least, those are the skills my main DC character relied on the most out of those you listed.)

Let us know how he goes during his first run, if you don't mind. Good luck.

Re: "Grond smash!" and other Grond plots

I have an extended plot revolving around Grond. In my CU he has "retired" to the peace of the Amazon. Grond's hand' date=' which had been severed in a super battle years before....[/quote']

Heh, that's pretty funny. When I started reading this, it reminded me of D&D's "Hand of Vecna."

 

A slight variation off of the Teleios/Clone plot... I am introducing a new Villainess named AKIDNA (as in the Mother of all Monsters) She is a former experiment/ assistant to Teleios!

I like this! Where did you get the name Akidna from? Did you make it up, was it from a Godzilla movie, or somewhere else? (I'm guessing the "Mother of all Monsters" is a reference for you.)