SuperPheemy

Before I dive headfirst into the mass that is Fantasy Hero, I wanted to do a little more work on my Galactic Champions/Space Opera setting. Thus, I've designed a mainstay of Space Opera, the single-pilot fighter craft. If any of you are moved to feedback, I'm always open to suggestion. In designing this craft, I was trying to get a feel of Space Opera physics, where fighter craft zip around each other like WWII fighters in a dogfight. SA339 Aerospace Fighter Player: Val Char Cost 30 STR 0 20 DEX 30 20 BODY 6 4 SPD 10 0" RUN-120" SWIM-20" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 70 Cost Power END Power Systems 37 1) Main Power Plant: Endurance Reserve (100 END, 100 REC) (110 Active Points); OAF Immobile (-2) 9 2) Auxillary Power Plant: Endurance Reserve (25 END, 25 REC) (28 Active Points); OAF Immobile (-2) Propusion Systems 60 1) Main Engines: Flight 30", Combat Acceleration/Deceleration (+1/4), Megascale (1" = 1 km; +1/4) (90 Active Points); Costs Endurance Costs END Every Phase (-1/2) (uses END Reserve) 9 10 2) Docking/Landing Thrusters: Flight 5" Weapon Systems 41 1) Fire-Linked Blaster Arrays: Killing Attack - Ranged 5d6 (vs. ED), Autofire (5 shots; +1/2) (112 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc of Fire 60 Degrees (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) (uses END Reserve) 11 50 2) Anti-Ship Torpedo: Killing Attack - Ranged 10d6 (vs. ED), Armor Piercing x1 (+1/2) (225 Active Points); 2 Charges (-1 1/2), Limited Arc of Fire One Hex Row (-3/4), Only on the same horizontal level (-1/4), OIF (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Can Be Missile Deflected (-1/4) Defensive Systems 15 1) Shielding: Armor (5 PD/15 ED) (30 Active Points); Ablative BODY Only (-1/2), Limited Defense 180 Degrees (-1/2) [Notes: Forward Shielding] 9 2) Shielding: Armor (5 PD/10 ED) (23 Active Points); Ablative BODY or STUN (-1), Limited Defense 180 Degrees (-1/2) [Notes: Aft Sheilding] 25 Sensor Array: Radar (Analyze, Discriminatory, Increased Arc of Perception: 360-Degree, Telescopic (+20)) (50 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) 14 Tactical Communication Net: Mind Link (Specific Group of Minds), No LOS Needed, Number of Minds (x32) (45 Active Points); Only With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1), OIF Bulky (-1), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4) 13 Environmental Controls: Life Support , Safe in High Pressure, Safe in High Radiation, Safe in Intense Cold, Safe in Intense Heat, Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum, Self-Contained Breathing (19 Active Points); Costs Endurance Costs END Every Phase (-1/2) (uses Personal END) 2 5 Inertial Compensation: Telekinesis (10 STR) (15 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (-1), OIF Bulky (-1), Affects Whole Object (-1/4) (uses END Reserve) [Notes: Only to counter the effects of inertia on crew] 1 8 Combat Agility: +4 with single Characteristic Roll [Notes: Used only in Flight based rolls.] Powers Cost: 296 Total Character Cost: 366 Val Disadvantages 25 Distinctive Features: Military Attack Spacecraft (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) Disadvantage Points: 25 Base Points: 341 Experience Required: 0 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0

They're in Sacramento. I found three at A-1 Comics off of Madison, so there should be more copies at the Roseville store soon. To my fellow Sac HEROs, I got your back! And yes, it's a TOME of HEROic proportions!

" I love Chickens Eddie! "

Please, don't give them ideas. Six monts ago, I was complaining to Merry Andrew about Governor Davis, and now look at California.

Again, it seems CLOWN has decided to make contact via my Cubicle of Solitude. This time it was a DVD clamped in the mouth of a rubber duckey that ticked. Removal of the disk caused the duckey to explode, filling my cubicle with menthol-scented shaving cream. I'll be busy wiping things down for the next couple of hours, so here goes. Just don't shoot the messenger, ok?

Doom easily topps the list. I remember him coming to New York to save a hero from a fatal disease that not even Reed Richards was able to cure. After saving the stricken hero, Doom was asked why. "Because it was something Richards could not do" was his answer.

And one more. to see if I really have the hang of this. Urge

well, they don't do justice to most of your sketches. But since I finally figured out how to FTP to a website, I might as well inflict the pics on you all. Centurion

Capital Police, Secret Service... The dudes in suits with machineguns paid to die in defense of our elected officials. Which reminds me, if the government had some sort of "super agency" like S.H.I.E.L.D., CHECKMATE, or even G.I. JOE there's probably a couple of ELITE squads hanging around DC for justsuchanemergency.

Well, marching onto Capital Hill is going to cause untold amounts of damage. Firstly, any Secret Service agents on duty there will die trying to stop the SuperBeings from gaining entrance, or to evict them once they did gain entrance. In addition, the world news media will cover every bloody second, in real-time, with all the shaky combat footage they can muster. Also, if the Federal Government has a Superhero team "on call" you can bet they will be on the scene post haste. As well as any Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, or Coast Guard forces that can scramble on a moment's notice. While the assembled security forces try to prevent the SuperBeings from getting in, other forces will be getting the Congressmen and Senators OUT. You can also safely assume that the President, VP, and the Supreme Court Justices will also be evacuated in the most expedient manner possible. Unless it is crystal clear that the government is an oppressive, totalitarian entity that deserves to be overthrown, the PCs can expect a general resistance to their rule from almost everyone. In short, marching on Congress and disbanding the government turns them instantly into Supervillains of the maniacal dictator bent.

Yeah, instead of finding Nazi Submarine Pens, they find a bunch of underwater-capable Nazi piloted Robots. Each with the firepower of a tank division, piloted by a single soldier, and capable of walking accross the English Channel to spearhead the invasion of England! After defeating the robots, the heroes are sent on a deep-infiltration of Germany to discover the mastermind(s) behind these horriffic weapons!

In the game setting you mention, Super Mercenaries in a Post-Apocalyptic Riftsesque setting, combat effectiveness is implied as being important. Knowing little else about the specifics of the campaign, my initial thoughts run towards a character who is durable and able to dish out damage. The simplist way to design such a character is to give 'em high defenses, and enough physical power to hurt lots of unhurtable things, like tanks. Even characters with non-brickish concepts, like sorcerers, or kung-fu kommandoes benefit greatly from adding a few brick qualities, and since we're talking about a combat setting, bricking up a bit doesn't stretch the character concept. i.e. It is entirely plausible that a sneaky ninja-type would layer on some extra armor defenses, so long as the defenses didn't weigh-em down too much. Boosting the strength a bit gives the character some offensive "oomph" above and beyond their techno-katana and ninjustsu. On the other hand, if you were running a "Secret Psi-war" campaign set in New York 2003, you might see your bricks tossing a few more points towards EGO and Mental Defense

West Coast feed will air it at 9pm. If you've got a satellite and can pull down the East Coast feed, you can see it at 6pm. Of course, I'm still trying to get the Cubicle of Solitude wired for cable. You wouldn't belive the hassles. How am I supposed to save the world when I have to wait for the cable guy to show up sometime between 1 and 7 pm?

Heir to the Dragon by Michael Stackpole and Wolves on the Border by Robert Charrette. Both are Battletech novels (so we're talking very rubber science) but were easy, entertaining reads focusing on two different takes on Warrior societies. The first being the Neo-Japanese Draconis Combine, and the second focusing on the Mercenary Battallion Wolf's Dragoons. I imagine you'd be able to knock off both books in an afternoon.

for best effect, you may want to vary the segments that your speed 2 zombies can act on (some of em hold their turn). getting attacked for all 12 segments of a turn will freak those munchkins out. That is so cool! You are now my hero (well at least until football season starts.) I think I'll apply that little trick to goons as well, just to keep the PCs honest.

Remember to add Perk: Membership Justice League of America. The League has resources beyond it's members.

Take a flip through Steve Jackson Games' In Nomine sometime, Celestial beings in that mileu eventually earn the authority of words. Thus, you could become the Angel of Mercy, or the Demon of Fury (or the Angel of Fury, and the Demon of Mercy for that matter...) The game goes into great detail over how becoming Word Bound affects the character. Because the word itself becomes a fundamental part of the Celestial's very being, they run the risk of putting the advancement of their Word above their duty to Heaven or Hell.

Legion of Advanced Metahuman Enforcers. They really didn't realize the acronym until after they had the granite logo carved in the lobby of their HQ.

'Ere We Go! 'Ere We Go! 'Ere We Go!!!! A wonderful WAAAGH! for all the Orkies! But since we're talking SuperHeroes, "I say the NAY!" "Avengers Assemble!" "YO JOE!" "Up, up and Awaaaaaaay!" "Rock on, Val Hallen!"

A few cinematic characters from the dusty trail Other characters who deserve mention in conversations about Cinematic Westerns. Rueben "Rooster" Cogburn - from True Grit Paden, Emmett, Mal, and Jake - from Silverado J. B. Brooks - from The Shootist Sheriff Bart and the Waco Kid - from Blazing Saddles Mongo - from Blazing Saddles Cole Thornton, and Mississippi - from El Dorado Marshal Matt Dillon, Ms. Kitty, Festus, and Chester - from Gunsmoke. All in addition to the characters already mentioned in the thread.

As mentioned dozens of times already, the X-Men story is a metaphor for racism, bigotry, and prejudice in society. Being a "Mutant" is a superpowered McGuffin for being black or gay, or any number of other groups discriminated against for being who they are. The heroism shown in the stories comes from a "thankless heroism" concept. The X-Men can save the world a hundred times over, and they'll still be considered "filthy muties" by a society that insists on hating them and refuses to understand them. To catch that same core theme, the heroes have to be different somehow. This can be achieved as simply as having them have superpowers. Being a person who can fly, lift tractors, and shoot beams of killing light from their eyes certainly sets them apart from the majority of the population who cannot. You can also use physical looks, make all the oppressed heroes visually different from the mainstream. Thus, the 8 foot brick with four arms and green scales gets looked down upon, while the telekinetic supermodel gets endorsement contracts. One of the strong elements of Marvel Mutant Hysteria comes from the fact that Mutants don't have to look different. Thus, if paranoia is whipped up in society, witch hunts can run rampant. That could also throw characters for a loop. What if they have powers, but are falsely accused of being Mutants? How do they disprove the origins of their powers, especially if their power origins need to remain secret? And proof in the court of public opinion can be a very fickle thing. For example, if Captain Armor Lass flies around in a powersuit of her own design, she could be accused of having a mutation that makes her super-smart. How can she disprove that? How does she survive long enough to disprove that without becoming a villain in self-defense?

Once you have all your scenario preparation completed, go out and buy a notebook. Then use it to jot down all your notes as the game progresses. If a player or character has a particulary keen insight, write it down. If something unexpected develops because of the whims of chance, write it down. Give your locations and minor NPCs names and a phrase or two of detail. Like "Mr. Hong - Ownes Lucky Star restaraunt Downtown. Captain Supreme stiffed him for the bill in his Secret ID to go fight Mechanon during 5/6/03 game." Or. "Jessica Lyon - Went into premature Labor during battle with Pulsar in the 5/6/03 game. Quasar helped Jessica with the birth until the Paramedics arrived. Jessica named kid "Quasar" after her hero." This way, when you are at a loss for a story later on, you can flip back through all your past notes, and have the characters' past make an appearance. Also, your campaign world takes on a level of believability when people and landmarks remain consistient. You can also jot inspirations into the book during "downtime" if you're struck. Interesting names, cool places, maybe the weird drunk who hit you up for change at lunch.

It's weird, I ended up getting a firmer grip on Janus' character than Black Harlequin. I'd always felt Janus was a weak villain in SAS until I read that story. He came across to me as a very clever, ruthless business man type, kind of like Justin Hammer (and I loved him having FAO Schwarz, Empire City as a front company) except that he's a psychotic killer. I liked BH as well, after all, what's not to like about a maniac with a mommy-complex. I just read both stories and found myself more intrigued with Janus than BH.

COM is a measure of the "baseline" standards of beauty for the campaign. Which means that we're talking Human Western Earth for most Modern games. If we were running a game set in 3rd century China, the standards would be different, and what a low or high COM would mean would likewise change. In cross-cultural situations, like the aforementioned "Ghoul Princess", you'd buy COM consistient with the baseline standard (in this case, we'll assume medieval european human) which would be pretty low (4-6). THEN we'd by COM as a power with a limitation like "only towards Ghouls or Ghoul-kin" and have the limitation modifier be dependant on how frequently Ghouls are encountered (I'd guess around a -1 Lim). Making beauty a Perk rather than a stat really doesn't make a difference one way or another. Spending 5 points on COM or buying a 5 point Perk "Stunning Good Looks" is still 5 points spent. Only with COM as a characteristic, a player can purchase the value in finer incriments.

Tough One! Both stories were a fun read. Though, in the end Mechanon's intelligence should be a match for the Iron Duke's Strength. Though I loved the charictarization of Mechanon in the Duke Story. He arrives in a strange place, and immediately develops plans to build a factory to forge a robot army. That's the Mechanon I know and love.