Marketeer

Re: Cobra!!

http://www.yojoe.com

Re: banishment consecration and exorcism

I'm working on my euroguard team and one of the members is the cross

sort of captain america with a dash of batman and azreal. the guardian of a sacred relic and memeber of a offshoot sect of the knight templar.

 

The relic not only enhaces the guardians physical prowess but allows hinm to perform healing and create zones of consecrated earth perform exorsisms and banishments.

 

I've had a lot of problems working out how best to build these powers so I'd like to ask the board for suggestions for holy power builds.

For banishment, two ways to write it up leap to mind:

Suppress or Dispel vs. Summon powers (Dispel seems more appropriate)

or

Extra-Dimensional Movement, Usable as Attack, Variable Dimensions, "Only to the target's original or native plane of existence". In a very odd twist, this will also let him return to Earth if he ever gets teleported to some other faraway place.

This is potentially incredibly unbalancing to games (since it lets him "send home" even extremely powerful creatures), so you could add "only to a subdued, Entangled, unconscious, or otherwise defeated target". This not only deals with the balance issue of him exorcising things he can't defeat, it also prevents him from short-circuiting adventures where he is the victim of extra-dimensional movement.

Re: Cobra!!

I forgot about those BAT androids (how could I? )

 

Anyway, one good thing about androids, if you need a villain super, just bring an android or 3 in for upgrade.

 

Though Cobra-La (if brought in) might have some supers. I seem to remember a big guy with wings. Dont know for sure about them, I quit watching at about that point.

Cobra-La is from GI Joe: The Movie. The group is introduced and apparently destroyed all in the same sequence of events.

Cobra-La had:

Nemesis Enforcer (the guy with the wings, he could also bounce bullets)

Golobulus (the head of the whole thing, with "evil scientist" skills, demi-brickness, and some kind of OIF that let him fly)

and

Pythona (think "female ninja with biotechnological weapons", and some kind of HKA (claws) that also did separate acid damage)

Yes, my youth coincided with the 80s...

Re: Automaton question

I'm not sure what your question is. If you take can not be stunned' date=' you can not be stunned....[/quote']

 

I believe I can rephrase his question:

 

1) for automatons, there are separate entries and pricing for "does not take Stun damage" and "cannot be Stunned".

 

So I believe Corven's question is "if I take does not take Stun damage on an automaton, does that automatically mean (since the automaton does not suffer Stun damage) that he cannot be stunned? Or do I need to calculate Stun damage when it is attacked (even though that Stun damage won't knock it out) to check for CON stunning?"

 

I'll leave it to the sagacious among us to actually answer that question.

Re: Hypothetical Axis Amerika 2005

The following scenario is simultaneously more and less plausible than the rest...

...the only real way to have a long-term, sustainable Nazi victory is to have the US not fight or crushed.

It's a lot easier to have them not fight.

Most of the atrocities weren't widely known until after the War. All it really takes to swing World War II the other way, in an authoritative fashion, would be to have America side with the Axis.

A whole bunch of scenarios could be constructed around how and why the US did so, but if you want to unsettle your players, have the US as an active collaborator that has achieved and maintained prosperity because of it.

Re: Hypothetical Axis Amerika 2005

Given that Canada entered the war earlier than the US, and was much more closely affiliated with the UK (which would probably be utterly decimated in a lost WWII), it's probably also worth examining relations with your northern neighbor.

I would guess that Canada would have to have been forcibly removed from the war. Occupation is even less viable in Canada than it would be in the US (greater landmass, lower population density), but the Canadian identity was more closely affiliated with the British Crown.

In all likelihood? Canada economically/diplomatically subjugated, and either a "look at how lucky you Amerikaners are" object example, or a functional puppet government, completely built by the Reich, that is used as an example of why the Aryan way is the better way.

A bit tangental, but Canada does bracket the US on the other side and all.

Re: Did anyone ever write-up the DC Impact comic characters?

If anybody ever does get around to doing conversions to Hero, I'd love to take a look!

Re: Background Cliches

As regards the "revealing costume" clichè, I've always deemed it a more-or-less justifiable consequence of the fact that all superhumans appear to develop a perfect physique (optimized metabolism, secondary sexual feautres enhanced just to the right point, even body faculties unrelated to superpowers peaked to the levels of top athletes) as a side-effect of metahuman "awakening" (maybe the activation of the X-factor or use of superpowers optimizes metabolism) AND having superpowers likely causes a massive boost in self-confidence.

 

After all, how many comic book superhumans (of both genders) do you know that aren't drawn like top-tier sex symbols (the ones that are not meant to have the "rejected by humanity" and "messy social mundane life" recurring subplots, that is) ?

One sub-cliche that I've seen used to justify the phenomenon, at least for the classic "mutation as evolution" schtick, is the increased physical attractiveness is some kind of pushed "progressive evolution"--ie, that the mutations are on some level geared towards generating a genetic advantage.

This raises the possibility that mutants have been *created* by some force, but hey, players like mysteries.

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

On the other hand' date=' she's used to teaching professionals -- other warriors -- and not "civilians". This might make her more comfortable dealing with superheroes in this context.[/quote']

 

Basic training consultant (self defence tactics) for the military, perhaps?

 

 

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

I think it's more that I muddled my answer. #1 is what emotionally wrenches her -- she feels that it's wrong. #2 is just offensive on an intellectual level -- she's aware that it's wrong' date=' but it doesn't make her eyes come alight...[/quote']

 

Well, that would make me think that Saviel is more likely to be (if we take "martial arts instructor" as her way of earning her money) someone who teaches normals rather than supers.

 

It's about souls, right? Superheroes need to be prepared (that's a professional assessment from the Angel of War). Normals need to be taught how not to need outside intervention (that's an emotional/value-based reaction).

 

Again, just volleying ideas until something useful comes up.

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

 

His evil offends her. What he does to people upsets her. What he does with their souls upsets her -- especially because of Archangel. The fact that he still exists upsets her -- if she had been allowed to intervene, he might not have escaped. He might not have killed Archangel, for that matter.

Ok, I muddled my question. Let me try again:

What factor prompted Saviel to act more:

1) That fact that human souls were being stolen (emphasis on the human souls being denied their just judgment/reward--"human-centric")

2) The fact that human souls were being stolen (Takofanes violates the order intended by God through his actions--"heaven's plans-centric")

It's perfectly plausible for both to have affected her one way or another, but whether or not Saviel has reflected upon this question/issue, and what her answer to it might be, would shed a lot of light on how she interacts with and feels about humanity.

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

Thinking out loud...

 

She needs somewhere to sleep (her LS is bought as "8 hrs/week"). She needs a few extra clothes, since they can get dirty or damaged even if she doesn't sweat or anything. (Unless it seems appropriate to make some other, less mundane arrangement.) She spent a lot of time not fighting before coming to earth, even if most of it was spent studying war and combat. She likes books. So I guess she needs some kind of income from somewhere -- I can't really picture her as a vagabond.

 

While I really wouldn't say that she needs friends, she does have that military background, and understands the value of comrades. She's pretty intense, but honorable, loyal, and basically good, so I can't see most superheroes rejecting her. The biggest source of friction might be the CvK that she doesn't have. She does have reasons to at least make allies, since she probably can't track down Takofanes or Doc D on her own, and even at her power level she'll need help when it comes time to fight either of them.

 

 

 

Holiday joke...maybe she helped some other superheroes save Christmas from some awful fate, and they invited her to their New Years Eve party.

Throwing out more thoughts...

Well, how does she feel about humans on a day-to-day, personal level?

There's a certain question of whether Takofanes' "evil", in a cosmic sense, or if the fact that human souls were being stolen offended her more. Whether she's consciously thought about that, and/or what the answer is, would greatly impact how she views herself and other heroes relate to her.

Leaping to another thought, even a part-time job as a Martial Arts instructor seems appropriate to her general temperment, and sufficient for her humble needs--although I think she'd be a rather demanded sensei/sifu. I don't see her having enough of a human scholastic background to be a historian, librarian, or some such--she certainly possesses the content, but not the modes of communicating that content a human in an equivalent role would be expected to possess.

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

So...any comments, questions, or concerns? Anything too much, or too little? Attacks, defenses, characteristics, skills...are they right, or out of whack? Anything you'd expect to see that just isn't there? Anything out of place?

 

PS: for the person who already said they'd comment, thanks in advance.

First off, I like the writeup so far, it certainly "feels right".

So, given that Saviel's overall writeup seems to fit, I'll now be nitpicky.

You might want to rename Saviel's Multipower. The first few slots certainly fit "Arsenal of the War Angel", but Healing and Universal Translator... less so.

On the other hand, you could certainly defend that particular Title simply by arguing that Saviel interprets her role *very broadly*--the same way Batman's tools are all part of his "arsenal" against crime.

I also note that have both Flying/Passing and "normal" versions of Dodge, Grab, and Throw. From a point-shaving perspective, you could save a few points by eliminating the non-Flying versions (since they don't have any "in flight only" limitations on them, they could still be used in conventional situations), and putting the points saved into a skill level in HtH (for example), which would give her a little more overall utility without upping the point cost.

I'm very, very suprised at an angel who has no KS: religion of any kind, as well. Her Psych. Lim of "Loathes Religious Hypocrisy" makes a lot of sense, but without some kind of detailed knowledge of religion, she'd be a particularly passionate, but not informed, commentator on religion...

But, as I've mentioned, I like Saviel's writeup a lot.

Re: i call upon the heros of the forum to help me!! (plz)

i am a new GM, and i am running a game where the main villian, Tempest, is planinng on teleporting gold city onto an alien plant where he can take it over much more easly. i need some help on how to turn the city aganst (sp) the heros first plz help the new GM.

 

oh tempest is a techie with weather control ablities and his brother backlash, mentalist/pyrokentics, will be help him. also Howler, from champions book, and Dreammaster, a mentalist who's powers only work on sleeping people and while he is asleep him self. any help would be greatly apriated (sp)

 

me very bad at spelling

Well...

Does Tempest have a previous history as a villain? Do the PCs have a reputation at all?

One scenario could be that Tempest frames the PCs for teleporting the city in the first place. Even if they are known as "heroes", maybe the teleportation happens while a scientific- or magical-type hero is doing something involving dimensional gateways.

A little bit of bad PR can turn a city on you very quickly.

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

Well, I'm still debating a couple of things on Saviel.

 

On one hand, it might be more cost-effective to just give her extra CVs. On the other hand, I really like the idea of giving her the Martial Arts package, as another way to really set her apart from the other Angels of War. There are things she can do with the maneuvers that would be a lot harder without them.

 

But if I cut the maneuvers, I can fit something else appropriate under my self-imposed point cap...

Well... specifically what things do you want her to do that lend themselves to a Martial Arts package? Effects like "target falls"?

If you lower the OCV and DCV of her Maneuvers, you can shave points; the savings would be offset somewhat by the need for more Dex and/or CVs, but in the end, assuming you have at least 4 or 5 or so maneuvers in her package, that would save a few points.

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

Thanks for the feedback.

 

"Words"? In Nomine, right?

 

If you read the very end of her backstory, there's a moment when she does express failure and regret, so there is a bit of that element in there. But the title "Scourge of Heaven" was given to Saviel by her brethren because of their awe and unease.

Yup. I rather like the framework--particularly in Heaven, names and titles have meaning.

I like what you've done; I was just in the mood to throw out alternatives.

To me, the core hook is the fact that Saviel is a self-exile; anything that helps explain or flesh out why an Angel would cast herself out of Heaven's Light (without actually rebelling) can be a powerful character hook.

Re: Self-Exiled Angel -- Character Background Brainstorming

Derailing this somewhat...

I realize that you have already laid down a backstory, but I wanted to play around with the title "Scourge of Heaven" for a bit.

The imagery associated with a scourge is a punitive one, associated with redress or discipline.

Saviel is also an Angel of War, in a war that has yet to finish.

Perhaps her exile isn't vengeance-driven so much as penitence-driven? Casting herself out for a perceived failing on her part?

And since she's The Scourge of Heaven, she's right--she has failed in some fundamental way, and is not worthy or should not return until she has redeemed her failing? Perhaps she's scourging herself, as it is not in her nature to let things go, even if she wasn't at fault in a human sense?

Just tossing out ideas--with Angels (and Demons) who have "Words", I like to try and tie their Words to their concepts as tightly as I can.

Re: Character Challange: Superman Clones

Welcome! (though your name gives me the heebie jeebies. )

Someday I'll hijack an NGD thread and explain the origins of the handle.

Re: Character Challange: Superman Clones

He's the true Icon of Good. More so than any other character in any Comic Universe (yup, more Good than Wonder Woman or Captain America).

He's wholesome, honest, honourable - the best person you'd ever get the chance to know.

That's an interesting take on Superman, and I think a lot of people would agree with that assessment.

On the other hand, Samaritan, from Kurt Busiek's Astro City, strikes me as "gooder than Superman". The two have very similar sets of powers and magnitudes of impact on their respective worlds, but Samaritan gives me the impression of trying harder than Superman does.

Re: Character Challange: Superman Clones

Okay, thought it would be fun for us all to take a basic character type, and make characters based on it

 

To start with let us do Superman Clones: All characters should be inspired by the big S. I amcurious what people see as the defining features...

Well, one of the more enjoyable thought exercises is to de-link the "nature" and "nurture" sides of the character...

1) Little Kal-El crashed in Smallville, and was found by the Kents. Same Kryptonion origins, same powers.

2) Most of his upbringing was the same; still a good, moral, quintessentially human character.

3) However, one of the things he discovered while still young was that very few things truly challenged him, that everything he accomplished, major and minor, was somewhat tainted by the ease with which he accomplished it.

4) Kal, like the mainstream version, began to have some superheroic exploits.

5) Unlike the canon Superman, this Kal didn't really feel fulfilled in what he did--while he still felt that he was doing "the right thing", it often seemed like not enough, too little, or too late. After all, he could do so much--foiling a bank robbery seemed petty when you consider that during that same span of time, he could produce services of such value to the planet that the bank robbery was minor in comparison.

6) This world's Clark takes a much wider view of things. He isn't active as a superhero, although he certainly is happy to assist when things are dire. Instead, he's a self-made mogul and philanthropist. Far more intellectual than the canon Superman, Clark Kent spends his days designing, constructing, and launching orbital power satellites, reviewing the news aired by his TV network, and fighting crime--by addressing issues of poverty and hunger.

Oddly, this world's Clark, while far from reclusive, isn't all that active in day-to-day headlines. He learned that people need to take care of themselves from his folks, and Kent Enterprises is just there to help provide the opportunities for people to help themselves.

He still makes a difference, and arguably a bigger one, in this world--but on a grander scale, with less in the way of one-to-one relationships. IE, rather than saving someone from a burning building, the lobbying and construction efforts he backs are such that the building wasn't flammable to begin with.

Re: Character Challange: Superman Clones

Okay, thought it would be fun for us all to take a basic character type, and make characters based on it

 

To start with let us do Superman Clones: All characters should be inspired by the big S. I amcurious what people see as the defining features...

Hi, long time lurker first time poster (etc)...

Do you want the full writeup, or just a synopsis or listing of ideas? I can do many of the latter in the time it takes to do one of the former...