Wolfjack

Re: Good Dogfight sources How about "The Dawn Patrol?" Sure its WW I, but this set the orignal standard back in the day is quite pulp appropriate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dawn_Patrol_(1938_film) Next to Battle of Britain, its a top film in my book.

Re: Star*Guard Write-up Double post hence my edit. Sorry!

Re: Star*Guard Write-up Man, posting from my Crackberry isn't the easiest! Great ideas, I think the staff idea is growing on me. A staff makes a better "power ring" ala GL than a sword does.

Re: Star*Guard Write-up Hmmmmmm... All in all, I believe I'm preferring the "Allies" (a 4th Ed. Supplement) version! Anyone else recall it?

Re: Star*Guard Write-up Perfect, thanks very much for coming through.

Other than the 4th Ed write-up that appeared in Allies, has there ever been a 5th Edition version or retake? Thanks in advance.

Re: What's in a Name? Silver Fern? Hmmmm... okay, the New Zealand hint was helpful. Silver Fern, aka Tane Amohau Tane grew up under his brother's shadow. While athletic, he had no desire to compete or prove himself. His brother chose to pursue an interest in rugby, evetually becoming so great that he joined the All Blacks and became an icon for the team. Tane, meanwhile, chose a different route, studying anthropology and history and becoming an expert in Maori traditions - even down to learning and mastering their fighting styles. While out one evening, the brothers were accosted by a mugger. Tane was happy to give them money, but his brother aggressively stood his ground. He paid for that bravado by being struck by the mugger's gun. While the mugger stood over the prone and stunned brother, Tane had the chance to do something. Instead his hesitation cost him his brother's life. The echo of the gunshot was only drowned out by the rage that consumed Tane as he took the mugger out where he stood. Promising to never to hesitate again and redeem himself, he became a vigilante to ensure justice would be served. Arming himslef with a taiaha, a Maori long club, and other traditional weapons, Tane took to the streets. His costume is in honor of his brother as is his name: Silver Fern, a symbol of national New Zealand pride and as famous as the All Blacks, who wear it on their rugby shirts. Now, if you are more familair with Maori culture, throw in some shamanistic abilities if appropriate and stir. Next up to bat: Unforgiven

Re: Steriaca's Version Of Terror Incorprated. Nice twists! I like the rising from the dead idea... takes teh character in a whole different direction. And Poinstetta and Pantera are nice additions. I love it when someone mentions Enemies II! Lee

Re: GM Resources/Support Materials Now the idea of using actual newspaper clippings is a good one! I may use that. Hmmm... this actually reminds me of Carl Kolchak from the Night Stalker tv show. What if there's actually some truth to those wacky tabloids only nobody will believe them because they're just so bizarre? But the reporter is forced to sell them to a rag no one takes seriously because no one will take him seriously? Anyhoo... some plot ideas in there! Lee

Re: GM Resources/Support Materials I've been making my own cardboard minis (fun to make on the huge color printer at work) and the day in the life stuff I've got. But bluebooking sounds interesting... what is that exactly? A way to enhance the backstory personal life of the PC would be fun. And what are the session newsletters? What's their perspective/POV? Best... Lee

Hey all, Even though I’ve been involved with RPG’s since 1981, I’m still a fairly inexperienced GM. I played mostly in the 80’s, with occasional GM’ed game of Justice Inc. (100% pure pulp!) and then just simply let it all slide with free time suddenly becoming a precious commodity. That, and my player group and I just went out separate ways. The 90’s were about buying the books and doodling characters for fun, but no real playing. The millennium was about PBeMing and, while I won’t discuss the merits of them here, they did get me back into playing and GMing. Now, fortunately, I’m experiencing a true gaming renaissance! PBeMing introduced me to a great guy that lives in town and we share the same tastes in games and the balance of “real†life and family. We take turns GMing solo hero games. Mine takes place in Hudson City – a terrific city resource you should get if you don’t already have it – adapted to grand 4-color tastes. Anyhoo, back to why I started this thread. I’m still a new GM, despite having been involved with gaming for over twenty years! As such, I’m wondering if anyone has any tools or techniques they use that help make the experience more enjoyable for players and GM’s alike. I’ve certainly come along from writing out characters with graph paper and a calculator thanks to Hero Designer. These boards, that I’m still new to, are another great resource. But what else is out there? Here’s something I use to help develop sub-plots and get my player, and me, familiar with the city and what happens in it. I write what started out as the “News of the Week!â€, Word docs that provide a sense of what happens after the adventure. After the first one, I started to add-on cutscenes that would help the player see what’s going on behind the scenes, just like you would if you were reading a comic book. I’ve attached a couple so you can get a sense of what I mean. The quality of the writing is entirely subjective so draw your own conclusions. Depending on your familiarity with game resources out there, you’ll be able to pick up on my sources of inspiration. There’s my contribution. What does anyone else use to enhance their games? Best... Lee

Re: Pulp Hero Sheesh... I never went back to this thread to look at responses. I can be such a dumba$$. Yes, I do actually repurpose other resources, with an extensive touch of Adobe here and there. The site many of the pics came from is: http://www.pulpgallery.com/ I would take snips and snaps of covers and use them as needed - I felt that converyibg to B&W helped me achieve the look I was aiming for. Considering the age of the covers and how this was primarily a resouce for friends, I didn't feel that I was actually breaking any kopyrite laws. I can say with some small amount of pride that the charcater names were all doen by myself - my advertising career has given me a fond love for fonts. I hope others get a thrill out of the pulp covers. They're great to look back on! Best... Lee

Re: Who would be in this group? What about The Yound Sentinels? I loved that show. Just scroll down at... http://www.tvparty.com/sat77.html BTW - does anyone know where you can find the Fantastic Four cartoons from '67? Lee

Re: Homebrew Organizations KInd of... though they were also the driving force in the game. Odyssey International... a corporation with purely humanitarian goals whose roots went back to the 30's as an adventurer's club called The Odyssey League: http://www.viamea.com/Champions/odysseymain.htm In the current solo FTF I'm running, VIPER has been more or less disabled. In the camaign city, one man has emerged to try and reunite the shattered forces and underneath unite the various crime famalies in the city under one iron fist. The organization is called The Alliance and the man in charge is a hidden figure known only as Agenda. And he has quite the "to-do" list he's working his way through, with the PC next... Lee

Re: Time Line Help For additional reference, you might want to hunt down an excellent movie called "Murder by Decree" from 1979 starring Christopher Plummer as Holmes trying to crack the Ripper case. There was another earlier film called "A Study in Terror" from the sixties but I've never seen it. Loren D. Estleman, one of my FAVORITE authors, also wrote two Holmes books - DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HOLMES (Doubleday, 1979) & SHERLOCK HOLMES VS. DRACULA (Doubleday, 1978). Better than you'd think they'd be.

Re: Mystical Hero Team Archetypes Here's the next charactrer in the group - Tomcat. All that's left is a Crusader re-do, The Clockwork Man and maybe a look at whre The Circle hangs out. [b]Tomcat - Tom[/b] [b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Total[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b] 25 STR 15 25 14- HTH Damage 5d6 END [2] 27 DEX 51 27 14- OCV 9 DCV 9 23 CON 26 23 14- 15 BODY 10 15 12- 10 INT 0 10 11- PER Roll 14- 10 EGO 0 10 11- ECV: 3 20 PRE 10 20 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 18 COM 4 18 13- 16 PD 3 16 16 PD (8 rPD) 16 ED 3 16 16 ED (8 rED) 6 SPD 23 6 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 10 REC 0 10 46 END 0 46 40 STUN 0 40 15 RUN 0 15" END [3] 2 SWIM 0 2" END [1] 14 LEAP 0 14" 14" forward, 7" upward [b]CHA Cost: 145[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b] 27 [b][i]Claws[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1 (2d6+1 w/STR), Armor Piercing (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (40 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=0 15 [b][i]Fangs[/i][/b]: HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR) - END=1 40 [b][i]Lycanthropic Resilience[/i][/b]: (Total: 60 Active Cost, 40 Real Cost) Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Does Not Work Against Silver-Based Attacks Limited Type of Attack (-1/2) (Real Cost: 20) [b]plus[/b] Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Does Not Work Against Fire Attacks Limited Type of Attack (-1/2) (Real Cost: 20) - END=0 18 [b][i]Lycanthropic Regeneration[/i][/b]: Healing 3 BODY, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2), Does Not Heal Damage Caused By Silver Weapons Two or More Types of Damage (-1/2) - END=0 7 [b][i]Leather Jacket[/i][/b]: Armor (5 PD/5 ED) (15 Active Points); Activation Roll 13- (-3/4), OIF (-1/2) - END=0 18 [b][i]Feline Muscles[/i][/b]: Running +9" (15" total) - END=2 9 [b][i]Feline Muscles[/i][/b]: Leaping +9" (14" forward, 7" upward) - END=1 9 [b][i]Heightened Senses[/i][/b]: +3 PER with All Sense Groups - END=0 5 [b][i]Nightsight[/i][/b]: Nightvision - END=0 10 Tracking with Smell/Taste Group - END=0 20 [b][i]Nine Lives[/i][/b]: Luck 4d6 - END=0 [b]POWERS Cost: 178[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]MARTIAL ARTS[/u][/b] Fighting with Tooth And Claw 4 1) Avoid Harm: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 5 2) Slashing Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +3 DCV, 7d6 Strike 3 3) Knockover: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, 8d6 Strike, Target Falls 5 4) Passing Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, 7d6 +v/5; FMove 4 5) Martial Escape: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 50 STR vs. Grabs 8 6) +2 HTH Damage Class(es) [b]MARTIAL ARTS Cost: 29[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b] 8 +4 with Claws 3 Acrobatics 14- 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Climbing 14- 3 Contortionist 14- 10 Defense Maneuver I-IV 2 KS: Movies 11- 2 KS: Lycanthropy Legends 11- 3 KS: Skateboard Culture 12- 3 Shadowing 11- 3 Stealth 14- 3 Streetwise 13- 2 Survival (Urban) 11- [b]SKILLS Cost: 48[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]TALENTS[/u][/b] 6 Combat Luck: 3 PD/3 ED 15 Combat Sense 11- 4 Lightning Reflexes: +4 DEX to act first with Claws [b]TALENTS Cost: 25[/b] [b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b] 10 Distinctive Features: The Mark of The Beast in human form, noticed by those with the second sight (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Uncommonly-Used Senses) 10 Distinctive Features: Mutant Not Concealable, Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction, Detectable Only By Unusual Senses 15 Distinctive Features: Werecat Form (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 40 Enraged: Berserk Loses control on nights of the full moon (Common), go 14-, recover 8- 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Against Killing Very Common, Strong 10 Psychological Limitation: Adventurous & Free-spirited (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Hates the water (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Lonely for a real family (Uncommon, Strong) 10 Social Limitation: No legal status (Occasionally, Major) 20 Vulnerability: 2x STUN Silver Weapons Common 20 Vulnerability: 2x BODY Silver Weapons Common [b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 175[/b] Base Pts: 200 Exp Required: 50 Total Exp Available: 50 Exp Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 425 Background/History Tom doesn’t recall much of his life prior to being an adolescent; he simply woke up one day on the streets and never looked back because he had too much to do just keeping himself alive. He kept apart from other street kids and tried to make a life for himself as best as he could. The only problem was every month he would find himself far from home with no memory of the events of the past three nights. Yet soon tales would circulate about strange violent events and those that normally shunned Tom would come looking. Never the biggest fan of the authorities, Tom would leave town and try to keep ahead of the trouble that stayed on his heels. It was during one full moon that Tom was discovered by Crusader and The Master, who quickly subdued him and brought him to The Circle. Once the madness of the moon had passed, they helped Tom understand who he was and what he was capable of. They also made the startling discovery that, unlike a true lycanthrope, Tom could actually change at will and to various degrees, based on his emotional levels. In an instant Tom could vary his appearance from being clean shaven to being entirely covered in a light furry down to being completely covered in a thick, golden fur. He has since adapted well to being one of the good guys, finding the experience of being a hero quite a rush. While he is lonely for a real family he tries not to think about it much. Everything he has now is a whole lot better than anything he’s ever had before and besides, being sad isn’t much fun! Personality/Motivation Tom is actually a fairly laidback individually, despite his love of fun. He’s a true hedonist who enjoys lying sprawled in the sun in a rooftop hammock, out on the town taking in a club or running around a night getting his nose into things. He simply chooses to take his time about it. Keeping his life carefree also keeps him from thinking about deeper issues he’d rather not, like who he truly is and where he’s from. His life may be good now but there was a time when food was scarce and he didn’t have a place to call home. He is grateful for everything that he has and would do nothing to risk it. Fun-loving though he is, he’s fiercely protective of the Circle, the only real family he’s ever known and trusted. Quote “Hey, that magic spell was cool but look at what I can do with my claws!†Powers/Tactics Tom is a rarity, a mutant born with lycanthropy. He has the ability to change shape quite quickly whenever he wants but the curse of the disease is strong within him. During the monthly three nights of the full moon, Tom fights a constant battle for control of his monstrous self. He’d rather not risk what might occur and chooses to voluntarily lock himself away in a cell that Crusader constructed for deep in the bowels of the Circle’s headquarters. Like all lycanthropes, Tom is resistant to injury and able to quickly regenerate from harm – to everything but silver, the bane of all werefolk. His claws are incredibly sharp and he is able to leap and run at tremendous speeds and agility. Crusader has helped Tom learn a fighting style that makes excellent use of his abilities, keeping him in close quarters with a foe, all the while in constant motion to keep from getting hit. The Clockwork Man grumpily refers to it as being "constantly underfoot". Appearance Tom has long strawberry blonde hair and a crooked smile, his ruddy face covered in freckles. He wears casual clothes and prefers a style best typified by American Eagle. He considers his black leather biker jacket lucky and is never without it. As Tomcat, his face lengthens and there’s hair everywhere. His fingers lengthen and the nails are replaced by sharp, retractable claws. Baggy clothes work best at keeping him feeling comfortable.

Re: Suggestion for a book I agree that there are distinct differences between DEMON-now and DEMON-then, but my comparison was to days of old and the org books that we saw then versus what we'd prefer to see now. PRIMUS and DEMON were simply different flavors of UNTIL and VIPER, not wholly differnt constructs. With ARGENT and L'Insitute Thoth - thanks to all of you that are correcting the gaps in my knowledge. From 4th Ed back I'm a walking computer, but I've been selective about which information to update from 5th Ed. Millennium City is an example of a book I simply can't read - I'm a PC in a solo game there and lack the self-control to not stray past the GM's pages.

Re: Suggestion for a book Detailed organizations should be an important enough part of a campaign but in the past the overlap and similarities between those that have been presented left me cold. While I liked PRIMUS and DEMON, they were different vesions of UNTIL and VIPER. What I liked seeing wee those groups that were truly distinct. CLOWN is a good example, despite the fact that I don't like them I respect that they are a unique group. A book that featured a number of Tier 2 groups like the L'Institut Thoth, the Trismegistus Council, the IHA, ARGENT and the Cult of the Red Banner would be a top buy on my list because the groups are all so different. And I define Tier 2 not as a qualifier of how deep their resources are or how powerful they are, but as to the scope in a campaign that they can occupy. UNTIL and VIPER can occupy a huge range on a campaign's radar while Tier 2 groups fufill niche GM needs. other recommendations for Orgs would be: - a tech group helpful to the heroes. Comic examples include Stark International (Marvel) and STAR Labs (DC) - a villanous high-tech agency such as AIM (Marvel) or the HIVE (DC). I'm not sure there is a CU version of this, although some might argue RAVEN. I consider them less a tech threat as much as they are an industrial one. - a security firm of some kind, something like a superhero temp agency. Or maybe without heroes at all. Best... Lee

Re: LASD Superheros (ideas needed)

Re: LASD Superheros (ideas needed) Bigdamnhero just got rep (whatever that is) from me as well. Brilliant ideas. I can see a squadroom wall with the open cases written on a whiteboard, like in "Homicide." Now, this brings up another thought. What about the lawyers? I played a metahuman lawyer briefly in a PBeM (and most PBeM's end up being "briefly") who specialized in defending superheros and villain in their cases. There were some very interesting dillemas, such as defending a villain that you know committed a crime but needing to uphold the justice system regardless. Anyhoo, bringing in the lawyers does create a real "Law and Order" scenario. Lee

Re: LASD Superheros (ideas needed)

Re: LASD Superheros (ideas needed) To play up the cop angle - and something seen before on Law & Order - is where the crook gets off on a technicality due to how evidence was seized or how the arrest was made. What if the PC's know the villain is a stone-cold killer but is released on a technicality? Particularly if the mistake was made by an overexurberant PC during the arrest. Will he/she feel guilty? Angry? An excellent chance to roleplay and maybe even an opportunity to teach a lesson to a PC or two that does break the rules, if that's ends up being the case. What do they do then? Stalk the villain? Wait for him/her to slip up?

Re: LASD Superheros (ideas needed)

Re: Help a brother out. French? Okay, how's this: Adrienne DeRavenel.

Re: Help a brother out. Martha Stewart?