SKJAM!

Re: WWYCD: Life is but a Dream Rock Bottom: Muhammed is suddenly back out on the streets; interestingly enough, they're slightly different streets, since the Blood Red King didn't destroy large portions of Baltimore. He's probably scraping out an existence as a day laborer. On the other hand, he probably has a boyfriend, since he's not made of stone. Muhammed's not at all thrilled about losing his scholarship at Johns Hopkins, but there's little he can do about it. Calculus: Is still a district manager for the White Hen chain of convenience stores sometime in the 1980s. He just didn't have his secret past exposed to have the freakin' city recently. Though he's going to miss the superintelligence, Brian is mostly content to return to normal suburban life. Mask of Justice: Is merely Nick Philips, ace reporter. He's still helped put a number of crooks in jail, just not ones in silly costumes. Kira Midori: Is just an ordinary police officer, is probably a bit dumpier, and has normal non-anime hair. Is going freaking crazy without all her extra psychic senses, and will not accept this world as real, since it's two removed from her starting point. Talion: Works in the bankruptcy department of a major retailer, still doesn't have a girlfriend, but at least isn't getting killed on a regular basis. It's a wash for him.

Re: Juke Box Heroes For extra silliness, a manufactured pop group ala the Monkees (or more recent groups who I won't dignify here) is put together and given powers by the Corporation. Matching costumes, relatively low-powered, and good-natured young people. Their biggest annoyance is having the corporation fake baddies for them to stop. There's only so much phoniness even a group of musicians picked for their bland good looks can take.

Re: Street Level NYC heros Lavender Rose: See the posting I did a while back. Essentially, he's an amnesiac with a magic crossbow (or an ordinary crossbow in Dark Champions) who can sense other people's flashbacks, and uses his abilities to aid victims of crime. Preacher Man: Once a happy, successful and bleeding heart liberal pastor for a suburban church, Reverend Kramden lost every member of his family one by one to crime and sin. He had a nervous breakdown and became obsessed with punishment of sinners and criminals; the chuch elders relieved him of his pastorate. Reverend Kramden drifted to the worst part of the inner city, where he is now a familiar sight, preaching on street corners about brimstone and damnation. What almost no one knows is that late at night, the preacher man enters the dens of criminals he has uncovered, and kills all the sinners within, sparing only the "innocent." His specialty is using the weapons he found at his last attack to kill the next batch of sinners. He has an uncanny ability to conceal an entire arsenal in his well-worn clerical garb. Spook: An actor/singer attacked and left for dead for gangsters, his only actual power is turning intangible, but he carries various gadgets that allow him to simulate being a ghost. His preferred tactic is to terrify criminals into running to the police for the protection of jail. Bobcat: Actually fraternal twins whose mutant powers kicked in early. They have astounding agility and leaping ability, can see in the dark, and wear costumes with built-in claws. Once they hit puberty and the intensive training starts really showing results, they're going to be fearsome indeed. They switch off using the costume to confuse both criminals and their parents. The Amazing Pigeon-Man: An eccentric inventor who's created a flying suit. He's not really that effective a crimefighter, but is so pleasant and square-jawed heroic in persona that the neighborhood loves him anyway.

Re: WWYCD: We're here for the reward money... Rock Bottom: If solo, discreetly moves to a position where he can rush the mercenaries if necessary. More likely, however, he'll be with the Baltimore team, and follow instructions from the leader. If it gets down to violence, Rock will help protect the President, even if the man is a homophobic jerk. Calculus: Is not at all thrilled that these peabrains are interrupting President Reagan's speech (I forget, who was the top Middle Eastern terrorist leader in 1981?) but will try to see to it that the situation resolves itself peacefully without him having to reveal his presence. Mask of Justice: This needs some major revision, since it's WWII where he's at. I don't think there were any actual criminal bounties on the Axis leaders, either. If the mercenaries actually are just there to show off their catch, Nick Philips, ace reporter, will write a blistering piece about their lack of manners. Real heroes don't do it for the money and fame, after all. Kira Midori: As a member of the NYPD, Kira's first priority would be making sure civilians were safe. She'd use her abilities to make sure that the mercenaries weren't a distraction for an attack, then politely inform them that they'll have to follow normal bounty procedure. Talion: The terrorist leader suddenly straightens, smiling. "Ha! Fools, you have played right into my hands! Death to the Great Satan!" He then explodes, taking out a three-block radius. Talion will have started moving towards the terrorist the moment he stirred, but his body will only slightly protect the people behind him. When Talion comes to, there's a new President, and the mercenaries are immortalized as the stupidest bounty hunters ever.

Re: Be like unto a god Hmm, if the Awarder gives out the powers based on accomplishment rather than motive (but does insist the accomplishment be "earned,"), perhaps the "evil" counterpart does the same. I can thus imagine a person performing some horrific, outright evil act out of a sincere desire to do the right thing, getting the power, and then acting as a hero. A hero in the vein of Spawn or Devilman, but still....

Re: Friendly faces in the Post-Apocalypse The old SCA song, "The War Comes Home," comes to mind. A community founded by medieval recreation enthusiasts and DIYers; A RenFest surface society but hardnosed practicality underneath.

Re: Judge Dredd HERO? Insular is a good word for it. A majority of Judges are actually clones of previous successful Judges; the remainder of Judge candidates are exceptionally promising children plucked from their families as young as possible. (For much the same reason the Jedi do it that way.) Judge cadets are raised in the Academy with minimal outside contact, and heavily indoctrinated in the law enforcement philosophy. This has all the drawbacks that you might think it does. There's a fairly high washout rate; mostly fatalities, but a few cadets just aren't cut out for the life and wind up in the civilian population. (This makes a good background for a combat-ready non-Judge.) Most rookie Judges will be cookie-cutter characters, composed of the necessary packages, one or two quirks, and that's about it. More experienced Judges will start accumulating Psych Lims other than those required by the packages. More than minimum Mental Defense is rare in Judges, even Psi-Judges. Dredd is a notable exception, having built up a formidable mind shield, and being impervious to fear-based effects. Judges will only work with non-Judges when the mission requires a special set of talents that just aren't available otherwise. (Most notably, Judge Dredd's recruitment of Spikes Harvey Rotten for the Cursed Earth run.) So yes, your campaign options are pretty much all-Judge or no-Judge.

Re: "To Protect and Annoy" Jailbait: Extremely attractive young woman in a skimpy costume who loves to party, dance, and bend in...interesting...ways. Too bad she's underage. Papparazzi: Has more cameras than you can break, his best attack is an Autofire Flash to normal vision, but at least his team always has plenty of photographic evidence. (He's also expert at getting really embarrassing shots.) Mr. Methuselah: World's oldest superhuman. Has a *lot* of levels, but is Age 60+, Speed 1 and his vast powers have kind of faded away over time. (i.e., he hits every time, but it doesn't do much.)

Re: Judge Dredd HERO? Well, I'm first going to say that Dredd himself is built on waay more points than almost anyone else in the setting, even shortly after his first appearance. As a campaign setting, the Judge Dredd world offers a number of interesting areas and short-term plotlines to work with, even if you don't take the obvious option of making the player characters Mega-City One Judges. It's a fairly dystopic world with a large slice of morbid humor (and just juvenile humor as well), but there are places where a certain amount of optimism can be justified. Because there's a mostly consistent history to the Dredd universe, you can also choose the era you want to play. For example, in the very earliest stories, the Judges were still an elite force above regular policemen, and were in theory still answerable to a civilian government. Over a very short period, however, all other law enforcement and government oversight collapsed, making Mega-City One a literal police state.

Re: LASD Superheros (ideas needed) Since it's Los Angeles County, you can easily work in entertainment industry subplots. 1. A local TV station offers a bounty for videos of the Deputies in action, with the reward scaling up the more "exciting" the footage is. The player characters are plagued with bystanders filming their every move, and placing themselves in danger. Is it just a hideously awry publicity stunt, or is there a more sinister motive behind it? 2. A has-been former child actor decides that becoming a costumed hero is the way to restart his career. What's worse, every time he fails, he comes back with a new costume and gimmick. (And is a good target for any "i can give you superpowers" scam.) He's unlikely to turn villainous unless the player characters are truly horrid to him, but he's not a lot of help either. 3. The characters interrupt a robbery in progress, only to learn it's actually a movie being filmed. Or is it?

Re: Goth Henchmen? Absorption: Angst to END. Damage Reduction 75% Resistant vs. Attacks by people wearing black.

Re: Solara Yes, I'd strongly recommend just writing up the infodump parts as a regular "Background/Powers" section of the character sheet. When you're writing a story for people to read, you want to start with the characters doing something or feeling something. Especially in the superhero and magical girl genres, any necessary exposition should be done "on the run" in the first chapter, allowing the second one to fill in any details that need expanding.

Re: Solara Ahem. I think you mean "Tim was told that his father died of a heart attack, to cover the true mysterious nature of the older man's death/disappearance."

Re: Solara Some more questions worth considering: Q) What problems does being Solara cause Tim? Q) What problems does being Tim cause Solara? Q) Does Tim have any close friends? Friends? People who'd notice if he's gone? What sort of people does he normally hang out with, and what attitudes do they have towards life? Q) What sort of attitude does Tim have towards girls and women? Will this change because of being Solara, and in what ways? Q) What sort of attitude does Solara have towards boys and men? Will this change because of being Tim, and in what ways? Q) Tim obviously has a very close relationship with his mother. What happened to his father, and when? Are there any other living relatives? Q) Other than Solara, how does Tim feel about other superheroes? Q) Does Solara have any ancestral enemies or other nasty surprises tied into the power legacy? Okay, that should be enough for a start....

Re: Solara Just for the heck of it, here's my take on a similar twist, Pastel Angel: http://www.fictionmania.com/stories/readtextstory.html?command=search&db=/data/stories.db&max=1&eqstoryIDdatarq=300607740735268302 WARNING: While my story is PG-13, the site also contains a lot of hardcore NC-17 stuff.

Re: Solara Well, the gender switch is kind of the whole idea behind this particular character. I haven't checked every thread MR has posted to, but I'm sure he's had some male supers in there somewhere. That said, this is just a refinement of sections that have appeared already in the "different supermage" thread. As I've mentioned earlier, starting with an infodump chapter is perhaps not the best way to do a superhero or magical girl story. There's a reason most mahou shoujo series have the heroine not get the powers until a crisis situation is imminent or already in progress. (A notable exception: Creamy Mami starts with Yuu, the protagonist, solving a crisis with her native intelligence/compassion, being gifted with the powers, then on her first full expedition with her powers, causing the conflict that will drive the rest of the series.)

Re: Solara You really have a glove fetish, don't you?

Re: Your character's theme song would be? Rock Bottom: "Turned to Stone" Calculus: "Tubular Bells" Mask of Justice: "New York, New York" Kira Midori: "Please Smile For Me" --Eriko Tamura Talion: "Poor Miserable Me"

Re: News Headlines as Plot Seeds Thread I'll never forget the time I got my hometown's weekly paper, and the top headline was "BLOOD RUNS IN THE STREETS." What had actually happened was that the meat packer's septic tank had overflowed and spilled out into the neighboring block's gutters. The reporter/editor, towards the end of the article, admitted he'd been wanting to use that headline for over twenty years.

Durulz Culture Heroes Was hoping to have someone in between, but okay. Do-Nal of All Trades: A restless Durulz who tried his hand at many kinds of work; he is said to be the first or one of the first Durulz to attempt many of the non-traditional occupations. In the stories, Do-Nal is noted for his foul temper, and for a speech defect that makes it hard for non-Durulz to understand him. His tales are divided into two categories, the ones where Do-Nal relies on hard work and determination and succeeds, and those where he relies on trickery and luck, where he fails. Do-Nal is depicted as a non-descript man in occupational clothing, usually frowning or shouting. He is invoked whenever a Durulz switches careers, or takes up an occupation not currently represented in the village. Uncle Screwtail: The first Durulz merchant, depicted in stories as immensely wealthy, but cursed with miserliness and greed. His stories involve quests to find new riches, cautionary tales of how he is tricked by those who take advantage of his miserliness, and the repeated attacks by thieves attracted to his wealth. Uncle Screwtail is depicted as an elderly Durulz with spiraling tailfeathers, wearing a fine robe. He is invoked by merchants and treasure hunters. The Triplets: Hu, Du and Lu are purportedly the first successful triple hatching, great warriors and scouts. Their stories follow a simple pattern; when the triplets quarrel, they fail, when they work together, they succeed. They are depicted as identical youths, each with a splash of color to distinguish them. (Different villages use different colors.) The triplets are invoked with any triple hatching, or when a task requires close cooperation by many Durulz. Da-Fyd the Mad: Da-Fyd is something of a Trickster figure in Durulz legend. He is most noted for vanity and pride that approaches delusion, seeing himself as a great hero. His stories involve his struggles with other tricksters and great hunters; he usually comes off the worse in these contests. When Da-Fyd does succeed, it's either a lucky coincidence or thanks to the efforts of a clever companion (who is not thanked.) Da-Fyd is depicted as a thin, black-feathered fellow with a white ring around his neck. He is invoked when one is believed to be on a fool's errand or about to do something suicidal. Ah-Iru the Dancer: One of the Durulz' few female heroes. Her beloved was a warrior who was defeated by Delecti the necromancer, then torn into small pieces and scattered across Glorantha. Ah-Iru quested to retrieve those pieces, her compassion, determination and dancing skill allowing her to succeed again and again. In the end, one piece could not be found, and Ah-Iru performed a Great Dance that used her life to restore her beloved to wholeness. She is depicted as a golden-feathered maiden with an orange beak and unruly headfeathers. Her story is danced as much as it is spoken, and bits of it are often performed at village festivals. Notably, the part of Ah-Iru's story called "The Jealous Morokanth" is nearly identical to the Morokanth tale titled "The Yellow Duck Thief." Except for the motives of the Durulz in the tale. Ah-Iru is invoked by dancers, by maidens in love, and by those whose love has obstacles in the way.

Re: Glorantha Hero Typical Durulz Player: n/a Val Char Cost 7 STR -3 10 DEX 0 10 CON 0 10 BODY 0 10 INT 0 10 EGO 0 10 PRE 0 10 COM 0 3 PD 2 3 ED 1 2 SPD 0 3 REC 0 20 END 0 19 STUN 0 4" RUN -4 6" SWIM 4 1" LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 0 Cost Power 1 Can see just fine underwater: +2 PER with Normal Sight (2 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Only underwater; -1/2) 1 Can hold breath: Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END per Turn) Powers Cost: 2 Cost Skill 2 AK: Local Rivers and Wetlands 11- 2 KS: Durulz Customs and Religion 11- 0 Language: Durulz (idiomatic) (4 Active Points) 2 Language: Tradetongue (fluent conversation) 1 Language: Local human language (basic conversation) 2 Navigation (Marine) 11- 2 PS: fisher 11- 2 Survival (Marine Surface) 11- 2 TF: Rafts, Small Rowed Boats 3 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Sling Skills Cost: 18 Cost Talent 2 Environmental Movement (no penalties on Water) Talents Cost: 2 Total Character Cost: 22 Pts. Disadvantage 10 Physical Limitation: Unwieldy Body Shape (Frequently, Slightly Impairing) Disadvantage Points: 10 Base Points: 50 Experience Required: 0 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0 APPEARANCE Hair Color: White (Feathers) Eye Color: Black Height: 1.20 m Weight: 50.00 kg Description: The Durulz look like anthromorphized ducks, with an average adult male standing about four feet tall. they come in the same variety of feather colors and patterns as their apparent cousins, but the most common breed is white-feathered with yellow beaks. Due to their unusual lower body shape and webbed feet, most human furniture and clothing is awkward for Durulz to use (and vice versa.) BACKGROUND The Durulz (often called "Ducks" by those who don't have to live with them) are one of the many minor sentient races of Glorantha. Humans tend to believe that the Durulz are either humans cursed with a strange appearance, or ducks cursed to lose flight. The Durulz claim that they were made as they are, a separate race with nothing to be ashamed of. Little is known of the Durulz religion, though they are known to worship the gods/spirits of the bodies of water they reside near, and some of their cultural heroes have become public knowledge. The Durulz have stayed out of most human conflicts, and have to a large extent avoided warring with their neighbors, giving the impression that they have no place in history. They are mostly found near rivers and lakes, building communities that take full advantage of Durulz swimming ability. PERSONALITY The Durulz are a proud and freedom-loving people, though they are more likely to move away than to battle directly. Individual Durulz stereotypically are hard-headed, short-tempered and vain. They're also quite gregarious, and normally flock together in their crowded villages, enjoying each other's company. Adventuring Durulz are comparative loners, and it is rare to see more than one of them in a party. Female adventurers are also rare; Durulz are egg-layers, and the mother must brood on the eggs (usually one or two; three or more are very uncommon) until they are hatched. Thus Durulz women are expected to take up nestbound occupations. There is one human god the Durulz have fully embraced, Humakt the god of death and honor. They prize him for his special talents against the undead (a problem in the wetlands) and no one who has seen a Death Drake in combat laughs at "ducks" again. QUOTE "It's not the size of the Durulz in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the Durulz." POWERS/TACTICS The Durulz are excellent swimmers and divers, spending much of their lives on the water. Naturally, the tactics of Durulz warbands rely heavily on amphibious tactics. They will avoid going very far from the water, and are quick to retreat when the odds are against them. If there is a Humakti among them, he will usually be given tactical leadership. CAMPAIGN_USE Durulz fill the "feisty short people" slot that Gloranthan dwarves don't so much. They also make good local color and guides near large bodies of water or in swamps. They're a decent race for player characters, exotic without being overwhelming. Pumping up a Durulz is fairly simple. Combat Skills: The Humakti road is obvious, but many Durulz participate in the village militia even if they're not full-time warriors. Equipment: Durulz tend to wear light armor and weapons suitable to their size and preference for quick movement in the water. Most Durulz equipment is custom-made for the wielder; they're proud of their craftmanship, though for metalwork you still want a Dwarf. They will use magical objects with suitable care and intelligence. Magic: Again, the Humakt thing is rather obvious. Water spirit-related magics are fairly common among the Durulz, and a few misfits have taken to sorcery. (One plucky fellow went East to study their mystic ways, but has not been heard from since.)

Re: Glorantha Hero A note on the "Typical" Broo: You can save 12 points if the GM decides that all diseases in Glorantha are effectively magical anyway.

Re: A different kind of super mage Lastly, Sailor Uranus didn't have a female civilian identity. Hers was male." Umm, no. Haruka just liked wearing men's clothing, which fooled some characters into thinking she was male. In the final storyline, she wears a girl's uniform when at school. Howsomever, the manga comes very close to saying that Uranus is a hermaphrodite. It's the Starlights that switched between male and female.

Re: A different kind of super mage The "Heir to the Mantle" might be a problem, eventually, when the bad guys show up, but it doesn't really seem like one in the sections you wrote. Another way to look at it is..."I've got this character in this situation, what's the worst thing that could possibly happen to him/her and how can I make it happen as early in the story as possible?" Of course, this just might be my familiarity with both the magical girl genre and TG fiction speaking.

Re: A different kind of super mage