SKJAM!

Re: Party! Rock Bottom: Plays tennis, flirts with men. Calculus: Does crossword puzzles in ink, hangs out with his wife and child. Mask of Justice: Is not averse to a beer, or a stronger drink if one's offered. Flirts with women. He also enjoys brawling. Talion: Writing, any game that does not involve a need for another person. Tries to flirt with women, but has horrendous luck. Kira Midori: Shopping, eating, going on dates. Is not fond of most 20th Century "entertainment."

Re: WWYC Want for Christmas? Rock Bottom: A new recliner. His body tends to wear them out quickly. Calculus: For certain criminals to have the memory of his secret ID removed. Also, some of his teammates, who have shown they cannot keep a secret. Mask of Justice: "Some of that future technology would be nice." Kira Midori: To go home. Talion: Respect. Actually, he has a huge list of things he'd *like*. but respect is the present that would feel the warmest in a cold Minnesota winter.

Re: Should the 5th CU have a "Euro Guard"? And tiny Moldavia sends Omniman, who has the combined powers of any teammates that agree to let him copy them. But since he's only from tiny Moldavia, getting them to agree is a bit tricky. SKJAM!

Re: I Have In My Hand A List... It would seem likely to me that in a comic book-based 1950s, there would be as many more actual Communist agents running around than real life, as there were Nazi agents during comic book WWII. Of course, you'd have some hardcore traitorous Commies, some Soviet infiltrators, some "dupes" who really believe that the Communists are in favor of economic/social justice, a few capitalists who are willing to take the Reds' money, and some blackmail victims. And if the Communist ideal really doesn't allow for the "individual superman", that would explain why they're sending their costumed crazies over to North America. And a "Blue Mask" might easily confuse them with "Red Masks" who seem to hold the same philosophies.

Re: DNPC: My Cat In appropriate campaigns, the cat could be a relative, friend or loved one under a long-term curse. The current version of Salem in Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a DNPC with (semi)-useful skills. He knows a lot about magic, but can't actually use any.

Re: Global Guardians Campaign Looking For Two Players Still haven't found a good Hmong mythology site.

Re: First Supers in the World campaigns One thing to make sure of for a "first supers" campaign is to make sure you have a consensus in the player group as to what genre you're playing. A couple of them I've been in have been seriously derailed because half the players choose character reactions that boggle or disgust the other half.

Re: Lum! Yum! Flight, 0 END; Electrical EB with Variable Advantage; both are Restrainable by putting pressure on her horns. 1 pt or 1/2 die HKA for fangs and horns. Vehicle: UFO. Effectively, Lum's got Diplomatic Immunity thanks to the UN not wanting to tick her alien race off. And she's got a high social rank at home, though what little we see of her home society indicates that this doesn't really count for a lot. She speaks Japanese with an accent, has Cooking at a high level, but only in her native cuisine, and is an adequate UFO pilot. Lum demonstrates various one-off abilities/gadgets, most would be considered GM plot devices. On the Disadvantages side: Phys Lim: Unusual Alien Physiology (which cuts both ways; substances harmless to her have bizarre effects on humans.) DF: Horns & fangs, easily concealable (the green hair is evidently one of those things only the audience sees.) Psych Lim: In love with Ataru. Psych Lim: Doesn't really understand human culture. Rivalry: Any attractive woman around Ataru. Enraged: When Ataru is particularly unfaithful, 8-, 14-. It's worth noting that Lum's personality shifted quite a bit over the course of the series; she starts as a fairly horrid girl, who's quite willing to fake a pregnancy if it will get her what she wants. By the end of the series, she's quite likable and much more soft-spoken.

Re: WWYCD: The Gift Horse The Mask of Justice: Uses his abilities to give it a thorough going-over. Hopefully, there isn't too much plastic in the construction. Mind, given this is apparently a 21st Century aircraft in 1941, he'll have a devil of a time figuring out what is and isn't supposed to be a part of the plane. If he's satisfied it's 'safe', the Mask will turn it over to the US Government, who can make better use of it than he can. Rock Bottom: "Cool!" He'll be especially impressed if the pilot seat is built for his weight. On the other hand, he's not sure what the city of Baltimore will need with one of these. Calculus: Memorizes the owner's manual. Goes over the plane with Prototype to see if there's any traps, or technology worth ripping off. Will not fly the plane himself. Is, of course, very annoyed that people know where the secret base is. Kira Midori: Not as impressed as some of the others, coming from the future and all. Will note if her precog picks up any danger. Talion: Is thrilled that someone is finally giving him some respect. (If it's a trap, it's an expensive one, and therefore respectful.) Sadly, while Talion is still paying for his flying lessons, She-Cat sneaks the plane out of the hangar one night and totals the craft in a spectacular but non-fatal crash.

Re: NPC Help:The Order of the Cross Hmm... The obvious power suites: Healing, Light, Purity/Sanctification (is there "magic" in this campaign?), "Angel", Creation, Prophecy, Redemption. A lot depends on how you want to come off to the PCs. Are they Crusaders who smite the infidels? Defenders who protect the innocent? Are they more interested in fighting evil unto destruction or blending justice with mercy? If the group is at all public, they'll have a squeaky-clean look and be expected to toe the line on church doctrine.

Re: Justice League Avengers, Assemble! Rob Heinsoo once had a story that mentioned Thork, the heavily-armed God of Martian Thunder. "Sadly, my homeworld no longer has enough of an atmosphere to sustain storms. Thus I have come to Earth, that what happened to Mars may not happen here."

Re: Good "Four of a Kind"'s... Solid, liquid, gas & plasma?

Re: Trolling for suggestions, 1982-style. http://www.urbangeek.net/timelines/potter1.html Is where I got it from. Mind, there are a couple of contrary bits in the canon itself (Dudley somehow got a Playstation a year earlier than they were introduced in Britain) but it's close enough to work for this sort of crossover adventure.

Re: Trolling for suggestions, 1982-style. Speaking of werewolves... In 1982, Remus Lupin is fresh from the war against Voldemort. With two of his best friends dead and the third in prison for their murder, and harboring a secret that would make him an outcast in the Wizarding World, he has nothing better to do than work for a mysterious government agency as an expert on the occult. (Obviously, not a well-paying government agency, but any excuse to travel.)

Re: Avengers + Politics Some more "antagonists" from the Tractable category: Ally of Inconvenience : This character is nominally "on your side" because of a common enemy or goal, but does not share your values or ethical standards. Worse, because he has some valuable resources or strategic advantage that you need, he's aware that you can't just dump him. This ally will often abuse the relationship, making your group look hypocritical and making it difficult for you to recruit more fastidious allies. And in the end, you usually end up having to fight him anyway. For example, any number of tinpot dictators that the US supported during the Cold War. On a more interpersonal level, Guy Gardner during his JLA tenure, or (from the campaign I ran Talion in) She-Cat. This type of antagonist is especially appropriate in campaigns where the player characters don't always get to pick their own allies, as when they work for a governmental body. Corrupt Official : A person who uses his position of authority to line his own pockets and pursue an agenda other than the good of society. These come in two varieties: Competent corrupt officials actually do their jobs. They often don't think of themselves as corrupt, simply enjoying the fringe benefits the position has to offer. Depending on just how competent they are, these officials might not be caught out for years. In certain cultures, this sort of official is the norm, rather than the exception. Incompetent corrupt officials only have their positions because someone more powerful than they gave them the job. They have no interest in serving the public, just abusing the petty power that comes with the position and enjoying the forced respect of their subjects. The only things they tend to be good at are collecting taxes and punishing rebels. Mostly dangerous because of their large groups of enforcement thugs. Puppet : The character is an antagonist, not because he wants to be, but because someone is "pulling his strings." His masters have photographs, or have shown that his loved ones are at their mercy, or he's been mindcontrolled. The player characters should be given enough clues to recognize that the antagonist is a puppet, so they can attempt to cut the strings. Apathetic : Not so much an antagonist as an obstacle. The character is a basically good person, but has been convinced that his actions are useless, that his opinions have no meaning. Often, the character has had a bad experience with attempting to change bad circumstances. As a result, he doesn't even try any more. For example, a cop who isn't on the take, but doesn't report those who are, because the times he tried, *he* was the one who got demoted. Often, this character can become a powerful ally if shown that the player characters *can* make his actions meaningful. Pigheaded Official : A person in a position of power who allows his personal dislike of the player characters, or pressure from his backers, to prevent him from making the right decisions. The classic example is the mayor who refuses to let the public know a monster is on the loose because it might scare away tourists. On a larger scale, a Federal official who distrusts metahumans might refuse to allow the player characters' requests at a vital moment, making it harder to complete a mission.

Re: Avemgers + Politics I'd recommend one with an obviously "evil" or misguided villain, skipping the nuances for the moment. (This also makes a good reason for the group to come together in the first place, despite their different philosophies.)

Re: Avemgers + Politics For a political themes campaign, it might be helpful to rearrange the kinds of antagonists. I'd say there are two major categories, Intractable and Tractable. Intractable antagonists are ones that negotiation with or accomodation of is difficult to the point of impossible, or so repulsive as to be unthinkable. "Evil" : While the label "evil" is subjective, this sort of antagonist has motives that pretty much all the player characters will agree are inimical to civilized behavior. Evil antagonists want to do things like racial/ethnic genocide, or become dictator, not because they have a plan to improve things but because they like treating humans like cattle. In a shades of gray campaign, he's the darn near total black character. One Issue Voter : This character has one motivation, which may be a good goal in and of itself, but he takes it to ridiculous extremes, and cares *only* about that one issue. He will go to any lengths to succeed in that one goal, and brooks no opposition or compromise in that one area. The classic comic book example is the ecoterrorist. Tractable antagonists are a bit more flexible, and can be negotiated with, accomodated in certain circumstances, and might even become allies. Good Motives, Bad Tactics : This character wants to accomplish some positive goal, but is going about it in a unethical or illegal fashion. Unlike the "One Issue Voter", this antagonist might be willing to stop doing the bad things if he is shown another way, or at least put them on hold while legitimate solutions are tried. Unethical But Legal : This character has selfish or injurious motives, but sticks within the letter of the law. For example, a greedy "capitalist" who only cares about short-term profits, and does the absolute minimum to meet government regulations. This character can be an especially annoying antagonist, because you can't just hit him or arrest him. You need proof he's actually doing something illegal. Hero on the Other Side : This antagonist is just as heroic as the player characters, but has a different political/philosophical agenda. For example, Communist superheroes during the Cold War. And a few more, but I need to knock off for a bit.

Re: Avemgers + Politics Thanks. The Tierra Libre scenario is (in my head) meant as an early-on adventure designed as an object lesson in "what not to do." Commander Atom and his team went into Tierra Libre with the best of intentions but only the most simplistic of ideas on how to fix the country's problems. And when snags started showing up, the new government attempted to resolve them by main force. It hasn't worked too well. And as the new government gets more and more frustrated by the more intractable problems, the body count has started to mount. Plus, a couple of the team members are "single-issue voters" and their ideas of what to do are getting more and more at odds with the majority of the government. Most of the Commander Atom team should be at about the same power level as the PCs, or just a bit above, with the Commander himself being significantly more powerful on a personal level. (The fact that the team has stopped working well together is the PCs' major advantage.) At least one team member should have powers that allow him/her to control electromagnetic means of communication, which is how the outside world is kept of learning of the current disastrous state of affairs. It also forces the PCs to maintain radio silence, which should add to the tension nicely.

Re: Avemgers + Politics Briefing for a possible political themes adventure. "Thank you for signing up for Task Force Gamma. I'm Colonel Hendricks. Since you're all cleared for Top Secret Blue or better, I'll be frank. This is a total screwup that the US government can't be associated with. If you're caught or killed, we've never heard of you. "A little historical background. From the time it gained its independence from Spain until the 1970s, the small Central American country of Tierra Libre was nominally a representative democracy, but in reality was a corporate oligarchy. A handful of wealthy families ran the government to benefit American companies that were exploiting the country's agriculture and natural resources. Meanwhile, the rest of the population, especially the indigenous peoples, were suffering in dire poverty. "However, the Tierra Libre government did at least make a grade school education available to everyone, and promising students were able to attend good schools. Most of the lucky ones either fled the country or got co-opted by the wealthy elite, but Dr. Enrique Caballo was different. He chose to get into government and ran for President on a reform platform. Dr. Caballo's ideas really resonated with the young and idealists, and even a few of the old wealthy families voted for him. "The bad news is that President Caballo was getting most of his money from the Cubans, and after getting elected, he started putting a Marxist government in place. As part of that, he nationalized the farms, mines and oil wells of Tierra Libre. The peasants were just as happy to see the old system go, especially as the Caballo government actually got started on the good roads and clean water they'd promised. But the old families and their corporate backers were unhappy. "And the US government wasn't happy, either. We didn't need another Commie government in Central America. Especially one that looked like being successful. So, the CIA backed an ambitious Tierra Libre army captain named Pedro Ybarra in a coup. Generalissimo Ybarra, as he called himself, reversed the nationalization, and promised elections 'at the end of the current attacks by Communist forces.' "That time never came. Ybarra ruled with an iron fist. The Communists sponsored a rebel force, but that just made it possible for Ybarra to get open US backing. Both the rebels and the government forces abused the peasants and the natives, and the divide between poor and rich got ever wider. But as long as Ybarra was stridently anti-Communist, the US government didn't care. "But in recent years, Ybarra was becoming an embarrassment. The throne made from human skulls was the last straw. And as you're aware, Communism isn't the boogeyman it once was. Public opinion in America wasn't going to sit still for that excuse anymore. That's why, when Commander Atom came to us with his idea for liberating Tierra Libre, we gave him the resources and contacts he'd need to do it. Secretly, of course. "Which brings us to the present day. You've all seen the news footage of Commander Atom and his team tossing Ybarra out of office--literally. They've taken over the entire country. What you haven't seen, because of the news blackout since, is that they're rapidly becoming just as bad as Ybarra himself, and they have no intention of leaving any time soon. They've decided to turn the country into Utopia, regardless of the wishes of anyone living in Tierra Libre, or the consequences. "That's why we want you to infilitrate Tierra Libre, apprehend Commander Atom and his team, alive if possible, and bring them back to the United States. Remember, no matter what your political feelings, no matter what you see or hear while you are there, your mission is *not* to help or harm Tierra Libre. It is only to remove the present government, and nothing more. Is that understood? Good. Now, here's the information we have on Commander Atom's team."

Re: Avemgers + Politics An acceptable way of creating a "villain" with political overtones is to take a philisophical concept and twisting it so that the philosopher becomes dangerous. For example, in the manga Shadow Star/Narutaru, one of the characters says that he's working towards a "fairer" society. "If you have one loaf of bread, and ten people, dividing that loaf evenly between all ten people means that none of them get enough food to survive. That's not fair, is it? Instead, someone has to decide how many people the loaf can feed, and get rid of the rest." "And you're the one who decides?" "It's only fair."

Re: Teen Heroes & Static Shock And for you Missouri types, Static is scheduled to show up on the Justice League cartoon later this season.

Re: Master List of Distinctive Features As a Distinctive Feature, it would mean that the character always looks like he's about to drop dead from overwork.

Re: Modern-Day Urban Fantasy There's also the Vertigo comic book Fables, which has a number of fantastical people and critters hiding out in the "real world" after their fairyland is overrun by invaders.

Re: Teen Spy Campaigns Mind you, if JB, Jr. had been the original's nephew, the correct suffix would have been James Bond the Second. So there may have been some hanky-panky going on. Fox's first season had a show about a teen spy named Oliver Beene. From what little I remember of it, it was more like Cody Banks than some of the others mentioned so far. Totally Spies seems like the best template for a player character group; most of the others have one star and his/her supporting characters.

Re: WWYCD? #126: For Whom the Bell Tolls The Mask of Justice: "A Greek Orthodox service, if you would. And Sam, since you're likely to outlive us all, I want you to hide my mask somewhere it's going to take years to find. Decades, if you can arrange it." "I thought you said the mask was just a normal hunk of cloth, son." "It is, but people don't need to know that. I figure, whoever finds the mask, he's going to be at just the right time to put it to good use." Rock Bottom: A small, nondenominational memorial service. He's willed his body to science. His father will refuse to come to the service, or to the memorial statue. Calculus: Would like his colleagues, if at all possible, to pretend that Calculus isn't actually dead. That will free up Brian Rockwood's family to mourn in private. If it's unavoidable, then a quiet church ceremony. Kira Midori: Cremation after the traditional mainstream Christian funeral, complete with dinner in the church basement. Various souvenirs and knickknacks will be distributed among her friends, her advanced technology to be given to the team gadgeteer. Talion: "Make sure I'm really, really, no fooling this time dead, okay?" He's dug his way out of graves once too often. (Usually shallow ones.) His preferred funeral: A lavish public ceremony at which world dignitaries and the cream of the metahuman world eulogize Talion, followed by the dedication of a massive statue in his honor. Likely reality: A moment of silence in the team's break room, followed by renewed squabbling over who gets Talion's stuff. The body, if any, is dumped in a shallow grave with no marker.