GoldenAge

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Usually it's shrinking in conjunction with other stuff' date=' like flight and energy blast. [/quote']

 

Back in the old days of Epic City we had a shrinking PC named Override who could shrink and also had tactile based mental powers... She was like some kind of awful mind tick!!! (BTW: Rex... She's still around)

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Do folks get any SHRINKING characters in their games at all. I think I've seen One in anything I've run since 82 or so. I've made more then a few and they remain one of my favorite types, but they seem scarce.

 

~Rex

You haven't seen him, but have probably heard a lot about BASTION in Epic City. He could get small or big.

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Legacy Characters would be interesting. It's one of the reasons I run different timeline arcs to see if a Player will seize that opportunity but no one has yet. Someday maybe. I've got a Legacy Character, the Midnight Avenger, that has an unbroken line in my Campaign from the Gaslight era all the way forward, but most of the players think he's just an immortal character. Only one suspects and even they ain't sure.

 

~Rex

Hey Rex, how do you think the developing Phenom + Goo Boy thing relates?

For everyone else:

Phenom is something of a Martian Manhunter homage (minus the invisibility and mental powers). His powers are (secretly) based on the destruction of the atomic bonds holding him together (or something rubber sciencey like that) by a nanite infection. The more time goes by the more "stretchy" Phenom will get until he eventually turns to goo and dies.

Now, we just got a new player who cleverly introduced a character that represented the successful culmination of the nanite infection. This yet unnamed hero (that we all call Goo Boy for lack of a better name) is a pure metamorph created through a derivative process of the one that is killing Phenom. Fun part... No one knows that Phenom is dying, just that he has increasingly cool powers. All the while Goo Boy may possess the answer to stabilizing his nanite deterioration.

So... Is Goo Boy a legacy character of Phenom's?

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Ugggghhhhhhh! ...I was 17....Amazing Spider-man Vol 1 # 270. Was still in Wiesbaden at the time, so picked up my comics at the Stars and Stripes book store, after school, skipped early football practice/pep rally (it was comic day), and sat down to read the Horror of Horrors....

 

That story actually made me Mad. I mark that day as the day Spider-Man died for me, and the day that Tossing out things like Continuity and what a Character can do in comics, became standard practice (though in 85 this was limited to a few characters). I actually, tore that comic up, ripped it to shreds, and tried to get my Dog to eat it. He refused, so I took it back to back to football practice anyway to vent; where we stuffed it under the two man sled while we ran drills on it for an hour or so, then we dug it out, and laid it out page by torn page, weighed down with a Commissary Cake Doughnut (Itself, a Horror of Horrors, and If I recall, they are the principle ingrediant in the Chobham Armor used on the British Challenger 2 Tank right now.....), and we watched Cars and Trucks run them over, and took bets on how long it took the Doughnut to re-inflate after it got flattened by a bus....

 

In November, 1985, Spider-Man was Incinerated by a Herald of Galactus. There has been no Spider-Man since......

 

~Rex

"Must spread rep" :thumbup:

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Ugggghhhhhhh! ...I was 17....Amazing Spider-man Vol 1 # 270. Was still in Wiesbaden at the time, so picked up my comics at the Stars and Stripes book store, after school, skipped early football practice/pep rally (it was comic day), and sat down to read the Horror of Horrors....

 

That story actually made me Mad.

I was so furious about that carp that I blew a gasket!!!! I still get taunted by my friends about it (LAST WEEK!!!)!

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Still does.....though GA doesn't get to play Next Week cause well.....Married...

True... true.

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Sounds like you run a heck of a game there' date=' Goldenage [/quote']

 

Thanks... It has its ups and downs like every game.

Check out some of the campaign material at the Epic City link in my sig.

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

When we played Epic City, my character Chimera did fine with 4 rPD/rED and there were PLENTY of Nazi's trying to kill us with plasma cannons and machine guns.

 

He was something of a Beast homage, so he was pretty tough (20 PD/15 ED) and had a high DCV (Dex of 30).

 

I still remember one particular exchange where I knew I was in danger if I didn't put everything into defense...

 

Golden Age, preparing to roll a large number of dice: What's your DCV?

Me: 16

GA, jaw drops: What?!?!? I can't hit a DCV of 16!!!

Me: Not my problem

Chimera was pretty cool what with his Island of Dr. Moreau homage and his Copereira. Very effective!

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

It is a Double Dog Dare...... You should see the character I play in Golden Age's Epic City game. 15 def (only 6 resistant and that from combat luck), 23 dex Martial Artist in a land of 14+ DC attacks High End Super Heroic Mayhem (It's not called Epic City for nothing, heh...)

 

~Rex

He's "squishy!" =D

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

I would play this guy without a hiccup.......Yet, no one I know other then myself would consider even attempting it, heh. Even put a picture in his .hdc....

 

~Rex

Really? No one???? I would OWN this character!!!!!

Re: A Thread for Random Videos

Hahah.. Uh, what???

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

I don't believe a single-powered character has to be a "one trick pony." In fact, in my games I prefer to see characters that have a single power focus but that are built for maximum enjoyment and survivability.

Let's take Cyclops for example.

Only has an eye beam - Yes. One trick pony - I'm not so sure...

What can he do with that eye beam? He can narrow the focus of it down to the point of a welding torch. He can use it at various strengths to blow adversaries away, he can open it up at a wide angle to attack multiple foes, he can bounce his beam from target to target with incredible accuracy, he can use the beam to block incoming attacks. He's slowed his own decent with his beam while falling and has done so for others as well (though it might have hurt a bit). And more.

Sounds like a really nice Multipower, a superior Power Skill roll and a lot of great non-combat and combat skills to me.

Add to that a super suit with some rPD/rED - AWESOME!

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

We played a game long ago (the progenitor of EPIC CITY actually) called Time Fore a Change, wherein the lead PCs were limited to a single power and each power had to come with logical drawbacks.

We had…

- Zephyr: A super-speedster who could only run fast but had to wear an exoskeleton and breathing apparatus to survive his high-speed movements.

- The Voice: A guy who had a sonic vocal attack but no lower jaw (and mostly mute) because it had been blown away when his powers appeared.

- Society’s Shield: A powerhouse of Density Increase that was always on – He couldn’t walk up stairs, take standard elevators, walk on wood floors (or the like) or take standard transportation.

- Tinder: A self-immolating hero that burned when he ignited his power (OUCH!).

- Hamatsa: An American Indian boy with wings and hollow (easily broken) bones that had been kept chained in a cave for most of his life out of fear and for worship.

- An Asian girl (can’t remember her name) with Desolidification who immediately began to fall towards the center of the Earth upon activation of her power.

And more. ☺

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Cyclops - no defensive powers

Really? I've seen The old Blue and Yellow team take blows that sent him flying dozens of meters and get right up. I've seen h

Angel - no defensive or attack powers (move by/through is the only option)

Beast - close, but no rDEF

Iceman - OK, he had ice armor and attack powers so that's one

Marvel Girl - she had TK, but no defensive powers

Add Havok (no defense, like Cyclops)

Lorna Dane (well rounded magnetic character)

 

and we have two of seven characters with a balanced power suite like you need in Champions.[/Quote]

 

No defensive powers? I've seen the old Blue and Yellow team take blows that sent them flying dozens of meters and get right up. I've seen Angel crash-land from multiple stories high and survive (despite the fact that the old Angel was described as having hollow bones I believe) and the beast blown through brick walls. True, these guys don't have traditional HERO armor or force fields but you have to agree their PD is pretty darn high.

Re: Common superhero types you've never seen in play

Right now there are 3 PC's (yes, I said 3) in EPIC CITY that have classic stretching abilities (albeit they are each limited in their own way) - My PC, Phenom, included.

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

I'm actually excited about the character himself. He's a great gateway to the inclusion of the Paladin Project in Epic City.

7th Sign may still be around:

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

Well' date=' to Detect [i']something[/i], you have to define the scope and parameters of what that something is. "Evil", in human culture, is an abstract moral-ethical concept. It can refer to a thought, a state of mind, an intent, or an act or pattern of conduct. In a comic book or fantasy setting, it can also refer to a state of being or inherent nature of an object or place(an evil sword, an evil forest, etc.). So, that's 6 or 7 different things that "evil" could be, already. Then, however many of these things fall into the scope of what "evil" is(i.e., qualitative definition), you also have to consider the relative magnitude of the "evil"(i.e., a minor lie or petty theft, versus mass torture and murder(i.e., a sort of quantitative definition). You could further refine this by duration(a fleeting thought, versus an ongoing obsession), type("mundane"(ordinary human immoral/unethical thoughts and acts), "depraved/ruthless/psychotic"(sociopaths, serial killers, master villains), "supernatural"(undead, demons, etc.), "cosmic"(Cthulhu, Darkseid)), and "purity"(i.e., is the person/place/thing slightly, somewhat, half-, mostly, almost completely, or completely evil?).

So, Detect Evil Thoughts/Detect Evil State of Mind/Detect Evil Intent/Detect Evil Act/Detect Evil Being/Detect Evil Presence could all be separate, or you could combine them into one Large Group of Things. "Discriminatory" would give you just general information("That guy just had an evil thought", "There's something evil watching us from behind those trees"), while "Analyze" would permit you to get pretty detailed information with a good PER roll(and maybe Analyze:Evil might be a good complementary skill, permitting a closer analysis of evil people/beings and some advantage in interaction/combat with them).

If you want a more comprehensive ability, add "Good" to the set of things detected. You can then do things like say "Well, this demon's state of being is about 60% evil, but their state of mind and intent appear to be somewhat good and mostly neutral, with just a hint of evil. It's a judgment call as to whether to believe them/accept their offer of assistance."

megaplayboy, thank you. You truly have a gift for gab. In one paragraph you've nailed all my fears.

Rex, the religion thing takes it to a "ho nudda lebel" that I'd prefer to avoid at all costs (we already did the Angel Ascendant thread in 2009)

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

~Rex.....says Whisper runs out to get a sheet of lead foil.......

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

The question is if he was really evil. It could very well have been "Righteous Fury". So unless the Sugery left Evil traces or he was totally transformed into a evil Nazi by then, he might not have been detected.

Maybe they couldn't even completly brainwash him before he broke up with his team (by betraying them), or they took care not to overdoo it right now (because with to much hatred, he might not have been able to hide his intentions long enough). Of course, if he escaped his former allie they might have completed the procedure.

If I have to work this hard to thwart (screw?) a character's power I might as well take it away.

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

Well' date=' the PC might not be te first character EVER to have this power. Its entirely possible that it hasn't come up before as a major issue (it didn't involve the PCs) before.[/quote']

 

That assumes that many of my major villains/NPCs walk around prepared for any contingency. Hardly realistic (even in a comicbook context)

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

i think the power should be an equivelent to spider-sense ie a premonition of evilbut he can't tell exactly from who

So a modified Danger Sense as RexMundi suggested in post #6?

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

I would really only let this detect evil on things like Demons, Devils, Necromancy things that are mystically(Magically) evil.

 

Some Villains would detect evil ie the Crowns of Krim, Takofanes, Black Paladin, Shadow Destroyer (but maybe not our Dr Destroyer) etc.

 

I wouldn't allow the player to turn it into a "Villain Detector". Doing that would really hose any adventure where subterfuge is required (ie badguy infiltrates Hero Bases support staff)

And who, in their right mind, wants to be hosed!!!???!!!

In fact, a major part of our last adventure (Return of the New Reich) was the unexpected return of a lost hero (ARC) who was thought to have sacrificed himself to close a portal that linked our dimension with the realm of the evil hoards of the Emerald Dragon... Very, very heroic. Arc's return was celebrated by all and he was brought back into the fold. Unfortunately for our team. Arc blamed them for abandoning him in that other dimension, forever destined to battle wave after wave of Dragon Ninja.

On top of that, after Arc's return he had first been discovered by the New Reich! The evil Mengela, using Arc's anger towards his former friends, performed subtle psychic surgery on him and effectively brainwashed Arc into becoming BLITZKRIEG!!! Together Arc (now Blitzkrieg) and the insidious New Reich concocted a plan to have Blitzkrieg infiltrate the Epic Alliance under the guise of Arc. His mission: to destroy the Epic Alliance from within!!!

It was a very effective part of the Return of the New Reich thread that probably wouldn't have worked in the presence of a Detect Evil power.

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

And of course there are Sense affecting powers. Talisman could very well have a spell to conceal her presence (or the shape shift she uses include fooling that sense). Someone like Lex Luthor is certain to have something for every ocassion (a piece of Kryptonite' date=' or that magical anti-detection amulet). So once people know of this power it can be overcome. Or perhaps they are just carefull in that matter (run into someone with such a power already).[/quote']

I agree with this... But in a setting like Epic City the players might call baloney on me when established characters, who never have before, start showing up with profs vs. detect evil. The player would have to build some sort of rep before folks started worrying about that specific power. By that time, they might all be in Stronghold!

 

What can help a lot in this matter, is to force him to use the simulated sense rule for this sense. Mental Group should be fitting. That way people like Menton could shield themself from being looked to deep into their minds/souls.

Maybe the characters understanding of the power is flawed? He thinks it is looking into the souls of others, but in reality it is only a intuitive form of mind scan (a detect based on the Mental Sense Group).

Good idea... I look into Simulated Sense! Thanks!

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

Well the obvious issue with any Detect ability is the question of false positives. Not every evil person is a criminal. Some of them despite their spiteful and malicious disposition are too careful for that. And not every criminal can fairly be described as evil. And there's a long line of Marvel characters would would ping as evil despite being fairly bog-standard heroes who just happen to be The Son of Satan, Ghost Rider, or a vampire detective. Without the Analyse ability you can't tell the difference between a dirty finger and a dirty fingerprint. Even when you correctly identify the bad guys, that doesn't mean you'll know what their scheme is. Yes, it does make one particular kind of scheme the one where really bad people pose as innocents, difficult to pull off in the same sense that danger sense makes it hard to arrange an ambush. But you know if you really felt like messing him up, you could just have robots posing as hostages. It's not the kind of trick you want to pull and have it work again and again. Really it might not be a bad idea to hand the character such a revelation.

 

You do need to be clear on just what is being detected. Is it current intent, negative traits on the character sheet, or something supernatural?

Yah, there is even a member on his team (Darkshard) that would set off the detect. :-/

Y'see, my game is very complex and has legacy characters that are over 20 years old. I'm running primary, secondary, tertiary (and more) plots all at the same time. I'm worried that such a power would force me to snub the OC to make things work (thus pissing him off), reveal sleeper plots and agents that I planted years ago or even, simply put, lessen the need for investigation and intuition.

Re: Detect Evil in your superhero game...

I once considered the drawbacks of the Detect Evil in D&D (had a Paladin Power Gamer) and here is what I got:

Not every enemy is evil.

The fake hostages could very well just do their job (be mercenaries). Perhaps they even have a small, sick child at home and need the money or have some other, non-evil motivation. In Saw the persumed villian was actually just another victim of the real villian.

The same way animal intelligence beings taht want to eat you aren't evil. They are just following instincts. And that mugger is not interested in doing harm to you, he really only wants your money.

 

Sometimes people are evil, but not the villian.

That baker that beats his children and wife? Righteous evil, but most likely not the villian.

 

Lies aren't evil:

If they were, every unsaid thruth would trigger his sense and every single person would register as evil.

 

So it boils down to two things:

It either only detect people that a totally corrupted (the Joker, Two-Face, Dr. Destroyer, Talisman) or it is so wide that it will detect everybody, inlcuding your Image in the mirror and your housecat.

Well, I'm trying to avoid the nightmare of determining the motivation of every single being in my campaign, so your first option may be the way to go... But the power still ruins cool Joker disguises or Lex Luthor plots instantly (or, at the very least, warns the OC of the potential of mischief).