Tom McCarthy

I would characterize my current players as five guys with Looking For Adventure mindset (hm, 5 headlines to choose from; let's investigate this one), and one who wants the team to become a covert ops strike force with a national security focus, including a branch of superagents and a team of intelligence analysts serving them. Most of the team wants a return matchup with Foxbat. The other guy wants to know if shifts in the GNP of Luxembourg might be signalling weapons stockpiling by ARGENT. Very schizophrenic.

We have comic book time. The seasons change in the background, but three Christmas adventures later, the character's age hasn't perceptibly changed. Everyone remains in that fuzzy age bracket of 'adult, but not yet worried about getting old'. I like the experiments in storytelling where characters age in real time. Champions Universe is an interesting example of this, where the FF ages and eventually disbands. John Byrne (love him or hate him) had a miniseries Generations where the DC Universe aged appropriately, but it became a mixed bag as he crossed retcon lines.

A few more ideas rolled through my head. Compel the Truth - Like Wonder Woman's lasso or some commanding voice techniques, there are powers which force people to answer and answer truthfully. I'm not sure if you want non-telepathic Mind Control or non-telepathic Telepathy. Luck and Hexes - Making yourself lucky is easy. Making others unlucky may be harder to simulate, so a coupel fo examples may be valuable. EMP - Not so much because it's hard to write up, but because it's a power which multiple SFX may justify; magnetism or nuclear fission, for example. Density - I'd like to see a few physical benchmarks in the density increase article. How dense is steel relative to flesh ? How about diamonds ? Gold, lead, iron, rock/magma, ice, wood, clay and glass may all be worth mentioning, too. Some people may need a gentle reminder than many materials just aren't as dense as you'd think (I think facet from European Enemies was way too dense). At teh other extreme, at what density does a human begin to have a noticeable gravitational field, and at what mass does he begin to have an event horizon (maybe Jim Cambias knows that one) ? Earth manipulation - not a tough one to write up, but a genre bit worth a few paragraphs

Well, first up, I've got to say I was very impressed by Garry Morgan's article in Digital Hero #7. I would be very impressed if you could give other powers a similar depth of coverage. Echoing some of the above, some interesting topics: - Transmutation; what suite of powers is appropriate ? (Entangle, NND, transform, object creation, change environment, etc.) - Time manipulation - Superspeedster, including ways to attack multiple targets while maintaining DCV, and disadvantages - Possession (like Jericho of the Titans) (I'm only part way through MC manuscript, so I'll see soon enough) - psychic immortality, where a spirit or non-corporeal entity can exist after the destruction of the physical body (androids who reboot, spirits animating corpses, etc.) - Object animation - Long-term hypnosis and post-hypnotic effects (because the time chart makes it easy to shake the effect before it occurs) - Duplication tricks - Green Lantern power ring tricks; energy constructs as TK, force field, force wall, LS, summoning, EB, etc. - Instant reincarnation; upon the character's death, another character appears - Five who summon one; like the classic Forever People who could switch the five of themselves for one higher powered champion - Shrinking things as an attack - Shrinking as a way to bypass barriers - Attacks that don't miss - Attacks that track and follow (probably summon like Star Hero missiles) - Wishes (probably EDM to the universe where the wish is true) - Invulnerability to a single SFX I wouldn't mind seeing magnetics written up with some more of the non-combat applications. Particularly important might be guidelines for what might be appropriate applications of a SFX for Power skill rolls.

Name: KreuzritterPlayer: Silver Age Sentinels Val Char Base Cost Max Pts 35 STR 10 x1 ____ 25 30/34 DEX 10 x3 ____ 60 35 CON 10 x2 ____ 50 24 BODY 10 x2 ____ 28 25 INT 10 x1 ____ 15 23 EGO 10 x2 ____ 26 25 PRE 10 x1 ____ 15 8 COM 10 x½ ____ -1 14/36 PD (STR/5) 7 x1 ____ 7 14/48 ED (CON/5) 7 x1 ____ 7 4 SPD (1+DEX/10) 4 x10 ____ 0 14 REC (STR/5)+ &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp(CON/5) 14 x2 ____ 0 70 END (CONx2) 70 x½ ____ 0 118 STUN (Body)+ &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp(STR/2)+(CON/2) 60 x1 ____ 58 Characteristics Cost: 290 CHA Roll=9+CHA/5 Run: &nbsp&nbsp 6" &nbsp Swim:&nbsp&nbsp 2" &nbsp Jump: 7"/4" STR Roll: &nbsp 16DEX Roll: &nbsp 15/16 INT Roll: &nbsp 14 EGO Roll: &nbsp 14 PER Roll:(9+INT)/5 &nbsp 14 Disadvantages Base ( 200 ) +Pts Reputation 14- worldwide as magical superpowered conqueror (extreme) 20 Distinctive Features: lava skin (concealable; extreme reaction) 20 Public ID: Monarch of Thule; son of WWII Nazi villain (occasionally; severe) 15 Secret ID: Is actually the WWII Nazi villain (occasionally; severe) 15 Psych Lim: Haunted by nightmares of own "death" 10 Phys Lim: Ugly and unappealing 5 Hunted by Sentinel; 8-; as powerful; jail; limited geography 10 Hunted by the Guard; 8-; as powerful; jail; limited geography 10 Hunted by world law enforcement agencies; 8-; less powerful; NCI; jail; limited geography 10 Exp 0 Plot0 Disadvantages Total: &nbsp115 Experience Spent +: &nbsp&nbsp446 Total Cost= &nbsp761 Pts Skill /Talent / Perk / Power END/Roll 5 Lucky: 2D6 Luck - Only to escape capture or death (-1) &nbsp18 Heightened Awareness: +6 PER - 3 Adapted to cold and pressure: LS: extreme cold; high pressure - 1 Cold adaptation: Armour (0rPD; 2 rED) - Only vs. cold (-1) &nbsp1 Pressure adaptation: Armour (2 rPD; 0 rED) - Only vs. pressure (-1) &nbsp9 Heat resistance: Armour (0 rPD; 12 rED) - Only vs. heat (-1) &nbsp17 LS: Slow aging (1 pt); immune to disease (10); eat once per week (1); reduced breathing (4 points); sleep once per week (1) - 20 Thulian armour: Armour(10 rPD; 10 rED) - OIF Thulian armour (-½) &nbsp15 Thulian armour: Armour(10 rPD; 10 rED) - OIF Thulian armour (-½) Activation 14- (-½) 14- &nbsp8 Bonded to earth: -10" KB resistance - Only when touching the earth (-¼) &nbsp8 Mental defence 13 - 120 Thulian Mastery of Elements (Variable Power Pool) - 27 Thulian mastery of Elements (VPP Control Cost) - Side effects 2D6 drain vs. all physical characteristics; return 5 points / hour (-1) Powers unavailable for amount of time equal to their use (-¼) &nbsp3 Linguist &nbsp 3 Scholar &nbsp 2 KS: Ancient Architecture 14 5 PS: Restoration of Artwork (+2) 16 6 AK: City of Thulestag (+3) 17 7 SS: Archaeology (+4) 18 2 KS: American Culture 14 2 KS: British Culture 14 2 KS: Russian Culture 14 2 KS: Japanese Culture 14 3 Tactics 14 2 Navigation - Primary Wilderness 14 9 High Society (+3) 17 5 Interrogation (+1) 15 5 Persuasion (+1) 15 7 Bureaucratics (+2) 16 9 Power Thulian Elemental Mastery (+3) 17 5 Oratory (+1) 15 1 Fluent Czech (German native) &nbsp 1 Fluent Dutch &nbsp 1 Fluent English &nbsp 1 Fluent French &nbsp 1 Fluent Japanese &nbsp 1 Fluent Norwegian &nbsp 1 Fluent Russian &nbsp 1 Fluent Spanish &nbsp 32 +4 with combat &nbsp 5 +1 DCV &nbsp 5 +1 with ranged combat DCV only &nbsp 5 +1 with HTH combat &nbsp 3 +1 with tight group Elemental Mastery powers &nbsp 6 Lightning Reflexes - All actions (+4) 4 Resistance (+3) 3 Simulate Death 35 Follower Secret Service: 32 agent-level followers 10 Fringe Benefit Monarch of Thule 15 Money Filthy Rich: $10 billion 9 Reputation 14- worldwide/+3/+3D6 violent superpowered conqueror &nbsp 471 : Skills and Powers Cost &nbsp 290 : + Char Cost &nbsp 761 : = Total Cost Base&nbspOCV: 10 Base&nbspDCV: 10 Adjustment + ___ Adjustment + ___ Final OCV = 10 Final DCV = 10 Levels:+4 with combat +1 DCV +1 with ranged combat DCV only +1 with HTH combat +1 with tight group Elemental Mastery powers Combat Maneuvers Maneuver Phase OCV DCV Effect Block ½ - - stops attacks; abort Brace 0 +2 ½ +2 vs. RMod Disarm ½ -2 - can disarm;STR v STR Dodge ½ - +3 vs. all attacks; abort Grab ½ -1 -2 grab, do STR Grab By ½ -3 -4 Move and grab Haymaker ½ - -5 STR + 4D6 Move By ½ -2 -2 STR/2 + v/5 Move Through ½ -v/5 -3 STR +v/3 Set 1 +1 - Strike ½ - - STR or weapon type Range RMod 0-40 5-8-2 9-16-4 17-32-6 33-64-8 65-128-10 DEX: 30 &nbsp&nbsp SPD: 4 &nbsp&nbsp ECV(EGO/3): 8 Phases:&nbsp 1&nbsp 2&nbsp 3&nbsp 4&nbsp 5&nbsp 6&nbsp 7&nbsp 8&nbsp 9&nbsp 10&nbsp 11&nbsp 12 PD/rPD: 14(36) / 0(22) &nbsp&nbsp ED/rED: 14(48) / 0(34) END: 70 &nbsp&nbsp STUN: 118(60) &nbsp&nbsp BODY: 24

One of my players wanted to play a young man whose father had been killed by an evil military/government cabal so they could use his research to make soldiers for an arctic post-nuclear battlefield. They kidnapped him, experimented on him, brainwashed him, and gave him animalistic reflexes and claws. He broke out of their Alaskan base, killing many soldiers, and wound up an agent of the Canadian government, doing black and covert ops. he was to be the pragmatic 'willing to kill' hero forced on the otherwise four colour team. It's a fine origin, very much in genre, and I certainly allowed it. But I thought it sounded derivative of Claremont/Byrne X-Men and Barry Windsor-Smith's Weapon X. The player claims never to have read Weapon X (he's probably right, though his memory is spotty).

Morningstar and I had bounced a few things back and forth. He was working from D20 and I from TriStat D10. We were often close but differences did crop up. On the whole, he was further along than I. Now Steve probably has something but doesn't want to publish it. His comments about how many points Kreuzritter was relative to Dr. Destroyer were eerily accurate.