starblaze

My favorite top ten 4th edition Champions supplement.

Ross Martin did have a heart attack and missed some episodes in the 4th season, but the cancellation was due to the violence. If anyone wants the basic overview, Wikipedia seems to have it covered with nothing glaringly wrong at a glance; no need to search and try tp piece everything together yourself unless you really want to.

Robert Conrad himself said that it was just as well that the show got cancelled because someone was likely to end up dead eventually.

Got to start working on the bad guys

Here is Copperhead

Copperhead

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

20 STR 10 13- Lift 400.0kg; 4d6 [2]

20 DEX 20 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7

20 CON 10 13-

13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 - 3

15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

7 OCV 20

7 DCV 20

3 OMCV 0

3 DMCV 0

4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

8 PD 6 Total: 8 PD (0 rPD)

7 ED 5 Total: 7 ED (0 rED)

8 REC 4

40 END 4

10 BODY 0

35 STUN 8 Total Characteristic Cost: 135

Movement: Running: 12m/24m

Flight: 24m/48m

Leaping: 4m/8m

Swimming: 4m/8m

Cost Powers END

33 Multipower, 50-point reserve, (50 Active Points); all slots OIF (Battlesuit; -½)

2f 1) Rifle attached to battlesuit: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6, Armor Piercing (+¼) (37 Active Points); OIF (Battlesuit; -½), No Knockback (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼), Limited Power Will not work underwater (-¼) [12]

3f 2) Rifle attached to battlesuit: Blast 8d6 (40 Active Points); OIF (Battlesuit; -½), 16 Charges (-0) [16]

1f 3) Laser Claws: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (30 Active Points); No STR Bonus (-½), OIF (Battlesuit; -½), No Knockback (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) [12]

2f 4) Line thrower attached to battlesuit: Entangle 4d6, 4 PD/4 ED (40 Active Points); OIF (Battlesuit; -½), 12 Charges (-¼) [12]

2f 5) Killing Attack - Ranged 1 ½d6, Armor Piercing (+¼), Autofire (5 shots; +½) (50 Active Points); OIF (Battlesuit; -½), No Knockback (-¼), Limited Power Will not work underwater (-¼), 32 Charges (+¼) [32]

Battlesuit, all slots OIF (-½)

16 1) Flight 24m (24 Active Points); OIF (-½) 2

3 2) Infrared Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

3 3) Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

4 4) +4 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group (6 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

8 5) High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

3 6) Sight Group Flash Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

-7 (0 Active Points); OIF (-½) applied to STR

Skills

3 Computer Programming 12-

3 Deduction 12-

3 Electronics 12-

3 Security Systems 12-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Streetwise 12-

3 Systems Operation 12-

3 KS: Campaign city underworld 12-

5 KS: Street gangs 14-

3 Science Skill: Lasers 12-

3 CK: Campaign city 12-

10 +2 with multipower powers

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 119

Total Cost: 253

200+ Matching Complications

15 Psychological Complication: Must protect family and neighborhood (Common; Strong)

15 Psychological Complication: Hatred of Drug Dealers and street gangs (Common; Strong)

10 Negative Reputation: Bounty Hunter, Frequently

20 Dependent NPC: Sister and Brother Frequently (Normal; Group DNPC: x2 DNPCs)

20 Hunted: The Berserks Frequently (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish)

25 Hunted: Numerous street gangs Frequently (Mo Pow; NCI; Harshly Punish)

15 Social Complication: Secret ID Frequently, Major

53 Experience Points

Due to the fact that Hero Games finally made their 4th edition stuff available for pdf I decided to convert some characters from the Dark Champions stuff.

So here goes the an insane example, The Harbringer of Justice

The Harbringer of Justice

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

15 STR 5 12- Lift 200.0kg; 3d6 [1]

30 DEX 40 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 12

23 CON 13 14-

33 INT 23 16- PER Roll 16-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 8 - 8

38 PRE 28 17- PRE Attack: 7 ½d6

10 OCV 35

12 DCV 45

8 OMCV 15

8 DMCV 15

6 SPD 40 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

8+9 PD 6 Total: 8/17 PD (0/9 rPD)

5+9 ED 3 Total: 5/14 ED (0/9 rED)

12 REC 8

46 END 6

12 BODY 2

40 STUN 10 Total Characteristic Cost: 300

Movement: Running: 18m/36m

Leaping: 4m/8m

Swimming: 4m/8m

Cost Powers END

15 Luck 3d6 0

104 Weapon Pool: Variable Power Pool (Gadget Pool), 80 base + 40 control cost, all slots No lasers or blasters (+0), Invisible Power Effects cannot be traced (Inobvious to [one Sense Group]; +¼), Cosmic (+2) (145 Active Points); all slots No mental powers (-½), Weapons Cannot Be Retrieved In Far-Removed Dimensions (-½), Attacks only (-¼), Weapons must be handheld (-¼), May not summon duplicate weapons (-¼)

18 Resistant Protection (9 PD/9 ED) (27 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

17 Mental Defense (17 points total) 0

8 Power Defense (8 points) 0

Mask, all slots OIF (-½)

5 1) Sight Group Flash Defense (8 points) (8 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

3 2) Life Support (Expanded Breathing breathing underwater) (5 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

3 3) Infrared Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

3 4) Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

8 5) +8 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group (12 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

8 6) +8 versus Range Modifier for Hearing Group (12 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

8 7) High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); OIF (-½) 0

4 Killing Strike -2 +0 HKA 3d6

4 Martial Block +2 +2 Block, Abort

4 Martial Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

4 Martial Escape +0 +0 50 STR vs. Grabs

4 Martial Strike +0 +2 9d6 Strike

3 Martial Throw +0 +1 7d6 +v/10, Target Falls

4 Nerve Strike -1 +1 4d6 NND

16 +4 HTH Damage Class(es)

Perks

11 Money: Filthy Rich

60 Vehicles & Bases

2 Deep Cover

2 Deep Cover

2 Deep Cover

2 Deep Cover

2 Deep Cover

3 Well-Connected

1 1) Contact: CIA (2 Active Points) 11-

1 2) Contact: DEA, RecordsDivision (2 Active Points) 11-

1 3) Contact: FBI, Behavioral Sciences Unit (2 Active Points) 11-

1 4) Contact: FBI, Behavioral Sciences Unit 8-

1 5) Contact: FBI, Counterintelligence Unit (2 Active Points) 11-

1 6) Contact: FBI, RecordsDivision (2 Active Points) 11-

1 7) Contact: Interpol, RecordsDivision (2 Active Points) 11-

1 8) Contact: PRIMUS, RecordsDivision (2 Active Points) 11-

1 9) Contact: PRIMUS, a Silver Avenger (2 Active Points) 11-

1 10) Contact: Police Department Paranormal Operative Squad (2 Active Points) 11-

1 11) Contact: PoliceDepartment, RecordsDivision (2 Active Points) 11-

1 12) Contact: U.S. Army, Colonel (2 Active Points) 11-

1 13) Contact: UNTIL (2 Active Points) 11-

1 14) Contact: UNTIL, RecordsDivision (2 Active Points) 11-

1 15) Contact: [Campaign city] Penitentiary (2 Active Points) 11-

Talents

15 Combat Sense 16-

15 Danger Sense (self only, out of combat, Intuitional) 16-

5 Eidetic Memory

3 Resistance (+3 to roll)

10 Lightning Reflexes (+10 DEX to act first with All Actions)

Skills

3 Acting 17-

3 Bugging 16-

3 Combat Driving 15-

3 Combat Piloting 15-

3 Computer Programming 16-

3 Criminology 16-

3 Cryptography 16-

3 Deduction 16-

3 Demolitions 16-

3 Disguise 16-

3 Electronics 16-

3 Forensic Medicine 16-

4 Forgery (Commercial Goods, Documents) 16-

3 Gambling 16-

3 Interrogation 17-

3 Inventor 16-

3 Lockpicking 15-

3 Mechanics 16-

3 Mimicry 16-

3 Paramedics 16-

3 Security Systems 16-

3 Shadowing 16-

3 Stealth 15-

3 Streetwise 17-

3 Tactics 16-

6 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Balloons & Zeppelins, Combat Aircraft, Helicopters, Large Planes, Small Planes

3 AK: Campaign city 16-

3 Weaponsmith (Energy Weapons, Firearms) 16-

3 Linguist

1 1) Language: Arabic (Modern) (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)

0 2) Language: English (basic conversation) (1 Active Points)

1 3) Language: Italian (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)

2 4) Language: Japanese (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)

1 5) Language: Mandarin (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)

2 6) Language: Spanish (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)

3 Scholar

2 1) KS: Campaign city underworld (3 Active Points) 16-

2 2) KS: Card Shark and his organization (3 Active Points) 16-

2 3) KS: Chinese Tongs and the Triad (3 Active Points) 16-

2 4) KS: High Finance (3 Active Points) 16-

1 5) KS: Serial Killers and serial killing (2 Active Points) 11-

2 6) KS: Street Gangs (3 Active Points) 16-

2 7) KS: Telephone, Sewer, and Utility Subsystems (3 Active Points) 16-

2 8) KS: The Espionage World (3 Active Points) 16-

1 9) KS: The Mafia (2 Active Points) 11-

2 10) KS: The Martial World (3 Active Points) 16-

2 11) KS: The Mercenar/Militar?errorist World (3 Active Points) 16-

2 12) KS: The Mexican Mafia (3 Active Points) 16-

2 13) KS: The Yakuza (3 Active Points) 16-

1 14) KS: World Criminals (2 Active Points) 11-

2 15) KS: World Literature (3 Active Points) 16-

2 16) KS: World Supercriminals (3 Active Points) 16-

3 Scientist

2 1) Science Skill: Accounting 16- (3 Active Points)

2 2) Science Skill: Ballistics 16- (3 Active Points)

2 3) Science Skill: Biology 16- (3 Active Points)

2 4) Science Skill: Chemistry 16- (3 Active Points)

2 5) Science Skill: Dimensional Engineering 16- (3 Active Points)

2 6) Science Skill: Pharmacology/Toxicology 16- (3 Active Points)

1 7) Science Skill: Physics 11- (2 Active Points)

2 8) Science Skill: Psychology/Criminal Psychology 16- (3 Active Points)

20 +2 with All Attacks

16 +2 with Ranged Combat

8 With Gun#1: +4 with any single attack

12 +4 to offset hit location negative modifiers

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 595

Total Cost: 894

400+

Matching Complications

Psychological Complication: Vigilante Mentality (Common; Total) <<par20

Psychological Complication: Obsessed with crime fighting (Common; Total)<par15

Psychological Complication: Mysterious and Enigmatic (Common; Strong)<par15

Distinctive Features: Blue moon insigma on costume (Easily Concealed; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)<par20

Negative Reputation: Killer vigilante, Very Frequently (Extreme)<par25

Hunted: An organzied crime group Frequently (Mo Pow; NCI; Harshly Punish)<par20

Hunted: Card Shark Infrequently (Mo Pow; NCI; Harshly Punish)<par20

Hunted: Police Frequently (As Pow; NCI; Harshly Punish)<par15

Social Complication: Secret ID Frequently, Major<

494 Experience Points<par

Total Complications Points: 894

I will get back to doing this soon, RL and me being lazy has kept me away.  I think I will give my list of the top ten supplements for Champions.

I was just wondering if any of you have a pulp character that you just don't really like too much?

I have to say for me it's Doc Savage.  I want to like him but he has the problem of just too perfect as well as rather sexist.  Then there is the 800lb gorilla the Crime College.  The fact that with no arrest, not court hearing, no anything Doc just sends them up to some asylum and performs brain surgery on them.  I mean if this ever got found out it would be nationwide scandal.  Also the fact that he seems to have little or no emotion.  He is just a boring character overall, his aides are the ones with the most personality.

Pulp Hero is good even if you don't use Hero, it's that good.

Think you can do the 4th edition Champions?  Seeker, Quantum, Obsidian, Defender, Jaguar and Solitaire?

Hey, I can do that.  Maybe tomorrow night, rather tired right now.

Here is the next one, this one I focus on  Character Creation.

Could you point out the champions podcasts? I plan on using either 4th or 5th edition as they are the editions I am the most used to.

I appreciate all the likes but could I get a response?

So I noticed that there was no real videos about the Champions/Hero System on youtube or anywhere for that matter.  There are a lot of information about other rpg stuff but as far as I could tell there was nothing explaining Champions/Hero System to anyone.

So I decided after getting my own web camera to make a series of videos myself.  

So here is the video.

 

The Crime Boss

Caspar Brown remembers it like it was yesterday. A child from a war torn African country, he had been adopted by a kindly and affluent American couple. Oh, what a wonderland the US seemed in comparison to the horrors back home. His two new parents, and their daughter, seemed determined to win him over. They were rich, they were powerful, and their hearts were pure.

 

How little that all meant. Caspar remembers his adopted sister's hat getting caught by a stiff wind and blowing into the alleyway behind the playhouse. He recalled them going to retrieve it, and yes, he clearly remembers the man who held up the Browns at gun point, and then shot them in cold blood. Had their murderer's gun not jammed, he and his sister would have surely joined them.

 

While his sister cried over the bodies, Caspar watched the gun man flee, and at that young age, he had his epiphany. 

It was all about power.

A king could shine his crown all he wanted, but if the man with the sword next to him wanted him dead, he would be. The noblest heart could be stopped by a piece of lead tearing through it, and all those good deeds wouldn't protect it. No one was ever safe, not really. 

 

The best way to defend against monsters was to become the biggest monster out there. Taking his share of his inheritance, Caspar went around the world, learning the many methods of monsterdom. He learned how to fight, of course. Perhaps he'd never been the greatest, but he was a black belt twice over. He learned how to earn one's trust, and then betray them. He learned how to make money both legally and otherwise. He learned as much as he could about everything, really. Knowledge is another form of power, after all.

 

And then he returned to the city and put his plan in motion. Covertly funding street gangs under the nickname "Mr. Ghost", outfitting them with weapons, he watched as entire neighborhoods tore themselves apart in gang wars... and then he stepped in and saved those same neighborhood as Mr. Caspar Brown, wealthy philanthropist. Of course, he wasn't stopping the crime, not really, he was stream lining it, hiding it, and making it more efficient.  People didn't really care about decency, they wanted order, and he gave it to them. Who cares about murder in the streets if it only involves a prostitute? Who cared if the system for maximum penalties and minimal rehabilitation meant those who entered in criminal activities had no where to go but down? By playing both Sinner and Saint, Caspar has forced the poor and desperate into his umbrella, while using surgical strikes (Such as drug addition, blackmail, and bribes) against those in power.

 

To this day, few know that Mr. Ghost and Caspar are one in the same. However, that does not mean the city is truly his. There are contenders for the title of top crime boss, at least two others that rival his power. He plays along, speaks of respecting territory and the like, but it's only a matter of time before he makes his move. Mr. Ghost will be king of all monsters, and he will have both the crown and the sword.

 

Mr. Ghost is not blind to the fact that superheroes are a whole new level of power. He wants that same power for himself so badly he can taste it, but he's cautious. Relying on tech means that power actually belongs to the creator of the tech who would maintain it. Mysticism often involves a risk to the freedom of one's soul, and while Caspar's soul maybe twisted, it is still his own and he intends to keep it that way. To test things out, he has had his dear sweet sister on 'vacation', where she has been altered through experimentation and brainwashed to his specifications. When she returns, he plans to use her as his personal assassin, and observe her track record and look out for side effects. If it's a truly rousing success, he may take the procedure himself. She's due to return in the next month. He looks forward to the reunion.

 

QUOTE: (As Caspar Brown) "People have mentioned that I am hard on crime. They say I hold vengeance in my heart for what happened to my parents in that alley. But I do not do what I do to avenge my pain. I do it so no other eight year old child will experience what I have. I do it to keep the monsters in the shadows where they belong."

 

(As Mr. Ghost) "You think you can stop me? Stop me from what? You think if you strike the head from the snake the body will die, ,but no. We are not one body, we are, each and all of us, monsters to the core, held to common purpose by my will for I am the King of the monsters here. This city would tear itself apart if not for my holding the reins. You should be grateful."

 

I like this.  it's kind of like the Batman/Bruce Wayne story but with a twist.

Here is the last member of the G.O.S.H. team.

Explain how superhero games are different than other rpgs

He is mentioned as being killed by VIPER when they finally catch up with him.  It is mentioned in the 4th edition champions universe book.

I am trying to put these in line with the rules.  The rules are 'interesting'.  They're not bad just a bit odd.  Their builds vary from very powerful to really low powered.

Here is my favorite flying glass cannon.

Vanguard Jr. is up.  I think some mistakes were made with the Martial Arts.

Next up, Vanguard

Here is Minuteman.  Now that I have the GAC pdf I can get to work on more of these

So true.  One of the reasons I stopped running Hero after a while was because I got tired of doing all the work because people were so intimidated by the system.  They had no problem making 3rd edition D&D characters with its numerous splat books and mountains of feats.  That was because most of the work was done for them and they did not need to make everything from scratch.

That is one of the reasons I find myself appreciating 4th edition nowadays because the BBB is much more user-friendly then the later editions.

Well "Batman" (1943) and "Batman and Robin" (1949)  were both serious, or as serious as a early serial could be.   The "Green Hornet" (1966) was treated much more seriously than "Batman"(1966). 

 

While the Adam West version of Batman was the only campy version and distanced itself from pretty much every version of the character at that time and arguably since.  So when they chose to make a feeble attempt at campy comedy with Green Hornet it was even worse than simply crapping on it.

 

I imagine a comedic director of Mel Brooks' caliber might have pulled it off.   But Rogan is the unfunniest non-comedian destroying the big screen in modern times.   I mean the most humorous thing I have ever seen him accomplish was 7th grade potty humor. 

 

Green Hornet didn't bomb because it was an obscure Pulp character.  It failed because it was simply a bad movie. 

1) it just wasn't funny and so didn't win over anyone that thought they had paid to watch a comedy.

2) because anyone familiar with the character was left wondering WTF?

 

Seth Rogan just never did it for me.