clsage

If you can find it, I'd recommend a look at SuperAgents. Yes, it's old school... Admittedly, one of my favorite supplements. -Carl-

Sharing this here because, even though the tech is totally different, in candor it reminded me of the old 'starships diving into gas giants to refuel' trope from various SF stories and/or games (eg: The Mote In God's Eye and the game which appears to have derived from it 'Traveller' (the classic version with the little black books)). Of course, it also has some plot hook usages in other genres as well. http://news.yahoo.com/us-navy-game-changer-converting-seawater-fuel-150544958.html -Carl-

While I am unable, at the present moment, to recall which supplement it was in I have used a power construction called 'Technological Intuition'. It is a combined power/skillset build.... My adaptation/version of the build can be seen in the build for my character Ellis that I used in the now closed 'Yet Another Teen Game' campaign on Herocentral.com. Here is a link to the character list where you can find Ellis: http://herocentral.net/characters.htm?campaignId=1119719 . He is roughly 1/3 down the page. If I can find the info on which supplement, etc I'll post that later. -Carl-

Another version of the power mentioned above (or something like it) is displayed here: http://www.devermore.net/surbrook/adaptationsassorted/theshadow.html (From the ever useful Surbrook's Stuff website , character sheet credited to TR [doctorthirteen@corngolem.com]) Here is the power, pulled out: -Carl-

As far as dealing with potentially 'scenario derailment issues': A part of my GM 'toolkit' is based on my coming to RPG's after I had been involved for some while with theatre and particularly improvisation. One of the primary things I attempt to apply to my scenarios is the 'Yes, And' rule: that is that when a plot string is offered by someone, generally the best response is "Yes. And then...". I make an effort to use it when a player comes up with something unexpected at the table and while it is not always easy it has helped...at least, I think it has. I think that your creation (as you mentioned) of what might be called backstories for your NPC's will help when faced with the 'Yes, And...'. -Carl-

Here is a build 'stolen' from the character sheet of the Asian hero Silver Hawk, built as a slot from a VPP (gadgets) and as generated by Robert Dorf, circa 2009. Found on the Surbrook's Stuff character archive: The full character sheet can be found here: http://www.devermore.net/surbrook/adaptationsasianaction/silver_hawk.html -Carl-

I'm not certain that the effect would truly qualify (IMNSVHO) as Invisibility, especially if it works like most stage magic effects that I have seen. Also, if it is meant to emulate a pyrotechnic smoke effect, I think that buying it as Invisibility does a disservice to the character by constraining more unique future uses involving misdirection (eg: he tosses it into one hallway while going down another, etc). Just my current $.02US. -Carl-

Potential for life on Venus? These articles are not (based on my reading) specifically convincing but I thought I'd share: http://www.sci-news.com/space/article00161.html and http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/could-there-be-life-on-venus-one-scientist-thinks-so/ EDIT: And this may be of interest as well: http://www.maik.ru/cgi-perl/search.pl?type=abstract&name=solsys&number=1&year=12&page=41

Another prognostication by 'Star Trek' fulfilled? Tri-Ox anyone? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22745438 -Carl-

Well....The myth still makes a good 'plot hook'...shrug. http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2014/04/03/harvard-book-made-of-human-skin/ -Carl-

Truth...I had simply reposted the headline from the source. I'll see if I can edit it, so it would at least be accurate here. -Carl-

Just came across this story and while it probably has usages in other genres, I thought that the obvious arcane oriented plot hooks might fit this genre best. https://roadtrippers.com/blog/harvard-discovers-three-of-its-library-books-are-bound-in-human-flesh -Carl- EDIT: corrected terminology in subject line.

Gravity measurements made by Cassini have confirmed that Enceladus, a tiny moon orbiting Saturn, hosts a subsurface ocean in its southern latitudes. http://io9.com/weve-found-a-hidden-ocean-on-enceladus-that-may-harbor-1557622077?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Shared for various genre usages and/or descriptions, such as 'low passage', etc. http://gizmodo.com/surgeons-are-about-to-start-human-trials-for-suspended-1552062924? -Carl-

That idea stirs thoughts of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Ascendant and this: http://home.comcast.net/~mathewignash/csrommie.html -Carl-

I still need to work into the original source paper but I think this has various plot usages, in various genres. Sharing it here because of its xenobiological possibilities. http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/scientists-create-life-like-cells-out-of-metal/ -Carl-

A scenario where they are both pursuing a Rambaldi artifact could be quite worthwhile. -Carl-

My $.02US? I might vote to make the Entangle a Multi rather than an Ultra within the Web Shooters Multipower, and perhaps add an End Battery to simulate the fluid, as we have seen occasions where he has run out of it during an adventure/combat. Also, I personally am a big fan of the idea that Peter Parker could hold his own in conversations with Reed Richards and Tony Stark (based on some of what I have seen in the comics) so I might, even at his intro/high school level, give him Scientist and perhaps Scholar as well to signify his innate academic potential. And perhaps trade some of his PRE for a slightly higher INT. -Carl-

Speaking of magical AI...And admittedly somewhat obliquely related to your original query... I cannot recall who the original poster was, and my current level of 'search-fu' here on the new forums does not seem to be able to locate it, but there was a posting (or one portion of a series of postings) prior to the forum changeover of a Norse mythos based device which I believe was named Yggdrasil and was described (as I recall it) as a "crystalline sphere filled with arcane clockwork". It served as the AI for a Norse oriented hero/group of heroes. If you can find the character design post (or if the original poster sees this and is willing to 're-share') it might have some use as inspiration. -Carl-

A news story with possible 'plot hook'/tech background usage(s) in this and potentially other genres: http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22042-thermal-vision-graphene-light-detector-first-to-span-infrared-spectrum -Carl-

This came across one of my feeds this morning...And while it's a bit trite, I will admit that I would play in this campaign. Though of course the character names would be changed, etc. Stating these folks out = one more thing to add to my gaming to-do list. -Carl- EDIT: To adjust image upload.

Came across this source and thought I'd share. Here is a descriptive article: http://io9.com/the-diaries-of-nearly-4-000-world-war-one-soldiers-are-1543881786 And a direct link to the diaries database: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/war-diaries-ww1.htm -Carl-

And in the vein of Commando Cody...there is this 'gem' of cinematic enterprise: http://www.dhentertainment.com/projects/16.monarch-moon/ -Carl-

While not magic based, one of my characters has a base computer (akin to J.A.R.V.I.S.) that is named Argus. The derivation as described in this Wikipedia entry: Argus Panoptes (Ἄργος Πανόπτης), guardian of the heifer-nymph Io and son of Arestor, was a primordial giant whose epithet, "Panoptes", "all-seeing", led to his being described with multiple, often one hundred, eyes. ...The epithet Panoptes, reflecting his mythic role, set by Hera as a very effective watchman of Io, was described in a fragment of a lost poem Aigimios, attributed to Hesiod: "And set a watcher upon her, great and strong Argos, who with four eyes looks every way. And the goddess stirred in him unwearying strength: sleep never fell upon his eyes; but he kept sure watch always." The implication is that the AI has a broad spectrum of sensors and such available to it, there by it is 'all seeing'... So, for your application, perhaps Panoptes? -Carl-

I have yet to fully digest this article, and have not accessed the source paper. Those disclaimers aside, I saw this and could not help but think of how the Xenomorphs biology was described in an Aliens gaming supplement I once read (probably incomplete, based solely on my memory version of the concept: as a 'handwave' to explain the whole acid for blood thing they used the idea of having the species metabolize electrical energy - ie: acid and tissues forming some sort of battery, etc). Because of that tie-in I decided to share this here, though there are obviously other uses in other genres (Monster Hunter International and Champions both spring immediately to mind) http://scitechdaily.com/harvard-scientists-identify-microbe-eats-electricity/ -Carl-