Dr Archeville

Re: Gun multipower A similar device is the Weapons Gauntlet wielded (welded to?) the Pacifier Robots of Dr. Doom. It's a five-barreled gauntlet that contains a powerful adhesive sprayer, a flamethrower, a laser, a machine gun, and a stun gun. 'Course, as a gauntlet that'd be an OIF, not an OAF like a true gun.

Re: Anyone remember this picture? Sounds like a cool idea. In D&D, Illithids/Mind Flayers could make eight-foot-tall "Brain Golems," humanoid constructs made from delicious brains. Like most golems, they're quite strong & tough. A more topical character might be Knockabout, a D-grade Marvel character (lasted all of 12 issues in the third Nick Fury series) who got stronger & tougher the more people believed the tales he spun.

Re: Operation OVERDRIVE I thought this was gonna be about the guy on pp.106-107 of Villains, Vandals and Vermin (Possible PRE of 70 and COM of 130 -- yikes!)

Re: Interesting page for animal powers I'm still waiting to see Sea Cucumber Man (Entangle [everted intestines] with Side-Effect of Drain on CON and/or BODY [due to having shot out parts of your intestines]?).

Re: Heroes The latest ish of TV Guide says that this week's ep will show some of what happened in the 4 month gap between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of season 2. (Hint: it wasn't the gunshot that killed D.L.)

Re: A Thought Experiment: The Buffest Heroes vs Dr Destroyer

Re: [Character] Doktor Archeville For the "Standard" 350 point version, and looking at the Quick Superhuman Generator in the Champions genre book, I was thinking of going with the Checklist Hero and All-Terrain power sets, and have them either be in one OIF (a suit of power armor), or in lots of gadgets spread about him (Armor & some Life Support in an IIF Labcoat, growth & shrinking in OIF rings/bracers, ranged attacks in some OAF blasters, et cetera) (though I'm not 100% sure that'd be allowed, so I've asked Steve). Brain & Will set for Characteristics, and either Scientist or Technicians for the Skills/Perks/Talents set.

Two questions on Multipowers & Focuses: 1) If you have a Multipower (say, the Checklist Hero Multipower from pg.86 of the Champions campaign/genre book), and it has OIF on it (on the Multipower and the individuals slots), must the Multipower be one device (like a suit of power armor), or could it be a group of individual items (like the ten rings of Marvel's Mandarin)? How could you stat a Multipower where some slots are one type of focus, and some are another type? Taking the Checklist Hero Multipower example again, if I wanted the Deadly Attack (RKA) and Power Blast (EB) to slots be OAFs (blaster pistols), but have the Booster (Aid), Invisibility Screen (Invisibility), Size Increase (Growth), and Size Reduction (Shrinking) slots to be OIFs (ultra-tech rings or bracelets), how would I do that? Thanks!

Re: [Character] Doktor Archeville Ha! I bow to (and give rep for) your greater KS: Transformers Trivia! S-Mart. 2-for-1 sale.

Re: Order of the Stick Wonder if anyone ever got a Celestial Dolphin by accident when summoning a Celestial Tuna?

Re: [Char] Doktor Archeville Yeah, they're either painfully awkward, or are inhumanly smooth (in which case you've got a Mad Psychologist or Sociologist on your hands, and s/he's subtly twisting you to their nefarious ends ). Thanks

Re: [Char] Doktor Archeville I definitely get the second references (the 'handle' I use here, and in most other forums, is the one I've been using for over a decade, when I first started exploring the 'net, and the first sites I came across were Transformers fan messageboards where most everyone had a handle based on a TF character), but admit to not getting the first. Only roller skate-like gadget that comes to mind were Iron Man's Retractable Rocket Skates.

Re: Heroes I absolutely love this show, and am somewhat surprised at how many of my co-workers also enjoy it.

Re: [Char] Doktor Archeville Not in the face! Thanks! fnord

Re: [Char] Doktor Archeville The one & only

A character I've used in assorted games (tabletop, pbem and forum, in numerous systems). This is the 500 point version used in Jack M. Butler's Global Guardians game, though I am working on a more standard 350 point version suitable for a Champions game (though some names and places may need to be changed). [b]Background/History[/b]: Viktor Archeville was born in the summer of 1977 in Schönwald, a small town in the majestic Black Forest of Germany [which is in the southwestern portion of what was known as West Germany]. Cynthia, his lovely mother and a skilled psychologist, died in childbirth, leaving her husband Heinrich to raise him alone. Heinrich was trying to break away from the family trade of making fine cuckoo clocks and enter the burgeoning computer programming field, and so had little time for little Viktor. Fortunately for Heinrich, Viktor proved more than able to take care of himself, as he was walking before he was a year old, and speaking coherent sentences by age two. It has been said that the Archeville family was cursed with madness. Some say it was from a hex laid on one of the line’s ancestors generations ago due to some slight, either real or perceived. Some say it was from working with cuckoo clocks, or that they all worked on cuckoo clocks because they were mad. It was not a trait that showed up in all members of the Archeville line, and Heinrich seems to be spared. He had hoped that by distancing himself and young Viktor away from their families ties, he could lessen the chances of Viktor going mad. Heinrich was initially quite worried for his son’s sanity -- he knew that great intelligence often came with great ego, and with great ego often comes madness. Heinrich tried to juggle monitoring young Viktor with trying to break into the computer programming field, but doing so did nothing but cause him to develop manic/depressive syndrome and low-grade paranoid schizophrenia. Viktor seemed hardly to notice his father’s deterioration, or if he did he chose not to point it out. He made a few friends here and there, but none of his friendships lasted terribly long due to the rumors of his family’s affliction. His intellect and skill continued to grow as time passed… as did his father’s madness. On Viktor’s 13th birthday, Heinrich Archeville was admitted to an insane asylum, leaving Viktor to be taken in by Child Services and await adoption. Unfortunately, adoptions are tricky at best, and near impossible if the child is in his teens, so for several years, Viktor was effectively a ward of the state. He would visit his father occasionally, but each visit grew more and more awkward. When he was 16, Viktor enrolled in the [i]Technische Universität München[/i], the Technical University of Munich, as the University was celebrating it’s 125th anniversary. While there, the barest signs of his familial madness began to make itself apparent. He’d find himself laughing maniacally at times, or he would become annoyed almost to the point of enragement by incompetent people. He was relieved to find that by keeping his conscious mind focused on his studies, he could suppress his outbursts and in fact use that mental energy to make astounding leaps in logic or revolutionary breakthrough. He earned a Doctorate in Mathemtics and [i]Meisters[/i] (Masters) degrees in both chemistry and physics by the age of 22. He could easily have done more, but he didn’t want to seem too intellectually flashy. Now Archeville faced a conundrum. He was sure that if he didn’t find some constructive way to use his intellectual skills, he would likely end up as one of those megalomaniacal supervillains who hijack television broadcasts and make grandiose threats to the world, like Lord Doom. He had heard of the recent appearance of Aurora, and the idea of working as a superhero intrigued him. By using his skills to combat evil and injustice -- a never-ending battle -- he’d be sure to never be idle and thus not allow the madness to overtake him. He worked for a while as a crime fighter in Germany, using teleportation devices to get nearly anywhere he needed. Sometimes he’d go into a situation with nothing more than his armored labcoat, trusting in his inherent genius to be able to turn whatever items he found at the scene of the crime into some gadget that could be used to stop the villains. In between “jobs,” he sold some of his theoretical notes and designs to various tech firms, and wisely invested the money to form a sizeable nest egg. Apparently, the German government -- or someone in a position of influence -- was impressed by Archeville’s works, and recommended him for membership in the Global Guardians. When he was approached, he jumped at the chance. [b]Personality/Motivation[/b]: Archeville is trying to redeem his family name and keep himself busy with important, useful work. As long as he’s busy in superheroics or working on some gadget that can help himself or his teammates, he’s fine. If he goes for about a week without something to do, he becomes noticeably edgy and paranoid, and will often throw himself into some project that no one can identify the reason behind. Over the past three months or so, though, Archeville has noticed that his madness has been starting to manifest even if he’s in the midst of something truly noble and heroic. After having fought it for so many years, Archeville is trying something new -- controlled outbursts. Like rangers starting brushfires to retard the spread of a raging forest fire, or slowly opening a shaken-up bottle of soda so that the contents don’t explode outwards, Archeville occasionally lets his madness have free reign. He’ll laugh maniacally at times, becomes somewhat absent-minded, gets readily annoyed by incompetent people, becomes somewhat arrogant and overconfident, speaks with an exaggerated German accent, and will spends several Phases describing exactly how his latest invention will aid his allies/bring ruin to his opponents. Even at his worst, though, he’ll never use his inventions to kill, or even permanently harm a foe. Archeville enjoys a professional rivalry with other high technologists, including Doc Tomorrow. He’d love to match wits with the Fool someday, though a part of him is concerned that if he were to do so, his own madness might take over completely and he’ll become as much a threat as the Fool. Archeville loathes magic, as it cannot be reliably controlled or scientifically analyzed, and due to the possibility that his lineage’s madness is the result of a mystical hex. He’ll work with mage and witches if he absolutely must, but he’ll grumble the whole way through. [b]Quote[/b]: “Let’s see you laugh at meine theories vile you rot in jail, [i]schweinehund[/i]!” [b]Powers/Tactics[/b]: Archeville’s metagene-enhanced intellect makes him a master of a variety of scholarly and scientific fields, from acoustics to zoology, and to quickly grasp the meanings of most languages (his four Universal Talents). His work stands far ahead of the efforts of most other researchers, allowing him to produce gadgets, machines, and computers more advanced than any in the real world, and in some cases more advanced than even cutting-edge technologies seen in the Global Guardians world (hence the Advanced Technology perk). When he embarks on a mission, he always has a number of completed tools on hand that could prove useful, including a Jaffe energy pack (his Kraftwerk, or “power plant”) to power them. He’s interwoven his nigh-ubiquitous lab coat with various metallic and polymer threads that diffuse incoming energy, including kinetic energy, and he wears an antigravity belt that enables him to fly. Archeville is also skilled at using mundane items to produce highly effective gadgets and gear. Using baling wire, duct tape, circuit boards, and a TV, he could produce a laser rifle, a hologram projector, or some other gadget. With access to a standard janitorial closet, he could create potent corrosives and various types of bombs. If he has sufficient raw materials on hand, he can produce nearly any kind of technological gadget. These items last for a short time before their jury-rigged construction fails (the TV he uses to project an illusion burns out from the strain placed on it, or the crude laser pistol’s barrel melts). [b]Appearance[/b]: Archeville’s strong Aryan features would’ve made him a prize nab for the Nazi Party, had he been born forty years earlier. His alabaster skin, thin and imperial nose and lips, and cheeks cut of marble make for a regal face. His eyes are Rhine-blue & carry the wolf’s glare, and his hair is silky and golden, falling down past his shoulders. Archeville usually wears sturdy black rubber-soled boots, black or dark blue khaki pants, a short-sleeved shirt (usually solid red, blue, green, or purple), and his white lab coat. Since he is trying to release his madness in controlled bursts, specifically so it won’t overtake him, Archeville does look after his appearance, wearing clean clothes and keeping his hair neat and tidy. He stands 5’10” (1.78 meters) and weighs 180 pounds (81.65 kg). [b]Dr. Viktor Archeville, v1[/b] [b]Val Char Cost Roll Notes[/b] 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1] 15 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 10 CON 0 11- 10 BODY 0 11- 35 INT 25 16- PER: Roll 16- 21 EGO 22 13- ECV: 7 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 (~14) 16 COM 3 12- 2 PD 0 Total: 14 PD (12 rPD) 2 ED 0 Total: 14 ED (12 rED) 3 SPD 5 Phases: 4, 8, 12 4 REC 0 20 END 0 20 STUN 0 [b]Total Characteristics Cost[/b]: 80 Movement: Running: 6”/12” Flight 15”/30” [b]Cost Powers END[/b] 73 [b][i]Scientific Genius[/i][/b]: Variable Power Pool (Gadgets Pool), 60 base + 30 control cost; Focus (all powers bought through VPP must have at least -½ worth of this Limitation; -½), Can Only Be Changed In Archeville’s Laboratory (-½), Adding Powers to the VPP Requires an Inventor Skill Roll (-¼) var 38 [b][i]Spontaneous Inventor[/i][/b]: Variable Power Pool (Gadgets Pool), 30 base + 15 control cost; Charges (all powers bought through VPP must have at least -0 worth of this Limitation; -0), Focus (all powers bought through VPP must have at least -½ worth of this Limitation; -½), OIF (appropriate objects of opportunity; -½) 0 18 [b][i]Armored Labcoat[/i][/b]: Armor (12 PD/12 ED) (36 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-½), OIF (-½) 0 20 [b][i]Gravitimetric Belt[/i][/b]: Flight 15”; OIF (-½) 3 27 [b][i]Kraftwerk[/i][/b]: Endurance Reserve (200 END, 20 REC); OIF (-½) 0 [b]Perks[/b] 15 Advanced Technology 4 Money: Well Off ($400,000/year) [b]Talents[/b] 16 [i]Amazing Intellect I[/i]: Universal Scholar 16- (Not with Knowledge skills pertaining primarily to magic; -¼) 20 [i]Amazing Intellect II[/i]: Universal Scientist 16- 20 [i]Amazing Intellect III[/i]: Universal Tradesman 16- 3 [i]Analytical Mind I[/i]: Absolute Range Sense 3 [i]Analytical Mind II[/i]: Absolute Time Sense 3 [i]Analytical Mind III[/i]: Bump of Direction 5 [i]Analytical Mind IV[/i]: Eidetic Memory 3 [i]Analytical Mind V[/i]: Lightning Calculator 3 [i]Analytical Mind VI[/i]: Perfect Pitch 6 [i]Analytical Mind VII[/i]: Speed Read (x100) 20 [i]Analytical Mind VII[/i]: Universal Translator 16- [b]Skills[/b] 20 +2 Overall 10 +2 with all Intellect Skills 3 Analyze Technology 16- 3 Computer Programming 16- 3 Cryptography 16- 3 Demolitions 16- 3 Electronics 16- Everyman Skills (Cost: 1 points) 0 1) Acting 8- 0 2) Area Knowledge: Germany 11- 0 3) Climbing 8- 0 4) Concealment 8- 0 5) Conversation 8- 0 6) Deduction 8- 0 7) Language Skill: German (idiomatic) (4 Active Points) 0 8) Persuasion 8- 0 9) PS: Scientist 11- 0 10) Shadowing 8- 0 11) Stealth 8- 1 12) Transport Familiarity: Custom Adder (?), Small Ground Vehicles 3 Forensic Medicine 16- Global Guardians Package (Total Cost: 0 Points) 5 1) Fringe Benefit: International Police Powers 3 2) Criminology 16- 3 3) Deduction 16- 3 4) Paramedics 16- 8 5) Team Base Donation 28 6) Team Communicator -20 7) Hunted by Tarot 8- -20 8) Monitored by All the World’s News Agencies 11- -10 9) Social Limitation: Celebrity 9 Inventor 19- 3 Linguist (Total Cost: 23 points) 2 1) Arabic (completely fluent) 2 2) Bengali (completely fluent) 2 3) English (completely fluent) 2 4) French (completely fluent) 2 5) Hindi/Urdu (completely fluent) 2 6) Malay-Indonesian (completely fluent) 2 7) Mandarin Chinese (completely fluent) 2 8) Portuguese (completely fluent) 2 9) Russian (completely fluent) 2 10) Spanish (completely fluent) 3 Mechanics 16- 5 Navigation (Air, Land, Marine, Space) 16- 7 Power: Gadgeteering 18- 3 Scholar (Total Cost: 9 points) 3 1) KS: Known Superhuman Criminals 17- 3 2) KS: Research Methods 17- Scientist Package (Total Cost: -14 Points) 1 1) Fringe Benefit: Doctorate in Mathematics 2 2) PS: Academic Researcher 11- 3 3) PS: Inventor 16- -10 4) Social Limitation (Occupation: Scientist) -10 5) Social Limitation (Publish or Perish) 3 Scientist (Total Cost: 19 Points) 2 1) SS: Biology 16- 2 2) SS: Chemistry 16- 2 3) SS: Civil Engineering 16- 2 4) SS: Gravitics 16- 2 5)SS: Materials Science 16- 6 6) SS: Mathematics 20- 2 7) SS: Physics 16- 2 8) SS: Robotics 16- 2 9) SS: Structural Engineering 16- 3 Security Systems 16- 3 Systems Operation 16- 9 Weaponsmith (all categories) 16- [b]Disadvantages[/b] 10 Distinctive Features: Overwhelming Aura of Mad Science (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 DNPC: Heinrich Archeville (father) 8- (Normal) 15 Psychological Limitation: Cannot Resist Tinkering with Machines (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Killing (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Dislikes Magic (Common, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Proud of Himself (Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Scientific Curiosity (Common, Strong) 1 Quirk: Dislikes unnecessary physical labor. 1 Quirk: Hates Country & Western Music. 1 Quirk: Never carries cash or spare change. 1 Quirk: Often gives his inventions German names. 1 Quirk: Stereotypical German Tastes - loves Beer, Chocolate, and Sausage. 5 Reputation: From a Family of Lunatics (Extreme, Known Only to Inhabitants of the Black Forest) 8- 5 Rivalry: Professional Rivalry With Other High Technologists 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Dr. Viktor Archeville) (Frequently, Major) 15 Social Limitation: Walking, Talking Stereotype (Mad Scientist) (Very Frequently, Minor) 10 Vulnerability: 2x Effect from Magic (Uncommon) 6 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 150 Characteristics Cost: 080 Base Points: 350 Powers Cost: 174 Points from Disadvantages: 150 Perks: 019 Talents: 102 Skills Cost: 123 Experience Spent: 0 Total Cost: 506 Total Points: 500 [b]EXAMPLE POWERS FOR SCIENTIFIC GENIUS POWER POOL (60 Points)[/b] [b][i]The Angstigator[/i][/b]: This bizarre ray-gun fires a beam of specifically modulated sonic waves that sound not unlike a Kurt Cobain/Nirvana riff. Targets struck are filled with feelings of anxiety, apprehension, and insecurity. Most targets tend to fall into a deep depression and give up once affected, mired in feelings of existential loss. A few, though, become enraged. Mind Control 9d6, Telepathic (+¼) (56 Active Points); OAF (-1), Subject to Range Modifier (-¼), Set Effect (Only to Inflict Angst; -1). Total Cost: 17 points. [b][i]Bio-Enhancer[/i][/b]: This device takes the form of a large table with numerous energy projectors surrounding it, and a computer console on one side. Subjects lying on the table are showered with energy, artificially stimulating a body’s natural healing processes to its ultimate extent. This boosts metabolic rates and cell reproduction, effecting faster healing. Simplified Healing 5d6, Can Heal Limbs (55 Active Points); OAF Immobile (-2). Total Cost: 18 points. [b][i]Blink-Box, v1[/i][/b]: This device clips onto Archeville’s gravitic belt. It allows him to warp the gravitational attraction between his own molecules, thus allowing him to become intangible for microseconds at a time. Though the effect does not last long enough to allow him to travel through walls, it does allow him to reflexively render himself intangible long enough for many attacks to bypass him. +6 DCV (30 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½), OIF (-½), Ineffective vs. Attacks that can Affect Desolidified (-¼). Total cost: 13 points. [b][i]Cerebral Enhancer[/i][/b]: Sometimes, even Archeville’s amazing intellect can use a boost. With this circuitry-lined headband, he can get that boost (an average of +10 to INT). Aid INT 3d6, Delayed Return Rate (5 points per hour, +1) (60 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total Cost: 40 points. [b][i]Data Grabber[/i][/b]: This device, which resembled a typical PDA, can read a computer’s total memory in microseconds. Detect Data In A Computer (INT Roll [15- for Archeville]) (Radio Group), Discriminatory, Rapid (x10,000,000,000) (40 Active Points); OAF (-1). Total Cost: 20 points. [b][i]Decerebrator[/i][/b]: This large pistol fires a thin beam of energy that scrambles a target’s neurons, specifically the ones in their brainstem. The affected targets temporarily goes blind, deaf, and loses all other sensory abilities, and loses voluntary motor control. Repeated exposures to the beam can cause a person to become limp and unresponsive. Flash (Sight Group, Hearing Group, Touch Group, Smell/Taste Group) 2d6 (Active Cost: 25 points); OAF (-1). (total cost: 12 points) plus Drain DEX 2d6, Ranged (+½) (Active Cost: 30 points); OAF (-1), Linked (-½) (total cost: 12 points). Total Cost: 24 points. [b][i]Dimensional Transporter[/i][/b]: This module, which takes the form of a large add-on to his gravimetric belt, allows Archeville to move from one point to another without crossing the physical space in between. Teleportation 10”, x4 Noncombat Movement (25 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total Cost: 17 points. [b][i]Expand-o-Bots[/i][/b]: One of Archeville’s more ingenious devices is this set of ultra-miniaturized robots. Initially, they look nothing more than a set of action figures. Upon activation, they grow into human-sized robots (the growing process takes a fraction of a second), programmed to obey Archeville’s every command. (Well, most of them -- programming glitches occasionally surface.) Archeville typically carries four Expand-o-Bots with him into battle. Often, Archeville will design his Expand-o-Bot to resemble some known superhero (and so when it’s in it’s inactive shrunken form, it truly does appear to be a commercial action figure), but sometimes he’ll make it look like a more idealized version of himself. A typical Expand-o-Bot has stats identical to that of the proto-robots Mechanon “summons,” as seen in the free .pdf file seen on the HERO Games website. Summon one 150-point Robot, Expanded Class (minor robots; +¼), Devoted (+¾) (60 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), Extra Time (Full Phase; -½), OIF (-½). Total cost: 20 points. [b][i]Force Barrier Generator[/i][/b]: This device, a green metallic cube 5 inches per side, can be used to generate a powerful protective force screen. Archeville can alter the shape of the field to be a straight line, a ring, a square, or whatever. Force Wall (8 PD/8 ED; 3” long and 2” high) (46 Active Pints); OAF (-1). Total Cost: 23 points. [b][i]Krake Harness, v1[/i][/b]: Archeville often finds he needs an extra arm or two to help him in his experiments. This stainless-steel waist-harness gives him those arms. The four prehensile, electrically-powered titanium-niobium tentacles are attached to a stainless steel waist harness, which has an inner lining of lamb’s wool (for comfort). Each tentacle is five inches in diameter, approximately two feet long at full contraction, and can extend to a maximum of six feet. Each tentacle ends in three single-jointed pincers, which are able to rotate in relation to he arm 360 degrees in a screwdriver-like twisting motion. Each tentacle segment contains four high-efficiency electric motors equipped with a clutched, helical-gear train, independently mounted on frictionless gimbals and housed in four thing, overlapping layers of titanium-niobium steel. Electrical power is provided via Archeville‘s Kraftwerk. Krake is German for “squid.” Extra Limbs (4) (5 Active Points); OIF (-½) (total cost: 3 points) plus +40 STR (40 Active Points); OIF (-½), No Figured Characteristics (-½), Only With Extra Limbs (-½) (total cost: 16 points). Total cost: 19 points. [b][i]Personal Omnishield Generator[/i][/b]: A device that can be added to Archeville’s gravimetric belt and provide added protection. Force Field (10 PD/10 ED/5 Mental Defense/5 Power Defense) (30 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total Cost: 20 points. [b][i]Synaptic Interference Generator[/i][/b]: This pistol can cause severe disruption in a target’s synapses, causing weakness, vertigo, and slowed reaction time. Drain Strength 1d6, Ranged (+½) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1) (total cost: 8 points) plus Drain Dexterity 1d6, Ranged (+½) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Linked to Drain (-½) (total cost: 6 points) plus Drain Speed 1d6, Ranged (+½) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Linked to Drain (-½) (total cost: 6 points). Total cost: 20 points. [b][i]Theme Music (Leitmotif)[/i][/b]: Occasionally, Archeville will bring a special iPod into battle with him, re-wired to broadcast the music selections out rather than pipe them through a set of headphones. The combination of the rousing music, plus subtle subsonic alterations he’s made to his music recordings, allow him to more easily intimidate or persuade others. He usually blasts Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries, but has been know to play songs by Marvin Gay or Barry White. +60 PRE (60 Active Points); Limited (Hearing Group Flash Defense applies, and ineffective against deaf targets; -1), Only for Presence Attacks (-½), OIF (-½). Total Cost: 20 points. [b][i]Thermoptic Camouflage[/i][/b]: Inspired by various Japanese developments (both in the military and in certain anime movies/series), this device allows Archeville to become invisible to both normal vision and infrared perception. The device looks something like a hooded trenchcoat. Invisibility to Sight Group and to Infrared Perception, No Fringe (30 Active Points); IAF (-½). Total Cost: 20 points. [b][i]Tractor Beam[/i][/b]: This gauntlet, made of alternating bands of gray and blue metal and sized and shaped for Archeville’s right hand, uses gravitic manipulation to move objects (up to 400 kg) at a distance. Telekinesis (20 STR) (30 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total Points: 20 points. [b][i]Vari-Pistol[/i][/b]: This decidedly ultra-tech weapon can be used to fire a wide variety of low-level energy beams, allowing Archeville to best take advantage of a foe’s vulnerabilities. He can alter not only the types of energy it fires, but also practically any aspect of it’s function, setting it to a wide-angle setting (Area of Effect), making it NND to bypass a foe’s known defenses, and so on. EB 2d6, Variable Advantage (+1 Advantages; +2), Variable Special Effects (+½) (35 Active Points); OAF (-1). Total Cost: 18 points. Comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome -- it's the only way I'll learn

Re: [Review] Gadgets & Gear Given that I'm a relative n00b to HERO (only ever played 5th Ed., and not much of it at that), these two reason are exactly why this book, and the UNTIL Superpowers Databases, are some of my favorite HERO books. (I'm also very fond of any book with lots of pre-made characters, since seeing pre-made characters helps me with How Things Work.

Re: WWYCD: We hope you're feeling better now Dr. Archeville -- who comes from a long line of crazy people, so his "mad scientist" act isn't entirely an act -- would initially fear that he had indeed gone completely mad, or may have even been mad for some time, something he is very concerned about. So, at first, he would actually & sincerely go along with the staff. However, he would eventually -- with his INT of 35 and numerous Knowledge skills -- realize things don't quite add up. First, he'd wonder if it was all a dream/nightmare. Then, he'd wonder if it was some elaborate "gas lamping," someone trying to brainwash him for some reason. Next, he'd try and see if he's in some sort of parallel reality, and if so, how he got there and how he can get back. Dead Head -- who'd been in and out of numerous clinics for treatments for his persistent headaches before he died & was resurrected by Lovecraftian Entities -- would also fear that "it was all a delusion," and what they say is true. He'd then try to channel a spirit (and hope that he doesn't get the spirit of a crazy person), and/or injure himself (to see if there's any blood or pain or if the wound regenerates). If either or both of those work, he'd know something's not quite right and work to get out; if neither works, he'd go along with the docs.

Re: Doctor, Doctor! The character I prefer using in superhero games, Dr. Archeville, does not actually hold any doctorate degrees, but does have two Master's. (Like most comic super-genius polymaths, he's intelligent & skilled enough to earn several doctorates, just never takes the time to actually go through the paperwork to get them.)

Re: Your characters, favorite by Archetype Dr. Archeville, my character in Jack Butler's Global Guardians game, is a Gadgeteer, and loads of fun to play. (I still play a version of him in an online Mutants & Masterminds game.) I did do a write-up for an "alternate" version of him who was a Power Armor type (though with enough options to be a veritable Gadgetter), but never got to actually use him. If anything happened to Archeville, I'd had a plan to "resurrect" him as a Brick -- transferring his mind into a robotic body, but the transfer would go... poorly-- but the opportunity never arose for that. Dead Head is... well, he sorta fits Brick and Martial Artist and Mentalist and Mystic slots. My original version of him was a college student who, after dying and being reanimated (by Lovecraftian Entities) found he could channel the spirits of the dead and necromantic energies -- his powers were very similar to Dr. Teneber from Arcane Adversaries. A second version played more to the "channel spirits" and less on the "necromancy" aspect, and that version could channel the spirits of the dead to gain their abilities (mimicking the skills, talents, and skill-based powers of the dead -- one minute he could be a genius like Einstein or Tesla, the next a fighter of Bruce Lee's caliber).

Re: Marvel/Dc Writeups Not bad! Doc Doom should have more KS's and SS's, though. About as many as Dr. Destroyer, really (Destroyer's a fairly obvious Doom homage/rip, depending on how you view such things ) Hrm, no Limit of Disadvantgage on Cyclops reflecting the fact that, without his Visor, his Optic Blasts are uncontrollable/always on? IIRC, there's a suggested way to do just that in a sidebar on the Champions Superpowered Roleplaying book.

Nicolas Cage & his wife Alice had a son recently, and announced this morning that he is named Kal-El Coppola Cage. Kal-El is the Kryptonian birth name of Superman, and Cage is a big comic book geek; Nicolas Cage is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola. At least Kal-El sounds like a vaguely Middle Eastern/Hebrew name; "El" is in fact a Semitic word for "god" or "God" (Ariel = Lion of God; Daniel = God is my Judge; Elijah = My God is YHWH; Elisha = God is Help; Elizabeth = My God is an Oath; Emmanuel = God is with Us; Gabriel = Strong Man of God; Ishmael = God will Hear; Joel = YHWH is God; Michael = Who is like God?; Raphael = God has Healed; Uriel = God is my Light; Uzziel = My Power is God; this is why, some people say, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster [the two Jewish men who created Superman] chose El as Superman's family name). Jason Lee's son -- Pilot Inspektor Lee -- doesn't really have that luxury.

Re: New JLU Tonight No new eps tonight. According to tv.com and a few other sites, no new eps 'till January 1st (odd, since Jan 1st is a Sunday).

Re: WWYCD: The Basics Dead Head -- would likely cause the woman to run away screaming. Regardless of whether she runs or stay, he'd just look at the cat, and it'd likely leap down and run away (PRE 30, COM 4, Distinctive Features: Walking Corpse). Doktor Archeville -- would kit-bash a tractor beam using objects found in the old woman's house, then offer to either genetically alter the tree so it exuded a layer of grease-like substance from it's bark, or alter the cat so it either had no claws or no climbing instincts.

Re: So what if it costs an arm and a leg? So, how long 'till we get Lizard-Mice swarming New York?