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Ura-Maru

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About Ura-Maru

  • Birthday 12/20/1974

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    Ura Maru Zero

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  1. Re: Greatest Post-Apoc Film of All Time Blood of Heroes, AKA Wrath of the Jugger A late 80's post apoc SPORTS MOVIE, where neither of the two leads speaks english as their native language. Should have been the worst movie ever. Though, come to think of it, most sports movies could be signifigantly improved by burning half the cast to ash in the crucible of atomic flame, and then having most of the rest devoured by skin-eating mutants. Anyway, it's actually good. Much less cartoony than most 80's SF. No assless leather pants, Ayatollahs of Rock and Roll-a, or super-mutants. Just subsistance farmers, starving prostitutes, and the occasional subteranian city. A lot like the first half of the Fallout games, before they got all powered armor and super-mutants. And, as far as I know, it's the only movie in which Joan Chen bites a guys ear off. --- "This is stupid. We should be @#$!!ing and drinking by now." Geek bonus: Rutger Hauer's character in this movie was the basis for the character design of Guts, from Berserk. Geek bonus 2: It's got an alternate, 'dark' ending! Everyone loves those, right?
  2. Re: Need a McGuffin Name Well, the basic formula is The X of Y, but Y's X is also popular. The XY or ZY are also common. Y is a proper noun. Z is a noun. Z is usually just a simple adjective. Popular Ys include: God, a god (such as Thragg, God of Smiting), the gods (timeshared, perhaps), a long dead wizard or hero (there are enough bits of Vecna floating around to make four or five Vecnas, and some of them you really don't want to touch), Dragon/Dragons (required by law to be included in every fantasy product. Otherwise, we'd have to make up our own stuff, and that would be absurd), an animal or monster (Wolves and Beholders are good, Sloths or Osquips, not so much), The Ancients (Usually from a long dead empire that, with tiresome irony, destroyed itself with it's own power), Man (Woman or Humanity work too, but sound less biblical), a country or people (preferably a big and/or ancient one. Not Rhode Island or New Jersey), The Stars (make sure the object in question isn't 'Battle of') A specific star or planet (Preferably one with it's own name. The Anvil of Wolf238 isn't going to impress anyone), An abstract concept (Truth, Freedom, or Justice are good, Deliciousness or Biological Arousal are not)The Uni/Multiverse/Cosmos/Ultimate (If you're really out of ideas). Y's can be almost anything. Weapons (usually swords, though knives, arrows, spears, bullets, rocks) and geometric shapes (pyramids or spheres. Dodecahedrons are less common) are good. Common household items, like needles, pens, or moue pads, are popular as well (especially if you haven't reached your 'predictable irony' quota). Craft or farming tools work well. Jewelry is good, as long as it's not worn on a part of the body that's not shown in polite company. Some clothing is acceptable (coats, cloaks, or gloves are ok, shirts are pushing it, garters are right out). Incantation, Formula, or Code are all well-precedented. Body parts are popular, but I can't stress enough that you have to choose a thematically appropriate one. Eyes, hands, heads, hearts, and blood are all good. Brains are acceptable. Gall bladders (any kind of bladder, actually) spleens, and knees all lack dramatic imagery. Genetialia and hymens, despite their iconic appeal, are not a good choice, as they tend to result in giggles and/or creepiness. Best replaced with some blisteringly obvious symbolic replacement, such as swords, rings, or 'seals' (the kind you break, not the kind that balance balls on their noses or the kind that use combat knives) Z's should only be used with caution. Colors are good (primary and secondary only. Stay away from the periwinkles and fucias). Time or number-related adjectives are usually safe, too, (First, Threefold, Seventh, 1000 Year Old, Ancient) though mathematical formula are not. --- Once you've gotten it set up, do yourself a favor. Say it out loud, in a dramatic voice. This can let you weed out problems, such as The Ring of Uranus, the Universal Hoe, the Seal of Sea Lions, the Blue Jacket, or the Emancipation Incantation.
  3. Re: Your Favorite Fantasy Weapon? Hey, they show up in Nethack, they can legally be described as fantasy. --- +3 to hit, and d10 damage! I am become the Healer of death!
  4. Re: Your Favorite Fantasy Weapon? By the way . . . I don't know if I mentioned this . . . but . . . "I WILL KILL HIM!!" --- Oh, wait. The other thing.
  5. Re: Your Favorite Fantasy Weapon? More importantly, it's also the best weapon in Nethack. Double damage, AND it's made of silver. And halucination resistance. And Archeologists can specialize in it. What more could you reasonably want? --- "Ulch, that meat was tainted!"
  6. Re: Recommended Power Levels.... That’s more or less the ‘standard’ setup that most of the supplements assume. The Champions writups fit there. Be warned that that’ll result in almost entirely two-hit heroes. (That is, they can take two hits before being knocked out) Actually, as a lot of the villains, even the weaker ones, have 14d6 attacks, many are in actually 1.5 hit heroes (Stunned after hit one, then knocked out) That’s not a problem, but you should be aware of it, especially if you have several old-timers. I personally prefer defenses to average around 24 or 25, up to 30 or 32 for bricks, but lower def games are certainly playable. --- Oh, and haymaker works a bit different now. Now it’s just +4DC, but can be used with almost any power. If a man made completely of titanium could weep, he would be.
  7. Re: Speedster Tactics The standard Martial Artist Swat works well for bricks. Pick up a big, hex sized rock, and just hold onto it. After he attacks squoosh him with it. He won’t be able to dive for cover until the NEXT phase. It’ll hurt, but taking the pain is what being a brick is all about. For energy projectors and gageteers, it’s tough if you’re short on AOE (or mental) attacks. Depending on how your GM rules with regards to Move Bys or Move Throughs, just staying in a corner might be a huge help. He’s not going to do the 18d6 Move Through on you if he knows he’s going to take it too, and a LOT of speedsters buy Flight with limitations instead of Running. Turn Mode is a harsh misteress. The ‘trick him into grab-bying a focus that’s rigged to explode’ is always fun, too, but requires either preparation or good Demolitions and Slight Of Hand rolls. What are the odds of a gageteer having those skills? Pretty darn good, I would think. --- “Since you don’t know where the girl is, you can’t use the Mega-Smasher!â€
  8. Re: So I found this site I haven't seen before...many Champs write-ups! Dammit, where the hell is that theme from? It's brain-scrapingly familiar, but I can't place it. Robotech? Voltron, maybe? --- "Long live . . . CULTURE!!"
  9. Re: Marvel/DC Pictures Spider Monkey painted it on there when he wasn't looking. Just to @#$! with him.
  10. Re: Marvel/DC Pictures Not necessarily. He could be standing on the Maine. --- Who the hell mounts a gun on their forehead?
  11. Re: Two-Weapon Fighting Two Weapon Fighting episode 1: Simple is Best 13 (20) Hot Two Fisted Action 4 HTH Skill Levels, OIF: Off Hand Weapon of Opportunity (-1/2) A bit abstract, but it can blunt the Sweep penalty if you want to attack two different targets, up your DCV for off hand blocks, up your OCV for ‘swarm of attacks’ mode, and up your damage for the ‘double strike.’ Advantages: Easy. Disadvantages: Easy. Two Weapon Fighting episode 2: Kind of simple is good too. 11 (20) Off Hand Attacks 2 points Spd, OIF: Off Hand Weapon of Opportunity (-1/2) Only to Attack or Block with weapon in off hand, or start a Haymaker (-1/4) In this case, a “Haymaker†is a double weapon strike. Advantages: Easy, gives you the ‘Block with my left hand and stab with my right!’ effect. Disadvantages: There’s no difference between 1 and two weapons until halfway through the first full turn, by which time, combat may be over. Unless your base speed is 4, of course. Two Weapon Fighting episode 3: Martial Arts Are Cool 5 Off Hand Defending +1 OCV, +3 DCV, Weapon Damage 5 Double Strike +1 OCV, -2 DCV, Weapon Damage +4 DC 4 Double Block +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block 4 Two Fisted Action! +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Weapon Damage+2 DC, Must Follow Block Advantages: Great . . . if the character doesn’t otherwise have martial arts. Disadvantages: Otherwise, it’s hugely point inefficient and there’s almost no distinction between one weapon and two. (I did have some ‘two handed only!’ martial arts maneuvers somewhere that I was playing with, but I wasn’t able to balance them to my taste before I lost interest . . .) Two Weapon Fighting episode 4: There’s No Problem in Hero That Can’t Be Solved With A Multipower 25 (40) Two Weapon Fighting Multipower, OIF: Any Bladed Weapon (-1/2), OAF: Any Two Bladed Weapons on top ten points 2u (30)One Sword 1d6+1 HKA, No End (+1/2), OIF: Any Bladed Weapon 1u (10)Like An Ant Trying To Fight God +2 HTH Levels, OAF: Two Bladed Weapons (-1) 2u (40)Multiple Targets 1d6 +1 HKA, AOE One Hex Doubled, Selective (+1), x2 End (-1/2), Max Two Targets (-1/4), OAF: Two Bladed Weapons (-1) 3u (40)Double Strike! 2 1/2 d6 HKA, Reduced Penetration (-1/4) , OAF: Two Bladed Weapons (-1) Advantages: Good for superheroic games, where you don’t change gear much and no one objects to multipowers. Disadvantages: ‘Default’ setting only works for base HKAs or Clubs (depending whether you buy it with HKAs or HAs.) Focus limitation is unnecessarily verbose. Also, skill levels in Multipowers are an abomination in the eyes of God and Man. Two Weapon Fighting 5: The Revenge of the Martial Arts 3 Two Targets +1 OCV, +0 DCV, Weapon Damage + 2 DC 5 Sacrifice Strike +1 OCV, -2 DCV, Weapon Damage +4 DC 29 (50) Advantages on 'Two Targets' Maneuver AOE One Hex Doubled, Selective (+1), Max Two Targets (-1/4), OIF: Second Weapon Focus (-1/2) 8 (20) Double Strike +20 points STR, OIF: Second Weapon Focus (-1/2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4), No Figured (-1/2) Only With Sacrifice Strike (-0) The ‘base’ MA cost assumes a 15 STR, a 1d6+1 sword, and no extra DCs. May increase if stronger. Not all prices go up, some go down. You can use Deadly Blow or just buy up your HKA instead of buying STR for the ‘double strike’ just as easily, but I’m too lazy to find Dark Champions Advantages: You can easily add other martial arts maneuvers, and MAs already allow various types of weapons to be used without buying separate slots for each one. Disadvantages: Expensive, Stop Power, Must Buy UMA and deal with complicated ‘advantages on MA’ rules. Huge Active Point cost. Two Weapon Fighting 6: I Hate Autofire Use whatever method you like to add Autofire 2 to your attacks. I’m not going to write up any examples, because Autofire burned down my village when I was a child. --- “A kid like you isn’t up to fighting a guy who does it two handed. Like an ant trying to fight God.â€
  12. Re: Make them Pay! In other words, if we treat ‘pay for equipment’ the same way that it’s treated in superheroic games, and not exaggerate it into ‘you must pay for everything before you can touch it.’ That is NOT how equipment/misc. stuff is handled in any superheroic game I’ve been in or seen, nor how it is described in any of the Hero books I am aware of. It’s not ‘necessary,’ but I do think it’s a useful way to keep ‘stuff’ in it’s proper place, and makes the rest of the game work better. Sure they can. But there’s less motive for them to do so, as money’s less important when you don’t buy equipment with it. So it becomes mostly a roleplaying issue, like most other motivations. So, actually, I do think there’s a significant difference. Actually, I agree with you, to a point. I’m not a fan of the ‘any wrongdoing will result in GM smackdown’ school, as it effectively takes morality out of the game, because what’s ‘right’ is always what’s best for the characters, in both the short and long run, and that makes characters and stories less interesting. However, looting is MUCH ‘better’, from the players point of view, than most other types of bad behavior, especially when tasty magic items are available, because it offers an immediate and significant boost in character power. I don’t consider ‘get better stuff to make myself more powerful’ a very interesting or cool character motivation, so I don’t like the idea of ‘rewarding’ it by making it have a much greater impact on character ability than say, desire for political power, or ‘proving myself worthy of my family’s name,’ or skirt-chasing. Nor is it a common motivation in genre fiction, which is why I called it a genre kill. Admittedly, a bit of an exaggeration. . . . than to respond to Marcdoc’s post #24, that looting and acquiring stuff by force was historically sometimes considered acceptable. Which I certainly wouldn’t argue. But I often do argue that real history isn’t always the best model for genre fiction, and by extension, rpgs. Guilty. You’ve never wasted half a session because one player was insisting on doing his shopping during game time? You must have had better GMs than I have, even the best of them get caught in that one once in a while. I actually have three (related) problems with long, detailed equipment lists. (And I did say ‘two-page’ equipment lists, for the record) First, they encourage players to concentrate on ‘stuff.’ Second, they encourage GMs to create scenarios where the stuff in question is important, which moves the game focus onto said stuff. Both of these are usually anti-genre, in the sense that very few generes spend more than a token amount of time on what the heroes have in their saddlebags. (Gritty westerns and Tom Clancy techno-porn excepted) Third, they reward player knowledge, not character knowledge. I shouldn’t need to know the names of all the bits of camping gear to make full use of my characters 14- Survival skill, and my woodsman character shouldn’t be made to look like a total *** because his city-boy player didn’t think to buy matches before leaving town. Equipment can have plot hooks, of course, the two most common being ‘you’re trapped in x without your x gear! You must kill an animal with your bare hands, or starve!’ and ‘critical piece of equipment y has broken! You MUST find a replacement, or improvise!’ For those cases, though, a single line saying ‘battered camping equipment’ works just as well as a page and a half listing every sleeping mat and tin cup. Thus, ‘don’t sweat the small stuff,’ which was the point I was trying to make there. I’ll take that under advisement. Points are used to measure effectiveness as well as ‘character growth.’ I believe that’s what the ‘focus’ limitation is for. Equipment-heavy characters get a large price-break already in superheroic games. And not doing it disproportionately punishes characters that don’t wear heavy armor all the time and use a giant swiss army knife of various weapons. Being a master swordsman, a powerful noble, or a werewolf are ultra-common tropes of the genre, too, but you still have to pay for them. I think you’re massively overstating both how obvious, how ridiculous, how stupid, and how fourth-wall breaking these ‘problems’ are, nor am I convinced that paying for equipment any more ‘arbitrary-meta gaming’ than giving all the players the same amount of starting points to begin with. Specifically, I think the ‘can’t climb the rope’ and ‘can’t touch the dagger’ examples are straw men. Ah, yes, actually. That was more or less what I was saying, despite your tone. Pay for your significant ‘standard’ equipment, use found, scavenged, or bought for the occasion equipment as appropriate, and don’t be too anal about random, noncombat stuff like ropes, sleeping bags, and candles. You seem as contemptuous of the fact that I’m not insisting on paying for sleeping bags as much as the suggestion of paying for important stuff, like weapons. Why? I know it’s not totally consistent, I said as much in my first post. But I think it works better than either extreme. --- “Just when I thought I was out . . . they pull me back in.â€
  13. Re: Make them Pay! Could we stop using things like ‘I can’t climb that rope!’ and ‘I can’t pick up this dagger, despite the fact I’m currently being eviscerated!’ as examples of why superheroic-style equipment won’t work? That’s not how superheroic equipment works. And I’m fairly certain that we all know that’s not how it works. Superheroic equipment is basically a deal the players make, ‘If I want to keep this gun/fake Cap shield/plot device,’ I’m going to have to pay for it eventually.’ Neither system is perfect, in this respect. Heroic encourages D&D style looting, (Wresting a magic sword from a demon knight is one thing, taking 2d4 copper from the pouch of each dead bandit is another) which is not considered heroic, whatever historical president there may be. There’s considerable historical precedent for recognizing marriages based off of killing your new wife’s current husband and children and dragging her back home, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable in a tabletop setting (at least, I hope not . . . ) Worse, it encourages item collection, hoarding, and two-page long equipment lists, which is a genre kill in almost any game. A characters success or failure shouldn’t depend on whether or not he brought enough Iron Spikes. (And yes, I do remember the rope thing from LotR) It also means characters who aren’t based on equipment have a much harder time, unless the rest of the rules are changed to help them out. Superheroic does have the ‘leave good stuff behind’ problem, and makes it harder to buy a horse or other expensive things, especially on short notice. And it does encourage players to put points in stuff that can be taken away from them, which can leave fighter-types surprisingly inept when stripped of Foci. And if the GM decides to be anal, you can get into ridiculous situations where you have a cold camp every night because no ones willing to pay for flints. (Of course, if the GM is that anal, you can probably expect the two-page equipment list . . .) All these problems can be avoided, of course. Either system can work. I just think the superheroic problems are easier to avoid. Clearly, I’m in favor of going superheroic, as long as you don’t get obsessed with it. I personally think the ‘leave good stuff behind’ thing is exaggerated, unless there’s a TON of magic junk in the campaign, and that the second is easily avoided. The third shouldn’t be a problem as long as the GM doesn’t sweat the small stuff too much. But then, I think most of the good stuff gets lost from Hero somewhere in the transition between heroic and superheroic, so I’m biased . . . --- As an aside: Is there any way to build a rope in Hero that doesn’t suck?
  14. Re: Silver Age Villains? Indeed, I do. Forasmuch as I, sitting here at this laptop as I have done, oh, so many times before. And as I read . . . I also . . . remember! Many an hour was spent, leafing through copies of old Silver Surfer issues both ancient and mysterious. For the dialog was such . . . I shudder to describe it. Less than proper English . . . yet somehow, more! Lo, how grand were the declarations, and the self narration of even the smallest action! How constant was the bolding! And the ever mercurial tone changes, like fey mists upon a wintery morn, reborn as, well, the Bronx, ya know? -- Stan Lee @#$%ing rocks. They should give him a sitcom to write all the dialog for, in high-Silver Surfer style, with all the operatic ‘describe-what-I’m-doing-while-I’m-doing-it’ and the tone constantly wavering between the Divine Comedy and the Last Dragon, sometimes in the same sentence. It would be the greatest show in history. --- “Let all the so-called heroes look to their laurels! Hawkeye is going to make them look sick!†I mean, really, who else could write that?
  15. Re: Power Build: Mixed Metamorph Actually, I wouldn't use a multipower . . . you'd want to be able to use 'wolf running' and 'wolf claws' at the same time. Just all the werewolf powers, bought seperately (or in an EC if your GM is nice) and with a small Unusual Looks 'More werewolf like the more powers are used' Though a multipower could be used for something like what your current stance is (Bipedal, ape-like, quadripedal) and so on. Or you could just buy extra running and KB resistance with side effect 'Cannot use arms' or something like that. You probably don't need shapeshift unless you can look like different wolves or people. --- Why do werewolves always have claw attacks? Wolves don't . . .
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