Storn

About time. I've been sitting on this news for months since a little bird told me on the inside. This is very exciting. I look forward to it and hopefully get a chance to work on it, artwise!

>>I guess what irks me about that whole approach (the heroes are just like us with powers) is that I don't want the superhero to be just like us, with powers. In addition have powers at a higher level than normal, thier morality, thier ethics, the essence of who they are should also be higher than normal. When you get the powers without the rest, it just seems wrong to me. Doing it otherwise makes for a great thought experiment, or moral issues that are dealt with in a few comics, but again I don't want to see it "mainstream". << Well said. I LIKE the flawed hero, the hero just like us, but with powers much, much greater. I like to tackle those issues and what they mean to the world those characters inhabit. And it is hard, tough stuff. I actually have gotten depressed a couple of times dealing with these issues in Neil's game. My character was looking at an onslaught of SuperFeudalism... and it depressed the hell out of him. And to hold another person or peoples or entire nation in the palm of your PC's hand... what gives him the right to judge? (my character got his gifts from good breeding, both mom and pop were Silver Age heroes). To me, that is meat for roleplaying. Not easy, but oh, so juicy. However, I completly understand that I'm a bit weird and that my take of supers is not everyones cup of tea. >>The "we don't have to kill" attitude is part of what seperates superheroes from the rest. If they use the approach and methods of "lesser" heros, why bother reading comics. Just watch a die hard movie or a bond movie (both of which I love) instead. Otherwise it is just a modern action setting with the bells and whistles of superpowers. <<<< I can only answer for myself. For me, comics have a narrative that changes over time, whereas Bond is somewhat timeless. This is the nature of media to be sure (monthly comic book vs. 30 yr old books and 1 movie/ 3years). Also, usperhero comic books have SUPERPOWERS. Bond is superhuman, but he doesn't have Telepathy or Fire Powers... just Luck, Seduction and Combat Levels up the ying yang. It is Powers, to me that is the MAIN ingrediant. A comicbook about a detective who never kills is a comicbook about a detective. A comicbook about a guy who flies is a Superhero comicbook. (Miracleman anyone?) I also thrive on change and consequences. The campaign needs to go somewhere. One of my frustrations with DC/Marvel comics is that there isn't a sense of change in the world. Nor a sense of consequences of inaction (such as NOT killing the Joker). I love Crossgen, because the world of Scion and Meridian and even Way of the Rat ARE changing as the cast has impact. By removing death out of the equation.... that Supers are clean because the GM contrives it so as long as they play by the rules... well that doesn't leave much room for consequences. My main 500 pt character is scared to go into battle. This guy can walk through small arms fire (and barely feel Machine gun fire) if his force field is up. IF. But the fear of failure is even greater than the fear of death. Failure in that game world has drastic consequences. Killing a few means saving millions. Y'know what? I love that fear. It feels real to me. Here I am, a 500+ demigod and I'm still scared each and everytime I go into combat. Which is the way I think it should be.... combat is SCARY. Just think what Paranormal combat would be like?!?!!?!?! Speedsters and Mentalists and super-science and folks who can drop a building on you... that is scary stuff to me. But you are not wrong by any means. Super RPGs have a vast range. This makes them difficult at times to get all players and GM on the same page. But that vastness is also what makes it so wonderful to run around in those worlds.

Re: Batman uh... nope, wrong. I have read Batman, early batmans, were Bats pulls .45 M1911 and shoots and kills. Not often, but it did happen. Early Batman often showed him with a pistol, specifically an automatic. It wasn't for show folks. But Batman was coming out of a pulp tradition and is closer to that tradition that Superman. With Superman's success, Batman gets toned down quite quickly.

I guess I like to challenge this about super-heroes. Sure, I understand the better and brighter statement.... and certainly you should run/play games that you want to. Something about superheroes hearkens to a nostaliga of the Silver and Golden ages. But Heroes are Heroes. So many great Heroes have killed... and I'm not talking about comic book superheroes anymore... but anyone who can be defined as a hero. What allows James Bond, Conan, Sherlock Holmes, to kill, or the Shadow (or even Batman in his early beginnings)... and still be heroes, but if you put spandex on... you can't be a hero anymore if you kill? Is it never heroic to kill? Then you've just excluded 80% of the RPG games out there. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, death comes often and easily. My Super Hero characters have killed by accident, on purpose and once, not even under my control... in a super hero game. In fact, last time I played, I think Geist was responsible for 20,000 deaths. All unknown to him. And for very good, in-character reasons for doing this ("he's doing it wrong!" ) Rising above that, trying to come to grips with death and killing and being a demigod on earth... that has been the most heroic role-playing I've ever done. So, yes, I challenge the idea of that spandex, this visual uniform, differentiates this Hero from all other Heroes. A challenge that is being tackled in comics today. I agree, the Authority is an enormous extreme. But on some level I ask myself, if Batman would just snap Joker's neck, then all that death... all that destruction could be avoided. Joker has the superhuman ability to waltz out of jail. Proven over and over again. Makes for great drama, I admit. But when I think about all the innocent lives that the Joker has taken over the years... I'm sorry, my PC has got the bastard down... I'm taking his ass out with extreme predjudice. Now, one of the things Neil has done in his game is: a criminal goes to jail, he's gone. No one gets out of Stronghold (or Until's Deep). It has only happened a couple of times. But the majority of criminals busted... stay busted. Now, in this environment, yes... it makes sense to pull the punches, get the bastards thru legal system and put them away instead of capping them. Not easy questions, nor are there any "real" answers that will satisfy all of us. But I still think good questions to ask.

Well... maybe. The Authority is a mainstream comic. As is the Ultimates, Planetary, WildC.A.T.s. My point is this; comics have changed considerably since the 80s. Sure, Nightwing and Batman still cling to their Code vs. Killing... but there are others in their universe who do not (there was Hitman, after all). In RDU Neil's game, there are groups that really try not to kill. Then there are some Black Ops groups who are born killers. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you are fighting for "Hearts and Minds" of the populace, like the NYC Mavericks, in the face of a Paranormal Registration Act.... a reluctance to kill is a very good thing. It garners the good will of New Yorkers and they have really shielded the Mavericks from the worst of the Federal PRA machinations. If you are trying to stop Eurostar from denotating 11 nuclear devices under 11 European cities... that's balls to wall time. (we killed Bora, Le Sone and almost killed Durak in that campaign, Estar killed Tower, a PC). You don't have time for niceties. No body in Europe was hunting down the PCs after it either. They came to understand the stakes all too well. Millions of lives vs. 2 or 3 villains.... the math is just too stark to do otherwise. Now, I don't usually build character with a Code vs. Killing. As a player, I'm reluctant to kill as a general rule. But if the stakes are high enough, I will go for the jugular. Also, death happens in combat. I've criticaled against a minor villain and *poof*, dey dead! But there are consequences for killing, even accidental. Although I do have an ex-assassin who has a code vs. killing because his entire reason for being a Hero is one of redemption. Neils world is gritty, even with some real superpowerhouses in it. It looks more like Planetary and Authority than the Teen Titans of the Wolfman-Perez era. But I also notice a direct correlation between the more desperate the PC is, the more likely he is to kill. My 500 pt character has lots of combat options now, he is tougher now. He can take a few hits in order to manuever the bad guy in taking the bad guy down as safe and surgical as possible.

Kill shrike... have you tried talking to him outside of the game? Point out some of the role-playing the others are trying to accomplish? And listen to him about what he wants as a player. Give him Robin Laws book. Tell him to read it and then go out for coffee and discuss what he has read. It might facilitate the process a bit. Perhaps talk in terms of role playing creation being a bit like a TV show (what's his favorite?) and/or comic book. Going around wiping out 1/2 the main cast is not usually done in a TV show. Back to the topic at hand; I think 350 has to be watched carefully by the GM. 90 pts into STR, some good movement powers and you've got a real powerhouse on your hands for the super battleground. But active pt limits that are general (can go over with GM approval for that Mass Teleport that the whole team uses and is really a plot creator power instead of plot destroyer), I think forces the players to come under a certain level. I would suggest 70 active pts. But I think 350 CAN be done. Like Neil said, we are on 300 starting pts and that ain't bad. I think for most of my concepts, I can get the gist of the character for 300 pts. And my main, first character is over 500 and I'm still scrambling for points, because his concept just keeps getting larger and larger.

Try this on for size. Everyone has access to force shields. The queer thing about these shields is that they get stronger with each shot that hits them. The first few shots will get thru the shield, but it gets stronger and stronger. Totally the opposite of all shields *Ive* ever seen in games/ sci fi. The kicker: Living, Organic material, such as a fist or foot, passes through the shield with no problem. And maybe if someone had a bamboo spear still living. Tactics: At range and when closing, it makes sense to fire a few rounds down field, you might get lucky and really puncture a shield. At least take 3 or 5 Body off the target. But after a few shots the shields will exceed the ability of the weapons to damage. So, its barroom fight time. I'll leave the mechanics and number crunching up to others.

That looks great to me. Now she is very cool, IMO. Not a front line fighter by any stretch, but someone who would be a boon to any team. The stealth fighter is someone to contend with for sure.

Ok, you asked for it. here is what I would say if I was your GM. I think the forcefield is not *quite* in character. Make it invisible, which is becoming to a trickster, and I think you'll be cooking with gas. Nothing about the character illo or the character concept suggests glowing fields of force. I'm not sure about the EB... why does she have it? It makes sense from a combat POV, but again, not quite the coyote. I would drop the EB, subsititue HtH attack (super fast punches, f=MA) and HKA (claws) attack, but 0 end on them to keep them from maxing the 70 active pts and being ungodly. Since she can be invisible, she has the option of taking an action or two and getting in close to attack mana a mano. The mystic bolt? I would subsititue Mental Illusions, maybe even add IAF: Peyote dust (she will be the most popular super hero around) Again, nice to have the Ego attack, but doesn't say "Coyote" t me. Psych lims: Prankster and Wisecracker, in my book, are the same thing. Combine the two into one psych lim. Cracking wise doesn't really get folks into 15 pts of trouble, maybe 5. If you get into 15 pts of trouble, you are delusional, cannot follow the norms of society and hence, a superpowered villian. to make up for it, the Coyote is a liar. An accomplished liar. That could be some juicy roleplaying between the polar opposites of Honorable and Liar. If you can get her to give her word, she will keep it. But pinning her down, not easy. Besides that, looks like a fun character and interesting one.

$45.oo per Figure. The star wars pic posted earlier in this thread, the spaceship was considered a figure. Complex backgrounds, which the star wars pic was not a complex background, would also be considered a figure. You get a 300 dpi file. Suitable for priting. Most of the time, there is no true original anyway, since at least 1/2 of it is done digitally. I get to use the image if I want for portfolio, publishing ventures, etc. etc. Including getting to post it on websites like this to promote my meager talents. However, I do not presume to "own" the character... just the image. Contact info is on my website, which should be back up today or tomorrow.

this private commission is for Bob Fletcher, patron extraoridinaire. And is a fantasy rogue archtype. However, ihe *could* be a Dark Champs type character... so posted for your viewing pleasure...

It would help to know how he died. What circumstances. Then I can get all devious... But with a name like Muerte, an obvious pre-occupation with death...why else name yourself that... maybe he is still dead... now undead. Maybe, w/o anyone knowing it, Stalker of the Aesinos is Muerte's great-great-great uncle and after Muerte "died", Stalker managed to find the body, revive a spark of life just long enough to bite him and turn him into a mucho muerte vampyr. I dunno... just riffing...

I am glad that some folks are finding these useful. In update news: my website is still down. Something to do with the domain and my host is working on it. I have no idea when it will be fixed. Here is a private commission done for a character created by RW Temple: Thunderbird. Hope y'all like.

Re: Time to have a long talk Arrrrgh!!! NOT MY solution. It was my GM's. RDU Neil should get the credit, not me. . All I did was playtest the hell out of it and write it up here, using my very, limited net- celeb role to push it. (I'm not taking the celeb thing seriously... that is suppose to be tongue firmly in cheek). As for M&M and Hero...yes. I play both. RDU Neil runs Champions one week, the sub campaign called the Dragons. I run M&M next week, sub campaign called UNTIL Black Ops. Both games are set in the same campaign world, Red Dragon Universe. Neil's campaign has been going on for 16 years, I've taken part in about 10 of those years. The game has been on a slight hiatus due to the fact we were supposed to game last Thursday, but I did a number on my neck and was in a lot of pain Thursday (felt it pop watching TV, ironically, not even doing something active like karate or tennis...sheesh). Neil is out of town on business this week. Next week, I'll run M&M.

I run my group's Fantasy game. But what I would want to PLAY? I would want to play a radical elf of some mystical acumen dealing with the court politics of all of FEY. I want to play an ex-gladiator who hates fighting and yet is pressed into service for a damn good cause. I want to play a elven monk, hell on wheels, who is in a world that is 1 part John Carter of Mars/Tarzan...lost cities, jungles, beautiful princesses, dinosaurs,, 1 part Conan (lfe is brutal, cheap and civilization is rare), 1 part: Magic the gathering, with its many factions, great mosnters and cool locales. 1 part , i dunno, social and cultural ritual have real meaning, real power. Gods do sometimes answer.. not that we always like the answer. Just a very pulp, ton of imagination set up for us around the next hill. That there would be roleplaying in being of a certain caste or from a certain country. The last campaign that would have a ton of weird and imagination, yet still be coherent... a very tall order.

Cybertooth, I did admit (too late) that I was hoping for comments of whether or not the artwork was useful... or interesting....or how art impacts RPGs... stuff like that. Not really loooking for art critique of sketches. NOr was I really upset when I said that bit about 60 downloads and no comments... I was actually rather amused. But is my fault for not being clearer on what I expected from the outset. But I was very annoyed at being taken to task for "watercolor" and "sketchy line" and "grayscale" over and over again when basically I'm offering this for free. And these complaints pre-date this thread and I was, well, annoyed. These sketches are my experiments, nothing more. But nothing less either... experimenting is how I get better. They are not for publication. I was just sharing them with all of you, hoping that someone besides MY gaming group will find a use for them. That's it. If folks deign to critique the artwork... they can. But it is really ridiculous when I'm dashing these off in an hour or two. They AIN"T finals! And I retain the right say that a critique is wrong. After all, I'm the final arbiter of the artwork when its MINE and not for a client. And I'm the guy who has returns to the studio the next day to try and get better. Is it Ego-stroking? Yes, probably it is. But I'm not getting paid for doing this. Should I get nothing? Should I kowtow to demand and do perfect line drawings so y'all can photoshop and marker color away on MY art to your heart's content? Here is where my Ego says' I don't think so'. I know that I've pissed you and at least Acroyear off (and probably several others). I'm sorry that it has happened... but I'm not sorry for the things that I've said or feel. I will continue to post my doodles as long as someone finds it helpful or fun or entertaining. But let me end with I do appreciate that you took the time to defend Acroyear and write down your words. It shows that you care. That is all right in my book.

working on it. I'm not the most adept at site management. Something happened with my host, they've switched some protocols around. And I'm a bit lost at what to do next. The problem might be a ttheir end and they are checking into it. But thanks for the nice words.

wow. where did you get that from? Granted, I've only spent about 15 min with the book... but Star Wars was never mentioned to me when i got the art assignment. As far as single figures, no background... uh.. that wasn't me. I did a happy bar scene, with plenty of background . Just because we've seen the cranky, dangerous, bar-fight, bar scene SO many times. Besides, guiness has to survive into the future. Life just wouldn't be worth living if it didn't. I would have liked to have had more input on the visuals on this project. I think Andrew did an amazing job on his aliens. But there wasnt' much talke about how starships were going to look, or what is a business suit in the future in "civilized" space or the hundreds of other little details that would have made the visuals a coherent whole. Just not enough time. As it was, I only took a handful of illos because I was busy with other projects when the assignment came down. I really wanted to take more, but could not.

My host of my site is aware of the problem and are working on it. Thanks though.

>>>That's why I think Storn's idea is brilliant.<<< Not my idea. I helped refine it a bit. But that was the extent of my input. I think it may have grown out of a old Adventurer's Club idea... and RDU Neil expanded upon it a bit. However, I have playtested the heck out of the concept and it really, really works. It speeds up combat, makes it more chaotic (which I think Superpower combat should be), folks are more apt to blow actions for role-playing or exploring that "it's so crazy, it just might work, idea". Because the next intitiative roll is right around the corner. combat lasts longer in game terms (combats last 5 minutes sometimes), because of blowing actions or a lot of movement and envrionrmental tactics. But take less "real/table" time than the speed chart combat of only 30 secs (2 turns of 12 phases). I love it and will never got back.

kiginally posted by Mavnn [/i] T. Both these guys look pretty good, especially Socket (although I'm not 100% convinced by the name ). Scope looks good but her helmet is ... odd. With a design like that, I'd almost be tempted to go with a name like 'Target' or 'Headshot' for that duel meaning. BTW, I hate you for having already practiced enough to sketch figures this accurately . Michael I have my reasons for "Socket" that cannot be divulged at this time. As for Scope's headgear, its a doodle. I like it though... and why would you name yourself "Target" or "Headshot"... you might name another person that... by using those it is suggesting YOU are the victim. Besides, she has all these Sight powers, like Tscopic, see in the dark. The mask is simply 1-way see-thru.

Death Tribble asked me to comment on Paul Geelan's work. I'm sorry to hear that this person has dissappeared. The artwork is raw. That doesn't mean much, my artwork was raw once upon a time too. If Paul was around, I would point him towards Burne Hogarth's dynamic anatomy... the anatomy needs to come up a notch. Also, to start paying attention to line weight, it is uniform and that is the kiss of boredom in a drawing. Lastly, ditch the color pencils. Granted, these are a decade old and now we have digital color. But color pencils, unless you are doing tremendous amounts of work with, are just cheap looking. Learn watercolor instead. Or acrylic. Watercolor is fast!!! But very difficult. My favorite superhero traditional paint is goauche, because it is SO graphic, so matte. And it scans better than any paint I know of. But many people find goache very difficult to master. What about digital Storn?, you use it! Unless you learn at least one traditional means of painting, applying color, digital will be a horrible crutch. I find going back and forth between traditional painting and digital painting, they inform one another. But digital is SO vast and SO easy, it is a horrible trap of TOO many options for a new artist. You might not believe me, but it is the plain truth. Trust me on this. There will be a few exceptions, but they will have to work twice as hard as they need to. Lastly, to make a transition between hobby artist and one who works in this field, or any other illustration field... ya got to be able to tell a story. Now, I'm doodling costume designs and bad guys in my own thread and that is fine and cool... nothing wrong with it. But I get hired because I can do multiple figures in action with a foreground, middleground background that tells a story. And perspective, anatomy, design, emotion, drama... its all there. Now we are talking about a much more difficult beast to deal with than simple head to toe shots of superheroes/villians. Here endeth the lecture.

Here is our fix. RDU Neil came up with this and we've used it for the last 5 years. It speeds up Champions combat immensely and we love the drama of it. Begin the combat... 1d6 Initiative roll, add your Speed. Magic number is 11 and 17. If you get an 11 or higher: you get a second action after ALL first actions have taken place. 17: you get 2nd and 3rd action after ALL first actions have taken place. There are no free recoveries. You have to blow an action (often, a common use for 2nd actions). 4 initiatitves = 1 turn of 12 phases ffor those powers that need that kind of reckoning. Why? Because you now can play a speed 2 character, occasionally go before a speed 6 character (although I wouldn't bet on it often). Everyone gets at least one action. No recoveries really cuts down on the combat and makes taking a recovery really, really important tactical consideration. Makes Pushing dangerous. Peoples turns come around MUCh quicker than 1 speed 8, 1 speed 6, 2 speed 5s and 1 speed 4 Champs group. And there is real drama, hoping for that good initiative roll to get a second action. We all enjoy the inititaitive roll. Speed also becomes more of a "veteran" stat. Since movement is not AS tied to several actions, you can have a high Speed (the wiley combat vet) and yet not "feel" like he is sprinting across the combat area like a wild weasel on coke. Speed wars are a thing of the past. Speeds tend to be 5/6. But a speed 8 character does not feel like a bit spotlight hog. We've even played with a speedster of Speed 12... and he didn't feel overwhelming either, even when he got 3 actions occasionally. One important thing, Blocks and Dodges bonuses carry over if someone attacks you with 2 actions. So blocks and dodges have become a very important part of our combats. But the defender suffers a -1 DCV for each add'l attack, whether from 1 opponent with two actions (and two attacks) or from mulitple attackers. For Fantasy Hero, I make the magic number 9. So speed 3 characters can occasionaly get that 2nd action and a speed 4 is damn good.

And this dude is "Socket".

Due to my pulled neck muscle, James being sick, this week's MM game got cancelled. Next week is out due to business travel for Neil. So it will be two weeks before our game gets off the ground again. But here are a couple of sketches that I did last week for this week's game. My players already spotted them, even though they were supposed to be villians. Oh well, that's what I get for sketching at the table. And yes, these ARE sketches... no color, no inks. I call this one "Scope".