Ranxerox

Well speaking of people who rave about the Eclipse Phase setting ... I was already planning on mentioning it. It's a hard science friendly setting which gives the player tons of options making their characters and has no shortage of easy adventure hooks. Also, you can download the main book in PDF form for free with the blessings of its writer so you don't have to spend a lot (or any) money to figure out whether you like it. On the the downside, IMO the rule system is the game's weakest point so you might not want to be too quick to throw away your Hero books.

Gold Eagle Books which is a Harlequin imprint publishes the Mack Bolan books, Jack Strait novels and the Deathland series, all of which are essentially pulps.

Fifty points is a lot of disadvantages when you aren't much tougher than an average Joe. I'm going to second 70+30.

The writer of this piece G. Willow Wilson wrote the comic book series Air which was very good. She will also be the writer of the new Ms Marvel series. Comic book readers of this forum might want to keep their eyes out for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4 If you are running or playing in a campaign that characters sometimes find themselves in micro gees, this movie would be good to watch. It doesn't get everything about zero g right but it does a better job of it than any movie that I have seen. The plot of the movie is IMHO actually a better adventure seed than a movie plot. The number of obstacles that come up seems kind of excessive when watched on the big screen, but can I see myself throwing all those obstacles at a group of players? Oh, heck yeah. I would be interested in hearing the opinions of other people who have watched the movie.

It's a little in-between. I couldn't do a 100 m in 14 sec now, but I suspect that I could have in high school. A hundred meters in 14 seconds is pathetically slow by the standards of track and field athletes, but for most of us it is fast. The comments about pushing are probably on the money since most people would quite winded afterwards.

Every single image at this art blog, http://skul4aface.blogspot.com/

Yeah, I can see that. The line up the center of her body looks like a seam or crease. A woman with well defined abs might have a line up her belly, but it wouldn't usually go up all the way up to her collar bone. However, instead of the costume being flesh cover, how about it being transparent except for the gold strips. She could be a pop singer, possibly with some Egyptian blood in her, and the costume could be deliberately provocative in order to tweak the Egyptian patriarchy. Maybe, her powers came as result or manifested when a Salifist tried to kill her for leading women into indecency and men into ungodly thoughts.

But beans do talk. They are the musical fruit. Everyone knows that.

No, buying it to sight group is correct. The cost of invisibility is based on sense groups in both 5th and 6th editions. Additional individual sense can be tacked on after picking a sense group but the primary sense group comes first.

Nice. There aren't enough Lucha Hero posted on the boards.

Hey, Joan Jett still rocks and her name could work as either a superhero name or a secret ID name.

I find her videos well put together and engaging. Also, they sometimes have visual information that would be hard to adequately convey in written form. However, you are right that reading them in article form would probably take less than half the time and time can be a precious commodity. So, I see where you are coming from here.

The third installment in Feminist Frequency series on Damsel in Distress in video games is out The second installment was so depressing that I chose not to post it here, but this one isn't so bleak.

What no love for Cloak and Dagger? Also, all the members of The Runaways.

Well, that is not how I see him, but I wouldn't be surprised if the men serving under him viewed him that way.

Ahhh, SAN-damaged cultist. Good times.

Nice build. If I incorporate it, I will probably decrease the length of the boost and lower END cost. I will probably go this route, though I will miss the catchy multi-power slot names.

Good point. I think I will take you up on the END and STUN Aids being healing, but the BOD Aid was meant to be fleeting. He doesn't actually do anything to help peoples wounds, he just convinces them to hang in there anyway. If he quits encouraging them (and paying END) they fade pretty quickly as you would expected from the mortally wounded.

Nice knife.

All 256 of the original members of Earth Company (400 in the People of the Tapestry's preferred base 8) were World War I combatants. However, as members have died, deserted and retired, they have been replaced by fighters from more recent wars. Every major conflict of the 20th Century from WWI on is represented in Earth Company. Since the People of the Tapestry don't value uniformity of uniforms, in the Company you will find sci-fi versions of KMT fighters from China Revolution, of WWII fighters from all sides of the conflict, and Russian and Mujaheddin from the Soviet-Afghanistan war amongst other warriors.

Art courtesy of wyrdgrendel

After thinking about this character for about a decade and even commissioning artwork on him, I finally got around to writing him up. Hope people like him. [b]Doughboy - Zachariah Hill[/b] [b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Total[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b] 20 STR 10 20 13- HTH Damage 4d6 END [2] 20 DEX 20 20 13- 20 CON 10 20 13- 16 BODY 6 16 20 INT 10 20 13- PER Roll 13- 20 EGO 10 20 13- 20 PRE 10 20 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 9 OCV 30 9 7 DCV 20 7 3 OMCV 0 3 6 DMCV 9 6 10 PD 8 10/20 10/20 PD (0/10 rPD) 10 ED 8 10/20 10/20 ED (0/10 rED) 5 SPD 30 5 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 11 REC 7 11 40 END 4 40 40 STUN 10 40 12 RUN 0 12m END [1] 4 SWIM 0 4m END [1] 4 LEAP 0 4m 4m forward, 2m upward [b]CHA Cost: 202[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b] 24 [b][i]Great Combat Leader[/i][/b]: Multipower, 30-point reserve, (30 Active Points); all slots Incantations (Giving Orders; -1/4) - END= 2f 1) [b][i]Duck And Cover Ladies![/i][/b]: Aid DCV 2d6 (standard effect: 6 points), Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +1 1/4), Selective (+1/4), Mobile (12m per Phase; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Incantations (Giving Orders; -1/4) - END=3 2f 2) [b][i]Line Your Sight, Exhale And Pull The Trigger[/i][/b]: Aid OCV 2d6, Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +1 1/4), Selective (+1/4), Mobile (1m per Phase; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Incantations (Giving Orders; -1/4) - END=3 2f 3) [b][i]No Sleeping On The Job, Soldier![/i][/b]: Aid Stun 2d6 (standard effect: 6 points), Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +1 1/4), Selective (+1/4), Mobile (1m per Phase; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Incantations (Giving Orders; -1/4) - END=3 2f 4) [b][i]You Don't Have Permission To Die, Soldier![/i][/b]: Aid Body 2d6 (standard effect: 6 points), Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +1 1/4), Selective (+1/4), Mobile (1m per Phase; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Incantations (Giving Orders; -1/4) - END=3 2f 5) [b][i]Keep Moving, Soldier![/i][/b]: Aid END 2d6 (standard effect: 6 points), Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +1 1/4), Selective (+1/4), Mobile (1m per Phase; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Incantations (Giving Orders; -1/4) - END=3 1f 6) [b][i]The Bigger They Are, The Tastier The Barbeque[/i][/b]: Aid Presence 2d6, Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +1 1/4), Selective (+1/4), Mobile (1m per Phase; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only To Protect Against Presence Attacks; -1), Incantations (Giving Orders; -1/4) - END=3 - END= 1 [b][i]Older Than He Looks[/i][/b]: Life Support (Longevity: 200 Years) - END=0 5 [b][i]Has Had All His Shots[/i][/b]: Life Support (Immunity: All terrestrial diseases) - END=0 5 [b][i]Can Eat Things That Would Make A Goat Puke[/i][/b]: Life Support (Immunity: All terrestrial poisons) - END=0 13 [b][i]Heals Quickly[/i][/b]: Regeneration (1 BODY per Hour), Can Heal Limbs - END=0 - END= 45 [b][i]Lightning Rifle[/i][/b]: Multipower, 60-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (90 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1) - END= 3f 1) [b][i]Lightning[/i][/b]: Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points); OAF (-1) - END=0 3f 2) [b][i]Stunner[/i][/b]: Blast 6d6, Attack Versus Alternate Defense (rED defined as a force field or the like or total electrical insulation; All Or Nothing; +1) (60 Active Points); OAF (-1) - END=0 3f 3) [b][i]Flicker Lightning[/i][/b]: Blast 8d6, Area Of Effect (16m Cone; +1/2) (60 Active Points); OAF (-1) - END=0 3f 4) [b][i]Lightning Flash[/i][/b]: Sight and Radio Groups Flash 11d6 (60 Active Points); OAF (-1) - END=0 - END= 32 [b][i]Space Commando Uniform[/i][/b]: Resistant Protection (10 PD/10 ED/5 Flash Defense: Hearing Group/7 Flash Defense: Sight Group) (48 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=0 13 [b][i]Space Commando Uniform[/i][/b]: Life Support (Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing) (19 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=0 11 [b][i]Helmet Com Unit[/i][/b]: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group), Tracking (17 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) - END=0 [b]POWERS Cost: 172[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]MARTIAL ARTS[/u][/b] Good Shot 3 Shoot And Duck: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +2 DCV, Range +0, Strike 5 Taking Careful Aim: 1+1 Phase, +0 OCV, -2 DCV, Range +6, Strike , +1 Segment 4 Shoot: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Range +2, Strike, +2 DC 4 Aim For The Vitals: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Range +0, Strike, +4 DC Knows How To Fight 4 Punch: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 6d6 Strike 4 Killing Strike: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, HKA 2d6 5 Kick: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +1 DCV, 8d6 Strike 4 Squirm Free: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 35 STR vs. Grabs 2 Weapon Element: Blades, Clubs [b]MARTIAL ARTS Cost: 35[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b] 3 Oratory 13- 3 PS: Soldier 13- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Systems Operation 13- 3 Bureaucratics 13- 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Combat Driving 13- 3 Combat Piloting 13- 5 Cramming 10 Defense Maneuver I-IV 3 Demolitions 13- 3 Fast Draw 13- 3 Interrogation 13- 3 Paramedics 13- 6 Weaponsmith (Energy Weapons, Firearms, Incendiary Weapons, Missiles & Rockets, Swords And Daggers) 13- 3 Tracking 13- 7 Tactics 15- 10 Two-Weapon Fighting 7 Teamwork 15- 18 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Mecha, Science Fiction & Space Vehicles, Balloons & Zeppelins, Combat Aircraft, Helicopters, Large Military Ships, Large Motorized Boats, Large Planes, Parachuting, Advanced, Parachuting, Basic, SCUBA, Small Military Ships, Small Motorized Boats, Small Planes, Tracked Military Vehicles, Wheeled Military Vehicles 12 Survival (Arctic/Subarctic, Marine, Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical, Desert, Mountain) 13- 19 WF: Anti-Aircraft Guns, Anti-Tank Guns, Artillery, Beam Weapons, Common Melee Weapons, Emplaced Weapons, Energy Weapons, Mortars, Recoilless Guns, Small Arms, Bows, Energy Blades, Flamethrowers, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Inertial Gloves, Shoulder-Fired Weapons, Vehicle Weapons (group) [b]SKILLS Cost: 133[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]TALENTS[/u][/b] 13 Universal Translator 13- (20 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) [b]TALENTS Cost: 13[/b] [b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b] 10 Psychological Complication: American Patriot (Uncommon; Strong) 10 Psychological Complication: Has Had His Fill Of Death (Common; Moderate) 20 Psychological Complication: Soldier's Code of Honor (Very Common; Strong) 10 Physical Complication: Unfamiliar With The Modern World (Infrequently; Slightly Impairing) 10 Social Complication: Legally Dead Frequently, Minor 15 Hunted: The Cleave Empire Infrequently (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish) [b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 75[/b] Base Pts: 400 Exp Required: 155 Total Exp Available: 0 Exp Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 555 [size=13px] [/size] Background: July 18th, 1918 Château-Thierry, France. It was still dark when the order was given and they "went over the top". No artillery had been fired in preparation for their attack, and the Germans hadn't seen it coming. This gave them the advantage of surprise ... but surprise last only so long. Now, as dawn was coming over the horizon, Corporal Zachariah Hill's squad was well behind enemy lines and surrounded on all sides by German snipers. After the Sergeant had taken a shot to the neck, the Lieutenant had pushed them forward seemingly without heed for danger. Now as they cowered in the scant protection provided by the ruins of a burned down shop, the Lieutenant answered all questions with, "I don't know! I just don't know!" "He's gone," Zachariah told the others gesturing towards the Lieutenant, "and we are out too far in front of the line. But that church across the square, if we can take it, we can hold it until the line catches up with us. We don't have any time though. We have to charge it now. So let's go!" Putting his shoulder into it, Corporal Hill crashed through the front door of the church and bayoneted a surprised German officer. The other German soldiers in the room went down under a barrage of gunfire as the surviving members of his squad ran into the church behind him. "Okay, barricade the door, while I, Jones and Krammer clear the snipers out of the bell tower. Then the church will be ours and we can wait for reinforcements." The stairs up to bell tower were narrow, forcing the soldiers to go up single file. So Jones and Krammer could only watch from behind as Corporal Zachariah Hill single-handedly dispatched the four snipers at the top. The whistle of incoming artillery told them that the squad's victory and they themselves would be short lived. The church collapsed as three mortar shells hit it one after the other. Later as Zachariah lay dying on top of the rubble of the church, the only member of his squad not buried underneath, through partially open eyes he saw a dark figure hovering over him. "Would you fight for your life?" asked the dark figure. Blood trickling from the corner of Zach's mouth didn't stop him from he answering, "Yes, I would." Latter, Zachariah would learn that he had been rescued by one of the People of the Tapestry, an alien species. The aliens rescued him not out of kindness or compassion but instead out of desperation. They were looking at an impending war with a genocidal species of aliens called the Cleave and they realized that there peaceful ways had left them poorly equipped to face such a threat. Hoping to gain some insight into war decided to study the wars being fought on the nearby, primitive planet Earth and to collect soldiers who showed particular ingenuity and courage and were about to die from it. Corporal Zachariah Hill, later to be simply Doughboy, was one those soldiers, and would spend decades defending the peace People of the Tapestry against the murderous Empire of the Cleave. Recently, however, he has returned his home planet of Earth in order to protect it from an impending attack by the Cleave. Appearance: He is large, athletic man who despite being over a 100 years old appears to be in his mid-thirties. His outfit, which was designed by the members of Earth Company as the rescued soldiers named themselves, can be described as sci-fi pulp take on the combat clothes of WWI G.I. He wears a genuine trench coat with alien medals affixed to it, a WWI style helmet, and what appears to be a high-tech gas mask. The gas mask, unlike those of the Great War, only covers the bottom half of his face though there is a transparent screen surrounding his whole head. He carries an alien rifle that has two side prongs coming out of the main barrel and fires lightning (actually its a powerful electrolaser but Doughboy considers it lightning). Strapped to his back is a jetpack. Powers/Tactics: Most of the Doughboy's powers come from his equipment, most of which was conceived of by members of Earth Company and designed and built by the technologically advanced People of the Tapestry. This combination of early twentieth century imagination and alien tech gives the equipment a retro-future feel to it. In addition to the gadgets, the People of Tapestry made improvements to their rescued/abducted earthlings to make them harder to kill. These improvements include regeneration, longevity treatment and immunity to all diseases and toxins. The Doughboy was a gifted soldier from the beginning and has almost a century of combat experience under his belt. He is comfortable using virtually any weapon and fighting in any environment. Also he is a master tactician and any group in which he is a member will fight better than they normally do as long as they can hear his instructions. Personality/Motivation: Zachariah Hill is a man of vast contradictions. He is an American patriot who has not set foot on his native soil for almost a hundred years. He is a man heartsick with death and killing who continues to throw himself into battle. His time away from Earth has left him amazed at all the changes and progress that has occurred during his absence but his time amongst the stars has left him continuely disappointed by the primitiveness of his home world. By what he was raised to believe and by his basic temprament he is a believer in free will and endless possibility but the miraculous nature of his life seems to argue for the heavy hand of fate. He is a boy scout who won't hesitate to fight dirty, and man of deep faith who has no time for religion. However, since Zachariah Hill is a man to keep his own confidences, few people get to know him well enough to appreciate his contradictions. What people generally see is his focus, determination and that he always has a plan and a back-up plan to go with it. He is a man of action and he is always moving forward even when he is in retreat. Campaign Use: The Doughboy's main intended campaign use is to warn the player characters about the impending invasion of the Empire of the Cleave [the Xenovores from the Alien Wars setting book minus the eating of foes bit can provide template for the Cleave unless you have an idea for aliens you like better]. In this role he should sell the scope of the menace to players, provide them with useful information about the foe and help them procure any equipment they need to ward off the alien invasion. Alternately, if fighting off and alien invasion isn't in fitting with your campaign, the Doughboy can act as more complicated than normal patriotic themed hero. The Doughboy owes a bit in his conception to Captain America but also owes Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Therefore, it not surprising that he works just fine in pulp campaigns. Just tone down his Speed, OCV and DCV and damage class to fit the guidelines of your campaign and he can be plugged right in.

I am intrigued by your casting ideas. However, aren't all works of fiction products of specific moments in history. That in and of itself doesn't invariably prevent them from speaking to people in different times and places. I don't think that the race thing in and of itself would keep pulp from making such a leap (though admittedly the race thing doesn't help).

You might consider an Entangle versus Ego.