SteveBerman

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

The "All-in Gang" sounds like a fun bunch to encounter in Vegas.

So, I know AA is Pocket Rocket. And a bit of Google-fu tells me the first guy, AK, is Big Slick. But who are the other three?

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

[First up we have a nurse who can predict those who are to die...

Belated is a new villain in my campaign. She was a weak mutant who worked as a nurse in a hospice--she could predict when a patient was about to die. A powerbroker mad scientist enhanced her abilities and now she can mentally attack an opponent, making them "live" their future death.

Re: Storn Idea to full picture Year 7

How about...

CASKET

A member of the infamous metahuman assassin corps, Memento Mori, Edgar Meec Donner, began his criminal career as a crooked mortician. He ran a funeral parlor in Euphoria, TN, and would re-use both caskets and gave plots, dumping human remains (weighted down) in Euphoria's lake. His felony might never have been revealed if not for the demise of one of Tennessee's more popular heroines, Ladybird. Born in Euphoria, Ladybird's (AKA Nella Hurston) parents insisted their daughter be buried in the family plot despite her corpse still emitting ionizing radiation from her fatal battle with Radithor. Donner promised a specially designed coffin for Ladybird that would be armored and protect the envronment. However, he never commissioned such a casket and, instead, contacted an individual he thought was a Taliban terrorist with an offer to sell the radioactive remains to fashion into grisly "dirty bombs." The terrorist turned out to be a FBI operative. Donner was arrested and his past scams exposed. Donner made bail and, while awaiting trial, stole the casket that Ladybird's parents then hired an inventor to create as well as kidnapped the inventor himself. The casket was remade into a suite of powered armor and Donner never went to his hearing but began a violent series of attacks against locals and law enforcement in the area.

Casket's powered armor, over 7 feet high, has a special enamel over ceramic and steel so as to resemble wood grain. Brass rails along the sides would be appropriate for pall bearers. In addition to increasing Donner's strength, the armor hs been upgraded to release toxic gas and poison darts. Donner can lower a head/torso sheath to reveal himself through protective double-layer glass (he normally wears a black suit while inside the armor).

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

Good stuff. Glad you're feeling better.

 

But..."Calculas"?

The girl is supposed to be very smart in the adventure - she's the daughter of the local vet and helps the hero fight off the Mannerpillar.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

Storn' date=' we're these two guys a part of scenario you wrote up? If so, can you give us a synopsis of the plot? It sounds fun![/quote']

 

Actually, Storn did the artwork for me. In November I'm running a d20 1950s B-movie adventure (approx 4. hrs) MENACE OF THE MANNERPILLAR! Storn will illustrate the other characters (smart gal in poodle skirt, mad scientist, local vet, hoodlum with motorcycle, etc.).

 

Steve

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

A bit of a change of pace from the usual elves, wizards and superheroes... This is Dorothy (from Oz), but the client requested that she was older and that she have silver boots from the books...not ruby from the movies.

 

I had fun with this one.

 

Hope y'all like:

 

 

These works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5

Storn, you did a wonderful job with Ms. Gale. She's part of the Bureau of Inconceivable Affairs campaign I'm running that takes place in 1917 and is investigating a possible Mexican-German alliance.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

I just sent Storn a commission for the leader of the 1917 Bureau of Inconcievable Affairs, Dorothy Gale. I have a few more of the band to develop. Next is Buster Brown and the Cardiff Giant.

Steve

Vintage: A Ghost Story now a finalist for the Andre Norton Award.

Re: Wings of the Valkyrie update

I used to be friends with Rob Bell (we fell out of touch years ago) and I played in several of the CAPITAL PATROL adventures he ran at GenCon. Those tournaments were always moral cliffhangers - with the heroes forced to chose the lesser of evils (and such things are never easy to decide). I think the original "Altered Earth" would make for some terrific roleplaying, especially if the heroes felt that the killing of Hitler was justified and thend iscover it's a slippery slope as other men and women use time travel to address historial wrongs.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

 

Here is Prussian Blue. Not sure if he is a superhero or supervillain. But kinda neat concept...

 

 

Prussian Blue is a provided-character in my QueerHero campaign that I run at certain conventions. Love the cravat (Storn's idea). I hope to have the rest of the team drawn (besides Echo and Prussian) in time for the October convention.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

Onto some more artwork. Here is Scattershot, the winner of Death Tribble's latest Storn Art Contest!

 

 

 

So I take it Scattershot is from the [American] South? He's got a mullet.

 

 

 

Just sent Storn in a commission request. I'm excited to see what he does with it.

Hey all, I need some help with mechanics.

I have a new gadgeteer character, Devices. I want her helmet to have an exterior monitor (it currently projects a slightly altered version of her actual face). It occured to me that I could have her helmet serve as an actual television/computer monitor if I wanted. But I do not know how that would work via game mechanics. Images? An enhanced sense usable only by others? It would be cool if it served as a distraction, subjecting people around her to penalty levels.

Thoughts? Any help would be much appreciated. You can see an illus of Devices on the Storn art thread.

-- Steve

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

Click the User CP link at the top left and scroll down. You'll see the rep that has been given to you to date for things that people liked. You rep by clicking the scales in the top right of the post.

Ahh. Thank you for explaining that. And thank you for the compliment. I try and be inventive with the gaming stuff.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

That is pretty darn original SB. You have been repped.

Repped?

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

I'm thinking the same thing ... it'd be interesting to know her background.

DEVICES Background:

Denise Haworl worked for SETI. One late evening, the system recorded a possible alien transmission. However, it seemed coded. Months passed with no new transmission and no working translation of the original message. A workaholic, Denise took the code with her (in her PDA) while vacationing in the Caribbean. A frozen daiquiri offered new perspective and she unlocked the code. As the stored transmission became legible, it commandeered her PDA and reconfigured its wireless communications. A signal was broadcast to a satellite, which then was overtaken and beamed to deep outer space.

Later that night, Denise was awoken when a second transmission descended. Not to a receiver dish or even her PDA but it was beamed straight into her brain. Schematics filled her mind. Blueprints for wondrous devices that might change the course of mankind. But when she recovered and found herself tinkering with the coffeemaker in the hotel room, Denise worried what were the intentions of the alien species sending the information. Did she dare offer this newfound knowledge to the world?

She made the decision, realizing that there was some selfish motivation to being the keeper of advanced technology, to slowly test the innovations personally. What better method than becoming a superhero? If the technology proved too dangerous or burdened with risk to humanity, it would be contained, perhaps channeled to a better purpose. So Denise christened herself DEVICES. After she has built whatever schematic is currently in her head, the aliens transmit new designs to her. She has even been able to build a cybernetic implant that forces/invokes a transmission offering her further engineering/scientific insight though it is short-lasting. The world thinks she's a brilliant inventor and she wishes to keep the charade going for as long as possible.

[so the helm she wears is projecting her face as an image on a screen

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

Looks like she's contacted the Mother Ship.

That is actually not far from the mark considering her origin.

Re: Queer heroes

I apologize if I took anyone's post out of context. I have had too many people claim that there is no place for gay fiction or gay booksellers without realizing the importance of each (especially the 2nd in terms of acting as pseudo-community centers). So I'm a bit... touchy on the subjecy. Again, I did not mean to offend when I started with the post.

I guess there does not seem to be a huge call for such information even as a free site. Oh well.

Steve

Re: Queer heroes

I agree, however, I've noticed a tendency that when a character is gay it tends to come into play a LOT more. It almost seems that, usually, the player feels the need to remind everyone that the character is gay. I've actually known a few people in RL that are like that and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth there also.

 

I don't think a GayHero is needed any more than AccountantHero, GasStationAttendantHero, WaitressHero, EnvironmentalistHero, AcrophobeHero and DiabeticHero.

I do not know if you are gay or straight or whatever. However, I strongly disagree with you.

First off being Gay is nothing like being an accountant or a gas station attendant. All of the 'heroes' you mention barring the disorders are voluntary pursuits and being gay is not by choice.

Secondly, being gay is also more than pursuing the same sex. There are themes of outing and coming out, being the outsider, family issues, religious issues, and so forth. There is a need for queer heroes much as there is a need for queer literature.

Also, being a queer hero is being a role model. You saying there is no need for a gay hero is like saying there should be no African-American heroes.

Re: Queer heroes

Did this happen' date=' and if so how did it go?[/quote']

 

Unfortunately, the Gaylaxicon staff underestimated the popularity of gaming and had no site for play. So the adventure never happened.

 

I am considering creating a queer supplement for Champions - though I would imagine it have to be utterly free and just linked to my website as I do not want to step on any rights issues. I have created villains and hero groups and campaign notes on the subject. Let me know if anyone is interested.

Re: The Toyman...a new look...

I liked the Black Harlequin character already published. A nice blend of Joker and Toyman. Just my 5 cents.

Re: Help with Ram powers for a super villain.

A Ram is a male goat...

With all the powers of a goat, he can eat anything...

I thought rams were male sheep not goats.

Re: Help with Ram powers for a super villain.

It sounds like he needs something against flyers. He needs a way to bring them down so he can mow 'em down. I recommend either Growth (maybe very costly with END so he cannot tower long, but he could grab the flier) or maybe a chain attack. Imagine him dragging a hero along with him as he Moves Through that hero's comrades.

Re: Need help with a name.

Her powers all have the special effect of her controling different aspects of the body. Hence her Healing' date=' Aid, Drain, and Transfer. The absorption is her using the energy of the attack to amplify her own energy (its an 4d6 Absorption vs Physical and Energy that feeds her END). I only added the Running and EB at the insistance of my GM. I wanted her not to have any really offensive powers and to be a support character and to have a lot of useful skills. My GM though she needed an attack power and a movement power.[/quote']

 

Hmm, how about Antibody?

Or Marionette?

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

I'm thinking Howler probably isn't Echo's type' date=' what Howler being a her and all.[/quote']

 

Exactly! Poor Echo will fall for the first guy in tights with a decent Comeliness.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

Well, I have to say, Storn really did an amazing job with illustrating my latest character. His name is Echo, and he's a mutant twink with an EC of Sound Manipulation (he can do all sorts of tricks). He's only 19 and meant to be the immature/flighty rookie hero. Now I wonder what strapping hero in the campaign Echo will develop a crush on...

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

When I wrote for roleplaying game companies (TSR/Wizards and White Wolf) they always contracted to retain all rights to the work I created. I had no room to negotiate otherwise. It's nice to see that is different for writers.

Err, I meant artists.