Karma

Re: Player vs. Player

I have one of these (sneaky thief). The group is pretty friendly though so there is very little problem. However the PCs are a little lairy of letting this guy 'check the vitals' (translation 'scuz the loot') of the NPCs. Something about him being the 'Rogue' or something. Whenever he tries to pocket a little more than his share I have him make a sleight of hand roll against the PCs perception rolls (penatlies according to how close they are). If he looses someone sees (how they react is up to them, there is only one who will publically call him on it, the others will just privately ask for 'hush money'). If he wins I base how much he can take on his margin of success.

Like I said OOC we all know he's doing it. IC he's suspected of it, but since his 'takings' are generally not much more than the rest of the party, and he has been known to 'loan' party members some of his loot people are fine with him. Then again he never targets PCs.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

Just don't stand behind him when he breaks wind.

I once had a character names 'Poison Wind'. She really was 'Silent but Deadly'. Seriously It sounded better in the original Anhkian. Stop looking at me like that.

(Actually she gained the ability to turn into a cloud of foul smelling gas, but I named her before that. Prophetic?)

Re: Kids, don't try this in a world with super-powers!

Actually, I was thinking about some of the supervillains how might see such a thing as an......opportunity.

 

For any number of actions.

I was thinking of spirits thinking 'Hey you wanna be me?' ...

Could actually be a good intro for a new NPC hero when someone gets dressed up as 'Leroy Smith' town benefactor...

"I am Leroy Smith. Thanks to my kind donations the town hall and bank were able to be built ... I am also the masked vigilante the Dark Shadow who used his wealth and the base concealed beneath the town hall to fight crime, and I will continue to do so now that I am back in the land of the living..."

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

I would' date=' but he keeps putting out great quotes and I hit him too recently already. Sorry.[/quote']

 

Me too! Dang, why can't we give Rep to those who deserve it? Why this 'spread the Rep'? Dang Stinkin' Commies!

Re: Transgendered Superperson

Karma: Asks if she can bottle this effect (it usually takes major surgery even in the future). Has a long hard think. Decides that being a bloke for a while might be interesting, she can always have it reversed in her own time (and since her powers are tech based it won't effect them).

Fore-Eyes: Having foreseen this eventuality already has all his bases covered. Even has a 'welcome to the club' party booked for the seventh and all the RSVPs are in. The new costume is fabulous and will show off his new cleavege wonderfully (even if he will lack the 'most common superpower'). Lets just say he's had time to adjust and is doing it wonderfully (it helps that most of the characters I play are already female, so he's just becoming part of the norm)

Hardball: Has a little panic attack. Afterward realizes that doing so is an insult to his 'Robin substitute' partner in crime-fighting (who is female (although this is not widely known, she's still young enough that it isn't obvious). Heck this might actually be for the best, once 'he' moves out and 'his sister' moves in there may be less 'nasty looks' from the neighbors in their Secret IDs.

Re: Whoops! Did I really allow that power?

Agreed. Role playing is supposed to be about fun. It only takes one person' date=' on either side of the screen, to ruin it for the entire group.[/quote']

 

Totally off topic, but I've been in games where a player made everyone (but himself) squirm and not from his powers. That can also ruin a game. O.k. back to the topic...

Re: Bolt, the super dog

I'd say his strength, toughness, etc come from Density Increase. He dents train roofs and cracks concrete when he lands after jumping (sometimes, hey it's a kids show consistency isn't always required). Plus even cartoon physics is a little stretched by the idea of a dog holding a car horizontally over the side of a bridge without him being a mite heavier than usual. Definite DI.

Re: Real World Books in Fictional Libraries

If you had a "world's smartest man" character' date=' he could have a book titled "Ramses II" next to his computer just in case he couldn't think of an adequate log-on password.[/quote']

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the graphic novel give both Ozymandis and Night Owl a lot more credit than the movie by requiring Night Owl to know that Ozymandis was another name for Ramses on his own, instead of trying to make viewers believe that the "world's smartest man" needed a reminder of his password right next to his computer?

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

I actually like history rants...

You obviously do not play with more than one history nerd. I have had entire sessions taken up with dueling history rants.

Re: Real World Books in Fictional Libraries

I have a vampire with the entire (so far) Twilight series, then again she is something of a fangirl when it comes to that particular subject (Vampires, not Twilight.)

I have an 'eccentric' (your only mad if you fail) scientist with Arthur C. Clarke's 'Profiles of the Future' (both editions). He uses Clarke's second law ("the only way we can know the limit of the possible is to attempt to move beyond it into the impossible") as his personal maxim, and enjoys the list of 'esteemed scientists' who said something was impossible only to have themselves proved wrong by reality (proving Clarke's first law: "If an esteemed scientist says something is possible he is most likely right, if he says it is impossible he is most likely wrong") it gives him a reason to call those who doubt him 'fools', he has historical precedent.

I haven't used it yet but I plan on having a master villain who carries a copy of 'Master of the World' by Jules Verne.

Re: Only You Can...

Fore-eyes: Actually has vivid 'memories' of a world like this one (in which he was never empowered and so could not save it), it's his main reason for doing what he does, although they are in the future and I'm guessing this is the 'present'. Pretty much any world in which his ability to foresee a danger/catastrophe/etc. was earth-shattering would do as 'what would happen without him'.

Hardball: The only thing I can think of where his powers would have made 'all the difference' would be one in which something needed to be delivered to exactly the right spot from a distance, possibly through a small hole in a force-shield/etc. "I have a device that if it were delivered right here on the alien ship could disable it. We can punch a big enough hole in the alien ship's shield for it to fit through for a split second but it would shoots down any vehicle that gets close. We know it ignores single human figures as unimportant. If there were only someone who was accurate enough to throw it through the hole..."

Watts also comes from 'a world that needs him (it)'. Without him the Great Leader would successfully take over every human mind on the planet. If both worlds are on the same time-line (it is the 'present' in both worlds) then the Great Leader was born far earlier than in the campaign world and the alternate world does not possess the technology to build the King-Slayer robots or send them back through time to stop the Great Leader before his powers manifested (yes Watts is a Terminator (sort of).

Re: WWYCD? #80: Future Hope or Hellspawn?

Alot of people seem to assume that one or the other is lying. It is entirely possible that they are both telling the truth as they see it (were I a super-villain setting this up, that's how I'd do it). It is also possible that both are telling the objective truth. It is possible that she is from an alternate future where he is a time traveling villain and her arch enemy and he is from a world were she is an extra-dimensional super-villain (and you can just see the actual villainous versions watching in amusement from the side-lines "Hey 'sis', how about I take us back to the future and we can get on with conquering it for you") Such are he convolutions of time travel and alternate worlds (esp. in comic books where this arch would most likely end with the two of them and the character returning to the future to stop the 'evil twins' taking over)

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

But you must be mad' date=' else you wouldn't be here.[/quote']

 

Thank you Reverand Dodgeson.

 

BTW, just read the original books (Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass). *Much* better than any movie version (not least because they include so much of Lewis Carroll's poetry)

Re: WWYCD: "Dear Superhero" (Warning: Ugly situation)

Well, you've certain got forum sarcasm and irony down pat... I guess that's good.

 

If you postulate a world which contains superhuman beings, it's not all that far-fetched to postulate that many if not most of those superhumans could successfully deal with thugs using AK-47s. Yes, there would be those who lacked either the power, logistical capabilities, or motive to go after these types. I'd like to think most players aren't interested in playing PCs who lack the motive to protect children, even ones in a remote African region undergoing meltdown.

 

Do I think the application of force will magically end slavery and oppression in Africa (IRL or even within an RPG)? That's a discussion for the NGD. Do I think superheroes could or should at least try? Hell yes! That's why they're called superheroes.

You are right, of course. A hero would at least try. and as I said , you convinced me that most of my characters should. Possibly they could make some kind of difference even if it's only to the letter writer and their village.

The problem is that in situations like this one it is hard to know what will make a positive difference in the long run. Sure you could go in and break a few heads and guns (as you point out, not to hard for most superheroes), possibly take out the head of one of the tribal armies. Heck, if you had the capacity you might even be able to take everyone in ther village to a safe new home. However unless the campaign world runs extemely differently to the real world (or the Darker world my PCs live in) there will always be another village and another tribal army (and one of those armies will be the official army of the country). So the question becomes what is enough? Is it enough to save the letter writer (if that is even possible)? Her village? Her country (if that is possible)? What about all the other countries in Africa that are in similar situations? What about other war torn areas of the world where similar things go on? Are you any less a hero for ignoring them simply because they haven't managed to write you a letter? Heck anyone with a T.V. knew this kind of thing went on before you got the letter, why didn't you do something then?

I know this is pessimistic and a little 'hard-core' for a RPG, but then the topic was to begin with.

Then again as someone pointed out, most GMs will not throw you into a situation you cannot handle (mine are not among them BTW). So it is possible that this is a hook for a situation where you can kill/beat up a few thoroughly evil bad guys take on their vile Leader, save the little girl, help restore the rightful, Democratically Elected government to power and be back at the base in time for a Brewski. Lets just say if any GM (not just the people I play with) threw this at me as a hook I would be getting ready for a no-win situation which would make most Iron Age books look positively Golden (not that I wouldn't participate, but I'd be shocked if our characters did any better than saving a handful of children while letting the rest of the country continue to suffer, and even then only after we had lost good people. Then again I kind of get pessimistic when child rape is mentioned in an intro).

(in case you wondering my usual GM sets out an adventure like so: "Here is a situation that I as a single mind believe to be unwinnible. I will give you any information that you would likely be able to obtain. You, as a group of minds, need to discover the loophole I have overlooked and exploit it.")

Re: WWYCD: "Dear Superhero" (Warning: Ugly situation)

The OP made it pretty clear the letter could have arrived by a very roundabout way or even by a proxy.

 

It doesn't take a whole lot of oomph to beat up common thugs armed with assault rifles and machetes in a world with superhumans. It's not much different than fighting gang members in urban streets. If you can't or won't even deal with that kind of thing, then what's the point of being a costumed adventurer in the first place? It's doubtful the hero(es) would need to pummel the bad guys more than a couple of times before they'd decide there are easier ways to make a living.

 

My primary PC, Zl'f, has very low defenses and a Total CvK, but that wouldn't stop her from breaking bad guys' guns and bones (not necessarily in that order).

Oh I'm sorry I took this situation with all the rape and child soldiers and such too seriously, looking at it too realistically. I thought it was the type of situation where attacking the 'soldiers' (children with rifles) would escalate the problem and lead to repercussions such as the sort of massacres and rape that you were trying to prevent (which is what geneally happens in these kinds of situations when someone decides to play hero, it's called 'making an example'). I must have been mistaken.

If this is the fairy land where all mass murdering psychopaths who train boys to be rapists and murderers so they can have 'soldiers' for their little armies see the error of their ways after a bit of biffo and a stern talking to then of course my heroes would be all for it. Unfortunately they would need to find someone with Transdimentional Movement to take them there since they all come from a darker world where EVIL people tend to get more evil, not less, when challenged.

... Actually, Trebuchet (cool monika there BTW), you've shown my characters the error of their ways. You are correct. Provided they could somehow get the cash to fly to Africa I can see Karma sneaking into the camp of the 'soldiers' high command, removing their heads and leaving them in a bag in bedroom of the 'Leader' (you know Mr. 'Keep out, I don't want to appear weak') with an unsigned note saying "I hope I chose the right side. If not I'm willing to remedy the situation". With her luck she will have to.

Hardball will only act if he can find a link between what is going on in Africa and organized crime in his city. As far as he's concerned the same kinds of things are going on in America (at least in his city (High incidence of rape? check! Children being armed with automatic weapons and taught kill each other? check! A government that wants to ignore the problem and acts like it doesn't exist? Check!) and he needs to clean *it* up before he worries about the rest of the world. The man has an obsession, what can I say. He also lives in a much darker reality than most. If he could find a way to strike a decisive blow against one or other of his various nemesis then provided that they would allow a convicted felon on an international airline he would most likely find the where leaders were and blow it to holy hell with some extremely well placed grenades fragging the leadership and taking out as few of the child soldiers as possible.

Actually most of my characters would go with the 'cut off the head' approach to attempting to solve the situation. Killing/maiming/whatever the grunts (even those who are not children and who enjoy rape) while satisfying will do bupkiss to solve the problem, everyone of them is cannon fodder for the other side anyway and the warlords can always find more. Start at the top and work your way down until you find someone you think isn't a willing participant in these atrocities and stop (even if this is a kid who can hardly lift his gun to shoot at you).

This may solve everything. More likely the 'leader' who wanted the UN to stay out did it more to hide his own atrocities, and now that you've dealt with his little uprising he can go back to his plans for ethnic cleansing, etc. (Yeah I know, I'm a pessimist when it comes to human nature and the effects of power).

Re: Back on topic - thank you

from: MIDDLE EARTH D20

here's my scam, simple and fun

cast delay poison on self, then challenge Harad bumpkin to drinking contest.

Wait... Oh DELAY poison. I thought you said neutralize poison and I thought "where's the fun in that?"

Oh and thank you for bringing the thread back on topic.

Re: WWYCD: "Dear Superhero" (Warning: Ugly situation)

Most of my characters aren't in any position to help in this situation. Most, in fact, will wonder how the letter writer knew who they were in the first place (Secret ID are big with my characters (as in even my team mates are not privy to them).

Most of my characters would have sleepless nights over how useless they feel. Karma is the one most likely to travel to Africa and get herself killed. If Fore-eyes had his Overseer base on-line he'd use the Gate as a way of evacuating as many people as he could (and his precog to ensure he did it when there were no soldiers). All my others are a little too street-level in power to do anything.

Re: Raptured

I think most, if not all, of my superhero characters would react the same way.

 

Carry on the fight. Perhaps investigate the disappearances, if any clues whatsoever can be found. Hope they're still alive and that some way will be found to rescue them from wherever they have been taken.

 

Probably suspect, and definitely hope, that since many powerful heroes were among the victims, whoever did it may have bitten off more then they could chew.

 

Some of my characters, especially if the victims were known to them, would swear vengeance on the perpetrators if they can ever be found.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

What Would Your Palindromedary Do?

My characters too would do this. I mean it is obvious that someone is attempting to shift the balance of power away from the heroic. About the only person that might suspect 'the Truth' is Fore-Eyes, and that's because he's probably seen "what is to come" in many of his nightmares.

Re: Recurring NPC's

Wow - I think Captain Adventure is my hero too!

Yes Captain Adventure is a hero. More of a hero than many PCs. Can you imagine a player continuing in a game where his PC got his a$$ handed to him every session and who knew his 'peers' called him a loser behind his back?

Actually most players complain if they have one loss, despite the fact that in almost every genre the 'heroes' always suffer defeat before they achieve victory. Imagine if you were Captain Adventure's player.

Still while he may not be much of a fighter, I would think he must have some power. 'Impossible to kill' is what I'm thinking (+100 BODY, only to avoid death), since most villains are not known for their mercy. (then again they may have let him live, just so that they could laugh at him, the way Heroes laugh at Bulldozer and other 'joke' villains)

Re: much joy at the Middle Earth D20 game...

Cast: my Barbarian Ranger, "Gondor" the Warrior,

Snake the Wizard, and William the Rogue

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

But if you stay here as my concubine, that will also be an epic tail.

 

Did you just call the pirate queen an epic piece of tail? If the former thou deserveth much REP!

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

Your interpretation is far kinder than the original lyrics

I'm chalking this up to 'Blinded by the light,' syndrome. IOW what the original lyrics were and what they actually sang are totally different (Listen to 'Blinded by the Light' and try your hardest to hear "Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night" Not possible. (Wikipedia says that the vocalist was actually singing 'revved up like a deuce' which you can hear, if you try very hard not to hear what most people think it is.). Which differs from Lady Montegreen syndrome (which is when you misinterpret a lyric (eg. "Hold me closer Tony Danza").

Anyway how does 'Own' and 'Scold' rhyme?

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

Heh. I honestly can't recall what game this quote originated in, but it's become the tag line for at least one pulp hero in any of our games:

 

"Women seem to have a problem with my face. They either want to punch it or kiss it. Sometimes both."

Sounds like a character of mine who (in a total fit of unoriginality) I described as the guy in the Eagle's song 'Take it Easy'... you know "Seven women on my mind. Four that want to own me, two that want to stone me, one says she's a friend of mine"

Re: SuperHero Creation Mishap.

Both are scientists so, while their social lives are possible down the drain, I can see them bluffing their way through the work part.

She may only be 3 feet tall, but if the only people seeing her are via a video phone or similar that won't matter (just make sure to clear any items that may be used for height comparison and stand very near the camera on a chair). Meanwhile, if he sounds normal (even if he doesn't look it) he can 'always bo too busy to come to the phone' and can call out from off camera anything that 'he' specifically needs to say.

If people insist that they talk directly to him? Well the high EM fields that the couple are working with choose that time to interupt the visual signal don't they?

Of couse the EM field excuse works for any time that you don't want people seeing you.

Consider (for the purposes of this example she is Helen, he is Jim, caller is Tony):

The phone rings while the duo are in the lab. This causes the pre-recorded sound of concordes to start near the microphone...

Tony: "Hello Helen. Wow your standing close to the screen"

Helen (Shouting over the sound of concordes): "Have too Tony. Can't hear a thing over the field, Jim's still working on a way to dampen the noise. So what's up?"

Tony: "Actually I really wanted to talk to Jim."

Helen: "He's a little busy, Like a said the noise..."

Jim (shouting from off camera): "Who is it dear?"

Helen:"It's Tony he needs to speak to you."

Jim: "Can you take a message, the sonic dampeners are AHH! ... wow tha's going to need work!"

Helen: "Sorry Tony, can I take a message?"

Tony: "No sorry I really need to talk to him. Can you take over reapairs?"

Helen: "I'll see..." presses the button behind her back which causes the screen to go wonky...

Jim (now near the screen): "Damn it Tony what is it?"

Tony "Is everything alright the pictures gone out?"

Jim: "EM fields, playing havic with everything in here. Get to the point, what was so important?"

Tony: "It's about Helen's birthday present. I'm having trouble finding a portable hologramatic generator... what does she need it for anyway?"

Jim: "You know women, want a new look every day. Thought the 7 billion price tag would be cheaper than keeping up with her need to change her hair ... OW" Helen hits him, Tony can't see it, of course "look the EM field getting high enough that the screens giving off sparks, I need to go, just see what you can do."

Screen turns off

Jim turns to Helen "Well that went well"

Helen: "My hair?"

Jim "Only thing I could think of..."

Of course looks wouldn't even factor into it if there was 'too much disturbance for Video phones' and they needed to just use normal phones.

Of course if anyone wanted to visit the lab it would be at a 'highly sensitive time, can't have visitors'.

Not sure what to do about their social lives, unless they want to get into on-line in a big way.

Re: Help with theme archer

Well unless you want each god/goddess to necessarily give her an arrow each I'd go for a few 'alternate' gifts.

Athena owned the Aegus, a magical breastplate which made the wearer invulnerable. While she is unlikely to give *it* away a lesser version of it may suffice.

I'd have Hephaestus make the bow, as others have suggested. Either that or Artemus gives her one of her spares.

Hades had a helmet of invisibility that he was known to lend out (to Perseus in one case).

Ares might give her something to use in those cases where she needed to get 'up close and personal', like a sword. Archery was always the purview of 'sissies' like Apollo, real warriors got blood on them.

Re: The Greatest American Hero

Remember it? I have the entire series on DVD.

No I haven't made him as a character, although the original premise (how hard it is to be a superhero, the problems of finding somewhere to change, the excuses you need to make to your loved ones (or at least your 'in the know' girlfriends parents), holding down a teaching job (not recommended for a superhero!), what being a hero means in the real world, etc.) would make a good, if very short, campaign premise (who wants to look at that side of heroing really?)

The final two seasons kind of lost the original plot and became typical superheroics (not that there is anything wrong with that but it wasn't the original idea). I think they lost me the first time he made a perfect landing.