Karma

Re: Utility Belts

Then of course you have Fore-eyes (Precog) 'Utility belt VPP' 'I knew I'd need this'. Really he's not carrying all that many gadgets or items, he just knew before hand what he'd need.

"Thankfully I brought my Shark repellant"

Gotta love Batman.

Re: Code vs Killing, but Gods a little fuzzy about kneecaps.

The thing is' date=' a proper interrogation takes [i']time. [/i]Sometimes quite a lot of it.

You seem to be of the innacurate opinion (probably fed by T.V.) that torture doesn't take time. It does.

Quick torture session. Time is of the essence.

Take knife/cigarette/pain inflicting thing you have on hand. (Since you can't get any electrodes etc.)

Use on baddie (You pretty certain he's a bddie or you wouldn't be doing this (we hope)

Baddie screams. Baddie screams some more. Baddie continues to scream.

You: 'Tell me where she is and I'll make thje pain stop' (or something equally as corny)

Baddie continue screaming or possibly passes out from shock.

You spend quite along time repeating this process and the girl dies.

People just don't 'blurt out' pertinant information when you hurt them.

Some might, but heck threatening to hurt them will likely get them to spill.

Most will just scream and bleed and pass out. Some hardarses will be 'less' likely to co-operate if you hurt them since they now think you need to suffer to (and holding out is their way of making sure you do).

Re: Code vs Killing, but Gods a little fuzzy about kneecaps.

My view on the whole torture route can be summed up in the words: "How long have you been a witch"

Unless you are a total sadist you 'know' the person you are torturing has the information you want (you may be wrong, but you don't go to town on someone unless your 100% sure he has what you need (Sadism nonwithstanding).

If the person has the information:

He might give it up. Bully for you, although just so you know torture isn't actually as quick as people seem to think. Unless you have a way of keeping him conscious a great deal of time is spent waking the 'subject' up as he passes out (this is real world not 'comic book') In the 'buried girl' scenareo it is quite possible that she dies while you are trying to a) wake up the guy you sent into shock, stop the guy screaming 'STOP' at the top of his lungs, c) trying to keep the guy from actually dying himself.

He might tell you a bunch of lies (again with the girl) since he wants the little girl to die and he's willing to take anything you can dish out to see it happens. In fact he'll probably smile at you as you burst back in having found out he lied to you since he's now 'beaten you'. I mean this guy buried a litle girl, he's pretty much a monster.

He might even laugh between the screams knowing that the longer you torture him the less chance you have of actually finding the girl alive.

He might also not have the answer. In which case you waste your time and the girl dies. (either while your looking into the 'confession' he told you to stop the pain, or while he's insisting he doesn't know anything).

Re: Code vs Killing, but Gods a little fuzzy about kneecaps.

Or worse: "He still isn't talking. Heal him so we can do this again."

"Damn I shouldn't have hit him that hard. Oi medic... sorry Cleric raise him would you. Oh and you might want to heal him up a bit too so you don't have to raise him again."

Actually I have never been in a game with this situation: I have howeverbeen in this one:

Goblin: "I will never talk! There is nothing you can do to me that SHE will not do worse."

PC gives signal. Other PC chops other Goblins foot off. Other Goblin screams.

Goblin: "NEVER. NEVER"

PC: "Oh well. Kill them". Other PC does so.

The Players were a little put out that I considered this an 'Evil Act'.

Re: WIYCT: What is your character's theme?

For Hardball it would be the riff that is played as a pitcher winds up in baseball (he actually brings it to mind on occasion when throwing something at a mooks head).

For Fore-eyes it is the music that he hears every night in his dreams, the music of the first dance he will have with his new wife (note the future tense, he hasn't met her yet).

Karma's theme-song won't be written for another hundred years but it kind of sounds like a cross between eye of the tiger and another one bites the dust. If you ask her nicely she'll play it for you.

Re: "Hull? I can't be in Hull!"

Karma: Used to time travel and turning up in era's where her usual form of currency is unacceptable "What do you mean you don't accept this? It's a perfectly valid credstick?" Karma slaps her forehead with a 'not again look' on her face, changes her clothing to fit in, finds what looks like a 'shady' spot and uses her knowledge of the underworld to find a 'reputable' fence. A spate of jewelry thefts later she's sitting pretty and is probably running a nice speak-easy while 'cleaning up' the worst of the organised crime.

When she feels like going back to the 'present' she'll do what she always does, spin the dial, push the button and hope (it is likely how she got here in the first place).

Fore-eyes: Once he comes to (time travel is not his friend) will remove the large metal tube full of authentic 1920s bank-notes from his ... hiding place. Sit down and take a few moments then set off toward the one person who can remedy the situation. Gotta love precog.

Hard-ball: After an initial panic (time travel doesn't really fit his paradigm.) will realise that many of his enemies in the present are decended from the Organised Crime figures of this period. Will go about testing a variation of the Grandfather Paradox (If I kill and rob the ancestors of the people who framed me and 'made me what I am' will I remain the same person? If not who killed and robbed these people?)

Re: The Young Turks

Lamia

Nuradin

Ruhsal

Pardus

Fatima

Re: teen champons geeks vs jocks kung fu version

As people have said, it depends on his personality/what the cliques think of him. Remember it's not 'his' choice which clique he's in. Cliques choose you (that's what the 'Watched' is about, are you 'one of us')

The jocks might accept him because "a guy who can take you down is kind of cool and if he could teach us those throws we'd rule the field" but the moment he stood up for the little guy he'd be out on his ear. (I'm talking sterotypes here)

The moment he stood up for the little guy said little guys might accept him, of course the'd probably expect him to act as clique body guard etc. and he'd probably find himself wondering what they were on about when they started using acronyms. I doubt he'd be thrown out but he'd probably drift away.

Actually the two most likely IMHO are 'Weirdo' (true he doesn't have a dead rat collection or something really weird, but he is interested in all thae 'eastern philosphy' stuff and he just doesn't 'fit in') and of course 'loner' (since he doesn't fit in and most MA archetypes tend to be loner types anyway).

I'd actually look at his other interests to choose his 'clique'. Heck he'd make a great Cheerleader what with those muscles and high kicks (Hey it's an idea).

Re: Little Powers

You instantly know what ever activity any person would rather be doing than what they are doing now.

"He would rather be fishing, He would rather be . . ."

 

or it was in a movie, um, 'The Unbreakable' is a prime example. Some damage reduction (no life support) and a clarisentiance that tells you the last bad thing done by someone you touch.

He also had scad loads of Strength. As for 'some damage reduction' the guy survived a train crash so apart from a weakness to drowning he might be invulnerable. Also he seemed to be able to see everything bad youd ever done (see end of movie).

Little powers:

Uncontrolled Precog while sleeping (great for giving players missions), even while awake if it results in 'blackout' (Ie. you can't sense the world around you while it's going on).

Healing (Only when naked) (got this idea fom a book where the Cleric needs to be in his undershorts to perform his curing spells (female party members are asked to look away).

Ongoing Regeneration: Must take foreign objects out of wounds quickly or they get 'healed' in and/or bones set where they are when healing and wounds scar (IOW the power increase the characters natural healing rate to insane levels not 'Wolverine regen')

Desolid: Only to objects touching character's skin when power is used (Clothes for example, but also a useful escape power).

Re: The Super Darwin Awards

Since this isn't a Champions only award:

Not me (I swear):

GM: A gate opens to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The Dragon you have been sent to fight steps out through it.

Knight's Player: I rush toward the dragon

(That should have counted in itself but he managed to survive the Dragon's first initial attack almost dead)

Knight's player: Ahhh I run!!

GM: Which way?

Knight's player: Toward the gate.

GM: Really? O.k. it's getting awfully hot.

Knight's Player: Keep going.

GM: Really Hot!!!

Knight's player: Keep going.

GM: You run through the gate and die!

Knight's player: What?

The player stormed out. Apparently he'd been waiting for the third warning. I know the GM, he was lucky to get the second. (He knew the GM too which is why we thought it was so boneheaded). Still play with the player in question, even in my games (and I'm pretty lenient) he still looses the largest amount of characters (usually by charging the bad guy (who is meant to challenge the entire party) and taking him on in single combat.) Oh he's learned to accept character death.

Re: Campaign/Character Hook

Unless he's a mutant not alot

As a campaign forshadowing idea: The heroes fight there way to the Supervillians Control room. On the way they find evidence that he has produced an Alpha level superbeing. As they break in to the control room they see him attempting to place a child in an escape pod.

What they do now may have ramifications in the future.

Allow the child to escape: Brought up by the Supervillians minions the child becomes the greatest threat the world has ever known (and if you don't want to take years to bring him/her into the action develops time travel abilities)

Stop the child escaping and then hand him off to the authorities: Brought up either in a lab or as a superweapon or (least likely) in a state foster home becomes the greatest threat the world has ever known.

Stop the child and either bring him up themselves (long term story potential) or make sure he is well cared for (again long term potential): Child eventually helps them save the world.

You could also create a Mutant (or other 'born with powers/potental') character (as a player) whose Hunted is a twin/clone/Alternate Universe version of himself with the same powers whose upbringing has led him to become a villian.

Re: superuseless superpowers

I once thought about creating a team of characters somewhat like this called the 'Non-Coms' (short for non combat, not non comissioned). Not 'totally useless' powers but powers that weren't really any help in a fight (esp. a super fight). These were the people who 'real heroes' pushed out the way with a "leave this to the professionals son/maam". They got together as a support group. Can't really remember the powers I was going to give them, only that 'real Heroes/Villians' would have wiped the floor with them.

But in the spirit of this thread I give a character I made as 'colour' (pun intended) for a super teen street gang.

Tag: Changes the colour of anything he touches (and only those parts that he touches)(Minor transform: only to change the colour of the place his fingers touch)

Re: [Worst Ever...] Reasons to be a superhero

Do these count as bad:

Fore-eyes: I've seen what happens if I don't.

Karma:"Hero? Superbattles help cover the evidence of *my* criminal activities."No officer the supervillian must have given the diamonds to one of his mooks, I really hope you find them"

How about: "I get to hang around and sometimes wrestle with women in skintight clothing (and sometimes even less). Who wouldn't have this job?"

"I get to hang around and sometimes wrestle with men in skintight clothing and the WWF has these rules about superpowers"

"Nag. Nag. Nag. I had to get out of the house. I had these superpowers and if I went into villainy and got caught and put in jail wouldn't *she* have a field-day?"

"The kids won't listen to *Dad* when he tells them to brush their teeth, but Powerman..."

"It gives me a socially accepatable reason to wear a mask. Why do I want to wear a mask? Never mind that..."

Re: It's a Wonderful Life - Champions Style!

Fore-Eyes: Has had this vision (or one similar which shows what will happen to the future if he doesn't remain a hero) so doesn't need a recap.

Hardball: Most likely to wonder if he's made a difference. Would see how his saving people shifted them away from lives that would lead them to gangs and criminal behaviour and how actually he stops the city becoming the corrupt cesspit that he already thinks it is. Would also see the grave of his sidekick who would have died attempting to avenge herself if he hadn't saved her. Will come back even more ready to smash the criminal underworld.

The Supernaturals: All the girls see themselves as the worst they can be. Silvermoon has become pack alpha of a werewolf pack who moves from town to town slaughtering for there shear pleasure of it. Sanguina baths in a pool of children's blood as 'Queen of the Damned'. Athame sells her soul to dark forces for power and ushers in the Apocalypse.

The girls return shaken by the depths to which they can sink and renew their pact to fight the evil within them.

If they were never empowered:

Fore-eyes: Sees his average life, his team never meeting up, those he has saved dying or worse and finally the world ending in the Apocalypse.

Hardball: Spends a comparitively happy life in the circus until organised crime destroys it. He dies attempting to avenge his family.

The Supernaturals (actually a more likely vison as the girls tend to wish they had never been empowered) The town is overrun by the forces of evil. Sanguina becomes a snack for the vampire lords, Silvermoon is torn apart by werewolves and as Athame and her coven try despirately to find a spell to combat the rising dark they are attacked by evil cultists who use them as sacrifices to sate the demons unholy hunger. Everyone looses.

Re: What did your Champion get for the holidays?

Karma: Lots of shiny, from all the nice people with their easily avoidable security. Bet they wish they were home for the holidays.

Fore-eyes: A nice glasses case from the gang who got the 'Unbidden' (Invisible to Precognition) to buy it for him and put it under the tree.

Teen-Guardians Hardball: Socks from Mum, Money from Dad, alot of handmade stuff from his friends at the circus. A warm glow like he hasn't felt in 10 years.

Silver-moon: 'Wolf-Lake' collection from Sanguina. A magic silver pentagram charm from Athame (along with a lecture on how Christianity has co-opted the season from it's pagan roots). Alot of cheap costume jewelry from her friends.

Sanguina: A nasty look and a nice new silk half-cloak from Silver-Moon. A nasty look and a magic silver pentagram charm from Athame (along with halves on the lecture). A long sharp piece of wood with a holly and ivy sprig from her favorite hunter (who was nice enough to miss her heart, bless him). A sprig of mistletoe from a devoted fan (who she left weak and happy).

Athame: Long suffering looks from Silver-Moon and Sanguina along with a silk robe from Silver-Moon ("For when your casting skyclad and you have surprise visitors") and a 'Charmed' boxed-set from Sanguinia. Some handmade scented candles and new chalice from the coven.

Re: What does OMEN stand for?

If it must be an acronym

Organisation of

Mystically

Evil

Nutcases

Then again maybe not

Maybe something that sound 'Latin' and 'Occult'

Oculus

Malignous

Emperious

Nox

Which kind of sounds like the 'Eyes of the Evil Ruler of Night'

Re: The Things I Learned Playing A Villain...

Actually, just don't have kids. Seriously, rule the world while you can, and let terror and plunder be your only legacies left behind. Having a vasectomy should be the first step of your master plan.[/b]

But if I don't have kids I can't have a cute little grandaughter who, when the heroes burst into my inner sanctum, will ask why they are attacking grandpa forcing them to monologue about ethics, morals, etc. and who can, when she hears all this claptrap, push the button to drop them into the mutant crocodile pit. Trust me the only thing less ethical than an Evil Overlord is an eight year old with pet mutant crocodiles.

Oh and she can double as my 8 year old adviser (who can point out all the holes in my master plan)

Hey I've read my Handbook (including the extended version)

Re: The Things I Learned Playing A Villain...

Shoot first, monologue later

(or, if the heroes will actually let you monologue, use the time they give you to continue setting up your 'Evil Plans')

Re: How to stat this out... if I should?

Great minds must think alike. I have a character just like this called Necrophage (means Deatheater) (she's a whee bit morbid)

I just used a VPP with 'only the powers of those who have died near her'. She, of course, can chop and change powers up to her point limit, but can't use all the powers at once.

As an aside I have also given her 'Extra Dimentional Telepathy (so she can communicate with the dead), a Succeptability to 'places of the dead (morges, graveyards, some hospitals)' (the dead all talk at her at once causing major headaches) and "Takes the Psych Limits of those whose powers she copies", but you could do different.

Re: GM Question: Social Equity

Sort of like... let's say you walk into the office and say, "Hey, co-workers! I'm a mutant!" and then make yourself glow for a second for effect. After the initial shock wore off, it's kind of like walking into the office and announcing that you're a transvestite, then briefly showing off that garter belt you have on under your slacks. Kinda of a weird thing to do, probably socially unacceptable, might get you reprimanded for causing a scene (though, in the mutant situation, you'd probably get in less trouble, since I'm sure that flashing a garter belt probably qualifies you for some sort of sexual harrassment allegation), but not something that would get you hurled out the 12th story window by an angry and fearful mob.

Then again, in a world where 'mutants' can do everything from glow to control your mind your coworkers might wonder which end of the scale you are on. Sure maybe you only glow, but maybe that glow is radioactive any you've just given them all enough rads to make them sterile. Can anyone really be sure? "Perhaps it would be better for everyone concerned if you found another job, one where you don't potentially endanger people with your radioactive powers. You understand don't you".

This isn't an odd reaction for most people. 'Odd powers' translates in most minds as 'potentially dangerous powers', the 'mutant' might be perfectly safe, but do you really want to risk it? What if he doesn't know how dangerous his powers actually are? Are their tests for these kind of things.

Actually walking into your office and announcing your a mutant is more like walking in and announcing your HIV Positive during the 1980s (when people thought you could catch it from sharing the same bus seat) than announcing your a transvestite. Trannies, while weird, don't have the potential of killing you accidently.

Of course admitting your a 'mutant' isn't the only thing that could elicit this reaction. Anyone with powers that poeple can't understand (be they from mutation, alien DNA, eating weird pizza, whatever) would get the same treatment. A good reason for keeping your powers secret is your continued employment in any area but 'super-law-enforcement/soldier programs'.

Re: Namedropping

Franz Anton Mesmer (after whom Mesmerism was named) discovered what he called 'animal magnetism' and which today is called hypnotic suggestion. Investigated spiritualists, many of whose 'abilities' he attributed to unconscious 'animal magetism' (ie. their hypnotic suggestion of their clients through their own unshaking beliefs)

Justification: He invented hypnostism and was a master of using and recognising suggestability in his patients and others. And perhaps the team of scientists who disproved his creation of a 'magic fluid' might discover it is a real 'cure-all' in 'Super World'.

Motivation: A true physician in real life he used his 'treatments' to aleviate various ailments. In 'Super World' he might decide to use his discoveries to aleviate societies ills, such as crime, mad science etc.

Re: The Things I've Learned Playing A Mentalist

Try lower level effects first 'Hit the Brick, not me' before high level ones 'Attack your friends'. Even with Cumulative your victim is more than likely to pummel you into paste before you reach high levels.

and just 1 more

People don't appreciate being Mind Controlled/Mind Read/Mental Illusioned, etc. Either use 'undetectable' effects or get the heck away before they make their breakout rolls.

Re: WWYCD 101:A question of faith

Remember kiddies, there's no such thing as real Utopia. All apparently fully content and happy societies *will* without fail have some morally unacceptable factor that the characters will have to fight, after more or less debate about whether they should.

Given this all my characters would be looking for this factor from the minute they realised this was an apparent utopia and would have discovered the 'secret' long before there wasd only a week before the ceremony. As for what they do:

Fore Eyes: Checks the possible futures to see whether stopping the ritual will do more harm than good (crops failing no matter what the people try to do, war, the arrival of a very angry God who decides to kill everyone as a penalty for not provinding his yearly sacrifice; *not* the people have to start working to make the crops grow instead of relying on faith and living it up). If so he'll shrug and wish the newest king well in the afterlife before looking for the nearest portal out of there.

Hardball: Stops the ritual. The suffering of one for the advantage of the many is against his personal creed.

Caress: If it's a man on the block and a female deity that is being placated, fine, at least this guy knows his place. If either of these is reversed she stops the ritual or (preferably) 'convinces' (using Mind Control, etc) the people that their deity is female and requires male sacrifices. Once 'all is well with the world' she sits back and enjoys it. If the Male deity objects she high-tales it.

Karma: Fool wants to give up their life for the people *and* remain a virgin? Their choice. Personally I'd be looking in the holy books for some loop-hole about that virgin part, if it were me.

Re: Villianous/Heroic Powers

Just to be the Devil's advocate:

Villainous:

 

Pain/Flesh/Blood Control or Manipulation

Used only on villians, and only to the minimum extent required to take them out of the fight.

Unholy magic/powers

There are enough reformed demons and 'spirits of vengence' in the comics to show how heroes can have these powers.

Mind Control

If used only to subdue villians or get innocents out of danger.

Fear/Anger Control

If used to remove these conditions or to frighten off villians (One of the New Mutants could create fear inducing illusions, and she was a hero)

Disintegration powers

Fired at the floor to put the bad-guys in a hole, weaken the cealing to bring it down of Grond (since you know he can take it and it might slow him down long enough to get innocents to safety, etc.

Decaying/Rotting powers

See disintergration.

Heroic:

 

Healing

Keep the minions and villianous teammates coming back for more Hero beatings.

Holy magic/powers

Angel who punishes all sins (no matter how minor) with death.

Witch-hunter who believes that it is better that a hundred innocents die at his hand than one witch go free.

Love/Happiness/Inspirational/Calming abilities/control

"Join my cult, and I shall bring you all the love and happiness in the world. Give up all your worldly possessions to me, for you have no more need of them. Destroy all the unbelievers for they wish to end your bliss."

"It's O.k., don't worry about me, I'll just take this jewelry and be gone, you don't need to get up, just stay calm."

Re: Villianous/Heroic Powers

Mind control: Heroic -Bring me the still-beating heart of Foxbat, and make sure you rip it out first!" [/Quote]

Oh yeah, that'd heroic. I tend to think that any form of Mind Control in no more or less evil than pointing a gun at someone and telling them to do the same, with the proviso that your not giving them the 'say no and be shot' option (which may be a good thing in some situations).

Healing: Villainous - "You do realize that if I do this for you, I'm going to need... compensation... don't you?"

I would have said:

Healing: Villianous - "O.k. Henchman, I've cured the beating her heroes gave you now back to the fight..."

 

And people seem to be making the same conclusion that I came to, that even the most onerous power can be used for justice, and the most 'heroic' power used for evil.

 

Holy power -Villianous: Angel who sees all sins as punishable by by death.

 

Unholy Power - Heroic: Reformed Demon.

 

Pain Induction- Heroic: Used to knock out criminals.

 

Even: Disease Creation - Heroic: Give the bad guys one hell of a headcold.