Soleil Noir

How about "The Dauphin"?  Back in the day that used to be the title/nickname of the crown prince of France, if you want to suggest a regal air about the kid...

Character #1:  Dr. Bill Matheson helped build a private use spaceship, and was part of its crew.  Shortly after activating the ship's hyperdrive, the engines malfunctioned and exploded.  The ship was hurtled back to earth, and upon crashing the survivors discovered they had super powers (very much like the Fantastic Four or U-Foes).  Bill changed from being a 5'10" tall, 146 pound man with an average/ thin build to a 5'1"tall 300 pound man with an athletic build.  He has control over his density and mass (similarly to Vision, but he hasn't learned how to decrease past his "normal").

How about "Dwarfstar", or "Doctor Neutronium"?

As the "hero-god" he is meant to be very similar to Marvel's Thor or Hercules.  He is strong, can fly, incredibly tough and has a magic sword that can shoot bolts of raw energy.

 

Again, thank you for the help.

Maybe "Paragon", or "The Exemplar" (X's are always cool...)

Provided the turret isn't acting completely autonomously (i.e.; a human operator has to give the order before it can start firing) there shouldn't be any legal issues at all -- provided the operator limits himself to targets who are inside the property line.  The Geneva Convention and various international laws prohibit autonomous weapons because, at this time, they lack the capacity to distinguish between enemy combatants and civilians...

http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/17/issue/4/law-applies-autonomous-weapon-systems

The Lego Fan Club calls its members "Master Builders" -- it doesn't quite roll off the tongue in the middle of a fight, but his friends might just call him "M.B." for short...

Sounds like Precognitive Clairsentience to me, maybe with the "Rapid" Sensory Adder, to allow him to trace multiple alternate pathways at once.  Building it as Danger Sense would only allow him to detect to direct threats to his person, whereas the power as described would allow him to see a lot more (e.g.; the results of a horse race that he wants to bet on).

I think you mean 10d6 and 3d6KA -- since the Martial Arts package was not bought with the "No Range Modifier" Advantage on it, the DC's gained from the Martial Manuevers would be reduced by -1/2.

Here are links to the Hero Designer files for those who are interested:

 

Princess Diana

Bruce Wayne

Clark Kent

Billy Batson

Barry Allen

Hal Jordan

and his Power Ring

Rita Farr

 

I cannot figure out how to actually attach them to a post in the new forum software. If anyone can tell me how to do that directly I would greatly appreciate it.

Am I missing a joke or something?  The "Clark Kent" file is actually the file for Batman, the "Bruce Wayne" file is actually The Flash, and the "Barry Allen" one is for someone named "Captain Obvious"...

I was going to go for the "cloned WWII superteam" option here, mainly because I wasn't feeling it. Then Hermit made his pitch for the "government-sponsored" superteam, and I'm in. With one condition: no spies, no soldiers, no Special Forces, Treasury agents, Secret Service, FBI. Heck, no NSA. Make them posties and FDA inspectors, janitors and teachers from the Rez. Regular people with regular jobs who happen to work for the Federal Government. Who can suddenly lift tanks, run at Mach 1, and draw forcefields in the air with their noses. (The last is a civil engineer at a Department of the Interior office in Billings who spends most of his time inspecting and approving logging road bridges. Because.) 

While a team of heroes who AREN'T all rocket scientists or millionaire philanthropists would make for an interesting campaign, I'd argue that it doesn't pass the "smell test" of what the federal government would be prepared to shell out billions of dollars in order to develop, or who they would invest the necessary trust and expense in -- they don't just grab any Shemp off the street and hand them the launch codes to a nuclear missile silo, or plunk them in the pilot's seat of an F-22.  I'm thinking the scenario could go one of two ways:

1.) The government wants serious metahuman operatives who are going to be doing legitimate, highly dangerous missions in the national interest; consequently you're going to need test subjects who can handle the high-stress environment and won't choke under pressure.  Depending on how common the compatibility factor is for the empowerment process, you might have to cast a wide net to get a viable team (e.g.; every pre-employment drug test for a new government worker is also a genetic screening test), but the psychological makeup of the candidates is going to be key and the team is necessarily going to be highly skewed toward the soldiers and intelligence agents who've already demonstrated they can handle the heat; or

2.) The program is mainly for show or P.R., or the compatibility for the powers process is SO rare that they have no choice but to accept any viable candidate, regardless of background.  You could then have your mixed bag of DMV office drones and cafeteria workers, but they'd be put on missions where there'd be little chance of or consequences for screwing up, or that would get high publicity with little meaningful results (which might rankle some of the PC's if they thought they'd really be making a difference in the world and are being coddled the whole time).  Or the PC's might be teamed up with one or more "handlers" who keep them from making asses of themselves or take care of the critical parts of the mission behind the scenes.  (I'm reminded of the mid-90's mini-series "Power and Glory" that worked on a similar premise -- the one guy they found who had the compatibility to be given powers was this slimy pervert with a pathological fear of being touched, which made him completely useless as a hero; so they paired him with this CIA operative who did all the heavy lifting while the guy in the cape just showed up to look good on camera...)

You're missing the "U.S. Government recruits Patriotic Heroes for Team."

 

All of the options imply inherent disaster in the Government creating a team.

That's not an unreasonable assumption -- there's very little the government does that the private sector doesn't do better/more efficiently...

Just what I was looking for. Thanks. Sorry, I was putting up a second post when yours came up. It sounds like you were already ahead of me in more ways than one.

 

Interesting thoughts on the "Process survivors" there. One other thing i thought of, and as an encouragment, what if the process had a chance of curing cancer, or regrowing limbs. What if that which didn't kill you litterally could save your life and make you stronger than before? It might have folks taking a chance as it might count as a 'phenomenal' result as you said.

 

It's been a long time since I've read Gurps supers, but I think I have an old copy laying around somewhere. I may have to dust it off

That's not a bad idea -- maybe they minimize the PR risk by limiting the test subjects to soldiers who have been mortally wounded, or who face spending the rest of their lives in a wheelchair or horribly disfigured.  They'd probably want potential subjects to volunteer and be screened for compatibility well in advance -- sorta like filling out your organ donor card -- so the government can't be accused later on of taking advantage of these wounded warriors when they're distraught and emotionally vulnerable. 

And of course, with such a sizable investment in time and resources going into these recruits to save and empower them, that probably also means they're agreeing to a much longer stint working for the government than they might originally have planned on, and it might have an impact on if/when they're allowed to see their friends and loved ones again...

EDIT: The idea of only using the process on wounded vets reminded me of a recent story about some researchers at MIT who are close to developing what amounts to a vaccine for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder -- it basically prevents your brain from creating the chemicals that lead you to associate your traumatic memories with the typical panic response, so you can remember what happened to you perfectly but you don't freak out about it.  Maybe the test subjects could be part of the human test trials for the PTSD vaccine -- otherwise you might end up with an entire team of shell-shocked head cases, who can now juggle tanks and shoot death rays in the middle of their panic attacks...

Of the options presented, the "cloned Golden Age" one seems the best/most reasonable.  I'm reminded of when Steve Rogers resigned as Captain America when the government wanted him back on active duty during the 1980's, and they tapped the Super-Patriot (now the USAgent) to be his replacement -- Cap is such an American icon that they couldn't NOT have a Captain America running around, but it gave the chance to fill the role with someone with a different set of values (John Walker was a Reagan-era Republican, as opposed to Rogers' New Deal Democrat) and some mighty big shoes to fill...

The "Surviving 10" one also has a good degree of verisimilitude -- not just anyone has the mental fortitude to be a Navy SEAL or Green Beret, so the government would start with recruiting applicants with the proper mindset first and worry about the powers later -- but I don't know how many volunteers you'd get with a 90% mortality rate.  Not to mention the question of how they'd get funding in the first place -- I have a hard time imagining any Congressman taking that big a risk to his reelection potential by signing off on the plan, unless maybe there's already a prototype soldier in place who's gotten some PHENOMENAL results.

Option #2 sounds like throwing good money after bad -- again, I'm not sure the public would trust the federal government to fix the original disaster by letting them enact an even bigger super-soldier program...

The "Suicide Squad" approach has some precedent in the comics and other media (e.g.; "Inglorious Basterds"); I think it'd have to be a covert team, though, or you're going to run into a similar PR problem -- bad enough we've potentially got convicted felons handling sensitive personal information as Obamacare "navigators"; how much more potential for disaster could there be, entrusting people's lives to them...?

Option #5 also has potential, although post-9/11 there might be a lot of scrutiny and skepticism focused on the team.  Have you ever looked at the GURPS IST (International Super Teams) setting?  It's a bit like you're describing, only it's a worldwide exchange run by the United Nations, with embassy superteams in every member nation.  In GURPS IST, the UN is able to get the member nations to go along with allowing foreign supers flexing their muscle within their borders because the UN controls the patent on nuclear fusion technology -- play ball with them and give up a little bit of your sovereignty, and access to cheap, renewable energy is all yours...

Anyhow, that's just off the top of my head.

I think that it's very likely that another group of Superheroes would be busy with their own stuff and dealing with their own nemesis group, or helping in a disaster somewhere else etc. I think that a group of world beaters like the Justice League would be off dealing with a much different level of concern than your little city. They may also be assuming that the PC's group is good enough to handle stuff in their own city. Why not call the Justice League for something small. Well one visit from a surly Batman and Guy Gardener Green Lantern will teach the PC's to only call out the big guns when it really is a BIG issue. Batman doesn't suffer fools lightly, and the PC's group taking him away from a more important crisis would annoy him to no end.

 

I don't have a problem with MegaScale Movement. It is very nice to have fast transport for the PC's and it's the GM's job to keep any power from being abusive to the campaign. ie the 1m x10000 movement SHOULD be disallowed by the GM for being a munchkin Cheezeball of a power.

Exactly -- the thing to keep in mind with MegaScale, in order to prevent abuse, is the granularity of the kilometer-wide hexes.  MegaScale movement is for getting the PC's to the scene of the action quickly and conveniently, not so they can "poof" themselves into the villain's sanctum so they can immediately sucker-punch him.  Think of it like the transporters in "Star Trek" -- they're good enough to get the away team from the ship to the surface of the planet, but then the party still has to search on foot for the missing MacGuffin...

Is it cheating?

 

So I was looking at the movement powers, and I had a thought..

What if I want a character who can Run/Fly/Teleport fast/far, but not at an insane near light speed pace.

I could say, take 30m of flight, then drop a +1 advantage "x32 none combat multiplier" and almost a 1km/action movement. That's like almost 900mph if one has a 5 SPD.

That of course makes it a 60AP power, that also costs twice as much END in combat, just because he has the option to fly really fast out if combat.

 

OR... He could take 30m movement as one power. 30AP, only 3END each phase used.

Then take a SECOND flight power, 1m, with the modifier "megascale: 1m = 1km" for +1/2 adder.

That 1km lets him fly 900mph to(x2 none combat) 1,800mph. For 2 points.

 

So he would have his in combat speed flight, and a separate going accross town flight power.

All for 32pts rather then 60pts.

 

Of course a single d6 "drain flight" attack and his cross town flight option is negated for a bit.

 

I figure this could work very well for a SuperVillain you wish to be a recuring pain in the butt. Give him 10m teleportation, megascale: 1m = 1kn, with the condition "teleports to a specific spot only: Regeneration chamber In Villains Secret Layer", with a trigger "if BODY or STUN reduced to zero or below". OIF: Teleportation watch(belt, shoes, charm, what have you.).

So first time PC's knock him out and think they have won, BAMB... his body teleports away. He reappears in his own layer in an automated regeneration chamber that revives him. And now he has a real grudge against the PC's! Do you know how much that Telolidium alloy costs to power that device!!!

Well, if you REALLY wanted to go nuts, you could buy ONE meter worth of Flight, with the "Activation Takes No Time, Resets Instantly" version of Trigger on it (which I think is a +1 Advantage).  Add "Costs No END" to the mix, and for 2 Real Points you can do an infinite number of 1-meter hops in no time, appearing instantly anywhere in the Universe with pinpoint accuracy.

I cannot find a "The Tomorrow Man" by Philip K. Dick. Could you point me to what you are referring to?

Actually, I believe the Philip K. Dick story being referenced was called "The Golden Man" -- it was adapted (badly) into a movie called "Next", starring Nicolas Cage.

Well, I'd call that the "Requires Specialized Medical Attention" Physical Complication that was in the 5th Edition Champions sourcebook, but everybody has their own opinion on the best way to handle it -- whenever possible I look for a precedent from a previously published character, just because it's less likely to be rejected by the GM if it's already "canon" for the HERO System...

Mainly it makes protecting his secret identity more difficult.  To a lesser extent it prevents simple medical procedures when he's seriously injured (like inserting an IV without a small amount of Kryptonite). 

Sounds iffy to me at best, particularly since the power already has the Limitation that it automatically shuts off in the presence of Kryptonite or under a red sun.  I'd be more inclined to let it slide if I could think of a single instance of a published character who took a similar Limitation -- but still and all, it's a decent attempt, and could easily be fixed...

I disagree that there was consensus in the Special Powers in Framework thread.  I was one of the few dissenters.  I get the 'common sense' arguments made but many of the others boil down to special effect arguments affecting mechanics (which exactly the opposite of how HERO was designed to work).

 

As I did in that thread I'll post the best example I can think of to show why it shouldn't be allowed here as well:  Superman

If this character seems overpowered in any way 'as is', then what do you think will happen when the points spent on all his sensory powers outside of his VPP are freed up when they are instead put inside the VPP?

I look at it more as a cost/benefit analysis -- if my OmniGoggles' sonar setting allows me to completely circumvent Nowhere Man's Persistent, No Fringe Invisibility for the cost of a single Real Point, I'm getting way too much bang for my buck -- particularly if I have an additional 10-15 other slots on top of that that let me take nearly every Talent or Enhanced Sense in the book, and can toggle between them for a Zero Phase action...

BTW -- I like the writeup for Superman, although I'd question the use of "Always On" for the various "Invulnerability" powers -- exactly how does NOT being able to be hurt penalize Superman, exactly?

Ultimately, this is an argument you're going to have to hash out with your GM in whatever campaign this character lands in.  You've got your opinion on the subject, Kraven, and other people have theirs.

In your particular case, the Subsystems MP may not allow you to bludgeon anybody into submission with your calculating ability; but allowing Special Powers in general into Power Frameworks allows PC's to do an end run around major plot complications that adversaries have shelled out a lot of points for (e.g.; the villain buys no-Fringe Invisibility, which you counter with the sonar setting on your armor's sensory suite) at a very low cost to the hero (1-2 points for an MP slot).  It's not as abusive with an attack Multipower because the character has to make a much larger overall investment in points (maybe 50-60 points for the reserve, plus 5-6 pts. per slot), so there's less temptation to have a list of gimmicks that's as long as your arm that can short-circuit every possible contingency.  At least in the case of things like gadget pools, the character is still having to pay full price for that radio or set of IR goggles, rather than 1/10th the Active Point Cost that a series of fixed MP slots gets you.

That powers or effects with an EMP SFX will shut down those powers.

 

 

 

 

1.  Any recommendations on similar limitations?  It is honestly a point-saving deal more than anything, and just meant to indicate that those powers are from a technological source that can be damaged or disabled or denied.  And I do kind of design characters with a "vulnerability" in mind; a kryptonite.

 

2.  The PDF version has them all split out, costing an additional point overall.

 

3.  That is actually intentional.  With it "as a defense" it is basically another 4 PD / ED vs. STUN, and will offset, but not fully restore, END costs.  Just a power designed to help him be "tireless."  And as it "Only Restores to Starting Values" there is no worry over the points fading; every time he gets attacked it will restore just a bit of his END.  Unless I am horribly misunderstanding the rules on "Only Restores to Starting Values."

 

4.  I think more GM's are coming around to allowing this, see the thread on Special Powers in Frameworks - most of the time it does not make sense as to why some powers can or can't be in certain frameworks beyond avoiding really abusive builds and such; I don't think anything in that MP is abusive.  All sensory or "out of combat" powers.  Obviously I would adjust with a given GM if they were adamant about it, but again, I'm trying to incorporate as much "bionic man" stuff as I can, while not making him an unstoppable power-house brick or a blaster who can take down Grond in a single shot.  Just having the enhanced senses and lifesupport would end up being 70ish character points if not in a framework of some kind.  He has high-ish defenses, 10 DC attacks but can hit 12 DC with the strength boost, and then a lot of utility stuff.

 

5.  All of the Offensive MP powers would be restrainable through normal means as well - all arm-mounted.  They *also* don't work with EMP but I am not asking for / needing a further discount for that given the rarity of it.  I only use the -1/4 version on the powers that are only restrainable through EMP.

 

6.  OCV / DCV is base 3, then 3 CSL's and martial maneuvers can get him to 7/8 CV.  Not sure where I would pull the points from to raise these but open to suggestions.  Note that I generally prefer lots of CSL's to raising base CV stat; habit from Heroic level games

 

7.  The DF means someone can easily tell he is not all human, unless he is wearing a fairly full-coverage disguise.  IIF on the powers is because, despite this, the cybernetics are well-hidden so far as what you can tell in combat; the arm cannon is concealed in the palm of the hand, not a giant gun-arm.  The wrist-blasters fold out, the blades are retractable, the armor is sub-dermal, etc.  He is not a metal man or covered in metal plates.  I figured IIF was a stretch already; much less OIF.

 

8.  Because he is now more machine than man.  The "real" Samuel is still in there, somewhere, and would have a higher PRE but mostly Hardcase has a very robotic personality.  

 

-----

 

The idea is for him to start out "Jack of All Trades" and then focus XP on bringing core powers up to par (raising the offensive MP and slots, higher defenses, etc.)

 

I totally get that I am trying to do too much, and can likely shave off this or that; but what I want or am trying to do is make a very well-rounded "bionic man" type character.  I am more interested in him having all the bells and whistles a cyborg would have (IR vision, eidetic memory, integrated HUD for bonus to skills, rangefinder, etc.) than I am on him having 60 STR.

 

On the name:  oO

 

I suppose I was not exactly making the connection to "spade" as a derogatory word for someone of African ancestry?  A quick Google search shows me how wrong I am...  my apologies.  

1.) Look closer, because I already cited one -- the -1/4 version of "Restrainable" would allow the cybernetics to be breakable like a Focus, without anyone being able to physically detach the parts.

3.) Yes, you ARE misreading the rules on Adjustment Powers -- see the example at the top of column 2 on 6E1 136.  Those "healed" points will fade away again, unless and until your natural Recovery would have restored the loss.  And again -- you don't get to keep Absorbing until your END and STUN are topped off again; the power, as written, can only provide a maximum of 2 temporary STUN and 5 temporary END.

4.) Good luck with that, because I sure as hell wouldn't allow it in any campaign I was running...if you want to get the effect of having different sensory "modes" that he can only use one at a time, try applying the "Lockout" Limitation instead -- it'll save you some points, and have the added advantage of being 100% legal.

5.) Ah...that part was a bit unclear -- good that you cleared that up.

8.) Keep in mind that Presence is more than just being charming or charismatic; it's also how fearless your character is, and how resistant he is to being startled or surprised.  Even if you don't want him to be suave and debonaire, you might at least consider buying extra PRE with the -1 Limitation "only to resist Presence Attacks".

Since you asked for people's honest opinions, here's my two cents' worth -- I'm mainly going to address various game mechanics issues; in my estimation, this character is going to require a considerable amount of reworking before we can evaluate his relative effectiveness:

1.) Most of the items in your "Cybernetic Enhancements" power cluster should not be defined as Foci, as per 6E1 377 -- "If removing a 'Focus' requires surgery (or some other lengthy and difficult procedure or Skill Rolls) or causes damage to the character, then the item in question isn't really a Focus".  That said, your GM might allow you to take the -1/4 version of the "Restrainable" Limitation on them, to reflect that his cybernetic systems can potentially be damaged and taken offline.  But you may want to ask yourself beforehand whether you want to set yourself up for that kind of vulnerability.

2.) This has been mentioned before, but Inherent Growth or Density Increase is no longer allowed for characters whose size or weight permanently differs from the human norm; see 6E1 446 for more details.

3.) Keep in mind that your Absorption effect will cap out at 2 Character Points (normally it would be 4 points, but it's halved because they're feeding into END and STUN), which may be less effective than you were hoping for -- the most the power can ever give you is a whopping 2 STUN and 5 END.  Remember also that, until those points would have naturally faded, you won't be able to use the power to heal additional damage (see 6E1 136).

4.) Special Powers (e.g.; Enhanced Senses, Skills) cannot be put in a Power Framework without special GM permission (as per 6E1 161); you're going to need a VERY generous GM to get away with most of the "Cybernetic Subsystems" Multipower.  If it were me, I would assume the GM would NOT bend the rules that much, and adjust the character accordingly.

5.) For the "Offensive Systems" Multipower, the "EMP-Restrainable" Limitation should only be worth -1/4 -- electromagnetic pulses are far less common than, say, Entangles or bear hugs.

6.) I don't see any mention of his OCV or DCV in his stats; even with those 3 general Combat Levels, he's going to be a sitting duck as well as have a hard time hitting anything.
 

7.) If he's recognizably a cyborg (to the point where he gets a DF Complication for it), why is the Focus-defined stuff Inobvious?

8.) If he's a professional soldier with decades of experience, why is he timid and unassuming enough to have a Presence of only 8?

Just in general terms, the character feels like he's trying to do a little too much, too soon in his career -- get him "street legal" and maybe pare down some of the bells and whistles (e.g.; his attacks simply aren't effective enough to justify all the points that are sunk into Autofire Skills), and it'll be easier offer to some advice as to how to ramp up his effectiveness.

Oh, and just as a matter of cultural sensitivity: you may want to rethink having an African-American hero named "Spade" -- just sayin'...

Now you've given me all these images of Clark as Zorro in his alter ego. He just needs to borrow Comet.

Uhhh...Zorro's horse was named "Tornado"; "Comet The Wonder Horse" belonged to Brisco County, Jr.

EDIT: Nevermind.  I had to look it up now, but I see there was also a super-horse named Comet who hung out with Supergirl -- although it gets even creepier when you realize that Comet was originally a centaur who'd been turned into a full horse by a witch, and that he secretly lusted after Supergirl...:

http://www.cracked.com/article_16230_the-6-creepiest-comic-book-characters-all-time.html

Suppose we took Frank and Clark and put them in each others' universe. What then? What would Superman do when confronted with unpowered villains that were pure evil, and a hopelessly corrupt legal system? What would Frank do if he knew he could count on the system, but might wind up on the wrong side of it?

As to putting Clark Kent into the Punisher's world, that's where the other half of Superman's dual identity comes into play -- as a reporter, he has the power to shine a light on that corruption and rally public opinion and public outrage until people demand (and get) better from their elected officials.

The truth is, they both have their blindspots.

 

Clark's way of doing things may work just fine provided the police and the courts can be counted on to do the right thing. Of course, there's the rub: you may not always have the luxury of trusting the authorities.

 

On the same token, while there may be something to be said for ruthless and efficent way in which Frank eliminates the lowlifes he goes after, racking up a body count like he does is also a great way to bring a lot of heat upon yourself; and not always just from the cops.

The problem is, the "Punisher" route doesn't actually SOLVE any of the problems or shortcomings inherent to the "Superman" route -- it EXACERBATES them.  If there's the possibility of the criminal justice system being corrupt or incompetent, how much more likely is that to be true for a single person in a mask who's accountable to no one?

We put our faith in an inherently flawed justice system because, unless and until some race of angels descends from on high to govern us with perfect justice, we're all we've got.  The rule of law will always trump the rule of men for providing a fair, impartial system.  Even if we could find a person or persons with both the wisdom and the virtue to wield absolute power responsibly, it's only a matter of time before that power falls into the hands of someone less principled or less competent -- that alone is reason enough to never elevate any one individual over others by giving them the power to play judge, jury, and executioner.

Just killing because you have half an excuse is wrong.  But so is pretending that you're not in mortal combat and that the people you're fighting deserve every chance to live.  They don't...

Says who? 

Exactly who gets to decide who "deserves" to live or die?  By what authority?  Using what criteria?

I stand by my original statement -- every citizen, whether they wear a costume or not, has a moral obligation to give every suspect the benefit of the doubt, and to make allowances for contrition and rehabilitation, or just plain being mistaken in your accusation.  And that's even more true in a world where, between mind control, mental illusions, masked identities, and shapeshifters (just to name a few) you may have no idea who or what you're facing down until long after the smoke clears...

Not always...

 

 

Agreed -- Jameson's always had a personal axe to grind against Spider-Man, but to my knowledge the man's always been rock-solid when it came to journalistic integrity and the responsibility of the press (a couple of throwaway jokes from the 3rd "Spider-Man" movie notwithstanding)...