Spidey88

Re: Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth story options? I don't actually have a digital camera, but I'll try to pester one of my players to bring one. Thanks for your input, man!

Re: [Character] Rex That would be hilariously awesome - especially if you didn't add "does knockback" to the entangle. Picks up some I-beams, throws them, and KLANG! Villain doesn't budge an inch, and is wrapped up like a barrel. (Adding "does KB" to the entangle would make a little more sense, if you did care to do it at range - but it's cute regardless!)

Hey, folks! Thanks in advance for reading - I expect right off the bat that this will be a long post...(with some spoilers about the adventure, by the way!) I'm just about to run what will probably be the last session of "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" with my regular players. The heroes have just penetrated King Cobra's inner sanctum, and are about to throw down with the deranged geneticist and his minions. While I'm by no means "stuck", I want to ensure that this next session will be memorable and of epic scale (not to mention try to prepare myself for the heroes' potential actions - in particular, if they lose the fight). Since this sort of question is useless without details, I'll try to provide a few: Players (all built on about 350 pts + 150 disads): 1) Ashley. Powerset is essentially like a jedi or sith - an extremely agile, fast martial artist with energy blades, TK, and the ability to detect sentient minds (and get vague, but discriminatory impressions from them without actually reading thoughts). Sneaky, danger-sense equipped, and can essentially regenerate from death. A total jerk, but a strong moral core (think TV's "House".) status: currently almost devoid of BODY - and while he'll get better even if he's "killed", one or two good shots will effectively put him out of the fight (since his regen will take quite a while to work, and kicks in only after he goes below 0 BODY). 2) Event. Density-altering brick, with typically vast STR and defenses, as well as the ability to go desolid. Some skill with physics + electronics, typical Silver-age outlook and morals (a generally very nice guy, with CVK). status: a few scrapes from Boomslang's penetrating bullets, but otherwise fresh for the fight. 3) Horizon. Energy projector. Multipower with various attack modes (flash, AOE, 0 END, etc - possibly a force field soon too), decent DEX + SPD (23/6), flies fairly fast (25"). Skills and outlook similar to Event's (both were grad students working on the same project that went awry), though he's less defined as a really nice guy (ie. has no CVK at the moment, but might be implied). status: after having been hit by some tranq darts in the hothouse jungle, he's working with about 3 STUN. Otherwise alright, but he'll fold faster than Superman on laundry day with but a stiff breeze. (this isn't really too much of an issue, as his player is extremely flaky when it comes to showing up - if his player does, the drugs will be "just starting to wear off".) 4) Phidippus. My GMNPC that I've jabbered about before - a Spidey homage with extra eyes and arms. Power-wise pretty similar to Spidey, but was trained and created by Hornet (who was working with VIPER at the time in conjunction with Timothy Blank, aka. King Cobra). Sees his hero work as a quest for redemption from his close brush with villainy, total Silver-Age morals (CVK included), has many science skills (biological/forensic/chemical focus). status: just fine. Has just entered the inner sanctum blaring the cavalry charge with another hero in tow (see Skullcrusher, below). Obvious connections to King Cobra (at the very least, knew him a few years back before he busted out of VIPER). Major focus during the battle will be protecting pals, esp. Ashley (with whom he's got issues he's working out at the moment - but that's neither here nor there). If an opportunity shows itself for making a noble sacrifice in defense of Ashley, this would be a great time. 5) Skullcrusher. UFC fighter granted a brick's physique by VIPER experiments. Brutal submission/grapple expert, and would be a very skilled combatant without the STR to lift a garbage barge (absolute heck on wheels in a fight). Looks like Ghost Rider with meat (skull-like face, and terrifying to behold), and is a regenerator as well. status: fine, physically. Mentally? Well, since he was a product of VIPER experiments (and was brainwashed in the process before his liberation), guess who's got the ability to pull his mental strings? None other than Dr. Blank! (This seemed like the perfect connection - too perfect to pass up!) King Cobra has just gleefully "activated" Skullcrusher's programming, essentially turning our erstwhile companion into another villain. (The regeneration and incomplete brainwashing techniques will be a likely way out of this...) Current opposition: -King Cobra -Krait -Gorgon -Boomslang -Slither (the players don't even know he exists, and he's going to attack from ambush) -Firedrake -at least a dozen COIL agents (I was deliberately rather vague) -Skullcrusher (currently responding to the name "Death Adder") Needless to say, the PC's have a nasty fight on their hands... Nasty enough, in fact, that I wouldn't be surprised if they lost - or at least had to beat a hasty retreat with wounded in tow. (As long as Phidippus is functional, he's probably strong and mobile enough to drag everyone out faster than even Krait could follow, at least. Still, I'd rather have the PC's get the glory.) Firedrake and Skullcrusher have the potential to be turned. Here's where I turn to your fertile brains, denizens of HEROdom. some immediate questions: - what might be some options in the event the PC's get their butts handed to them? (I'd rather not resort to a deus ex machina, but I've prepared for that if need be.) - what might be the hook to shake Skullcrusher out of his programmed battle frenzy? - what might be some good ways for K.C. to escape to plot against the heroes without the PC's feeling cheated? (escape vehicle rigged to explode comes to mind) - any ways to keep Ashley in the fight, despite his poor condition (aside from the aforementioned potential for Phidippus to make a noble sacrifice)? This is not a comprehensive list of questions, by the way. Any input you guys have, on any of the above, would be much appreciated. Like I said, I want this to be as memorable and enjoyable as possible! Some of the last few sessions I've ran have been lackluster, and I want to make up for them (for starters, I plan on making the whole battle scene out of LEGO). (Hopefully this isn't so open-ended a question as to be irritating - I'll happily provide any more details needed.)

Re: "Neat" Pictures My pleasure! (Hopefully this will forestall you gaining a quickening from me somewhat...)

Re: "Neat" Pictures Not to worry, bunny-dude! I'm on the case. The pictures are more than clear enough for an I.D. - what you've got there looks like an adult female Araneus gemmoides, aka. a "cat-faced spider" or "jewel spider" Males look similar, but are a little ganglier and have a much smaller body (as is the case with most spiders). Very common, totally harmless. Her butt is so big like that because she'd full of eggs right now - she won't last through the winter, but the eggs will rest snugly in a egg sac that she'll be laying fairly soon. FYI, she's in the same genus as Charlotte of Charlotte's Web (who was an Araneus cavaticus). PM me if you'd like any more info!

Re: Help needed for awkward concept You could do something like Sean Waters suggested, and asume that in terms of the desolidification, the wraith characters don't pay anything to be desolid all the time. What they will pay for is the ability to become solid ("reverse desolidification", with the cost similar to desolidification), with that power based on various foci. Another possible route could be buying STR in various increments, with each increment linked to a specific focus. STR is one's ability to move objects in the real world, right? I'm rather foggy on WOD's Wraiths (and might be way off concept-wise), so I'm going to use the example of a guy whose corporeal form is tied to several knickknacks he cherished in life: Jack the ghost has, in general, STR 10. He's got 4 "fetters": 1) his wedding ring, which he cherishes. 2) a picture of his late wife (whose spirit has moved on, and is not with him). 3) his boy's baseball glove. 4) the ruins of his house. The ring is the real deal-breaker - if that goes, he goes. his STR was bought back to zero, and then repurchased in chunks (sized according to the importance of the fetter.) STR 4 (IIF: ring) STR +3 (IAF: ruined house) (I gave IAF based on the fact that this house would probably be much easier to find and deal with than the other foci) STR +2 (IIF: son's baseball glove) STR +1 (IIF: wife's picture) So, if the wife's picture is damaged, he takes a minor hit in his connection to the Fleshlands. If the ruins of his house are bulldozed, he's REALLY going to notice. Naturally, you could apply further limitations to the foci based on the fact that they're unique, breakable, etc. You could apply similar foci to other aspects of the character, such as BODY, CON, senses (perhaps not incrementally like the STR to make things easier - just link all his senses to the ring or something); or give some massive Phys Lim in the way of taking enough BODY damage to effectively "die" if the ring is destroyed. If the wraith can only affect the world in particular circumstances, have the STR based off of an END reserve, charged only when particular conditions are met (the aforementioned "Passions"), or have STR work off of charges. This won't net a whole lot of points in disads, but should at least keep costs pretty cheap. Like I say, I know next to nothing about Wraith, so this might not fit the proper concept well at all - but I hope this will at least provide some food for thought.

Re: WWCYD: De-Animator Well, I kind of assumed that the De-animator had to sleep at some point over the last two days, and that his powers didn't go off then... A very important part of any investigation that might be followed up by the teeth-kicking solution, anyway. The "beat the bad guy up" method is sort of the lazy way; but it's based on the assumption that the zombies will be easily pre-emptively contained/disposed of (again, barring anything clever questioning and investigation turn up), that he can't animate more if he's out cold, and that this chump rather deserves it! My gut reaction to the question, at least. In play, there would likely be plenty of other details to affect Phidippus' chosen course of action. He's fairly methodical, and pretty sharp.

Re: WWCYD: De-Animator Phidippus would first make sure that the De-Animator was referring specifically to the zombies of the defeated necromancer (as opposed to ALL deceased people in the campaign city, the country, etc.), and that his powers extended only to those bodies already reanimated from another source that he's contacted. If that is the case, step one would be locking up the zombies in some way (or incinerating them, or some other method that would ensure they wouldn't be an issue). Let's face it - unless the zombies are super-contagious or nigh-indestructible, a dozen or two should not be cause to call in an airstrike. Step two is relatively straightforward - find him and kick him in the teeth. If, on the other hand, his powers could extend to any persons already deceased (like a typical necromancer), OR the pool of zombies he has available to him is otherwise incredibly huge (making them a serious threat), things are harder. He'd try and analyse the properties of the animated dead to see if there was the equivalent of an "off switch" (eg. exposure to specific chemicals or frequencies of radiation), either for the zombies or the guy's powers. If that didn't work, he'd change "find him and kick him in the teeth" to "find him, sneak up on him, perform a move-through, give him the old 'one through six', then kick him in the teeth". Phidippus has a mean alpha strike, so with any luck, De-animator will be out cold before he knows what hit him (and can turn off his powers). Then, it's off to hot sleep for bunky!

Re: WWYCD: Run!! Phidippus has a few options. 1) Unfortunately, one of the big baddies that fits Phidippus' background best is ol' Doc D. himself. He escaped VIPER and became a hero in the wake of the destruction of Detroit (moved ahead a few years in my campaign), as his conscience would allow no less. All those brave heroes died at the hands of a sociopathic madman - and he felt compelled to try and fill some of their shoes as best he could (also to try and erase the stains he felt on his soul). Needless to say, if I ever get to the point in my game that Zerstoiten comes back "from the grave" (hasn't happened in my game yet - and maybe won't), Phidippus will take it very personally. He'll see it as spitting on the graves of all the heroes that he trampled under his boot. That being said, Phidippus would realize right off the bat that he'd be way, way out his depth and get whatever help he could to stop the cold-hearted monster. He wouldn't back down from a fight, though - trusting in his stratospheric DCV to keep him relatively safe while he (hopefully) kept the Doc tied up enough for the big guns to show up and give him a pounding. Worst case scenario, he'd volunteer to be the bait to lure the Doc towards an ambush. This, of course, assumes that Phidippus has the time to do something. With the Doc as that frequent a Hunted, "Run" may be his only option. Being incredibly fast and evasive and barely needing sleep at all (not to mention having a handy-dandy danger sense), it may be his best option! 2) Viperia, if she qualifies, would be a good fit. Phidippus is a significant thorn in VIPER's side, and they might decide enough is enough and send an "alpha-strike" his way. 3) Holocaust is decent fit too, as Phidippus was a participant in a fight that saw him on the recieving end of a nasty beating.

Re: Superhero Podcasts Well, the first three episodes of the podcast I acted in are now up. To reiterate: It's called "Orphans", and you can find it at www.fishclock.ca LeMy character is the self-made Batman/Foxbat type guy, "Alec Morgan". Let me know what you guys think - any feedback would be super neato!

Re: Improving Powers... That, my boy, is done just like calculating the cost of any power with enhancements and limitations on it. Just read the section at the beginning of the enhancements and limitations and it will give you instructions on how to find out the cost in points of the power in question. In such cases as yours, where you wish to increase a power you've already got, just figure out the difference in point costs between the current power level and the level you want to buy it up to.

Re: [Character] The American Samurai One small thing I'd probably do myself, at least operating under the principles of my own campaign: If you do want to stick with the limited SPD (only for using sword), I'd recommend actually bumping it up to 4/8. That might be pushing it a bit in terms of power levels (not knowing what your campaign standards are like, it's totally subjective), but it'll make combat slightly easier to manage, as the phases will all be in a nice pattern. Phase 1, no actions. Phase 2, full action. Phase 3, swordy stuff. Lather, rinse, repeat. A 4/8 SPD, in any game, will mean that with his swordwork he's blindingly fast (venturing into low-grade speedster territory or the world's absolute finest martial artists who have an edge in speed) - but if your world's Batman has SPD 7 straight-up, it might fit half-decently. My two cents.

Re: Istvatha V'han - why can't she conquer Earth? Is it just me, or does that sound like more issues relating to Flesh Gordon?

Re: (SoloUber) Webs of the Widower Sound reasoning - but to be sure it'd work, you'd have to find one I don't have! That, in and of itself, might make it a bit too much of a pain to bother with...

Re: (SoloUber) Webs of the Widower Sounds pretty cool, anyway. I'd pay to see that without hesitation. (Now I just need to figure out what Uberworld and Solouber are...)

Re: (SoloUber) Webs of the Widower Gotcha. The spider references really tend to get my attention.

Re: (SoloUber) Webs of the Widower Am I missing something here? A link, or something else?

Re: Seeing By Other People senses Villains, Vandals, and Vermin has a guy who does exactly this with his vision. (Blindside, I think?) He's blind, and sees through other people's eyes, using a construct that I think is just like what Ghost-Angel proposed. In the flavour text, it mentions that Blindside finds it a little disorienting, and is often penalized by -1OCV in combat - which makes a certain amount of sense. It's like driving yourself by remote control! I don't know if your player wanted to deal with that, but it certainly seemed logical to me.

Re: VPPs and Game World Logic I could think of this from another angle: You've got some experience with GURPS, it seems. That being said, HERO doesn't have as obvious a split between psychic "power" and psychic "skill" - both can be represented somewhat by the VPP itself (though a VPP can be created with or without the need for a skill roll). Obviously, creating a small but incredibly sharp PK blade is a much smaller effect than using the same PK abilities to fly. However, using that power to create a near-monomolecular blade would likely take exponentially more focus and control than the relatively brute-force approach of flinging yourself around. You could easily rationalize that creating a more powerful blade (ie. one that costs more points than you could throw into flight) is simply beyond your willpower/ability to concentrate. Using this sort of rationalization, you could say that you could lift extremely heavy objects, as long as you weren't doing anything complex with them. You don't need to lock onto every single molecule and hold them under rigid and precise control, just give that mass over yonder a rough shove. I'd say there's potentially a lot more to the equation than "raw force," as you put it. If you approach the issue as a tradeoff between power and control, a VPP should work decently well as-is, without any wacky adjustments or complicated power constructs. My two cents.

Re: Strange Hero Concepts: Discuss Your Own! Ha! It's obvious you've never roleplayed with me before! (3 or four Rifts/Heroes Unlimited characters I've played have fit that summary pretty well...)

Re: Super ability creation question? Some random stabs at a multipower reflecting the above abilities: Said multipower would presumably be linked to the force bubble power. Slot 1) Xd6 EB, NND (defense is life support: extreme heat), AOE (radius or perhaps single hex). Slot 2) TK, AOE, limited power (can only crush, not otherwise manipulate - some pretty hefty limitation), and/or: Xd6 EB (physical), NND (defense is life support: high pressure), AOE. Slot 3) Xd6 EB, NND (defense is life support: vacuum/low pressure/self-contained breathing), AOE, plus (or possibly as an alternate slot) Xd6 dispel (all powers with combustion/oxidative reaction special FX), AOE. Hopefully that's a helpful start.

Re: Help me make a Casino based Super Villain group How about an amputee kleptomaniac/ninja? The One-Armed Bandit.

Re: SPD and DEX for superheroic martial artists? So much of this is entirely subjective to the campaign world and point totals - in a 250-point game, a SPD of 5 is "incredibly fast, quicker than anything you've ever seen", whereas in a 500-point game, that SPD 5 is probably going to seem a little on the slow side. There's also the issue of "metas" vs. "norms" - there's sort of a different grading system for the regular people in the world vs. the superheroes. An olympic-level gymnast or martial artist probably has a DEX of around the NCM (20 or so), but a superhero of the martial artist/trained normal variety can easily be much higher than that, even though he has no actual superpowers - it's sort of their schtick to be fairly fast in combat. My advice? Set benchmarks for your own game. If you think Bruce Lee was, say, the greatest martial artist ever, but still a mostly normal guy, you could say he'd have a SPD of 5 (or even 6). If you figure he would still stand out even in a world of superheroes, maybe bump that up slightly. Fit everyone else without superpowers in along that range. Speedsters and such may go past that range.

Re: WWYCD: Felononius Feline Phidippus is a Spidey homage - hopefully this goes a little like when he met Black Cat... Mrrowr!

Re: WWYCD: Felononius Feline Phidippus isn't likely to be even remotely phased by having to do two things at once (he can do four or five without penalty), so he'd likely try to snag the falling loot with a grapple/web line or two while he aimed for the burglar with an entangle or ranged grab (grapple/web lines also bought as limited stretching) or two - probably entangles, figuring those claws might make short work of a single grapple line. Alternatively, swing down and grab the loot, and up in front of the burglar to block her exit on the upswing - all in one smooth motion. "Excuse me - miss? You seem to have dropped these..." That being said: if there are some extremely wacky extenuating circumstances that absolutely necessitate going for the loot or the burglar first, Phidippus will grab the loot first - he's more than confident in his speed and agility, and consequently, his ability to catch up to the burglar when she bolts. Plus - eight stories up, on the side of a building? Hah! This is his turf. Better than a DEX of 39? Ouch! This is serious! Her threat level might get bumped up a notch or two on that alone...