Vestnik

Re: Bestiar(ies) questions

The idea of a horn doing the same damage when it's goring you at close range and when it's goring you at 30 miles an hour bugs me.

Re: Favorite 60-point Power Construction

35 6d6 Hand-to-Hand Attack, Variable Advantages (Limited Group of +1/2 Advantages -- Armor-Piercing, Penetrating, 1.5x Knockback, and 0 END Cost; +3/4) (52 Active Points), HTH Attack (-1/2)

Re: Bestiar(ies) questions

This was my problem -- the horn charge does much less damage than the charge attack. There's no point in using the horn except in close combat. The same thing applies to several other ramming beasties.

(I have similar issues with respect to Grond's silly 1d6 HKA attack.)

OK, I tend to get fixated on little details, I know.

Re: Bestiar(ies) questions

 

KA Move-Through, yes.

(Opens Bestiary)

So, if the Rhino charges, it does BOTH its 3d6+1 HKA (which can't be increased by the Move-Through, since it's already at twice the base damage with STR) AND the 7d6 + (27"/3 = 9d6) = 16d6 Normal Damage Move-Through? Is that right?

Re: Nuclear Explosion Man

Building stuff is fun.

I was leafing through the Bestiary and Asian Bestiary I books for about the billionth time and some stuff starting curdling away in my noggin.

Why are antlers built with the No Strength Bonus limitation? I can't figure this one out.

If a Rhino charges you with its horn (or a Minotaur, etc.), does this count as a MPA with both a normal Move Through and a KA Move Through (I doubt seriously that this is legal)? If not, there's no point in them ever doing it with the horn, since it does less damage than the regular Move Through.

When did bite attacks stop being built with the Restrainable limitation? Intuitively, it seems they should be -- not much reach, after all, compared to claws.

Also, shouldn't these animals have Discriminatory with Smell instead of just tracking?

Thankee-thankee.

Re: Build Question: Quick Learner

Ulti-skill? You mean Ultimate Skill?

Re: Sleep Is Food, Food Is Sleep

How about:

LS (doesn't have to sleep), Lockout (-1/2)

LS (doesn't have to eat), Lockout (-1/2)

Re: Nuclear Explosion Man

Radiation sickness would be a hefty RKA NND or, probably better, something like the following:

5d6 Drain, All Physical Characteristics Simultaneously (+2), Explosion (+1/2), Mega area (1" = 1 km; +1/4), Invisible Power Effects (+1/2) (212 Active Points), Gradual Effect (One Month; - Whatever), Extra Time (One Week; - Whatever), Only Affects Living Beings (-1/2)

Never would 2 points on LS: Immune to High Radiation be better spent!

Re: Help Make Energy Projectors Interesting

Hearing Images of course. "I use my super-ventriloquism!"

Focussed sonic beam (AP RKA, basically a sonic laser. Maybe Continuous. Logically should also be IPE to Sight, but this is getting expensive. I like to get these things No Knockback as well.).

Sound waves that screw with people's brains and coordination. (Drain DEX, maybe even Mind Control.)

Flash to Hearing Sense Group (and/or Transform Hearing Person to Deaf Person).

Sound waves that jelly the interiors of soft targets (RKA NND Does BODY, again IPE, again expensive).

Of course all this can be bought with the nifty, cost-saving -1/4 Limitation "not in a vaccum."

Re: Help Make Energy Projectors Interesting

Harmonics again: Dispel Technological Device (shattering it)

Re: Help Make Energy Projectors Interesting

Any other ideas besides your Necromancer?

 

Give me some ideas, what kind of options and tricks? My well has dried up.

How about (just brainstorming here):

The character is an avatar of the Wendigo, the harsh spirit of the Arctic. Personally in this case I would avoid cheesy Icemanic powers, and get, off the top of my head

Arctic wind blasts and of course Flight and Force Field

Freezing NND

Snowstorm (Change Environment)

Aurora Borealis powers (not sure what)

Maybe a Multiform to change shape into various animals of the Far North a la Snowbird

Summoning of snow and ice elementals (I like Summoning)

LS: Extreme Cold (of course)

Ultraviolet Vision (6-month nights)

A Freezing Cold NND Damage Shield

Re: Mystic Hero in development

Hey, dryads can be tough and iron-agey. Forests are scary places. Nasty wooden-clawed beasties leaping from out of trees, choking vines and branches ensnaring the unwary, vicious poison spore attacks...

Now that I think of it, I'm increasingly liking the idea of a dryad or satyr who has taken/been forced into human form and is now working as a private investigator.

Re: Mystic Hero in development

Demons are overused (much like werewolves and vampires). Maybe take one of the lesser-used magical beings from folklore or mythology? A dryad, nuckelavee, siren, gorgon?

Re: Help Make Energy Projectors Interesting

Maybe try an unusual SFX, impose that on the standard EP power set, and see where that takes you. I was faced with the boring energy projector problem recently and resolved to make one who was based on summoning the spirits of the dead, who would lift him about, fire blasts of ectoplasm, move objects (TK), shield him from harm, and so forth. He also had lots of Summons (zombies and whatnot) and Retrocognition, plus XTD (enter the world of the dead, only in cemetaries or other such places). (Never actually played him though.)

Re: Build Question: Quick Learner

I was thinking mostly of intellect and background skills, PSs, the kind of things you could theoretically learn by watching and studying if you were fast enough. I have in mind the archetypal supergenius who, say, is abandoned in a tribe of fishermen and within a week is fishing as well as they do, or who can gain an understanding of particle physics by going through the books in a decent library in a few day's time. A lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs characters seem to do this kind of thing.

I actually tried building a VPP version of this super-Cramming, but it wound up costing not much more than Cramming while being much, much better.

(Caveat: I only have 5E.)

I'm building a character part of whose power set is preternatural intelligence ("preternatural" = coolest word ever). I want her to have the ability to, using her prodigious intellect, be able to become reasonably proficient at almost any skill (in the short term, i.e., one adventure) given enough time to learn the basics of it.

Originally, I had built this easily as Cramming plus 4 Overall Skill Levels, thinking this would give her a 12- on any skill she had crammed. However then I read the fine print on Cramming stating that the 8- role "cannot be increased in any way." So that idea didn't work out.

The obvious way to build this is with a Skill VPP, but I know these are heavily frowned upon for balance reasons. Is there any kind of obvious other solution I haven't thought of? Thanks!!

Re: [Mythos Supers]

Here's a Lovecraft-based supers character I made awhile ago. The premise is that he is the part-ghoul great-grandson of Charles Pickman of Pickman's Model. I never worked out all his Disads.

Randolph Pickman

Cost CHA Val

---------------------------------------------

15 STR 25 STR Roll: 14-, Lift: 800 kg; 5d6 Strike

39 DEX 23 DEX Roll: 14-; OCV 8/DCV 8

30 CON 25 CON Roll: 14-

2 BODY 11 INT Roll: 13-

8 INT 18 PER Roll: 15-

2 EGO 11 EGO Roll: 11-

8 PRE 18 PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6

-1 COM 8

5 PD 10/17 (2/9 rPD)

5 ED 10/17 (2/9 rED)

17 SPD 5 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

0 REC 10

-5 END 40

0 STUN 37

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124

Cost Powers

----------------------------------

12 The Ghoulish Arts: Multipower, 70-Point Powers,

All Slots Gestures (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Incantations

(Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Concentration (0 DCV; Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1), Extra Time (One Hour; -2),

Focus (OIF; Blood of Opportunity; -1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (2x END; -1/2) END: 14

u1 Summon 8 150-Point Ghouls, Amicable (Loyal; +1/2) (60 Active Points), Gestures (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Incantations

(Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Concentration (0 DCV; Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1), Extra Time (One Hour; -2), Focus (OIF; Blood of Opportunity; -1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (2x END; -1/2), Only on the Ground (-1/4) (10 Real Cost) END: 14

u1 Summon 1 250-Point Shantak-Bird, Amicable (Friendly; +1/4) (62 Active Points), Gestures (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Incantations (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Concentration (0 DCV; Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1), Extra Time (One Hour; -2), Focus (OIF; Blood of Opportunity; -1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (2x END; -1/2), Only on the Ground (-1/4) (10 Real Cost) END: 14

u1 Summon 1 350-Point Gug (70 Active Points), Gestures (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Incantations (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2),Concentration (0 DCV; Throughout Use of Constant

Power; -1), Extra Time (One Hour; -2), Focus (OIF; Blood of Opportunity; -1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (2x END; -1/2), Only on the Ground (-1/4), Hostile (-1/2) (10 Real Cost) END: 14

u1 Open Ghoul Tunnel: Extra-Dimensional Travel (To Corresponding Location in the Dreamlands), Area Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Continuous (+1) (50Active Points), Gestures (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Incantations (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Concentration (0 DCV; Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1), Extra Time (1 Hour; -3), Focus (OIF; Blood of Opportunity; -1/2), Only on the Ground (-1/4), Gate (-1/2) (7 Real Cost) END: 14

u1 Blood Scrying: Clairsentience for Sight and Hearing Sense Groups, One Other Dimension (The Dreamlands), 128x Range (25600") (70 Active

Points), Gestures (Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Incantations

(Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1/2), Concentration (0 DCV; Throughout Use of Constant Power; -1), Extra Time (One Hour; -2), Focus (OIF; Blood of Opportunity; -1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (2x END; -1/2), Vague and Unclear (-1/2) (11 Real Cost) END: 14

15 Ghoul Toughness: 25% Resistant PD Damage Reduction (15 Active Points)

6 Ghoulish Recovery: 1d6 Healing, Persistant (+1/2), 0 END Cost (+1/2), Can Heal Limbs (30 Active Points), Self Only (-1/2), Extra Time (6 Hours; -3 1/2), Not from Damage Caused by Fire (-1/2)

5 Nightvision

3 Ultrasonic Perception for Hearing Sense Group

5 Tracking for Smell Sense Group

6 +2 to PER Rolls with All Sense Groups

2 2 PD 2 ED Damage Resistance

2 Loping Gait: +1" Running

-1 Hydrophobe: -1" Swimming

17 Amulets of Warding: 7 PD 7 ED Armor (21 Active Points), IIF (-1/4)

7 Hexed Iron Cane: 3d6 HTH Attack, Affects Desolid (Magic; +1/4) (19 Active Points), OAF (-1), HTH Attack (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) END: 1

2 Nigh-Unparalleled Library: +3 with Intellect Skills (15 Active Points), OAF Immobile (-2), Extra Time (At Least 1 Hour; -3), Only for Subjects That Can Be Researched in the Humanities or Black Arts (-1 1/2)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

86

Cost Talents

-------------------------------------

1 Bump of Direction (3 Active Points), Only Underground (-1)

-----------------

1

Cost Perks

---------------------------------------

5 Money: Well-Off

2 Reputation: Friend of Ghouls: 11-, 2d6/+2, Small-Sized Group (Ghouls)

1 Reputation: Painter of Macabre Subjects: 11-, 1d6/+1, Small-Sized Group (Art Connoiseurs)

2 Contact: Eliphas Watkins, Art Dealer; 8-, Good Relationship

12 Contact: Ghouls of Boston; 8-, Contact Has Useful

Skills or Resources, Good Relationship with Contact, Organization Contact

-----------------------------------------

22

Cane Fencing

----------------------------------------------------

3 Cut/Backhand +2 OCV +1 DCV; 8d6 Strike

4 Froissement/Slap Away -1 OCV +1 DCV; 35 STR to Disarm

4 Parry/Block +2 OCV +2 DCV; Block, Abort

4 Riposte/Counterpunch +2 OCV +2 DCV; 10d6 Strike; Must Follow Block

5 Slash/Roundhouse -2 OCV +1 DCV; 12d6 Strike

3 Trip +2 OCV -1 DCV; 9d6 Strike, Target Falls

4 Void --- +5 DCV; Affects all Attacks, Abort

1 WE: Use Art with Fists

------------------------------------------------------

28

Cost Skills

-------------------

9 +3 with Cane Fencing

3 Breakfall 14-

2 Animal Handler (Ghoulkin) 13-

3 Climbing 14-

2 Cryptography 11-

3 Scholar

2 KS: The Occult 13-

2 KS: Ghouls and Ghoul Cults 13-

2 KS: Thanatology 13-

1 KS: Art History 11-

1 KS: Ancient and Medieval History 11-

1 KS: The Art World 11-

1 KS: New England History 11-

1 KS: Antiquities 11-

2 KS: Rare Books 13-

3 CuK: Ghoul Society 13-

2 AK: The Ghoul Tunnels Under Boston 11-

2 AK: Boston 11-

2 AK: The Ghoullands 11-

3 PS: Painter 12-

3 Persuasion 13-

3 Conversation 13-

3 Linguist

3 Ghoul: Fluent, Native Accent

1 French

1 German

1 Latin

1 Greek

1 Hebrew

1 Arabic

1 Ancient Egyptian

3 Forensic Medicine 13-

3 Stealth 14-

3 Concealment 13-

3 Shadowing 13-

2 WF: Common Melee Weapons

1 TF: Shantak-Birds

2 Riding 11-

3 Lockpicking 14-

2 Security Systems 11-

------------------------------------------

91

350

Points Disadvantages

---------------------------------------------------

5 Distinctive Features: Disturbing Walk and Physical Features (Easily Concealed, Noticed and Recognizable, Commonly Used Senses)

10 Physiological Limitation: Carnivore (Frequently, Slightly)

10 Physiological Limitation: Nocturnal (Frequently, Slightly)

15 Psychological Limitation: Protective of Ghouls (Common, Strong)

10 Psychological Limitation: Avidly Collects Rare Books and Antiquities (Uncommon, Strong)

15 Psychological Limitation: Reluctant to Kill (Common, Strong)

10 Rivalry: With Other Artists (Professional Rival, More Powerful, Seeks to Outdo, Rival Aware of Rivalry)

15 Social Limitation (Secret Identity)

Re: Stalin versus Hitler

I try not to get involved in conversations like this, but the Gulag camp system was not remotely comparable to the Nazi Vernichtungslager (death camp) system. You normally left the former through the front gate, and the latter through the crematoria flue. Gulag camps were forced-labor camps in harsh conditions with a high mortality rate (varying by camp, but about 20%). Treblinka, on the other hand, was designed specifically to murder and had a morality rate of 99+%. The great majority of Gulag prisoners eventually were released. You did not return from a Nazi death camp.

Re: Super Shield

It's been a loooong time since I've read an appropriate comic, but IIRC 1) armor doesn't seem to slow Wolverine down at all (not even to the point where Penetrating could explain it) and 2) he doesn't actually do THAT much damage (even mooks survive hits, and he cuts holes in but doesn't wipe out tanks), so it's not an ungodly 8d6 KA. So I think the NND route is the best. Speculatively. "Not against FFs" is mainly to satisfy the rules.

Re: Super Shield

Personally I think Wolverine's claws are best built as 1d6+1 HKA NND (Defense is Force Fields) Does BODY Does Knockback.

Re: Dispel Desolid

Aha! Thank you!

This has been bugging me for a while. Perhaps this has a simple answer.

If I purchase Dispel/Suppress/Train/etc. Desolid, do I have to get Affects Desolidification for it to actually work? Thanks!

Re: Hellfire, project 275 Mystic Hero

I've tried making a GR homage, with no success. It's trying to find a vehicle other than a bike that does me in.

I'd say make his staff into a cat-o-nine-tails.

Re: Paris Hilton as a super villain

Hotel-Based Powers, a variant on the city control that guy in the Authority has.