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Christopher R Taylor

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Everything posted by Christopher R Taylor

  1. IRONMONGER This is the Iron Man equivalent, a guy in a suit of armor. To set him apart, I made this character an ex military type who is a real bodyguard, who then wears this suit to act as a bodyguard to various people, now only Carson Vieux, the inventor of his armor and CEO of the company Viewpoint Applied Engineering. The CEO is a small fat guy who has made a lot of enemies in the past through cutthroat business practices and refusal to sell to some questionable buyers, so he built the armor and hired Ironmonger to wear it. Technically Ironmonger is the villain from the first Iron Man movie, but since he says the word maybe once in the film, I doubt its an issue. I bought the armor inventor as a follower for two reasons: first, he's always available to fix and upgrade the armor, and has valuable resources such as cars and helicopters. But he's only 1 point because he's just not reliable in any way for anything except what directly benefits him and he finds valuable. The relationship is reversed: the follower is really the boss, but its a mechanic to make that repair and upgrade very reliable. In a way, its not really even Carson Vieux who is the follower but instead the company and its resources. Possibly this should be worth more, but I want it to be less something the player relies on than an explanation for what they get as being on the job. Ironmonger also has a constant computer voice/video link to VAE which allows them high level internet access, the ability to tap into analysis and information from experts there, etc. I built the armor to be more of a protective and gun platform than physical enhancement: the bodyguard is already very capable without wearing armor so they don't need the boosters. SHARED BACKGROUND: The bodyguard who would become Ironmonger was a soldier in Afghanistan, serving three tours with distinction and honor and winning many awards and commendations. Their skills and instincts made them experts in protecting their squad and moved them to a position of leadership as a non commissioned officer in the US Marine Corps. Finally rotating out, the bodyguard began doing work protecting high-profile clients, and ended up working for Viewpoint Applied Engineering. There, his boss the famous genius inventor Carson Vieux created a special protective suit of body armor as a prototype for sales to military. But the suit was so expensive and meticulous to produce, it was impractical at this point to build for any large scale sales model and was put aside. When Carson was attacked by VIPER in 2015, the bodyguard grabbed the prototype suit and used it to save his boss from being kidnapped and defeat the VIPER team. Carson Vieux knew a good thing when he saw it, and put the bodyguard in the Ironmonger suit immediately as a company mascot, bodyguard, and community outreach platform. Now Ironmonger protects Carson on his fewer outings, but spends most of his time out doing good deeds, saving people, and generally being the positive face of the company. MALE BACKGROUND: Frustrated with the shifting rules of engagement in Afghanistan and tired of the time away from home, he came home to become a bodyguard, and rapidly rose in the job due to connections, news stories of his heroism in the Marines, and personal work integrity. He prefers to do the work of helping and protecting people over standing around in the suit for photo ops and protecting the often demanding Carson Vieux, but its all part of the job. he takes it very personally when someone hurts those he's protecting, and becomes very loyal and devoted to friends. FEMALE BACKGROUND: One of the most storied and publicized members of the US military, she got tired of being used as a mascot for the Marines and driven around for interviews rather than being on the ground protecting her squad members. Leaving active service, she became a bodyguard and was immediately hired on for many jobs, until Carson Vieux drove a dumptruck full of cash to her door to work full time protecting him. Now she's a bit tired of being VAE's mascot and doing photo ops, but they are fewer than with the Marines, and she devotes as much time as possible protecting kids and people in need. Ironmonger Val Char Cost 17 STR 7 Lift: ;3d6 (8d6 in armor) 16 DEX 12 16 CON 6 10 INT 0 13 EGO 3 18 PRE 8 5 OCV 10 5 DCV 10 3 OMCV 0 3 DMCV 0 6 PD 4 With Armor: PD 26; rPD 20 5 ED 3 With Armor: ED 25; rED 20 4 SPD 20 8 REC 4 35 END 3 12 BOD 2 30 STN 5 14m RUN 2 6m SWIM 1 6m LEAP 1 Characteristics Cost: 101 Cost Power 7 Armor: +10 PD (10 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 7 Armor: +10 ED (10 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 20 Armor: Resistant Protection (10 PD/10 ED) (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 5 Indirect Vision: Sight Group Flash Defense (8 points) (8 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 33 Visor Cannon: Blast 10d6 (50 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 40 Rockets: Blast 8d6, Area Of Effect (8m Radius; +1/2) (60 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), 16 Charges (-0) 14 Power Knux: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6 (25 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4) 2 Rangefinder: Absolute Range Sense (3 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 2 Compass: Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 8 Radio Link: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 12 Zoom Lens: +8 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group Powers Cost: 150 Cost Skill 16 +2 with HTH Combat 3 Combat Driving 12- 3 Combat Piloting 12- 3 Demolitions 11- 3 Paramedics 11- 2 PS: Bodyguard 11- 3 Systems Operation 11- 3 Tactics 11- 3 TF: Common Aquatic Vehicles, Helicopters, Small Planes Skills Cost: 39 Cost Perk 1 Follower (Carson Vieux, inventor) 3 Implant Link to Vieux Applied Engineering Perks Cost: 4 Cost Talent 6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) Talents Cost: 6 Total Character Cost: 300 Pts. Complications 15 Dependent NPC: Boss and inventor Frequently (Incompetent; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills) 15 Enraged: Person being protected is harmed (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 11- 20 Psychological Complication: Protective of friends and family (Common; Total) 15 Psychological Complication: Loves to help people, especialy children (Common; Strong) 15 Social Complication: (Secret Identity) Frequently, Major 15 Watched: Boss and inventor Very Frequently (Less Pow; NCI; PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find; Watching) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x Effect EMP attacks, in armor (Uncommon) Complication Points: 100 Base Points: 300 Ironmonger.hdc
  2. Its just an NND yeah. Autofire doesn't really work, you'd have to use Area Effect Any with the "accurate selective" advantage from Advanced Players Guide - selective, but you don't roll, you just hit who you mean to for +3/4.
  3. Vaultwood: These 4+ meter fat trees never grow to great heights, reaching only a ten meters at most. However, they are known by some for a useful, if strange property. The trunk of the tree near the ground usually grows a fairly large cavity, about a meter tall and half a meter wide. This cavity can be accessed by one side of the tree, and when cut open can be used to store items. The bark regrows over this cut fairly rapidly, and within 2 weeks there is no sign the tree was ever cut away, sealing the materials in side dry and cool away from prying eyes. Some forest dwelling peoples will use Vaultwood trees for secure storage, remembering the location for picking up items later. Vaultwood are found in temperate forested areas and swamps.
  4. Here's my solution to the "always hits" option: No Normal Evasion (NNE). A power with this advantage requires no to hit roll; it always successfully hits the target. Powers ought with NNE do no Body damage by default (but can be bought to do Body damage with that advantage). Each power purchased with NNE must have a way that the victims can avoid being hit, with GM approval. No Normal Evasion still suffers from the normal restrictions of the power it is bought for: if it is bought on a mental power, then it still requires Line of Sight; if it does stun damage, it will have no effect on a target that takes no stun; if it is bought on a normal Blast, it has its normal range and will not strike a target that is completely concealed behind a barrier. NNE is not Indirect, nor does it ignore barriers or line of sight. Normal defenses still apply, and when the character is hit, hit locations are determined (if any) apply as usual. Powers with this advantage are considered special attacks - thus Autofire and Reduced END are increased in cost. NNE can be a very dangerous power if bought with certain advantages, such as NND and autofire. The GM should consider this a companion Advantage to Attack vs Alternate Defense and must approve any use of NNE, as it is potentially unbalancing. In campaigns with hit locations, powers with the No Normal Evasion advantage still require the player to roll the location hit. The character can attempt to hit a specific location as normal with a to hit roll, but if he misses, the location is rolled up randomly: the attack will not miss, it simply may miss the intended location. NNE is normally a +1 advantage. (stop sign) related is this: ACV "Saving Throw" There is an alternate construction that players can purchase for ACV, similar to the “Saving Throw” used in other game systems. With this construct, the spell always hits, unless the target makes some sort of roll. If this roll is one that all characters have at a normal level (such as a characteristic roll or perception roll), then the advantage is +1/2. If the roll is an unusual one or one that characters normally only have as a familiarity (such as stealth or a magic skill roll), then the advantage is is +3/4. If the roll is modified by -1/10 active points of the spell it is +1/4 more of an advantage.
  5. Keep in mind that summoning inanimate objects probably ought to be considered a bit differently than creatures. A lifeboat has no willpower and is incapable of fighting back, nor does it have any sense of loyalty or amicability. So the time limits and difficulty of summoning is going to be a bit different than a creature. I recommend picking a set time of service for each level of amicability and have it remain until that time, then vanish unless re-summoned before the time limit is up. For example: no amicability: 20 minutes service; first level: 1 hour, etc.
  6. I kinda like what I see with Honey Badger, but I'd rather the white be more grayish, to match the creature
  7. That actually was my variant when I worked on the alternate Champions comic I was doing, with Seeker. He was Shiva instead, and had 4 arms.
  8. First thing I thought of when I saw this was H Beam Piper's book Little Fuzzy about trying to determine the intelligence and self awareness of cute little teddy bear aliens.
  9. Maybe INT limit should be more a scale rather than a multiplier. Say, start at 10 for minor spells and cantrips (10 or lower active cost), then raise it by 5 points per 2 or 3 INT, so it takes some truly impressive INT to get those powerful spells out, but not a huge amount to do average spells.
  10. Drexl: This is a curious creature related to the porcupine. Slow and clumsy, it seems easy prey, since its spines are fewer and not barbed like the porcupine, but it is left alone by most creatures. When frightened or upset, the Drexl emits a strong stench that smells terrible to humans but is overwhelmingly awful to most animals, particularly predators such as cats and dogs. Further, they give off a trilling shriek which is primarily outside the range of human hearing and will almost always drive predators fleeing from the awful sound in their ears. Docile and slow, Drexl are fond of fruit and vegetables and can be coaxed into staying in an area with ready food. Any camp with a Drexl in it is unlikely to be bothered by natural predators, who fear its defensive abilities. Drexl are about two feet in length, including the hairless tail, and weigh around fifteen pounds as adults. They are a reddish gray in color, with spines of black that are tipped in white. These spines are useful for needles and similar applications, but are brittle. They make fine quills for writing as well. These creatures only live in forested areas.
  11. Well, that's truly unfortunate. I'm hoping its just something they are saying because they figure they have to rather than a real concern. If you write a good story, then it will stand on its own without needing to check off certain boxes or worrying about identity groups.
  12. Warning: costume includes usual needless details and design features as usual in movies. I guess it gives the costume designers something to do.
  13. I haven't done that, I just went with a magic skill roll, so you'll tend to have higher INT in order to cast the spell. The thing with intelligence in Hero though, is that it isn't really a measure of IQ or genius, its just how perceptive and fast your mind is. You can be incredibly brilliant and have only 5 INT because you are very methodical and unobservant.
  14. Role playing whenever possible, although not everyone is up to it. If someone has a character with 40 presence but is lousy at coming up with soliloquies or being impressive themselves, I give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, I can't fly or juggle cars, but if my character can, why should the GM penalize him for my inability?
  15. It depends on how the transform is purchased. You'd have to buy it as AVAD: no effect vs life support poison, which makes sense if its venom based.
  16. I thought about making Spellbinder turn into a girl, as that would be fun but I'm not sure it would appeal to many gamers. What do people think? I figure its hilarious and would be the equivalent of Vulcan turning into a guy no matter who played him, do you think that would go over well?
  17. Burning Hands is actually really powerful too, but its pretty simple to simulate: short no range cone fire blast. Pretty cheap.
  18. Yes, but if you're basing your math on the presumption of buying another power that kind of skews things. Its a definitional issue. People use "automaton" to define characters with "automaton" powers such as "Takes no Stun" and "Does Not Bleed." I can't speak for the original poster, but I suspect that's what he meant by a Zombie PC. Not a mindless lump of meat that is motivated by the commands of others, but guys with these sorts of powers.
  19. SPELLBINDER This character is based on the "Magic Girl" concept that comes up a lot in anime and Japanese comics (Manga). She or he is an ordinary person with some unusual skills who can transform spectacularly into a powerful spellcaster in a special uniform. Usually this means something incredibly schoolgirly, but very exaggerated and fancy. She has pretty basic energy projector abilities to start with: blast, fly, shield, with a few alternate abilities such as healing and entangle. BASIC STORY: Spellbinder always was lucky, or so it seemed. Even as a child, everything always seemed to go right and strange things would happen in their favor. At the age of ten, a trio of strangely dressed, spectacular looking teens appeared to Spellbinder as they were walking to school. The trio told them that they were Spellbinders, a group of magic-using students and members of an extraordinary group hidden among the country. Spellbinder joined this group and rapidly proved themselves to be one of the best of the group, progressing rapidly through studies and learning. However, when one day a demon they had long hunted managed to infiltrate the team and destroy it from within, the Spellbinder was one of the few survivors. Now scattered and their numbers greatly reduced, the group decided they could do more good acting directly in the world rather than behind the scenes, and the remaining members nominated Spellbinder to take their name and legacy into the world. Unfortunately, as a teenager, Spellbinder has a hard time being taken seriously and is frustrated by this. Incredibly brilliant and better educated than almost anyone their age, Spellbinder feels out of place with both peers and adults. This results in them having an endless series of crushes on people, often absurdly unlikely and impossible choices. Both male and female have the same basic story. Spellbinder Val Char Cost 8 STR -2 13 DEX 6 Transformed: 19 14 CON 4 20 INT 10 18 EGO 8 10 PRE 0 Transformed: 20 3 OCV 0 4 DCV 5 4 OMCV 3 5 DMCV 6 2 PD 0 With Shield: PD 22; rPD 12 5 ED 3 With Shield: ED 31; rED 15 3 SPD 10 Transformed: 4 5 REC 1 25 END 1 8 BOD -2 18 STN -1 15m RUN 3 4m SWIM 0 4m LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 55 Cost Power 3 Instant Change!: Cosmetic Transform 1d6, Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates; +3/4) (5 Active Points); Limited Target Clothes worn by character (-1/2), Very loud and bright: +3 PER sight and hearing (-1/4) 60 Transform!: (Total: 75 Active Cost, 60 Real Cost) +6 DEX (12 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 10) plus +3 OCV (15 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12) plus +3 DCV (15 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12) plus +5 PD (5 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4) plus +8 ED (8 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 6) plus +1 SPD (10 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 8) plus +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 8) 16 Wand!: (Total: 32 Active Cost, 16 Real Cost) Endurance Reserve (75 END, 5 REC) Reserve: (23 Active Points); OAF (-1), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12) plus +3 OCV with spells (9 Active Points); OAF (-1), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4) 8 Strong Will: Mental Defense (10 points total) (10 Active Points); Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 9 Magic Protection!: Resistant Protection (3 PD/3 ED) 15 Fly!: Flight 24m, Position Shift, x4 Noncombat (34 Active Points); Requires A Roll (Magic Skill roll; Must be made each Phase/use; -1), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 19 Shield!: Resistant Protection (12 PD/15 ED/5 Power Defense) (48 Active Points); Requires A Roll (Magic Skill roll; Must be made each Phase/use; -1), Costs Half Endurance (-1/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 23 Wand Slam!: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6 1/2d6, Can use either personal END or Endurance Reserve (+1/4), Double Knockback (+1/2) (58 Active Points); OAF Wand (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 31 Magic!: Multipower, 50-point reserve, all slots Can use either personal END or Endurance Reserve (+1/4) (62 Active Points); all slots Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 1) Blast!: Blast 8d6, Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX; +1/4) (50 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 2) Fry!: Killing Attack - Ranged 2 1/2d6, Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX; +1/4) (50 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 3) Explode!: Blast 8d6, Area Of Effect (16m Radius Explosion; +1/4) (50 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 4) Blind!: Sight Group Flash 10d6 (50 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 5) Lift!: Telekinesis (30 STR) (45 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only to lift and hover 3m and move (-1/2), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 6) Ribbons!: Entangle 2d6, 7 PD/7 ED (Stops A Given Sense Normal Sight) (50 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 7) Heal!: Healing Endurance, Body, and Stun 2d6, Ranged (+1/2), Expanded Effect (Body, Stun and Endurance simultaneously) (+1) (50 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), 10m range (-1/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) 2f 8) Dispel Magic!: Dispel 11d6, Magic (+1/2) (49 Active Points); Side Effects (Side Effect affects both character and recipient of Power's benefits; -3/4), Only In Alternate Identity (-1/4) Powers Cost: 200 Cost Skill 3 Charm 11- (13-) 5 Cramming 3 Deduction 13- 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Geography (3 Active Points) 13- 2 2) KS: History (3 Active Points) 13- 2 3) KS: Obscure Trivia and studies (3 Active Points) 13- 2 4) KS: Spells and incantations (3 Active Points) 13- 2 5) KS: Witchcraft and Wizardry (3 Active Points) 13- 3 Language: Japanese (completely fluent) 2 Language: Latin (fluent conversation) 3 Persuasion 11- (13-) 2 PS: Student 11- 3 PS: Researcher 13- Skills Cost: 37 Cost Talent 3 Lightning Calculator 5 Eidetic Memory Talents Cost: 8 Total Character Cost: 300 Pts. Complication 20 Accidental Change: Revert to normal if unconscious Always (Uncommon) 5 Distinctive Features: School kid (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) 15 Hunted: Demons and assorted magical monsters Infrequently (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: Rival Students for duels Frequently (As Pow; Mildly Punish) 10 Negative Reputation: Cute ineffective kid, Frequently 10 Psychological Complication: Touchy about age, defensive (Common; Moderate) 10 Psychological Complication: Driven to prove self (Common; Moderate) 15 Psychological Complication: Code of conduct (fair play, honor, justice, help and defend the innocent) (Common; Strong) 10 Rivalry: Professional and Romantic (other magic types; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry) 5 Social Complication: Legal Minor Frequently, Minor, Not Limiting In Some Cultures Complication Points: 110 No image yet for Spellbinder, but here's a few examples from anime:
  20. I don't have a problem in principle with a floating city, but turning it into a world-destroying menace was just odd, it felt forced so there was more at stake like he had to shoehorn a threat into the story. It just didn't seem like a real menace like they wanted it to seem. Its always bothered me that studios will give some creative, interesting a project and when it does well, don't trust them any more. So what got them there, they no longer like? It just doesn't make any sense.
  21. Its tough to get right in 30 active points. Magic Missile is one of those powers that's more expensive than a level 1 spell but I came up with a "No Normal Evasion" variant for ACV so its a +1 advantage to require a stat roll to avoid the attack and not DCV. Then you build it AVAD vs power defense or something alternate (magic defense, or something) at +1 and you can make a 1 or 2d6 blast work right. The problems come when you want it to hit more than one target, and the price starts going nuts. Autofire is +1 added because its against an alternate defense. And its harder to simulate how Magic Missile works hitting varied targets at will with autofire. Area Effect does it pretty well (AE any is good for strange configurations) but without the "accurate selective" advantage from the Advanced Player Guide it gets weird because you have to roll over and over to get what you want.
  22. I agree, Life Support probably is the best approach, but if COIL uses drains without AVAD added on against life support, then I'd suggest maybe a 1/4 limitation, since they aren't going to be around much at this point. Its worth something, but not much.
  23. One of the different kinds of enchanted ores available for characters to make things from (and find things made from). Working this kind of metal takes a specific skill called "Spellsmithing" which is basically applied magic. BLOODIRON: Under the battlefields of Jolrhos can be mined iron at times, iron that has been changed from the presence of the spirits and death nearby. The carnage makes the iron slightly reddish in color, and it resists rusting. Bloodiron has a base defense of 8. Working Bloodiron is a -2 penalty. Bloodiron armor gains +1 DCV when the wearer takes 1 Body damage, lasting a minute. This effect does not stack. Weapons made from Bloodiron do +1 DC damage once they draw blood (does BOD damage). Once the weapon is clean or no additional BOD damage is done for a turn the extra damage or armor fades. Weapons can be made with Bloodiron without the spellsmith skill, but they do not gain these special properties.
  24. I think the things Whedon did that I don't like in Ultron were making it way too bleak and introspective with angsty whiny heroes sitting around a farm and moping. Not heroic, not fun, not very interesting. And I wasn't super fond of the overall main story: the levitating town etc. It was just a really weird storyline for anything, let alone an Avengers story. But I think probably a lot of the other stuff that didn't work for me was imposed on him by the studio and producers. Like Spider-Man 3, I would love to see the real Sandman story version that Sam Raimi intended instead of the crappy, confused mess that the studio forced on him.
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