Arkham

Re: When Do Your Characters Know When The S**T Has Well And Truly Hit The Fan? Rarely do the players realize when the feces has struck the rotary oscillator. Only when it is accompanied by a large neon glowing sign and bullhorns screaming "This is a major event!" do they start thinking, "Hmm, perhaps this is a bigger problem than we thought." example: Me: "You're in the middle of lunch in San Jose with their superheros when you notice a mushroom cloud growing over San Francisco. What do you do?" Player of time traveling PC: "We should probably do something about that, shouldn't we?"

Re: Politics or not I rarely touch on politics in the games I run. The most political event was when Dr. Martini, a Lex Luthor class villain became the Governor of California. He stepped down after being apparantly 'kidnapped' when he evidently went crazy and attacked San Francisco. But it was evidently a clone of him. Really. ~trust me~ Currently he's looking at a shot at the White House in 2008.

Re: Designing a show stopping villain A wide variety of villains, each memorable in their own way. But to be memorable, they have to be unique. If you have 5 different unpowered, or barely powered assassins, no matter how cool, flashy and cunning they are, they all start to melt together. Judging by their reactions, I think the most memorable ones I've used are these... Snuff - Female unpowered assassin. Remembered as very deadly and very feared. Teflon Girl - Sliding speedster. Remembered as sexy but not seductive, and potentially convertable to the side of 'good'. Dr. Martini - Mastermind, scientist, business man, politician. Remembered for being conniving, cunning, and slippery as a wet noodle. Most of the PCs and players really had a mad-on for him. Holocaust - Nazi elemental of hate, terror, and burning winds. Remembered as being the foremost proponent of mass slaughter. Whenever he shows up, the PCs first reaction isn't to fight him, its to clear the civilians before they have a massacre on their hands. Amorphous - Metamorph. Can copy the powers and appearance of anyone he has ever met. Remembered as being the most frustrating foe to deal with due to the diversity of his capabilities. Landshark - Brick, shark. Remembered as much for the humor as for his blood frenzies. Former villain, trying to go good, but keeps slipping off the wagon. But these also happened to be the ones with repeat appearances. Perhaps I should ask the players what are the first villains they remember...

Re: Hyper Intelligence Raising the dead? Shouldn't the necromancy be done by now?

Re: My Damage Shield, too much? Not the active points, the Damage Classes. You've still just got a 12 damage class attack.

Re: My Damage Shield, too much? Actually, no. 4d6 RKA is standard superheroic damage classes, the same as a 60 STR brick would be throwing around. So while it is effective, it isn't overwelming, and might not chew through anything, let alone everything. 4d6 can always roll 4 Body...

Re: My Damage Shield, too much? Considering it costs 48 END every phase, and even then only works about 60% of the time, I don't see the issue. Now if you had an END reserve that fed this, then there would be a problem, as you aren't supposed to take Increased END Cost on powers that draw from an END reserve.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From our Mystics game 2 weeks ago... Patches: Sorry, there's not a lot of demand for a multi-lingual zombie. You're not going to see any of us walking around going, "... cabeeeeeza ..."

Re: Doctor, Doctor! I've had one PC that was an actual doctor, both having a PhD and being a licensed physician. A vast number of my villains have doctorates. Most are scientists, especially with one of my main villainous groups being genetic engineers. 13 PCs and NPCs in my universe have Dr. as part of their nom de geurre. I figure a genre built around exceptional people should have them exceptional in many ways...

Re: Animated objects I had a character that animated objects as a recurring part of his magical schtick. When talking with it, it was just post-cognitive clairsentience. When using it for other purposes, I used a slavishly loyal summon with a VPP that can only be changed when it is summoned. It was really rather small, as I had it in a small magical VPP, but if its to be a major part of the character it could be bought straight and built on far more points. http://arkham.genesismuds.com/hero/Champions/Animated%20Object.HTML

Re: Are we Ready to Rock? I dunno...are we? I second the lead guitarist being a speedster... As for a name for the bass player, how about Irrompible? (Unbreakable) And the 'evil band' should be shock rockers, ala Alice Cooper, Gwar, Lordi, etc.

Re: Your characters, favorite by Archetype I almost never play, as I am generally the only one willing to GM. So some answers will be either NPCs, or PCs my players created. Brick - The Paladine. Originally created in Abberant. He's Nigh-Invulnerable and was greatly inspired by The Tick in terms of personality. When moved to Hero system as an NPC, his origins changed to divine empowerment. - My PC Energy Projector - The Highwayman is the ghostly remains of a classic English rogue. He wields two plasmic flintlocks which forms from his own ectoplasm. He hasn't actually appeared in a game yet. :-( - NPC Gadgeteer - Dr. Martini, a mastermind of great ambition. He has been a recurring villain in several games so far. Based heavily on Lex Luthor, he is quite fond of deathtraps and 'doomsday devices'. - NPC Martial Artist - I've managed to play Senor Mysterio in at least one Con game. He is a luchadore, and Master of the Mexican Mystic Arts. - Con only PC Mentalist - I've never been much for pure Mentalists, but my favorite is the 'villain' Simon. He's a young child in blue Osh-Kosh B'gosh and a red turtleneck with vast mental powers. "Simon says... Go get me all the candy in the world!" - NPC Metamorph - Bingo the Clowno... He grows big. He grows small. His feet inflate and he shoots rockets from his belly button. His head inflates into a hot-air balloon with a propeller popping out the back to move him around. ( It goes *pudapudapudapuda* ) And he has a circus in his pants. No, really. - My PC Mystic - While I'm awefully fond of Senor Mysterio above, Dr. Djinn just makes a better mystic. He's a small, ancient Hindu male with a prehensile turban, 7 magic stones for chakra magic, and a variety of other spells and incantations. And he looks like this: - My PC Patriot/Avatar - Its a rare archetype in most settings, it seems. I've had one player play one called Manifest Destiny, who wielded a baseball bat like Captain America wields his shield. - Other player's PC. Powered Armor - The Judge. An octogenarian justice of the court who delivers the justice that the law cannot. He has a large power armored suit, and a rocket-boosted hammer called 'The Gavel'. - NPC Speedster - Javaman! A young barrista who gains super-speed through the consumption of caffeine. Based heavily on a young Keanu Reeves. Woah. - My PC Weapon Master - Mr. Clean. An aging bald janitor who rides upon a Mop of Power. Obsessed with Grime and Punishment, and lots of bad puns. A rather silly character, really, but a fun NPC to have about. His arch-enemy, the Mud Tracker, is decidedly less silly and has been an even better addition to my world. - NPC

Re: Istvatha V'han - why can't she conquer Earth? 1 billion dimensions, with weapons built by the lowest bidder... That could be one very, very, very low bidder indeed. With as many mystics as there are on and around earth, there could be many sorceries that activate upon the arrival of her forces, or force her gates to open in proximity to earth thus preventing her from having a safe staging area, or that innumerable other things that creative mystics could conjure.

Re: Lucha Libre HERO I look forward to this. I await it with bated breath. ( Not baited breath, that'd smell nasty ) I yearn for it, as I have never yearned for a lucha libre based RPG book before.

Re: Mad, Beautiful Ideas

Re: Mad, Beautiful Ideas The crazy ideas I've written up are many and varied. A team of slightly-larger-than-man-sized robots that transform into human-wieldable melee weapons and firearms known as "The Weaponmen" A team of superpowered luchadores. A guy who gains super-speed powers from caffeine. A shark. A teenage girl with a chainsaw who talks to the trees. A 50's era baseball hero, who throws a baseball bat, 'the Fine Pine Patriot' like Captain America throws his shield. An older bald guy who rides on a mop, with the state goal of 'Cleaning up this City' An elderly lady who knits mind-controlling sweaters and commands yarn to do her bidding. A 5 year old in osh-kosh with massive mind-control powers. Luchahotep, the Egyptian God of Masked Mexican Wrestlers. 1" tall aging arsonist. Nun-Chuckles: Warlord of the Clown Ninja Clan Robo-Deutch, the Aryan Android

Re: Mad, Beautiful Ideas Taking the smorgasbord iron-age approach to a silly concept: A vampiric cowgirl, lived for 150 years fighting evil across the plains with her trick killer horseshoes. She is... The Dead Ringer! ( I love me some silly concepts. )

Re: What is your favourite Masks (Luhadore Masks) So, now that Darren has finished the move, he can chime in... Despite looking like a Power Ranger, Abismo Negro has nice mask too, with a built-in excuse to buy flash defense. Alebrije con Cuije have awesome bug themes and are a real blast to watch. Anyone else watch Lucha Libre?

Re: My First Game of Champions! Newer to the system than most... It was the distant year, 2002 or so, and I figured that for the test drive, we would open her up and see how fast she could go. So we started at 700 points and a DC 'cap' of 'whatever'. Players played totally broken builds, power armor built as vehicles, characters built as AIs inside vehicles, and a dragon with a 10d6 RKA breath weapon. The first session involved an NPC developing powers hazardous to herself and those around here. So everyone who could help joined together, calmed her down, took her somewhere where they could teach her how to use her powers, instead of blowing up (literally) whenever someone touched her.

Re: What is your favourite Masks (Luhadore Masks) El Zorro Unfortunately he got de-masked recently, and underneath looks like a fatbeard gamer. He really needs to cut it down to a goatee, then he'd look at least impressive again and less silly. http://www.triplea.com.mx/imagenes/NUEVOS/ZORRO1.jpg

Re: Favorite Tactics against High DCV? I've got a villain with this also. The Mud Tracker made the team's MA very, very sad. ( And the weapon master, and the mini-brick... His entangle damage shield was also Sticky... )

Re: Alien Stereotypes

Re: WWYCD? Women City Savers Only Bingo would hop on in. But no funny business, this is serious work. Even for a mystically trans-gendered clown. Satire would be reluctant, but would go with it to save the day. But spend the rest of the week keeping people from seeing him. And anyone taking pictures gets a broken camera and bloodied nose... Senor Mysterio would refuse. His machismo wouldn't allow it. But he respects the skills of the Luchadoras ( and exoticas ) enough to get the job done without him. Javaman would go in, thinking he could spend the rest of the week with 'himself', but then it'd turn awkward as Fidgit went too. There'd be a lot of 'Dude, don't look at me' and gay jokes.

Re: List of Forum Members - Super Teams & Members Running a new game since my last post in here. The current team is unnamed, being a loose collection of acquaintances and partners by circumstance rather than an actual team. Mr. Wise - Solomon Wise. Old, understated mystic. Split off of the Watchers of the Void to deal with smaller less world-shaking mystic threats which they tended to ignore. Calls the group together when they are needed, mentors most of them when things are peaceful. - Pang - His mandatory stereotypical asian assistant. Knows far more than he seems. Sephiroth - Kabbalistic mystic, with a personality based on The Hebrew Hammer. Dr. Mystic - Generic Comic book mystic, studied magic as a career choice. Talks like Dr. Orpheus from The Venture Brothers. Dr. Halloween - Haitian vodoun. Aided the group in dealing with the raggedy infernal sorcerer, Ragamuffin. Patches - Uberbrick Free-willed Zombie. Former supervillain Black Guard during the 50's, provoked renown boyscout superhero, Captain Dynamo to kill him during a confrontation. Was raised as a zombie by the team mystic, Dr. Orichalcum. Has since reptented his ways and is trying to reform. Dr. Wise currently possesses the ring that reigns him in, if he gets out of hand. Valour - Atavism of... Valour. Pure human emotion given form and sentience. Currently looking for his sister, Faith.

Re: Strange Hero Concepts: Discuss Your Own! I have a few that may or may not qualify as strange. I hadn't thought they were ( mostly ) when I wrote them up, but others I've shown them to have. I've a character similar to Caffeine Girl above, called appropriately enough Javaman! He is a barrista who when he ingests caffeine gains Totally Awesome Powers of Running Hella Fast, dude. Sounding much like Keanu Reeves, he, with his partner and best friend Fidgit, save the day, and the hotties from the evil forces of Baron de Cafe. Bingo the Clowno is a detective, investigating crimes as he travels with his circus. He also metamorphs into a GIANT CLOWN, or a micro clown. He shoots rockets from his belly button, his head inflates into a hot-air balloon ( and a propeller pops out the back ), and his shoes inflate for great bounciness, and he has a circus in his pants ( which he only pulls out on special occassions ). His archenemy is the vile Ku Klux the Klown! Senor Mysterio is a luchador, and one of the greatest masters of the ancient secrets of the Mexican Mystic Arts. And though he wasn't a PC, Landshark is often quite entertaining. A shark who swam into the SF Bay and swam through a cloud of toxins that had been dumped in there, he gained sentience, arms, incredible strenght, and the ability to... move, somehow, on land. Kinda like Jabber Jaw, we don't really question how he walks on his tail fins. He was a villain for the longest time, but has since reformed, having taken inspiration from a film. "People are friends, not food." is his new motto. He's on parole, working as a delivery boy at various places. He was the UPS driver that delivered to the West Coast Supers. *knockknockknock* Landshark!