Arkham

Re: Looking for ideas - Silver-age villain group

An absurd musician like the Pied Piper or the Fiddler from DC Comics.

A music instrument used as weapon, to hypnotize, or do anything you can do with 'Vibrations', like force fields, explosions, desolidification, or dimensional travel. ;-)

In that vein, I recommend "Captain Cello" or "The Cellist". If you want something more portable, *heh* and its set in a more modern age than the actual Silver-age, then how about "Kommander Keytar"?

Re: Magic powered robot with changeable weaponry

Mechanically speaking' date=' using this method the character would also need Fast Draw with 'equipped' weapons (assuming he doesn't already have it).[/quote']

 

Only if it doesn't take a moment to 'retract or extend' the weapon.

Re: Magic powered robot with changeable weaponry

The easiest way to do this... Concealment 18-, Only for 'equipped' weapons. And an Aid to equipped weapon's Charges, costs END.

Re: Reimagining the Superhero

The classic vision of garish costumed flying superhumans clashing over the city is iconic. But due to its popularity, has a great deal of crappy writing ( even if the % of crap remains the same ). But pretty much anything that is well written with compelling characters, setting and plot, I'll read.

For playing, again, I can enjoy any game with a decent set of players and GM. One of my favorite characters which I am currently playing is decidedly non-traditional for a superhero in a superheroic setting. He is black-clad with a duster, a wide-brimmed hat, and a blindfold. His only powers originate from a curse which allow him to communicate with and command corvids of all types. Combat with him looks like a scene from Hitchcock's The Birds and to maintain versimilitude, he can't do significant amounts of real damage with a flock of birds. His real use is information gathering, as while blind, he can see through the eyes of every raven and crow within 50 km ( for the first range increment ) (almost) simultaneously (x1000 rapid, +22 telescopic, N-Ray, 360 deg, Transdimensional (land of the dead), Targeting, Sense).

But he has a compelling story, has unique and powerful imagery, and contributes strongly to the plots as they develop.

Re: So Now Your the Sorcerer Supreme

I guess at this time' date=' does it beg the question. As a GM, should the Sorcerer Supreme be a player character, or a NPC. Personally I lean towards the NPC.[/quote']

 

Depends on the campaign...

If the other PCs include the strongest creature on the planet, a wielder of the Power Cosmic/herald of the devourer of worlds, and an undying spirit of vengeance, then having a PC be the Sorcerer Supreme is a perfectly dandy idea.

 

If the campaign starts anywhere less than 500 or more points, then it probably isn't workable.

Re: Escapist reviews CO.

I think the author will be happier with Dark Champions Online whenever that ends up getting made.

Personally, I am awfully fond of the writing for CO...

Re: The Mystery of the Runaway Star

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24186/

 

 

 

...or some hyper advanced alien civilization is using the star as a titanic spacecraft...

Or they are using the star to _power_ a titanic space craft...

Re: Martial Arts and AOE

Actually there is a guy that works at Cryptic I know through my practice in Western Martial Arts' date=' I would not be surprised if he was one of the people that pushed for more swords in the game.[/quote']

 

Personally, I suspect it has more to do with sword variety being an easier thing to create than most anything else.

Re: Disappointment

No one wants to make such efforts, but they are critical to success. CO shouldn't be Marvel MMO with a different skin. Unfortunately, it is. That doesn't make it a broken product, but it certainly could be improved to be more in line with the pnp product.

 

This shows me you weren't in the Closed Beta, and certainly not in Alpha testing. I can assure you, the game-play as it stands doesn't even resemble the game-play from the Alpha, let alone anything that may have come before. The extensive rebuild was, I'm fairly sure, the primary reason so many features you are hoping for, and were mentioned as being possible features, were cut.

Re: A White Wolf aneurysm

And' date=' IIRC, oWoD had an uber-NPC who was exactly that - a vamped werewolf.[/quote']

 

Actually, oWoD went oen better, with the uber-NPC having been a Vampire Werewolf with True Magick...

who proceeded to die and became a wraith too... and then got captured and turned into an ashtray on some Stygian Lord's desk...

Re: Haymaker a PRE attack?

Haymakering a PRE attack works fine, but is almost always a useless action. Takes the full phase, lands at the bottom of the next, -5 DCV, and is disrupted if the target moves. Its really just best for demoralizing your opposition if they are already in your control.

Example from movies:

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." *BANGBANG*

He _could_ have been interrupted, someone hiding could have shot him with his -5 DCV penalty, just because it didn't play out that way in the movie doesn't mean it couldn't have.

Re: Disappointment

My major instance of this is that they simply refuse to consider the idea of character disadvantages.

Actually, they did consider disadvantages for quite a while, and spoke several times about the things they were thinking of including. But as with many things in MMO development, it ended up not making it to the final cut. The main issue I would see regarding disadvantages is this: How do you keep them from being mandatory and game breaking? Do you get a free power for every disadvantage? Are you instead _required_ to take a disadvantage? And if you _do_ take a disadvantage, such as taking extra damage from heat attacks, how do you keep that person from simply avoiding all mobs that use heat attacks and getting free power? It isn't an RPG where you are subjected to whatever foes that your GM decides you will face. And so since a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't worth any points, it got dropped. In its place are various advantages on individual powers that make them both stronger and weaker in certain circumstances, an utility that I assume they will continue to expand upon.

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e

I agree completely.

And that's also what Variable Special Effects is for, "Magic _and_ Fire +1/4". They did keep Variable Special Effect in 6e, didn't they?

Re: The Ten Things I Love About 6e and the Ten Things I hate about 6e

When an NPC lies to someone, the PC's get a roll to see through it, the same way that it always works. If they make the roll, they know he's lying.

 

In general, the difference between a PC and an NPC in my game is that the PC's are played by players. I don't like the idea that there's this PC T-shirt that immediately identifies player characters and gives them all kinds of special privilages.

Really? What do they roll? And do they have to ask for a roll if they don't believe them, or do you tell the players whenever the NPCs lie by asking them to roll. And then what if the NPC is misinformed, then the PCs still get misinformed and no one is lying.

My person preferences are, a) Allow the PCs to show up early and disrupt the event. They are supposed to be Super, damnit. =-D

or The event is in 5 minutes half way across the world. Hope you have enough megascale to get there in time...

Re: Potential new player... where to start ?

With CO being available in French, I wonder if Mr. Long might utilize their translators to get French versions of the books done...

That'd be cool.

Re: List Your CO Nemesises!

I'm not there yet, but Bingo the Clowno will, for his first Nemesis, be getting Ku Klux the Klown!

His next one will be Nun-Chuckles, Warlord of the Clown Ninja Clan.

Others are TBD.

Re: Poll On New Zones

I voted Modern Urban being pretty much the closest thing that could bring in Vibora Bay...

I'm hoping they do something significant with Dark Champions, so we can have Hudson City get its proper due...

Re: Video in magazine

It will inevitably be used for pr0n.

Re: Cryptic to develop Neverwinter Nights MMO?

 

 

 

 

Cryptic failed to turn the HERO game system into a workable Champions MMO at least using the pnp ruleset. I now am seriously concerned about them flubbing STO

Cryptic didn't fail to turn the HERO game into an MMO. That wasn't one of their goals, and this was stated as such at the very beginning. That's like saying WoW failed to provide me a chicken pot pie. While it is true that they did not provide me with a chicken pot pie, it is also true that they don't need to, weren't intending to, and never told me they would.

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

Ok, since the 'My Characters' section is back online, I copied the pics from there and uploaded them to flickr, including the two new characters since my last post about them...

Re: Abilities Discussion

Ooooh, yeah. With Bingo the Clowno, I always try to have him open each fight with a thrown object. Not only does it do huge damange for no energy cost, it also usually damages multiple targets too... Now if only you could pick up buildings...

Re: Urban Champion: Unnamed as yet

You've got the stretching in the 'baton mode' in addition to the 'staff mode'. I'd think being broken down into two halves, the extra reach wouldn't be available.

Re: I killed a PC.

I haven't accidently killed a PC in Champions yet...

But I do keep gunning for the two characters that Regen from death. Unfortunately they are both rather sturdy, especially compared to the squishy characters that _don't_ regen from death.

Re: Describers

I use quite a few in various spots.

5 Blacks. ( Black Eye, Black Knight, Black Lupine, Black Power and Black Steel )

3 Reds. ( Red Demon, Red Ronin, and Red Rustler )

Only other colors are Luchadores named El Toro Azul and El Gallo Rojo. ( Blue Bull and Red Rooster ) And a Crimson, the Crimson Emperor.

I only have three Misters. ( Mr. Clean, Mr. E, and Mr. Blackwings ( Oops, one more Black character... ) )

Three Girls, one of which was a PC, so wasn't named by me. ( Barbie Girl, Teflon Girl, and Weather Girl )

5 Man names. ( Hollow Man, Javaman, Matchstick Man, Metal Man, Straw Man )

Only one serious Boy name. ( Dead Boy )

Three Ladies. ( Lady Lava, Lady Lexicon, Lady Midnight )

Two Madames ( Madame Hex, Madame Macabre )

And I seem to be inordinantly fond of Doctors, with 17 total. A couple were made by players though... ( Doctor Devestation, Dr. Awkward, Dr. Bend, Dr. Bleak, Dr. Damascus, Dr. Djinn, Dr. Dweamor, Dr. Nachtpferd, Dr. Halloween, Dr. Kali, Dr. Lexicon, Dr. Martini, Dr. Mockery, Dr. Mystic, Dr. Orichalcum, Dr. Roc, and Dr. Time )

Granted most of these are NPCs, but a few were played by players in my games, and a couple are my characters.

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

Oi!

I've got... a few. @HeroArkham

Screenshots will be added later when I'm at home, not posting from work...

My main first:

Bingo the Clowno - Might, a touch of Power Armor for the defense power. And Attack Toys! ( Attack toys are awesome! )

Satire - Martial Arts and Munitions so far. My 'dark and brooding' character who isn't that dark and doesn't brood.

Senor Misterio - Martial Arts and Sorcery. The Master of the Mystic Lucha Arts. I hope they make a power replace to add a steel chair somewhere in there.

Landshark - Might and Supernatural. He's a shark. On land.

Captain John Cosmos - Gadgeteering, Force so far. Golden age, retro-future style.

Papa Fly - Munitions. I'll probably end up deleting him when I figure out who gets the Insectoid Fly-Pimp as a Nemesis...

The Emo Elf - Munitions, swords, other stuff. Made by and played by my 10 year old.