jkwleisemann

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Well, not really 'quote of the week,' as this took place some years ago, in a 4E game, but it's still memorable. First off, the necessary background. Radar was a flying projector - practically a speedster, but he preferred to rely on his Laser Blast than Move Throughs. Not that move-throughs were a serious problem for him - he could dole out somewhere in the neighborhood of 30" of flight movement even before his NCM multiples came into play, so he could cause some *serious* hurt to just about anything, himself included (low defenses). Of course, his 4d6 AP RKA could do that pretty well on its own (the aforementioned laser blast), but that's beside the point. We were younger and I wasn't paying close enough attention to the fact that, as the GM, I had veto powers. Ah, the foolhardiness of youth, eh? Anyways, Radar was played by a player of mine who practically *begged* to have Foxbat thrown at him... and so Foxbat was thusly thrown. When the fight *opens* with a 15" flying wedgie, and Foxbat *isn't* the guy administering it... well, y'know things are already starting to go strangely. As the rest of the group watches in sheer disbelief, what started out as a largely random encounter quickly becomes an exercise in increasing ridiculousness as Foxbat's attention is *thoroughly* shifted to the superhero who interrupted his Master Plan of taking over the city by robbing ice-cream trucks (and getting some Fudge Ripple in the process). Foxbat fires on Radar, Radar returns fire... it's all pretty well normal, really, except for the two people involved. Until Foxbat fires off a Smoke Ball, blinding Radar in the darkness field. Then fires a net at Radar, and actually manages to hit, entangling him. Now, not wanting to *kill* Radar with a fall, I rule that a net wouldn't result in him falling, just tangle him up and keep him in place until he can find a way out. And oh did he *ever* find a way out. Andy: "After spending the last phase trying to break free, I'll just use my Flight at full speed to bust out of the net." Everybody around the table stopped and looked at him like he was crazy. Me: "Are you sure you want to do that?" I ask him. "You have no real idea which way you're pointed." A: "Yeah," he says easily. M: "You're going to have to dice for which way you're pointing when you take off." A: "That's fine." M: "Your *full* movement, including non-combat?" A: "Oh, I can use that? Cool, that way I'll be *sure* to get out!" Keep in mind, throughout this exchange everybody's eyes are getting wider and wider as they do the math, and a few people have even caught on to what will almost inevitably happen and just laid their heads down and groaned. With his NCM, Radar's movement is somewhere in the neighborhood of 120" of Flight. M: "Okay, I'll let you pick if you're going to dice for left/right, or up/down." A: "Up/down, six is straight down." I can only assume he was *planning* on getting a 3 or 4 and going straight *up*. M: "Uhm... okay. Roll it." Now, it doesn't take a 3 on your Deduction roll to figure out just what he managed to roll. Or the reaction everybody else had when he found out he was breaking out of a smoke-cloud and speeding towards the ground at maximum speed. His reaction, to his credit, was reprintable. A: "WHAT?!?!?" I was gentle, and let him only take Stun damage... and allowed him to reduce it as though it was for a move-through, instead of falling damage... and capped it at 30d6 (maximum falling damage, at the time).... He's just lucky that 911 is on Foxbat-Speed-Dial.

Re: Villianous/Heroic Powers *holds up the little 'was joking!' sign and slinks away*

Re: Villianous/Heroic Powers

Re: Villianous/Heroic Powers Well, I've got to agree with the general sentiment that it's more SFX and (most importantly) user that determine villainous/heroic nature of a power. The power itself, even its SFX a lot of the time, can be either. Mind control: Villainous - "Worship me! Rob that bank! Kidnap the President! Bring me the still-beating heart of Foxbat!" Mind control: Heroic - "Go to sleep! Stop fighting! Turn yourself in! Bring me the still-beating heart of Foxbat, and make sure you rip it out first!" Healing: Heroic - "Hang on a second, and you won't even know that Mechanon dropped a car on your head." Healing: Villainous - "You do realize that if I do this for you, I'm going to need... compensation... don't you?" Various Black Magic/Demonic Powers: Villainous - Archimago. Various Black Magic/Demonic Powers: Heroic - Raven, a la Teen Titans. So, reallly, it boils down to how they're used 99% of the time, and SFX that other 1%. ^^

Re: WWYCD: This Is A Very Delicate Operation... Hmm. Well, the first part is a no-brainer, really - unless Mr. Stalker triggered some manner of psych lim or something else for some reason, they'd sit back and make sure nothing funny happened and that she made it out okay (rather like 99% of the other posts you'll get here, probably). Offer to help if they could. Then, if he wasn't going to be nice and accepting of it when/if she says no, proceed to mop the floor with him if necessary to make sure she gets back for some bed rest and post-op recovery.

Here's a strange thought for how to put Foxbat to use. What if he was the tool in somebody else's Master Plan? After all - we've established that most folks think of Foxbat as a non-threat. So if the heroes hear "Foxbat is robbing the museum of natural history, and Doctor Destroyer's agents are going after the nuclear plant," which situation are *they* going to deal with first? Somebody would just have to convince Foxbat that he's the Super-Mercenary of this 'issue,' send him out to collect Necessary Item #37, and the heroes figure that if it *did* matter what he stole while they were Otherwise Busy, they'll find out about it some time soon, finding the Fabled Ruby of Ohyournuts in the heart of some convoluted 'death ray' or something and deal with it then. Then they realize that said death ray was designed by somebody who's actually *competent*. It wouldn't work for all Master Villains of course; most of them aren't willing to stoop *that* far, no matter how likely success becomes. But for some of them, or the really ruthless ones who don't let their own self-image get in the way of a plan, it could be a nasty way to make the PC's feel a little stupid....

Re: On Multiform and Potential Abuses Thereof.... He has a Multiform that possesses a VPP inside a multipower... which, in retrospect, might not really be all that much *better*....

Re: On Multiform and Potential Abuses Thereof.... Actually, more like: Base Form (w. Weapon 1) 0: Multiform (Ultra-Slot) a: Form w. Weapon 2 (actual changes, mind you - no problem there) c: Barehanded Form (stronger VPP, no weapon-based powers - no problem there either) d-g: Barehanded -some of the VPP + Vehicle 1-X: Other Multipower Powers I've turned it out, and requested that he rework the Vehicle 'forms.'

Re: On Multiform and Potential Abuses Thereof.... There are other changes (the hawk-form, and the two forms featuring the powers of his mystic weapons) that I'm not so objectionable regarding. It's (specifically) the forms that summon his vehicles... and I am leaning towards requesting he put them into his VPP instead. Seems the most reasonable way to handle things, honestly.

Re: On Multiform and Potential Abuses Thereof.... Agreed there. I'm not *too* worried about it being in the Multipower, but it's something I wasn't particularly comfortable about. That's what he's doing. Only one 'form' would have access to a given vehicle - but my problem is that it's so easy to shift from one form to the next, and the form that accesses each vehicle is so similar aside from having it (and a slightly smaller VPP) I'm not sure if it's a little too big a problem... or too small a change, like buying the powers in your Multipower as different Multiforms for whatever reason. Of course, the vehicles aren't *that* 'game busting,' so it might be a relatively small point of 'munchkinism' if it is one. Oh he's not new, and quite good at the creation; no problems there.

Re: On Multiform and Potential Abuses Thereof.... It's a single slot for Multiform; he can't use the multipower to go between them, it's other powers that he's got listed in the multipower. Actually, no, they don't. He doesn't have the Focus limitation; he's pretty good about not screwing around with that sort of thing, and already saw that argument (he can summon them back simply by using the Gestures for his Multiform.) Honestly, the biggest problem that *I* have with it is that he's effectively taking the 1/5 rate for vehicle points and turning it into a 1/25 by 'nesting' it in the point-reducing effects of the multiform.

I've got a character I'm looking at here, and I'm thinking there are a few problems with it. Basic concept: Super-mage. Nothing wrong with that. But (first) he's got Multiform slated in a Multi-power. I don't have *too* many problems with that, but it's got me started in the direction of 'uhm....' The bigger problem is how he set *up* his multi-forms. Four of them are okay. His 'normal' form (not using one of his magical weapons), two that use magical weapons, and one for a hawk-form he can adopt. That's just dandy, no problem in the least. The problem is that his other three forms are basically the barehanded form (with a bit of a reduction to his VPP for magic) and a Vehicle of some sort. I'm a little bit leery of letting him 'nest' a Vehicle within a Multiform, particularly one that's already nested within a multi-power. Perhaps oddly, I don't really have the same problem with simply letting him adjust his VPP to 'conjure' the vehicle, which is how he justifies the multiforms. Thoughts? Am I just being paranoid about this?

Re: Queer heroes That's all it took? For the love of heaven, that's a simple enough goof. If he's that wound up about it... Let's just say that most of my players through the years would have jumped on that typo for an entirely different reason; they'd be champing at the bit for the chance. Me, I average about one 'alternative sexuality' character for every 3-4 regular ones I stat up. Don't get the chance to *use* most of them, but I've never really played it up *that* much outside of the occasional motivation (SO's nailed by hate crimes, that sort of thing). Heck, most of the time it's a simple facet of them that most of the other players don't notice unless they look at the character sheet for my notes or the GM has it come up as a plot element (which I have no problems with, honestly - this is what happens when you're a borderline Tragedian....)

Re: Funny Hero Thread Lord, how could I forget this one... I even used him in a couple of games! I almost forgot about Muffy, who was developed during one of my earlier Champions games in response to a borderline mad-slasher energy projector (BMS, hereafter) in the party. While he was cooling his heels in lockup, I needed to come up with a cellmate for him, and so Muffy was born. Muffy was a brick of the "nearly invincible" type. About 9' tall, built like the outlaw biker from Hell, with "Muffy" tattooed on his arm (nobody's entirely *sure* that his name is actually Muffy, but they're assuming it is since he responds to it and it is his tattoo). During his first encounter with the group, he basically swallowed everything BMS threw at him, keeping him from trying to break out of jail by slaughtering the guards. By the time he was let out, he'd discovered that you really can just about knock yourself out through Endurance expenditure. So, what is it about Muffy that makes him comical/particularly memorable? Or, for that matter, a hero, given he was met in lockup? Muffy was, perhaps predictably, one of the nicest guys around. He didn't get into brawls, he didn't hurt anybody (well, not intentionally)... a few people actually kinda thought he was a few bricks short of a wall, but it seemed to work for him. Only reason he was in lockup at all was because they had a spare cell and he needed somewhere to sleep it off one night, not because he'd done anything wrong. He was Nice, with a capital 'N'. Until you did something that got him mad. He wasn't particularly *violent* when you got him mad (unless you threatened kids in the process - then the kid gloves were off), but he made sure you realized the error of your ways and punished you appropriately. You haven't seen horror on somebody's face until you've seen the man who realizes *you* were the one who gave Doctor Destroyer a spanking in front of his troops... and you're coming for them next.

Re: Funny Hero Thread You're talking about heroes whose primary abilities involve stretching to cartoonish proportions, probably bouncing when they fall, and the ability to get run over by a steamroller and get better with the aid of a bike pump. For all intents and purposes, a living cartoon of the Superhuman World. I'd be more surprised if they *weren't* mostly played for comic effect.

Re: Funny Hero Thread I'll say - but in a good way, I think. I love the pic of him bristling with Viper weaponry.

There's a thread for funny villains, but why should the bad guys get all the laughs? How about some of the funny *hero* characters out there, whether or not you've gotten a chance to play them? A few examples from my somewhat twisted brain: SunSplash: Once a mild-mannered (if incompetent) janitor at a drink factory, he was dumped into a vat of a citrus flavored beverage containing "the power of the sun" that turned him into a brick/projector who spouts Spoonerisms and is only marginally more competent a hero than he was a janitor. His arch-nemesis is the guy who dumped him, shortly before falling into a nearby vat of mysterious "Purple Stuff" and gaining powers of his own. Also, The Deliverer, Master of the ancient Stork Style (no, not Crane Style) Kung-Fu. His powers are based around menacing villains with babies he pulls out of (apparently) nowhere, and speaks with terrible lip-synch.

Re: Genres HERO GAMES may want to avoid (intended to be humorous) That the campaign where Nightvision is given to all heroes for free? To listen to a lot of the folks I know, it already is. It is so hard to find a group when everybody's terrified of multiplying a number by 1 1/2....

Re: Recommended Power Levels.... I'll keep that one in mind. Particularly since I'm looking at slating the Crowns as the primary villains for the campaign that seems most likely just now.... Oops. ^^ Kinda glad, honestly - Ye Olde Haymaker was a smidge *too* nasty at higher levels, and can be simulated easily enough....

Re: Recommended Power Levels.... So, taking a look at the guidelines given thus far.... *crunches numbers* AP: 40-80 DC: 6-12 STR: 60 (Haymakers push that to 90, after all) CV: 7-13 DEX: 15-35 (Allowing for maneuvers/MA/levels) Ego: 15-35 CON: 40 PRE: 40 Def: 25/15r (30/20r for bricks, roughly.) Exceptions available depending on the character concept and GM's permission Reasonable? On a related note - one of my players was a die-hard 4th Edition fan who loathes FRed with the entirety of his heart and soul (I have a feeling that, in part, that has to do with the fact that the system nerfed a number of his exploits for the system...) Any thoughts on how to ease that a little/safe points to switch back to the 4th Ed standards?

Given that I'm sure 90% of the folks around here have played and GM'ed more than I have at this point.... What would *you* guys recommend for the starting power guidelines for a Champions game? I know there are the standards in Champions and similar genre books, but I find that I hear a lot of folks who disagree with them (usually saying they're too low), and most of the write-ups I'm seeing from my characters are either low, or *way* high (I was recently given a character to look at with 30+ rDefenses and 50% res. damage reduction... that's getting a re-work.) I'm thinking of a reasonably standard Champions game; most characters have a 'big gun' in the 60-75 AP range, DCV's around 6-13, SPD 3-6, Defenses in the 20/10r range... but I'm wondering if that's actually the right range to be looking at, or if I need to start tweaking.

Re: CU question: See through super material? Okay... not touching this one with a 10-foot cattle prod....

Re: Anyone combine Champs with Call of Cuthulu? Actually, I'm in the process of doing so right now. I'm setting up for a possible Teen Hero game, and one of the characters bopping around in my head is what you might have gotten if Wilbur Whateley hadn't been raised by his parents. Of course, he *does* have a few issues with getting along with his classmates... something about the fact that when he enters a room, folks feel this vague urge to leave it....