Yansuf

Re: Does your California Superhero team need land an island for a base?

Alas, my superteam is based in Los Angeles, and a island next to S. Frisco is too far to commute.

 

(Why no love in Champions for LA? 30 years after the founding of the game, and still no team in the CU based in Los Angeles. But THREE in SF, with a fraction of the population.)

Two words: Holly Wierd.

Re: For all your Nazis-invading-America needs....

It's true enough. An old survivor of a Japanese Army Ninja Recon Team, Mr. Edo, later found a child whose parents were killed in a Land Rover accident. Mr. Edo raised the child, Don Morgan, as his own, and passed his skills on to his "son".

 

...

 

In the end, Mr. Edo sent Don to America to seek "the final truth". After arriving in the states, he took the name

 

oh, nevermind.

 

:SCUBA Hero walks off muttering to himself:

Seeker! Come back, Seeker!

Re: 'Registration' as training card

Ah' date=' but the ones with hero cards aren't state actors. They are not paid, or directed; they are just given a lot of information so that when they are running around doing vigilante stuff, they will do so in a less destructive manner. People with CPR cards are not state actors if they stop to give first aid.[/quote']

 

In our "real world" universe it is likely that the courts would consider them at least partly "state actors", like a police auxiiliary.

Re: How would your character rate on a villian's threat matrix?

Steel Sentinel is one of the Boston Defenders.

How much would they be able to find out about your character?

Quite a bit. His secret ID is secure, but the fact that he is a powered armor, "true blue" and patriotic hero is well known.

Would advance agents be able to easily access pictures of your hero from the media?

Yes, he is "watched" by the media.

Would an agent be able to discover the full extent of your weaknesses from any source?

Not really. He did have a weakness to EMP and strong magnetic fields, which was known (but not widely known) but he recently upgraded his armor to eliminate that. Could be an unpleasant surprise for agents who count on his "weakness."

How about a lowdown of your powers? would it be easy to find out?

His basic powers are well known: strength, flight, life support, versatile weapons array, and very high defenses. (He is the group's "damage sponge".)

He has flash defense and mental defense (known) but no power defense, which is not known. He is an expert engineer and technologist; this is not widely know but suspected.

Many of his weapons are known, but he modifies them from time to time so they are not all known.

Probably rate him a 7 or 8. He does have a grudge against Viper, but he is not hunting them or anything.

As it happens, the group (Boston Defenders) has recently hurt Viper quite a bit, and is searching for the main New England nest; so Viperia has been sent to deal with them. The battle will happen in our next session, she showed up last time and we ended on a cliff hanger.

Re: Setting the range of powers

Most of the questions you ask are very campaign specific.

Some GMs have aliens and alien tech being fairly common, others make it rare. In fact, it is possible that a GM could have a campaign where Earth has not had any contact with aliens, and it is unknown if there are any.

Some campaigns (like some comic universes) have very few supers, others have many. Similarly, the power levels of campaigns vary. I was in one where the PCs were built on 1000 to 1250 points, but most start much lower.

So the answer to most of your questions is: it depends.

Re: The Snow Storm

Since my current character is in "the Boston Defenders" this question seems topical.

Steel Sentinel is a powered armor hero, who can withstand extreme temperatures. He would go out and see what he could do to help. Rescue cars stuck in the snow? Sure. Help EMTs get people to the hospital Certainly. Stop any crimes he sees in progress? Of course.

Not sure what else he could do to help though.

Re: Pulp Hunteds...What are yours?

Completely depends on the campaign.

If magic and the supernatural are real it is one thing, if they are at best "iffy" it is very different.

Re: 'Registration' as training card

Perk: Government Approved Superhero(ine) 1pt

Skill PS:Superheroing 11- 2pt

 

Professional skills IMHO are meant to cover all the skills you use as part of a profession and what you described sounds like being trained as a superhero. The perk is showing you passed and you can increase the perk and skill as gaining "rank" in the organization. Perhaps at a high enough level, teaching the course yourself.

This one gets my vote.

Re: Steampunk submarines

Ya know, I like the washline with clothes hung out to dry and the chicken weather vane.

Both essential submarine features.

These support the "it's a flyer" theory.

Recently I read a story where a "Superhero" was really a remote control robot used by its designer to fight evil.

It was not a robot per say, normally it was a remote control mechanical "avatar" of the designer. The public thought that it was a hero in a suit of powered armor, but really the man was back at his HQ operating it by remote control. It did have a limited capability to operate autonomously if the link was broken, but its capabilities were very limited without the link.

How would you build such a thing?

The two ways that I can think of are as a "duplicate", or as a "follower". But neither really seems correct.

Suggestions?

Re: The original War Wheel 1917

I understand that the Japanese weren't so concerned about nuclear power' date=' but were really worried by another odd-ball idea: bats carrying incendiaries. The idea was that they roost under a building's eves for the day, and burn it down when the bombs go off; the US military lost one or more warehouses (not the intended targets!) testing them.[/quote']

 

The US did briefly look at that idea, but it was worthless for many reasons.

Not the least of which was dropping the incendiaries from B-29s worked quite well.

Re: Where do gangsters get pool babes?

Cost: 8 End: 4

Bimbos: Summon 16 50-point creatures, Friendly (+1/4) (37 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Hour, Only to Activate, -1 1/2), OAF (Wad of Cash; -1), Arrives Under Own Power (-1/2), Summoned Being Must Inhabit Locale (-1/2)

Excellent!

But I think that the modifiers are to the base cost, not the 5 pt doublings.

Re: Bollywood Action Movie Insanity

What was that from?

And is there a version with sub-titles?

For an Area of Effect attack, would making the area "conforming" to fill a room, etc. be a +1/4 advantage?

Back in 5th edition, when megascale was a +1/4 advantage, you advised players to take it as a naked advantage on one sense to allow you to safely use megascale flight, running, etc.

With megascale a +1 advantage in 6th edition, is that required to move safely at megascale speed, or does the increase cost of megascale movement include allowing appropriate sensing?

Re: Calling all lawyers--Supers and unique legal issues

There is no temporal paradox' date=' any entity "from the future" coming "back to the past" to create consequences in that "past" would by definition be an extra-dimensional invading entity. The resemblance of any such entity to any "current" entity is merely coincidental. Time is not linear, but dimensional. Entities are defined by their placement along a space/time continuum, by asserting that the entity committing the crime arrived from a different space/time you have conclusively demonstrated the uniqueness and separateness of said entity from any "present" entity.[/quote']

 

Very Good.

Of course it would still be in litigation for years, but I thnk you might have the final judgement.

Re: Calling all lawyers--Supers and unique legal issues

Case No 5.

 

A hero kills someone. However it can be proved hewas elsewhere at the time of the killing. Investigation turns up that it was the hero but from a time in the future. Can the hero currently be tried for the murder/manslaughter he will commit or would there be a fear that attempting due process would lead him into committing the crime.

Ignore the temporal paradox and attempted saving of the person by time travel.

WOW!

This one would probably be in the courts for decades.

General rule of US law: you cannot be punished for the acts of someone else, unless you have some control over the person who did it.

The lawyers would love this one!

Re: Calling all lawyers--Supers and unique legal issues

So if the press leak a name and said person and innocents get killed as a result and it turns out the name is wrong, they cannot be held culpable ?

 

Hypothetical. The press leak a name and as above people die but the Press knows the name is wrong. What then ?

If it can be proven that they knew it was wrong, they will lose the civil suit for wrongful death. Hard to prove though.

While I would love for a newspaper or TV station (and their reporter(s)) to be prosecuted in the case above, there is no precedent for it that I am aware of. The DA could try to make a case for "reckless disregard" stick, but as I said there is no precedent.

Of course, if it could be proven that the paper/reporter not only knew the info was false, but meant for someone to be hurt, they could probably be prosecuted. Again, hard to prove.

Re: Evil foregin powers

Remember Rocky & Bullwinkle?

Well, Boris and Natasha were from Pottslyvania as I recall. Fearless Leader went underground after the fall of the Soviet Union, but recently has completed his master plan for a coup, and has taken back control of the country, as "President for Life". Now Boris and Natasha are scouring the world looking for "a few good super-villains" to help with Fearless Leader's, I mean President for Life's, new master plan TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

Re: Calling all lawyers--Supers and unique legal issues

On the Feral Kat issue' date=' if someone leaks a name to the media and someone else acts on that information and kills, is the leaker or the media culpable under the law ? [/quote']

 

Under current law, the media cannot be prosecuted for anything in the case above. While they could be sued in civil court, highly unlikely any suit would get anywhere, even if Feral Cat is not ruled a "public figure." Freedom of the press is close to total (not quite total, but close) in the US.

The leaker might be culpable, but I cannot recall any case where a leaker was prosecuted. Worst case is they could be fired, if they are identified. Of course, it is very rare for a leaker to be identified.

Re: Newspaper Headlines

The lastest issue of The Campaign City Tribune is on the stands. Your character picks up a copy and the follow articles catch his/her eye:

 

• New Exhibit At Campaign City Museum of Art: The museum will be hosting an exhibit of very rare and valuable paintings and sculptures on loan from a private collector.
  
• Thief Gets Hosed: A thief who had just stolen a purse and bag of goceries from a pregnant woman attempted to hide from police inside a local car wash. The manager of the car wash, unaware that of the low-life hiding inside, turned on the machines for a routine maintainance cycle. Buffeted by the array of hoses and brushes, the criminal was blinded and stumbled backwards into a high-pressure spray nozzle...with messy results.
  
• A Case of "D.U. Die": A drunken motorist, suffering from a bout of carsickness, sticks his head out the window to vomit...and was decapitated when his head struck a mailbox.
  
• Purse-Snatcher Gets "Beaned": While fleeing after stealing a lady's purse, a criminal is knocked cold by a can of green beans thrown at his head by an unidentitied man in a snakeskin vest.
  

What's your character's reaction while reading the articles?

First check date, is it April first?

If not, shake head at strangeness.

Make note to keep an eye on the Museum.

Re: Evil foregin powers

I may steal, oops I mean borrow, Uridan.

Not to quible, but for Maldonica, weren't the Stasi the East German secret police?

Re: Calling all lawyers--Supers and unique legal issues

Legal question and scenario idea no 2 and this harkens back to secret identity.

 

The Feral Kat is an outlaw whose fingerprints and other DNA are held on record. She is charismatic and makes good copy for the papers and television. Her name however is Jane Doe as nothing of her background has been pinpointed to date.

Electric Justice is a killer vigilante who has hunted down and killed 'those who break the law'. It is rumoured that some law enforcement officials are helping him and others turn a blind eye to his activities even though he is committing what amounts to murder. During his last little outing he killed a family who it was claimed were associates and confederates of the criminal Black Crow. The Crow got away. The family were Mexican immigrants. Electric Justice shows no compassion for the killing saying that collateral damage is unavoidable and that those who harbour, foster and associate with criminals cannot expect the same treatment as law abiding citizens. The police have condemned his actions and various supers have vowed to bring him in.

Feral Kat has heard that Electric Justice is targetting her and so brings up this legal quandry. She goes to court seeking to prevent any identity she uses being accessed under the Freedom of Information Act. Her point is that if it falls into the wrong hands (ie Electric Justice), he is likely to kill others in an effort to get to her. The ends cannot justify the means. Also if a mistake is made with the name say Joan Smith, Electric Justice may well wipe out one or more innocent families just to get to her. Feral Kat makes the point that she is aware that the law would be wide ranging and affect newspapers etc. While an identity is still not public knowledge, it should be illegal for someone to pass on a potential name to an interested third party ie the FBI and police have a right to that information but the Washington Times does not while it is unconfirmed. Similarly law enforcement officials including office staff should be prosecuted for passing on the 'potential' name to a killer vigilante or in the case of a hero to their arch-enemy ie Viper.

 

I realise that there may be two legal points here and there are the issues of Freedom of the Press to consider. That being said can criminals be protected against the Freedom of Information Act ?

It is likely that she would win; there is already precedent for this.

Note that this does not prevent a newspaper from publishing her ID, the original question was about releasing information under the "freedom of information" act. That applies to the government only.

Since the government has been unable to get court orders to stop newspapers from printing "leaked" info even when it IDs undercover agents, there is no way the court would order prior restraint of publication, unless you wish to postulate a VERY different world from ours.

Re: Calling all lawyers--Supers and unique legal issues

A touch of thread necromancy here as I have several legal based questions and potential scenario ideas. The second of these ties into one of the earlier megaplayboy hypotheticals and the first two tie in with the legal frame work set out in the Stronghold book.

 

After the landmark Supreme Court ruling which decided whether Aliens, Robots, the Undead and various others had rights under the constitution, some parties were left put out. Vampires found that as Undead they had no rights and decided to do something about it. Meanwhile various parties saw this as an ideal way to rid themselves of the scourge of the undead for good and were pressing for laws to eradicate the Undead like the three strikes laws in California. If they commit a crime three times they can be eradicated. The first legislation that came before the Supreme Court was struck down as the justices saw it would be used against others as well as any undead that were being targeted.

The vampires themselves saw the traps being laid and so tried various things themselves to stop what was happening. Concern was raised due to the success of things like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight (vampires can't survive in sunlight despite what some fiction says). One vampire however turned to the law and sought to have punishment defined for Vampires particularly. What she put before the court was that vampires should be subject to the same tests of evidence that everyone else is and not just 'Oh they had a throat wound, it must be a vampire !'. Forensic evidence of DNA also tied into the undead and bite radius could easily be established for example. Also if a three strikes law was promulgated then a vampire can't be targeted for something as basic as parking tickets and littering and then staked on the third instance, it has to be for the same sort of serious crimes that other criminals would be targeted. Any law needs to be Federal in order to stop local authorities deciding what is and isn't evidence and a breach of the three strikes rule due to the religious beliefs across the country.

The laws could also be set to govern mind control by vampire and whether that is covered as a variety of rape.

 

In light of this would the Supreme Court say such a law was constitutional and that anti-vampire laws which allowed a lazy interpretation of three strikes would be struck down ?

Remember some vampires are tax payers.

If Vampires were excluded from the definition of "person", then it is likely that SCOTUS would not touch this issue. (Note that it is a big "if" there.)

Re: Calling all lawyers--Supers and unique legal issues

Case No 4 is a property dispute with a twist.

 

The Supreme Court is being asked to decide a property ownership case which the other courts have kicked upstairs as it is so irregular.

Jane 'Femmebot' Doe is being defended by the ACLU (or similar body) as being a sentient human being and therefore not subject to ownership by a corporation or a person; Doctor Bot via his legal representatives claim that she is his property and she should be given over to him; Megacorp claim that she belongs to them after femmebots belonging to Doctor Bot were legally salvaged by them and that due to an experiment in their laboratory she came to life.

The facts are these

(1) She is human and passes any and all tests to show that she is

(2) Doctor Bot does indeed have Femmebots which are not involved in crimes and stay at his bases or very rarely accompany him. They provide him with all sorts of entertainment including exactly what you are thinking. The Femmebots do not have machine guns or detonate as bombs (as in Austin Powers). Lawyers argue that they only have the Doctor's word for that.

(3) The Justice Crusader has an ongoing feud with Doctor Bot and makes a point of trashing the Doctor's bases and belongings. He has confirmed that he destroyed any femmebots he finds because they can be used for illegal purposes and scattered the wreckage. (Lawyers for Megacorp and Doctor Bot try to get him to admit that he destroyed the robots as he found them immoral. He maintained that is just the potential for illegality)

(4) Jane 'femmebot' Doe has no records in the system at all for birth certificate, social security ID, schooling etc and no memory of growing up. She does have the memories of being a robot. These include being disassembled by Justice Crusader. Before she shut down she saw her body parts were scattered about the place, arms and legs ripped out. She does not know why she is now flesh after being a robot. She has no memories of being at Megacorp.

(5) She cannot confirm any self defence or offence capabilities as a robot.

(6) Megacorp has a contract with various states to salvage technology and put it to good use. They also neutralize things for the US Govt if it proves to be hazardous. They have legal contracts to salvage equipment from what are or were Dr Bots's bases.

(7) Although Dr Bot is alleged to have committed crimes he has never been been tried or convicted even in absentia.

(8) Jane has a tattoo which Dr Bot has proven comes from a specific ink and process unique to him. Therefore she is his.

(9) The Doctor has no knowledge of how she came to be human but in a superhuman world all is possible. If she is returned to him he will look after her. Megacorp are making no such promises.

(10) Megacorp says they salvaged her and due to a highly technical accident in the lab with experimental technology she came to life. They do not deny that she was Dr Bot's property beforehand (the tattoo) but as it was their work that made her human she belongs to them. They have a responsibility.

(11) Jane is not keen on going back to Megacorp or Dr Bot.

(12) Somebody attacked Megacorp's labs before Jane was discovered and some of what was salvaged from Dr Bot was destroyed.

(13) INS want to kick her out of the country as an illegal alien if she is not the property of Dr Bot or Megacorp.

(14) Megacorp has friends in Congress and the Senate who are pleading their case in private to the Supreme Court justices in private.

 

And then there is what nobody knows

 

 

Dr Bot and The Justice Crusader have a common enemy that neither knows about. He is a reality warper. After The Justice Crusader trashed one of Dr Bot's places, the warper came in and removed one of the bots. He put it back together again and warped reality so that she became flesh. He had to disappear before he was found so he had to abandon her. That is how she came to be.

Megacorp did salvage the other remains, are aware of Dr Bot's work and did get attacked by someone intent on theft (they were good enough that no-one caught them on camera or other security device). However the rest is a pack of lies. They have not been caught out and some of the people they are using to press the case do not know that they are accomplices to falsehood.

 

 

In the light of what people do know who the Supreme Court say is Jane 'Femmebot' Doe's owner ? assume for sake of clarity the Justices as a whole are not swayed by Megacorp's efforts and do not hold it against them.

If she tests as human, it is completely unbelievable that she would not be considered human; therefore holding her in "involuntary servitude" (legal definition of slavery in the US) would be a felony.