PaladinAg

​​The final Sentinel Legionary is Starfist.  An archaeologist finds a strange ring, that turns out to be the weapon and symbol of an ancient order of galactic guardians.  Do they still exist or is he the last...  Please note the costume is yellow not green and there is no mention of hand held lighting devices :-)

I've also attached the "Sentinel Legion" team package.  Not as extensive as that for the full team.

PaladinAg.

Sentinel Legionary.HTML

Starfist 400.HTML

CB.

Thanks for this.  Very helpful!

PaladinAg

Paragon is Sentinel Legionary 6.  She is a standard psychic/telekinetic.

PaladinAg

Paragon 400.HTML

OK.  Here is Sentinel Legionary No 5.   Spectre is the classic caped detective with a hefty combination of skills, martial arts and gadgets rounding out someone at the top end of the normal human characteristic range.

His origin story is closer to that of the Punisher rather than Batman, although those familiar with NCIS will recognize the name and the story about the family.  The character even has woodworking as his "hobby" everyman skill.  So what would have happened if Leroy Jethro Gibbs had chosen to become a caped vigilante instead of an federal agent?

PaladinAg
 

Spectre 400.HTML

In general, I think when you are building a team for 'display' they should each take advantage of different 'build tech', both so the team doesn't share the same weakness and so that you don't keep using a particular type of build tech as a crutch.

 

Here's an outline of how I think CV/DC/Def/SPD limits should be handled:

 

You define a CV/DC/Def/SPD set as the 'average hero'. Each character is then allowed to be higher than normal in one category. In addition, they can trade off for higher in one category by being lower in another.

In general, the distance between 'average' and 'high' (or average and low) is as follows:

 

CV: 2 CV (example, if CV 7 is average, then a character who is OCV 10, DCV 8 is 'high', and a character who is OCV 7, DCV 7 is 'low)

DC: 2 DC

Def: 5 Defense (in both PD and ED, so if Def 25 is avearge, PD 30 ED 20 still qualifies as average, and PD 30 ED 30 is 'high')

SPD: 1 point of speed

 

I know these trade offs work reasonably well at

CV 7

DC 10

Def 25

SPD 25

 

Will have to fire excel up to check how they compare at higher average points.

 

---------

 

But I do know that it's probably better to move the power level that certain die amounts equal rather than to push things too high. Setting really high average points means everyone starts needing things like mental defense to avoid a blowout vs someone with appropriate DC mind control.

 

--------

 

So, for example, if you define your averages as

CV 9

DC 12

Def 30 (Avg DC 12 * 2.5 = 30; Somewhere between average DC * 2 and average DC *2.5 is generally where to set this.)

SPD 5

 

Then the guideline for Valkyrie becomes:

CV: High (CV 11)

DC: High (DC 14)

Def: Low (PD/ED average 25)

SPD: average (5)

 

And Storm Front

CV: Average (CV 9)

DC: High (DC 14)

Def: Low (PD/ED average 25)

SPD: high (6)

 

Or something like that.

 

----------------

 

Then, there are generally 3 different ways to be awesome at combat that aren't straight up damage and defense:

Mental powers (mental attack, mental illusion, mind control)

Adjustment powers (drain, transform)

Sensory manipulation (flash, invisibility, darkness, etc)

 

In general, every character should have some response to two categories, but not a strong response to all 3..

 Thanks for this Mr CB.  Here are my thoughts on the base point for the Sentinels (450 pt) and Sentinel Legion (400 pt)

Sentinels

Chara Max 50   Active Points max 85

DC:  12

SPD: 6

CV: 8

DEF: 30

(Mental Def 15)

Sentinel Legion

Chara Max 40   Active Points Max 80

DC: 11

SPD: 5

CV: 7

DEF 28

(Mental Def 14)

Off to redesign with this approach...  I will post the other characters whilst I'm busy.

PaladinAg

Valkyrie

 

Ung, looks like a bad case of running right over the campaign limits.

 

As far as I can tell, she can produce the following combat 'stances'

 

OCV 14, DCV 14, DC 17 HKA (4d6 HKA + find weakness + 2DC from strike Maneuver), with 3 overall levels still to be allocated

 

OCV 13, DCV 11, DC 18 HKD (4e6 HKA + all 6 strike levels allocated to DC, +2 overall levels allocated to DC, +2 DC from the strike maneuver) With 1 overall level left to allocate

 

So it looks like her average CV is around 13, with around DC 18 attacks.

 

Vs DC 18 normal attacks, you'd take 37 STUN (out of 50) and have no chance of resisting CON stun. Against a DC 18 killing attack, you'd lose 8 BODY.

Against a D18 mental attacks, you lose around half your STUN and are CON stunned as well.

Against DC18 mind control you are looking at an EGO +40 result with an average roll.

 

-----------

 

Next, 'sublime strike' makes any combat maneuver not covered by these skill levels a really bad alternate choice. That's +6 OCV or +3 DC, against someone you really have to work to fight, you'd always want to do that.

 

With your unified powers, something like 4d6 or 5d6 Drain STR (which would be an incidental power in a DC 18 game) is enough to drain a vast majority of your added stats. Since you have almost all your stats in a unified power, almost any drain that targets stats is going to hit them all. Even a bunch of minions with 3d6 drain STR 1m AOE weapons make your character significantly weaker. If this was set up to be your 'weakness' that would be fine, but all of the characters in this group seem to be build using the same 'unified power build tech'. This means that any opponent that has a AOE drain or can hand out drain guns to minions, or something similar, almost auto wins against the team. Against a single hero, that's fine, since one of the purposes of the team is to cover your weaknesses, but it's the whole team...

 

-----------

 

Not sure why 'always on' on tough skin is worth (-1/2). If it supposed to make things like medical treatment on you harder, shouldn't that be a complication instead? If it's in response to the recent "can you mind control someone to turn off their defenses?" I thought the consensus there was that was probably a (-/+ 0) advantage most of the time?

 

Note that you can't normally put naked advantages in power frameworks, so you should make a note that 'Asgardian Close combat' does this'

 

Vambraces of Defence may be better built as a bunch of bonuses to the block maneuver, since no range deflection that requires an abort seems to be the block maneuver under another name. Is there any specific reason you did it as no range deflection?

 

Maybe make touch of truth work vs Mental defense, instead of power defense? It's a 0 cost swap.

 

-----------

 

Is there some form of team transportation available? Otherwise, how does she get across the city to stop the bank robbery (or whatever)? She can run/jump at 60 km/h which at least spares you the indignity of having to take a cab, but it's still may b e abit slow.

 

[edit]

Whoops, sorry. Was looking at Storm Front as well when writing this up; Valkyrie doesn't have find weakness. But she can still manage DC18 attacks by allocating skills levels to DC...

Storm Front

 

Looks like CV 9, DC 15? with two levels to allocate, so really CV 9-11, DC 15-16?

 

Fighting a similar powered character means taking 27.5 STUN from the average roll DC 15 attack and being CON stunned too. Is wiped out by any mental powers, sense affectors, and most drain attackers.

 

Weather Powers multipower has so many slots that it might be better to do as a VPP instead. A quick count says you spent something like 61 points on multipower slots.

 

"Wind Cushion": turns out that knockback resistance is a special power, so should only go in power frameworks with GM permission. So you should make a note of it. (Also, breakfall is the same way, skills qualify as special powers)

 

Seems to fly at around 316 km/h so able to get across the city quickly under own power.

 

Will say that Storm Front appears to have many more 'interesting' combat options than Valkyrie does.

British Lion

 

Is he meant to be on pain killers (25% damage resistance) 'all' the time? If not, his defenses look weak compared to the rest of the charaters. He's SPD 6, and one of the classic trade offs for speedsters is lower defenses, but Storm Front is also SPD 6 and doesn't make the DEF trade off.

 

Only looks like CV 9, DC 13 so he seems considerably weaker than Valkyrie and Storm Front in combat.

 

Should't he have more EGO, mental defense, and PRE defense, as the batman type character?

Looking at Valkyrie, who can do something like DC 12 PRE attacks, poor British Lion starts off at PRE +20 (awed). If the person doing that kind of PRE attack has some advantages, he can easily get to 'cowed'. In addition, with EGO 13 and only 3 resistance and no mental defense, he's pretty easy to interrogate or mind control.

Persinette

 

Haven't really looked yet, but noticed 'Sleep' and 'Deeper Sleep' in the multipower. Are these supposed to be additive? If so, that's not allowed:

 

6E1, p 398

 

So you'd need to be 6d6 mental blast in a variable slot, or make the other 2d6 of mental blast in deeper sleep a linked power or something instead.

 

May have also missed similar things in the multipowers of the other characters.

First, Crusher Bob thanks for the detailed scrutiny.  Keep it coming!

General:

1.  These characters are aimed around a 13 (special rare attack higher) DC, DEF 33 level. 

2.  CV levels are bit all over the place, as it is difficult to work out the effect of blocking, dodging, applying levels to OCV or DCV etc.  Do you have a good way of getting OCV and DCV levels in balance.

3.  I almost have a house rule that CSLs can't be turned into DCs. 

4.  The team has a Mach 10 aircraft that can also submerge.  Getting from A to B isn't a problem.

5.  Where naked advantages are appearing in frameworks I've been reviewing them and putting in "GM Permission" if they stay.

5.  The intent behind the unified power approach is indeed to give a character a definable weakness.  Perhaps I did go a bit overboard with them?

In no particular order:

Persinette.  Oops. That's a miss on my behalf.  The intent I was trying to get was that up to effect level X, the character doesn't need to do anything fancy, but beyond that point, gestures etc, extra END are required.  As it complementary, linking wouldn't work (I think).  Possibly a compound slot with the two levels combined into a single slot?

Valkyrie.  Given all the other levels, the sublime strike can probably go.  Good idea about making the touch of truth versus Mental Def.  The triggered deflection approach fits better with the character concept.  I always felt that block was a HTH combat manoeuvre.  I didn't know about the 'Mind Control to lower defences' thing,  Inherent may better capture the level of protection but it affects her when she is injured.  Probably no limitation as you suggest.  I would have thought the various close combat feats would have given her some interesting effects.

Stormfront.  Using a normal MP vice VPP was an intentional thing.  Filling the gaps in the vulnerabilities doesn't fit the starting character intent.  Perhaps when she gets some experience? 

British Lion.  He is more Captain America than Batman really.  He does have a hatful of martial arts and levels which does increase his CVs.  I'll check his PRE levels.  I'll also see about his defence levels (note he has a force shield) .

Again, thanks for the comments!

PaladinAg

Sentinel Legionary 4 is Galatea.  She is android who gianed self awareness and powers through an unknown means.  Some of the inspiration for this character is from a certain red, green and yellow Marvel android, some from the Angel-3 character from C4 High Tech Enemies and perhaps from a certain well known play/legend.

PaladinAg

Galatea 400.HTML

Well Elba is British, unlike Lazenby or Brosnan :-)

PaladinAg

The "Bond as a code name" works reasonably well in the film canon. There is even a reference in OHMS to "the other guy" (you just have to imagine Lazenby vice Connery in DaF).  It also explains 'the return to the beginning' of the Craig films.

It could even be that "007" is always recruited from the Royal Navy, pretty much ensuring the Commander rank.

PaladinAg

Sentinel Legionary 3 is Quark, a scientist/lab accident energy projector.  Like all members of the Legion, he is a 400 pt character.

PaladinAg

Quark 400.HTML

It's only Mister Bond to his foes and Her Majesty (see the 2012 Olympic piece).

To his colleagues, boss he is either 007, James or Commander Bond

Oh and this...

This.

"Ashault, that'sh very kind of you to shay sho."  

PaladinAg

Sentinel Legionary 2 is Amethyst.  She was jut the 5' tall housekeeper until she was exposed to extreme levels of mutagenic radiation by Dr Terror.  This transformed her in from a petite 5' tall woman into a 7'6" tall purple giantess with the strength to match.  

Dr Terror is the power mad dictator of Ruthenia (a real place in what is now Ukraine) that broke away as part of the collapse of Soviet rule in 1991.  He has access to super technology and uses this to keep himself in power and seek to achieve world domination.  His forces are primarily robotic (so players can use their Killing Attacks without worrying about their "code v killing"/"reluctant to kill" psych complications!) 

Amethyst is a classic "only in alternative identity" brick as she has to transform to use her powers.  Not common at all, oh no...

PaladinAg

Amethyst 400.HTML

While Sir James might not be available all the time, a typical 00 can easly sneak into any VIPER base in any country with only a rumpled tuxido to show for it.

It is only Commander Bond Royal Navy.  You don't get a knighthood for saving the country/world several times.  You might get a medal, but even this will be from another country (which you have to reject). You do, however, get to put off the audit of your travel and subsistence expenses, which is a very nice reward :-)

PaladinAg

OK.  That is enough artwork.  Now onto the Sentinel Legion.  This is effectively the backup team to the Sentinels as they aren't as powerful (400 pt v 450 pt).

First up is Longbow.  He is a weapon master with a...bow. Yes there are many other bow using characters, but a British one named after the famous war bow of medieval Britain just seems right.  French readers may object

PaladinAg

Longbow 400.HTML

The use of the military inside the UK is actually very limited usually.  A legacy of our Civil War and the subsequent reign of James II.  However notwithstanding this:

The first line up of special firepower will be SO19.  This is the UK police force special force unit.  Highly training with full police enforcement powers.

The UK military usually only gets involved if the police ask them to against all but genuine miilitary threats but this will take several forms:

1.  Remember the UK (especially England) land mass is small.  This means that the fighter QRF (2 or 4 Typhoons) will be on hand very quickly and they have permission to travel supersonic over land.

2.  Again, land mass is small.  The SAS alert squadron at Hereford will be in London in less than 40 minutes (and quicker if the rumoured V-22 buy goes ahead).  Their reputation for competence and application of extreme violence is fully justified.  As well as the SAS, UK SF also has a battalion sized "support group" equivalent to the US Rangers (at least)

3. Whilst the regular army is mainly in barracks well away from conurbations, most towns and cities have an army reserve unit.  Whilst they won't have tanks or IFVs, they are well trained and often ex-regular.

4.  Currently very few of the regular army are on deployment.  There is an armoured division on Salisbury plain (about 80 miles from London) and an air assault brigade nearby.

5.  Don't forget Royal.  The Royal Marines have 2 battalion sized units in the South West and one in Scotland.  There is also the SBS based in Dorset. 

6.  Behind the QRF there are more UK based fighter squadrons and (shortly) UCAVs able to fly and fight in congested/civilian airspace.

And of course, in any "super" world, even without superheroes, the UK has the "00" section  

PaladinAg.

​​And here is the whole team in one image.

Left to Right:  Persinette, British Lion, Valkyrie, Hornet, Nebula, Silver Paladin, Mighty Girl, Mercury and Storm Front

PaladinAg

Yes, this is what I was trying to represent within HD6.  In the end I used a 32m any area with fixed shape ("trail") to get to the (+1) and then the selective etc goes on top.  The special effect dictates the absolute limit for the power.

PaladinAg

And now thanks to Hyperman:

Valkyrie:

Silver Paladin

Storm Front

British Lion

Persinette

Hornet

Nebula

Mercury

Mighty Girl

PaladinAg

Cheers!

PaladinAg

Cassandra,

As you don't have access to CC (or possibly the HSEG for 6E), the power ring is shown as a whopper OIF MP (120 active points) with a whole load of variable slot powers.  It uses the personal END of the character but an END Reserve works just as well.  The EGO element could contribute by placing a limitation on the pool size that maximum active points for the power is EGO x 3/4/5 etc and/or characteristic roll limitation (which would also apply to the slots).

PaladinAg

Back on Topic:

Drug smuggling

People smuggling

Slavery (mostly associated with the above)

Remnant republicans

ISIS/AQ inspired groups

And depending how closet to today you want to go:

Russian spy type threats

Any another bad guy from a Bond movie or episode of Sherlock. (who needs Batman when you have a high functioning sociopath to hand?)

PaladinAg

Alternatively, Melinda May.  Considering some of those running for Conservative leader/PM, Theresa May could certainly be considered the cavalry!

PaladinAg

The question is are you after protection against area effect attacks, in which case, see steriaca's comments above or a defence that protects and area:

If you are looking after a defence that protects an area then I would suggest barrier or one of the usable against others options.  To have the "force field effect" I would probably go with the following:

Usable against others - everybody within 10m (+1), all receive benefit (+0), willing recipient (+0), grantees must be within limited range when  given power (+1/4), grantor pays END (-1/4) if END power, must remain close to grantor (-1/2).  Total +3/4 to +1/2 to the power.

PaladinAg

There has always been a lot of Arab money in the UK, and since the wall came down there is a lot of Russian oligarch money too.  The latter like to splash it around a lot and it is claimed that some of them came through their wealth through not fully above board means.

The city is as big (or bigger, not sure) in high finance as New York and the City is getting a lot of high rise buildings now. 

Cyber crime is a big challenge although GCHQ is as good as anybody else at this (and the UK has a declared 'offensive capability') 

Drugs is as much an issue as any other major world city.

UK politics is pretty bribery free.  To give you an example the "big" scandal was in 2009 over MP expenses.  Some had even spent money on fancy food and computers!  It ran for weeks in the media.  The cronyism seen in comic settings doesn't really exist as our political system is usually pretty brutal to those with even a whiff of naughtiness about them.

There have seen suggestions of links between individual police officers and the underworld but, despite the reputation of British libel laws, public interest arguments means that these stories do get aired.

The UK media is effectively London based and the only city wide newspaper "Evening Standard" often covers a lot of national stories too.  However, conversely, stuff happening in London (crime, flooding etc) does get to the national media pretty quick.

PaladinAg

Here are the team in the flesh, er, pixel...

PaladinAg

PS   Can anybody tell me how to scale up these images in the post?