PaladinAg

Preparing to jump into the deep end...

 

So I've finally produced my 6E version of the Silver Paladin.  Yes, he does bear considerable resemblance to a certain red and gold armoured hero

 

He is intended as a 450 pt character for what will be the UK's premier superhero team, the Sentinels.  He is built with a few special features.  The primary character has a limited range of capabilities in the armour form, but can be donned quickly (as per IM2 silver and red armour), with 4 other armour sets as different modes, general transportation/sensors/action, combat, specialist and a special big foe "dragon slayer", although all share the common core personality details, skills, traits etc,

 

Comments most welcome

 

Paladin Ag

 

Silver Paladin 6E 450.pdf

This is the team package I've developed for the PC team, the Sentinels, the premier group in the UK

 

Benefits

2          AK: United Kingdom                                      11-

2          KS: Criminal Law                                           11-

2          KS: The Sentinels, History and Rules            11-

1          TF: The Phoenix                                               

3          Teamwork                                                      (DEX)

                                                           

8          Contribution to Sentinel Tower (base)                                         

8          Contribution to The Phoenix (jet)                                    

6          Contribution to ATHINA (computer)                                   

                                                                

3          National Police Powers                                     

3          Member of the Sentinels (includes security clearance and access to MI7, the Special Circumstances Service)                                        

4          Positive Reputation: "It's the Sentinels!", +2/+2d6, world, 11-                                       

1          Sentinel Stipend: Well Off                                             

                                                           

10        Radio Communicator High Range Radio Perception, difficult to trace (+1/4) earpiece OIF (-1/2), affected as hearing group (-1/2)

                                                                                                            

Complications

25        Hunted: Enemies of the Sentinels (more pow, NCI, freq, harsh)                                      

15        Hunted: MI7 (more pow, NCI, freq, watch)                                             

10        Social Complication: Subject to orders (Infreq, major)                                         

                                                           

53        Total Benefits                                       

3          Net Cost after complications                                             

 

The 3 point cost is the "entry fee" paid by the players (i.e the Membership perk).  Like for like opponents are built on a basis of 50pts extra or similar benefits.

 

​PaladinAg

I think Hadmar von Weiser's approach seems sensible:

 

- GMs want players to form a team

- There will be complications as well as benefits

- However, the same "benefit" in terms of equivalent packages or extra CPs elsewhere need to be purchased

- When the hero is operating alone, they won't necessarily get all the benefits (need to determine which), but then again, the opposition they encounter either won't have the benefits or pay a price for having them.

The more interesting question for me is how/if to pay for these and how much?  One can be looking at 50 pts or more which is a lot of experience to put into them if the characters are expected to pay for them all themselves.  How many players would be willing to do so? At the other extreme is zero or close to this number in which case the players will be getting lots of free toys and perks but may be limited by the GM as to how often they can use them.  I would welcome what people thing about how to make these work.

I thought with multiform the various perks (bases, money etc) had to be replicated in all the forms if they are going to use it in that form

 

E.g., using your example above, the Batmobile has to be stored in the base so it would need the base as well.

As any other example, Tony Stark was attacked at his base or tried to use the Avengers quinjet (presumably only paid for in one form), he couldn't use them unless he had also paid for them in the other forms.  I think that group contributions (e,g. to a base, vehicle etc.) would also have to be duplicated in each form otherwise there wouldn't be the points to pay for it all.  Also, would the batmobile etc have to be built as characters; although ones with lots of OAF powers? 

 

Finally certain talents like eidetic memory would also have to transfer across all the forms as part of the "retain memory" feature of the power. 

 

PaladinAg

Yes I can see how it works.  As a side benefit it also meets the "group hero" v "individual hero" dilemma, where his Avengers character (haven't seen CA: CW yet) has a fairly limited set of alternatives ('here is a set of three different armour types to choose from') versus the rather wider array of skills, armour, toys etc he shows in the Iron Man films. 

 

I'm going to have try a build of this myself...

I would presume that for the "Tony Stark" character that the multiform characters all have the same non equipment based characteristics, skills, talents, perks and disadvantages as the base character? 

 

In effect the VPP gets you a rotating set of 100 pts (150 pts of OIF/125pts in OIHID) worth of powers that can be changed in half a phase?

 

So for example (assuming OIF), 60 pts equiv attack, 60 pts protection, 30 pts move one phase, 50 pts move, 30 pts protection, 30pts invisibility, 40 pts senses the next and then 30 pts move, 30 pts protection and 90pts completely different senses (or indeed anything else) the one thereafter? In extreme a load of the points could go into EGO and (tada!) instant mentalist. 

 

If I was GMing this I would want a list of standard "armours" or combinations/special effect limitations up front otherwise it would get rapidly bogged down as the player tweaked the character again. 

 

Don't get me wrong, it's a very innovative solution to the "lots of armour" issue and some senses works better than the size 0 vehicle solution and indeed is almost official in approach in that the multiform approach appears in official literature (albeit not inside a VPP).

 

PaladinAg 

I would fully agree with VIPER and Classic organisations.

From there it depends on where you want your adventures to go.  High Tech enemies and the Mutant files are good genre books and include adventure ideas.

Another suggestion is Kingdom of Champions.  It has several adventures and even if you never intend on setting your games in the UK, it is an excellent example of a setting book and a good guide of what to think about if you take your players away from your native country.

 

PaladinAg 

Indeed, I've got a lot of old 4e stuff (including Classic Enemies, Day of the Destroyer, Zodiac Conspiracy, Viper, Classic Organisations, Kingdom of Champions, Champions Universe, High Tech Enemies and the Mutant Files), so I'm pretty up on various opponents at least in terms of concepts and power levels etc.  I tend to operate in a non-standard universe so a lot of stuff doesn't get used in the original form.

 

Paladin Ag

An interesting story on this was that whilst doing the media bit for Batman v Superman, Henry Cavill put on a superman T shirt to see if he was recognised in New York.

 

http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/henry-cavill-takes-to-new-york-city-as-superman-and-nobody-recognises-him-a3205346.html

 

Either the glasses work or the sangfroid of New Yorkers to celebrity is really impressive ☺

Champions 6e has some useful pointers on this which I think are very good. In essence, like real life, nothing comes for free. Stuff can be paid for with CPs and XPs and/or granted by the GM. However, there will be a 'price' extracted by the GM in terms of additional complications for the players such as hunted by superillain team,watched by sponsor, subject to orders and extra DNPCs.

 

PaladinAg

Thanks again all.

 

I've now got Champions 6e and Champions powers. Whilst the former makes several references to the Advanced Players Guide and the core rules I think there is enough there to keep me going for a while. Champions 6e in particular helped fill a few holes in the campaign set up etc that wasn't in CC.

 

PaladinAg

One solution to the original problem would be to use robot and transport as separate vehicles with a 5pt premium to buy the second, less expensive vehicle.  However, the risk is here that it is possible to rapidly "break" the system.  
 
For example, for my Silver Paladin character for "just" 100 pts, it was possible to have 8 different 400 pt vehicles (5 different size 0 "vehicle" power armours, a giant version, a converting mecha/plane version AND a mobile base). With the OIF bulky limitation for most of the sensors, extra powers and weapon system these got very capable very quickly. 
 
I would suggest that this may be appropriate for a solo campaign, whereas the tradition OIF/OIAID approach to power armour would work much better in a team setting.
 
PaladinAg

Thanks for the advice.

I can see that the Champions Powers and Champions 6e would be very helpful and that the Universe and Villain books would be beneficial.

What is on the 6th edition core books that isn'going to be in the Complete,Powers or Champions 6e books if I'm only going to be playing Champions?

 

PaladinAg

Here is great 5e character with a similar concept that you could mine for construction ideas:

 

http://killershrike.com/HERONet/Goodspeed.aspx

 

Since the vehicle costs are similar to that of Multiform I don't see the problem in making the vehicles actually be the character. 

 

Another option would to build an AI character sheet that stays the same while "piloting" the various forms he changes between.

 

For more on this see ERG-9 below.

*I've used this format to build a version of Red Tornado from the JLA. It would also work for Wildfire of the Legion of Superheroes.

 

suit:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/Hegemony/ERG-9.HTML

 

energy form:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/ERG-9.HTML

 

 

HM

Wow, thanks for those links Hyper-Man.  I think I might completely rethink how I've thought about my "Silver Paladin" character, and shown me how to give him the armoury I've wanted to give him.

 

PaladinAg

• How did I come up with my handle?  My favourite champions character is called "Silver Paladin" (basically a British version of Tony Stark/Iron Man) - swapped round and using the chemical symbol/latin for Silver.

First RPG played?  D&D just after going to grammar school.  Haven't played D&D in a loooong time.

First RPG you GM'd?  Traveller with LBB.  Still do Traveller off and on.  Wrote a fair amount and reviewed a lot else for the first version of Mongoose Traveller.  I didn't actually start playing Champions until I was at uni.

What are you currently playing?  Coming back to RPG (and Champions) after organising and running a re-fight of the Battle of Jutland for the Museum of the Royal Navy.

After many years playing with 4th Edition, I've finally moved over to 6th edition with a purchase of "Champions Complete". I've also just joined the forum, so I suspect this subject has been covered before (and possibly more than once!)

 

 I've got a lot of the old 4E books so I can convert any characters etc that I want to, but which setting books, guides etc do people recommend that I should purchase and why?  I should note that due to the distance from a FGS (no local for me!) that they should be PDF available.

 

Any help welcome.

 

PaladinAg