Certified

Re: The Brick is now a dinosaur

Bricks by their nature were the most point efficient build. Bricks relied on core characteristics that few into important figured characteristics as RockSunner pointed out you got a lot more out than what you put in. Now you simply have to buy everything for the character that is important, the catch here is so does everybody else. I'm just not seeing this as a nerf.

Re: The Brick is now a dinosaur

You are right. Adding 50 points to the character's base is no compensation at all for the loss of brick effectiveness. A brick pays 50 points to stay in the same place. An MP-based Energy Projector gets an extra 50 points to do something new and wonderful with. Guess who loses the evolutionary race? The Brick is now the dinosaur of the 6th edition Hero rules.

I think this may be overstating a perceived problem and not so much a real one. Bricks, especially well designed bricks seemed far more efficient than almost any other type of character. By focusing on their strengths they received bonuses to all their secondary abilities where other character types effectively lived in a vacuum. One can argue that things like Elemental Controls and other Frameworks worked to off set this cost discrepancy however, there was nothing preventing Bricks from buying stats in the same fashion. It looks more like they evened the playing field than sent the old model to the scrapyard, especially considering the starting point values seem to have been adjusted.

Re: The Boys

For those who have any questions about Ennis's feelings towards mainstream comics. I would advise The Pro and the Spiderman "team-up" issue from the Welcome Back Frank Punisher storyline. Both are rather amusing and this helps to temper what reads like an unabashed loathing of mainstream comics.

- - -

As for the Boys issue it sounds like a moderately power level game. In 5th Ed Rev. I would recommend something along the lines of a 250 game maybe 100 + 150 in Disadvantages to represent the flawed nature of the characters. This may include a 10 - 12 DC cap and Defenses around 20 - 25 PD and 10 - 15 rPD. This should simulate the larger than life nature, being able to shrug off most small arms fire and super powered characters with attacks that are better but not vastly so. Additionally from what I understand of the Boys NPC supers would cover a much wider point range.

- - -

PS: Have I mentioned the ranking out and killing of a gay super hero for what appeared to be a cheap gerbil joke?

At one point I was a fan of Garth Ennis having only read Preacher. Now that I've been going back and reading older Hell Blazer I realized that a lot of his plots including the central story and character origin had all been recycled. As a writer he seems to rely on the same couple of tricks to put together stories and as his writing progressed post Preacher it would seem this has only gotten worse leaning more towards just spoofing of mainstream comics.

Re: Stiletto Heels of Lady Heroing

Love the build. One question though. What's the justification for:

 

I just don't get it...

Because it's cool.

Silk Specter II's landing in the Watchmen movie may have also affected this.

Re: There's A New Sheriff In Town

My characters: do nothing for a moment while I OOC ask the GM, are you sure you want to take the game there? This is an out-of-genre element for a CvK-oriented game -- at least assuming having the air burned from one's lungs is a lethal attack.

 

I can play Soulbarb (for instance) effectively either way, but once we start down this road, the game is going to get an awful lot uglier in a big hurry. Her entire character progression is centered around a gradual move from a cynical Iron Age outlook on life to a more optimistic one, as a result of her discovering certain truths about herself and as a result of the impact her own actions have on the world around her. 'Turning back the clock' on her character development by changing the tone of the game in this sort of way is certainly possible, but alternatively this may be a chance for her to provide the voice of experience on why things are not done that way. I'd want to get a very clear message from the GM on what his/her intentions are before proceeding here.

Based on what you've said this may actually be an ideal dilemma for someone like Soulbarb. For them it could serve as a kind of redemption through proxy or a test of how far they've come. The story is not meant to overtake the campaign but it seems like it may have a more personal touch for this character.

- - -

To help with the confusion about the setting clash let me add a bit of clarification. The child has only recently discovered her mutant abilities and although she is trying to do the right thing she has little to no control over them. It is unclear if she realizes the full implications of what she is doing other than stopping bad people.

- - -

As for her being out of place in a code versus killing world. I wanted to create a situation where it was a really stark comparison what she was doing wasn't really aligned with the world as a whole. Someone mentioned the Dark Phoenix Saga another good example I think is the original Days of Future Past.

Re: There's A New Sheriff In Town

Researching the nature of her powers will reveal that the girl is a human mutant. Looking into who she may be a girl matching her description went missing from a foster several weeks prior after the family's home burned down.

- - -

Yes, you did miss something. She's a genre mismatch. (Outside some of the darker Bronze Age stuff, anyway.)

 

She's a monster, not a heroine. She's past the point of redemption. The best possible fate available to her is a tragic death.

The little girl is meant to be out of place. The reason for the genre notes at the beginning of the post were to establish that things like heroes and villains dying was not common place or more likely a rare occurrence. Deciding what to do about/with the child becomes a lot easier when "heroes" are killers. Although, this storyline really does not belong in a heavy Silver Age game I didn't want to narrow things down too much initially.

Story Notes

This What Would Your Character Do is designed for Non-Iron Age heroes and/or heroes with a Code Versus Killing in a setting where heroes are unlikely to kill.

Prelude

While investigating a theft matching the style of a long time enemy you track down their current safe house. The pace seems to have been abandoned for days and their is no sign of their goons anywhere. Locating the master control room you find your foe and their assistant horribly burned, their skin blackened with no other real clues as to what has happened. The stolen items are in the control room as well protected from the fire by the safe they were stored in.

 

As the days after the death happen other known super powered criminals begin turning up all burn in the same manor. Following a lead on another crime you track the villain to an ally where they see a small girl in a ballerina outfit try to stop them. Laughing they push the girl out of the way to which she responds: You're a bad man. At this point there is a blinding flash of light. Blinded you can hear the momentary screams before the air is burned from the villains lungs.

The criminal killer could not be more than eight or nine. tracking her seems like it wont be a problem. When you find her though, What Would Your Character Do?

Re: Stiletto Heels of Lady Heroing

My Girlfriend says she is wondering the same and would like to know where she can get some.

Sorry these heels only live in the comics and comic inspired places. As has been pointed out they are unbreakable and even improve one's balance.

Still a bit punchy from last night's debauchery so I decided to have some fun.

Stiletto Heels of Lady Heroing : Elemental Control, 10-point powers, (5 Active Points); all slots OIF Unbreakable (-1/2)

1 Never Loose Balance: +2 with DCV (10 Active Points); OIF Unbreakable (-1/2)

3 Slow Motion Landing: Gliding 5", Position Shift (10 Active Points); OIF Unbreakable (-1/2)

3 Leaping +10" (13" forward, 6 1/2" upward) (10 Active Points); OIF Unbreakable (-1/2)

2 Ohhh... Heels.: Mind Control 2d6 (Human class of minds) (10 Active Points); Limited Class Of Minds [subset of a class] (Those attracted to the ladies.; -1/2), OIF Unbreakable (-1/2)

24 Shoe-A-Rang or I said "Stiletto": Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, Armor Piercing (+1/2), Penetrating (+1/2), +3 Increased STUN Multiplier (+3/4) (41 Active Points); OIF Unbreakable (-1/2)

Total Cost 36

(This post was just for some fun, so before anyone says anything about the CSLs and Gliding I know.)

Re: Federated Super Teams (Galactic Champions)

Are you planning on running this on Hero Central?

Re: "He's bulletproof", "Fireproof", etc.

I usually take extra DCV with Fully Invisible Sfx on it to represent this, though perhaps that's unnecessary. That has the small problem that the character may still be vulnerable to a widely dispersed shotgun blast(if it's wide enough to be considered AoE, anyway). So you then need something like Reduction to cover AoE as well.

 

The fun part about the system is there's a wide variety of ways to simulate nigh-invulnerability, and each has its merits.

I don't think you need invisible Special Effects since the effect is the bullets are being stopped/flattened on the character's body. As for the Spreading shotgun this is in addition to the other defenses so assuming the blast has been spread that should drop the DCs in the attack if I understand it correctly. Going below 2d6k or 12 DCs doing any damage to this character becomes rather squiffy.

Edit: Assuming the rest of that uber brick build.

Re: "He's bulletproof", "Fireproof", etc.

As a general rule of thumb for the super brick type something along the lines of 35-40 PD with around 25 rPD and a 50% Damage Reduction and a Recovery around 20 and a total Stun to back that up. Should cover all but the worst case attacks from firearms and only slow them down when hit by larger things like artillery.

Assuming a worst case shot from a large handgun 2d6k, 12 Body and 66 Stun (Let's just give it the +1 Stun modifier) They would be looking at 13 Stun Damage and assuming lightning strikes twice in a turn even with a single recovery they would only be down 6 Stun.

Additionally, if you really wanted to spike the numbers beyond this go with something like +4-8 DCV defined as Shrugging off Damage. So although by the rules they dodged the attack the appearance is that it they simply ignored it.

Re: Power sources in the universe that the PCs can't have

Since 2008 it has been mandatary law for any referee asked such a question to pick up the nearest heavy/blunt instrument and then in a slow and deliberate manner ask the player the question, "Sparkly or non-sparkly?"

 

If they answer incorrectly you are not responsible for your actions.

 

 

Its the Law. *serious*

No More Twinklers!

NO TWINKLERS EVER!

- - -

As it is the law and as your attrony I would advise using first edition Vampire The Masquerade books if they are available.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

Why do I come up with such images just before going to sleep???

 

Becasue it's cute...

Re: Power sources in the universe that the PCs can't have

The world of TMNT was some real variety in it. If you can pick up some of the Graphic Novels this might help.

Here would be my suggestions regarding PC concepts. Pitching the world without superheroes may go a long way or superheroes in such low numbers it is irrelevant. Another way to pitch this is "normal on the surface" meaning that whatever the character concepts are they can't fundamentally upset the everyman's perception of the modern world.

Much like in the series as the game goes on and more fantastic elements are integrated new options might open up should new players join or should an exsiting player grow bored and just want something different. The setting also has a lot of potential to mature characters into new concepts. take a group of PCs who are all martial artists introducing magic into the world maybe one of the PCs veers off in that direction, possibly even to the extend of diminishing previous skills.

Re: Genre-crossover nightmares

Blue Beetle Baily

Blue Beetle Baily Juice

Re: What if: Ironman vs. Bruce Lee

Since they were obviously using Streetfighter versus X-Men physics (which explains why Iron Man is really children)' date=' no.[/quote']

 

Actually I think they are hobbits. However, I think you miss the point of how long Bruce Lee drug out the fight before finishing off Iron Man.

 

Sarcasm aside this reminds me of the old schoolyard debate of who wins in a fight: Freddy or Jason.

 

Since we can't actually compare a fictitious character to a real person lets try this:

 

Iron Man: Poster-boy for Marvel's Civil War.

 

Bruce Lee: Founder of Jeet Kune Do

 

Iron Man: Notorious Alcoholic

 

Bruce Lee: Died from a hypersensitivity to the muscle relaxant in Equagesic.

 

Both know how to get things done. Both knew how to party. With Bruce Lee you can kick booty for less than 1.7 Billion though.

Re: What if: Ironman vs. Bruce Lee

That's just wrong. It's a stupid set up.

There's no way Bruce Lee would take near that long to decimate Iron Man.

Re: Coalition Earth

I see internal inconsistencies in your description of matters. Protesters would not be treated with kid gloves in anything anyone would regard as a totalitarian regime. And frankly a small force of superhumans could not administer an entire nation on its own. They'd need a bureaucracy and probably politicians even if their edicts pre-determine what the politicians and bureaucrats decide in some issues.

Sorry, the description kind of assumes the supporting bureaucracy. The Coalition serves more a kind of Senate or Parliament without a President or Prime Minster.

As for protesters being treated with kid gloves... let us simply say that was indescribably from what one would expect.

While investigating an electromagnetic disturbance your character is trapped in a lightning field that seems to englobe them. Consumed by the blinding light everything goes black. Waking up they are disoriented although nothing seems to have changed too drastically at first.

When returning back to base though more and more things seem to be out of place. An office complex where there was a park, monuments to heroes they had heard of but did not know well. There also seems to be an abundance of anti-government graffiti. The base is gone, in it's place is a rough looking strip mall.

Investigating what happened it appears that the hero has fallen into an alternate world where many of the pivotal battles between heroes and villains of the past fifty years went the other way. Victories that saved millions are now tragedies. The current ruling body consists of a coalition of the last remaining heroes and villains who made a pact to put an end to the violence. Hunting down and slaughtering those who did not side with them the coalition decided it was better to lose a few than to sacrifice many, many more.

This coalition government is viewed as totalitarian although their laws and judicial system seems to be quite similar to that of the heroes timeline. In a lot of ways the laws seem better, lax were they need to be, more stringent where called for.

This place is no paradise though. Many believe the government is withholding vital information and has refused to reinstate elections. Although, most protesters are dealt with child gloves. New villains do emerge from time to time often with plans to either destabilize the coalition or take control themselves. These villains are not like those of the heroes world, they are desperate often crazed and willing to slaughter simply to get their message out.

- - -

What would your character do?

Re: Well Rounded Heroes

I think this thread may be slipping a bit from my original goal. This was meant more along the lines of power combinations such as Telepathy and Sorcery. Both share Presence as a recommended Stat but one focuses on Intelligence and the other Ego. Do these combinations blend well together?

Re: Well Rounded Heroes

What I've heard for long term strategy is End and Con. Recovery isn't terribly important as you can build up the end anyway. However a high End means you can drop your most expensive attacks more often.

If I understand things correctly each Framework revolves around 2 core Stats. When crossing power frameworks you run the risk of seeing vastly diminished returns for your power's capabilities because of this. So here's the question. What framework combinations work well with just 2 Stats, 3 or 4 and which are they?

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game

Thanks for the heads up. I might fire up my CoX client' date=' but I am prefering CO.[/quote']

 

CoX is that one of the more archaic translations of Champions Online?

 

 

Joking...

Re: Abilities Discussion

I'm from the south' date=' so I prefer the belt buckle. NSFW, etc.

Ah, the belt buckle looks like a nice addition to the chain of command.