Hermit

An explaination maybe

Originally posted by Blue

Not necessarily one for the list, but more of a question: Can anyone explain to me the significance of all of the Alliteration in many of the names of superman characters? Was this just a habit of the creator?

 

Clark Kent

Lois Lane

Lex Luthor

Lana Lang

"But... 'Green Goblin', " Peter said in weak protest. "It just sounds so..."

"We have to make the name more memorable! And nothing makes people remember a name like alliteration!" J. Jonah Jameson said.

"Do you really think so?" Peter Parker asked the nearest bystander.

"I wouldn't know," Robbie Robertson commented. Then J.J.'s secretarty, Betty Brant, informed him that he had a conference call with the noted scientists Bruce Banner and Reed Richards.

-Spider-Man, by Peter David

Do you have the 4th Edition Mystic Masters? It had a good write up on one sample fastness with weird things as well as the guys who constructed it.

Originally posted by Klytus

Q: What marketing ploy did Dr. Destroyer use to weed out the stupidest people on Earth?

 

A: An elephant, with a tutu, in the living room.

Q: So, who killed Mr. Body in "Clue: The Zoo edition" ?

A: That's what makes the squishy sounds when you walk.

Re: Great way to start a game or campaign.

Originally posted by projecktzero

BTW, what ways have you used to get your PC together in your games and campaigns?

Well, I'm blessed with friends for players, so they're very forgiving, but I started my Star Hero campaign like this

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7916

Should be the second post on that thread.

Originally posted by BishopofB&W

I know what you mean. It's probably just my dislike of and cynicism toward the real-world UN, but I have a hard time picturing a UN organization that has the kind of credibility UNTIL is supposed to have. I understand that it's a genre convention and some such response would be made to the emergence of high-powered superhumans, but I picture Interpol as having more relevance, credibility, and prestige than a UN org in such a world. That's why I look forward to seeing a good rationale for UNTIL.

Same here.

I also hope (And , since they're often two steps ahead, expect) for there to be some notes on how to play UNTIL and UNITY with different "ages" and degrees of Morality if need be.

Originally posted by Solomon

Edited that, again! Continuity has been restored!

 

Genre convention #27

There are several billion planets in our galaxy, but everyone wants to invade Earth.

 

Corollary: Giant monsters will always try to stomp Tokyo before any other city.

Genre subconvention #27b

This goes even for multidimensional /mystic foes, where they litterally have an INFINITE Number of realities to conquer, each with those billions of planets.

Originally posted by Kristopher

I wondered the same thing, so I poked around online. From the bits and pieces I was able to find, it was controversial because it had Nazis in it.

I'm not sure myself, but from what I've been told by others, the thing that made it controversial wasn't that it had Nazis, but that it was a time travel adventure that had the super heroes discovering history would actually end up worse without the Nazis in the long run and bigger picture.

I would, though there would need to be explainations for me on why the swords were still in vogue.

Ideas that come to mind:

1) It's heritage, a symbol of social status.

2) Laws make using more advanced weaponry difficult or impossible, but more primitive weapons are permitted, and thus everyone carries one.

3) The planet's magnosphere creates interference that makes certain energy and chemical reactions uncertain, making such things as swords the only things you could really count on.

Originally posted by BobGreenwade

Cool and interesting ideas there, Hermit.

Thanks, I think of all the empires, the Perseid seem to be lacking the most detail on it's subject races so I put them there. Besides, every system needs a varation of the "Spineless Bueraucrat"

I'd be interested to know if any of the HPTB (Hero Powers That Be) are following this thread, and what they think of what we've all come up with.

Depends how many of them are Lawyers, Bueracrats, and raiders I bet

Probably needs work but... Here come the Sploog

The Sploog

One of the first races the Perseid brought into the empire, the "Sploog" are more properly named the "S'pelleeum Un'quim"; but the abbreviated name the Dorvalians first gave them has stuck, and seems more approrpiate in the eyes of the other races. They consider themselves the valuable advisors and assitants to the Dorvalians, and try to fufill those roles.

Sploog Biology

The Sploog resemble large earthworms, and evolved from an annelid species very similar to it. Their vermillion bodies are roughly 3 feet long, segmented, and exude a light oil. Along their body are exagerated bristle like growths which they can use to manipulate objects.

Sploog are hermaphrodites with both male and female reproductive organs. During the moist Spring seasons of their planet, they arise for a mass mating ritual. Sploog find this pleasant, but the resulting fertilized eggs are put in a mass "nursery vault" and Sploog consider parenting a species wide duty.

Unlike true worms of their family, they do not breathe through their skin; the unique oils they excrete interfere with this. Fortunately for them, unlike some annelid lifeforms, this production of their own moisture keeps them from drying out too easily. It also allows them an odd defense mechanism, they can excrete it as a noxious deterrent about them.

A'quim, the Sploog homeworld

A predominantly temporate planet that originally had natural heavy canopy, A'quim is still heavily forested even in modern times. A bit larger than Earth, it has a slightly greater gravity as well, and no moons. Roughly half of it is covered in oceans, and there are eight major continents. One of these, renamed "Doradeem" is actually predominantly Perseid in it's population. The Sploog gladly surrendered it as an offering of peace and cooperation when the Dorvalians first came.

The Sploog themselves have few cities, or at least what would be considered cities by more urban above ground species. This doesn't prevent them from enjoying the cities the Perseid have set up though.

The ecosystem of A'quim has taken a direct hit in that many of the natural predators have been deliberately wiped out. Given that some of these predators fed on the Sploog themselves, the Sploog seem unapologetic.

Sploog Society and Culture

Sploog are known by some as the most "obsequiously unpleasant beings in the galaxy." They have made an artform of being subservient, and skill in obsequiousness is admired among Sploog society. Perhaps it is because they're descended from a prey species. To get in good with authority, to have the protection with none of the risk is a Sploog utopia. Naturally, when the Perseid arrived, they were seen as a dream come true. The Sploog welcomed the newcomers with open bristles, and, without the Dorvalians even insisting on it, surrendered their world immediately.

It is to the Perseids' credit that they didn't give into temptation and just enslave the population, surely the Acakalians or Thorgons would have done so. Instead, they tried to help the Sploog improve conditions, and the Sploog complied immediately. In fact, they even suggested a few areas where the Perseids could help, if they'd be so kind? In the end, the Perseid Monarchy found itself spending a great deal more for improvements of the Sploog species than their original budget allowed.

The Sploog went from ATRI 7 to ATRI 9 almost overnight.

Sensing that their new masters might be bit...irked, by some of the troubles bearing the crown brought, the Sploog got to work. They offered their services as bueracrats, managers, and aide-de-camps to the Dorlavians, not merely on their home world, but abroad. They ended up being quite good at it, and soon established their niche as the "affirmative beings" that Dorlavian leaders could rely on for support. Of course, the beings who control access to the ones in charge gain no small measure of power themselves.

The Sploog soon earned full membership in the Empire, and a favored place among the other subject species. Naturally, many of the non-Perseid races of the empire loathe or at least resent the Sploog. The Sploog don't care. As long as they have Perseid superiors to run to, they are emboldened (well, as emboldened as Sploog get).

While they've sacrificed much of their heritage in exchange for their compliance, the Sploog still alter Dorvalian customs and creeds to their own liking. They have to, given the vast differences. One example is the adoption of the Perseid religion Sal Garath Sal; In addition to the Six Gods the Dorvalians worship, the Sploog have added their own mythological figure named "S'sploo Teth". S'sploo Teth is praised as a wily trickster and lickspittle who often cons the various six gods by putting them against each other in minor ways. Often he overreachs himself, but he always comes out victorious in the end.

When honest, the other races of the Perseid empire have to at least admit the Sploog are cunning, devious, and adaptable.

And some Nan swear Sploog are exquisite with droog sauce.

SPLOOG PACKAGE DEAL

Ability

+2 INT 2

Ambidexterity 3

Bristles: Extra Limbs 5

Defense Mechanism: Smell/Taste group Flash 6d6, Explosion (+1/2), Personal Immunity (+1/4), 3 Charges (-1 and 1/4), No Range (-1/2) 12

Oily Excretions: +2 DCV, only against grabs, and certain entangles (-1) 5

Burrowing: Tunneling 2" through 2 DEF material, Limited medium (Soil and Rock only; -1/2) 7

Disadvantages

-3 PRE -3

-1 BODY -2

Short lived: Life span half normal -1

Physical Limitation: Character is always three feet long (all the time, slightly Impairing) -15

Total Cost of Package: 13

Originally posted by Lord Liaden

For us HEROphiles who live (and whose characters adventure)outside of the United States, elaboration on UNTIL would tend to be a higher priority than PRIMUS.

Hey, is it my fault that so many of you are disadvantaged?

*hides quickly*

Seriously, no arguement from me there. I can see why an UNTIL book is much needed.

Originally posted by FlyBoy

Genre convention #7

There is always sexual tension between a hero and a villain of the opposite sex.

Genre Convention #7a

Should a hero in his/her secret ID meet a fascinating NPC of the opposite sex, and begin to strike up a romance with him/her... there's a 75% chance the NPC is a villain, is related to a villain, or is hunted BY a villain.

Re: Re: Re: Whatcha sayin Steve, I got no life?

Originally posted by misterdeath

Me too, which is why I've always been a PRIMUS fan rather than an UNTIL fan.

 

Until now. (ha ha)

 

D

Hey, I'm still a PRIMUS fan, one of the more popular NPCs that I ever created was a high level agent who is apparently a cross between Nick Fury and Columbo

Never cared much for UNTIL, but there's room enough in my little gamer heart for two organizations I guess if they can impress

Originally posted by WhammeWhamme

Anyone else scared by the thought of a group which had someone who *was* a bigger fan than Steve...

 

They liked it so much, they bought the company

Re: Whatcha sayin Steve, I got no life?

Originally posted by misterdeath

Personally, I really like this book. It's got a lot of history and law to base everything off of. One of the things that has always bothered some gamers is "how could UNTIL really exist?" DW does a fine job, IMO, of explaining that, and giving you enough international law to make working with UNTIL sound plausible (both as a GM and as a Player).

D

Okay, now this gives me hope...see, I am one of those gamers

And yes, I am curious about UNITY

Re: Robot HERO

Hmm, I don't know anything about ABC warriors, but it sounds cool.

As to the rest:

Originally posted by Realms of Chaos

1) How would you experienced HEROphiles go about building such robots? At the moment the basic idea is to make a range of different "models" available to the players, constructed along the lines of racial packages, which they can customise in the usual way.

Well, the "Star HERO" You already mentioned has some guidelines, or so folks tell me (I don't have it myself yet..sigh).

Still, if these are warbots, I'd break ideas for packages down like this.

Function:Artilery The "Energy Projector", sort of... this robot package purpose is to attack from long range with devastating power. It would not be as defended as the front line package. In addition to superior firepower, it should have good sensors to compensate for range and get the lay of the land.

Function: Front Line The "Brick" of the packages, lacking as much raw range weapon fire power as some others; it is nevertheless, devestating at simply crushing foes in front of it, and is heavily armored. Good speed so to cross ground quickly.

Fuction: Recon/Stealth Faster and more manuverable than Front Line or Artillery bots, RS bots would sacrifice some durability and overall firepower for options relating to cameoflauge and the aforementioned speed. Likely to have one major long range weapon for sniping purposes.

2) Besides FREd and Star HERO, what HERO System books would be of most use to me in putting all this together?

Nothing that comes to mind, but I'd be on the look out for package deals from FH and others that could translate nicely or at least be good examples

3) Any other advice you can think of, please!

Yes... post on the boards and see... oh, wait... you already have

Okay, keep getting your players input, it sounds like they like the idea of having a hand in shaping this game

Yeah, I figured that the trouble SoB had selling (though, I'm glad I finally took a chance, well worth it) might nix much focus on future PDF Ebooks. Nothing beats having it in your hands though.

Hope Worlds of Empire (And I'll be looking forward to any more details on just what that covers) sells well

EDIT: I almost think that if "Alien Species Expansion" books were done, it might be a good idea to have a focus on a main race, and a minor one in the same book... both in the same region of space.

I used it. Some great characters in there. I even adapted some of them as Secret IDs for super heroes.

Sounds promising. Almost makes me wish I were a playtester.

Originally posted by zornwil

Q: Hey, who won, Clay or Polk?

 

A: 1798...in a hot, hot summer.

Q: So - Bruyes loses to Nelson in the Battle of the Nile? When was that?

A: 1963, people had never seen anything like it.

We have to WAIT???!!!

curses....

Originally posted by Tim

Q: WHat is the most disturbing change to "the Cat in the Hat"

 

A: You load 16 tons, then go to the next truck.

Q: You load 16 tons, and what do you get?

A: I am the chosen one! You can tell by my hat!

Originally posted by Enforcer84

Q) So Winnie the Pooh became a hardboild vigilante? What's he like?

 

A) And to top it off, they changed the price of our laundry machine to a dollar.

Q: So, your yard sale was the victim of pranksters?

A: "I find your lack of faith.... gratifying. It shows a willingness to question and a tendency towards self reliance. Good show, officer!"

Originally posted by BobGreenwade

I think we can expect to find a lot of this ground covered in World Of Empire next year.

Will that cover just the Terran Empire? or the other empires and their races as well?

Originally posted by lemming

Q: Tim, why are looking so Red?

 

A: I seem to be missing all my right socks

Q: So why are you wearing two left socks?

A: 3 feet 2 inches of pure fury and hate... in a fuzzy coat.