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Hermit

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Posts posted by Hermit

  1. I don't get to play much as a PC, so it's hard to say. Out of the characters I have

    1 One would do it if deputized etc and asked to by the courts. He'd be real troubled, but he'd do it.

    2 Another it would depend on how 'real' you made it for him. If he knew the victims, or saw the faces of those who lost loved ones, he'd do it.

    3. Most of the others would decline.

     

    As for the teams I GM for. One of them could banish them to another dimension, so hey, there's a solution right there that's outside the box :)

  2. Originally posted by KA.

    You know, a lot of the "anti four-color" sentiment seems to come from people who have played in "off-color" campaigns.

     

    The ones where the GM expects the players to live up to four-color standards, and then places them in situations like:

     

    "One hundred orphans have small nuclear devices implanted in their chests. If they suffer so much as a paper cut, the device will detonate and destroy a twelve block radius.

     

    The only way to prevent detonation is to vaporize the orphan in one shot. They are spread throughout the city, and the devices will begin to detonate in two hours."

     

    How the heck you are supposed to deal with that in a "four color" way, I don't know.:mad:

     

    The only way that four color can work is if the rules apply to the villains as well as the players. That means that you don't have "super powered serial killers", "demonic possesion", and certain other issues in a four-color campaign.

     

    You can have a challenging, puzzling, hard fought, campaign, there just doesn't have to be blood and bodies everywhere.

     

    Actually, maintaining a campaign that is exciting without blowing people's heads off every five minutes is a rewarding challenge.

     

    KA

     

    Another thing that works, both to further 'realism' and make it so the players don't feel they're helpless to stop the 'revolving door' is to handle the State responsibly, and occaisonally a 'killer villain' gets death row and ends up successfully executed.

     

    Like you said, the GM has to act responsibly as well, and while it's okay to play the system as in need of help, it's unfair (both to the real system AND the players) to portray that system as eternally incompetent.

  3. Dark Seraph: "Bow, bow before the might and majesty of the chosen disciple of Krim! Your moon shall bleed, the world will cry out around you in agony most dire, and I am the left hand of Power that shall make it so!"

     

    Vincent Dimitrios, Sorcerer Supreme and Mystic Master: "Who needs a hug?"

     

     

    :D

  4. Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly

    Q: I'm sorry, dear, but he's rabid; don't you see he's got to be shot?

     

    A: Alka-Seltzer

     

    Q: So, how did you get that punk boyfriend of your daughter to appear rabid in the first place?

     

    A: Giants roam the Earth, and the people quake in fear

  5. Mutant For Hire had this great concept for heroing in Vegas. I repost it here.

     

    Originally posted by Mutant for Hire

     

    Las Vegas:

    Minor league in name and perception only. Technically most supers who've been there or study the place conclude that it is major league in terms of threat level to any super passing through. The place is a very attractive target due to all the gambling money there. The casino owners know it and so have hired the very best mercenary supers that money can get (sometimes from Miami) and then back them up with a squadron of lawyers that are very good at getting 'excessive force' charges dropped. Supervillains who try to knock over a casino have a very high fatality rate and most of the rest end up crippled for life.

     

    Of course this is done with a view towards minimizing the violence in the eyes of the tourists, so as not to scare them. That is the major reason the casino owners object to outside superheroes in Las Vegas. They are too soft on criminals and often do more property dmaage and scare tourists more. Unsactioned superhero activity in Vegas tends to be strongly discouraged, though usually its more through restraining orders than force.

     

    Oh yes, supervillains who think their telepathy, clairvoyance, precogntion or cyber/telekinesis will win them a fortune in Vegas are in for a very bad surprise. Whether its magical, technological, psionic or whatever, most government agencies consider the Vegas casinos to be some of the most secure areas on the planet. In general, supers are not allowed to gamble at those places unless they have been cleaeed with the owners and in general only famous or rich (or preferably both) supers are allowed in to do that, as tourist draws.

     

    Atlantic City and most other famous gambling centers around the planet more or less operate along similar principles. These places are in some ways not good places to set up campaigns but they are great places to send heros through, if only to give them a taste of going up against a high power, highly trained squad of supers that can scare the crap out of all but the most powerful teams elsewhere.

     

    Universities:

    Univerisities are breeding grounds for supers. They also tend to have a lot of resources that are very attractive to various sorts of supers on both sides of the law. The more prestigious universities probably have standing superhero teams, and not composed of undergraduates but rather a regular roster that sticks around and is paid out of university funds to deal with supervillain attacks and any disruptive origins.

     

    Of course these days universities all have college superhero teams composed of undergraduates with complicated eligbility rules. Being a high school metahuman, brilliant inventor or mystic type, is a good way to get a college scholarship these days. These teams usually act as backup to the standing superhero teams, working crowd control, making sure that a disruptive event in one spot isn't a distraction for the main team. These teams also compete against other college superhero teams as well. In fact increasingly a lot of the professional superhero teams (or the cities that back them) are paying a lot of attention to would be superheroes on the college circuit. A few supervillains as well.

     

    Universities tend to be very annoyed about outside supers coming in uninvited. It isn't too difficult to get clearance to go in to one of these places, especially if its just a scientific consultation, though due to obvious potential complications superheroes have to clear things through the appropriate office first and have their need evaluated against potential liability. Not too many universities are willing to examine a Doctor Destroyer creation.

     

    Obviously, university sports are getting increasingly good at detecting genetic/chemical alterations, cybernetic enhancements, and mystic power. Certain advanced forms of 'chi' training are currently being debated on the college and professional level. The results could have a profound impact on college and professional sports.

     

    Universities would be a great place to base a superhero team, especially the college team. Origins all over the place, but what brings them together? Their scholarship money. Or they can be the anti-team that didn't make the official team and has to use secret IDs because they're operating in violation of university regulations,

  6. Originally posted by Trebuchet

    Our campaign is unabashedly four-color. Not only do I expect my players to adher to the conventions of the genre, but as a GM I also have an equal responsibility to present them with situations appropriate to four-color. Hostages can be rescued, etc, without resorting to dismembering the villains. Villains can be interesting without being vicious.

     

    HHmm that is the flip side, the GM has to remember not to make it so the players feel they're characters are FORCED to kill.

  7. Originally posted by Dr. Confoundo

    I've been wanting to run this type of campaign for a long time as well. My name for the group was 'Chain Gang'.

     

    Actually, I like that. Or maybe have it known as C.H.A.I.N. (Make the letters mean something) officially, but unofficially the group would go by "The Chain Gang".

  8. Buffing up Nighthawk

     

    Have Nighthawk buy the Weapon Element so he can use any club with his martial arts (not just his own.)

     

    I'd take Watchdog's suggestion, and alter that multipower so not all of them would be Ultras. I'd add a few slots for yet more versitility, for example, another AE attack.

     

    While I wouldn't have him get up on guns and things (Sorry, that ruins it for me) I would allow some 'super skills' for him, things like "Vanishing Teleport" or 'super stealth' (Invisiblity, Stealth roll required). Give him a few over all skill levels to show his intensity.

     

    Buy him the Perk version of Reputation with criminal scum: He's the one Champion Criminals do NOT want to be left alone in the room with and this would reflect that.

     

    (EDIT): Contacts and Favors would also eventually come up I think.

     

    Let's also buy up his CON, just a bit.

  9. I pretty much explain to them that every super hero has an automatic 0 pt Psych limititation, Reluctant to Kill. I let them know I don't consider that in keeping with the version of the genre I am running, and if they expect kudos, much less exp for it, they're nuts. There maybe exceptions, but it is rare. Darn rare, and even then they'll be consequences.

     

    Fortunately, my players are friends and agree with me on that point.

  10. Re: "Suicide Squad" Champions Universe style

     

    Originally posted by Acroyear II

    The 4th Edition Champions Universe had a group during WWII called The Expendables (I believe). This group is discussed in the Golden Age Champions source book. The military would use criminals to preform missions against the Axis powers. This group could be easily re-formed by the military in today's setting, and run pretty much like the Suicide Squad was in the DC Universe.

     

    "The Expendables" eh? Well, it certainly is a classic. It beats the "Super Dirty Dozen" :)

  11. Originally posted by starblaze

    The Allies sourcebook for Champions has a group called the Redeemed. They are ex-criminals who try to be a superhero team. Sort of a Thunderbolts style team except they were around before that.

     

    Yeah, good concept. Anyone know if they will be making a comeback for 5th Ed though?

  12. Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly

    Q: What do you get if you stick a Mac disk in a nuclear reactor?

     

    A: Only if it has 3 buttocks.

     

    Q: Do you think this painting could really be the lost Picaso work, Moon Over Madrid?

     

    A: I will reach down your throat, destroying your yap box, and yank your entrails out of your mouth so that the neighborhood dogs might play chew tug with them!

  13. Originally posted by Supreme

    Interesting, but you can't do a thesaurus search there. Still, one of the article mentioned moonlight. Hmm... Dictionary.com's thesaurus gave me a couple of other ideas:

    • Jacklight
    • Balefire
    • Watchman

    I'd love to use "Twilight" but Awesome comics sort of has that one.

     

    I believe "Watchfire" was once a term for fires used to help guard...and it sounds cool. Though it might fit a flaming character better.

  14. Originally posted by J4y

    I don't think they have any space ability or FTL do they? If they're a premier team they should probably be at least interplanetary (depending on campaign setting.)

     

    I guess they could add a few points to the Team Vehicle.

    Hmm and a 'Space flight' version of armor would also be an option.

  15. Hmm ,perhaps you could go with animal names. The animal would need to be one that took out similar animals to reflect how this guy goes after those of similar skills but different aims.

     

    Kingsnake

    Wolfhound

     

    just to name two options.

  16. Those of you familiar with the D.C. series know what I'm talking about. The Suicide Squad was (at least in one of it's incarnations) a chance for super criminals to redeem themselves, and earn reduced sentences.

     

    They were also often considered 'expendable' Hence the name. I was never a big DC fan, but I always found the concept of the Suicide Squad innovative, at least in the Super Hero genre.

     

    Then someone had to go post a 'redeemable' thread, and get my imagination perked again. Thanks a lot. ;)

     

    It occurs to me Stronghold maybe nigh overflowing some days, and the govt may decide to put those extras to work.

     

    They'd need a name ("Suicide Squad" is copyrighted for one thing ;))

    They'd need a way of keeping those villains in line.

    They'd have to have a selection process on who would be a safe enough 'risk' and who just wouldn't work.

     

    So, any thoughts on the Champions Universe version of the Suicide Squad?

  17. Originally posted by Watchdog

    For Ironclad, I would up the defenses a bit, and give him lots of brick tricks. A resourceful gladiator should be able to do more than find weakness and punch. And assuming it takes time to acquire 100 XP, I'd probably have him buy off the "Doesn't understand earth culture" disad.

     

    That's spooky, it's exactly what I was thinking of as well. :) I was glancing at the USPDB and thinking, "Yeah, he could do that... he already works with metals for art, why not learn that wrap around stunt..oh, and that one .." and so on.

     

    And yeah, He should soon be as educated on Culture as any TV watching American ;)

  18. Originally posted by Sketchpad

    Personally, I'd like to see Defender get a few followers that help him via comlink ... kinda like the Defender from CNM :)

    Wendy Brooks might end up being assigned that task.

     

    Then again, Wendy might end up 'borrowing' an extra suit of armor and going to the rescue ;) A hero at last.

  19. Well, you could have them 'jinxed' a bit , or cursed with clumsiness and then use the guidelines for the 'rash' mentioned in the minor transform paragraph on pg. 152 of FREd.

     

    You might allow a plunge of COM. This could reflect putting humps on backs, warts on noses, etc. It might not seem like such a big deal in a Champions campaign, but think of all the vain villains out there.

     

    Perhaps something that ruins stealth chances would also be interesting... a super powered burglar will be very frustrated if he's surrounded by Faux Fire every evening.

  20. Pankraton (Sp?) is the name of a bone breaking martial art from ancient Greece, and I think it means "All Powerful" arrogant, but it might also be a good name for this guy. Still might be too 'greek' for you though.

     

    How about Sentry, Sentinel or Guardian, it would be irony that the god of theives empowered a man who took the name of those that twhart thieves.

  21. Buffing up Defender

     

    Defender should buy up the skills he has, and also buy Tactics. I think 15 to 20 points to boost things should put him up there in the sciences, combat, and chess playing skills.

     

    He could buy up the power of some of his main suit's ability, but not by too much.

     

    I would also have Defender take an idea from the pages of Iron Man, and have him develop different sorts of armor. Buy this as a Multiform, with Limitations of OIF (-1/4) (I am treating it as lower as he can more easily replace the OIF with a different suit if he loses one), and can only be changed at Homestead (-1/2)

     

    The suits would include (But not be limited to):

    • The Original Armor we know and love, perhaps slightly souped up
    • A "Brick" sort of power armor, built chiefly for raw strength and defense
    • "Stealth" armor, made to infilitrate locations undetected
    • "Aquatic" Suit, since the Champions are illsuited (no pun intended) to under water adventures

     

    My rationale for this direction? Defender has invested his heart and soul into the Champions. While he would never want to steal another member's thunder, he would definitely want them prepared for any situation. What's more, as others grow in their power, he might fear being some what 'stagnant', and thus he'd grow in versitility rather than simply amping it up.

  22. Originally posted by Tim

    Q: What were you able to get in trade for your mint 'Champions 1st ed' on Portebello Road?

     

    A: It has all the colors of the rainbow.

     

    Q: Why do you prefer the old VIPER MK 39T Light Blaster, to the newer VIPER MK 43 P Laser Gun?

     

    A: "The name is Bat, Fox Bat."

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