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Doctor Agenda

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  1. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Cassandra in VIPER: Who's Your Dragon?   
    Citadel was a metamorph with Growth Powers and a member of the Gold Coast Avengers superhero group.  He has an affair with it's financial backer resulting in his dismissal from the team, and his secret identity being exposed during the Backer's divorce.  He worked for VIPER but after failing in a mission was thrown out of that organization.  After that he formed a Private Investigator Agency with Ultraviolet and Pile Driver.  Unknown to them their Secretary is a PRIMUS agent who hates Citadel because a family member was injured by him, and plots his revenge.
     
    It was in an Adventures Club. 
     
    Pile Driver was wearing a Fish Tie.
  2. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Ninja-Bear in VIPER: Who's Your Dragon?   
    Why not? I hear he is head and shoulders above the other Dragons!
  3. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to steriaca in VIPER: Who's Your Dragon?   
    As for Citadel, what can I say. He is basically a light brick with flying and invisibility (if my rememberance of his 4th edition stats are correct). While not as strong or as duriable as a standard Brick, he can fly and become invisible, so he is extremely dangerous. A perfect Dragon.
  4. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Cassandra in VIPER: Who's Your Dragon?   
    I forgot about the invisibility and flight, but he also has a level of growth as well.
  5. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Cassandra in 5th Edition 250 Points Superheroes Random Generator   
    5/8/4/4/8/11
     
    Speedster
     
    Val Char Cost
    15 STR 5
    26 DEX 48
    18 CON 16
    10 BODY 0
    13 INT 3
    14 EGO 8
    15 PRE 5
    18 COM 4
    5 PD 2
    5 ED 1
    4 SPD 24
    8 REC 2
    8 REC 2
    50 END 7
    27 STUN 0
    Total Characteristics Cost: 125 Points
     
    Cost Skills
    3 Bugging 12-
    3 Conversation 12-
    3 Criminology 12-
    3 Deduction 12-
    2 FB: Local Police Powers
    3 Interrogation 12-
    2 Navigation [Ground] 12-
    3 Shadowing 12-
    3 Streetwise 12-
    Total Skills Cost: 25 Points
     
    Cost Powers
    15 Armor +5 rPD +5 rED
    15 EC [Super-Speed]-15 Points
    20 1) Flight 15", 8x NCM, Only In Contact With A Surface (-1/4)
    15 2) FF +10 rPD +10 rED, No END (+1/2)
    10 3) HA +6d6, HTH Attack (-1/2)
    22 4) Invisible [Sight], No Fringe, 1/2 END (+1/4)
    3 ES: PER +1
    Total Powers Cost: 100 Points
     
  6. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to slikmar in New Series--The Orville   
    There are 2 things that this episode makes me think of when I watched it, especially in letting the masses decide guilt;
    1) Should Jason Todd live or die : the masses vote overwhelmingly to die. Why, cause Why Not.
    2) Sanjaya Malakar on American Idol and his remaining on the show long past when he should, partly due to the work of Howard Stern. In fact, Malloy even called it trial by American Idol.
    It actually reminds me why the founding fathers supposedly put in the electoral college - because when you give the masses the chance to affect things directly without real guidance, it could go horribly wrong, and probably will.
  7. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Cassandra in New Series--The Orville   
    Regardless of how one feels about a direct democracy system, The Orville has used the premise to tell an interesting science fiction story with a touch of allegory. 
     
    In other words, pure Star Trek.
  8. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Mister E in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    The suspense is killing me
  9. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to indy523 in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    Hi
     
    What I would like to see are the "limits"to Godly powers due to agreement of the
    gods or other things.  For insance if a God goes to earth his Avatar is much more limited and not omnipotent as he might be in the dimension that is the Realm of the Gods, O;y,pus, Asgard erc.
     
    Also I'd ;ike the rules to cover sons of deities uncovering their powers.
     
    Certain powers can be used but not for certain effects.  For instane Zues cannot just hit Persues with a lightning bolt from heaven and kill him but can give limited magic items to his enemies, etc.
  10. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Cassandra in 5th Edition 250 Points Superheroes Random Generator   
    Random Superhero Group
     
    Superhero 1
     
    Superhero Type List Roll - 8 (List 8)
    Roll for Superhero Type - 9 (Gadgeteer)
    Gender Roll - 4 (Female)
    Skill Set List Roll - 10 (List 10)
    Skill Set Roll - 8 Investigator
     
     
    Gadgeteer
     
    Val Char Cost
    15 STR 5
    20 DEX 30
    20 CON 20
    10 BODY 0
    13 INT 3
    20 EGO 20
    15 PRE 5
    18 COM 4
    5 PD 2
    5 ED 1
    4 SPD 10
    7 REC 0
    40 END 0
    28 STUN 0
    Total Characteristics Cost: 100 Points
     
    Cost Skills
    2 AK: [Campaign] City 11-
    3 Bugging 12-
    3 Conversation 12-
    3 Criminology 12-
    3 Deduction 12-
    3 interrogation 12-
    2 Navigation [Ground] 12-
    3 Shadowing 12-
    3 Streetwise 12-
    Total Skills Cost: 25 Points
     
    Cost Powers
    10 Armor +5 rPD +5 rED, OIF (-1/2)
    33 Multipower (50 Points) OIF (-1/2)
    3 u) EGO Attack 5d6
    3 u) EB 10d6
    3 u) Entangle 5d6 DEF 5
    3 u) FW 10 rPD 10 rED
    3 u) Mind Control 10d6
    3 u) Mental Illusion 10d6
    3 u) Teleport 10", 4x Mass, 8x NCM, 1/2 END (+1/4)
    21 ES: N-Ray Sight [Lead], Spatial Awareness, OIF (-1/2)
    10 EC [Magic]-15 Points, OIF (-1/2)
    10 1) Flight 10", 8x NCM
    10 2) FF +10 rPD +10 rED, No END (+1/2)
    10 3) STR +30
    Total Powers Cost: 125 Points
     
    Total Cost: 250 Points
     
    150+ Disadvantages
    10 DNPC: Loved One (Normal) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Villain (As Powerful) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Agency (More Powerful/NCI) 8-
    20 Normal Characteristics Maxima
    20 PsyL: Code Versus Killing (Common/Total)
    20 PsyL: Protective Of Innocents (Very Common/Strong)
    10 SocL: Secret Identity [Occasionally/Major)
    Total Disadvantages Cost: 250 Points
     
     
    Superhero 2
     
    Superhero Type List Roll - 6 (List 6)
    Superhero Type Roll - 5 (Patriot)
    Gender Roll - 3 (Male)
    Skill Set Type List Roll - 2 (List 2)
    Skill Set Roll - 2 (Actor)
     
     
    Patriot
     
    Val Char Cost
    20 STR 10
    18 DEX 24
    20 CON 20
    12 BODY 4
    18 INT 8
    11 EGO 2
    20 PRE 10
    18 COM 4
    8 PD 4
    6 ED 2
    4 SPD 12
    8 REC 0
    40 END 0
    32 STUN 0
    Total Characteristics Cost: 100 Points
     
    Cost Skills
    3 Acrobatics 13-
    3 Acting 13-
    3 Breakfall 13-
    3 Climbing 13-
    6 Combat Luck +3 rPD +3 rED
    5 CSL: HTH Attack +1
    3 Concealment 13-
    3 Contortionist 13-
    3 Conversation 13-
    5 Defensive Strike
    3 Disguise 13-
    4 Martial Block
    4 Martial Dodge
    4 Martial Strike
    3 Martial Throw
    3 Mimicry 13-
    2 Navigation [Ground] 13-
    3 Persuasion 13-
    2 PS: Actor 11-
    3 Seduction 13-
    3 Stealth 13-
    1 Use Martial Arts With Weapon
    Total Skills Cost: 75 Points
     
    Cost Powers
    10 Armor +5 rPD +5 rED, OIF (-1/2)
    33 Multipower (50 Points) OIF (-1/2)
    3 u) EB 10d6
    1 u) HA +4d6, HTH Attack
    2 u) Missile Deflection [All Ranged Attacks] +5
    2 Running +1"
    20 Running +5", 8x NCM, OIF (-1/2)
    4 KB Resistance -3"
    Total Powers Cost: 75 Points
     
    Total Cost: 250 Points
     
    150+ Disadvantages
    10 DNPC: Loved One (Normal) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Villain (As Powerful) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Agency (More Powerful/NCI/Watch) 8-
    20 Normal Characteristics Maxima
    20 PsyL: Code Of The Hero (Very Common/Strong)
    20 PsyL: Superpatriot (Common/Total)
    10 SocL: Secret Identity (Occasionally/Major)
    Total Disadvantages Cost: 250 Points
     
     
    Superhero 3
     
    Superhero Type List Roll - 10 (List 10)
    Superhero Type Roll - 10 (Metamorph)
    Metamorph Type Roll - (6) (Metamorph [stretching])
    Gender Roll - 2 (Male)
    Skill Set List Roll - 9 (List 9)
    Skill Set Roll - 5 (Warrior)
     
    Metamorph [stretching]
     
    Val Char Cost
    20 STR 10
    18 DEX 24
    20 CON 20
    12 BODY 4
    18 INT 8
    11 EGO 2
    15 PRE 5
    18 COM 4
    6 PD 2
    4 ED 0
    4 SPD 12
    10 REC 4
    50 END 5
    32 STUN 0
    Total Characteristics Cost: 100 Points
     
    Cost Skills
    3 Defense Maneuver I
    3 Lightning Reflexes
    3 Lightsleep 13-
    2 Navigation [Air] 13-
    3 Oratory 12-
    3 Sleight of Hand 13-
    2 Survival
    3 Tactics 13-
    3 Tracking 13-
    Total Skills Cost: 25 Points
     
    Cost Powers
    45 Armor +15 rPD +15 rED
    10 Clinging 50 STR
    15 EC [stretching]-15 Points
    10 1) Desolid, Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-1/2), Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1)
    15 2) Flight 10", 8x NCM
    15 3) STR +30
    15 4) Stretching 4", No END (+1/2)
    Total Powers Cost: 125 Points
     
    Total Cost: 250 Points
     
    150+ Disadvantages
    10 DNPC: Loved One (Normal) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Villain (As Powerful) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Agency (More Powerful/NCI/Watch) 8-
    20 Normal Characteristic Maxima
    20 PsyL: Code Versus Killing (Common/Total)
    20 PsyL: Protective Of Innocents (Very Common/Strong)
    10 SocL: Secret Identity (Occasionally/Major)
    Total Disadvantages Cost: 250 Points
     
     
    Superhero 4
     
    Superhero Type List Roll - 5 (List 5)
    Superhero Type Roll - 6 (Patiot)
    Gender Roll - 6 (Female)
    Skill Set Type List Roll - 4 (List 4)
    Skill Set Type Roll - 9 (Spy)
     
     
    Patriot
     
    Val Char Cost
    15 STR 5
    20 DEX 30
    18 CON 16
    11 BODY 2
    18 INT 8
    14 EGO 8
    20 PRE 10
    18 COM 4
    7 PD 4
    7 ED 3
    4 SPD 10
    7 REC 0
    36 END 0
    28 STUN 0
    Total Characteristics Cost: 100 Points
     
    Cost Skills
    3 Acrobatics 13-
    3 Acting 13-
    3 Breakfall 13-
    3 Climbing 13-
    6 Combat Luck +3 rPD +3 rED
    5 CSL: HTH Combat +1
    3 Concealment 13-
    3 Contortionist 13-
    3 Conversation 13-
    5 Defensive Strike
    3 Disguise 13-
    3 Lockpicking 13-
    4 Martial Block
    4 Martial Dodge
    4 Martial Strike
    3 Martial Throw
    2 Navigation [Ground] 13-
    2 PS: Spy 11-
    3 Security Systems 13-
    3 Seduction 13-
    3 Stealth 13-
    1 Use Martial Arts With Weapon
    Total Skills Cost: 75 Points
     
    Cost Powers
    10 Armor +5 rPD +5 rED, OIF (-1/2)
    33 Multipower (50 Points) OIF (-1/2)
    3 u) EB 10d6
    1 u) HA +4d6, HTH Attack (-1/2)
    2 u) Missile Deflection [All Ranged Attacks] +5
    2 Running +1"
    20 Running +5", 8x NCM, No END (+1/2), OIF (-1/2)
    4 KB Resistance -3"
    Total Powers Cost: 75 Points
     
    Total Cost: 250 Points
     
    150+ Disadvantages
    10 DNPC: Loved One (Normal) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Villain (As Powerful) 8-
    10 Hunted: Super-Agency (More Powerful/NCI/Watch) 8-
    20 Normal Characteristics Maxima
    20 PsyL: Code Of The Hero (Very Common/Strong)
    20 PsyL: Superpatriot (Common/Total)
    10 SocL: Secret Identity (Occasionally/Major)
    Total Disadvantages Cost: 250 Points
  11. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Steve Long in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    The honest answer is that I can't give you any real information, because I haven't calculated the costs yet. When I write a HERO System book, the adding up of the character sheets is the very last step. That way if I make any changes or discover any omissions, I don't have to go to the extra work of changing costs already calculated. I developed this method in self defense, and it has worked superbly.
     
    However, for purposes of satisfying your curiosity, I can quickly run through and add up a few sheets as they now stand. These are not final numbers, mind you, but they should give you some ballpark ideas.
     
    Zeus:  2,654
    Loki:  1,286
    Kali:  2,759
    Huitzilopochtli:  1,742
    Perun:  2,459
    Olorun:  1,647
     
    Note that one of the factors affecting a god's or hero's cost is how well he's described in the sources available to me. Any god who gets a full character sheet is important enough and detailed enough to merit that treatment, but some are much better described than others. That means more stuff on their sheets.
     
    Also worth noting:  gods rarely have Multipowers. I might use one for a multi-purpose weapon or the like, but usually not for specific divine abilities. I buy those separately so the god can use his Divine Power Pool to augment the power when necessary and desired.
     
    The gods listed here provide some examples. Zeus is well-described and has lots of powers; so is Kali (in fact, the Hindu gods and heroes in general are expensive, because they're loaded down with powers, magical weapons, and whatnot). Perun isn't well described (no Slavic god is), but has lots of powers. Huitzilopochtli is generally powerful and well-described, but unlike Zeus his weapon is bought as an OAF, which really saves him some points. Olorun is neither well-described nor has lots of powers. Loki I'm surprised to see come in so low, but he's not that complex a god for HERO System purposes, and in any event there may be more to add to him.
     
    I hope that offers a little insight into the process.
  12. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Steve Long in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    I was just heading here yesterday with a status update when an Internet outage derailed me. Now my Internet is back, so here I are.
     
    The status is:  I have just finished the chapter on Hittite Mythology, and have begun the chapter on Incan Mythology! There's still a long way to go -- a year or years of dedicated work, at least -- but I am making as steady progress as I can.
  13. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Lucius in The Professions of Arms   
    I wrote this a few years ago. As far as I recall, I've never posted it anywhere. Until now.
     
    With the Ultimate Skill coming, and all the buzz on the board about skills now, I thought I'd go ahead and post it. By the way, I remember writing more than this, and I did intend to go on and expand the idea to the other adventuring archetypes. Who knows, maybe I'll finally do so. And if I turn up the "lost materiels" that I suspect are still hidden in my stuff in storage, I'll post them too.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary wonders if we'll be able to fit the whole thing in this next post....
  14. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to SteelCold in Aphorisms for a Superhero Universe   
    For once can't the Earth invade an alien planet? "EARTH NEEDS ZONDARKLONIAN WOMEN!!!"
  15. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to SteelCold in Aphorisms for a Superhero Universe   
    Unless they bring their Visa card because Amazon Island doesn't take American Express.
  16. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to urbwar in Superhero Images   
    Ordered some commissions from Jacob Blackmon recently. First up is the brother/sister duo of Zip & Zap:
     

    Next up is Bobcat, followed by Leech:
     

  17. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to wcw43921 in Superhero Images   
    From the World War II webcomic The Specialists, here is one of the enemy Ubermenschen--Der Arier, or in English, The Aryan---
     

     
    Did you ever have the feeling that somehow, it's not going to be your day?
  18. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Cassandra in 5th Edition 250 Points Comic Book Characters   
    Captain America (Hydra)
     
    Val Char Cost
    20 STR 10
    20 DEX 30
    20 CON 20
    15 BODY 10
    18 INT 8
    14 EGO 8
    20 PRE 10
    18 COM 4
    8 PD 4
    6 ED 2
    4 SPD 10
    10 REC 4
    50 END 5
    35 STUN 0
    Total Characteristics Cost: 125 Points
     
    Cost Skills
    3 Acrobatics 13-
    3 Breakfall 13-
    3 Combat Driving [Motorcycles] 13-
    4 Martial Block
    4 Martial Dodge
    4 Martial Strike
    3 Martial Throw
    2 Navigation [Ground] 13-
    5 Offensive Strike
    3 Oratory 13-
    3 Persuasion 13-
    3 Rep: Superhero 14-
    3 Stealth 13-
    3 Tactics 13-
    3 Teamwork 13-
    1 Use Martial Arts with Shield
    Total Skills Cost: 50 Points
     
    Cost Powers
    9 Armor +5 rPD +5 rED, 15- (-1/4), OIF: Body Armor (-1/2)
    40 Multipower (60 Points) OIF: Shield (-1/2)
    4 u) EB 8d6, No END (+1/2)
    2 u) Force Field +10 rPD +10 rED, No END (+1/2)
    1 u) HA +4d6, HTH Attack (-1/2), No END (+1/2)
    2 u) Missile Deflection [All Ranged Attacks] +5
    8 ES: Radio Perception/Transmit, IIF: Earpiece (-1/4)
    3 Leaping +5, Requires Acrobatics Roll (-1/2)
    6 Running +3
    Total Powers Cost: 75 Points
     
    Total Cost: 250 Points
     
    150+ Disadvantages
    10 DNPC: Sharon Carter (Unaware Slightly Less Powerful) 8-
    10 Hunted: HYDRA (More Powerful/NCI/Watch) 8-
    10 Hunted: SHIELD (More Powerful/NCI/Watch) 8-
    20 Normal Characteristics Maxima
    20 PsyL: Loyal To Hydra (Common/Total)
    20 PsyL: Must Pretend To Be The Hero (Common/Total)
    10 SocL: Secret Identity (Occasionally/Major)
    Total Disadvantages Cost: 250 Points
  19. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Cassandra in 5th Edition 250 Points Comic Book Characters   
    Nightshade started as a Charlton Comics character who eventually was bought by DC.  She was the Silk Spectre to Captain Atom's Dr. Manhattan, but Alan Moore preferred to use Black Canary 2 as a template.
     
    My version as a Desolid Martial Artist with Teleportation.
  20. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Clonus in Aphorisms for a Superhero Universe   
    Never bring a gun to a swordfight.  
     
    Don't fly higher than you can fall.
     
    Terminal velocity is your friend.
     
    Growth is the amazing power to make yourself an easy target.
     
    Never call someone "dead" until you finish the autopsy.
     
    Being dead doesn't necessarily stop people from making trouble
     
    There is no idea so stupid that it can't be used to hurt people.
     
    You can't mass produce awesome.  
     
    Always make your capes detachable.
     
    Always know which walls are load-bearing.
     
     
     
  21. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Lucius in The Professions of Arms   
    Re: The Professions of Arms The Professions of Arms
     
    “The Profession of Arms is an occupation founded upon violence and death.” Lucius Alexander
     
    The so-called “background skills” all too often fade into the background and disappear. A character will start with a profession skill, or knowledge skill, because it’s in a “package deal” or just because you get one free, and then that skill languishes, ignored by player and Game Operations Director alike. But “Background” doesn’t have to mean “invisible.” Indeed, an appropriately complex, realistically detailed, and above all interesting background enriches paintings, photographs, novels….and characters.
     
    More than most fantasy characters, fighters have tendency to start looking too much alike. If you’ve noticed that several warriors in the game all have STR 20, DEX 14 or 15, Familiarity with Common Melee Weapons, comparable combat skill levels, and a similar set of skills, these ideas about using professional skills may help you see a different face under each helm, not to mention giving warriors interesting things to do besides sword-swinging.
     
    Some things these skills don’t do
    As a general rule, if a situation is already covered by an existing skill, a PS: will not duplicate the other skill – although one skill may modify the other. Thus PS: Barbarian or PS: Ranger will not substitute for Survival skill, but will often be a complementary skill. At the Game Operations Director’s discretion, a PS: may substitute for a missing skill in specific circumstances; PS: Knight or PS: Cavalry might substitute for Breakfall (at a penalty) when falling off a horse, but not when falling out of a tree.
     
    In some cases these skills do have considerable overlap: For example, it would seem that PS: Paladin would include everything a Knight can do. There are three ways to balance this: 1) Make the “superior” skill cost more. 2) Split the skills and make one a prerequisite, saying you cannot have a PS: Paladin roll higher than your PS: Knight, or say that a Paladin has PS: Knight in conjunction with PS: Monk or PS: Holy Man or something of that nature. 3) Assign penalties to the “superior” skill when it is used in ways similar to the “lesser” skill. After all, a Paladin has a lot more to learn, and may take a -4 to judge a warhorse or recognize a heraldic design, where a Knight would have no penalty.
     
    Codes and Behavior
    Another thing these skills don’t do is impose behavior. It is entirely possible for a paladin to be fallen, for a barbarian to be decadent. A PS: Knight skill implies knowledge of a code of chivalry, but does not compel obedience to it. Deviation from behavior “appropriate” to the profession will erode the skill only over a long time, if the campaign rules are such that unused skills eventually fade away. However, certain uses of the skill may be affected by the character’s behavior. A barbarian coming out of a luxurious 10 year retirement, no longer used to hardship and discomfort, may still remember how to light a fire and how to skin game, but take a -5 when trying to remain still in ambush when she finds she’s laying on an anthill. And a knight with a bad Reputation may have a hard time with uses of the skill that involve being seen as chivalrous (although he may still use the skill that way on someone ignorant of the reputation.)
     
    “Just how useful are these skills in combat, anyway?”
    A story from the old West relates that a gunslinger, having made an appointment with his rival to meet at sundown, was asked by a friend “why not get it over with now?” The gunslinger responded “If we go do it now, that sombrero he always wears will keep the noonday sun off his face. I’m at the west end of town, so when we walk out into the street at sunset, the sun’ll be in his eyes. He’s in the saloon already; he’ll probably be getting likkered up for the next few hours. Meanwhile, I’ll take a nap. Keep an eye out and make sure he and his friends don’t try any funny business.” Which goes to show there’s more to gunslinging than fast reflexes and hand-eye coordination. On the one hand, it seems unreasonable that a warrior’s professional skill would offer no advantage in combat; on the other, allowing a skill roll as a complementary skill to a to-hit roll turns the skill into a cheap substitute for combat levels. In fact, one could argue that such levels are a reflection of exactly this kind of expertise; knowing how to maneuver an opponent so that the sun or wind are in their eyes, not yours, so that their balance, not yours, is threatened by a stump, dropped weapon, or pool of blood. This is why a character who went “adventuring” for 6 months has more XP to spend on levels than one who spent 6 months in a dojo. But there is no reason these skills should not have limited combat effects, appropriate to their cost. For example, if an enemy gets a surprise bonus to OCV – say for trying a shield bash after 2 turns of sword swinging – a warrior might make a roll to anticipate the move and negate the bonus. Or if a PRE attack would ordinarily leave a warrior with reduced DCV, a penalized PS roll could partially or wholly negate that effect, as staying on-guard has become second nature to the professional fighter. And rules already exist to allow PS: Forward Observer or PS: Siege Engineer to add to the OCV of certain crew-served weapons. Example: A cavalryman with DCV 6 is mounted on a horse with DCV 4, and thus has DCV 4. With a PS: Cavalry roll, he can have DCV 5 for the duration of combat. If it’s his own horse (horse and rider have trained together) he can have DCV 5 automatically and DCV 6 if he makes the roll. Why doesn’t Riding skill confer this benefit? Because riding a horse is one thing, controlling it in combat is another.
     
    Some things these skills can do
    Perhaps the most common use of warrior PS skills will be as complementary skills. They may assist other skills, perception rolls, and characteristic rolls. Remember that a warrior skill may be complementary in one case, but not another. For example, it may be complementary to Trading when dealing in weapons, but not in jewels. Or a PS: Paladin roll may help a STR roll if it involves saving a life, but not for arm wrestling in a bar.
     
    Common Abilities
    There are some things any warrior is likely to know about to a greater or lesser extent, and for convenience these are discussed first.
    Weapons
    A warrior may be able to identify a weapon’s origin; judge its quality; know its lore if it’s a famous or unique weapon; know how to hone, oil, and otherwise care for a weapon, including culturally appropriate rituals. Of course the specifics will vary by type of warrior. Any warrior with the skill to use a given weapon will know how to care for it, but how many will recognize an apparently harmless ornament as a throwing star? Tell by their pole arms where an army unit was recruited? Know by the curved blade and sharkskin hilt that a sword was forged in the Southern Isles? Distinguish Elf, Troll, and Goblin arrows by the shape of the stone arrowheads and the fletching? These are ways one warrior can differ from another.
    Armor
    Warriors who are accustomed to wearing armor may, with a successful roll, cut in half the time to get in or out of armor; useful if one must prepare for battle quickly, or if one has suddenly been dropped in water. As with weapons, a warrior may maintain and even make temporary repairs to armor. Recognizing armor types, and drawing conclusions about the wearers, are also possible.
    People
    First of all, one warrior will often know another, regardless of type. The way one walks or stands, telltale calluses of weapon practice, and a thousand subtle clues help fighters size up everyone they meet. Often, this information is subliminal; a warrior may not be able to articulate why one person in the bar commands more wary respect than another, but he just “knows” which is the more dangerous brawler. Warrior skills also influence how others see the warrior; thus, PS: Knight could help persuade someone that the character is chivalrous and trustworthy, PS: Barbarian can be used to intimidate (add to PRE attacks) and PS: Officer can help inspire confidence in followers.
    Tactics
    Although no PS is a substitute for Tactics they may often be complementary. One knight understands how another knight thinks; a ranger who guards a forest against Goblins may predict how a Goblin band will react; even a lowly sailor or mercenary may recall how a successful captain dealt with a certain situation. Few PS skills are likely to be complementary to Tactics in all situations; even PS: Officer for example may be no help in a one on one battle, where PS: Gladiator or PS: Duelist may be very useful.
     
    Specific Example PS Skills
     
    PS: Adventurer
    This represents the aptitudes developed by a wanderer who goes about seeking gold, glory, or glamour and excitement. It may be regarded as a default background skill for exactly the kind of person who can’t resist the urge to explore the Mysterious Hole in the Ground. An Adventurer knows much about getting into and out of dangerous situations, and because they often swap stories, may know something about a place or creature they have never personally encountered. An Adventurer is good at remembering directions, either given by another or to remember a path already trod. If literate, and Adventurer reads maps well, and can draw them (more crudely than a cartographer.) This skill can apply to anything from starting a fire to securing a rope for climbing, but usually at heavy penalties; it’s a fall-back for self-reliant people who do things because they’ve had to, but not necessarily learned the most efficient ways to do them. Even on a successful roll, the task may be done crudely or inefficiently: “Okay, it takes a few hours and a lot of sticks, but you have 2d6 arrows for your bow. They do one less damage class, are -3 OCV and double range penalties, and you can’t make any more until you kill a bird for more feathers.”
     
    Examples of PS: Adventurer in Use.
    Our Hero plans a trip to the Goblin Haunted Hills, but first takes a trip to a variety of inns, taverns, markets, and places where the use of PS: Adventurer as complementary to Conversation will tell him much about the Goblins’ weapons, tactics, usual numbers in a band, favorite places for ambush, etc.
    Deciding to recruit some help, Our Hero uses Adventurer complementary to Oratory and by recounting previous exploits inspires the confidence of a few stout-hearted young fellows.
    Although Our Hero missed his perception roll to spot the Goblns, a PS: Adventurer roll at -2 brings on the realization that this narrow pass is just the sort of place Goblins like for an ambush. (The roll would be at -5 if Our Hero hadn’t been clever enough to ask questions before venturing forth.)
    The posse falls to quarreling over loot. Since this is a common situation for Adventurers, Our Hero makes a PRE attack (“Be still a moment and hear me out!”) followed by a PS: Adventurer roll to talk everyone into a fair distribution.
     
    PS: Barbarian
    Anyone with this skill should also have Survival, knowledge of a tribal area, and probably Tracking. A “Barbarian” is by definition “uncivilized,” that is, a member of a culture less urban, less settled, and/or less technologically sophisticated than whatever civilized culture the barbarian is contrasted with. The Barbarian is at home in the wilderness and often inspires mingled awe and contempt in more civilized people, who regard the barbarian as kin to beasts. Indeed PS: Barbarian is useful if confronting a wild animal, not to “tame” or befriend it, but to predict its reactions and avoid antagonizing it. PS: Barbarian often complements Survival, not only to represent know-how (“What do you mean, you don’t know how to make fire without flint? I’ll show you.”) but sheer toughness and fortitude, for a barbarian is used to privation. The barbarian will more readily eat raw meat, sleep on bare ground, drink bitter water from a sulfur spring, lie motionless in ambush despite crawling bugs, or whatever must be done to survive, or to fulfill whatever goals the barbarian is committed to. Barbarians are credited with superior senses, but it is more accurate to say they have wild thing’s suspicious wariness, and are more apt to trust the irrational hunch that is often the prompting of instinct or intuition. The stereotypical barbarian is a hulking warrior, but it is well to remember that horse nomads are often small, and a barbarian tribe could be Pygmies or wild Hobbits, or peaceful Eskimos. Coming from a “simpler” i.e. less specialized society, the barbarian can be astonishingly self-reliant.
     
    Examples of PS: Barbarian in Use
    Our Hero is being tortured for information. Ordinarily this is Skill Vs Skill, Interrogation against an Ego roll, but when Our Hero loses by 3 points, the Game Operations Director allows a roll on PS: Barbarian at -3. Then the rest of the party finally rescues the barbarian, he says “It wasn’t much worse than my tribe’s initiation ordeal.”
    A party crossing a desert camps in a canyon where high walls offer shade and a few green things make it seem an oasis. In the middle of the day, while they sleep in preparation for the night’s travel, they all fail perception rolls that were made at -6 because they were dozing, except the barbarian whose PS: Barbarian was considered complementary. Thus Our Hero awakes from a nightmare in which the distant sound of rushing water is somehow terrifying. Trying to figure out what’s wrong, Our Hero makes a Deduction roll (at the default of <= 8) again with PS: Barbarian as complementary, and just knows that the canyon seems like a trap. They’ve learned to trust the barbarian’s instincts, so the party escapes just before the flash flood comes roaring down.
     
    PS: Knight
    Characters with this skill should also have Riding and Courtier or “High Society” and may have to meet other prerequisites. This skill may have other names in other cultural contexts, as “Ronin” or “Samurai” in Japan or “Equestrian” in Republican Rome. Ideally a knight is “noble” in every sense of the word, either born to a tradition of chivalry or a commoner formally exalted in status for courage and martial prowess.
     
    PS: Ranger
    Anyone with this skill should also have Survival and knowledge of at least one wilderness area or terrain type, and probably Tracking. PS: Ranger is often a complementary skill for outdoor skills. What a ranger can do depends to some extent on how the Game Operations Director defines “Ranger” for a given game, but whether they guard the king’s deer from poachers, guide pilgrims across deserts, or hunt Orcs wherever they are found, any ranger will know much about the wild and things the live and move there. Identifying animals and plants will often be automatic (no roll) if they are native to a place the ranger knows. A ranger can predict weather, up to 48 hrs in advance on a good roll. Rangers usually know a lot about the people and creatures they meet in their chosen wilderness, whether it’s the Goblins who come raiding from yonder mountain or the itinerant smith making the rounds of the local villages. Although PS: Ranger is no substitute for Navigation, a ranger has a good memory for landmarks and is seldom confused as to direction.
     
    Examples of PS: Ranger in Use
    Our Hero falls over, left leg gone numb. Although no wound is visible, the healer finds and removes a flint arrowhead that only becomes visible when withdrawn a handspan from the ranger’s body. Clearly, he is a victim of Elf Stroke. “I thought you said the Elves were friendly?” After making a PS: Ranger roll, Our Hero states “That’s shaped like a Troll arrowhead. Either an Elf used a Troll arrow, or a Troll has learned an Elven spell.”
     
    PS: Warrior
    The most “generic” of warrior PS skills, and a good default if the character’s background is vague and undefined, or varied and eclectic. It may be assumed that a warrior’s knowledge is broad but shallow. They could tell a warhorse from a palfrey, but not necessarily judge among warhorses. They would recognize the nation of a group of uniformed soldiers, and tell officers apart, but be unlikely to know the specific unit or a leader’s exact rank.
     
    PS: Weapons Specialist
    Specific types include PS: Swordsman, Spearman, Hatchetman, Archer, Martial Artist, Boxer, Wrestler, Sensei, etc. The weapons specialist should have spent at least 12 points on combat skill levels and/or martial arts maneuvers. This skill represents the expertise of a person who is devoted to a specific weapon or fighting style. When dealing with a favorite weapon type, the specialist will have far more accurate and precise knowledge of a given weapons’ value, utility, and quality; the lore and history of famous, unique, or magick weapons; the names, reputations, and history of warriors who use that weapon type or fighting style. By examining a weapon, the expert can tell where it was made, when it was made, and by whom; i.e. by Dwarven, Elven, or Human weaponsmith, or by specific culture, or possibly in the case of a famous weaponsmith, by individual. The specialist may also be able to detect frauds. This skill is complementary to Weaponsmith. More than other warriors, the specialist is able to judge another warrior’s fighting style, at least if it has any bearing on the specialist’s own.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises 2002
     
    Excess words have been removed and fed to a palindromedary
  22. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to megaplayboy in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    Oh yeah! The other thing I'd like to see is a fair number of "divine monsters" like Typhon, Fenris Wolf, Jormungandr, Apep, Leviathan, Behemoth, etc.
  23. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to megaplayboy in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    Maybe some notes on Deities in various settings--high fantasy, low fantasy, urban fantasy, pulp, superhero, cosmic superhero, e.g. One might want pointers on tweaking gods for different settings.
  24. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Steve Long in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    That's perfectly all right, but "mythic roleplaying" isn't what Mythic Hero is about, and it never has been since the book was first announced nearly four years ago. (Yeesh, time flies! ) Aside, perhaps, from some bits of the introductory chapter, it focuses entirely on describing specific mythoi and the gods and other entities that are a part of them.
     
    If that's not a book that interests you -- that's cool. Not everyone has to like every book. But that's the book I want to write, so that's what I'm writin'. After all, since no one's paying me to do the work, I might as well do work I truly enjoy. 
  25. Like
    Doctor Agenda reacted to Lord Liaden in MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?   
    Re: MYTHIC HERO: What Do *You* Want To See?
     
    I would like to suggest inclusion of Persian mythology. The gods of the Aryan peoples of the Iranian Plateau were diverse and, although they share a few common elements with the ethnically-related peoples of the northern Indian subcontinent, and influences from the nearby Mesopotamian civilizations, developed a unique philosophy and cosmology under the influence of Zoroastrianism, which influenced many neighboring cultures. And it's a subject that's rarely been dealt with for gaming, or any other Western popular culture media.
     
    I'm afraid I haven't been able to find a really accessible hardcopy source for Persian mythology, but I can offer a couple of good online sources as a starting point to research. The first is a solid general introduction to the subject, with many specific references, by Albert J. Carnoy: http://rbedrosian.com/Carnoy.html . The whole article is downloadable as a .zip file.
     
    The classic work of Persian folklore is the epic tenth-century poem Shahnameh ("epic of kings") by Ferdowsi. Its focus is much more a chronology of the deeds of legendary kings and heroes, than of the gods themselves. This translation by Helen Zimmern is favorably referred to by several sources: http://enel.ucalgary.ca/People/far/hobbies/iran/shahnameh.html .
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