Gideon

Re: How would you build this power?

 

SteveZilla: Sorry never read that book.

 

Checkmate: Yes, I know that about Clairsentience. I am planning on my character having his sight and hearing flashed as mental group in addition, because I think it is appropriate.

 

I think the way I'm going to build the character is: 15 points of inherent sight flash defense and 15 points of inherent hearing flash defense. And I am going to take the disadvantage sight and hearing flashed as both mental group and clairsentience group. I may also take a distinctive feature, but I haven't decided on that one yet.

 

Thanks for all the help.

Re: How would you build this power?

 

I didn't plan on gaining any points for Blind or Deaf as disadvantages. Because the character isn't really blind or deaf, he just sees and hears "differently"

 

Ghost-angle: The idea I had was because he senses these things via ESP, he can't be overloaded by normal means. Its strange (I know) but that was part of the effect I was going for.

 

Edsel: The problem with using Detect physical objects is that it has both limitations (no color, no ability to see type, no ability to see what's on a TV screen) and advantages (seeing invisible people, seeing through darkness) that I don't want him to have.

 

I think maybe I'll just go with lots of flash defense and a phys-lim of sight and hearing flashed as mental group and clairsentience group.

I have an idea for a metalist character with a quirky twist, and I'm not sure what the best way to build him would be.

 

The character is physically both deaf and blind (caught in an explosion as a teen). However even though he has no functioning optic nerves and no functioning eardrums, he can see and hear through the use of clairvoyance.

 

Now the thing about it is SFX wise, he can see and hear normally by involuntary use of clairvoyance. He has full range of hearing, full use of sight (color, depth, distance, etc...) but nothing extra (no darkvision, ultrasonic hearing, increased arc of perception, spacial awareness, etc...).

 

Now as far as I can think up, the net result of this should be effective sight and hearing flash immunity, and possibly a limitation of: sight and hearing flashed as mental sense group. But I'm still not sure of the best way to build it.

 

Any ideas?

Re: Intuitive Knowledge

 

I think that the skills the character needs are Electronics, Mechanics, System Operations, Lock Picking, and Security Systems. He also needs Power.

 

I would honestly build him with a VPP with OIF and define it as "machine intuition". This way if he picks up an alien blaster, he can "instinctively" learn how to use it by examining it for a few moments (IE making his Power Skill Roll and switching points over).

 

He can also "talk" to computers by using telepathy like a cyberpath (just give him a limitation of "needs to interface as normal" meaning he needs to use the keyboard (or other device) just like anyone else would. I'd say a -1/2 {same as gestures throughout}, and possibly even gradual effect.)

 

The skills I wouldn't limit. The reason is, even though he may not be able to draw up schematics, or discuss the theories behind conductivity, he should understand things like the difference between a phillips head and a flat head screwdriver (and be able to communicate them). He should also know things like what pistons, spark-plugs and circuit-boards are (even if he doesn't really understand how they work). Otherwise, while he is under the hood of a car and needs someone to hand him a socket-wrench he won't know what to ask for (and it will get silly fast).

 

If you really think that he should have a limitation due to his inability to understand how he does what he does, I would give him a physical limitation of "unable to communicate how he makes machines do what he wants them to" (probably common, total). It is NOT a psychological limitation, because he literally doesn't know how to communicate the information (like "unfamiliar with human culture")

 

Why am I suddenly getting flashbacks of Wildcat from Disney's Talespin?

Re: What power level do you start at??? dilemma!!

 

Oh, and by the way...

 

2d6 HKA, Autofire 5 shots (+1/2) = 45AP

 

Add in a STR of 30 and that becomes a 4d6 HKA

Re: What power level do you start at??? dilemma!!

 

In My batgirl-styled martial artist used to have only 6 resistant PD and 6 resistant ED until she met with said 4d6 KA.

 

It's actually worse than you might think. She was hit by a teammate while in civilian ID, and that KA wasn't just 4d6 it was 4d6 autofire x5 shots.

 

Liz (Nightingale) my PC had just finished classes when her Sensei started a duel with known member of Viper outside the dojo. He wanted the duel, so she had to honor his wishes and let the fight happen. When the team arrived (not knowing Night's SID at this point) they tried to stop the duel.

 

Liz stepped up and told them all that she would do everything in her power to stop them from interfering. Everyone but the speedster (Formula-1) listened. He tried to hit the Viper agent, but Liz successfully interposed (I rolled REALLY well, and he failed to pull his punch REALLY badly). With only her Combat Luck to offer resistant defense, she got hit all 5 times and took 27 body (from full at 15 to -12 in 1 action).

 

As soon as she got out of the hospital she upgraded her costume to 4PD/ 4ED IIF damage resistance (under-armor) (which she wears almost all the time) and 6PD/ 6ED IIF Armor (Armored Costume).

 

One true near-death experience was enough.

Re: Help with Growth: Footprint

 

*bow's head shamefully* I'm sorry it won't happen again.

Re: Help with Growth: Footprint

 

I intend to show my GM Killer Shriek's original foot print. I just wanted to make sure it is correct, because compared to the other foot prints it seems somehow off. However, since nothing else makes any bit of sense that is what I will go with.

Re: Help with Growth: Footprint

 

Mister E: I'm sorry, but HUH? I don't understand.

 

Killer Shriek: The actual size of the character (IE hight, shoulder width, waist size, etc...) are not what I am talking about. Ghost-angle got it right when he said:

...a person really isn't 1"x1" (i.e. a Hex); but in Game Mechanics each person occupies 1 Hex in Size.

I am talking strictly about the shape of the area a 4" wide "person" takes up on a battle map. My GM uses a map a lot for combat, so I want to make templates for my character that represent the hexes he "occupies" while grown.

Re: Champions the Comic

 

Apparently a "Standard E-mail Address" is the same as a "non-anonymous e-mail address".

 

Which means an e-mail address that isn't from gmail, yahoo, hotmail or the like.

Re: Help with Growth: Footprint

 

Killer Shrike: Are you sure?

 

 

a 2" footprint is 2 hexes across in 3 directions:

 

 

and a 3" footprint is 3 hexes across in 3 directions:

 

But the 4" footprint you posted is only 4 hexes across in 1 direction.

Re: Is your character religious?

 

Even though I am Jewish, most of my characters are agnostic/Christian (Protestant). But on the same note most of those who are religious are mostly non-practicing and don't attend church (or temple) regularly.

 

Mesa (my longest played character) is fairly agnostic (but christian), and his wife is shinto. So the kids are being raised both.

 

Gideon is Catholic and one of my two most religious characters, attending church every Sunday he can.

 

Plastron is Jewish. He is one of the few RPG characters I have ever played who follows my actual religion. And while I am reform, he is conservative.

 

Dr. Pranav is a mentalist I play from India and is strict Hindu. He is strict enough that my GM allowed me to take his religion as a Psych-lim (won't eat beef being part of it).

Re: Dist. Features (But OIHID????)

 

I would make it impossible to conceal. Then I would apply 'Only In Heroic Identity' to work out how much the Demon features are really worth.

 

Um... huh?

I'm sorry but I don't even understand what you mean by this.

 

How does a power limitation have any effect on a disadvantage?

Re: Help with Growth: Footprint

 

I meant "footprint" as in size and shape of the area on a battle map the character takes up. Not the size of his Shoes.

 

Sheesh

I am building a growth based character for a game (my first ever) and I came upon an interesting "problem".

 

My character has 9 levels (45 points worth) of growth which (according to the chart) makes him 8" high and 4" wide.

 

What I can't figure out is the shape of a 4" footprint.

 

2" is a triangle:

 

3" is a hexagon:

 

What does 4" look like?

Re: Secret Identities and Teammates

 

Gideon' date=' Ive played characters who unmasked in exactly the same way that Seizure did.[/quote']

No offense, but I doubt it.

A stupid question: Why is it no big deal for Seizure to reveal his secret ID to the other player characters in Super form' date=' but has not (I assume) revealed his Super identity to any unmasked normals who are also close friends (possibly including the secret ID's of other PC's, but also other friends and possibly excluding some PC secret ID's)? IOW, what's so special about the fact that his teammates are also wearing masks that these recent acquaintances merit his full trust, when his friends he's known for years don't share this same worthiness?[/quote']

 

Well, actually its not a stupid question.

 

The short answer is:

 

She didn't reveal her secret ID to her teammates. She revealed her ID to her classmates.

 

The long answer is:

 

Part of the back story of the game is that Mervin, Lynn, and Seleen's friend Erica was killed the summer prior to the game starting. As the game began, strange things started that we couldn't explain, and there were signs that lead us to believe that Erica's ghost was haunting us (In SID).

 

So, the group got together in SIDs for a traditional horror movie style séance out in the middle of the woods, to try to contact Erica's ghost. Well we soon found out that Erica wasn't a ghost. She was a horrible swamp-elemental monster that wanted to KILL Seleen.

 

Brendan (Saiph) ran for his life (then turned around when he was out of sight from the group and Instant Changed).

 

Melissa (Night) had no gear on her, nor did she have her costume. But she tried to stand her ground, proving to everyone that she knew some small amounts of self-defense as she tried to distract the monster.

 

Sarah (Sentinel) had no gear on her either and not being a hand-to-hand fighter, moved off.

 

Mervin (Plastron) wanted to keep his SID, so being the big tough jock he attacked the monster barehanded. He got tossed casually into a tree and wounded (but was still conscious). Sarah (known openly to know first-aid) tried to help him.

 

Seleen (Prestige) dodged a lot, and used stuff that she could pass off as "stage magic" or that had IPE to attack the monster and defend herself, without putting her costume on.

 

Lynn (Seizure) on the other hand, instant changed into costume directly in front of everyone (the only person who didn't see it was Brendan, cause he was hiding). It was a totally unnecessary maneuver on her part. She's a mentalist. All of her powers are invisible, and she doesn't need to be in costume to use them.

 

So, she didn't go to the team and take her mask off, saying: "Yeah, guys I'm really Lynn". No, she put her costume on and used her powers infront of Sarah, Mervin and Melissa.

 

Now Mervin doesn't trust Lynn's ability to keep his ID secret.

 

On a side note... it turned out Seleen found Seizure's SID first game session because both characters teleported into the same small room to change into costume at the same time. It was funny to watch because Seizure's player had gotten up from the table for a moment, and when he returned the GM said: "What does seizure do?". The player proceded to say: "I teleport to the Lighting booth in the school theatre and change into costume". When she arived Prestige was standing there having just instant changed...

Re: Secret Identities and Teammates

 

As I understand it' date=' that is the case here. The GM is running an NPC on the team, a GMPC.[/quote']

 

And just for clarification, the NPC/GMPC got her secret ID revealed to the team by a villian.

 

Cygnia: The GM well knows what is going on. And for a while the player in question quited down about it.

 

My biggest problem with Seizure's player right now, is not that he has her trying to goad us and guilt us into opening up to her and letting her know their SIDs. My problem is that early on in the game the player made a side comment to me he he thought it was stupid that I wasn't willing to have my character unmask himself infront of the group like his character had just done.

 

He seemed to genuenly be under the assumption that as soon as Seizure revealed her SID (and we all saw that it was our friend Lynn behind the mask) that we would all have our characters willingly make a concerted effort to unmask ourselves to the team.

 

Unfortunately for him, I refuse to metagame this. And the way Seizure revealed her SID has made my character weary of telling her secrets. So in effect he gave me an extra reason not to reveal SID.

Re: Secret Identities and Teammates

 

Tech: Not everyone is set on revealing their SID, and not everyone is set on keeping it secret either. The group is split at almost 50%.

 

The thing of it is, we've played less than 20 game sessions (at about 3 hours a session). I know that eventually Plastron (my character) should be willing to reveal his ID to everyone. It just hasn't happened yet.

 

Seizure's player on the other hand seemingly wanted us to make the reveal first game session, and acts like I am purposely dragging things out.

 

The game is a bit different than usual for me though. ALL the characters know each other and spend time with each other on a daily basis. All of the characters are also friends with 2-3 of the other characters in SID. I actually think it makes things more fun this way.

 

 

Having everyone know each other, and go to school together does make it harder to keep an SID, but it also makes it harder to voluntarily reveal.

 

So you know:

 

At the beginning of the campaign:

The characters go to a normal High School together. And I said before my character is the nerd-turned-jock, and he isn't all that well liked. The nerds don't like him because they view him as a traitor, and the jocks don't like him because some can't get past the fact that he is/was a nerd they made fun of.

 

It actually happened that three of us (Plastron, Seizure, and Prestige) wrote interconnected backgrounds. The three characters have know each other since elementary school. Unfortunately Mervin dropped his friends like dead weight as soon as he got the opportunity to join the football team (It sounds like a lousy thing to do, but I've seen it happen in real life). So while Lynn (Seizure) has tried to stay friendly with Mervin, Seleen (Prestige) openly hates him.

 

Brendan (Saiph), and Melissa (Night) have (as far as my character history is concerned) been classmates but not really friends for the past couple of years. Sarah (Sentinel) is new to the school, the only one to befriend everyone in the group in SID, and my character's academic rival.

 

After 16 game sessions:

 

Things haven't changed much. Seleen and Mervin made up. Melissa professed her utter loathing of Mervin in the middle of the lunch room. Lynn has tried to convince Brendan to dump is girlfriend and date her. Seleen and Sarah have become best friends.

 

Now you know at least a little of the group's dynamic. So because of the things that have gone on in the game, Plastron doesn't want to reveal himself to everyone. He knows they all go to school together, and he knows who Seizure, Prestige, and Sentinel are, but until he knows that Saiph and Night aren't classmates who hate him, he doesn't feel comfortable revealing his SID.

 

Do you think he is right and I am dragging things out?

 

Do you think I should reveal, or wait on it?

Re: Are all the good names really taken?

 

One thing's for certain' date=' you'll be at a huge disadvantage if you are starting with a name and just a power concept. If you have some idea of backgrounds for these characters or any other character concept tidbits, that'd help. [/quote']

 

With the exception of a Hero name and a couple of points of character disadvantages the character is already pretty much built.

 

And actually, that seems to be one of the reasons this is so hard. The concept for the character's SFX really is: "He can grow really tall".

 

I'll elaborate:

 

The character is a former Viper thug who discovered that he had powers while in witness protection. His powers come from expouser to a mutigen effecting his endrocrin system (IE his petuitary gland and growth hormone secreation).

 

I wanted the character to be a bit generic and simple from a powers point of view.

 

His current SID is the third one he's had since leaving Viper. In fact the way it worked was, he was given a new identity wich was found out. He was then given a second new identity, and before Viper discovered that identity he went to a prominent PC (from another group) and convinced her to make him a better new identity. One the government wouldn't even know.

 

I hope this helps.

Re: Are all the good names really takes?

 

ParagonAlpha: Thank you. I really like some of those names.

 

TheQuestionMan: Thank you too. I've used Seventh Sanctum, and find it very hit or miss (for the growing character its been a miss). I am looking at the Wiki pages too. I never really thought about searching there.

 

Clonus: I thought of that. And for some characters that does work, but not all of them. For the growth character using foreign words doest fit concept.

 

Gideon isn't good enough?

TB

Unfortunately as I said the game is a Living World setting, and there is already a Gideon. I should know. I play him.

For our campaigns, we don't worry about whether or not a name is taken in another universe, we only care that the name fits the character, and that the character is at least -somehow- unique to itself.

 

Example: Iron Man. A friend of mine played a character named Iron Man in one of my Hero campaigns. His concept: He was a former US Army Special Forces officer who was badly wounded in action, and honorably discharged. His father had some connections, and he volunteered for a bleeding-edge experimental cybernetics program. So his right arm, both legs, his spine, shoulders, and one eye were replaced with cybernetics. He also wore a (non powered) armored costume to protect his torso.

 

Name never bothered me at all.

 

My GM is trying to publish, and because of that he disallows characters to have both the same name and the same powers as published characters.

 

So actually my GM would allow that character to be named Iron Man also. The reason is simply because he is not a Powered Armor character.

Maybe you should convince the GM that it is traditional in comics for there to sometimes be multiple characters with the same name - just break out any Official Handbooks of the Marvel Universe or Who's Who in the DC Universe and you'll see what I mean. Even the CU has two Thunderbolts.

 

Besides, if two characters have the same name it allows things like rivalries and amusing confusion over the name to develop:

He knows about that tradition. And he believes fully in it.

 

Its coming up with something new thats hard.

 

I mean if there was more than 1 character I knew of in the game that had growth powers, I might have considered being the second-gen character (Manhunter 2, Blue Beetle 2, Goliath 2). But there isn't. So I am trying to come up with something not already taken, and not as stupid (thank you) as Big Punch or Punch Fist or Giant Hand (a couple of which I actually think are better than the real Image character names like Combat and Shaft).

I've been wracking my brain for the past couple of weeks trying to come up with a good name for a hero with growth powers.

 

I still haven't found one I like.

 

I can't use Giant, Giant-man, Goliath, Growing Man, Atom, Atom-Smasher, Colossus, Atlas or Tower. They are either established as characters in Marvel, DC (GM won't allow characters with the same name and powers as established super-heroes from either company), part of the CU, or already taken by a PC or villain (GM runs a living world).

 

My friend who also plays champions wants to play an archer, and can't come up with a good name either. The same goes my other friend who wants to play a shapeshifter.

 

So is it true? Are all the good names already taken?

Re: Secret Identities and Teammates

 

I’m getting the impression either you are new to this group or the group itself is new.

Thats part of why this is hard. I'm not new to the group. I've been friends with and been in RPGs with 3 of the players for close to 10 years now, and the one I'm having the problem with for 5 years. The only new player is the person playing Saiph, who I brought to the game.

 

I've even played in 2 other campaigns with the person in question, and the debate never came up because both of my PCs had Public ID.

Of the three that have been revealed to the whole team, two are at least in part due to GM action.

Actually only 2 out of the 6 characters know Saiph's SID. Everyone knows Sentinel's and everyone knows Seizures.

Finally, I’m guessing that Seizure or Prestige is the character of the player with the issue. If I’m correct, than the PC probably has the power to “accidentally” “out” your character.

Another tough part of this whole debate. It's Seizure's player who is doing this. But he has promised everyone at the table that he won't force the matter (both IC and OOC), and he has promised that an "accident" will only happen if it is the single most likely course of action Seizure would take.

 

Nobody (including myself) questioned the action she took that lead to her "accidentally" discovering Saiph's SID. It was exactly what we all thought the character would do.

 

I think I misrepresented my question a little. I know that eventually my character will most likely reveal his SID to everyone. This isn't so much about my problem with the conduct of the player in my group.. its more about how people view SID.

 

The real question here is:

 

Do you play characters with SID?

 

If and when you do play a character with SID, under what circumstances would you have the character reveal his identity to his teammates?

 

Do your characters always reveal their SID's to their teammates?

 

As a GM do you forcibly "out" characters to the other PCs?

Re: Secret Identities and Teammates

 

Ok,

 

First: caris: I already talked to the player, and his fealings on it seem to be that I am being unreasonable, and even if my character doesn't want to reveal, either I should come up with a reason for him to do so or I should ask the GM to force it. He seems to think that it takes away from the game, wearas I do not (and actually I like the game better the way it is).

 

Second: On a meta level yes we all know. And in some cases we know IC as well as OOC.

 

There are 6 characters in the group:

 

All the characters are the same age, go to the same school, and are in most of the same classes. They all know each other outside of costumes, and some of them (but not all) are friends.

 

Night (Dark Vigilante)

Plastron (Power Armor)

Siezure (Psychic)

Saiph (Energy Projector)

Sentinel (Gageteer)

Prestige (Mage)

 

Do to PC action (on the part of Siezure) everyone knows Siezure's SID

Do to a reacurring main villian everyone knows Sentinel's SID

Do to the same villian Sentinel know's Plastron's SID

Nobody know's Night's SID

Do to both PC action (on the part of Prestige), and a different villian everyone know's Prestige's SID

 

And last but not least

 

Night stumbled upon Saiph while he was instant changeing and discovered his SID (the GM had no influence on this, both PCs went to the same place to change into costume at the same time and Saiph failed his perception roll). After a teen-party-gone-wrong Seizure tried to Mind Scan for Saiph's SID and found that he was standing 2 feet away from her: SID revealed!

In the teen superhero game I play there has been a constant debate about SIDs

 

My character doesn't want the team to know who he is. His superhero identity (Plastron) looks like a 6'5" tall robot/ power-armor type. He continuously claims to be a cybernetic being created by aliens, and he doesn't have a "real life". His SID is the school nerd-turned-jock and he isn't well liked, so he is afraid that if he reveals his ID the group will reject him.

 

Another character in the group is a "Dark Vigilante" type. A martial artist/ investigator with some gadgets (think Robin or Spoiler). She doesn't want to reveal her SID either. She has her own reasons (I don't know them, I don't play the character)

 

A third character was put in a situation where the player felt it appropriate to reveal his characters SID to people. However, the difference here is that the player believes that the PCs (AKA teammates) should always be willing to reveal their SIDs to each other.

 

His belief stems from the fact that most of the games he's played the characters eventually revealed themselves to each other (so he thinks of it as the normal thing to do). He can't understand both why we as players don't want to do so, and as characters aren't willing to do so.

 

Now his character is trying to coax us into taking off our "masks".

 

So I have a couple of questions for everyone:

 

Do you think he is right and the PCs should always be willing to reveal SIDs to each other?

 

Or do you think that it is right for characters to keep their SIDs from teammates?

 

Also Under what circumstances would you have a character you play who has SID reveal his identity to his teammates?

Re: Minor Knockback power

 

The way I would build this is AoE TK with the Instantanious duration limitation. I don't have my book with me so I can't build the power right now.

 

This is how I bought a "force shove" power for a character. Its a power that effectivly deals knockback without dealing damage and is legal RAW.