Matt the Bruins

Re: Cosmic Entity Adventures!

Um, assault, I could make an argument that Doctor Fate is at roughly Galactus' power level. Maybe Wonder Woman or Zatanna would be more in keeping with what you have in mind?

Re: WWYCD: Island Paradise

Super Model - St. Croix and Martinique have beautiful beaches too, plus frozen drinks and cabana boys to bring them to her. She'd make her best guess as to the direction of the nearest landmass with an international airport, and start flying toward it at a steady maintainable pace.

Kurzhaan the Conqueror - a peaceful, quiet island paradise with no advertising billboards or people telling him he has to put on some clothes to go swimming at the beach? Assuming it's not temporarily visiting from another dimension or a fiendishly disguised Lovecraftean horror, he'd bum around and do the Robinson Crusoe bit for a few weeks. Eventually he'd get bored or lonely, work up a ritual to transport himself somewhere with good conversation and roulette tables, and forget all about the place.

Earth Girl - This kind of unspoiled wilderness is what she lives for. She'd probably stay a while to enjoy nature's beauty and replenish the various vines, grasses, and flowers that grow in her outermost layers. Then, she'd swim away through the ground to fight pollution and deforestation, never mentioning the location to another living soul.

Re: What does a "20 Comeliness" look like to YOU?

Personally, I'm celibate, straight male. But I were married, my 'five' would probably include Christian Bale. Yeah, I'm straight, but it's Christian Bale. So he's a 20.

It's a great disappointment to me that Bale didn't put this effect to good use at the Batman Begins premiere when Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were hogging the limelight. If anyone would have been able to blast the hinges off the ironclad Closet That Scientology Built, it's him...

Of course, it makes sense to me that he passed on the opportunity, as succeeding would then leave him stuck actually having to follow through.

Re: Paris Hilton as a super villain

Didn't someone in another thread suggest making it the criminal mastermind that was actually planning her crimes?

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

Unfortunately, even HDv2 won't run on my iBook's operating system.

Clonus, does this look more workable to you regarding Marenka's powers?

Cost Powers END

12 Unearthly Beauty: Elemental Control, 56-point powers, Powers Only Work On Men (-1), All Powers Reduced Proportionately By Drain vs. COM (-1/4)

a-10 1) Turn Every Head: Change Environment 4" radius, -3 to Normal Sight PER Rolls, Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Always On (-1/2), Only Works On Men (-1), Reduced Proportionately by Drain vs. COM (-1/4) [0]

b-13 2) Make Men Fall All Over Themselves: Drain DEX 3d6, Ranged (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Only Works On Men (-1), Reduced Proportionately by Drain vs. COM (-1/4) [0]

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

Makes it impossible to actually work as a model. Nobody would be able to see the clothes or take their photographs.

 

Have you tried to access Herocentral, or is this character going to end up being a gedanken exercise?

I'll try to work up something a little less extreme with a Change Environment build for that power.

I've registered at Hero Central, but haven't yet scoped out exactly how the PBEM setup works yet (I've only ever played tabletop games). Does the site have a Hero Designer-style application to actually log in character write-ups, or do we just enter a raw text version somewhere like we've been doing in this thread?

Re: Paris Hilton as a super villain

Both could work together - remember the kids that DD has already "raised" from childhood in CU canon?

Re: What was your favorite beginning for an adventure?

My all-time favorite was in a White Wolf game in the mid-90s where I was playing a grifter/con-man magician with lots of enemies. My GM started it off by saying, "Waking up in your bed, you smell gas." My character immediately hit the ground running, grabbed a pair of jeans off a chair in mid-stride, and jumped headfirst through his bedroom window. The explosion blew out all the tenement's windows while he was still climbing out of the dumpster he landed in.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

Clonus, one thing I wanted to ask about: since Marenka and maybe Neraea are the only wives who may have been publicly involved with Sentinel as opposed to one of his secret identities, will the ex-wives aspect of the group be masked with a different cover story once they go public with their crime-fighting activities? Or will he depart the playing field in such a way that preserving his secret IDs is no longer a concern?

Re: You were supposed to turn left!

I once threw my GM's plans out of whack in a crossover White-Wolf game by having my character refuse to go gallavanting off into the spirit world with the other characters (he was a gritty, hard-nosed vampire who was working with the others for practical reasons rather than out of the spirit of adventure, and they would have been the only food source he was certain of in other dimensions). It was hilarious that a couple of my fellow players were completely flabbergasted by someone following in-game logic and bow out rather than sticking with the group for meta reasons.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

FEAR OUR MIGHTY NEUROSES, EVILDOERS!

Works for me. I hope I didn't come across as trying to tell you how to build your character' date=' thats between you and the GM. I was just tossing out some suggestions[/quote']

Not at all, discussion is helpful for soldifying the concept and making me think through the rationale for her powers.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

Out of curiosity' date=' wouldn't her Stunning Beauty powers be limited to "People that would find her physically/sexually attractive" more than strictly men? Lesbians/Bisexual women might be effect and strongly gay men probably wouldn't be or asexuals of either gender. .[/quote']

I thought about that, but in my experience lots of gay men are completely fascinated by supermodel types and similar entertainment divas–they don't want to have sex with them, but such women still strongly command their attention. (Hey, something about the concept drew me in, right? ) Admittedly this aspect of the build may break down with regard to lesbian women; among the ones I know there's a roughly even split between those unconcerned with physical appearance and those who react to it in the same manner as straight men. I'd be happy to leave that up to the GM should he throw a lesbian super-villainess at us. Or I could just change the limitation to Does Not Affect Heterosexual Women, which would still be about 50% of the total population.

 

I looked at Mind Control, but the Flash power seemed to more correctly model what I was aiming for in that it's a purely visual effect that could be blocked by eyewear that alters how one sees, or simply looking away once people realize how she's affecting them. And I wanted the power to make it difficult for Marenka to interact with men–it's at least partially responsible for breaking up her marriage, after all. I'm envisioning lots of conversations that have to be repeated to distracted men, bumbling service in restaurants and shops, etc. that annoy her to no end. But I hadn't considered a Change Environment build - I'll look into that and see if I can work up an effect that has the right flavor.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

I like the character' date=' but why does she have an ashtray on her head?[/quote']

Clearly' date=' you have no grasp of fashion.[/quote']

 

assault gets it in one. Instead of one particular uniform, Marenka wears a constantly-changing assortment of runway outfits. Kind of like Janet van Dyne, if rather than wings her signature look depended on ridiculous hats.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

Submitted for your approval:

Super Model

Marenka Novak

Player: Matt the Bruins

Val Char Cost

50 STR 40

15 DEX 15

20 CON 20

19 BODY 18

14 INT 4

15 EGO 10

25 PRE 15

30 COM 10

10 PD 0 Total: 30 PD (20 rPD)

4 ED 0 Total: 14 ED (10 rED)

4 SPD 15

14 REC 0

55 END 8

49 STUN 0

Movement: Running 6"/12"

Flight: 20"/40"

Total Characteristics Cost: 155

Cost Powers END

12 Unearthly Beauty: Elemental Control, 55-point powers, Powers Only Work On Men (-1),

All Powers Reduced Proportionately By Drain vs. COM (-1/4)

a-10 1) Turn Every Head: Sight Group Flash 2 1/2d6, Area Of Effect (8” Radius, +1 1/4), Continuous (+1),

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Always On (-1/2), Only Works On Men (-1),

Reduced Proportionately by Drain vs. COM (-1/4) [0]

b-13 2) Make Men Fall All Over Themselves: Drain DEX 3d6, Ranged (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2),

Gestures (-1/4), Only Works On Men (-1), Reduced Proportionately by Drain vs. COM (-1/4) [0]

40 Jet Set: Flight 20” [4]

45 Flawless Skin: Armor (20 PD/10 ED)

6 Fabulous Life: Life Support (Eating: Character only has to eat once per week; Immunity: Alcohol;

Longevity: 200 Years; Sleeping: Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week)

Martial Arts: Catfight

Cost Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Slap: 0 OCV, +2 DCV, 12d6

5 Kick: -2 OCV, +1 DCV, 14d6

4 Face Claw: -1 OCV, +1 DCV, 2d6 NND

3 Hair Pull: -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab , 60 STR

4 Take Away: -1 OCV, +1 DCV, Disarm, 60 STR

Cost Skill

3 +1 with Unearthly Beauty Powers and PRE Attacks

3 High Society 14-

4 PS: Fashion Model 15-

3 Seduction 14-

0 Language: Czech (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)

3 Language: English (fluent conversation; literate)

5 Language: French (fluent conversation; literate)

Cost Perk

1 Fringe Benefit: Passport

10 Money: Wealthy

4 Reputation: supermodel (Western World) 11-, +2/+2d6

15 Contact: Fashion Industry (Contact has useful Skills or resources), Organization

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 195

200+ Disadvantages

10 Dependent NPC: Sam Ballantine (agent) 11- (Normal; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills)

15 Distinctive Features: stunningly beautiful (Concealable, Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction)

10 Hunted: groupies 14- (Less Pow, PC has a Public ID, Watching)

15 Hunted: paparazzi 14- (Less Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID, Watching)

20 Hunted: tabloids 14- (Less Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID, Mildly Punish)

10 Psychological Limitation: Demanding (Common, Moderate)

20 Psychological Limitation: Vain (Very Common, Strong)

10 Reputation: diva, 11-

10 Rivalry: Gisele Bundchen: Professional (More Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate

Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry)

5 Rivalry: Heidi Klum: Professional (As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival;

Rival Aware of Rivalry)

5 Rivalry: Kate Moss: Professional (As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival;

Rival Aware of Rivalry)

5 Rivalry: Cameron Diaz: Professional and Romantic (As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or

Humiliate Rival; Rival Unaware of Rivalry)

15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Marenka Novak) (Frequently, Major)

Disadvantage Points: 150

Base Points: 200

Total Points: 350

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

I thought I might be able to draw and scan a quick character illustration on my lunch hour today, but then I got hit by an avalanche of You Want It Done By When? and had to eat at my desk and work late. I'll try to post my write-up and art this weekend.

While mapping out defensive capabilities, I realized that Life Support (only needs to eat once per week; only needs to sleep 8 hours per week; Immunity: alcohol) weren't the result of superhuman enhancement, but just the character being used to the model lifestyle.

Re: How do mutants work out?

It certainly wouldn't help if there's a powerful mutant villain activist out there publicly agitating for a war against humanity. Nevermind that 999 mutants out of a thousand have no interest in being super-powered terrorists, it's the one that gets swept up in his recruiting drive and blows up her local 7-11 that's going to get all the news coverage.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

- Or of course it could be motorised! The benefit of that would be that she wouldn't have to use her hands to move. And at least some of these things can actually get up a reasonable bit of speed, so she could justify a normal running, or even slightly faster than normal running speed.

Motorized wheelchairs aren't all that fast - my dad's moves slower than normal walking speed, and I doubt any are made that will break 12 mph on flat ground. Coupling the manual kind with superhuman strength might get you up to bicycle speeds, but bear in mind it's much easier to fall out of them or tip over if they're moving fast.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

I don't know if accessing Hero Central's features is even possible on my Kings of Edom-era iBook (seriously, I'm lucky it's still compatible with the internet at all). But just for the fun of character creation...

"Super Model"

Marenka Novak, glitterati fashion model. A steely Czech beauty, toast of the runways in mid-90s Paris and Milan. She learned long ago that the key to getting anything she wanted from a man was combining her stunning looks with frosty indifference. Unsurprisingly, a super-man is no different. Her refusal to be impressed by Sentinel's fame and elaborate attempts at courtship resulted in him being driven to distraction and, eventually, to her becoming Wife #6. The alien enhancement treatment necessary for her safety resulted not only in superhuman physical power, but an eerie augmentation of her already reknowned beauty. Only her severe and unforgiving personality resisted improvement.

As it turned out, Sentinel wasn't so highly evolved as to be beyond the grip of jealousy. The fact that his bride turned the head of every man present and attracted a constant stream of admirers and sycophants rankled. Accusations of flirtation, and eventually, infidelity, flew. For her part, Marenka was less than thrilled by becoming tabloid fodder – the monicker "Super Model" was decidely not of her own choosing – and loathed being viewed as an object by possessive men, whether they were strangers or her own husband. The couple fell to bickering, and divorced barely two years after exchanging vows.

Nowadays Marenka is grateful for the occasional company of her fellow former wives, perhaps the only women who can also appreciate the downside of marrying the world's most admired man. She views their heroic efforts as a sort of socially conscious hobby, like friends who meet to do charity work over cosmopolitans.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

I just bought a PDF of Conquerors, Killers, & Crooks over the weekend and wanted to stop by and tip my hat to the artist for his beautiful work in that book. My previous Shogun Warriors knock-off mental image of Dr. Destroyer has been replaced by something actually regal and threatening, and the atmospheric light effect of the Mentalla illustration was absolutely stunning. Good show!

Re: What if Dr. Destroyer....

I think it quite likely that any "save the environment by eliminating 90% of humanity" plan would be like that of the Master of the World in the old Alpha FLight comic books: doing something to fertility rates species-wide so we just aren't making that many new people, and immunizing whatever group Zerstoiten sees as being worthy of creating future generations. You'd avoid the quick and wholesale destruction of an immediate population cull in favor of gradually decereasing environmental pressures as the birth rate falls to near zero and people continue to die off naturally.

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign

My arms don't stretch wide enough to depict how much I love the idea of a game where one of the character concepts could legitimately go by the code name Super Model.

Sentinel may have experimented with playing for the other team back in college.

As much as I'd normally be in favor of the idea of a switch-hitting iconic super hero, "The X-Wives Club" is such a beautiful concept that I don't think the format should be broken by the inclusion of an X-College Roommate.

Re: Enchanted battle axe

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'm reluctant to apply Restrainable to the whole multipower, since I could see at least the cutting edge being used when someone's trying to grapple the user. And I didn't want to use Real Weapon, as it won't require any maintenance to keep its edge or durability – conceptually, if I'm going to have an axe that someone can hack his way through a 6' granite wall with, it pretty much has to be indestructible.

Re: What is Your Favorite Item?

One of my favorites was from my original D&D group many moons (and lunar eclipses) ago. One of the characters ended up in possession of Queen Elissa's Marvelous Nightingale after a quest. I don't recall if it was one of the side effects of the artifact itself or a separate curse, but he was shrunken down to doll size and imprisoned alongside the Nightingale within its indestructible gilded cage. The guy ended up being carried around in it for the rest of the campaign.

I was trying to design a magical battle axe for a semi-antagonistic warlord in a Conan-esque setting, and wanted to come up with something that wouldn't be too overbalanced in terms of combat effectiveness but still be capable of a couple of impressively flashy effects. Does it look like I'm handling the build right?

Orphan-Maker: Multipower, 45-point reserve (45 Active Points); all slots Independent (-2), OAF Unbreakable (-1) (real cost: 11 points)

1) Slice: HKA 2d6, Armor Piercing (+1/2) (45 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Unbreakable (-1) (ultra slot, real cost: 1 point)

2) Flat Of The Blade: HA +5d6, Double Knockback (+1/2) (44 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Independent (-2), OAF Unbreakable (-1) (ultra slot, real cost: 1 point)

3) Shatter Barriers: Tunneling 1" through 8 DEF material (26 Active Points); Instant (-1/2), Independent (-2), OAF Unbreakable (-1), Restrainable (requires empty hex to swing; -1/2) (ultra slot, real cost: 1 point) Total cost: 14 points

I'm not 100% sure if I'm using the Restrainable limitation correctly, but I figure the restriction would be worth about as much modeled as a Limited Power.

Re: Unreal Darwin Awards

Originally Posted by Comic View Post

I wish we had some beautifulsailor girls...

Fixed it for you, otherwise you dont want to know what you'd get.

 

"You don't look like Kelly McGillis, you look like Maude!"