mattingly

Re: Who Is... Your Favorite Villain? I like the Slug and Anubis. Mystical villains out of their elements on modern-day Earth.

Re: Shoot 'em Up I'm in the minority. I'd like to see it for the chance to see Paul Giamatti as an action star.

Re: Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth story options? These can be tied together. Tie Firedrake and Skullcrusher's past together under Blank. When things look bleak for the heroes, King Cobra lets loose with a maniacal laugh that brings up a suppressed memory of SC's -- Blank used to laugh that same way back at VIPER when he was torturing/experimenting on him. He suddenly remembers who he is and what he stands for, and how much he hates Blank. Seeing Skullcrusher turn gives Firedrake the moral impetus to join him. Firedrake remembers those horrible days when Blank was using them both as playthings, and remembers Skullcrusher's courage and kindness at "taking one for the team" so that Firedrake didn't have to. I'd keep Gorgon out of the fight since she's at her best underwater. Leave her in an underground river beneath the battle. If things go bad for King Cobra, he summons her, she comes crashing up through the floor, and he escapes into the water riding her like a (sea)horse.

Re: 4th Edition question RE: Gweenies Beware the coming of... Gweenzilla.

Re: Quick thoughts on Gestalt Foxbat must be the Gestalt of ping-pong balls.

Re: Gestalt is Online I talked to the printer this morning, and the books were being bound. They're shipping to the warehouse this afternoon, and ought to make it into local game stores by the second week of September, give or take.

Scott Bennie has started a thread on the BlackWyrm forums for a "Gestalt of the Week."

Re: Gestalt is Online The standard print version available through stores and on teh BlackWyrm site will be black and white. The special color edition will only be available from Lulu (linked from the BlackWyrm site once it's available).

Re: Quick thoughts on Gestalt The printed book is not yet for sale at our BlackWyrm store either. We only had a limited number of advance copies, wihch all sold at GenCon. We'll have it for sale on our site about the same time it hits game store shelves.

Re: Quick thoughts on Gestalt Don't blame the distributor. Our printer was supposed to ship the books to the warehouse on Monday, but lost power for several days due to storms (in Chicago).

Re: Help needed for awkward concept Here's how I did it a few years ago: Wraith Wraith is the ghost of a dead plumber. Personality/Motivation: Wraith is a peace-keeper by nature, and hates conflict. Now that he’s dead, that personality quick has been elevated to the level of a “passion.” It’s even grown to the point where he must avenge those who take advantage of an opponent in a fight. Having been a plumber in his life, Wraith is Fettered to water, particularly still water. So, if the lake is disturbed, he may become Harrowed, and take extra damage. If Wraith betrays his Passion by becoming angry himself, he gives more power to his Shadow, the dark side of his Wraith existence that seeks to transform him into a Specter. Powers/Tactics: When Wraith engages in his Passion (stopping a conflict, or avenging an attack against a helpless or unaware opponent), some of his Pathos energy heals back, granting him more power in the Skinlands (the Earthly Plane). Wraith Val Char Cost Roll Notes 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH [1] 11 DEX 3 11- OCV: 4/DCV: 4 13 CON 6 12- 21 BODY 2* 11- 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll: 14- 11 EGO 2 11- ECV: 4 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 2½d6 10 COM 0 11- 4 PD 2 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD) 4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 9 Phases: 4, 8, 12 5 REC 0 26 END 0 25 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 30 Movement: Flight: 3”/6”/12” Running: 3”/6”/12” Leaping: 1”/2”/4” Swimming: 1”/2”/4” Cost Powers END 17 The Fog: PRE +9d6, Transdimensional (Skinlands, +½); Only for PRE Attacks (-1), Only versus Non-Supernatural Mortals (Not Children, the Innocent, or the Insane, -1), Must Disclose Wraithly Nature or Subject Target to Obvious Wraith Presence (-½), Requires Eye Contact (-½) 0 18 Insubstantiality: Desolidification (Affected by Interdimensional Attacks), Costs END Only to Activate (+¼); Only To Protect Against Limited Type Of Attack (-1), Side Effects (1 pip KA when activated) (-½), Lasts CON in Phases after Activation (-¼) 4 43 Ectoplasmic Corpus: Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; STUN Only (-½), Not vs. Drains (-½) plus +10 BODY*; No Figured Characteristics (-½) 0 41 I'm Already Dead: Life Support (Eating, All Diseases, Biowarfare, Poisons, Chemical, Immortal, Self-Contained Breathing, Sleeping) 0 25 Lifesight/Deathsight: Detect Health, Auras, Weaknesses, and Defects 11-, Transdimensional, Discriminatory 0 6 Sharpened Senses: Enhanced Perception (+3 to PER Rolls for All Sense Groups); Does Not Apply to Lifesight/Deathsight (-½) 0 31 Locate Fetter: Detect One's Own Fetters 11-, Transdimensional, Megascale (from 100m to 1000km; +1¼); Extra Time (1 Turn, -1¼), Concentration ½ DCV (-¼) plus Clairsentience (Sight Group), Single Dimension, Megascale (from 100m to 1000km, +1¼); Only to Scan Area around One's Own Fetters (-½), Concentration ½ DCV (-¼), Blackout (-½), Extra Time (Full Phase, -½) 7 12 Slumbering Inside Fetter: Extra-Dimensional Movement, Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½); Wraith is Unconscious and Can Do Nothing but Heal While in Fetter (-1), IAF (-½) 0 3 Healing through Slumber or Meditation: Healing 1d6 (Can Heal Limbs), Reset Interval of 6 hours (+¼); Extra Time 6 Hours (-3½), Character May Take No Other Actions (-¼), Costs 3x END to Heal Aggravated Damage (-1), Self Only (-½) 2 21 Recovery from Harrowing: Healing 1 BODY (Resurrection, Can Heal Limbs), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½), Persistent (+½); Extra Time (1 Turn, -1¼), Self Only (-½), Wraith Forced to Remain in Fetter During Regeneration (-½) 0 Pathos 13 Pathos: Endurance Reserve (100 END, 10 REC); Only Recover when Indulging in a Passion or Core Emotion, -1½), Requires A Skill Roll 11- (No Active Point Penalty -½) 0 21 Healing Corpus through Pathos: BODY Healing 1d6 (Can Heal Limbs), Reset Interval of 1 Turn (+1½); Self Only (-½), Does Not Work On Aggravated Damage One Type of Damage (-¼) 4 25 Dirge/Ballad: Mind Control 8d6, Telepathic (+¼), Transdimensional (+½); Emotions Only (-½), Half Effect on Other Wraiths (-¼), Requires an EGO Roll 11- (-1) 7 20 Enshroud: Invisibility to Sight Group, Costs END Only to Activate (+¼); Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -¼) 2 12 Phantom Wings: Flight 6”; Only While Insubstantiality is Triggered (-¼) 1 Skills 6 +2 with ECV 2 KS: Plumbing 11- 1 Mechanics 8- 2 PS: Plumber 11- 1 Streetwise 8- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 320 Total Cost: 350 250+ Disadvantages 10 Distinctive Features: Horrendous Wounds on the Neck (Easily Concealed, Major Reaction) 10 Enraged: When Faced with Anger (Common), go 8-, recover 14- 10 Hunted: His Shadow 11- (Less Pow, Mildly Punish) 5 Physical Limitation: Cannot Heal Back BODY Normally (Infrequently, Slightly) 15 Physical Limitation: Confined to the Tempest if Fetters are Destroyed (All the Time, Slightly) 10 Psychological Limitation: Enjoys Still Waters (Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Must Avenge Attacks to the Helpless (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Must Maintain Peace (Common, Strong) 15 Susceptibility to Harrowing: 2d6 Transform (weaker Passions, less important Fetters, Reduced BODY or EGO) depending on what's being threatened 3d6 damage, Instant (Uncommon) 5 Unluck: 1d6 Total Disadvantage Points: 350

Re: Deck Plans Our Future Armada line has a variety of ships (but they use squares instead of hexes). http://www.blackwyrm.com/Products.htm

Re: Ultimate books and general utility Although it's not an Ultimate book, I also recommend the UNTIL Superpowers Database.

Re: Gestalt is Online It will be; I'll probably set that up a week or two after GenCon.

Re: Gestalt is Online We have a few advance copies of the book that we'll be taking to GenCon with us. The printer will start the main production run next week and ship them to the warehouse, so my guess is that they'll be in stores in about three weeks.

Re: Gestalt Player's Guide -- Free Dowload Available We have a few advance copies of the book that we'll be taking to GenCon with us. The printer will start the main production run next week and ship them to the warehouse, so my guess is that they'll be in stores in about three weeks.

Re: Comic Cover Browser I disagree with the criticism of the photographic Spiderman cover. In that issue someone who took a photograph of Spiderman as he was changing his costume, and Spidey chased him down for the whole book. I thought it was nicely done.

The Gestalt PDF is up for sale at BlackWyrm's site and at RPGnow! Look into Gestalt, read an interview with the author, and download previews at http://www.blackwyrm.com.

Re: Gestalt Player's Guide -- Free Dowload Available And it's total awesomeness!

Re: Algernon Files 2.0 As a co-author of both books, I agree that The Fires Of War would fit better for a pulp game. Probably at least 1/3rd of the book should be useful to a pulp hero game with very little change. The timeline, military of the era, superspies, trick pilots, intrepid explorers, precocious kids, museums, islands, dinosaurs, mad scientists, rockets, hypnotists, masterminds, femmes fatale, crimelords, sky pirates, and other elements should be able to spice up a pulp game easily enough. We'd certainly love for you to buy The Algernon Files, too, but it's intended more for a modern superhero game.

Re: I'll mimic your powers.. what? That's impossible! I can't! If the hero is from another universe, I'd just give him 5 points of Power Defense, Transdimensional. Then give all the mimics in this universe a -0 Limitation on their VPPs and other mimicking powers that they won't work against anyone with Transdimensional Power Defense.

Re: I'll mimic your powers.. what? That's impossible! I can't! Invisibility to Detect Superpowers?

Re: CHAR - The Altruist Great story. Man, that's a life full of unluck...

Re: "Neat" Pictures Looks to me like the cosmic Phoenix bird.

Re: In need of help Here's a simplified character sheet I came up with for my boy when he started playing with us (when he was 8). This is Red X, Robin's "evil" alter ego from the Teen Titan cartoon. First I have the regular HERO System write up, then the sheet I gave him. I explained that he could use one belt gadget at a time (his multipower), and that there was a DCV chart to tell him if he'd hit his opponent. Since his suit was normally in "Combat Mode," I figured in his OCV and DCV levels, and also modified the martial maneuvers so that they were all +0/+0 modifiers, so he didn't have to change numbers in the middle of combat.