Tigereye

Re: STRONGHOLD -- What Do You Want To See? Well, having had a mass breakout from Stronghold in our last adventure, how about a nuclear energy suppression system, Megascale, Area Effect? After all, in order to effect the escape of nearly every supervillain from the complex, the main baddy NUKED it with a 1-kiloton enhanced-EMP "device"... Seriously, though, in addition to the ideas listed above- Resident "on call" -and incarcerated- heroes (who may be there while undergoing investigation of wrongdoing- a "Punisher" type or something) Whether the jailed hero is actually guilty remains up to the GM. I like the idea of an Evil Government Cabal which has framed or "rendered" a superhero in the facility. Similar facilities worldwide, and ideas for containment powers.

Re: Humanity Rating? I, too, agree with the above, at least in the context of the Hero System, at least in most games. It could certainly work with more than even the systems given above. I could also add "Pendragon" in its personality matrix. I'm not rejecting the idea out of hand. I just don't think it could apply to a certain group of characters. My character is a perfect example. He is just chock full of foibles and weaknesses. He is not above a little selfishness, he can be extremely cruel, he's a phenomenal seducer, he's not comfortable in a public setting except when he's anonymous. He can be obsessive, and feels depressed when there's no action he can take. On the other hand, he gives all his found money to charity (especially to widows or orphans of fallen heroes) and is keenly interested in environmental protection, especially marine life and birds. He's the one who generally gets the most banged up in a game trying to protect others, innocents, even more powerful heroes. (He would gladly drag an injured comrade off at great personal peril to himself.) In a crowd setting, he literally drew the fire of an energy projector (a pistol with Penetration does wonders for catching attention) just so the crowd could evacuate. He fought with a painful shoulder and chest burn for the rest of the combat. It's just the kind of person he is. Is he human? Absolutely. But defining humanity is a multi-dimensional spectrum, and there are things in most people that just aren't nice. To cross game systems for a moment, we each have a Dark Side Point somewhere. Many humans are simultaneously good and bad. They beat their wives while giving generously to charity. They swindle and fleece while opening up food pantries. They kill millions of people while refusing to eat meat because that would mean killing an animal. Where do you draw the line? It's certainly not a bright one. There are also villains I know in comic books who have more understandable and comprehensible personalities than some of the heroes (Magneto's motives are understandable, even if you do not approve of his actions or goals whatsoever, while the Punisher seems to have lost nearly all his humanity in seeking justice.) Nope, I don't like it. Some games where you want that, certainly, but not in Champions.

Re: Superheroes, Power and Responsbility Superheroes draw upon a human need for someone higher than themselves, yet still just accessible. Demi-gods used to be an outlet for this, whence we hear about the power of Hercules or of Beowulf. Kings were also a common outlet for this. Yet Kings could be capricious- they could be good or really, really awful. More often the latter. America has no state faith, no pantheon to call our own, so we make our own pantheon of fiction and call them superheroes. In this day and age, there is little justice for people of modest means, so the superheroes, with rare exception, seek justice in its various forms. (It's notable how many heroes in the genre- and villains- are multimillionaires.) Most Americans try to create "heroes" or "role models" out of celebrities or athletes, but I'm amazed when people say they're "let down" when their pet athlete turns out to have feet of clay after all, or their favorite celeb gets busted for the umpteenth time for DWI. They make poor substitutes for demi-gods, and seem to be a replacement for kings. I don't know if it's the age we live in, a sign that educational standards have slipped, or a side of human nature that was always there but not apparent until now, but people in this day and age seem to have a reluctance to think for themselves. More to the point, they have a need for others to do it for them. I think it's a ego protection feature- if the other person fails to do a good job, they can blame them rather than go through the often wrenching process of self-examination. (If you think I'm being right-wing or something, I'm not- the high and the mighty as well as the lowly in society have an equal stake in this egotistical activity. Politicians, clergymen and business leaders all seem to have real problems with accepting responsibility when caught doing something stupid. But I've seen hoodies also claim that they aren't to blame, because society failed to think for them. QED, we're to blame for their crimes.) If superheroes existed, this would only probably exacerbate the problem. If they were a product of modern society, and without any more wisdom than humanity in general, we'd probably just see the same problems, only scaled-up. Unless they could give us some real solutions to our mundane issues (fusion power? clean fresh water? an end to poverty? ) collectively we probably would trust them about as much as we do celebrities today- that is to say, too much. If they were somehow smarter and wiser, perhaps there would be an improvement, but even if they had all the logic of Vulcans, the world would probably have an entirely new set of problems. Each era brings its own set of challenges.

Re: WWYCD: Dead Man Running It does rather make a hash of execution being a means of deterring crime. Not to mention jealous. Whether or not my group gets involved would depend on the nature of the crimes. If they were largely local, we could call in the Windy City Irregulars to investigate. If he were national in scope of his crimes, a call to PRIMUS or another high-powered investigator would be more appropriate. They know where to find us if things get out of hand. If the criminal doing his Yesua ben-Yusef impersonation is a wanted international terrorist... We will investigate, of course. Did somebody not find out that this man cannot be killed by the means of execution? Did someone give him the temporary ability to sustain the damage he did? Is he a unknown supervillain of some type? Deuce, Sky, Avenging Angel and Chayin'de will take the primary job of tracking track him down. Angel in particular will be very good in this role, as a former bounty hunter, she has several contacts. Deuce can always call in a favour. If they are successful, then the rest of the characters will also be needed- this guy may be hard to stop! Some of the members of Deuce's team may refuse to go along, as they have a CAK, or may do so only under the provision that the death sentence will be commuted if the man is captured. Of course, the sentence was simply failed to be carried out- if this man thinks he is a free man just because he was not successfully executed, he will be sorely disappointed... Back in the bad old days, the State would get three tries for execution- barring those, the lack of success would be chalked up to an act of God- the sentence would be commuted to life imprisonment. There are really no such restrictions now, especially with supervillains roving about, but the executions may take a different format each time. Lethal injection doesn't work? Trying to fry Battery Baron? Try Doctor Kevorkian's Insto-Disintegrator Booth!

Re: WWYCD: Nestleader: The Game Deuce would target the WWWWHW questions: Who created it? Who financed its creation? Who distributes it? Who is making a profit? Do any of these individuals have any contact with VIPER, current or past? Are they a member, an ally, a rival group, an enemy of the organization? What is its real goals? Does it have a real underlying theme, subliminal or otherwise? Is there a correlation to some activity (criminal actions, violence, terrorism) and locations where the game is popular? When was it made? This is more important than it sounds. If it was made a few years ago, yet is state-of-the-art, or was made recently but beyond the current state, we can assume it may have a nefarious purpose. Where was it produced? (His scientific team members can do the whole CSI routine about what it was made of and where those materials were made) How was it produced? An Evil Genius Laboratory? a Chinese factory? By Elf slave labor in a hollow tree? Of course, above all, WHY? Is it a recruiting tool, a training guide, a sub rosa method of contacting and ordering VIPER agents, or a method of addictive brainwashing? Could it be a means of finding out more of how VIPER operates, so heroes could find out? Is it a false lead, meant to throw the heroes off as to the way a real VIPER cell operates? Through my character's Import-Export cover (his background is in gambling, but he can still use it as there is a very close link between computer gaming and computer gambling), he can try to infiltrate the organization producing the game, under the guise of having a sequel produced. If it is indeed VIPER, he will get as close as possible to the top of the organization, isolating, turning or destroying each cell in the chain. He will NOT use the game as a guide. I hope we're going to have some gratuitous sex and violence... You, bring me the diving suit with the bum cut out; and you, fetch me the bucket of soapy frogs!

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Dennis Hopper... The Bad Guy in "Speed"...(you know, the one with Keanu Reeves as a bomb-squad expert , with the bus that will explode if it goes under 50) Ah, look him up on IMDB, you whippersnappers. You kids know the Inter-tubes and all that jazz - use it. Why, in my day, I had 8k modems - and I was happy!

Re: A "Vintage" plot, take 2 Deuce will not be attending, due to an unfortunate scheduling conflict... he will be sending his far more high-profile (and more photogenic) compatriot instead, Metal Master (keep him away from the antique cars, however, when the fight starts!)... Deuce's alter ego, however, will be in attendance, along with his handsome almost-factory-condition 1965 Aston Martin D.B.5 Vantage coupe (less than 10,000 original miles), in original pewter-grey metallic paint with dark red leather interior, 4-litre straight-6 dual overhead cam engine, 5-speed overdrive gearbox, 3 twin-barrel Weber carbs, and all major options. He will of course enter the easier portion of the Grand Prix, the one for the old show cars-- if nothing else because there are a lot of options that weren't installed in Newport Pagnell, including one even that fictional chap Mark Hazard wouldn't guess at...

Re: WWYCD: The Destruction Of The Conqueror Deuce would be suspicious. Very suspicious. How does he know that this Tyrannon fellow is now a dead "Tree Throne"? There's enough oddness in this world. Did he just metamorphose, like a butterfly? Did he fake his own death? Is there something else that would become a "Tree Throne" if killed- another being like Tyrannon, as terrifying as that might be? And who is this other Dimension Lord- a rival for power perhaps, in the way Mob families sometimes rub each other out. And if Tyrannon is that powerful, would not someone more powerful- and thus possibly more ruthless- be even more of a threat to the planet? It would require a lot of questions answered. And Deuce would ask them- even if he did not like the answers.

Re: How do you keep your dark knights from going "squish"? My dark knight survives through Martial Dodge, plenty of DCV, Combat Luck, the latest in silky nanoweave body armour- those of you critical of "Nanotechnology" can see the site for themselves- http://www.csiro.au/partnerships/ps4y.html and lots of heroes and devices with Healing when everything goes wrong. Survived a punch from Grond that way.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... D&D D20 3.5 edition... Party disguises themselves (very well indeed) as orcs to infiltrate the Orc Stronghold and rescue an earlier party of dilettante adventurers from being sacrificed by their leader Thrul to their meanie Orc God. We manage to get through the outer ring of guards and to a sergeant, who is suspicious because he's never seen us before My character, the rogue/aristocrat Sir Desmond (who speaks fluent Orcish): "We are here from the Raised Finger Band- and we are from many days' journey away." Our Bard, Owain- (Raising a finger- you all know which one, and belting out also in fluent Orcish)- "Hail Thrul!" Entire Party (on cue)- "HAIL THRUL!" Orc Sergeant, taken aback, even more suspicious- "I have never heard of your band before. Where are you from?" My Character- "From the Death Star Lands, far to the west. Land of elves and dwarves, where the diet makes us short but hardy. We are here to tell your great overlord of a discovery from our lands. It is possible to sacrifice a human and a elf woman twice!" (GM, also taken aback, but laughing hard, has me make a Bluff Check. I roll a 2, which still is a 13 for my character, but now the Orc is really suspicious.) Orc Sergeant: "Twice!?" Owain, thinking fast, speaking to me and giving me a rude shove- "Fool! You did not explain to him how! Stop thinking with your spleen!" The Orc Sergeant again. "So, explain to me how this works." Desmond, in a moment of inspiration (or is it desparation?) "Have you never heard of a virgin sacrifice?" "Well, Yes..." I trace an hourglass figure in the air. "Well, we have learned with the human and elven women...you can sacrifice their virginity first!" At this point, the entire table breaks up laughing. The GM makes me roll once again. I roll a 20. With modifiers, it becomes a 41. The Orc, intrigued, flabbergasted, but reassured of our bona fides, leads the party to the first secret entrance to the dungeon where the prisoners are being held. He even tells us to drop his name so he can gain recognition. Party, again, as we descend the staircase, all saluting with our raised fingers: "HAIL THRUL!" Even the Orc salutes.

Re: Single Green Superhero seeks.... (personels for your characters) Deuce: Does not really need a lonely-hearts ad; not with a Seduction of 18-, he doesn't! Besides, the only time he was married ended...badly for the bride. Still, if someone was to write one for him: Prof. WWM, 44, 6'0", slim, darkly handsome, seeks attractive S or DF, age 25-40, humanoid, race unimportant, minor physical flaw may actually attract, but h/w must be proportionate, and must have intelligence and good sense of humour, bullet resistance a definite plus, must be accepting of odd work patterns.

Re: Help With Avoiding Cliches... Splendid, V! Now all we need are some grey-skinned aliens with an unusual interest in human physiology and their orbital mind control beams, and we're all set with the superfecta of the "Tinfoil Hat Brigade". Vector, if you want to avoid cliches, avoid the "single man" theory of history. No one person, however powerful or influential, is capable of a single action. Adolf Hitler or Stalin could not have become what they were without followers who for whatever reason carried out their orders- and sometimes not to their orders. Also remember that no movement is ever free of factions. Even a cult of personality has groups of people arranged and acting to improve their standing- if only so they and their group can be closest to the leader. It's usually when the most ambitious rise to the top, in fact, that the group is about to topple- because the most social-climbing generally are also the least competent bunch. Want to really dodge cliches? Have the US government organization who shot them full of super-juice a well-meaning but underfunded lot (of more than 50 scientists, doctors and assistants, each with their own specialty, and scrabbling for every grant they can- pretty typical of US organizations, unless they have public funding) who were trying to understand the effects of steroids on pro athletes and super-soldiers, so to make testing and experimentation for real medical benefits easier later on. The only problem is, they inadvertently created a whole new realm of "Wonder 'Roids" instead. Rather than get their buns sued off - or worse, subpoenaed- by the heroes, their families, or Congressional committees (always the real fear of government groups), they let the PCs organize their group- if they just keep quiet about their origins, lest some Barry Bonds wannabes begin to ask them how they can hit a baseball a half a mile. They also do not want Dept. of Defense involvement- even if they were working for the Department of the Army, getting the Pentagon involved is not what anyone actually wants in a test program. (As someone who worked in a Navy weapons test program in a minor role, I can personally vouch for this! Attention from higher-ups means something went wrong- trouble!). The scientists involved count the program as a failure and leave the monitoring of our heroes to a law enforcement agency with more important things on their mind than watching our heroes help them out with some scumbags. If anything, the heroes are a mild annoyance, some bunch that overstep their boundaries and bollix up their months-long investigations. (A real twist- the FBI watcher saying "we would have gotten away with our sting operation, if it weren't for you meddling kids!") The only problem is, like all experimenters, the scientists left a paper trail the size of a small Midwestern city. Pretty soon, someone is going to read those research monographs- much of it peer-reviewed and printed in open sources! Particularly ambitious but unscrupulous and unimaginative sorts then use it for their own purposes - and you get ex-US mercenary groups with real attitudes, who won't take "what part of Abu Gharaib don't you get?" for an answer...

Re: Rant? Speed in Hero I run a "Normal Human" character with a DEX of 18 and a SPD of 4. He seems to get along just fine (Skill Levels and Find Weakness go a long way in that regard). Character concept to me is much more important than statmongering. In some ways, he's a Golden Age character (minus the Code Against Killing) in a Silver Age setting. I'll tweak with my character from time to time, and he's spent some time in the weight room, but I'm not freaked out by the Speed disadvantages in the game. By the way, to those of you who complain of boredom when High-SPD characters are acting, remember- you can ask the high-SPD character "Okay, what are you doing with your two actions?" before the SPD 6 character acts. To speed up action as a GM, remember- compressing the action into as tight a period as possible helps. Remember to shift off combat time as often and as soon as possible. In the Hero Game, if there are no villains with a weapon drawn in sight, and timing is not an absolutely critical factor, do not use the impulse system. Players like that. I learned that trick by watching action movies.

Re: Rant? Speed in Hero I tend to agree with the other people who say that SPD is an action-oriented characteristic and really not much more. For one thing, it's not "up-the-stat-by-five-and-double-the-effect" sort of thing- it's the most linear CHA in the book. A character with a SPD of 12 simply acts six times faster than a normal human being during crisis situations. Is that superheroic? Yep. But, conceivably, a super-martial-artist could do it. The super-Ninja can choose their actions wisely, using Recoveries and Martial Dodge during some off rounds or when the enemies are acting to keep themselves from exhaustion, stop the ranged attacks and shake off stun. A SPD of 12 would only make for a cinematic, genetically-enhanced Bruce Lee, with a only modestly high DEX score (DEX 23-26 or thereabouts). (In fact, I assisted in exactly that kind of design.) Is a high SPD partly-or wholly- energy? No; an extremely high DEX to obtain that SPD could be indicative of "Being Of Pure Energy" status (and if you want a 110 DEX, at a boatload of points, you are welcome to it!), but SPD itself is not the arbiting factor here. A character could have a SPD of 12 and a DEX of 8- they always seem to have a lot of things they can do when the heat's on, but don't seem to hit a lot when they spool up to attack speed, and can still trip over rocks placed in their way.

Re: You know you've got problems when... You know you've got problems when...the thread gets highjacked for an off-topic discussion... You know you've really got problems when...more items are posted on the highjacking discussion than on the main topic!

Re: Worst. Hero. Ever. Normally, I'd agree with you, but he's not an RPG character- he's the prototype for all superheroes who have come thereafter, either in homage, criticism, or response. Or, maybe to put it another way- if you had been playing the same character continuously since the late freaking 1930's, you'd probably have a pretty powerful character too...just think for how long ol' Clark has been around, in one form or another! I've seen write-ups for Supes using 4th Ed. Champs in the 1,500 points+ range...sounds pretty un-munchkiny for a guy who chronologically speaking should be in his late eighties, and who has been in the superhero biz more or less continually for more than 60 of those years. Never mind that he's an alien; he considers himself to be an American anyway, and I do believe he was declared in an issue that he was declared a legal alien with refugee status. (After all, his homeworld was blown up. Kind of a sucky disadvantage to be the last of your kind.) Also, the version has ebbed and flowed with the times. The one in the 1960s through mid-Eighties strayed well into the "Campy Zone"...but the early Superman was much less powerful, and the current one, although certainly very rude, is not the "power of the week" of the one from just 30 years before. Gotta hand it to Byrne for that.

Re: Arisu Koroi, Agent 0016 (As my character) I am NOT her father! The last time I was in Japan was in 1963! By the way, the British agent's cover name was Taro Todoroki. (Sorry, Fleming uncontrollable fanboy knowledge moment there...)

Re: WWYCD: Let's Rock! Hmm... The sound I think we'd probably get is one part Jethro Tull and one part reggae, with a little Cream on the side. And a tad of Culture Club... My own character (Deuce) is more jazz-oriented (after all, he's 84 years old chronologically!), but is a definite musicophile. Heavy metal does not run his veins, but the blues and Caribbean rhythms sure do. Bass guitar and vocals in the British tradition. (As long as we're not doing a lot of Beatles covers...) Our speedster Outfox would be a true multitalent, as she has Perfect Pitch among her other talents. Plays flute already. TK and Transform (both Metals-only) Metal Master? Steel guitar, of course. Energy Projector Sparkler? Vocals (backing or lead if the song requires) and occasional special effects. Brick the brick? Drum kit. Gotta have a guy with endurance on drums. He's a semi-speedster (SPD 5) too, so he'll keep a tempo going to keep the lighters lit! Soul-blaster Righteous Fury, with SPD 6? Lead guitar. Alien mentalist Chayinde? Rhythm guitar. That alien has the ultimate case of guitar face... Magician Victoria Celeste? Keyboards and special effects. Really wierd sfx. Insubstantial transvestite Mama Moxie? Vocals in the David Bowie tradition. Ironically, the showdown would happen on Permian Earth, with a combination of "We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You" and "Locomotive Breath" (We will skip "Thick As A Brick" for obvious reasons). The one that will bring down the house (literally, in this case- the Permian Extinction wiped out 90% of earth's life forms), however, is none other than "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". (this is done despite Deuce's objections). Sung as a solo by Sparkler, the Androids simply cannot accept the emotions involved, and fall apart in a shower of illogic. Mechanon, despite the massive damage to the ecosphere he has caused, is trapped, and in the ultimate irony-- --CAUSES MODERN LIFE ON EARTH TO BE FORMED! Couldn't have done it without you, Mechie baby! Changing history- hell, you caused it! Thanks! Mechanon commits suicide soon afterwards, by crushing his own head.

Re: Looking for ideas for a "useless" power. Just some ideas... Psychometry with stones (Lady Tigereye's suggestion). Ability to communicate with corn. Really bendy thumbs. Magnetic colon. Ability to score with other superheroes' wives. Ability to beg and plead for own life from supervillains really well ("Do what you want with the girl, but please don't kill me! Oh please oh please oh pretty please!") Ability to hit other supervillains with a car- but it must be a 1958 Edsel. Never has one when he needs one. Hangs around at classic auto shows a lot just in case. Swings a mean dead cat. Ability to eat own weight in anchovies every day. Spot-on impersonation of other major superhero- or supervillain.

Re: (best ever...) reasons for becoming a superhero Thank you; that's high praise indeed! It's my own, in a different game (Fringeworthy D20), although it rubs off on other characters every once in a while, including my current one in Champions. I was struck by the psychiatrist of the Nazis at Nuremburg who first used the term "the banality of evil" (It was popularized by Hannah Arendt in the early '60s, but really used here.) According to Wikipedia: "It describes the thesis that the great evils in history generally, and the Holocaust in particular, were not executed by fanatics or sociopaths but rather by very ordinary people who accepted the premises of their state and therefore participated with the view that their actions were normal and ordinary." Hence also the reason why being good requires more thought...it requires you to constantly check your actions to determine if they are indeed good. It sometimes requires an almost impossible balancing act. Being bad- heedless of your consequences to others- sometimes requires no thought whatsoever. Whatever you want to do, you do. If it hurts someone else, that is of little concern. Most Nazis (even Hitler, who was a product of 19th century anti-Semitism- ironically, some of it Russian) were responding to a culturally-accepted norm in Germany then. They just took it to its ultimate end. You can think ingeniously of an evil plan (to rob an armored car, or to build an H-Bomb, or to exterminate a race)- but the initial forethought (or rather lack thereof) for the rights or needs of others is what causes the evil. And yes, it is frequently humorless, unless you count sadistic or insulting humor. I could envision Doctor Doom as sort of a bizarre ultra-powered sort of Punisher...you're right, that is scary!

Re: (best ever...) reasons for becoming a superhero Because evil is banal and humourless, except delighting in the suffering of others. Look at the lineup at Nuremburg...it's where the banality of evil was presented in the flesh to the entire world. Anyone can be evil. Think of all the stupid criminals on Earth. Being good requires more thought, more application, more skill, because it's harder to do. It brings great satisfaction, especially when you bring evil to heel.

Re: Rejected Superhero Names TOM! Captain Obese, The Flabby Avenger! Fatman and his sidekick, Flobbin The Singing Killer Mime ("I'm not the Joker! I'M NOT!") The Lemonader (With the fresh power of citrus!) Brut (The result of a terrible punishment inflicted by a mad scientist...incorporeal and invisible, except for an indefinable smell of cologne...) The Teabagger (kind of a Captain Britain sort...) The Flasher Kenn... Actually, Yul Brynner was from Sakhalin Island north of Japan, so technically he's Russian (or at least Siberian)...but you're still quite right!

Re: Genre-crossover nightmares Hey! I own a plushie Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep! Back to more disgusting topics... Clan of the Care Bears Clan of the Cave Barry Manilow: In Concert CHUD-JFK (MASH-CHUD? APE-JFK?) The Magic Christian:The Gathering The Sound of Can't Stop the Music Manos: Hands Across The Water Mr. B Natural- The Final Cut Jumpin' Jack Flashdance (with Jennifer Beals replacing Whoopie Goldberg) Santa Claus Attacks! (a sequel to Mars Attacks! and Santa Claus Conquers The Martians...don't miss the "Pia Zadora in Las Vegas" scene!) Dreamgirls Gone Wild Last of The Mohican Casino Same Time, Next Year at Marienbad (Very obscure, I know) Mad Max: Beyond Thunderball Reflections in a GoldenEye (Which actually brings the karmic wheel full circle!)

Re: World Watchers Beta Team Antarcticus: A bit of a misnomer, Thomas Schnee, aka Antarcticus, does have an ability to Change Environment to cold (Area effect, 2" radius, "Hole in the Middle", No Range, -6 temperature levels), also with a pretty fair energy shield (he can literally drop any kinetic energy of an object to almost zero), but his other ability is a EGO Blast based on puns. (3d6, No End, Incantations, No Line of Sight, Target Must Be Able To Hear Incantation). He literally has two distinct psionic abilities (cryokinesis and telepathy), and he is constantly torn between using one or the other. He will probably end up spending experience points in both, creating a character that is neither/nor, and therefore not truly strong in either direction. His EGO Blast also has a vicious side effect- it affects all who hear it! BlackAdder: BlackAdder is a human-snake hybrid, with all that that entails: he has no legs, but rather slithers about on his elongated lower abdomen and tail; he is quick and agile, can move stealthily, is quite strong, has a poisonous bite and a wicked tail blow, and has a very tough hide. He would be an ideal superhero except that people regard him very fearfully (almost as a villain), his bite can be deadly, he hates cold weather (he has a need for a heat jacket in chilly Chicago) and he gets really mad if somebody cracks wise about the British sitcom (Enraged 14-, Recovers 8-). Truth be told, people do tend to overdo the gag, and he is 25% Black Adder... Kimmas The Medusan: An energy being too ugly to withstand, this is taken straight from the pages of Star Trek. It has EC:Ugliness. It has 3d6 Drain PRE and EGO, Insubstantial (Spirit Form), Major Transform (6d6 Sentient Being Into Insane Sentient Being, BOECV, Limited Effect: Target reduced to fleeing mindlessly and phobic until psychotropic drugs, extensive treatment or Telepathy is performed), Telepathy, Mind Control and a supernatural PRE, all of which are No Conscious Control- can use at will but cannot restrain, No END, Persistent, Line of Sight (but not with Always On) with major side effects (also affects surroundings within line of sight). It also has Bump of Direction and every Navigation skill known in the universe at 21-. Of course, its powers are also its weaknesses, and it may be the only 300-point character with 200 points in disadvantages. It has to live in a flying box most of the time to control its effects, and cannot really otherwise affect its physical surroundings, except to communicate telepathically or open the box). We are talking a major Negative Reputation and Distinctive Appearance, here! Also, it has Social and Psychological Limitations- it is a pacifist and is keenly aware of the hurt it can put on people.

Re: Your occupation, please. Deuce: Has a two-stage Secret ID- the first very few people know about, the latter somewhat more do... Former SIS secret agent from 1946-1966:cool: Import-Export Director, Gambling and Gaming Equipment, Pegasus Gaming Ltd., Chicago, IL/Reno, NV (a division of Transworld Consortium LLC)