hfergus

Re: LOTR Balrog All of them. (Yes, I know you wanted a serious response, but you got one, and I couldn't resist.)

Re: WWYCD: "Dear Superhero" (Warning: Ugly situation) Ooooh boy. Would all my heroes be ticked. Volt –Would both tear up and get mad. He’d use all his public approval, appear before the media (which he hates), and even address the UN (which he would also hate) and pretty much lecture them. “If this is not something you deal with, and you do not stop wars, why do you exist?” In addition, in any case, he’d appear in the village. Barring Ubru being dead, (and probably even then) the thugs will be in for a big surprise. If come to task for this he’d say “I came to see my fan Ubru. He was about to be harmed. I could not allow it. They were warned.” If the right villain were helping, he’d go with it if there were no strings beyond “you let me go after this” were attached. Work to change government. Olorin – Would not care about international incidents. Go there. Give thugs comeuppance. Put magical protection on village (Your own force gets bounced back on you. Gives whole new meaning to “go **** yourself”.) “Talk” to leader. He’d change, one way or the other. (Change his ways or be replaced, as he’s dead – or more likely now a woman and raped by his own thugs – Olorin loves that kind of justice.) He’s worked with villains before on the “lesser of two evils” principle, so that’s not a problem. Black Tiger disappears. Thugs start disappearing. Further ups disappear. Either the abuse disappears or the leader does. Leaders disappear further until situation improves. He then suddenly re-appears back home. He will work with other villains that can keep quiet. Futurian “Oh crud. What do you expect me to do? I’m a tech, anti-tech guy. “ He’ll go anyway. If they use guns, they’ll find they only explode in their hands. If they use machete, they’ll warp and become useless. If they use sticks, Futurian will use his own tech. He’d soon go to the leader and mess up his tech until he changes – or gets “replaced”. Repeat as necessary. He’d gladly work with the right villain. Leadman. Would go and protect the village. Then go straight to the top. He’d be unlikely to kill, but might is pressed hard enough. More likely, he’d use his detective skill to find out “information” and blackmail the guy if possible. If not, try to bring him down with it. If not – at least the guy would have no place to live as he’d destroy each one. Possibly kill the guy. He’d work with the right villain, grudgingly.

Re: Raptured If this were the rapture in Revelation taken fairly literally according to some; tribulation is to follow shortly and my heroes would prepare for it – the ones that were still here. Volt and Leadman are Christian, and using one interpretation would be gone. If you say literally “twelve tribes of Israel” all would be left. Both Volt and Leadman would be suspicious if they were left unless only Jews were gone. Any left would carry on as best they could in any case. Olorin would investigate mystically, unless Volt and Leadman were gone. Then he’d say “Oh crud. Volt was right. Trouble coming. Best become a Christian.” And then act accordingly. Black Tiger would swear. Then swear at his swearing. Then realize he’s in deep trouble. Do studying on the rapture if Volt and Leadman are gone. If not, deal with it. Period. I seem to always do Futurian in his own words, so …“Ooooh crud! Crud curd crud! Not good, not good, not good. Ca-ca coming.” This would be in the case of Volt and Leadman disappearing. If they were still there… “Great. Wonderful. Things just got harder. Olorin, can you fix this?” If Volt were left, he’d wonder what was going on and ask Olorin to investigate. Leadman would do the same. See second paragraph from top for more.

Re: New team on the evening news Volt - Watch, wait and hope for best if he cannot contact them. Would wonder why they did not contact him, since it is well known in the hero community this this is pretty much up his alley and that he is trying to form, in effect an "all supers in case of big emergency, and see what help you can get group" like the JLA. Olorin - Pretty much like Volt, but would use magic instead of tech to contact them. Black Tiger - Be a bit suspicious of them. Watch carefully. Deal with if necessary. Futurian - "Aw, man! Why didn't they invite me in? They missed a sure thing. They obviously don't realize who I am." Olorin : "Yes they do. That's why you weren't invited." Futurian:"Aw man, that's cruel." Leadman : "I hope they are not bad guys. That is all."

I saw the below and had to share it. The guy would have to be built with a fast draw and auto fire. Maybe high dex/speed. Anything else you can see? This is impressive. Basis for a Dark Champs, or slightly more than human and he could be a Champions character with a fancy gun. http://videos.komando.com/2009/01/06/fastest-shot-in-the-world/

Re: a [can]trippy question I've heard the term cantrip long before I ever heard of DnD. Not sure where, but I am a sci-fi/fantasy geek, so I probably read it somewhere. It was always a fast, often simple spell.

Re: Which is your least favorite archetype to play? I've got two if played straight - Mentalists and bricks. Both can be one trick ponies if not tweaked (brick tricks help a lot). A player of mine has a one command ("be confused") mentalist with a decent (9d6) tk as backup if the command fails. (and also can do explosion of command. Not bad as crowd control, as most stand around going "huh? What do I do now?") I had a density indrease brick who could also increase gravity in small locales. Interesting tweak - brought a weak flier he could not reach down to the ground. I also personally have a hard time playing martial artists, but have seen it done well.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From the adventures of the Misfit League. Cast of Characters: Volt - 67 year old lighning caster who got his powers at 63. Disarray - female mentalist with one command - "Be confused!" Olorin 747 year old unaging goofball mage unfamiliar with modern Earth culture. Setting: Olorin is in the base walking by dressed and hair like a 50's greaser. "Leader of the pack" playing from - somewhere. Not sure where. Disarray: "What the? What is Olorin doing?" Volt: "I've learned it's best not to ask." Olroin continues making "vroom vroom" sounds. No one ever asked. And Olorin never said.

Re: Origin in a Box Volt - #1 Thank the people involved, but warn them of the dangers of being supers. Legal minors would be given a stern lecture at least. He may use powers (lightning at low level) to prove how dangerous it is. #2 After the above posts have been found out, he'd go as himself, a well respected hero with some minor police powers and ask the company to change the game to prevent similar occurances, and ask them to recall the games already distributed. Olorin - #1 Thank the people involved, warn of dangers of being supers, kindly warn minors of telling their parents and show minors dangers - one area effect NND coming up. (only if the are too cocky or arrogant, however.) #2 Same as Volt - only he'd want a game for himself. To play and investigate. Black Tiger - He'd - all together now - swear. He'd give minors what for. He'd be interested in the martial artists as he is one himself. He may give gruding thanks for the help. The game company would be told to stop the game and recall it. Now. Or he'd so it himself. Futurian "Cooool! Thanks for the help. Hey, aren't you a bit young for this? I hope you can more than grab a bullet, as neat as that is, or you could get really hurt." To the game company "You might want to change the game. I can help there. But can I have one first?" If they gave him one, he'd do nothing more unless it caused more problems. Leadman - Grump. Give minors a real dressing down, and maybe thank the adults. Point out dangers of heroing. He'd tell the company to change the game and get the old ones back, or tell the police - and more importantly - the media - with the message "This game induces dangerous actions in minors." Public relations nightmare.

Re: Tales of the Destroyer My favorite instance with Doctor Destroyer is when the group actually allied with him - for a time. You see, aliens attacked the earth neutralizing most tech. The Doctor's worked as one ship my group had. It was capable of high speed up to warp, but had no weapons. He wants to rule, not have aliens rape the planet and take slaves. He actually came to us. We negotiated that he would not take over the world during the crisis, and he gave use some one-use weapons. With his help, we took out the ships blanketing the globe with the null-tech field. I still remember the quote our suspicious character said as he fired the first missle. "C'mon Doctor. Live up to your reputation." With other allies (friendly aliens) we beat them and came back to Doctor Destoyer ruling the old Yugoslavia. Not the whole world after all. (Darn loophole) It gave him a form of immunity as a state head, but also kept him pretty busy proving he could rule. The campaign ended when I left. I miss it.

Re: Make a Green Lantern Oath "To fight the good fight To do what is right And evil to judge From this I won’t budge All with the power of Green Lantern’s light." Simple and to the point. (and fits me, since I can be a "bit" stubborn at times.)

Re: Stormy Relations Doesn't fit most of my characters, but will take the scenario as given and answer. Volt - As a Christian, would not buy it. Also his parents are dead. At best he'd think they were immensly powerful beings, probably trying to pull something off. To answer the "god" question, self-sacrifice comes to mind. Olorin - medieval mage from another dimension. Was asked to be a god back home and turned it down. "Oh, you guys again. Yeah right. My parents. Good joke. No, I'm not going to be a god now. Not happening. I don't care about the reasons. No way, no how, not now, not ever." If forced into it, would become the god of justice / silliness. Yeah, I know. Trust me, that's him. Black Tiger. Oddly enough, he wouldn't swear for once. He'd laugh. He'd never believe it. Even if they made him a god. Which would be the god of righteous vengence. Not good. He'd easily lose the righteous part if not very careful. Futurian "I always knew I was a god! I mean, look at me! Only gods look like this.... You're serious, aren't you? Ummm.... O. kay. Ahh... Crud. This changes a lot." He'd adapt with much confusion. God of high tech comes to mind quickly. Leadman - good Catholic boy. Wouldn't buy it. Would think it a temptation/test. If became a god, it'd be the god of deduction. (God of pessimism would be too easy.)

Re: Deconstructing Self Volt - Jump in without hesitation. He would not particularly care if he lived or not, and would be confident about the status of his soul. This would be tailor-made for him, since he has always been a self-sacrificial hero. If I wanted to kill him of permantly, this is how I'd like him to go. And he would agree. Olorin - would be really be p***ed that he did not detect and prevent this earlier, as he hates necromancers and they are his specialty. Before jumping in he'd say "Someone kill this #%#@!, burn him and scater the ashes. " He'd jump in figuring if he dies, 747 year of life is beyond normal anyway. If he lived he go "Oh crud. Does this mean I am truly immortal and not just ageless?" This is the sort of thing that could turn him into a demi-god or god, which he would hate. Black Tiger - Swear and jump in, grumbling all the time. Life or death; the same, since he has noone special to regret leaving behind. Futurain " Uhh... Jump in? Me? Anyone else around? Crud. Oh well; at least if I die, I can't mess up the timeline anymore." He'd then jump in with a "Banzai!". Leadman - "If I must. I'm going to die. Horribly. Painfully. I hope it works." He'd then jump in, and he has a powerful will once he decides to do something. This might just cause him to lose his pessimism if he survives.

Re: I killed a fellow PC last night... I just had one time where a pc (mine) was mind controlled to kill another pc. Rolled horribly on all counts for 4 rounds -3 no hits & one no damage past defenses. Also failed all breakout rolls. Finally made the breakout roll. The mind control was not at the "thinks it was their idea/doesn't remember doing it" level. Four extremely good rolls later, the controller was "fully controlled" - ie: dead. Really ticked him off. Normally calm, non-killer, but in effect went enraged- pushing all attacks. Most players I have had in the past I have no problem with them playing it right. Some prefer I do it though (just one, actually)

Re: Help! Need a name! Good for either gender: Briar Bramble (either especially good if they have an entangle) Nettle

Re: The Price of Power Volt would see this as very weird and try to consult a mystice as to what is going on. This would need to stop, especially since a hero has died. Olorin - see Volt's reaction, except he is a mystic. He'd check to see if the hero was really a hero. He'd dp mystic searches to see who did this and why. He'd figure it was another mystic, probably a necromancer who gets power from death, and the power is bleeding over to Olorin as an unintented side effect. Yes, he'd stop it, especially if it is a necromancer, even if only villians are killed. Black Tiger - Consult a mystic. Suspect the hero was not so heroic. If not heroic, find the guy and congratulate him. If heroic, stop him. Period. Futurian - "Aw crud! In order to stop a murderer, I have to lose potential power? Bummer." He'd consult a mystic and try to have it stopped. Leadman. Go to confession immediatly. He'd at first think he did it, even though he is not the type. He'd seek a mystic - Olorin if available- to confirm he was not the cause. Then he'd work to stop it.

Re: Cristmas & Cthulhu Sick. And good. Great combination. IfI can remember them, I may post my Klingon Christmas songs. Don't ask. My mind went stranger than normal one day.

Re: Superhero X and the Fur Con of DOOM! Volt - Would definately be a dog - most likely labrador retreiver. After the shock wore off he'd seek a mystic to undo it. "Oh, Olorin! Would you undo this please?" Olorin - Bottlenose dolphin. He's always smiling, and so are they. "What? Again?" About 4 hours later he'd turn himself back. Black Tiger Siberian tiger. He start by - wait for it - swearing. He might actually enjoy it for a while (at nost a couple of days) and then seek a mystic. "Olorin, fix this for me willya?" Futurian - Dog. some sort of terrier, but not boston. Jack Rusell, fox or rat most likely. "Oh cool! Can I lick myself in public now?" No, he would not really, but he'd mention it for the shock value. After he tired of it (about a week) he'd seek a mystic. "Hey Olorin! I'm tired of this now. I'll take you up on your offer to change me back now." Leadman - Basset hound. Looks gloomy, and he likes them. "Oh crud. Now I'm stuck like this. Can dogs drink coffee?" Eventually he'd seek out a mystic hoping against hope they can fix it. "Olorin, can you fix this? Will it hurt? How long will it take?"

Re: WWYCD: Island Paradise Volt - If really unclaimed and unkown would let the US government know about it and ask if he can use it as base. They'd probably allow it. Olorin - The grand kingdom of Olorinia is born. Actually, if small enough, he'd hide it magically (buy the points) and turn into into a base - or maybe his research center for really dangerous spells and/ or items. Black Tiger - Would never believe it was not someone's base waiting to be reclaimed. He'd have it booby trapped and monitered for the return. Then he'd let the group know about it. Never the government. If the owner is a bad guy - boom! If 5 years went by without someone claiming it, he'd use it himself - but keep the explosives just in case. Futurian - "Cool!" He'd spend a week there on vacation. Then go home. He'd be likely to forget where it is though, unless someone else finds him or he actually remembers to note where it is. If he remembers, he'd tell the rest of the group. Leadman "Oh great. I'll never get off this. And no coffee. Gaaaaa!!!" Once off the island and home, he'd let the group and government know.

Re: R-O-L-E or R-O-L-L I roleplay my rollplaying. Now that that joke is over... I tend to roleplay just about anything I can. Even in Starfleet Battles, which is a tactical game, I created a legendary captain that had a back story and personality. My fellow players have almost always been roleplayers, but some tended to have only one kind of character (Grim suspicious almost villian who had few, but loyal friends; the lovable rogue who skirted the law - and sometime broke it, the somewhat clueless good hearted hero, etc.) The best do both when needed. And yes, some were combat mavens, but even they had a character that it made sense for. I never denegrated either roleplayers or rollplayers, as I do both. Some styles of roleplaying do not suit me, but hey, if you like it and it does not hurt anyone (including yourself), go for it. I roleplay the most heinous villains, in character as GM, a lot. Some of my players wondered about me. "Just acting. Ever hear of it?";) I take it as a compliment, and trhen explain roleplaying other than your favorite styles.

Re: First role playing memory It was in the 70's when I was in college. I read an ad about Advanced D&D (basic was different then) in a comic book. I sent off for it. I read (devoured) it. Instantly hooked. Got one friend to play it with me as GM. Used module, don't remember which one. I changed it a bit, like I always do. I remember playing many weekends late into the night (early into the day?) with Bruce (the player) saying when he got tired and wanting to go home, "My hobbit drools on the doorknob." Whether there was a doorknob nearby or not. Started out as actual door interface and evolved into his signal. Bruce, wherever you are, I miss you and your drooling hobbit. Does he still do that? From there I did Villians and Vigilantes, Traveller, Champions and other Hero system genres. (I dabbled in others, but forget most of the names. The above were the only ones played for a long time.) Never have gone more than 3 years without some sort of role-playing, and those gaps were due to lack of players. Champions now as GM.

Re: Needed: A witty quote That was one I thought of. Another - sung: "I will, I will, rock you!"

Re: You were supposed to turn left! I knew there was a thread like this before. My post follows: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1501683#post1501683 This is the best example I've got, and I don't want to type it in again.

Re: Cursed dice At least 2-3 times my dice seemed to be temporarily cursed. One night all but three attack and perception rolls were too high. The few times I rolled damage the same dice got nothing but ones and twos - once for 12 dice and another for 10. At least it was both for the bad guys and the good guys as I was GM and playing one hero as well. This went on for all of 7 hours. Both me and the players had this going on. Another night was worse. Heroes attacks were too high and damage too low for both me and the players, but the villians were reversed. I was lucky the villians were not killers and one hero was hard to hit and could get others out in a hurry. This lasted 6 of 8 hours, then went to normal. I've also had blessed dice just about as often. One night the heroes could do no wrong, and the villains were the "gang who couldn't shoot straight". The one time the villains rolled high damage was when he accidently shot his ally (really bad fumble). We almost felt sorry for the guy at this point. Almost.

Re: Sex and the Single Superhuman Volt- 67 year old widower. Lost his wife to a drunk driver at age 62, the year before he gained his powers. No looking for anyone, but finding someone would be a blessing. No sex before marriage for him, and she need not be a super. Olorin - 747 year old unaging mage who stopped aging at 33. He was married 4 times and outlived them all, since he can't duplicate his eternal youth. Two died violently, 2 of old age. Three times to adventurers (supers in effect) and once for the longest time - over 50 years to a peasant. Not actively looking, but keeping his eyes open. Super or not would not bother him, but super would be easier to protect. Would also marry before sex. Black Tiger - Not looking. Wants to find out what happened during his memory gap during which he somehow gained his powers first. No casual sex, but may do pre-marital with someone he cares for and considers wife material. Would prefer a super for protection reasons. Futurian. - Would prefer long term for sex, but not bound to it. Female must be infertile before he does, since he's from the future and does not want to mess up the time line. "I do not want to be my own great great whatever long -grandfather. That would be awkward." Bringing in an old character: Leadman - Good Catholic boy. No sex before marriage. Kinda in love with the local waitress at the cafe where he gets his coffee: "Black. Hot. Lots of it. Now." His prior wife left him for another man and he's afraid to try again. He also wonders how much of is his fault. (Not much, but he is not totally blameless. Just a bit distant at times.)