Comic

Re: Trying to figure out a good villain name Captain Cadaver, who proved the importance of having a better exit strategy than "bite the top off the hero's head and jump out the window."

Re: Getting the heroes together (the first time) It almost sounds to me like you want Virgil to hire them and form a team to fulfill the role of the one that is lost..

Re: The NEW Champions of Vancouver -- What Would You Like To See? I'm curious. The multipower looks like it costs 80 CP for 80 AP, but every slot takes the -1 Vulnerable to Heat/Fire. Is it an 80 AP Reserve for 40 CP, or do you intend to keep the points for later use?

Re: Greening Earth’s Deserts It's not my field of expertise, but I believe the Sahara has been growing in area, and is currently ten times the land it covered in Roman times. OTOH, Israel's been successful at greening its own deserts considerably, though not without controversy. Either way, yes, the Sahara has some geopolitical issues that might interfere in your plans. There are smaller, even domestic, deserts to test on. Your solar panel towers could act as condensation collectors, of course.

Re: Chloroform Write Up? Slow-acting stuff, high risk of causing death in the victim, but movies love the stuff, since it sounds so exotic, and more threatening than 'laughing gas'. Typically, it's 6d6 NND, No Range, One Turn delayed Effect, Requires Grab Maintained Throughout, by my reading of how it acts. Which makes it pretty silly.

Re: Trying to figure out a good villain name

Re: A Plot Idea ... With No Good Resolution Find someone deserving to permanently bestow the dream on?

Re: The NEW Champions of Vancouver -- What Would You Like To See? Engulf. It brings to mind my own semi-vampiric ice hero. Ah. Those were the days. Entangle the whole team with the bad guys in a cone. Drain the bad guys' END, then Stun, then Body. Transform them to suspended animation, to not technically offend those with CvK's. Free the good guys when done feeding while extolling the virtue of all that extra DEF they got while iced over. Teamwork at its finest.

Re: A little help Too late to help, I see.. But when has that ever stopped me? Has anyone ever encountered Flash: Sense of Balance? Endless debate with a past GM who thought it a perfectly reasonable build for knocking people down, even if they were standing up. That is, they'd take the prone penalties, regardless of whether they were standing or not because their bodies wouldn't know they were standing. Anyone care to settle the question?

Re: Semi-Penetrating Does this mean for +3/4 you cut your opponent's DEF by 3/4, or you do 1.5x BODY penetrating?

Re: Rant? Speed in Hero Well, because SPD 5 is a terrible rhythm to dribble to. Three seconds, two seconds, three seconds, two seconds, two seconds? What's up with that? Try keeping that count going in your head while a half dozen guys are trying to strip the ball from you.

Re: Trying to figure out a good villain name Auguste Grotesque Grotesque - the technical name for a whiteface clown of the period with exaggerated aspects: bright hair, big wig, nose, ears, feet, pants, etc. Think Ronald McDonald. Auguste - the slapstick clown, the guy the soup gets spilled on, the butt of the straight-man's joke, or the one with the twisty comeback to the straight line. Red Skelton was one.

I'm trying to get away from twisty tributes, but I admit to some Atom/Pym/Wasp and even Agatha Heterodyne influences here. Please have a look, let me know what you think. Thanks [b][font=Courier New]Dr. Pyrophorus - Reify Thingglin[/font][/b] [font=Courier New]+[b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Base[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b][/font] [font=Courier New]| 9 STR -1 10 11- HTH Damage 2d6-1 80kg [1][/font] [font=Courier New]| 14 DEX 12 10 12- OCV 5/ DCV 5(15)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 19 CON 18 10 13-[/font] [font=Courier New]| 12 BODY 4 10 11-[/font] [font=Courier New]| 18 INT 8 10 13- PER Roll 13-[/font] [font=Courier New]| 18 EGO 16 10 13- ECV: 6; Strongwilled human[/font] [font=Courier New]| 13 PRE 3 10 12- PRE Attack: 2.5d6[/font] [font=Courier New]| 12 COM 1 10 11-[/font] [font=Courier New]| 5 PD 3 2 26 PD (21 rPD)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 5 ED 1 4 26 ED (21 rED)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 4 SPD 16 2.4 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12[/font] [font=Courier New]| 7 REC 2 6 [/font] [font=Courier New]| 30 END -4 38 Size changes upset her metabolism slightly.[/font] [font=Courier New]| 30 STUN 3 27[/font] [font=Courier New]+ [/font] [font=Courier New]| 6 RUN - 6" [1][/font] [font=Courier New]| 2 SWIM - 2" [1][/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 LEAP - 3" 2"/1" up [1]; 17"/9" up (Shrunk) [1][/font] [font=Courier New]+[b]CHA Cost: 82[/b][/font] [font=Courier New]+[b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b][/font] [font=Courier New]| 22 13 rPD/13 rED Armor (-1/2 OIF, -1/4 Only with Shrinking) '[b][i]PhorusArmor[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 39 AP [-][/font] [font=Courier New]| 18 70 END 25 REC Reserve (-1/2 OIF, -1/4 Only with Shrinking) '[b][i]PhorusBattery[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 32 AP [-][/font] [font=Courier New]| 6 Radar Sense (-1/2 OIF, -1/4 Only with Shrinking) '[b][i]PhorusSense[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 10 AP [-][/font] [font=Courier New]| 20 Life Support Need not Breath, Safe Cold/Heat/Pressure/Radiation, (-1/4 Only with Shrinking) '[b][i]PyroForm[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 26 AP [-][/font] [font=Courier New]| 6 11- Find Weakness w EB (-1/2 OIF, -1/4 Only with Shrinking) '[b][i]PyroSense[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 10 AP [-][/font] [font=Courier New]| 30 EC Plasma Body Control '[b][i]PyroForce[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 30 AP [-][/font] [font=Courier New]| 20 A) 12d6 EB (-1/2 OIF) '[b][i]PhorusBlast[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 60 AP [6][/font] [font=Courier New]| 15 15" Flight x8 Ncbt (+1/2 VA +1/4; -1/2 OIF, -1/2 Restrainable) '[b][i]PyroJet[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 60 AP [6][/font] [font=Courier New]| 30 C) 8 pts FF <26> Energy/Flash(Sight)/Lack of Weakness/<12> Mental/<26> Physical/Power Def (+1/4 CEOTA) '[b][i]PhorusField[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 60 AP [5][/font] [font=Courier New]| 30 D) 4x Shrinking (+1/4 CEOTA) 50 AP; +1 Level Shrinking '[b][i]PyroSize[/i][/b][/font][font=Courier New]' 10 AP [5][/font] [font=Courier New]+[b]POWERS Cost: 197[/b][/font] [font=Courier New]+[b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b][/font] [font=Courier New]| 8- Acting EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 8- AK: Home City EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 8- Climbing EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 4 +2 CSL: PhorusBlast[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Computer Programming[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Concealment[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 12- Conversation[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Deduction[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Inventor[/font] [font=Courier New]| 8- KS: Egyptology EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 14 4 pts LS: English EM, Cantonese, Egyptian(Ancient), French, German, Japanese, Latin, Russian (2 pt ea.)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Paramedics EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Power Skill: PhorusBlast[/font] [font=Courier New]| 11- PS: Research Scientist EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 4 11- SS: Biology, Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics[/font] [font=Courier New]| 6 Skill Enhancer: Linguist, Scientist[/font] [font=Courier New]| 8- Shadowing EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 8- Stealth EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Systems Operation[/font] [font=Courier New]| TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles EM[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 13- Weaponsmith: Plasma Weapons[/font] [font=Courier New]+[b]SKILLS Cost: 54[/b][/font] [font=Courier New]+[b][u]Cost[/u] [u]Talents[/u][/b][/font] [font=Courier New]| 10 Eidetic Memory[/font] [font=Courier New]| 3 Lightning Calculator[/font] [font=Courier New]| 4 Speed Reading x10[/font] [font=Courier New]+[b]Talents Cost: 17[/b][/font] [font=Courier New]+[b][u]Cost[/u] PERKS[/b][/font] [font=Courier New]| 0 Normal job, home, vehicle of a normal[/font] [font=Courier New]+[b]Perks Cost: 0[/b][/font] [font=Courier New]+[b][u]Val[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b][/font] [font=Courier New]| 5 Enraged: [b]'Quantum Instability' [/b]8- to go, 14- recover, Attacked While Shrunk (V. Common)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 15 Hunted: Shrinker 8- (Mo Pow, Harsh)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 15 Hunted: Dragonfly 8- (Mo Pow, Harsh)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harsh)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 15 Psych. Lim.: Competitive (Very Common, Moderate)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 20 Psych. Lim.: Driven to Succeed at What She Starts (Very Common, Strong)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 15 Psych. Lim.: Scientific Curiousity (Common, Strong)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 10 Social Lim.: Rival, Dr. Lea Lee (Superior Professional)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 15 Social Lim.: Secret ID: Reify Thingglin, PhD Candidate (Frequently, Major)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 10 Social Lim.: Obligations - turn in lab results (Occasion, Minor)[/font] [font=Courier New]| 10 Social Lim.: Rep - Dr. Pyrophorus=Radiation Hazard; Reify=Overeager science grrl 8-[/font] [font=Courier New]+[b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 150[/b][/font] [font=Courier New]Base Pts: 200[/font] [font=Courier New]Total Character Cost: 350[/font] Quote: "I'm NOBODY'S Tinkerbelle." Origin Reify Thingglin, more than merely brilliant PhD candidate and self-proclaimed overeager science grrl (proving it, considering how dated the term is), was working late hours on her thesis after a quick five mile jog, when the containment field on the plasma apparatus next door in the top secret lab of Dr. Lea Lee failed. Which was odd. Other than the lunar eclipse and some radioisotope dating being done in another piece of equipment on a beetle amulet from an archeological dig in Egypt, there was nothing really unusual in the area Reify was aware of that might cause this incident. Also odd was that when she woke up, she found the world seemed much bigger, and everything looked distant to her. And she was imbedded in the radioisotope-dating equipment, with the amulet's shattered pieces surrounding her tiny glowing form. Reify had been tranformed into a being of pure plasma. More accurate, she was transformed into a being who could become pure plasma at will, and under the right conditions could channel the power of that plasma into jets, blasts, and sensory waves. Her plasma body, which she dubbed 'Pyrophorus' after the label on the sundered relic of antiquity, was a bright miniature figurine varying from 2"-5" tall. VIPER used its cunning and devious methods to try to trick Lea Lee into building plasma weapons for them. Lee, thinking VIPER's people were government agents looking to assign fault, cravenly blamed the hapless Thingglin for the explosion, leading to a concentrated VIPER effort to kidnap and enslave the novice inventor. The effort naturally succeeded. Trapped in the VIPER lab, Reify covertly creating a crucible to contain and control her energy form. The young scientist armored and armed herself using the same plasma energy her body converted itself to. With this 5" small weapon concealed on herself when VIPER shut her in her cell, Dr Pyrophorus was able to free VIPER's prisoners and deal a blow to the VIPER plasma weapons effort. Not used to her powers, or knowing how much harm they could do, she inadvertently seriously injured both VIPER's supervillains on hand - Shrinker and Dragonfly - and now faces their recriminations. Reify is back to working on her thesis. The paranoid Lee now regards Reify as a threat, and a probable government agent spying on Lee's work. Reify's determined to explore the world in Pyrophorus form, excited by the discoveries that await. But she started by fighting VIPER. She's going to finish that job. She has yet to realize the real reason she overdid her attacks on Shrinker and Dragonfly was mental instability inherent in her new energy form.

Re: New try in combat If they need to know how much Stun or Body they've taken or have left, they can buy the appropriate Analyze.

Re: House Rule: Adding body damage to a game For myself, the character, by concept, is free to treat damaging attacks in excess of 50 AP as lethal, regardless of whether they're doing Body on the character sheet of the target or not. So if he's giving a battering to someone particularly tough, with regeneration, and he's winning the fight, Superboy is likely fine with the knowledge that he's unlikely to do lasting harm. Same fight, different target, someone who doesn't have the incredibly tough concept, doesn't regenerate, and can look dramatic while being pounded into a limp (but full Body) heap, Superboy's perfectly justified feeling like he's too murderous. In particular if he's one-punching them into GM's discretion range. My characters don't live in a world where their sheets are tattooed to their chests. To each other, they're people.

Re: Character - Mercurite Nice character concept. I'd avoid putting powers that don't inherently cost END in an EC, even if I gave them a 'Costs END' limitation, but not my campaign, so not my call. As a fairly equivalent effect, using FF, Only Costs END to Start (+1/4), you can get 12 rPD/12 rED for only 10 CP. You can save the 6 pts from Combat Luck, gain resistant defenses, and come out 11 CP ahead to invest otherwise (such as in increased CON?)

Re: [Character] Squirrel Girl Code brackets. *

Re: [Character] Powderkeg Just clarifying, not that either question matters much to the build or play: 1) The explosion doesn't have personal immunity (with 35 DEF, 50 CON and 10" KBR, not like it could matter much compared to the END cost)? 2) I'm hazy on the END cost of increased END. I thought the formula was (5xAP)/10, not (AP/10)x5? (ie 5x105=525, 525/10=52 vs 105/10=10, 10x5=50.) Great build, btw. (Play on words barely intended.)

Re: Rant? Speed in Hero In First Edition rules there was an option for segmented movement, but it was considered cumbersome and not recommended. Has it been abandoned entirely in FRED? I mean, losing the First Edition rules for converting food bribes to XP is one thing, but why give up segmented movement?

Re: Human Maximums It's called a gnome-flinger. The bits with the fruit and the skyscrapers, though, were just examples.

Re: Character Backgrounds It appears at the moment my method of writing backgrounds is to take a character and build a twisted backwards tribute that makes vices of the original's virtues and surrounds them cynically with an ulterior and less admirable cast of of supporting NPCS. Can't say I'd recommend it universally, but it does seem to work for me for now. Find what works. Let it work for you.

Re: Human Maximums With a complementary Seduction roll.

Re: How to kill characters? Oh. Well if it's straight up how to kill them? As ignominiously as possible. Poisoned. By their own DNPC, aided by their arch-rival or enemy. Who did it to steal their money, and because they were bored with the hero and liked the rival/enemy more. Make their disads pay.

Re: Bricks Get Hosed, Or Not 9.) Hunkering down - High recovery + high defenses means if you can manage to take a recovery while your opponent plinks, you're as fresh as when the fight started. A particularly good thing to do if you've just knocked your HTH enemy flat on his back more than a half move away. 10.) Improvised stretching - if you can't find a wide improvised weapon, find a long one. 11.) Improvised NND/Darkness AoE - Grab a breath and raise some dust by destroying something.. er.. dustable. By the time the cloud has cleared, the higher SPD characters in the area have been choking and using END and missing Recoveries at a higher rate. If the dust also obscures vision, and you're still holding that improvised AoE.. so much the better against Dive-for-Cover experts.

Re: Help me make Awesome Presence Clarifying my position: For this power, as described, if I were a GM and someone brought the character to me asking how I'd interpret it in my campaign, the guidelines I'd offer would be: Cosmetic tranform: character stutters and seems twitchy, nervous or fidgety unless they succeed at an Acting roll, but otherwise has no penalty to actions of any sort. Minor transform: as with Cosmetic, except the Acting roll is at -2 to succeed, and all PRE attacks against character have one more level of effect. Target is at -1 to succeed at skill rolls or attacks while under pressure or in direct danger. Major transform: any changes more than described in Minor.