pawsplay

Well, I was thinking about it, and if she stood on top of the Eiffel Tower in the rain, and got hit by a lightning bolt for 4d6 K, she would take about 1 point of BODY damage. So I don't think it's that much of a hyperbole. Obviously a Delta-class electrical blaster is going to "overload her defenses" or something but I think she is pretty good. It belongs to her, and it's heavily insured. That is definitely a consideration. She has a decent End and a reduced END attack to fall back on in a protracted battle. Against mega-villains, she might have to Recover from time to time while the team Brick holds down the fort. I think so? Mobile is at the base level; if she is flying, she can slow down just a smidge. So with Constant she can mow into opponents. If another teammate is able to deal area damage as well, this may be a way to make short work of ordinary thugs. I thought about going the AP route but I eventually decided I would like it to be situationally useful, rather than more generally applicable but too mediocre to be worth the effort. Invulnerability, definitely not. Even if you drain her other powers, she is like a living capacitor. Flight makes a certain amount of since as a Unified Power but I wasn't sold on the idea. Like, I don't want her falling out of the sky from a low point Drain. Joules flying from Dallas to Phoenix under her own power is definitely not in the concept. Like maybe some characters tap into the global electromagnetic field or something, but she is principally a blaster who can use her fields of energy to propel herself to an extent. The motorcycle gets her from place to place, and she can use it tactically against street-level opponents. If I were to replace it with anything, it would be a jet or something.

In the interests of good conversation, I'm going to request the Joules and/or the Champions versus SWAT team discussion be moved to another thread. It's a fascinating topic, but I don't think belaboring the numbers is really going to help me beyond the suggestions already made. Joules (3.0) Revision notes: - OCV and DCV boosted, she was reconfigured with just two CSLs for tricks or the occasional damage boost. She should now better clear some statistical thresholds if she ever finds herself in the position of battling a half dozen to a dozen supercops disguised as a SWAT team. Will also help with VIPER agents and ninjas. - Invulnerability was toned down, it's still a substantial defense against any electricity she's likely to encounter, and can always be increased later with experience later if she joins a Powerful Supers campaign. I also spent a few more points to make her Damage Reduction special-effect based, rather than resistant, in case some smart aleck hits her with a weirdly built attack. - Champ electrigue has been formally relegated to the party trick status it rates, as a multipower slot. Slapping Unified Power resulted in a substantial point savings and makes sense. This suite is for all her powers where she expels electricity. - She now wears a reinforced costume. In true comic book fashion, bullets always hit her vest, and other attacks do less damage in general do to the effort of striking her unarmored body. JOULES 10 STR 0 20 DEX 20 20 CON 10 14 INT 4 15 EGO 5 16 PRE 6 9 OCV 30 9 DCV 30 3 OMCV 0 4 DMCV 3 5 SPD 30 4 PD 2 6 ED 4 8 REC 4 40 END 4 15 BODY 5 40 STUN 10 SKILLS 3 Bureucratics 12- 3 Charm 12- 3 CK: base city 12- 3 Combat Driving 13- 10 +2 CSLs with Electrical Blast powers 3 Conversation 12- 3 Forgery 12- 3 Gambling 12- 3 High Society proficiency 12- 3 KS: History 12- 1 Language (French, fluent conversation) 2 Mechanics proficiency 10- 3 Persuasion 12- 3 PS: Antiques dealer 12- 3 PS: Softball 13- 3 Teamwork 13- 3 Trading 12- PERKS 5 Contact: Mayor 11- (access to major institutions) 2 Fringe Beneift (hero) 5 Money (well off) 1 Positive Reputation (hero of the city, recognized 11-) +1/1d6 30 Vehicle (Suzuki Hayabusa), 2.5x1x1m, 200 kg (-1), STR 20, DEF 4, BODY 11, DEX 20, OCV 7, DCV 7, SPD 4, Move 62 x 4 (Max 992m) TALENTS 6 Combat Luck (rPD 3, rED 3) POWERS 48 Electrical Blast: Multipower, 60 point reserve, Unified Power 5f 1) Lightning Blast: 12d6 Blast against ED, Unified Power 4f 2) Shocking Bolt: 9d6 Blast, Half End, No Knockback, Unified Power 5f 3) Immobilize: 6d6 Entangle, Takes No Damage From Attacks, Unified Power 4f 4) Repulsion: 8d6 Blast, Double Knockback, x2 END, Unified Power 5f 5) Champ Electrique: Blast 4d6, Area (radius 4m), Constant, Mobile, No Knockback, No Range, Personal Immunity, , Unified Power 12 Electrical Levitation: 18m Flight, x2 END 13 Detect Electrical Current, Ranged, Increased Arc 360 degree 29 Invulnerability: 10 rED Resistant Protection, Only Protects Against Electricity and Power Defense 6, Only Protects Against Electricity-based Adjustment Powers and Damage Reduction: Electricity 25% 14 Reinforced Costume: Resistant Protection 6 PD/6 ED, IIF COMPLICATIONS 10 DNPC: Cheryl Blair (Normal, Frequently) 15 Physical Complication: Deaf in left ear (-3 to Hearing PER Rolls; Frequently, Slightly Impairing) 10 Psychological Complication: In love with Cheryl (Uncommon, Strong) 15 Psychological Complication: Overconfident (Very Common, Moderate) 10 Rivalry: Daniel Erikson (Romantic, Very Superior position, Unaware of Rivalry, Outdo) 15 Social Complication: Public Identity (Frequently, Major) 5 Social Complication: Secret (affair with Cheryl (Infrequently, Minor) COSTS Characteristics 167 Skills 55 Perks 43 Talents 6 Powers 139 Background/History: Tiffany Morgan grew up in an affluent family. A childhood accident revealed her mutant ability to absorb and project electricity. Tiffany's mother Ashleigh made her keep her powers a secret and forbade her from practicing with them. Much to her parents' chagrin, Tiffany became a liberal arts major, and then joined a women's softball team. After college, Tiffany worked as a furniture dealer before opening her own high-end antique furniture business. Her destiny changed when she witnessed a supervillain attack on TV, and rushing to the scene, used her powers for the first time in public. At first adopting a mask and racing costume, Tiffany was not able to hide her identity for long. Tiffany has had an on-again, off-again romantic affair with her assistant Cheryl Blair, something that could blow up in her face or be used against her if it became widely known. Personality/Motivation: As Joules, she is a confident, swaggering hero. Privately, she is self-conscious about her powers, not having much experience in using them with any force. Tiffany sticks up for innocent bystanders and will not hesitate to challenge any terrorist or villain -- regardless of their powers. Quote: "I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge you for that." Powers/Tactics: Joules is a straightforward combatant, using distance and safety to launch powerful attacks when possible. Joules can manifest her powers as a variety of megavolt effects. She is all but invulnerable to electricity herself. Joules is bold and inspired, sometimes to a reckless degree. Her costume incorporates a protective vest and padded armor for her limbs, with armored gauntlets, boots, and a mask. Tiffany is deaf in her left ear, the result of a childhood ball accident. Appearance: Tiffany is an athletic, light-skinned woman with a blond pixie cut hairstyle. In her day to day life, she prefers a little more elegance than a typical preppie look, often sporting stylish suits. As Joules, she wears a dragonfly green domino mask, a cream-colored jacket, green riding pants, black gauntlets, and high black boots.

I think they mean "competent in regard to challenging superheroic and heroic characters."

Getting surprised by flashbangs would be nasty. That's no less true for Witchfire, Sapphire and to an extent Kinetik, though.

I'm looking at 5e Champions Universe and it has stats for minions of most of the major organizations. I'm guessing 6e Champions Universe might have that, too.

Well, that's not wrong. 1D6 K is equivalent to 3D6 normal. So essentially to make your STR into a killing attack you would figure out what the equivalent was, maybe with a little boost, and give it that value.

One of the biggest obstacles in a superhero game is often creating the various small powers under a budget. Simply laying out stats for a published or pre-existing character doesn't have this worry. So in thinking about Champions Now, if you're working with the system rather than against it, I guess the question is, what capabilities does the character have that this one little "power" is a part of? Is Ultravision maybe relatable to skills? I don't know.

I'd say it is fine as long as all the items are reasonably pre-defined monster-hunting items. If you find out a kind of demon is Susceptible to pistachios, I think it's fair to say you need to go the supermarket first to start having pistachio-based weaponry on hand.

Average People. You get Small Child, Senior Citizen, Average Person, Noteworthy Normal, Skilled Normal, and Competent Normal. You could also choose to replace their skill sets with the Templates for a Policeman, a Child of the Streets, or an Atlantean. So if I need a Skilled Atlantean Policeman, I'm pretty well covered. Or if a I want a Small Child of the Streets.

12D6 was mentioned as an average, when I think what was meant was "typical." Characters with strong offenses typically take the maximum. If it were "average" you would have some characters with 10D6 and others with 14D6 and that is not how published characters are typically made. A lot of them have 12D6, the maximum, and some of them dip down to 8D6 or 10D6 because they don't max out that value for whatever reason. I'm not really going to debate anymore about whether SWAT guys would be standing next to each other in a normal situation. Normally, SWAT teams do not surround an opponent with distance between them and try some gunslinging. Video of SWAT: Fictional example: If you, as a GM, are having the SWAT guys act like a bunch of super cowboys, I'm going to say you are doing it wrong. Real SWAT teams don't spread out and take wild shots, and you don't see them act them in movies, as a rule, either.

And why can't she Block with her blast?

And why is that?

What's different if Witchcraft hits Defender with her Mental Blast? As for SWAT tactics, I'm trying to picture a situation where they all decide to spread out. Normally they are either guarding something or intruding. If, indeed, they spread out, or remain apart, they don't have much of a chance against her individually. So unless this is a game of Laser Tag, where Joules starts in the center with no cover and they are all spread out in a radius around here, I don't get it. If using her CSLs defensively while she Dodges is a problem, assume she Blocks on phases 12 and 8. So anyway, I'm tired of talking about Joules versus the overpowered Quake Arena team. As I said, I'm going to be retooling her, and I think some the commentators here will be more satisfied. But I'm not remolding her as a mobile tanks, I don't have a problem with low probability takedowns, and no character is invulnerable. She's also deaf in one ear, and potentially easily blackmailed by a mind reader. And Defender has no mental defense, Witchcraft is going to have a heck of a time escaping from an immobilize/paralyze power not based on mystic energy, and Ironclad might as well be a mall cop if subjected to mental powers. The whole superhero experience is centered on overcoming challenges, not being tactically invulnerable.

So what is the power, really? Where does it come from, what does it do? Can she ignore ultraviolet lasers?

I have Champions Complete. Maybe there are more in other books?

12d6 is the same DCs as Defender's blast and Ironclad's punch, and higher than Arrowhead's arrows or Witchcraft's witchfire. As far as I can tell, it's as strong as any attack in any of the sample characters in Champions Complete except Shrinker's nasty uppercut. So "First off, 12d6 is pretty average offense in a typical Champions game," does not seem to be accurate, the sample characters imply it's the top end for a standard supers game. I first played a Champions game in 1990. Go ahead and lecture me how it really is. Here's how the proposed battle against seven super cops actually works: Phase 12: Joules dodges and allocates her CSLs to DCV, and Dodges. Her DCV is now 12. All the cops shoot and miss. Phase 10: Joules switches to offense, spreads her attack and takes out 2 to 4 SWAT guys. Phase 8: Joules dodge and allocates her CSLs to defense and Dodges. The SWAT guys all miss. Phase 5: Joules switches her CSLs to defense, spreads, and takes out two more SWAT guys. Phase 4: The maybe remaining three SWAT guys shoot, and Joules dodges, and they miss. Phase 12: The remaining opponents briefly reconsider their life choices as Joules chooses her next approach.

What's the best 6e source for general combatants who aren't heroes or villains?

I would probably just user more points and higher AP caps. As far as using ready-made characters, I think you could just systematically amp them. Increase offense by 50% to 100%, the same for durable defenses, and double PD and ED for most "super" characters. I was thinking about AP, but I would say in such a campaign you would actually discourage it. AP is good against other high powered opponents, whereas more DCs will simply overwhelm the defenses of ordinary characters and things. A beginning Aberrant character would probably qualify as High Powered, in my estimation, with 100 more points to spend on offense and defense. Since there are no "super normals" in such a setting, the characters will tear up. Also, with less pressure to conform to four-color standards, characters don't need high Characteristics they don't use much, probably have a smaller, more realistic spread of skills, and can be built with powers that don't conform to "good" Champions design. Like, you build a character who was basically a school teacher, but then developed steel-like skin, the ability to project armor-piercing acid, and somewhat improved physical characteristics. Rather than general competence, supers could be set apart by routinely having a little Mental Defense, Power Defense, maybe some Resistant on their PD and ED. Aberrant in particularly had a whole slew of characteristics all novas in the setting had, that would ramp up quickly if you took enhanced stamina and other common super-traits.

I think they tend to be in some ways more lethal and more versatile. The environment is very different, so high level fighters are going to be wearing armor and making called shots, which is just going to kill softer targets, and wizards aren't necessarily as tightly thematic as, say, a mutant with fire powers. But whereas fantasy characters might pause at wading into a nest of ogres, there are superheroic characters who are built in such a way they could do that easily.

That doesn't make sense, because guns are also ranged attacks. I don't actually see an answer. A non-answer. No one has addressed this strange situation. And yet Joules is going to stand in a vast, featureless plane and get shot at. How are they even in the same fight as her? Admittedly, I'm not looking at the character sheet, but are you sure this isn't a heroic cop, and not a generic SWAT team member? The Competent Normal at the back of the book has OCV, SPD 3, and does not have two CSLs. Admittedly, a SWAT officer is more combat-focused, but that still seems really elevated to me. But let's go with those values for now. Here's how I picture the fight. First phase, Joules drops one. Second, third, and fourth, she just Dodges. Fifth phase, she drops another one. If they hold their actions, she just keeps dropping them until they all fire at once. She then Dodges, and then drops one or two more later in the Turn. In their best possible scenario, they just have to hope one or two of them roll really lucky. So even against seven guys with combat values verging on dangerous to superheroes, armed with weapons and armor they didn't pay points for, I like her odds. Which is not to say she couldn't be built more defensively. It's just that with Combat Luck and decent combat values, I don't get the "omg what are you doing" vibe. And I didn't really envision her as a solo, anyway. She's a strong offense character with Teamwork and some Interaction skills. Unless the opponents know the team really well, what's likely to happen is the Brick and Battlesuit go in first, and once the bad guys are engaged, she just pops out and blasts somebody. She definitely doesn't use her flight to position herself at a range against multiple, alert opponents who also have ranged attacks and are focused on her, because she's not a suicidal idiot. I'm still tinkering with her stats, but giving her 10 points of resistant defenses with no real explanation is not really the direction I'm going. Maybe another dose of Combat Luck is a good idea, although I don't usually see characters built up like that who aren't martial artists. Or, more realistically, they come walking down the hallway trying to apprehend here. She spreads her attack, and takes out four of them before they even get a chance to act.

Why would Joules fly away from guys with guns? Why isn't she using Dodge despite her SPD advantage? Why is she engaged in a stationary shootout with multiple opponents? Why isn't she spreading her attacks? And who are these squads of cops running around with Legendary OCV levels?

I know how range penalties work, I'm just not sure they are being brought up specifically. Ok, so you are comparing a high end attack against a character with a low-end defense. I'm looking at Esper, and it looks like Joules is in a much better position to clean the clock of Esper than the reverse. Fighting Green Dragon solo would be rough, for sure. I get not making characters too squishy, but putting two offense heavy characters against each other is fairly likely to be lopsided. Against a team of SWAT guys she would mop the floor with them.

Range modifiers for what?

OCV with electrical powers could be 9.

I'm not on bulky defenses but I boosted her SPD to 5 which will help with using Block. The rest went to REC and STUN.. JOULES 10 STR 0 20 DEX 20 20 CON 10 15 INT 5 15 EGO 5 16 PRE 6 6 OCV 15 6 DCV 15 3 OMCV 0 4 DMCV 3 5 SPD 30 4 PD 2 6 ED 4 10 REC 6 40 END 4 15 BODY 5 44 STUN 12 SKILLS 3 Bureucratics 12- 3 Charm 12- 3 CK: base city 12- 3 Combat Driving 13- 15 +3 CSLs with Electrical Blast powers 3 Conversation 12- 3 Forgery 12- 3 Gambling 12- 3 High Society 12- 3 KS: History 12- 1 Language (French, fluent conversation) 2 Mechanics proficiency 10- 3 Persuasion 12- 3 PS: Antiques dealer 12- 3 PS: Softball 13- 3 Teamwork 13- 3 Trading 12- PERKS 5 Contact: Mayor 11- (access to major institutions) 2 Fringe Beneift (hero) 5 Money (well off) 1 Positive Reputation (hero of the city, recognized 11-) +1/1d6 30 Vehicle (Suzuki Hayabusa), 2.5x1x1m, 200 kg (-1), STR 20, DEF 4, BODY 11, DEX 20, OCV 7, DCV 7, SPD 4, Move 62 x 4 (Max 992m) TALENTS 6 Combat Luck (rPD 3, rED 3) POWERS 48Electrical Blast: Multipower, 60 point reserve, Unified Power 5f 1) Lightning Blast: 12d6 Blast against ED, Unified Power 4f 2) Shocking Bolt: 9d6 Blast, Half END, No Knockback, Unified Power 5f 3) Immobilize: 6d6 Entangle, Takes No Damage From Attacks, Unified Power 4f 4) Repulsion: 8d6 Blast, Double Knockback, x2 END, Unified Power 12 Electrical Levitation: 18m Flight, x2 END 24 Champ Electrique: Blast 3d6, Area (radius 4m), Mobile (up to 24m), No Knockback, No Range, Personal Immunity 13 Detect Electrical Current, Ranged, Increased Arc 360 degree 34 Invulnerability: 20 rED Resistant Protection, Only Protects Against Electricity and Power Defense 6, Only Protects Against Electricity-based Adjustment Powers and Resistant Energy Damage Reduction 25%, Only Protects Against Electricity COMPLICATIONS 10 DNPC: Cheryl Blair (Normal, Frequently) 15 Physical Complication: Deaf in left ear (-3 to Hearing PER Rolls; Frequently, Slightly Impairing) 10 Psychological Complication: In love with Cheryl (Uncommon, Strong) 15 Psychological Complication: Overconfident (Very Common, Moderate) 10 Rivalry: Daniel Erikson (Romantic, Very Superior position, Unaware of Rivalry, Outdo) 15 Social Complication: Public Identity (Frequently, Major) 5 Social Complication: Secret (affair with Cheryl (Infrequently, Minor) COSTS Characteristics 142 Skills 60 Perks 43 Talents 6 Powers 149 Background/History: Tiffany Morgan grew up in an affluent family. A childhood accident revealed her mutant ability to absorb and project electricity. Tiffany's mother Ashleigh made her keep her powers a secret and forbade her from practicing with them. Much to her parents' chagrin, Tiffany became a liberal arts major, and then joined a women's softball team. After college, Tiffany worked as a furniture dealer before opening her own high-end antique furniture business. Her destiny changed when she witnssed a supervillain attack on TV, and rushing to the scene, used her powers for the first time in public. At first adopting a mask and racing costume, Tiffany was not able to hide her identity for long. Tiffany is deaf in her left ear, the result of a childhood ball accident. Tiffany has had an on-again, off-again romantic affair with her assistant Cheryl Blair, something that could blow up in her face or be used against her if it became widely known. Personality/Motivation: As Joules, she is a confident, swaggering hero. Privately, she is self-conscious about her powers, not having much experience in using them with any force. Tiffany sticks up for innocent bystanders and will not hesitate to challenge any terrorist or villain -- regardless of their powers. Quote: "I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge you for that." Powers/Tactics: Joules is a straightforward combatant, using distance and safety to launch powerful attacks. Joules can manifest her powers as a variety of megavolt effects. She is all but invulnerable to electricity herself. Joules is bold and inspired, sometimes to a reckless degree. Appearance: Tiffany is an athletic, light-skinned woman with a blond pixie cut hairstyle. In her day to day life, she prefers a little more elegance than a typical preppie look, often sporting stylish suits. As Joules, she wears a dragonfly green domino mask, a cream-colored jacket, green riding pants, and high black boots.