BoloOfEarth

Still a better name than her former finace, Major Lilywhite.

I like that the Free Press explained the financial repercussions in terms that the common citizen can understand and relate: how such out-of-control police behavior directly affects them, not just the beating victim. The person who sits idly back and thinks, "well, it's not my problem, after all, the guy shouldn't have gotten pulled over in the first place" soon realizes that it *is* his problem, to the tune of a couple hundred dollars in extra property taxes. Hopefully the reaction will be to demand more accountability, to curb such behavior. But I'm not holding my breath.

And can you imagine the mouth on that thing? I'll bet it's quite the oafish oarfish orifice!

If you're talking bad, the correct answer is Quarterback. They're five times as bad as Nickelback.

Elliot Burgess is Denial, the team's teleporter. Elliot got his powers during one of Invidious' thefts; Dr. Burgess was one of the scientists at the lab that Invidious was stealing from, and an argument between him and one of the other researchers caused the premature activation of a prototype device they were working on. Elliott was trying to turn it back off when the device overloaded and exploded, causing strange energy to warp his physiology. He takes his name from his signature move of teleporting things away from foes: weapons, top-secret briefcases, grabbed HIDE teammates, etc. Of course, Denial is also HIDE's ticket out of many dangerous situations, so he is often one of the first of the team targeted by foes. However, they usually find him difficult to target due to his defensive teleport (popping all over the battlefield, often shouting "DENIED!" when a foe's attack passes through the space he had occupied just a split second before).

Absinthe is the team's teleporting mentalist. She specializes in making targets feel drunk despite them not drinking anything (Mental Illusions linked to a Drain on STUN, END, and INT), and making targets fall in love with completely inappropriate people around them. (They do say that Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder...) - - - - - - - - - I guess that's five, so time for a new team: The Vegan Five (their logo is a pair of "V"s) hate the Boston College teen heroes of Snak Attak! for their glorification of empty calories. Who are these five radical vegetarians?

Didn't anybody tell TIC not to hassle the Hoff? (Loved this, by the way)

I don't have Champions Complete on PDF so I can't check it at work, but per 6E2 p. 174, the GM can either consider large objects an AoE attack (equal to the size and shape of the object), or give the attacker an OCV bonus based on the size of the improvised weapon. I've generally used the first option, but can see the benefits to the second option.

I was initially thinking along the same lines, except I didn't think of Grodd as a martial artist. I guess my main point is, with Hero there's more than one way (often a dozen+ ways) to get to Toledo. I'm not going to argue that my interpretation is the only right one. In-game, I would expect an awesome scene like that to occur after somebody rolled either a critical success or failure. (So Flash could have made a critical failure on his Move-Through to-hit roll, or Grodd has a defensive power that requires a roll [extra DCV levels based on telepathic Danger Sense?] or did some defensive maneuver and he rolled a critical success.) At least in my Champions campaign, a scene like that would have been due to GM description of the actual effects as the player is banging his head on the table due to his bad luck.

I thought he was part of Oversight now (albeit in secret ID). Which would put him in the perfect position to make a move against the Rocket Racers.

I think you're combining two different moments during the fight into one. Watch it again (the relevant moment is from 1:37-1:45). Grodd doesn't actually grab and squeeze until later in the fight, at the 2-minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-AidZY6cgo I could see the first moment interpreted as a Grab and immediate Throw. But I could also see it interpreted as the effect of a successful Block.

That's what you get when you try a Noncombat Move-Through, counting on surprise to offset your lower OCV, and your opponent has a Held Action, isn't surprised (a telepathic gorilla might just know what Flash was going to try) and makes a good Block roll.

Hmmm... To represent the speedster "dodge/roll with it at the last second" he could have Damage Reduction 75% normal Physical with Requires a DEX roll, Must be aware of Attack, Side Effect (character takes 2d6 Knockback in random direction and falls down) and maybe Costs Half END. If he spent the END that phase, he's got some protection from automotive flyswatters. If not, well, sucks to be him. Alternately, he could have a short-range Teleportation with a Trigger to get him out of the way (no time to set, automatic reset). But I kinda like the Damage Reduction. It's not a free pass. The speedster takes a small amount of damage and is prone for a bit, putting him at a short-term disadvantage without getting flattened like a pancake.

"This is Tommy Dugan, reporting live for SNN from the Rocket Racers race from Los Angeles to New York City. Many of you may recall my father, Pulitzer Prize-winner Jimmy Dugan, reporting just before his retirement about the so-called Robbery Syndicate's prior race across the country. Nearly all members of the Syndicate were either killed or crippled by American Protector in his efforts to stop the race and the associated thefts. I am currently riding with... um, is it okay to use your name, sir?" The driver shrugged as he drove down the highway at breakneck speeds, grimacing briefly in pain. "Fine by me, Jimmy." He glanced at the camera and gave a brief smile before turning his attention back to driving. "I'm Howard Dagley, but most people call me Hot Dog." Dugan smiled. "And from that name, plus the apparent burn scars on your head and arms, can we assume you have fire powers?" Hot Dog shook his head. "Nope. Not dog powers either. I'm just a reeeeal good driver." He swerved around a semi with a fraction of an inch to spare, causing the reporter to yelp and the semi driver to swerve wildly and blast his horn. "Got burned a few years thanks to some psychopath, but it won't stop me from winning this race. Nor will it stop me from robbing a bank or two along the way." "And are you concerned about American Protector stopping this race as well? Despite his being found innocent of criminal action during the prior race, there are strong but unconfirmed rumors he has used... exceptional force to stop similar attempts at another cross-country race and crime spree." "Captain Jockstrap?" Hot Dog laughed derisively. "I'd like to see him try." "Is that why you invited me to ride along on this race?" The reporter swallowed nervously, but continued on gamely. "Are you hoping American Protector makes a move against you, and want me as a witness to his potentially violent actions?" Hot Dog just smiled without humor in his eyes. "As I said, I'd like to see him try."

No, I really liked Lady Morpheus' concept and everything you put in there. (And as you may know from my own posts, I tend to go overboard myself.) But in the end, the picture just didn't say "psychic vampire" to me.

Of these, I think I liked the Phantom Geisha the most, though the idea for Inkling was intriguing. Christopher, your turn.

Does Ronnie have a different name he uses when he wears the helmet?

Paul Jenkins was the general fetch-it boy for the dig, often overlooked or forgotten unless someone needed something. When Susan Hegland put on the breastplate and was transformed, drawing many of the dig workers' attention, Paul slipped the pauldrons onto his shoulders... and disappeared. He was completely invisible, not even leaving tracks when he walks, and when he speaks his voice comes from a random location up to 8 meters away from him. And if he concentrates, he can also turn intangible, passing through objects as if they didn't exist. At first Paul thought invisibility and intangibility were his only powers. However, he eventually discovered that if he places his left palm on someone or something, and points somewhere with his right hand, the person or thing he was touching would teleport to the location to which he was pointing. (He can teleport himself simply by placing his left palm on his chest and pointing where he wants to go.) He can sometimes teleport things at range, by facing his palm at the person or object he wishes to teleport instead of touching them, but his aim at the ranged individual or object is spotty at best. He carries a bag of ball bearings on his belt, which he often teleports into foes (a rather devastating Penetrating RKA). Taking the name Ghost Porter, he became the scout for the Armor of Krim. Since he spends much of his time invisible, he's still often overlooked by the others... until they need him (often to free them from a grab or entangle).

Hides that greenish tint to last week's leftovers. And the nail-polish-like chemical effects from the spray help hide the mystery meat's smell and taste.

Okay, let's see what people come up with for this instead. (Or is she some established character too?)

Yeah, but I drew two circles on his arms, then a dot inside each circle. And of course said the required: "Circle, circle, dot, dot, now you've had your cooties shot." So he should be immune.

I typed in the rest of my quotes yesterday but when I went to post it didn't connect and I lost all of it. So here goes attempt #2: At first, Maker was taking on Artemis and Apollo all alone, but then Pops teleported the rest of the team there, and the battle was joined. Honey Badger ran over and punched Artemis, stunning her. As HB was grabbing and squeezing her, Hermes ran up. Hermes: Just like you superhero types, keeping us down. The government creates you supers out in Area 51, don't they? Honey Badger: No, I'm from Zone 53. Hermes: Zone 53?!?! Damn, I ain't heard of that one before! (pulls out a notebook and writes some notes, then looks back at HB holding Artemis) Bro, she's gonna be pissed at how you're holding her. HB: Is she your girlfriend? Hermes: No, man, she's not my type. Aphrodite, now she is my type. HB: (OOC) Is Hermes going to attack me anytime soon? GM: Naw. He's just chatting. He did a full move to get here from the other side of the PRIMUS base. GM: When I found the picture for Hermes (below) and saw his pose and the expression on his face, I knew what his Psych Comp would be: Bat-S*** Crazy. He has KS: Conspiracy Theories. After Maker's EM blasts fail to get much damage past Apollo's force field, Malarky hits the New God with a thorny Entangle. Apollo (who was flying up quite a ways over an apartment building) responds by turning off his flight, trusting his force field and the entangle to absorb most of the damage of impact. The impact on the roof does destroy the entangle, but it also does enough damage that Apollo smashes through the roof into the apartment below. Maker runs over to the hole. Maker: Can I see Apollo and take some shots at him? GM: Yes, but he can also see you and take shots at you. HB: Be careful. 'Cause you know shots can cause autism. Athena began hitting Nexus and Malarky with Mind Blasts, so Shadowboxer created a darkness field around her. Athena responds by flying up out of the darkness... making her visible to Pops, who teleports her into the trunk of a passing car. Nexus: But... she's getting away! Pops: I don't care, so long as she's not able to do her mental mojo on us. Heracles arrives, and is standing at the base of the building, while most of the action is taking place up on the rooftop. So Honey Badger leaps down, intent on doing a move-through on Heracles, but Heracles sees him coming and raises his shield to take the brunt of the damage. HB: Who does he think he is, Captain America? HB: So, you're Heracles. Are you the guy who loses his strength if his hair is cut? Heracles: (shaking his hair out) It is rather spectacular, isn't it? The two bricks trade blows, resulting in HB getting smashed through the building's brick wall, and Heracles getting knocked through the side of a passing U-Haul panel truck. The startled truck driver pulls over, and Heracles forces open the back door of the truck to find himself facing Nexus. Heracles: Well, hello, beautiful! What's a lovely lady like you doing here? GM: When he smiles, you hear "TING!" as the light reflects off his teeth. Nexus: (eyeroll) Back when the team first turned on the borrowed broadcast power gear while creating a homing device, Maker had felt "really good." But it wasn't until the battle that she learned the actual effects of the New Gods' broadcast power truck. GM: Maker, you recover 12 STUN and 30 END. That's not you taking a recovery - that's from the broadcast power, since your powers are electromagnetic in nature. Maker: Cool! That brings my END up to full, and undoes most of my STUN damage. Pops: (realizing the implication for the New Gods) Not cool! That's cheating! (looks sternly at Shadowboxer and Maker) Wasn't somebody supposed to take out the broadcast power truck already? After Shadowboxer finally shut down the broadcast power, the New Gods were soon rendered unconscious. Nexus: Shouldn't PRIMUS be here by now? They're only a few blocks away! GM: I don't recall any of you calling them, not even to let them know the New Gods were planning to attack their base. Nexus: Oops! (looks chagrined) Um, I'll call them now. The resident of the apartment that Apollo crashed into comes out to hassle the heroes, asking who is going to pay for the damage to his place. HB: Call your insurance company. You can tell them it was an act of god... literally.

Thus showing my complete lack of familiarity with video games. I'll look for a different picture.

Sorry - this is the first time I've checked this thread in a few days. Hopefully this wasn't based on an existing character from a video game or movie I'm not familiar with.

Our Sunday night gaming group alternates games (I run Champions and a friend runs D&D 4.0), and the other GM asked me to run a second week in a row. Unfortunately, I wasn't really ready and didn't come up with a solid idea until sometime Saturday. So the villains and adventure were a bit rushed and slapped together at the last minute. I decided to update a villain group that I hadn't used since 2004: the New Gods (artificial bioforms based on the Greek pantheon). Also, the player with the mentalist character (Circe) wasn't able to attend. Pops: I've got Circe's character sheet. Malarky: So, since Andy's not here, what embarrassing stuff should we put Circe through this week? GM: Actually, other than maybe some stuff at the very beginning of the adventure, Circe's going to be unavailable for most of the adventure. (pause) But I think she'll enjoy her new career as a stripper. GM: So, Dr. Stevens has been asked to give the keynote address at a science and technology symposium in Philadelphia. (looks pointedly at Pops' player) Pops: Who the heck is Dr. Stevens? GM: (confused pause) Isn't that Pops' secret identity? Pops: (looks at character sheet) Oh! So it is! Stevens is talking to another scientist (Dr. McCormick) that he hasn't seen for a while. Rumor has it the scientist was working on a top-secret government project. As they're talking, Dr. Stevens notices some odd light-warping effect on the wall a half-dozen meters away. He quickly realizes that someone is moving along the wall using a chameleon form of invisibility. GM: I assume you're trying to be subtle and not let on that you've seen them. Pops: That's correct. (to Dr. McCormick) Do you know of anybody trying to attack or kidnap you? McCormick: (confused) Noooo... Pops: Because there's somebody trying to sneak up on us invisible. GM: (rolls some dice, getting a not-so-good result) Dr. McCormick spins around, saying "Where?!" Pops: (facepalms) As Pops drags McCormick away, the foes become visible. They appear to be military types, but without insignia of any sort. The two scientists are trying to get lost in the crowd and make their way out of the convention center. Pops: What have you been working on that would make somebody come after you? McCormick: You don't know they're after me. They might be after you. Pops: You don't want to mess with me. I took out someone with a f--king toaster. Meanwhile, back in Boston, Maker (in her secret identity as Li Jenkins, a NASA astronaut who worked on UNTIL's Gateway space station) is contacted by UNTIL for debriefing about her recent run-in with Wight, who is a Russian cosmonaut (Andrei Vyelov) that everybody thought died after an incident outside Gateway that caused his body to re-enter Earth's atmosphere. UNTIL Capt. Roe: You'll be contacted shortly by an UNTIL investigator, Lt. Ingrid Bruckert. Honey Badger: (OOC) Frau Bruckert! (horses' whinny) GM: (to Maker) You know that random name booklet you got for me from GenCon way back when? I just opened it to a page and pointed to a name on that page, figuring that would be the country of origin and name for the UNTIL person. When I saw Bruckert, I pretty much knew how this was going to go down. Lt. Bruckert: Prior to the incident of May 17, what contact have you had with Andrei Vyelov? Maker: The last time I saw him was the day he supposedly died. Bruckert: Vyelov arranged specifically to go on that spacewalk with you. Why was that? Maker: You'd have to ask him. Maybe because he was a lecherous jerk. Bruckert: Other individuals have said that you and he were... involved, that you were in a relationship. Maker: They would be wrong. (pause) Who said that, by the way? Brucker: (thin, humorless smile; doesn't answer) Maker: (OOC) When I find out which joker thought telling her that would be a fun joke, I'm going to pull a prank on them... Malarky: (OOC) Admit it, when Vyelov's maneuvering jets fired and he started spinning out of control, you grabbed the tether just long enough to make sure he was headed for atmospheric re-entry... Bruckert: Those are all the questions I have. For now. Maker: Well, have a nice trip... Frau Bruckert. Honey Badger: (OOC horse's whinny) Bruckert: Please ask your friend to stop doing that. It is very irritating. We briefly discussed the superhero team's ongoing lack of a name. GM: If you don't come up with a name, you'll end up with something like Boston Area Super-Heroes, or BASH. Maker: I'm good with that. GM: Or maybe it'll be Massachusetts United Super-Heroes. How does MUSH sound? Honey Badger: Name us what you want. Honey Badger don't care. Back to the main plot. Pops researches and finds out the attackers at the symposium match the troopers employed by Project: Cadmus and their New Gods. Note that the MC Protectors was a prior PC hero team, who had a small base in Millennium City but their real base was a volcano lair in the South Pacific, accessed by teleportation. GM: Cadmus was taken down by the Millennium City Protectors about ten years ago. According to media reports all the New Gods, being artificial bioforms, were shut down and... dismantled.. for study. Unfortunately, the Protectors were one of the teams that disappeared in the Cross-Rip a few months back, so you can't get any other info from them. Shadowboxer: What about the Champions? They were based in Millennium City. I'd bet the Protectors shared info with them. GM: You contact Jaguar, who came out of retirement to rebuild the Champions after his former teammates disappeared in the Cross-Rip. He can give you some info on Project: Cadmus' use of broadcast electricity to help power the New Gods, but the Champions don't have schematics or anything. He says he heard a rumor that the Protectors had a secret base somewhere, so anything they had on it is probably there. (pause) I don't recall if the Champions ever visited your former team's volcano lair. Shadowboxer: I'd hope so. They were our guests at a luau there. The team visits the mothballed Protectors base in Millennium City to use the teleporter to get to the volcano lair. Malarky: Does anybody know how to use a teleporter? Honey Badger: Well, there's three sliders. Just make sure you move them all up or down at the same time, and you're good to go. Shadowboxer: (to Pops) Do you know how to operate a teleporter? Pops: Given that all my powers are based on teleportation, I sure hope so. While researching the New Gods, Shadowboxer realized that he had seen Apollo (in civilian clothing) near the PRIMUS base in Boston. So after borrowing the former Cadmus broadcast energy equipment from the Protectors' base and building a tracking/homing device, Shadowboxer is driving around the city in secret ID in his cab hoping to locate a broadcast power truck. The rest of the team is discussing whether they're all riding along with him. GM: There's six of you, so there's not really room inside the cab for all of you. Honey Badger: Do I have to ride in the trunk again? Maker: Honey Badger don't care - what does it matter? They locate the truck, and using Shadowboxer's shadow-sight/hearing to eavesdrop inside, the heroes discover that the New Gods are gearing up to attack the PRIMUS base. So Shadowboxer (in his cab) and Maker (flying overhead cloaked) are preparing to take down the broadcast power truck while the rest of the team heads toward the PRIMUS base to stop the New Gods. Unfortunately for the heroes, Apollo is near the broadcast power truck and can detect Invisibility to Sight, so he spots Maker and calls the rest of the New Gods back to the truck, and the battle goes down there. More to follow