Dawn Darke

Re: Post A Crime With Game Potential

Steal the international prototype of the kilogram, then ransom it back.

With the reference that ALL masses are compared to gone, confidence in scientific and technological measurements will be shot to hell. Everyone is going to want that thing back, as untouched as possible.

Re: Doktoberfest!

I believe parody and satire are protected expressions in the United States. Even in regards to profit from such. And the Doktoberfest t-shirts and such definitely qualify as parody.

Speaking as just a peanut gallery opinion:

 

But it's nice to check with the other parties to maintain a friendly relationship.

It's how Weird Al does it.

That's because Weird Al does not engage in parody. Parody imitates an author's style in order to belittle the author, or at least point out his/her/their foible(s). Peter Schickele does parody, Weird Al does "filk". And "filk" is not protected.

I wouldn't swear "Doktoberfest" is parody. That's for a court to decide.....hopefully not. Because parody/IP suits are always expensive, long drawn out affairs.

Lemming is right; better to ask and get permission.

Re: Enter Fluffy (or "Aw, can't we keep 'em?")

Night Tooth: Drain its blood. STAT.

van Gurthuar: Hand it off to someone else. Do some detection spells. If that's not enough, get it to the sanctum (hopefully restrained &/or unconscious) and contact some entities to find out WTBF it is.

Phaedra "Fade" Starr: Mutter about being stuck in a Pulp-iverse (again). Look up folx in the "mystic world" for help.

Re: Heroes from All Fifty States

G'day Mates! Sea Dragon Here! Fighting Crime Down Under for the State of Victoria! Bonzer!

¡Saludos!

Let me join Mar Dragón, excuse me, Sea Dragon, in reminding the citizens of the USA that their country is not the only one to call its divisions "states."

As well as Australia, the people of Mexico have "states." In fact, the country is officially "Estados Unidos Mexicanos": "The United Mexican States."

And here is La Heroína Oficial de Sonora, The Official Heroine of Sonora, La Protectora del Desierto!

So, will the other 30 estados be done? Or the other 5 states of Australia?

Re: Cruiseship Deckplans

Thanks to nolgroth and TheQuestionMan. Very useful stuff.

Re: A name looking for an archtype

Definitely an electricity based villain that looks like a skeleton!

I like Hermit's origin.

Re: Rules to ignore, or replace

Seems pretty clear to me. Shapeshift allows you to do exactly what it says' date=' shift your shape. Buying it vs. the Touch group actually physically changes your shape. You can also change your perceived shape to other senses by buying it vs. those senses. What is unclear about it?[/quote']

 

No. 5th ed. "shapeshift" changes what others think you are (well, what others perceive). 4th ed. changes WHAT YOU ARE. 5th ed gets to the same point, after you buy a dozen or two senses; because the "Unusual Sense Group" can't be bought together, you have to buy every Detect you can think of, and hope the GM says any others are too similar and you've got them covered. Which is complication for no reason, and way, way too expensive.

 

And "shapeshift to the Touch Sense Group" is not the same thing as really changing your physical conformation.

Re: What would some good limits be for an experienced hero?

For a disadvantage:

 

Hunted: Rogues Gallery, 8-

 

You've been around a long time. You've made some enemies. You probably have one or two "archnemesis" that get their own Hunted line on your sheet. But for the rest, take them as a group Hunted and list a half dozen people that want to kick your butt.

Is that a quote? If it is, where's it from, please?

Re: Rules to ignore, or replace

Mine is the Optional Speed Change rules (pg 357), where if you're boosted from SPD 1 to anything less than 7, you can't move again until the boost wears off (same thing in the other direction for Drain/Suppress). Basically, with the lower base Speed scores, it actually makes you slower to be have your speed boosted (SPD 2 to 3 can't act again until Segment 12, thus giving you only 1 action that turn; same with 3 to 4).

 

My way of handling it is to allow you next act on the first phase of the new speed that comes after what would have been your next action at the old speed. So, if you're boosted from SPD 3 (4, 8, 12) to SPD 5 (3, 6, 8, 10, 12) on Segment 1, you're next action will be on Segment 6 (rather than 8 as suggested by the example on 357 and this thread).

That's how it was done in 4th ed. I forgot about that; yeah, 5th ed. flupped up on that.

BTW, SPD 5 has phases on 3, 5, 8, 10, & 12.

Re: Seacouver, Washington: take 3

Since the University of Washington's football stadium is near Lake Washington, tailgate parties are often held on boats.

 

Basin City is 30 minutes from Seacouver, in Kitsap County. Since the government is corrupt, it's often known as Sin City.

OK, so you decided to put Seacouver where Seattle is?

Re: Seacouver, Washington: take 3

Since the University of Washington's football stadium is near Lake Washington, tailgate parties are often held on boats.

 

Basin City is 30 minutes from Seacouver, in Kitsap County. Since the government is corrupt, it's often known as Sin City.

OK, so you decided to put Seacouver where Seattle is now? Just want to be sure I'm on your wavelength.

Re: Rules to ignore, or replace

I find it amazing how often the core reason from effect idea of HERO is conveniently ignored.

Reason from effect is a good (not necessarily always best) way to use the tools in the "toolbox".

It's not a good way to design the tools. Especially when (as with 5th ed. self-so-called "Shapeshift") it violates the great rule of game design. Make it clear what the power is for and how to use it.

Or, "KISS"

Re: Brainstorming a superhero team's staff, liaisons, and guests

This is what I'm looking for!!!

 

A shadetree mechanic is someone who works on his (or her) own cars. Marie does the cooking, dishes and kitchen cleaning.

A housekeeper that cooks!? That washes and cleans?!?? Where's she from, the mid 1800's?!!? Seriously, that's way, way too unbelievable.

Jim' date=' being a handyman as well as a technical expert, helps her with the heavy cleaning and does the house repairs and maintenance.[/quote']

Oh yeah, like you want Mr. Grease-to-elbows cleaning the house. Another unbelievable.

 

The foundation handles PR. The team leader keeps in touch with the various LEAs.

I hope he's an ex-cop. Otherwise they'll treat him like a buzzing fly. Cops stick together, and **** the civilians. Unfortunate but too true.

 

I'll come up with an IT expert. (It probably won't be Jim. He's an electronics engineer.)

And coated in grease, or woodchips, or muck, all the time.

Re: Another human civilization may live inside Earth's hollows

Picking up scantily clad young women and running around with them is also perpetually popular.

Not just with aliens! :eg:

Re: WWYCD? Women City Savers Only

All my current char's are female. Some would go in and let the men follow or not, some would wait for the men to decide, a few would point to the refugee problem and tell/suggest the men deal with that. There's one that would not go in, because the refugee mess needs help more than the city (in her opinion).

A few might snicker at the transformed men, a few might (pretend to) ignore it. Most would tell the men to remember what it feels like, and to learn from it. Especially after tricking them into "parading" past some MCPs.

Re: COPS, CREWS, AND CABALS -- What Do *You* Want To See?

MMSS: Metahuman Mundane Support Services. A company that takes care of all those "mundane" things a Superhero(ine) has to deal with that get in the way of defending justice/innocents/etc. From housecleaners to pet-sitters to gardeners to lawyers to accountants to...

Whatever a Superhero(ine) needs done that s/he just doesn't have the time for, MMSS will cover it for you.

And for a fee, of course.

Re: Brainstorming a superhero team's staff, liaisons, and guests

What is "a shadetree mechanic"?

Housekeepers do light housework. Who's going to do "the heavy"?

Who's doing the cooking? Who's doing the dishes and kitchen cleaning?

Who's the IT gal/guy?

Who handles public relations? Who keeps in contact with state, county and local LEA's?

Who does landscaping? Who does house repairs and maintenance?

More if I think of it.

Re: Another human civilization may live inside Earth's hollows

The problem appears to be that all anybody wants to hear about are the lost Nazi civilizations or the aliens who use it as an R&R spot while wandering Kansas anally probing people.

I parsed this as "wandering Kansas anally".

Not really a contribution to the discussion; I just wanted to get that image out of my mind.

By putting it in ours?

Thanks a bunch!

Re: What would some good limits be for an experienced hero?

Wow nice idea. What kind of point value would you assign that? Especially if the Hero in question had "Puts Innocents before Self" or something like that? Would that be a social or a helleva DNPC?

Social Limitation: Famous: Frequently, Minor: 10 points --- that's right from the rule book.

DNPC: current crowd of looky-loo fans: Incompetent, 11-, x32: 35 points --- adjust frequency, and size of crowd, to taste. BTW I think you should make the size of the crowd the minimum number of idiots---excuse me, innocents---that show up.

Re: Your Superhero Identity for Today

Just for gits and shiggles, I tried again. I think your name decides some of it.

Calculating your superhero identity for the day...

Searching FBI databases...

Searching the sky for signs...

Beaming psychotronic energy to Pittsburgh...

WHY PITTSBURGH???? Sheesh.

Your Superhero Identity For Today Is:

Name: Citronella

Secret Identity: Dawn Darke

See? Same "Secret Identity" same "Name"

Not that I want to be named after a bug repeller.

Special Power: Power Finger

WTF? Tentacles were bad enough, but this, this is,....

Transportation: Quantum Bicycle

"It's all because of quantum" --- Terry Pratchett

Weapon: X-Ray Blade

Now that has possibilities!

Costume: Leather Booties

Can I change those "booties" into boots? Thigh-high leather boots?

Or does that make me into a supervillainess?

Sidekick: Starling

Great. My sidekick is a pest-bird.

Nemesis: Marvin the Ripper

"Marvin"? What does he rip---paper bags?

Tragic Flaw: Fear of peanut butter

Hey, you can build up an impenetrable layer of that stuff on the roof of your mouth, forcing you to talk funny for the rest of your life. That's not fear, that's reasonable concern!

Favorite Food: Melon

Dead wrong. Gives me gas. And I don't mean the "make me burp" kind, either.

Re: Seacouver, Washington: take 3

Rainy on the west side' date=' dry on the east side. Kinda like the big island in (of) Hawaii. Hilo is wet, Kona is dry.[/quote']

 

D'oh! I shoulda knowed that. :doi: :doi:

Re: Rules to ignore, or replace

My own personal issue is why have Shapeshift and Images when the construct is so similar? Why not just dump Shapeshift and use Images only vs. Self?

No reason at all. If they're going to insist on a "Shapeshift" that doesn't, then get rid of it.

And lots of us have, putting back in REAL Shapeshift.

My own knee-jerk response is that since Shapeshift actually alters your form' date=' you could use it to say, reach under the couch to retrieve your loose coins that your arm would have otherwise been too large to fit under. [i']But only if you bought Shapeshift vs. touch because the couch isn't going to be fooled by a sight-only Shapeshift.[/i] Clearly this is silly,

Shapeshift into a gibbon. OK, you weigh too much, a giant gibbon. Longer arm for the thickness. There's your money back.

Re: Rules to ignore, or replace

If you make a Power that causes an actual physical change in the character' date=' then you eliminate other possible SFX, such as illusion, hologram, glamour, etc.[/quote']

 

That's what Images are for. In 5th Ed, you literally do not have any power for changing your physical conformation, except Multiform. I want a power to change my actual, real, physical form, without gaining other powers, changing my stats, etc. 5th Ed. doesn't have one. It should.

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions, version 2.0

That was my thought, too, until I read about the Little Sisters of Jesus. I'll add the URL for the Wikipedia article on them asap.

 

Edit: Here's the URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/Little_Sisters_of_Jesus. It's a stub, but it gives the order's URL, too. It's http://www.rc.net/org/littlesisters/.

I think you're right. From their website, see http://www.rc.net/org/littlesisters/Export7.htm that mentions circuses in the USA.

Re: Horror -- fied

Use Multiform ... it'll help For anything that does massive shapechanging' date=' I usually assign it a Multiform VPP ...[/quote']

 

That sneak-around is always possible. :sneaky: