ArmlessTigerMan
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Posts posted by ArmlessTigerMan
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Re: The Crime College, Criminal Reformation, and Pulp Hero. Thoughts?
Redemption is a big theme in my campagine' date=' a center-piece is Venerable Comic Book Cliche #16, "Any sufficently popular villian will reform and get their own title." I've gotten a lot of milage out of Foxbat trying to walk the Straight and Narrow.[/quote']You don't see too much redemption in the pulps, at least not in my small sampling. You may find the occasion reformed gangster turned follower, or seductress with a heart of gold, but usually bad is bad. I don't have much use for it, as it goes against the source material.
But I love how wrong the idea of the crime college seems to modern readers. Now, give a villain the opposite of this, a treatment to remove all morality and virtue from a subject... sounds like something Sun Koh should have.
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Re: THRILLING PLACES -- What Do *You* Want To See?
A mysterious Island Harbor with Chinese Pirate Queens' date='seedy Dives etc....[/quote']I like this idea. Perhaps the Isle of Malachite in the pulp era. A bit more lawless and disorderly before the supervillain Malachite comes along. Like Casablanca, where you can rub shoulders with villainous scum from every nation.
You never have too many booby-trapped old tombs. Aside from chinese empereors with their clay legions and pharaohs in their sarcophogi you've got: Mayan and Aztec pyramids, Incan ruins, the Hanging Coffins of the Bo, Sumerian Ziggurats, the white pyramid of Xi'an...
The Parisian Catacombs. Mysterious and unused subway tunnels beneath New York city where untold denizens dwell. And those creepy little New England villages that Lovecraft fellow keeps writing about.
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Re: I need your help with my Pulps Adventure
Off the top of my head, two that I have been thinking of working into adventures:
http://www.sysabend.org/champions/gnborh/text/Jadis-ks.txt
and
http://www.sysabend.org/champions/gnborh/text/Sadhi_Bel_Addah-ks.txt
Don't forget that CZJ's character from Phantom was actually the leader of a team of female pilots.
For something a little more obscure, in the Doc Savage novel Fortress of Solitude , there were two sisters, Titana and Gigantia, that had been strongwomen in vaudeville before the master villain kidnapped their younger sister and forced them into a life of crime. Basically, they were muscular thugs who happened to be dames.
La, Queen of Opar was the ruler of city filled with beastmen, located deep in the jungle. I think... been a while since I've read Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar. Basically, she was a wily seductress type. But Tarzan didn't fall for it.
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What a great movie! Depression-era New York and Skull Island are so beautifully realized, you'll be yearning for pulp adventure long before you leave the theatre...
I'm not sure what part of Kong's expressions are motion capture from Andy Sirkis, and what's computer generated, but Kong seems to emote as much as any of the other actors. Makes the end all the sadder.
Like Sky Captain, Kong is a period action flick with great effects. Unlike Sky Captain, Kong has good writing, directing, acting, and dialogue. So go out! See it now! This I command!!!
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Re: What Other Pulp Hero Books Would You Like To See?
Pulp Amok .I'm likin' this idea too.
anything new by Aaron Allston.I vote for this one also, although it would seem less likely.
I also like the idea of a setting/city book. Maybe Allston's idea of the Pulp Apple book he never got to write. Any similarly iconic city would do though, Chicago, San Francisco, Hong Kong... or pulpified versions thereof. In my mind, Hudson City 1935 wouldn't work. It doesn't have the same larger-than-life quality.
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Monstrodamus
The Devil Monsters, The Shadow Magazine 1941
Val Char Cost
10 STR 0
11 DEX 3
14 CON 8
12 BODY 4
18 INT 8
14 EGO 8
15 PRE 5
10 COM 0
2 PD 0
3 ED 0
2 SPD 0
5 REC 0
28 END 0
24 STUN 0
6" RUN 0
2" SWIM 0
2" LEAP 0
Characteristics Cost: 36
Cost Skill
10 Animal Handler (Dinorsaurs, Insects & Anthropods, Reptiles & Amphibians) 15-
3 Concealment 13-
3 Persuasion 12-
3 Stealth 11-
1 WF: Handguns
3 Scholar
3 1) KS: Creatures of Myth (INT-based) (4 Active Points) 14-
2 2) KS: Greek Mythology (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
2 3) KS: Medieval History (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
3 Scientist
2 1) SS: Botany (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
4 2) SS: Cryptozoology (INT-based) (5 Active Points) 15-
2 3) SS: Geology (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
2 4) SS: Mineralogy (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
2 5) SS: Paleontology (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
2 6) SS: Zoology (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
3 Traveler
2 1) AK: Australia (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
2 2) AK: Egypt (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
2 3) AK: Greece (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
2 4) AK: The Middle East (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-
Skills Cost: 58
Cost Perk
40 Followers: Various Animals (x25, 75 Base, 75 Disad) [Notes: note: some of his creatures cost more than this, some less. 75+75 is an approximate value.]
15 Followers: Manservants (x3, 25 Base, 25 Disad)
5 Money (Well Off)
Perks Cost: 60
Pts. Disadvantage
20 Hunted: The Shadow, As Powerful, 11- (Frequently), Harshly Punish, Extensive Non-Combat Influence
20 Psychological Limitation: Megalomania, Common, Total
10 Psychological Limitation: Protective of his Animals, Uncommon, Strong
10 Social Limitation: Secret Identity: Compeer Chandos, Occasionally (8-), Major
19 Villain Bonus
0 Normal Characteristic Maxima: No Age Restriction
Disadvantage Points: 79
Base Points: 75
Total Character Cost: 154
background: "I have rediscovered and revived the monsters of the past. It is right that my name should resemble theirs. But in using them to shape the future, I shall follow the prophecies of Nostradamus, so my name should be a tribute to him as well. Thus I stand before you as the man of things to come. I am Monstrodamus!"
Compeer Chandos owned a small estate in scenic Glendale, outside of New York City. He had two patrons among his wealthy neighbors. One was an amature mineralogist, and paid Chandos to travel the globe collecting rock and gem specimens for him. The other was an amature botanist, and paid for Chandos to travel the globe collecting rare and exotic flora. Somehow, in between collecting specimens for the rock hound and the plant nut, he found time to pursue his true passion; seeking out specimens of animals that were thought to be extinct, and creatures of myth that most people believed had never existed in the first place.
For Chandos has a secret identity, that of Monstrodamus! He plans to use his menagerie to assasinate the leaders of the world one by one, until chaos reigns. Chaos from which Monstrodamus would emerge supreme! Tucked away in a secluded valley lay his castle, the interior courtyard of which had been turned into a gigantic hothouse in which to house his plants and animals.
Eventually, his benefactors became suspicious and each sent a gumshoe snooping around his estate. At night. They were killed by Monstrodamus' pets, the deaths attributed to a local man's hunting dog. The extremely brutallized condition of the bodies piqued the Shadow's interest, who came out to the country to investigate. Monstrodamus then used his animals to commit the seemingly impossible 'locked room' style murders of his patrons to eliminate their intrusions. Obviously, this only made the Shadow more suspicious. Eventually, Monstrodamus captured the Shadow and his assistants, and planned grisly deaths for all of them by way of being fed to his various pets. Of course, the Shadow turned the tables on him, and the villain and his castle was destroyed, along with all of his monsters.
disads: On the old Mastermind/Madman continuum, Monstrodamus falls squarely in the middle. He is a would-be world conqueror, but his plan isn't well thought out; he doesn't have very many animals, and the ones he does have are useful for killing one or two people at a time, not for mass destruction. He is an obsessive collector type, but doesn't posess the insane brilliance, creativity, or mood swings that one would expect from a true madman.
abilities: Monstrodamus is an wizened old man and no physical threat to our heroes, although he does know his way around a pistol. He has travelled extensively, and studied different histories searching for his animals. He is an expert in mythology and mythological animals, as well as being the world's foremost (or only) crypto-zoologist. He also has three brawny bodyguards/manservants: Maximus, Optimus, and Fortissimus. But his real weapons are his pets.
appearance: Thin and frail, wrinkled, with light gray hair and a thin, beak-like nose. As Chandos, he wears a gray skullcap and dark subdued clothing. As Monstrodamus, he wears purple robes trimmed with gold, an emblem of a snake eating its tail upon his chest, wears a coronet, and carries a golden scepter with a large emerald set into it.
campaign use: You could use him as is, with the same m.o., and same suspiscious deaths to lure your heroes into his grasp. Or the your players could encounter him on his travels as he bags another prize, and tries to eliminate them so that no one knows his secret.
The climax of the novel is a great scene. The Shadow and his agents are trapped in the villain's giant greenhouse. Large slides of glass are used to partition off different sections. Each hero is trapped alone with a different monster, and able to see the plight of the other characters, but the partitions prevent them from aiding or communicating with each other.
monsters: "No creature ever becomes entirely extinct."
Monstrodamus has travelled the world, searching out and collecting creatures that shouldn't exist, but do. You'll need a copy of the Hero System Bestiary to play along at home:
Pteranadon: Use as is.
Flying Serpent: Basically a Venomous Snake with the Winged Template. Monstrodamus trains these to fly through extremely small spaces, bite a victim, and return.
Salamander: Monstrodamus sends the Salamanders into torpor, and places them in hollowed out logs, leaving the log in his victim's woodpile. When the victim places said log in his fireplace, the Salamander awakens in a frenzy, biting people and setting its surroundings on fire.
Basilisk: As per the Bestiary, except in the story, the Basilisk has no offensive powers. The villain was too afraid to test this on anyone. But that's boring, I'd recommend something that a Pulp Hero would have a chance of overcoming, perhaps an entangle based on ECV.
Tyranosaurus: Similar to the one on page 158, except M's is only half grown, so decrease attacks, size, and defenses.
Gippsland Giant Worm: http://www.thegreencommunity.org/giant_worms.html
Giant Mole: Where there are giant worms, there must be giant moles. At least, that's the rationale in the story. These are used to kidnap people, by grabbing them and tunnelling home with them; somehow the people are unharmed by this.
Giant Scorpion: Similar to the one in the Bestiary, but Monstrodamus' Scorpion is only 1-2 meters long, so you'll need to lower the characteristics and attack, and change the disadvantages a bit. Also, the one in the story doesn't have a stinger.
Of course, there's absolutely no reason you couldn't include your own favorite creatures to populate Monstrodamus' menagerie.
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Re: Pulp Reading
My favorite resource is the WPA visitors' guide series. Travel guides to the states written by some fairly notable authors (Steinbeck helped write the California guide), with great photographs.I desperately wanted one for New York back in the days when they were reprinting them, but I never managed to find one. With PH on the way, I may have to do some looking.
Amazon.com should still have them. That's where I got it.
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life.... was pretty good for color details, but it's so horribly over-priced. Check the library.
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Re: Real world Pulp characters
I was thinking Wiley Post would make a good npc. Back in the '30s, he was as famous as Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Post did prison time for highway robbery, lost an eye as a roughneck on drilling rig, and went on to become an aviation pioneer. He set speed records for flying around the world, designed a pressure suit for high altitude flight (before they could pressurize the cabin I guess) and palled around with Roy Rogers.
Definitely a rennaissance man, of a sort.
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Re: Pulp Slang
Pulp Era Slanghttp://www.armlesstigerman.com/intro/pulp/slang.html
Ummm... yeah, I posted all the slang from JI, plus about ten words from other sources. You wants I should take it down?
If you want, I'd be happy to scan the slang pages from JI and OCR it for you. Should I post it here or email it to you?
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Re: Pulp Film Recommendations
Spies - by Friz Lang. Along with 'M' this was one of the best silent films I have ever seen. It's about spies (obviously) trying to thwart an evil mastermind. 'M' is about a child molester being hunted in depression-era Germany. Great films with pulpy bits, as sell as small details of life in the 1920's.
And let's not forget the Venture Brothers. Go Team Venture!
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Re: Pulp Reading
I just started "The Scarlet Riders: Pulp Fiction Tales of the Mounties" which is exactly what it sounds like. Pretty cool stuff, some true crime type stories, as well as some more fantastic lost race tales.
Also got Nile Empire for TORG off Ebay. It was pretty disappointing, but in only cost me two dollars. And there were one or two useful sections, The Law of Drama for example. If you can find it cheap, I recommend it.
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Re: PULP HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?
Chapter 2 -- History of the Pulp Era: ...
Chapter 3 -- The World of the Pulp Era: ...
I don't want a history book. The Pulp Era is fictional, so I would like the setting details to be as fantastic as possible. There are plenty of sources for the crunchy details on prohibition and the rise of Nazism for example. I'd be more interested in the state of tourism to Maple White Land, or whatever happened to King Kong's body after he died. Setting and history based on the source material, not on the real world.
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Re: Welcome To The New PULP HERO Forum!
Sure, you can joke now... Come this summer, everyone will be talking in purple prose and putting exclamtion points at the end of every sentence! Every sentence!!!
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Re: Pulp HeroesJim Lockhart, The Helldiver!
Characteristics Cost: 40Val Char Cost 10 STR 0 11 DEX 3 14 CON 8 10 BODY 0 18 INT 8 10 EGO 0 15 PRE 5 12 COM 1 5 PD 3 3 ED 0 3 SPD 9 5 REC 0 28 END 0 22 STUN 0 6" RUN 0 5" SWIM 3 2" LEAP 0
Martial Arts Cost: 13Cost Martial Arts Maneuver Bar Room Brawling 4 1) Left Hook: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, STR +2d6 Strike 4 2) Low Blow: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, 2d6 NND 5 3) Gimme That: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab Weapon, +10 STR to take weapon away
Skills Cost: 40Cost Skill 3 AK: The Seven Seas (INT-based) 13- 3 KS: The Marine World (INT-based) 13- 3 SS: Marine Biology (INT-based) 13- 3 KS: Ocean Lore (INT-based) 13- 3 KS: Pirates and Smugglers (INT-based) 13- 3 PS: Deep Sea Diver (INT-based) 13- 3 SS: Naval Engineering (INT-based) 13- 3 TF: Large Motorized Boats, Small Motorized Boats, Submarines 3 WF: Small Arms, Vehicle Weapons 3 Inventor 13- 3 Mechanics 13- 2 Navigation (Marine) 13- 2 Survival (Marine) 13- 3 Streetwise 12-
Perks Cost: 27Cost Perk 20 Submarine: The Helldiver (100 Base, 0 Disad) 5 Money (Well Off) 2 Reputation: Explorer (A small to medium sized group, 11-) +2/+2d6
Base Points: 75Disadvantage Points: 45Total Character Cost: 120 Background: Jim Lockhart has only ever had one love: the sea. As a child he watched the waves roll onto Virginian beaches and marveled at her power. Crewing his father's crab boat, he learned to respect her unpredictability. And diving for treasure off the Florida Keys, he discovered her generosity, in those rare moments when she would yield the treasures she had so jealously guarded.Val Disadvantages 10 Hunted: Assorted Pirates, As Powerful, 11- (Frequently), Harshly Punish, Limited Geographical Area 10 Hunted: Foreign Naval Power, More Powerful, 8- (Occasionally), Watching, Extensive Non-Combat Influence 15 Psych Lim; The Call of the Sea: Driven to explore the oceans of the world., Common, Strong 10 Physical Limitation: Missing One Eye, Infrequently, Greatly Impairing 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima: No Age Restriction When he learned of the sinking of the Lusitania, Jim couldn't stand the thought of the ocean, his ocean being stained with the blood of the innocent. He enlisted immediately, and became one of the American Navy's first submariners. Stationed in the Azores, Jim saw very little action, but learned a lot about Submarines; how they worked, their capabilities and limitations, and how they could be used to explore the mysteries of the sea.
After the armistice, Jim returned to America. He used savings from his treasure hunting days to put himself through school, studying naval engineering, as well as the flora and fauna of the sea. With the remainder of his finances he built prototype upon prototype until his vision was realized.
A bullet shaped hull capable of diving further than any vessel of the day. Wide panels of pressure resistant glass so that one might directly observe the bottom of the sea. External hydraulic manipulator arms to aid in salvage operations. Advanced airlocks, diving suits, and pressurized chambers to allow egress and re-entry from the crushing depths with no ill effects. Built for the purpose of exploring where others feared to venture, Jim christened his creation The Helldiver!
Since that day, Jim Lockhart has made a name for himself fearlessly seeking out the mysteries of the briny deep. In between sunken galleons brimming with dubloons, he's discovered various heretofore unknown denizens of the deep, rescued the occasional hapless sailor adrift at sea, and interfered in the smuggling operations of modern day slave traders. In the newspapers and on the radio, Jim is often referred to by the name of his super-sub, which sounds quite dashing and annoys him to no end.
Personality: Equal parts Indiana Jones and Jacques Cousteau, Jim Lockhart does what he does for the love of adventure and the thrill of the unknown. Outside of a small circle of like-minded adventurers, Jim doesn't have many close friends. He maintains a small office on the waterfront in Empire City, but doesn't use it much, preferring to spend his time at sea. Away from home Jim can often be found carousing in the seediest dockside bars the world has to offer.
Skills: A life spent at sea has given Jim a wealth of specialized knowledge which could be invaluable to player characters. He packs a mean punch, and always has his ear to the ground regarding rumors of piracy and other such activities all over the globe. If you find him underpowered, you could beef up his strength and add combat levels. You could also add any languages or Area Knowledge type skills that might be useful for a given adventure.
Disadvantages: Jim Lockhart has never been able to resist the siren call of the sea, and finds himself drawn to explore. As a result, he spends very little time in Empire City. He has tried to interest the Navy in his unique designs; a cash-strapped nation and isolationism have caused the military to refuse his offers. There are other, foreign powers interested in his submarine. They watch him closely, waiting to make him an offer or steal his designs outright. He's also earned the enmity of assorted pirate crews around the world.
Appearance: Jim Lockhart is in his early thirties, average height, with blonde hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He lost an eye years ago in a diving accident and wears a black eyepatch.
Campaign Use: Basically, The Helldiver serves the part of the enabling npc, part tour guide and part taxi. Looking for a way to get your players to Atlantis, Lemuria, Mu, the mid-Atlantic trench, under the antarctic ice, or anywhere else on or under the water? Jim Lockhart fits the bill, ably transporting the players in style if not comfort, providing colorful exposition in between attacks by cutthroat marauders and giant squids.
Equipment: The Helldiver is an engineering wonder of the pulp age. Lacking The Ultimate Vehicle, as well as the Vehicle Sourcebook, I didn't feel prepared to do a write up of the wonder-sub. The Helldiver should be loaded with equipment necessary to facilitate deep sea exploratory missions. I'd probably make it a little smaller than a U-Boat, a little faster and more maneuverable with a comparable range.
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Re: Pulp Hero
I've always liked the "base points from campaign role" type idea that A. Alston put forth in Lost Worlds.Cool idea. Is this in Lands of Mystery? I'd look for it on ebay, but it's probably impossible to find, like his Strikeforce book.
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Re: Pirates versus Superheroes
Sounds like Super Agents. The supplement is long out of print, the concept being that you play UNTIL or PRIMUS agents going up against Supervillains.
It can be fun. When you and your agent level buddies are high-fiving over the unconscious body of a supervillain, victory is that much sweeter, because the antagonist is so powerful.
But super agents get: armor, weapons, cool gadgets... as well as the advantage of superior numbers. So to give the ghost-ninja-pirates a fighting chance, they need some kind of edge: magic weapons, ninja powers, etc...
Or the superheroes could have well know weaknesses. So pirates fighting vampires would have an easier time than pirates fighting Colossus, as everyone knows vampires are vulnerable to crosses, garlic, fire, sunlight, etc...
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At the Shady Acres home for retired adventurers...
The Blonde Phantom: "...And there I stood, with only half a clip left in my trusty nickel-plated .45, surrounded by a gibbering horde of zombies!"
Quantum Lass: "Were they fast zombies, grandma?"
The Blonde Phantom: "Fast zombies? You whippersnappers and yer sorry excuses for zombies! Back in my day, we had real zombies to worry about!"
Zombi
City of Doom, by Walter Gibson
The Shadow, May 1936
5" RUN-22" SWIM03" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: -8Val Char Cost 15 STR 5 8 DEX -6 10 CON 0 10 BODY 0 3 INT -7 0 EGO 0 10 PRE 0 10 COM 0 1/6 PD 0 1 ED 0 2 SPD 2 5 REC 0 20 END 0
Powers Cost: 65Cost Power END 60 Dulled Senses: Automaton (Takes No STUN) 7 Tireless Sinews: , Reduced Endurance on Strength (0 END; +1/2) (7 Active Points) -2 Mechanical Gait: (0 Active Points); No noncombat on running (Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness; -1/4) Equipment 1) Broadsword: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6 +1 2) Helmet and Chestplate: Armor (5 PD) ; Activation Roll 11- (-1)
Skills Cost: 5Cost Skill 2 Language: Unknown Language: Fluent Conversation 1 WF: Blades 2 +1 Broadsword Val Disadvantages 25 No free will: Must obey the Voodoo Master, Very Common, Total 10 Dulled Senses: -2 to all perception rolls, Frequently, Slightly Impairing 27 Zombie Bonus Base Points: 0
Disadvantage Points: 62
Total Character Cost: 62
background: The Zombi are the victims of Dr. Rodil Mocquino, the self styled 'Voodoo Master.' These poor souls have been repeatedly subject to Mocquino's mind control device until their free will has been obliterated.
powers/equipment: Zombi are slow moving and insensate. Mocquino has outfitted them with broadswords, as well as helmets and breastplates that are strong enough to withstand pistol fire. Dr. Mocquino has trained the Zombi respond to commands in an unknown language.
tactics: Being slow and dull-witted, the Zombi are best suited to attacks in confined spaces. Dr. Mocquino uses them to guard his headquarters. The Zombi have a limited memory. Their standing orders are "Advance to within sword length of intruders, and attack."
Mindless Monster
The Mindless Monsters, attributed to Alan Hathaway
Doc Savage Magazine, September 1941
6" RUN02" SWIM06 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 54Val Char Cost 33 STR 36 10 DEX 0 18 CON 16 11 BODY 2 10 INT 0 10 EGO 0 20 PRE 0 10 COM 0 7/13 PD 0 4 ED 0 2 SPD 0 11 REC 0 36 END 0 37 STUN 0
Powers Cost: 11Cost Power END 6 Feels No Pain: Armor (6 PD / 0 ED) (9 Active Points); Only protects against stun, not body (Limited Type of Attack; -1/2) (added to Secondary Value) 5 Not Impressed: +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Defense only (Power loses about half of its effectiveness; -1) (added to Primary Value) Val Disadvantages 20 Physical Limitation: Rapid Aging, All the Time, Greatly Impairing 20 Psychological Limitation: No free will, must obey master, Common, Total 5 Distinctive Features: Pale skin, blank stare, Easily Concealed, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses 20 Zombie Bonus 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima: No Age Restriction Base Points: 0
Disadvantage Points: 65
Total Character Cost: 65
background: The Mindless Monsters are the side effect of a mind control concoction developed by an evil pharmacist. In moderation, it makes the subject susceptible to command. When given a fatal overdose, the victim gains inhuman strength at the price of rapidly using up all of their vitality. Rapid aging ensues, leaving the victim a pale, wrinkled corpse within minutes as they die of old age.
powers: They are extremely strong, able to flip over trucks, rip doors off of cars, and crush people to death.
tactics: The monsters are dosed and then used to commit robberies, as the villain tests his creation and gears up for wholesale terror and conquest.
The Reanimated
Herbert West: Reanimator by H.P. Lovecraft
Home Brew, February 1922
7" RUN02" SWIM03 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 25Val Char Cost 15 STR 5 11 DEX 3 13 CON 6 10 BODY 0 10 INT 0 10 EGO 0 10 PRE 0 8 COM -1 3 PD 0 3 ED 0 3 SPD 9 6 REC 0 26 END 0 28 STUN 3
Powers Cost: 5Cost Power END 3 Savage Attack: Hand-To-Hand Attack +1d6 (5 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) 1 2 The Quick and the Dead: Running +1" (added to Primary Value) 1
Skills Cost: 8Cost Skill 5 Stealth 12- 3 Shadowing 11- Val Disadvantages 15 Craves Human Flesh, Common, Strong 15 Animal Intelligence, Common, Strong 8 Zombie Bonus 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima: No Age Restriction Base Points: 0
Disadvantage Points: 38
Total Character Cost: 38
background: As a young medical student, Herbert West formed certain theories concerning life and death, believing that once the spark of life was extinguished, a new, artificial spark could take its place, and the dead could live again.
powers: This write up exemplifies subjects from early in Dr. West's career. He sought out prime physical specimens that had died sudden deaths, thus the relatively high characteristic scores (when compared to normal humans.) These subjects invariably 'came back wrong,' as violent killers craving human flesh. The experiments that escaped from West roamed the countryside, savagely killing people and eating them.
tactics: These reanimated are feral creatures, seeking out weak victims and feeding on them. They have no intelligence, only animal cunning.
The Red Eyes
The Hills of the Dead, by Robert E. Howard
Weird Tales, August 1930
6" RUN02" SWIM02 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 15Val Char Cost 13 STR 3 11 DEX 3 10 CON 0 10 BODY 0 10 INT 0 10 EGO 0 10 PRE 0 10 COM 0 3 PD 0 2 ED 0 3 SPD 9 5 REC 0 20 END 0 22 STUN 0
Powers Cost: 29Cost Power END 24 Unnatural Vigor: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%, Not v.s. animal attacks (+0) (30 Active Points); Still suffer disabling effects of attacks to hit locations (-1/4) 5 Denizen of the Night: Nightvision
Skills Cost: 5Cost Skill 5 Climbing 12- Val Disadvantages 20 Vulnerability: Fire, Common, Vulnerability Multiplier (2x BODY) 10 Fear of Fire, Uncommon, Strong 5 Distinctive Features: Ashen skin, bloodshot eyes, Easily Concealed, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses 14 Zombie Bonus 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima: No Age Restriction Base Points: 0
Disadvantage Points: 49
Total Character Cost: 49
background: A twist on the Lost City cliche, this lost city is teaming with zombies. The Red Eyes inhabit an ancient city in the hills of the African jungle. Their history and origin is unknown.
powers: The Red Eyes are products of evil magic. They are able to withstand a lot of punishment, the special effect being that they suffer the effects of damage; broken necks, limbs, etc... These creatures are nocturnal, and are afraid of fire. Their dead flesh is also attractive to carrion feeders, like vultures, which would happily feed on the Red Eyes.
tactics: These creatures are nocturnal, leaving their silent city at night to abduct victims from the local tribes, in order ot devour their souls!
Optional rules for zombies:
Goodnight Gracie: A killing attack that causes a certain amount of body damage to the head hit location will automatically incapacitate zombies. This helps speed up combat as the gm only needs to track head shots, and can basically ignore the stun and body of other attacks. Also useful for downgrading zombies from Menace to Mook status, depending on the effect desired.
stories available here:
cribbed ideas from Twilight of the Dead
http://www.yamoslair.com/totd.html
as well as movie zombies here
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Re: Pulp Villain: The Damp Man
here's the hdc.
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Lother Remsdorf Jr., The Damp Man
Created by Allison V. Harding; First appearance: Weird Tales, July 1947.
The Damp Man
6" RUN05" SWIM37" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 108Val Char Cost 35 STR 40 7 DEX -9 20 CON 20 17 BODY 14 18 INT 8 20 EGO 20 20 PRE 10 6 COM -2 8/13 PD 1 4 ED 0 2 SPD 3 11 REC 0 40 END 0 45 STUN 0
Powers Cost: 42Cost Power END 8 Surface Tension: Armor (5 PD / 0 ED) (added to Secondary Value) 30 Body of water: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 4 Replenish: Healing 1 BODY (10 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12); -1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2) 1
Skills Cost: 35Cost Skill 3 Bribery 14- 3 Bureaucratics 14- 5 Combat Driving 11- 3 High Society 13- 3 Persuasion 14- 3 Security Systems 13- 3 Shadowing 13- 3 +1 Bribery, Bureaucratics, Persuasion 9 +3 with punch, grab
Perks Cost: 15Cost Perk 15 Money (Filthy Rich) Val Disadvantages 10 Distinctive Features: extremely fat, deathly pale skin, eyes like a fish., Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses 20 Psychological Limitation: obsessed with finding the perfect mate., Common, Total 20 Enraged when finds potential mate is unsuitable., Uncommon, go 14-, recover 11- 15 Psychological Limitation: Superior to normal humans., Common, Strong 20 Susceptibility: intense heat, cold, Uncommon, 2d6 damage, per Phase 15 Susceptibility: chemicals that react with water, Uncommon, 1d6 damage, per Phase 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima: No Age Restriction Base Points: 100
Disadvantage Points: 100
Total Character Cost: 200
Background: Lother Remsdorf Jr. was a sickly child born into a vast fortune ammassed by his super-scientist father. Remsdorf senior created an apparatus to heal his son, but unwittingly transformed him into a new type of water-based life form.
As an adult, Remsdorf Jr. discovered that he is unable to breed with normal women. He has decided that if he can find a woman with a special affinity for water, he might be able to procreate with her. At the beginning of the first story, his stalking champion swimmer Linda Mallory in hopes of mating with her.
As if the fact of him being a physical juggernaut weren't enough, he is one of the wealthiest men in the country. In the first story, he bribes (or Persuades, it isn't made clear) the Police Commisioner of New York City, who promptly turns against the protagonist! Conceivably, he should be able to afford as many thugs or lawyers or bribed officials as the situation requires. However, he usually prefers to handle his affairs personally.
Powers: The Damp Man is no longer even remotely human. Due to his father's experiments, he has been transformed into a 400 pound walking water balloon. Normal killing attacks; knives, guns, etc... won't do any real damages to him. If his dense flesh is penetrated, a thick, water-like substance will leak out, but no real harm will be done. He apparently doesn't have any vital organs or weak points.
Personality/Motivation: The Damp Man's main goal is to find a woman to procreate with him, and create a new hybrid race. He will stop at nothing to achieve this. Having decided that female swimmers are the ticket, he stalks one after the other. If they turn out to be usatisfactory for some reason, he kills them and moves on to the next one.
His main psychological 'weakness' is his belief in his superiority to normal human beings, and resultant distrust of human flunkies. This could lead to his underestimation of dangerous situations, and could easily be manipulated by player characters.
Aside from being a sociopath, The Damp Man seems to be a cultured individual, and can be quite charming if the situation dictates.
Disadvantages: Physically, The Damp Man is vulnerable to temperature extremes. In the first story, he follows the young woman he is stalking into a blizzard, and winds up frozen solid, only to be defrosted later.
Also, I kinda liked the idea of him being vulnerable to chemicals that react with water. This is based on one write-up I found for him for CoC (see refernces below), as well as the fact that in the second story he is apparently 'freeze dried.'
Appearance: Remsdorf appears to be an extremely overweight man. He is also described as having "deathly pale" skin and black eyes that look like a fish's. He has a moist handshake, and makes squishy sounds when he walks, as if the soles of his shoes were always wet.
Campaign Use: A creepy villain that kills women, who's almost impossible to harm physically, with more resources and money than most millionaire playboys. Based on what I've read, I built him to take on a party of up to five player-characters built on 150 points. He could easily be tweaked to fit you campaign needs.
What I found most interesting about the character was that he had real mastermind potential, except for the fact that he's fixated on achieving one goal. Instead of being a threat to the world at large, he single-mindedly harasses one woman at a time.
References:
http://community-2.webtv.net/drhermes/horror/page2.html
scroll down to "The Damp Man Stories," where all three stories are reviewed.
http://www.kizandjenn.com/damp_man.html
The Damp Man written up for a Call of Cthulhu adventure.
This is a collection of stories from Weird Tales, including the first Damp Man story.
http://www.yankeeclassic.com/miskatonic/library/stacks/periodicals/weirdta/wt1941/wt1949.htm
Scroll down to the May 1949 issue with The Damp Man on the cover.
And so, I humbly submit my first character post. Questions, comments...
-edited for formatting. I warned you, it was my first character post.
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Re: Lightray's Craaazy Character Challenge!
Getting the GM to post his pet villain may take some convincing though.
Heh heh. Pet villain indeed. I have the Hero Creator file somewhere, but no longer have the program installed or on disk. Oh well.
Basically my version of the guy was a martial artist trained in Savate, with a weapon element representing blades that he wore on his feet. Some running, leaping, a high dex, and a high tolerance for pain rounded out the picture.
As for a character challenge, I recommend:
And Prometheus, you should be plotting out our next adventure, not sitting around trolling message boards! Get to work!
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Re: Favorite Pulp Character
The Avenger and The Rocketeer.
The Avenger had the ability to mold the features of his paralyzed face. Combined with make-up, elevator heels, and inflatable pouches in his clothing to simulate girth or muscles, this would either be Disguise or Shapeshift. Not sure how I'd but it.
As for the Rocketeer's rocketpack, there's a write-up for a jetpack in the margin of page 115 of the Big Black Book. I might increase the speed a tiny bit, as well as ad some sort of disadvantage to simulate that the rocketpack was either on or off, with no speed in between. And I might require some sort of Dex or Acrobatics roll to land succesfully without hurting oneself; in the comic he had a lot of rough landings.
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Re: Pulp Discussion
...For your Pulp game, do you see more of a Pulp Adventure (Raiders of the Lost Arc, Rocketeer, style game) or Pulp Action (LXG, Doc Savage) sort of game.What are the merits and disadvantages of each. Which would attract more players?
I don't get it. Are Action and Adventure different things? If they are, shouldn't a good game have both?
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Re: DARK CHAMPIONS: What Do *You* Want To See?
Under the sample characters section, please include only those characters that correspond to power levels that are suggested in the book for Dark Champions campaigns.
Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)
in Champions
Posted
Re: Costume fixation (Get your mind out of the gutter)
Not strictly costumes, but I've always liked the look of 'monstrous' characters: Sasquatch, The Thing, and alien Green Lanterns like Kilowog. They seem to provide a nice contrast to the clean lines of costumed heroes.
I also have a secret fondness for goofy golden age costumes:Flash's costume is a goofy helmet, a long sleeve red shirt, and what looks like skin tight jeans. It just works. Hourman, Starman, and Red Bee are all visually interesting to me. I don't know why.