GestaltBennie

Re: In the Gestalt Universe, The Superhero Ideal The closest in the canon Gestalt universe to *the* traditional Hero gestalt is America Man, though he's a National Prptector. Both the Titan and Umsipha have taken on many of the aspects of Superman (and a third one may emerge soon in China, if the published setting evolves further). Two PCs: Chris Avellone's "Saga!" and Chris Taylor's "Strong Guy in Tights" were affectionate parodies iof the superhero archetype. But the myriad qualities of "hero" are scattered amongst a bunch of archetypes.

Re: What was Marvel's WORST decade? The double-noughts win it for me.

Re: [Campaign] The new, NEW Champions of Vancouver! Thanks QM, PA. It's always fun to see Champions based in the Big Van.

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Vera Lynn singing "Land of Hope and Glory". Because youtube is cool, and that rendition is so jungoistically awesome. :-)

Re: Gestalt of the Week A new Gestal;t of the Week: the Cenotaph, has been posted.

Re: Eternity He won't use his full bite, he'll just nip, which dogs do to herd or establish pack behavior.

Re: Eternity Ack, wrong version. (I was using the base hunting dog from HSB as a template when porting over an old 4th ed character and a frew things were not excised in the esrly version. It should be correct now.)

Eternity Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200.0kg; 3d6 HTH damage [1] 18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 23 CON 26 14- 12 BODY 4 11- 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 11 EGO 2 11- ECV: 4 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6 12 COM 1 11- 10 PD 7 Total: 10/16 PD (0/6 rPD) 10 ED 5 Total: 10/16 ED (0/6 rED) 4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 10 REC 4 46 END 0 35 STUN 3 Total Characteristics Cost: 104 Movement: Running: 9"/[Noncombat]" Leaping: 8"/[Noncombat]" Swimming: 2"/[Noncombat]" Cost Powers END 20 Bite: HKA 1 1/2d6 (2 1/2d6 w/STR) (25 Active Points); Reduced Penetration (-1/4) 2 36 Healing Powers: Multipower, 45-point reserve, (45 Active Points); all slots Linked (Bite; -1/4) 4u 1) Major Transform 3d6 (Sick to Well) (45 Active Points); Linked (Bite; -1/4) 4 3u 2) Energy Blast 4d6, No Normal Defense ([standard]; +1) (40 Active Points); Linked (Bite; -1/4) 4 3u 3) Healing BODY 4d6 (40 Active Points); Linked (Bite; -1/4) 4 15 Life Support (Immunity: All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Longevity: Immortal) 0 40 Healing (Regeneration) 3 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Resurrection, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (110 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2) 0 5 Leap: Leaping +5" (8" forward, 4" upward) 1 6 Running +3" (9" total) 1 15 Canine Senses: +5 PER with All Sense Groups 0 28 Smell Arcane Good/Evil: Detect A Single Thing 12- (Smell/Taste Group), Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Range, Targeting 0 5 Canine Nose: Tracking with Normal Smell 0 3 Canine Ears: Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) (Hearing Group) 0 Talents 12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) 3 Lightsleep 3 Perfect Pitch Skills 5 Concealment 14- (7 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2) 3 Deduction 12- 3 Persuasion 13- 4 PS: Retrieve/Fetch 13- 4 PS: Flush Out Game 13- 3 Paramedics 12- 5 Stealth 14- 7 Survival 14- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 235 Total Cost: 339 105+ Disadvantages 10 Hunted: Assorted Arcane Evil 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence Frequently, Greatly Impairing 5 Physical Limitation: Small (no larger than about 1m; +3" KB) Infrequently, Slightly Impairing 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation Frequently, Greatly Impairing 15 Psychological Limitation: Driven to Seek Out and Fight Evil (Common, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Seeks the Perfect Master (Common, Moderate) 15 Social Limitation: Dog (Frequently, Major) Total Disadvantage Points: 339 NOTE This is a character I designed some years ago, undated for 5th Edition. The intent was to produce a "fictional character in the Biblical canon" in the same way as fiction like Ben Hur, but appropriate to Champions. It seems appropriate to share him on Good Friday, so I hope you enjoy, and take him in the spirit intended: Meet Eternity, the Hound Who Bit Jesus. BACKGROUND Eternity doesn’t have many memories of the past; although he’s probably the oldest dog on the planet (and definitely one of the smartest), like all dogs, he mostly lives in the moment. He knows that he’s a wolfhound, that his sires were taken from the Celtic lands during the conquests of Caesar. He also remembers that his original name was Horme (Impulse), and that he was adopted by a Roman centurion and taken with him to serve his master in Palestine. And he remembers Him. He was in a mean mood, and when his master asked him to bite the prisoner so the soldiers could laugh, he did so willingly. And that person was a carpenter turned prophet named Joshua, also known as Jesus. And when Horme bit into the flesh of the prophet, something happened. Perhaps it was because he was really the King of Kings. Perhaps there was a more mundane explanation. Dogs did not care for reasons, just the moment. In that moment, Horme was stricken by a force beyond even his master's comprehension. Hell to the ground and lay there, still as a stone, for three days. The soldiers, including his master, thought he was dead, and left him for the carrion. But no crow touched his sleeping body. When the hound awoke, he could see in color, and his mind was filled with new and puzzling thoughts, thoughts that went beyond hunger and scratching and not being kicked by his master. Somewhere inside his animal brain, he realized he had been given a great gift. Neither age nor sickness could touch him, and that he was as free as a freed slave, the freest of the free. He also knew that in order to be worthy of this gift, he would wander the world, doing good deeds, and being a hound of Man. Thus Herme began a life of service, the Eternal Hound. He returned to his master and served him for the remainder of his life, until he struck his head in a drunken brawl several years after the carpenter’s death and died. Then Eternity began a great odyssey through history. He helped rescue people at Pompeii. He was at Rome when it was sacked by the Goths. A Greek oracle defined the future in its feces, and died. He was Charlemagne’s most faithful pet. He spent several centuries in Alexandria, and was beloved by Arab astronomers. He fought the forces of Tamerlain. It would not be an exaggeration to call him the Forrest Gump of dogs, for when many of the greatest events in human history took place, Eternity was there. As time passed, Eternity became increasingly aware of a force that opposed his efforts, a force that men called Evil. Eternity realized, in a dog way, that fighting Evil was his ultimate destiny, even more important than eating, sleeping, or serving his master. The forces of darkness, for their part, realized that Eternity existed, and began to hunt the immortal Wolfhound. It’s now the superhero age, and the idea of an immortal dog isn’t quite as ridiculous as it once seemed. Eternity doesn’t care, but since the absurdity of an intelligent immortal dog is what gave him his greatest protection, many of his old advantages are gone. PERSONALITY Although Eternity’s much smarter than your average dog, he still maintains a dog's demeanor. He likes to nap and chase things and play hunt, and bark (especially at cats). He’s not an eternal puppy, and maintains a dignified wolf-hound exterior. Where Eternity shines is his obvious understanding of human speech (at least when something important is happening; Eternity has a lazy streak and doesn’t like to be disturbed for trivial matters, and thus will often ignore what’s going on around him). But when he’s actively trying to get involved, it’s amazing what he can do with whines and barks and body language (hence his Persuasion skill, even though he can’t speak. He’s been around English-speaking masters for several centuries, and has forgotten his other acquired languages). Eternity is a compassionate beast, anxious to help people in trouble or in pain. He’s also a natural leader, especially for other dogs. Eternity does like to have a master; at the moment, he has none, and it really irritates him. Given what’s going on these days, he’s hoping for a superhuman to take him in. QUOTE “Woof! Woof woof woof!” POWERS/TACTICS Eternity is a wolfhound that has been magically granted human-level intelligence. (If the Christian origin makes the GM uncomfortable, feel free to change it). He has supercanine strength and toughness, the ability to understand human speech (at least in English). He can lick people’s wounds and heal them (his transform, although he also uses his Paramedics through this power) and if he bites something evil, they experience excruciating pain (his NND). Eternity’s tactics are also indicative of a dog’s; find a weak spot from behind, bite, and bring it down. He never attacks from the front unless he’s cornered. APPEARANCE Eternity is an average sized Irish Wolfhound, 34” tall and 120 lbs. He has a grey-white color.

Re: Gestalt of the Week There's a new update today: the Byzantine, a guy who can really make a mess of your life. http://www.blackwyrm.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=268&whichpage=3 A few of you have said who have the Hero version have mentioned they'd like the M&M version too, It's now available at the BlackWyrm site and RPG.NOW.

Re: Stronghold Thoughts... Thanks. I knew it was someone cold. :-)

Re: Stronghold Thoughts... Wan't it Glacier who should have died from his/her own powers as they were written?

Re: Stronghold Thoughts...

Re: The Amazing Darkon No.

Re: What Book Should I Buy Next?

Re: What Book Should I Buy Next? Thanks Cardinal. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the book.

Re: Who's Who on the Champions Online forums? Just registered as "Thundrax".

Re: Billy Deighton Glad you liked it. The campaign's going on hiatus for awhile, at least until we can get a few more regular players.

Steve Gerber, one of the best and most eclectic comic book writers of the 1970s, whose Defenders run has been cited by George MacDonald as one of the primary influences on Champions, has passed away. Perhaps best known for Howard the Duck, I'll probably remember him most fondly for his short-lived but extraordinary run on Man-Thing, as well as for creating my favorite cartoon of the decade, Thundarr the Barbarian. Ariel, Ookla, let's ride. Source: http://www.newsfromme.com/

Re: [Gestalt] Role playing tips I think there's two rules that would help people play a pure gestalt better. 1) Know your archetype well. 2) Act like a complete geek about it, in a way that's most appropriate for a geek of that archetype.

Re: Red Ensign That'll be up to Darren. I never statted the Golden Age Red Ensign. I also made an error in saying he had the Canada Staff. That staff was first given to Red Ensign II at the beginning of his career by Dr. Cerebro. However, it'd be perfectly appropriate for the original Ensign to use a non-powered staff, though I imagine fists (and guns) were his primary weapons.

Re: Red Ensign

Re: What were the best Superhero comics of the 90's? I didn't consider Bone a superhero book, or it'd have been close to the top of my list. Someone mentioned the Authority. For some reason I thought of this as an early 2000s book, but now that it's been mentioned, the seminal Ellis run was in the late 90s. Same with Planetary, IIRC. And I liked his Excalibur and Stormwatch runs a lot. Finally, I really should have mentioned The Batman Adventures and the Batman and Robin Adventures, the comic book tie-in to the classic animated series. The Superman Adventures were also good too, and I even liked the Millar issues. :-)

Re: What were the best Superhero comics of the 90's? My favorite title of the 90s was Sandman, but that's hardly a supers title. I'll second the Kurt-love. I'll also second Rod on Robinson's Starman and add Waid's first run on Captain America (while others might cite his Flash). Alex Ross's Marvels was a pure delight. Kingdom Come, despte some of the problems I had with it, is undeniably a classic of the decade. However let me mention a couple of unlikely ones: Larsen's often an abrasive jerk, but I liked the early ussues of Savage Dragon, and I thought his Freak Force was an outstanding team book. While I'm lauding Image, I'd also mention the incomplete Regulators mini-series by Busiek and Ron Randall, a villain book where you can see some of the antecedents of Thunderbolts.

Re: Champions Of The North The book needed editing badly. I went way overbpard on the history section and much of the writing was really, really rough. I'll officially blame recovery from the eye surgery for some of that, however there are times in the last frew weeks when I've read over what I sent to Steve,wince, and wonder how I had the nerve to send him something that unpolished. While every author will dispute an editor's choices, judging solely from the reactions I've seen, I'd guess Steve did a pretty good job at crafting what I wrote into a book that people like and will find useful. I do hope that some of the cut material will find its way out into the wider wprld someday.

Re: Champions Of The North Rod, glad you liked it. That wams my heart, even if the book obviously didn't go far enough in defaming Toronto and the Leafs (not that I could do worse than the Toronto media at the moment). I'm very pleased you got the joke in StarGuard's write-up.