GestaltBennie

Re: Does Seeker still suck? If being beaten up on covers a lot makes a character suck, then what comic book character *doesn't* suck? And if being beaten up makes a character suck, then most of my PCs must *really* suck. :-)

Re: Does Seeker still suck? Absolutely. Liefeld's version was so bad, I wouldb't have minded if Batman beat him up. :-)

Re: Does Seeker still suck? Champions New Millennium universe, actually. And the CNM universe is actually a pretty well-done campaign setting, except for some of the character art, which (at its worst) tends to have a soft porn meets early Image look. But Hermit, did you really have to remind me about Liefeld's Captain Wingbreasts?. :-)

Re: Does Seeker still suck?

Re: Villainy Amok I'm really glad to hear you liked it. Have fun at whatever wedding you choose to inflict upon your players! :-)

Re: Villainy Amok This is the author blowing continuity, I'm afraid. Mitchell's explanation is plausible, but it'll be up to Allen or Darren to come up with something official to cover the glitch.

Re: The Supreme Serpent and the Serpent Lantern help.

Re: Who Do You Tthink Thay Will Lock Up In "Stronghold" (the book)? I think you're referring to Citadel.

Re: Who Do You Tthink Thay Will Lock Up In "Stronghold" (the book)? Just for the record, the revamped Brick was Cliff Christiansen's. I don't disagree with the idea of using old villain names and giving them a thorough revamp. I'm not sure about the Geodesics, but a revised Sonar and Radar could be cool. Villain pairs are always fun.

Re: Found something today.... Yeah, it was interesting that the reviews of Champions in the three major mgs of the day - Dragon, Different Worlds, and Space Gamer -were written by me, Steve Perrin, and Aaron Allston, all of who went on to contribute to the system.

Re: I have Hidden Lands!

Re: Best Section Header *Ever* For some reason, whenever I hear "yak", I always flash to Ren and Stimpy's Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen. Sjohn has much to answer for. :-)

Re: Sample Oddity From Gestalt-Earth For "Mother", a Mental Illusion of one's mother, linked to an Ego Attack (whose special effect is having mother remind you of an extremely painful memory) and maybe a Mental Transform that turns you into a guilt ridden neurotic. For "Trial", the powers would include Summon a Judge (an ultra-authoritative guy with a big gavel and a very loud voice), and possibly similar mental illusions to "Mother" (of all the people that ever tormented the PC, including dear old mom). For "Yellow Submarine", probably Images and maybe a Change Environment to set the mood, Summon a trippy vehicle, and possibly Summon for Blue Meanies and a giant, evil Glove (which frightened the daylights out of me as a kid). Steve Perrin had planned to do a guest GMing run in Gestalt featuring a group of villain with a Beatles' songs motif, so he might have actually worked on it. :-)

Re: Sample Oddity From Gestalt-Earth Here's another bit from the book: Gestalt slang. Hopefully the ones that refer to various heroes and villains won't be too confusing. Action Figure: A superhero who tries too hard to drum up favorable publicity. Aloha Boy: A would-be sidekick or teenage super. Aloha Girl: A really vacuous (or well-built) superheroine. Armageddon: The next fight between bitter enemies, such as Columbia/Tyranny League or the Hollywood Knights/BRK. Also, a really long fight between Gestalts. Avon (Started) Calling: Supervillain slang for tripping an alarm. Battle Boy: A technological super, especially someone who wears a battlesuit. Bicep Job: A brick, or any muscle-bound Gestalt. Really big ones are called “Double Bicep Jobâ€; recently this expression has been expanded to the cloying “triple bicep job†(no hyperbole is too exaggerated for certain members of the media). Big Boom: A successful supervillain job, especially one involving terrorism. The Big Ouch: The Copenhagen superhuman fighting tournament. Black Cape: A supervillain. Also “black maskâ€. Blinded by Science: Any Gestalt who’s obsessing, first applied to Reactor of Columbia. Boo Boy: A Gestalt whose powers have mystical overtones; this epithet is never applied to the really nasty ones, such as… The BRK: The Blood Red King. Butthugger: An overly tight or sexually provocative superhero costume. This expression is evolving, and now often refers to all superhero costumes. C-Force: A derogatory nickname for Columbia. Sometimes shouted with a sarcastic (“Sieg Heilâ€) salute. (This is a parody of the “G-Force†battlecry from the 1970s Battle of the Planets cartoon; Edge and Rex were shown using it in "Give Me Liberty" (the HBO documentary of Liberator) and it quickly came into popular usage). Capage: The power level of a Gestalt, especially, their combat ability (“Dynamo Jack may look like he’s all show, but there’s actually a lot of capage under those tightsâ€.) Capage is also used as slang for the aggressiveness level of a Gestalt or (more crudely) a measure of their sexual prowess. Cape: A superhero, also a non-secretive superhero. Capeless: A Gestalt who doesn’t become a superhero or supervillain. Cash Register: Supervillain slang for banks. Chain Gang: Slavery or servitude due to a chain Gestalt. (“The bank president joined Sinestrado’s Chain Gang of zombies last night.â€) Cliffhanger: A really close fight. Closet Cape: Someone who refuses to acknowledge his or her Gestalt, also refers to a Gestalt who refuses to join the superhero/villain scene. Closet capes are sometimes “gestoutted†by the press. Columbia Just Showed: Supervillain slang for any operation (especially robberies) that’s interrupted by a superhero team. Commercial Spot: A court appearance, testifying in court about a crime. A “Could Be Better†Piece: Getting smeared in the press, any unwanted article or exposé The Crater: Washington DC. More Columbia slang; Edge’s refers to it as the Crater in Give Me Liberty “because if we aren’t careful, that’s what it’s going to become.†Crater-maker: A haymaker or a really powerful energy blast. Cult Case: A resurrected deity. The Dark, Annoying Place: Being knocked out in a fight. (Another Edge-ism). “Doing a Cromwellâ€: Any incredibly reckless and impulsive action by a Gestalt. Double Masking: A super who won’t reveal his true identity to his teammates or feeds them false information. Dragon: A supervillain. Commonly used in the early to mid-90s, this expression has fallen out of favor. Firebritches: A battlesuit. Fire’s Out: A Gestalt combat is over. A Columbia codeword. Fireworks Factory: An energy projector, or any overly colorful Gestalt costume. First applied to Carnival. First Bagging: One of the three seminal events that are considered essential to a Gestalt superhero’s baptism – the first time they ever see a corpse in the line of duty. First Bashing: One of the three seminal events that are considered essential to a Gestalt superhero’s baptism – the first time they ever use their powers in a fight. First Bleeding: One of the three seminal events that are considered essential to a Gestalt superhero’s baptism – the first time they ever see their own blood in a fight. Flash-Fragging: An attack (usually from a villain) that kills many innocent bystanders at once. Flat-Fragging: Death, originally someone dying as you’re talking with them, although sometimes applied to any time an innocent bystander dies in a hero’s presence when they weren’t “flash-fraggedâ€. Force Field of God: A great performance or incredible luck demonstrated by a Gestalt. “He was protected by the force field of God†describes someone who survived a powerful attack. Fragile Alert: Columbia codeword for “protect innocent bystanders at all costsâ€. FTL [fill in the blank]: Columbia codeword for “get [someone] to a hospital as quick as possible.†Fuddling: Refusing to verbally acknowledge combat orders, or disregarding orders without informing teammates about the change in tactics. Funeral Bait: A Thrillseeker Gestalt. Giving Out Your Address: Having your secret ID exposed. Glow Boy: Any Gestalt with a visible force field. Also “Glow Girlâ€. “Gone moralâ€: A retired supervillain, also used when a supervillain hasn’t been seen for awhile. Happyland: The Gestalt dimension. “I’m meltingâ€: A Columbia codeword for being hurt real bad in a fight. Khaki Cape: A military super. King Cheese: The winner of the Copenhagen tournament. Last Call: A punch or a blast that puts a wobbly opponent down for the count. Lazarus Lad: A Gestalt who comes back from the dead. One that does so in a spectacular manner is called a “flaming Lazarusâ€. Leak: A wound that bleeds during a fight. Liberator Surprise: Supervillain slang for staging an ambush. Lost An Eye: Losing a fight to someone you should have beaten, or someone you didn’t expect to lose to (“fighting Armageddo was fun until we lost an eye.â€) Main Event: A major fight between superheroes and supervillains. Man of the Hour: The person who gives the best performance in a (winning) fight, especially when it’s unexpected. Mask: A superhero. Also a Gestalt who’s very secretive. Missionary Work: Actions committed by a superhero while he’s gone AWOL from his team when he’s compelled by his Gestalt to follow the obsessions of his archetype. Moon Man: A person with an unusual Gestalt. Also “Moon Girlâ€. “Night Must Fallâ€: Columbia codeword for “retreat is not an optionâ€. Ooopsville: A battle with a lot of collateral damage. Someone who causes a lot of collateral damage is sometimes called “Ooops boyâ€. Open Channel Boy: Someone who talks too much in a fight. Ouchland: Copenhagen. Panel Hog: Someone who shows off a lot during fights. Photogenic: Being unconscious when the press arrive at the end of a fight. Pink Cape: An openly gay super or a super whose flamboyance makes other supers want to avoid him. Sometimes referred to as “swishing his capeâ€. Preliminary Bout: A fight between Gestalts that breaks up without a decisive winner. Pulling Down Trevor’s Tights: A Gestalt who has made or is making a really big mistake. (“You don’t pull down Trevor’s tights†refers to making the Titan mad. The fact that Titan doesn’t wear tights is an unintended irony) Puncture: A serious cut or wound in a fight, but not as bad as a leak. Pure: A very noticeable pure Gestalt. (Often combined with “really†or “one hundred percentâ€) Pyre: A funeral for a superhero. (“They lit Rex’s pyre last night.â€) Rabbit Job: Supervillain slang for an operation that goes terribly wrong. Religious Experience: Being knocked out, especially when you’re badly overmatched. Rename Yourself Shame: A joke by Edge directed at Rex and Utopia, after their costumes had been burnt off during a fight. This refers to any superhero who ends up naked or nearly nude during a fight (“you need to rename yourself Shame.â€). Rocking Chair Club: A Gestalt from the first wave, or any long active Gestalt. The Royal Treatment: Being transformed by the Blood Red King. Rule One: Columbia slang for “take out the telepathâ€. Rule Two: Columbia slang for “take out the enemies’ delivery systemâ€. Rule Zero: An Edge-ism meaning, “don’t loseâ€. Still a Columbia in-joke. Sensor Platform: A Gestalt with a lot of superhuman senses. S-Humans: Early term for superhumans. Fell out of common usage by 1995 (although a derogatory derived term “schuberts†is still used in a few places, particularly in New York City). Shokel: A local protector Gestalt, particularly one who doesn’t like prominent Gestalts from out-of-town (condensed form of local “super hero yokelâ€) Shot Out of the Sky: A supervillain whose bloody career makes superheroes want to kill him (“he needs to be shot out of the skyâ€). A reference to deceased Tyranny League member Bloodkite. “Needs Therapy†has much the same meaning, and so does “needs to join the Devastators†(which refers to the famous team of dead supervillains). Show Cape: A normal impersonating a Gestalt or a Gestalt with little or no combat ability. Smear Job: A bloody Gestalt death. Swiss Army Knife Gestalt: A Gestalt with a lot of useful skills. Soul Man: Someone who has BODY drain powers. Space Cape: Any Ar’Turodain with superhuman abilities. Space Nazis: The Ar’Kayadin. Speaking In Tongues: Using telepathy as a form of communication. Spite Job: Supervillain slang for an operation that’s motivated solely by revenge. Supergoose: A superhero in the employ of the government (derives from goose stepper). Superior Boy’s Club: The Ar’Turodain (a reference to their condescending attitude to Earth). T-Gang: The Tyranny League. Tactically Creative: Derogatory term for a Gestalt who can’t follow orders or who always “fuddlesâ€. Theresa: Dr. Power Jr. Usually spoken with well-deserved trepidation or fear. Top Cape: Leader of a superhero team. Also called (sarcastically), “Supreme Capeâ€, “Big Capeâ€. “Big Bad Capeâ€, or “El Cape-olaâ€. Under The Hood: Telepath slang for a person’s memories. (“Let’s see what’s under the hood†means finding out someone’s secrets.) Voodoo: Psionics, especially mind control. “Voodoo alert†is the Columbia codeword for hostile telepaths in the area; “[fill in the blank]’s a voodoo doll†is Columbia’s codeword for someone being under mind control; “[fill in the blank] sees strange voodoo†is their codeword for someone reacting to mental illusions. W2 Club: A Gestalt who works for a major corporation. Wackoland: The Internet, especially those sites devoted to Gestalts, and the people who frequent them. Wackoland is used in a humorous, self-deprecating way; it’s based on a one-time off-hand comment by Columbia’s Reactor. Columbia fandom has particularly embraced the term, and Columbia’s fan sites on the Internet are part of “the Wackoland Web Ringâ€. Internet sites devoted to supervillains such as the Tyranny League or the Blood Red King are also referred to as “Sickolandâ€, especially by hard-core superhero fans. Wall Bouncer: A Gestalt who gets knocked out frequently in fights. Also called a “Harvey Wall Bangerâ€. The Wet Costume Club: A Gestalt who isn’t ready to become an active superhero (“about to join the wet costume clubâ€, referring to either blood or urine), this also refers to a Gestalt who tries too hard. Also called Wet Boy (or Wet Girl).

Re: The Algernon Files come to Hero!!! This is great news. I look forward to seeing it.

Re: Sample Oddity From Gestalt-Earth I've been going through the Gestalt manuscript (again) and doing edits, and here's something from the cutting room floor. Hope you enjoy it; it could also serve as a template for the ability of a really odd demon/entity in a more traditional campaign. ----- DOORS “Open Sesame!†Description: Doors. Sometimes they bar one’s progress, sometimes they offer welcome. They’re a thing from everyday life that has a lot of symbolic value (even though we’re not usually conscious of it), and thus they’re a symbol that will attract a Gestalt. The Door Gestalt is an example of an odd Gestalt that a superhero might encounter (or whom a character who wants to play a Gestalt with an odder tinge and who doesn’t mind that away from doorways, the character is essentially useless). Because of the dualistic nature of doors, they can join superhero or supervillain teams, depending on their personal aptitude. Related Gestalts: Gestalt of Mirrors, Gestalt of Windows. Sub-Types of this Gestalt: Gestalt of Gates. Opposing Gestalts: Gestalt of Walls. Prominent Examples of this Gestalt: Portal. Hero System Door Gestalt Package Deal Abilities Cost Power END 150 Door Powers: Multipower, 150-point reserve 4u 1) Open Any Door: Tunneling 1" through 29 DEF material (89 Active Points); Conditional Power Only To Go Through Doors (-1) 9 9u 2) (Total: 125 Active Cost, 87 Real Cost) Minor Transform 5d6 (Real Cost: 50) plus Aid 5d6, rPD and rED simultaneously (+1/2) (75 Active Points); Conditional Power Only Usable On Doors (-1) (Real Cost: 37) 5 6u 3) Throw All Doors Open (or Shut Them): Telekinesis (28 STR), Fine Manipulation, Area Of Effect (5" Radius; +1), Selective (+1/4) (117 Active Points); Conditional Power Only To Open And Shut Doors (-1) 12 2u 4) See The Last Person To Pass Through A Door: Retrocognitive Clairsentience (Sight Group) (40 Active Points); Conditional Power Only To See The Last Person To Pass Through A Door (-1) 4 7u 5) Open A Door And Let Something In: Summon 270-point creatures, Devoted (+3/4), Expanded Class of Beings Any Type of Being (+1) (148 Active Points); Conditional Power Requires The Gestalt to Open A Shut Doorway (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2) 15 6u 6) Open A Doorway to Somewhere: Teleportation 18", x2 Increased Mass, Usable By Other (+1/4), MegaScale (1" = 1 km; +1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Continuous (+1) (123 Active Points); Gate (-1/2), Conditional Power Requires The Gestalt to Open A Shut Doorway (-1/2) 12 25 Detect Doors A Single Thing 11- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Range, Sense 0 10 See What's Beyond A Door: N-Ray Perception (Stopped By Any Non-Doorway) (Sight Group) 0 Powers Cost: 219 Cost Skill 3 Lockpicking 11- 2 PS: Carpenter 11- Skills Cost: 5 Total Powers & Skill Cost: 224 Total Cost: 224 Val Disadvantages 5 Enraged: When Someone Breaks Down A Door (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14- 10 Psychological Limitation: Strong Dislike Of Open Spaces (Common, Moderate) 15 Susceptibility: When A Door Is Broken Within 10" of Him, 3d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) 15 Susceptibility: When He's Unable To Unlock Or Lock A Door, 3d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Anyone Whose Opened One Of Their Locked Doors Within The Last Day (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Anyone Whose Opened One Of Their Locked Doors Within The Last Day (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x Effect Anyone Whose Opened One Of Their Locked Doors Within The Last Day (Uncommon) Disadvantage Points: 60 Total Value of Package Disadvantages: 60 Door Gestalt Scenario Hooks The Door That Must Not Be Opened: Archeologists have discovered an ancient sealed doorway, whose accompanying inscription reads: “This door must not be opened, or the world will end.†Unfortunately, for a certain Door Gestalt (ie. a campaign villain), it’s an irresistible challenge. Hold Me: A criminal Door Gestalt has been captured. Unfortunately, every time he’s been put in prison, he inevitably uses his powers to make a jailbreak. He’s a petty thief – hardly a candidate for Capital Punishment or the Orbital, and building a cell without a door (i.e. only walls) is untenable. How can he be safely held?

Re: Which book should I get? If I might suggest something that's not on your list, if you're not adverse to PDFs, consider picking up Shades of Black. It's a damn fine module.

Re: Villainy Amok Largely the changes to Invictus's background were to give him a little more motivation, more of a reason to call himself "Invictus" and employ the motif. The powers aren't changed that much: a bit of a boost and some extra powers to make him more of an embodiment of his new motif. I'm still not quite happy with autofire as a solution to the double-fire ability, but it's a little less cumbersome than the solution I tried in 3rd Edition. I did feel a need to scale his position back (he's a senator in 4th edition with a lot of resources at his beck and call and a lot of political influence, while in 5th he's a relative newbie to politics who's just beginning his career). It's a little more limited for those who want to use him as a major villain, but it gives the GM some freedom to develop his career and ramp him up. And I wanted to give him (and the Engineer) a little lower profile in the official CU - when comic book authors play games of "my new creation one-ups everything that's gone before", it tends to annoy the heck out of me, so hopefully the characters don't overshadow the existing villains, but fit into the whole with relatively few seams showing. As for the costume change, I was unsatisfied with his Villainy Unbound look, not because it's a bad drawing (it's one of the best in that book) but because I think I was in a phase where I was unfairly critical of some of the conventions of four color comics, and as a result, my characters from Vllainy Unbound (through to the original VIPER) haven't had quite the visual flair they should have had. I wanted to give Invictus more of a comic book look. Once again the artist did a superlative job, but I'm still not satisfied with it. Maybe Invictus is probably one of those guys who went through a lot of costumes during his career, and the Villainy Unbound and the Villainy Amok drawings represent two extremes. :-)

Re: Villainy Amok First, thanks for the feedback. Alternative plot gallery ideas I've brainstormed include: "Ten Riddle Crime Scenarios" (Complete With Riddles and How to Solve Them), "Ten Scenarios To Help Reconcile Fractitious PCs", "Ten Scenarios To Use After A PC's Killed A Supervillain", "Ten Ways For A City To Honor A Superhero" (and what could go wrong), "Ten Mood Changing Scenarios (to Run After the Big Storyline Wraps Up)", "Ten Superhero Christmas Scenarios", "Ten Superhero Halloween Scenarios", "Ten Girlfriends From Hell for Playboy PCs" (and the things they do), "Ten Scenarios To Introduce New PCs Into the Campaign", "Ten Scenarios to Build A Team's Confidence When The Players Think The Campaign's Too Tough", "Ten Government Conspiracies", "Ten Scenarios to Resurrect the Third Reich", "Ten Scenarios Guaranteed to Produce Radiation Accidents", "Ten Schemes For Your Evil Industrialist", "Ten Ways to Test A PCs' Code of Honor", "Ten Reasons for International Terrorists to Hit Your Campaign City", "Ten Heroic Last Stands For Your PC" (And How to Survive Them). Plus I'd want to revisit some of the old scenario seed themes (especially "Gossip at a Superhuman Party")

Re: Villainy Amok

Re: Villainy Amok Possibly. The trouble is, given certain setbacks in my life, I really have to concentrate on work that pays better than DH. Maybe in my spare time.

Re: Villainy Amok The ones I wrote but which didn't make it into the book were: "Eat Caped Justice, Fools!" (the Superhero Trial Scenario) "They Bombed The Abortion Clinic" (The Socially Relevant Scenario) Scenarios which were planned but which pretty much exist only as a few 2-3 paragraph notes include: "Who Killed Strontium-90?" (The superhero murder mystery) “Chained to Evil†(escorting supercriminals to prison) "Get Your Filthy Paws Off Simianopolis!" (Lost Worlds In Danger) "The Island Where Superheroes Are Hunted Like Big Game Animals" "I Want One... Million... Dollars..." (the Kidnapping scenario) “Ooops!†(When Military Weapons Tests Go Horribly Wrong!) "The Polar Ice Cap Melt" (and Other Doomsday Weapon Scenarios) "Smuggler's Round-up" (Smuggling scenarios and their complications) "The Telepathic Hate Crime Cult" If I should ever be fortunate enough to do a sequel, I'd probably change things around a bit - there were a few suggestions in the "What Would You Like To See" thread that deserve exploring - and I'd include a second Plot Gallery.

Re: Villainy Amok

Re: Villainy Amok Well. I was worried that an angry mob would be picking up torches and pitchforks and getting ready to round me up. Or worse, denounce me as an over the hill hack. :-) First, Vamok was written with novice GMs in mind. The last book that targeted that audience was Aaron's Champions genre book, which (even though I thought it was excellent) received a less than universally positive response. Second, Vamok's primarily a book of basic situations and plot hooks. If there's anything a half-decent GM can do, it's those. Heck, there's already a ton of those readily available on this site - some really good ones - just in the "From Little Plot Seeds..." or the "What Would Your Character Do" threads. Sometimes I worried I was trying to sell coal in Newcastle. Writing requires a certain degree of arrogance, but coming up with enough good ideas in sufficient detail to satisfy the majority of an experienced audience for *this* project occasionally seemed like an impossible task. Third, as documented elsewhere. I was having a lot of problems with my vision while writing this project. Partially as a result of this, the project proceeded much slower than usual, and I made a lot of atrocious spelling and grammatical mistakes. Proofreading and rewriting was pretty painful. It was a real confidence sapper. Fourth, I'd envisioned a much larger and more comprehensive book, and when I had to cut half the planned scenarios for space (not to mention time, though Steve and Darren were extremely generous with their extensions), it was pretty discouraging. Fifth, it charts untrod ground. When I proposed Vamok, there was no book quite like it on the market. I desperately don't want to hand Hero a book that's going to be a financial bomb. Okay, a lot of that seems silly in retrospect. Let's face it, writing is as neurotic a field as any other on the planet, there are plenty of people who have a heckuva lot more talent than me who are absolutely convinced their current project is going to suck. :-) I'm pretty happy with the final book, and I'm thrilled that most of youze guys seem to like it too.

Re: Villainy Amok Glad you guys enjoyed it. So far the book's receiving a warmer reception than I anticipated.