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Post by brumguvnor on Apr 9, 2014 10:07:16 GMT
Right then: he is gonna be like this: Strength: d4 Agility: d4 Vigour: d6 Smarts: d10 Spirit: d6
Powers: - ranged attack (mental bolt) - illusion - mind control - chameleon - mind reading - minion - telepathy - telekinesis - lair
Edges: rich and filthy rich Hindrances: need to take 2 - undecided as yet
The way that I imagine the mental bolt working is just as a mental attack - but with no need for any visible activity on my part, and no whooshing energy going from me to the target... - but I am also aware that this could easily constitute an advantage in that no one would be able to easily see that it is me attacking. I don't think there is anything in the rules about it - but let me know Andy if "untrackable" is an enhancement to ranged attack (mindbolt).
Or - if I took the modifier of "only damages sentient beings" for 1 point cheaper I could then add the "untrackable" enhancement for colour. Let me know how you decide it should work.
And it looks like the first enhancement is decided then - as soon as I get more power points I will buy off the "only damages sentients" limitation!
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Post by pericles on Apr 27, 2014 8:05:19 GMT
If the party has a toff it needs someone from the opposite end of the social spectrum. Meet Alvin the gigolo thief. Although I have branded Alvin the gigolo thief his gang boss handlers would never let him be so choosy. Escort Thief is a better description.
Background Alvin is an attractive street punk I his early twenties who is dominated by his mother, an alcoholic and aging prostitute. Alvin’s mother claims to have once slept with the Outsider. Whatever the truth there is no doubt about Alvin’s burgeoning powers. Alvin was brought up on the street without any formal education. Without a protector Alvin was picked up and groomed at an early age to be a sex slave. While Alvin is clueless about most of the world, Alvin knows the streets and knows people. In recognition of Alvin’s Smarts, Alvin’s handlers have trained Alvin as a highly paid escort.
Criminal activities (Gigolo Thief) Burglary: Establish alibi --> Create duplicate --> Duplicate disguises self and teleports to goods --> Duplicate teleports out with goods. Notes: Duplicate has a short range 5". Often Alvin is in the bedroom distracting the mark. On teleporting the goods out the duplicate is automatically dispelled as the duplicate moves beyond range. Options - Stolen goods always/sometimes/never arrive. If never the teleport out will be to an adjacent room
Hinderances Clueless (Major) minus two on common knowledge rolls Yellow (Major Villain) minus 2 on spirit rolls Vs Fear Illiterate (Minor) unable to read, write Quirk (Minor) kleptomania
Edges Free starter: Super powers plus 10 pp Major: Extra power plus 5 pp Major Villain: Power points plus 5 pp 2 Minor: Attractive plus two Charisma
Traits Abilities: Agility (0) d4, Strength (0) d4, Smarts (1) d6, Spirit (2) d8, Vigour (2) d8 Agility Skills (d4): Fighting (1) d4, Throwing (0) d4-2, Shooting (0) d4-2 Smarts Skills (d6): Gamble (1) d4, Knowledge Arcana (1) d4, Notice (2) d6, Streetwise (2) d6 +2 Chr, Survival (2) d6 Spirit Skills (d8): Intimidate (3) d4, Persuade (3) d4 +2 Chr
Secondary Traits Pace 6, Charisma 2, Parry 4, Toughness 6
Powers (Magic rather than weird science or psionic) Duplicate (5), Extra action (3), Illusion@3 + Film quality + Psychosomatic trauma (9), Teleport (3)
Attack Modes: Psychosomatic trauma – Target shaken. Defence Modes: Duplicate decoy, Hide using illusion, Teleport away Future development: Range attack either Eldritch blast or Force Control. Super skills. Extra duplicate
Combat tactics - Keep everyone off balance and shaken ready for the meat grinders. Round 1 - Illusion hits three targets causing trauma. Extra action creates duplicate. Following rounds - Illusion to hide self. Extra action Illusions hits three more targets for more trauma. Duplicate Uses Illusion and extra actions to hit six targets for more trauma.
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Post by brumguvnor on Apr 27, 2014 14:02:09 GMT
We're gonna be such a bunch of messed up weirdoes with bizarre powers..
... So: about par for the course!
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Post by brumguvnor on Apr 28, 2014 8:02:34 GMT
I've been thinking about something Andy said: how is your character known as a villain? - because he's either known to the rest of the characters before play starts... - or they may well regard him as a wannabe noob.
So: you might know me from such criminal enterprises as "the 20% guy"... - loan-shark to the super-villain community. Got a dodgy scheme for global domination? - come to the 20% guy for the finance! - and if you don't pay up on time feel free to break your own legs!
If I can swing getting connections as an edge as well, he might also be a general underworld fixer too.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2014 14:18:39 GMT
I will have to sit down a check the numbers but both sound ok.
Dave - Are you aiming for a character that is an unknown before the game starts, because a thieving gigalo isn't really classic super villain material. Also if your clueless and illiterate it sounds more like prostitute rather than a high class escort, but there is no reason you cant be deluded as to your situation if you want. You might want to look at boosting one of your combat skills (fighting, shooting, throwing) in case your illusions aren't effective. Knowledge arcarna doesn't really make sense from the character your describing. Your Spirit skills only cost 1 point to get to d4, not 3 points as your post seems to suggest
James - Evil Bank (TM), that works as a cool background. I do like the 'don't force me to make you break your own knees' mind control.
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Post by pericles on Apr 28, 2014 19:33:39 GMT
The Spirit skills should have been listed as d8 rather than d4.
I don't know how you see Clueless. The description talks about common knowledge. Alvin is designed to know who to know and getting information out of people. At the bottom end of the spectrum this is knowing informants and feeds directly into streetwise. At mid levels buddying up with the working proletariat to get inside information on employees, security risks and higher value transactions. At a more refined level stirring rumors and passing information back and forth. Although Alvin will be good at getting information he remains clueless and unable to put the information together to form the bigger picture.
The roll Alvin plays in a criminal society can be varied: A decoy machine whilst playing the innocent seeming bystander; a socialite mimic gathering information on what people know rather than write down; simple extortion; jewelry thief (shiny is good).
Additional background - Alvin takes being a dilettante to new heights Everyone is taking advantage of Alvin being able to get in and out of buildings and social situations. Alvin has an accountant, a lawyer, a fence and a personal assistant (mob handler). Alvin is aware he is being used and has no qualms using the expense account. Expenses are fun. The playboy image with unknown rich benefactor provides opportunities to gatecrash the parties of the younger jet set and discover the goodies kept behind closed doors. Being clueless is a big asset to Alvin's criminal career. No one suspects Alvin could possibly be responsible for the string of society thefts stretching back several years. There is no way Alvin could get past security besides he was having cocktails on the veranda. Everyone saw him.
Keeping a low criminal profile even among the criminal community is is immensely important. If word of Alvin's identity slipped out the expense account lifestyle would cease. Alvin is frustrated at being controlled and is looking to replace his professional associates with a trusted minion who can look after his money and deal with paperwork.
Science is wonderful but cannot explain Alvin'spowers, they must be magic. Sadly Alvin thinks he must be some form of Voodoo magician. The Knowledge Arcana is street lore and highly dubious.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2014 15:31:47 GMT
Common knowledge is general knowledge that doesn't need a dedicated skill for characters to have a decent chance of knowing. The character you have outlined, lacks general knowledge, has no specific knowledge other than arcarna and is illiterate, which to me sounds like someone with very little conversational ability or refinement. If your target was to take you to a fancy restaurant you wouldn't be able to read the menu to order, or have much to talk about other than simple small talk. Attractive and Persuasive on their own is more bimbo than high class refined escort. If this is the character you want to play it fine with me mate, I am just trying to make you aware, what you have built doesnt entirely fit the character you have described.
If magic is what what he has decided is the cause of his powers that's fine but supers, including super science are common knowledge.
That remains me, the origin of your powers is an important part of every supers backstory.
Characters: Dave Hinderances: Fine Edges: If your playing a human you still have a free edge to spend Traits: Fine, but you might want to look at giving yourself a bit more combat ability. Powers: All powers are NE super powers rather than normal SW Arcane backgrounds, but the source of the super powers is up to you. magic, tech and mutation and radiation are all classics. What is the source of your power and how does it manifest? Supers powers tend to manifest in a way that is linked to their core theme. You wouldn't be able to teleport good more than 5" from you using a duplicate as the teleport would fail and the goods would be returned to where they started, just like a normal failed teleport.
You cannot repeat an action in the same round with extra action unless you take the Repeat Action add-on. Illusion doesn't function like invisibility, so while it would give you a bonus to the Stealth skill or increase the likelihood that your duplicate is targeted first it doesn't offer the same protection as invisibility. To maintain an illusion shroud over yourself and attack using illusions both you and the target would have to be in the illusions area of effect, 8" cubed at current level, otherwise you would have to stop the shroud to 'recast' the illusion elsewhere. Obviously this limitation doesn't apply to your duplicate as they wont be shrouded so they can create illusions as normal.
James - - ranged attack (mental bolt) (3) - illusion (2) - mind control (3) - chameleon (3) - mind reading (3) - minion (1) - telepathy (2) - telekinesis (2) - lair (1)
At the basic levels with no add-ons that comes to 20 points, but I think you might want to specailise a bit more, basic ranged attack isnt amazing (it equiv to a 9mm hand gun but is a heavy weapon). Where does chameleon fit into the Banker concept, again not saying you cant, just trying to figure out the characters and find some extra points so you can improve the core powers a bit if you want to. You could drop the ranged attack power and spend some of that cash on a plasma rifle which is an awesome ranged weapon but is distinctly less discreet and get mind control add-on mind wipe or more telekinesis.
I think given the supers setting there has to be some form of action associated with an attack, even if its just a super intense stare. I will let you limit it to sentient creatures in exchange for making it not obvious, so average joe wont spot it, but a visori (being all about the psychic mojo) will usually be able to spot the source, as might other combatants.
You would need a good explanation as to why the mental attack that only affected sentient creatures now works on cars and robots. Again not saying you cant do it, but it has to make sense within the comic book style setting.
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Post by brumguvnor on Apr 29, 2014 15:55:35 GMT
Hmmmm - good points: I was thinking that he would carry a stash of drugs to inject in people to wipe their memories and give them a really bad hangover, if and when he needed to make sure they forgot about him mind controlling them.
And to me, chameleon is where he superficially shapechanges to appear like someone else so as to be able to infiltrate into places more easily - do the initial recce and so on: it was more based on when he was purely a "white collar" criminal defrauding large banks and so on I think - but it fits in with his current concept too; he will be able to get close to the people he lends money to, and can then mind control them. But I will think about it some more: I might drop chameleon and ranged attack for extra action (3) one extra level of telekinesis (2) and either heightened senses, gifted or a 1 die bump in smarts... If I drop ranged attack you can be damn sure I will try and blag starting the game with a big high tech gun or two, as well as the best armour I can get away with!
Saying all that, I think I might need to get 3 edges at character creation: rich - upgraded to filthy rich - and also connections: supervillains and criminal underground... - and I don't think I can do that as it stands: a human can get 2 edges at creation, and you can buy any combat edge for 2 power points - but it specifically says you can't get background edges with it... Let me know if I have missed something though, or if there is a way you are willing to flange it for me!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2014 17:19:33 GMT
That could work, injecting people is less subtle and could be a bit more hit and miss though.
fair enough, as a method of disguise for defrauding people chameleon makes sense, sorry I was only looking at it from the being the banker side.
Well filthy rich gives you 5000 starting cash, so you can buy some very shiny toys with that, basically anything you can afford that isn't vsori only. Prices for weapons and armour jump massively once the game starts as you have to use the black market.
Human/ half Atlantian free edge, Major hindrance and 2 minor hindrances = 3 edges, +Major hindrance for 5pp extra, but that does mean you start the game with 15 PP, but as soon as you get 5 xp you can take the more power edge to get you to 20, which would kinda make sense as you go from being a behind the scenes villain to a much more front line role your powers grow. Alternatively you could take connections later as it is a social edge, in comic book terms its one of those situations where you always had that ability and its part of the backstory and despite the fact it would have been really useful previously you only decided to use it in this situation.
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Post by pericles on Apr 29, 2014 22:27:48 GMT
Would exchanging Illiterate (Minor) for All thumbs (Minor) and changing Knowledge to Art History work?
I like the idea of a clueless bimbo - it is a ridiculous caricature. I'm trying not to be too successful as I don't want to write a rich background. Being controlled by others taking the money away worked well. I can upgrade to the super powered successful criminal vice master in charge of prostitution and drugs. The more lucrative side of vice being the trade in gossip and favours. I could spend the extra edge on either Alertness or Very attractive edges. I haven't decide which would work best.
I am getting the least from Duplicate and will exchange it for Force control @2 plus heavy damage. I can still shroud myself in Illusion, have an Illusory decoy (within 8" rather than 5") hit the target and followup with Force control to hit for real damage.
My magical trapping is I see and speak with spirits who make my will manifest. Most people think I am speaking to myself. Occasionally the spirits will manifest by themselves as faint translucent images or a subtle binding pressure in response to some perceived threat.
Equipment. I will spend all my cash on z-belts. The z-belt is listed as either $500 or $1000 depending on which table you look at.
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Post by pericles on Apr 30, 2014 5:30:00 GMT
BrumGovnor
You are taking five powers which have a one off cost having a total cost of 12 points: Mind Control 3, Chameleon 3, Mind Read 3, Telepathy 2, Lair 1. Have you considered Super Sorcery @4 costing 12? You will have access to all the powers you want plus all the other lower level powers. As an added incentive you will be three points (one level) off Intangible, Invisibility. Super Sorcery can boost your combat ability e.g. split 3 points as Deflection 2 (Range attack target increases by 2) and Super skill 1 on Fighting (plus 2 fighting equivalent plus 2 on Parry).
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Post by brumguvnor on Apr 30, 2014 7:51:04 GMT
I have indeed thought a lot about super sorcery... - and I am still torn between it and the "utility psychic" I have right now... - I will make a final decision before play begins...
And Andy: I just couldn't give up 5 power points so as to be able to get contacts: you know what it is like - giving up raw power at character creation is like asking an addict to give up their heroin! I will rationalise it as: he is just starting out in the supervillain loan shark business after making shedloads of cash as a corporate criminal: he doesn't need to go out looking for business at the moment - if people need the cash they come to him instead. And the more I think about it the more I like giving up chameleon and ranged for extra telekinesis, extra action and a final raise in smarts to d12: his mind is his only real weapon... - makes sense to max out in it!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2014 14:11:18 GMT
If all thumbs works with the concept thats fine, if you want you can have Knoweldege: Posh tat, or some such that would be of severely limited use outside of scamming posh people that you belong in their world, but would cover a art, wine, the in thing etc but only at a superficial level.
Have you looked at the servitor hindrance as a possibility? Ok so your powers come from Loa, cool, like it.
Im not sure which list says 1000, but z-belts are 500 each.
Super sorcery is incredibly flexible but means you have less total power to play with, so you can fine tune to the situation but will never be as good as some dedicated to that area.
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Post by brumguvnor on Apr 30, 2014 15:27:29 GMT
Yeah, I am already thinking about the next couple of characters should anything happen to this bloke: the first one would be maxed out in super sorcery with perhaps one extra action as a regular power; he would be one of the dark, ancient powers that has awoken in Africa (according to the players book) - or at least a servitor of one of them, sent to kick some alien arse in Star City. He'd be a typical African shaman, versatile and sneaky.
The other one would be a completely bog standard bloke... - who just happened to have a full-on dragon as a loyal servant! - not sure how this would be done, but I would build the dragon using the standard rules and then make the player character into his master... - or make the character as the dragon and have a human minion with a permanent telepathic link... - or make it so that the character transforms into the dragon when needed... - in any case, I would get to control a dragon as it gave aliens a damn good thrashing!
Which would be fun!
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Post by Kristian on May 2, 2014 8:05:09 GMT
All right then, I haven't looked at the book/setting yet, but I think I've got an idea starting to form... * * * So, if I remember right, there were aliens that came to save us from another set of aliens, but they all turned out to be bad guys, or something like that right? Well ...what if one of the major super villains (or government) started experimenting with alien DNA, and tried to combine it with some of his minions (or captives) in order to make some kind of super soldier (or maybe they just did it out of idle curiosity). Of those 'minions', my guy is the only one to have survived the procedure (or maybe he was 'grown' in a tank) - and as a result he has some 'special abilities' and/or mutations. However, much like Jeff Goldblum in the 80's version of The Fly, what if my character becomes more and more 'alien/mutated/out-of-control/etc.' as time goes by - unless he is able to introduce more human organic matter into his system (which could be done in some ridiculous manner - perhaps by consuming parts of other people). This could be treated as some kind of vampiric addiction maybe? ...or perhaps create some kind of Jekyll & Hyde, or HULK character? As you can tell I'm a little fuzzy on the details as of yet (and it's all total nonsense of course) - but it's the only idea I've got at the moment (and it sounds silly enough that it might actually work in a super-hero setting)
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