Possible Superhero Game?

Started by Raveled, January 19, 2010, 01:56:16 PM

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Raveled

I'm looking at maybe, possible, sometime in the future, running a superhero game.  It'll use M&M 2E and more than likely be set in the Paragons universe, a setting based on stuff like Heroes, the 4400, and Ultimate Marvel.  I'm poking around here to see if there's any interest in such a game.
O|O A|A Ideas

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All the people in the whole world. I mean everybody. No matter how boring or dull they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, stupid, wonderful worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe." Neil Gaiman

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: Raveled on January 19, 2010, 01:56:16 PM
I'm looking at maybe, possible, sometime in the future, running a superhero game.  It'll use M&M 2E and more than likely be set in the Paragons universe, a setting based on stuff like Heroes, the 4400, and Ultimate Marvel.  I'm poking around here to see if there's any interest in such a game.

Be interested.. maybe alter Wartoy in the other thread or come up with something else. :D

Major Major

Superhero games seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately...

Callie Del Noire

I have to admit I've wanted to try out a paragon's campaign for a LONG time. :D

Merdoroli

I don't know the paragons setting but I do like M&M so if you'll let a poor new guy join I'd like to.

Katina Tarask

You have my attention. *Interested.*

Callie Del Noire


Merdoroli

Oh I have that book, I even read some of the start but it's been a long long time. I'll look over it again. Thanks Callie.

Callie Del Noire

No worries.. good setting.. I had a 'wicked twist' on the 'Patriot'.. :D

Raveled

Quote from: Callie Del Noire on January 19, 2010, 08:15:01 PM
No worries.. good setting.. I had a 'wicked twist' on the 'Patriot'.. :D

::) I'm looking for heroes that are at least nominally good.  I don't want the headache of trying to wrangle a bunch of self-interested assholes (which is what most evil character boil down to) in the general direction of the story.
O|O A|A Ideas

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All the people in the whole world. I mean everybody. No matter how boring or dull they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, stupid, wonderful worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe." Neil Gaiman

Katina Tarask

You must have played with some crappy evildoers, then.

Though if evil's out, what about good characters who just happen to have powers that cause massive amounts of collateral damage? :P

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: Raveled on January 19, 2010, 08:57:11 PM
::) I'm looking for heroes that are at least nominally good.  I don't want the headache of trying to wrangle a bunch of self-interested assholes (which is what most evil character boil down to) in the general direction of the story.

Well the Patriot in my table top game wasn't even remotely good. The big bad Hulk-thing was atually the Patriot with his powers misfiring.. instead of his normal empathic feed it was something nastier he was tapping into.

Merdoroli

Well I at the very least wasn't thinking evil, lol. Any plans on how much power points you'll allow for the characters? I'll roll up a character tomorrow, and maybe the next day if I end up having to go a bit slow, if I found out the pp value at least. And are there any specific character restrictions I should be aware of when making the character? Such as a max amount of ranks for immunity?

Callie Del Noire

That was my old campaign.. for this I'm thinking more 'looking' to make a buck at it. :D

zothab

I'm interested, though I guess I'd need to know a bit more about the actualy content of what the game would be about. Unless you just plan an open world "and.... go" type thing.

I don't know the paragon setting - from what I've heard it's a less progressed, slightly more vanilla take on Abberant? Is there anything I should know for putting together a character for it, or will standard M&M2 work?

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: bathoz on January 20, 2010, 10:53:11 AM
I'm interested, though I guess I'd need to know a bit more about the actualy content of what the game would be about. Unless you just plan an open world "and.... go" type thing.

I don't know the paragon setting - from what I've heard it's a less progressed, slightly more vanilla take on Abberant? Is there anything I should know for putting together a character for it, or will standard M&M2 work?

More like a hero game setting using sources like Heroes or Ultimate Marvel. Folks are really JUST starting to appear.

Raveled

Quote from: Merdoroli on January 19, 2010, 09:55:12 PMWell I at the very least wasn't thinking evil, lol. Any plans on how much power points you'll allow for the characters? I'll roll up a character tomorrow, and maybe the next day if I end up having to go a bit slow, if I found out the pp value at least. And are there any specific character restrictions I should be aware of when making the character? Such as a max amount of ranks for immunity?

I'm planning PL 6 to start, so less superhero, and more super-talented individual.  Though it's not impossible to create someone with a single, strong power at this level, either.  Buy-offs will be limited to half PL, so no more than +-3 at this point.  Likewise for Impervious Toughness -- it's limited to 3 ranks at character creation.

I intend for the storyline of the campaign to go all the way to PL 12, if there's still interest at that point.  I hope to explore how real, live superbeings influence, well, the world.  Expect Warren Ellis and Frank Miller to be influences.
O|O A|A Ideas

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All the people in the whole world. I mean everybody. No matter how boring or dull they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, stupid, wonderful worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe." Neil Gaiman

Katina Tarask

PL6?  Alrighty, then.

What do you mean buy 'buy-offs?'  I'm still very new to the system (as in I just made my first character [with much aid] over the weekend), so I may be a bit slower on the uptake.

My first thoughts on a character are for a super martial artist type, with a supernatural battle aura, a la Raoh's aura of giant angry fists that deck anyone who gets near him (Hokuto no Ken).  The problem becomes, how should I go about representing that?  I'd rather it be something passive or almost-passive, as well as directly destructive.

My first thoughts are some form of Strike.  A Strike Aura?  I'm not sure if that's legal, and the exact mechanics seem like they may be unreasonable.  After all, if I punch someone, they'd be affected by the punch and the aura, for two attacks, and if they punch back, that's another attack, so that may take some finessing to make acceptable.  Form B is more like a defensive stance.  An area-effect strike as a 5'-25' cloud, with, say, a minute duration and some constraint that the effect ends if I leave the cloud.  I'm not sure if that'd need to be paired with some form of immunity.

Then, there are more traditional auras.  Drain/Fatigue/Paralysis/Stun Aura.  If anyone touches me, they're overwhelmed by the battle aura, and that could be more subtle.

Form D would take the form of a more aggressive aura.  Just slap Homing on a strike a couple times, and the aura pursues the enemy until the attack connects.

Multiple forms at once could overlap, like the ki cloud and the homing fists, though that could be very costly.

Other powers I'm considering include a rank in Speed, Slow Fall, some form of accute Blindsense, a one-rank speed-based Teleport ability a la Shunpo, a rank in Super-strength (maybe), possibly some kind of meditative trance represented by Boost, and some standard Protection (probably with that maxed impervious).

Raveled

Quote from: Katina Tarask on January 20, 2010, 01:01:53 PMWhat do you mean buy 'buy-offs?'  I'm still very new to the system (as in I just made my first character [with much aid] over the weekend), so I may be a bit slower on the uptake.

In M&M, it's possible to trade off certain features, like Attack & Defense, and Toughness & Damage.  So, while Toughness is normally limited to +6 for a PL 6 game, you could limit your highest Damage to +3 and get Toughness up to +9.
O|O A|A Ideas

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All the people in the whole world. I mean everybody. No matter how boring or dull they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, stupid, wonderful worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe." Neil Gaiman

Katina Tarask

I'll have to keep that in mind.  Any thoughts on the fundamental character approach or mechanics I laid out?

Raveled

Your concept of a
Super-proficient martial artist
Fits the game just fine

If you are new to
This fine system, however,
It's a bit complex
O|O A|A Ideas

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All the people in the whole world. I mean everybody. No matter how boring or dull they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, stupid, wonderful worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe." Neil Gaiman

Katina Tarask

Oh, I'm aware of the complexity.  On the two more questionable mechanics, would a strike aura/cloud be legal/acceptable?

Raveled

I don't know what you mean by a cloud.  I am not going to allow a Strike with the Aura modifier: Aura is only usable on Sustained powers, so you'd have to increase the duration to Sustained, which would allow you to have multiple Strikes active at once.  Obviously, rather game-breaking.
O|O A|A Ideas

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All the people in the whole world. I mean everybody. No matter how boring or dull they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, stupid, wonderful worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe." Neil Gaiman

Katina Tarask

'Cloud' is one of the area modifiers.  It starts at a 5' diameter sphere, but I think I'd advance that to 25' through progression.  Then, if allowed, I'd use progression to boost the duration of the cloud from one round to a minute, and toss a couple restrictions on it so that the cloud ends if I leave it and I can't stack the cloud with itself (either for a rebate on the points or as a constraint just to get it in the door).  Oh, and I'd tack on a flaw so that it'd take a full-round action to put it up, meaning it can't really affect any enemy who doesn't choose to engage me in melee anyways.

Merdoroli

Katina, Do you mind me asking what book cloud is in? I'd like to take a look at it.

And forgive me for randomly intruding with my opinion on the subject but are you looking for a aura that does damage? or a type of buffing aura that increases friendly damage? I think I could come up with a few ways to do both of those without such a complex system. I mean if you were thinking of a aura where he just kind of get's upset and things around him break or if you were thinking something like he punches out and hit's all foes in the area so fast it seems like an aura there's a few ways to do that I can think of that I think would be a bit easier.