Supers in Distress

[Hikari]

I'd like to play a superhero game.  I'm not really an adherent of any given system, so I'm flexible there; Mutants & Masterminds, Wild Talents, BESM, whatever works.  Personally, I'd prefer either a City of Heroes style all-inclusive, almost tongue-in-cheek genre (think Empowered by Adam Warren) or a grim-and-gritty (Batman!) sort of deal, but there are very few settings/eras/genres of superheroes that don't agree with me, so I'm open to suggestion there as well.

The basic concept is just a supers game with, well, sex.  An inexperienced heroine still learning about her powers gets in over her head with a street gang after trying to stop a mugging in a dark alley.  A maniacal arch-villain decides to use the standard kidnap-to-use-as-bait plan for more pleasurable purposes.  A hulking hero with anger management issues goes berserk and the heroines find some pretty inventive ways to calm him down.  Etc., etc.  Basically, take all the times comics have had heavily implied sexual overtones--from Wonder Woman's initial run as a BDSM sex kitten to every time Wolverine's been in an innuendo-laden situation with a teenage sidekick--and turn it into overt themes.

Anyone interested in this sort of thing?  I'd run it, but honestly, I don't know any supers system well enough to be comfortable doing so.

[robitusinz]

Does it have to be systemized?  Interested in a solo adventure?

[WyzardWhately]

I'd be up for this as well, although two games with Hikari might be a bit much.  :D  Or were you determined to have this be a solo deal? 


EDIT:  I've always been really into the dark, psychological aspects of Batman, Daredevil, and the other more gritty dark-alleys-and-.45s kind of costumed hero.  Especially the fact that a lot of them have weird sexual overtones between themselves and some of the more flamboyant female villains.  Well, there are a number of other routes as well, but there's plenty of ground to explore.

[Hikari]

A solo adventure might be okay, but I'm really looking for more of a group effort.  Probably something combining a super's 'team' or 'extended network' (ala Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Huntress, etc.), with the odd solo bit here and there.  I'm usually more a fan of system games, personally, but if someone had a great idea for running the game and wanted to go freeform, I'd be willing to listen.

Batman 'street level' crime-fighting supers would be okay, as would Capes-type world-saving 'international' supers, as long as it's a clear decision for one or the other; it never seems to work well when you've got the street guy and the fighting-aliens-on-the-moon guy working side-by-side.

[Chris Brady]

WOULD YOU STOP COMING UP WITH IDEAS AND GAMES I REALLY WANT TO RUN???

For Zog's sake people!

GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!

Yeah, I'm down for this.

ESPECIALLY if we go Batman/Daredevil level.  Minor physical augmentations, but mostly skill and peak human ability.  I even have a city and set up in mind...

[Hikari]

Liberty City, Metropolis, or Gotham?  (I never did understand why there had to be so many names for NYC!)

[Valerian]

A non-overpowered supers game?  Ooh.  Color me intrigued...

[Chris Brady]

Liberty City, Metropolis, or Gotham?  (I never did understand why there had to be so many names for NYC!)

Like Manhattan?  Long Island?  Etc. etc?  Liberty City isn't in NYS, though.  It's midwest, if I'm remembering correctly.

Anyway, this would a fictional city, which would be similar to Gotham, in so much as it's an East Coast style, and having a fair amount of Gothic statuary scattered about.  A cross between said Gotham and the City of the Crow (Movie.)  A dark and violent place that needs heroes, as the last great one, the Knightwatchman, died 2 years past.

[WyzardWhately]

Yeah, I could be down with this.  Hell, I've even got a few character concepts already on the back burner that could work.  I don't have Wild Talents, but I'm likely to have pretty much any other supers system...it's sort of one of my areas of expertise.

[Hikari]

Not sure where it used to be, but they've definitely moved it to NYC for GTA4.  (Just got it today, y'know!)  Besides, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, etc. are actually burroughs, not names for the city proper.  But, regardless, a Gotham analogue (whether it's NYC-Gotham or Chicago-Gotham...  it seems to vary, or even want to be both, at times!) is cool with me.

[Chris Brady]

Here's the thing.  For something like this, we don't want a 'JLA' sized group.  3 hero types should be the max.

I have a world all set up for this, too.

I don't have Wild Talents, and I'm not too keen on the ORE system anyway.  But I have (As proven) BESM, also M&M 2nd and Hero 5th.

[WyzardWhately]

I'd be most happy with M&M.  I have Hero, I even have experience with Hero, but it's kind of a bitch to ask those unfamiliar with it to deal with it.  It also is fairly tactical, what with the hexes and so forth, and that's hardly ideal for a PBP game.  I'd also like to recommend Truth and Justice, which is glorious, simple, cheap as a PDF, and has all manner of delicious genre-simulation tools.  Seriously, it's kind of my go-to game for low-end supers.

I was never fond of ORE myself, but I keep hearing REALLY good stuff about Wild Talents, so I'll likely get sucked in when 2E comes out.  Also, Reign looks really interesting, although that's not relevant to this discussion.

[Chris Brady]

Sadly, I don't have the money to buy PDFs so T&J is out for me.

[Hikari]

Mutants & Masterminds is fine with me.  I normally have a lot of trouble creating a character with it, but that should be a lot easier for street-level supers.

[Valerian]

Well, if there's room for me, I have a street-fighter type with limited teleportation that I've been wanting to play.  I think I even have the stats in the M&M system, though I don't recall which version.  I know GURPS best, but I can muddle through in M&M...

[WyzardWhately]

M&M is easy stuff.  I'll be happy to help people out with the system end of chargen.  The thing to realize is it's a game of yards, not inches...there's generally three or four ways to represent a given concept of any complexity, it's just a matter of knowing what they are, and usually picking the easiest one.

[Chris Brady]

A few points.  There's going to be very limited power sources in this setting, namely that true 'super powers' are based on one of three things.  Science/Technology, Alien Genetics or Psionics, there are NO other sources of 'power'.

The world isn't quite the same as we know it.  There is a higher level of technology due to the world having fought off about 3 alien invasions.  The first was the pinnacle, it was in 1947 and for the most part it was as much ended by the invaders themselves as it was by humanity.  It was a botched run, and it allowed humanity to get their hands on technology that would boost their scientific knowledge.

There was no Vietnam or Korean war, as during the 1950's was the second invasion, this one was actually done by a servitor race from an unknown master and decimated several countries.  The turning point was humanity's never saying die attitude despite nearly losing this war.  Which gave the X'haal race a sense of pride into themselves, reawakening their own sense of self.  Thus humanity gained allies and even newer technology than before, so when the third invasion occurred in 1984 it lasted all of a week and with the Earth coming out ahead and with even more toys to reverse engineer.

Which means that this Earth has several decades worth of technological advances that we don't have.  Dirty Nuclear tech is a thing of the past, medical services can replace lost limbs easily, and artificial augmentation is simple to obtain.  And Superhumans are easy to make.  Power Armour is the top of the food chain, with mechanics easily multiplying the human factor by tens if not hundreds.  Which puts them in the hands of the various military organizations.  Human enhancement has a limit that cannot be surpassed, no one can lift battleships, move faster than a speeding bullet or train, nor can anyone leap over tall buildings.  However lifting cars or stopping small calibre bullets is within reach.  Most common methods are chemical or cybernetic.

Psionics, though, is a different kettle of fish.  Humanity has always had a low level of it, with stories of women lifting cars to save their children, often attributed to adrenalin and other physical factors, Likewise the tales of telepaths, clairvoyants, and even outright 'magic' can all be linked to the same source: The human mind.  Which is still an untapped potential, and although advances in medical science have been phenomenal, there's still a lot of the brain that no one understands.

However, whenever you give Man toys and not instruct him in the safe use in such, things start to spiral down as science outstrips morality.  Although the X'Haal live among us, they really aren't built to be caretakers, better at taking orders than actually maintaining them.

And so, crime and depravity is at an all time high.

[Jefepato]

Might be interesting, depending on how extreme it gets.

I really like M&M.  I've been trying to teach myself Hero, but I'm hardly qualified to make superheroic characters with it yet.

[WyzardWhately]

So, when you say science/technology, is that intended to include gamma radiation and radioactive spider bites?

[Chris Brady]

Yes, anything that can be used in pseudo-science is acceptable.  Just bear in mind that the human body has some hard limits as to what can be done with it.  :)

[Hikari]

*Sage nod* Only three holes.

I'm thinking maybe a powersuit (not quite powered armor) type of character, or a general sort of Batman-sidekick martial arts investigator/ninja.

[WyzardWhately]

Yeah, that's fine.  I don't think I'm likely to go for anything beyond the pale of what you can explain with toxic waste and hidden psionic potential.  Also, if you look at the strength chart, you can be hitting near the cap of +10 damage bonus and still have trouble carrying a passenger vehicle.  It's the super-strength power that really gets you to a crazy place.  Also, if you're in a more gritty/street level game, I think that tearing a steel fire door off its hinges and surviving a shotgun blast makes you plenty goddamned scary.

I have two character concepts that I can think of, which you're welcome to critique and tell me what works and doesn't work.  Both of these are subject to further expansion.

The Ghost
A "terrifying avenger of the night" type.  Like DD and Batman, spends a lot of time going after simple human scum and doing really memorable things to them.
Powers: Enhanced agility and healing factor, Phasing, a few low-grade gadgets
Turn-ons: Improvised Weapons, Shadows, Psychological and moral conflict, Gothic architecture, Symbolism, Soliloquies.
Turn-offs: Fearless robotic minions, Lasers, "Day Shift" superheroes, Proof that he isn't just an urban legend

Hellhound
This is a guy with an anger control problem, like Hikari mentioned.  I suppose his powers are most likely psionic in nature.  He can "see" the sins of others in a sort of aura sight.  This ability showed up around puberty.  But that isn't all.  He can sort of hulk out into a demonic, gargoyle like form, which can also happen involuntarily if you piss him off bad enough.  It's at the upper end of what you can physically do regarding physical strength and resilience, but it's almost certainly some really twisted and specific form of TK.  He was raised in a Catholic orphanage, and for the most part thinks it must be some kind of divine judgement.  Tends to be kind of a loner, not so much by nature as because he never knows what he might "see" when he's in public around a lot of people.
Powers: Sin-sight, transform into a demonic-looking juggernaut.
Turn-ons: Nuns, cathedrals, damsels in distress, terrible moral dilemmas, letting people know that they wouldn't like him when he's angry
Turn-offs: Villains to fast to land a punch on, punks who vandalize religious buildings, super-advanced technology, really impersonal forms of evil

[Chris Brady]

I'm keeping this one small, peeps.  Wiz, Hikari, Val are all in.

Rob, sorry but as a 'Castrated' member and based on previous experience, I'm sorry but I will not be accepting you into this game.

Jef?  Gimme something.

[Chris Brady]

Oh, the typical archtypes I'm looking for are Costumed Adventurers, Gadgeteers, Martial Artists and Weapons Masters primarily.  Psionics are under advisement.

[Hikari]

A few initial concepts:

Invincibelle
A powersuited brick type.  Invincibelle has a 'nanoweave' second-skin suit made of a living colony of micromachines that are extremely adaptable and maleable, capable of withstanding considerable damage.  However, the armor value of the suit is highly ablative; the nanites tend to be destroyed by attacks, causing the colony to lose mass gradually until it instinctively retreats to a 'hive' implanted in her spinal column.  The nanites will remain subdued there for a time until they can shore up their numbers before spreading out to form the suit again.  The nanites can take the appearance of essentially any sort of normal clothing while not in 'active defense' mode.  Once activated, they form a sheath over every inch of her body, making it appear that she's made of liquid platinum.

Powers: Ablative Invulnerability, Energy Absorption, moderately enhanced Strength and Agility


Seven
A young woman who became linked with a symbiotic alien--think 'black-suit' Spider-Man--during the last alien invasion, whose name derives from the classification of the mysterious entity ('unknown species 7-X') which has attached itself to her.  Seven herself is relatively timid and not especially brave, but the symbiote seems to be interested in getting her in trouble...  'seems to be' because even to her, it is inscrutable and largely unexplained, much less to anyone else.  The symbiote enhances her own abilities, and has limited independent capabilities of its own.

Powers: Enhanced Strength, Agility, and Durability, Body-Weapons (symbiote claws, tendrils, etc.)


Black Lotus
The name given to her by the crime syndicates of the city, which has caught on in media and public perception due to any lack of correction; she never deals with the media herself, or the police for that matter.  Lotus is a talented fighter, but more importantly a clever and inventive kunoichi, who prefers to use stealth, misdirection, and confusion to defeat her enemies...  who, primarily, are underworld figures and street criminals.  Lotus has a reputation for being almost ruthless in her pursuit, even using poisons and other means other heroes frown upon.  Normally, she leaves a warning so that those around her target have a chance to leave beforehand--though intended as an act of mercy, this has generally been construed as a brazen threat and sign of her cruelty by the criminals she targets.  Many other misunderstandings like this have given her an even worse reputation than she really warrants.

Powers: NINJA!  (Possibly also a Lesbian Stripper?)

[Jefepato]

Questions first:

Are you only looking for heroic characters as PCs?

Also, what's the deal with the X'Haal?  Can they be PCs?

[Chris Brady]

Seven and Lotus seem the best so far, Hikari-san.

'Lesbian Stripper Ninja'?  You know I never really understood where that term came from?

[Hikari]

Shadowrun, mainly.  The meme relates to 'male player/female character' syndrome, where the inclination is apparently very strong to create a female character who is extremely skilled, intelligent, excellent (and entertaining to watch) in combat...  and also extremely promiscuous, and of course a lesbian (so they don't have to worry about romantic subplots with male (N)PCs).  Basically, it's a Harry Sue.  There are analogues in most games, and even in fiction--a lot of people would probably accuse Red Sonja and Alice from the Resident Evil movies of fitting the type, for example--but it's primarily in cyberpunk where you see the literal example.

I could see playing an actual Lesbian Stripper Ninja just to take the piss out of it, though.  Well, Bisexual Stripper Ninja, anyway.   :P

[WyzardWhately]

I like Black Lotus probably the best. 

Although I do dig on Invincibelle a little, just because she reminds me of The Engineer.

[Jefepato]

On second thought...I don't think this game is going to be a good fit for me (not to mention I should really be studying for finals instead of joining new games).

[Chris Brady]

Alright, Jef.

OK, the entrance is now closed.  My players are Valerian, Hikari and WyzardWhately.

Post your characters here to begin with, and they are up to PL 10.

[WyzardWhately]

To start with, this character is kind of a wuss.  The powers I want him to have are expensive and don't add directly to combat ability, so he's going to have a tough time of straight-up fights against a combat-optimized opponent of the same PL - that is, anything like most of the example characters in the book.  However, he should be okay against people like the Joker or the Kingpin, etc.  Just so it's clear, I actually made a pretty street-level character, despite the fact that he can walk through walls and creepy shit like that.

The Ghost
Jason Prince
PL 10
PP: 150
Banked: 0
HP: 4

STR 10 (affects corporeal)
DEX 18 +4
CON 18 +4
INT 14 +2
WIS 10
CHA 14 +2
34

Combat
Attack: +5 (+10 melee)
Defense: 15 (+5 Dodge for 20)
Damage: +0 (+3 w/ sword)
Toughness: +4 (+7 w/ armor)
Fort: +4
Rflx: +4
Will: +3
Initiative: +12
20

Skills:
Acrobatics +12
Computers +4
Craft Electronic +8
Intimidate +12
Investigate +4
Knowledge Physical Sciences +4
Knowledge Technology +8
Knowledge Streetwise +4
Notice +8
Search +8
Stealth +12
21


Feats:
All-Out Attack
Attack Focus Melee x 5
Dodge Focus 5
Improved Initiative x2
Luck x 3
Benefit: Urban Legend
Endurance
Fearless
Inventor
Acrobatic Bluff
Attractive
Distract (intimidate)
Hide In Plain Sight
Power Attack
Sneak Attack
Redirect
Skill Mastery: Acrobatics, Intimidate, Stealth, Disable Device
Equipment 3
31

Powers:
Insubstantial 4: Vulnerable to Light effects (lasers, light-based flashes, etc.)
Regeneration: Persistent, Regrowth
•   Injured: 20 minutes
•   Staggered: 20 Minutes
•   Disabled: 1 Hour
Danger Sense (mental)
Speed 2
Leaping 2
Wall-Crawling
31

Equipment & Devices:
Mask (Rank 2 Device, hard to lose)
•   Voice Changer 1 pt Auditory Illusion.
•   Darkvision 2 pts
•   Time Sense 1pt
•   Radio 1 pt
•   Infravision 1 pt
•   Visual Tracking, Full-speed, 2 pts.
•   Zoom (1 point extended vision, 100ft increment)
•   Micro-enhancement, 1pt Microscopic vision (dust-sized objects)
Sword +3
Armored Jumpsuit +3
Secret Lair:  Hidden section of abandoned factory: Toughness 10, Size Medium, Concealed, Power System, Workshop, Laboratory, Living Space, Gym: 8pts
8

150

Drawbacks & Complications:
Secret Identity


Jason was a senior in the science department of a local university when he had an accident with a new particle accelerator attempting to detect gravitons.  He was flooded with a fair amount of electromagnetic energy and weird radiation, most of which shouldn't have had any lasting effect on the human body.  He seemed fine within a few hours, so they let him go home early.  Like a lot of science geeks, Jason had been bullied a lot.  He lived in a crappy part of town, a local gang of skinheads liked to push people around, and he'd been mugged a couple times.  He was one of those people generally born to be a victim.  Something happened to him in the accident, and only a small part of his mind realized it.  That's why he suddenly started sleeping much, even though the doctors at the campus clinic couldn't find anything wrong with him.  He was getting up at night, making a costume, keeping it hidden.  He had been going out at night as a powered, costumed vigilante for about two months before he cracked and found the fissure in his own mind.

These days his personality is mostly reintegrated, but they still have the occasional difference of opinion.  Mostly, though, they let Jason handle the thinking and The Ghost handles the violence.  It's a good setup.  Ever since he started stealing money from drug dealers, his life has been ten times better. 

[Hikari]

Preliminary write-up:

Tsubame Kusanagi was born and raised in the mountains near Kyoto into the dying tradition of hereditary ninjutsu, taken in as a member of the Mugen Kaminari (Infinite Thunders) Clan.  The majority of 'traditional' ninja died out during the Second World War, and even more vanished into the alien invasion that followed close on the heels of it, leaving the scattered remnants of two minds: those who believe it best to remain hidden from an increasingly dangerous world while studiously observing the old ways, and those who chose to seek safety in the criminal underworld of the Yakuza while trying to learn as much as possible about the brave new world brought on by the invasion.

The Mugen Kaminari are of the latter breed.  They have long pledged their services to Shotozumi-rengo of the Chiba-gumi, a group of hardline traditionalists among the Yakuza who still believe in the idealism of the syndicate's days in the Meishinshishi revolution, when they protected towns from bandits and enforced the law in a country gone awry.  During the alien invasions, Shotozumi revitalized a segment of the Yakuza, transforming it into an underground resistant to fight guerrilla warfare against alien occupation; even in the decades intervening, he has not forgotten the glory and purpose of those days, even as his view has grown increasingly unpopular in a clan run more and more by young, self-centered yakuza who were born too late to know those days.  The Mugen are his secret weapon against his own: criminals especially trained to destroy other criminals, to excise the most corrupt and baleful elements in the syndicate.

Tsubame, like many of the clan's prodigious 'legacy' students (those born to parents who were both full Mugen, as opposed to the increasing number who are recruited from the ranks of Shotozumi's men), has trained rigorously since birth and been given biochemical and genetic enhancements gleaned from reverse-engineered alien technology to bring her very close to the maximum of human capability.  Like most of the elite jounin of the clan, can run and jump as well as an Olympic-level athlete, heft as much as a champion power-lifter, and out-fight a title-holding boxer; though her enhancements won't reach maximum capacity for a few more years (they have to 'grow' due to their biological nature), she's already scraping the limits of human capability.

Like many of the clan's beautiful kunoichi, Tsubame has been uniquely trained to use her feminine wiles to get into situations where she can better investigate major Yakuza figures for signs of corruption and, if necessary, dispatch them while harming as few of their men as possible.  It was this particular skillset that lead to her going incognito as a young runaway, purposefully being captured by the human slave-trading operation of a gumi that Shotozumi had long suspected of performing the forbidden (within the Yakuza of his dreams, anyway) practice.  During her investigation of the trade and related prostitution rings, Tsubame ended up in America, where ultimately she found herself crossing swords not only with her Yakuza brethren, but also with the local Mafia.

Having discovered so much corruption--with so much of it seeming to cross the ocean to Japan if left unchecked--Tsubame made the decision to stay in the American city and pursue the rampant, seemingly out-of-control organized crime there rather than returning home.  Her methods are very similar to those she used in her homeland: she pursues employment in places the local criminals are known to frequent, like strip clubs and dens of iniquity, and gathers information on a target until she sees an opportunity to put him or her down, either by stealth or guile.

Though she identified herself as Shunrai (Spring Thunder) in the missives left to her targets to be, most never even bothered to have them translated, and instead named her for the origami blossoms the notes were transcribed upon: Black Lotus.  The name was popularized by detectives investigating her assassinations who spoke to local media, who in turn dubbed the string of killings the 'Black Lotus Murders'.  Given her list of victims, the people of the city were more prone to regard her as a vigilante hero than a serial killer, and so 'Black Lotus' took on a completely different definition in their lexicon: the costumed identity of the mysterious ninja prowling the city's night.

Tsubame has a reputation for absolute ruthlessness which is caused, more than anything else, by her inability to communicate with most of those she deals with.  Mafiosi tell horror stories of the black-clad shadow stalking them tirelessly through the night, cutting down their men in grim-faced silence no matter what sort of deals they offer or threats they shout...  these stories are objectively true, but more because she's uncomfortable speaking English than out of a desire to avoid witty banter.  Similarly, her 'signature'--a deathnote folded into a black origami lotus--is intended as a warning to her target's employees and associates to distance themselves from him so they don't get hurt, but due to poor translation has thus far been misconstrued as a symbol of menace and even psychotic glee.

Rough Draft Character Sheet
Ability Scores:
Strength 20 (10 PP)
Dexterity 24 (14 PP)
Constitution 18 (8 PP)
Intelligence 16 (6 PP)
Wisdom 14 (4 PP)
Charisma 20 (10 PP)
(52 PP Spent)

Attack +5 (10 PP)
Defense +5 (10 PP)
Toughness +0 (0 PP)
Reflex Save +8 (8 PP)
Fortitude Save +4 (4 PP)
Will Save +4 (4 PP)
(88 PP Spent)

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 Ranks (2 PP)
Bluff 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Climb 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Disguise 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Escape Artist 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Gather Informaion 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Intimidate 8 Ranks (2 PP)
Investigate 8 Ranks (2 PP)
Notice 8 Ranks (2 PP)
Perform (Dance) 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Search 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Sense Motive 8 Ranks (2 PP)
Sleight of Hand 4 Ranks (1 PP)
Stealth 12 Ranks (3 PP)
(109 PP Spent)

Feats:
Assessment (1 PP)
Attack Focus (Melee) Rank 5 (5 PP)
Attractive Rank 2 (2 PP)
Blind Fight (1 PP)
Distract (1 PP)
Dodge Focus Rank 5 (5 PP)
Elusive Target (1 PP)
Equipment Rank 3 (3 PP)
Evasion Rank 2 (2 PP)
Fascinate (Perform) (1 PP)
Grappling Finesse (1 PP)
Hide in Plain Sight (1 PP)
Instant Up (1 PP)
Master Plan (1 PP)
Quick Change Rank 2 (2 PP)
Redirect (1 PP)
Sneak Attack Rank 1 (1 PP)
Takedown Attack Rank 2 (2 PP)
Trance (1 PP)
Uncanny Dodge (Hearing) (1 PP)
Well-Informed (1 PP)
(144 PP Spent)

Powers:
Leaping Rank 1 (1 PP)
Speed Rank 1 (1 PP)
Super-Movement 2 Ranks (Slow Fall, Trackless) 4 (4 PP)
(150 PP Spent)

Equipment:
Sword (5 EP)
Smoke Grenades (4 EP)
Shuriken (3 EP)
Armored Jumpsuit (3 EP)
(15 EP Spent)


That is an almost literal Lesbian Stripper Ninja.  Though, I'm thinking maybe I should make her a more 'figurative' one and have her use guns and lots of cheesy action-movie one-liners instead?

[Chris Brady]

She's um...  WOW!  Pretty buff.

[Hikari]

I'm not hugely experienced with M&M, so if things need to be pushed around, that's okay.  I'm also open on concept; I could do more of a Device-based Powered character (with Invisibility and such) instead of a feat-machine, if that would be more appropriate.

[WyzardWhately]

I was all like, hey, look, she took Perform: Dance.  I wonder if she took fascinate, too.  Yes, yes she did.  Well, at least our PCs have the elements of getting along.  They're both creepy-stealthy, they're both willing to use lethal force.

[Chris Brady]

I'm not hugely experienced with M&M, so if things need to be pushed around, that's okay.  I'm also open on concept; I could do more of a Device-based Powered character (with Invisibility and such) instead of a feat-machine, if that would be more appropriate.

Well, in her physicals, she's pretty much hit the top end physical human peak.  She's also genius level intelligence and the smoothest charmer in existence.

She really IS a Lesbian Stripper Ninja!

[WyzardWhately]

Oh, yeah, and your toughness save isn't zero, it's the sum of your CON bonus and your armor.

EDIT:  Actually, you've spent a whole lot of PP you don't have to.  Your Fort save starts out at your Con bonus, just like toughness does.  Your reflex save starts out at your dex bonus, and your will save starts out at your wisdom bonus.

So, I'm sure you've got some other stuff you'd like to spend those points on.

[Hikari]

The only things listed are things points are actually spent on.  Total bonuses (for saves, skill checks, etc.) aren't included.  Are those parameters going to be too high when you add the ability score modifier to the purchased bonus?  Also, should she have a higher Toughness Save?  I figure high Dodge-based Defense and low Toughness is the best way to emulate a ninja, but if it's going to cause problems in encounter balancing I can shuffle things there.

But, yeah.  The basic idea is a relatively 'tricky' fighting style, using lots of widgets like Bluff, Intimidate, and linked Feats like Distract, Elusive Target, etc.  I'm picturing a 'Batgirl' kind of fighting style where one thug runs up behind her and she Judo-throws him into the one she's fighting, or one pins her arms by grabbing her from behind but she still manages to get her feet up and stomp-kick the other in the chest as he approaches her.  I tried to throw in some Batman-type additions like Assessment, Hide in Plain Sight, and Master Plan since she's supposed to be a mainliner and not a strict sidekick, though.

I'm not sure if I went too light on the investigative aspect.  I figure a good skill spread, solid Intelligence and Charisma, and a few related feats like Well-Informed and Quick Change will cover it, but I've never played a 'detective comics' sort.  I don't know if she'd be good enough to be a dedicated sleuth, but I figure she can handle digging for information at strip clubs and smoozing her way into high-society parties to get close to her target, at least.

[WyzardWhately]

*smacks forehead*

Oh, I get it now.  Your reflex save is really high, but it doesn't break the cap.  So, that's cool.

I think you'll be fine.  Your bonuses to investigate are generally in-line with the archetypes in the book.  Seriously, though, my character is kind of a wuss, as well.  So, fine, we're not Batman-level detectives, but who is?  We're probably more down there with Daredevil, Rorscharch, and The Question.  Which is good company, in my book.

If it's not clear, my character relies on ambushes, hit and run tactics, and striking when people are most vulnerable.  Dude walks through walls.  He's going to come out of the wall behind the bad guy while they're on the toilet in a public restroom.  Or show up in their bedroom at night, with power tools.  Or they'll be thinking they got away, that he's disappeared, and the guys in the ER will patch you right up.  When suddenly that creepy skull mask turns around to grin at you from the driver's seat.

*sigh*  I really, really wish I'd had the spare points to buy Fearsome Presence.  I may revise his sheet before we start.

[Chris Brady]

The only things listed are things points are actually spent on.  Total bonuses (for saves, skill checks, etc.) aren't included.  Are those parameters going to be too high when you add the ability score modifier to the purchased bonus?  Also, should she have a higher Toughness Save?  I figure high Dodge-based Defense and low Toughness is the best way to emulate a ninja, but if it's going to cause problems in encounter balancing I can shuffle things there.

But, yeah.  The basic idea is a relatively 'tricky' fighting style, using lots of widgets like Bluff, Intimidate, and linked Feats like Distract, Elusive Target, etc.  I'm picturing a 'Batgirl' kind of fighting style where one thug runs up behind her and she Judo-throws him into the one she's fighting, or one pins her arms by grabbing her from behind but she still manages to get her feet up and stomp-kick the other in the chest as he approaches her.  I tried to throw in some Batman-type additions like Assessment, Hide in Plain Sight, and Master Plan since she's supposed to be a mainliner and not a strict sidekick, though.

I'm not sure if I went too light on the investigative aspect.  I figure a good skill spread, solid Intelligence and Charisma, and a few related feats like Well-Informed and Quick Change will cover it, but I've never played a 'detective comics' sort.  I don't know if she'd be good enough to be a dedicated sleuth, but I figure she can handle digging for information at strip clubs and smoozing her way into high-society parties to get close to her target, at least.

Honestly, Hikari, I'm thinking your physical stats are a touch high.  I'm not all that upset on the Dex, mind you, but for an infiltration expert, you don't need to be a body builder.  14s in Strength and/or Con will do you fine.

Also, you may want to look into the Powers for disguise/Kunoichi options.  As in she specializes in hiding her appearance.

[Spider]

Hmmm and spots open? and is it MnM2E?

I might be interested in playing a gadeteer.

[Hikari]

Alright, I'm shuffling things around a bit.  I'm looking at 16 Strength/Constitution, and shuffling points over into an alien Device that grants Morph (2-point version, Limited [Females Only]) and such.  I'm redoing the Feat list while I'm at it, and it raises a question.

Does Quick Change have any use with Morph?  Morph is a Free Action already, and it covers the act of disguising, doesn't it?  Or is Morph body-appearance only, and Quick Change is still necessary if you want to change clothes?

[WyzardWhately]

Here's an option - Morph could let you imitate clothes, but you'd "really" be naked.  Such as if you were knocked unconscious, for example. 

[Hikari]

You want me to run around essentially naked all the time?  Wouldn't that be ripping off Psylocke a little too much?

[WyzardWhately]

You want me to run around essentially naked all the time?  Wouldn't that be ripping off Psylocke a little too much?

Well, what I want doesn't come into it, really.  I just thought the possibility might interest you.  Also:  Did psylocke do that?  I thought that was Mystique's thing.

[Hikari]

I was just kidding.  Making fun of the whole 'Lesbian Stripper Ninja who's never wearing more than a swimsuit' deal.  Psylocke's one of the Patron Saints of LSNs.

Though, I've got preferential feelings toward Christie from Dead or Alive and the assorted female cast of Devil May Cry.

[Chris Brady]

Can I make a request?

I'm assuming you guys are going with the 'Batman' style of 'team' (Which they weren't really.)

Could you all settle with a theme that runs through all of your characters?

Like for the Bats, it's always a dark, avian style of character (Nightwing, Batwoman, Batgirl, although Robin is a bit off.)

The Ghost seems to be a good hinge to focus on.  And for the record, you guys were allies of the Knightwatchman before he croaked, not 'sidekicks' as the Bat crew tended to be.

[Hikari]

Any suggestions?  I'm kind of at a loss for ghost-related stuff.

Also, does the character seem okay in general?  If the Lesbian Stripper Ninja thing is too on-the-nose, I can try something a little less overt.  I was thinking an Action Gunbunny type might work?

[WyzardWhately]

Could any kind of Bride With White Hair/Chinese Ghost Story stuff help out?  I don't know.  I'll come up with something more useful later.  Maybe The Ghost also practices martial arts?  Or did you mean a common element more in motif than in tactics?

Incidentally, some of the guys over at RPG.net helped me with some of the problems I was having making this character.  I have a final later today, but I'm probably going to revise his character sheet tonight.

[Valerian]

Hrm, ghostly stuff?  I don't know how well teleporting fits, exactly, though it does make her difficult to get hold of, of course.  A ghostly sort of name could fit; we could just have a theme in that respect, maybe...

[Chris Brady]

I was just kidding.  Making fun of the whole 'Lesbian Stripper Ninja who's never wearing more than a swimsuit' deal.  Psylocke's one of the Patron Saints of LSNs.

I was the impression that the ninja girls of DoA were the patron saints...  >.>

Though, I've got preferential feelings toward Christie from Dead or Alive and the assorted female cast of Devil May Cry.

The gun bunny may work.

I would like you people to be natives of the City (I'm not sure what I'm going to name it, yet.)

[Hikari]

Ayane might count, but...  to some extent, it's about attitude.  The LSN is sort of like the trenchcoat wearing Teflon Badass of female characters, she has to be unflappable, clearly superior, etc.  The female leads of UltraViolet and Tomb Raider are probably closer than Ayane and Kasumi, though Christie certainly counts.  Likewise, you'd probably count Trish but no Lady, even though they're both similar in other ways.

(Though, it looks like DMC4 Lady is a LSN now, anyway!)

Regardless, I'll see what I can come up with.  I'm thinking a mix of guns and power-type equipment (knock-out gas, grenades, etc.), and generally being more of a character along the lines of The Bride than a killer stripper.  Anti-syndicate revenge trip, you know the drill.

[Chris Brady]

That works.  And for the record, The Knightwatchman was more or less Batman with a pair of .45s and a sword.  And he wasn't the first man to wear that suit, there's always been something of a 'Mystery Men' going on in the world, it's only since the late 40's has out and out supers shown up.

And the Revenge Angle works as the common theme, actually.  And you guys don't even need to hate the same group of criminals either.

[Chris Brady]

This is a fun toy to play with when making supers.

http://fabricadeherois.blogspot.com/

It's in Portuguese, but Criar means 'create'.  The rest is easy to guess.

[Valerian]

Okay, I asked a real-life friend for help on this, but he's being slow, and I'm impatient.  Heh.  I thought I might as well post it here and see if anyone had any suggestions on it.  There are still 38 points to spend...

Also, my back story is still fairly open, so I can work in a revenge angle if that's what we want to do.  A vengeance from beyond the grave theme does sound nicely dark and creepy.

6  STR 16 +3
10 DEX 20 +5
4  CON 14 +2
0  INT 10 +0
2  WIS 12 +1
4  CHA 14 +2
(26 pts.)

Skills: (27 pts.)
Acrobatics    +10
Bluff         +11
Climb         +11
Concentration +9
Escape Artist +10
Intimidate    +12
Notice        +10
Search        +9
Sense Motive  +10
Stealth       +12

Feats: (25 pts.)
Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, Assessment, Attack Focus 2, Blind-fight, Critical Strike, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 3, Elusive Target, Evasion, Favored Opponent (aliens), Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (staff), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Takedown Attack, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge

Powers: (8 pts.)
Teleport (Rank 3)
-1 Short-range
+1 Change Velocity
+1 Easy
+1 Turnabout

Combat: (26 pts.)
Attack  +5
Defense +8
Damage  +3/+5

[Chris Brady]

Not to sure about the 'aliens' on the Favoured Opponents, also for the 38 points, you can sink those into a selection of specialized weapons.  I see that you have Imp. Crit for Staves, and yet no staff...

[Hikari]

Second Effort, First Draft:

The Remnant
Katalinna Anne was taken in as an orphan by a member of the Buselli crime syndicate after he killed her parents to keep them from testifying against him.  Exactly why the Mafia hitman felt the need to do so is a matter of some mystery, as he otherwise was not prone to showing guilt or sentimentality.

Regardless, he provided Katalinna with a good life: money, protection, and influence.  For her, it was never enough; she spent her prodigious allowances and vast amounts of unsupervised time trying to learn the tricks of the trade, with every intention of one die killing her foster father.  He was fully aware of this fact, and seemed to regard it with a mixed sense of amusement and surprising empathy, even secretly assisting her in her mission at times, covertly grooming her to be a hitwoman of the highest caliber.

Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Katalinna finally made her move.  The young woman faced her adoptive parent in a brutal battle that left their stately home a blown-out husk of ashes and flame, but just when she was ready to finish him off--stating her intentions and reasons over his prone and disarmed form--Mafia hitmen descended on the both of them, wounding Katalinna badly and her 'father' fatally, though she managed to ultimately fight them off.  With his last breath, her foster father explained himself to her: he had never wanted to kill her parents--he had a strict policy of only killing other Mafiosi--but the local Don, a corpulent man well-accustomed to getting his way, had arranged to ensure they witnessed a hit he performed to make sure it happened.  They, he explained, were old family of the Don, who was going out of his way to eliminate any traces of their bloodline...

Since then, Katalinna has become the terror of the underworld, targeting Family operations wherever she can find them, and even going so far as to attack major Mafia figures in their own homes.  Aside from her vigilante work, she also has been known to take contracts on other syndicate figures--Yakuza, Triads, Vory--to bankroll her activities.  The Knightwatchman took her under his proverbial wing for a time, and thanks to his influence she's curbed her violent tendencies somewhat and learned to care about the 'big picture' outside of her personal vendetta, though she still sees red whenever the Don pokes his head out of hiding...

Katalinna is among the finest markswomen in the world, and an extremely well-trained fighter besides.  Her accuracy with any sort of firearm is absolutely uncanny, to such a degree that she generally uses weapons normally decried as 'inaccurate' to every bit as great effect as a longarm.  Her particular prefence is for a pair of custom firearms, one of which was made for her--Balmung, a submachine gun with a rate of fire too high for most people to use with any reasonable degree of accuracy--and the other survives her foster father, a refurbishment of his favorite weapon--Gram, a hand-cannon that fires rounds somewhere between a heavy-calibre bullet and a mini-rocket.  Gram's rounds are somewhat self-correcting in flight and usually explode a minute after impact if not quickly removed.

150 PP
Ability Scores:
Strength 12 (2 PP)
Dexterity 18 (8 PP)
Constitution 14 (4 PP)
Intelligence 14 (4 PP)
Wisdom 12 (2 PP)
Charisma 14 (4 PP)
(24 PP Spent)

Attack +10 (20 PP)
Defense +5 (10 PP)
Toughness +0 (0 PP)
Reflex Save +6 (6 PP)
Fortitude Save +3 (3 PP)
Will Save +4 (4 PP)
(67 PP Spent)

Acrobatics 15
Climb 5
Disable Device 6
Drive 4
Gather Information 9
Intimidate 8
Investigate 9
Notice 8
Profession (Mercenary) 5
Search 4
Sense Motive 8
Sleight of Hand 3
Stealth 8
(92 SP, 90 PP Spent)

Acrobatic Bluff
Ambidexterity
Assessment
Contacts
Defensive Roll Rank 3
Diehard
Dodge Focus Rank 5
Elusive Target
Equipment Rank 3
*Motorcycle (9 EP)
*Undercover Vest (4 EP)
*Gas Mask (1 EP)
*Commlink (1 EP)
Evasion Rank 2
Grappling Finesse
Improved Aim
Improved Critical (Blast) Rank 2
Improved Grapple
Instant Up
Improved Sunder
Precise Shot Rank 2
Quick Draw Rank 2
Redirect
Well-Informed
Uncanny Dodge
(123 PP Spent)

Device (Submachine Gun, Balmung) 4 (12 PP)
*Blast 4 (Autofire 2, Split Attack, Ricochet 3)
Device (Hand-Cannon, Gram) 5 (15 PP)
*Blast 8 (Penetrating 1, Poison, Unreliable (5-shot), Homing)
Device (Grappler) 1 (3 PP)
*Super Movement (Swinging, Slow Fall)
*Snare 1 (Entangle -1)
Super-Senses (Accurate Hearing) (1 PP)
(150 PP Spent)

Wealth Bonus +10

[WyzardWhately]

Just took my Con Law final.  Completely brain-damaged now.

Short Form:  I'm going to get rid of the Insubstantial power, because it's too distorting.  That's going to free up a whopping thirty points, with which I can easily buy Permeate at a high enough level to walk through walls and stuff (six points).  That should leave me 24 left over to make The Ghost a little more balanced as a character.  I'm probably going to beef up his defenses and saves (probably some Impervious and Impervious Defensive Roll, in order to adequately represent the fact that normal attacks simply pass through him without effect.  This looks a little wonky on paper, but from a mechanical and gameplay standpoint is a MUCH better way to represent his powers anyway.  It makes him less of a "Ha Ha fuck you all"/"OMG I'm dead" character.  I can explain why that is if anyone gives a shit.) 

I'll also probably drop wall-crawling and crank more of those points into Leaping.  Instead of sort of worming his way up a surface by plunging his hands and feet into it, he can just jump through walls/floors/ceilings with impunity.  It's a better image and reduces the splattering of powers he's got so far. I'll probably save a few for that Frightful Presence I want so desperately, and maybe go ahead and build him the organ-punching strike, or some reasonable facsimile.  An equipment array is also a possiblity, although it will tend to be mundane stuff rather than stepping on Hikari's expensive custom foot.  Her character has futuristic firearms and grenades and stuff.  The Ghost does just fine with a bottle of drain cleaner and a power drill.

Oh yeah.  This is going to work out way better.   :D

Lastly, I think he needs an arch-nemesis.  I don't know if you have bad guys already plotted out for the setting or not, so I figured I'd ask before the rewrite.  I need one of those sick crazy types, with less outright powers and more, well, costumed villainy.  Think like the Joker, Scarecrow, or Jigsaw, or Mysterio if he didn't kinda suck.  If you've got somebody in a roster that fits the bill, let me know.  The Ghost is also doing the Vendetta thing, you see, although he's more after the terrorizing costumes than just mobsters.  Although he'd probably whack some of them too, given an opportunity.

[RedEve]

If this had been free-form, I so would have joined this. As such, I'm only familiar with the EABA system, so I guess I'm out of this one. :(

[Antone]

... I don't know if this thing is still available, but I'd be interested in trying to do it.... if there is room for another person.... *puppy dog eyes*

[WyzardWhately]

The Ghost
Jason Prince
PL 10
PP: 150
Banked: 0
HP: 3

STR 10
DEX 18 +4
CON 20 +5
INT 14 +2
WIS 12 +1
CHA 14 +2
28

Combat
Attack: +5 (+10 melee)
Defense: 15 (+5 Dodge for 20)
Damage: +4 (strike) OR +2 (Penetrating Strike)
Toughness: +5, Impervious, +7 Impervious w/ defensive roll (+10 w/ Armor)
Fort: +5
Rflx: +4
Will: +7
Initiative: +12
28

Skills:
Acrobatics +12
Computers +4
Craft Electronic +8
Intimidate +12
Investigate +4
Knowledge Physical Sciences +4
Knowledge Technology +8
Knowledge Streetwise +4
Notice +8
Search +8
Stealth +12
21


Feats:
Defensive Roll x2 (Impervious)
All-Out Attack
Attack Focus Melee x 5
Dodge Focus 5
Improved Initiative x2
Luck x 2
Fearsome Presence x 7
Fearless
Acrobatic Bluff
Attractive
Distract (intimidate)
Hide In Plain Sight
Power Attack
Sneak Attack
Redirect
Skill Mastery: Acrobatics, Intimidate, Stealth, Notice
Equipment 2
34

Powers:
Permeate 3
Regeneration: Regrowth
•   Injured: 20 minutes
•   Staggered: 20 Minutes
•   Disabled: 1 Hour
Danger Sense (mental)
Speed 2 (5 times as fast as a normal human)
Leaping 3 (Running long jump 100 feet, standing long jump 50 feet, vertical jump 25 feet)
Immunity: Sleep, Critical Hits
Strike 4
ALT: Strike 2, Alternate Save: Fortitude
24

Equipment & Devices:
Mask (Rank 2 Device, hard to lose)
•   Voice Changer 1 pt Auditory Illusion.
•   Darkvision 2 pts
•   Time Sense 1pt
•   Radio 1 pt
•   Infravision 1 pt
•   Visual Tracking, Full-speed, 2 pts.
•   Zoom (1 point extended vision, 100ft increment)
•   Micro-enhancement, 1pt Microscopic vision (dust-sized objects)
Armored Jumpsuit +3
Secret Lair:  Hidden section of abandoned factory: Toughness 10, Size Medium, Concealed, Power System, Workshop, Living Space, Gym: 7pts
8

150

Drawbacks & Complications:
Secret Identity

Jason Prince was one of life's designated victims.  His dad had died as an innocent bystander in a costumed dustup when he was very small (tie-in to archnemesis here, maybe?).  His mom developed a number of neuroses including agoraphobia immediately afterward - she hasn't left her apartment more than a half-dozen times since.  He's been bullied, repeatedly mugged, and scared every time one of those custom news bulletins comes over the radio.  There's a special jingle they use when it's the costumed types getting rowdy, it gets everyone's attention so they know if they need to get out of the way.  It still tended to give him panic attacks every time he heard it, right up until two months ago.  That's why some of the jackasses in the electronics lab used to set it as their ring tone, to see him go all pale and shaky in the middle of trying to solder something.

Two months ago, though, he was helping monitor the equipment as his university's new particle accelerator.  They were trying to do some kind of advanced physics experiments with it, something to do with gravitons and the curvature of the space-time continuum.  A lot of the math was beyond him, but it was still pretty darned interesting stuff, and Jason was glad to help out. Somehow, he managed to be partway inside the unit making adjustments to the capacitors when it was "accidentally" set off by a grad student.  Jason got a pretty good jolt of weird elementary and theoretical particles, plus an electrical shock and an electromagnetic field passing through his brain that could have cooked a hardened military installation.  They drug his unconscious self over to the clinic, where he woke up a few hours later and was given tea and some tests.  It didn't look like anything was wrong with him, and it was the wrong kind of radiation to do much to him, so...they pretty much sent him home.  He went to his apartment and fell asleep.  Around midnight, he got up and went down to the local quickie-mart for a burrito, and got mugged again on the way home.  Everything seemed to slow down and it was like he was nearly weightless, and he beat the everloving hell out of both of them.  Then went home and crashed back out.  When he woke up, he decided it must have been a dream.  The martial arts classes he was in hadn't done him that much good, his knuckles weren't scuffed up, and, well, he was pretty damn confused after that thing at the lab.

But he was wrong.  It had happened.  And a part of him knew it.  That part of him got up every night and made a costume.  Started to learn about the bizarre, byzantine network between organized crime and the freaks.  Studied tactics, built a lair.  Jason noticed he wasn't afraid of the masked villainy warning jingle anymore, and dismissed it as a side effect of having nearly been killed.  He did in fact seem to not be scared of much of anything these days.  That was a nice side benefit.

He didn't figure it out until just lately.  The radio on his desk started playing that tune, but he could already hear the noise and gunfire outside.  Instead of panicking, he went straight to the chest in his closet where he kept his personal stuff, that he almost never opened.  He had the costume halfway on before he even knew what he was doing.  He let the reflexes and that weird presence in his head take over for the duration, but that night they had a long conversation in front of a mirror.

That accident did something to him.  Changed the way his biology interact with the normal space-time continuum.  Again, the math is beyond him, and the medical aspects are hopeless.  But, essentially, he's just a little outside normal reality.  Enough that there's a way his body is "supposed" to be, and that's what it tends toward.  It's why he never gets tired, and his injuries just fade away.  Gravity can't hold onto him the way it does others, and time is something he swims through.  He can fight against the current, making everyone around him seem to move at a crawl, while he leaps impossible distances and slides "around" solid matter, in the dimension where it doesn't exist.  Speed times mass equals power, and his strikes land with nearly inhuman speed when he wants them to.  He doesn't even have to limit himself to the opportunities in three dimensional space.  The other day he tore out someone's heart without leaving any kind of visible wound.  He can sense danger, just a little before the threat becomes manifest.  His costume is a thing of beauty.  An armored jacket and pants, solid black, with a tattered half-cape under the arms and a great hood to protect his head.  The mask looks like a bleached skull, blank black sockets for eyes, and great backward-curving ram's horns emerging from his forehead, curving up from under the hood then back to protect the back of his head and neck.  They're also full of some of the most advanced electronics he's ever seen, he can't believe he built it himself.  Aside from the voice changer, which lets him emulate anyone he's heard, it's packing a heads-up display and any number of related goodies.  It shows him the scene with infrared overlays, highlights microscopic features, lets him see in the dark, and even shows him the time so he doesn't need a watch.  The internal radio pickup lets him hear broadcasts on normal and emergency bands, and calls his attention to weird transmissions.  It lets him see distant things with incredible acuity, and lets him track people who don't leave behind any normal, visible trace.

Jason's friends and colleagues have noticed a change in him.  He's confident, fearless, looks people in the eye.  He's in way better shape than any junior electrical engineering student has a right to be, and he's dressing better, too.  He has money all of a sudden, instead of living on cafeteria food and ramen.  It's sexy in a way, and dangerous.


Chris:  Any help on an arch-nemesis?

[Hikari]

So, what's the word.  Anyone still interested in this?  Anything that needs to be changed to make it work?

[WyzardWhately]

I'm still in.

[Chris Brady]

I'm waiting for Valerian, and then I'll make the OOC thread.

[WyzardWhately]

You might want to poke her with a PM.

[Valerian]

Yeah, I'm not so good with this ruleset.  *sigh*  Staffs and knives would be considered devices in this system, yes?  Would it be possible to give the knives their own sort of 'teleport' to go back to her hand after she throws them?

Version 2, in case anyone has any suggestions:

ABILITIES:
STR: 16 (+3)
DEX: 19 (+4)
CON: 14 (+2)
INT: 10 (0)
WIS: 12 (+1)
CHA: 14 (+2)

SKILLS:
Acrobatics 10 (+14)
Bluff 11 (+13)
Climb 11 (+14)
Concentration 9 (+10)
Diplomacy  (+2)
Disguise  (+2)
Escape Artist 10 (+14)
Gather Info  (+2)
Handle Animal  (+2)
Intimidate 12 (+14)
Streetwise 10 (+10)
Notice 10 (+11)
Search 9 (+9)
Sense Motive 10 (+11)
Stealth 12 (+16)
Survival  (+1)
Swim  (+3)               

FEATS:  Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, Assessment, Attack Focus (Melee) (2), Blind-Fight, Critical Strike, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll (3), Elusive Target, Evasion (), Improved Critical (), Improved Defense (), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative (3), Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Takedown Attack (), Uncanny Dodge                               
POWERS:  Teleport [3], Change Velocity, Short Range               
COMBAT:  Attack 10  [Staff 5 (Bruise), Knives 5 (Lethal)]   Defense 20 (15 flat-footed)   Init  16                        
SAVES:  Toughness 5 (2 flat-footed)  Fortitude 7  Reflex 14  Will 6

DRAWBACKS: 
               
Abilities 25  +  Skills 29 (114 ranks)  +  Feats 24  +  Powers 6  +  Combat 40  +  Saves 20  –  Drawbacks 0 = 144 / 150

[Chris Brady]

Weapons coming back to her?  Um, I'm not averse to making it a 1 point (If even that) advantage to the blades.

[WyzardWhately]

Or, if they automagically come back to her no matter what, you build it as a Blast power, and the returning knives are just a special effect.

Also:  Stuff like staves and knives are Equipment (super cheap) if they're normal, or Devices if they're not.  You don't need to buy Knives AND a staff if you don't want to, superhero types are assumed to be able to deal either bruising or lethal damage with any weapon (including firearms, amusingly).  You should seriously consider something to beef up your defense a little, too.  If you're going the equipment route, the armored jumpsuits both other characters already wear are a good choice for you: they're 3 Equipment points (which is like, .6 power points) for a +3 to your toughness save, and come in a wide variety of styles and colours to suit your wardrobe.

I'll look over your sheet more thoroughly and see if anything else jumps out at me.

[WyzardWhately]

Your character does look cool, though.  Kind of a nightcrawler vibe, I guess?

I look forward to seeing her background and so forth.

[Valerian]

Yeah, Nightcrawler-ish... it just seems such a handy thing for a close-up fighter, to be able to retreat and regroup now and then.

Maybe those jumpsuits can be part of the theme -- all similar designs and capabilities.  And bruising with a knife... I guess that's from whacking people with the hilt or something.  Heh.

Okay, background: Julia had it all, so it seemed.  Only daughter of a wealthy family, Old Money that had also moved with the times, creating an electronics empire; she attended the best schools, travelled, and was seen in all the best places with all the best people.

But the perfection was even more shallow than usual.  Her parents were constantly feuding, fighting sometimes just for the sake of fighting, and living the rest of the time in icy silence.  This had been going on for as far back as Julia could remember, and though she was used to it, in a way, it was a constant strain, driving her out of the house as much as possible.  Worse, her younger brother, Brandon, who was as neglected by their parents as she was, began dabbling in drug use and was constantly on the verge of getting into serious trouble.

At first she ignored it, wrapped up in her own problems, but after he nearly fell off the roof of the family's thirty-story office building while in a drug-induced haze, she started trying to rein him in.  The meddling of a sister only three years older worked about as well as one might expect, and mainly succeeded only in making him angry with her.

Finally the inevitable happened, and he fell in with a truly rough crowd, civilized though they often seemed on the outside.  When that group was caught up in the latest scheme of [insert supervillain here], Brandon saw a chance for fame, or at least infamy, in his own right, and tried to take it.  He ended up dead in the crossfire when police and a group of heroes tried to intervene.

After that, the family fell apart on the outside as well as the inside.  The scandal of Brandon's death was quickly followed by the scandal of his father's insider trading and other financial crimes.  Julia's mother sued for divorce, and the empire quickly began to crumble, eaten up in fines and legal fees.

Julia, now twenty-one, took what money was solely hers and used that to rebuild her life.  She changed her name, moved to another city, and recreated herself as a hero.  Her ability, which she'd always tried to hide and ignore, she now honed as she trained herself in other ways, learning to fight in combination with her teleporting.

No one would recognize her now as the spoiled girl she once was, now an ordinary young woman by day, a crime-fighter by night.

---

Hrm.  I don't have my book here... how does Wealth work?  It might be appropriate to give her just a little of that, to represent the last of the family fortune...

[Antone]

*looks around to see if there is room available for another....... though he would need help with the system your using, if he were allowed in...... mostly just curious at the moment if there is room <_<*

[WyzardWhately]

Wealth is covered under a feat called (I believe) Benefit.  I mean, I know it's a feat, and I think it's called benefit.  Each time you take it is +4 to wealth checks or something, and you can take it multiple times.  There are some rather abstract rules for making wealth checks in order to represent your buying power, but quite frankly they aren't very interesting.  If you want to be rich, spend 2 or 3 PP on the feat, and call it good.

[Valerian]

Okay, any further tweaks?  I still have more points to spend, I think, so throw them at me...

[WyzardWhately]

You should really take the turnabout feat for teleport.  I would also highly recommend the Accurate extra.

[Valerian]

I should really start sneaking my book into work, since that's always when I think of these questions.  Can you block/parry as well with a knife as with a staff?  I'd like to be able to do some of that, too.

Okay, this revised version leaves me (I'm pretty sure) with an awkward 1.4 points to spend, if it's really .6 for the jumpsuit.  Shall I throw in a point for returning knives (I'd rather have actual knives, I think) and call it even?

ABILITIES:
STR: 16 (+3)
DEX: 19 (+4)
CON: 14 (+2)
INT: 10 (0)
WIS: 12 (+1)
CHA: 14 (+2)

SKILLS:
Acrobatics 10 (+14)
Bluff 11 (+13)
Climb 11 (+14)
Concentration 9 (+10)
Diplomacy  (+2)
Disguise  (+2)
Escape Artist 10 (+14)
Gather Info  (+2)
Handle Animal  (+2)
Intimidate 12 (+14)
Streetwise 10 (+10)
Notice 10 (+11)
Search 9 (+9)
Sense Motive 10 (+11)
Stealth 12 (+16)
Survival  (+1)
Swim  (+3)               

Armored jumpsuit (.6)

FEATS:  Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, Assessment, Attack Focus (Melee) (2), Benefit (Wealth) (2) Blind-Fight, Critical Strike, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll (3), Elusive Target, Evasion (), Improved Critical (), Improved Defense (), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative (3), Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Takedown Attack (), Uncanny Dodge                               
POWERS:  Teleport [3], Accurate, Change Velocity, Short Range, Turnabout               
COMBAT:  Attack 10  [Staff 5 (Bruise), Knives 5 (Lethal)]   Defense 20 (15 flat-footed)   Init  16                       
SAVES:  Toughness 8 (5 flat-footed) (+3 armor) Fortitude 7  Reflex 14  Will 6

DRAWBACKS: 
               
Abilities 25  +  Skills 29 (114 ranks)  +  Feats 26  +  Powers 8  +  Combat 40  +  Saves 20  –  Drawbacks 0 + Devices .6 = 148.6 / 150

[Chris Brady]

Looks good to me.

[WyzardWhately]

Uhh, you can't actually spend .6 points.  I was being weird.  You buy the equipment feat, which gives you five EQ points, the costume costs 3 of them.  I should have been more literal, I know.  So, you have to round up how many you've spent, but you get two equpiment points extra, at least.  :P

Also:  The blocking/parrying thing isn't something you need to worry about, really.  It's all abstracted into your defense, unless you want to buy the block power, which is lame and sucks.  So, don't worry about it.

[WyzardWhately]

*bump*

[Chris Brady]

I think we lost Hikari. :(

[Hikari]

I'm not lost!  I just had to do violence for a while.  I'm okay, really!

[Chris Brady]

"Do violence"?  You military?  And if so, are you OK???

[Hikari]

I'm (deployed) Army.  I make with the war, you know?  I'm (obviously) not a combat arms MOS, though, so it's not the sort of thing that comes up all that terribly often.  Mostly, I make the trains run on time!

(No, really.  We've got a train here, now.)

[WyzardWhately]

Uhh...congratulations on the train? 

I'm pleased to have you back, and doubly pleased to know you're okay.

[Chris Brady]

OK, as long as we still have people interested in this, lemme make a thread in Human System.

Here it is:

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=16060.0