Topic: Possible Superhero Game?

[Callie Del Noire]

Yeah. A GM saying "yes, you could build that power. But no, I will not allow it in my game" is a big part of any successful superhero rpg.

I'm still trying to get a good idea on how to do my 'cosplayer out of his/her dept' origins.

[TheVillain]

With a nod to bathoz for the format.

Slip
Teleporting Thief, Possible Hero?

Identity: Very, Very Secret- Slip is considered a mysterious but much needed hero for bringing down the Sons of Chaos criminal gang one member at a time. What nobody realizes is that Slip's civilian identity is Jamie Masters, a thief that was formally a member of the gang who recently escaped from prison.

APPEARANCE
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Size: Medium
Height: 5'8”
Weight: 160
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue


POWER LEVEL
Power Level: 6
Power Points: 90


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

COMBAT
Attack 6 (Melee 6, Ranged 6) [Unarmed +1 (Bruise)]
Defense 6 (1 flat-footed)

SAVES
Toughness 6 (1 flat-footed)
Fortitude 4
Reflex 8
Will 4

SKILLS
Acrobatics 8 (+11)
Bluff 4 (+6)
Disable Device 8 (+11)
Gather Information 4 (+6)
Knowledge (Streetwise) 4 (+5)
Knowledge (Tech) 4 (+5)
Notice 4 (+5)
Search 4 (+6)
Slight of Hand 4 (+7)
Stealth 8 (+11)

LANGUAGES
English

FEATS
Defensive Roll 5
Dodge Focus 4
Evasion 2
Improved Initiative
Uncanny Dodge 2 (Visual and Psychic)
Equipment 1 (Thieves Tools and a Stun Gun)

POWERS
Teleport 4
[Power Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Progression 2, Linked Power: ESP (Limited- This is protection from teleporting inside of solid objects, he is not even aware of this power)]
[Extras: Accurate]
Cost 17

SUMMARY
Abilities 16 + Skills 12 + Feats 15 + Powers 17 + Combat 16 + Saves 14 – Drawbacks 0 = 90 / 90

BACKGROUND

Born into a life on the streets, Jamie would take to thievery like a fish to water. Working his way up the criminal food chain he gained a reputation for two things. The first being that he was one of the best safe crackers and thieves in the city, the second being that he never went out of his way to hurt anyone- not even carrying a gun on the job. The Sons of Chaos recruited him for the first, willing to overlook the second.

While not exactly enjoying his time with the Sons, he did admit that some of the most profitable jobs he ever pulled were with him. What he didn't know was that when his back was turned the Sons were also rapists and murderers, hiding this from him because they thought he was too "squeamish" for it. One night while on a job a guard interrupted them, and another member shot the guard in the chest without a second thought. Jamie would stay behind to make sure the guard made it to an ambulance- resulting in his arrest. The lawyers knew he wasn't a violent criminal- so he didn't learn about the full depths of their crimes until he was already in prison. And what the Sons do to members that they are worried may talk.

Good thing he's been having these strange light-headed sensations, as a power to teleport his begun to manifest for reasons he won't even begin to understand.

PERSONALITY

Not the best guy out there by any means. He's a thief, and a damn good one too. But he's not a rapist, he's not a murderer, and he's not exactly pleased that he's been unknowingly associated with a group of them for months. That and they tried to have them shanked of course. Still, sometimes- it does feel nice being the good guy for a change.

[Callie Del Noire]

I dunno.. seems he's got the PERFECT alibi as a theif.

"How could I have stolen that? I was in JAIL!"

[TheVillain]

That only works as long as nobody notices he goes missing from his cell for long periods of time. lol.

[Callie Del Noire]

That only works as long as nobody notices he goes missing from his cell for long periods of time. lol.

Get put into solitary!

[TheVillain]

. . .That's actually pretty smart. Depending on if they record what you do in solitary.

[Callie Del Noire]

. . .That's actually pretty smart. Depending on if they record what you do in solitary.

Most likely not. Well short of supermax.

[bathoz]

The format is just the automatic copy paste thing from my openoffice spread sheet (available... here).

I long stopped doing these type of things by hand. Way too much effort.

[Callie Del Noire]

The format is just the automatic copy paste thing from my openoffice spread sheet (available... here).

I long stopped doing these type of things by hand. Way too much effort.

Herolab is what I use.. it even offer BB Code and HTML output options.

[TheGlyphstone]

Just because the game says you can have infinite free actions doesn't mean I'll allow you infinite Sustained powers.  Break the game and I will break you.

Infinite? All I asked for was multiple. If I had asked to apply Shorter Action to it as well, being able to MC every person in perception range as free actions, then you'd have reason, but I feel kinda hurt that you're accusing me of trying to sneak in cheese when my first post said I've never learned the rules. Kinda makes me feel like I won't be having fun here, especially since everyone else knows the game better and can build more powerful heroes.

Can I apply Extra Duration to Mind Control if I keep it within reason? Say, a maximum limit of controlled targets equal to the power's rank (6)? I'd lose them all the first time I was stunned anyways, if I read the rules on damage conditions and status right.

[Katina Tarask]

Glyph: I actually only even began looking through the book last weekend.  I'm still learning, I assure you.

Raveled: Please realize, "Would this be a reasonable representation for this power?" is a major part of character creation.  If the answer is, "No," then the answer is, "No," not, "No, and fuck you for daring to come up with such a stupid idea you powergaming munchkin."  Developing a sense for what is and is not reasonable is a major part of learning the game.  Please do not snap at Glyph for working on it, and please do not snap at Glyph for things he never said.

[TheVillain]

Personally, I'm thinking everyone involved is taking what the other people say a little too seriously. Let's all take a breath.

Glyph- I don't read a snap, more just a friendly warning. "Yes you can play a kender- you do know what this nation does to thieves, right?"

Rav- He's exploring ideas, give a little slack in the language if not the idea.\


Peacemaker done.

[TheGlyphstone]

Yeah...I do appreciate you coming to my defense, Kat, but in the middle of accusing there is a difference between accusing me of trying to break the game and swearing at me - Rav hasn't gone there yet.

Glyph- I don't read a snap, more just a friendly warning. "Yes you can play a kender- you do know what this nation does to thieves, right?"

Come to think of it, I should probably take offense at this too  - anyone who asks to play a kender should be shot at dawn, not given a warning of any kind.

[Callie Del Noire]

Can't we all just get along?

<gets buried under a pile of LA Cops "Where we treat you like a King">

[Katina Tarask]

The great art of hyperbole, under-appreciated as ever, I see.

[Callie Del Noire]

The great art of hyperbole, under-appreciated as ever, I see.

Huh whu?

<goes to lower PLAYER'S wisdom score.. not the characters..>

[PhantomPistoleer]

Mutants & Masterminds is harangued by the fact that it lacks in its nature a sense of balance.

If I make a character who has 18STR, the damage output of my unarmed strike (4N/L) is essentially the same as a bullet.  This carries on.  If I make a character that does 8N/L damage, that character is essentially doing the same amount of damage as a bazooka.  You'll always have players crafting characters to fit the game or fit the rules or fit the benchmarks.

[Callie Del Noire]

Mutants & Masterminds is harangued by the fact that it lacks in its nature a sense of balance.

If I make a character who has 18STR, the damage output of my unarmed strike (4N/L) is essentially the same as a bullet.  This carries on.  If I make a character that does 8N/L damage, that character is essentially doing the same amount of damage as a bazooka.  You'll always have players crafting characters to fit the game or fit the rules or fit the benchmarks.

True true.. It's a tricky balance, but makes for a fun game.

[TheVillain]

Also, how rare is 18 strength? Maybe they do punch like you got shot with a gun?

[TheGlyphstone]

8 build points. We have 90 at Power Level 6. Power Level 10, the 'average', is 150 points.

[PhantomPistoleer]

That depends on the world that you're living in, Villain.

Benchmark wise, a guy with an Attribute STR of 18 is jacked, and is considered an olympic-level athlete (while a 16-17 is considered a professional athlete).  That means that an 18 STR (or 18 anything) is considered rare by human standards.  Of course, you can always have enhanced strength, and appear to be a guy who looks like an STR 12.  Spider-Man can lift ten tons, but he looks like a guy who has an STR 12.

[Raveled]

Consider what I say a friendly warning.  Besides, multiple-target Mind Control doesn't strike me as particularly heroic -- gathering up a horde of blank-faced minions and throwing them at the bad guys is bad PR.  If you want the ability to influence crowds, look at Emotion Control.

[TheGlyphstone]

Turning the boss villain's mooks against him en masse isn't heroic? I'm not sure how half-a-dozen targets qualifies as a 'horde' either, especially since it'd take 6 rounds of combat and failed saves on all their parts to collect. Emotion Control is too vague for specific control - and it's a single-target ability anyways.

Mind Control is usually a bad-guy sort of power, and I was really interested in looking for ways to subvert that tendency (the aforementioned mook-stealing, saving a suicidal jumper by puppeteering them to safety), especially with a character who's still trying to balance his desire to be the center of attention with a waking interest in actually doing good things. It's not practical or effective as a single-target ability to build a character around without severe mini-maxing and cheese, though - things strong enough to be worth giving up my turns to remote control will be too hard to dominate or outright immune, and things weak enough to be easily controlled would be a waste, since I could accomplish more by being a blaster/brawler.

If you're flatly against being able to MC more than one thing at a time (which would also rule out the Split Target effect) and/or being able to have a mind-controlled target while still being capable of taking actions, I'll have to completely redesign and rethink the character, since I can't in good faith make a hero who's nothing but dead weight.

[Callie Del Noire]

I guess it could be, but I think it's more a worry that you'd break the game.

(I mean look at Matt Parkman.. if he could do more than a one guy at a time normally he'd screw things up. He occassionally does it but I'd write that off as extra effort.)

[TheGlyphstone]

Matt who?