Welcome, Incoming Freshman, to the prestigious Claremont Academy of Higher Learning, the institution to pursue your college career. In the hallowed halls of learning, mind the scorch marks you'll find state of the art training facilities, a vetted staff of experts and professionals, and the fastest reconstruction crew money can supply! The cafeteria food is average though.
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This will be a very character-focused supers-in-training game in which much of the focus will be on how your super will make it to graduation, and be an accredited hero. I'm hoping with a focus on narrative and M&M's fun combat, we'll all have a fun time.
Some Setting Info you should know.
1. Claremont Academy is a boarding school, and you will be roomed with your team on the first day of classes.
2. I want this to be mostly a fun romp through the setting a growing hero (who can get into mischief) provides. There will be serious moments, but in no way should we aim for grimdark.
3. You still have to attend normal Gen-Eds in the morning, Hero focused courses in the afternoon, and occasional practical courses in the evenings.
4. Things like vacations, parents day, and the school dance will be a thing, even if the players choose to hate it
IMPORTANT CHARACTER INFORMATION
You will be starting at PL 6
WAIT DON'T LEAVE I CAN EXPLAIN!
Most of your peers will range from PL 6-8, with a heavy emphasis on PL 8. The reason for this is that I want the characters chosen to start out weaker than normal supers, such that no one would expect them to become a hero. However, a government program has been in the works to discover ways to increase a power's capability, control something that used to be uncontrollable, or in other words, fix and improve on someone's original powerset.
As a result, you all have been put into this program (varying degrees of parental permission) as a test run to see how far your abilities can take you. In exchange for starting out weaker, which should give the group plenty of in-character reason to have each other's backs, at the end of each "year" the characters will steadily get stronger, increasing by one PL for each year complete. Of course, I will hand out additional power points for good character moments on top of that, but by the end of senior year, the characters will be much more powerful than there peers.
Years should go by decently quickly as I've separated them into "events" such as fall semester, winter break, spring semester, spring break trip, finals, etc. If the pace seems to move too slow, I'll punch it up a bit.
Have I lost you yet? If not, then please read the following Character Creation Guidelines.
Guidelines
● All characters should be PL 6 and want to be a hero.
● Unless you got a really compelling backstory that has a good reason or eventual turn, you should want to graduate as an accredited hero.
● All resources from the corebook, srd, and Hero High book are allowed. If becomes a problem I reserve the right to have you change it.
● For folks without the books, you may follow this guide that will help you build one. It has all the rules from the corebook online.
● I am much more likely to accept a compelling character than just a cool suite of powers.
● Please do not ignore your defenses stats. I can tell from expereince the only way that works is if the DM pulls their punches. I do not plan on pulling any punches.
General PbP info
● I don't mandate posting every day, but I do hope you'll have enough fun to want to post actively.
● Combat will most likely be theatre of the mind until I figure out if I can do it effectively with Roll20.
Further character development will occur with the selected characters after recruitment ends on April 19, 2018. Feel free to ask questions and hope to see some interesting characters.
Outside of the Academy, what is the world like? Is it like ours, just with superheroes, or something completely different?
How do secret identities work/don't?
Hm... At the base 90 points, there's not much room for flexibilty. Most of your points go to the basics and just hitting PL. Would you consider doing PL6, but say 110 points?
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Ok, here's my first crack at a character
Str:0 Stam:0 Ag:1 Dex:2 Fig:2 Int:2 Aw:6 Pre:1 [28 points]
Powers
Mental Awareness: Senses 2 (Mental Sense, Radius) [2 points]
Telekinesis: Move Object 8, Accurate 4 [20 points]
Advantages
Fearless
Skills
Expertise: () 6 (+8), Insight 6 (+12), Perception 4 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+11) [12 points]
Offense
INITIATIVE +1
Mental Blast — (Perception Range, Damage 5, Resisted by Will (DC 20)
Telekinesis +10 (Ranged, Str 8 Grab)
Unarmed +2 (Close, Damage 0)
Defense
DODGE 8 FORTITUDE 6
PARRY 8 TOUGHNESS 0
WILL 14
The chances of things being wrong in there is 100%. I'm still learning. :)
If it's PL 6, we can't have any power or stat over level 6 correct?
Thoughts on Powers so far :
Comprehend - 3 (Read/Write/Speak all Terran Languages) 6 pts
Force Field - 6 (Protection +6 Toughness, requires Paper) 6 pts
Element Control (Paper) - 6 - 12 points (perception ranged move object, limited to Paper) 6 pts
AE : Flight - 6 - 12 points (Continuous, Platform, Requires Paper) 1 pt?
I'm a little confused on the array power cost. Is it 1 or 2 flat?
Does this seem ok so far? Out of the 90 points, it seems I'm using 19 or 20 so far for powers.
@ Amazing Red
The world outside of the academy is very much like our own, albeit with an acceptance that superheroes exist. Heroes are supposed to be officially registered with the government, though there are vigilantes, some more accepted than others.
Heroes enjoys a sort of celebrity status, and there's a spread of villainy that exists on a city, nation, and global threat array.
@ Derz
While training, heroes are expected to maintain secret identities and Claremont Academy is known only as a prestigious school and nothing more. To prevent minor breaches in discovery, the Academy employs two supers, one technological to scrub the net of any information and one psychic that creates a large mental suggestion that guides attention away. It isn't ll powerful though, so anyone discovered to have leaked the true nature of the school or the fact that they're training to be a hero will be immediately expelled, and memory altered.
@ Philo Pharynx
At 110 points, you'd only be 10 less than if you started at PL 8 (though I understand the caps would be smaller).
Unlike most M&M games, the rate of advancement in this one will be much faster. If I started the game at a higher power level or handed out more power points( combined with how fast I'd like to move from year to year) everyone would be overpowered by the end of year 2. The decision to ramp up the growth rate of the heroes at the cost of the initial state was to incentivize play and also get some of that good ol' level up feels.
....but.....if enough folks really, really hate the idea of starting out so weak, I'll reconsider the starting constrictions. I was kinda looking forward to seeing pronounced growth though.
@ choon and mdt
I'll have to take a look at your work after class.
Hmm... Seems interesting, though I have only just started checking the system out. Still, Hero Lab, even on just Demo Mode for Mutants and Masterminds, seems like a big help.
I will see if I can come up with something along the lines of the Paragon archetype. Giving it a try on HL, I do seem able to make a toned down Paragon-like character with the 90 points, so I do not mind the PL and PP numbers you have decided on, what with the idea of growth and all.
Of course, I have quite literally no idea how effective my guy actually is or how survivable. :-P
Oh, by the way, for your perusal, here is a first stab...
Stamina 6 Dexteriy 4 Intellect 2 Presence 1
Powers
. . Super-Strength Enhanced Strength 2, Enhanced Strength (Limited to Lifting) 2 (Lifting Strength 8; 6 tons)
. . Invulnerability Enhanced Stamina 2, Immunity 5 (Cold, Disease, Heat, High Pressure, Radiation), Impervious Toughness 6
. . Super-Speed Enhanced Agility 2, Enhanced Dexterity 2, Quickness 1, Speed 1
. . Flight Flight 1 (4 MPH)
Advantages
TBD
Skills
Acrobatics 2 (+6), Athletics 2 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Deception 0 (+1), Expertise: Medicine 1 (+3), Insight 2 (+4), Intimidation 0 (+1), Investigation -, Perception 2 (+4), Persuasion 0 (+1), Ranged Combat: Throw 2 (+6), Sleight of Hand -, Stealth 0 (+4), Technology -, Treatment 1 (+3), Vehicles -
Offense
. . Initiative +4
Throw +6, DC 21, Ranged, Damage 6, Bludgeon, Crit 20
Unarmed +6, DC 21, Close, Damage 6, Bludgeon, Crit 20
Defense
. . Dodge 6
. . Fortitude 6
. . Parry 6
. . Toughness 6
. . Will 4
Power Point Totals
. . Abilities 42
. . Powers 33
. . Advantages 0
. . Skills 7
. . Defenses 6
. . Remaining 2
As a good rule of thumb, you want Toughness equal to your PL. XD Other stuff is basically optional. For example, you might have lower parry and dodge and whatnot... but if you can heal, that's less of a worry. There's a lot of ways to solve a problem, but the best one is usually "whatever makes the most sense for your character idea". ^^ Incidentally, I'm working on lowering Atsuko's power.
...
Though maybe I should do a different character idea instead... >.>
I'll see what I can think of. If I can come up with something I'll put it in.
I do see the ability for growth, which is why I'm okay with the PL. It's just that at lower PL, once you have covered the basics there's not a lot extra to make your character different than a basic archetype.
Since we only go up PL once a year, I'm assuming that "Rapid growth" means that PL will not be related to PP. What point level do you expect we'll be at when we reach PL 7.
Ok, so here's what I want for my paper sense, not sure how to build it :
Acts like vision, but isn't vision (IE: She can close her eyes, and still 'see' the paper), 360 degree, only senses paper and paper like objects (cash is paper like, cardboard is paper like, silk scarves are not), doesn't detect anything but paper (walls dont' stop it, although drywall would get picked up as large sheets of paper over the plaster, but she could see paper on the other side of the drywall), invisibility to normal sight doesn't work for it (but invisibility to unusual senses would, even if the paper were visible), she can tell the difference between types of paper (cash vs papyrus vs animal skins vs book paper vs newspaper vs pink paper vs yellow paper, etc).
My thoughts so far :
Acute 1 Rank
Analytical 1 Rank
Accurate 2 Ranks
Penetrates 4 ranks
Radius 1 rank
Rapid 1 rank
So that's 10 ranks which I don't think I'm allowed to have? Or am I misreading?
I've got a bit of a background for a Density "Brick"
Personality:
Because of the way he's been treated in the past, Tony has a tendency to be a bit abrupt with people, thinking that they think less or pity him for being in his wheelchair or having his cane. When he's able to push that aside and actually talk to someone, his inner sense of humor and friendliness comes to light. A lot is due to the fact that he's always had so few friends, he's willing to take the chance on friendship if the other individual isn't pitying or talking down to him. Due to his overall lack of social interactions though, he can on occassion be a bit blunt and not realize he's made a comment that hurts someone until much later.
Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as Brittle Bone disease, was the diagnosis the doctors gave Tony's mother. Tony was five years old and this was after the sixth time he'd been brought in to the ER with broken bones in as many months. After the second time, the police had been called and Tony had been placed in a foster home for a week. After Tony had bumped into the coffee table and had to be brought back to the ER, the police and social workers were no longer involved. The smallest bump or fall, and his bones would break. At that point, his mother began what would become a lifelong pattern of protecting her son. Anytime they would leave the house, Tony would be in a wheelchair. He couldn't play with other kids because it would result in several broken bones and a lot of pain for Tony. Unable to act and play like a normal kid, Tony dove into books and computers. He would read for days on end, and when he wasn't reading or studying, he was on the computer.
With his mother being a research Astrophysicist, Tony did have every chance otherwise; the best schools, the best doctors, just nothing seemed to help with his physical or mental health. Growing frustrated with this, his mother looked into every option she could. Finally, finding a possibility in a project she was working on involving crystals and dimensional energies.
When it was discovered exposing the crystals to specific frequencies of sound, caused it to vibrate and emit energy particles that had a strange side effect of increasing the density of objects struck by the particles. Seeing an opportunity, his mother arranged for exposing Tony to the particles. Amazingly, after the exposure, Tony’s bones and muscles grew stronger and Tony gained a bit more confidence in everything he did.
Hook: Unknown to Tony or his mother, the research she used to strengthen his bones is sponsored by a criminal organization with it's own plans for the research should they have proof she succeeded.
Well PL only tells you what your limits are. You could start with 200 points and still be PL6, though you'd run out of things to spend points on.
@DM Default: Question though, does everyone have super powers here, ala Sky High? Or are there some Dark Knights in training here too?
@Choon: Your combined Fort and Will can't be higher than 2x the PL, so 12 in this case. Your ranks in TK is also a little too high as the limit on ranks is the PL so 6.
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Here is my attempt
Str 0
Sta 1
Dex 3
Agi 3
Ftg 2
Int 5
Awe 1
Pre 0
Teleport (rank: 5)
Action: Move • Range: Rank • Duration: Instant • Cost: 2 points per rank
Accurate +1/rank
Change Direction +1 flat
Change Velocity +1 flat
Extended +1/rank
Turnabout +1 flat
Total Cost
((2+2)5)+3=23
((base effect cost + extras – flaws) x rank) + flat modifiers
Skills
Acrobatics 6
Athletics 2
Close Combat:Unarmed 6
Expertise: Biology 10
Expertise: Chemistry 10
Expertise: Physics 10
Technology 10
Investigation 2
Perception 4
Treatment 4
Vehicles 10
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Str:0 Stam:2 Agi:4 Dex:2 Fgh:2 Int:2 Awe:4 Pre:0 [32 points]
Powers
Mental Awareness: Senses 2 (Mental Sense, extended, acute) [5 points]
Telepathy: Mind Reading 5 Linked to Area Mental Communication 2 [20 points]
•Telepathic Illusion: Illusion 4 (all senses), Resisted by Will, Selective [1 point]
•Mental Blast: Perception Range Damage 5, Resisted by Will [1 point]
Options
•Mind Control: Replace the Telepathic Illusion Alternate Effect with Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Cumulative, Perception Range.
Advantages
Fearless [1 point]
Hide in plain sight [1 point]
Skills
Insight 6 (+12), Perception 4 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+11), Stealth 6 (+8) [8 points]
Offense
INITIATIVE +1
Mental Blast — (Perception Range, Damage 5, Resisted by Will (DC 20)
Telekinesis +10 (Ranged, Str 6 Disarm, Grab, Trip)
Unarmed +2 (Close, Damage 0)
Defense [? points]
DODGE 8 FORTITUDE 6
PARRY 8 TOUGHNESS 2
WILL 6
Complications:
Motivation: Thrills
Disability: Blind
Ok, I think I'm at 69 points. I think. How do "defenses" work. I haven't seen much on them. I think you can spend points, but I'm not sure.
Your mental blast seems too cheap in terms of points. How did you make it so it only cost 1 point? Same for the illusion. Defenses are based off the corresponding stat + how many points you put in. Fort and Toughness run off Stamina, Dodge runs off Agility, Parry runs of Fighting, Will runs off Awareness.
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Honestly, I'm still bumbling through this thing, so it is entirely possible that I have all the point values wrong.
The blast is straight copy/pasta from the Psychic stat block on the site.
•Telepathic Illusion: Illusion 4 (all senses), Resisted by Will, Selective [1 point]
•Mental Blast: Perception Range Damage 5, Resisted by Will [1 point]Options
•Mind Control: Replace the Telepathic Illusion Alternate Effect with Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Cumulative, Perception Range.
Complications : Responsibility, Identity, Obsession (Old Books)
Abilities : 28 pts
STR : 0 (0 Pts)
STA : 2 (4 Pts)
AGL : 2 (4 Pts)
DEX : 2 (4 Pts)
FGT : 1 (2 Pts)
INT : 3 (6 Pts)
AWE : 2 (4 Pts)
PRE : 2 (4 Pts)
Dodge : 2
Fortitude : 2
Parry : 1
Toughness : 2/8 (normal/with power)
Will : 2
Skills : 17 Pts
Acrobatics : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Athletics : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Close Combat (Sword) : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Expertise (Literature) : 3 (1.5 Pts)
Expertise (History) : 3 (1.5 Pts)
Expertise (Paper Manipulation) : 6 (3 Pts)
Expertise (Medicine) : 2 (1 Pts)
Intimidation : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Investigation : 4 (2 Pts)
Perception : 6 (3 Pts)
Technology : 4 (2 Pts)
Treatment : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Vehicles : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Advantages : 20
Artificer (1 Pts)
Benefit (Security Clearance) (1 pts)
Benefit (Millionaire) (3 pts)
Connected (1 Pts)
Contacts (1 Pts)
Eidetic Memory (1 Pts)
Equipment (5 Pts)
Favored Environment (Around large amounts of paper) (1 Pts)
Fearless (1 Pts)
Improvised Tools (1 Pts)
Jack-of-All-Trades (1 Pts)
Ranged Attack 2 (2 Pts)
Well-Informed (1 Pt)
Powers : 25
Comprehend - 3 (Read/Write/Speak all Terran Languages) 6 pts
Force Field - 6 (Protection +6 Toughness, requires Paper,Activation (Standard)) 4 pts
Paper Sense - 6 (Penetrates 4, Radius 1, Rapid 1) 6 Pts
Array
Element Control (Paper) - 6 - 12 points (perception ranged move object, limited to Paper) 6 pts
AE : Flight - 6 - 12 points (Continuous, Platform, Requires Paper) 1 pt
AE : Damage (Melee) - 6 - 12 Points (Penetrating, Requires Paper) 1 Pt
AE : Blast (Ranged) - 6 - 12 Points 1 Pt (Requires Paper) 1 Pt
Ok, I think I have a first pass. It doesn't have everything I want, but it has enough to be a 'first year' and grow into a full on hero. I went heavy on the skills and advantages, figuring that her background would fit that. She'll develop more stats/combat/powers stuff as she goes through school.
Name : Elsibeth Mathers (Publicly : Elsie Hart)
AKA : Paper Witch, Paper Queen, Queen of Hearts
Age : 18
Background : Elsi was always a quiet child, which is good, as her parents were both field agents for MI-6, and she was left alone quite often as a child, all alone in the mansion that was her family home in North of England, England. It was with some alarm that the Nanny eventually found the 4 year old girl in the library, surrounded by piles of books, floating on a platform made of paper. Around her, books were floating aloft, their pages flipping past rapidly, while she sat in lotus position, eyes closed. Even more alarming, she claimed to have memorized all the books piled up. When told to put them back on the shelves, the Nanny was afrightened as the books began to replace themselves exactly where they belonged, all by themselves.
Her parents, quite rightly, decided to hide this from the general public, and keep their 'talented' daughter isolated. Soon she'd memorized the entire library, and moved on to demanding more and more books. Finally the parents alerted their superiors, and young Elsibeth was allowed to have access to the private Libraries of trusted officials, as she worked her way up to her teen years.
Despite her tender age, her parents, and their bosses, found she had a voracious memory, and ability to pick out odd bits that nobody else could make sense of. She was eventually given a security clearance and put to work on low level threats, drug dealers, low level street super villains, home grown terrorist threats. She was an excellent agent at this, although her experience was all behind a desk, never in the field.
Upon her 18th birthday, she applied to the Claremont Academy, having pierced it's true intent via judiciously reading classified files through the wall when nobody was watching. Her parents, while surprised, supported her desire to get out and meet more people. Thus she begins her first year of school as Elsie Hart, although the school may know her true name (Up to GM?).
Not wanting their daughter to go wanting, her parents created a 'trust fund' with 30 million in it, small change for the couple who had access to ancestral wealth passed down through the centuries in their family.
Honestly, I'm still bumbling through this thing, so it is entirely possible that I have all the point values wrong.
The blast is straight copy/pasta from the Psychic stat block on the site.
•Telepathic Illusion: Illusion 4 (all senses), Resisted by Will, Selective [1 point]
•Mental Blast: Perception Range Damage 5, Resisted by Will [1 point]Options
•Mind Control: Replace the Telepathic Illusion Alternate Effect with Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Cumulative, Perception Range.
I think it's part of an array, and you didn't copy the primary power in the array. An array works like this :
Main Expensive Power : 6-12 pts
Array Entry 1 : 1 pt
Array Entry 2 : 1 Pt
Array Entry 3 : 1 Pt
Total Cost : 9 to 15 pts
You can only have one of the powers in the array happening at once (or two at half power?).
Ah okay. Looking at the stat block, it's from an array. Carry on then.
@Sasshaa: Nothing stands out. It looks legit from a cursory scan.
@Sasshaa: Nothing stands out. It looks legit from a cursory scan.
I thought we couldn't have more than 6 ranks in a skill, he seems to have some rank 10 skills, isn't that higher than PL?
I think your array was fine as it was, I missed the 20 pt power is all.
I'm currently studying for a test tomorrow, but I'll have time over the weekend to go over current builds and help answer questions, though full disclosure, for all my reading this is still my first game where I've GM'd.
I thought we couldn't have more than 6 ranks in a skill, he seems to have some rank 10 skills, isn't that higher than PL?
@Sasshaa: Nothing stands out. It looks legit from a cursory scan.
Skills are different. For skills the total bonus can't be higher than 2x the PL. So +10 is acceptable.
Well crud. I thought I was maxed out at six, so I spent very few points on skills. I'll have to go play around a bit then and see what I can come up with.
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Skills are different. For skills the total bonus can't be higher than 2x the PL. So +10 is acceptable.I thought we couldn't have more than 6 ranks in a skill, he seems to have some rank 10 skills, isn't that higher than PL?
@Sasshaa: Nothing stands out. It looks legit from a cursory scan.
If that is the case...wouldn't I end up having a higher total bonus because aren't abilities factored into the total bonus?
EDIT: answered my own question and yes, my total bonus is too high....adjusting now.
EDIT 2: "Your hero’s total modifier with any skill (ability rank + skill rank + advantage modifiers) cannot exceed the series power level +10." Is this the limitation or is it 2x PL?
Out of curiosity, what are considered acceptable, i.e. adequate/useful/good, skill modifiers or ranks for PL 6?
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Rodion Eshkol
Mutant
Str 0
Sta 1
Dex 3
Agi 3
Ftg 2
Int 6
Awe 1
Pre -1
Teleport (rank: 5)
Action: Move • Range: Rank • Duration: Instant • Cost: 2 points per rank
Accurate +1/rank
Change Direction +1 flat
Change Velocity +1 flat
Extended +1/rank
Turnabout +1 flat
Total Cost
((2+2)5)+3=23
((base effect cost + extras – flaws) x rank) + flat modifiers
Skills
Acrobatics 4
Athletics 2
Close Combat:Unarmed 6
Expertise: Biology 8
Expertise: Chemistry 8
Expertise: Physics 8
Technology 10
Investigation 2
Perception 8
Treatment 4
Vehicles 4
Advantages
Inventor
Languages (Arabic, Russian, Japanese, English, Hindi)
Eidetic Memory
Attractive
Again, any review (peer or GM) is very welcome.
Complications : Responsibility, Identity, Obsession (Old Books)
Abilities : 26 pts
STR : 0 (0 Pts)
STA : 2 (4 Pts)
AGL : 2 (4 Pts)
DEX : 2 (4 Pts)
FGT : 1 (2 Pts)
INT : 3 (6 Pts)
AWE : 2 (4 Pts)
PRE : 1 (2 Pts)
Dodge : 2
Fortitude : 2
Parry : 1
Toughness : 2/7 (normal/with power)
Will : 2
Skills : 22 Pts
Acrobatics : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Athletics : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Close Combat (Sword) : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Expertise (Literature) : 3 (1.5 Pts)
Expertise (History) : 3 (1.5 Pts)
Expertise (Paper Manipulation) : 10 (5 Pts)
Expertise (Medicine) : 2 (1 Pts)
Intimidation : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Investigation : 10 (5 Pts)
Perception : 6 (3 Pts)
Technology : 4 (2 Pts)
Treatment : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Vehicles : 1 (0.5 Pts)
Advantages : 18
Artificer (1 Pts)
Benefit (Security Clearance) (1 pts)
Benefit (Millionaire) (3 pts)
Connected (1 Pts)
Contacts (1 Pts)
Eidetic Memory (1 Pts)
Equipment (4 Pts)
Favored Environment (Around large amounts of paper) (1 Pts)
Fearless (1 Pts)
Improvised Tools (1 Pts)
Jack-of-All-Trades (1 Pts)
Ranged Attack 1 (1 Pts)
Well-Informed (1 Pt)
Powers : 24
Comprehend - 3 (Read/Write/Speak all Terran Languages) 6 pts
Force Field - 5 (Protection +5 Toughness, requires Paper,Activation (Standard)) 3 pts
Paper Sense - 6 (Penetrates 4, Radius 1, Rapid 1) 6 Pts
Array
Element Control (Paper) - 6 - 12 points (perception ranged move object, limited to Paper) 6 pts
AE : Flight - 6 - 12 points (Continuous, Platform, Requires Paper) 1 pt
AE : Damage (Melee) - 6 - 12 Points (Penetrating, Requires Paper) 1 Pt
AE : Blast (Ranged) - 6 - 12 Points 1 Pt (Requires Paper) 1 Pt
. . Name Alistair Cray
. . Codename Olympian
. . Nationality British (Greek descent)
. . Age 21
. . Height 5 ft. 10 in.
. . Weight 182 lbs.
. . Hair Black
. . Eyes Gold
. . Skin Fair
Abilities (50 PP)
. . Strength 6
. . Stamina 6
. . Agility 4
. . Dexteriy 4
. . Fighting 4
. . Intellect 2
. . Awareness 2
. . Presence 1
Offense
. . Initiative +4
Grab +6, DC Spec 16, Close, Damage 6, Bludgeon, Crit 20
Unarmed +6, DC 21, Close, Damage 6, Bludgeon, Crit 20
Throw +6, DC 21, Ranged, Damage 6, Bludgeon, Crit 20
Defense (2 PP)
. . Dodge 4
. . Parry 4
. . Fortitude 6
. . Toughness 6
. . Will 4
Skills (7 PP)
Acrobatics 2 (+6), Athletics 2 (+8), Expertise: Medicine 1 (+3), Insight 2 (+4), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Throw 2 (+6), Treatment 1 (+3)
Advantages (4 PP)
Close Attack 2, Fearless, Languages 1 (English, Greek)
Powers (27 PP)
. . Super-Strength Enhanced Strength 2, Enhanced Strength (Limited to Lifting) 2 (Lifting Strength 8; 6 tons)
. . Invulnerability Enhanced Stamina 2, Immunity 5 (Cold, Disease, Heat, High Pressure, Radiation), Impervious Toughness 6
. . Super-Speed Quickness 2, Speed 2
. . Flight Flight 1 (4 MPH)
Complications
Motivation: Doing Good, Responsibility: Medical Student
...
Miss Hazel?
Please, Professor, let's not pretend that this is about what I can offer to the program. The question that matters is what the program can offer me.
That's quite a bold claim, Miss Hazel, since you're the one seeking admission.
Heroes should be a bit bold, don't you think? Or were you hoping to raise a generation that's too hesitant to dive into danger?
Hm. But only we can develop your... talents... to their fullest extent. Tell me, how did you acquire them?
It's surprisingly easy... if you know how to look. Now, I know you weren't expecting a real answer here, but I like to keep people on their toes. The truth is that I made a deal for them.
A... deal, you say. With who? Or... what, as the case may be?
That I can't tell you - it was part of the deal. All you need to know is that when my powers finish developing, I'll be able to do quite a lot for the world. That said, I think it would be best to consider this a challenge. Genetics aren't so hard, but how good do you think you'll be at developing something you don't - and possibly can't - understand?
Let's try another question. Why heroics instead of an intellectual field? If you went into a field like medical research, I'm sure you could demonstrate excellent results. And they are, to be a bit blunt about it, considerably safer. We have students who will be able to toss you around like you're a ragdoll, and your apparent lack of protective capabilities is quite concerning.
Oh, that. It'll be fine. I'm immortal.
Immortal?
Yes. That's part of my deal. For reasons I'm sure you can understand, I'd rather not go into the details of that, but I'm quite confident in my ability to survive this course.
I see. You haven't really answered the question, though. Why heroics?
Power isn't free, Professor. And while I have no doubt that I would be successful in my scholarly pursuits, I intend to have a bigger impact on the world. Being a hero is the best way to do that.
What about your extracurricular activities? Our notes say you have an eidetic memory, and studying clearly isn't hard for you, but we believe in trying to develop well-rounded students. They are, frankly, less likely to turn to megalomania and villainy.
I enjoy cooking. It's frightfully domestic, I'm afraid, but I've always felt that homemade meals are more interesting. I sometimes conjure ingredients and cook for the homeless.
And why not just conjure housing for them instead?
I tried, once. A home builder sued me.
......Sued you.
Yup. Something about unfair business practices, lack of permits, and connecting to public utilities without permission. I don't use magic for things like that anymore.
Hmph. Well, this interview has been... informative. You'll receive our response in the mail.
Strength 0, Stamina 2, Agility 2, Dexterity 0, Fighting 0, Intellect 7, Awareness 4, Presence 2
Advantages
Eidetic Memory
Skills
Acrobatics 1 (+3), Athletics 1 (+1), Expertise: Cooking 1 (+8), Expertise: Magic 1 (+8), Investigation 1 (+8), Perception 1 (+5), Persuasion 1 (+3), Technology 1 (+8), Treatment 1 (+8), Vehicles 1 (+1)
Powers
Conjure Tome: Create 1 (Volume: 2 cft., DC 11; Innate; Limited: Pnakotic Manuscript Only, Dismisses Previous Conjuring, Noticeable: Magical Signs, Permanent, Reduced Range: close)
Mystic Life: Immunity 11 (magical, Aging, Life Support; Innate; Noticeable: Magical Signs)
Mystic Recovery: Regeneration 10 (magical, Every 1 round; Innate; Noticeable: Magical Signs)
Pnakotic Manuscript (Easily Removable)
. . Force of Will: Damage 6 (DC 21; Affects Insubstantial 2: full rank, Alternate Resistance: Will, Increased Range 2: perception, Penetrating 6; Limited to Minds)
. . Mystic Knowledge: Enhanced Trait 4 (Traits: Expertise +8 (+16))
. . Mystic Step: Teleport 9 (2 miles in a move action, carrying 50 lbs.; Accurate)
. . Spellcasting: Variable 5
Reincarnate: Immortality 2 (magical, Return after 1 week; Innate; Noticeable: Magical Signs)
Offense
Initiative +2
Force of Will: Damage 6 (DC Will 21)
Grab, +0 (DC Spec 10)
Throw, +0 (DC 15)
Unarmed, +0 (DC 15)
Complications
Motivation: Responsibility: Allison feels that she has a duty to behave responsibly, especially because of the sheer versatility of her grimoire's spells.
Less obviously, she actually has a duty to be responsible with her power - it's part of the agreement she made to gain her magical powers in the first place.
Power Loss: The huge majority of Allison's power is tied to her grimoire, the Pnakotic Manuscript, which she has to hold to use. While she's capable of recreating the tome (and dismissing the old one) at any time, this does take some action and movement, so it's possible for her to lose access to the majority of her abilities.
The protections to Allison's life (including her Mystic Life, Mystic Recovery, and Reincarnate) are not tied to her grimoire.
Languages
English
Defense
Dodge 2, Parry 0, Fortitude 2, Toughness 2, Will 6
Power Points
Abilities 34 + Powers 48 + Advantages 1 + Skills 5 (10 ranks) + Defenses 2 = 90
Alright, found some time to address builds and questions.
@ Philo Pharynx
I have progression modeled so that characters can be rewarded frequently with power points in regular play, and every "year" they get a large substantial boost of 15 power points as they go up one PL.
In this way, I hope to emulate the rapid growth a lower-powered hero has and also lets the players get a feel for their character and power choices and make changes along the way.
@ Amazing Red
For the setting, all students have at least a minor ability, though some supplement their weaker powers with equipment and skills.
@ mdt
Man! You been busy looking over the system. Nice work.
I'm not sure what you want Expertise:Paper Manipulation to cover as I dont think it'll modify your control paper rolls. But origami or something....
I think your paper sense should work the way you built it, but we can revisit it if it becomes an issue.
But your theme is pretty neat overall.
@ Arcknight
Seems like an interesting character, when you have stats or power questions I can try to help with that.
@ Saasha
I'd work on your formatting if possible. Something to include powerpoints like mdt or Rednal makes things a lot easier to reference.
30pts for Abilities + 23pts for powers + 32pts for skills + 6pts for advantages = 91 pts spent (if I did this right, double check me)
You should also calculate your defense and definitely invest points into them. I'm not kidding, as much fun as powers are, if you brown paper sack in terms of defense, you will be taken out super quick.
Otherwise, everything seems pretty well made.
@ F. Castor
Could you signify in some way that your constitution and strength are modified by your powers, got confused when looking at power points math. And I just have to say, 4 mph flight is adorable. The folks that mock him for it now will get whiplash after he powers up.
@ Rednal
Everything looks good! Also, love your formatting.
@ Choon
Just to let you know, the Psychic archetype is based on a PL 10, which has higher power caps than where we're starting PL6. Also, the Option you've included is just that, an option. You either don't have the power or you can do what it says and swap it out for telepathic illusion.
To help explain Defenses to you, I've taken this chunk from the online SRD.
DEFENSE RANK
Your base defense ranks are equal to your ranks in their associated abilities. You can increase your defenses above the values granted by your ability ranks by spending character points: 1 character point grants you an additional rank in a defense, up to the limits imposed by power level (see Power Level). Defense Cost = 1 character point per +1 rank With the Enhanced Trait effect (see Powers) you can also improve your defenses with powers at the same cost, 1 point per rank.
TOUGHNESS RANK
The exception is Toughness, which can only be increased above your base Stamina rank using advantages and powers, not by direct spending of character points. This reflects that greater-than-normal Toughness is virtually always some sort of special ability. See Advantages and Powers for various options for improving Toughness, notably the defensive Roll advantage and the Protection effect.
ACTIVE DEFENSES
Dodge and Parry defenses require a measure of action to be fully effective. Limits on your mobility, focus, and reaction time adversely affect them. If you are vulnerable, your Dodge and Parry defense ranks are halved (divide their normal values by 2 and round up), and if you are defenseless, they are both reduced to 0!
DEFENSE CLASS
One use of defenses is determining a defense class, or the difficulty class to affect a target with a particular attack. This is the appropriate defense, plus 10, just like a routine check (indeed, it is essentially a measure of the character’s “routine” defense). So hitting a character with a ranged attack goes against Dodge defense, giving the attack a DC of (Dodge + 10). Similarly, affecting someone with a mental power goes against Will defense, with a DC of (Will + 10), and so forth. This is referred to as “targeting” a defense, such as “targets Dodge” or “targets Will”. The main defense class traits are Dodge, Parry, and Will.
@ Daynen
To clarify, you want to be a normal joe in human form, then transform into one alternate form that has all these abilities that your normal form doesn't?
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Mutant
Str 0
Sta 1
Dex 3
Agi 3
Ftg 2
Int 6
Awe 1
Pre -1
30
Teleport (rank: 5)
Action: Move • Range: Rank • Duration: Instant • Cost: 2 points per rank
Accurate +1/rank
Change Direction +1 flat
Change Velocity +1 flat
Extended +1/rank
Turnabout +1 flat
Total Cost
((2+2)5)+3=23
((base effect cost + extras – flaws) x rank) + flat modifiers
Skills
Acrobatics 2
Athletics 2
Close Combat:Unarmed 4
Expertise: Biology 8
Expertise: Chemistry 8
Expertise: Physics 8
Technology 10
Investigation 2
Perception 6
Treatment 2
Vehicles 2
27
Advantages
Inventor
Languages (English, Japanese)
Eidetic Memory
Uncanny Dodge
4
Dodge (+2) 5
Fortitude (+1) 2
Parry 2
Toughness (+1) 2
Will (+2) 3
6
@ Daynen
So by your description, You're main power will be ALTERNATE FORM which as the sum of all the powers and additional abilities your modified form comes with. The only "power" with the activation modifier is your alternate form, so you only get -1 (for move) or -2 (for standard) once, not for each power in the alternate form.
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Ok, so the form just needs to total up the powers within it, then subtract for the activation cost. Alright, I think I can make that work.
The mechanical concept is a shapeshifter with specific alternate forms that enhance their natural abilities and give them some less natural ones too. I'm hoping to get more than one on the table, so I'm looking carefully at complications and flaws.
@ mdt
Man! You been busy looking over the system. Nice work.I'm not sure what you want Expertise:Paper Manipulation to cover as I dont think it'll modify your control paper rolls. But origami or something....
I think your paper sense should work the way you built it, but we can revisit it if it becomes an issue.
But your theme is pretty neat overall.
Thanks, I was assuming I needed a skill to pull off power stunts? Is that not how it works? If not, I don't need that expertise then and I'll spread those points out.
After looking things over, I realized I've played (very briefly) in this system once before, and created a character one other time for a game that never materialized. I've run and played Champions (HERO) for about 20 years now, so I do have that going for me.
Thanks, I do have an idea for a sidekick down the road for her, if you allow those. :P Anyway, thanks for the feedback so far!
Ok, so the form just needs to total up the powers within it, then subtract for the activation cost. Alright, I think I can make that work.
The mechanical concept is a shapeshifter with specific alternate forms that enhance their natural abilities and give them some less natural ones too. I'm hoping to get more than one on the table, so I'm looking carefully at complications and flaws.
I think that would be a transform array, so one transform, and one or more array entries, each costing 1 or 2 pts (still confused on when they cost 2 vs 1).
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In fairness, I cheated with the formatting. XD I build stuff in Hero Lab, which makes it waaaaaaay easier.