Digest Archive vol 1 Issue 353

From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Sent: Friday, May 21, 1999 5:12 PM
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #353


champ-l-digest Friday, May 21 1999 Volume 01 : Number 353



In this issue:

Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?
Re: The Phantom Menace -- SPOILER
Re: One character, two super IDs
Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?
VPP and Fantasy Hero
Re: VPP and Fantasy Hero
Re: One character, two super IDs
Re: VPP and Fantasy Hero
Another Origins Award Nominee
Re: Another Origins Award Nominee
CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]
HEROZINE Nominated for Origins Award!
Re: CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]
Re: CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]
Re: VPP and Fantasy Hero
Re: CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]
Re: VPP & Fantasy Hero
Re: One character, two super IDs

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 11:21:00 -0700
From: jayphailey@juno.com
Subject: Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?

>> yup-yup. They couldn't search anything. Anything lying in plain
sight
>> would be grounds to go and get a search warrant, right?
>>
> Right. They could only search places congruant to what they were
>lookingfor. i.e. if they're searching for injured people because the
>house has been shot up, going through drawers and kitchen cabinets and
>such is going too far because a human body GENERALLY is not going to
>fit in one of these places. Now if all the windows are shot out, adn
>then enter to makea Health and Welfare check and the livingroom is a
>mini Jungle full of pot plants or there's a case of handgrenades on
>the kitchen table, then they can pull out and get a search warrent for
>a more thurough search.

So anything incriminating lying in plain sight is an excuse for a search
warrant, but they don't have permission to toss the whole house.

I do not recall the original write up on the house but I seem to recall
that there was nothing actually incriminating visible. Surveillance
equipment is suspicious, but not incrimininating. It's not unlawful to
own that stuff.

If they had a real understanding judge to sing the search warrant they
might get a search warrant to search for clues as to the location of the
house's occupant, but no more.


Jay P. Hailey <Meow!> [ICQ: 37959005]

Read Star Trek- Outwardly Mobile At-

http://www.geocities.com/~tesral/jay/


___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 15:10:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: The Phantom Menace -- SPOILER

On Thu, 20 May 1999, Steven J. Owens wrote:

> > > >Phantom Menance spoiler (minor, not plot)...
> > > [And another minor spoiler added by Bill]
> > [ObAOL: Me too!]
> [...probably not much of a spoiler at this point, but you never know...]
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >...
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >...
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >...
> The "body actor" for Darth Maul, in case anybody cares, was
> played by a 22-year-old competition wushu stylist. I haven't seen it
> yet, but I assume he had a more flashy style. The lines were all

Yes, I ID'd the style as wushu after seeing him spin and leap the way he
did. Very flash and very cool for a 'Force master'.

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

"10,000 of them...four of us. Those unlucky bastards!"
Andy "the Buffalo" Bartalone

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 15:36:29 -0400
From: geoff heald <gheald@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: One character, two super IDs

At 11:40 AM 5/20/99 GMT, you wrote:
>On Wed, 19 May 1999 23:56:11 -0400, geoff heald <gheald@worldnet.att.net>
>sent these symbols into the net:
>
>>The gadgets angle works, too (especially if he's got the points and
>>contacts for it). After all, Dr. Henry Pym was YellowJacket and Antman
>>during his career (interestingly, both ID's were later assumed by other
men).
> <pedantic>
> I believe it was the Antman and Giantman (Goliath?) Identities that were
>assumed by others. I'm not sure what happened to the Yellowjacket identity.
>Spider-man did the same thing at one point, assuming no less than 4 other
>identies at one point.
>
>
The second Yellowjacket was a villian who had somehow aquired Hank Pym's
YellowJacket suit (and the gasses to make with the shrinky).


============================
Geoff Heald
============================
So this is Earth. Not what I expected. Oh, well, I'll have to make do.
"Behold Earthians! Your new lord has arrived!"

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 14:16:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Steven J. Owens" <puff@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: What would your NPC LEOs do?

jayphailey@juno.com writes:
>
> >> yup-yup. They couldn't search anything. Anything lying in plain
> >> sight would be grounds to go and get a search warrant, right?
>
> > Right. They could only search places congruant to what they were
> >lookingfor. i.e. if they're searching for injured people because the
> >house has been shot up, going through drawers and kitchen cabinets and
> >such is going too far because a human body GENERALLY is not going to
> >fit in one of these places. Now if all the windows are shot out, adn
> >then enter to makea Health and Welfare check and the livingroom is a
> >mini Jungle full of pot plants or there's a case of handgrenades on
> >the kitchen table, then they can pull out and get a search warrent for
> >a more thurough search.

Reminds me of the time an acquaintance (ex-roommate of a friend)
called the cops to have them throw out his girlfriend, with whom he
was having yet another shouting match. He forgot to put away the film
cannister of pot and various pot paraphenalia though; the cops
confiscated it and told him to stop being so stupid, then left. As I
often tell my (younger, typically college-age) friends, remember the
two chief motivating emotions for cops are: weariness and fear.

In real world terms, on the receiving end, that means if you make
it easier for them to give you a break, without threatening them
(physically, psychologically, legally), they probably will... unless
you're unlucky enough to get a cop who was just threatened and is now
looking for somebody to take it out on. Adopt that mindset when
roleplaying law enforcement officers. A book I recommend in general
is _COPS_, by David Markham. He was some sort of sociology researcher
who went around the country interviewing cops anonymously for anecodtes,
then assembled a collection of the most representative.

Another good book is _Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion_.
Not enough cops have read this book. The author got a PhD in english
lit and two black belts (taekwondo and jujutsu, I think) before becoming
a beat patrolman. His first couple days on the job, he kicked the shit
out of a drunk driver. The next day the chief explained to him at
length, using various expletives, that his job was not to beat up
civilians, but to prevent such situations form occurring. Verbal Judo
is very readable, written with extensive use of anecdotes, and should
give you a good idea of how an old/wise cop will interact with the
public. Or just take the opposite approach to simulate a young/stupid
cop :-).

One of my roommates is a cop-in-training, and while he generally
has too much balls for his own good, he's also very smart (smart and
foolish, I guess). From what he's told me in passing, the primary
"official" priority is minimizing immediate risks to himself (this is
true also for paramedics, and I presume other emergency personnel - they
can't be much help if they become victims), then to bystanders, then
aiding and assisting the victims.

This is what they're trained to do, and it also makes the most
sense from a number of perspectives. Of course, extremely excited
(i.e. adrenaline pumping after defending themselves or chasing
somebody), or foolish, or perhaps "old-style" cops may not take that
approach.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that all smalltown cops will be
less up-to-date, in point of fact some of the best police forces in the
U.S., in terms of training and education are small town police forces.
The Lakewood police force (Lakewood is a suburb of of Denver, Colorado)
is one of the best, pretty much every officer has or is working on
his/her master's degree in criminal justice. I've been told that West
Virginia, for example, has some of the best police in the U.S.

Police in some large urban centers may have more occasion to deal
with violence on a day-to-day basis and hence may be much better in an
armed confrontation, or using anti-riot measures, and even may be better
at dealing with serious crimes like murder (practice makes perfect).

Steven J. Owens
puff@netcom.com

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 17:45:02 EDT
From: MWStrong@aol.com
Subject: VPP and Fantasy Hero

I one looks at the spells in the FH books, some cost, say, 6 points real. If
one bases a character upon 100 points - 30 for characteristics, that leaves a
mage room for about 6 spells and light skills. For a warrior, lets also
assume 30 points for skills. that leaves 40 points for nice things like
levels. Do you realize what 5 levels with sword can do? Oh, and mages can
also wear armor and use and dagger they pick up (assuming they have the
skill) just like a warrior, without paying the points for it. What good is a
warrior without his sword? Hopefully he has put some points into martial
arts.... A wizard without her staff? Well, she has paid the points for the
spell, so she can just keep shooting....

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 14:56:54 -0700
From: Christopher Taylor <ctaylor@viser.net>
Subject: Re: VPP and Fantasy Hero

At 05:45 PM 5/20/99 -0400, MWStrong@aol.com wrote:
>I one looks at the spells in the FH books, some cost, say, 6 points real.
If
>one bases a character upon 100 points - 30 for characteristics, that
leaves a
>mage room for about 6 spells and light skills. For a warrior, lets also
>assume 30 points for skills. that leaves 40 points for nice things like
>levels. Do you realize what 5 levels with sword can do? Oh, and mages can
>also wear armor and use and dagger they pick up (assuming they have the
>skill) just like a warrior, without paying the points for it. What good
is a
>warrior without his sword? Hopefully he has put some points into martial
>arts.... A wizard without her staff? Well, she has paid the points for the
>spell, so she can just keep shooting....

I use a power pool system for my Fantasy Hero campaign and it works very
well. Its limited, the characters have at most 30 point pools to start
with (I use a 50+50 point campaign). This means the spells range from
about 1 to 8 points, roughly, in real cost, and none of them are
overwhelmingly powerful. In general, the mages cant stand up to a warrior
one on one, but they are very effective in other areas and are very flexible.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sola Gracia Sola Scriptura Sola Fide
Soli Gloria Deo Solus Christus Corum Deo
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 15:03:00 -0700
From: Mark Lemming <icepirat@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: One character, two super IDs

geoff heald wrote:
>
> At 11:40 AM 5/20/99 GMT, you wrote:
> >On Wed, 19 May 1999 23:56:11 -0400, geoff heald <gheald@worldnet.att.net>
> >sent these symbols into the net:
> >
> >>The gadgets angle works, too (especially if he's got the points and
> >>contacts for it). After all, Dr. Henry Pym was YellowJacket and Antman
> >>during his career (interestingly, both ID's were later assumed by other
> men).
> > <pedantic>
> > I believe it was the Antman and Giantman (Goliath?) Identities that were
> >assumed by others. I'm not sure what happened to the Yellowjacket identity.
> >Spider-man did the same thing at one point, assuming no less than 4 other
> >identies at one point.
> >
> >
> The second Yellowjacket was a villian who had somehow aquired Hank Pym's
> YellowJacket suit (and the gasses to make with the shrinky).

Yellowjacket was a rival scientist. I think she reformed at one point.
Hawkeye used the growth serum to be Goliath as well. Pym was a very fruitful
super creator. Wasp, Ultron, people using his cast offs, etc...

For someone with several IDs look for old issues of Moon Knight.

In GURPS "Double Trouble" there is a hero who has shapeshifting and strength
who infiltrates villian teams as one character and then destroys them from
the inside. (Of course, he's got the powers and skills to do this...)

- -Mark

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 15:16:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joe Mucchiello <jmucchiello@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: VPP and Fantasy Hero

- --- MWStrong@aol.com wrote:
> I one looks at the spells in the FH books, some cost, say, 6 points
> real. If
> one bases a character upon 100 points - 30 for characteristics, that
> leaves a
> mage room for about 6 spells and light skills. For a warrior, lets
> also
> assume 30 points for skills. that leaves 40 points for nice things
> like
> levels. Do you realize what 5 levels with sword can do?

Actually, the warrior is going to spend more points on characteristics:
High STR, DEX, CON and BODY. He is supposed to be a warrior. The mage
does not need to be physically imposing, needing just CON, INT, and
possibly EGO.

And 5 levels with a sword can go over my campaign skill level limits.
But I use 150 point characters. They are better balanced.

Joe
_____________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 15:52:26 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Another Origins Award Nominee

Taking a look at the Origins Awards ballot sheet, I noticed another
Hero-related nominee: HeroZine, under the category of Best Amateur Game
Magazine.
Maybe it's just because I'm a sometime contributor, but I'd like to see
a lot of votes for that as well! :-]
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/original.htm
Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/merrhome.htm

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 19:51:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: Another Origins Award Nominee

On Thu, 20 May 1999, Bob Greenwade wrote:

> Taking a look at the Origins Awards ballot sheet, I noticed another
> Hero-related nominee: HeroZine, under the category of Best Amateur Game
> Magazine.
> Maybe it's just because I'm a sometime contributor, but I'd like to see
> a lot of votes for that as well! :-]

Hey! I'll second that one!

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

"I don't do .INI, .BAT, or .SYS files. I don't assign apps to files.
I don't configure peripherals or networks before using them. I have
a computer to do all that. I have a Macintosh, not a hobby."
Fritz Anderson

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 02:16:05 -0400
From: "William K. Bushway" <bushway@us.hsanet.net>
Subject: CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]

I'm trying to develop a Thor/Shazam analogue/amalgamation named The Olympian
for a 4-color game with a classic feel. Basically, when mild mannered Joe
Incognito puts on the magical circlet of laurel leaves he found on the peak
of Mt. Olympus, he is transformed into a being of incredible power. Like
the Eric Masterson Thor (late of Thunderstrike, lately dead), his mind is
unchanged.

The Olympian is a typical brick - superstrength, invulnerability, superleap,
and an uncanny knack for throwing manhole covers like discuses and lampposts
like javelins. However, he also can call upon the Greek Gods for certain
special abilities - similar to Captain Marvel's "Wisdom of Solomon, Speed of
Hermes, etc." He can only use one such set of abilities at a time.
Examples -

The Speed of Hermes - The Olympian gains superspeed, and a few typical
speedster tricks.

The Beauty of Aphrodite - The Olympian shapechanges into a stunningly
beautiful *female* version of himself (a power not often used, but more
handy than you might think).

The Wisdom of Athena - The Olympian gets a boost in perception and deductive
ability.

The Skill of Ares - The Olympian gains incredible skill-at-arms, but also
becomes a little short-tempered.

My question: How do you recommend I construct such a character? Is
multiform appropriate for a character whose personality doesn't change
drastically (even if he pretends it does, in order to conceal his identity)?
Should I be using OIHID or IAF:crown of laurels for the majority of his
powers, or both?

Also, how do you recommend I simulate his god-like powers? My first
inclination was to go a multipower with Ultra slots (as he can only use one
at a time). But each godly aspect is best simulated with a combination of
powers. Ex:

Hermes: +SPD, +DEX, +Running, AOE attacks
Aphrodite: Shapechange, +COM, levels in Seduction
Athena: +INT, levels in Deduction
Ares: Combat Skill Levels, Martial Arts, etc.

Which framework is most appropriate for this kind of thing; Multipower? VPP?
A slew of ECs?

And finally, can you recommend any other powers? I need some more godly
aspects - too keep it from getting too munchkiny, I'm trying to stick with
major Greek gods and goddesses (no demigods, heroes, or titans). My initial
rule of thumb was "Only gods with planets named after them (or rather, their
Roman counterparts)," but I want a good mix of abilities.

Any and all help is appreciated.
***
William K. Bushway
"Those accursed super monkeys have tossed themselves
into my salad once again." -El Seed, Bloomsday

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 06:03:14 -0500
From: "Michael Nunn" <mlnunn@scrtc.com>
Subject: HEROZINE Nominated for Origins Award!

It is my great honor to announce that Herozine has been nominated for the
Origins Award Best Amateur Game Magazine!


To be nominated is quite an honor, but to win would be GREAT!

Visit the Gama web site www.gama.com and download the ballot, and vote!
Give copies to your friends and have them vote! Given the totals from last
year I can tell you every vote does indeed count.

Be sure and vote for San Angelo: City of Heroes and Usagi Yojimbo too...

Michael Nunn
Editor
Rising Force Publications

Visit our web site!
http://fly.to/RFP

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 06:50:17 -0500
From: "Michael (Damon) & Peni Griffin" <griffin@txdirect.net>
Subject: Re: CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]

At 02:16 AM 5/21/1999 -0400, William K. Bushway wrote:
>I'm trying to develop a Thor/Shazam analogue/amalgamation named The Olympian
>for a 4-color game with a classic feel. Basically, when mild mannered Joe
>Incognito puts on the magical circlet of laurel leaves he found on the peak
>of Mt. Olympus, he is transformed into a being of incredible power.
>My question: How do you recommend I construct such a character? Is
>multiform appropriate for a character whose personality doesn't change
>drastically (even if he pretends it does, in order to conceal his identity)?

Multiform is appropriate. Multiform *allows* the character's alternate
forms to have different personalities, but doesn't *require* it. So you
can give each 'avatar' its own set of Psych Lims, which will enchance the
core character's own attitudes. His own courage may be enhanced to the
poit of fearlessness when he's Ares; his "feminine side" will be in control
when he's Aphrodite, and so forth.

>Should I be using OIHID or IAF:crown of laurels for the majority of his
>powers, or both?
>
>Also, how do you recommend I simulate his god-like powers? My first
>inclination was to go a multipower with Ultra slots (as he can only use one
>at a time).

Again, Multipower: create a separate character for each avatar.

>And finally, can you recommend any other powers? I need some more godly
>aspects - too keep it from getting too munchkiny, I'm trying to stick with
>major Greek gods and goddesses (no demigods, heroes, or titans). My initial
>rule of thumb was "Only gods with planets named after them (or rather, their
>Roman counterparts)," but I want a good mix of abilities.

Remember that the gods were responsible for, and associated with, more than
one thing. Apollo was god of the sun, music, law, archery, prophecy and
healing.

Diana/Artemis was goddess of the hunt, the moon, Nature and was the
protector of women.

Neptune/Poseidon was the god of earthquakes as well as the sea, and is
credited with inventing the horse.

Gaea was the personification of the Earth, and was attributed with
prophetic powers in addition to the obvious plant-control and so forth.

Hades/Pluto is a bit more focused, mainly overseeing the land of the dead,
but that's a big job. :)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 08:09:43 -0400
From: golem@fred.net
Subject: Re: CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]

At 02:16 AM 5/21/99 -0400, you wrote:
>[....] <clipped for brevity of reply>
>My question: How do you recommend I construct such a character? Is
>multiform appropriate for a character whose personality doesn't change
>drastically (even if he pretends it does, in order to conceal his identity)?
>Should I be using OIHID or IAF:crown of laurels for the majority of his
>powers, or both?
>
>Also, how do you recommend I simulate his god-like powers? My first
>inclination was to go a multipower with Ultra slots (as he can only use one
>at a time). But each godly aspect is best simulated with a combination of
>powers. Ex:
>
>Hermes: +SPD, +DEX, +Running, AOE attacks
>Aphrodite: Shapechange, +COM, levels in Seduction
>Athena: +INT, levels in Deduction
>Ares: Combat Skill Levels, Martial Arts, etc.
>
>Which framework is most appropriate for this kind of thing; Multipower? VPP?
>A slew of ECs?
>
>And finally, can you recommend any other powers? I need some more godly
>aspects - too keep it from getting too munchkiny, I'm trying to stick with
>major Greek gods and goddesses (no demigods, heroes, or titans). My initial
>rule of thumb was "Only gods with planets named after them (or rather, their
>Roman counterparts)," but I want a good mix of abilities.
>
>Any and all help is appreciated.
>***
>William K. Bushway

Well, let's see. One question at a time.

General Character - All powers OHID, with Instant Change, OAF - Magical
Circlet of Laurel Leaves

God-inspired additional powers - I'd go with a multipower of Ultra slots,
as you had mentioned. I wouldn't bother with any 'Linked' or any other
advantages or limitations; just be sure to have a coherent idea of what
god/power each slot is intended to represent, and then put in it those
adjustments/additions required. Basically, much the way I have seen some
'shapeshift' characters built, when intended to shift between a set number
of animals, or when built to do these animals or other forms, and VPP isn't
allowed. A VPP could work, but honestly, since an MP forces you to
enumerate the contents of each slot, and pay a few points for each
separately, it gets my vote for the best way to handle this case, because
XP can then be spent on new Gods or Goddesses and their portfolio powers.

As for other gods and their powers:
Artemis - Hunting, Tracking, and an RKA with some advantages and
limitations - divine archery
Apollo - Slight COM boost, flight, fire or sunlight/laser based EB/RKA,
maybe a force field.
Zeus - big PRE boost, some PRE skills, and a lightning EB/RKA

There are others, which I am sure folks on the list can provide given the
opportunity. The goddess whose daughter married Pluto, who is responsible
for spring and growth and such, would do well with some 'plant control'
powers. Then of course, there is Pluto himself, god of the underworld/land
of the dead.


In justification against the idea of Multiform, I can honestly only answer
with this - I have tried never to use Multiform, except when the
transformation involved actually presents the character with a different
mind, lack of access to skills possessed in normal ID, etc. I will be the
first to admit that there is no hard and fast statement in the BBB, or
anywhere else that I know of, which backs up my thoughts on this, but it is
my opinion, one I think makes some real sense.

David

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 09:23:31 -0400
From: Geoff Speare <geoff@igcn.com>
Subject: Re: VPP and Fantasy Hero

>> I one looks at the spells in the FH books, some cost, say, 6 points
>> real. If
>> one bases a character upon 100 points - 30 for characteristics, that
>> leaves a
>> mage room for about 6 spells and light skills. For a warrior, lets
>> also
>> assume 30 points for skills. that leaves 40 points for nice things
>> like
>> levels. Do you realize what 5 levels with sword can do?

I agree with you, spellcasters who have to spend points for spells will not
be as combat efficient as warriors who do not have to spend points for
weapons and armor. There are a few ways to correct for this:

1) Roleplay: if spellcasters are "mysterious and powerful", people will
respect them.

2) Range of Ability: Warriors can't fly, turn invisible, mind control
people, etc. Clever use and combination of these abilities can make
spellcasters far more useful than a warrior could hope to be.

And lastly, if you want the two to be balanced, then make magic work the
same way as weapons: spellcasters buy a skill to use magic, but don't have
to pay points for their spells...

Geoff Speare

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 09:24:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ben Brown <benbrown@primenet.com>
Subject: Re: CHAR: The Olympian [help requested]

On Fri, 21 May 1999 golem@fred.net wrote:
[snip snip]
> >Hermes: +SPD, +DEX, +Running, AOE attacks
> >Aphrodite: Shapechange, +COM, levels in Seduction
> >Athena: +INT, levels in Deduction
> >Ares: Combat Skill Levels, Martial Arts, etc.
> Artemis - Hunting, Tracking, and an RKA with some advantages and
> limitations - divine archery
> Apollo - Slight COM boost, flight, fire or sunlight/laser based EB/RKA,
> maybe a force field.
> Zeus - big PRE boost, some PRE skills, and a lightning EB/RKA
>
> There are others, which I am sure folks on the list can provide given the
> opportunity. The goddess whose daughter married Pluto, who is responsible
> for spring and growth and such, would do well with some 'plant control'
> powers.

That would be Demeter, (aka Ceres)

> Then of course, there is Pluto himself, god of the underworld/land
> of the dead.
>

Hrm. Dionysus... probably some sort of Mind Control (drunkenness).


The essential problem is that you can find a deity for just about anything.

Also, the 12 Olympians aren't the ones with the most interesting powers.
I'd pick a range of gods and such, not going outside the ol' greek traditions,
but not limiting myself to any specific subgroup. Heracles, for example,
is a mere demigod, but one wouldn't want to do this without his strength
boost.

Hell, even add Achilles for invulnerability (17- activation)


Were I doing this, I'd pare it down to a single power for each god, rather
than a suite of them. Sure, Hermes could give you a tremendous speed/dex
/etc boost, but the character is going to be pretty powerful just in general.

I'd just go with the Running for Hermes, the light blast/flash for Apollo,
the lightning bolt for Zeus and a COM/PRE boost for Aphrodite (the shapeshift
is funky, but IMO not absolutely necessary).


> In justification against the idea of Multiform, I can honestly only answer
> with this - I have tried never to use Multiform, except when the
> transformation involved actually presents the character with a different
> mind, lack of access to skills possessed in normal ID, etc. I will be the
> first to admit that there is no hard and fast statement in the BBB, or
> anywhere else that I know of, which backs up my thoughts on this, but it is
> my opinion, one I think makes some real sense.


I agree with this one, too, although it makes tacking on disads for specific
gods a bit tricky (talk to your gm about a "floating disad" which changes
with whichever power is used, so Ares gets a short temper while Zeus just
can't seem to keep away from the dames)

It's an intriguing concept.

- -Ben

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 99 18:18:49
From: "qts" <qts@nildram.co.uk>
Subject: Re: VPP & Fantasy Hero

On Wed, 19 May 1999 20:38:21 EDT, MWStrong@aol.com wrote:

>Unless allowed by the GM, Fantasy Hero does not allow power frameworks to be
>used. They tend to make beginning mages MUCH more powerful than starting
>warriors, thieves, etc.

I disagree - it makes them no less or more than the others. You need a
properly thought-out magic system, that's all.
qts

Home: qts@nildram.co.uk.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 14:11:41 PDT
From: "Jesse Thomas" <haerandir@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: One character, two super IDs

On: Thu, 20 May 1999 Mark Lemming <icepirat@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>For someone with several IDs look for old issues of Moon Knight.

Another good example is Black Shadow from the Wild Cards books. He
maintained at least 4 separate identities, 2 as superheroes, 2 as (more or
less) normals for years, without using any funky powers. Just a lot of
acting and some judicious disguises. Shouldn't be hard to duplicate
something like that with a superhero, where most of your identity rests in
your costume and actions.

Jesse Thomas

Haerandir@hotmail.com


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

------------------------------

End of champ-l-digest V1 #353
*****************************


Web Page created by Text2Web v1.3.6 by Dev Virdi
http://www.virdi.demon.co.uk/
Date: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 03:59 PM