Superheroes of The Trust OOC Thread (Accepting Alts)

[Ryfte]

Thats fine.

Thanks!

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Rewrite below.

Question... Anyone: Is it possible to have a multiple power dynamic array with some powers having a minimum draw within the array? (see venom/pheremone power below)
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X-Phase a.k.a. Camille Emerson
PL 11

Comparison: Some similarity to the classic Wasp... mixed with the "energy/personality" of Beastboy (from teen-titans, lol)/spidey smart alecky personality

[sblock=Fluff][sblock=Personality Sketch] Light hearted, cheerful, perky, glass is half-full (not half empty), Doesn't take life too seriously or dwell on her own problems - psychological self-defense for what happened to her; Changed her life forever; Jokes around a lot[/sblock]
[sblock=Enemy at Large]Dark Stinger[/sblock]
[sblock=Rough Origin]Dark Stinger a swarm controlling villain killed 283 people that day. It had been one of the worst mall killings ever in Oregon. Another 1,754 people survived the incident with little or no damage having been stung either not at all or only a time or two. The last individual, Camille Emerson, an employee of the Old Navy located in the mall had been found unconscious nearby the folding board she'd been using to restock the henleys on the holiday ads. She had been stung only a single time from what the doctors could see but something strange had begun happening to the poor girl. Unknown to the doctors Camille carried a mutant gene that not only had been activated by the sting but it had used some of the genetic mapping of the wasps venom itself and begun to rewrite Camille's complete dna encoding.[/sblock]
[sblock=Theoretical Hypothesis]A number of scientific heroes whom have some sort of connection with Camille have studied her genetic makeup. A few of them have theorized that her innate mutant abilities actually allow her body to process and genetically refactor it's "functions" with exposure to venoms. At this time her own x-gene seems to be dormant and have bonded with the initial DNA pattern it obtained from Dark Stinger's venom but there is some conjecture that she could actually refactor to another venom type if she could learn how to control her base power.[/sblock][/sblock]
[sblock=Mechanics]Size Grants: +4 Attack, +4 Defense, +8 Stealth, -8 Grapple, 1/4 carrying cap. (some other stuff as well, lol)

[sblock=Abilities]STR: 8(-1), DEX: 42[14](+15), CON 16(+3), INT 10 (+0), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 24(+6)[/sblock](-2 + 4 + 6 + 0 + 2 + 14 = 24pts.)

[sblock=Feats]Acrobatic Bluff, All-Out Attack, Attack Focus 2 (blasts), Defensive Attack, Elusive Target, Evasion 2, Move-by Action, Sneak Attack, Ultimate Defense, Uncanny Dodge (spatial sense - antanae) [/sblock](??pts.)

[sblock=Powers]• Shrinking 12 (7pp)(Normal Strength and Move +1 (PF); Permanent -1 (flaw))
• Enhanced Dex 28 (28pp)
• Flight (wasps wings) 8 (8pp) (Limited: not in liquids; restrainable)
• Phase Powers (AP) (base power) --> haven't decided/chosen
•• Phase Jumping (extremely short teleports) ?? (??pp) (teleport; range reduced -?? or just low power?) (dynamic)
•• Phase Shift (Full Concealment; Vision, Aural, Smell, etc.; All except tactile) (dynamic)
•• Life Support (g-forces/thin air/high altitude/high speeds)(dynamic)
• Venom/Pheremone Powers (AP) (base power) --> haven't decided/chosen -- all blasts take the form of spine/sting shaped bio-energy projectiles unless otherwise detailed, the colors vary with the effect of the blast itself)
•• Charm (Emotion Control (Love (males)/Hate (females); Single Sense Dependent: Smell; Area Effect; Cloud; Permanent(fractional amount) - low levels constantly emitted))(dynamic - minimum X)
•• Eternal Sting (Blast - Paralysis Effect (greenish yellow); Appears more "solid" than other blasts)
•• Sting of the Sloth (Blast - Slow Effect (solid yellow); Edges are fuzzier than other blasts)
•• Burrowing Sting (Blast - Penetrating (bluish/purple); Spins like a drill)
•• Venom Burst (Blast; area; slow only effect (violet); radius wave around X-Phase)
•• Venom Volley (Blast; splitting(x4); (light blue/green): Rain of smaller looking blasts intense blasts)
•• Venom Trail (Blast; autofire; (dull black): consecutive line of small but intense blasts)
•• Pollination (Plant Growth/Blossoming (area burst; Permanent; *heals* plant creatures/beings))(dynamic minimum X)
• Insectile Metabolism (Regeneration (Bruising and Injuries (not regrowth or ressurection)))
• Antanae (Super Senses ??; Vibration Sense (radar sense; Danger Sense); extended; No Notice rolls required; Does not work for insubstantial characters/objects)
• Chitin Armor (Protection; Inpenetrable; a few points not a lot)[/sblock](??pts.)[/sblock]

Tradeoffs: +4defense/-4toughness and -2attack/+2damage

Total Points: Abilities(??) + Skills(??) + Feats(??) + Powers(??) - Disadvantages(??) = 165

 

[Victim]

Hmm. Think I should put the finish on the disabled robot or change Star's action to do something else?

 

[Victim]

In terms of pure mechanics:

Your flaw on flight (for actually needing wings) is actually a pair of 1 point drawbacks, not a full flaw. If you only want to spend 8 points, then you could get winged flight 5 - that's still incredibly fast for wings that you have to flap. Flight 8 is ~2500 mph (Mach ~3) cruising speed!

Normal Strength and move for Shrinking is an extra, not a power feat, so that power would cost 12. Granted, that extra also includes carrying capacity, but lacking that seems more like a drawback than having the other benefits be a power feat. Dimunitive size is also +12/-12 for Stealth and Grapple. And being 1 ft tall all the time might be pretty awkward.

The base power for your arrays is basically irrelevant. You can just buy a 2/pp rank dummy power to get the size right and then stick things under it.

It's not very clear what Jinxed is actually supposed to do - sounds sort of like a drain, but several other powers can also apply small penalties to most actions. You could also use some of the tricks under Luck Control for jinxing too.

When you say "Blast - Paralyze effect" do you mean a special effect on Blast, or some version of the paralyze power? Same for the Faerie dust sleep effect (which could be Fatigue).

I'm not sure what the Verdant Aura is supposed to do besides heal plants. Healing is already instant duration - the effect of it is permanent. If you mean that plants constantly heal around her regardless of her intentions, then A) it seems like a minor benefit at best since we're now short on plant people, and B) it shouldn't be in an array, since you could deactivate it by changing slots.

Since many of your powers are Area (sleep dust) or Perception (Emotion Control, illusion), your offensive tradeoff isn't especially important. Also, slotting those powers of varying ranks into the same array can be tricky. For example, you can have 11 ranks of your love song and have 2 flaws on it. On the other hand, you'll want 13 ranks of your paralysis blast thing to take advantage of your tradeoff and want an extra for it. As things stand, one power is costing you 6 points, the other is costing you 39.

Conceptually, this character seems heavily tied to Faerie - even if all her abilities could be produced via other power sources, the combination of abilities still pretty much says fairy creature. Working that into a nonmagicl background requires some hoop juming. So if the character isn't actually a magical being, then it'd seem like someone/something created or changed her to be like one. This could have happened a long time ago (ie, her origin story is basically accurate), or recently (implanted memories). I don't recall many details about the 1800s for FC stuff, but I only have the 1e FC book and the free online encyclopedia pdf. So you'd probably be on your own for ideas relating to that period.

If you're looking at option B and want a link to existing FC villains, then Mastermind or Green Man might work. Mastermind doesn't really understand mystical stuff, and has science skills/resources IIRC. Maybe he's trying to grow his own "magical" creature and releasing it into the world to see what other information it can develop. The Green Man has already transformed several people into hybridized plant creatures with weird powers, and would really want that plant healing ability. Plants don't exist in a vacuum ecologically, so he might be looking to create some supporting lifeforms. Even if he didn't have the gene modding expertise to pull off a size change, kidnapping scientists for their expertise is sort of a classic. One downside with this approach is that the Trust has very good information gathering abilities and could dig up the real story in short order.

 

[Ryfte]

Changed long before your feedback...

Hey Victim, thanks for the lookover! After Matt's feedback on not really wanting the magic theme or the fantasy bent continuing I ditched it completely.

If you look at my last post it's been changed... quite a bit.

Still a similar "skeleton" of a character but definitely now more "wasp"'ish.

Thanks for the pointers on costs... I've never played in an M&M game that lasted more than a two month stretch on the boards... and none of the characters were that well put together.

 

[Ryfte]

X-Phase

X-Phase a.k.a. Camille Emerson
PL 11

Comparison: Some similarity to the classic Wasp... mixed with the "energy/personality" of Beastboy (from teen-titans, lol)/spidey smart alecky personality

[sblock=Fluff][sblock=Personality Sketch] Light hearted, cheerful, perky, glass is half-full (not half empty), Doesn't take life too seriously or dwell on her own problems - psychological self-defense for what happened to her; Changed her life forever; Jokes around a lot[/sblock]
[sblock=Enemy at Large]Dark Stinger[/sblock]
[sblock=Rough Origin]Dark Stinger a swarm controlling villain killed 283 people that day. It had been one of the worst mall killings ever in Oregon. Another 1,754 people survived the incident with little or no damage having been stung either not at all or only a time or two. The last individual, Camille Emerson, an employee of the Old Navy located in the mall had been found unconscious nearby the folding board she'd been using to restock the henleys on the holiday ads. She had been stung only a single time from what the doctors could see but something strange had begun happening to the poor girl. Unknown to the doctors Camille carried a mutant gene that not only had been activated by the sting but it had used some of the genetic mapping of the wasps venom itself and begun to rewrite Camille's complete dna encoding.[/sblock]
[sblock=Theoretical Hypothesis]A number of scientific heroes whom have some sort of connection with Camille have studied her genetic makeup. A few of them have theorized that her innate mutant abilities actually allow her body to process and genetically refactor it's "functions" with exposure to venoms. At this time her own x-gene seems to be dormant and have bonded with the initial DNA pattern it obtained from Dark Stinger's venom but there is some conjecture that she could actually refactor to another venom type if she could learn how to control her base power.[/sblock][/sblock]
[sblock=Mechanics]Size Grants: +4 Attack, +4 Defense, +8 Stealth, -8 Grapple, 1/4 carrying cap. (some other stuff as well, lol)

[sblock=Abilities]STR: 8(-1), DEX: 42[14](+15), CON 16(+3), INT 10 (+0), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 24(+6)[/sblock](-2 + 4 + 6 + 0 + 2 + 14 = 24pts.)

[sblock=Feats]Acrobatic Bluff, All-Out Attack, Attack Focus 2 (blasts), Defensive Attack, Elusive Target, Evasion 2, Move-by Action, Sneak Attack, Ultimate Defense, Uncanny Dodge (spatial sense - antanae) [/sblock](??pts.)

[sblock=Powers]• Shrinking 12 (12pp)(Extra: Normal Strength and Move +1pp/rank; Permanent (modifier count against PL maximums) -1pt/rank (flaw))
•• Size: Diminutive (Attack +4, Defense +4, Grapple Modifier -12, Stealth Modifier +12, Intimidation Modifier -6, 7.25" tall, 9oz., Space 1', Reach 0', Carrying Capacity x1/4)
• Enhanced Dex 28 (28pp)
• Flight (wasps wings) 5 (8pp) (Drawback: not in liquids; wings; -2pts.)
• Phase Powers (AP) (base power) --> haven't decided/chosen
•• Phase Jumping (extremely short teleports) ?? (??pp) (teleport; range reduced -?? or just low power?) (dynamic)
•• Phase Shift 10 (11pp) (Concealment; All senses except tactile 10pp; "Close Range" is 5' instead of 30' for acute sense detection +1pp (power feat))
•• Life Support (g-forces/thin air/high altitude/high speeds)(dynamic)
• Venom/Pheremone Powers (AP) (base power) --> haven't decided/chosen -- all blasts take the form of spine/sting shaped bio-energy projectiles unless otherwise detailed, the colors vary with the effect of the blast itself)
•• Charm (Emotion Control 2pp/rank (Love (males)/Hate (females); Single Sense Dependent: Smell (-1pp/rank flaw); Area Effect - Cloud +1pp/rank extra; )(dynamic +2pp)
•• Eternal Sting (Paralyze 2pp/rank (greenish yellow); Appears more "solid" than other blasts)
•• Sting of the Sloth (Slow 1pp/rank; (solid yellow); Edges are fuzzier than other blasts)
•• Burrowing Sting (Blast - Penetrating (bluish/purple); Spins like a drill)
•• Venom Burst (Blast; area; slow only effect (violet); radius wave around X-Phase)
•• Venom Volley (Blast; splitting(x4); (light blue/green): Rain of smaller looking blasts intense blasts)
•• Venom Volley (Blast; autofire; (dull black): consecutive line of small but intense blasts)
• Insectile Metabolism (Regeneration (Bruising and Injuries (not regrowth or ressurection)))
• Antanae (Super Senses ??; Vibration Sense (radar sense; Danger Sense); extended; No Notice rolls required; Does not work for insubstantial characters/objects)
• Chitin Armor (Protection; Inpenetrable; a few points not a lot)[/sblock](??pts.)
• Drain Strength
[/sblock]

Tradeoffs: +4defense/-4toughness and -2attack/+2damage

Total Points: Abilities(??) + Skills(??) + Feats(??) + Powers(??) - Disadvantages(??) = 165

 

[Victim]

Yeah, it takes me forever to write posts sometimes. You could always hope it's one of the mystic characters that needs replacement if you like faerie version.

Some of her stat mods are wrong. 42 Dex is +16. 24 CHA is +7.

Since Camille is extremely charismatic, she might want some of the CHA skill based feats like Fascinate, Taunt, Distract. Set Up also works well.

I think the always-on pheremones thing is conventionally set up by making the power Reaction: comes within range. It might be better to buy a few ranks of pheremones outside the array for the permanent effect with a conventional slot that contains more ranks for more focused dose instead of making everything dynamic.

You might also consider an non Sense Dependent, Perception Emotion Control power. It could be a sort of mind affecting sting; a blast of bio-energy into the nervous system.

Paralysis and Slow are the same thing - slow is just a weaker effect.

Note that Emotion Control lets you specific the subject of the emotion, so only changing attitudes relating to yourself would probably be a drawback.

If you want more status attacks, then your bio energy special effect readily lends itself to a variety of Drain attacks. You could replace some of the damaging blasts with those.

Shooting Star will not be favorably inclined towards someone who's a better flyer in terms of speed or manueverability, but that's her jealousy. Going with the pheremones makes that a bit of a moot point though.

 

[Shayuri]

Mew...

I keep thinking I should be doing something clever, but nothing occurs to me. Gragh!

I guess I can use another TK attack, but it seems like a waste. I have all these neat powers but nearly all of them are useless...or at least, my brain seems inadequate to find uses for them. Illusions won't work, mind control is out, wards won't help, transmutation takes too long and affects too small a mass, teleport is blocked and takes too long, mind blast in the same bag as mind control...

I just keep getting the feeling that by including flavorful flaws in most of my powers I've condemned myself to never actually being able to get much mileage out of them. But at the same time, if I remove the limits, they're not -magic- anymore, they're just super powers.

Which then makes me question if the entire concept is really well suited to the game. Maybe I'd be better off with a simpler, more straightforward design. Something battlesuity, perhaps.

I just don't know anymore...but I'm frustrated, and it's having an impact on my posting...for which I apologize.

 

[Elric]

How about Power Stunting (off of Battle Magic): Blast 11 (Extras: Range-Perception, Area- Burst, Selective Area, Flaws: Full-Round Action, No-Range (has to be centered on self) PF: Increased Area x2) for a 275 foot radius attack against all of our enemies and anything else made of electronics (but not the central computer!) with the description that you're "using your magic to destroy the functioning of electronics by suspending the laws of nature" in the area

 

[Shayuri]

Hehe

Or just call it a magically generated EMP.

Though lightning throwing is Hope's schtick.

And I admit, the thought of using a hero point to make up a -whole new power- on the fly and call it a "power stunt" makes me a little squidgy inside. It seems a bit overmuch. Is that really a legitmate use of a hero point?

 

[Elric]

And I admit, the thought of using a hero point to make up a -whole new power- on the fly and call it a "power stunt" makes me a little squidgy inside. It seems a bit overmuch. Is that really a legitmate use of a hero point?

It's Extra Effort to power stunt, which is fatiguing, which is typically bought off with a hero point.

So, your underlying power is Magic. Cyclops' underlying power is his Optic Blast, which might give him Blast and an AP of Deflect: Projectiles. But if Cyclops is thrown off a building, he can power stunt Super-Movement: Slow-Falling by blasting the ground.

Likewise, when any situation that Magic could possibly work in comes up, you can use a Power Stunt to do something really powerful given that you have a 35 pp array based on battle magic and a 20-something pp array for utility magic (so even if you want to take a power with longer than an instant duration and keep it up for multiple rounds, you'll still be able to use some other powers at the same time). Think you've got a better deal than Cyclops, perhaps

Honestly, doing too much of this can throw the balance of the game out of whack in favor of magic users and others with flexible descriptors thanks to the incredible versatility afforded in initial arrays (+ cheapness of Alternate Powers) and the on the spot versatility afforded by power stunts. But right now your regular powers aren't so useful and we're getting beaten down, so why not a Magical EMP spell out of desperation?

(Jemal is thinking- looks like Optic's eye-beams are actually Magic- right about now)