Superheroes of the Trust OOC Thread II

[Elric]

You don't need to increase your skill cap to buy 4 more ranks in Concentration: PL 11 already has a cap of 16 skill ranks (the PL+5 cap is on ranks, not total bonus).

3 - Biggest Change, Paralyzing Strike. Increased original Strike 11 to include a Paralyzing Linked power. Meets all requirements of linked power, with range, duration, action, power level, by adding a flaw in the linked effect requiring SIGHT from foe to work. Think of it as Cosmic Strike, with energized surge of cosmic energy that blinds the foe with paralyzing effect. I also added +1 to Partial Penetrating to result in Partial Penetrating 4. Question is, the Power Feats were originally designed for the Strike Power, but would I be able to move some over to be power feats for the Paraylzing Power instead? Such as Knockback5? My thinking was that the attack would possibly hit. Targets have 2 saves. Strike Save and Paralyzing Save. They fail the strike, they take the dmg. They fail the Paralyzing save, they are then subject to the Knockback from the power and the paralyze. Or am I totally messing things up by using Power Feats on this?

Sight-Dependent Paralyze seems strange to me. I think Nauseate (Flaw: Sight-Dependent), or Alt Save: Fort on Paralyze with a Nauseate-type descriptor would make more sense. Of course, since it's described as a blinding effect Dazzle (Flaw: Touch) would make even more sense. Technically I believe with linked powers you should buy the power feats for them separately; essentially the linking is the last step. So you're going to want 1 Accurate PF on the Paralyze, at least.

 

[Victim]

Note that with Sense Dependent, there would be 3 saves: the normal damage, a Ref save to close one's eyes in time or something, and then if that fails, then the save for the Paralyze.

 

[DM_Matt]

Yeah, I don't really think Sight-Dependent Paralyze makes sense, especially linked to a not sight-dependent strike attack. Otherwise its fine.

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Yeah, the linked power option was something I wanted to grasp and understand. Yet, linking powers thematically to Cosmic powers is tougher than I had imagined. Dazzle is an option, and one I thought of using, but, I think I didn't go that route due to the flaws needed, and other mathematical formulas needed to complete it appropriately.

Also, I agree as well, with the buying of the Power Feats separately for each power. So, with whichever linked power I do manage to add to the strike, I would apply the Knockback Power Feat to that Linked Power, and NOT to Strike. I think it would be a little more thematic, having a strike, that should the foe fail the second save for that linked power, they would REALLY suffer from the added effect.

So, for what I read, everything else seems fine, just this last power that needs to be ironed out. I have Dazzle and Nauseate as the two options to consider using. I will work on those two options, and get back to you with that last strike power. Thanks!

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Ok, here's my attempt to fix that strike power with sufficient Linked Power. Drain option, with limit to only toughness saves. Works great for teamworking, but not much else. Power Feats in BLUE are applied to the Draining Power and the white Power Feats are applied to strictly Strike Power. Also, with the leaving of 4pp on this array, I have room to increase the power to PL 12 limit when needed, as well as the addition of Variable Descriptor Power Feat, once a few missions go through for him to work on it.

Draining Cosmic Strike 11 (2/rank)
Effect: Attack (+11)
Range: Touch
Action: Standard
Duration: Instant
Extras: Partial Penetrating [+4] / None
Flaws: None / Limited to Toughness Saves
Power Feats: Incurable, Affect Insubstantial x2, Accuracy / Accuracy, Incurable, Reversible, Slow Fade, Knockback x4
Total Cost: (19pp +19pp=38/42pp)

 

[Victim]

Let's work out some of our plan. I actually think that going as tourists is better than being investors - it frees us in many ways from the expectation of competence and seems like it'd justify a lack of focus. If investors are wandering around, then it's sort of weird. If tourists are wandering around, then it means they're dumb@ss Americans - the characters can look around for Markum in all kinds of places while "experiencing local color." Our language skills with the gadgets might be too universally good for tourists though - one might expect some people to have language skills, but not everyone.

 

[DM_Matt]

Let's work out some of our plan...

Yup. You should.

 

[Victim]

Unfortunately, I'm still not seeing a good way of finding Markum, short of Optic performing some extended searches to look for Grue DNA. I mean, he has some Grue powers, right? So we have to find a guy with no set appearance, no sort of physical evidence/money things to trace back AND without attracting attention to either of us. Maybe it's because I don't have massive amounts of Gather Info (as some of our characters do), but that seems pretty much impossible without having a special sense to detect the guy. Or some prearranged contact signal.

Do we have some Inventor power for making a gadget to speed up the search?

Using postcog on some of his stuff (from breaking into his house. )is an option, but that seems a lot more likely to provide information about some past activity than where he is now. Especially since he changes cover IDs a lot, apparently.

Let's say we go as tourists. Should we be splitting up to cover more ground (but possibly uselessly, and more risk), staying mostly together (sort of odd for a group of this size composition?), making up some tour group so there's a sort of obvious reason to be together (a little too overt? Most groups have more of plan/itinerary than we probably want. Also, stupid looking). I'd have to go for staying mostly together.

 

[G. Skylark]

Seems that Markum keeps contact with the CIA and the US Embassy. Maybe we can use them to set up a meeting. Or we can spy on them somehow and watch for when Markum makes contact. Otherwise, we're just wandering around the city waiting for Markum to contact us on his initiative (which for all we know may be in his interests too). Although I bet an epic-level Gather Info check would get us some clues to find him.

As for splitting the party, is there any particular reason to? Other than maybe having a stealthy guy hide to try and get the drop on any hostiles we meet.

Clearly, we need Batman.

 

[Victim]

I was thinking that splitting into a few pairs would be more inconspicious than staying in 1 large group. Other than that, I don't see any significant advantages.

Watching the embassy is an option - but presumeably that'd bring us to the attention of both the US intel contingent there, and the Chinese people watching it. Markum has the benefit of his Grue powers to avoid making a discernable pattern that connects to his other operations. That trick is just so handy for a spy.