Avalon Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 Players Name: Avalon® Power Level: 10 Characters Name: Baalberith Alternate Identity: “The Executioner†Height: 6'6" Weight: 260 lbs. Hair: None Eyes: Red pinpricks of mystical flame Description: Usually clad in a long, flowing robe covered in infernal runes that seem to randomly change while observed, Baalberith stands at around six feet and six inches with long, bony arms that almost reach his ankles. He is a fighter at heart but he has no qualms about fighting dirty and using what's left of his magic to put things in his favor. When he really begins to get in the mood to fight, he removes his robe to reveal another two pairs of arms that allow him to manhandle even the most powerful heroes. History: For untold millennia ancient pacts, treaties, oaths and spells have kept the legions of the Infernal dimensions from attacking en-masse the Prime Material realm. The rulers, known as the Lords of the Nine, were content with the current situation and spent their time in endless plots of intrigue against one another. Only one of them wanted more. His name was Baalberith, also known as The Executioner. He was one of the Nine and ruling a third of the infinite planes of the Abyss was not enough for him. He wanted more and the Prime Material plane was in his sights for he discovered hidden in the possessions of a newly arrived soul within his demense a spell that will bypass all the restrictions wrought in the past and be able to bring an army composed of 666 legions past the wards and unnoticed by the Master Mage. All seemed well and the ritual was well underway when armies from the remaining eight lords attempted to disrupt it. Hurriedly, Baalberith attempted to finish the spell but something went wrong at the last minute and he ended up alone on the Prime Material World with only a infinetissimal fraction of his power and without any of his legions with him. Now he must find a way to regain his power and take revenge on the other eight for their transgressions while conquering this plane in the process. Stats: Str: 34 (+12) – 24 pp Dex: 14 (+2) – 4 pp Con: 30 (+10) – 20 pp Int: 10 (+0) – 0 pp Wis: 14 (+2) – 4 pp Cha: 10 (+0) – 0 pp Combat: Attack: +2/ +8 (melee) – 4 pp Defense: +8/ +2 (flat-footed) – 8 pp Initiative: +6 Grapple: +22/+25 (when additional arms are used)/ +40 (when additional arms and demonic strength in effect) Saves: Toughness: +12 Fortitude: +10 – 0 pp Reflex: +2 – 0 pp Will: +8 – 6 pp Skills: Bluff +9 (9), Diplomacy +8 (8), Intimidate +15 (15), Knowledge – Arcane Lore +12 (12), Language (English, Latin, Base: Infernal), Sense Motive +12 (10) Feats: Ambidexterity, Attack Focus (melee) 6, Dodge Focus 4, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Ritualist Powers: Additional Limbs 3 (4 additional arms; Continuous [+1], Innate, Split Attack 5) – 12 pp Immunity 9 (Aging, Electrical Damage, Poison, Sleep, Sustenance) – 9 pp Impervious Toughness 10 – 10 pp Force Field 2 (Impervious [+1]) – 4 pp Flight 3 – 6 pp Magic 15 (Unreliable [-1]) – 21 pp Base: “Demonic Blast†– Blast 10 (Perception Range [+1]) AP: “Weight of the Fallen Souls†– Gravity Control 10 (Alt Save: Will [+0], Selective Attack [+1]) AP: “Possession of the Soul†– Mind Control 10 (Independent [+0], Instant Command [+1], Noticeable [Ghostly Outline of Alastor around the victim; - 1 pp], Mental Link) AP: “Flesh Fails†– Drain Any Ability Score 10 (Perception Range [+2], Physical Scores only [-1]) AP: “Demonic Strength†– Super-Strength 15 AP: “All Things Fade in the End†– Corrosion 10 AP: “Mystic Passage†– Teleport 15 Drawbacks: Power Loss (Impervious on Protection and Force Field vs. Holy and Cold Iron Weapons) – 2 pp Vulnerable to Holy Attacks (x2, Uncommon, Major) – 3 pp Power Loss (Magic if unable to speak) – 1 pp Weakness (Holy Ground, -1 Str, Dex and Con per 5 minutes) – 4 pp Costs: Abilities (52) + Combat (12) + Saves (6) + Skills (14) + Feats (14) + Powers (62) - Drawbacks (10) = Total Cost 150
Dr Archeville Posted July 24, 2008 Posted July 24, 2008 We're still waiting for a "background and other fluff." Without those, it's just a collection of numbers, not a character.
Dr Archeville Posted July 30, 2008 Posted July 30, 2008 Behold the terrible Demon Who Throws Like A Girl! (I've never liked seeing builds where less than half the attack bonus come from actual Base Attack Bonus.) Skills should be listed as "Name rank (modifier)". So "Sense Motive 10 (+12)", for example. His arms are permanently 10 feet long? And he's only 6'6"? Or is it just the Additional Limbs that are 10 feet long? If so, the Elongation should be Continuous, same as the Additional Limbs. I'm not sure about "Physical Scores only" being a Flaw for Drain. A character with the reverse -- Boost Physical Ability Scores -- is in Instant Superheroes, but "physical only" isn't listed as a Flaw, it's just part of the descriptor.
Avalon Posted July 31, 2008 Author Posted July 31, 2008 Behold the terrible Demon Who Throws Like A Girl! (I've never liked seeing builds where less than half the attack bonus come from actual Base Attack Bonus.) Skills should be listed as "Name rank (modifier)". So "Sense Motive 10 (+12)", for example. His arms are permanently 10 feet long? And he's only 6'6"? Or is it just the Additional Limbs that are 10 feet long? If so, the Elongation should be Continuous, same as the Additional Limbs. I'm not sure about "Physical Scores only" being a Flaw for Drain. A character with the reverse -- Boost Physical Ability Scores -- is in Instant Superheroes, but "physical only" isn't listed as a Flaw, it's just part of the descriptor. Since most of his powers are either touch or perception ranged, I see no reason to invest in an attack bonus for ranged attacks. As for the arms, I guess I could just add something in the description about having arms that are grotesquely out of proportion to the rest of the body or I can just increase his height. As for the other two, I'll fix them tommorow when I have more time.
Dr Archeville Posted July 31, 2008 Posted July 31, 2008 Since most of his powers are either touch or perception ranged, I see no reason to invest in an attack bonus for ranged attacks. So he's not completely hosed when in a situation where he can't use his Magic (and Super-Strength 15), such as when gagged, silenced, or otherwise unable to speak? And because it's a tad hard to believe a being who's conquered a third of the Abyss (I'm sure he did some conquering and didn't inherit it all or acquire it through bloodless negotiations ) is so unskilled in ranged combat that it cannot pick up a rock, throw it, and hope to reliably hit anything smaller or more mobile than an elephant. None of the Archetypes presented in the M&M Core book or Instant Superheroes, nor any of the characters from any of the official M&M/FC books, have zero BAB (including ones like Mentalists who have nothing but Perception-range powers, or Powerhouses who only have melee attacks). They all have some level of general all-inclusive combat training, and so would someone who "ruled a third of the infinite planes of the Abyss."
Dr Archeville Posted July 31, 2008 Posted July 31, 2008 Oh, and there is one bit of background that needs tweaking: as detailed in Book of Magic, The Pact is such that any being trying to break the barriers between worlds and force its way in will cause such power to be released that it would destroy the universe (and so rob them of any prize they might seek). Beings can only come in when invited, so someone on this side will need to summon him. Like Hades did when he invaded in the 60s ;)
Avalon Posted August 2, 2008 Author Posted August 2, 2008 Oh, and there is one bit of background that needs tweaking: as detailed in Book of Magic, The Pact is such that any being trying to break the barriers between worlds and force its way in will cause such power to be released that it would destroy the universe (and so rob them of any prize they might seek). Beings can only come in when invited, so someone on this side will need to summon him. Like Hades did when he invaded in the 60s I'd like to refer to this: His name was Baalberith, also known as The Executioner. He was one of the Nine and ruling a third of the infinite planes of the Abyss was not enough for him. He wanted more and the Prime Material plane was in his sights for he discovered hidden in the possessions of a newly arrived soul within his demense a spell that will bypass all the restrictions wrought in the past and be able to bring an army composed of 666 legions past the wards and unnoticed by the Master Mage. All seemed well and the ritual was well underway when armies from the remaining eight lords attempted to disrupt it. Hurriedly, Baalberith attempted to finish the spell but something went wrong at the last minute and he ended up alone on the Prime Material World with only a infinetissimal fraction of his power and without any of his legions with him. So what if the ritual he was performing was miscast due to the interference and allowed only him to pass through without having the world go kaboom? Perhaps it was a testament to the power of the spell and his own personal power that nothing else went wrong except for losing most of his power.
Dr Archeville Posted August 2, 2008 Posted August 2, 2008 That would mean he had been more powerful & skilled in arcane lore than any other supernatural being, including the Greek and Norse gods and the Voudoun loa ("Voodoo gods").
Avalon Posted August 3, 2008 Author Posted August 3, 2008 Not solely by his own power but also with the innate power of the spell itself. That's why the other eight lords attacked him. They wanted to have that power for himself, In DnD terms, the spell would have been some epic ritual with several hundreds or thousands of assistants.
Dr Archeville Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 In D&D terms... M&M isn't D&D, and Freedom City's cosmology is entirely different from those of Greyhawk/Oerth, the Forgotten Realms/Toril, or DraonLance/Krynn. The Multiverse of D&D allows Epic Spells to work, but this kind of spell explicitly would not be allowed in FC's cosmology, not without destroying the Earth dimension. To use a D&D analogy, the Lady of Pain bars all deities from entering Sigil, and The Pact does the same to the Earth dimension, except it also bars all supernatural beings not native to the Earth dimension, down to the lowest imps. Which is why they all must rely on being summoned in by mortal (or once-mortal) spellcasters. Which can easily be done by saying that part of his grand ritual was getting a human spellcaster on Earth to open a portal on his side, but -- either because your agents who provided him with the info lied, or because your mega-ritual usurped control of his summonings, or both -- you were able to take control of it and widen it enough for your armies and yourself to go through. But somethign went Horribly Wrong and only a weakened you managed to get through.
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