rpgronin Posted November 23, 2008 Posted November 23, 2008 Greetings and salutations! I stumbled across your lovely little site the other day, and I couldn't help but try my hand at giving MnM a whirl. I'm no stranger to the system, mind you, but I've only ever played a single game, so it's still fairly "fresh" in regards to the other systems I'm familiar with. But I digress, as this isn't exactly the place for an introduction. Below you'll find my (vainly attempted) character, which can also be located here for a more-or-less easier read. -- Players Name: rpgronin Power Level: PL 6 Trade-Offs: N/A Unspent PP: 0 Characters Name: Douglas William Neilson Alternate Identity: (The) Badger Height: 5’6†Weight: 130 Lbs. Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Description: Doug’s – in short – a rather scrappy looking lad, a ruffled and tussled mess of mid-length brown hair, with brown eyes full of wild ambition, often dressing to match; clothes that are a good size or two larger than he is, complete with worn “kicks,†torn jeans, and a shirt that looked like it had lost a fight with a Mega-Moth - though still none too revealing – that practically screams Anti-Authority. His hands almost always seem to be coated with a thin layer of caked mud or dirt of some sort despite his best attempts to remedy the problem. Once his claws have extended, the dirt becomes much more visible, as if he’d recently dug a grave, a gravel pit, or some such. History: Born and raised right here in Freedom City’s very own Kingston, Douglas William Neilson was raised on the belief that “all beings are super in some way,†as his parents had always told him. His parents – Patricia and David Neilson, both technicians for the Albright Institute – knew early on that their son was something special. You see, when most kids tell their folks that they’re going to “dig a hole all the way to China,†they usually don’t expect their child to tear through their backyard with their bare hands like a BB pellet tears through wet toilet paper. Suffice it to say that David and Patricia were both shocked and overjoyed to be blessed with a superhuman of their very own. As the years pandered on and Badger grew, however, he began to think little of his own abilities. Sure, he was stronger, faster, and tougher than the regular kids at school, but compared to Freedom City’s exceptional heroes, what were his powers compared to theirs? Centurion had the strength of twenty men, Johnny Rocket was super-fast, and Pseudo could shapeshift. All Badger could do was dig holes and climb trees really, really fast. Oh, and smell things! Yeah. “How lame,†he thought. Granted, he was all but ecstatic to be better than the average kid on the block, but still he wanted more, a side-effect from the pampered, spoiled treatment he’d received growing up. Feeling inferior to every other superhero and superheroine under the impression he’d been cheated out of “awesomeness,†as he put it, Badger insisted that his parents help him. When he demanded outright that they do something – anything! – to improve what he considered to be less-than-useful powers under the premise that he wanted to be a hero himself one day, they refused, retorting that there was really nothing they could do, though they were completely willing to send him to the Claremont Academy if he was interested. Everyone had heard of the “gifted school†Summers ran, but Will insisted that he didn’t need training, just better powers. It was this refusal that first sparked Doug’s rebellious nature at age twelve, under the belief that they had denied him in aiding his cause out of jealousy. Till’ this point, he’d always gotten what he wanted: toys, clothes, money... and now they’d denied him something he’d willing give everything up for! He began to distance his biological parents, and his already less-than-astounding grades in school began to sharply nosedive from a steady “C+†to a horrendous “D-,†and soon began skipping class all together for days or weeks on end. His parents were quite upset with this, and yet there was little they could do, as their research and scientific pursuits at the Albright Institute kept them from doing much else but sternly scolding their only son. After all, he was convinced he was going to be sub-par his entire life. Why care about all that school crap if you're only going to be "Super Mediocre" anyway? Things only continued to go downhill from there. Will began hanging out with a bad crowd consisting of like-minded individuals in the West Side of Freedom City. Vandalism, loitering, and petty theft were but a few of the minor crimes he’d committed alongside his newfound clique’, but it got worse. After a particularly artful – if not completed – visage of Captain Thunder had been sprayed onto a brick wall canvas; Badger found himself sitting in a holding cell at the Freedom Juvenile Hall in South Side. It was eventually his parents whom relieved him of his impromptu jail cell, much to their own chagrin, with Badger being let off with a warning as his first offense in conjunction with a hefty fine. That was it. His mother and father had had enough of his shenanigans, outright disrespect, and disregard of his own safety and that of the law. Fearful of what their boy might turn into if he continued down this path, they delivered him an ultimatum: apply to Duncan Summers’ Claremont Academy (which they, of course, would handle tuition and the like), or be forced to live with his great-grandmother in Missouri. Suffice it to say that their gambit succeeded, as Will definitely didn’t want to live in “Misery.†They hoped the teachers and superhuman students’ influence on Badger would be a positive one, or else they feared their only son would end up within the shackled halls of the infamous Blackstone Federal Prison. With a reluctant heave and a scornful glare, the young super-teen accepted his fate as-is, agreeing that he would attend Claremont and maintain passing grades, and in exchange wouldn’t have to suffer through the insanity and senility that was his great-grandmother, nor the utter boredom that was Missouri. Personality & Motivation: Doug – or Will or Badger, as he prefers to be called – fancies himself a bit of a young rebel revolutionist, though this is all just a front on his own part to seem “cool.†In truth, he really doesn’t have the slightest clue about what he’s – or anyone else, for that matter – talking about once the subject comes up. Much like his fronted demeanour towards society, Badger likewise dresses the part as best he can, emulating a neo-punk look with ratty clothes despite his parent’s affluent background. Like most teenage boys his age, Badger is always up for a party, mingling with girls, or a concert of the hard rock, alternative, or metal variety (“The louder the better!â€Â), and isn’t above sneaking out or disobeying direct instructions to do so. To be frank, Badger’s a troublemaker, and he’s got the bruises to prove it, if you catch the drift. This stems from his own selfish and vain superiority complex, outraged because he feels he’s been cheated out of heroic greatness. Otherwise, Badger is a fairly laid back kid. He's quick to try and make friends despite his snappish attitude, and is more often than not easily coerced into aiding a fellow compadre, no matter what the problem, even if it means breaking every rule in the book. Really, Badger doesn’t feel particularly fond of being forced to attend a school likely littered with teens whose powers will only serve to further diminish his already blasé self-esteem. But, hey, it’s either that or Missouri. And thus the reason Badger has relinquished himself to attend the Claremont Academy: the lesser of two evils. Complications: Super-Sensitive Nose: Though not much of an issue, particularly strong scents such as overly heavy use of perfume and incredibly putrid garbage is enough to send poor Doug reeling, his nostrils feeling as if they were on fire, which is a most unpleasant feeling, to be sure. In addition to the above, it also often obscures and deters all of Badger's Scent related Super-Senses. In more extreme cases, this has been known to make him dizzy, nauseous, or outright faint, though these cases are rather rare, but most often involve his mother's county-famous "Liverwurst Casserole." Stats: 40pp Str: 20 (+5) Dex: 20 (+5) Con: 20 (+5) Int: 10 (+0) Wis: 20 (+5) Cha: 10 (+0) Combat: 8pp Attack: +0 (+5 w/ Melee Attacks) Grapple: +5 Defense: +6 (+3 Flat-Footed) Knockback: -2 Initiative: +5 Saves: 0pp Toughness: +5 (+5 Con, +0 Other) Fortitude: +5 (+5 Con, +0 Other) Reflex: +5 (+5 Dex, +0 Other) Will: +5 (+5 Wis, +0 Other) Skills: 36r = 9pp Acrobatics +4 (+9) Climb +6 (+11) Handle Animal +8 (+8) Knowledge: Popular Culture +4 (+4) Notice +10 (+15) Swim +4 (+9) Feats: 9pp Attack Focus: Melee 5 (3pp) - MnM 2e, pg. 59 Animal Empathy (1pp) – MnM 2e, pg. 56 Evasion 1 (1pp) – MnM 2e, pg. 61 Skill Mastery: Acrobatics, Climb, Notice, Swim (1pp) – MnM 2e, pg. 64 Wealth 1 (1pp) Powers: 24pp Burrowing 12 (Burrow 50000’/25000’/10000’ per Round) [12pp] - MnM 2e, pg. 77 Super Senses 10 (Scent, Extended Scent (1000’), Danger Sense, Low-Light Vision, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Tracking 3) [10pp] - MnM 2e, pg. 103 Strike 1 (Power Feat: Mighty) [2pp] - MnM 2e, pg. 100 Drawbacks: 0pp DC Block: Mighty Strike --- 21/Toughness --- Damage (Non-Lethal) Costs: Abilities (40) + Combat (8) + Saves (0) + Skills (9) + Feats (9) + Powers (24) - Drawbacks (0) = Total Cost (90) EDIT 1: Modified Feats, dropping Evasion from 2 to 1 so as to pick up Wealth 1. This better synchs up with Badger's affluent background. EDIT 2: Again, another (though more final) edit prior to judging. Re-arranged a feat and some skills to further accent Badger's physical abilities. EDIT 3: As per Dr. Archeville's prognosis, the following has been amended: Attack Bonus has been amended, dropping Attack Specialization in favor of Attack Focus. Defense Bonus' Flat-Footed block has been corrected. Added in the Knockback bonus. Mighty Strike has been reduced from 5 to 1 to correct the Damage Cap Issue. Radius Scent has been removed, and an additional rank has been purchased in Extended Scent for a total of 1000'. Burrowing's distances have been corrected. The Damage Block has been editted to reflect the ranks removed from Mighty Strike. Removed Badger's Drawback/Complication till' further notice.
Dr Archeville Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 Welcome to FC PbP! If you've not already done so, please introduce yourself in the "Secret Identities" thread (link in my .sig). Reading through the background, I find myself wondering" how is this guy a Hero? He seems at best like an ungrateful punk, and at worse like a larval Sylar (just waiting for the chance to do something that will increase his powers). There are some problems in his stats. Primarily in his Attack/Damage. At PL 6, at most his attack bonus + damage can add up to 12 (2 x PL). On him they add up to 16 -- +6 Attack for his strike (from his Attack Specialization) and +10 Damage (Mighty Strike 5 + Str modifier +5). Something will need to come down. Related issue: why doesn't he have any base Attack bonus? Has he never fought without his claws? His flat-footed Defense is +3, not +4 (one-half your Defense). His Knocback is -2 (half of 5 [his non-Impervious Toughness], rounded down). Burrowing 12 gets him a speed of 5,000 mph, or about 50,000 feet/round. (Half that if going through hard clay or packed earth, half again if going through solid rock.) Olfactory senses are radius by default, so you don't need to buy it again in Super-Senses. Extended increases the range increment by a factor of 10, so Extended Scent 1 means your olfactory senses have a range increment of 100 feet, not 500. As written, his Weakness will impose a cumulative -1 to all Checks, Attack Rolls, and Defense for every 20 minutes spent in some environment with an overpowering smell. Is this what you wanted? I have to say I'm not sure that that should be worth 2 points.
rpgronin Posted November 25, 2008 Author Posted November 25, 2008 Thanks for the warm welcome Now, onto the nitty-gritty... Reading through the background, I find myself wondering" how is this guy a Hero? He seems at best like an ungrateful punk, and at worse like a larval Sylar (just waiting for the chance to do something that will increase his powers). Quite right. He suffers from a bit of an inferiority complex (related to established "Supers," as it were.) He's rather ungrateful, to be sure, but this doesn't mean he's willing to go that extra mile in order to make that big leap from "Hero" to "Villain." When it gets right down to it, he just feels he's been cheated out of an otherwise prospective future as a hero, both genetically and by his folks (though I suspect they tried to explain it more clearly, kids just, you know, never listen ) I don't actively see him letting folks fall off of the cliche' skyscraper scenario, and would at least try to do something. Just because he dislikes them immensely donesn't mean they deserve to go squish, for lack of a better example at the moment. P.S. - Sylar? You'll have to forgive me, as I seem to be failing my own Knowledge check here but, erm, who's Sylar? There are some problems in his stats. Primarily in his Attack/Damage. At PL 6, at most his attack bonus + damage can add up to 12 (2 x PL). On him they add up to 16 -- +6 Attack for his strike (from his Attack Specialization) and +10 Damage (Mighty Strike 5 + Str modifier +5). Something will need to come down. Related issue: why doesn't he have any base Attack bonus? Has he never fought without his claws? Hmm... you're correct, sir. It shall be fixed immediately. In reference to the "Attack Bonus" bit, I actually had pondered this one a good deal. At first I'd considered "Probably not. Doug would try to get everything he can out of his meager abilities," which then lead to me retorting "But that seems silly. Doug'd maim someone if he constantly used his claws." But again, I find myself asking more questions: "Even if he didn't, would that still constitute a "Strike" Power, or even Attack Specialization (Strike)? If he's capable of digging five-thousand feet a round (you'll see my addendum on that in a moment,) he must have the Strength to back that up, and an equally innate ability to use his hands effectively. Perhaps he doesn't need his claws active for anything other than digging or climbing, and he just socks people with his leathery ol' hands with focused strength, and thus it still falls into the same purview of retaining his ability to use his hands both effectively and innately? Maybe it would be more prudent to take "Attack Specialization (Unarmed Strike)" instead." The folks I've asked this seem to go either way relatively equally, so I'm actually a bit unsure as to whether that'd constitute ranks in Attack Specialization - let alone Strike - or not. For purposes of mechanics, I've instead dropped Attack Specialization in favor of Attack Focus (Melee), since that seems to thematically fit slightly better. In addition, Mighty Strike has been dropped from 5 to 1 to compensate for the over-expenditure of points, which brings his damage in line to +6. His flat-footed Defense is +3, not +4 (one-half your Defense). His Knocback is -2 (half of 5 [his non-Impervious Toughness], rounded down). Promptly fix'd, sir. Burrowing 12 gets him a speed of 5,000 mph, or about 50,000 feet/round. (Half that if going through hard clay or packed earth, half again if going through solid rock.) Ah. Again, I've misunderstood the "Time and Value" chart. I just presumed that since I couldn't find it, the Value portion represented feet since that's how movement is usually calculated in the d20 System. Aptly corrected. Olfactory senses are radius by default, so you don't need to buy it again in Super-Senses. Extended increases the range increment by a factor of 10, so Extended Scent 1 means your olfactory senses have a range increment of 100 feet, not 500. Amended, sir, in addition to another rank being purchased to bump it to 1000'. As written, his Weakness will impose a cumulative -1 to all Checks, Attack Rolls, and Defense for every 20 minutes spent in some environment with an overpowering smell. Is this what you wanted? I have to say I'm not sure that that should be worth 2 points. It's been removed till' further notice. Should you have a suggestion for a similarly themed weakness (or another weakness in general), I'm be all ears :)
Dr Archeville Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 Quite right. He suffers from a bit of an inferiority complex (related to established "Supers," as it were.) He's rather ungrateful, to be sure, but this doesn't mean he's willing to go that extra mile in order to make that big leap from "Hero" to "Villain." When it gets right down to it, he just feels he's been cheated out of an otherwise prospective future as a hero, both genetically and by his folks (though I suspect they tried to explain it more clearly, kids just, you know, never listen ) I don't actively see him letting folks fall off of the cliche' skyscraper scenario, and would at least try to do something. Just because he dislikes them immensely donesn't mean they deserve to go squish, for lack of a better example at the moment. That still doesn't really describe how or why he's a hero. There's nothing in his background indicating he has a heroic bone in his body, that he's ever done anything heroic, or really plans to. Or even why he would be a hero. ("Because people with powers are superheroes"? Then why are there superpowered villains?) Would he currently describe himself as a hero? Would he ever describe himself as a hero? If so, why? What has he done, what does he do, what would he do, to show -- to himself and to others -- that he is a hero? P.S. - Sylar? You'll have to forgive me, as I seem to be failing my own Knowledge check here but, erm, who's Sylar? Big Bad from season 1 of Heroes. The son of a watchmaker and a very dull woman (or so he believed), grew up feeling he should be more. Found out he is Special, with the ability of is "intuitive aptitude", the ability to understand and manipulate patterns within complex systems (which explained why he was so very good at fixing timepieces). He could also apply this ability to the powers of other Special people: by examining the brain of his victim, he is able to find the brain's connection to the ability, and once he finds said connection, he can immediately replicate the power himself (and usually at a better level of control than what they'd had); he usually accesses the brain by telekinetically slicing the top of their skull off (he had to use a large quartz to crack open the skull and access the brain of the guy he stole the TK from). In season 1 he killed & gained the powers of over half a dozen people (becoming one of the few characters to have more than one ability), and in season 3 he's killed & gained another four. (In season 2 all his abilities were blocked, and when he got them back he'd been "wiped clean," losing almost everything he'd gained in the prior season, so he had to start over.) A recent 'retcon' to him is that there is a Hunger tied to his original power, a need to know more, to gain more powers, and that all his horrible actions were not so much "he's an unrepentant psychopath" and more "he's got a major addiction and does regret his actions." Hmm... you're correct, sir. It shall be fixed immediately. In reference to the "Attack Bonus" bit, I actually had pondered this one a good deal. At first I'd considered "Probably not. Doug would try to get everything he can out of his meager abilities," which then lead to me retorting "But that seems silly. Doug'd maim someone if he constantly used his claws." But again, I find myself asking more questions: "Even if he didn't, would that still constitute a "Strike" Power, or even Attack Specialization (Strike)? If he's capable of digging five-thousand feet a round (you'll see my addendum on that in a moment,) he must have the Strength to back that up, and an equally innate ability to use his hands effectively. Perhaps he doesn't need his claws active for anything other than digging or climbing, and he just socks people with his leathery ol' hands with focused strength, and thus it still falls into the same purview of retaining his ability to use his hands both effectively and innately? Maybe it would be more prudent to take "Attack Specialization (Unarmed Strike)" instead." The folks I've asked this seem to go either way relatively equally, so I'm actually a bit unsure as to whether that'd constitute ranks in Attack Specialization - let alone Strike - or not. For purposes of mechanics, I've instead dropped Attack Specialization in favor of Attack Focus (Melee), since that seems to thematically fit slightly better. In addition, Mighty Strike has been dropped from 5 to 1 to compensate for the over-expenditure of points, which brings his damage in line to +6. That works rather well Promptly fix'd, sir. Groovy 8-) Ah. Again, I've misunderstood the "Time and Value" chart. I just presumed that since I couldn't find it, the Value portion represented feet since that's how movement is usually calculated in the d20 System. Aptly corrected. Movement powers and how they interact with "tactical movement" has never really been directly addressed in th core M&M book, but Ultimate Power does at least nod towards it. Your speeds are still off, though. Just list "5,000 mph / 50,000 feet/round; half that if going through hard clay or packed earth, and half again if going through solid rock." That'll be more the adequate. Amended, sir, in addition to another rank being purchased to bump it to 1000'. Are you sure you want him to be able to smell something 1,000 feet away as well as you or I could at 10 feet, given his Weakness to overpowering smells? It's been removed till' further notice. Should you have a suggestion for a similarly themed weakness (or another weakness in general), I'm be all ears Hrrmmm... well, you could go with a Susceptibility to Dazzles (common frequency), that would sorta fit the "enhanced senses aren't all they're cracked up to be" part.
MBCE Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 Archived due to inactivity. You can PM a Ref if you decide to return to this character.
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