Tsura Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 (edited) Player Name: TsuraStage Name: Lara DrakeTheme: Magic TouchPower Level: 8 (150pp)Trade-Offs: NoneUnspent Power Points: 0Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30In Brief: Crime Fighting Magician who lacks any actual magical abilitiesAlternate Identity: Lara EisenheimIdentity: PublicBirthplace: Gloucestershire, EnglandOccupation: IllusionistAffiliations: NoneFamily: Robert Eisenheim III (Father), Sarah Eisenhiem (Mother, Deceased)Description:Age: 26 (DoB: 3/24/1988)Gender: FemaleEthnicity: EnglishHeight: 5’11â€Weight: 160lbsEyes: Dark BrownHair: Black Lara is fairly tall, and equally trim. She wears her charcoal black hair short, and cut to frame her face. She has a bright, expressive face with a very warm smile. She's quite attractive, though her attire tends to cover it up somewhat. She dresses in somewhat outdated formal wear, traditionally black tie wear, minus the evening jacket, along with a stylish top hat. When not preforming, her attire is much more casual and modern.Power Descriptions: Lara has no real superhuman abilities or powers. She does, however, have a lifetimes worth of training in special effects, sleight of hand, showmanship, and stage magic. These abilities are further supplemented with ingeniously concealed devices and props to give the appearance of legitimate magical abilities.History:Lara is a fourth generation magician, and the current heir to the Eisenham legacy. Her Great Grandfather, Robert Eisenheim I, was a English emigrant and stage hand to the legendary Harry Houdini, studying as something under an apprentice to the great illusionist prior to Houdini’s untimely death. Following this, Robert returned to England to ply his newfound skills, gaining a fairly large bit of notoriety and prestige. The family name was carried on by Robert Eisenheim II, who returned to America and achieved no small amount of fame. Soon he had a child, Robert the III, and the two became a Father-Son pair of magicians, who’s skills and illusions astounded millions. The pair’s success came to a close during the Communist Witch hunts. Robert II was brought before the House of Un-American Activities Committee, accused of being a communist sympathizer. Robert Refused to admit to any wrongdoing, and while no evidence was found against him, the Eisenhiem’s found themselves blacklisted, unable to find any work outside of children’s birthday parties. Lara’s grandfather ended up dying from pneumonia a decade later, leaving his child in poverty. Lara’s father, Robert III, had grown bitter and angry over the years. Having been unfairly robbed of his family and wealth, he resolved to take these things back by force. He elected to put his theatrical talents to more profitable ends than simple performances. He started small, developing hidden compartments to smuggle contraband goods with, using sleight of hand and disguises to forge documents and steal bank information. Once he’d established enough funding, Robert returned to the public eye under the persona of Noctune The Dreaded, claiming to be a dark wizard and fooling law enforcement into believing it. He made a name for himself preforming seemingly impossible heists. Sometime during this period, he took a wife, who became his accomplice in crime, and soon thereafter provided Robert with a child, Lara. Lara’s earliest memory comes from when she was 4 or 5 years of age, when her father told her that her mother had been killed in a gunfight with the police during a robbery gone bad. That was also when Lara’s father started training her, teaching Lara the family secrets for trickery and illusion, as his father had taught him. Lara was being prepared to follow her fathers footsteps into crime. By the time she was 13 or so, Lara was a certified criminal, having aided her father in 7 bank heists across Europe and America. But Dad was getting older, and Lara’s skills weren’t enough to pick up the slack. The pair got caught trying to rob a jewelry store in downtown freedom city during the 90s. Lara’s dad was give 25 years, so by comparison, her 5 years in juvenile detention was fairly light. Getting arrested turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Lara. While incarcerated, she received therapy and consoling with several social workers, who helped her to realize that she had the right to choose her own path in life, and was more than just a tool for her father’s criminal lifestyle. When she was released at 18, Lara was prepared to turn her life around. Her dad expected Lara to break him out, which she refused. The two haven’t seen eye to eye since then. Lara got work as a ‘beautiful assistant’ for a stage show in California, using a fake name to distance herself from the darker parts of her family history. Her talents were enough to rocket her into the spotlight soon enough, taking center stage in her own show, dazzling audiences of all ages from coast to coast, and making more money than she’d ever gotten for grand larceny. While headlining at the Royal Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Lara found herself once more intertwined with the criminal element. This time, however, she was on the opposite side of the fence. A dozen armed men had broken into the Casino, intent on robbing the vault and making off with whatever they could get their hands on. They were pretty amateurish, and the whole thing turned into a standoff between the police and the criminals. The only thing keeping the officers at bay was the hundred plus hostages that the gunman had as leverage. Among them, was Lara. Having walked a mile in the shoes of a criminal, Lara knew a thing or two about how events were likely to play out between the police and the thieves. Using her talent for theatrics and misdirection, Lara managed to pull of one of the greatest magic tricks of all time. While under heavy guard, she managed to make herself and the entire crowd of hostages, disappear from right under the gunmen’s noses. Lacking their leverage, the men were swiftly apprehended and incarcerated, and Lara made national headlines for her part in their capture. The event is what motivated Lara to take up a more active role against the criminal element. Yes, she enjoys the fame and attention that can be garnered through public heroism. Better than that is the pride she holds in her craft, being hailed as the greatest magician alive. But, deep down, it was because Lara had come to realize that she owed it to herself and to others, to try and undo the damages her family had caused, balance the scales of karma as it were.Personality & Motivation:Lara has two real persona’s The one she wears as a performer, and the one she wears in private. Publically, she’s bombastic and over the top. She does everything with energy and excitement, taking huge amounts of pride in her skills, enjoying any opportunity to grab the spotlight and show off her talents. In private, she’s a tad more reserved and thoughtful, though still very proud of herself and her talents. Her talent for deception permeates into her life, and she keeps an air of mystery between herself and others. As the saying goes, a magician never reveals their secrets. So to does Lara use the flash and garnish of her public persona, to distract away from the truth of her own life.Powers & Tactics: Lara uses her talents to amaze and astound. With an arsenal of concealed equipment at her fingertips, she can seemingly do the impossible. It is all an act though. She carefully cultivates doubt in the minds of others, making them second guess whether or not she actually possesses any real magical powers. This is both done out of professional respect for her craft, and out of necessity. The moment others stop believing her power is anything other than smoke and mirrors, the whole thing falls apart. As such, she strives to distract and disorient her opponents, keeping them off balance and confused, so that she can subdue them before they have a chance to figure out what’s actually happening.[ Complications: Public Identity: While her real name is kept secret, Lara more or less lives her day to day life as Lara Drake. She has no secret identity to hide behind, meaning it’s quite easy for anyone to find out where she is and what she’s up to. Secret: Her past as a criminal is a matter of great shame for Lara, and is something she desires to keep hidden from the world. Showoff: Lara was born into a world of theatrics and spectacle. It’s in her very nature to try and take the spotlight, even when it might be in her best interests to avoid attention. Rivalry: Viewing herself as the greatest illusionist of the modern age, Lara views other such performers as rivals, and is driven to prove herself the superior magician. This sense of competition also extends to individuals possessing real magical powers, who might overshadow her abilities. Fame: Lara is well known and well recognized, making it difficult for her to go in public without drawing attention to herself.Abilities: 0 + 8 + 4 + 10 + 6 + 10 = 38PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 18 (+4) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 20 (+5) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 20 (+5)Combat: 8 + 12 = 20PP Initiative: +4 Attack: +4 Melee, +4 Ranged Grapple: +4 Defense: +8 (+6 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -4Saving Throws: 4 + 6 + 3 = 13PP Toughness: +8 (+2 Con, +2 Defensive Roll, +4 Protection) Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con, +4) Reflex: +10 (+4 Dex, +6) Will: +6 (+3 Wis, +3)Skills: 116R = 29PP Acrobatics 12 (+16) SM Bluff 12 (+17) SM Craft (Mechanical) 4 (+9) Craft (Chemical) 2 (+7) Disable Device 6 (+11) SM Sleight Of Hand 12 (+16) SM Escape Artist 12 (+16) SM Knowledge (Behavioral Science) 4 (+9) Knowledge (Technology) 2 (+7) Investigate 2 (+7) Disguise 8 (+13) SM Notice 12 (+15) Sense Motive 12 (+15) SM Search 4 (+9) Stealth 12 (+16) SMFeats: 18PP Defensive AttackDodge Focus 2Defensive Roll Benefit (Wealth) 2Equipment 2Skill Mastery 2Second Chance (Bluff)Second Chance (Sleight Of Hand)Challenge (Escape Artist: Escape from restraints as a move action)*Challenge (Sense Motive: Reading a situation)*Challenge (Sleight of hand: Preform Sleight of hand at extended range)*InventorImproved Trick*Hide In Plain Sight Feats marked with an asterisk come from the masterminds Manuel. Improved Trick: You can use Bluff to trick an opponent in combat as a move action rather than a standard action without the usual –5 penalty. (page 46.) Reading a situation: For every +5 (after the first, due to the challenge feat) you increase the DC of your Sense Motive check, you learn one fact about the situation at hand when evaluating a situation (see Sense Motive in the Skills chapter of M&M). The GM may tell you things like someone’s apparent goal(s), the nature of an interaction,what card a person is thinking off, and so forth.(page 14] Equipment 2PP=10EPMagicians Jacket (Protection 4, Subtle) [5EP]Mini-Tracer [1ep]Smoke Bomb (Obscure (Vision) 2)) [4ep] Powers: 32 = 32PPMagicians Tools ( 35PP Container Flaws: Hard-To-Lose, Feats: subtle 2, Restrictive 2) [32PP]Art Of Illusion (30pp Array Feats: Alternate Effect 5) [35PP] (Showmanship, Props, and Sleight of Hand) Base Power: Illusion (Visual & Auditory) 8 (Feats: Progression 6) {30pp/30pp}(Smoke, Mirrors and Speakers) Alternate Power: Mind Control 8 (Extras: Conscious (+1), Sustained (+1); Flaws: Sense Dependent (Visual)(-1)) {24pp/30pp}(Subliminal Hypnotic Suggestion and a simple pocket watch) Alternate Power: Damage 8 (Extras: Ranged (+1), Auto fire (+1) Feats: Accurate 2, Precise, Ricochet 3) {30pp/30pp}(Spray of razor sharp playing cards) Alternate Power: Concealment 5 (All Visual, Normal Hearing, Extras: Affects Others (+1), Ranged (+1) Flaws: Passive(-1), Feats: Close Range, Selective) {17pp/30pp}(The magician covers an object with a cloth, and when the cloth is pulled away, its vanished)​ Alternate Power: Snare 8 ( Extras: Constricting (+1) Feats: Accurate 2, Reversible, Obscure Vision, Triggered 2) {30pp/30pp}(Ensnaring Cloth Ribbons) Alternate Power: Dazzle (Visual) 8 (Extras: Shapeable Area (+1), Selective (+1); Flaws: Touch Range (-1) Feats: Progression 3) {27pp/30pp}(A blinding display of stage pyrotechnics) DC BlockATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECTUnarmed Touch DC15 Tough(Staged) Damage(Physical)Illusion Perception DC18 Will(Interaction) FooledMind Control Perception DC18 Ref/Will ControlledCards Ranged DC23 Tough(Staged) Damage(Physical)Snare Ranged DC18 Ref(Staged) Entangled/BoundSnare Damage DC19 Tough(Staged) Damage(Physical)Dazzle Area(DC20Ref) DC18 Ref/Fort Visual Dazzle Totals: Abilities (38) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (29) + Feats (18) + Powers (32) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points Edited May 11, 2014 by Tsura
Thevshi Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 PRESTO! Very neat character concept Tsura, looks like she could be a lot of fun to play! As I said in chat, there are a few concerns I have with how you have mechanically sought to make a very interesting concept/theme. First, a few minor crunch issues: Her initiative should be +4, not +3. I would caution about relying so much of Defensive Roll for your Toughness save (as a good feint/acrobatic bluff is going to rob you of all that as well as much of your Defense), but there is nothing to say you cannot do what you have. Her Stealth should be +12 with Dex, not +13. So, one of the big questions/concerns I have relates to the Art of Illusion array. Again to reiterate, I think the character concept is a very interesting one. I just am a bit concerned that you have stated she has not true superpowers, but mimics them through stagecraft/props, but mechanically, you have built a character that "does" have superpowers (I know this might sound a bit odd). Having things such as the ensnaring chains, wires and pulleys, etc, is neat, the only issue I see, is how does she always have them on hand, anywhere she goes, all the time? How is it the equipment that she uses to produce the pyrotechnic display (the Dazzle) can never be taken away, at least till she can go get more supplies? Same with her razor cards? How does she always have the mirrors on hand to produce her illusions? Some of this can be potentially explained, perhaps she can work her illusions with any reflective surfaces on hand (modern cities often have a lot of that readily available, but there would likely be at least some instances where she have what she needs to pull it off). Some of this issue could be handled with appropriate power loss drawbacks or complications. Or it might be appropriate to have some of these powers as a device(s). Some individual issues for various power slots: Illusion slot: One small question, if this is based just on "smoke and mirrors," how is it also auditory? Mind Control Slot: Having PCs with Sustained mind control is something we shy away from. Is there a reasons for the sustained? How did you see it working? Damage Slot: Is there a reason it is not just Blast? (I know, effect is the same, but still). But, more importantly, Homing 3 - I have a bit of an issue with thrown playing cards that get 5 extra chances to hit when they miss when there is no actual superpower involved (I would actually have a bit of an issue with that much homing on a superpowered PC as well really). Being very skilled at throwing things is one thing, but this seems excessive. I would suggest no more than 1 rank of Homing, or, dropping Homing altogether and buying a couple of ranks of Ricochet and maybe Precise (to reduce penalties for throwing into melee, or when a bad guy has a hold of a hostage). Move Object slot: As noted initially, how does she always have the wire/pulley system to move 12 tons (or pull 60 tons)? I also question why this power is perception ranged. In a world with superspeedsters, and skilled martial artists (and other hard to hit/track targets), how is it she never misses when trying to snag one of them with these wires? Snare slot: Other than the issue of why these can never be taken away discussed initially, why do the chains obscure vision? If feels like something tacked on to just use up all the points in the array, which you do not have to do in every slot. The Prestidigitation array: there are a few small things here. Insubstantial slot: This is fine, though I would point out one limitation on it, per our house rules, if you were to try to use it to escape from a grapple, you must make a DC 20 Concentration check to be able to do so. Mind Reading slot: While I understand the idea behind this, there is a difference between being able to note when someone is nervous or being dishonest, etc, vs knowing exactly what their surface thoughts are. Ex: as it is now, being able to know that a guy your talking to in a dark alley next to a car is nervous because he is thinking about the dead body in the trunk of the car vs. being able to note the guy is nervous about something and glancing at the trunk of the car. But, perhaps this is a situation where the GM should try to make the use of this in-game be more like the later? Dimensional Pocket: I think this is another place where you have taken a non-powered character and given them a power. I get the concept of what you are trying to do here, I just think mechanically it is becoming something different. This allows your Str 10 character to be able to "hide away" 2,500 lbs worth of stuff, to be "reveled" somewhere else. Perhaps mechanically this might work better as a concealment useable on others/objects, then using you Move Object in the other array to move the object/person away? That way your character would still be able to make a car/elephant disappear. That is about it.
Tsura Posted May 9, 2014 Author Posted May 9, 2014 Her initiative should be +4, not +3. Her Stealth should be +12 with Dex, not +13. Easy enough. Corrected Defensive Roll & Toughness Used the extra points gained by making her art of illusion into a device (See below) To raise constitution, increasing my toughness save, and allowing me to drop a rank of defensive roll. Took the point from THAT and put it into raising sense motive so that I'm less likely to be fooled by such tricks. So, one of the big questions/concerns I have relates to the Art of Illusion array. Again to reiterate, I think the character concept is a very interesting one. I just am a bit concerned that you have stated she has not true superpowers, but mimics them through stagecraft/props, but mechanically, you have built a character that "does" have superpowers (I know this might sound a bit odd). Having things such as the ensnaring chains, wires and pulleys, etc, is neat, the only issue I see, is how does she always have them on hand, anywhere she goes, all the time? How is it the equipment that she uses to produce the pyrotechnic display (the Dazzle) can never be taken away, at least till she can go get more supplies? Same with her razor cards? How does she always have the mirrors on hand to produce her illusions? Some of this can be potentially explained, perhaps she can work her illusions with any reflective surfaces on hand (modern cities often have a lot of that readily available, but there would likely be at least some instances where she have what she needs to pull it off). Some of this issue could be handled with appropriate power loss drawbacks or complications. Or it might be appropriate to have some of these powers as a device(s). I completely get where your coming from on this one. I was actually expecting this issue before I even finished the character. My thought going into this was that, yes, her ability to preform incredible feats is beyond the impossible with real world science and trickery. But it felt appropriate for what one could conceivably accomplish with comic book science. The reason I didn't put these skills in a device is that I figured it added to the mistique of the character and further emphasized just how good she is at pulling these tricks off. I pictured it like this. That even if you know she has to be doing it with some kind of device, no matter how hard you look, you just cannot find it. That she really is so good at what she does that it looks like she's doing it totally unassisted. But reading what you posted, I realized your right, that no matter how good a magician she is, if a villain were to strip her clothing off and leave her in an empty room with No way to prep any of her illusions, she wouldn't be able to just pull another thousand playing cards out of nowhere. I agree, these should be a device, even if they are really well hidden (Would that be a rank or two subtle on the device container, so that its not obvious she's using a device?) Illusion: I didn't intend for that description to be taken literally as just smoke and mirrors. More to the general idea, that she's using misdirection and redirected light (Probably speakers to) To make people see things that aren't actually there. I can easily add speakers to the description though. Mind Control I saw it working like a stage hypnotist, which in real life shows typically involve hypnotizing dozens of people in a group, by putting them under one by one. If Sustained is an issue, I can certainly remove that, its not such a huge deal that I'm absolutely dedicated to the idea. Since its a part of a device now, I also set it to a hypnotists watch. Damage: Yeah, I'm fine with that change. Homing was indeed added to fill points up, but your suggests do fit even better. Edited. Move object To the first Part, see above (its now a device). Also: Batman is never questioned on how he always has enough batrope strong enough to lift cars. It seemed suitably comicy. To the second part, you have a fair point. Replaced Perception range with Damaging, added 2 ranks of accurate. Snare Thats my bad. I initially wanted chains, but then I swapped them out for an enveloping cloth that wrapped around the target (Like a mummy), and forgot to fix the description. Edited. Insubstantial: Thats fine. This was less for escaping grapples and more for the classing 'you turn away for a split second, and then she's outside the locked steel cage'. Mind Reading: I did it this way because I based the idea for it off the classic 'pick a card, any card' style tricks where the magician appears to read your thoughts. I know those tricks are actually pulled off through manipulating the choice that the person makes, but I wanted an ability that would allow me to recreate the trick in game, and so I felt mind reading based off facial expressions worked. The actual mechanics for the power were pulled from the 3e Talent power profile, which appeared to match up with the 2e mechanics, so I didn't expect this to be an issue. I'm not sure how to correct the power and still get the effect I want though. Dimensional Pocket: Concealment I think works fine, and still fits the function I was going for, so I'm fine with changing that. If I'm reading affects others and affects objects correctly, I should only need to add the affects others (+0) version, for a power that can only be used on other (willing) people and objects (Since affects objects is only required if your effect has a fortitude save). I Think that's every issue that needed addressing. If not, then I'll fix whatever else I missed
Supercape Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 I really like this character concept. How to build it is, I think, I tricky one, however. My personal feeling is I would be inclined to build her powers as a hard to loose device as you have done, representing a series of gadgets and tricks she has up her sleeve (and probably restricted 1, to stage magicians?) In essence, if she is disarmed or caught "empty handed" she would have to be relying on skills and deception alone. I would be inclined to use some points to really whizz up her bluff, sleight of hand, and perhaps other skills (like perform [dance/sing/act], craft [mechanics, structual, chemical], and knowledge [behavioural science, technology], perhaps with one or two feats (second chance [sleight of hand and bluff skills], inventor) to represent just how extremely talented she is at deception, and perhaps so she can organise clever stage shows and make custom gadgets or stuff. The master plan feat might be an idea - with the descriptor that she creates deceptions, flashes, distractions, etc. As for the array, some of these work for me, some are more complicated. Again, I would be inclined to loose some PP from the array to bump her skills but thats just me. Illusion works fine, in terms of speakers, smoke, and even holograms. Mind Control - perhaps with the descriptor of a swirling circle, stopwatch, etc? Conscious is an excellent extra. I would think perhaps you could make this sense dependent (light or sound) as hypnosis is suggested? Razor Cards are great (although you may want to drop this and buy ranks in throwing mastery perhaps, so she can throw even regular playing cards or pencils she gets her hands on!) Move Objects I think is the most difficult one conceptually. I totally get where you are coming from, but on the other hand she could only do this with careful preparation. I don't honestly think it is the right tool for the job. Partially skills like bluff, sleight of hand, stealth, craft could all be used to build traps, hidden wires, etc, all cheaply and without the need for trying to represent this as move object. On the other hand, you could do something like a trip attack which is triggered (and perhaps with knockback), to represent hidden wires or spring boards? Snare works perfect. Again, you might want to consider triggered. Constricting might be something to drop to shave some PP - it is also a rather nasty effect! (in terms of ickyness, not tactics!) Dazzle works perfect too. Again, perhaps triggered. I am not entirely sure how this might be selective - that works for laser beams but flashes of light are not too discriminative. Other things you might consider in the array - Sense dependent confusion (sounds or light, or even funny smells?) and perhaps obscure (smoke bombs) Onto the prestigation array. Again personally, this doesnt work too well for me. The first power just looks like a very high escape artist power, the second looks like a very high bluff and sense motive skill combined. The third looks like a very high stealth, bluff and/or hide in plain sight feat. The fourth sounds very cool...and the last sounds like a very high investigate / search / knowledge skills. I guess what I am saying is it looks like a lot of stuff which sound like skills being jammed into a small array. I think all your descriptions of what you want to do with a character are acheivable with a high (+10 or more) skill and skill mastery (or if you want to go full on master of the impossible, second chance feat). With your fluff, myself personally, I would give her a +5 situational bonus for things like using sense motive feat to read facial expressions in cards (but in reality, would she need it? the deck is stacked anyway...) Bear in mind that for regular joe street magic, you dont really have to roll these things. You just say she is awesome, and use sleigh of hand as a performance skill (like the core rule book). With those stats and that background, any reasonable GM is just going to say "She is awesome at stage magic, period". Its part of her backstory that even other world class magicians just throw their hands up and scratch their heads at how awesome she is. Final suggestion, with that lovely sleight of hand skill, a PP more in equipment to get things like mini tracer and concealable microphone (or even smoke bombs, throwing knives, and flash goggles) might be good. Ill reiterate this is a very unique and interesting character. I think the build is pretty good, but a lot of things which should be skills look like they end up tumbled into powers. As an example, I think most people would say with a reasonable INT (and 20 is world class) and some skills in craft (structural, mechanical or electronic depending on your narrative), perhaps combined with sleight of hand to hide things, a character could easily build some stage pyrotechnics, traps, and devices, which would mimic a lot of these powers. Buying skills and INT have to count for something! . The power arrays, I think, should be for stuff she has ready at all times to throw out without preparation. Personally I think this would be a more interesting way to play it - she holds up ok in regular fights, but give her a chance to prepare, to do some ground work studying psychology, deception, and so on, and she becomes awesome! EDIT: Had a thought about the teleport power. In essence this looks like a bad fit - it could be used to escape grapples, jump pits, or even through somebody etc. I would be more inclined to have a linked, or unlinked speed 1 power (fleet of foot) and a Free Action Obscure 1-2 power (with independent feat and slow fade 1, limitation (only when taking a move action, position is from where she moved).
Thevshi Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 Yeah, I totally get the comic book "science" of how your character works, and that is all fine. As mentioned, my main issue was you basically had devices that could not be taken away and where always there. But you have addressed that, so no worries. So, a couple of other things relevant to your changes. So for your device (or devices really), I agree that much of it should be subtle, but I am not sure the pocket watch or the thrown playing cards really are. Also, you may want to look at our new house rule regarding Multiple Weapons for devices (which can easily be described as multiple devices). This house rule would make each power slot a separate device (which I believe they basically are) so that one could be damaged/taken away, and you still would be able to use all the others. Might be something to consider. For the Mind Control, now that it is a device, the Innate feat does not really apply anymore. Also, your explanation regarding the stage hypnosis trick makes sense to me, if you wanted to stick with Sustained, I would likely be willing to approve it and will see what some other refs think on it. Also, I am not sure how well Subtle plays into what is going on here, as you are holding up a pocket watch and trying to hypnotize the target, seems like something the target and anyone else around would see. For the Move Object, I am not sure having Damaging is something you want to do. As an extra, it always applies when you use the power, so you would not be able to move things without them having to make a toughness save to avoid being damaged. For the Mind Reading, I get what your wanting to do. One way would be a feature for the card trick, but I think you could arguably have a greater ability to read people than just being able to perform the card trick. So what you have seems fine with me. I believe your right regarding the Concealment/disappearing act power, though it probably should read Only affects others/objects. One additional thing, there are some formatting issues with the sheet (your most recent edit seems to have shrunk the font). Could you please correct the font size (and also the font itself, it is a bit odd). Also, would be helpful if you could try removing the indentions that you have currently. (I can then go help add [array] and [device] tabs for you to bring it to our current formatting standards). Thanks
Tsura Posted May 10, 2014 Author Posted May 10, 2014 Wow thats a lot of responses, critiques and comments for me to take in. I'll try my best here, but I'm probably going to overlook something here or get a wire crossed in my explanation, so don't feel snubbed if that happens. Also, due to my own observation, the Concealment power in the prestidigitation array would, as it currently is, allow her to make allies invisable, then let them go any freely attack the bad guys. In addition to being supremely cheap, this isn't how I intended the power to be used, so I went and added the flaw: passive, so that you can't attack without breaking the concealment, and increased the Concealment to all visual to balance the point cost. Supercape Craft, Knowledge, Inventor: Lara don't build her own gear (At present at least. Maybe in the future when I've got more points to spend on it). Much of what she uses is re purposed designs from her dads criminal days, or commissioned projects that she pays for out of pocket to have built for her based on a rough outline of what she's looking for in a device. She's wealthy enough to have a few engineering and special effects teams that she calls on when she needs something built, though it might take weeks or months before she actually gets it. I'd actually been thinking that, if I make it to bronze status and get a minion, I'd make the minion as her go-to special effects guy. The person who actually builds and maintains her gear. Mind Control: It already has the pocket watch descriptor. Razor Cards: She's not throwing them. Rather, they are being launched out of her sleeves and/or hat. Don't get me wrong, being able to throw like that would be cool, but its not how I actually imagined this power working. Move Object: Being able to levitate massive objects is one of THE most classic magicians tricks (Right up there with rabbit from a hat). Not being able to pull that off on the fly would be insulting to the whole build. I get that it strains suspension of disbelief, believe me I do. But this is comic books. If motors can be made strong enough, and small enough, that a person with a suit of power armor can throw a tank like it was a baseball, I don't think that's to far a stretch from having dozens of really strong wires that link to a central motor hidden somewhere on Lara's body. Snare: Not sure what I'd do with the Triggered effect, to be honest. Unless you mean to make it function like a trap or something. It'd be cool to have the power to rig up the sheets to appear from other places and snatch up bad guys, though I think that would require ranks of indirect as well. Dazzle: I don't see what triggered would add to the effect, honestly. As for selective, I pictured the effect as launching dozens and dozens of small firework type rockets that explode in a bright flash. The selective comes in by making sure to aim the rockets so that they don't detonate to close to the eyes of anyone she doesn't want affected. Insubstantial Escape: Yes, you are right in that this is essentially a super version of the escape artist skill. However, the skill notes that it takes a minute or more to escape from bindings, which is way to long for what I'm picturing. I want to be able to do stuff like
Supercape Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 Thanks for looking at this Tsura. Your explanations are very handy. Triggered effects are like you say, traps. I don't think they need indirect - as when you place them you are there. Of course this is up to you. Dazzle as lots of little fireworks makes a lot of sense. Move Object is the one power in the array I find problematic, to be honest. I get where you are coming from, its a comic book staple, but I think its the wrong tool for the job, it feels clunky to me. If Tsura goes to a brand new location she can lift up cars and coffins with this power, even if she has never been there before to prepare. This is only a personal opinion of course - this looks like one of those powers where there will be differences of opinion. Honestly, I'm not even sure she needs this power - sleight of hand skill and preparation (and maybe hero points) would work wonders. As for your escape artist link - funnily enough that was exactly the clip I had in mind before you even linked it! I still think this is better modelled as escape artist skill - for that clip you can either say that the bulk of the work was done whilst bluffing in order to work unnoticed, or you could give a custom feat [instant escape, escape from binds as move action], or it was done with a hero point. The reason I am slightly disinclined to this array is that effectively you have bought a skill array - with escape artist and sense motive latched on to some other powers. No doubt, this is an effective use of power points, but I suppose that is the point, its getting very effective skills for 1 PP per alt power. And, at the end of the day, its using powers to mimic what can be done with skills, which is another thing I have a personal "thing" about. This is just one opinion though - but heads up that this will be something scrutinised on approval; as the house rules say, putting skills in arrays is something that is looked at very carefully. To put this in perspective, 5 PP could get you an array of perfect escape artist and mind reading (plus the ability to array further powers), whereas buying 12 ranks of Escape Artist and Sense Motive would cost 6 PP (and is actually less effective). A final point about multiple devices. Keeping this array as hard to lose is totally fine. The Multiple Devices house rule however is cheaper (nice!), and means that each separate power has to be disarmed individually. Even if somebody snatched away the hypnotic watch, it just means the mind control power is disarmed, not the rest of the array. With three or four devices in hand, it would be rather difficult to snatch away every one of them in your average fight! However, the choice is completely up to you. I wouldn't really worry about the tactical aspects of this, to be honest. As for Mind Control, sustained, I personally have some problems with that as its a "one shot kill" effect - any failed save and target is out for a minute at least (and combat rarely goes on to a minute). However, as its sense dependent (visual), giving an additional save and I way to avoid the effect, that looks pretty good to me. Again, a heads up, I bring up powers that will be scutinised more carefully and opinions may differ. That should not deter you at all, just be aware that some powers are more debatable than others! Ill reiterate my overall opinion that this character looks like a great addition to FCPbM! we have nobody even remotely like her.
Tsura Posted May 10, 2014 Author Posted May 10, 2014 After chatting with Supercape in the C-box, I've reworked Lara as a PL 8 hero. There were a multitude of changes involved in this, to many for me to list out in detail. The brief version is that most of her powers that were under scrutiny have been altered or removed. Hope this goes over well. Not sure how to change the thread title to read PL 8 though...
Supercape Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 PL 8/10 would be a generally used form! i.e. functions as PL 8, legally allowed to build up to PL 10!
Supercape Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 This looks good to me - not the previous build was bad, its just this one seems better A few notes: Challenge (Sense Motive: Reading a situation) Challenge (Sleight of hand: Preform Sleight of hand at extended range) Improved Trick I think these come from Masterminds Manual? (I don't know, I don't have it). They sound pretty cool, but as the site works on UP and Corebook as the rule set, it would be good to maybe asterix these and put the explanation of what they do in a spoiler box. Performing Sleight of Hand and Move action to free from bonds are both easy enough to condense as you have done. "Reading a Situation" - I don't know what that means! (it seems to be part of the default/core rules on Sense Motive?) the only power there I would scratch my head about here is concealment. Making things visually disappear (with smoke, mirrors, or other special effects) seems reasonable. Even olfactory or auditory at a push. Not sure how stage magic would help against radars or even mental senses. A psychic could surely still mind sense another brain? Incidentally you may want selective on that concealment, otherwise everything around you becomes invisible! One hiccup I note: Attractive pushes you over skill caps. Note that attractive is not needed to play a good looking character (even a stunningly awesome one) - the physical beauty of a character is whatever you want it to be. The Attractive feat really means "my charm is limited to a certain group".
Tsura Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 Notes regarding those feats and their usage (Along with page numbers in the Masterminds Manuel): Added Concealment: Changed to all visual and normal auditory, with a new descriptor reflecting the classic 'throw a sheet over something only to make it disappear when you pull the sheet away' trick. Also made the trick work at range, with selective added as well as the close range feats. Attractive: Swapped out for Defensive attack. Since I figure I can trick someone and attack in the same round (As improved trick allows me to trick as a move action) I'd rather not be getting punched in the face during such times while misleading my enemies to do stupid things. Character: Still awesome.
Supercape Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 OK I have made a lot of changes to formatting to make it look a bit neater (I hope). We aren't super pedantic over this stuff but the micro font was a little painful on the eyes! I hope the changes were to your satisfaction.On close examination:Playing Cards has a problem: It has a +8 attack bonus but Drake only has +2 base attack bonus. As per house rules, need 1/3 of total attack bonus to come from base.Concealment will not need Accurate 2 - it affects anyone who wants to be concealed!DC Block could do with tidying up but not vital. You should probably add the mind control reflex sace (DC 18 Will and Reflex). Snare Constriction (ouch!) is DC 19 Toughness.Everything else looks good to me.
Tsura Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 Fixed the DC block Lost the 2 ranks of Ranged focus Dropped 8 ranks of skills And spent the points to raise base attack to +4 I'm not sure what you mean by DC block being disorganized, or the micro font problem that happened before it was solved, since the font size was normal on my side, but I'm glad they are resolved.
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