Sacremas Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I'm wanting to make an Ultima character to play, I've just recently fallen in love with the race again. Overall I want to take something very close to the Archetypes book and modify a few things. I'm going for mostly a Supergirl meets Invincible thing. She should be quite powerful but inexperienced, I'm thinking PL 10 to 12, preferably the higher end as that gives more to build with within the template. I'm going to want to explore a bit with the telepathy and make the powers fit Ultimate Powers a bit closer (the regeneration write-up for example), but overall keep the same. Trade-offs probably +2 damage and toughness/-2 attack and defense, so 38 or so strength then and maybe 4-5 super strength. I'd like to get some boost powers off Cosmic Energy Control to boost super strength and flight, and one rank of Space Travel to be able to attain lightspeeds in space. Medium (10-12) Int and Wis, medium to high Charisma, both beautiful and personable. SKills use a lot of the archetype skills, but swap Intimidate for Bluff and taunt, and get Eidetic Memory and Beginner's Luck to simulate a kind of akashic memory to tap into with telepathy. Story/Background I'm working on, but it should be something like a young Ultima who's left Ultima Thule to seek adventures like her race did in ancient days, in Ultima terms she's a teen but that stil makes her a couple of hundred years old to an immortal race, so she was familiar with but not friendly in any way with Kal-Zed/Superior, knew him as you'd know a neighbour in a close community, if that neighbour was the surly metal-head teenager no one liked and everyone expected to become a criminal. Ideally I'd like to deal with her establishing a civilian identity, maybe getting a small job (maybe construction), establishing relationships and firiends among both superheroes and normal people. Very much a stranger in a strange land kind of story, she's going to pretend she's Swedish and only know American society from movies, which isn't that far from the truth. Would this kind of a character concept work? Are there any Ultima characters in play now? What's the status of Superior, still locked up in the Zero Zone or out and about? Link to comment
Raveled Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Well first off, your starting PC can only be PL 7 or PL 10, so this one can't be PL 12.This sounds a lot like Ulti-Teen, an Ultima NPC from the Exchange Students supplement. Which isn't a bad thing, really, just be aware that people are likely to make the comparison, both in-character and otherwise. Otherwise it sounds solid; a jolly adventurer experiencing this weird world of 'mortals' she's heard so much about. I'd play up the idea that what most folks think of as history are all relatively recent events to her.Last I heard, Superior was still locked up. Link to comment
KnightDisciple Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 It should also be noted that Kal-Zed is likely more than just a couple hundred years old, as in the 1940s he was a full-grown adult in physicality and mentality. Furthermore, in this site's continuity, he has a wife, Sa-Ur, and Quo-Dis (formerly Ultiteen now Ultiwoman) is their daughter. Quo-Dis is, I believe, a little over a century old, and is already past the teenager stage, appearance-wise. With that said, you might also want to check with AvengerAssembled, as in the past he's run Quo-Dis and Sa-Ur, and might have a few more insights on angles for someone from Ultima Thule (I believe that's the full name) to work with. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Okay sure, that works fine, I can do PL 10 by just varying the base Archetypes writeup by a few points, and save the stuff I was going to advance in for later and for power stunts (Cosmic Power being a good source for boosts and stunts). Shave a few points by getting one rank of attack specialization unarmed, leaving her blasting one PL behind, that's fine, spend that on some different skills, some all-out and power attack to show power above her level when she needs to. One thing though, any chance I can reduce the template's knowledge history a bit? It doesn't make sense to me, those levels of knowledge history are more for useful stuff, recent history (last 100 years), the Ultima has been holed on on their island for so long playing isolationists that history for them is stuff mostly related to Arcane Lore checks for other characters (ancient history, Atlantis, the Serpent People, that stuff). As such I either want to put in a Flaw on the skill if you'll allow that to make it ancient history only, or to simply reduce the ranks. Freed up points will be spent on other skill ranks. Interesting about the extra ultima around, might be fun. I wasn't entirely certain of the aging of Ultima. Angles that I would play up on would be some of the Superman stuff, not really belonging, not really finding a way to belong on Ultima Thule and just too different to belong even among other superheroes. Bit of the same stuff that led the Ultima to isolate themselves in the first place. They were many of the ancient gods after all (the concept comes from Kirby's Eternals, where they impersonated several gods and took their names from them... or rather in original Eternals they were the actual ancient gods who's names were corruptions of Eternal names, but that didn't work when Marvel put them in the main universe), with god-like powers, who ended up deciding to withdraw from the world. I see that you already have an abundance of PC mentalists so maybe I won't play up the telepathy angle of the Ultima so much, more going for Paragon and use telepathy for the classic paragon super senses by alternating ESP and the like from it. As said ideally I want to play this character establishing an identity and getting to know ordinary mortals, make connections, etc. I figure she'll approach the Freedom League or someone like that pretty early and ask them to set up the necessary paper work and help her get settled (hard to get a job and a bank account if you don't have a social security number) in trade for perhaps doing some work with the League or whatever they decide for superhero training and supervision. For secret identity i want to steal some classic Supergirl stuff, namely an unflattering wig and glasses perhaps. Would you allow the Holding Back "drawback" from Hero High? I don't want points for it obviously (no one should get points for something that makes you stronger), but it should basically be a sort of limit break, accessible only by GM permission (as the description states, only absolutely bleak and desperate situations where it's probably over if she doens't, and given that she's immortal from regeneration it can't be something that only threatens her). Think Super Saiyan transformation through cosmic overload, punctuated by a "World of Cardboard" speech; "But you can take it, can't you big guy? What we have here is an excellent situation for me to cut loose and see how powerful I really am..." Now if she has something like that there should however be something special in her background that sets her apart from other Ultima (especially since several are active as NPCs). My first thought is something related to Ultima Prime, that she was perhaps the daughter Ultima Prime from a difficult situation where he held a lot of the race's powers, a sort of destined child even among immortal gods, who was never going to be able to fit into anywhere else. The Ultima might have propehcies about her that go several vague directions, she's going to bring about the end of the world or she's going to save it, she's going to destroy the Ultima race or she's going to uplift and renew it, that sort of vague nondescreptive thing that doesn't tell me anything but gives a GM something to run with if they want, and would be a reason for the other Ultima to be vary of her, with her ending up as a sort of outsider not belonging to that society, and now seeking another society to belong to. Alternatley for the lineage, we know that the Centurion spent some time in Ultima Prime. Maybe he met someone there after his wife had died, but left (or were even glamoured to leave) after she became pregnant, without knowing that had happened. If so the obvious name for such a character would be Centuria, but that's a name with a lot to live up to, and not one she would take out of the box. Odds are she'd start with something a lot less presumptious and try to become reknown of her own before takign that name. Stat differences in that case would be to drop the Telepathy aspect entirely and get some enhanced senses, the Centurion were cosmically charged so she'd keep her other abilities but they would perhaps take a slightly different form. Perhaps charged by sunlight for example, to play more up on the Supergirl angle, but able to do a more general boost of abilities if fully charged ("sun-dipping"). I'm good with either one, prophecied child of (insert vague term here), or Centuria. Link to comment
Supercape Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Centuria was already a proposed name for TiffanyKortas PC, Triakosa. In short, it was felt that this was not a great idea! Link to comment
KnightDisciple Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Would you allow the Holding Back "drawback" from Hero High? I don't want points for it obviously (no one should get points for something that makes you stronger), but it should basically be a sort of limit break, accessible only by GM permission (as the description states, only absolutely bleak and desperate situations where it's probably over if she doens't, and given that she's immortal from regeneration it can't be something that only threatens her). Think Super Saiyan transformation through cosmic overload, punctuated by a "World of Cardboard" speech; "But you can take it, can't you big guy? What we have here is an excellent situation for me to cut loose and see how powerful I really am..." You can't break Combat Caps via a "limit break" or similar mechanism. Instead you might look into getting some of the feats that let you change around your combat stats. Defensive Fighting, Precise Attack, things like that. Then, the character can "cut loose" but actually just be using their true/normal PL setup in combat. I am not a Ref, but a secret love baby of the Centurion's is....eh. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Dammit, I never noticed before now that the archetype writeup has spent 183 points. That's going to be a problem. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 You can't break Combat Caps via a "limit break" or similar mechanism. You can actually unless you are quoting a specific house rule, the Holding Back "drawback" from hero high lets you temporarily gain in PL and have essentially two character sheets. Writeup is as follows; Holding Back This mirrors Untapped Potential, but it’s pretty much the downside of that feat. Holding Back means you possess a lot more power than you’re letting on, but you won’t use it out of a legitimate fear. Can you shatter buildings with a thoughtless word? Can you tap into an endless pit of darkness to fuel yourself? Can you surrender to an indiscriminate battle-fury that turns you into a lethal tornado of death? You can tap into and wield abilities above and beyond the campaign’s power levels. In fact, the current power levels are holding you back from going full-bore. This is a dangerous ploy, however, and a slip could prove worse than the threat facing you now. With Holding Back, two conditions must be met before you can access this untapped reserve. Over half the team must be unconscious or dying for you to consider making this sacrifice, or many innocent lives should be at stake (possibly including your own), and you must make a frequency check for the drawback to overcome your own years of self-deprivation training. If both conditions are met, you have access to greater powers for that encounter (during teen hero creation, make two character sheets for the normal hero and the tricked-out, really dangerous hero; this prevents you from slowing the flow of combat). • Minor (DC 5): +2 power levels or +30 power points to distribute to various traits. • Moderate (DC 10): +4 power levels or +60 power points to distribute to various traits. • Major (DC 15): +6 power levels or +90 power points to distribute to various traits. The bad in all this is that once you unleash your full potential, there’s a price to pay. You suffer a complication chosen by the GM for unleashing your full power. See the following section for some possibilities. Sample Complications Note that in any of these instances, you can spend a hero point to prevent your powers or actions from killing anyone. • Berserk: You lose self-control and enter a feral state. Intelligence drops to 1 and until subdued, you’re enraged, like a use of the Rage feat (M&M p63), but with none of the benefits. This may even happen at the beginning of combat, with your principle target being the threat that started the combat. • Host: Your powers exist because you’re host to some terrible, evil entity. It might be extraterrestrial, extra-dimensional, or magical, but unleashing its power means it temporarily surfaces and assumes control of your body. It may be hell-bent on destruction, or perhaps it quietly goes about some secret agenda while your conscious is unconscious. You wake up, not knowing what it’s done or who it’s killed, but dreading the impending truth nonetheless. Regardless, regaining control of your body may happen automatically after a few hours, it may happen at dawn or dusk, or it may happen once your body needs rest and falls asleep. It’s up to you and the Gamemaster to decide. • Hunted: Somebody out there is looking for you, whether it’s the corporation that gave you powers, the mad scientist who built you, or your demon daddy looking to open a gateway through you. Either way, it’s bad news. By unleashing your powers at full bore, you may have given your hunters a way to locate you. They’ll find you and attack you to get you back. If you’re lucky, you have a couple of hours to prepare. If you’re unlucky, they’re already on your back. Gamemasters should create this nemesis in advance and keep them ready for use. • Inert: You reach great heights in your power, only to crash even harder. With this drawback, you shut down, lose cohesion, become a statue, or fall into a coma. Essentially, you are out of commission. You recover as per the Recovery Table (M&M, page 165) from a disabled state, and you cannot use your offensive powers until you are no longer Injured. • Monstrosity: Your power turns you into a monster for several hours. And no, it isn’t some cute and fuzzy G-Rated critter, but something exceedingly gross or horrifying, something that would raise an eyebrow on H.P. Lovecraft. It’s so bad, cops will shoot at you, and the armed forces will be called in to deal with you as a threat. Even the people who know and love you won’t be the same. For a week after you revert back, you suffer a –2, –4, or –6 penalty (depending on the power levels you normally gain) on all Charisma-related rolls when dealing with anyone who’s seen you as the beast. • Power Unleashed: Your power is explosive, and unleashing it is like a meltdown. If you fail to contain it, your most offensive power lashes out randomly at full force until you’re rendered unconscious. In my book (and all my games) this is a "permission only" type of drawback, and not one you get any points for your normal character from. Link to comment
KnightDisciple Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 >Per House Rules, Holding Back is banned. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Aha, you could just say that then and save me the write-up. Be specific man. No matter, was just an idea. Hm, I'm going to have to do some serious down-cutting to fit the character into 150 PP, as the base Archetypes writeup is 183 points. Let's see... the rules for being able to start with a PL 12 character is 60 PP earned / one year of stady posting? I can do that. I have other concepts that I can do instead meanwhile. I can't find it anywhere but the PL 7 / PL 10 starting range is that just a choice or does that have any impact on other characters? Guessing it's just a choice. Incidentally I'm a veteran PbP gamer and GM from Groovy Gamers and PbP House, I've done quite a bit more PbP than I have tabletop playing. I'd be interested in doing very very brief adventures later on, not sure where you'd apply for that. Nothing serious beyond adventures though as I have my own games elsewhere that I'm running/going to run. I'm going to do some thinking here and look into alternate concepts for a lower-powered character to start off with, unless someone has a very good idea on how to size down an Ultima 33 points without taking away iconic abilities. Link to comment
Raveled Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Well what would you consider iconic? I could make a Paragon with Telepathy without breaking 150PP. Link to comment
KnightDisciple Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 >Here is a 150pp build for an Ultiman. Here are links to our House Rules and Newbie Guide. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 >Here is a 150pp build for an Ultiman. Here are links to our House Rules and Newbie Guide. Nice! Thanks a lot, that's actually really good. I'm going to think it over some on that. ***************************** One possible concept I'd like to play alternately would be a Master of Kung Fu (starting as a student, advancing), with Kung Fu being treated as 'wire-fu' meets Street Fighter. Use Mecha & Manga matial artist abilities, a Chi array to pull various stunts and special strikes from, and much later on energy blasts and a Alternate Form as per Battle Form from Mecha & Manga for a very temporary enhancemnet to superhuman levels, as well as Combo Finish. Wire-fu would include leaping, large acrobatics, some super movements. Now this character can be two things, he can be a PL 7/105 PP learner type character who still has a Sifu in the picture to train him, this would be an NPC, either an existing one or a new one. Or a PL 10/150 PP "intermediate master" type of character, graduated from his master's teachings and perhaps even looking for students to train on his own. This would be a more self-assured and serene type of character, as opposed to the just starting out PL 7 version. On PL 10 he would be actively seeking to protect perhaps an etnic or crime-ridden neighbourhood while seeking out students to instruct as he was instructed. If/As I earned ranks I'd take the 15 point minion/headquarters reward for that character and build a school headquarters, some marial artist minion students, etc, and later on graduating to a primary/star pupil sidekick. That's actually a very good use for such a reward, as it is things I otherwise would have taken anyway. This depends entirely on either a GM would be willing to play such a Master character for me to learn from (I could do it all on writeups on my own, but I'm not sure about that), and later on if they'd be willing to play the students of the "intermediate" master. Enemies of such a character would rather than pure supervillains (though Doctor Sin and his minions would be an excellent foil) be gangs preying on the neighbourhood, rogue martial artists, and other things inspired of Kung Fu/chinese myths as well as Hong Kong action movies. Overall it depends, I detected some misgivings about a Ultima character (or at least the ideas I had on her), which of these two concepts would best work for the world? I'm good with either of them really, and can do the other later as I get the concept done and get a better feel for the game style. Link to comment
Raveled Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Nothing from Mecha & Manga is a good idea around here. This is a site for Western superheroes, the refs tend to be against anything anime. But a martial artist like Iron Fist or She-Hulk would work. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Yeah Iron Fist and general Kung Fu characters (Richard Dragon, Shiva, Shang-Chi) have been a staple of superhero comics for 40 years. Even in anime and manga they are as close to what that genre has for actual superheroes. The Mecha & Manga book just takes some of those iconic powers - many of which were used for Iron Fist and other Immortal Weapons - and turns it into M&M powers. But again, if strict superheroes as opposed to heroes with powers are what's should be aimed for I can reconsider. THis character would likely take up a mask and secret identiy simply to keep his family and friends from being hurt by the gangs and rival martial artists that he's fighting, but later on this would be abandoned once he's of master rank himself and training students. Link to comment
Brown Dynamite Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Well tbqh you don't actually need Mecha and Manga to recreate such powers. Everything Iron Fist or Elektra can do with Chi for example just using the basics from UP. Really, there's very little standout in Mecha and Manga that couldn't already been done in other terms. There's multiple ways to accomplish what one wants. That said Shang-Chi, Richard Dragon, and Lady Shiva are decidedly less wire-fu, so you can go for the chi martial artist or the realistic sort. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Well... to be honest about it there's nothing rules wise that you need in any book at all but Ultimate Power. That's the beauty of this system. The Battle Form is just a fading Alternate Form, the finishing moves power is a bit special and hard to construct, most of the feats likewise can be constructed out of existing feats or minor UP powers. I'm referincing Mecha & Manga because a lot of the martial arts powers specific work has already been done there. That said the main power that I'd use for this character is the Chi power which originated in Mastermind's Manual and was reprited in Ultimate Power, and that in turn is Boost and Healing arrayed off each other in an array good for stunting other things. Virtually everything Iron Fist has done, hypnotising, punching a helicarrier or oncoming locomotive to pieces etc can really be done with this power and stunting Strike in various forms off it. As for the more realistic ones, Lady Shiva has several strikes you'd need powers to replicate, she's got acrobatic skills and stealth skills that can be done with skills but work better with powers, etc. Richard Dragon is completley Badass Normal though, and Black Canary's kung fu skills when not enhanced by her canary cry are also badass normall, and of course Batman beats all of them. The closest that you'd get to real anime-style wire-fu except for Iron Fist is actually... Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, who learned "Spider-Fu" using his spider sense and agility. No energy blasts or chi control but all of the rest is covered. Then he promptly forgot it. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Incidentally I can't immediatley see any way to edit my posts for typos and addendums, is that function disabled for these boards or am I just being dense once again? Link to comment
Vahnyu Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 (edited) Unless you are replying from a mobile phone or a tablet or somesuch(in which case, i am not 100% certain), there should be a word on the left side of the button MultiQuote, at the end of your post, saying Edit. Granted, it may be slightly hard to see, but it's there EDIT: Like so! Edited July 9, 2014 by Vahnyu Link to comment
N/A Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 If you wanted to make a hybrid between an Ultiman and Centurion, rather than making the illegitimate lovechild of Mark Leeds, maybe you could make a clone that some Ultiman scientist spliced between Ultiman DNA and traces Centurion left behind during his visit? Link to comment
Fox Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Nothing from Mecha & Manga is a good idea around here. This is a site for Western superheroes, the refs tend to be against anything anime. But a martial artist like Iron Fist or She-Hulk would work.As a point of clarity, speaking for the ref team, we aren't so much against anything anime as...extremely cautious, due to an unfortunate history: many of the players who've tried the hardest to make anime-influenced ideas work here have also been some of the most problematic (for reasons not necessarily related to the characters they made). It isn't that it can't be done - in fact, one of our long-term players is currently working on something of a guide for making such a conversion work, and I know we have at least a few characters with some non-western influence in them - it's just that it's a lot harder and has a bad track record.Plus, a lot of Mecha & Manga is...mechanically dubious. We've outlined some stuff in the house rules, and you're always welcome to ask if something is okay, but it's just not that great a book for crunchy game bits. Link to comment
Avenger Assembled Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 The Centurion's illegitimate child is not a story I'd really go for - but a product of wacky Ultiman genetic engineering, sure. Setting aside a couple of decades to raise a clone/halfbreed is the equivalent of putting in a couple of months work for an Ultiman scientist. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Wacky Ultima genetic engineering seems to be the choice if going for a half-centurion. I*ll have to play around with that PL 10 Ultima build and see what I can come up with. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Would this character be viable as an alternative? Star Man PL 10 (150 PP) Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con --, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 14. Skills: Bluff 12 (+14), Knowledge (Physics) 4 (+5), Notice 8 (+11), Sense Motive 8 (+11). Feats: All-Out Attack, Benefit (Alternate Identity: Thomas Jensen), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Taunt, Trance. Powers: Energy Absorbtion (Effect: Impervious Toughness 10, Extra Absorbtion, Energy Storage (100 points), Force Field, Power Magnet, Flaw: Limited to Energy Only, Power Feat: Power Conversion, Slow Fade 3 [on Energy Storage, 20 minutes per point], Slow Fade 2 [on boosted powers, 5 minutes per point], Varied Descriptor 2 [on power effects], cost 65 points) Absorbed Energy Use: Density 12 (+24 strength, +6 Impervious Toughness, 4 Immovable, 4 Super-Strength, Mass x25), Blast 12, Energy Aura 10 (Power Feat: Selective, Drawback: Slow Fade does not apply), Flight 15, Healing 10 (affects objects, personal), Super Strength 10, all powers work as Boosts with the Total Fade modifier. Alternate Powers (everything but Energy Storage points): Transfer 10 (All Powers into Energy Storage, Flaw Tainted), Transfer 10 (Ability Scores into Ability Scores, flaw Restorative, Tainted, Linked to Mental Duplication 2 [Extra Continuous, Flaw Limited – Only works if Transfer kills the subject, Permanent, Split Personality, Tainted, Uncontrolled]) Morph 3 (any form, cost 10 points) Alternate Power: Concealment 4 (visual, power feat Close Range) Protection 10 (cost 10 points) Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects, cost 30 points). Combat: Attack +8, Damage +0 (Unarmed, //+12 with Density), +10 (Energy Aura), +10 (Blast), Defense 14, (12 flat-footed), Initiative +1. Saves: Toughness +10 (Impervious vs Energy // +6 Impervious with Density), Fortiude -, Reflex +6, Will +8. Drawbacks: Invouluntary Transformation (into energy form, upon absorbing Energy Storage capacity x2, Will DC 10 + 1 per 10 points absorbed, automatic transformation on 300 points or more, Common, Unavoidable, -4), One-Way Transformation (takes 1 hour for every 10 points above 100 energy absorbed, common, minor, -3), Overload (Automatically gains Energy Aura with the Uncontrolled modifier whenever Energy Storage reaches 100 points or more that does not have the slow fade modifier and draws from Power Reserve until it reaches 99 points or less, very common, unavoidable, -7), Weakness (if left with no energy available for one hour or more, cumulative drain on ability scores every hour after, after 10 hours and reaching 0 strength he automatically Morphs into an inert crystal and remains so until touched directly by a living being, whereupon that being will be absorbed as of Transfer Ability Scores, uncommon, -3). [Abilities 4 + Skills 8 + Feats 6 + Powers 116 + Combat 24 + Saves 10 – Drawbacks 18 = 150 points] Star Man first arrived on earth in meteor form in the 1930s, he or it was a member of a species of sentient gem-like beigns that hurled through space from star to star and absorbed energy. He was attacked by a race that hunted the species above Earth Prime, and crashlanded in the Canadian wilderness. He was found by a hiker named Thomas Jensen, who upon tocuhing the gem was killed and absorbed, with the gem arising with Jensen's form and memories. Not having wanted to cause another person's death and mourning having done so, the new Thomas Jensen returned home and took up his "victim"'s former life. After the Centurion appeared on the scene along with other superheroes, and with electrictiy now more widely available so that he could sustain himself, Star Man made an appearance as a canadian superhero, and fought in World War 2 as welll, and continued on later. In the 1950s however the aliens who had shot him down tracked him down, and he was forced to defend himself, he got rid of his pursuers but decided to go underground again and keep a low profile. He faked his death and used his shapeshifting abilties and accumulated wealth to move to Freedom City, and soon after studied to become a nuclear physicist and took a job at a power plant. The increased power available made him want to debut as a hero again, and did so as Star Boy in the late 60s and early 70s, acting as a powerful but secretive hero in the Silver Age. He became a member of the Freedom League briefly, but again he was tracked down by the aliens. This time he decided to go into space, accompanying Daedalus partly on his sojourn then setting out with a ship with a on-board power battery he could leech off to stay alive. He found his 'family' who was disgusted by the fleshy appearance he'd taken, and also tracked down the source of the alien attacks that had hounded him for half a century. He had several adventures in space, and arrived back on earth to Freedom City shortly after the Terminus invasion. He decided to keep a low profile for a few more years, and once again remade the Thomas Jensen personality, this time as the great-grandchild of the original, and went on to take a job again at a power plant, where he occasionally leeches power that's not going to be missed. Recently he's stored up enough energy that he's planning on debuting again as a hero, this time as the son of "Star Boy" and the second Star Man. Basically this is a roundabout build/character that started out as an alternate look at energy absorbtion paragons like Captain Atom and Carol Danvers. Wether or not this would be viable would depend entirely on if those flaws and the power structure could be approved. I can also rewrite the background to have him be a more recent arrival on earth, but in that case there's a good chance his fall to earth was detected. Alternatley if this character doesn't work either, I have this concept, a version of the "Iron Man as Tony Stark's bodyguard" that's exactly as prescribed; Lancelot (PL 10 / 150 PP) Carl Sebastian Rennard Str 16/30, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 10. Skills: Drive 4 (+7), Gather Information 4 (+4), Intimidate 12 (+12), Knowledge (Streetwise) 4 (+6), Knowledge (Tactics) 4 (+6), Language 4 (Chinese, French, Russian, Vietnamese, Base English), Medicine 4 (+4), Notice 8 (+8), Pilot 4 (+7), Profession (Mercenary) 4 (+4), Sense Motive 8 (+8), Stealth 8 (+11), Survival 4 (+4), Swim 4 (+7). Feats: All-Out Attack, Attack Specialization (Unarmed), Benefit (Lancelot Armor Training), Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Sidekick 21 (Gwendolyn Pendrake), Startle, Takedown Attack. Powers: Lancelot Armor: Device 13 (Hard to Lose, Power Feat Restricted: Requires Benefit (Lancelot Armor Training) to use without penalties, cost 51 points) Abilities: Armor 5 (Extra Impervious), Blast 12 (Force descriptor, Alternate Power Enhanced Strength 14 and Super Strength 5, Force Constructs 8 [Extra Movable]), Force Field 5 (Extra Impervious, Flaw Abative), Flight 5 (Dynamic, Dynamic Alternate Power Super Strength 5), Flight 1 (10 MPH, 500 MPH with Flight setting), Super Senses 5 (Radio reciever, Extended Vision 2, Extended Hearing 2), Super Strength 1 (heavy load 460 lbs, 50k Tons with full strength power setting, Power Feat Groundstrike, Thunderclap) Combat: Attack +8, +10 unarmed, Grapple +14 (+31 with Enhanced Strength and full Super Strength), Damage +10 melee (Unarmed, +3 without Enhanced Strength), +12 ranged (Force Blast), Defense 17 (14 flat-footed), Initiative +7, Knockback -11 (-6 without Force Field, -1 without Armor) Saves: Toughness +13 (10 Impervious, +8 [5 Impervious] without Force Field, +3 without Armor), Fortitude +7, Reflex +7, Will +7. Drawbacks: Normal Identity (Without Armor, 1 minute to put it on, -5 points) [Abilities 22 + Skills 19 + Feats 31 + Powers 51 + Combat 30 + Saves 11 - Drawbacks 5 = 159 points] Sidekick: Gwendolyn Pendrake Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 18. Skills: Bluff 8 (+12/+16), Computers 4 (+8), Diplomacy 8 (+12/+16), Intimidate 4 (+8), Knowledge (Buisness) 8 (+12), Knowledge (Civics) 4 (+8), Knowledge (Tactics) 8 (+12), Knowledge (technology) 4 (+8), Notice 4 (+8), Sense Motive 8 (+12). Feats: Attack Specialization (ranged) 4, Attractive, Benefit 4 (Wealth 3 - Filthy Rich, Status - CEO of Camelot Heavy Industries), Equipment 5, Improved Initiative, Master Plan 2, Minions 5 (10 Security Guards - As per Thugs), Minion 2 (Merianne Linn, AKA Merlin). Powers: Device 2 (Force Field Generator, Hard to Lose) Force Field Generator: Force Field 5 (Impervious) Equipment: Light Pistol (+3 damage, 6 points) Headquarters: Camelot Heavy Industries (as per Skyscraper, but Gargantuan, plus Minions feature for on-site Security Guards [thugs], scientists and others, cost 19 points) Combat: Attack +3 (+7 ranged), Grapple +3, Damage +0 melee (unarmed) or +3 ranged (Light Pistol), Defense 15 (13 flat-footed), Initiative +6, Knockback -5. Saves: Toughness +5 (Impervious, +0 without Force Field), Fortitude +3, Reflex +6, Will +10. [Abilities 28 + Skills 15 + Feats 25 + Powers 8 + Combat 16 + Saves 13 = 105 points] [As you can see I'm having problems with his point totals, I'd welcome any suggestions for shaving more off to get those 9 points in, obviously if I didn't have to pay for Gwendolyn it would make it a lot easier] Gwendolyn Pendrake is the daugther of Arthur Pendrake, adventurer and genius inventor and founder of Camelot Heavy Industries, a high-tech corporation, and also the builder of the Lancelot armor. Gwendolyn inherented the corporation three years ago when Arthur was killed, presumably in a car accident but evidence has come up it may have been ininitaed by Fayyar Incorporated, a European corporation led by Morgan Fayyar, an ex of Arthur's. A friend of the family suggested that Gwendolyn reach out to one of Arthur's old friends, the mercenary Carl Sebastian Rennard, a hard man who'd served in the French Foreign Legion before becoming a mercenary for several years. Carl has become Gwendolyn's bodyguard, and has also become the superhero Lancelot, the protector of Camelot Heavy Industries as well as a local hero in Freedom City who has started to draw the headlines. Fayyar Incorporated responded however with unleashing Mordredd the Black Knight, a 8 foot tall monstrosity of a powered armor with an unknown pilot. Now this is a bit of a strange build, it's the Sidekick who's the boss of the main hero, who owns all rights to the armor, and who provides repairs as well as combat directions. Gwendolyn would never leave the headquarters except for when making appearances and driving to and from her mansion home, and only has some combat stats simply to keep her from dying instantly if Lancelot doesn't get there in time. Link to comment
Sacremas Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Okay, going back to the original "Ultima Girl" concept, he's my rework of AA's excellent PL 10 Ultima. The main difference here is that shield array, which makes her tough beyond her PL, and which when combined with All Out Power Attack (leaving her defense on +0) gives her +15 damage and toughness, suitable as a kind of "limit break" like I talked about before. Normally she'll be set to +10 defense / +10 toughness and +10 attack / +10 damage. The shield in both varieties manifests itself in a glowing golden aura, when she's flying at top speed this seems to stretch out behind her and looks like golden wings. Concept (with thanks for the help) is a Ultima/Centurion hybrid created by Ultima super-technologies, they expected something like the next level of Ultima but weren't sure what they ended up as. Her non-Ultima status ended her up as a bit of an outcast on Ultima Thule, so she's now set out into the world to try to earn a place there instead. Costume will be a white armless dress of silklike material reacing down from below her knees with high slits on both sides for her feet to reach through unhintered, with a knee-high golden boots, and golden cloth bracers, and a golden S sort of like an italized reversed Z reaching from collar to below crotch-level. She has golden blonde hair kept up in the back with a clasp and held over her shoulder, if freed up her hair would reach all the way across her back. Her force field keeps her clothes intact and keeps her from ending up butt naked after a flamethrower encounter or the like, but if she takes serious lethal damage she may end up with a semi-stripperific look. Probably not something unknown even among male heroes. SUPREMA (PL 10 / 150 PP) Abilities: 28 pp STR: 16 (+3) / 38 (+14) DEX: 14 (+2) CON: 16 (+3) / 30 (+10) INT: 12 (+1) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 18 (+4) Saves: 9 pp TOU: +15 (+10 Con, +5 Force Field) or +10 (+10 Con) FORT: +10 (+10 Con, +3) +6 (+3 Con) without powers. REF: +4 (+2 Dex, +2) WILL: +8 (+1 Wis, +7) Skills: 10 pp=40 r Bluff 12 (+16) Concentration 10 (+11) Knowledge: History 4 (+5) Notice 10 (+11) Sense Motive 8 (+9) Feats: 8 pp All-Out Attack Attack Specialization: Unarmed Dodge Focus Interpose Move-By Action Power Attack Quick Change Takedown Attack Powers: 86 ppComprehend 2 (speak and understand all languages) [4 pp] Cosmic Array [30+12=40 pp]Cosmic Energy Control 14 (PFs: Accurate) [Dynamic] DAP: Enhanced Strength 22 DAP: Flight 14 (total of Flight 15 [500,000 MPH] ) DAP: Healing 9 (Extra: Action 2 [Move]) (Flaws: Personal) (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) DAP: Leaping 14 (x50.000, 10 rounds to complete jump) and Speed 14 (250.000 MPH) DAP: Super-Strength 14 (1184 Tons heavy load, 19,2 Tons heavy Load with Enhanced Strenght and Super Strength 3, PFs: Groundstrike) DAP: Telepathy 10 (Earth to Moon) Cosmic Shield Array [5+1=6 PP] Force Field 5 AP: Shield 5 Flight 1 (10 MPH) [2 pp] Cosmic Health Enhanced Constitution 14 [14 pp] Immunity 12 (aging, life support, starvation, sleep) [12 pp]Regeneration 1 ([Resurrection 1/week] (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) [3 pp] Impervious Toughness 10 [Descriptor: Energy Absorbtion], (Flaw: Energy Only) [5 pp] Drawbacks Normal Identity (if drained of sunlight or left without sunlight for several days, Takes one minute to recharge in sunlight to regain them, Major, Very Common, -5 points) Vulnerable to Power Drains (Common, Moderate, -3 points) Combat: 16 pp Attack +4 (+6 Cosmic Energy Control/+6 Unarmed), Defense +5 (+2 flatfooted), +10 (+2 flatfooted with Shield) Knockback -5 with Shield, -7 with Force Field, -10/-12 versus Energy Initiative +2, Grapple +23 [Math: Abilities 28 + Saves 9 + Skills 11 + Feats 8 + Powers 86 + Combat 16 - Drawbacks 8 = 150 PP] EDIT: Redid things with a combination of Supergirl and Carol Danvers in mind, all of her powers are now fueled by sunlight and she can lose them if she goes too long without sunlight, this should work as a fades flaw with both a per use and daily probably. A direct sunlight drain attack of some kind would do it much faster, thanks to her Drain vulnerability. I considered throwing on a power loss on each power, but figured the descriptor is too rare for that. This includes things like her immortality, making her entirely mortal. For the leftover points she bought Impervious vs Energy, with the descriptor of Energy Absorbtion, this is a descriptor only and good for stunting off but does not by itself act as an actual absorbtion ability. As I gain points I may include that. I may also throw a Wide modifier on her array later on with advancement points to be able to use multiple effects at once. Also she's potentialy nasty if using all-out power attack, though unless she can feint them first that's unlikely to hit, so most of the time she'll be using All-Out attack for 4 only, making her PL 12 offensively and PL 8 defensively. She's also got Quick Change, I'm thinking it's basically a Wonder Woman style transformation, spin around and appear in costume, spin other way and appear like girl next door. While in the changed form all powers that can be turned off is turned off rather than acting as a normal identity. Edited July 10, 2014 by Sacremas Link to comment
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