Champions: Flashback to William, the Strongest Man in the World

  Earlier I wrote about the very creative character from the first Champions campaign I played in. Another very creative member of the party was my buddy Gregg. Gregg liked what I called 'simple, yet extreme, characters'. He had a tendency to make characters so over-the-top they were terrifying and yet so simple, direct, and interestingly flawed you wanted him to play them and play alongside them.
  The character of his I remember best was William. I have recreated him here in 6th edition HERO as I remember him as a beginning character.

  William
  Background/History: William's parents were simple, rural Kentuckians. They didn't have a great deal of money, but they were devoted to their children. When their son, William, was born he was a typical, healthy boy. He grew abnormally quickly and was freakishly strong. Concerned at how others treated him his parents moved to as remote an area as possible and raised him in near seclusion.
  Eventually a rabidly anti-mutant terrorist group attacked his family. Despite his great strength William was unable to save his family and fled before the terrorists and their anti-mutant robots. He chanced across the Victory Squad who helped him defeat the robots and sheltered him. He soon joined their team. In his 'secret identity' is is, effectively, a ward of the hero Crimson. While most of the world believes the huge superhero to be a grown man he is, in fact, barely 15 years old.
  Personality/Motivation: William is a typical 15 year old boy; he is rambunctious, emotional, easily distracted, and sometimes forgetful. But he was raised to be honest, just, courteous, and respectful and he honors his slain parents by doing his best to be a good person. He is essentially illiterate and knows little of television, the internet, etc. but he is a good judge of character and is no fool, no matter how many think him to be one.
  His parents were very careful to teach him to control his strength so he is usually very careful not to break things (he has no limitations based on his incredible strength).
  Because of his youth and the loss of his parents seeing innocent people, animals, etc. harmed can cause him to lose his temper and attack someone with all him might.
  Quote: "You shouldn't ought'er have done that." clobber!
  Powers/Tactics: William is strong and tough. Very strong. He is very resistant to physical damage. And he is very, very strong. He can also leap fair distances. But mainly he is very, very, very strong. On the other hand he his defenses against energy attacks are fairly low and he has no unusual defenses (like flash defense, etc.) or life support. But man is he strong!
  He is an unsophisticated fighter; left to his own devices he will simply close with the foe that looks toughest and swing until they go down. Of course, this is typically very effective. He does take instructions well and the Victory Squad is very good at setting up foes for William to take down quickly while also protecting him from energy projectors and mentalists.
  Appearance: William stands 7' 2" tall and is massively built with broad shoulders, a deep chest, and huge muscles everywhere. He has brown eyes, sandy brown hair, and weighs about 500 lbs. He typically dresses in bib overalls and heavy work boots.

  William has a very respectable PD 35/30 and, of course, a 20d6 punch!! During play villains would far rather engage anyone to avoid getting hit by him. On the other hand anyone with a taser could, in time, bring him down.

  Next time: the energy projector.

Champions: Flashback to Granite

  I got a copy of the Champions RPG for my birthday in 1983 and I am forced to admit I read it once and put it down.
  The shame I feel about this is tempered by the fact that at the time I was still in high school as well as working a job 20-40 hours a week, running two different AD&D 1e campaigns, playing in a Traveller campaign, and trying to make my girlfriends happy. Regardless of how much the single read-through impressed me, though, I didn't do anything with Champions for years.
  Flash forward to the Autumn of 1985: I have finished Army Basic and have reported to the Defense Language Institute. I have struck up great friendships with my classmates already. And a guy in a different class invites some of us to a game of Champions he had started.
  Williams' game was a ton of fun. He had us start on a 200 base/100 disads point build and if we could explain why the active point caps could be flexible. he also let us all make characters, play them for 3 sessions, and then re-write or replace them. Before long Chuck, Brian, Gregg, and I had a team we called the Victory Squad or the Victorians, we never really agreed.

  Those first groups we are in are very influential. I remember the first session of D&D I played and the first party I DM'ed for still influences how I GM everything to this day. The amazingly creative, fun, and nuanced characters from that first, year-long campaign meant a lot to how I see and approach the superhero genre, and I would like to share some of that.

  This flashback is to Chuck's character, Granite. I am recreating him in the newest version of Champions (HERO system, 6th edition) as I remember him when he was a new character and using the point allocation from my own campaign. I am beginning with Granite because he was my favorite character concept from the campaign - I was a bit annoyed with myself for not being as creative as Chuck!

  Granite
  Background/History: In his civilian identity Granite is a prominent geologist with a number of well regarded papers on his CV. He makes his living with a mixture of teaching positions and consulting jobs.
  While it is known he did not always have super powers the time and manner in which he gained them is a bit mysterious; he asked he gives vague, sometimes contradictory, responses and ignores any further discussions. Mutant scanners do no register him and there are hints his powers may be mystical.
  Personality/Motivation: Granite is the personification of 'cool in a crisis'. A good friend with a dry sense of humor in battle he is invariably cool, calculating, and focused.
  He is a staunch foe of crime and injustice and will sometimes focus his attention on those whom he thinks takes advantage of children or the poor.
  Quote: "Perhaps you should cool down."
  Powers/Tactics: Granite can transform himself into living stone, greatly enhancing his toughness and strength. While in his stone form he can also increase his size, further enhancing his strength and toughness. He can also travel through rock, stone, and earth at high speed.
  Granite is a brick, but a smart one. He will take advantage of his growth powers to attack foes that felt they were out of combat due to distance or to 'crowd' enemies, reducing their room to maneuver. His ability to see through dirt and rock and his tunneling ability give him a great deal of mobility on the battlefield and few things are as surprising as a fist striking from a wall of solid granite.
  Appearance: Granite looks like a living statue of black granite ranging from 6'6" to 13' tall and weighing between 1,750 lbs and 7 tons. In his normal form he is a well-dressed Black man of 6' 2".

  As you can see, at full size Granite will have a 12d6 punch and a very impressive PD34/ED34.

  Granite was a tremendous resource for the team and a really good scout. But, oddly enough, he wasn't the top brick!

  Next time  the Strongest Man in the World.

The Age We Live In

WARNING: Spoilers for the Flash

  1978 was a great year. I turned 11 in the Summer. I started playing Dungeons and Dragons the year before and had finally started my own group. A friend of mine was running a great Traveller campaign. Wonder Woman was on TV and Channel Four had Science Fiction Theater and Sammy Terry. I was mowing lawns and earning enough money with that and my allowance to have 12 comic book subscriptions and enough left over to buy more on my own. The older brother of a friend had given me a reprint of Batman #232 (if you don't know why that is a big deal, shame on you). Black Lightning and  Green Lantern were my favorites. And in the Spring I added Firestorm to that list.
  Firestorm caught my eye the day it hit the stands. I read the first issue and immediately wrote to get a subscription. I made sure Tom at the comics shop knew I wanted them and he would stash a copy behind the counter for me. I liked the character a great deal and was disappointed by the DC Implosion taking it out not too much alter.
 

  Last night I was watching Flash with the wife and kids. My kids love watching superhero related stuff with me because my heavy reading of comics in youth means I usually spot most, if not all, the details. But in the most recent episode they covered the origin of Firestorm and were fairly close to the comics. At the end of the episode, then Firestorm flies away on a jet of flame, I was the most excited in the room.
  Today I was talking with my wife and we were talking about our plans to watch certain movies this year. I pointed out to her:

  -We watch the Flash on TV and it has Weather Wizard, Firestorm, Multiplex, etc.
  -We watch Arrow on TV with Captain Boomerang, Deathstroke, Professor Ivo, etc.
  -We watch Agents of SHIELD on TV with Hydra, the Inhumans, etc.
  -We are eagerly awaiting seeing the Avengers fight Ultron in cinemas this year.
  -The soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy, one of my favorite obscure comics, is a hit because the movie was popular (what's next, the Starjammers?)
  -There are new Godzilla movies!

  That's when I realized: the modern world's entertainment is starting to look like what 12 year old me wished for!

Quick Take: Fame

Obligatory

  Here's a question - how famous are your characters? If they ride into a village do the peasants know who they are? If the villain is making his plans for conquering the kingdom, does he make special arrangements to deal with the party's paladin?
  I'll talk a bout a more detailed system another day, but here is a simple one:

Fame: If the character is within a day's travel of where he usually lives, travels, etc. or within a day's travel of a major adventure his fame is [character level ^2]. For multi-class or dual class characters it is {[(highest class level) + (second highest level/2) + (third highest level/2)]^2}.
  If you are using my NPC-only classes from Far Realms, their Fame score is 1/2 normal.
  For each full day beyond this 'core area' fame is reduced 5.

  Example One: Jerczy is a 4th level barbarian, Willia the Fair is a 2nd/2nd level fighter/magic-user, and Brother Ormond is a 4th level cleric. Jerczy's fame is 16 (4 squared), Willia's fame is 9 (2+1, total squared), and Br. Ormond's fame is also 16.

  To determine if a character is 'recognized' roll percentage dice; if the result is equal to or below their fame score, they are recognized. The lower the roll the more (public knowledge) about the character is remembered. I tend to roll once per NPC, but you could roll once per NPC per character.

  Example Two: Mournglow is a 9th level magic-user, Doomsman is an 11th level fighter, and Darkwalk is a 7th/7th magic-user/cleric. Darkwalk's henchman, Starwing, is a 4th/4th magic-user/cleric and Doomsman's lieutenant, Bearkiller, is an 8th level Man-at-Arms (NPC only class). The group has travelled to meet with the famous sage Bartolomas in the city of High Morath, a full 5 days from their homes.
  Mournglow's fame is 81, reduced to 56 because of distance. Doomsman's is 121, reduced to 96; Darkwalk's is 100, reduced to 75; Starwing's is 36, reduced to 11; and Bearkiller's is 32 (8 squared, then halved), reduced to 7.
  The party finally meets Bartolomas. The DM rolls percentage dice for Bartolomas and gets a 52. The DM decides that Bartolomas has no idea who Bearkiller or Starwing are, has heard Mournglow's name, suspects that Darkwalk is a mage/priest, and knows that Doomsman is one of the greatest swordsmen in the world as well as lord of a frontier barony.

  Short, sweet, simple.

Flashback Friday: Remington Steele

  The Wife and I are undoubtably Children of the 80's. While that era is long ago, Netflix and Hulu are forever, so we are adding a new occasional entry to Don't Split the Party - Flashback Friday. This is where we discuss TV, movies, etc. from the past.

  One of the first stories my mother-in-law told me of my wife was about her obsession with Remington Steele. The main anecdote goes something like this;

  "J was almost a professional musician by the time she was 14 and she had a lot of commitments. She had missed the first run of a particular episode of Remington Steele, back before VCRs, and an important concert was going to end no more than 30 minutes before the re-run. In those days, of course, if you missed both showings that was it - you would never see it.
  "The concert ended with only 25 minutes to the beginning. She refused to change and hustled us to the car. Her dad sped pretty egregiously the entire time, but she was still frantic. We arrived home, she rushed in and turned on the TV, and she had only missed the intro dialog. Her life was saved!"

  I was fond of the TV show at the time, especially when it was using knowledge of classic films to solve crimes. Unlike the Wife I missed a lot of episodes (and the entire last season). I was aware that the hastily ordered last season had quite the impact on movies: Pierce Brosnan had been scheduled to be Bond in The Living Daylights and Stephanie Zimbalist was to be Anne Lewis in Robocop but the last minute contract triggers forced both to pull out giving the roles to Dalton and Allen, instead.

  Sidenote: someday I will write an alternate history story based on Harrison Ford never being a movie star.

  Over the past week the Wife and I have watched the first few episodes of Remington Steele.

Aging - Good: The show has aged surprisingly well. Pierce Brosnan's character tends to be dressed in a sort of retro-neo-classical stle, like a modern guy trying to dress like Jimmy Cagney playing a mobster. Stepahnie Zimbalist's character was trying to set her own style, which ends up being quirly enough to be appealing and almost timeless.

Aging - Bad: But the timelessness isn't everywhere. The computer game developers are developing - arcade consoles. The supporting cast of women have Really Big Hair. Some of the language is dated, too.

The Stories: One of the great things about detective shows is the plots are literally timeless. The stuff that worked for Poe and Doyle in the 19th Century work just fine now. There are nice twists, good hooks, and snappy dialog. Overall the writing and stories are solid

The Bad: Remington Steele was only in the top 25 of ratings for part of its third season. It didn't have a big budget, it didn't have a lot of love in the front office. While it is obvious they did their best things like cinematography, wardrobe, etc. are all workmanlike. Also, trying to strike a balance between serious, romantic, and comedic sometimes slipped into silly. The cast shakeups after season one are understandable, but changed the tone quite a bit, too.

The Good: The acting. It is obvious why Brosnan went on to be Bond. Zimbalist is more than solid, too. Many of the quest stars are top-notch, as well, and the writers took advantage of that. This show also effectively invented the "will they/won't they" dynamic between the male and female leads that was so critical to following shows from Moonlighting to the contemporary Arrow. And arguably with the good writing, the acting of Zimbalist and Brosnan, and their excellent chemistry they did it best.

Can It Help Your Game?: Certainly. The relationships between the leads, the puzzles and crimes they solve, and the twists are all great preparation for contemporary settings. With very minor tweaks they can be agent/spy stories and with a touch more work street level supers or Gangbuster-style capers.

Overall: A great deal of fun and still fun to watch over 30 years later.

Our Rating: 4 out of 4

Another Magical Sword

  Another weapon invented by my oldest.

  Sunflash: This broadsword is of impeccable craftsmanship, perfect balance, and great beauty. The shining steel weapon is always slightly warm to the touch (although this is never uncomfortable). It normally sheds light out to 10' and is +2 to hit and damage.
  If undead are within 120' the intensity of Sunflash's radiance increases by +10' per HD of the largest hit dice undead to a maximum of 60' radius (for example, if a skeleton is 90' away Sunflash's light will extend 20'; if 8 zombies are 100' away it will shed light out to 30', a ghast and 12 skeletons 40' away would cause Sunflash to shine out to 50', etc.). Against skeletons, zombies, and other 'unintelligent' undead Sunflash is +3 to hit and damage. Against ghouls, vampires, and other 'intelligent' undead Sunflash is +3 to hit and +6 to damage.
  If Sunflash strikes the killing blow against any undead of 3HD or greater it emits a flash of sunlight (actually energy from the Positive Material Plane) that Turns Undead as a 6th level cleric on all undead within 60' at the time of the blow. Additionally, vampires, spectres, and ghosts within 60' of the Sunflash take 3d4 points of damage.

Note: Image courtesy of this interesting page.

Magic Item of the Week: The Sword of Sharp (Plus - My Own Chart for Swords of Sharpness)

  After a discussion of metaphysics, Platonic Ideals, and Plato's Cave with my oldest son
  [don't judge us]
  he came up with the Sword of Sharp.

  The Sword of Sharp: This weapon is a simple, unadorned longsword. It is immune to acid, rust (including magical effects), fire, electricity, and cold. It also makes all item saving throws at +4. It is +1 to hit only.
  In many ways the Sword of Sharp behaves as a Sword of Sharpness; on a natural 19 or 20 attack roll that results in a hit consult the following chart'

Roll (d12)   Effect 
 1 – 3           The blow is particularly deep; +2 damage
 4 – 5           The cut 'shaves off' a part of the target; +4 damage
 6 – 7           The blow severs the target's off hand (1-4) or trailing foot (5-6), +2 damage
 8 – 9           The blow severs the target's primary hand (1-4) or lead foot (5-6), +4 damage
 10               The blow severs an entire arm or leg (roll randomly), +6 damage
 11               The attack cuts off both legs (1-3) or both arms (4), +8 damage
 12               The target is decapitated, cut in twain, etc., target dead (unless undead, etc.)

  Although similar to a Sword of Sharpness the Sword of Sharp is 'more closely aligned' with the metaphysical concept of 'being sharp'. When drawn from its scabbard all foes of the wielder within 10' take a point of damage from the sharpness of the weapon. In melee every foe of the wielder within 10' takes a point of damage per round from being so close to the edge of the blade.
  If the wielder has the sword in hand and is performing a full parry there is a 20% chance that any spell, spell-like effect, or other magical attack targeted on the wielder will fail as it is 'cut apart' by the blade. Also, if the sword is swung around another person (as if cutting away items jutting from the person) for a full round there is a 20% chance that any enchantments or charms affecting the target are 'cut away'.

  Only one Sword of Sharp is known to exist.