[SUPERS] My Unofficial Handbook to the DC Universe

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Infornific

For Powergirl you could always just borrow from the Justice League cartoon and make her a clone, if you want to avoid parallel universes.

It's a good idea, but I like the idea of a sparse sprinkling of characters from other realities. At least PG and maybe Alexander Luthor, Jr.

I plan on using the clone origin story for Superboy (Conner Kent), however.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Oh, and Indomitable and Unfazeable (he's seen it all before), and Trained by a Master and Weapons Master (52,000 years is plenty of time to learn everything about combat).

I've edited him to add Trained by a Master, Power Blow, and Mental Strength.

I've decided to keep Reawakened for his long life--I gave it to Ra's Al Ghul as well, and it works well to represent their vast experience and unique knowledge of the past.

I may end up giving him some form of Modular Abilities, but I'm going to read some more comics before revisiting him.


Coming Soon: The Ultra-Humanite, the rest of the JSA (Star-Spangled Kid, Sandman, and Power-Girl), and either the Secret Six or a long over-due attempt to create Superman and his supporting cast.

[Otaku]

I actually can see Reawakened as a decent kludge for handling all those skills which are known across the Tech Levels. Which would logically include language as well. Savage likely has a practical understanding of language that would rival many a linguist, simply because he has first hand experience with how at least certain tongues have evolved over not just decades, but centuries and even millennia (depending upon when he learned them).

Especially in more pulp adventure kinds of stories, that seems like a great tool for stories.

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Otaku

I actually can see Reawakened as a decent kludge for handling all those skills which are known across the Tech Levels. Which would logically include language as well. Savage likely has a practical understanding of language that would rival many a linguist, simply because he has first hand experience with how at least certain tongues have evolved over not just decades, but centuries and even millennia (depending upon when he learned them).

Especially in more pulp adventure kinds of stories, that seems like a great tool for stories.

I have previously used a bang skill old crap! To represent a super with a long life.

Stuck on an old time sailing ship filled with explosives heating for port, roll old crap! To steer.

Need to operate an 8th century spy kite? Old crap!. Send a telegraph, read an alchemical treatise, know the true history of a relic, all old crap!

It only came up roughly once per adventure if I was lucky, but it always made everyone at the table grin.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by starslayer

I have previously used a bang skill old crap! To represent a super with a long life.

Stuck on an old time sailing ship filled with explosives heating for port, roll old crap! To steer.

Need to operate an 8th century spy kite? Old crap!. Send a telegraph, read an alchemical treatise, know the true history of a relic, all old crap!

It only came up roughly once per adventure if I was lucky, but it always made everyone at the table grin.

Heheh. I like this. What I did with Captain America and Namor aren't quite so bad, but then they're only pushing 100. :) Cap has History (Twentieth Century) at high levels, but then again he's lived it! Namor's been busy running Atlantis since '57, so there's not much else to say there. If I was to have someone really old show up - hmm... Immortus? perhaps - then can I steal "Old Crap!" from you? :)

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Heheh. I like this. What I did with Captain America and Namor aren't quite so bad, but then they're only pushing 100. :) Cap has History (Twentieth Century) at high levels, but then again he's lived it! Namor's been busy running Atlantis since '57, so there's not much else to say there. If I was to have someone really old show up - hmm... Immortus? perhaps - then can I steal "Old Crap!" from you? :)

Absolutely, if it fits go ahead and use it.

Until I came up with the bang skill I was largely doing what you did here trying to figure out which of the 'spirit guidance' or modular abilities would best fit.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by starslayer

Need to operate an 8th century spy kite? Old crap!. Send a telegraph, read an alchemical treatise, know the true history of a relic, all old crap!

I can see that this would work well, especially for a Cinematic campaign. But I've pretty much sworn off Wildcard! skills for this exercise.

If you look at the options game-mechanically:
Racial Memory doesn't make sense--it just allows you to remember scenes and situations your ancestors experienced (and it's unclear what benefit that is, apart from functioning like Common Sense, Intuition, or Hidden Lore in some situations): but there is no advantage necessary to remember scenes and situations from your own life--it's a given.

Modular Abilities, Wildcard! skills, and Wild Talent are all just short-cuts to say, "my character actually has more skills than I wanted to record on his sheet. Time saving and a simplifying, sure, but unnecessary when I'm not operating without a budget.

Reawakened allows you to buy anachronistic skills (including purchasing them in-game without a teacher or any other justification). Which means if I forget a skill that makes sense, Vandal (or Ra's, or whoever) can just buy it with any extra points they have. It really does everything I strictly need it to.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by aesir23

I can see that this would work well, especially for a Cinematic campaign. But I've pretty much sworn off Wildcard! skills for this exercise.

If you look at the options game-mechanically:
Racial Memory doesn't make sense--it just allows you to remember scenes and situations your ancestors experienced (and it's unclear what benefit that is, apart from functioning like Common Sense, Intuition, or Hidden Lore in some situations): but there is no advantage necessary to remember scenes and situations from your own life--it's a given.

Modular Abilities, Wildcard! skills, and Wild Talent are all just short-cuts to say, "my character actually has more skills than I wanted to record on his sheet. Time saving and a simplifying, sure, but unnecessary when I'm not operating without a budget.

Reawakened allows you to buy anachronistic skills (including purchasing them in-game without a teacher or any other justification). Which means if I forget a skill that makes sense, Vandal (or Ra's, or whoever) can just buy it with any extra points they have. It really does everything I strictly need it to.

You missed Wild Talent, possibly with Retension.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Refplace

You missed Wild Talent, possibly with Retension.

No, I listed it with Modular Abilities. It's an option, sure, but no different than modular abilities.

(In fact, I'm surprised it's it's own advantage in 4e--there's never any reason not to take a Slotted Cosmic Modular Ability (Skills Only) instead. If you take it with 8 points available and limited use 1/day, it's only 24 points (versus 20 for Wild Talent), functions the same for Very Hard Skills, and is MUCH better for Hard, Average, and Easy skills).

As for Retention, the freedom to put available points into any skill from the past is explicitly included in Reawakened, so that part's covered.

[Prince Charon]

Per request from the OP, I'm trying to work on the Kryptonian Martial Art Klurkor, and have a very early, very incomplete draft up in the Kryptonian Martial Arts styles thread, if anyone wants to take a look, and maybe help.