The Perfectibilists! [3E Villains' OOC]

[Kevin_MacTaggert]

No posts yesterday

... drift ...

[kenmadragon]

I have a question, Kevin.
Where do you see part three starting? I want to figure out how my mystic design would fit in with the plot, then build the character build accordingly. So, if the next bit is, say, about to take focus on traveling to another dimension to evade the law, then it would be easy to work my villain in as a planeswalker, and give him the Dimensional Movement power. So, what are your predictions?

[Hound]

No posts yesterday

... drift ...

Truth of the matter Kevin, I am having an off day. Cant seem to get in the mood to post anything, I am headed to bed early tonight and hoping tomorrow I will have more luck.

[Nineofspades]

No posts yesterday

... drift ...

Well, I'm waiting for resolution on the situation in the vault. Since nothing is happening inside, theres nothing much to post beyond saying 'still loading up gold and waiting for e-vac'

[RedBstrd]

No posts yesterday

... drift ...

Sorry, I submitted a conference paper to a journal a few weeks back and they sent me the typseset to proof last night. Since I'm flying out of town (hello Andaman island beaches!) on Sunday, I had to look it over as soon as I got it. I'll be looking over submissions and posting tonight.

Also, Eidolon is being boring at the moment: he is just walking around and shooting the four rooms full of gold with his shrinking ray. It's only when we see what happens with the Woodman/Stranger and Willow's sleepers that I'll need to decide whether to rig the place to blow or not. At this point, I'm kind of leaning against it.

[Belial666]

Hey guys, sorry for bailing out on you without notice - medical reasons. I hope Essence's disappearance didn't cause that many problems for you. Good luck to all the new players.

[RedBstrd]

Hey guys, sorry for bailing out on you without notice - medical reasons. I hope Essence's disappearance didn't cause that many problems for you. Good luck to all the new players.

Sorry to hear that you have medical problems. I hope you're feeling better and able to rejoin the boards soon.

[Ysariel]

I made some changes to Specter:

• She gains a Weaken Awareness linked to Damage resistable by will, both cone areas, representing a 'psychic scream' attack.
• I changed how her weaken attack power was built. It used to be Weaken Close Attack linked to Weaken Ranged Attack; it is now Weaken Attack 10 (Broad [close and ranged attack] +1, Perception +2, Simultaneous +1), basically the same thing but 1 rank stronger.
• Her force field is no longer impervious. Instead, she gains Concealment, resistable by will. People must pass a DC 20 will save to spot her, but cameras, robots, sensors etc and anyone Immune to Will. do so automatically.
• She lost her Investigation (that's really Eidolon's area I feel) and got her Deception and Psychology bumped up to +18.
• I replaced Second Chance: mind control with Ultimate Will.

Please let me know if there are any concerns/criticisms, especially regarding the backstory (which I'm not completely sold on myself). My original idea was an ex-PLA super soldier.

[RedBstrd]

Damn, my computer crashed midway through my post and I have to start over. I'll be much more brief than I was last time...

Kevin, I looked over the submissions and here are my thoughts:

Precision - The build looks solid. The character has motivations and a personality which could work with the rest of the group. The player, EnigmaticOne, is in one of my games (World Moved On) and seems to be active and reliable. I have no objections to Precision.

Carnifex - The build is good and I like the choice of players. The concept is scary in a good way. Unfortunately, I share your concerns over getting the character to work well with a group. I don't really know MrMellow yet. He/she was in a game with me (the Sentinels) as a fellow player but the game died in the first scene due to AWOL players. MrMellow had a bit of a car wreck that kept him/her away from the game for part of the time, so we really didn't have a chance to interact. I worry about the low number of posts per day (1 per day, vs. EnigmaticOne's 8 per day, for example), as they may indicate that MrMellow might not be as active as other potential recruits.

Lithos - The build looks appropriate and should be a solid "muscle" character with a degree of versatility. The background works with the character concept. I don't know Prof Weird at all as a player, so I have no input there. I have no objections to Lithos.

Photonic - Some of the build works for me, but I'm not sure if a reaction Insubstantial will lead into abuse, particularly when the character is immune to so much (physical attack when insubstantial, light attacks, Fort-based attacks, anything covered by life support, and critical hits) and will have non-passive concealment and insubstantial/Will-immune summoned meat shields for further protection. Having an insubstantial character with concealment means that most anything will be unable to target him (he's invisible to sight, touch, smell, and hearing) unless it ignores concealment. I would just caution you to know what you're getting into with a build like that; you'll have to design encounters specifically to challenge it because most characters won't be able to do much to challenge Photonic. Walking Dad, like EnigmaticOne, has a high number of posts per day, which is good. We've crossed paths a bunch in games but are only now getting into one together as players.

Note that the math is off on the enhanced defenses (they break PL caps as they are listed in the powers section). My suggestion would be to revise the build.

Specter - The build looks solid. The background and motivations make sense, so she could feasibly work with the other PCs. I don't know Ysariel as a player yet. I have no objections to Specter.

[Kevin_MacTaggert]

I made some changes to Specter:

• She gains a Weaken Awareness linked to Damage resistable by will, both cone areas, representing a 'psychic scream' attack.
• I changed how her weaken attack power was built. It used to be Weaken Close Attack linked to Weaken Ranged Attack; it is now Weaken Attack 10 (Broad [close and ranged attack] +1, Perception +2, Simultaneous +1), basically the same thing but 1 rank stronger.
• Her force field is no longer impervious. Instead, she gains Concealment, resistable by will. People must pass a DC 20 will save to spot her, but cameras, robots, sensors etc and anyone Immune to Will. do so automatically.
• She lost her Investigation (that's really Eidolon's area I feel) and got her Deception and Psychology bumped up to +18.
• I replaced Second Chance: mind control with Ultimate Will.

Please let me know if there are any concerns/criticisms, especially regarding the backstory (which I'm not completely sold on myself). My original idea was an ex-PLA super soldier.

Excellent - I'll PM you with further details soon ...

[Kevin_MacTaggert]

Damn, my computer crashed midway through my post and I have to start over. I'll be much more brief than I was last time...

Kevin, I looked over the submissions and here are my thoughts:

Thanks very much, Red.

I'd like Photonic better if his power set was "Darkness"-based, rather than light. WalkingDad, take note of that.

I think Specter is in. I've watched Ysariel post with Crinos' groups - solid.

As long as Prof. Weird can keep the post schedule (once a day at least), I like Lithos, who can replace Tyrannosaur when ready ...

More es Merry: the more Players, the more the whole adventure shines, with Players who post often getting as much spotlight as they like.

[Kevin_MacTaggert]

Hey guys, sorry for bailing out on you without notice - medical reasons. I hope Essence's disappearance didn't cause that many problems for you. Good luck to all the new players.

Essence is taking on Vanguard & out-of-town heroes at the airport - Dr. Rune ( a sorcerer) showed-up & is giving her problems, on top of Oracle taking it to her mile-wide demon ...

... Essence is in trouble - the choice is; does she sacrifice herself for the bank crew, or try something else ...?

[kenmadragon]

Pretty much done with my build and my complications.
I have yet to post the background, since I am still trying to come up with an explanation for bits of his power. I am currently favoring the thought that he figures out he is immortal, and can regenerate from any wound. I think he would have taken it a bit too far when he was testing his powers out, and ends up being sent to some strange plane. There, he meets a strange entity that says he has the potential for powerful magical abilities, and asks if he wants to access them, through guidance. Faust would have said yes, his hunger for power, knowledge, and an escape from a life on the streets evident in that, and would have learned the Magic of the Elder Gods. With it, he is able to harness the very fabric of the multiverse in his magic, and 'mess with it'. In return, all he had to do was cast off his name, and choose a new one. After having learned from the Elder Gods, and with the equivalent of a college education in arcane magic, he chooses the name Prospero after the protagonist magician in The Tempest, and Faust after the infamous Dr. Faust who makes a pact with the devil. Then he embarks on a journey across the planes, back to the mortal realm, and establishes himself in Freedom city. He turns to crime to get what he wants out of the world, and doesn't care about the consequences because he can't die.

So, any feedback on my build and current complications or my proposed story above? I always seek to improve, and make my future applications better. that or make my character suit the game better.

[Kevin_MacTaggert]

The Vault team is getting the gold - the next steps are all theirs ....

Edit: Hero games, the PCs react to the villain(s) - this game is all about what the villains do.

[Belial666]

If you guys want me back, I'll be able to start posting full-time by sunday.


As for what happened to Essence, what power did you have her use when the heroes attacked? I'd have turned on the one that retaliates against everyone nearby whenever she takes a hit so heroes would be unwilling to hit her because they'd also effectively hit any and all civilians in the area. (which would end up dead if they took a blow strong enough to bruise Essence). And while the heroes tried to find a way to fight her without hitting her, she'd just fade into the ground and escape.

(Distraction? Yes. Sacrificing herself? Nope. She's immortal, yes, but if she's taken out she relives all the dark ages of the world in her mind until she reforms. And that's something she really isn't keen on doing.)