Digest Archive vol 1 Issue 446

Digest Archive vol 1 Issue 446
From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 1999 12:00 AM
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #446

champ-l-digest Tuesday, July 6 1999 Volume 01 : Number 446

In this issue:

Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)
Re: Starting campaigns
Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)
Re: Starting campaigns
Re: Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!
Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroicdreamscome true!)
Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)
Re: Starting campaigns
Re: Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!
Re: Enhanced Disarm (limited STR)
Re: Starting campaigns
RE: Adv/Lim?
Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)
Jobs for Supers (was Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)
Re: Jobs for Supers (was Re: Twilight Zone)
OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..
Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..
Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..
Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..
Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..
Re: Jobs for Supers (was Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)
Need a Nuclear Name.....
Re: Need a Nuclear Name.....
Aberrant to Champions conversion for Taint

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 13:10:47 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filkhero@deskmail.com>
Subject: Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)

From: Stormtide <stormtide@yahoo.com>

> All of this speculation about what we would do with
> +XXX points to improve ourselves has been interesting
> has been pretty cool. However, I can't help but get
> the feeling that this would turn out to be like some
> episode of the Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits.
>
> The Mysterious Aliens that have granted these powers
> return after a short time to stand in judgement of our
> choices --
> "We have given you great power...power that could have
> been used to cure your sick, feed your hungry, and
> improve the lot of your people. Instead, you have set
> yourself up as petty tyrants and immortal godlings.
> Yours is a most unworthy species. We withdraw our
> most generous offer."

I had a similar thought, but more along the lines of the "Three
Wishes" syndrome. You are immortal, but trapped forever. You ask for
COM, STR, and to buy off your physical Disadvantages, and get
arrested for your own muder, because making you attractive and strong
required muscles, weight-loss, and serious facial changes. Stuff like
that

In a way, this is why I would be selfish. Given the prevalence of
stories in our culture about people with three wishes who screw up
badly, if given such wishes I would as for _personal_ things, so if it
screwed up, I would be the only person screwed. Changing the rest of
the world would be bad. "I wish for world peace!" "There. Everyone is
now dead except you. Now there can be no fighting."

> Please note that this is not meant to be a slam
> against the choices that have already been made,
> because that probably wasn't in the spirit of the
> original question as to what we would want to do with
> the points. I'm just curious why we haven't seen many
> powers that could be used to help others such as "Aid"
> and the like. Isn't that the nature of being a hero?

Can you imagine the strain of being a person with Aid that could heal?
Doctors whose specialties are in high demand are under enough pressure
as it is. What would it be like to be the only hope for people like
Christopher Reeves, cancer victims, and the victims of every incurable
disease known to man? People would want you to heal the sick until you
collapsed, and, even if you could get yourself away from work, the
guilt might destroy you. After all, when you just spent the past year
saving thousands of terminally ill people, you'd know _exactly_ what
sort of pain and suffering was going on in India during your vacation
in the Bahamas.

> Of course, knowing how selfish I can be, and that on
> the Twilight Zone/Outer Limits, one good twist
> deserves another, I imagine that this episode has the
> possibility of this being added to the ending:
> "What? What is happening? This can not be!" The Aliens
> looked at each other in panic, as the walls of their
> spacecraft shook in intense fury. For thanks to the
> human's choice of taking the power of precognition,
> they were aware that the Aliens would one day return
> to reclaim their gift. Knowing this, the humans had
> planned their defenses accordingly, but damned their
> prospects of universal enlightenment in the process.

Been there, done that. There is also the possibility that the aliens
wanted _selfish_ choices. "You chose to give yourselves power over
others, as if you had a right to decide the paths of their lives. We
made the same choice years ago, and it caused chaos and suffering. You
are not the race which we seek."

Or that the aliens were hoping for "good" powers that would be used
broadly among humans, and thus cause" chaos and death, in the long
run.

There was a good short-short in the new Twilight Zone where the aliens
told mankind that the aliens had started their race, and that their
"petty wars and squabbling" had doomed them. The humans begged for one
day, and during that day, managed to forge a universal peace treaty.
"Peace! We wanted warriors! Your wars have been too small, petty
instead of grand. And you have always had this sneaking desire for
peace! We have found your race unsuitable for our purposes, and now we
will be forced to start over."

Filksinger

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 13:52:13 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filkhero@deskmail.com>
Subject: Re: Starting campaigns

From: Bobby Farris Jr. <BJ@redbow.net>

> Happy 4th of July everyone.
>
> I have a question on how other GM's start their supers campaigns. Do
you
> have the players make individual characters and then bring them into
a
> group? Do you tell the players what kind of group they will work for
and
> then have them make characters, or do you ask the players to make up
the
> kind of group they work for then then the characters?

Well, my experiences with number 1 haven't been too bad, but I would
recommend numbers 2 or 3. In my present PBeM game, its was number 2;
the group will exist partly to create goodwill and good publicity for
paranormals (a.k.a "para-freaks"), and also partly to limit the damage
done by those paranormals who would do harm to normal-para relations.
A bit of "defend against those who would kidnap, kill, etc.,
paranormals just for being paranormals" is also pretty much inherent
in the game, as well as the present scenario.

Filksinger

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 21:24:49 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filkhero@deskmail.com>
Subject: Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)

From: Lizard <lizard@mrlizard.com>

> At 07:54 AM 7/6/99 +0800, Allan Dunbar wrote:
<snip>
> If this were true, population growth would be highest in industrial
nations
> with good medical infrastructures, and lowest in third-world
nations. But
> in fact, the opposite is true. The longer the lifespan, the LOWER
the
> population growth. Europe and American are very close to ZPG, and in
some
> nations, all growth is from immigration. Almost all population
growth is
> occuring in the parts of the world where lifespan is shortest.

Unfortunately, your argument assumes that the long life span slows the
population growth, and that is only one possibility. Since the two go
together the possibilities are:

1) Populations that have X get Y as a benefit. (In this case, X could
be "long life" and Y be "lower population growth", or X could be
"lower population growth" and Y could be "long life".)

2) Populations that have A get X and Y as benefits. (In this case, A
is an unknown, X is "long life", and Y is "lower population growth".)

Now, it may seem unlikely that X could be "lower population growth",
though it is possible. (Lower population growth makes for richer
citizens therefore better technology therefore longer life, for
example.) However, it is certainly possible that number 2 is true.

For example, it is true that rich people have always tended to have
smaller families. Thus, if you take two societies, the one with the
richest average population (By this, I mean that the average person
has more income, not the average income is higher. The second can be
thrown off by a few very rich people, such as in Kuwait.) may well
tend to have both a lower population growth and longer lives, because
of wealth. Technology could also play a part. Those nations with the
highest meridian income and the highest technology are also those
countries with the longest life spans and the lowest population
growth.

Why am I going into this in the HERO group? Because it can be A)
useful for world building to consider such ideas, and B) because you
can have great fun by making your players thing possibility 1 is true
when in fact it is the inverse possibility 1 or possibility 2. Or you
can accidentally do that, and your players can completely miss the
truth when you thought it was obvious.

Filksinger

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 00:54:24 -0400
From: geoff heald <gheald@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Starting campaigns

At 11:07 AM 7/5/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Happy 4th of July everyone.
>
>I have a question on how other GM's start their supers campaigns. Do you
>have the players make individual characters and then bring them into a
>group? Do you tell the players what kind of group they will work for and
>then have them make characters, or do you ask the players to make up the
>kind of group they work for then then the characters?
>
>For example, some players might want to work for a government ran group,
>others might want to work for the Avengers, or even others might want to
>work behind the scenes such as the X-Men.
>
>The problem I have is that everytime I let my players make up their own
>characters and then try to get them together they end up fighting and
>the campaign doesn't last as long.
>
>Bobby Farris
>

My experience in SuperHero is as a player, not a GM (and my GM was not
exactly great, but we had fun).
Starting out in a new campaign was always done on an individual basis.
Some folks won't fit in, but a good player will just make a new character
who fits in a little better and a bad player will wash out soon anyway
(admittedly, we had an odd pool to draw from: 1 University campus, 1 Hobby
Store to play at, but 3 Champions campaigns meeting 2 nights a week.) This
also works well for a group where the player mix can change from
week-to-week. Instead of "This weeks' menace facing the SuperFriends:",
you get "and this APB was heard by:". Like the Tick: Team-up of the week.

My first time out, I felt like Spider Man trying out for the Avengers.
Some of these guys had obviously worked together before, but some of them
just happened to show up at the right spot and my guy was a newbie Hero
anyway. He lasted 'til the bad guy fell, but I clearly needed an upgrade.
My next character worked better. He had a central concept AND was built to
exploit a weak spot on the team. Further, he was a Hero in his own right
with a bit of a rep, so the others took him a little more seriously. Sort
of like if Daredevil wanted to join the Avengers (or sumtin').

Anyway, I don't claim that's the bestway to do it, but it worked for us.

============================
Geoff Heald
============================
Attention all enemies of the Rival Ninja Corporation: You will lay down
your weapons and surrender to your nearest R.N.C. representative. Failure
to do so will result in your total destruction. Thank you.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 22:20:48 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filkhero@deskmail.com>
Subject: Re: Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!

From: Chad Riley <chadriley01@sprynet.com>

> I have actually been rather facinated by the 10/100 pt stuff here.
You
> guys and gals are pretty dang creative when given the points. So now
I
> wanna go all the way with this one. Make a 250 superheroic (or just
> heroic) or villainish (depending on how you see yourself) version of
> yerself.

Well, I don't like the idea of adding super powers to a universe in
which the do not exist, nor do I like the idea of becoming too
abnormal. So, unless I was actually needed to save the world, I
wouldn't become either one, if the world were normal.

If this were a four-color world, I'd probably want to be the guy
behind the scenes, building stuff for the valiant heroes.

Given a real-world chance, I am planning on becoming a hero. I have
worked it out in advance, so I won't hesitate, should it be needed,
and have generally acted in that manner quickly in those few
situations I have seen where it was appropriate. However, I don't want
to make it my profession.

However, I still will probably decide to come up with something, if I
have time the next few days. Let me think about it.

Filksinger

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 22:39:55 -0700
From: Lizard <lizard@mrlizard.com>
Subject: Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroicdreamscome true!)

At 10:38 PM 7/5/99 EDT, ErolB1@aol.com wrote:

>For the first, I think I'd be tempted to buy powers designed for a run at
>overthrowing the US government. But that would make me a villian in some
>peoples eyes (which wouldn't bother me) and 250 points might not be enough
to
>be successful (which would bother me). So I'd probably do something along
the
>lines of making myself into "super-pundit" with mind control based on
>petranaturally eloquent writing and speech.
>
Mind control, shmind control.

Two words:Cumulative Transform

"Person to Loyal Servant".

Just start hanging out in Congress. Pick out the most important people
first -- leaders of committees and the like. If you mind control them, you
have to actually think for them -- but Transform them into your best buddy,
and they'll use all their cunning, skill, and experience on your behalf.

Hell, getting the SC in your back pocket would be enough...

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 16:04:11 +0800
From: Allan Dunbar <adunbar@iinet.net.au>
Subject: Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)

At 05:27 5/07/99 -0700, you wrote:
>At 07:54 AM 7/6/99 +0800, Allan Dunbar wrote:
>
>
>>Not that I would use my points to buy aids to heal people etc, that would be
>>pointless, unless you could affect things on a global scale, and then the
>>ramifications would be horrific. If you're talking about realism here, you
>>have to realise that healing the sick and making sure no one dies of their
>>wounds on a global scale would see us experiencing massive overpopulation in
>>about half the time we are expected to experience it.
>>
>If this were true, population growth would be highest in industrial nations
>with good medical infrastructures, and lowest in third-world nations. But
>in fact, the opposite is true. The longer the lifespan, the LOWER the
>population growth. Europe and American are very close to ZPG, and in some
>nations, all growth is from immigration. Almost all population growth is
>occuring in the parts of the world where lifespan is shortest.
>
>The 'writhing mass of humanity expanding at lightspeed' is LAST years doom
>scenario. The current one is a million senior-citizens living off the labor
>of one kid at McDonalds.
>
>
Yes, but in the short term, population growth would be nothing short of
explosive. In the poor South, there are dozens of nations with very poor
agricultural bases etc, where population would continue to grow at a very
rapid rate.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 10:04:29 +0100
From: Stephen McGinness <MCGINNESSS@parliament.uk>
Subject: Re: Starting campaigns

My take is similar to Bob's. When I am asking players for characters and
histories I tell them that they have to have connections to at least two other
players with a reason that they like and/or respect that character. This is limited
only in that an exclusive group of three within the larger group, i.e., A cannot list
B and C when C lists A and B and B lists C and A, is not allowed. No closed
cirlces.

I found through bitter experience that whilst one off work best with GM fiat on the
character interactions for a campaign it is sustainable only if the players dictate
the action. They are also far better at coming up with reasons they know each
other and are more content at playing those interactions because they own
them. It is also easier for the GM as he is not seen as dictating the characters
history....

Stephen

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 04:09:17 PDT
From: S A Rudy <sarudy@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!

says Filksinger:
>If this were a four-color world, I'd probably want to be the guy
>behind the scenes, building stuff for the valiant heroes.

Be careful. That sort of thing will get you kidnapped a lot...:)

- -S

_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 08:04:28 -0500
From: Ross Rannells <rossrannells@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Enhanced Disarm (limited STR)

Jason Sullivan wrote:

> I was wondering what ammount of Limitation you would assign to
> a construct using STR as the base CHAR, the Limitation being "Only Useable
> for Disarm and Defending Against Disarms"?

As stated, its a +2 limitation in my campaign.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 08:15:26 -0500
From: "Bobby Farris Jr." <BJ@redbow.net>
Subject: Re: Starting campaigns

Just want to say thanks for all the input and I will try to put it to good
use :)

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 16:34:41 +0200
From: Henrik Giese <henrik.giese@lgp.se>
Subject: RE: Adv/Lim?

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Official ruling, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

- -----Original Message-----
From: Juan Antonio Ramirez [mailto:tonio@prtc.net]
Sent: den 6 juli 1999 01:24
To: champ-l@sysabend.org
Subject: Re: Adv/Lim?

qts wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Jun 1999 19:14:41 -0400, Juan Antonio Ramirez wrote:
>
> >Bob Greenwade wrote:
> >
> >> At 03:25 PM 6/28/1999 -0400, David Nasset wrote:
> >> >From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >>At 07:53 PM 6/27/1999 -0400, Juan Antonio Ramirez wrote:
> >> >>>
> >> >>>Here's what I want to do... I want to make this item (say a ring, a
> >> >>>power bracelet, whatever) which has a set of powers which anybody
who
> >> >>>picks it up and wears it can use. By the way, Superhero setting...
> >> >>>Well, the problem is the SFX. They are sorta variable... it depends
on
> >> >>>who picks it up.
> >> ><snip>
> >> >>>I'm tempted to list it as a +/- 0 Adv/Lim ("SFX Reflects user's
> >> >>>'heart'"), but I'm thinking maybe it's Variable SFX with a
Limitation on
> >> >>>the Advantage...
> >> >>>What to you guys think?
> >> >>
> >> >> I'd go with the latter idea (Variable SFX with a Limitation --
> >> >>specifically, I'd use No Conscious Control).
> >
> >>
> >> >
> >> >Perfect. And if the user's personality were to suddenly change, poof,
new
> >> >SFX!
> >>
> >
> >Hmmm.... I like this... 8)
> >
> >>
> >> And all for a truly minimal investment (a +1/4 Advantage with a -2
> >> Limitation on it will probably fall into the one-digit price range on
this
> >> item, even with multiple Powers).
> >
> >How do you figure?
> >Say... um, 8d6 EB, Variable SFX (Any): +1/2, No Concious Control on VSFX:
- -2,
> >OIF (Bracelet, ring, whatever): -1/2, Independent: -2... that'd be
> >40 + (40 * 0.5 / (1+2)) = 47 APs
> >47 / 3.5 = 13 (Real Cost)
> >And that's just one power...
>
> Errr, no. It's 60 APs, and the cost is
>
> (40/(1+1/2+2))+((40*1/2)/(1+2+1/2+2))=11+3=14

Huh?
8d6 EB is 40 pts base...
40*1/2 = 20 is the cost of the VSFX adv.
20/(1+2) = 7 is the cost of VSFX, No Concious Control.
so 40 + 7 is the Active Cost.
Hmm, maybe 60 could be the active cost, considering the Advantage without
its
Limitation, I could be wrong there, but it still shouldn't affect the Real
Cost...

which would be 47 (Base + Advantages) / (1+2+1/2) = 13.

>
> qts
>
> Home: qts@nildram.co.uk.

- --Tonio

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Official ruling, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!


-----Original Message-----
 From: Juan Antonio Ramirez [<A HREF="mailto:tonio@prtc.net">mailto:tonio@prtc.net</A>]
 Sent: den 6 juli 1999 01:24
 To: champ-l@sysabend.org
 Subject: Re: Adv/Lim?

 

qts wrote:


> On Mon, 28 Jun 1999 19:14:41 -0400, Juan Antonio Ramirez wrote:
 >
 > >Bob Greenwade wrote:
 > >
 > >> At 03:25 PM 6/28/1999 -0400, David Nasset wrote:
 > >> >From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
 > >> >
 > >> >>
 > >> >>At 07:53 PM 6/27/1999 -0400, Juan Antonio Ramirez wrote:
 > >> >>>
 > >> >>>Here's what I want to do... I want to make this item (say a ring, a
 > >> >>>power bracelet, whatever) which has a set of powers which anybody who
 > >> >>>picks it up and wears it can use.  By the way, Superhero setting...
 > >> >>>Well, the problem is the SFX.  They are sorta variable... it depends on
 > >> >>>who picks it up.
 > >> ><snip>
 > >> >>>I'm tempted to list it as a +/- 0 Adv/Lim ("SFX Reflects user's
 > >> >>>'heart'"), but I'm thinking maybe it's Variable SFX with a Limitation on
 > >> >>>the Advantage...
 > >> >>>What to you guys think?
 > >> >>
 > >> >>   I'd go with the latter idea (Variable SFX with a Limitation --
 > >> >>specifically, I'd use No Conscious Control).
 > >
 > >>
 > >> >
 > >> >Perfect. And if the user's personality were to suddenly change, poof, new
 > >> >SFX!
 > >>
 > >
 > >Hmmm.... I like this... 8)
 > >
 > >>
 > >>    And all for a truly minimal investment (a +1/4 Advantage with a -2
 > >> Limitation on it will probably fall into the one-digit price range on this
 > >> item, even with multiple Powers).
 > >
 > >How do you figure?
 > >Say... um, 8d6 EB, Variable SFX (Any): +1/2, No Concious Control on VSFX: -2,
 > >OIF (Bracelet, ring, whatever): -1/2, Independent: -2... that'd be
 > >40 + (40 * 0.5 / (1+2)) = 47  APs
 > >47 / 3.5 = 13 (Real Cost)
 > >And that's just one power...
 >
 > Errr, no. It's 60 APs, and the cost is
 >
 > (40/(1+1/2+2))+((40*1/2)/(1+2+1/2+2))=11+3=14


Huh?
 8d6 EB is 40 pts base...
 40*1/2 = 20 is the cost of the VSFX adv.
 20/(1+2) = 7 is the cost of VSFX, No Concious Control.
 so 40 + 7 is the Active Cost.
 Hmm, maybe 60 could be the active cost, considering the Advantage without its
 Limitation, I could be wrong there, but it still shouldn't affect the Real Cost...


which would be 47 (Base + Advantages) / (1+2+1/2) = 13.

 

>
 > qts
 >
 > Home: qts@nildram.co.uk.


--Tonio


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 10:57:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jason Sullivan <ravanos@NJCU.edu>
Subject: Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)

On Mon, 5 Jul 1999, Filksinger wrote:

> Can you imagine the strain of being a person with Aid that could heal?
> Doctors whose specialties are in high demand are under enough pressure
> as it is. What would it be like to be the only hope for people like
> Christopher Reeves, cancer victims, and the victims of every incurable
> disease known to man? People would want you to heal the sick until you
> collapsed, and, even if you could get yourself away from work, the
> guilt might destroy you. After all, when you just spent the past year
> saving thousands of terminally ill people, you'd know _exactly_ what
> sort of pain and suffering was going on in India during your vacation
> in the Bahamas.

I think a HERO idea like this would be great.

I created an NPC once dubbed "the Messiah," (for Marvel) who could
heal people. He wasn't so much a hero as he was someone who had this
terrible responsibility. He did have a secret identity, which he used to
have moments of rest and sanity.
His healing ability ran across the board. He could heal or change
anything: wounds, suffering, diseases, vision problems, psychological
problems... even touchy things like dwarfism, blindness for birth, sexual
preference, and super powers (the archtypical unwanted mutant power
complex). The powers only worked if the person wanted them to work,
however... So a psychopath who liked to kill, or an old man who was
suffering and wanted to die would.
After discovering that he was very hard to kill and ageless, he
discarded his "heroic" personae and started his schooling to become a
doctor, making a breif resurgence to counter-act a super plague caused by
the villainess Pariah. His city-wide use of his power caused him to die,
or rather enter a state of "advanced suspended animation as his body
assimilated the illness" (a typical superheroic plot twist). He was given
a "hero's funeral" by the group, who maintained a quarantined above ground
monument/medical center which housed his resting body near their base.

You could probally use an idea like this and make it something
involuntary that always happens with skin to skin contact... perhaps the
pain of the injury or illness is drawn into the user... Perhaps some of
the user's "life force" ebbs away... Perhaps his blood grants a special
form of immortality...

Any more ideas?

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 12:20:18 -0500
From: "Guy Hoyle" <ghoyle1@airmail.net>
Subject: Jobs for Supers (was Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)

I bet that GURPS SuperTemps would be a treasure trove of ideas for this,
but here are a couple of ideas.

Archaeologist with Clairsentience (the past): He can read the auras of
objects and places to find out what's there. With some artistic skills he
cand reproduce what he sees in pencil or ink. If he can extend his power
to cameras or video cameras he can take photos.

Construction Worker (and many related professions): obvious for someone
with super-strength or TK. Other likely powers would be the ability to
weld things together without a blowtorch; Armor or Forcefield; the ability
to detect flaws in materials; etc.

Guy
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 7/6/99 at 10:57 AM Jason Sullivan wrote:

>On Mon, 5 Jul 1999, Filksinger wrote:
>
>> Can you imagine the strain of being a person with Aid that could heal?
>> Doctors whose specialties are in high demand are under enough pressure
>> as it is. What would it be like to be the only hope for people like
>> Christopher Reeves, cancer victims, and the victims of every incurable
>> disease known to man? People would want you to heal the sick until you
>> collapsed, and, even if you could get yourself away from work, the
>> guilt might destroy you. After all, when you just spent the past year
>> saving thousands of terminally ill people, you'd know _exactly_ what
>> sort of pain and suffering was going on in India during your vacation
>> in the Bahamas.
>
> I think a HERO idea like this would be great.
>
> I created an NPC once dubbed "the Messiah," (for Marvel) who could
>heal people. He wasn't so much a hero as he was someone who had this
>terrible responsibility. He did have a secret identity, which he used to
>have moments of rest and sanity.
> His healing ability ran across the board. He could heal or change
>anything: wounds, suffering, diseases, vision problems, psychological
>problems... even touchy things like dwarfism, blindness for birth, sexual
>preference, and super powers (the archtypical unwanted mutant power
>complex). The powers only worked if the person wanted them to work,
>however... So a psychopath who liked to kill, or an old man who was
>suffering and wanted to die would.
> After discovering that he was very hard to kill and ageless, he
>discarded his "heroic" personae and started his schooling to become a
>doctor, making a breif resurgence to counter-act a super plague caused by
>the villainess Pariah. His city-wide use of his power caused him to die,
>or rather enter a state of "advanced suspended animation as his body
>assimilated the illness" (a typical superheroic plot twist). He was given
>a "hero's funeral" by the group, who maintained a quarantined above ground
>monument/medical center which housed his resting body near their base.
>
> You could probally use an idea like this and make it something
>involuntary that always happens with skin to skin contact... perhaps the
>pain of the injury or illness is drawn into the user... Perhaps some of
>the user's "life force" ebbs away... Perhaps his blood grants a special
>form of immortality...
>
> Any more ideas?

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 13:34:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: Jobs for Supers (was Re: Twilight Zone)

On Tue, 6 Jul 1999, Guy Hoyle wrote:

> I bet that GURPS SuperTemps would be a treasure trove of ideas for this,
> but here are a couple of ideas.
>
> Construction Worker (and many related professions): obvious for someone
> with super-strength or TK. Other likely powers would be the ability to
> weld things together without a blowtorch; Armor or Forcefield; the ability
> to detect flaws in materials; etc.

In Wildcards they have people with high STR doing heavy lifting, complete
with an 'extreme STR' permit (or somehting like that).

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

"Having term limitations is like having freedom of the press, but
only for ten pages."
Frank Benlin, _The Daily Feed_

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 16:05:57 -0400
From: "Beren" <beren@unforgettable.com>
Subject: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..

Talking to a friend of mine about my web pages reminded me of something that
happened last year. I run a pbem game set in York, my world's equivalent to
Toronto (Ontario, Canada), and one of the characters is an X-Files fan, so I
set up a sublpot for something to happen at an X-Files convention.

I often put up "news stories" on my web site to let the players know what's
going on, and one of these was a story about the fictitious convention, and
a list of some of the guests.

I received an email from someone who asked me if Gillian Anderson was really
going to be at the con, and to send him more information about it because he
and his friends would be willing to drive up to New York to attend it. When
I explained to him that it was a work of fiction, he sent me back a very
embarassed email..

Has anyone else had something like that happen to them?

Lisa
beren@unforgettable.com

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 15:31:41 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..

At 04:05 PM 7/6/1999 -0400, Beren wrote:
>
>Has anyone else had something like that happen to them?

I still occasionally get someone who comes across my write-up of Krav
Maga for the Hero System, and thinks I'm an actual practitioner. (One
person even offered to fly me to Pennsylvania to give a demonstration. Too
bad I'm 4-F!)
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/original.htm
Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/merrhome.htm
Interested in sarrusophones? Join the Sarrusophone Mailing List!
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/sarrus.htm

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 19:05:56 -0400
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..

At 04:05 PM 7/6/99 -0400, Beren wrote:
>I often put up "news stories" on my web site to let the players know what's
>going on, and one of these was a story about the fictitious convention, and
>a list of some of the guests.
>
>I received an email from someone who asked me if Gillian Anderson was really
>going to be at the con, and to send him more information about it because he
>and his friends would be willing to drive up to New York to attend it. When
>I explained to him that it was a work of fiction, he sent me back a very
>embarassed email..
>
>Has anyone else had something like that happen to them?

I get that a lot. Our page contains a long-running newspaper, THE ATLANTA
GAZETTE. Funny thing about web pages is that if you leave it there long
enough, the search engines index it. And they don't care if the material's
true or false. There's a lot of keywords about the Atlanta area that will
turn up hits on the GAZETTE.

While I've had a few people write for more information about particular
stories, my big worry is that I'm violating somebody's copyright (which
is most likely true) or that I'll piss somebody off enough to file a
libel lawsuit.

====================== =================================================
Mike Christodoulou "Never doubt that a small group of committed
Cypriot@Concentric.Net citizens can change the world. In fact, it is
(770) 662-5605 the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead
====================== =================================================

------------------------------

Date: 06 Jul 1999 20:10:17 -0400
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..

- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

* "Beren" <beren@unforgettable.com> on Tue, 06 Jul 1999
| Has anyone else had something like that happen to them?

I used to have a "what if General Motors had a help desk" file up.

Every month or so I would get a message from some moron wanting me to help
them with their GM vehicle.
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v0.9.8 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org

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=BMIg
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- --
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be
Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ returned to its special container and
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ kept under refrigeration.

------------------------------

Date: 06 Jul 1999 20:12:29 -0400
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: OT: Fiction colliding with the Real World..

- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

* Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net> on Tue, 06 Jul 1999
| While I've had a few people write for more information about particular
| stories, my big worry is that I'm violating somebody's copyright (which
| is most likely true) or that I'll piss somebody off enough to file a
| libel lawsuit.

Make sure you make it obvious that the thing is fake. Way up at the top,
under the title, put something that reads, "This is a work of fiction."
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
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4hhXiA9/3zQQdHc19TO8RA4=
=5wQB
- -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

- --
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly
Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ accelerate to dangerous speeds.
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 20:39:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jason Sullivan <ravanos@NJCU.edu>
Subject: Re: Jobs for Supers (was Re: Twilight Zone: (Was Re:Uppin the ante - 250 Pts! Heroic dreams come true!)

On Tue, 6 Jul 1999, Guy Hoyle wrote:

> I bet that GURPS SuperTemps would be a treasure trove of ideas for this,
> but here are a couple of ideas.
> > Any more ideas?

I had planned a character who could copy the abilities of
Vechiles... he would have especially liked construction vechiles out on
the street... but would probally have no problem with a sportscar... or
the rare tank or fighter plane.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 22:19:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Daniel P. Pawtowski" <dpawtows@acm.vt.edu>
Subject: Need a Nuclear Name.....

Didn't think this would be too hard, but haven't been able
to find muhc on this: I'm creating a Korean supervillian to
throw at a PC team, with nuclear-radiation based powers that
he got from a nasty underground accident.
Anybody have a suggestion for a suitable name? The closest
I've been able to find so far are all variations of Chinese.

Daniel Pawtowski
dpawtows@halcyon.com

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 19:37:25 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Need a Nuclear Name.....

At 10:19 PM 7/6/1999 -0400, Daniel P. Pawtowski wrote:
>
> Didn't think this would be too hard, but haven't been able
>to find muhc on this: I'm creating a Korean supervillian to
>throw at a PC team, with nuclear-radiation based powers that
>he got from a nasty underground accident.
> Anybody have a suggestion for a suitable name? The closest
>I've been able to find so far are all variations of Chinese.

I don't have a Korean translation dictionary in my collection, but if
you can get a translation of "Fire Tiger" I think it'd be a cool one. :-]
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/original.htm
Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/merrhome.htm
Interested in sarrusophones? Join the Sarrusophone Mailing List!
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/sarrus.htm

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 00:18:44 -0400
From: Arthur McMahon <artmc@icubed.com>
Subject: Aberrant to Champions conversion for Taint

Okay, I am in the process of finishing out a conversion to
Champions for Aberrants Taint. Is there an interest in this?

I will have to convert the file over to text, to avoid posting
and attachment to the list. But ii will still be fairly long.

This is just a method of determining how to generate Taint
in a different rule set, and how to handle the Nova's ability
to pump up their powers to near unlimited levels.

I still have to finish out a few bits, mostly what to do with
certain Skill Levels, and what not. Plus this little sucker
hasn't been playtested in the least !!! :-} So it may be a
bit unbalanced.

* art *

------------------------------

End of champ-l-digest V1 #446
*****************************

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Date: Monday, September 06, 1999 10:38 AM