Pattern Ghost Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 I'm working on a character who's a chimera: a mix of DNA from a human, shark, alligator, and some other aquatic life forms. I have 20 points left to flavor him up as a master of underwater combat. But I can't think of anything other than the lame "stronger in water" shtick that doesn't really fit his conception, and a couple of PSLs to offset the fighting in water penalties. Anybody have some ideas how to spice up Chimera's character sheet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodstone Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery I'm working on a character who's a chimera: a mix of DNA from a human, shark, alligator, and some other aquatic life forms. I have 20 points left to flavor him up as a master of underwater combat. But I can't think of anything other than the lame "stronger in water" shtick that doesn't really fit his conception, and a couple of PSLs to offset the fighting in water penalties. Anybody have some ideas how to spice up Chimera's character sheet? Environmental Movement: no penalties underwater. Did you already give him the sharks (many) enhanced senses? If it wouldn't bust concept, add Squid ink to block Sight group, making him even more overwhelming in the water, since he will have multiple targeting senses. Also, some way of keeping foes underwater, be it some kind of whirlpool (TK) or just improved grappling ability. Oh, and Drain Swimming (as a result of disabling bites to the legs and arms)... no one ever sees that one coming for some reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted June 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Environmental Movement: no penalties underwater. Aha! I thought that was in 5th somewhere, but couldn't find it! Did you already give him the sharks (many) enhanced senses? Just the shark nose. Will add targeting to scent though. If it wouldn't bust concept, add Squid ink to block Sight group, making him even more overwhelming in the water, since he will have multiple targeting senses. Tempting, but... I do not want to know where he squirts his ink from. Also, some way of keeping foes underwater, be it some kind of whirlpool (TK) or just improved grappling ability. I like this one. The old grab and dive. Oh, and Drain Swimming (as a result of disabling bites to the legs and arms)... no one ever sees that one coming for some reason... Also tempting, but he doesn't really have a bite attack. His human-ish shaped mouth is only good for catching small stuff like fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Well, there is an article in Digital Hero #8 describing Atlantean Water Arts, a Martial Art style specifically for underwater combat, with Maneuver names such as "Shark's Nudge," "Nautilus Block" and "Embrace of the Squid," plus a special ability called "Swirling Maelstrom" by which the user swirls the water enough to cause obscuring bubbles (Darkness). The article also features an Atlantean villain, Professor Piscean, whose body is just such a chimera of aquatic animal parts. He might offer some additional ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted June 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery OK, here's what I came up with. Since I only had 20 pts to spend, and had forgotten to transfer his AKs into the document, I didn't get everything in there, but I'll likely use some of these suggestions as he gains experience. (Note: He's built on 300+50 instead of 200+150) CHIMERA 40 STR 30 21 DEX 33 40 CON 60 20 BODY 20 13 INT 03 11 EGO 02 20 PRE 10 08 COM -02 20 PD 12 20 ED 12 5 SPD 19 20 REC 08 60 END -10 60 STUN 00 CHAR Total: 198 POWERS/SKILLS/TALENTS 19 Martial Arts (Remnants) OCV DCV Damage/Effect Fast Strike +2 +0 10d6 Strike Legsweep +2 -1 9d6 Strike; Target Falls Martial Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 50 STR to roll Martial Grab -1 -1 Grab 2 Limbs, 50 STR to Hold Offensive Strike -2 +1 12d6 Strike 3 Shark Skin: Damage Resistance to 3PD/3ED 7 Alligator Plating: Armor +5PD/+5ED, Act. 11- (-1) 11 Starfish Regeneration: Regeneration 1BODY/Turn, Regrow Limbs 8 Atavistic Mind: Mental Defense +8 (MD: 10) 5 Third Eyelid: +5 Flash Defense to Sight 15 Shark’s Nose: Tracking and Targeting Scent 2 Shark’s Nose: +2 to Scent PER rolls (14-) 8 Deep Sea Adaptations: LS: Breath Water, High Pressure, Extreme Cold 23 Shark’s Speed: +18” Swimming, x4 Non-combat Multiple (20”/80”) 12 Gator’s Rush: +6” Running (12”/24”) 3 At Home in the Water: Environmental Movement, Water Natural Born Hunter Skills: 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Climbing 13- 3 Stealth 13- 5 Shadowing 13- 4 Survival (Marine)13- 2 AK: Local Waterways 11- 2 AK: Local Sewers 11- 10 +2 Levels with Hand to Hand Combat 4 +2 OVC with Martial Grab Total Powers/Skills/Talents: 152 DISADVANTAGES 20 Hunted by Viper 8- (Capture/Enslave, MoPow, NCI) 10 Distinctive Features: Monstrous Appearance (Easily Concealed, Major Reaction) 20 Vulnerable, x2 Stun from Fire/Heat Attacks Total Disadvantages: 50 + 300 Base Pts = 350 Background/History: Kyle Sandsmark was a martial arts instructor and Army veteran who trained law enforcement, military, and private security agencies in hand to hand combat skills. The last job he ever took was for Diamondback Security, a Viper front company. After assessing his suitability as a test subject, Viper abducted Kyle and subjected him to their latest gene splicing experiments, bonding his DNA with shark, alligator, starfish, ape, tiger, and several other animals’ DNA. The result was a chimera. Kyle was kept in an underwater facility for his transformation and subsequent experimentation. As part of the program, Viper intended to wipe his mind and instill a new, malleable personality, to turn him into a killing machine. It was during the latter part of the mind wiping process that an earthquake struck, damaging the base. Kyle managed to break free, and to fight his way out of the facility. Cries of “Chimera has escaped!” echoed in his ears as he made his way to freedom. Lacking memories, and an identity, he took the name he was given. Personality/Motivation: Kyle was a veteran who had seen too much conflict in his life. He found peace in martial arts, and a center of calm and control that countered the chaos of war. At heart, he was a peaceful man. This core personality was not broken during Viper’s mind wiping attempts, and is currently almost all that is left of the man Chimera was. Chimera seeks answers. He wants to regain that which was taken from him. At the same time, he doesn’t deny the nature of what he has become. He wants his memories back, but he hasn’t decided if he wants to reverse the changes that were done to his body. He thrills in the hunt, and in the freedom that his aquatic lifestlye affords him, and in the peace of the depths. While he will fight if forced to, he is essentially a humble person, whose body language conveys his gentle nature. (Thus his reaction is not bought as Extreme for his Distinctive Features, nor is his PRE offensive only.) He is also somewhat quiet. He knows his mind isn’t operating at its full capacity, so he usually remains quietly thoughtful, and speaks slowly and deliberately. Powers/Tactics: Chimera has retained a small portion of his martial arts training, though by no means all of it. His tactics are very rarely defensive in nature, so he lacks the defensive maneuvers he had in his prior life. The only time he goes on the defensive is against fire or heat users, as the sudden temperature change shocks his system. When in the water, he fights much as his primary animal aspects, the shark and the alligator, do: he Grabs his opponent and drags them down as deeply as possible. (He also brings them back up when they’re waterlogged and out of fight, rather than let them drown.) The rest of Chimera’s powers are pretty self-explanatory, and based largely on his shark and alligator genes. His extraordinary strength is a result of several bio-mechanical and muscular advantages enhanced from great ape and large cat genes. His skills are those of a predator, and until he regains his memories, he does not have access to Kyle’s full military or martial arts skills. Appearance: Chimera is a 7’ tall, 400 lb. shark-alligator-man. Nuff said. (Attached are pics of him in his normal non-outfit and one in his patented TMNT disguise of overcoat and fedora.) Quote: "I'm more than the sum of my parts." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balabanto Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Environmental Movement: No penalties underwater. +3 CSL, Only in Water (-1). Total cost 16 points, and you have enough left over for KS: Fish at 4 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattingly Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery I'd stress how graceful and "at home" he is in the water. Acrobatics; Only Underwater (-1/2)* Navigation: Marine (or maybe even Bump Of Direction) And a couple of Movement Levels with Swimming Only Underwater is normally a much higher penalty, but for someone who specializes in that environment, it's not really much of a limitation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comic Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery With that amount of swimming, you might want to give him Invisibility (including Sonar & Radar) Only Underwater, to simulate that at his speeds, he's not really trackable.. or possibly Darkness (no range, personal immunity), to show that the turbulence he can kick up would confuse any senses. And it happens to make him that much more frightening underwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted June 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Sweet, more great ideas. =) I expect him to be mostly a fish out of water at start, and he's kind of new at being a fish when he is in the water, but I'm going to work some of these in as he gets experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery You might want to look through the HERO System Bestiary for Shark/Gator Animal Powers/Senses. Shark Men - Deviant Art http://search.deviantart.com/?section=browse&qh=boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h+age_scale%3A5&q=Shark+Man Tiger Shark - Marvel Database Gallery http://en.marveldatabase.com/Todd_Arliss_%28Earth-616%29/Gallery Killer Croc - DC Database Gallery http://en.dcdatabaseproject.com/Waylon_Jones_%28New_Earth%29/Gallery Cool concept. QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted June 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Don't have it. The only 5th Edition stuff I have is the core book and Champions genre book. Low RPG budget around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery IF you are looking for anything in particular. As and I will Research and pass it on to you. Cheers QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Nice character, PG. Given his powerset, I think I'd just dump the ape, tiger, etc., and just stick with aquatic critters as DNA donors. It's not like great whites, etc., aren't strong and fast. You might consider dumping Climbing as something not really in sync with a water-based character. You do realize how fast 80" Swimming/5 SPD is? 149 MPH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Nice character, PG. Given his powerset, I think I'd just dump the ape, tiger, etc., and just stick with aquatic critters as DNA donors. It's not like great whites, etc., aren't strong and fast. You might consider dumping Climbing as something not really in sync with a water-based character. You do realize how fast 80" Swimming/5 SPD is? 149 MPH! If he swims that fast, you might consider paying for the advantage: Usable as leaping. At 149 MPH, I suspect that even low-flying aircraft aren't safe from this guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodstone Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery If he swims that fast' date=' you might consider paying for the advantage: Usable as leaping. At 149 MPH, I suspect that even low-flying aircraft aren't safe from this guy.[/quote'] Ultimate Speedster p39 has some rules Breaching (leaping out of the water). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted June 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Nice character, PG. Given his powerset, I think I'd just dump the ape, tiger, etc., and just stick with aquatic critters as DNA donors. It's not like great whites, etc., aren't strong and fast. You might consider dumping Climbing as something not really in sync with a water-based character. You do realize how fast 80" Swimming/5 SPD is? 149 MPH! Yep, did the math on that one. About three to six times the speed of a normal shark, according to one website (which puts them at 26-50 mph). Being that speedy in water is bound to come in handy at least once in his career. The Climbing is an Alligator trait. Suckers can climb to places you'd be surprised to see. I'm from Florida, and every year, there'd be a few cases of gators up on someone's tool shed. I wanted him to be mainly a mix of Alligator and Shark to be able to operate on land and sea, rather than doing the typical "Man from Atlantis" shtick of drying out on land. I put the smörgåsbords (<-- that's the spelling my spellchecker for Firefox gave me ) of DNA into his background to allow for future developments, but I think you're right; I'll keep it all aquatic-themed anyway. Really, the only physical trait I see him developing outside of maybe adding a few points to what he already has, is the squid ink. That's one idea from the thread I really, really like but couldn't afford. I'm going to have him complain a bit about a sore/irritated throat, until he gets the XP to afford some ink glands. I decided to move them up to his neck rather than the other option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted June 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery If he swims that fast' date=' you might consider paying for the advantage: Usable as leaping. At 149 MPH, I suspect that even low-flying aircraft aren't safe from this guy.[/quote'] Good idea! Ultimate Speedster p39 has some rules Breaching (leaping out of the water). Yikes! I may have to build up my 5th Edition book list after all. I think breaching can be something he can learn as he gets used to his abilities. I see him currently as spending a lot of time under the water (and out of sight), catching fish, cruising around, and trying to work out how he's going to get some information out of VIPER. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Been a while since I've created a character for play, and there are a lot of nice little things in 5th that I haven't got committed to memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery [b]SHARK! - [/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b] Shark Powers - END= 3 1) [b][i]Tough Skin[/i][/b]: Damage Resistance (3 PD/3 ED) - END=0 15 2) [b][i]Electrosense[/i][/b]: Detect Bioelectric Fields 11- (Unusual Group), Sense, Targeting - END=0 18 3) [b][i]Lateral Line Sense[/i][/b]: Detect Physical Vibrations 11- (Touch Group), Range, Targeting - END=0 6 4) [b][i]Shark's Nose[/i][/b]: +3 PER with Smell/Taste Group - END=0 6 5) [b][i]Shark's Senses[/i][/b]: +2 PER with all Sense Groups - END=0 6 6) [b][i]Dermal Denticles[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1 point, Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Damage Shield (+1/2) (14 Active Points); Always On (-1/2), Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), No STR Bonus (-1/2) - END=0 25 7) [b][i]Jaws[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1 1/2d6 (2d6+1 w/STR) - END=2 12 8) [b][i]Heavy[/i][/b]: Knockback Resistance -6" - END=0 10 9) [b][i]Burst of Speed[/i][/b]: Swimming +20" (38" total) (20 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1) - END=6 16 10) [b][i]Shark's Body[/i][/b]: Swimming +16" (38" total) - END=2 10 11) [b][i]Shark's Nose[/i][/b]: Targeting with Normal Smell - END=0 5 12) [b][i]Shark's Nose[/i][/b]: Tracking with Normal Smell - END=0 [b]POWERS Cost: 132[/b] [b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b] 25 Enraged: When Smells Blood (Common), go 11-, recover 8- 15 Psychological Limitation: Voracious Appetite (Common, Strong) 20 Reputation: Man-Eater, 14- (Extreme) [b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 60[/b] Hmmm... QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted June 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Interesting, looks like a hit a few by accident. Funny the damage resistance ended up being the same. I don't know that I'd buy up the PER that much, though maybe the book shark has lower INT? Almost did the rough skin damage shield but didn't want to dump points on it, as it'd only be useful as a special effect. And there are a lot of sharks that don't have skin that's overly rough. Hmm, my guy's fairly big... some KB resistance might be in order. Can't figure how I'd add it in after the fact with experience though. Might buy electro sense. Can just put that one down to him not realizing what the heck that tingly feeling is . . . Edit: Must spread rep... blah. I owe you future rep QM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Note Animal Senses are Base 11- FYI QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Shark-man http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/sharkman.htm Thought I saw it somewhere QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Shark-man http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/sharkman.htm Thought I saw it somewhere QM That belt is disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery That belt is disturbing. Only if it was lower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattingly Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery And Lava Girl isn't even with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Re: Underwater Combat Mastery Freaking Awesome Deviant Art - JAWSOME WOW! QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.