Major Tom 2009

Re: Else Earth Pantheons of the ...Verse And he was probably humming "Where There's A Whip, There's A Way" while he was doing it... Major Tom 2009

Re: Super Agents Like they say, big things start out small at first. That said, you'll want to run your campaign's super-agent PCs up against foes of their own level first, then -- as they gain more experience -- gradually ramp up the opposition's skill and power levels up until they're at the stage where the PCs can face up against even supervillains and have a good chance of winning (without getting turned into wall ormaments in the process). Major Tom 2009

Re: Idunn, Goddess of Youth...Trolling for powers. From what I remember of the Norse myths that I've read, Idunn was goddess of youth due to the fact that she was the keeper of the golden apples of youth, which the Aesir had to eat every so often in order to retain their immortality and youth. I'm not sure if a specific time interval between apples was ever mentioned, but at a minumum it'd probably be one apple every century or so. As a power, I guess that'd be written up as Life Support vs. Aging, one Charge lasting 200 years. Major Tom 2009

Re: Else Earth Pantheons of the ...Verse Oooo...I see that there're some pics that I need to redo to match the descriptions here. Oh, well... Back to the Fabrica salt mine. Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine That's not a problem for her, as her training covered how to find locations from which she could observe the enemy without being spotted herself. This included finding locations which weren't glaringly obvious as possible observation posts. Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine In coming up with the Tech Squad, I'd overlooked a couple of areas that really needed team members to handle them: communications and medical support. With that in mind, I put together two additional pics for the Squad -- its newest members, Switchboard and Triage: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43490[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]43491[/ATTACH] Switchboard's communications gear not only allows her to monitor all communications between the Tech Squad and Firewall Squad members (whose numbers have since been expanded to a full 36 members), it also enables her to monitor and search other comm frequencies as well. In the field, she uses this capability to tap into enemy communicat- ions without their being aware of it, allowing her to keep her teammates advised as to their enemies' activities. Triage -- the only member of the Tech Squad who didn't start out as a member of a law- enforcement agency -- was recruited from one of the busiest E.R.s of any L.A. hospital. A skilled M.D. and trauma specialist of Spanish-American background, she gained addit- ional experience in dealing with severe injuries as a doctor in a National Guard Reserve MASH unit while stationed in the Middle East, which -- in the eyes of those behind the Tech Squad project -- made her an ideal choice for membership. The nanotechnology contained in Triage's techno-suit differs from that used by the other members of the team, in that it's designed to affect organic material (i.e., human beings). Unlike the nanomechs used by her teammates -- which can be sprayed directly onto the material or object to be affected -- Triage's nanomeds and the repair compound they use to effect repairs to a patient have to be injected into her patient, using an instrument not too dissimilar to one of Star Trek's hyposprays. Depending on the severity of an in- jury, she can use a single dose of repair compound or -- for a major, life-threatening in- jury -- as many as three. In addition to her "standard" nanomeds, Triage also carries a specialized type known as "nano-antigens", which can not only seek out and destroy nanotech-based bioweapons within a human being, but immediately repair the damage caused by such weapons as well. Additional medical equipment of a more mundane nature is carried as well, to deal with simple injuries which don't require the use of nanomeds to treat. Switchboard and Triage were recruited by the project heads following an attempt by the techno-terrorist known as Biohazard to infect the members of a high-level international political conference with his "nano-pathogens"; while the attempt was prevented by the Tech Squad, the team was severely hampered by a lack of adequate communications and medical support. After their recruitment and training in the use of their techno-suits, Switchboard and Triage joined the Tech Squad, where their training is put to good use on a daily basis. Major Tom 2009

Re: This looks like it belongs in a SFRPG What the hell is that supposed to be, anyway? A nanoquito packing some really nasty bioagent in its built-in proboscis/mini-syringe? Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Thanks; it's one thing to be able to come up with a superhero team, but to come up with one whose members have no actual powers of their own -- just high-tech gear that lets them have the appearance of superheroes and gives them access to special abilities as well -- is a challenge of a different sort. When I did the post, I wasn't sure if the pics would attach properly or not; the last couple of posts that were that long to which I'd tried to attach pics to didn't work too well. It was only after I saw that the pics that the pics had attached to the post that I added some other details to the Tech Squad background. Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine I had an idea for a superteam of a different sort -- a team made up of law-enforcement agents who use advanced technology to fight crime (both normal and super), and whose identities are so secret that they aren't even recorded in any database. I whipped up the pics for these folks, sent them out to The Arc for cleanup, and have just gotten them back (thanks again). Presenting for your review -- the Tech Squad: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43475[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]43476[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]43477[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]43478[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]43479[/ATTACH] From left to right, the members of the team are as follows: Upgrade, Modem, Architect, and Mechanic; the fifth image is that of a member of the team's protective detail known as the Firewall Squad. The uniforms worn by the team -- known as "techno-suits" -- are actually highly-advanced pieces of technology which provide them with technology-based abilities and powers. Only three of the techno-suits (those of Upgrade, Architect, and Mechanic) have the means to physically affect any- thing, due to the "nanomechs" that their suits house; the suits also enable them to carry enough raw materials (and, in Upgrade's case, powerpacks) to perform whatever tasks may be required. The suits worn by the Firewall Squad, on the other hand, give their wearers enhanced sensory abilities -- hearing and sight, as well as motion detection and NBC sensors -- that enable them to better protect their charges; they also carry the most state-of-the-art weapons available (most of which were improved by Upgrade). Their suits also provide armored protection for them, from both hostile environmental conditions and weapons fire. The total number of Firewall Squad agents is 20, and like the Tech Squad, their identities are likewise a secret (using the same security protocols). Attempts to identify them are useless for the most part, due to the fact that not only do their helmets conceal their facial features, but that every member has the same build. While their overall mission is to protect the Tech Squad while they do their job, the Firewall Squad has one standing order: that Modem is to be protected at all costs. Given the capabilities of her suit and her particular skill set, Modem is considered to be a virtually irreplaceable asset, one which mustn't fall into the wrong hands. The suits worn by the four primary members give them the following powers: Upgrade: using the suit's nanomechs, Upgrade can either rebuild any weapon into a more advanced version -- turning a .50-caliber sniper rifle into a Gauss rifle, for example -- or, if detailed scanner records of a previously unknown weapon are available, to manufacture a copy of that weapon for later study. Modem: her suit gives her the ability to interface directly with any computer system by means of an induction field; in effect, she is able to mentally access and control any such system to which she is connected. A secondary means of computer access is carried by the suit, in the form of filaments which can physically interface with a computer, and which takes the form of the "hair" of her suit. Combined with her extensive knowledge of computer languages and programming -- not to mention her equally extensive knowledge of cybersecurity systems -- the suit makes Modem the ultimate computer hacker. Architect: not only does the suit of this Japanese-American team member give him the ability to analyze any structure for signs such things as metal fatigue or deterioration of building materials -- or deliberate sabotage, in the case of a building collapse -- it also enables him to use its nano- mechs to create weak spots in the walls of such structures so that units like the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team can safely bypass things like terrorist barricades or booby-traps, without having to use massive (and hostage-endangering) amounts of high explosive. Mechanic: the nanomechs of this African-American team member's suit can not only repair damage to virtually any known vehicle type -- given enough raw materials, and that the damage is indeed repairable -- it can also cause damage if necessary; it accomplishes this by simply "eating" those parts which are vital to the vehicle's operation. Where the technology to create such advanced gear came from is unknown at this time, in spite of efforts by certain government agencies to discover its origin; one of the more prevalent rumors is that the suits were created by the "techno-geeks" at DARPA. What little is known is that the Tech Squad is occasionally lent to the DHS or DOJ for operations against groups which are affiliated with (or at least supplied by) criminal agencies such as ARGENT or VIPER. Their relations with the Super- human World are next to nonexistent; they prefer to operate without involving local superheroes if at all possible. The only groups with which they will operate are those that are goverment- sponsored. Major Tom 2009

Re: Else Earth Pantheons of the ...Verse Enforcer84: check your regular email box. I've sent you some new stuff for review. Major Tom 2009

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war...and the latest manifestation of the Eternal Bloodthirsty Lunatic. Assault Marine Gilroy MacIan is clearly the reincarnation of McGinty...who else would take such obvious pleasure in spreading gratuitous destruction and mayhem in his wake? I could've said "chaos" instead of "mayhem", but knowing those Nosey Parkers of the Inquisition, they'd jump at any opportunity to grill, spindle, or otherwise mistreat an Astartes just on the possibility that he's a servant of the Ruinous Powers (). Major Tom 2009

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Give it time...if there's anything that I've noticed about characters in Drhoz's campaigns (based upon what's been posted of them, that is), it's that after a certain period of time they're eventually corrupted (or seduced, as the case may be) into becoming closet men- aces to society -- sort of like being turned evil by prolonged exposure to the Dark Side of the Force. Which, of course, makes them all the more entertaining to the rest of us () -- and that's not counting the occasional spontaneous manifestation of a Smut Field (of which there seems to be a pronounced dearth lately)... Major Tom 2009

Re: Fictional Bad Guys Become Real Now, now...just because the source material makes some of them seem incompetent, doesn't mean that the beings running around in the character's world are going to suffer from that same flaw. The heroes in a lot of the '80s' cartoons (and movies) benefited from the same phenomenon that zombies in many of the current crop of zombie films do: sympathetic screenwriters. Ever notice in the zombie flicks that, no matter what the good guys do or come up with to stop the zombies, the zombies invari- ably come out on top? The same thing applied to '80s' cartoon/movie/TV supervillains, except that it was the heroes who always came out on top. A trend which, it seems, has gone the other way, as evidenced by the reimagined versions of shows like Battlestar Galactica and Thundercats. Oh, the good guys in these shows do win after a fashion, but the home court advantage, it seems, is well and truly in the bad guys' court. Out of all of the villains who are mentioned in the list, I'd say the one that'll prove to be the biggest thorn in the side of the heroes will the the duplicate of Khan Noonian Soong. Not only is he stronger than any normal human being (but not, fortunately, superhumanly strong), but he also has the intell- igence and patience to not only find out what he needs to know about his enemies, but also how to defeat them as well. The only drawback to any of his plans will be the lack of sufficent manpower with the same general physical abilities as himself, requiring him to recruit hordes of "lesser" minions with which to carry out his plans. Major Tom 2009

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Soooo...Benetek looks like Cleavon Little, eh? And here I was thinking that the WH40K universe didn't have any African-American types in it... Major Tom 2009

Re: Else Earth Pantheons of the ...Verse Here's our missing (redone) Olympian -- Hermes: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43335[/ATTACH] Major Tom 2009

Re: Else Earth Pantheons of the ...Verse I don't know who could possibly be missing, considering I did pics for all of the Olympians that you posted character sheets for originally; the only characters who didn't get pics of them done were Cerberus and Baeorwahl (they would have been next to impossible to do anyway, seeing as how the only canine template in Fabrica is a Doberman, and the im- pression that I had of Cerberus was that he was a mastiff-type of dog; one with three heads, yeah, but a mastiff all the same). BTW, did you get the raw pics that I sent to your regular email addy? Major Tom 2009

Re: Else Earth Pantheons of the ...Verse Sorry about that; I forgot that I hadn't posted his pic yet when I got it back from The Arc. Anyway, here he is -- Ares: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43328[/ATTACH] Major Tom 2009

Re: Perils of the warp!!!

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Man, I've heard of some guys being so tough that they actually excrete bricks, but Benetek just had to go one better than that, didn't he? Passing an entire Necron Gauss weapon?! As for the bit about persecuting the Second Logician War, I started to ask if the word should've been "prosecuting" instead of "persecuting", but then I remembered that this is the Warhammer 40K universe we're talking about here, so "persecuting" probably is the appropriate word here after all ()... Major Tom 2009

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... The only problem with "expendable" assets is that -- most often and quite understandably -- they don't consider themselves to be expendable in any way, shape, or form. Also, they're not shy about telling the person sending them out to be expendable assets what he (or she) can do -- even if it is physiologically impossible. Major Tom 2009

Re: I Am Alive (post-apocalypse) From what I remember of "The Event" from the I Am Alive trailer that's on YouTube, it looked a lot like the opening minutes of the California sequence from 2012, right after the Governator foolishly invoked the Demon Murphy by speaking the dreaded incantat- ion "The worst is over". Major Tom 2009

Re: Dark New England (A Lovecraftian Potterverse Campaign in America) I know that the setting has been described as Lovecraftian Potterverse, but will you be tossing elements from other New England-based settings as well -- say, for instance, Pennywise the Clown (from Stephen King's It)? Offhand, I can't think of anyone (or anything) that would be more of a threat to the Wizarding youth of New England in such a setting. As for the idea of Ben Franklin as a wizard, there's a crossover Harry Potter/Sentinel fanfic story called "A Matter of Magic" over at the FanFiction.net website, in which it's mentioned that some of the Founding Fathers were wizards. Major Tom 2009

Re: Perils of the warp!!! I forget who it was who did it, but some years ago here on the boards one of the members started a "Force Powers" thread, in which ideas for abilities and powers of the Force were sought. My own contribution to the thread was a Dark Side power that appeared in Timothy Zahn's first Star Wars trilogy: Distort Perception. Luke Skywalker used this power to distort the perceptions of TIE fighter pilots during one of the space battles in the book, without realizing that it was a Dark Side power; once he did, however, he refused to use it from that time onward. Sounds like something that would make a good power of the Warp (). Major Tom 2009

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis The only books that I've read recently that fit into this category are Deception Point by Dan Brown (detailing a conspiracy involving NASA, the NSA, and the White House), and Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy (the second book in the Campus series; basically, this is Clancy's version of Stony Man Farm). This was the follow-up to Teeth of the Tiger, the first book to introduce the Campus, a top-secret operation initiated by Jack Ryan while he was still President, and of which his son Jack Jr. is now a member of. Major Tom 2009