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Rate My Build (Heroes)

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catDreaming
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Rate My Build (Heroes)

Prior to the release of the Core Rulebook PDF, MindWanderer made a thread detailing their analysis of the different Backgrounds, Power Sources, Archetypes, and Personalities in the Sentinels Comics RPG. With the Core Rulebook PDF being released, and MindWanderer soon to be updating his thread to reflect the changes from it, now seems a good time to start this thread.
Simply put, this is thread for people to give their thoughts on a hero build that you include in your post. There's no official rating system for everyone to use ATM.

Here's a build that I'd like thoughts on:

Scabbard
- Background: Retired Hero
- Power Source: Supernatural
- Archetype: Shadow
- Personality: Nurturing
- Powers:
-- Absorption d12, Shapeshifting d6, Transmutation d6, Intuition d10, Agility d6
- Qualities:
-- History d10
-- Otherworldly Mythos d10
-- Stealth d10
-- Fitness d10
-- Survivor Of World's End d8
- Abilities
-- Green: 31-24 Health
--- Presence Concealment(Sabotage) (A): Attack using Stealth. Remove a physical bonus or penalty, Hinder a target using your Min die, or move to a new location elsewhere in the scene.
--- Grit Your Teeth(Untouchable) (R): When you would take damage, you may roll a d4 while in the Green zone, d6 while in the Yellow zone, or a d8 while in the Red zone. Reduce the amount of damage you take by the value you rolled. Attack another target using that rolls
--- Principle Of The Nomad
--- Principle Of The Tactician
-- Yellow: 23-12 Health
--- Survivor's Arsenal(Personal Uppgrade) (A): Boost using Absorption. Use your Max die. That bonus is persistent and exclusive.
--- Artificial Reinforcement(Area Healing) (A): Boost another hero using Transmutation. You and other nearby heroes Recover health equal to your Min die.
--- Eye Of The Mind(Overcome From The Shadows) (A): Attack or Overcome using Intuition. Boost yourself using your Min die.
-- Red: 11-1 Health
--- I'm Gonna Feel This Later...(Push Your Limits) (I): You have no limits on the number of reactions you can take. Whenever you use a Reaction beyond the first each turn, either take 1 irreducible damage or take a minor twist.
--- Get Down!(Reactive Defense) (R): When an enemy Attacks, you may become the target of that Attack and Defend by rolling your single Fitness die.
--- Protection Beyond World's End(Empowerment) (R): Whenever you are dealt damage, roll your single Absorption die as a Defend against the Attack and a Boost for yourself.
-- Out: Boost an ally by rolling your single History die.

 

Scabbard was a hero once before, though under a different name, and he's not in amazing shape. Overuse of his powers when he was younger has dulled his senses, particularly his vision. Now he sticks to covert action, sealing off weapons and depending on his intuition to keep up with rapidly changing situations. It was a long time ago that the world he came from ended; He'll show up to keep his new one from the same fate.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

PlatinumWarlock
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Character I built and posted on the Realm of Discord server:  Verhexen

After the loss of his right hand in battle, mercenary poet Gottlieb (Gotz) von Berlichingen made a deal that forever changed his life.  The unknown being was surely a demon of some sort, but it offered not only a new hand, but also prowess in battle, virtual immortality, and a suit of battle armor forged in the heart of Hell itself.

What the demon neglected to tell Gottlieb was that he could never look upon the sun again.  He could venture out in daylight, but only while clad in the arcane armor borne from his right hand.  Beyond sunset, Gottlieb could return to his 'human' form, but never again could he walk the streets as merely a man. 

Over the centuries, Gottlieb has realized the folly of his ways and has shaped his curse into a hammer against all manner of occult evils.  Taking the name Verhexen, he has girded himself with the raiment of the infernal to bring justice to those very forces.

catDreaming
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Verhexen strikes me as a solid character for dealing with groups of foes. In a one v one fight, he can go toe to toe with most foes and build himself up enough to take them down. If he's going up against a group of foes, he can wade in and break down foes over time, with moments to build himself up and/or heal. With a team to take one a single foe, he'll be able to make the single foe focus on him (barring allies catching attention). Against multiple foes, he'll have to worry less about a barrage of attacks than his teammates; Damage reduction get's way better with more foes throwing around power.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

Trappit
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I like both characters. Scabbard seems like a survivor with his powers. I thinks its great when the character build really fits the description and you did a great job of that.

Verhexen looks fun. He seems like a real up front fighter. The power of all those green abilities means you will always have options and can "keep moving forward."


Trapp

der andere Jan
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I love that the Verhexen character holds so much more narrative than pure mechanics! We need more of that!

Seriously, I find it quite interesting to see what people make of the various mechanical modules of hero creation, in that other thread.

But this! I really enjoyed reading that short backstory, and it sparks so much imagination.

So I vote, let's make this a backstory-focused thread, with the underlying mechanics as a mere addendum just like you did.


There is no "I" in "vowels"

catDreaming
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der andere Jan wrote:

I love that the Verhexen character holds so much more narrative than pure mechanics! We need more of that!

So I vote, let's make this a backstory-focused thread, with the underlying mechanics as a mere addendum just like you did.

Go ahead in a new thread if you'd like. This thread can remain more mechanically focused, although I won't say that backstory has no place here. It can help give meaning to the choice of abilities.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

MindWanderer
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I have a request: for abilities, either use or include the original names and not just the personalized names.  Same goes for renamed Powers such as Signature Weapon.  Renamed abilities are great for flavor but obfuscate mechanical discussion.


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catDreaming
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Done.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

MindWanderer
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Scabbard: So, basically a tank/support hero?

In Green he tries to draw aggro and reduce the damage a little, remove mods, and hinder a little bit.  A one-trick pony but it's a decent trick.

In Yellow he gives himself a fat persistent boost and then does mass heals (bound to a d6, but for Min die with a bonus it doesn't matter much).  His other Yellow ability isn't great, especially when you have a really similar Green already, but it does boost himself and let him power up those heals even more.

Reactive Defense and Empowerment... interesting combo.  You can use Reactive Defense even when you're attacked, but technically you can use both, since one triggers on someone being attacked and the other triggers on taking damage.  Then presumably you use that boost to heal everyone out the nose (and pay for all those reactions you're taking).

He could be a highly valuable member of a team... as long as other members are focused on actually winning.  Remember that everyone going "out" is only one failure condition; the other is the scene tracker running out.  With this hero on the team, the chances of people getting knocked out go way down, but his offensive power is basically nil and even his Principles aren't the most reliably useful.  I'd be hesitant to use this character unless I knew that there was at least one other hero on the team to pick up my slack.


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catDreaming
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That's fair. Reactive Defense and Empowerment can't stack their Defend actions, but they do stack with Untouchable, since it doesn't actually Defend. It gives him a bit more offense if things are going poorly, but even then he's definitely better at helping his allies survive a fight. Plus, his persistent self boost makes all of those reactions even more potent.
I'll admit to some bias in regards to Sabotage. It really shines when the enemy decides to slap big hinders on the entire party, or big boosts on themselves that he can interact with it.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

MindWanderer
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Oh, I never noticed that two Defends don't stack.  You do get the better of the two, which is something, but there might be better choices than Empowerment.

Remember that one mass Hinder creates multiple individual penalties, so Sabotage will only clear it from one target.


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bullfroggy95
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Ok, I'll throw out a build for a hero I had a lot of fun coming up with, so I introduce to you:

 

Slayer

Background: Tragic

Power Source: Training

Archetype: Armored

Personality: Stoic

 

Powers: Strength D10, Bag of Holding (Signature Weapon) D10, Agility D6, Vitality D10

Qualities: Creativity D10, Conviction D8, Imposing D8, Close Combat D8, Ranged Combat D8, He Who Fights Monsters D8

 

Green: 35 - 27 Health, D6

Weathered Armor (Armored) - Inherent, Reduce any physical or energy damage you take by 1 while you are in the Green Zone, 2 while in the Yellow Zone, and 3 while in the Red Zone. 

Violent Vengeance (Dual Offense) - Action, Attack using Strength. Attack a second target using your Min die.

Now We Slay The Monsters (Unstoppable Charge) - Action, Attack using Imposing. Ignore all penalties on this Attack, ignore any Defend actions, and it cannot be affected by Reactions.

Potion of Healing (Repair) - Action, Attack using Bag of Holding. Recover Health equal to your Min die.

Principle of the Zealot - Action, Overcome a situation that tests your faith and use your Max die. You and each of your allies gain a Hero Point.

Principle of the Powerless - Action, Use your knowledge of the limitations of super powers in an Overcome Action and use your Max die. You and each of your allies gain a Hero Point.

Yellow: 26 - 13 Health, D8

Imagination Is A Weapon (Always Be Prepared) - Action, Boost yourself using Bag of Holding. That bonus is persistent and exclusive. Then, Attack using your Min die. You may use the bonus you just created on that Attack.

Reckless Assault (Reactive Field) - Reaction, When you are Attacked by a nearby enemy, the Attacker also takes an equal amount of damage.

Red: 12 - 1 Health, D10

Slayer's Retribution (Inspiring Totem) - Inherent, When you use an Ability Action, you may also perform any one Basic Action using your Mid die on the same roll.

Fighting Dirty (Endurance Fighting) - Inherent, Whenever you Attack a target with an Action, also Hinder that target with your Min die.

This Will Not Stand! (Considered Planning) - Boost using Conviction and Use your Max die. Defend against all Attacks against you using your Mid die until your next turn. Note your Min die - As a Reaction, until your next turn, you may Hinder an Attacker using that die.

Out: Defend an Ally by rolling your single Conviction die.

 

A hero from another reality where Earth never really advanced past the Medieval Age and monsters and magic were commonplace, Slayer lost his family when he was young due to horde of monsters annihalating his entire village. The sole survivor of the massacre, Slayer vowed vengeance against any monsters that crossed his path, and systematically became a folk hero due his exploits in slaying the creatures that threatened society across the world. When OblivAeon struck, he wandered through one of the mist gates and became stranded in our reality, but he has made peace with this, seeing that even in this world there are still those in need of his particular skills. Most heroes don't know exactly what to make of this knight in bloody armor, and Slayer even muses that the more he fights monsters the closer he is to becoming one, but one thing is certain to all who meet him: No matter what the world throws at him, he will continue to stand and fight to protect humanity from the evils that threaten their safety.

catDreaming
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First impression: Slayer is very solid. He will always have something to do in a scene, and he doesn't really peak to any notable degree.
In the Green Zone, Slayer can engage one or two opponents without worry about his own safety. Either they can't react to him, will be assaulted on two fronts, or he'll be recovering health to slow down their own attacks. Combined with Weathered Armor, he can easily be the frontline fighter of a team.
In the Yellow Zone, Slayer pumps himself up and hits someone along the way, and then can return to his Green Zone strategies. With the addition of Reckless Assault, he'll be able to make anyone who messes him up notably regret their decision. Solid for a frontline fighter.
In the Red Zone, Slayer adds in This Will Not Stand as a way to give himself a surge of power without dropping his guard, while Slayer's Retribution and Fighting Dirty ensure that he never has to stop his offensive, and his offensive will always have some effect.

Overall? Slayer seems like a great frontline fighter, and he'll definitely be hard for opponents to stop. Someone will go down on the way of taking him out, more likely multiple someones.

In terms of a team setting, Slayer would want a teammate who can deal with more than two targets at once in some way, or someone who can slow down the opposition. Otherwise, he seems pretty self-reliant, and would rarely be unwelcome.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

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Salamander

Academic__________Mystical___________________Flyer____________________Decisive

Fire D10 _____________________________________________Self Discipline D12
Flight D10 ____________________________________________ History D10
Awareness D8 _________________________________________ Acrobatics D8
Swimming D8 _____________________________________ Big man on campus D8
_________________________________________________________Leadership D8

Principle of great power _________________________________ Principle of mastery

Green D8
Aerial bombardment [fire] _________________ rename fusillade
Strike and swoop [flight] _____________________ rename attack pattern delta

Yellow D8
Mystic Redirection [Fire] ____________________ rename fire shield
Sever link [Flight] ____________________rename obstacle courser used retcon to change power used
Aerial surveillance [Leadership] ________________________ rename tactical overview

Red D8
Powerful strike [Fire] __________________________rename flame blast
Untouchable moment [Flight] ____________________________rename afterburners

Out
Boost an ally by rolling your single Fire die

Arron Thomas Zimmerman high school swim team captain, A+ student, overachiever, friend to everyone in his school has bonded with the "Promethean Flame" a benevolent being of sentient plasma. At Freedom Academy he no longer feels pressured to be the best or set an example for everyone else and can happily be a face in the crowd of young superheroes, still giving 110% but not far ahead of his peers. A recurring background character in Daybreak comics. < if a GM would let me start with a collected trade it would be Daybreak present: Salamander, a comic reprinting all the scenes he was in form 20 issues of his parent comic>
Tv Tropes- Playing with fire - Flying fire power - Wreathed in flames - Fiery stoic - Big man on campus

Most ranged attacks would use Self Discipline quality, my 2 Principals should explain why for people who are a little skeptical
I had to retcon Sever Link because superior mobility is his primary trait <first built for Champions: Teen Hero he had a skill lv with all movement>
Big man on campus would cover any school centered athletic/academic/social interaction not covered by existing qualities
Out Ability shows the small cosmic entity inside of him can act independently in a emergency


The mountain watches the freedom of the sea and cries. The sea looks at the stability of the mountain and sighs.

MindWanderer
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Slayer:

Armored and Training is a tough combination to work with.  Armored is one of my least favorite archetypes, with no really great abilities, but you probably want Dual Offense to deal with minions (and it synergizes well with Endurance Fighting).

I'm also not the biggest fan of Considered Planning in this build--you took a Red ability that enhances your attacks, and then another Red ability that isn't an attack.  You don't have any repeatable Yellow Action abilities, so you're stuck spamming your mediocre Green abilities for most of the scene.  You're durable but you can't protect the team or win fights.  Consider instead taking Paragon Feat (to pass Overcomes and help your more offensive allies) or Finishing Blow (which is a sweet combo with Inspiring Totem and Endurance Fighting).

Salamander: 

Modification Wave is probably Mystical's best ability--mass mods are extremely powerful and this one can Boost or Hinder without having to pick one in advance.  I'm guessing you skipped it because you took Aerial Surveillance, but they each have their uses.  With Principle of Great Power, Sever Link isn't really necessary.  Mystic Redirection is good but a bit risky since you're not all that tanky; Barrel Roll might be a good choice to help with this.  (Strike and Swoop is okay but I don't see you using it often.)  I personally think Aerial Surveillance is so good that I always take it in Green, but Flyer has lots of good abilities, so it's a tough choice.

As for Red abilities, Powerful Strike is simple but highly effective.  Untouchable Movement is niche and I'm not the biggest fan of niche Red abilities since you only get a couple of chances to use them per scene, but it looks like you chose it mostly for thematic reasons.


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catDreaming
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At a first glance, I don't get a strong impression of what Salamander does.
In the Green Zone, Salamander can ping down multiple targets or harass a single target. Multi-targeting in the Green Zone is pretty good, so that's a major plus. Attack Pattern Delta is consistent, and it's better than a basic Attack.
In the Yellow Zone, Salamander's options open up into a support role. Obstacle Courser is a great ability if there's environment challenges, and although I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around it using Flight, I'm sure there's something there. Flame Shield feels risky without another way to reduce the damage, especially since Defends don't stack. Tactical Overview is a cool ability, and it gives Salamander an alternate way to help take down one big target.
In the Red Zone, Salamander turns what he can do to it's max. Flame Blast will bring down the pain without any external help, and Afterburners gives him a way to set up.

Overall, Salamander feels kind of just there. It feels like he'll fall into repeating the same action over and over, which just isn't that fun, or he'll hit something that he can't immediately deal with.

In a team setting? Salamander get's considerably better. His ability to enhance allies ensures that the scene will progress, and while his Green Zone might not be as interesting, he'll be able to manipulate the battlefield to a reasonable degree. He'll be welcome on most teams, I would think.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

bullfroggy95
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I'll offer some insight into why I chose the Red Zone abilities I did for Slayer, and that is all Action Economy.

Inspiring Totem is a straight up bonus action on any of my Ability Actions, and since the only things in my kit that aren't Ability Actions are Armored, Reactive Field, Inspiring Totem and Endurance Fighting, it means any time I Attack, I'm triggering an extra action. This allows me to attempt Overcomes, Boost allies, Hinder enemies, add Defends or just hit the guy a second time with an Attack.

Endurance Fighting adds a small Hinder whenever I Attack an enemy. While this Hinder is usually going to be a -1 since it uses the Min die, since every Ability Action I have other than Considered Planning has an Attack tied to it already, now all my Ability Actions have a Hinder Action as well.

With just these two together, my "mediocre" Green abilities become a lot stronger, with Dual Offense gaining up to SIX actions available to it (Mid Attack, Min Hinder, Min Attack, Min Hinder, Bonus Mid Attack, Bonus Min Hinder), but even Repair and Unstoppable Charge get a bare minimum of 3 Actions on them and still have their small Heal and unblockable traits available to them.

But then we get Considered Planning, the black sheep of this whole build from a basic glance. But remember, this is an Ability Action as well, so the sheer usage of this ability gives me an extra action. So I get a Max Boost, I Defend against ALL Attacks aimed at me, and I have a new Reaction for a small Hinder. By itself, this is two actions with a third one on standby for me to throw out to help an ally if needed (Since it only specifies Attacker, not who is being Attacked). But with Totem, now I can get an additional action, and if that action is an Attack, then Endurance Fighting gives me another, giving me Four Actions on my turn while leaving me a Fifth to throw on an enemy turn. But then the strategy comes full circle when you use the ability a second time, since you choose which effect die a Boost is applied to, you can dump the Persistent Boost from his Yellow Zone and the Max Boost from the previous use of this ability onto his Mid die, so the Defend can block most sources of Damage and your Bonus Action is even stronger now. AND THIS CYCLE IS SELF-SUSTAINING! As long as another abilty isn't used, he can continually keep up a strong Defend while also throwing out decent basic actions based on the situation, and if I do use a different abilty, that ability is still going to be boosted by Considered Planning and be even stronger. And factor this in: A generic Mid Boost will probably average to about +2, and a generic Max Boost will probably average to about +3. So I could reasonably add +5 to any of my die with this ability. An average Mid roll is usually 4-6, so lets take the lower end with a 4 and run this math quickly. My Defend Action gains 9 DR (4 on the die and +5 bonus), and with Armored I now have 12 DR, meaning outside of a Villain rolling a Max Attack on a D12 and having a Boost to bump it over 12, or the enemy having the ability to pierce Defend actions or ignore my Armored ability, I'm invincible. And then I get a bonus basic action with this buffed up Mid die. If I Attack, I hit for 9 Damage. If I Boost or Hinder, the mod is +/- 3. If I Overcome, I get a complete Success. If I choose to do another Defend, maybe trying to shield an ally, that Defend is another 9 DR against a singular attack. Also, since these are basic actions, I can also make them Risky Actions for even more effects (like say, drawing Aggro from the BBEG I just decked in the face) at the cost of taking a Minor Twist, which can just be negated by a Collection.

So, while not the most team-centric of set-ups, it does contribute a valuable addition to the team in the form of a hard to stop juggernaut that can accomplish his objectives no matter the cost. While Paragon Feat would allow me more team-play options and Finishing Blow is solid in a combo with Endurance Fighting and Inspiring Totem, Considered Planning allows me to be even more flexible in my choices while allowing my teammates to not need to worry about setting me up. By sheer nature of his capabilities in the Red Zone, smarter Villains are more likely to try and gang up on him to hinder him enough to make him vulnerable (after all, he's just one guy in a set of olden armor who is just too angry to die), and if they're ganging up on him, they aren't ganging up on his squishier allies, who could then in turn focus on picking off foes or winning the scene by dealing with Overcome challenges. This isn't a "I want all the glory" build, this is a "I support the team by being consistent in what I can do regardless of circumstances" build. 

MindWanderer
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bullfroggy95 wrote:
With just these two together, my "mediocre" Green abilities become a lot stronger, with Dual Offense gaining up to SIX actions...

Sure, it's a good combo (and I mentioned as much). Not as good as any attack that hits three or more targets or uses larger dice, but good. I happen to have a character in a game right now that does the same thing... but with any number of targets, with the mid die, plus a self-heal with Max.

bullfroggy95 wrote:
But then we get Considered Planning, the black sheep of this whole build from a basic glance....

Okay, so you've created a character who's really hard to kill (unless the enemy has a "can't be affected by Defend or Reactions" attack). But so what? If this is the move you're spamming in Red, your allies will be dropping like flies around you and you aren't helping them win. At best you can tank and then take some other basic action. Smarter villains won't try to gang up on you, they'll go for your squishy allies, who are very likely more dangerous. (Smart enemies will also use minions or incidental effects to whittle down your persistent bonus, too.)


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catDreaming
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MindWanderer wrote:

 

bullfroggy95 wrote:

With just these two together, my "mediocre" Green abilities become a lot stronger, with Dual Offense gaining up to SIX actions...

 

Sure, it's a good combo (and I mentioned as much). Not as good as any attack that hits three or more targets or uses larger dice, but good. I happen to have a character in a game right now that does the same thing... but with any number of targets, with the mid die, plus a self-heal with Max.

 

bullfroggy95 wrote:

But then we get Considered Planning, the black sheep of this whole build from a basic glance....

 

Okay, so you've created a character who's really hard to kill (unless the enemy has a "can't be affected by Defend or Reactions" attack). But so what? If this is the move you're spamming in Red, your allies will be dropping like flies around you and you aren't helping them win. At best you can tank and then take some other basic action. Smarter villains won't try to gang up on you, they'll go for your squishy allies, who are very likely more dangerous. (Smart enemies will also use minions or incidental effects to whittle down your persistent bonus, too.)

Here's a different perspective on that. A smart villain will go for other squishy or equally dangerous allies, or use minions and the environment to whittle down the persistent bonus. On the other hand, the rest of team doesn't have to worry about Slayer going down, allowing them to focus on supporting each other.

And, pardon me if I'm misconstruing the idea bullfroggy95, but I don't believe that a hero will always use action abilities from their worst unlocked zone. Just because Slayer has access to it, doesn't mean that he'll use every turn.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

MindWanderer
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catDreaming wrote:
Here's a different perspective on that. A smart villain will go for other squishy or equally dangerous allies, or use minions and the environment to whittle down the persistent bonus. On the other hand, the rest of team doesn't have to worry about Slayer going down, allowing them to focus on supporting each other.
And, pardon me if I'm misconstruing the idea bullfroggy95, but I don't believe that a hero will always use action abilities from their worst unlocked zone. Just because Slayer has access to it, doesn't mean that he'll use every turn.

Here's my reasoning: Assuming an issue is correctly balanced for the number of players, the most important question is, "Does my character being here make the issue easier or harder?"

As an extreme example, let's say you have a hero who does literally nothing other than keep themselves alive. That hero's mere presence is then a hindrance to the team, since their presence means more minions, tougher villains, and more checkboxes in the challenges, and they aren't helping. Even if the GM distributes attackers exactly evenly, rather than (smartly) ignoring that hero, the other heroes still have to do more killing and more Overcoming to complete a scene. Obviously Slayer is doing more than that, but is he doing enough more? I'm not sure. Is he doing so much more that casual players will look at him and say, "Wow, I'm sure glad he's here to help?" I really don't think so.

And I generally assume that when someone talks about self-sustaining cycles, they intend to spam the abilities involved.


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Except... That's an argument by reduction to absurdity. You're focusing on the scenario where Slayer uses nothing but This Will Not Stand the moment he hits the Red Zone. There are plenty of scenarios that aren't "Slayer is making his last stand and shouting his defiance repeatedly at a foe." Aka, reducing your analysis of the character to the scenario where Slayer is in the Red Zone and using his one Red Zone action ability is deliberately misrepresenting him in any situation but the most absurd one, and since that absurd one isn't completely optimal, he's a bad character.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

MindWanderer
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I'm not saying he's bad.  I'm saying that the "self-sustaining cycle" of Defending yourself out the ears with your action and doing very little else isn't a productive plan.  It's an interesting combo on paper, but in practice I don't think there's a good reason to have it.  There are other ways to make hard-to-kill heroes (like Scabbard, above) who can also do other things well, like heal/defend their allies, or go on the offensive, at the same time.  Therefore I don't see a compelling reason to take that power over another one that will advance the scene toward a win state, or fend off a loss state, in some way.


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catDreaming
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Fair enough. I think we've beaten that particular horse to death.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

bullfroggy95
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Cat, you nailed it in one with the point of not using it every turn as well, because while "Too Angry To Die" is one way to use it, one of the other biggest uses of Considered Planning is in the name, planning my next move based on what the team does. I already showed how absurd it can get with Inspiring Totem, but lets show an example of the usefulness of using Considered Planning in a team setting:

We have a scene where we have a couple of BBEG's doing their thing, there is a challenge that is needs to be resolved of an Overcome or two, and all Heroes are up and active. We know that the challenge in need of an Overcome or two is a risk if it isn't handled within the next couple of turns, but we can't ignore the BBEG's as well, and we aren't sure what escalating the scene with Twists is gonna do.

So we use Considered Planning, making sure to use the Persistent Boost we reasonably should have made earlier in the scene, and lets assume for sake of the argument we hit that Mid die average of a +2 Bonus. Let's say we roll Bag of Holding's D10, Conviction's D8, and my Red Status's D10. My Max Die will most likely roll a +2 or +3 Mod as a bonus (Unless I roll poorly, but we are all subject to Lady Luck's whims), and my Mid die will probably average around 4-6, but lets say I toss my +2 Bonus on this roll, giving me a 6-8 Mid die. Now, let's make my bonus basic action a Boost as well, giving me a second +2 or +3 Mod. I now have somewhere around 9 DR, so my team can reasonably leave me to my devices and I don't need to worry about most threats, because if something knocked me down it was swinging for the fences or could straight up get past my armor, thus allowing their Boosts and Heals to be tossed to those who need them so they don't meet the same fate.

At this point, I watch the state of the battle and plan the next move I'll make come my turn. If my allies clear the Overcome challenges, then I can use Dual Offense and dump all my bonuses on the Mid die to hit hard, or dump two of them on Mid and one on Min to make the Hinders more tangible. But what if they wail on the villains and leave the challenge alone? Well, I have two Principles that can be leveraged creatively (Maybe someone tried something using their powers earlier to solve the problem but I'm going to use some weird strategy that relies on something other than superpowers, or maybe the problem calls to question whether I'm the right person for this job but I'll do it anyways because I believe this to be a test of my faith in my capabilities to complete my mission), and even if I can't use one of those ability actions, I can still tack on a free Overcome with any of my attacks or onto another Considered Planning, and if I dump all those Bonuses on my Mid die, I can almost 100% assure the Overcome is won without escalating things further (The only way to fail is to roll a 1 on two of my dice and have a total Bonus below +7, have enough Hinders on me that the bonus is rendered moot, or roll my Mid die in such a way that even adding my bonuses doesn't get me past 8 (Example would be rolling a 2 and only having +5 in bonuses)), or if I do have to take a Twist to succeed, it'll probably be a Minor one and the escalation will be much smaller. So by spending a turn in set-up, I can potentially clear 2 Overcome challenges and advance our win condition without forcing someone to spend their turn supporting me and instead allowing them to support a heavy hitter or someone who is dealing with a different problem.

Now, by dropping my guard to do these potential actions, the villains should rightfully target me, I just left myself wide open after executing my plan, and while my Armored ability reduces damage, BBEG's like using BIG BAD EVIL DICE to hit like trucks. But there in lies the beauty of the game, I still have teammates who can act as well. Maybe someone tosses some extra heals my way, or someone uses a Reaction to help me not die before my next turn, or the other big guy comes in and just throttles the bad guy so hard his predecessors feel it. By using Considered Planning, I got off my Big Darn Hero moment and let the others also have their chance to shine, and even if I go down, I go down feeling like I did something cool.

The spammed use of Considered Planning is only more valuable in a situation where Slayer is isolated from the team or he needs additional time for set-up. Maybe I just fell down a trap door and now I'm surrounded by the entire horde of mooks and brutes Baron Blade was planning on ambushing us with and my team is none the wiser. My team is gonna need time to get there, and I need to not die in the process, so we play tactically here and turtle until the team arrives, then switch tactics once I'm sure I'm not about to be run over by 20 guys in Blue and Green spandex. Or maybe I wanna unload some big boi bonuses but my previous roll was complete and utter garbage so I spend a second turn in the defensive state to try and churn up something better.

The major point here is that while spamming it may be a "waste of a turn", there are ways of using it that make the self-sustaining nature of it valuable, as I'm not making my teammates stop what they're doing to assist me. If my bonuses are utter trash, I don't need my teammates to spend their turns giving me a stronger bonus rather than buffing the guy about to unleash a Charged Up Blast on BBEG #1, I can just cycle for a better roll on my next turn (Obviously if this is the last turn I'll roll with what I got, but then again EVERYONE should be doing this since this is our last chance). If I feel like I'm about roll poorly on my Big Darn Hero roll, I don't need somone to give me a reroll with their reaction since I can just dump three Boosts on it to make whatever I roll somewhat decent. 

But I digress, key point of all this is I can do something by myself in 2 turns that would take a group of 3 heroes 3 turns between the 3 of them to do (Hero A Boosts Hero B and Hero C, who both Overcome) by using Considered Planning to grant myself some Boosts before another ability action (Like my Principles), and not lose my flexibility in the situation (If Heroes A, B and C spend their round doing this, I can use my next turn to hit Enemy A, B and C with an Attack and a Hinder instead, or maybe I hit Enemy A and B with an Attack and Hinder while passing a Boost to Hero A, or maybe I hit Enemy B with an unblockable Attack, then a Second Attack and now they have 2 Hinders on them). Furthermore, while it would take me 2 rounds to get those 2 turns and they can complete their 3 turns in one round, they also gave up the possibility of getting in 3 Attack Actions against enemies that round (Which my flexibility would at least allow me to make up for to some degree on my next turn), and considering how there are some REALLY good Attack Actions available across a large variety of Power Sources and Archetypes, missing out on all that extra Damage could be game-losing as well. I will concede though that if viewed from the "I'm in the Yellow Zone and I have Collections so I can use Red Abilities early" viewpoint it is pretty lackluster, but it still has a use since it could be used to make a stronger persistent bonus for more potential snowballing.

catDreaming
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I built a relatively similar hero, actually. Very different purpose, but similar implementation in some ways.

Salt-Steel
- Background: Exile
- Power Source: Higher Power
- Archetype: Psychic
- Personality: Decisive
- Powers:
-- Water(Weather) d8, Iron(Metal) d8, Salt(Stone) d8, Precognition d8, Deduction d8
- Qualities:
-- Science d10, Insight d8, Investigation d10, Salt-Steel Exorcist d8
- Abilities
-- Green: 27-21 Health, d8
--- Forge-Fae's Blessing(Resilience) (I): At the start of your turn, remove any -1 penalties from yourself
--- Strike While It's Hot(Psychic Insight) (R): After rolling during your turn, you may take 1 damage to reroll your entire dice pool.
--- Glimpse Of Possibility(Psychic Assault) (A): Attack using Precognition. Hinder the target using your Min die.
--- Principle Of The Zealot
--- Principle Of Exorcism
-- Yellow: 20-11 Health, d8
--- Salt Of The Earth(Dangerous Explosion) (A): Attack multiple targets using Salt. Use your Mid die. Hinder all targets damaged by this ability with your Min die. Hinder yourself with your Max die.
--- Part The Sea(Embolden) (A): Attack using Water, and Boost all nearby heroes taking Attack or Hinder actions using your Min die until your next turn.
--- Exorcist's Aid(Precognitive Alteration) (R): After an ally rolls dice to take an action for their turn but before using the result, Boost that ally's roll using your single Precognition die.
--- Exorcist's Analysis(Psychic Analysis) (A): Boost yourself using Investigation. Either use your Max die, or use your Mid die and make it persistent.
-- Red: 10-1 Health, d8
--- Exorcist's Discipline(Inspiring Totem) (I): When you use an ability action, you may also perform any one basic action using your Mid die on the same roll.
--- Salt-Steel Sacrament(Lead By Example) (A): Make a basic action using Science. Use your Max die. All other heroes who take the same basic action on their turn against the same target receive a Boost from your Mid+Min dice.
-- Out: Boost an ally by rolling your single History die.

 

Salt-Steel was discovered as a child, stolen at birth by Fae and raised working at the forge to work with metals that were too dangerous for them to work themselves, particularly cold iron. When a group of exorcists broke up the camp that she was raised in, she was brought back to human society. With no parents or records presenting themselves, she was taken in as a ward of the church. Her powers of manipulating water, salt, and iron came from rigorous training, and while she is no longer affiliated with the church, she efficacy as an exorcist is undeniable. Yet, rumors would tell you that her powers are enhanced by a deal with a higher power, and rarest of all one would hear the truth.
After all, what sane women would sell her soul to the collective will of mankind?


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

PlatinumWarlock
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Okay, so here's one that's been frustrating me for a bit.  
I wanted to do a take on a reformed villain, in the vein of Marvel's Serpent Society.  However, I really couldn't find a good archetype/power-source combination that gave the sort of things I was looking for:  a little bit of agility, a little bit of speed, a bit of DR (from scales or the like), and a venomous spit attack.  In the end, I ended up with a whole bunch of d8s...

But, nevertheless, below is Lady Toxic (Amy Krait), once a known infiltrator and thief, but now purportedly reformed and aiding a set of heroes against her former comrades.  I'd be interesting in hearing some feedback on her...

catDreaming
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First read through, noticing a few things. Serpent Dance, Sink Fangs, Venomous Drain, and Coiled to Strike are each using Powers/Qualities from outside of their normal options. Is that intentional?


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

PlatinumWarlock
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catDreaming wrote:
First read through, noticing a few things. Serpent Dance, Sink Fangs, Venomous Drain, and Coiled to Strike are each using Powers/Qualities from outside of their normal options. Is that intentional?

I'm not following here...elaborate?

catDreaming
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Serpent Dance (renamed from Throw Minion) normally uses a Power, and it's currently using a Quality.

Normally, when a character gets a Red Zone Ability, it has to use a power or quality from the category it's taken from. From looking at her Sheet, Sink Fangs would normally be using Venom Spit, Take Down would normally be using Wall-Crawling, and... Wait, does she have a Mental Quality that I'm not seeing?


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

PlatinumWarlock
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I see the issue with Throw Minion currently; that's an easy change to move it over to Agility (which actually nets me a better die).

The text in Step 5 says "You must have a die assigned to a power or quality in a category to use with an ability from that category."  It doesn't necessarily say that you have to use that power/quality with that ability; just that you have to have a power or quality in that category to take a red ability in that grouping. (p. 106 for reference).  Maybe I'm misreading, but I took it as, "If you possess a quality/power that's relevant, it unlocks this group to pick from."

As I'm reading it, I could take Charged-Up Blast (Sink Fangs) because I have Sigature Weapon as a power.  However, there's nothing saying I *have* to use Signature Weapon to trigger that power.  Same goes for Take-Down (Venomous Drain). 

I think you got me, though, with Considered Planning (Coiled to Strike).  Intuition is an Intellectual Power, not a Mental Quality, so I wouldn't be able to pull from that table.  Stupid synonyms...  Swap that one for Endurance Fighting.

catDreaming
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It's easy to miss, but it's the second paragraph:
"Some Red abilities also specify that they can only be used with a specific power or quality instead of any from within that category"


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

PlatinumWarlock
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catDreaming wrote:
It's easy to miss, but it's the second paragraph:
"Some Red abilities also specify that they can only be used with a specific power or quality instead of any from within that category"

I read that as well; and, in fact, there are Red abilities that have a power or quality already assigned to them. Sacrificial Ram is one of those; it requires you to use Signature Vehicle, as opposed to any of the other Hallmark powers.

At any rate, the two Red powers that I picked are still both valid, even if they need their power or quality switched (which, in the end, is pretty much going to be a d8, unless I'm using Agility or Criminal Underworld).

Thoughts on the actual build, then?

catDreaming
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Um... The link broke. I'd closed it at one point. From what I recall though, she seems quite able to engage foes and force foes to fight on their terms. By the end of a fight, she'll most likely be able to tear whatever target is hit by Sink Fangs, and Venomous Drain will serve as an excellent backup option for locking down a target for teammates to strike down if she can't herself.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

PlatinumWarlock
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I just re-uploaded it, which probably broke the link.  I went ahead and fixed it up above, but I'll link it again *here* for ease.

On the plus side, it occured to me that she's heavy on hinders.  I didn't walk into this character picturing her as a debuffer, but it definitely fits the character I had hoped to build.  That, at least, was successful...

catDreaming
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Alright, aside from weirdness with powers/qualities in abilities, my first thought: Lady Toxic seems excellent at disrupting a plan.

In the Green Zone, she's able to engage a foe while keeping her own guard up, or disrupt their bolsters or hinders, or just move somewhere problematic. That level of versatility means that she'll rarely run out of options. Combined with Slippery letting her slip out of penalties automatically over time, she'll be able to make what she does happen effectively.

In the Yellow Zone, her options expand a bit more. Giving herself a small boost while Attacking or making a minor foe she targets attack someone else are good for escalating or building up for confronting more dangerous threats.

In the Red Zone, she's able to finish a single target effectively. Sink Fangs has the potential to be devastating, while Venomous Drain is able to make sure that her target isn't going to be able to respond effectively. Weakening Strikes is a good general ability, and it has excellent flavor in this case.

Overall? Lady Toxic will be able to make sure that a single target is miserable, but might have difficulty dealing with multiple targets at once.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

MindWanderer
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PlatinumWarlock wrote:
The text in Step 5 says "You must have a die assigned to a power or quality in a category to use with an ability from that category."  It doesn't necessarily say that you have to use that power/quality with that ability; just that you have to have a power or quality in that category to take a red ability in that grouping. (p. 106 for reference).  Maybe I'm misreading, but I took it as, "If you possess a quality/power that's relevant, it unlocks this group to pick from."

My reading is that "to use with" means that you have to both have that die and use it with the ability. The Step by Step instructions back this up: "Choose two red abilities. Pick from the list that corresponds with the category of the power or quality that you will use for this ability."


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MindWanderer
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Salt-Steel: A solid generalist.  No earth-shaking combos unless you have several teammates who use basic actions in Red (Inspiring Totem, Lead By Example, Overload), but no glaring weaknesses either.

Lady Toxic: I'm amused that, while normally "poison" characters are debilitators, Lady Toxic is all about defending and removing debuffs, and getting enemies to hurt each other... until she gets into Red.  Then she's all about the debuffs.  As a villain-turned-hero, it makes a lot of sense--it's a lot like Harpy's Arcane/Bird dichotomy.

I'm not sure where Charged-Up Blast fits into this build, though.  It's a nice heavy hit even without a lot of Boosts, but Lady Toxic only has one ability (in Yellow) that gives her a boost, and it's a small one (and also, not a great ability, though Diversion isn't a good choice here either).  Finishing Blow might be more effective and more thematic.  Discern Weakness also stands out to me, thematically.


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drkrash1969
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MindWanderer wrote:
PlatinumWarlock wrote:

The text in Step 5 says "You must have a die assigned to a power or quality in a category to use with an ability from that category."  It doesn't necessarily say that you have to use that power/quality with that ability; just that you have to have a power or quality in that category to take a red ability in that grouping. (p. 106 for reference).  Maybe I'm misreading, but I took it as, "If you possess a quality/power that's relevant, it unlocks this group to pick from."

My reading is that "to use with" means that you have to both have that die and use it with the ability. The Step by Step instructions back this up: "Choose two red abilities. Pick from the list that corresponds with the category of the power or quality that you will use for this ability."

This is also my read on the rules.


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catDreaming
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If not already obvious, that's also my read on them. I have plenty more characters to throw in this thread for people to give thoughts on, if no one else has a thing to be rated ATM.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

drkrash1969
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The most important conversions I've done are the 4 PCs from our present Champions game.  Maybe I'll put them up here for some evaluation so I don't hand the players lame characters!


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catDreaming
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drkrash1969 wrote:
The most important conversions I've done are the 4 PCs from our present Champions game.  Maybe I'll put them up here for some evaluation so I don't hand the players lame characters!

That sounds like a great idea!


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

drkrash1969
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OK.  Here's the 1st one!

RUMBLE

Unremarkable/Experimentation/Flyer/Cheerful

Health 26

Principles: Ambition, Double Agent

Flight d10, Sonic d8, Speed d8, Invisibility d6

Creativity d10, Close Combat d8, Technology d8, Ranged Combat d8, Social Influencer d8

GREEN

Engineered Sound Blasts (Aerial Bombardment) Creativity

Sound and Fury (Strike and Swoop) Flight

I’m Kind of Awesome (Unflagging) Inherent

YELLOW

Speed of Sound (Personal Upgrade) Flight

Creative Thinker (Aerial Surveillance) Creativity

Rumble Field (Misdirection) Sonic

RED

Ultrasonic Stun Bolt (Powerful Strike) Sonic

Manipulate Sonic Energy (Change Self) Inherent

OUT – Creativity

Jose Hernandez is a Zero, the equivalent of a “mutant” in my setting.  Zeroes are born with their powers because their grandparents and great-grandparents submitted to a government project.  He formally worked as a sound engineer for the city of Miami.  When Aura was putting together a new super team, he decided to use his sound control powers for the greater good.  More recently, he made two significant decisions: he decided to go public with his identity, and he decided to also create a new villainous secret identity as Vex to infiltrate the mercenary supervillain community in Florida.

 


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catDreaming
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First Thoughts on Rumble: He's got more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

In the Green Zone, Rumble can lay down some damage to up to three targets. While it's not the best damage, he'll be more than capable of cleaning up or at least cutting a couple of minions down to a more managable size. If there's only one target, then he'll be irritating to pin down and could potentially kite a foe off of his allies while they set something up. He can definitely lead the charge into a dangerous situation.

In the Yellow Zone, Rumble can take a turn off to really pump himself up, or to pump all of his allies for a turn. Rumble Field gives him a tool to deal with attacks while he does so, provided there's a minion to redirect damage into. That combination gives Rumble an astounding amount of utility, and further gives him a sense of leading the charge. If a situation has reached this point, he can still lead without disengaging from the action.

In the Red Zone, Rumble turns up what he can do to eleven. If he needs to focus on a particular power, he's able to do so with ease. If a particular target needs to be eliminated right then and there? He can blast it down himself or at least make a large dent in it. No flashy combos, but a solid option in most combat scenarios.

Overall? Yeah, Rumble definitely has options for most situations. About the only things he doesn't specialize in are Overcomes and Hinders, but he has enough offense and support abilities to let his allies focus on those avenues when needed. The flavor is also excellent.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

MindWanderer
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Rumble doesn't have anything specific going for him, but he's a solid companion to have along.  In Green he's a solid skirmisher, able to whittle down 3 minions at a time or face-tank a group of threats.  In Yellow he shifts more to support, boosting himself and then boosting and defending his allies.  In Red... actually I'm not sure.  He can dish out one big hit with Powerful Strike, but Change Self just lets at most get himself a d10 in Invisibility, which he doesn't really need.  It's cool for flavor, I guess, but it doesn't serve any practical mechanical purpose.  I'm also not sure just from looking at it where the Retcon is.


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drkrash1969
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Thanks for the comments.  I think 3 out of 4 of these characters used their Retcons on Principles.  I realize this is not an efficient way to build, but I wanted to make them "official" by the rules for starting characters.  Change Self allows him to increase his Powerful Strike or get a better die for some Overcomes.

I'll get another one up tonight or tomorrow.


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Here's the 2nd one.

BARRACUDA

Tragic/Experimentation/Armored/Fast Talking

Health 36

Principles: Equality, Strength

Awareness d10, Strength d10, Leaping d8, Vitality d8, Swimming d6

Banter d10, Close Combat d8, Persuasion d8, Criminal Underground Info d6, Meridean Super Soldier d8

GREEN

Predator Senses (Overpower) Inherent

Scaled Body (Armored) Inherent

Spec Ops Training (Unstoppable Charge) Close Combat

Unstoppable Charge (Living Bulwark) Vitality (Yes, I gave a custom name that matches an Ability name, but to a different Ability)

Overconfident Fighter (Repair) Strength

YELLOW

Predator Reflexes (Personal Upgrade) Awareness

Throwing Thugs Around (Throw Minion) Strength

RED

Inhuman Strength (Paragon Feat) Strength

Expert Grappler (Endurance Fighting) Inherent

OUT – Banter

Zale Bouras is a Meridean, the equivalent of an “Atlantean” in the setting.  A member of the military for his people, he volunteered for the Predator Project, an attempt to create super soldiers.  The project was a success, but not in the way intended: Zale gained the ability to transform into an 8’ tall scaled monster.  Horrified by what he had become, he fled his family and his people and ended up as a homeless person in Miami.  Destina found him and took him in.  His time among the homeless enlightened him to the injustices of society.  When Destina decided to become a hero, Zale decided to join her and use his accident for good.  His transformation not only gives him great strength and an armored body, but also heightened senses, which all work will with his military training.

(I realize this concept was ripe for the Divided Archetype, but as I wrote elsewhere, I hate that Archetype for often being a liability without a benefit.  Since he can transform more or less instantaneously, it’s actually more of a benefit than someone who has to change into a costume.)

 


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I'll toss another one in the hopper here:  

Thomas Yasuda was no stranger to death.  As a mortician, the days following the OblivAeon event were beyond busy for him.  A lucky few were those who didn't have some relative, some friend, some loved one who had fallen in the chaos that had devastated the world.  Nevertheless, Thomas did his best to console those in their time of grief, to provide some modicum of compassion in a bleak-seeming world.  But when the bodies of the dead began to speak back to him, Thomas began to question his sanity.

That night, as the sun set, a figure knocked at Thomas' apartment door.  Standing across the threshold was a middle-aged man whose eyes spoke decades, if not centuries, of weariness.  "Thomas," the figure said, "You have done much for the living.  You have done more to honor the dead."  Before Thomas could reply, the man thrust a rod into Thomas' hand, "The gateway between the living and the dead needs a steward, a Gatekeeper.  Ease their passing, honor their sacrifices, spare those whose times have not yet come."  With that, the man disintegrated; the weight of all his years dissipating into so much ash and dust.

Since that day, Thomas has become more than man.  He will not age.  He will not die, outside of some strange circumstance or violence.  He will live until he passes on the burden and enters the beyond himself.  And in those long years, his duties will be many.

While most pass easily from the living world into the great beyond, some spirits of the dead do not rest easy.  Where great tragedy would unduly cut life short, where the ghosts of the past would harm the living future, and where villians defile the rest of the long-departed, The Gatekeeper stands ready.

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

In somewhat-related news, I was honestly *astounded* at how much more powerful Gatekeeper feels, compared to Lady Toxin.  Both in terms of number of qualities/powers and in the die-size of those powers, Gatekeeper overwhelms her at pretty much every turn.  About the only thing that Toxin has going for her over Gatekeeper is her number of Green abilities.  For whatever reason, Gatekeeper only ended up with 2 (plus the Principle abilities, but everyone gets those).  I'm not sure exactly how that happened, but wow, it seems like there's quite a bit of disparity here...

Also, your readings have actually convinced me, regarding the Red abilities.  Even if there seems to be some vagueness in language (one last editing pass, perhaps?), I think what you've collectively said makes more sense to the intent.  Gatekeeper, as such, was built in that image.

catDreaming
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BARRACUDA:

First impression: Barracuda is a brawler, getting up close and personal to a foe of his choice.

In the Green Zone, Barracuda has a multitude of options for beating down a single foe. He can make sure that a hit goes through with Spec Ops Training, or use Unstoppable Charge to block off a foe from striking an ally. Or, if neither of the above are needed, he can maintain pressure and patch himself up as an Overconfident Fighter. Predator Senses is powerful, but very risky. If he's on a team with someone who reliably creates +4 bonuses, then that could add up to a lot of damage on him.
In the Yellow Zone, Barracuda can amp himself up (careful of rolling a 12+), or just add in the option to throw one guy at another guy for a bit of area of effect. A solid addition to his options, and a natural extension for a bruiser with great strength.
In the Red Zone, Barracuda opens up the option to leverage his strength to it's fullest, addressing a challenge and bolstering his allies for their actions in the process! If he remains on the offensive instead, then he'll be able to slow down whoever he's fighting to some degree as an Expert Grappler.

Overall? Barracuda is great at powering through to slow down a single large foe, but he'll suffer trouble against multiple foes. While his Scaled Body will help reduce the damage he's taking, he'll suffer a bit from being unable to hit more than two at once.

In terms of a team setting, Barracuda is a solid bruiser who go into most situations and come out having done something. He'll benefit from teammates who can throw down with multiple foes, or give him support without having to Boost him directly. Galvanize style effects remove the threat of him accidentally exploding from a helping hand.

 

GATEKEEPER:

First Impression: Gatekeeper is able to pick one thing each time he acts, and make sure that thing happens.

In the Green Zone, Gatekeeper is able to engage one target and slow them down to some degree, or to majorly slow down one target and possibly attack someone. Both are solid options in their own right for a relatively low stakes situation.
In the Yellow Zone, Gatekeeper expands his horizons. Spirit Surge affecting multiple targets is extremely potent, making him able to support allies when not attacking. Shadow Summons grants him the ability to move allies around to advantageous positions in response to attack, and Snuff The Candle is extremely efficient for valid targets.
In the Red Zone, Gatekeeper feels like he's pressing the limits of what he can do. Call The Dead is exceptional, as whatever the minions it makes are able to do will be able to happen repeatedly without extra set up. Banshee's Wail feel very much like a desperation move, and while it can burn down two targets effectively, Gatekeeper stands a fair chance of burning himself out using it. Doom Foretold is an interesting way to punish foes for going after him or an ally, but using it does lock him out of Shadow Summons for that round. Careful consideration should be given to that.

Overall? Gatekeeper will be pretty good at whatever he decides to do on his turn, but he's not going to be the strongest at any of it. He feels like a commander or advisor, standing back and letting allies rush in to handle the heavy combat while he manipulates the situation for them.

In a team setting, Gatekeeper will work well alongside most heroes. He'll certainly want to be in a team that has at least one heavy hitter who can maintain offensive pressure while Gatekeeper does his work.


A single man
Standing alone in a field of swords
Blades borne to the unmoving air
An unchanging world as their sheathe
Preserved for eternity
This is my Origin
- Avalon, The Living Sheathe

drkrash1969
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PlatinumWarlock wrote:
Even if there seems to be some vagueness in language (one last editing pass, perhaps?), I think what you've collectively said makes more sense to the intent. 

"One" last editing pass? You're generous! I'm about 3/4 a full read through the whole book again and it needs a *lot* more editing. I'm honestly surprised at how unpolished it was for a company that's not just one guy working from home (ya know - like you and me! :P)


Fight! 2nd edition available now.

PlatinumWarlock
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drkrash1969 wrote:
PlatinumWarlock wrote:

Even if there seems to be some vagueness in language (one last editing pass, perhaps?), I think what you've collectively said makes more sense to the intent. 

"One" last editing pass? You're generous! I'm about 3/4 a full read through the whole book again and it needs a *lot* more editing. I'm honestly surprised at how unpolished it was for a company that's not just one guy working from home (ya know - like you and me! :P)

As the old saying goes, "The opposite of perfect is 'done'." There are always going to be some measure of typos, layout issues, and whatnot in any published work, but, you're right...there are quite a few in the released PDF. Hopefully the delay in printing will make sure that the best possible version hits print.

But I'll be honest, I'm not hunting for errors at this point. If GtG wants to hire me as an editor, I'll gladly give it the fine-toothed comb I give to any of my editing clients. But, I've gotten the impression they're full up on freelancers...

drkrash1969
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Thanks for the observations on Barracuda.  He is definitely intended to be a traditional front-line brick.  Thanks especially for the observations about Predator Sense.  My fluff for that was that he can tune his super-senses into a situation, but he risks getting too much sensory input and being stunned.  I didn't think it was a real risk for him, but you point out that it might be.  I think that's actually pretty cool rather than being a flaw.  He should work with Rumble, who is better at multiple foes.

Here's my 3rd hero (of 4), the team leader.

AURA

Law Enforcement/Genetic/Blaster/Natural Leader

Health 30

Principles: Detective, Hero

Hard Light Force (Radiant) d10, Hard Light Finesse (Telekinesis) d10, Flight d8, Presence d6

Conviction d10, Criminal Underworld Info d8, Ranged Combat d8, Investigation d8, Beautiful Icon d8

GREEN

Team Tactics (Rally) Conviction

Battlefield Control (Danger Zone) Flight

Hard Hitting Hard Light (Exploit Vulnerability) Radiant

YELLOW

Smashing Light Construct (Area Assault) Telekinesis

Intuitive Force Walls (Danger Sense) Presence

Moving the Pieces (Imbue with Element) Telekinesis

Pushing the Limits (Heedless Blast) Radiant

RED

Force Wall (Impenetrable Defense) Telekinesis

Aerobatics (Calculated Dodge) Response

OUT – Conviction

Lucia Navarro is also a Zero, but when her powers manifested in early adolescence, they rapidly threatened to go destructively out of control.  She was thus subject to further experimentation to stabilize her abilities.  She was part of Miami’s previous superteam, the Protectors, but circumstances drove that team apart.  She took it upon herself to form a new team, La Guardia, and became a team leader.  Her powers enable her to create bright golden hard light constructs, like a Green Lantern, but only in simple geometric shapes.  In her day job, she works as a lawyer in the District Attorney’s office. 

A couple comments about this build: despite both Aura and Rumble being Zeroes, I built one as Experimentation and one as Genetic.  Arguably, they should be the other way around, as Aura was experimented on and Rumble was born with his abilities (his grandparents were the “Experimentation”).  However, I went the way I did because of what powers they offered.  I think this is a strength of the system.  I made her hard light constructs out of two powers to increase her flexibility in Ability choices.  Her powers aren’t at all “radiant” other than being glow-y, but I chose to re-skin that power rather than create a “new” power.  I think this is another strength – the ease with which you can do things like this without breaking anything.  Finally, “Beautiful Icon” is presently a placeholder Quality.  Aura’s player wants her to be a symbol of heroism for the city and she wants her to be hot.  So that’s what I came up with.  I welcome any other suggestions based on this thin background I’ve provided.

 

 


Fight! 2nd edition available now.

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