DC Interlude - The Ragman Cometh!

Now I know it isn't a Marvel character, but this guy came up today and I really like the character and backstory so I decided to stat him up for use in MHRPG.  Without further ado, I give you.



RAGMAN

AFFILIATIONS

Solo  D10

Buddy  D6

Team  D8

DISTINCTIONS

An Untainted Soul
Family Legacy

Punisher or Redeemer?

POWER SETS

Suit of Rags

     Enhanced Durability     D8             Enhanced Senses      D8

     Enhanced Stamina        D8             Enhanced Strength    D8

     Enhanced Reflexes       D8             Teleport                    D6

• SFX:  Suit of Many Talents. Use two or more Suit of Rags powers in your dice pool, at -1 step for each additional power.
• SFX:  Drawing on the Souls. Borrow a die from the doom pool for an attack action. Step up the doom die by +1 and return to the doom pool.
• Limit:  Fire Vulnerability. When making a reaction against fire-based actions, Ragman takes emotional stress equal to the effect die of the attack. If the reaction is successful, emotional stress is reduced -1 step.  This effect happens regardless of whether he also takes physical stress. If he’s stressed out by emotional stress, he flees immediately.

SPECIALITIES [You may convert Expert D8 to 2D6, or Master D10 to 2D8 or 3D6]

Acrobatic Expert        D8

Combat Expert           D8

Crime Expert              D8

Mystic  Expert            D8

MILESTONES

To Be Determined

1 XP    when...

3 XP    when...

10 XP  when...

To Be Determined

1 XP    when...

3 XP    when...

10 XP  when...

HISTORY

A community of Jews in 16th century Eastern Europe created the Ragman to replace the Golem, their previous defender.  Gerry Regan was the last European Ragman, as he, still named Jerzy Reganiewicz, fled to the United States after failing to protect the Jewish population from Nazi persecution.  After settling down in Gotham City, Regan passed the mantle of Ragman to his grandson Rory who took up the suit to avenge his grandfather’s death at the hands an evil gang.

Currently each of the patches in the suit is made from the soul of an evildoer that the Ragman had punished and absorbed.  The absorption of these souls caused a problem for Rory at one point, when the evil souls hungered for murder and finally freed themselves of Ragman.

It was only with the support of Batman and Regan's old friend, Rabbi Luria, that he regained control, though at the cost of Luria's life.  Ragman's powers have increased since then and he can absorb new souls into his costume.  With each new soul added, a rag is added and he can call upon the souls in his costume to lend him their attributes or power.

PERSONALITY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragman

ABILITIES & RESOURCES

The Ragman can draw upon the physical powers of any number of the corrupted souls that make up his suit. This way he can increase his strength, speed and stamina dozens or even hundreds of times over, though he has stated that it isn't easy to tap into a large number of souls at once (at the time, he commented that the most he had ever done was somewhere over a hundred). This also allows Ragman to avoid most wounds as he can use one of his other souls to take the damage for him, allowing him to continue to operate at peak efficiency while the souls he has trapped use the damage for him.

Most significantly, having defeated an enemy, he can acquire new souls by absorbing them with the suit, although he can only do this for truly evil souls; as an example, he was unable to absorb the soul of super-villain Blue Moon because she was regularly sent to prison as her powers only worked at night, her time in prison counting as her having 'served her time' and preventing Ragman 'punishing' her himself. This adds a new rag to the suit, and thus adds to the Ragman's power supply. However, Rory has mentioned that the process of acquiring a new soul gives him stomach cramps and nausea. Once a corrupted soul has helped him a certain amount of times, it is allowed to pass on to Heaven, having earned redemption for the sins it committed in life that would have sent it to Hell if it had simply died in the normal manner.

Exiles - Magik

 

MAGIK

AFFILIATIONS

Solo D10

Buddy D6

Team D8

DISTINCTIONS

Black Magic Woman

Classically Educated

Resourceful

POWER SETS

Red Room Training

  Enhanced Reflexes  d8               Enhanced Senses     d8

  Enhanced Stamina   d8               Psychic Resistance   d8

  Teleportation          d10

• SFX: Focus. In a pool including a Red Room Training die, replace two dice of equal steps with one die of +1 step.
• SFX: Immunity. Spend 1 PP to ignore stress, trauma, or complications from aging, disease, or psychic attack.
• Limit: Subconscious Programming. When you take emotional trauma, shutdown any Red Room Training power and gain 1 PP. Recover power when you recover that emotional trauma.

Pneumamancy

  Enhanced Durability d8              Soul Weapons       d8

• SFX: Unstoppable. Add d6 and step up effect die by +1 when using Soul Weapons to inflict emotional stress.
• SFX: Absorption. On a successful reaction against an energy-based attack action, convert your opponent’s effect die into a Pneumamancy stunt or step up a Pneumamancy power by +1 for your next action. Spend 1 PP to use this stunt if opponent’s action succeeded.
• Limit: Soul-draining. Count 1s and 2s on dice as opportunities when using a Pneumamancy power.
• Limit: Mutant. Earn 1 PP when affected by mutant-specific Milestones and tech.

SPECIALTIES [You may convert Expert d8 to 2d6, or Master d10 to 2d8 or 3d6]

Acrobatics Expert d8

Combat Expert d8

Covert Master d10

Menace Expert d8

Mystic Expert d8

MILESTONES

Flexible Loyalties

1 XP    when you first use your Covert Specialty in an action and succeed.

3 XP    when you convince a team member to make a painful or difficult choice.

10 XP  when you either betray a team member in a critical moment or sacrifice yourself for them.

“It’s Not Safe Getting Close To Me”

1 XP    when you choose to flirt with another hero.

3 XP    when you make a decision or create a circumstance that puts your chosen hero directly in harm’s way.

10 XP  when you either abandon your chosen hero at a critical moment or sacrifice something you hold dear in order to preserve your chosen relationship.

HISTORY

Born Natasha Romanova, Magik of her Earth is a mutant who was recruited by and works in secret for the Red Room, an occult secret society created and let by Grigori Rasputin.  The organization existed to thwart the rising power of the Nazi's Thul Society and, through espionage and mystical means, allowed the allies to defeat Hitler in WWII.  Flash forward to the present day where the Soviet Union is the major power in the world and the Soviet Super Soldiers are the premeir heroes.  Rasputin still lives and guides his secret police and Magik is one of his most valued agents.

PERSONALITY

Coming soon.

ABILITIES & RESOURCES

Magik is a Mutant with the ability to use her personal soul-energy to create weapons and armor which she can use to defend herself.  These weapons are ephemeral but can be focused to do both actual phsyical damage as well as damage to the spirits of living creatures.  The only drawback is that the use of this energy can drain her as well.

Her mystical training in the Red Room increased her already strong physical abilities and magickal senses and she became skilled in apportation, the creation of teleport discs enabling her to carry herself and others with her over long distances.

Exiles - The Hulk

THE HULK

AFFILIATIONS

Solo  D8

Buddy  D10

Team  D6

DISTINCTIONS

Green Guardian

Legal Background

Savage

POWER SETS

Gamma Gal

  Superhuman Strength           D10     Superhuman Stamina  D10

  Superhuman Durability         D10     Leaping                      D8

• SFX:    Collateral Damage. Instead of spending 1 PP, add d6 to the doom pool to create a Gamma Gal stunt.
• SFX:    Second Wind. Before you make an action including an Gamma Gal power, you may move your physical stress die to the doom pool and step up the Gamma Gal power by +1 for this action.
• SFX:    Versatile. Replace any D10 Gamma Gal power with 2d8 or 3d6 on your next roll.
• Limit:  Bad Temper. Earn 1 PP and step up emotional stress caused by anger by 1.

SPECIALITIES [You may convert Expert D8 to 2D6, or Master D10 to 2D8 or 3D6]

Combat Expert            D8

Crime Master              D10

Menace Expert            D8

Psych Expert               D8

MILESTONES

Bad Temper

1 XP    when you activate your BAD TEMPER Limit.

3 XP    you take offense when none is offered.

10 XP  when you either leave your team due to your destructive nature or allow others to convince you to join a team because of your good deeds.

Settle The Score

1 XP    when you declare a villain an old foe.

3 XP    when you inflict trauma on your foe.

10 XP  when you forgive your foe or they big for your forgiveness and you let them go.

HISTORY

Jennifer Walters-Banner is the daughter of her world’s most famous scientist, Bruce Banner.  Her father spent his career perfecting gamma-radiation technologies that served to make his world a better place.  Not following in her father’s footsteps, Jennifer joined the police department and went to law school, later becoming a famous prosecutor.  That came to an end when she was shot by a criminal that she put away who had been released.

Immediately taken for medical care, a transfusion and state-of-the-art medical science patented by her father saved her life.  The techniques used in her healing were gamma-based and triggered an overdose, not taking into account her genetic makeup and lifelong exposure from her father’s research.  Her body began absorbing all of the gamma radiation and mutated to her present form.

PERSONALITY

Long a proponent of law and order, Jennifer was never a timid soul, possessing a balanced outlook on things.  In spite of her distinctive appearance, since her mutation, she has become more forceful and confident and has since developed a bit of a bad temper which sometimes directs her actions.  On the whole, she still sees herself as a proponent of justice and tries to comport herself as such.

ABILITIES & RESOURCES

The Hulk’s green skin is incredibly durable and capable of withstanding amazing punishment, such as being knocked through several buildings by a devastating blow, only to emerge slightly woozy and very annoyed.  She is capable of lifting great weights and slugging it out with giant monsters and other menaces.

Her new, powerful form combined with her superhuman strength enables her to also leap great distances.

Having worked as a police officer and a lawyer, she possesses many contacts in law enforcement and is a skilled negotiator.

Exiles - Spider-Man

So I’m presently working on a scenario for some upcoming conventions (DexCon, NerdNYC Recess) and figured I may as well post a few of the pre-generated characters I’ll be using for it.

I’m was a  big fan of the comic Exiles and, once checking out the game, decided to create my own mini-event using that as my background.  For anyone unfamiliar with Exiles, it’s basically Silders meets Quantum Leap meets the X-Men.  Feel free to check out Marvel’s wiki page for more information.  The idea is to create characters that are, at the same time, both familiar and different.  Most of the time this can be accomplished by just tweaking the backstory a little.  Sometimes the change is one where the powers become different or shuffled about.

The first character I created, though not a mutant, is a familiar face though his history has diverged from the original as alternate-realities are wont to do.  Without further ado, I give you SPIDER-MAN!

Note:  I’ve got a Photoshop character template that was created by Mark Meredith, but as I am unfamiliar with the program and haven’t had time to take a closer look at it, I’ve done this as pretty much straight text.

SPIDER-MAN

AFFILIATIONS

Solo  D10

Buddy  D8

Team  D6

DISTINCTIONS

Former Killer

Guilty Conscience

A Man of Two Minds

POWER SETS

Symbiote

     Enhanced Durability     D8              Enhanced Senses         D8

     Enhanced Stamina        D8              Leaping                       D8

     Superhuman Reflexes   D10            Superhuman Strength   D10

     Wall Crawling              D6              Web Slinging               D8

• SFX:  Multipower. Use two or more Symbiote powers in your dice pool, at -1 step for each additional power.
• SFX:  Spider-Sense. Spend 1 PP to add Enhanced Senses (or step up by +1 if already in your pool) and reroll all dice on a reaction.
• SFX:  Grapple. Add d6 and step up effect die by +1 when inflicting a web-related complication on a target.
• Limit:  Fire and Sonic Vulnerability. When making a reaction against fire-based or sonic-based actions, Spider-Man takes emotional stress equal to the effect die of the attack. If the reaction is successful, emotional stress is reduced -1 step.  This effect happens regardless of whether he also takes physical stress. If he’s stressed out by emotional stress, he flees immediately.

SPECIALITIES [You may convert Expert D8 to 2D6, or Master D10 to 2D8 or 3D6]

Acrobatic Master        D10

Combat Expert            D8

Covert Expert              D8

Menace Expert            D8

MILESTONES

That Could Have Been Me

1 XP    when time you show sympathy to a villain.

3 XP    when you try to talk a villain down despite the odds.

10 XP  when you either sacrifice yourself to help a villain or disproportionately punish a villain.

I Just Want Somewhere To Belong

1 XP    when you give support to or aid another hero.

3 XP    when you confront a team member about your place on the team or aid a team member at cost to

            yourself.

10 XP  when you either walk away from your team or join it for good.

HISTORY

Cletus Kasady was a borderline psychopath and a homicidal maniac who spent more time in jail and institutions than he ever did at home. He would have spent the remainder of his life in prison if it hadn’t been for Spider-man, or more specifically, the symbiote.  When Peter Parker threw off the alien symbiote, the wounded organism located a new host.  Kasady.  Newly empowered as “Venom”, he escaped from prison and began a cross-country murder spree which culminated in a final showdown where Peter Parker was consumed, body and soul, by the costume.

The act of murder against the first host caused an unexpected occurrence.  The soul of Peter Parker took root in Kasady and the Symbiote, creating a completely new entity.  Kasady began to feel remorse for the evils he had done and repented, vowing to work on earning his forgiveness.  The symbiote stabilized and the bond between itself and Kasady became a permanent one, with the two of them losing some of their previous abilities in favor of the more traditional Spider-man traits.

Wearing the black costume in homage to Parker, he began a heroic career, doing what he could to try and make up for years of suffering and his unconventional tactics have sometimes put him at odds with his fellow heroes.

PERSONALITY

Cleetus Kasady is a man driven by crushing guilt to atone for the wrongs he has committed. He believes that, like Parker, that with great power comes great responsibility and strives to live up to the ideals as well as he can. Unlike Parker, he is sometimes is a bit more aggressive than other heroes; especially since he knows far better than many what the villains are capable of. He nevertheless gives his all to fight and protect innocents whenever possible. Very little scares Spider-Man but he hides his uncertainty in battle with a strong, silent demeanor, eschewing the incessant torrent of wisecracks and taunts that Parker favored.

ABILITIES & RESOURCES

With the aid of his symbiote, Spider-Man possesses superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes, as well as a sixth sense attuned to danger. An attraction field based around his palms and the soles of his feet enables him to cling to most surfaces and even climb them.  The symbiote has given Kasady the ability to generate webs in the same way that Parkers technological web-shooters used to and Kasady can use this “webbing” to form swing lines or nets, and even to spin together solid structures, such as small barriers or parachutes.

In spite of the wealth of allies Spider-Man had cultivated over the years, most of them know that this isn’t the hero they once knew and have somewhat shunned the new, darker hero though they cannot doubt his effectiveness.  In the absence of these contacts, Kasady normally has little else to rely on besides pure gumption and blind luck.

Make Mine Marvel

Well hello.  It’s been a while.  To be fair, it’s been a looooong while.

It’s been some time since I last attempted to start up anything bloggish with any sort of regularity, but here goes.

I love comic books.

There.  I said it.

I love comic books and I love Super-Heroes.  I have over 16 longboxes full of them in my basement.  I’ve got (or have had) a copy of nearly every superhero RPG ever produced.  I’ve seen very nearly every film made from a comic book or with superheroes in it.

Recently a new RPG was released.  Margaret Weis Productions got ahold of the Marvel license and put together something awesome, the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game.  I played this game first at the end of February, once as a test and once as a convention scenario and fell in love once again with superheroes.

This blog will basically be more of a repository for ideas and characters and other things relating to the game.  There may be, from time to time, discussions or reviews of other game products, but I’m going to pretty much try to keep this a MHRPG thing for a bit.

Granted, when I post characters, they may not be exclusively from Marvel Comics, but they will be designed to work with the Marvel Heroic system.

Welcome aboard true believers.  I hope that you enjoy the ride.

Excelsior!