Sentinels of the Multiverse Characters

[Mr. Death]

So this card game has me hooked, and like many other things that have had me hooked, I'm going to turn some of the characters into Dresden fodder. For whoever hasn't played, Sentinels of the Multiverse is a cooperative superhero card game, with characters analogous to many existing comic book heroes and villains (Legacy, for instance, is basically a mix of Superman and Captain America).

So without further ado, here's the Freedom Five

Name: Paul Parsons VII, AKA Legacy
The quintessential American Hero, Paul Parsons comes from a long line of strong and courageous men who, since the time Joseph Parsons' superhuman danger sense warned of the British invasion in time to warn Paul Revere, have fought for liberty and justice in the United States and the world over. Each of the Parsons in the line added a new power, and Paul leads the Freedom Five not only with his strength and toughness, but with his inspirational presence.

Despite his power and fighting ability, Legacy's real role on the team is to defend his compatriots, taking blows so they don't have to, and galvanizing them to perform better in the field.

High Concept: America's Finest Legacy
Trouble: Family Man
Aspects: Take One for the Team; For Freedom! For America!; "You're an Inspiration, Parsons"

Skills (45 points spent):
5: Presence, Empathy
4: Conviction, Endurance, Might
3: Fists, Athletics, Alertness, Discipline
2: Resources, Scholarship, Lore, Rapport
1: Driving, Guns, Survival, Craftsmanship

Powers:
Supernatural Senses (-1): Danger Sense
Supernatural Toughness (-4)
The Catch (+1): Particular types of radiation
Inhuman Speed (-2)
Inhuman Strength (-2)
Flight (-1)
Incite Effect (-2): Courage, At Range, rolled with Presence

Stunts:
No Pain, No Gain: Extra Mild Physical Consequence
Bend and Break: When successfully breaking an object with Might, increase the effect by two steps
Mighty Thews: When determining lifting capacity, treat effective Might as +2
Leadership: Presence +1 to command a group, and efforts to coordinate happen one time increment faster than normal
Personal Magnetism: When rolling Presence for a passive reaction to you, add +2
Teflon Persona: Armor:1 against social attacks
The Weight of Reputation: Use Presence instead of Intimidation to scare villains

Equipment:
The Legacy Ring - A simple silver ring that's an heirloom of the Parson's family, passed down from father to son since Joseph Parsons. Aspect: "Furthering Your Father's Legacy"

Total Refresh: -18

Name: Dr. Meredith Stinson AKA Tachyon
Already an accomplished and brilliant scientist, when an experiment gone awry gave her incredible super speed, Meredith Stinson used her power to accelerate her scientific endeavors to new heights, conducting numerous experiments at once, and performing research in a fraction of the time it normally took. As a result, she's responsible for cars that get 60 miles to the gallon, cures for cancer, and establishing the first base on Mars.

While she's more at home in the lab, when Paul Parsons recruited her for the Freedom Five, she jumped at the chance -- after the government promised to fund her laboratory, of course. In battle, she's good at putting out fires, able to take out dozens of minions, create solutions to environmental hazards, or run around the world to build up momentum and deck a pesky alien warlord back into space. Pushing past her limits, however, has its price...

High Concept: The Quickest Woman Alive
Trouble: Sometimes Scatterbrained
Aspects: Processes At A Mile A Minute; More At Home In The Lab; I Wonder What This Does?

Skills:
5: Scholarship
4: Athletics, Alertness
3: Fists, Endurance, Discipline, Rapport
2: Resources, Lore, Craftsmanship, Driving
1: Presence, Empathy, Conviction, Guns

Powers:
Mythic Speed (-6)
Pushing The Limits (-1): Can take a second action per turn at the cost of 1 mental and physical stress**Pending Rewrite**

Stunts:
Is this yours?: On a successful Athletics defense, you can forfeit your next turn to redirect the weapon rating of the attack at another target, using your Athletics roll as the attack roll.
Capable Researcher: Any scholarly research is done two time increments faster
Scientist: Physics, Particle Physics
High Quality Workspace: Personal Workspace is at Resources, rather than -2 below
Faster Than You Can Blink: Can make zone attacks with Fists ** Pending Rewrite **
Move faster, hit harder: Fists are Weapon:2 against unarmored, Weapon:1 against Armor:1, nothing against higher armor.
Move faster, hit better: Athletics modifies Fists attack rolls by +1 ** Pending Rewrite **

Refresh: -14

Name: Maia Adrianna Montgomery AKA The Wraith
A prodigy, well on her way to graduating with a double major in college at only the age of 17, Maia's life was derailed when she and her boyfriend were attacked by street thugs. Her boyfriend was killed, and she spent months recovering, after which she vowed never to be a victim again. With the help of her parents, the CEOs of Montgomery Industries, she hired martial arts masters to train her in defense, excelling in combat as much as she had in her studies. When her graduation present was to be made CEO of her parents' company so they could travel the world, she used those resources to create crime fighting equipment and gadgets, from then on patrolling Rook City from the shadows as The Wraith.

Without powers, The Wraith uses her martial arts skills and razor-sharp weaponry to take down villains and their minions with ease. Her always-present utility belt contains everything she needs to answer any problem, making her a valuable member of the Freedom Five.

High Concept: The Wraith in the Shadows
Trouble: Can I Ever Fix Rook City?
Aspects: Strike from the Shadows; High-Society Alter Ego; "The True Crimefighter Always Carries Everything She Needs in her Utility Belt"; It's a Hive of Scum and Villainy, But It's Home

Skills:
5: Weapons, Resources, Stealth
4: Scholarship, Investigation, Presence
3: Athletics, Alertness, Fists, Intimidation
2: Craftsmanship, Might, Endurance, Conviction
1: Discipline, Driving, Contacts, Lore

Stunts/Equipment:
On My Toes: Alertness+2 for initiative
Acrobat: Athletics+1 to survive fall, also to dodging if described colorfully
Jury Rigger: Repairs last two scenes longer than normal when jury-rigging
Pilot (Helicopter): Driving +1 for aircraft, +2 for helicopter
Supreme Concentration: Discipline is Fantastic whenever it would affect another skill
Redirected Force: On Fists defense, can skip next turn to turn defense into maneuver
No Pain, No Gain: Extra Mild Physical Consequence
Quick Eye: First investigation roll when on scene for deeper details happens two steps faster
Scene of the Crime: Investigation +1, arrive at conclusions one step faster on crime scene
High Quality Workspace
High Tech Toys: Use Resources to create gadgets instead of Craftsmanship
Lush Lifestyle: Can be assumed to have anything that costs up to their Resources score instead of at -2
Swift and Silent: When Skulking, moving penalties are reduced by 2
Good Arm: Can throw weapons up to two zones
Off-Hand Weapon Training: Add 1/2 of Weapon Rating of offhand weapon when attacking
Wall of Death: Can make spray attacks with Weapons

Refresh: -14 (including Pure Mortal bonus)

Gear:
Infrared Eyepiece (Aspect: I see you... [Used to boost Investigation rolls])
Throwing knives: Weapon:1
Stun Bolt: Creates aspect, 'Stunned'
Grappling Hook (Aspect: See you on the roof! [Boost Athletics climbing rolls])
Smoke Bombs (creates Aspect, Can't Hit What You Can't See on zone)
Microtargeting Computer (Aspect: Pinpoint accuracy [boost Weapons rolls and/or damage])

Name: Lt. Tyler Vance AKA Bunker
A long-time member of the US Army, Vance is the latest to wear the Bunker combat suit, designed to act as its own battalion, with the armor and weaponry to match. After successfully using it on the battlefield, Vance was approached by Paul Parsons, who offered him a spot on the Freedom Five.

With an array of weapons, a modular design and thick plates of steel, Bunker's at his best when he's wading into fire and laying down tons of flak in return.

High Concept: The Indestructable Bunker
Trouble: The suit does all the work
Aspects: Still In The Chain of Command; Dakkadakkadakkadakkadakkadakkadakka; "You Call That A Hit?"

Skills:
5: Guns, Endurance
4: Alertness, Presence, Discipline
3: Conviction, Athletics, Fists, Driving
2: Intimidation, Rapport, Empathy, Survival
1: Weapons, Contacts, Investigation, Scholarship

Powers:
Item of Power: The Bunker Suit (+2)
   Supernatural Toughness (-4)
   The Catch (+3): Armor Piercing rounds
   Inhuman Strength (-2)
   Modular Weaponry (-5)
    Flak Cannon (-1): Weapon:3 attack on single target, used with Guns
    Grenade Launcher (-2): Weapon:2 zone attack, used with Guns
    Omnicannon (-3): Weapon:2+X single target attack. Player can add 1 to the weapon rating as a supplemental action each turn

Stunts:
No Pain, No Gain: Extra Mild Physical Consequence
Tough Stuff: Armor:1 against blunt blows
Target Rich Environment: Add +1 to Gun attack rolls when outnumbered
Turret Mode: Bunker secures itself and lets loose with everything it has at the cost of defense. Guns is rolled at +2 to attack, while all defenses are rolled at a -2 penalty.

Refresh spent: -10

Name: Ryan Frost AKA Absolute Zero
Ryan Frost's promising life came to a halt when his fiancee was killed by a drunk driver. He lost all motivation, forfeiting his dream job, and drifted until he became a janitor at a chemical plant. His life took another devastating turn when an industrial accident wracked his body, leaving him unable to survive at any temperature above freezing. After several years in a chamber specially made to keep him alive, he accepted the government's offer: Join the Freedom Five in return for using a special suit that would let him walk in the world once again.

Much more cynical and bitter than his teammates, Absolute Zero can be a juggernaut on the battlefield, using his ice blasts and the heat byproduct of his suit to freeze and burn whatever gets in his way. But every time he lets out a blast of cold, he risks damaging his own life support.

High Concept: Absolute Zero
Trouble: A Danger to Himself and Others
Aspects: Not In This To Save The World; Cold as Ice; Freezer Burner

Skills:
5: Discipline, Endurance
4: Fists, Presence, Conviction
3: Athletics, Alertness, Scholarship
2: Investigation, Empathy, Rapport
1: Resources, Weapons, Might

Powers:
Thermodynamics (-4) (Sponsored Magic equivalent): Absolute Zero can make Ice or Fire effects, rolling Discipline to control, and determining power and stress through his Endurance instead of Conviction. Any Ice effect is a +1 in power.
Inhuman Toughness (-2)
Feeding Dependency: Cold (+1)
Supernatural Recovery (-4)
Physical Immunity (-8)
Stacked Catch (+6) (Only immune to Cold)
Fire Eater (-1): When Absolute Zero takes stress from a fire-based attack, he can reduce the stress of his next Cold-based action through Thermodynamics by 1.

Foci: Suit Gauntlets: +1 to Cold Attack Control and Power (2 slots)

Refresh spent: -12

I tried to get these as close to the feel and mechanics of the card game, but Absolute Zero and Bunker were tricky, so I welcome thoughts and comments.

[Sanctaphrax]

Aspects and concepts look pretty cool. I may have to check out that card game.

I feel like I know these guys pretty well just after reading your post, so kudos for that.

Wraith's Aspects are missing, though.

Some weird stuff in the mechanical side of things. In general, these guys aren't as capable in a fight as I'd expect superheroes with so much Refresh to be. I guess that's not a problem if everyone's like that, but I'd hesitate to use them in most games.

As for specifics...

Incite Emotion (-2): Courage, At Range

Might be better to use Incite Effect so that he's not stuck rolling Deceit.

Bend and Break: When successfully breaking an object with Might, increase the effect by two steps
Mighty Thews: When determining lifting capacity, treat effective Might as +2

These are really weird on a guy with Mediocre Might. Why not raise his skill, or maybe buy another level of Strength?

Pushing The Limits (-1): Can take a second action per turn at the cost of 1 mental and physical stress

This looks unfair.

Faster Than You Can Blink: Can make zone attacks with Fists

I think this is a bit much.

Move faster, hit better: Athletics modifies Fists attack rolls by +1

A flat +1 to all attack rolls isn't appropriate for a stunt.

Armed Arts: Use Fists for clubs and batons
Redirected Force: On Fists defense, can skip next turn to turn defense into maneuver

Her Weapons is better than her Fists, so these are basically useless.

High Tech Toys: Resources modifies craftsmanship for creating gadgets by +1

I think it'd be fair to let Resources replace Craftsmanship for gadgets entirely.

    Flak Cannon (-1): Weapon:3 attack on single target, used with Guns
    Grenade Launcher (-2): Weapon:2 zone attack, used with Guns
    Omnicannon (-3): Weapon:2+X single target attack. Player can add 1 to the weapon rating as a supplemental action each turn

You don't need to spend Refresh to own guns. And that Omnicannon doesn't look like a 3-Refresh Power unless you can charge it before the fight, in which case it might be broken.

Thermodynamics (-4) (Sponsored Magic equivalent): Absolute Zero can make Ice or Fire effects, rolling Discipline to control, and determining power and stress through his Endurance instead of Conviction. Any Ice effect is a +1 in power.

Does he get foci?

Feeding Dependency: Cold (+1)
Superhuman Recovery (-4)

Not sure if Feeding Dependency is the best way to go here. And if you'll excuse the nitpick, it's Supernatural.

[Mr. Death]

Aspects and concepts look pretty cool. I may have to check out that card game.

I feel like I know these guys pretty well just after reading your post, so kudos for that.

Wraith's Aspects are missing, though.

You should, it's a lot of fun (also there's a version of it for smartphones and tablets and Steam), and thanks. And darn, I knew I'd miss something. Adding that now.

Some weird stuff in the mechanical side of things. In general, these guys aren't as capable in a fight as I'd expect superheroes with so much Refresh to be. I guess that's not a problem if everyone's like that, but I'd hesitate to use them in most games.

Admittedly, I was less going for optimization, and more trying to reflect how they act in the card game itself.

As for specifics...

Might be better to use Incite Effect so that he's not stuck rolling Deceit.

Probably a good idea -- it should be rolled by Presence.

These are really weird on a guy with Mediocre Might. Why not raise his skill, or maybe buy another level of Strength?

... Would you believe that I just plain forgot to put Might on his sheet? Will take care of that.

This looks unfair.

It might well be -- it's an attempt to replicate one of her cards in the game, which lets her double her playing and drawing, at the cost of 2 HP a round (More, if someone is buffing her, since she does the damage to herself). What might you suggest would be more balanced?

I think this is a bit much.

A flat +1 to all attack rolls isn't appropriate for a stunt.

Would they be better if both stunts had the condition of, "While sprinting?"

Her Weapons is better than her Fists, so these are basically useless.

Yeah, bit of a brainfart for Armed Arts. I wrote some of these in a hurry, and I was originally going to make her top skill Guns before I remembered throwing weapons fell under, well, Weapons. As for Redirected Force, that's partly in case she doesn't have her weapons (lots of villains in the card game destroy equipment), and a reflection of one of her cards, which specifies a melee counterattack. A variant of Riposte might be better, though.

I think it'd be fair to let Resources replace Craftsmanship for gadgets entirely.

I was considering that, and yeah, that works.

You don't need to spend Refresh to own guns. And that Omnicannon doesn't look like a 3-Refresh Power unless you can charge it before the fight, in which case it might be broken.

If it comes down to it, Bunker probably should be Pure Mortal with just a crapton of equipment -- but given that, unlike Wraith, everything he can do in the card game is through the suit, that would leave him with little to no refresh spent. And the Modular Weaponry thing is, again, a reference to his card playing style, switching out weapons as he gets them.

Omnicannon is one that gave me a lot of trouble. In the card game, it lets him bank three cards a round to charge, and when he fires, each card he's banked adds 2 damage to the total. It's a massive killshot if you do it for a few rounds, and I wasn't sure how to work that in this system. What do you suggest?

Does he get foci?

Actually, he does have cards that boost his Cold damage in the game, so I'd say probably yes.

Not sure if Feeding Dependency is the best way to go here. And if you'll excuse the nitpick, it's Supernatural.

Yeah, I was thinking similarly after I'd laid them out. In the card game, one of his modules lets him heal from cold damage instead of taking damage, so maybe some variant of Blood Drinker, where if he's hit for a large amount of cold, it counts as a healing period?

And yes, I realize that with his powerset, that means he could heal himself with a blast of cold -- that's how he works in the game, constantly yo-yoing his hitpoints up and down.

[Mr. Death]

Perhaps a description of their roles in the card game might help.

Legacy is a tank/buffer. With the exception of a few attacking cards, all his cards either increase his teammate's damage, armor him up, let his teammates draw more cards or shield the rest of the team from attack. And one of his attacks doubles as a heal for the team. While he can do so, he generally isn't doing much damage himself, but instead keeping his teammates healthy and adding +1 or +2 to every attack they make.

Tachyon is a DPS/Nuker. She has a lot of cards that do 1 damage, either to a single enemy or to all of them, several cards that let her draw and/or play more than one card each round -- some at the cost of her HP -- and a couple cards that cash in a unique mechanic involving her discard pile to do massive damage. So a typical turn for her once she's set up can involve playing as many as five cards, and drawing three or four.

Bunker is another DPS/Nuker, with a bit of tank owing to his high HP and armor options. He has a couple pieces of equipment that give him damaging powers he can use frequently (the Flak cannon and Grenade Launcher), the Omnicannon to nuke things at the end, and three modes that let him double his play, draw, and power phases (the latter being Turret Mode) at the cost of not being able to do one of the other phases (when he's playing two cards, he can't use powers; when he's playing two powers, he can't play cards; when he's drawing extra cards, he can't play or use powers, but he's also got increased armor). His job is to blast things while building up his card stock, then unleashing hell at the end with the Omnicannon.

The Wraith is a kind of jack of all trades. She's got cards that reduce damage dealt by the environment, give some control over the villain deck, remove troublesome environment or ongoing cards, debuff the villain, and do direct damage. Most of this is equipment she has to play first. Her Utility Belt lets her do two powers per turn. She does have one "nuke" card, Inventory Barrage, but using it nukes all her equipment as fuel for damage. In general, her role is to do moderate, steady damage and put out fires as they come up.

Absolute Zero can be tank, DPS, nuker, and problem solving as the case may be but is entirely dependent on his equipment cards. His base power is useless alone (it does fire or cold damage to himself) until he gets other equipment out that lets him either heal from cold, or do cold damage based on how much fire damage he takes. Nearly all his cards do him fire damage whenever he does cold damage, which, when he's set up, he can either use to fuel another cold attack on someone, or heal himself, so his HP is constantly spiking up and down. He doesn't have armor as such, but he's a good tank because he can consistently heal himself in a way few others can match once he's set up.

Hope that helps.

[Sanctaphrax]

Admittedly, I was less going for optimization, and more trying to reflect how they act in the card game itself.

I don't think the level of optimization would affect that much. Usually a more-optimized character has the same role and concept, they're just better at it.

It might well be -- it's an attempt to replicate one of her cards in the game, which lets her double her playing and drawing, at the cost of 2 HP a round (More, if someone is buffing her, since she does the damage to herself). What might you suggest would be more balanced?

Hard to say. Multiple actions are hard to get right.

Supernatural Martial Arts's Flurry technique is probably the best I have to offer. Reflavoured, I think it would fit her reasonably well.

Would they be better if both stunts had the condition of, "While sprinting?"

Yes. Though technically you can't sprint and attack on the same round, so you might want to specify what you mean by "while sprinting".

Another option would be to make her super-fast fists into Natural Weaponry and use the zone upgrade on that.

If it comes down to it, Bunker probably should be Pure Mortal with just a crapton of equipment -- but given that, unlike Wraith, everything he can do in the card game is through the suit, that would leave him with little to no refresh spent. And the Modular Weaponry thing is, again, a reference to his card playing style, switching out weapons as he gets them.

Swapping out weapons is cool, but I see no reason to make him pay Refresh for the privilege. Unless the weapons are somehow superior to the kind normal people have. Which the Omnicannon is.

And I think you're right to treat the gear as an IoP. Though it just occurred to me: armor-piercing rounds is a pretty harsh Catch. Especially when "ingested poison" makes perfect sense, is harder to exploit, and offers the same rebate.

Omnicannon is one that gave me a lot of trouble. In the card game, it lets him bank three cards a round to charge, and when he fires, each card he's banked adds 2 damage to the total. It's a massive killshot if you do it for a few rounds, and I wasn't sure how to work that in this system. What do you suggest?

Hm, tricky. But I think your current approach is decent, just overcosted. My gut says an Omnicannon that starts at weapon 4 and can only be charged in combat would probably be fair for 2 Refresh.

Yeah, I was thinking similarly after I'd laid them out. In the card game, one of his modules lets him heal from cold damage instead of taking damage, so maybe some variant of Blood Drinker, where if he's hit for a large amount of cold, it counts as a healing period?

Interesting idea. Would probably have to cost more than Blood Drinker, since it's much easier for him to activate. Maybe 3 Refresh?

I suspect that such a power would scale badly, since it seems more potent on more powerful characters, but if it's just for this guy that's not too important.

Legacy is a tank/buffer.

He looks like one. Shame DFRPG doesn't really do healing.

Tachyon is a DPS/Nuker.

A better attack skill might be in order, then. Good to Great attacks at weapon 0 to 2 are not very impressive to the kind of enemies you expect when you've got 14 Refresh of stuff.

Bunker is another DPS/Nuker, with a bit of tank owing to his high HP and armor options.

His stats work well for that.

The Wraith is a kind of jack of all trades.

Sounds like a job for a big FP stack. Might be worth cutting some stunts...

Absolute Zero can be tank, DPS, nuker, and problem solving as the case may be but is entirely dependent on his equipment cards.

Weird. I think you've modelled that about as well as you're gonna.

[Mr. Death]

I don't think the level of optimization would affect that much. Usually a more-optimized character has the same role and concept, they're just better at it.

Possibly. What would you recommend?

Hard to say. Multiple actions are hard to get right.

Supernatural Martial Arts's Flurry technique is probably the best I have to offer. Reflavoured, I think it would fit her reasonably well.

Ah, so something like higher stress for an extra action, with a penalty on that action?

Yes. Though technically you can't sprint and attack on the same round, so you might want to specify what you mean by "while sprinting".

Another option would be to make her super-fast fists into Natural Weaponry and use the zone upgrade on that.

Ah, good point. "While changing zones as a supplemental action" maybe?

Do you have a link to Natural Weaponry? I'm not familiar with the power.

Swapping out weapons is cool, but I see no reason to make him pay Refresh for the privilege. Unless the weapons are somehow superior to the kind normal people have. Which the Omnicannon is.

And I think you're right to treat the gear as an IoP. Though it just occurred to me: armor-piercing rounds is a pretty harsh Catch. Especially when "ingested poison" makes perfect sense, is harder to exploit, and offers the same rebate.

Hm, tricky. But I think your current approach is decent, just overcosted. My gut says an Omnicannon that starts at weapon 4 and can only be charged in combat would probably be fair for 2 Refresh.

All right, that seems fair.

As for the ingested poison thing, that's not really a weakness of the armor. Dude's not going to be eating during a fight (the art of his suit doesn't even have a mouth hole).

Interesting idea. Would probably have to cost more than Blood Drinker, since it's much easier for him to activate. Maybe 3 Refresh?

I suspect that such a power would scale badly, since it seems more potent on more powerful characters, but if it's just for this guy that's not too important.

Makes sense to me. There should be a higher cost, since it's such a big benefit for him.

He looks like one. Shame DFRPG doesn't really do healing.

Yeah. The only thing I could think of for his healing is maybe allowing him to roll Presence to wipe out a stress box for a given teammate, "inspiring" them to have a second wind. Don't know how balanced that is, though.

A better attack skill might be in order, then. Good to Great attacks at weapon 0 to 2 are not very impressive to the kind of enemies you expect when you've got 14 Refresh of stuff.

True. I kind of built her to be able to whack minions, I was stuck on a way to replicate her one nuking ability. I guess I was figuring the player could build up a bunch of maneuvers to tag for one big punch, but any of the other players could do that as easily or better.

What would you think of a stunt allowing her to attack with Athletics (possibly while sprinting) or a stunt giving her an extra +1 when she's tagging or invoking an aspect related to or resulting from her speed? The former would give her more ability to hit things consistently, while the latter would give her good incentive to spend time maneuvering.

Sounds like a job for a big FP stack. Might be worth cutting some stunts...

Maybe. Would it make sense to allow her pulling out a given tool as "establishing" an aspect, giving her a tag when she pulls it out?

Weird. I think you've modelled that about as well as you're gonna.

Yeah. He's actually one of my favorite characters to use because once he's set up, he can be terrifying but there's a finesse to getting all his stuff out and ready.

[Taran]

Yes. Though technically you can't sprint and attack on the same round, so you might want to specify what you mean by "while sprinting".

Ah, good point. "While changing zones as a supplemental action" maybe?

Upgraded Supernatural Martial Artist already lets you make zone-wide and spray attack in every zone you move.

Technically, with supernatural speed, you could attack every enemy in 3 different zones.  That's kind of like multiple attacks, isn't it?

Also, for 'deck manipulation' powers, you could look into the 'Luck' Powers on the custom board.  They let you manipulate dice rolls, lock down dice etc...

[Mr. Death]

Upgraded Supernatural Martial Artist already lets you make zone-wide and spray attack in every zone you move.

Technically, with supernatural speed, you could attack every enemy in 3 different zones.  That's kind of like multiple attacks, isn't it?

Actually, yeah, a lot of what's under Supernatural Martial Artist works for Tachyon.

Also, for 'deck manipulation' powers, you could look into the 'Luck' Powers on the custom board.  They let you manipulate dice rolls, lock down dice etc...

I'll take a look at those, though I'm reluctant to give the Wraith actual powers.

[Sanctaphrax]

Possibly. What would you recommend?

Drop unnecessary stunts, use the freed Refresh to buy Powers or to have more FP. Trading Bend And Break + Mighty Thews for a level of Strength is basically a strict upgrade, and stuff like No Pain No Gain usually just isn't worth it.

I would also do a bit of skill-shuffling. Like...you could drop Driving to give Tachyon Superb Fists. She's faster than a car anyway, and hitting things is something she's supposed to be good at.

Ah, so something like higher stress for an extra action, with a penalty on that action?

Yeah. I haven't gotten to see that Power in action as often as I'd like, though, so I can't guarantee its balance.

Ah, good point. "While changing zones as a supplemental action" maybe?

Sure.

Do you have a link to Natural Weaponry? I'm not familiar with the power.

Here.

Incidentally, the wiki's search rank is high enough that googling a Power name often brings you to the wiki page for it. And when it doesn't, adding "dfrpg" to the search will fix that.

As for the ingested poison thing, that's not really a weakness of the armor. Dude's not going to be eating during a fight (the art of his suit doesn't even have a mouth hole).

But as written, his armour does protect him from ingested poisons. He should wear it when eating if he's at all suspicious of his food.

That's silly, so ingested poison should probably be added to his Catch. And once you've done that, being vulnerable to armour-piercing bullets isn't actually worth any Refresh...

Yeah. The only thing I could think of for his healing is maybe allowing him to roll Presence to wipe out a stress box for a given teammate, "inspiring" them to have a second wind. Don't know how balanced that is, though.

Yeah, I dunno either. Healing is weird.

What would you think of a stunt allowing her to attack with Athletics (possibly while sprinting) or a stunt giving her an extra +1 when she's tagging or invoking an aspect related to or resulting from her speed? The former would give her more ability to hit things consistently, while the latter would give her good incentive to spend time maneuvering.

The former would be fine with the limitation, as long as it doesn't let her use her Speed bonus on attacks. The latter would be fine as long as the bonus is for one skill once/round and you don't mind discouraging the character to spend FP on other Aspects.

Maybe. Would it make sense to allow her pulling out a given tool as "establishing" an aspect, giving her a tag when she pulls it out?

Sure. Maybe a Martial Artist-esque stunt?

Upgraded Supernatural Martial Artist already lets you make zone-wide and spray attack in every zone you move.

Technically, with supernatural speed, you could attack every enemy in 3 different zones.  That's kind of like multiple attacks, isn't it?

I think you're thinking of the other Supernatural Martial Arts Power.

In retrospect, I have no idea why I gave those two the same name. I guess I wasn't thinking.

[Mr. Death]

Drop unnecessary stunts, use the freed Refresh to buy Powers or to have more FP. Trading Bend And Break + Mighty Thews for a level of Strength is basically a strict upgrade, and stuff like No Pain No Gain usually just isn't worth it.

I would also do a bit of skill-shuffling. Like...you could drop Driving to give Tachyon Superb Fists. She's faster than a car anyway, and hitting things is something she's supposed to be good at.

Hm, I suppose that's fair. I'm reluctant to remove a lot of stunts, cuz I want to preserve the flavor of the characters and their backstories. I wasn't sure how to determine Legacy's strength level, but Supernatural Strength isn't too outlandish.

As for Tachyon's Fists score, she doesn't strike me as a martial artist, per se -- she relies primarily on her speed for attack, and focuses mostly on spreading her attacks around than on hitting hard, with the exception of her one nuke card. So I put it where it is to reflect that -- she can ping around and deck minions just fine, but she has to rely on her speed and really make an effort to do effective damage against something tougher.

Yeah. I haven't gotten to see that Power in action as often as I'd like, though, so I can't guarantee its balance.

I'll play around with it a bit, see if I can find a modification for it that I like.

But as written, his armour does protect him from ingested poisons. He should wear it when eating if he's at all suspicious of his food.

That's silly, so ingested poison should probably be added to his Catch. And once you've done that, being vulnerable to armour-piercing bullets isn't actually worth any Refresh...

I'm having a lot of trouble conceptualizing ingested poison as an attack anyway. Are we talking about some superpowered villain force feeding him a rancid fruitcake and tacking on his strength power for the added stress? That's just as silly. In the card game, though, some villains and environmental effects create irreducible damage, which does punch through armor and other damage reduction.

Besides, his suit doesn't have a hole for food to even go in, so it kind of would protect him from being fed poison.

Yeah, I dunno either. Healing is weird.

Yeah, the concept is probably worth playtesting, though.

The former would be fine with the limitation, as long as it doesn't let her use her Speed bonus on attacks. The latter would be fine as long as the bonus is for one skill once/round and you don't mind discouraging the character to spend FP on other Aspects.

Alright, that's fair. And yeah, the bonus should have some limitation -- maybe it even only applies to her attacks? That'd include only doing once a round, and it'd mean she wouldn't get any extra bonus if she tried to, say, invoke her super speed for a research bonus instead of invoking her scientist aspect.

Sure. Maybe a Martial Artist-esque stunt?

I'm not sure what you're referring to.

I think you're thinking of the other Supernatural Martial Arts Power.

In retrospect, I have no idea why I gave those two the same name. I guess I wasn't thinking.

I was referring to the one you linked before to illustrate the "Flurry" power.

[Taran]

I'm having a lot of trouble conceptualizing ingested poison as an attack anyway. Are we talking about some superpowered villain force feeding him a rancid fruitcake and tacking on his strength power for the added stress? That's just as silly. In the card game, though, some villains and environmental effects create irreducible damage, which does punch through armor and other damage reduction.

Besides, his suit doesn't have a hole for food to even go in, so it kind of would protect him from being fed poison.

It doesn't have to be ingested poison.  It could be any poison - like injected.
Venomous: damage from the aspect goes through toughness
Red Court Addictive Saliva.  Although this is mental stress, so it'd go through anyways.

[Sanctaphrax]

Hm, I suppose that's fair. I'm reluctant to remove a lot of stunts, cuz I want to preserve the flavor of the characters and their backstories.

Sure, but I don't think stuff like No Pain No Gain has any meaningful effect on flavor or backstory. It's just a numerical tweak.

As for Tachyon's Fists score, she doesn't strike me as a martial artist, per se...

High Fists doesn't have to be martial arts skill. It can be brute force or improbably-effective action-hero fighting or, in this case, sheer speed.

I'm having a lot of trouble conceptualizing ingested poison as an attack anyway. Are we talking about some superpowered villain force feeding him a rancid fruitcake and tacking on his strength power for the added stress? That's just as silly. In the card game, though, some villains and environmental effects create irreducible damage, which does punch through armor and other damage reduction.

A villain discreetly puts something deadly in his dinner. There's no fight, but he ends up facing a serious physical threat. Probably not a concern in the card game, but a plausible worry in an RPG.

Alright, that's fair. And yeah, the bonus should have some limitation -- maybe it even only applies to her attacks? That'd include only doing once a round, and it'd mean she wouldn't get any extra bonus if she tried to, say, invoke her super speed for a research bonus instead of invoking her scientist aspect.

I'm not sure what you're referring to.

The Martial Artist stunt lets you make fighting-related Assessments and Declarations with Fists + 1. This could be similar, but with gear and another skill.

I was referring to the one you linked before to illustrate the "Flurry" power.

Yep. I think Taran meant the other one though.

[Taran]

The Martial Artist stunt lets you make fighting-related Assessments and Declarations with Fists + 1. This could be similar, but with gear and another skill.

My book doesn't mention the +1...but I'm still using the beta pdf. (I know I can get an official version but I'm lazy) Did it change in the revision?

[Sanctaphrax]

My book says "Such rolls are made at +1."

[Taran]

My book says "Such rolls are made at +1."

roger