Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 the_reclusive_early Apr 22, 2009 20:24:51	I need some help. Some of my freinds and I are wanting to do a d20 Marvel campaign using the Modern Core book, and the Blood and Vigilance books. I'm wanting to do a street level campaign. If anyone would help I'd appreciate it
#2 TheRealOrion Apr 22, 2009 21:57:38	What kind of help are you looking for?
#3 the_reclusive_early Apr 22, 2009 22:28:17	I need somone to help me make NPC sheets for some marvel characters her'es my kind of draft for some of the things. After the Civil War, and new war has been erupting in New York, The Gang War. With the super heroes fighting each other, it eased up the grip they had on the crime rate, causing it to go through the roof. Now, the most powerful gangs have set up territories in the cities, and with everyone focused on the registration act, efforts to thwart the rising of the gangs has failed. Even murder can be a small crime in a big city, and unless it’s somebody well known people rarely even bad an eye. They just turn the volume on there television sets up while the deal goes down. They don’t care about Jane or Jon Doe, but when somebody big dies the who cities goes into a panic. Government officials, local heroes, and even celebrities get all the attention. Some folks aren’t lucky enough to get fifteen minutes of fame in life, but when a star dies, fifteen minutes seems like an eternity. While his limo was passing through a bad neighborhood, action movie star William Putzkammer was attacked by a gang, he his life was taken. He wasn’t a real hero, but he played one on the big screen. When that happened the city erupted, and all of the sudden people wake up and notice. It’s funny that it took them so long, because it’s been going on for a while now. Oh well, at least he may have done something good in his career, and that’s inspire the people to take action Putzkammer style. Maybe in light of recent events people will start to take action Who knows? Characters Good Guys: Daredevil Spiderman The Punisher Silver Sable The Black Cat Iron First Bad Guys: King Pin Doctor Octopus Venom Tombstone Bullseye Groups SHIELD AIM/Hydra The Hand The Rolling 7’s The Park Avenues The Yancy Street Gang Red Dragons Arsenic Candy Of course, the main CAD's I need are for the cannon characters, and making groups like SHIELD and Hydra. Though, I mgiht be able to substitute them for the group in the Blood and Guts" book. The rest of the gangs can easly be substituted.
#4 atanakar Apr 23, 2009 6:22:55	I need some help. Some of my freinds and I are wanting to do a d20 Marvel campaign using the Modern Core book, and the Blood and Vigilance books. I'm wanting to do a street level campaign. If anyone would help I'd appreciate it I think you should give a look at the links in TheRealOrion's signature.;)
#5 the_reclusive_early Apr 23, 2009 9:43:09	I have checked them out, and they are usefull, they just aren't NPC sheets of the characters I need, and that's what I'm asking for
#6 TheRealOrion Apr 23, 2009 13:48:06	Yeah, I don't think I can provide you with pre-made (and mostly copyrighted) characters for the specific flavour of d20 superhero that you're running. You'll have to do that design work yourself, I think. Or hunt down a discussion forum for the Blod and... games perhaps?
#7 the_reclusive_early Apr 23, 2009 16:07:35	OOh I didn't even think about Copywrites and simple things like Modern D20 being a big deal, though I'll abide. I do have a couple of more questions then. 1. What level should I make pre-existing characters like Captain America, and The Punisher? I mean, they've been around for a while. I'd think they'd be pretty high 2.If it's a copywrite thing, then how do I go about promoting the game if I want to run it using an online program?
#8 TheRealOrion Apr 23, 2009 16:48:35	As long as you don't publish any of your Marvel NPCs, I think you should be fine, but City of Heroes proved that Marvel is not above bringing legal pressure. I wouldn't suggest "promoting" your game at all. I'd suggest playing it, with friends. Alternatively, you could drop the Marvel aspect and play a generic superhero version of New York. As for the NPCs, I don't know if RPG stats can every do those characters justice, to be honest. What I'd suggest is looking at what the characters can do and then back-tracking what abilities they'd have to have in a game. You might find that a lot of them effectively have epic-level skills of various kinds and that they'd have to have 40 levels to make good on their performance in the comics. Someone like Wolverine, who has been alive for 100+ years, probably has a half-dozen different classes: Tough, Fast, Strong, Soldier, Martial Artist, the list could go on. So I wouldn't say you should start with "they're level 20" and then work backwards. Start with "what can they do?" and then basically just look those abilities up in the B&V book. Also, give Phoenix a look, seriously. It's a lot more detailed than B&V (even though I totally respect their products!) and it was designed with Marvel-style characters in mind (DC characters are just way too powerful to stat up; Superman is effectively a god, but so is Batman). If nothing else, the extended list of powers and feats might give you some interesting toys to play with.
#9 the_reclusive_early Apr 23, 2009 17:49:35	I'm checking it out. I liek the phoenix book so far. Going through a generic verson may be the way to go. IT certainly would make the NPC's allot easier to do
#10 TheRealOrion Apr 23, 2009 19:34:38	Glad to hear it's useful! Please take whatever you'd like from the game and make your own fun with it. I love hearing about people's house-rules and how they've tweaked it to fit their tables. I like to think of Phoenix as modular, built out of lego. Tear it apart and reassemble it however you see fit. And if you're not looking for Marvel characters, then I can toss a few NPCs your way, actually. They're just not in that iteration of the book. I really need the rules to settle down before I can jam it full of sample characters.
#11 the_reclusive_early Apr 23, 2009 20:51:16	I'll have to read over the pheonix ruleset before I decide, but I have a couple of storyline ideas storyline wise that we could work with if that would help
#12 TheRealOrion Apr 23, 2009 23:02:51	Dude, I'd be delighted to talk them through. I'm both curious to see what you've developed and eager to help, if I can.
#13 new_fashion_guy Apr 24, 2009 8:53:47	Also, depending on what online program you're referring to, many of them have ways of restricting access by password protecting certain "rooms". As long as you contact your players and communicate your campaign information in some private manner, I see no reason why you can't run in whatever fictional universe you want. Technically I guess anything online is "Published", but practically, if only you and your players can access it, it's a non-issue. Personally, I think it's depressing that gamers even need to worry about copyright issues. It's totally suppressing creativity and forcing us to live inside little boxes and tip-toe around storylines we want to run. But on the other hand, you can certainly come up with a creative universe all your own. BTW, I've been running super hero games since 1985 (mostly DC Heroes, but some D20 stuff as well) and would be glad to listen to your ideas and help out.
#14 new_fashion_guy Apr 24, 2009 9:01:44	Additionally, I've just started working on a "low power" alternate reality take on the JLA using Blood and Vigilance, so some of our work might dovetail (Nothing against Phoenix, btw).
#15 the_reclusive_early Apr 24, 2009 9:57:12	Cool, it's pretty good to see people interested in it. I have a couple of ideas for the storyline I can't go in-depth at the moment because I'm trying to enroll for summer classes in college. The "Super Hero" idea I have is based in the 1970's bouncing back and forth to the current day. The super heroes are finding out there true origin, and that they aren’t entirely from human decent. An Alien Ship crash landed on earth one survivor, and she mated with the natives on the planet, and that’s where super powers come from. She’s the “Eve” of the super hero race. The real story begins when the doctor who that found the paintings in the cave discovers that the body was encased in ice somewhere in the artic. Then a race breaks out between heroes and Villains for the body. One Character is from The Future “Unwillingly” he doesn’t know exactly how he got to 1970. The last thing he or she remembers is a fight with a Brute. The Future changes with every event. This character is kind of like the Detective Sam Tyler from Life On Mars, trying to figure out why he’s back in time so he can find a way back to his present day. I was thinking of making slight changes to the future, so that way things change, his memories even change, and that begins making him slightly crazy. The 1970’s are like the old school comics where people were able to do this sort of thing without so much pressure from the government (Like the difference between pre and post super hero civil car in marvel) The Future is very different, and super heroes are more organized. There is at Least one Senior Hero per major City, with side kicks, but when duty calls the major heroes come together in a state team of the very best heroes of the state. Then the very best of those are a full time team that deals with the states national crisis’s. They get better perks, health benefits, a check, rank, and are about like Law Enforcement. They have Jurisdictions, and the authority to arrest people. Of course, there are still certain underground vigilantes, and privately owned teams. The Next idea I had was hugely marvel based too. The who storyline was that with the Super Hero Civil War, the heroes focus was on fighting each other, and the gangs took over new york. I have some information on acceptable heroes for occasional NPC’s, but I wanted the players to be a gang of vigilantes in the grey area. I had planned to use groups like The Hand, AIM, The Yancy Street Gang, and some other stuff I found in the comics.
#16 new_fashion_guy Apr 24, 2009 11:59:28	Interesting. I kind of like your first idea better, though I'm not sure I understand the details. That origin for super powers is really cool and highly original, IMO. I've thought about playing a hero campaign in the recent past (60's, 70's or 80's) but have never actually gone through with it. I think that would be lots of fun, especially if you could capture the feel of the era well. The second idea seems more like all of your classic heroes would be NPCs largely in the background anyway. I'm guessing your party would be of low power level and would slowly start to interact more with the hero community the higher level they become. Both sound like good, unique takes on the genre.
#17 new_fashion_guy Apr 24, 2009 12:05:34	Just FYI, my idea kind of combines the JLA with my college experience. Essentially, very low-power versions of some of the JLA characters, all between the ages of 18 and 20, come together at a university (I've been thinking Michigan, so they could be JLA Detroit!) and form a team for the first time. No other heroes have been around as anything more than legend, so the entire timeline would be starting from day 1, like a reboot. The players would be free to choose alter-egos, but the origins would be roughly the same (i.e. Superman(or woman) could be named Tony Morgan and be from a northern logging town, but he was still born on Krypton). Personalities are under control of the players as well. However, they are still going to run into NPCS from the DCU, like Iris West, Lois Lane, etc. Only these NPCs will be fellow students at the university.
#18 TheRealOrion Apr 24, 2009 12:52:18	The practical reality is that comics publishers are highly unlikely to ever come crashing through your door with the FBI in tow, but it's also worth your while to protect yourself. Personally, I'd think they'd be delighted at the attention and the positive marketing, unless it became a wide-spread, money-making operation, in which case I think they have every right to want a piece of the action. Anyway, I like the idea of setting the game in the 70s. I suggest you seriously embrace that. That could be a lot of fun to play up the silly fashions and historical references. I also really like the idea of a race to obtain something. It might make the dynamic a bit different. On the one hand, the PCs might decide that all they have to do is get there first, and the fighting becomes secondary. On the other, they might decide that if they just kill their rivals, then they can proceed at their leisure. It really depends on the people at the table, at that point. Some practical questions: what sort of power level are you going for?
#19 the_reclusive_early Apr 24, 2009 14:30:38	That's pretty cool, I'm a huge fan of That 70's show, and Life on Mars, that's why I decided to do the 70's angel. I'm sure if "New Fasson Guy" wants we could work his Detriot team in as one of the things in the Future Angel easly, because I left allot of room for different "State Heroes." As for the power level, the idea is that through the years super heroes have been "Watered Down," Zues, Thor, Odein, and Hurcules were closer related to "The Mother," so they would be concided epic level, and I don't plan on really using them. As far as the Crononaught (Time Traveler) I was thinking of giving that player some kind of power like in the butterfly effect movie. Where he could kind of travel in between his body in the 70's, and any point of his lift up until he gained these particular level of powers. So, he could see how the time stream is being effected by the race for "The Mother." I see the 70's heroes maybe having one or two powers, but being highly trained. For the reason that their DNA is much futher away from "The Mother," and the powers are fading. At first the current heroes would pretty much be powerless, but the balance of power would change according to what happens with "The Mother." Let's say if the Villains get her, then in the future that Villain would probably be able to take control of the world through genetics, but if the heroes get it the situation would be quite different. If that makes any sense. I'm trying to do a multiple outcome campaign where the future is in danger, but this time the players really get to see why. Maybe have the players have two characters, the present ones, and the Future ones. I'm not sure yet. I haven't has as much experience in DM'ng, but I'm trying to learn
#20 TheRealOrion Apr 24, 2009 17:12:25	I think that's an intriguing premise. What I'd suggest is that you play out the game in the 70s and see what happens. Think through a few different possibilities (more than just the PCs succeeding or the villains succeeding, because really, when's the last time the bad guys won in a game you've played?), and then after that game, you can jump forward to the 80s or 90s or present and play out those consequences, either playing new characters (kids or proteges of the originals) or playing those previous characters but with 30 years thrown on to them. You could even go backwards and play games set in previous historical periods, following the line backwards to medieaval times, or whatever (for which D&D might be useful!). I mean, why not jump back to the epic days, if you've got the option? Alternatively, perhaps someone manages to use the Mother's genes to start cranking out Epic-level villains? Dude, there's all kinds of directions to take this in! Way cool.
#21 new_fashion_guy Apr 24, 2009 21:17:55	Yeah, I've seen the Past/Future thing play out in some White Wolf campaigns (because Vampires live a freaking long time). It's interesting to see the fruits of what you did early on, even if it wasn't the same characters doing it. So I agree with Orion, run the 70's stuff first, or at least get a good grounding in it before doing much in the "future". Feel free to incorporate my college heroes idea if you want, though you probably want to shy away from the direct JLA references. Let's just say the characters I have in mind are a detective/martial artist, a super-strong tough character, a speedster, and a magician. I can post some generic-named versions if you want to see them. I did them as 3rd level D20/Blood and Vigilance (with some bonus power points). I'm sure you could re-stat something similar with Phoenix if you wanted.
#22 new_fashion_guy Apr 24, 2009 21:34:20	Here's my first sample, generified to remove copyrighted content. I know my numbers might be a little off, and I ignored a few rules of B&V to get some of the effects I wanted. The Kung Fu Kid Jason Chan Origin: Advanced Training Occupation: Athlete (Tumble, Balance) Age: 16 Gender: M Classes: Smart 1/Strong 1/Fast 1 Saves: +4 Fort/+9 Refl/+2 Will Initiative: +10 Bab: +1 Melee: +3/Ranged +7 Damage (Unarmed) 1d4 +3 HP: 27 DF: 21 /Flat: 15 /Touch: 20 (Dex: +6 Armor: +1 Class: +4) Height: 5'8” Weight or Build: 150 Allegiances: Hair: Black Skin Tone: Asiatic Eyes: Brown Reputation: 1 STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Score 15 22 19 17 12 17 Bonus +2 +6 +4 +3 +1 +3 Skill Total Rank Ability Super Class Balance +8, Climb + 4, Computer Use +7, Craft( Electronics ) +7, Disable Device +7, Hide +10, Intimidate +3, Investigate +12, Jump +6, Know( Current ) +5, Know( Tech ) +7 Know( Tactics ) +7, Move Silently +8, Repair +7, Research +7, Search +7, Tumble +10 Feats: Simple Weapons [Free], Archaic Weapon(Shuriken) [Occupation], Defensive Martial Arts [1st], Combat Martial Arts [1st], Dodge [1st], Improved Initiative [3rd] Talents: Savant (Investigate), Melee Smash 1 Power Points: 23 + 2= 25 Powers: Superhuman Dexterity 4, Superhuman Charisma 4, Superhuman Constitution 7, Super Skills (Investigate 2, Hide 2, Move Silently 2, Tumble 2), Unique Lair (The Dojo, 2) General Stunts: +2 Reflex Saves, +1 to Charisma based skills Equipment: Light undercover shirt, fingerprinting kit, Shuriken, Costume, Motorcycle Disadvantages (10 DSR Maximum): Secret Identity (2 DSR)
#23 the_reclusive_early Apr 25, 2009 13:16:56	Cool, I plan on running it using Table Top or some other program. I'll probably put together a 70's playist together for people to listen to while they are playing. I'll keep everyone updated. As I got to thinking about the idea, and the more I thought the more I've decided to remove this idea from Marvel comics. Mainly because how the heroes got there powers would contradict Marvel's storylines too much. So, I'll just use some of you guy's suggestions, and some of my own ideas. First we can start off in the 70's as a super hero group. Then work our way up for "The Race to The Mother," and see where it goes from there.
#24 new_fashion_guy Apr 25, 2009 13:58:25	One thing any Superhero game needs is lots of detailed NPCS. Every individual hero has his own cast of recurring characters. Maybe we could work on those together here. For example: Meredith Benczik Profession: Student(Music major) Age: 19 Allegiances: College, United States, Jason Chan Appearance: Meredith is an attractive though somewhat overweight blond of Hungarian decent. Background: Meredith goes to college at [insert university name]. She's in her sophomore year, and recently befriended freshman Jason Chan, who's secretly the novice superhero Kung Fu Kid. While Chan sees her as a good friend, he's not interested in romance with her; the chemistry is there, but he's too blinded by duty to see it. Personality: Moody, Inquisitive Stats: Use low-level politician from D20 Modern page 282, but: Occupation is Academic (Knowledge/Business, Computer Use, Research) Skills: Lose Diplomacy + 7 and Investigate + 6, add Perform (Sing) + 7 and Perform (String) +6 Feats: Change Educated to Creative (Sing and String), Personal Firearms to Windfall
#25 new_fashion_guy Apr 25, 2009 14:47:41	Character Name: Stalwart Steve Crowley Origin: Alien Occupation: Adventurer (Intimidate, Jump) Age: 18 Gender: M Classes: Tough 3 Saves: +9 Fort/+2 Refl/+2 Will Initiative: +5 Speed: 70'/140' BAB: +2 Melee: +11/Ranged +3 Damage(Unarmed) 1d8 + 8 (non-lethal) Hp: 61 Df: 15/Flat: 14/Touch: 13 (Dex: +1 Armor: +2 Class: +2) Height: 5'9” Weight or Build: 185 Allegiances: Hair: Red Skin Tone: Light Eyes: Green Reputation: 1 STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Score 26 12 24 15 12 10 Bonus +8 +1 +7 +2 +1 +0 Skills: Computer Use +3, Craft( Mechanical ) +6, Intimidate +5, Jump +13, Know( Popular Culture ) +4, Know( Current Events ) +4, Spot +5 Feats: Simple Weapons [Free], Brawl [Occupation], Improved Initiative [1st] , Toughness [1st], Heroic Surge [3rd] Talents: Acid Resistance 7 (Tough), DR 2/- Powers: Superhuman Strength 8, Superhuman Constitution 7, Super Leaping 7 (140' Horizontal, 35' Vertical), Armor 4, Super Running 2 Power Stunts: Resilience, HTH die up 1 Disadvantages (10 DSR Maximum): Secret Identity (2 DSR), Ememy (2 DSR; Required), Vulnerability [Erbium] (3 DSR)
#26 the_reclusive_early Apr 25, 2009 15:40:05	Hey, you should add me to my yahoo IM. I think we could get the work done faster that way
#27 new_fashion_guy Apr 25, 2009 21:39:14	I'm not on IM very often, so it probably wouldn't be any faster for my response time. At least this way there's a record of whatever we do. Who knows; others might find it useful as well. Hopefully Orion is still interested in helping too.
#28 the_reclusive_early Apr 25, 2009 21:55:30	I'm making a NPC sheet now. It's kind of like a super hero I came up with in highschool based off Legendary Porn Star Jon Holmes. The who deal is that he's just trying to nail a chick who only dates super heroes.
#29 new_fashion_guy Apr 26, 2009 13:02:05	Haley Carr Profession: Student(Fashion Design major) Age: 18 Allegiances: Fun, Friends, School Appearance: Haley is beautiful, though not overly so. She's got long brown hair in a stylish cut, wears the latest clothes, and has an almost perpetual smile. Background: Haley goes to college at [insert university name]. She lives in the same dorm as Steve "Stalwart" Crowley. She loves to go to parties and have fun, with little mind to her studies. She's good enough in her classes to get away with it. Personality: Friendly, Outgoing Stats: Use low-level Gang Leader from D20 Modern page 276, but: Occupation is Academic (Knowledge/Popular Culture, Computer Use, Knowledge/Behavioral Sciences) Skills: Intimidate +6 and Knowledge(Streetwise) +3, add Craft(Sewing) + 3, Craft(Vistual Arts) +5, Knowledge(Popular Culture) +5 and Drive +3 Feats: Change Personal Firearms to Creative, Point Blank Shot to Defensive Martial Arts
#30 new_fashion_guy Apr 26, 2009 15:22:18	Tony Broyman Profession: Student(Journalism major) Age: 19 Allegiances: Self, the "Truth", America Appearance: Tony is tall with blond shaggy hair and an large figure. He dresses most often in jeans and a T-shirt Background: Tony goes to college at [insert university name]. He's in his sophomore year. In his spare time, he works at Motor City Comics, and he is also an avid comic collector. Personality: Sarcastic, Driven Stats: Use low-level Reporter from D20 Modern page 282, but: Attributes: Swap strength and dexterity Skills: Lose Speak Spanish, pick up Speak Russian Feats: Change Personal Firearms to Brawl, Trustworthy to Educated(History, Popular Culture)
#31 TheRealOrion Apr 26, 2009 17:05:25	I'm still interested in helping, but I use a whole different rule system, so I'm not sure how much help I can be with actual stats and stuff.
#32 new_fashion_guy Apr 26, 2009 17:56:20	Orion, not sure Reclusive is sold on B&V; I'm just posting these to help generate some ideas. Feel free to make any suggestions you want; could be what Reclusive has in mine would be better served by your rules set. I've read through Phoenix, and I know it's a lot more in depth than B&V. I have these B&V heroes sitting around because it's something I'm working on now, and I thought they might help, conceptually if not directly.
#33 TheRealOrion Apr 26, 2009 19:02:00	Oh, cool. I mistunderstood. I'll link to some characters. Edit: Here you go. Enjoy! Phoenix Sample Characters
#34 narukagami Apr 27, 2009 17:52:01	Since I've been reading up on the Marvel Zombies series (and its crossovers), how would you handle the interdimentional zombie virus? :D
#35 TheRealOrion Apr 27, 2009 19:56:10	Easy, toss the Zombie template on a bunch of superheroes. Done and done.
#36 new_fashion_guy Apr 29, 2009 9:47:22	Jack Hannigan Profession: Student(Philosophy major) Age: 18 Allegiances: Friends, Buddhism, Parties Appearance: Jack wears his brown hair short, is thin and muscular, and wears casual somewhat baggy clothing. Background: Jack converted to Buddhism a few months ago, is a vegetarian and practitioner of Kung Fu, and is trying to work out things in his life. He's into dating, and can often be seen with a different girl every week. Personality: Thoughtful, positive Char/Fast Ordinary 3/3 Attributes: S 12; D 14; C 10; I 12; W 12; Ch 13 Skills: Bluff +6; Craft/Writing +6; Drive +4; Knowledge/Theo & Philo +8; Knowledge/Pop Culture +6; Tumbling +6 Feats: Combat Martial Arts, Simple Weapons, Educated/Philosophy, Pop Culture