-
Posts
293 -
Joined
-
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
..completely ruin the theme sometimes when it comes to Epic Power Pools?
Now don't get me wrong, I'm NOT telling anyone how to play at all. However it just strikes me as so odd when someone has obviously put a lot of thought into a character, their primary/secondary powerset, bio, character name. Yet come up with the most rediculous EPP. It is such a shame I think.
The other day I saw a blaster who was themed as a witch. A great bio, and electric blast/electric manipulation. Her outfit was pretty cool and her bio was enjoyable. Yet to my suprise when reading her power selection she had the munitions epic power pool. I noted that this witch would apperantly throw out a ROCKET LAUNCHER amongst her electric spells?
Why is it that when people reach 41, their idea of concept sometimes flies out the window?
Sometimes a flawed character who doesn't wipe the floor with everything and does have weaknesses, is a more interesting character to play.
Peacemoon, Mind/Storm/Psi Controller
P.S I realise that sometimes it is thematically correct to have different elements etc, but you can only stretch it so far.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, how dare they make intelligent strategic decisions and not gimp themselves to conform to your arbitrary standards of what makes an acceptable character. Those bastards! Also, I have to say I've never understood the logic that a wizard shoudl be somehow phsicaly incapable of using modern technology - rocket launchers are badass, and being a witch doesn't make you forget how to pull the trigger on one.
Another thought - have you ever actually asked one of these people in-character about their choice? You might be surprsied how many of them have a good explination. Or at least a passable one.
[/ QUOTE ]
What's really amazing is that when people come here to complain that they can't justify travel powers for their characters with the Natural origin, we tell then they need to be more creative with their concepts and bio's.
Why is it ok for Naturals to use Science, Tech, and Magic but Magic must be restricted?
[/ QUOTE ]
Because if you can't think of a magical way to travel, you must be a really inept magician?
More seriously, I think Naturals tend to get a pass in this area because there's so many "super" abilities that their origin ostensibly locks them out of. If they didn't steal Science/Magic/Technology tricks every now and again, they'd be crippled in comparison. Meanwhile, how many things are considered impossible when you can do magic? The surprise when a Magic character reaches outside their origin is probably "Why would you need to?" without considering that the character may just *want* to. Or that their "non-magical" features may in fact be deceptively camouflaged magic. -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Forgive me if I'm wrong but...
...I swear there is one storyline in X-men where a young mutant has a power which means he exhudes a deadly chemical which effectively turns him into a mobile chemical weapon which he can't shut off and there's no way he could stay among people...
...I think it ends with him being in a cave out in the middle of nowhere and Wolverine (who thanks to his regenerative powers was the only one that could get near him without keeling over) explaining that the guy had to die for the good of the rest of the world just before promptly killing him.
I could have imagined all this but I swear I've read that comic somewhere.
[/ QUOTE ]
It's fairly recent, actually, under the Wolverine title (not Wolverine: Origins, or Wolvering: First Class or anything like that). I think it's around issue 50 or so.
I still don't get how laser beam eyes develop over a single generation though. I think I like the Ultimate universe's explanation better (whaaaaat? Morac likes something from the Ultimate universe? Say it ain't so!).
[/ QUOTE ]
It happens because comic book mutation =/ real world mutation. In the real world, inborn genetic mutations are minor affairs like webbed feet, alternate coloring, or *slightly* enhanced musculature. Truly out-of-the-way characterstics do develop over many generations as adaptations. Comic book mutations, however, are the result of fictional super-genes that grant super powers and do not follow the rules of real world genetics or evolution. They're not the same, and trying equate one with the other is an exercise in futility and frustration.
[/ QUOTE ]
That doesn't make it not stupid. Basically what the writers were doing is saying they got the powers "just 'cus", which is lazy writing from where I stand. Yes, I get that they're not the same thing, and applying general rules of science in a comic book setting is a rather silly practice, but their handling of it in the main Marvel U is... weak.
[/ QUOTE ]
Mutants don't get their powers "just because". They get them because their have special (fictional!) genes that code for super powers that normal humans don't have. That's not a "just because" device any more than powered armor/tech, botched/freak experiments, magic, or special training.
If you don't like the idea of mutants who get their powers thus, then...don't make/play/read comics about them? I doubt the concept is going to change just because you don't think it's a strong enough foundation to build superhero stories from. -
[ QUOTE ]
The other day I saw a blaster who was themed as a witch. A great bio, and electric blast/electric manipulation. Her outfit was pretty cool and her bio was enjoyable. Yet to my suprise when reading her power selection she had the munitions epic power pool. I noted that this witch would apperantly throw out a ROCKET LAUNCHER amongst her electric spells?
[/ QUOTE ]
You've obviously never seen Shaman King, where the ghost of an ancient Chinese warrior can be magically materialized as a winged bomber mecha. Or the spirit of a gunfighter doll can be magically materialized as a doll with a giant bazooka for a head.
How do you know the witch hasn't simply invoked a spirit of thunder who takes the form of a rocket launcher? -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Forgive me if I'm wrong but...
...I swear there is one storyline in X-men where a young mutant has a power which means he exhudes a deadly chemical which effectively turns him into a mobile chemical weapon which he can't shut off and there's no way he could stay among people...
...I think it ends with him being in a cave out in the middle of nowhere and Wolverine (who thanks to his regenerative powers was the only one that could get near him without keeling over) explaining that the guy had to die for the good of the rest of the world just before promptly killing him.
I could have imagined all this but I swear I've read that comic somewhere.
[/ QUOTE ]
It's fairly recent, actually, under the Wolverine title (not Wolverine: Origins, or Wolvering: First Class or anything like that). I think it's around issue 50 or so.
I still don't get how laser beam eyes develop over a single generation though. I think I like the Ultimate universe's explanation better (whaaaaat? Morac likes something from the Ultimate universe? Say it ain't so!).
[/ QUOTE ]
It happens because comic book mutation =/ real world mutation. In the real world, inborn genetic mutations are minor affairs like webbed feet, alternate coloring, or *slightly* enhanced musculature. Truly out-of-the-way characterstics do develop over many generations as adaptations. Comic book mutations, however, are the result of fictional super-genes that grant super powers and do not follow the rules of real world genetics or evolution. They're not the same, and trying equate one with the other is an exercise in futility and frustration. -
[ QUOTE ]
I'm hashing out a character idea and am looking for opinions on my origin choice:
A sunburnt Defender: The Lifeguarder. He's rad/sonic, acquiring his skills ultimately from his experiences as a lifeguard at the beach (i.e. way too much sun [radiation] and yelling at the kids to get out of rip tides [sonic]).
In your opinion, is that more science (accident/incident gone awry), mutation (powers manifested at adulthood, albeit encouraged by his experiences) or natural (intense training and innate abilities).
I'm leaning towards natural and don't really see going mutation. Your thoughts?
[/ QUOTE ]
If it were a serious character bio, I'd say Science all the way; he ostensibly got the super aspects of his abilities from being irradiated. He's only Mutation if those were latent powers derived from inborn mutant genes.
But if it's entirely meant as a joke character, you can say Natural and it wouldn't be an issue. -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
As for why there are few mutants walking around with detrimental powers...well, that's where standard evolutionary protocol comes in. If your mutation makes your life difficult, harder, or even impossible, your survival rate is diminished. Negative mutations die off, while positive ones thrive.
[/ QUOTE ]
The problem is that we don't get to see mutants with detrimental powers at all. Evolution doesn't act insofar as killing those with less desirable attributes via external methods. It acts by spreading that gene less. If it's really random, there would actually be X-gene carriers than are fundamentally weaker than the average person, especially considering some of the things that the X-gene seems to affect, such as regeneration, cognition, sensory perception, and physical strength. Unless the X-gene operates exclusively by improving rather than actually operating as genetic mutation would imply, you'd expect to see at least as many cases of mutants that die as soon as puberty hits because their X-gene kicks in and wipes out their regenerative capabilities or others that suddenly go blind, deaf, and stupid because the X-gene just crippled them as there are that are capable of super human regeneration and perception.
[/ QUOTE ]
I can think of a few that I've read about over the years. Say, a boy whose lungs transformed into gills...in a desert community. Or the woman whose disfiguring mutation is triggered by the stress of being in a car accident, and whom no one will help or even touch because she no longer looks even remotely human, leaving her to die from her injuries.
Most of these cases had mutations that either made them pathetic or (in)directly contributed to their deaths. The thing is, these characters would never be spotlighted in any sort of media, and are relegated to tragic anecdotes. Their abilities make them poor "superheroes", and their depressing life stories are hardly what the public want to hear about. -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I always thought it was an interesting exception of the Mutant origin that there are very rarely, if ever, outright negative super mutations.
[/ QUOTE ]
That's cus regular mutants are boring. Who cares if I have semi-webbed toes (which I do)?
Though I've often wondered how in the hell can the X-Men make sense under the standard theories of evolution. I mean, that much variety, in so few generations? Crazy.
[/ QUOTE ]
I've always understood that the X-factor gene was *not*standard in any way, shape, or form, and that was the whole point behind the randomness of mutant powers. One of the reasons it's an "X" gene because its results in a mature mutant are almost completely unpredictable.
As for why there are few mutants walking around with detrimental powers...well, that's where standard evolutionary protocol comes in. If your mutation makes your life difficult, harder, or even impossible, your survival rate is diminished. Negative mutations die off, while positive ones thrive. -
It's a yea/yes from me.
-
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Which leaves BABs and Numina
[/ QUOTE ]
If it was up to me, I'd name them Spartacus and Proserpine.
[/ QUOTE ]
I'd call them Pankration and Elysian. -
That's not really the same thing. Back in the day, I saw people all the time rolling Kheldians that were their original 50s joined with an alien symbiote. That's not really going outside the backstory given, just adding onto it.
I'm talking about the people who RP their Khelds and such as angels and evolved polar bears and what have you. I always think, if you wanted X, why did you bother rolling Y? The same applies to the origin discussion. Especially in this day and age when leveling doesn't take nearly as long as it once did, if you think you made a mistake the first time around, it's not that hard to just go back and reroll as the "correct" origin. -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but after a while his story changed so that he was infected with a Technological organism that allowed him to interface with various pieces of technology on the biological level, which is a totally Science background.
[/ QUOTE ]
My nanotech heroes are all Tech - why should it be Science?
[/ QUOTE ]
The line of differentiation that I use is this:
Using technology: Tech Origin.
Having Technology fundamentally alter you: Science.
Which one you want to use for your guys is up to you.
[/ QUOTE ]Actually, if you notice, nanites seem to be tech enhancements - So in game, nanites are primarily tech.
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, what I was trying to argue is that the nanites, while floating in your bloodstream or wherever, haven't fundamentally altered you, therefore: Tech. With my namesake character, it's a virus that has altered his very cellular structure, therefore: Science.
[/ QUOTE ]
So it's a techo-organic virus? That's still Technology. If it didn't have any technological component at all, you could make a case for Science, but with the nanite aspect in there you're stuck with Tech.
I suppose people are free to RP whatever they want, but to me it just seems like beating your head against the wall. I get the same feeling when I see people trying to RP their Kheldians as anything but a Kheldian. I don't understand how taking something with such a clearly outlined background and saying that it's something entirely different can be rewarding. There's bending the guidelines, and then there's going entirely outside them and telling yourself you haven't. -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Actually, I don't really agree with most of the origin write ups, I kind of go with what ever story I want to spin for my char and ignore the whole origin thing other wise. I very rarely use anything but IOs anymore any way so it doesn't come into play much for me.
[/ QUOTE ]
Agreed. For example, I've got a few characters that would probably fit best under Science, but I despise the Vahz so much that I refuse to take Science on the hero side. Or I may make a tech-based character, but don't really want them to have Clockworks as their primary enemies this time. I'll simply choose a different game origin and RP it my own way.
[/ QUOTE ]
I had the same problem back when I first started the game, and tried to fight Clockwork with my Tech-origin AR Blaster. Needless to say, it sucked and he got deleted, and I swore never to make a Tech character that specialized in lethal damage ever again.
But...ever since they introduced radio missions blueside - or heck, even things like sewer teams and the AE - this is no longer an issue. I could have remade the above AR Blaster and theoretically never have had to worry about being forced to fight enemies resistant to his damage. The same can now be said for any character of any powerset. So unless you strongly prefer to do the story arcs of your chosen origin, this problem is now circumventable.
Meanwhile, a lot of the times I hear people complaining about their origin, it just means their preconceived definition of that origin was wrong in the first place, and they're too stubborn to change.The old "I was mutated in a Science experiment, therefore I'm Mutation" chicane comes to mind...
-
[ QUOTE ]
Hmmm this could be fun
Blood Spectre = Water Ghost Buster
Coiling Cobra = Lounging Mongoose
Doctor Online = Nurse Offdot
Project Dragonfly = Homework Knightspider
Scissor Man = Paper Woman
Nemean = Heracles
[/ QUOTE ]
Now I want to go into the AE and make a kung-fu arc called "Coiling Cobra, Lounging Mongoose." Snakes vs. lazy Tsoo. -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Math is HARD! Fact: No brute was ever a math major.
--NT
[/ QUOTE ]
I have a degree in math. My first 50 was a brute. And so was my second.
[/ QUOTE ]
Burn the witch! Burn the witch! -
I guess I should have mentioned that "Kheldian Summoning" was just an idea and the pet hierarchy was barely thrown together. I myself am only just starting to seriously think about it.
I figure the Cyst would be like Gang War or something: the Cyst itself would be like a Phantasm but with no powers other than to summon Unbound Nicti, and could be shielded, healed, and destroyed. The Unbound Nicti would have to be underlings, I guess? They'd spawn in numbers relative to the number of enemies in the Cyst's vicinity. -
This idea came out of an unproductive thread elsewhere on the board, and I was wondering if it would be game-breaking to actually introduce such a thing: a Mastermind with Nictus primary and..."Umbral Domination" or something secondary.
The pets would be 3 Dark Novas, 2 Black Dwarves, and maybe a Cyst Crystal as the top-tier. Secondary would consist of the Warshade buff/debuff/control powers and such.
Any downsides to this? -
Respecs - pssh, whatever.
It's the free tailor sessions I burn through. Gimme a couple hundred more of those, would you? -
[ QUOTE ]
oggabooga! I'm'a make a character that changes from a petite asian girl with a stuffed panda on her shoulder TO A MALE GIANT PANDA IN SAMURAI ARMOR!
[/ QUOTE ]
If only you could change from a petite Asian girl with a stuffed panda on her shoulder to a giant panda with a stuffed petite Asian girl on his shoulder. -
I got this message also when I recently went in to edit my arcs. Funny thing is, they were fine by the Architect's standards and limitations the first time I published them in April. I unpublished them in June to edit and refine, and suddenly my HTML is wonky and I have too many characters?
I cut everything down to the new standards, but still...whatever, AE. -
Laserstorm, my Storm/Energy Defender, has always wanted golden Energy Blasts a la the Legacy Chain. And my Fire/Elec Blaster, Inyouji, is definitely getting blue Fire Blasts.
-
[ QUOTE ]
I wonder why they didn't do villain trainers the way they did the hero ones? Recluse can't spare Mako or Ghost Widow?
[/ QUOTE ]
That's one thing that always grinds my gears on redside - the stupid identical Arbiters as trainers. At least make them different colors. Make the villain trainers the Arachnos Rangers or the Arachnos Lanterns or something. -
Not too long ago, they said there definitely was a connection between Warshade Romulus and ITF Romulus. Now they're saying that there definitely isn't. Even if I minded the Blue Steel jokes, that thread no longer holds as much water with me as it did.
-
[ QUOTE ]
I wonder what will happen if different players cast the same buffs in different colours at the same time.
[/ QUOTE ]
City of Colors Out Of Space? Everyone will be a playable Singularity? -
[ QUOTE ]
"You...filthy...yellow...squidy..." - Requiem on Kheldians
[/ QUOTE ]
Ooooooh, something new to ask for: color-customizable Kheldians! -
[ QUOTE ]
ProTip: Start in Galaxy City, and you'll never have to worry about that mission.
Bonus: Back Alley Brawler > Ms. Liberty.
[/ QUOTE ]
Untrue. My first Mutation character started in Galaxy, and I got that effing mission.