Ally Reports: The Psion Force! Update

The Psion Force is going in for a rewrite (revision).  After running 3 M&M scenarios for friends of mine on Open RPG, I have better grasp of the rules and how they work.

It is the d20 system, but its rewritten to handle a 4-color Comic World.  If you recall, the Psion Force is a comic book superhero team of heroes who aren't mutants like the X-Men, they aren't experiments like Captain America, and they aren't metahumans like Superman or mutates like Spider-man.  They aren't results of accidents.  They are designed to represent the human potential in extreme ways.  And they all had a common origin -- an experience that drastically changed them.

Nucleon used to be an ordinary man who lived day to day.  But he changed for the better and now lives for eternity.

Doctor Psi found his true fear, loss of popularity.  A follower of what is popular in Psychology today, Doctor Psi is increasingly feeling distant after his origin experience, and it scares him.

Hammer wanted a normal life.  After his change, he is thrust into the role of a superhero, and he didn't want that.

The Golden Alacrity is the "Speedster" and "transporter" of the team.  She has accepted her awakening because it gives her a new lease on her old life.

Aletheia was a Jewish domestic terrorist.  Since her change, she is no longer involved in domestic terrorism, but wants to repair the damage that she had done.

Stilletto is a U.S. Agent who can't quite leave the CIA.  Her change just enhanced her abilities and usefulness to the CIA.

Major Force's status in the U.S.M.C. changed from an ordinary ground pounder to a curiosity that is hidden away in Area 51.

While Lioness and Icon are at odds with each other.  Her emotions spark her power, and his power is at his best when he is at an emotional balance.

Their powers maybe outside the realm of what we see everyday, but they could be probable.

First Issue of Dynamic Duo released

Whoa, what a DC Adventures session!  Set in Keystone City, the Duo defeated their first Supervillain -- which isn't a real Super Villain anyhow, just a kid with flame powers he hardly knows how to fully control yet.

So, I need to make a list of villains.  First of all, I need to make a list of the Flash's villains.

Here are a list of the Rogues --

Abra Kadabra • Captain Boomerang (Digger Harkness) • Captain Boomerang (Owen Mercer) • Captain Cold •Golden Glider • Heat Wave • Mirror Master • Pied Piper • Top • Trickster • Weather Wizard

Then a list of the Reverse Flashes
The Rival • Professor Zoom • Zoom • Inertia

Then a list of the general vileness that the Flash deals with on an ordinary crime stopping spree.

Fiddler • Gorilla Grodd • Magenta • Manfred Mota • Murmur • Peek-A-Boo • Ragdoll • Rainbow Raider • Savitar •Shade • Tar Pit • Thinker • Turtle

So . . . Opening Heroes and Villains, Volume 1 I need to pick out the best villains from this list.

Da Krusha is a Powerhouse (like the Hulk), and the Burst is a Paragon (like Superman, but his powers need a special chemical to activate.)  So, the best way to find the right villains is to look up the Hulk's rogues gallery.  The hulk deals with many other powerhouses.

So we have:

1. Abra Kadabra (Flash Villain)
2. Captain Cold (Flash Villain)
3. Flamester (Original Villain, based on Fire)
4. Gorrila Grodd (Flash Villain)
5. The Joker (Batman Villain)
6. Killer Croc (Batman Villain)
7. Killer Frost (Firestorm Villain)

if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments section.

The Dynamic Duo, Issue #1???

No, it's not Batman and Robin, it's Dragonburst and Da Crusha.

Sometimes, you give a copy of DC Adventures to a player and they are overwhelmed with what they can do with it.  It shouldn't take a whole two hours to hash out a superhero that can beat up the bad guys.  You got a concept, design some complications, and run with it.

Fox and Heather took about an hour to hash out their characters, but these guys were stuck at concept phase.  Just create a character and go with it, that's what I always say.  Being stuck at concept phase just grind things down to a halt.  Ambush Bug not withstanding.

Anyway, they want to play, I want to run something where they aren't limited, and boom.  They are stuck. To many ideas.   So, will you see an issue of Dragonburst and Da Crusha?  Maybe.

The First Appearance of Ferro Girl

I GMed a second game based on the DC Universe using DC Adventures (M&M 3).  The player was a Canadian, goes by Fox on OpenRPG.

Ferro Girl was designed so that her power would increase the more clothes she took off.  Strangely enough, there is a scientific explanation for this sort of power.  The human body produces its own electric current and magnetic field (some would equate this with the aura).  When we wear clothes, our bodies' electrical currents are disrupted.

In the case of Ferro Girl, she has a bioelectric signature that is about as powerful as Magneto's. While Magneto's costume doesn't interfere with his power, Ferro Girl's does.  Ferro Girl is PL 15 when nude, but the power level reduces the more her body is covered.

The first adventure is more cerebral than the last.  Fox's character goes to college at a young age, and takes psychology.  Both Heather (my first DC adventures player) and Fox (my second) approaches the world in different angles.

They were discussing the superhero community in the city where they were going to college when a bank robbery took place.  Fox's character excused herself and turned into Ferro Girl, and zoomed in there to fight.  She managed to stop three bank robbers, and one of them managed to blow his face up.  Apprehending two of them, she returned, and changed.  Happy, she bumped into Richard, an older student compared to her.

Polaris is not Ferro Girl, but Ferro Girl's costume is similar to this.

He talked about how Ferro Girl's first adventure had gone public and how it was a big success and an inspiration to Nudists allover the world. Even more elated the civic Ferro Girl returned to her dorm to see any of the news about herself.

Fox enjoyed it, even though I never referred to the books and played it ad hoc.

Next Issue: Ferro Girl meets the girl with super powered Prothesis.  And what about Nucleon anyhow?

Rifts to D20

Okay, so this yet another Rifts post.  This isn't an actual conversion, but giving you some ideas on how to DIY Rifts to d20 by yourself.  I bet there are tons of Conversions out there, all taken down after Kevin wants to steal his work back.  After all, there is a Fanwork Ban.  One of the most notorious ones in the RPG industry. Kevin (Hi Kevin!) forbids people from converting RIFTS to other settings and publishing the rules anywhere, and makes legal threats against people who do publish them.


Kevin, there is this thing, called an Internet.  Did anybody ever tell you how it's architecture is set up?  Give it up, you lost. 


Ahem . . . On to breaking the Fanwork Ban!  (The Defend IP Act must have a clueless fan boy with irrational man love for it somewhere in Michigan -- or wherever he lives now.)


RIFTS is something of a game where you take Tolkien's Middle Earth, World Mythology (I don't know why you would, the First Story is based on a Planetary Constellation anyhow), the tropes of Science Fiction, 4 color Superhero comics, the Old West, Anime, and Horror of all kinds.  Put it all in a pot, add water, simmer and stew.  What you get is the Chop Suey of all RPG settings.  However, I say Chop Suey instead of Goulash because it actually tastes good and goes down easy.


The system is worthy of converting to d20, because d20 still has a lot going for it that makes the Palladium System look like it's 30 years old (actually, 40, but whose counting?)


The major problems are these:


Mega-Damage: Most fans say -- use SDC damage, it's much better. Convert everything over to SDC and use SDC weapons.  However, I say use a rule in d20 that would work that much better.  It's called Damage Reduction.  

Some magic creatures have the supernatural ability to instantly heal damage from weapons or ignore blows altogether as though they were invulnerable.

The numerical part of a creature's damage reduction (or DR) is the amount of damage the creature ignores from normal attacks. Usually, a certain type of weapon can overcome this reduction (see Overcoming DR). This information is separated from the damage reduction number by a slash. For example, DR 5/magic means that a creature takes 5 less points of damage from all weapons that are not magic. If a dash follows the slash, then the damage reduction is effective against any attack that does not ignore damage reduction.

Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack, such as injury poison, a monk's stunning, and injury-based disease. Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains. Nor does it affect poisons or diseases delivered by inhalation, ingestion, or contact.

Attacks that deal no damage because of the target's damage reduction do not disrupt spells.

Spells, spell-like abilities, and energy attacks (even nonmagical fire) ignore damage reduction.

Sometimes damage reduction represents instant healing. Sometimes it represents the creature's tough hide or body. In either case, other characters can see that conventional attacks won't work.

If a creature has damage reduction from more than one source, the two forms of damage reduction do not stack. Instead, the creature gets the benefit of the best damage reduction in a given situation.

Overcoming DR

Damage reduction may be overcome by special materials, magic weapons (any weapon with a +1 or higher enhancement bonus, not counting the enhancement from masterwork quality), certain types of weapons (such as slashing or bludgeoning), and weapons imbued with an alignment.

Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is 

treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any alignment it may already have).

Weapons with an enhancement bonus of +3 or greater can ignore some types of damage reduction, regardless of their actual material or alignment. The following table shows what type of enhancement bonus is needed to overcome some common types of damage reduction.

There you have it, Damage Reduction.  Damage Reduction can effectively replace Mega-Damage points.  For biological creatures made with carbon-based chemistry.  Vehicles and piloted Robots (Mecha) have something similar -- Hardness. 

Skill System based on a percentile: Okay, there is a lot of skills.  Only SpaceMaster and Rolemaster beats the number of Skills.  However, they are based on percentiles and you have to roll low to succeed in your skill.  However ICE was experimenting with Target Numbers with their Middle Earth Adventures RPG, and this became the basis of Shadowrun and other modern RPGs.  Roll a die, beat the target number, and you succeed.

The d20 System uses a TN-based skill system, called DC.

P.P.E., ISP casting system:  The spells can be cast by any wizard by any level.  The psychics can cast psychic effects based on their effective power level.  This is governed by Potential Psychic Energy and Inner Strength Points.  This is basically to replicate book wizards.  But Authors have one superiority over games.  Rifts is a goal-oriented game (i.e. uses Levels).  An Author can write a story about a befuddling wizard's Apprentice who can control the weather. 

Pathfinder still uses the casting system based on Jack Vance's Dying Earth series, but there are ways to overcome this (Advanced d20 Magic anyone?). 

Combat Progression: As you attain more levels, your combat experience increases.  This isn't half bad, as the Palladium game system is rules oriented.  And yes, you do get better at hitting and/or killing people as your experience increases in real life. 

While combat systems in Rifts are leveled, however, the Pathfinder/d20 System uses feats -- leveled feats -- to achieve this.  Fortunately, you can get feats every odd level or so.

O.C.C.s: Last point, the Occupational Character Class is blown up out of proportion in RIFTS.  Great idea, poor execution.  Similarly, the prestige class has been also blown out of proportion during Wizards' run of the d20 System.  In Pathfinder, you don't have this problem, but you're getting into the problem of Class Bloat. 

So, basically, you have to limit your class options. 

For a Rifts conversion to Pathfinder you will need:

* One Rifts book, you might have several. 

* Pathfinder RPG (Paizo)

* Pathfinder's Bestiary and Bestiary 2

* D20 Modern (WotC)

* D20 Modern Weapons Locker (WotC)

* D20 Mecha (Guardians of Order, defunct -- or Dream Pod Nine)

* Dragonstar Players Handbook or D20 Future (for laser and other energy weapons)

to go around the "Theme Park" of Rifts you might find these handy:

Rifts: England -- Pick up a copy of the Arthurian Legend for Pathfinder. I think it's made by RPG Objects.  Sprinkle in a copy of (3e) Forgotten Realms -- especially the Dalelands and Cormyr; and simmer. Don't forget the laser weapons!!

Rifts: New West -- Deadlands d20 with D&D monsters, robot horses with carbines sticking out of their noses, and laser guns! :)

Rifts: Japan -- Pick up a copy of BESM d20 and you pretty much crossed the line into Rifts: Japan. 

RIFTS: Dinosaur Swamp -- pick up a copy of Prehistoria d20 from RPGnow.

Superheroes: There are strong differences between Mutants and Masterminds and Pathfinder judging by DC Adventures.  While you can have Superheroes in RIFTS (ala Heroes Unlimited), Mutants and Masterminds is the d20 System totally rebuilt around the 4 color Superhero Comic genre.  Although you can solve some problems with RIFTS using Mutants and Masterminds 3rd edition, your best bet is to convert the entire game of Rifts to Mutants and Masterminds.  And given Kevin Seimbedia's mindset while he wrote Rifts, you might be much more successful at doing so than by using Pathfinder as your base. 

Yeah it's weird, but if you read Rifts, the whole thing is ridiculous when trying to apply Real World physics.  And Mega-Damage makes sense, how? that kind of stuff.  Judging how ridiculous the whole game is, Rifts is probably inspired by 4 color comics.  

Since even Marvel and DC have "theme park" locations in their universes, they carry on certain antiquated ideas.  And even their heroes are ridiculously overpowered (Superman, for instance, is PL 14, while Wonder Woman is PL 15, while Captain Atom might be misjudged by Green Ronin; while the Hulk maybe the most powerful being in either universe in terms of raw, muscular strength!).

Rifts is, quite simply, trying to stick a 4 color-universe made up of square pegs and putting it into circular holes and using a hammer to force them in.  The game works, kinda, but you have to suspend your Disbelief when you are exposed to better games. 

Everything Else: You're pretty much on your own.

Step-by-step-by-step:

Since Kevin is ridiculously backward in his thoughts about the OGL, you will never ever see an official conversion of Rifts to d20, or Mutants and Masterminds.  There is a clause in the OGL that simply says that Wizards has the right to take your work (but everyone else has the same right).  However, due to the amount of material that Palladium has published over the years, I can only focus on the classes in the main book.  For the rest, you are on your own. 

Borgs:  There are no rules dealing with Cyborgs in Pathfinder or in Dragon*Star.  In d20 Future, however, there are rules dealing with bionic enhancement (they were published in Dungeon once, I believe).

Coalition Stuff: d20 Modern Fast Heroes and Strong Heroes with the Soldier Advanced Class.  SAMAS pilots, however, are Mecha Pilots. 

Cyber OCCs:

Crazy -- You have Mind over Matter implants that supercharges your brain.  I suggest either Smart Heroes or Charismatic Heroes with the MoM implant.  Crazies also get a Sanity score and are governed by the Insanity rules found in Call of Chthulu d20. 

Cyberknight: Psychic Warrior or Soulknife class with the code of Chivalry.  They have cyberarmor bonded to their skin.

Glitter-Boy: Mecha Pilot class from BESM d20 piloting a Glitterboy! :D

Headhunter: Strong Hero, Tough Hero, or Fast Hero with cybernetics.  Your typical Shadowrunner. 

Juicers: the class that fits the Juicer best is the Fast hero.  But remember, they are augmented by chemicals rather than expensive Cyberwear. 

Adventurer types:

--- Body Fixer: Dedicated Hero or Smart Hero with medic advanced class.

--- City Rat: Punked hero -- can be replicated with any d20 modern class except Smart. 

--- Cyber-Doc: Dedicated hero with medic advanced class specializing in using Cybernetics to treat injury and disease.

--- Operator: Dedicated or Smart hero specializing in mechanics.  Might have some psychic powers, in that case, give the player a wild talent feat and pick 3 psionic powers that can be machine related.

--- Rogue Scientist and Scholar: Smart Hero yet again!  One specializes in the Sciences and the other the Humanities.  Both may overlap.

--- Wilderness Scout: Tough hero all the way with an advanced class based on survival.

--- Vagabond: Catch all concept, may be any d20 modern class. 

Magic types:

--- Ley Line Walker: WIZARD class.  Not witch, not alchemist, not sorcerer, and not magus!  Wizard.  Bar none.

--- Mystic: a PC who plays a cleric that has dipped into the Psion class and sorcerer class for a couple of levels.

--- Shifter: Summoner Class from Advanced Player's Guide. 

--- Techno-Wizard: Alchemist or Wizard with item-creation feats.  However, we all know that the Artificer from Eberron is a better fit. :)

Dragon Hatchlings: Entirely possible to play.

Psychics -- Psychics are given better treatment with the Rifts: Mindscapes supplement.  Again, remember, I'm focusing on the main book so. . . 

--- Burster: Psion with Control Flames power who has dipped into the Pyrokineticist prestige class.

--- Psi-Stalker: Psychic vampires who feed off of emotional energy.  Psions for sure, but they have unique powers that need to be converted over.  Telepath is suggested. 

--- Dog Pack: There is a whole RPG supplement called Fursona that deals with this and is for Pathfinder.

--- Mind Melter: The PSION melts my mind! see PSIONICS UNLEASHED!

My First DC Adventures scenario

. . . Was loved by the player.

The player was playing a heroine that is missing an arm and both her legs.  She had cybernetic prostheses made for her arm and legs and went crime fighting with her boyfriend, Frosty.  However, Frosty was lost in Siberia when she turned 18 and started College.

Now a Theatre Major, she was preparing for the dress rehearsal of A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum.  On the way there she bumped into Richard (a different version of Nucleon) who was carrying a lot of books.  His important books were the Bible and a book on Quantum Physics and he was on his way to his car.

While at the theatre, she prepared the actress who is playing Philia by getting her into costume.  The only thing weird was that the actress had a crush on Nucleon and she had a bandaged calf. The play had a run through and the Director was giving notes on the dress rehearsal, telling everyone that they were terrible.  She slipped out and met with Richard again.

The two went out for ice cream, and they discussed the Justin Beiber fandom and compared it with Superman and Batman's fandom.  He asked about Nucleon, and she couldn't deal with Nucleon's sense of out of date style.  In fact, the player character said she would manhandle Superman for his outdated style.

Trouble, however, started in the Art Museum outside, and Richard conveniently went to the bathroom because he said he was a coward.  The player stalked off to the Art Museum, talked to the cops which mentioned a Werewolf wearing a sports bra and woman's runners briefs (a.k.a. bloomers or bun huggers). She went in to take care of the Werewolf herself.

While in there, she met Nucleon, who asked if he could help. She grudgingly accepted and the two tracked the werewolf to the Renaissance Gallery where she was holding ten hostages and threatening to bite all ten of them in order to pass on her lycanthropy.  The fight started with the player character making a gesture and the werewolf started attacking her.

Well she punched the wolf in mid-air and threw her to the wall.  Nucleon put the wolf in a bubble of air while he went to see about the hostages.  The bubble popped and the wolf landed on Nucleon's head.  Which the wolf enjoyed way too much.  After some attempts to grab her tail, the player character kidney punched the wolf, pulled her off and slammed her against the wall again.  Knocked out, the PC strangled the werewolf until she passed out, and they delivered her to the police.

Nucleon dropped the girl off at the school Swimming Pool, which was insensitive as far as the PC was concerned and the PC went back to take a shower and get into bed.  The adventure ends with her dorm mate telling her that she set up a double date with Josh and Richard for them.

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

and the Player ate up all that.

PSION FORCE

While trying to figure out what to do with my open source character, shaper, it hit me.  Why not make a Mutant and Masterminds supplement of a Super Hero team based on the four classes in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and also the six disciplines?

Meet . . . 

PSION FORCE!

This is a team of nine members, all who are students who attended the same Wealth Building seminar.  Each specializing in one of the six disciplines of Psionics, and three others specializing in other areas.  The team's powers come from the same source -- their indomitable belief in the Potential of the Human Spirit.  All of them received their powers after a dream that they had.

The Shaper -- Role: The Driving Force, discipline: Metacreativity.  The Shaper has psionic powers that is comparable to Green Lantern's.  The shaper can make constructs out of Matter and Energy.  The Energy he uses to shape his constructs is Zero Point Energy.  Sex: Male.  Religion: Spiritual Christian. 

The Kineticist -- Role: Raw Energy Blaster.  Discipline: Psychokinesis.  The Kineticist's powers has to do with energy.  He can't shape energy, but he can project it, move objects in space with his mind, cause explosions of energy psionically, that sort of thing.  Powers are like Phoenix of the X-Men, or Marvel Boy of the Avengers.  Sex: Male.  Religion: Hare Krishna.

The Seer: -- Role: Guidance, Discipline: Clairvoyance.  A jewish radical activist for Woman's Rights, this woman had spent her energy fighting the patriarchy.  She visited the wealth builder conference, and in her dream that night she learned of her true calling.  To help guide people to spirituality and better choices.  Her powers include clairvoyant powers.  She is the sibyl of the team.  Sex: female.  Religion: Judaism. 

The Egoist. Role: Strong Guy.  Discipline: Psychometabolism. A body building nurse, this Egoist always wanted to help people.  After the Wealth Building seminar, he had a dream and gained psionic healing powers as well as powers that augment his physical attributes.  He can also psionically -- and physically -- fuse with another to form a dynamic fighting powerhouse.  Sex: male, Religion: Protestant Christian.

The Nomad.  Fast hero.  Discipline: Psychoportation.  Once a world renowned Athlete, this young woman had her day when she ran for the 2008 Olympics.  She earned a silver medal for running the 500 yard Dash for the United States.  Hard on her luck, she attended the Wealth Building Conference.   She gained psionic powers of teleportation and movement (moving things bypassing space).  Sex: female, Religion: Buddhist. 

The Telepath. Director.  Discipline: Telepathy.  Once a psycho-analyst, this telepath had a successful practice as a psychiatrist.  He attended the wealth building seminar out of curiosity.   After all, all he believed in was tangible results and reason.  However, in a dream that night, he had his disbelief severely challenged when he received the powers of Telepathy.  Sex: male, religion: Atheist. 

The Psychic Warrior.  Weapon Specialist.  A marine, his family fell on hard times after he came back from two tours in Afganistan.  He left the army and sought to start a business starting a firing range.  He went to the Wealth Building seminar for ideas on how to build wealth.  That night, he gained a host of psychic powers.  Sex: male, Religion: Protestant Christian.

The Soulknife.  Assassin.  A woman trained as a CIA assassin, this woman joined the Wealth Building seminar to spy on the speaker to get a line on the head of the business.  When she woke up the next morning, she could form a weapon that is the distillation of her own mind. Sex: female, Religion: None.

The Wilder: Uncontrolled woman.  A black woman, this girl has emotional outbursts and a troubled marriage back home.  She joined the wealth builder seminar because she was seeking a divorce from her alcoholic husband.  The next morning, she gained psychic powers.  However, some of her powers are connected to her emotions.  Sex: female, Religion: Wiccan (Egyptian Mythos -- worships Sehkmet).

Okay, that's all I got for the team right now.  Since I got DC Adventures to make this team, expect the Default team to reside in a DC Universe.  The Team is open sourced, however, and can reside in any Superhero universe -- DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, any of them.  I'll be building a document with them empowered over the weekend. :)