Blackmoor Vituperative

More from Bulletproof Blues: Combination. This power was invented by my old friend Phill Ash, back in the mid-to-late 1980s when we used to play Champions. He called it “Gestalt”, but I like the name “Combination” better.

Combination

Activation: Activated
Task roll: —
Target: Personal
Range: Touch
Cost: 1 character point per rank

Combination permits several characters to merge into a single larger and more powerful character. Every character wishing to combine must have the Combination power, and the maximum number of characters who may combine is equal to the lowest rank of Combination among them. Activating Combination takes one standard action, and requires the characters to all be touching each other. In addition to being more massive, the combined character has Brawn, Prowess, and Invulnerability (if any) equal to the highest rank of any of the combined characters, plus one rank for every combined character after the first.

Example:

Moe, Larry, and Curly each have rank 3 Combination. Moe has Brawn 3 and Prowess 2. Larry has Brawn 2 and Prowess 4. Curly has Brawn 2, Prowess 1, and rank 2 Invulnerability. When Moe, Larry, and Curly combine, they form the mighty Stoopendigous, who has Brawn 5 (Moe’s rank 3, plus 2 more for Larry and Curly), Prowess 6 (Larry’s rank 4, plus 2 more for Moe and Curly), and rank 4 Invulnerability (Curly’s rank 2, plus 2 more for Moe and Larry).

More from Bulletproof Blues: Barrier. As Hedwig says, ain’t much of a difference between a bridge and a wall.

Barrier

Activation: Attack
Task roll: Power
Target: Radius
Range: Ranged
Cost: 1 character point per rank

Barrier permits the character to create walls and simple geometric shapes made of a particular force or substance. The specific type of force or substance must be chosen when this power is purchased. Some typical examples are air, earth, fire, water, light, darkness, force fields, electricity, magnetism, gravity, cloth, and plants. The player can pick any force or substance they like, subject to the GM’s approval.

Creating a simple shape with Barrier (a wall, dome, cube, and so on) requires a challenging Barrier task roll (task difficulty 12). Creating more complex shapes requires a more difficult task roll, with the task difficulty set by the GM based on the complexity of the desired shape. For example, a “T” or “W” or other angular shape would require a demanding Barrier task roll (task difficulty 15), while an intricate labyrinth would require a frustrating Barrier task roll (task difficulty 18).

The maximum length or circumference of the barrier is based on the rank of the power. Find the rank of the power in the Benchmarks table, and look up the value in the “Affects” column. This is the maximum length or circumference of the barrier the character may create.

The Barrier has Endurance and protection value (PV) equal to the rank of the power. If the character has expertise with the power and rolls an extreme success, then the Barrier created is significantly tougher (+3 Endurance). If the damage rating of an attack is less than or equal to the protection value of the Barrier, the attack bounces off harmlessly and the Barrier is undamaged. If damage from an attack exceeds the Barrier’s protection value, the remaining damage is subtracted from the Barrier’s Endurance, and the attack makes a hole in the barrier large enough for a normal person to walk through. If the Endurance of the Barrier is reduced to zero, the Barrier is destroyed: it crumbles, dissolves, or fades away, as appropriate.

A Barrier may also be used to support weight, as a bridge, support column, or other such structure. Find the rank of the power in the Benchmarks table, and look up the value in the “Lifts” column. This is the maximum weight which the Barrier can support. If the load on the Barrier exceeds this weight, the Barrier loses 1 Endurance each round that the weight on it exceeds its lifting capacity.

If a Barrier is not attacked or damaged, it will normally remain in place until the end of the scene, after which it crumbles, dissolves, or fades away, as appropriate.

Enhancements

Permanent: The Barrier is relatively permanent. It does not dissolve at the end of the scene, and will remain in place until destroyed. +1 character point

Another random bit. This time it’s Absorption, which is probably one of the more complicated powers in the game:

Absorption

Activation: Always On

Task roll: —

Target: Personal

Range: —

Cost: 1 character point per rank

Absorption permits the character to absorb damage from a force or substance and use that energy in specific ways. The character can heal themselves, or they can temporarily gain the power that attacked them, or they can boost one of their existing powers. The specific type of force or substance that can be absorbed must be chosen when this power is purchased. Some typical examples are air, earth, fire, water, light, darkness, force fields, electricity, magnetism, gravity, cloth, and plants. You can pick any force or substance you like, subject to the GM’s approval.

The amount of energy which can be absorbed from a single attack is equal to the rank in the Absorption power. For example, if a character has rank 3 Force Field and rank 2 Absorption (electricity) and is struck by a rank 7 electrical attack, the damage rating of the attack reduced the character’s Endurance by 4 (7 – 3 = 4), and the character absorbs 2 ranks of energy. These two ranks are added to a pool of absorbed energy which depletes at the rate of one rank per round, starting the round after the energy was absorbed.

The ranks of energy absorbed by the character may be used in one of three ways, which may be chosen by the character on a case-by-case basis.

• Healing – The character restores an amount of lost Endurance (or other damaged attribute) up to the rank of energy in the pool. Each rank of restored Endurance requires the expenditure of one rank of absorbed energy. Healing themselves in this fashion requires a free action.
• Power – The character gains the power that inflicted the damage, and can use this power to attack others. Each rank of the gained power requires the expenditure of one rank of absorbed energy, and the power lasts for only one round. Gaining the power requires a free action, but using it requires a task action.
• Boost – The character may Boost either one of their attributes or one of their powers. Each rank in Boost requires the expenditure of one rank of absorbed energy, and the Boost lasts for only one round. Boosting an attribute or power requires a free action, but using the attribute or power usually requires a task action.

Absorption does not provide protection against an attack: the damage rating of attacks is not reduced by the rank of the Absorption power. If the damage of the attack knocks the character unconscious or kills them, the character automatically uses their absorbed energy to heal themselves as much as possible.

Enhancements

Delayed Depletion: The absorbed energy depletes at a rate of one rank per minute rather than one rank per round. +1 character point

A random bit, just for fun. This is an Advantage, which are small not-quite-powers that characters can have:

Headquarters

The character has one or more bases of operation, equipped with supplies and equipment reasonable for the character’s background and skills. If the character is a member of a team, the base(s) might be shared with the other team members, at the player’s discretion. A headquarters is primarily a convenience for the GM and a fun asset for the character. It is not generally useful in combat, and is mainly used for flavor and a setting for roleplaying. For example, a high-tech base might have an air-tight security system, complete with laser turrets and knockout gas, but this won’t keep the base from being broken into by villains or taken over by an evil computer virus.

A couple of months ago I was interviewed on the BAMF Podcast about Bulletproof Blues. The podcast itself is located at “Bulletproof Blues – new Supers RPG”. Transcripts of the podcast took a while to obtain, but those are below.

BAMF_Podcast_-_Bulletproof_Blues_2012-02-08 (DOC, 51 KB)
BAMF_Podcast_-_Bulletproof_Blues_2012-02-08 (HTML, 67 KB)
BAMF_Podcast_-_Bulletproof_Blues_2012-02-08 (ODT, 36 KB)
BAMF_Podcast_-_Bulletproof_Blues_2012-02-08 (PDF, 67 KB)
BAMF_Podcast_-_Bulletproof_Blues_2012-02-08 (RTF, 51 KB)
BAMF_Podcast_-_Bulletproof_Blues_2012-02-08 (TXT, 52 KB)

I don’t know if this is the sort of thing that will interest people, but here is a section from the Character Creation chapter: “Archetypes”.

Archetypes

When writing up a character, it can be useful to have an archetype in mind for inspiration. An archetype is a brief description of the powers and modus operandi of the character, and their role in the group dynamic. Many popular comic book characters actually combine two or more of these archetypes. You aren’t limited to these archetypes, of course. These common archetypes are just here to offer you a jumping-off point for your character.

The Beanstalk

The Beanstalk can dramatically change their size. They might be able to grow to massive heights, or shrink down to the size of a dust mote. A Beanstalk who can do both can solve a number of difficult problems all by themselves.

Examples: Atom, Atlas, Mighty Man

Common powers: Growth, Shrinking

The Calculator

The Calculator knows the variables and takes all of them into account. The Calculator might be a chess master, a scientific genius, a brilliant military strategist, or a robot that can think millions of times faster than a human being. When there are questions, the Calculator is the one who comes up with the answers.

Examples: Mister Terrific, Henry Pym, Henry Bendix

Common powers: high Reason, Danger Sense, Immortality, Mind Shield

The Cannon

The Cannon is the proverbial big gun, capable of firing blasts of astonishing power. Since they focus on ranged combat, many Cannons have an alternate form of movement, such as Flight or Teleportation. Most Cannons are capable of dishing out far more than they can take, which is why they are sometimes called “Glass Cannons”.

Examples: Starfire, Cyclops, Apollo

Common powers: Blast, Flight, Force Field, Teleportation

The Clay

The Clay can change their physical form in some way. The Clay might be able to change their appearance to mimic other people, or perhaps they can take the form of animals or inanimate objects. Alternately, the Clay might not be able to take on other shapes, but might instead be able to stretch and twist their body in amazing and unsettling ways, or take on the physical attributes of various substances.

Examples: Plastic Man, Copycat, Menagerie

Common powers: (Element) Form, Shapeshifting, Stretching

The Dolphin

The Dolphin is at home in the sea. The Dolphin may be a ruler of an undersea kingdom (Atlantis, for example), an aquatic visitor from another world, or a freak of nature. Some Dolphins can control sea creatures, while others can command the sea itself. Regardless of their origins, a Dolphin in their element is a force to be reckoned with.

Examples: Aquaman, Namor, Fathom

Common powers: Animal Control, (Element) Mastery, Life Support, Super-swimming

The Elemental

The Elemental is the living embodiment of a force, substance, or idea. Some Elementals can physically transform into the appropriate material. Others can create limitless amounts of their chosen element, or mentally manipulate it. Some Elementals can do all three.

Examples: Red Tornado, Human Torch, Jenny Sparks

Common powers: Blast, (Element) Form, (Element) Mastery

The Gadget

The Gadget isn’t the strongest or fastest character around, but they always seem to have a gizmo or incantation on hand to make up for it. The Gadget might have a utility belt filled with clever devices, or they might be a magician with a spell for every occasion. With the Gadget on the team, you’ll probably have the right tool for the job.

Examples: Zatanna, Iron Man, The Engineer

Common powers: Force Field, Super-senses, (Ultra-power)

The Hammer

The Hammer is the heaviest hitter in the neighborhood, and perhaps one of the heaviest hitters in the entire world. The Hammer is usually super-strong, but they might have a mighty weapon instead of great strength (or in addition to it).

Examples: Superman, Thor, Mister Majestic

Common powers: high Brawn, Invulnerability, Strike

The Mirror

The Mirror wields forces beyond the material world. The Mirror might be a sorcerer, a psychic, or a mathematician who has unlocked the secret equation that controls the universe. When the paranormal knocks, the Mirror is the character who answers the door.

Examples: Doctor Fate, Professor X, The Doctor

Common powers: Amazing Movement, Mind Shield, Telepathy, (Ultra-power)

The Rocket

The Rocket is fast — super fast. The Rocket might be born to move with preternatural quickness, their speed might come from years of training, or they may just wear a jet pack. The Rocket may be a runner or a flyer (or, rarely, a swimmer), but whether it’s by land, by air, or by sea, few vehicles and fewer characters can keep up with the Rocket.

Examples: Flash, Quicksilver, Swift

Common powers: high Agility, high Prowess, Haste, Multiple Attacks, Super-Running, Flight

The Shadow

The Shadow can go where no one else can go, and can appear and disappear without a trace. The Shadow might be a super-spy, a ninja, or even a ghost. However they do it, the Shadow makes being spooky look easy.

Examples: Batman, Black Widow, Spawn

Common powers: Flight, Intangibility, Invisibility, Swinging, Teleportation

The Sword

The Sword is a fighter, through and through. They may hail from an ancient warrior tradition, they may be a genetically modified super-soldier, or they may be a serene kung-fu master. Regardless of where they came from, the Sword can be found on the front lines trading blow for blow with the enemy.

Examples: Hawkgirl, Iron Fist, Midnighter

Common powers: high Prowess, Danger Sense, Multiple Attacks, Strike

The Tank

The Tank is an immovable object in a world of irresistible forces. The Tank may be inherently super-tough, they might wear high-tech armor, or they may be able to project an impenetrable force field. The Tank can take any damage the world can dish out, and then some.

Examples: Black Adam, Invisible Woman, Caitlin Fairchild

Common powers: high Brawn, high Willpower, Barrier, Force Field, Invulnerability

Well, it looks like Bulletproof Blues will be released in time for MystiCon, and will have actual art in it (cover by Storn Cook, interior art by Dan Houser). This project is for the fun of it. If I’m lucky, it’ll break even: I have no illusions about making a profit on it. Back in the day, someone asked me how to make a small fortune in game publishing. I told him, “Start with a large fortune.”

Apparently, all the bitching we do about the prequels and the changes George Lucas made to the original Star Wars films actually hits home. He’s retiring from blockbusters and vows to never make another Star Wars movie because fanboys have scared him off.

(from Nerd Approved, George Lucas “Retires”, Blames Fans For Crushing His Spirit To Make Another Star Wars Film)

Personally, I think the whole Star Wars franchise started downhill with, “Luke, I am your father.” Every retcon, every perversion and “improvement” to Star Wars and the five sequels started there.

George Lucas is deluded. He lucked into creating a masterpiece because he was surrounded by brilliant people, and he’s spent the last 35 years trying to ruin it. Good riddance.

For the first time in a very long time, I got a good night’s sleep and woke up refreshed on New Year’s Day. I woke up late, but not hung over. The party at Mike & Rob’s was fun. I enjoyed the hospitality and the company. However, if I was a bore or a boor, I have only myself to blame, as I only had two glasses of wine all night.

I am not done writing Bulletproof Blues, which is disappointing. I’d hoped to have the text done by now, and be working on the layout. I am not in panic mode yet. As long as it’s done and up for sale on DriveThruRPG by Mysticon in February, I’ll be happy.

I am a little worried about when I’ll be able to play after we move, though. I game rarely enough as it is. Once we relocate to Charlottesville, I’ll be at least an hour away from any gamers I know — or, indeed, from anyone I know, other than my sweetheart. Kind of a bummer, that.

On the bright side, I have recovered from the horrific food poisoning I got at Carytown Sushi on Wednesday. I am actually hungry for the first time in four days.

Here are some Christmas songs from the Monarch and his merry band.