Basic Action Super Heroes!

I have a player who is wanted to play a Temperature Controller, using both the core and Awesome powers.

She says that she wants contol over the ambient temperatures and make them extrememly cold and hot. However she also wants to be able to localise her power - I.e freeze that car/burn that chair/steam up a security camera.

She is not as bothered about becoming a living temperature based form as that doesn't make sense for her - she is not iceman or pyro after all - however she does want to be immune from her own temperatures (perhaps super heat/freeze her weapon or hands though) - so would it make more sense to take the power Immunity twice or just take Resistance Heat and Cold (and would either work against an ice or fire attack or should I look into armour?)

I am also wondering what cool things you could do with Temperature control which aren't just carbon copies of iceman's (or other favoured elemental) repertoire for example. - she will probably throw in things like this anyway, such as a heat wave special attack or the like.

I was wondering also whether it might be an idea to let her have a lot less powers than others and let the powertricks she would be able to do speak for themselves.

I hope someone can help, sorry it is a bit rambly, my tablet doesn't seem to like the script in this page and it is very slow and hard to edit

oh and not sure what power level yet probably street level but maybe a little higher.

with different tempeatures - would it he best to use variable as an enhancement quite liberally? - I.e flight variable coulbe then be either some sort of ice sled OR thermal currents, wheras continual damage could be from extreme heat OR cold

or would it he better to do them as a separate bunch of powers but under a multipower?

I love the versatility of this system but sometimes there can be an almost overwhelming sence of possibilty?

Your player has presented an interesting challenge. There is so much one could do with such a character. For a Street Level build it would be best to leave as much as possible to improvising. Definitely ensure that the hero has the Versatile advantage. Also, Temperature Mastery (probably a broad scope power) would be a very good idea as it also allows Power Tricks for just 1 Hero point a piece. I would figure the character to be automatically immune to the effects of their own powers, but Resistance (Hot, and Cold) would be a good idea (it’s only 1 point, after all).

Ideas:
He could have Super Running 2 or 3 (with ice-skate pop-out blades in boots) and put this into a multi-power with Hovering (floating on the hot air thermals). He definitely needs Special Attack 3 or 4 [Variable] for a variety of hot and cold attacks: create damaging hot zones; solid ice boxing gloves (or clubs); or a burning touch. He could multi-power Damage Aura 3 or 4 to the Special Attack power (for 1 extra character point) to make himself super hot/cold.

Power Stunts and Tricks:
- Clinging (literally freezes his hands/feet to walls and ceiling).
- Gliding (uses heat thermals to slow fall and control the direction of descent).
- Force Field (an ice barrier).
- Damage Shield (for a flaming wall – just has no points for protection).
- Water Walking (to freeze the liquid’s surface).
- Immobilization (to put opponents on ice).
- Immunity Fire or Ice (use X-Mastery to dissipate or mute the excess temperature).
- Conjuring (to create non-functioning ice sculptures).

[Edit} Sorry. I just realized that your player was a girl. Substitute all 'he' and 'him' references with 'she' and 'her'. My appologies.

The questions about Resistance / Immunity depend on her character concept. Ask her "Could your character survive absolute zero temperatures?" If the answer is "no" then you probably want Resistance and not immunity.

Likewise regarding heat: "Can your character survive on the surface of the sun, assuming there was a way to breathe?" If the answer is "no" then you don't want Immunity to Heat; you want Resistance.

Personally I like making use of Power Tricks to "speak for themselves" and use the Versatile Advantage a lot more than "kitchen sink" style builds.

thanks guys

I would like to know more about immunity and resistance.

BASHMAN, if one could breathe on the sun, would immunity to heat work? Wouldn't one take damage from Fire, amongst other things?

I would likely give her Immunity Cold, Heat and Resistance Fire, Ice

Resistance works based on lasting twice as long as the average human. So, if one were a tempeature controller and made a room into antartic conditions, wouldn't she only be able to survive twice as long as anyone else, meaning that to effectively survive in extreme temps she has created herself then she should take Immunity.

However, it would make sence for her to be resistant to ice, rather than immune because whilst the cold would not bother her, the sharpness or weight of the "ice attack" could.

Hmm

This build is quite frustrating.Due to it being a one shot my player would rather have a bunch of written down powers than many points for power tricks. On the other hand that limits what I can do and possibly makes some powers in a multipower too powerful. I am also a little concerned of the glass ninja effect.

Anyway, would you able to criticise this rough build?

B 2
A 2
M 2

Temp Mastery 3
Immunity 2 Heat, Cold

Multipower 8pts
Damage Aura 5 (Variable)
Damage Field 4 (Variable)
Special Attack 5 (Variable)

WIth Versatile

Total 25

I have dropped a whole load of things such as flight 1 and fire/ice resistance as well as unjustifiable multipowers.

However, I was thinking of maybe making it a 30 pt game and adding flight 1 or something like Armor 3 and leaving the rest for tricks

I suggest building the character with the powers that they use early and often putting the Mastery inside the multipower and returning flight the build.

Then to help the player, build and list what the character can do with power tricks like MrJupiter suggested.

BASH power tricks are a great way to get comic-level diversity without massive point builds. Not using them is a shame.

cheers

Hmmm

But if I put mastery inside there and used a power trick from it to emulate anoher power, I.e immobilization, that would then end as soon as I used another power in the multipower set wouldn't it. - at least I think I remember BASHMAN saying something similar.

AngryGhost wrote:Hmmm

But if I put mastery inside there and used a power trick from it to emulate anoher power, I.e immobilization, that would then end as soon as I used another power in the multipower set wouldn't it. - at least I think I remember BASHMAN saying something similar.

Yes. Thems the breaks. That's why you get a limitation for multipower.

Saker wrote:
BASH power tricks are a great way to get comic-level diversity without massive point builds. Not using them is a shame.

My litmus test for whether I want to include any POWER (or other ability or addition) to a hero or villain is to ask myself... Would my character USE this power/ability in almost EVERY issue of his comic book story? If he'd only use it every 2-3 stories, then it's NOT a core part of the character build ... it's a Power Stunt.

For Example.
Spiderman has made many uses from his web shooters over the years. Such as making a parachute of webs when falling from a height without anything to swing off of. But Spidey doesn't do this enough to warrent I give him "Gliding" as a power or even Multi-Power on his web shooters.

-kev-

kevperrine wrote:

Saker wrote:
BASH power tricks are a great way to get comic-level diversity without massive point builds. Not using them is a shame.

My litmus test for whether I want to include any POWER (or other ability or addition) to a hero or villain is to ask myself... Would my character USE this power/ability in almost EVERY issue of his comic book story? If he'd only use it every 2-3 stories, then it's NOT a core part of the character build ... it's a Power Stunt.

For Example.
Spiderman has made many uses from his web shooters over the years. Such as making a parachute of webs when falling from a height without anything to swing off of. But Spidey doesn't do this enough to warrent I give him "Gliding" as a power or even Multi-Power on his web shooters.

-kev-

Yes that is a very good way of qualifying whether or not to have this power on the character sheet.

kevperrine wrote:My litmus test for whether I want to include any POWER (or other ability or addition) to a hero or villain is to ask myself... Would my character USE this power/ability in almost EVERY issue of his comic book story? If he'd only use it every 2-3 stories, then it's NOT a core part of the character build ... it's a Power Stunt.

For Example.
Spiderman has made many uses from his web shooters over the years. Such as making a parachute of webs when falling from a height without anything to swing off of. But Spidey doesn't do this enough to warrent I give him "Gliding" as a power or even Multi-Power on his web shooters.

-kev-

Exactly! +1