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Rimgar - Rimgar - 12-14-2013 08:20 AM
Guess who has their internet back?
Name: Rimgar
Age: 36
Sex: Male
Species: Robot (Echidna)
Faction: Independent (Leader of the Dark Legion)
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Appearance: (No picture this time. I never got around to making sprites of this guy.) Rimgar has the appearance of an Echidna, taller and gaunter than any of the warrior tribes, but with more muscle tone than any mere scientist. He has been robotosized, so although he retains his original overall appearance, his skin is a dull silver color, and his eyes are neon green with black pupils. He does not wear the traditional Echidna gloves, instead opting for a thick, fingered variety. Never leaves home without his flowing, black-hooded cloak, fastened around his neck with a platinum chain. Wears a simple leather belt, to which he has affixed his personal sidearm.
Personality: Rimgar is an individual driven by pure ego. He often claims to be acting in the best interests of Mobiankind, and to some degree he even believes his own words. In truth, he is power mad and sadistic, seeing any and all evils perpetrated by himself or his underlings as pure righteousness, leading everyone on the path to perfection. Although he does not savor wonton destruction, he will not shy away from it if such methods will bring ultimate victory. Often he will go out of his way to avoid civilian casualties, seeing each life as the building blocks of the future. Any of his men who kill without profit to the Legion are executed on sight. At one time his personality was a little mellower, even virtuous, but he has long forgotten those parts of himself as he claws for more power, a means by which he might attain his dreams and make them reality. He’s a little shaky on the concept of “friends” and “kindness”, preferring to brush sentimental values under the rug in favor of more practical things like “fear” and “respect”. A charismatic speaker, a strong leader, and a cunning strategist, he will stop at nothing to see the entire world improved by his designs. He hates Shazbot with a burning passion, and has vowed to one day avenge himself on his former friend.
Family: He was the sole heir to the control of the Dark Legion, with no siblings or extended family to speak of. His parents are long dead, passed away from some mysterious illness.
Transport: Upon entering the Shattered Universe, Rimgar had no means of transportation, and now uses a stolen Egg Shuttle to get around. Small cargo area and total seating for two. (Can carry 4 additional passengers if they stand.)
Weapons: Carries what appears to be a .45 handgun in his hip holster at all times. In truth, it is a prototype pistol than propels a tiny sliver of aluminum across small, supercharged magnetic rails to high velocity, impacting with the force of a magnum with nearly no recoil. Shots are accurate up to 60 yards, and a block of pure aluminum in the ammo clip means ammunition for this weapon is negligible. Prone to overheating when used in excess. He also carries a variety of deadly gadgets, from flamethrowers to poison gas pellets.
Biography: He was born the only son of Rallard, the leader of the Dark Legion, and I’ez, his wife. When he was young, his father once told him “there is nothing, no change in this world, no feat that cannot be achieved, without the will to move mountains. Never forget son, that if you want to leave your mark on this world, you must be willing to sacrifice everything.” These words stuck with Rimgar all through his childhood. When he was 18, he had already graduated from college at the top of his class, and was looking forward to a bright, promising future.
Then, tragedy struck. A mysterious illness, one that attacked the heart and left it too weak to function properly, struck both his parents. Rimgar, along with all his household staff, was put into quarantine while the doctors attempted to isolate the cause. Fortunately, the disease had only spread to the mother and father, who shared a bed every night. Being without cause or cure, the doctors simply named it “Rallard’s Syndrome”, after the original case. Even in isolation, Rimgar devoted the whole of his considerable intellect to finding a cure, some way he could save his parents, but none could be found. By their bedside, Rimgar pleaded with them to accept a heart transplant. They were important people, so they would be near the top of the organ donor’s list. However, they both refused. Rallard, having been infected the longest, had the lowest odds of survival, even with the transplant. I’ez fared little better, and did not wish to be separated from her husband. They did not want to take two hearts that might go to someone else and save their lives instead.
Desperate, Rimgar turned to his father’s legacy, and scoured the whole of the Dark Legion database for any piece of cybernetics that could hold death at bay. He found many designs and prototypes, few of which had been successfully implemented. He also found several artificial hearts, all of which were tried and tested, but the surgery would still be risky. He called the doctors together and ordered them to sedate his parents so they could begin, but they refused. Apparently, the couple wanted to die together in each other’s arms, fully conscious and not lying in pieces on an operating table. Appalled, Rimgar stormed into their room, breaking quarantine for his last chance to convince his parents not to give up on life. To his shock and horror, they were both dead, passed on while Rimgar stood outside hotly contesting their fate.
His time of public mourning was relatively short, as after only 3 days since their passing, he held a small funeral for them, attended only by their household staff and a few close friends. Then, Rimgar vanished from the public eye, and the Dark Legion declared bankruptcy as all of their assets were suddenly liquidated all at once. For ten years, Rimgar and the Dark Legion had vanished off the face of Mobius…
After those ten long years, an ancient, dusty phone rang. It was a direct line to the Dark Legion’s personal stock office, which had been abandoned since Rimgar’s disappearance. In fact, the whole building was due to be condemned, and were it not for a contractor inspecting the premises, the call would have gone unanswered. When he picked up, a mysterious voice informed him that, no matter what he was getting paid for his current job, he would be paid tenfold to open the filing cabinets and be their stock broker for the next few days. One week passed, and the Dark Legion is suddenly back on the stock market, their shares worth twice as much as when they left. News and broadcast stations all over the globe went into a frenzy; the Dark Legion had returned.
Rimgar soon appeared at a press conference, declaring to all the world that he had resurrected the ancient order of the Legion, and that they would use their connections and industry to change the world. He vowed he would not rest until the king’s great-grandchildren could wake up in a perfect Mobius. He put on a very heroic public face that day, but underneath it all were bribes, schemes, and vicious blackmail. Using his connections with the Legion, he first took control of the criminal underground, getting his fingers into drug trafficking, racketeering, and the black market. Once that was firmly in his grasp, he turned his attention to government and the courts, coercing high-ranking officials into legitimizing every little money-making scheme he proposed. Soon not only was the garbage of Mobius in his pocket, but the aristocracy as well. Then, once everything was in order, he went public in order to begin winning the hearts and minds of the people. Once again, everything in Rimgar’s life was going according to plan; that is, until a certain incident.
Two years ago, under contract from a competing energy company, the Legion was to sabotage a prototype power generator before the day of its grand unveiling. The aim was to make it fail in front of an audience hundreds strong, and to ruin the company’s image while stealing the glory for their competitor. On that day, a meltdown occurred, resulting in an explosion that rocked 4 city blocks and showered the landscape in dust and debris. The man on the inside, whom Rimgar had sent to do the job, was lost in the explosion, along with more than 200 scientists, spectators and local residents. Rimgar was furious. He kept himself informed of every news feed, every police report, and every rumor that went flying in the wake of the disaster, hoping, praying they would not discover the Legion’s connection to the incident. At first it seemed as though they were in the clear, until a survivor was found at the center of the blast crater. Immediately Rimgar saw to it that this echidna was watched at all times, until they could confirm that he knew nothing of importance. Several weeks went by, and Rimgar found himself taking pity on the broken creature lying on the hospital bed. He decided the time had come to put everything into practice, and make him an example for the world what a bright and glorious future cybernetics will bring.
For two years, Shazbot was Rimgar’s shining example, a testament to the Dark Legion’s mandate of better living through technology. The two of them attended conferences, meetings, senate hearings, and all manner of public events as Rimgar showed off his prize. During that time, the two became friends, brothers in the Legion, sharing all the same hopes and dreams. However, Rimgar kept his criminal ties a secret. He knew his friend to be an honorable sort, and honorable people have a way of acting foolish when faced with grim reality.
One night, another disaster struck Rimgar’s life. It was late, and he was going through his records trying to track down an old deal he made with a local mob boss. He was called away from his office suddenly by a silent alarm, triggered by some unknown intruder. In his rush to apprehend them he forgot to properly latch the safe. After he’d left, Shazbot came wandering into his office, oblivious to the commotion, and discovered the files. Rimgar returned just in time to greet his now former friend, and knew that he had no choice but to put him down, before he did something especially foolish. Unfortunately, his draw was too slow, and he cursed his organic muscles and his frail body. Plying every wicked charm he could muster, he tried to convince Shaz to hesitate, to lower his guard long enough to get off the first deadly shot. Just when his opponent looked as though he’d lost the will to fight, Rimgar snatched up his pistol, and an insane buzzing roared up from the back of his mind. Words like “friend” and “brother” and “parents” all came rushing into his mind the instant he pulled the trigger, causing the shot to go wide. Before he could recover, another shot rang out, and he felt an intense burning in his chest, followed by a biting chill. As he lay on the floor, his vision becoming a clouded haze, he looked up at the face of his killer, harsh and cruel in the half-light. Life left him, and he felt all his ambitions slipping away into nothingness…
He awoke, amidst the sound of whirring machines and beeping computers. He was standing upright in a metal tube, though he had no feeling in his… well, his anything. He had been robotocized, an ancient and barbaric technology that had been researched by his scientists for potential applications in quick and painless cybernetic enhancement. It seemed as though they didn’t have time to save Rimgar with more elaborate methods, and resorted to the quick, easy fix. No sooner was he out of the tube than he was quizzing his men for status updates on Shazbot. He was told that he’d been out for over 12 hours, and that in that time Shazbot had stolen one of their prized airships, The Barracuda, and had attempted to flee with it before he and the ship mysteriously vanished from the face of Mobius. Rimgar flew into a rage, smashing equipment and flinging scientists like rag dolls. He vowed that he would track down Shazbot, reclaim what had been stolen, and that he would have his revenge on that two-faced traitor who dared defy the will of the Legion. Even now, he searches for a way to pursue his quarry to whatever pocket dimension he has hidden himself in…
Moves/Combat Style:
Magna-Handgun: Fires his pistol at a target, striking with deadly accuracy up to 60 yards. The rounds deal little damage, but are armor piercing, boring through hardened surfaces and slicing through metal. They also create a small shockwave as they fly, pushing aside anything that comes within half an inch of the bullet’s trajectory and giving each impact a small amount of knockback. Prone to overheating; can only fire 8 shots before having to purge the firing chamber. (Able to fire a maximum of 2 shots per major action) Purging the chamber takes an amount of time equal to 7 major actions (counted across all turns for all players in combat), after which Rimgar must spend an additional major action to cycle the chamber, making the gun ready to fire again. Rimgar can use any other ability while the Magna-Handgun is on cooldown. This weapon can be fired underwater and in space.
Volt Knuckles: Rimgar has replaced the traditional knuckle-spikes on his gloves with pairs of square-metal diodes. These high-voltage knuckles electrocute enemies on contact, giving a lightning kick to each punch and potentially stunning organic targets. When used to attack metal targets, (like robots) has a chance to overload their circuits and deal extra damage. Can be used any number of times per day with no charge limit. Especially dangerous to use around water; if Rengar is wet when he tries to throw a volt-punch, he runs the risk of shorting out, frying the tasers in his fists and rendering them useless until repaired. (Since the flamethrower uses the tasers as an ignition source, they are also disabled, until the tasers can be repaired.)
Hands of Fire: Between each of the diodes on his knuckles is a small spray nozzle that ejects a volatile, highly combustible fluid that ignites when passing through the arcing electricity, creating large gouts of flame that fire up to 6 feet, with a 3 foot spread at maximum range. He has enough fluid in both arms to spew flames continuously for 8 major actions. (4 turns) If he runs out, he must return to his hideout for more fluid, or he can refill with regular gasoline (Or similar equally-flammable liquid) should it ever be made available, giving him a maximum of 4 actions (2 turns) worth of spray. The gasoline flames also only reach 4 feet with a 2 foot spread. Enemies set on fire take damage over time, and burns continue to pain opponents long after the flames have died. Can also be used to melt/set terrain on fire for several turns, making it hazardous. Robotic enemies suffer greatly reduced damage from fire.
Poison Gas Pellets: Ejects a small, fragile glass pellet from Rimgar’s stomach, either into his waiting palm to be thrown, or straight onto the ground where it detonates at Rimgar’s feet. Any organic enemy within 10 feet of the impact point (throw radius is about 20 feet) begins to take small amounts of poison damage. The cloud lasts 5 turns (Counted for all players in combat) or until the end of Rimgar’s next turn, whichever comes first. This damage-over-time effect lingers after a target has left the cloud, up to 3 of their turns, depending on their constitution. (Note that in the case of a large number of players in combat, anyone caught in the radius after the smoke dissipates at the end of 5 turns still take the lingering effects of the poison, as though they had stepped out of the radius.) When the pellet is dropped in an enclosed space (like a room or a hallway) the cloud lingers for an additional 5 turns, or until the end of Rimgar’s second turn. This ability has no effect on robots. Can be affected by weather and windy conditions, causing the cloud to dissipate in a little as 2 turns on a windy day. (Enemies in the impact area are still poisoned) The toxin is aerosol based, and must be absorbed through the lungs to have any great effect. It can be ingested, with only the risk of stomach cramps to trouble the victim. Therefore, using this ability in water will cause the poison to be dispersed into the liquid, rendering it all but harmless. Can carry up to 3 pellets at a time
Precision Missile: Conceals tiny, pencil-sized rockets in his chest, launching them at distant foes with explosive results. Can track fast-moving targets and carries a payload equal to that of a hand-grenade. Effective tracking range is 80 feet, with a maximum flight distance of 100 yards. Can be fired in artillery-mode to strike distant locations, making them effective for flushing enemies out of cover. Small size and light weight makes them easily susceptible to windy or stormy conditions, severely affecting their accuracy and flight distance. To fire, Rimgar must spend 2 actions (1 full turn) setting himself and tracking his target, firing during the second action. (He cannot move and fire on the same turn) He is able to swap the fuel cells in each missile for an aquatic-based propellant, turning them into high-speed torpedoes when fired underwater. Carries a maximum of 4 missiles, which can only be replenished at his hideout.
Cloak of Deception: If you’ve ever seen the movie “Predator”, you already know how this works. Activates a framework of light-bending cells in his cloak, wrapping it around himself and rendering Rimgar all but invisible until the beginning of his next turn. While cloaked, Rimgar cannot use any of his abilities, and if he is damaged while using this ability, the cloak becomes disabled for the remainder of combat. (Fixing it outside of combat is simple, but takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes) Rimgar can cloak himself and one other ally for a stealthy dodge maneuver, although doing so puts the cloak at even greater risk of damage. When used out of combat, allows Rimgar to sneak around largely unnoticed for up to 1 minute, after which the light-cells suffer a burn-out, and the cloak must be repaired before it can be used again. (Note: Stealthing before a major combat leaves it unusable for the duration of the fight; therefore getting caught can be a risky proposition.) The cloak cannot block infrared vision, and appears as static on x-ray imaging. Requires 1 minor action, and can only be activated at the end of his turn during combat. Whenever Rimgar is attacked, if his cloak is still functional, he can activate it in lieu of a counterattack to avoid the blow or bullet, reappearing a short distance away. Can perform up to 6 stealths/dodges in a single combat before the cloak burns out.
Team Blast; We Are Legion! : Rimgar calls all of his allies to arms, focusing everyone’s firepower in a single direction to decimate an enemy or group of enemies. Any NPC ally not currently engaged in combat will leap to his side, and any other unit in combat with an enemy will be granted a free action with which to fire on the designated target area, creating a field of cross-fire. If an ally has an extra sidearm handy, they will toss it to Rimgar, who will empty the clip into his target; otherwise he will expend all remaining rounds in his Magna-Handgun. Other player-characters who attack the same target will also deal bonus damage. As a side effect, any NPCs in the combat area who are neutral to Rimgar may be inspired to join his cause, taking up arms to fight alongside him, adding their fighting-strength to his squad for the rest of the battle. (Probably longer) Using this ability takes a full turn (2 actions) and he cannot move or stealth-dodge while using it. Successfully killing or disabling enemies with this ability gives his allies a strong morale-boost which lasts even after the end of the combat.
Chaos Burst; Overlord Cannon: Drops to one knee and brings his arms together to form a massive cannon with a spinning chamber. After a brief charge, launches a huge ball of elemental destruction, charged with all his damage potential at once. On impact the mortar explodes, sending every enemy within 10 feet flying, and damaging every enemy within 15 feet for a mixture of poison, fire, and electric damage, stunning his targets while inflicting minor damage-over-time for 1-3 turns and leaving them with moderate burns. The mortar also generates a localized sonic boom, pushing aside anyone who comes within 2 feet of its flight path. (No damage) Can be fired without a chaos emerald once every two days, otherwise it can be fired up to twice a day. (At least 12 hours between shots.)
Skills:
Master Commander: Able to inspire allies to daring feats of valor, increasing the effectiveness of allied NPCs in combat and giving other players a boost in combat effectiveness, slightly raising their hit/evade. Able to command nearly any unit with practiced ease.
Quick-Draw: After his death at the hands of Shazbot, Rimgar has learned how to draw his sidearm with blinding speed and pinpoint precision. Drawing his sidearm is considered a free action, and always supersedes other player or NPC actions when carried out at the same time. Additionally, he suffers no penalty for firing from the hip, striking any target within 20 feet with the same accuracy as someone firing at shoulder-height. Other characters with similar speed-based skills/abilities carry out their actions in standard order.
Silver Tongue: Rimgar has a much higher chance than normal of convincing others to see things his way. His natural charm and charisma, combined with a knack for leadership, make others want to listen to him. He is also perceptive, able to root out the secret weaknesses and desires of his targets, making effective decisions about whether to bribe or blackmail.
Strengths:
Cunning: Rimgar likes to stay 2 steps ahead of everyone, even his own men. No matter what his actions may indicate, he is always plotting and planning ahead, looking for ways to turn each new development to his advantage.
Robotocized: When he was shot, his men had to robotocize Rimgar in order to save his life. Now, his brain is much more portable, and easily transferred. If ever his body becomes horribly mangled or broken, he can always switch to a spare body. Whenever he returns to his hideout, he can be fully recovered and ready for action in as little as five minutes. Out in the field, he requires the aid of a skilled mechanic to recover from injuries. He does not breath, and has no need to eat or sleep.
Ruthless: Rimgar is determined to the point of madness to see his plans through to the end. He will never stop, never falter, and never back down in the face of overwhelming opposition. He will use every underhanded trick, every shortcut and maneuver to attain ultimate victory. Even when defeated, he will always be prepared to hatch some new scheme or play some overlooked trump-card. For him, the only true defeat to be found is in death, and he is a master at evading it.
Weaknesses:
Mentally Unbalanced: Rimgar practices cognitive dissonance with unparalleled frequency, conniving every possible crime while assuring himself of his own righteousness. Whenever he reaches a point where he is consciously aware of his own hypocrisy, he suffers a complete mental breakdown, losing all faith in his motives and goals and hiding himself away from the rest of the world. Such episodes are as rare as they are brief, as it doesn’t take long to remind himself of his vision of the perfect, beautiful world he is building. Still, such doubts nag at the back of his mind like gnats, and he must constantly find ways to drown them out.
Overlooks the Obvious: Rimgar prides himself on his mental acuity, in fact he fancies himself “a genius whose wit is beyond compare, and whose grasp of the universe is beyond measure.” He likes to control everything, down to the smallest detail. However, because he so enjoys his control over the subtle, he often fails to grasp what most would consider obvious. Sometimes, his plans are defeated by the simplest, most glaring flaw, one he either failed or refused to take into account. He spends so much of his time outplaying the knight, queen, and bishop all at once that he fails to notice the pawn creeping ever closer toward his back row…
Undisciplined: Though he fancies himself a genius, he has never once taken it upon himself to learn even basic self-defense. Relying on strategy, cunning, and a vast array of gadgets, he never learned to fight, and is easily overpowered in a straight brawl. When the gloves come off, his only practical option is flight.
Other Info:
Rimgar is the leader of his own private faction, therefore no matter where his dealings take him, he is never affiliated with any single other faction. He might aid or oppose them, but he is for all intents and purposes a faction unto himself.
He will enter the shattered universe with very few minions, along with a couple of his must trusted lieutenants. (NPC bios to follow) These minions will spread out across the shattered universe to join every other faction as a hidden agent. Regardless of their actions for that faction, they are unquestioningly loyal to the Dark Legion, and send regular reports to Rimgar several times a week.
Minions:
The uniform of a member of the Dark Legion consists of a black hooded cloak. All members, regardless of rank, have at least one cybernetic augmentation, including eyes, limbs, and organ replacements. Though in the past the Dark Legion was exclusive to echidnas, now all races of mobians (and even humans) can be counted among their ranks. They are constantly on the lookout for new recruits, and will report potential candidates to their superiors before approaching. Whenever they meet in their secret hideout, they appear in uniform; otherwise they keep their hoods safely under lock and key. Only Rimgar’s two lieutenants are exempt from the dress code, opting instead for all-black pants and long-sleeve shirts.
Lieutenants:
Name: Sveinhelm (“Sven”)
Age: 59
Sex: Male
Species: Echidna
Faction: Independent (Dark Legion)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Appearance: A dark, maroon-red echidna with a heavily muscled build despite his age. Wears black jeans with a black long-sleeve shirt. Has a silver sash that flows from his right shoulder to his left hip. Has a pair of machine pistols with extended clips belted to his wait, with extra clips sticking out from pouches on the back of his belt. Both his eyes are cybernetic, a dull grey with no pupils. Carries himself like a military man, with an air of elegance and sophistication. Often has a severe look on his face, as though he just tasted something horrible.
Personality: Rimgar’s second-in-command, and his most trusted advisor, Sven takes his job very seriously. He was the head butler of Rimgar’s estate, and has served his family for three generations. He follows Rimgar’s commands with extreme diligence and unquestioning loyalty. Rimgar often confides in him, and Sven is the only living being able to speak with the tyrant on equal footing. Often acts as a check for Rimgar’s violent temper. Has an extreme dislike for his comrade, Esmera.
Bio: Sven served in the St. John Special Forces under his majesty King Acorn the XII, where he was grievously wounded by a grenade, which took both his eyes. He was approached by Rimgar’s grandfather, who offered him not only his sight, but a new assignment as his butler and personal bodyguard. In his service, Sven vowed to always protect and serve the masters of the Dark Legion for as long as he lived.
When Rimgar dissolved the Dark Legion, Sven thought he might have lost his reason for living, until one night when a local drug lord raided their hideout in retaliation for Rimgar’s attempt to extort money. During the shootout, Rimgar stood by him and held the gangsters off until they could make their escape, even going so far as to take a bullet in the shoulder for his old butler. From that moment on, Sven never questioned his master, following his orders to the letter. Any doubt he might have held for Rimgar’s leadership dispelled, Sven now makes it his solemn duty to see their plans through to the end.
Skills:
With Age Comes Experience: Sven may be old, but he is still just as strong and fast as he was 20 years ago, except now he has a plethora of training and combat experience to back it up. Whenever a saving throw is made for Sven, he will usually get the better (if not best) result, affording him a great deal of survivability.
Name: Esmera Elda
Age: TOP SECRET (appears 25-27)
Sex: Female
Species: Fox
Faction: Independent (Dark Legion)
Alignment: Neutral
Appearance: A shapely vixen with a lithe frame and strong, muscular legs. Wears loose-fitting black pants belted tightly at the waist, a black tank-top with a leather jacket, and an ammo belt hanging freely from her belt. Has long, wavy hair, and an especially fluffy tail that waves back-and-forth when she talks. Her fur is a pale, russet brown, and she keeps a pistol belted to her left waist. (She is left-handed) Also carries several knives concealed throughout her wardrobe, including a tiny dagger hidden inside her hair. It is unknown what has been cybernetically enhanced, although rumors abound…
Personality: Playful and nonchalant, she seems to be uninterested in the things going on around her. A stark contrast to her partner, she never seems to take anything seriously, and is constantly cracking bad jokes, especially at times when such jokes would be inappropriate. Inside, she is ambitious and observant, looking to raise her status in the world with as little work as possible. She has no great love for Rimgar’s vision or the Dark Legion, however she holds a great deal of respect for the charismatic echidna, and he is the only one she takes orders from. Unlike other power-hungry individuals, she does not wish to claim total authority, being content to remain in her current rank and avoid any of the responsibility. She makes it her business to annoy Sven whenever possible.
Bio: Esmera was a petty crook, a pickpocket, before joining the legion. She’d distract young men on the street with her demure figure and winning smile, then swipe their pocketbooks while they were distracted. What she did before this is unknown, however she seemed to retain a great number of remarkle skills, which she put to use when she tried to pull her act on a certain echidna walking down a dark alley. Rimgar retaliated violently, but Esmera survived the assault, and after he’d had a chance to calm down, Rimgar admitted that he was impressed her talents, and asked if she would like a job.
She refused at first, but not before learning where the hideout was. That night, she snuck in and decided to steal something from Rimgar, a way to get back at him for foiling her first attempt to rob him. Unfortunately, Rimgar knew she was coming and laid a trap for her. 10 armed guards attempted to bring her down, but she evaded every single one, hospitalizing all ten and making a break for the exit. Rimgar was waiting there, holding the door open, when he informed her that the interview was a smashing success, and that she was now hired to be one of his top brass. Now it was Esmera’s turn to be impressed, as it seemed this echidna that showed no fear or hesitation had outsmarted her at every turn. She agreed, and has been working as his top infiltrator ever since.
Skills:
My Eyes Are Up Here: Esmera is pretty, and she knows it. Whenever she deals with a member of the opposite sex, she is much more likely to persuade him.
Knives Akimbo: No matter where she is or what she’s doing, Esmera always has a knife. Even if subjected to a strip search, she would still find some way to smuggle a blade. Whatever the situation, a knife will always find a way into her hand. She can throw them like candy at a parade and still find more to add to her arsenal.
Okay, I'ma go sleep now. That was more work than it was worth.
RE: Rimgar - Nail Strafer - 12-14-2013 11:56 AM
The profile is very well written and so is the backstory, but he's unbalanced on the combat and abilities side.
It sounds like almost all of his moves and weapons would result in the fight being over pretty much instantly with an opponent if any of them connected. Let's run down the list. You can shoot people, electrocute them, poison them, set them on fire, blow them up, or zap them with a beam cannon. Even if you can only use some of these attacks a couple of times per fight, you've got so many lethal options it doesn't really matter. And if those don't work you can turn invisible, or instantly make every allied NPC and even some random NPCs in the area fight with you.
I know we've got some villains running around with comparable strength, but those are major villains being controlled by people who have been here for years and earned the privilege. Between Mammoth, Robotnik, and a dinosaur army, I just don't think we need another powerful villain around. What we really need are more good guys who will fight them. If you had been roleplaying with us for a couple years and Robotnik was the only villain around, I would be willing to say yes to this profile. However, I don't think I can accept this profile as it is right now.
Sorry to say this, but could you strip him down some? These are the bits that concern me the most of all:
Chaos Burst; Overlord Cannon - Even if it can only be used once every couple days, I think it's a little too much in the profile. I think this move should go.
Team Blast; We Are Legion! - If he had a lot of allies and NPCs around him, I imagine this move could be easily abused. If he attacked the heroes in a public place like a street in Soleanna the fight would be basically over for the good guys. The ability to instantly make every ally and NPC aligned with him do what he wants is just too powerful. Again, I think this is a move that can't be balanced and should just go.
Quick-Draw - Nail has this exact same move, and it even has the same name. However, I figured that if Nail could accurately shoot right after drawing his handgun, it could be abused and end fights way too quickly. So I balanced it by forcing an accuracy penalty on him. I think you should do the same. Realistically getting shot just once in an unarmored area means you're done fighting.
Silver Tongue - Understand that this will only work on other players if they're willing to play along, or if you as the player are smart enough to outsmart the other players.
You know though, I actually am intrigued by the idea of you having spies in other factions. Once again though I imagine it would only work as well as other players wanting to play along. Just don't expect your NPCs to be near as powerful as a real character, unless you want to spend a character slot on them. In a straight up fight with a player character, NPCs should always lose.
RE: Rimgar - Chadin - 12-14-2013 05:47 PM
Just for my own memory here, but timeline-wise, is Shazbot and Rimgar some far-future Mobius? Because (and I'm referencing the Archie Comics here) the Dark Legion was pretty much always considered a terrorist organization by any other group be they the echinda society on the Floating Island, or the Kingdom of Acorn. Additionally, from what I gathered on the time line of Shazbot, the shattering occurred not long after Shazbot stole that ship (certainly not 12 years later anyway), hence why it still ended up near Solenna despite it's lack of complete repairs etc. If my reasoning is correct, then Rimgar would be reawakening 12 years after the shattering took place within whatever pocket dimension he originally came from and otherwise unable to even be in this mish-mashed world that makes up our particular slice of reality.
Beyond that particular plot-hole, Rimgar is a frightening powerhouse too be sure, and as Nail said, that makes me nervous. As said before, him coercing people to just join his cause could potentially make a tough situation (simply fighting Rimgar and theoretically a group of his lieutenants) damn-near impossible. Let's face it, not every player has powers equivalent to Sonic. Heck, even Tails would quickly be overpowered by a thrall of angry people. (Though convincing random people to fight against famous stalwarts like Sonic and Tails would likely just result in the exact opposite happening)
I can understand wanting to build a character that can take on a large group of heroes and all, but with so many powerful, and very lethal options, he's basically a Swiss Army knife ready to cut everyone to pieces before they say go.
That Stealth-dodge thing for instance seems particularly broken. He could easily dodge a surprise attack, and then once his cloak is down, quick-draw his pistol and according to your wording, his shot will always go off before any other player can react. I'm not entirely certain even with that cloak he'd be able to insta-dodge anyway. To me, an easy balancing act would be that he's a slow and ponderous character. Either that or a glass cannon; able to deal out tremendous damage, but fragile and vulnerable. Personally, I'm not fond of a glass-cannon character because one way or another the fight is pretty much over after only one solid hit. Call me sadistic, but I like to see players deal and receive hits relatively evenly and role-play how they deal with those limitations.
Chaos Burst; Overlord Cannon:
Considering you already have a missile launcher that can be used for both direct and in-direct fire, I'm not really sure you need ANOTHER big boom cannon.
The poison pellets is something of a conundrum for me that I'd really prefer to avoid altogether. Biological warfare is a sticky and slippery concept enough as it is, and considering we don't delve into 'constitutions' as an attribute here, it's a difficult concept to enforce. Biological/chemical agents aren't exactly known for being something that you can just "Walk away from" after exposure. Like the flamethrower, (under direct exposure) you're looking at very real, very serious long term consequences that no-one wants to deal with. At least in the case of the flamethrower you can "In Theory" recover from the burns; assuming you didn't receive 3rd degree burns that melts your muscles clean off your bones. *shudders* Chemical and Biological agents are rarely so benign.
I grant you we frequently exploit "Health Potions", other short-hand easy-fix medical cures, or massive time-skips to speed up recovery times, but the overarching principle is the same in my eyes. I'd rather not have to resort to either of those options if I can. Flesh wounds can be enough to end a fight, but not so devastating that it leaves the player a pile of mushy red goo.
RE: Rimgar - Rimgar - 12-14-2013 10:32 PM
...huh. Well, you guys took issue with everything I suspected you would, along with pretty much everything else. I'm gonna have to re-write his whole combat strategy, aren't I?
To begin with, let me just say that you guys are 100% right, that I was coming at this whole thing with the wrong frame of mind. I don't have a lot of experience role-playing, in fact any RP I've ever participated in has usually been shut down in 2 weeks or less. Due to this, I didn't think very much of how to play against Rimgar when I wrote his combat abilities. And yes, for the record, a glass cannon is exactly what I was going for. (Even in combat, he charges forward to victory with brutal cunning.) I didn't really expect any of his abilities to be "fight enders", I mean I kinda wrote him combat-wise to be the polar-opposite of not only Shazbot, but the mystery character as well. In fact, the three of them (as they are all currently written) have fighting styles that not only perfectly offset each other, but perfectly compliment each other as well, if they were fighting side-by-side. At least, that's the idea I was going for. I suppose I thought of Rimgar more in videogame terms than RPG terms, and the idea of shooting someone with a flamethrower in a game is so much simpler than in a narrative. Also, what's the big deal about the gun? I thought most every character on here shot guns? True I might have gone overboard with the quick-draw, but you listed it with his "fight ending" abilities. What gives? Does it sound too powerful? I'm also a little surprised you didn't actually object to the rockets. I didn't even give those much thought, I just threw them in there because I couldn't think of anything more elaborate. One more thing: isn't there a guy on here who can shoot fire and ice from the palms of his hands? Why weren't there any special considerations for him? Did he simply not list "frostbite" and "third-degree-burns" among the possible side-effects of getting cryogenically frozen or blasted with fireballs?
It also never occurred to me that your villains actually outnumber your heroes. If I had known this, I would have framed Rimgar a little differently. I don't know if you noticed, but Rimgar's goals and motivations make it quite easy for him to ally with the hero characters. In fact, I was already thinking about a scenario after the reveal when he would unite against the dinosaur army. His presence was supposed to be a wild card, something that could turn the tide of any unbalanced situation.
Revisiting this old story (one I kinda-sorta wrote years ago but never properly fleshed out) was really nostalgic for me, and I wanted a villain from my personal universe that could match Eggman in terms of threat value, yet still be sympathetic and have complicated motivations, not just "take over the world". You see, I kinda had a personal stake in it, not just wanting to create a good RP character, but a good villian I could take home with me if I ever wanted to really try again with comics/stories of my fan character. I'm sorry I didn't take your guys' RP into consideration more, I just got carried away writing my own thing. (In my defense, the internet was down, so all I really had to look at was my own stuff.)
Anyway, back to the combat: I KNEW you guys would object to the cloak. I KNEW it didn't matter how much I nerfed it, how reserved I was with it, that thing would still raise some alarms. Every time I pulled up the document to work on it, I made some change to the cloak to make it less powerful, and I KNEW it wouldn't be enough. As soon as I typed that note about the Predator movie, I just KNEW you wouldn't like it, but that's okay, it's no biggie. Can't blame a guy for trying, right? I can write the cloak to do something else.
His combat kit was meant to bring a variety of stuns, slows, and DOT effects into the fight, but maybe I've been playing too much League of Legends? Nothing in his arsenal (aside from his gun and rockets) is a high-damage ability, mostly there to inflict status ailments. Even his gun, as stated in the description, has the stopping power of a magnum, but doesn't actually deal a lot of damage. The rockets were, again, a throw-away idea, yet they are the only ability you guys didn't seem to have a problem with.
For my Chaos Burst, this was actually another throw-away idea. I wanted something that complimented what I had already written, but I couldn't think of anything beyond "shoot them with everything at once". I'm totally cool with scrapping this whole idea, as I never liked it to begin with. (Well, I mostly didn't like it. Again, from a videogame perspective, this is pretty kickass right here.)
My Team Blast, on the other hand, I may have to fight you on just a bit. I can understand not liking that neutral NPCs could jump in with it; that's cool, I thought you might object, I was ready to write that part out. The rest? Personally, I don't see a terribly huge problem with it. To begin with, it perfectly compliments his personality; Not just sending his minions to fight, but standing with them and dealing out the hurt side-by-side. For another thing, it lasts only one turn, and amounts to two (only one from allied NPCs already engaged with someone else) basic attacks on a single area. True, it could end the fight pretty quickly if their target was standing out in the open and making no move to evade or defend himself. What I mostly threw it in for was to take down large targets, like an Eggman machine or a vehicle. That, or to blast away at an enemy's fortified position, or to fire down a hallway and annihilate a group of charging enemies. The kind of power that can bring down an Eggman robot is of course going to inflict major damage on soft targets. The point is, you talked about having characters in this game that could take the hurt and keep on fighting. A team blast is supposed to be powerful, because you are combining the damage potential of several characters at once. (In this case, a lot of mooks who normally wouldn't pose much threat to a player character on their own.) If a player character can't survive a team blast, despite being able to punch a robot in the face, teleport, run at lightning speed, cut bullets with a katana, etc. then how are they meant to survive ANY onslaught from ANY source? There is no "I used this ability, so every bullet hits" clause attached. If they can take damage from other sources and other players which is more elaborate/lethal than a bunch of bullets fired at the same location, then what's so overpowered about this Team Blast? Don't tell me you guys have to stop everything when someone gets cut by a sword, because realistically a sword cut would be enough to take you out of a fight? I need to know right now, are we going for realism, or are we going for super-powered? Do I need to think in terms of Gundam (Where the heroes are awesome because they can dodge everything) or Mazinger (where the heroes are awesome because they can take everything)? I had assumed the latter. (Because let's face it: the source material doesn't leave much room for reality all things considered.) Finally, just imagine how cool it would look with Rimgar standing at the center of his squad shouting "WE ARE LEGION!!!" at the top of his lungs while turning a 12-foot mech into swiss-cheese. Two words: Bad. Ass.
To finish up, the poison is too complicated (even for me) but I just wanted to run it by you. That can go. The fire is a problem narratively, that can go. The shock knuckles too easily overpower flesh-and-blood opponents, I'll need to revise them. The Chaos Burst is the finger of God, that can go. The Team Blast will be revised, but I'm loathe to remove it. We'll talk. The silver tongue ability is, well, I dunno. I don't see much of a problem with it, and it's kinda required for his character and backstory to work. If you're worried other players are going to be stubborn and just never let anything Rimgar says fool them, that they'll always be able to see through his lies regardless of any ability he has, then that doesn't sound like a problem with my character.
Also, Chadin, to help you out, yes my universe is a future Archie series, hundreds of years after the events in the comic. In that time, the Dark Legion has become less of a terrorist organization and more of an organised religion. The time frame for Rimgar's backstory is not that complicated; 12 years ago, he lost his parents. 2 years ago, the machine blew up and he rescued Shaz'rael. Right now, he is furious because twelve hours ago Shaz broke into his office, stole some sensitive materials, (including a prototype emerald) shot him, and took off with an airship before vanishing into thin air. As of this moment Shaz is here in the Shattered Universe, and Rimgar is trying to find a way to pursue him. In the case of my universe, it has not shattered and merged yet. Shaz simply flew in through one of the "cracks" opened up by the fake emerald. In his haste to pursue Shazbot, Rimgar will likely accelerate the shattering when he forces his way through. Does that make sense?
At any rate, I'll get to work revising his combat options with the things you said in mind. There has to be some way we can make that Team Blast work, because I simply don't see what's so overpowered about it. His minions are going to follow his orders anyway, I wouldn't even need to make it a "Team Blast" to do pretty much the same exact thing with a squad of Legions behind him. If you are suggesting Rimgar should be more of a stand-alone character, that he shouldn't have a squad of minions by his side most of the time, then maybe I could understand taking it out in favor of a more personal Team Blast. Even then, though, I would want to keep it, simply because his relationship with NPCs is the crux of his character. I dunno, we'll have to think about this.
One last thing: if you're worried about my "mystery character" being yet-another villain, rest assured it is a hero through-and-through. Now, more than ever, I must wait and watch for the perfect time for this character to make an entrance.
In any case, at least Shazbot is done, and I can start something with him while we work this out.
RE: Rimgar - Chadin - 12-15-2013 06:57 AM
Whoops... my bad. When I read this profile, it was late at night after I came home from a long company Christmas party. I mis-read that Rimgar was out cold after Shazbot shot him for 12 YEARS as opposed to only 12 HOURS. My bad. You can disregard that issue then.
As for the backstory thing. Could you maybe clarify that bit about the Dark Legion being more of a publicly visible religion/cult in the far flung future in the backstory as well. It will avoid further confusion that way.
Team Blast:
Chalk this one up to the power of words and somehow managing to use that against yourself. I grant you using it as a 'dire situation' type move or a anti-heavy hitter type move, would be neat. However, given everything you've established about the character throughout your profile, I got the overwhelming impression that Rimgar would never EVER work alongside anyone who doesn't already work for him, or whose goals did not perfectly mirror his own. (and lets face it, he's nuts so that's unlikely)
I never said this move has to be removed wholesale, but we can tweak it here or there; especially now that I have a better idea of what you envisioned this thing to be. In your original description of that move you said "Any" nearby allies. That could me one, or it could mean twenty people all directing their attention against possibly a single, huge mech, or a scared little rabbit hiding behind a flower. Now, if we either limit the number of individuals you can call to you side, or place some kind of penalty on those who turn there attention away from their current adversary to focus on yours then we might be able to make some traction.
On that note: We "TRY" (Massive Finger Quotes) to play this board semi-realistically. You could probably take a shot in the gut and keep going (with limitations you have to role play in of course) but you won't be lying there screaming for mommy like in real-life. That said, we have a bit of a thin line where the suspension of disbelief can teeter. It's a VERY thin line, but we try not to delve too far over it where we can. So with that said, yes, in theory the player characters can try and duck and weave between all the bullets and whatever else all those NPC's throw at you, but none (barring maybe Sonic) are capable of plausibly dodging, or avoiding all of it. Let's just pretend for a second you get 3 guys together and have them unload a full clip of automatic weapons at someone. That's potentially 90 rounds of shots coming at you. Statistically speaking, unless you're behind cover or can plausibly get behind cover, you're going to get hit far more than just once. Using this rally against a large, imposing target like an Egg-mech, fair play, but I think both me and Nail are more concerned about you using this ability every chance he can get against individual, softer targets.
For the life of me I can't recall who it is who can shoot both Ice and Fire, but that's besides the point. Unfortunately, things tend to get a little fuzzy around here and fire and ice projectiles kind of fall into that weird little gray-zone. Cold/Ice can be debilitating, but not long term effecting. E.G. the cold reduces reflexes and numbs limbs, but doesn't necessarily cause long term damage like flames would. A fire blast on the other hand is once more a fuzzy little bastard. I tend to think of a fireball as something more like a flaming baseball. The bulk of the damage is dealt kinetically, with a fire that doesn't remain hot long enough to really catch anything on fire or cause more than 2nd or 1st degree burns, but both cases aren't "AS" bad as what a flamethrower can do.
I guess the problem I have with a flame thrower though is I KNOW how horrifying such a thing is. And the biggest thing is, the power of those weapons is that it burns hot, long and can't be easily put out in the same way a burning piece of paper or clothe can. If you get caught in the blast, your day is done. Facing off against a character who can use one is scary and a tough challenge so long as the other player hasn't stacked the scenario in their favour. Facing off against one who ALWAYS has one is downright terrifying, because if you can use them any time and stack the scenario to the point another player can't NOT be hit or avoid it. This is part of that experience and trust we spoke of before.
As for the missiles, well, like I said, if it's reasonably possible to dodge, I don't normally have too much problems with it. I was certainly raising my eyebrows when I read that part, but I had much larger concerns to address first, and my hope was that once we toned down other aspects, it might be less concerning.
One of the biggest things you need to be conscious of is how you word things. You did, at least in my opinion, a good job of painting Rimgar as a ruthless, power hungry ego-manic bent on pursuing his own goals and bowing or siding with no one. Unfortunately, seeing so many destructive abilities makes my pants wet thinking about him unleashing all that stuff on the aforementioned scared bunny just because Rimgar stepped in the oblivious little bunny's poo.
Huh... I wonder if the Geneva conventions prevent the torture of metaphors?
RE: Rimgar - Nail Strafer - 12-15-2013 12:40 PM
I'm pretty surprised you said you don't have much experience roleplaying. It's because Shazbot was so well designed and balanced from the get-go and we didn't have to make many changes. If this is you inexperienced....man...I can't wait to see what you're like once you've got some real experience under your belt
Quick-draw: The gun itself is not a big deal to me. After all, my character Nail's combat strategy completely revolves around gunplay. It's the quick-draw ability. The reason I call it a "fight ender" is because if someone gets within 20 feet of you, you can draw your gun instantly and shoot them as accurately as if you had time to aim. In contrast, the opponent has a bullet in him before he even knows what happened, and can't dodge that without Matrix powers. The accuracy part is the part I have a problem with, as a result. If the move were not as accurate as stopping to aim, I'd have no problems with it. This is why I don't allow Nail to be accurate when using his own quick draw move. The idea came from using the move as a way of self-defense if the target gets too close, rather than offense.
I think I know who you're talking about with another character having the fire and ice powers. I don't mind people having a COUPLE of things that would normally be considered lethal. After all, why wouldn't you go into combat without something lethal? Unless you want the target to live that is. However, it's having such a wide range of lethal implements that frightens me. He's got something for too many different combat scenarios.
Silver Tongue: What you said in your last post is the point I was trying to make. I didn't have a problem with it at all. I was just warning you that an ability like that depends more on the player's skill rather than just saying the character used it. I'm totally okay with you keeping it.
Team Blast: Chadin's said most of what I wanted to say, but there's something else I want to add. Roleplaying is a cooperative activity and ideally requires team work for goals to be accomplished. With few exceptions (like major villain characters) no one player should be able to do everything by himself.
I feel like if you could use the Team Blast move with several NPC allies (without the need for another player), you'd be able to throw too much of your own weight around without depending on others. It would allow you to take on something like a mecha alone (as a player, not a character). If this move basically boosted the combat effectiveness of other player characters on his side, I'd feel a lot better about it.
By the way, the villains (as in player characters) don't literally outnumber the heroes. I just think that there's enough villains around already and not enough heroes. Think of it as kind of like an ecosystem that has too many predators and not enough prey, because a large number of prey animals (heroes) are needed to support every one predator (villains). If there are too many predators, things get very ugly for just about everyone involved.
The cloak: I actually didn't mind the cloak that much. The first draft of the profile showed you took a lot of pains to make it balanced and I really appreciated that. That's why I didn't call you out over it. But Chadin does raise a good point. It'd be very dangerous when paired with the quick-draw ability as it is now.
RE: Rimgar - Tails - 12-15-2013 03:26 PM
I hope I'm not overstepping my boundries here, but in terms of the flamethrower, I don't see it being as dangerous as some. A flamethrower is just as dangerous to the operator as any intended target. When struck, the fuel tanks on a flamethrower are at best, a bomb strapped directly to ones back.
On that note I do understand exactly what a flamethrower can do. (Had the chance to try one when I was in the army). The only real issue I can see with it is the RP aspect. The thought of a player having to type out how their character is rolling on the ground in agony, while their flesh is melting is... Unsettling.
From a hero's perspective, if a villain wants to walk around with a napalm filled bomb on their back then I'd only be happy to oblige.
RE: Rimgar - Rimgar - 12-15-2013 04:28 PM
...Remember Gunstar Heroes? Remember running around with your flamethrower gun and blasting everyone with a solid wall of fire? Remember how lighthearted and fun that was? | 8
...Anyway...
(12-15-2013 12:40 PM)Nail Strafer Wrote: I'm pretty surprised you said you don't have much experience roleplaying. It's because Shazbot was so well designed and balanced from the get-go and we didn't have to make many changes. If this is you inexperienced....man...I can't wait to see what you're like once you've got some real experience under your belt
In that case I'm like a journeyman; green as grass, but with frightening potential.
Totally going the pirate/berserker route btw. Just sayin'.
(12-15-2013 12:40 PM)Nail Strafer Wrote: Quick-draw: The gun itself is not a big deal to me. After all, my character Nail's combat strategy completely revolves around gunplay. It's the quick-draw ability. The reason I call it a "fight ender" is because if someone gets within 20 feet of you, you can draw your gun instantly and shoot them as accurately as if you had time to aim. In contrast, the opponent has a bullet in him before he even knows what happened, and can't dodge that without Matrix powers. The accuracy part is the part I have a problem with, as a result. If the move were not as accurate as stopping to aim, I'd have no problems with it. This is why I don't allow Nail to be accurate when using his own quick draw move. The idea came from using the move as a way of self-defense if the target gets too close, rather than offense.
Well, when you put it like that, that's an easy fix to make. Consider it done.
(12-15-2013 12:40 PM)Nail Strafer Wrote: I think I know who you're talking about with another character having the fire and ice powers. I don't mind people having a COUPLE of things that would normally be considered lethal. After all, why wouldn't you go into combat without something lethal? Unless you want the target to live that is. However, it's having such a wide range of lethal implements that frightens me. He's got something for too many different combat scenarios.
I was kinda trying to give him a favor for every party, but yeah I think it's clear I went overboard with that thought. If he were a character in something like .Hack though he'd be hella balanced. I'm open to ideas for different abilities to fill out his moveset, because I'm drawing mostly blanks on that front right now.
(12-15-2013 12:40 PM)Nail Strafer Wrote: Silver Tongue: What you said in your last post is the point I was trying to make. I didn't have a problem with it at all. I was just warning you that an ability like that depends more on the player's skill rather than just saying the character used it. I'm totally okay with you keeping it.
Yeah, I know, I'm gonna have to pull some serious Morgan Freeman verbose if I want other players to go along with it.
(12-15-2013 12:40 PM)Nail Strafer Wrote: Team Blast: Chadin's said most of what I wanted to say, but there's something else I want to add. Roleplaying is a cooperative activity and ideally requires team work for goals to be accomplished. With few exceptions (like major villain characters) no one player should be able to do everything by himself.
I feel like if you could use the Team Blast move with several NPC allies (without the need for another player), you'd be able to throw too much of your own weight around without depending on others. It would allow you to take on something like a mecha alone (as a player, not a character). If this move basically boosted the combat effectiveness of other player characters on his side, I'd feel a lot better about it.
Say no more! I think I know EXACTLY how to fix this thing! *Ahem* Presenting the new, revised Team Blast!
Team Blast; We Are Legion!: Rimgar shouts a battle cry, calling all of his allies to arms. Until the beginning of his next turn, any player or NPC who attacks the same target or target area as Rimgar deals 1.5x damage. On activation, if there are any NPCs nearby with a spare sidearm, they toss it to Rimgar, who unloads the clip on his target. Otherwise, he expends all remaining charges from his Magna Handgun. (putting it on cooldown) If any allies were caught by surprise or did not have the initiative, they automatically return to neutral status when attacking the designated target. Other allies enter a state of zealous furor for the duration of the ability, granting them an additional basic attack (as though they had a third major action). The damage bonus is increased to 3x when used against hard-targets, such as vehicles, structures, or mechs. Successfully destroying or disabling targets while the ability is active increases the morale of every ally on the battlefield, whether they fired on the target area or not.
How's that one strike ya? A little less "everyone shoots the thing" and a little more "everyone who shoots the thing gets a candy."
(12-15-2013 12:40 PM)Nail Strafer Wrote: By the way, the villains (as in player characters) don't literally outnumber the heroes. I just think that there's enough villains around already and not enough heroes. Think of it as kind of like an ecosystem that has too many predators and not enough prey, because a large number of prey animals (heroes) are needed to support every one predator (villains). If there are too many predators, things get very ugly for just about everyone involved.
I probably need to rewrite Rimgar's personality a little bit. See, I wrote that before I tackled the bio, and as I wrote the bio he sort of evolved in my mind a little bit, to the point where I can easily see him allying himself with the heroes. (Even Shazbot, despite the whole "revenge" thing) He was kinda meant to be a cross between Khan and Lex Luthor, with a large smattering of Magneto filling in the cracks. He's the bad guy, and he will have his way in the end, but for now this dinosaur problem is a real pain in the neck so what do you say? Truce? I can always kill you later, in fact I want time to really sit down and enjoy it, maybe put on some tea and play the 1812 overture while I get nice and comfortable in my satin-leggings. Also crumpets; I can't kill you without crumpets. In any event, these dinosaur vermin simply have to go.
(12-15-2013 12:40 PM)Nail Strafer Wrote: The cloak: I actually didn't mind the cloak that much. The first draft of the profile showed you took a lot of pains to make it balanced and I really appreciated that. That's why I didn't call you out over it. But Chadin does raise a good point. It'd be very dangerous when paired with the quick-draw ability as it is now.
So, if I tweak the Quick-Draw, I can just keep this as-is? Sounds good to me!
I know I said I'd try to do something this weekend, but life has been a little weird lately.Please excuse me if I put off any real participation for a little longer.
RE: Rimgar - Nail Strafer - 12-17-2013 10:59 AM
Quote:Team Blast; We Are Legion!: Rimgar shouts a battle cry, calling all of his allies to arms. Until the beginning of his next turn, any player or NPC who attacks the same target or target area as Rimgar deals 1.5x damage. On activation, if there are any NPCs nearby with a spare sidearm, they toss it to Rimgar, who unloads the clip on his target. Otherwise, he expends all remaining charges from his Magna Handgun. (putting it on cooldown) If any allies were caught by surprise or did not have the initiative, they automatically return to neutral status when attacking the designated target. Other allies enter a state of zealous furor for the duration of the ability, granting them an additional basic attack (as though they had a third major action). The damage bonus is increased to 3x when used against hard-targets, such as vehicles, structures, or mechs. Successfully destroying or disabling targets while the ability is active increases the morale of every ally on the battlefield, whether they fired on the target area or not.
How's that one strike ya? A little less "everyone shoots the thing" and a little more "everyone who shoots the thing gets a candy."
I said I wanted to make this move to where only player characters benefit from it, not NPCs. The idea is to get you to use it when other players are around so you can't potentially use it alone. Also, me and Chadin were thinking it'd be best if he could only do this once per fight. 3x damage is a bit much on hard targets. Maybe 2x is more appropriate.
Quote:So, if I tweak the Quick-Draw, I can just keep this as-is? Sounds good to me!
Well, there's something else. Maybe it would be best if the cloak prevents him from drawing or aiming any weapons while he's using it. Because I'd imagine that while he's invisible he could take careful aim and then shoot someone in the back of the head with it, and the other guy wouldn't get a chance to fight back.
Also, perhaps while doing a stealth dodge we could say that it takes one action to remove the cloak to resume fighting, which means the other action would be drawing your weapon again or moving to run. I'd feel better about the dodge move if it were purely for evading attacks rather than dodging and then suddenly gaining the upper hand easily.
RE: Rimgar - Chadin - 12-22-2013 05:01 AM
Quote:Well, there's something else. Maybe it would be best if the cloak prevents him from drawing or aiming any weapons while he's using it. Because I'd imagine that while he's invisible he could take careful aim and then shoot someone in the back of the head with it, and the other guy wouldn't get a chance to fight back.
Also, perhaps while doing a stealth dodge we could say that it takes one action to remove the cloak to resume fighting, which means the other action would be drawing your weapon again or moving to run. I'd feel better about the dodge move if it were purely for evading attacks rather than dodging and then suddenly gaining the upper hand easily.
Actually, (assuming you're okay with this Shaz), that actually sounds like a pretty acceptable way of balancing the cloak to me. I'd be happy to accept it in this form.
I do have one question about the NPC's though. Are they always going to be hanging around Rimgar, 24/7? Are they his little anime fan-girl entourage who cling to him with creepy dedication, or a bunch of fiendish henchmen who are more often off carrying out his fiendish orders of stealing everyone's left shoe while scribbling "Sonic was here" everywhere.
That said, perhaps we don't have to drop what Rimgar has thus far completely. Maybe the team blast would only boost NPC allies by 1.5X while it would give PC allies the aforementioned 3X? That way, the NPC's aren't completely useless, but the effectiveness of using it with 3X would encourage you to "play nice" with others? One issue I foresee with this line of thought however is that I don't really think it's the staff's duty to dictate how you as a player want to... um... play your character. That said, I think you'll quickly find that if you take your present course, you'll very quickly find yourself getting bored and one day you'll realize you aren't playing a role play game, you're writing fan-fiction. DUN DUN DUUUUNNNNN!!!!!
*Baby grand piano from on high drops on writer* - ow...
Anyway the point is, we don't want your character to be so self-sufficient that they never-ever interact with other characters because they can literally handle everything themselves, and that sort of goes for NPC's. Savvy?
Trust me, having a bunch of underdeveloped 'yes-men' surrounding your character will probably get a little dull. And if not, just remember this: You are going to have to keep track of EACH and EVERY one of them in the heat of a fight. (DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN!!!!)
*Whole sting quartet falls from sky for terrible joke #2*
Me and Nail both have experience trying (and sometimes failing) to keep our heads together tracking multiple targets, threats and thinking of something unique and interesting for them all to do. It can make your brain hurt. (or maybe it's just me...?) No trying to discourage you, but I'm just saying that (especially if you're new to this and maybe haven't got a handle on it yet, but maybe you do) focusing just on a single character can simplify things considerably.