Woodclaw's 2E - Hercules, Iolaus, Xena, Gabrielle

[Woodclaw]

Elric seems to have been responsible for creating several entire generations of characters who can be described in terms as 'long white haired fantasy anti-hero/villain in a society that doesn't quite like him very much, mixing in swordplay and dark magic'. Each one with their given twist. Drizzt dual-wields and has a panther, Raistlin doesn't do much on the swordplay side at all and focuses purely on magic, Anomander Rake is seven feet tall and made of pure badarse, and Geralt of Rivia has the combined successful libido of James Bond and Captain Kirk. With about as much womanising as the former, and about as much care for his love interest's species as the latter.

Pretty true.
Of all the ones you mentioned I think I like Raistlin the most, he's something of a douche (and I hate the whole hourglass eyes thing), but at least he felt something of a novelty.

[Narsil]

He was kind of meant to be a douche, though. An anti-hero turned outright villain, driven to greater and greater extremes in his lust for power. While not exactly making him likeable, it made for a fantastic story, and is part of the reason that Dragonlance is well-remembered and beloved.

As long as you remember that the Fifth Age was a horrible lie.

[Woodclaw]

He was kind of meant to be a douche, though. An anti-hero turned outright villain, driven to greater and greater extremes in his lust for power. While not exactly making him likeable, it made for a fantastic story, and is part of the reason that Dragonlance is well-remembered and beloved.

As long as you remember that the Fifth Age was a horrible lie.

While I kind of liked the concet behind the Fifth Age (mortals finally taking control), I agree that the execution was questionable at best and most of the material was not on par with what a fan might expect.

[Woodclaw]

By the Sword and Spell takes a turn for the campy.


If you have to fight, fight for peace, not for war.

Hercules (TV version)

Power Level: 10 (150pp)

Abilities: STR: 35 (+12), DEX: 14 (+2), CON: 30 (+10), INT: 14 (+2), WIS: 16 (+3), CHA: 16 (+3)

Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+6), Bluff 2 (+5), Craft (menial tasks) 3 (+5), Craft (structural) 3 (+5), Diplomacy 5 (+8), Gather Information 4 (+7), Handle Animal 3 (+6), Intimidate 5 (+8), Knowledge (arcane Lore) 2 (+4), Knowledge (current events) 4 (+6), Knowledge (theology & philosophy) 3 (+5), Language 3 (Ancient Gaelic, Old Norse, Sumerian; native: Ancient Greek), Notice 3 (+6), Perform (stringed instruments) 2 (+5), Ride 4 (+6), Search 2 (+4), Sense Motive 6 (+9), Stealth 3 (+5), Survival 3 (+6)

Feats: Accurate Attack, Attack Specialization 1 (unarmed), Benefit 1 (Common Sense), Chokehold, Connected, Defensive attack, Diehard, Dodge Focus 5, Improved Block 1, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative 1, Improved Pin, Improved Sunder, Interpose, Leadership, Lionheart 1, Rousing Speech 1 (Diplomacy), Stunning Attack, Takedown Attack 2, Teamwork 1, Track, Ultimate Strength, Weapon Break

Powers:

Demigod (Immunity 2 [Aging, Disease]; 2pp)
Super-Strength 5 (heavy load: 50 tons; PF: Bracing, Groundstrike; 12pp)
Tough (Protection 2; 2pp)

Combat: Attack +6 (+8 unarmed); Damage +12 (unarmed), or by weapon of choice; Defense +8 (+2 Flat-footed); Initiative +6

Saves: Toughness +12, Fortitude +10, Reflex +5, Will +7/+11 [Lionheart]

Abilities 65 + Skills 16 (64 ranks) + Feats 28 + Powers 16 + Combat 18 + Saves 7 + Drawbacks 0 = 150

Complications:

• Enemy (Hera): being the living proof of Zeus infidelity - well, one of many - Hera has tried to kill Hercules over and over.
• Fame (legendary hero): Hercules is probably the most famous hero in all of Greece, lucky for him few people know what he really looks like.
• Honor (defend the helpless)
• Rivalry (Ares): while they don't like each other one bit, Hercules tend to trust Ares a little more than Hera.
• Unlucky in Love: due in great part to Hera's machinations - she was the goddess of marriage after all - almost all of Hercules romances tend to end in tragedy.

well, here we have something I never thought to build. When I was kid I really loved mythology (thanks to my mom, who read me parts of the Odyssey, instead of fairy tales), so I had some big issues with Hercules: The Legenday Journey and all the stuff related. Rewatching it after many years I have to say that I have a love/hate relationship with this show: it's campy as hell, completly screw up any vague mythological reference, yet it manages to be incredibly good and funny.

anyway, on with the build. Herc is just a very simple powerhouse. He's not as durable as other bricks (lacking Impervious), but he can manage to be a very tough opponent (especially by combining Accurate and Defensive attack, which allows him to trade damage for defense)

as far as powers goes I went for a very simple set-up, ignoring some of the most questionable one shot tricks and the power-ups from later seasons (like super-speed)

one detail worth mentioning is his Common Sense Benefit. In a world filled with people ready to kill, gods that behave like spoiled children etc. Hercules seem to be one of the few people with a normal amount of common sense and willing to lend a hand.

UPDATE: I added the Menial Tasks craft to simulate one of the running gags of the shows, that Xena and Iolaus were completly unable to cook a decent meal

[JoshuaDunlow]

Awesome job! The movies were a lot better than the campy series. But I watched them all.

[Woodclaw]

Awesome job! The movies were a lot better than the campy series. But I watched them all.

Thanks.
I haven't watched the movie for quite some time, but I don't recall such a dramatic difference. Plus the level of campy that the series was able to pull was one of it's best traits. In my eyes HtLJ could have been a totally unremarkable product if it wasn't for the humor.

[JoshuaDunlow]

There were 5 movies: Hercules and the Amazon Women, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, Hercules and the Circle of Fire, Hercules in the Underworld, and Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur, the last of which served mostly as a "clip show" of the previous movies as a lead up to the series.. They were much more rooted, then the series. I'm not saying I didn't like the campiness, but once they added The character Salmoneus to the series, the Campy feeling was well in swing. And that aspect often ground against me from time to time, when I would have liked a more gritty serious series that didn't take liberties with the Era the series was set in.

[Narsil]

The major problem arises when most executives are incapable of seeing anything with Greek mythology as anything except camp and cheese. And the only other way to really sell it to them is by filtering through the epic adventure lens, which only really works for cinematic big-budget films because nothing else really has the resources to properly portray it.

[Woodclaw]

There were 5 movies: Hercules and the Amazon Women, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, Hercules and the Circle of Fire, Hercules in the Underworld, and Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur, the last of which served mostly as a "clip show" of the previous movies as a lead up to the series.. They were much more rooted, then the series. I'm not saying I didn't like the campiness, but once they added The character Salmoneus to the series, the Campy feeling was well in swing. And that aspect often ground against me from time to time, when I would have liked a more gritty serious series that didn't take liberties with the Era the series was set in.

As I said for me the campy was what made the series worth watching. Generally I agree that it was a pretty bad mess but, considering that it was a 90s production, making it grim-n-gritty wasn't advisable. It was just one step from becoming another Xxtreme style show.

The major problem arises when most executives are incapable of seeing anything with Greek mythology as anything except camp and cheese. And the only other way to really sell it to them is by filtering through the epic adventure lens, which only really works for cinematic big-budget films because nothing else really has the resources to properly portray it.

I won't comment about the intelligence of executives (or rather lack of), but I agree. Pulling something serious from the Greek mythology (well probably any mythology) is a rather difficult process. Producing a series about any part of it without a huge budget is very close to utopia.

[HarperRedMage]

my only real comment here is, shouldn't "Power Attack" be part of Herc's arsenal here? I mean I seem to rember him rearing back for thunderous rights or big over the head double-fist hammer blows that sent the recipent flying. or is Takedown Attack supposed to mimic this?

[Narsil]

On occasion, that can be what Hero Points are for.

[Woodclaw]

my only real comment here is, shouldn't "Power Attack" be part of Herc's arsenal here? I mean I seem to rember him rearing back for thunderous rights or big over the head double-fist hammer blows that sent the recipent flying. or is Takedown Attack supposed to mimic this?

Well Herc already has a +12 damage output, which means that his fists hit as hard as a tank shell. I work under the assumption that Herc routinely use Accurate Attack against normal opponents (which still gave him a minumum damage output of +7), only going full strength against very big and dangerous monsters.

As arule of thumb I think that Power Attack is actually useless on Powerhouse style characters, given that they already traded accuracy for damage. By power attacking, Herc can reach up to +17 damage - which is pretty much a overkill - but his attack bonus will be reduced to a meager +3.

On occasion, that can be what Hero Points are for.

Also, what Narsil said.

[SCKnight]

I’m the strongest woman in the world! No man can compare!

Chun-Li

Power Level: 7 (120pp)

Abilities: STR: 14 (+2), DEX: 20 (+5), CON: 14 (+2), INT: 14 (+2), WIS: 16 (+3), CHA: 16 (+3)

Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+9), Climb 2 (+4), Concentration 5 (+8), Diplomacy 3 (+6/+10 [Attractive]), Gather Information 5 (+8), Investigate 4 (+6), Knowledge (civics) 3 (+5), Knowledge (current events) 3 (+5), Knowledge (martial arts) 4 (+6), Knowledge (streetwise) 4 (+6), Language 4 (Chinese [Cantonese], English, Japanese, Thai; Native: Chinese [Mandarin]), Notice 3 (+6), Profession (Interpol Officier) 4 (+7), Search 4 (+6), Sense Motive 4 (+7), Stealth 2 (+7), Swim 2 (+4)

Feats: Attack Focus 3 (melee), Attack Specialization 1 (pistol), Attractive 1, Benefit 1 (Law Enforcement), Benefit 1 (Security Clearance), Defensive Roll 2, Dodge Focus 3, Equipment 2, Monkey Climber/ Up The Wall, Move-by Action, Well-Informed

Tai-Chi / Chinese Kempo combo (fighting style): Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Specialization 1 (kicks), Defensive Attack, Elusive Target, Improved Block 1, Improved Initiative 1, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge 1 (visual)

Powers:

Signature Attacks (Array 5; PF: Alternate Power 3; 13pp)
- Base Power: Hyakuretsukyaku (Strike 2; PF: Mighty; Extra: Autofire 1)
- AP: Hyaretsukyaku (defensive) (Deflect 10 [slow projectiles])
- AP: Kikou Ken (Blast 5; PF: Accurate)
- AP: Spinning Bird Kick (Strike 2; Extra: Aura, Duration 1 [Concetration]; Flaw: Distracting)

Combat: Camera (1ep), Cell Phone (1ep)

Custom Light Pistol (+3 ballistic damage; crit 20; 30'; Conceable, Laser Sight; 8ep)

Combat: Attack +5 (+8 Melee, +10 kicks, + 7 pistols or Kikouken); Damage +2 (unarmed), or by power/weapon of choice; Defense +10 (+4 Flat-footed); Initiative +9

Saves: Toughness +4 (+2 Flat-footed), Fortitude +5, Reflex +6, Will +6

Abilities 34 + Skills 15 (60 ranks) + Feats 27 + Powers 13 + Combat 24 + Saves 7 + Drawbacks 0 = 120

Complications:

• Enemy (Vega & Shadowloo): Chun-Li has been a thorn in the side of Shadowloo and its leader Vega (Bison in the U.S.A.) for quite some time
• Enemy (Balrog): after being tasked to kill her by Vega, the Spanish assassin known as Balrog (Veag in the U.S.A.) has taken a personal interest in killing - and possibly raping - Chun-Li
• Relationship (various): depending on the continuity (videogame, movie, animation, manga, manwa, U.S. comic etc.) Chun-Li has unresolved feeling for Ryu, Ken, Fei-Long or Guille
• Responsibility (family honor): Chun-Li decided to join Interpol since her father was a policeman too
• Responsibility (to the Interpol): Chun-Li is ranking agent of Interpol

another build that I digged out of the depths of my Hd. I've seen a quite a number of Chun-Li builds on this forum, many leaning toward a PL10-ish martial artist, whihc might be fine, but I preferred to consider the Street Fighters at a more realistic PL. As such Chun-Li result in a skilled agent/martial artist combo quite capable and well suited for a Agents of Freedom game or a street level campaign

the Security Clearance feat simulate the fact that, in her role as chief agent on the Shadowloo case, Chun-Li has access to a greater level of security than that allowed by her rank

I made the Spinning Bird Kick distracting both make it more economic and to simulate the quite awkward position. I made it into an aura effect since as long as Chun-Li continues to spin she will pretty much hit anything near her

the defensive use of the Hyaretsukyaku never appeared in the videogames, but several times in the other version she was able to deflect bullets in mid-air by executing her trademark lighting kick attack, to keep thing a bit more plausible I decided to limit this ability to slow missiles

I decided to follow Catsi suggestion and removed the Leaping effect to replace it with the Monkey Climber / Up The Wall feat, whihc suits better the character concept I originally envisioned

Excellent work on Chun-Li. You should do more Street Fighter characters like Sagat, Juri Han, Elena, Cammy, and Sakura!

[Woodclaw]

Excellent work on Chun-Li. You should do more Street Fighter characters like Sagat, Juri Han, Elena, Cammy, and Sakura!

Thanks, I had a couple of them planned (Sagat and Blanka), but the project is on a very low priority for me. Maybe I'll go back and finish them as soon as I finish my current stream of builds.

[SCKnight]

Excellent work on Chun-Li. You should do more Street Fighter characters like Sagat, Juri Han, Elena, Cammy, and Sakura!

Thanks, I had a couple of them planned (Sagat and Blanka), but the project is on a very low priority for me. Maybe I'll go back and finish them as soon as I finish my current stream of builds.

Sweet! Meanwhile, I'll work on my own builds as well! So, I guess we'll keep an eye on each other's threads!