J-Mart II: Closed for 3E - Thanks for the Patronage!

[Emerald Flame]

Joy!!! I was late-comer to the Clerics and their gun-kata but after watching Equilibrium I am overjoyed at seeing a new build for Preston. THANK YOU!!!

Hope you don't mind but consider this character....swiped.

[Thorpacolypse]

JOHN PRESTON
FEATS: Ambidexterity, Assessment, Attack Specialization (1) [Firearms], Attack Specialization (1) [Swords], Combat Awareness, Combat Clarity, Defensive Roll (1), Dodge Focus (5), Elusive Target, Equipment (3), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (3) [Unarmed x2, Swords], Improved Disarm (1), Improved Initiative (2), Power Attack, Precise Shot (1), Quick Draw (1), Takedown Attack (2), Ultimate Effort (1) (Ultimate Aim), Uncanny Dodge (Visual)

I would think that Acrobatic Bluff might be appropriate, given some of the things he does (the shooting star press off the motorcycle in particular). Additionally, whatever Equipment he has up his sleeves would seem to provide Quickdraw 2 (I know he has Quickdraw already, but we see both his pistols and reload magazines come out of there).

Those are just my opinion, of course; Hong Kong/Hollywood physics are every bit as hard to codify as superpowers are...

Well, he only did that acrobatic stunt that one time, so I'm not sure I would give him the feat. I did think about it, though. I didn't really think about the 2 ranks of Quick Draw until you reminded me of that moment from the movie as well. I may have to add that.

Joy!!! I was late-comer to the Clerics and their gun-kata but after watching Equilibrium I am overjoyed at seeing a new build for Preston. THANK YOU!!!

Hope you don't mind but consider this character....swiped.

Swipe away my good Flame. That's what J-Mart is all about, getting the builds out to the customers.

Well, that, and hefty profits. I'll just put that one on your tab.

Builds are going to slowing down for a while. Real life is real life again (how dare it continually interfere with my fantasy life!?!?!?) and I am starting some playtests, which take me a while. I'll try to post them as I go, but it will be nothing fancy, probably just some mechanics with the occasional narrative THWIP! or BAMF! or SNIKT! for fun.

[Geekery]

JOHN PRESTON

Well, he only did that acrobatic stunt that one time, so I'm not sure I would give him the feat. I did think about it, though.

I would argue (needlessly, of course ) that the entirety of his acrobatics in the "not without incident" hallway shootout are bluffs, as opposed to dodges. No one is really near him the entire time, and he does a backward somersault while shooting which appears to be more for confusing his target than getting out of the statistically-predictable lines of fire.

In other news, decades of RPG playing has ruined my ability to simply enjoy action movies.

Your point stands, though; he could have spent a hero point and stunted the feat in either scene (there were obvious Secret complications each time).

I didn't really think about the 2 ranks of Quick Draw until you reminded me of that moment from the movie as well. I may have to add that.

Well, now that I think about it, the spring-loaded whatevers probably only provide one rank. They let him draw his weapons, and they also let him reload, but not in the same round. That's probably only Quickdraw 1.

Again, I'm overanalyzing, but it's something of a hobby.

Builds are going to slowing down for a while. Real life is real life again (how dare it continually interfere with my fantasy life!?!?!?)

Yeah, I know--the nerve. I'm experiencing a similar problem. However, seeing this build has given me the needed impetus to get back to reconstructing my lost "cinematic action" builds. So, thanks in advance...

[luketheduke86]

In my setting, Libria is a secluded European City State and they have just gone through the coup at the end of Equilibrium. Preston has fled to the US with his children and has received a personal invitation from Nick Fury to join SHIELD. He is still weighing his options, however.

That would be just about the coolest thing ever!

[Alexander]

Damnit, watching Equilibrium yet again.

[Emerald Flame]

In my setting, Libria is a secluded European City State and they have just gone through the coup at the end of Equilibrium. Preston has fled to the US with his children and has received a personal invitation from Nick Fury to join SHIELD. He is still weighing his options, however.

That would be just about the coolest thing ever!

I have to agree... That would be a really cool setting. It does beg the question though.... how would Libria handle 'Supers? I can only assume that they would be medicated the same as anybody else. The image of a hero that goes around stopping bad-guys with a rather apathetic desposition is somewhat disconcerting.

[ScourgeXLVII]

I like your build of Preston, but I'll have to admit that I didn't like the movie as much as I should have, since I would have preferred them to put more moral weight to both sides of the argument, not that I support the fascist regime they had in Libria, which I don't, in fact I despise all forms of authoritarian governments, but that's neither here nor there. I just feel it would have been more legitimate movie in the sci-fi genre if they did more of that, and cut down on the plot holes (the obvious emotional outburst in the various places, not just among Preston, but even among drug taking people. Its been a long time since I saw the movie, so I can't remember that many good examples), or at least explain them better.

[MDSnowman]

I like your build of Preston, but I'll have to admit that I didn't like the movie as much as I should have, since I would have preferred them to put more moral weight to both sides of the argument, not that I support the fascist regime they had in Libria, which I don't, in fact I despise all forms of authoritarian governments, but that's neither here nor there. I just feel it would have been more legitimate movie in the sci-fi genre if they did more of that, and cut down on the plot holes (the obvious emotional outburst in the various places, not just among Preston, but even among drug taking people. Its been a long time since I saw the movie, so I can't remember that many good examples), or at least explain them better.

What's his face, the partner, screaming like a girl saying "I'm not feeling." Then again his entire character was just a little off. I listened to the director's commentary and he made it clear that he hired Tae Diggs for that role because of his smile remarking that there was something insincere about it.

Truth be told, the movie became easier to swallow when I came to the conclusion that the drug didn't utterly wipe out emotions, it just blunted them severely.

[ScourgeXLVII]

Yeah, but with emotions blunted that much, then the partner would have to have had the emotional charge of a bull elephant (assuming bull elephants get madder than the Hulk), in that scene, and I can't think of anything that would make me that mad, and considering that that can't have been the first time, it wasn't some major blow to the world as he knew it, albeit a big shock, but not a world changing shock.

[Geekery]

What's his face, the partner, screaming like a girl saying "I'm not feeling." Then again his entire character was just a little off. I listened to the director's commentary and he made it clear that he hired Tae Diggs for that role because of his smile remarking that there was something insincere about it.

To be fair, Brandt's whole arrest was part of the villainous plot to put Preston (and the audience) at ease, and thus back to being a dupe in their plans to flush out the rebels.

The director's commentary nearly ruined the movie for me. Wimmer readily acknowledged the weak characterizations and the very criticisms that have been noted here. He also makes it clear that he doesn't have an answer for it. It's not like, say, Terminator 2 where they cut out all the character development to get the movie's run time down. Kurt Wimmer simply isn't a good enough writer, and didn't care enough as a director to let his actors help him plug the glaring holes. I enjoyed it as a simple action movie, but recognized that it had lots of unrealized potential (just one "true believer" character could've turned this into a deep, thought-provoking film). It's obvious, though, that he was more concerned with playing gunkata in his backyard.

Truth be told, the movie became easier to swallow when I came to the conclusion that the drug didn't utterly wipe out emotions, it just blunted them severely.

I believe it was stated as such in the commentary, but I'm not going to listen to it again to find out.

[Geekery]

It does beg the question though.... how would Libria handle 'Supers?

Not without incident.

[MDSnowman]

It does beg the question though.... how would Libria handle 'Supers?

Not without incident.

*rim shot*

Honestly though, the Clerics likely qualify as low-grade supers. So if a super is on their side they're afforded the same position as a cleric, if not... well then it's open season. (Libria getting into a war over supers just drips with irony)

[MDSnowman]

What's his face, the partner, screaming like a girl saying "I'm not feeling." Then again his entire character was just a little off. I listened to the director's commentary and he made it clear that he hired Tae Diggs for that role because of his smile remarking that there was something insincere about it.

To be fair, Brandt's whole arrest was part of the villainous plot to put Preston (and the audience) at ease, and thus back to being a dupe in their plans to flush out the rebels.

The director's commentary nearly ruined the movie for me. Wimmer readily acknowledged the weak characterizations and the very criticisms that have been noted here. He also makes it clear that he doesn't have an answer for it. It's not like, say, Terminator 2 where they cut out all the character development to get the movie's run time down. Kurt Wimmer simply isn't a good enough writer, and didn't care enough as a director to let his actors help him plug the glaring holes. I enjoyed it as a simple action movie, but recognized that it had lots of unrealized potential (just one "true believer" character could've turned this into a deep, thought-provoking film). It's obvious, though, that he was more concerned with playing gunkata in his backyard.

Truth be told, the movie became easier to swallow when I came to the conclusion that the drug didn't utterly wipe out emotions, it just blunted them severely.

I believe it was stated as such in the commentary, but I'm not going to listen to it again to find out.

I still say Brandt would have sold it better by not acting like he was feeling. Of course Preston was thick enough to buy it anyway, so one can't complain too much.

Aside from that very true points. Wimmer spent the entire commentary either admitting fault on characterization or complaining about his lack of budget. The truth is the premise looks simple, but when you tell an actor "no emotions", it's like telling an artist "no hands". In essence the entire movie is a bunch of artists trying to paint with their feet. Even with a good director it would have made it hard to make it work.

[Thorpacolypse]

It's obvious, though, that he was more concerned with playing gunkata in his backyard.

And there you have it. I agree that it had the potential for greatness but fell well short. Bale tried but there were too many holes in the plot. In the end, he shot a lot of people and looked cool doing it, therefore it's a "thumbs up" from the Thorporation and its stockholders.

I'll have to think about how supers would be handled in Libria. My general thought was that they generally stayed out, much like Latveria, until called upon, but still the clerics would be handle most issues that might have come up with any super powered threats. Fury and Waller would see to it that in their sectors that relations were good and Prozium would be available to them when needed. Of course, if Waller had Prozium available all the time, she'd have a Suicide Squad to end all Suicide Squads...

[Unbeliever]

...
HARRY DRESDEN
...

I like a lot of your Dresden build. I've recently just made my way up to "Summer Knight" on audiobook. A few comments. First, the arrays are a bit confusing to read in the html output, so you might want to clear them up.

More constructively, Harry's Arcane Lore skills seemed a bit low to me. He is the most mystically-informed character we regularly interact w/ in the series (well, except for Bob I suppose), and he does have a huge amount of information about the supernatural. Then again, maybe the +9 is enough to give him general, but not uber specific info -- e.g., he knows a lot about vampires, but still has to be informed about some of the nitty-gritty when dealing w/ the Red Court. That's a narrative conceit, but I could see what you were going for. Do you think he should have Well-Informed?

Loved giving the Blue Beetle indestructible. Also, sort of funny to reference a car that is a reference to the Blue Beetle on the ATT.