V&V’s Villainous (and some Heroic) 2nd ed. Conversions!

[madquest8]

LOL!!

I ran games with the V&V rules for YEARS AND YEARS !!!!

The method for working out Hitpoints was insane... but it was the best Superhero rules system on the market at the time...

.. we eventually switched to Golden Heroes, Then Marvel Superheroes, then Champions... finally ending up with Mutants and Masterminds..

But I will always have a place in my heart for this mad but fun system...!

(Roll 4 or less on a D20 to punch someone ? LOL!!! absolutely mad !!... but we didn't know any better LOL!!)

[daniel_ream]

(Roll 4 or less on a D20 to punch someone ? LOL!!! absolutely mad !!... but we didn't know any better LOL!!)

Well, I think that was supposed to be "roll 4 or less to damage someone with a punch", but the whole to-hit mechanic was a bit wonky.

I loved V&V for the Jeff Dee artwork, mostly, but never really got into the system. One thing I never liked about the system was that the powers were all quantized. Every character with Telepathy operated exactly like every other character with Telepathy, for instance - unless you rolled a Body or Mutant Power, and then you just made some sh*t up as you went.

It makes conversions from V&V pretty trivial, because you can just write conversions for each power and then drag'n'drop for every V&V character.

[daniel_ream]

Next up in the V&V conversions thread, moving with the awesome speed and inexorability of an Arctic glacier - Psi-Storm!

Converter's Notes: As I mentioned above, Psi-Storm is just like every other V&V psyker - but converting the actual psychic storm power was cool. One great thing about M&M is that much of the crunchy detailed mechanics in V&V powers are just there already in the base M&M rules, so there isn't anywhere near as much fiddling.

EDITED: The Telelocation power from Ultimate Power is apparently the canonical way to do mental tracking; for those without it, it's just Mental Sense ESP. Psi-Storm's progression feat on Telelocation indicates the number of minds she can keep track of simultaneously.



Psi-Storm
Real Name: Alicia Stevenson
Group Affiliation: Syn-Tech
Base of Operations: Synthetic Technologies
First Appearance: Assassin
Personal Stats: 5'5”, 120 lbs., medium build, blonde hair, blue eyes
Appearance: Black and white costume with one white glove, black boots, black mask
Power Level: 10

ABILITIES: STR: 10 (+0) DEX: 18 (+4) CON: 14 (+2) INT: 15 (+2) WIS: 22 (+6) CHA: 16 (+3)
SKILLS: Concentration 8 (+14), Diplomacy 8 (+11), Knowledge (Psychic Phenomena) 4 (+6), Notice 4 (+10), Profession (Security Team Leader) 4 (+10), Sense Motive 8 (+14)
FEATS: Inspiration 2, Ultimate Save (Will), Uncanny Dodge
POWERS: Emotion Control 8, Flight 5 (250 MPH), Psychic Storm{1} 8 (Extras: Area, Duration - Concentration; Power Feats: Progression), Psychic Storm +2 (Flaw: Only on targets with Mental Powers), Telelocation 3 (Power Feats: Progression 5, Extras: Duration - Sustained)), Telepathy 3 (Power Feats: Selective, Switchboard{2}, Alternate Power - Concealment 2 [all mental senses]; Extras: Area), Mind Reading +6 (Flaws: Touch range)
COMBAT: Attack: +5 [Psychic Storm +8/10, unarmed +1]; Defense: +8; Init: +4
SAVES: Toughness +2; Fortitude +6; Reflex +8; Will +14
DRAWBACKS: Mute (uncommon, minor); Psychic Storm is Tiring if used with the Area Extra (common, minor)
Complications: Sense of Honor (will not allow anyone to be killed or seriously injured in the course of her duties)

{1}
Psychic Storm Power
Effect: Attack/Mental
Range: Ranged
Cost: 7 PP/level
Action: Standard
Duration: Instant
Save: Will
Built as a Mental Blast + linked sicken-only Nauseate
{2} Psi-Storm's Switchboard Power Feat allows her to link minds she is in Mental Communication with to each other, as well as to her.

[Brutorz Bill]

Thanks for posting! I agree with you about the Jeff Dee artwork that's what keep drawing me back to V&V!
Thanks again,
B.

[daniel_ream]

Next up, Ward.

Converter's Notes: This is the revised build, using Force Constructs from UP. For those without UP, Force Constructs is exactly the same as Create Objects, with some minor elaboration to the rules for Cover.
Both her personal Force Field and her Create Objects Power have Impervious and Feedback; this simulates the V&V mechanic that Force Fields backed by a high Power score are nearly impenetrable, but when they go down, they go down hard.



Ward
Real Name: Christine Woodman
Group Affiliation: Syn-Tech
Base of Operations: Synthetic Technologies
First Appearance: Assassin
Personal Stats: 5'6”, 120 lbs, black hair, brown eyes
Appearance: White costume, white hip boots, white arm-length gloves
Power Level: 10

ABILITIES: STR: 12 (+1) DEX: 14 (+2) CON: 18 (+4) INT: 16 (+3) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 14 (+2)
SKILLS: Concentration 11 (+12), Notice 7 (+8), Knowledge (History) 4 (+7), Profession (Teacher) 4 (+7)
FEATS: Defensive Attack, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Teamwork
POWERS: Blast 2, Force Constructs 10{1} (Extras: Impervious; Flaws: Feedback, Ablative; Power Feats: Progression 10{2}, Slow Fade 3, Alternate Power - Snare 10 (Power Feats: Reversible, Slow Fade 3, Extras: Regenerating, Flaws: Fades)), Force Field 10 (Extras: Impervious; Flaws: Ablative; Power Feats: Slow Fade 3), Shield 4
COMBAT: Attack: +8 [unarmed +1, Blast +2]; Defense: +8; Init: +4
SAVES: Toughness +2 [+12 with Force Field]; Fortitude +7; Reflex +8; Will +8
Drawbacks: Snare, Force Constructs, and Force Field are all manifestations of the same power; they all fade together.
Complications: Deathly afraid of hurting someone with her powers

{1} A note on how Ward's Force Constructs Power works: in V&V, the strength of a Force Field is dependent on the user's current Power, and repelling attacks costs the wielder points of Power. To mimic that, Ward's Force Field Powers are Impervious but can be hammered down over time - every fourth hit on her Force Field or a Force Construct will reduce its Toughness by 1 point. If this is too much bookkeeping, feel free to drop the Impervious and Ablative modifiers and run her as a vanilla Force Field wielder.
{2} Yes, really. In the original source, Ward can create a force field “sheet” 660' on a side. Folded into a cube, that encloses nearly 20 million cubic feet. The progression chart doesn't go that high…but it's supposed to be part of Ward's character concept that she can create very large force fields. With 10 ranks of Progression and Force Constructs 10, she can enclose up to 1,000,000 cubic feet. That's a cube 100' on a side, which should be enough.

[JoshuaDunlow]

Add 4 more ranks of progression, and you got the coverage figured. Just remember every 3 ranks of progression is a x10 modifier. While 1 rank is x2, the 2nd rank x5.

[daniel_ream]

Oh, I can throw ranks of progression at it until the cows come home, I'm just not sure that's the right way to handle it. I broke it down as an enclosed cube, but if I take Ward's force field as 660' x 660' x 5' (assuming that the screen has a minimum width of 5') then that's 50,000 cu.ft. per rank, which is only 12 total ranks in Progression.

Regardless, Ward is an edge case; she has powers that yoink up her Power score to a very high number, and that sends her maximum Force Field dimension off the charts. I think I'm going to come back and look at her again later, once I've looked at some of the options for representing Force Fields.

[JoshuaDunlow]

Well keep up the great work, i have always liked V&V. And i look forward to seeing more character conversions.

[R_Mortisse]

If I could make a few suggestions...

How about doing...

Adamantron
The Concrete Savages
Steel Stallion
Mammoth
Motivator
and
Mirage?

[daniel_ream]

If I could make a few suggestions...

I'm doing Assassin first, then moving on to Opponents Unlimited. I'm going through the products in FGU product number order, just to make sure I'm covering all the characters.

I'm moving this month and buying a new car, so I don't have a lot of free time - I'm going to try to keep up a steady (if slow) conversion pace.

A question to the folks watching the thread: I was looking through my copy of Ultimate Power and found Powers that are the "official" versions of V&V's Force Field and Telepathy Power. I've been avoiding using what's in Ultimate Power because of the errata issues and the fact that I would rather my conversions be usable by anyone with no more than the base M&M manual.

What would you all prefer?

1) Use the stuff from UP.
2) Nothing from UP.
3) Use stuff from UP only where necessary, but include the appropriate Power text for those without a copy (I'm a little perplexed of the legality of this; the OGL appears to allow this, but I'm not sure how conventional copyright law intersects with the OGL).

[daniel_ream]

Haven't moved yet, but I bought the car, so here's a writeup to celebrate.

Converter's Notes: Short and sweet, this one - just a brick with Growth. To make the numbers match up with the original V&V writeup, Antaeus has a rank of Super-Strength linked to his Growth. He doesn't have Groundstrike in the original V&V writeup, but it seemed too obvious to pass up



Antaeus
Real Name: Daniel O'Leary
Group Affiliation: Syn-Tech
Base of Operations: Synthetic Technologies
First Appearance: Assassin
Personal Stats: 6'6”, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, muscular build
Appearance: Blue costume with a red triangle over the abdomen, silver bracers
Power Level: 10

ABILITIES: STR: 14/27 → 35 (+2/+6 → +12) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 14/18 (+2/+4) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 14 (+2)
SKILLS: Notice 8 (+9), Profession (Boxer) 4 (+5), Search 8 (+8)
FEATS: Fighting Style - Boxing (All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Elusive Target, Improved Block, Power Attack, Takedown Attack)
POWERS: Growth 4, Enhanced Strength +13, Super-Strength 1 (Flaw: Linked to Growth, Power Feats: Groundstrike), Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious, Flaws: Only While Touching the Ground)
COMBAT: Attack: +8 [+2/+6/+12 unarmed]; Defense: +8; Init: +3
SAVES: Toughness +10/+12; Fortitude +8/+10; Reflex +8; Will +8

[daniel_ream]

More conversions, completing the Syn-Tech security team: Avalanche!

Converter's Notes: I have no idea what in the hell "earth-based Illusions (animate)" is supposed to mean, but from the picture it looks like he's supposed to be an Earth Controller, so that's how I've written him up. To represent the animated earth (I imagine things like giant hands, instant obelisks, rolling earth waves, etc.) I've given him Create Objects and Animate Objects as Alternate Powers.



Avalanche
Real Name: Ricardo Estevez
Group Affiliation: Syn-Tech
Base of Operations: Synthetic Technologies
First Appearance: Assassin
Personal Stats: 5'9”, 200 lbs, black hair, dark eyes
Appearance: Brown and tan costume with a black mask
Power Level: 10

ABILITIES: STR: 12/24 (+1/+7) DEX: 14 (+2) CON: 18 (+4) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 16 (+3)
SKILLS: Intimidate 10 (+13), Concentration 11 (+12), Notice 7 (+8)
FEATS: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Power Attack, Taunt
POWERS: Absorption (Physical) 8 to Boost Strength (Extras: Energy Storage; Flaws: All at once{1}; Power Feats: Slow Fade 2), Enhanced Strength 12, Earth Control 12 (Alternate Powers: Animate Objects 12 (Flaws: Natural earth and stone only), Create Objects 12 (Extras: Continuous, Flaws: Requires natural earth and stone, Power Feats: Innate), Snare 10 (Power Feats: Reversible) ), Burrowing 12, Protection 4
COMBAT: Attack: +8 [Earth Control +12, unarmed +7]; Defense: +4; Init: +2
SAVES: Toughness +4/+8; Fortitude +9; Reflex +8; Will +8

{1} Avalanche's “All at once” Flaw means that once he uses his Boosted Strength, his Energy Storage immediately drops to zero. In short, he can hold it for a long time, but once he uses it, he has to use it all and then it's gone. He doesn't have to use the Boosted Strength; he can decide whether or not it activates.

[daniel_ream]

A little quick post here on some of the lesser lights of the Assassin adventure:

Chinilayan Armed Forces

F-5E Tiger II: Use the stats for the Fighter Jet, M&M, p.144
OH-6/Model 500 'Defender' Helicopters: Use the stats for the Military Helicopter, M&M, p.144
Land Rovers: Use the stats for the SUV, M&M, p.143
Chinilayan Troops: Use the stats for the Soldier, M&M, p.229, but remove the body armor.

The Underground Complex

F.O.R.C.E.'s Guards: Use the stats for the Soldier, M&M, p.229. Add Commlinks and Nightvision Goggles.
The SeaKiller Submarine: Use the stats for the Submarine, M&M, p.144
Emerson Sea-Launched Cruise Missile: Treat the missile itself as a Fighter Jet (M&M, p.144) and the explosion itself is probably best handled as a plot device.

Electro-Static Cannon: Treat the cannon as a Continuous Autofire Electrical Control 6 attack with Attack +4 and a minimum target height of 500'. The cannon has a Toughness of 10.
Tram Cars: Use the stats for the SUV, M&M, p.143. They explode with an Explosive Blast 6.

[daniel_ream]

The mastermind of the adventure: F.O.R.C.E.!

Converter's Notes: The V&V system always had trouble with super-powerful villains; there just didn't seem to be enough depth in the system to create truly interesting arch-nemeses. F.O.R.C.E and Doctor Apocalypse always struck me as kind of...bland, somehow. Anyway, I've given F.O.R.C.E. X-traits for his Minion and Equipment Feats, just because I don't think it's necessary to try and stat out all the goons squads, vehicles and etc. This is F.O.R.C.E. in his bio-synthetic body, which thankfully acts just like a real human body mechanics-wise. His Resurrection represents the biosynthetic corpus' ability to instantaneously transmit his memory and personality matrix to another android or to offline storage upon death. In this case, the "reasonably common circumstance" would be a Faraday cage, force field, or some similar enclosure that would prevent a radio signal from getting out.



F.O.R.C.E.
Real Name: Franklin Emerson, Carlos Calvione
Group Affiliation: F.O.R.C.E.
Base of Operations: Chinilaya, Central America
First Appearance: F.O.R.C.E., V&V
Personal Stats: 6'5”, 220, lean build, green eyes, dark hair
Appearance: Green and white costume with half-shoulder cape
Power Level: 12

ABILITIES: STR: 28 (+9) DEX: 20 (+5) CON: 20 (+5) INT: 32 (+11) WIS: 20 (+5) CHA: 20/28 (+5/+9)
SKILLS: Bluff 10 (+15/+19), Computers 4 (+15), Craft/Electronic 2 (+13), Diplomacy 15 (+20/+24), Disable Device 2 (+13), Disguise 5 (+10/+14), Gather Info 5 (+10/+14), Intimidate 12 (+17/+21), Investigate 4 (+15), Know/Business 2 (+13), Know/Technology 4 (+15), Know/Theology and Philosophy 2 (+13), Know/Politics 2 (+13), Sense Motive 10 (+15)
FEATS: Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (X) [alt. identity, rich, head of state, etc.], Equipment (X) [base, multiple HQs, sub], Eidetic Memory, Fearless, Fearsome Presence (10), Inspire (2), Master Plan, Minions (X), Power Attack
POWERS: Communication (radio) 6 (Power Feats: Subtle), Device 2 (Flight 5), Device 6 (Blast 13), Enhanced Charisma 8, Emotion Control 12 (Power Feats: Subtle, Alternate Power - Enhanced Charisma 12), Immunity 10 (Life Support, Aging), Protection 10, Regeneration 1 (Resurrection)
COMBAT: Attack: +11 [Damage +9 unarmed, +13 Blast]; Defense: +10; Init: +5
SAVES: Toughness +5/+15; Fortitude +10; Reflex +10; Will +12
Complications: Arrogance, Paranoia, Borderline Personality Disorder

[daniel_ream]

Another one of F.O.R.C.E.'s minions: Deflector

Converter's Notes: Pretty simple build, just a gadgeteer with a couple of devices. His Deflector Shield works almost exactly the same way Ward's Force Field power does.



Deflector
Real Name: Thomas Villard
Group Affiliation: F.O.R.C.E.
Base of Operations: Chinilaya, Central America
First Appearance: Assassin
Personal Stats: 6'2”, 180 lbs., black hair, brown eyes, black
Appearance: White costume with red sleeves, red legs, white gloves, white boots, silver gauntlets and backpack
Power Level: 10

ABILITIES: STR: 10 (+0) DEX: 13 (+0) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 24 (+7) WIS: 20 (+5) CHA: 10 (+0)
SKILLS: Computers 8 (+15), Craft (electronics) 8 (+15), Craft (mechanical) 8 (+15), Disable Device 8 (+15), Investigate 4 (+11), Knowledge (physical sciences) 6 (+13), Knowledge (technology) 10 (+7), Notice 5 (+10), Profession (Weapons Design) 8 (+15), Sense Motive 8 (+13)
FEATS: Attack Focus (Ranged) 2, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Skill Mastery (Computers, Craft (electronic), Craft (mechanical), Disable Device)
POWERS: Device (Jetpack): 2 (Flight 4, hard to lose), Device (Energy Rifle): 5 (Blast 11, Indirect, easy to lose), Device (Deflector Shield Generator): 6 (Force Constructs 15, Impervious, Feedback, hard to lose)
COMBAT: Attack: +7 [+9 Energy Rifle]; Defense: +5; Init: +1
SAVES: Toughness +3 [+15 with Force Constructs]; Fortitude +4; Reflex +6; Will +8
DRAWBACKS: Power Loss - Energy Rifle and Deflector Shield Generator have only 15 uses each unless connected to external power supply
Complications: Fanatically Loyal to F.O.R.C.E.