Buffyverse/ Angelverse Setting

[King Snarf]

While rewatching my Angel Season 1 DVD, I got to wondering about working this into something for M&M. While I'm not looking to do a strict conversion of Eden Studios' stuff, I won't lie by pretending I haven't been going through my old Buffy sourcebooks, mining ideas.

The first stumbling block is coming up with PLs. Here's what I've been thinking....

White Hats/ Scoobies (Xander, Dawn, Willow Seasons 1-2, etc)- PL 4 using the Agents of Freedom Rules
Heroes (Buffy, Spike, Riley, Willow Seasons 6-7, etc)- PL 6
Investigators (Cordelia, Wesley, Fred, etc)- PL5 using AoF rules
Champions (Angel, Illyria, etc)- PL7

Also, I'm trying to work up templates for slayers and Buffy-style vamps; I might post my tentative efforts later.

[Doug McCrae]

I think Xander is PL 0. He eats insects and gets the funny syphilis.

[Arthur Eld]

There are a few Buffyverse builds in Roll Call, you might want to check those out for ideas/inspiration.

[King Snarf]

I think Xander is PL 0. He eats insects and gets the funny syphilis.

No, no, no. Remember, he fought Harmony to a standstill! In all seriousness, though, he can handle vamps long enough for the Slayer to come and finish them off, he's pretty good at coming up with plans, and I definitely think he has several ranks in the Luck Feat.

[Avaron]

Xander starts out something like PL2-3 and Probebly gets up to around PL6-7 by the end of the series, sure he is second string but for a comicbook geek who hangs out with superheroes he is impressive he can fight against the super vamps from season 7 regularly holds off normal vamps and I belive has the second highest dusting record on the show after buffy herself.

one day that crazy one eyed man with more courage and heart than any costumed hero will run into some lone vamp or even a random mugger in a ally and show them what a decade of fighting super powered demons will teach a man.

[daniel_ream]

Xander just has TheRealMostCommonSuperpower.

[Avaron]

the power to attract demonic girls who want to eat/kill/marry him?

he is totalty the guy who taunts the GM and gets hit with leathal levels of plot.

[King Snarf]

the power to attract demonic girls who want to eat/kill/marry him?

he is totalty the guy who taunts the GM and gets hit with leathal levels of plot.

On the upside, he's SWIMMING in Hero Points, which is why he's not dead.

[roguescribner]

Man, I'd love to stat out the Scooby Gang. I'm a huge fan of the series (and Joss Whedon stuff in general).

[King Snarf]

Well, I'm more working on making the setting playable via M&M, so you've got no competiton from me.

[Setothes]

The Buffyverse has a ton of interesting options for low-powered super-characters.

There's the Slayer. (Buffy, Faith, etc.)
Vampire who aren't as nasty as others. (Angel, Spike)
Demons who aren't as nasty as others. (Anyanka, Clem, Lorne, demon-warrior chickies from Angel)
Half / part demons. (Doyle, Groosalug)
Psychics. (W&H telepaths, Bethany Chalk)
Inexplicably super-powered people. (Gwen Raiden)
Witches. (Amy, Willow, Tara)
Sorcerers. (Ethan Rayne, various W&H spellcasters)
People using magic items. (Gwendolyn Post, Warren with his 'magic balls')
People using high-tech stuff. (The Troika with their invisibility ray, freeze ray, jet-packs, etc.)
Werewolves. (Oz, Veruca, Nina)
Cyborgs. (possible Initiative survivors)
Steroid-enhanced super-soldiers. (again, with the Initiative)
'Zombies.' (Jack O'Toole and gang)
Invisible people. (Marci, and the suggestion that they are later trained to be spies and assassins!)
High functioning robots. (Ted, April, Buffybot)
Ghosts. (Like the ones from I Only Have Eyes For You, or Willow on Halloween)
Trolls. (Olaf)
Merely awesome dedicated, brave and cool people (Giles, Xander, pre-magic Willow)

As well as tons of other potential spin-off characters based on various episodes. Oz's special meditations and chants, applied to someone afflicted by something like 'hyena possession' could result in a 'Scooby' with that sort of strength and sensory potential who *isn't* a cannibal crazy-in-the-making. The events of a 'costume becomes real' Halloween chaos spell could result in people having supernatural or superhuman abilities. Ethan Rayne also revealed that he could turn Giles into a demon, and it's possible that other means could result in a school buddy becoming some sort of beastie.

[roguescribner]

Well, I'm more working on making the setting playable via M&M, so you've got no competiton from me.

It's totally doable as a setting. Obviously, things would have to be kept at a relatively low PL and there would probably be great restrictions on certain traits (movement powers, etc.) but it's workable.

[King Snarf]

The Buffyverse has a ton of interesting options for low-powered super-characters.

There's the Slayer. (Buffy, Faith, etc.)
Vampire who aren't as nasty as others. (Angel, Spike)
Demons who aren't as nasty as others. (Anyanka, Clem, Lorne, demon-warrior chickies from Angel)
Half / part demons. (Doyle, Groosalug)
Psychics. (W&H telepaths, Bethany Chalk)
Inexplicably super-powered people. (Gwen Raiden)
Witches. (Amy, Willow, Tara)
Sorcerers. (Ethan Rayne, various W&H spellcasters)
People using magic items. (Gwendolyn Post, Warren with his 'magic balls')
People using high-tech stuff. (The Troika with their invisibility ray, freeze ray, jet-packs, etc.)
Werewolves. (Oz, Veruca, Nina)
Cyborgs. (possible Initiative survivors)
Steroid-enhanced super-soldiers. (again, with the Initiative)
'Zombies.' (Jack O'Toole and gang)
Invisible people. (Marci, and the suggestion that they are later trained to be spies and assassins!)
High functioning robots. (Ted, April, Buffybot)
Ghosts. (Like the ones from I Only Have Eyes For You, or Willow on Halloween)
Trolls. (Olaf)
Merely awesome dedicated, brave and cool people (Giles, Xander, pre-magic Willow)

You forgot ancient orders with kung fu and mystic secrets, like the order that trained the blind assassin girl from Angel Season 1. There's also the potential for "divine" servants of the Powers That Be, like the Oracles, again from Angel Season 1. No leprechauns, though.

Finally, at least two people have been turned into walking puppets, which is awesome.

[Swordfire]

The Magic Box supplement for the Buffy RPG also included stats for so-called Totem Warriors, people who could draw on a totem spirit for enhanced senses and attributes, which ties into the 'controllable hyena' idea listed above. Also a 'controllable feral' could be possible depending on the animal spirit possessing the character as well as the character's strength of will - a strong-willed person possessed by a spirit of a wolf or bear (both social creatures known to aggressively protect their offspring or pack) could easily make a viable character.

Conventional people with the right training and equipment could also prove a viable threat to supernatural nasties in the Buffyverse - Giles, Xander, Willow, Cordy, Wesley, Gunn and even Fred kicked their share of vampire and demon tail without the benefit of supernatural powers, as did the Initiative commandos. Cain, the werewolf hunter from 'Phases', had been in the business long enough to make a fair living at it, and the Watcher's Council special operations teams were (supposedly) good enough to take down a vampire or a Slayer. Heck, if you want a scary idea in this vein, imagine Frank Castle's wife and kids were killed by vampires or demons but the man himself survived...

The effects of Ethan Rayne's Halloween spell to make everyone become their costumes have been detailed in innumerable Buffy fanfics, to the point where they have their category own abbreviation - YAHF (Yet Another Halloween Fic). Throw in Ethan's transformation of Giles into a Fyarl demon 'A New Man' and magical empowerment by a friendly (or not-so-friendly) spell-worker becomes a relatively easy source of powers for a Buffyverse hero.

Finally, with all the talk about magical transformations and animal powers we seem to have forgotten the possibility of scientific infusion of animal DNA into humans, like happened to several members of the Sunnydale High School swim team in 'Go Fish'. According to the coach in that episode the technique was developed in East Germany, but what was the US government developing along those lines? They weren't reluctant to experiment on their own soldiers (witness the 'vitamins' RIley and the other Initiative commandos were conned into taking), so imagine a Special Forces soldier infused with feline DNA for enhanced reflexes and night vision, or canine DNA for enhanced endurance and senses of hearing and smell. The chimera hybrids like those developed by Project Manticore in the TV series 'Dark Angel' give a good example of the possibilities of the powers and their complications which could develop in the products of such programs.

[King Snarf]

The Magic Box supplement for the Buffy RPG also included stats for so-called Totem Warriors

Actually, that was The Slayer's Handbook. Eden Studio Presents #3 had supplemental Totem Warrior info, I believe.