Power level

[Gemineye]

Hey guys,
A question for you all...simple enough.
I'm starting a campaign where super powers are emerging for the first time and I'm using a vampiric (not literally) mimic as the main villain (think something along the lines of sylar but not exactly).
I'm starting the PCs at PL6 as I want them to develop their powers as the campaign goes on.
I want the villain the be powerful enough to present a challenge to the team, but I also don't want him to squash a hero if they end up confronting him one on one at some point (which is going to happen as I plan to have him hunt them)


thoughts?

[danelsan]

In order for him to give trouble for the whole team but not utterly smash a single one, I'd suggest making the villain with a higher PL on defenses than offenses. Say, for a group of 4 heroes at PL 6, make the villain PL 8 on defenses and PL 6 or 7 on offense.

In order for him to give more trouble for the whole group than his offensive PL would imply, tactics enter the picture. Copying the group's movement powers and ranged attacks, he keeps away from the slower and shorter ranged heroes. Copying any Area or Multiattack powers allows the villain to hit several heroes at once.

Now, on the possibility that none of the heroes have great movement powers, ranged attacks and area or multiattack powers, you may have to resort to devices/equipment granting those.

If he is hunting the heroes, he might figure out some of their complications after the initial conflicts and use them when fighting the whole group. Especially if someone has a weakness or vulnerability towards a descriptor possessed by another hero.

If none of that is available due to the particularities of the powers each hero has (maybe none of them have movement powers nor ranged attacks, maybe they have no area effects and so on)- well, it bastardizes the concept, but the villain may resort to devices or equipment.
Hope that helps!

[Brianide]

Don't forget GM Fiat! If they beat him up, have him get away and give everyone a Hero Point. He has to last multiple encounters for sure. Another thing (which Sylar does well in early episodes) is rarely challenge the protagonists directly. Sylar is often stalking characters or taking out others just before the heroes arrive, leaving a gruesome scene and mysterious clues.

[Gemineye]

briandine, that's the goal....I'm going to lure them to a location via a gruesome crime scene or via a small catastrophe....building collapsing or something

[danelsan]

Oh, also, he can combine the powers to achieve what the individual heroes cannot. How? Massive quantity of points for horrifying Power Stunts.

For instance, if he copied Super-speed (speed 6, quickness 6 and an array of speed tricks worth 10 PP, total 22 PP) and a fire aura (Damage 5, Reaction, total 20 PP), he might run around the heroes creating a blazing cyclone of fiery doom, that burns skin and lungs, using the PP of both the aura and the super-speed speed to stunt something like:

Damage 6, Area (cylinder)x2, Secondary Effect, Linked to Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude, Overcome by Fortitude, Vulnerable/Defenseless/Incapacitated), Area (Cylinder)x2

[_Virtual_Adept_]

In order for him to give trouble for the whole team but not utterly smash a single one, I'd suggest making the villain with a higher PL on defenses than offenses. Say, for a group of 4 heroes at PL 6, make the villain PL 8 on defenses and PL 6 or 7 on offense.

That is a great idea! I wonder why I didn't come up with this one before.

[Gemineye]

Here's how I have him specced out as a level 9 character, hopefully I'm doing this right.

[Mimic Rank 10 (5 points per rank, also gives me 50PP to fill out copied abilities)] [range 10ft] [duration: continuous]

Extra subject (4 ranks for 25 copied character's abilities) (he's been alive for 400 years so)
Limited to mutants


[Enhanced senses 1 rank] [range 100ft] [permanent]
extended 2 (for the 100ft range), Power awareness 1 (he senses when someone has an ability,
whether its been used or not) Tracking 3 for full speed movement while tracking



basically, his primary ability is to drain the essence of another (why he's so old) but that power also has the side effect of draining /mimicking an ability(permanently). The first ability he ever absorbed was to sense anyone an ability (not pinpoint accuracy, but kind of like "I know someone in this building has an ability...I just have to find them) I guess its like sonar...

so he's turned into a hunter...uses that ability to find others and drain their life (keeping him immortal) and also granting him their ability permanently.

I know I need to still work on it a little bit as its not all there