WW2 Supers d6: OOC

[GreyWolfVT]

Yes sorry, hope there aren't any marines reading my post but I am sorry and will try to be more accurate in my terminology.

So yes anyway. Age for MacGyver I'm thinking he is probably 19 or 20, I don't think he would be much older than that.

[Zhym]

Zhym: I'm loving "Mediocre Fred" the Werewolf idea! Okay, let's go with he's a Radioman 3rd Class on a Tender (I'll do some research and find a historical one that was in the Philippines in '41); and maybe shortly before he was sent to this assignment, he saw Lon Chaney Jr. in 'The Wolf Man' (which works as it was released in '41 ) in the movies in San Diego or San Fransisco or Pearl Harbor and it made a big impression. Now, when his powers manifest, he'll look like 'The Wolf Man' from the movie! Only with real powers of increased smell, hearing and claws/teeth! (In game terms, let's say he has the power "Shape-Change: Major" with the quirk of "Can only change into a Wolf-Man form......the power grants him increased smell and hearing (+2D to PER for anything involving the use of smell or hearing...i.e. lots of Search, Alertness, etc. rolls; being able to track people/know if people are around) and the ability to attack using Claws/teeth (+1D damage added to Hand to Hand attack rolls...which usually only does STR damage; now increased!)

Spit ballin' here, but it would seem to fit....I think?

That all sounds great!

Here is my go at assigning skills to Radioman 3rd Class "Mediocre" Fred Roker:

DEX: 3D. Brawling parry (3D+1), Dodge (3D+1), Melee weapons (3D+1)
KNO: 3D. Bureaucracy (3D+1), Streetwise (3D+1), Technology (3D+2)
MECH: 3D. Radios (4D), Gunnery (3D+1)
PER: 3D. Bargain (3D+2), Con (3D+2)
STR: 3D. Brawling (3D+1), Stamina (3D+2)
TECH: 3D. Radio Repair (4D)

I don't know if having two full dice in radios and radio repair is too much, but I figured if he's a radioman, he probably knows radios. Although if he's only a mediocre Radioman 3rd Class, maybe he doesn't know that much about radios. I could take a couple or three pips out of radio and radio repair and put it somewhere else, if you think that makes sense.

[Rex]

I am not sure if you did the same thing as me or not but Gunnery is Aircraft/Artillery/Tanks. That may be what you were thinking but if not you may want to switch it to heavy weapons.

[Zhym]

Yup. I figured a radioman might be called on to operate ship's guns when the radios don't need operating or fixing.

[Rex]

That makes sense.

[Hadarai]

Would shotguns be viable in this campaign? I know they were used in the pacific and from what I read they were pretty effective but if you don't think it would be a good fit for the game I have no problem being a standard rifleman. As for his power I was thinking maybe a shield or armor power that activated only if his eyes are closed or breath is held? I was thinking his talent activated during pearl harbor where he managed to shield himself/his allies from an explosion during the battle.

Here was the stat line I was thinking of going with.

Theodore "Teddy" Gomez

DEX: 3D+1
KNO: 3D+1
MECH: 3D
PER: 3D+1
STR: 2D
TECH: 3D

[GreyWolfVT]

was going to work on skills but wasn't sure how many dice/pips to put down in each of those I just kinda winged it for the stats. But here is the list with out the D portion. I was kinda thinking like what would a scout/sniper need for skills and what else might the be tasked with doing such as maybe demolitions or repairing equipment.

STR 3D: Stamina; Climbing/Jumping; Running
KNO 3D: Survival; Tactics
PER 3D+1: Hide/Sneak; Search; Con
DEX 3D+1: Guns; Dodge; Melee Parry
TECH 3D: Equipment Repair; Demolition
MECH 2D+1: Navigation

[max_vale]

Hey everybody; this'll be a quick post, but I should have a lot of time tomorrow to be able to put a lot more on these boards (I hope!)....

Okay, first off, these character concepts and write ups are great, thanks!

Zhym: Fred looks great! Like Rex pointed out, Gunnery is for things like 20mm, 40mm and 3 inch guns on the ship, so that could work....on a related note, the Ship's crew would almost certainly ALSO have .30 and .50 cal machine-guns that would fall under Heavy Weapons that Fred could have skills for as well; either works. I did a bit of research and if you get a chance check out the USS Canopus; a Sub Tender in the Philippines at the time of the invasion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Canopus_(AS-9)
Having Fred be a Radioman on this particular ship and later sent to the Bataan Peninsula with much of the crew works out PERFECTLY. As a Radioman 3rd Class, he'd probably be somewhere around 23-26...unless he joined up later....got in trouble and got demoted, or was an exceptional young sailor (go agains the "mediocre" part....but maybe it's ironic?)

Hadarai: Looks good! A couple quick things to note; STR in d6 games is ALSO your health; it works like this....Gomez gets hit by an unseen Sniper so he doesn't have his Armor/Shield Power active. The Damage from the Sniper's Arisaka rifle is 5D, Gomez rolls 2D STR. If the STR roll is equal to or higher than the damage roll; Gomez is just Grazed....if the Damage roll is higher, but less than 2X as high as the STR roll, Gomez is WOUNDED.....if the Damage roll is 2X higher than the STR roll, Gomez is SERIOUSLY WOUNDED.....if the Damage roll is 3X higher than the STR roll, Gomez is Mortally wounded. Just some food for thought!

Shotguns are indeed a weapons choice as US Marines in the Pacific were by FAR the most prolific users of Shotguns by any Branch of any major Military in WW2. Your weapon will be a Winchester 1912 "Trench Gun"....i.e. a Riot-Barrel version of the pump action weapon (6 shell capacity, 12 gauge) with a heat shield and bayonet lug (your choice if you want to have the bayonet). You could still be a "Rifleman" in the squad/platoon as the Guns skill covers Rifles and Shotguns and you could just be the "Point Man", whose most likely to get into close quarters action....or perhaps you're the loader for a Machine Gunner or "guard" for a Mortar team or something.

As for the Powers; two quick things: first, you will NOT be at Pearl Harbor as everyone is going to start the War off in the Philippines and I'll run you all thru a situation where your Power first manifests itself. Second: the way I see Armor vs. Shield; ARMOR is basically your skin is hardened (either stone or metal or maybe something internally so you don't look any different a la Luke Cage) to better be able to resist damage. Obviously, it only applies to you (though you can stand in front of people). It does NOT give you any Higher STR abilities.....though depending on the Level you get; it MAY help you inflict more damage if you punch somebody while you have the Power active. SHIELD is creating a Force Field....perhaps a bubble around you....perhaps a disk....whatever.....that you can utilize to protect either yourself or somebody else.

About what age were you thinking for this character? You could be another fresh-faced young Private or PFC (age 19-24 or so) like Greywolf's MacGyver character.....or perhaps a more seasoned Corporal or NCO type (SGT or Platoon SGT)...25-early 30s?

Greywolf: Your character write up is fine. At 19 or 20, you'd be a Private; out of boot camp for maybe a year or two (Marines in the 30s and early 40s typically made Private First Class or PFC after 3 years of service); and for your skills you have 7D (21 pips) to split amongst skills however you like with the only stipulation being that no more than 2D (or 6 pips) can go to any 1 skill. Any of your chosen skills work fine....I'd be careful about spreading out your skills TOO much as generally if you want a decent chance to be able to routinely succeed at Moderately Difficult tasks (Difficulty 15) actions, you're going to want to have at least 4D in something. But it's YOUR character, so do what you like!


Anyway, I hope that helps fellas and I love the ideas, thanks!

[Zhym]

Zhym: Fred looks great! Like Rex pointed out, Gunnery is for things like 20mm, 40mm and 3 inch guns on the ship, so that could work....on a related note, the Ship's crew would almost certainly ALSO have .30 and .50 cal machine-guns that would fall under Heavy Weapons that Fred could have skills for as well; either works. I did a bit of research and if you get a chance check out the USS Canopus; a Sub Tender in the Philippines at the time of the invasion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Canopus_(AS-9)
Having Fred be a Radioman on this particular ship and later sent to the Bataan Peninsula with much of the crew works out PERFECTLY. As a Radioman 3rd Class, he'd probably be somewhere around 23-26...unless he joined up later....got in trouble and got demoted, or was an exceptional young sailor (go agains the "mediocre" part....but maybe it's ironic?)

I dunno. It doesn't look like it went all that well for the crew of the ol' Canpous. But otherwise, it sounds fine!

Here's an updated skill list:

DEX: 3D. Brawling parry (3D+1), Dodge (3D+1), Melee weapons (3D+1)
KNO: 3D. Bureaucracy (3D+1), Streetwise (3D+1), Technology (3D+1)
MECH: 3D. Radios (4D), Gunnery (3D+1), Heavy weapons (3D+1)
PER: 3D. Bargain (3D+2), Con (3D+2), Persuasion (3D+1)
STR: 3D. Brawling (3D+1), Stamina (3D+1)
TECH: 3D. Radio Repair (4D)

What's the difference between Bargain, Con, and Persuasion, BTW?

[max_vale]

Bargain is mostly used to haggle in markets but basically it's trying to persuade somebody by offering a trade or a deal with money or some kind of items they're interested in.....Con is straight up tricking somebody......Persuasion is kind of a catch-all for things like Seduction, Rousing Speeches, Intimidation, etc.

To put it in game context; Trying to get the Hawaiian fisherman to sell you that Mahi-Mahi for 2 bucks instead of 3.50 would probably be using your Bargain skill; tricking the naive young Army PVT to trade his shiny new M1 Garand semi-auto Rifle for your MUCH LONGER ranged and 'broken in' bolt-action 1903 Springfield Rifle because the M1 is a 'mickey mouse piece of crap that will jam the first time you fire it in anger' would probably be using your Con skill....and finally, trying to convince the gorgeous brunette at the bar that your buddies only call you "mediocre" Fred as an ironic joke; you know like "Little John" would be using your Persuasion skill.

Hope that helps!

Oh final note.....Melee is for fighting with weapons...i.e. Knives, Clubs, Axes, etc. Punching/Martial Arts is 'Brawling' under Strength. Just wanted to make sure that was clear!

[Zhym]

That all makes sense. Let's lock him in, then. We'll say he's 25 years old. Anything else I should do? Do I need to outfit him with equipment, or does the navy provide?

[max_vale]

The Navy will provide most of it, but if you want something ‘personal’ like a lucky set of dice or a harmonica or something else not really ‘military’ that’s cool (within reason).

[Zhym]

I don't have anything particular in mind. Maybe a lucky rabbit's foot and a picture of his girl back home.

[max_vale]

Zhym: Either or both work fine.

Everyone: Please take the time to go thru the different threads I've posted.....I've thrown up the Rules Mechanics (in general) for using the Powers in a 'generic' way; though obviously for each character/power it'll be a little different. PLEASE let me know if you have questions/concerns. I've also thrown up some background info stuff and I'll continue to update these threads with stuff like Rank Structures, Common military terms/lingo of the time, weapons info, etc.

If anyone has any questions about anything, please let me know!

Finally, I've thrown up some character profile is the Characters threads; some are pretty complete, some are more outlines waiting on more info. If you see anything you want to change/don't like/don't understand let me know.....and for things to add (Height, Weight, Appearance, where somebody's from, etc.) let me know....in this thread or a PM, whatever.

Thanks!

[GreyWolfVT]

Max - Right on thanks for the info & suggestions/advice. Might bump MacGyver's age up a little then maybe say 23?

STR 3D: Stamina 2D; Running 2D
KNO 3D: Survival 2D+2; Tactics 2D+2
PER 3D+1: Hide/Sneak 2D+2; Search 2D; Con 2D
DEX 3D+1: Guns 3D; Dodge 2D;
TECH 3D: Equipment Repair 2D+1; Demolition 2D+1
MECH 2D+1: Navigation 2D+1

I think I did the math right here and i dumped 2 skills to get more pips to spread around.

[max_vale]

Hey Greywolf, I THINK I followed what you did there....but all those 2's before the D kinda threw me off....I THINK your's showing the pips spent (which don't need the number before the D), so double check me to see if I've got this right....

STR 3D: Stamina: 3D+2 (+2 pips), Running 3D+2 (+2 pips)
KNO 3D: Survival 3D+2 (+2 pips) Tactics 3D+2 (+2 pips)
PER 3D+1: Hide/Sneak 4D (+2 pips); Search 4D (+2 pips); Con 4D (+2 pips)
DEX 3D+1: Guns 4D (+2 pips); Dodge 4D (+2 pips)
TECH 3D: Equipment Repair 3D+1 (+1 pip); Demolition 3D+1 (+1 pip)
MECH 2D+1: Navigation 2D+2 (+1 pip)

That is 21 pips, which adds up to 7D, so I HOPE that is what you meant, but if I missed anything, let me know.

[Monsieur Rose]

I'll jump in here. You guys have been busy and fast.

How about a demolitions expert who can infuse things he touches with an explosive charge set to blow up when desired. Places a hand on a door, 10 min later it explodes. Or 10 sec later.

I picture Crazy Harry from the muppets.

[Rex]

I think that is a great idea, super useful. Imagine a tank crew when there track explodes.

[max_vale]

Welcome to the party amigo!

Okay....hmmm....a 'bomber' type of Power....I can think of two ways, the first is more logical, but nowhere near as fun....."Hyper Knowledge" with the Quirk of: Only used for the creation of explosive devices. Your character can make all kinds of ingenious explosives, that ONLY he can understand how they work (and usually only while the power is active), but which WILL work after he creates them.....but if something goes wrong, nobody else can duplicate, fix, etc. them.

Or.....and I think this is more in fitting with the concept......he has the Power "Explosive Touch" at the Major Level with the Quirk (obviously) that he can only utilize the power on non-living things (clothes on a person don't count) and only on things he actually touches. The catch is, he can either have it explode at any point after he touches the object (while his Power is active) or it explodes when his Power turns 'off'. I.e. he's not going to be able to make any kind of 'long fused' time bombs when he's in a stressful situation....it's more like 3-6 or 7 rounds or so (3 auto for the Power....up to 6 or 7 if you keep passing the Willpower test to keep a Power active....see Rules Mechanics thread), tops and then BOOM. (Explosion will be at 9D level/5D vehicle).

Thoughts?

[Hadarai]

Alright, after taking your advice into a count Max_Vale I've tinkered with Teddy some more and came out with this stat array. I'm also thinking he'd be around 24 years old, let me know what you think!

Also, does the throwing weapons skill include grenades or is that ordinance?

Theodore "Teddy" Gomez

DEX: 3D+1| Skills: Guns +2 Dodge +2 Thrown Weapons +2
KNO: 2D | Skills:
MECH: 3D | Skills: Navigation +1 Heavy Weapons +1
PER: 3D+1 | Skills: Gambling +2 Hide/Sneak +2 Search +2
STR: 3D+1 | Skills: Brawling +1 Climb/Jump +2 Lifting +1 Stamina +2 Swiming +1
TECH: 3D