Let's Go, Blue Jays!

After an absolutely thrilling Game 7, the Blue Jays are on their way to the World Series for the first time since Joe Carter touched 'em all. I was on the edge of my seat as I watched, and I cheered like a little kid when Julio Rodriguez struck out with Cal Raleigh on deck in the top of the ninth and the score 4-3 Jays. It was like I was back working at that seedy bar in 1993, looking up at the TV screen as Joe hit the bomb and the place erupted. The DJ started playing 'We are the Champions', the crowd was hugging and toasting each other. Total strangers who would never see each other again were acting like long-lost friends. It was glorious.

And a decade ago in 2015, I watched the most impossible inning in baseball history unfold, and the Blue Jays come back thanks to three errors and a mammoth blast from Jose Bautista known forever as the Bat Flip. Like Springer's dinger, it was a 7th-inning blast, and it was a three-run home run, and it broke the back of the opposing team so that they went down without a fight after that. They got a leadoff single and a walk in the eighth, but Roberto Osuna came out and shut them down with a five-inning save, sending the Jays to the ALCS for the first time since Carter's blast.

The next year, it was Edwin Encarnacion's turn to be the hero, hitting a walk-off three-run home run on the first pitch he saw from Ubaldo Jimenez in the bottom of the eleventh inning, which sent the Jays to the ALDS for a rematch with the Rangers that had a lot of bad blood from a fight that happened in the last game they played together in the regular season, when Roughned Odor punched Bautista in the face and cleared the benches. Fortunately, the Jays got their revenge with a three-game sweep, the first in their playoff history, and the icing on the cake was Odor making a throwing error that allowed Josh Donaldson to scamper home with the series-winning run in the 10th inning of game 3. Maybe he should have practiced throwing to first instead of throwing punches.

Now, the Jays have made the playoffs three times since then, in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, 2022, and 2023. They lost all six games they played, and their young star, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., was ineffective and virtually silent at the plate. This time, though, they held on to a first-place finish in the regular season, tied with the Yankees in terms of their record but winning the tie breaker due to beating them 8 games to 5 during the season. Then they dominated the Yankees, beating them in four games in the best-of-five ALDS and moving on to face the Mariners in a battle of teams that joined the league exactly 49 years ago in 1977. It was the first time they ever faced off in the playoffs.

No, 2022 DID NOT HAPPEN. Do not bring that fever dream up again.

The Jays, with home field advantage, lost the first two games at the SkyDome (I refuse to call it the Rogers Centre) and their backs were to the wall. Fortunately, they came back in Seattle and tied the series at 2-2 before dropping game 5 with particularly boneheaded pitching change in the 8th inning that allowed the Mariners to go from 2-1 down to a 6-2 win. Now forced to return home with no margin of error, the Jays replied with a convincing 6-2 win of their own, before facing down the Mariners in a winner-take-all Game 7.

I maintain that there is nothing better than a Game 7 in baseball. Everything is magnified, even moreso than in hockey or basketball. Because unlike those two sports, every pitch takes time. Every play unfolds slowly and yet in the blink of an eye. One swing of the bat can crush a team's hopes and dreams...in either direction. And this was a Game 7 to remember. Was it the best one ever? Probably not; plenty of people will point to the 1991 World Series between Atlanta and Minnesota that went 10 innings and finished with a 1-0 score. And there have been plenty of other classics over the last 122 years of World Series play. But this one...this one is special for Blue Jays fans.

So, now it is on to the World Series against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers. The oddsmakers are heavily favoring the Dodgers to take it despite the Jays having a better season record and playing in a tougher division (the AL East is a dogfight every year, and the NL West had the Colorado Rockies to play doormat).The Jays have shown the resilience necessary to win, and lead the majors in come-from-behind wins this year with 52, 17 of those when trailing in the 7th or later. So don't count out the Blue Jays, because this is a team that gets contributions up and down the lineup every single night. The Dodgers have plenty of stars, including ex-Jay Teoscar Hernandez, but it remains to be seen if their lineup will be as deep. The Jays have hit 20 homers in the playoffs next to the Dodgers' 15, despite the Dodgers playing only one fewer game. The Dodgers have a much better ERA in the postseason, but there are no weak spots in the Toronto lineup for a pitcher to ease up. And the Dodgers have faced no adversity in these playoffs, going 9-1 with two swept series.

All in all, I would say the Dodgers are favored, but it's not going to be a four-game sweep like some people are predicting. Historically, the Blue Jays get dismissed by many fans because they play in Canada. And it's been 32 years since those fans were reminded how good the Blue Jays can truly be. Here's hoping that the Jays can continue this magical run and finish the job. Four more, baby.

My prediction: Blue Jays in 6.

Let's Read Champions 1e (character creation example: Nightshade)

 Alright, I'm going to create a character using these rules. I know they already put three sample characters in, but what's the point of doing this if I don't include a character of my own? I could take a character I created in a different edition; I have lots of those. Or I could start completely fresh and create an entirely new character from scratch.

I'm thinking something new and creative would be a good idea; some of the characters I've created before wouldn't fit in the limitations of the 1st edition rules, whether it's powers that don't show up here, or additional skills, or whatever. So, let's start fresh.

I'm going to use the name idea and create a character called Nightshade. Maybe not the most original name, but hey, it's hard to come up with something completely new. So, Nightshade it is. With a name like that, he's going to have some powers related to shadow or darkness, so here we go.

First, I'm going to use the Multipower framework to save on points. We'll give him a 40-point pool and see what we can fit in there.

40  Multipower (40-pt. pool, darkness powers)

8    Darkness, 8" radius

8    Desolidification, 8 BODY

8    8D6 Energy Blast

4    Teleportation, 20", only between dark and shadowed places (+1 limitation)

10  Ultraviolet Vision (not in the Multipower)

So, that's a total of 78 points in powers. Now for some characteristics (the value on the left, the cost on the right):

10    STR    0

20    DEX    30

20    CON    20

10    BODY    0

15    INT    5

15    EGO    10

15    PRE    5

10    COM    0

8      PD    6

10    ED    6

5      SPD    20

10    REC    8

50    END    5

25    STUN    0

And that's a total of 115 points, giving a total of 193. I'm going to add the Stealth skill with a +1 bonus for 7 points to bring the total to 200 exactly. Now, for some Disadvantages.

Dependent NPC, 11 or less, incompetent (20 points)

Hunted, Pulsar (supervillain, 20 points)

Hunted, VIPER (large group, advanced weapons, 20 points)

Physical Limitation, color blind (infrequently, slightly, 5 points)

Psychological Limitation, Code Against Killing, 20 points

Secret Identity, 15 points

And that's 100 points of Disadvantages to go along with the 100 base points every character gets. So, here's a bit of background for Nightshade.

Drew Deveraux was a college student studying high-particle physics. One night he was working on a light-absorbing device when a superbattle between Pulsar and Starburst intruded on the lab. Pulsar knocked Drew back into the device, which exploded. The explosion staggered Pulsar, allowing Starburst to capture him. Drew, however, was forever changed, his body absorbing tremendous amounts of energy and giving him superpowers to control darkness. After training himself to use these new abilities, he designed a costume and began to fight crime as the hero Nightshade.

Yes, it's pretty simplistic, but that's a typical writeup for this early edition of the game. So, let me know what you think of Nightshade, and I'll continue on with the read-through. Up next...combat!

Let's Read Champions 1e (27-29)

Okay, so yesterday I stopped early on page 27 because I wanted to talk about the character examples a bit more. So, let's see how the designers walked players through creating what would some of the most iconic Champions characters of all time. Going back to the first pages of the book, there are three ways to come up with a character conception: Abilities, Name, and Costume. And like a good game design company, they give us examples of all three.

The first example is a player deciding he wants to play a Batman-type with martial arts and skills. So, he picks several appropriate skills (Acrobatics, Detective Work, Gliding, Martial Arts, and Stealth) before buying characteristics. He takes strong physical characteristics (20 STR, 25 DEX, 20 CON), as well as a high INT (20). Since this will be a melee character, he wants to bump up his defenses, so he pumps 10 points into PD (total of 14) and 6 more into ED (total of 10). And since martial artists are known to be fast, he jacks up the SPD score to a full 6. Since END gets burned so quickly in combat in this first edition, he also boosts his REC score to 12. Not a bad start.

Since Martial Arts costs as many points as your STR score, he goes back and adds that cost to his total. Now he's got a total cost of 200 points, including 150 in characteristics and 50 in skills. No powers, though, although Gliding would become a power in later editions. Since he's got 100 base points, he needs 100 points in Disadvantages to make up the difference, so he gives him a Secret ID (15), a 30-point Hunted, the criminal organization known as VIPER, a 20-point Code vs. Killing, another 20-point Hunted in the CIA, and another Psych Lim worth 15 points, a hatred of Killing Attacks. And then we get a casual mention that the character's name is Crusader.

For long-time Champions fans, that name will be very, very familiar; he was always the first sample character up until the 4th edition. And they'll also note something is missing: Crusader's shield. That's right, in this original version there is no Missile Deflecting shield. He's got the little gliding wings under his arms, but no shield. That caught me off-guard when I read it. Even the art on the sample character sheet shows him with no shield.

Speaking of which, the next page is mostly taken up with a hand-written character sheet showing exactly how everything is laid out. And the Champions character sheet is a thing of beauty; everything you need is there. Formulas for figured characteristics, combat maneuvers, space for the powers, skills and disadvantages, space to put your various characteristics rolls and your movement, and even space for your combat stats and your XPs earned. All that, and a quarter of the page is taken up with space to draw the character. They absolutely nailed the character sheet, and the basic structure of the sheet didn't change for several editions. It didn't need to.

So, Crusader comes off as a slightly underpowered Batman clone; no utility belt or other gadgets, but he's a tough fighter who can solve crimes with his brains as well as his fists. He's a classic character for a reason.

The next sample character is based off a name: Ogre. Yes, that Ogre. Crusader lasted into the 4th edition but I don't recall seeing him after that. Ogre, however, has been a staple of the game from 1981 to today. Everyone needs a big, dumb brick to punch out (or get punched by). And Ogre fills that category beautifully. And even here, he's one tough bugger, with a massive 60 STR (giving him a 12D6 punch) and 30 CON (giving him lots of END to burn). He's dumb and ugly (5 INT, 6 COM), but he's a menacing presence (20 PRE). He also picks up a few powers: Damage resistance (10 pts), Superleap, and Reduced Endurance on his STR.

I forgot to mention this: Power Advantages and Limitations can be applied to characteristics; just use the value of the characteristic to calculate the additional cost or savings. So, a 60 STR with 1/2 END cost would mean the advantage costs 15 points, even though you paid 50 points for the additional STR; you go by the value of the characteristic.

Alright, back to everyone's favorite brick. Ogre gets some Disads to pay for these points; he's at 197, so he'll need at least 97 Disad points to make up the difference. He gets a Psych Lim (hatred of people who remind him how stupid he is) for 15 points, another Psych Lim (fear of heroes with Ego powers) for 5 points, a 10-pt. Vulnerability, taking 2x STUN from Ego Attacks, a 30-pt. Hunted (the FBI), a 10-pt. Susceptibility to being affected by Ego powers, and a 20-pt. Hunted named Mechanon, who is another classic Champions villain who we'll get to later. That's a full 100 points, so he's got 3 points to play with. Ogre gets a +1 Enhanced Sight to improve his PER roll (since PER is based on INT, which means his PER is bad at 10 or less before this additional power). And there it is. The GM gives him a background to fit the disadvantages (he was a normal guy that Mechanon experimented on, and now he's dumb and extremely strong). And there we have it, our first Champions villain is ready to go.

The third method of character conception is a costume. The player comes up with a cape and a star on the hero's chest, and thus we are introduced to Starburst. Stealthy this guy is not. Since his powers define the character, we start with those. And we are introduced to the Multipower, as Starburst's powers are defined as sharing a pool of 40 points. He's got an Energy Blast, a Force Field, and Flight, which he can use up to a total of 40 points split between all three. So, he could have 5" of Flight, a 5 PD/5 ED Force Field, and a 4D6 EB running at the same time. Or, he could put them all into his Energy Blast, or drop the EB and use 10" of Flight and 10 PD/10 ED of Force Field. Multipowers give a character plenty of flexibility, within limits.

So, his characteristics are going to be important, particularly his DEX, CON, and END. SPD also helps. So, with 20 in DEX and CON, and additional points to boost his END to 50, Starburst has a total of 180 points spent. This requires some Disads, and we get a 10-pt. Psych Lim (unsure of himself, may hesitate in emergencies), a Secret ID, a DNPC (15 points, a lab assistant who gets involved on occasion), a 20-pt. Vulnerability to hand-to-hand Killing Attacks, and a Hunted worth 20 points (another villain, Pulsar, who will be introduced at the end). All total, he's got 80 points in Disads, so this is another balanced character.

People who know Champions from the 5th and 6th editions might have their minds blown by how small those point totals are; two 200-point characters and a 180. 5th edition used 350 as the base; 6th edition bumped it to 450. But there just wasn't as much stuff to buy in the earlier editions as there is now. A lot fewer skills, no Talents or Perks, and the powers weren't as complex as they are. So, characters didn't need to be loaded up with points to be effective.

Now, I get the whole 'point bloat' thing; I love creating powerful, Justice League-level characters myself. But there's a reason the X-Men were the most popular comic of the 1980s, and it wasn't because they were the most powerful team around. Same with the Teen Titans, who were very popular when this game was released. These were lower-powered heroes, sidekicks of the big guns, and much more relatable, if I can use that term. They were tough, but not invulnerable. They were powerful, but not demigods. They had weaknesses that made their heroics all the more impressive.

The end of the page discusses how to simulate powers that aren't listed in this edition, such as running up the side of a building or shapeshifting into different animals. The latter would become a full-blown power later (Multiform), and running up the building is simulated by buying Flight with the Limited Power that it only works when you are touching a solid surface (a +1/2 Limitation).

So, that covers all the character creation stuff, and we're just getting to page 30. Before I move on to Combat, I'm going to create a couple of sample characters using the rules we've seen: One hero, and one villain. But that will have to wait until next time.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 27)

We'll finish off with the last two Disadvantages, then jump right into character examples. Starting off with a final note about the Unluck disadvantage from last time, which states that Unluck should be a constant thing, not always needing a roll to affect the character in minor ways whenever things are looking up. And some characters will have both Luck and Unluck, which makes for some fine confusion when things are going both good and bad at the same time.

Unusual Looks just means you look weird. The Thing or Metamorpho would be good examples of this disadvantage. Basically, you get points depending on how people react to your appearance. The more hideous you are, the better. Note that wearing a super-hero costume does not qualify; there are plenty of other ways to look ugly as sin, but costumes are commonplace in a superhero game.

Finally, we have Vulnerability. This is different from Susceptibility, which affects the character whenever a particular object or condition is near. Vulnerability means that certain attacks cause additional damage when they strike you. For example, Aquaman may be Susceptible to being out of water for too long, but he has a vulnerability to fire attacks and takes extra damage that a normal person would not. The more common the attack form, the more points you get. And there are two options for how much damage you take: 1 1/2 times, or double damage (which means double the points for the disad). Finally, you can choose to be vulnerable to STUN or BODY damage; taking both means taking the Disadvantage twice.. Examples given include 2x STUN from sonics (Uncommon, 2x) for 5 x 2 = 10 points; 1 1/2x STUN from punches (Common) = 10 points; and 1 1/2x STUN from physical Killing Attacks (Very Common) = 15 points.

And that is it! That's all the information for 1e character creation: Characteristics, Skills, Powers, Advantages, Limitations, and Disadvantages. All the things a growing character needs.

I'm considering splitting this part off from the next section, which is just character examples. I want to talk about them a bit more, so I'll save them for the next post where I can get into more detail. So, this one is a short one. But a good one, nonetheless, right?

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 26)

Okay, we continue on with some more Disadvantages to make your character more interesting and, more importantly, get extra points to buy cool powers. Because that's what it's all about, right?

So, the first one we have here is Psychological Limitation. Along with Hunted, this is probably the most common Disadvantage, since it provides lots of ways to define your character's personality. Generally, these are psychological quirks that cause a strong reaction in the character, often fear or hatred. Points vary depending on how common the limitation kicks in, and how serious it is. Uncommon situations (once in a while things) are worth 5 points; Common ones are worth 10, and Very Common Psych Lims are worth 15. Now, if you have a very strong reaction and you take irrational actions as a result of being triggered, you get an additional 5 points. If you become completely useless due to retreat or collapse when the trigger happens, you get 10 more points. However, you can make an EGO roll (9 + EGO/5 or less) to minimize the effect (lowering the effect down one level). That's your character using their willpower to overcome the triggering situation.

Psych Lims should be significant to be worth points; being afraid of ants is not going to get you any points; neither is hating rap music (although it should be). No, this is for the big things. Examples given are Code vs. Killing (common, total commitment) which is worth 10 + 10 = 20 points; Claustrophobia (uncommon, irrational) for 5 + 5 = 10 points; and Overconfidence (Very common, irrational) for 15 + 5 = 20 points. You can, of course, make these more or less intense if you want to.

Next up is Public Identity. The Fantastic Four have this; their identities are not even remotely secret; everyone on the planet knows that Reed Richards is Mr. Fantastic, and so on. Some villains (such as Doctor Doom) can have this as well. Basically, the character is always 'on call', so the authorities, villains, and paparazzi can easily find them whenever they want. This Disadvantage is worth 10 points.

The counter to that is, of course, Secret Identity. Most superheroes do have this, since it allows them to live a normal life, hold down a job, have friends, etc. This can require significant efforts to keep that secret. And it's worth 15 points.

Next is Susceptibility. This is where you take damage from objects and effects that would otherwise be harmless. Can you say 'Kryptonite', boys and girls? I knew you could. The more common the object of the susceptibility is, the more points it's worth, and the more it hurts, the more points you get. Like Psych Lims, the categories are Uncommon, Common, and Very Common, with the same point values. The base effect is 1D6 damage per phase; 2D6 is worth an additional 5 points, 3D6 is worth +10. And the damage is both STUN and BODY, so a Susceptibility can be lethal if exposure is lengthy. For example, vampires are Susceptible to sunlight, taking 2D6 damage per phase in full sunlight. This is worth 15 (very common) + 5 (2D6 damage) = 20 points.

Finally on this page, we have Unlucky. This is the opposite of the Luck skill; bad things happen to you without warning or explanation. Like Luck, you roll 1D6 for every 5 points in this Disad, with a maximum of 3D6 for 15 points. Every 1 on the roll is one level of Unluck. For example, a single 1 might mean you slip in combat, or one of your minor gadgets (like your IR Vision goggles) malfunctions. It can also affect you out of combat; you're stuck in traffic, an annoying news reporter shows up just as you were about to go on a date, etc.

2 level of Unluck could mean someone gets between you and the bad guy, blocking your shot when you almost had him down. Or people that would normally give you information are suddenly unavailable, or close-mouthed. Or your Blaster Gauntlets just broke down.

3 levels of Unluck means you should have stayed in bed this morning. Another enemy shows up in the middle of a fight, for example, or your boss is demanding your presence while the Ravager is picking up a school bus to throw it at you. If your DNPC is scheduled to show up in this session, she might be on the bus...

Anyway, that's it for this page. Tomorrow we wrap up Disadvantages, and with that we'll have all the Character Creation section done...except for building some sample characters. Until then!

Let's Read: Champions 1e (page 25)

First of all, I have to say how grateful I am to those of you who are still reading this blog. I took quite a hiatus, but every post I've made since starting up again has had views, so thank you. I hope you'll take a look at my other blog project, 25 Years Later..., my retrospective on the 3rd edition D&D game.

Alright, now back to this Let's Read. We're into the Disadvantages section, and we're reviewing the Dependent NPC (DNPC) writeup. As mentioned last time, they are the normal people in the hero's (or villain's) life that have some sort of impact on their adventures, whether intentionally or accidentally. The more often they are involved, the more points they are worth. However, there are other factors to consider, such as how competent the character is and how many points they themselves are built on. Yes, NPCs are built on points, too. Anyway, you can have a competent DNPC (someone with some special characteristics and/or skills), which doesn't add any points to your Disadvantage. Lois Lane or Alfred, for example, would be competent; both would be built on at least 20 points thanks to their skills and characteristics. A normal is basically an average person built on 0 points; they may have some points shifted around (e.g., a higher STR at the expense of a lower INT), but they're more or less just there. Pepper Potts would be an example. Finally, there are the incompetent NPCs, the ones who actually have a negative point total (lowered characteristics, limited skills). The classic example is, of course, Aunt May.

So that's the DNPCs. Next up is the Hunted disadvantage. This will be one of the most common disads; it's the basis of the character's Rogue's Gallery. Again, Hunteds have evolved over the course of several editions, so this is different from what I am used to. There are three variables to the Hunted Disadvantage. First is the number of people involved in hunting the character. A single person is worth 5 points; a small group (less than 4 villains or 40 people) is worth 10, and a larger group is worth 15. So a solo supervillain would be worth 5 points; the original Enforcers (from Spider-Man), a group of three villains, would be 10 points, and the CIA (lots of agents) would be worth 15. This can vary depending on just how powerful the group actually is.

The next variable is the group's firepower. If they have advanced weapons or highly-trained personnel, that's worth 5 additional points. Hydra is an excellent example. If there are supers involved, that's 10 points. If the Hunted IS a super, that's worth 15 points. Finally, the frequency that the Hunted appears must be noted. The base is an 8 or less roll for the Hunted to show up in a scenario; for 5 more points, that becomes an 11 or less, and for 10 points it becomes a 14 or less. These are the fanatical stalker-types who just won't leave you alone. Use them with caution; it can be very annoying to have the same supervillain show up almost every session. Note that Hunteds can't be added later on in a game for additional points; that's just the benefit of gaming.

Our last Disadvantage on this page is Physical Limitation. This is a problem that hampers the character on a physical level, such as Daredevil's blindness, or Professor X being confined to a wheelchair. The points given for this disad depend on how serious the affliction is, and how often it affects the character. The frequency can be Infrequent (5 pts), Frequent (10), or All the Time (15). If it's a slight limitation (such as color blindness), there's no additional points. If it's greatly impairing (such as hard of hearing), it's worth 5 more points. And if it's fully impairing (unable to walk, or blind), it's worth 10 more points. Note that heroes often have powers that compensate for these disdvantages (such as Daredevil's enhanced senses and radar sense).

And that's another page done. We're moving on steadily, and we'll soon be done with character creation, believe it or not.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 24)

So, we're done with Power Advantages and Limitations, but there's one small thing left. Actually, it's not that small. The next page has a table that was very helpful for calculating the various limitation point reductions. It's a table with a horizontal line of Active Point costs, and a column of total Limitations from +1/4 to +3. You cross-reference the active points of the power with the total limitations and you get the actual cost of the power. As I said, very helpful for the math-challenged.

Okay, there's one more thing to do for character generation: Disadvantages. These are weaknesses the character has. They provide you with additional points to buy more powers, skills, etc. while simultaneously giving the GM ways to torment...I mean challenge your character. Examples of Disadvantages would be Superman's vulnerability to Kryptonite and magic, Wolverine's berserk rages, Spider-Man's devotion to his feeble Aunt May, and Batman's Rogues' Gallery that makes his life difficult.

The more debilitating the Disadvantage is to the character, the more points you get for it. However, if you take multiples of the same type of Disadvantage (such as multiple Hunteds or Psychological Limitations), there's a diminishing returns thing going on; the first two disads are at full value; the third and fourth are at half value, 5th and 6th for 1/4, and any further disads of the same type don't get you anything. The example is a character who takes three Hunted disadvantages; the first two (the ones worth the most points) are full value, the third Hunted is worth only half the points.

The first Disadvantage is Berserk. This one is more suited to villains than heroes, Wolverine being the obvious exception. Basically, with this disadvantage your character loses control in combat and attacks everyone indiscriminately, closest target first. No pulling punches, no esoteric attacks; your strongest attack, full power, until there's no one left standing or until you're not standing. But combat isn't the only time you'll lose it; you have to define a non-combat circumstance that will trigger the berserk, such as the sight of blood or a woman screaming. There are three levels of berserk; you roll 3 dice, and if the roll is lower than your target number, you're berserk. The levels are 8 or less, 11 or less, and 14 or less. Once the combat is done, you roll to see if you come out of the berserk rage; again, three levels at 8, 11, or 14 or less. And the commonality of the non-combat circumstance will also affect your point bonus from the disadvantage, but it's the GM who decides what level it is. Your chance to go berserk is checked once per incident, not repeatedly. The chance to recover is rolled every phase, and you get a free roll when you run out of END, knock out or kill the opponent, or someone tries to snap you out of it.

The next disadvantage is Dependent NPC. This one is mostly on the next page, but I'll summarize it a bit. Basically, this is your Aunt May, Alfred, or Lois Lane. It's someone who matters to you who sometimes (or often) gets involved in your adventures, either deliberately or unwittingly. The more often they get in trouble, the more points they are worth to you. The rolls are 8 or less, 11 or less, and 14 or less, each worth an increasing number of points. So Lois Lane, who is constantly getting into trouble needing Superman to pull her out of it, would probably be a 14 or less. By contrast, Jarvis, the Avengers' butler, is around but generally isn't involved in the team's adventures all that often, so he would be an Infrequent DNPC, with an 8 or less roll.

I'll continue with this disadvantage next time. Until then, Excelsior!

By the way, if all this talk about superheroes has stirred your interest in reading about such characters, I do happen to have a book about that, called The Awakening. Set in the Gilded Age, this is the beginning of a series of stories about the genesis of superheroes in a world slowly preparing for what will become a world war. Check it out!

Book Review: The Sword of Shannara

I know, it's an old book...but it's not as old as I am, so it counts as a new book. Actually, I have read it before; I read it when I was about eleven or twelve, so it was about five years old (and in paperback). But it wasn't the first Terry Brooks book I read; I read The Elfstones of Shannara first, so I was a bit out of sorts until I realized that it was a sequel to another book. So, since I really liked the Elfstones, I decided to see what had come before.

Now, most people today know that The Sword of Shannara is basically a shameless ripoff of Lord of the Rings; I've seen videos on YouTube about the many, many parallels between the two tales. But here's the thing: I read Sword before I read Fellowship. So it didn't feel like a ripoff to me, because I hadn't read the story it was ripping off yet. I didn't read LotR for another three or so years, and I have to be honest, I didn't feel like I was reading the same story.

Alright, so this is Brooks' debut novel, published in 1977; he's gone on to a very successful writing career since then, but a lot of people still complain that he is the reason that fantasy became almost entirely LotR ripoffs in his wake. In some ways, that is true; Sword was very successful, and showed every publisher and writer that LotR pastiches would go over very well with the reading audience. So, that's what they gave us. And so, for a long time, I figured that this was the entire breadth of the fantasy genre; I hadn't heard of Burroughs, Merritt, Dunsany, or Leiber, and I hadn't read Lovecraft or Howard at all.

I've mentioned all this in a long-ago post, discussing Abraham Merritt's The Moon Pool and its disappearance from public notice. But I just finished re-reading Sword after many years, and I thought I'd give my thoughts on it.

First of all, it's a quick read, much quicker than Lord of the Rings, since it's just one book. And while I can now recognize the parallels (since I've had several reminders of them over the last few years), there are enough of Brooks' own ideas to give the discerning reader a fun story that can stand on its own. Yes, it's still a ripoff of Tolkien, but it's also its own thing. And Elfstones proved that Brooks was more than a pastiche artist.

Anyway, Shea Ohmsford is the sole remaining heir to a now-defunct line of Elven kings, and the only man who can use the legendary Sword of Shannara. Allanon the Druid comes to fetch him to go collect the sword so he can use it to defeat the fearsome Warlock Lord, Brona. Shea and his step-brother Flick, along with Shea's friend Menion Leah, travel through terrible peril to the safety of Culhaven, where  Allanon tells them more about the Sword and the threat from the Warlock Lord. A motley group of companions joins Shea and Allanon to go find the Sword in the druid fortress of Paranor, but Shea is separated from them and falls in with a pair of unlikely companions, the one-handed thief Panamon Creel and the mute Rock Troll Keltset. They end up chasing a crazed gnome who actually has the Sword, all the way into the Warlock Lord's kingdom where they have even more trouble. Meanwhile, Allanon and Flick seek to rescue the missing elven king, Eventine, so he can lead his armies to help the beleaguered human forces of Callahorn in the city of Tyrsis, where the noble Balinor hopes to lead the famed Border Legion in a successful defense of the city while they wait for the elves and for Shea to destroy the One Ri--I mean, the Warlock Lord. Shea eventually succeeds, the evil armies are routed, the Warlock Lord is ash, and everyone rejoices...except Hendel the dwarf, who was played by Sean Bean.

Okay, so the story is pretty basic. I've learned over time that this wasn't actually how Brooks originally envisioned the story; instead, it was his publisher, Lester Del Rey, who made him dig into the Tolkien well and give the story a heavy coating of Middle-Earth. Still, Brooks did give the story its own personal touches, which helped make the book so successful. Neither Menion nor Balinor are Aragorn clones; the elven brothers are not all that much like Legolas, and Hendel is definitely not Gimli. Brooks has his dwarves friendly and allied with the elves, and they are pretty much all claustrophobic and hate being underground due to having been stuck there after some ancient cataclysmic war.

One thing I didn't realize when I first read these books is that Brooks set this in the distant future of Earth. This became much more obvious with the Genesis of Shannara series, which is set in our very near future. So the cataclysmic war was nuclear, and humanity barely survived, evolving into dwarves, gnomes, and trolls as well as humankind. The elves are a separate story that gets more detailed in Elfstones. Anyway, the ancient, ruined world does get a few nods here and there; one of the nasty monsters they encounter is an ancient survivor of those wars, and the party encounter it in the skeletal ruins of an ancient city. I know, a lot of 'ancient' in that sentence. So, I'll give Brooks kudos for doing a post-apocalyptic fantasy story in a Tolkienesque style. That can't have been easy to juggle, especially at editorial demand.

So, what did I think of the book? As I said, I have read it before, albeit a long time ago. And I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun and a pretty quick read, with vivid descriptions that nevertheless don't achieve the Tolkien effect of feeling like every single blade of grass and flower petal needs a paragraph of description. And that is a good thing. Even knowing the story, the pace is good, the characters are pretty well-developed (except the elven brothers, who get the shortest shrift in the book), and the climax is genuinely different. The power of the Sword of Shannara is real, but not what one might expect, and it gives the best indication of Brooks' talents as a writer. The characters that feel the most like Brooks' own creations are Panamon Creel and Keltset, neither of whom feels like a port from LotR. Creel is an unapologetic thief, and Keltset has his own motives for what he is doing, and he is definitely more than he seems.

In short, I like this book. I still like Elfstones better, partly since it was the first of the series that I read, and partly because it doesn't have the same Tolkien pastiche feel that Sword invented. I recommend it for younger readers who are just getting into fantasy fiction and haven't started with the heavies like Tolkien; it's a gateway drug for fantasy, and the rest of the Brooks' oeuvre has plenty of merits of its own.

If you're interested in my own fantasy writing, I invite you to check out Apprentice, an initiation into a fantasy world of my own devising, that doesn't have a whole lot of Tolkien influence. But it's still a fun read.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 23)

More Limitations to go over tonight. There are six on this page, and it turns out that there aren't any on the next page, so there are a total of seven Limitations in this edition.

We begin with Always On. This Limitation means that the power cannot be turned off; it's always operating. To buy this, you have to buy the END cost of the power down to 0 using the Reduced Endurance Advantage. Cyclops' eye blasts would have this limitation, requiring him to wear special ruby quartz glasses to keep his blasts in. The multiplier on this Limitation is +1/4.

Incidentally, for those who are familiar with Champions in its later editions, you'll note that the Limitations are listed as positive, not negative, multipliers. I'm not sure when they switched it, but the switch certainly made it easier to understand.

Moving along, we have the Endurance Battery. This Limitation is much different in later editions, so it will require a bit of explaining. Basically, you're setting up a reserve of END points to use for the limited power. Think of it like...well, like a battery. You can use a certain amount of END that is separate from your normal END score. The multiplier for the limitation depends on how big the battery is. Calculate the maximum END necessary to use the power at full capacity. Then decide the multiple for the battery (double the END, quadruple, and so on). If the battery is only good enough to use the power once at full capacity (no additional END), the multiplier for the limitation is +1 1/2. Double the END is +1; four times is +1/2, 8 times is +1/4, and 12 times means there's no benefit to taking this limitation (although you can still take it).

For example, a 10D6 Energy Blast (costing 50 points to buy) costs 10 END to use. If Iron Man is using his Repulsor Beam off a dedicated power supply that would be an END Battery. If the battery is good for 8 shots, then the multiplier for the Battery limitation is +1/4, which means the Battery would hold 80 END for using the Energy Blast (but not the Jet-Boots), and the cost of the power would be reduced to 50 / 1+1/4, or 40 points. If it was a smaller battery good for only four full-power shots, the limitation would be +1/2, making the final cost 33 points. Note that you do not have to use full-power shots; if Iron Man fires a half-strength Repulsor (5D6), he uses 5 END and the Battery still has 75 END available for more shots.

I know, there's a lot. And it's not done yet. Normally, the Battery recharges in about a day. However, you can make it regenerate faster (1 END per full turn, or instantly recharged by a specific special power source) by reducing the Battery Multiple by one step. For example, Iron Man's Repulsor battery can be recharged by connecting it to a powerful electrical generator. If the Battery has 40 END (so a x4 Battery), normally the multiplier would be +1/2, but because it can recharge faster the multiplier is reduced to +1/4.

Phew! As I said, this does change in later editions to become a bit less unwieldy. But that's how it started, so we'll go with it.

Next, we have one of the most common Power Limitations in Champions history: Focus. This Limitation means that the power is operated through some sort of device. Almost any power can be given a Focus. There are four different types of Focus: Obvious and Inobvious, Accessible and Inaccessible. Every focus has one item from each of these pairs, so the possible Foci are Obvious Accessible (+1 multiplier), Obvious Inaccessible (+1/2), Inobvious Accessible (+1/2), and Inobvious Inaccessible (+1/4). An Obvious focus is...well, isn't it obvious? The power gauntlets that shoot Iron Man's Repulsor, Captain America's shield (but there's a caveat I'll mention in a moment), Batman's Utility Belt, Punisher's body armor...all of these are Obvious Foci. If you can tell what item the power is coming from, it's Obvious. If you can't (such as Spider-Man's web-shooters, which are concealed beneath his costume), it's Inobvious. Accessible Foci are items you can remove or render useless in combat. It's not necessarily easy (you have to make a Grab maneuver to take it from them, or attack the item to damage it), but it can be done if you try hard enough. For example, Hawkeye's bow can be taken away from him or broken by an attack (thus, it is an Obvious Accessible Focus). If it takes a lot more effort to take the item away (try taking Iron Man's gloves off when he doesn't want you to), that makes it Inaccessible; it can be done, but it takes time and work outside of combat. The Repulsor Gauntlets are an Obvious Inaccessible Focus).

You must also define the Focus as replaceable or unreplaceable (the word really should be irreplaceable, but I didn't write the book). This doesn't change the cost of the power either way; if it is replaceable, that means it's breakable and has 1 BODY for every 5 active points of the power(s) in the device. If it's irreplaceable, it's unbreakable.

Now, that caveat I mentioned. There are a couple of skills that are defined as Foci, but you don't get a limitation on either one. They are Missile Deflection and Swinging. So Spider-Man's web-shooters don't give him a Focus Limitation on his Swinging skill, but it does apply to other uses, such as Entangles. Likewise, Captain America's shield gives him Missile Deflection, but the skill doesn't get a cost reduction since that's built into the original cost in the first place.

Man, there's a lot to talk about here, isn't there? Alright, we've got three left. Next up is Increased Endurance Cost, which is, of course, the reverse of the Reduced Endurance Advantage. No, you can't buy both on the same power. Importantly, here we finally get the official confirmation and explicit rule that powers cost 1 END per 5 points of power used. If you take this Limitation, the END cost is increased. This would be good for powers that can be overloaded, such as the Human Torch's Nova Blast. It takes a lot out of the hero, but the benefit means you can get a much higher level of power for a low cost in points. The Endurance multiples (and their cost multiples) are: x 1 1/2 (+1/2), x2 (+1), x3 (+2), x4 (+3), and x5 (+4). So, the hero Supernova can buy a 12D6 Energy Blast with Area Effect (Radius) on it, which would normally cost (gulp!) 120 points, but with a x4 END multiplier, it would reduce the cost to 30 points. Just don't ask what the END cost of using it would be...alright, at full power, it would be 96 END. No, I'm not exaggerating. The END cost is 1 for every 5 Active Points, not just the Base Points. At a power cost of 120 points, that means a base cost of 24 END to use it. With a x4 Increased Endurance Limitation, that bumps it to 96 END. Supernova is going to be napping after he uses this even once.

Next...no, I'll save this one for last. The last one on the page is Limited Uses (Charges in later editions). Basically, you can only use the power a certain number of times a day. Unlike the Endurance Battery, which lets you use low-powered shots to save power, this Limitation doesn't give you the savings option. If you've got five uses, then that's all you get. Here's the chart, so I don't have to retype it.

Number of Uses    Bonus
1                            +2
2                            +l 1/2
3                            +l
4-6                        +1/2
7-10                      +1/4
11-15                    No Bonus

If you want the power to still cost END, you add +1/2 to the multiplier.

Alright, let's go back to the previous Limitation, which is called 'Limited Power'. But this one is cheating, because this might as well be called 'Miscellaneous Limitation'. It's literally a catch-all for limiting the power in a way that isn't covered by any of the standard Limitations. So really, there are effectively an infinite number of limitations on this page, all covered by this 'Limited Power' umbrella. Some of the examples given include: Power has no Range (+1/2 multiplier), which obviously can't be taken unless the power is ranged in the first place (such as Energy Blast or Flash), Power only works in Hero Identity (+1/4), Power only works (or doesn't work) in a given situation (variable limitation depending on how common or uncommon the situation is), and Power is linked to another (higher-cost) power, so the smaller power only works when the higher one is active (+1/2).

These are just a tiny sample of the possibilities for this Limitation. The player and the referee have carte blanche to come up with others; just make sure that it's actually a limitation before giving out any multipliers.

And...that's it! We've almost got everything we need to create a balanced character. There's just one more thing: Disadvantages. We'll go over those next time.

Incidentally, I'm still running a parallel review of 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons on my 25 Years Ago... blog, if that would be of interest to you. I'm about to dive into the 3rd edition Monster Manual, so come and check it out.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 22)

We continue with Power Advantages; there aren't that many of them, and so we'll also learn about Limitations today.

The next Advantage is Invisible Power Effects. This is pretty self-explanatory; your powers work, but no one can see them work. For example, Microwave Man can use his power to launch a microwave attack, which is invisible to the naked eye; this would be an Energy Blast or Ranged Killing Attack with Invisible Power Effects. There are two options for this advantage. First, your power is invisible to normal sight, but IR, UV, X-Ray and N-Ray Vision can still see it; this Advantage has a multiplier of +1/2. Or, your power is fully invisible to all forms of sight, which is a multiplier of +1. This Advantage doesn't count for calculating the END cost of the power.

Power Affects Desolidified Objects is a wordy name, but it basically means what it says: The power can affect desolidified targets, including people. The multiplier is +1/2, and the cost of this advantage is not counted for the purposes of how much END the power costs to use. Looking ahead, I can see that all the advantages on this page also have that feature, so I won't repeat it again. The ones on the previous page, however, do not; I didn't forget about them.

Next is Range, which is just as obvious as the last one; contact powers can be used at range. Examples would be Characteristic Drain or Darkness. The usual range modifier (-1 per 3") applies to any attacks made. The multiplier is +1/2.

Reduced Endurance is a long-time favorite. This one makes it less tiring to use your powers. However, it works differently in this edition than it does in later ones (at least, 4th edition and later). Each level of Reduced END is a +1/4 multiplier, and you can take it several times. Each time you take it, the END cost of the power is reduced by half. The example here is of the Invisibility power, and we get our first confirmation of how END is calculated: 1 END for every 5 points in the power. Invisibility costs 40 points at a minimum, so the END cost is 8. Damn, that's hefty. No wonder you get 2 END per point spent on the characteristic; you need a lot. So, reducing this by half would cost 10 additional points (1/4 of 40), and reduce the END to 4 per use. You can do it again, paying 10 points and dropping it to 2 END per use. Now the power cost you 60 points, but it doesn't tire you out. If you reduce the END to 1/2 Pip or less through multiple purchases of the multiplier, the power now costs 0 END to use. For example, if you bought Reduced END twice more for the Invisibility power, that would reduce the END to 1/2 Pip, so for a total cost of 80 points you would pay 0 END to use your Invisibility. Is it worth it? I doubt it, but like I said, it works differently in later editions.

Okay, the final Advantage in this edition is Usable on Others. This means that powers that would normally affect only you will now affect others; it requires an attack roll, and it's not at range; you have to touch the target (unless you also buy the Range advantage). Examples here are Invisibility, Enhanced Senses, and Regeneration; with this advantage you can give someone else this ability, although it is under your control. For example, the Invisible Woman can make other objects or people invisible; her Invisibility would be bought with this Advantage. The multiplier is +1/2.

And that is it for Power Advantages in the 1st edition. There are only eleven Advantages in total here, but they cover a surprisingly wide range of abilities.

Next, we get into Power Limitations. These are the opposite of Advantages; they weaken the power in some manner, giving you a discount on the cost. Like Advantages, these are measured in multipliers. You calculate the discount just as you would the additional cost of Advantages: Active Cost divided by the total of the Limitation multipliers plus one to get the Real Cost. Rounding is used.

For example, if Iron Man has 20" of Flight (40 Active Points) with the Limitation Focus: Jet Boots (Obvious, Inaccessible), the multiplier is +1/2, which means the Real Cost is 40 / (1 + 1/2) = 26 2/3, rounded up to 27. Another example is an energy pistol, which is a 6D6 Energy Blast (30 points) with 10 shots (a +1/4 Limitation) in an Obvious Accessible Focus (+1 Lim), which gives a formula of 30 / 1 + 1 + 1/4, which results in a Real Cost of 13 1/3, rounded down to 13 points.

The only Limitation we get on this page is Activation; this represents a power that doesn't work all the time, such as an experimental weapon or a character who doesn't quite have full control of their power. There are three levels of Activation, with different multipliers for each. If the power usually works, you would have an Activation Roll of 14 or less, which is a +1/2 multiplier. If it works about half the time, that's a roll of 11 or less, and a +1 multiplier. And if it rarely works, it requires a roll of 8 or less to operate the power, and that's a +2 multiplier. Well, that would be a cheap power, but you wouldn't get to use it very often, which is kinda the point, isn't it?

So, that's it for Advantages and the beginning of Limitations. Next up...well, more Limitations.