JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Blaze! Blockbuster(s)! Lady Vic!

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Ken
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Alfred! Lucius! Dr. Leslie!

Post by Ken »

JDRook wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 4:13 am Image
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Ironically, this image is from before most of what you summed up about Leslie was true. Initially, she was just the lady who initially consoled Bruce right after the shooting of his parents. She wasn't a doctor in that original story. She was just a person who lived in Park Row who comforted a young boy who needed it, and said boy never forgot. She stayed in the Park Row neighborhood after the incident, which is around the time it became known as "Crime Alley".

The reimagining her as a physician and one of Bruce's confidants would come post-Crisis.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Alfred! Lucius! Dr. Leslie!

Post by JDRook »

catsi563 wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 7:36 pm
Davies wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:18 amI'd say drop Batman's Treatment, and give Leslie the full +13 her PL allows her by RAW. Possibly boost her Intellect a few ranks too.
id disagree with that entirely. For one Batman would have at least an EMTs level of skill which 5 ranks given above is. his advanced intellect means he has a lot more knowledge to draw on and theres no way he doesnt patch himself up on the field form time to time
As I mentioned, Jack of All Trades and INT 8 gives Batman an effective +8 Treatment, which is more than adequate for field medicine IMO, so he doesn't really need additional ranks.

To my mind, it really comes down to whether Batman needs to be the best in all skills or can he get some use out of his Connected Advantage and get people like Fox or Thompkins to lend their skills to him? In a higher PL JLA-style setting, you probably want more the former to keep the action streamlined, with Batman being the skillmonkey for the group, but in a Gotham-based story the latter is more effective to flesh out the city and Batman's relationship to it.
Ken wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:02 am
JDRook wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 4:13 am Image
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Ironically, this image is from before most of what you summed up about Leslie was true. Initially, she was just the lady who initially consoled Bruce right after the shooting of his parents...
The reimagining her as a physician and one of Bruce's confidants would come post-Crisis.
I did pick it just because it sums up Thompkin's attitude toward Batman really well, even if she isn't his godmother in this scene. I'll leave it in.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Alfred! Lucius! Dr. Leslie!

Post by Ken »

JDRook wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 5:10 am
catsi563 wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 7:36 pm
Davies wrote: Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:18 amI'd say drop Batman's Treatment, and give Leslie the full +13 her PL allows her by RAW. Possibly boost her Intellect a few ranks too.
id disagree with that entirely. For one Batman would have at least an EMTs level of skill which 5 ranks given above is. his advanced intellect means he has a lot more knowledge to draw on and theres no way he doesnt patch himself up on the field form time to time
As I mentioned, Jack of All Trades and INT 8 gives Batman an effective +8 Treatment, which is more than adequate for field medicine IMO, so he doesn't really need additional ranks.

To my mind, it really comes down to whether Batman needs to be the best in all skills or can he get some use out of his Connected Advantage and get people like Fox or Thompkins to lend their skills to him? In a higher PL JLA-style setting, you probably want more the former to keep the action streamlined, with Batman being the skillmonkey for the group, but in a Gotham-based story the latter is more effective to flesh out the city and Batman's relationship to it.
Even in the classic JLA, Batman wasn't THE skillmonkey. Barry Allen, the forensic scientist; Ray Palmer, the theoretical physicist; Princess Diana of Paradise Island, a trained nurse (even if her purchasing her credentials was a little sketchy) AND inventor or the Purple Healing Ray; a couple of police officers from outer space with advanced technology AND gobs of info stored in their heads from the Absorbascon, another police officer from yet another planet... skillmonkeys abound.

And then there were things like the Universe's most advanced bling-based database, the nuclear physicist who played Jimminy Cricket to a certain atomic teenager, a sapient android with photographic recall, an investigative journalist (that was a thing once upon a time) with Super memory.

Oh, and the owner of a successful flower shop.

The League had their bases covered.
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JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by JDRook »

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Batwoman - PL 10

Strength 3, Stamina 3, Agility 6, Dexterity 5, Fighting 11, Intellect 3, Awareness 4, Presence 3

Advantages
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Attractive, Benefit, Wealth 4 (multimillionare), Close Attack 4, Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 3, Equipment 11, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improvised Tools, Instant Up, Languages 3, Move-by Action, Precise Attack (Close, Concealment), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Redirect, Seize Initiative, Takedown, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed

Skills
Acrobatics 9 (+15), Athletics 10 (+17/+13), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+12), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Military 10 (+13), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+8), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+9), Investigation 9 (+12), Perception 10 (+14), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Throw 6 (+11), Sleight of Hand 5 (+10), Stealth 10 (+16), Technology 6 (+9), Treatment 6 (+9), Vehicles 9 (+14)

Equipment
Body Armor: Protection 1 (+1 Toughness)
Gauntlets
. . Climbing Claws: Enhanced Trait 2 (Traits: Athletics +4 (+17); Limited: Climbing Checks only)
. . Gauntlets: Strength-based Damage 1 (DC 19)
Grapple: Movement 1 (Swinging)
Flashlight
Mini-tracer
Night-Vision Lens: Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision)

Utility Belt
Batarangs: Strength-based Damage 2 (DC 18; Increased Range: ranged)
Explosives: Burst Area Damage 4 (DC 19; Burst Area: 30 feet radius sphere, DC 14, Increased Range: ranged)
Flash Bombs: Burst Area Affliction 3 (1st degree: Impaired, 2nd degree: Disabled, 3rd degree: Unaware, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 13; Burst Area: 30 feet radius sphere, DC 13, Increased Range: ranged)
Sleep Gas Pellets: Cloud Area Affliction 4 (1st degree: Fatigued, 2nd degree: Exhausted, 3rd degree: Asleep, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 14; Cloud Area: 15 feet radius sphere, DC 14, Increased Range: ranged)
Smoke Bombs: Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 (All Visual Senses, DC 14; Cloud Area: 15 feet radius sphere, DC 14, Attack: Dodge)
Tear Gas Pellets: Cloud Area Affliction 3 (1st degree: Dazed, Impaired, 2nd degree: Stunned, Disabled, 3rd degree: Incapacitated, Incapacitated, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 13; Cloud Area: 15 feet radius sphere, DC 13, Extra Condition, Increased Range: ranged)
Bunker
Toughness 10, Size Medium
Features:
Communications, Computer, Concealed 1, Defense System, Garage, Gym, Infirmary, Library, Living Space, Power System, Sealed, Workshop
Power Points
Abilities 1 + Powers 0 + Advantages 0 + Features 12 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Defenses 2 + Equipment 0 (0 ep) + Weapons & Armor 0 (0 ep) = 15
Motorcycle
Strength 1, Defense 0, Toughness 8, Size Medium
Features:
Navigation System 1
Powers
Speed 6 (Speed: 120 miles/hour, 1800 feet/round)
Power Points
Abilities 1 + Powers 6 + Advantages 0 + Features 1 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Defenses 3 + Equipment 0 (0 ep) + Weapons & Armor 0 (0 ep) = 11
Offense
Initiative +6
Batarangs: Strength-based Damage 2, +14 (DC 20)
Explosives: Burst Area Damage 4 (DC 19)
Flash Bombs: Burst Area Affliction 3 (DC Fort 13)
Gauntlets: Strength-based Damage 1, +16 (DC 19)
Grab, +15 (DC Spec 15)
Sleep Gas Pellets: Cloud Area Affliction 4 (DC Fort 14)
Smoke Bombs: Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 (DC Dog 14)
Tear Gas Pellets: Cloud Area Affliction 3 (DC Fort 13)
Throw, +14 (DC 18)
Unarmed, +16 (DC 18)

Complications
Enemy: Alice Liddel; the Religion of Crime.
Flashbacks: Batwoman sometimes has traumatic flashbacks to tragic events of her past, such as the kidnapping and murder of her mother and sister.
Relationships: Her father Jacob, her cousin Bette “Flamebird” Kane, her stepmother Catherine, and her former lover and friend Renee Montoya, aka the Question (see Vol. II).
Secret Identity: Kate Kane, wealthy heiress and socialite.

Languages
Choose any 4 languages, Native Language

Defense
Dodge 13, Parry 13, Fortitude 8, Toughness 7/3, Will 12

Power Points
Abilities 76 + Powers 0 + Advantages 47 + Skills 63 (126 ranks) + Defenses 22 = 208

Kate Kane has a few twists in her backstory that make her different from Batman (besides the obvious). Like Bruce, Kate was also born into money, but instead of getting mugged in an alley, she was kidnapped at 12 along with her twin sister and mother, with her Army Colonel father rescuing her but losing the others. Instead of traveling around the world to fuel a mission of vengeance, Kate went on with her life much like Barbara Gordon but with a military bent, excelling to where she could enroll at West Point. Unfortunately she was caught in a lesbian affair and resigned from the Point, moved back to Gotham, and without a lot of direction lost herself in parties and socializing.

After a fight with her then-partner Renee Montoya, she was attacked by muggers when Batman showed up, although she was fighting pretty well on her own. Batman inspired her to get her own cape, so she stole some military hardware and started to do her own crimefighting. Not long after her father found out and was eventually supportive of her new life's purpose, essentially taking on the Alfred role in her life.

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Mechanically Kate is basically a toned-down PL10 version of DCA Bruce; highly trained in all skills, Defense-focused and Will-Heavy, hitting her offensive cap with the Gauntlets in hand-to-hand and all of her defensive caps. She doesn't have Bruce's Intimidation Advantages, but she does have Grabbing Finesse similar to the Batgirls and is so far the only batfam with Attractive. The only mistake is the Motorcycle priced wrong, possibly due to copy-pasting it from the Batgirl build but forgetting about the Nav System for the extra 1ep, which throws off everything by a whole power point.

Honestly, you could scratch off the serial numbers and make a few small changes and no one would ever know this isn't Batman. I had been thinking of a Bman build ostensibly PL12 but traded off twice for a PL10/210p starter, which is very close to this (as is Nightwing).
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by JDRook »

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Beast Boy - PL 10

Strength 3, Stamina 8, Agility 4, Dexterity 2, Fighting 3, Intellect 2, Awareness 2, Presence 3

Advantages
Taunt, Teamwork

Skills
Deception 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+9)

Powers
Shapeshift (Animal Forms: Variable 9 (Action: move; Limited: Animals, Quirk: Always Green)
Power Settings
Ape (Powers: Growth 4, Senses 2, Fortitude -4 (+8), Athletics +6 (+9), Perception +6 (+8)) - 16p
Dolphin (Powers: Senses 4, Swimming 4, Athletics +8 (+11), Close Combat +2 (+5), Perception +8 (+10)) - 17p
Hawk (Powers: Flight 4, Senses 2, Shrinking 8, Close Combat +4 (+7), Perception +6 (+8), Toughness -2 (+6)) - 25p
Insect Swarm (Powers: Burst Area Affliction 3, Flight 2, Swarm: Insubstantial 2, Strength -9 (-6)) - 4p
Lion (Powers: Claws, Growth 2, Senses 2, Close Combat +3 (+6), Perception +5 (+7), Stealth +8 (+12), Fighting +1 (+4), Fortitude -2 (+10)) - 19p
Shark (Powers: Senses 2, Swimming 4, Strength-based Damage 1, Fighting +1 (+4), Athletics +4 (+7), Perception +5 (+7), Advantages: All-out Attack, Close Attack, Power Attack) - 17p
T-Rex (Powers: Bite: Strength-based Damage 1, Growth 10, Senses 4, Tough Hide: Protection 2, Stamina -6 (+2), Fighting +3 (+6), Fortitude -4 (+8), Parry -2 (+8), Perception +8 (+10), Advantages: Improved Grab, Improved Initiative) - 21p
Whale (Powers: Growth 12, Protection 1, Senses 4, Swimming 5, Stamina -8 (+0), Fortitude -4 (+8), Athletics +2 (+5), Close Combat +2 (+5), Perception +10 (+12)) - 21p
Wolf (Powers: Senses 3, Perception +4 (+6), Stealth +4 (+8), Advantages: Improved Trip) - 8p
Offense
Initiative +4
Grab, +3 (DC Spec 13)
Strength-based Damage 1, +3 (DC 19)
Throw, +2 (DC 18)
Unarmed, +3 (DC 18)

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 12, Toughness 8, Will 8

Complications
Motivation - Thrills: Gar inherited his parents’ love of excitement and adventure, seeking thrills in super heroics just as they did in their scientific endeavors.
Relationship: Gar has lived most of his life as an outsider, and is especially close to past and present teammates who share that condition, namely Robotman and Cyborg. He also has a knack for complicated romantic entanglements, falling for the
traitorous Terra then the demonically influenced Raven.

Power Points
Abilities 54 + Powers 62 + Advantages 2 + Skills 9 (18 ranks) + Defenses 23 = 150

Garfield Logan is such a fun, happy-go-lucky character that I had no idea his backstory was so dark. He catches a lethal disease while on an expedition with his scientist parents in Africa, but the disease isn't lethal to animals so his dad [technobabbles] him, effectively curing him but leaving him green and able to shift into animal forms. Then after his parents both die in a boating accident, Gar is shuffled around like a Baudelaire orphan to worse and worse guardians, including Galtry who drains his trust fund.

Things get marginally better as Gar sneaks off to adventure with the Doom Patrol and even gets adopted by Steve and Rita Dayton (Mento & Elasti-Woman), but apparently Doom Patrol suffers a TPK and Gar loses his family again. Eventually he joins the Teen Titans and has managed to stick with them through many incarnations (possibly driven by trauma and fear of abandonment). Despite all this, or possibly because of it, Gar is relentlessly upbeat and friendly.

This build is another one of the sweet spot RtP builds, although it does use a Variable effect, so it can still be a bit tricky for a new player. Naturally it's pretty similar to Animal Man both mechanically and conceptually, although Buddy doesn't actually turn into the animals. Unlike Buddy, Gar actually hits his PL in his base form, even if it's just his F/W Defense and his other defenses are all PL9. Offensively he's pretty weak at PL3 unarmed or throwing, so his animal forms take care of that, though it should be noted most animals don't get near PL10.

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Focusing on his Shapeshift, it's actually a lot bigger than it needs to be. I put together a bunch of Power Settings based on the 7 animal builds in the GM section of the Deluxe book plus two more (T-Rex and Insect Swarm) since they are specifically mentioned on Gar's DCA page. Variable 9 allows for 45p of animal traits, but most of the animal builds don't even reach half that, particularly if you need to buy back traits to stay in PL (Gar's STA 8 combined with Growth often puts his Fortitude over the top). Even the T-Rex is only 21p or 5 rank of Variable, although it's also a PL11 dinosaur, so it either needs to be toned down a bit, or a GM might allow the player to use Extra Effort to push for a full PL11, tiring Gar out, which fits with how it works in the source material. All of which is to say that Beast Boy could easily get away with only 5-6 ranks of Shapeshift, freeing up 21-28p if you wanted to give him more skills and advantages, or some Regeneration for his fast healing, or speed up his transformations to Free Actions, or even build him at a lower PL.

OTOH, you can look at it from the side of the animal builds. The M&M builds are relatively simple, and should be since in most cases they're acting as mooks or background. But if you want forms for your Beast Boy PC, you might want the more detailed builds of Jab's Animals or ProdigyDuck's Super Powered Bestiary which might actually fill out those Shapeshift ranks more. You could also custom-build your animals, but should probably get GM approval.

On the third hand, there's always the question of whether you even need that much flexibility for play. On one of the old boards Batgirl III made a Beast Boy build that was an Array of 13 different general animal types that could represent at least 40 distinct species, all for less cost than an equivalent Variable (resurrected here, thanks to FuzzyBoots). And IMHO, a player is generally not going to need more than 5-10 different animals; figure 1-2 big combat animals (tiger, T-rex) that actually come close to PL, a couple of Movment animals (cheetah, hawk, dolphin), and maybe a few special senses (bloodhound tracking, bat sonar); just put your favourites in an array, and for any special occasions you can Power Stunt another animal.

Does Gar need Morph? Unlike Animal Man, he does turn into the animal, which could be a perfect disguise IF he wasn't limited to being green. Wolfman and Perez even say that he could turn into people but since he'd be green there's no real point. I figure the best way to cover any time Gar is trying to disguise himself, he'd just use Morph 1 in his Variable. If you are using an Array, though, you'd need a Morph 3, and in either case I'd recommend a Complication for when Gar is actually trying to disguise himself and his green gives him away.

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Overall, it's a pretty good build, with the only issue being that the Variable should have a handful of premade animals at the ready to keep the game moving. A few more skills or advantages would be nice, but the player will probably have a blast focusing on the different animals, and the high defenses keep him largely out of trouble.
Last edited by JDRook on Sun Jan 10, 2021 4:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by JDRook »

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Big Barda - PL 13

Strength 15/10, Stamina 15/10, Agility 8, Dexterity 8, Fighting 11, Intellect 2, Awareness 4, Presence 6

Advantages
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Interpose, Leadership

Skills
Athletics 4 (+19), Expertise: Tactics 5 (+7), Insight 2 (+6), Intimidation 4 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Mega Rod 3 (+11)

Powers

Immortal
. . Immunity 11 (Aging, Life Support)
. . Impervious Toughness 8
Strength of Apokolips: Power-lifting 4 (+4 STR for lifting)

Devices

Aero Disks: Flight 6 (Removable, Speed: 120 miles/hour, 1800 feet/round; Platform)
Apokoliptian Armor: Enhanced Trait 20 (Removable, Strength +5 (+15), Stamina +5 (+15))
Mega Rod (Easily Removable)
. . Concussive Blast: Blast 10 (DC 25)
. . Flight 5 (Speed: 60 miles/hour, 900 feet/round)
. . Mega Mace (Penetrating 10)
. . Teleportation: Teleport 5 (900 feet in a move action, carrying 50 lbs.)
. . Transwarp Drive: Movement 3 (Space Travel 3: other galaxies)

Mother Box (Removable)
. . Healing 8
. . Intelligence: Feature 2
. . Movement 3 (Space Travel 3: other galaxies)


Offense
Initiative +12
Concussive Blast: Blast 10, +11 (DC 25)
Grab, +11 (DC Spec 25)
Throw, +8 (DC 30)
Unarmed, +11 (DC 30)

Complications
Enemy: When she left Apokolips, Big Barda was marked a traitor by Granny Goodness, the Female Furies, and even Darkseid himself.
Love: Big Barda’s love for Scott Free means she will always be more concerned with his safety than her own.

Languages
Native Language

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 11, Fortitude 15, Toughness 15, Will 9

Power Points
Abilities 118 + Powers 77 + Advantages 7 + Skills 11 (22 ranks) + Defenses 7 = 220

I never really got into the New Gods in my early second-hand exposures to comics. The few issues I saw were visually interesting, but because I'd rarely see them in any order it was like coming in during the middle of the movie, and without any frames of reference like recognizable characters or settings, it failed to keep my interest. The references I've seen to it in other media (including old toy commercials)are the only real connection I have to it, so I'd heard of Darkseid and Parademons, but even the other major New Gods were a mystery to me. Barda's my first deep-dive into the setting.

Barda was born 250 years ago on Apokalips, groomed by Granny Goodness to be a warrior and soldier and showed enough promise to lead Darkseid's honour guard, The Female Furies. She met Scott Free, who turned out to be a highborn rebel from New Genesis and they had a "lovers from two warring houses" thing, with her helping him escape to Earth but staying behind for star-crossed reasons. She eventually abandons the Furies, follows Scott (now Mister Miracle with a touring escape artist act) to Earth and marries him. While still new to the ways of Earth, she actually likes being a happy homemaker after centuries of warrioring, but still gets out to help the JLA or Birds of Prey or others with her galaxy-class combat training.


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Mechanically, Barda is obviously a heavy-hitter, but definitely favors close fighting. At PL13, she hits offensive caps both unarmed and wielding the Mega-Rod as a mace, but barely hits PL11 with the ranged concussion blasts. Close Defense hits caps, with ranged only slightly behind and F/W at PL12. (A typo in the book has Fortitude at 11 despite STA 15.)

At first glance it seems like a straightforward build, but there are a bunch of little details that just don't quite fit:

- Barda's Wikipedia entry says her strength is roughly on par with Wonder Woman's, as is her combat training. Looking forward, WW's a PL15, but Barda's Abilities are mostly similar except for drops in the PL-affecting traits, so it's possible they did start with her as a template.
- Her armor is said to increase her durability in one wiki and her strength in another. The build adds +5 to both STR and STA which is huge, and in theory should make her stronger than WW when wearing it, but that seems to have been avoided.
- Her AGI, DEX and PRE are way high considering she has so few skills taking advantage of them, but I guess she is a "god" of sorts.
- Speaking of which, her Immortal power set includes Life Support, which may be overkill. The wikis state her resistance to disease and poisons as a New God, but they don't say anything specific about extreme environments, breathing or eating. In any case, full Life Support makes Great Endurance useless, so at least one of them needs fixing, and since Scott doesn't have it and the two are similar enough to have a child, I'm gonna say LS is not right.
- she has a lot of devices and there's some unexpected overlap between them. The MRod has Flight (I think a function of gravity control?) but the Aero Disks are better flyers, so maybe stick to fighting with the rod? It also has Transwarp Drive that does the same thing as the Mother Box; looking further it seems the Mega-Rod was once reverse-engineered to provide transwarp similar to a Boom Tube, which sounds like a Device Power Stunt to me.
- Mister Miracle's Aero Disks are faster and don't have the Platform Flaw but are Easily Removable; so you can't be knocked off them but you can be Disarmed? This could be divergent New Genesis/Apokolips tech issues, but I think it was just an oversight. I'll have to figure out which config I like better.
- The Mega Rod has other issues, like underpointing its slots for no clear reason. The Concussive Blast sets a 20p base, but everything else ends up being only 10p each. The Penetrating for the Mace Attack could be for the full 15 STR, the Teleport could go 4 miles instead of 900', and Flight (if it's supposed to be flight) could be supersonic.
- It may be because I've just done a bunch of bat-builds, but I would think at least a few of her skills should be near PL. For 200 years of combat experience, her tactics and insight are abysmal.
- And do the New Gods all speak English? Gosh that's handy. A quick look around makes no indication that there's a separate language for New Genesis or Apokolips, and no mention of any god-like ability to speak all langauges, so this is either a narrative handwave or it's too obscure for my light scanning to find.


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Big Barda (RtP PL13) - PL 13

Strength 15/10, Stamina 15/10, Agility 4, Dexterity 4, Fighting 11, Intellect 2, Awareness 4, Presence 6

Advantages
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Interpose, Leadership

Skills
Athletics 2 (+17), Expertise: Tactics 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 4 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Mega Rod 7 (+11), Stealth 3 (+7)

Powers
Aero Disks: Flight 6 (Removable, Speed: 120 miles/hour, 1800 feet/round; Platform)
Apokoliptian Armor (Removable)
. . Enhanced Trait 20 (Traits: Strength +5 (+15), Stamina +5 (+15))
. . Impervious Toughness 8
Immortal: Immunity 3 (Aging, Disease, Poison)
Mega Rod (Easily Removable)
. . Concussive Blast: Blast 10 (DC 25)
. . Flight 5 (Speed: 60 miles/hour, 900 feet/round)
. . Mega Mace (Penetrating 15)
. . Teleportation: Teleport 10 (4 miles in a move action, carrying 50 lbs.)
Mother Box (Removable)
. . Healing 8
. . . . Movement 3 (Alternate; Space Travel 3: other galaxies; Portal)
. . Intelligence: Feature 2

Offense
Initiative +8
Concussive Blast: Blast 10, +11 (DC 25)
Grab, +11 (DC Spec 25)
Throw, +4 (DC 30)
Unarmed, +11 (DC 30)

Complications
Enemy: When she left Apokolips, Big Barda was marked a traitor by Granny Goodness, the Female Furies, and even Darkseid himself.
Love: Big Barda’s love for Scott Free means she will always be more concerned with his safety than her own.

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 11, Fortitude 15, Toughness 15, Will 9

Power Points
Abilities 102 + Powers 58 + Advantages 7 + Skills 17 (34 ranks) + Defenses 11 = 195

Here's a trimmed down version of the DCA build that uses some of my fixes. I also removed the Strength of Apokalips partly to save points, but mostly because I feel 3e lifting STR is so much more effective than it was in 2e that you generally don't need all that extra; in this case, her lifting drops to only 800 tons (roughly twice a fully loaded 747) from 12 ktons (idk, 30 planes? a small building?) so while it's technically a lot it doesn't necessarily make a lot of narrative difference.

I cleaned up her Immortal set, moved her Impervious to her armor, lowered her AGI/DEX with compensations elsewhere, upped some of her skills and Mega Rod slots. I'm hitting a wall on the Flight slot, though, because I'm still not sure what it's meant to be. One site claimed she used her Rod to speed up flight on her Disks (making that the second Movement booster use I've found) and another says "For a limited time the Mega-Rod can also increase the gravity force of an individual," which seems meaningless without context. It's probably easier to remove it entirely and just make a point of defining the Descriptor of "Boom Tube Tech" to allow for interesting Power Stunts.

This does bring up the question of PL and where characters should fit. So far the only characters in the PL13 range are Barda, Atrocitus and Bane. I could see Barda and Atrocitus squaring off in an even match, but Bane should be a smear on the sidewalk versus either of them IMO.

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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by Jabroniville »

Barda is a weird one- the status and implied powers of a mega-powerhouse, but is also a D-tier character who has had maybe two pushes in forty years, so she's never gotten much of a "big win" against a proven character or anything. So she should presumably have a high PL, but has done almost nothing to justify it.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by Ken »

Her being a full PL 13, I think, is more a part of the big push she got in the late 90s. Her armor boosting her strength, AFAIK, is the invention of the DCA book.to justify her becoming a PL 13 physically without completely contradicting the tales from the early issues of Mister Miracle. Making her a PL 12 to match Scott, I can understand (though Scott being a PL 12 is itself shaky). But PL 13 is just too much.
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by JDRook »

Ken wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 1:42 am Her being a full PL 13, I think, is more a part of the big push she got in the late 90s. Her armor boosting her strength, AFAIK, is the invention of the DCA book.to justify her becoming a PL 13 physically without completely contradicting the tales from the early issues of Mister Miracle. Making her a PL 12 to match Scott, I can understand (though Scott being a PL 12 is itself shaky). But PL 13 is just too much.
Scott's PL12 is based completely on his defenses. Offensively he's PL9 and most of his abilities are 6 except for DEX 8 to run his Sleight of Hand.

I was actually fiddling with an RTP PL12 build of her, and I can easily remove the Armor STR and add Damage to the Mega-mace slot to compensate. Do you have any input on what Barda's STR or Lifting should be? Or anything specific about the Mega Rod?
Gamebook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by Gamebook »

Jabroniville wrote: Fri Oct 30, 2020 11:45 pm Barda is a weird one- the status and implied powers of a mega-powerhouse, but is also a D-tier character who has had maybe two pushes in forty years, so she's never gotten much of a "big win" against a proven character or anything. So she should presumably have a high PL, but has done almost nothing to justify it.
Barda has never been that prominent a character but she has gotten a fair amount of screen time. In most of the stuff I've seen and read featuring her she is clearly portrayed as being at or close to Wonder Woman's level in combat ability. I made her PL14. The power level of a character is I think unrelated to the prominence of a character as a character, After all the most prominent superhero of all, Batman, is a man with no superpowers.

Barda is I think very much a supporting character, she could never lead a title by herself. She doesn't have to be paired with her husband, indeed more often than not she isn't in her appearances. She functions instead as a big guy, a brawling heavy hitter who flings herself into battle without hesitation but mostly leaves the thinking to the rest of the team she is on.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by Jabroniville »

Gamebook wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:44 am
Jabroniville wrote: Fri Oct 30, 2020 11:45 pm Barda is a weird one- the status and implied powers of a mega-powerhouse, but is also a D-tier character who has had maybe two pushes in forty years, so she's never gotten much of a "big win" against a proven character or anything. So she should presumably have a high PL, but has done almost nothing to justify it.
Barda has never been that prominent a character but she has gotten a fair amount of screen time. In most of the stuff I've seen and read featuring her she is clearly portrayed as being at or close to Wonder Woman's level in combat ability. I made her PL14. The power level of a character is I think unrelated to the prominence of a character as a character, After all the most prominent superhero of all, Batman, is a man with no superpowers.

Barda is I think very much a supporting character, she could never lead a title by herself. She doesn't have to be paired with her husband, indeed more often than not she isn't in her appearances. She functions instead as a big guy, a brawling heavy hitter who flings herself into battle without hesitation but mostly leaves the thinking to the rest of the team she is on.
I mean it in the sense that she doesn't have a lot of big wins- she's merely treated like she's on that level rather than having accomplished the feats to justify it. I wasn't saying popularity is related to PL, but that her lack of popularity leads to a lack of focus, which means she doesn't get the chances to justify her high PL by taking out other high-tier characters.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by Gamebook »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 9:25 amI mean it in the sense that she doesn't have a lot of big wins- she's merely treated like she's on that level rather than having accomplished the feats to justify it. I wasn't saying popularity is related to PL, but that her lack of popularity leads to a lack of focus, which means she doesn't get the chances to justify her high PL by taking out other high-tier characters.
True, but an informed ability is still an ability. I take the position that if she was ever set to take out the big bad that she'd step up to the plate and make the swing, I get that feel about the character and how she is treated. Though I may just think that way because I personally like Big Barda. I have a similar fandom for Power Girl even though she too doesn't have the long litany of big wins that her cousin Kal does
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Gamebook wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:44 am Barda has never been that prominent a character but she has gotten a fair amount of screen time. In most of the stuff I've seen and read featuring her she is clearly portrayed as being at or close to Wonder Woman's level in combat ability. I made her PL14. The power level of a character is I think unrelated to the prominence of a character as a character, After all the most prominent superhero of all, Batman, is a man with no superpowers.
A man with no superpowers who routinely humiliates the Justice League. The current big event at DC comics is a version of Batman taking over/destroying the multiverse.
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Ken
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by Ken »

But there is a sense of scale among the New Gods of Apokolips. Barda was the leader of the Female Furies before she defected. She should be on the same scale as the Female Furies and Granny Goodness, not on the level of Kalibak.
JDRook wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 3:54 am Scott's PL12 is based completely on his defenses. Offensively he's PL9 and most of his abilities are 6 except for DEX 8 to run his Sleight of Hand.

I was actually fiddling with an RTP PL12 build of her, and I can easily remove the Armor STR and add Damage to the Mega-mace slot to compensate. Do you have any input on what Barda's STR or Lifting should be? Or anything specific about the Mega Rod?
Her 10 Strength, what she as written (sans the armor), is about right. Maybe a rank or two of Power Lifting, but there's been no indicator that she's phenomenally stronger than Stompa or Granny Goodness.

The "Mega-Mace" function of the should be built as Damage, not Penetrating. 15 Penetrating Damage won't do anything more than 15 to Damage to anything with less than 31 ranks or Impervious Toughness.
From DCA, p. 131
So, if a rank 4 (Pene-trating 2) effect hits a target with Impervious 9, the target must resist a rank 2 effect (equal to the Penetrating rank). If the effect were rank 6, the target would have to resist the full effect anyway, since its rank is greater than half the Impervious rank.
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Batwoman! Beast Boy! Big Barda!

Post by JDRook »

Image
source

Big Barda RTP PL12

Strength 10, Stamina 13/10, Agility 3, Dexterity 3, Fighting 11, Intellect 2, Awareness 4, Presence 4

Advantages
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment, Great Endurance, Improved Critical 3: Mega Mace, Improved Initiative 2, Interpose, Leadership

Skills
Athletics 2 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+14), Expertise: Tactics 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Mega Rod 7 (+10), Stealth 3 (+6)

Powers

Immortal: Immunity 3 (Aging, Disease, Poison)
Strength of Apokolips: Enhanced Strength 2 (+2 STR; Limited to Lifting)

Devices

Aero Disks: Flight 6 (Removable, Speed: 120 miles/hour, 1800 feet/round; Platform)
Apokoliptian Armor (Removable)
. . Enhanced Trait 6 (Traits: Stamina +3 (+13))
. . Impervious Toughness 8
Mega Rod (Easily Removable)
. . Concussive Blast: Blast 10 (DC 25)
. . Mega Mace: Strength-based Damage 3 (DC 28, Advantages: Improved Critical 3)
. . Teleportation: Teleport 5 (900 feet in a move action, carrying 50 lbs.; Portal)
Mother Box (Removable)
. . Boom Tube: Movement 3 (Space Travel 3: other galaxies; Portal)
. . . . Healing 6
. . Intelligence: Feature 2

Offense
Initiative +11
Concussive Blast: Blast 10, +10 (DC 25)
Grab, +11 (DC Spec 20)
Mega Mace: Strength-based Damage 3, +11 (DC 28)
Throw, +3 (DC 25)
Unarmed, +14 (DC 25)

Complications
Enemy: When she left Apokolips, Big Barda was marked a traitor by Granny Goodness, the Female Furies, and even Darkseid himself.
Love: Big Barda’s love for Scott Free means she will always be more concerned with his safety than her own.

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 11, Fortitude 13, Toughness 13, Will 9

Power Points
Abilities 94 + Powers 47 + Advantages 8 + Skills 19 (37 ranks) + Defenses 12 = 180

Here's a playable PL12 Barda that incorporates some of the feedback I've got from Ken and others. This version hits smarter not harder, with less strength but still capable of a Damage 15 Mace attack with a free Power Attack maneuver, plus I brought back a few ranks of Strength of Apokalips to get her to 100 tons lifting. I gave her a second Improved Initiative rank to make up for the huge drop in AGI, so she's still quick to enter battle. The armor is much lighter in power and purely defensive. The Mega Mace slot is just a simple Damage boost like most hand weapons plus a few extra ImpCrit on it because Boom Tube Tech. I also added Portal to the Teleport and Space Travel effects to more accurately simulate what I've seen in the cartoons, and changed the Mother Box Healing to an AE of the Boom Tube and lowered rank to fit.

There's certainly still room for improvement. The Impervious is questionable in its usefulness (as always), skills might still need some tweaking but at least don't feel embarassingly low, and I kinda want to add a linked Affliction to the Mace slot, but this seems like a good stopping point. As Gamebook mentioned, you could still justify a PL13 or 14 for Barda, but it's generally easier to build a PC up than squeeze it down, so this feels like a more useful tool for play than a DC-accurate version.
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