Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
MacynSnow
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Mounted Combat! Vibraxas! Crusader! Freedom Ring!)

Post by MacynSnow »

My personal Opinion of Skrull Crusader:Meh,i perfer the Religious Wierdo myself(better explination for Name&Costume).Don't get me wrong,his death by Delroy was stupid and a wast of a good character concept,but again,meh.
Jabroniville
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Brutal: Paws of Fury

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

BRUTAL- PAWS OF FURY:
Release Date: 1994
Makers: Eurocom Software & GameTek
Genre: Fighting Game

-Brutal: Paws of Fury is a little-known Fighting Game that saw release during the massive glut of them in the mid-1990s. Now, this was an era that saw so many of them that they really struggled to stand out- most of them attempted a "gimmick" or two; Mortal Kombat used blood, fatalities and digitized graphics. Time Crisis featured limb-chopping and horrible gameplay. Many others used licenses for some pretty lifeless games- Double Dragon V, a TMNT game, a JLA game, and more. In the case of Brutal, they used a more low-key fighting system and a more traditional sense of "martial arts wisdom", but the primary gimmick was "Animal People".

Brutal was created by GameTek (who normally made games about Game Shows or Fishing, which indicates our first problem right there), using animals in regular clothing, and came out for the Sega CD, with versions later coming out for the Genesis & Super NES. An updated version came out for 32X in 1995 with two new characters. The plot is simple- the world's best martial artists are invited to a tournament on an island. It's pretty much that Bruce Lee movie personified. Except in this one, the Boss is the Dali Llama. Not the religious ruler of the Tibetans, but an actual Llama. Who beats the shit out of people. The sequel (Brutal Unleashed: Above the Claw) is set four years later.

The animation is pretty basic, though quite smooth, given that the characters have very simple sprites. Most are pretty much just a monochromatic animal in simple pants, honestly. The moves are fairly simplistic, and most YouTube videos show plays pretty easily spamming stuff out- the engine isn't that deep, and hammering on one or two attacks will win you most rounds. The reception wasn't overly great- it got a lot of 60-70% scores from the Gaming Magazines, mostly owing to poor controls, and that the backgrounds featured elements that sometimes blocked your view of the characters! The music is REALLY good, though- it maxes out the Sega CD, and the combination of Techno music and Asian instruments is really unique for the genre.

The Roster:
Kung-Fu Bunny- A rabbit monk.
Prince Leon of Kenya- A lion rock star.
Rhei Rat- A rat who is an accomplished Thai boxer.
Tai Cheetah- A cheetah who is mentoring Kendo Coyote.
Kendo Coyote- A coyote who is motivated by greed. He wields Blanka-style spinning attacks.
Foxy Roxy- A lycra-wearing vixen who is a politician and social activist.
Ivan the Bear- A bear who claims to be the strongest animal in the world.
Pantha- A panther who is a member of a sinister cult. Removed from the Super NES & Genesis versions.
Karate Croc - A crocodile bar brawler. Removed from the Super NES & Genesis versions.
Dali Llama- A llama who is currently the holder of the Belt of Heaven championship.
Chung Poe- A mole who transforms into an anthropomorphic bat-dragon hybrid during battle.
Psycho Kitty- A cat who apparently suffers from hyperactivity.

The Power Levels:
-I REALLY struggled to come up with a proper Power Level for this game, actually. PL 7 seemed about right, considering that's what I give the Clay Fighter characters, but... these guys only really got one game, and a half-assed sequel. And if you watch clips of it, the fights are all over in moments, as a string of offense will just flatten an opponent in a couple of seconds- they do NOT have good Defenses. So while I can take nearly any Capcom or SNK fighter and immediately place their Power Level, THESE GUYS actually took some doing.

In the end, I decided on PL 6.5 offense, straight PL 6 on defense. This allows them to approximate the deadliness of a CF or Fighter's History character, but still have low enough defenses that a skilled opponent could mow down one of these guys in a few rounds- a mere +9-10 to Parry is NOT gonna cut it when most Fighting Game characters can hit +12-14 casually.

And yes, it's possible I over-thought the Power Levels for what is a pretty forgettable game.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Mounted Combat! Vibraxas! Crusader! Freedom Ring!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Funniest thing was, I had a big paragraph going. I was talking about how the game eschewed the weird, chi-related moves of other games and focused on real-world techniques and slightly-exaggerated athleticism and body proportions... right when I spotted King Leon pull out A MOTHERF*CKING GUITAR, AMP AND SPEAKER from absolutely nowhere, and knock his opponent back with a goddamn invisible wave from an epic riff. So yeah, the game actually has some very weird stuff in it. But most fighters are basically "slightly-exaggerated people" in terms of techniques.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Vibraxas! Crusaders! Freedom Ring! BRUTAL!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

I think I only ever played Brutal once, though I have played most of the fighting games that have been mentioned. Also, man, with PLs that low, even Art Lean from the Mortal Kombat movie (who I think was like PL 5.5 in the build) could stand a chance against them!
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Captain Beard
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Re: Freedom Ring

Post by Captain Beard »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:51 pm Image

FREEDOM RING (Curtis Doyle)
Created By:
Robert Kirkman & Andy Kuhn
First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up #20
Role: One-Shot Character, Dead Gay Guy
PL 6 (146)
STRENGTH
1/8 STAMINA 1/8 AGILITY 1/4
FIGHTING 2/4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Free, Dumb Ring" (Flaws: Removable) [117]
"Sliver of a Cosmic Cube"
Variable 8 (Cosmic Effects) (56) -- (59)
  • AE: Transform 10 (Anything to Anything) (Flaws: Reverts Back Outside of 30 Feet) (40)
  • AE: Healing 6 (12)
  • AE: Create 10 (Feats: Precise, Innate) (Extras: Continuous) (32)
Summon People 4 (Extras: Controlled, 4 Minions +4, Horde, Variable 2- Heroes or Harem of Dudes) (Flaws: Tiring on 3 Ranks) (37)

"Idealized Physique"
Enhanced Strength 7 (14)
Enhanced Stamina 7 (14)
Enhanced Agility 3 (6)
Enhanced Fighting 2 (4)
Flight 6 (120 mph) (12)
-- (146 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Idealized Physique +4 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +1 (+4 Idealized)

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +1 (+8 Idealized), Fortitude +8, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Being a Superhero)- Motivated a bit by altruism, and a bit by how cool it is to be a hero, Curtis wants to be a superhero after discovering this fancy ring.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 2--1 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 117 / Defenses: 8 (146)

This is actually a pretty cool starting out hero. He's got an interesting hook to his powers, he is strong, tough, and can shift reality, but is limited in his capabilities due to inexperience. I would have liked to have seen this guy develop. Missed opportunity.

Also, there are very few healers in comics.
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Captain Beard
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Re: Shields

Post by Captain Beard »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 7:59 am
SHIELDS:

-Shields, like Armor, went under various styles over the years. Most of them are simple in design and are mainly there to add to one's Defenses. They can be really damn annoying to use for stats, though, as they mess with said Defenses and alter the potential Power Level. When I did my set of Fantasy Builds, I always had to mix around and be careful how much FIGHTING you gave someone. Shields have been typically made out of leather, wood, various metals and stuff. You can add Defenses based off of how tough the Shield is. There are also Tower Shields, but those are basically mobile objects used for Cover, based off of their size- I wouldn't want to use something that heavy in a real fight.

Shield Stats: Enhanced Dodge & Parry 1-3 --- (1-6 Equipment Points)
Positives & Negatives:
- You need a free hand to use one. This means that double-handed weapons like Broadswords, War Hammers & large Axes are more difficult to use.
- Axes or Javelins can easily become stuck in a wooden shield, both hampering your Defenses and your ability to Attack unless you discard the Shield.
RPGs have never handled shields well.

They are pretty easy to use (you just need to develop the endurance to hold it up) and they give the one using it a huge defensive advantage in melee. Actual knightly combat looked nothing like it does in fantasy: guys did not go around with one one-handed weapon, and they -never- carried two full sized weapons. It was either a one handed weapon and a shield or a great big two handed weapon that would do just as much damage with it's impact as with it's edge, making it a reasonable choice against a guy with a shield.

Any sort to two weapon fighting tradition is rare (fencing with rapier and main-gauche, katana and wakizashi, and native american hatchet and knife) and (as you see) involves one full sized weapon and one small one. The styles were used during time periods where your foes would be expected to wear no armor, allowing the smaller weapon to be effective (samurai killed unarmored peasants and lightly armored lowborn soldiers with their smaller swords. They used the single katana in two hands to fight other armored samurai). A small weapon in the off hand simply did not have the power to penetrate armor. At best, you could wedge it into lightly or unarmored places if fighting got -really- close.

The problem is that two weapon guys look cool, and comics and fantasy are stylized media. Further, a battle using shields took a -long- time, and the guy who lost was often the first one who got too tired to hold his shield up any more. This does not lend itself to fast-paced (and, again, stylized) RPG combat.

So shields are, in my experience, universally a sub-optimal choice in TTRPGs. The system you describe is great, but increased defenses mean decreased toughness in order to maintain balance. This is good for a game system, less so for realism.

I wish I had a solution in mind. I have been wrestling with this for a while, and can't find a reasonable system, so please don't take this as an indictment of your system here.
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"I can do this all day..." --Steve Rogers
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Ares
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Vibraxas! Crusaders! Freedom Ring! BRUTAL!)

Post by Ares »

The way I use shields in the RPG I'm working is basically as such:

- Shields give you a bonus to parry, and is one of the only melee weapons right out the gate that allows you to use your melee weapons skill to defend against ranged attacks. They can also be used as cover when hit with an AoE damage effect.

- If you succeed at the parry attempt but only because of the shield's parry bonus, then the shield takes the hit head on and must resist the incoming damage with its own damage resistance attribute. Likewise, when used to defend against AoE attacks, rather than parrying the attack the shield is simply absorbing the damage from the hit.

- Shields can be used to hit someone in melee, and depending on the surface size might grant a bonus to hit with.

- Depending on the shield size and your character's strength level, moving around with a shield can cause penalties to fast, acrobatic movements.

It's not the most complex system, but I think it gets the basics of shield use okay for a tabletop game.
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Captain Beard
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Re: Armor

Post by Captain Beard »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 11:39 am
Kevlar Stats: Protection 2 (Flaws: Limited to Ballistic Damage)
The fibrous nature of Kevlar actually makes it really good at deflecting edged weapons.

There are two types of Kevlar Vests to consider:

1: The standard issue Flak Vest is basically what it says on the tin: a vest made of Kevlar. No additional armor, no padding. It is designed to protect the torso and it's delicious vital organs from shrapnel (think grenades etc... a highly effective way to take large numbers of troops out of combat, if not killing them outright, and so a fair sized battlefield risk), but does little to block small arms fire. It would protect against small edged weapons (knives, hatchets, bayonets), but large ones (think sword or axe) would still break any bones they hit due to the aforementioned lack of padding.

Energy weapons? It is a vest made of temperature resistant woven plastic, which is much more resistant to energy than cloth and flesh.

2: The Tactical Ballistic Vest. Kevlar with internal pockets to hold metal and ceramic armor plates, and heavily padded. The combination provides protection from small arms fire in preventing penetration (Kevlar and armor plates) and impact (padding). This would provide universally improved protection over the Flak Vest, and would provide good protection against pretty much any incoming damage. I might have its effects reduced (but not eliminated) against area effects, as it only covers the torso (which is the main target or direct attacks). The same would go for Flak Vests (they are cheap and ineffective. The best that can be said for them is literally that they are better than nothing).

Tactical Vests are common among law enforcement and front line troops: they are too expensive to be standard issue, but the military and police personnel are expected to provide their own. They are quite expensive from the standpoint of a regular person, but from a professional modern combatant or superhero? The price of doing business.


My unsolicited opinion:

Flack Vest: Protection 2 (Flaws: Shrapnel, Edged Weapons only)

Tactical Ballistic Vest: Protection 4 (Flaws: -2 vs. Area Attacks)

The protection provided by the former is minimal. The latter would protect you from small arms, but not large caliber bullets, and you would definitely feel a hit when it came.

Though you usually see medieval armor statted as superior to modern armor, it is far heavier and ultimately less effective due to the materials used. Somebody making medieval sized body armor out of modern materials (lightweight high-strength metals, ceramics, and Kevlar) that would be pretty cool, but if your average jamoke had a choice between a modern vest and a big honking suit of knight's armor, they should definitely go for the vest.
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Ares
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Vibraxas! Crusaders! Freedom Ring! BRUTAL!)

Post by Ares »

Huh. I'd heard/read that the fiberous nature of standard kevlar meant that it was good at "catching" bullets (which are basically fast moving blunt objects most of the time), basically working like a more modern version of silk armor, being a lot of fibers criss-crossing to work as essentially a net that will keep a bullet from penetrating, but the impact will still hurt like a bitch.

By contrast, pointed and edged weapons like arrows and blades would slice into the fibers or punch through them.

Then again, that if that info was ever accurate, I had seen that modern armor has metal plates to help reinforce the kevlar, being either metal, carbon fiber or ceramic. So even if the edged weapons cut through the fibers, they'd encounter solid resistance beneath it.
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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Vibraxas! Crusaders! Freedom Ring! BRUTAL!)

Post by Jabroniville »

My cop friend tells me their vests are "f*cking useless" at stopping knives, and cops actually find that annoying, given how much more likely they are to be stabbed or slashed by something. So that's what I went with for the vests :). Yours aren't bad, though, Beard! Thanks for adding your two bits!

Naturally, Comic Book Armor works in any which way.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 12, 2018 5:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Kung Fu Bunny

Post by Jabroniville »

ImageImage

Who plays Kung fu Bunny?:

You are kind and considerate. Nothing gives you greater pleasure than seeing
how you have helped another succeed. However, you have great difficulty making
personal decisions and keeping them. Your desire to help others come from your
desire for someone else to give your life direction.


KUNG FU BUNNY
First Appearance:
Brutal- Paws of Fury (1994)
Vague Martial Arts Basis: Kung Fu
Role: Wascally Wabbit, Fragile Fighter
PL 7 (87)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+13)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+11)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 7 (+8)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Improved Initiative

Paws of Fury: Accurate Attack (Light Attack), All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Trip (Throw), Power Attack (Kata)

Powers:
"Flash Kick" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Dash Attack +9 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +2, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Being the Best)

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 1 + 8 / Powers: 1 / Defenses: 12 (87)

-An unbelievably generic name and design, Kung Fu Bunny is just a grey rabbit in purple pants. It's said that his key flaw is his fragile body (he's 5'10", 100 lbs.), so I dropped his toughness a bit.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Vibraxas! Crusaders! Freedom Ring! BRUTAL!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Also, LOVE this goddamn stage music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bpx6Pmu6Z8
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Rhei Rat

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

Who plays Rhei Rat?

You despise fools. You want them to be humliated. You are the one who can
stand up to the bullies and shame them. You find it difficult to make friends
as they oftern make you cringe with their ignorance and inability. You speak
very little, as you can normally answer your own questions much better than
most other people. Strangley, you have found it difficult to succeed in life
whereas others with less ability succeed.


RHEI RAT
First Appearance:
Brutal- Paws of Fury (1994)
Vague Martial Arts Basis: Muay Thai Kickboxing
Role: Rat-Man
PL 7 (88)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+13)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+11)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 7 (+8)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Knockout Punch), Improved Initiative

Paws of Fury: Accurate Attack (Light Attack), All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Trip (Throw), Power Attack (Kata)

Powers:
"Frenzy Attack" Strength-Damage +0 (Extras: Multiattack 2) (Flaws: Distracting) Linked to Affliction 2 (Toughness; Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (Inaccurate -1) (2) -- [4]
  • AE: "Knockout Punch" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
  • AE: "Neck Choke" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: +2 to Hit Opponents Who Parried Last Turn) (Inaccurate -1) (2)
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Knockout Punch & Neck Choke +9 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Frenzy Attack +11 (+2 Damage & Affliction, DC 17 & 12)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Being the Best)

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 2 + 8 / Powers: 4 / Defenses: 9 (88)

-Rhei Rat is really off-puttingly gaunt- not only is he rail thin with a HUGE head and pronounced snout, but his "defeat" pose consists of his face losing all the "meat" with his eyes bugging out, appearing as a dessicated corpse as he falls to the floor! Rhei has one of the few "Multiattack" type attacks in the game, as well as a rare Grab-themed move. However, his Knockout Punch seems exceptionally-impressive- often devastating an opponent's health bar very quickly.
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Pantha

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

PANTHA
First Appearance:
Brutal- Paws of Fury (1994)
Vague Martial Arts Basis: ... Magic?
Role: Evil Cultist, Dark Wizard
PL 7 (102), PL 8 (102) with Force Field
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 6 (+7)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+12)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 5 (+8)
Expertise (Magic) 6 (+9)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Perception 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 6, Ritualist

Paws of Fury: Accurate Attack (Light Attack), All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Trip (Throw), Power Attack (Kata)

Powers:
Chi Blast 4 (Reduced Defenses 2) (4) -- [5]
  • AE: Force Field 6 (Flaws: Reduced Dodge 2, Parry 3) (1)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Chi Blast +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (+7 Force Field, DC 19), Parry +10 (+7 Force Field, DC 20), Toughness +2 (+8 Force Field, Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Evil Cultist)

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 7 + 8 / Powers: 5 / Defenses: 10 (102)

-Pantha is one of the more forgettable designs, being a tan-colored bit of nothing in a purple cloak. His powers seem magical in nature, containing a Chi Blast and a Force Field, the latter of which makes him PL 8, but with some screwy defenses (he can't quite go "Immobile" since it doesn't work as well in M&M terms- the idea is you block incoming attacks and then counter, something that can't be done right in a one-move-per-action RPG). Pantha does not appear on the Super NES version, so finding clips of him fighting on YouTube is even tougher than it is for the other characters.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Vibraxas! Crusaders! Freedom Ring! BRUTAL!)

Post by HalloweenJack »

cool beans.

I never really got to play Brutal, but I remember being enamored of an ad of it in a video game magazine at the time and thought of the name were clever (I really like Rhei Rat)

But yeah....even at like...12 or 13 I knew Kung Fu Bunny was a lame name
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