Fiirst off, not sure if i post this here, or AtB area....but here it goes......
I read in AtB 2ed (great BTW), that you can make a mutant animal and it can be one of the magic classes in HU2ed....So how does this work.....Do i design a animal as normal, and then give them all the bonuses for that particular class.
Need pointers .....I got an idea for a particular animal in mind (will tell later), that i want to be either a Warlock, or Bestowed.
Yes. You roll the animal with no skills, just animal powers you can buy. Then you go to the character class you are adding on and use that class for skills and magic.
Naturally most of the background stuff from the animal stuff will have to be junked to be fitted into a mage background.
Snake Eyes wrote:So, why isn't this option in HU2ed?.....or is this a new option when AtB1ed was updated to AtB2ed?
I assume because the mutant animals are lab rats, or random monsters with no way to study to be magicians in the HU2 setting.
In the course of a campaign, it's possible for a mutant animal to grab a magic weapon or amulet, but typically there's no way to do it as part of the background options offered.
CES
RockJock wrote:Doesn't HU2 allow mutants to be trained by a mentor into any of the education based classes? I would put Mystic Study under that category.
Just special training classes like physical training, hunter/vigilante, detective, but the skills listed for the character and the assumption is the character will be ninjas like the turtles.
I'm with Macksting's idea, the mutant was altered through magic instead of science to acquire human traits in order to help the magician.
Maybe the wizard got fed up with insolent, upstart apprentices with no respect for authority and very little in the sense of loyalty.
Or the wizard ascended to higher state of being and altered his familiar to take care of his worldly affairs, those are just a couple of ideas I would use as character background.
"If you want something done, ask. If you want something done quickly, ask, and then begin counting down from ten with no explanation."
- Mahatma Gandhi "Unit be the side of darkeness"
Works for me. If a mutant cat can be taught in a monastery to become a dedicated martial artist trained in shaolin and leopard style then he should be able to learn to cast magic from a cabal of mages.
I think that Aliens and Mutant Animals should be treated basically like RCCs are in Rifts.
Aliens can be mixed with nearly every other Power Category.
Why not animals? Or Robots, for that matter?
If we look at the Power Categories and brake them down into RCC and OCC categories, what would that look like?
An RCC is basically a species with its own innate abilities, and sometimes skill sets.
Aliens
Eugenic
Humans
Immortal
Mutant/Mutant Animal
Robots
An OCC is based on an occupation and training, and things that have changed you during your life.
Bionics
Empowerment
Hardware
Invention
Magic
Physical Training
Psionics
Special Training
Not sure if thats all of them, I don't have my book with me.
There has got to be a way to combine the two, like you do with Aliens.
macksting wrote:Robots in HU2, if you mean robots in the sense of having their own AI, aren't taught the way a human is. In addition to being presumed physically incapable of magical channeling or mental psionic attack, their knowledge is programmed. Go ahead, take a look at the skill programs section for robots.
I know thats the way it's written now. But I was just speaking hypothetically.
An Alien, and to some extent Mutants/Mutant Animals, can be combined with other Power Categories. I was just comparing it to the way RCCs get to choose an OCC in the other Palladium games.
What if I want to make a robot with magic? Kind of like a golem? Or robot with super powers?
Or, what if I want my mutant gorilla to be a natural genius?
So some rules about combining Power Categories would be nice, to provide more flexibilty. It could make a cool Rifter article.
Then we'll have to agree to disagree. Which is fine, no arguments here. That's the great thing about it, we can all make the game our own.
I'm just trying to figure a way to make character creation more open, throwing out ideas.
If character creation were divided into origin (mutant, robot, alien,etc), skills, and powers like the old Marvel Superheroes game, that would be cool, in my opinion.
But Heroes Unlimited isn't written that way, so it would take a major overhaul to get it fair and playable.
A mutant animal trained as a nature type mage could be fun. Maybe a little sterotypical, but fun. A standard Mystic Study with an emphasis on animal skills, PF style Druid or Beast Master, or even some of the Rifts Native American Occs like the Spirit Warrior, Animal Shaman, Totem Warrior might work. Another possibility, which isn't magical, but does have a mystic bent is something like a Hunter/Vigilante with an animal based Martial Art. A Leopard with Leopard Style, Tiger with Tiger Claw, etc, and go with an emphasis on wilderness type skills.
Making a mutant animal something like a Hunter/Vigilante gives you a handful of advantages over the standard H/V, things like basic night vision, a few senses, extra PS etc, and you make the character much more fun to try an integrate into their environment. A street kid turned Vigilante is easy enough to blend into his neighborhood, but what about a mutant dog?
I've used a mutant leopard as a N&SS Worldly Martial Artist ( at least I think she was a worldly and not dedicated), and it worked out well. I've also used a team of mutant dogs (think CS Dogboys built with AtB2 rules and without the psychics), as a sort of SWAT team and replacement for the Dinosaurs in GI. All were different breeds and geared toward different roles. I don't remember the exact classes and breeds, but they ranged from a Hardware: Weapons Expert as the gun nut, to a Super Sleuth, Hunter/Vigilante, and even a Stage Magician. I think I put up a quickie version on the boards and I'll go try and dig it out.
My point is the animal abilities give a little boost combat wise, but add most of the role playing fun that an Alien gives you.
Forward Scout. Greyhound Weapons Expert: SL 8, Full Hands, Full Biped, Partial Speech, Vestigial Ears, Diet Carnivore, Subservience, Advanced Vision, Leaping, Techno-mind, Extraordinary Spd, Teeth, Predatory Burst, Extra PE. This gives a speed in the 60-70 range. Wears a FAS Body Suite with Stealth Coating, and a underlying Kienetic Suit. Carries 2 Gyro Pistols, 2 MP-23 Caseless SMGs(from Rifts Mercs), Multi-Optics Goggles, 2 Mace cans, Burst Transmission Radion, Air Filter, Stinger(from one of the GI Hardware characters), 2 each of Smoke, Glop, Flash-Bang and Tear Gas grenades.
Close Combat Specialist. Pit Bull Hunter Vigilante: SL 6, Color Blind, Vestigial Ears and Tail, Diet Carnivore, Subservience, Crushing Strength, Teeth, Extra PE, Full Hands, Full Biped, Partial Speech, Psionic Claws, Predatory Burst.
Has the same armor and basic equipment as all of the rest. Uses a TI Laser Pistol, and a Average Galatic Shotgun with various rounds including Micro Jet, Hollow Point, AP, Stun Ball.
Fire support and stealth. Bloodhound Hunter/Vigilante: SL 7, Partial Speech, Full Hands, Full Biped, Vestigial Ears, Vestigial Tail, Diet Carnivore, Subservience, Advanced Sight, Advanced Smell, Advanced Hearing, Invisible Haze, Telepathic Listening, Teeth, See Aura.
Standard armor, grenades and equipment. Uses a TI Laser Pistol, and a M-20 Assault Rifle(from Rifts Underseas) which is an improved M-16 with a grenade launcher.
Scout/Suppression Fire. Weimaramer Stage Magician: SL 6, Partial Speech, Full Hands, Full Biped, Vestigial Ears, Diet Carnivore, Subservience, Advanced Sight, Advanced Smell, teeth, Leaping Standard, Invisiable Haze, Danger Sense.
Standard armor and equipment per the others. TI Laser Pistol, and a Gauss Accelerator taken from Wiz Kid.
Team Leader and Sniper. German Shepard Hunter Vigilante: SL 10, Full Hands, Full Biped, Full Speech, Vestigial ears, Vestigial Tail, Diet Carnivore, Subservience, Advanced Sight, Advanced Hearing, Bestial Strength, Teeth, Extra PE, Extra Speed.
The usual jazz plus a Gyro Carbine(from the same guy as the pistols,) and a Sniping Laser(from one of the gun toting guys from GI).
The brains of the outfit, but not the leader. Komondor Super Sleuth: SL 11, Full Hands, Full Biped, No Speech, Vestigial Ears, Vestigial Tail, Diet Carnivore, Subservience, Mental Speak, Techno Mind, Empathy, Teeth, Bestial Strength.
Do I have to keep mentioning the armor grenades and equipment? Carries a Heavy Laser Pistol doing 5d6, 1000 ft range, and 10 shots per e-clip, as well as the big guns. The 10mm Light Rail Gun with grenade Launcher used by one of the Dinosaurs.
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Those are all cool ideas........I' still working on the mystic mutant animal....The AtB2 book mentions which animals are more attuned to magic, and more likely to cast magic.
I think it said Dogs, Cats, and Horses.....So maybe one of these types will be considered.....
I think i'll go with the Canine:Wolf with the option of them being one of the Indian tribes...with the ability to cast magic...
Now, should i go with the Wizard O.C.C. or the Bestowed.
"Bestowed" would be interesting, a lost tribe of mutant wolves on HU earth, that practiced american indian ways, and a higher being chose one or two from that tribe (insert name here), and they became empowered with super abilities and/or the ability to cast magic.........
Too far-fetched? this was a possible scenario/background for a character....
.....I got an idea for a particular animal in mind (will tell later), that i want to be either a Warlock, or Bestowed.
.....hmm, may have to go with that one....