Heroes and Side Kicks!

[Tick]

Hey all.
Many of you might be aware of a Super Hero pod cast called http://strangecorpseposse.blogspot.ca - It is a group of people that use the Palladium Books Heroes Unlimited rule set to run our games and translate some of the rules into a show friendly format.
A fantastic way for you to play and join the game portion of the show is as an NPC!

If you have an idea for a side kick, NPC or random character encounter. You can send me a private message on these boards or reach me at strangecorpseposse@gmail.com

Note that you have to be able to digitally record your voice as an .MP3 or .Wav file format then send us the link to the file. We'll review the character or the pitch and let you when and if we can use it. This is a super accessible way for everyone to participate in the show http://strangecorpseposse.blogspot.ca and not put in a huge time commitment. Just bring your best you, and best voiced character.

We look forward to hearing from you all soon. We do get a fair bit of email and may not be able to reply to everyone, but don't let that stop you. You never know when your voice will join the ears of the many listeners.

[Regularguy]

I don’t have a ready-to-go ‘sidekick’ build, just an idea I’ve mulled for one: Control sparks a 4-minute “questions will be answered truthfully” effect, as part of the “do absolutely anything the controller requests (other than kill himself or a loved one)” effect, right?

So imagine a golly-gee sidekick who gets captured like an innocuous classic; why, exactly, would a villain place him in some escapable trap? And why do it while giving a gloating monologue in reply to pleading questions from the hapless twit who can then be left alone?

Just imagine him constantly getting underestimated: if the ‘bad cop’ hero is plausible as a scary interrogator, who cares that it’s technically the ‘good cop’ sidekick who then gets answers when panickedly saying stuff about the big guy? And who cares that a seemingly-awed sidekick says “gosh, yes; you should” when the hero (a) offers what sounds like a pretty good deal and (b) tells the crook to take that deal?

So that’s it: comic-book stock phrases from a sidekick who seems hopelessly outclassed by people who react in clichéd ways — because, see, he never pushes it further; he could, but he only goes for replies that someone might have responded with anyway. But within those parameters, the story pretty much goes the way he says it will.

[Tick]

I don’t have a ready-to-go ‘sidekick’ build, just an idea I’ve mulled for one: Control sparks a 4-minute “questions will be answered truthfully” effect, as part of the “do absolutely anything the controller requests (other than kill himself or a loved one)” effect, right?

So imagine a golly-gee sidekick who gets captured like an innocuous classic; why, exactly, would a villain place him in some escapable trap? And why do it while giving a gloating monologue in reply to pleading questions from the hapless twit who can then be left alone?

Just imagine him constantly getting underestimated: if the ‘bad cop’ hero is plausible as a scary interrogator, who cares that it’s technically the ‘good cop’ sidekick who then gets answers when panickedly saying stuff about the big guy? And who cares that a seemingly-awed sidekick says “gosh, yes; you should” when the hero (a) offers what sounds like a pretty good deal and (b) tells the crook to take that deal?

So that’s it: comic-book stock phrases from a sidekick who seems hopelessly outclassed by people who react in clichéd ways — because, see, he never pushes it further; he could, but he only goes for replies that someone might have responded with anyway. But within those parameters, the story pretty much goes the way he says it will.

Nice.

[Regularguy]

Nice.

Thanks. My only problem is, I can only think of one interesting place to go with it: figure he should have a solid general defense, so he doesn’t keel over from getting shot in the head before doing his one trick — so, maybe Invulnerability, or Force Fields? — and while a third major power can be cheesy, I feel Divine Aura can get a pass for two reasons:

1) It’s largely redundant: the Power Of Command bit isn’t doing the heavy lifting if he already has Control; and Aweing would-be attackers into refraining is, again, not too big a deal if he’s already Invulnerable or behind a Force Field; and

2) If he’s a Miscreant, cheerfully stealing from crooks he’s pulling this work-with-others-for-a-goal deception on, lie-and-cheat style, then the fact that his mind-control schtick thematically includes self-sacrificing devotees doing anything asked without question or hesitation?

Well, see, that’s a disposable ‘hero’ this guy can ‘sidekick’ for, with a new one showing up whenever the current one drops dead.

(And if the chatterbox sidekick in a bright-colored costume is an alien, then I guess he can provide a succession of lummoxes — each of whom doesn’t talk much, and maybe sports a a dark shroudlike look — with a flying car plus a high-tech ranged weapon or whatever; and maybe the ‘team’ acts like the ‘hero’ is the one doing any force-field stuff?)

[zerombr]

ooh, this looks cool