LONG Post Ahead... Archetypes

You’ve been warned.

I’ve been thinking about introducing the concept of archetypes into the next version of Resolute Supers, and your archetype would guide your options in character building. Here are the (incomplete) notes I have worked up for the elementalist, which is a catch-all archetype for all supers who primarily deal with an energy or element (so Human Torch, Electro, Iceman all fit in this category... Magneto is here for now, although I feel like maybe he belongs over with mentalists and psionicists in a different category... but magnetism is here for now). This uses the new D12 mechanic I’m thinking about...

Elementalist

As an elementalist, you have become attuned to one pure elemental force, shaping and channeling this in a variety of ways. You will select one element to which you are attuned, and which forms the foundation for all of your powers. Roll D12 to pick your element.

1 Air (opposes earth)
2 Cosmic Energy (opposes radiation)
3 Earth (opposes air)
4 Electricity (opposes water)
5 Flame (opposes ice)
6 Ice (opposes flame)
7 Kinetic Energy (opposes magnetism)
8 Light (opposes shadow)
9 Magnetism (opposes kinetic energy)
10 Radiation (opposes cosmic energy)
11 Shadow (opposes light)
12 Water (opposes electricity)

Roll D12 in each of these abilities:

Bolt or Control (Roll D12. even = bolt, odd = control). With bolt, you emit energy from your body, projecting it at targets; with control, you shape and focus the energy causing it to emerge at points of your choice. For example, with bolt of flame you may throw flame from your hands, while with control flame, you cause objects and creatures to suffer combustion. With bolt, you deal damage using prowess, but with control you deal damage with resolve. For both bolt and control, foes dodge your attacks with evade. You automatically get to stack your bolt or control rating to evade and soak rolls against the same element; your bolt of light +7 also allows you to add +7 to evade rolls when someone else tries to use light energy against you, and you add an additional +7 to soak rolls against light-based damage.

Evade. Roll D12 +rating to dodge enemy strikes.

Prowess. Roll D12 +rating to deal damage with your elemental bolt attack.

Resolve. Roll D12 +rating to deal damage with your elemental control attack.

Roll randomly to determine your other abilities and aspects.

1-2 Roll again and add to your Bolt or Control rating.

3-4 Flight (ability). In combat, you may use 1 turn to travel your flight rating units and make an action with no penalty; each unit beyond this imposes a -1 penalty to the action; with flight +7, if you fly 10 units and emit a bolt of light +5, you roll D12+2 to attack (3 units beyond your flight rating of 7).

5 Invulnerability (aspect). You soak your rating +7 wounds from every physical attack that strikes you. With invulnerability +7, you soak 14 wounds from every physical attack.

6 Missile (aspect). You may use 1 turn to emit a missile of elemental energy that explodes, dealing damage over an area of effect. Attack normally with either bolt or control, but at the destination, the projectile explodes, affecting all creatures within 3 units; all creatures must roll to resist.

7-8 Radiant Burst (aspect). You may use 1 turn to emit a burst of energy in all directions. You make a simultaneous bolt or control attack action (depending on which you use as your linked ability) against all creatures and objects (including allies) within rating range. With bolt of cold +7 and radiant burst, you may use your radiant burst to make an attack against all creatures and objects within 7 units, rolling D12+7 to attack. All creatures roll to evade your attack, and you roll damage normally against all targets you hit.

9-10 Reflective Aura (aspect). You may use 1 turn to activate an aura of energy that envelopes you. All targets landing a melee strike against you automatically suffer your linked ability rating wounds, less invulnerability. If you have reflective armor linked to your bolt of flame +8, targets striking you in melee automatically suffer 8 wounds on every attack that hits you; a foe with invulnerable +3 suffers 5 wounds on every attack it lands against you, while a foe with invulnerable +8 or better takes no damage from your reflective aura.

11 Summon (aspect). You may use 1 turn to call a creature composed of the same elemental energy to serve you. This creature is built on your linked ability rating x3 CPs. The creature remains until destroyed, or until the end of the scene. The creature will obey your commands.

12 Roll on Freak table.

Random Character #1: 40 Character Point Elementalist

Roll #1: 11 (Shadow)
Roll #2: 3 (Odd - control as linked ability for shadow)
Roll #3: 7 (7 CPs in Shadow Control is a rating of +4)
Roll #4: 4 (4 CPs in Evade is a rating of +3)
Roll #5: 2 (2 CPs in Prowess is a rating of +2)
Roll #6: 11 (11 CPs in Resolve is a rating of +5)


After these automatic rolls, I have spent 24 CPs and have 16 remaining;

Roll #7: 1 (add to control)
Roll #8: 6 (add 6 CPs in Shadow control, bringing total CP investment to 13 CPs or +6 rating)
Roll #9: 5 (Invulnerability)
Roll #10: 7 (7 CPs in invulnerability gives rating of +4)
Roll #11: 5 (Invulnerability again)
Roll #12: 10 (however, only 3 CPs remain, so this increases CP investment in invulnerability to 10, bringing the rating to +5).

My super:
Evade +3 [4]; Invulnerability +5 [10]; Prowess +2 [2]; Resolve +5 [11]; Shadow Control +6 [13]

Well... this is a random character that is actually somewhat playable. I’m glad I didn’t get the freak table, because I haven’t written it yet! So far, not a bad start.