Author Topic: How do I rolled Superman?  (Read 4772 times)

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Sevash

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How do I rolled Superman?
« on: August 16, 2008, 12:04:43 AM »
    Hello, everyone.  This is my first time posting on these boards, although I've been a dedicated lurker over at Wizards' site for some time now.  Hopefully, between my familiarity with the rules there, looking at the ones here, and a bit of common sense, I'll be able to do this right the first time around.

    I, not surprisingly, need help with a character.  The campaign I've been playing in is prepared to go into epic levels, and the cleric I've been working with for a time now has decided to retire.  I've been debating what to roll back in with for some time now.  We're full up on BSF's and clerics now, which meant that initially I was leaning towards playing God or a skill-monkey.  Until, that is, I reflected upon the plight of one of our members that would not be returning from the great beyond.  He was a monk/rogue, with a penchant for the Rod of Ropes and a whole lot of bat-themed paraphernalia.  Had an alter ego by the name of Bruce Wayne.  He was the goddamn Batman--and he's dead.  Like, soul-eaten dead.  Gotham needs someone to pick up the slack.

    Who better than his friend, the Man of Steel?  If we're headed into epic territory, then now is the perfect time to flex them mental muscles and put together the most iconic superhero of all time.  Problem is, I still don't know enough about the mechanics and the depth of material out there to do Mr. Kent justice.  So, I turn to you, my compatriots.  I ask you, will you help me roll up Superman?

     I have just about everything available to me, so long as it's WotC approved.  The only thing I can't readily get my hands on are issues of Dungeon or Dragon, aside from the DMC.  Setting-specific stuff is allowed as well, within reason--warforged would hypothetically be allowed, but dragonmarks wouldn't.  As previously stated, the group is 20th level and we're going to be surging into epic pretty soon.  Stats are pretty much a non-issue, as they are going to be...well, high.  I'm not asking for a full build right off the bat, either.  Just looking for input and to bounce ideas back and forth until we've come up with something, and then starting to come up with a build.  I've got at least a week to work on this, so I'm not in a terrible rush.

    Many thanks in advance--I'm looking forward to your responses.

AfterCrescent

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2008, 12:07:55 AM »
The Mineral Warrior template with it's DR 8/adamantine sounds like a decent start for the "invulnerability"
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Sevash

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2008, 12:18:10 AM »
That does sound like a decent place to start, at least.  Which book is that in?

AfterCrescent

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2008, 12:18:54 AM »
Underdark, a FR supplement.
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Negative Zero

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2008, 12:24:38 AM »
Ocular Spell (Lords of Madness 181) is a metamagic that lets you cast a spell to store it in your eye for up to eight hours. You can spend a full round action to cast a spell out of each eye. Firing two Scorching Rays out of your eyes simultaneously is a pretty good approximation for heat vision, I think. But that would assume you were going with a spellcasting route.

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2008, 12:26:31 AM »
Spellcasting is probably the best route. Spells like Stone Skin and the like will help. There are probably many different ways to make Superman, depending on what abilities you want to focus on.
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Sevash

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2008, 12:51:29 AM »
All right...I like the way both Mineral Warrior and Ocular Spell sound so far.  But yeah...I suppose having a certain set of abilities to focus on would help.  Hm...well, what about the Smallville route?  Start with the pumped-up physical abilities, then graduate to certain powers one-by-one.  If I remember correctly, x-ray vision is next on the list, followed by heat vision.

What would be a good way to emulate that sort of progression?

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2008, 12:55:03 AM »
A legacy weapon ;)  Make your legacy weapon out of the superman cloak.
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Sevash

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2008, 12:56:31 AM »
Why not the bright-red undies while we're at it?   :D

AfterCrescent

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2008, 01:00:31 AM »
Ohh! The S! Make it out of a brooch of shielding. Haha, deflects bullets (magic missiles).
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Sevash

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2008, 01:08:43 AM »
A-ha!  Now we're onto something.

Stepping away from (awesome) equipment ideas, though--when I first thought about this, the first thing I did was look at the paragon template in the Epic Level Handbook.  Problem is, I think it's too high to apply, even at 20th level.  Is it?  I can't really tell.  Even if it allowed for only two or three levels on top of it, it'd be the closest thing to the "uber-strong Man of Tomorrow" idea.  Would a template (or series of templates) with a high LA be the way to go to reflect his inherent abilities, as opposed to class levels?

SorO_Lost

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2008, 03:40:27 AM »
A weak Superman is a warlock. brimstone works as heat vision, fell flight for for fly, the ice EB works for ice breath, etc.

Now if you want something insanely powerful with building tossing abilities, death rays and the ability to die multiple times and kill Lois without any downside effects. Start cheap and work your way to even cheaper. Start with the Saint template, it goes along great with superman's none dickery flavor and grants some awesome stuff.

Outsider, aka alien, type.
+2 to all save DCs.
Wisdom to AC because superman is smarter than a puny human.
Up to DR 10/those 'rare' green rocks EVERY evil guy happens to have.
Fast Healing (1/2)HD, because if those rocks are moved away he is super again.
Protective Aura vs evil, which prevents those snags on your suit.
Resistance to bombs fire 10 and earth based poisons.

Then gish it for class levels. Like Monk 1 / Sorcerer 6 / Eldritch Knight 1 / Abjurant Champion 5 / Eldritch Knight 7 using unarmed attack boosters and ascetic mage since the real superman don't wear armor for example.

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Midnight_v

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #12 on: August 16, 2008, 04:00:52 AM »
I like a binder as superman but my brother says thats Captain Marvel
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Brainpiercing

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #13 on: August 16, 2008, 10:42:25 AM »
The Mineral Warrior template with it's DR 8/adamantine sounds like a decent start for the "invulnerability"

It's bad. You can't fly as a mineral warrior, at least not as Su or Ex or naturally, only with Flight spells, which sucks, majorly.

Prime32

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #14 on: August 16, 2008, 10:53:08 AM »
Do you really need two scorching rays for heatvision? Just use one, and say it's split into two parallel beams.

Or better yet, use heat metal. Chill metal for ice-breath.


Is there any way to get DR/byeshk or magic?


Also, tattooed monk levels - there's a tattoo that lets you heal in sunlight.
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Negative Zero

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #15 on: August 16, 2008, 04:11:31 PM »
I said fire two because it is two beams both mechanically and flavorwise, but just firing one and calling it two works as well. Chill Metal and Heat Metal is one way of approaching it, but the inability to affect anything nonmetallic seems a bit weak. This is Superman. The healing in sunlight is great, though, since that's where Superman draws his strength from anyway.

AfterCrescent

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #16 on: August 17, 2008, 01:46:05 AM »
The Mineral Warrior template with it's DR 8/adamantine sounds like a decent start for the "invulnerability"

It's bad. You can't fly as a mineral warrior, at least not as Su or Ex or naturally, only with Flight spells, which sucks, majorly.
Ah, I had forgotten that. Although, to nitpick, Superman originally couldn't fly. ;)  His original power was that he was bullet proof. He's been growing in power since creation. :D
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Caelic

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #17 on: August 17, 2008, 01:59:09 AM »
Yep.  Superman was originally John Carter, more-or-less: his powers were the result of coming from a high-gravity world.

Do you want the general feel of Superman, or his (current) power level?  The latter is going to be extremely hard to accomplish.

Midnight_v

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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #18 on: August 17, 2008, 12:28:14 PM »
You could play as a Black Etergaunt.
Or one with a template of one who runs around draconic polymorphed all day into a human.
It give you that sense of invincibility superman has.

Or a binder/knight of the sacred seal bound to ...
Balam = for eyebeams + superspeed + ac bonus + rerolls
Geryon= for more eyebeam powers + swift flight + Supervision (see in darkness perfect/all around vision
Orthos= Whirlwind breath + Supersense(blindsight 30ft) + more super speed (permanent displacement 50%)

and Halphax for Damage reduction 10 adamantine and a few other nifty things imprison as a supernatural ablility ... what was that called? Ah yes: The Phantom Zone.

or Danatlion for more super-speed (though trave a teleportaion effect) and a nifty "Awe" power when superman speaks, you listen.

Just beware of anti magic rock (kryptonite) which shuts down your powers temprarily.
 :D
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Re: How do I rolled Superman?
« Reply #19 on: August 17, 2008, 04:25:55 PM »
Someone over at the WoTC boards suggested a Paragon Aasimar Warlock for Superman.  I think this works very well, though you might want to re-flavor the Warlock's abilities.  For example, Brimstone Blast = Eye Beams.  Whatever you choose for your class levels, I think Paragon Aasimar, or Paragon _-Template _-Race, is a very good base, both flavorfully and mechanically.  The Paragon template has an adjusted CR of +15...so I'm guessing that the level adjustment is the same.   

Of course, this only works if you're starting at around level 15, and even then Superman is going to be very fragile at first (big resistances - I'm guessing DR 20/+6 is equivalent to DR 20/Adamantine - but few HP).  Maybe you could work with your DM to create some kind of Monster Class progression (Savage Species) for the Paragon template.  Superman adventures to learn how to harness his inborn abilities.  An antimagic field (or some obscure D&D mineral) might suppress the Luck bonuses (to everything, and possibly the +15s to his stats as well) that Superman gets from his Paragon levels.