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View Full Version : [M&M] Super Mario Gadgetry and Awesomeness



kpenguin
2009-08-28, 03:06 AM
After finishing up a D&D campaign, my group has decided to try out M&M. As the only person who has any M&M experience, I of course am asked not only to GM but to build their characters.

I'd like help building these two characters.

The Plumbineer
He's an homage/parody/whatever of Luigi (not Mario) who uses various gadgetry that are themed around items and abilities you would find in the Super Mario games. Gadgets that we've already come up with:


A gun shaped like a flower or a pair of white gloves that creates/shoots fireballs (Blast with the Ricochet PF)
Red shells that are slided along the ground and home in on enemies (Blastwith Mighty and Homing PF)
A star-shaped force shield or a star shaped force-field generator (Shield or Force Field)
Spring-boots that increase jumping ability and perhaps have a stomping attack (Strike and Leaping)
A collapsible hammer (Strike)


Any other super mario gadgetry ideas? Any advice on how to model these gadgets? Should I make these Devices or give him the Gadgets power from UP or a combination of both?

The other thing he wants is a network of hidden green pipes all over the Plumbineer's hometown, sort of like how Batman has secret tunnels and bases all over Gotham. How should I model this?

Captain Awesome
A man who's soul has been bound with the Spirit of Awesome.

He can do Awesome things but, only by shouting out "Awesome" and whatever he's doing, like "AWESOME PUNCH!", "AWESOME JUMP!", "AWESOME RUN!". "AWESOME UNDERWATER BASKET WEAVING!", etc. He can only do things he can normally do, just at superhuman levels. He can't say "AWESOME FLY!" and start flying around or "AWESOME LIGHTNING!" and shoot lightning bolts. Also, for the most part, most of these will be physical powers. Things like "AWESOME INVESTIGATION!", "AWESOME STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS!" or "AWESOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF BEAVERS!" are out.

Obviously, these are bunch of alternate powers with the Power Loss drawback. What sorts of awesome powers should I put in the main array and what should I leave to power stunting? Should I use the Boost power to model the skill enhancements (AWESOME SEWING!, AWESOME GUITAR ROCKING! AWESOME DANCE!)?

Another thought the player had was to link how powerful the AWESOME! powers are by how loudly Captain Awesome could yell them. How would I model this? Give a Require Perform (Oratory) flaw for all of the powers in the array?

...

As you might guess, the game is going to be fairly light-hearted.

EDIT: In case it matters, the game is going to be starting at the standard PL10/150.

Whammydill
2009-08-28, 06:33 AM
You can have different suits the character can transform into.

Racoon for flight
Frog for mega-jump
Tanooki for mega toughness/defense
Hammer-suit for chucking nigh-infinite hammers.

I'd make them devices *hard to lose* and such. With a caveat that they can be changed in and out of as a standard action or something.

Id model the plumbing transport after teleporters. They basically do the same thing. Near-instantaneous travel from point A to B.

Since Mario 3 was the best (yes its true!) I took inspiration from those.....and its the last one I played all the way through.

Haven
2009-08-28, 07:24 AM
The Awesome thing...the best way to represent it might actually be Shapeshifting, with a -1 (or maybe even -2) modifier for being limited to mundane things, and a power loss drawback (being unable to speak).

Don't bother with check required, because it really doesn't require a check to yell :p I think that aspect of the ability would be role-played--you say he yells louder when he gives himself more points, and he yells loudest when he uses extra effort, but he does it so loud it tires him out.

Burley
2009-08-28, 07:33 AM
Luigi needs a flashlight and a vaccuum. That is what Luigi needs. He also needs a Gameboy Advance that works as a Cell Phone.
I think that things like the fireballs and the jumping boots should be innate, so, the Gadget thing would be better. (If I remember my rules and am not mixing Gadget and Device.)

Random832
2009-08-28, 07:43 AM
Any other super mario gadgetry ideas?
Five words: Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device.

(yeah, you said Luigi, and he never had one - but COME ON!)

Hyfigh
2009-08-28, 07:50 AM
TBH simple is better. I wouldn't worry about how the Luigi character can do the same thing many different ways. Have him pick a few abilities and stick to those. There are a few options, though, if you insist on letting him have a little of all.

First design the character built around a few key abilities that Luigi has in the game(s). Leaping linked to Strike comes to mind immediately. The majority of the "powers" should either be based on a Variable Power, a power array with various Alternate Powers, or simply a function of the Inventor feat + Knowledge (Technology) skill. For the inventions, just make them "consumable" items that grant the Boost power of a particular power until certain conditions are met; be it an amount of time, damage taken, etc.

The same "simple = better" ideals should be used for Captain Awesome. With this build Variable Power using powers with basically "human qualities" should be the choice here. This way the character can essentially do whatever he wants, at your descretion.

Ecalsneerg
2009-08-28, 09:14 AM
Luigi needs a flashlight and a vaccuum. That is what Luigi needs. He also needs a Gameboy Advance that works as a Cell Phone.
I think that things like the fireballs and the jumping boots should be innate, so, the Gadget thing would be better. (If I remember my rules and am not mixing Gadget and Device.)

Device is a Container with the Hard to Lose/Easy to Lose flaw.

Gadgets is a Variable Power with the Hard to Lose/Easy to Lose flaw.

kpenguin
2009-08-28, 08:57 PM
I think for the Plumbineer I'm probably going to just do a wide power array for most of his effects with some seperate devices for his passive powers and leave it up to power stunting and/or inventing for anything else my player comes up with.

What should the base powers be? Fireballs? Shells? Jump-striking?

The teleportation idea seems like it could be used to represent the pipes. Perhaps teleportation with the portal extra and the long range only flaw?

Oh, and would a Mario Kart style go-kart be well modeled with basic motorcycle statistics?

A variable power like Shapeshift is a great idea for Captain Awesome. Since speaking is a free action and that's really how Captain Awesome reconfigures his powers (by yelling out the power set he chooses next), should I purchase the Action extra to lower the action down to free?