blumberg@ihuxw.UUCP (Marc R Blumberg) (08/10/85)
Here is my Villains and Vigilantes to Champions character conversion system, a few weeks late. This system has been used on the V&V F.O.R.C.E. module, the Dawn of DNA module, and is currently being used to convert To Tackle the TOTEM module (when I get around to it). A friend of mine has similarly converted Death Duel with the Destroyers and the Island of Doctor Apocalyspe (Elementals fans take note!). If there is enough interest and I feel like typing them in, I'll post the characters at a later date. Marc R. Blumberg AT&T Bell Laboratories Naperville, IL ihnp4!ihuxw!blumberg _______________________________________________________________________________ Villains & Vigilantes to CHAMPIONS Character Conversion __________________________________ IMPORTANT: This system is designed for use with the REVISED V&V, not the original version. As far as I'm concerned, the original version is pariah. All V&V stats and abilities can be found at the top of V&V character sheets, usually next to the character picture, and just above the power descriptions. NOTE: while converting stats, something called a BREAKPOINT is mentioned. This is a value at which a statistic becomes optimal (efficient). The value depends on the cost of the stat and what other values are derived from it. Breakpoints for STR and CON are (numbers divisible by 5) + 3, (i.e., 13, 18, 23). Break- points for DEX are (numbers divisible by 3) - 1, (i.e., 14, 17, 20). This is system is used by point-crunchers, but it this case it is warranted, as V&V characters tend to be weaker than Champions characters. 1) start with a copy of the V&V character to be converted, a blank CHAMPIONS character sheet, and plenty of scratch paper. 2) fill in the following CHAMPIONS statistics from information found on the V&V sheet, performing calculations as necessary. STATS _____ STR - take strength, round up to nearest 5 or breakpoint DEX - take agility + 5, round up to nearest 3 or breakpoint CON - take endurance, round up to nearest 5 or breakpoint BODY - use (basic hits * 3), round up INT - use intelligence directly EGO - mostly a judgement call; start with intelligence, double if character has the power WILLPOWER A, add bonuses of +2 due to personality/history. PRES - use charisma directly COM - start with charisma and alter guided by the character picture PD - calculate from STR, add (ADR/4) if the character has the power ARMOR [A/B] ED - calculate from CON, add (ADR/4) if the character has the power ARMOR [A/B] SPEED - calculate from DEX, round up, add +1 for every instance of the power SPEED BONUS REC - calculate from STR/CON, multiply by (healing rate/2) END - calculate from CON, or use power directly, whichever is greater STUN - calculate from STR/CON/BODY, or use hit points directly, whichever is greater Misc. V&V attributes: _____________________ if (weight > 300 lbs.) consider adding DENSITY INCREASE, Always On if (damage mod. + HTH damage* > STR) consider MARTIAL ARTS if (% detect danger > 60%) consider DANGER SENSE if (% inventing > 60%) consider GADGETEERING or SPELLCASTING for each inventing point, the character gets 1 luck/hero/fame&fortune point <optional house rules in some campaigns> for each inventing point, the character gets 1 SCIENCE or LANGUAGE or or INT- related skill the character's inches in RUNNING is (inches of ground movement/16) - if this is below or equal to 6", do nothing if this is above 6", consider extra inches of RUNNING repeat for each movement mode (inches in mode) is (inches of movement/16) for each level of experience, the character gets 1 SKILL LEVEL for every 200 experience pts., the character gets a 1 pt. HERO/VILLAIN BONUS - <that's roughly (experience pts./200)> * each character has a "HTH damage" value in terms of 'xDy' meaning 'roll x y-sided dice' for the total damage done in HTH. for this equation, let "HTH damage" be the product of x and y. Ex: 2d8 becomes 16. ___________________________________________________________________________ POWER CONVERSION ________________ All CHAMPIONS powers/skills/whatever will be in capital letters, except where I forgot to do so. V&V powers will be in lower-case. V&V powers prefixed with and asterisk (*) are not really powers at all, but disadvantages. These are also converted to their CHAMPIONS equivalent, and this is dealt with in the next section entitled BALANCING. V&V CHAMPIONS equivalent ___ ____________________ Absorption - VARIABLE POWER POOL (MIMIC POOL), POWER TRANSFER Adaptation - LIFE SUPPORT Android Body - buy stats/powers through IIF - android body Animal/Plant Control - MIND CONTROL vs. animals/TK (animate) vs. plants Animal/Plant Powers - see various sub-powers Animated Servant - this can be done several ways, either a talented DNPC (worth little or no points), a separate character entirely, or allow the Servant's Master to buy a robot for 5 pts., building the Servant like a robot (a bit expensive). Armor - ARMOR, DAMAGE RESISTANCE Astral Projection - classic Champions version: DESOLIDIFICATION (not vs. EGO powers), or I have my own variant (to be hopefully published) based on ghosts in Justice, Inc. I will post this separately. Bionics - buy applicable stats/powers through an IIF - bionic parts Body Power - this varies, depending of which part of the body has the power. powers like this may be bought through a focus, depending of Obviousness and Accessibility. Chemical Power - this combination yields a very playable chemical power: ELEMENTAL CONTROL: (CHEMICAL POWERS) ENTANGLE (use the "wall option" to create matter), TUNNELING ranged (disintegrates non-living matter up to a certain DEF), TRANSFORMATION ATTACK with "variable power" advantage (+1/2, for powers with effects which must be defined when purchased (Drains, Transfers) allows character to define the effect WITH EACH USE) for transmutations, EB NND (not vs. LIFE SUPPORT, CHEMICAL POWERS) to affect living matter. Cosmic Awareness - I tried writing this up for Champions several times, and each time I come across the same problem: This is not a power to be used casually, and it will only tell the character information the GM wants him to have anyway. It therefore falls under the category of "plot" power, along with others listed below. Plot powers are powers that the character does not necessarily pay points for, and it is under the complete control of the GM, usable only to advance the plot. If a character has Cosmic Awareness, pay no points and use the powers as written in the V&V rules. If it is a player character, make sure that the player understands that information divulged is at the GM's discretion. If you absolutely must have a Champions version of this, try Danger Sense, with the extra- dimensional (+1/2) advantage. Darkness Control - DARKNESS Death Touch - RKA no range, TRANSFORMATION ATTACK, or BODY DESTRUCTION Disintegration Ray - RKA or TUNNELING at range (vs. inanimate) Devitalization Ray - END DRAIN/DESTRUCTION Dimensional Travel - TELEPORT, extra-dimensional *Diminished Senses - Physical Limitation Emotion Control - MIND CONTROL (vs. emotions only +1/2) (vs. a specific emotion +1) or use this power straight out of Golden Age of Champions, if you can understand it. Flame Power - EB not in water, EB DAMAGE SHIELD, FLIGHT, high ED (vs. fire only +1) Flight - FLIGHT, FTL Force Field - Force Field Gravity Control - TK (area), or Flight (area, use on others), or DENSITY INCREASE/SHRINKING (mass change only +1, use on others) Heightened Etc. - Enhanced Senses, or Skill Levels Ice Powers - ENTANGLE (dissipates in time, not vs. heat), ARMOR Illusions - A: LIGHT/SOUND ILLUSIONS, +1/4 advantage to affect each other sense up to +1, MENTAL ILLUSIONS B: Inanimate - ENTANGLE, wall option Animate - use Fantasy Hero summoning rules Invisibility - INVISIBILITY Invulnerability - DAMAGE RESISTANCE, DAMAGE REDUCTION Life Support - LIFE SUPPORT Light Control - FLASH, LIGHT ILLUSIONS, EB, RKA Lightning Control - TK (to animate electrical current), RKA/EB (vs. electronic devices), SECURITY SYSTEMS *Lowered Intelligence/Self Control - Psychological Limitations, required EGO rolls, or Activation Rolls on various powers Magical Spells - VARIABLE POWER POOLS, use Fantasy Hero rules for magic spells Magnetic Powers - TK (vs. metal) Mind Control - MIND CONTROL Mutant Power - this falls under the category of plot power, as the GM must carefully restrict its use. *Mute - Physical Limitation Natural Weaponry - MARTIAL ARTS, SKILL LEVELS Non-corporealness - DESOLIDIFICATION (not vs. EGO powers) Paralysis Ray - EB (STUN only), RKA (no BODY, +1), Mental Paralysis (?), STUN DRAIN/DESTRUCTION/NEUTRALIZATION Pet - use Justice, Inc. trained animal rules *Phobia/Psychosis - Psychological Limitations *Physical Handicap - Physical Limitations Poison/Venom - NND (not vs. Life Support, etc.), MENTAL PARALYSIS based on CON Power Blast - ENERGY BLAST (EB) *Prejudice - Psych. Lim. Psionics - EGO ATTACK, EGO DEFENSE, any EGO Powers *Reduced Etc. - lower the affected stats/powers/etc. Regeneration - REGENERATION, high REC Revivification - another plot power, characters should only return to life for special reasons, or it takes the fear out of death. If it advances the plot, the GM may arrange for a character to be revived. For purists/masochist GMs, try REGENERATION, usable on others, usable when recipient is below -BODY pips (+2 advantage, and heavily discouraged). Robotic Body - see Android Body (no EGO), or build character using robot rules Size Change - GROWTH/SHRINKING Sonic Abilities - RKA, EB Speed Bonus - high DEX, SPD, movement Special Requirement - Limited Power Limitation Special Weapon - any power through irreplaceable/indestructible/personal FOCUS Stretching - STRETCHING Telekinesis - TELEKINESIS (TK) (NOTE: the weight limit of V&V TK is wimpy - DO NOT do direct weight limit conversions, or the power will be next to useless Telepathy - TELEPATHY, MIND SCAN, EGO DEFENSE Teleportation - TELEPORT, (area effect usable on others for portals) Transformation - INSTANT CHANGE (powers only in Hero form), SHAPE SHIFT, DISGUISE Transmutation - TRANSFORMATION ATTACK Vehicle - use vehicle rules (buy for 5 pts.) *Vulnerability - susceptibility, vulnerability Vibratory Powers - DESOLIDIFICATION, MISSILE DEFLECTION Weakness Detection - FIND WEAKNESS Water Breath - 5 pts. LIFE SUPPORT Weather Control - this could be a plot power, or put together the following ELEMENTAL CONTROL: (all bought with extended area) RKA <lightning> TK, EB <wind> DARKNESS <fog> (extended area technically illegal) ENTANGLE <snow, sleet> WIND <unpublished power, mainly affect velocity of fliers> RAIN <unpublished power, lowers perception/movement in an area> Willpower - high EGO Wings - buy FLIGHT through a FOCUS ___________________________________________________________________________ BALANCING _________ Now that you have some rough idea of the character's stats and powers, let's talk about point totals. Go through the stats, and figure out the CHAMPIONS costs for the values listed. Go through the skills and powers list and determine things like power level (how many dice of attacks, how many points of defenses, etc.). This is not dealt with here, because of two reasons; If direct conversions are made, the resulting Champions character can turn out to be very low-powered (this can be seen in the case of Telekinesis). Also, power levels vary between campaigns, so the resulting characters may or may not fit correctly in your campaign. Take the time to do some power level matching between the newly-converted character and existing characters in your campaign. Next, the disadvantages. The combat-oriented disadvantages (vulnerabilities, physical and psychological limitations) can be pulled from the power list above. The background-oriented disads (hunteds, monitoreds, public/secret identities) can usually be found in the character background description. Again, determine the point levels for these disadvantages. Add any HERO/VILLAIN BONUS determined from the V&V character's experience points. The resulting total must be balanced against the characters stat and power total. This can be done in any manner, but if the discrepancy is over a few hundred points as it can be with major villains, just put it down as a BONUS. ___________________________________________________________________________ Villains and Vigilantes(tm) is copyright by Fantasy Games Unlimited. CHAMPIONS(tm) is copyright by Hero Games. Neither of them know this is going on.