From: kdmiller@m4-035-11.MIT.EDU (Kenneth D Miller)
Subject: Re: Stupid PC Tricks
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 01:09:18 GMT


Oh boy, here comes another one...

In a "Champions in 3D"-based Champions adventure (yes, that's right... a cross-
dimensional superhero game) our superhero group had the misfortune to meet a
ridiculously overpowered group.  Imagine a dragon from Fantasy Hero.  Now
give it another level of growth.  And maybe 100 more points worth of abilities
(more armor, more firepower... sheesh)

Anyway, the situation was that we had been launched into Fantasy Land (tm) by
everybody's favorite robot, Mechanon (yep, thought it would kill us... boy was
*HE* wrong ;^).  We had met up with the greatest dragonslayer who ever lived,
an alternate-dimensional version of one of my previous characters, and were
trying to get back home again.  Unfortunately, we also had to keep around one
Dr. Genius, a villain in power armor with "250" printed on the forehead, 
presumably his I.Q), as well as an East European (Russian?) scientist who had
second thoughts about building a hyperspace generator for Mechanon.  One very
very long boat ride later, we arrived at the volcano the dimensional portal
was supposed to be in (we had gone from California to Hawaii, FYI).  We trekked
in, and my character barely made it, being an Ice Power-based character with
Susceptibility to heat (3d6, I believe...boy that was smart).

So, we find this HUMONGOUS dragon sitting there, looking at us.  He was
actually being very nice to us.  He didn't want to hurt us, really.  That is,
until the Dragonslayer came in.  Oops...

The dragon, of course, demanded that the dragonslayer kill himself.  While
everyone (including the dragon) yelled at each other, Dr. Genius grabbed hold
of the scientist and flew to the other side of the room, and demanded that he
be allowed to use the portal...or else the scientist would buy it.

So, Ice Guy (my character) decided to do the only heroic thing: go over there
and save the scientist (Ice Guy has a very large amount of Running bought
as "skating" across the ground on a nearly frictionless layer of ice).

As I move my counter across the board, I think to myself "gee, I have enough
movement that I probably should stay near the wall, away from the dragon", but
I also thought that shortening the trip would give me better initiative over
Dr. Genius.  So I skid behind the dragon, fairly close

Then I find out that dragons are extremely perceptive...

***WHAP!!!*** Ice Guy gets hit by the dragon's tail, very hard.  Hard enough,
in fact, to put Ice into the "GM's option" duration level of unconsciousness.
Then Ice hits the wall.  Bonk.

Damn.

Okay, after another player left, we did a "time warp", and made his character
the one that got hit (fine by me, actually :^).  By this time, the entire
superhero team pretty much simultaneously attacked the dragon, which blasted
most of the cave with a monstrous Cone of Fire (ouch).  Ice got hit.  And Ice
is ALSO Vulnerable to fire (x2 stun).  Whump.  Almost bought it.  The two
powerhouse characters, TNT (a brick stuntman) and Federation Man (a guy in
power armor who used to think he was the Starship Enterprise...he got better)
blast the dragon all over, but don't stun it until it blasts the ENTIRE cave,
AGAIN.  Ouch.  Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.  Sizzle sizzle sizzle.

Eventually the dragon DOES get stunned, and the dragonslayer hacks it to bits.

We eventually all made it to the portal, but not before everyone lost most of
their Body and Stun.  Oh well.  Good thing the GM doesn't kill characters...












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