[3.x]X-Men United?

[arguskos]

So, I've been playing lots of X-Men games recently, esp. X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse. I got about to wondering, "Hmm, I wonder what Juggernaut would look like in D&D..." and that thought sorta snowballed into wondering what lots of X-Men would be in D&D terms.

So, I ask you, Playgrounders and Gamers all, would the X-Men in D&D be awesome, or not, and why?

(NOTE: I'm mostly interested in NPC's with their powers as foes/allies of the PC's. Fighting Juggernaut *might* just piss some people off, with his whole, "I'm unstoppable" thing).

EDIT: For reference, I'm mostly thinking about a handful of certain X-Men that I feel would be enjoyable in D&D:
-Juggernaut
-Colossus
-Magneto
-Cyclops
-Sunfire
-Gambit
-Deadpool (sans guns)
-Bishop (sans guns)
-Iceman
-Cable (if I can recall what his damn mutation actually IS; also, sans guns)
-Cannonball (if I can recall what his mutation is too)

-argus

[playswithfire]

Professor X - Psion (for fun: prestige to thrallherd and give him the mentor feat if you want to explain the x-men following him in game terms; not necessary)
Jean Grey - I believe the CharOp jean grey build is a Wu Jen/Mind Bender/Master of the Unseen Hand; maybe use the spell point variant for her casting so it's more like psionics
Cyclops (and Havok) are warlocks with differently shaped eldritch blasts
Ice Man is a cryokineticist (pyrokineticist doing cold damage); possibly starting as a desert wind swordsage with those maneuvers changed to be cold damage as well
Angel is a Raptoran anything
Beast is a Hadozee anything
Storm is a Stormcaster from Stormwrack
Nightcrawler - Swashbuckler/Shadow Hand swordsage/Shadow Sun Ninja with Carmendine Monk
Morph is a Shifter or Doppleganger, probably going into Chameleon
Shadowcat - I don't know what gets incorporeality at will
Rogue - needs energy drain somehow; hard to do while good
Wolverine - feral dwarf barbarian/deepwarden?


who am i forgetting?

EDIT: I'm forgetting most of the people you want

[arguskos]

Wolverine - feral dwarf barbarian/deepwarden?
Dwarf? He's not 4 feet tall man. :smalltongue:

Also, you are forgetting the entire Brotherhood. Just sayin'. By X-Men, I was referencing the whole group, both sides.

Lastly, I like the Thrallherd touch with Prof. X. :smallamused:

-argus

[Telonius]

Well, there's always the option of Sundering his helmet and using psionics on him. There are probably better systems than D&D to model some of the abilities. But Charles Xavier would be a high-level Psion. Beast might be some sort of Monstrous Humanoid race with levels in Monk. Wolverine is .... probably a DMPC. Rogue has the succubus's Energy Drain ability active all the time. Storm is probably a high-level Sorcerer with Energy Substitution. Cyclops is a Warlock, with the Paladin Stick class feature. Gambit - soulknife/soulbow.

Okay, Wolverine ... Shifter, maybe?

[playswithfire]

Dwarf? He's not 4 feet tall man. :smalltongue:

Also, you are forgetting the entire Brotherhood. Just sayin'. By X-Men, I was referencing the whole group, both sides.

Lastly, I like the Thrallherd touch with Prof. X. :smallamused:

-argus

I know he's not that short, but he is short and his primary stat has to be CON, so I figured deepwarden's level 2 ability would be good for him.

So I started with the good guys; Brotherhood later.

Also, what level would you want these to be, if we were to do builds for fun?

[arguskos]

Well, there's always the option of Sundering his helmet and using psionics on him. There are probably better systems than D&D to model some of the abilities. But Charles Xavier would be a high-level Psion. Beast might be some sort of Monstrous Humanoid race with levels in Monk. Wolverine is .... probably a DMPC. Rogue has the succubus's Energy Drain ability active all the time. Storm is probably a high-level Sorcerer with Energy Substitution. Cyclops is a Warlock, with the Paladin Stick class feature. Gambit - soulknife/soulbow.
I like Gambit. Where is Soulbow from again, Complete Psionic?

Hehehe... Wolverine=DMPC... lol healing factor.

Thanks for the advice guys. :smallbiggrin: Anyone want to take a stab at Dark Phoenix (other than demi-deity)?

EDIT: If you wanted to do builds for kicks, level 7-10 would be best. Notably, Xavier, Magneto, Phoenix, Apocalypse, and some of the other REALLY powerful mutants can't be done in under 15 probably (I dare someone to make a faithful Phoenix in 7 or less levels. If you can, I'll eat a hat.). Also, I'll do up a list of mutants to draw up, if you are so inclined.

-argus

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Colossus is a Warforged Barbarian with Defensive Rage, a hat of disguise, and that rolled really well for Str and Con.
Bishop and Cable are Artificers.
Wolverine is a Shifter Frenzied Berserker/Warblade with Fast Healing 10.
Cyclops is a Warlock.
Juggernaut uses a broken build and template stacking to get DR 100/-, fast healing, and a good progression Reflex and Fort save. He still loses to even a single Will save without his magic helmet of Mindblank.
Professor X is a Psion(Telepath) who took several Flaws and Traits, as well as Venerable age, to get far more PP and powers than he should be able to at his level. The DM punishes him for this by confining him to the mansion for the majority of the missions.

[arguskos]

Juggernaut uses a broken build and template stacking to get DR 100/-, fast healing, and a good progression Reflex and Fort save. He still loses to even a single Will save without his magic helmet of Mindblank.
Professor X is a Psion(Telepath) who took several Flaws and Traits, as well as Venerable age, to get far more PP and powers than he should be able to at his level. The DM punishes him for this by confining him to the mansion for the majority of the missions.
Lol Prof X being broken and confined to quarters by Apocalyp- the DM.

Also, how would you even GET DR 100/-?? Is that even possible by level 20?

-argus

EDIT:

Mutant's I Am Interested In:
-Juggernaut
-Colossus
-Magneto
-Cyclops
-Sunfire
-Gambit
-Deadpool (sans guns)
-Bishop (sans guns)
-Iceman
-Cable (if I can recall what his damn mutation actually IS; also, sans guns)
-Cannonball (if I can recall what his mutation is too)
-Storm
-Toad
-Dark Phoenix
-Apocalypse
-Holocaust
-Archangel (or just Angel, whatever)
-Nate Grey (also called X-Man)
-Abyss
-Mr. Sinister

Anyone is free to make any/all/none of these characters as you see fit. :smallcool:

[Lyndworm]

Cable was born with vast telepathic and telekinetic abilities, which were limited by his need to restrain his techno-organic infection. His techno-organic body parts possess enhanced strength and durability, and his techno-organic eye gives him enhanced eyesight, allowing him to see further than a normal human and in the infrared spectrum. He is also able to interface his techno-organic body parts with machinery, using them to hack into computers and open electronic locks. Cable's telepathy is now inactive, but his telekinesis remains at a diminished level, and he has since developed technological aids to mimic his depleted powers. For example, he can now use his technopathy as a form of telepathy, incapacitating foes by sending large amounts of data into their brains.

Cable is trained in the use of many futuristic and conventional firearms, unarmed combat, and guerrilla tactics. He has extensive training in military combat techniques and the martial arts, and is an extraordinary combat strategist. When his powers were temporarily reduced, he used a weapon from his own timeline, known as a "Psimitar" which has the ability to focus and increase his telepathic and telekinetic powers.[/copypaste]



Cannonball is a mutant that possesses the ability to bodily generate thermo-chemical energy and release it from his skin. This energy is used as thrust to cause his body to be propelled through the air like a rocket, at great heights and speeds with considerable maneuverability. He can control his speed and direction through sheer act of will. At first he could only release this energy from his feet and legs, but now he can fire it from almost any part of his body, to a wide variety of effects. This energy also manifests itself as an impenetrable and virtually indestructible "blast field" that protects him from bodily harm. He can use this blast-field for the following effects: to function as a personal shield or extending it to encompass others, to shape the field around another person to imprison them, or to absorb outside kinetic impact into his own energy supply, enabling him to increase the bludgeoning power of his blows or to create explosive shock waves upon impact.

His power levels have varied over the years - but at his peak, he has been able to devastate several city blocks by plummeting to the ground from high altitude, as well as withstand (and redirect) the force of one of Gladiator's strongest punches.[/copypaste]



I hope that helped.

Zack

[arguskos]

Cable stuff.

Cannonball stuff.

I hope that helped.

Zack
Indeed it did! Thank you greatly sir. :smallbiggrin:

-argus

[Lyndworm]

Not a problem, I'm happy to help. I'm actually a pretty big nerd, especially when it comes to the X-Men. Still, what I cannot phrase eloquently, Wikipedia can. :smalltongue:

Zack

[arguskos]

Yeah, I'm an X-Men nerd too (I'm in class atm, and I'm reading Wikipedia articles about the Horsemen of Apocalypse... >_>)

-argus

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Angel is a Raptoran Monk.
Mystique is a Changeling Rogue.
Phoenix is a Psion Kineticist(**** Char-op, she's a Psion) with some way of getting near-infinite PP and that conveniently forgets the Manifester Level Augmentation cap.
Storm is a Druid without Wildshape that doesn't summon or have an AC. She's still one of the most powerful characters, much to her dismay.
Toad is a Monk/Thief-Acrobat/Uncanny Trickster. He's both high-level and completely useless, as befits a Cohort.

[arguskos]

What is a Raptoran and where is it from?

-argus

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Races of the Wild, they're essentially Humans with wings and Low-Light vision instead of the Feats and Skills.

[AstralFire]

Angel is NOT a Monk. For starters, he's useful. =p

Flavor-wise, though, it does fit him.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Angel is NOT a Monk. For starters, he's useful. =p

Flavor-wise, though, it does fit him.He's high-speed, unarmored, fights unarmed, and can survive extreme cold. Monk is the closest to that.

[AstralFire]

He's high-speed, unarmored, fights unarmed, and can survive extreme cold. Monk is the closest to that.

Well, I did admit that flavor-wise, it fits.

But I'd rather someone awesome like him get UA Swordsage with a custom speed stance.

[playswithfire]

Maybe angel should prestige into Stormtalon? I think it gets something like +40 to flight speed over 10 levels and gives bonus feats that enhance aerial combat

[Malfunctioned]

Wolverine could possibly have a couple of levels in Warshaper, that way he could get the claws and the bonus to CON is good as well.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Wolverine could possibly have a couple of levels in Warshaper, that way he could get the claws and the bonus to CON is good as well.True. I'm almost losing track of how many classes he should have.

[AstralFire]

True. I'm almost losing track of how many classes he should have.

He's the new Batman, only he's allowed to get punk'd every once in a while.

[Malfunctioned]

True. I'm almost losing track of how many classes he should have.

He should have all of them, even ones he doesn't qualify for.

[Baidas Kebante]

He's high-speed, unarmored, fights unarmed, and can survive extreme cold. Monk is the closest to that.

Actually, he's fought with guns and recently carried a sword (of course, Austen gave him that so most people are willing to forget it). He normally brings weapons to battle since he has no natural weapons, except when he had those technorganic wings.

[GryffonDurime]

Hmm...maybe I should make a Phoenix Host PrC for Wilders...using the Phoenix Force to do crazy wild psychic things certainly seems like it'd expand nicely from Wild Surges.

[Thurbane]

Snikety snikt!
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/moi_gallery/91040.jpg

[arguskos]

Mutant List (w/ suggestions)

X-Men and Good Guys
-Professor Charles Xavier: venerable human Psion (telepathy [telepath]) 10/Thrallherd 5
-Colossus: augmented human Knight 6 (w/ Imp Unarmed Strike)
-Cyclops: human Warlock 6
-Sunfire: human Sorcerer 8
-Gambit: human Soulknife 5/Soulbow 1 (refluffed to look like playing cards/quarterstaff)
-Bishop: human Fighter 3/Wizard 4/Spellsword 1
-Iceman: human Sorcerer 5/Frost Mage 3
-Cable: augmented human Fighter 2/Psion (metacreativity [shaper]) 5
-Cannonball: human Warlock 7
-Storm: human Sorcerer 9
-Nate Grey (also called X-Man): human Psychic Warrior 8
-Nightcrawler: augmented human Ninja 7

Brotherhood and Bad Guys
-Magneto: human Psion (metacreativity [shaper]) 12
-Juggernaut: human Barbarian 6/Frenzied Berserker 2
-Deadpool: augmented human Fighter 2/Beguiler 5
-Toad: augmented human Monk 7
-Dark Phoenix: augmented human Psion 3/Wizard 3/Cerebramancer 10
-Apocalypse: monstrous humanoid [shapeshifter] Cleric 3/Wizard 7/Mystic Theurge 10
-Holocaust: augmented human [incoporeal] Duskblade 13
-Archangel (as the Horseman of Death): augmented raptoran Swashbuckler 7
-Mr. Sinister: augmented human Factorum 13
-Quicksilver: human Scout 8
-Scarlet Witch: human Sorcerer 7
-Abyss: monstrous humanoid (some class here, I can't think of much, honestly).

As a notice, I'm using the augmented human type as a marker to say that those mutants have been altered in some way. Also, the few monstrous humanoids on this list use the same logic.

Explanations below (spoilered for those that don't care):

Xavier: None needed.

Colossus: He has the Knight feel to me, a honorable warrior (that also can crush in faces with his bare fists). His augmentation is that he has DR 15/adamantine, and deals damage with his fists as per a monk of his HD.

Cyclops: He's a warlock, simply because nothing else gives him the ability to fire blasts of energy at will. Also, I liked the idea of blast invocations on his optic blasts.

Sunfire: For those that don't know Sunfire, he gained powers over radiation when he went to the site of the nuclear attacks on Japan. Anyway, Sorcerer with Energy Sub (fire) and lots of fiery spells make sense here. Maybe some feat to punch through energy resistance? Also, is there a fire analogue to Frost Mage?

Gambit: Someone mentioned Soulknife-->Soulbow, and it seemed to fit pretty well. However, I don't have Soulbow, and don't know where it's from. I've seen it before though. If someone could point me to it, that'd be great.

Bishop: I thought about how to get his energy channeling powers into a build, and I guessed that a fighter who spec'd in ranged weapons like hand crossbows and rays would be the best I could do. Spellsword seemed like an obvious choice here.

Iceman: Durr, Sorc w/ Energy Sub (cold) and Spell Thematics (icicle). Frost Mage seemed like a good fit, so I took it. As w/ Sunfire, any feat that punches past cold resist would be excellent.

Cable: This was tough. I knew Fighter/Psion was going to be it, but I dithered on what ratio. I ended up with Ftr 2/Psi 5, giving him good versatility with decent attack power. Cable's augmentation is that he has altered stats (-2 Str, -4 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis) and several skill bonuses (+2 to Spot, Search, Listen), due to his techno-virus and his bio-mechanical implants (and no, I haven't figured out how to fluff those corrrectly in D&D yet).

Cannonball: I couldn't think of anything better than Warlock here. If anyone has a better suggestion, I'm happy to hear it.

Storm: Weather-based powers? Sorcerer wants to talk to you.

Nate Grey: I thought about doing a straight Psion here, but figured that I already had lots of Psions, and that I like Nate as a Psychic Warrior more anyways. I'll have to give him the power to fly though (since Nate Grey has that power).

Nightcrawler: Ninja gives Nightcrawler his signature invisibility, and with his augmentation of increased move/jump speed, along with a 1/1d4 rounds Dimension Hop ability, he is a very agile combatant. I do need a feat that lets him use his tail to wield a weapon though.

Magneto: Psion fits here, esp some custom powers that give him magnetic abilities (telekinesis for less seems like a good start).

Juggernaut: With Frenzied Berserker, and some items that give DR, Juggernaut becomes a force to be reckoned with. Maybe I'll change him to augmented human, give him DR 15/adamantine, and then give him some super-charge ability.

Deadpool: Deadpool is like the evil Nightcrawler. He is very into trickery (hence, Beguiler). His augmentation is that he has fast healing 1 and the same Dimension Hop power as Nightcrawler. He's also not terrible in a fight.

Toad: Lol, Toad. His augmentation boosts his Monk powers by giving him natural Spider Climb, a tongue as a natural weapon, and the ability to leap great distances (Jump bonuses). This makes him very mobile in battle.

Dark Phoenix: Along with Apocalypse, Phoenix is the most powerful person on this list. She has 7th level powers and spells, and her augmentation is insanely powerful, giving her one power and one spell per turn (as a full-round action), making her a scarily powerful enemy.

Apocalypse: The most powerful mutant on this list, Apocalypse has so many mutations, he's a monstrous humanoid. He has shapeshifting, as the polymorph spell. He has 7th level cleric casting (he draws power from domains; Strength and War) and 9th level wizard casting. He has fast healing 10 and regeneration 15. He has DR 25/good and cold iron. He'll probably get other abilities later. Remember that he is meant to be an insane challenge, not some cakewalk.

Holocaust: For those of you that don't know about Holocaust, he is a Horseman of Apocalypse. His real body was turned into plasma, and contained w/in a crystalline suit that was designed so he could blast foes with plasma if he needed to. This screams "DUSKBLADE!!!!" to me, so there you have it.

Archangel: The wings of the normal Raporan have been replaced by his augmentation (courtesy of Mr. Sinister): metallic organic wings that have some special powers (like a feather flurry that cuts like knives, etc). Beyond that, Archangel is a fairly typical Swashbuckler (it's a nice fighting class that gives him some powerful mobility and options).

Mr. Sinister: Augmented to be immortal, among other things, Mr. Sinister is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades, thus, factorum. He is skilled at many things, so I figured the skillmonkey class was a good call.

Quicksilver: I can't think of any other speed-based classes, so Scout will hve to do.

Scarlet Witch: With a good, reality-altering, spell selection, Scarlet Witch's flavor will work out nicely.

Abyss: This is a puzzle. Go check out his Wikipedia page if you need ideas on what to do for him, since I sure am stumped. Anyway, his augmentation will have to do with the portal in his chest, but I'm not sure how yet.



-argus

[playswithfire]

A few thoughts.

Bishop could be represented with a psychic warrior with a modified version of the Energy Adaptation (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Energy_Adaptation) power that allows him to fire back say a line attack that does d6 for every 5 points the power absorbed as a standard action, but only in the round immediately after he absorbed it.

I hate to make Quicksilver a caster, but he should probably be a Swiftblade (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070327)

Scarlet witch could be a Wilder X/Anarchic Initiate (Complete Psionic) Y


The Anarchic Initiate is a psionicist who focuses on the powers contained within the concept of chaos and uncertainty. Designed primarily for wilders, but also available to psions, anarchic initiates gain or improve their ability to invoke wild surges, whilst gaining new abilities derived from their chaotic powers, including the power to tear a breach in reality.

And I can't stop myself from considering the Jade Phoenix Mage for dark phoenix, though what you've got is obviously more powerful

[arguskos]

I do like that Energy Adaptation power, actually. It's pretty neat, now that I see it, and with a tweaking, it does fit nicely.

Hehehe, Jade Phoenix Mage is pretty fun. Though it isn't very powerful, the flavor actually fits Dark Phoenix nicely (Phoenix Force being immortal and all that jazz). Hmm....

Swiftblade is PERFECT for Quicksilver, though I also dislike making him a caster. Perhaps he's best as an augmented human with some speed increases and few other toys.

-argus

[Keld Denar]

Canonball could in theory be a slightly reflavored Dragonfire Adept, from Dragon Magic. If you think about it, it fits. He can fly, blast energy at will, sometimes use that energy to trap others (Entangling Exhalation feat) or shield himself or others from energy attacks (that one energy resistance invocation). Just nix the whole draconic features and wings part, but keep the mechanics the same and you've got a pretty good go.

For Wolverine, maybe some adaptation on Bear Warrior into Wolverine Warrior (shift into a Dire Wolverine with natural claw attacks while raging), with a Fighter/Barb lead in and a couple levels of Warshaper.

[arguskos]

I don't have Dragon Magic, sadly, so that option is out. :smallfrown: If I manage to find a copy, I may pick it up though.

As for Wolverine, though I could stat him out, he's pretty much a DMPC. His healing factor is so extreme that it's hardly fair to make players fight him (since they'll never win w/o some serious cheese).

-argus

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Here we go. Angel is a Raptoran Paragon 3(homebrew)/Aerial Avenger 10(Dragon).

[Oslecamo]

Cable is actually an half iron golem rogue/fighter/warblade/cancer mage with some obscure disease.

This explains why his psychic powers are so weak(cha and int penalty from half-golem) and how he manages to easily punch trough walls.

[Draz74]

For Angel, note how easy it is to increase his speed with a single feat (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Air_Heritage,PlH).

[Fiendish_Dire_Moose]

What about Psylocke? The psion/swordsage/setting sun ninja?
And Pyro? The CODzilla gone Blighter?

[arguskos]

Huh, I never thought of half-iron golem --> cancer mage. Thanks for that one. :smallsmile:

EDIT: I did forget some characters.

Other Mutants of Interest:
-Beast
-Wolverine
-Shadowcat
-Jubilee
-Psylock
-Havok
-Banshee
-Pyro
-Mandarin (not a mutant, but AWESOME anyway)

-argus

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Havok's a Warlock, Pyro's a Pyromancer, Wolverine is a Shifter DMPC with too many class levels for his ECL, Jubilee is a Wilder, Beast is an Awakened Dire Ape using the Savage Species Monster Class variant, Psylock is a Soulknife/Soulbow, Banshee is a low-level Warlock with an Essence Invocation that makes it Sonic and the cone-shape.

[arguskos]

Where/what is Pyromancer? It sounds sorta awesome...

-argus

[Thurbane]

Beast might be represented as a Hadozee Monk?