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Thread: superhero campaign ideas
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2019-06-03, 09:53 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
@GreatWyrmGold
Bonus points, indeed.
After all, the Rivalry between Hulk and Thor is classic, and can be funny.
*****
For Plots, I'd not only look at (classic) comics, I'd also use things like NCIS/CSI mixed with Supernatural/X-Files.
It's amazing how often "magic" is overlooked.*
Even with Dr Strange/Fate being a thing.
*Not always the case. I've had a few Mages and some Shamans in my Superhero games.My Knowledge, Understanding, and Opinion on things can be changed
No offense is intended by anything I post.*Limited Playtest Group - I'm mostly Stuck in the White Room.
*I am learning valuable things, here. So thanks, everyone!
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2019-06-03, 10:59 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Dr Strange gets wonky even in a D&D Quadratic Wizard sense of thing. There's a funny comic where he recruits Ant-Man to help him, with Ant-Man thinking its because Strange needs a dude that can shrink. Nope, Strange can do that and be big at the same time, he just wanted somebody to talk to on this adventure.
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2019-06-03, 11:35 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Agreed.
I mean Dr Strange has: Time Manipulation, Planar Travel, (600+ foot Eldritch Blast?) plus half a dozen others?
Not counting near Artifact Magical Items. (Eye)
There's a funny comic where he recruits Ant-Man to help him, with Ant-Man thinking its because Strange needs a dude that can shrink. Nope, Strange can do that and be big at the same time, he just wanted somebody to talk to on this adventure.
Also, all the "Main Characters" aren't Starting Level.
A few come close, like when Nightcrawler was first introduced.
Had a cool power, but couldn't use it a lot.
Colossas kinda got the short end of the deal. Sure, he came in strong, but his powers never "improved".
Thor doesn't beat Hulk because he's stronger, but mostly because whoever was writing that comic/series decided he would.
*****
It's been too long since I've really done the RPG/s, but being both Fine size and Huge size at the same time - really shouldn't be a thing. IMO.
Edited.Last edited by Great Dragon; 2019-06-03 at 01:19 PM.
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2019-06-03, 11:58 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Game I am in:
Giants and Graveyards Red Hand of Doom as Enn (3.5 Changeling Rogue//Dark template/Beguiler) using Grod's awesome Giants and Graveyards fixes
Folklore and the Evil Eye - A Guide to The Dreamscarred Press Malefex Class
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2019-06-03, 02:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Nope.
[quote=WotC]Slight Build: The physical stature of kobolds lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category smaller. Whenever a kobold is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as Hide), the kobold is treated as one size smaller if doing so is advantageous to the character. A kobold is also considered to be one size smaller when "squeezing" through a restrictive space. A kobold can use weapons designed for a creature one size smaller without penalty. However, the space and reach of a kobold remain those of a creature of their actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.[/wuote]
(I'd make him pick either Slight Build or Jotunbrud, since they kinda cancel each other out)
Yeah, it's kinda ridiculous.
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2019-06-03, 04:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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2019-06-03, 05:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Opps. Sorry.
Got caught up in the size paradox, and reverted to D&D term out of habit.
I can't even remember what Sizes the main Supers RPGs had.
Ant-Man could actually be ant sized.
Wasp could do the same, and had a "Sting" Ray.
Giant-Man (same guy as Ant-Man) was umm, 30 feet tall?
***Edit: deleted my unrelated posts.
****By the by - have you chosen what type of World your wanting to start in?Last edited by Great Dragon; 2019-06-03 at 05:43 PM.
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2019-06-04, 01:58 PM (ISO 8601)
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2019-06-04, 02:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Great!!
Now all that is needed, is which TRPG you want to use, to give a sense for how "powerful" PCs start at.
IiRC Mutants & Masterminds, Villains & Vigilantes, and D20 Superheroes - all tend to scale like D&D 3x.
Zero (1st) to Hero (10th) to Super Hero (20th) to Ultra Hero (30th).
Both Marvel and DC RPGs started off fairly strong, but could take years of time IRL to get stronger.
Champions was too much Math for me to really remember well.
Plus, any that have been mentioned, but I'm not familiar with.
Makes me think of the <1950s DC Batman/Superman/Flash comics - where super powers were rather rare. The Justice League wasn't a thing until March 1960. (Brave and the Bold #28)
With the 1980s Marvel Comics - other Supers (F4, Avengers, early X-Men) were around (some earlier than others), but rarely encountered each other.
****Off the top of my head:
Humm. Been awhile.
There were quite a few Armed Robberies in the 1920-30s.
The Prohibition caused armed conflict.
Lots more "mob" groups and Crime Lords, too. Countless Hooded Goons with guns.
Maybe a Super-powered Bonnie (Phasing and/or Invisibility) and Clyde (Invulnerable and/or Super Strength)?
****Plots: lots of possibilities, here:
Secret Military departments trying to get the "Perfect Soldier" could be one way for a PC to get/discover their Powers.
Chemical spill (Daredevil origin)
Nuclear radiation exposure (Hulk origin)
Private "medical" company doing DNA experiments.
And that's just the Good ol USA.
Not sure if you want to get involved (don't want to assume your doing "US History" <Marvel/DC> World Building) with the "Supers" version of the Arms Race/Cold War with Russia - and/or China.Last edited by Great Dragon; 2019-06-04 at 03:17 PM.
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2019-06-04, 03:04 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Mutants and masterminds uses power levels in an unusual (and in my opinion, good) way: The GM picks a Power Level the campaign will be at (which controls how strong abilities/skills/powers can be), all the characters are made at that level, and stick with it. So your character probably won't get much more powerful, but they'll learn new tricks and ways to use their abilities.
Imagine if all real-world conversations were like internet D&D conversations...
Protip: DnD is an incredibly social game played by some of the most socially inept people on the planet - Lev
I read this somewhere and I stick to it: "I would rather play a bad system with my friends than a great system with nobody". - Trevlac
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2019-06-04, 03:15 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
@Arbane
Thanks for clarifying that (M&M) for me.
Not having a group to play any of these with means there's no point in buying the books.
And my phone has a limit on how much I can access/download.
Please pardon any misquoted info.My Knowledge, Understanding, and Opinion on things can be changed
No offense is intended by anything I post.*Limited Playtest Group - I'm mostly Stuck in the White Room.
*I am learning valuable things, here. So thanks, everyone!
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2019-06-05, 09:19 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
As a note, the default power level is 10, which roughly puts you on par with somebody like Cyclops, Nightwing, or Wolverine. Power Level 6 and 7 are badass normal akin to James Bond or Sgt Rock (or a super with one power, with one use), Power Level 8/9 gets into street level heroes, PL10/11 is your X-Menish type of powers, 12/13 is your experienced hero (Batman is PL12 in DC Adventures, the DC branded M&M 3E), PL 14 to 16 is your epic hero (Superman is PL15, so is Captain Marvel/Shazam), anything over PL16 is a cosmic threat, Darkseid is PL18 IRC.
On the super low end PL1 would be a bystander with default stats at 0, and no effective attacks. Your typical police officer/goon are PL3 through 5 depending on attack bonus, and weapons.Last edited by Beleriphon; 2019-06-05 at 09:21 AM.
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2019-06-05, 11:12 AM (ISO 8601)
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2019-06-05, 11:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Kinda depends on what the Robot can do.
In M&M, deciding what PL the game is, sets the limits of what can be done.
Based on the description given for PL:
"The Iron Giant" might be PL 9-11.
I'd say that Sentinels (yeah, I know that they are only about 40 feet tall - still) are around PL 12.
Some with Energy Attacks, most with Capture Abilities.My Knowledge, Understanding, and Opinion on things can be changed
No offense is intended by anything I post.*Limited Playtest Group - I'm mostly Stuck in the White Room.
*I am learning valuable things, here. So thanks, everyone!
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2019-06-05, 01:28 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2019
Re: superhero campaign ideas
1. The robot has laser vision, rocket feet, a 360 degree rotation head, the ability to rotate all his limbs so that he's facing the opposite direction (#spoilers think of that one scene in the Thor movie where the destroyer gets stabbed in the back and rotates its limbs and head to face the attacker), and eat metal and transform the metal into little robotic soldiers and vehicles (ps, this is not just a random robot, this is probably gonna be something they encounter during the endgame.)
2. Due to the iron giants plethora of energy weapons, near impenetrable metal plating, and its great weight and strength, I'd say the iron giant is a bit farther up there, probably a 12.
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2019-06-05, 01:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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2019-06-05, 01:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
For some reason, "one in a million" reminded me of the worldbuilding chapter in GURPS Supers. (Probably the question of "Do you mean literally one in a million? Are there a few hundred supers in the USA, or a few dozen in each major city?") It has a wide variety of system-agnostic (heck, medium-agnostic) questions about your setting's supers that you might not have thought to ask, and helps you extrapolate what those numbers mean about the world as a whole.
Power level isn't just about what you do, but how well/much you do it. Captain America and Superman both have super-strength, but their power levels are different.
An appropriate PL to fight your robot is going to depend on how powerful those abilities are, and the PL of the Iron Giant depends as much on how vulnerable it is to superpowered weapons and fighters as its vulnerability to boring ol' guns.
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2019-06-05, 04:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Very true. There's a few fixed things in M&M. Regular damage from guns for example. Superman doesn't need to have the Impervious extra on his Toughness score to be immune to guns if the Toughness is +20. It means he basically can't fail saves against regular guns, no matter what. However, it also means he doesn't make saves against a bunch of stuff, like high tech ray guns.
As a point of comparison for the M&M 3E power level, The Spectre (ie. the DC version of The Wrath of God) is PL18. I can't in good conscious suggest playing a game at that level.
Anyhoo, for M&M here's a preview from DC Adventures Heros & Villains Volume 2: The Spectre
https://mutantsandmasterminds.com/20...eview_spectre/
Edit: I checked, Darkseid is PL16 in DC Adventures.Last edited by Beleriphon; 2019-06-05 at 04:24 PM.
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2019-06-05, 06:00 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Ah.
Like even though Cap can't punch through steel, he can throw his ("indestructible") shield to bounce off three surfaces/foes, punch 4-6 goons while doing Acrobatics around the area, and still (somehow) catch the shield.
If Cap sees something that could really hurt him (Lazer guns, energy rays) he keeps the shield to block that, instead. Heck, he's been known to throw the shield to save someone else from those.
Note, Ol Bats also does these kind of shenanigans, just with Batarangs.
You know, when not wearing rediculas-ly expensive (and heavy) Powered Batsuits.
*****
Am I close?
An appropriate PL to fight your robot is going to depend on how powerful those abilities are, and the PL of the Iron Giant depends as much on how vulnerable it is to superpowered weapons and fighters as its vulnerability to boring ol' guns.
Like how much damage per (energy type?) Ray. Does it bypass DR/Invulnerable?
How many targets are affected per blast (is it a cone, Cyclops style?) Or how many rays per turn?
Can the Robot also do physical attack at the same time?
Minion making, how long does it take?
How much metal is needed per robot soldier?
How "powerful" is each robot soldier?Last edited by Great Dragon; 2019-06-05 at 06:21 PM.
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2019-06-05, 06:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Or alternatively, having Immunity 5 (Bullets) works the same way. And it is even cheaper than having Impervious Protection 20, or Impervious Toughness 20. But one of the things about Mutants and Masterminds is that while character creation for players is limited to a set number of points they can use to create their characters, the Gamemaster is not bound to that set amount of points to build their NPCs. So while players can only use 150 points to build PL 10 characters, the gamemaster can make a supervillain character of the same power level with as many points as the GM would like put into said villain character.
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2019-06-05, 10:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2010
Re: superhero campaign ideas
Imagine if all real-world conversations were like internet D&D conversations...
Protip: DnD is an incredibly social game played by some of the most socially inept people on the planet - Lev
I read this somewhere and I stick to it: "I would rather play a bad system with my friends than a great system with nobody". - Trevlac
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2019-06-05, 11:06 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2019
Re: superhero campaign ideas
Like I said, I haven't and can't choose a system since I don't have any of the books. What I'm thinking of doing is having there injuries correlate to there health. If you are basically unharmed, then your health is pretty high, if your burnt by plasma eyes, your health is obviously lower.
Two, but they both have to be in front of the head.
Yes, it has claw ends on its fingers.
Nearly instantaneous
A human sized chunk of metal equals one robot. One car equals five robots or one car-like vehicle.
They all have metal plating, above average strength and reflexes, and armed with randomly rolled for weapons ranging from blades to guns.
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2019-06-05, 11:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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2019-06-06, 12:45 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Luckily, there are SRD websites where you can read the rules for free such as Mutants and Masterminds 3rd Edition, and Fate Core (you can find additional stuff for superheroes here, and under "Venture City"). These are pretty useful to use when you don't have the books, and you can look through the systems to see if you want to buy the books or not.
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2019-06-06, 01:05 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Ok. I'm assuming that each Eye Ray can target a separate (single) Character.
1) Is each Ray a "To Hit" or a "Save" to avoid?
PL can determine damage per Ray.
"Energy" is either Lazer/Light or Plasma. The second will usually get past Fire DR and Light Immunity.
2) Are the Robot Soldiers solo fighters?
Or do they attack in coordinated groups?
3) Another thing to ask: are there non damaging ways to beat the main Robot?
(3a - Soldiers?)
4) Is there an Off Switch?
Something that can shut down the Robot, or at least a part of it?
4a) Like one Switch for the Eye Rays?
4b) One Switch for deactivating the Minion maker?
****
5) Or is the Robot Encounter just a slug-fest?
I actually remember that scene!
(Rerun. Don't make me feel any older!!
I'm only an Old Grognard, not a Great Wyrm!!)
Very funny.
Especially since IiRC, "Superman" wasn't expecting the other guy to throw the gun at him (he knew the gun "shot" blanks) and ducked without thinking!!
@Drakeburn: Thanks for those links, Dude.
Very helpful.Last edited by Great Dragon; 2019-06-06 at 01:26 AM.
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2019-06-06, 09:51 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Poor George Reeves. My favourite is that Kryponite is a thing because the radio show actor for Superman went on vacation, so they just temporarily gave Superman a reason to not be on the show.
Also Kryptonite is a thing, but it is neither green, nor a crystal. Its the same stuff Lex steals in Superman Returns, at lest the supposed chemical composition of DC kryptonite. The real stuff does fluoresce pink when exposed to UV light though... so pink kryptonite maybe?
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2019-06-06, 04:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
You assume correctly
If your moving, or the robot is moving, you roll to dodge. But if your standing still, it auto hits since its a robot. It's plasma.
They fight in groups, and refuse to fight by themselves unless forced to.
No
No, the giant robot and it's allies do not have an off switch. If you want it to stop doing blank, you have to damage that part of its body.
It'll be a fight to remember, that's for sure.Last edited by Matuka; 2019-06-06 at 04:52 PM.
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2019-06-07, 11:18 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
"No bullet less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin. Things that aren't bullets..."
Or he's afraid the guns will mess up his hairdo.
Why did you have to go and pick the second most boring option? (Second only to "The actor is less invulnerable than Superman".)
I'm pretty sure you're conflating krypton the element with jadarite the material similar to kryptonite's technobabble description in a movie which came out a year before jadarite was discovered, except with less fluorine.
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2019-06-08, 11:54 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
Note: I was having a hard time putting different Superpowers as examples, until the M&M Power Levels were explained.
Thanks, Beleriphon!!
@Matuka:
Even without a system, deciding what you're aiming at, can also determine what is available for PCs.
I'm Sticking to PL, so if you're at the "Street Hero" level, this could be Characters like:
Daredevil, Punisher, and (maybe) Iron Fist; Where Nick Fury is the top of this "Class", etc.
This sounds about where you want to start the game, where "Goons with Guns" (and the majority of Batman's Villains) are actually a threat to most of the Heroes.
Green Goblin goes here, since his powers rely on things (tech) that can be disabled.
(Take away his Spider Sense, and Goblin becomes a much bigger threat to Spiderman)
Perhaps allowing actual Superpowers to be discovered slowly by PCs. And introducing "one power" Villains (Doc Octopus, Rhino, etc)
****But, (IME) when talking about Superheros, most people will think in X-Men-ish "powered" people.
Which includes all the actual X-Men (Prof X is not only just a support type, but actually pretty close to Top PL Tier) but also Spiderman, the F4 (origin), the Morlocks, Mutant Brotherhood (Magneto is also not meant to be a PC), etc.
****I tend to see Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, and most of the Avengers being around PL 12-15.
With Hulk being around 16. (This tends to change based on which "version" he is)
But, then the comics don't make all the Avengers "equal" in comparing their Abilities and Powers.
****But, you were asking about Plots.
Personally, I start with who (or what, for an organization) is the BBEG.
Say I choose Kingpin as the BBEG.
Most of his Goons are PL 5/6.
With maybe someone like Bullseye PL 8/9.
Ok. Perfect against PL 8 PCs.
*******
But, say we start at PL 10?
Dr Doom would work better, here.
His "goons" are PL 10 robots.
*****
Ex: G.I. Joe is PL 6/7.
Cobra Commander is actually less of a threat than the organization he runs. Suprentor is more of a BBEG.
****
Ok, there is the set up.
Now, all is needed are goals for the BBEG.
Some are easy,
Like Robbing Banks.
Lots of Villains do this for "quick and easy cash";
Since the cops really can't stop them.
Both Green Goblin and Dr Oct are always willing to do this, to get money to buy equipment for their experiments.
****
Some are harder:
Kingpin doesn't do bank heists.
He is more into insurance fraud, extortion, strong-arming, and blackmail. Now, he doesn't really care what his goons do, so long as they accomplish the Goal.
With Kingpin "hiding" behind social expectations and legal technicalities.
***
I'm getting long-winded again.
So, until next time.My Knowledge, Understanding, and Opinion on things can be changed
No offense is intended by anything I post.*Limited Playtest Group - I'm mostly Stuck in the White Room.
*I am learning valuable things, here. So thanks, everyone!
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2019-06-08, 12:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: superhero campaign ideas
No, I'm really not. Kryptonite from Superman Returns is jadarite, without the fluorine. And I was making a joke about pink kryptonite making Kryptonians change their sexuality (in the one instance it shows up Superman becomes super-gay). It was specifically setup as a parody of new types of Kryptonite showing up every few issues during the Silver Age. And it was used in a Supergirl issue on Superman.