[HoE] [HOPLER] The Phil. Kid *some possible spoilers*

[Matthew Steflik <grifflik@stny.rr.com>]

Steve Crow wrote:

> Actually, Mad Jack's description of the battle also has him jumping "a few
> meters into the air" (page 34).  I'm just taking it the way it is described.
>   I don't believe the Quickness trait has anything to do with high- or
> long-jumping.
>
>
Yeah, in that context, Blue Note is doing something funny, Mad Jack is over coloring
his story or the Kid flat out needs a corporeal tweak.  I still think the second
reference sounds like quickness, but enough already.  Choose what you like.  I'll
drop it.


> The impression I got was that perhaps a few Doomsayer powers were omitted
> from the Kid's listing in the Marshall section.  And so wondered what
> Pinnacle intended.
>

This could be - it has happened before .  As a matter of fact I did spot a number
crunching problem - his spirit is 4d8 but his faith is listed as 2d6. This is easy
enough to change.  Quite frankly though, my thinking is still that the Kid is a decoy
(cover for Blue Note) and was never intended to be a competent doomsayer...his spirit
is only 4d8 fer cryin' out loud - above average, but nothing to strike fear into the
hearts of Doombringers everywhere   Even after the "years of training" from infancy,
he still only has  two basic newbie/initiate powers.  So, it could be the Kid's lack
of natural aptitude (didn't sound like Silas went through a real intensive selection
process - "Here, you muties...gimme that baby."), combined with Blue Notes' dislike
of children and complete lack of teaching skills.  He can sing him "Its Christmas at
Ground Zero", but I don't think that will help him learn the power.  Before you say
it, I know you don't need teaching skills to learn powers - it just struck me as
funny.  Although, seriously - I'd consider giving someone a bonus to their roll if
they learned a power from someone with teaching skills.  Besides, the Kid has a
snowball's chance of learning any of the new powers from the COTA book even if he had
a good teacher when his Smarts is a lowly 1d6 (another sign of the Kid's poor
aptitude for this line of work).  Granted, he still could have gotten any of the
powers from the HOE rule book through "experimenting" on his own, which could lead
one to wonder why he hasn't bothered.  Another way I could look at it is that maybe
he's not being encouraged to learn more powers so he really looks like a beginner -
the better to win Joan's sympathies and get him a mentor.  However,  if THIS is the
case, Blue Note has already screwed things up by using his powers at all and getting
folks thinking.  Or maybe he just likes shootin' pistols better?  Or, as you say,
maybe its an editing mistake.  If it is, I'd imagine it would only be the addition of
a couple of powers from the main book. Whatever.

> That also exposes some flaws in the plan.  But if Silas' plan is for word to
> get back to Joan & Co. that the Kid has powers and Blue Note through
> storytellin', then it's already failed because MJ is telling the story, and
> he ain't tellin' it that way.
>
> It just seems like Jack's story gives away too much.  My players spotted the
> apparent hole in it immediately.  I don't really want to assume that Joan is
> dumber than they are...  ;)
>
>

Aw, heck.  I never meant to imply it was a GOOD plan.  It was flawed from the start
with a poor selection (Here's a little problem - knowing where he came from, why does
the kid have no mutations?  The only reason he wouldn't, I think, is if he's not a
mutie kid at all and the muties stole him or something.  Hmm.  Not sure where I
wanted to go with that now.  Anyway...).   If his plan as it stands really is to get
someone (I'm assuming Blue Note, through the Kid) into Joan's organization, its not
going to work - period.  The best that can come of it is a one shot decoy that gets a
couple of Joan's investigators offed.  No, let's not assume that Joan is stupid.
From the way the material on the Kid plot is presented however, we're prodded toward
seeing that Silas isn't thinking things through. The plan is too obvious and heavy
handed (shouldn't have even started with the Kid wearing purple when you know the
purples talk to each other, if you want to REALLY want to nitpick). Well, subtlety
doesn't seem to me to be his strong point anyway.  Maybe he'll learn from his
mistakes, because I really don't think the Kid and Blue Note stand a chance once Joan
starts doing some investigating (like you said, Mad Jack saw through it, as did your
players).  I still like the premise of the whole thing, though I'm willing to concede
there are some ambiguities in the execution.

Matt