[UA] So you're a Videomancer with some major, MAJOR mojo . . .

[Hammons, Jade]

	Well, it all depends on what you're aiming for as a GM I'd
imagine. Buffy, the Fonz, many of the superpowered mortals slip easily
into the universe. If Buffy came through, the Godwalker of someone is
suddenly going to have some stiff competition (The Magus, The Hunter,
The Slayer... who knows), and they are probably going to warp some
serious spontaneous unnatural effects too, perhaps even a major effect.
Bring Buffy to life, and you might warp the universe enough to increase
the vampire population... or create a hellmouth... who knows.
	Superman on the other hand. Well. He may be channeling justice
or something, but the way his powers are defined in any source you could
bring him from are incompatible with the way physics in our universe
works. On the other hand, even if his powers did stick around, superman
is vulnerable to magic use and even though he can bounce bullets, having
the word Abomination etched into his skin over and over so deeply that
he explodes in a shower of greasy meat... Not gonna get better from
that.
	This is one of those case where UA's open ended skill system
really starts to shine, and many superhuman powers would easily slip in
as skills. Skills that can wake the tiger, alert the Sleepers, TNI, and
of all people, The Compte...
	The more the character disagrees with this universe, the more
the unnatural phenomena will go on around them. The Fonz? Under the
radar, probably be written off as some insane iconmancer whose lost his
own personality. Superman? Gonna draw notice like rotting fruit draws
fruit flies.
	Also, as per last action hero, how well will the Character adapt
to our universe? Enough failed checks, and even superman is gonna go
loco. And those self-checks are going to constant for a while. ("What do
you mean you created me from a Television show? I'm not real? That's
who? Henry Winkler? You mean I'm going to look like that when I get old?
All my friends are fake too? Jukeboxes are out of style? Elvis is
DEAD?") Insanity is gonna be tough to avoid...
	Finally, in the case of people like the Buffster, or Angel, or
Superman, etc... They aren't going to believe you, they are going to
think you are a villain messing with their minds or something, it's
happened to them all before... and in the real world Superman's punch
isn't going to knock you harmless through a wall and unconscious... it's
going to go through your chest, and Buffy's first superhuman karate kick
to your head will most like break your neck.
	It's all a case of be careful what you wish for. Creating
something that by definition is more powerful, more willful, and
possibly more intelligent than you out of the box isn't the smartest
thing in the world.
	This is why smart videomancers use their abilities to satisfy
more peurile interests, or draw forth things that are harmless... then
again, Stay Puft was harmless until he was chosen as the form of 'your
doom'.

Jade Hammons

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be
normal." - Albert Camus




-----Original Message-----
From: ua-bounces at lists.unknown-armies.com
[mailto:ua-bounces at lists.unknown-armies.com]On Behalf Of Susan Dohnim
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 7:43 PM
To: ua at lists.unknown-armies.com
Subject: [UA] So you're a Videomancer with some major, MAJOR mojo . . . 


At least one major. Two or three if you're so inclined.

Go you! You've got the power to bring to life a TV character --
permanently. 
Who do you pick? The UA2 book suggests ("What You Hear: The
Videomancer") 
that with enough *sig* charges one can bring fictional characters to
life 
for half-hour increments, and did so to Mr. Clean and the Pillsbury 
Doughboy, so it really does seem like the sky's the limit. Of course,
you'll 
get them permanently.

This raises the question, what if you pick Superman? Buffy? The Fonz? Do

they keep their super-powers? Do they have them for a little while and
then 
the powers fade away? Or do they become mere mortals (think Jack Slater
in 
The Last Action Hero)? Could one of them eventually ascend to the 
Statosphere? (I'm sure that the Fonz is channeling The Player, for one.)

Inquring minds want to know. Just seems like a very rich, if somewhat
goofy, 
area for a campaign.

On the other hand, I loved the premise of Last Action Hero -- the Big
Bad 
forming an army of evil by popping into movies and inviting the worst of
the 
worst into the Real World -- so one could certainly make it *not* so
goofy.

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