Quote from: Steven Mitchell;1129141Not a genre that I'm all that conversant in, but aren't some of the "possible" or "fantastic" grade items merely more plausible items that are concealable (or at least highly portable) and/or a little better than normal engineering would suggest?  So you might have, for example, a climbing line that spools out of a relatively small container and will support the hero, when in reality such a line would be too thin to use safely or not strong enough.

Or is that mainly the difference between "possible" and "fantastic", where "possible" is something that would appear to work if you don't let the engineers critique it?

Lets see, how do I explain my idea?

Lets say it's set in the 80's

Existent: Cassette recorder
Plausible: Mini Cassette recorder (lets say half the size)
Possible: Micro Cassette recorder (1/4 the size)
Fantastic: 3mm thick 6 centimeter diameter Quartz crystal disk with the storage capacity of a million cassettes.

Current year:
Existent: Smart Watches
Plausible: Smart Watches twice as powerful
Possible: Smart Watches 4 times as powerful
Fantastic: Smart Watches as powerful as existing supercomputers

It's the rule of cool tempered by immersion breaking stuff. Off course it's all relative to the setting and the level of handwavium you as the GM want to allow in the game.

The Soldier and The Prowler roll to see if they get one minor gadget or some sort of limited mystic power or nothing, this power could be innate or powered by some trinket, a ring... The minor Gadget could be a Grappling Gun, a Shield, a bullet proof suit, something like that.

The Mystic gets no Gadget and the Gadgeteer gets no Mystic power.

The Gadgeteer rolls or chooses his starting Gadgeteer weapon:

Bow, Cross Bow or Grappling Gun, gets the proficiency needed for it in order to get a +1 when using it.

I might make separate progression tables for each, or just the one with some toys with a generic name so it can be applied to all.

Everybody can get Martial Arts as a skill, but only The Soldier and Prowler can get to the black belt, and only The Mystic can use Chi powers?

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1129184@ Omega, Zirunel, RandyB Those are all great sugestions, thank you very much, keep it coming if you can/want

Batman. Utility belt.

Any hero with a utility belt.

Some were one and done. They had XYZ gadgets stocked and that never changed.
Others were prep based. They loaded out the belt with things they thought might need for a specific sortie.

The original Cyborg novels that 6 Million Dollar Man was based on.

2 artificial legs allowing him to run a faster (at about olympic level) and without tiring.
1 artificial arm with a 1-shot dart gun in the hand. Used mostly as a bludgeon.
1 artificial eye that in the first book housed a small camera. Cant see with it. Think in one of the later books it is replaced with a 1-shot laser.
Part of skull replaced with steel plate.
1 rib replaced with radio transmitter.

In the books his artificial limbs were not at superhuman levels like in the TV series.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1129184@ Omega, Zirunel, RandyB Those are all great sugestions, thank you very much, keep it coming if you can/want

Sorry I can't think of any gadget ideas but not because I m not willing to help. Maybe When it's time to talk supplements?

When Omega brought up Matt Helm that really crystallized for me what I was already thinking, that a tongue-in-cheek 60s approach could be seriously fun. And with stylish retro art, maybe even quite successful too? I am also interested in your idea of a 1920s-1950s take. Although again, my thoughts may run more to screwball comedy than a serious approach, and that may not be where you want to go with this. Anyway, more than willing to chat about this any time. I do think there is potentially a lot of fun to be had here.

Oh. Having said that, there's The Prisoner. Big floppy balloon things that pursue and capture without killing. Of course, with The Prisoner you leave tongue-in-cheek behind and enter the realm of surreal and psychedelic mind-games.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1128846Pulpish because I'm setting the action on the 1980's and keeping the tech mostly within Existent thru Possible nothing too fantastic,

If it's the '80s, somebody needs to have a talking car. Or motorcycle. Or helicopter.

Quote from: Zirunel;1129501Sorry I can't think of any gadget ideas but not because I m not willing to help. Maybe When it's time to talk supplements?

When Omega brought up Matt Helm that really crystallized for me what I was already thinking, that a tongue-in-cheek 60s approach could be seriously fun. And with stylish retro art, maybe even quite successful too? I am also interested in your idea of a 1920s-1950s take. Although again, my thoughts may run more to screwball comedy than a serious approach, and that may not be where you want to go with this. Anyway, more than willing to chat about this any time. I do think there is potentially a lot of fun to be had here.

Not sure I'm up to the skill level needed for a tongue in cheek approach for anything, my humor tends to get 3 reactions : Don't get it, hate it and me, love it.
Plus I would need to brush up on my 60's spy movies, and the TV Batman Show won't find it's way in any of my writings ever.

But I see no reason why a GM couldn't make his own gadgets that are tongue in cheek.

Quote from: smcc360;1129627If it's the '80s, somebody needs to have a talking car. Or motorcycle. Or helicopter.

That's science fiction, not within what I'm trying to do, but I see no reason for a crafty GM not being able to work it in there.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1129703That's science fiction, not within what I'm trying to do, but I see no reason for a crafty GM not being able to work it in there.

Actually the 70s and 80s had a few high tech heroes whos vehicles were advanced but do-able within limits.

Knightrider: overlooking the AI for now there is these things. Bullet proof, battering ram. Jet assist leaps. Mobile forensics analysis. In a way it harkens back to...
Speed Racer/Mach GoGoGo: an anime from the mid 60s. The car had various high tech gadgets. Bullet proof windshield with canopy, extendable buzzsaw blades, remote controlled RC flying camera, and piston jacks that allowed the car to make limited leaps, deployable ATV treads, and limited submersibility. Various features added over the course of the series.
Street Hawk: Much like the above two, but a motorcycle. Bulletproof, computer assist turbo boost and jet assist leaps, laser, and a few other gadgets. The bike and suit needed alot of maintenance.
Airwolf: Bulletproof, turbo boost. Otherwise armed with just improved versions of tech from the prior decade my dad would have been familliar with as a on board combat engineer. such as the vision tracking targeting assist.
Salvage 1: Junk salvagers using a tail landing rocket for various services. Asimov was the science advisor for the show. They mostly used it as an air transport and only went into space I think twice. Essentially a flashy transport for the ground crew.  Something akin to the German Focke-Wulf Triebflügel,, Convair XFY Pogo, or Lockheed XFV 'Salmon' would fit too.

Quote from: Omega;1129716Actually the 70s and 80s had a few high tech heroes whos vehicles were advanced but do-able within limits.

Knightrider: overlooking the AI for now there is these things. Bullet proof, battering ram. Jet assist leaps. Mobile forensics analysis. In a way it harkens back to...
Speed Racer/Mach GoGoGo: an anime from the mid 60s. The car had various high tech gadgets. Bullet proof windshield with canopy, extendable buzzsaw blades, remote controlled RC flying camera, and piston jacks that allowed the car to make limited leaps, deployable ATV treads, and limited submersibility. Various features added over the course of the series.
Street Hawk: Much like the above two, but a motorcycle. Bulletproof, computer assist turbo boost and jet assist leaps, laser, and a few other gadgets. The bike and suit needed alot of maintenance.
Airwolf: Bulletproof, turbo boost. Otherwise armed with just improved versions of tech from the prior decade my dad would have been familliar with as a on board combat engineer. such as the vision tracking targeting assist.
Salvage 1: Junk salvagers using a tail landing rocket for various services. Asimov was the science advisor for the show. They mostly used it as an air transport and only went into space I think twice. Essentially a flashy transport for the ground crew.  Something akin to the German Focke-Wulf Triebflügel,, Convair XFY Pogo, or Lockheed XFV 'Salmon' would fit too.

Well, high tech vehicles are already in my to do list, or a table for you to build them to be precise. But none will start anywhere close to KIT as per the gadgets, those will have to be added on latter. I mean no fucking AI. Bullet proof, guns, rockets, caltrop, oil, smoke launchers, etc. adding a jet/rocket costs extra and way too much for the average player to be able to afford it before level 10 maybe 20.

Because I want it pulpish, so I'm thinking of vehicles at the Black Beauty level tops. The vehicle is a tool not a character.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1129734Well, high tech vehicles are already in my to do list, or a table for you to build them to be precise. But none will start anywhere close to KIT as per the gadgets, those will have to be added on latter. I mean no fucking AI. Bullet proof, guns, rockets, caltrop, oil, smoke launchers, etc. adding a jet/rocket costs extra and way too much for the average player to be able to afford it before level 10 maybe 20.

Because I want it pulpish, so I'm thinking of vehicles at the Black Beauty level tops. The vehicle is a tool not a character.

The original from the serial was borderline SF as it could easily attain speeds in excess of 200mph with its special chemical plant. The TV series version is probably doable outside the occasional fantastical gadgets. The night vision system was extant well before the 60s for example.

As for the Mach 5. Its bullet proof within limits. The saw blades were probably the only real push into the fantastical due to their power. Unlike other special cars it was not invincible.

Adding vehicles to the street-level crimefighting suggests that there must be criminals out there with equally tricked out rides for these folk to take on.

Oh and two more super rides.
The rig from The Highwayman: Overall just a very sturdy rig with some bulletproofing. But the real treat was that the cab was also a helicopter. The series though quickly transitioned into straight up sci-fi. Think at various points it had a laser cannon and a cloaking device. Been a few decades so not sure on that.
Blue Thunder: A fairly mundane combat helicopter with stealth and surveillance hardware.

Quote from: Omega;1129876The original from the serial was borderline SF as it could easily attain speeds in excess of 200mph with its special chemical plant. The TV series version is probably doable outside the occasional fantastical gadgets. The night vision system was extant well before the 60s for example.

As for the Mach 5. Its bullet proof within limits. The saw blades were probably the only real push into the fantastical due to their power. Unlike other special cars it was not invincible.

Adding vehicles to the street-level crimefighting suggests that there must be criminals out there with equally tricked out rides for these folk to take on.

Oh and two more super rides.
The rig from The Highwayman: Overall just a very sturdy rig with some bulletproofing. But the real treat was that the cab was also a helicopter. The series though quickly transitioned into straight up sci-fi. Think at various points it had a laser cannon and a cloaking device. Been a few decades so not sure on that.
Blue Thunder: A fairly mundane combat helicopter with stealth and surveillance hardware.

Not Pulp because it's a new character but pulpish in the feel: The Rocketeer

He's the type of gadgeteer I'm going for, a gun toting crimefighter with a very powerful gadget. Or a few but not really powerful nor fantastic.

Other Crimefighters will have some type of "mystic" power, again keeping it within the pulp limits, not really superheroes, Think The Shadow before they made him kinda professor X. Or some magic powers, but again nothing really major small things because they all use some sort of weapon, be it guns, swords, boomerangs, etc.

Yeah was thinking of the pre-Professor X iteration of the Shadow as well. I grabbed some of the radio plays and in at least one he was using long distance telepathy.

As for the Rocketeer. I have a few issues. The flight pack is not all that powerful a power. Its more a travel mode from A to B. Aside from occasionally doing a flying tackle/ram he was mostly a ground level combatant with fists and rarely the gun.

Which is akin to my comment prior on vehicles that are essentially just travel props and not actually used for battle. Or rarely used so. Essentially what Green Hornets car was in the serial.

Something to consider heavily with this is just how prevalent guns are. Fur pulp style street level crime fighting you either have to keep the guns to a bare minimum, or have some way a non-ranged hero can walk into such encounters and not get shot. Not everyone is as agile as characters like Daredevil for example. Things like lots of cover and stuff the hero can use to their advantage.