Geeky RPG question or: CHAMPIONS, Catholics, Gunpowder...

Too trivial for GQ,GD, or IMHO…

Fellow Dopers, I need your help to fight EVILDOERS. :slight_smile:

More specifically, I am about to start playing in an online Champions RPG game. But there’s this neat concept, the superteam is made up of devout Catholics, patterned after an order of crusading knights. My character is a mutant able to see the near future, which makes her incredibly adaptable and fast in combat.

All well and good, here’s the catch. My ninja nun needs a ranged weapon bad. But what weapon would be ‘genre’ for her. I mean, Batman has his batarangs 'cos he’s a bat, Green Arrow has green arrows, because (wait for it), he’s Green Arrow!! But what would a crusading knight have as a ranged weapon that accessorized well?

My caffiene-starved brain vaugely remembers an early firearm, used by the Church, that looked like a mace but fires what looked like primitive buckshot. I can’t remember anything more about it and it may be a figment of my imagination. But I know that somewhere, some Doper knows the truth and can enlighten me. Just the name of such a weapon should be enough for me to find it on the Internet.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help y’all can give me. It must be lack of sleep that causes me to reveal my true geekiness before you. I better post this before I come to my senses…

Gerry

Costume matching Super Soaker filled with Holy Water?

Good question – neither the RC church nor the various European knightly orders glorified ranged-combat weapons all that much. However, the crossbow (1.5d6 RKA, AP at less than 4 hexes) was very common amongst the run-of-the-mill soldiery, and was used by knights as well. Later, guns became all the rage, but the focus didn’t really shift until after heavy armor had become passe. Still, there would be nothing wrong with a musket (2.5 d6 RKA, reduced max. range) or blunderbuss (say 3d6 RKA, reduced by range).

For that matter, consider you’re talking about overt use of holy power: why just get Medieval, when you can get Biblical? Imagine calling down one of the Ten Plagues of Egypt on the villains? Or even Bolts of Heavenly Power (8-10d6 EB, maybe AP or extra knockback).

That’s my take as a fellow geek; and since I may be getting into a D&D 3rd Ed. game soon, people will have to mock me if they mock you. Solidarity, my brutha!

I know the weapon you are talking about, and the name is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t remember it right now. Google searches are not helping too much, either…

Why not give her a throwing star shaped like a Jerusalem Cross?

If she’s a ninja, just buy her superleap so she doesn’t NEED a ranged weapon (a la ninja scroll or crouching tiger).

Her rosary beads double as a bola…

My thanks to all of you for helping this Godless Heathen. :slight_smile:

Arden Ranger,
Actually, a super-soaker would open up a great sideline business. Think of it, drive-by baptisms!
Why should the Jehovah’s Witnesses have all of the fun? And I’m sure priests are tired of cleaning up green
vomit from their robes after an exorcism. Now the Devil can be cast out at range.

For more mundane foes, just fill up the super-soaker with New York Harbor Water, toxic enough for any supervillain.

Maybe Toys (backward ‘R’) Us has a clergy discount (“We’re on a mission from God.”)

Cap’n Crude,
I see you speak geek (Distinctive Features: Obscure Game-speak, rarely noticed and usually ignored).

Solidarity back 'atcha, 'bro. Gamers, mocked? But it’s such a popular hobby. I was told there were going to
be interviews, endorsements, groupies. They said there’d be groupies!!

:::wailing, gnashing of teeth:::

…Ahem…

The musket angle will probably be what I go for, points willing. But a blunderbuss makes a kewl amount of noise and smoke.

As for the Wrath of God on tap, I think Spielberg has that trademarked. Besides, can you imagine having to explain the locusts to the EPA? :slight_smile:

Badtz Maru,
My memory of this mysterious weapon is a vauge picture of a knight aiming a mace-on-a-stick, which coughed out pellets at the heathens. I’m sure the artist was trying to convey courage and faith, but the effect looked like our hero was grinding a two-foot-long pepper mill at the enemy. Maybe demons enter through the nasal passages and are cast out by sneezing? See you at the next DFW dopefest, Badtz. :slight_smile:

The Jerusalem Cross shuriken are a neat idea. But my little ‘Sister’ is a Knight (Dame) of Malta. Ever seen a Maltese Cross? She probably chop off her own fingers tossing one of those (a la Road Warrior).

slortar,

Actually, this campaign is fairly realistic. Well, as realistic as bunch of people with silly motivations, powers, and spandex outfits can be. Nun-sensi only has normal abilities apart from her lotto-winning recognition. Still,

“Superleaping, that’s not very impressive.”

“Through the Vatican?”

“Kinky, I like it.” (That’s Headly for you non-Mel Brooks fans)

lurkernomore,
The rosary bola is certainly original. Of course, using the Rosary for its original purpose becomes somewhat problematic if the bola doesn’t untangle easily.

“Hail Mary, full of Gr–Stop Squirming…”
Again, my thanks to all of you for the serious and otherwise entertaining comments. If we end up at the Lake o Fire for this (I’m in Texas, I wouldn’t notice), I’ll bring the Sunblock 2000 and the CHAMPIONS rules. :slight_smile:

Gerry

What you may be thinking of are some of the early “gunne” weapons had a gunlock set about halfway down the stock, and the barrell flared at the end and could be used as a club once the thing had been fired. Mind you, it would take about half and hour to reload the weapon, so it was really a club with a gun built into it, rather than a gun with a club built into it. I’ve heard these mostly called “gunnes” or “gonnes”, but one to two books I have swear the combination weapon was called a “holy water sprinkler”. HOwever when most sources call something a “Holy Water Sprinkler”, they are referring to a mace or flail with spikes set transverse to the head of the weapon.

Now, for other ranged weapons you could have a super bright light shine from her cross (3-4d6 Flash against sight group), or even have the light be so pure that it burns (10d6 EB, or even 2d6 RKA if it is intense enough.)

How about a crusader’s lance that magically stretches out to quickly strike an opponent (2-3d6 Armor Piercing RKA, or 8-10d6 Physical Blast if you’re using a “blunt” tournament point.)

As mentioned before, you could really go with a summoned effect that represents “wrath of God” and call it whatever type of damage you want.

Extra-Dimensional Travel, useable against one other person. “Begone, spawn of Satan!” bitchslap poof gone.

Or…

Big-time Dispel vs. Summon. See above for special effects.

Or if you want to be mean…

Dispel vs. Mind Control (only vs. Summoned Creatures). The demons will most like turn on the person what summoned 'em.

Well, I consulted the Book of Armaments (I can’t believe I actually researched this–geesh!), and I suggest that the weapon you are looking for may just be a Holy Hand Grenade.

Or, if you go with a lance-like telescoping weapon, you can incorporate the sacred markings found on rulers of moral rectitude (yardsticks could also be useful as fighting pikes or poles). :smiley:

Your weapon could easily be a hand-cannon. Which is just another way of saying what Leonidas said. Often, if the user was wearing plate armor, there would be a loop built in to the breastplate that the cannon fit into, so it could still be aimed but it was locked onto the armor. It looked a lot like a tube on a stick (because it was) dangling from an eyelet.

Of course then you’d have to buy it as an OIF so it would cost more.

Alternatively, how about an Ego Attack, bought with Incantations? Special effect: a disparaging word or cutting remark. Or a really long ruler to smack evil-doer’s wrists? :smiley:

Just give her a damn (blessed?) blunderbuss. [sub]A muzzle-loading shotgun, in case you didn’t know.[/sub] At a traveling display of antique firearms , sponsered by Winchester, a blunderbuss was on display that was equipped with a bayonet ! Dutch, I believe.

If they tell you it ain’t period—just point it at them & say: {b]“Oh, Yeah?”** A big enough caliber weapon is always historically accurate–if you’re the one that’s holding it. :wink:

Well, the arrogant Champions GM in me says live without it. If you have to research obscure medieval firearms to justify a power, it doesn’t fit your concept. :slight_smile:

The arrogant Champions player in me asks “Even if it does fit your concept, why in Gods name would anyone (in character, I mean) use a black powder weapon that primitive? Even if it accessories well with your superhero look, what if it explodes and kills your partners DNPC? What if the match goes out when your trying to rescue a hostage? How are you going to explain THAT to the press? Besides, she’s not an ACTUAL medieval knight, she’s just using that as a theme, right?”

On the other hand, as someone who can’t resist any kind of RPG argument, especially a champs one, in ascending order of goofiness:

How about a gun? A modern gun, I mean. You can imprint a cross on the handle if you want, and use golden bullets with the word “repent” engraved on the slug and “redeemed” on the shell, if that’s necessary to make them super-hero enough, but if you’re going to break the super-hero code enough to carry a gun, it might as well be a good one. :slight_smile: If she can see the future, how about some kind of one-shot target pistol, as she presumably has horrific levels of Find Weakness.

How about a thrown sword, if you want to keep the “knight” angle. Recoverable charges are your friend. And it irritates the AD&D players in your game. :slight_smile:

Throwing knives not shaped like crosses. See point one.

Combine the two, and put a gun in the hilt of the sword for suprise attacks. Also makes a nice, easy to define multipower.

The throwing-knives shaped as crosses. They’re not only useful, their blaspha-riffic! Though this will make you look like a one-shot bad guy from a Rumiko Takahashi comic.

Incense Brazer smoke bombs. Note we’ve really crossed the lines into Cutey Honey villain goofiness, though.

Stigmata shot out of wrists as an energy blast. (Came from a possible discussion for appropriate powers after our supergroup was named “Messiah Guard” by the Canadian press. An inappropriate name, as my character ended up becoming the king of hell at the end of the campaign. We also knocked the CN Tower over, and it fell on the Sky Dome. Their own fault for putting their two landmarks right next to each other.)


“Sometimes, I’m Peeping Spider!”

I don’t mean to keep bumping this thread up, but the worthy responses have compelled me to say a belated thanks
(busy weekend).

Leonidas,
Thank you, I think the gunne angle is exactly what I was looking for. Like you, I believe the weapon is called
a “Holy Water Sprinkler.” But, I also have only found those variant maces under that name.

The Cross of Light is problematic, however. My character is a laspsed Catholic called to greatness. She struggles with this (let’s just say the preists are never bored at Confessional) and would probably evaporate using such a holy relic.

I like the extend-o-lance idea, though. :slight_smile:

Ethilrist,
All good ideas, but the Big Guy is just as subtle in the super world as He is in our mundane one, I have to explain all supereffects via Marvel mutant genes or the like. In short, we gotta do all the work, He gets all the credit.

Who’da thought you couldn’t trust a demon?

Humble Servant,
:::slaps forehead:::
“Of Course, the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, 'tis one of the relics Brother Maynard carries with him!”

I will save that Holy Relic for any bunnies I see (never can be too careful).

Sengkelat,

Oooo, a hand-cannon, that’s a Presence Attack just reading that. Sounds Cool!

slortar,
A graduate (barely) of a Catholic school for girls, my character has a phobia about rulers. :slight_smile:

Bosda,
A Smith and Wesson beats Four Aces. And a loaded Blunderbuss will convert most any Heathen in its arc of fire.

Ura-Maru,

Uh-oh, a Champions GM (arrogant is implied :slight_smile: ), I better get serious. :wink:

The weapon she will be using is actually a low-powered railgun (the campaign world is a few decades in the future, this is not unfamiliar technology for the time). The reason why I was asking for a medieval weapon is simply to style and theme the weapon.

Ah, “Repent” slugs, I like it. I am trying to afford Find Weakness but there just aren’t enough points to go 'round (whine).

Thrown swords and crucifix-blades are cool, too. A gun in the shape of a sword, how charming. What a great ‘Indiana Jones’ moment she could have with the next ‘blademaster’ she runs across.

Lord of Hell? Destruction of two monuments? But you Canadians all seem so ~nice~. As far as the Stigmata ray goes, would pints of B-Positive count as extra charges?

Thanks again for the replies, both serious and silly, :smiley:

Gerry