Capt. Jack Harkness

[Valarian]

I was wondering about a character like Capt. Jack Harkness (Dr Who / Torchwood) or Capt. Scarlet (Gerry Anderson). Those character types that just can not die, but take all the damage anyway. Is this Mythic Recovery (they take the damage, but eventually recover), or Physical Immunity (they're hit with a weapon but it has no real effect)?

The type of character I'm looking to introduce is a long-lived / immortal person who can be harmed but not killed. They take damage as normal, but eventually recover from it. If taken out, they're incapacitated but not killed. Eventually, given enough time, they will recover. Other than this ability, they're a normal person (no other supernatural powers, just skills and mortal stunts). To me, this sounds like Mythic Recovery - but what's the Catch? Is the fact that they take damage Catch enough, seeing as they recover from the damage eventually. I'd see it as a +0 Catch at best as there's no way around it - they always recover. To me, that isn't sounding like a Catch at all.

What do you think, should this character have a specific, hard to discover, secret weakness (a proper +0 Catch)?

[Deadmanwalking]

Supernatural or even only Inhuman Recovery with absolutely no Catch (or a +0 one at the worst), is how I'd do it. Ghouls specifically mention in their Catch that normal severe damage can kill them...which implies that without such a Catch it can't at their level of Recovery (which is Supernatural).

There's a specific sidbar about allowing Recovery with no Catch...and how it's a viable option. Still, some way to kill them (even if nobody knows it...not even themself) does add options to the game as opposed to removing them.

[Valarian]

I'd missed that, it's in the Harry/Billy commentary in the margin. The Mythic Recovery thinking was along the lines of the expected life-span and that he always recovers. Now you've mentioned it, inhuman and supernatural still allow a total recovery but it just takes longer. That then, would be the difference ... the speed at which the character would recover.

I just want the opportunity to use the line: I died, then I got better.

[surarrin]

Physical Immunity: Death

The (Stacked) Catch:
+2 it protects against something specific
+2 There are a lot of things which aren't death
+0/1/2 Might be researchable.

if you got taken out of a fight, you'd be taken out, even if they killed you, and then afterwards you'd be up and at it.. again!

[Saedar]

Physical Immunity: Death

The (Stacked) Catch:
+2 it protects against something specific
+2 There are a lot of things which aren't death
+0/1/2 Might be researchable.

if you got taken out of a fight, you'd be taken out, even if they killed you, and then afterwards you'd be up and at it.. again!

I like this approach.

[surarrin]

Also.

-8 Physical Immunity: Death

The (Stacked) Catch:
+2 it protects against something specific
+2 There are a lot of things which aren't death
+0/1/2 Might be researchable.

-4

-6 Mythic Recovery
The Catch: Only Works in Death
+2 Specific
+2 Lots of stuff that isn't death.
+0/1/2 Researchable.

-2

-6 Total for a character who cannot be killed.

Thus character is taken out [momentarily dies] Mythic Recovery kicks in and returns their body to normal. Physical Immunity Death Kicks in and the character is alive again.

[Deadmanwalking]

You in no way need both of those, either is sufficient on it's own.

[surarrin]

Being Immune to Death doesn't mean your character's organs will magically reappear in his chest.

Bam.

You die in a conflict by taking a bullet through the face.

Conflict ends.

You revive.. with a hole in your face. 

Alternatively.

You die by being exploded.

Your body pulls itself together, but you're still dead, because you still died.

[Deadmanwalking]

True! And you should likely get, say, Inhuman Recovery (with a +0 Catch of some sort) on top of the Physical Immunity to death to solve that problem, but Mythic Recovery vs. Death only seems highly redundant.

[surarrin]

I don't think Inhuman would save you from being exploded. o.o Seems a bit above it's paygrade.

[Deadmanwalking]

OPh no, you'd still be exploded, but with Death Immunity you'd gradually heal. It does say that any consequence will heal given only time and nothing else. 

[surarrin]

I was going by Jack's powers as a base. >_>

    * Shot by a Dalek (DW: The Parting of the Ways)
    * Shot in the heart (DW: Utopia)
    * Stabbed by a broken bottle (TW: Fragments)
    * Shot by Alice Guppy (TW: Fragments)
    * Fell off of a cliff (DW: Utopia)
    * Trampled by Horses (DW: Utopia)

Jack fought in World War I and World War II

    * Shot through head (IDW: The Forgotten)
    * Poisoned (DW: Utopia)
    * Strangled (DW: Utopia)
    * Hit by a stray javelin (DW: Utopia)
    * Shot by Suzie Costello (TW: Everything Changes)
    * Electrocuted by Lisa Hallett (TW: Cyberwoman)
    * Shot by Owen Harper (TW: End of Days)
    * "Devoured" by Abaddon (TW: End of Days)
    * Torn through the Time Vortex (DW: Utopia)
    * Electrocuted by power-wire (DW: Utopia)
    * Shot by the Master (DW: The Sound of Drums)

During The Year That Never Was, the Master frequently killed Jack for fun

    * Shot by Toclafane (DW: Last of the Time Lords)
    * Pushed off a building by John Hart (TW: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)
    * Killed by the Grim Reaper (TW: Dead Man Walking)
    * Stabbed in falling building (TW: Fragments)

By this time, Jack has died at least 1392 times

    * Shot, multiple times, by John Hart (TW: Exit Wounds)
    * Stabbed by Gray (TW: Exit Wounds)
    * Buried underneath dirt for nearly two thousand years (TW: Exit Wounds)
    * Shot by a Dalek (DW: Journey's End)
    * Shot by Rupesh Patanjali (TW: Children of Earth: Day One)
    * Shot by Johnson (TW: Children of Earth: Day One)
    * Blown up from the inside out (TW: Children of Earth: Day One, Children of Earth: Day Two)
    * Buried in cement (TW: Children of Earth: Day Two)
    * Shot by Clement MacDonald (TW: Children of Earth: Day Four)
    * Succumbed to the 456's virus (TW: Children of Earth: Day Four)

All the times he's 'died' and survived, after which he's up and at them pretty much straight away.

As far as I'm aware the only time he's taken longer than a few minutes to revive was when he met Abadon who's shadow consumed life (It took him 2 days or so iirc. xD)

[Deadmanwalking]

Oh, if you're specifically duplicating Jack himself, yeah, that might be necessary. I was under the impression you were just doing someone a bit similar.

[surarrin]

yeah, was targeting Jack specifically...

But that does make me wonder

How awesome would it be to play an Immortal Wiseass who complains EVERYTIME he dies and has to reattach his arms or legs? xD

Halloween time! Dons some armor, cuts off his own head and wins best costume ever. XD

[Jeckel]

Ok, been looking at this as it is one of the two kinds of characters I needed the most for an upcoming RP (Immortal being the other one). Here is what I've put together for the 'Musts' section of the Template.

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Physical Immunity [-8] (page YS:186): Death can not touch you. Drowning, starvation, gun-shots, stabbing, bombs, fire, etc, the cause doesn't matter, you do not die and - if your brain is in a shape to process input - you feel every bit of it. No resistance to damage is gained, but regardless of what wounds are inflicted upon you, death will not come... no matter how much you may wish it would.

The Stacked Catch [+6] (page YS:187): This catch allows everything except for the specific act of death to bypass the Physical Immunity power. When one of the Undying is Taken Out, death will not result from any action taken as part of the victory conditions. Similarly, nothing - except perhaps plot device level effects - can cause the character to be made temporarily or permanently dead. Discovering the conditions of this catch would not be difficult, though some might wrongly assume that death can be caused by some specific means.

Must also take one of: <i>Inhuman Recovery [–2]</i> (page YS:185), <i>Supernatural Recovery [-4]</i> (page YS:186), or <i>Mythic Recovery [-6]</i> (page YS:186).

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From what I read in this thread the numbers are good, but I'm hoping I worded everything correctly in the catch to justify the +6 refund.