Playing an immortal?

[Belial666]

As archetypes for specific roles go, how would a nigh-invulnerable character play in the game? Someone that their only ability was that they were really hard to kill but other than that they we more or less no more competent than a human? Someone like the following;

High Concept: The Immortal
Trouble: The Meaning of Life
Other Aspects: I Broke A Nail!, Socializing Is Irrelevant, I'll Be Back

SKILLS:

+5 Endurance, Guns
+4 Athletics, Weapons
+3 Discipline, Conviction
+2 Might, Intimidate, Fists
+1 Survival, Alertness, Driving

POWERS:

[-4] Mythic Toughness - catch is faith powers
[-4] Physical Immunity - catch is that all attacks harm you, but they deal only half stress.
[-1] Living Dead

[Arcteryx]

What's the rationale behind 'Living Dead'? That's not immortal then. That's just... well, undead.

[Belial666]

The rationale is that it would reflect very well someone who looks like death after all those normally fatal wounds they have sustained and when they do take a big wound, they keep walking around with fist-sized holes where their spleens should be. Their bodies would supernaturally continue to function with parts missing - but theiy wouldn't automatically recover from those wounds.

Think "The Nameless One" from Planescape; Torment.

[MijRai]

I wouldn't bother with Mythic Toughness, Just Mythic Recovery, or Physical Immunity to death, if you want to look beat to hell. Do a modified Living Dead, where you can't die as of a Taken-Out unless it is really specific. Otherwise, you would still heal given time, so you wouldn't look like a dead man except after a big fight. Maybe a, "Dude, You Are Still Standing?" thing, so when you have a severe or extreme consequence you get the penalty/bonus.

Otherwise, drop Weapons (or switch Guns and Weapons and drop Guns) and put in a social skill. They are a normal person besides the hard to kill, it seems they should be able to do social. If they've been around a while, Deceit might fit best, having to lie about themselves to get stuff done.

[Nyarlathotep5150]

   I'd just go with physical immunity. It covers it well enough that you don't need toughness.
   Also, personally I'd swap Weapons and discipline. If I made a nigh invincible character (especially one thats stated as a killing machine), I'd want to make damn sure he wasn't easy to mind control, and use against the party.

[Ren]

When I first saw this topic title I thought you meant as in the Highlander Series. Though I could see that as easily done as well; Immunity to Death with the catch of "Don't lose your head!" .i.e. have to remove the head. Though there would have to be some sort of backlash attached to remove that head and a related power absorption but only if the Killer was another Immortal. Probably have to ad din some kind of regeneration attached to that though.
Could be an amusing character! At the very least an NPC.

I thought about having a character who had Physical Immunity but with a catch like "Solar-Powered!" and only worked during the day, but at night he would gain Immunity to Magic with the catch "Luna's Curse" that only worked at night. Not sure if it would be feasible to have two powers but given the massive catch's involved it could potentially work. Then add in a double catch where during an eclipse neither power would work, or both would (Maybe vary by the type of Eclipse?).

[Nyarlathotep5150]

I thought about having a character who had Physical Immunity but with a catch like "Solar-Powered!" and only worked during the day, but at night he would gain Immunity to Magic with the catch "Luna's Curse" that only worked at night. Not sure if it would be feasible to have two powers but given the massive catch's involved it could potentially work. Then add in a double catch where during an eclipse neither power would work, or both would (Maybe vary by the type of Eclipse?).

   If I where running it, I'd only charge you for one physical immunity. You never have both powers at the same time, and which power you have at any given time is a matter of the time of day (and therefore 2/3rds of the time the GM's call, as he sets most of the scenes). I probably wouldn't give much of a break for the second catch. I'd just call it payment for the encounters the PC's plan, in which you would be able to choose which power to use (and thus have 2 level 8 powers to choose from).

[Ren]

Oh I have another idea, a character who is Immune to any kind of Mental Effect (Illusions, Domination etc...) but the catch is; "Dumber than a box of Rocks"
i.e. to stupid to be affected!

[Nyarlathotep5150]

but the catch is; "Dumber than a box of Rocks"
i.e. to stupid to be affected!

   I don't think I'd count that as a catch. Its really just an aspect. Since it doesn't directly compromise the power itself, its not really a catch. But since the Loup-Garou has physical immunity against ALL direct magical effects (Including mind effects) I'd say that the part where he's only immune to mental magic does count as a catch. And a pretty good one because 1) lots of things aren't mind effecting. and 2) mind effecting powers are relatively rare.
   

[MyNinjaH8sU]

Not to be a butt about this, but Decapitation and the like aren't catches either. Had to correct a player in a game I'm in about this who was pursuing a similar concept.

Just remember, catches aren't things that make you die. They are things that kill you more easily. If you can get attacked by it, it's probably a good catch. If it's something that would outright kill you (decap) then it's not a catch, it's getting (permanently) taken out.

[Nyarlathotep5150]

Not to be a butt about this, but Decapitation and the like aren't catches either. Had to correct a player in a game I'm in about this who was pursuing a similar concept.

Just remember, catches aren't things that make you die. They are things that kill you more easily. If you can get attacked by it, it's probably a good catch. If it's something that would outright kill you (decap) then it's not a catch, it's getting (permanently) taken out.

   The only thing I can say to this is... Stake through the heart. Its part of the Black Court catch (And its shown to work in Blood Rights), and it can only be used to kill them. If they don't die, then it wasn't through the heart.
   Certainly if that where the only catch, it would would only be a +0 catch, or maybe even -1, if your GM houserules (A catch that can only be used against you once, isn't a hindrance), but thats not even a relevant argument in this case.
   The "Immortal" character (read:highlander wannabe) isn't taking physical immunity to everything but decapitation. He's taking physical immunity that only works against Death (thats the real catch), with an added flavor aspect that he can be killed by decapitation. So the breakdown actually looks like this.
   
     Physical Immunity -8
     Catch
     Only Works against Death +2 (Lots of things aren't death, It doesn't protect you from damage. It doesn't protect you from being taken out by things that don't kill you...Infact, when you consider that "Highlanders" aren't even protected from being taken out by death, they just come back I might give it +3)
     Anyone can get access to things that wont kill you +2 (actually its even more than that, +2 is for things anyone can get, but doesn't carry with them. Everyone can beat you into unconsciousness with their bare hands, so a case can be made for +3)
    Someone would have to know you personally to know the Catch +0 (actually, someone would have to know you personally to even know you had a power, since you can still be hurt normally. But the other point is that, guessing that decapitation can kill something is a pretty safe bet... Even in fiction and mythology, almost everything dies if you cut off its head.)
    Total cost -4 (legal) with a strong case to be made for -2 or -1 (since really, all this power does is what a good GM would already do. Not permanently kill off a character, except in very rare and strategically placed scenes).

[newtinmpls]

When I first saw this I thought "the Tick"; who is 'nigh invulnerable' and really strong, but not much else with the physical powers. Would not have guns skill, though, he's more of a hands-on kind of guy.

Dian