Character Build question

[DJ Blackrock]

I'm trying to put together a healer/buff/debuff style character. Not really a fighter, but, much like healer classes in like WoW, hangs back and Aids their allies and tries to debilitate their foes.

I know I'm going with Healing, as well as Aid, but quick question on that.

I assume Aid is normally No Range, but I could be wrong. Also, if I don't define what the Aid is to, is it considered "naked" and can be chosen when the power is used? Or would I need like 6 different Aids?

Similar question with Drain, I'm pretty sure it's No Range as well, but is there a way I can make it "naked" as well, and choose what stat to drain based on the situation?

Any help will be appreciated.

[Pól Ruadh]

I'm trying to put together a healer/buff/debuff style character. Not really a fighter, but, much like healer classes in like WoW, hangs back and Aids their allies and tries to debilitate their foes.

I know I'm going with Healing, as well as Aid, but quick question on that.

I assume Aid is normally No Range, but I could be wrong. Also, if I don't define what the Aid is to, is it considered "naked" and can be chosen when the power is used? Or would I need like 6 different Aids?

I'm a bit rusty on my design skills (bit of a 4th Ed throwback, me), but as for the bolded section, then no. Definitely not.
I'm pretty sure you have to specify what the Aid is going to effect, but if you want it to effect more than one Stat, you should either purchase it with an advantage (able to affect more than one/a limited range of stats), or build it as a multipower, with each slot filled by an Aid, or similar power.
Both options are FAR more cost-effective than purchasing the same power over and over again.

[Edsel]

Yep, you have to buy Ranged with Healing, Aid or Drains. For (+1/2) you can make them standard ranged powers, or for (+1/4) you can make them limited range. How limited, limited range is is up to you and your GM. For instance Limited Range 8" is probably valid, perhaps 16" would be too, if you get much longer ranged than that I would say just buy the (+1/2) Advantage.

As for affecting multiple characteristics or abilities. When you buy the Aid, Healing or Drain you must specify a specific ability or characteristic that is effected. You can get around this with Advantages. For a (+1/4) you can buy Variable Effects to allow you to affect any one power of a specific special effect. For example Affects Any Fire-based Power One At A Time (+1/4). On top of that you could add the Advantage Variable Effect - Multiple Special Effects (+2). With these two Advantages, totaling (+2 1/4) ouch! You could chose to affect any one ability, characteristic or power as long as you only affected one at a time. It'll be very costly.

An option might be to buy a Multi-power for your Adjustment Powers and buy a lot of slots each with a different pre-defined effect. Or buy a Variable Power Pool for Adjustment Powers only.

[DJ Blackrock]

Two more questions. Can you Aid OCV? and, can you use Healing, Aid or Drain as a move-by maneuver? Kind of a run-by healing? Because this determines my healer's travel power.

[Pól Ruadh]

Two more questions. Can you Aid OCV? and, can you use Healing, Aid or Drain as a move-by maneuver? Kind of a run-by healing? Because this determines my healer's travel power.

Even if you can't 'Aid OCV', you can 'Aid DEX, with the limitation (only to affect OCV)'.

[Psylint]

However...

With GM permission you could use Combat Skill Levels usuable by other. If you look at it, it's just the inverse of the "Curse" optional rules under Combat Skill Levels.

(If that's a no-go, just curse the OCV/DCV of the opponent and net an even greater effect)

It's a very powerful effect, and as a GM I'm wary of it, but provided it passes the eyeball test, I'll allow it. You can get similar results from Change Environment.

Just some thoughts. Though, I've gotta give it up to Pol, a very good solution.

As far as run-by healing, there might be something like that in Ultimate Martial Artist. Something like Passing Strike, would be my best guess.

Cheers

[Thia Halmades]

You can't Aid OCV, as it's a Derived Stat (that's canonical from Steve Long). You can, as Pol said, Aid DEX, Only to Affect OCV (-1). Your Aid/Drain can be bought with the Advantage "Variable Effect," [X things at a given time,] usually up to four. But for example, you could do this:

Super Injector: Aid any one stat, one at a time (+1/4), Only Base Characteristics (-1/4) and voila. Drain is the same thing; you can Drain someone's Fire powers, you can Drain a Force Field, what have you. There's a specific ability in Fantasy HERO wherein the character Aids [One Spell] and cranks it up for a larger effect, which is a very groovy use of it.

Also remember: Change Environment is an attack option only; you can use it to really FUBAR your opponents, but it can't assist your allies.

[DJ Blackrock]

Okay, that helped quite a bit. One more question. Healing. I want to simulate a side effect (but not necessarily a Side Effect in terms of a limitation) where the healer character is actually absorbing the pain of their target, healing them in the process. The thing is, the Healer would feel that pain. How would you build that? It wouldn't necessarily cause damage, but maybe, I dunno, put a time limiter on it? Can't use it again for a full phase, until the pain subsides? I'm not sure.

[Thia Halmades]

Okay, that helped quite a bit. One more question. Healing. I want to simulate a side effect (but not necessarily a Side Effect in terms of a limitation) where the healer character is actually absorbing the pain of their target, healing them in the process. The thing is, the Healer would feel that pain. How would you build that? It wouldn't necessarily cause damage, but maybe, I dunno, put a time limiter on it? Can't use it again for a full phase, until the pain subsides? I'm not sure.

AHA, this is an EXCELLENTLY FRAMED QUESTION! You have asked the most critical thing, which is: "Here's the idea that I have in plain English; how do I turn that into mechanics?" Now honestly, I'm not clear enough on what you want to do to answer that just yet, but, there's something you may not know about Healing in HERO. It's already highly limited, depending on your setting and rules of choice. Specifically, in most cases, you can only Heal a given individual up to the most points you have in Healing per day, unless you purchase an Advantage, "Limited Re-Use Duration," which is DARN handy to have around.

But the power is inherently 'use as necessary' because BODY is so low in HERO that a decent spell can heal the whole barking party. Now the Side Effect you mentioned can (if I were to violently extrapolate) be used with the idea that "caster sacrifices themselves to heal the party member," say 1 BODY per die of Healing, not recoverably by magical means.

THAT will keep the party Cleric from overcasting faster than you can say "Time Stop."