What point level is your champaign?

[phydaux]

What's the point level of your campaign? How many "free" points and how many points from disadds?

[Gary Ciaramella]

When I get around to running my next campaign I am going to run it at 350 points with 250 points base and 100 points from disadvantages. I have always felt that 150 points in disads forced the players to make choices for disads that were outside thier original concepts...

[Chuckg]

The one I'm currently a player in is a 750 point campaign -- 600 base, 150 disads.

It's an 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' campaign, where 12 years after the death of all the original Sentinels at the Battle of Detroit, the new Sentinel team is formed by chance -- or fate -- from five of the most powerful heroes around, a mixture of both grizzled veterans and powerful newbies. The team is intended to have JLA-level responsibilities and notoriety.

[phydaux]

Originally posted by Gary Ciaramella
I have always felt that 150 points in disads forced the players to make choices for disads that were outside thier original concepts...

I agree. i've always felt 100 points of disadds is fine for a PC, UNLESS you're playing a 750 point campaign. In that case, Hunted by God is not unreasonable...

[lemming]

Hmm, I'd have to look again. I think most characters are 500 - 800 points. But I could be wrong. I'm not really tracking points.

The villians that they've encountered have run 400 - 1100 points.

DCs tend to run around the 12 - 20 DC range with some aberations. :)

[Chuckg]

Originally posted by phydaux
I agree. i've always felt 100 points of disadds is fine for a PC, UNLESS you're playing a 750 point campaign. In that case, Hunted by God is not unreasonable...

Heh. In our campaign, our strongest team member (Horus-Re) has Doctor Destroyer, Takofanes the Undying, *and* the *entirety* of VIPER (including Nama) as his Hunteds. :)

(Good thing he didn't take any DNPCs...)

[Ghost who Walks]

My original campaign featured 200 point characters, at a steet level.

As the campaign progressed, they have been remade several times.

Currently, the level is almost unlimited.
Some are at 800 points, others at 500. I am allowing unlimited disadvantages (with a 50 point max for each time), as several of the characters have very long backgrounds/history (have been in play for a while).

There are also limits on how many points/dice you can have in an attack.

They also have a lot of experience points, I think the highest is around 350 exp. Some have spent around 75 points on contacts...

On day, I wil lrestart it, and get more control over it. :)

[TheEmerged]

Players were told to build characters on 250 base points, plus 100 points of disadvantages, with 50 Experience tacked on. Or 400 points if you prefer to look at it that way.

Part of the reason is that I general find myself having to add about 50 points to every "official" writeup to bring either their defense (usually) or offense (occasionally) in line with the way I want combat to work. Most official writeups are about 10 DEF short in my opinion; one joke I make about the Champions is that the only one with adequate DEF is Ironclad -- and that should be Defender or Sapphire's score.

[Fur Face]

I'm currently in a "pointless champions" campaign, where we are more concerned with story & character development. The characters aren't combat monsters, but fully detailed concepts. We are playing in "pseudo-modern-wuxia-Indiana Jones-slightly-Marvelish-campaign." Hard to explain, but good fun!

[JohnOSpencer]

My PCs were standard superheroes(200 base +150 disads). I awarded 5 xp for converting/painting a figure for the character. They have since gained about 40-50 XP and are all at about 400 points. One player is only at about 375 since she is using a backup(her main character is...elsewhere). I usually give players 1/2 the XP earned by their previous character to make a new character.

John Spencer

[Lightray]

I have several point levels in my campaign. I'm running it "troupe style", so everyone has more than one character.

The "low-point" characters are 200 base + 100 disads.

The "medium-point" characters are 500 base + 100 disads.

Both "low" and "medium" characters have roughly the same power limits of ~12 DC or ~60 active points. The "medium" characters just have more Skills, Perks, and backup powers.

The "high-point" characters haven't shown up yet, but will be ~900 pts. total.

We've also had one session with the "students" who are ~150 points. Since everyone had fun, we'll probably do more with them, too.

Adventures often are only "low-point" or "medium-point" characters, but occasionally mixed characters. And the opposition can be anywhere from 300 - 700 points, with some 1000+ point foes working from the shadows.

Thus far, it has worked quite well.

[Lord Mhoram]

I run three seperate groups in my world, revolving between them.

The University campaign the characters are on 350, 200+150 in disads

The Mystics group is on 300 + 150. They are a full mystic team.

The legacy characters are the JLA and are made up of a few new characters and some old ones from other campaigns that have since passed on (bits of whose history I worked into my new world). They are on 700. 200 + 150 disads and 350 experience (most of the older characters were in games for 8 to 10 years).

[Blue]

200 pt Base + 100 Disads.
Reasoning: Some of the players are much better at pinching points, so the lower the point limit to start, the less of a discrepancy. And with only 100 in disads there are fewer extraneous hunteds.

[Captain Liberty]

My most current campaign is one I am converting from a Silver Age Sentinels campaign set in my usual Champions universe. I dislike characters with lots of disads, so I am starting them at 300 points, plus 50 in Disads, plus 50 points in Experience, since that's about what their SAS characters had received (I have a different way of doing SAS experience).

At one time, though, I started people off with 0 points and allowed them to take 50 points in disads. I then took these normal characters and abducted them with UFOs who gave them 100 points of powers and 100 points of disads to go with the powers.

It made for a very interesting low-power campaign. One of the players just spent his 100 points on 10 points of Speed, so he had a "normal" who moved on every segment...

For those who would like to see a different take on a Champions universe, check out my website at www.perrinworlds.com, and look for the Perrinverse in the table of contents. My universe is very much 4th edition Champions, the DC and Marvel Universes as inspired by Aaron Allston, and elements of 5th Edition slowly creeping in.

[altamaros]

My current Dark Chmpions campaign is based on 125 pts base + 125 pts disadv.

My upcoming villain campaign will probably based on 200 pts base + 100 disadv.

I tried once as a player a anime fantasy campaign (kinda Shurato/Saint Saiya campaign for those who know) :

1st scenario : the characters based on 50+50 points : the PCs are kids in training

2nd scenario : the PCs have been updated into 100+100 points characters. The PCs are teen-agers in training.

3rd scenario : real start of the campaign : PCs are now 125+125 point characters. the PCs are young adults just "graduated"

[Selganor]

Our current campaign has characters with 185 points +150 Disads, a good background story gives another 15 free points and after the first session you get another 10 XP to "fine tune" your character and get all the little stuff you found in the first session that you should have already gotten...

[Acroyear II]

In my campaign, the players begin with characters built on 100 base points and 150 in Disadvantages. The campaign has been going for over 10 years non-stop, so many of the characters are near or over 400 points. Since the group is so large (9 to 12 players on average), we only game about 20 sessions a year. I rotate the PCs so that most games only involve 4 to 6 of them, as to not overwhelm myself, and cause combat to bog down. As a result, the XP advancement is somewhat slow, but no one complains.

[Fireg0lem]

My semi-on-hold game is low-powered supers on 100+50 points (I do take for granted things like "protects innocents" and "hates evil" though). Its been fun, PCs actually have to be focused, and concepts have to be simple and clear. I even threw a team of three villains built on less than 150 at them once - it was funny, all of the villains were one-trick ponies that worked well together. I had Palisade, with high defenses all over (PD/ED, Power, and Mental), but pathetic attacks, Mongoose, who was a master of teleportation and, uh, yeah thats it, and Howitzer, who had what my players dubbed the 'kamehameha wave' but couldn't even fire it twice without burning Stun unless he had his power suit equipped. It was funny.

[Silbeg]

My game (which has been ongoing for about 4 years, off and on) is currently a 200 + 150 disads game. It was originally (under 4d) a 250 pt game (actually, there were several levels at that time... based on how "super" the character was, they were given an equipment pool).

When I converted for FREd, we decided to rebuild the characters at 350 points (the two characters which had ~70 xp were given +25 xp to spend to show this experience). However, the group also decided that all North Force members (their group) were required to reserve 50 points for the following:

13 North Force Communicator (done with Mind Link)

12 North Force "Useful Stuff" gadget VPP (10 pt base)

20 - Base/Vehicles/Computers

2 - Local Police Powers

3 - reserved for contacts or other perks.

This has worked out well for us.

Silbeg...

[Tom McCarthy]

We started as 100+150 but with generous XP.
We're now at 200+150, and 50-100 XP.

I'm considering going to 300+X+30, where X is any number of free points for background skills, contacts, favours, etc., so long as they're no more than 11- and have no obvious game effect, and the 30 is up to 150 in disads, but worth only 1/5th of book price. Most characters would still have 50-100 XP, too.

I'm also toying in my head with 'pointless', but with the GM having to track 'efficiency ratings', etc.

[misterdeath]

We play pointless. With GMs permission, anything goes.

I just finished my latest upgrade for my character, and well, hold on to your hats kiddies, 1630 points.

And he still doesn't have any ranged attacks other than the semi-large objects he can throw with his 50 Str.

Martial Strike is 22DC. 20 Def with 50% Damage Reduction, and really good Regen and Rec.

My wife's 1300 points on the button, and I personally feel she's more powerful. Not more versatile, more powerful.

D

[Chuckg]

Pity we couldn't convince our DM to go for /that/ option. ;)

(Seriously, though, what kind of opposition shows up in such a campaign?)

[Vondy]

My game is probably "low-power" by most people's standards:

Most of the seasoned characters weigh in between 500-800 points, but their DCs only run from 13-16DCs. The average is 10-12DCs, and the high end of the scale is 20DC.

So where do all the points go, I hear you cry.

The seasoned characters tend to have broad power-sets within their particular SFX (or have upgraded to power pools) and a goodly list of skills (and a modest advantage in combat skill levels). I also tend to allow players who are true to concept to be "the pro from dover" in their narrow area of expertise.

I've also found power levels are relative. If you have 20DC and comprable defenses, and regularly fight people who have the same, its not really different from having 10DC and comprable defenses, and regularly fighting people with the same.

The only question is how dangerous are conventional weapons to the PCs at lower levels. I've applied a fixed stun multiplier, so the answer is: not very.

[Chuckg]

In the 750-point campaign I'm currently in, Attack Powers cannot go over 90 Active Points w/o DM permission, which has only been given twice. (The brick has 100 STR, and the spatial manipulator has Tesseract's offensive multipower.)

Caveat -- the cost of the Reduced Endurance advantages does not count vs. that 90 point limit.

The highest defenses in the party are 40 PD/40 ED Resistant -- again, that's our 'Superman' type brick, Horus-Re.)

As a rough benchmark of power -- iIn our second session, our brick actually managed to survive a whole turn in single combat with Firewing

After taking a brutal pounding at range our brick finally closed successfully and got Firewing in a grapple where Firewing couldn't reach him with his primary EB, at which point Firewing started started using his explosive EB repeatedly at point-blank range, and turned it into a pure endurance contest of 'Who drops first?'

As it turned out, they both fell unconscious at the same time. That was the end of session 2... tomorrow is when we find out if Firewing will accept or offer a draw, or re-open the dance.

The most powerful ranged attack in the party is Starguard's 80-point Cosmic Power Pool, which at her (novice) stage of experience is mostly used for very simple effects, like EBs or Characteristic boosts.

The martial artist has DEX 35, SPD 7, and does 12 DCs w/ his Offensive Strike, 15 DCs if he uses his +3d6 baton.

So we tend to be versatile rather than overwhelmingly raw.

As for normal weapons -- there is no one in the party who has to worry about conventional firearms below the squad support level, even if we stand still and take 0 DCV. (Granted, the martial artist still has to use his Combat Luck to bolster his protective costume...) Several of us can ignore howitzers.

[misterdeath]

Originally posted by Chuckg
Pity we couldn't convince our DM to go for /that/ option. ;)

(Seriously, though, what kind of opposition shows up in such a campaign?)

People just like us. Gravitar and Holocaust are more optimized for combat (I've got 250 points in skills, but surprisingly 8- on a few science ones. I'm an Archeologist/Historian.) We fight them on even keel, rather than having to gang attack them.

It's what D-man says. 1000 point characters fighting 1000 point characters is a lot like 350 pointers fighting 350 pointers, except you roll more dice.

Plus, of cource, we like to play a very heavy on the RPing campaign, so that all your ability to transform the landscape into a wasteland, doesn't matter crap if some woman pops out of the closet and files a paternity case against your character.

And the character can't honestly say it isn't his...

(FWIW, it's a plot by his archenemesis. The baby is a clone implanted in the mother).

D

[phydaux]

Geez... Am I the only guy in the WORLD who still plays 250 point characters?

I mean, I can fit decent stats, contacts, lots of skills, a few perks, a base and vehicle contribution, a 12 DC attack and decent defense and movement powers into 250 points no problem.

[Acroyear II]

Originally posted by phydaux
Geez... Am I the only guy in the WORLD who still plays 250 point characters?

I mean, I can fit decent stats, contacts, lots of skills, a few perks, a base and vehicle contribution, a 12 DC attack and decent defense and movement powers into 250 points no problem.

Phydaux, see my post above. I still run 250 point heroes with the average of 12 DC attacks. I do have a few heroes who are near or over 400, but some are still close to the starting total of 250. I have to admit, some of these other guys campaigns seem over the top. I mean, come on, 750 points and up for characters? Yikes!:confused:

[Lord Mhoram]

Originally posted by Acroyear II
I mean, come on, 750 points and up for characters? Yikes!:confused:

Come on now... :)

In my case the characters have been played for 10 years or so, and the players still like them, and still want to play them. Nothing wrong with that.

Points are a guide for what you want.
I read and enjoy the JLA, Avengers and the legion of Superheroes. If I run a game, there are times I want that feel. You can't do these kind of heroes easily on 250; expecially for how they interact with the environment- One recent JLA plot had the team powerhouses dragging the moon through the upper atmophere for friction to nail white martials (IIRC) with Flash and some mystics keeping the tides under control. If that is the feel you are after well then.....

[Chuckg]

Exactly.

The 'feel' we're aiming for in our current campaign is an Avengers/JLA thing. We *want* Firewing to show up looking to prove something vs. our toughest member, because he's tough enough to have even odds of winning. We *want* to take on Doctor Destroyer in mortal combat, something that no team of starting heroes can realistically hope to do without major NPC backup. We want to have the fate of the world on the line when we roll out to answer the call, and we want to have backstories that are integral parts of the historic cusps of the game world.

Kinda hard to do that on 350. *g*

[misterdeath]

Originally posted by Chuckg
Exactly.

The 'feel' we're aiming for in our current campaign is an Avengers/JLA thing. We *want* Firewing to show up looking to prove something vs. our toughest member, because he's tough enough to have even odds of winning. We *want* to take on Doctor Destroyer in mortal combat, something that no team of starting heroes can realistically hope to do without major NPC backup. We want to have the fate of the world on the line when we roll out to answer the call, and we want to have backstories that are integral parts of the historic cusps of the game world.

Kinda hard to do that on 350. *g*

Yep. ditto from me.

Plus, well, look at all the Champs books out so far. There are too darn many Powerhouse/Fight the whole 350 point team Supervillians for me to list easily.

So, where are the equivalent heroes? Shouldn't somewhere in the universe there be a hero that's survived long enough to earn 1000 xp?

The major players in the world. The world breakers/world beaters.

Just for the good guys, not the bad guys.

I can create one of the most tricked out combat monsters you've ever seen with 250 points. He's much more versatile, if not more powerful on 350. At 800 points, he's somewhat more powerful, and yet more versatile. At 1600 he's able to compete on a level with anyone.

Because that's what we want to play.

With great power comes great responsibility. With even greater power comes even greater responsibility.

Some people like playing that way. Some people don't. Some people haven't even tried. Those are the ones I feel a little sorry for.

Because Cosmic Supers can be a ton of fun, with the right group.

After all, the LSH had Superboy, Supergirl, Mon El and Power Boy all as members at the same time.

D

[Chuckg]

Serving right next to such notables as Invisible Kid, Phantom Girl, and Matter-Eater Lad. :)

[zornwil]

My current game started at 155+60, but with rapid XP growth so after some 30 issues they are in the 265-280 + 60 range.