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6th Edition Rules for previous editions


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If you are playing Hero with previous editions -- and why not, its your game, have fun! -- then here are a few rules from 6th edition I highly recommend you splice into the game.

 

  • DOT: Damage over time, probably better termed "Effect Over Time" allows you to create continuing, set effects over a particular time period and with specific intervals.  It turns an instant attack into a continuing fire and forget attack that keeps going and is really useful for many effects otherwise clumsy or "block of text" to achieve in the rules previously
  • Transform: the 4-stage Cosmetic/Minor/Major/Total transform structure is much better than previous models, allowing very minor transform effects for a reasonable cost.  Its just not worth 15 points a d6 to turn people purple, but 3 points is fine
  • Area Effect: instead of set areas, the 6th edition rules allow you to buy area effects by their size.  A very small area is cheaper than the full +1 because its a smaller area.  This lets characters tailor their effect specifically to what they want rather than dial it back for a high active cost.
  • Ambidexterity is lowered in cost to 1 point for each -1 offset.  This is a much better cost structure than the rather large expense for a fairly minor effect in the game.
  • Instead of Damage Resistance you can just buy "resistant" as an advantage of +1/2 to any defense, which is a cleaner and more consistent method.
  • AVAD: the cost structure and options are much more flexible and rational (and consistent) than NND/AVLD which was always a bit of a mess.
  • added due to suggestions below: Absorption rebuild, a much better more valid and functional system.

 

There might be some others, but these are ones you can slip into any game without changing much and give you much better results, in my experience.

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DOT first appeared in Digitial Hero #47 (released Jan 2008 - late in 5e's lifespan), and that version was significantly cheaper (hence, more powerful) to work with than the version that came to exist in 6e.

 

Also 5e's Transform has 3 stages, so it's somewhat disingenuous to imply that a Transform to turn someone purple went from (4e's) 15pts per 1d6 to (6e's) 3pts per 1d6 ... when, in reality, it went from (5e's) 5pts per 1d6 to (6e's) 3pts per 1d6.

 

That aside, there's a plethora of good reasons to move to 6e.  Ditching COM and replacing it with Striking Appearance is perhaps the simplest and most marked ... since COM never did squat for the points spent on it, while Striking Appearance has actual function/use.

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Yeah I would keep all of those things for 6e and I would use the 6e structure for buying characteristics. Which fixes a TON of balance issues. Which would mean losing EC's and subbing Unified Power. for it. Which pretty much makes the game 6e and why should I spend all of that time converting to the early edition. Also the rules chimera won't have any character gen software support.

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Beyond what is mentioned, I like how they did absorption as points of absorption rather than a die roll.

Agreed -- absorption is finally a workable and worthwhile power in 6e -- instead of the undependable and prohibitively expensive (for what it did) power it always used to be.  The fact that it can operate as a defense using the appropriate Advantage is also a big deal and a huge improvement.

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Um, 4e also had cosmetic, minor, and major Transforms for 5, 10, and 15 pts per die respectively.

 

 

But not the total transform level, a fourth level put into the game with 6th edition, shifting costs down so that Cosmetic became 3 points per d6.  A price much more reasonable for transform.

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Well, let me think...4th edition got rid of Destruction, making Drain function like it if the recovery time is long enough (and honestly, if the points come back, even on a five point per mounth interval, then it is not destroyed, right?).

 

As I can think, there is no new power in the 6ed which was not in other editions. Note: I'm not counting APG 1 and 2, as thoes powers are optional. We are more likely to lose powers than gain them for each new edition.

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Barrier, Damage Negation, Deflection off the top of my head.  Although Deflection is arguably Reflection from Champions 3 (I think it was?) repackaged.

Barrier is a redesigned Force Wall, breaking it down into individual components.  Damage Negation is new.

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Barrier, Damage Negation, Deflection off the top of my head.  Although Deflection is arguably Reflection from Champions 3 (I think it was?) repackaged.

 

In 6e anyone can Deflect Ranged attacks (as long as the GM oks it). Reflection is a power to add to the Free Deflection. In 5e and earlier Missle Deflection was a power that had an adder for Reflection

 

Barrier is basically a redesigned Force Wall, that makes permanent Barriers. Also it adds the ability to add body to the defense of a Barrier. To make a Force wall you just limit the Barrier to be a constant instead of an instant (ie you pay end every Phase)

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In 6e anyone can Deflect Ranged attacks (as long as the GM oks it). Reflection is a power to add to the Free Deflection. In 5e and earlier Missle Deflection was a power that had an adder for Reflection

 

 

The actual Deflection Power lets you deflect attacks at range.  Which leads me to the question, what if you want to guarantee you can deflect ranged attacks, not at range?  You'd buy Deflection, No Range.  Which you can do... as long as the GM oks it.  

 

There's like two layers of GM permission to be able to deflect bullets!  

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The actual Deflection Power lets you deflect attacks at range. Which leads me to the question, what if you want to guarantee you can deflect ranged attacks, not at range? You'd buy Deflection, No Range. Which you can do... as long as the GM oks it.

 

There's like two layers of GM permission to be able to deflect bullets!

Another thing you forget. In order to use the free deflection, you must have an object to use as a shield to block the attack (it can be any object, even an overly thick and wordy role playing game rule book). If you buy it as a power, you don't need to pick up objects to deflect. This is why you would want Deflection, No Range to Superman some bullets off your chest.

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Another thing you forget. In order to use the free deflection, you must have an object to use as a shield to block the attack (it can be any object, even an overly thick and wordy role playing game rule book). If you buy it as a power, you don't need to pick up objects to deflect. This is why you would want Deflection, No Range to Superman some bullets off your chest.

 

The GM may require you to have an object.  There's that first layer of GM permission.  :)

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The GM may require you to have an object. There's that first layer of GM permission. :)

Man...Missile Deflection And Reflection needs to be a power again. Why split Reflection off from Deflection? Why have a non-power version of Deflection? What is the advantage of using the power as oppose to the maneuver?

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Barrier is basically a redesigned Force Wall, that makes permanent Barriers. Also it adds the ability to add body to the defense of a Barrier. To make a Force wall you just limit the Barrier to be a constant instead of an instant (ie you pay end every Phase)

Don't forget to mention that the 'Non-Anchored' adder , which was once free for Force Walls because it wasn't an adder in earlier versions and was, instead, covered in the rules for horizontal Force Walls (which I believe most GMs permitted), is now a 10CP adder.  I personally feel that's 5CP more than it should cost given that horizontal force walls didn't previously cost anything and that they really only have meaningful applicability in very specific and reasonably uncommon circumstances (which usually don't amount to 10CP of usefulness).

 

Similarly, englobing yourself using 5ER and earlier Force Wall would make the Force Wall mobile, whereas with Barrier in 6e it now costs [+1/4] Advantage to allow you to move the Barrier 12m/Phase (double this movement for ever [+1/4] more paid in the advantage) -- a change I strongly dislike since it goes against all previous versions of Force Wall where self-englobing allowed free mobility of the Force Wall.

 

Together, these subtle changes result in unnecessary and large cost inflation for Force Wall when it's written up as 6e Barrier -- to get what you had with Force Wall in earlier versions, you have to spend 10CP and a [+1/4] Advantage (for 12m movement ... more if you move faster) for every Force Wall you buy -- which will cause GM's to have to up their AP caps (in order to maintain parity of capability in the power) when moving from 5e to 6e games ... or cause characters to lose Force Wall capabilities that previously fit within their existing AP caps. :(

 

And, umm, Tunneling did not (unless a GM ruled otherwise) inherently work on Force Walls in 5er and earlier ... because they weren't typically solid substances (such as 'soil' to use the 5er example) ... but in 6e Tunneling DOES work on Barrier by default (CC pg 94) ... a subtle change affecting Force Walls built under 6e that I'm not sure I like.  I'm also not clear on how to do a 6e Force Wall that provides exclusively Mental Defense or Power Defense while being transparent/passable to physical things... based on Barrier; this is something that was doable in 5e using Force Wall.

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Huh? Ricocheting bullets is just the sfx of Resistance on his massive PD...

In Superman:TAS he was able to Deflect and Reflect Darkseid's Omega Beam back at his own face. His hands were still injured in the process but it is one of countess examples of him being able to stop energy attacks with his hands.

 

edit - Here is the full fight I am referring to:

 

It's arguable that Superman doesn't actually have Deflection or Reflection at this point and just makes a Power Skill roll to do the Reflection that I referenced earlier.

 

I like the Range by default part of the new method as it makes modeling the abilities of Captain America and Green Lanter much easier.

 

HM

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In Superman:TAS he was able to Deflect and Reflect Darkseid's Omega Beam back at his own face. His hands were still injured in the process but it is one of countess examples of him being able to stop energy attacks with his hands.

 

I like the Range by default part of the new method as it makes modeling the abilities of Captain America and Green Lanter much easier.

 

HM

 

I'm not saying Superman can't have Deflection; I'm only saying that Deflection is an unnecessary and overcomplicated way of representing the fact that bullets ricochet off his body.

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I'm not saying Superman can't have Deflection; I'm only saying that Deflection is an unnecessary and overcomplicated way of representing the fact that bullets ricochet off his body.

I'm not talking about bullets.

 

Go to 7:00 in this old cartoon:

 

That's not just invulnerability. That's Deflection.

 

:)

HM

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