HERO System 6th Edition Rules Questions

6,882 questions in this forum

1. Skill Levels As Powers

   The fifth edition rules allow you to buy skills as powers, an consequentially apply modifiers to those skills. Is it possible to purchase skill levels as a power without purchasing the base skill? If so, does such a power have to have some form of limitation that says the user must possess the base skill to benefit from the power or is this inherent in the fact that skill levels were purchased. By way of example, I would be thinking of a pair of gloves that provided bonuses to lock picking and sleight of hand but only if the character had those skills in the first place, those without the skills would get no benefit.

   Asked by balo, July 18, 2003

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2. Absolute Power!

   I'm tring to do a full instant heal. Someone told me, however, that there are no absolutes. How would I then build a character that, once a day, is fully healed of any and all damage and effects? For instance, this character turns to stone during the day, at dusk he awakes, bursting forth full of energy and fully healed from any previous damage. The effect has to be instant because there are instances where, rather than turning into stone, he turns into a human, though, when reverting to the origional form at dusk, is fully healed. -Preston

   Asked by PerennialRook, July 18, 2003

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3. Unbreakable Focus Power Defense

   5th Edition, page 190: "[An Unbreakable Focus] is considered to have Power Defense solely for the purposes of protecting it from being Drained or Transformed, and is Difficult to Dispel..." Question: How much Power Defense is it considered to have? An effectively unlimited amount, so as to be invincible against Drain BODYs unless the Drain meets the criteria of "one way in which other characters may destroy or unmake an Unbreakable Focus"? Or an amount of Power Defense equal to the amount of normal DEF the Focus would have if it were Breakable? Thanks!

   Asked by Elysea, July 17, 2003

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4. Damage Control

   Can a Super-heroic martial artist decline using extra damage classes that were purchased for use with martial arts, thus doing only STR + maneuver as damage?

   Asked by Jim J, July 17, 2003

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5. RE: PRE “attack� in a Multiple-power Attack

   We have an alien character in our game that has the ability to taunt, belittle and totally “cow†another character (a 5d6 PRE Drain, at range). The Drain requires a Full Phase to use. My question is whether a PRE “attackâ€, which requires 0 Phases to perform, can be used with the Drain in a Multiple-power attack. Since the PRE “attack†doesn’t require an attack roll it doesn’t violate the “both attacks must have the same type of roll†rule. Would it be legal to do the Drain and have the taunting be a PRE attack at the same time; to Drain the target’s PRE and make the character’s PRE roll in one attack?

   Asked by aylwin13, July 16, 2003

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6. Building the Bo from UMA followup

   No; I didn't notice the error until I put the power into HD and saw that the cost of the HA was 8 instead of 9, and the only difference I could find between its construction and the one I did on paper was the Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) Limitation. Is it equally valid to build weapons as EB (No Range)? Thanks! Ben

   Asked by BenKimball, July 15, 2003

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7. Building the Bo from UMA

   Hi Steve. I'm not sure if this is a Hero Designer question, an errata question, or a rules question. Hope it's okay that I've posted it here. I'm trying to add a Bo staff to a character in Hero Designer following the rules given on UMA 173. It appears to me that the real point cost given for the Bo in UMA (p. 172) is one point too high. I suspect that it wasn't purchased with the Hand-To-Hand Attack limitation. Here's how I originally reproduced the weapon: Bo: HA +4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2) (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4), Requires Two Hands (-1/2), STR Minimum (8, -1/2) (Real Cost: 9) plus Stretching 1", Reduced Endurance (0 END…

   Asked by BenKimball, July 15, 2003

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8. +Damage from 2-Point vs. 3-Point CSLs for a Specific Weapon

   Question 1st Part: In the Rules FAQ it says: I'm dealing with a situation where this ruling doesn't make sense to the player and I can see where he's coming from: The player is set on running a fighting fantasy character who "Specializes" with a Bastard Sword in combat, and one of the effects desired (besides a +1 OCV) is the ability to do more damage with it (+2 DC, which would require +4 CSLs, for a total of 5 CSLs). The player reasons that since a Bastard Sword is a specific single attack it should be able to use the 2-point levels to increase the damage. They argue that if they have to pay for 3-point levels then they'd just take it for "All Sw…

   Asked by Hierax, July 15, 2003

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9. Linked Powers

   Can you have a Power linked to a Power linked to a Power. I want to have a Creature that wraps around another Creature as an HKA and if it kills the Creature I want that Creature's Magi to get its Summon Power for it rechanged as a side effect but as a linked Power I want Images to Create Light for 1d6 Segments and during the height of it (the middle segment) I want it to be so bright it blinds anyone looking at it (Flash Power) so it's Flash linked to Images linke to HKA right? Is this allowed? Is there a better way to do it?

   Asked by d'Jarvish, July 15, 2003

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10. Flash vs Mental Sense Group

    Situation: 2d6 Flash defined as affecting the Mental Sense Group, set up as a Mental Damage Shield. Question: the target would be protected by Flash Defense (Mental), rather than by Mental Defense, correct?

    Asked by Kristopher, July 15, 2003

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11. Familiarity for category skills

    With skills such as survival, which cost 1or 2 points per category, how do familiaritys work? If I put a point into survival, do I get an 8- with all categories, or just one?

    Asked by Dino, July 15, 2003

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12. Disolidified?

    What does it means in normal english? In what forms can it present themself? Is it the same as when water changes in to ice and water in smoke ? (changes in chemistry make-up?)

    Asked by VictorVonDoom, July 14, 2003

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13. Character creation

    1) is there somewhere a table i can use to make random rolls on for creation characters with skills, talents, weapons? (i like randomized characters) or general ideas how to do that? 2) can a character be build using the D&D way of creating characters ? Instead of using a pool of points using dice? How can i do that? 3) can this game be changed in a d20 game? how are the rolls affected? Is there in considered of time that this game will have a conversionstable ? 4) as stated in one thread i have said i liked the Marvel Superheroes game (with the Faserip chars) How can they be transformed in Hero equivalents and also how can the powers be transfor…

    Asked by VictorVonDoom, July 14, 2003

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14. VVP and Magic

    In the manual it says that magic spells must be played in a group called magic and not taken as seperate powers but in the sidebars there are a couple of spells listed ; 1)how can they be used? 2) can GM tolerate that powers can be used as spells (as in the Superheroes game of Marvel )? 3)can a hero in current timeline have a mixture of spells , powers , etc ? or must they all be spells? 4) If spells are located in a Variable VPool (magic Pool) it is put that only points are located to that branch (Magic) with a certain of points (eg 60 Magic points); Where does the hero get his spells ? Can they be the sidebar spells? Or can the hero create a list of spel…

    Asked by VictorVonDoom, July 14, 2003

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15. Continuing Charges and being Stunned

    If a character is Stunned or Knocked Out, do their powers with Continuing Charges continue to work or do they shut down? If they shut down, would Uncontrolled on the power prevent it?

    Asked by Talon, July 14, 2003

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16. Scroll Limits (Again)

    Steve, I understand why you moved the "how do I do the limits on the scroll" thing, as it is in fact a "how-to" question, but I was hoping for a more general "I can apply this in other situations" ruling. What's the official stance on the appropriate Limitation for something that's an Accessible Focus until used, and is thereafter essentially Inaccessible until it wears off / is Suppressed / whatever? How do you find a "middle ground" between OAF and OIF? It starts as one, and ends as the other. Split the difference and call it a net -3/4? If so, what would you call that? A Semi-Accessible Focus? C'mon, throw me a bone here!

    Asked by Dr. Anomaly, July 14, 2003

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17. Adjustment Conundrum

    Guilty Confession: At heart this is actually a 'how do I build this' question, but one with broader implications (I think). So, in the description for Adjustment Powers, the term "character" is used when referring to the target of such attacks. Does this mean inanimate objects are specifically inappropriate targets for Adjustment Powers (Drain a wall's DEF or Heal a broken vehicle's BODY, for example)?

    Asked by smugg, July 14, 2003

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18. The standard dumb EC + Drain question

    I'm sure this question is asked frequently (although I didn't find it via a search) so I'll try to be quick and clear. A (non-Defense) power in an EC is subject to double effect from Drains, solely because it's in an EC and the base cost and power slot are drained once each. Correct? If correct, could you give me a quick summary of the design rationale? Is it a necessary game balance thing, to counter the fact that a 60-point EB 12d6 bought in an EC with four other 60-point powers effectively costs only 36 points? Or is there another reason I don't see?

    Asked by cjeris, July 14, 2003

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19. Uncontrolled Sticky

    If you had an Uncontrolled, Sticky RKA, (fire) and you were to set aside 30 END to power it (and say it cost 2 END per phase). You hit a guy with it, and he starts to burn, paying END every time the attacker's phase comes up. When the END pool is down to 20 END, he is knocked back into another shmoe. Does the second target pick up the Uncontrolled, Sticky RKA at 30 END in the pool, or 20 END? How should this work? Thanks, James.

    Asked by 2gunkid, July 13, 2003

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20. Cost of Package Deals

    Hi Steve, I read through your old and new responses to 5e questions and the FAQ, as well as FRED and did not see this issue discussed, so here we go... The way Package Deal cost is worded seems a bit confusing to me. Let's take the Policeman from pg. 17 of FRED as an example. The Package Cost is listed at 2 pts, but the total of all his skills is 17pts. This might lead a new player to believe that all they have to pay is 2 pts to become a Policeman, when in fact they have to pay 17 pts. The 2 pts left over is really the amount of extra points in Disadvantages they have to come up with, right? I'm just trying to clarify this, because I saw all too of…

    Asked by tgaptte, July 13, 2003

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21. Suppress Multiple-power & Desolid

    Did a quick search through the FAQ and was unable to find this. My character is currently desolid. Dr. Destroyer fires a multiple-power attack at me which consists of a Suppress vs. Desolid and a normal Energy Blast. Desolid is a standard power, not a defense power. However in this case desoild is being used as a defense. Will the Suppress automatically occur after the Energy Blast because of this? Or will the Suppress work vs. the Desolid normally, allowing the EB to affect me, since Desolidification is a Standard Power?

    Asked by Edsel, July 13, 2003

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22. Unskilled rolls...

    Are there any actual rules for making a roll when the character has no skill ranks at all? Obviously it'll be lower than 8- (familiarity), but are their any guidelines? pax.

    Asked by Guest oddbatt, July 12, 2003

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23. Followers with followers

    Can a follower have followers? For example, an Emperor has a staff of generals, and the generals essentially have their armies as followers? The generals are loyal to the Emperor and their followers are loyal to them? I know this is rife for abuse, but if you have to deduct points from one to pay for the other, why not?

    Asked by megaplayboy, July 11, 2003

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24. Supression Fire

    Do oppoents in hexes or hex lines directly targed by suppression fire have attacks made against them if they don't move? For example, Agent A stands in the middle of an empty parking lot and Agent B uses suppression fire on the hex Agent A is standing in. If Agent A does not move into or out of his hex does Agent B who has fill the area with bullets get an attack on Agent A using suppression fire?

    Asked by kirakane, July 11, 2003

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25. Multiform

    I have a character with multiform and 8 forms. The multiform has a activation roll and a trigger. I assume that even though the multiform is on the main character that the trigger and activation will still work on the other forms, thus causing a shift between forms. Basically the trigger forces the activation roll and he has to switch forms, sometimes at a bad spot for him

    Asked by tiger, July 10, 2003

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    1 answer