Power Help

[rayoman]

I have been thinking of running a super hero game for my group. Currently, I am running a DnD campaign that is on its last legs.

 

Two players have created characters. Okay, they sat down with me to purchase attributes and discussed powers that they want their characters to have.

 

One player, we will call Joseph, is a very slow person. I don't mean intelligence wise. I mean everything he does is at a snail's pace. He is so slow that I want to ban him from ever playing a Cleric or Wizard in DnD. He has come up with a cool character concept.

 

Joseph's character concept is based on an archaeologist who gains his powers during a dig. His powers are tied to phases of the moon. Example (I don't know if his phases of the moon are correct):

 

 

Waxing Crescent: Earth Powers

Waxing Gibbous: Air Powers

Waning Gibbous: Fire Powers

Waning Crescent: Water Powers

Full Moon: All Powers

New Moon: No Powers

 

I really, really don't want to give him a VPP. He has picked out various individual powers from USPD. I am thinking of using a Multiform. Each character would already have to be created in advance. The only problem is the All Powers form. I am thinking the first four could be based on 250 pts and the All Powers form could be built on 350 pts.

 

Help. Please.

[Redmenace]

Multiform will work but it means making several different characters and making sure the player always brings them, The powerful 350 pt form has to pay for the lesser forms which will decrease the points available to buy him all those powers. I suggest you use a multipower framework-

 

1.) Hero/Champions is about effect. Characters usually fall into a set of powers: Offensive, Defensive, Movement, Senses, exotic etc. If the various lunar synched powers are just elemental versions of one another (An Fire energy blast 8d6, an earth blast 8d6, etc) they are pretty much the same power with a different special effect. This being so you could buy it as 8d6 Energy blast with the Variable special effect advantage- "Elemntal effect tied to phase of moon", when the hero uses the ability it will be which ever effect is active during the specific Lunar phase.

 

2.) If some of the powers are similar but not all, say the fire form and air form have flight, the fire form and water form have an energy blast, but the Earth form is a big, tough, strong guy with neither flight or EB, put all the powers in a Multipower. There will be an EB with the variable special effect advantage or just several versions of EB in seperate slots that are available at different times, The strength or DI for the earth form is another slot, as are radically different powers.

 

Multipowere slots all draw on the pool of points set up at time of creation. If you want the character to be able to use all the powers simoultaneously there will have to be enough points to cover it. That to is expensive so if you can, try to buy the variable spcl effect advantage on shared powers.

 

Hope I'm not confusing you more than I'm helping. If you need me to explain just post a comment here or maybe outline the specific powers the pc has and we'll see what we can do.

 

 

Also, Considering how little time goes by in most sessions he will be locked into one form for a whole mission and the zero powers form is going to be tough, make sure you and he have a working understanding to avoid problems. Its a rare player who can play as a mundane human while the rest of the group leaps around in combat.

[rayoman]

No, I am not confused. I understand how HERO works. I was just trying to avoid VPPs with this particular player.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

I might just get him to focus on one aspect or another.

[levi]

How about an AID that is tied to the phase of the moon.

Here's an example:

 

Full Moon Might: Aid 2d6 +8 Max (20 total) to All Powers and Characteristics Simultaneously (+2) 72AP, Limited Power - Only during the Full Moon (-1) Cost: 36 points.

 

Hope that helps...

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

IMO Multiform is the way to go with this.

[Bengal]

Yep, this is a multiform- good call Vandie. I made up Dr Henry Pym in the same manner- Ant-Man, Giant-Man, "Dr. Pym = MacGyver" Dr. Pym, and Yellowjacket, all Multiforms, all accidental change only, all personality loss... a number of things. But if you want your hero to have distinct identities and more than one of them has superpowers, Multiform is the way to go.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Oh, just read the part about the guy being slow. If this is a problem then I suggest making his character(s) as simple as possible. Do things like making his powers 0 End so he doesn’t have to keep track of End. Avoid Multipowers when possible and use Elemental Controls or no frameworks at all so that he doesn’t have a ton of choices to go thru in combat. Even this multiform, as cool as it sounds may be a bit much.

 

IMO a player like this might do better with a Brick or combo-Brick/Energy Projector type character.

 

What about an Archaeologist who gains incredible strength and toughness on a dig along with minor versions of the powers you listed? Instead of a complicated multiform instead you could do something like have an EC with Energy Blast with Variable Special Effect [i would just charge +1/4 for this setup but you could go with a more official +1/2 with a limitation on the advantage], Force Field 0 End (appearance depends on phase of the moon), and Flight with 0 End and Works in Water, or some other movement power. The special effect of the blast could then be dependant on the phase on the phase of the moon … and when the moon is dark he could still fall back on his Str.

 

This is a pretty simple setup. You have get to choose between a ranged or close up attack but you don’t have a ton of character sheets or a list of powers to muddle things up and slow him down.

 

Something like Str 40 to 50. PD & ED around 10 or slightly above. Spd 5 & Con 23+.

 

30 EC Elemental Powers

45a EB (10d6) ½ End, Variable SFX

30b Flight (10â€) 0 End, Works In Water, Combat Acceleration [so he doesn’t have to calculate how fast he is going at a given hex - he is always going 10â€]

30c Force Field (10, 10) 0 End, Persistent [so he doesn’t have to worry about keeping track of defenses when stunned]

 

With STR 50 and EB 10d6 then he will always roll the same number of dice too ... unless he does a move-thru in which case his damage jupms to 13d6. Buy 1/2 End as a naked advantage on the STR too so the EB and STR don't use much END. This way he really doesn't have to keep track of it each phase.

 

If you need to make things cheaper just slap Only in Hero ID on his EC & STR and then he becomes a bit like Captain Marvel … says his magic word & transforms!

 

The alternative would be to slap a -1/4 Not in New Moon on his EC. I would avoid that though, instead I would just put it on his EB if anything. No powers in new moon is a nice idea, but just having no EB should be enough.

[farik]

I'd also sound out support for the elemental control and variable sfx (take the variable sfx advantage points and apply the NCC limitation to them since the player can't dictate which SFX is going to be available)

 

The biggest suggestion I have is to list everything on his character sheet for him to ask you questions about as he gets more familiar with the system but at the same time include a quick "power overview" that is the basic information like damage, bonuses to hit, etc.

[Outsider]

wrong thread.. sorry