Newbie Questions

[Kirowan]

Hi,

 

I about a third of the way through Sidekick and I have a few questions about the rules. I know you guys can help so I decided not to bother Steve with them.

 

1. When you drain someone's DEX, you affect their CVs, right? When you drain their STR, you affect how much they lift their DC, ect., correct? It's just figured characteristics (PD, ED, REC, ect.) that don't get affected.

 

2. When using a constant power, do you pay END each segment that it's on, or only on the segments when you get to act? The text reads like it should be the latter, but that's kind of weird since faster characters would have to spend more END.

 

3. A character's ability to jump is the only movement method affected by his strength, right?

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

[BobGreenwade]

You've been reading the rules correctly in all three cases.

 

By way of explanation for #2, this is simply one of the natural drawbacks of high SPD. It's only a big issue in superhero games, though, and usually the only characters with unusually high SPD are speedsters and martial artists. A bit of Reduced Endurance on STR and/or higher REC (yes, that means more points spent) can alleviate the problem.

[Chuk]

Re: Newbie Questions

 

Originally posted by Kirowan

Hi,

 

I about a third of the way through Sidekick and I have a few questions about the rules. I know you guys can help so I decided not to bother Steve with them.

 

1. When you drain someone's DEX, you affect their CVs, right? When you drain their STR, you affect how much they lift their DC, ect., correct? It's just figured characteristics (PD, ED, REC, ect.) that don't get affected.[/Quote]

 

You got it -- figured is not affected, but CV etc are -- if they weren't, there wouldn't be much point in draining stats.

 

2. When using a constant power, do you pay END each segment that it's on, or only on the segments when you get to act? The text reads like it should be the latter, but that's kind of weird since faster characters would have to spend more END.

 

It might be weird, but yep, that's how it works. I think part of the rationale behind it is that you pay END for the ability to act or affect the world, and you can do that more with higher speed. Note that you can also voluntarily reduce your SPD temporarily -- so if you're just standing around but you want to keep your Force Field up, you can go down to SPD 2. Still, Reduced END is definitely your friend on constant powers.

 

3. A character's ability to jump is the only movement method affected by his strength, right?

 

You got it. Looks like you already knew all these answers!

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Re: Newbie Questions

 

Originally posted by Chuk

Note that you can also voluntarily reduce your SPD temporarily -- so if you're just standing around but you want to keep your Force Field up, you can go down to SPD 2.

 

Assuming that this rule made its way to Sidekick. It's on P 133 of the main Hero System rulebook, which would be under the heading Entering Combat, if that makes it any easier to locate (I don't have Sidekick).

[Kirowan]

I don't see that rule in Sidekick Hugh.

 

I have another question. I don't quite understand how to handle acceleration. I looked it up in the FAQ and there is obviously some differences between the way it is presented in the corebook and the way it is presented in Sidekick. Anyway, here's what I don't get.

 

Say a character has 20" in flight. So, if he's flying at full speed, he has to move 4" to come to a complete stop. I understand this. What I don't understand is acceleration. Say he starts out standing still. The text says he has to move 4" to get up to speed (20"). Now, how far does he move in his phase then (assuming he is using his whole phase)? Does he just move 4" and then next phase he can move 20" or what?

 

Also, when using attack powers like drain and dispel on characters who are using powers with focuses, do you have to target the focus or the character using the focus?

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

[TheEmerged]

RE: Correction. You pay END costs for constant powers by the PHASE, not the segment. All 12 segments happen every turn, the segments in which a character gets to act (AKA their phase) is determined by their SPD score.

 

Take as example a character with a 10 DEF (10 PD, 10 ED) Force Field and a SPD of 6. This character will have to pay 2 END on each of their phases (segments 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) to keep it running, for a total of 12 END each turn.

 

Originally posted by Kirowan

I have another question. I don't quite understand how to handle acceleration. I looked it up in the FAQ and there is obviously some differences between the way it is presented in the corebook and the way it is presented in Sidekick. Anyway, here's what I don't get.

 

Say a character has 20" in flight. So, if he's flying at full speed, he has to move 4" to come to a complete stop. I understand this. What I don't understand is acceleration. Say he starts out standing still. The text says he has to move 4" to get up to speed (20"). Now, how far does he move in his phase then (assuming he is using his whole phase)? Does he just move 4" and then next phase he can move 20" or what?

 

I don't have Sidekick so I can't speak of that.

 

He'll move 20" on the phase he starts. Accelleration mostly matters for things that do damage based on relative velocity, such as the Throw (Martial Throw, etc.) and Move By/Move Thru manuevers. Ditto with decelleration (something a lot of players may not have thought of).

 

Take Sting, one of the PC's in my current campaign, for example. If he wants to do a Move By and starts the phase with 0" of acceleration. If he wants to hit someone and get full credit for his 20" of Flight he can't hit them before moving 4 hexes.

 

What's more, if he ends his turn without slowing down he still has that 20" of movement if someone were to perform a Throw on him (and hence would probably take +4d6 damage). Of course if he begins his phase already moving at 20" he won't have to wait 4" to hit someone...

 

Also, when using attack powers like drain and dispel on characters who are using powers with focuses, do you have to target the focus or the character using the focus?

 

Depends on the focus If you're dispelling a power based on a gun, for example, I'd require a to-hit roll for just the gun. If the focus is an armored suit, obviously it doesn't have a seperate to-hit roll. Similarly if the focus is a seperate object, such as a Bulky computer or somesuch it obviously has a seperate to-hit roll.

 

One important clarification is that if you're using Dispel to dispel a specific attack you do not need to make a to-hit roll at all (Fifth Edition rulebook page 99, column B, paragraph 4).

 

That might make more sense if I use a few examples. Since Disruptor, one of my PC's, has a Dispel vs Technology I'll use him.

 

CASE 1: The Disruptor is being attacked with a killing attack (RKA) defined as a guided gyrojet. Since the attack itself is technological he can use his Dispel to negate it (special effect of burning out the guidance system). He does not need to make a to-hit roll -- he merely needs to roll higher than the active points of the attack power being used against him.

 

CASE 2: The Disruptor is being attack with a killing attack (RKA) that is defined as a laser. The beam itself cannot be dispelled by his dispel because the special effects are different -- there's nothing in the beam itself that is technological. Now if the dispel was defined as dispelling light energy or somesuch he could. HOWEVER, he could dispel the ability to *use* the attack by targetting the gun (which is obviously technological) and, if he makes the to-hit roll, rolling higher than the active points in that specific power of the gun.

 

CASE 3: The Disruptor needs to destroy the gate controls for a drawbridge. Since this is a Bulky OIF he would need to make an attack roll against it, not the person who built it or somesuch.

 

CASE 4: The Disruptor wants to short out Defender's power pack, contained in Defender's OIF Armor Suit. So all he needs to do is succeed on a to-hit roll against Defender.

 

CASE 5: If Defender's armor suit was bought with the Independent limitation, Disruptor would have to roll higher than the total active points of every power bought as part of the suit -- something unlikely to happen. (Fifth Edition rulebook, page 99, column B, paragraph 3)

[Kirowan]

Wow, thanks for the thorough explanations Emerged.

 

So, if a character with 20" of Flight starts from a still position and takes a full phase action, he still gets to move 20" that phase, it's just that his speed is considered to be 5" the first hex, 10" the second hex, 15" the third hex, and 20" the fourth through twentieth hexes for the purposes of doing move-bys, being thrown, and such?

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

[TheEmerged]

You got it, and you're welcome.

[Kirowan]

Hi,

 

I've just finished the power section and am almost through the advantages and limitations section. I have some more questions for the hero fans here. I hope I'm not being bothersome.

 

1. A lot of the powers (darkness for example) require the user to target a hex (DCV 3) to place it. What happens if you don't make the roll?

 

2. Using the area of effect advantage, how do you add hexes of height? The text seems to only cover adding more widith and different shapes.

 

3. Can you update old powers with new advantages and limitations after play starts? Can you remove old advantages and limitations?

 

4. Why does growth affect your strength and such but shrinking does not? How do you model small animals then?

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

[dstarfire]

1.

 

If you target the hex, and miss your attack roll, the attack is off by a number of hexes equal to the unmber the missed their attack roll by.

 

for example: if you're attack roll only hits dcv 1, (hex has a base dcv of 3), then your attack hit's a hex 2" away from the target hex. a simple d6 roll can easily determine the direction it misses in.

 

2.

 

aoe radius, and cone both extend in height the same way they do in width and length.

 

3.

 

That's up to your gm. Usually you can buy off most limitations, or add advantages. However, they may not allow removing advantages, or adding limitations, unless you can come up with a good reason why your characters' powers suddenly become weaker

 

as for your last question, I have no idea as I've never played arouind with those powers.

[Hugh Neilson]

The default is that shrinking doesn't reduce STR. You could always create a structure where it does.

 

Shrinking and Growth are not used to model creatures always larger/smaller than man-size (although they were in prior editions). Instead, you purchase the abilities as normal (eg. bonus STR, BOD, STUN, Knockback resistance for large creatures; bonus DCV, stealth and concealment for small ones) and take a physical limitation for the drawbacks of unusual size, including reduced DCV (Growth) or KB resistance (shrinking). Small animals also comonly sell back STR, even into the negatives, to reflect their minimal carrying capacity.

 

If you want more on animals, consider picking up the Bestiary.

[Kirowan]

That makes snese Hugh. If shrinking doesn't affect strength, why does growth though? That's a weird exception.

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

[Hugh Neilson]

Originally posted by Kirowan

That makes snese Hugh. If shrinking doesn't affect strength, why does growth though? That's a weird exception.

 

Really, it's the game showing its roots - in the comics, large characters get stronger, but shrinking characters generally retain full strength.

 

But there's also a balance issue. Shrinking would have to be a lot cheaper if it reduced STR.

[Tom Carman]

Originally posted by dstarfire

1.

 

If you target the hex, and miss your attack roll, the attack is off by a number of hexes equal to the unmber the missed their attack roll by.

 

for example: if you're attack roll only hits dcv 1, (hex has a base dcv of 3), then your attack hit's a hex 2" away from the target hex. a simple d6 roll can easily determine the direction it misses in.

This targetting drift has a cap: you can't miss by more than half of the distance between the attacker and the target. I've seen some discussion of abusing this by dropping an Autofired AoE Hex attack into an adjacent hex. Unless the attack roll was a '3', most of the attacks will hit; probably no GM I've played with would allow it, of course. Sidekick simplified this issue by just saying that if you missed the target hex, the attack has no effect.

[Legendsmiths]

One thing I didn't see mentioned about constant powers is that the reason you pay END per PHASE, meaning more END if you have high SPD, is because you can cause effect with the constant power on your PHASE.

 

Say Inferno buys Incinerate - 6d6 EB, Continuous (6 END). Inferno has SPD 6. If he attacks and hits a target with Incinerate, he will do 6d6 damage on each of his PHASES, resulting in 6 applications of 6d6 damage per TURN. If he only had a SPD of 4, he would only do 4 applications of 6d6 per TURN.

 

Now, turn that into AE: 6" radius. The Incinerate is now active on all segments, but Inferno still only causes damage on his PHASES except if someone enters the AE. As soon as they enter, they take damage, and then take damage as long as they are in the area., on each of Inferno's PHASES.

 

So, that is why someone with a constant power and high SPD will pay more END... they get more effect. The rules are such that if you pay END, you get something for it, and so there is no chance of you not getting your END's worth.

 

Hope this helps. Welcome aboard.