I need help designing some equipment

[Resartus]

I still realtively new to the Hero system and I'm trying to define a very central piece of gear for an old campaign setting that I'm porting to Hero and I'm looking for some input on how to do it.

 

I need to design a vehicle (humanoid mecha) that is as independant as a follower (it's alive) but is able to amplify the pilot character's power pools and act as an endurance battery while the character is inside it. The vehicle part seems easy, even the independence issue can be solved by giving the vehicle an INT and EGO characteristic. But I'm unsure about how I should cost the power pool boost and the endurance battery as they seem to fit better as a focus. I've thought about using Aid but I'm looking for a specific level of boosting that is on only while the character is in the vehicle.

 

How would you build powers into a focus and still have that focus occasionaly act independently and be separately attackable?

[SleepyDrug]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

Use Aid with the Standard Effect Rule

[BobGreenwade]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

SD's right, at least for most applications -- Aid (or Succor) with the SER is the easiest way to do this.

 

For the END, and possibly for other Characteristics as well, it's always possible to buy it for the Vehicle and simply say that it applies to the operator rather than the Vehicle itself, with no modifier (just as the Endurance to run a Vehicle's power can come from either an END Reserve or the operator's personal END without modification).

[AlHazred]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

What's the actual effect that's being worked up here?

[Resartus]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

In the campaign every PC and almost all of the NPCs have 2 VPPs. There is a material in the setting that will amplify the powers of anyone in contact with it. The more material the more of a boost. Here is a quick chart that I'm working from right now, I may tweak this after playtesting:

 

Kilograms of mass to Active points added to the pool

1 -> 5

2 -> 10

4 -> 15

8 -> 20

16 -> 25

32 -> 30

and so on, just keep doubling the mass for each additional 5 active points.

 

I'm planning on using the focus limitation for most of the equipment, so a full suit of armor made from this material (weighing 32 Kg) would look something like this:

 

Hard Armor Suit

Armor (8 PD/8 ED) (24 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Normal Mass (-1), Real Armor (-1/4) (Total Cost: 9 points) plus VPP (+30 base/+15 control cost) (45 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) (Total Cost: 30) plus VPP (+30 base/+15 control cost) (45 Active Points) (Total Cost: 30). Total Cost: 69

 

The problem comes in when I need to build the mecha used by the PCs in the campaign. These mecha have a core skeleton made of the applification material and are in contact with it only while there piloting the mecha. The mecha are large enough that they can be damaged seperately from the PC so they don't really qualify as focus like powered armor. The mecha are also sentient and alive (picture large protoplasmic gel that can think) so they can act independent of the PC. This means they need an AI computer or need to be bought as a follower. The cores in these mecha weigh 2 metric tons and boost the PCs VPPs pool by 60 active points. The mecha themselves are about size 6 (from UMV, about 8 meters tall) but double the mass (13 Metric tons total).

 

Here's how I want the boost effect to work:

1.) I want the effect to fade as soon as the pilot leaves the mecha.

2.) I don't want the mecha's AI to have to reapply Aid as it's first action every turn.

3.) I want the effect to have a specific and fixed amount of boost to the VPP.

4.) I don't want the powers in the pool affected by the boost. The PC will have to use their power skill to rework them to take advantage of the increased size of the pool.

5.) I don't want it to cost a ridiculous number of points.

 

Here is how Aid stacks up:

1.) This is probably a -1/2 limitation.

2.) I could make the Aid a constant power.

3.) This is just standard effect.

4.) This currently doesn't work with Aid, it's required to affect a power in the pool. I can just hand wave this of course which would also bring the cost down a bit as well.

5.) If I wave the requirement to boost the power(s) in the pool when the pool is boosted I have the following cost:

 

Power Boost: Aid Gaean VPP 30d6 (standard effect: 90 points), Continuous (+1) (600 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Power (Only while touching the core; -1/2), Others Only (-1/2) Total Cost: 200

 

If I write it to affect every power in the VPP I get the following:

 

Power Boost: Aid Gaean VPP 30d6 (standard effect: 90 points), Continuous (+1), all [special effect] powers simultaneously (+2) (1200 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Power (Only while touching the core; -1/2), Others Only (-1/2) Total Cost: 400

 

The first method is closer to the effect I want and after the discount for it being a vehicle the boost costs 80 points (for both VPPs). The second method has an undesirable side effect of boosting the powers in the VPPs but is technically more correct and costs 160 points after the vehicluar discount. If the boost alone were bought as a OIF it would cost 120 points so the above options are that bad after all. Just as a thought, what would the limitation be for Only one specific individual instead of Others Only? I'm thinking at least a -1 maybe even a -11/2. That would help a bit more as well.

 

Any comments or suggestions on a better way to model the boosting ability would greatly appreciated. Otherwise I'm going to stick to the cheaper of the two choices for Aid for the mecha.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

Here's how I want the boost effect to work:

 

1.) I want the effect to fade as soon as the pilot leaves the mecha.

2.) I don't want the mecha's AI to have to reapply Aid as it's first action every turn.

 

Here is how Aid stacks up:

 

1.) This is probably a -1/2 limitation.

2.) I could make the Aid a constant power.

 

Any comments or suggestions on a better way to model the boosting ability would greatly appreciated. Otherwise I'm going to stick to the cheaper of the two choices for Aid for the mecha.

 

Make it Succor instead of Aid. Read the description of Aid for more on Succor.

[Snarf]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

2.) I don't want the mecha's AI to have to reapply Aid as it's first action every turn.

4.) I don't want the powers in the pool affected by the boost. The PC will have to use their power skill to rework them to take advantage of the increased size of the pool.

2) You could apply trigger, so the power would work automatically without anyone directing it.

4) I think you don't need to apply the +2 affects all powers of a given special effect advantage, if you're only aiding the pool and nothing else.

 

Since this is only going to add to one thing, as an alternative you could just build it as the VPP with a focus limitation, and let it add to VPPs as a partially limited power. For vehicle equipment, you could buy it like a 90 point VPP with OIF Bulky, and write it down as +90 to VPP base with OAF Bulky. Check out FREd p.180 for more about partially limited powers.

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

Say, Resartus, you didn't by any chance get the idea for this from Aura

Battler Dunbine, did you?

 

Major Tom

[Resartus]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

Say' date=' Resartus, you didn't by any chance get the idea for this from [i']Aura[/i]

Battler Dunbine, did you?

 

Major Tom

 

 

Nope. This is a game/story idea that a friend of mine and I have worked on for 15+ years. Neither of us could ever find and game system that dealt with all of the complexity and still kept things playable. Hero is doing a better job by far than anything else I've come across. I'm hoping I'll actually get to run a game in the setting finally.

 

That being said, my friend and I are both anime fans and have watched countless hours of OVA and series over the years. The setting definately has a anime feel to it and very high power levels. The strongest NPC in the setting is capable of 13d+1 RKAs when he's in his mecha, the rough equivalent of a 16 Megaton bomb. When he pushes it becomes a 14d6 RKA or the equivalent of 64 Megatons. Punching holes through mountains isn't unheard of in this setting.

 

If I get the background to convert to my liking I'll start posting some material soon. I'll probably put it in the "other" genre section because it's got a very magi-tech slant and it's strictly sci-fi.

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: I need help designing some equipment

 

64 Megatons?! Cripes, Tsar Bomba didn't put out that much juice when

the Russians touched that puppy off back in '61... but it came pretty close.

 

Major Tom