Nonlethal Alternatives

[Trebuchet]

Re: Nonlethal Alternatives

 

The Hero system itself has maneuvers to do things like this (Pulling a Punch). And there's no law that says a 60 STR brick or energy projector needs to hit for all 12 dice in the first place; casual STR will take out most normals or agents and a disarm or grab will disarm them. PRE attacks by many supers will stop most normals in their tracks. (In a recent adventure our team MidGuard was attacked by a HIND attack helicopter; their greatest concern was how to avoid killing the helicopter's crew. They ended up poking a hole through the engine block with a Penetrating RKA while the brick caught the vehicle to prevent it from crashing when the engine died.)

 

Indeed, I consider it a role-playing challenge to avoid seriously injuring agents and to protect normals. I think every character having an attack which is guaranteed not to cause injury is just as detrimental to good role-playing as having an overwhelming attack that always flattens the villain in one shot. Part of good Champions role-playing IMHO is overcoming obstacles without using excessive force. Any moron can use the equivalent of a tactical nuke to kill the bad guys. Getting the hostages out takes a bit more finesse.

[Zanthis]

Re: Nonlethal Alternatives

 

Are you still addressing me with this statement?

Not specifically. More of a general comment to those who don't like my requirement of non-lethal possibilities on characters. My campaigns contain a different mix of player experience than most here seem to. As such, I have chosen the method that works best for my players and helps them learn the system, and grow to become better role-players at a nice pace that doesn't burn them out or frustrate them. My more experienced players take on the "job" of helping the new players stretch their creativity and learn the boundaries of the game.

 

Originally, my comments in the other thread were in regard to munchkin characters who frequently have no non-lethal power (although creativity as shown by many in this thread would still allow them to handle many situations safely). Why don't they have a non-lethal power? Is it because it isn't in concept for their character? No, they don't have a character concept at all. What they have is a way of stacking powers and advantages with limitations that hardly ever limit to create abusive characters. Why do they make characters like this (besides that it can be fun)? Because they have misunderstood the purpose of the game. They are playing a Superhero game, not a Killing Machine Death-Match Arena game (at least based on the comments of the game's GM in the other thread).

 

Since the poster in the other thread was concerned about his players making munchkin characters, and it sounded like they were somewhat new, at least to 5E, I suggested reminding them of the difference between a Superhero and a Killing Machine.

[Guest bblackmoor]

Re: Nonlethal Alternatives

 

Since the poster in the other thread was concerned about his players making munchkin characters' date=' and it sounded like they were somewhat new, at least to 5E, I suggested reminding them of the difference between a Superhero and a Killing Machine.[/quote']

 

I agree that it's probably a good idea to get new players to think about the less-obvious uses of their characters' powers. One of the great advantages of Champions is that you can create anything. Awakening a player to that fact can sometimes take a while.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Nonlethal Alternatives

 

Not specifically. More of a general comment to those who don't like my requirement of non-lethal possibilities on characters. My campaigns contain a different mix of player experience than most here seem to. As such, I have chosen the method that works best for my players and helps them learn the system, and grow to become better role-players at a nice pace that doesn't burn them out or frustrate them. My more experienced players take on the "job" of helping the new players stretch their creativity and learn the boundaries of the game.

 

Originally, my comments in the other thread were in regard to munchkin characters who frequently have no non-lethal power (although creativity as shown by many in this thread would still allow them to handle many situations safely). Why don't they have a non-lethal power? Is it because it isn't in concept for their character? No, they don't have a character concept at all. What they have is a way of stacking powers and advantages with limitations that hardly ever limit to create abusive characters. Why do they make characters like this (besides that it can be fun)? Because they have misunderstood the purpose of the game. They are playing a Superhero game, not a Killing Machine Death-Match Arena game (at least based on the comments of the game's GM in the other thread).

 

Since the poster in the other thread was concerned about his players making munchkin characters, and it sounded like they were somewhat new, at least to 5E, I suggested reminding them of the difference between a Superhero and a Killing Machine.

I see where you're coming from now. Yeah, in a group of newbies non-lethal alternatives might be a good idea. Experienced role-players should know if their character/concept should have such an ability and shouldn't be required to have one though.