How much flight to hover?

[Rerednaw]

A hero has flight and energy blast in a multipower. He wants to stay in the air but wants to maximize his energy blast.

 

How many points or inches of flight must be maintained just to hover?

 

Just wondering.

 

Cheers.

[Aroooo]

My take is a minimum of 1 inch. Also, from the FAQ:

 

Q:_ Can a character with Flight hover for no END cost?

 

A:_ No; the minimum END cost is 1, unless the Power has been bought to cost 0 END. The character is still flying (counteracting gravity), even if he?s not going anywhere, and that takes effort.

 

Q:_ Can a character use MegaScaled Flight to hover?

 

A:_ Yes, but since using a MegaMovement power means he?s automatically considered to be moving at Noncombat Movement velocity, he?s at 1/2 DCV, 0 OCV.

 

Aroooo

[Killer Shrike]

As a complete aside, you may also consider letting a character with flight take the Sideways Manueverability advantage on Page 15 of the Ultimate Vehicle. Combined with hovering it could be very useful for a Flyer, allowing strafing.

[DigitalGolem]

If you want a "realistic" rationale, one gravity is about 5" per segment, or 60" per turn, so the flight required to hover would be equivalent to that. (from Star Hero)

 

But if it was me, I'd just make sure I had enough altitude to "free fall" for a phase and use the EB on full power.

 

Or take a side effect of "flight, opposite direction" to simulate a very high recoil, and fire straight down at my target.

 

Okay, I know that's kinda silly, but it'd be fun, right?

 

DGv3.0

[JmOz]

I require 5" to be used as a basic amount of movement (except swiming and Digging)

[TheEmerged]

First: given that falling acceleration is 5" per segment, I'd require a character that wants to hover to have at least 10" of flight to hover; I base this on the "casual strength" rule.

 

However, I do allow hovering to take place without requiring a half-phase movement action.

[Lord Mhoram]

To those who hold to the 5" (or 10") to hover.... If a character buys two inches of flight, he can fly at 2", up at 1" right?

 

1" of flight cancels all "gravimetric" concerns and would allow a character to fly up at 1/2". So it seems to reason that one inch would allow someone to hover.

 

For those that have a "power minimum" to use the power, ignore my comments.

[Silbeg]

My take

 

I guess the simple answer would be that the minimum inches of flight would be whatever the minimum number required inches of flight. As I recall, 1" is the minimum based on HERO 5ed, that would be the default min. If you have adopted house rules that give a higher minimum amount of flight, that increased min. would be take precedence.

 

However, if the hero was already flying at velocity, it would be most fair to calculate his deceleration (so that he would end up at 0" of forward velocity) at the 5" decel/ 1" travelled rate (that is still the formula for decel, is it not?).

 

Example: Kid Komet flew at a rate of 25" on his last phase. He would like to hover this phase (freeing up points in his MP for a more powerful EB). He would need to decel at the above rate, requiring 5" to stop. Unless he wants to take a full move to do this, he would have to double the rate (10" of flight). In his 75 point MP, Kid Komet then has 55 points to use on his 11d6 EB.

 

Sounds fair to me!

 

Silbeg....

[BlackCobra]

Ok, first, I'm with the hover for 1" crowd.

 

Second, my question would always be "how's the wind?" That 1" to hover is great, except when the wind is blowing at 2" from the North -- then you're going to have trouble. If that 2" wind sounds like a lot -- consider how inexpensive the Change Environment would be to create that sort of natural weather.

 

Third, I fully expect any moment one of you good-at-math folks will hop in here and tell me that those are 500 mile-an-hour winds, and I should shut up about the wind shear.

[TheEmerged]

I suppose my ruling would count as "power minimum", since I require that the person wanting to hover has 10" of Flight available but don't require any degree of action (half phase or otherwise).