Questions On Demand

[Jeghis]

It is so refreshing to be asked for questions, instead of the response I normally get.

 

I had a question:

 

4) If a bad guy with a held action shoots at a not-nearly-as-bad guy

activating his powers, is the not-nearly-as-bad guy considered aborting

to one of his powers over the others, e.g., his Force Field over his

Flight?

 

You had an answer:

 

4. I’m not sure I understand this question. What a target chooses to

Abort to is up to him (i.e., to his player if he’s a PC, or the GM if

he’s an NPC). If I’m missing something, please post a follow-up.

 

First, don't worry. As you get older, it's more common, until you wonder whether there was ever intelligent life on Earth.

 

If we transpose every first and third letter, we get something completely unintelligible, so I'll approach it more directly. I understand your caveat about using Shrinking as an Abort.

 

4a) Suppose A has a Held Action (several game inches away), while B is trying to use Mind Control on C, who's in the next hex. [Names have been changed to protect the munificent.] Plucky, little Hero C manages to roll his second miracle Breakout Roll and avoid Mind Control one segment later, and then proceeds to demoralize B (name calling) and activate his defenses. These include a Force Field (IPE), Flight(IPE) and Shrinking (What would IPE be for getting small? He doesn't look small? http://www.herogames.com/forums/images/smilies/nonp.gif

) from the same EC. There are no Extra Time limitations on any of these powers.

 

A reacts to something and shoots. As PC, I can't see what he reacts to, but he may just be trigger happy.

 

4aI) Is there any sense in which C can be said to be aborting to any of those powers?

 

4aII) If you are aborting, is there any game mechanics sense in which Shrinking takes more time to activate than Force Field?

 

4aIII) Would any reasonable person... strike that; this is Hero System. Would any reasonable player [a much lower standard] assume that it took longer to reach full power with his FF than it did to Shrink to full DCV?

 

Thanks again, and if you want even more questions, I have a million. Just ask. You're probably too shy, so I'll just send them.....

 

PS - Last night I couldn't sleep because kids were throwing scaleable smoke grenades through my window. Your work?

[Steve Long]

Re: Questions On Demand

 

1. No. Aborting is a specific sort of declared action. If a character doesn’t state he’s Aborting, then he’s not Aborting.

 

2. No. Activating any power is, as a default rule, a Zero Phase Action.

 

3. Sure — any player who has a specific conception of how his character’s powers work could easily decide that one takes “longer” to activate than another in this sort of situation. That’s not only reasonably, it could very well constitute good character conception and roleplaying — especially if he sticks to his guns even when his idea (for which he gets no real benefit) hurts him tactically.

 

4. I can neither confirm nor deny my involvement in any scaleable smoke grenade-related plots.