Gadodel Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 I am going to be picking up Champions soon...maybe this week. I only have two years of experience with HERO, so I have a little question. When you began using Champions, how many Character Points did you start out at; when you Game Mastered? Or more specifically, what amount do you feel works best for you and why? I have seen all sorts of characters and the spread seems to be from around 350 to 1,000 range. That's rather dramatic for an acolyte like myself. I am trying to get an idea of what works. Sure, I'll be learning via trial and error; but I would like to minimize the errors. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Desmarais Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? I am going to be picking up Champions soon...maybe this week. I only have two years of experience with HERO, so I have a little question. When you began using Champions, how many Character Points did you start out at; when you Game Mastered? Or more specifically, what amount do you feel works best for you and why? I have seen all sorts of characters and the spread seems to be from around 350 to 1,000 range. That's rather dramatic for an acolyte like myself. I am trying to get an idea of what works. Sure, I'll be learning via trial and error; but I would like to minimize the errors. Thanks. The "standard" for superheroes is 350 points (200 base points plus 150 from disads). This works well for me - and is what most of the published material assumes the PCs will be built on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? If I understand your question correctly you want to know the Default Starting Level of a Champions (Superhero) Campaign. I recogmend the Standard Superhero Level: CHARACTER BUILDING GUIDELINES • Starting Points: 200 • Maximum Disadvantages: 150 • Maximum Points From One Category of Disadvantage: 50 In my Champions of Vancouver Game it looks a little like this. http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=740513&postcount=1 Good luck and have fun. QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadodel Posted January 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? In my Champions of Vancouver Game it looks a little like this. http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=740513&postcount=1 Good luck and have fun. QM Excellent. Oh, BTW; that would be a really fun campaign to play in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? I am glad you think so and I hope my players do to. Have fun QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgrandjean Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? I started with 100 base: 150 disads: Max 50 from one catagory. Max active pts: 60 w/ a soft cap. I haven't GMed yet; 'hoping to rope some players soon. As far as I've seen, I like 200 base: 150 disads: Max 50 from one catagory. Max active: 60-75pts w/ up to 90pts for a seldom used signature power or for an interesting but not overpowering concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? I usually start 200 + 150 disds, 80 AP in any one power and a 50 pt cap on each category of Disads. I've been toying with the idea of taking the power cap off for players that play "One Trick Ponies" like Rogue and allowing a higher AP VPP, but only if it's their only power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? Best thing to do, is to take the fine suggestions presented to you in the replies and make a couple of characters. See how powerful/not so powerful they turn out. Then anticipate the power gamer or the rules "raper" (the master of the loophole......) and think on what character they would build. There are also lots of suggestions in the Core Rulebook. Good luck and welcome to the Hero world..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? I love big huge campaigns with characters pushing 750-1000pts. Just see my recent writeups. However, I have to say that the 350pt starting level or even less is probably better for the newer gamers. There is less to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vorsch Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? Use 350pts but allow the characters to actually buy the powers they want ie no ap caps. Sure cap damage and defences dex and cv, but alot of stuff is simply impossible to do on 60pts. Caps shield and spidermans web shooters for example, as long as the power isint unbalancing (in your opinion) let it fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? Another option: if your players are new to superhero gaming, you might consider starting them out as "low-powered" heroes: 150 + 100 from Disads. The idea is that they're playing brand-new heroes who are still learning how to use their powers effectively, and haven't made a lot of enemies yet. Then for the first few adventures, you hand out XP at a greatly accelerated rate (like x5) and allow the PCs to take points for Disads they develop in game (typically Hunteds) until they get up to the "standard" 200+150 point level; after that, XP progresses as normal and they can't take any new Disads. (Well they can, but they don't get any points for them.) 250 points really isn't much to build a superhero with. But it can help players make the transition from heroic to superheroic level. YMMV, of course. Or if that all sounds too fiddly for you... then just start at 200+150. bigdamnhero “Well, my days of not taking you serious are certainly coming to a middle.†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? I am going to be picking up Champions soon...maybe this week. I only have two years of experience with HERO, so I have a little question. When you began using Champions, how many Character Points did you start out at; when you Game Mastered? Or more specifically, what amount do you feel works best for you and why? I have seen all sorts of characters and the spread seems to be from around 350 to 1,000 range. That's rather dramatic for an acolyte like myself. I am trying to get an idea of what works. Sure, I'll be learning via trial and error; but I would like to minimize the errors. Thanks. IMO, it really depends on what niche of the genre you and your players wish to cover. If you aim for reproduce the antics of urban city protectors who fight crime and small-fry supervillains, a la Spider-man and Daredevil, 350 pts are enough. If you wish to make it global, with major superheroes who routinely deal with natural disasters, threats to national security and mastervillains trying world domination, and regular trips into alien world and strange dimensions, a la Fantastic Four and the low-power Avengers, 800 pts. are necessary. If you wish to play cosmic, with a team of godlike figures that routinely put down menaces to the whole world and repeteadely have to save the whole galaxy/universe/reality from conquest or destruction, like the JLA, the Avengers big guns, the Ultimates, or the Authority, 1000 pts. and up are essential. Differently from other posters, I would not suggest necessarily picking Standard level as a default. Not all fans of comic books and RPG come to superheroic RPG wishing to play the friendly neighborhood superhero. Some (like me) love the cosmic stuff and wish to do the Iron Man/Green Lantern stuff from the start. So talk with your players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justicebringer Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? I just started running a new game, with five players. All have gaming experience but none with Hero. I started them all with 150 pts and 150 Disads. 50 pts max active and 50 pts max in any disad catagory. I'm in the process of running them through their first adventure. Recovering a downed military plan with a few nukes on it that crashed into the ruins of LA (major earthquake a while back). They get to fight some low to mid ranged gangers, with one Cybered up "boss", a few mutants and then for a future tie in a grp of agents running with a small Mech very close to the crash site. When then they get all of this done I plan on dropping 50 more pts on them to flesh out their characters more. That way they can "fix" any weakness they may think they have. Also.. I set a resistant defense cap on characters based on their stats. For the this grp it 30 - (spdx2 + DCV) = Resist Cap. This way the martial artist or speedster doesn't some how have the same Resist def that the Brick has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchellS Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? The points allowed really depends on what you're trying to emulate for the campaign. 200 point characters are New Mutants. 350 point characters are X-men. 500 point characters are JSA. 750 point characters are JLA/Avengers. 500 points has a real "settled in" feelng to it. These are usually powerful and established characters but not really the pinnacle characters in the universe. The main thing to keep in mind when choosing your first Champions campaign is that the more points allowed generally means the slower combats will become. When each player has 10 attack powers to choose from each phase and is rolling 15d6 things tend to go much slower then in a Teen Champions game where each character has 1 attack power doing 8d6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? The main thing to keep in mind when choosing your first Champions campaign is that the more points allowed generally means the slower combats will become. When each player has 10 attack powers to choose from each phase and is rolling 15d6 things tend to go much slower then in a Teen Champions game where each character has 1 attack power doing 8d6. Good point. I would advise against trying cosmic power-level first time out, both for this reason and because as a GM you may have more trouble balancing such a campaign. Depends on your comfort level. bigdamnhero “We’ve got a blind date with destiny...and it looks like she’s ordered the lobster!†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edsel Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? Since you already have experience with the system I will assume that you know that the Champions book is just a genre book and does not contain the actual rules needed to play the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? Lately I've done starting C's this way: 225 Base + 125 Disadvantages = 350 points. I like the 125 Disadvantages better than the 150, the C's are not as weighted down with issues, but it allows them to still have intresting 'probleams'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? Lately I've done starting C's this way: 225 Base + 125 Disadvantages = 350 points. I like the 125 Disadvantages better than the 150, the C's are not as weighted down with issues, but it allows them to still have intresting 'probleams'. I agree ! I would give the P C's slightly more straight "points" than points from disadvantages; otherwise you can get characters that are just too weighed down with problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpira Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: What would you recommend? When I started out in Hero 150 points plus another 100 points from disadvantages was the norm. Now I feel like I have an extra 100 points to play with whenever I get to design characters. My advice is this: If you are going to be using mostly villians written in the CU I would go with 200 points plus 100 from disadvantages as that is supposed to be the standard. However if you want to make your own villians, start with a little lower level point total so that everyone becomes comfortable with the ends and outs of the system and you have an easier time designing villians. As you become more comfortable in the system you start to expand on your designs even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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